# Current Listening Vol I



## DanielFullard

A few other forums I have used in the past have had this kind of thread which serves as an ongoing one in which you basically post what youre listening to or have been listening to lately and any comments on it.

Works well elsehwere so should work here....

Ill get the ball rolling...

This hasnt been out of my Disc player in 2006 and as you will come to find out I bloody love Alwyn..


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## Oneiros

Brahms' 1st Symphony in C minor, which I just hired from the library.


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## 3rdplanetsounds

A cd of Shoshtakovich symphonies 6 and 1.


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## Celloman

Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Hodie by RVW, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Choir of Guilford Cathedral, and conducted by Sir David Willcocks, on the EMI label. It's getting me into the mood of the season!


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## riverbank

Been listening to Tchaikovsky last hour - Piano Concerto No 1, Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake. 

Yeah, well good. Nice to be listening to some music again after a week away


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## Luximus

*What are you listening to right now?*

Every forum has one of these threads 

I'm listening to the Sibelius violin concerto 1st movement as I'm typing right now. For some reason, after practicing violin, I always feel like listening to this concerto.


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## opus67

As strange as it may seem, I was thinking about starting the same thread, here.  

Anyway, right now I'm listening to nothing, apart from the ambient noise(more like hearing). But before that I was listening to JSB's harpsichord-arrangement of Vivaldi's concerto for 4 violins.


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## Saturnus

Saint-Säens Bassoon Sonata - the most underrated stuff I have heard in my whole life.


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## opus67

Death and the Maiden - Guarneri quartet


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## ChamberNut

String Quartet No. 1 in C minor - Brahms (Amadeus Quartet)


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## Morigan

Mendelssohn's String Octet, my favourite, alongside with the obvious Violin Concerto. This recording is by the Medici and Alberni Quartet, it's an old rip I got from someone... I'm looking for a better recording of the Octet. Any suggestions?


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## opus67

The one on Naxos seems to get good reviews.


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## musician2007

Debussy Orchestral Music CD - Concertgebouw/Haitink. The best CD I currently own. Also have Glorious Pipes with Gheorghe Zamfir on the panpipes, and Diane Bish on the organ ... SUPERB stuff.


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## Leporello87

This morning on the way to work I listened to Shostakovich's 2nd Piano Concerto, along with part of the finale to Mozart's operatic fragment L'oca del Cairo, KV 422. As it turns out, L'oca del Cairo may actually be a composition of J.M. Kraus of Sweden, but the piano concerto seems to be authentically Shostakovich


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## Chi_townPhilly

Shortly prior to this post... Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies (Orchestra). Currently (applying the corrective to my "Brahms myopia"), Hungarian Dances 17-21 followed by Symphony #3. Mustn't hold the actions of Brahms supporters of the 19th century against Brahms himself. After all, if someone held the actions of certain Wagner supporters against Wagner, I would be very, very _angry_, and I might write a _letter_ explaining how _angry_ I was


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## Lisztfreak

It's Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini'.


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## Luximus

Brahms Violin Concerto- played by Henryk Szerynk...I'm still not sure which orchestra accompanied him though...


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## opus67

Salieri - Concerto for Oboe and Flute


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## ChamberNut

Schubert - Quartet for Flute, Viola, Guitar and Cello in G major, D. 96

Delightful number!


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## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> Schubert - Quartet for Flute, Viola, Guitar and Cello in G major, D. 96
> 
> Delightful number!


Surely you couldn't have been listening to that at the time of the post.


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## Evan Roberts

Prokofiev's 1st Piano Concerto, will probably listen to all five in a 2 hour long Prokofiev marathon.


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## Guest

JM Kraus's piano music.


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## opus67

Beethoven - Violin Concerto
Hahn, Zinman, Baltimore SO


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## Leporello87

Sibelius Violin Concerto on the way to work this morning


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## Morigan

Haydn's Creation — the famous recording with Janowitz, Fischer-Dieskau, Wunderlich et al


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## Saturnus

ChamberNut said:


> Schubert - Quartet for Flute, Viola, Guitar and Cello in G major, D. 96
> 
> Delightful number!


This is interesting, what recording do you suggest?


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## ChamberNut

Saturnus said:


> This is interesting, what recording do you suggest?


Unfortunately, I can't recommend any recordings, because I've only heard this work once on a radio station I sent a request in. This was actually substituted for another Schubert Chamber Work I had requested instead, but they could not find it in their library.

I believe this is the version I heard:

Schultz, Flute

Christ, Viola

Sollscher, Guitar

Faust, Cello

on the DG label.


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## Azathoth

Various keyboardists playing Bach on YouTube.

Harry Ellerm depresses me. In a good way. I guess.

About to switch to my Bach playlist, so all the Bach I own.

Goldberg
Brandenburg
Orchestral Suites
Four Great Toccatas and Fugues
One organ prelude.


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## The Purple Wasp

Right now, I’m listening to Charles-Valentin Alkan. (Unjustly forgotten  )


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## Guest

Dvorak's 9th and Tchaikovsky's 5th and a little bit of Chopin here and there.


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## Lisztfreak

Liszt - Fantasia on Hungarian Themes for Piano and Orchestra. 

There seems to be a melody inside which is rather similar to a Croatian song. It's from the region of Medjimurje (on the Hungarian border) and is called 'Stoprom sam se ozenil, vec me zena zbila' ('I just got married and my wife's already beaten me')


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## opus67

Schumann Piano Concerto


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## ChamberNut

Schumann Symphony No. 4


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## Luximus

Beethoven Symphony 5

I have finally discovered the genius and logic behind beethoven...and am very grateful that i did


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## opus67

Luximus said:


> Beethoven Symphony 5
> 
> I have finally discovered the genius and logic behind beethoven...and am very grateful that i did


Congratulations!


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## Luximus

opus67 said:


> Congratulations!


Thanks! Well...thanks to my teacher, actually. I've always thought that understanding Beethoven and enjoying his music takes time and maturity.....but apparently not, i guess


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## opus67

Have you listened to his string quartets yet? I've heard a few, but I'm not familiar with them all. I hear they too let you understand Beethoven.


BTW, listening to Mozart's 44th symphony (an early one (supposedly) incorrectly attributed to Leopold earlier)


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## opus67

Elgar's cello concerto...I'm discovering this really wonderful piece.


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## Luximus

opus67 said:


> Elgar's cello concerto...I'm discovering this really wonderful piece.


Gah, I have yet to discover many great composers....I want to find some nice recordings of Mahler and Elgar, Dvorak, and Brahms symphonies but haven't found the time. hopefully after exams, I'll be able to go on a nice shopping trip to the classical music store downtown


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## Frasier

Just returned home and needed something easy and familiar so it's Scheherezade.

I don't feel like breaking away from well-trodden paths right now.


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## opus67

Frasier said:


> Just returned home and needed something easy and familiar so it's Scheherezade.


Which recording, if I may ask?


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## Frasier

Please do. Would you believe, Beecham?


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## opus67

Ah, the all-famous Beecham. I believe that was the first version I heard of this work.


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## Frasier

Ha! I came to this after hearing several other recordings and found it a better performance so stayed with it. The sound quality isn't too bad and I'd listened to a few of his Delius recordings so I had probably got used to it! 



Edit - In fact, I think I'll play his version of Bantock's Fifine right now.


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## Lark Ascending

My listening for today was a CD of works by 20th century English composer Julius Harrison, and Schubert's Moment Musicaux.


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## opus67

Chopin
Polonaise Brillante - Yo-Yo Ma and Emmanuel Ax


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## ChamberNut

Grieg's Piano Concerto, followed by Schumann's Piano Concerto


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## Eric

I've been listening to Brahms' 4th symphony a lot lately. That and lots of Marvin Gaye, Jefferson Airplane, Frankie Valli, and Pink Floyd.

I also recently discovered that I actually enjoy opera.


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## Leporello87

Eric said:


> I've been listening to Brahms' 4th symphony a lot lately.


Awesome piece, isn't it?



> I also recently discovered that I actually enjoy opera.


Nice! We can always use another opera lover in the ranks  What operas have you discovered recently that you enjoy?


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## Morigan

I just finished watching my all new Don Giovanni DVD. How brilliant was the production! It's the 2000 one. MET under Levine with Terfel, Fleming, Furlanetto et al... The best Don Juan DVD around imo.


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## 4/4player

Im currently listening to Jean Sibelius "Symphony No. 2 in D Major"...as I type, I've just finished with the 3rd movement...going on to the 4th "climatic" movement. This is overally a great piece!=)


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## Luximus

Morigan said:


> I just finished watching my all new Don Giovanni DVD. How brilliant was the production! It's the 2000 one. MET under Levine with Terfel, Fleming, Furlanetto et al... The best Don Juan DVD around imo.


Speaking of operas...I had the pleasure of watching Carmen performed by the metropolitan opera + symphony, conducted by james levine. Such a magnificent opera, the music is absolutely gorgeous!


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## Mrs Malapup

Im listening to Elgar's Enigma Variations on radio 3


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## Leporello87

This morning on the way to work I listened to Mozart's (I think) third Prussian Quartet in F major, KV 590. I also couldn't resist listening to the minuet movement from the second Prussian Quartet, KV 589 -- such a thoroughly "un-minuet-ish" minuet!


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## opus67

The Miraculous London Symphony.


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## opus67

Quite possibly my favourite symphony: Beethoven's 6th. 
Although a bit fast for my taste. Von Dohnanyi and the Cleveland Orchestra.


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## Leporello87

opus67 said:


> Quite possibly my *favourite symphony*: Beethoven's *6th*.


 If that's true, shouldn't you be giving yourself a new handle for the forum??


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## opus67

Leporello87 said:


> If that's true, shouldn't you be giving yourself a new handle for the forum??


I probably should, but opus-sixty-eight doesn't sound as cool as opus-sixty-seven.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Today, it's _Gotterdammerung_. Not Wagner's strongest story, but I think he does more with the music here than anywhere else. I've also been fortunate enough to take a page from the book of 4/4 and follow along with a study score. Awesome


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## Frasier

Mrs Malapup said:


> Im listening to Elgar's Enigma Variations on radio 3


Can I ask whose recording if not live? I'm going through an English music phase at the moment and was listening to a CD of Charles Mackerras/LPO. Sadly it was too late to have the last variation at a volume I'd like. I needed to escape headphones for a while.

Now listening to Finzi's Introit (Boult).


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## Leporello87

Today was Messiaen's wonderful _Quatuor pour la fin du temps_.


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## Edward Elgar

Guilmant's Symphony No.1 - It's apocoliptic! Nice slow movement too!


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## opus67

Well, not exactly now, but a few minutes ago I was listening to Liszt's transcription of LvB's 7th. It was a bit uneasy listening to for the first couple of minutes or so, but after that it was great! I think I should get those CDs (I think it's on Naxos). I've heard the 8th before, and it's amazing how the whole orchestra is brought into a piano.


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## Mrs Malapup

Frasier said:


> Can I ask whose recording if not live? I'm going through an English music phase at the moment and was listening to a CD of Charles Mackerras/LPO. Sadly it was too late to have the last variation at a volume I'd like. I needed to escape headphones for a while.
> 
> Now listening to Finzi's Introit (Boult).


Will check the radio playlist and come back to you


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## Mrs Malapup

Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma Variations)
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Zinman
Telarc CD-80192 t2

My Dad recommends London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux (1875-1964) recorded in 1958. Dad says its generally accepted as the best recording.


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## Leporello87

Messiaen's _Quatuor pour la fin du temps_.... again


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## ChamberNut

Mozart's Divertimento in B-flat, K287 and Divertimento in F major, K138


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## Lark Ascending

Stravinsky's Petrushka on Radio 3, and very good it is too.


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## Luximus

Zapateado -Pablo de sarasate

a fun little piece isn't it?


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## Guest

Lionel Daunais's songs, performed by a charming soprano.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Speaking of sopranos, Tebaldi as Mimi in _La Boheme_.


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## Guest

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Speaking of sopranos, Tebaldi as Mimi in _La Boheme_.


I am envious of you…


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## Lisztfreak

Nielsen's 5th


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## Leporello87

Beethoven Quartet, Op. 135


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## Frasier

MJQ - Concorde


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## opus67

Hebrides

Who's MJQ?


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## Guest

Luximus said:


> Beethoven Symphony 5
> 
> I have finally discovered the genius and logic behind beethoven...and am very grateful that i did


That's what most people start with, and then go on to discover further symphonic gems, various concerti, piano sonatas etc, before finishing up several years down the line marvelling at his late String Quartets as probably his greatest creations.


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## Frasier

opus67 said:


> Hebrides
> 
> Who's MJQ?


Apologies. The Modern Jazz Quartet.

Hebrides? Is that the overture written by Mendelson?


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## opus67

Frasier said:


> Apologies. The Modern Jazz Quartet.


Thanks.



> Hebrides? Is that the overture written by Mendelson?


Yes. Thielemann with the VPO.


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## Guest

Frasier said:


> Is that the overture written by Mendelson?


No, Mendelssohn, I suspect.


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## Luximus

Mango said:


> That's what most people start with, and then go on to discover further symphonic gems, various concerti, piano sonatas etc, before finishing up several years down the line marvelling at his late String Quartets as probably his greatest creations.


I can't wait to get more Beethoven! But i need a job XD


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## Guest

Luximus said:


> I can't wait to get more Beethoven! But i need a job XD


What you need is a job in a record store. Thought of that?


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## Chi_townPhilly

I took the Rx from future doctor MungoPark: This afternoon's virtual concert was: 1) Schubert Symphony 9, (intermission) 2) Bruckner: Study Symphony, 3) Schoenberg: _Verklarte Nacht_. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have set Bruckner against the Schumann Piano Concerto or "Rhenish" Symphony... but still, the flatlander gives Mungo his thanks (I think he'd understand)


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## Luximus

Mango said:


> What you need is a job in a record store. Thought of that?


The only good record store that sells classical music records is downtown. I doubt HMV will have what I need....and I live uptown.


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## Luximus

sorry for the double post, but I'm listening to Debussy's _La Mer_


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## opus67

Violin Concerto in Vivaldi's style by Kreisler. 

Fun piece!  I also heard that Kreisler would create pieces like this and tell the world that a work by a long-dead composer has been discovered. (Just for fun, of course.)


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## Guest

opus67 said:


> I also heard that Kreisler would create pieces like this and tell the world that a work by a long-dead composer has been discovered. (Just for fun, of course.)


I've heard somewhere that Albinoni's adagio had been composed in the 1960's. 
Is it true, or just a stupid rumor ?


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## opus67

Alnitak said:


> I've heard somewhere that Albinoni's adagio had been composed in the 1960's.
> Is it true, or just a stupid rumor ?


I came across that recently, too, and I think it's true. I guess it was more like 'completed' than 'composed from scratch'. I think Wikipedia has the details, but then, it is not always the most reliable source of information.

EDIT: Hmm... it appears that it was more or less 'composed from scratch'
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=42:41485


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## Woodley6453

At the moment I'm listening to Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 18 in E Flat Major, op. 31


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## Guest

opus67 said:


> I came across that recently, too, and I think it's true.


Thank you for your answer.
Obviously, there are many mysteries in classical music…


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## opus67

Schumann's 'Spring' Symphony - Bernstein and the Vienna PO.


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## ChamberNut

Ravel - Piano Concerto in D major for the Left hand


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## ChamberNut

Boccherini's Guitar Quintet # 4


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## Woodley6453

Balakirev -Islamey


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## Lisztfreak

Beethoven's SQ No.4


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## opus67

Goldberg Variations, with Gould humming in the background.


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## Guest

Arias from Salieri’s operas performed by the Mezzo-Soprano Cecilia Bartoli


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## Morigan

Brahms' first Piano Concerto... what a musical journey!

@ Alnitak: are the arias any good? I've always been curious about Salieri's work, although most of his œuvre has generally been dismissed as mediocre.


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## Guest

Morigan said:


> @ Alnitak: are the arias any good? I've always been curious about Salieri's work, although most of his œuvre has generally been dismissed as mediocre.


The Cd I bought is « Cecilia Bartoli - The Salieri Album ». 
You can listen to samples on Amazone :
http://www.amazon.com/Cecilia-Bartoli-Salieri-Album-Antonio/dp/B0000A01J6

I almost regret it, perhaps because the Arias are performed in a very baroque manner. I've already bought a CD with her singing Vivaldi, and I had the same impression.I am therefore unable to answer your question…

Moreover, i've borrowed this afternoon a concerto for fortepiano and a concerto for flute, oboe and orchestra. The work which comes closest to the mature classical style as we know it through Mozart and Haydn is the keyboard concerto in B flat. May I say that they are charming and enjoyable? in any case, I prefer them...


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## sufeyang

Mozart :k620


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## Woodley6453

Earlier - Ravel, Valses Nobles et Sentimentales 
Now - Mendelssohn - Symphony no. 3 in A Minor


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## Guest

a Bird .


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## JohnM

Currently Ignaz Moscheles' Second Piano Concerto


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## ChamberNut

Very early Beethoven (1785) Piano Quartet Wo0 36 No. 1 in E-flat major

....since I just got the Beethoven misc. Chamber Works CD from the DG complete Beethoven collection.


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## opus67

Les Adiuex - Pollini


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## Leporello87

The choruses that Handel posted in this thread:

http://www.talkclassical.com/1713-georg-friedrich-haendel.html#post12516

Many thanks, Handel! Both to the forum member and the composer


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## ChamberNut

Beethoven - Trio for Piano, Flute and Bassoon Wo0 37,

followed by his Horn Sonata Op. 17


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## fox_druid

jeann baptise lully - revenez, amore and some french baroque music


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## Guest

fox_druid said:


> some french baroque music


May I ask what is it, precisely?


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## fox_druid

baroque music written by french composer... imagining if i were Louis XIV


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## ChamberNut

Copland's Symphony No. 3


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## Amy

Ha, I probably shouldn't say this but I'm going to be honest- 'The Nameless' by Slipknot...


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## ChamberNut

Beethoven's Six Minuets for 2 violins & double bass, WoO 9

Very charming


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## JohnM

Eroica Variations.

Nice.


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## opus67

Mozart Horn Concerto #2 through a terrible set of speakers and a really old sound card.


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## Luximus

Amy said:


> Ha, I probably shouldn't say this but I'm going to be honest- 'The Nameless' by Slipknot...


hey, anything goes in this topic....and you're being honest, so props to you


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## ChamberNut

Mozart - Serenade for winds in C minor K.388 "Nacht Musique" 

Mozart - Serenade for winds in E-flat major K.375


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## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> Mozart - Serenade for winds in C minor K.388 "Nacht Musique"
> 
> Mozart - Serenade for winds in E-flat major K.375


Now that's what I call multitasking.


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## JohnM

Genesis - Duke

(Seeing as how I'm off to see them on Saturday )


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## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> Now that's what I call multitasking.


I figured what the heck, they're on the same CD


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## Guest

Regine Crespin singing Gabriel Faure's songs …


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## opus67

Beethoven Piano Trio in Bb, WoO.39


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## ChamberNut

Beethoven - Six Theme with Variations for Piano and Flute - Op. 105.

The 4th Theme "The Last Rose of Summer" is absolutely beautiful.


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## ChamberNut

Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (increasingly becoming one of my favorite piano concertos).

w/Jorge Bolet on piano and Riccardo Chailly conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra.


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## opus67

The 'Kegelstatt' Trio, K.498. A clarinet at the hands of Mozart is just beautiful...


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## Leporello87

A symphony of Andrea Luchesi...

... by which I mean a real Luchesi symphony, not a symphony of "Haydn" or "Mozart"


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## opus67

Leporello87 said:


> A symphony of Andrea Luchesi...


More info, please.  And where can I listen to more Luchesi symphonies?


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## Lark Ascending

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.5


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## opus67

Mozart - String quintet #6


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## opus67

Now it's time for Schubert's string quintet.


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## Leporello87

opus67 said:


> More info, please.  And where can I listen to more Luchesi symphonies?


I'm not sure where to find this on CD. Robert Newman sent me this one. It's surprisingly nice 

EDIT: They're as mp3's. I can send them if you want, just drop me an IM (I've posted the IM information on the forum profile).


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## Guest

Leporello87 said:


> A symphony of Andrea Luchesi...
> 
> ... by which I mean a real Luchesi symphony, not a symphony of "Haydn" or "Mozart"


How can you be absolutely sure that this Symphony has been composed by Luchesi?
R. Newman wrote somewhere that Luchesi never composed anything (…I mean, for himself…)
And I suppose that your file (mp3) is not signed…


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## opus67

Wieniawksi 2nd violin concerto.


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## Luximus

The second movement of Brahms' Second symphony. Such a lovely symphony.


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## Leporello87

Alnitak said:


> How can you be absolutely sure that this Symphony has been composed by Luchesi?
> R. Newman wrote somewhere that Luchesi never composed anything (…I mean, for himself…)
> And I suppose that your file (mp3) is not signed…


I can't be sure!  What if Haydn actually wrote it?? 

Current piece: Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story


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## Guest

Leporello87 said:


> I can't be sure!  What if Haydn actually wrote it??


As you are talking about Luchesi, I wonder if you have already read the funniest of the story :

http://www.astroamerica.com/mozart.html

it is explained that Georg Nikolaus Nissen, born Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, died in 1826, aged 70!!

I found it in "The Astrology Center of America", so, it can't be more serious!!!, signed by R Newman, of course…


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## opus67

I am Mozart. I taught Bach how to play the organ, learnt to play the violin from Paganini during 1546-1550. I came to attend a music festival in the US yesterday, and while waiting in my suite at the hotel, I came across this site. Now, I ask you stop talking nonsense about me.


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## david johnson

tchaikovsky, sym #1 & capriccio italien - swarowsky/bamberg -
a good, cheap reacording.

dj


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## Chi_townPhilly

Speaking of good, cheap recordings, currently sampling the Naxos _Magic Flute_.


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## Guest

Reynaldo Hahn's songs


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## Morigan

Händel's "Utrecht" Te Deum


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## Lisztfreak

Elgar's ''O Hearken Thou'', Op.64

Just finished the Requiem by François-Joseph Gossec. Has anyone heard this work?


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## opus67

What a contrast! I'm listening to Mozart's Clarinet Concerto while a thunderstorm is raging outside. The concerto is played a little fast, though. Stoltzman and the English Chamber Orch.


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## Amy

Salvator Mundi by John Blow


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## Morigan

"Destructive War", an aria from Händel's oratorio "Belshazzar" sung by David Daniels.


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## opus67

A symphony by Luchesi.


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## Guest

which one? (he wrote so many symhonies... )


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## opus67

Alnitak said:


> which one? (he wrote so many symhonies... )


The one that's not attributed to either Mozart or Haydn.  This one's called Sinfonia in Do (and in the Properties it says 'Symphony in C'. Doesn't sound like Bizet's, though. )

It sounds (to _me_) to start out like one of Haydn's later symphonies (90's, 100's) and then settles into a Mozart's late 20's and 30's.


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## Albert Maksimov

J.Enesku
(Opus 11: Romanian Rhapsody N1 in A major (1901)
Pls,look here:






*My Music*http://www.myspace.com/notonlyjazzyahoocom


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## opus67

Schobert Piano Quartet Op.14/1

NOTE: It is an O, not a U. Not a typo.

EDIT: Interesting aside: This post number has the same KV number of Mozart's Grosse Messe.


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## opus67

Alnitak said:


> which one? (he wrote so many symhonies... )


And we can now see Alnitak up close.  What is that, an HST image?


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## Guest

opus67 said:


> And we can now see Alnitak up close.  What is that, an HST image?


It is to dazzle you… 
(as I can't do it with my conversation, I do it with my avatar… )


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## ChamberNut

Brahms - Symphony No. 1 (LPO w/ Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting).

to be followed by the "Variations on a theme by Joseph Haydn" and the "Tragic Overture", because they're on the same CD.


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## Lisztfreak

A selection of songs by Schubert. Currently the Auf der Donau, D553. Gorgeous and refreshing his songs are.


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## ChamberNut

Listening to an old favorite of mine, that I haven't listened to for a few months....

Beethoven's Triple Concerto Op. 56


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## LaciDeeLeBlanc

Dvorak: 8th Symphony as recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Witold Rowicki


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## Guest

Alfred Deller and François Couperin.


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## Andrew

Orlando Gibbons: Consorts for Viols, played by Phantasm


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## ChamberNut

Schubert - String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D887


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## ChamberNut

Antoine de lhoyer (1768-1852), Concerto for guitar and strings, Op. 16


----------



## Handel

Handel - Utrecht Te Deum & Jubilate


----------



## Andrew

Johann Christian Bach- Symphonies Concertantes (The Hanover Band, dir. Anthony Halstead)


----------



## Handel

Andrew said:


> Johann Christian Bach- Symphonies Concertantes (The Hanover Band, dir. Anthony Halstead)


This is good stuff, especially the sinfonia concertante in B flat major (CW C46 (T. 287/7)). The first movement is great.


----------



## Morigan

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird 

...

...what?


----------



## Guest

I like all kind of music ...







.... Thanks to you, I've discovered something new (new for me…)


----------



## Andrew

Two organ masses by Francois (there is no "Cedille" on my keyboard ) Couperin, played by Marie-Claire Alain


----------



## opus67

Divertimento in Bb, KV.137
You'd guess it was by a Bach!

EDIT: Ah, there it is...the 'signature notes'. Of course, the initial stages doesn't sound like Mozart.


----------



## Rondo

Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Blomstedt, SFSym), and Scottish Fantasy by Bruch.


----------



## Guest

Shostakovitch's Symphony n°15
(London Symphony orchestra conducted by Rostropovich... )


----------



## opus67

Vieuxtemps violin concerto No.4, Perlman


----------



## Leporello87

The mirror fugues from Art of Fugue.


----------



## Keemun

Bach - Mass in B Minor


----------



## Guest

Elgar's Falstaff


----------



## Aigen

The Adagio to Mozart's Gran Partita (exquisite).


----------



## Lisztfreak

Elgar's Piano Quintet in A minor.


----------



## Morigan

From Händel's _Rinaldo_, "Venti turbini", sung by David Daniels, everyone's favourite countertenor


----------



## Andrew

Kurt Atterberg: Symphony No. 1 in B minor - for the first time. Beautiful themes, colourful and bright orchestration.


----------



## opus67

Hummel's Grand Concerto for Bassoon in F


----------



## ChamberNut

Bach's Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011


----------



## opus67

Kablevsky Cello Concerto No.1
Ma, Ormandy, Philly Orch.


----------



## colleengail726

A Sinfonia Concertante by Wenzel Pichl (1741-1805). Pichl was very famous during his lifetime and was a member of Mozart's circle.


----------



## Andrew

Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630), The Fountains of Israel - Sacred Madrigals for 5 and 6 voices and continuo, sung and played by the Ensemble Vocal Européen, directed by Philippe Herreweghe. Like Bach nearly 100 years later, Schein was cantor at St. Thomas in Leipzig.


----------



## Geheris

Well, to be honest, at this VERY second? Elton John.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Bruckner's Fifth (Barenboim/Berliner Philharmoniker). Smashingly demoniacal first movement's outbursts.


----------



## ChamberNut

Lisztfreak said:


> Bruckner's Fifth (Barenboim/Berliner Philharmoniker). Smashingly demoniacal first movement's outbursts.


It is awesome. I love the Adagio in the 5th also.


----------



## ChamberNut

Speaking of Bruckner......

Listening to Bruckner's Symphony No. 1 in C minor.


----------



## Andrew

Oboe concertos by Tomaso Albinoni, played by Stefan Schilli and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Nicol Matt).


----------



## Andrew

Dietrich Buxtehude - Seven Trio Sonatas Op. 2, played by John Holloway (Violin), Jaap ter Linden (Viola da Gamba) and Lars Ulrik Mortensen (Harpsichord). This year the 200th anniversary of the death of Buxtehude is celebrated; there are many concerts and CD releases.


----------



## Handel

"Serve the Lord with gladness" from Handel's Utrecht Jubilate. A marvellous chorus with a great ending.

http://www.box.net/shared/ns7usn3ezx


----------



## Andrew

Symphonies and Concerti by Giovanni Battista and Gisueppe Sammartini, played by Ensemble 415 (dir. Chiara Banchini)


----------



## Andrew

J. C. Bach: Piano Trios Op. 2, played by Trio 1790 on period instruments


----------



## ChamberNut

Can't seem to get enough of Bruckner lately....

Bruckner - Symphony No. 2 in C minor


----------



## ChamberNut

Concerto for Piano & Orchestra "The Yellow River" - Lang Lang


----------



## Morigan

Thank you Handel for your abstracts. You always make me discover great pieces from your favourite composer.

I'm listening to Cecilia Bartoli's Vivaldi album. What a great mezzo coloratura she is!


----------



## opus67

Orchestral suite No.4 - Bach
At times, I feel like I'm listening to the Music for the Royal Fireworks or the Water Suite. The percussion and wind combination especially...


----------



## Handel

Morigan said:


> Thank you Handel for your abstracts. You always make me discover great pieces from your favourite composer.
> 
> I'm listening to Cecilia Bartoli's Vivaldi album. What a great mezzo coloratura she is!


I still discover Handel music...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Scriabin's piano sonatas- Michael Ponti

I'm just beginning to discover Scriabin... and some other Russians.


----------



## Guest

Bellini’s Sonnambula


----------



## Keemun

Sibelius - Symphony No. 5


----------



## Manuel

Massenet: Fantaisie pour violoncelle et orchestre


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

ChamberNut said:


> Concerto for Piano & Orchestra "The Yellow River" - Lang Lang


I know that this is an actual geographical place... but it seems like it could be the set-up for one very cheap joke

Before I forget, CN... I'm heartened by your expanding Bruckner journey. 

More to the point, I'm currently re-sampling Wagner's _Tannhauser_ (Solti-VPO).


----------



## opus67

Symphony No.1 - Mehul 

I've always wondered about contemporaries of Beethoven, and I think this man fits the bill.

Sounds a bit like Mozart, too.


----------



## Saturnus

Carl Stamitz - Wind Octet no. 2

Also a contemporary to Beethoven, second generation of the so-called Mannheim school (he was the son of Johann Stamitz, conductor of the Mannheim orchestra). The octet is high-quality light ("popping") classical-era piece.


----------



## opus67

Are there any composers who have the same "sound" as Beethoven's in their music? [I'm not talking about plagiarising music, but more like the "sound of the times"] There are those with heavy-classical influences (from what little I have listened to Stamitz, I would put him to that group), and then we have the late Schubert works and Mendelssohn. I want to know who are inbetween these two extremes, along with Beethoven.


----------



## Andrew

Joseph Haydn - piano concertos, played by Sebastian Knauer and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra (dir. Helmut Müller-Brühl)


----------



## Andrew

opus67 said:


> Are there any composers who have the same "sound" as Beethoven's in their music?


What about Ferdinand Ries (1784-1834)? He was a pupil of Beethoven (from 1803 to 1805) and composed eight symphonies.


----------



## Handel

Fesca, Méhul.


----------



## Manuel

> Are there any composers who have the same "sound" as Beethoven's in their music?


In _La Vestale_ Spontini sounds a bit like the old Ludwig.


----------



## Lisztfreak

And Wagner's *Symphony in C major *could as well be Beethoven's Symphony No.10


----------



## Manuel

Lisztfreak said:


> And Wagner's *Symphony in C major *could as well be Beethoven's Symphony No.10


Not at all. There's only one Beethoven's 10th... and we all know is Brahms' 1st.


----------



## opus67

Andrew said:


> What about Ferdinand Ries (1784-1834)? He was a pupil of Beethoven (from 1803 to 1805) and composed eight symphonies.





Manuel said:


> In _La Vestale_ Spontini sounds a bit like the old Ludwig.


Thanks. I'll check them out.



Lisztfreak said:


> And Wagner's *Symphony in C major *could as well be Beethoven's Symphony No.10





Manuel said:


> Not at all. There's only one Beethoven's 10th... and we all know is Brahms' 1st.


Funny you should mention that. Just yesterday, one of the stations I listen to had played a Beethoven's 10th, supposedly a reconstruction from fragments. I didn't actually get to listen to it, though.


----------



## Guest

Schubert: Piano Sonata No.21 D960


----------



## Keemun

Bruckner - Symphony No. 7


----------



## ChamberNut

Keemun said:


> Bruckner - Symphony No. 7


Keemun, I was planning on listening to Bruckner's 4th today. But....this is tempting me to listen to # 7


----------



## Andrew

Dietrich Buxtehude, Sacred Cantatas (Jubilate Domino, Sicut Moses and others) - sung by Matthew White (Countertenor), Katherine Hill (Soprano) and Paul Grindlay (Bass) accompanied by Aradia Ensemble (dir. Kevin Mallon) on historical instruments


----------



## Guest

Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Sonata for fortepiano and mandolin, in C major.


----------



## Keemun

ChamberNut said:


> Keemun, I was planning on listening to Bruckner's 4th today. But....this is tempting me to listen to # 7


It was good.


----------



## johnbull

Bruckner's symphonies are absolutely magic. All of them, without exception.

I've just played all 4 Scriabin symphonies. Some consider his poem of Extacy as Symphony No 4.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

_Fur Der Meister und Die Welt_... Bruckner Symphony #7. [Vienna Philharmonic/Bohm]


----------



## johnbull

Chi_town/Philly said:


> _Fur Der Meister und Die Welt_... Bruckner Symphony #7. [Vienna Philharmonic/Bohm]


Brilliant.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Prokofiev's film music for the _Alexander Nevsky _(by Eisenstein), on the radio. There's something special about it, I must say. I like it very much. Very rhythmical, percussive passages in Shostakovich style (like in his 8th symph.) combined with choral parts of great eloquence.


----------



## opus67

A symphony by Kozeluch (London Mozart Players), followed by Brahms PC No.1.


----------



## opus67

Wilhelm Stenhammar - Piano Concerto 1
Widlund, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Rosz...Rohzdet...Rozhdestvensky

I'm liking it.


----------



## johnbull

Scriabin Symphony #2.


----------



## johnbull

Scriabin Symphony #4 - The Poem Of Extacy. Opus 54.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Wilhelm Stenhammar - Piano Concerto 1
> Widlund, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Rosz...Rohzdet...Rozhdestvensky
> 
> I'm liking it.


Stenhammar has a lovely piano sonata in g minor, very much in the romantic style. You may find it interesting too.


----------



## Manuel

Just got this one










I'm sure heaven feels something like this.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ooh! Manuel! I am jealous. This one has been on my Amazon.com wish list for some time now. I'm currently listening to a new purchase myself. Askenazy performing Shostakovich' 24 Preludes and Fugues. As an absolute disciple of Bach's "Great 48" I find these quite interesting. It will certainly take some time to digest them all. Perhaps then I'll get that Brahms.


----------



## johnbull

I'm a great Brahms fan.

His symphonies, piano music, everything his wrote is wonderful.

He always gives me the impression of being so relaxed about what he was doing. It all seemed to come so naturally. Unlike say Bruckner who never seemed satisfied with his works, so much so every work has numerous revisions.


----------



## Keemun

Mahler - Symphony No. 9


----------



## johnbull

Keemun said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 9


Are you a Mahler fan, or are you just happening to be listening to him?


----------



## Keemun

johnbull said:


> Are you a Mahler fan, or are you just happening to be listening to him?


A Mahler fan.  Symphonies 2 and 9 are my favorites.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Keemun said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 9


You know I gotta ask you, whose version? 
Today, Act I of Wagner's *Siegfried* [Solti/Vienna]. It's making a Monday work day go surprisingly fast


----------



## Keemun

Chi_town/Philly said:


> You know I gotta ask you, whose version?


Today it was Ancerl/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## johnbull

Keemun said:


> A Mahler fan.  Symphonies 2 and 9 are my favorites.


Have you heard his 10th? All of it? Out of this world.

His music depicted his moods so perfectly.


----------



## ChamberNut

Beethoven's Violin Concerto Op. 61

2 big thumbs up


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Inspired by JB's post, today I'm partaking of...
Mahler Symphony #10 (Cooke I) Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Martinon, c. 1965.
N.B.: A while back, I started a Mahler 10 thread, and received all of one response (albeit a favorable one).


----------



## Keemun

johnbull said:


> Have you heard his 10th? All of it? Out of this world.
> 
> His music depicted his moods so perfectly.


I have listened to it a few times, but it isn't one of my favorites. Perhaps I need to keep listening to it. 

*********

Right now I'm listening to: Sibelius - Symphony No. 3


----------



## johnbull

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Inspired by JB's post, today I'm partaking of...
> Mahler Symphony #10 (Cooke I) Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Martinon, c. 1965.
> N.B.: A while back, I started a Mahler 10 thread, and received all of one response (albeit a favorable one).


I have the Riccardo Chailly / RSO of Berlin version from 1987 - the Derek Cooke draft version - in other words all 5 movements.

I have all the Mahler symphonies and I think this rates among the best.


----------



## ChamberNut

Mozart's Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat, K.254


----------



## Saturnus

The opera 'La Callisto' by Francesco Cavalli, one of the earliest opera. Very good.


----------



## opus67

Weber's _Variations on a Theme from "Silvana"_

Up next Weber's Clarinet Quintet.

The clarinet in the classical repertoire is just sublime.


----------



## Mark Harwood

I've spent the day from 8 a.m. (8 hours) listening to New Orleans jazz CDs. I have 10 to review for the next Ken Colyer Trust newsletter.


----------



## ChamberNut

Mozart - String Quartet in D minor, K.421

Splendid!


----------



## opus67

Mussorgsky - Night on a Bald Mountain [Original version - quite different to what we usually hear.]


----------



## Guest

Rostropovich playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Mussorgsky - Night on a Bald Mountain [Original version - quite different to what we usually hear.]


Do you mean, the piano version?


----------



## Manuel

Alnitak said:


> Rostropovich playing Dvorak's Cello Concerto


Rostropovich too, but he's playing Prokofiev's sinfonia concertante now.


----------



## opus67

Listening to the Trount quintet (after a long time, I must say). [Ax, Ma, Meyer, Frank, Young]



Manuel said:


> Do you mean, the piano version?


No. It was orchestral, but the announcer said that it was a version by Mussorgsky, before Rimsky-korsakov came along. It certainly sounded different at many places to the one by MM and N R-K.


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Rostropovich too, but he's playing Prokofiev's sinfonia concertante now.


I listened to Rostropovich play Schubert's string quintet with the Emersons this afternoon. Like all Schubert's late chamber works, I'll need sometime before I can fully appreciate it (i.e., completely enjoy it as a listener). It had its share of 'nice tunes', though.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> No. It was orchestral, but the announcer said that it was a version by Mussorgsky, before Rimsky-korsakov came along. It certainly sounded different at many places to the one by MM and N R-K.


I was pretty sure he never orchestrated it.



Wikipedia said:


> Pictures at an Exhibition (Russian: Картинки с выставки - Воспоминание о Викторе Гартмане, Kartínki s výstavki - Vospominániye o Víktore Gártmane, Pictures from an Exhibition - a Remembrance of Viktor Hartmann) is a famous suite of ten piano pieces composed by Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. It is generally acknowledged to be Mussorgsky's greatest solo piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists. It has also become known through various orchestrations and arrangements produced by other musicians and composers (see: Versions by other hands, below, for further discussion), with Ravel's arrangement being the most recorded and performed.


And Wikipedia doesn't list any orchestration by Rimsky-Korsakov. What we usually listen to, and became the universal reference for this work, is Ravel's orchestration.



Wikipedia said:


> Orchestral arrangements
> 
> A listing of orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition:
> 
> * Mikhail Tushmalov (ca. 1886; three "pictures" and four Promenades omitted)
> * Henry Wood (1915; four Promenades omitted)
> * Leo Funtek (1922)
> * Maurice Ravel (1922; the fifth Promenade omitted)
> * Giuseppe Becce (1922; for "salon-orchestra")
> * Leonidas Leonardi (1924)
> * Lucien Cailliet (1937)
> * Leopold Stokowski (1938; Tuileries, fifth Promenade and Limoges omitted)
> * Walter Goehr (1942; includes a subsidiary part for piano)
> * Sergei Gorchakov (1954)
> * Daniel Walter (1959)
> * Helmut Brandenburg (ca. 1970)
> * Emile Naoumoff (ca. 1974, for piano and orchestra)
> * Zdenek Macal (ca. 1977)
> * Lawrence Leonard (1977; for piano and orchestra)
> * Vladimir Ashkenazy (1982)
> * Pung Siu-Wen (ca. 1983; for orchestra of Chinese instruments)
> * Thomas Wilbrandt (1992)
> * Byrwec Ellison (1995)
> * Mekong Delta (1997; for group and orchestra)
> * Carl Simpson (1997)
> * Julian Yu (2002; for chamber orchestra)
> * Hanspeter Gmur (date unknown)


----------



## opus67

Uhh...Manuel, please re-read my original post.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> I listened to Rostropovich play Schubert's string quintet with the Emersons this afternoon. Like all Schubert's late chamber works, I'll need sometime before I can fully appreciate it (i.e., completely enjoy it as a listener). It had its share of 'nice tunes', though.


I have no doubt that you will opus67. This is a monumental chamber work. The 1st movement and 3rd mvt. scherzo just blow me away. Hmmmm, I think I might go listen to this right now.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Uhh...Manuel, please re-read my original post.


LOL. In my vocabulary, Mussorgsky leads straight to his _Pictures_... I need to review that.


----------



## Manuel

Beethoven's *Kreutzer *sonata, as played by Josef Szigeti and Bela Bartok in the Library of Congress in 1940.










_The first movement is about to end_


----------



## david johnson

ravel: daphnis et cholé/munch/bso

dj


----------



## opus67

Grieg 
Symphony in Cm


----------



## ChamberNut

Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 E major


----------



## Keemun

ChamberNut said:


> Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 E major


Which recording?

I'm listening to Mahler - Symphony No. 4


----------



## ChamberNut

Keemun said:


> Which recording?


Of Bruckner's 7th Symphony (Ed. Nowak) - Staatskapelle Dresden, conducted by E. Jochum (It's the only set I have).

I have to tell you........I was very disappointed after I listened to the 2nd mvt. Adagio. :angry: Why? Because it was over after 26 minutes and I was wishing the movement hadn't ended. 

What an outstanding symphony.


----------



## opus67

Beethoven Piano Sonata No.27
Pollini


----------



## opus67

Now it's Brahms' sextet No.1
L'Archibudelli


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Dvorak, Cello Concerto in B minor B. 191 (Op. 104)
Chicago SO w/ Daniel Barenboim & Jacquelin du Pre

it's raining here in New Jersey


----------



## ChamberNut

Beethoven - Piano Concerto # 4 - 1st mvt - Russel Sherman w/ Czech Philharmonic, Vaclav Neumann conducting.


----------



## Keemun

Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3


----------



## opus67

Schubert Fantasy in Fm, D.940
Anthony and Joseph Paratore


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Horowitz in Mocow


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

EricIsAPolarBear said:


> it's raining here in New Jersey


Yeah... I'm glad my vacation "down-the-Shore" was almost 3 weeks ago, and not this week

Currently revisiting... Franck's Symphony in D minor (EMI Beecham edition... O. de ORTF)


----------



## Mats

Mendelssohn String Quartet No 4 - Emerson String Quartet. Lovely!!!


----------



## ChamberNut

Mats said:


> Mendelssohn String Quartet No 4 - Emerson String Quartet. Lovely!!!


Mats, I have this set as well. Excellent. I adore the Octet, it's my favorite Mendelssohn work. ESQ x 2


----------



## opus67

Bach - English Suite No.6 - Gould


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Mahler - Symphony 5
Leonard Bernstein & Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## ChamberNut

Beethoven

*Rondo in B flat Major, Wo06 for piano and orchestra

followed by

*Choral Fantasy Op. 80 

Pierre-Laurent Aimard on piano
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Arnold Schoenberg Choir
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor


----------



## opus67

Mozart string quartet No.17, K.458 'Hunt'
Amadeus Quartet


----------



## opus67

The best violin concerto ever written. (Tchaikovsky)

Zukerman, Mehta, Israel PO


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> The best violin concerto ever written. (Tchaikovsky)
> 
> Zukerman, Mehta, Israel PO


Yes, definitely 'one' of the best ever written.


----------



## opus67

Man, that ending is AMAZING!


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Man, that ending is AMAZING!


Here you have a very, very rare recording of the work. Played by Aldo Ferraresi, a disciple of Eugene Ysaye.

http://rapidshare.com/files/40065070/Tchaikovsky.Ferraresi.mp3


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Here you have a very, very rare recording of the work. Played by Aldo Ferraresi, an disciple of Eugene Ysaye.
> 
> http://rapidshare.com/files/40065070/Tchaikovsky.Ferraresi.mp3


Thanks. I was planning to download the Beethoven and Brahms PCs that you add linked to in another thread, later tonight. Might as well this to the list.


----------



## Manuel

Just got this one:









Complete symphonic poems by Liszt, performed by the Budapest SO conducted by Arpad Joo.

The first thing I listened to was, of course, the first Mephisto Waltz.

Yesterday I got this one:









From which I've only listened the Barcarolle and the Fantasy op.49.


----------



## opus67

Is the Chopin 'complete works', or something?


----------



## Lisztfreak

Manuel said:


> Complete symphonic poems by Liszt, performed by the Budapest SO conducted by Arpad Joo.


Always wanted something like this...

Currently I'm listening to Elgar's complete Pomp & Circumstance marches (1959 recordings, Arthur Bliss). 
A bit of imperialist music can't be harmful, can it?


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Is the Chopin 'complete works', or something?


It's not complete, Etudes, Mazurcas and Ecosaisses are missing (among other)

It has 7+1 cds. The 7 cds include: Nocturnes, Ballades, Scherzi, Concerti, Preludes, etc.
The 8th cd has a different recording of the Ballades and Scherzi.


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Tchaikovsky, Symphony no 5
Karajan and Berlin PO


----------



## Guest

AHHH Tchaikovskys 5th, my favorite piece of music ever! That recording is hard to beat as well. 

Right now im on Beethovens 5th, i always have to go back to the classics every now and then.


----------



## Guest

Manuel said:


> It's not complete, Etudes, Mazurcas and Ecosaisses are missing (among other)
> 
> It has 7+1 cds. The 7 cds include: Nocturnes, Ballades, Scherzi, Concerti, Preludes, etc.
> The 8th cd has a different recording of the Ballades and Scherzi.


Would that be the set by Idil Biret?


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

was just getting into the 5th, i listened to all three of this album i bought of the 4,5, and 6th and it was the one i gravitated to least at first. i did enjoy it very much, my little sister jsut walked in on my air conducting the finale.

now i am listening to beethoven 4th w/ the LSO and Wyn Morris. I wish I could justify buying more music now on iTunes, it is just so easy and instantly gratifying but alas i am way over budget


----------



## Morigan

«Già la speranza sola
Delle vendette mie
Quest'anima consola!
E giubilar mi fa!»

What is this wonderful aria I'm singing out loud?


----------



## opus67

Karl Goldmark Violin Concerto, Op.28
Bell, LA Phil, Salonen

"Discovering" it.


Oh, and I have no idea about the aria.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Karl Goldmark Violin Concerto, Op.28
> Bell, LA Phil, Salonen
> 
> "Discovering" it.
> 
> Oh, and I have no idea about the aria.


Check your PMs.


----------



## Manuel

Morigan said:


> «Già la speranza sola
> Delle vendette mie
> Quest'anima consola!
> E giubilar mi fa!»
> 
> What is this wonderful aria I'm singing out loud?


Are you challenging us?

_*Manuel calls for help as follows*_

*Gente, gente, all'armi, all'armi!*

We do not have any idea, do we?


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Check your PMs.


Back at you!


----------



## Keemun

Dvorak - Symphony No. 7


----------



## opus67

Haydn's London Symphony 
BPO and Karajan

It's surprising to note how slow the tempo is compared to some other recordings I have heard. I always thought HvK was the fast one.


----------



## opus67

Gran Partita
Berlin Phil. Wind Ensemble


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> Gran Partita
> Berlin Phil. Wind Ensemble


Which composer?


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Chopin, Suite Bergamasque
Michel Berhoff

the guy on the front of this cd looks pretty creepy actually, his eyes seem to be looking at you no matter where you are


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Pictures at an Exhibition, Mussorgsky
Herbert von Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker

Interestingly, was shopping around for new music and came upon some old recordings of Kubelik with the Chicago SO, the sound is so different and really appealed to me. Does anybody have this recording? It came in a set with Smetana, Dvorak, and Mozart among others.


----------



## opus67

"Rach 1"

Stephen Hough, Dallas SO, Andrew Litton


----------



## Morigan

Mozart - _Idomeneo_ Aria: "D'Oreste, d'Ajace"


----------



## opus67

Dvorak 7th is in its final moments
LSO and Birthday boy Kertesz


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

As i just bought it today, and have never heard this work before...
second time today
Dvorak, 9th Symphony "From the New World"
Kubelik and Berliner Philharmoniker

just started! I brought it on a hike today through the Appalachian Trail, must admit i felt a bit like an early american settler.


----------



## ilikepie

Smetana, The Moldau
I love this piece. The first time I heard it, I sobbed a little.


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Sibelius, Sir Colin Davis/Boston
Symphony 2

The sun is just coming up here, i count 5 deer from my east facing balcony.


----------



## ChamberNut

Beethoven - Fidelio Overture


----------



## opus67

12 Variations on a French Folk Theme (Mozart did not write or compose Twlinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Previn


----------



## Lisztfreak

There is no moonlight tonight, the sky is completely overcast. The night is rather cold and bit foggy. The small corn field near my house appears pitch-black. And completely unexpected, the street lamp opposite my window just went out.

If I planned it, I wouldn't get better surroundings for Shostakovich's 8th Symphony Largo. So it's just Shozzy and me in the dark. Eerie.


----------



## Manuel

Piano concerto in C Major, by Ferrucio Busoni. Played by Marc-André Hamelin. (I'm watching the video actually)


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

quiet tipsy night on my lonesome tonight, so i listen to

Mahler, Symphony 9
Karaajan and Berlin PO

inbto second movement just now


----------



## opus67

Beethoven Symphony 9

I know it's a live concert at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the RCO, but I don't know who is conducting.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mozart's violin sonatas- Henryk Szeryng and Ingrid Haebler... quite lovely.


----------



## opus67

Schubert
'Arpeggione' Sonata
Rostropovich, Britten


----------



## opus67

Viotti
Cello Concerto in C
Harnoy, I Solisti Veneti, Scimone


----------



## opus67

Bach Violin Partia No.2
Felix Ayo

The final part, the Ciaconna, is wonderful.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Decca 2-CD set The Voice of Italy. Presumably, no-one need wonder why (sniff)


----------



## opus67

Dvorak 9
von Dohnanyi, Cleveland Orch.

Composer and conductor share birthday.


----------



## Manuel

The remaining echoes of something I listened a few hours ago:

"What you are telling me is very nice... but I don't feel the same for you".


I'm off to some Pettersson sixth right now. (Perhaps Gorecki's third, who knows)


----------



## Guest

Manuel said:


> "What you are telling me is very nice... but I don't feel the same for you".


I'm sorry for you, and i'm sure you don't deserve it.

But now, to a certain extent thanks to that, you keep talking with us on the forum…


----------



## Guest

Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli’s Sonatas for Transverse Flute and Bass, Op. 16


----------



## opus67

Don't you just love the horns (or whichever instrument that is) in the last movement of Dvorak's 8th?

Abbado, BPO

I haven't listened to this symphony in quite a while. The last movement sounds wonderful. In fact, the whole symphony sounds great.


----------



## Manuel

Beautiful Chopin Songs by Ewa Podles and Abdel Rachman El Bacha


----------



## Nonny

I'm currently listening to Manchester Camerata's recording of Mozart Symphonies No. 40 & 41, conducted by Douglas Boyd (he conducts St Paul's Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota too). Such a clear sound and so sparingly orchestrated, it has a real transparency. They've just put the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 as a free download on their website -www.manchestercamerata.com - which is worth a listen too.


----------



## Manuel

Nonny said:


> I'm currently listening to Manchester Camerata's recording of Mozart Symphonies No. 40 & 41, conducted by Douglas Boyd (he conducts St Paul's Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota too). Such a clear sound and so sparingly orchestrated, it has a real transparency. They've just put the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 as a free download on their website -www.manchestercamerata.com - which is worth a listen too.


Hi Nonny. Welcome to TC. Do you have...

a crush on Beethoven's fourth?
a crush on the _Manchester Camerata_?
an _ad attitude_?


----------



## Manuel

Charles Auguste de Beriot: Violin concerto Nº 9 in a minor, Op104.


----------



## ChamberNut

A favorite of mine......

Brahms' String Quartet # 1 in C minor, Op. 51/1 - Amadeus Quartet.


----------



## twopointzer0

I couldn't tell you what I'm listening to, maybe someone can help me figure it out. It's a really famous song that's used in trailers depicting the "end of the world" or other drastic terrifying things, anywho, the song is embedded in this montage of the cartoon Dragon Ball Z and I can't figure out who it is:

Linky!

Whatever help you can offer would be much appreciated! I love this song!


----------



## Morigan

Chevalier de Saint-Georges - Violin Concerto No. 2 in A major... I love it!


----------



## opus67

Morigan said:


> Chevalier de Saint-Georges - Violin Concerto No. 2 in A major... I love it!


Hey, I heard one of his VC's for the first time yesterday. Nice work...I forgot to look up on this composer.

Hmm...may be this should have been in the _Today I discovered..._ thread


----------



## Manuel

Martha Argerich plays Prokofiev's third piano concerto.


----------



## Keemun

Bruckner - Symphony No. 8


----------



## Manuel

Just got this one. It seems interesting.


----------



## Manuel

Eight cds of Elgar including: 
Two symponies,
Two concertos,
Orchestral works as Serenade, ouvertures, Variations and Marches,
Incidental music,
One oratorio, and
Songs

And no... an eight-hour-Elgar-Procession is no way a turn off.


----------



## opus67

Haydn Cello Concerto No.2
Ma, English Chamber Orch., Garcia


----------



## matt78

Anna Netrebko's operatic recital disc, aptly titled 'Opera'. Wonderful singing and with some rather beautiful extracts from her recording of La Traviata with Rolando Villazon.


----------



## opus67

Wieniawski (finally!) VC No.1 
Perlman, LPO, Ozawa


----------



## Manuel

matt78 said:


> Anna Netrebko's operatic recital disc, aptly titled 'Opera'. Wonderful singing and with some rather beautiful extracts from her recording of La Traviata with Rolando Villazon.


I enjoyed Netrebko-Villazón Traviata very much. They sang it in Vienna in 2005 under the direction of Carlo Rizzi and I have the TV broadcast, which I may upload soon.


----------



## Guest

Ahhnnaaaaa... Netrebkooooooo

May I dedicate the thread " The Sexiest Musician" to her ?

http://www.talkclassical.com/1820-sexiest-musician.html


----------



## ChamberNut

R. Schumann - String Quartet No. 3, Op. 41/3 in A major (Fine Arts Quartet)


----------



## opus67

Beethoven, Op.67 
Norrington, LCP

I think I like this better than AAM/Hogwood, whose Beethoven I've heard a few times. This is the first time I'm listening to Norrington's Beethoven, although via small computer speakers. Tempos are fast, but if that's what LvB intended it to sound like, then so be it.


----------



## Morigan

J. M. Kraus - Olympie Overture


----------



## ChamberNut

A Schubert double play 

String Quartet No. 10 D87 in E-flat major

String Quartet No. 13 "Rosamunde" D804 in A minor


----------



## opus67

Tchaikovsky, Op.35
Milstein, Pittsburgh SO, Steinberg

Entering the last movement...YES!


----------



## Manuel

I'm watching Valery Gergiev conduct Shostakovich's 13th symphony. The concert took place last year in London.


----------



## opus67

An octet a day keeps the...umm - er - never mind. 

I was introduced to Schubert's yesterday, and now it's time for the octet by the person whose septet influenced Schubert's octet.

In short: Beethoven - Octet for Winds, Op.103 (played by the Classical Winds)


----------



## Morigan

Theresienmesse, Harmoniemesse and Kleine Orgelmesse by Haydn.

Haydn's missae are awesome! Why did I wait so long before listening to them? I only knew the famous "Nelson" mass. Next, I'll listen to the Missa in tempore belli.

God, my Latin teacher would be proud of my active studying.


----------



## Keemun

Bruckner - Symphony No. 3


----------



## Manuel

Now playing:

Sibelius' Violin Concerto

David Oistrakh plays at the Sibelius Fest in 1954. Niels Eric Fougstedt conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. 

Oistrakh at his finest. One of the best Sibelius ever made.


----------



## Manuel

Vengerov plays the Dvorak violin concerto.

Downloadable here

M4A format, 320 kbps

Dvořák - Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53
Elgar - Sonata for violin and piano in E minor, op. 82

http://rapidshare.com/files/42121861/dvorak__violin_concerto__op._53___elgar_.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/42141594/dvorak__violin_concerto__op._53___elgar_.part2.rar


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Downloadable here
> 
> M4A format, 320 kbps
> 
> Dvořák - Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53
> Elgar - Sonata for violin and piano in E minor, op. 82
> 
> http://rapidshare.com/files/42121861/dvorak__violin_concerto__op._53___elgar_.part1.rar
> http://rapidshare.com/files/42141594/dvorak__violin_concerto__op._53___elgar_.part2.rar


Mucho gracias, Sr.Manuel.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Alberto Ginastera: Piano Concerto No. 2.
(With apologies to John Keats) warm and still to be enjoyed (i.e.: I have it on order), Villa-Lobos' BACHIANAS BRASILEIRAS


----------



## Guest

Arcangelo Corelli : Sonata for violin & continuo in D minor "La Follia".

What is very curious is that:
- the violin has been substituted by a flute;
- a bird can be heard in the background...


----------



## ChamberNut

Golijov - _Tenebrae_ for string quartet (Kronos Quartet)


----------



## Handel

An interesting version of Handel's Arrival of Queen of Sheba from Solomon.

Played by a wind quartet:


----------



## oisfetz

Godowsky's arrangements of 3 Bach's solo violin sonatas. Don't try this
at home. Extremely dangerous. Can lose all your fingers.


----------



## hawk

Edward Elgars Allegro Piacevole op.47. very nice!



Peace
Hawk


----------



## toejamfootball

Schubert - Son No.17 in G, Op.78, D894 Second Movement - by Paul Badura-Skoda for Forte Piano..


----------



## opus67

Dvorak 
Symphony No.1 
LSO, Kertesz


----------



## Morigan

Mozart, Symphony No. 31 "Paris"

It's funny, I only knew about 10 of Mozart's symphonies before yesterday (something like 25, 28, 29, 35 ,36, 38, 39, 40, 41).

The Paris symphony was a surprise full of vim. I particularly like the Mannheimer Rocket used throughout the first movement. I definitely will listen to it more.


----------



## opus67

Morigan said:


> It's funny, I only knew about 10 of Mozart's symphonies before yesterday (something like 25, 28, 29, 35 ,36, 38, 39, 40, 41).


I'm surprised!

Another surprise with regards to Mozart's symphonies to me was that his symphony No.32 is on average less than 10 minutes long! I was listening to this yesterday, and it seemed to go really fast, as if the inner movements were not played at all. This work was written immediately after that fateful trip to Paris, during which his mother died.


----------



## opus67

Brahms Symphony No.3 (Bavarian RSO, Davis), which will be followed by Haydn's Cello Concerto No.2 (Harnoy, Toronto CO, Robinson)

Great stuff!


----------



## ChamberNut

Opus.....love your new avatar!

Who is on the bottom left?


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> Opus.....love your new avatar!


Thanks.



> Who is on the bottom left?


Chopin. It was Schumann earlier, and the whole thing was in a slightly different order.


----------



## opus67

Brahms Piano Trio No.2, Op.87
Rubinstein, Fournier, Szeryng (Talk about star power!)


----------



## opus67

Johann Wilhelms Wilms
Symphony No.6

Concerto Koln, Werner Ehrhardt


----------



## Morigan

Mozart - Haffner Spaghetto in B (bolognese) minor (little sauce).


----------



## opus67

Spaghetto? When did Mozzarella write a Haffner _Spaghetto_?


----------



## Morigan

I said spaghetto? I meant raviolo


----------



## opus67

Grieg
Piano Sonata No.7 (I think this is the first time that I've listened to it...I really like it!)
Knardahl


----------



## Guest

Morigan said:


> I said spaghetto? I meant raviolo


mhhh... raviolo, or raviolin?


----------



## Guest

Schubert’s Sonata For Two Piani, K448


----------



## opus67

Alnitak said:


> Schubert's Sonata For Two Piani, K448


I say you're lying.  

If Piani is the plural of Piano, then is Yanno the singular of Yanni? (Don't mind me...I switch my brain off on weekends.)


----------



## ChamberNut

Alnitak said:


> Schubert's Sonata For Two Piani, K448


Isn't it Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos K448? I think I borrowed it from the library a few weeks ago.

Schubert does have the Fantasy for Piano for Four Hands. Very nice!


----------



## Guest

ChamberNut said:


> Isn't it Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos K448?


You are absolutely right, and how distracted i was! 
... probably by Morigan's avatar!


----------



## Lark Ascending

Nielsen - Symphony No.3 (Sinfonia Expansiva)


----------



## Manuel

The same cd by Garth Knox I mentioned in the discoveries thread.


----------



## Rondo

Lark Ascending said:


> Nielsen - Symphony No.3 (Sinfonia Expansiva)


Let me guess... Salonen, Swedish Radio Symphony(!!) ?


----------



## oisfetz

Enescu's huge,long, dark and difficult SQ No.1. 46´20"! But a great work.nobody ever plays.


----------



## Rondo

oisfetz said:


> Enescu's huge,long, dark and difficult SQ No.1. 46´20"! But a great work.nobody ever plays.


I like the Romanian Rhapsody No. 1-- that's a neat one!  Ill have to check into the above one...


----------



## Manuel

*Charles Wuorinen *
New york notes, for violin, cello, flute, clarinet, piano and percussion


----------



## hawk

I am listening to Haydn's Symphony No.101 in D major "The Clock" Menuet: Allegretto. 
It makes me want to dance! Good thing you all can't see me! 

Peace
Hawk


----------



## von

im not listening ta anything now but the rachmaninoff concerto no.2 is playing REALLY loudlly inside my head


----------



## opus67

I had the _Death and the Maiden_ quartet playing in my mind a few hours ago. But right now, I'm listening to the final movement of Dvorak's 8th, which is being played not too loud through a pair of computer speakers.


----------



## von

lol okaaay maybe i am exaggerating a little


----------



## opus67

Schubert
Rosemunde, D.804
Guarneri Quartet

I guess this is my favourite Schubert SQ, beating D&M by a tiny bit.


----------



## Morigan

Various opera arias written by Salieri and sung by Bartoli

Yay for crazy coloratura!


----------



## opus67

My first exposure to Hubay!
VC No.2
Hagai Shaham, BBC Scottish SO, Brabbins


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> My first exposure to Hubay!
> VC No.2
> Hagai Shaham, BBC Scottish SO, Brabbins


I truly want to hear more Hubay. But recordings of his works doesn't seem to be available in this part of the globe. And what I can get through cyber piracy is not too much.

Aaron Rosand recorded the third concerto in a very good set released by VOX.










(Works by Godard, Lehar, Joachim, Ernst and Enescu fill the 2cd box)


----------



## oisfetz

Saint-Saën's Suite Algerienne. One of the most beautiful symphonic suites
I Know. And his violin son.No.1 in the best recording possible; Heifetz-Bay.


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> I truly want to hear more Hubay. But recordings of his works doesn't seem to be available in this part of the globe. And what I can get through cyber piracy is not too much.


In case you haven't noticed, Amazon.com has started selling CD's as MP3 also. Although, the performance I was listening to yesterday is not available in that format, yet.


----------



## Manuel

The Brahms G major Sonata, tempos are now what I'm used to; but Heifetz' colour and lyricism compensate it. (They really do).


----------



## opus67

Just discover(ed)(ing) this composer...

Jan Václav Voříšek
Piano sonata in Bb minor, Op.20
Artur Pizzaro


----------



## opus67

That _sounded_ like early-middle Beethoven.


----------



## Handel

Joseph Martin Kraus symphony in C major (VB 139). First movement: http://www.box.net/shared/o4myxavqe7


----------



## Lisztfreak

Just finished with Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No.2
I have never appreciated by now the wonderful use of percussion here, especially in the tranquill, yet expectant ending.

Next I'm putting on some Beethoven. Perhaps the 2nd symph.


----------



## ChamberNut

Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (Sz 106). Fantastic!


----------



## Morigan

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4.

So unoriginal, I know.


----------



## opus67

It's by Bach, it's No.4, but it's the English Suite. 

Gustav Leonhardt


----------



## Handel

Morigan said:


> Brandenburg Concerto No. 4.
> 
> So unoriginal, I know.


I didn't knew it was the purpose of this thread to speak of original material only.


----------



## ChamberNut

Morigan said:


> Brandenburg Concerto No. 4.
> 
> So unoriginal, I know.


Morigan, no need for originality in this thread. 

I like Brandenburg No. 2 - I will have to listen to all of them soon.


----------



## Morigan

I grew a bit tired of 1-2-3, but Nos 4-5-6 are less popular and less often heard.

No. 4 has a pretty virtuosic violin part... and No. 5 = absolutely crazy harpsichord candezas!


----------



## Morigan

And now -- Brahms - Rhapsody No. 2 in G minor, Op. 79

I had forgotten how good this is.


----------



## Manuel

Morigan said:


> Brandenburg Concerto No. 4.
> 
> So unoriginal, I know.


Come on, replace it with the fifth, as it has more merit. With it Bach invented the piano concerto. 

I'm joking, I enjoy the two wooden flutes very much.


----------



## Manuel

Handel said:


> I didn't knew it was the purpose of this thread to speak of original material only.


Max Reger: Symphonic rhapsody for violin and orchestra, Op 147


----------



## ChamberNut

Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 26 in A major

Manuel's favorite of the 3.


----------



## Manuel

ChamberNut said:


> Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 26 in A major
> 
> Manuel's favorite of the 3.




Bruno Maderna: Concerto for oboe and orchestra Nº 1


----------



## Manuel

Manuel said:


> The Brahms G major Sonata, tempos are now what I'm used to; but Heifetz' colour and lyricism compensate it. (They really do).


I've been listening to this sonata again. How different it is from my beloved Suk/Katchen. They almost sound like two separate works.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien by Debussy. Will proceed to Jeux next.


----------



## Oneiros

music of the whirling dervishes.


----------



## opus67

Schubert D.810 

I'm reading the article at Allmusic.com while listening to this piece, and it (seems to) makes more "sense" now...I'm enjoying it a bit more than usual.


----------



## Manuel

Track 9: Gavotte, from the third partita.


----------



## opus67

Crussel's Clarinet Quartet No.2 
Allegri SQ, Thea King

I'm liking it


----------



## Manuel

Watching Previn conducting an asian orchestra in Gershwin.


----------



## Handel

Dittersdorf symphony in D major (Grave D6)
Naxos
Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra / Alvaro Cassuto


----------



## Manuel

Hummel's violin concerto (completed by Gregory Rose). This qualifies for the "Today I discovered" thread also


----------



## opus67

I had not heard of a violin concerto by Hummel, either. Will have "discover" it one of these days.


----------



## Lark Ascending

A CD of orchestral works by Debussy (currently Prelude a L'Apres-Midi d'Un Faune).


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> I had not heard of a violin concerto by Hummel, either. Will have "discover" it one of these days.


Me neither, but I did know his double concerto for piano and violin.


----------



## Handel

Charpentier's prelude (Te Deum)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-...02/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_002/102-3317521-4722536


----------



## Manuel

The Little Mermaid.


----------



## hawk

Haydn's Synphony No.45 in F sharp minor "Farewell" Menuetto: Allegretto

I have'nt a clue what all that means but I love it! Seems the simple menuets get my attention


----------



## Handel

hawk said:


> Haydn's Synphony No.45 in F sharp minor "Farewell" Menuetto: Allegretto
> 
> I have'nt a clue what all that means but I love it! Seems the simple menuets get my attention


Edit: wrong thread.


----------



## hawk

Hmm Handel,
not sure why the shame is on you I am the one who does not know what f sharp minor or menuetto allegretto means. I could assume that menuetto is a small menuet and allegretto is is a small allegro...I can hear the laughter as I write


----------



## Handel

hawk said:


> Hmm Handel,
> not sure why the shame is on you I am the one who does not know what f sharp minor or menuetto allegretto means. I could assume that menuetto is a small menuet and allegretto is is a small allegro...I can hear the laughter as I write


D'oh. Wrong thread.

Menuetto is a dance (menuet). During classical period it is a movement included in symphonies (not all since many preferred the 3 movement symphonies fast-slow-fast).

Allegretto is the tempo of the menuet and the trio who is placed at the middle of the work.

f sharp is the key of the work.


----------



## Manuel

hawk said:


> I could assume that menuetto is a small menuet and allegretto is is a small allegro


Handel explained it very well.

And yes, Allegretto is a bit slower than an Allegro. But it can also be a definition of character.

From Wikipedia:

_ * Prestissimo - extremely fast (200 - 208 bpm)
* Vivacissimo - Very fast and lively
* Presto - very fast (168 - 200 bpm)
* Allegrissimo - very fast
* Vivo - lively and fast
* Vivace - lively and fast (~140 bpm)
* Allegro - fast and bright (120 - 168 bpm)
* Allegro Moderato - Moderately cheerful and quick
* Allegretto - moderately fast (but less so than Allegro)
* Moderato - moderately (90 - 115 bpm)
* Andantino - Alternatively faster or slower than Andante.
* Andante - at a walking pace (76 - 108 bpm)
* Adagietto - Rather slow (70-80 bpm)
* Adagio - slow and stately (literally, at ease) (66 - 76 bpm)
* Grave - slow and solemn
* Larghetto - rather broadly (60 - 66 bpm)
* Lento - very slow (60 - 40 bpm)
* Largamente/Largo - "broadly", very slow (40 bpm and below)_

Check more here. It has an insightful description of most italian labels you will find in classic works.

If you learn them all, you can have them combined to yield longer titles, like:
Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace - Poco Piu Presto
Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima

The hyphen separates sections, while the dot is used when descriptions are given, as in:
Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima. Andantino in modo di canzona

The fact that it's "in modo di canzona" is not strictly a tempo marking, but more a definition of character.


----------



## Handel

Good post.

Of course, some composers used those words differently:

For example, Handel's adagios were a bit slower than his largos.


----------



## Handel

Oh, and I am listening a chaconne for harpsichord by Johann Caspar Fischer.

If you like harpsichord music, it is a must. Really good unknown work.

http://www.box.net/shared/i703ptzcfa

Played by Luc Beauséjour

http://www.amazon.com/Famous-Works-Harpsichord-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B000053SLL


----------



## opus67

Yes, the Wikipedia article is what I used to learn the definition of the tempo markers. Hawk, for your first exercise, decipher the first movement's description of Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony.


----------



## opus67

I was listening to a Stamitz Clarinet Concerto, and all of a sudden it is Frank's violin sonata. Crazy web station!


----------



## david johnson

'tubular bells' by mike oldfield.

dj


----------



## Manuel

I woke up and and listened to Brahms second concerto played by Bruno Gelber, a non commercial recording from a concert in 2003. He missed a lot of notes and the first movement wasn't appropriately structured. Not only the tempo was excessively uneven, but he also worked out some_ hot spots_ that were not really convincing.
However, he cancelled all his debts at the slow movement, with his soft touch and contemplative style.

Then I switched to the radio for some arias by Maria Callas.

And I'm now listening to Heifetz, Lateiner et al play Dvorak's piano quintet Op. 81.


----------



## lucychapman101

*Porcelain*

I'm listening to a track called 'Broken' by classical pianist and composer HELEN JANE LONG. I've got the album but if anyone wants to hear if she has a myspace page which is

www.myspace.com/helenjanemusic

I think the composes and plays it all herself apparently. If you like einaudi you'll totally love this stuff. She's playing in the Albert Hall next year.


----------



## ChamberNut

Schumann - Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61 (David Zinman, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich)


----------



## oisfetz

Tchaikovsky's trio op.50: Gilels-Kogan-Rostropovich. Incredible!


----------



## Guest

Grétry - Richard Coeur de Lion


----------



## Manuel

Kazuhito Yamashita plays his guitar transcription of Dvorak's New World symphony. _(A suite from The firebird is next)._


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

My second pass-through of the Keilberth Die Walkure. So far, I'm appreciating it more on second hearing. Maybe I'll try to revitalize the _Ring_ thread and talk more about it.


----------



## ChamberNut

Mendelssohn - String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12 (Emerson SQ)


----------



## opus67

Beethoven String Quartet Op.18 No.3 (ABQ)


----------



## opus67

Having heard the Danse Macabre on two pianos, I'm now listening to the original (orchestral) version.
Luben Yordanoff|Ochestra of Paris|Barenboim


----------



## ChamberNut

ChamberNut said:


> Mendelssohn - String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12 (Emerson SQ)


Enjoyed this, so I just switched disks and am now listening to # 6 in F minor, Op. 80


----------



## hawk

Opus 67,
Is this what you mean by "decipher"?

Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 "Pathetique"
First movement
Adagio-Allegro non troppo
E minor-B minor

introduction (section) : Adagio (slow and stately) in E-minor

next section (principal subject) : Allegro-non troppo (fast but not too fast) in B minor

This is a nice excercise even if I do not pass the test at first. Hmmmm maybe there needs to be a forum where all you folks with vast amounts of knowledge provide excercise's like this for us newly infected with this classical bug


----------



## Morigan

I'm listening to Beethoven's Septet for violin, viola, contrabass, horn and clarinet, Op. 20. 

I'm not the greatest listener of chamber music, but I have to say this one is very fun, rhythmic and pretty classical in form and sound.


----------



## opus67

Chopin's Nocturne in Em, Op.72 No.1

For Cello and Piano (arranged by Taneyev)


----------



## Manuel

Arturs Maskats: Concerto grosso for violin, cello, percussion and string orchestra.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Alkan: Concerto da camera No.1


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

(Okay-it's-time-for-me-to-find-out-what's-the-buzz-about)...

Dvorak Symphony 7


----------



## Manuel

Chi_town/Philly said:


> (Okay-it's-time-for-me-to-find-out-what's-the-buzz-about)...
> 
> Dvorak Symphony 7


So you feel like listening some Brahms...


----------



## opus67

Mozart's piano concerto No.10

ECO with two conductor-pianists...Barenboim and Solti, with the latter conducting. I've never heard Solti play before.


----------



## Morigan

Die Künst der Fuge played on organ by Glenn Gould.


----------



## Handel

Mozart arrangement of Handel's Acis & Galatea.


----------



## opus67

Schubert
Piano Sonata No.18 Op.78, D.894 'Fantasy' [Not to be confused with the 'Wanderer' Fantasy](Discovering...very nice.)
Chodos


----------



## Lisztfreak

Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.


----------



## Guest

J J Rousseau : Le Devin du Village


----------



## Handel

Jean-Jacques?


----------



## Guest

Handel said:


> Jean-Jacques?


Himself
.


----------



## Manuel

Schubert: Symphonies Nº 4 and 5. The Naples Orchestra plays, conducted by Denis Vaughn.


----------



## opus67

Ferdinand Ries
Introduction and Polonaise, Op.174


----------



## Manuel

Beethoven: Symphony Nº 3 (Karajan and the BPO in the sixties)


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Beethoven: Symphony Nº 3 (Karajan and the BPO in the sixties)


Yesterday, I listened to the version with Gardiner and the R&R Orch. I liked it very much. (Especially the first movement.)


----------



## opus67

Mendelssohn Symphony No.4
Bern SO/Maag

1st movt. doesn't seem at all like Allegro *vivace*.


----------



## luisquiros

Tabula Rasa by Arvo Part


----------



## Manuel

THAT's a colorful avatar. Welcome to TC!


----------



## opus67

Puccini
Chrysanthememus
Emerson SQ

I haven't associated Puccini with anything other than opera, so this should be interesting.


----------



## opus67

That was pretty good, actually. A short but nice work.


----------



## Lute Lover

I'm listening to Ronn McFarlane's new solo CD INDIGO ROAD. It is all original music Ronn has written and performs on the Lute! 

Its lovely!


----------



## Morigan

Borodin - String Quartet No. 2 in D major - 3. Notturno


Lol, -the- cliché romantic movement


----------



## Manuel

A generic waltz by Anton Diabelli. My ten year old neighbour came to my home to practice for her piano lessons, as my piano is in better condition than hers.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Tartini's Violin Sonata No.10, Op.1


----------



## ChamberNut

Schubert - String Quartet # 15 in G major, D 887


----------



## hawk

Haydn Symphony No. 45 "Farewell" in F sharp-minor


----------



## Manuel

*Kaija Saariaho*: Laconisme de l'aile, for solo flute.


----------



## opus67

Listening to a recording of _The Variations on St.Anthony's Chorale_, recorded 100 years after its premiere on this day in 1873.

VPO, Bohm


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> Listening to a recording of _The Variations on St.Anthony's Chorale_, recorded 100 years after its premiere on this day in 1873.
> 
> VPO, Bohm


Is this the same as Variations on a Theme by Haydn?


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> Is this the same as Variations on a Theme by Haydn?


Yes. "Haydn's theme" was actually based on a popular melody of the time, or so say the historians.



> Commonly referred to as the "St. Anthony" variations, the piece is based on a theme from the first of a set of six Divertimenti (Feldparthien) -- for many years thought to be by Haydn, but now thought to be by Haydn's pupil, Ignace Pleyel -- the second movement of which is based on an old Burgenland (an Austrian state that abuts Hungary) chant entitled, "Chorale St. Anthony."


http://wm03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=42:128861~T1


----------



## Lisztfreak

A violin-and-organ arrangement of Liszt's Offertorium from the 'Ungarischen Krönungsmesse'. Very interesting.


----------



## opus67

Violin and organ? What a combination! Any inspiration from Bach, by any chance? And is it Liszt's own arrangement? (Or was he the arrangee? )


----------



## Lisztfreak

It was arranged by Liszt himself, together with the Benedictus from the same mass (which I also have on the disc), for a famous violinist Ede Reményi. He performed it a number of times in his concerts. I'm afraid I can't say anything about the Bach inspiration - it's clearly Romantic in character, this mass.

The combination does seem unusual, however the violin is not at all 'buried' by the sound of the organ, it's clearly audible and very expressive. I know a few Croatian composers who have written works for the duo, so the sound is not completely new to me.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Just put on a selection of Peter Warlock's songs. It's 'The Water Lily' currently.


----------



## hawk

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A...
WOW!!! (how's that for an intellectual description?)


----------



## opus67

Lisztfreak said:


> It was arranged by Liszt himself, together with the Benedictus from the same mass (which I also have on the disc), for a famous violinist Ede Reményi. He performed it a number of times in his concerts. I'm afraid I can't say anything about the Bach inspiration - it's clearly Romantic in character, this mass.
> 
> The combination does seem unusual, however the violin is not at all 'buried' by the sound of the organ, it's clearly audible and very expressive. I know a few Croatian composers who have written works for the duo, so the sound is not completely new to me.


Thanks for the information. I'll have to add this piece to the 'To listen to' list.


----------



## opus67

hawk said:


> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A...
> WOW!!! (how's that for an intellectual description?)


Wonderful work, isn't it? Now listen to his clarinet quintet.


----------



## opus67

Discovering Brahms' piano sonata No.1 
(played by Martin Jones)


----------



## Manuel

hawk said:


> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A...
> WOW!!! (how's that for an intellectual description?)


Then move on to the Clarinet Quintet.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Discovering Brahms' piano sonata No.1
> (played by Martin Jones)


Did you notice the "Inverted-Hammerklavier" introduction?


----------



## Manuel

*Jean Wiener: *Jean Wiener Concerto Franco-Américain, for piano and orchestra

A weird mixture of Bach and Gershwin. A good way to wake up on saturday.

(Piano concertos by Michel Camilo and Carter Pann are next in the playlist).


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Did you notice the "Inverted-Hammerklavier" introduction?


Not familiar with No.29.  But I did notice the fate motif in the Appasionata a few minutes ago.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Debussy's Sonata for cello and piano. It's on the radio.


----------



## oisfetz

Lalo's SE (Lola Bobescu)
Dohnanyi SQ No.3 (Hollywood SQ)
Enescu's octet


----------



## opus67

oisfetz said:


> Lalo's SE (Lola Bobescu)
> Dohnanyi SQ No.3 (Hollywood SQ)
> Enescu's octet


Must sound awful when you're listening to them all at once.


----------



## oisfetz

No, I listen to 5 minutes of each, on the exposed order.


----------



## Manuel

A Brahms' violin concerto from January 18, 1953. Jean Fournet conducts the Orchestra des Concerts Pasdeloup... and Jacques Thibaud is tuning up his violin right now, preparing it for the second movement.

He was 72 at the time and his playing in the high register of the instrument is a bit sharp. Listen by yourself, check the attached file.


----------



## opus67

Beethoven VC
Heifetz, Boston SO, Munch


----------



## Handel

Paganini's 1st violin concerto.


----------



## Lisztfreak

'Now We Are Free' from the Gladiator soundtrack.


----------



## Manuel

*Violin concerto *by _Hans Henkemans_. Jaap van Zweden conducts the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## ChamberNut

Just finished listening to the Beethoven Op. 31 piano sonatas, including the fantastic "Tempest" sonata.

Although vocal music isn't my favorite thing most of the time, I enjoyed the Winterreise D.911 set of songs by Schubert. Especially the first piece "Gute Nacht" was extremely beautiful.


----------



## Manuel

> Just finished listening to the Beethoven Op. 31 piano sonatas, including the fantastic "Tempest" sonata.


Who played them? I love Gilels on the d minor one.


----------



## Manuel

Finished Henkemans. Now *Herman Krebbers* is playing the violin concerto by Brahms.


----------



## ChamberNut

Manuel said:


> Who played them? I love Gilels on the d minor one.


Barenboim. It's the only set of sonatas I have.


----------



## opus67

Richard Strauss
Horn Concerto 1 
(I think I have neglected this work for long enough now)
Baumann, LGO, Masur


----------



## Lisztfreak

Deux Réveries Nocturnes by Satie.


----------



## ChamberNut

Mozart - Piano Trios K502, K564 and K548


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Last year we moved out of the envious place as the most poverty-ridden in North America to the third most impoverished city in North America. We are currently leading the home foreclosure debacle with the area code in which I teach honored as the highest per-capita home foreclosure rate in the US. Our art Museum, while certainly world class, has been closed for over two years for renovations and expansions... and it should be noted that they are rather lax when it comes to keeping pace with new art or supporting the local art market. The very term "local art market" is actually something of an oxymoron. Our literary scene...? Most of our independent book stores have been long closed and I hear little else in the field.... But in spite of this all... somehow we are able to maintain one of the greatest orchestras in the nation: The Cleveland Orchestra, which is currently on tour of Europe and receiving many deserved accolades. Right now I am listening to a marvelous recording of Beethoven's 9th played by the Cleveland Orchestra which is being broadcast as part of a program on our classical radio station (yes... we still have one of those!) which shall present over a month of Mondays (and then some) all the recordings of the 9th by the orchestra.


----------



## ChamberNut

Brahms - Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60 (Ax, Stern, Laredo, Ma)

Man, I just love these PQ's of Brahms!


----------



## opus67

Brahms 
Double Concerto
Shaham, Wang, BPO, Abbado

Shaham sniffs too much while playing and it's distracting a bit. I'm not sure, but I think this performance might be from the same tour as that of the VC, the video of which Manuel posted in the other thread. Shaham sniffs in that, too.


----------



## ChamberNut

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 4 _Grand Sonata_ in E flat major, Op. 7


----------



## opus67

Bruckner
Symphony No.8
RCO, Mehta (Live Recording)

I'm not sure of the 'version'.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Brahms
> Double Concerto
> Shaham, Wang, BPO, Abbado
> 
> Shaham sniffs too much while playing and it's distracting a bit. I'm not sure, but I think this performance might be from the same tour as that of the VC, the video of which Manuel posted in the other thread. Shaham sniffs in that, too.


The video I posted doesn't come from a tour. It's from one of the Concerts for Europe (2002?). The concerts the BPO play in may 1st every year in a different place of the continent.


----------



## opus67

AorchestratioofDeathadthemaide

Forsomereasotespacearadafewlettersomykeyoardwould'twork.:angry: :angry:


----------



## Lisztfreak

Ritual Dances from the 'Midsummer Marriage' by Tippett. Highly resplendent, golden music full of joy.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> AorchestratioofDeathadthemaide
> 
> Forsomereasotespacearadafewlettersomykeyoardwould'twork.:angry: :angry:


wHy IS mY CaPs LOck kEy BlInKinG?


----------



## Manuel

A Beethoven Sunday:
9th Symphony with Karajan and the BPO, from 1963 (listened from the bed, right after waking up)
Kreutzer Sonata (Emmy Verhey*)
Spring sonata (Emmy Verhey)
Violin Sonata Nº 4 (Grumiaux, Haskil)
Cello sonatas, by Richter and Rostropovich.

A short interlude included some Smetana, dosified in piano works played by Vera Repkova.

*This was the first Kreutzer I heard.


----------



## Manuel

Carl Nielsen: Chaconne, FS79 (Op. 32)


----------



## ChamberNut

A double shot of Tchaikovsky this morning. 

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 (Victoria Postnikova, piano; Vienna Symphony Orchestra w/ Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducting)

followed by:

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (Ruggiero Ricci, violin; Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra w/ Jean Fournet conducting)


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Violin Sonata Nº 4 (Grumiaux, Haskil)
> Cello sonatas, by Richter and Rostropovich.


Two CD(set)s on my wish-list. Although I'm not sure about Beethoven's violin sonatas, I know the store here has a CD with four of Mozart's with the same pair.


----------



## opus67

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5

I have no idea about the performers


----------



## Morigan

Hummel - Le retour de Londres, Op. 127

I'm intrigued by Hummel... hmm where to start?


----------



## Manuel

Morigan said:


> Hummel - Le retour de Londres, Op. 127
> 
> I'm intrigued by Hummel... hmm where to start?


The piano concertos. Get the E flat major concerto op. 110 ("Les adieux", if I remember well).

And Fabrizio Melloni plays Hummel's _gentle _clarinet quintet in a lovely Naxos release.


----------



## Hexameron

Morigan said:


> I'm intrigued by Hummel... hmm where to start?


I'd recommend the Septet in D minor Op. 74 and if you're a solo piano fan, the piano sonatas and fantasias.


----------



## Morigan

Manuel said:


> The piano concertos. Get the E flat major concerto op. 110 ("Les adieux", if I remember well).
> 
> And Fabrizio Melloni plays Hummel's _gentle _clarinet quintet in a lovely Naxos release.


Thank you Manuel. I listened to the piano concerto and now I'm listening to the clarinet _quartet_ from the Naxos database (which has no recording of the septet you mentioned, Hexameron ).

I like the quartet very much anyway. The clarinet is such a nice woodwind instrument... way better than the oboe if you ask me . I recognized an 8-note phrase that is often heard in Mozart's works. You know, the very last notes of the Queen of the Night's _first_ Aria?

"Auuuf eeeewig deeein, auuuuf eeeewig deeeein!"


----------



## Manuel

Assorted _Danzas Españolas_, by Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués, played by Eduardo Hernandez Asiain and Jesús Galdea.


----------



## Manuel

Previously in the mornign I listened to Hummel's concerto Op. 110 and the _Andantino in a minor_ by Joseph Joachim.



Morigan said:


> Thank you Manuel. I listened to the piano concerto and now I'm listening to the clarinet _quartet_ from the Naxos database (which has no recording of the septet you mentioned, Hexameron ).


Having access to the Naxos files you shouldn't miss the violin work by Joachim I mentioned before.

Check it here


----------



## Lisztfreak

Symphony Op.20 in B flat major by Ernest Chausson. An interesting work. It contains some elements similar to Elgar, Franck and Debussy, that's evident, but it's still fresh and special.


----------



## oisfetz

Manuel said:


> Assorted _Danzas Españolas_, by Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués, played by Eduardo Hernandez Asiain and Jesús Galdea.


Totally disagree. Ruggero Ricci, Mark Kaplan or Perlman for Sarasate.


----------



## Manuel

Some keyboard partitas by Bach, played by Marcelle Meyer. Do you concur now, Sr. Oisfetz?


----------



## Manuel

The Cello concerto in C Major Op. 40 by Donald Francis Tovey, written in honour of Pablo Casals.

The dedicatee plays it with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Boult. Live from the Queen's Hall; November 17, 1937.


----------



## ChamberNut

Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 _Scottish_, followed by Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 91 _Italian_ - Deutches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Guest

paganini : violin concerto no. 3


----------



## Morigan

the Rococo variations played by Rostropovich


----------



## ChamberNut

Schumann - Introduction and Allegro Appassionato in G major, Op. 92 for piano and orchestra (Andras Schiff - piano, Vienna Philharmonic w/ Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting)


----------



## Manuel

Peteris Vasks: Cello concerto


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

As the night follows the day... Dvořák: Symphony 8 in G-minor.


----------



## Manuel

Camille Saint-Saëns' first string quartet. by the_ Quartetto d'Archi di Venezia_. This accounts as a discovery also.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Messiaen. Liking it more and more with each listening.

Just some minutes ago I heard a Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra by Niemann. Anyone heard of this composer? The work sounds like minimalism.


----------



## Manuel

Not right now, but in an hour... I'm attending a concert with an uneven program that includes the violin concerto by Luis Gianneo, Alberto Ginastera's Salmo 150 and two sections of Lohengrin.

_Luis Roggero _champions the Gianneo concerto and he is, of course, playing it today. _(in fact, I don't think any other violinist at this side of the universe has ever played it)._


----------



## Lisztfreak

Symphony No.3 by a pre-classical Croatian composer Luka Sorkočević. Only 6 minutes long, but wonderfully melodical.


----------



## Manuel

Violin concerto Nº1 by Christian Sinding.

I'm in the mood for violin concertos, so I'll try to listen all those I've been collecting lately but never:
- listened to in detail
- listened at all.

The list includes concertos by Barsukov, Bunin, Ades, Bohnke, Roslavets, Menotti, Shebalin, Schoeck, Aulin, Tubin, Henkemans, Harty, Sinding, Schuman and that one by Josef Otto af Sillen.


----------



## jjfan

Vivaldi - 2nd Movement of Winter from Four Seasons 
Right now I believe this to be the most beautiful piece of music ever written. =)


----------



## ChamberNut

troyr31sg said:


> Vivaldi - 2nd Movement of Winter from Four Seasons
> Right now I believe this to be the most beautiful piece of music ever written. =)


Troy, some people will groan or grumble that Vivaldi's Four Seasons concerto is too popular or overrated and overplayed.

But, I think there is a reason it is so popular and so famous - because it's great!

And yes, that movement is very beautiful indeed!


----------



## ChamberNut

Manuel said:


> I'm in the mood for violin concertos


Me too.  Listening to the Mozart's Violin Concertos (K216, K218, K219) right now.

James Ehnes - violinist
Mozart Anniversary Orchestra


----------



## Lisztfreak

I'm sitting alone in my room, in the dead quiet of the night. We are having the first snow this year. And what better to match the stilness of the falling snow, but some chamber music... So I have in my company Elgar, Chausson, Debussy and Sibelius. String quartets rule!


----------



## Manuel

Oliver Knussen, violin concerto.


----------



## Handel

Tielman Susato. Some works of him (pavanes, gaillardes, bransles,etc.)


----------



## opus67

Not right now but, I was listening to Paganini's first concerto by Perlman/Royal Phil. and Lawrence Foster...Found it a more spirited performance than Accardo/Dutoit. I think it was the first time I heard the violin section of an orchestra do one of those "virtuoso thingies" (I'm not sure of the correct term, and neither can I describe it properly.)


----------



## cjr3559

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Handel

opus67 said:


> Not right now but, I was listening to Paganini's first concerto by Perlman/Royal Phil. and Lawrence Foster...Found it a more spirited performance than Accardo/Dutoit. I think it was the first time I heard the violin section of an orchestra do one of those "virtuoso thingies" (I'm not sure of the correct term, and neither can I describe it properly.)


Yeah, but it was Paginini....


----------



## david johnson

bruckner 9; jochum/dresden/emi

dj


----------



## Handel

Mozart's symphonies 1-5...who where probably composed by others.


----------



## opus67

Suessmayr 
Divertimento in C for String Trio

This is the first time I'm listening to his work. (Of course, not counting the parts of Mozart's Requiem he is supposed to have worked on.)


----------



## ChamberNut

Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 Reformation in D minor, Op. 107 (my favorite Mendelssohn symphony) Also one of my favorite 1st movements of all


----------



## Lisztfreak

Nielsen's 4th, 'The Inextinguishable'.


----------



## artisan

Chopin Op.62 n.1


----------



## ChamberNut

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83 (Stephen Kovacevich, piano; London Philharmonic w/ Wolfgang Sawallisch at the podium)


----------



## Morigan

Handel said:


> Mozart's symphonies 1-5...who where probably composed by others.


Surprinsingly enough, only two of Mozart's first five symphonies are now attributed to other composers. No. 2 is thought to be by Leopold Mozart while No. 3 is attributed to Carl Friedrich Abel.

Mozart was 8 years old when he wrote the first one, which is a somewhat insipid three-movement work that pretty much copies the style of J.C. Bach.

No. 4 and 5 were composed when he was 9 and he was touring Europe with his family. One theme from no. 5 was re-used in the Act 2 finale of Le nozze di Figaro.


----------



## Manuel

Henryk Wieniawski: Fantasy on themes from Faust. Vadim Repin.


----------



## Morigan

I've seen Repin live in september. He played the Beethoven VC. Terrific.


----------



## opus67

It's Haydn's symphony No.4 right now, but in a few moments it'll be Brahms/Heifetz/Reiner!


----------



## Morigan

Brahms' Hungarian dances (because I read the thread about them a while ago). After that, Liszt's paraphrase of Rigoletto.


----------



## Guest

Scarlatti's Sonatas.


----------



## coloneljessop

Sibelius--valse triste.Really different,inventive and interesting.


----------



## Manuel

Morigan said:


> I've seen Repin live in september. He played the Beethoven VC. Terrific.


I have the telecast from the last proms in dvd, in which he played the Beethoven concerto with Gergiev; but I haven't watched it yet.


----------



## ChamberNut

Beethoven - 33 Diabelli Variations Op. 120 (Stephen Kovacevich - piano)


----------



## Manuel

*Zemlinsky*'s Psalms and Burial of Spring.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> It's Haydn's symphony No.4 right now, but in a few moments it'll be *Brahms/Heifetz/Reiner*!


I'm assuming the Violin Concerto Op. 77, and not the Double Concerto Op. 102?


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> I'm assuming the Violin Concerto Op. 77, and not the Double Concerto Op. 102?


If it were Op.102, wouldn't have I listed another performer?  Anyway, I didn't like that performance very much - the first movement was rushed.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> If it were Op.102, wouldn't have I listed another performer?  Anyway, I didn't like that performance very much - the first movement was rushed.


Ok, ok, good point wise guy. 

The reason I wasn't entirely sure is you haven't mentioned an interest in Brahms' Violin Concerto, but I know you enjoy the Double.


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> The reason I wasn't entirely sure is you haven't mentioned an interest in Brahms' Violin Concerto, but I know you enjoy the Double.


You have obviously forgotten my revised list of favourite violin concerti.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> You have obviously forgotten my revised list of favourite violin concerti.


Ohh, yes. Oops. You have it at # 4. I forgot.


----------



## Guest

Zigeunerweisen played by Heifetz 

(not yet, of course, because I am unable to do anything else than listening, when Sir Heifetz plays…)


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> If it were Op.102, wouldn't have I listed another performer?


Also, Heifetz recorded the Double concerto with Ormandy and with Wallenstein (with Feuermann and Piatigorsky, respectively). But not with Reiner.



opus67 said:


> Anyway, I didn't like that performance very much - the first movement was rushed.


Want a slow one? Go for Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg with Edo de Wart. They play it in 45 minutes (27+10+8).
It was initially interesting, as the slow tempi allow the soloist to work out expression and phrasing more deeply; but I couldn't make it to the end of the first movement, at the middle of the sloooow Kreisler cadenza I just shut it up.


----------



## Manuel

Not right now, but I loaded Gil Shaham's *Devil Dance* in my digital player and I listened to it all my way home from university.

@Opus67. Was it you that some days ago discovered Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre? Shaham plays an excellent transcription for piano and violin here. Try to get a copy of it.


----------



## Manuel

A four-piano arrangement of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Nicolas Economou. Played by Martha Argerich, Nelson Goerner, Dora Bakopoulos and Karin Merle.
From a live broadcast from the Progetto Martha Argerich at Lugano.


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> @Opus67. Was it you that some days ago discovered Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre? Shaham plays an excellent transcription for piano and violin here. Try to get a copy of it.


Um...not me. I did discover it's arrangement for solo piano only recently, but thanks for the recommendation.


----------



## opus67

Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
Birthday-Boy Stephen Hough, Dallas SO, Litton

I'm liking this piece very much. This is probably the second time I'm listening to it after I came out of the Baroque-Classical Cocoon.


----------



## Lisztfreak

The sound of silence. Not the song, the real sound of silence...


----------



## opus67

Lisztfreak said:


> The sound of silence. Not the song, the real sound of silence...


How long does it last, 4:33?


----------



## Morigan

Liszt - Symphonies de Beethoven - No. 4


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Um...not me. I did discover it's arrangement for solo piano only recently, but thanks for the recommendation.


Do you have the _Liszt-Saint-Saëns_ or the _Horowitz-Liszt-Saint-Saëns_.


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Do you have the _Liszt-Saint-Saëns_ or the _Horowitz-Liszt-Saint-Saëns_.


Neither; I heard it online, and I don't remember which version it was. The post is somewhere here...I'll figure it out. I have the orchestral version, though.

EDIT: It turns out that I had actually heard an arrangement for two pianos!
http://www.talkclassical.com/17055-post434.html
But I don't remember who the performers were.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Neither; I heard it online, and I don't remember which version it was. The post is somewhere here...I'll figure it out. I have the orchestral version, though.
> 
> EDIT: It turns out that I had actually heard an arrangement for two pianos!
> http://www.talkclassical.com/17055-post434.html
> But I don't remember who the performers were.


The first four minutes of the work here. Guess who plays...


----------



## ChamberNut

I'm in a string quartet mood this morning:

Listened to:

Beethoven - String Quartet 14 Op. 131 (Quartetto Italiano)

followed by:

Bartok - String Quartet No. 5 (Emerson String Quartet)

and now it's:

Schubert - String Quartet No. 11 in E major and # 14 _Death and the Maiden _(Melos Quartet)


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> The first four minutes of the work here. Guess who plays...


It's you, isn't it?  
(Or it could be Rachmaninoff. )


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> Schubert - String Quartet # 14 _Death and the Maiden _


I think I should do that too. *Bach's English Suite takes a bow and goes to the back of the line.*


----------



## Morigan

I'm listening to a radio interview with Maria Callas from 1967. Very interesting! It was recently released through the Times classical podcast, available on the Times Magazine website.


----------



## opus67

Concerto for violin, BWV 1052 
Faust, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Rilling

This is more famous as the 1st keyboard/harpsichord concerto. In fact, this is the first time I listening to it as a violin concerto. Sounds wonderful.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> It's you, isn't it?
> (Or it could be Rachmaninoff. )


Hmm. Check those particularly sharp shocks at the low register from 1:16 onwards. They surely reveal the pianist.


----------



## hawk

Hi All, 
I am listening to Bach: Orchestral Suite no.1 in C


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> Hmm. Check those particularly sharp shocks at the low register from 1:16 onwards. They surely reveal the pianist.


Say what?  I was to add in my earlier post that I haven't yet reached the point where I can identify the performer by just listening to a performance (of any length), but I appreciate the fact that you were confident that I could to do it.


----------



## jjfan

Just heard Argerich play Mozart piano concerto No.20 K.466 in YouTube. Wow! I got a CD of this piano concerto played by Uchida which I like as well. But this Argerich performance is delightfully different. Now I got to find myself more Argerich CDs on Mozart music. =)


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Say what?  I was to add in my earlier post that I haven't yet reached the point where I can identify the performer by just listening to a performance (of any length), but I appreciate the fact that you were confident that I could to do it.


I can't say I am able to identify a lot of pianists, but Horowitz has way too many personal details.

With some violinists is easier... Nobody ever fails to identify Heifetz, for example.


----------



## Manuel

Zemlinsky's The Little Mermaid and Sinfonietta. Two works I haven't listened to in about two years.


----------



## Manuel

Manuel said:


> I can't say I am able to identify a lot of pianists, but Horowitz has way too many personal details.


(If I'm allowed to quote myself). Here are some pieces that will reveal what I mention about Horowitz:
Liszt: Mephisto Waltz Nº 1 (a live recording, lasting about 12 minutes).
Horowitz: Carmen Variations (there are lots of them out there)
Horowitz-Mendelssohn: Variations on the Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Chopin: Ballade Nº 1, Scherzi Nº 1 and 2.

(off the record, most of them can be downloaded from p2p networks).


----------



## Manuel

Violin sonatas by Vincent D'Indy, Amy Beach and some dutch guy with FOOTE for last name.

I have two live recordings of both piano concertos by Brahms (plus Schubert's Wanderer fantasy (the non-recognised-as-sonata-sonata)) by Bruno Gelber in the queue. Can't wait.


----------



## Morigan

I've just watched a production of Offenbach's Orphée aux Enfers starring Natalie Dessay and her husband that was filmed in Lyon in the 90's... exhilarating! ^^


----------



## opus67

Brahms 4th
VPO, Kleiber


----------



## opus67

Discovering a work for solo piano by Dvorak (a first for me)
Poetic Tone Pictures
Stefan Veselka


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Discovering a work for solo piano by Dvorak (a first for me)
> Poetic Tone Pictures
> Stefan Veselka


If you like that, you can move to the Humoresques later.


----------



## Manuel

Beethoven's Appassionata (the link I posted in the Diabelli Variations thread).


----------



## LFcatface

*Wings in the Night*

I am listening to Anna Sophie Von Otter's 1996 recording of Swedish Songs "_Wings in the Night(Vingar I natten)_ "with Bengt Forsberg on piano.

The repertoire is beautiful and would be refreshing for fans of German Lieder who would like to hear something a little bit different.

Especially beautiful is _Som stjarnorna pa himmelen_ (Like Stars in the Sky) by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger.

It reminds me of the summer I spent in Stockholm during which I had the amazing experience of attending an intimate concert with these two artists at the local church where Forsberg was the music director.

Subtle and understated, warm and passionate, Scandinavian music at it's best.


----------



## jjfan

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 (Argerich with Abbado - DG)
=)


----------



## Daniel

_Because of the popularity of this thread I just made it a sticky one._


----------



## hawk

Beethoven Quartet in C Minor OP 18 No.4


----------



## Manuel

Dvorak's Poetic Tone Pictures, by Radoslav Kvapil.


----------



## Manuel

The violin concerto by Carl Nielsen. From the Baltic Sea Festival 2007, at the Berwaldhallen in Stockholm.
Interpreters are *Nikolaj Znaider*, the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Marek Janowski.


----------



## ChamberNut

Franck - Piano Quintet in F minor

on deck:

Chausson - String Quartet in C minor, Op. 35

Naxos label Ludwig Quartet w/ Michael Levine on piano for the Franck quintet.


----------



## Guest

Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 (with Yehudi Menuhin)


----------



## Manuel

*Adolf Busch*'s violin concerto Op. 20.

Natasha Korsakova, Violin
Philharmonisches Orchester Südwestfalen
Georg Fritzsch, Conductor - Live recording, 5. June 2001, Stadthalle Hagen


----------



## Guest

*Robert Fuchs : * Sonata for Cello & Piano


----------



## Guest

AndreasvanHaren’s Sonata no. 2 in Des Major - movement one

A nice work, indeed.


----------



## nosnjoh

*last four songs*

Last four songs that came up in random order from Windows Media Player: You Haven't Done Nothin' - Stevie Wonder, Old and Lost Rivers - Tobias Picker, Ahead by a Century - the Tragically Hip, Suite #1 for Solo Cello in G: Prelude (Bach) - Janos Starker. It was a great 15 or so minutes.


----------



## Manuel

Erich W. Korngold's violin concerto. From a concert in London, with Nikolaj Znaider, The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski.


----------



## hawk

Haydn Trumpet Concerto in E Flat Major


----------



## ChamberNut

hawk said:


> Beethoven Quartet in C Minor OP 18 No.4


Hawk, that's definitely my favorite of Beethoven's early quartets. 

Right now, I'm listening to Schubert's Impromptus. Just finished the first set of 4.

On to the next 4. Jeno Jando on piano


----------



## Manuel

Elgar's violin concerto. Leonard Slatkin, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Gil Shaham. From a concert in April last year.


----------



## opus67

Servais
Souvenir de Spa

A nice piece for cello and orchestra
(Also counts as "composer discovery")

EDIT: "The Paganini of the cello", huh?


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Posting on "favorite composer" made me think... it's been a while since I've listened to the music of the very foremost Russian Master- so today will be an "All-Tchaikovsky" virtual concert, with the Philadelphia Orchestra performing: a) Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture, b) Violin Concerto, and c) Symphony #5.


----------



## LFcatface

Hi Chi_town/Philly,

Was Eschenbach leading the Philly orchestra in the Tchaikovsky? He was in Houston when I was there and I heard he went to Philadelphia after. I am a big fan. Is it true he is now leaving Philly?


----------



## opus67

LFcatface said:


> Hi Chi_town/Philly,
> 
> Was Eschenbach leading the Philly orchestra in the Tchaikovsky?


I bet it was Ormandy and Perlman on the VC.


----------



## ChamberNut

I'm having an all "Schu" morning.  

Schubert - Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D.821

Schumann - Fantasiestucke Op. 73
Schumann - Stucke in Volkston, Op. 102


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Time to serve up some waffles*:


LFcatface said:


> Hi Chi_town/Philly,
> 
> Was Eschenbach leading the Philly orchestra in the Tchaikovsky?


 No... it was Ormandy/Rabin from the 12 disc "Centennial set."


LFcatface said:


> He was in Houston when I was there and I heard he went to Philadelphia after.


and he directed the Ravinia Festival for a while, too.


LFcatface said:


> I am a big fan. Is it true he is now leaving Philly?


Yes, after one more season. Charles Dutoit will be taking over on the "caretaker model" (c.f.: Chicago/Haitink).

Now, back to the topic! Currently spinning... Pirates of Penzance! (as long as I quoted it earlier).

*waffle: 'net term for pleasant off-topic digression.


----------



## Quincy

I'm listening to _Morning Mood_ by Edward Greig, Beethoven's 5th Symphony, _Ode to Joy_ by Beethoven (my favorite), _Moonlight Sonata_ by Beethoven, _Fur Elise_ by Beethoven, and Mozart's 7th Symphony. I'm a huge fan of Beethoven.


----------



## marval

I am listening to Holst The Planets, followed by Violin Concerto the Italian Symphony by Mendelssohn


----------



## marval

Russell Watson cd The Voice


----------



## opus67

In a few minutes...

Op.35 (What could it be?... )
Viktoria Mullova, Boston SO, Ozawa

I've read a lot about the amazing talent of Mullova, but never actually heard her play. This should be good. But according to one Amazon.com reviewr, Mullova has said that this work is "too much work for not enough music." Hmm...


----------



## jjfan

Still enjoying Hilary Hahn and Nathalie Zhu Mozart Sonatas. =)


----------



## ChamberNut

Mozart's Horn Concertos 1-4 (Jacek Muzyk, Horn; Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio; Agnieszka Duczmal conducting.)

Supremely beautiful music!


----------



## lmd

I am starting my day here in Normandy with Brahms 1st Sym, I particularly like
the begining, the drums, first in three, then later in four beats, great stuff


----------



## Morigan

Quincy said:


> I'm listening to _Morning Mood_ by Edward Greig [...]


Oh dear. I first read this as ... uh... invert the M in the word "mood".


----------



## Adie

*Di Xiao*

Have you heard of Di Xiao? She is an stunning chinese pianist based in England. She plays a lovely little Sebilius piece as an encore if you are lucky.
Seen her play a few times and have found her website but have not managed to find any of her music for sale.

Does anyone out there have anything by her?


----------



## Ephemerid

Yo-Yo Ma's lovely but inappropriately titled CD "Inspired by Bach"-- listening to my favourite movement from of my favourite of Bach's six cello suites, the gavotte from the 6th suite. What bliss! 

~ josh


----------



## Marina

SIBELIUS : Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47


----------



## opus67

Marina said:


> SIBELIUS : Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47


The Birthday Boy's violin concerto! I bet Kurkikohtaus (one of our senior members) is having a party today.


----------



## Lark Ascending

Ravel's wonderful Mother Goose Suite, currently airing on BBC Radio 3.


----------



## Aristocrat

The second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 23. It's rather tragic...


----------



## luigi.di.violini

Mozart's Violin Sonatas.


----------



## Marina

Franz Danzi : Sonata for Basset-horn and Piano, Op. 62


----------



## Klassikal

Umberto Giordano - Andrea Chenier - Come un bel di Maggio - Franco Corelli


----------



## Ephemerid

Ned Rorem's setting of Gertrude Stein-- "I Am Rose."

Oh, no, wait-- it's just finished.  

~josh


----------



## david johnson

vaughan williams/antartica/boult/lpo

dj


----------



## hawk

Bach: Brandenburg Concerti 1-4
Helmut Winschermann
German Bach Soloists
I can't get enough of this! I was out driving in the "Big Storm" yesterday and it was as if the snow and wind danced for this music! Beautiful!!!!!


----------



## anon2k2

Bach B-minor Mass; Harry Christophers; The Symphony of Harmony & Invention


----------



## Ephemerid

I'm waking up to Ives' *The Unanswered Question*.

~josh


----------



## ChamberNut

DeBussy - String Quartet Op. 10 - Belcea Quartet


----------



## MJTTOMB

Bach, Organ Concerto in A minor after Vivaldi.

Can't recall the BWV. Off the top of my head, I believe it's 594.


----------



## Ephemerid

Roger Sessions' suite from *The Black Maskers *(1923/28)

LOUDLY.

~josh


----------



## hawk

Tchaikovskys' Serenade for Strings


----------



## ChamberNut

hawk said:


> Tchaikovskys' Serenade for Strings


Hawk, isn't it a fantastic piece?


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem. It's the EMI label one with Klemperer and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Ficher-Dieskau... gorgeous!


----------



## MJTTOMB

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
And then No. 5 when that's done.


----------



## Ephemerid

Assuming my time zone setting thing is right on this board, you're already finished some time ago MJTTOMB, but I'm listening to the 5th Brandenburg myself right now (I've been listening to all six this morning). Alessandrini's recording...

~josh


----------



## CampOfTheSaints

Right now? At this moment in time? 

I'm listening to Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 The "Unfinished" Symphony.

The orchestra is the Orchestra Of The 18th Century, conducted by Frans Bruggen.

Recorded live, on period instruments, on the Philips label.

This is a wonderful recording, and it is really setting the mood for my day.


----------



## hawk

Josh and MJTTOMB,
Hmmmm!!! Bach must be in the air. Presently I am listening to the 5th then 6th Brandenburg. Aston Magna Festival Orchestra
Yesterday listened to 1-4 Brandenburg-

Chambernut, Yes Tchaikovskys Serenade is fantastic!! It stirs the emotions!! Love it!


----------



## drth15

Doing my annual hearing of several Messiah recordings. I never tire of this work and hear at least something enlightening in most recordings.

This year I replayed Christie's recording. His pacing is effective, soloists pleasing to hear & often dramatize the text. Disappointed now in his chorus, which lacks strong lower voices loses clarity in big numbers. Recording, from the early 90s, has aged for some reason & sounds poorly focussed. I think this is now an over-rated recording.

After Christie, I played Hogwood's recording for a few comparisons, but ended up listening all the way through. His pacing builds tension & grandeur, especially in Part II. The chorus confirmed my reaction to Christie's recording. The sound is still great. Still love this perf.

What other Messiah recordings- or live performances- have moved you lately?


----------



## Ephemerid

Hawk, I think the xmas season just puts me in a bit of a Bach mood more too! 

~josh


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I am listening to disc 2 of Tan Dun's Water Passion after Saint Matthew. I find this to be a thoroughly enjoyable work. Does anyone else like this work?


----------



## Marina

Chopin: Barcarolle Op. 60


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

messiaenfanatic said:


> I am listening to disc 2 of Tan Dun's Water Passion after Saint Matthew. I find this to be a thoroughly enjoyable work. Does anyone else like this work?


My son, Summer, domestic/kitchen bowls and water poured into them accomplish the same effect.


----------



## Ephemerid

I've got Penderecki's *Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima* cued up next, which I know is going to put me in tears (I can listen to this piece only rarely-- its almost too much for me to handle emotionally).

~josh


----------



## corpsegrinder72

i seldomly _listen_ to classical music. id rather play it.

got the special edition of christ illusion, slayer's newest album, yesterday, so thats mainly what ive been listening to.


----------



## Ephemerid

*Chambernut *& *Hawk*: OK, I'm hooked! And its all your fault 

I just downloaded Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, and I concur: WOW! 

~josh


----------



## Handel

A friend of mine made me listen this symphonic movement by Paul Wranitzky (1756-1808):

Great I think.

http://www.mediafire.com/?bzrbmmgjy7n


----------



## opus67

Beethoven 
Piano Trio in D, Op.36

The opening sounded very familiar. A visit to allmusic revealed to me that it's a transcription of the second symphony by the composer. Very nice.


----------



## Handel

indeed. Should be something to listen to...

I like a lot this symphony and Beethoven's piano trios in general.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler Symphonies and Das Lied von der Erde (Leonard Bernstein and Fritz Reiner, respectively).


----------



## WalterJ

Right now… an exhaust fan, my CD just ended. 

I was listening to Vivaldi the Four Seasons – Concert for 2 Violins in G Major


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Tchaikovsky Symphony #4- NYPO- Bernstein... a favorite of Mrs. Philly-


----------



## opus67

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Tchaikovsky Symphony #4- NYPO- Bernstein... a favorite of Mrs. Philly-


At full volume, a terrible headache for neighbours.


----------



## Tré

*Flute Quartets*

I'm listening to the Allegro from Mozart's Flute Quartet #1 in D, K 285. Then I'll listen to the rest of the Flute Quartets


----------



## Ephemerid

Cueing up: Steve Reich's *Three Movements *for orchestra...

~josh


----------



## hawk

Mozart's Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat major
Howard Shelly soloist
London Mozart Players

I am forcing my self to delve into the world of piano. At this point I do not find it too enjoyable but I suspect that will change


----------



## opus67

hawk said:


> I am forcing my self to delve into the world of piano. At this point I do not find it too enjoyable but I suspect that will change


'twas the same for me. But that was because I liked (and still do) the violin a lot more!

Personally, I'd recommend to you to start with some of these pieces...
Bach-
- Goldberg Variations, Keyboard/Harpsichord Concerto #1, BWV 1052 - these works are available as both piano and harpsichord versions.

Beethoven
- PIano sonatas No.8, 14, 21 and 23 (popularly called the Pathetique, the Moonlight, Waldstein, and the Appasionata)
- PIano Concerti, especially the last three.

Mozart
- Piano concerti #20 (has a wonderful first movement) and #21 (It's the I-don't-like-to-call-it-the-Elvira-Madigan concerto. )

Schubert
- I have heard only a few of his piano sonatas, but I would like to listen to more.

Schumann
- Piano Concerto and Kinderszenen

Tchaikovsky-
- PIano concerto

And finally, Chopin. Chopin and Piano are like synonyms.  Just about anything by Chopin will do. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, he never wrote a work that did not feature a piano.


----------



## Tré

*Piano!!!*

Indeed; piano is marvelous 

Chopin - Scherzos (I like #2)
Schubert - Impromptus 
Bach - 2 and 3 part inventions, DEFINITELY Goldberg Variations, French Suites
Mozart - Piano Trios


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

I recommend Mendelssohn Piano Trio #2, my favourite piece witha piano i think


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

and i am just packing up now to go back to uni, listening to Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, does this make anybody feel like moving around?


----------



## Ephemerid

Not meaning to keep de-railing the thread here, but...

Hawk, it may be you find the piano a bit "monochromatic" sounding (to use a visual metaphor) and so the piano is hard to stick with? --At least that is my difficulty with the piano at times.

If so, then at some stage you might want to try some of Debussy's piano pieces, which are a bit more colourful, like:

*The Children's Corner suite
**The Preludes *(Book I especially, and in particular "The Engulfed Cathedral" prelude No. 10)
*Clair de lune
*
~josh


----------



## hawk

Josh I am sure you don't mean "Tomita's" interpretation do you...

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Which is older Harpsichord or Piano? I do like Harpsichord


----------



## hawk

Opus I agree with you regarding the violin and the strings in general..Love them. 
For me they complete the musical package of any piece I have heard to this point. 
Presently i am listening to Mozarts Piano Quartet in E flat. It has a nice balance of strings with piano. I am actually enjoying it!


----------



## Tré

Harpsichord is older. By about a couple hundred years 

Pianoforte introduced new techniques into the keyboarding world around the last 20 years of Bach's death (c 1730s)

*Don't quote me on that time period, just a relative guess everyone.


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I have recently just finished listening to Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. I found it to be a fascinating piece of music. I don't know why people have a problem listening to his music. To me it was a piece of romantic expression. Does anyone else like this piece of music?


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

"The Nativity" a Byzantine Christmas Oratorio by Romanian composer Paul Constantinescu.


----------



## opus67

hawk said:


> Presently i am listening to Mozarts Piano Quartet in E flat. It has a nice balance of strings with piano. I am actually enjoying it!


Indeed, it's a very nice chamber work. Also, check out his only other piano quartet...another wonderful work.


----------



## Ephemerid

Swaying to Steve Reich's *Music for 18 Musicians *... its been awhile ... lovely stuff!

~josh


----------



## fyk5505

Mendelssohn's Psalm #95 "Kommt, lasst uns anbeten"


----------



## Ephemerid

Rimsky-Korsakov's *Scheherezade *(woo hoo! I spelt it right! ha!)

I haven't listened to this in quite awhile-- I forgot how melodic this piece is-- its been too long...

~josh


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I recently finished listening to Alfred Schnittke's Faust Cantata. I especially liked the seventh movement. Gotta love the use of a tango. Polystylism, gotta love it.


----------



## Ephemerid

Just finished listening to Stravinsky's Three Pieces for String Quartet-- members from the Orpheus Chamber orchestra performing. The first two pieces are fun (they really nailed the humour in the second one) and the third one is just exquisite.

Now to bed. 

~josh


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

> Swaying to Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians ... its been awhile ... lovely stuff!


I just borrowed this cd from a friend, very good indeed. i had never heard anything quite like it and it made me want to hear more of Reich's stuff, can you recommend anything else?

I am now listening to Mahler's 4th symphony, the first movement especially seems like nothing i've heard mahler sound like before, does anybody else feel like this symphony, especially coming on the bakc of his epic 3rd, is a completely new direction? I really like the opening flutes which seem to be imitating bells.


----------



## Ephemerid

EricIsAPolarBear, yeah-- I used to own a nice box set of his work 

*Eight Lines *is a really good follow-up to Music for 18

*Drumming *and *Piano Phase *are two favourites of mine-- they are a bit older pieces. Piano Phase is an amazing piece-- for all its simplicity, there is a lot going on in it (I hear something new in it every time I listen)

For a more symphonic development of some of Reich's ideas in Music for 18, I'd highly recommend *The Desert Music *(Michael Tilson Thomas' recording is the best IMO) and *Three Movements for Orchestra *is good too. *The Four Sections *is good also, though not as good as The Desert Music or Three Movements I think.

Those are probably some of his best works, a good place to start. 

~josh


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Fool and Eric, I've like Reich for a while (he's my favorite minimalist). One of my faves is his *Different Trains*, which uses tapes of speech from WWII as the basis for motive development. As an avid listener of older hip-hop as well as classical, it is interesting to see how sampling has evolved throughout the years.

Good stuff


----------



## Ephemerid

BuddhaBandit, yeah Different Trains is wonderful too-- that was one of the first pieces of his I heard!

~josh


----------



## ChamberNut

Dvorak - Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 87

Pressler w/ Emerson String Quartet


----------



## hawk

Haydn- Symphony No.31 "Hornsignal"
Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra of St. Lukes


----------



## opus67

I just heard Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony. (the last two movements, actually.) Sheer genius! Yes, it did sound awkward at places, but imagine bringing a whole orchestra, a choir and four soloists into one keyboard. Wow!


----------



## Handel

hawk said:


> Haydn- Symphony No.31 "Hornsignal"
> Sir Charles Mackerras
> Orchestra of St. Lukes


A good symphony. The first movement is especially marvellous. Love the way Haydn use horn (in this case) or trumpet at the beginning of his symphonies (e.g. symphony no 48)


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius' sixth symphony, Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Rachovsky

opus67 said:


> I just heard Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony. (the last two movements, actually.) Sheer genius! Yes, it did sound awkward at places, but imagine bringing a whole orchestra, a choir and four soloists into one keyboard. Wow!


Don't you just love his transcriptions? He did a lot of Rossini transcriptions as well if I'm not mistaken. I'd love to hear those. I was in the bookstore the other week and saw the full set of Symphonies by Beethoven, transcribed by Liszt. I was so tempted to get them, but they cost around $70 I believe. Did you mean Mvt. IVa and Mvt. IVb or Mvt. III and Mvt. IV? My favorites are Mvt. I & Mvt IV. That reminds me, I was going to look up the poem of Ode to Joy and try to decipher its meaning.

And I'm currently listening to:
*The Four Seasons - Concerto for Violin and Strings in G Minor, Op. 8, No. 2, R. 315 "L'estate"* played by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. I used to like Spring the best, but I've came to enjoy Winter just as equally.


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> Don't you just love his transcriptions? He did a lot of Rossini transcriptions as well if I'm not mistaken. I'd love to hear those.


You're right, they are amazing. I've heard the 7th and 8th, too.



> Did you mean Mvt. IVa and Mvt. IVb or Mvt. III and Mvt. IV? My favorites are Mvt. I & Mvt IV.


I never consider them as IVa and IVb, it's just IV for me.  Although, many CDs offer the last movement in two tracks, and the sudden jump between the two is something I don't like.



> That reminds me, I was going to look up the poem of Ode to Joy and try to decipher its meaning.


I hope you know that Beethoven modified Schiller's original to fit the music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Beethoven)#Text_of_fourth_movement


----------



## Rachovsky

opus67 said:


> You're right, they are amazing. I've heard the 7th and 8th, too.
> I never consider them as IVa and IVb, it's just IV for me.  Although, many CDs offer the last movement in two tracks, and the sudden jump between the two is something I don't like.
> I hope you know that Beethoven modified Schiller's original to fit the music.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Beethoven)#Text_of_fourth_movement


I used to consider it one movement until I bought the Berlin Philharmonics CD on his 9th. They separated the fourth into the parts. And yes, I knew that Beethoven modified it. I looked it up on Wikipedia once before and then tried to listen to the music and see if they were saying what was written down, but It sounded nothing like it at points. I guess it's because I don't know all the mannerisms of German speakers. And I was wrong, it was Schubert transcriptions, not Rossini.


----------



## hawk

Handel: Water Music Suites 1-3
Budapest Strings

Very Nice....


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

I'm really wanting some new music to listen to, but I'm afraid that I've run out of money (just a poor student here). I am now revisiting some of the material in my collection that for whatever reason i just never got into. Currently listening to Brahms Symphony No. 3, as I know this is one i just should enjoy, but somehow i just get bored listening to it. Does anybody else have a problem with Brahms?

Earlier today I went for a walk on West Sands (a beach in my town) and listened to La Mer. I think this is my favourite piece. Does anybody know of anything else i should listen to if i enjoy this. My collection of Debussy is limited to Prelude Afternoon of a Faun, Images for Orchestra, and Iberia and some piano music (Suite Bergamesque, etc.). I like them all but don't know where to go from here.


----------



## Smeepers

This evening I watched/Listened to one of the 2007 proms. Playing Shostakovich Symphony 10, Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and some other pieces I cant remember the title/composer. It was performed by the National Youth orchestra of Venusualia who I must say were FANTASTIC. The energy they played with was something I havn't heard in a long long time. If you ever get a chance to listen / see this concert I urge you to do so. It was broadcast tonight on BBC4 for those in the UK. The BBC website and IPlayer may have it.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius' First Symphony, Lorin Maazel/Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## Rachovsky

Jeez! A zealot of Sibelius I believe?

Am I correct in my regurgitation of the fact that Sibelius was so lazy that he lay in bed all day, composing, and whenever he accidentally dropped his music in the floor, he simply started all over again? I was taking a composer quiz somewhere and it said he did that.

I'm listening to Bolero by Maurice Ravel, Performed by Boston Pops & Arthur Fiedler.


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> it was Schubert transcriptions


Do you have any recommendations? It'd be great if there are transcriptions of the quartets #13 and/or #14.


----------



## opus67

EricIsAPolarBear said:


> I'm really wanting some new music to listen to, but I'm afraid that I've run out of money (just a poor student here).


How about Internet stations? I listen to WCPE and KING FM regularly. Or you could subscribe to the Naxos Library, like some of the other members do.



> Currently listening to Brahms Symphony No. 3, as I know this is one i just should enjoy, but somehow i just get bored listening to it. Does anybody else have a problem with Brahms?


I used to but not any more, I think. It was thanks the Rondo movement of his first piano concerto, and now I like the whole concerto. His Double Concerto for cello and violin has jumped close to the top of my favourites list of late.


----------



## Rachovsky

opus67 said:


> Do you have any recommendations? It'd be great if there are transcriptions of the quartets #13 and/or #14.


First of all, let me ask. Is it just me or does Franz Liszt's compositions always seem to flow the same dynamics wise? He usually starts out really quick, then gets really slow and serene, then he suddenly speeds up, then with about 1 minute left he slows it back down, and then with like 30 seconds left its like Vivacissimo. 
Now to Schubert Transcriptions. To be honest I'm not a fan of Schubert, but here are some of the transcriptions I like. First you have 'Ave Maria' of course. I think its full title is Ave Maria 'Ellens Dritter Gesang', S. 557d. I like a work called Erlkonig S. 557a. Then you have the Trout Quintet, which was never transcribed. It's just for Piano and Strings. 
I was never acquainted with the Quartets of Schubert. Went to iTunes and had a listen and they are quite good, but I see no transcriptions.

Have a listen to his listen to his transcription of Danse Macabre (Saint-Saëns) if you haven't already. It's one of my favorite transcriptions.


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> First of all, let me ask. Is it just me or does Franz Liszt's compositions always seem to flow the same dynamics wise? He usually starts out really quick, then gets really slow and serene, then he suddenly speeds up, then with about 1 minute left he slows it back down, and then with like 30 seconds left its like Vivacissimo.


Sorry. I don't have an answer for that one. Actually, I'm not familiar with most of Liszt's works. Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, yes...thanks to Warner Bros. 



> Now to Schubert Transcriptions. To be honest I'm not a fan of Schubert, but here are some of the transcriptions I like. First you have 'Ave Maria' of course. I think its full title is Ave Maria 'Ellens Dritter Gesang', S. 557d. I like a work called Erlkonig S. 557a.


Thanks. 



> Then you have the Trout Quintet, which was never transcribed. It's just for Piano and Strings.






> Have a listen to his listen to his transcription of Danse Macabre (Saint-Saëns) if you haven't already. It's one of my favorite transcriptions.


I have heard a two-piano version, but I don't think that was by the TranscriptionMeister.  I'll look for the Liszt version. Thanks, again.


----------



## Ephemerid

Cuing up: Aaron Copland's third symphony...


----------



## tenor02

i just finished all 71 minuets (exactly, oddly enough) of Beethoven's 9th. Now _that's_ a good evening.


----------



## hawk

Tenor02
Are there really 71 minuets in Beethoven's 9th or was it 71 minutes long? 

I am listening to 
Telemann:
Trumpet Suites in D - German Bach Soloists/Helmut Winschermann
Overture in F - German Bach Soloists/Helmut Winschermann
Concerto in D- New Bach Collegium Musicum/Max Pommer


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Currently listening to Alicia de Larrocha's recording of Ravel's Sonatine. Haven't listened to this one in a while, nice way to start my day with coffee (sloowwly).


----------



## opus67

opus67 said:


> I just heard Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony. (the last two movements, actually.) Sheer genius! Yes, it did sound awkward at places, but imagine bringing a whole orchestra, a choir and four soloists into one keyboard. Wow!


And today I heard the third movement of the 6th (pretended to be) played by the (characters of) Liszt and Chopin in the film _Impromptu_. It sounded wonderful...I think the 6th might be well suited for the piano, IMHO.


----------



## tenor02

hawk said:


> Tenor02
> Are there really 71 minuets in Beethoven's 9th or was it 71 minutes long?


please excuse my spelling


----------



## Ephemerid

tenor02 said:


> i just finished all 71 minuets (exactly, oddly enough) of Beethoven's 9th.


Well, if you we're listening to MAXIMIANNO COBRA's recording of Beethoven's 9th, it might be 71 HOURS long. heh


----------



## Ephemerid

About to listen to-- and watch-- Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande on DVD (Boulez conducting).

I've got my tea, pringles and hanky ready for tonight!


----------



## artisan

I have a confession to make. I am listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Very excited! I just got a cycle of Mahler's Symphonies with Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra. I had never heard Mahler's 1st symphony before, and since getting it last night i've already listened to it twice. Also, the version of Symphony 4 on here is excellent!

I am currently into the third movement of Mahler's 4th symphony. 

This set is great, but it comes at a bad time because i have been procrasinating just listening to it and not studying for my exams this week 
Need to multitask!


----------



## opus67

Bach's first keyboard concerto
Perahia, ASMF
(From my new CD)

And Eric, I too have exams (in a week)!


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Kullervo (Colin Davis, LPO)


----------



## Ephemerid

Feldman's second string quartet as performed by the Flux Quartet-- but I will NOT be listening to all six hours of it tonight...!


----------



## World Violist

I can't believe anybody would be so absurd as to write a six-hour string quartet!!!

Mahler's sixth symphony ("Tragic") as conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I am listening to Aeneas by Albert Roussel, a relatively uncommon ballet w/ vocals. Roussel is definitely a under recorded composer. Why is that?


----------



## Ephemerid

World Violist said:


> I can't believe anybody would be so absurd as to write a six-hour string quartet!!!


Oh, its an exquisite piece though. Many of the last pieces Feldman wrote were quite longish, all in one movement. The Kronos Quartet had to premiere an abridged version of it (I believe years later they performed the entire piece) and its only been performed in its entirety two other times.

Messiaenfanatic, I used to own Roussel's 2nd Symphony on cassette ages ago, and I rather enjoyed it. Unfortunately, that's my only exposure to Roussel.


----------



## Ephemerid

I'm walking around my flat, getting ready for work, with my mp3 player (an odd habit of mine, but it comes in handy at these hours) listening to Beethoven's 15th string quartet-- its either this one or #16 that is my favourite of his 4tets. Not the most ideal way of listening, but I'm an addict. LOL


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

I'm currently listening to piano music to keep me studying. exams coming up and i'm in the library. french impressionists (satie, debussy, ravel) make perfect music to work to, it makes studying seem more like a montage in a movie where you can just cut out the hours and hours of work it actually is. plus it drowns out the drone drone of these posh yah whisperers that surround me presently.
Presently listening to *Pascal Roge / Debussy: Piano Works *, Deux Arabesques


----------



## hawk

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony in C major. 
This is a brilliant Symphony! On the recording there are what I would assume are excerpts from 3 of his symphonies, no's 50-87 and 89.
They are all equally fantastic!!
Cappella Coloniensis/ulf Bjorlin


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Trying to get psyched up for a heavy day of revision here
listening to carlos kleiber and the *vienna philharmonic; beethoven symphony #7*

Whenever i listen to this, i think, "this is my favourite beethoven symphony"
but i think that happens whatever one i'm listening to.


----------



## opus67

EricIsAPolarBear said:


> Whenever i listen to this, i think, "this is my favourite beethoven symphony"
> but i think that happens whatever one i'm listening to.


That's quite true.  It happens to me, too.


----------



## opus67

(Also a composer discovery)
Christian Sinding's Violin Suite in A minor, Op.10
Perlman, Pittsburgh SO, Previn

The opening presto is just crazy!


----------



## Morigan

Mitridate, re di Ponto

Dessay, Bartoli, Asawa, Sabbatini, Piau; Rousset, Les Talens lyriques

Starry cast, great early Mozart music!


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I am listening to Arnold Schoenberg's Kammersymphonie, Op. 9. Why does the general classical community think oooh yucky when they think of Arnold Schoenberg's music ? Yes it is different, it can sound like the music does not have a tone, but it is still music, just expressed and notated differently. It does have moods and feelings. They are extreme and unpredictable. I find it more varied, and that is why I like it.


----------



## Ephemerid

messiaenfanatic said:


> I am listening to Arnold Schoenberg's Kammersymphonie, Op. 9. Why does the general classical community think oooh yucky when they think of Arnold Schoenberg's music ? Yes it is different, it can sound like the music does not have a tone, but it is still music, just expressed and notated differently. It does have moods and feelings. They are extreme and unpredictable. I find it more varied, and that is why I like it.


I like Schoenberg's Five Pieces for Orchestra and the Transfigured Night (though that was really a transitional piece, taking Wagnerian harmonies to their final step). There are a few of Webern's pieces I like too (the Passacaglia and his Symphony).

And, while I'm posting here-- I'm about to listen to Debussy's Syrinx (for solo flute) and hit the sack... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz


----------



## Ephemerid

Kiwi composer, Douglas Lilburn: Symphony No. 2 coming up...


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

I am currently listening to* Ashkenazy; Haitink/Concertgebouw; Rachmaninov Piano Concerto #2* Just downloaded it today, have already listened to and really enjoyed #3.


----------



## Rachovsky

EricIsAPolarBear said:


> I am currently listening to* Ashkenazy; Haitink/Concertgebouw; Rachmaninov Piano Concerto #2* Just downloaded it today, have already listened to and really enjoyed #3.


Where did you get it? iTunes?

Does anyone have a problem with the whole downloading thing... In my classical playlist, some of my artists are actually the composer and some of the artists are the people actually playing it. I hate not knowing whose playing the piece. I've went as far as putting down a random orchestra before to fix my OCD nature with my iTunes... lol

I'm listening to Messa Da Requiem: Dies Irae. Moving Piece 
Next in the playlist is a lovely Bassoon Concerto in A Minor R. 498 by Vivaldi


----------



## hawk

Presently I am listening to a new cd
Mozart: Salzburg symphonies
Divertimento No.1 in D K 136
Divertimento No.2 in B flat K 137
Divertimento No.3 in F K 138


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I am listening to Harawi: Song of Love and Death by Messiaen. It is part of Messiaen's trilogy of works based on the Tristan myth. It is atonal, but in the unique Messiaen style. It is quite a beautiful work. Do not be afraid or screech to Messiaen's music. His music is an acquired taste, but once you are used to it, sit back and enjoy the music.


----------



## Ephemerid

I'm listening to Douglas Lilburn's *Drysdale Overture*, which is strikingly beautiful (thank you, Andante!). I think I like this guy!


----------



## opus67

Yet another work by Taneyev. His violin sonata in A minor. Wonderful! Must listen to more of his works.


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> Next in the playlist is a lovely Bassoon Concerto in A Minor R. 498 by Vivaldi


Check out RV 484, if you haven't already done so.


----------



## Ephemerid

Elgar's *Elegy for Strings *and then its time for bed!!


----------



## Ephemerid

Thinking of MLK today, listening to Marian Anderson's recording of Schubert's Ave Maria...


----------



## shorteybear

In the Mood by Glenn Miller


----------



## hawk

Georg Phillip Telemanns Trumpet Concerto


----------



## messiaenfanatic

I am listening to Arnold Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht or Transfigured Night and Pelleas und Melisande: symphonic poem for orchestra w/ Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Great stuff! I


----------



## Ephemerid

messiaenfanatic said:


> I am listening to Arnold Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht or Transfigured Night and Pelleas und Melisande: symphonic poem for orchestra w/ Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Great stuff! I


I recently downloaded the string sextet (original) version of Transfigured Night to go along with my string orchestra version.

I haven't heard his tone poem on Pelleas and Melisande though (yet!)-- funny how Maeterlink is all but forgotten as a playwright today and yet that play inspired Debussy (I adore his one and only opera), Sibelius, Faure, Schoenberg, and...? I'm probably forgetting one or two big composers LOL


----------



## RhetoricRhino

I am watching Vladimir Horowitz At The White House on youtube.com....again


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Just woke up, listening to Debussy's Pour le Piano played by Pascal Roge.


----------



## opus67

Good Morning, Eric!  I'm listening to Brahms' first PC. The announcer said that this work premiered on this day in 1859. So, Happy Brahms-PC#1 Day, everybody!


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Ha, lazy student after exams, wish it was morning when I wake up!
Now listening to the best of the planets, Saturn, courtesy of Sir Colin Davis and London SO.


----------



## opus67

Well, I have an exam tomorrow, and I better get back to my books!


----------



## Ephemerid

EricIsAPolarBear said:


> Now listening to the best of the planets, Saturn, courtesy of Sir Colin Davis and London SO.


Its funny, this is one of my very favourite movements from The Planets, but this one had to grow on me over the years (and no, that's not a joke LOL) The delicate section at the end with the harp(s?) is sublime.


----------



## ChamberNut

*Mozart - String Quintets K. 515 in C major and K. 516 in G minor.*Talich Quartet w/ Karel Rehak - viola
Caliope label

I'm overwhelmed at just how good this is. There are no words to describe the greatness of this music, or the wonderful playing by Talich


----------



## Ephemerid

Sibelius' third symphony (Iceland Symphony Orch)-- oh, its been too long since I've heard it! I've forgotten the lovely waltz of the second movement!


----------



## opus67

I'm enjoying Brahms' piano trios. Earlier today, I heard Op.101, and now, it's Op.8.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> I'm enjoying Brahms' piano trios. Earlier today, I heard Op.101, and now, it's Op.8.


I highly recommend the Op. 87 Piano Trio in C. It is short, highly condensed trio that packs alot of energy. Love the pizzacato in the 2nd mvt.!


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> I highly recommend the Op. 87 Piano Trio in C. It is short, highly condensed trio that packs alot of energy. Love the pizzacato in the 2nd mvt.!


HA! I expected that fast reply.   Thanks for the recommendation. Got any rec's for boxed sets CDs* that I could add to my ever-growing wish-list? 

* Given that it was Brahms, I should've guessed that he would not have published anything more than what can be held in 2 CDs.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> HA! I expected that fast reply.   Thanks for the recommendation. Got any rec's for boxed sets CDs* that I could add to my ever-growing wish-list?
> 
> * Given that it was Brahms, I should've guessed that he would not have published anything more than what can be held in 2 CDs.


I have and highly recommend the Beaux Arts Trio Philips recording. There are a few different ones, but the one I have is a 2-disc set that includes the 3 piano trios, the Horn Trio and the Clarinet Trio. Great bonuses!


----------



## opus67

Thanks.  I think I haven't heard his clarinet trio before. And speaking of Brahms, I heard the first SQ today - liked the second movement.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> Thanks.  I think I haven't heard his clarinet trio before. And speaking of Brahms, I heard the first SQ today - liked the second movement.


The Clarinet Trio was written at the same time at the same time as Brahms was writing the very famous Clarinet Quintet. Both are considered masterpieces in the chamber music for clarinet repertoire.

As for Brahms' 1st string quartet, my favorite movements of this and all his string quartets are mvts. 1 and 3.


----------



## messiaenfanatic

Today I have listened to *Karel Husa's* _Apotheosis of the Earth_. Beautiful and haunting. Great stuff! *George Crumb's *_Voice of the Whale_, an unusual work for three masked players: piano, flute and cello. *Morton Feldman's *_Coptic Light_, a quiet meditative orchestral work.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Right now I'm listening to the Schubert "Death and the Maiden" Quartet, and earlier to Charles Ives's first symphony.

As for Crumb, check out the Black Angels quartet... really good music.


----------



## ChamberNut

ChamberNut said:


> I highly recommend the Op. 87 Piano Trio in C. It is short, highly condensed trio that packs alot of energy. Love the pizzacato in the 2nd mvt.!


My apologies here!! What I was thinking about was indeed Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 101 , not Op. 87 above.


----------



## opus67

I heard just the first movement yesterday, so no pizzacato.


----------



## World Violist

Schumann Piano Concerto, Claudio Arrau and the Detroit Symphony.


----------



## JeanBaptisteLully

M. Marais -Tombeau pour Monsieur de Lully (1701)

-A Grand piece-


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Steve Reich's _Different Trains_... nice use of WWII recordings.


----------



## World Violist

Ravel, Piano Concerto no. 1 in G major. Very deep, melodic, beautiful music.


----------



## JeanBaptisteLully

Pieces de Clavecin: IV. Les Cacqueteuses by Armand Louis Couperin

It ROCKS in a classical way


----------



## David C Coleman

I'm going through the symphonies of Gustav Mahler at the moment. With the LPO and Klaus Tenstedt. It' s an "El cheapo" set but it's very good and sincere performances and much better than I was expecting...Regards....


----------



## opus67

The internet is wonderful...I'm listening to _Il Barbiere de Siviglia_ "live" from the Metropolitan Opera...it just started. I'm not sure how long I can sustain without any visuals and no translations.

Oh, BTW, it's already Jan 27th here!


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Right now I've got Debussy's _Suite Bergamasque_ on... some really dreamy pieces. "Clair de Lune", the most famous movement, is, IMO, not the best in the suite by far (I think that would be "Passepied").


----------



## hawk

At this moment I am enjoying a song called Alash by a group of the same name. It is Tuvan throat singing. The song is about a river in Tuva. It is wonderful!!


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Just now listening to Mtislav Rostropovich conducting Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, i am only familiar with the first movement so this should be a treat!


----------



## Fernando

*Khachaturian*

Aram Khachaturian's Piano Concerto in D flat major


----------



## opus67

I think I'm listening to this only for the second time.

Mendelssohn's Op.64's little-known brother - the D minor violin concerto, and it's on period instruments (I think), and it almost has "Vivaldi sound" to it.


----------



## Octave

for the first time, Gerald Finzi's Elegy for violin and piano.


----------



## coloneljessop

The impeccable David Daniels singing Handel's 'Dove sei' from 'Rodelinda'.


----------



## opus67

Mahler's 5th, I repeat, Mahler's 5th!


----------



## shsherm

I have the radio on and they are playing Modern Masters on KUSC in LA which they play every Saturday night at 10PM-12midnight. They are playing songs by by Peter Lieberson called Neruda Songs and they are being sung by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

I've got a CD of Poulenc's "Gloria" and other choral works on... there's some really great stuff on there, especially his technique of creating tension using quick major/minor harmonic changes.


----------



## messiaenfanatic

Today I have been listening to the soundtrack Ran composed by Toru Takemitsu. I highly recommend this film score. Great mix of the eastern and western sounds.  

I have also been listening to Gyorgy Ligeti's Nonsense Madrigals, have a dark comedy feel to them. 

Also Olivier Messiaen's Cinq Rechants, a beautiful listenable choral work.


----------



## Maxie

Herr, unser Herrscher, the opening choir of the Johannes Passion by Bach.

I'm secretly longing for Easter.


----------



## anon2k2

Bohuslav Martinu's Concerto Grosso. With the Czech Philharmonic conductied by Jiri Belohlavek. I love the liveliness this early in the morning.


----------



## Yagan Kiely

Zimmer's Pirates score: because it is simplistically pleasing. And I am not in the mood for any sort of an intellectual adventure - which I am sure not to find in such score.

Good music still though.



> I'm secretly longing for Easter


Eww.... all that plastic chocolate.


----------



## David C Coleman

The 1878 version of Bruckner's Symphony # 3. BPO conducted by Daniel Barenboim..


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Karajan and BPO: Beethoven Symphony no. 3 "Eroica", 1st movement

Haven't listened to this piece much since i got it last month, this and no. 6 "Pastoral" by Karajan are two pieces which i have recently discovered and they are both excellent.


----------



## hawk

Sir Edward Elgars Serenade for Strings
Allegro Piacevole op 47
Larghetto op 47
Allegretto 0p 47


----------



## confuoco

*Brahms*

Brahms: Symphony No. 2: Allegro con spirito (the last movement)
Berliner Philharmoniker with Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Yagan Kiely

My Own Clarinet Sonata, performed by unknowns to all (and I do not have there permission to give there names online)


----------



## zeca

La belle helene - Jacques Offenbach


----------



## ChamberNut

*Mendelssohn *- Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49

Vienna Piano Trio
Nimbus Records


----------



## deepak

I am listening to Haydn C Major Concerto by Shaheen Malick


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

deepak said:


> I am listening to Haydn C Major Concerto by Shaheen Malick


Is he your boyfriend?


----------



## Rachovsky

My newly bought Piano Concerto No. 1, conducted by Arturo Toscanini and played by Vladimir Horowitz. Live from Carnegie Hall in 1943 =)


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> My newly bought Piano Concerto No. 1, conducted by Arturo Toscanini and played by Vladimir Horowitz. Live from Carnegie Hall in 1943 =)


Are we to assume it's Tchaikovsky's?


----------



## Rachovsky

opus67 said:


> Are we to assume it's Tchaikovsky's?


Of course.
It also came with Picture at an Exhibition but I actually prefer the orchestrated version a little better.


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> It also came with Picture at an Exhibition but I actually prefer the orchestrated version a little better.


Listening to it right now. I turned the radio on and heard a snippet that seemed familiar, but I didn't know what it was. Some time later, another familiar tune is played, this time much more familiar than the first one. I look at the display...it's Pictures at an Exhibition.


----------



## fox_druid

Currently listening Handel's oratorios (Joshua, Samson, and Esther)

I love the "Oh Had I Jubal's lyre" (Joshua), "Loud as the thunder awful voice" (Samson) and many other arias.

Also I'm going to eat up all my Easter Oratorios, Magnificats, and Passions collection for this Easter. I collected a lot but never have enough to finish hearing all the pieces.


----------



## opus67

_Carmen_ is about to start at the Met'.


----------



## Maxie

La Valse - Ravel

I just can't stop listening to that piece!


----------



## Henkdawg

I was listening to some "burp and fart" piece the American Brass Quintet, then I decided to go to Rachmaniov's First Piano Concerto since I'm hearing the MN Orchestra do that this weekend and not sure if I've ever heard..so far so good.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Requiem Rex Tremendae Majestatis - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
to me is true genius as is all of Mozarts work


----------



## BuddhaBandit

I've got on Mendelssohn's *Elijah*, which is actually really good (Renée Fleming sings soprano... quite a voice). I'm not much of an oratorio/opera fan, so this is a rarity for me.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Extended excerpts from Tchaikovsky's *Swan Lake*. This might be my all-time favorite composition written by anyone who didn't speak German as his primary language.


----------



## opus67

Chi_town/Philly said:


> This might be my all-time favorite composition written by anyone who didn't speak German as his primary language.


Wow...never heard that one before!


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Extended excerpts from Tchaikovsky's *Swan Lake*. This might be my all-time favorite composition written by anyone who didn't speak German as his primary language.


Interesting... I honestly can't stand any of Tchaikovsky's ballet music. I love the violin concerto, though.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

BuddhaBandit said:


> Interesting... I honestly can't stand any of Tchaikovsky's ballet music. I love the violin concerto, though.


 Yeah Tchaikovsky's music to me is kinda boring. I do like his not as famous works though.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Le Nozze Di Figaro Act 4, Ah Tutti Contenti as beautiful as opera can get


----------



## Stewie Griffin

Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, IV. Allegro con brio

Hmm.


----------



## edas

If you want to listen to something totally new, amazing..... 



(I am new here, and don't know if its allowed to paste links..... please advice?)


----------



## opus67

Dvorak's Requiem
I'm listening to this for the first time.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Beethoven - Sonata for Piano and Violin No.9 in A Major 'Kreutzer'


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Salieri=Innocent said:


> Yeah Tchaikovsky's music to me is kinda boring.


Souvenir de Florence
4th Symphony
2nd string quartet
G major Piano sonata
The Seasons
Manfred Symphony
Concert Fantasy Op.56

OMG! Such everlasting boredom!



Salieri=Innocent said:


> I do like his not as famous works though.


Which are,


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Rachovsky said:


> Of course.
> It also came with Picture at an Exhibition but I actually prefer the orchestrated version a little better.


Do you have there the live version of Horowitz' Pianostration, or the studio recording?


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Pictures At An Exhibition (The Hut on Fowl's Legs) - Modest Mussorgsky


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

The complete four act, three and a half hour *Spartacus*, by Aram Khachaturian.


----------



## opus67

Schubert
String Trio in Bb, D.581
Heifetz, Primrose, Piatigorsky


----------



## Mark Harwood

DVD. Julian Bream: My Life In Music. Marvellous way to spend an afternoon.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

11:54
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Stabat Mater; Quando Corpus Morietur And Amen

12:01
Le Nozze Di Figaro Act 3 Ecoo La Marcia - Wolgang Amadeus Mozart

12:20
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 - I Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - Beethoven

13:54
Peer Gynt - Grieg

14:07
Non Piu Andrai - Mozart the Bryn Terfel version other versions sound like the guy is eating a biscuit (Thats what it sounds like to me)


----------



## Count_Dusseldorf

Pachelbel - Canon in D


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Light Cavalry - Franz von Suppe


----------



## Adie

*Di Xiao*

I am listening to Di Xiao play Beethoven sonata Op 109, again! Maybe I'll treat myself to a little of her Ravel later on. I'm going to see her at the ABH Birmingham on Thursday, can't wait.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

concerto 20 in d, K.466 - Mozart


----------



## Morigan

The Nutcracker - Ouverture miniature; Karajan, BPO


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Gustav Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War


----------



## rich23434565

_Don Giovanni_ in the wonderful recording by John Eliot Gardiner on Archiv. The Commendatore's just been killed. Apparently Beethoven copied this passage out by hand and used the triplets as the basis of the first movement of the 'Moonlight' piano sonata in C# minor.


----------



## hawk

Antonio Vivaldi , Oboe Concerto in D minor


----------



## Octave

The Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61, performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter...


----------



## Sanctus493

Messiaen - Les corps glorieux: IV. Combat de la mort et de la vie


----------



## Zigomar

The beatiful and weird compositions of Moondog. A minimalist composer tramp.


----------



## opus67

Bruckner
Symphony No.9 
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Janowski

I think I'm into the third or fourth(?) movement. w00t!


----------



## wakaka

Dvorak symphony no.9

That's my favorite music


----------



## Cyclops

Tchaikivsky`s vn. concerto,Classical Collection no.40. Haven't a clue who the soloist but I like the music(tho the recording quality could be better)


----------



## Cyclops

Beethoven's vn. concerto this time,and a full price disk,under Bruggen. Quality!


----------



## opus67

Mendelssohn
Songs Without Words, Book I, Op.19

There was one song (is that how you call it?) that sounded like the opening of the Harry Potter theme.


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

I'm listening to a piece that I wrote for flute quartet and am arranging for violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, bassoon, and French horn.


----------



## Cyclops

Shostakovich,Piano concerto #2 in F,op 102. This is an unknown quantity for me and I expected it to be hard going,somewhat atonal yet its quite appealing,at least in the first movement.
I must find more of his works and also read up on him. I'm strangely attracted to Russian composers.(this fascination probably explains subliminally my attempts over the years to learn to speak Russian.People ask me why Russian,and I can't explain why!


----------



## Cyclops

Shostakovich,symphony #15. The man obviously has a sense of humour with his William Tell overture pastiche. Makes me smile! One tends to imagine Russians to be cold and unemotional but that's clearly not true(after all you need emotions to be able to compose)

Oh the second mvt. just started,that IS a nice sound(I like dark mysterious stuff)


----------



## Pianoforte

Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C major (K. 551) (Jupiter) 

Everything by Mozart is special but this really stands out. I listen to this in the morning getting ready for work and it sets the day up perfectly.


----------



## dukas

Sibelius-Symphony No. 1..Simon Rattle on EMI-first movement is great, but the final movement is lugubrious and too drawn out. Anthony Collins on Eloquence is lovely from start to finish.


----------



## Cyclops

Stravinsky-Petrushka
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Jerzy Maksymiuk


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Moonlight Sonata 1st mvmt.

I don't know who's playing; I bought if off of iTunes, but it's pretty.


----------



## Cyclops

Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven said:


> Moonlight Sonata 1st mvmt.
> 
> I don't know who's playing; I bought if off of iTunes, but it's pretty.


Oner of my favourite pieces. Is it slow though? Often it is played too fast and I personally believe that that piece needs time to breathe and get under your skin as it were.
Now years ago when I first encountered the Moonlight son. it was performed 'suitably paced' by Peter Katin on a cheap and cheerful audio tape


----------



## 3rdplanetsounds

Tonight is my own personal music night,the only time i get in the week to enjoy the pleasure of listening to my music without interuption.I shall light up a spliff,knock back several cans of larger and think I'll fancy listening to some Sibelius,his 4th,then shoshtakovich violin concerto and round it of with some baroque slow movements,by then,I'll shall be pretty wasted.


----------



## Cyclops

3rdplanetsounds said:


> Tonight is my own personal music night,the only time i get in the week to enjoy the pleasure of listening to my music without interuption.I shall light up a spliff,knock back several cans of larger and think I'll fancy listening to some Sibelius,his 4th,then shoshtakovich violin concerto and round it of with some baroque slow movements,by then,I'll shall be pretty wasted.


LOl, way to go dude!


----------



## Cyclops

Now playing 'Ma Vlast' on youtube, the 1990 Kubelik recording! I have it on CD recorded in 1959 by Kubelik and the VPO, fantastic piece of music!


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Cyclops said:


> Oner of my favourite pieces. Is it slow though? Often it is played too fast and I personally believe that that piece needs time to breathe and get under your skin as it were.
> Now years ago when I first encountered the Moonlight son. it was performed 'suitably paced' by Peter Katin on a cheap and cheerful audio tape


Yes, it's played slowly, and it's so pretty.


----------



## Cyclops

Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven said:


> Yes, it's played slowly, and it's so pretty.


I remember trying to describe this piece to my sister ages ago. dah dah dah dah dah dah da di dah but slowly. It wasn't working and I had to find a music shop to show her on the piano. Then I discovered just how difficult a piece it is!


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Yeah, I printed the first page of it for free on 8notes.com and it's nightmarishly difficult. I can play about the first 4 measures well.....


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Ludwig Van Beethoven- Piano Concerto 5. Emperor


----------



## Cyclops

Haydn, String Quartet in D, op 64 #5, 'The Lark' followed by op1 #1 'La Chasse'
Caspar de Salo Quartet (Classical Collection CD)


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Oooh, I love those!


I'm listening to the Mozart Piano Concerto #23 III: Allegro Assai, and then, Beethoven's 5th symphony.


----------



## Cyclops

Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven said:


> Oooh, I love those!
> 
> I'm listening to the Mozart Piano Concerto #23 .


Elvira Madigan, or is that 21? Beautiful piece!


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Elvira Madigan is #21.

to my knowledg, #23 doesn't have another common name, but both are beautiful pieces.


----------



## Cyclops

See, its been a long time since I was actually into classical, got quite deep into it too,knew all the composers lives etc, but well life happens!

Now I'm lsitening to Haydn, Symphony #101 'The Clock'-South German Philharmonic-Alfred Scholtz


----------



## Cyclops

Wagner,Siegfried Idyll.Hong Kong Philharmonic,David Atherton(BBC Music Magazine disk)
Its not often I like Wagner but this is very nice!


----------



## Cyclops

Now, Chausson,Poeme pour violone et orchestre.(Kyung Wa Chung) Very slow and dreamlike then uplifting! Next Faure's Pavane.


----------



## Cyclops

Rachmaninov's Isle of the dead followed by Ravel's Pavane(fabulous piece!) then time for sleep!


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Die Zauberflöte (the magic flute), performed by the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony.


Got to be one of my favorite operas that I've heard.


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Now, it's the Mozart Symphony No. 40, 1st mvmt.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Sonata for violin and piano.
Oh is beethoven not the greatest piano master ever


----------



## Cyclops

Set Sail For The Sun by Karlheinz Stockhausen on youtube,truly weird stuff!


----------



## opus67

I just finished watching the 'Commandatore Scene' from a MetOp perfromance of _Don Giovanni_


----------



## Cyclops

Mozart,Wind Serenade K361 for 13 instruments,Wind Soloists of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment,Anthony Halstead.


----------



## Cyclops

Mozart,Piano concertos 8 & 9,LSO/Ashkenazy(1966)


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata followed by Symphonies 5 & 9
then
Mozart:
Requiem Mass in D Minor, Dies Irae and Lacrymosa
Piano Concertos Nos. 21, 23, and 24
and then Die Zauberflote


----------



## hawk

Bach: Orchestral Suites... very suite (sweet)


----------



## Mozart_Oboe_Beethoven

Yet, again, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (performed by London Symphony Orchestra; marvelous)


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Boccherini - String Quintet No. 11 - Minuet


----------



## Cyclops

Arnold Schoenberg: Kammersymphonie op. 9


----------



## Cyclops

Schoenberg, ack ! This is much better!


----------



## Cyclops

Penguin Cafe Orchestra anyone?


----------



## Cyclops

Gyorg Ligeti-Artikulation.
this is very very strange!


----------



## Cyclops

Borodin,In the Steppes of Central Asia from the CD Pictures at an Exhibition,Daniel Nazareth,Slovak Philharmonic/Naxos. One of my first classical CDs!


----------



## opus67

Currently...

Haydn
Divertimento in B-flat, Hob.II:46 "Choral St. Antonio"
Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet,

which will be followed by...	

Brahms
Variations on a Theme by Haydn, 'St. Antoni Chorale,' Op.56
Philadelphia Orchestra/Muti


----------



## Cyclops

Rachmaninov,Isle of the Dead followed by Stravinsky's Petrushka. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra(live recordings) Jerzy Maksymiuk


----------



## Cyclops

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. It really is an awful piece of music, the Firebird that preceeded it is so much better.


----------



## Cyclops

Paganini 
Vn. concerto etc. 
South German Philly 
Hanspeter Gmur 
Oliver Colbentsen(violin)


----------



## Methodistgirl

Nothing right now but I am a Bach fan.
judy tooley


----------



## opus67

Gorecki
Symphony No.3
Upshaw/London Sinfonietta/Zinman

For a 20th century work, I'm actually liking it! (Is it because it sounds like movie music?  )


----------



## Methodistgirl

Since I'm such a big fan I was trying to get Electric Light Orchestra on the
net so that I can listen to their music. I like them because they mix classical
with rock and roll.
judy tooley


----------



## Cyclops

Shostakovich pf concerto number 2 in F. Op 102

After a fast and busy first movement the Andante is very mellow, almost Rachmaninovian-love it!


----------



## David C Coleman

Beethoven's Violin Concerto (Yehudi Menuhin, Otto Klemperer and the NPO)..It's a long time since I heard this..I'm reminded how simple and beautiful it really is..I love that large scale structure of the first movement... One of the finest Violin Concertos written...


----------



## Methodistgirl

I'm still listening to Electric Light Orchestra! 
judy tooley


----------



## Cyclops

Finally got my Beethoven 5&7 disk as recommended on here(Carlos Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic/DG 1975)
Now that's how to play the 5th!


----------



## Methodistgirl

Myself playing the guitar.
judy tooley


----------



## Rachovsky

Cyclops said:


> Finally got my Beethoven 5&7 disk as recommended on here(Carlos Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic/DG 1975)
> Now that's how to play the 5th!


I just bought a different version of Karajan's 5th and 7th symphonies. 
It's a lot different than his other interpretations. I'll have to listen to Kleiber's.


----------



## Cyclops

Now playing Schubert's 9Th symphony,San Francisco Symphony,Herbert Blomstedt


----------



## Octave

Gyorgy Kurtag : Jatekok


----------



## Cyclops

Und now ve have Mendelssohn,Symphonie 1 und 5 under Ashkenazy and ze Deutsches Symphonie-Orchestre Berlin,on Decca


----------



## shsherm

I have the radio on and they are playing the Mahler 5th with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic recorded in 1965. This performance is better than most that I have heard.


----------



## opus67

Bach
English Suite No.6
Leonhardt


----------



## Methodistgirl

Berlinsky:Burning bush.
judy tooley


----------



## Cyclops

Beethoven Symphony #3,Academy of Ancient Music,Christopher Hogwood on L'Oiseau-Lyre,1986. A disk I bought from Ebay( along with 1&2 also AAM/Hogwood)


----------



## Cyclops

Beethoven 5&7 /Kleiber again. Its like hearing the 5th for the first time!


----------



## SamGuss

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Methodistgirl

Minuet in G by Bach and my coffee maker. They are both music to my ears right now.
judy tooley


----------



## opus67

Dvorak 
Symphony No.7
Philharmonia Orch./Davis

Aren't the 3rd movements of this one and eighth just delightful?


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

On spin-cycle today: A *Josef Hofmann-Beethoven* mini-fest--

Beethoven Piano Concerto 4: Philadelphia/Ormandy 1938
Beethoven Piano Concerto 5: Chicago/Lange 1940

I noticed that, back in those days when giants walked the earth, it wasn't unknown for the Philadelphia audience to applaud between movements. Certain testimony has it that Ormandy's predecessor, Stokowski, actually _encouraged_ it.


----------



## Rmac58

Alfred Schnittke
cello concerto


----------



## Methodistgirl

Peace and quiet.
judy tooley


----------



## SamGuss

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks


----------



## Methodistgirl

The preacher to my church. Bro. Weyman Mc Guire.
judy tooley


----------



## Justin

More Bach for me - Cantata BWV79

I am having a major Bach moment - just ordered the last 11 cds in Suzuki's cycle thanks to an astonishing version of the B Minor Mass I got last week. The 11cds haven't arrived yet and to tide me over am listening to a cd from Gardiner's current cycle.

I am so excited about getting the Suzuki's though! Is that a bit weird - to so look forward to getting some cds. Oh well.

J


----------



## opus67

Justin said:


> Is that a bit weird - to so look forward to getting some cds.


I'd say that's perfectly normal. 

-

From someone who's *eagerly* awaiting the CDs of BWV 1080, and BWV 988, and BWV 1040s and 50s.


----------



## Justin

opus67 said:


> I'd say that's perfectly normal.
> 
> -
> 
> From someone who's *eagerly* awaiting the CDs of BWV 1080, and BWV 988, and BWV 1040s and 50s.


Hey Opus

I really can't wait! Called the delivery company to see if they were coming this week as want to have a listen over the weekend. Haven't heard back from them yet...

Which recordings are you waiting for?

I saw that Gardiner has a new volume out on the 28th April - BWV 86, 87, 97, 44, 150 and 183. Will have to get that one as well for certain.

Not sure if by buying all these cds am just being greedy but it's such a passion.

Let me know which ones you are waiting for and what they're like when you get them.

J


----------



## Pianoforte

The Art of Lang Lang

He seems very personable and talks eloquently about his passion for Mozart. He makes me say to myself "I think that too"


----------



## opus67

Justin said:


> Which recordings are you waiting for?


The Art of Fugue+An assortment of other works for the organ
Helmut Walcha

The Art of Fugue as played by a string quartet 
Emerson SQ

Goldberg Variations
Both the '55 and '81 recordings by Glenn Gould

The Violin Concertos, including a few reconstructed ones
Elizabeth Wallfisch and the OAE



> I saw that Gardiner has a new volume out on the 28th April - BWV 86, 87, 97, 44, 150 and 183. Will have to get that one as well for certain.


I've not yet familiarised with myself with choral works of Bach. Will have to soon.



> Not sure if by buying all these cds am just being greedy but it's such a passion.


Well, I too do sometimes feel crazy/guilty(?) for spending a lot (relatively speaking) on a few CDs, but I comfort myself by saying that a MANY people spend a lot more on silly recreations. Moreover, I know that this is certainly not going to be a transient phase in my life and that I will enjoy the music for a long time to come. Having said that, I hope that I do not go overboard with this and own 17 copies of Beethoven's 9th symphony down the line. 



> Let me know which ones you are waiting for and what they're like when you get them.


I don't except to have them in my hands at least for a few weeks, but I'll definitely post about it once I have a listen.


----------



## 3rdplanetsounds

Right now I'm listening to Shoshtakovich's 9th Symphony on my headphones.It's certainly growing on me as i've always skipped this work of his for years.Thought i give it a try,it reminds me alot of his sixth symphony,but with alot more going for it.... excellent surprise!!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: 
-Symphony No. 7 in C major 
-Kuolema (Death), incidental music for orchestra (I), Op. 44
-Night Ride & Sunrise, Op. 55 
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
BIS*
This was my first-ever recording of the _Seventh_, released sometime in the mid-'80s -- a fleet, direct performance recorded in a vibrant and spacious soundstage. I've since heard more affecting and persuasive performances, and the ending here does seems more abrupt and unceremonious than most, but the work's inherent poetry is certainly allowed to speak.

I'd describe the performances of the couplings as nice, but mostly nondescript and ultimately unconvincing.


----------



## opus67

Brahms
Symphony No.1
Philaharmonia Orch./Otto Klemperer

I've been avoiding Brahms for so long. Listening to the opening of this symphony, I found the instrumentation similar to Beethoven's mid-late symphonies - the combination of strings, the flute and oboe(or is that a clarinet?) and timpani.

Before that, I was listening the Alt-Rhapsodie for the first time. Very nice work.


----------



## opus67

Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto, Op.64
Heifetz!/Boston SO/Munch

I don't believe I've heard this performance before.

And there he runs off with the opening bars*... 


*I hope that's the right term.


----------



## Methodistgirl

All I hear right now is bacon frying and someone mowing the lawn.
judy tooley


----------



## Pianoforte

I love to find rhythms in every day sounds.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> Brahms
> Symphony No.1
> Philaharmonia Orch./Otto Klemperer
> 
> *I've been avoiding Brahms for so long*. Listening to the opening of this symphony, I found the instrumentation similar to Beethoven's mid-late symphonies - the combination of strings, the flute and oboe(or is that a clarinet?) and timpani.
> 
> Before that, I was listening the Alt-Rhapsodie for the first time. Very nice work.


How come?


----------



## Methodistgirl

I have been listening to Native American music.
judy tooley


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> How come?


Who are you, stranger?


----------



## Methodistgirl

Sound of silence and I'm not talking about the song. Really I'm sitting here
where it's really quiet.
judy tooley


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Harold Shapero, sonata for piano four hands


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Debussy: Preludes Books I & II
Paul Jacobs, piano
Nonesuch*
I've had Jacobs' recordings of these on both LP and CD and have never been compelled to search out others -- pianistic bliss and perfection!

*Brahms: Haydn Variations; Symphony No. 1
Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer, cond.
EMI*
Klemperer's expansive, high-calorie way with the _Brahms First_ is a perfectly valid interpretation. The symphony's thick textures are more transparent and momentum is never allowed to sound sluggish -- tension and drama are sustained throughout. Fine recording as well.

However, this recording of the _Haydn Variations_ sounds awful -- like aural pea soup.

*Bartok: String Quartet Nos. 1 & 3
Emerson String Quartet
Deutsche Grammophon*
Dynamite stuff!


----------



## World Violist

Rachmaninoff playing his own music (with modern recording techniques! You must hear to believe): "A Window in Time."


----------



## opus67

World Violist said:


> Rachmaninoff playing his own music (with modern recording techniques! You must hear to believe): "A Window in Time."


I have heard a few works from the CD on the radio.


----------



## SamGuss

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 & 7 (#7 right at this second lol) conducted by Kleiber and performed by the Vienna Philharmonica (the Deutsche Gramaphon edition). I had seen it praised here in my reading various threads and picked it up earlier today. Glad I did! It's my third run-through today listening to it actually.


----------



## Moldyoldie

SamGuss said:


> It's my third run-through today listening to it actually.


Don't burn yourself out, Sam.  It's too good for that.

Just had a virgin voyage with...

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 7, Op. 105; Rakastava for Strings, Op. 14
Prokofiev: Andante for String Orchestra, Op. 50 bis
Glauzunov: Scènes de Ballet, Op. 52
USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.
Yedang Classics*
Yes, this is the _Sibelius Seventh_ with the loud blatty trombone -- and I love it! I simply imagine one of those wild Finnish geese.  I think more than most works, the _Seventh_ sounds the most divergent from performance to performance; I'm not sure if anyone has recorded what can be deemed a "standard". The Prokofiev and Glauzunov here are also most enjoyable.

The recordings are from the early '60s and feature several slightly intrusive skips (edits?), but the sound is fine -- fairly close-up and vibrant. All in all, a great deal for about $5 used and a performance of the _Sibelius Seventh_ that I'll certainly be returning to.

Also listening to...

*Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 2, 4, and 6 
Emerson String Quartet
Deutsche Grammophon* (disc #2 of 2)
A continued listening traversal from yesterday. I'm not certain whose twentieth century quartets are the more stimulating and moving, Bartók's or Shostakovich's. Great stuff here!


----------



## Celloman

Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Great stuff!


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's Eighth, Leonard Bernstein conducting the Israel Philharmonic (the older one).


----------



## Rondo

Celloman said:


> Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Great stuff!


Karajan and Strauss are almost always a good combination.


----------



## World Violist

Rondo said:


> Karajan and Strauss are almost always a good combination.


I tend more towards Reiner with Strauss. Such precision and logic in the music. I like his Don Juan.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

The EMI Gemini Sawallisch/Philadelphia Orchestra Tchaikovsky *Swan Lake*.
Virtuoso orchestra+acknowledged masterpiece+>2.5 hours of music+US$8.00 cost=... best-BARGAIN-*EVER*!*

*Beating out the previous champion, the Naxos/Janáček _Lachian Dances/Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba_.


----------



## World Violist

Now switching to Mahler 5 with Bernstein/NYPO. It's not known to be quite so great as others, but I like it. I think I'll start getting Tilson Thomas' recordings of Mahler.


----------



## SamGuss

Chopin's Nocturnes for piano (noteably No. 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12). Played by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Good stuff. Really good stuff.


----------



## marval

Hi SamGuss

I love Chopin, especially played by Ashkenazy.

It is the sort of listening that puts me in a good mood.


Margaret


----------



## Rmac58

B-52's, re-mix.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Finlandia; Karelia Suite; Luonnotar; Tapiola; En Saga
Elizabeth Soderstrom, soprano (on Luonnotar)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.

Sibelius: Night Ride & Sunrise; Pohjola's Daughter; Lemminkäinen Suite: Four Legends from the Kalevala
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Horst Stein, cond.
Decca (2 discs)*
Though hardly comprehensive, I can't think of a better collection of popular Sibelius tone poems than this! I've "graduated" to other conductors and interpretations, but these are the ones I recommend to the novice along with the super budget-priced Berglund collection on EMI/Seraphim.

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 3
London Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev, cond.
Philips (Disc #2 of 4)*
About as far removed from the Sibelian world imaginable -- unabashed orchestral machinery pounding away with sheet metal-ripping intensity, interspersed with some marvelous Prokofievian melodies, especially in the _Third_. Not something to which I often return, but an early morning ear-opener nonetheless.


----------



## Rondo

While on the topic of Strauss...









Just bought it a couple of weeks ago. Great album, though the final piece (_Siegfried Idyll_) doesn't quite measure up to _Heldenleben_,...in my opinion.

Though, I may risk a rebuttal to that last statement from Chi_town


----------



## SamGuss

Tonight, I'm listening to Schumann - Symphonies No. 1 & No. 3.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Prokofiev: Violin Concertos No. 1 and No. 2
Dmitri Sitkovetsky, violin
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, cond.

Shostakovich: Violin Concertos No. 1 and No. 2
Dmitri Sitkovetsky, violin
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis, cond.
Virgin (2 discs)*

Soloist Sitkovetsky nails the idiom in all four of these fine performances in recordings which are well-blended for natural concert ambience -- spacious and vivid. The spikiness of the two Prokofiev concertos are seemingly accentuated by the soloist, but not at the expense of the works' inherent melodicism and beauty. Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra provide fine, unobtrusive accompaniment.

The performances of the two Shostakovich concertos are perhaps lacking the nth degree of drama, but are nonetheless played with passion and technical assurance. The accompaniment of the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Davis is slightly more problematic due mainly to the lack of outright heft and force needed in certain sections. The spaciousness of the recording probably works against it here, but not to any perturbable extent. Sitkovetsky "feels" this music, and so will the listener.

Overall, this has to be one of the better bargains available on the market, especially as an introduction to these staples of twentieth century repertoire.


----------



## 3rdplanetsounds

I'm listening to Carl Nielson's first symphony,the first time since 1992!,when I got the CD.A bit shameful really as I know all the rest of his symphonies like the back of my hand.It is fascinating to hear his sound world well established ,and even though this is my second hearing of it,(probably the last time was in '92),I understand this particular piece completely!


----------



## SamGuss

Dvorak Symphony No. 9 has a special place with me. Until lately, it was one of only 3 selections I had ever owned and that back when I was a teenager and "experimenting" with music. It was the only piece I liked back then and still enjoyed through the years. I found this copy by searching reviews and then got it at the local B&N. The sheer awesomeness of this recording makes you (well me) want to hear it again and again.

I actually plan on one day having Neumann's and Karajan's recording of this piece once I get to the point I start getting multiple copies of the same selection.


----------



## SamGuss

Awesome stuff. I actually did make a mistake though when I got this recording... I was planning on getting Levi's version of Mahler Symphony No. 4 and Kubelik's version of Mahler Symphony No. 1.

Darn, I guess in the future I'll have to rectify that and get multiple versions.  The horror!


----------



## opus67

Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.28
Bernard Roberts

I think I now know how to _identify_ a fugue or contrapuntal elements in classical music by listening to it! (at least upto Early Romantic music). This is very exciting!

I was listening to Mendelssohn's 5th yesterday after a long time. In the final movement, I suddenly thought to myself that that part sounded like Bach! (Of course, what I actually had in mind was that it was a fugue. ) And reading allmusic's description of the work revealed to me that there were indeed fugal elements in the last movement.

Move forward to 10 mintues ago, and I identified the fugue in Beethoven's sonata.

So, I learnt something today. 

P.S.: Since the time I finished typing the above, the music has changed to Crussel's clarinet concerto No.3. 
Per Billman/Uppsala Chamber Orchestra/Korsten


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 3
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
Sony/Columbia Legends (Disc #1 of 4)*
My initial excursion into this boxset. I wasn't all that impressed with the _First_ here as I was with Bernstein's 1990 Vienna remake. However, I truly love how he rendered the often problematic _Third_ -- everything seems to work perfectly here! The recording is what I expected -- compressed dynamic range, but vivid and up-close presence; it's a sound with which I grew up and came to feel comfortable. I greatly look forward to a further traversal of this set.

*Bax: Symphony No. 4; Tintagel
Ulster Orchestra
Bryden Thomson, cond.
Chandos*
I'm certainly not an avid Bax aficionado, but for some reason, this was especially enjoyable this morning. Perhaps I'm either warming up to it, or vice versa! There are shades of Ravel and Debussy in the symphony, but the musical language is certainly of its own ilk. The tone poem _Tintagel_ was equally delightful. The recording and performance are wonderful.


----------



## SamGuss

From a topic I brought up earlier tonight, I am not sure "why" I like Cello concerto's so much in general. This particular recording I have found enjoyable to listen to now on a couple of occassions.

While I enjoy both pieces on the CD, Dvorak's Cello Concerto appeals to me the most. Especially the opening Allegro.


----------



## opus67

SamGuss said:


> I am not sure "why" I like Cello concerto's so much in general.


I have the same issue with violin concerti, or works for violin and orchestra, in general.



> This particular recording I have found enjoyable to listen to now on a couple of occassions.


I have that CD as part of this set. It contains quite a few famous cello concerti, especially from the Romantic era. But if you're looking for only concerti, this would be a good set to start with. (It contains the all-too-famous recording of the Elgar concerto.)


----------



## SamGuss

opus67 said:


> I have the same issue with violin concerti, or works for violin and orchestra, in general.
> 
> I have that CD as part of this set. It contains quite a few famous cello concerti, especially from the Romantic era. But if you're looking for only concerti, this would be a good set to start with. (It contains the all-too-famous recording of the Elgar concerto.)


Thanks for the links and suggestions - they both look like great deals!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
National Symphony Orchestra
Mstislav Rostropovich, cond.
Deutsche Grammophon (1983)*
I've long listened to the 1990's Rostropovich/NSO recording (different performance/recording) of the Shostakovich _Fifth_ on Teldec. For years, I've read the current recording is the one that demands to be heard. This is an ex-library copy recently bought for about $5.


----------



## opus67

Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.28, Op.101
Vladimir Horowitz (Live Recording)

I've never come across a recording of a live performance such as this. The first movement is taken from a recital at Colden Center, Queens College, NY, while the last two are from Carnegie Hall!


----------



## SamGuss

Dvorak Symphony No. 9 - as conducted by Karajan over on YouTube. Maybe because I'm a newb, but just about anything I have heard from him just sounds really good. Still love my Harnoncourt version of this, but I definately see myself as owning Karajan's version as well. Earlier for kicks I was playing parts and pieces back and forth and listening to the differences. Both excellent works and I am hard pressed to say "this one is better" - but I can say they both offer a different listening experience.


----------



## Rachovsky

SamGuss said:


> Dvorak Symphony No. 9 - as conducted by Karajan over on YouTube. Maybe because I'm a newb, but just about anything I have heard from him just sounds really good. Still love my Harnoncourt version of this, but I definately see myself as owning Karajan's version as well. Earlier for kicks I was playing parts and pieces back and forth and listening to the differences. Both excellent works and I am hard pressed to say "this one is better" - but I can say they both offer a different listening experience.


I agree Sam. I love every Karajan recording. The only one that I was displeased with was the Egmont Overture (bad sound quality probably) and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2


----------



## Pianoforte

How can someone so young play such a demanding piece so flawlessly with seemingly little effort. She plays with emotion well beyond her years.


----------



## opus67

Contrapunctus 18 and 19 (from The Art of Fugue, of course)

It's on two pianos, played by Zoltan Kocsis and Ferenc Rados.


----------



## opus67

Symphonie Fantastique. Specifically the March to the Scaffold. 

As embarrassing as it may sound, I'm just discovering this piece. It sounded wonderful, even through these tiny computer speakers. I've heard it a long time ago, but that was when it was only some Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

SamGuss said:


> Dvorak Symphony No. 9 - as conducted by Karajan over on YouTube.... Still love my Harnoncourt version of this, but I definitely see myself as owning Karajan's version as well.


I have Solti/Chicago, Kubelik/Berlin & Kondrashin/Vienna. Kondrashin/Vienna remains my favorite.

More relevant to the thread, though, I'm sampling something a little _different_ today... Balakirev's _Islamey_. [Philadelphia/Ormandy.]


----------



## Rachovsky

Franz Liszt's *Totentanz*. I just discovered it a few minutes ago and I love it.


----------



## Rondo

Rachovsky said:


> Franz Liszt's *Totentanz*. I just discovered it a few minutes ago and I love it.


That piece cycled through my playlist earlier today. A great one!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Bruno Walter, cond.
SONY (from CD inc. Sym. No. 2)*
I was listening to the French DG release of Karajan's '60s recording yesterday; Walter/SONY's is soooo much better! I'm wondering if DG's latest remastering of the former effects an appreciable improvement.

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique"
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, cond.
PHILIPS (from 2-CD set inc. Sym. No. 4)*
Fine performances from the prince of moderation, glowingly recorded in warm analog.


----------



## SamGuss

Mahler Symphony No. 1 as conducted by Yoel Levi and performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. For the first time since I've had it, I have an opportunity to turn the volume UP and getting to listen to all those details in the soft parts. Good stuff. And the extra volume on those heavy hits....  I hope the neighbor doesn't complain - oh wait they are gone, which is why I am listening to this loud. Woot!


----------



## JBI

The Funeral March from Gotterdammerung conducted by Sir Georg Solti.


----------



## opus67

Not now, but in approximately an hour I'll be listening to all this in sequence

Haydn
String Quartet Op.76 No.3 'Emperor'
Amadeus Quartet

Dvorak
Symphony No.9
Philly Orch./Any guesses for the conductor? No points if you guessed Ormandy - that was just too easy a question. 

Schubert 
Rondo in A, D.438 (A favourite)
Verhey and Colorado SQ

Mozart
Piano Concerto No.15
Perahia/ECO

Boccherini
Cello Concerto No.9 (Not really a favourite, or anything, but it's Boccherini. )
Ma/St.Paul CO/Zukerman


----------



## Rachovsky

Coming up at 2:08 on WQXR.com

Rachmaninoff's: * Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 *
Berlin Philharmonic, C: Abbado, P: Pletnev


----------



## opus67

opus67 said:


> Dvorak
> Symphony No.9
> *Philly Orch*./Any guesses for the conductor? No points if you guessed Ormandy - that was just too easy a question.


Maybe it was because I noticed Ormandy's name first, that I assumed it to be the Philadelphia Orchestra.  It's actually the LSO.


----------



## SamGuss

Thanks to a new friend here on TC, I am listening to:










It is incredible! And is definately one of my new top favorites.


----------



## opus67

Discovering...

Bruch's violin concerto No.2, Op.44
James Ehnes/Montreal SO/Mario Bernardi


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schumann: Symphony No. 1 in B flat "Spring"
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Kurt Masur, cond.
Teldec (also inc. Sym. No. 4 1841 vers.)*
My difficulty in "penetrating", and thus enjoying Schumann's symphonies was somewhat ameliorated by Kurt Masur's early '90s cycle from London. I'm afraid I'm among those who found the composer's thick orchestrations mostly inscrutible on the surface when heard with virgin ears. This performance of the Spring Symphony is "lean and mean", meaning much of the work's inherent bombast is quelled, its momentum unimpeded but not relentless, its beautiful and dapper melodies are made clearer and assimilable. The seemingly thinned-out strings and the winds blend marvelously, the tympani are nearly imperceptible, and the brass make themselves heard at only the most opportune moments. It's all rendered in a vivid and appropriately semi-spacious soundstage. This is baked whitefish as opposed to the usual prime rib. I've since learned to better appreciate the renderings from a host of bigger and beefier Schumann Symphony offerings. After all, one occasionally enjoys prime rib, but not necessarily so early on a beautiful spring morning.

*Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F major
Cleveland Orchestra
Christoph von Dohnányi, cond.
Teldec (also inc. Tragic Overture)*
This is a uniquely rendered and beautifully recorded performance of the Brahms _Third_ from the late '80s. Dohnányi and the Clevelanders seemingly strive for a serene, blended, and lyrical sound throughout following the symphony's stark and defining opening bars; the orchestra seems to linger just below _mezzo forte_ as if it were a barrier not to be breached -- and it works wonderfully here! The first movement's exposition is appropriately repeated. The strings and winds interplay exquisitely for a performance that exhibits this symphony's inherent tranquil beauties, but not necessarily its deepest secrets, if there are indeed any to be found. Perhaps strangely, I found the performance as profound as Walter's, but in an entirely different way. It's certainly not as architecturally rigid as the likes of Klemperer and others. All I really know is that I enjoyed it immensely on this particular morning.


----------



## opus67

Ghastly scales and too many notes. 

_Die Entführung aus dem Serail_

Live from the Met'.


----------



## Badinerie

Jacqueline Du Pre's Elgar Cello concerto, (Hence the avatar) My girls are watching 'Casualty' and I have the headphones on.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's second again... I'm absolutely addicted to the last third or so of the finale; It makes me want to cry.


----------



## ChamberNut

opus67 said:


> Discovering...
> 
> Bruch's violin concerto No.2, Op.44
> James Ehnes/Montreal SO/Mario Bernardi


Cool! Soloist James Ehnes is from my home province.  I get to see him perform in September at the WSO's 2008/2009 season premiere (Korngold's Violin Concerto).


----------



## Rachovsky

1:36pm SMETANA: *Má Vlast: Vysehrad*
2:05pm MASSENET: *Scènes pittoresques*
2:21pm PAGANINI: *Terzetto concertante for Viola, Guitar and Cello*


----------



## Rmac58

Schnittke, cello concerto.


----------



## SamGuss

Elgar Cello Concerto as performed by Jacqueline du Pre. Good stuff - going to have to pick up a CD with this on it.


----------



## Pianoforte

Mozart - Adagios 

Distributed by Decca


----------



## Marina

Мстислав Ростропович -- Прокофьев [.125]


----------



## opus67

Marina said:


> Мстислав Ростропович -- Прокофьев [.125]


Is it similar to or the same as a sinfonia concertante?


----------



## Marina

opus67 said:


> Is it similar to or the same as a sinfonia concertante?


Precisely. it is a Sinfonia Concertante.

The Sinfonia Concertante, in E minor for cello and orchestra, Op. 125, or Symphony-Concerto" as Prokofiev apparently preferred to call it, is a radical reworking of the Cello Concerto (Op. 58) of 1938. The revised work was written for the young Rostropovich, with the cellist's active participation in the shaping of the solo part, and was first performed by him in Moscow in 1952, a year before the composer's death.


----------



## opus67

Marina said:


> Precisely. it is a Sinfonia Concertante.


And I thought that genre was done and dusted by the late Classical/early Romantic era. (Well, there's the _Concerto for Orchestra_, and I think there's one that was written for Hiefetz, but apart from those I had not heard much of this type of work cropping up in the late 19th and early 20th C. )


----------



## SamGuss

Some nocturnes of Chopin. Really relaxing stuff.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague"
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Karl Böhm, cond.
Deutsche Grammophon

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Karl Böhm, cond.
Deutsche Grammophon*
Sure, the performances can be deemed stodgy in comparison to modern HIP standards, but I love 'em anyway! I have no idea if Mozart and Beethoven meant their music to be played in this stately fashion - Böhm's _Prague_ doesn't necessarily "sing" and his Beethoven _Seventh_ hardly epitomizes the "apotheosis of the dance" - but one can certainly admire the timbral clarity and foursquare precision while simply luxuriating in the pure sound of it all. The Mozart's early '60s recording is showing its age, however, while the Beethoven sounds wonderful in DG's '70s era analog.









*Schumann: Symphony No. 1 "Spring"
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, cond.
Warner Classics*
I find Barenboim's _Spring Symphony_ to be a bit heavy on the cream and not as purposely affecting (that's as to Schumann's putative purpose) as the arrangements and performances by Masur and Dohnányi, but the orchestra sure sounds nice!


----------



## World Violist

Now I'm getting re-involved with Mahler's sixth symphony.


----------



## Rachovsky

World Violist said:


> Now I'm getting re-involved with Mahler's sixth symphony.


I bought Haitinks recording. I can't say I've listened to it yet. It's so long I don't have time to sit and actually listen, lol.


----------



## World Violist

Yes, I've not had time to really listen to the whole thing either... just the finale on the way to school. I love the finale of it; sends shivers down my spine every time, without fail.


----------



## Rachovsky

World Violist said:


> Yes, I've not had time to really listen to the whole thing either... just the finale on the way to school. I love the finale of it; sends shivers down my spine every time, without fail.


Is that the entire last movement or what? If not, when does it begin?


----------



## World Violist

Yes, that's the entire last movement; it takes awhile for me to get to school.


----------



## Lance

Right now as of this moment, The 1st movement of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, this piece is really growing on me!


----------



## Badinerie

Ravel. This Morning I dug out an old french pressing DG LP of Monique Haas playing the Sonata for Piano and orchestra in G.


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to Mahler's fifth symphony (as always for now, Bernstein/NYPO).


----------



## Ludovyk

Mozart: Così fan tutte (act I).
Schwarzkopff, Merriman, Otto, Simoneau, Panerai, Bruscantini.
Philharmonia Orchestra, splendidly conducted by Karajan.


----------



## Lance

Now listening to the 2nd movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto, played by Arcadi Volodos. Such a sublime piece!


----------



## Rmac58

Talking Heads, The Name of This Band...


----------



## marval

Bethoven's Ninth
BPO with Leonard Bernstein


Margaret


----------



## Badinerie

Paul Tortelier playing Bach......sigh!


----------



## Rachovsky

The James Bond Theme Song on Classical Pops on Sirius Radio


----------



## Badinerie

Dude! John Barry is cool..I have the Anna Netrebko cd " Opera" on at the moment. Later Im going to try out the handfull Karl Bohm Mozart Symphonies lp's that I picked up SH today.


----------



## Ludovyk

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen.
Tom Krause, Concertgebouw, Haitink.


----------



## Lance

Right now, Bach's Partita No. 3 in A minor BWV 827 played by (who else?) Glenn Gould!

I've been neglecting Bach and the baroque era in general for quite some time.. time to catch up lol


----------



## lin

'Would like to query the community:

From this movie: http://thefallthemovie.com (click on TRAILER at the bottom), what is the piece in the latter half of the trailer? I seems exceeingly familiar, but I cannot place it.

Thanks much!


----------



## Rachovsky

I believe that's the Allegretto from Beethoven's Symphony No. 7

Is that movie supposed to be a comedy, lol? It looks sort of dumb, ya think?


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, cond.
RCA*
I was up at around three this morning and decided to put myself at the mercy of Mahler and his _"Song of the Night"_ symphony. This recording was my sole experience with this work for over twenty years, and then only playing it every few years. The Mahlerian idiom, especially in his thornier works such as this, has since become more familiar and accomodating to my sensibilities. I've read where on balance this is probably the least favorite symphony among Mahlerites; this morning I found it to be an absolute delight! Levine doesn't p-u-s-s-y-f-o-o-t around and drives the orchestra headlong into the thickets with both confidence and clarity. The recording is vivid and close-up, but not necessarily in-your-face. There was some obvious orchestral spotlighting, however it didn't seem obtrusive in this macabre setting. Oddities such as backward balanced winds and strange timbres only add to the conjuries. When was the last time you've heard a guitar and mandolin in an orchestral setting? And yes, I got a kick out of the _Star Trek_ theme in the first movement. Fun stuff, this!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

With Muti on my mind, I'll have another try at his Philadelphia broadcast of Varèse's _Arcana_.

Was this _really_ premiered two years before the stock-market crash of '29?!


----------



## Lance

Currently listening to Gershwin's Piano Concertp played by Richter, quite and amazing performance and I love the fact that the playing deviates away from the jazzy playing style..


----------



## opus67

A horn concerto by Strauss. Not Richard's but his father Franz's.


----------



## Kezza

Currently listening to Shostakovich Cello Concerto
Cello - Han-Na Chang with LSO


----------



## World Violist

Finale to Mahler's second... big surprise. (Bernstein/NYPO)


----------



## Methodistgirl

Pac Chan Mayan music. I just love it along with the video on you tube.
judy tooley


----------



## Rmac58

DEVO Easy Listening Disc.


----------



## PostMinimalist

I have just bought the DSCH Pasacalia by Ronald Stevenson. It's a huge rolling work consisting of a single movements over an hour long! I got through the first half hour which is breath taking despite the odd sound quality (it is a re-issue of a 1964 10" vinyl disc). Once you get use to the 'flutter' and let yourself go into the music it is quite magical. It also got a super review in the BBC Classical Music Magazine last month.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

A short while ago- listened to *Rachmaninoff* Symphony #2, to see if it was a candidate for displacing Sibelius #2 from my "symphony cycle" list (it isn't). Then, I followed up with Rach's "Isle of the Dead" (because it was there).

Currently, I'm listening to *Walter Piston*'s Symphony #7, which might be the "American representative" on my (possibly upcoming) 'no-nations-repeated" symphony cycle list. (Although... I really wish I could find a way to make that list with Corigliano #1.)


----------



## SamGuss

Mahler Symphony No. 1 "Titan" conducted by Yoel Levi and performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Before this was Beethoven No. 9 - Bernstein and Mozart Symphony No. 35 - Szell. Earlier tonight it was YouTube with Yo-Yo Ma's Dvorak Cello Concerto and to start off my evening, Dvorak Symphony No. 9 & 8 - Karajan. I will probably finish my evening with Shubert Piano Sonata No. 21 and a couple other Schubert piano pieces performed by Arthur Rubinstein.


----------



## Rmac58

Beethoven's sonata in D major Op. 102 No. 2, Allegro con brio. Casba Onczay on cello, and Jeno Jando on piano. On the Naxos label.


----------



## Lance

Violin Concerto No. 8 by Charles Auguste de Beriot played by Takako Nishizaki with Alfred Walter conducting.

I love this piece and listen to it almost everyday lol


----------



## opus67

K.525
After a verry long time, I believe. Still sounds good. 
Hanover Band, Colin Lawson


----------



## Badinerie

Gershwin Piano Concerto in f on an old Philips LP. Pretty cool!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Janacek: Sonata for violin & piano, JW 7/7
Debussy: Sonata for violin & piano, L. 140
Ravel: Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 in G major
Nielsen: Sonata No. 2 for violin & piano in G minor, FS 64 (Op. 35)
-Christian Tetzlaff, violin; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet (or viola) & Piano No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120/1
Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet (or viola) & Piano No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 120/2
Schumann: Märchenbilder for viola (or violin) & piano, Op. 113 
-Lars Anders Tomter, viola; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
VIRGIN (2-CD)*
This is a very fine (and economical!) two-fer compendium of Romantic and early 20th century stylings featuring the sympathetic pairings of Tetzlaff & Andsnes on CD #1 and Tomter & Andsnes on CD #2. The breadth of expression, decidedly lyrical, is probably what impresses me the most here with dynamics ranging from an occasional _fortissimo_ to the quietest _pianissimo_ -- sublime! Ravel even gives us a little bit of blues. The titles were cut & paste from Amazon, but know that these are all with either violin or viola and piano. The recordings with violist Tomter are close enough to hear his breathing, but I didn't find it too obtrusive.


----------



## SamGuss

Opesipus Tex, by PDQ Bach. Prologue: "Tragedy" and it has me ROFLMAO.


----------



## opus67

"The French Beethoven" Georges Onslow
Symphony No.4
Hradec Kralove Philharmonic/Leger


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to Mahler's second symphony... but it's under A DIFFERENT CONDUCTOR (gasps). MTT and the SFSO. It's one of the truly great recordings of Mahler's second, I think. The relative slowness of the playing is balanced by a great amount of suspense and drama. Inspiring.


----------



## Badinerie

Haydn- The seventh symphony...well six through to eight on an old Naxos cd. Chilling me out nicely thank you.


----------



## Rmac58

Shostakovich piano quintet in G minor Op. 57. VERY relaxing.

Badinerie, the Naxos label is quite good. I have many of their cd's.


----------



## Methodistgirl

I am listening to Spirit journey Native american flute. It's so beautiful! 
judy tooley


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence
Dvorák: String Sextet in A major
Sarah Chang, Bernhard Hartog (violin); Wolfram Christ, Tanja Christ (viola); Georg Faust, Olaf Maninger (cello)
EMI*
My only previous experience with the string sextet form are hearing those of Brahms and they were certainly a delight. These are just as entertaining and satisfying with the Tchaikovsky perhaps being the more melodically captivating of the two works, but with the Dvorák every bit as substantive. I also suppose Chang is the "star" here, but this features some very fine ensemble playing including present and erstwhile members of the Berlin Philharmonic. Melodic, entrancing...beautiful!


----------



## World Violist

Zubin Mehta's recording of Mahler's second (I prefer MTT's; I've already listened to it before - but it has it's great moments).

EDIT: Mehta/VPO


----------



## Methodistgirl

Pac Chen Mayan music. I'm into that stuff right now.
judy tooley


----------



## SamGuss

Mahler Symphony No. 1. Oddly enough, perhaps because I was listening to Ravel's Borelo earlier today, there are times in the 4th movement that is very remenisant of Borelo. Anyway, enjoying it as always, with headphones on and volume turned up.


----------



## Rmac58

Gorecki: Symphony #3.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 1 "Classical Symphony"
Philadelphia Orchestra
Riccardo Muti, cond.
PHILIPS*
I just wanted to hear an alternative _No. 3_ to the one in the Gergiev/LSO/Philips set I have; I've read good things about this one.


----------



## SamGuss

Tschaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Suite conducted by Karajan.


----------



## opus67

BWV 988
Schiff (Decca)

Beautiful!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schumann: Symphony No. 4, Op. 120
Vienna Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (2-CD with comp. symphonies)*
Bernstein certainly does apply the hyper-Romantic "stop & go" to this work, but I hardly find it as disconcerting as many have asserted -- now that I'm familiar with the work. However, given a choice, I'd still prefer a more Classical, straightforward approach to this music and would probably recommend such to a novice listener.

*Brahms: String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18
Raphael Ensemble
HYPERION (inc. Sextet No. 2)*
The chamber string ensemble has become an inviting form for me lately, especially after hearing Tchaikovsky's _Souvenir of Florence_. A revisit of this one was certainly in order this morning. The _Sextet No. 1_ is early Brahms, very tuneful and mostly devoid of his mature convolutedness. I swear I could hear what sounded like bagpipes in the beautiful _Andante_, a delightful mimicry!

*Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61
Nigel Kennedy, violin
North German Radio Symphony Orchestra
Klaus Tennstedt, cond.
EMI*
This is recorded in live performance replete with opening and concluding applause -- a truly individual take on the perhaps overly familiar Beethoven Concerto -- distended and emotive in nearly all facets with Kennedy adding some interesting improvisations, especially in the _Finale_, and Tennstedt adding understated and sympathetic accompaniment. I loved hearing it this morning!


----------



## Badinerie

I bought the original LP of this from ebay....Its playing right now and it is fantastic!
Different cover though...


----------



## opus67

Moldyoldie said:


> However, given a choice, I'd still prefer a more Classical, straightforward approach to this music and would probably recommend such to a novice listener.


For a work by a man who is arguably the most Romantic of them all?


----------



## Moldyoldie

opus67 said:


> For a work by a man who is arguably the most Romantic of them all?


 I try to take that into account, but I'm afraid I'm among those who found the symphonies themselves to be more easily penetrated, assimilated and digested -- i.e., initially more "listenable" -- with lighter and fleeter performances such as from the likes of Kurt Masur and others. I've since "graduated" to more Romanticized and beefier performances and can certainly enjoy them just the same.


----------



## Badinerie

Its twenty three minutes past twelve at night and Im very drunk and listening to Eleanor Steber singing Berlioz's Nuits D'Ete. "Sur Les Lagunes" is on right now and It is incredibly intense in my living room right now.


----------



## SamGuss

Mahler 5. What can I say, I am really getting into his symphonies. Have 1, 2, 5 and 7. I am thinking this week will definately be adding another one to the collection.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Barber: School for Scandal Overture; Symphony No. 1
Beach: Symphony in E Minor "Gaelic"
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
I've heard the Barber works performed more convincingly elsewhere, but the _Gaelic Symphony_ of Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (d. 1944) is a real charmer with an exquisitely beautiful and affecting _Lento_ third movement; the symphony could've ended there and I'd have been content. The orchestra sounds somewhat underpowered, but the playing is elegant and the recording is vivid and spacious in the Chandos tradition.

*Schumann: Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish"
Vienna Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (2 CD)*
Bernstein's mannered rendition of the _Rhenish Symphony_ starts well enough, but is twisted and pulled all out of proportion as it trudgingly progresses. I can't say there's much at all in this performance that's ultimately affecting on first hearing. The _Spring Symphony_ from this set, which I heard yesterday, is very fine, however.


----------



## Rachovsky

Everyone listen to WQXR.com's Streaming Radio tonight at 9 to listen to:

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1; 
Grieg: Piano Concerto, Op 16 (with soloist Joyce Yang); 
Smetana: Ma Vlast: The Moldau; 
Rossini: William Tell Overture. Bramwell Tovey conducts.


----------



## marie

Bach: Aria Air on the G String by Boys Air Choir. Angelic and soothing.


----------



## SamGuss

Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad".

I literallyjust started listening to movent 3 and it is so beautiful that I need to back off my computer keyboard here and restart this amazing piece.


----------



## Badinerie

Vinyl...Paul Tortelier playing Bach suite no 3 for unaccompanied cello. very uplifting.


----------



## opus67

Cambini (discovered this composer about 5 minutes ago)
String Quartet in Gm, Book XVIII, No.2
Les Adieux Quartet


----------



## Badinerie

Sibelius 5th Symphony LSO Gibson. Still enjoying re-discovering my old record collection.


----------



## Badinerie

Nicola Benedetti now...The Tavener piecer are pretty wonderfull.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Currently marketed as...








*Schumann: Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish"; Symphony No. 4
London Classical Players
Roger Norrington, cond.
EMI*
I dug this one out from a corner cranny for perhaps a final hear-see. Norrington and his original instruments ensemble the London Classical Players were all the rage when this was originally released roughly twenty years ago. What they did for/to Beethoven was presumably also good for Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schubert, and Berlioz. The tempos here, however, are not that extreme, hewing fairly close to what's often heard in more Classically rendered performances of the Schumann symphonies. The orchestra plays elegantly with nary a purposely blatty horn perforating the proceedings (nor one's ear drums). Norrington doesn't manage to clarify the thick orchestration to an appreciable extent as certain passages do sound muddy, though this could be a result of a certain inexactness in ensemble. Otherwise, these are fairly enjoyable, though nondescript and unexpressive readings of works whose "period charms" are perhaps better exemplified elsewhere. I've yet to hear John Eliot Gardiner's period instrument renditions, nor Norrington's more recent modern instrument renditions from Stuttgart.


----------



## opus67

Moldyoldie said:


> I've yet to hear John Eliot Gardiner's period instrument renditions


The _Zwickau_ is playing right now on WCPE.


----------



## Pianoforte

Mozarts K576 1st movement. I'm learning it and listen to it constantly. I don't mind though I quite like it!


----------



## Moldyoldie

This VoxBox release contains very fine performances of Ravel's most popular orchestral works, including the longest, most beautifully languorous _*Bolero*_ one will ever hear (probably excepting Celibidache)! However, the _*Rhapsodie Espagnole*, *Alborada del Gracioso*, *Valses Nobles et Sentimentales*, *Menuet Antique*_, and _*Pavane for a Dead Princess*_ all display a similar sense of both idiom and elegance and are played with expansive fervor by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra. All are captured in very clean and warm analog sound.

This 2-CD set is bookended by what I consider to be bonus recordings of the _*Piano Concerto in G Major*_ and the _*String Quartet in F Major*_. Abbey Simon tackles the concerto's intricacies with charm and panache, accompanied sympathetically by the Orchestra of Radio Luxumbourg under Louis de Froment, if not with the nth degree of rapture. The _Quartet in F Major_ is played with technical assurance by the New Hungarian Quartet, but is recorded a bit too closely as one hears much obtrusive breathing during the performance.

It's unfortunate for the novice and the bargain hunter that these once very economical releases (originally in two 2-CD sets) are no longer available new in their original CD incarnations, but Skrowaczewski's Ravel performances have been re-released in a couple of pricey "original surround sound" recordings by Mobile Fidelity -- I can only imagine how they sound! In any case, though I've considered culling this set to make room for more modern recordings, I can never bring myself to do it...thank goodness!


----------



## R-F

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, Vladimir Horowitz. I'll never get tired of it.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

I've got on Bartòk's "Music for Strings, Precussion, and Celesta" (the classic Reiner/CSO recording) and am reading this rather interesting article on the first movement.


----------



## Rachovsky

I sent in a request to play the Ressurection symphony to the SIRIUS radio station "Symphony Hall" at 10 AM and they just received it at 6:00 PM....Now the parents are home and theres no chance of listening to it . 

So instead I listened to Symphony of a Thousand...


----------



## marie

I am listening to Midori's "Live At Carnegie Hall". 

Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 for Piano and Violin
R. Strauss: Sonata for Violin and Piano
Chopin: Nocturne
Ernst: Variations on The Last Rose of Summer
Debussy: Beau Soir
Ravel: Tzigane

I especially love Debussy: Beau Soir in this album.


----------



## SamGuss

Tonight's playlist included:

Kubelik conducting Dvorak Symphonies No. 7 & 9
Yoel Levi conducting Mahler Symphony No. 6 "Tragic"
Bernstein conducitng Sibelius Symphony No. 2
Shostakovich Sonata No. 2


----------



## fox_druid

After enough time spent for Baroque music, Bach's masses, Lully's operas, and so on, now I'm going for something older than that! I'm listening to Medieval and Renaissance music right now.

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) - Terpsichore
Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) - Messe de Notre Dame


----------



## Badinerie

Offenbach for a Saturday morning, Gaite Parisienne Solti/Royal Opera House Orch.
an Decca SXL. Marvelous!


----------



## Moldyoldie

SamGuss said:


> Bernstein [conducting] Sibelius Symphony No. 2


New York or Vienna, Sam? Just curious, because the Vienna performance is quite "something else".

Just listened to...








*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (Haas ed.)
Berlin Philharmonic
Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond.
TESTAMENT*
A recording from 1949 described as recorded live without an audience (Huh?). I can't say I'm necessarily "moved" by the performance here, but Furtwängler has the measure of this great work and makes it an interesting and invigorating listen with fine, mostly swift, and seemingly spontaneous music-making.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

I've herd better renditions of both concertos, but the Humoresques are great.










This is one of the best Naxos recordings, IMO.


----------



## opus67

Julius Rontgen
Piano Trio No.4
I don't know the ensemble's name. Sorry. 

A Romantic work from the first decade of the last century.


----------



## SamGuss

Moldyoldie said:


> New York or Vienna, Sam? Just curious, because the Vienna performance is quite "something else".


New York, his Bernstein Century edition recorded 1966.


----------



## fox_druid

Finished with renaissance music and late medieval music. Currently listening earlier medieval music.

Chants de l'Église de Rome - Byzantine chant from the 7th century.


----------



## Moldyoldie

SamGuss said:


> New York, his Bernstein Century edition recorded 1966.


Bernstein's New York Sibelius is very fine indeed. If you ever get the chance, listen to the Sibelius _Second_ from Bernstein/Vienna on DG. It's definitely a love-it-or-hate-it affair, one I would certainly not recommend to a novice (I found it "indigestible" on first listen), but it may strike your fancy as an alternative. By my reckoning, the very finest _Second_ is that of John Barbirolli with the Royal Philharmonic on the Chesky label.

Just listened to...















*Bruckner: Symphony No. 1
Staatskapelle Dresden
Eugen Jochum, cond.
BRILLIANT (Disc #1 of 10)*
The saying "they're all the same, but different" probably holds some validity concerning Bruckner's symphonies. However, if one loves the Brucknerian sound world and general musical architecture, one never tires of hearing its many wonderful and lengthy variations. It's no different with the _First_ as Jochum and the Dresdeners do it full justice.

*Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune; Images for orchestra; Printemps
Cleveland Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
One is immediately impressed with the recording quality here -- vivid, up close and intimate -- combined with precise ensemble playing which allows the various shimmering colors of Debussy's orchestral palette to be clearly delineated. Whether this is how one wants to hear this music is, of course, a personal matter. For these particular pieces, Boulez's "cool & clinical" approach works well enough to present a well-lit canvas, one which allows the active listener to venture unimpeded inside the music to revel in its inventiveness, but which might leave the passive listener emotionally unaffected. Having heard most of Boulez's Debussy, I've concluded that it probably has its place in a collection beside the likes of Martinon, Dutoit, and others; if for no other reason than for the pure sound of it all...and to hear all the notes.


----------



## SamGuss

Moldyoldie said:


> Bernstein's New York Sibelius is very fine indeed. If you ever get the chance, listen to the Sibelius _Second_ from Bernstein/Vienna on DG. It's definitely a love-it-or-hate-it affair, one I would certainly not recommend to a novice (I found it "indigestible" on first listen), but it may strike your fancy as an alternative. By my reckoning, the very finest _Second_ is that of John Barbirolli with the Royal Philharmonic on the Chesky label.


This is why I love these forums so much - you get nuggets like this that makes you want to go pick it up now. 

Thank you for the suggestions and I will definately be looking into these as future buys. Any recomendations on Sibelius 1st symphony?


----------



## Moldyoldie

SamGuss said:


> Any recomendations on Sibelius 1st symphony?


Though the _First_ is probably my least favorite of the seven, I've been partial to two recordings in particular, but for different reasons: 
*Vladimir Ashkenazy* conducting the *Philharmonia Orchestra* on the *Londen/Decca* label -- it imparts terrific Tchaikovskian flavor to this most Tchaikovskian of the Sibelius symphonies. The performance is committed, lively, and dynamic; and the recorded sound is fabulous - warm and vivid in the best London/Decca tradition. This is Sibelius made to sound firmly grounded in late 19th century Romanticism.

*Leonard Bernstein* with the *Vienna Philharmonic* on *Deutsche Grammophon* -- his series of "Indian Summer" recordings for DG included the beginnings of a second go-round with the Sibelius symphonies - the _First_, _Second_, _Fifth_, and _Seventh_. They're all marked by often exaggeratedly expansive tempos, offbeat rubatos and other overt indulgences, especially in the popular _Second_. As I suggested earlier, Bernstein/Vienna's _Second_ is a bloated, belching affair I found hard to digest on first listen. However, Lenny makes a beautiful case for the _First_; though it's the most Tchaikovskian of the lot in most performances, here it's given a unique treatment which makes it sound distinctly Sibelian. It's an unqualified success, in my opinion - much more successful than his earlier New York rendition, though that, too, has its fans.

Another _First_ I've always liked, but is probably no longer available, is that of *Sir Malcolm Sargent* conducting the *BBC Symphony Orchestra* on *EMI* - I found it in a bargain bin and thought the performance most fetching, if not particularly distinctive nor idiomatic.

I've yet to hear noted Sibelians Herbert von Karajan, Colin Davis, and Lorin Maazel nor any of the Finnish orchestras/conductors in the _First_.

Here's a well-considered survey you may find helpful and enjoy reading. There's also fellow poster Kurkikotaus's fine message board devoted to Sibelius.


----------



## World Violist

Back to Mahler's second - Bernstein/NYPO. I think I'll always come back to this set... I'm so hopeless.


----------



## SamGuss

Moldyoldie said:


> Though the _First_ is probably my least favorite of the seven,
> 
> Here's a well-considered survey you may find helpful and enjoy reading. There's also fellow poster Kurkikotaus's fine message board devoted to Sibelius.


I read recently that Sibelius would only publish a symphony if it was better than his previous, thus his 8th after working on it for over a decade was never finished and along with other scores he felt was inferior burned them with his wife shortly before his death. So it has me wondering along with your statement there is if each consequtive symphony does get better and better.

Thanks for reviews and the links - I just recently (like last night) discovered surveys (for Mahler and Shosakovich) so these links are greatly appreciated!


----------



## SamGuss

World Violist said:


> Back to Mahler's second - Bernstein/NYPO. I think I'll always come back to this set... I'm so hopeless.


I'm listening to Bernstein's version of Mahler's 5th right now. Excellent stuff. I was catalouging my CD's better earlier tonight and am the proud owner of Mahlers, 1st, 2nd, 4th, two 5th's, 6th, 7th, and 10th. So just need his 3rd, 8th and 9th to have a complete set of his symphonies (well the numbered ones anyway, I think he has one other named or un-named one if I am not mistaken?)


----------



## World Violist

Yes; that would be Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). Fritz Reiner's recording (on the "Live Stereo" SACD Label) is very, very good, but again, that's the only one I've heard yet.

The ninth symphony is a very hard one to "recommend" any conductor for, but I have Bernstein's and that works quite well for me.

I'm getting back into the "Sibelian idiom" and as such am listening to Sibelius' third symphony; Colin Davis/BSO (always a favorite), then maybe the sixth Bernstein/NYPO (my third favorite of Sibelius' symphonies).

The seventh symphony is undoubtedly one of my favorite symphonies of all time... and then there's Tapiola, Vanska/Lahti Symphony. Great stuff.


----------



## opus67

Brahms Symphony No.2, the one out of the four I'm least familiar with. 
Fritz Busch conducting the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra

I'm not an audiophile, but this one sound doesn't as bad as I had feared. Especially after sampling the 1st movement of the Mendelssohn 4th from the same set.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin
Riccardo Chailly, cond.
London*
This was my third or fourth exposure to a Bruckner symphony back when this was originally released in the mid-'80s to much critical acclaim. It's certainly more expansive than Klemperer/Philharmonia's _Seventh_ on EMI, my earlier introduction to the work, and has a wonderful sense of balance in both structure and execution. Tempos aren't allowed to veer to seeming extremes from a generally deliberate and wholly satisfying median. Harmonies and counterpoints are melded well to make for a lucid, firmly organic musical journey that neither sags nor shockingly stampedes. The second movement Adagio, in my opinion the heart of this work, is sublimely rendered. The third movement Scherzo swells and ebbs with firm intensity; dynamic climaxes convey appropriate drama and sonic heft. The digital recording is bright, vivid, spacious, and not at all glary. Was I "moved" by this performance? Yes, I was.


----------



## SamGuss

World Violist said:


> Yes; that would be Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). Fritz Reiner's recording (on the "Live Stereo" SACD Label) is very, very good, but again, that's the only one I've heard yet.
> 
> The ninth symphony is a very hard one to "recommend" any conductor for, but I have Bernstein's and that works quite well for me.
> 
> I'm getting back into the "Sibelian idiom" and as such am listening to Sibelius' third symphony; Colin Davis/BSO (always a favorite), then maybe the sixth Bernstein/NYPO (my third favorite of Sibelius' symphonies).
> 
> The seventh symphony is undoubtedly one of my favorite symphonies of all time... and then there's Tapiola, Vanska/Lahti Symphony. Great stuff.


A few sources are recommending Rattle's 9 as a good CD and as one of if not the best.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

@ W.V. and Sam:
I've always recommended (and will again!) Walter's Mahler 9; Walter was, in fact, the conductor that Mahler gave his score to before the eminent composer's death; while the sound is, obviously, less than ideal, it is a fantastic reading.


----------



## World Violist

BuddhaBandit said:


> @ W.V. and Sam:
> I've always recommended (and will again!) Walter's Mahler 9; Walter was, in fact, the conductor that Mahler gave his score to before the eminent composer's death; while the sound is, obviously, less than ideal, it is a fantastic reading.


That I've heard as well, and I know quite well that it was to Bruno Walter that Mahler personally gave the scores to not only the Ninth but also Das Lied. That being said, I will probably eventually buy the Mahler recordings Walter made.

Back on track, I am now about to listen to my newly completed collection of all six Tchaikovsky symphonies!


----------



## Bach

Barenboim's Parsifal Act 2


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Not long ago, I had a dream that I was in a competition, performing *Schumann's Piano Concerto.*

_I've long had a hypothesis that the more absurd one's dream is, the deeper the sleep one is getting- and in my case, this dream was TRULY absurd, as 1) I have no keyboard talent, and 2) if I did, I can think about a dozen or more works I would choose ahead of the Schumann. _

Still, I have enough respect for the piece to have it in my collection, and I think I'll take the hint to refamiliarize myself with it- so _that's_ what I'm listening to this morning.


----------



## Rachovsky

Oh Chi...Thats pathetic, lmao. I actually have always believed that the more absurd the dream, the more prone to waking up you are, but I won't argue. 

I'm listening to Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Well, Chi, maybe your _soul_ (which, as Plato would say, existed long before your current body) is talented at piano and has a particularly affinity for Schumann. By the way, which recording is it?

Rachovsky, funny that you're listening to Copland's third... as right now I'm listening to *Charles Ives' Third Symphony*.


----------



## Rachovsky

Well Buddha, I've never heard Ives' Symphpny No. 3, but I'm sure I would enjoy it, seeing as it's only about 20 minutes long.

I've moved on to Piano Concerto in G by Ravel.


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to some Czech music. Otmar Macha's Night and Hope. Very atmospheric stuff.


----------



## World Violist

I'm probably going to listen to Mahler's Eighth (or Liszt's or Berlioz's Faust-related music) eventually chiefly because, believe it or not, I'm reading Faust.

Now, though, I'm back to my haunt: Mahler's second, Bernstein/NYPO...


----------



## R-F

Chopin's etudes. WHY havn't I heard these before?!


----------



## World Violist

A bunch of Boccherini chamber pieces (string ensemble + guitar). Some pretty nice pieces in there.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

BuddhaBandit said:


> Well, Chi, maybe your _soul_ (which, as Plato would say, existed long before your current body) is talented at piano and has a particularly affinity for Schumann. By the way, which recording is it?


It was Géza Anda/Berlin Phil./Kubelik... and I'm glad I met its re-aquaintance.

For now though, it's time for me to turn my attention back to the swag I picked up in the final weekend of the B&N sale. Today, I'll start with the HvK *Liszt Orchestral Works*.

As an aside, the disc reminds me that, although the percetion is that Liszt had an avuncular relationship with Wagner in a figurative way before it became quite literal, Liszt was only TWO YEARS OLDER than Wagner.


----------



## World Violist

Ashkenazy's Sibelius 2 (after which comes Finlandia and the Karelia Suite). I'm not particularly thrilled with it, but there are some great moments in these discs. I think I'd like the second part better (with Symphonies 3, 5, 6, 7, Tapiola, and The Oceanides).


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

World Violist said:


> Ashkenazy's Sibelius 2 ... I'm not particularly thrilled with it...


Neither was I. Fortunately, it gets better after that. Also luckily, I have the Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra Sibelius 2 to see me through.

And (speaking of Ashkenazy), I think it's time to sample the *Beethoven Piano Sonatas* "double-Decca."


----------



## World Violist

I'm debating right now which symphony I should listen to now... I'm leaning toward Mahler's seventh or ninth, mainly because I've avoided them for too long now... one's too weak overall, the other is too imposing for me to listen to.



Chi_town/Philly said:


> Neither was I. Fortunately, it gets better after that. Also luckily, I have the Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra Sibelius 2 to see me through.


Yes, it does. That Finlandia is definitely one of the best I've ever heard (and that's being compared with Ormandy's, Vanska's (the other best), Rozhdestvensky, Berglund, and several others).


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Chi_town/Philly said:


> It was Géza Anda/Berlin Phil./Kubelik... and I'm glad I met its re-aquaintance.


I haven't heard Kubelik's. I've got both Kovacevich/Davis/BBC S.O. and Pollini/Abbado/Berlin. The Kovacevich recording is the best I'vet heard (fun fact: Kovacevich was married to Martha Argerich for a time).

Right now though, I've got on a decent recording of Janacek's first string quartet by the Endress Quartet.


----------



## confuoco

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 - Leningrad PO with Mravinsky (1968)


----------



## marie

Boys Air Choir: Blue Bird

The main treble, Edward Burrowes has a voice of angel. Very transparent. I think that he is more delicate and sensitive than his older brother, Conner, who was known as a genious. I love them both

I also like the songs. They are very dreamy and fantastic.

1. Blue Bird 
2. Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child 
3. Magnificat In G 
4. Nunc Dimittis 
5. O For The Wings Of A Dove 
6. Hymn-O For A Closer Walk 
7. Miserere 
8. Beati Quorum Via 
9. Diaphenia 
10. Sleepsong

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bird-Boys-Air-Choir/dp/B00005622J


----------



## World Violist

Oh, heck with it. Whole Mahler cycle in one day! It'll be a stretch, but I started at about 8AM. So, counting Das Lied, I should be finished a bit before 9PM... that's a lot... here's what I'll be listening to:


















This'll be interesting.


----------



## opus67

It has been a wonderful evening so far! A series of (recorded) live concerts from the RCO. I think it's from 2003.

Currently playing: "Bach's" Cantata No.150
Amsterdam Baroque Orch. and Choir, Koopman

Prior to this,

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1

Encore: Some work by Chopin

Beethoven Symphony No.4 Movt. 4

Brahms Symphony No.4

Yenfim Bronfman/RCO/Blomsted


----------



## opus67

Siegfried Idyll
VPO, HvK

It's Siegfried's (Wagner's son) birthday today.


----------



## Badinerie

A heavenly Kathleen Ferrier CD hasjust finished, now Im putting a compilation CD of Russian music on.


----------



## fox_druid

I fell in love with 7th century byzantine chant. It's so calming.... 

After some hours for easter offertorium, finally I switched to Tschaikovsky's nutcracker  

quite contrast, isn't it?


----------



## BuddhaBandit

opus67 said:


> Some work by Chopin


Why, that's one of my favorite Chopin pieces! 

Right now I've got on a great recording of the Shostakovich 3rd by Rozhdestvensky.


----------



## World Violist

I'm all the way to the finale of the 5th symphony! This doesn't seem to be taking very long...


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Ravel: Ma Mère l'Oye (complete); Une Barque sur l'océan; Alborada del Gracioso; Rapsodie espagnole; Boléro
Berlin Philharmonic
Pierre Boulez, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Again, scrupulously performed and beautifully recorded -- all i's dotted and t's crossed as one has never heard before. Ravel's copyist would be proud.

*Sibelius: Pohjola's Daughter; Symphony No. 4; Finlandia
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
The Polytech Male Choir (on Finlandia)
Leif Segerstam, cond.
ONDINE*
An interesting program opening with an expansive and heartfelt _Pohjola's Daughter_ that actually manages to elicit a slight grin as it progresses from its morose beginnings. The incredibly austere _Symphony No. 4_ is performed as soberly as I've ever heard it; its slightest hint of "gladness" manifested in the third movement is never allowed to exceed the bounds of a concept formed of severe propriety. This being no exception, I continue to find each performance of this symphony interesting in its own way. The _Finlandia_ here includes a portion with male choir -- first I've heard it. Otherwise, I find it dutifully but comparatively dully performed.

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Vienna Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (3-CD boxset)*
I'm really beginning to love this performance of the popular _Fifth Symphony_. Yes, Bernstein does invoke some of his "Indian summer" mannerisms, but here it works to very fine effect!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schumann: Symphony No. 4 (1851 rev.)
Vienna Philharmonic
Riccardo Muti, cond.
PHILIPS (complete symphonies)*
I'm going to go out on a limb and state that this performance of the Schumann _Fourth_ sounds more completely "right" than any of the several I've heard thus far. No, I haven't heard the famous Furtwängler nor the Karajan, and no, it isn't perfect in my mind's ear, but I'll be darned if Muti doesn't hit the "big moments" just as they're meant to be heard and still make the symphony cohere beautifully as a unified whole, bringing it all home in very fine fashion. Certain tempos could be a bit more lively, in my opinion, but the tempo change-ups and transitions between sections work marvelously in what I would describe as this semi-Romanticized, big-boned performance.

*Tubin: Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
BIS (inc. two other works)*
I discovered the music of Estonian composer Eduard Tubin when this series of recordings from fellow countryman Neeme Järvi on the BIS label was first released sometime in the early '90s. For the most part, Tubin is very accessible and quite tuneful with an idiom seemingly borne of twentieth century romanticism a la Copland and Barber, but which borrows heavily from Estonian folk melodies and rhythms. The _Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs_, written when the composer was 35, is a delightful example of his working of a simple theme with colorful harmonies and features pensive soloing from violin and horn.


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

*Ernest Chausson *
Konzert für Violine, Klavier und Streichquartett D-Dur, op. 21

Interpreters are the Mandelring Quartett, Baiba Skride and Lauma Skride.
From a concert at the Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart.


----------



## Lisztfreak

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> *Ernest Chausson *
> Konzert für Violine, Klavier und Streichquartett D-Dur, op. 21


Whoa! Just posted about this piece in the 'Today I discovered...' thread! It's awesome! Congratulations on an excellent choice.

I'm at Poulenc right now - the Two Piano Concerto. Silly and witty.


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Lisztfreak said:


> Whoa! Just posted about this piece in the 'Today I discovered...' thread! It's awesome! Congratulations on an excellent choice.


I liked the Mandelring quartet version very much. But I can't compare it with my other recordings yet (the other being Pasquier/Pennetier and Heifetz/Sanroma).


----------



## SamGuss

Mahler #2, conducted by Bernstein.


----------



## Rachovsky

Where has Mr. Sam been? I say again, listen to Georg Solti's. It's better. 

I'm listening to my newly bought *Carmina Burana* by Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle.


----------



## Lisztfreak

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> (the other being Pasquier/Pennetier and Heifetz/Sanroma).


I've got the Pasquier/Pennetier recording. Harmonia Mundi, isn't it? It's the only one I've ever seen here where I live - one single copy, perched high on the highest shelf in the shop... I grabbed it the moment I saw it!

On topic: I'm currently back at Liszt. 'Tasso: Lamento e trionfo'. 
Next I'm going for Roussel. Getting to know his symphonies lately.


----------



## World Violist

I'm about to listen to Mahler's ninth. It very quickly became one of my favorites; the finale almost had me in tears. Great, great music.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Penderecki: Symphony
London Symphony Orchestra
Krzysztof Penderecki, cond.
EMI (in 2-CD collection of several works)*
Premiered in 1973, Krzysztof Penderecki's _Symphony_ is a most harrowing half-hour journey in two movements, prominently (and disturbingly) featuring an "orchestral whip" and an amazingly varied compendium of orchestral sonorities and textures. This is the very antithesis of "beautiful music", but it certainly evokes a drama borne of 20th century suffering and upheaval. Powerful and moving!

*Tubin: Concertino for Piano and Orchestra
Roland Pöntinen, piano
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
BIS (inc. two other works)*
Eduard Tubin's _Concertino for Piano and Orchestra_ dates from the final years of WWII when the composer was expatriated in Sweden from his native Estonia. It further displays an aesthetic of 20th century romanticism; certainly exemplary, dutifully performed and pleasant enough -- and this morning serving as something of an "emotional salve" following the Penderecki work.


----------



## SamGuss

Rachovsky said:


> Where has Mr. Sam been? I say again, listen to Georg Solti's. It's better.
> 
> I'm listening to my newly bought *Carmina Burana* by Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle.


Very, very busy lately. I got a promotion at work, which means for very little extra pay I have twice as much to do now. Been also doing some extra photography work - did a wedding shoot here about a week ago. I've also been addicted to my latest game - Eve Online. Then there are the hunny to-do lists, the catching up with BSG, dogs, etc. I'm still around  just haven't had time to post as much as I usually do. I'm sure that will change once I get used to the new schedule.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

SamGuss said:


> I got a promotion at work, which means for very little extra pay I have twice as much to do now.


Good to see you back, *Sam*!

Whenever an energetic poster is absent for about a week, particularly in warm-weather times, my first thought is "vacation." No such luck, I see.

Also, I guess your energies have been recompensed on the "Dilbert" model: your reward for your hard work is more opportunities to work hard. I feel for ya. I hope the lucre will eventually provide some sort of solace.

Today, I broke out the Naxos *Mozart Overtures*. You know, I've always had more esteem for Beethoven than for Mozart... yet I'd rather listen to a half-dozen Mozart overtures than a half-dozen Beethoven overtures.


----------



## Badinerie

Mendellsohn's Violin concerto in E. Yehudi Menuhin. Really sweet!


----------



## PostMinimalist

I bought the Vernon Hanley version of Ralph Vaughan Williams' First Symphony, A Sea Symphony. I have just put it in the CD player and I am listening to it for the first time right now. I bought it for a radio program which I am writing. The subject is turn of the century Atlantic crossings from Dvorak and Mahler to the Titanic and the awe the Ocean held for the general public. The combination of Whitman's poetry and RVW is an interesting approach to buiding an 'Atlantic Bridge'. I'm going to sit back and enjoy now so excuse me please!
F


----------



## SamGuss

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Good to see you back, *Sam*!
> 
> Whenever an energetic poster is absent for about a week, particularly in warm-weather times, my first thought is "vacation." No such luck, I see.


Naw, that will be in mid-August when I go to GenCon. Until then your stuck with me. I'm already getting adjusted to the new schedule that I am finding some time again to make a post or two a night again - least for the past couple nights. Hopefully this will continue.

On the matter of this thread's topic, I am listening to Dvorak Symphony No. 7 (I know a shocker it's not the 9th lol) conducted by Kubelik.

Interesting enough I heard on the radio the other day a new Dvorak piece I hadn't heard before (which I am sure there are probably plenty) called "A Hero's Tale" or something laong those lines. Very engaging and was put on my hit list.

Back to the 7th, it is a great piece and has moved up the charts and currently still behind the 9th but never-the-less an awesome piece. I have a funny feeling that between this and a new fondess for Shostakovich, my top 10 symponies may be changing again soon.

Another piece I've been listenign to lately that I have gotten itno (suprisingly but then I am learning to stop being so suprised) is some Choral music of Palestrina sung by Chanticleer. Amazing stuff and has been added to a very short list of Choral and Requiem music that I enjoy.


----------



## opus67

Chi_town/Philly said:


> You know, I've always had more esteem for Beethoven than for Mozart... yet I'd rather listen to a half-dozen Mozart overtures than a half-dozen Beethoven overtures.


Well said, sir.

But then, Ludwig's singular operatic output pales in comparison to those by Wolfgangerl.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Just finished with Albert Roussel's Symphony No.3. It's a neoclassical work, a lot of captivating rhythm, fine orchestration and a lack of melodies.  Of big tunes, to be more precise. But alright, it is a good work even so. It's interesting to know that the symphony was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930. Of all the works performed at the occasion, it got highest praises. And one of the pieces performed was Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms!

Currently I'm at Schoenberg's Violin Concerto. Not for everyone. But I can find a deeper beauty in it. I guess.


----------



## opus67

Schubert's string quartet No.13 - a beautiful work, as usual, performed by Quartetto Italiano.


----------



## World Violist

I'm just at the end of Sibelius' second symphony, about to start the third.


----------



## Badinerie

Back in the house now...I have flipped the Menuhin LP over and its Bruch's Violin Concerto...one of my favourites!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

I intended to take the Ars Nova Duo of *Zinman/Zurich* Beethoven overtures you know, to see if I still preferred the Mozart selections... but instead I wound up grabbing the VERY SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE *Zinman/Zurich* _Schumann Symphonies_!

It seems like my subconscious will keep Schumann at the forefront of my listening.


----------



## opus67

The last movement of Brahms' 4th...I hope to understand what the big fuss is about this particular movement one day.

Royal Phil./Previn


----------



## World Violist

I'm starting Sibelius' fifth symphony just now... I was never very fond of it, though.


----------



## Lisztfreak

World Violist said:


> I'm starting Sibelius' fifth symphony just now... I was never very fond of it, though.


Judging by your previous posts, a _tour-de-Sibelius_, eh? 

Why? What's wrong with the 5th? I always thought it quite likeable.


----------



## World Violist

Lisztfreak said:


> Judging by your previous posts, a _tour-de-Sibelius_, eh?


Yep, I'm just beginning No. 6  .



Lisztfreak said:


> Why? What's wrong with the 5th? I always thought it quite likeable.


I don't know, I just never liked it as much as the 3rd, 6th, and 7th. I don't know really why. I'll just have to listen to it more, I guess.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Hm. Pay particular attention to the third movement. I consider it an instrumental Requiem - in fact, the In paradisum section. I always think of the beginning of Afterlife while listening to it... although in fact I'm not religious. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.
If you still won't like it then - well, to each his own! Numbers 3, 6 and 7 are just as awesome.


----------



## marie

I am listening to _Boys on Bach_ by Boys Air Choir. The sololist is Andrew Johnson. He has a high-pitched treble. His voice is crystal-clear and solid like diamond. The album cover is very simple, stylish, and beautiful. You can see a lovely picture of his. He looks angelic Another boy behind him is the conductor and group leader, Connor Burrowes, who was also a very famous treble; I think that he was still in his late teens at that time though:

Boys on Bach - 2000

I find this album very calming and uplifting. My favorites include "Ave Maria," "Wohl mir dass ich Jesum habe," "Air on the G-string," and "Vergnugte ruh beliebte Seelenlust."

Track Listing

1 Ave Maria 
2 Synphonia No 11 
3 Schafe konnen sichewr weiden 
4 Air on the G string 
5 Komm in mein Herzenshaus 
6 Wohl mir dass ich Jesum habe 
7 Herzliebster Jesu 
8 Ich will hier bei dir stehen 
9 Er kommt er kommt er ist vorhanden 
10 Angenehmes Mordgeschrei 
11 Suscepit Israel 
12 Symphonia No 5 
13 Vergnugte ruh beliebte Seelenlust


----------



## SamGuss

Sibelius Tone Poems & Incidental Music. Conducted by Yoel Levi and performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It includes the Karelia Suite, En Saga, Pohjola's Daughter, The Swan of Tuonela, and Finlandia. Good stuff!

Earlier tonight it was Mahler Symphony #2 "Ressurection" (yes, again!) Earlier today it was the usual suspects Dvorak Symphony No. 7 & 9 by Kubelik and Shostakovich No. 7 "Leningrad".


----------



## opus67

English Suite No.4
Leonhardt on the harpsichord


----------



## Badinerie

In a Dvorak mood...Symphony no 8 I think. Now...should I go for LP, Cassette, CD, or Mini Disc ? ~Sigh~ choices!


----------



## confuoco

Giya *Kanceli*: Symphony No. 5 (broadcast)

I'm going to listen to interesting broadcast program: Kanceli, Gerschwin: Piano Concerto, Stravinskij: The Rite of Spring, Webern: Variations for piano, Britten: Serenade, Op. 31


----------



## World Violist

A German drinking song placed right in the middle of fragments of Beethoven's Third Symphony (actually it's a DVD of Michael Tilson Thomas' Keeping Score program from PBS, but I thought I'd put the drinking song first 'cause that's what I was hearing while I opened this thread  )


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Forgive the off-topic digression- but I couldn't let this quote pass unremarked:


SamGuss said:


> Naw, that will be in mid-August when I go to GenCon.


It's been a while since I've been to Gen-Con, but I can date my attendance at Gen-Con back to the days of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus, when a poor student with a sleeping bag could stay at a campground for about a 'fin' a night!

My most recent listening project has been a repeat comparison of the early 60s Berlin-Karajan _Beethoven 7_ to the Vienna-C. Kleiber _Beethoven 7_. AND, (as they sometimes say on "Pinks,") it's "too- close- to- call!"


----------



## Methodistgirl

Pac Chen Mayan music
judy tooley


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Message in blood - Pantera


----------



## SamGuss

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Forgive the off-topic digression- but I couldn't let this quote pass unremarked:It's been a while since I've been to Gen-Con, but I can date my attendance at Gen-Con back to the days of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus, when a poor student with a sleeping bag could stay at a campground for about a 'fin' a night!


Ut oh, it's out - we're both geeks 

Sam


----------



## Lisztfreak

Vaughan Williams - Concerto grosso for String Orchestra. Quite admirable!


----------



## World Violist

The last movement of Mahler's Ninth. To me the most utterly moving piece of music Mahler ever wrote, and that's saying something!


----------



## World Violist

Now listening to Shulman's Theme and Variations for viola and orchestra. I'm going to be playing this for a concerto competition; BEAUTIFUL music in this piece, especially the theme and the epilogue!


----------



## SamGuss

Beethoven 4th, conducted by Bohm.


----------



## World Violist

SamGuss said:


> Beethoven 4th, conducted by Bohm.


Hey! I'm listening to his 3rd! Conducted by Toscanini. Wait a little and I'll be in the 4th; I'm at the finale.


----------



## SamGuss

World Violist said:


> Hey! I'm listening to his 3rd! Conducted by Toscanini. Wait a little and I'll be in the 4th; I'm at the finale.


Yeah was in a Beethoven mood today lol.

Right now I am listening to John Williams Star Wars soundtrack - episode IV, disc one (soon disc two) as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. I am "almost" out of the habit of the thinking the lines and scenes from the movie and just enjoying the music itself.

I think later I am going to put on some Cello music with Du Pre or Casals.


----------



## Lisztfreak

I'm just listening to an interesting version of Enescu's First Romanian Rhapsody. It's for piano and harmonica (and shortened - the track is about 5 mins long). Pretty cool!


----------



## Badinerie

Still on with Dvorak 8th. Nikolaus Harncourt with The Royan Concertgebouw rather than Lorin Maazel's Berlin Phil. Nice 24 bit live recording.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5
Berlin Philharmonic
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
EMI*
Probably Sibelius' least "accessible" symphony to the novice listener, his Fourth, and one of his most popular, the Fifth, are paired here with thoroughly winning and effective performances all around! Karajan and the Berliners effect the desolate opening of the Fourth with the most unjarring sonority to be heard in this work -- the double-basses emanating from silence with gentle moroseness, not with brazen foreboding a la Maazel and most others. From there, we are led across the mostly dark musical landscape with a very effective miscellany of textures and dynamics, some well-timed and uniquely executed dissonances, and a feeling that the struggle to effect a mostly impalpable but substantive expression is being brought to bear by dedicated champions. I suppose one could quibble about the seeming terseness of the ending, but when one has just experienced such an overwhelmingly committed performance, it is just that, a quibble. Overall, this is certainly one of the most convincing performances of the Fourth I've yet heard!

The Fifth is presented with a refreshing objectivity and inevitabilty; Karajan and company build to the powerful crescendo between first and second movements with an assurance hardly exceeded in my experience; phrases emanate expertly from one to the next; the entire symphony is brought home in a technical and expressive fashion that should be the envy of even the native Finnish performances that I've heard on record. Whether in matters of phrasing, tempo, or dynamics; nothing sounds extreme or forced, only natural. (The pianissimo string tremolo is chillingly portrayed!) I could never understand the necessity of the protracted spacing of the final chords heard in most performances; I suppose it's so marked in the score and carries some arcane significance, but Karajan effects them, as he does most everything throughout the entire symphony, as a statement arising inevitably from what was heard immediately preceding. To me, it sounds musically perfect!

The recording from the mid-'70s is clear and vivid with nary a hint of harshness, with the possible exception of certain powerful tutti fortissimos. However, I found nothing so objectionable as to preclude my unequivocal recommendation for this bargain priced re-release. Just realize that this is Sibelius with plenty of meat on its bones.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Just put on the 'Gladiator' soundtrack by Zimmer and Gerrard. I highly recommend it to all who haven't heard it yet. And you don't have to know the film in order to enjoy. I must admit I have never seen it whole. A smaller bit here, a larger bit there, but never complete.


----------



## opus67

Saint-Saens
Symphony No.1
French National Radio and TV Orchestra/Martinon


----------



## Methodistgirl

pac chen mayan music
judy tooley


----------



## SamGuss

Beethoven 3rd, conducted by Erich Kleiber.


----------



## R-F

Debussy: Preludes, Book 1 L 117- Les Sons Et Ees Parfums Tournent Dans L'Air Du Soir
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

Damn, by the time I finished typing all that it moved onto the next Debussy track! Nice stuff.


----------



## SamGuss

Pachelbel: Canon in D.

The first couple of times I heard this piece, I wasn't really sure about it. It sounded nice, but also too fluffy for my tastes. Tonight though, it's simply beautiful and incredibly relaxing.


----------



## opus67

Beethoven 3
VPO/Kaaa...rl B...o...h...m


----------



## Badinerie

Well I was listening to Ricardo Muti's Schuman Symphony no 4 But I am now listening to a 1976 Tony Rice Record ...Y'Har!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 6
Berlin Philharmonic
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
EMI*
The big sound of the Berlin Philharmonic lends itself well to the often cited "Tchaikovskian" qualities of the Sibelius _First Symphony_. Karajan elicits all the appropriate Romantic flourishes and the orchestra's lush strings only add to the aura. The interpretation sounds very similar to that of one of my two favorites in this work, Ashkenazy/Philharmonia/Decca (Bernstein/VPO/DG is the other), though I think Ashkenazy benefits from a slightly more vivid and detailed recording. However, if you like to hear the prominent tympani loud, proud, and almost in your face, this Karajan recording is for you! Personally, I found the tympani a bit overwhelming on first listen through my stock computer speakers (I should know better!), but later hearing it through headphones brings about a more comfortable orchestral balance and realistic soundstage. An unfortunate technical glitch pops up at around 3:40 of the fourth movement: During a high-pitched massed violin fortissimo, there was an unmistakable digital artifact sounding much like a slow ripping of duct tape -- quite disconcerting!

The _Sixth Symphony_ is a personal favorite; I could probably listen to any competent performance and enjoy it. This is certainly no exception as Karajan and company have the measure of this work and bring it home in a very satisfying fashion. Here, however, is where the big sound of the Berliners probably works somewhat against it. In my opinion, the best performances of the _Sixth_ evoke an intimate portrayal of nature's unfolding wonders and one's personal kinship to it in the face of life's ephemerality. To the slightest detriment of this end, the rich Berlin strings, beautiful as they sound, are so salient here as to often sublimate the gentle woodwinds, which ideally should often be heard dancing over the strings instead of seemingly vying with them -- it's merely a consideration of orchestral balance. This is especially in evidence during the tick-tock rhythm of the strings in the delightful _poco vivace_ third movement. I realize the foregoing is a very personal and nitpicky consideration, but Colin Davis does comes closer to my ideal in the _Sixth_ and Osmo Vänskä virtually nails it!


----------



## Badinerie

Ahem...back to the classical today and its Poulenc's Organ concerto, with a smattering of William Walton's violin concerto.


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Stefan Askenase is about to conclude the first movement of Chopin's first piano concerto. Out-of-this-world pianism.


----------



## Badinerie

R Strauss-Ein Heldenleben Old Decca record VPO Solti very cool!


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Moldyoldie said:


> *Sibelius: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 6
> Berlin Philharmonic
> Herbert von Karajan, cond.
> EMI*


This is one of my favorite Sibelius recordings. I find that Karajan does a superior job with the symphonies, especially the early, super-romantic ones. I've always especially liked the Sixth because it is, for me, the Sibelius work which is most evocative of the Scandinavian landscape.

So, what am I currently listening to right now? Randy Newman's 12 Songs... but before that was De Larrocha's recording of Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain.


----------



## Badinerie

Wife and daughter gon to see Boyzone Im having a Shostakovitch session .Symphony no 12 first (CFP 141) Love that Kingsway Hall sound


----------



## opus67

Badinerie said:


> gon to see *Boyzone*


What...they still around? 

Enjoy your Shos.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Arrived yesterday:










Currently listening to- Böhm's *Tristan und Isolde*. No libretto... feh_!_ I have the study score!
Böhm's tempi are not much of a concern when one considers that the pro-rata cost for the opera is c. $6.00.
Is this _really_ a live and not a studio recording? Talk about a "Bayreuth hush!"

Oh, and this is the first image I've ever worked into a post-- because once again, a _Bottisatva_ showed me the way.


----------



## opus67

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Currently listening to- Böhm's *Tristan und Isolde*. No libretto... feh_!_ I have the study score!
> Böhm's tempi are not much of a concern when one considers that the pro-rata cost for the opera is c. $6.00.
> Is this _really_ a live and not a studio recording? Talk about a "Bayreuth hush!"


I was a bit surprised that you had purchased this box so late. (I've been seeing a lot of people buy this at another place.) I checked Amazon and it's a 2008 release. 



> a _Bottisatva_ showed me the way.


No relation to Botticelli, I assume?


----------



## Badinerie

Martha Argerich Playing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G. I managed to replace my 67 Lp with a cd version. Its one of my favourite recordings of all time!


----------



## Badinerie

Beethoven Symphony no 2. What a little cracker! 
Kurt Sanderling Philharmonia Orch. (1981 EMI digital ASD4151)


----------



## opus67

Saint-Saens
Danse Macabre (arr. Godin)

Sandra Murray, Claire Ouellet, Olivier Godin, Lorraine Prieur, Francis Perron and Mariane Patenaude

All of them playing a piano each!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 6
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
SONY (fr. complete symphonies)*
Well, I've just completed my third hearing of Bernstein/NYPO's Sibelius _Sixth_ in the past four days. (Please forgive all the ordinals!) I must admit that on first hearing, the interpretation didn't sound "right" to me. I was taken aback by the very brisk acceleration in the first movement following a beautifully wrought pensive opening, thus leading to a decelerated second and third movement which sounded less sprightly, quicksilver, and outright enchanting than I was used to hearing. However, since the performance sounded so committed, this led to a re-thinking on my part of what the actual "musical gist" of the work consisted of! In my opinion, the finale is as fine and cohesive as any I've heard and springs organically from the preceding "downshifted" _poco vivace_, culminating in a quiet and most thought-provoking conclusion.

The repeated hearings merely punctuated my initial impressions and also "sold" the interpretation as being genuinely valid, but decidedly outside what I would consider the norm, if there can be such a thing in this deceptive and elusive work. I'll hereafter think of Bernstein's _Sixth_ as an alternative to the cerebral, understated and thoroughly winning sprightliness of Davis/LSO on LSO Live (I have no idea if Sir Colin's performances differ over his three cycles as I've not heard the first two) and the equally cerebral, committedly performed, and interpretively on-the-money Vänskä/Lahti on Bis.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Brahms - Presto Agitato (In D Minor)


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

opus67 said:


> I was a bit surprised that you had purchased this box so late.


The American release was only in mid-June. The only way I could have gotten it faster would have been to have it overnighted.

Having coursed through _Tristan und Isolde_, _Das Rheingold_, _Die Walküre_ and _Siegfried_ (all under the baton of Karl Böhm), I'm currently navigating through _Götterdämmerung_.

Absorbing this 33-disc set will definitely have a temporary negative impact on my post-count.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Kullervo
Jorma Hynninen, Karita Matilla
The Laulun Ystavat Male Choir
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
BIS*
From 1986, this is my only recording of this early Sibelius work which has seen an onslaught of recordings in more recent years. My initial naive reaction on first hearing this twenty years ago was one of this being unusually accessible music by the theretofore inscrutable Sibelius. Today, it sounds more like what it is, unusually prosaic music on an epic scale by the Sibelius who would later compose works of deep-rooted musical genius. It's fine listening nonetheless. This seems to be a relatively terse performance at just under 70 minutes. FWIW, for comparison I've just ordered the recording from Neeme's son Paavo Järvi; it times at roughly 80 minutes.


----------



## Badinerie

I have the Lemminkäinen suite disc from that series. Its superb. One of the first CD's I bought in '85 when I got my Philips 104b CD player!


----------



## fox_druid

currently listening to Mozart's Grand Mass in C minor
conducted by Paul McCreesh


----------



## Badinerie

Du Pre . Playing Haydn's Concerto in C and Boy! I think its time to get the CD...Its a shame though, but it would just cost to much to buy a mint LP. Which is a shame . Its one of my faves of all time, but I bought it second hand 23 years ago nd it was never really in good nick.


----------



## SamGuss

For the very first time.

Awesome sauce 

Sam


----------



## Badinerie

Thats a good recording Sam! 
Im listening to Ralph Holmes play Bartok's Sonata for violin. (Through the headphones as the girls are having a lay in.) Its an old record thats going in the bin when the new CD gets here. I auditioned lots of versions online and have settled for the Leila Josefowicz one. a bit quicker than the Holmes but well articulated.


----------



## shsherm

Right now I have the radio playing and am listening to a re-broadcast of the Los Angeles Phiharmonic. They are playing the Piano Concerto by Essa Pekka Salonen with him conducting and Yefim Bronfman playing the piano. Los Angeles is now an important music center.


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to a crane doing God-knows-what outside the window...

But soon I'll turn on Sibelius' Sixth and Seventh Symphonies (not at the same time!) and then Tapiola. Today is a very Sibelian day to me, and I need some peace and quiet after all this con(de-?)struction going on outside.


----------



## World Violist

I just finished listening to the above playlist and am repeating the Seventh. It's just so awesome!!!

By the way, the Sixth was from the Berglund/Helsinki cycle, the Seventh from the Maazel/VPO cycle (not that great, but the best I've got on one track; my MP3 player makes weird pauses between tracks...), and Tapiola was from the Vänskä/Lahti Sibelius Edition (Vol. 1: Tone Poems).


----------



## Badinerie

Wow! what a superb CD...I just got it this afternoon and I have listened to it twice!
Highly recommended.


----------



## Moldyoldie

World Violist said:


> Today is a very Sibelian day to me....


I know what you mean as I get those kind of days quite often. 

Just listened to...















*Schumann: Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish"
Berlin Philharmonic
James Levine, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (with Sym. No. 2)*
From around 1990, this is probably my favorite recording of the _Rhenish_ -- as spontaneous sounding as one could ever want. The orchestration is as soupy as ever; but the momentum and feeling brought forth is downright exhilirating! Whether it's the particular use of rubato or a mere unleashing of the score's innate expressive joys, thus bringing ostensible clarity, Levine and the Berliners hit the right buttons and deliver...for me, at least.

*Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 "A London Symphony"
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vernon Handley, cond.
CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE (fr. Complete Symphonies)*
This was the work which first turned me on to Vaughan Williams (Boult's '70s recording) in my teens -- that soft, sunrise knelling of Big Ben is special! Though I can't say this is the most affecting performance of the symphony I've heard and the orchestra itself seemingly lacks the heft of the LSO and others, the performance is certainly well-grounded in the idiom (i.e., very Boult-like) and is ultimately quite satisfying. The recording is not the most vivid, but it's clear and detailed. A volume boost helps and one may also be tempted to boost the bass level, but that might serve to only muddy the proceedings. For what it's worth and by and large, I've always preferred Previn's way with Vaughan Williams' symphonies over that of Boult and Handley, and especially over that of Haitink and Thomsen; though I hope I'm allowed a bit of equivocation here. I'm also quite anxious to hear the more recent recording by Hickox/LSO of the "original version" of _A London Symphony_.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor. Michael Tilson Thomas/San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra.

Probably at the core of my reasoning of buying this CD set (along with Mahler's 7th with the same people) was that this recording had gotten 2 Grammy Awards. The outer-core reason being that I needed to get one that was not split up into so many tracks (that means you, Leonard Bernstein).

I love the horn solo at the beginning!!! The last movement is really nice, too.


----------



## Badinerie

Alban Berg Concerto for violin and orchestra. 12 tones and all  perfectly beautiful work.
Vladimir Spivakov. ( Wonder if he's a distant relation of Charlie Spivak ?)


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
SONY (fr. Complete Symphonies)*
The Bernstein/NYPO recording of _Symphony No. 4_ has what has to be the spookiest, most mysterious and outright gripping opening I've ever heard in this work...WOW! That bass decrescendo is stretched and sustained for what seems like forever! It begins a very effective distended traversal of the morose first movement. What's certainly unique in this overall performance, however, is that the "feeling of distendedness" never ebbs through the entire length of the symphony. Bernstein and Company make sure we hear every instrumental nuance supposedly put forth in the score at a tempo that seemingly never exceeds a hard and firm andante, despite allegro markings to the contrary beginning with the second movement. Even following an incredibly slow and haunting third movement (conventionally appropriate as it's marked _Il tempo largo_), the finale marked _allegro_ creeps along slowly as an exercise in cool, moodily modernist musicmaking with every solo and instrument group highlighted. Perhaps owing to this, as well as the compressed '60s sound, there's no "Sibelian Soup" served up here! Still, the outbursts of brass and the glockenspiel/bells pierce through the chilling soundscape with great effectiveness.

Unlike the equally idiosyncratic performance of _No. 6_ in this set, Bernstein isn't quite as convincing here, though the committment to his boldly distended conception of the Fourth is certainly evident. I won't dismiss this performance, but merely add it to a growing list of Fourths whose every performance reveals something incredibly interesting, even if it's usually on its own terms.


----------



## Celloman

Ah, there's nothing like the glorious music of silence!


----------



## World Violist

Celloman said:


> Ah, there's nothing like the glorious music of silence!


What a Cage-like thing to say!

I'm about to listen to still more Sibelius, probably the Seventh Symphony and Tapiola or something like that.


----------



## Badinerie

Schubert's 8th, Bohm, Berlin Phil, DG LP.
Forgot how good Schubert can be!


----------



## Mark Harwood

Consort music by William Lawes. It ends the day well.


----------



## AndersWestberg

Vivaldi La Cetra Op 9 concerto no.12

(Hi everyone. If you want please check out my music at myspace.com/anderswestberg. I gratuadet from music conservatory last year and after spending the fall in a monestary in France and the spring working i will start to study composition again this fall. If you like it please comment and tell me what you think)


----------



## World Violist

I really like this recording, though I've heard that the 80's one is far better, so that's on my hit list too...


----------



## SamGuss

Bruckner Symphony No. 4


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor.
The best I've yet heard (though still the same case as my Sixth of the same cycle; supposedly not as good as the DG).


----------



## opus67

On the radio. Listening to a slightly quick Brahms. 

Brahms 4
Scottish CO/Mackerras


----------



## World Violist

Elgar Cello Concerto - Jacqueline du Pre, cello; Daniel Barenboim, conductor

Such beautiful music...


----------



## Badinerie

It certainly is!...Im listening to Beethoven's Piano concerto no 3. The Argerich Abaddo Chamber Orch version. Lovely sounding cd. Great musicians too.


----------



## SamGuss

World Violist said:


> Elgar Cello Concerto - Jacqueline du Pre, cello
> Such beautiful music...


Can't agree more - one of my favorites.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
New York Choral Artists
Brooklyn Boys Chorus
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
I decided to take a break this morning from my purposeful traversal of the Sibelian oeuvre and make a rare return to this "symphony that encompasses the universe" (or was that the _Eighth_?). I must say, comparatively speaking and despite the plethora of written rhetoric concerning Mahlerian interpretation, the _Symphony No. 3_ sounds incredibly simplistic! It's not that I don't like the _Third_; it's really quite enjoyable (and long!), but it's like listening to a b-movie -- emotionally transparent, texturally plain, and singularly melodramatic. Howzabout I just leave it at that for now. I've heard only two recorded performances in my lifetime, this one and my original LPs with Horenstein/LSO. Just for curiosity's sake, I've recently ordered a used copy of the more recent Boulez/VPO; let's see what he has to "say" about it.


----------



## Conductor

Arcangelo Corelli's _Concerto Grosso, Op. 8, No. 6, "Christmas"_

Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra

Heilbronn Jorg Faerber, Conductor


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (Finale just now), Berglund/Helsinki.

Next is Sibelius' 3rd with the same conductor/orchestra!


----------



## Moldyoldie

World Violist said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (Finale just now), Berglund/Helsinki.


That has to be one of the most direct, no-nonsense performances of the _Second_ I've ever heard.

Currently on a virgin voyage with...








*Sibelius: The Wood-Nymph; Swanwhite; A Lonely Ski Trail
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, cond.
BIS*
All I can say is that I'm really liking what I'm hearing so far!


----------



## opus67

Something new. 

A mandolin concerto by Hummel. 


HUMMEL: Mandolin Concerto in G, S.28
Frati (mandolin)/I Solisti di Fiesole/ /Paszkowski


----------



## World Violist

Moldyoldie said:


> That has to be one of the most direct, no-nonsense performances of the _Second_ I've ever heard.


I must say I agree.










Sibelius' Seventh in my current favorite recording by Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The disc overall is astonishing for Naxos; the sound is pure and perfect for Sibelius, not to mention how Sakari actually makes the music come to life in this piece, which is really what I've been looking for all this time.

Make no mistake, though, I'm still looking for my absolute favorite, and while this one is the closest I've yet come across, it doesn't quite have everything. I still greatly recommend it for the Sixth as well as the Seventh, plus the novelty of the second Tempest Suite.


----------



## Conductor

_Concerto in C Major Op. 3, No. 12_ by Manfredini


----------



## World Violist

JS Bach's Chaconne for solo violin, transposed for viola and played by Rudolf Barshai. Amazing so far.


----------



## ClasicalTB

*Beethoven for Babies*

I am listening a "Beethoven for Babies" because my baby is sleeping now


----------



## World Violist

Bernstein's first recording of Mahler's Third Symphony. I'm going to try to get through the whole cycle today (as much as I can, anyway...).


----------



## Badinerie

Bartok...Violin concerto no2. Kyoko Takezawa. On a bit of a Bartok binge lately!


----------



## Conductor

_Mazurka, Op. 6, No. 4_ by F. Chopin


----------



## World Violist

The final Adagio of Mahler's Ninth again. Can't stay away from it!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Once again:










The penultimate opera from my traversal of that collection- the Sawallisch *Flying Dutchman*. Once I'm through with that, the only one remaining will be the Varviso *Meistersinger*, which, I've been made to understand, is the (JK♣) _joker_ in that deck...


----------



## Moldyoldie

On yet another virgin voyage...









*Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite: 4 Legends from the Kalevala; Tapiola
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, cond.
ONDINE*


----------



## opus67

Chi_town/Philly said:


> The penultimate opera from my traversal of that collection- the Sawallisch *Flying Dutchman*. Once I'm through with that, the only one remaining will be the Varviso *Meistersinger*, which, I've been made to understand, is the (JK♣) _joker_ in that deck...


And just as he is about to make a half-a-ton of posts, he gets an avatar for himself. Let me guess: it's either your Alma mater or Wagner's.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: The Wood-Nymph; A Lonely Ski-Trail; Swanwhite; The Wood-Nymph (Melodrama)
Lasse Pöysti, narrator
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, cond.
BIS (also Musical Heritage Society)*
I bought this Musical Heritage Society reissue for less than three bucks plus shipping (shipping may have been more than the CD!) and must say it was quite the bargain. _The Wood-Nymph_ is an early (1894) 21-minute tone poem featuring marvelous string ostinatos and brass fanfares -- seemingly quite simple in construction, but still juicily Sibelian in sound! A shorter narrated melodrama version appears as a bookend to the disc. 
_A Lonely Ski-Trail_ is a brief, meditative soliloquy spoken in Swedish. If I may be so bold as to time-jump and defer to another medium, it's very Bergmanesque. 
_Swanwhite_ is presented here as a series of fourteen short episodes of incidental music to a Strindberg play (I've read where there's also a concert suite) of which I'm particularly fond of _No. 9 Lento_. There's no heavy going here, just some fine music which offers subtle suggestions of more familiar works in the Sibelius oeuvre.

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 7
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, cond.
LSO LIVE*
Here are quite distended and sensitive realizations of what must be Colin Davis's final thoughts on these two fine symphonies. I don't think I've ever heard so much probing and shaping of musical contours in these works as I'm hearing here. After three listens on different days, I tend to conclude that the _Third_ is brought off less successfully with the approach, if only because the often fetching melodic lines as heard so unambiguously in other performances (e.g. Bernstein/NYPO) are bent and often broken here in an attempt to find some elusive profundity that's perhaps more ephemeral than genuine. Maybe other listeners hear more in this than I do. In any case, the orchestra certainly plays responsively and with fine ensemble -- sounding great in the dry, vivid and close-up soundstage.

The _Seventh_ here, however, is another matter. Davis and the LSO bring off a wonderfully expansive, detailed, and moving realization which grows on one with successive hearings. Davis's sensitive shaping weaves finely-wrought lines and an incredibly subtle sense of pulse and flow; the climaxes are brought off beautifully. It all culminates in a perfectly judged coda which lingers profoundly in the mind -- I loved it! In my opinion, this is a performance of the _Seventh_ which thoroughly demands to be heard and savored by all who love this work.

By the way, Sir Colin's infernal humming, which is heard so prominently in the recording of the _Fifth Symphony_ in this LSO LIVE series, is graciously muffled.


----------



## Weston

I'm listening to Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5. Idil Biret, piano.










I don't know, maybe I'm grouchy today, but I'm finding too much of it in the murky timbres below middle C, even the prettier lighter parts. Maybe it's the recording. Biret does a fine job though. There are some incredibly bizarre rhythms in the finale.


----------



## Badinerie

All this talk of Sibelius! I got out my Alexander Gibson SNO Scenes Historiques 1&2 lp...way brilliant.....


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

opus67 said:


> And just as he is about to make a half-a-ton of posts, he gets an avatar for himself. Let me guess: it's either your Alma mater or Wagner's.


Pictured: Altgeld Hall, the "Castle on the Hill," the most-well-known building on the campus of *Northern Illinois University*.

Most recent listening from library-loan: Beethoven's _serioso_ quartet & String quartet #12. _Which made me remember that_ >

When I went to NIU, they had "resident artist faculty" of some repute... the _Vermeer Quartet_. _Which made me consider that_ >

They recorded the complete Beethoven String Quartets, which I'm considering purchasing, in one of the vague spells of sentimental boosterism that also induced me to plump for the digital Beethoven complete Symphonies set by Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti. eek:?)


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Khachaturian: Piano Concerto; 4 selections from Gayaneh Ballet Suite No. 1; Masquerade Suite
Constantine Orbelian, piano
Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*

*Khachaturian: Symphony No. 2 (original version)
Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS (includes same four selections from Gayaneh as above)*
It's been years (decades!) since I first (and last!) heard Khachaturian's _Piano Concerto_ from 1936 on a bargain bin LP whose performers escape me. What I certainly remember is a beautiful and mournful piano melody echoed by an eerie science fiction-like timbre which I've just discovered is a flexatone, the sound of which resembles a musical saw! Overall, the concerto presents a grand Romantic statement with many Armenian folk overtones. Soloist Orbelian certainly emphasizes the percussive qualities of the opening and final movements, banging away with sharply defined staccato. I'm reminded of Prokofiev in that regard, but Khachaturian hardly delves into the modernist realm as was often the wont of his contemporary. I came away wishing for a more poetic rendering of the middle _andante con anima_ movement (the one with the flexatone), but Orbelian still phrases the melody with a fine lyrical touch. Järvi and the SNO provide vivid accompaniment in a committed, well-integrated performance.

The _Masquerade Suite_ is thoroughly delightful -- the concluding _Galop_ is a hoot! However, it's the stirring performances of the four selections from the propagandist ballet _Gayaneh_ which had me waxing nostalgic of the Ormandy/Philadelphia recording I grew up with. They just happen to be my favorite four -- _Sabre Dance_, _Dance of the Rose Maidens_, _Lullaby_, and _Lezghinka_. That last one had me unabashedly air conducting! The digital sound is vivid, spacious, and slightly reverberant in the Chandos tradition with these forces.

This was my introduction to Khachaturian's _Symphony No. 2_ from 1943, the year the composer and Shostakovich were sequestered with their families at a rural retreat set up by the Soviet government for wartime creative work. This also produced one of the most powerful symphonies of the century and a personal favorite in Shostakovich's _Symphony No. 8_. Khachaturian's symphony, however, is not nearly as emotionally devastating. I'd liken it more to Shostakovich's earlier _Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"_ in its overall evocation of patriotic fervor in the face of an invading enemy. In my opinion, however, the Khachaturian is a more musically elaborate symphonic statement than that earlier work -- still by equal turns somber, powerfully pictorial, and ultimately optimistic -- but this isn't quite so transparently jingoistic. I certainly feel compelled to revisit this as there's much here to both savor as music and to ponder as expression.

Strangely, the same four pieces from _Gayaneh_ are found as fillers on both these discs of similar late '80s/early '90s vintage.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel)
Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
I've never cared much for _Pictures at an Exhibition_, especially the orchestrated version. Sure, some of the tunes are memorable (I especially like _"Il vecchio castello"_), but the whole episodic concoction never floats my boat; this morning was no exception.

What I really wanted to hear was _Poem of Ecstasy_. Here's a roughly twenty-minute exercise in _fin de siecle_ orchestral color a la Ravel whose sensual symbolism is well-nigh unmistakable. I've ordered Muti's complete Scriabin symphonies on Brilliant.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's Symphony No. 9 in D major, Bernstein/NYPO

The outer-movement adagios are among the most beautiful adagios I've ever heard, and the inner movements are almost necessary for the last one to have the maximum impact. One of my favorite symphonies by far.


----------



## Badinerie

Honegger...Symphony no 1. accompanied by a glass of Elijah Craig and some Gouda ooyeah!


----------



## opus67

Currently listening to this on an internet station










Was surprised to listen to someone singing in an Arabic-influenced language all of a sudden!

And now we are back to Vienna... the German dances by Mozart.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Badinerie said:


> All this talk of Sibelius! I got out my Alexander Gibson SNO Scenes Historiques 1&2 lp...way brilliant.....


I just received that this afternoon! And this a couple days ago...









*Sibelius: Symphony No. 6; Symphony No. 4
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Paavo Berglund, cond.
FINLANDIA*
Hearing these two symphonies played by a chamber-sized orchestra conducted by no less a Sibelian authority than Paavo Berglund sounded like an interesting proposition, seeing that the _Sixth_ is my (current) personal favorite of The Sibelian Seven (for reasons not entirely quantifiable) and that I've yet to hear a recording of the _Fourth_ that I didn't find at least...intriguing. The used CD was also priced very reasonably, quite unlike other individual disks in Berglund's last recorded cycle.

Textures are crystal clear as the orchestra is not only lean, but play with very fine ensemble and intonation. Miking puts the listener right on the podium with a very broad, yet intimate soundstage, all recorded in vaunted 24-bit digital. I'm certain if one puts their mind to it, they could delineate every single note and individual sonority.

Now, let me get this out and over with -- these must be the most leaden and uninvolving interpretations of these two great symphonies I've ever heard! There. Sure, I'm hearing things I've not heard before, but to what end overall? At least the short interview of Berglund in the booklet was interesting.

FWIW, I also have Berglund's late '60s recording of the _Fourth_ with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, but it's been a few years since I've heard it; maybe it's time to dig it out. At best, the present CD will hereafter be considered a remote alternative.


----------



## World Violist

Continued talk of Sibelius hereby commences even further...

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6, Petri Sakari/Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Moldyoldie, as opposed to your recording, I find this performance to be truly enchanting. This CD is utterly amazing in general; the Sixth is the other gem (to the Seventh on the same disc). Lovely recording, in my opinion.


----------



## fox_druid

Carl Czerny - Concerto for horn and fortepiano


----------



## World Violist

Alright, I'm trying the whole Mahler cycle again... Leonard Bernstein/NYPO (the Eighth with IPO), except for 1&5 (Amsterdam Concertgebouw and VPO respectively).


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Beethoven - symphony no 5 -Allegro I like this part of the symphony the best


----------



## World Violist

Petri Sakari's recording of Sibelius' Sixth. I love it!


----------



## Badinerie

A little bit of Vaughan Williams to ease me into the Sunday morning.










Love the Iona Brown 'Lark ascending'


----------



## SamGuss

Been listening to some choral stuff lately and finding myself liking some of it.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 "The Four Temperaments"; Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia Espansiva"
San Francisco Symphony
Herbert Blomstedt, cond.
LONDON*
Once again, it's been years since I've heard these. I just have to ask myself, WHY? The sheer variety of style and substance put forth by this foremost Danish composer is staggering and quite often breathtaking! Blomstedt and Company play these works with precision, panache, and total commitment. And there's nothing to complain about the recording -- extremely vivid, up-close, and with a subtle bloom to make the often hard-edged music comfortably resonant.


----------



## opus67

SamGuss said:


> Been listening to some choral stuff lately


Like what? and...



> and finding myself liking some of it.


...like what?



I'd like to listen to Bach's Mass in Bm in whole, if I have the time.

Currently Listening to: Chopin's Op.25 etudes, played by Nelson Freire.


----------



## World Violist

Heifetz's later recording of Sibelius' violin concerto. It's one of my favorites, and Heifetz plays it very well (or course), but it's always missing something for me.

It's my only one, though, so I won't complain much.


----------



## opus67

World Violist said:


> Heifetz's later recording of Sibelius' violin concerto. It's one of my favorites, and Heifetz plays it very well (or course), but it's always missing something for me.
> 
> It's my only one, though, so I won't complain much.


Listening to my first VC CD I purchased.

Sibelius
Perlman/Boston SO/Leinsdorf


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schubert: Quintet in C
Alban Berg Quartet + Heinrich Schiff, cello
EMI*
I just borrowed this from the library. Among cognoscenti, this is supposedly the best recording ever made of this personal favorite, albeit without first movement repeat. Of the several recordings I've heard, I really love The Lindsays + Douglas Cummings in this, especially their 17+ minute _adagio_!


----------



## World Violist

So far it's definitely the best I've yet heard. Maybe a bit slow by some peoples' standards, but it's thrilling all the same.


----------



## Moldyoldie

World Violist said:


> So far it's definitely the best [Mahler No. 2] I've yet heard. Maybe a bit slow by some peoples' standards, but it's thrilling all the same.


That's probably my favorite in the _No. 2_; between it and the Klemperer/EMI, I've not been compelled to search out others.









*Roussel: Suite for orchestra in F major; Bacchus et Ariane
Orchestre de Paris
Charles Dutoit, cond.
ERATO*
I don't think I've ever heard a piece by Roussel I didn't like. I'm also confused on what constitutes the entire ballet of _Bacchus et Ariane_ as opposed to the concert suites, but this one has Act 1 and Act 2. Pungent, flavorful, exciting stuff!


----------



## opus67

On the radio

Passacaglia for piano
Leopolod Godowsky

I thought the opening sounded familiar. The web tells me that it's a set of variations on the opening of Schubert's _Die Unvollendete_.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

W.A. Mozart - Concerto For Flute And Harp K. 299; 2nd Movement


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schumann: Fantasia in C major, Op. 17; Arabesque, Op. 18; Humoresque, Op. 20; Bunte Blätter No. 9 ("Novellette") for piano, Op. 99/9
Wilhelm Kempff, piano
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (Disc #3 of 4)*
Schumann's fervent Romantic invention and often double-faced musical personality as displayed in these piano works is not something to which I often return, but merely savor with each hearing. The _Fantasia in C_ joins Liszt's _Sonata in B minor_, Chopin's _Nocturnes_, and several Beethoven sonatas among my favorite works for solo piano. I suppose these late Kempff readings can be described as "literal", as I've often read from critics; but the piano tone is full and fabulous, intonations are spotless, and the early-'70s analog recording every bit indicative of DG's standards during this time - which is to say, _wunderbar!_


----------



## Scelsi

I'm having fun doing a "suite by suite comparison" of two of my CD's of Bach suites for cello unaccompanied:



















These are my two preferred versions (that I have: I love my Casals, but the sound quality is so mediocre, and on the other end, Rostropovitch doesn't work for me. Some day I might add Roel Dieltiens and/or Anner Bijlsma to my collection. And most certainly no Yo-Yo Ma  )


----------



## Scelsi

My only version of these sonatas and partitas on modern violin.
Last weekend, on musiq3, there was a blind comparison of the second partita, all on modern violins. Since I'm always looking for excellent alternative versions, I was quite curious.
Two versions were clearly less interesting (later turned out to be Milstein and Suk), two were on par. Until the chaconna. Version A for me was "a perfect execution". Version B went beyond "perfect execution". An exiting story, keeping and stimulating attention, got my body to move, got me singing along (and then abruptly shut up again), gave me goose bumps.
A turned out to be Grumiaux
B turned out to be Fischer (which I'd bougt a few months ago)

So for the time being, I'll stick to this one version on modern violin.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Starting the morning sunny-side up...
















*Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Bruno Walter, cond.
SONY (w/Symphony No. 3 "Eroica")*
From what I've read, Walter's late-'50s recordings of the Beethoven symphonies (1 through 8, anyway) were performed by what was essentially a pick-up band of professional musicians in and around Hollywood. Here, _No. 8_ exudes a well-balanced, easy-going blend of Haydnesque charm and very subtle Beethovenian expression with nary an emotionally harsh nor edgy note to be heard. This _Eighth_ does sing a grand and gladdening song -- tension begone! The remastered stereo sound is as fine as can be expected; it's very listenable with plenty of bass presence, fairly firm tops, and the compressed dynamic range which was typical of the source at the time. FWIW, many of the same qualities heard here make Walter's _"Pastoral"_ from this series my very favorite.

*Schumann: Symphony No. 1 "Spring"
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelik, cond.
CBS (w/Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish")*
This is borrowed from the library and my first time hearing it. Kubelik's way with Schumann's _Spring Symphony_ is one of careful, often deliberate phrasing within an overall framework of somewhat measured forward propulsion. On display is a particular penchant for acute dynamic and tempo adjustments which almost always work wonderfully! Orchestral balances are expertly handled; textures are very clear as Kubelik and company do "let the sunshine in". I did, however, wish for a brisker paced finale -- here it comes in at almost ten minutes, probably the slowest I've yet heard and perhaps ultimately less affecting because of it, but certainly consistent with Kubelik's overall conception.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

The Sleep - Pantera i know its not classical but dimebg darrell does one of the greatest guitar solos ive heard.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Scènes Historiques 1; Scènes Historiques 2; Rakastava Suite; Valse Lyrique
Scottish National Orchestra
Sir Alexander Gibson, cond.
CHANDOS*

The _Scènes Historiques_ and _Rakastava_ are an absolute delight -- Serendipity City!


----------



## Scelsi

after the "modern" version of Julia Fischer yesterday, the reference gutstring recording is now playing (or am I too chauvinist?):










If I could keep only Fischer OR Kuijken, I guess Fischer 'd have to find a new fan. However enthousiastis I am about her version. Yet, the gut softens the "broken chords" (is that how you say that in Englisch, when you should play like four notes but play them after each other instead of really together?) so, the broken chords sounds so much softer, the total sound is so much richer, I should add it on my list of "brings tears".


----------



## Weston

Salieri=Innocent said:


> W.A. Mozart - Concerto For Flute And Harp K. 299; 2nd Movement


This concerto got me started tolerating Mozart and the classic period in general. I need to give it a listen again. It is maybe my second favorite Mozart piece, the first being the the Symphony No. 39, 3rd movement, if it's played fast enough.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schumann: Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish"
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelik, cond.
CBS (w/Symphony No. 1 "Spring")*
Here's a _Rhenish_ that takes its sweet, merry ol' time getting to where it's going -- and sounds quite the better for it. One can't help but be impressed with Kubelik's seemingly innate feel for the flows and rhythms of Schumann's "travelogue" invention; phrasing and balances all seem perfectly in tune what I can only describe as a concept of "natural-sounding progression" of the mid-nineteenth century Bavarian variety. Of particular note is Kubelik's very deliberate way with the slow movements III. and IV., each extending well past six minutes and exuding a charm that escapes most performances I've heard on record. The orchestra sounds as if they're (to echo an overused expression) to the manner born -- lean, lithe, thoroughly inside the idiom, and in total sympathy with Kubelik's conception.

I have this terrible tendency to categorize Schumann symphony performances as being either more Classical or more Romantic in persuasion; here is a performance that defies such tendencies and must simply be deemed uniquely natural and human.


----------



## jhar26

Box set of six cd's with Haydn's "Sturm und Drang" symphonies. I've only listened to disc one so far, but I love what I heard.










I've listened to all the opus 18 quartets today. Brilliant stuff.


----------



## World Violist

I'm at the end of Mahler's Sixth (Bernstein/NYPO), and it segues so beautifully into the Seventh I'll probably go straight into that one afterwards (MTT/SFSO).


----------



## Moldyoldie




----------



## World Violist

Sibelius, Lemminkainen Legends, Petri Sakari/ISO. The CDs I have of this cycle (Finlandia, Karelia, Lemminkainen; 6, Tempest 2, 7) are very good, but I'm still skeptical of the set in general. The reviews for the two sets I own place them as the best in the cycle... and they leave me wanting more. Thus I think I'll start getting Segerstam's cycle or something when I get the money; Vanska's when it comes in the Edition .

I think this is, indeed a very nice recording. Sound is very good, the performance is excellent as well (though I haven't heard any others of the whole suite). Next target for this, I suppose, would be Segerstam/Helsinki... with Tapiola!!! That should be one fun CD...


----------



## Scelsi

Nigel North's lute transcription of Bach's sonatas and Partitas for violin. Nice to listen to, but also perfect for background enjoying a well cooked meal.


----------



## henrietta3

*Waltz from Sylvia by Delibes*

Waltz from Sylvia by Delibes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today I have been exercising on my recumbent bicycle to the waltz by Delibes from the ballet, Sylvia.

I was not familiar with this waltz until today. It is gorgeous! I recommend that waltz lovers check it out.

I listed to music on my Bose CD player. I like the sound and I love the track repeat function. I listen to the same piece of music over and over.

If anyone out there does the same thing, I would like to hear from you.

Henrietta


----------



## World Violist

I'm in Vermont at the moment, and the radio in the background is playing Sibelius' Sixth symphony. Don't know who the conductor or anything is...


----------



## Scelsi

continuing my journey through Bach. (As a matter of fact, I'm going through my CD collection following the time line, but I've already listened to all medieval and renaissance before joining this forum)


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> I'm in Vermont at the moment, and the radio in the background is playing Sibelius' Sixth symphony. Don't know who the conductor or anything is...


Actually, at the end they said it was Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Orchestra. It was a decent performance. I've never heard Rattle's Sibelius before. It was much different from the way I've heard others perform it, some strange accents here and there, and he TOOK OFF right after the hymnal beginning... oh well. He's got a few decades left anyway, I think. And if he keeps Berlin, he might do Sibelius some justice later on.


----------



## Badinerie

Some Beethoven...Sonata no 4 for Cello and piano. 
Chilling out on a hot summer night.


----------



## World Violist

I'm probably going to put on some Ravel momentarily, thanks to my latest post in the "Latest Purchases" thread!


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Non piu andrai - Le NozzeDi Figaro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\

I always listen to a sample of this song and if it isnt perfect to my standards i wont buy the cd


----------



## opus67

Salieri=Innocent said:


> Non piu andrai - Le NozzeDi Figaro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\
> 
> I always listen to a sample of this song and if it isnt perfect to my standards i wont buy the cd


So, who's performing? The only version I have is a YouTube video - Terfel, Bartoli, and someone else who I don't recognise.


----------



## jhar26

I usually find minimalism boring, but I like this varied collection of John Adams compositions that I listened to today. Edo de Waart conducts the San Francisco Symphony.


----------



## opus67

Something new...

Balakirev
Piano Concerto No.1
Binns/English Northern Philharmonia/Lloyd-Jones

It's to my liking and reminds me of Chopin.


----------



## Moldyoldie

jhar26 said:


> I usually find minimalism boring, but I like this varied collection of John Adams compositions that I listened to today. Edo de Waart conducts the San Francisco Symphony.


I've found that Adams is the only Minimalist I can stand for an extended period...unless there's a movie attached to it. 









*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; The Oceanides; Finlandia
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Paavo Berglund, cond.
EMI*
From Berglund's '80s cycle, this is as straightforward, no-muss no-fuss a rendition of the popular Sibelius _Symphony No. 2_ as I've ever heard -- quite refreshing, actually! I'm sure a little emotional taffy-pull here and there wouldn't be out of line and the big tune in the finale could be writ larger, but the performance is as committed as any with the orchestra sounding full-blooded, if not as heavyweight as the likes of Berlin or Vienna. The recording is exemplary with plenty of presence across the spectrum.

_The Oceanides_ is very atmospheric and pictorial (nice harp and winds!), if perhaps a bit terse in its expression. _Finlandia_ is also afforded a full-bore forward rendition that comes in at under seven-and-a-half minutes -- alacritously heroic.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Currently on a virgin voyage...








*Tigran Mansurian: Monodia
ECM (2 CDs)

"...and then I was in time again"
Concerto for viola and orchestra
-Kim Kashkashian, viola
-Münchener Kammerorchester
Christoph Poppen, cond.

Concerto for violin and orchestra
-Leonidas Kavakos, violin
-Münchener Kammerorchester
Christoph Poppen, cond.

Lachrymae for soprano saxophone and viola
-Jan Garbarek, soprano saxophone
-Kim Kashkashian, viola

Confessing with Faith for viola and four voices
-Kim Kashkashian, viola
-The Hilliard Ensemble*

Beautiful, spiritual, redolent of Armenian liturgical chant -- but hardly so-called world beat or new age. This is substantial enough for serious listening and tuneful enough to be enjoyable -- fine performances!


----------



## opus67

Moldyoldie said:


> Currently on a virgin voyage...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful, spiritual, redolent of Armenian liturgical chant -- but hardly so-called world beat or new age. This is substantial enough for serious listening and tuneful enough to be enjoyable -- fine performances!


Do the notes state what is pictured on the cover? I'm just curious.


----------



## Moldyoldie

opus67 said:


> Do the notes state what is pictured on the cover? I'm just curious.


The photo is credited to Muriel Olesen. To me, it looks like the bare foot of an ascetic monk stepping on the heart of a chalk drawing of an angel whose wings and halo are upside-down in the foreground. (???)


----------



## opus67

Moldyoldie said:


> The photo is credited to Muriel Olesen. To me, it looks like the bare foot of an ascetic monk stepping on the heart of an upside-down chalk drawing of an angel.


Interesting. At first glance, I though it was a pattern generated with a computer. (I did not notice the foot then.) But now, it appears to be a kolam - something I see almost on a daily basis.


----------



## Moldyoldie

opus67 said:


> Interesting. At first glance, I though it was a pattern generated with a computer. (I did not notice the foot then.) But now, it appears to be a kolam - something I see almost on a daily basis.


Fascinating, I think you've nailed it.  Thanks for the link.

The connection to the music escapes me, however.


----------



## opus67

Moldyoldie said:


> The connection to the music escapes me, however.


Something new age, perhaps?


----------



## Scelsi

Luckily I'm listening to this CD on "plaatpaal" (streaming) and haven't bought it. Long time ago I heard something that (to me) is just boring.


----------



## Scelsi

opus67 said:


> Something new age, perhaps?


I don't consider this record so very "new age" to be honest


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's Second Symphony, Leonard Bernstein/NYPO 1980's. The best, in my opinion. No Solti or Mehta ever thrills me anywhere near as much as this one does, and the end... nothing like it. The greatest ending I've ever heard recorded. All these people who take it faster - Abbado, Solti, Mehta - lose so much effect by doing so. Bernstein, by going slower, makes the emotional impact so much more magnified, overwhelming. It makes one's hair stand on end the way he makes the intensity so enormous, even though the actual motion has slowed so much. By the end of the piece I'm just exhausted. I'm tempted to call this his best Mahler recording (though I haven't heard all his Mahler recordings, so I can't say - the Sixth is apparently almost a reference recording in the DG set, though).


----------



## Elaryad

I'm listening to Shostakovich's Symphony 11, I. The Palace Square (Adagio).

Any recommendations about other Shostakovich's symphonies?thanks


----------



## Weston

Elaryad said:


> I'm listening to Shostakovich's Symphony 11, I. The Palace Square (Adagio).
> 
> Any recommendations about other Shostakovich's symphonies?thanks


The 11th is my favorite, probably because of sentimental associations with the Cosmos tv series. Also because it's beautiful.

I really enjoy his concertos over his symphonies, especially the frenetic Cello Concerto No. 1. The 1st movement reminds me of overdosing on caffeine, but in a good way.

_______

I am listening to this most excellent album of Joseph Jongen chamber music.


----------



## Rachovsky

Cost 7$ on iTunes. ^.^


----------



## agstoke

I'm listening to some of Debussy's Images (the Pascal Roge recordings - 1978)...beautiful, ethereal stuff!


----------



## Elaryad

Weston said:


> The 11th is my favorite, probably because of sentimental associations with the Cosmos tv series. Also because it's beautiful.
> 
> I really enjoy his concertos over his symphonies, especially the frenetic Cello Concerto No. 1. The 1st movement reminds me of overdosing on caffeine, but in a good way.
> 
> _______
> 
> I am listening to this most excellent album of Joseph Jongen chamber music.


The Cello Concerto N. 1 is a magnificent masterpiece. My God, I cannot remember being so overwhelmed when listening to something else (I'm lying, I do). There are no words to describe it. I would like to learn how to play the candenza. It's so intense. (Perhaps I'll make it in 20 years or something ).


----------



## Scelsi

Elaryad said:


> The Cello Concerto N. 1 is a magnificent masterpiece. My God, I cannot remember being so overwhelmed when listening to something else (I'm lying, I do). There are no words to describe it. I would like to learn how to play the candenza. It's so intense. (Perhaps I'll make it in 20 years or something ).


I'm sure you can do it. If you take it very slow. Let's say note by note


----------



## Scelsi




----------



## henrietta3

henrietta3 said:


> Waltz from Sylvia by Delibes
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Today I have been listening to the Valse Lente from the ballet, Sylvia. It is extremely beautiful. I recommend it to waltz lovers.
> 
> Henrietta


----------



## fox_druid

J. Pachelbel - Organ Works - Jesus Christus Unser Heiland, der Vons Uns


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls
New York Philharmonic
Lorin Maazel, cond.
NONESUCH*
I've always been of the opinion that all's fair in art; the contempt for this work displayed by certain reviewers on Amazon and elsewhere thus rings hollow. I'm also at a loss in understanding why the mere fact that it was a commissioned work should have a bearing on its merits as a listening experience. What _The Transmigration of Souls_ manages to do is elicit a recollection of the "emotions of the moment" that surfaced in the terrible aftermath of 9/11/01. That I'm hearing this for the first time nearly seven years hence probably has as much to do with my reaction to it as anything the music itself conveys. As a remembrance of the victims, heroism, and sudden personal losses; I think it's a perfectly fine piece that serves its purpose well enough. As a work of absolute music, it's probably found a bit wanting.

The use of an overlapping collage of spoken voices and street sounds throughout the 25-minute work probably comes across as gimmicky to musical purists, but I found similar "musical" exercises in works by the likes of Stockhausen and others to lend a moving immediacy to the music. I think it works here as well.

It's difficult to recommend purchasing this CD at full price with less than a half-hour of content, but hearing it at least once will not be a waste of anyone's precious time -- I borrowed it from the library.

*Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 1; Viola Concerto
Yehudi Menuhin, violin and viola
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Antal Dorati, cond.
EMI (2 CDs, inc. other works for solo violin and orchestra)*
Bartok's _Second Violin Concerto_ is one of those works which became a personal obsession upon first hearing (I couldn't help but think of John Coltrane!); wanting to hear other such works in Bartok's oeuvre was a natural inevitability. Both the _Violin Concerto No. 1_ (1908, first published posthumously in 1956) and _Viola Concerto_ (completed by Tibor Serly in 1945) are thoroughly inside the angular (and angry?) Bartok idiom already familiar to those to know it. Along with Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and others; I place Bartok among those whose most important works practically define the sound of early twentieth century modernism. What "hummable" melody there is to be found seems ephemeral. Shades of Hungarian folk music are also present, and often predominate. Menuhin plays both works spiritedly and with conviction; ably abetted by Dorati and company. The remastered sound is fine enough with the soloist front and center. Neither work is on the same level as _Violin Concerto No. 2_, in my opinion, but both should certainly satisfy Bartok enthusiasts -- as they did me.


----------



## Weston

Today I listened to a piano concerto I couldn't identify, but it had to be Beethoven or someone channeling him. I got up and looked at the digital readout to discover it was his violin concerto transcribed as a piano concerto. So it was the Piano Concerto no. 4 and a half. That was nice.


----------



## Rachovsky

Listened to the King's Singers on BBC Radio 3 tonight Live from the BBC Proms.

I must say, It wasn't my forte of music.


----------



## Scelsi

continuing my journey through time, still stuck in my baroque collection

took out:









playing now:









comming up next:


----------



## World Violist

Just gorgeous stuff in here, I really love it.

Probably up next will be this:


----------



## Scelsi

anyone interested in a re-discussion of "Bach on the piano"? 
I'm not. I rather shut up and enjoy. Both on piano and harpsichord.


----------



## Scelsi

After the 1955 take, first sth else:


----------



## opus67

I take it that it's a picture of some part of an organ. How do you like it? (the recording, I mean.)


----------



## opus67

Just discovered: BWV 596. This is a work for the organ, in D minor, based on a concerto by Vivaldi. artist: Daniel Chorzempa


----------



## Scelsi

opus67 said:


> I take it that it's a picture of some part of an organ. How do you like it? (the recording, I mean.)


Indeed it's part of an organ. The recording is really marvellous (both interpretation and sound-wise). Just look at all the ratings it's got (I know, you cannot always depend on these critics, but in this case they're quite unanimous).

It does (like all organ music) take a decent set of speakers to really enjoy the full power of the organ sound, both in the very high as in the very (véry) low regions.

Anyway, it is my best organCD


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Finlandia; Valse Triste; Symphony No. 2
Berlin Philharmonic
James Levine, cond.
UNIVERSAL (originally on Deutsche Grammophon)*
I picked this up recently for a couple of bucks plus a little bit; a little research indicates that it was originally released by Deutsche Grammophon in 1993 and is now being marketed on the corporate umbrella budget label Universal. I never knew Levine recorded Sibelius and was most curious. Whether it was Brahms, Schumann, or Mahler; Levine always seemed willing to dive headlong into the thorniest of music with no fear -- and such is the case here. Oftentimes it works, but other times....

Both _Finlandia_ and the beautiful _Valse Triste_ are brought off with an aim toward effect and a minimum of nuance; both pieces are such that neither suffers terribly from the approach. However, the popular _Symphony No. 2_, even though it's performed in the same no-fuss manner as the Berglund/HPO I recently revisited and reviewed (timings are virtually identical), lacks the idiomatic phrasing and orchestral details which mark the great performances and separates them from the merely visceral. This listener was often wondering things like: What happened to the winds? I thought there was supposed to be a horn there, where is it? Aren't there supposed to be some tympani at that point? In the big finale especially, balances seem out of whack and the often shaky ensemble is exacerbated by Levine's seemingly forced forward thrust, even though it's brought home with great conviction. These things probably aren't of much interest to a novice listener, whose first impression of a work is often one of visceral impact -- which brings me to the sound of the orchestra.

As exemplified with this recording and others I've heard, DG's '90s-era digital technology (marketed as 4-D) yields the most incredibly vivid orchestral sound one could possibly imagine! Regardless of the aforementioned ensemble lapses, the Berlin strings sound as sleek and magnificent here as one has ever heard. The brass and percussion are heard and felt with an impact as lucid as Lucifer's Hammer -- but all to what end? As bold and full-blooded as is this performance of the _Second_ overall, I'm forced to agree with those who would maintain that James Levine is not your ideal Sibelian.

I've read where Levine also recorded the Sibelius _Fourth_ and _Fifth Symphonies_ with the Berliners; is anyone here familiar with those recordings?


----------



## opus67

Scelsi said:


> Indeed it's part of an organ. The recording is really marvellous (both interpretation and sound-wise). Just look at all the ratings it's got (I know, you cannot always depend on these critics, but in this case they're quite unanimous).
> 
> It does (like all organ music) take a decent set of speakers to really enjoy the full power of the organ sound, both in the very high as in the very (véry) low regions.
> 
> Anyway, it is my best organCD


Thanks, Scelsi.


----------



## tenor02

*Brahms Requiem* -- we're singing it on November 3rd, i cant get over the second movement lol.


----------



## Air

Prokofiev sonata No. 6, in the meantime.


----------



## Isola

Glenn Gould - Bach Partita 4-6. Most suitable for a quiet Sunday morning. Love the No.6 the best.


----------



## Badinerie

Been away playing the blues. Time to get back to listening to some great classical music now though...Ysaye solo violin Sonatas 1-6.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's 8th symphony - Bernstein/LPO


----------



## Methodistgirl

I'm listening to Kukulkan music.
judy tooley


----------



## Rachovsky

Judy, you never cease to amaze me with your music, lol. I google'd Kukulkan and I can't even find what that is.

I'm currently musicless. Just watching the mens swimming Olympics in what i believe was the most amazing team race ever.


----------



## marval

Kukulkan music is Mayan music from mexico.

Something like this, I think.


----------



## Rachovsky

Yes it is. I saw her comment below the video. Judy, may I ask why you believe the world is going to end in 2012? I do know that the Mayan's believed thats when the world would end, but they were polytheistic and believed in some wacky things.


----------



## opus67

Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 23
Kempff (Stereo/DG)

The last movement doesn't have the same 'restlessness' that I heard in a recording of live performance featuring Pollini yesterday.

The CD I'm playing right now is the first one I ever bought, and I'm listening to it after a long time.


----------



## diabelli27

Hello, for a week I have been enjoying the great British classical guitarist Gary Ryan,he came to Normandy primarily for Master Classes,& ended the week with a concert, plus a world premier of "Bazaar"It was great! but not recorded yet, so I purchased his
Visions & Vistas.I promise you, you will not be disappointed, they are gems, starting with "Generator", he's a genious with the guitar,& his compositions charged,rythmic drive,penatonic scale, layered, absolutely top quality. If anyone has heard this recording ,I would like to hear,


----------



## Weston

marval said:


> Kukulkan music is Mayan music from mexico.
> 
> Something like this, I think.


This sounds very modern. Have we come full circle then? I'll stick with Beethoven, currently the piano sontata No. 28, Alfred Brendal.


----------



## opus67

Right now: the second movement of Hummel's trumpet concerto - it reminds me of the Mozart's PC No. 21, the string background, especially.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's Ninth symphony, Bernstein/NYPO. The only recording I have, and an excellent introduction from what I've heard; I might well buy Walter's 1961 recording eventually, or Bernstein's second one with the Berlin Philharmonic if the prices go down on it...!


----------



## Scelsi

Still going through my Bach CD's. 
Currently:


----------



## opus67

Apparently, Felix Mendelssohn wrote more than two concerti for piano. 

Piano Concerto in A minor
Brautigam/New Sinfonietta Amsterdam/Markiz

Addendum: It sounds great for something written by a 13-year-old!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1
Christian Tetzlaff, violin; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
VIRGIN (inc. Violin Sonata No. 2; Sonata for Solo Violin)*
After several previous entries, I now feel comfortably inside the idiom where Bartók's three-movement _Violin Sonata No. 1_ firmly resides. It's where angularity and emotive phrasing supersede an often futile effort at establishing melody to make for a listening experience that ultimately comes to rest somewhere just the other side of "comfortable". Teztlaff and Andsnes make for able and sympathetic guides, exploiting an impressive array of dynamic and tonal ranges and often exchanging the lead in their dialogue so that the listener feels as if he's overhearing a poignant, intimate conversation whose participants covertly wish to be overheard -- by turns contemplative and nakedly expressive. This is abetted by a recording scheme which gives equal weight to each instrument -- indeed, the violin is occasionally overcome in the balance. Tetzlaff's phrasing offers very fine intonation without added astringency, allowing Bartók's moderately and inherently astringent expression to speak effectively on its own. (By the by, there's a brief musical statement in the work which I know I've heard before, but I just can't nail it!) This is my introduction to these works and I greatly look forward to continuing on in the journey.

*Hovhaness: And God Created Great Whales
Philharmonia Orchestra
David Amos, cond.
CRYSTAL (inc. other works)*
I've listened to several works by Hovhaness in the past -- frankly, several of his innumerable symphonies have left me nonplussed and often outright frustrated by their lame repetitiveness. Here's an interesting short piece which sets mostly delightful music alongside the actual songs of humpback whales. I prefer George Crumb's forays into this clever juxtaposition, but this also has its charms. The explosive tutti fortissimos actually evoke the sight of a breaching leviathan!


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Keine Lust - Rammstein. "Ich Hab Keine Lust"


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

opus67 said:


> So, who's performing? The only version I have is a YouTube video - Terfel, Bartoli, and someone else who I don't recognise.


I have two that I like Terfel and Samuel Ramey . Furrlennato(I cant spell his name) does it well tooooooooooo.


----------



## World Violist

Revelatory. I'm listening to Bruno Walter talking in this interview thing, and he's talking about meeting Mahler and all this stuff. Amazing, so far.


----------



## Badinerie

Chilling out to some Scarlatti piano sonatas. Might have some Shostakovitch next...


----------



## Badinerie

Went the other way today...I bought Fournier's bach Cello suites only 8 squid. Very nice too! Enjoying suite no 2 right now.


----------



## opus67

Badinerie said:


> Went the other way today...I bought Fournier's bach Cello suites only 8 squid. Very nice too! Enjoying suite no 2 right now.


Thanks for reminding me. I'll listen to the 5th now.


----------



## Elgarian

Working my way slowly through some of the free live opera performances on the Opera Today website - at the moment trying out Massenet's _Marie-Magdeleine_ oratorio, see here:

http://www.operatoday.com/content/2008/04/massenet_mariem.php

Although a fairly obscure and neglected piece, it has some lovely tunes in it (but then, I find almost anything by Massenet is full of good tunes). I presume the origin of this (1976) was a radio transmission. The recording quality is a bit unstable (but generally acceptable enough to live with), I'm not too convinced about one or two of the performers, and a large chunk of the oratorio seems to be missing, but despite all this I've pretty well enjoyed myself. I've managed to track down this particular recording which is available as a 2CD set on the 'Bella Voce' label at budget price, and maybe the recording quality will be better on that (and I assume it will be complete). At any rate, I've ordered a copy, see below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marie-Magde...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1219085317&sr=8-2


----------



## Lisztfreak

At the very moment, it's de Falla's Harpsichord Concerto, but soon I'm going to devote myself to Janáček's 'Jenůfa', carefully following the libretto. That's the only way I can really feel an opera when I hear only the music, without acting.


----------



## Scelsi

with my last Bach CD just finished:










Wispelwey can start performing his Haydn magic:


----------



## Elaryad

I'm listening to Shostakovich's Symphony N. 8 conducted by Evgeny Mravinsky. Powerful, somewhat maniac!


----------



## Moldyoldie

Elaryad said:


> I'm listening to Shostakovich's Symphony N. 8 conducted by Evgeny Mravinsky. Powerful, somewhat maniac!


A personal favorite, and certainly one of the most powerful symphonic statements of the 20th century! I also love Previn's recordings with the LSO, especially the first one on EMI.

Just listened to...

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, cond.
ONDINE*
This recording leads off one of the two CDs included with online music critic (classicstoday.com) David Hurwitz's book _Sibelius, The Orchestral Works: An Owner's Manual_, one of the entries from Amadeus Press in their series of primers called _Unlocking the Masters_. All I can say is that if, by chance, one was introduced to the amazing _Symphony No. 7_ via the book and this recording, he might be waiting quite awhile till he hears a recorded performance more magnificent!

Segerstam has seemingly garnered a reputation of being an overly willful interpreter; such is not the case here. This is a fairly alacritous reading at about 21 minutes, but through finely judged rubato and balancing, not to mention a warmly vivid and up-close recording, many felicitous details are allowed to emerge as the symphony's single movement coalescingly progresses. Segerstam and the HPO concoct a wonderfully seamless and tasty primordial chowder from which the series of trombone climaxes subtly emerge (as opposed to harsh and terse wails arising from "Sibelian sludge"); I especially like the contributions from the tympani! The magical "culmination" with the grudgingly rising strings going slightly flat at the climax leading into the coda is not overstated, but comes forth and sings out as naturally as seemingly everything else in this performance...until the very ending. The ending is terse and truncated, which should please Sibelian purists, but I still feel the final chord could be held on to a tad more dearly and allowed to fully express a more "cosmic" conclusion.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini, cond
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
From 1982 -- exquisitely slow and expansive, yet powerfully expressive! Quite a unique performance, actually.


----------



## Ramamaiden

Rachmaninoff piano concerto no.2

wow...this thread is amazing. i like classical music a lot, but i dont know very much, so this thread will help me a lot to see what people like and what to listen =D.


----------



## Moldyoldie

This was suggested by another poster...somewhere! 








*Bantock: Celtic Symphony; Hebridean Symphony; The Witch of Atlas, The Sea Reivers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vernon Handley, cond.
HYPERION*
Nothing too heavy here, just fine music inspired by and suggestive of the folklore and landscape of the British Isles, all beautifully played and vividly recorded. Anyone who loves the more pictorial/pastoral side of Ralph Vaughan Williams should appreciate the Romantic, mysterious, and epic stylings of his contemporary Sir Granville Bantock. Great stuff, this.


----------



## lülü

Ahmet Adnan Saygun - Twelve Preludes on Aksak Rhythms

Gülsin Onay, piano


----------



## Scelsi

I know, Mozart vs Karajan. Consider it a beginners mistake from many years ago. But I listen to this opera too infrequent to acquire a second version, so I'll have to live with this one...


----------



## Moldyoldie

On a virgin voyage (no pun intended )








*Sibelius: The Maiden in the Tower; Pelléas et Mélisande; Valse triste
Solveig Kringelborn, soprano; Lilli Paasikivi, mezzo-soprano; Lars-Erik Jonsson, tenor; Garry Magee, baritone
Ellerhein Girls' Choir; Estonian National Male Choir
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi, cond.
VIRGIN (CD#2 of 2)*


----------



## Scelsi

Still struggeling my way through my Mozart CD's (skipping more than I listen to). This is the toughest part of my journey through my CD's. Once I'll reach the romantic era, I can look forward to Bruckner and Mahler. And then, the 20th century is close!


----------



## World Violist

Once again, though it has been a while.


----------



## Scelsi

OK-recording, though I definitely prefer my old Bijlsma-Beths-de Leeuw- ? version: I can just listen to the wanderer interpretation, Bijlsma-Beths-de Leeuw know how to silence me internally, how to make me cry, experience horror, solitude, hope.


----------



## opus67

The programme...

Szell conducts

Rossini
L'Italian in Algeri: Overture
Cleveland SO

Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5
WDR SO, Cologne

Wagner
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act 1
NYPO

Josef Stauss
Delirien
Cleveland SO


----------



## World Violist

Mahler's First Symphony - Bernstein, Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam

This has to be one of my favorite recordings of Mahler ever. Of any symphony. It doesn't seem to have any of Bernstein's hysterics and such in it; on the contrary, I think this is pretty much a definitive recording. The finale absolutely blows me away every time, especially the two climaxes; this brass section is absolutely explosive! I almost laughed and cried at the same time with sheer, unrestrained joy near the end as the brass belted out those fourths and burst out laughing at the anticlimactic ending. Such an amazing recording could only be my first recommendation!


----------



## Rachovsky

I own this one, W.V.










Is it the same recording or do you know?


----------



## Scelsi

Even in our region a lesser known composer. 
You can listen to the full first (of two) CD's here: http://www.radio4.nl/page/luisterpaal_player/196 and judge for yourself whether it's well deserved he's not famous...


----------



## Scelsi

Rachovsky said:


> I own this one, W.V.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is it the same recording or do you know?


Of course it's not:

The WV version is with the Concertgebouw Orkest, it's Bernstein's last recorded version of Mahler 1 (recorded in '89), it's live and it's great.
Your version with the NY Philharmonic (recorded in 1960 if I'm not mistaking) is his first version of Mahler 1 I think. The interpretation is quite close to the '89 one, but of course you miss the sound of the concertgebouw (the hall itself), and of more recent technology.


----------



## opus67

And, of course, that's DG and this is Sony.


----------



## Scelsi

String quartets bij Wolf


----------



## Scelsi




----------



## World Violist

Scelsi said:


> Of course it's not:
> 
> The WV version is with the Concertgebouw Orkest, it's Bernstein's last recorded version of Mahler 1 (recorded in '89), it's live and it's great.
> Your version with the NY Philharmonic (recorded in 1960 if I'm not mistaking) is his first version of Mahler 1 I think. The interpretation is quite close to the '89 one, but of course you miss the sound of the concertgebouw (the hall itself), and of more recent technology.


AND you miss the brass section of the orchestra! which kicks an unmentionable word!!!

Anyway, I'm not listening to anything in particular mainly because my headphones are on the fritz, so can't listen to much while I'm out and about... ugh. Oh well!

(And by the way, Rachovsky, I do own that CD also; I just like the Concertgebouw one better... it makes my day every time I hear it)


----------



## World Violist

Now that I actually have something I'm listening to...










Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Herbert von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic

This performance is gripping and intense! The first movement is absolutely terrifying in the "fate" climaxes, the second has this terrifying beauty about it, the third movement seems quite frantic (the one I'm on now). Amazing so far!

And Karajan in his prime conducting Tchaikovsky... just the thought sends chills down my spine!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Josef Hofmann
Beethoven Piano Concerto #4
Philadelphia Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy, conductor
Recorded from broadcast: 4/4/1938

A look into a different era, that. The audience actually _applauded_ after the first movement. I've seen it in print somewhere that Ormandy's predecessor in Philadelphia, Leopold Stokowski, used to encourage that kind of response from the patrons.


----------



## World Violist

Now the sixth symphony. This is also incredibly intense.


----------



## Elaryad

Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps. 
A. Moglia- violin
M. Arrignon- clarinet
R. Benedetti- cello
J.-C. Henriot- piano

A very "expressive" music. We almost can ear things happening behind it, like angels voicing.


----------



## Scelsi

just finished:










currently playing:


----------



## Scelsi

small slice of heaven


----------



## Elaryad

I'm listening to the first CD, just bought it today. I didn't know Stravinsky's works and I'm impressed. And I didn't know he was into some atonal stuff. Very nice and very intense, but it's not "easy listening".
Can't wait to sit down and read the Portrait.


----------



## islandersbob

Currently

Alexander Borodin Symphony No. 2










Next,
well it seems like a lot of others have been player Mahler 1, so I give it a whirl


----------



## CML

J.S. Bach
French Suites
Keith Jarrett on Harpsichord
It's wonderful.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Mari Anne Häggander, soprano; Alfreda Hodgeson, contralto; Robert Tear, tenor; Gwynne Howell, bass
London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir
Klaus Tennstedt, cond.
BBC LEGENDS*
This recording of Beethoven's _Ninth Symphony_ was made unexpurgated in live performance in 1985 and displays all the foibles of such an endeavor; the most noticeable being some egregious lapses in ensemble, many inaudible timbral details, and a less-than-optimum soundstage. I didn't find the occasional cough from the audience to be disconcerting. What makes up for it, however, is some excitingly spontaneous playing the likes of which are reminiscent of none other than Furtwängler! Unlike him, however, Tennstedt here seems intent on maintaining full-bore forward momentum without stopping very often to smell the roses.

The first movement moves right along with some powerful brass accents and harrowingly ominous tympani. The second movement is even more forthrightly propulsive. Here is where the orchestra has trouble keeping up, timing and ensemble often crumbling from the impetuous drive of Tennstedt's baton -- one certainly could never accuse him of being too cautious! The third movement adagio is taken at what I'd describe as a slightly slower than conventional tempo, coming in at around 17 minutes; the music's inherent rapturousness is allowed to adequately express itself. I also heard some interesting intonations coming from the horns - not necessarily bad, just "interesting". The intro to the fourth movement is marred by a bad orchestral balance as the winds come up noticeably short. Later, however, the brass sing out the big tune marvelously! I can't say that the vocal soloists are the greatest I've ever heard, but they're certainly adequate. The chorus, however, is absolutely resplendent! Offhand, I'm at a loss to think of another recording of the Ninth that displays a more marvelously broad and JOY-ous choral presence -- perhaps only Rene Leibowitz with the Royal Philharmonic and Beecham Choral Society on the Chesky label surpass them in all-out JOY-ousness. Thunderous applause erupts almost spontaneously upon hearing the final note!

Though I can't rightly recommend this to a novice listener because of its obvious shortcomings, I believe it offers enough spiritedness and other intangibles to make it a worthy addition to the collections of seasoned Beethoven's _Ninth_ aficionados.


----------



## World Violist

Here's something I've not listened to in a good while...










Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano.

The reason I'm listening to this, really, is that the score is so much easier to read, and also that MTT does give a very good idea of what Mahler intended; all dynamics are followed, almost tediously so, but not quite. The first movement is very intense, and though a lot of liberty is taken with the tempo (rubato and such), it doesn't seem to impede the overall musicality of the movement. The second movement is very charming and graceful, the strings immaculate as always in the SFSO, and very dramatic in the triplet section. The scherzo third movement is perfection itself, except for one little quirky detail... in the pick-up to the rehearsal "53," MTT takes it far too slow far too suddenly for my taste (this is just a little while before the end, by the way). I know there's a morendo written in there, but this is not part of it; it is loud and obnoxious, and Mahler surely meant it to be that way... and not slow. Anyway, the fourth movement (so often marred by a far-too-wide vibrato and out-of-tune notes, in my experience) is sung with heartrending beauty by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. There is no excessive vibrato, only pure notes with such expressive beauty, and such phrasing that this is undoubtedly one of the best I've yet heard (along with Christa Ludwig's with Bernstein's DG recording). The orchestra serves as a perfect accompaniment as well.

Then we come to the torrential finale, and the opening is absolutely terrifying after the idyll of "Urlicht." The rumblings in the low strings are vicious indeed, and the rest of orchestra enters perfectly in time, to hair-raising effect. After that there isn't a whole lot to say, although MTT's approach is very like Bernstein's DG recording (though it's a lot more polite, less rough around the edges). And then, after a tumultuous apocalypse, we come to the call of summons, perfectly played by instruments that are very obviously off-stage, and then the chorus enters, in what is quite possibly one of the most magical moments Mahler ever pulled off. Bayrakdarian makes her entrance, and though one could hear her for measures before, her ascension from the body of voices is still serene, floating. After the orchestral interlude, executed with absolutely breath-taking beauty, the second section is much the same as the previous one. Interlude, and then doubt enters the paradise with the entrance of Lieberson, in a once more perfect "O glaube." The rest of the movement is very intense, as tempo changes keep a push-and-pull effect which kept me at the edge of my seat. And then there came the coda, in which the two solo voices meet for the first time, and they are perfectly matched, in my opinion. The final "ascension" begins and builds very well.

But then there is a bit of a problem. Before the organ enters, MTT makes a massive ritardando much in the way Bernstein did some 20 years before, but... nothing comes out of it. "Aufersteh'n" is almost a bit rushed. In the score it marks a ritenuto into the organ entrance, then a "l'istesso" in half-note, which would make MTT's tempo very much like Bernstein's--very slow, like the bars preceding. I suppose MTT took the l'istesso to refer to the point before the ritenuto? Either way, it is still a glorious ending, much like most of the other recordings of this piece I've heard (the one exception being Zubin Mehta's reading with the Vienna Phil... if that's Mehta at his most involved, then I don't want to hear anything else; the end of his recording just doesn't move me at all. It goes forward, it might be intense, but the phrasing is all so awkward to me. Anyway, he's not who I'm talking about, is he?). The organ is resplendent, the choir joy itself.

The end is really quite amazing, don't get me wrong... this could easily be a 5-star recording, very easily, and I really hope I didn't take too long to say so...


----------



## Herbstlied

These days, I'm listening to Bach Concerto BWV 1041...I'm willing to work on it very well... it's my passport to the higher institution!
I don't like to listen to classical music while doing anything else... Maybe, I feel it's too sacred to my mind to listen while drinking tea or chatting with friends... I need full concentration on what I listen to!


----------



## Ramamaiden

Brahms 1st Symphony

I just love it. It's a piece that imo has something very special in it. I think the fact that Brahms took a lot of years and hard work to finish it may have something to do with it =P. Anyway i love this thread, i'm learning a lot =).


----------



## Scelsi

just finished playing:










Currently playing:


----------



## periodinstrumentfan

1. *Jean-Ferry Rebel (1666 - 1747)* ... 11e Sonate en si bémol majeur by Amandine Beyer on Baroque Violin & the ensemble Les Honnestes Curieux ... 




2. J-F Rebel ... Les Elémens : Le Cahos (Palladian Ensemble) ... 




3. *Buxtehude* Violin Sonata in B flat Major by John Holloway on Baroque Violin 




4. *Attilio Ariosti (1666 - 1729)* Sonata No. 12 in E minor for viola d'amore ... 




5. Attilio Ariosti Sonata No. 9 in G minor for viola d'amore ...


----------



## opus67

On the radio: 
Raff
Cello Concerto No. 2
Daniel Muller-Schott/Bamberg SO/Hans Stadlmair


----------



## likelake

*I am listening to Mr. Gilels piano play*

now ...


----------



## World Violist

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major ("Eroica"). Osmo Vänskä with the Minnesota Orchestra. Sounds great so far! Just getting toward the end of the first movement exposition, but I have really high hopes for the rest of the symphony (and indeed, the rest of the cycle  ).

Hey, this is cool: Vänskä takes the repeat in the first movement! I don't think I've heard anyone do that yet. Nice.


----------



## Moldyoldie

On a virgin voyage with Einar Englund...








*Englund: Symphony No. 4 "Nostalgic"; Symphony No. 5 "Fennica"; The Great Wall of China
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Eri Klas, cond.
ONDINE*
Englund's _Symphony No. 4_ (1976) is in four movements, only one of which can be described as uptempo, which takes the listener on an emotional ride on orchestral strings with occasional respites emanating from a colorful plethora of percussion. This one presents some fascinating sounds and aural "pictures" evocative of time and remembrance. Englund quotes Sibelius's _Tapiola_ in the movement labeled _"Nostalgia"_ whence the symphony derives its sobriquet.

The single movement _Symphony No. 5_ (1977) utilizes a full orchestra in evoking the composer's terrible WWII experiences in an alternating fast/slow/fast/slow sequence which is very reminiscent of Shostakovich's most harrowing and powerful symphonic utterances.

The eight-part _The Great Wall of China_ (1949) is music for an obviously parodistic play which includes a rumba, a tango, jazz, a gong, and a "March a la Shostakovich" -- great fun!

The 24-bit recording is incredibly vivid and one can't imagine performances more committed or convincing. This is a composer I'm definitely going to explore further!


----------



## Rachovsky

Moldyoldie, I don't believe I've ever saw anyone comment on your wonderful personal descriptions of the pieces you're listening too. I must say, I enjoy reading every time you post a new one. Keep it up.

I am currently in silence. Loud headphones in the eardrums = headache. I actually read a news story today that said studying with a headache helps you retain the information better, so maybe I should look at the _glass-half-full_...


----------



## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> I must say, I enjoy reading every time you post a new one. Keep it up.


Hear, hear!

Unfortunately, the closest our tastes come together is when there is a post on a Schumann or a Beethoven disc.  But I'm sure I can come back here when my horizon expands further and I'm looking for a short review of Sibelius or Shostakovich.


----------



## Elgarian

This is a lovely bit of treasure, sadly neglected I suspect. In addition to the works shown on the CD cover above, there's a little collection of less well-known pieces that are a real delight: the _Romance _(Op.1), the lovely _Pastourelle_ (Op.4 No.2), and others. There's a very attractive balance to the collection which starts with the masterpiece (the wonderful violin sonata) then lightens the tone subsequently with music that would mostly be well-suited to the Pump Room at Bath: more than enough to cheer me up on this wet afternoon. So you get the masterpiece, to take you up into the higher realms, and then get a space in which to recover gently.

So much of Elgar's music for the violin has a distinctly feminine feeling to it that I always feel it calls for a female violinist to play it. Simone Lamsma plays with a youthful energy, but doesn't miss the yearning character of the music. You can pick up a copy of this disc on Amazon for under £3, and I can't think of a better way to spend such a sum, offhand.


----------



## Isola

I've been watching and listening to this:










It's another Christopher Nupen's DVD about Evgeny Kissin. Kissin's renditions of Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy and 5 Lieder are the best I've heard - poetic, sensitive, exuberant, perfectly phrased and virtuosic. The DVD's video & audio qualities are top-notch. Some live performance DVDs make you wonder if the filmmakers really understood the piece, but not with this one. The few Nupen's DVDs I have are all excellent.


----------



## opus67

What was I listening to...

Skeletons on a tin roof, doing stuff...

BWV 1052
Leonhardt
[Not sure about the orchestra] It's Collegium Aureum

Now onto BWV 1060R This has a violin and an oboe
Franzjosef Maier (vln), Helmut Hucke (oboe), Gustav Leonhardt (hscd)


----------



## SamGuss

Beethoven "Moonlight" cause I was in the mood


----------



## opus67

SamGuss said:


> Beethoven "Moonlight" cause I was in the mood


Hello, sir. Haven't seen you for quite a while.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Thank you Rachovsky and Opus67 for your comments. 

Just listened to...








*Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Women's Chorus of the Vienna Singverein; Vienna Boys' Choir
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Several weeks ago in describing listening to Mahler's _Third_ (Bernstein/NYPO/DG), I wrote the following: _I must say, comparatively speaking and despite the plethora of written rhetoric concerning Mahlerian interpretation, the Symphony No. 3 sounds incredibly simplistic! It's not that I don't like the Third; it's really quite enjoyable (and long!), but it's like listening to a b-movie -- emotionally transparent, texturally plain, and singularly melodramatic._

Well, that description can be thrown out the window with this performance. Not only do Boulez and company strip this musical gargantua of all melodrama, but seemingly of all such emotional pretense. They present the work not so much as a linear drama, but as a minutely detailed score full of hidden wonders to be unearthed, revealed, and reveled in as it progresses. I realize this depiction has become cliché as to the conducting of Boulez, but here the approach is both illuminating and most satisfying; the difference from my few previous experiences with the work is palpable. Frankly, I don't know if Boulez makes more of the _Third_ than it really is, or if I just haven't really heard it before!

BTW, there's a very noticeable hiccup in one spot which sounds like a sloppy edit; I've read where it's only present on the straight CD version of this release and was subsequently fixed on the hybrid SACD version. Otherwise, the sound is fabulous -- spacious, balanced, detailed, and most vivid. Pianissimos, however, are whisper quiet -- that bass drum(?) in the first movement must have been merely brushed against!


----------



## opus67

On the radio
Alexander Scriabin 
24 Preludes, Op. (11?)
Pianist: ?

They sound lovely. I haven't heard much (apart from a little fugue for piano) by this composer.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Funny you should mention this work... _and_ this conductor!


Moldyoldie said:


> *Mahler: Symphony No. 3
> Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
> Women's Chorus of the Vienna Singverein; Vienna Boys' Choir
> Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
> Pierre Boulez, cond.
> DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*


Because one of the newest arrivals in my collection (thanks to my wife's unbelievable generosity) is-
*New York Philharmonic
The Mahler Broadcasts 1948-1982*
which contains Boulez conducting the 3rd with Yvonne Minton furnishing the vocals.

I _still_ find the 3rd the highest hurdle among the Mahler symphonies- but I DO have a new favorite version of 3. A review I'd earlier read praised Boulez "exceptional clarity," and I think that's an important (if not outright essential) way to approach this piece.


----------



## SamGuss

opus67 said:


> Hello, sir. Haven't seen you for quite a while.


Good to see ya sir, I'm still alive, kicking and enjoying classical. Hadn't been for awhile but I'm still "around". 

Tonight I am listening to:










I've been on a Beethoven kick lately for some reason.


----------



## Lisztfreak

For me it's Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No.2. It scares the **** out of me. I can't explain why, except that it's terribly insincere. All the movements. I mean, the concerto is brilliantly composed, the rhythms galloping, the orchestration radiant, but something is wrong about it. Something... aaah, enough.


----------



## World Violist

Elgar: Violin Concerto, Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Edward Elgar/London Philharmonic

Oh my goodness... the emotions in this piece are just tearing me apart! And to think someone my age could do something like this... the sheer nostalgia of it all is so overwhelming, and the orchestral interludes (especially one of the earlier ones from the first movement) simply blow me away. The sound quality doesn't matter to me at all; the sheer level of music-making in this monumental CD is without peer and completely removes any thought of sound quality from my mind. This has been a reference recording since the day it was released, and it's blatantly obvious why once you've heard it. One has to hear this miracle to believe it!


----------



## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Elgar: Violin Concerto, Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Edward Elgar/London Philharmonic
> 
> Oh my goodness... the emotions in this piece are just tearing me apart! And to think someone my age could do something like this... the sheer nostalgia of it all is so overwhelming, and the orchestral interludes (especially one of the earlier ones from the first movement) simply blow me away. The sound quality doesn't matter to me at all; the sheer level of music-making in this monumental CD is without peer and completely removes any thought of sound quality from my mind. This has been a reference recording since the day it was released, and it's blatantly obvious why once you've heard it. One has to hear this miracle to believe it!


If I know anything at all (and I admit this is debatable), then Elgar's violin concerto is one of the greatest artistic creations of the 20th century. The way in which he reaches deep within himself and expresses the conflicting aspects of the feminine through the two 'windflower' themes - most particularly in that amazing extended cadenza, where the music sometimes seems to falter and almost die under the intensity of the soul-searching - seems incomparable, to me.

And this particular historic recording is about as authentic as it can get. It's fabulous to read such an enthusiastic response to it.

(I presume you already know the equally astounding recording of the cello concerto with Beatrice Harrison as soloist and Elgar conducting?)


----------



## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> If I know anything at all (and I admit this is debatable), then Elgar's violin concerto is one of the greatest artistic creations of the 20th century. The way in which he reaches deep within himself and expresses the conflicting aspects of the feminine through the two 'windflower' themes - most particularly in that amazing extended cadenza, where the music sometimes seems to falter and almost die under the intensity of the soul-searching - seems incomparable, to me.
> 
> And this particular historic recording is about as authentic as it can get. It's fabulous to read such an enthusiastic response to it.
> 
> (I presume you already know the equally astounding recording of the cello concerto with Beatrice Harrison as soloist and Elgar conducting?)


I haven't heard the Elgar/Harrison recording, no, but I know of it. However, as Jacqueline du Pre's recording with Barbirolli remained my only Elgar recording at all (yes, shameful), I figured I ought to get something else of his. I found this recording and immediately knew it would be great; I knew the young Menuhin's legendary playing through his recording of the Bach sonatas and partitas from a few years later.

Now that I have this recommendation for the cello concerto, I may well pick that one up next I can; it'll also have something I haven't heard, I think... the Falstaff study symphony, I think?


----------



## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Now that I have this recommendation for the cello concerto, I may well pick that one up next I can; it'll also have something I haven't heard, I think... the Falstaff study symphony, I think?


It depends which CD you buy. The Dutton remaster comes with Falstaff, and the Naxos version with the 2nd symphony (both conducted by Elgar). Both were still available when last I looked - I think the Dutton remaster is slightly preferable in terms of sound quality. Beatrice Harrison is emphatically not Jacqueline du Pre, but she was Elgar's preferred soloist, and this recording has the same ring of authenticity as the Menuhin violin concerto. This is the version I'd take to my desert island - not du Pre's, for all its magnificent fireworks - and hearing it for the first time had the same impact on me as you experienced when listening to the Menuhin.

I've written something about Beatrice Harrison here:
http://www.talkclassical.com/3345-beatrice-harrison.html

Be warned. There is a risk of becoming infatuated with her!


----------



## Isola

I'm listening to Glenn Gould's Beethoven 32 Variations on an Original Theme. To me Gould's recording for the piece is really the one and only, absolutely superb!


----------



## Misakichi_mx

Beethoven- Egmont Overture Op 84, we're playing this for the gala concert this semester so I'm listening to it like crazy


----------



## opus67

Some of Scarlatti's sonatas, played by Gustav Leonhardt on a harpsichord. 

The one in F minor, K. 238/239, had this "Spanish theme" to it. Wonderful!


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Fritz Reiner/CSO; Richard Lewis, tenor; Maureen Forrester, contralto

I knew Reiner was good before I heard this recording, and after I did hear it I thought it was pretty good, all said... but now that I'm listening to it again, I think it deserves another shout from the peanut gallery.

This is undoubtedly one of the best Mahler recordings that I own. Period. And, if you've seen some of my other posts, you know I've got quite a few of 'em. The music itself seems to me not a little impressionistic, and Reiner brings that quality out to absolutely stunning effect. The CSO, as always under Reiner, are flawless. The notes are perfect, the phrasing only enhanced by how utterly together they are. As an added bonus, this absolutely could not have been recorded in 1959. It is definitely the most perfect recording I have ever heard from that time; indeed, it rivals many recordings made 10 years ago, in my humble opinion.

Now on to the actual pieces. The opening Drinking Song of the Earth is just spellbinding. No other way to say it. There's this kind of hellish presence to it, a restlessness even, in the "faster" parts. And, best yet, its quality is very dreamlike underneath the hardness, making it all the more mysterious and, again, spellbinding. Lewis is perfection itself in this movement, and to say anything of Reiner and the CSO would just be restating what I've already made obvious. The second song is, if anything, more dreamlike, spellbinding, more restless (made all the more so by Forrester's quick, shimmering vibrato): I almost forgot how to breath in this song, and it's perfect foreshadowing for Der Abschied. The third and fourth songs, much in the same strain, are very youthful, sunny, enjoyable, but still have that shimmering delicacy about it that links all of these so indelibly together. The Drunkard in Spring is a rollicking frenzy, made all the more so by the constant playing around with tempo--in the first few seconds the soloist comes in, the tempo slows to less than half, I think, of the original tempo, then jumps right back to the original, all so easily and naturally. It's a work of art.

Der Abschied deserves a paragraph to itself, I think. From the very opening, very low C, I was entranced, transfixed, transported to another, darker, almost sinister place, dark velvet in its texture. The voice of Forrester only enhanced it, if that were possible, drawing me deeper into the music than I'd probably ever been for almost any other piece. A ray of sunshine shone through, hope in this land of despair--it was carelessly shunned away, the rocking harps a dark reminder of what once was, as the woodwinds are almost chuckling in mockery of the folly the listener finds himself in: "You actually believed this was over, didn't you?" I swear, I've never heard such mesmerizing, atmospheric, evocative music as this. And I don't even remember the words. The meaning is very clear without any knowledge of German at all. As the music drifts on--and it feels like a journey, never ending, always just moving along--restlessness became more apparent, nostalgia becoming more and more painful. And just when I thought I could stand it no longer, this burst in the major key (though still tinged with such beautiful melancholy as I couldn't describe) brought this nostalgia back, and this is the only part to which I know the English translation to some degree...

"The dear earth everywhere
blooms in spring and grows green
afresh! Everywhere and eternally,
distant places have blue skies!
Eternally... eternally..."

And as it faded away, unresolved and yet at the same time better resolved than anything else the man wrote, a sense of deepest joy and yet deepest sorrow enveloped me. It's inexplicable. One must hear it to believe it. This is undoubtably Mahler at his absolute finest, and all the artists involved at their finest. This is a recording for the ages.


----------



## opus67

Test listening...

Mahler (yes, you read that right)
Symphony No. 2

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Cracow Radio and Television Choir/Hanna Lisowska, Jadwiga Rappe/ Antoni Wit (As I said, it's a first listen, so I'm sampling the work.)

Nothing seems to be driving me away from it.


----------



## Scelsi

Radio: Musiq3 (the Walloon classical radio) with a programm on Kagel. (Following his death)

Scelsi


----------



## opus67

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection"
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Singverein
Christine Schäfer, soprano; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo soprano
Pierre Boulez

Live - 2005, Wiener Konzerthaus 

For the second time in less than half-a-day!


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Novák: In the Tatra Mountains; Eternal Longing; Slovak Suite
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Libor Pešek, cond.
VIRGIN*
This was recommended to me as a possible "in-kind" short-term departure from Sibelius. Vítězslav Novák (d. 1949) was among those post-Dvorák Czech composers who carried on in the late-Romantic tradition. By virtue of his circumstances, his music here borrows from Slovak and Moravian inspirations. All three of these works feature a dramatic sense of time and place abetted by a preponderance of long, undulating melodic lines. Orchestral color is accented with brief recurring flourishes from a host of exotic timbres, especially the harp and various percussion. _Eternal Longing_ is probably the most musically substantive work here -- a most affecting Romantic expression full of dramatically extended crescendos and beautiful legato melodies that can set the heart reeling apace. The lengthier _Slovak Suite_ is marked by the same beautiful lyrical expression which lays easy on the ear while ultimately weighing lightly and positively on the mind.

However, despite Czech conductor Pešek's presence on the podium, all this music as presented here takes on more the flavor of pastoral England than anything one would think of as being East European; i.e., I hear much more that's redolent of Delius than of Dvorák! I'm sure the fine playing of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, which here sounds as English as any band I've heard, as well as the semi-spacious recording from Virgin, more diaphanous than truly vivid, have much to do with this impression. I would hazard to guess that a native orchestra would lend a much more idiomatic flavor to the proceedings, if that is indeed what the listener seeks. That consideration aside, however, this recording presents a most beautiful, elegant, and musically homogeneous program lasting well over an hour -- indeed, a most delicious if less substantial respite from Sibelius.


----------



## nickgray

Richard Wagner - Gotterdammerung (Karl Bohm)

I think it's the first time I've decided to listen the last Ring opera completely, I've been too obsessed with Rheingold and Walkure lately and couldn't get myself to listen to Siegfried and Gottedammerung from beginning to the end for quite a long time.


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## opus67

Hello, nickgray. Welcome aboard!


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 6, Bernstein/NYPO

It's been quite a while since I've listened to this symphony. It's a very interesting one, to say the least. The only one not to embrace a major key ending at the end, but rather a stone-cold silence after the bone-chilling last chord from the plucked strings. This recording was always a really good in my book; indeed, I've never bothered buying another one, though the other Bernstein recording has always tempted me; but no others except a very quick glance at Boulez's acclaimed interpretation.


----------



## Elgarian

I have a curious relationship with_ Il Trittico_. The first of the three (_Il Tabarro_) leaves me pretty cold. The third (_Gianni Schicchi_) even colder (apart from the famous bits). But _Suor Angelica_, the second 1-hour opera in Puccini's trilogy, just hits me and hits me time and again, and this performance of it, with Cristina Gallardo-Domâs as Angelica, is so utterly fine, so heart-rending, so inexhaustible, that I hardly know how to speak of it. I'm not actually playing it this moment; I was playing it an hour ago, while putting together some bookcases. Yes, the wood is now tear-stained. And sometimes I just had to stop and do nothing but listen.

Unbelievable. If all else were lost, it would be worth living just to listen to this.


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## Scelsi

Scelsi


----------



## opus67

David Oistrakh was born on this day one hundred years ago.

I don't own any solo recordings of his, so...

Brahms
Concerto for Violin and Cello, Op. 102
Oistrakh/Rostropovich
Cleveland SO
Szell


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Holst: The Planets
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, cond.
PHILIPS*
If one loves Gustav Holst's warhorse suite _The Planets_ (there may be one or two insufferable cynics in the world who don't!) and believes the reason for collecting different recordings of a favorite work allows one to hear how it can be performed differently and just as effectively, it might behoove them to get hold of this truly unique 1970 performance from Bernard Haitink and the London Philharmonic.

This has what has to be the slowest _Mars_ I've yet heard, even slower than Sir Adrian Boult's vaunted last recording with the same orchestra from '79. While the dramatically ominous and belligerent tone of the music is certainly upheld across a mostly unchanging slow tempo, it's somewhat unfortunate that this very deliberateness reveals so clearly how texturally and harmonically inelaborate the scoring of Mars actually is. In stark contrast, the urgent alacrity that Steinberg/BSO imposes on Mars, which essentially echoes the composer's own swift tempo in his recording from the '20s, serves to mitigate much of the thinness. Still, to hear _Mars_ played in Haitink's consciously deliberate manner, especially with playing as committedly controlled as here, is something every Planets aficionado needs to experience! The fine analog recording allows the listener to clearly hear every detail such as those marvelous opening _col legno_ strings, plus the loud crescendos are harrowing and thrilling!

_Venus_ is also rendered extraordinarily slow, exuding a beautifully understated and peaceful sense of utter romance. _Mercury_ rises with an impishness borne of light orchestral clarity and refreshingly contrasting swiftness; in fact, this may be the swiftest _Mercury_ I've heard at about four minutes! The popular _Jupiter_ has received more stirring renditions, but certainly none more elaborately described, sounding more staccato than usual and with seemingly every timbral detail accentuated. Here's where fans may be the most disconcerted, perhaps preferring and expecting more outright spontaneity and "Britishness" than Haitink allows.

The deliberateness returns with _Saturn_; here it certainly borders on being ponderous, but the details Haitink elicits with a finely judged sense of dynamic expression ultimately makes this particular "Bringer of Old Age" an unusually moving experience, even when heard in isolation. After that, _Uranus_ is thrust upon us with a sledge -- powerfully introduced and interpreted with an interesting variance in tempo and dynamics that makes it sound more substantive than it probably has any right to be. The concluding _Neptune_ shimmers with all the ethereal beauty and wonder one would want, the wordless women's choir fading sublimely into nothingness.

_The Planets_ is hardly the most profound music in the repertoire, but it's popular and diverse enough to afford the listener and collector many legitimate interpretations. For the relative newcomer, this admittedly idiosyncratic Haitink/LPO recording probably merits consideration only as an alternative, but it's a darn fine one, especially with the plethora of sameness to be found among the dozens of available recordings. Unfortunately, as of this writing, it's out-of-print and commanding out-sized prices on the used market. Hopefully, the Universal conglomerate will eventually see fit to remedy that situation.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 9, Bernstein/NYPO/Sony

(the Walter recording I reference in this is his later one from 1961 with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra)

It's an enigma to me, the opening movement of this symphony. I've never quite understood it. I'll just say that right from the start. It's beautiful, it's intense, but maybe I'm just too young for it (keep in mind; I'm not yet 17 as I write this). I do very much like it, actually. But to hear people such as Schoenberg and David Hurwitz proclaim it as the most intense movement Mahler ever wrote confounds me for some untold reason; honestly, if Bernstein's performances are to go by, then surely it would be the last movement of this same symphony that gets that distinction. But that's another paragraph.

Now on to actually talking about the recording... The opening is bordering on the best I've heard: it draws me right into the sound-world. Puzzlingly, the horn theme doesn't sound muted at all; where the Walter recording features buzzing, sneering instruments, this recording always made me think of something very noble for some inexplicable reason. The first climax is very very well built, yet still leaving room for further climaxes; perfect. And what emerges after would very easily convince me of Schoenberg's statement regarding this movement; a shower of beauty pours from the orchestra after that first climax. Granted, Bernstein knew how to keep a piece of music going, especially in Mahler. This is a very involving first movement, all told.

The second movement is taken quite fast at first; I couldn't keep up in the score I have in front of me for very long. At least, very fast in comparison to Walter; Bernstein's is two whole minutes shorter, I think. The orchestra is perfect in this: very rough, sneering, and still staying together no matter how close to flying apart they seem to be (which is really the point of this movement, I think; how far can an orchestra go?). Exceedingly fun to listen to! The third movement is a little bit slower than Walter's recording, but still gets its point across; it's still a bat out of hell. The immensely complex counterpoint still comes across quite naturally. This is as close as Mahler ever got to atonality in his finished works, and it shows.

Then comes the Adagio last movement. It seems to me very normal, almost; the emotions aren't particularly intense, the dynamic range isn't anywhere near as wide as the Walter recording (which at the last big climax literally forced me to turn the volume down on my headphones). Compared with the rehearsals on Youtube with the Vienna Philharmonic, especially, the hallmarks of his later recordings and performances are evident (the Adagissimo is truly moving), but not quite fully there. This is still an excellent last movement--the first time I heard it it was absolutely shattering--but after further listenings it doesn't seem quite as great as I'd initially thought.

I think this is probably one of the best recordings I can think of to start listening to Mahler's 9th symphony (though, since I haven't heard many others, I can't say anything for much); the sound is near perfection, rather rare for this Mahler cycle, and the strings, so integral to this piece in particular, are glorious, full-blooded; indeed, the principal cellist is very possibly the highlight of the whole CD. The music quality in this recording is top-notch. Though as I've said, I've only heard two full recordings of this symphony.


----------



## opus67

opus67 said:


>


That's actually Igor, not his father. Sorry about that.


----------



## nickgray

Philip Glass - String Quartets No.2, 3, 4. I don't really like minimalism, but for some reason I'm listening to this particular CD for a 3 or 4 days in a row at least once a day


----------



## World Violist

Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1, Mstislav Rostropovich with Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia

Amazing. Period.


----------



## World Violist

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota Orchestra)

Now this is a recording for the ages (haven't heard all of it; just the first three movements of the Fifth). The first movement of the Fifth is absolutely volcanic in its intensity, and the fact that Vänskä maintains such tight control over tempi and doesn't let the music go out of control only contributes to the intensity. At the end of the movement I couldn't help exclaiming in joy as the last chords were pounded out. This is world-class stuff, people, and I think it'll survive along with Toscanini and all the other greats as one of the greatest. Indeed, I could very easily compare Vänskä with Toscanini, but wouldn't dare purely because Vänskä and Toscanini are both in classes of their own, and their respective interpretations of this symphony confirm that. This, however, is in some of the best sound quality and engineering available, and that may well make the difference.


----------



## Rachovsky

I have long awaited Valery Gergiev's Mahler cycle, but I have been left a little unimpressed by his "Titan" and "Tragic" symphony. I'm hearing this one tonight on WQXR.com's radio and it is mediocre if nothing else. I actually read the Wikipedia article on Gergiev and was very very surprised to read this: _"In 1999, Gergiev married the musician Natalya Debisova, who is 27 years his junior and also a native Ossetian, and they have three children. Gergiev is a friend of Vladimir Putin and they are godfathers to one another's children. Publicity photos often depict Gergiev looking like a homeless tramp. However, few people realise that if Gergiev were ever to take a bath or have a shave, it would actually kill him."_ This is Wikipedia, so it may be untrue. Can anyone validate that fact? I always wondered why his hair looked like a giant beaver. Anyways, this is my full symphony for the night and Gergiev does a fine interpretation of Mahler, I just wish it wasn't so reserved at times.


----------



## Isola

Thanks for the feedback of Gergiev's Mahler. What I read about him gave me the impression that he is a passionate and ambitious true artist, somewhat old-fashioned in a Russian way in the sense of hot-bloodedness. And I liked what I saw - his conducting of Mahler 2. Not in the same league as Solti or Bernstein but intense and exciting to say the least. Of course then there's the impact of live concert.

I think I found the source of the article you mentioned: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4579829.ece Honestly, I can't care less about his personal hygiene (or Bernstein's sexuality), it's nobody's business but his own. To me it doesn't matter if he looks like a tramp or a prince in private, at the concert he's well-groomed and upright plus his tall figure his onstage persona is impeccable. I definitely will attend more of his concerts. 

Upon checking his upcoming concerts at the Barbican I found this very promising: Prokofiev _Romeo and Juliet _(complete score), 21 - 23 November 2008. Now it'll all depend on if I can get a bargain flight! Right now I'm listening to his frenzy _Schythian Suite_:


----------



## World Violist

Shostakovich's first violin concerto and first cello concerto

David Oistrakh, Dmitri Mitropoulos/NYPO
Mstislav Rostropovich, Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra

These recordings are what got me addicted to Shostakovich, in particular the cello concerto. This recording is just so perfect! There might have been some slips somewhere, but typical to Rostropovich, he glosses them over and makes them sound like they were written in. Not to mention his utter mastery of the cello and the music itself. Every phrase, every note, is rock solid, perfect, amazing. The recording has a LOT of impact, and add that to a reading this intense and there's something special.

The violin concerto is a bit stranger to me. I'd heard Oistrakh performing the cadenza before (on "The Art of Violin") and it was very interesting but not quite my cup of tea. That sentence somewhat describes my relationship with the rest of the violin concerto, given a near-definitive performance by the legendary David Oistrakh: it's taking more time for me to warm up to it, for it to grow on me, whatever.

It's very interesting that two works of the same genre by the same composer written somewhat close to one another in time with the same harmonic language and everything can have such wildly different effects on me.

Anyway, this is a GREAT introduction to Shostakovich, in my humble opinion.


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## Rachovsky

Isola said:


> Thanks for the feedback of Gergiev's Mahler. What I read about him gave me the impression that he is a passionate and ambitious true artist, somewhat old-fashioned in a Russian way in the sense of hot-bloodedness. And I liked what I saw - his conducting of Mahler 2. Not in the same league as Solti or Bernstein but intense and exciting to say the least. Of course then there's the impact of live concert.
> 
> I think I found the source of the article you mentioned: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4579829.ece Honestly, I can't care less about his personal hygiene (or Bernstein's sexuality), it's nobody's business but his own. To me it doesn't matter if he looks like a tramp or a prince in private, at the concert he's well-groomed and upright plus his tall figure his onstage persona is impeccable. I definitely will attend more of his concerts.


I was actually gearing that comment more towards Vladimir Putin and he being good friends, I don't care how he look either. I just wish he wouldn't conduct with the toothpick  I haven't heard his Resurrection, but one really cannot interpret that poorly. I envy that you have saw him conduct live. When I was in London I wanted to go to the Barbican, but time was short and we had sites to see. I think they were doing Schubert's "Great C Major" and Shostakovich's 14th Symphony.


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## Isola

Gergiev seems to be a workaholic, having many concerts all year round here and there. So I guess it's only a matter of time you get to see his concert somewhere. No I didn't detect any toothpick, not even a baton! 

About his relationship with Putin, I must say the concert that article featured was a pretty bold statement on his side at a time like this. I also read from somewhere that Rostropovich was a close friend of Boris Yeltsin and firm supporter of Putin; Solzhenitsyn was another hard-line Putin supporter. I figure the end of communist era must've meant a great deal to Russian artists in general. As for Putin, I don't know if he likes any form of art other than martial art.


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## Moldyoldie

World Violist said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota Orchestra)
> 
> Now this is a recording for the ages....


Wow, that's quite an endorsement!









*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 "The Year 1917"; Hamlet (Suite); The Age of Gold (Suite)
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12 has seemingly garnered the reputation of being the composer's red-headed stepchild among his later symphonies, mostly for being the one most musically steeped in Soviet agitprop, euphemistically dubbed "socialist realism". However, if one ignores the supposed program attached to it, the Twelfth is not bad entertainment! It consists of four contiguous movements flowing uninterrupted. The first, titled _"Revolutionary Petrograd"_ and denoting Lenin's arrival there to stir up revolutionary fervor amongst the working people, is steeped in ardent and inelaborate orchestral blather that's sure to get the pulse racing. The brooding second movement, titled _"Razliv"_ after the town north of Petrograd (St. Petersburg, later Leningrad) to which Lenin retreated and hid, is a lengthy, understated and mostly legato string and wind statement whose downcast demeanor depicts political foreboding. However, the third movement, titled _"Aurora"_ after the ship which let loose a salvo signaling the onset of the Bolshevik attack on the Czar's Winter Palace, builds to an all-out fortissimo orchestral assault. This leads directly into the finale, turgidly titled _"The Dawn of Humanity"_, which brings with it the now-to-be-expected uprising of the people against Czarist tyranny and oppression. As bombastic as it is, it rocks as only Shostakovich can -- Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony make sure of it!

The _Hamlet Suite_ is made up of short, mostly fluffy and assorted snippets which nonetheless exude a fun cheekiness, seeing as it was to accompany a far from conventional adaptation of the Shakespeare play which put its composer in hot water with the Soviet authorities -- as if nothing else was new! There's even a direct quote from the Witches Sabbath music from Berlioz's _Symphonie Fantastique!

The Age of Gold is a full-length "athletic ballet" first performed in 1930; it tells the story of a Soviet soccer team sent to an international exhibition where it encounters a Fascist delegation, a beautiful cabaret artiste, members of the Communist youth movement, and a Negro boxer. Apparently the Soviet authorities were again not amused and the ballet was scrapped, only to be more recently "rehabilitated" with a very different story and choreography. The Suite assembled by the composer is in four parts taken from the original incidental music. Those familiar and enamored with Shostakovich's flair for lighter musical fare will probably enjoy these two latter works the most. These are hardly in the same sphere as his Fifth, Eighth and Tenth Symphonies!

The playing is exemplary and Järvi conducts with plenty of exuberance, conviction, and bite. The digital recording quality from Deutsche Grammophon is incredibly bright and vivid, almost "too" vivid in that it often betrays a natural perspective. Still, this CD contains 77 minutes of seldom heard Shostakovich not often appreciated for what it is, but perhaps should be._


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## World Violist

Funny that you should mention Shostakovich, Moldyoldie, as I'm watching/listening to Bernstein's video of the 9th symphony on Youtube that starts here :




Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic

Probably one of the most fascinating, informative videos I've yet seen on Youtube. The playing and conducting are all superb, and Bernstein's commentary is certainly the highlight of it all, though probably not so great for those familiars of this symphony (or this video, for that matter). But still I really like it so far.


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## Scelsi

The "Fire requim" just ended:










And now, I selected the Water passion: 










Not sure I've got more of these combinations in my CD rack. Anyone??
Scelsi


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## Zombo

My last.fm keeps track for me 

http://www.last.fm/user/kz


----------



## CML

Bach Keyboard Partitas
Richard Goode on piano
One of my favorite recordings


----------



## Rachovsky

Love this song!


----------



## likelake

*I am listening some of Alfred Brendel's plays ...*

*Brendel plays Liszt´s Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2*






*Brendel plays Schubert's Impromptu No. 3 in G flat major D899*


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## World Violist

Well, once this stupid thing actually downloads fully, I'll be listening to this thing:










I figure I'll probably get the whole set off of Amazon MP3 if I can. They're really inexpensive.


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## Moldyoldie

*Rautavaara: Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light"; Annunciations (concerto for organ, brass & symphonic winds)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, cond.
ONDINE*
By way of recommendation, this CD is my first exposure to this contemporary Finnish composer. While it's perhaps too easy to pigeonhole Rautavaara's _Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light"_ into that formless invented genre dubbed "new age", I will say that it provides abundantly more musical substance than anything I've heard by the likes of Philip Glass. Not only does this four-movement work exude a shimmering beauty and drama evocative of far northern latitudes, but also a sense of "universal introspection" by way of a colorful and mostly lyrical orchestral display. I'm particularly enamored of its occasional outpourings from the string basses effectively interspersed with the light emanating from the higher strings and winds. It was indeed Sibelius who made effective (and affecting) use of this melding of dark and light. A very fine solo violin is also a highlight. I can certainly understand this work's relative popularity among fans of both classical and contemporary music and believe it to be justified, if only because I feel a compulsion to occasionally revisit this to delve deeper into its beautiful mysteries.

_Annunciations_ offers a similar amorphous melding of timbres effectively offset by the unique sounds of the organ; its more intimate scale allows for clearer textures and more explicit musical nuances. The playing is exquisite; the music is alternatingly expressive and introverted with the organ seemingly in a state of self-examination. This work is probably less "egalitarian" in its appeal than _Angel of Light_, but still an intriguing listen nonetheless.

I should also mentioned that my copy of the CD was absolutely lacking notes of any kind, the folding cover was blank inside.


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Well, once this stupid thing actually downloads fully, I'll be listening to this thing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I figure I'll probably get the whole set off of Amazon MP3 if I can. They're really inexpensive.


Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 (in D minor) and 9 (in E-flat major)
Bernard Haitink/Royal Concertgebouworkest (for No. 5), London Philharmonic (No. 9)

Now I've actually listened to this once or twice (or three or four times...) since I bought it last night, I can actually say something about it; and since I am now listening to it, such sayings can actually be said to belong here!

So, this recording is tremendous in my humble opinion; after all, anyone who can make the finale of the fifth symphony NOT sound like some dorky little show tune has to have something going for him/her (no offense meant... or as little offense as can possibly be meant is meant). Anyway, the first movement of the Fifth is very atmospheric, mysterious, spooky, introverted in just the way only Shosty could make it. And Haitink certainly makes it excellent, taking it note for note, very plainly, but that plainness makes for the maximal effect here. The climaxes are particularly interesting, rising out of this shadowy mist of the repeated figures in the lower registers.

The second movement is easily the least memorable movement of the lot anyway; I can't say much except about the music itself (as, after all, I don't know this work so well), and even then only that it moves the symphony forward. The Largo third movement seemed the next logical step to me, but it doesn't prevent it from being one of the most moving slow movements I know of in the 20-century symphonic literature. And Haitink does a splendid job with it. The finale he takes at a decent enough pace, not as fast as Bernstein but still a good clip. The brass and woodwinds are particularly splendid in this one.

This Ninth, as Bernstein so aptly put it, is the "anti-Ninth," in which Shostakovich takes the "Curse of the Ninth" superstition and completely turns it on its head; not even Beethoven's or Mahler's grand, emotional Ninths emerge unscathed. Shosty makes the orchestration rather small-scale - rather Haydn-esque, in fact, besides trombones and timpani and whatever else - and even makes a textbook perfect sonata-form first movement; yet it's still so distinctly Shostakovich! This is followed by a rather somber and bleak second (slow) movement, but all the fun comes back in the third movement, and the rest of it (without pauses) is rollicking good fun. All I can really say about Haitink in this symphony is that, while he seems to me a bit straight-faced throughout, lets the music speak for itself, which is funny in essence. Therefore, nothing is really missed here.

All in all I love this CD, and I can't wait to get the rest of the set (though I'll probably take a couple of weeks out to order the quartets first).


----------



## Moldyoldie

World Violist said:


> ....after all, anyone who can make the finale of the fifth symphony NOT sound like some dorky little show tune has to have something going for him/her


If the finale is to "feel like being stretched on a rack", you simply must hear Rostropovich conduct the _Fifth_! I can recommend either of his recordings with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C. -- Deutsche Grammophon or Teldec. I've not heard the LSO Live recording.


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## opus67

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 1, 'Titan'
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionalle della RAI
Guiseppe Sinopoli 
[Live Recording]


----------



## Rachovsky

opus67 said:


> Gustav Mahler
> Symphony No. 1, 'Titan'
> Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionalle della RAI
> Guiseppe Sinopoli
> [Live Recording]


Did you find this off of SymphonyShare? I was going to download it but it was a FLAC file..


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## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> Did you find this off of SymphonyShare? I was going to download it but it was a FLAC file..


Yessir. But what's wrong with FLAC?


----------



## Zombo

opus67 said:


> Yessir. But what's wrong with FLAC?


probably too big for his hard disk / internet connection

what is SymphonyShare? do tell 

I'm listening to the Symphony No. 3 by Reinhold Gliere.


----------



## opus67

Zombo said:


> what is SymphonyShare? do tell


It's a Google group started by a former member of TC. It's for sharing decent-to-high (sound) quality music ripped from OOP CDs or recorded live in concert. In other words, no illegal file transfers.

http://groups.google.com/group/Symphonyshare


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## Rachovsky

opus67 said:


> Yessir. But what's wrong with FLAC?


Well I have a FLAC converter, but can you listen to them while their still in FLAC format? When I convert them to mp3 they are all on one track, meaning each movement isn't separate. I like my iTunes organization so I just delete them If I don't have a good description of each piece.



Zombo said:


> probably too big for his hard disk / internet connection


That has nothing to do with it.

I'm listening to Symphony No. 1 "Titan" with Abbado and the CSO.


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## opus67

Rachovsky said:


> Well I have a FLAC converter, but can you listen to them while their still in FLAC format?


Surely I can. The media players in my Linux box can play them without any fuss.


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## Rachovsky

Oh... Mine have to be converted


----------



## Rachovsky

In These Stones Horizons Sing (Finale) by Karl Jenkins.
This has to be the most cathartic and beautiful music I've heard in a while.


----------



## World Violist

Bach: The Art of Fugue
Bernard Labadie/Les Violons du Roy

I used to rather detest this CD because the strings sounded so flat and empty; now, listening to it again, I can only wonder what on earth I was thinking - indeed, whether or not I was thinking at all. The strings' tone is very warm, resonant, and the almost total lack of vibrato makes every tone shine equally to the others. I found myself utterly absorbed in listening to the first fugue on this CD.


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## opus67

WV, what are the instruments employed in that recording? And have they re-arranged the order the contrapuncti?


----------



## World Violist

Op. 67, I think it's a basic string orchestra with period instruments, with harpsichord and sometimes organ instead. And no, they didn't rearrange the contrapuncti, but they seem to have inserted canons or something every once in a while. Is that in the original Art of Fugue?

Anyway, here's what I'm now listening to:









And for those of you who actually click on the links and listen, I don't care about the intonation so much as the fact that this is some of the greatest music-making I've ever heard from this piece; pure emotion!


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> Op. 67, I think it's a basic string orchestra with period instruments, with harpsichord and sometimes organ instead. And no, they didn't rearrange the contrapuncti, but they seem to have inserted canons or something every once in a while. Is that in the original Art of Fugue?


Thanks. I know some of the parts carry the term 'Canon' in their name, but that is about it. I played the sample clip of track 9, which is usually contrapuntus 9 in most CDs, but it was playing _Canon alla Duocecima..._, which is track 17 in the Emerson SQ version for example.


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## Zombo

the 2nd and 6th symphonies by Niels Viggo Bentzon.


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## ludvig_van_beethoveen

..,Mozart's K.448 Concerto for Two Pianos. Researchers say that it boosts your IQ when u listen to it for 10 mins. or somethin. 'Mozart Effect'. Of course, it was just a claim. Still, I've been listenin 2 it for 3 days now,..


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## World Violist

There's the last movement of Brahms' Double Concerto on the radio just now. No clue who the soloists, orchestra, or conductor are.


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic"
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond.
MUSIC & ARTS (CD #1 of 5)*
Anyone familiar with Furtwängler's inimitable performances of Beethoven's _Ninth_ knows of his "way" with a slow movement. The second movement of Bruckner's now quite popular _Fourth Symphony_ is marked _Andante quasi allegretto_, but here takes on a different character with the conductor's constant deep probing, extended rests, and seemingly spontaneous rubato. For this listener, it's probably the most memorable aspect of this performance which otherwise eschews much of what I've always loved about this symphony, mostly as a result of some unusual phrasing and balances with which I'm not familiar. There's also an interesting use of the cymbals which I've not heard before. The marvelous brass "hunting calls" of the Scherzo third movement sound tersely rendered in relation to my favorite performances and many other sections sound clipped; if there's any real disappointment with the performance, it's with this movement. However, climaxes throughout are built and consummated with stylish aplomb; the finale is brought home in a convincing fashion, even if it's not as transcendent as one may have hoped for.

This new remastering (I've not heard previous releases) presents a most listenable soundstage with nary a pop nor scratch to be heard, only some unobtrusive coughs and movements from the audience. Considering the recording date and live venue (Oct. 22, 1951 in Stuttgart), I was pleasantly surprised in this regard.

*Langgaard: Music of the Spheres; Four Tone Pictures
Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, soprano
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.
CHANDOS*
This was another recommendation to broaden my musical horizons. I won't dwell on 20th century Danish composer Rued Langgaard's supposed bitterness toward his lifetime lack of renown and the success of his contemporary Carl Nielsen, only that it's an interesting footnote for the modern listener. I will say that Langgaard's _Music of the Spheres_ from 1918 is an incredibly exhilarating indulgence, redolent of those "celestial" musical qualities one would think of being more akin to the post-WWII period and not necessarily The Great War -- one is immediately reminded of Ligeti's similar musical utterances of nearly fifty years hence, moreso than anything from Holst's _The Planets_. In fact, the CD notes by Bendt Viinholt Nielsen do bring up how Ligeti, upon first viewing the score while serving on a jury in 1968, openly stated how his and Langgaard's compositional techniques were so similar as to suggest that he might be a Langgaard imitator! We hear otherworldly tone clusters, predominately from the high strings and winds, as well as a colorful plethora of orchestral sounds from brass to organ to bells, often accented and offset by the omnipresent tympani. One can't help but think that Langgaard, in composing this work, was thinking well ahead of his time.

Toward the latter third of the roughly thirty-five minute work, whose many brief parts are given fanciful titles such as _"Like Sunbeams on a Coffin Decorated with Sweet-Smelling Flowers"_, is the appearance of near nonsensical vocals from soprano and then chorus melodically repeating _"Do re mi fa sol la-a!"_ as if we're being treated to a Freudian glimpse at composer's block. (Ever see Jack Nicholson at the typewriter in _The Shining_?) After a romantically tinged bit from the soprano, beautifully sung, the work ends with an exciting and colorful orchestral and choral apocalypse! One is hard-pressed to decipher an intelligible program in all this; however, I like how it's described in the notes as "a singular musical concept in which sound and space are in focus on behalf of a logical or organic form"...whatever in the cosmos that may mean! In any case, as I stated earlier, it's an indulgence, but it's still exhilirating and often mindblowing fun!

The _Four Tone Pictures_, dating from around the same period, are songs for soprano and orchestra which come from a different, more earthbound Late Romantic compositional realm, expressively sung by Sjöberg. They each carry titles and lyrics summoning nature and are thoroughly delightful. The entire CD is rendered in Chandos' finest, most vivid recorded sound.


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## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major
> Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Atlanta Boy Choir/Ohio State University Chorale/Ohio State University Symphonic Choir/Master Chorale of Tampa Bay/Members of the University of South Florida Chorus
> Deborah Voigt, Magna Peccatrix; Margaret Jane Wray, Una Poenitentium; Heidi Grant, Mater Gloriosa; Delores Ziegler, Mulier Samaritana; Marietta Simpson, Maria Aegyptiaca; Michael Sylvester, Doctor Marianus; William Stone, Pater Ecstaticus; Kenneth Cox, Pater Profundus
> 
> That's a rather big cast... I'll post my impressions once I can get to listening to it!


OK, so now that I've actually listened to the whole thing, I feel I can give a few first impressions. The big picture is absolutely amazing in itself, though there are some little things interpretively I'm still as yet a bit at odds with; they'll probably disappear with more listenings, seeing as my only other recording is Bernstein's Sony recording.

The singers and chorus are utterly amazing. I expected before listening to it that the chorus is big enough as to drown out the orchestra, and it is at some points, but that rarely matters too much purely because this is almost entirely a choral symphony (and by the way, the orchestral interlude at the beginning of the second part is quite adequate). The contrapuntal line, so utterly crucial in this work, is extraordinarily clear compared to my Bernstein set; indeed, I marveled at the complexity of the first movement, finally laid bare to me (though I still feel I must obtain a score).

And then there's the "Alles Vergängliche," entirely in a class of its own from what I've heard (which includes Bernstein/LSO, Bernstein/VPO (Youtube), and Rattle (Youtube)). It's slow enough to allow it to blossom and grow like nothing else before. As an added bonus, there's a terrifying pause as it reaches for the climax where only the children sing one sustained note before the rest of the ensemble comes in with a crushing repetition of "Alles Vergängliche" before finally achieving an overwhelming ending. This is great stuff, I must say.

One of the problems, though, I have to say involves the first movement: it doesn't seem to move forward quite enough. The contrapuntal structure is perfectly shown, but at what cost? Still, with a second movement this powerful, it's a great CD in my opinion. Who knows, maybe that quibble also will pass with time?


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## Elgarian

It arrived this morning. When we struggle to find words to express what we're hearing, it makes sense just to stand back and calmly accept that sometimes, only objective, technical expressions are adequate to the task. It's in that spirit that I give my responses to a first listening to this historic recording of the _Fireworks_, made in the middle of the night (I jest not) in 1959, by Sir Charles Mackerras, using an original authentic five thousand oboes, the combined massed trumpets of the counties of Kent and Sussex, etc, etc ..... (I exaggerate slightly, but not much.)

My apologies to those who struggle to understand technical language, but I have no choice:

Wow!
Cor Blimey!
OMG!!!
Crikey!!!
Bloomin' 'eck!


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## Isola

Elgarian said:


> Wow!
> Cor Blimey!
> OMG!!!
> Crikey!!!
> Bloomin' 'eck!


Got my Rostropovich' Shosta 10 and Bernstein's Shosta 7 today and am listening to the 7th. What can I say, except to adapt your version of expression ('Cor Blimey!', 'Crikey!!!' & 'Bloomin' 'eck!' are not my usual term though), so it is like this:

Wow!
Bravo!
OMG!!!
F-a-n-t-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!!
AAWWYYEEAAHH!


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## Elgarian

Isola said:


> Wow!
> Bravo!
> OMG!!!
> F-a-n-t-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!!
> AAWWYYEEAAHH!


We both realise, I'm sure, that people will criticise this use of esoteric technical language. They'll ask why we can't just say plainly what we mean. They'll suggest that we're just trying to impress them with our elitist command of technical jargon. But I guess we just have to live with that.


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## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> We both realise, I'm sure, that people will criticise this use of esoteric technical language. They'll ask why we can't just say plainly what we mean. They'll suggest that we're just trying to impress them with our elitist command of technical jargon. But I guess we just have to live with that.


Oh, and I suppose the non-elitist amongst us could come up with a better way of expressing what one means? 

I'm sure I'll be listening to this soon:










It's just one of those I keep coming back to. It's a rather refreshing one after Bernstein from the '80s, I suppose!


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## opus67

Snobs!

Got up early this morning to watch the launch of Chandrayaan-1. Right now, there's Carnatic music in the background, but I am planning on listening to the new recording (via an internet stream) of Brahms' 1st, with Gardiner and RRO.


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## Rachovsky

Can't seem to get enough of this now that I've discovered it.


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## opus67

opus67 said:


> listening to the new recording (via an internet stream) of Brahms' 1st, with Gardiner and RRO.


More that ten useless characters.


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## Moldyoldie

Most recently marketed as...








*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
SONY (w/Sym. No. 9)*
With its thinnish, extremely compressed, but brilliant late-'50s sound, this is the recording and interpretation which brought the Shostakovich Fifth to a new generation. I'll just say it's diametrically opposite, inversely proportional, and thoroughly antithetical to what Rostropovich brings to it in his incomparable performances. Do you want to come away with a feeling of unabashed heroism (Bernstein) or as if you've been stretched on a rack...the choice is yours.


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## Kuhlau

This:










Rather minimalist in structure, but absolutely compelling listening. I'm always moved especially by the Festina Lente for Strings and Harp ad lib.

FK


----------



## nosnjoh

I've posted this before on the "latest purchases" forum, but I love it so much I'm putting it on here, too. Canadian composer, Rodney Sharman. His work "Incantation" has only been published on this CD, and there's an audio sample on this page. http://www.musiccentre.ca:80/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspItemDetails&buyItemsID=1838


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (1878 Haas Edition)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond.
MUSIC & ARTS (CD #2 of 5 from boxset)*
As much as I love the Brucknerian sound world, the _Fifth Symphony_ has "touched" me in only one recording I've heard, that of Eugen Jochum and the Staatskapelle Dresden on EMI, and even then I'm not often compelled to revisit it. That said, here Furtwängler surprises in that his reading is seemingly as straightforward and headlong as one will likely ever hear this work. There's a scarcity of the ultra-deep probing and characteristic stop-and-start mannerisms (usually most effective!) that I've come to expect with this conductor; or perhaps his conception of the work is such that the coherency of the massive overall architecture supersedes a probing for musical insights. In any case, he and the wartime Berlin Philharmonic extract a great deal of power from the music when called for, especially from the brass and tympani, as well as rapid bursts of energy when often least expected. It's a performance I've heard three times now with increasing enjoyment and "accord", though it won't displace Jochum...at least not yet. The sound does not betray its live origins of Oct. 28, 1942, but is certainly made listenable by the fine remastering.

*Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus; Piano Concerto No. 1; Symphony No. 3
Laura Mikkola, piano
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, cond.
NAXOS*
My second excursion into the world of contemporary Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (love that name!). _Cantus Arcticus_ from 1972, a "concerto for birds and orchestra", agreeingly melds the pre-taped sounds of Arctic fowl with light complementary orchestration in three mostly disparate movements. While the use of taped birdsong isn't necessarily unique in serious music, here the combination sounds more of a piece with one's personal contemplation of nature than with the concert hall and its more serious-minded patrons. It's a pleasant enough confection, I suppose. I found the final movement titled _"Swans Migrating"_ to be the most aurally compelling.

The first movement of the _Piano Concerto No. 1_ (1969) is marked throughout by recurring hard staccato dissonant chords banged out against rolling alternate-hand arpeggios and dramatic orchestration. I have to confess that the purposeful piano dissonances, while certainly ear-catching, are somewhat off-putting and ultimately unconvincing in their musical context here, even after repeat listening. I found the concluding two movements to be more compelling as soloist Mikkola explores both the work's introspective and outwardly modernist expressions often evocative of Prokofiev. At one point during the finale, I actually imagined Keith Jarrett in one of his memorable pseudo-improvisations from shortly after the time of this work.

The opening of _Symphony No. 3_ (1959-60) is nothing if not reminiscent of Bruckner's _Fourth Symphony_ with its solo French horn call, so much so that it sounds obvious! As the symphony progresses over four movements, we hear this recurring motif in a variety of orchestral statements, usually complemented with flourishes from an ever-present flute, a clarinet, and often a bassoon and what sounds like a _cor anglais_. The symphony is hardly Brucknerian in scale at just over a half-hour, but the familiar architectural building blocks are there, even if the work culminates in a soft-spoken hush and not a Brucknerian rush. The composer talks about his method in the accompanying notes, but in terms mostly foreign to this lay listener. However, he does make mention of "almost Brucknerian arcs" while discussing the fourth movement. In any case, I certainly enjoyed the _Symphony No. 3_ as I would any fine symphony; it makes a most substantive conclusion to a CD offering over 73 minutes of readily accessible and mostly thought-provoking music, even if one with a more purist bent may perhaps deem it somewhat derivative.


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## Kuhlau

A fine post, Moldyoldie. Thank you very much. 

FK


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## Chi_townPhilly

Moldyoldie said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (1878 Haas Edition)
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
> Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond.
> MUSIC & ARTS (CD #2 of 5 from boxset)*
> As much as I love the Brucknerian sound world, the _Fifth Symphony_ has "touched" me in only one recording I've heard, that of Eugen Jochum and the Staatskapelle Dresden on EMI, and even then I'm not often compelled to revisit it. That said, here Furtwängler surprises in that his reading is seemingly as straightforward and headlong as one will likely ever hear this work.


I have this rendition in its Deutsche Grammophon-Dokumente incarnation, as one of my quintet of Bruckner 5ths. Yeah, if one has any preconceptions as to what one would _expect_ in a Furtwängler performance of 5, they're certainly dispelled quickly enough. [C.f.: The Karajan live performance of Bruckner 9 with the Vienna Phil. on the old "Andante" label... a very "un-Karajan" interpretation!]

I, too, keep going back to the Staatskapelle Dresden recording of Bruckner 5... but with Sinopoli.

As for _my_ most recent listening, it's been the Berlin/Barenboim set for Wagner's *Parsifal*. Wagner was absorbing new ideas until the very end, he was. Act II is not generally conceded to be among the greatest of his musical inspirations (although the Flower Maiden music has a measure of fringe popularity). However, if you close your eyes and listen in a _tabula rasa_ manner, you could imagine this music being composed a generation later than it was! Finally, the chorus build-ups towards the end of Act III have (to me) a "Russian-sounding" feel to them.


----------



## Atabey

Beethoven - Symphony No.6 performed by Wolfgang Sawallisch and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


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## Moldyoldie

Chi_town/Philly said:


> I, too, keep going back to the Staatskapelle Dresden recording of Bruckner 5... but with Sinopoli.


Chi, at one time I was looking at that one, but have generally avoided Sinopoli because of a bad experience with one of his Mahler recordings. Silly, I know. I'm considering Welser-Möst's London Philharmonic recording; it's dirt cheap and has been described as "fleet in tempo", "alert", and "often exciting". We'll see.

And thank you for the comment, Kuhlau, the pleasure's mine.


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## Rachovsky

From the 2005-"Live on Broadway"-version of _Candide_, with the New York Philharmonic under conductor Marin Alsop.

The Old Lady: Patti LuPone


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## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor; Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major
Herbert von Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker

This recording is somewhat of a revelation to me. I have never heard either of these symphonies played quite so well before. So really, I can't do a good job of critiquing it yet. However, I can say that this is some of the most committed Sibelius I've heard also. The Berliners play the heck out of each of these pieces, and the "siren calls" of the fourth movement are chilling to the bone.

Though I still think the last several notes of the fifth sound quite rushed... it's still the only strike yet that I can find against this excellent disc.


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## Nemoralis

Borodin's Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, London Symphony Orchestra. I have a big smile on my face. Possibly it's a bit too much "Circus", but I'd rather have that than something... boring, for lack of a better word.

I am quite, quite new to the entire world of classical music, sampling along at pseudo-random.


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## marval

Welcome to the forum Nemoralis, glad you are enjoying classical music.


Margaret


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## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52
Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Perfection. That's all I can say. This got me irreversibly hooked on this cycle. Just for some background here, this was probably the first Sibelius symphony that really got me into his symphonies. Namely, the gorgeous second movement (from Colin Davis' earlier cycle, I believe), which absolutely got me obsessed. This recording does everything more justice than could be asked for. The first movement reveals some nuances I have never heard before; the middle movement, my slowest yet, was a revelation, pure and simple; and the third movement is just as amazing as I could have expected from the rest of it.

That being said, I recommend it much more heartily than Davis' or Berglund's recordings of this piece. This is simply the best.


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## opus67

D'Indy
Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 98	
Prunyi/New Budapest Quartet members

This is the first time I'm listening to a work by D'Indy. Sounds great!


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer, cond.
EMI*
As a point of reference for this brief review, know that I was introduced to the symphonies of Bruckner mostly through Otto Klemperer's commercial recordings with the New Philharmonia Orchestra on EMI/Angel. As is the case with many, it was Bruckner's majestic and tuneful _Fourth_ (heard on late evening radio) that initially turned me on to the composer, and in my case, the conductor as well. From there it was a progression to the _Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh_. Let me say that if it wasn't for a bit of persistence and curiosity on my part as a serious listener, my Brucknerian excursion might well have ended after hearing this _Fifth_.

Here was Bruckner as the musical equivalent of reading _War and Peace_, or perhaps more apropos to this performance, of Joyce's inscrutable _Ulysses_. Klemperer's conception of the _Fifth_ is one of rocklike strength and manifested in a great deal of deliberate, staccato phrasing. The harmonic details are laid bare, but the experience is akin to climbing Yosemite's El Capitan...step by careful step. The approach works to fine effect in the opening movement as the measured argument unfolds and culminates compellingly. However, Klemperer's taut reins and deliberate manner undermine things in the succeeding Adagio movement and the Scherzo that follows; lines begin to crumble somewhat as if parts of the orchestra want to "sing", but are simply not allowed to. This results in a few noticeable lapses in ensemble, one instance so egregious as to wonder why there wasn't a retake. In any case, the overall effect through these two contrasting middle movements is one of a measured trot where there should often be a wild gallop; a plodding, drawn-out exegesis where there should be an extended, unbridled proclamation. Contrast this with almost any other performance, notably those of Jochum/Dresden or Dohnányi/Cleveland, which in my opinion are rightly esteemed among cognoscenti.

The all-important Finale and its fugue elements are equally laid bare, all building and intersecting in Klemperer's unyielding reined-in manner, yet brought home convincingly and making the whole eighty-minute exercise worth the near excruciating wait. Still....

In good conscience, I can't recommend this recording to a novice listener; seasoned Brucknerites probably already know if it's palatable. I would also guess that this hardened and emphatic performance is venerated among fans of Klemperer as epitomizing the conductor in his later years. As for me, I purposely avoided Bruckner's _Fifth_ for many years until I was suitably well-heeled to invest in other more flowing and varied recorded performances. Having returned to this recording the day of this writing, my opinion of it remains mostly unchanged.


----------



## Nemoralis

marval said:


> Welcome to the forum Nemoralis, glad you are enjoying classical music.
> 
> Margaret


Thank you! I'll expand a little bit on Borodin's #1:

The first and last movements are really engaging, as I said almost to the point of excess. The middle two movements are in comparison quite dull, I want to say dead. But the livilyness (spel?) of the two, er, lively movements really makes me so happy  in a simple way. It does not come across as clever, it's just meaty, hearty, naïve.

I guess it's pathetic in that word's proper sense, as in Beethovens _Pathetique_ sonata, that I also happen to like very much, as unoriginal as that may be.


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## Alnitak

Charles Coborn "Two lovely black eyes". It's not really classical music; but all the same, it's a classical song, and so funny!


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## opus67

Marching (a few minutes ago, actually) to the first movement of Mahler's 6th. 

Haitink conducting the Chi-Town'ers(? ) at this year's Proms.


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## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

This is probably one of the more extraordinary recordings I own. Seriously. Now that I go back and listen to it (now that I actually have a score to go along with, also!), it really does make a lot of musical sense; far more so than MTT's lackluster latest recording with the SFSO. It starts with a bang and goes through a whole spectrum of magnificent human emotions. It is, surprisingly enough, reaching into the upper reaches in my list of favorite Mahler works! I'll be back soon enough with an actual informed thing about this to say, I'm sure.


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## Elaryad

I am listening to Fado, the folk music from my country, a Best Of Amália Rodrigues with great selection of Fado songs.


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 (1881 Haas Edition, last 3 movements only); Symphony No. 7 (1884-85 Gutmann Edition)
Berlin Philharmonic
Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond.
MUSIC & ARTS (from 5-CD boxset)*
I'll just say that I've never heard the respective Adagio movements of these two symphonies more movingly rendered! It's a shame that the first movement of the _Sixth_ is lost.

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 7
Philharmonia Orchestra
Christian Thielemann, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
These performances of this popular pairing are so gloriously un-HIP that one's ears can't help but prick up and take notice -- I love 'em! I'm sure many modern ears might not be endeared with Thielemann's "old fashioned" push & pull approach with both tempo and dynamics, but the orchestra responds wonderfully and makes Beethoven sound as heavy and significant as one often imagines he "should" be. I find myself recommending this to novice listeners as the perfect modern complement to DG's same pairing featuring the renown recordings of Carlos Kleiber.


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## Moldyoldie

*Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelik, cond.
AUDITE*
Certainly among my favorite recordings of this perennial favorite symphony. It's recorded in live performance (sans applause) and exhibits a joyous, mostly straightforward interpretation with nary a ponderous moment. The coda to the finale is brought off wonderfully!


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## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Benjamin Zander/Philharmonia Orchestra

OK, so this isn't Barbirolli's excellent reading of the Ninth I promised to get back here with. I admit that this was a classic impulse buy for me today: three CD's for the price of one with both the original and revised versions of the finale (aka avec et sans hammerblow no. 3...)... and the third disc being completely filled to the brim with Zander's talking about the symphony sold it to me. It took all of about a half-minute for it to be forever gone from that shelf.

I rather like it so far. Still another reason was for the timings being in such direct contrast with Bernstein's excellent NYPO recording... this Allegro, if I remember correctly, is a full four minutes longer than Bernstein's, the Andante about the same (though maybe a minute off, can't remember...), and the finale at least three minutes longer.

It's very interesting how slowly he takes the first movement. There's a lot of detail and development in this that is utterly lost in the whirlwind explosiveness of Bernstein's older one. And much of it is so lovely, too... the "idyll" portions are beyond belief.


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> three CD's for the price of one with both the original and revised versions of the finale (aka avec et sans hammerblow no. 3...)... and the third disc being completely filled to the brim with Zander's talking about the symphony sold it to me.


Now, there's a way to market discs. I thought the other CD might be with inner movements interchanged.


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## World Violist

opus67 said:


> Now, there's a way to market discs. I thought the other CD might be with inner movements interchanged.


Yes, I'd thought about that but I suppose he trudges through it slowly enough that such an endeavor might well have taken four discs! 

Now wouldn't that be something...


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## Moldyoldie

*Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
Barbara Hendricks, soprano; José van Dam, baritone

Bruckner: Te Deum
Helga Müller-Molinari, alto/contralto; Janet Perry, soprano; Gösta Winbergh, tenor; Alexander Malta, bass

Vienna Singverein
Wiener Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (2-CD)*
I'm certainly not what one would describe as a fervent fan of religious choral music. When listening to any choral work, whether religious or secular, I tend to take an agnostic's objective viewpoint and allow the performance to either make me feel the composer's inspiration or perhaps even "convert" me.

I've heard only two recordings of Brahms' seemingly popular _German Requiem_, this being the first. First impressions, being what they are, left me nonplussed with Brahms' creation and in awe of the absolutely wondrous choral singing as well as the very fine contributions of the soloists; I was particularly enamored of the angelically sung _"Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit"_ by soprano Barbara Hendricks. The overall tone here is one of utmost reverence and solemnity in a performance that extends over 75 minutes. Hearing it this morning, and after having experienced the leaner, swifter "period-inspired" performance conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, I've still not been "converted", but remain spellbound by the sheer beauty of this 1985 recording, apparently later re-released on a single CD without the appended Bruckner work. If it was Brahms' intent to convey peace to the living, Karajan and company channel it marvelously and to a tee. As can be surmised, I've yet to hear Klemperer's early '60s recording which supposedly set some sort of modern performance standard.

This recording was also my introduction to the Bruckner _Te Deum_. Initially on first hearing, I found it more musically compelling than the Brahms with its opening organ proclamation; this morning, I found it comparatively turgid and inert. (I'm consciously avoiding that punnish homonym!) Maybe it's the performance, maybe it's the work, or maybe it's just me...I don't know. I'll have to either hear it in isolation or hear another performance to be more conclusive.


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> he trudges through it slowly enough that such an endeavor might well have taken four discs!
> 
> Now wouldn't that be something...


Ah.

Listening to

Mahler
Symphony No. 2
Vienna Phil. and Singverein/DeYoung(ms), Schafer(s)/Boulez

Live 2005


----------



## Elaryad

I'm listening to this little gem. I'm overwhelmed! It's not the first time that I listen to Sofia Gubaidulina but this is definitely a better experience (and the first time I listen to this album). I would love to "get in" this music, since it tells me so much and it's so strange. My bad.


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## Moldyoldie

*Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 "Organ"; Carnival of the Animals
Poulenc: Les Animaux modèles (Model Animals)
Maurice Duruflé, organ
Aldo Ciccolini & Alexis Weissenberg, pianos 
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Georges Prêtre, cond.
EMI*
The old '60s Angel LP release of this recording of the popular Saint-Saëns _Organ Symphony_ was my first experience with it, and frankly, it sounded awful -- muddy, distorted, an utter grate on "virgin" ears -- only ameliorated years later by finally "splurging" on the LP of the now-legendary Munch/BSO. My getting this bargain-priced CD was based on price, compelling reviews, and a predilection to give everything at least a second chance, especially after so many years. That the recorded sound on this CD is quite good for its ultra-spacious approach sort of substantiates what I've often read about certain domestic LP pressings of imported sub-masters and the resultant generational degradation. In any case, this was recorded in the ultra-reverberant acoustic of _Salle Wagram_ in Paris, apparently concurrent with the organ and not with it dubbed in later as is often the practice. While the performance itself is grand, sonorously blended, and expansive; one gets the impression that the venue is as much on display as the music. Many orchestral details otherwise evident in modern recordings are consequently lost in the thick voluptuous _velouté_. However, I often enjoy hearing this symphony performed in a "natural" acoustic and as something other than an in-your-face woofer-busting "sonic spectacular". Comparatively speaking, conductor Prêtre's tempos often border on lumbering, but the reverberance almost dictates it. The symphony is nonetheless brought home memorably with the final chords allowed to hang and dissipate wholly into the ether. I'd suggest to modern fans of the _Organ Symphony_ to give this a try, especially at the price. While it's certainly more deliberately expansive and "grand" than the seemingly smaller-scaled and more incisive Martinon recording of about ten years later, it also contrasts with the classic Munch/BSO and Paray/DSO recordings which precede it by a few years, making for an inexpensive alternative.

To me, _Carnival of the Animals_ is a diversion; I suppose this performance is as good as any for the price as many of the tunes are catchy and ring familiar. However, this is my introduction to Poulenc's _Les Animaux modèles (Model Animals)_, an orchestral suite from a ballet composed in 1942. Whatever it has to do with the animal kingdom mostly escapes me, but it certainly displays an episodic program and some beautiful orchestral writing, mostly prototypical of 20th century French Romanticism, while evoking a modicum of drama interspersed with a mostly uplifting and dancing lilt throughout. I just might return to this soon for further scrutiny.









*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; En Saga
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
EMI*
This was purchased mostly as an afterthought (it was less than $5) to complete a collection of Karajan's now budget-priced late-'70s/early-'80s Sibelius symphony recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic on EMI (I've probably reviewed the others somewhere on this thread), but also out of curiosity to hear if his interpretation of the popular _Second Symphony_ differs from that of about twenty years earlier with London's Philharmonia Orchestra. That earlier recording, while not among my very favorite renditions of the Second, still manages to command attention as authoritative and most expressive; also, the playing is magnificent and the vaunted recording very fine.

Other than seemingly broader, more flowing lines, less overtly emphatic phrasing and attacks, along with one of the more deliberately expansive renditions of the big finale I've yet heard (over a full minute longer at 16:39), I can't say this later performance otherwise offers much of a substantive difference in interpretation with the earlier Philharmonia performance. In my opinion, it comes down to how the listener takes to Karajan's willfully stretched, often solemnly rendered finale here. I'll admit it took me awhile, and a few listens, to comfortably adjust. I have to question whether or not the finale ultimately sounds organic with the overall conception here; I haven't come to a conclusion. Other than some ugly and unforeseen ensemble difficulties in the big (and apparently challenging) lead-up to the finale, the Berlin Philharmonic sounds every bit the great orchestra one would expect. While not nearly as vividly recorded, I'll take this later Karajan performance any day over James Levine's hasty and ill-measured '90s performance with the Berliners on Deutsche Grammophon.

_En Saga_ was recorded a few years prior to the symphony and exudes plenty of requisite atmosphere and cinematic storytelling. Karajan takes it fairly straightforward, slowing appreciably and effectively in the final third, and the orchestra responds very well -- a most satisfying mini-epic, if perhaps not the last word in this piece.









*Schmidt: Symphony No. 2
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
I'm on a second go-round with this work, following close on the heels of a virgin voyage late last night. Having become refamiliarized with Schmidt's symphonic masterpiece, the _Symphony No. 4_ (Mehta/WP recording), a sidle backwards seemed in order. My word! If one likes to luxuriate non-stop in a certain manner of Late Romantic expression that flows from a seemingly limitless font of symphonic invention, this is for you! I'm not sure what else I can add other than Järvi and the Chicagoans manage to hold it all together in a most satisfying manner. I'd also guess, however, that this may be "too much" of a good thing for many listeners; it was somewhat the case for me last night. Perhaps experienced Brucknerians might adjust to the length and architecture more readily, though this is very much of its own expressive style, dating from 1913.


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## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
Sir John Barbirolli/New Philharmonia Orchestra

So if I wasn't totally hooked on Barbirolli's Mahler by the purely amazing Ninth he recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic (and I was, actually), this was the clincher. I have never once been so drawn into the world of this symphony (move over, Bernstein/VPO).

The magic is present from the very first notes, excellently played by the trumpet and the rest of the orchestra coming in very joyously. The subsequent return to despair is just as effective, if not more so.

Now, what I really love about this is the sheer inspiration of some of Sir John's tempo/note value manipulations. Especially in the second two movements, there are some note values that are made to sound very charming and yet completely and utterly unforced and very natural, which I'm sure is no mean feat!

If Bernstein doesn't do it for you, go for this, clearly one of the great recordings of the century!

And while I'm at it...










Now this is just thrilling. The Berlin Philharmonic, one of the greatest orchestras in the world, under one of the most grossly under-appreciated conductors of the century, in Mahler's Ninth. And it lives up to the hype... no, it surpasses the hype. This is my favorite Mahler Ninth I've yet heard (and this against Bernstein/NYPO and Walter/Columbia).

Start with the beginning. Like the Fifth above, he draws me in right from the beginning. The sound of the horn in the beginning is entrancing: deep, disconcerting, ominous. It establishes an atmosphere that I have never experienced before. It's magic, pure and simple.

And the magic continues, as he lapses into and out of thrillingly quicker tempi without even letting you realize it until you're right in the middle of it. Again, never put right in your face, very subtly, but very thrilling all the same.

The inner movements are very interesting, but not quite so involving as the outer two movements. But still, they're very good indeed and don't detract from this performance.

And then there's the grand Adagio... I can't put into words just how magnificent this one is. The strings of the Berlin Philharmonic are absolutely flawless, deep, thick. And the tempo at the beginning establishes the tone immediately, as I've come to expect from Barbirolli. It has many high moments, not least the very intriguing but no less convincing faster-than-usual tempo after the third statement of the "dead" theme. Afterward, time stops at the mesmerizing climax of the whole symphony, and as it all recedes, the "cry of despair" from the horn tears at my heart every time I hear it. This is bone-chillingly tragic music, and Barbirolli doesn't hold any of it back, letting it gush forth in all its beauty. The Adagissimo coda is in this recording the most eloquent I've ever heard, and the strings are presented here in their unadorned (and considerable) beauty. It isn't sluggish (less than three minutes), but so beautifully phrased it does not matter: I'm still drawn into it in such a way that it feels like eternity, as it should.

This also is clearly one of the greatest recordings of the 20th century.


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
Munich Philharmonic
Christian Thielemann, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
A reviewer on Amazon.com wrote of this performance:
_"Thielemann here frankly disjoints and loses continuity in too many places in the fabric of this work: at times the thread of Bruckner's argument is all but lost: the web and woof are at points virtually dissipated, irrevocably deconstructed."_

I was so flabbergasted to read this after hearing this wonderful recording that I had to issue a rejoinder. Conductor Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic give us an incredible performance of Bruckner's _Fifth_, so much so that I was held absolutely rapt and spellbound throughout. All elements of Bruckner's often problematic invention are melded thoughtfully and coherently in an interpretation where every last nuance in stress, pause, build, and release works to marvelous effect -- but more importantly, in telling a compelling musical story over an 80+ minute span. These ears noticed absolutely no "deconstruction" or "disjointedness" in Bruckner's argument -- in fact, I've rarely heard it put forth more convincingly!

What probably impresses me even more is that Thielemann's singular conception of the work and its marvelous execution here sound as organic and inevitable as in any performance of the _Fifth_ I've ever heard -- not one single note or inflection sounds inordinately willful nor out of place when considered _in toto_. That this was recorded in live performance is certainly a testament to the orchestra's virtuosity and commitment, to say nothing of the awe that the audience must have collectively experienced! Perhaps Munich concert-goers are used to the Celibidachean "slower is always better" manner, though as a listener I certainly don't always adhere to that notion. (For what it's worth, I've yet to hear any of Celibidache's performances of the _Fifth_.) Absolute tempo in itself is hardly the be-all and end-all of an effective and memorable Bruckner performance, interpretation and execution are -- it's what makes this performance uniquely special! Further kudos are in order for the recording and engineering team who convey an incredibly natural and translucent soundstage.

I've read good and bad reviews of this release. After hearing and loving it twice, I'm ready to proclaim it as a modern exemplar of the viability of ultra-expansive Brucknerian performance. I do wonder, however, how a novice listener will take to it.

For those who may be curious as to how the 82'34" single disc was "handled" by my CD players -- one a Bose Wave radio/CD player, another a Kenwood 5-CD carousel deck -- there were no problems with either.


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## luckyduck

Going home - Denny, right now. I want to heard it all the time.


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## Moldyoldie

*Schmidt: Symphony No. 4
Vienna Philharmonic
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1
Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Zubin Mehta, cond.
DECCA*
Franz Schmidt's _Symphony No. 4_ of 1933, written in the wake of the death of the composer's daughter, is undoubtedly his masterpiece -- an incredibly inspired extrapolation of this composer's symphonic style which I like to describe as being sort of ultra-legato Bruckner; i.e., many lines of melody and harmony undulating and intersecting unbroken in a most unique, constantly flowing Late Romantic expression. To appreciate this composer and the special beauties of this symphony in particular, the listener must allow its unbroken lines to wash over them and its ultimate logic to culminate in its own time -- patience is rewarded. I've yet to hear another recording of this work -- more recent ones I know of are from Franz Welser-Möst and Neeme Järvi -- but the presumptuous feeling here is it really isn't necessary as conductor Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic seemingly convey the work's full measure and the warm, early '70s analog recording is exemplary.

On another musical plateau altogether is the appended _Chamber Symphony No. 1_ of Arnold Schoenberg, composed in 1906. It often hints of unabashed atonality, and at least to these ears, is not as immediately appealing. (FWIW, I'm a fan of _Verklärte Nacht_.) However, it can reward committed listening when heard in isolation and with an intellectual bent toward its purposely revolutionary means of musical expression. The players here are members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, again under Zubin Mehta, who make a dedicated and modestly convincing case for the work.


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## Weston

Much as I may have dissed Mozart in another thread, tonight I am listening to some Mitsuko Uchida renderings of 4 early piano sonatas. This is a relatively old recording.










So far I am enjoying it. I am not being beat over the head with Alberti bass, and when it's present it is de-emphasized. Maybe it's the way it's performed that makes a difference. Maybe I had been listening to sub-par performers. The third movement of K.280 almost has a Scarlatti thing going on.

The No. 4 in eb, K.282 is familiar sounding. It must be very popular or else I've had it before in my collection. Uchida slows the opening Adagio down to more like a larghetto, but it's quite lovely.

The final piece No. 5 in G I've heard an awful lot of for some reason, but it too seems to be reminding me of Scarlatti tonight -- except for that awful Alberti bass that here is more pronounced. Doo dee doh dee Doo dee doh dee. Sigh . . .


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## SPR

Weston said:


> ... but it too seems to be reminding me of Scarlatti tonight -- . . . .


your not crazy.. the light 'dancing' over the keys does sound like Scarlatti. I was just listening to this after you mentioned it and I was reminded of the opening of Scarlatti K96 and some others.

I have read that Scarlattis work was not that well known outside his general locality - even though some of his sound foreshadowed work done later by Mozart and Beethoven...


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## SPR

Fuges from the Well Tempered Clavier.... in strings. Very Nice!










I love the Emerson string quartet, and this is an excellent recording. I like it much better that their former 'art of fuge' which though impressive as well sometimes felt like a science project. (which, I suppose it is...)


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## World Violist

Sibelius: _Kullervo_, Op. 7
Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth Sinfonietta

This, the first recording of _Kullervo_, is utterly jaw-dropping. I don't know what has kept me away from this piece for so long, but I ended up understanding all the other symphonies before I even started this one (even the enigmatic Sixth). But this recording has an immense drive, the first movement setting the stage beautifully, the second having an intense mystique about it, and the massive third movement, with its cruel and tragic realization, all the better for the two great singers, although I always thought Kullervo's sister could have sounded younger. Then the fifth movement (I can never remember the fourth so well), which features some of the most powerfully emotive and haunting sounds in all Sibelius, is perfect, and its utterly tragic end is very much likewise.


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## SPR

Handel - water music / fireworks (Marriner)


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## Moldyoldie

*Beethoven: Piano Trio in B flat major "Archduke", Op. 97; Piano Trio in D major "Ghost", Op. 70/1 
Jos van Immerseel, fortepiano; Vera Beths, violin; Anner Bylsma, violincello
SONY*
The period instruments are the attraction for me here. While I've never been a HIP zealot, these performances are mostly hale and vigorous with fine intonation and exhibiting plenty of period "style". The eponymous largo movement of the _Ghost Trio_ is initially taken a bit too fast for my liking, but overall these performances are sure to satisfy most fans of these popular works, especially period fans. The recording is vivid, up-close and intimate; highlighting the mostly charming astringent qualities of the period strings. That there's plenty of bass and a slight reverberance somewhat ameliorates the inherent "nasality" and "tinkling" of the overall ensemble sound.


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## Moldyoldie

*Schmidt: Symphony No. 1
R. Strauss: Four Symphonic Interludes from Intermezzo
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
Continuing my backward traversal of the symphonies of Franz Schmidt (skipping over _No. 3_ for the time being), I've read so much of how _No. 1_ is derivative of this or that composer and this or that antedated construction; to me it starts out for all the world like Schumann's _Rhenish Symphony_, then continues on in a delightfully flowing and melodic fashion firmly ensconced in the late 19th century Viennese tradition -- it was first performed there in 1902. (An egregious error exists in the notes: It correctly states that Schmidt was born in 1874, then later states that he wrote his _First Symphony_ at the age of thirty-eight! It was actually composed in the years 1896-99 upon the composer's graduation from the Vienna Conservatory and in his early years serving as cellist for the Vienna Philharmonic.) Much like the other symphonies I've heard, I mostly think of Brucknerian construction, Brahmsian lyricism and Straussian lilt; but that would only be for the purposes of illustration. It's actually quite unique in voice and expression. The orchestration is often dense, but not so thick as to preclude harmonic clarity; the spaciousness of the vivid recording in Detroit's Orchestra Hall probably lends a bit of translucency to the procedings. I can't think of anything that could possibly rebuff the modern listener over it's roughly forty-five minutes and four disparate movements of nearly equal length.

The same can be said of Strauss' _Four Interludes from Intermezzo_. We're treated to full-bodied dramatic excitement; a delightfully lilting waltz; a dreamy reverie leading to a hyper-Romantic long-limned, er, interlude; a playful bit featuring piano and strings of an almost cloyingly obvious Viennese character -- all concluding with a brief rousing finale. Kudos must go out to Järvi and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for the seemingly authentic qualities they evoke here -- this was great fun to listen to!


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## SPR

Mediaeval Baebes - Mirabilis










Middle English, Gaelic, Latin, sweedish even... some interesting stuff on it. And some of the vocals are very good. Its a renaissance faire kind of groove.


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## jhar26

My favorite girl playing Chopin. 










The above CD is one of the eight included in this box set which covers all of Argerich's solo recordings for DG between 1960 and 1983. Each CD comes with the original LP-cover artwork. This is the first in what will be a series of three box sets. The next one will cover the concerto recordings and the third one the chamber music.


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (Haas edition)
Berlin Philharmonic
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
EMI*
Bruckner's popular _Fourth Symphony_ is one of those works for which I'm compelled to collect multiple recordings -- and yes, of its multiple editions -- since I was immediately taken with it many years ago. For whatever reason, I hear something new or different with each listen, but I don't bother trying to pinpoint such things as the effort tends to usurp my enjoyment. Besides, unless one is performing, Bruckner's sound world is probably best appreciated by allowing its massive building blocks to cohere in its own time (or perhaps more appropriately, the conductor's own time) while the listener lets the entire sonic edifice self-construct in his consciousness. This now-budget recording from 1971 is probably a mainstay in the catalog and has most likely been heard by most self-respecting Brucknerians...except me, that is, till this morning.

Without going into great detail, I'll say that the things that impress me the most here are the incredibly tight and focused accelerandos, crescendos, and tutti fortissimos coming out of some very contrasting pianissimos. The big fat Berlin sound is somewhat diffuse in the spacious and semi-distant soundstage, recorded by EMI at the vaunted Jesus-Christus-Kirche. This can be either a good or bad thing; in my opinion, it lends an appropriate Brucknerian air and makes for a fine alternative to the typically up-close perspective usually effected by Deutsche Grammophon with this orchestra and conductor. The interpretation is insightful and varied; Karajan tends to accentuate dynamic contrasts with mostly expansive tempos except in the scherzo third movement. It's not as overtly varied as Jochum's, as solemnly expansive as Celibidache's, nor as rhythmically alert and detailed as Klemperer's; but it still packs a fine Brucknerian punch and the orchestra performs marvelously. Plus, the price is right.

For what it's worth, though I've heard some mostly superficial performances of Bruckner's Fourth (Barenboim and surprisingly Furtwängler come to mind), I've never heard a truly bad one from a professional orchestra; whether live, on records, on the radio, or even on YouTube. I even like Bruckner's "original" Fourth with the entirely different scherzo movement conducted by Inbal. Is it me or has this popular work in its various guises become, as they say, conductor-proof?

*Tower: Made in America; Tambor; Concerto for Orchestra
Nashville Symphony
Leonard Slatkin, cond.
NAXOS*
I picked this up at the library on a whim; it's my introduction to Joan Tower, a contemporary American composer. All three of the works here are colorful, dynamic, and readily accessible compositions which are sure to please those who love the orchestra. _Made in America_ is described as a fantasy on the theme of the "unofficial" national anthem, _America the Beautiful_. While we hear the occasional allusion, it mostly invokes in me thoughts of Copland cum Shostakovich. _Tambor_, as the title suggests, is loaded with percussion of every stripe; it's also a whole lot of fun! Despite those two works being the main attraction as "world premieres", it's the two-part _Concerto for Orchestra_ that provides the most substantive listening with a marvelously blended half-hour amalgam of solos and incredibly alert ensemble playing.

Perhaps it's the male chauvinist in me which led me to expect something a little more, uh, feminine in nature -- not so! This CD with Leonard Slatkin leading the Nashville Symphony is top-drawer for powerful, committed virtuoso symphonic performance and vivid sonic impact -- a most entertaining hour of music, if not necessarily the most original or profound.


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## World Violist

Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem
Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Arleen Auger, soprano; Richard Stillwell, baritone

I haven't been able to make much out of this just yet, but listening to it is already proving revelatory. It is extraordinarily deep, beautiful, and, as is the norm with Shaw, the singing is flawless to say the least. There are many insights to get out of this recording. This much I can tell already.


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## jhar26

For whatever reason - I've seldom been impressed with the Seiji Ozawa recordings I've heard, but I love his recording of Swan Lake.


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## Moldyoldie

Currently marketed as...








*Liszt: Les Préludes; Mazeppa; Tasso; Orpheus
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Kurt Masur, cond.
EMI*
I wasn't familiar with these pieces before hearing this disc, though I've long been familiar with the titles. While the early tone poem form is mainly a linear musical story-telling device, one needn't necessarily be familiar with the underlying programs to derive listening enjoyment...but it probably helps. Some of these works present stretches of mundane descriptive melody and inelaborate orchestration, however, they often build and progress to extended, rousingly satisfying conclusions. Masur and the Leipzig Orchestra are brilliantly precise in their execution, if seemingly a bit restrained. Though I'm unfamiliar with the works, I can certainly imagine more passionate and expressive performances. The early digital recording presents an up-close and broadly vivid soundstage with a bit of steeliness in the violins that can belie their natural timbre, though it shouldn't be a hindrance to enjoyment as the fine ensemble playing is actually a pleasure in itself. The combination of precise execution and close recording perspective certainly allows one to "get inside" these pieces. I imagine fans of Liszt and novice listeners alike will appreciate the technical facility on display here. However, though it has its moments, I can't say I was made an immediate fan of this music.

(FYI, this has been re-released in EMI's budget Encore series with the addition of _Mephisto Waltz No. 2_.)


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## Moldyoldie

*Still: Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American"
Ellington: Suite from "The River" (orch. Ron Collier)
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
This CD presents two orchestral works steeped in the jazz & blues idioms of early 20th century America. The _Symphony No. 1_ of William Grant Still takes a commonly drawn blues riff and expounds on its possibilities within the four-movement framework of European Classical period symphonic form. While the idea itself may strike one as somewhat contrived, the music as performed here does deliver an entertaining, though mostly "one-note" vibe. My reluctance in writing whether its perhaps derivative of Gershwin or vice versa is borne strictly out of ignorance and expediency, but my overall feeling is that while this symphony is fleetingly entertaining, it's not a very elaborate musical expression.

Duke Ellington's _Suite from "The River"_, on the other hand, is a delight from beginning to end! My library copy of the CD is absent the booklet, therefore I'm ignorant of this work's genesis and history, as well as to what extent the credited orchestration of Ron Collier is responsible for the suite's richness of color and musical variety. Absent this knowledge, one can still delight in all the jazzy permutations as we're taken on what's presumably a seven-part musical journey down an imaginary river, culminating in a rapture amongst the Village Virgins!

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra displays its incredible versatility here under its then music director Neeme Järvi; they play as if thoroughly immersed in the idiom and Chandos gives them the most vivid and naturally spacious sound imaginable. A very fine production!


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## ErFurtwanglert

Il Trovatore!


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## Moldyoldie

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (Nowak Edition)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, cond.
EMI*
All the things I've read about this recording, apparently pieced from two live performances in 1993 at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, are mostly true. Conductor Welser-Möst, while not driving this massive work headlong into every serpentine alpine curve, certainly doesn't see it as a lengthy, organically constructed meditation a la the more recent release from Christian Thielemann on DG whose praises I sang earlier. Welser-Möst and the LPO give us a _Fifth_ well-entrenched in a secular sensibility with a host of consciously rendered emphases (particularly from dynamically prominent tympani!) and surprising diversions to hold our attention along the way. Most any of Bruckner's lengthy symphonies can be effectively (and often affectively) presented in this manner, but here we're made very aware of what's often described as the "episodic" qualities of this particular work. As compensation, Welser-Möst tends to further divvy up these episodes into mini-installments of varying tempo and dynamic drive -- if nothing else, it's entertaining! The orchestra responds with great commitment and ensemble execution.

However, we do miss much of the rapture of the Adagio second movement as it was so knowingly conferred by Eugen Jochum, whose approach to the Fifth was also one of purposeful variation, but in a palpably different and ultimately more affecting way. The Scherzo third movement here, while suitably enlivening, is also missing the interpretive qualities which tie it organically with itself as well as the work as a whole. These two middle movements are where this "melded performance" is probably found the most wanting. The Finale, however, is excitingly rendered -- its fugal elements are fearlessly fused to fine effect and the coda is brought home with a most satisfying "controlled abandon". The audience, heretofore mostly innocuous in their presence, erupts into spontaneous applause.


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## World Violist

Chant
The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos

It started a Gregorian Chant phenomenon in the 1990's when it was first released on CD. It's still very mysterious to me, but I can definitely see why. It's very peaceful, inspiring on the highest order. The remastering is very well-done, the reverberation captured perfectly, and the sound itself is heavenly. Very well-done overall, I think.


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## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major
Dmitri Mitropoulos/Vienna Festival Orchestra, etc.

Yes, I have a turntable that actually works now, and the first thing I put onto it, fittingly enough, was Dmitri Mitropoulos' live recording of Mahler's Eighth symphony. It was very probably his last-ever recorded performance, given in 1960 not too long before his untimely death in the same year. Also, this is not like most "live" performances I know of (such as late Bernstein, or Tilson Thomas' Mahler cycle), in which there are multiple performances from which bits and pieces are spliced together; this was one single performance. And the audience isn't particularly kind; there are several times when the music is very quiet and you can hear people sneezing really really loudly and coughing really really loudly (and, most amusingly, it seems as though some people repeatedly fall out of their chairs or something, creating several thuds that seem in some way related to the hammer-blows of the same composer's Sixth symphony).

Otherwise, this performance is outright thrilling. The first movement goes by without a hitch, except for a good amount of ensemble problems that I won't harp on about (as, after all, there probably are hundreds of people performing this, and it is a live performance). It's very musical, and the atmosphere is perfect.

The second movement passes as though in minutes, even though it lasts almost an hour. Seriously, this is one of the more involving Mahler 8ths I've had the privilege of experiencing. And it's immensely spiritually fulfilling, as well, which is of the utmost importance; I can see Mitropoulos' influence on Bernstein very easily here. Some of the more sublime parts of the work left me very close to tears. And the "Alles Vergängliche" section is easily the best I've yet heard (the other two are Bernstein I and Shaw, as well as Bernstein/Vienna and Rattle on Youtube). It's a testament to ignorance, I think, this recording, that it is so neglected (even though reissued on CD) and yet is so great. I hope people in the near future realize such greatness; it truly belongs in the company of the greatest Mahler Eighths.


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## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 5
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, cond.
ONDINE*
These are not what one would describe as straightforward accounts of these two fine symphonies, but they might just be the most enjoyably characterful performances one will likely ever hear. Conductor Leif Segerstam puts his big bearhug around these works in creamily lush and expansive renderings steeped in late Romanticism yet brimming with idiomatic Finnish flavor. The first movement of _Symphony No. 3_ starts off rather tepid in the lower strings, but builds to a fine frothy crescendo, then subsides via a mysterious ostinato into a prolonged subdued undercurrent of pent-up joy, finally bursting open at the seams accompanied by a loud and proud tympani. The movement dynamically subsides again and solemnly slows as it leads us to the concluding and effectively understated "amen". The middle movement _Andantino_ is as tuneful as ever, taken appropriately slow and characterized here by a fine flowing rubato. Segerstam and the orchestra artfully vary the dynamic, but are careful to never exceed a lilting mezzo-piano over it's roughly ten-minute length -- that's until near the end of the movement when the strings and winds make a subtle, but noticeable break of that threshold before subsiding once again to the final notes -- very nicely done! The Moderato-Allegro finale is also marvelously rendered with its mix of quiet mystery, impending drama, and all-out effusion. The build-up and culminating of the outbursts of brass are something to hear! One wishes for more "extension" to the coda, but alas, Segerstam truncates it as is his wont...and apparently also that of Sibelius. In all, I find this performance to be one of the few I've heard of the Third to present a cogent combination of both profound musical insight and thoroughly coherent interpretation, if not necessarily the very last word in orchestral execution. To that last point, I'll concede that such a consideration would be quibbling and might actually be counter to the characterfulness of which I spoke of at the beginning.

The popular _Symphony No. 5_ here projects a wonderful, slowly-wrought optimism instead of the abject melancholy found in some other similarly slow performances. Segerstam very adroitly shapes the first movement build to the initial powerfully pronounced entry of the so-called swan hymn, then subsides into a characterful and subtly shaded build to the even more powerful conclusion of the movement -- it seems to spontaneously explode from the orchestra! The final two movements are equally affecting in their fine phrasing and shaping of both tempo and dynamics. The second appearance of the swan hymn is given an appropriately paced and exhilirating lilt, while the coda suddenly and unusually takes on an extra dose of speed before running up against the concluding single-note "hammerblows". If nothing else, it's a somewhat unique ending to this well-worn symphony. The sound from Ondine is absolutely first-rate.


----------



## Rachovsky

Currently listening to a magnificent live recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 performed by the Orchestre de Paris with Cristoph Eschenbach. Here is a link to the entire playlist...Both the cinematography and interpretation are pretty amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7F5E8E666BB7BABD


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## Badinerie

Julia Fischer playing Bach's Partita no 1.


----------



## agoukass




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## Badinerie

Bit of Callas in the morning. Casta Diva right now...mmmmm!


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## Moldyoldie

Most recently marketed as...








*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (Nowak Edition)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Karl Böhm, cond.
DECCA*
Bruckner's _Fourth Symphony_ has been a personal favorite of mine since first hearing it on the radio in the early '70s (Klemperer/Philharmonia/EMI); I've just heard this vaunted Böhm/Vienna recording for the first time. Overall, first impressions of a seasoned listener being what they are, I find this performance to be exceedingly routine in interpretation, but quite fine in orchestral execution and technical vibrancy -- in other words, it would probably make a decent introduction for the novice listener. Other than that....

To my ears, the most striking aspects to be heard here are in the dynamic and temporal nuances Böhm elicits in the slow Andante second movement. If "silence" and "quiet" are attention-getting virtues, Böhm uses them to fine effect while subtly shaping delicate melodic lines. The rhythmic pulse is often held onto by the thinnest of threads until gradual orchestral builds are expertly sculpted with a fine shading of timbral dynamics, effectively putting forth what can be an imposingly longwinded and comparatively prosaic Brucknerian argument. Here, I find the movement to be the highlight of the entire performance.

In my opinion, there are several more involving recorded performances readily available on the market -- Klemperer, Abbado, Tennstedt, Jochum, Celibidache -- but if one is looking for a good-sounding, well-performed, and mostly unaffected introduction into the edificial Brucknerian sound world, this might be as good as any.


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## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor
Seiji Ozawa/Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra; Emiko Suga, soprano; Nathalie Stutzmann, mezzo; Shinyukai Choir

So this is the first of a series of recordings I'm planning on purchasing: a Mahler cycle with each symphony under a different conductor. And from this CD, I have an exceedingly good first impression indeed.

The first movement is brisk, dynamic, intense and to-the-hilt. I'd read a review once that this was Mahler without any emotional value and thus no value whatsoever; this is nonsense. Ozawa plays this music straight from the score and it takes on a life of its own, and it's electrifying. The dynamic range is broad, but not absurdly so, and the quality of the sound is such that everything is very clear, much like Michael Tilson Thomas' recording of it; this one's just leaner, more to the point, less polite.

The second movement is very graceful, and moves right along, not really getting stuck along the way. Very beautiful stuff in this part. And the third movement is very much likewise, with hints of the first movement that I hadn't really realized before; indeed, it's like the second movement gone off the deep end, into its own grave, so to speak. And Ozawa pulls it off ingeniously well. And the cry of pain comes inevitably, naturally even, and the ensuing calm goings-on of the fishes just seems the next thing to do. This could well be considered a fault with the recording, but I think this sheds an important insight into this score, and it's extraordinarily convincingly done.

Now on to, in my humble opinion, the make-or-break point of this symphony: the fourth movement, "Urlicht." Really, the only reason this is such an important movement to me is that the recordings I liked (the two Bernsteins and Tilson Thomas) had really good Urlichts, whereas the other recording (Mehta/Vienna) had what I would readily call a travesty in its place. I'm rather picky about the mezzos in this movement, as too wide a vibrato results in what to my opinion is an unnecessary distraction from the music itself and its meaning. This mezzo has some rather strange vibrato issues--she deadpans some notes while others she goes utterly overboard on--yet somehow I find that this isn't a major distraction from the overall structure of the symphony.

Then comes the grand finale. This is one of the broadest beginnings to this finale I think I've ever heard yet. But the drama and intensity of it is palpable. It's vicious. And the fading away into the first rising fifth in the horns is very natural, smooth, just like the other ebbs and flows in this recording. And during this Ozawa plays it very straight, yet it seems strangely brisk. He plays it very straightforwardly, as with most of the rest of the symphony, I now notice, yet still the influence of Bernstein can still be very strongly felt. Nevertheless, the forward momentum might well be perceived as not being very good here. The first "O glaube" goes very well, actually, the strings being very good in there attacks and such. It's a very good orchestra.

The brass chorale goes without a hitch either, perfectly paced, the crescendo being if anything a little understated but still quite present. The percussions do very well with their two crescendi after that episode, and everything goes very swimmingly after that... one thing I'm really glad about is how the tubular bells don't emerge too much from the texture like Bernstein's later recording. They remain rather subdued, which I think is more ideal at least for this interpretation. The last climax-gone-wrong before the chorus entires is devastating for its understatedness, I think, yet at the same time it's quite explosive and dramatic. The call to summons is broad and not very expressively played, but it still serves its purpose well enough.

The chorus comes in very quietly. And slowly. It really is like the rebirth Mahler had in mind as he wrote it. The soprano doesn't emerge from the texture until she's supposed to, which is good, but her vibrato gets somewhat in the way and she sounds a bit cautious. The orchestral interlude goes well enough, and the chorus re-enters considerably faster, and the whole section just fares better in general. Even the soprano fares a good amount better. The orchestral interlude after this seems like a dream, very well put together. "O glaube" sounds very animated, moving along, very interesting and insightful. The male choir then sounds very ominous, and "Bereite dich" is very appropriately solemn and such. Both the soloists just sound too mannered to me in "O Schmerz," but they're good enough. The final build-up is very powerful and convincing, and the final "Aufersteh'n" is overwhelming, very broad and cosmic.

All in all, it's a great recording, but the last two movements suffer a bit. If it weren't for the problems in the last two movements, this would be my favorite Mahler 2nd. Seriously, it had that much promise. I would highly recommend this to those who know this symphony pretty well; maybe they'll like it better than I did. It's still a marvelous introduction to this piece, as well, but outclassed by the likes of Bernstein.


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## bongos

Biber ---Missa Salisburgensis performed by Gabrieli Consort and Players ..........   any one else like this choral music?


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## opus67

An evening of interruptions.

I was listening to Bruckner's 9th - was in the middle of the second movement - when I had move away from the computer. Now I am sampling Wagner-proper for the first time (T&I, from the Met.), but I know I have other stuff to do.


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## bongos

Mass in D minor by Johann Adolf Hasse


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## ecg_fa

Latest-- Katya Apekisheva playing a variety of Grieg Piano Music. One of my fave
'08 recordings-- on Quartz Records. Also, Angelika Kirchschlager's album of Bach
Arias (on Sony) from '02.    .

Also jazz album I like a lot of Steve Kuhn Trio, 'Baubles, Bangles and Beads' (Venus Records)-- effective jazz versions of some classical themes/pieces (mostly Romantic & 'post-Romantic' era). Really, it's good!!!   

Ed


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## LindenLea

There have been two CD's in my system for the longest periods this week, though one is a 3 disc set so requires rather more stamina!....


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## Moldyoldie

Borrowed from the library...








I'm not a fan of religious choral, but thought I'd give it a shot.


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## phoenixshade

*Janáček: The Cunning Little Vixen*

Leoš Janáček, _Příhody Lišky Bystroušky (The Cunning Little Vixen)_
performed by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Vienna Philharmonic, with the late Lucia Popp in the title role.


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## phoenixshade

*Mozart - Piano Concerto 23*

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 23 in A, K467
Rudolf Serkin, piano with Claudio Abbado conducting the LSO.

Not my favorite interpretation, but currently the only one I own. I've heard good things about Perahia.


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## David C Coleman

I've just acquired a set of CD's of Liszt's Symphonic Poems. I've heard the odd one or two here and there but never all of them. I am impressed with his first one entitled, "Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne", roughly translated means Mountain Symphony.
And it truly is symphonic in length and vision. 
Considering this is the first true symphonic poem, it's quite a feat of composition. Lets hear it in the concert halls more please?....


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## phoenixshade

*Martha Argerich*

A somewhat corny but still enjoyable demonstration of an 1877 Knabe on youtube reminded me that I had this recording of one of my favorite pianists...

*Frédéric Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 21*
performed by Martha Argerich / Mstislav Rostropovich / National Symphony Orchestra


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## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Helsinki Symphony Orchestra
Schoenberg: Pelleas and Melisande
Hallé Orchestra
Sir John Barbirolli, cond.
INTAGLIO*
The back cover states that both works were recorded live at Royal Festival Hall in London; only the Schoenberg lists a date - April, 1968. One can assume from the equally rough sound quality that the Sibelius was probably recorded around the same time and/or with the same mechanism. There's some disconcerting "tape bleed-through" heard at the beginning of the Sibelius and during softer passages, though I was listening through headphones. Prominent coughing and other audience noises occasionally poke the proceedings, but they tend to be dispersed enough to not be too nettling. Now, as to those performances....

This CD presents Sir John Barbirolli conducting different orchestras in two extended and essentially seamless works dating from the first quarter of the twentieth century. The Symphony No. 7 of Sibelius has the Helsinki Symphony Orchestra (I have no idea if this is the mislabeled Helsinki Philharmonic, the progenitor of that band, or a different band entirely -- I have a sense it's the latter) in an often emphatic performance. Barbirolli embarks with an unusually slow and deliberate pulse, establishing an enticing atmosphere and from which he employs very subtle doses of expressive rubato -- keeping the melodic line flowing up to the first of three memorable climaxes, the first purposely understated, but all with a plaintively dramatic trombone motif. Things spring noticeably to life in the symphony's second half, heating up appreciably and featuring some very fine ensemble work between the winds and strings, often punctuated by prominent tympani and ear-catching dynamic bursts. The final third presents a beautifully shaped tapestry of melding lines, building most dramatically and with Sir John grunting emphatically, urging maximum expression from those high strings. The release into the coda is as affecting as ever, winding down in the same diffident and deliberate manner in which the symphony opened, then dynamically upsurging into a beautiful ecstasy. Equally ecstatic applause spontaneously greets the symphony's final truncated exclamation.

This is my introduction to Schoenberg's early Opus 5 tone poem _Pelleas und Melisande_, inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck's influential _fin de siecle_ symbolist play. Musically, it resides firmly in the realm of Late Romanticism a la Strauss and Schoenberg's younger contemporary Franz Schmidt with barely a hint, if anything, of the composer's later, more self-defining twelve-tone idiom. While Debussy's opera of this title is one of the few I enjoy on a whim and Sibelius' incidental music certainly has its moments (I've yet to hear Fauré's take on it), this Schoenberg piece left me mostly bewildered, though not entirely unamused -- there's plenty of weighty impact in the constantly surging and subsiding Romantic ballast of this immense work. Still, a healthy knowledge of Maeterlinck's narrative probably helps here as this complex score, or perhaps Barbirolli's way with it, could benefit from some dramatic clarity. The live recording, as mentioned above, is a bit rugged (a studio recording of the work by Barbirolli exists on EMI). I've always enjoyed Schoenberg's seminal _Verklärte Nacht_, so maybe a few more listens will be both enlightening and instructive.


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## Moldyoldie

Moldyoldie said:


> Musically, it resides firmly in the realm of Late Romanticism a la Strauss and Schoenberg's younger contemporary Franz Schmidt....


Reading this again, even I'm confused...and I wrote it!  I meant to suggest that both Strauss and Schmidt were contemporaries of Schoenberg, and that Schmidt was younger than Strauss. Schmidt and Schoenberg were both born in 1874, about ten years after Strauss. Even so, it's probably irrelevant to my point in attempting to describe the flavor of Schoenberg's _Pelleas und Melisande_, though both he and Schmidt studied under Strauss. I should have merely written: "Musically, it resides firmly in the realm of Late Romanticism a la his contemporaries Richard Strauss and Franz Schmidt."  Sorry.


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## phoenixshade

*Shostakovich 7th*

After reading and posting in the Shostakovich forum, I decided to pull out something I haven't listened to in a while...

*Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7 in C major, op. 60 "Leningrad"*
performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Karel Ančerl
Supraphon 11 1952-2


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## World Violist

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Folksong Arrangements and English Folksong Studies
Richard Tear, tenor; Sir Philip Ledger, piano; Hugh Bean, violin
Jean Stewart, viola; Daphne Ibbott

Interestingly enough, this is my first voice-piano CD, as well as my first Vaughan Williams CD. Tear has a very dark, penetrating voice in this recording, and Ledger catches every nuance in these songs. It's very refreshing for me to hear this, to be perfectly honest, just two people making honest, simple, beautiful music together. The atmosphere is very good throughout the whole CD so far. In the songs that are in French, his diction and such is just as good as it is in the English songs. I don't know what more to say about this, and I don't think this needs words to be said about it. It's an excellent introduction, anyway; I am quite entranced by each and every track on this disc.


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## R-F

*Stravinsky*










Right now I'm listening to The Rite of Spring- for the first time!  I loved The Firebird a lot.

I don't think I'm prepared to give a complex analysis of Stravinsky yet, just thought I'd share with you what I'm listening to!


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## Moldyoldie

R-F said:


> Right now I'm listening to The Rite of Spring- for the first time!


Ah, a _Rite of Spring_ virgin, eh?   You're to be envied!









*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 5
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Malcolm Sargent, cond.
EMI*
By the by, this CD was something of a bargain bin epiphany _pour moi_ in a much earlier time of my Sibelian experience; it occured after having been thoroughly discouraged from ever again listening to the Sibelius _Symphony No. 5_ by the dour and depressing performance heard on the recording by Esa-Pekka Salonen sometime in the late '80s. Whether that would still be the case is questionable, but even today, there's no subverting the fact that these are among the sunniest and most optimistic performances of these two popular symphonies one's ears will likely ever hear. Sargent and the BBCSO come to both sporting yellow-tinged glasses and ineffable grins.

It's almost pointless attempting to differentiate between the two works as performed here. _Symphony No. 1_ is as bracing as ever with a steadily implacable undercurrent of pulse and forward momentum. There's absolutely no sense of overt affectation other than what seemingly springs forth inevitably from the score -- except, perhaps, for an incredibly relentless helter-skelter conclusion to the Allegro third movement which has the orchestra grasping for ensemble and the listener gasping for breath!

The _Symphony No. 5_ here also doesn't "take time to smell the roses", mainly because Sargent and the orchestra smell the roses from the get-go in a straightforward reading of the first movement which could probably benefit from some "strategic phrasing" by Sargent to help accentuate the marvelous build to the movement's powerful coda. As performed here, this "power" seems diminished by the lack of contrast with what precedes it, and the strings don't possess the necessary heft to make for a truly visceral crescendo, something I listen for with great anticipation. Another thing is disconcerting, that being the extended silent pauses between tracks of the symphony's movements instead of the more _attaca_ approach which I've become used to. The andante second movement commences in an unusually measured fashion when considering the performance in toto. I must admit, however, that in the grand scheme of the performance, these prove to be quibbles as the symphony is brought home in the same sunny fashion in which it commenced, and indeed, as it was predominantly conducted throughout.

The recording quality from the late '50s displays a modicum of tape hiss and is decidedly bass shy, but with fine midrange presence and not too much tinniness on the top end; no one could possibly mistake this for the very best recording of similar vintage. Still, there's fine presence and "personality" in the winds especially, lending well to these -- yes, "uniquely cheery" performances.


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## phoenixshade

*Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer*

This was my introduction to Wagner's operas. I haven't listened to it in years, until now.

*Richard Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer* (The Flying Dutchman)
Solti / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Bailey / Martin / Kollo / Talvela
London 414 551-2









Alas, poor Erik!

The overture is still one of my favorites in all of opera; it serves as an emotional microcosm for the opera as a whole, carrying you from the opening storm to the maidens awaiting the return of the seamen to the Dutchman's wooing of Senta to the tragic end.

I still find this one of the most satisfying librettos as well. It is almost symmetrical, if that makes any sense... the first act raises the question: Is there faithfulness in love? The second brings the ill-fated lovers together, and the third tests that question.

There are parallels in both the drama and the music between the first and final acts, such as the Helmsman calling out to the Dutchman's crew, which remains unanswered until the final act; and the Dutchman's hope of finding a true wife in act I echoed by his doubt of that troth in the final act.

In between, there is the beautiful ballad of the Dutchman, followed by the moving wooing of Senta in the form of an extended duet.

Tying all this together are a couple of astounding orchestral transitions between acts, giving the whole work a continuity that defies its division into three acts.

All in all, I'd say that I couldn't have lucked into a better introduction to Wagner.

I've read numerous reviews critical of this performance, calling the soloists "lackluster," the chorus "uneven," and the orchestra "overly bombastic." Perhaps it's the soothing lens of nostalgia, but I don't hear these things in this recording. It is still as enjoyable today as it was on my first listening. If you'd like to get into Wagner operas, this is the perfect place to start.


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## Chi_townPhilly

phoenixshade said:


> If you'd like to get into Wagner operas, this [i.e.: _Dutchman_] is the perfect place to start.


You have some high-class company in that assertion (*david johnson*).

As for me, I'm revisiting Dvořák's _American Suite_. [Royal Philharmonic/Antal Dorati.]


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## phoenixshade

Chi town/Philly said:


> You have some high-class company in that assertion


Good to know that I occasionally get it right (or at least draw the same conclusion as the experts...)

I'm not sure why it is, but the last few days I've been listening to quite a bit of Romantic era music. Today it was this:

*Franz Schubert - Winterreise*
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Gerald Moore
EMI Classics



This is my first ever (!) Fischer-Dieskau recording. I don't know how it's possible that I've never heard him sing before now. I am at a complete loss for words. The way he sings this almost makes me want to kill myself; he brings out the emotion that well.


----------



## Moldyoldie

I just listening to the following...








*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Berglund, cond.

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Jorma Panula, cond.
FINLANDIA*
These recordings originally date from 1968 and are thoroughly inside the idiom. A few months ago, I heard Berglund's most recent commercial recording of the _Symphony No. 4_ with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (also on the Finlandia label) and commented on how leaden and uninvolving the performance was compared to most others I've heard. Well, this performance with his erstwhile band, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, presents much the same interpretation, perhaps even darker and more expansive, but with some much needed heft and resonance throughout the timbral spectrum, especially in those growling double-basses and expressive massed strings, which here are unusually subdued and hence even more forbidding. They continue on in painting the bleakest possible sonic landscape throughout the entire opening movement. Even the brief _allegro molto vivace_ second movement hardly offers a respite from the bleakness. It makes Berglund's incredibly forlorn, but impressively well-wrought _il tempo largo_ third movement an extended expression of utter despair. I'm trying to remember if even Karajan, Bernstein, and a few other notables were this cold and dour in their memorable traversals of this landscape. The figurative light breaking through the dark clouds in the beginning of the finale, accented here with softly rung glockenspiel, hardly brings a feeling of redemption. Instead, Berglund offers merely an extended baiting glimpse of hope before foundering in a wave of dissonance. Orchestral balances are impressively unique here in conjuring this effect. The dynamic suddenly shifts to a jarring forte late in the movement, but quickly subsides into a coda suggesting hope was but a taunting zephyr -- the inexorable gloom returns, soon fading, along with all else, on a hushed closing whimper. Now I know what was missing from that COE recording: It makes one believe that this, Sibelius' masterpiece of personal expression, is best heard in large swaths of varying greys as opposed to mere pen & ink, and it's certainly worth the hearing for anyone with an affinity for this symphony. I've not heard Berglund's two other recordings with the Bournemouth and Helsinki orchestras on EMI.

Noted Finnish conducting guru Jorma Panula was music director of the Helsinki Phiharmonic at this time and offers up a unique and musically insightful rendering of the popular _Symphony No. 5_. The opening clarion horn slowly unfurls and the succeeding winds display a delightfully earthy quality seemingly straight from a Finnish bog -- it's difficult to adequately describe and I'm loathe to think it's merely due to the power of musical suggestion. The opening movement develops most effectively up to the first appearance of the so-called swan hymn, through which the tempo upshifts to a delightful lilt. From there, the build to the movement's coda is superbly realized with just the right amount of tempo and dynamic adjustments to bring maximum effect to the powerful ostinato crescendo, launched abruptly and executed with superb ensemble -- yowza! Following a fine andante second movement, the _allegro molto_ finale is taken at the most relaxed and softly expressive measure I ever remember hearing! The final swan hymn has brass braying with that marvelous earthy quality heard earlier in the winds -- more power of suggestion? I don't think so, this is the real McCoy! The symphony's concluding bursts are tight and terse, bringing an end to this uniquely satisfying performance. My not-always-acute-sense is that this is the kind of performance Esa-Pekka Salonen "meant" to produce for CBS with the Philharmonia, instead of the...well, never mind.


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## agoukass

I acquired this set last month and have been listening to it ever since. Marcelle Meyer (1898-1957) was one of the leading French pianists of her time. She studied with Ricardo Vines (friend of Ravel and Debussy) and Alfred Cortot at a very young age. She was a friend of Les Six and performed many of their works in public as well as those of Ravel. She spent most of her life in France and also lived during her last years in Italy. To my knowledge, she never came to the United States.

Of the CDs in this mammoth box, I find her Scarlatti discs to be wonderful. Although there is repetition of some sonatas that she recorded several times, I find her playing to be sensitive and alert to Scarlatti's demands. I find her rendition of K. 87 to be sensitive and introspective. In her hands and those of the young Horowitz, it has something that comes close to unrelieved grief.

Her performances of Debussy (Images, Preludes, L'Isle Joyeuse) was a surprising shock to me. In my collection, I have recordings by Zimerman and Fergus Thompson of the Preludes. Zimerman's recording is justly famous, but I feel that he dwells too long in the sonorities. Fergus Thompson also does the same although his playing cannot match that of Zimerman.

Meyer, on the other hand, performs the Preludes in a manner that is very different from either. For one thing, she takes much quicker tempi than either Zimerman or Fergus Thompson. Her own sensitivity to the musical line is also evident in every piece. I particularly love her "Cathedrale Engloutie" and "De pas sur la neige." Both of these are exquisite examples of her playing.

I hope this gives you some idea about this under-appreciated pianists. I will add more reviews as I get around to other discs.


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## ecg_fa

Today I've been listening to Jiri Belohlavek & Prague Philharmonia w. Isabelle Faust
doing the Beethoven Violin Concerto-- and IF w. Alexander Melnikov doing the 
Kreutzer Sonata. Sonata dynamite I think-- they're great together in general-- I have 
several of their records & like 'em all, & concerto is good too-- if perhaps a bit brisker paced than some might like, ok with me. Also, non classical I've been listening to a nice box 
set of 3 '70's ECM recordings by rhapsodic jazz pianist Steve Kuhn-- 'Life's Backward Glance.
First time on CD for 'em I think-- enjoying, if I think his playing recent years even better.

Ed


----------



## bongos

its a beautiful morning in Auckland today .I am listening to NZ radio Concert programme before the cricket at Napier begins ( NZ v West Indies).This morning's works I have listened to are Shostakovich Symphony 9(Netherlands Radio Philharmonic ), Mozart Piano concerto 24 ( live recording Maurizio Pollini with Vienna Philharmonic) .I enjoyed both


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## agoukass

One of the great pianists you've probably never heard of, Grigory Ginsburg (1906-69) was a Russian powerhouse for most his career. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Alexander Goldenweiser, a good friend of Rachmaninoff, and went on to perform at the Chopin Competition in 1930s. He performed in Germany, Poland, and other parts of Europe until World War II. After this period, his performances were confined to the Soviet Union and during the 1950s, he began to concertize throughout the former Soviet bloc. He also performed and recorded with violinst Leonid Kogan and taught at the Moscow Conservatory.

Ginsburg's specialty was the music of Liszt and the Russian Romantics. His hair raising recordings of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies on this CD stand comparison with Friedman, Rubinstein, Bolet, and Cziffra. Yet my favorite recording on this disc, and the one I listened to tonight, was his rendition of Schubert's Standchen (Schwanengesang) in Liszt's transcription. The performance was beautiful and Ginsburg truly sang. Truly, this is one of his most moving performances and one that deserves immortality.

Among his other recordings on this two disc set that I recommend are the Medtner Sonata Reminiscenza and Tchaikovsky/Pabst Eugene Onegin Paraphrase (a great showpiece that was once championed by Josef Hofmann and other 20th century pianists).


----------



## World Violist

Seiji Ozawa/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Tanglewood Festival Chorus/Boston Boy Choir; Faye Robinson, Magna Peccatrix; Judith Blegen, Una Poenitentium; Deborah Sasson, Mater Gloriosa; Florence Quivar, Mulier Samaritana; Lorna Myers, Maria Aegyptiaca; Kenneth Riegel, Doctor Marianus; Benjamin Luxon, Pater Ecstaticus; Gwynne Howell, Pater Profundus

I bought this CD with the score... and I'm very happy indeed that I did, because I never knew just what I was missing. This piece is an utter masterpiece of counterpoint and orchestration, a monumental marvel. And Ozawa follows the score perfectly, and everyone involved is VERY involved. The chorus and the singers are absolutely the best I've ever heard (forget Shaw; this is the real deal, at least as far as the soloists go!). Not to mention, this is a REAL organ with some REAL power behind it. This is definitely the best Mahler 8th I've ever heard (and this includes Bernstein/LPO, Mitropoulos/VPO, and Shaw/Atlanta), and it leaves me with absolutely no desire to listen to Solti's legendary recording. There's plenty of vitality in this one as it is; it's very intense throughout, as is very hard to find in a Mahler 8th at all... but what's more surprising is that it's magnificently intense while maintaining a sense of real heartfelt music AND mystery and mysticism as well. It's genuinely great Mahler, and it's very very saddening to see that it, along with the rest of the Ozawa/Boston Mahler catalogue, is out of print. Too many people are missing what this piece can really be. Yes, it's that good.

The first part is simply better in general than the others I've heard. The organ is downright thrilling whenever it comes in, especially at the last cadence at the end when everything in the orchestra roars E-flat major triumphantly. The soloists are perfect, the choirs are all perfect, the balance is perfect... everything's perfect. And there is electric life bursting from every last measure, every note of it.

The violins at the beginning of the second part are chilling to the bone. Ozawa gets the tempo exactly right here; neither sagging nor driving ruthlessly ahead. And all the emotions are there, with that extra sense of mystery and suspense I was talking about earlier. The cellists come in, it's not so much crushing agony as a cry of despair. Now the chorus are rather interesting to me a little while after they come in; as the lower voices have their muttering staccatos, the higher voices sing their melody much more legato, even connected. This I've never heard before, from Bernstein or Mitropoulos or Shaw, but I like it. A lot. It adds a much greater sense of urgency, and you know Ozawa means business by taking the trouble to add that in when nobody else does.

The soloists are all very good, consistently good, which is more than I can say for the other recordings I have; in Bernstein's they are all very good, but not quite to this level; in Shaw's they are all utterly uninspired and almost unmusical by comparison, like it was just another recording project they had to get through; and Mitropoulos, while more realistic being in a live performance, are much more strained sounding (though I must say, that baritone was extraordinarily emotional and ecstatic in "Blicket auf") and have a somewhat more distracting vibrato. However, I must single out the baritone in this recording; his solo contributions are some of the eloquent and beautifully phrased I've ever heard.

So then there's "Alles Vergängliche," practically a masterpiece in itself, and Ozawa treats it as such (so does the Chorus Mysticus, so perfect is it), and at just over 6 minutes it keeps all the tension going higher and higher, and the anticipation just keeps rising along with it until it feels like it would all just fall apart - and then it's all let loose, timed so magnificently.

It really is a great shame this recording hasn't been reissued. It's one of the glaring holes in the Mahler discography otherwise.


----------



## Badinerie

Alban Berg Violin concerto. 
( and some Bach Partitas earlier on)


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande
Wagner: Siegfried-Idyll
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Christian Thielemann, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
After having been introduced to Schoenberg's _Pelleas und Melisande_ earlier in a roughly recorded live performance from Sir John Barbirolli that was often marked by severe, if stimulating undulations, this came as a pleasant surprise. Thielemann evens the peaks and troughs, sands down the rough edges, and expands the languid and overtly Romantic expression while giving fine clarity to the multiple textures and dynamics at play in this protracted work. In fact, Thielemann's account extends to nearly 46 minutes, over eight minutes longer than Barbirolli. The effect is one where the obvious influences of Wagner and Strauss are abetted by that of Debussy -- it's unmistakable! The dramatic narrative is still elusive here, the use of recurring leitmotifs notwithstanding, but one can hardly argue with the committed playing and sheer beauty of both the conception and execution.

Thielemann's rendition of Wagner's _Siegfried-Idyll_ is played in the same languorous manner (I haven't heard it played in any other manner!), making for a fine coupling and homogeneous program of over an hour.


----------



## phoenixshade

*Victoria - Requiem*

The "Favourite Requiem" thread led me to pull out a recording I haven't listened to in quite a while:

*Tomás Luis de Victoria - Officium defunctorum*
Gabrieli Consort / Paul McCreesh
(Archiv 447 095-2)



This is a truly sublime Renaissance masterpiece. Not a single dissonant note from start to finish, and it doesn't need one. I prefer this recording over the Tallis Scholars' more recent rendition.

(In the aforementioned thread, I *posted links* to selections available on YouTube.)


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## ecg_fa

Today I've been listening to Robert King/King's Consort 'Monteverdi The Sacred
Music, Vol. 2.' I love the whole series of their Monteverdi Sacred Music & also 'Vespers.'
Also, jazz-- 'Lost and Found' by guitarist Ralph Towner.


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## opus67

Bruckner 
Symphony No. 9
Vienna Phil./Boulez
Live| Recorded in 2001 in Vienna

This is one of the two live performances I have. And I think I have heard enough of the mp3s to warrant the purchase a proper disc.


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## WalterJ

Fernado Sor Six Pieces, Op. 45
Voyons si c'est ca - 6 Pieces, Op. 45: No. 3. Theme and Variations
From Sor: Complete Guitar Music, Vol. 10


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## luuvanan

maximum sound Violin When I was very childish.i liked it but I can not play it.what any way I can play it?


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## Rachovsky

Mehta / NYPO
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring


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## Rachovsky

Haven't purchased this album, but am listening from WQXR.com (Classical Music Radio of the NY Times). They have a performance of symphony hall every evening around 8-9. I urge you all to tune in every night. It's usually quite a good performance. I heard this recording once before and was quite enthused, but I must say it's a lot better now that I give it a second try. The climaxes are powerful and the LSO, as always, plays excellently.


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## Rondo

This album has entertained me for weeks. I have yet to find performances of Bartok to rival those by Boulez.


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## periodinstrumentfan

*Schaffrath* *by Balestracci, viol and Beyer, baroque violin* etc.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/619fDUBlqmL._SS500_.jpg

*Venturini* *by David Plantier and La Cetra*
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5193C2Q56ZL._SS400_.jpg

*Geminiani* *by Elizabeth Wallfisch and the Purcell Quartet*
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/05/33/55ce81b0c8a08f222ca7a110.L.jpg


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## ecg_fa

Listening lately a lot to Tallis Scholars's Josquin Des Pres 'Missa Sine Nomine' & 'Missa Ad Fugam.' Beautiful/complex ('08 recent recording). (www.gimell.com). Also '06 
one by Renée Fleming, with Valery Gergiev cond. Orch. of the Mariinsky Theatre, 'Homage Age of the Diva.' Interesting program of arias tribute to turn of the century (20th that is) divas like Mary Garden/Emmy Destin/ etc. Some familiar like Tosca's 'Vissi d'arte,' or 'Poveri Fiori' from Adriana Lecouvreur; some obscure from Russian opera/Janacek's 'Jenufa,' Korngold, etc. (You can find link to details at www.reneefleming.com). I think a beautiful recording.

Ed


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## Elgarian

I have been listening to one of my Christmas presents:










Sometimes something hits me so hard that I barely know how to respond. If I'm sitting down, I want to stand up. If I'm standing, I want to sit down. Neither works. I want to tell someone else about what's happening, but at the same time I want to listen intently to lap up every last nuance of sound. This collection is one of those that has this effect. What Bartoli does with Handel's 'Lascia la spina' sends thrills up and down my spine, brings tears to my eyes, and leaves me wide eyed with awe. Just listen to that voice, from about 3.40 onwards: total control, every moment charged with the deepest meaning and feeling, as if the words are being recreated with new life as she sings.

If I were the Grand Dictator of Great Britain, I'd decree that this collection be given free, to every child, at birth, as an example of what astounding things some human beings are capable of, how sensitively they can engage with life through their art, and how delicately (though with what consummate power) they can communicate their experience of it.

I might change the cover art, though.


----------



## Moldyoldie

From the following boxset...








*Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Aase Nordmo Lövberg, soprano; Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; Waldemar Kmentt, tenor; Hans Hotter, baritone
Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus
Otto Klemperer, cond.
EMI (Disc #6 of 9)*
Several weeks ago on another message board, there was a very brief _tête-à-tête_ concerning this recording of _Beethoven's Ninth_ wherein it was suggested by a poster that it's comparable to Karajan's vaunted '63 recording. At the time I wondered if that "suggestion" was merely a misunderstanding on my part since I've always felt the Klemperer to be miles removed from Karajan in almost every conceivable way. I promised myself a reassessment; it came this morning. However, there's no use pretending it's an actual reassessment since my feelings remain unchanged -- this is a plodding, hardened, overall schlerotic performance devoid of the "joy" that's supposedly this work's _raison d'etre_. Klemperer effected strict, deliberate tempi throughout, albeit exposing a great deal of orchestral detail that's captured impressively by the EMI recording dating from 1957. The vocal soloists are at best adequate and likewise captured, if the chorus leaves something to be desired in the way of clarity and sonic vibrancy. I could make the ameliorating attempt to pinpoint certain "highlights" in Klemperer's rendition whereby his approach may be justified, but there's no use in thinking that it would in any way preclude my suggestion to novice listeners to avoid this recording until one is well-versed in this great work's wonderful mysteries and utter joys as promulgated by any number of great recorded performances...Karajan's included.


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## bongos

*hello all music lovers*

today ,New Years day, NZ Concert Radio plays the 30 most popular classical voted by NZ listeners .Im listening to number 25 -- Gorecki Symphony No 3 .Yes it gets a thumbs up from me .I liked it .


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## David_Rodrigues

Hey!!!

right now i´m not listening to anything, but at the beginning of this afternoon i listened to La Bohéme with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Vilazon and Paganini´s violin concerto nº1 played by Hilary Hahn

The paganini works fo violin are really amazing... One of my favourite composers

Hugs
David


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## Moldyoldie

Included in this 2-CD budget set...








*Barber: Overture to "The School for Scandal"; Adagio for Strings; Essays for Orchestra Nos. 1-3; Medea's Dance of Vengeance
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, cond.
EMI*
This has been in my collection since it was released in the late '80s and still represents well-nigh definitive (there's that word I hate using!) one-stop shopping for the many compactly composed orchestral gems of Samuel Barber. Quibbles can be made here or there concerning tempos, phrasing, and balances; but all are performed with a fine grasp of Barber's distinctly 20th century American idiom. Returning to it this morning, my main complaint has to do with the sound quality which could certainly do with a "refurbishing"; I'm wondering if such was effected on the recent EMI Gemini re-release shown on the right above. As to the performances; the brass, winds, and percussion make themselves effectively heard and felt; but the otherwise fine strings are often noticeably underpowered. I found myself wishing to hear this performed with the likes of the Berlin Philharmonic...for shame!


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## David_Rodrigues

Right now i´m hearing the violin concert nº3 of Paganini played by S.Accardo 

really amazing

Hugz
David


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Mitropoulos/Cologne WDR Sinfonie Orchester

This is undoubtably one of the more intense and self-annihilating utterances of early twentieth-century music. And Mitropoulos conducts it for all it's worth, leaving a listener entirely and utterly exhausted by the end. The first movement goes by quickly; he doesn't take the exposition repeat. However, the second movement (here the Scherzo, which I prefer anyway) is absolute hell to go through. Mitropoulos makes it tear at your heart until, when it seems you can no longer bear it. And then there's the comparative oasis of the Andante - comparative, I say, because there is little that is truly oasis-like about it - which has its heart played out with such bittersweet emotion that it, too, wears one out entirely.

And then you wake up and realize, "Oh shoot... that's only half way through!" and the finale absolutely kills in this recording. True, there are several flubs and whatnot (I believe this is a live recording, so there's the excuse), but that does nothing to subdue the monstrous horror that this music becomes. I got a bare hint of this kind of hellishness in my Bernstein recording, but this is the real deal. Shrieking trumpets, sneering woodwinds, those utterly terrifying deep bells... it puts one through the emotional ringer, surely enough.

One of the interesting things I've noticed about this recording is that the hammerblows get steadily louder; the first is barely noticeable, the second decently enough penetrating, and the third is still overcome by the immense power of the timpani and brass. I'm not entirely sure what Mitropoulos has the hammerblows coming from, but it just doesn't do enough for my taste. That's my one and only quirk about this whole recording, other than possibly the lack of exposition repeat (but then that would be another 5 minutes of gut-wrenching music like this!). But with the rest of the music played like THIS, the hammerblows are devastating enough even if you can't hear them.

And, just in case you don't like this: Mitropoulos has a very free sense of tempo. In the outer movements, the tempo is pulled every which way, which I think adds to the drama, immediacy, and ultimately the impact, of this recording. It stretches one out to the very brink emotionally, which I'm sure Mahler intended as he composed it.


----------



## Azathoth

Listening to Jaroussky singing Vivaldi's Virtuoso Cantatas while trying to figure out how to get at my Buxtehude harpsichord works I got off of iTunes...but downloaded to another computer.


----------



## phoenixshade

*Mozart - Clarinet Quintet in A*



Azathoth said:


> Listening to Jaroussky singing Vivaldi's Virtuoso Cantatas while trying to figure out how to get at my Buxtehude harpsichord works I got off of iTunes...but downloaded to another computer.


Yeah, that's the beauty of iTunes "digital rights management" for you... the task you have set before yourself is virtually impossible, unless you paid the extra money for DRM-free versions of the files. That's just one of several reasons why I will never buy from iTunes.

But, in keeping with the topic of the thread:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Clarinet Quintet K.581 / Horn Quintet K.407 / Oboe Quartet K.370*
Anthony Pay / Timothy Brown / Neil Black
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble
(Phillips 422 833-2)



The Clarinet Quintet is by far the highlight of this disc. Anthony Pay gives perhaps the best rendition of this work I've ever heard.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien; Symphony No. 3
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Mariss Jansons, cond.
MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY (from CHANDOS)*

I'm certain this music has its adherents, but this morning I wasn't one of them. Fine playing and great sound quality, though.

I like 4 - 6 as much as the next person, 1 and 2 also have their moments. Jansons and the Oslo band are as direct and straightforward in their performances as anyone and the vivid sound is top-drawer, but No. 3 does mostly nothing for me across its five movements...until the very end. 

I'll give it another shot later...much later.


----------



## Adie

*Christmas toys*

I'm having memories, imagined or real I'm not sure, of traditional Christmases with traditional toys having just listened to Carl Nielsen: Six Humoresque Bagatelles. Seems to fit the season; great fun.


----------



## opus67

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Angela Hewitt

The C# minor fugue was particularly moving. This is my proper first-listen of this set of works. (At most, I'll listen to half of the first book tonight.) It's wonderful, each set of prelude and its associated fugue, mirroring different emotions. A microcosm, in a way, within the larger structure.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic

This box is very interesting. It contains possibly the best-known Sibelius orchestra in the world today (with Lahti as a contender if there is one) in interpretations of all of Sibelius' symphonies by a composer. The result is comparable to Bernstein's recordings of Mahler. Extraordinarily idiosyncratic renditions. And practically by definition, some are failures, and some are the greatest recordings ever done of the work.

The Fourth symphony of Sibelius is very hard to wrap one's head around (I still haven't), but I can tell that Segerstam has the measure of this piece very securely indeed, if not quite to the same degree as with the First and Fifth of this set. The opening is immense, and time stands still right from the start. The effect is sustained throughout the entire symphony (quite comparable, actually, to Bernstein's recording of this same piece, with the New York Philharmonic). It isn't so much anxiety as a sort of blank emptiness, and it works very very well with this piece. I feel that this is one of the great recordings of this piece (that I've heard anyway). At any rate, it is certainly one of my favorites.


----------



## Rachovsky

Before today I had only listened to portions of the music to Koyaanisqatsi, but today I decided to watch the entire movie. I must say, my favorite part was "The Grid," with it's sped up cinematography of individuals interacting with modern technology. I urge those who haven't saw the video (1 hr, 30 min.) to give it a watch. The music is by Philip Glass. Minimalistic music isn't so bad when you have something to watch with it.


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## confuoco

World Violist said:


> And practically by definition, some are failures, and some are the greatest recordings ever done of the work.


I own this set and although it has better and worse symphony recordings as every set of this kind, I don't dare to label any of them as failure. Can you specify it?

By the way, there is also very good Violin concerto recording on this set.


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## confuoco

On this recording everything is perfect; except the work itself.


----------



## danae

Right now I'm listening to Jean Francaix's quartets with saxophone.


----------



## World Violist

confuoco said:


> I own this set and although it has better and worse symphony recordings as every set of this kind, I don't dare to label any of them as failure. Can you specify it?
> 
> By the way, there is also verz good Violin concerto recording on this set.


The Second symphony on here is very awkward. Especially the finale, in my opinion. I've likened it to Sibelius running a marathon, and as he picks up speed, he runs into a wall, gets up again, starts running, and repeats... The weird pauses he inserts just before the big tune just kills me every time.

Otherwise that's the biggest "failure" I can think of. There are much better Seconds out there, from much less likely conductors/orchestras.

By the way, I like the violin concerto on this also. Very good stuff. Though I do prefer the Kavakos/Vanska/Lahti one better; the technique is much more solid, and there are several times in the Kuusisto recording where I feel he's struggling to pull it off. Indeed, some of the "rubato" I feel is mostly just to get the notes right; they just happened to be in such a place where a listener would see it as being expressive rather than grappling with the instrument (and by the way, I have heard people take expressive rubatos very similar to Kuusisto's, but many pull it off much more effortlessly, in my humble opinion). Nothing against this recording though, I see very much potential: he was only 20 at the time.


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## Moldyoldie

*Ives: Symphony No. 1
Barber: Three Essays for Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
I know a different Charles Ives, the early twentieth century musical iconoclast who so dauntlessly took American music "where no one had gone before". The Ives found here is a fine enough student composer from Yale who was apparently hamstrung by his conservatively predisposed professors. That said, his turn-of-the-century _Symphony No. 1_ as performed here is an enjoyable Late Romantic work in four movements that won't necessarily shake the wax out of one's ears, but still makes for a well-constructed, tuneful, and sometimes dramatic listen. The first movement commences with a soft, lilting waltz and develops in typical sonata form, finally building to a crescendo and ending dramatically. The elegiac second movement is especially redolent of Dvorák's _"New World"_ with its beautiful and mournful main theme introduced on the cor anglais and echoed on the strings -- Järvi and the Detroiters milk the movement for as much languor as propriety allows. Elsewhere, the symphony mostly takes us along for an enjoyable, if not especially challenging jaunt through what was apparently the musical sensibilities of late 1890s American musical academia -- Ives' professors must've been proud. Unfortunately, the spacious acoustic and low-level recording lends itself more to background listening as opposed to divining orchestral detail, which would probably have made for a more involving performance -- turn up the volume!

The _Three Essays for Orchestra_ of Samuel Barber are interesting, often moving shorter works thoroughly evocative of Middle America; they're not always heard together. Here, they're given a mostly similar soft-edged treatment as the Ives, yet performed with great commitment toward a pastoral view of Barber's conception. In _No. 1_ and _No. 2_, we become soaked up in wide open landscapes and echoing themes; dramatic crescendos elevate us to a musically exultant stratosphere -- the percussion are especially impressive here! _No. 3_ takes on a different flavor, at least initially, as it's framed in a more modernist vein, but eventually becomes steeped in a tonal resplendency with frequent echoes of percussion. The orchestra paints a soft portrait filled with beautiful sweep and color, then eventually lets loose in a wonderfully dramatic accelerando that brings it all home. The vivid spaciousness of the recording serves this music very well!


----------



## confuoco

World Violist said:


> The Second symphony on here is very awkward. Especially the finale, in my opinion. I've likened it to Sibelius running a marathon, and as he picks up speed, he runs into a wall, gets up again, starts running, and repeats... The weird pauses he inserts just before the big tune just kills me every time.
> 
> Otherwise that's the biggest "failure" I can think of. There are much better Seconds out there, from much less likely conductors/orchestras.
> 
> By the way, I like the violin concerto on this also. Very good stuff. Though I do prefer the Kavakos/Vanska/Lahti one better; the technique is much more solid, and there are several times in the Kuusisto recording where I feel he's struggling to pull it off. Indeed, some of the "rubato" I feel is mostly just to get the notes right; they just happened to be in such a place where a listener would see it as being expressive rather than grappling with the instrument (and by the way, I have heard people take expressive rubatos very similar to Kuusisto's, but many pull it off much more effortlessly, in my humble opinion). Nothing against this recording though, I see very much potential: he was only 20 at the time.


I am also not enthusiastic in the 2nd symphony of this cycle. As I love this work, Segerstam's recording left me surprisingly calm...however, "failure" just seems to be too strict word, at least there is well balanced orchestral sound (not axiomatic in Sibelius recordings). There is apparent, that this "failure" doesn't originates from conductor's incompetency. Then in the first movement much like in the last movement I feel conductor wanted to emphasize aspects of grandiosity in this work, unfortunately, maybe in not optimal way.

I think Kuusisto was even 17, wasn't he? It is strange with this concerto, it is my favorite violin concerto, but I still haven't found my dream interpretation...it sounds only on my mind . I have listened to many recording, though not to Kavakos/Vanska yet.


----------



## World Violist

Yes, the Sibelius concerto is very strange in that regard... even the Kavakos isn't perfect. It's the best I've heard, though. You should give it a listen.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Barber: Violin Concerto
Meyer: Violin Concerto
Hilary Hahn, violin
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Hugh Wolff, cond.
SONY*
This is such sweet, evocative, and accessible music played so eloquently that I can't stop playing it -- this CD has been played twice a day here for the last three days! I'm familiar with Samuel Barber's _Violin Concerto_ from the Kyoko Takezawa/Leonard Slatkin recording, a fine enough interpretation on a larger scale; but Hilary Hahn, just 19 when this was released in 2000, exudes such a cool objectivity and firm understanding of Barber's elegiac American expression that one can't help but be taken in by it. Takezawa certainly allowed herself freer rein in much of the work's more emphatic and romantically inclined moments. Her tone also often took on a rougher, darker shade very reminiscent of Anne-Sophie Mutter -- I'm wondering if it's her or her instrument. Hahn, on the other hand, plays in a more controlled manner with perfectly judged phrasing, finely graduated dynamic adjustments, and absolutely superb intonation. (After having heard Hahn on a few recordings, I'm convinced this girl is well-nigh incapable of playing a bad note!) Nothing we hear draws gratuitous attention to itself except Barber's beautifully inevitable scoring and Hahn's impeccable, decidedly feminine realization of it. Another big plus here is the smaller, more intimate compound sonority of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Hugh Wolff who provide the consummate accompaniment. As to the work itself, the first two movements are positively fetching, tuneful and sublime. However, I'm not all that enamored of the frenzied and seemingly disconnected brief finale; it's from a different world entirely, though certainly a virtuoso showcase for both soloist and orchestra; Hahn and the orchestra tear through it with aplomb and fine ensemble.

Edgar Meyer is a virtuoso double-bassist and composer from Tennessee who has made a name for himself in a variety of musical styles. His _Violin Concerto_ was written for Hahn and here represents her first (and so far only) world premiere recording. The work is in two parts and is immediately accessible, blending a firmly tonal American minimalist sensibility with Appalachian folk stylings and even allusions to neoclassical Stravinsky. It's a thoroughly charming and entrancing confection which complements the preceding Barber and is played by all concerned with a winning verve, commitment and convincingness.


----------



## R-F

I received this CD as a christmas present from my music teacher, and have only just got round to listening to it just now. The reason he gave me it was because for my composition I'm working on variations on Carmen's Toreador Song. Although I'm more or less finished the composition now, I'm still thoroughly enjoying listening to this.

I love how Shchedrin has written the Carmen Suite for only strings and percussion- it allows him to use the areas he's got to their full potential. I think he does this beautifully. Im still working my way through it, and haven't reached the Concerto for Orchestra yet, but I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would already!


----------



## Saturnus

World Violist said:


> This box is very interesting. It contains possibly the best-known Sibelius orchestra in the world today (with Lahti as a contender if there is one) in interpretations of all of Sibelius' symphonies by a composer. The result is comparable to Bernstein's recordings of Mahler. Extraordinarily idiosyncratic renditions. And practically by definition, some are failures, and some are the greatest recordings ever done of the work.
> 
> The Fourth symphony of Sibelius is very hard to wrap one's head around (I still haven't), but I can tell that Segerstam has the measure of this piece very securely indeed, if not quite to the same degree as with the First and Fifth of this set. The opening is immense, and time stands still right from the start. The effect is sustained throughout the entire symphony (quite comparable, actually, to Bernstein's recording of this same piece, with the New York Philharmonic). It isn't so much anxiety as a sort of blank emptiness, and it works very very well with this piece. I feel that this is one of the great recordings of this piece (that I've heard anyway). At any rate, it is certainly one of my favorites.


I've been listening a lot to this set past weeks, and I completely agree with you, the 4th is probably the best of all-time, I can't imagine it done better and I've heard so many performances that make the symphony seem uninteresting and confusing. Also, the 3rd of this set is really good, and the 1st & 5th are among the very best I've heard.


----------



## mozart453

Dinu Lipatti playing Bach partitas..same disk has the Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 in E flat,
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.


----------



## World Violist

Ok, it's been a good while since I've posted here...










Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Klaus Tennstedt/London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir

This is very probably my absolute favorite Mahler Second I own, this out of both of the Bernstein recordings, MTT, Ozawa/Saito Kinen, Mehta (still my least favorite, by the way), and as far as live performances I've attended go, an abysmal account that I've likened to a manual on how not to conduct Mahler symphonies by Gilbert Kaplan (yes, _that_ Gilbert Kaplan) and the Cincinnati Symphony.

This Tennstedt account surpasses all of them, in my humble opinion, not because of the playing or anything technical (indeed, there is a timing issue right at the last "Aufersteh'n" chorus that makes it all the more moving); rather, that every last musician involved in this performance is putting far more than 110% of their effort into it. The whole performance is so human, the sheer spirit of it transcends those mistakes and makes this a truly, truly exemplary Mahler CD. I would recommend this without the slightest reservation to those who think they might like this symphony. This is desert island material right here. Actually, I'd probably say to go for the box, but I can't really well say that because I only have the 1st and 2nd (the First is equally as amazing, by the way). But anyway, get this if you can.


----------



## mueske

Shostakovich's: suite for a variety stage orchestra - Dance no. 1

I love how lively and dynamic the piece is, I just recently bought a new recording of this suite and his jazz suites (plus festive overture, overture on russian and Kirghiz themes and Novorossijk Chimes). And I just fell in love with this dance.


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## World Violist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 1
Richard Hickox/BBC National Orchestra of Wales

So I decided to start writing on this thread about Rubbra's symphonies with his first, fittingly enough. This is one of his weirder symphonies, to be perfectly frank (though not formally; that goes to some of his later writings--rather, tonally and rhythmically).

The first movement is an aggressive fast movement that takes as its main motif a very quirky little turning figure in a complex rhythm. The second theme is very interestingly placed over the swirling figurations (stripped of their odd rhythm, now just groups of turns) in the low strings. It also follows somewhat the melodic contours of the first theme also. Indeed, the rhythm comes back very soon and the whole relatively gentle second theme falls apart and the first theme delves back in, only to back out. This is music of struggle, yet there's a very natural ebb and flow to every last phrase that give it a lilting grace amid all the unsettledness.

Another quick movement follows the first, very graceful, light. "Perigourdine" it says before giving the actual tempo marking: Allegro bucolico e giocoso. I tried looking up "Perigourdine" but came up with nothing. Regardless, the mood is very clear at the beginning, but when it darkens, it darkens quickly and metamorphoses into a dance from hell, it seems. I think the orchestra could be underplaying this a bit, to be honest, but I've never heard any other recording of this nor seen a score of it so I could hardly know what to expect. And oddly, it stays in the minor through to the end of the movement, almost 6 minutes long.

The third and final movement is a 20-minute long Lento, and it opens with, if I'm not mistaken, two violas and plucking basses with some horns in the background. A very chamber-music-y opening that sets the mood for the whole movement: subdued. And, as I expected, the accompaniment is (could it be anything else???) those violent turns from the first movement, now turned mysterious and almost frightening in the forest-like shadow that is cast over the movement as a whole. As with most 20+ minute-long slow movements, it comes "out of its shell," so to speak. It climbs to a potentially terrifying climax, with brass blaring out the turn (given a new, simpler rhythm) and the tympani pounding out something else. I say "potentially" mainly because I don't quite feel it as much as I should like to from this orchestra. The tempo gradually picks up pace, or so it seems to. It definitely ups in intensity, going back to the blazing brass call again (perhaps a good thing it wasn't made too much of last time). It may be somewhat drably orchestrated, but it is very intriguing music, and very unpredictable. I for one am kept on my toes listening for what comes next, as is surely what Rubbra himself would have wanted at the time he wrote it. The turns keep on returning, then getting more and less subdued in the rest of the orchestra, as other themes and motifs surface and resurface. Often, as in some Sibelius and several other composers, this arrives at a mighty climax, as one layer is laid on top of the next and there comes of it a wall of sound. And yet, even at the most thunderous of these climaxes, right at the end, every layer of sound is still clearly audible. The symphony ends rather interestingly in the same shadowy mood as it began in, although the brass are going at it full-tilt and the tympani as well.

There is something very Sibelian about the goings-on in this symphony, which stands to reason, actually; his symphonies follow a very Sibelius-like trajectory, from this symphony which is relatively uninspired compared to his later ones, which often reach for sublimity and almost just as often achieves it.

So honestly, for a first symphony this is one of the best I've yet heard. One already can hear echos of the mystic Rubbra would become in the following years; like Sibelius, he's got his own very distinctive idiom right from the start, that is seen growing and developing throughout the rest of his great and expansive symphonic output.


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## World Violist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 2
Hickox/BBCNOW

The massed strings state the main theme monophonically, rather Gregorian-chant-like in its contour and overall style. As it finishes, the woodwinds sneak in and take over for a little while, fleshing out the texture for a little while. It's all done very convincingly in this recording; it's like a state of hushed meditation at the beginning. Excellently captured. Things begin to darken pretty quickly, becoming almost violent at times. Hickox makes an excellent case for this symphony; almost ten minutes elapse in the first movement and yet I haven't noticed them going by. It still isn't Rubbra at his most inspired, though. Many of his later symphonies, I think, are much greater musically and orchestral than this.

The second movement is practically a continuation of the first movement; nothing really special to say about it; it's frankly now getting a good bit repetitive at the moment. Definitely not Rubbra at his most inspired; even the First symphony seemed to find him with a firmer grasp of symphonic form. The orchestra does play very well, though, and the conductor knows very well what he wants from them, although the ending still seems forced and yet the movement always seems to overstay its welcome.

The third movement recalls somewhat the beginning of the first movement, with very somber (though this time polyphonic) strings succumbing (or rather this time more like giving the line) to the woodwinds. There is potential in this poetic movement. It's very tranquil, pensive, but always developing naturally. It is once again reminiscent of Sibelius but still distinctly Rubbra. And the orchestra nails it, dead-on.

I'd like to say at this point something I notice about the conductor and orchestra: Hickox is not forcing himself into any of his interpretations, rather being detached from the music just enough to give it the feeling of being definitive. And the orchestra is very comfortable with it all; the music flows naturally from them and they know the conductor quite well. However, there are several things that seem to be rather troublingly underplayed. It's as though they are giving the climaxes and such as much as they feel comfortable with giving, which is just not entirely enough for some of this music.

The scherzo-finale starts as quietly as the previous movement ended, and as one could expect, it grows. But there really is nothing particularly great about this movement. It just goes on and on with about unchanging dullness for about 8 minutes or so.

If you decide to listen to the Rubbra symphonies at some point, don't start with this one. Or if you do, don't let it get in the way of your listening to more of them. They get much better later on.


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## Capriccio

I was just listening to Cantabile, Op. 17 by Niccolo Paganini.


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## dumbass2311

Sadly, not classical. Symphonic metal. Within Temptation - Our Solemn Hour


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## karenpat

I'm listening to L'heure Exquise performed by Philippe Jaroussky, from a youtube video... apparently it'll be on his new album that comes out in March.


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## Azathoth

An album of some Prokofiev piano sonatas (2, 4, and 6 I believe) put on shuffle. As much as I like to hear a piece as it was meant to be played, I also like to shake things up so I can really hear each piece on its own. If the beginning of #4 comes right after the middle of #6, I have to open up my ears more.


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## Moldyoldie

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
Balakirev: Islamey
Kirov Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
Valery Gergiev, cond.
PHILIPS*
Believe it or not, it must be over a year since I last heard _Scheherazade_; whether on record, on the radio, or otherwise by sheer accident. Others may mock this colorful suite for its seeming ubiquity and stark mix of sweetness and bombast; I still love it on occasion -- especially when it's a performance as raw as this!

Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra strip the work of much of its over-romanticized varnish and present it as a powerful expression of Scheherazade's steadfast guile in the face of the Sultan's intimidating presence. The opening story of _"The Sea and Sindbad's Ship"_ commences slowly and most powerfully, then begrudgingly builds to an explosive crescendo. Scheherazade is portrayed by a most forthright solo violin -- hardly sweet. While _"The Kalendar Prince"_ is similarly forthright, we're introduced to a great deal of unique characterfulness from the massed winds and power from the strings. The resonant acoustic here (processing?) certainly intensifies the effect. _"The Young Prince and Princess"_ progresses with a rhythmic lilt and an appropriate measure of romance without necessarily tearing at heartstrings. The multi-part finale consisting of _"Festival at Baghdad"_, _"The Sea"_ and _"The Shipwreck"_ unfurls with great panache and features some surprising speed and emphatic percussion during sections of heightened drama -- fabulous! The suite winds down from all the excitement with a most divergent and satisfying repose. What sets this performance apart from so many others I've heard is the unique flavor of the Russian orchestra spurred on by Gergiev's take-no-prisoners conducting; it's particularly for those seeking some Slavic spice in this often westernized warhorse of oriental colors.

Borodin's familiar chestnut _In the Steppes of Central Asia_ is presented with some pungent phrasing in the strings far removed from Beecham and Broadway. Balakirev's mostly entertaining travelogue invention _Islamey_ gets the blood stirring again to conclude the program.

Some have criticized the sound recording as being either too resonant or too constricted and harsh during fortissimos; I can't rightly say I was taken aback by any of that. With this performance, it was actually "good" to hear _Scheherazade_ again.


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## World Violist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 3
Hickox/BBCNOW

This symphony begins in an utterly Sibelian vein: one pluck from the strings at first (a "signature" of Rubbra, especially with the harp), followed by a theme from the woodwinds in thirds, repeated in the strings, a very archaic-sounding theme (for want of a better word). The naturalness of the unfolding movement could only be a tribute to the Finnish master. The tympani is even used in a somewhat similar manner, and the falling-into theme B is very Sibelian in its relation to theme A. Trumpet fanfares and whirling woodwinds mark the first bombast (if you could call it that; it's hardly Mahler) yet found in this piece; it's all so smooth, though, that it hardly matters. This movement is very rounded, firm, smooth in its contours; a marked and very real improvement over the somewhat rough and meandering Second symphony. And if I made this sound like Sibelius' 8th, it isn't: it is so purely Rubbra that all these references to Sibelius are secondary (or tertiary or whatever) to the composer's own voice.

About seven and a half minutes into the first movement, there's a quieting, darkening of tone; almost magical, a foreshadowing of what was to come in Rubbra's symphonic development. The first theme comes back, this time shadowed over somewhat by the basses grinding in the back, but it fades away contentedly to end the movement at just over 9 minutes.

The second movement is graceful, lilting, rather like the equivalent movement from the First symphony. Very waltz-like (more so than the First's dance movement), it is in a brisk 6/8 time. There are quite frequent shifts of tone and mood, quite masterfully pulled off by both composer and performers. Overall, it just doesn't quite stand up to the mastery of the first movement. It ends in a flourish that doesn't entirely convince this listener, but it's a fine enough end to a fine enough movement.

The third movement is a slow movement begun with little taps on the tympani and descending phrases thrown around among the strings. This is potentially very chilling music, but once again I feel as though this interpretation is focusing too much on its (very considerable) beauty, not enough on its emotional impact. The execution is flawless, only contributing to its beauty. There is some very interesting hemiola interplay between the pizzicato cellos and violas, only adding to the sense of disjointedness in this (molto) adagio. I feel like it could easily be taken a good amount slower, really; it would probably do wonders for the chilling effect I mentioned just recently. The movement ends in a warm serenity, however, pulled off exceedingly well indeed by the Welsh orchestra.

The final movement, a theme with 7 variations and a fugue, features a very British theme indeed, and it's somewhat on the short side as well. The variations, however, each get progressively longer and complex. There is little jarring dissonance, opting more for the kind of dissonance one would find in the typical late Romantic composer's music. The variations take about 7 and a half minutes, and the 3 remaining minutes are dedicated to the fugue, none of which is entirely musically fascinating, but it does go by quite well. The ending is rather forced, though.

Overall, I think this is the best of the first three symphonies so far. The thematic development reaches a new height here, and the tones lie well on the ear while still being interesting.


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## World Violist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 4
Hickox/BBCNOW

This symphony is the last of Rubbra's "early" symphonies, when he was struggling to find his voice as a composer. The first movement begins in a slow, serene E major, relatively undisturbed, although it seems somewhat awkward and drawn-out in my humble opinion. When the tone darkens, there still isn't a whole lot of motion, although tension does begin to gain eventually. There isn't a whole lot of development either, it seems, until about three minutes into the piece (which really should have been a half a minute instead). Overall, though, it stays static and relatively unexciting for the duration of the movement, perhaps because of the rather drawn-out beginning. Were my mind more flexible at the moment I'm sure I would be more ambivalent toward this movement by quite the margin (it is, after all, 9:20 AM as I write this…). Don't listen to this movement early in the morning unless you want to be nearly comatose like me… and this lasts for about 13 or thereabouts.

Second movement, like the second movements of the First and Third symphonies, is a lilting, graceful dance. As it develops it becomes rather waltz-like in its subtle 6/8-ishness, and still further it becomes positively like Sibelius' Valse Triste. Still more Sibelius comes through with the woodwinds playing the dancing theme in parallel thirds, but after this Sibelian episode comes Rubbra again, more English than Finnish for the end of the movement. It's not very long, and it's rather attractive.

In the third and final movement we encounter a much darker tone than in any of the other symphonies at all so far: the violins hold onto solid notes very softly, the horns and bassoons and all those doing the same, and the cellos and basses sing a lonely line, which is, once again, harking back to Sibelius, this time the mesmerizing opening of Pohjola's Daughter. It doesn't feel trite this time, though, as there is still enough originality for it to be incontestably Rubbra (however he does that is anybody's guess, really…). It breaks away from Pohjola as the intensity builds in a much more straightforward manner than in Sibelius' older tone poem, then suddenly dies away to let the flute and oboe (or clarinet, I really can't tell at the moment) make its lonely statement before the orchestra comes in once more. Dotted rhythms here seems more the focus than before in the piece. The rest of this movement is somewhat a mad dash to the end, the dotted rhythms propelling themselves onward, and then it slows down into a grand fanfare for the whole orchestra. It makes for possibly the most convincing ending yet of the Rubbra symphonies.

This symphony represents a strengthening and tightening of Rubbra's symphonic thought, although it would take a few years left for his Fifth symphony to come, heralding the truly great symphonies of his that would go all the way through to the last.

Although, I wonder about the first movement, which made little sense to be. I hear that there is a recording somewhere of Rubbra himself conducting this work back in the 1940's, but that it has yet to be commercially released. I hope very fervently that he actually makes better sense of it as a whole than does Hickox in the present recording (although, that statement becomes utterly worthless if nobody ever releases said recording of the composer conducting…).


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## karenpat

Andreas Scholl - "Es ist vollbracht" from St John's Passion by Bach


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## World Violist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
Hickox/BBCNOW

This is the first of Rubbra's great symphonies, a line uninterrupted until the very end of his composing career (his last, the Eleventh, would be written but a couple of years before his death; he was planning a Twelfth when he died). It is also his most popular symphony, probably because Britain's "golden conductor" John Barbirolli recorded it with his beloved Hallé orchestra, which I believe is his only recording of Rubbra at all.

For being in B-flat MAJOR, this is certainly a most ominous beginning; akin to Brahms' Third symphony, it starts in what appears to be B-flat major, then a tympani roll significantly darkens the textures, and the low brass collapse into the minor, leaving the music to build itself up from nothing, in which it actually does reach the tonic major key. Certainly a captivating, intense beginning, and the organic development employed in this symphony does keep my attention (this is like the British Sibelius at this point, I swear). Themes grow out of each other, overlapping and just naturally occurring so convincingly that I had to really try to discern when a new thematic material emerged. It's all so subtle. This really is brilliance, here. It really is rather useless to try to say what goes on when in this movement at least… one moment it's somber, the next it's a happy dance that turns sour so gradually it reminds readily of Sibelius' great Seventh symphony. There is a climax, about eight and a half minutes into the movement, that again collapses the music under the tympani's pressure, and the movement ends in serenity about a minute later.

The second is a witty little dance-like movement in four, which features some pretty nice orchestration, interesting textures and some interesting tone colors while still not seeming openly dissonant. The orchestra in this case is excellent (as it has been anyway), and Hickox presents a very good interpretation full of a sort of strange "humble swagger," if I dare make such an odd statement, with quite a good bit of playfulness. Otherwise, not much of a movement in my opinion, though it has and serves its purpose quite well. It's somewhat over five minutes.

The third movement, a slow one, opens with the subdued nature of the first movement, although much more melancholy, more world-weary, than its relative. It, too, reaches the major key, almost by accident. This is a very bittersweet movement; the key constantly changes from major to minor and back, very naturally, and, harking back to the first movement, extraordinarily subtly as well. An ostinato is introduced, keeping the key in a hold for a little while, but it breaks free. A magical moment occurs when a single clarinet, against the ostinato modified and a tapping tympani, makes a melody of a rhapsodic, pure beauty. This theme grows into a big orchestral climax, along with the tympani rhythm pounding in the background, but this quickly falls into the warm major key again... seemingly tormented by the tympani, as it still from time to time brings its rhythmic motif into the picture and turns the music into a sour minor, but this too falls into major again, and there's a calm close once again.

The last movement, back to the lilting dance of the second movement, starts in a subdued kind of excitement. Much of the playfulness from its equivalent is still present--though perhaps tempered by the experiences it has already been through. It too has an ostinato, placed at the front at the beginning. There is much remarkable flexibility in this movement, also relating to the first and third movements. The tympani rolls in the background, the key changes as fluid and often as ever, the collapses not so sudden as Mahler or even possibly Sibelius. This is a remarkably short movement--less than five minutes--that still manages to say quite a bit.

This symphony is really quite ingenious. In it there are still more hints of the overwhelming sublimity of some of his later works (the immediately following Sixth symphony and the later Ninth being the examples I can immediately give). The expression in this symphony is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessors; the orchestration, melodic invention, development, inspiration, originality--all of it is presented here unforced and free as life itself, a mark of true genius.


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## opus67

The celebration begins!

Serenata notturna, K. 239
Iona Brown, Malcolm Latchem (vln 1 and 2)/Stephen Shingles (vla)/Raymund Koster (double bass - what's the shorter version for double bass?)
ASMF/Marriner

followed by

Piano Concerto No. 19, K. 459
Alfred Brendel/ASMF/Marriner


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## World Violist

opus67 said:


> (double bass - what's the shorter version for double bass?)


I dunno, single bass? Bass viol, maybe...

Is this Mozart's birthday or something? Forgive my ignorance...


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> I dunno, single bass?


A smart @$$, eh? 

Actually, I should have asked a different question: What's the short _form_ of double bass, like vln is for violin? My apologies for being unclear.



> Is this Mozart's birthday or something? Forgive my ignorance...


Yes.


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## World Violist

opus67 said:


> Actually, I should have asked a different question: What's the short _form_ of double bass, like vln is for violin? My apologies for being unclear.


I dunno, composers just put "bass" in their scores when it's talking about double bass and it's in the context of chamber/orchestral works... although in Mahler's 8th it's referred to as "Kb": contrabass.

Hope this helps, and I'm sorry about my last (admittedly very unhelpful) post on this.


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> I dunno, composers just put "bass" in their scores when it's talking about double bass and it's in the context of chamber/orchestral works... although in Mahler's 8th it's referred to as "Kb": contrabass.


Thanks for the info. 



> Hope this helps, and I'm sorry about my last (admittedly very unhelpful) post on this.


No apologies, please. I didn't really mean the ":angry:" or the other stuff. 

So, instead of this back and forth apologising, I will mention that I just listened Mozart's 23rd piano concerto a few minute back - one that I hadn't listened to often - and I find it unfair that it is not mentioned in the same breath as the others from the same time period. The second movement was lovely, and I don't know why Philips (and some other companies, too) split this concerto in two-disc sets. I think could've "fit" the single movement rondo in the other disc, even though it would take a little more than 80 minutes, and kept the concerto in one piece.


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## Taneyev

I've just finished Shosta' first v.c. by Oistrakh-Mitropoulos live, 1-1-56. Slightly better IMO than the studio recording.


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## World Violist

Rubbra: Symphony No. 6, Op. 80
Hickox/BBCNOW

Rubbra's Sixth is undoubtedly one of my favorite symphonies ever written. Seriously. I like it infinitely better than any of the other Sixths I've heard--except PERHAPS Sibelius'--and it's an emotional, almost spiritual journey virtually unlike most other symphonies--because it's SHORTER than most other "emotional/spiritual journey" symphonies (Sibelius doesn't count here, haha). Its movements are extraordinarily fluid, connecting one phrase to the next without one even knowing where the breaks in the phrasing are. Its emotional maturity deserves mention also; unlike Mahler or Shostakovich, Rubbra writes in no teenage angst, no overblown tirades against life or death, and no self-pitying or self-indulging adagios that last for over a half an hour. It is content with life, with nature, with the passage of time. It is with the passage itself that the journey comes through the music.

This symphony opens very gently, two softly dissonant chords on the harp followed a long, yearning series of phrases on the violins that eventually leads into the movement proper, quite more dance-like in character, here perfectly timed by Hickox and his orchestra (and highly reminiscent of Sibelius' own Sixth symphony). There are several episodes that are very reminiscent of the slow unfolding phrase at the beginning, and, like the Fifth symphony, every last change in character is utterly seamless, possibly even more so now than before. There is an interesting little pastoral scene involving the woodwinds that is particularly evocative. This eventually leads into a considerably darker episode. It quickly jumps out of this, as usual seamlessly and organically, coming back to the dance at the beginning of the movement proper. Here material begins to mix and match, the pastoral scene with the woodwinds being freely intermixed with material it wasn't near, and this leads to a "clearing" in a way; very calm, serene, with more than a touch of melancholy and nostalgia. The dance returns again, much more slowly, almost haunting, and the movement ends.

The second movement, the poetic slow movement, opens with a gently rising and falling phrase in parallel fifths, which is then repeated, bringing up with it a deeply heartfelt phrase by the flute. The strings come in soon after, then the oboe, introducing what proves to be a very heartrendingly poetic movement--the title of the movement is "Canto", and for those who don't know poetry so well, a canto is rather like a chapter in an epic poem (think Iliad/Odyssey and you've got the idea). There are falling phrases in the low strings combined with rising phrases in the upper strings, creating a sense of discord, and then it collapses into uneasy accord until it quickly rises into something of a climax involving the low brass punctuating each bar with ominous chords. This falls again into peace, a real serenity this time. The low strings come back the same way as before, with echoes of the parallel fifths and flute song. The English horn ends the movement in utter serenity.

It's interrupted by an angry utterance of the low brass motif from before but in the strings, followed by much scrambling around to find a stable key; it's being tossed around constantly from major to minor and back again. This movement could potentially be exciting, as wistful reminiscences of previous movements return, not in full, but just enough so that one longs for them to be in their original state (Rubbra was a master of this, by the way--many of his symphonies are almost cyclical but not quite, as their ends are almost like the beginnings but changed decently significantly). This movement is spent in trying to find a tonal center, in calming down--indeed, many falling phrases in the woodwinds would suggest a nice calming down, but that is not to be as another rallying fanfare strikes the old rustling back up again. The music falls into a sort of uneasy calm again (flutes again cello/basses), and then ends among bird-calls.

From this rises the final movement, in a short woodwind solo, then taken up by the strings. It's almost hymn-like in its appearance. This continues for some time, rising to a climax from which it is swept into a seemingly more hurried tempo, rather like the beginning of the first movement. This quiets down though, and whips itself into a true fast tempo. It quiets down again; there is a sense of searching in this movement as well, for quietude and solemnity. This drives into a much more pointed climax, with the cellos singing a line like a song, and every phrase playing one off of the other and moving forward until the brass bring a very fulfilled sort of close to this symphony.

This is a symphony of equilibrium, really. The first two movements are the search for movement, the second two are after said movement is acquired in excess and then trying to work itself back down again. Possibly not insignificant that this was written in 1954, when there was much corruption in world politics and the second world war had gone by, still leaving a sense of unsettledness in the world at the time.


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## tahnak

*Sibelius' Pohjola's Daughter*

I was listening to an old 78 RPM recording of Sibelius' Pohjola's daughter performed by the Boston Symphony under Serge Koussevitzky - a 1955 recording on my old antique HMV gramophone that I have preserved to this day.


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## World Violist

tahnak said:


> I was listening to an old 78 RPM recording of Sibelius' Pohjola's daughter performed by the Boston Symphony under Serge Koussevitzky - a 1955 recording on my old antique HMV gramophone that I have preserved to this day.


Ach, I have no records of Sibelius! I'm ashamed of myself.

Anyway, I'm now listening to Brunnhilde's Immolation on the only recording of Wagner I've got; a Living Stereo LP of Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony. Eileen Farrell, soprano. This is the first I've ever really listened to Wagner; it's amazing!


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## World Violist

Another record. I like my records...










Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Claudio Abbado/Chicago Symphony Orchestra

I personally love the opening tempo. It's full of mystery here. The triplet bits in the woodwinds are great also--there's a real sense of mystery in this part. It's amazing. The offstage trumpets are very good, adding to the mystery by staying below the texture, almost whispering their fanfare in the distance. The horns in thirds are perfectly in tune, and rather touching as it was meant to be. The basses and cellos in their chromatic line is very suspenseful. I really haven't heard the beginning of the first movement so successfully done, actually (I think I'll simply have to listen to Walter's record after this, as I have that one too!). The transition to the first movement proper is perfect, seamless, and so on. This sort of unity and mystery remains throughout this movement, the exposition repeat reinforcing this thought (On looking at the timing on the back of the sleeve, by the way, I find that this recording is on the broad side of Mahler Firsts, being 58 and a half minutes long.). The development is very pensive, the cellos barely emerging, the harp's deep, bell-like tones floating above the rest of the sound. It's frankly eery, how all this unfolds. There is uncertainty all the way until the first major chord emerges, and even that's a dark major chord. This interpretation prefers to emerge gradually out of darkness rather than just popping out of nowhere like most other interpretations I've ever heard. Indeed, the brooding and emerging are sustained extraordinarily well by Abbado all the way until the central climax of the movement, superbly executed. It was genuinely exciting for me to hear this movement, as with few enough others.

The second movement is swifter somewhat than some others I've heard, but it's all the stronger for that, as its muscular grace really comes through this way. This continues into the trio, which features very little tempo manipulation, but has a lilting grace that is carved of the music itself--no interference from the conductor in this performance.

The third movement funeral march begins perfectly. The bass player doesn't vibrate much at all, is perfectly in tune, the tempo Abbado sets is perfection itself--it doesn't really get much better than this. Everything unfolds gracefully and naturally. And spookily, I might add, for that's exactly what this is. The first klezmer episode happens very naturally, at the same pace as the march, with the same perfect woodwinds as were seen earlier. There is, as usual, very little tempo stretching; the violinists aren't getting anywhere nearly as slow as did Bernstein in either of his two recordings. All the glissandi are perfectly done here, though, which makes up for the lack of tempo fluctuation (which I, for one, happen to like), and it dies down into nothingness only to be taken up by the beautiful linden-tree song. It was almost hard to hear the violins start singing it, honestly, but once it started moving forward a little more they really came out. This episode doesn't seem to last quite so long as most other recordings I've ever heard; it starts and it ends, and the motion up to E-flat minor is all the more impactful. Nothing really does anything different from here on out; it's almost boring now. The percussion really doesn't penetrate as much as it should, so there's that much movement and dynamism lost from this reading. The dying-down into the finale is very convincing; I yawned during it. Twice.

The finale doesn't start so much better, really. The cymbals aren't loud enough to wake me out of the stupor I found myself in at the end of the third, though things really do start to pick up afterwards. It takes awhile for Abbado to climb out of the hole he's dug himself into... And this is a long finale, almost 25 minutes (as compared to the SAME CONDUCTOR'S later just over 20 minutes (with the Berliners) and Tennstedt's heart-pounding just under 20 minutes). There isn't any momentum going into the idyll, so it lacks purpose... I just can't bring myself to fathom how people can really say this is such a great reading. I like about any other conductor I've heard in this symphony quite a lot better, to be honest. But enough with the whining. There is some energy when the music picks up again, but it really isn't enough, and it shortly expends itself, wallowing in some sort of foot-stomping pedantry that really just doesn't suit this piece at all. It needs to be played youthfully, quickly, full of energy (I mean, my God, the composer was, what, 20 years old when he wrote this??? He wasn't the comparatively older-than-dirt Brahms when he wrote this!), which Abbado just doesn't seem to have. The modulation to D major does have some good excitement, though. And for once in this movement, it's actually losing motion when it's supposed to. The first movement segment is very good, just as it was very good way back in the first movement; there is actual suspense here for once... it runs out, but at least it lasted longer than the rest of the "tense" parts of this movement. It's about this time I begin to wonder how much more of this I have to put up with--it's almost a psychological exercise trying to get through it all. And by the way, the big viola thing is so utterly pathetic that I was sorely tempted to just stop the record right there, so as not to ruin the memory of the first two movements. There was no difference in the timing of the notes, which there should have been; Mahler wrote each outburst differently. There is nothing more to talk about in this movement. The last climax features the conductor trying (mostly without success in any form) to regain my consciousness by speeding up and then by slowing down quite drastically into the ending, then rushing the last two notes. Ugh...

Anyway, the first two movements were great, the second two were comatose. That's the summary of this recording in a nutshell.


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## bongos

I have listened to some vinyl and CD today .On vinyl I have listened to Haydn -Symphonies 45 and 101` with Neville Marriner/Academy of St Martin in the Fields , then on CD I enjoyed Smetana -Ma Vlast with Kubelick/Boston SO


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## Lisztfreak

For me it's Rachmaninov's 4th Piano Concerto. Something more in the line with my nick, a part of a genre I have rather abandoned in the past few months (romantic virtuoso pianism, I mean).


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## Music lover

I'm listening for the first time in ages to Glenn Gould playing Byrd and Gibbons. One of Sony's 'The Glenn Gould Edition' series. Currently Orlando Gibbon's Fantasy in C major is playing. Just remembered why I have listened to it hundreds of times and never tired. And why he introduced me to baroque music. He really had the nack of emphasis and getting the melody out of a tune that was composed for an entirely different effect. I would post up the cd cover if someone would tell me how to.


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## bongos

Im listening to Alpine Symphony /Richard Strauss played by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansonns.(RCO live RCO 08006).......WOW Great music, beautifully resolved recording .I thoroughly recommend this .If anyone has this recording let me know .I am listening to Radio NZ Concert .I can listen 3 ways , FM tuner , internet at 64 kbps or FREEVIEW UHF digital tuner


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## jamzky

Right now I'm listening to Pearl Jam but these times as regards classical I keep listening to Louis Lortie playing Ravel. It is magical. I highly recommend his Le Tombeau. 

J


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## opus67

_Current listening..._? Curious mind wants to know.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Taneyev said:


> I've just finished Shosta' first v.c. by Oistrakh-Mitropoulos live, 1-1-56. Slightly better IMO than the studio recording.


Squints, :blinks:, puts on  (corrective lenses), :blinks:, looks again...

That avatar of yours looks _really_ familiar!

Where *did* you encounter this live Oistrakh performance?! Is it a case of "out of copyright (50+ years), so it's starting to make the rounds through 'file share?'" [Not that there's anything _wrong_ with that.]


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## World Violist

I'm holing myself up for the night in my room (can't STAND Super Bowl), and so you lot will be hearing quite a bit out of me, I think. Anyway, here's what I've got on the CD player (saving the LP's for later) right now:










Britten: Curlew River
English Opera Group; Peter Pears as the Madwoman, John Shirley-Quirk as the Ferryman, Harold Blackburn as the Abbot, Bryan Drake as the Traveller, Bruce Webb as the Voice of the Spirit; performance supervised by Benjamin Britten

This is the first of Britten's three "church parables," which take stories from the Bible and puts them into a short opera, almost a sort of "chamber opera." The scoring for them is extraordinarily sparse: in this one, for example, all the instruments are as follows: flute (doubling piccolo), horn, viola, double bass, harp, percussion (5 small untuned drums, 5 small bells, 1 large tuned gong), and chamber organ. There is no conductor, which opens up the compositional techniques Britten has available to him exponentially. There is a lot of heterophony in this work (that is, one melody being played by each instrument at different times from each other, e.g. viola plays the melody on the beat and horn starts it again a sixteenth note later.), as well as several interesting almost-aleatory sequences during which the instruments play a certain phrase ad-lib until coming to a point at which in the score they are supposed to converge again. It is certainly one of the least conventional pieces of music I have ever heard in my life so far. The beginning is utterly mesmerizing; very zen in its style, one can easily discern the immense influence the Noh theater had on Britten during his mid-1950's visit to Japan. Actually, this is the most "Eastern" Western piece of music I think I've ever heard. There is no hint of the cliche from Das Lied von der Erde here; it is pure, unfettered. And it is remarkably intense. It is already one of my favorite pieces. I can recommend it to most people on this forum, to be honest.


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## World Violist

From my ever-growing LP collection...










Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke I)
Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra

So, after all my rankling about Cooke's Mahler 10, I have determined to get all the way through it, and what better time is there than having the alternative be listening to people yelling at a TV monitor about the Super Bowl?

I must admit, though, that there is much to admire about this record. It is in great shape, first of all (I feel I cannot really comment on Deryck Cooke's job at the orchestration, considering I am still as yet in the depths of the utterly thrilling and haunting Adagio that Mahler himself actually got around to orchestrating before he kicked the bucket (or the bucket kicked him, whatever you people decide)), and Ormandy's interpretation is of the first order. Even though the orchestra isn't as fully idiomatic as it could be (I've been listening to too many of my Concertgebouw recordings, can you tell???), it is a very good job indeed by this first-rate in general ensemble. The sound from the Philadelphians is as lush as legend has told me; it actually IS a joy to listen to this record--and considering that my only other recording is Rattle with the BERLINERS, that really is saying something, although I suppose the fact that this is indeed an LP helps the lushness of this orchestra quite a bit over the Berliners' cold digital, albeit live, reading.

Every bit of pathos is very devastatingly present in this recording, as well. The sound of the orchestra is very dark, the interpretation uncompromising in its comparative briskness.

And oh, the lead-up to the scream of pain that leads into the coda is intense!!! Oh my, this is some really great stuff. The plucking right after the initial outburst is so lush; it really blooms out of the texture. And the impact of that horrifyingly demented chord was really something else in this recording. All I can say about it is "Wow" and leave it at that. The coda is really very good also, cooling down from the massive sudden climax very well indeed, and the last moments give the illusion of peace, of having finally let go of some burden... before the hellish first scherzo, that is.

I think this a very convincing Scherzo I from all involved in this recording. The absurd tempo changes aren't so blatantly obvious in this recording as they are in Rattle's live recording (whose disjointedness is, after all, too much for me to bear just at the moment, no matter what the actual intent of the music is; I'm sure it is meant to be extraordinarily awkward and disjointed anyway, so I won't dwell on it). There are hints of the violin solo of the Fourth symphony in this movement in places, and it makes perfect sense given that this is rather a _totentanz_ as it is. The transition back to the A part is very jarring, disconcerting, and sloppy as it always is and will be; had Mahler actually finished it I'm sure he would have found an infinitely better way of achieving this effectively without completely abandoning musicality as Cooke seems to have done. The rest of the movement is pulled off very well, though, I think.

Purgatorio, probably the shortest movement of a symphony that Mahler ever wrote, is, I believe, at least for the most part in Mahler's own orchestration. This is a good thing, because it allows me to compare his orchestration against Cooke's (the second and third movements are back-to-back on one side of this LP). The differences are quite easy to point out, and it deals entirely with complexity (and this I noticed as well with the first movement). Simply put, Mahler is an infinitely better orchestrator and it shows. There are layers in the first and third movements that the second just simply doesn't have. If I am to be corrected in later movements, so be it and I will take responsibility for my mistake in this commentary; that's just the way it seems now. The movement ends very oddly indeed... it's almost funny in its suddenness.

Second scherzo is just as oddly orchestrated as the first one. There is very little in the way of complexity in the way of how the instruments are implemented. Indeed, the bluntness of it all very nearly makes me want to cry. The music itself is so good, but just fleshing out the draft is not doing it any good whatsoever. If any orchestrator on the order of Mahler could have finished this (or wanted to, for that matter), it would have turned out infinitely more listenable than this colorless pastiche. It is good music, though. That I won't deny. It is Mahler, after all, at least in part. And the balances work out very well indeed the way Cooke orchestrates the movement. That's all I can bring myself to say about it. The rest I could say I've already said. (Although, that bass drum thwack at the end is awesome...)

The last movement does fare better than the second or fourth, though it still never reaches the heights of the first and third as far as tonal coloring goes (and I'm not just saying that because it's not Mahler's orchestration, either; I really mean it). That being said, this is a very emotional movement. There's a transience in this movement that transcends the poor orchestration job. That much is undeniably Mahler. The look back at the first movement is very interesting; the orchestration and everything is slightly different, and, as with the finale of the Second and its look back at the cry in the third movement, it's very well put together. It has a nostalgic ache hardly matched by any other of the Mahler symphonies. The massive glissando of the violins at the end is akin somewhat to the flash of dark minor-key that afflicts the end of Beethoven's Third symphony: it would have ended perfectly well without, but Mahler (and Beethoven) had to make a point with it--don't waste your life in retrospection, as it only gets the more bitter as you move along through life. At least, that's how I interpret it.

All in all, I can't help but say that this reconstruction of Mahler's Tenth is really not all it's cracked up to be. The music is great, but it's really hampered by the orchestration. It's like looking at the most beautiful face you can think of, but there's an almost opaque veil between you and the face. It is obviously beautiful, but you can't make anything of it because of the horrible lack of details that are actually _visible._


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## Lisztfreak

Alan Hovhaness, Concerto No.7 for orchestra. It's good, but there is something not so excellent about this composer. He's somehow too... too... too... well, he's too... I don't know, it's just that he's _too_.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

This week I had a crush on Brahms' first concerto:
Schiff/Solt
Gilels/Jochum
Backhaus/Boult
Backhaus/Bohm
Brendel/Böttcher
Brendel/Abbado
Gelber/Skrowaczewski
Gelber/Decker
Moravec/Mata

Pollini, Curzon, Fleisher, Freire, Aimard, Zimmerman and Paik are next.


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## tahnak

*Mendelssohn*

Today I heard Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony. Very vibrant and pacy. Toscanini got the essence right. Happens very rarely with him.


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## tahnak

*Brahms First Concerto*



YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> This week I had a crush on Brahms' first concerto:
> Schiff/Solt
> Gilels/Jochum
> Backhaus/Boult
> Backhaus/Bohm
> Brendel/Böttcher
> Brendel/Abbado
> Gelber/Skrowaczewski
> Gelber/Decker
> Moravec/Mata
> 
> Pollini, Curzon, Fleisher, Freire, Aimard, Zimmerman and Paik are next.


Add, if possible, Rubinstein/Boston/Leinsdorf and Rubinstein/Israel/Zubin Mehta


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## tahnak

*Mahler's Tenth*



World Violist said:


> From my ever-growing LP collection...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke I)
> Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra
> 
> It is a very thorough expression on the Mahler Tenth that you have given here. I have never read anything so expansive on the Ormandy reading. It was my first reading of this symphony after the Cooke version. This may have been the world premiere if I am not mistaken. Philadelphians do play with emotion. Their strings have always got lilt and spine. Ormandy, though not a Mahlerian, did a superb job. Another version came out and it was a decent performance. That was by Wyn Morris and the New Philharmonia Orchestra on Philips. I have the Rattle/Berlin CD and as you say though it sounds technically modern and lush, it is slightly cold when compared with Ormandy or Morris. Yet, Rattle's effort has to be lauded. This guy has got enthusiasm in that performance at most places but did not keep his finger on the pulse of the work.


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## Ludovyk

Clemens Krauss conducting works of the family Strauss. Splendid.


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## World Violist

tahnak said:


> It is a very thorough expression on the Mahler Tenth that you have given here. I have never read anything so expansive on the Ormandy reading. It was my first reading of this symphony after the Cooke version. This may have been the world premiere if I am not mistaken. Philadelphians do play with emotion. Their strings have always got lilt and spine. Ormandy, though not a Mahlerian, did a superb job. Another version came out and it was a decent performance. That was by Wyn Morris and the New Philharmonia Orchestra on Philips. I have the Rattle/Berlin CD and as you say though it sounds technically modern and lush, it is slightly cold when compared with Ormandy or Morris. Yet, Rattle's effort has to be lauded. This guy has got enthusiasm in that performance at most places but did not keep his finger on the pulse of the work.


Indeed, this is the premiere recording of Mahler's Tenth in the Cooke version.

Anyway, here's what I'm listening to now (maybe I'll get through it all tonight, though external circumstances are making it ever less likely...):










Sibelius: The Symphonies
Karajan/BPO, Kamu/Helsinki Radio Orchestra, Kamu/BPO

Very nice so far, I'll touch back on this later.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

tahnak said:


> Add, if possible, Rubinstein/Boston/Leinsdorf and Rubinstein/Israel/Zubin Mehta


I only have Rubinstein in video, with Haitink.


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## tahnak

*Nielsen's Helios Overture*

Currently listening to Helios Concert Overture for Orchestra. Op. 17 written in 1903. The recording is by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Salonen.

Prior to this I heard Serge Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no.3 in C Major .Op.26. 1921( what a brilliant opening!) played by Yevgeny Kissin/Moscow Philharmonic/Tschistiakov


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## tahnak

*Sibelius/Karajan*



World Violist said:


> Indeed, this is the premiere recording of Mahler's Tenth in the Cooke version.
> 
> Anyway, here's what I'm listening to now (maybe I'll get through it all tonight, though external circumstances are making it ever less likely...):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sibelius: The Symphonies
> Karajan/BPO, Kamu/Helsinki Radio Orchestra, Kamu/BPO
> 
> Very nice so far, I'll touch back on this later.


Hello! This is a decent set. I don't know what symphonies are done individually by Karajan and by Okko kamu. But I know the reading of Karajan's Fourth. It is splendid. The opening cellos and double basses are striking and it is dark, rich and deep. The Berlin acoustics are excellent. The Sixth by Karajan is ok. My conductor for Sibelius is Lorin Maazel with the Wiener Philharmoniker on Decca/London. Real punch!


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## tahnak

*Nielsen's Helios Overture*

Currently listening to Helios Concert Overture for Orchestra. Op. 17 written in 1903. The recording is by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Salonen.

Prior to this I heard Serge Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no.3 in C Major .Op.26. 1921( what a brilliant opening!) played by Yevgeny Kissin/Moscow Philharmonic/Tschistiakov


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## YsayeOp.27#6

I am still with Brahms' d minor concerto. I am adding Goerner, Ciani, a third Brendel, Kissin and two more by Aimard (with the BBC SO and with the LAPO)


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## World Violist

tahnak said:


> Hello! This is a decent set. I don't know what symphonies are done individually by Karajan and by Okko kamu. But I know the reading of Karajan's Fourth. It is splendid. The opening cellos and double basses are striking and it is dark, rich and deep. The Berlin acoustics are excellent. The Sixth by Karajan is ok. My conductor for Sibelius is Lorin Maazel with the Wiener Philharmoniker on Decca/London. Real punch!


For the record, here's the breakdown of the box in question:
1 & 3: Kamu/Helsinki Radio Orchestra
2: Kamu/Berliner Philharmoniker
4-7: Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker

I am in total agreement with your assessment of Karajan's Sibelius 4, not so with your assessment of Maazel's famous Vienna cycle, but I'll not say anything that I've already said elsewhere on the forum.


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## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Solti/Chicago; Harper, Popp, Auger, Minton, Watts, Kollo, Shirley-Quirk, Talvela; Chorus of the Vienna State Opera; Singverein Chorus; Vienna Boys Choir

After months of hearing it being called "the greatest Mahler 8th ever recorded," I very skeptically (and typically of me after making the same mistake--an overwhelming one--with Mehta's Vienna Mahler 2) ignored it until recently, when I found it for $10 at a bookstore. So I bought it.

The first part is excellent. The organ (though dubbed, of course) rips through the first notes with a viciousness unequaled in other recordings I own (except maybe the Ozawa/BSO and Bernstein/LSO, but it really hardly matters). For "Imple superna gratia," Solti slows down; something I was admittedly not expecting, at least not to the degree that he does slow down. However, he doesn't let anything go slack. The tempo keeps moving forward, which is indicated in the score; ever-flowing, more moderate than before. The tempo kicks back into higher gear after this. The chorus is beautifully present, very much there, but not opaque enough to block out any of the first violin solo. There are some strikingly good transitions in this section as well. The orchestral interlude features some very strident tempi, indeed some of the more exciting, danceful tempi I've heard from this section so far. The bass is quite powerful in this recording. All of the counterpoint is quite well-balanced, as well. All in all, this is a very very good opening movement, though I'd like to point out the now out of print Ozawa/BSO as a very good alternative. He takes the first movement at a somewhat broader tempo than does Solti, but the atmosphere is absolutely all there, which I seem to sometimes miss with this version: Solti seems to be dormant until the tempo picks up and the dynamics get louder. Then he's really in his element. The brass cry out in all their considerable splendor, the whole orchestra is absolutely on fire. The choirs are perfect. There simply isn't poetry in the calmer parts, which is desperately needed here, or else it really doesn't have much of an impact. Everything else is electric. And I've never heard an ending quite so intense and huge in its dynamism. Some hair-raising stuff indeed with this movement.

Solti misses the beginning of the second movement entirely. There is supposed to be mystery, and all I can hear are sawing violinists, clanging cymbals, and thudding cellos and basses. I mean, seriously. Come on. There is far too much weight in the pizzicati. You can't expect me to take this recording seriously when every attempt at poetry is interrupted by another unceremonious thud from somewhere in the strings. It's at this point that I'm already tempted to turn it off so as not to ruin the memory of a great first part. The "sense of occasion" or whatever the liner-notes-guy said really doesn't say much about this. When the cellists start bowing, it's supposed to be real anguish, but all I hear is a sagging bunch of notes trying to be dramatic somehow. It just doesn't work that way. And everything is just too loud. It's really having a hint being "inconspicuously" given to you by yelling "HERE IT IS!!!" really loudly. There is hardly a sense of drama at all, or at least none that actually goes with this masterpiece. He tries too hard to drive it forward with intensity (and for Solti, apparently intensity=speed), which ironically kills all the intensity, even that left over from the first part (quite the considerable feat, actually, for when anyone actually has that intensity in the first movement). Solti has his second chance when the chorus comes in, but he dumps that too; once again everything is just too loud. The brass are noble, and therein lies another problem: the brass are supposed to be poetic in this movement, for the most part.

"Ewiger wonnebrand" is actually very good, but then again there's a soloist actually dictating the phrasing and whatnot for the most part. Pater Profundus is very good also. I become steadily more aware of how utterly soloistic the orchestra is becoming. It is almost jarring to listen to.

In "Hochste Herrscherin der Welt," Doctor Marianus is particularly good. There is very little change in color, though, extraordinarily little expressive depth. This part actually is boring, to be perfectly honest. There isn't any sense of purpose at all, except perhaps to get to the next big and bold statement (which has to wait until something like a half hour later). Meanwhile there's a lot of rough, coarse playing in between. That's really all I can bear to say about this recording. And loudness, which I think needs still another mention.

All in all, I think my five other recordings of this work each make more convincing (or sometimes just plain better) cases for Mahler's 8th symphony. The hype for this recording is completely and utterly uncalled for. There isn't anything in it that hints at intimacy, love, quietness, all of which are major features of this work. I can't fathom how so many people can say this is the best. It just isn't.


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## World Violist

*Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Riccardo Chailly/Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest; Jane Eaglen*, Magna Peccatrix; *Anne Schwanewilms*, Una Poenitentium; *Ruth Ziesak*, Mater Gloriosa; *Sara Fulgoni*, Mulier Samaritana; *Anna Larsson*, Maria Aegyptiaca; *Ben Heppner*, Doctor Marianus; *Peter Mattei*, Pater Ecstaticus; *Jan-Hendrik Rootering*, Pater Profundus; *Prague Philharmonic Choir*, Choir I; *Netherlands Radio Choir*, Choir II; *Jongenskoor van het Kathedrale Koor St Bavo* and *Jongenskoor van het Sacramentskoor*, Boy's Choirs

This is a very, very broad first movement: 24:34 (!) as opposed to Ozawa's 23:07 and Shaw's 23:18. The effect of the opening is not as full-throttle as Solti's as far as tempo goes, but my goodness does it make an impact! The organ is deep, dark, and powerful, and nobody makes the tympani thwack after the first iteration of "Veni creator spiritus" sound quite so thrillingly (if at all) as does Chailly. One of the upsides of having such a broad, spacious tempo to begin with is that, apart from the awesome, majestic feel of it, the tempo doesn't change so abrasively into "Imple superna gratia". Here it sounds much more natural. The voices are heavenly also; some of this sounds like a prayer, and lo and behold: this is a hymn setting. How appropriate. The voices are also very strong also. They are always where they need to be, and sustained notes are always held as such, no slackening like so many other people do; they soar over everything else with magnificent, transparent presence.

One of the things I like about this so much about this recording over Solti's is that the spacious tempo allows for so much more color and effect: never before have I heard such haunting sonorities out of this movement as I have now. And the solo voices (and violin, for that matter) emerge absolutely naturally out of the textures; very little or close-miking involved here, if any. The soloists don't stand out of the chorus when the lot of them sing together, either (another bit of grief to me, when soloists emerge supernaturally from a mass of other, naturally much louder voices).

"Accende lumen sensibus" is simply massive. It's very interesting to note just how successful Chailly is in adopting such an unusually slow speed for this movement, which practically requires a faster clip in most cases. But then again, this is the Concertgebouw, and their musical/dramatic sense serve to an overwhelming effect, not to mention how the music seems to propel itself forward despite the weightier tempo. Before the reprise of "Veni," the crescendo is much greater by a large margin than is usual, making the actual recap overwhelming. The end of the movement is far more so, however. It simply grows and grows until it finally reaches its culmination, where it simply explodes in its grand power. It's astounding to find such a slow and yet successful slow first movement; so good is it that I think it outdoes most of the faster ones I've got (the only competition really being Ozawa's, of course; that one's become somewhat of a reference for me, if you couldn't already tell).

The second part is still somewhat on the broad side compared with Shaw's reading with the Atlanta group: 57:34 for Chailly, 56:07 for Shaw. The beginning is nowhere near as abrasive as is Solti's, and it actually has a great sense of poetry and mysterious intensity about it. The pizzicati don't stick out like a sore thumb. Rather, they seem more to sort of swell in and out of the texture, without so much a definite end or beginning. That, my friends, is what is needed for this part of the movement. Nothing is loud, and the brass are actually poetic and idiomatic here. Sometimes the sound just washes over me. It really is something to listen to, really let oneself go in and just flow along in the music, and so far there are no blocks like there are sometimes in the movement with Ozawa or Bernstein. The cellos when they start bowing really sound like they're in pain, but not quite in the hysterical, just plain loud sense as in Solti's; rather, this is a true, deep, psychological torment that cuts deeper than just being loud can ever reach. It's even more emotional than Bernstein, which really surprises me considering Chailly's rather cool approach to the Third and Ninth symphonies and Bernstein's highly emotionally-charged approach to Mahler in general.

When the chorus comes in, the notes aren't quite so clipped as are other notable versions of this work that I've heard, especially Bernstein and Ozawa. And I think, given Chailly's approach to the work as a whole, it actually does him quite a bit of good. It's spread out, expansive, not clipped, which I think is the key to the whole symphony according to Chailly. It isn't about getting it over with (a certain pig from Looney Toons comes to mind... "bdee bdee bdee that's all folks!"); it's about making it an experience to remember.

One interesting thing to note about Pater Profundus in "Ewiger wonnebrand" other than his interesting phrasing and diction is how he uses the original words. Example: in the score it says "Liebesband," and in Goethe's Faust it says "Liebeband"; here it is the original source that is chosen. An interesting choice, I think. Regardless, this section keeps my attention pretty well considering how little I tend to actually listen to it (it's one of the lesser parts of this masterpiece, I think, regardless to how important it really is).

Doctor Marianus is very moving even from his first solo, which is almost unusual; usually, Marianus' out there save the heart-wrenching stuff for "Jungfrau, rein im schonsten Sinne" (which is here given a very powerful vision) and then for the last solo before the Chorus Mysticus takes over. Not so in this recording; everything is taken as the music demands, which means constant emotional involvement. The part where in the score it says to go "as slowly as possible" is taken quite slowly, though not absurdly slow; there is flowing grace and poetry here. It's really a stumbling block for many a conductor, but Chailly here gives it a heart I've never heard from it before. The chorus is a shimmering presence, and the brass don't jab the notes. Everything is utterly gentle, caressing. Very heart-warming. The harp makes its strokes, and the next section is pure and absolute bliss. It brought tears to my eyes, it was so perfectly captured.

What follows is usually either rushed (Bernstein) or made utterly boring (Shaw) or both (Solti), but here it is actually given some semblance of life. In fact, the emotions that have just been realized carry over to what now transpires, much to the contrary of what other recordings would have one believe. True, it isn't slow by any means, but it does fit into the context of Chailly's realization of the work, and the emotions are all there. The trio of women as presented here must be the most perfect I've ever heard.

"Blicket auf" is supremely moving (is there a better Doctor Marianus ever recorded than Ben Heppner?), and the intensity grows so organically out of this that one hardly realizes it before the choirs are singing that beautiful phrase from 20-30 minutes before, more comforting, more caressing than ever, and it soars to new heights when "Blicket auf" is layered on top of it. This really is some great music here.

"Alles Vergangliche" is here not taken absurdly slowly, but at a comfortably slow tempo, and the choirs are so warm and expressive that it hardly matters anyway. The choir really makes an immense emotional impact here, and the last chord they sing is massive; the off-stage band is really very present, and the percussion register like no other recording I've ever heard. Needless to say, it genuinely does sound like the universe being to ring and resound.

I think I have a new favorite Mahler 8th. And it isn't Solti.


----------



## agoukass

Mozart: Sonata for Two Pianos
Schubert: Fantasy in F minor for piano four hands

Brilliant and poetic performances, but the Mozart just lacks that last ounce of fun.


----------



## music junkie

*The Clock*

today I listened to Symphony No.101 in D major by Joesph Haydn. this was a nice piece of work.


----------



## confuoco

World Violist said:


> I think I have a new favorite Mahler 8th. And it isn't Solti.


Maybe it would be good to start new thread, something like Listeners CD reviews.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Mahler: Symphony No. 7 "Song of the Night"
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.
SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY (Hybrid SACD)*
I've read myriad reviews on Amazon and elsewhere of this Grammy-winning recording -- oh, and I've just heard it for the first time this morning before doing so again. Where the recordings by Levine/CSO (my introduction to the Mahler No. 7 many years ago), Bernstein/NYPO, and more recently Gielen/SWRSO each brought unique perspectives to this thorny work and made for thoroughly entertaining listening from beginning to end; Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra bring a workmanlike adherence to a score in very vivid sound that ultimately becomes an interminable listen. Yes, as did another reviewer, I became bored! With all the strange and wonderful things that go on in this work, that absolutely shouldn't happen!

I'm not patient enough to delineate each and every fine point of non-concurrence with my personal sensibility, but I will say that when I listen to the _Mahler Seventh_, I want to be transported to a netherworld of demons and delights, where the magic of the music lifts you away from your safe little world and brings you back as if you'd just awoken from a phantasmagorical suspension in time. Unfortunately, I didn't get that here; this is simply too plain-faced and sober an interpretation, despite the fine playing and recording. With the overall length of this symphony, I don't think moderate differences in playing time from performance to performance have much to do with "effectiveness" -- depth of detailing and persuasive interpretation certainly do!

Another Amazon reviewer I read bemoans the gimmicky spotlighting of the recording scheme, that it doesn't sound "natural". Yes, the prominent brass and percussion are often forward balanced with violins seemingly emanating from somewhere "beneath" them! Levine's recording on RCA was also oddly balanced, but I never found it obtrusive in this macabre musical setting. Frankly, such oddities done subtly and purposefully can add to the charm of this work.


----------



## tahnak

*Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto*

I just heard Rachmaninov's third piano concerto played by Vladimir Feltsman/Israel Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta. This is better than the Earl Wild version with Jascha Horenstein and the Royal philharmonic. Zubin's tempi are great and excellent playing by Vladimir Feltsman.


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## World Violist

I figured I should give another listen to this CD, this time adding the Enigma:










Elgar: Violin Concerto, Enigma Variations
Yehudi Menuhin, Elgar/LSO, Elgar/Royal Albert Hall Orchestra

The violin concerto is as perfect as ever. There are uncountable nuances between the soloist and orchestra, however, that I didn't seem to catch on first listen: little ebbs and flows in tempo that I took almost for granted before I now notice in much greater detail and appreciation. There is absolute mastery in the way Elgar handles the orchestra: he demands much out of the players, knowing exactly what he wants, and gets every bit of it. Not a note is seriously out of place, which is more than I can say for some professional conductors' work (don't ask me for any examples, I just know what I've heard). None of the surface noise bothers me at all anymore, though whether that comes from a growing familiarity with Elgar's idiom or not is anyone's guess (my guess is that it is indeed true). The interpretation on Menuhin's part is, as I probably noted in my previous listening of this piece, one of greatest mastery: it doesn't draw any real attention to itself. That's the mark of a really great soloist. And such poetry! There is so much poetry, excitement, tension, and sheer beauty in this piece in itself that when a violinist like the young Yehudi Menuhin plays it, it's all magnified a hundred-fold. It's my only recording, and I don't see me wanting another one. This is definitive stuff.

The Enigma showcases Elgar's talent for conducting by itself, and it turns out amazing results. I've never heard a more moving account of "Nimrod," for instance, and the rest of the variations are given top-notch performances. In fact, if you can listen past the not-so-great sound of the 1920's, this is one of the better recordings out there. Sadly, I'm not as familiar with this work as I'd like to be, so I'll leave it at this.


----------



## JTech82

Not bad at all.


----------



## JTech82

Tomorrow I will listen to:










And then:


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## Enkhbat

Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Last Emperor theme

Mystical...


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

tahnak said:


> I just heard Rachmaninov's third piano concerto played by Vladimir Feltsman/Israel Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta. *This is better than the Earl Wild version with Jascha Horenstein *and the Royal philharmonic. Zubin's tempi are great and excellent playing by Vladimir Feltsman.


Focusing on the work done by the pianists, could you say why you think that?


----------



## Moldyoldie

World Violist said:


> I figured I should give another listen to this CD, this time adding the Enigma:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Elgar: Violin Concerto, Enigma Variations
> Yehudi Menuhin, Elgar/LSO, Elgar/Royal Albert Hall Orchestra


After many years, I recently reintroduced myself to the _Elgar Violin Concerto_ via Hilary Hahn's fine recording with Colin Davis and became hooked.  Her combination of impeccable technique and thoroughly objective interpretation just seems to clarify so many aspects of a work that were heretofore inscrutable...at least _pour moi_. I returned to my original recording, Nigel Kennedy's first with Vernon Handley, with a newfound appreciation. Kennedy does dig deeper and applies some heavy duty _portamento_, but I was certainly moved by the performance. These are the only two I've heard thus far.

Just listened to...








*Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable"
Sibelius: Tapiola
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Frankly, I find Karajan's Nielsen No. 4 with the BPO from the early '80s to be a bit underwhelming, but hardly worthy of out and out dismissal. What's disconcerting to these ears is the early '80s digital recording which is noticeably steely and bass shy. Also, the all-important tympani battle in the finale is more recessed in the recording scheme and thus is heard as a semi-distant fusillade instead of rapid stereo punches to the solar plexus -- this may actually appeal to some listeners. I find the overall performance, however, to lend an affecting reverence to the music not heard in many others.

Appended to the Nielsen is Karajan's expansive last recording of Sibelius' late tone poem _Tapiola_. Though I'm a big fan of the composer, this is not my favorite Sibelius. Still, Karajan and the BPO manage to wring every last ounce of brooding emotion from the score in a performance seemingly driven more by mythic ambience than epic drama. I liked it, actually!


----------



## Elgarian

I'm plotting a curiously wobbly course these days - one that started with the Versailles 200 year box set, resulting in the discovery of some fascinating little-known composers, then focusing more sharply on recordings made by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, and finally tracking down recordings made by Sophie Daneman, with or without Christie. The road has now led me here:










Oh what a fabulous thing this is, spread over 2 CDs, packed full of tunes, and performed with wonderful sensitivity and delicacy by Les Arts Florissants on a beguilingly intimate scale. When the work ends, I'm left humming the tune sung by the closing chorus. And Sophie Daneman singing the part of Galatea is simply perfect. I wouldn't in the least wish to underplay the performances of everyone else, which are delightful in every way, but I can't help observing that Galatea's aria 'Hush ye pretty warbling quire' is so filled with a sense of sweet open-airness that it's not difficult to imagine a light breeze on my cheeks. I thought it couldn't get better than that, but it did: her aria 'As when the dove' is a thing of such lovely lyrical beauty as to fill me with aching longing. The bar rises yet again at the end, as she sings 'Heart, the seat of soft delight' while Acis is transformed into a fountain. Her voice flows with all the charm and clarity of the crystal flowing stream that is appearing.

This may be the loveliest new thing I've heard since Couperin's _Lecons de Tenebres_. Wonderful stuff.


----------



## JTech82

Sibelius - Tone Poems, Gothenburg Symphony, Neeme Jarvi










Earlier:

Barber - Symphony Nos. 1 & 2; School for Scandal, Detroit Symphony, Neeme Jarvi


----------



## Moldyoldie

Fine choices, Jtech! 

Just listened to...








*Rondo of the Waves
Sibelius: Aallottaret (The Oceanides, Yale version); Fragments from a Suite for Orchestra / Predecessor of The Oceanides; Cassazione (first version); Musik zu einer Scène; Coronation March; Morceau romantique; Porilaisten marssi; Cortège; Spring Song (1895 version); The Oceanides (Aallottaret, final version)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, cond
BIS*
After having cursorily perused reviews, I was fully expecting this fancifully titled album to consist of more unfinished "works in progress" and lesser sounding "original versions" unearthed by scholars and presented in the BIS label's continuing project to record EVERYTHING Sibelius ever put down -- how miscalculating I was!

Yes, perhaps only _The Oceanides_ is generally familiar to music lovers (the album's title was this work's original working title), but every single track on this CD is a musical gem by any account! Hearing the so-called Yale version of _The Oceanides_ and the two short fragments of a projected suite from which it sprang make one hear this stirring and evocative music anew. While the work's themes may have had their genesis at a previous time, it was actually brought to initial fruition in 1914 via commission the previous year, induced by an American scholar from wealthy American patrons. While Sibelius eventually reworked it, a completed score of this original version ended up in the archives of Yale University and was recently brought to light. (While I'm thinking of it, special props go out to scribe Andrew Barnett, the gist of whose fine album notes can also be found in Chapter 11 of his 2007 book on the composer from Yale Press.)

The original versions of _Cassazione_ and _Spring Song_ are especially alluring, while the two brief marches add an enlivening rhythmic jolt to a program that's wonderfully varied. Nine of the ten works presented on the CD represent world premiere recordings, making it definitely of interest to hardcore Sibelians. What I'm so bold to suggest, however, is that this music is so compellingly performed and recorded as to be a thorough delight for even the Sibelian novice or the aforementioned general music lover. Appropriately, the program ends with a hauntingly expansive performance of _The Oceanides_...the final version.


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

"Pablo de Sarasate: Obra Completa" (Supposedly the complete works by Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués).



> Disco 1
> 1. Aires bohemios, Op.20
> 2. Der Freischütz, Op.14
> 3. Faust, Op.13
> 4. Introducción y Tarantela, Op.43
> 5. Nocturne serenade, Op. 45
> 6. Introduction et Caoruce Jota, Op.41
> 7. Jota de Pablo, Op.52
> 8. Airs espagnols, Op.18
> 
> Disco 2
> 1. La dame blanche de Boildieu, Op.3
> 2. El canto del ruiseñor, Op.29
> 3. Peteneras, caprice espagnol, Op. 35
> 4. ¡Viva Sevilla!, Op.38
> 5. Zortziko Miramar, Op.42
> 6. Gondoliéra veneziana, Op.46
> 7. L'esprit follet, Op.48
> 8. Fantasía sobre Romeo y Julieta de Gounod, Op.5
> 
> Disco 3
> 1. Fantasía sobre Carmen de Bizet, Op.25
> 2. Muñeira, Op.32
> 3. Jota de San Fermín, Op.36
> 4. La chasse, Op.44
> 5. Chanson russes, Op.49
> 6. Jota de Pamplona, Op.50
> 7. Fantasía sobre Don Juan de Mozart, Op.51
> 8. Fantasía sobre La flauta mágica de Mozart, Op.54
> 9. Navarra, Op.33
> 
> Disco 4
> 1. Danza española No.1, Op.21 No.1, malagueña
> 2. Danza española No.2, Op.21 No.2, habanera
> 3. Danza española No.3, Op.22 No.1, romanza andaluza
> 4. Danza española No.4, Op.22 No.2, jota navarra
> 5. Danza española No.5, Op.23 No.1, playera
> 6. Danza española No.6, Op.23 No.2, zapateado
> 7. Danza española No.7, Op.26 No.2
> 8. Danza española No.8, Op.26 No.2
> 9. Rêverie, Op.4
> 10. Caprice sur Mireille de Gounod, Op.6
> 11. Souvenir de Domont, Op.8
> 12. Les adieux, Op.9
> 13. Le sommeil, Op.11
> 14. Priére et berceuse, Op.17
> 15. Zortzico de Iparraguirre danse espagnole, Op.39
> 
> Disco 5
> 1. Fantasía sobre La forza del destino de Verdi, Op.1
> 2. Homenaje a Rossini, Op.2
> 3. Mosaîque de Zampa de herold, Op.15
> 4. Gavota sobre Mignon de Thomas, Op.16
> 5. Fantasía sobre Martha de Flotow, Op.19
> 6. Moscoviènne, Op.12
> 7. Balada, Op.31
> 
> Disco 6
> 1. Air écossais, Op.34
> 2. Melodía rumana, Op.47
> 3. Le réve, Op.53
> 4. Sérénade andalouse, Op.10
> 5. Serenata andaluza, Op.28
> 6. Jota aragonesa, Op.27
> 7. Introduction et Fandango varié, Op.40
> 8. Zortzico Adiós montañas mías, Op.37
> 9. Capricho vasco, Op.24


By the spanish violinist Angel Jesús García.


----------



## JTech82

Moldyoldie said:


> Fine choices, Jtech!


Thanks Moldyoldie. I'm glad to speak with another Sibelius fan!

On today's menu (if I get time):



















Tomorrow's listening:


----------



## World Violist

I wish I had some good Rachmaninoff with me... I've got some purchases lined up for him though, from Vladimir Ashkenazy's formidable recorded legacy of Rachmaninoff.

Instead, I have less mind-blowingly amazing music, so I'll just have to listen to that, I suppose...










Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus
Pekkanen/Klemetti Institute Symphony Orchestra

This was my first exposure to this man's music, this disc containing Cantus Arcticus, Angel of Dusk, and the Second String Quartet. The Cantus is mystical in outlook, featuring very glassy textures and the birds' part not so wholly integrated into the orchestral texture as it could have been. It almost seems as though the bird calls were just thrown into the orchestra willy-nilly. I don't know, I might be missing something or have the wrong idea of this concerto; the interjections of the birds into the quiet parts just seems sudden, unnatural. The second movement features some very plush string playing, but the same problems of lack of integration between birds and orchestra persist. It makes me think that maybe Rautavaara had this sort of jarring contrast planned while he composed it? Third movement really just seems to be rehashed material from the first movement, to be perfectly honest, and nothing particularly stands out about it except some heavenly sounds with very little emotional content. I dunno, it's hard for me to grasp this concerto--much harder by far than Rachmaninoff's 3rd concerto, which I heard Horowitz playing over Youtube last night and loved on first listen.


----------



## World Violist

India's Master Musician
Ravi Shankar

While the title may seem a bit contrived, the music is really well done, the _Kafi-Holi_ beginning with a sort of small opening recitativo for the sitar that stretches to almost three minutes before picking up the pace with the addition of the tabla, even though the minutes just went by for this listener as the sounds just flowed onward. It's very free, rhapsodic music, not bound to any Western notion of "organization" but having its own rules, I seem to remember. The tempo continues to increase as the music goes on, suddenly dying at the end for a quiet close.

_Dhun_ begins much the same way as did the _Kafi-Holi_, although the tabla comes in much earlier (the first half minute not having fully elapsed yet), setting a much more stable, less rhapsodic environment. This selection doesn't last quite as long as did the previous one, almost six minutes, bu nevertheless it doesn't feel like that much time has gone by if you don't listen to it with Western-classical ears.

The whole album is really quite intense, full of energy and virtuosity. It's really good as an introduction to Indian music for those who prefer jazz or lively classical music, though it doesn't grind against my tastes in any way, personally, and though I respect jazz I can't bring myself to particularly like the more upbeat classical. So if you have any interest in Indian music and don't know where to start, this is pretty stimulating stuff.

And by the way, there are three other tracks on here that I didn't list, but I didn't feel like reviewing all of those...


----------



## JTech82

World Violist said:


> I wish I had some good Rachmaninoff with me... I've got some purchases lined up for him though, from Vladimir Ashkenazy's formidable recorded legacy of Rachmaninoff.


Yeah, I own the Ashkenazy Rachmaninov cycle on Decca (a 3-disc set altogether). Beautiful.


----------



## JTech82

Also sometime next week or so...


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Rachmaninov: Piano concerto N' 3 (Horowitz, Barbirolli)


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schmidt: Symphony No. 4; Variations on a Hussar's Song
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, cond.
EMI*
There's no doubt in my mind that Franz Schmidt's _Symphony No. 4_ of 1933 is a true masterpiece of Late Romantic expression; its incredible inspiration draws from personal tragedy (death of the composer's adult daughter) and manifests itself in a most exquisite extended interweaving of unbroken melodic and harmonic lines across four uninterrupted movements. My sole recording till this one was that of the Vienna Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. In my review of that recording, I stated: "I've yet to hear another recording of this work...the presumptuous feeling here is it really isn't necessary as conductor Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic convey the full measure of this work and the warm, early '70s analog recording is exemplary." After hearing this fine Gramophone Award-winning release from Franz Welser-Möst and the London Philharmonic, my feelings remain unchanged as I don't think there's much to choose between the two, other than perhaps the couplings. I see the Mehta is also available coupled with his acclaimed recording of the Mahler _Resurrection Symphony_.

Welser-Möst/LPO certainly deserve a great deal of credit for their dedicated and committed performance here. Even though their timings come in considerably faster than Mehta/VPO, the overall impression is hardly one of speed and haste; the extended lines are held expressively taut throughout with fine ensemble and dynamic balance. If the Mehta perhaps offers up a bit more bittersweet languor and lush playing, Welser-Möst and the LPO still invest the work with that necessary tinge of heavyhearted optimism to underlie the tragedy - in my opinion, so important to a successful performance of this lengthy, unbroken expression. Both recordings are thoroughly recommendable.

As to the fill-up here, _Variations on a Hussar's Song_ is a mostly delightful and contrasting multi-part makeweight in a somewhat similar idiom; it's probably worth hearing for the dedicated initiate into the music of Schmidt.


----------



## JTech82

Debussy, Ravel: Orchestral Works (Jean Martinon, Orchestre de Paris)









Of all the classical music I own, right now this is my favorite. Ravel and Debussy are so amazing.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 7
Colin Davis/LSO (LSO Live)

This disc contains probably some of the most introverted, inward-looking Sibelius I've ever heard in my life. The opening movement of the Third symphony is very spacious, and it works perfectly well. I don't think my emotions have been so affected by this movement before now, and the interpretation, with well-placed breaths and tempo manipulations, suits the music pretty well, though I wouldn't have it as a first choice by any means. The second movement is also very slow indeed: 11:05 as compared to Osmo Vanska's very spacious 11:18. There is a sort of lilting, graceful poetry about this movement that Davis captures very eloquently, much more so than his earlier BSO recording. The ethereal qualities are brought out as I've never heard them before, and it is very like the first movement in its extraordinary focus, introspection, spaciousness. Last note sounded a bit harsh though... The third movement is excellently executed, I think. The symphony as a whole is very successful, in my opinion, throwing in enough tempo manipulation to be distinctive, but not as much as to sound mannered.

The Seventh symphony is the part of this CD I was waiting for the most. And I'm not being disappointed. It follows in the same line as did the Third; very spacious, detailed, generously phrased. The first trombone solo is very majestic, with a solid tone as opposed to the BSO recording (in which the trombone just sounded too thin from the vibrato...). The second time the theme comes in isn't so successful at first, but builds very well, accompanied by some superb string playing. The quick section that follows does not indulge like so many other recordings I've heard (Bernstein/NYPO and Maazel/VPO principal among them), but rather makes the little phrases speak honestly, naturally, without being cumbersome. And then the final climax is something else. It builds energy so perfectly, so that it's never seeming to be enough, and then literally just explodes at the peak. The last note is not held too long at all. It's one of my favorite 7ths now also.


----------



## JTech82

World Violist said:


> Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 7
> Colin Davis/LSO (LSO Live)
> 
> This disc contains probably some of the most introverted, inward-looking Sibelius I've ever heard in my life. The opening movement of the Third symphony is very spacious, and it works perfectly well. I don't think my emotions have been so affected by this movement before now, and the interpretation, with well-placed breaths and tempo manipulations, suits the music pretty well, though I wouldn't have it as a first choice by any means. The second movement is also very slow indeed: 11:05 as compared to Osmo Vanska's very spacious 11:18. There is a sort of lilting, graceful poetry about this movement that Davis captures very eloquently, much more so than his earlier BSO recording. The ethereal qualities are brought out as I've never heard them before, and it is very like the first movement in its extraordinary focus, introspection, spaciousness. Last note sounded a bit harsh though... The third movement is excellently executed, I think. The symphony as a whole is very successful, in my opinion, throwing in enough tempo manipulation to be distinctive, but not as much as to sound mannered.
> 
> The Seventh symphony is the part of this CD I was waiting for the most. And I'm not being disappointed. It follows in the same line as did the Third; very spacious, detailed, generously phrased. The first trombone solo is very majestic, with a solid tone as opposed to the BSO recording (in which the trombone just sounded too thin from the vibrato...). The second time the theme comes in isn't so successful at first, but builds very well, accompanied by some superb string playing. The quick section that follows does not indulge like so many other recordings I've heard (Bernstein/NYPO and Maazel/VPO principal among them), but rather makes the little phrases speak honestly, naturally, without being cumbersome. And then the final climax is something else. It builds energy so perfectly, so that it's never seeming to be enough, and then literally just explodes at the peak. The last note is not held too long at all. It's one of my favorite 7ths now also.


Can't say I'm a big fan of Colin Davis' Sibelius. I mean the very first cycle is really good with the BSO, but this new cycle doesn't pack quite the punch his earlier readings did for some reason. I guess he's just older and the passion isn't quite there anymore.

Regardless, he did some fine work with Sibelius. I haven't heard this new LSO cycle, so maybe I'll give it a shot somewhere down the road.

But honestly, I own a ton of Sibelius, so I don't see me getting anything else until I've absorbed what I own already.


----------



## World Violist

JTech82 said:


> Can't say I'm a big fan of Colin Davis' Sibelius. I mean the very first cycle is really good with the BSO, but this new cycle doesn't pack quite the punch his earlier readings did for some reason. I guess he's just older and the passion isn't quite there anymore.
> 
> Regardless, he did some fine work with Sibelius. I haven't heard this new LSO cycle, so maybe I'll give it a shot somewhere down the road.
> 
> But honestly, I own a ton of Sibelius, so I don't see me getting anything else until I've absorbed what I own already.


If you're talking about the LSO cycle he did for RCA, this one is much different. There is much passion in these readings that I've heard so far.


----------



## JTech82

World Violist said:


> If you're talking about the LSO cycle he did for RCA, this one is much different. There is much passion in these readings that I've heard so far.


Hmmm..in that case I should check it out. I'm such a Sibelius freak.


----------



## nickgray

Mahler's Sixth by Solti.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Karelia Suite; The Oceanides; Finlandia; Valse Triste; Tapiola; Night Ride and Sunrise
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, cond.
RCA*
Outside of the gorgeously recorded orchestral sound (RCA and the LSO seem to strike a chord with me, ever since Previn's Vaughan Williams cycle), this is Sibelius from a relaxing spa (or as has been suggested, a geriatric ward) -- perhaps only ephemerally and superficially evocative of rugged landscapes, savage myths, but not the least of "cool, clear water". Davis and the LSO make "beautiful music" of these incredible Sibelian inventions in performances stripped of spontaneity and milked for all the lushness and warmth of sonority that can possibly be mustered. I'm not altogether convinced these performances even work as drama, especially for the novice listener. However, one can certainly bask in the pure sound of it all.


----------



## Sid James

*My current listening*

Walton - String Quartet & Piano Quartet
Maggini Quarter/Peter Donohoe/NAXOS

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
USSR Radio Symphony Orch. & Chor./Rozsdezvensky/Melodiya

Leyendecker - Symphony No.3 & Violin Concerto
North German Radio Symphony Orch./Naxos

The Walton is one of my favourite string quartets. It is the only work in which he experimented with atonalism. Music that kind of lingers in your memory, long after you've initially heard it.The Piano Quarter is an earlier work, somewhat influenced by Ravel and Vaughan Williams, but (in parts) you can already discern Walton's emerging voice. Fine performances, too.

What words to describe Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe? Sensual, majestic, lyrical, haunting. Also very good to have a version which includes full symphony orchestra with chorus. One of the greatest ballet scores ever.

Leyendecker is a composer who I was not familiar with prior to purchasing this disc. It is music that has a sense of spatiality/architecture. The symphony has a more contemporary sound, while the violin concerto has a more C20th modernist feel. A good, spatial (live) recording from the North German RSO.


----------



## JTech82

Still listening to....









Next:









After Elgar box set:


----------



## Rondo

Kabalevsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D (!!) as performed in this album:


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Rondo said:


> Kabalevsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D (!!) as performed in this album:


I prefer this one:










Russian music, by Russian pianists. Petrov's recording of the second concerto (a live recording, must be said) completely outranks every other performance of the work.


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## JTech82

Today:




























Hopefully later on this week:


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## YsayeOp.27#6

The Wolf-Ferrari concerto. AWESOME!


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## radiomovies

Mahler 2 - Vaclav Neumann / Czech Phil
Scriabin Reverie op.24
Berg - An Leukon
Trentmoller - take me into your skin


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## World Violist

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
Sawallisch is the conductor, I don't know so much about the singers...

Anyway, this opera is certainly a fine introduction to Wagner, at least for me. The overture is quite intense, the music and story easy to follow (any who would object, remember: I listen to Mahler symphonies all the way through and don't like to be interrupted.). The tonality wasn't stretched anywhere near as far as I've heard people talk about the Ring cycle and Parsifal, per se, but it was still very much in the early Romantic vein, at any rate. All in all a very fine opera, and I think a very fine performance (although the soprano was a little strained in her highest notes).

I look forward to exploring the rest of this box.


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## World Violist

Sibelius: Kullervo
Paavo Järvi/Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

So I've finally gotten this disc, at the recommendation of our friend *Tapkaara*, and the opening alone grabbed my attention. It was very full of mystery that blooms as the music progresses into the strings.

(Interesting little diversion about the opening: the two recordings I had earlier were entirely predictable (in the broadest sense possible, of course; I don't quite believe in that sort of thing entirely) according to the very first measure. Paavo Berglund's opening notes were hard, solid, and so was the whole performance; Sir Colin Davis' live account with the LSO, on the other hand, began very quietly, and the whole performance was introspective and poetic, hindering somewhat the first movements but in the final movement reaching heights of expression Berglund in the '70s could have only dreamt of.)

I LOVE the atmosphere in this Kullervo so far, by the way, helped in no small way by the perfect sound quality of the recording. Nothing feels unnatural, and the orchestra is immaculate, more so than either of my two other recordings, capturing the essence of this music superbly. Also, there is much insight into the orchestration that I never heard in either the Berglund or Davis recordings.

The passage from about 9.57 is one of the big moments of the whole first half of the piece, and Paavo pulls it off so wonderfully, slowing down just slightly enough so it has that palpable sense of mystery from the first bars... and the tympani thwacks are a thing of beauty! From 12.20 onwards it's just a veritable tidal wave of brass climaxes punctuated by heart-stopping silences.

The second movement is quite a lot slower than I am used to it, as both Davis and Berglund adopt similar tempi. The younger Paavo pulls it off gracefully, though. One of the things I never really bothered to realize for some very silly reason is a motivic thing: the theme of this movement is the same that Kullervo's Sister sings as she talks of her own youth. Maybe it needed to be played this slowly for me to get it, I don't know... I suppose the point is that I know it now. There are many great moments in this movement also, but since this is my first time hearing it (without any score, no less) I'm not going to bother trying to talk about it. The central climax rises to be very majestic, and the collapse is very well thought-out, trying to rise back but falling still further into the smallness that it ultimately reaches. Oh, the wonders of playing this stuff slowly!

Third movement starts out swimmingly. (I never noticed that oboe lick there in the beginning... huh.) My goodness... I really love the choir here! Such precision, stunning solidity of tone, perfect phrasing and control over dynamics. I have a good feeling already about the last movement. The seduction is electrifying and then entrancing. Kullervo's outburst at the end is hectic, alternating with a drunken sort of fury that I think was overall surpassed greatly by Berglund in 1971. The last notes are excellently done, though; drawn out to their maximum values, but with a consistent tone. Very intense.

The fourth movement is the one I'm probably the least familiar with, so I'll not comment on it much. This interpretation kept me engaged the whole way through, more or less, which is really more than I can say for other recordings of this movement...

Now this last movement is where things get very odd: it's much much slower than my Davis recording (this one is 14.30, Davis about 9.00 or so). The effect is utterly haunting, riveting, as though one is underwater. And then the intensity builds, and it's a different matter entirely. Themes from the first movement start coming back in a sort of death-march, really conveying the heaviness of the moment like I've never heard before. For God's sake, I mean the guy's about to commit suicide. The end is absolutely nightmarish in its almost detachment emotionally from what is actually happening.

I think I have a new favorite Kullervo.


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## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Pohjola's Daughter
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, cond.
LSO LIVE*
Colin Davis' conception here of the popular Sibelius _Symphony No. 2_ (I've not heard any of his other recordings of _No. 2_, but have read his approach hasn't changed much over the years) is hardly heroic in the grand sense; it's more one of brooding rumination as heard in consistently broad, heavy-handed phrasing and a minimum of overt dynamic variation -- it's also mostly a crushing bore. I've put myself at the mercy of this three times and hear less and less of what I would deem to be "inspiration". The orchestra still plays very well, the all-important transitions and climaxes are handled with subtle and consummate skill, but Davis is loathe to whip up any fire and froth to suggest a composer in the throes of Romantic fervor (Bernstein, Barbirolli, and Karajan in equally expansive renderings), nor does he offer up much of an intellectually interesting interpretation (Vänskä, in a cool and similarly sober vein, and also perhaps Segerstam, who also reins in the emotion) -- forget about tuneful, invigorating, or merely entertaining (Ormandy, Szell, Berglund, and even Levine). For the experienced listener, hearing this _Second_ is akin to having one foot in the barren Sibelian landscape of his _Fourth Symphony_; I leave it to that listener to determine if it's worth exploring as this one is hesitant to return -- the novice should probably stay clear.

The program starts off, however, with a very expressive performance of _Pohjola's Daughter_, replete with more mournful _portamento_ from the solo cellist than I've ever heard in the piece. Here Davis allows the optimism to emerge with finely judged phrasing, dynamic bursts and crescendi. The piece affectingly winds down and ends with the quietest strings imaginable, perhaps partly a function of a recording which is wide in dynamic range, but noticeably shy of resonance and bass presence.

Speaking of which, I've read many complaints about the exceedingly dry acoustic of the Barbican venue heard on this series of releases from the LSO Live label. It's never been a big problem with me as it seems oddly suited to the Sibelian repertoire and particularly to Colin Davis' mostly intimate and cerebral take on it.


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## JTech82

Right now:









Later:


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## World Violist

I'm gonna revisit this one now:










Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/NYPO; Barbara Hendricks, soprano; Christa Ludwig, mezzo

The sound in this recording never quite ceases to amaze me, and though I think Bernstein did a better job of the opening some 25 years earlier, the cello soli at the beginning rings as I've never heard it before. The tension builds very slowly, actually, compared with my current favorite reading of this by Tennstedt; and it works to a tremendous effect when the first climax is finally reached. The second track is quite the interesting little bit of music, especially in this recording, where it feels like it should be peaceful but it isn't really, because you have the knowledge that there is well over an hour of music left to go through, and it can't all be peaceful. And there's something fundamentally wrong about this peace, as the subtle shift into E-flat _minor_immediately alerts us. A second sort-of climax is reached after which comes the typical Mahlerian retreat to regroup and approach the music again, at a different angle this time. Bernstein makes a very convincing case of that, and also the crushing failure of it as the cellos' grumbling theme comes back again in a more vicious than ever E-flat minor. The tension really gets to be spectacular soon enough after this; just when it feels a height is reached, it is notched up still higher, until it can do nothing else but implode. Again with the falsely peaceful music, more yearning and such than ever, and then it turns sour, building to a climax that fails ultimately and leads to the movement's sudden end. It's all done very convincingly by Bernstein, though while it feels like it should be natural there's something not entirely so much so about it. It feels as though it's missing spontaneity somehow, that the elastic tempi are a mite too planned out. It's irritating for a symphony like this, really.

The second movement is the most bizarre second movement of this piece I think I've ever heard. Slower by far than any other recording I've ever heard in my life (and probably about half as fast as the horrible performance I saw Kaplan produce), and it feels like it too. It's just a bit too belabored, to be honest, and while I appreciate the emotional depth, it could have been just as deep but a bit more light on its feet also, as I seem to remember Tennstedt's being.

Third movement isn't as horrible as it could be, but it could certainly be quite faster. I seem to remember one recording that goes about a third again as fast... or wait, maybe that's most of them... regardless, it's an interesting take on this movement, and it's not entirely unwarranted. I for one very much appreciate the melodic lines being accentuated in this manner. It's a very lovely effect, and it brings out the more melancholy emotional content quite well, I think. The climaxes are very good; Bernstein ups the tempo for a devastating effect in the last huge climax in the movement, and the dying away is done very nicely also.

With "Urlicht," it's difficult for me to really comment on; the common view that Bernstein takes it absurdly slow is possibly the single most idiotic thing I've ever heard in my life, for one reason only: Tennstedt takes it much slower; about a whole minute longer. Overall, though, the singing is good, but for some reason I never particularly the throatiness of Ludwig's singing.

Now comes the titanic last movement. The movement starts out blazing, then immediately completely falls apart into a sort of quasi-meditation type of piece. The "O glaube" theme is played wonderfully, I think, and the reverberation of the hall just makes it all the better. It's very mysterious, really. The strange recollection of the "Dies Irae" is played quite slowly, more slowly than is the norm (as is the case with this performance anyway, so that's a given). The effect is haunting, though. The blooming of this part is also beautifully captured also. What is interesting to me is that I very much like this recording of the finale, yet it's the one most often attacked by people. I see many more problems with the first three movements put together than in this one... this one doesn't have much tempo manipulation at all, it's only a bit slower than usual. The last march is one of the more impactful ones I've yet heard. It has all of the explosiveness of the world ending, cymbals and deep bells ringing, brass blaring. It dies into the "call of summons" very well, the transition very well thought out (here not a bad thing!). The choir are utterly radiant when they sing their first notes. It's the feeling of _true_ calm this time, not the farce from the first movement. Hendricks, though, is the real deal here. She is perfection itself, and puts this at one of my favorite moments in any recording of this symphony. Christa Ludwig is very good for her role also, unsettling. The chorus is, once again, perfect in their contribution before the last track. That is amazing. No words can really be said to express how crushing and yet uplifting the end is, and the last iteration of "Aufersteh'n" is entrancing.


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## XenakisEarbleed

*Larry Austin: Accidents*

Performed by David Tudor assisted by L. Austin, electronics. Performed at UC Davis, 1968.

http://cemi.music.unt.edu/larry_austin/LApnotes.htm


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## YsayeOp.27#6




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## nickgray

Kubelik's Parsifal. I'm currently on the 3rd act.


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## JTech82

Right now:


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## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Romance in C
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
BIS*
Here's a performance of the Sibelius _Symphony No. 2_ in the same vein as Berglund's Helsinki recording, also from the mid-'80s -- mostly direct and straightforward, and based on my now extensive listening experience, often seemingly bordering on the impetuous. The allegretto first movement flies by with nary a ponderous moment, but with a great deal of sparkle, vim and vigor. The alacrity makes for a most effective transition to the dramatically downshifted andante second movement; here's where Järvi and company make for some very effective phrasing marked by powerful dynamic variance and providing a most expressive rubato which Sibelius asks for in his labeling of the movement -- very nicely done! The vivacissimo third movement bursts out of the starting gate at full throttle with ensemble barely held together by the strings. There's a very pregnant pause before the beautifully pensive interlude from the winds, then the horserace recommences till the dramatically downshifted winds again sing their song. The difficult extended crescendo building into the finale is marvelously rendered here, held together very nicely. I've heard some fairly ragged ensemble playing in this all-important section, but certainly not here! The finale itself is exemplary of how I most like to hear it -- unbridled in the forte sections with pointed adherence to the big tune, while momentarily contemplative in the contrasting quieter sections. (For those with an interest in orchestral nuance, I'm hearing the tuba here as emphatically as I ever have in this movement.) Again, the coda builds very dramatically and the symphony is brought home in stirring fashion -- indeed, inspiration seemingly exudes from every pore of this performance. All told, and not to sound brash, but here's your antidote to the likes of Colin Davis...if one feels the need.

This is the first I'm hearing the _Romance in C for string orchestra_, labeled Op. 42 and first performed in 1904 (_Symphony No. 2_ is Op. 43 from 1901). It's a very short five-and-a-half minute mini-drama of sorts in the Sibelian style most reminiscent of Tchaikovsky. It's pleasant enough and probably holds some interest as Sibelian arcana, but makes for an insubstantial and anticlimactic conclusion to a CD program of only about 47 minutes -- that's how they often did it in the early days of digital, folks.

As an aside, it's amusing how BIS would print a large red warning on the front directing us to see the back cover with the following: _"WARNING! Contrary to established practice this recording retains the staggering dynamics of the ORIGINAL performance. This may damage your loudspeakers, but given first-rate playback equipment you are guaranteed a truly remarkable musical and audio experience. Good luck!"_ Yes, it's a fine recording -- spaciously vivid and weighted toward the highs with only slight hints of congestion on fortissimos -- but know that the early digital sound has since been generally eclipsed. If your loudspeakers are still intact, your "good luck" will be in hearing this stimulating performance of the _Sibelius Second_.


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## World Violist

Moldyoldie said:


> As an aside, it's amusing how BIS would print a large red warning on the front directing us to see the back cover with the following: _"WARNING! Contrary to established practice this recording retains the staggering dynamics of the ORIGINAL performance. This may damage your loudspeakers, but given first-rate playback equipment you are guaranteed a truly remarkable musical and audio experience. Good luck!"_ Yes, it's a fine recording -- spaciously vivid and weighted toward the highs with only slight hints of congestion on fortissimos -- but know that the early digital sound has since been generally eclipsed. If your loudspeakers are still intact, your "good luck" will be in hearing this stimulating performance of the _Sibelius Second_.


This is absolutely hilarious. I've always wondered why on earth BIS would do something like that to their perfectly beautiful (IMHO) casing... and now I know. That's amazing!


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## nickgray

Brilliant.


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## World Violist

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
John Barbirolli/Philharmonia Orchestra

This is the first Vaughan Williams symphony I'll ever have listened to all the way through. And it is simply ravishing to hear it, honestly. The themes roll one off the other like waves in some vast ocean, or rolling hills in the composer's homeland. And through all of the warmth inherent in the music there is the tender care of Barbirolli, incomparable in music like this which so naturally exudes warmth and color.


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## JTech82

A truly great recording by the late Richard Hickox and the LSO.


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## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphonies 3, 6, and 7
Colin Davis/BSO

Right now I'm on 3, and it's pretty darn good so far, though some of it does sound a bit rushed and not entirely as colorful as it should be, which I feel Davis did a lot better with on all counts in his later LSO Live recording.


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## JTech82

I wanted to make sure everybody saw this, because there's more to Holst than The Planets!


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## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
> John Barbirolli/Philharmonia Orchestra
> 
> This is the first Vaughan Williams symphony I'll ever have listened to all the way through. And it is simply ravishing to hear it, honestly. The themes roll one off the other like waves in some vast ocean, or rolling hills in the composer's homeland. And through all of the warmth inherent in the music there is the tender care of Barbirolli, incomparable in music like this which so naturally exudes warmth and color.


Is this the one you've been listening to, WV? Do you know the date of the recording? I don't think I've ever heard Barbirolli conducting the 5th - I have Haitink (not my cup of tea), Boult (very much my cup of tea), and Handley (also very fine) - but I might be tempted by this one of yours.


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## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> Is this the one you've been listening to, WV? Do you know the date of the recording? I don't think I've ever heard Barbirolli conducting the 5th - I have Haitink (not my cup of tea), Boult (very much my cup of tea), and Handley (also very fine) - but I might be tempted by this one of yours.


Actually, it's on an LP record, but it is this recording, I think. It is with the Philharmonia, and I think it was recorded in the early '60s--at least, that's when the case notes were written ('62). I can't find the actual recording year. It is in great sound, regardless, as EMI in the '60s could be at their best.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

JTech82 said:


> I wanted to make sure everybody saw this, because there's more to Holst than The Planets!


Ever heard his concerto for two violins?


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## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Actually, it's on an LP record, but it is this recording, I think. It is with the Philharmonia, and I think it was recorded in the early '60s--at least, that's when the case notes were written ('62). I can't find the actual recording year. It is in great sound, regardless, as EMI in the '60s could be at their best.


Yes, that sounds right, doesn't it? Thanks for this - I'll put it on my 'to buy' list.


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## World Violist

I am going to attempt to listen to the Mahler symphonies all the way through today. Among them are some of the fastest in the catalogue (Mitropoulos' Mahler 1 with the Minnesota Orchestra clocks in an insane 47:48, with the last movment at an equally insane 17:32, and Bruno Walter's legendary Vienna Mahler 9th, of course, has probably the only recording of the last movement Adagio at less than 20 minutes...), and one or two of the slowest around (Barbirolli's Mahler 6th is on my list... yes, that thoroughly enough explains itself). Here's my list for today:

Already played:
Symphony No. 1
Mitropoulos/Minnesota Orchestra

Symphony No. 2
Michael Tilson Thomas/San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra

Symphony No. 3
Riccardo Chailly/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Now Playing:
Symphony No. 4
Willem Mengelberg/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (absolutely brilliant!)

Coming up:
Symphony No. 5
Bruno Walter/New York Philharmonic

Symphony No. 6
John Barbirolli/New Philharmonia Orchestra

Symphony No. 7
Michael Tilson Thomas/San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra

Symphony No. 8
Riccardo Chailly/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Symphony No. 9
Bruno Walter/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

If I can squeeze in Das Lied von der Erde then I will... I'll have to use Youtube clips, though, since I haven't got a CD of Das Lied any more...  I started the 4th at noon... hmm...


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## World Violist

I finished the Mahler cycle today... my gosh. It didn't take very long at all. Huh.

So now I'm listening to this, which I just got in the mail today:










Wagner: Das Rheingold
Clemens Krauss/Bayreuther Festspiele

Chi_Town/Philly, I think you may well want to check this set (for it is a whole set; I'm just getting them individually) out if you haven't already. It's infinitely more lively than the Bohm recording from that Decca cube; I'm listening to it now and not hearing any sort of "dead spots" at all. It has magnificent grandeur, sweep, drama. Probably just as Wagner would have wanted it. Not to mention the heavenly voices! The 1953 live recording does nothing against the performance; it's a miracle, like the music itself.


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## JTech82

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> Ever heard his concerto for two violins?


I have not, YsayeOp, but when the price of the other Holst with Hickox comes down, which is the release that has the double concerto on it, I'll definitely be purchasing it.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

JTech82 said:


> I have not, YsayeOp, but when the price of the other Holst with Hickox comes down, which is the release that has the double concerto on it, I'll definitely be purchasing it.


Little Holst I know, Planets aside. I have a two piano version of The Fool, and a few choral works (Psalms and Hymns from the Rig Veda). I attended a concert in which the double concerto was played, but I don't have it on record, though.


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## JTech82

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> Little Holst I know, Planets aside. I have a two piano version of The Fool, and a few choral works (Psalms and Hymns from the Rig Veda). I attended a concert in which the double concerto was played, but I don't have it on record, though.


I like Holst a lot. I think people should explore his work, especially "St. Paul's Suite," "Brook Green Suite," "A Fugal Overture," "Hammersmith," "A Somerset Rhapsody," "The Golden Goose," and so many others. It's a shame people only know of him by just "The Planets." There is, as you can see, much more to explore.


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## World Violist

JTech82 said:


> I like Holst a lot. I think people should explore his work, especially "St. Paul's Suite," "Brook Green Suite," "A Fugal Overture," "Hammersmith," "A Somerset Rhapsody," "The Golden Goose," and so many others. It's a shame people only know of him by just "The Planets." There is, as you can see, much more to explore.


Is St. Paul's Suite the one for strings? I believe I've played in it before, if I remember correctly. It's a neat little piece, with catchy tunes (too catchy sometimes... I would be tormented after rehearsals with what I had just played for hours on end), but I don't think it even lives up to Holst's genius.


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## JTech82

World Violist said:


> Is St. Paul's Suite the one for strings? I believe I've played in it before, if I remember correctly. It's a neat little piece, with catchy tunes (too catchy sometimes... I would be tormented after rehearsals with what I had just played for hours on end), but I don't think it even lives up to Holst's genius.


No, I believe you're thinking about the "Brook Green Suite." I was merely making the point that there's more to Holst than "The Planets." He composed some fine work.

Not every piece of music can "live up", whatever that comment you made is supposed to mean anyway, to a composer's genius, but I think his pieces when listened to on their own terms are quite enjoyable.

Have you heard Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals?" That's one of the stupidest pieces of music I ever heard, but people associate him with that piece and I find that unfortunate.


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## nickgray

Tchaikovsky - 6th Symphony, Svetlanov. Got my hands on Svetlanov's Tchaikovsky yesterday and it's probably my fav. interpretations of his symphonies I've heard so far (not that I've heard lots of them).


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## jhar26

Enjoyable early-ish opera from Bellini. It doesn't quite rank with his best work, but for a fan (and I am a Bellini fan) it's a nice addition to the collection. High quality singers always matter, maybe even more so in bel canto and it must be said that Patrizia Ciofi (soprano), Dario Schmunck (tenor) and Mark Stone (bariton) aren't exactly star performers, but Ciofi is very good, while Stone and Schmunck are adequate, but no more than that. A 176 page booklet with libretto in Italian and English is included.


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## nickgray

JTech82 said:


> Have you heard Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals?" That's one of the stupidest pieces of music I ever heard, but people associate him with that piece and I find that unfortunate.


Why?  I mean yeah, it is kinda unfortunate that people associate him with it, cause Carnival isn't really music per se, more of an experiment of some sorts. But why stupid? It's a really witty, smart and humorous piece and it is probably the only "unserious" piece of music I really like.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> Enjoyable early-ish opera from Bellini. It doesn't quite rank with his best work, but for a fan (and I am a Bellini fan) it's a nice addition to the collection.


Thanks for this. I presume it's a live recording - is there a date given, Gaston? And is the recording quality OK?


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> Thanks for this. I presume it's a live recording - is there a date given, Gaston? And is the recording quality OK?


It's a studio recording. Recording took place in the Henry Wood Hall, London in October/November 2007. I'm considering also buying that new "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" set with Anna Netrebko.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> It's a studio recording. Recording took place in the Henry Wood Hall, London in October/November 2007.


Say no more! Thanks.



> I'm considering also buying that new "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" set with Anna Netrebko.


I know, I know.... but not yet, I tell myself.


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## Rondo

I never thought I would find a collection of the Beethoven's symphonies which would surpass those which first introduced me to these fine works. This is such a fine interpretation and performance--nothing _minutely_ less should be expected of this conductor and group.


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## JTech82

nickgray said:


> Why?  I mean yeah, it is kinda unfortunate that people associate him with it, cause Carnival isn't really music per se, more of an experiment of some sorts. But why stupid? It's a really witty, smart and humorous piece and it is probably the only "unserious" piece of music I really like.


Why is "Carnival of the Animals" stupid? Because in my opinion, it doesn't do anything musically. It's like somebody who is blowing a lot of hot air, I'm sure you've heard that impression before sometime in your life. There's just no substance there. I like Saint-Saens' symphonies, concertos, and some of his other orchestral pieces like "Danse Macabre" a lot better.


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## tahnak

Nickgray,

Svetlanov is good. But the Pathetique has received a stupendous performance from another Russian. It is by Leningrad philharmonic under Yevgeny Mravinsky on Deutsche Grammophon. It is unbelievably great.


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## nickgray

JTech82 said:


> Why is "Carnival of the Animals" stupid? Because in my opinion, it doesn't do anything musically. It's like somebody who is blowing a lot of hot air, I'm sure you've heard that impression before sometime in your life. There's just no substance there. I like Saint-Saens' symphonies, concertos, and some of his other orchestral pieces like "Danse Macabre" a lot better.


I don't think that Carnival should be listened as a "musical" piece. It's more of a joke, a funny and silly short story. And I'll say again that I consider it to be a real witty joke - sluggish "can-can" in Tortoises, the cuckoo, pianistes... You really shouldn't approach it from the "musical" point 



tahnak said:


> Svetlanov is good. But the Pathetique has received a stupendous performance from another Russian. It is by Leningrad philharmonic under Yevgeny Mravinsky on Deutsche Grammophon. It is unbelievably great.


I know about Mravinsky, but I haven't heard his Tchaikovsky yet. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely check this one out.
/offtopic

CL:
Mahler's 8, Kubelik. First time I'm hearing it, and it's awesome. Probably my fav. Mahler's symphony as of now (I still haven't heard the ninth or unf. tenth).


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## buckminster_fullerene

Stockhausen - "Kontakte"
Varese - "21.5"


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## JTech82

nickgray said:


> I don't think that Carnival should be listened as a "musical" piece. It's more of a joke, a funny and silly short story. And I'll say again that I consider it to be a real witty joke - sluggish "can-can" in Tortoises, the cuckoo, pianistes... You really shouldn't approach it from the "musical" point


How about I don't even approach as music or better yet how about I don't even approach it?

I've got better things to listen to than some "joke" piece. That's just moronic. Saint-Saens, however, was a fine composer, but when I recall his name I don't think of "Carnival of the Animals" that's for sure. Now his piano concertos on the other hand, those are no joking matters.


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## Rachovsky

Another day, another Mahler symphony


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## Chi_townPhilly

World Violist said:


> Wagner: Das Rheingold
> Clemens Krauss/Bayreuther Festspiele...I'm listening to it now and not hearing any sort of "dead spots" at all. It has magnificent grandeur, sweep, drama. Probably just as Wagner would have wanted it. Not to mention the heavenly voices! The 1953 live recording does nothing against the performance; it's a miracle, like the music itself.


You have some influential company in your appreciation of this version... former New York Times music critic John Rockwell, the panel from _Gramophone_ magazine who featured the cycle a little over a year ago... [I wrote a little about it in the SchizophRINGia thread.]

As for me, I'm listening to Grieg's _Sigurd Jorsalfar_ (Göteborg/N. Järvi), in honor of Järvi's advancement in the "Living Conductors" game.


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## Rachovsky

Currently on No. 14, which is, of course, Death and the Maiden.


----------



## JTech82




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## PartisanRanger

Gustav Holst - The Planets - Mars, Bringer of War


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## Praine

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 8 in D Major, K. 48: Allegro

I'm currently listening to all of Mozart's Symphonies in numerical order beginning with 1. As you can see, I'm still in his Childhood Symphonies era, and it is quite phenomenal to say the least. It's quite mindblowing to know he wrote these masterpieces as such a young age.


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 8 in D Major, K. 48: Allegro
> 
> I'm currently listening to all of Mozart's Symphonies in numerical order beginning with 1. As you can see, I'm still in his Childhood Symphonies era, and it is quite phenomenal to say the least. It's quite mindblowing to know he wrote these masterpieces as such a young age.


I'm sorry but what is the obsession people have with Mozart? I mean he was good at one point in time, but his music, in my opinion, is so stagnant in terms of dynamics and emotion.


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## Praine

It's more like just hearing his capability he had when he was a youngster. Pretty impressive. 

Anyways, JTech, I read your classical collection and it seems like you are extremely knowledgable about classical music as a whole. What are some artists that you listen to on a regular basis that show this flow in terms of dynamics and emotion in which you seek?


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## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> JTech, I read your classical collection and it seems like you are extremely knowledgable about classical music as a whole. What are some artists that you listen to on a regular basis that show this flow in terms of dynamics and emotion in which you seek?


Oh boy you opened up a can of worms there! 

I listen to a wide variety of composers, but the ones I always come back to are the following (I'm about to type a lot, so I'm holding my breath right now):

Sibelius
Barber
Bruckner
Bartok
Dvorak
Nielsen
Mahler
Rachmaninov
Tchaikovsky
Shostakovich
Stravinsky
Ravel
Debussy
Prokofiev
Bax
Liszt
Mendelssohn
Janacek
Schumann
Rimsky-Korsakov
Mussorgsky
Saint-Saens
Holst
Wagner
Respighi
Delius
Berlioz
Ives
Vaughan Williams
Rangstrom
Langgaard
Elgar
Kodaly
d'Indy
Strauss, R.
Rorem
Gorecki
Copland
Moeran
Hovhaness
Howells
Grofe
Alfven
Brahms
Glazunov


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## nickgray

JTech82 said:


> I'm sorry but what is the obsession people have with Mozart? I mean he was good at one point in time, but his music, in my opinion, is so stagnant in terms of dynamics and emotion.


He got emotions, it's just the music. Most of what he wrote is just so... sweet, sugary, dumbly-happy... I can't stand it.


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## Praine

JTech82 said:


> Oh boy you opened up a can of worms there!
> 
> I listen to a wide variety of composers, but the ones I always come back to are the following (I'm about to type a lot, so I'm holding my breath right now):


Holy smokes, thanks a lot for taking that request into consideration and compiling that list!  I am familiar with many of those composers but about half of the composers on there, I either haven't heard of or haven't given the oppurtunity to listen to yet, so this helps get me in gear for some music I should be checking out. I notice you didn't put Beethoven on there - same reason why you are not fond of Mozart, I'm guessing?


----------



## JTech82

nickgray said:


> He got emotions, it's just the music. Most of what he wrote is just so... sweet, sugary, dumbly-happy... I can't stand it.


Mozart's Requiem and some of his later symphonies were good, but I just find him emotionally stagnant. Happy isn't the only emotion. It seems to me Requiem was where he truly quit being so pretentious and wrote from his heart or at least that's my analysis.


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## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> Holy smokes, thanks a lot for taking that request into consideration and compiling that list!  I am familiar with many of those composers but about half of the composers on there, I either haven't heard of or haven't given the oppurtunity to listen to yet, so this helps get me in gear for some music I should be checking out. I notice you didn't put Beethoven on there - same reason why you are not fond of Mozart, I'm guessing?


I like Beethoven's later works. You see Beethoven had a lot of innovations in terms of symphony writing. He introduced new dynamics and new emotions to the symphony form. His later writing was starting to incorporate a new realm of dramatic contrasts that had not been heard before.

My tastes run along the lines of the Romantic Era and 20th Century. If you haven't had a chance to hear Sibelius, Stravinsky, Nielsen, Shostakovich, Bruckner, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Debussy, Prokofiev, Bartok, or Rachmaninov, then you are truly missing out.

I would urge you to seek recordings of these composers first. There's really no good way to start collecting or listening to classical other than to just jump right into it.

You will find that one composer leads to another.

I learned a lot of what I have by simply reading books or information posted on the Internet (i. e. Wikipedia). It's just a matter of "throwing yourself to the fire" so to speak.


----------



## jhar26

Reign of Praine said:


> Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 8 in D Major, K. 48: Allegro
> 
> I'm currently listening to all of Mozart's Symphonies in numerical order beginning with 1. As you can see, I'm still in his Childhood Symphonies era, and it is quite phenomenal to say the least. It's quite mindblowing to know he wrote these masterpieces as such a young age.


Just wait until you get to the later ones. Keep in mind that the symphony was still in it's infancy when Mozart started composing. It's an amazing journey made in a relatively short time from the attractive eight minute entertainments of his childhood to the mature works of his Vienna years. You will experience the same when you explore his, say, piano concertos or works in other 'genres.' In my opinion Mozart is one of the super-greats.


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## JTech82

Music is subjective, so listen to what you like. As you can what I like is very wide ranging and diverse.


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## nickgray

Shostakovich - Fifth Symphony, Solti. Georg has done a great job (as usual) conducting this beast, I've heard plenty of his recordings and he's yet to disappoint me.


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## JTech82

If you love Copland, then I urge all who do to check out these "Copland Collections" on Sony. They are all "conductor approved." Great stuff.


----------



## Mr Dull

I am working my way through the boxed set 20th century masterpieces. There is much that is familiar but much that isn't and I am making new discoveries all the time and I am only up to the 1930's. It is a fascinating set and I look forward to finding more things I have overlooked.


----------



## Air

Currently doing homework to Schumann Piano Concerto played by Sviatoslav Richter with Rowicki and the WNP. I'm playing this piece too so double-tasking here.


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## Rachovsky

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique
Sir Roger Norrington - Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Stockhausen: Hymnen (Anthems for Electronic and Concrete Sounds)
Electronic Realization from WDR - Cologne, West Germany
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (2 LPs)* 
Avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (d. 2007) had his fifteen minutes of quasi-fame in the late-'60s/early-'70s during the height of Cold War tensions and the Vietnam War. It's difficult to fathom how his _musique concrète_ struck a chord with listeners of serious music at the time since much of it comes off today sounding kitschy and contrived. One could probably look to the prevailing Zeitgeist which also spawned _Dark Side of the Moon_ and its various offshoots. I have to say, however, that I was always held spellbound by two of his lengthy works first heard on late-night public radio, _Hymnen_ being one. It combines samplings of several familiar national anthems with the random sounds from shortwave radios and intermittent studio voices to make for a fascinating two-hour journey into the Zen of worldwide electronic communication (or near instantaneous travel) via various electronic filters, mixers, and potentiometers -- it's quite a trip! I like to think it's metaphorical to a sort of "world anthem". I hadn't heard this for many years until recently, but even today it fascinates.

The work is divided into four "regions" centered around a specific national anthem or conglomeration of anthems. Around these "centers" are juxtaposed electronically generated sounds and voiced multi-lingual phrases; i.e., a commingling of the "known" with the abstract and unknown. From the composer's notes: _"When one integrates in a composition known music with unknown new music, one can hear especially well how it was integrated: untransformed, more or less transformed, transposed, modulated, etc. The more self-evident the WHAT, the more attentive the listener becomes to the HOW. Naturally, national anthems are more than that: they are "loaded" with time, with history - with past, present, and future. They accentuate the subjectivity of peoples in a time when uniformity is all too often mistaken for universality. One must also make a clear distinction between subjectivity - and correspondence between subjective musical objects - and individualistic isolation and separation. The composition Hymnen is not a collage"_

However arcane the methodology of its composition, I was personally mesmerized and "attentive" throughout. Perhaps it's my lifelong fascination with broadcasting which is responsible -- those shortwave band passes are "music" to my ears!

A detailed online discussion of _Hymnen_ can be found beginning here and continuing here.

For the curious, the great bulk of Stockhausen's '60s/'70s discography is no longer available commercially (Deutsche Grammophon dropped its entire Stockhausen discography in the '80s), but recordings of several other works, including my other "spellbound" favorite _Stimmung_, are available through various online retail sources. There's one work called the _Helicopter String Quartet_ where each musician goes up in one of four helicopters and their playing is piped back into the concert hall! One can still order CD transfers of the entire large discography directly through Stockhausen's own website, but at outrageously expensive prices and only pre-paid by check plus an exorbitant handling fee.

By the way, Stockhausen is fifth from the left in the back row on the cover of The Beatles' album _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_, the one leaning with chin in palm.


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## JTech82

Moldyoldie said:


> *Stockhausen: Hymnen (Anthems for Electronic and Concrete Sounds)
> Electronic Realization from WDR - Cologne, West Germany
> DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (2 LPs)*
> Avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (d. 2007) had his fifteen minutes of quasi-fame in the late-'60s/early-'70s during the height of Cold War tensions and the Vietnam War. It's difficult to fathom how his _musique concrète_ struck a chord with listeners of serious music at the time since much of it comes off today sounding kitschy and contrived. One could probably look to the prevailing Zeitgeist which also spawned _Dark Side of the Moon_ and its various offshoots. I have to say, however, that I was always held spellbound by two of his lengthy works first heard on late-night public radio, _Hymnen_ being one. It combines samplings of several familiar national anthems with the random sounds from shortwave radios and intermittent studio voices to make for a fascinating two-hour journey into the Zen of worldwide electronic communication (or near instantaneous travel) via various electronic filters, mixers, and potentiometers -- it's quite a trip! I like to think it's metaphorical to a sort of "world anthem". I hadn't heard this for many years until recently, but even today it fascinates.
> 
> The work is divided into four "regions" centered around a specific national anthem or conglomeration of anthems. Around these "centers" are juxtaposed electronically generated sounds and voiced multi-lingual phrases; i.e., a commingling of the "known" with the abstract and unknown. From the composer's notes: _"When one integrates in a composition known music with unknown new music, one can hear especially well how it was integrated: untransformed, more or less transformed, transposed, modulated, etc. The more self-evident the WHAT, the more attentive the listener becomes to the HOW. Naturally, national anthems are more than that: they are "loaded" with time, with history - with past, present, and future. They accentuate the subjectivity of peoples in a time when uniformity is all too often mistaken for universality. One must also make a clear distinction between subjectivity - and correspondence between subjective musical objects - and individualistic isolation and separation. The composition Hymnen is not a collage"_
> 
> However arcane the methodology of its composition, I was personally mesmerized and "attentive" throughout. Perhaps it's my lifelong fascination with broadcasting which is responsible -- those shortwave band passes are "music" to my ears!
> 
> A detailed online discussion of _Hymnen_ can be found beginning here and continuing here.
> 
> For the curious, the great bulk of Stockhausen's '60s/'70s discography is no longer available commercially (Deutsche Grammophon dropped its entire Stockhausen discography in the '80s), but recordings of several other works, including my other "spellbound" favorite _Stimmung_, are available through various online retail sources. There's one work called the _Helicopter String Quartet_ where each musician goes up in one of four helicopters and their playing is piped back into the concert hall! One can still order CD transfers of the entire large discography directly through Stockhausen's own website, but at outrageously expensive prices and only pre-paid by check plus an exorbitant handling fee.
> 
> By the way, Stockhausen is fifth from the left in the back row on the cover of The Beatles' album _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_, the one leaning with chin in palm.


Stockhausen sucks.


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## nickgray

Shostakovich - Cello Concerto No.2. I think Shostakovich is starting to become one of my fav. composers, I really, really like him.



> There's one work called the Helicopter String Quartet where each musician goes up in one of four helicopters and their playing is piped back into the concert hall!


Such a nice piece - so memorable and melodic. And the idea of including the marvelous sound of helicopter's propeller is just brilliant!


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## JTech82

nickgray said:


> Such a nice piece - so memorable and melodic. And the idea of including the marvelous sound of helicopter's propeller is just brilliant!


I don't think so. Stockhausen induces gag reactions from me.


----------



## nickgray

JTech82 said:


> I don't think so. Stockhausen induces gag reactions from me.


I was being sarcastic  This Helicopter Quartet of his is an absolutely atrocious music... no, not music, a collection of sounds. The idea itself is pretty interesting, but... it's one thing to tell a friend about this idea, have a quick laugh and then forget it. But to implement it? And some people consider it to be art, music? No way...


----------



## JTech82

nickgray said:


> I was being sarcastic  This Helicopter Quartet of his is an absolutely atrocious music... no, not music, a collection of sounds. The idea itself is pretty interesting, but... it's one thing to tell a friend about this idea, have a quick laugh and then forget it. But to implement it? And some people consider it to be art, music? No way...


Well I didn't know you were being sarcastic or not. I'm not a mind-reader.

Anyway, Stockhausen is a joke. One of the biggest loser composers I've ever heard. I'd be disgraced to even have composed what he has. What a laughable mess of a composer.


----------



## Praine

Philip Glass - Scene 4: Hymn

I suppose he's alright, but definitely not from a classical perspective. People try to associate him with Classical music which I cannot, for the life of me, fathom how this conclusion can be made. This is minimalistic ambient music, and good at that, but some confuse his composer-type identity with that of a classical composer and mislabel him as such.


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to an LP of Horowitz playing Scriabin: Feuillet d'album; Etudes Op. 8 nos. 2, 11, 10, and 8; Op. 42 nos. 3-5; Sonata No. 10; two poems Op. 69; and Vers la Flamme. It's really quite amazing, although I would have loved to see the famous Etude Op. 8 no. 12 on the track listing.


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> Philip Glass - Scene 4: Hymn
> 
> I suppose he's alright, but definitely not from a classical perspective. People try to associate him with Classical music which I cannot, for the life of me, fathom how this conclusion can be made. This is minimalistic ambient music, and good at that, but some confuse his composer-type identity with that of a classical composer and mislabel him as such.


Philip Glass eh?

I one time needed a drink coaster and I saw a Philip Glass CD laying in front of me, so I just used it, because that's about the only use I have for Glass.


----------



## Praine

And respectably so, as it's not very intelligent music. On the contrary, I'm about to listen to Maurice Ravel for the first time today. Are there any particular works that you'd suggest I start off with?


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> And respectably so, as it's not very intelligent music. On the contrary, I'm about to listen to Maurice Ravel for the first time today. Are there any particular works that you'd suggest I start off with?


What do you own by Ravel? I need to know what you own, only then, can I suggest something to you.

The conductor, orchestra, and record label makes all the difference.


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## JTech82

"Le Tombeau de Couperin" is a good piece to start with. "Sheherazade" and "Piano Concerto in G major" are also great starts.

And of course, "Daphnis et Chloe" would also be a great one to start with.


----------



## Praine

I actually don't own anything by him. I've just been listening to alot of piano music today (Satie, Debussy's piano works, Schumann) and I got recommended Ravel on Last FM. I then remember noticing his picture in your profile so I figured you'd likely know a good deal about him. All of those factors that you mentioned do need to be taken into consideration, so I suppose I should just ask what do YOU own by Ravel?


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> I actually don't own anything by him. I've just been listening to alot of piano music today (Satie, Debussy's piano works, Schumann) and I got recommended Ravel on Last FM. I then remember noticing his picture in your profile so I figured you'd likely know a good deal about him. All of those factors that you mentioned do need to be taken into consideration, so I suppose I should just ask what do YOU own by Ravel?


What do I own by Ravel? Okay:

Debussy/Ravel: Orchestral Works (8-CD set)
Orch: Orchestre de Paris
Cond: Jean Martinon
Label: EMI

- Daphnis et Chloe (Hybrid SACD)
Orch: Boston Symphony
Cond: Charles Munch
Label: RCA

- Bolero, La Valse, etc. (Hybrid SACD)
Orch: Boston Symphony
Cond: Charles Munch
Label: RCA

- Orchestral Works (4-CD set)
Orch: Ulster Orchestra
Cond: Yan Pascal Tortelier
Label: Chandos

- The Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales
Orch: Cleveland Orchestra
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

- Shéhérazade; Le Tombeau de Couperin; Debussy: Ballades de Villon
Orch: Cleveland Orchestra
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

My collection is still growing of course, but I will soon acquire all of Boulez's Ravel on DG, but Martinon is perhaps my favorite Ravel conductor.

Just seek out the 8-disc EMI box set called "Debussy/Ravel: Orchestral Works" with Martinon and the Orchestre de Paris.


----------



## Praine

Ha, now I realize that I guess I could've just went to your collection and gathered that information, but thanks for posting it here! You would recomend all of those, right? You're not displeased with any of them?


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> Ha, now I realize that I guess I could've just went to your collection and gathered that information, but thanks for posting it here! You would recomend all of those, right? You're not displeased with any of them?


I'm not happy with Munch, so you might want to stay away from those. He's not the best Ravel conductor no matter what people say.

If I were you I would just buy this box set:










This is some of the best Debussy and Ravel ever put on record period. If you want to hear Debussy or Ravel done right, then this box is the ticket. It's also rather inexpensive. You can probably buy it for $30 on Amazon from a seller.

You'll be thanking me later and I expect you to, because it's that good.


----------



## Praine

Oh, I would love that. I'll probably get that one since I am very fond of Debussy's work, which will likely be the case of Ravel. Thanks a lot for your help, JTech.


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> Oh, I would love that. I'll probably get that one since I am very fond of Debussy's work, which will likely be the case of Ravel. Thanks a lot for your help, JTech.


You're quite welcome. Trust me you'll be thanking me later.


----------



## JTech82

Reign of Praine said:


> Oh, I would love that. I'll probably get that one since I am very fond of Debussy's work, which will likely be the case of Ravel. Thanks a lot for your help, JTech.


There is one thing you have to remember: Debussy and Ravel are two very different composers, but both are very textural in their writing. Debussy is after all the pioneer of the Impressionist movement. Ravel was merely influenced by Impressionism, but it's not the only style he wrote in.

Debussy had a much rawer approach. Ravel was precise and to-the-point, very sharp. Ravel was also a brilliant orchestrator. Both composers enjoyed each other's music and influenced each other, but this whole thing of critics and such putting them together is like putting a mango and an orange together. Both are acidic fruits, but it depends the person eating the fruit is the one who determines which he likes best.

I have always like Ravel better than Debussy for the simple reason that Ravel was able to execute his ideas better in his compositions in my opinion, whereas Debussy was much more freer and looser.


----------



## JTech82

I'm on disc 2 right now. Absolutely stunning Berlioz:


----------



## rezerind

hmmm...i like Marin Alsop's concerts. :]


----------



## Conor71

Earlier: Elgar - Symphony No. 1:









Now: Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1:


----------



## Elgarian

C71 said:


> Earlier: Elgar - Symphony No. 1:


That's a very fine set, with some great performances.


----------



## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> That's a very fine set, with some great performances.


It is, but for some reason I find the two symphonies the hardest to digest. It's not that I in general have a problem with late romantic symphonies or that I think that they aren't good, maybe even very good works - I can't really put my finger on it. I like them ok, but I feel that I don't love them as much as I should, especially as I love some of his other works of similar stature more: the cello concerto, the violin concerto, the dream of Gerontius, Falstaff and the Enigma variations come to mind.


----------



## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> It is, but for some reason I find the two symphonies the hardest to digest.


I think the 2nd symphony is pretty tough listening, actually. I find the feeling of tragedy and loss in the slow movement almost unbearable. The music seems to probe itself so deeply that I'm not always up to the job of listening well enough, though there have been occasions when I've hung on in there and been wonderfully well rewarded. Andrew Davis's version in this set (above) is particularly fine, I think.

The 1st symphony ... well, I heard it first when I was about 17, and it left me reeling. It's one of those things that one can't explain, and I didn't fully realise the consequences at the time, but it became a lifetime companion then and there. It's been a source of inspiration, spiritual nourishment, and hope, through the decades. It's my favourite symphony by anyone, anywhere, any time. I haven't a clue (and don't really care) what its 'official' standing is, viewed objectively in the great world of symphonies in general. It's like love, actually - there's no reasoning behind it. When that slow, great tune begins at the start of the first movement, I get shivers up my spine; and when, after the long journey that follows, it returns again in the finale, it seems to encapsulate so much of what I hope for from life. So it's intensely personal; I wouldn't know how to begin to persuade anyone else to persevere with it.


----------



## World Violist

from









Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/NYPO; Lee Venora, soprano; Jennie Tourel, mezzo

Despite the fact that some members here object to Bernstein's Mahler (and I beginning to agree with them) this CD set still holds a special attachment to me. Regardless of that, I think Bernstein really hit a home run with Mahler's 2nd whenever he recorded it, and the first time was possibly the best of the lot (I have yet to buy the LPO recording he did with Sheila Armstrong and Janet Baker (!!!), but it's on my list). The first movement is endlessly exciting, and *not* slow. In fact, this is, in general, one of Bernstein's faster Mahler movements (aside from practically all of the 6th), and it works wonders for whipping the orchestra into a frenzy when it needs to be. There is an endless supply of intensity, such as in the third track, when everything just grinds to a halt and only the low strings are left with their small, quiet mutterings and it all builds from there--very intense. The col legno are heard quite well, actually; at least, I wasn't expecting it to sound this good. The end of it is really quite surprising. It's been a while since I've heard this...

The second movement isn't horribly slow, just partially. This is to be remedied in the third movement, quite more brisk than his later effort on DG, also more exciting and flowing. I'm beginning to realize motivic details I've never heard on any other recording before while now listening (this is through headphones); it's good to know I'm not just writing this down for no apparent reason. The "cry of pain" or whatever you call it is absolutely stunning in its impact and immediacy; this is possibly the most wonderful foreshadowing I've ever heard in any symphony, and Bernstein makes it as such, heaven-storming and apocalyptic like the last movement which begins in all of about 10 minutes.

I don't like the disc change here... the last three movements are supposed to be played without a break, and here it is... at least there isn't a break between the fourth and fifth movements! "Urlicht" features some gloriously transparent playing from the NYPO and a very passionate Jennie Tourel, if not in such great voice.

The real jewel of this symphony is, by far, the massive finale. And Bernstein makes it somewhere beyond the realm of platinum. The drive of the beginning of this has to be heard to be believed. The low strings--BAM! the cymbals--then the brass--practically too quick for the mind to register, very like the corresponding section in the 1st symphony. This is one of the few recordings I've heard that doesn't let you know so obviously that it is indeed in an episodic structure. The last march is truly something to behold; the brisk tempo makes it tremendously urgent, and each time it slows down it almost makes one hope that it actually makes it to the end. The call of summons doesn't end as quietly as it could, but that's really no big deal. The chorus is very nice in their first entrance, and Venora's entrance is magical; you can't hear her at all until she rises above the chorus. The first time I listened to this, my mouth dropped open, and it still moves me greatly every time I hear it done this way (i.e. "right"). The last 10 minutes are extraordinarily moving, always pointing to the ultimate goal, and once it gets there it's like the clouds opening and the sun streaming forth. It's truly incandescent, the way Bernstein handles this.

I'll get back to this on the rest of the disc...

Edit: Ok, so now I'm listening to the rest of this; the Adagietto of the 5th symphony as performed at Robert Kennedy's funeral and the opening movement of the 8th from the opening ceremony of what is now Avery Fisher Hall.

This adagietto is probably one of the most "sensitive" I've yet heard, and that's not just because of the situation at which this was played. The sound is rather thick, the strings have a magnificently deep, burnished sound to them. The tempo, of course, is very very slow, giving us a foreshadowing of what the conductor was to become in his later years. This is, if anything, a very interesting psychological document of sorts. It still isn't strictly "as good" as the Viennese were in the 1980's under Bernstein, but it is still a very emotional reading... am I hearing the same adagietto that I heard Bruno Walter conduct a while ago? Huh.

As for the opening of the 8th... I still don't know. The acoustic is just dry. That in itself takes a sizable chunk out of my respect for this recording. The organ sounds rather odd also. The interpretation itself is pretty nice, though. I rather like the deep bells in tracks 15-16, though sometimes they sound a bit rough... like they don't resound enough before the sound gets to the mic. My God, that violinist is really sawing... The recapulation is lead into very slowly, like his recording, but this time it clicked and it really achieves the massive sense of fulfilling something, of having moved forward. It's quite thrilling. The end of the movement is absolutely thrilling as well, having the same sort of massive accumulation of sound that Chailly's recording with the Concertgebouw has as well. It's really quite stunning. The beginning doesn't quite live up to the end though, still.


----------



## agoukass

I was listening to Beethoven's Op. 70/2 this afternoon in the classic recording by Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, and Jacqueline Du Pre.

I had heard the third movement before in Christopher Nupen's documentary about Itzhak Perlman, but I was not familiar with the piece as a whole.

Overall, I was astounded by how well these three players performed the work. It is often said that if you put great musicians in a chamber group, the results may not be stellar. On this count, Barenboim, Zukerman, and Du Pre discount many of those critics. Their ensemble is very tight and it almost sounds as if the ensemble was one instrument rather than three.

As I listened to the recording, I sometimes found Zukerman's violin playing to be very sweet and light. In Beethoven, I tend to prefer much more aggressive violin playing by the likes of Kremer. But I also believe that sweetness also has its place and the more I listened to Zukerman, the more I realized that his sound might have been an echo of Kreisler or other older generation violinists.

I think Barenboim's pianism is beyond reproach in the trios. During the early 1970s when he recorded these works, he was beginning meteoric rise as both a pianist and conductor. The sensitivity and beauty of his sound captured my attention from the very beginning. In big chordal passages, he plays loudly but does not dominate his partners. He seems to know exactly what kind of gradation to use at the appropriate moment.

The real surprise for me was Jacqueline Du Pre's cello performances here. I have always loved Du Pre's way of directly communicating when she performs a piece. In some of her recordings, there can be problems with intonation or aggressiveness. In the cello passages and melodies, particularly in the final movement, I found her playing to be classical refined and thoroughly enjoyable. Some have said that her sound evolved after she met Barenboim, I would agree based on what I have heard here.

Overall, the conception of the piece was cohesive in every single movement. The performance itself was intense from first movement to last. I most certainly will listen to the Beethoven recordings in the future and provide reviews of what I hear.


----------



## World Violist

Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
Rostropovich/LPO; Vishnevskaya as Katerina

I'm not afraid to say it: this is my favorite opera that I've heard so far, but considering that only encompasses The Flying Dutchman and Das Rheingold, it doesn't count for much. What I love about it, though, is its brutal honesty, riveting intensity, Rostropovich's conducting, Vishnevskaya's singing eek and (who doesn't like this last???) that blood-curdling, heart-stopping scream at the end. That alone made the whole opera worth it (but make no mistake, everything else worked wonders as well!).

All in all, a very satisfying purchase!


----------



## nickgray

Shostakovich - Symphony No.11, Kitajenko.


----------



## Adie

Just watched the Kungliga Filharmonikerna conducted by Harmut Haenchen play Wagner in Stockholms Konserthus, powerful stuff!! Sorry to see the wonderful hall so sparsely populated though, it took the steam out of the applause the orchestra so richly deserved.


----------



## World Violist

Once again I'm putting my Mitropoulos Mahler 8th on the turntable. It's always an incredibly moving experience for me to listen to.


----------



## World Violist

Mozart: Symphony No. 40. This will be the first time I've ever listened to a Mozart symphony all the way through! Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony


----------



## Moldyoldie

[Updated for timeliness and extended remarks on 3/27/09]








*Sibelius: Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 6
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, cond.
LSO LIVE*
With the semi-chaos that's become of the recording industry, and as do a few prominent orchestras nowadays, the London Symphony Orchestra is producing and distributing live recordings on their own label. This is the first installment of what has become Sir Colin Davis' third complete recorded cycle of Sibelius' symphonies, the last two with the LSO.

Unfortunately, for much of the popular _Symphony No. 5_ it's "Hum Along with Sir Colin". Though it's become something of a given throughout Davis' vast discography, I've never heard his humming as disconcertingly conspicuous as here! One might be able to overlook it in the face of an overwhelmingly convincing performance, but the truth is that Davis doesn't necessarily convey a special affinity for this stirring and monumental score. The performance is certainly enjoyable enough -- tuneful, mostly fleet of pace, powerful when need be, and confidently played with an evident savvy emanating from the podium -- but it's hardly as gripping, penetrating, and memorable as those of Bernstein and Karajan, who in my estimation still reign supreme in this work, even when compared to the recent spate of fine native Finnish and Scandinavian performances on CD.

The performance of _Symphony No. 6_ here, however, has become one of my personal favorites. This knotty score is seemingly the bane of many Sibelian interpreters, but Davis and the LSO winningly render an optimistic reading from beginning to end. The delightfully disarming _poco vivace_ third movement, a favorite Sibelian concoction of this listener, is especially fetching here. An effective performance of this symphony seemingly hinges on artful tempo relations and the all-important dynamic balance between strings and winds; here it's well-nigh perfect -- and Davis' humming is mercifully held in check!

Overall, I do love the performances on this CD. The acoustic of the Barbican live performance recording venue is decidedly dry, but it complements Davis' mostly cerebral take on these two symphonies. If one can manage to inure themself to the conductor's "verbal accompaniment" in _No. 5_, these are most enjoyable.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra; Evelyn Mandac, soprano; Birgit Finnila, contralto

Wow, this opening is really quite ferocious! The violins enter (really hard... REALLY hard), and the cellos are hot on their heels. There is no dramatic pause a la Bernstein, Barbirolli, or Tennstedt. This in particular makes the first big climax truly terrifying. It really goes straight for the throat. I've never heard a second theme grow so easily out of the tormented first theme; it's quite amazing, how the frantic pace actually suits the second theme so well. You have to hear it to believe it (and already I'm disgusted that this has never been put on CD (though there is one with the Minnesota that is supposedly quite similar, though recorded some 20 years earlier in the '30s)!). This is truly no-nonsense Mahler; very little to no rubato, crystal clear articulations (and this from an LP!), furiously driven tempi yet still exquisite phrasing. The big chromatic downward rush at the end of the first movement could not be done better.

Second movement is, while not as brisk, equally as straight-faced as was the first movement; we here get none of the massive rubato at the ends of phrases as seen in Tennstedt's or Bernstein's recordings. Don't take this to mean that it has no character! Every moment has every bit of character of any other recording out there, and more character than most out there. Ormandy just lets it all speak for itself, unfold itself out from the orchestra, direct and unfettered. This is nowhere more true than in the demonic third movement, which starts out at just the right tempo and stays there--and it's more ominous than anything I've ever heard from this movement (And just for an idea of how clear every line is in this record: there are little lines in the inner voices that I have NEVER heard before, not even in MTT's more-than-crystal-clear SACD dissection of the movement). The big outburst has never been more terrifying or more intense. Its sense of inevitability is truly something spectacular.

Finnila's voice in the beginning of "Urlicht" is something to savor here. It isn't wracked with painful doses of inconsistent vibrato like most other accounts; instead, it is without embellishment, as little vibrato as one could hope to find, and, as with the rest of this symphony so far, no uncalled-for rubato. There isn't very much child-like "sense of wonder" to it, though, which would really be the only fault I could imagine. Considering that it's most attributable to Finnila's contralto rather than the more normal mezzo-soprano singing this, there isn't much that could be done. For sheer warmth and depth of tone, Finnila is unsurpassed.

The beginning of the finale is a veritable whirlwind. When the cellos have their swirling figure, where most conductors would let the tension ease a bit, Ormandy realizes very effectively that there is still quite a bit of commotion. Only later on, as the cellos fade out of the mix, does the tension finally release. The big march toward the end of the first main half of the movement carries very much weight. The low strings are truly immense when they need to be! The leading in to the chorus is very good, though the flutes seem a bit strained by the highest notes (not a big deal). The chorus is amazing, still very straightforward as expected (the one place where I would use the most rubato, no less). The soprano isn't the greatest, but she's very good anyway. The ending is, simply put, the best. It blows me away every time I hear it; sheer volume, passion, tempo--everything is perfection itself.


----------



## JTech82

Vaughan Williams: The 9 Symphonies









A very good set. Definitely on par with Boult's account on EMI and Handley's on Classics For Pleasure. I'm particularly impressed with the inclusion of "Three Portraits From The England of Elisabeth." Great performance of Symphony No. 5 as well (my personal favorite VW symphony). So far my least favorite performance was "A London Symphony," which I have heard better elsewhere from Boult, Handley, and Hickox, but perhaps it's just that's a bit more subdued than these other performances. I'll have to give it another go. Excellent performance of "Sinfonia Antarctica."

On tomorrow's menu:


----------



## Kemp

On My Way Here - Clay Aiken


----------



## duy_ph123

Every forum has one of these threads 

I'm listening to the Sibelius violin concerto 1st movement as I'm typing right now. For some reason, after practicing violin, I always feel like listening to this concerto.


----------



## EarlyCuyler

Right now its a disc of Siegfried Wagner's Overture's. On my way home it will be a CD of the Warsaw Philharmonic playing Karlowicz. A composer who as of this week, am very much into.


----------



## JTech82

Kemp said:


> On My Way Here - Clay Aiken


Are you kidding me? Okay, you've got to be joking and I pray that you are.


----------



## Lang

As I write, Percy Grainger's 'Robin is to the Greenwood Gone'.


----------



## JTech82

Lang said:


> As I write, Percy Grainger's 'Robin is to the Greenwood Gone'.


Good to see another Grainger fan here. I like his orchestral work.

Right I'm listening to:









I really like these readings. They may not be as flamboyant as Karl Bohm's readings, but they're enjoyable and rich in detail.


----------



## Conor71

Earlier:
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 1









Now:
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1









Later:
Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7


----------



## JTech82

C71 said:


> Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7


I own this box set but I haven't got around to listen to it yet. Let me know what you think.


----------



## Conor71

> I own this box set but I haven't got around to listen to it yet. Let me know what you think.


Although I dont have many points of reference, owning only parts of the Karajan EMI and Ashkenazy cycles apart from this set, I think the performances of the Symphonies and Kullervo are particularly fine.
The selection of Orchestral Pieces/Tone Poems is great too although It woud have been nice to include full versions of the Lemminkainen & Karelia Suites instead of excerpts.
My personal favourites in this box set are Symphonies 3, 5 & 6, Oma Maa, King Kristian, The Bard and Spring Song.
I hope you enjoy this set as much as I have when you are able to listen to it .


----------



## JTech82

C71 said:


> Although I dont have many points of reference, owning only parts of the Karajan EMI and Ashkenazy cycles apart from this set, I think the performances of the Symphonies and Kullervo are particularly fine.
> The selection of Orchestral Pieces/Tone Poems is great too although It woud have been nice to include full versions of the Lemminkainen & Karelia Suites instead of excerpts.
> My personal favourites in this box set are Symphonies 3, 5 & 6, Oma Maa, King Kristian, The Bard and Spring Song.
> I hope you enjoy this set as much as I have when you are able to listen to it .


I'll get around to it eventually. I'm sure it's good. Berglund was known for his Sibelius readings.

If you want a more concise and comprehensive collection of Sibelius' tone poems check out Neeme Jarvi and the Gothenburg Symphony on Deutsche Grammophon. In terms of Kullervo, I would check out Paavo Jarvi and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic's take on that piece. Colin Davis also did a great reading of it with the London Symphony Orch.


----------



## JTech82

Bax: Symphonies, Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra


----------



## World Violist

Les Miserables - 10th Anniversary recording

It might well be a bit of a hack job, but I still very much like it; the emotions are very present, the characters very human.

If it makes anyone feel better, I'll be listening to Bach sooner or later!


----------



## JTech82




----------



## World Violist

Wanda Landowska's complete Bach Recordings

Right now I'm just listening to the first disc: the first bits of the Well-Tempered Clavier.


----------



## Bgroovy2

Jose Cura - Puccini Arias / Domingo


----------



## World Violist

Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies
Sir Georg Solti/Chicago Symphony

Yes, I'm going through all of them today. Spring break is quite amazing.


----------



## JTech82

Langgaard: Symphonies, Thomas Dausgaard, Danish National Radio Symphony:










So far it's amazing, he's quite the Danish mad man! I would describe his music as a hybrid of styles, he's almost like a mad scientist (like the ones you see on television). The only thing is these experiments do not sacrifice the necessities in music: rhythm, harmony, melody, and structure. It's all here, but his hybrid of influences make for a great listening experience.


----------



## World Violist

Right now on my turntable is an LP of Albert Schweitzer playing Bach on the organ from a 2-LP set... Sublime!


----------



## JTech82

World Violist said:


> Right now on my turntable is an LP of Albert Schweitzer playing Bach on the organ from a 2-LP set... Sublime!


Yeah, don't you just love those pops, crackles, and that glorious hiss? LPs are the worst for classical. CDs all the way.


----------



## Bach

Haydn's Op. 76. Indefatigable.


----------



## JTech82

Took a break with the Langgaard and now listening to:

Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden, Bournemouth Symphony, Richard Hickox


----------



## World Violist

JTech82 said:


> Yeah, don't you just love those pops, crackles, and that glorious hiss? LPs are the worst for classical. CDs all the way.


Sometimes I rather prefer records (and no, in case you were wondering, I am certainly not joking). And I certainly prefer transfers from 1960's records much more than I prefer modern recordings (for the most part, mind you; there are some exceptions out there). Digital recordings are often much colder and tinnier in their sound.


----------



## JTech82

World Violist said:


> Sometimes I rather prefer records (and no, in case you were wondering, I am certainly not joking). And I certainly prefer transfers from 1960's records much more than I prefer modern recordings (for the most part, mind you; there are some exceptions out there). Digital recordings are often much colder and tinnier in their sound.


You can buy tube buffers or run your CD player through a tube amplifier to get an even warmer sound.

There's always ways around as you described "colder and tinnier sound." I would still take a CD above a record anyday, especially when talking about classical music. Nothing worse than listening to a quiet passage and listening to it snap, crackle, and pop, but whatever suits your fancy.


----------



## Mozartfan

Brian Crain amazing piano work 
especially Autumn 

http://cdbaby.com/cd/briancrain8


----------



## JTech82

Mozartfan said:


> Brian Crain amazing piano work
> especially Autumn
> 
> http://cdbaby.com/cd/briancrain8


Are you serious? Okay, I'll pretend I didn't even read this.


----------



## JTech82

I'm on Disc 4 now. This is such an amazing set. Anyone interested in late-Romantic music owes it to themselves to get this set. It will either reinforce the fact that Langgaard was a brilliant composer or turn you onto his genius. Thomas Dausgaard and the Danish National Radio Symphony perform triumphantly and majestically. This will be the set that all sets, if there will be any more to follow, that all are measured against.

It's amazing that a composer of Langgaard's stature was neglected all of his life, but there's so many composers that had the same problem.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mozart - Symphony No. 41, 1st Mov.


----------



## Bgroovy2

Handel
For unto us


----------



## Lisztfreak

Well, well, seems I'm doing the unimaginable and listening to some Mozart that actually isn't the Requiem or Piano Concerto No.24... It's his Violin Concerto No.5


----------



## EarlyCuyler

I just played Ferrucio Busoni's _Turandot Suite_ Fantastic piece of music. Wasn't too familiar with it, but like ti very much. Very interesting composer, doesn't really fit a category.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

JTech82 said:


> I'm on Disc 4 now. This is such an amazing set. Anyone interested in late-Romantic music owes it to themselves to get this set. It will either reinforce the fact that Langgaard was a brilliant composer or turn you onto his genius. Thomas Dausgaard and the Danish National Radio Symphony perform triumphantly and majestically. This will be the set that all sets, if there will be any more to follow, that all are measured against.
> 
> It's amazing that a composer of Langgaard's stature was neglected all of his life, but there's so many composers that had the same problem.


 Ahhh.... I must buy. 

Oh, I'm listening to Goldberg Variations at the moment, think I'm going to change to Haydn though.


----------



## Lisztfreak

I've just returned from a concert, and the music is still ringing in my ears! I heard Liszt's Les Préludes, Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No.1, and Haydn's Missa in angustiis (Nelson- mass). All very well played and sung, bearing in mind it was an Academy of Music students' concert. The trumpet player and the pianist in Shostakovich did make some mistakes, but they played with feeling. And the Haydn mass surprised me, the timpani especially. It's very sonorous and shiny.


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Ahhh.... I must buy.


Yes, this Langgaard set I consider mandatory listening for all classical fans. Be ready to pay at least $60 for it though. All are Hybrid SACDs and are superbly played by the Danish National Radio Symphony, who, by the way, are one of the world's oldest radio orchestras.

Anyway, these interpretations by Thomas Dausgaard will be hard to beat. Truly a visionary piece of music this is!


----------



## JTech82

Taking a break from the Langgaard set:

Part of the Vaughan Williams 7-CD box set I received yesterday. I'm very impressed by these readings of Symphony No. 5, Flors Campi, and the Oboe Concerto:









Later:


----------



## JTech82




----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Yes, I did see that they were SACD's.  I'm glad that they are Hybrid's though, as I listen to a lot of music on my portable CD player. Also, 60 dollars isn't bad at all! They ARE SACD's after all. XD

It's amazing how big of a difference there is between mp3's and SACD's. After listening to sacd's, I almost can't bring myself to listen to mp3's. :-/

Oh, listening to Chopin, but I'm not sure what song. It's on a huge compilation of classical piano...


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Yes, I did see that they were SACD's.  I'm glad that they are Hybrid's though, as I listen to a lot of music on my portable CD player. Also, 60 dollars isn't bad at all! They ARE SACD's after all. XD
> 
> It's amazing how big of a difference there is between mp3's and SACD's. After listening to sacd's, I almost can't bring myself to listen to mp3's. :-/
> 
> Oh, listening to Chopin, but I'm not sure what song. It's on a huge compilation of classical piano...


Yes, they are all hybrid SACDs and I guess that in itself is the reason the price is a little steep.

I have a pretty big classical collection, especially now, but I own all CDs and no downloads. I think MP3s are only good for traveling and there's a convenience factor that comes into play as well, but they're not the quality of an SACD or even a CD. Nowhere close.

You should definitely pick that Langgaard set up if you haven't already. I don't know how much longer Da Capo (owned by Naxos by the way) can keep that box in print.

I was instantly drawn to Langgaard's music the first opening measures of his Symphony No. 1. It will rock your world!


----------



## Conor71

Rachmaninov: Paganini Variations (Inspired by the variations thread )


----------



## Margaret

I'm listening to "Canarios" which is James Edwards playing the Baroque guitar which you can also listen to:

http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/edwards-canarios/

It's making me feel like I'm in some Masterpiece Theatre production: wearing some fancy dress, outside on a green lawn shaded by overarching trees and there's a handsome minstrel wearing the outfit on the CD playing for me.

All the tracks on it are quite short. But I'm enjoying it as I like Baroque and I like the classical guitar. 

Though short, this is classical music that I can easily picture people dancing to like came up in 
this thread.


----------



## Enkhbat

"Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.5- Adagio"
It's Brilliant. I pressed "repeat" button. Then listening listening ... 
I feel the real relaxation, satisfaction. I've listened the piece every morning, every evening for a week. What was i doing who didn't it before. 

We know was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf.
Also my friend told me, "it was dedicated to a girl who was a friend of his brother.He fell in love with her". 
Is this true?


----------



## Enkhbat

Margaret said:


> I'm listening to "Canarios" which is James Edwards playing the Baroque guitar which you can also listen to:
> 
> http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/edwards-canarios/
> 
> It's making me feel like I'm in some Masterpiece Theatre production: wearing some fancy dress, outside on a green lawn shaded by overarching trees and there's a handsome minstrel wearing the outfit on the CD playing for me.
> 
> All the tracks on it are quite short. But I'm enjoying it as I like Baroque and I like the classical guitar.
> 
> Though short, this is classical music that I can easily picture people dancing to like came up in
> this thread.


I've listened it. It's very catchy. Your imagination is so interesting.


----------



## JTech82

Up next:


----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Das Rheingold
Clemens Krauss/Bayreuther Festspiele

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this, but it's a great recording. I played this for my dad once (quite the classical music person himself, actually) and he never figured it was from 1953 in a live performance. The sound really is too good for its own good...


----------



## JTech82

Some good ol' Hindemith to hit the spot. This performance is very good. Yoel Levi and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra were a great team, unfortunately they thought Levi was too demanding...whatever, I think he brought that orchestra out of the grave by playing some composer's works who the Atlanta Symphony aren't that familiar with like Hindemith. This Hindemith recording is a great example of that:


----------



## xJuanx




----------



## PartisanRanger

Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, 5th Movement.
This is the first time I've heard the whole thing, and I quite like it.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Moldyoldie

Current listening, with a not-so-current commentary...








*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 "Pathetique"; Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27/2 "Moonlight"; Piano Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
John O'Conor, piano
TELARC*
It's a classical music truism that when a composer's body of work is so vast and wide-ranging as is Beethoven's for solo piano, those works with sobriquets such as his _Pathétique_, _Moonlight_, and _Appassionata_ sonatas are usually the most popular. What I've found to be a false truism, however, is that the most well-known names on the largest labels present the most compelling recorded performances; here's a case in point. Irish pianist John O'Conor is not nearly as well-known as justly famous Beethoven heavyweights such as Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Kempff, Alfred Brendel, and Claudio Arrau; but his early '90s performances for the Cleveland-based Telarc label are of such all-encompassing understanding, technical adeptness, and sensitivity that vaunted reputations become immaterial. I've had this recording since it was first released and have never been compelled to search for another. Telarc's digital recording is exquisitely transparent as O'Conor elicits the most beautifully burnished sound from his Hamburg Steinway. What's more, these recordings are now budget-priced.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## handlebar

Just picked up Brian's Violin Concerto and the Mahler 5th with Tilson Thomas.

Jim


----------



## JTech82

Right now:

Brahms - Symphonies - Karajan, BPO [Disc 1]









Later on tonight:










And if I have time:

At least the first disc:


----------



## Lisztfreak

Beethoven's Septet, op.20. 

Something as galant, pleasant and non-pretentious is rarely found! And yet it isn't salon music, that's for sure.


----------



## JTech82

Right now:










Hopefully later:


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Ah, at the moment, I'm watching Stokowski conducting Debussy's L'après-midi d'un faune. SUCH a moving version of the piece.


----------



## Conor71

Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
James Levine, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Under Levine's direction, Sibelius's dark and morose _Fourth Symphony_ begins powerfully and weighty, more akin to Maazel/VPO than Karajan/BPO, the latter whose opening double-basses arise from silence with a more soft-spoken sullenness. Levine traverses the four-movement landscape with a fine feel for where the music needs to go and how to get there; one is hardpressed to notice a musical misstep at any point -- and the orchestra does play splendidly! However, Karajan's _Sibelius Fourth_ (BPO/'78 on EMI) is certainly more characterful and overtly dramatic, putting forth one of the most convincing arguments of this great symphony's gravitas and import. The intensity of Karajan's _Il tempo largo_ is well-nigh unmatched, in my opinion. Still, all told, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest Levine's performance as an introduction to the _Fourth_ for the novice listener. Seasoned listeners, too, should appreciate Levine's sheer grasp of this great and mysterious music, rendered in up-close and incredibly vivid recorded sound.

Levine effects the popular _Symphony No. 5_ in a full-bore forward manner much as he did in his overall ill-measured reading of _No. 2_ with the same forces. However, the first movement here is taken much too fast for effectiveness in the climaxes. The usually deliberately demarcated long crescendo building to the opening movement's powerful conclusion (the highlight of the entire symphony for this listener!) lacks any meaningful contrast with what precedes it; its intrinsic dramatic impact is effectively fleeced. (sigh!) The andante second movement, also taken at an unusually brisk pace, is also devoid of meaningful contrast. The buzzing violins which commence the opening of the third movement sound here as if tiny killer bees are swarming an intruder to the hive -- would it be a redundancy to describe it as hyperactive prestissimo? This leads to the first sounding of the big theme which is too fast by half, as indeed are its succeeding reiterations -- the transcendental sense of nature's power and grandeur is thus lost. Are we noticing a pattern here? While I've always admired and often appreciated Levine's "no fear" headlong approach to conducting many of the thorniest Late Romantic and 20th Century warhorses, what he does here to the _Sibelius Fifth_ is almost unconscionable -- an interpretation seemingly borne of a severe misunderstanding of what makes this a symphony for the ages for all who love it, alas! DG's fantastic digital rendering of a great orchestra is small consolation here.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (2nd Mov)


----------



## Air

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Ah, at the moment, I'm watching Stokowski conducting Debussy's L'après-midi d'un faune. SUCH a moving version of the piece.


I don't care if it's useless. I've gotta learn to speak French. 

Listening to Shostakovich's first symphony. I love the eerieness and sarcasm of the melodies in the first movement. I wish I could do that at 19!


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Slayer - Reign in Blood


----------



## World Violist

Now:










Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Seiji Ozawa/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Tanglewood Festival Chorus

One of my favorite recordings of this symphony ever made; the first part is, I think, virtually unmatched. It takes Solti's intensity and Chailly's poetry and puts them together perfectly.

Later (I think):










Sibelius: The Symphonies
Herbert von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic; Okko Kamu/Helsinki Radio Symphony; Okko Kamu/Berlin Philharmonic

I haven't listened to this one hardly at all since I bought it a couple of months ago. I really should.


----------



## Margaret

The Amazon.com 30 second samples for all of Haydn's 68 string quartets and all of Mozart's string quartets and quintets. I must say the experience has already lost its charm.


----------



## JTech82

Today hopefully:


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 (2nd Mov), Piotr Anderszewski: Sinfonia Varsovia


----------



## Conor71

Going to listen to a few Mahler symphonies today:

Earlier:









Currently:









Later on planning to listen to:









and..


----------



## Lisztfreak




----------



## handlebar

I just secured the complete symphonies of Mahler by Kubelik. I have always loved his M2 and was raised on it as a kid. So this set is a welcome addition. I now own 8 complete sets and over 100 other different recordings. First up is the M3.

Jim


----------



## JTech82

Lisztfreak said:


>


I own that, but I haven't even listened to it yet. Let me know your impressions of it.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Lisztfreak

JTech82 said:


> I own that, but I haven't even listened to it yet. Let me know your impressions of it.


Well, it's the only recording of the work I have, so I can't compare it to other interpretations. All I can say I have nothing to complain about, and the disc was enough for me to make me like the symphony a lot. I'd say the soloists are very good, and the 2nd movement is particularly resounding and full. But, as with all Telarc recordings, there's a strange muffledness (a new word there) in how the orchestra and the choir mix. I guess they weren't using separate microphones or something. It's always so on Telarc, that's why I generally don't buy it any more. I like clarity, even if it is not realistic in fact.


----------



## JTech82

Lisztfreak said:


> Well, it's the only recording of the work I have, so I can't compare it to other interpretations. All I can say I have nothing to complain about, and the disc was enough for me to make me like the symphony a lot. I'd say the soloists are very good, and the 2nd movement is particularly resounding and full. But, as with all Telarc recordings, there's a strange muffledness (a new word there) in how the orchestra and the choir mix. I guess they weren't using separate microphones or something. It's always so on Telarc, that's why I generally don't buy it any more. I like clarity, even if it is not realistic in fact.


Well, the reason I'm asking is because I own 5 other versions of "A Sea Symphony" Boult (EMI), Haitink (EMI), Handley (EMI), Daniel (Naxos), and Previn (RCA).


----------



## EarlyCuyler

JTech82 said:


> Well, the reason I'm asking is because I own 5 other versions of "A Sea Symphony" Boult (EMI), Haitink (EMI), Handley (EMI), Daniel (Naxos), and Previn (RCA).


The Slatkin/Philharmonia recording is spectacular. Perfect piece to listen to in rainy, nasty, and cold Dayton, Ohio today.


----------



## andruini

gotta love that Appalachian Spring..


----------



## Moldyoldie

_I've given a re-listen to the following and felt compelled to amend my earlier critique of it, ameliorating what was perhaps an overly harsh assessment of Levine's Sibelius Fifth. Apparently, this forum doesn't allow for editing of posts after so long, so I'll simply post the amended thoughts here._









*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
James Levine, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Under Levine's direction, Sibelius's dark and morose _Fourth Symphony_ begins powerfully and weighty, more akin to Maazel/VPO than Karajan/BPO, the latter whose opening double-basses arise from silence with a more soft-spoken sullenness. Levine traverses the four-movement landscape with a fine feel for where the music needs to go and how to get there; one is hardpressed to notice a musical misstep at any point -- and the orchestra does play splendidly! However, Karajan's _Sibelius Fourth_ (BPO/'78 on EMI) is certainly more characterful and overtly dramatic, putting forth one of the most convincing arguments of this great symphony's gravitas and import. The intensity of Karajan's _Il tempo largo_ is well-nigh unmatched, in my opinion. Still, all told, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest Levine's performance as an introduction to the _Fourth_ for the novice listener. Seasoned listeners, too, should appreciate Levine's sheer grasp of this great and mysterious music, rendered in up-close and incredibly vivid recorded sound.

Levine effects the popular _Symphony No. 5_ in a full-bore forward manner much as he did in his overall ill-measured reading of _No. 2_ with the same forces. However, the first movement here is taken much too fast for effectiveness in the climaxes. The usually deliberately demarcated long crescendo building to the opening movement's powerful conclusion (the highlight of the entire symphony for this listener!) lacks meaningful contrast with what precedes it; its intrinsic dramatic impact is effectively fleeced. (sigh!) The andante second movement, also taken at a brisk pace, is also devoid of meaningful contrast. The buzzing violins which commence the opening of the third movement sound here as if tiny killer bees are swarming an intruder to the hive -- would it be a redundancy to describe it as hyperactive prestissimo? This leads to the first sounding of the big theme which is seemingly too fast by half, as indeed are its succeeding reiterations -- the transcendental sense of nature's power and grandeur is thus diminished. Are we noticing a pattern here? While I've always admired and often appreciated Levine's "no fear" headlong approach to conducting many of the thorniest Late Romantic and 20th Century warhorses, what he does here to the _Sibelius Fifth_ borders on the unconscionable -- an interpretation seemingly borne of a misunderstanding of what makes this a symphony for the ages for all who love it, alas! All that being said, the performance is coherent, consistent, and mostly enjoyable. DG's fantastic digital rendering of a great orchestra is also a consolation here.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Stockhausen: Stimmung
Collegium Vocale Köln
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (LP)*
First heard by these virgin ears in its entirety on late night public radio sometime in the early '70s, Karlheinz Stockhausen's _a capella_ classic _Stimmung_ still teases the intellect and delights the aural senses. (I hesitate using the term _a capella_ lest I be scolded and reminded that the work is scored for six voices and six microphones!) That there've been at least three succeeding commercial recordings of _Stimmung_ since this original DG release from 1969 (I'm doubting such is the case for any of Stockhausen's myriad other works) certainly attests to the work's continuing fascination among venturesome listeners and performers. Whatever its composer's influences or inspirations, several of which he imparts in the notes, I'm left smiling by its simple and seemingly inevitable conception -- exploring the artistic possibilities inherent in the merest overtones of the human voice -- brilliant! What could possibly be more fundamental, more primal, more natural? (Eh, fellow Sibelians?) I believe even certain Stockhausen naysayers can delight in _Stimmung's_ simple (and often erotic!) vocal ruminations.

The only other recording of _Stimmung_ I've heard is that of Singcircle on the Hyperion label; it's more confident and forthright in its execution; but hardly as intimate, exploratory, and charmingly naive as this original. However, if one's German is as challenged as mine, Hyperion's text translation is appreciated.


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## handlebar

andruini said:


> gotta love that Appalachian Spring..


This is a great recording. I listen to it often. Although I would opt for the Upshaw and Hampson recording for the old American songs.

Jim


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## JTech82

andruini said:


> gotta love that Appalachian Spring..


I love this version of Appalachian Spring. Copland was one of the first classical composers I got into. I heard a jazz adaptation by Bill Frisell of "Billy the Kid" and I've been hooked on his music ever since.


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## handlebar

Copland's "The Red Pony" is such a delight!!! I don't hear it very often but consider this score/soundtrack as one of his all time best.

Jim


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## JTech82

handlebar said:


> Copland's "The Red Pony" is such a delight!!! I don't hear it very often but consider this score/soundtrack as one of his all time best.
> 
> Jim


Jim "The Red Pony" is my favorite Copland piece! I love it! I have many different versions, but my favorite is Copland conducting.


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## handlebar

JTech82 said:


> Jim "The Red Pony" is my favorite Copland piece! I love it! I have many different versions, but my favorite is Copland conducting.


Yes, indeed. I don't think Copland gets enough credit as a conductor. Most composers are not the greatest conductors but Copland was certainly competent enough.

Jim


----------



## andruini

handlebar said:


> This is a great recording. I listen to it often. Although I would opt for the Upshaw and Hampson recording for the old American songs.
> 
> Jim


i'm afraid i haven't heard those recordings, but i'll be looking into them..
i agree that Copland doesn't get enough credit as a conductor.. add to this the fact that usually when faced with buying a recording, if there's one available of the composer conducting his own work, i'll usually go for that.. if i was a composer, i don't think i'd have it any other way.. that's why i also love those Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky records..


----------



## JTech82

handlebar said:


> Yes, indeed. I don't think Copland gets enough credit as a conductor. Most composers are not the greatest conductors but Copland was certainly competent enough.
> 
> Jim


You're right. I don't think he does either, but neither does Stravinsky. Those "Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky" recordings are just fantastic.


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## nickgray

Mahler's second, Kubelik.









thoughts: gotta get more Kubelik, I don't have a lot of his records but so far I really like them.


----------



## andruini

right now: 

- Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin, Two Portraits / Prokofiev: Scythian Suite (LSO/Abbado)

and afterwards this is lined up:

- Orff: De Temporum Fine Comoedia (Kölner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester/Karajan)

just because it really ticks me off when i heard Orff described as a one-hit wonder


----------



## JTech82

nickgray said:


> Mahler's second, Kubelik.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thoughts: gotta get more Kubelik, I don't have a lot of his records but so far I really like them.


Wait until you hear his Smetana. You're in for quite a shock! Kubelik is one of the greats. His Mahler and Dvorak are fantastic too!


----------



## handlebar

JTech82 said:


> Wait until you hear his Smetana. You're in for quite a shock! Kubelik is one of the greats. His Mahler and Dvorak are fantastic too!


Yes!!!!! This performance is splendid!! I grew up on it. I also just acquired the complete Mahler set by Kubelik. What a fabulous set!

Jim


----------



## JTech82

handlebar said:


> Yes!!!!! This performance is splendid!! I grew up on it. I also just acquired the complete Mahler set by Kubelik. What a fabulous set!
> 
> Jim


I own his Mahler set too (that I bought for $30). I still haven't even listened to it yet.


----------



## handlebar

JTech82 said:


> I own his Mahler set too (that I bought for $30). I still haven't even listened to it yet.


You are in for a treat through most of it. There are some sour spots but then again, not one conductor has a "perfect" set.

Jim


----------



## nickgray

Schumann's four. Such a perfect symphony, everything seems to be in a "right place" and just sounds perfect. I think I'll give a listen to his other symphonies, enough of listening only to his fourth



JTech82 said:


> Wait until you hear his Smetana. You're in for quite a shock! Kubelik is one of the greats. His Mahler and Dvorak are fantastic too!


Yeah, I like his Dvorak very much, Smetana I've yet to hear. He also marvelously conducted Wagner's Parsifal, that's where I first uh... found him.


----------



## xJuanx

Getting prepared to see them live next week !!!


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

I'm listening to an mp3 of Yundi Li playing La Campanella. So AWESOME. You know, there are a lot of other pianists that do this piece the correct way, but I just can't help but love Yundi Li's interpretation.


----------



## Lisztfreak

nickgray said:


> Schumann's four. Such a perfect symphony, everything seems to be in a "right place" and just sounds perfect. I think I'll give a listen to his other symphonies, enough of listening only to his fourth


Isn't it just like that, everything in the right place? I love it also. That's my favourite piece for playing loud in the attic on my large speakers, and standing in front with an improvised baton conducting the music like a madman when no one's at home... but I do try to conduct seriously. There's a tremendous classical sweep to that work.

I've read somewhere that there was originally a part for the guitar in the second movement. It's a pity it fell out of the revised version.

Next try the No.1. It's also brilliant. As are the 'cathedral' movement of the Third and the Scherzo and Finale of the Second, too.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## andruini

great!


----------



## JTech82

Such dark Romanticism:


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

JTech82 said:


> Such dark Romanticism:


AH! I have that same cd. I love the intensity of the works on that cd. XD It truly tells a story..


----------



## Conor71




----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> AH! I have that same cd. I love the intensity of the works on that cd. XD It truly tells a story..


Yes, Zemlinsky wrote such beautiful music didn't he? I have only recently become a fan of his works. I'm on the third disc right now and it's just fantastic.

James Conlon did a great job interpreting these works.

I've been getting into the German composers lately like Franz Schmidt. Do you own any Schmidt? If I may recommend Neeme Jarvi's set on Chandos. It's fantastic!

Do you like Hindemith?


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 'Scottish', Osmo Vänskä: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra


----------



## andruini




----------



## Edmond-Dantes

JTech82 said:


> Yes, Zemlinsky wrote such beautiful music didn't he? I have only recently become a fan of his works. I'm on the third disc right now and it's just fantastic.
> 
> James Conlon did a great job interpreting these works.
> 
> I've been getting into the German composers lately like Franz Schmidt. Do you own any Schmidt? If I may recommend Neeme Jarvi's set on Chandos. It's fantastic!
> 
> Do you like Hindemith?


Actually I don't think I have any Franz Schmidt, but I have heard a few pieces I really would love.

You know how it is, you hear a composer on a naxos podcast or you hear a bit on the radio that you want, but only a handful of the music you want actually makes it's way into your collection. 

I DO have a few Hindemith Albums though. XD I have two EMI Classics albums, one with Strauss and Hindemith and the other is "Hindemith conducts Hindemith": a two disc set. (I love the former so much. LOL)

http://www.amazon.com/Hindemith-Con...d_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1239821813&sr=8-6

Ok, now that we've brought up Hindemith, I'm listening to "Concert Music, Op. 50" off of the above album...


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Actually I don't think I have any Franz Schmidt, but I have heard a few pieces I really would love.
> 
> You know how it is, you hear a composer on a naxos podcast or you hear a bit on the radio that you want, but only a handful of the music you want actually makes it's way into your collection.
> 
> I DO have a few Hindemith Albums though. XD I have two EMI Classics albums, one with Strauss and Hindemith and the other is "Hindemith conducts Hindemith": a two disc set. (I love the former so much. LOL)
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Hindemith-Con...d_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1239821813&sr=8-6


I don't listen to radio or podcasts, but I do a lot of research and sound sampling on a particular CD before I commit to buying it.

I'm glad you like Hindemith. He was a great composer, but may I make a few suggestions to you. Have you heard Yan Pascal Tortelier's Hindemith cycle on Chandos? It's really amazing probably some of the best available.

Also, check out Herbert Blomstedt's Hindemith readings on Decca. I couldn't recommend it enough.


----------



## JTech82

Right now:










Later:


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

JTech82 said:


> I don't listen to radio or podcasts, but I do a lot of research and sound sampling on a particular CD before I commit to buying it.
> 
> I'm glad you like Hindemith. He was a great composer, but may I make a few suggestions to you. Have you heard Yan Pascal Tortelier's Hindemith cycle on Chandos? It's really amazing probably some of the best available.
> 
> Also, check out Herbert Blomstedt's Hindemith readings on Decca. I couldn't recommend it enough.


Of course you can make suggestions.  I greatly value your opinion and knowledge of classical music, and would never dismiss a suggestion.

As for the radio thing, I've been listening to it a lot more since the economy died here in America. I don't really have all that much money left over, you know? ;P Not that I get particularly bored with my collection or anything, just like hearing new things, even if it's small excerpts from very grand opera's.... though, it really does aggravate me a lot of the time. (WHY must they cut out in the middle of an opera. LOL)


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Of course you can make suggestions.  I greatly value your opinion and knowledge of classical music, and would never dismiss a suggestion.
> 
> As for the radio thing, I've been listening to it a lot more since the economy died here in America. I don't really have all that much money left over, you know? ;P Not that I get particularly bored with my collection or anything, just like hearing new things, even if it's small excerpts from very grand opera's.... though, it really does aggravate me a lot of the time. (WHY must they cut out in the middle of an opera. LOL)


Well I thank you for valuing my opinion. That means a lot to me. I'm sure you've been listening to classical a lot longer than me. I've only been seriously listening to it since January.

I come from a jazz background, so a lot of this is still really new to me, but I have found the more you research a composer, the better chances you can have an intelligent conversation with someone. I'm always willing to learn new things and listen to what people have to say.

I don't think you'll find a more knowledgeable bunch than the people on this forum. They know their classical, but many of them also express interests in other genres of music as well, which adds to their own knowledge.

I know the economy here in America is just awful, but I think it's bad everywhere right now. Hopefully in time, things will start getting better.


----------



## Elgarian

Edmond-Dantes said:


> I don't really have all that much money left over, you know? ;P Not that I get particularly bored with my collection or anything, just like hearing new things, even if it's small excerpts from very grand opera's....


Forgive me if you know it already, but there's an enormous amount of free material - lots and lots of complete operas (live performances, some very fine) at the Opera Today website here. If you haven't encountered it before - maybe it could be a good source of 'new things', for free?


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## Lisztfreak

Brilliant, but in some respects Michel Dalberto's Fantasie is better IMO. I guess the third movement is not impassioned enough in Pletnev. Not enough_ forte ed espressivo _ before the end, I think.


----------



## JTech82

Took a break for Mahler for a little while and now listening to:

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 3 & 4, Leonard Slatkin, Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Ah, just finished up the second cd of "Hindemith Conducts Hindemith." *Twas epic*

Thanks for bringing him up jtech82. I hadn't listened to that album in quite a while.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Elgarian said:


> Forgive me if you know it already, but there's an enormous amount of free material - lots and lots of complete operas (live performances, some very fine) at the Opera Today website here. If you haven't encountered it before - maybe it could be a good source of 'new things', for free?


Oh my goodness, I hadn't known of the website befor. Thank you very much for recommending it to me.

Honestly, I'm a cd person and new to really listening to things online and on the radio. Feel free to pm or just post up any other good things you feel like mentioning it. (I still haven't looked at the "Free MP3 Downloads" thread.)


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Ah, just finished up the second cd of "Hindemith Conducts Hindemith." *Twas epic*
> 
> Thanks for bringing him up jtech82. I hadn't listened to that album in quite a while.


Yeah I think everybody needs a little "Mathis der Maler" in their life!


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## Edmond-Dantes

Ah, Agreed. I only wish I could actually see the opera, you know? I've never been able to go to an opera before actually.. I'm really the only one around me that has wanted to go. :-/

Oh, hey, you wouldn't happen to have a web link to Yan Pascal Tortelier's Hindemith cycle would you? I couldn't find a cd of it...


----------



## ecg_fa

Today listening (right at the moment )to the new recording of Handel's opera 'Alcina' cond. by Alan Curtis-- with Joyce De Donato/Karen Gauvin and others. I'm very impressed
so far-- the orchestra/chorus is perhaps small, but very fine singing and pacing at 
first impression anyway.

Also earlier was listening to Alexandre Tharaud's 'Avant Dernieres Pensées' of Satie-- many solo piano pieces and also some ensemble works. Very impressive I think: I like this more
than his also nice Ravel album. Very interesting 'flow' of material to create a whole picture.

Also maybe of interest to classical fans-- the recently rereleased '65 cast album of 'Anya,' a musical version of 'Anastasia' story-- with very effective adaptations (fun anyway) of Rachmaninoff themes into songs by stalwarts at such adaptations Robert Wright/George Forrest & very nice singing by (esp.) Constance Towers (she was in 'the King and I' & other stuff), Michael Kermoyan and others-- a bit like Sondheim's 'Little Night Music' too.

Ed


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Ah, Agreed. I only wish I could actually see the opera, you know? I've never been able to go to an opera before actually.. I'm really the only one around me that has wanted to go. :-/
> 
> Oh, hey, you wouldn't happen to have a web link to Yan Pascal Tortelier's Hindemith cycle would you? I couldn't find a cd of it...


Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Tickets are so expensive that I just would rather buy a bunch of CDs for the price it costs to go to a concert.

A link to Yan Pascal Tortelier's Hindemith cycle?

http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 9060

http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 9124

http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 9217

http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 9530

http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 9903


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Again I thank you. =D

I'll be honest, I've never heard of Chandos.com before.  I normally buy from amazon.com or this local CD shop. (Surprisingly, has a great classical section...)


----------



## JTech82

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Again I thank you. =D
> 
> I'll be honest, I've never heard of Chandos.com before.  I normally buy from amazon.com or this local CD shop. (Surprisingly, has a great classical section...)


Actually, Chandos is just the name of a record company as you may or may not know. Their main site is http://www.chandos.net.

I only buy from Amazon.com and almost always buy from a seller on there.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Oh, that's right. I forgot about them... ^^;;;

Sorry, I've been a bit stressed lately and it makes it harder to remember names. (In a couple of other threads I've mentioned my memory problem..) If it wasn't for my big CD books being so well organized I doubt I'd be able to even look up the names of the composers I want, let alone the names of the companies.. :-/ (It's a... complicated issue of mine...)

I have my CD's organized by era and in five levels. I rate the cd's from one to five from best to worst. In each level, the cd's are alphabetically organized. Since I really don't buy many albums anymore, this method works well for me. It's a little more time consuming if I don't recognize the name because I have to look in several "N's/A's/etc.." before I can figure out if I really don't have a persons cd. (As was the case with "Franz Schmidt".) The good thing about is that, 95% of the time I remember a composers name, I remember they're music, so I get to say, "He's about a four.." Also, I get to look around the high ranked cd's and always find a good cd. 

One of these days I'm going to make a "Table of contents" so I can just flip to whatever I want quickly, but I haven't gotten to it yet. :-/


----------



## Elgarian

JTech82 said:


> Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Tickets are so expensive that I just would rather buy a bunch of CDs for the price it costs to go to a concert.


Well ... just looking at my bunch of tickets for operas lined up ahead this year (and cheaper tickets were available than mine in every case), not one of them costs more than I'd expect to pay for a complete opera on CD. (I'm not sure the comparison means anything of course, but there it is.)


----------



## handlebar

Right now I'm enjoying the Mozart Piano concerto #23 with Barenboim and the ECO. Delightful for a very early morning.

Jim


----------



## Air

Enjoying some Bachianas Brasileiras (on youtube). No. 1 is a fantastic piece for 8 cellos. It's funny because I kept on having to count the number of cellos because the sound was just so immense! I love all his works, am considering getting this set










It is a classic conducted by Villa-Lobos itself, only 12.99 on Amazon!!! Not to mention I love Victoria de Los Angeles in the Aria from No. 5.


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Saint - Seans -- Symphony No. 3(Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)


----------



## nickgray

Currently on the Ninth quartet.


----------



## Conor71

Arnold Bax - Orchestral Works


----------



## bassClef




----------



## Moldyoldie

Lost in America...























*Chadwick: Symphony No. 3
Barber: Excerpts from "Vanessa" - Intermezzo; Under the Willow Tree; Music for a Scene from Shelley; Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
According to the notes, American composer George Whitefield Chadwick (d. 1931) evidently garnered a certain degree of renown and popularity on this side of the pond in the late 19th century. His _Symphony No. 3_ of 1894 took first prize in the second annual composition competition of the National Conservatory of Music, chaired by none other than that most famous of musical expatriates Antonin Dvořák. While Chadwick didn't necessarily assume the great master's views on the use of Native and African-American music in forging an authentically American style of composition, he certainly mastered those of the great Middle European masters such as Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Schumann. In this regard of influence and ostensible derivation, he reminds me of a bit of one of my personal favorites, Camille Saint-Saëns. In any case, Chadwick's symphony is a thorough delight full of colorful orchestration and varied expression -- and as one reviewer of this fine recording wrote, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra play the pants off it!

The same can be said of the appended Barber pieces, the most familiar probably being the emotive _Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance_, but the most welcome being the less familiar excerpts from his opera Vanessa and the _Music for a Scene from Shelley_, by turns delicate and explosive with its nods toward Bartókian modernism. Great stuff all around and a very fine recording in the vividly spacious Chandos manner.

*Copland: Music for Films
-The Red Pony; Our Town; The Heiress Suite; Music for Movies Suite: New England Countryside, Barley Wagons, Sunday Traffic, Grovers Corners, Threshing Machines; Prairie Journal (Music for Radio)
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, cond.
RCA*
No one can elicit an unmistakably American nostalgia quite like Aaron Copland. In fact, I've often thought of much of Copland's music as I think that of Vaughan Williams to Britain. Many music lovers may take exception, but there it is. All the music here rings familiar, at least to those who've been the least bit exposed to American public radio and the Turner Classic Movies cable channel. The meltingly nostalgic themes are often stark and cushy, but always memorable -- sigh-inducing in their simplicity and consummate in their expression of a yearning for a bygone era. In my opinion, this is some of the most wonderful, if persistently and artfully manipulative music ever made for Hollywood. Despite Copland's inimitable way with developing and hammering home his marvelous themes, one still feels that in the wrong hands this can easily turn gooey and irrepressibly maudlin. Not so here, however, as Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony prove to be every bit inside the idiom as Bernstein ever was, displaying an honest kinship with Copland's equally genuine American ethos and free of any overt Hollywood vulgarity. I do love and enjoy this, and the recording is just as fabulous.

*Copland: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra; Dance Symphony; Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2); Orchestral Variations
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, cond.
RCA*
Perhaps surprisingly, this is my introduction to Aaron Copland's _Symphony for Organ and Orchestra_ of 1924, a youthful work composed for his teacher Nadia Boulanger in early 20th century Paris, incorporating many of his now familiar stylistic cross-rhythms and undercurrents of American urban folk music. Beginning pensively mysterious in the opening movement, becoming redolent of neoclassical Stravinsky in the delightful and often blathering scherzo movement, and finally winding down and driving home in a raucousness seemingly steeped in a distinctly French/Russian modernist vein; it actually presents a starkly moving and full-bodied expression which is ear-catching and original.

If one is sympathetic with Copland's developing idiom, the _Dance Symphony_ of 1929 and _Short Symphony_ of 1933 are equally delightful and musically pithy. In the latter work especially, one can hear the marvelous colorations and rhythms that will eventually come to full fruition in his mature ballet and symphonic scores. Though the _Orchestral Variations_ dates from 1957, it's actually an orchestration of his _Piano Variations_ of three decades earlier. While Copland may have felt it to be one of the first works where he garnered his own musical voice, this listener was not so easily enamored. Also, unlike the earlier works on the disc, Slatkin here doesn't seem all that comfortable and confident in his direction, though the playing is committed and intense -- for fans only.


----------



## Conor71

Earlier: Maler - Symphony No. 8









Now: Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade









Later on: Mahler Symphony No. 9


----------



## Marco01

Bartok's Piano Concertos 1-3

Ives' Symphony No.4

Elgar's Enigma Variations


----------



## nickgray

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.4, Svetlanov.


----------



## World Violist

Second act of Wagner's Siegfried (MET broadcast, James Levine conducting)... this dragon scene is quite intense.


----------



## World Violist

Schubert: Masses Nos. 2 & 6
Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses

This is really sublime music, sung by possibly the most sublime choir of the day. Diction is perfect, and the quality of the choirs one could swear came straight from heaven itself.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Ah, I have that one as well!  You are completely accurate on the description by the way, truly a heavenly performance.

*Is listening to it now..*


----------



## JTech82

Disc 1 of Wand Bruckner set:


----------



## World Violist

Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Rostropovich/Karajan/BPO
(LP Record)


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Orff: Carmina Burana
Christiane Oelze, soprano; David Kuebler, tenor; Simon Keenlyside, baritone
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Knabenchor Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Christian Thielemann, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
A controlled, soft-edged performance with many affecting slow sections and some meltingly beautiful solos, especially from soprano Oelze and tenor Kuebler. Very large in scale and overall low-to-medium on the voltage and prurience meters. Outstanding recording with great depth, breadth, and vividness. Thumbs up!


----------



## World Violist

Enescu: Concertpiece for viola and piano
Maxim Rysanov, viola; Evelyn Chang, piano

I love this piece, and now that I'm trying to learn it it's very useful to have this recording. It's really quite a good performance, too, which always helps.


----------



## Conor71

Listening to Mahler (again!):


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Moldyoldie said:


> *Orff: Carmina Burana
> Christiane Oelze, soprano; David Kuebler, tenor; Simon Keenlyside, baritone
> Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Knabenchor Berlin
> Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
> Christian Thielemann, cond.
> DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
> A controlled, soft-edged performance with many affecting slow sections and some meltingly beautiful solos, especially from soprano Oelze and tenor Kuebler. Very large in scale and overall low-to-medium on the voltage and prurience meters. Outstanding recording with great depth, breadth, and vividness. Thumbs up!


AH! It's another cd I own. =D

I LOVE Carmina Burana. A lot of people just associate it with the 'Lord of the Rings,' but it's truly an amazing piece with an amazing range of emotion..


----------



## Moldyoldie

Edmond-Dantes said:


> AH! It's another cd I own. =D
> 
> I LOVE Carmina Burana. A lot of people just associate it with the 'Lord of the Rings,' but it's truly an amazing piece with an amazing range of emotion..


My very first exposure to the work was the popular Ozawa/BSO LP on RCA. It, too, transformed Orff's paean to medieval carnality from the soundtrack of a traveling frat party to that of _Romeo and Juliet_ -- removed from what the likes of Jochum and Sawallisch made of it in previous decades.

Ironically, Thielemann in '99 leads the same forces as Jochum had over thirty years earlier...at least in name. Jochum's famous '60s stereo recording is still available, also on DG; it's seemingly been dubbed by many critics with that appellation I loathe - "definitive". I can certainly enjoy and recommend either approach, though one must assume Jochum's is far more in tune with Orff's theatrical pre-war Berlin "cabaret" idiom -- snarly, lewd, and often comical.


----------



## handlebar

This morning (after a long and gloriously sunny weekend) I'm listening to Bach's Partitas transcribed for guitar.

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to Gunter Wand's early Bruckner cycle with the Cologne Radio Symphony on RCA. I'm on disc 6 (Symphony No. 6 "Philosophic") right now.


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Das Lied Von Der Erde


----------



## Rachovsky

Mixing my music for today up with some contemporary soul/pop.


----------



## Rachovsky

C71 said:


> Earlier: Maler - Symphony No. 8


And I must say, I love this recording of the 8th -- probably my favorite after Solti.


----------



## handlebar

Weber's Piano sonatas played by Garrick Ohlssohn.

Jim


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

I am breaking my usual cd listing and am listening to an mp3 cd I burned that contains seven of the 50 cd's mentioned on the "Free 50 Cds of classical composers download" thread. Currently, I'm listening to Vivaldi.


----------



## handlebar

I have been on a classic jazz and big band swing (pardon the pun) today. It is Benny Goodman right now which follows Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald. After Benny it is on to one of the Dorsey brothers.

Jim


----------



## bassClef

Edmond-Dantes said:


> AH! It's another cd I own. =D
> 
> I LOVE Carmina Burana. A lot of people just associate it with the 'Lord of the Rings,' but it's truly an amazing piece with an amazing range of emotion..


I have it too - but I didn't actually like this interpretation - it's good quality and I can't fault it on anything specific but I think with Carmina Burana you get used to a specific performance and then others sound just a bit off.

What music was used on Lord of the Rings?


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Ah! I love jazz, though I'm more a 'modern jazz' fan. (Miles Davis,Benny Golson, Coltrane...) Though, I must say that I love Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman. (Many more, just can't remember all there names, as my jazz obsession almost completely vanished a few years ago once I truly became completely absorbed in classical. ^^;;;; )


----------



## bassClef

Listening to Stravinsky/Boulez interpretation of Petrouchka, on the CD I got for Le Sacre - that's another damn fine performance!


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

.... oh my goodness. It's NOT in lord of the Rings. O_O;; Sorry, I was very mistaken. You see, the movie isn't one that I particularly enjoyed and I haven't seen it in years. I could have sworn it was in there though.....


----------



## bassClef

Edmond-Dantes said:


> .... oh my goodness. It's NOT in lord of the Rings. O_O;; Sorry, I was very mistaken. You see, the movie isn't one that I particularly enjoyed and I haven't seen it in years. I could have sworn it was in there though.....


Yeah I was gonna say - I'm sure I would have noticed !


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

LOL. Well, I guess that it isn't hard to imagion the piece in there, even if it wasn't... Can't you picture it? The Orks marching towards the castle, the music pounding out 'O Fortuna, Velut luna, Sta-tu var-i-a-bi-lis!!!"


----------



## bassClef

Yep - would have improved it for sure!

Wasn't it used on Excalibur? I remember Wagner's Siegfried Funeral March was but may be wrong about O Fortuna.


----------



## Mirror Image

Not that bad at all! I'm very surprised. I've read many negative reviews about this particular performance and I'm quite impressed with what I'm hearing so far. I've heard many M3s and while I agree this isn't the best one I've ever heard. It's still great nonetheless.


----------



## Air

Mirror Image said:


> Not that bad at all! I'm very surprised. I've read many negative reviews about this particular performance and I'm quite impressed with what I'm hearing so far. I've heard many M3s and while I agree this isn't the best one I've ever heard. It's still great nonetheless.


Have you heard his M2? The first movement is WAY TOO SLOW but very dramatic, and the second is slightly sped-up (but quite a nice tempo, i like it). The Totenfeier reminds me of Bernstein's 1988 version.


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> Have you heard his M2? The first movement is WAY TOO SLOW but very dramatic, and the second is slightly sped-up (but quite a nice tempo, i like it). The Totenfeier reminds me of Bernstein's 1988 version.


Oh yes I own all the Rattle Mahler recordings that are available. His M2 is fantastic. I've come to the point where I don't pay much attention to what the critics say. Some people love Rattle, some people hate him and feel he's overrated. It doesn't really matter to me in the end because all conductors catch fire from time to time about something.

Music, in the end, comes down to your own views. Do you know how many people can't stand Karajan, Bernstein, Solti, etc.? I mean every conductor has their detractors and their fans.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mozart - Le Nozze Di Figaro, Claudio Abbado: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## handlebar

Malcom Arnold's Symphony #5

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1, St. Louis Symphony Orch., Leonard Slatkin


----------



## sam richards

J S Bach: Sonata No.2 in A minor, BWV 1003 from Sonatas and Paritas for solo violin; performed by Henryk Szeryng.


----------



## Marco01

The last piece of music I heard was *Holiday Overture *by Elliott Carter ... that was this morning before work


----------



## bassClef

Marco01 said:


> The last piece of music I heard was *Holiday Overture *by Elliott Carter ... that was this morning before work


Heard his Concerto for Orchestra in the radi oa while back and that was great - want to find more of his.


----------



## handlebar

Hamilton Harty's Piano concerto on the Chandos label.

Jim


----------



## Aramis

Brahms piano concerto no. 2 by Nelson Freire. He's damn good, although I was quite sceptic before I listened to his performanes.


----------



## bassClef

_*Trionfo di Afrodite*_


----------



## PartisanRanger

Howard Shore - Fellowship Of The Ring soundtrack


----------



## Mirror Image

Mahler, Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection," Royal Concertgebouw Orch., Bernard Haitink


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphonies, Tone Poems
Paavo Berglund/Helsinki Philharmonic; Bournemouth Symphony


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Sibelius: Symphonies, Tone Poems
> Paavo Berglund/Helsinki Philharmonic; Bournemouth Symphony


I take it you own the whole box set of Berglund's Sibelius?

I own the whole set, but I haven't even listened to it yet! I'm so far behind, but that's okay. I'm in my Mahler/Bruckner phase right now. 

Right now I'm still listening to Haitink's Mahler cycle. I'm going to try and finish the whole box set, then I'm going to move on to some Beethoven and Hindemith.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> I take it you own the whole box set of Berglund's Sibelius?
> 
> I own the whole set, but I haven't even listened to it yet! I'm so far behind, but that's okay. I'm in my Mahler/Bruckner phase right now.


Yes I do have that box. You should get around to it someday. It's quite something. It's got the only recordings of the 2nd and 5th that have really made sense to me. And one heck of a Kullervo; the premiere recording, which some say has never yet been surpassed.

I'm trying to branch out some as well as get into the "classics" some more... I dunno how it'll work out. I'm on a very limited budget. The Langgaard symphonies are somewhere near the top of my list. I'm going to investigate Aho first, I think. It'll be interesting. It may yet be awhile before I have my first Rite of Spring...ugh.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Yes I do have that box. You should get around to it someday. It's quite something. It's got the only recordings of the 2nd and 5th that have really made sense to me. And one heck of a Kullervo; the premiere recording, which some say has never yet been surpassed.
> 
> I'm trying to branch out some as well as get into the "classics" some more... I dunno how it'll work out. I'm on a very limited budget. The Langgaard symphonies are somewhere near the top of my list. I'm going to investigate Aho first, I think. It'll be interesting. It may yet be awhile before I have my first Rite of Spring...ugh.


Yes, I've heard nothing but good things about Berglund's recordings, but like I said I haven't got around to actually listening to that set yet.

Have you ever heard the "The Rite of Spring"? I think I recall you saying that haven't heard it yet. Man, you should really hear this piece. This is recommended listening for all classical fans in my opinion.

I would think about getting the Ozawa reading of "Rite of Spring," but if I'm not mistaken it's still available at a very low budget price on RCA Silver Seal for around $3. This is the Ozawa version I own and I"m very happy with it plus you didn't break the bank buying it:










Of the 7 versions I have of "Rite of Spring" I return to this one the most. Very aggressive, very primal, very barbaric, it's great.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Yes, I've heard nothing but good things about Berglund's recordings, but like I said I haven't got around to actually listening to that set yet.
> 
> Have you ever heard the "The Rite of Spring"? I think I recall you saying that haven't heard it yet. Man, you should really hear this piece. This is recommended listening for all classical fans in my opinion.
> 
> I would think about getting the Ozawa reading of "Rite of Spring," but if I'm not mistaken it's still available at a very low budget price on RCA Silver Seal for around $3. This is the Ozawa version I own and I"m very happy with it plus you didn't break the bank buying it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of the 7 versions I have of "Rite of Spring" I return to this one the most. Very aggressive, very primal, very barbaric, it's great.


I have indeed heard the Rite; I have never owned a recording before. The only one I've heard is my dad's CD of Zubin Mehta with the New Yorkers. It's very good, though I never quite felt the savagery I felt I ought to be.

I have seen that Ozawa disc before, and I am determined that it be my first Rite. Sounds like quite the fiasco!


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> I have indeed heard the Rite; I have never owned a recording before. The only one I've heard is my dad's CD of Zubin Mehta with the New Yorkers. It's very good, though I never quite felt the savagery I felt I ought to be.
> 
> I have seen that Ozawa disc before, and I am determined that it be my first Rite. Sounds like quite the fiasco!


I'm glad you have at least heard the piece before. Mehta is a great conductor, but I'm not sure if he's a good Stravinsky conductor.

This Ozawa recording will blow your mind I think. It's quite savage, vile, and downright disgusting! 

But I think you will enjoy it.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Some Mahler. Looks like Mirror Image is rubbing off on me. =D


----------



## Mirror Image

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Some Mahler. Looks like Mirror Image is rubbing off on me. =D


Hmmm...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. 

I enjoy Mahler tremendously, but I enjoy so many other composers. Which Mahler are you listening to Edmond?


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

LOL.

I'm listening to Das Lied von der Erde, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Bernstein.


----------



## Mirror Image

Edmond-Dantes said:


> LOL.
> 
> I'm listening to Das Lied von der Erde, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Bernstein.


I do not own this particular recording, but I've heard it is very good. It's kind of rare for Bernstein to conduct the VPO. Sounds interesting.

Do you own a good bit of Mahler, Edmond? What are some of your favorite recordings?


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Actually, I JUST bought, for 34 dollars used I might add, this complete symphony set at a cd shop that normally doesn't have any good classical.  Because of that, it was so cheap. =D

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Complete-Symphonies-Orchestral-Bernstein/dp/B00000DI2T

The idiot's didn't know what they had. 8D It's amazing.

I would have to say that my favorites would be in this order.

1. Symphony 2
2. Symphony 8
3. Symphony 5
4. Symphony 6
5. Hmm.. it's a toss-up between Das Lied von der Erde and the his 1st...


----------



## Mirror Image

Edmond-Dantes said:


> Actually, I JUST bought, for 34 dollars used I might add, this complete symphony set at a cd shop that normally doesn't have any good classical.  Because of that, it was so cheap. =D
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Complete-Symphonies-Orchestral-Bernstein/dp/B00000DI2T
> 
> The idiot's didn't know what they had. 8D It's amazing.
> 
> I would have to say that my favorites would be in this order.
> 
> 1. Symphony 2
> 2. Symphony 8
> 3. Symphony 5
> 4. Symphony 6
> 5. Hmm.. it's a toss-up between Das Lied von der Erde and the his 1st...


Man, that set has 16 discs. What was the condition of the set when you bought it?

I do not own that box set myself, but do own a ton of Mahler. You can go to "The I'm Addicted To Mahler Thread" I started and see my collection.

I can't find that set for a good deal right now. It's just too expensive, but it's okay I own the first Bernstein set and I don't even hardly listen to it that much.

I would be interested in knowing how this set that you own measures against his Sony set.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

They were in OK condition. They did have some somewhat worrisome scratches on over the 5th symphony, but most of the cd's were like new.  *I used a disc doctor on the scratched discs and they are fine now..*

I'm not sure. Other than a the 8'th and 1'st symphonies from mahler, I didn't have anything of his. After you started to talk about him, I decided to look at the box sets. After seeing how much they were, I couldn't have passes up the set.


----------



## Mirror Image

Edmond-Dantes said:


> They were in OK condition. They did have some somewhat worrisome scratches on over the 5th symphony, but most of the cd's were like new.  *I used a disc doctor on the scratched discs and they are fine now..*
> 
> I'm not sure. Other than a the 8'th and 1'st symphonies from mahler, I didn't have anything of his. After you started to talk about him, I decided to look at the box sets. After seeing how much they were, I couldn't have passes up the set.


When I'm shopping, I either only buy brand new items or in "like new" condition. In most cases, I buy from honest sellers on Amazon who have good feedback. I'm very big on customer service and I know what to look for when I purchase something that's stated to be in "like new" condition. I also have built up business relationships with Amazon sellers, so I'm sure when a seller I buy from a lot sees my name pop up after I've bought something they start taking their jobs a little more seriously.  They know I don't tolerate or put up with their excuses, because in most cases these sellers have a million of them.

It's very hard for me to walk to down to a CD store now given that the prices they charge for CDs are just ridiculous. I haven't bought a CD in a store in I couldn't tell you when. I do all of my music shopping online and I've been doing this for the past 11 years or so.

I'm glad my discussion of Mahler has sent you in that direction. Mahler rewards listeners no question about it. He was such an emotional composer. Everything he composed really seemed like it was the end or his end shall I say. By the time you get to the Symphony No. 6, you're really emotionally drained, but then he gives you so much more to chew on from No. 6 and on.

My favorite Mahler symphony is No. 9. This is a beautifully dynamic piece. It's the symphony of his I return to the most.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

I normally buy stuff online as well, though I do go to the store I mentioned, due to the fact that they are completely ignorant of what is good classical and isn't and I can find some really good deals.  Like the set I just mentioned. The scratches on the cd's I mentioned were really the only thing that was concerning, and I knew I could fix them. I COULD have spend 120$ on a new set on amazon, but I couldn't even believe what they were charging for the used one. =D

It's a shame that this is a forum and not a local gathering, then we could REALLY discuss classical. How nice would it be to actually be able to compare and maybe even trade our collections..


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Right now, it's the Keilberth 1955 _Götterdämmerung_. I'm revisiting that work in advance of the METropolitan Opera broadcast of the same piece tomorrow. As an added benefit, I'm also getting an Astrid Varnay fix.

This isn't my top-choice _Götterdämmerung_ (which is still Solti/Vienna) but this one is excellent as well.


----------



## bassClef

Left the world of classical today and been listening to this - wonderful stuff.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

(bear with it)


----------



## handlebar

Villa-Lobos complete works for solo guitar.

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:

Disc 1: Symphony No. 1









Later on tonight:

I will continue on with disc 5:


----------



## handlebar

Ella Fitzgerald's Greatest Hits.

Jim


----------



## Margaret

I'm going to hear Elgar's Cello Concerto tomorrow at the symphony, so I just finished listening to Jacqueline du Pre's version.

The refrain from the first movement is so haunting I could die to it. And by the time the fourth movement is complete I feel utterly spent.

I also got the Yo-Yo Ma version of Elgar's Cello Concerto from the library today. I've never heard it before. I will listen to it tomorrow.

That cellist tomorrow night will have a lot to live up to.


----------



## andruini

quite great!


----------



## Conor71

Listening to Mahler - Kindertotenlieder:










Going to try listening to some Bruckner again later beginning with Symphony No. 1 :


----------



## PartisanRanger

Ravel - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In G Major, Cécile Ousset, Rattle/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Going to try listening to some Bruckner again later beginning with Symphony No. 1 :


Now when you say "try" do you mean you've had difficulty listening in the past?

If that's the case, I can surely share my experience with Bruckner with you. Let me just sum my little story up by saying that patience, re-listening, and frequent breaks are what gave me the full appreciation of his works. I found that his work is merely about tackling it a little at a time, so you're not so overwhelmed. The more you read about his life and research why his music is the way it is you start understanding him much more.

Everybody has their own spin of him, of course, but I wager that he will become one of your favorites if you're patient. Soon his melodies will start to appear more clear to you and the overall structure and harmonies he uses will too. He's a powerful composer and his music is some of the most rewarding music I've ever heard. When you "get" him, it's all over my friend. You're hooked for life.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> Now when you say "try" do you mean you've had difficulty listening in the past?
> 
> If that's the case, I can surely share my experience with Bruckner with you. Let me just sum my little story up by saying that patience, re-listening, and frequent breaks are what gave me the full appreciation of his works. I found that his work is merely about tackling it a little at a time, so you're not so overwhelmed. The more you read about his life and research why his music is the way it is you start understanding him much more.
> 
> Everybody has their own spin of him, of course, but I wager that he will become one of your favorites if you're patient. Soon his melodies will start to appear more clear to you and the overall structure and harmonies he uses will too. He's a powerful composer and his music is some of the most rewarding music I've ever heard. When you "get" him, it's all over my friend. You're hooked for life.


Cheers for the listening tips, Its true I have been finding it difficult to get into Bruckner and after having listened to the cycle 3 or 4 times already I was wondering if I was going to have the patience to give him another shot.
I have decided to keep trying however as opinions such as yours lead me to believe that its worth the effort to get to know this composer.
I have listened to Bruckner 1 & 2 this afternoon and quite enjoyed both of them (and now listening to Bruckner 3) so perhaps this may be a turning point .


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Cheers for the listening tips, Its true I have been finding it difficult to get into Bruckner and after having listened to the cycle 3 or 4 times already I was wondering if I was going to have the patience to give him another shot.
> I have decided to keep trying however as opinions such as yours lead me to believe that its worth the effort to get to know this composer.
> I have listened to Bruckner 1 & 2 this afternoon and quite enjoyed both of them (and now listening to Bruckner 3) so perhaps this may be a turning point .


The funny thing with me about Bruckner is I actually connected with him the first time I heard on this set right here:

Eugen Jochum, Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, recorded in the 60s










This was actually my first Bruckner symphony set that I heard, so it brings up some fond memories as does the other set by Jochum on EMI.

But it hasn't been until recently that I acquired this set by Gunter Wand that I realized how important Bruckner's music is to me:










I think that the best music first hits us hard and then kind of disappoints us somehow, then when we go back we then become blown away by it. It's like we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. As I said, Bruckner rewards listeners just like all the best composers do: Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, etc. We just have to make the time to understand them.

Sometimes it takes a completely different set of recordings to fully appreciate what you already own.


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Bruckner's 8th symphony(Herbert Von Karajan and BPO)(just finished)


----------



## andruini

just finished:









and now:


----------



## YsayeOp.27#6

Legendary violist Lillian Fuchs plays the Cello suites by Bach


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

"Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde" from "Das Lied von der Erde" by Gustav Mahler.


----------



## World Violist

Shostakovich 10th symphony, first movement; Paavo Jarvi/Cincinnati SO.

It's AMAZING.


----------



## Conor71

Bruckner again - listened to Symphony No. 4 & now listening to Symphony No. 5 (on the Adagio atm which is quite beautiful )

Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies - Eugen Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Bruckner really kicks ***.

np: Morbid Angel - Brainstorm


----------



## Conor71

Now listening to Sibelius - Lemminkainen Suite


----------



## andruini

just finished:








(Catulli Carmina)

now:


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Bernstein/NYPO


----------



## JoeGreen

*Symphony No. 1 by Carl Nielsen*

San Francisco Symphony
Herbert Blomstedt

First work I hear by this composer and I must say I'm impressed will definitely look forward to listening to his other symphonies and works.


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> *Symphony No. 1 by Carl Nielsen*
> 
> San Francisco Symphony
> Herbert Blomstedt
> 
> First work I hear by this composer and I must say I'm impressed will definitely look forward to listening to his other symphonies and works.


Yes! That's a great set JoeGreen!

Herbert Blomstedt is a great Nielsen conductor. I own both sets on Decca and they are some of my favorites. Enjoy the music!


----------



## handlebar

The Chopin Preludes played by Martha Argerich Perfect for a Monday morning

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


>


Ooooooooo VERY nice recording!

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> Ooooooooo VERY nice recording!
> 
> Jim


Yeah Jim, it's very, very good. Of all the Bruckner Symphony No. 9s I have heard, this is by far the superior recording in my honest opinion.

What more could you ask for? Gunter Wand, a internationally recognized Bruckner expert, conducting the Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## handlebar

Tintner was also a wonderful Bruckner scholar. 

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> Tintner was also a wonderful Bruckner scholar.
> 
> Jim


Tinter was a decent Brucknerian. He really doesn't do much for me. While I'm sure his merits and passion are genuine, I think he fails to really capture the essence of Brucikner's music quite the same way Wand has done.


----------



## JoeGreen

Mirror Image said:


> Yes! That's a great set JoeGreen!
> 
> Herbert Blomstedt is a great Nielsen conductor. I own both sets on Decca and they are some of my favorites. Enjoy the music!


well good to know I've been introduced to Nielsen with some great recordings then.


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> well good to know I've been introduced to Nielsen with some great recordings then.


I don't own too much Nielsen, but I think those are probably the best available recordings of his symphonies available. Do you own both sets?


----------



## JoeGreen

No I've only acquired the Herbert Blomstedt one.


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> No I've only acquired the Herbert Blomstedt one.


They're both Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony Orch.

Well there's this one:










Then there's this one:


----------



## JoeGreen

Oh I see what you mean, yes I have both sets.


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> Oh I see what you mean, yes I have both sets.


That's good. As Tony the Tiger would say "They're GRRRRRREAT!!!!"


----------



## Margaret

The library had the CD. Mozart's 6 Violin Concertos -- still trying to identify those pieces.


----------



## Elgarian

Well I never expected this. I started listening to this CD earlier today; I knew there was some great singing on it, but also some that I was less enamoured with; listened to it maybe 3 times. But then, today, WHAM.

I keep playing one track on repeat: 'With darkness deep', from _Theodora_. There are certain lines in this - really only a few notes - which not only send shivers up my spine, and trigger those 'this is the most beautiful music I've ever heard' feelings; but also make me feel as if some great secret mystery is just eluding my grasp.

Her voice seems to be hovering on the boundary between two kinds of reality, as if she's tuning into something infinite; something utterly unknown. OK I know this is being too fanciful, but I'm struggling to find words to express the feeling of listening to this. But my goodness, what things there are in the world, waiting to descend upon us and shake our misconceived certainties.


----------



## Mirror Image

Elgarian said:


>


You know she is married to Simon Rattle right? That's something isn't it? That lucky (insert derogatory word here)!


----------



## Lisztfreak

Here it's Alkan's Piano Trio, op.21. Awesome!


----------



## World Violist

York Bowen: The Complete Works for Viola and Piano

Lionel Tertis was really quite the persuasive man when it came to writing for viola, eh?


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> York Bowen: The Complete Works for Viola and Piano
> 
> Lionel Tertis was really quite the persuasive man when it came to writing for viola, eh?


Tertis! I love that game!


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Ah, Listening to the second act of Mahler's 6th Symphony. ^_^ Such a very powerful piece.


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Tertis! I love that game!


Actually, Tertis is a division of bluebird, if I'm not mistaken.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Actually, Tertis is a division of bluebird, if I'm not mistaken.


A division of bluebird...hmmm...I don't follow...


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> A division of bluebird...hmmm...I don't follow...


Ach... I mangled the phrase that time... haha.

I meant like a scientific name for a particular kind of bluebird. A genus or something, I can't remember.


----------



## Conor71

Stuck on Bruckner at the moment!. Been through the cycle once already and now re-listening (currently on Symphony No. 6). Overall I have been enjoying the Bruckner -have really liked symphonies 2, 3 & 5-8


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Stuck on Bruckner at the moment!. Been through the cycle once already and now re-listening (currently on Symphony No. 6). Overall I have been enjoying the Bruckner -have really liked symphonies 2, 3 & 5-8


What are you're impressions of his Symphony No. 9?


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde" from "Das Lied von der Erde." I'm completely obsessed with this work of Mahlers. I can't stop listening to the whole thing over and over again. ^^;; Amazing how depressing the pieces are too..


----------



## Elgarian

Mirror Image said:


> You know she is married to Simon Rattle right?


I didn't know that! I don't know anything about her at all, actually, except that as well as the Handel she's done a collection of French arias that I admire a good deal.


----------



## handlebar

Bach's Six Cello Suites by YoYo Ma. These are the most sublime cello pieces in the repertoire in my opinion and transport me to other worlds and past lives. If there were works I wish I could master in performance, these would be the ones.

Jim


----------



## PostMinimalist

I too am listening to YoYo Ma right now. He's playing the John Williams piece 'Heartwood' right now on my stereo. It on a CD along with the Williams cello concert whic is also shmashin'!
FC


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> What are you're impressions of his Symphony No. 9?


I enjoyed listening to all the Symphonies and it would be fair to say I liked them all - for some reason the No. 9 didnt stand out as much as some of the others?.
I will listen to it more closely this time around as I remember the No. 9 being my favourite when I listened to the Bruckner Symphonies a couple of weeks back .


----------



## Lisztfreak

And then hopefully:


----------



## Margaret

handlebar said:


> Bach's Six Cello Suites by YoYo Ma. These are the most sublime cello pieces in the repertoire in my opinion and transport me to other worlds and past lives. If there were works I wish I could master in performance, these would be the ones.
> 
> Jim


Agreed!!!!!!!!!!! Though I listen to the Casals version most often.



post-minimalist said:


> I too am listening to YoYo Ma right now. He's playing the John Williams piece 'Heartwood' right now on my stereo. It on a CD along with the Williams cello concert whic is also shmashin'!
> FC


Coincidentally enough I too will be listening to Yo-Yo Ma. I got his recording "Great Cello Concertos" at the library and will be listening to it today.

John Williams wrote a cello concerto?


----------



## PostMinimalist

It's on the ninth CD down on this list.

https://chaos.com/artist/ma_yoyo_10239.html?start=21


----------



## handlebar

post-minimalist said:


> It's on the ninth CD down on this list.
> 
> https://chaos.com/artist/ma_yoyo_10239.html?start=21


Might be interesting. While not the biggest fan of Williams, I will give most anything a listen at least once!

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 1 right now, which contains Symphony No. 1:


----------



## handlebar

Holst Piano trio in E

Jim


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Debussy Arabesque no.1


----------



## PartisanRanger

Gershwin - Second Rhapsody, McDermott


----------



## bassClef

Spectacular !


----------



## handlebar

Here is one I bet most don't listen to:

I'm now listening to 20 words per minute Morse code. Always try to keep my CW fresh.

Jim
N7MYW


----------



## Aramis

Brahms symphonies by von Karajan. I finally forced myself to give it a listen, and I can't say that I regret.


----------



## World Violist

Out of my collection of records, surely to Mirror Image's delight:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat
Klemperer/Philharmonia

My reservations about Bruckner are being gradually torn to pieces.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Out of my collection of records, surely to Mirror Image's delight:
> 
> Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat
> Klemperer/Philharmonia
> 
> My reservations about Bruckner are being gradually torn to pieces.


   Bravo! You're coming around WV! You make this Bruckner fan very happy!!!


----------



## Mirror Image

Still one of the best versions of "Daphnis et Chloe" on the market:










Later:


----------



## tenor02

BRAND new whitacre piece:






loving it


----------



## PartisanRanger

Ravel - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G Major, Cécile Ousset, Rattle/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

I'm liking this piece more and more each time I listen to it. I love the Gershwin influence here.


----------



## Conor71

Richard Strauss - 4 Last Songs


----------



## ChamberNut

*Vaughan Williams*

_A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 3)_

Margaret Price, soprano
New Philharmonia Orchestra

_Symphony No. 5 in D major_

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult
EMI Classics


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini




----------



## World Violist

Rautavaara: 8 Symphonies


----------



## Mirror Image

On disc 7 right now:


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Mahler's Symphony no. 5, First act "Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt"


----------



## andruini




----------



## World Violist

Aho: Symphony No. 9, Cello Concerto
Vanska/Lahti SO; Christian Lindberg, trombone; Gary Hoffman, cello

Oh, that cello concerto is amazing... wow.


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Slayer - Postmortem from Reign in Blood.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Philip Glass - Facades (from Glassworks)


----------



## handlebar

Hovhaness Symphony #3

Jim


----------



## World Violist

Rautavaara Symphony No. 7 (Segerstam/Helsinki) - right at the end of it now.

I'll listen to the 8th in a little while.


----------



## andruini

and later:


----------



## Mirror Image

Disc 1:









Later:


----------



## handlebar

Hovhaness: Meditations on Orpheus on Delos by The Seattle Symphony and Gerard Schwarz.

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

A Colour Symphony is one of the most incredible pieces of music I've ever heard from any composer:










I think everybody owes it to themselves to hear this remarkable piece of music at least once.


----------



## xJuanx

andruini said:


>


I'll be seeing him with the Suisse Romande in two weeks!!


----------



## Conor71

Chopin - Piano Concertos & Sonatas:


----------



## Isola




----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Luonnotar: Beautiful!


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Kraftwerk - Metropolis


----------



## Mirror Image

Contrapunctus666 said:


> Kraftwerk - Metropolis


Just out of curiosity do you ever listen to classical music?


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Sibelius - Luonnotar: Beautiful!


I don't own that box set, but it was included in this set that I bought months ago:


----------



## Aramis

Van Beethoven string quartets by Alban Berg Quartet.


----------



## Mirror Image

John Ireland: Piano Concerto, Legend, Mai-Dun - London Philharmonic - Bryden Thomson


----------



## andruini

Works by Adams, Gershwin, Bernstein, Milhaud, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Antheil and Raskin.


----------



## Conor71

Sitting up late (Oz time) listening to music:
Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra, Karajan/BPO


----------



## Praine

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nEZYA1gkvQs/SSVlPWzrEzI/AAAAAAAACu4/BBCIHtDBHq8/s1600-h/bliss+(1).jpg

Many thanks go to Mirror Image for reccomending him earlier this thread. What a fantastic composer. With this recording, not only is the awesomeness of 'A Colour Symphony' confirmed, but the additional music this album contains is also very good.

[EDIT]: Image code didn't work properly. Too big a picture, I suppose.


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nEZYA1gkvQs/SSVlPWzrEzI/AAAAAAAACu4/BBCIHtDBHq8/s1600-h/bliss+(1).jpg
> 
> Many thanks go to Mirror Image for reccomending him earlier this thread. What a fantastic composer. With this recording, not only is the awesomeness of 'A Colour Symphony' confirmed, but the additional music this album contains is also very good.
> 
> [EDIT]: Image code didn't work properly. Too big a picture, I suppose.


That particular recording is out-of-print, so you own quite a rare one there. 

But you have to get this version with Handley and the Ulster Orchestra, Reign:










It also contains "The Enchantress" and his remarkable "Cello Concerto."

Another release worth checking out is this one:


----------



## Bach

Mirror Image said:


> Just out of curiosity do you ever listen to classical music?


Yes, I wondering the same thing..


----------



## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> Yes, I wondering the same thing..


I'm really not sure if he does or not, Bach. I mean it appears that he doesn't really know much about classical music. Perhaps that's why he's here?


----------



## andruini

Disc 1 (Symphonies 1 & 4)


----------



## Air

My, this is Prokofiev like I've never heard before! Satanic, barbaric... the Rite of Spring, but wilder!!!

This restores my confidence that he could've done so much more if he had only lived a few more years (I mean at least a few months, the poor man) after Stalin's death.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is a great cycle, I'm only on Disc 1 right now, but it's really good. It's definitely a top contender to Haitink's. I also think I like the spontaneity of this set better given that each symphony is performed with a different orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

Earlier: Tchaikovsky - Piano Concertos & Orchestral Works










Now: Tchaikovsky - Ballet Suites


----------



## Isola

Also in the Tchaikovsky mood. Right now I'm listening to the 5th:


----------



## Audiophiliac

Easy listening on a Sunday morning..


----------



## Mirror Image

Isola said:


> Also in the Tchaikovsky mood. Right now I'm listening to the 5th:


That's a fine set of recordings. Karajan does an admirable job with Tchaikovsky.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mahler - Symphony No. 9 (1st Movement), Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Mirror Image

PartisanRanger said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 9 (1st Movement), Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


Mahler's Symphony No. 9 is such a beautifully tragic piece of music. I think of that symphony like one of those holographic baseball cards you used to see. The figure in the image would change position or even shape depending on what angle you turn it. This is very true of this symphony. It encapsulates every possible mood imaginable.


----------



## andruini

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky/Lieutenant Kijé (Abbado)


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Celibidache/Munich PO


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
> Celibidache/Munich PO


How is this interpretation, WV? Celibidache is a good conductor, but his Bruckner has warranted interesting press. Some Bruckner fans like him, some don't.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> How is this interpretation, WV? Celibidache is a good conductor, but his Bruckner has warranted interesting press. Some Bruckner fans like him, some don't.


After being used to Klemperer, this performance is overwhelming. The only thing to really get over is the tempo of the finale, which is stretched out to a very slow clip; otherwise the recording is pretty much normal. Of course, it is live, what with Celi not wanting to release records, so there are some coughs here and there. But the interpretation is utterly transcendent. Especially the finale, actually; the last six or so minutes (the coda) are so utterly divine here, which I really didn't get out of Klemperer's record.


----------



## andruini

Johann Joachim Quantz - 7 Sonatas for Flute and Basso Continuo


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> After being used to Klemperer, this performance is overwhelming. The only thing to really get over is the tempo of the finale, which is stretched out to a very slow clip; otherwise the recording is pretty much normal. Of course, it is live, what with Celi not wanting to release records, so there are some coughs here and there. But the interpretation is utterly transcendent. Especially the finale, actually; the last six or so minutes (the coda) are so utterly divine here, which I really didn't get out of Klemperer's record.


Yeah, I have read numerous reviews of how Celi takes the tempos too slow and drags them out. For me, this doesn't make for good Bruckner, especially if you're accustomed to Wand, Jochum, Karajan, Haitink, and Chailly. I find these conductors to be the superior Bruckner interpreters, but of course, these are just my opinions.


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky/Lieutenant Kijé (Abbado)


One HELL of a great recording! I love it.


----------



## Mirror Image

Absolutely ravishing!


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Yeah, I have read numerous reviews of how Celi takes the tempos too slow and drags them out. For me, this doesn't make for good Bruckner, especially if you're accustomed to Wand, Jochum, Karajan, Haitink, and Chailly. I find these conductors to be the superior Bruckner interpreters, but of course, these are just my opinions.


I think Celi's interpreetation is one of the only ones that makes the finale seriously strong. Klemperer, anyway, doesn't really do that at all. The slower tempo works with the 4th. And the scherzo is almost identical speed with other peoples' recordings, so there can't be anything wrong with it.


----------



## handlebar

Malcom Arnold's Symphony #5.

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> I think Celi's interpreetation is one of the only ones that makes the finale seriously strong. Klemperer, anyway, doesn't really do that at all. The slower tempo works with the 4th. And the scherzo is almost identical speed with other peoples' recordings, so there can't be anything wrong with it.


I haven't heard Celi's version, so I can't comment on the how good it is compared to others, but I've heard A LOT of 4ths.


----------



## handlebar

Stanford's Symphony #3.

Jim


----------



## Lisztfreak

Shostakovich's Piano Trio No.2. Shocking.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is really just an amazing recording. Anyone who enjoys Delius should pick this one up.

What I don't understand is why people don't listen to Delius more?


----------



## andruini




----------



## handlebar

Brahms Symphony #2 with Marriner.

Jim


----------



## handlebar

Now on to Henry Kimball Hadley's Symphony #4 on Naxos.

Jim


----------



## World Violist

Still again, Bruckner 4, Celibidache Munich Phil.

Finale is tremendously moving in this one.


----------



## Lisztfreak

At the moment Vaughan Williams' _An Oxford Elegy_. Now THAT is evocative and and the very essence of what English music is.










Next I'm moving to Delius. Time for 'Paris: A Nocturne' and 'In a Summer Garden' which I haven't heard for quite some time! And now that it's warm and my garden in full bloom, what can be better than listening to these at midnight by an open window?


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Air

Bruckner Symphony No. 8
Furtwangler/Berlin
on youtube  

I don't own any Bruckner for some reason. Just started listening to his music and each symphony i listen to keeps getting better. Never really liked the 4th very much, but now after listening to his 7th and 8th... I will get a Bruckner cycle next month (I just don't know which one!)


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> Bruckner Symphony No. 8
> Furtwangler/Berlin
> on youtube
> 
> I don't own any Bruckner for some reason. Just started listening to his music and each symphony i listen to keeps getting better. Never really liked the 4th very much, but now after listening to his 7th and 8th... I will get a Bruckner cycle next month (I just don't know which one!)


If you need any help with Bruckner. I could give you some recommendations.


----------



## Air

Mirror Image said:


> If you need any help with Bruckner. I could give you some recommendations.


I'm listening.


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> I'm listening.


I'll send you a message on your homepage. I don't want to derail this thread anymore than it has been already.


----------



## andruini

Andrew Lloyd Webber - Requiem (Domingo/Brightman/Maazel)
actually quite great in that wacky Broadway show way..


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 5: Tennstedt/LPO


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 1 right now that contains Symphony No. 1 - "Titan":










It's really good. Chailly does an admirable job.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

At the moment I'm listening to "Das Lied von Der Erde, Der Einsame im Herbst" by Mahler. Such a great piece.


----------



## handlebar

Beethoven's Piano Sonata #15 by Alfred Brendel.

Jim


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Still: Symphony No. 2 "Song of a New Race"
Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
Ellington: Harlem
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
CHANDOS*
A few months ago I was introduced to the music of William Grant Still (d. 1978) via these same forces in their recording of his _Afro-American Symphony_, purported to be the first such work by an African-American composer to be played by a major orchestra (the New York Philharmonic in 1930). I commented: _"....while this symphony is fleetingly entertaining, it's not a very elaborate musical expression."_ Still's second symphony _"Song of a New Race"_ seemingly eschews much of the European-derived formalism heard in that earlier work and strives for a more "homegrown" classical/folk idiom. Again, Järvi and the DSO immerse themselves in it, though here their playing is freer and more alive to the expressive possibilities the score presents. Irrespective of the composer's own predilection to _"....[represent] the American colored man of today; in so many instances a totally new individual produced through the fusion of white, Indian, and Negro bloods...."_, this later music (premiered in 1937 by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra) presents the listener with a more delightfully varied, colorful, and thoroughly American expression while adhering to classical musical ideals. Though culminating powerfully, the symphony oddly ends on a harumph of a note, but...

...it segues most comfortably with the _Negro Folk Symphony_ of William Levi Dawson (d. 1990), a renowned arranger of choral spirituals and whose long career included founding the music school at Tuskegee Institute. According to the notes, he began work on his symphony in Chicago where he received his master's degree in composition from the American Conservatory of Music and later presented the score to Stokowski in New York while touring with the Tuskegee Choir. Suggestions were made by the famous maestro for the work's expansion and the final work was premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1934. The first movement, titled _"The Bond of Africa"_, commences with a soulful clarion theme on a solo French horn which is echoed and varied throughout by strings, winds and dynamically by the trombones -- it peculiarly evokes in this listener's mind a sort of African-American Wagner! The second movement, _"Hope in the Night"_, begins softly but leads to some powerful swells of various percussion and brass again echoing the main theme. The finale, _"O, le' me shine, shine like a Morning Star!"_, is a colorful and uplifting working of the main theme with the DSO treating us to a wide-ranging and exhilirating orchestral workout.

Duke Ellington (d. 1974) was world famous when he composed _Harlem_ in 1950 on the sea voyage home from a successful European tour with his band. Again according to the notes, it was originally commissioned by Arturo Toscanini to be part of a _Portrait of New York_ suite, but the maestro's infirmities precluded him from conducting the piece. Ellington's band recorded it in 1954 and Don Gillis performed it in Carnegie Hall the following year with the Symphony of the Air, the successor to Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra. If you've yet to hear it, this is about as colorful, jazzy, and swingin' as an orchestra gets! The DSO revels in it...and I can just picture Estonian giant Neeme Järvi groovin' uncontrollably and tapping his toes on the podium!

As per usual in Detroit's Orchestra Hall, Chandos provides the most naturally vivid recorded sound imaginable for a most entertaining 74 minute program.


----------



## handlebar

Moldyoldie said:


> *Still: Symphony No. 2 "Song of a New Race"
> Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
> Ellington: Harlem
> Detroit Symphony Orchestra
> Neeme Järvi, cond.
> CHANDOS*
> A few months ago I was introduced to the music of William Grant Still (d. 1978) via these same forces in their recording of his _Afro-American Symphony_, purported to be the first such work by an African-American composer to be played by a major orchestra (the New York Philharmonic in 1930). I commented: _"....while this symphony is fleetingly entertaining, it's not a very elaborate musical expression."_ Still's second symphony _"Song of a New Race"_ seemingly eschews much of the European-derived formalism heard in that earlier work and strives for a more "homegrown" classical/folk idiom. Again, Järvi and the DSO immerse themselves in it, though here their playing is freer and more alive to the expressive possibilities the score presents. Irrespective of the composer's own predilection to _"....[represent] the American colored man of today; in so many instances a totally new individual produced through the fusion of white, Indian, and Negro bloods...."_, this later music (premiered in 1937 by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra) presents the listener with a more delightfully varied, colorful, and thoroughly American expression while adhering to classical musical ideals. Though culminating powerfully, the symphony oddly ends on a harumph of a note, but...
> 
> ...it segues most comfortably with the _Negro Folk Symphony_ of William Levi Dawson (d. 1990), a renowned arranger of choral spirituals and whose long career included founding the music school at Tuskegee Institute. According to the notes, he began work on his symphony in Chicago where he received his master's degree in composition from the American Conservatory of Music and later presented the score to Stokowski in New York while touring with the Tuskegee Choir. Suggestions were made by the famous maestro for the work's expansion and the final work was premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1934. The first movement, titled _"The Bond of Africa"_, commences with a soulful clarion theme on a solo French horn which is echoed and varied throughout by strings, winds and dynamically by the trombones -- it peculiarly evokes in this listener's mind a sort of African-American Wagner! The second movement, _"Hope in the Night"_, begins softly but leads to some powerful swells of various percussion and brass again echoing the main theme. The finale, _"O, le' me shine, shine like a Morning Star!"_, is a colorful and uplifting working of the main theme with the DSO treating us to a wide-ranging and exhilirating orchestral workout.
> 
> Duke Ellington (d. 1974) was world famous when he composed _Harlem_ in 1950 on the sea voyage home from a successful European tour with his band. Again according to the notes, it was originally commissioned by Arturo Toscanini to be part of a _Portrait of New York_ suite, but the maestro's infirmities precluded him from conducting the piece. Ellington's band recorded it in 1954 and Don Gillis performed it in Carnegie Hall the following year with the Symphony of the Air, the successor to Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra. If you've yet to hear it, this is about as colorful, jazzy, and swingin' as an orchestra gets! The DSO revels in it...and I can just picture Estonian giant Neeme Järvi groovin' uncontrollably and tapping his toes on the podium!
> 
> As per usual in Detroit's Orchestra Hall, Chandos provides the most naturally vivid recorded sound imaginable for a most entertaining 74 minute program.


Delightful recording!! I said that to Mr Jarvi when writing to him years ago. He responded that he too enjoyed it immensely.

Jim


----------



## handlebar

Listening to Rachmaninov's Opus 23 Preludes by Howard Shelley.

Jim


----------



## Moldyoldie

handlebar said:


> Delightful recording!! I said that to Mr Jarvi when writing to him years ago. He responded that he too enjoyed it immensely.
> 
> Jim


Difficult to imagine otherwise.  Thanks for sharing that.

Listening to...
*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Lorin Maazel, cond.
LONDON*


----------



## andruini

on Disc 3 (Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5)


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 1, "Titan"


----------



## Bgroovy2

Handel, O thou that tellest


----------



## andruini

Bernstein: Chichester Psalms & Symphony No. 3 (Kaddish)


----------



## bassClef

On my playlist for working this morning:

Bruckner's 3rd (Barenboim/Berliner)
Langgaard's 1st (Dausgaard/DNSO)
Mahler's 3rd (Kubelic/Bavarian)


----------



## andruini

Ernest Farrar: Orchestral Works (Chandos)


----------



## handlebar

andruini said:


> on Disc 3 (Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5)


I own this set and also the Jarvi set too. The Jarvi set is better as a whole but I like the fire that Gergiev has in Prokofiev.

Listening to Mendelssohn's Symphony #4 with Masur right now.

Jim


----------



## Lisztfreak

Piano Quintet, op.40 in B minor by Dora Pejacevic. For me, a newly discoverd gem of Croatian classical music. It is a masterful piece, could rub shoulders with similar works of Brahms or Fauré.

This lady it is:


----------



## andruini




----------



## bassClef

Asrael - first time I've heard this - and it's brilliant. Bruckner fans will like it.


----------



## World Violist

jezbo said:


> First time I've heard this - and it's brilliant. Bruckner fans will like it.


It's interesting how many recordings Ashkenazy is beginning to make with the HPO...


----------



## danae

Right now listening to Erno Dohnanyi's Sextet op.37. It's really interesting, especially the harmony. I didn't know anything about him until today. I have to write program notes for a chamber music concert.


----------



## World Violist

Beethoven: Symphonies 3&8
Osmo Vänskä/Minnesota Orchestra

This is still my favorite recording of the 3rd, but now I'm beginning to see slight cracks in the structure; now I'm turning my interest a bit more toward Paavo Järvi's ongoing Beethoven cycle.

Egad, the Finns and Estonians are taking the music world by storm...


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Beethoven: Symphonies 3&8
> Osmo Vänskä/Minnesota Orchestra
> 
> I listened to that VERY recording of B3 a few days ago. Very good recording, I think. Violist, where are the structural cracks??


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Beethoven: Symphonies 3&8
> Osmo Vänskä/Minnesota Orchestra
> 
> This is still my favorite recording of the 3rd, but now I'm beginning to see slight cracks in the structure; now I'm turning my interest a bit more toward Paavo Järvi's ongoing Beethoven cycle.
> 
> Egad, the Finns and Estonians are taking the music world by storm...


This is still my favorite Beethoven cycle:


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> I listened to that VERY recording of B3 a few days ago. Very good recording, I think. Violist, where are the structural cracks??


Maybe it's just me still getting over the somewhat different atmosphere, etc., but the funeral march I found particularly awkward. I mean, I believe the symphony itself is virtually flawless, but the way Vanska goes through the second movement just doesn't seem right somehow. The cumulative effect just isn't there. This I find a problem throughout the symphony, but in the slow movement it's worst, particularly the big fugue in the middle, which never really catches fire for me. It's far too restrained, in my humble (and similarly quite flawed) opinion.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Maybe it's just me still getting over the somewhat different atmosphere, etc., but the funeral march I found particularly awkward. I mean, I believe the symphony itself is virtually flawless, but the way Vanska goes through the second movement just doesn't seem right somehow. The cumulative effect just isn't there. This I find a problem throughout the symphony, but in the slow movement it's worst, particularly the big fugue in the middle, which never really catches fire for me. It's far too restrained, in my humble (and similarly quite flawed) opinion.


Well, I think the element of "restraint" is a hallmark of the Vanska cycle. It is mostly a good cycle, to be sure, but the holding back of the passion is something I wish Osmo didn't do all the time.


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Well, I think the element of "restraint" is a hallmark of the Vanska cycle. It is mostly a good cycle, to be sure, but the holding back of the passion is something I wish Osmo didn't do all the time.


Now this is a post I can really agree with. Vanska's trademark restraint is great for several composers. That's why his Sibelius is so great. Much more introspective-sounding. Beethoven was not introspective. Introspective interpretations are hard to make work with Beethoven. Vanska doesn't make it work particularly well. That's really all there is to it (though he does bring off one heck of a fifth, I must admit!).

But yes, an exceedingly good if not great cycle overall.

Speaking of Vanska... and current listening...










Yes, back to Kalevi Aho's 9th symphony... it'll be interesting to see whether Bruckner or Aho claims the most purchases from me in the coming months...


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Asrael - first time I've heard this - and it's brilliant. Bruckner fans will like it.


I have been meaning to checkout more of Suk (a disciple of Dvorak by the way). I've been looking at that Ashkenazy recording for a while.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> It'll be interesting to see whether Bruckner or Aho claims the most purchases from me in the coming months...


Hopefully, Bruckner will prevail.


----------



## Mirror Image

On Disc 4 now, I'm totally impressed with this cycle:


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> I have been meaning to checkout more of Suk (a disciple of Dvorak by the way). I've been looking at that Ashkenazy recording for a while.


Not only was Suk Dvorak's favorite disciple, but also his son-in-law.

You read correctly.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Hopefully, Bruckner will prevail.


Oh, you have to hear Aho to believe what he's capable of. I've heard anyone more sensitive to orchestral color or so diverse stylistically. Truly remarkable; he's probably among the handful of late 20th century composers I would say will be remembered. I'm dead serious.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Not only was Suk Dvorak's favorite disciple, but also his son-in-law.
> 
> You read correctly.


That's right.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Oh, you have to hear Aho to believe what he's capable of. I've heard anyone more sensitive to orchestral color or so diverse stylistically. Truly remarkable; he's probably among the handful of late 20th century composers I would say will be remembered. I'm dead serious.


You have to hear Bruckner to believe what he's capable of too.  Which symphonies have you heard by Bruckner again, WV? The 4th and 7th?


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> You have to hear Bruckner to believe what he's capable of too.  Which symphonies have you heard by Bruckner again, WV? The 4th and 7th?


4, 9, and I think I've heard bits of 7. They're all very good.

I think my plan for buying Bruckner is to get Paavo Jarvi's cycle as it comes out, unless I really hate the first CD (which I don't envision happening at all). If that is the case, I'll probably splurge and get the super-cheap Karajan cycle with the BPO.

Whereas with the Aho symphonies, almost all of them have been released on CD (exceptions being the 6th and 13th, and the only recording of the 5th is out of print), so in between the Bruckner releases I can get a few of those... or something like that. If I can keep up my determination/focus/whatever and not be sidetracked by some other composer I know nothing at all about.

By the way, I STILL haven't gotten the Langgaard set. Must get to that someday, somehow.


----------



## Air

Dropping the orchestra stuff today: Binging on French violin sonatas!!!!! So colorful - Faure, Lekeu, Poulenc, Debussy, Saint-Saens, and Milhaud!!!

The Belgians will come later: Franck and Ysaye, probably my favorites...

Ugghh... that Ravel violin sonata is atrocious!!!!!


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> 4, 9, and I think I've heard bits of 7. They're all very good.
> 
> I think my plan for buying Bruckner is to get Paavo Jarvi's cycle as it comes out, unless I really hate the first CD (which I don't envision happening at all). If that is the case, I'll probably splurge and get the super-cheap Karajan cycle with the BPO.


We all have our personal favorites when it comes to Bruckner or when it comes to any composer. For Bruckner, mine will always be Wand, Chailly, and Barenboim in that order. I wish Maria Carlo Giulini did a whole Bruckner cycle.  Giulini's reading of Symphony No. 9 is out-of-this-world.



World Violist said:


> By the way, I STILL haven't gotten the Langgaard set. Must get to that someday, somehow.


In due time, WV. You'll get it one day. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've already seen it drop $20 in price since I bought it. I should have been more patient and waited on it.


----------



## World Violist

airad2 said:


> Dropping the orchestra stuff today: Binging on French violin sonatas!!!!! So colorful - Faure, Lekeu, Poulenc, Debussy, Saint-Saens, and Milhaud!!!
> 
> The Belgians will come later: Franck and Ysaye, probably my favorites...
> 
> Ugghh... that Ravel violin sonata is atrocious!!!!!


The only one of these that I have heard is the Franck, and I love it. The last movement especially is so sublime!


----------



## Mirror Image

On Disc 5 (Symphony No. 5) now, I'm now totally blown away by how good Chailly has done with Mahler:


----------



## Contrapunctus666

> Just out of curiosity do you ever listen to classical music?


Yes I do.

np: Silence.


----------



## bassClef

My favourite piece here is Orawa by Wojciech Kilar - this is new to me as of yesterday, great stuff.

Also love his Exodus for Orchestra and Chorus (not on this disk though).


----------



## jhar26

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays music from Lutoslawski and Stravinsky. Phenomenal disc - one of Mutter's best.


----------



## handlebar

Randall Thompson's Symphony #1. A highly underrated American composer.

Jim


----------



## Lisztfreak

Symphony No.3 by Rutland Boughton. An underrated (almost forgotten) British composer, very nice even if his music is quite after his time.


----------



## handlebar

Lisztfreak said:


> Symphony No.3 by Rutland Boughton. An underrated (almost forgotten) British composer, very nice even if his music is quite after his time.


Agreed. Very good.

Jim


----------



## Lisztfreak

handlebar said:


> Randall Thompson's Symphony #1. A highly underrated American composer.


...which reminds me of how poor my knowledge of American classical music is. I'll have to get a lot of Barber, Copland, Ives, Thompson, Hanson, Hovhaness etc. and spend some time with the music.


----------



## handlebar

I was so astounded to discover the sheer quantities of American composers that put forth fruit from 1925-65. Amazing. A book that sold me was "Serenading the reluctant eagle" by Nicholas Tawa. This is an essential read for understanding the prolific time period of the WPA and music in America.

http://openlibrary.org/b/OL2843470M/Serenading-the-reluctant-eagle

I salute Naxos in their continuing efforts to bring these works to our attention. Their American series has proven to be a favourite of mine and in the last year or two I have found new friends and works to admire.

http://www.naxos.com/series/american_classics.htm

Sign up and sample from these waters freely!!!

Jim


----------



## Lisztfreak

OK, a nice way to start. Thank you, Jim!


----------



## handlebar

Lisztfreak said:


> OK, a nice way to start. Thank you, Jim!


Glad I could help. I hope you enjoy discovering American music as much as I have. It has opened my eyes to an area that seems to stall at Copland,Barber and Bernstein.

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm on Disc 6 right now. Beautiful interpretations.


----------



## Air

World Violist said:


> The only one of these that I have heard is the Franck, and I love it. The last movement especially is so sublime!


Very beautiful, I just can't pick which movement I like the best!!

(BTW, I think it was you and some other forum members who introduced me to this piece, sometime back, when I made my first post )

You should listen to the other French and Belgian violin sonatas. It is a very different genre then the heavily discussed orchestral works that happen to be taking over this forum, but equally beautiful. The French, I think, had a knack for color. This is very apparent in works like these.

The Vieuxtemps was probably the first work by the Gallic composers in this genre, but overshadowed by the mighty Franck. After that, came Saint-Saens and the impressionists. My favorite of these earlier sonatas is the Faure, followed by the Debussy and Lekeu. The Ravel I don't like so much. The second group were Les Six: perhaps not as famous, but very beautiful as well. The Milhaud I thoroughly enjoyed, but not so much as the Poulenc. It is one of my favorite works.

The Ysaye Op. 27 sonatas are worth a listen too. They are solo sonatas but very bach-like. I'm sure Ysaye Op. 27#2 could elaborate more on them.


----------



## World Violist

airad2 said:


> Very beautiful, I just can't pick which movement I like the best!!
> 
> (BTW, I think it was you and some other forum members who introduced me to this piece, sometime back, when I made my first post )
> 
> You should listen to the other French and Belgian violin sonatas. It is a very different genre then the heavily discussed orchestral works that happen to be taking over this forum, but equally beautiful. The French, I think, had a knack for color. This is very apparent in works like these.
> 
> The Vieuxtemps was probably the first work by the Gallic composers in this genre, but overshadowed by the mighty Franck. After that, came Saint-Saens and the impressionists. My favorite of these earlier sonatas is the Faure, followed by the Debussy and Lekeu. The Ravel I don't like so much. The second group were Les Six: perhaps not as famous, but very beautiful as well. The Milhaud I thoroughly enjoyed, but not so much as the Poulenc. It is one of my favorite works.
> 
> The Ysaye Op. 27 sonatas are worth a listen too. They are solo sonatas but very bach-like. I'm sure Ysaye Op. 27#2 could elaborate more on them.


I vaguely remember saying something about the Franck sonata some time ago.

Those Ysaye sonatas are crazy. I love them, though. I wouldn't dare try one on viola, though. Heck, I personally wouldn't try one on violin. I'm nowhere near good enough for those pieces. Great fun to listen to.


----------



## Mirror Image

Bought this set for $20:










This is all I'm going to buy for long time.


----------



## Air

Mirror Image said:


> Bought this set for $20:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is all I'm going to buy for long time.


Very good cycle. Have you heard the Ozawa? I'm considering it. 17 bucks.


----------



## World Violist

airad2 said:


> Very good cycle. Have you heard the Ozawa? I'm considering it. 17 bucks.


Neeme Jarvi recorded a cycle that is generally considered the best, despite the bigger-name Ozawa production. However, I'm not at all familiar with any of the Prokofiev symphonies yet, so I can't say anything from personal experience.


----------



## Mirror Image

I already own the Jarvi, Ozawa, Kitjenko, and now the Gergiev.


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> Very good cycle. Have you heard the Ozawa? I'm considering it. 17 bucks.


Yeah, it's great, but not as good as the Jarvi or the Kitajenko.


----------



## Bgroovy2

Listening to my latest purchase
Bach: Voices Of Angels
I never payed the Boys choirs much attention before but now it seems like I can't get enough!


----------



## handlebar

Bach's keyboard concerto #3 with Angela Hewitt.

Jim


----------



## World Violist

Dvorak's 9th symphony, Bernstein/NYPO

Glorious recording, Bernstein at his prime.


----------



## handlebar

Stanford's Symphony #3 on Chandos.

Jim


----------



## Contrapunctus666

Bruckner - 8. symphony (Karajan), 2nd movement


----------



## Conor71

Bruckner: Symphony No. 2!


----------



## handlebar

William Wallace Symphony in C # on Hyperion.

Jim


----------



## Margaret

The six Mozart string quartets dedicated to Haydn.

Turns out you can listen to them in their entirety for free here though you have to click for each movement:
http://www.last.fm/music/Alexander+...+Homage+-+The+Six+Quartets+Dedicated+To+Haydn

I've finished 14, 16 and 18. Must say I really liked the slow movement of No. 16 in E-flat major.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Philip Glass - Pruit Igoe (from Koyaanisqatsi)


----------



## Lisztfreak

handlebar said:


> William Wallace Symphony in C # on Hyperion.


William Wallace? The Scottish hero???  

No, really, a very nice name I have never heard of.


----------



## Mirror Image

Fantastic! Simply great interpretation!


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 2!


Awesome recordings right there. That set is great.


----------



## Aramis

Grieg's _Peer Gynt_. But I'm not really enjoying it, I failed to purchase recording that I would like to buy, and this one is not so good.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> Grieg's _Peer Gynt_. But I'm not really enjoying it, I failed to purchase recording that I would like to buy, and this one is not so good.


Which one is it?


----------



## Aramis

> Which one is it?


Record by London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Per Dreier. The one I was looking for was by Sir John Barbirolli.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> Record by London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Per Dreier. The one I was looking for was by Sir John Barbirolli.


You should hear the one by Neeme Jarvi/Gothenburg Symphony, Paavo Jarvi/Estonian National Symphony, and Ole Kristian Ruud/Bergen Philharmonic. These are all outstanding recordings that deserve to be in everyone's collections, that is, if you like Grieg.


----------



## Aramis

Mirror Image said:


> You should hear the one by Neeme Jarvi/Gothenburg Symphony, Paavo Jarvi/Estonian National Symphony, and Ole Kristian Ruud/Bergen Philharmonic. These are all outstanding recordings that deserve to be in everyone's collections, that is, if you like Grieg.


The only one Grieg's work that I have heard is his piano concerto, so I can't tell if I like him or not. Anyway, _Peer Gynt_ seem to be great work. I will look for those recordings you have listed tomorrow (or should I say: today?) and see if I can find any of them. Thanks for this recommendation.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> The only one Grieg's work that I have heard is his piano concerto, so I can't tell if I like him or not. Anyway, _Peer Gynt_ seem to be great work. I will look for those recordings you have listed tomorrow (or should I say: today?) and see if I can find any of them. Thanks for this recommendation.


You're quite welcome. I'm very familiar with Grieg, so any questions you have about a piece don't hesitate to ask.

Grieg is a great composer. He's looked at as _miniaturist_ because he composed pieces that were of a smaller scale than other symphonic works at the time, but this doesn't make his work any less interesting.

By the way, which version of his Piano Concerto do you own?


----------



## Praine

Bruckner - Symphony No. 2
Listening to the entire Karajan/BPO cycle. About time I get more acquainted with Bruckner.


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> Bruckner - Symphony No. 2
> Listening to the entire Karajan/BPO cycle. About time I get more acquainted with Bruckner.


That's a pretty good cycle, though, I'm not too impressed with the audio quality of it at all.

The only Karajan recordings of Bruckner I like from a recording and artistic standpoint are his 7th and 8th with the VPO.


----------



## Praine

Mirror Image said:


> That's a pretty good cycle, though, I'm not too impressed with the audio quality of it at all.
> 
> The only Karajan recordings of Bruckner I like from a recording and artistic standpoint are his 7th and 8th with the VPO.


I really remember liking the 7th in particular so perhaps I'll check that one out. Your favorite Bruckner cycle is the one conducted by Gunter Wand though, isn't it? I was going to give that set a try but it's quite expensive everywhere I turn.

Also, have you heard a fourth movement to the 9th symphony? On this Karajan cycle and many others, it only seems to end on the third movement. On Wikipedia I read that Bruckner intended there to be a fourth movement, but I see no sign of that as of yet.


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> I really remember liking the 7th in particular so perhaps I'll check that one out. Your favorite Bruckner cycle is the one conducted by Gunter Wand though, isn't it? I was going to give that set a try but it's quite expensive everywhere I turn.
> 
> Also, have you heard a fourth movement to the 9th symphony? On this Karajan cycle and many others, it only seems to end on the third movement. On Wikipedia I read that Bruckner intended there to be a fourth movement, but I see no sign of that as of yet.


Symphony No. 9 was left unfinished. What his intentions are I'm not quite sure, but he died before finished it, so that's why there are only three movements.

Yes, you are correct. The Wand set on RCA is my favorite set and I always recommend this set, but only if you can get a good deal on it. I was very lucky in the respect that I only paid $35 for it. This was, in my opinion, a complete steal. The unfortunate part and to make a long story short, the seller I purchased the set from on Amazon actually had it listed at the wrong price. I had to go through a lot of crap to get this set, but it was worth the trouble. In the end, it's not my problem the seller had listed for the wrong price. That is their negligence, not mine.

Be careful when you're buying from a seller, which is what I do 99% of the time, because they're a lot cheaper. Always check feedback and even then sometimes a seller who has good feedback can make mistakes. No seller is perfect, but the ones I continue to buy from are the ones that rectify any problem I have with no questions asked.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> Awesome recordings right there. That set is great.


Im up to Symphony No. 5 already - This is a wonderful set so far with great performances & sound quality, I LOVE it!


----------



## Conor71

Ravel - Piano Concerto for Left Hand


----------



## Aramis

Mirror Image said:


> By the way, which version of his Piano Concerto do you own?


One by Artur Rubinstein and one by Leif Ove Andsnes. Both are great.


----------



## Mirror Image

I normally don't go for chamber music as many of you know unless it's extraordinary and then this case it is. Recommended listening for all chamber music fans. I'm most impressed with the improvisatory feel these pieces have, which gives it a very spontaneous atmosphere:


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Barenboim/BPO

Wow, this has some tremendous emotional impact. I like this a lot.

Haha, I think you can hear Barenboim humming sometimes... but this symphony is very dramatic anyway, so it's easy to forget about the humming.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
> Barenboim/BPO
> 
> Wow, this has some tremendous emotional impact. I like this a lot.
> 
> Haha, I think you can hear Barenboim humming sometimes... but this symphony is very dramatic anyway, so it's easy to forget about the humming.


The whole cycle is fantastic, WV. Barenboim is such a great conductor. He's much better than some give him credit for, and, of course, the BPO are always outstanding. They're very comfortable playing Bruckner.


----------



## Conor71

Richard Strauss - Metamorphosen: Karajan/BPO


----------



## Mirror Image

I only own two versions of Faure's Requiem. One with Shaw/ASO and the Dutoit/MSO. This is such a beautiful work:


----------



## Mirror Image

Now:










Later:


----------



## Aramis

I got some cello celebration going on. Boccherni, Tartini and two Vivaldi's with their cello concertos are my repertoire for tonight.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 2 now:


----------



## Lisztfreak

There's also the 'Psalm 150' here. Quite pompous.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 3 right now:


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

On the last disc (10), which is Symphony No. 9. Man, this has been one heck of a Bruckner cycle:


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> On the last disc (10), which is Symphony No. 9. Man, this has been one heck of a Bruckner cycle:


So is this 8th on two CD's? Or does he include something extra?


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> So is this 8th on two CD's? Or does he include something extra?


Actually, on the first disc you have "Overture in G minor" and then "Symphony No. 0," then the rest of the symphonies on the following discs.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105; Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121; Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, WoO 2
Carolin Widmann, violin; Dénes Várjon, piano
ECM NEW SERIES*
This is my long-delayed introduction to these works, and if the performances found on this 2008 release from the now-venerable ECM label are an indication, it's a wonder why these haven't been more popular or widely propagated in the vast Schumann discography. There has seemingly been a spate of new recordings released in the past decade, so perhaps the situation is being rectified. All three sonatas were composed within a brief three-year period (1851-3) late in the emotionally troubled composer's life. _Sonata No. 3_ actually consists partially of two movements originally supplied by Schumann as part of a conglomerate work for violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim and whose remaining two movements were supplied by Brahms and the young Albert Dietrich. Schumann later appended two additional movements to his original two, but apparently the completed _No. 3_ was never published until the 1950s!

Without getting into specific descriptions, the aggregate vibe across the three works is surprisingly affirmatory with a wonderfully varied, formally uncontained, yet thoroughly exhilarating Romantic expression that's unmistakably Schumannesque! The performances by Widmann and Várjon are exemplary in their balance and barely controlled exuberance while projecting a most satisfying emotional ebb and flow. The recording is intimate -- close enough to hear Widmann's breath and Várjon's coaxing of the piano pedals -- but not so dry as to not allow for a marvelously complementing aural warmth. Probably the most ear-catching moments are heard in the beautiful _Leise, einfach_ third movement of the _Sonata No. 2_, introduced by the most ghostly soft pizzicato plucking (so soft and subtle that one might imagine the notes were generated by barely rendered _col legno_ bow hits!) followed by its meltingly disarming melody. This is one beautiful recording which I've been playing at least twice daily since I first unwrapped it!


----------



## xJuanx




----------



## Mirror Image

Daphnis et Chloe from the Tortelier/Ulster Orchestra Chandos box set:


----------



## Marco01

Britten, Four Sea Interludes


----------



## Lisztfreak

Jules Massenet: 'Werther', an opera in four acts, after Goethe.


----------



## Aramis

Lisztfreak said:


> Jules Massenet: 'Werther', an opera in four acts, after Goethe.


I have this one since few weeks, but I didn't check it out yet. Is is good?


----------



## Lisztfreak

Aramis said:


> I have this one since few weeks, but I didn't check it out yet. Is is good?


Frankly, I was listening to it doing many other things, so I can't be sure - I only bought it a few days ago, so this was my first listen. The impression it leaves is: gentle, not too dramatic, reasonably tuneful and not particularly memorable. I should give it proper attention next time.


----------



## glennbuck

*Yuja wang discusses and plays new cd-sonatas and etudes*

Yuja wang's new debut cd,chopin sonatas and etudes great new piano player on her way up,love it.Here's the video http://www.classicalviolinvideos.com/2009/05/yuja-wang-discusses-and-plays-new-cd.html


----------



## danae

I'm listening to a soft northern breeze, the distant sound of civilization, and the singing of the birds of the night. I don't know what they are though... Which birds are nocturnal?


----------



## Marco01

Right at this moment, Tarantella (Presto Vivace) from Britten's Sinfonietta (Op. 1)

The opening minute to this is simply fantastic.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

WOW I miss this place. -_-;; Sorry, I've been extremely busy and have computer problems.. I should be back on more in the future..

I'm listening to a DG recording of Mahler's 5th Symphony. *Sorry, my minds a blank at the moment as to the conductors name..*


----------



## danae

Right now: greek political song of the 70s


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 6, "Tragic": Tennstedt/LPO


----------



## andruini

just lovely of course..


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 (2nd Movement), Piotr Anderszewski: Sinfonia Varsovia

Such a beautiful piece.


----------



## Aramis

PartisanRanger said:


> Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 (2nd Movement), Piotr Anderszewski: Sinfonia Varsovia
> 
> Such a beautiful piece.


Such a pathetic performer.


----------



## Mirror Image

I finally have got around to listening to Stanford's symphonies. I own two different cycles one with Vernon Handley and the other with David Lloyd-Jones.

Right now: Disc 1, but then it's onto Disc 2:


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:










Later:


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Szell/Cleveland Orchestra

Very fast first movement... I think... it's been a long time since I've heard this symphony before. I'm getting into another Brahms kick, I think. I want to go out and get the Chailly/Concertgebouw set. It's cheap.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Brahms: Symphony No. 1
> Szell/Cleveland Orchestra
> 
> Very fast first movement... I think... it's been a long time since I've heard this symphony before. I'm getting into another Brahms kick, I think. I want to go out and get the Chailly/Concertgebouw set. It's cheap.


I'm glad you mentioned the Brahms/Chailly set, because I forgot to get back with you on that one. It's great! You'll love it!


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> I'm glad you mentioned the Brahms/Chailly set, because I forgot to get back with you on that one. It's great! You'll love it!


Actually, I think that you did get back to me and say that it's great and that I would love it.

I'm on the fourth movement now (which by the way is all on LPs).


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection": Tennstedt/LPO
This is a great cycle - now listening to it for the 4th time in just over a week!


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## World Violist

C71 said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection": Tennstedt/LPO
> This is a great cycle - now listening to it for the 4th time in just over a week!


I have that symphony recording in a separate casing (paired with #1). It's among my favorite Mahler 2's.


----------



## Lisztfreak




----------



## World Violist

Brahms: Violin Concerto, Double Concerto
Bernstein/VPO; Kremer, Maisky

One thing I like most about this is that the soloists are NOT close-miked. However, it does not stop Kremer's tone from being ugly sometimes when he doesn't pay attention to the contact point of his bow on the string. A particular point of interest is this cadenza he uses, by Max Reger... it's certainly very odd, and some will certainly will despise it (think the alternate cadenza rarely used in Mozart's E-flat Sinfonia Concertante (especially as played by Albert Sammons and Lionel Tertis) and you have the idea; stylistic differences abound). I find it to overstay its welcome a bit. But it isn't so horrible, really.

However, the thing to realize is that Kremer and Maisky do not try to be power players in this piece; they are not fighting to make themselves heard, and they play with uninhibited poetry and singing tone for the most part, and Bernstein's accompaniment augments it at all times with its romanticism, flowing and intensely musical.

I think this disc showcases Bernstein's real genius in his later years; he doesn't become mannered, nor are these really slow at all. They are just some of the most musical performances of these pieces I've ever heard, unadorned and pure.


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: The Cello Sonatas
Jacqueline du Pré, Daniel Barenboim

Probably the best Brahms recordings I've ever owned. I'm dead serious.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


I haven't listened to Munch in a while. I never really considered him one of the best Ravel conductors, but perhaps for the time of this release it was quite a spectacle to behold.

For "Daphnis et Chloe," I still find Boulez, Martinon, Dutoit, and Tortelier hard to beat. I'm about to begin listening to Kent Nagano/LSO reading of it, so I'll save comments about this for later.


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now I'm listening to:










So far this is one of the most gorgeous modern interpretations of some of Debussy's pieces I've heard. That lush, impressionistic sound is ever present in these readings. I'm listening to "Children's Corner," which is a favorite of mine.


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem
Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus; Fischer-Dieskau, Schwartzkopf

Ok, so I lied accidentally about the du Pre/Barenboim sonatas being the best Brahms I'd ever heard... but they still come as close as anything else to this recording, which is hands-down one of the best recordings of _anything_ I own!


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem
> Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus; Fischer-Dieskau, Schwartzkopf
> 
> Ok, so I lied accidentally about the du Pre/Barenboim sonatas being the best Brahms I'd ever heard... but they still come as close as anything else to this recording, which is hands-down one of the best recordings of _anything_ I own!


That's a good recording. Have you heard the Robert Shaw/ASO version of the his Requiem? It's outstanding.

I also like the newer Simon Rattle/BPO reading of it too.


----------



## Conor71

Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet: Gergiev/Kirov Orchestra










Later Today:

Mahler - Symphony No. 8: Bernstein/LSO










Mahler - Symphony No. 9: Barbirolli/BPO


----------



## Air

Such a treat... making me feel almost guilty of neglecting Wolfgang in my pursuit of other composers.

Ok, that's it... I love Mozart again.


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> Such a treat... making me feel almost guilty of neglecting Wolfgang in my pursuit of other composers.
> 
> Ok, that's it... I love Mozart again.


Yeah, I like Mozart too, but for me, I'll always come back to his "Requiem" and I still think that's the best piece he ever wrote. I do enjoy his symphonies, concertos, and serenades pretty good though, but that "Requiem" is whole other animal altogether.


----------



## World Violist

C71 said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 8: Bernstein/LSO


Is this a reissue of the recording from his first Sony cycle?


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> I haven't listened to Munch in a while. I never really considered him one of the best Ravel conductors, but perhaps for the time of this release it was quite a spectacle to behold.
> 
> For "Daphnis et Chloe," I still find Boulez, Martinon, Dutoit, and Tortelier hard to beat. I'm about to begin listening to Kent Nagano/LSO reading of it, so I'll save comments about this for later.


i thought it was pretty good.. i also own the Boulez/BPO one though, and i agree that it is outstanding.


----------



## Conor71

World Violist said:


> Is this a reissue of the recording from his first Sony cycle?


I think so - it has the Kindertotenlieder on it too


----------



## Wernmeister

I've been listening to (and recently rediscovered ) Bach's Brandenburg Concerto's no. 1 - 6. It is a historical performance conducted by Benjamin Britten. I could not remember the orcehstra that plays the recording but I think the date of the recording is 1976. It is truely a beautiful recording that really gave me insight into responsible musical choice in terms of the prhasing and dynamics used.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Wernmeister said:


> I've been listening to (and recently rediscovered ) Bach's Brandenburg Concerto's no. 1 - 6. It is a historical performance conducted by Benjamin Britten. I could not remember the orcehstra that plays the recording but I think the date of the recording is 1976. It is truely a beautiful recording that really gave me insight into responsible musical choice in terms of the prhasing and dynamics used.


Wow, now the '70s are considered "historical"! 

I'm guessing that's Britten's very stately set of performances with the English Chamber Orchestra from the late '60s on London/Decca. They're entirely antithetical to anything we'd consider to be period-influenced, historically-informed, or whatever other label suits the modern fancy. I sometimes listen to them for a welcome change-up on music which can become overly familiar, but which almost no one doesn't like at least once in a while.

Conductor Raymond Leppard recorded them a few years later with the same band in a decidedly livelier set -- probably my overall favorite Brandenburgs on modern instruments.

FWIW, I consider anything from the pre-stereo era (roughly early '50s) to be an "historical" recording, not to be confused with historically-informed performance (HIP).

Or maybe I've misinterpreted Wernmeister's post entirely. LOL


----------



## Wernmeister

Moldyoldie said:


> FWIW, I consider anything from the pre-stereo era (roughly early '50s) to be an "historical" recording, not to be confused with historically-informed performance (HIP).
> 
> Or maybe I've misinterpreted Wernmeister's post entirely. LOL


Yes, indeed Moldyoldie. I have made a little freudian slip here. 

I leaned more to HIP than "historical". I do apologize. Thanx for showing out my error.


----------



## Mirror Image

Later:


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Later:


What do you know, I listened to Enescu's two Romanian Rhapsodies last night, though I have a Naxos recording. I have not heard any of his symphonies, though. I'd like to know what you think of his Symphony no. 2 after you've heard it, Mirror.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> What do you know, I listened to Enescu's two Romanian Rhapsodies last night, though I have a Naxos recording. I have not heard any of his symphonies, though. I'd like to know what you think of his Symphony no. 2 after you've heard it, Mirror.


I own all the Enescu by Cristian Mandeal and the "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic. This particular of Symphony No. 2 is fantastic, Tapkaara. If you haven't heard it's worth hearing. I think you'll enjoy it. It has some very beautiful slower movements that will send chills down your spine. 

The whole Enescu series on Arte Nova (BMG) is fantastic and definitely worth the $3 for apiece I paid for them.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

I've been listening to Debussy all day. ^_^ Right now I'm on La Mer.


----------



## World Violist

I listened to the first symphony a few hours ago, which I really liked. I started the fourth no too long ago, and that's very good as well. One thing that strikes me (vs. the Karajan set I got to know these symphonies by) is that everything is slightly downplayed as far as intensity goes (although the first symphony gets quite intense at some points, as does the fourth), and some of the lyrical lines sound slightly rushed (to me anyway; especially the opening of the second symphony, which I listened to for a while).

Anyway, this is a superb set so far. It is so far everything I've gotten to expect from this glorious orchestra.


----------



## handlebar

John Carpenter's "Sea Drift"

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

Enescu: Suite No. 1, Symphony No. 1 - Cristian Mandeal; "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic, Art Nova Classics


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 9: Tenndstedt/LPO


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8; Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87
Isaac Stern, violin; Leonard Rose, cello; Eugene Istomin, piano
SONY (CD #1 of 3)*
The youthful and melodic Op. 8 (actually amended by Brahms in later years) juxtaposed with the mature and expressive Op. 87 made for a very nice top o' the morning prelude to this surprisingly frosty mid-May morning in southeast Michigan. This is merely another example of why I feel Brahms is best experienced in his chamber works. The intimate mid-'60s recording is clear and vivid; however, instead of the blended sound exemplified today, Stern's violin is hard left, Rose's cello is hard right, and Isomin's piano is recessed and firmly in the middle. Still, the ensemble playing is beautifully complementary with the violin perhaps a tad prominent.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is some pretty violent music that seems to stay in one frame of mind. I'm not sure if I enjoy this yet or not.


----------



## Clancy

Today I've listened to the Karajan recordings of Brahms 1st through to 4th symphonies for the first time. I must admit I've only absorbed maybe 10-20% of what is going on (I dip in and out while doing other things), but still enjoyed them a lot. The first symphony is very striking, that first movement in particular is quite ominous at the start, but as I have listened through they seem to be getting progressively more gentle though still with moments of drama.


----------



## Cyclops

Following his second pf conc. am now playing Shostakovich's Gadfly(excerpts) while walking the dog.
Whats it like in full?


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection": Tennstedt/LPO


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> This is some pretty violent music that seems to stay in one frame of mind. I'm not sure if I enjoy this yet or not.


Very interesting. What do you mean by violent?


----------



## mbib

The Alchemist is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho, follows Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd, on a journey to fulfill his Personal Legend. It has been hailed as a modern classic.The plot is inspired from Jorge Luis Borges' short story: Tale of two dreamers.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Mahlers 3 Symphony conducted by Bernstein.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Very interesting. What do you mean by violent?


Have you heard Honegger's music, Tapkaara? If not, then let me just say this: his music is a cross between the horrors of war and an obsession with trains. I'm not even sure if this is an accurate description. Perhaps Andre can help me out on this one.


----------



## bassClef

Liszt's Symphonic Poems - I particularly like Mazeppa.


----------



## Cyclops

jezbo said:


> Liszt's Symphonic Poems - I particularly like Mazeppa.


Do you have his Faust Symphony? Its quite a work! I have it on Erato under James Conlon with the Rotterdam Philharmonic


----------



## bassClef

Cyclops said:


> Do you have his Faust Symphony? Its quite a work! I have it on Erato under James Conlon with the Rotterdam Philharmonic


Not yet!


----------



## Cyclops

jezbo said:


> Not yet!


But I suspect you will soon eh


----------



## handlebar

Billie Holiday compilation.

Jim


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Have you heard Honegger's music, Tapkaara? If not, then let me just say this: his music is a cross between the horrors of war and an obsession with trains. I'm not even sure if this is an accurate description. Perhaps Andre can help me out on this one.


I have the Naxos Honneger disc. Haven't given it a whirl in a few years. I'll do so today or this weekend.


----------



## Mirror Image

Later:

I will continue listening to the splendid Mahler Bertini cycle. This may end being my favorite Mahler:


----------



## Lisztfreak

Mirror Image said:


> Have you heard Honegger's music, Tapkaara? If not, then let me just say this: his music is a cross between the horrors of war and an obsession with trains. I'm not even sure if this is an accurate description. Perhaps Andre can help me out on this one.


Oh, but the 4th is so nice and pastoral, and the third movement reminds me of a carnival day. The 2nd's finale is also quite optimistic towards the end.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Piano Trio Hob.XV:21 in C major by Joseph Haydn. 

Wonderful sprightly music.


----------



## Mirror Image

Lisztfreak said:


> Oh, but the 4th is so nice and pastoral, and the third movement reminds me of a carnival day. The 2nd's finale is also quite optimistic towards the end.


Well this is the first time I heard Honegger and I haven't listened to the whole set yet, so I'm really just giving Tapkaara my first impressions. I'll just have to listen to him more.


----------



## Cyclops

Faure's Requiem. I have to skip the solo vocal parts as I only like singing when its choral en masse as in the Agnus Dei which is gorgeous!


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Well this is the first time I heard Honegger and I haven't listened to the whole set yet, so I'm really just giving Tapkaara my first impressions. I'll just have to listen to him more.


I listened to Pacific 231 today and the first movement of his Third Symphony ( was gonna listen to the rest but I had to leave suddenly.) Hmmm, I don;t know about Honnegger. I can of have an idea of why I've not revisited that disc in at least 2 years. His music just sort of sound uncharacteristic to me, though in all fairness, I did not finish his symphony today. I promise you I will and I'll update you on that, but I have a feeling Honnegger is not one of my favorites at this time.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> I listened to Pacific 231 today and the first movement of his Third Symphony ( was gonna listen to the rest but I had to leave suddenly.) Hmmm, I don;t know about Honnegger. I can of have an idea of why I've not revisited that disc in at least 2 years. His music just sort of sound uncharacteristic to me, though in all fairness, I did not finish his symphony today. I promise you I will and I'll update you on that, but I have a feeling Honnegger is not one of my favorites at this time.


Mine either, Tapkaara, but perhaps in time I might at least give him another try.


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Mine either, Tapkaara, but perhaps in time I might at least give him another try.


Yeah, can't put my finger on why I'm not going gaga for Honnegger. Seems like a very apt orchestrator. Perhaps I'm not hearing any originality...something that makes me say "Yes, this is Honnegger and no one else." I will listen to the rest of that symphony...


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Yeah, can't put my finger on why I'm not going gaga for Honnegger. Seems like a very apt orchestrator. Perhaps I'm not hearing any originality...something that makes me say "Yes, this is Honnegger and no one else." I will listen to the rest of that symphony...


What strikes me, or least from the 1st and 2nd symphonies, is the lack of melodic ideas. Andante movements aside, there's really not much to grab onto that catches the ear. Even Stravinsky as radical of a figure as he was wrote great melodies and his rhythms were just unbelievable.

I think I spend too much time figuring why I dislike a certain composer instead of focusing on the composer's that I do like, which really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Not anymore though, life's too short to figure out who you like and who you dislike. I live in the moment of now and take it from there, if it sounds good to me right now, then I'll keep listening, if doesn't then I'll stop listening. It's really that simple.


----------



## andruini




----------



## bassClef

Consistently good.


----------



## Cyclops

Hmmm never heard of Bantock! What era is that?


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Hmmm never heard of Bantock! What era is that?


Granville Bantock was a late-Romantic composer. He had a serious fascination with Greek mythology hence the titles of many of his compositions.


----------



## bassClef

Cyclops said:


> Hmmm never heard of Bantock! What era is that?


Neither had I til recently. He should be more well known. Sir Granville Bantock was born in London in 1868 and died in 1946. His music is in the romantic tradition I'd say.


----------



## Rachovsky

Please don't malign me.


----------



## bassClef

I listened to that Glass album the other day, just out of interest. I downloaded a copy to review, but though it wasn't unpleasant, I don't think I'll be buying the CD. I'll give it another listen or two before I delete the copy though!


----------



## Tapkaara

Rachovsky said:


> Please don't malign me.


Don't worry, I am a Glass fan too!


----------



## PartisanRanger

Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo - Prelude and Rooftop


----------



## andruini

Tapkaara said:


> Don't worry, I am a Glass fan too!


Me too, and that is such a great recording!!
The other two in the trilogy (Akhnaten & Satyagraha) are equally good, I think..


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> Me too, and that is such a great recording!!
> The other two in the trilogy (Akhnaten & Satyagraha) are equally good, I think..


There is strength in numbers. So nice to know I'm the not the only one who is without hope in this forum...!


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Zubin Mehta/Israel Philharmonic orchestra

This is another recording of some of the best Brahms I think I've ever heard. Utterly sublime.

This disc comes from a 2-disc set: a series of live performances involving the IPO and their frequent soloists in pieces of music. One of them, the last on the first disc, is alone worth every penny you might spend on the set: Halvorsen's variations on a theme by Handel, here given the best performance since Heifetz/Primrose (and, IMO, better) by Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. If you haven't heard this recording of it, you're missing something. And the Brahms, again, is extraordinary.


----------



## jhar26

Ranks with the most beautiful chamber music I know.


----------



## Tapkaara

Are you on a Brahms binge, Violist?


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Are you on a Brahms binge, Violist?


Slightly, yes. Now I'm listening to Mahler, though.


----------



## Mirror Image

I have already listened to Symphonies 2, 5, 6, and 9. This is simply an outstanding cycle. One of the most consistently good cycles I've heard. I'm listening to Symphony No. 3 right now. Absolutely gorgeous.


----------



## World Violist

Das Lied von der Erde
Reiner/CSO

An old favorite of mine. Der Abschied always gives me chills from this CD... so full of emotion.


----------



## andruini

Great recording..


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> Great recording..


One of my favorite Khachaturian recordings!!! Hard to believe it was recorded in the 60s...the sound of this disc is spectacular.

Also included is a reading of Glazunov's 4 Seasons. Unfortunately, I cannot stand Glazunov...


----------



## Mirror Image

Taking a break from the Mahler/Bertini set and now listening to this:


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Symphony No. 6: Segerstam/Danish National Symphony Orchestra










This is an excellent cycle with good performances and sound - Overall, the tempos are a bit slower than what I have been used to but it works really well especially in the 1-3 Symphonies: The 1st Symphony in particular sounds different and like it could have been composed at a later date .


----------



## jhar26




----------



## bdelykleon

jhar26 said:


>


Oh, this is a great opera, the monologues of Armide are one of the greatest achievments in Baroque opera. Curiously, it uses the same libretto as Gluck's Armida a century later, overall, I prefer Lully's.


----------



## jhar26

bdelykleon said:


> Oh, this is a great opera, the monologues of Armide are one of the greatest achievments in Baroque opera.


Yep, it was Lully and Quinault's masterpiece. Wonderful opera, I agree.


----------



## andruini

Right now:










Later:


----------



## Tapkaara

Ah, Glass's is one of my favortie violin concertos. Though I have not heard that recordings, Andruini. Have you heard the Naxos?


----------



## Clancy

Beethoven's third out of nine, it's a "try before you buy" situation so sadly I don't know who the performers are.

In hindsight that looks real dumb, as in:

Beethoven's first through to ninth symphonies. "yes, I need to try these before I buy them, maybe they aren't any good". Guys, I've made a terrible mistake. 

ps these are amazing. I recognise the odd theme from prior exposure but hearing them in context is 1000% times better.


----------



## andruini

Tapkaara said:


> Ah, Glass's is one of my favortie violin concertos. Though I have not heard that recordings, Andruini. Have you heard the Naxos?


I haven't, actually.. But I'm quite satisfied with Kremer's recording..


----------



## jhar26




----------



## World Violist

Bernstein/London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Jerry Hadley, Candide; June Anderson, Cunegonde; Adolph Green, Dr. Pangloss/Martin; Christa Ludwig, Old Lady; Nicolai Gedda, Governor/Vanderdendur/Ragotski; et al.

This is just purely delightful music. I'm already in love with it and barely into act 1.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Bernstein/London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Jerry Hadley, Candide; June Anderson, Cunegonde; Adolph Green, Dr. Pangloss/Martin; Christa Ludwig, Old Lady; Nicolai Gedda, Governor/Vanderdendur/Ragotski; et al.
> 
> This is just purely delightful music. I'm already in love with it and barely into act 1.


I wish I could share your enthusiasm for Bernstein's music, but I haven't really heard anything that stands out to me.


----------



## jhar26

Mirror Image said:


> I wish I could share your enthusiasm for Bernstein's music, but I haven't really heard anything that stands out to me.


Based on the works that I've heard I'd say that his works are not always great from start to finish but most of them have some good moments. _West Side Story_, _On the Town_ and _Chisester Psalms_ are consistently very good though. He never got _Candide_ exactly right, but there's some inspired music in there - I like it. I think Bernstein was a good composer with some great moments. If he had spend more time on composing and less on conducting maybe he could have been an even better composer


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Lemminkainen Suite: Jarvi/Gothenburg SO


----------



## World Violist

jhar26 said:


> Based on the works that I've heard I'd say that his works are not always great from start to finish but most of them have some good moments. _West Side Story_, _On the Town_ and _Chisester Psalms_ are consistently very good though. He never got _Candide_ exactly right, but there's some inspired music in there - I like it. I think Bernstein was a good composer with some great moments. If he had spend more time on composing and less on conducting maybe he could have been an even better composer


What you say reminds me of the quote regarding Wagner: Rather dull moments punctuated by some of the most brilliant quarter-hours in all music... though not that exaggerated as regards Bernstein. I think that on the whole he got _Candide_ quite dead-on, but there are a few little things that aren't so great, when it sort of falls through the musical cracks. Regardless, this CD is truly a great one; I'm glad it was my first Bernstein-the-composer CD.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> What you say reminds me of the quote regarding Wagner: Rather dull moments punctuated by some of the most brilliant quarter-hours in all music... though not that exaggerated as regards Bernstein. I think that on the whole he got _Candide_ quite dead-on, but there are a few little things that aren't so great, when it sort of falls through the musical cracks. Regardless, this CD is truly a great one; I'm glad it was my first Bernstein-the-composer CD.


I've heard most of Bernstein's output a composer. I have not, however, heard this recording, though, I'm very skeptical of pretty much all of his music now. His conducting, on the other hand, is outstanding. One of the all-time greats.


----------



## jhar26

Mirror Image said:


> I've heard most of Bernstein's output a composer. I have not, however, heard this recording, though, I'm very skeptical of pretty much all of his music now.


Most of Bernstein's best music was written for the theatre rather than the concert stage. Musical, opera (or works that hover somewhere between the two) and ballet. It was his ambition to one day compose that one piece that would make him immortal. He did with _West Side Story_ of course, but he was frustrated that it didn't happen (at least not on a comparable level) with one of his 'serious' pieces. This may explain why late in his life he made that semi-operatic recording of _West Side Story_ - which works very well in my opinion.


----------



## jhar26

World Violist said:


> I think that on the whole he got _Candide_ quite dead-on, but there are a few little things that aren't so great, when it sort of falls through the musical cracks. Regardless, this CD is truly a great one; I'm glad it was my first Bernstein-the-composer CD.


I have the cd myself and I agree that it's very good. But I should have explained myself better: _Candide_ works very well on cd, but there are so many changes of scenery involved that it's very difficult to stage. Bernstein re-wrote _Candide_ many times, and this recording is the definitive version.


----------



## Mirror Image

jhar26 said:


> Most of Bernstein's best music was written for the theatre rather than the concert stage. Musical, opera (or works that hover somewhere between the two) and ballet. It was his ambition to one day compose that one piece that would make him immortal. He did with _West Side Story_ of course, but he was frustrated that it didn't happen (at least not on a comparable level) with one of his 'serious' pieces. This may explain why late in his life he made that semi-operatic recording of _West Side Story_ - which works very well in my opinion.


I respect and admire him, but not as composer.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Conor71

Walton - Violin Concerto: Kennedy/Previn/RPO


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Aramis

Schumann piano concerto in A minor.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> Schumann piano concerto in A minor.


Please list the conductor and orchestra as well when you list what you're listening to or post a picture of the recording.


----------



## Bach

Brahms Quartets


----------



## Mirror Image

Such an amazing composer. Beautiful works in this set. I'm on disc 2 right now. Dutoit does an amazing job, but then again, he's an expert in the French repertoire. Pianist Pascal Roge also does an excellent job.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Symphony No. 1: Segerstam/Danish National Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bdelykleon

Curious opera, in most moments the simple classicism unremarkable opera, but Soler has his good moments, mostly when trying to imitate Le Nozze di figaro (a cavatina with clarinet obligato, sounds just like voi che sapete). Better than Salieri, worse than Cimarosa.


----------



## kg4fxg

Listening to Denise Djokic Six Studies in English Folk Song, for cello & piano: I. Adagio: Lovely On the Water by Williams, Ralph Vaughan (1872-1958); ENG


----------



## kg4fxg

*Anna Vinnitskaya*










Listening to Anna Vinnitskaya play Sonate N° 7 en Si Bémol Majeur Opus 83 (Precipitato) by Prokofiev, Sergei (1891-1953); RUS


----------



## kg4fxg

*Szymanowski, Karol*










I love violin and this is beautiful. Violin Sonata In D Minor, Op 9 by Szymanowski, Karol (1882-1937); POL


----------



## World Violist

Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Rostropovich; Karajan/BPO

I love this record.


----------



## World Violist

I started listening to Mahler's 1st a minute ago, but the remastering is way too sharp in the higher registers (Mitropoulos' 1940's recording from Minnesota), so I gave up.

Now I'm listening to Bernstein's LSO recording of Mahler's 8th, a much more enjoyable listening experience.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Cyclops

Now playing *Pictures at an Exhibition* by *Mussorgsky arr. Ravel* on Naxos
Anyone recommend a good piano version of this?


----------



## Tapkaara

Cyclops said:


> Now playing *Pictures at an Exhibition* by *Mussorgsky arr. Ravel* on Naxos
> Anyone recommend a good piano version of this?


Also on Naxos with Jeno Jando. I like V. Ashkenazy's interpretation of the piano version, and he's done a marvelous orchestration too, which is stiff competition for Ravel's.


----------



## Mirror Image

Later I will listen to Smetana:


----------



## Air

Bruckner Marathon 

On Disc 5: Symphony No. 8 (4. Finale. Feierlich, nicht schnell) I'm afraid this will be stuck in my head the whole night, maybe not though since there's still the 4th, 6th, 7th, and 9th to go!!!!


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Later I will listen to Smetana:


that's an amazing recording!! good pick..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> that's an amazing recording!! good pick..


Ah, another Smetana fan. That's very good. We seem to be low in numbers around here. 

Yes, this 2-CD set is amazing. Kubelik is the ultimate Smetana interpreter no question about it.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Ah, another Smetana fan. That's very good. We seem to be low in numbers around here.


Hard to see why, though! Such an amazing composer.. Have you heard his Piano Trio in G minor?? It's one of my favorite pieces by him.. So emotional and passionate.. 
Here's the first movement:
Clicky!


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Hard to see why, though! Such an amazing composer.. Have you heard his Piano Trio in G minor?? It's one of my favorite pieces by him.. So emotional and passionate..
> Here's the first movement:
> Clicky!


That's a pretty nice piece, but I wouldn't rate it as something I would listen to very much. I'm not much into the chamber works of composers unless it's with a larger ensemble like a sextet, septet, octet, nonet, etc. I like a full sound, but I will see if I can find some good performances of some of his chamber works.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Finlandia, Karelia Suite, Lemminkainen Suite
Petri Sakari/Iceland SO

This is a truly splendid disc. The orchestra, while not note-perfect, brings off a sense of total involvement in the music. The Swan of Tuonela is absolutely spellbinding, Finlandia actually thrilling.


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> Ah, another Smetana fan. That's very good. We seem to be low in numbers around here.


Ah no I too have Ma Vlast under Kubelik with the Vienna Phil. Took me a while to find this specific version. An older recording on Philips but very good!


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Ah no I too have Ma Vlast under Kubelik with the Vienna Phil. Took me a while to find this specific version. An older recording on Philips but very good!


You need this one Cyclops:










Be sure to get this specific release and not any other one. This one has been remastered.

I've been looking at this one for a while, but it's still way too expensive:


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> You need this one Cyclops:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Be sure to get this specific release and not any other one. This one has been remastered.
> 
> I've been looking at this one for a while, but it's still way too expensive:


No the one I have is fine. And I'm sure the sleeve has that photo of the conductor inside. I don't want multiple editions of the same piece of music. I have neither the time the space or the money for that kind of opulence.


----------



## Cyclops

Copland,Fanfare for the Common Man,Mexico City SO/Batiz followed by Appalachian Spring under Slatkin


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> No the one I have is fine. And I'm sure the sleeve has that photo of the conductor inside. I don't want multiple editions of the same piece of music. I have neither the time the space or the money for that kind of opulence.


Okay did I miss something?  I was just making a suggestion. No need to get bent out of shape.


----------



## pokemonman

Jupiter by Gustav Holst, 2nd Mvmt. of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, 1st Mvmt. of Holst's Moorside Suite, Farandole from L'arlesienne Suite by Georges Bizet.


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> No the one I have is fine. And I'm sure the sleeve has that photo of the conductor inside.


Nope, it's not the same version. The version on Deutsche Grammophon I have pictured is with the Boston Symphony Orchestra while the one with him on front is with the Czech Philharmonic on the Supraphon label, so you're wrong.


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:










I will begin on Mozart symphonies next with Bohm/BPO:


----------



## sam richards

Listening to this now.









Afterwards I'll listen my eternal favourite bach. This is a great recording imo.


----------



## handlebar

Bantock's Hebredean Symphony

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> Bantock's Hebredean Symphony
> 
> Jim


By Vernon Handley?


----------



## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


> By Vernon Handley?


Indeed!!!!

Jim


----------



## handlebar

No listening to Hamilton Harty's Piano concerto on Chandos.

Jim


----------



## Cyclops

Copland,Scenes from Rodeo,St Louis Phil/Slatkin then El Salon Mexico.
Not overly impressed with Copland so far other than his Fanfare. His music seems ok but very much all over the place with the occasional pleasant theme here and there. But it all sounds like film music to me. Like I should be watching a Western.
I have his second symphony to listen to maybe tomorrow(the time that I get to listen to music is very rare and usually when walking the dog with my MP3 player)


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Copland,Scenes from Rodeo,St Louis Phil/Slatkin then El Salon Mexico.
> Not overly impressed with Copland so far other than his Fanfare. His music seems ok but very much all over the place with the occasional pleasant theme here and there. But it all sounds like film music to me. Like I should be watching a Western.
> I have his second symphony to listen to maybe tomorrow(the time that I get to listen to music is very rare and usually when walking the dog with my MP3 player)


You never did explain to me why you lashed out at me the other day?


----------



## andruini

great stuff..


----------



## Tapkaara

What is the Hindemith Organ Concerto like?


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini

Tapkaara said:


> What is the Hindemith Organ Concerto like?


Since I suck at describing music, I'll just say it's pretty great, and that you should check it out.


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> You never did explain to me why you lashed out at me the other day?


Err I don't remember lashing out at you,i don't even know you and am not in the habit of lashing out at people. You must be mistaken


----------



## Cyclops

Copland, Symphony number 3,Eduardo Mata,Dallas SO 
To be honestt there doesn't seen anything memorable here


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Copland, Symphony number 3,Eduardo Mata,Dallas SO
> To be honestt there doesn't seen anything memorable here


Unfortunately, Copland's symphonies aren't that good. I much prefer him in "Billy the Kid," "Red Pony Suite," "Our Town," "Appalachian Spring," "Concerto For Clarinet," "Three Latin American Sketches," and "Preamble For A Solemn Occasion." There are, at least, in my opinion, the compositions that stand-out to me.


----------



## Mirror Image

I love Janacek. Such an outstanding composer, then again I love Czech composers anyway.


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> Unfortunately, Copland's symphonies aren't that good. I much prefer him in "Billy the Kid," "Red Pony Suite," "Our Town," "Appalachian Spring," "Concerto For Clarinet," "Three Latin American Sketches," and "Preamble For A Solemn Occasion." There are, at least, in my opinion, the compositions that stand-out to me.


I have heard his Appalachian Spring. Not much to write home about really. By the way I sent you a visitor message,not sure if it worked.


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> I have heard his Appalachian Spring. Not much to write home about really. By the way I sent you a visitor message,not sure if it worked.


Yes, I got your message and sent you one back.

I don't think Copland's for you it seems, but that's okay, no composer is for everybody, but I would give him a chance to grow on you.

I actually liked Copland the first time I heard him. He's an American composer with a very individual style. Before him there weren't too many American composers that had a distinctive sound. What's fascinating about Copland was you could hear a Stravinsky influence, but he somehow blended that influence into something truly American. You can hear the plains of Nebraska, the Colorado River, an Arizonan desert, etc. in his music. He's fantastic and his music means a lot to me despite what people say about him.

This is not a criticism on you, but you seem to be a very dismissive person. You hear something and go "Oh I don't like that" or "It doesn't do much for me," but what I don't hear from you is anything that remotely resembles something of positivity.

I think you should be a little more open-minded towards music.


----------



## World Violist

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Leonard Bernstein/Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

It's ok, I don't see it as extraordinarily special though. Some parts really tickle the ear, though...


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
> Leonard Bernstein/Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> It's ok, I don't see it as extraordinarily special though. Some parts really tickle the ear, though...


Yeah, that wasn't that great of a performance. The one with the NYPO on Sony was a lot better. There are several things Bernstein does well, unfortunately I don't care much for his Stravinsky.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Yeah, that wasn't that great of a performance. The one with the NYPO on Sony was a lot better. There are several things Bernstein does well, unfortunately I don't care much for his Stravinsky.


I've heard wonderful things about his New York Rite of Spring; it's said to be one of the best ever recorded. Sadly, the cheapest CD of it I can find is for something insane like $80... and I make the distinction of "CD" because there is a record of the same thing on Amazon--for only about $20. Sony definitely should have released that one instead of the LSO one for their "Bernstein Century" project...


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> I've heard wonderful things about his New York Rite of Spring; it's said to be one of the best ever recorded. Sadly, the cheapest CD of it I can find is for something insane like $80... and I make the distinction of "CD" because there is a record of the same thing on Amazon--for only about $20. Sony definitely should have released that one instead of the LSO one for their "Bernstein Century" project...


I'm sorry WV I was actually referring to the LSO version, not the NYPO. Sorry about that. I haven't heard the NYPO version, but I just looked it up and it's outrageously expensive!


----------



## petrushka1611

Yes, on vinyl. FR-2/FR-2 pressing. :-D

Finding TAS list records at thrift stores doesn't happen that often.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## bassClef

World Violist said:


> I've heard wonderful things about his New York Rite of Spring; it's said to be one of the best ever recorded. Sadly, the cheapest CD of it I can find is for something insane like $80... and I make the distinction of "CD" because there is a record of the same thing on Amazon--for only about $20. Sony definitely should have released that one instead of the LSO one for their "Bernstein Century" project...


As a Rite enthusiast I had to get this rendition for my collection, I could only get it as part of a Bernstein box set (which I got on ebay for around £30 I think), but it was well worth it. This 1958 recording is well up there with the best in terms of visceral excitement, though not a clear leader as some reviews will claim.


----------



## Conor71

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 5: Haitink/LPO


----------



## handlebar

The best of Ella Fitzgerald.

Jim


----------



## Cyclops

Now playing Symphony no. 2 Romantic by Hanson,a composer I'd not heard of before. It accompanies the Copland disks I've been playing. 
This music starts with a gentle but brooding tone. It reminds me of Holst-seems very•••accessible! Now i need to find out about Hanson!


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:










Later on...

For a third time now:










This weekend's menu:


----------



## World Violist

Cyclops said:


> Now playing Symphony no. 2 Romantic by Hanson,a composer I'd not heard of before. It accompanies the Copland disks I've been playing.
> This music starts with a gentle but brooding tone. It reminds me of Holst-seems very•••accessible! Now i need to find out about Hanson!


The motivic evolution is very much like Sibelius in a way. Though not quite like Sibelius, of course.

I got to play in this a bit more than a year ago. An overwhelming experience, even though our winds were sub-par (which just can't be in this piece, really).


----------



## Cyclops

World Violist said:


> The motivic evolution is very much like Sibelius in a way. Though not quite like Sibelius, of course.
> 
> I got to play in this a bit more than a year ago. An overwhelming experience, even though our winds were sub-par (which just can't be in this piece, really).


Hmmm yes,i looked him up in my music dictionary. He is known as the American Sibelius. I wonder if people just jump on that and say Yea,he's like Sibelius etc. I don't know about his other music but this Symphony sounds,how shall I say,less Sibelius but more Holst/Addinsall/Delius. There is definitely a English feel about it but not in the same way as Elgar. Not so cliched if that makes sense. Maybe Vaughan Williams? I'm just talking about this Symphony not Hanson in general. I'd like to hear more Hanson,oh and also more VW now I mentioned him. I can't believe I'm still not familiar with VW other than A Lark Ascending!


----------



## Cyclops

Haydn,String Quartet op 42,the Lindsays,on Sky Arts 2(keep forgetting we now have that channel)
Very nice it is too!


----------



## Cyclops

Vivaldi,The Four Seasons,the Academy of St Martin's in the Field,Julia Fischer, on Sky Arts 2
I put music on and my 3 year old son takes a nap on the couch,I'll take that as approval! Poor mite has chicken pox and its very hot today.


----------



## World Violist

Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 5 & 9
Bernard Haitink/Concertgebouw (for 5), LPO (for 9)


----------



## Cyclops

World Violist said:


> Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 5 & 9
> Bernard Haitink/Concertgebouw (for 5), LPO (for 9)


Oh i must listen to more Shostakovich symphonies!


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 5 & 9
> Bernard Haitink/Concertgebouw (for 5), LPO (for 9)


WV, if you don't own the Haitink Shostakovich cycle on Decca, then I can highly recommend it. It's very good. Mariss Jansons also did a great cycle on EMI with various orchestras.


----------



## World Violist

I'm going to listen to some Mahler now... Das Lied von der Erde (Reiner/Chicago) and the ninth symphony (Walter/Columbia). Been a while since I've listened to that last one!


----------



## Mirror Image

Chausson: Symphony in B flat; La Tempete; Viviane; etc., Yan Pascal Tortelier; BBC Philharmonic:










Absolutely beautiful music!


----------



## Tapkaara

Beethoven Symphony no. 3 - Muti/Philadelphia


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Beethoven Symphony no. 3 - Muti/Philadelphia


How is that Muti set, Tapkaara? I have been looking at that one for a while. Not like I need another Beethoven set (I already own 3 - Abbado, Bernstein, Zinman), but I just thought I would ask.


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> How is that Muti set, Tapkaara? I have been looking at that one for a while. Not like I need another Beethoven set (I already own 3 - Abbado, Bernstein, Zinman), but I just thought I would ask.


I think it's good, at least what I have heard of it! I only have symphonies 3 and 9. Both are excellent, in my estimation, though neither are the final word on either of these works. But with Beethoven, there is just so much to choose from.

My fave Beethoven in Berlin/Cluytens. This is a set from the 1950, but the stereo sound is incredible, though there is a wee bit of tape hiss. Cluyten's 5th has never been bettered.

By the way, check out one of my favorite 9ths: Tennstedt/LSO on BBC. Live recording from the 80s in the Albert Hall. The acoustics sometimes do weird things with the score, but Tennstedt's unbridled passion is much akin to Furtwangler.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> I think it's good, at least what I have heard of it! I only have symphonies 3 and 9. Both are excellent, in my estimation, though neither are the final word on either of these works. But with Beethoven, there is just so much to choose from.
> 
> My fave Beethoven in Berlin/Cluytens. This is a set from the 1950, but the stereo sound is incredible, though there is a wee bit of tape hiss. Cluyten's 5th has never been bettered.
> 
> By the way, check out one of my favorite 9ths: Tennstedt/LSO on BBC. Live recording from the 80s in the Albert Hall. The acoustics sometimes do weird things with the score, but Tennstedt's unbridled passion is much akin to Furtwangler.


I have heard good things about that French Beethoven cycle (Cluytens). It's actually apart of a 33 CD set I was looking at on EMI.

I love Tennstedt, so it's only a matter of time before I check his stuff out.

Have you heard the Abbado live account on Deutsche Grammophon? These are some outstanding readings.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Have you heard the Abbado live account on Deutsche Grammophon? These are some outstanding readings.


I can agree to that! I especially love his performance of the 7th.

Right now listening to:









On Disc 3 now, which is the Barcarolles and Impromptus..
Some of my favorite piano music ever..


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> I have heard good things about that French Beethoven cycle (Cluytens). It's actually apart of a 33 CD set I was looking at on EMI.
> 
> I love Tennstedt, so it's only a matter of time before I check his stuff out.
> 
> Have you heard the Abbado live account on Deutsche Grammophon? These are some outstanding readings.


Yeah, the Cluytens in great. If I could pick any music that defines "joie de vivre," it's Cluytens's Beethoven.

Have not heard the live Abbado on DG. Sounds like good stuff!


----------



## Mirror Image

Langgaard was such an interesting composer. Very different than any of other Nordic composers. I own the whole box set by Dausgaard and the DNSO, but I'm listening to this one right now:


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> Langgaard was such an interesting composer. Very different than any of other Nordic composers. I own the whole box set by Dausgaard and the DNSO, but I'm listening to this one right now:


Another I've not heard of! Contemporary of Nielsen?


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 6: Karajan/BPO


----------



## Cyclops

On TV as I come home,Grieg, Piano Concerto,Artur Rubinstein conducted by Previn.


----------



## Cyclops

Handel,Water Music followed by Water for Fireworks,recorded in the gardens of Cesky Krumlov Castle


----------



## World Violist

Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies
Kurt Sanderling/Philharmonia


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Another I've not heard of! Contemporary of Nielsen?


I wouldn't call him a contemporary of Nielsen, because for one thing Nielsen was a good bit older than Langgaard. They both knew each other though, but Langgaard was actually quite envious of Nielsen, because he had achieved much success in and outside of Denmark, while Langgaard was basically labeled as an outsider in his own country.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Bach




----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> I wouldn't call him a contemporary of Nielsen, because for one thing Nielsen was a good bit older than Langgaard. They both knew each other though, but Langgaard was actually quite envious of Nielsen, because he had achieved much success in and outside of Denmark, while Langgaard was basically labeled as an outsider in his own country.


Ah but they knew each other so were fairly contemporanious. Not like say Mozart and Tchaikovsky who were more than just worlds apart


----------



## bassClef

Cyclops said:


> Handel,Water Music followed by Water for Fireworks,recorded in the gardens of Cesky Krumlov Castle


Been there! Beautiful place...


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Ah but they knew each other so were fairly contemporanious. Not like say Mozart and Tchaikovsky who were more than just worlds apart


Yes, in theory they were contemporaries, but Langgaard's mind, or at least in the articles that I have read, he didn't like Nielsen at all, so in respect to Langgaard, they weren't anything.

As I said, Nielsen was some 30 years older than Langgaard, so they were hardly contemporaries of each other. Nielsen was already a prolific composer by the time Langgaard really started composing anything.


----------



## Bach




----------



## Cyclops

jezbo said:


> Been there! Beautiful place...


Lucky. I've never been abroad but somewhere like that,somewhere with culture and history. That'd do


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Mitropoulos/WDR Sinfonieorchester


----------



## Bach




----------



## Cyclops

Shostakovich sym 10,Ormandy,Philadelphia Orchestra


----------



## Cyclops

Well I just switched to the radio on my MP3 player and caught the end of something amazing on Radio 3. Turned out to be Tabula Rasa by Arvo Paart!(did I spell that right?) I have to find the rest of it!


----------



## Clancy

I believe it's Pärt, I must admit I have only heard of the guy not heard his stuff - very modern, right?

Today I've listened to:
Shostakovich - string quartets 3,7 & 8
Claude Debussy - string quartet in g minor
Beethoven - Symphonies 1-5

And some non-classical including a Mr. Scruff compilation album (perfect sunny day listening, a mixture of soul and laid-back jazz), and some melancholy slow metal by a band called Against Nature, great late night listening.


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Das Lied Von Der Erde: Klemperer


----------



## Tapkaara

Today, Beethoven's 5th and now taking in Bruckner's 9th.


----------



## bdelykleon

Schubert
Ninth Symphony "Great"

Wiener Philharmoniker Ochester
Karl Böhm

I love so much this symphony.


----------



## Cyclops

Clancy said:


> I believe it's Pärt, I must admit I have only heard of the guy not heard his stuff - very modern, right?


Yes modern and i don't normally like modern orchestral music(avoiding saying modern classical here)
I find most modern works very atonal but this I like.


----------



## Cyclops

Just heard something on radio 3 i liked but caught it part way thru so had no idea what it was. Then it finished and the announcer told me it was Bach violin Concerto in A. Didn't catch the BWV number but I did enjoy it! Menuin playing too!
Am now putting on a CD while doing the dishes. Its a BBC Music magazine disk of Renaissance choral music including Allegri's Miserere which I've never heard. Also Byrd and Palustrina's Gloria.


----------



## bdelykleon

RVW Symphony no 6 with Colin Davis in some Proms. Good music, but nothing extraordinary. I wouldn't drive 20 miles to hear RVW.


----------



## Cyclops

bdelykleon said:


> I wouldn't drive 20 miles to hear RVW.


Me neither,but only because I can't drive•••


----------



## Cyclops

Wagner,Siegfried Idyll


----------



## World Violist

The Sibelius Edition, part 1: The Tone Poems
Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi/Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Cyclops

Mozart,the last 5 symphonies,Academy of St Martin's in the Fields,Marriner,on Philips Duo. The only bugbear with this set,which I got from ebay last year, is that number 39 is split between the two CDs.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## World Violist

Ravi Shankar: India's Master Musician

I still plan to get more of this guy's CD's. I like it quite a bit.


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


>


Suk,another of those composers I want to discover. I'm sure I've heard Asrael before. 
Off topic here, but I also remember a recording of Schubert's Trout quintet that I had on tape years ago performed by the Suk Trio.


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Suk,another of those composers I want to discover. I'm sure I've heard Asrael before.
> Off topic here, but I also remember a recording of Schubert's Trout quintet that I had on tape years ago performed by the Suk Trio.


If you like Mahler, then you will like Suk. He's definitely got a very bipolar type of approach to composition, but he composed beautiful, emotional music of the heart.

If you buy any Suk, buy the 4-CD set I pictured above.


----------



## World Violist

Josef Suk is one of those composers that was overshadowed by someone else (*cough* Dvorak *cough*), very unjustly. I had the privilege of playing his string serenade last year; it was one of the highlights of my musical career so far (although we did play the Dvorak serenade in its entirety this year...). Truly a masterful composer.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Josef Suk is one of those composers that was overshadowed by someone else (*cough* Dvorak *cough*), very unjustly. I had the privilege of playing his string serenade last year; it was one of the highlights of my musical career so far (although we did play the Dvorak serenade in its entirety this year...). Truly a masterful composer.


His Asrael Symphony is a masterpiece. Have you heard this piece, WV?

This piece is so dark. It deals with the emotional turmoil he was experiencing after he lost his father-in-law, Dvorak and his wife (Dvorak's daughter) many months later.

It has a very grim feel throughout it, but it's beautiful music, which finally ends in a major tonality.

If you enjoy Mahler, WV, which I know you do, then you will enjoy Suk's music very much.


----------



## bdelykleon

The discussion on the other thread made me listen to Wagner's gem. The second act is such a beautiful compositon of counterpoint, harmony, humour (Beckmesser's song) and one of Wagners most beautiful tunes, the shoe maker song.

O ho! Tralalei! Tralalei! O he!


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> If you like Mahler, then you will like Suk. He's definitely got a very bipolar type of approach to composition, but he composed beautiful, emotional music of the heart.
> 
> If you buy any Suk, buy the 4-CD set I pictured above.


Hmmm Mahler. The only work of his I have is the 5th Symphony with its famous slow movement. But i hear a lot of his symphonies have strong vocal solo performances which tends to put me off.


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> His Asrael Symphony•••
> 
> This piece is so dark. It deals with the emotional turmoil he was experiencing after he lost his father-in-law, Dvorak and his wife (Dvorak's daughter) many months later.
> 
> It has a very grim feel throughout it, but it's beautiful music, which finally ends in a major tonality.


I like the sound of that!


----------



## Conor71

Vaughan Williams - Job: Boult/LPO


----------



## bassClef

This has to qualify as one of the cheesiest classical music covers ever, but the music is really rather good:


----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> If you like Mahler, then you will like Suk. He's definitely got a very bipolar type of approach to composition, but he composed beautiful, emotional music of the heart.
> 
> If you buy any Suk, buy the 4-CD set I pictured above.


I want to hear this one, it's also supposed to be very good:


----------



## Bach

Cyclops said:


> Hmmm Mahler. The only work of his I have is the 5th Symphony with its famous slow movement. But i hear a lot of his symphonies have strong vocal solo performances which tends to put me off.


Only the second and eighth have any vocals at all.. you're safe with the other eight..


----------



## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> Only the second and eighth have any vocals at all.. you're safe with the other eight..


Actually, the 3rd has vocals too. You sure you've heard all of Mahler's symphonies.


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> I want to hear this one, it's also supposed to be very good:


It's supposed to be good, but the set I own are "the recordings" to buy first.


----------



## Bach

Mirror Image said:


> Actually, the 3rd has vocals too. You sure you've heard all of Mahler's symphonies.


Actually, I haven't heard the third


----------



## andruini




----------



## bdelykleon

Bach said:


> Only the second and eighth have any vocals at all.. you're safe with the other eight..


The fourth symphony also has vocal parts, Bach...


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> The fourth symphony also has vocal parts, Bach...


That's right! It does. It has has a soprano solo.

Well Bach has said he heard all of Mahler's symphonies, but now we know the truth.


----------



## Herzeleide

bdelykleon said:


> The fourth symphony also has vocal parts, Bach...


Indeed! Or rather just one - soprano solo. (If I remember correctly).

I love Mahler 3.


----------



## Bach

I've heard them all.. I don't own them all..

I do own the 4th however, so I should have known that.. but I tend to only listen to the first movement.


----------



## bdelykleon

Herzeleide said:


> Indeed! Or rather just one - soprano solo. (If I remember correctly).
> 
> I love Mahler 3.


yes the last movement in a setting of some part of the Zarathustra.

Mahler 3 is very good, but that first movement is just toooo long and a little over rhapsodic. Mahler 2 and 9 stand to me as the greatest post-Brahms symphonies.


----------



## Cyclops

Bach said:


> Only the second and eighth have any vocals at all.. you're safe with the other eight..


I do want to hear more. I just never get the chance and our lending library is useless. The one in town is better but its finding the time to get there


----------



## Herzeleide

bdelykleon said:


> yes the last movement in a setting of some part of the Zarathustra.
> 
> Mahler 3 is very good, but that first movement is just toooo long and a little over rhapsodic. Mahler 2 and 9 stand to me as the greatest post-Brahms symphonies.


I find the first movement of Mahler 2 overlong (though I find the first movement of Mahler 3 absolutely fine). 

I much prefer 3 to 2.


----------



## bdelykleon

Herzeleide said:


> I find the first movement of Mahler 2 overlong (though I find the first movement of Mahler 3 absolutely fine).
> 
> I much prefer 3 to 2.


I have a curious case about Mahler 2. Last year our orchestra was playing the symphony and at a tutti with a cadence a lady seemingly struggling with Mahler asked me "Is the symphony over?" and I hat to tell her there were about an hour to go... But I love all movements of the second, and I do think the first movement o fthe second only an expanded sonata form, I never loose myself in it.

Now listening to the greatest opera of the XIX century:










Mussorgsky was the first modern composer.


----------



## Herzeleide

bdelykleon said:


> Mussorgsky was the first modern composer.


I say Liszt.


----------



## Tapkaara

Turandot Suite by Feruccio Busoni. Hong Kong Phil conducted by Samuel Wong.


----------



## andruini




----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> It's supposed to be good, but the set I own are "the recordings" to buy first.


Well it depends what you read.


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Well it depends what you read.


No. it depends on what you hear and I heard the best and it's the box set I own.


----------



## Bach

Herzeleide said:


> I say Liszt.


I say Debussy.


----------



## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> I've heard them all.. I don't own them all..
> 
> I do own the 4th however, so I should have known that.. but I tend to only listen to the first movement.


If you would have heard them, then you wouldn't have excluded the 3rd and 4th, which both contain vocals.


----------



## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> I've heard them all.. I don't own them all..
> 
> I do own the 4th however, so I should have known that.. but I tend to only listen to the first movement.


Listening to the first movement doesn't constitute as "hearing" a piece of music. You must hear it in it's entirety before you can make a decent judgement.


----------



## Bach

I've heard the whole thing in my time - just not frequently.


----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> No. it depends on what you hear and I heard the best and it's the box set I own.


Yes, but a few days ago you said this was your first and only Suk set.


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Yes, but a few days ago you said this was your first and only Suk set.


This is set blows them all away I guarantee you.

Libor Pesek, Neumann, and the Czech Philharmonic need I say more?


----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> Yes, I did, but it's the best one available I guarantee you. Go ahead and find me a 4-CD set of Suk with Neaumann/Pesek with the Czech Philharmonic.
> 
> This is set blows them all away I guarantee you.


Hmm, I don't think you can guarantee it's the best when it's the only one you've heard! I'll take your word for it that it's very good, I'd like this set myself. It should be easy to find here in Prague!

By the way, I'm sure I've seen that statue on the cover somewhere here ... does it say what/where it is in the liner notes?


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Hmm, I don't think you can guarantee it's the best when it's the only one you've heard! I'll take your word for it that it's very good, I'd like this set myself. It should be easy to find here in Prague!
> 
> By the way, I'm sure I've seen that statue on the cover somewhere here ... does it say what/where it is in the liner notes?


It has to be the best considering it's the only 4-CD set available of Suk's music! Come on, it's Neumann, Pesek with the Czech Philharmonic. It doesn't get any better than that!

I'm not sure what that statue is I'll have to look at the liner notes. I'll get back with you.


----------



## bassClef

OK it's the one set with the best overall Suk selection available, granted, I was concentrating on Asrael I suppose. The one I posted is just a 2-CD set but also with the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Jiri Belohlavek, who (and I quote) "provides a richly textured reading of the symphony with the Czech Philharmonic on remarkable form. The depth of Belohlavek's insight into the work is clear from his sensitive treatment of the numerous recurrent themes that give the symphony its epic qualities and, in the finale, deliver a strong sense of catharsis." (Jan Smaczny, a renowned expert on Czech music, who rates this the best available). So I still have to believe this is the finest reading of Asrael in particular, but until I hear both I can't say whether it's true!


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> OK it's the one set with the best Suk selection available, granted, I was concentrating on Asrael I suppose. The one I posted is just a 2-CD set but also with the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Jiri Belohlavek, who (and I quote) "provides a richly textured reading of the symphony with the Czech Philharmonic on remarkable form. The depth of Belohlavek's insight into the work is clear from his sensitive treatment of the numerous recurrent themes that give the symphony its epic qualities and, in the finale, deliver a strong sense of catharsis." (Jan Smaczny, a renowned expert on Czech music). So I still have to believe this is the best reading of Asrael in particular, but until I hear both I can't say whether it's true!


Neumann and Pesek aren't exactly push-overs. They have done a lot more recordings than Belohlavek.

Not only that, but Pesek is a specialist in Suk's music having performed with Czech Philharmonic and having done many more recordings with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on Virgin Classics, which are strangely out-of-print now.

There is much more to Suk than the Asrael Symphony. You should hear "The Ripening," "Fairy Tale," Summer Tale," and "Epilogue."


----------



## Herzeleide

Bach said:


> I say Debussy.


Why, because Boulez does?


----------



## Cyclops

Faure's Requiem,Choir of Trinity College,Hong Kong Phil,David Atherton. 
Haunting!


----------



## Lisztfreak

''Young Apollo'' by Benjamin Britten. It feels unfinished so it was withdrawn with a reason, but it is nonetheless one of the most youthful and luminous pieces I've heard in a while. 

What a brilliant, resplendent texture! It makes me want to write a Concerto for Piano Quintet and Orchestra.


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini




----------



## bdelykleon

Herzeleide said:


> I say Liszt.


Hm, I'm not quite a Liszt fan, the only work I can mention I really like is the B minor sonata. But if I'm not mistaken, Liszt follows the Germanic tradition of increased chromaticism and loss of the tonal center, but that would make operas of R. Strauss like Elektra and Die Frau ohne Schatten modern music which I don't think they are. Mussorgsky comes with a completely new idea of non functional harmony (the Coronation Scene, the sunless song cycle, etc), quartal harmony and extensive modality which make him the predecessor of Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, all them admired the Russian.

But I don't know very his later works, perhaps there we can find something modern.

EDIT: Listening to the Bagatelle sans tonalité, Ok THAT is a road to modern music...


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Hm, I'm not quite a Liszt fan.


Are there any composers you're actually a fan of? I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything I'm just curious.


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> Are there any composers you're actually a fan of? I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything I'm just curious.


I'm actually incredibly ecletic: Machaut, Desprez, Dufay, Palestrina, Byrd, Gibbons, Dowland, Janequin, Gesualdo, da Rore, di Lasso, Weelkes, Monteverdi, Biber, Purcell, A. Scarlatti, D. Scarlatti, Cavalli, Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, CPE Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Rossini, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Wagner, Verdi, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Bartók, Janácek, Martinu, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Villa-Lobos, Messiaen, Britten, Ligeti, Schnittke, Boulez and several others I just forgot to mention. I like even medieval plainchant.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> I'm actually incredibly ecletic: Machaut, Desprez, Dufay, Palestrina, Byrd, Gibbons, Dowland, Janequin, Gesualdo, da Rore, di Lasso, Weelkes, Monteverdi, Biber, Purcell, A. Scarlatti, D. Scarlatti, Cavalli, Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, CPE Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Rossini, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Wagner, Verdi, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Bartók, Janácek, Martinu, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Villa-Lobos, Messiaen, Britten, Ligeti, Schnittke, Boulez and several others I just forgot to mention. I like even medieval plainchant.


No Ravel, Hindemith, Smetana, Sibelius, Elgar, Brahms, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Bruckner...?


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> No Ravel, Hindemith, Smetana, Sibelius, Elgar, Brahms, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov?


ooops, I knew I would forget someone, Brahms is one of my most, adored composers. I also like Smetana (and Dvorak, and Fibich and several other Czech composers). The others I don't like that much, but some work or two of them I listen often (the 1st cello concerto of DSCH, The Golden Cockerel, something of Ravel).

Just adding: Rameau, Couperin, Sweelinck, Buxtehude, Duarte Lobo, Manuel Cardoso (those two form the portuguese school of music, a remarkably conservative and beautiful school of renaissance)...


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini




----------



## livemylife




----------



## Cyclops

Beethoven. Piano sonata no 29,Hammerklavier and other pf sons,Daniel Barenboim,Sky Arts 2


----------



## Cyclops

Inspired by that performance on TV I'm now playing Beethoven,Piano Sonatas nos. 15,19,30 and 32. Annie Fischer on Carlton Classics-BBC Radio Classics (can't do the fancy picture deal from my phone)


----------



## Cyclops

Beethoven, Piano concerto 3,Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana,Anton Nanut, Dubravka Tomsic


----------



## bassClef

Shostakovich 11th Symphony - Rostropovich/LSO


----------



## Herzeleide

bdelykleon said:


> But if I'm not mistaken, Liszt follows the Germanic tradition of increased chromaticism and loss of the tonal center, but that would make operas of R. Strauss like Elektra and Die Frau ohne Schatten modern music which I don't think they are. Mussorgsky comes with a completely new idea of non functional harmony (the Coronation Scene, the sunless song cycle, etc), quartal harmony and extensive modality which make him the predecessor of Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, all them admired the Russian.


Actually, Liszt, probably the most cosmopolitan composer of the nineteenth century, was not only part of the German tradition, but also the French, and he was greatly admired by the Russians, precisely because of his experiments with nonfunctional harmony, exotic modes etc.

Both Ravel and Stravinsky admired Liszt (not to mention Bartók). Debussy was rather more ambivalent, though he was the only one ever to meet Liszt, and some of Liszt's piano music had an obvious influence on Debussy.

Liszt's _Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude_ features consecutive dominant sevenths - very much a Debussyan idea, passages which alternate between added ninth and thirteenth chords which sound like Satie, a recurring pentatonicism, and many other features that we would later identify as hallmarks of Mussorgsky's or Ravel's style. The large scale structure is also based on descending major thirds (rather than the old Schenkerian I-V-I) though this idea finds its way at a contextual level too, with notable and very beautiful use of the flattened major submediant.


----------



## bdelykleon

Herzeleide said:


> Actually, Liszt, probably the most cosmopolitan composer of the nineteenth century, was not only part of the German tradition, but also the French, and he was greatly admired by the Russians, precisely because of his experiments with nonfunctional harmony, exotic modes etc.
> 
> Both Ravel and Stravinsky admired Liszt (not to mention Bartók). Debussy was rather more ambivalent, though he was the only one ever to meet Liszt, and some of Liszt's piano music had an obvious influence on Debussy.
> 
> Liszt's _Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude_ features consecutive dominant sevenths - very much a Debussyan idea, passages which alternate between added ninth and thirteenth chords which sound like Satie, a recurring pentatonicism, and many other features that we would later identify as hallmarks of Mussorgsky's or Ravel's style. The large scale structure is also based on descending major thirds (rather than the old Schenkerian I-V-I) though this idea finds its way at a contextual level too, with notable and very beautiful use of the flattened major submediant.


Hm, good to know, my knwoledge of Liszt is also very limited. I listened to some of his most famous works, like the hungarian rhapsodies, the symphonic poems, and that ultra-virtuoso stuff which make the bulk of lisztean recital repertoire, and all of it is not to my taste. I'll start to listen to his less played works like the ones you mentioned.


----------



## Bach

Herzeleide said:


> Why, because Boulez does?


He's more likely to know than me!


----------



## andruini




----------



## Tapkaara

Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony - Petrenko/Royal Liverpool


----------



## Mirror Image

This is an incredible recording. Rattle's interpretation of the 10th is outstanding. This is also a very good reading of Britten's "Sinfonia de Requiem."


----------



## bassClef

OK I'm trying Berg's Wozzeck, since I keep reading about how important and influentual it was - I do find it hard going though!


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> OK I'm trying Berg's Wozzeck, since I keep reading about how important and influentual it was - I do find it hard going though!


Of course it is hard to follow, it is completely atonal.


----------



## Bach

It's not actually - it's quite Mahlerian.


----------



## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> It's not actually - it's quite Mahlerian.


Perhaps in the emotional content it is, but the music itself is serialism, which I personally hate.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Cyclops

Now lets see if I can get this to work from my phone.
Quite possibly my favourite Symphony of all


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Now lets see if I can get this to work from my phone.
> Quite possibly my favourite Symphony of all


Good symphony, good performance, good orchestra, good conductor. You can't go wrong with Jansons. Of all the recordings I have of Jansons, I have not been disappointed.


----------



## Tapkaara

Have you ever heard Jansons' Rite of Spring with Oslo...not very good...


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Have you ever heard Jansons' Rite of Spring with Oslo...not very good...


Thankfully, I haven't.  When I buy a CD, I do a lot of research on it. I have also done extensive research on Jansons and Stravinsky isn't his strong point, but Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Shostakovich are.


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> Good symphony, good performance, good orchestra, good conductor. You can't go wrong with Jansons. Of all the recordings I have of Jansons, I have not been disappointed.


Is the rest of his Shostakovich cycle of this level? I'd like more of DSCH's symphonies


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Is the rest of his Shostakovich cycle of this level? I'd like more of DSCH's symphonies


Yes, it's a very good cycle. I think you'll enjoy it.


----------



## Cyclops

Thanks Mirror. Now this is the kind banter i like on a forum.


----------



## bdelykleon

I listening the famous GOunod-Bach Ave Maria, in the famous recording by Alessandro Moreschi:





And this disc costed my something like US$40...


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:


----------



## Tapkaara

Why does Simon Rattle always look like a mad scientist?


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Why does Simon Rattle always look like a mad scientist?


I'm not sure, but he's a great conductor regardless.


----------



## livemylife




----------



## andruini




----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> I'm not sure, but he's a great conductor regardless.


Is he still with the Birmingham SO?


----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> Perhaps in the emotional content it is, but the music itself is serialism, which I personally hate.


RE: Wozzeck. I don't hate it, I just wanted to know what all the fuss is about, just increasing my knowledge and awareness - and I didn't have to pay for it.

I don't think I'll be playing it much for pleasure though!


----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Is he still with the Birmingham SO?


Oh no he's been gone from City of Birmingham for many years now. He's now principal conductor of one of the best orchestras in the world the Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## Bach

I like his City of Birmingham recordings, actually.. In fact, I've rarely been disappointed with any of Sir Simon's albums..


----------



## Cyclops

Mirror Image said:


> Oh no he's been gone from City of Birmingham for many years now. He's now principal conductor of one of the best orchestras in the world the Berlin Philharmonic.


See how far out of the loop I am? Been seduced by pop and rock for the last few years. My classical CDS have a layer of dust on them.


----------



## Bach

It really is a great recording of the century.


----------



## World Violist

I'm going to be listening to a rather limited pool of music lately, as I will be leaving for a chamber music camp today. I won't have a computer this time; I'll be back in a week and a half or so. Let's see, what do I have...

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 - Mehta/Israel PO
Bernstein: Candide - Bernstein/LPO
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde - Reiner/CSO
Hovhaness: Khrimian Hairig, Guitar Concerto, Symphony No. 60 - Whoever's on the Naxos CD...
Aho: Symphony No. 9, Cello Concerto - Vanska/Lahti SO
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Bernstein/NYPO (DG)
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 - Mitropoulos/WDR Symphony
Ravi Shankar - India's Master Musician
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 - Paavo Jarvi/Cincinnati SO
Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite, En Saga, Luonnotar, Pohjola's Daughter, Night Ride and Sunrise, The Wood-Nymph, In memoriam, The Dryad, Cassazione, The Bard, Finland Awakes (and NOT Finlandia), The Oceanides, Tapiola - Vanska/Lahti SO
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 - Bernstein/NYPO (DG)

Now I look over it, it seems to be decently comprehensive of what I listen to anyway... and considering the amount of Sibelius I don't know very well in that list, I think it can be a bit of a learning experience anyway. Hahaha...

So I suppose I'll be back in about a week and a half, unless I somehow get my friend to let me use her computer while I'm in Texas... Signing off!

-WV


----------



## handlebar

All the best to you as you go to camp. Oh how I wish I could join you!

Right now I'm listening to Haydn's Symphony #36 with Hogwood's group. Delicious!!!

Jim


----------



## Cyclops

Surprisingly not bad actually:
Benjamin Britten's Cello Sonata in C performed by Julian Lloyd Webber and John McCabe.





then


----------



## Mirror Image

Smetana: Ma Vlast, Czech Philharmonic, Sir Charles Mackerras


----------



## Tapkaara

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (complete) Dmitry Yablonsly - Russian Philharmonic


----------



## Lisztfreak

Brahms, Second Viola Sonata. Divine chamber music genius.

Next I'll be moving to Shostakovich's Concertino for Two Pianos, which I've only recently discovered and like the main tune very much.


----------



## livemylife

Chausson Piano Quartet in A major mvt. 3 & 4


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Tapkaara

Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 / Kleiber - Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## Tapkaara

Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherezade - Jahja Ling/San Diego Symphony


----------



## andruini

Tapkaara said:


> Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 / Kleiber - Wiener Philharmoniker


Excellent! That's my favorite Beethoven symphony..


----------



## World Violist

Wow, there is a computer over here that I can use and not have to convince somebody to let me use...

Still the same music, though. Now it's Das Lied von der Erde, Reiner/CSO


----------



## Tapkaara

Debussy: Jeux - Boulez/New Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Tapkaara

Balakirev: Symphony no. 2 / Golovschin/Russian State Symphony


----------



## Mirror Image

A 15-CD set, which is strangely out-of-print now, but that's good news for us collectors.


----------



## Cyclops

Pink Floyd,Dark side of the Moon Live on Sky Arts 1


----------



## andruini




----------



## livemylife

Arensky - piano quintet in D major


----------



## Tapkaara

Creation by Shiro Fukai - Yablonsky/Russian Phil


----------



## Tapkaara

L. Stokowsky's Wagner Symphonic Syntheses - Serebier/Bournemouth


----------



## Lisztfreak

Symphony No.3 by Szymanowski. Exquisite Turkish bath music.


----------



## Mirror Image

Sibelius: King Christian, Neeme Jarvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orch. Bis Records


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Sibelius: King Christian, Neeme Jarvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orch. Bis Records


Ah, some of Sibelius's lighter theater music. My fav recording of King Christian is a more recent one: Pietari Inkinen/New Zealand on Naxos.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Ah, some of Sibelius's lighter theater music. My fav recording of King Christian is a more recent one: Pietari Inkinen/New Zealand on Naxos.


It's a decent piece. Nowhere near the brilliance of "Pohjola's Daughter" or "Kullervo," but it's thoroughly enjoyable.


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> It's a decent piece. Nowhere near the brilliance of "Pohjola's Daughter" or "Kullervo," but it's thoroughly enjoyable.


I think comparing King Christian to Pohjola's Daughter or Kullervo doen't make much sense. They occupy two different areas in Sibelius's output. Kullervo, Pohjola, etc., are mythological tone poems with more "serious" intention. King Christian belongs to his lighter theater fare like Swan White and Scaramouche.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> I think comparing King Christian to Pohjola's Daughter or Kullervo doen't make much sense. They occupy two different areas in Sibelius's output. Kullervo, Pohjola, etc., are mythological tone poems with more "serious" intention. King Christian belongs to his lighter theater fare like Swan White and Scaramouche.


It's still only a decent piece. That's my opinion of it. I'm enjoying it, but it doesn't rank among his best works, REGARDLESS, of what the music's intention is or not.

I'm fully aware that there are countless composers who have written "light" music, but I don't evaluate a composer with all these sub-categories. I grade them whether they created a piece that touches me or not. My viewpoints are purely emotional and intellectual and "King Christian" has failed to capture my imagination.


----------



## Tapkaara

Well, obviously it is not as great a musical work as one of his tone poems or symphonies. Thus, it's unfair to compare it to them.

But as lighter music in the vein of Karelia, I think it's a warm and tuneful little suite.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Well, obviously it is not as great a musical work as one of his tone poems or symphonies. Thus, it's unfair to compare it to them.
> 
> But as lighter music in the vein of Karelia, I think it's a warm and tuneful little suite.


Well I think it's unfair to have a thread titled "Mahler vs. Sibelius," but you don't see me complaining about it.

There's a lot of music by Sibelius I don't like just like it is with all composers I listen to. Ravel is one of my favorite composers, but he's done some real stinkers (i. e. Bolero, La Valse).


----------



## Mirror Image

Sibelius: Kullervo, Osmo Vanska, Lahti Symphony Orch., Bis Records

This is a very fine version, though it doesn't quite measure up to Paavo Jarvi's or Colin Davis' LSO Live recordings.

I'm not too keen of Paavo Berglund's version. It seems to be missing something I think much like this Vanska reading.

But they are both, nonetheless, very good.


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Well I think it's unfair to have a thread titled "Mahler vs. Sibelius," but you don't see me complaining about it.
> 
> There's a lot of music by Sibelius I don't like just like it is with all composers I listen to. Ravel is one of my favorite composers, but he's done some real stinkers (i. e. Bolero, La Valse).


You are missing my point. It's like saying Golliwog's Cakewalk is NOTHING compared to La Mer. Of course it isn't! But it's an unfair comparioson to begin with. If you are going to compare something like the Cakewalk to a larger, more complex, greater work, then of course it's going to seem feeble in comparison.

So comparing King Christian to the Pohjola's Daughter, for example, is comparing apples to oranges. King Christian is nowhere near as "great" as Pohjola, but it is great for what it is: light theater music which is tuneful and uplifting. A more apt comparison would be to compare King Christian to the Tempest. Both are works for the theater, but the Tempest is so much more revolutionary in terms of it's orchestations and harmonies. That's more of a comparison of apples to apples for me.

As for the Sibelius vs. Mahler thread, I know you take a real issue with that, but it is a very fair thread. Two contemporary composers who usually compete in the eyes of their admirers as THE greatest symphonist of the 20th century have a famous conversation where both express different philosophies on the nature of the symphony. If the conversation was thought-provoking enough for Sibelius and Mahler, I think it makes good fodder fo this forum, too.

I'm not trying to stroke you the wrong way, Mirror. You know I like you!


----------



## Tapkaara

Duos concertants by Antoine de Lhoyer - Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli on guitar


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/NYPO (DG)

One of the most overwhelming recordings I've ever owned.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> As for the Sibelius vs. Mahler thread, I know you take a real issue with that, but it is a very fair thread. Two contemporary composers who usually compete in the eyes of their admirers as THE greatest symphonist of the 20th century have a famous conversation where both express different philosophies on the nature of the symphony. If the conversation was thought-provoking enough for Sibelius and Mahler, I think it makes good fodder fo this forum, too.
> 
> I'm not trying to stroke you the wrong way, Mirror. You know I like you!


Aren't you comparing apples and oranges when you start a thread "Sibelius vs. Mahler"? I mean you talk about unfair. That's an unfair thread putting them up against each other like it's some kind of cage match.

It is my assessment that Sibelius wrote some pretty mediocre pieces like all composers have done at some point.

As much as I love Sibelius, there is much more to explore besides his music.


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> Aren't you comparing apples and oranges when you start a thread "Sibelius vs. Mahler"? I mean you talk about unfair. That's an unfair thread putting them up against each other like it's some kind of cage match.
> 
> It is my assessment that Sibelius wrote some pretty mediocre pieces like all composers have done at some point.
> 
> As much as I love Sibelius, there is much more to explore besides his music.


It's not a cage match. Read my intro to the thread. I'm really asking in there "who's philiosophy do you agree with when it comes to the form/content of a symphony?" It's a famous discussion they had themselves on the topic and I wanted to see if our distinguished forum members sided with one, both or neither. I like both composers...I am not asking who's better, rather, who's symphonic philosophy do you adhere to more.

And I agree, there are many composers out there to enjoy.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> It's not a cage match. Read my intro to the thread. I'm really asking in there "who's philiosophy do you agree with when it comes to the form/content of a symphony?" It's a famous discussion they had themselves on the topic and I wanted to see if our distinguished forum members sided with one, both or neither. I like both composers...I am not asking who's better, rather, who's symphonic philosophy do you adhere to more.
> 
> And I agree, there are many composers out there to enjoy.


How is "who's philosophy is better" not in some way hinting at the apples and oranges comparison?


----------



## Praine

Berlioz: Requiem
Bernstein/Orchestre National De France

Afterwards:

Berlioz: Te Deum
Barenboim/Orchestre De Paris


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> Berlioz: Requiem
> Bernstein/Orchestre National De France
> 
> Afterwards:
> 
> Berlioz: Te Deum
> Barenboim/Orchestre De Paris


Another Berlioz fan? Outstanding! You've got exquisite tastes!


----------



## Tapkaara

Well, I suppose in this case it is an "apples and oranges" discussion, but a legitimate one. Comparing two philosophies of writing symphonies is a fair comparison, but comparing light works of a composer to their more serious works is not a fair comparison. That's my take, and not necessarily your take but that's OK.

I'm not going to convince you to the otherwise and this thread has already been thrown off quite a bit by now. Let's agree to disagree, drop it, shake hands, and move on!


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Well, I suppose in this case it is an "apples and oranges" discussion, but a legitimate one. Comparing two philosophies of writing symphonies is a fair comparison, but comparing light works of a composer to their more serious works is not a fair comparison. That's my take, and not necessarily your take but that's OK.
> 
> I'm not going to convince you to the otherwise and this thread has already been thrown off quite a bit by now. Let's agree to disagree, drop it, shake hands, and move on!


Here's how I evaluate music: whether I like it or not. That's it. I don't agonize over it. Does it do something for me emotionally and intellectually.

We all deal with music in our own way. This is one reason I like talking about music and not arguing about it, because ultimately it's pointless I think.

I spend a great deal of time arguing about music, but I shouldn't, because it comes right down to two things: I have my opinion and you have yours and that's the bottom line of the whole thing.


----------



## Praine

Mirror Image said:


> Another Berlioz fan? Outstanding! You've got exquisite tastes!


Thank you.  I think it was about time I got around to his requiem, seeing how much praise it is getting on these boards. As I continue to listen to it, I can definately say that praise is definitely justified.  His 'Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14' seems to be his most popular work, a piece that I am quite familiar with. What do you think of that particular piece? It will probably be the way I finish the night after listening to the Requiem and Te Deum.


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> Thank you.  I think it was about time I got around to his requiem, seeing how much praise it is getting on these boards. As I continue to listen to it, I can definately say that praise is definitely justified.  His 'Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14' seems to be his most popular work, a piece that I am quite familiar with. What do you think of that particular piece? It will probably be the way I finish the night after listening to the Requiem and Te Deum.


I love everything about Berlioz's music: the orchestration, the harmonies, the emotional power, and just the beautiful and daring lyricism found his work.

"Symphonie Fantastique" is fine piece. One of my favorites, but he wrote so much music that moves me it's hard to settle or decide on one. Have you heard "Le Damnation de Faust," "L'enfance du Christ," "Romeo et Juliette," and "Harold In Italy"? These are also quite remarkable pieces that I think you will also enjoy.

Here is a set with one of the most renowned Berlioz conductors of our lifetime, Sir Colin Davis that I think you should check out:










I would also check out Davis' own recording of the Berlioz Requiem on Philips, which I consider the finest Requiem recording I've heard:


----------



## Praine

Mirror Image said:


> I love everything about Berlioz's music: the orchestration, the harmonies, the emotional power, and just the beautiful and daring lyricism found his work.
> 
> "Symphonie Fantastique" is fine piece. One of my favorites, but he wrote so much music that moves me it's hard to settle or decide on one. Have you heard "Le Damnation de Faust," "L'enfance du Christ," "Romeo et Juliette," and "Harold In Italy"? These are also quite remarkable pieces that I think you will also enjoy.
> 
> Here is a set with one of the most renowned Berlioz conductors of our lifetime, Sir Colin Davis that I think you should check out:


Well, I've heard "Romeo et Juliette" and "Le Damnation de Faust", which are both marvelous pieces, but I have not yet listened to the other two you listed. Thanks for recommending that box set, I think it will really help me out. Berlioz is an amazing composer and I should really explore as much of his works as much as I can.


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> Well, I've heard "Romeo et Juliette" and "Le Damnation de Faust", which are both marvelous pieces, but I have not yet listened to the other two you listed. Thanks for recommending that box set, I think it will really help me out. Berlioz is an amazing composer and I should really explore as much of his works as much as I can.


Yeah, you will really enjoy that box set. I've already listened to it about 4 times all the way through.

I could seriously listen to Berlioz all day and never tire of him, of course you have to take a break from him, because his music keeps you involved, but I think you will find that not many conductors understand Berlioz quite like Sir Colin Davis.

This set is probably pretty cheap now. Last time I looked at it was about $27, which is about 30 dollars Canadian. Not too bad. It's a 6-CD set.

I'm happy to know that you like Berlioz's music so much. We're a strange breed of people, but us Berlioz fans must stick together.


----------



## Conor71

Been listening all day to:
Vaughan Williams: The Complete Symphonies & Orchestral Works
Boult/LPO, NPO & LSO










Wonderful set with great performances & sound! - Now listening to Symphony No. 4


----------



## Cyclops

Prokofiev, music from Romeo and Juliet,Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, Charles Dutiot on Decca,superb music!


----------



## sam richards

Vivaldi - the four seasons


----------



## Cyclops

sam richards said:


> Vivaldi - the four seasons


Ah,one of my favourite pieces. I have it with Nigel Kennedy,superb


----------



## andruini




----------



## bdelykleon

andruini said:


>


This partneship is fantastic, these violin concertos, the concertante (with Kim Kashakashian) and Beethoven's Violin (with the funny Schnittke cadenza) are all my favorite recordings. Kremer is the best live violinist, or at least by far the most exciting.


----------



## andruini

bdelykleon said:


> This partneship is fantastic, these violin concertos, the concertante (with Kim Kashakashian) and Beethoven's Violin (with the funny Schnittke cadenza) are all my favorite recordings. Kremer is the best live violinist, or at least by far the most exciting.


Agreed, every recording I have of his is extremely exciting, and it's double that live.. (Only seen videos though)..


----------



## agoukass

Listened to:

Mozart: Symphony No. 35 "Haffner" 
Berlin Philharmonic/Karl Bohm (DGG)

Chopin: Cello Sonata in G minor
Franck: Violin Sonata in A major (transcribed for cello)
Jacqueline Du Pre, cello; Daniel Barenboim, piano (EMI - Les Introuvables de Jacqueline du Pre)


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> I only own two versions of Faure's Requiem. One with Shaw/ASO and the Dutoit/MSO. This is such a beautiful work:


I own the Shaw recording and listen to it quite a bit. About a year ago I had a small job accompanying a local school chorus for the Agnus Dei of the Requiem- it is such a touching movement, especially the opening orchestral bars.


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> I own the Shaw recording and listen to it quite a bit. About a year ago I had a small job accompanying a local school chorus for the Agnus Dei of the Requiem- it is such a touching movement, especially the opening orchestral bars.


Faure's Requiem is such a beautiful piece. I love Shaw's recording, but I like Dutoit's too. Dutoit takes some of the tempos a little slower than they should be, but it's a really moving experience.


----------



## Tapkaara

Caucasian Sketches, suite no. 1 by Ippolitov-Ivanov - National Symphony of Ukraine, Arthur Fagen


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection": Mehta/VPO


----------



## Mirror Image

That's an outstanding recording. Zubin Mehta is one of the great Mahler conductors. I only wish he would do an entire cycle. I own all his of Mahler recordings.


----------



## sam richards

Ne Obliviscaris - The Aurora Veil









Ellington -- "Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band" Disc 1


----------



## bdelykleon




----------



## handlebar

Mozart piano sonatas by Barenboim.

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image

sam richards said:


> Ne Obliviscaris - The Aurora Veil
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ellington -- "Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band" Disc 1


Do you even listen to classical music, Sam? This is one of the only times I've seen you outside of that metal forum.

Anyway, I'm currently listening to the following:


----------



## Aramis

Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 by Zimerman.


----------



## handlebar

Aramis said:


> Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 by Zimerman.


GREAT recording!!!

Jim


----------



## bdelykleon

handlebar said:


> GREAT recording!!!
> 
> Jim


I second that.

Now listening:


----------



## agoukass

Scarlatti: Sonatas
Marcelle Meyer, piano (EMI)


----------



## Cyclops

Hmm, first time I've heard this symphony . 
This one came with the current issue of BBC Music magazine and I was wary when I saw there were vocal parts in it, but seeing as this year marks Mendelssohn's 200th Anniversary it seemed appropriate.
(Photo taken on a crappy phone and mucked about with a bit in photoshop.)









BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales
Richard Hickox


----------



## sam richards

Mirror Image, I've posted in this thread and in other forums many times. You could've checked my posting history. =/


----------



## Bach

handlebar said:


> Mozart piano sonatas by Barenboim.
> 
> Jim


I have them, and they are suuuuublime.


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:










Absolutely brilliant interpretation. I wish Rattle would do more Shostakovich.

Later on:


----------



## bassClef

Any fans of John Adams here? I'm fast becoming one ...


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Any fans of John Adams here? I'm fast becoming one ...


Nope, not me. I'm not a fan of minimalism. Don't get Bach started on minimalism, he'll let you really know how he feels.


----------



## kg4fxg

*Book and a Song*

Oh,

I hate that....I am reading another book and it references one of those must have books and why oh why do I go look it up on amazon. Next thing I know I buy it (Hardback) for .01 cents and pay the 3.99 shipping.

I am listening to Daphnis Et Chloe and I will put a pick of the book and CD here. Wonderful CD by the CSO.

Here is the reference to the 700+ page book.

Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concertgoers (First) (Hardcover)

From Library Journal
In his delightful and well-nigh-indispensable style sheet Writing About Music (Berkley, 1988), Holoman offers sensible guidelines on just about every aspect of music-related prose, including how to write effective program notes. Now in this present volume, he demonstrates that he practices what he preaches. Essentially a compilation of some 200 of the author's program notes for the Sacramento Symphony, it is a gem of a book. There is much to enjoy here for concert-goers of all levels of sophistication. In addition to essays on the standard orchestral repertory, there are excellent notes for a number of significant contemporary compositions. Program notes are often pretentious and self-indulgent, but these are generally models of directness, clarity, and good sense. Strunk and White would be pleased. Highly recommended.
- Eugene Gaub, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


----------



## Mirror Image

kg4fxg said:


> Oh,
> 
> I hate that....I am reading another book and it references one of those must have books and why oh why do I go look it up on amazon. Next thing I know I buy it (Hardback) for .01 cents and pay the 3.99 shipping.
> 
> I am listening to Daphnis Et Chloe and I will put a pick of the book and CD here. Wonderful CD by the CSO.
> 
> Here is the reference to the 700+ page book.
> 
> Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concertgoers (First) (Hardcover)
> 
> From Library Journal
> In his delightful and well-nigh-indispensable style sheet Writing About Music (Berkley, 1988), Holoman offers sensible guidelines on just about every aspect of music-related prose, including how to write effective program notes. Now in this present volume, he demonstrates that he practices what he preaches. Essentially a compilation of some 200 of the author's program notes for the Sacramento Symphony, it is a gem of a book. There is much to enjoy here for concert-goers of all levels of sophistication. In addition to essays on the standard orchestral repertory, there are excellent notes for a number of significant contemporary compositions. Program notes are often pretentious and self-indulgent, but these are generally models of directness, clarity, and good sense. Strunk and White would be pleased. Highly recommended.
> - Eugene Gaub, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
> Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


I own around 23 recordings of "Daphnis et Chloe" and I have to that I'm surprised by how good that Haitink/CSO performance is.

There are two "Daphnis et Chloe" performances that I can never be without and they are Martinon/Orchestre de France on EMI and Charles Dutoit/MSO on Decca.


----------



## handlebar

Walter Piston's Symphony #6 

Jim


----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> Nope, not me. I'm not a fan of minimalism. Don't get Bach started on minimalism, he'll let you really know how he feels.


Yeah I know Bach would look down his nose on most things I like. I was really asking if anyone DID like him, not if anyone didn't - that negitivity thing again.

I know there's repetition in his works, but some of the structure seems so complex it baffles me how this can be labelled "minimalist".


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Yeah I know Bach would look down his nose on most things I like. I was really asking if anyone DID like him, not if anyone didn't - that negitivity thing again.
> 
> I know there's repetition in his works, but some of the structure seems so complex it baffles me how this can be labelled "minimalist".


You posted, so I replied.


----------



## Tapkaara

I enjoy John Adams, Jezbo. You can count me in.


----------



## bassClef

That's a bit more positive! I was only expecting to find one or two in agreement, I realise he's probably an acquired taste.


----------



## Cyclops

Respighi,The Birds. BBC Philharmonic,Patrick Thomas


----------



## R Mulholland

*Gotta Love the Library*

Just watched a Rostropovich dvd from the 60's. I have a new found respect for the cello. Guess I'll have to get some of those old Casals remasterings.


----------



## bdelykleon

HAYDN
Piano sonata in E flat major Hob: XVI: 52

Alfred Brendel, piano

Haydn's Piano sonatas, according to the pianist himself (his books are quite a good read even if not the hard musicology some want), are one of the most underrated music cycles and I fully agree with him. This sonata is second to none in the entire repertory.


----------



## World Violist

Just for the heck of it, I'm going to listen to Rattle's Mahler 2nd that's on Youtube (I haven't got his famous CBSO recording, but I think the Youtube one is also with CBSO... and I also have no way to get it, so yeah...).


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Just for the heck of it, I'm going to listen to Rattle's Mahler 2nd that's on Youtube (I haven't got his famous CBSO recording, but I think the Youtube one is also with CBSO... and I also have no way to get it, so yeah...).


Rattle is simply one of the greatest Mahler conductors I've heard. The reason is because Mahler's music was born in him. He went to a concert as a child of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and he said that experience changed his life forever. He knew what he wanted to do after that experience.

And look at him now, living the dream. Absolutely brilliant conductor I think. He has his critics as all famous conductors do, but he certainly knows how to get the best performances from his orchestras.


----------



## andruini

jezbo said:


> That's a bit more positive! I was only expecting to find one or two in agreement, I realise he's probably an acquired taste.


Calling Adams a minimalist is pretty dumb, I think.. Just because he's done some stuff in that vein and is contemporary with the major minimalists doesn't mean his music is minimalist.. He really is a master orchestrator, anyone who doubts this should listen to Short Ride in a Fast Machine or Harmonielehre.. I'm a big fan..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Calling Adams a minimalist is *pretty dumb*, I think.. Just because he's done some stuff in that vein and is contemporary with the major minimalists doesn't mean his music is minimalist.. He really is a master orchestrator, anyone who doubts this should listen to Short Ride in a Fast Machine or Harmonielehre.. I'm a big fan..


Yeah, I guess I'm *pretty dumb* then aren't I, Andruini? What a poor choice of words.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Yeah, I guess I'm *pretty dumb* then aren't I, Andruini? What a poor choice of words.


Jeez, Mirror Image, do you make it a point to always take every comment personally?
Relax..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Jeez, Mirror Image, do you make it a point to always take every comment personally?
> Relax..


Only when a comment is directed at me. Your clever word play made it seem like you weren't directing your comment at me, but we both know you were.

John Adams is a Minimalist and I said he was, then you popped up with that comment. I wasn't born yesterday.


----------



## andruini

I'm sorry if it seemed that way, I was just trying to defend a composer I really like.. I suppose that's something you can relate to, huh?
I don't wanna start a beef or anything, so please take the apology.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I'm sorry if it seemed that way, I was just trying to defend a composer I really like.. I suppose that's something you can relate to, huh?
> I don't wanna start a beef or anything, so please take the apology.


Well it's cool, I accept your apology.


----------



## Misakichi_mx

I love his Appassionata, this is my favorite rendition so far (along with the "Moonlight" which is also beautifully played)


----------



## JoeGreen

jezbo said:


> Any fans of John Adams here? I'm fast becoming one ...


FAN over here!!!!

Early John Adams is minimalism, but nothing he's written in the last 2 Decades years can be truly classified as pure minimalism. So YES callling him a Minimalist would be a pretty DUMB comment.

and you could only wonder what I'm listening to right now...










Grand Panola Music is also awesome.


----------



## bassClef

Well to be fair many people would look him up on Wikipedia and see the words "strong roots in minimalism" and dismiss him (if they dislike minimalism that is) without even hearing his works. I like him alot - some of it is very dynamic and exciting - I even like his opera "Nixon in China", and I'm not really an opera fan!


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> FAN over here!!!!
> 
> Early John Adams is minimalism, but nothing he's written in the last 2 Decades years can be truly classified as pure minimalism. So YES callling him a Minimalist would be a pretty DUMB comment.
> 
> and you could only wonder what I'm listening to right now...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Grand Panola Music is also awesome.


John Adams is classified as a Minimalist regardless of what kind of music he's done for the last two decades.

I guess I'm pretty dumb then huh, JoeGreen?


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Well to be fair many people would look him up on Wikipedia and see the words "strong roots in minimalism" and dismiss him (if they dislike minimalism that is) without even hearing his works. I like him alot - some of it is very dynamic and exciting - I even like his opera "Nixon in China", and I'm not really an opera fan!


I actually own some John Adams and didn't even know I did. I have box set of Simon Rattle called "American Music." Anyway, here are the John Adams compositions found in this set:

John Adams: Harmonielehre
John Adams: The Chairman Dances - Foxtrot for orchestra
John Adams: Two Fanfares: Tromba lontana
John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine - Fanfare for orchestra

To be honest, it's not BAD music, but just music that doesn't do much for me. There's just too much repetition and not enough variety in the music for me.


----------



## Aramis

Brahms piano concerto no. 1 by Freire and Chailly.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Remarkable recording. I really love this piece. It's so beautiful.


----------



## Aramis

Mendelssohn's Sommernachstraum. I can hardly belive that he composed this in age of seventeen. I must be hurry to compose something as great as this, before I reach eighteen.


----------



## andruini

JoeGreen said:


> FAN over here!!!!
> 
> Early John Adams is minimalism, but nothing he's written in the last 2 Decades years can be truly classified as pure minimalism. So YES callling him a Minimalist would be a pretty DUMB comment.
> 
> and you could only wonder what I'm listening to right now...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Grand Panola Music is also awesome.


That is an amazing recording.. The last movement of Grand Pianola, "On The Dominant Divide" is just glorious, and Shaker Loops is just incredible..


----------



## Tapkaara

I listened to Shaker Loops just this afternoon. Alsop/Bournemouth on Naxos.

I think for anyone who wants to dip their toes into "minimalist" music, Adams could be a good place to start. I think his minimalism is less severe than Glass's. I know Glass is persona non grata for the most part around here, but perhaps after getting used to Adams, one might be in a better place to appreciate Glass. Baby steps, in other words.


----------



## bdelykleon

Les Corps glorieux, pour orgue

Louis Thiry (organ)
Recording date: 1972

L'Ascension, deuxième version pour orgue

Louis Thiry (organ)

Messiaen considered Thiry his best interpreter. These Cds of him playing Messiaen are very, very precious.


----------



## JoeGreen

Mirror Image said:


> John Adams is classified as a Minimalist regardless of what kind of music he's done for the last two decades.
> 
> I guess I'm pretty dumb then huh, JoeGreen?


No, I said the comment was dumb, not you; smart, intelligent people do make dumb comments from time to time. Plus I respect and admire what you bring to this forum.

Anyways, I agree with Tapkaara, some of Adams works would be perfect to introduce a person to minimalism.

And I'm currently listening to...


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


>


That's a beautiful recording. I have the whole box set. Chailly is, indeed, a great Brucknerian.


----------



## JoeGreen

yes, I love the beautiful colors he draws out of the orchestra in the 1st movement. Bruckner already wrote heavily chromatic, but with Chailly it's like watching TV in HD.


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> yes, I love the beautiful colors he draws out of the orchestra in the 1st movement. Bruckner already wrote heavily chromatic, but with Chailly it's like watching TV in HD.


Gunter Wand is also a great Brucknerian. Check him out too.


----------



## JoeGreen

Thanks for the tip, when I bought my Chailly CD's I also saw the Gunter Wand ones, and since I was somewhat familiar him I was contemplating wether to get those.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Symphony No. 5: Karajan/BPO


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Next up:


----------



## andruini

Now finishing listening to the Anne Landa Preludes by Carl Vine..
Up next:


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## World Violist

Probably Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony, Bernstein/NYPO/DG. One of my favorite CD's. It's really great stuff.


----------



## andruini




----------



## bassClef

I have quite a few interpretations of the Resurrection and I'm trying to decide on my favourite...


----------



## bassClef

Now moved on to:










I like this, I think.


----------



## Faenval

@ http://music.scene.ca/album.aspx?id=9429

I can't believe how little of Schumann's Chamber Works I've heard (or even heard recommended), and yet how much I like them. The Violin Sonatas are quite good...


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> Now moved on to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like this, I think.


That's a great recording. It's in the "Britten Conducts Britten, Vol. 4" box set I have. It's really good. "Simple Symphony" is a great piece of music.


----------



## Conor71

Still listening to this set, its really great!  (currently listening to Symphony No. 2):


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to Britten Conducts Britten, Vol. 4:










Absolutely gorgeous music, but not without it's own tension and darker moments.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini

Totally amazing recording, if you approach it from a non-classical standpoint.


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to:


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Martha Argerich/Barenboim do an amazing job with these Spanish orchestral classics.


----------



## bdelykleon

This is beautiful.


----------



## Pink Swan

Mozart - "The Marriage of Figaro". I keep this at my computer or in the car.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> Martha Argerich/Barenboim do an amazing job with these Spanish orchestral classics.


Argerich is great, but definitely check out Alicia de Larrocha's recording of Iberia (widely considered THE classic recording) and Rubenstein's version of the Falla.

Here's what I've got on the stereo:


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> Argerich is great, but definitely check out Alicia de Larrocha's recording of Iberia (widely considered THE classic recording) and Rubenstein's version of the Falla.


I don't like de Larrocha, so that's why I never bought her recording with Dutoit. I feel she lacks fire and passion that this piece requires. I was incredibly disappointed in her performances of the Ravel piano concertos, so needless to say, I'll pass.

Argerich is a far better pianist in my opinion and excelled in these pieces as she does everything she performs.


----------



## Mirror Image

jezbo said:


> I have quite a few interpretations of the Resurrection and I'm trying to decide on my favourite...


That is a brilliant recording. It's widely acclaimed as the best performance of Symphony No. 2 by magazines like Grammophone, but honestly listening to it on its' own merits, it's just a gorgeous recording.

Rattle is one of the best Mahler conductors I've heard. I mean he's up there with Abbado, Chailly, Bernstein, Bertini, Kubelik, and Tennstedt.

Rattle is actually responsible for me getting more into Mahler, but Bernstein and Kubelik helped too.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> I don't like de Larrocha, so that's why I never bought her recording with Dutoit. I feel she lacks fire and passion that this piece requires. I was incredibly disappointed in her performances of the Ravel piano concertos, so needless to say, I'll pass.


But Ravel is not Spanish... de Larrocha brings much "fire and passion" to the Spanish repertoire. At least give her Iberia (which is not recorded with Dutoit, as the piece is for *solo* piano)- a listen (don't buy it if you don't want to).


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> TBut Ravel is not Spanish... de Larrocha brings much "fire and passion" to the Spanish repertoire. At least give her Iberia (which is not recorded with Dutoit, as the piece is for *solo* piano)- a listen (don't buy it if you don't want to).


No, Ravel is not Spanish I think everybody knows this. I'm the Ravel expert around here by the way. Anyway, Ravel's concertos have a great jazz influence to them, so perhaps this is why she couldn't quite play these pieces with that fire and passion that they require.

I'll give her readings of de Falla a listen sometime.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini




----------



## agoukass

Chopin: Mazurkas/Arthur Rubinstein (Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 27)
Respighi: Piano Music/Konstantin Scherbakov (Naxos)


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


 Great recording. I don't own the individual like you do, but I own the box set. Haitink's take on Symphony 3 and 5 are probably the best in the set. Great reading of Norfolk Rhapsody and Lark Ascending too.


----------



## Mirror Image

An amazing set that is incredibly expensive. I only paid around $40 for it when I bought it. Not bad for a set that lists for over $100.


----------



## Conservationist

A mix:

Vaesen - Essence
Heiter Villa-Lobos - Complete Music for Solo Guitar
Andres Segovia - The art of Segovia (disc 2)


----------



## bdelykleon

Incredibly, Bach seems to be one of the least liked composers arround... And it would be amateurish to praise Bach, for his qualities are too well-known and defended by people far superior to me.


----------



## jhar26

bdelykleon said:


> Incredibly, Bach seems to be one of the least liked composers arround...


Huh?????????????????


----------



## bdelykleon

jhar26 said:


> Huh?????????????????


In talk classical I surely mean. I'm yet to see any discussion on him, but saw several on far inferior composers, and he never appears on those top five lists, and failed to appear in most lists of that top 30...


----------



## jhar26

bdelykleon said:


> In talk classical I surely mean. I'm yet to see any discussion on him, but saw several on far inferior composers...


I see. Well, those things can change very quickly. All it takes is one or two new and active members who happen to be Bach fans.


----------



## bdelykleon

jhar26 said:


> I see. Well, those things can change very quickly. All it takes is one or two new and active members who happen to be Bach fans.


Yeah, but I thought in earnest that liking music and liking Bach were the same thing, I'm proved wrong then...


----------



## jhar26

bdelykleon said:


> Yeah, but I thought in earnest that liking music and liking Bach were the same thing...


You would think so, but since I joined this forum I've learned that no composer, instrumentalist, conductor or singer - no matter how great - is loved by everyone.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> In talk classical I surely mean. I'm yet to see any discussion on him, but saw several on far inferior composers, and he never appears on those top five lists, and failed to appear in most lists of that top 30...


I've learned that not everybody likes the same things, bdelykleon. I'm not a Bach fan at all, so of course you won't find me talking about him.

Anyway, I don't look at a composer I happen not to like as inferior. I may not like Bach's music, but I never thought he was inferior. I despise all the Second Viennese School, but I don't think they're inferior just because I don't like them. That's the wrong attitude to have about a composer.

I can express my dislike for a composer without resorting to calling what they do inferior.


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> I can express my dislike for a composer without resorting to calling what they do inferior.


I said this only because almost every composer would admit (s)he is inferior to Bach. There is no polemic in this, and not even the mother of (say) Reger or Hindemith would say her son wasn't inferior to Bach...


----------



## Mirror Image

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orch., Decca


----------



## Conor71

Mahler - Symphony No. 9: Rattle/VPO
Man, this is an awesome cycle! - have been well impressed by Rattles Mahler so far


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 9: Rattle/VPO
> Man, this is an awesome cycle! - have been well impressed by Rattles Mahler so far


I knew you would! Rattle was born to conduct Mahler's music.


----------



## Conservationist

Franz Berwald - Symphony No 3

No idea who the composer/musicians/label were.


----------



## bassClef




----------



## PartisanRanger

Beethoven - Coriolan Overture in D Minor, Jos Van Immerseel


----------



## Aramis

Tchaikovsky's violin concerto.


----------



## andruini

jezbo said:


>


That looks really interesting! I've loved everything I've heard from Barber so far.. How is that piece? Do you recommend that recording?

I'm listening to:


----------



## bdelykleon




----------



## Mirror Image

Beautiful recordings by Dutoit.


----------



## andruini

On CD1. Lovely set.


----------



## sam richards




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> On CD1. Lovely set.


That's a great set and a living testament to the great conducting of Istvan Kertesz.


----------



## andruini

Still listening to the Dvorák set, now on CD3 (Symphonies 4 & 5)


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


That recording has been out-of-print here in the United States for a while. I've been wanting that one for a while, but Bernstein's other Copland recordings on Deutsche Grammophon as well.


----------



## andruini

It's a lovely interpretation of Appalachian Spring.. I really love it.. And the Adagio is especially good as well.. I didn't know it was out of print, but I've had it for years..

Now listening:


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## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> It's a lovely interpretation of Appalachian Spring.. I really love it.. And the Adagio is especially good as well.. I didn't know it was out of print, but I've had it for years..
> 
> Now listening:


Anytime Bernstein conducted Copland it was good. He was a great interpreter of Copland's work.

About that Borodin recording you're listening to, I feel that Ashkenazy is very underrated as a conductor. He's certainly an acclaimed pianist or was at one time, but his conducting is very good his Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Shostakovich are top-notch despite whatever kind of criticism they have have got through the years.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Anytime Bernstein conducted Copland it was good. He was a great interpreter of Copland's work.
> 
> About that Borodin recording you're listening to, I feel that Ashkenazy is very underrated as a conductor. He's certainly an acclaimed pianist or was at one time, but his conducting is very good his Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Shostakovich are top-notch despite whatever kind of criticism they have have got through the years.


Oh, I agree.. I have his Rachmaninoff Symphony set and it's really great.. I'm afraid I haven't heard his Shostakovich, but I do have his Scriabin sonatas set (with him on the piano though)..
One great Ashkenazy recording you should check out, is this:










I don't know about the availability of this one, but Karamanov is a composer who has really been ignored more than anyone I can think of.. He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page! (Not that it matters..) I think this is one of maybe 5 recordings of his works in existence.. If that..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Oh, I agree.. I have his Rachmaninoff Symphony set and it's really great.. I'm afraid I haven't heard his Shostakovich, but I do have his Scriabin sonatas set (with him on the piano though)..
> One great Ashkenazy recording you should check out, is this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know about the availability of this one, but Karamanov is a composer who has really been ignored more than anyone I can think of.. He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page! (Not that it matters..) I think this is one of maybe 5 recordings of his works in existence.. If that..


I've never heard of Karamanov, so thanks for introducing me to a composer I never heard of.

I will have to check that recording out. Thanks for mentioning it. 

Currently listening:


----------



## World Violist

Soon I'll listen to this...










Probably the 9th. Or maybe the 7th. Maybe both? I dunno.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mozart - Requiem: Introitus


----------



## Tapkaara

Listening to Bax's 1st Symphony for the first time. Lloyd-Jones/Scotland. Amazing work. I like it more than any of his tone poems so far.


----------



## Aramis

Chopin sonatas by Ashkenzay. I'm disappointed by his playing.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> Chopin sonatas by Ashkenzay. I'm disappointed by his playing.


Ashkenazy isn't a good Chopin interpreter. You should know this. His specialties are in the Russian repertoire: Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, and Shostakovich.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Listening to Bax's 1st Symphony for the first time. Lloyd-Jones/Scotland. Amazing work. I like it more than any of his tone poems so far.


What Bax tone poems have you heard?


----------



## Adie

*True Musicianship*








Try Di Xiao if it's musicianship you are looking for. I have heard her play a wonderful Ballade No 4 live at Luxembourg Philharmonie but I'm not aware of her tackling his sonatas. Her album does not contain any Chopin but you may find it interesting. http://cdbaby.com/cd/dixiao; www.dixiao.co.uk


----------



## Tapkaara

Mirror Image said:


> What Bax tone poems have you heard?


Tintagel, Garden of Fand, The Happy Forest, Tale the Pine Trees Knew, Novermber Woods, In the Faery Hills.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Tintagel, Garden of Fand, The Happy Forest, Tale the Pine Trees Knew, Novermber Woods, In the Faery Hills.


That's a good list, but Bax has done many more tone poems more my friend, much more:

Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan (1905)
Into The Twilight (1908)
In The Faery Hills (1909)
Rosc-catha (1910)
Christmas Eve (1912, revised c.1921)
Nympholept (1912, orch. 1915, revised 1935)
The Garden of Fand (1913, orch. 1916)
Spring Fire (1913)
In Memoriam (1916)
November Woods (1917)
Tintagel (1917, orch. 1919)
Summer Music (1917, orch. 1921, revised 1932)
The Happy Forest (1922)
The Tale the Pine Trees Knew (1931)
Northern Ballad No. 1 (1927)
Northern Ballad No. 2 (1934)
Prelude for a Solemn Occasion (Northern Ballad No. 3) (1927, orch. 1933)
A Legend (1944)

In my opinion, it doesn't get much better than "Spring Fire." I think it blows any symphony he wrote out of the water. Checkout sometime.


----------



## Mirror Image

Here's the other orchestral works, besides the symphonies and tone poems, that Bax wrote:

Variations for Orchestra (Improvisations) (1904)
A Song of War and Victory (1905)
On the Sea Shore (1908, orch. 1984)
Festival Overture (1911, revised 1918)
Dance of Wild Irravel (1912)
Four Orchestral Pieces (1912-13)
Three Pieces for Small Orchestra (1913, revised 1928)
Symphonic Scherzo (1917, revised 1933)
Russian Suite (1919)
Mediterranean (1922)
Cortège (1925)
Romantic Overture (1926)
Overture, Elegy and Rondo (1927)
Three Pieces (1928)
Overture to a Picaresque Comedy (1930)
Sinfonietta (1932)
Saga Fragment (1932)
Rogue's Comedy Overture (1936)
Overture to Adventure (1936)
London Pageant (1937)
Paean (1938)
Salute to Sydney (Fanfare) (1943)
Work in Progress (Overture) (1943)
Victory March (1945)
The Golden Eagle (Incidental Music) (1945)
Two Royal Wedding Fanfares (1947)
Coronation March (1952)

Here are his concerti:

Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra (1918)
Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra (1920)
Winter Legends, for piano and orchestra (1930)
Cello Concerto (1932)
Violin Concerto (1938)
Piano Concertino (1939)
Morning Song, for piano and orchestra (1946)
Concertante for Three Solo Instruments and Orchestra (1949)
Concertante for Orchestra with Piano (Left Hand) (1949)
Variations on the name Gabriel Fauré for Harp & String Orchestra (1949)


----------



## Tapkaara

What can you tell me about Spring Fire? Sounds tempting. Any good recordings?

Here's a pic of your truly at Tintagel in Cornwall.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> What can you tell me about Spring Fire? Sounds tempting. Any good recordings?












This is the definitive recording: Vernon Handley/Royal Philharmonic.

There's a whole series, if you are interested, of Bax orchestral recordings on Chandos there are 9 volumes. I own them all and they're fantastic.


----------



## Tapkaara

Thanks for the advice!


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Thanks for the advice!


You're welcome my friend.

I think you will enjoy this series very much.


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:










Later:


----------



## andruini

On CD6 now.. Symphony No. 9..


----------



## bdelykleon




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> On CD6 now.. Symphony No. 9..


My favorite Dvorak right there, next to 7 and 8. Great symphony. Dvorak never gets enough love around here, but it's good to see you're listening and enjoying his music.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> My favorite Dvorak right there, next to 7 and 8. Great symphony. Dvorak never gets enough love around here, but it's good to see you're listening and enjoying his music.


Yes! I prefer the 7th, but I really love the 9th too.. Particularly that Largo.. I know it's clichéd now, but can music get more gorgeous!?

Now listening to:


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Yes! I prefer the 7th, but I really love the 9th too.. Particularly that Largo.. I know it's clichéd now, but can music get more gorgeous!?
> 
> Now listening to:


Dvorak wrote beautiful music ---- cliche free or cliched, I'll take it. 

That's a great recording of Hindemith, by the way, I own it too. I wish Salonen would record more Hindemith. He's a very good interpreter of his work.

Since you like Hindemith you may want to try Herbert Blomstedt's cycle on Decca and Yan Pascal Tortelier's cycle on Chandos. You will really enjoy these I think.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Since you like Hindemith you may want to try Herbert Blomstedt's cycle on Decca and Yan Pascal Tortelier's cycle on Chandos. You will really enjoy these I think.


Thanks for the rec, I'll put them on my list!


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Thanks for the rec, I'll put them on my list!


You're quite welcome.

Have you heard any Bax before, andruini?


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> You're quite welcome.
> 
> Have you heard any Bax before, andruini?


I've only heard one disc of him, it's on Naxos and it had Clarinet Sonatas, Piano Trio and Trio in One Movement, I think.. I really liked it and I've always had an interest in his orchestral works, but I never got around to it..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I've only heard one disc of him, it's on Naxos and it had Clarinet Sonatas, Piano Trio and Trio in One Movement, I think.. I really liked it and I've always had an interest in his orchestral works, but I never got around to it..


Oh you must hear his orchestral works. I enjoy his symphonies, but I feel his symphonic poems are his true strength.

As I was telling Tapkaara, there is a nine volume series of his orchestral works on Chandos with Handley and Bryden Thomson sharing conducting duties that I think you would enjoy immensely.

They are some of my most prized possessions.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - The Wood Nymph: Vanska/Lahti SO


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Sibelius - The Wood Nymph: Vanska/Lahti SO


Great piece of music there. "The Wood Nymph" is very rarely, if ever, played by an orchestra. Thank goodness for Vanska and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## bdelykleon




----------



## World Violist

Mahler's 8th; Seiji Ozawa and the BSO


----------



## andruini




----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> Great piece of music there. "The Wood Nymph" is very rarely, if ever, played by an orchestra. Thank goodness for Vanska and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.


Its a great piece all right  - The rest of that disc is good too: it has a couple of pieces for narrator/orchestra which are quite interesting.

Now listening to:
Sibelius - The Tempest (Suite No. 2): Swensen/Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## BuddhaBandit

bdelykleon said:


>


This is one of my favorite Debussy recordings. Michelangeli gets shafted sometimes in favor of Gieseking, but I much prefer Michelangeli's recordings (Gieseking, IMO, is better at Ravel than at Debussy).


----------



## bdelykleon

BuddhaBandit said:


> This is one of my favorite Debussy recordings. Michelangeli gets shafted sometimes in favor of Gieseking, but I much prefer Michelangeli's recordings (Gieseking, IMO, is better at Ravel than at Debussy).


I don't like Gieseking's recording which are held in an extremely high regard in the English press, I really don't know why, it seems that the engineer forgot to tell him that he was playing Debussy and not the Appassionata. His playing is just too harsh for Debussy. Michelangeli is subtler and has a finer pallette of shades.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Tapkaara

Listening to Bax's 1st Symphony (Lloyd-Jones/Scotland) for the third time this week since I received it in the mail. This is quickly becoming one of my favorites...


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Listening to Bax's 1st Symphony (Lloyd-Jones/Scotland) for the third time this week since I received it in the mail. This is quickly becoming one of my favorites...


It's a great symphony, Tapkaara, no question about it, but I liked pretty much all of Bax's symphonic output.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Conservationist

"Ancient Airs and Dances" (Lopez-Cobos), dude!


----------



## Aramis

Grieg's string quartets. Quite unusual ones.


----------



## Mirror Image

Conservationist said:


> "Ancient Airs and Dances" (Lopez-Cobos), dude!


Respighi I presume. Always remember to put the name of the composer, recording title, conductor and orchestra, otherwise we don't know what you're listening to.


----------



## Mirror Image

Next:


----------



## bdelykleon

I bought this recording ten years ago and it still is my favorite. Anda is such a great pianist and he succeeds in composers as distant as Mozart and Bartók.


----------



## bdelykleon

Two Byrd masses "in tempore Paschali" and "in Assumptione Beatae Mariae Virginis" with some motets. I'm literally with tears in my eyes, one of the most beautiful music I've ever heard.


----------



## eduffreitas

I've been listening to Chopin - The complete records with Dinu Lipatti this afternoon.


----------



## nosnjoh

*Current Listening*

My Mother's Day gift was a little slow coming this year, or at least part of it was, so I just received these yesterday: Hilary Hahn - Barber and Meyer String Concertos; Aaron Copland conducting Aaron Copland - Our Town(LSO) - The Red Pony, El Salon Mexico, Danzon Cubano, Three Latin American Sketches (NPO); Mozart's Requiem, von Karajan conducting. So far, so good, although I haven't made it to the Mozart yet, I can't imagine how it could disappoint.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## BuddhaBandit




----------



## Conservationist

Mirror Image said:


> Respighi I presume. Always remember to put the name of the composer, recording title, conductor and orchestra, otherwise we don't know what you're listening to.


Sorry to interrupt your high-handedness, but did another composer write a piece by the same title? Google lists none in the top ten.


----------



## Mirror Image

Conservationist said:


> Sorry to interrupt your high-handedness, but did another composer write a piece by the same title? Google lists none in the top ten.




All I said was how about putting the name of the composer, the name of the recording your listening to, the name of the conductor, and the name of the orchestra when you list what you're listening to. It helps other people have more a more defined idea of what you're listening to. That's all I was saying. I wasn't trying to be mean or rude to you in anyway.


----------



## bassClef

Sibelius - The Wood Nymph - Hyokki. Outstanding piece. I've been listening to Sibelius for years but this one passed me by til recently.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Fantastic performances. Rattle and CBSO perform these works beautifully. Anyone interested in Britten should acquire these recordings.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Scenes Historiques, Suite No. 2: Gibson/Royal Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Sibelius - Scenes Historiques, Suite No. 2: Gibson/Royal Scottish National Orchestra


You've been really listening to the Sibelius. I take it you like his music.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> You've been really listening to the Sibelius. I take it you like his music.


I like my Sibelius , I have been going through a bit of a Sibelius phase recently and have been trying to increase my collection of his works and doing a fair bit of listening too!


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Mvt. 6), Zubin Mehta: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## bdelykleon

Arguably, the best thematic (non complete works) box-set I have.


----------



## Sid James

*Vaughan Williams* - A London Symphony; Partita for Double String Orchestra (LPO/Boult) Belart
*Shostakovich* - Odna (Alone) soundtrack (Frankfurt RSO/Fitz-Gerald) Naxos
*Rubbra* - Violin Concerto (Osostowicz/Ulter O/Yuasa) Naxos


----------



## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> *Vaughan Williams* - A London Symphony; Partita for Double String Orchestra (LPO/Boult) Belart


I haven't heard this specific recording, but Boult is one of the major Vaughan Williams conductors no question about it. I enjoy Boult's conducting anyway.

I love RVW's "A London Symphony." It has a great feeling to it. He manages to tell what London was like during that time. My favorite symphony of RVW's, though, will forever be his Symphony No. 5. A brilliant piece of music. I also enjoyed the serene and picturesque "A Pastoral Symphony." Beautiful piece of music.


----------



## BuddhaBandit




----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


>


I just bought that yesterday. I've heard nothing but good things. I already own a few Faure recordings, so I'm looking forward to it.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> I just bought that yesterday. I've heard nothing but good things. I already own a few Faure recordings, so I'm looking forward to it.


You'll hate it. Fauré was a hack 'cause he wasn't a metalhead. Any metal band could write any Fauré piece in five minutes. Waste of my time.

No, but seriously. It's a very good recording- Fauré's Pelleas doesn't have quite the etherealness of his Requiem, but it's got some of the best pizzicato passages I've heard in a long time.

I originally got the recording because I heard my friend's string orchestra play the Pavane, which is a haunting piece that will stay with you for days. Ozawa (who, incidentally, I once saw on the New York subway) does a great job with both works.


----------



## andruini

One of my favorite Bernstein recordings.. I could just hear that man's voice forever.. 
For sure I'll be playing this for my kids one day..


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Cantatas: Jarvi/Estonian National SO


----------



## Sid James

Mirror Image said:


> I haven't heard this specific recording, but Boult is one of the major Vaughan Williams conductors no question about it. I enjoy Boult's conducting anyway...I love RVW's "A London Symphony." It has a great feeling to it. He manages to tell what London was like during that time...


That recording of _A London Symphony _was done in 1965 & it's mono. The rarely recorded _Partita_ is a bonus (have you heard it?). The Brits for some reason, stuck to mono way after the Americans had converted to stereo. Sonically, it's probably not the greatest recording of the work, but as you suggest, Boult was a top conductor of RVW. To me, this is not RVW's most cohesive symphony, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Very atmospheric, as you also suggest, presenting pictures of the busy streets, quiet squares & quays, and the chimes of Big Ben in the end...


----------



## Tapkaara

Sibelius's 4th - Berglund/Helsinki


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Conservationist

And... a relapse into Segovia listening... but it's so pretty


----------



## Aramis




----------



## bassClef

Exploring more of Carl Orff's work:










Surprisingly good!


----------



## Mirror Image

A good solid cycle. Not as good as Gunter Wand/Cologne Radio Symphony, Chailly/Royal Concertgebouw, or Jochum/Dresden Staatskapelle.


----------



## andruini




----------



## bongos

on line radio NZ Concert is Hovhaness Cello Concerto .WOW I dont even like the solo cello but I like this


----------



## Sid James

*Berg*: String Quartet; Lyric Suite; *Wolf*: Italian Serenade (New Zealand SQ) Naxos

*"Bolero & other Spanish favourites"* *Falla*: Excerpts from ballets; *Massenet*: El Cid; *Rimsky-Korsakov*: Capriccio Espagnole; *Ravel*: Bolero (Czecho-Slovak RSO/Jean) Naxos

*Sculthorpe*: Sun Music I-IV; Irkanda IV; Piano Concerto; Small Town (Dommett/Fogg/Melbourne SO/Hopkins/Friedman) ABC Classics


----------



## Conservationist

bongos said:


> on line radio NZ Concert is Hovhaness Cello Concerto .WOW I dont even like the solo cello but I like this


Interesting resource on him:

http://www.hovhaness.com/


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Works for String Orchestra


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini

Copland: The Red Pony Suite (Williams/Boston Pops)


----------



## JoeGreen

I'm listening currently to...

a whole line up of *Anton Webern*
His *Passacaglia* is playing right now.
Next is *Symphonie, Op. 21*


----------



## Sid James

bongos said:


> on line radio NZ Concert is Hovhaness Cello Concerto .WOW I dont even like the solo cello but I like this


I've just been listening to some *Hovhaness* also:

Symphony No. 63; Guitar Concerto No. 2; Fanfare for the New Atlantis (Calderon/RNSO/Roberston) Naxos


----------



## agoukass

CD 1: 
Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 (1931 version)
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 4
Alkan: Concerto pour piano seul

I was listening to this several nights ago. I've always been a fan of John Ogdon's playing and his championing of relatively unknown or unplayable repertoire.

One of the things that struck me about the Alkan was the virtuosity of the performance. The Alkan is probably one of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire demanding as it does a great deal of stamina. (The first movement is 26 mintues and as long as the entire "Hammerklavier Sonata." It is also a work that tests every single technical trick that a pianist has. In many ways, it's like the Busoni Piano Concerto or some of Godowsky's Studies on Chopin Etudes. It's a finger twisting extravaganza that only the best equipped of pianists can truly pull off.

I foudn the performance by Ogdon to be good. I love the way in which he performs the opening movement of the Alkan with tremendous days and the final pages of the finale. He truly comes into his own in writing that is the most difficult. I will admit that he makes some mistakes here and there. Yet I don't think that one can pull off a piece like the Alkan without any mistakes at all.

Overall an enjoyable listen.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## andruini

Philip Glass: Symphony No. 2, Interlude from Orphée and Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra


----------



## Mirror Image

Man, I'm really enjoying Diamond's music. It's a shame he's not better known.


----------



## Tapkaara

Welcome back, MI!


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Welcome back, MI!


Thank you, Tapkaara. You're friendship here has meant a lot to me through the months, so I should be thanking you.


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## Sid James

Mirror Image said:


> Man, I'm really enjoying Diamond's music. It's a shame he's not better known.


That Naxos 'American Classics' series is great. So many great discoveries there. I've got some Carter, Huang Ruo, Cowell & Hovhaness on that label.

Right now, I have been listening to:

*Wolf*: _Spanishes Liederbuch & Moricke Lieder _(Markus Schafer, tenor/Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, organ) Classico label


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## Mirror Image

Paul Dukas is such an underrated composer and quite the perfectionist. He threw away a lot of pieces, so he's only written around 33 pieces of music. He quite an influential teacher though. I just wished there was more music of his available, but I guess we're lucky to have what we got.

This is probably one of the best recordings of Dukas' music available, although I have been wanting some of Tortelier's readings on Chandos for a while, but Slatkin really does an admirable job. He's not known for his interpretations of French music, he certainly isn't a good Ravel conductor, but this recording is particularly noteworthy.


----------



## Mirror Image




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## agoukass

Disc 2: Chabrier & Ravel.


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## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> That Naxos 'American Classics' series is great. So many great discoveries there. I've got some Carter, Huang Ruo, Cowell & Hovhaness on that label.


Absolutely, I enjoy the "American Classics" series very much. I'm about to dive into some of Marin Alsop's Barber very soon.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

This has become something of a collector's item; it's one of my favorite collections of Ives' shorter works.


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## Mirror Image




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## Conservationist

Old favorite.


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## Mirror Image




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## Tapkaara

Respighi - Sinfonia Drammatica - Nazareth/Slovak (Listening with a cold, I might add... )


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## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Respighi - Sinfonia Drammatica - Nazareth/Slovak (Listening with a cold, I might add... )


I like Respighi. I feel he's yet another composer who doesn't get his due around here. He didn't compose that many works though. I think he only wrote about 35 or so pieces. A shame because he was great. "The Roman Trilogy" will remain my favorite works by him, although, I do enjoy "Church Windows" quite a bit.


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## Tapkaara

Church Windows is somewhat weak, but the Roman Trilogy is his masterpiece. And how can one overlook the Ancient Airs and Dances?

Yes, he is a great composer, and one of the few major Italian composers who did not dwell in the realm of opera.


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## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Church Windows is somewhat weak, but the Roman Trilogy is his masterpiece. And how can one overlook the Ancient Airs and Dances?
> 
> Yes, he is a great composer, and one of the few major Italian composers who did not dwell in the realm of opera.


You see I think "Ancient Airs and Dances" is weak, so we differ greatly on that. I also despise "Brazilian Impressions." I really hate that piece probably as much as Ravel's "Bolero" or Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."


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## Tapkaara

Well, I can understand why you wouldn't like Ancient Airs since it has a very Baroque feel to it, and I know you do not like Baroque music very much.

I think it's a beautiful work.


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## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Well, I can understand why you wouldn't like Ancient Airs since it has a very Baroque feel to it, and I know you do not like Baroque music very much.
> 
> I think it's a beautiful work.


There are a few Baroque composers I can stomach: Scarlatti, Rameau, and Corelli. That's about it.


----------



## Mirror Image




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## Conservationist

Tapkaara said:


> CAnd how can one overlook the Ancient Airs and Dances?


This has to be in my top five. Who's your favorite conductor of this piece?


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## Tapkaara

Conservationist said:


> This has to be in my top five. Who's your favorite conductor of this piece?


Well, I know I have heard several interpretations of this on the radio, but I only have one version on disc. It is Rico Saccani conducting the National S.O. of Ireland on Naxos. It's a great recording all around with great sound and superb playing. Prolly the only version I will ever need.


----------



## Conor71

Richard Strauss - 4 Last Songs: Norman/Masur/Gewandhausorchester Leipzig


----------



## Conor71

Richard Strauss - Metamorphosen: Gielen/Cincinnati SO


----------



## andruini




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## Tapkaara

Bernstein looks more like Karnak with what appears to be a card up to his forehead!


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## andruini

Hahaha, it was the only picture I could find of the recording I have, hmph hmph..


----------



## agoukass

MI,

I love Respighi as well. However, he didn't composed 35 pieces. The quantity of his music is much greater than what his orchestral works would have most people believe. He wrote seven operas, quite a larger number of songs, two string quartets, and a number of good piano pieces. 

The thing of it is that most people know Respighi for his over-blown symphonic poems (The Pines of Rome, Roman Festivals, etc.) or for his transcriptions of other people's music (Ancient Airs and Dances, The Birds). Yet he also wrote a lot of startlingly beautiful and original music that barely gets played anywhere such as the Concerto Gregoriano for violin and the Concerto in modo misolidio for piano.


----------



## Mirror Image

agoukass said:


> MI,
> 
> I love Respighi as well. However, he didn't composed 35 pieces. The quantity of his music is much greater than what his orchestral works would have most people believe. He wrote seven operas, quite a larger number of songs, two string quartets, and a number of good piano pieces.
> 
> The thing of it is that most people know Respighi for his over-blown symphonic poems (The Pines of Rome, Roman Festivals, etc.) or for his transcriptions of other people's music (Ancient Airs and Dances, The Birds). Yet he also wrote a lot of startlingly beautiful and original music that barely gets played anywhere such as the Concerto Gregoriano for violin and the Concerto in modo misolidio for piano.


Really? Then how many did he compose then?

For me, his "Roman Trilogy" are some of the best pieces of music he ever wrote. I wouldn't call these pieces "over-blown." I think that is a term people use who don't understand the music to begin with.

Edit: I just saw on Wikipedia he composed quite a bit of music. I wonder why this book I have said he only composed 35 works? Anyway, this is good to know.


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## agoukass

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottorino_Respighi

Scroll down and look at the list of works. It's actually much larger than what most people are aware of.

I call them "overblown" because I find them to be extremely heavily orchestrated. While I do appreciate them as music, they are not my favorites and I do not listen to them as frequently as some others on these forums undoubtedly do.


----------



## Mirror Image

agoukass said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottorino_Respighi
> 
> Scroll down and look at the list of works. It's actually much larger than what most people are aware of.
> 
> I call them "overblown" because I find them to be extremely heavily orchestrated. While I do appreciate them as music, they are not my favorites and I do not listen to them as frequently as some others on these forums undoubtedly do.


I hardly ever listen to Respighi anyway, so I'm not that interested in his music. If I do listen to him it's going to be "The Roman Trilogy." That's about as far as I want to get with him.

Some people are just really into his music, but I just don't listen to him very much at all for whatever reason.


----------



## Conservationist

agoukass said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottorino_Respighi
> 
> Scroll down and look at the list of works. It's actually much larger than what most people are aware of.
> 
> I call them "overblown" because I find them to be extremely heavily orchestrated. While I do appreciate them as music, they are not my favorites and I do not listen to them as frequently as some others on these forums undoubtedly do.


I'm slowly hunting down as many as I can find.

I like his overblown nature because it's paired with a very quiet, sensitive nature. It reminds me of a lot of naturalistic stuff: thunderstorm and spring rain, in the same movement.

Respighi will alwasy be known for "Fountains of Rome/Pines of Rome," but a lot of his other work is subtler and more powerful to my ears.

Further bulletins as events warrant...


----------



## Conservationist

Tapkaara said:


> Well, I know I have heard several interpretations of this on the radio, but I only have one version on disc. It is Rico Saccani conducting the National S.O. of Ireland on Naxos. It's a great recording all around with great sound and superb playing. Prolly the only version I will ever need.


Thank you. I will see if Joel's Classical music shop has it.

Oddly, I've never been disappointed in my limited contact with Naxos. Some recordings obviously clone another conductor/orchestra's style, and some are not the best of breed, but none I've heard yet are really terrible.

("really terrible" = "Dream Theatre" or "Opeth" level)


----------



## bdelykleon

This is a very interesting opera. Méhul has a much italianized melodic style, sounds a little odd in French, but besides that, his harmonic language is very forward-looking and is very useful in creating surprises and changes of mood. Very good opera.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> This is a very interesting opera. Méhul has a much italianized melodic style, sounds a little odd in French, but besides that, his harmonic language is very forward-looking and is very useful in creating surprises and changes of mood. Very good opera.


I see it's on the Capriccio label too. Yet another subsidiary of Naxos.


----------



## andruini

Works for Clarinet, Violin and Piano

Milhaud: Suite
Bartók: Contrasts
Stravinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat, Suite
Khachaturian: Trio

A lovely recording, I really recommend it!


----------



## Clancy

Messiaen - Oiseaux Exotiques conducted by Boulez, Aimard on piano

First listen through and it completely grabbed me, there is a golden thread of brilliance that runs all the way through this piece - and the finale is heart-stopping.

Reminded me a lot of Stravinsky at several points, which is always a good thing.


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> I see it's on the Capriccio label too. Yet another subsidiary of Naxos.


Yes indeed. Naxos has opened quite some repertoire to us... Love them...


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Yes indeed. Naxos has opened quite some repertoire to us... Love them...


Tapkaara has started a great thread about Naxos, so stop on by and show some love for this great label.


----------



## Tapkaara

Show you love for Klaus Heymann here: http://www.talkclassical.com/5790-naxos-fans-unite-2.html


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## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Show you love for Klaus Heymann here: http://www.talkclassical.com/5790-naxos-fans-unite-2.html


Don't forget Antoni Wit, Theodor Kuchar, and David Lloyd-Jones.


----------



## Tapkaara

All three are great, great conductors.


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## Mirror Image

A remarkable set. Anyone interested in late-Romantic English composers owes it to themselves to checkout this set with Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

R.I.P. Mr. Handley ---- we all have you to thank for your vision and for bringing us this beautifully neglected music. May you rest in peace.


----------



## Conor71

Wagner - Siegfrieds Funeral March: Boult/LPO


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## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Wagner - Siegfrieds Funeral March: Boult/LPO


I've got this set as well and it's actually quite good. You wouldn't think an English conductor would be that great of Wagner interpreter, but Boult is. Quite surprising actually.


----------



## andruini

Philip Glass: Symphony No. 5 "Choral" (Russel Davies and Bruckner Orchestra Linz, I presume)


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## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


How is this set? I've never been a big fan of Schumann's music, but it would be interesting to hear your impressions of how Kubelik handles these scores.


----------



## andruini

Well, I'm a big Schumann fan myself.. His symphonies are lovely pieces of work and I really love the 2nd and 4th.. However, this is the only set I have and have heard, so I have no point of reference.. I have, however heard both the aforementioned symphonies performed live a couple of times, and judging by those, Kubelik's interpretation is really a triumph. It's a magnificent set that goes down really well with me and I don't suspect I'll need another soon..


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## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Well, I'm a big Schumann fan myself.. His symphonies are lovely pieces of work and I really love the 2nd and 4th.. However, this is the only set I have and have heard, so I have no point of reference.. I have, however heard both the aforementioned symphonies performed live a couple of times, and judging by those, Kubelik's interpretation is really a triumph. It's a magnificent set that goes down really well with me and I don't suspect I'll need another soon..


I like Kubelik a lot, but am weary how he handles German composers seeing as his true speciality and affinity are in the Czech repertoire.


----------



## andruini

True, but a few posts ago you also said that an Englishman is an unlikely Wagner conductor, so give Kubelik's Schumann a chance..


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## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> True, but a few posts ago you also said that an Englishman is an unlikely Wagner conductor, so give Kubelik's Schumann a chance..


That's true I did, but this doesn't always work, but sometimes it does and when it does it's quite wonderful like when Simon Rattle conducts Shostakovich. Man, you better believe the concert hall is brought to a standing ovation when he gets done with one of his pieces. He's an excellent Shostakovich conductor. I only wished he would conduct him more. I own all of Rattle's Shostakovich recordings and they are all fantastic.


----------



## Zanralotta

Current listening:
Mendelssohn's Herbrides Overture.

I'll have to play it in concert tomorrow.


----------



## Tapkaara

Listening to Douglas Riva performing the incredible piano works Enrique Granados.


----------



## Mirror Image

Continuing with Alsop's Barber cycle on Naxos, so far this is a wonderful set no doubt about it.


----------



## Sid James

*Respighi*: Belkis, Queen of Sheba; Metamorphsoen (Phil. O/Simon) Chandos - A friend's cd

*Orff*: Carmina Burana (Gerda Hartmann, s/Richard Brunner, t/Rudolf Knoll, b/Salzburg Mozarteum Choir & Orchestra/Prestel) Pilz

*The Number One VERDI Album *(Pavarotti, Sutherland, Price, etc) 2 vols. Decca

*Hovhannes*: Symphonies 4, 20 & 53; Trumpet Concerto; Prayer of St. Gregory (Wallace/Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama Wind Orch./Brion) Naxos


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## bdelykleon

Beautiful! Hear the composer's major work here:


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Mirror Image

Continuing the Alsop Barber series on Naxos:










A truly remarkable series. If you're a Barber fan, you need this 6-CD series in your collection right now!


----------



## bdelykleon

The first time I hear Herzgewächse and it is utterly beautiful. Incredible. The Pierrot Lunaire is one of the best arround also.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

A rare and great CD:

Stravinsky: The Firebird & Bartok: Two Portraits

cond. by Christoph von Dohnanyi with the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## bdelykleon




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## Mirror Image

Taking a break from Naxos Barber series. I will return to it later tonight.


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## Sid James

*Lutoslawski* - Piano Concerto (Paleczny/Polish NRSO/With) Naxos

*Varese* - Arcana, Octandre, Integrales, Offrandes, Deserts (Polish NRSO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos

*Sculthorpe* - Piano Concerto (Fogg/Melbourne SO/Friedman) ABC classics

*Hovhaness* - Symphonies 4, 20 & 53; Trumpet Concerto (Wallace/Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama Wind Orch/Brion) Naxos


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## Sid James

Mirror Image said:


> ...Taking a break from Naxos Barber series. I will return to it later tonight.


That looks like an excellent Bartok set. The Eastern Europeans (esp. Hungarians) seem to have a special affinity with this type of music. I've got Jando on Naxos & Dikov on Festival playing Bartok's _Piano Concertos_. They are excellent...

Enjoy!


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## andruini

Beautiful..


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## Mirror Image

Continuing my journey of Alsop's Barber series on Naxos and it's fantastic...


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## handlebar

Mirror Image said:


> Continuing my journey of Alsop's Barber series on Naxos and it's fantastic...


How ironic as I was just finishing Barber's Symphony #2 except on the Chandos label.

Jim


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## Mirror Image

handlebar said:


> How ironic as I was just finishing Barber's Symphony #2 except on the Chandos label.
> 
> Jim


Ha! That's pretty neat. I own that one too! I actually find Alsop's performances of Barber to be better than Jarvi's to be honest, but they both do a great job nonetheless. I own all of Jarvi's and Alsop's Barber recordings. Slatkin and Schippers are also great Barber conductors.


----------



## bassClef

A bit of light escapism for me this afternoon:


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Moeran: Violin Concerto; Lonely Waters; Whythorne's Shadow
Lydia Mordkovitch, violin (in concerto)
Ulster Orchestra
Vernon Handley, cond.

Moeran: Cello Concerto
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
Bouremouth Sinfonietta
Norman Del Mar, cond.
CHANDOS*

This is my introduction to E. J. Moeran (1894-1950) whom I first read about recently and whose music was described as being firmly entrenched in the "cowpat" school of twentieth century British music, a term derogatorally coined by English serialist composer Elisabeth Lutyens to describe the more idyllically inclined music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gerald Finzi, Hubert Parry, and the like. Yes, the music here is nothing if not evocative of British and Irish vistas abetted by frequent none-too-subtle allusions to inherently familiar folk melodies and rhythms. One can choose to either love this music for its simple summonings or be aloof to its seeming ubiquity and triteness; there's certainly nothing threatening nor overtly challenging to be heard.

The _Violin Concerto_ of 1937 is probably the most attractive and substantive work here -- three varying movements traversing both a soberly Romantic and homespun musical landscape. Soloist Lydia Mordkovitch produces a somewhat roughhewn sonority, especially in the lower register, but still displays an appropriately sweet-sounding rumination bookending the folksy jauntiness found in the middle movement. In painting this beautiful and amiable picture, she's very well-balanced with the vividly recorded Ulster Orchestra led by Vernon Handley.

Handley and the Ulster also perform the near contemporaneous _Lonely Waters_ and _Whythorne's Shadow_, the latter's namesake being an Elizabethan-era composer -- together representing about fifteen minutes of flowing, lovely, and mostly innocuous musical buffer.

The program ends with the _Cello Concerto_, a later work from around the end of World War II. Soloist Raphael Wallfisch is accompanied by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta led by Norman Del Mar in a recording originally released a few years previous to the above in the mid-1980s and compellingly appended here to make for this chock-full 2004 re-release. It's perhaps too easy to say this is musically more of the same as its earlier violin counterpart -- a beautiful and pastorally inspired rumination sandwiching and infused with some lilting Irish folk stylings, this time featuring the deeply rich sonority of Wallfisch's instrument. If, perchance, there's an actual "expression" to be heard in this score, it's mostly latent in this performance, but it melds well with this uniformly peaceable and amiable program -- one, with small effort, I happened to take delight in this particular morning.


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## Mirror Image

Couldn't find a decent picture.

Boughton: Symphony No. 3, Vernon Handley, Royal Philharmonic, Hyperion:


----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

*Schnittke* - Piano Quintet, String Trio, etc (1999 AFCM Ensemble) Naxos

*Shostakovich* - Symphony No. 4; *Britten* - Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (Chicago SO/London SO/Previn) EMI

*Bizet *- L'Arlessiene & Carmen Suites (London Festival O/Cantieri) Point Classics


----------



## Mirror Image

The last installment of the Alsop Barber series on Naxos. What a great series this has been. I'll probably repeat the whole series soon.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Great Polish composer that everyone should checkout. It's a shame Karlowicz's life was cut short he had a great composing style.


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## Conservationist




----------



## bdelykleon

Great Polish composer that everyone should checkout.


----------



## bdelykleon

It is such a pity that Skalkottas is such a forgotten composer outside of Greece. I heard him in Thessaloniki last year and simply fell in love with such a brilliant music, at the same time nationalistic and avant-garde, exciting and lyrical. He is one of my greatest discoveries.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

I was inspired by MI's Barber-mania to put on this recording:










And, after the Barber, I put on one of my all-time favorite compositions:


----------



## Sid James

*Kats-Chernin*: Wild Swans, Piano Concerto No. 2, Mythic (Sheldon/Munro/Tasmanian SO/Rudner) ABC classics

*Steiner*: Gone with the wind (soundtrack) (London Sinfonia/Mathieson) Block music

*Ramirez*: Navidad Nuestra, Misa Criolla; *arr. Haazen*: Missa Luba (Soloists/Washington Choral Arts Society/Holt) Naxos


----------



## andruini

BuddhaBandit said:


>


Oh yes, me like.. Gotta love those variations.. I have the version with Stephen Drury though.. I bet the Hamelin is incredibly good..

Now listening:


----------



## Tapkaara

Mahler 6 - Eschenbach/Philiadelphia


----------



## Mirror Image




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## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


I really wanted to get into this piece by Bartok, but I just can't stomach opera.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> I really wanted to get into this piece by Bartok, but I just can't stomach opera.


Ah, well, you should definitely keep an open mind about it, this is one of my favorite Bartók works.. But to each his own, I guess..


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## Mirror Image

Digging some Karol Szymanowski right now. Another severely underrated composer.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Digging some Karol Szymanowski right now. Another severely underrated composer.


Agreed, I had quite a favorable reaction to his 2nd and 3rd Symphonies.. I need to check out more of his music..

Right now:


----------



## bdelykleon

and later:


----------



## bassClef

andruini said:


> Now listening:


Now she looks like a typical Czech female - they are all like that here !


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## handlebar

Arnold's Sinfonietta on Naxos.

Jim


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Sid James

*Frank Martin* - Petite symphonie concertante, Polyptyque, Ballades, Sachs monologe aus 'Jedermann,' Ariel-chore aus Shakespeares Sturm, Mass for double choir, Quatre pieces breves

(Soloists/ASMP/Marriner/Zurich CO/de Stoutz/Orch. de l'Opera de Lyon/Nagano/Stockholm Chamber Ch.)

2 CD, EMI


----------



## World Violist

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue.

It's addicting... I've been listening to jazz virtually all day...


----------



## Sid James

World Violist said:


> Miles Davis: Kind of Blue...It's addicting... I've been listening to jazz virtually all day...


Looks like it's ok to post our CURRENT JAZZ LISTENING here as well?...If that's the case, I'd happily do it on a fairly regular basis...


----------



## andruini

So great!! Ibert needs more attention around here..


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## Conservationist

Andre said:


> Looks like it's ok to post our CURRENT JAZZ LISTENING here as well?




It's like jazz, but more structured.


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## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> So great!! Ibert needs more attention around here..


Ibert's a pretty good composer.


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## bdelykleon

The Skalkottas feast goes on.


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## andruini

Still listening to the Chamber Music of Ibert.. I love it!


----------



## Mirror Image

Nielsen: Symphonies 2 & 4, NY Philharmonic, L. Bernstein, Sony


----------



## Weston

Yesterday at work I popped in this Naxos CD of Gliere's Symphony No. 3










I never paid much attention to Gliere before, and in truth I was unable to focus on this music much while at work, but the 4th movement made me drop everything - including my jaw! There are sections that can only be described as orgies of brass.  Amazing power! I'm going to give this a thorough listen during the weekend.


----------



## Isola

I'm listening to (and very much enjoying it) - 









The Nash Ensemble is quite good!


----------



## andruini

The Shostakovich Piano Quintet is wonderful! One of my favorites.. That recording looks interesting!


----------



## Mirror Image

Beautiful recording that every fan of American classical music should hear. Still composed some top-notch music no question about it.


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Oh man, what a gorgeous recording. My goodness I've hit the jackpot with this recent discovery of American composers. McKay is a great composer. His orchestrations are also fantastic.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

andruini said:


>


A great one! Definitely one of my favorite Barber recordings.


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> A great one! Definitely one of my favorite Barber recordings.


Yes, that's outstanding disc. I also recommend Marin Alsop's Barber cycle on Naxos, which is six volumes total.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

andruini said:


>


Oh no! The part in the Grand Canyon Suitewith the mule walking sounds is one of the worst passages I've ever heard.

Though, I haven't heard the two other suites- are they good?

I've got this on the stereo:


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> Oh no! The part in the Grand Canyon Suitewith the mule walking sounds is one of the worst passages I've ever heard.
> 
> Though, I haven't heard the two other suites- are they good?


Do you even like American composers? You never say anything remotely positive about any of them.

Just like the comment you made about William Grant Still being cheesy. You clearly haven't heard enough of Still to even come to a realistic conclusion about his music.

By the way, I would be interested in hearing what composers you listen to that aren't performed much. Anybody can go pick up a set by Haydn and put it on. Let's hear some composers you like that aren't ever discussed.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> Do you even like American composers? You never say anything remotely positive about any of them.
> 
> Just like the comment you made about William Grant Still being cheesy. You clearly haven't heard enough of Still to even come to a realistic conclusion about his music.
> 
> By the way, I would be interested in hearing what composers you listen to that aren't performed much. Anybody can go pick up a set by Haydn and put it on. Let's hear some composers you like that aren't ever discussed.


I believe that I have been a vocal supporter of Ives, Barber, Crumb, and Schuman. And I started a "Composer Guestbook" on William Perry- a composer that you, MI, had never heard of.

And, just above, I posted a "current listening" bit on Rzewski's The People United- hardly a well-known composition, yet one of my favorite 20th century piano works. And the kicker: Rzewski is American, and I've yet to see him discussed on this forum.

I'm a huge fan of American classical music. But, as with all music, I like some American classical and dislike other American classical.

And, MI, are you seriously inferring that listening to Haydn is a sin?


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> I believe that I have been a vocal supporter of Ives, Barber, Crumb, and Schuman. And I started a "Composer Guestbook" on William Perry- a composer that you, MI, had never heard of.
> 
> And, just above, I posted a "current listening" bit on Rzewski's The People United- hardly a well-known composition, yet one of my favorite 20th century piano works. And the kicker: Rzewski is American, and I've yet to see him discussed on this forum.
> 
> I'm a huge fan of American classical music. But, as with all music, I like some American classical and dislike other American classical.
> 
> And, MI, are you seriously inferring that listening to Haydn is a sin?


I have yet to see Chadwick, Harris, Beach, Diamond, McKay, Hadley, etc. discussed around here either until I brought them up in my "American Composer Corner" threads, so what exactly is your point?

As for the comment about Haydn, you can listen to him all you want to and I didn't say there's anything wrong with it, but how about listening to a composer you never heard before? I like Haydn, but there's so many other composers that deserve to be heard too, don't you think?

Even with European composers it seems people don't think "outside of the box" very much.


----------



## Mirror Image

Another brilliant recording of the music of an American master.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> but there's so many other composers that deserve to be heard too, don't you think?
> 
> Even with European composers it seems people don't think "outside of the box" very much.


Of course, and I listen to composers I've never heard before quite a bit. And I've got 82 years of music listening ahead of me- I think there's plenty of time to both understand "classic" composers more deeply and explore more obscure composers. But since you ask, here's a recording I put on yesterday for the first time:










I'd say that Don Carlo Gesualdo is hardly a household name, MI.


----------



## Tapkaara

Hamlet by Shostakovich - Yablonsky/Russian Phil


----------



## andruini

BuddhaBandit said:


> Oh no! The part in the Grand Canyon Suitewith the mule walking sounds is one of the worst passages I've ever heard.
> 
> Though, I haven't heard the two other suites- are they good?


I think the mule passage is quite clichéd in concept and execution, but the rest of the suite is really good. 
The other suites are great as well, particularly the Niagara Falls one..



BuddhaBandit said:


> And, just above, I posted a "current listening" bit on Rzewski's The People United- hardly a well-known composition, yet one of my favorite 20th century piano works. And the kicker: Rzewski is American, and I've yet to see him discussed on this forum.


I will vouch for the greatness of Rzewski's music too! 

I'm listening to this:









And hey! No one discusses this guy here either, so.. bonus points for me? 
Just kidding, I know here at Talk Classical, we don't talk about the "light" composers..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I think the mule passage is quite clichéd in concept and execution, but the rest of the suite is really good.
> The other suites are great as well, particularly the Niagara Falls one..
> 
> I will vouch for the greatness of Rzewski's music too!
> 
> I'm listening to this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And hey! No one discusses this guy here either, so.. bonus points for me?
> Just kidding, I know here at Talk Classical, we don't talk about the "light" composers..


I've got nothing against Sousa. He is after all considered "The March King." I just don't consider his music "serious" for some reason. I guess it takes me back to the days I was in marching band when I didn't really get into his music.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> I've got nothing against Sousa. He is after all considered "The March King." I just don't consider his music "serious" for some reason. I guess it takes me back to the days I was in marching band when I didn't take Sousa's music serious anyway.


That's my point though.. So what if a composer's music is "not serious"? Is that so bad??
I know they're not Mahler symphonies, but each piece of music has its purpose and its intention, and they shouldn't be relegated to a lower level..
I tell you, I've been hearing a lot of "I like Ibert, but his music wasn't serious", or "Poulenc is a fine composer, but he just did "light" music".. Or J. Strauss or Sousa or Lehar or what have you.. I mean, to me, there's absolutely nothing wrong with any of these composers.. "Not serious" should be struck out of music vocabulary!!
I'm done ranting..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> That's my point though.. So what if a composer's music is "not serious"? Is that so bad??
> I know they're not Mahler symphonies, but each piece of music has its purpose and its intention, and they shouldn't be relegated to a lower level..
> I tell you, I've been hearing a lot of "I like Ibert, but his music wasn't serious", or "Poulenc is a fine composer, but he just did "light" music".. Or J. Strauss or Sousa or Lehar or what have you.. I mean, to me, there's absolutely nothing wrong with any of these composers.. "Not serious" should be struck out of music vocabulary!!
> I'm done ranting..


I could careless if something is serious is or not too, but what I'm saying is I don't take Sousa's music seriously regardless if it's considered "light" music or whatever. I just don't consider "marching band" music something I want to listen to. It's cool to add a marching band effect into an orchestral piece though like Shostakovich does in his music. Love the way all of a sudden we'll hear a few measures of intense military marching snare drums. It just adds to the overall demented experience one can get from Shostakovich.


----------



## Mirror Image

So far, so good. I'm enjoying this recording quite a bit.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Great music! Chadwick shows ties to the European tradition while retaining his American identity. Beautiful music indeed.


----------



## Mirror Image




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## andruini




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## Mirror Image




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## BuddhaBandit




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## bdelykleon

BuddhaBandit said:


> I'd say that Don Carlo Gesualdo is hardly a household name, MI.


But an incredible and unique composer, Buddha, great choice. There are so many "new" composers who just do the same thing as others, but Gesualdo has an unique and great musical style, it is hard to confound him witha nother composer, I quite like his highly dissonant and dramatic music.


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## bdelykleon

*I'm a sinner...*










*Peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa...*


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## BuddhaBandit

bdelykleon said:


> But an incredible and unique composer, Buddha, great choice. There are so many "new" composers who just do the same thing as others, but Gesualdo has an unique and great musical style, it is hard to confound him witha nother composer, I quite like his highly dissonant and dramatic music.


I totally agree. There are so many Renaissance composers that are overlooked in favor of "warhorses" like Palestrina or Des Pres- but Gesualdo was far ahead of his time and composed some very mesmerizing choral works.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Tone Poems: Jarvi/Gothenburg SO


----------



## Conservationist




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## Mirror Image




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## Mirror Image




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## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 5 by Jean Sibelius - Saraste/YLE Symphony


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Symphony no. 5 by Jean Sibelius - Saraste/YLE Symphony


Is that on the Apex label? Why don't you post a picture?


----------



## Tapkaara

It is Apex. I don't post pictures because it takes to long...


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> It is Apex. I don't post pictures because it takes to long...


It doesn't take me long at all. I just bring up another browsing window and search Google and I'm done.


----------



## andruini

(Les Noces, Renard and L'Histoire du Soldat)


----------



## bdelykleon




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## Mirror Image

Fantastic recording. Beach was a great composer no doubt about it.


----------



## andruini

(Apollon Musagète, Agon, Jeu de Cartes)


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## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> (Apollon Musagète, Agon, Jeu de Cartes)


That whole Stravinsky box set is worth it's weight in gold. I only paid $30 for that set, which is unbelievably good considering it's 22 CDs and Stravinsky nonetheless. That box will be a collector's item soon.


----------



## bdelykleon

Great disc, I just love this north-German repertoire of organ music.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Igor Stravinsky - The Firebird Suite


----------



## Mirror Image

PartisanRanger said:


> Igor Stravinsky - The Firebird Suite


 Which version? What conductor, orchestra, record label?


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## PartisanRanger

Mirror Image said:


> Which version? What conductor, orchestra, record label?


Shameful as it is, that info is not recorded for this version on my iTunes.


----------



## Mirror Image

PartisanRanger said:


> Shameful as it is, that info is not recorded for this version on my iTunes.


And that's why it pays to own the recording instead of wasting your money on downloads.


----------



## Air

Mirror Image said:


>


You'll absolutely love the Schumann, if you try.


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## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> You'll absolutely love the Schumann, if you try.


I already love it!  I've heard it before, but it's been a while.


----------



## JoeGreen

*Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" 2nd Movement.*

George Solti 
Chicago Symphony Orhestra.


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## Mirror Image

Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 "Organ," Jean Martinon, Orchestre National de France, Apex


----------



## Air

PartisanRanger said:


> Shameful as it is, that info is not recorded for this version on my iTunes.


Are you serious? Don't you check before you buy? In the very rare cases I buy on iTunes, I always check if it's a quality performance. Usually from a CD I really want.


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## Mirror Image

Listening to this again, one of the most amazing "American Classics" recordings I own. Beautiful music. Masterfully orchestrated.


----------



## World Violist

I've been listening to Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw Orchestra's reading of the Mahler 9th all day and desperately wanting something more emotionally impactful...


----------



## Sid James

Last weekend:

*Stravinsky*: Oedipus Rex (Soloists/Sadler's Wells Opera Ch (Men's voices)/RPO/Davis) EMI

*Leyendecker*: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 3 (Greutter/North German RSO/Kalitzke) Naxos

More recently:

*Sculthorpe*: Mangrove, Kakadu, Irkanda IV, Small Town, Earth Cry (Sydney SO/Challender) ABC Classics

*Sculthorpe*: The Fifth Content, Little Suite, Port Arthur: In Memoriam, Djilile, etc. (Tasmanian SO/Porcelijn) ABC Classics


----------



## Mirror Image

A great disc from an underrated American master.


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## bdelykleon

How I love this CD. Great music, fantastic pianist. Michelangeli is one of the few artists who manage to be good playing almost every repertoire and composer, it doesn't sound with "accent" like Gould playing Beethoven or Gieseking playing Debussy. He is great at Haydn, at Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Debussy.


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## Mirror Image

Beautiful recordings. Masterfully rendered.


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## bdelykleon

Very fine music, the finale of the concerto is specially good.Exciting use of Greek folk thematic, very rhytmically sound and a very solid counterpoint writing.

And now:


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## PartisanRanger

airad2 said:


> Are you serious? Don't you check before you buy? In the very rare cases I buy on iTunes, I always check if it's a quality performance. Usually from a CD I really want.


I got it from a p2p network to see if I would like it. The Stravinsky buying spree comes soon.


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## Mirror Image

Quite a breathtaking performance. Beautiful indeed.


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## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> Beautiful recordings. Masterfully rendered.


I may be going out on a limb here but I think the 3rd movement of Balakirev's 1st symphony is one of the most beautiful adagios ever written.


----------



## Tapkaara

bdelykleon said:


> Very fine music, the finale of the concerto is specially good.Exciting use of Greek folk thematic, very rhytmically sound and a very solid counterpoint writing.
> 
> And now:


Where can you buy this recording of the concerto?


----------



## bdelykleon

Tapkaara said:


> Where can you buy this recording of the concerto?


I bought Kalomiri opera yesterday in musical.gr, they send to Brazil, so probably they will send to the states.

Here's your cd: http://www.musical.gr/cddetails.php?gui_language=1&CD_code=0074-2&cat=2


----------



## Air

Earlier:










Roussel is fantastic: I've listened to this CD three times since i got it a week ago. Very exciting and magical, great humor, masterful orchestration.

Now:










Two of the most beautiful string quartets ever written, played absolutely wonderfully.

Next:










Not everyone hates Bach, you know. Great stuff.


----------



## bassClef

I love Roussel's 3rd too.


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> Earlier:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Roussel is fantastic: I've listened to this CD three times since i got it a week ago. Very exciting and magical, great humor, masterful orchestration.


I agree Roussel IS fantastic and sadly underrated. You should pick this recording up some time:


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## Mirror Image

bassClef said:


> I may be going out on a limb here but I think the 3rd movement of Balakirev's 1st symphony is one of the most beautiful adagios ever written.


Balakirev wrote beautiful music period.


----------



## Sid James

*Sculthorpe*: Sun Music I-IV, Irkanda IV, Piano Concerto, Small Town (Dommett/Fogg/Melbourne SO/Friedman/Hopkins) ABC Classics

*Sculthorpe*: Earth Cry, Irkanda IV, Small Town, Kakadu, Mangrove (Sydney SO/Challender) ABC Classics


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to this set. It's really, and I mean, really good. Sir Andrew Davis is a great conductor no question about it. I have also enjoyed his Vaughan Williams cycle with almost equal enthusiasm.

Sorry about the picture guys. It's the only one I could find.


----------



## andruini

(Scènes de Ballet, Bluebird - Pas de Deux, The Fairy's Kiss)


----------



## bassClef

andruini said:


> (Scènes de Ballet, Bluebird - Pas de Deux, The Fairy's Kiss)


Just about my favourite disc in the set I think !


----------



## andruini

bassClef said:


> Just about my favourite disc in the set I think !


I love it too, though I have a soft spot for the Apollon Musagète, Agon and Jeu de Cartes one..


----------



## PartisanRanger

Beethoven - Coriolan Overture in D Minor, Jos Van Immerseel


----------



## Mirror Image

Very good recording. I'm liking Lilburn a lot. I do hear a Sibelius influence in his music no question about it.


----------



## andruini

(Pulcinella, Orphée)


----------



## Mirror Image

Great recording. Karlowicz is such a sadly neglected composer. Antoni Wit and the NZSO do a great job.


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev*: Symphony No. 5; Ala & Lolly (Scythian Suite) (City of Birmingham SO/Rattle) EMI

*Verdi*: Opera Choruses (La Scala Milan Opera Chorus & Orch/Muti) EMI

& some jazz:

*Kenny Dorham*: Afro-Cuban, EMI/Blue Note


----------



## Mirror Image

Outstanding recording. I'm not into opera, so it's great to hear strictly orchestral works extracted from Puccini's operas.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is a different cover from the one I own. I'm on disc 1 right now and it's great. Thanks to JoeGreen for recommending this set to me.


----------



## Sid James

Mirror Image said:


> I'm on disc 1 right now and it's great. Thanks to JoeGreen for recommending this set to me.


Verdi is one of my favourites...I was just listening to a cd of his opera choruses today. Excellent stuff, very good orchestrator, etc...


----------



## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> Verdi is one of my favourites...I was just listening to a cd of his opera choruses today. Excellent stuff, very good orchestrator, etc...


Yes, he is very good and he's a good orchestrator too.


----------



## Conservationist

I still like Salonen's 4th better.


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## Mirror Image

Conservationist said:


> I still like Salonen's 4th better.


Salonen is a terrible Bruckner conductor. Karajan is also not one of my favorites either.


----------



## Sid James

Some froth & bubble:

*British Light Classics* - Pomp & Circumstance, Elizabethan Serenade, Dambuster's March, etc (Slovak SO/Leaper/others) Naxos

& something more substantial & Australian:

*Sculthorpe*: Port Arthur: In Memoriam, Djilile, Fifth Continent, Night Song, Little Suite, Lament (Tasmanian SO/Porcelijn) ABC Classics


----------



## Mirror Image

This is such a great recording. Andre, you should checkout Still's music as soon as possible. Get this recording when you do.


----------



## bdelykleon

This is a very fine opera.


----------



## JoeGreen

Mirror Image said:


> Yes, he is very good and he's a good orchestrator too.


Ha! That's actually a first, As a ardent Verdi fan I actually surprise myself at thinking that Verdi was pretty mediocre, at least very Early Verdi. And I wasn't alone in thinking this because everyone else I talked to agreed with this, also the fact that he never took a formal Orchestration course andeven biographers notice this! But he did get quite good as he matured.

But I'm glad you guys think he was good.


----------



## JoeGreen

bdelykleon said:


> This is a very fine opera.


Knowing that Spain had such a strong tradition of Zarzuela, does the opera by any chance draw on this?


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> Ha! That's actually a first, As a ardent Verdi fan I actually surprise myself at thinking that Verdi was pretty mediocre, at least very Early Verdi. And I wasn't alone in thinking this because everyone else I talked to agreed with this, also the fact that he never took a formal Orchestration course andeven biographers notice this! But he did get quite good as he matured.
> 
> But I'm glad you guys think he was good.


Well he is good no question about it. I don't put his orchestrations quite on the same level as Ravel, R. Strauss, Berlioz, or Rimsky-Korsakov, but he can certainly hold his own no doubt about it.

I like Verdi. It's just too bad I'm not into opera or I would be listening to Verdi and Puccini as we speak! The music found in their operas is unbelievably good.


----------



## JoeGreen

Mirror Image said:


> Well he is good no question about it. I don't put his orchestrations quite on the same level as Ravel, R. Strauss, Berlioz, or Rimsky-Korsakov, but he can certainly hold his own no doubt about it.
> 
> I like Verdi. It's just too bad I'm not into opera or I would be listening to Verdi and Puccini as we speak! The music found in their operas is unbelievably good.


Yeah I suppose that's why I don't find the orchestration that good, because I'm looking at it from the vantage point of Strauss, Rimsky - Korakov etc.

Yes too bad you don't like Opera, because _Falstaff_, his last opera, is quite the tour de force, the only problem there are no solely orchestral pieces to be extract from it. The orchestra in it is like a river of gold flowing along from place to place.

If you like non operatic vocal music listen do his: _Quattro Pezzi Sacri_ there's a good recording of it on Naxos that also comes with the _Requiem_, and also with Myung Wyung Chung but i forget the label.


----------



## Air

On this beautifully black NorCal night, I am enjoying some tea with my avatar and Schumann*. 

*Klavierkonzert: Sviatoslav Richter and Rowicki/WNPO. Beats the Lipatti, methinks.


----------



## Mirror Image

JoeGreen said:


> Yeah I suppose that's why I don't find the orchestration that good, because I'm looking at it from the vantage point of Strauss, Rimsky - Korakov etc.
> 
> Yes too bad you don't like Opera, because _Falstaff_, his last opera, is quite the tour de force, the only problem there are no solely orchestral pieces to be extract from it. The orchestra in it is like a river of gold flowing along from place to place.
> 
> If you like non operatic vocal music listen do his: _Quattro Pezzi Sacri_ there's a good recording of it on Naxos that also comes with the _Requiem_, and also with Myung Wyung Chung but i forget the label.


Well thanks for the recommendations, I will look into them.


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## Mirror Image




----------



## Conservationist

Mirror Image said:


> Salonen is a terrible Bruckner conductor. Karajan is also not one of my favorites either.


You and I live on different planets 

Karajan does OK++ with most of them, by me; from Salonen, I have only heard the fourth and like it quite well.

Then again, I don't tend to require any "esoteric" (modern definition is wrong) interpretations, and so am often happy with the stormy, somewhat dramatic Karajan who understands the German spirit.

WHo's your favorite Bruckner conductor?


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Piano Concerto in G major right now.


----------



## Mirror Image

Conservationist said:


> Who's your favorite Bruckner conductor?


Gunter Wand is my absolute favorite Bruckner conductor, but I also enjoy Riccardo Chailly, Carlo Maria Giulini, Karl Bohm, Klaus Tennstedt, and Bernard Haitink.

Eugen Jochum gets a lot of praise as being a great Bruckner conductor, but I hardly ever listen to his interpretations much. He doesn't find the depths of the music quite like Wand does or at least in my observation.

Another Bruckner conductor to keep your eye on is Christian Thielemann (current conductor of the Munich Philharmonic).


----------



## Mirror Image

Incredible recording. Anyone interesting in lyrical, melodic classical music, then look into getting some Finzi.


----------



## bdelykleon

An amazing CD, never heard such a powerful Apparition de l'Église éternelle, breathtaking. Pretty remarkable music.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Piano Concerto No. 5 - "The Emperor." Hands down one of the finest recordings of the 5th I've heard.


----------



## Mirror Image

Poulenc is such an amazing composer. So melodic, tuneful, rhythmically/harmonically interesting, and much of his music is emotionally satisfying.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


Great set there! No question about it. Mackerras is a master Delius conductor.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to this remarkable set. A must-own for all Poulenc fans.


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


>


What strange cover art. The berries on the left look like ligonberries, which grow and are popular in Scandinavia. But what do (what appear to be) seeds (or ligonberries) have to do with Nielsen?


----------



## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> What strange cover art. The berries on the left look like ligonberries, which grow and are popular in Scandinavia. But what do (what appear to be) seeds (or ligonberries) have to do with Nielsen?


I agree. It's a bad cover design. Not very inventive.


----------



## andruini

Well those Trio covers are usually as bizarre as that..


----------



## bdelykleon

Sometimes they get one in:


----------



## Tapkaara

bdelykleon said:


> Sometimes they get one in:


Well this cover makes more sense since Messiaen was all into bird song. But there is a Sibelius set in this series and there are...wait for it...ice cubes on the cover. This is Sibelius, not iced tea. Yeah, I know he has that frozen sound from the icy north...but ice cubes? Come on...!


----------



## Mirror Image

This really is one of the best "American Classics" recordings I've heard so far. This is my 4th time listening to it in the same week. Outstanding music from this underrated Pacific Northwest composer.


----------



## bdelykleon

Tapkaara said:


> Well this cover makes more sense since Messiaen was all into bird song. But there is a Sibelius set in this series and there are...wait for it...ice cubes on the cover. This is Sibelius, not iced tea. Yeah, I know he has that frozen sound from the icy north...but ice cubes? Come on...!


Yes, but the cover artists of Sibelius are not very creative, it is all the same idea: snowy paths, an occasional lake with a northern forest (in winter, of course), some fog, take a look:









































So three ice cubes is just a minimalist approach to the usual Sibelius cover...


----------



## Mirror Image

Buddy Rich - Blowin' The Blues Away - Verve Records










Next I think I'll listen to some Miles Davis, Hampton Hawes, and then some Elmo Hope.


----------



## Isola

Currently listening (and watching):














Brilliant performance of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy by Abbado/Kissin/BPO - definitely BPO and not VPO, I think it's in 1991. The same recording is included in Kissin's album "Fantasy".


----------



## Tapkaara

bdelykleon said:


> Yes, but the cover artists of Sibelius are not very creative, it is all the same idea: snowy paths, an occasional lake with a northern forest (in winter, of course), some fog, take a look:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So three ice cubes is just a minimalist approach to the usual Sibelius cover...


Always be on the lookout for any Sibelius cover with high mountains and fjords. Especially since there are neither in Finland.

Plenty of ice cubes, though...unlike France.


----------



## Sid James

An eclectic weekend as usual:

*Margaret Brouwer* - Aurolucent Circles, Mandala, Sizzle, etc. (Glennie/RLPO/Schwarz) Naxos

*Stravinsky* - Violin Concerto, Symphonies of Wind Instruments, Zevdoliky, Rite of Spring (Frautschi/Philharmonia/Craft) Naxos

*Sculthorpe* - Fifth Continent, Djilile, Lament, Night Song, Port Arthur: In Memoriam, Little Suite (Tasmanian SO/Porcelijn) ABC Classics

*Rubbra *- Violin Concerto, Improvisation of violin & orchestra (Osostowicz/Ulster O/Yuasa) Naxos

*Wolf *- Songs from Spanish Songbook & Moricke Lieder (arr. Reger) (Markus Schafer, tenor/Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, organ) Classico

*Rhoda Scott* - Live at the Olympia (Jazz in Paris) Gitanes/Universal

& today, some French finesse & Hungarian spice:

*Milhaud* - Scaramouche, Le Bal Martiniquais, Paris, Le Carnaval d'Aix, Suite Francaise, Suite Provencale (Beroff/Collard/Ivalidi/Lee/O Phiharmonique de Monte-Carlo/Pretre) EMI

*Rozsa* - Viola Concerto, Hungarian Serenade (Karni/Hungarian MAV Concert O/Smolij) Naxos


----------



## Mirror Image

What an amazing recording from an obscure composer. Cascarino was a master of orchestral color and texture.


----------



## andruini

(Petrushka, Pulcinella and Firebird Suites)


----------



## Mirror Image

I need to get more or Howard Hanson's music. He's such a lyrical composer.


----------



## karenpat

I've been listening to a lot of the vocal ensemble Cinquecento lately.
http://www.ensemblecinquecento.com/ 
I went kind of bananas on iTunes with their recordings...


----------



## bassClef




----------



## Moldyoldie

*Glière: Symphony No. 3 "Ilya Murometz"
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Harold Farberman, cond.
UNICORN-KANCHANA (2 CDs)*
This is an interminable, nearly 100-minute exercise in Late Romantic non-expression. The first hour might make for good background music, but only if one can abide a persistent drone of near-Wagnerian swelling and ebbing of massed strings -- Dramamine is not included. I realize the symphony has a program, but this might work better as a silent movie soundtrack; several grueling listens have failed to convince me otherwise.

Glière's _"Ilya Murometz"_ has its fervent fans, but if one truly wishes to be introduced to this bloated gargantua, I'd feel comfortable in suggesting almost any other recording (though I've yet to hear any of them and am well-nigh loath to do so), apparently all of which are either appreciably amended or reinterpreted for "listening compactness". Farberman's recording is probably best left for cognoscenti...or for someone's extended sessions of morbid self-imposed sleep deprivation.


----------



## bassClef




----------



## andruini

bassClef said:


>


Nice! I love that recording!


----------



## bdelykleon

Love this cd.


----------



## Mirror Image

R. Strauss: Orchestral Works - David Zinman, Zurich Tohalle Orchestra, Arte Nova, 7-CD set


----------



## Sid James

First, some great jazz from my fav jazz guitarist:

*Wes Montgomery* - 'Round Midnight (Paris Concert, 1965) Le Jazz/Red X

& then some contemporary American classical:

*Huang Ruo* - Chamber Concertos Nos. 1 - 4 (International Contemporary Ensemble) Naxos

*Margaret Brouwer* - Aurolucent Circles, Mandala, Sizzle, etc. (Glennie/RLPO/Schwarz) Naxos


----------



## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> First, some great jazz from my fav jazz guitarist:
> 
> *Wes Montgomery* - 'Round Midnight (Paris Concert, 1965) Le Jazz/Red X


One of the all-time greats of jazz guitar no question about it.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini

Now listening to CD2: Symphonies 3 "Espansiva" and 4 "The Inextinguishable".


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Now listening to CD2: Symphonies 3 "Espansiva" and 4 "The Inextinguishable".


Nielsen's Symphonies 2 "The Four Temperments" and 4 "The Inextinguishable" are, in my opinion, the best two pieces of music he ever wrote.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Nielsen's Symphonies 2 "The Four Temperments" and 3 "The Inextinguishable" are, in my opinion, the best two pieces of music he ever wrote.


Well you named three, as the third and the "Inextinguishable" are different pieces of music ..
I would agree but I'm too in love with his Hymnus Amoris.. Have you heard that?
And I also like the 5th more than the 2nd.. But not more than the 3rd perhaps.. It changes


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Well you named three, as the third and the "Inextinguishable" are different pieces of music ..
> I would agree but I'm too in love with his Hymnus Amoris.. Have you heard that?
> And I also like the 5th more than the 2nd.. But not more than the 3rd perhaps.. It changes


I meant Symphony No. 4, my mistake. Sometimes I get into a big hurry when I type.

I do enjoy his concertos and "Little Suite" quite a bit as well. It's been awhile since I heard "Hymnus Amoris." I also like the "Aladdin Suite."


----------



## PartisanRanger

Ligeti - Lontano, Berliner Philharmoniker - Jonathan Nott


----------



## andruini

Listening to the Symphony No. 1 "Mountain Pastorals".


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Listening to the Symphony No. 1 "Mountain Pastorals".


One of the best symphonies I've ever heard. Langgaard was only 16 yrs. old when he wrote that symphony. It was premiered by the Berlin Philharmonic and gained favorable reviews, but the Danish establishment branded Langgaard as some kind of "outcast" or "vagabond" and Langgaard battled with that establishment almost all of his professional life. Spent his last years as an organist at a cathedral in a small town in Denmark.


----------



## bassClef

andruini said:


> Nice! I love that recording!


Indeed. I'm not really an opera fan but I find this quite enjoyable.


----------



## andruini

Finishing off the Nielsen Jarvi set with the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies.


----------



## Mirror Image

One of the best recordings I've ever heard. Everybody needs this in their collection, that is, if you're a fan of Bartok.

Next up:


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> One of the best recordings I've ever heard. Everybody needs this in their collection, that is, if you're a fan of Bartok.


Sure it is, my first Bartók CD back in 1998, and still find it nearly perfect, a great introduction to one of the best (if not the best) composers of C20th.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Sure it is, my first Bartók CD back in 1998, and still find it nearly perfect, a great introduction to one of the best (if not the best) composers of C20th.


Interesting, this recording was also my introduction to Bartok's music as well back in 2001. Funny how recordings we first hear become our favorites and how they are still very much apart of our lives and how we still rank them so highly.


----------



## Sid James

First:

*Haydn* - Symphonies Nos. 94 'Surprise,' 95 & 97 (English Chamber/Tate) EMI

Then some Monk, very off-beat & quirky:

*Thelonius Monk* - The Paris Concert (1967) Le Jazz/Red X

Later:

*Bliss* - A Colour Symphony; Adam Zero (English Northern Philharmonia/Lloyd-Jones) Naxos


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## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> Then some Monk, very off-beat & quirky:
> 
> *Thelonius Monk* - The Paris Concert (1967) Le Jazz/Red X
> 
> Later:
> 
> *Bliss* - A Colour Symphony; Adam Zero (English Northern Philharmonia/Lloyd-Jones) Naxos


Thelonious Monk and Arthur Bliss in almost the same setting? My goodness you should be given some kind of award. 

I love Monk so much. I own everything he's done and value, not only his musicianship, but his compositions and the way he always got the right musicians like Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Charlie Rouse, etc. together to make one great recording after another. Nobody is jazz history has made such consistently good recordings one after the other. In most cases, a jazz musician will put out two or three albums and they will great, but then go through a "dry" period where nothing is sticking. Monk wasn't like that. Everything he put out was either very good or simply outstanding.

I think we discussed Bliss before, but I still he's one of the most underrated English composers along with John Ireland, Gerald Finzi, and Arnold Bax. I own all of the Naxos and Chandos recordings of Bliss and have been very impressed with all of them. Great composer.


----------



## Sid James

Mirror Image said:


> Thelonious Monk and Arthur Bliss in almost the same setting? My goodness you should be given some kind of award.


Yeah, well I love a bit of contrast...


----------



## andruini




----------



## Conor71

Dvorak - Cello Concerto: du Pre/Barenboim/CSO


----------



## Lisztfreak

Currently I'm on his First Symphony - слава исскуству!


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Great recording. I've been really with the Naxos "American Classics" series.


----------



## Sid James

*Ives* - Three Orchestral Sets (Malmo SO & Chorus/Sinclair) Naxos

*Hovhaness* - Fanfare for the New Atlantis, Guitar Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 63 'Loon Lake' (Calderon/RSNO/Robertson) Naxos

*Varese* - Deserts from Arcana, Integrales, Offrandes, Octandre, Deserts (Polish NRSO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos


----------



## bdelykleon

Giulio Cesare is the greatest opera after Monteverdi and until Mozart. It has almost only arie and recitativi, but how incredible are those arias, it is so hard to get to the end, I repeat almost every aria I hear.


----------



## andruini




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## Sid James

First, some C20th classical:

*Honegger* - Symphony No. 3 'Liturgique,' Pacific 231, Rugby, Pastorale d'ete, Mouvement Symphonique No. 3 (New Zealand SO/Yuasa) Naxos

*Sculthorpe* - Earth Cry, Irkanda IV, Small Town, Kakadu, Mangrove (Sydney SO/Challender) ABC Classics

Then, some jazz:

*Elek Bacsik* - Guitar Conceptions (Jazz in Paris) Gitanes/Universal


----------



## Conservationist

I'm a repetitive listener.


----------



## andruini

Symphony 1 and 2.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is an incredibly good recording. Thomas Schippers was a great conductor. Sadly his career was cut way too short.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

*Martin* - Petite Symphonie Concertante (Osian Ellis, harp/Simon Preston, harpsichord/Sir Philip Ledger, piano/ASMF/Marriner) on EMI 2 cd set 'Frank Martin'

In the _Petite Symphonie Concertante _(1944-45), Martin engagingly combines two seemingly opposite approaches to music: atonality and Neo Classicism. This is a dark, dissonant and quite bleak picture of the human condition, although it does have a rather upbeat ending. There are also some quite lyrical duets between the soloists. I like the more dissonant Bartok and also atonal composers like Berg, so I find this music interesting. If you think atonalism is dry, technical & without emotion, then this work will challenge you & hopefully demonstrate how it can be quite the opposite.

*Tippett* - Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Piano Concerto, Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli ( Ogdon/Philharmonia/Davis/Barshai/Menuhin/others) EMI

Compared to Martin's brilliant take on Neo Classicsim, Tippett's approach is quite dull and lifeless. I think the _Piano Concerto _especially suffers from a too strict adherence to the Classical form - eg. a sonata form first movement & a rondo finale. The work was inspired by Gieseking's interpretation of Beethoven's _Piano Concerto No. 4_, which Tippett heard in the late 1940's. I think Tippett should have done away entirely with the rigid three movement structure in this work, as he did in the _Corelli Fantasia_. But all these works, though they are technically very assured (eg. the use of counterpoint), seem rather bland to me. I know Tippett had many periods, so I haven't given up on him yet. But this is a dissapointment...


----------



## Mirror Image

I've owned this for several months and have finally gotten around to hearing it. Two words: simply outstanding! English classical music at it's best.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Mirror Image said:


> I've owned this for several months and have finally gotten around to hearing it. Two words: simply outstanding! English classical music at it's best.


Howells and Parry are on my to-do list now! I'm feeling like a barbarian for not being acquainted with their music - except for Howells' _Salve regina_, which I find simply ethereal.


----------



## Mirror Image

Lisztfreak said:


> Howells and Parry are on my to-do list now! I'm feeling like a barbarian for not being acquainted with their music - except for Howells' _Salve regina_, which I find simply ethereal.


Yes, you will love these composers. Elgarian suggested Parry to me, he was right, he's fantastic. I found out about Howells by accident, but it was a good accident. 

It seems I can't get enough of English composers. There's something about their sound. It's hard to explain, but it reels me in every time.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Mirror Image said:


> Yes, you will love these composers. Elgarian suggested Parry to me, he was right, he's fantastic. I found out about Howells by accident, but it was a good accident.
> 
> It seems I can't get enough of English composers. There's something about their sound. It's hard to explain, but it reels me in every time.


Neither can I, which is all the more unusual since my ancestry has nothing to do with the Anglo-Saxons... I guess I was born an Anglomaniac. Sherlock Holmes, _le fiv'o'clock _and huge amounts of British music over the past years.


----------



## Mirror Image

Lisztfreak said:


> Neither can I, which is all the more unusual since my ancestry has nothing to do with the Anglo-Saxons... I guess I was born an Anglomaniac. Sherlock Holmes, _le fiv'o'clock _and huge amounts of British music over the past years.


Lol...yeah I know what you mean! Some of my ancestors came from England, but also from France and Germany, so I've got a lot of different nationalities in me as most Americans do anyway.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Mirror Image said:


> Lol...yeah I know what you mean! Some of my ancestors came from England, but also from France and Germany, so I've got a lot of different nationalities in me as most Americans do anyway.


Such a fascinating mixture America is! Even though my feelings about the US politics are quite negative, I nonetheless envy the Americans for having so many nice genes in them  I guess I've got only peasantish, proud and melancholic Slavic ones, you know, the heroic-past-and-bittersweet-song sort of thing.


----------



## Mirror Image

Lisztfreak said:


> Such a fascinating mixture America is! Even though my feelings about the US politics are quite negative, I nonetheless envy the Americans for having so many nice genes in them  I guess I've got only peasantish, proud and melancholic Slavic ones, you know, the heroic-past-and-bittersweet-song sort of thing.


I like people from Croatia (well I like people from all over the world). I once had a pen pal that lived in Zagreb, but that was a long time ago.

Your people are full of passion and life. I only wish I had the kind of determination people of your country have.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Mirror Image said:


> I like people from Croatia (well I like people from all over the world). I once had a pen pal that lived in Zagreb, but that was a long time ago.
> 
> Your people are full of passion and life. I only wish I had the kind of determination people of your country have.


Heh, thanks a lot! Zagreb is where I live, in fact, some 18 miles from Samobor, I study there and lead my social life. However, I think if we had had more determination over the past decade, we would live in a much better country now. No roses blooming here. The crisis struck pretty hard, the state might get bankrupt... but yes, people are nonetheless good-natured and always friendly. Like most Americans I had the pleasure to get to know by now.


----------



## Mirror Image

Lisztfreak said:


> Heh, thanks a lot! Zagreb is where I live, in fact, some 18 miles from Samobor, I study there and lead my social life. However, I think if we had had more determination over the past decade, we would live in a much better country now. No roses blooming here. The crisis struck pretty hard, the state might get bankrupt... but yes, people are nonetheless good-natured and always friendly. Like most Americans I had the pleasure to get to know by now.


I think the general attitude of Americans can sometimes get us into trouble with other countries, of course, there are many Americans who are good people and want to do the right thing, but I think the U. S. needs to do a better job with communicating and handling foreign affairs. I wasn't a Bush supporter and I was totally against the war in Iraq, but there's nothing I could really do about it. The U. S. is a huge country with a lot of people. What they do politically I can't control. I'm a pretty politically moderate person. I don't align myself with an specific political party.

I love my country and I'm extremely grateful for everything my ancestors have done to make my family's life better, but I think our country needs to really work on it's relationships.


----------



## Air

Mirror Image said:


> I think the general attitude of Americans can sometimes get us into trouble with other countries, of course, there are many Americans who are good people and want to do the right thing, but I think the U. S. needs to do a better job with communicating and handling foreign affairs. I wasn't a Bush supporter and I was totally against the war in Iraq, but there's nothing I could really do about it. The U. S. is a huge country with a lot of people. What they do politically I can't control. I'm a pretty politically moderate person. I don't align myself with an specific political party.
> 
> I love my country and I'm extremely grateful for everything my ancestors have done to make my family's life better, but I think our country needs to really work on it's relationships.


All big (and diverse) countries are on a tough case right now. Though China and India are under constant economic growth, the truth is that this new found wealth on the Indian subcontinent belongs to a minority of about 1%, while the other let's say 95% live in absolute poverty. China, a very diverse and populous country, is having much trouble controlling it's rebellious (and controversial) autonomous regions, Tibet, Manchuria, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Mongolia, and now the recent Sinkiang uprising. Russia is economically weak and is almost in the same boat as China. So I'd say the USA isn't doing so poorly....

The UN is a different story, even with a lack of centralized government, but I think it will do good for European countries in the long run. The problem of control over a numerous and various population(s) is a lot less.


----------



## Mirror Image

airad2 said:


> All big (and diverse) countries are on a tough case right now. Though China and India are under constant economic growth, the truth is that this new found wealth on the Indian subcontinent belongs to a minority of about 1%, while the other let's say 95% live in absolute poverty. China, a very diverse and populous country, is having much trouble controlling it's rebellious (and controversial) autonomous regions, Tibet, Manchuria, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Mongolia, and now the recent Sinkiang uprising. Russia is economically weak and is almost in the same boat as China. So I'd say the USA isn't doing so poorly....
> 
> The UN is a different story, even with a lack of centralized government, but I think it will do good for European countries in the long run. The problem of control over a numerous and various population(s) is a lot less.


In hindsight, I guess the U. S. is doing okay economically, but what I'm saying is I think it could have done a better job during the Bush years of being more cordial to other countries, especially European countries who don't have a very favorable view of us right now.

I guess you heard about one your favorite, and mine too, pianists, Krystian Zimerman making a political move and isn't going to play in the U. S. anymore. How about that?


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Conor71

Delius - Orchestral Works: Beecham/RPO


----------



## andruini




----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - Violin Concerto: Kennedy/Rattle/CBSO










Been listening to this set most of the last week and have enjoyed it immensely - this is an excellent cycle with great attention to detail and recorded sound: just like Rattles Mahler cycle


----------



## andruini

C71 said:


> Sibelius - Violin Concerto: Kennedy/Rattle/CBSO
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been listening to this set most of the last week and have enjoyed it immensely - this is an excellent cycle with great attention to detail and recorded sound: just like Rattles Mahler cycle


I'm afraid I don't like Kennedy's Sibelius VC at all.. But that is a lovely Sibelius set on the whole..


----------



## Sid James

*Vivaldi, J. F. Fasch, J. L. Krebs *- Guitar Concertos (Zsapka (g)/Zsapkova (fl)/Slovak CO/Warchal) Point Classics.

This cd has some big stylistic contrasts - the German concertos have more decorum & manners, while Vivaldi is more extroverted & really wears his heart on his sleeve. The highlights would have to be the slow movements of the Vivaldi concertos which exude much beauty & serenity. This is music that is perfect for relaxing, it is not too demanding of the listener, but it doesn't lack a certain depth. All of the concertos are very elegantly played by the Slovak musicians. I think this repertoire is still comparatively neglected, compared to Vivaldi's more famous _The Four Seasons_, for example. It offers something for people who are interested in exploring something beyond the standard Baroque repertoire.

*Delius* - The Walk to the Paradise Garden, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, American Rhapsody, etc. (RSNO/Lloyd-Jones) Naxos

*Bloch* - America 'An Epic Rhapsody,' Suite hebraique (Lucnica Chorus/Slovak RSO/H. Shaham (v)/Atlas Camerata Orch/Atlas) Naxos


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 5 by Jean Sibelius - Karajan/Berlin.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## BuddhaBandit

I don't like Dvorak's 9th, but Hindemith's Klaviermusik mit Orchester is fantastic (this is the world premiere recording).


----------



## bdelykleon




----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


>


Do you ever listen to Romantic composers?


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> Do you ever listen to Romantic composers?


Yes, but since I too often play Romantic music, I don't listen to Brahms, Chopin and Schumann that much, I prefer to play it myself.


----------



## bdelykleon

JoeGreen said:


> Knowing that Spain had such a strong tradition of Zarzuela, does the opera by any chance draw on this?


Oh, I didn't read this. No, Pepita Jiménez has very little to do with Zarzuela, it follows though the Wagnerian structure with the usual spanish accent and harmonic language usual to Albéniz' piano works. Ah, most curiously, the libretto is in English, despite the "Spanish" subject.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Yes, but since I too often play Romantic music, I don't listen to Brahms, Chopin and Schumann that much, I prefer to play it myself.


Well there's more Romantic composers than Brahms, Schumann, and Chopin.


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> Well there's more Romantic composers than Brahms, Schumann, and Chopin.


Sure there are, but they are among the best. I don't like to spend much of my time with epigones or exotic composers. It is better to hear a good Renaissance composer than a third rate Romantic symphonie composed in a rural comunity in Latvia.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


Great recording. My first Ives CD and from that point forward I was hooked. Mr. Bernstein did a great job on that one!


----------



## BuddhaBandit

andruini said:


>


This is a great Ives recording. Bernstein's readings of the Ives symphonies are not quite as good as Litton's, but are very good. And Bernstein's Unanswered Question (on DG) is the best version out there.


----------



## haydnguy

My second listen to this one that came today. Wonderful playing and sound. Just beautiful.

*Schumann:*
_Sonata No. 1 in a minro, op. 105
Sonata No. 3 in a minor, WoO 2
Sonata No. 2 in d minor, op. 121_
*Carolin Widmann, violin*
Denes Varjon, piano


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening...










Listening to Walton's "Viola Concerto" right now.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Another fine Philips Duo...


----------



## Mirror Image

I haven't listened to Stanford in a while. This is really a great recording. Simply gorgeous.

In light of the current metal discussions, I think next I'll go listen to some Iron Maiden.....NOT!!!!


----------



## Conor71

Now: Sibelius - Snofrid - Oma Maa: Jarvi/Estonian National Choir/Estonian National SO










Later: Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1 - Nocturnes: Pollini/Kletzki/Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Mirror Image

Now:

Macal Conducts Gliere, Zdenek Macal, New Jersey Symphony Orch., Delos ---- Outstanding recording!

Next:


----------



## Tapkaara

Akira Ifukube - Works and Transcriptions for Guitar


----------



## Weston

I have been listening to these Ravel Nocturnes on my Rhapsody account, lovely pieces I'm considering purchasing, but so far I am not finding this album for sale other than the mp3 versions on Rhapsody. The pianist is Laurent Wagschal.










I suppose there are others versions I could look into.


----------



## Mirror Image

Weston said:


> I have been listening to these Ravel Nocturnes on my Rhapsody account, lovely pieces I'm considering purchasing, but so far I am not finding this album for sale other than the mp3 versions on Rhapsody. The pianist is Laurent Wagschal.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I suppose there are others versions I could look into.


Don't you mean, Faure Nocturnes?


----------



## Lisztfreak

For me it's Tilson Thomas conducting *Quiet City *by Copland. An impressive piece, I must say.


----------



## haydnguy

*Haydn:*
_Symphony No. 58 in F
Symphony No. 59 in A 'FEUERSYMPHONIE'
Symphony No. 60 in C 'IL DISTRATTO'_
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Adam Fisher

I'm doing a personal review of this set, going through one by one listening to each CD until I can determine which symphonies I really like. (There are normally 3 symphonies per disk.) I am making a list of those I really like so I can come back and listen again.

Probably my favorite "unnamed" symphony so far is Symphony 44. I promise not to bore you with each and every disk, perhaps only the highlights. 

Btw, this is not the "complete" Haydn. This is volume one (150 disks). Volume two is supposed to come out in the second half of 2009, the last I heard.


----------



## Sid James

*Puccini* - Messa di Gloria, Salve Regina, Crisantemi (Marcello Bedoni, ten/Jeff Speres, bar/Choirs/Luxembourg PO/Elmquist) Classico

Messa di Gloria, an early work from 1880 published posthumously, was Puccini's only work in the genre. Obviously, it's not full-blooded Puccini, he was yet to find his mature style, but it has some great moments. It is a lovely work, and I especially like the short concluding Agnus Dei, where first the tenor and then the baritione sing the song seperately, but then join in a duet for the conclusion to the work which is quite memorable & my favourite part. The Salve Regina & Chrisantemi for string quartet are also notable early works.

*Bruckner* - Symphony No. 0 (Philharmonia Slavonica/Lizzio) ZYX Classics

Story of one of the composer's earliest symphonies, the story of this work is quite telling of both Bruckner's attitude to his own music & that of other musicians of the time. Bruckner annulled the work, after a conductor said that there is no main theme in the first movement. This is true, but it shows how Bruckner was attempting to forge a new, more organic symphonic style, departing from the stricter sonata form based symphonies of Beethoven & Brahms. In the right hands, this can be a great work, and I especially like how the scherzo movement prefigures what Bruckner was to do later.

*Bruckner* - Symphony No. 6; Weber - Overtures: The ruler of the Spirits & Abu Hassan (VPO/Stein) Decca

Though this recording of Bruckner's 6th doesn't reach the majesty & clarity of Sawallisch's interpretation with the Bavarian SO, it is nonetheless a very solid effort from Stein. Recorded in the 1970's, it offers a more dramatic interpretation of what is considered to be one of the composer's lightest symphonies. I especially like the rather melancholic slow movement, and that arpeggio at the end of this movement just grabs me every time. The Weber overtures offer an interesting coupling. So thumbs up for this excellent reissue.


----------



## Weston

Mirror Image said:


> Don't you mean, Faure Nocturnes?


Just testing . . .


----------



## Conor71

Nielsen - Symphony No. 1: Blomstedt/Danish radio SO


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Nielsen - Symphony No. 1: Blomstedt/Danish radio SO


How is this recording? I only own Blomstedt's recordings on Decca of Nielsen. I've hard lukewarm things about that set you're listening to.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> How is this recording? I only own Blomstedt's recordings on Decca of Nielsen. I've hard lukewarm things about that set you're listening to.


I think the sound is quite fine and it is a good value for money set - there are a couple of favourable reviews on Amazon UK about it . Not sure about how this set compares to others as it is my only of the Nielsen Symphonies? - I think the recording is from the 70's so ADD sound Vs the DDD of the San Francisco set is about all I know..
Im still pretty new to Nielsen though - have had this set since last year but only listened to it through cursorily a coupe of times, going to try and get to know the symphonies a bit better and will maybe get other sets (have already been checking out the Neeme Jarvi set) if I like them.


----------



## andruini

Weston said:


> I have been listening to these Ravel Nocturnes on my Rhapsody account, lovely pieces I'm considering purchasing, but so far I am not finding this album for sale other than the mp3 versions on Rhapsody. The pianist is Laurent Wagschal.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I suppose there are others versions I could look into.


I highly recommend the Jean-Philippe Collard recordings out on Brilliant.. They include all of Fauré's piano music, so you can't go wrong!


----------



## bdelykleon

haydnguy said:


> Btw, this is not the "complete" Haydn. This is volume one (150 disks). Volume two is supposed to come out in the second half of 2009, the last I heard.


That's a big reason I didn't buy, will it really be complete? Even though I personally own almost every complete set (Quartets, symphonies, operas, trios, sonatas, masses, oratorios), having new recordings and lesser known pieces is always interesting.


----------



## andruini

(Concerto for Piano & Wind Instruments, Movements for Piano and Orchestra, Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra)


----------



## haydnguy

bdelykleon said:


> That's a big reason I didn't buy, will it really be complete? Even though I personally own almost every complete set (Quartets, symphonies, operas, trios, sonatas, masses, oratorios), having new recordings and lesser known pieces is always interesting.


I don't know whether it will be complete. I somehow doubt that it will be totally complete. I'll tell you what gripes me though. Brilliant has a separate release of the complete Bariton trios. I think it contains about 33 disks or something like that. In the Volume 1 big box, they left ONE CD out from that complete set. ONE!!! 

Oh, well...


----------



## andruini

On Disc 1: Music for Henry VIII.
One of the most rewarding sets I own.


----------



## TresPicos

Funny... The very first post of this thread happens to be what I've been listening too lately: Alwyn. And, well, I bloody love Alwyn too.


----------



## Mirror Image

rock_amol said:


> I Thinks This is Very Good Forum It's For All Things Promblems and so. and so
> 
> click more Details


What? I smell spam ladies and gentlemen.


----------



## andruini

andruini said:


>


Now on Disc 2: Music at the Reformation.
We'd be so well off if music this pure was still written today.


----------



## Weston

TresPicos said:


> Funny... The very first post of this thread happens to be what I've been listening too lately: Alwyn. And, well, I bloody love Alwyn too.


So you've read the entire thread?


----------



## Lisztfreak

*Mahler's 5th*, Mehta/LA Philharmonic. Am on the verge of tears right now. Not because of the Adagietto, but because of the Rondo-Finale. Don't you ever want to shout 'I'm alive and that is all the splendid beauty in this world!!!' while listening to it?


----------



## andruini

Lisztfreak said:


> *Mahler's 5th*, Mehta/LA Philharmonic. Am on the verge of tears right now. Not because of the Adagietto, but because of the Rondo-Finale. Don't you ever want to shout 'I'm alive and that is all the splendid beauty in this world!!!' while listening to it?


You sound like you should be inserted at the end of "American Beauty".


----------



## Lisztfreak

andruini said:


> You sound like you should be inserted at the end of "American Beauty".


Oh come, come, pardon me for getting kinda cheesy there, but I'm really moved by the piece.


----------



## Mirror Image

Remarkable recording. Delius' choral music is really in a class by itself. I look forward to hearing his "Requiem" and "A Mass of Life."


----------



## bdelykleon

Brahms is one of the few composers able to bring me tears. So powerful and so beautifully composed...


----------



## Sid James

bdelykleon said:


> Brahms is one of the few composers able to bring me tears. So powerful and so beautifully composed...


Brahms' chamber music is so memorable. Although I've not heard them in years, the slow movements especially of his _Piano Quintets, Piano Trios & String Sextets _are still in my head. I've not heard that particular recording, but it must be superb...


----------



## Mirror Image

So far very good performances. I really like Parry's style. Great melody. Parry, from what I've read and heard thus far, was a great tunesmith. One gorgeous phrase after another.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Conor71

Sibelius - En Saga: Jarvi/Gothenberg SO


----------



## Tapkaara

C71 said:


> Sibelius - En Saga: Jarvi/Gothenberg SO


This is one recording I have not heard...how are the performances of Scenes historiques and En Saga?


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## andruini

Symphony No. 1 in D right now..
My first Mahler cycle.. I'm doing it slowly.. I don't wanna get the bends


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Symphony No. 1 in D right now..
> My first Mahler cycle.. I'm doing it slowly.. I don't wanna get the bends


One of the best Mahler cycles I've heard and I own all of the them except for two. My absolute favorite is Gary Bertini's/Cologne Radio Symphony on EMI. That's one of the most consistent Mahler cycles I've heard yet.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> One of the best Mahler cycles I've heard and I own all of the them except for two. My absolute favorite is Gary Bertini's/Cologne Radio Symphony on EMI. That's one of the most consistent Mahler cycles I've heard yet.


Well, I chose this one on your recommendation back in the Addicted to Mahler thread.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Very strange. I have yet to decide whether I like it, because it's quite atonal. But still quite impressive.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Well, I chose this one on your recommendation back in the Addicted to Mahler thread.


Chailly does a fantastic job with Mahler as he does with Bruckner as well. There's something about those Italians conducting Austrian music that is just a fascinating combination.


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

andruini said:


>


That's a pretty good album there. I especially like Symphony No. 20, in which Hovhaness really takes you on a trip to that sacred mountain in Armenia. Interesting combination of percussion & brass, and echoes of chanting music. Quite exotic. I also like the Trumpet Concerto, which has a certain intensity unusual for Hovhaness.

If you like that, I also recommend the Naxos recording of Fanfare for the New Atlantis/Guitar Concerto No. 2/Symphony No. 63 'Loon Lake.' It is one of my favourites...


----------



## Sid James

*Martin* - Petite Symphonie Concertante; Polyptyque, Ballades (Menuhin/Zurich CO/de Stoutz/others) from EMI 2 cd set, 'Frank Martin'

*Delius* - American Rhapsody, The Walk to the Paradise Garden, On Hearing the first Cuckoo in Spring (RSNO/Lloyd-Jones) Naxos

*Liszt *- Piano Concertos, Totentanz, Hungarian Fantasy (Cziffra/Orch. de Paris/Cziffra Jnr) EMI

This may not be the finest performance of this music, but throughout, Cziffra and his players give solid and reliable readings. Cziffra is at his most intense in _Piano Concerto No. 2_, at times, he is brilliant, lyrical and dramatic. However, the piano seems far too much in the foreground in terms of the recording engineering, and during one orchestral climax early on, the orchestra is toned down too much. Technical quibbles aside, this concerto & the _Hungarian Fantasy _are probably the best performances on this CD.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is such a great recording. Anyone into English choral music with orchestral accompaniment should most definitely seek out this recording.


----------



## bdelykleon

Lisztfreak said:


> Very strange. I have yet to decide whether I like it, because it's quite atonal. But still quite impressive.


I heard Dutilleux the first time in a concert last week, I've never given him much attention before, but he is a great composer, one of the best alive.


----------



## haydnguy

andruini said:


> Symphony No. 1 in D right now..
> My first Mahler cycle.. I'm doing it slowly.. I don't wanna get the bends


That is the set that I want!! 

Listening now:

*Beethoven:*
_Symphony No. 4 in B flat, Op. 60
Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92_
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Eugene Jochum, conducting

My first time through this set.


----------



## Conor71

Tapkaara said:


> This is one recording I have not heard...how are the performances of Scenes historiques and En Saga?


Hey Tapkaara - I liked the performances of the Scenes Historique & En Saga on this disc + the sound was great too!: Admittedly I have to listen to this Disc some more as I have only given it a cursory listen but my first impressions of it were good .


----------



## bdelykleon

The best CD I bought in years. Perfect. I love this music written for the aristocracy with no emotional content!


----------



## Mirror Image

One of the best box sets I own. Stunning performances in stunning sound.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Praine

Currently on the 5th Symphony.

Wow, this is really good. Bax is an amazing composer however I was expecting his works to be quite a bit less powerful than they are with more of an 'english impressionist' feel ala Delius. However it is a pleasant surprise as I like powerful, harmonically interesting music such as this and there are some memorable moments in which he explores the soft, beautiful side of English music in this era.


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> Currently on the 5th Symphony.
> 
> Wow, this is really good. Bax is an amazing composer however I was expecting his works to be quite a bit less powerful than they are with more of an 'english impressionist' feel ala Delius. However it is a pleasant surprise as I like powerful, harmonically interesting music such as this and there are some memorable moments in which he explores the soft, beautiful side of English music in this era.


Ah, you see that's the beauty of Bax. I need to go back and listen to his symphonies again, but you are correct they lack that Impressionism found in his tone poems, but I think Bax viewed the symphony as a chance to expand on his musical concerpts more by incorporating those more modern sounds. Vaughan Williams also did this, but I'm not the biggest fan of his more modern sounding symphonies, but I should definitely give those another try too.

If you ever get around to getting more Bax, Chandos has a 9 volume set out that's simply outstanding that covers most of Bax's orchestral output outside of the symphonies.

By the way, that's a great set you got there --- Bryden Thomson/LPO. It's out of print now. I was lucky enought to snatch up a copy of it as well a few months ago. Vernon Handley also did a great job on Bax's symphonies.


----------



## Sid James

I love the opening of Bax's _Symphony No. 7_ - brilliant, exhilirating & stimulating. Music doesn't get any better than this...


----------



## Praine

Mirror Image said:


> If you ever get around to getting more Bax, Chandos has a 9 volume set out that's simply outstanding that covers most of Bax's orchestral output outside of the symphonies.


Good to know your thoughts on that set as I have been eyeing it for quite some time now.  That's just what I need from Bax, to explore the softer side of his music and I'll likely find that in the other orchestral works that he composed. It looks like that is the set I will get next.


----------



## Mirror Image

Now listening:










All of this talk of Bax has made my mouth water....


----------



## Conservationist

Bad ***, even in tinny mono sound.


----------



## danae

At the moment the only greek national radio station that plays classical music is playing Petrouschka. So I'm listening to Petrouschka with a bit of static!... Oooh **** now there's quite a lot of static... Oh no it's my favourite part....


----------



## haydnguy

*Listening now:*










Contains:

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp (1910)
Piano Sonata No. 2 (1919)
Dream in Exile: Intermezzo (1916)
Burlesque (1920)
Nereid (1919)
In a Vodka Shop (1915)


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Weston

I just noticed there is an inordinate amount of the Chandos label mentioned here. I really love the few Chandos recordings I own. Maybe I should look to them before Naxos for a while. They are a step up in price, but not always.


----------



## andruini

Giving classical a little break to listen to this beauty I just (finally) got:










Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship


----------



## Mirror Image

Weston said:


> I just noticed there is an inordinate amount of the Chandos label mentioned here. I really love the few Chandos recordings I own. Maybe I should look to them before Naxos for a while. They are a step up in price, but not always.


Well, Chandos and Naxos are both fine companies. I think Chandos has much better quality recordings, epsecially in terms of audio and also performance. Chandos recordings are generally more expensive then Naxos, but Naxos didn't have Richard Hickox or Vernon Handley either. Two of my favorite conductors.

I'm certainly not knocking Naxos or anything. I have been very impressed with many recordings I have bought on their label, but sonically and as far as bigger names, I try and look for Chandos first.


----------



## Sid James

*Part* - Fratres, Tabula rasa, Spiegel im Spiegel, Summa, Festina lente, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten (Little/Roscoe/Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Studt) EMI

This album is an excellent introduction to Part's orchestral music, at least from the 1970's & '80's. I like the use of bell sounds in his music which he calls 'tintinnabulation.' My favourite work here is _Tabula rasa_, basically a concerto for two violins & prepared piano. It seems to update the _Concerto Grosso_ form to the C20th, with a more dissonant first movement and a much slower second movement whose themes develop organically.

*Part* - Da Pacem Domine, Lamentate (Hilliard Ens/Lubimov/SWR Stuttgart SO/Boreyko) ECM

Here are two of Part's more recent music. The first is a work for unaccompanied choir, the second basically a piano concerto. I really like the writing in the second work, the soloist seems to be playing like a child would, experimenting with the sounds that come from the piano. If you're looking for big climactic contrasts, you'll be dissapointed. Part's music is more organic, and grows by a process of accretion, like something in nature.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Mussorgsky - A Night At Bald Mountain, Lorin Maazel: Berlin Philharmoniker

I love this piece to death.


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to this set. I've owned it for a while, but haven't really sat down and give a good listen. It's fantastic. Handley was certainly a great Bax conductor.


----------



## andruini

Igor Stravinsky - Chamber Music and Historical Recordings Vol. 1


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## danae

Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry


----------



## bdelykleon

I'm hearing a quite interesting disk, reproducing an usual Chopin recital in Paris. That article reminded me of it. Look at the program and see how different it is from usual concert of today:
* Mozart's Piano Trio no. 5, K. 542, a piece that Chopin revered
* Chopin's Nocturne, op. 48, no. 1; Barcarolle, op. 60; Etudes, op. 10, no. 12, and op. 25, no. 1; Berceuse, op. 57; Sonate pour violoncelle et piano, op. 65 (excerpts); Préludes, op. 28, no. 3 et 18; Mazurkas, op. 17, no. 4, and op. 24, no. 2; and Waltzes, op. 64, no. 1 and 2
* Vincenzo Bellini, Ariette da camera (three excerpts)
* Gaetano Donizetti, Le Crépuscule and Ah! Rammenta, o bella Irene
* Giacomo Meyerbeer, De ma première amie, La Fille de l'air, and Ballade de Raimbaut, from Robert le Diable


----------



## Mirror Image

Has anyone heard Bartok's "Divertimento" before? Man, this is really a great piece.

Bartok is so freakin' awesome.


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening to this recording, Boulez is such a great Bartok conductor. "Divertimento" is a such a fantastic piece of music. Anyone else here a fan of this work? It's for string orchestra only.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Still listening to this recording, Boulez is such a great Bartok conductor. "Divertimento" is a such a fantastic piece of music. Anyone else here a fan of this work? It's for string orchestra only.


I love the Divertimento! I posted in the string orchestra thread that it's one of my favorites for the medium.. I also love the "Two Pictures".. Is that recording good?


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I love the Divertimento! I posted in the string orchestra thread that it's one of my favorites for the medium.. I also love the "Two Pictures".. Is that recording good?


Yes!!! This recording is very good. Boulez is a great Bartok conductor. There are four recordings that have these kinds of sketches on the front cover. You should seek them out as they are all essential recordings:

































Boulez has also made recordings for all of Bartok's concerti and they are quite good as well.


----------



## andruini

I have the Concerto for Orchestra one.. It's really good, I agree.. I'll look into the others as I generally like Boulez's conducting.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I have the Concerto for Orchestra one.. It's really good, I agree.. I'll look into the others as I generally like Boulez's conducting.


Yes, they're all good, even the concerti recordings. Have you heard "The Wooden Prince"? If not, then this is one Bartok ballet you must hear. It's less sinister than "Miraculous Mandarin," there are some great moments in this work, almost impressionistic. The Boulez recording with "The Wooden Prince" is also coupled with a severely neglected choral work Bartok composed called "Cantata Profana."


----------



## andruini

Yeah, I know The Wooden Prince.. It's really good, and also the Cantata Profana.. Great works.. I do actually prefer The Miraculous Mandarin, though..
It's a shame you don't dig on the opera, because some of the music on Duke Bluebeard is among the best Bartók ever did..


----------



## Sid James

I've seen Bartok's _Divertimento_ live & it was one of the greatest concerts in my life. Next month, I am to see his_ Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta_. I'm looking forward to it greatly...


----------



## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> I've seen Bartok's _Divertimento_ live & it was one of the greatest concerts in my life. Next month, I am to see his_ Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta_. I'm looking forward to it greatly...


That's a great piece too! I wish the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra would play Bartok, but these ultra-conservatives that sit on these boards won't see this happens anytime soon.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Yeah, I know The Wooden Prince.. It's really good, and also the Cantata Profana.. Great works.. I do actually prefer The Miraculous Mandarin, though..
> It's a shame you don't dig on the opera, because some of the music on Duke Bluebeard is among the best Bartók ever did..


You know I've heard "Bluebeard's Castle" is a great piece, but I just don't have the stomach to sit through it. Perhaps a conductor will record the suite? I think this would be a good thing.


----------



## Somnifer

Currently listening to Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony, one of my favourite works (the Pletnev/Russian National Orchestra recording on DG)


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Yes, they're all good, even the concerti recordings. Have you heard "The Wooden Prince"? If not, then this is one Bartok ballet you must hear. It's less sinister than "Miraculous Mandarin," there are some great moments in this work, almost impressionistic. The Boulez recording with "The Wooden Prince" is also coupled with a severely neglected choral work Bartok composed called "Cantata Profana."


I have 3 out of 4 of those recordings, M.I., and I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't listen to them yet. Divertimento is going to be my next spin!!


----------



## andruini

On Disc 3: Music for Queen Mary


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I have 3 out of 4 of those recordings, M.I., and I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't listen to them yet. Divertimento is going to be my next spin!!


Yes, you should hear "Divertimento." In fact, every Bartok fan should hear this piece.


----------



## Mirror Image

Great recording. I'm just on "Requiem" right now, but it's really good.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening, I'm on the Disc 2, which is the second part to "Mass of Life." It's absolutely gorgeous piece.


----------



## Mirror Image

Walton: The Quest (Complete Ballet), The Wise Virgins (Ballet Suite), Bryden Thomson, London Philharmonic, Chandos


----------



## Conor71

Nielsen - Symphony No. 5: Blomstedt/Danish Radio SO










Been listening to this set most of the week and getting to know the Nielsen Symphonies, they really are an intesting set of compositions - have been enjoying Symphonies 2-5 the most and have ordered a set of the Symphonies in DDD conducted by Neeme Jarvi that were posted here a week or so ago to compliment this set .


----------



## andruini

C71 said:


> Nielsen - Symphony No. 5: Blomstedt/Danish Radio SO
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been listening to this set most of the week and getting to know the Nielsen Symphonies, they really are an intesting set of compositions - have been enjoying Symphonies 2-5 the most and have ordered a set of the Symphonies in DDD conducted by Neeme Jarvi that were posted here a week or so ago to compliment this set .


I haven't heard the Blomstedt set, but the Jarvi one is really good, I think you'll really enjoy it.. Nielsen wrote some really great music in those symphonies..


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Nielsen - Symphony No. 5: Blomstedt/Danish Radio SO
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been listening to this set most of the week and getting to know the Nielsen Symphonies, they really are an intesting set of compositions - have been enjoying Symphonies 2-5 the most and have ordered a set of the Symphonies in DDD conducted by Neeme Jarvi that were posted here a week or so ago to compliment this set .


Have you heard this recording, C71?










This is a great recording for Bernstein, unfortunately it is out-of-print. I wish Bernstein did the whole Nielsen cycle. I think he really had an affinity for this music. He's not particularly known for his Nordic interpretations, but I think this recording, which features my two favorite Nielsen symphonies (2 & 4), is a textbook example of how Bernstein could build that intensity that is found in these symphonies and sustain it for a long period of time. Very exciting music indeed.


----------



## Somnifer

Currently hearing Beethoven's violin sonatas played by Perlman with Ashkenazy.


----------



## Conor71

andruini said:


> I haven't heard the Blomstedt set, but the Jarvi one is really good, I think you'll really enjoy it.. Nielsen wrote some really great music in those symphonies..


Excellent!, I look forward to hearing them - should recieve them in about a week hopefully 



Mirror Image said:


> Have you heard this recording, C71?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is a great recording for Bernstein, unfortunately it is out-of-print. I wish Bernstein did the whole Nielsen cycle. I think he really had an affinity for this music. He's not particularly known for his Nordic interpretations, but I think this recording, which features my two favorite Nielsen symphonies (2 & 4), is a textbook example of how Bernstein could build that intensity that is found in these symphonies and sustain it for a long period of time. Very exciting music indeed.


Good stuff - I like Bernstein & also Karajan and may supplement my Symphony sets with their individual Symphony recordings at some stage!


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Good stuff - I like Bernstein & also Karajan and may supplement my Symphony sets with their individual Symphony recordings at some stage!


To my knowledge, Karajan has only recorded Nielsen's Symphony No. 4 "The Inextiguishable."


----------



## PartisanRanger

Wagner - Die Walkure, Karajan


----------



## Mirror Image

"In Honour of the City of London" is one of the greatest choral works of the 20th Century I think. Anyone into Walton's music needs this recording in your collection.


----------



## andruini

Symphonies 2 and 3 right now.


----------



## bdelykleon

This is one of my favorite CDs, hear it all the time. Not a single second of uninteresting music.


----------



## Conor71

Nielsen - Flute Concerto: Lemmser/Blomstedt/Danish Radio SO


----------



## Conor71

Bought this earlier today and now listening:
Nielsen - Aladdin Suite: Willen/South Jutland SO


----------



## simeoc

*currently?*

obsessed by mariah.
i love it!

joecaps


----------



## maestro267

Messiaen - Eclairs sur l'au dela - VI. les sept Anges aux sept Trompettes

BOOM...BOOM...BOOM.... *whipcrack*


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven's 4th Symphony, Sir Charles Mackerras. Brilliant performances. I must say that my interest in Beethoven's symphonies have peaked (really peaked) recently due to listening to Paave Jarvi's interpretation of B's fifth symphony. My main Beethoven's cycles were Solti and Harnoncourt, and hearing Jarvi's almost insane tempos and sparkling performances... man, I started to love Beethoven once again


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm listening to the last disc (#6), which features "Symphony No. 9" and "Job: A Masque for Dancing," which is a great ballet that's highly underrated and seldom played.


----------



## Mirror Image

Now, I'm listening to disc 5, which contains "Sinfonia Antarctica" and "A Pastoral Symphony." Both great pieces of music.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Britten - War Requiem, LSO and Chorus - Vishnevskaya, Fischer-Dieskau, Pears & Britten


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 1, which contains Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 2. So far it's really good, Jansons does a nice job of balancing everything and keeping a good tight leash on the orchestra. The tempos are also very even and flow quite nicely.


----------



## andruini

The Nightingale and Mavra.


----------



## andruini




----------



## musicfor86

I'm listening R. Schumann "Symphonic Etudes" (Zlata Chochieva plays) here: 
http://classic-online.ru/archive/?performer_id=1272

It's an аbsolutely fantastic performance!
Who knows anything about this pianist?
I never heard her before.


----------



## danae

bdelykleon said:


> This is one of my favorite CDs, hear it all the time. Not a single second of uninteresting music.


This is one of my favourite CDs too, but I'm surprised at your statement: honestly, do you find Webern's varations and Boulez's sonata so interesting? I had the impression that you didn't like serialism.


----------



## bdelykleon

danae said:


> This is one of my favourite CDs too, but I'm surprised at your statement: honestly, do you find Webern's varations and Boulez's sonata so interesting? I had the impression that you didn't like serialism.


I like serialism, very much... The problem is that there are several bad examples of serialism. Surely not Boulez or Webern.


----------



## Ispin

*Kaija Saariaho*

"L'Amour de loin" - Nordic, nice, new... fresh. Actually I'm watching video.


----------



## bdelykleon

Ispin said:


> "L'Amour de loin" - Nordic, nice, new... fresh. Actually I'm watching video.


That's a great opera, I like it very much.


----------



## World Violist

It's not human just how perfect this piece is...


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm on disc 4 right now which contains "Manfred Symphony," which I consider one of the best pieces Tchaikovsky ever wrote next to "Symphony No. 6" his ballets, and the concerti. Again, Jansons is truly fantastic. The OPO also play fantastically. Totally in their element.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> I'm on disc 4 right now which contains "Manfred Symphony," which I consider one of the best pieces Tchaikovsky ever wrote next to "Symphony No. 6" his ballets, and the concerti. Again, Jansons is truly fantastic. The OPO also play fantastically. Totally in their element.


Jansons is one of the best Tchaikovsky conductors around today. The first three symphonies are musically pretty weak, but Jansons' conducting manages to make them seem as grand as the last three. Even with my general dislike of Tchaikovsky, I still play Janson's recording of #4 very often.

I've had these two on today:


----------



## Rachmaninov

Current listening...

Piazzolla's Tango Ballet, played by Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica. Excellent!! Love it very much!!


----------



## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> Jansons is one of the best Tchaikovsky conductors around today. The first three symphonies are musically pretty weak, but Jansons' conducting manages to make them seem as grand as the last three. Even with my general dislike of Tchaikovsky, I still play Janson's recording of #4 very often.


I certainly agree with this. I'm not a big Tchaikovsky fan either, but hearing this set I've really come around to his music.


----------



## andruini

Ligeti - Requiem, Lux Aeterna, Atmospheres.
Dunno which recording, I just have the mp3's..


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Marco01

Ives Symphony 2 & 3.

The first piece in No. 3 *'Old Folks Gatherin' *has to be my favourite.


----------



## andruini

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" (Chailly/RCO)


----------



## Aramis

Paganini's sonatas for violin and guitar by Gil Shaham and Goran Sollscher.


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm on Disc 5 right now, which contains Symphony No. 5 and I'm blown away by how great these performances have been. Jansons is really in his element in these performances. Exemplary playing from the OPO as well.


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Conor71

Continuing with my recent Nielsen listening :
Nielsen - Symphony No. 2, "The 4 Temperaments": Leaper/National SO of Ireland/Naxos


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## danae

Bartok's Divertimento. Why oh *why* can't I write like this????


----------



## andruini

danae said:


> Bartok's Divertimento. Why oh *why* can't I write like this????


My sentiments exactly..


----------



## Zanralotta

Current listening:
A recording of the Mendelssohn String Quartet #6 op. 80 in f minor by the Cherubini-Quartet.

I paid less than 5 € and it's a high quality rendition! Granted, here and there, the intonation is slightly off (nowhere even close to be distracting), but over all... WTF!? Demanding twice the money wouldn't be too much. I absolutely adore their choices when it comes to the tempo...
Wonderful! 
Not to mention that this is one of the most heart-rending pieces ever written in the chamber music repertoire... the only piece I know that can compete is Schubert's Winter Journey (those two are the only pieces of music that ever made me cry).
No matter how hard I try to keep myself together, every time I hear the reference to Bach's Well-tempered Clavier (Mendelssohn's reminiscence to his dead sister whom he love more than any other person in this world), I can't help but burst into tears...


----------



## andruini

Listening to the Cello Concertos right now.


----------



## andruini

Feeling a bit radical this evening..


----------



## Ispin

*Feeling free this mornig...*

to some degree, alas!
Listening to the controlled aleatory of Witold Lutoslawski. THE QUARTET. However, I prefer the LaSalle Quartet interpretation to the ABQ one. Incidentally, they (LSQ) ordered the quartet.


----------



## haydnguy

andruini said:


> Listening to the Cello Concertos right now.


I've been seriously looking at that one.


----------



## andruini

haydnguy said:


> I've been seriously looking at that one.


It's a great set! I've heard only the violin and the cello ones, but they're some of the best recordings I've heard of them... Particularly the cello concertos.. They're impeccable.. You wouldn't regret buying this..


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Listening to the Cello Concertos right now.


This is a great set! I have only heard the first disc so far, but I plan on listening to the rest of the set very soon.

Right now:


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Ispin

*simply Gimpel*

Thank you YoTu!


----------



## Mirror Image

Great set! Dutoit is simply an outstanding Debussy conductor.


----------



## Ispin

*It's a mirror must*

At the very moment I want to write down this note and I have to listen Gomulka's songs. But why have I to do that? The point is that Gomulka lived in Sandomierz (XVI century). He was a Polish composer. Dear Mirror Image, I am a newbie indeed ... Could not find another way to give an answer. Right, Sandomierz is an old Polish town placed on a steep river bank. Thanks for looking at my pictures. As to Gomolka, hmm... I'd better pass over in silence .

Ispin


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Mirror Image

Ispin said:


> At the very moment I want to write down this note and I have to listen Gomulka's songs. But why have I to do that? The point is that Gomulka lived in Sandomierz (XVI century). He was a Polish composer. Dear Mirror Image, I am a newbie indeed ... Could not find another way to give an answer. Right, Sandomierz is an old Polish town placed on a steep river bank. Thanks for looking at my pictures. As to Gomolka, hmm... I'd better pass over in silence .
> 
> Ispin


Well Ispin, that's very cool. It's a beautiful town. Welcome aboard!


----------



## nickgray

Gotterdammerung, Haitink


----------



## World Violist

Glenn Gould: Portrait of Leopold Stokowski

Both of these men were eccentric geniuses, and it shows in this very unique document. It's essentially Stokowski talking about his ideas of music, with excerpts of his recordings playing in the background. This may sound simple, but at times it is used to chilling effect, most notably at the beginning, where the words fit the music being played eerily well, and at the end, in which the words from the beginning are brought back, but with different music that builds to a shattering catharsis. Certainly this programme is not to everyone's taste--it is, after all, Glenn Gould and Leopold Stokowski--but hey, somebody's got to like it. It's a monumental artistic document.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## danae

Albert Roussell: Symphony no.3, conducted be Andre Cluytens. Very interesting work. I just bought the CD. I need to listen to it at least 2 more times; there's so much going on that I can't follow it with just one hearing.


----------



## handlebar

Bach's Mass in B minor with Gardiner (still the best out there IMHO)

Jim


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Praine

Mirror Image said:


>


What do you think about this? This is the only recording I have of Novak and I was really quite impressed with it. Novak is a great and underrated composer - he can be so colourful and have a heavy impressionist influence at times (like in the final movement of the Slovak Suite and Eternal Longing). Do you have any other recordings of him?


----------



## Mirror Image

Reign of Praine said:


> What do you think about this? This is the only recording I have of Novak and I was really quite impressed with it. Novak is a great and underrated composer - he can be so colourful and have a heavy impressionist influence at times (like in the final movement of the Slovak Suite and Eternal Longing). Do you have any other recordings of him?


What I have heard of it so far, which was only the first piece "In The Tatra Mountains," is very good. I plan to listen to the rest of the recording tonight. He's great so far, very good orchestration.

I also own this recording also with Pesek conducting:










I look forward to hearing this as well.


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Mirror Image

This is such a fantastic recording. I'm really enjoying Novak's writing. His orchestration is excellent and the harmonies are lush. The melodies are so lyrical.

Anyone into Czech composers should checkout this sadly neglected composer.

Next up some great English string music from William Boughton and the English String Orchestra:


----------



## andruini

Symphonies 3 and 4..
I'm really liking Rautavaara's music..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Symphonies 3 and 4..
> I'm really liking Rautavaara's music..


I've owned this set for months. I just can't bring myself to listen to it. What do you enjoy about it?


----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


> Symphonies 3 and 4..
> I'm really liking Rautavaara's music..


That really is a very spectacular set of music. In the music of the seventh and eighth symphonies especially we see Rautavaara completely transcending the 12-tone style he had been working in for his symphonies 1-4. And I mean transcending: it's positively gorgeous. I can't really get myself to listen to it much either, but hey, if it strikes your fancy all the more power to you. Great stuff, this.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> That really is a very spectacular set of music. In the music of the seventh and eighth symphonies especially we see Rautavaara completely transcending the 12-tone style he had been working in for his symphonies 1-4. And I mean transcending: it's positively gorgeous. I can't really get myself to listen to it much either, but hey, if it strikes your fancy all the more power to you. Great stuff, this.


I'll have to listen to his 7th and 8th, you've got me interested now, WV.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is such a gorgeous recording. My goodness it's shame not many people are aware of this composer. A little bit of exploring goes a long way I think.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> I've owned this set for months. I just can't bring myself to listen to it. What do you enjoy about it?


I'm connecting to Rautavaara's music in a way I'd only experienced with Dvorák.. I don't know how to explain it, but I really identify with both of these composers' harmonic language (of course Rautavaara in a different way than Dvorák, I'm not suggesting any similarity) and the decisions they make in their music.. 
I just get the feeling from his music that many of the harmonic ideas and structures are basically what I would decide if I was composing it.. Does that make sense?? I guess not, but suffice it to say that I really like it..


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I'm connecting to Rautavaara's music in a way I'd only experienced with Dvorák.. I don't know how to explain it, but I really identify with both of these composers' harmonic language (of course Rautavaara in a different way than Dvorák, I'm not suggesting any similarity) and the decisions they make in their music..
> I just get the feeling from his music that many of the harmonic ideas and structures are basically what I would decide if I was composing it.. Does that make sense?? I guess not, but suffice it to say that I really like it..


That makes great sense, andruini. I need to dig this box set out and listen to it.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> That makes great sense, andruini. I need to dig this box set out and listen to it.


You should.. The only symphony so far that has sounded overly reliant on 12-tone techniques is the fourth, but apart from that one, I can see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy the rest..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> You should.. The only symphony so far that has sounded overly reliant on 12-tone techniques is the fourth, but apart from that one, I can see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy the rest..


I think I might have a listen to some of his music later this afternoon.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## haydnguy

This from Amazon poster tjguitar:

The following Prokofiev/Jarvi is going to be released on Amazon(U.S.) at the end of August:

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Cantata-20th-Anniversary-S/dp/B002EYBNS8/
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Violin-Concertos-Nos-2/dp/B002EYBNTC
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Ivan-Terrible-Concert-Scenes/dp/B002EYBNRY/
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Symphonic-Suite-War-Peace/dp/B002EYBNSS/
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Suites-Nos-Romeo-Juliet/dp/B002EYBNT2


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> This from Amazon poster tjguitar:
> 
> The following Prokofiev/Jarvi is going to be released on Amazon(U.S.) at the end of August:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Cantata-20th-Anniversary-S/dp/B002EYBNS8/
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Violin-Concertos-Nos-2/dp/B002EYBNTC
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Ivan-Terrible-Concert-Scenes/dp/B002EYBNRY/
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Symphonic-Suite-War-Peace/dp/B002EYBNSS/
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Suites-Nos-Romeo-Juliet/dp/B002EYBNT2


I already own most of the Prokofiev/Jarvi recordings from their original releases. The only one I'm thinking about getting is the "Violin Concertos," but I can buy the original for $6 right now. When the newer version is released, I'm going to see if the original's price goes down any. Other than that, I'm pretty much done with Jarvi's Prokofiev.


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven - String Quartet No.14, Lasalle Quartet

After being stuck with his symphonies for a while I decided to give a proper listen to all sonatas and quartets. Amazing, I must say


----------



## andruini

One of my favorite Prokofiev recordings out there. Stunning.


----------



## bdelykleon

andruini said:


> One of my favorite Prokofiev recordings out there. Stunning.


This is a personal favorite.


----------



## bdelykleon

Just bought:


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


>


What do you think about Delius so far, haydnguy?


----------



## haydnguy

Beautiful music. Kind of reminds me of a sunny day in the country.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Beautiful music. Kind of reminds me of a sunny day in the country.


Ah yes, but the more layers you peel back that beauty doesn't seem so real. I find Delius quite depressing to listen to sometimes, because knowing his life and what he went through, especially towards the very end of his life.

It is beautiful on the surface, but there's much more to it than pure beauty. He's longing for something in his music all the time.


----------



## haydnguy

Ah, thanks for the tip. I know nothing about his life. I will listen and investigate further.


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven's 4th, P.Jarvi.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Ah, thanks for the tip. I know nothing about his life. I will listen and investigate further.


You're welcome. Try and read this when you get a chance:

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/delius.php


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> You're welcome. Try and read this when you get a chance:
> 
> http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/delius.php


Will do, thanks.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Will do, thanks.


No problem. Are you generally attracted to the impressionistic composers? I'm sure you've checked out Debussy and Ravel, but have you listened to Bax, Vaughan Williams, de Falla, Dukas, Respighi, Faure, or Szymankowski?


----------



## haydnguy

I have Bax and Williams but not the rest.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is a great set. I don't rate it as highly as I do the Dutoit set, but it's very good. What made the Dutoit set so great was the strong presence of Pascal Roge on it.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I have Bax and Williams but not the rest.


You should try your hand at some de Falla and Dukas. I think you'll enjoy them immensely.

Getting away from Impressionism, have you heard much Poulenc? He's so fantastic.


----------



## haydnguy

Yes, he is. I have some of him.


----------



## Weston

I have found Eric Ewazen on my Rhapsody account and I'm intrigued enough to consider purchasing. This album from 2001 has some great chamber orchestra works. If you dislike 20th/21st century music, this may change your mind, though some of you may think it borders on sentimentality or even cheesiness. The gruff sound of a sax in a concerto is an interesting touch. This is not sax the way Debussy used it. The down side for me -- it does slide into Hollywood soundtrack territory sometimes.










The Chamber Symphony sounds almost like a piano concerto as it has a prominent piano part. I love the often driving modern rhythms coupled with classic tonality.


----------



## haydnguy

*Haydn:*
_Symphony No. 64 in A 'TEMPORA MUTANTUR'
Symphony No. 65 in A
Symphony No. 66 in B flat_
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra/Adam Fischer


----------



## Conor71

Earlier: Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade: Mehta/LAPO










Now: Sibelius - Symphony No. 4: Ansermet/L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande










Next: Nielsen - Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable": Mehta/LAPO


----------



## maestro267

'Fantasia alla marcia, for piano, chorus and orchestra' by Yoko Shimomura, taken from 'Kingdom Hearts II'

The best piece of video game music out there, in my opinion.


----------



## Aramis

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 by Światosław Richter. Maaaaan!


----------



## Ispin

*Galina's Octet. Dioma? Who cares...*

From Ross' note (2006)

_*"The remarkable St. Petersburg composer Galina Ustvolskaya died today at the age of eighty-seven. She studied with Shostakovich during the Second World War, and, at first, she imitated her teacher's music, as did so many young Soviet composers. But in the late forties she forged her own style - austere, hieratic, an intermingling of skeletal counterpoint and crashing cluster chords. Shostakovich was fascinated by her, and, after the death of his first wife, Nina, he proposed marriage to her, without success. He also intensely admired her music, and consciously echoed it in developing his own late style. It was perhaps at the moment that Shostakovich submitted several of his works to Ustvolskaya's scrutiny that centuries of male dominance of the art of composition finally came to an end. "I am a talent," Shostakovich said to her, "you are a phenomenon."
*_










Try her _Dies Ire_


----------



## andruini

One of the finest Nielsen CDs I've heard.


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## andruini

haydnguy said:


>


How is that recording? I only know the Piano Sonata out of there..


----------



## Conor71




----------



## bdelykleon

Oh, Bach and Gould. Can't be better.


----------



## andruini

bdelykleon said:


> Oh, Bach and Gould. Can't be better.


I totally agree. I actually love it when you can hear him humming in the recordings.. Maybe because I tend to do that myself..


----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


> I totally agree. I actually love it when you can hear him humming in the recordings.. Maybe because I tend to do that myself..


It certainly makes the recordings more realistic or "intimate" or whatever you want to call it. I prefer it to the staid, more boring Bach. And Gould himself is such a wonder...


----------



## bdelykleon

andruini said:


> I totally agree. I actually love it when you can hear him humming in the recordings.. Maybe because I tend to do that myself..


So do I, but only in recordings, God knows how he hums while playing while I'm so concentrated in the music I'm playing. It looks that this is a technique to find a better phrasing, well, it worked


----------



## nickgray

I've tried numerous times to get into Ravel, but for some reason I didn't really like him. And now, thanks to this cd, it seems that I finally started to enjoy his music. Maybe it's Haitink that did the trick, or maybe my mood, who knows


----------



## Aramis

Grieg's cello sonata. Marvellous!


----------



## haydnguy

andruini said:


> How is that recording? I only know the Piano Sonata out of there..


andruini, I'm sorry for the delayed response. My listening was interrupted and I wanted to listen to the entire CD before I responded. Actually, this whole CD is quite beautiful. My wife said that she even liked it and she doesn't like ANYTHING modern. Especially at it's price, it's definitely recommendable.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, Boulez


----------



## haydnguy

PartisanRanger said:


> Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, Boulez




For me, Beethoven Symphony No. 2 from this:


----------



## andruini

haydnguy said:


> andruini, I'm sorry for the delayed response. My listening was interrupted and I wanted to listen to the entire CD before I responded. Actually, this whole CD is quite beautiful. My wife said that she even liked it and she doesn't like ANYTHING modern. Especially at it's price, it's definitely recommendable.


Alright, sounds quite nice.. I've been looking for more Boulez to add to my collection, I'll definitely consider that recording!


----------



## Conor71

Brahms - Symphony No. 2


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## Aramis

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 by Ashkenazy & Carl Maria Giulini with L.A Symphonic Orchestra. Nothing wrong about Ashkenazy, but orchestra plays terrible. It's just remarkable failure.


----------



## Conservationist




----------



## andruini




----------



## Clancy

Loving the Corelli, very soothing music with an almost effortless flow to it.


----------



## andruini

Oedipus Rex and The Flood.


----------



## Clancy

Containing works by George Crumb, Thomas Tallis, Istvan Marta, Charles Ives, Shostakovich (SQ8).


----------



## andruini

Clancy said:


> Containing works by George Crumb, Thomas Tallis, Istvan Marta, Charles Ives, Shostakovich (SQ8).


That's a good CD.. The Crumb piece really scared me on first listen, but I've grown to appreciate it.. Kronos is a great quartet, I saw them live a couple of years ago playing Nancarrow, Zorn, Riley, and some others.. It was a great show..


----------



## Clancy

I like the Crumb piece, quite an interesting soundworld in that one. I must admit though I couldn't get into the Ives song, some guy screaming hysterically about war.. not interested. I thought their version of SQ8 was a bit fast for my taste also but yeah overall the CD is pretty good, introduced me to some new composers.


----------



## haydnguy

I've been eagerly awaiting this ones arrival and it came today. First listen now...


----------



## World Violist

Clancy said:


> some guy screaming hysterically about war..


aka Charles Ives... that's the whole reason why it was allowed to be released. It's the definitive performance!


----------



## classical

listening to beethoven


----------



## Mirror Image

I love Copland's music so much. He was one of the first composers I got into.


----------



## bdelykleon

Inspired by a certain thread here:


----------



## Conor71

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Oppitz/Davis/BRSO


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Oppitz/Davis/BRSO


I wasn't too impressed with that Brahms set. I thought Davis' interpretations of the symphonies were incredibly lackluster, but I enjoyed the concertos in that set.

Have you listened to Georg Solti's Brahms set? These are probably my favorite performances of the Brahms symphonies I've heard and I own most of them:


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> I wasn't too impressed with that Brahms set. I thought Davis' interpretations of the symphonies were incredibly lackluster, but I enjoyed the concertos in that set.
> 
> Have you listened to Georg Solti's Brahms set? These are probably my favorite performances of the Brahms symphonies I've heard and I own most of them:


The Davis set is the only version of the Symphonies I have at the moment - I dont mind it (it has great sound quality) but I am looking into getting other sets to supplement it: I have on order a set of the symphonies conducted by Ernest Ansermet and was also thinking about getting the EMI Klemperer set as I have his Beethoven and enjoy it:
















Ta for the recommendation about the Solti will keep it in mind for an extra set .


----------



## andruini

Amazing record.


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> The Davis set is the only version of the Symphonies I have at the moment - I dont mind it (it has great sound quality) but I am looking into getting other sets to supplement it: I have on order a set of the symphonies conducted by Ernest Ansermet and was also thinking about getting the EMI Klemperer set as I have his Beethoven and enjoy it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ta for the recommendation about the Solti will keep it in mind for an extra set .


Well the Solti gets my highest recommendation, it blows them all away.


----------



## nickgray

No.25, KV.183


----------



## haydnguy

nickgray said:


> No.25, KV.183


How is that set nickgray?


----------



## nickgray

haydnguy said:


> How is that set nickgray?


I'm not a big fan of Mozart to make a proper judgment, but it's really great, probably one of the best Mozart symphonies sets out there. It also utilizes harpsichord in the symphonies, instead of the usual piano, which certainly makes things interesting. Actually, it is this set that revived my interest in Mozart, which is a big surprise, since I wasn't really fond of Mozart for quite some time, to be honest.


----------



## haydnguy

Well, the harpsichord does make it interesting. I was trying decide between that set and the newest Karl Bohm re-issue.


----------



## nickgray




----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


>


Munch was a good Ravel conductor and he's regarded as being such, but I find Jean Martinon, Charles Dutoit, Pierre Boulez, and Yan Pascal Tortelier to be in a completely different league than Munch.


----------



## Isola

Currently listening/watching Joshua Bell, Mischa Maisky, Evgeny Kissin play Tchaikovsky's piano trio in A minor at Verbier Festival:

http://www.medici.tv/#/performance/607/

Beautiful.


----------



## andruini

Various assorted tracks of Javanese and Balinese Gamelan music.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As a William Blake fanatic, I couldn't resist.


----------



## andruini

Listening to No. 7 right now.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Listening to No. 7 right now.


Great set right there. Made me appreciate, not only Abbado more, but Beethoven's music too.


----------



## andruini

Perfection.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Great set right there. Made me appreciate, not only Abbado more, but Beethoven's music too.


Agreed. I have some minor beefs with some of his tempo decisions, but apart from that, it's an amazing set. I love it.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Agreed. I have some minor beefs with some of his tempo decisions, but apart from that, it's an amazing set. I love it.


I think the best sets are those that sometimes take chances. For better or for worse, that Abbado set affirmed Beethoven as a major symphonist for me.


----------



## haydnguy

Listening to 'The Planets' for the first time!!!


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Listening to 'The Planets' for the first time!!!


That's supposedly one of the best versions of "The Planets." I haven't heard it, but it's highly regarded. Adrian Boult is one of my favorite conductors. Such command over the orchestra. He always seems to know how to carry the orchestra and he always yields great results. His RVW recordings (mono and stereo) are simply outstanding.


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> That's supposedly one of the best versions of "The Planets." I haven't heard it, but it's highly regarded. Adrian Boult is one of my favorite conductors. Such command over the orchestra. He always seems to know how to carry the orchestra and he always yields great results. His RVW recordings (mono and stereo) are simply outstanding.


I have heard that Boult is good with RVW. I have the Haitink boxed set and it's good but would like to hear how they compare sometime.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I have heard that Boult is good with RVW. I have the Haitink boxed set and it's good but would like to hear how they compare sometime.


I own 8 cycles of RVW and so far nothing beats Boult's readings on EMI. Handley, Thomson, Andrew Davis, and Previn come pretty darn close though.


----------



## Mirror Image

Absolutely gorgeous recording.


----------



## World Violist

I just finished listening to Bernstein's old recording of Ives' Holidays Symphony. Haunting music... simply wonderful.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## haydnguy

*Milhaud*
_Complete Piano Concertos_
Michael Korstick, piano
SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern
Alun Francis, conducting


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Mirror Image

Cyclops said:


> Another I've not heard of! Contemporary of Nielsen?


Nielsen was actually Langgaard's counterpoint teacher. Langgaard didn't like Nielsen all that much. The more the dig into their history, it's quite obvious that Langgaard was in some way jealous of Nielsen's popularity. Langgaard was kind of the outsider in Danish culture. In fact, he was so disenchanted with the music establishment in Copenhagen that he relocated in a town called Ribe to work as a cathedral organist.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## nickgray




----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


>


How is this recording? I've heard good things about it.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> How is this recording? I've heard good things about it.


Its a good one, I have been enjoying listening to it . I have other discs of Gardiner performing Beethovens Missa Solemnis and Bachs Mass in B Minor which are excellent too: good performances and recorded in DDD sound.


----------



## Mirror Image

Great set, but I think the set on Bis edges it just slightly. Wonderful playing from the Gothenburg Symphony Orch. throughout and the conducting from Jarvi is rock-solid.


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Its a good one, I have been enjoying listening to it . I have other discs of Gardiner performing Beethovens Missa Solemnis and Bachs Mass in B Minor which are excellent too: good performances and recorded in DDD sound.


Yeah, I'll definitely checkout the Brahms. I'm not too interested in the Beethoven as I have most of everything Beethoven has ever composed and then some. As for the Bach, I'm not a fan and never have been a fan of his music.


----------



## haydnguy

*Schumann:*
_Sonata No. 1 in a minro, op. 105
Sonata No. 3 in a minor, WoO 2
Sonata No. 2 in d minor, op. 121_
*Carolin Widmann, violin*
Denes Varjon, piano


----------



## andruini

A little late night listening..


----------



## HappinessIsMusic

3rdplanetsounds said:


> A cd of Shoshtakovich symphonies 6 and 1.


This week seems like the _Russians week_ for me (hopefully not sounding too socialist  Started with Shoshtakovich and now savouring Stravinsky's Firebird. I have witnessed it played live a month ago in Budapest and it was mesmerising!


----------



## Mirror Image

One of the first box sets I bought and still a favorite of mine. Listening to Masur conduct "Les Preludes" right now. Absolutely wonderful.


----------



## Mirror Image

This is still one of most amazing Mendelssohn recordings I own. It has all of my favorite Mendelssohn compositions on one recording.


----------



## Yoshi

Bach's Suite No.3


----------



## andruini

"Perséphone", "Ode" and "Momentum Pro Gesualdo di Venosa Ad Cd Annum".


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> This is still one of most amazing Mendelssohn recordings I own. It has all of my favorite Mendelssohn compositions on one recording.


This is a very good recording indeed.


----------



## dnsthmpsn

I have been getting into a lot of Bruckner's symphonies. I can't seem to get away from them.


----------



## Mirror Image

dnsthmpsn said:


> I have been getting into a lot of Bruckner's symphonies. I can't seem to get away from them.


What box sets do you own of Bruckner's symphonies?


----------



## haydnguy

HappinessIsMusic said:


> This week seems like the _Russians week_ for me (hopefully not sounding too socialist  Started with Shoshtakovich and now savouring Stravinsky's Firebird. I have witnessed it played live a month ago in Budapest and it was mesmerising!


I'm starting my listening tonight with a little Russian music as well.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## haydnguy

Continuing in a Russian vein for me:


----------



## Mirror Image

I love Bax's music so much. This is a great recording.


----------



## nickgray

3rd or 4th time now, brilliant cd


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> 3rd or 4th time now, brilliant cd


The more Ravel gets into your blood, the more you appreciate him. May I openly suggest the following recordings for you:


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> The more Ravel gets into your blood, the more you appreciate him. May I openly suggest the following recordings for you:


Thanks! I'll check em out.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Thanks! I'll check em out.


You're welcome.

I'm kind of the Ravel, Debussy, most other Impressionistic composers guy around here, so if you need any help with any of these composers, then let me know.

Since you're starting to get more into Ravel, do you have a favorite composition thus far?


----------



## haydnguy

Starting now:


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> I'm kind of the Ravel, Debussy, most other Impressionistic composers guy around here


Yeah, I know 



Mirror Image said:


> Since you're starting to get more into Ravel, do you have a favorite composition thus far?


So far I liked:

Ma mere l'Oye
Le tombeau de Couperin (orchestral)
Valses nobles et sentimentales (orchestral)
Daphins et Chloe (slowly getting into the full version instead of the suites)


----------



## andruini

Fauré Requiem. Don't really know which version, which bugs me because it's the best one I've heard..
Words can't express how much I love this work.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> So far I liked:
> 
> Ma mere l'Oye
> Le tombeau de Couperin (orchestral)
> Valses nobles et sentimentales (orchestral)
> Daphins et Chloe (slowly getting into the full version instead of the suites)


For me, there are four conductors who excel in Ravel's music: Jean Martinon, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Charles Dutoit, and Pierre Boulez.

Those are great pieces by the way, but yes, I think you should try your hand at the complete ballet of "Daphnis et Chloe."

I have 22 recordings of the full ballet of "Daphnis et Chloe." I have heard almost all of them except for Bernard Haitink's account on the Philips label, which I don't own.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray, this is my Ravel collection:

Ravel:

- Debussy/Ravel: Orchestral Works (8-CD set)
Orch: Orchestre de Paris
Cond: Jean Martinon
Label: EMI

-Debussy: Images; Jeux; La Mer; Ravel: Alborada del gracioso; Daphnis et Chloé (5-CD set)
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

- Daphnis et Chloe (Hybrid SACD)
Orch: Boston Symphony
Cond: Charles Munch
Label: RCA

- Bolero, La Valse, etc. (Hybrid SACD)
Orch: Boston Symphony
Cond: Charles Munch
Label: RCA

- Orchestral Works (4-CD set)
Orch: Ulster Orchestra
Cond: Yan Pascal Tortelier
Label: Chandos

- The Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales
Orch: Cleveland Orchestra
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-Prokofiev, Ravel: Piano Concertos, etc.
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

- Shéhérazade; Le Tombeau de Couperin; Debussy: Ballades de Villon
Orch: Cleveland Orchestra
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-Daphnis et Chloe; La Valse
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-Ma Mere L’Oye; Rhapsodie Espagnole; etc.
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-Orchestral Works (4-CD set)
Orch: Montreal Symphony
Cond; Charles Dutoit
Label: Decca

-Orchestral Works (2-CD set)
Orch: Boston Symphony
Cond: Seiji Ozawa
Label: DG

-Daphnis and Chloe, Pavane for a Dead Princess
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond; Yoel Levi
Label: Telarc

-Complete Orchestral Works
Orch: London Symphony
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

-Daphnis et Chloe, Pavane, et
Orch: London Symphony
Cond: Pierre Monteux
Label: Decca

-Orchestral Masterpieces (2-CD set)
Orch: L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Cond: Ernest Ansermet
Label: Decca

-Complete Orchestral Works (4-CD set)
Orch: Orchestre National de France
Cond: Eliahu Inbal
Label: Brilliant Classics

-Daphnis et Chloe
Orch: London Symphony
Cond; Kent Nagano
Label: Elatus 

-Daphnis et Chloe
Orch: London Symphony Orch.
Cond: Andre Previn
Label: EMI

-Daphnis et Chloe
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond; James Levine
Label: DG

-Daphnis et Chloe
Orch: Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orch.
Cond; Laurent Petitgirard
Label: Naxos

-Daphnis et Chloe
Orch: SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orch.
Cond; Michael Gielen
Label; Arte Nova

-Orchestral Works
Orch: London Symphony
Cond; Andre Previn
Label: EMI

-Piano Concertos; Debussy: Fantasie for Piano and Orchestra
Orch: Strasbourg Philharmonic, Monte Carlo National Opera Orch.
Cond; Alain Lombard, Armin Jordan
Label: Apex

-Rapsodie Espagnole (Enhanced Edition)
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond; Jean Martinon
Label: RCA

-Daphnis et Chloe
Orch: Radio France Philharmonic
Cond; Wyung-Whun Chung
Label: DG

-Orchestral Works
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond: Bernard Haitink
Label: Decca

-Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2; Pavane, etc.
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Daniel Barenboim
Label: Erato


----------



## Mirror Image

One of my favorite recordings of all-time.


----------



## andruini

Janácek: Glagolitic Mass (Kempe/Royal Phil)

Can't find a picture.. It's great though..


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## MrTortoise

Isola: Thanks for posting the link to medici.tv, I'm looking forward to watching many of the concerts posted there.


----------



## MrTortoise

Just finished watching










The second side of the disk contains full performances of the Rachmonioff 3rd with Olga Kern and Tchaikovsky 1st concerto with Stanislav Ioudenich, both great performances to watch. And the documentary on the first side is top notch, though it is frustrating to only hear exerts of what sounds like fine performances.


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven's 6th, Mravinsky


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to Vagn Holmboe's prelude "To the Seagulls and the Cormorants" for the third time straight... it's just so amazing. This composer needs to be better known, that's really all there is to it.

Prelude "To the Seagulls and the Cormorants," Op. 174 No. 6 (1987)
Giordano Bellincampi/Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen

As was suggested in another thread, one can download this for free at classicsonline.com; I highly recommend it.


----------



## andruini

On Disc 2: Quartets Nos. 2, 6 and 16.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Sergiu Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic

I've been getting into Bruckner again; I just ordered Paavo Jarvi's new CD of the seventh symphony, so I should be getting that shortly enough... I think within a week or two...


----------



## Mirror Image

Awesome! I'm loving Arnold's music so far.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Arnold's Symphony No. 3 and I'm really enjoy his music a lot.


----------



## World Violist

I'll listen to something from MTT's Mahler cycle tonight, I think... maybe the third symphony? or the seventh... I need to celebrate the fact that his Mahler 8th is coming out later this month. I'm going to reserve a copy as soon as I can; I'm ridiculously excited.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> I'll listen to something from MTT's Mahler cycle tonight, I think... maybe the third symphony? or the seventh... I need to celebrate the fact that his Mahler 8th is coming out later this month. I'm going to reserve a copy as soon as I can; I'm ridiculously excited.


I take it you like Mahler?


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> I take it you like Mahler?


If you haven't figured that much out over the past several months, then something has clearly gone wrong.


----------



## bdelykleon

Never had heard Trois petites litourgies before. It is AMAZING, there was some time since I heard something that good. Wow... Listening to it nonstop.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Never had heard Trois petites litourgies before. It is AMAZING, there was some time since I heard something that good. Wow... Listening to it nonstop.


In your own words, what is so great about Messiaen?


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> In your own words, what is so great about Messiaen?


Color, Rhythm and uniqueness. Messiaen has an unique sound no one can match or copy.


----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Color, Rhythm and uniqueness. Messiaen has an unique sound no one can match or copy.


Do you own this recording?










Oh wait a minute you own the complete edition on Deutsche Grammophon don't you?


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> Do you own this recording?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh wait a minute you own the complete edition on Deutsche Grammophon don't you?


Yup. It's in here. Never heard it yet, though, when I hear I'll post my thoughts.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> Yup. It's in here. Never heard it yet, though, when I hear I'll post my thoughts.


Yes, please do. I heard this recording is very melodic for Messiaen.


----------



## andruini

It might be completely nuts that it's now midnight and I'm just starting to listen to the Third Symphony.. But I'm doing it anyway..


----------



## haydnguy

andruini said:


> It might be completely nuts that it's now midnight and I'm just starting to listen to the Third Symphony.. But I'm doing it anyway..


That's the Mahler cycle I want. Nice!!


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> It might be completely nuts that it's now midnight and I'm just starting to listen to the Third Symphony.. But I'm doing it anyway..


I don't listen to Mahler much anymore. The only Mahler symphonies I really like are the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 9th. Those are all I really listen to. If Mahler didn't write anything but those symphonies I would be happy.

Although, the 3rd is quite nice. The 7th also has some nice moments.


----------



## Mirror Image

Taking a break from Arnold right now and listening to this:










Fantastic recording! MTT does a great job especially with "Billy the Kid."


----------



## nickgray

Elgar's Violin Concerto


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Elgar's Violin Concerto


I hate to say this but Hahn is so overrated. Her tone is so brittle. She also doesn't seem to play with much confidence.


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> I hate to say this but Hahn is so overrated. Her tone is so brittle. She also doesn't seem to play with much confidence.


I like Hahn's playing. Although her popularity is definitely way higher than it should be.


----------



## haydnguy

I was reading today in a book I have on Alban Berg that the death of Alma Mahler's baby inspired him to write his violin concerto. I notice here on the CD it has as sort of a sub-title that reads, "To the memory of an angel".


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Conor71




----------



## Ispin

Bach & Webern
cond: Christof Poppen
Munchener Kammerorchester
The Hilliard Ensamble
contents: 
JSB - Fugue (Ricercata) a 6. BWV 1079/5 (orch. by AW)
AW - String Quartet (1905 - oech. by ChP)
JSB - Cantata 4. BWV 4
AW - Five Movements for String Quartet - Vers. 4 Orch.
JSB - Fugue (Ricercata) a 6. BWV 1079/5 (orch. by AW)


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven's 3rd, Kondrashin. I'm liking this conductor more and more lately.


----------



## bdelykleon

haydnguy said:


> I was reading today in a book I have on Alban Berg that the death of Alma Mahler's baby inspired him to write his violin concerto. I notice here on the CD it has as sort of a sub-title that reads, "To the memory of an angel".


I'm not a big fan of this recording, have you heard Grumiaux?


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Michael Tilson Thomas/SFSO


----------



## Rachmaninov

Today, I've listened to:









Also a tango album including works by Piazzolla; softly and romantically performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. One of my favourite CD!


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Aramis

Sibelius No. 2 by Rattle. From what I've heard guess-where, it's his best symphony. It's my second attempt to like it.


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini




----------



## SenorTearduct

Jazz Samba, Stan Getz-- brillent

Classical, The Mozart Complete Edition, Volume 13 CD 2, the 6 preludes and Fugues


----------



## SenorTearduct

What is your favorite movement of the Colour Symphony? I think im favoring Red, but blue is very close.


----------



## haydnguy

bdelykleon said:


> I'm not a big fan of this recording, have you heard Grumiaux?


No I haven't, I'll check it out.


----------



## andruini

SenorTearduct said:


> What is your favorite movement of the Colour Symphony? I think im favoring Red, but blue is very close.


Actually I loved Purple.. This is the first time I heard the symphony.


----------



## SenorTearduct

Really.. Well I love the whole thing, but the drama and bitonality of the red movement intrigues me... it makes me wonder what the composers thoughts were when he wrote the piece.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


That's a decent recording of "A Colour Symphony." In my opinion, it pales in comparison to Vernon Handley and the Ulster Orchestra's account on Chandos. Handley has more of an authoritive voice than Lloyd-Jones. The audio quality is also much better. I have the 24-bit remastered version and it's amazing:


----------



## SenorTearduct

Jesu Mein Freude by Buxtehude


----------



## Mirror Image

SenorTearduct said:


> Really.. Well I love the whole thing, but the drama and bitonality of the red movement intrigues me... it makes me wonder what the composers thoughts were when he wrote the piece.


Absolutely, the whole piece is really well-crafted. My favorite movements, however, are "Blue" and "Purple."


----------



## SenorTearduct

Agreed, lately Ive been all into the Wagner pieces, but now I feel like listing to some Baroque.
Btw ur signiture is awesome.


----------



## Mirror Image

SenorTearduct said:


> Agreed, lately Ive been all into the Wagner pieces, but now I feel like listing to some Baroque.
> Btw ur signiture is awesome.


Thanks for the comment on my signature. It's very interesting that you're into Arthur Bliss. Not many people either a: care anything about exploring English music or b: haven't dug dieep enough to discover Bliss' music.

I'm a huge fan of English classical music as well as French, American, Russian, and German.


----------



## SenorTearduct

Oh I love it all! And yes english classical is quite unique, and Im also warming up to the old english choir works... Many people I know dont like most english choir arrangements but I dont mind them.
And German all the way for me. To this day The Magic Flute is my favorite opera. American is a bit spoiled to me, I never liked Sousa, it was to grand or to blandly patroitic, not a big fan of that type of march... However Williams will remain the great American to me.


----------



## Mirror Image

SenorTearduct said:


> Oh I love it all! And yes english classical is quite unique, and Im also warming up to the old english choir works... Many people I know dont like most english choir arrangements but I dont mind them.
> And German all the way for me. To this day The Magic Flute is my favorite opera. American is a bit spoiled to me, I never liked Sousa, it was to grand or to blandly patroitic, not a big fan of that type of march... However Williams will remain the great American to me.


There are three great American composers that I think you should checkout (if you haven't already): Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Charles Ives. I think sometimes people who live in America take these composers for granted for whatever reasons. I think you should definitely check these three composers out.

By the way, I'm not a fan of Sousa or (John) Williams. You're a young man, so you're opinion will change many times before you finally reach a verdict on what you like. Use this time to start exploring more music and broadening the range of composers you listen to.

I'm still very much into the Romantic and early 20th Century classical periods. I do enjoy some Baroque like Corelli, Rameau, and Scarlatti, but this only been recently.


----------



## SenorTearduct

Ya I just love the Star Wars Music.. thats it with Williams, and to be frank, now I know your not a fan of Sousa, I cant stand his music. I Love Copland!! absolutly brillent he is, Love the Hoedown! and Barber, the Adagio for Strings, so moving... never heard of Ives though.. Ill check him out.


----------



## Mirror Image

SenorTearduct said:


> Ya I just love the Star Wars Music.. thats it with Williams, and to be frank, now I know your not a fan of Sousa, I cant stand his music. I Love Copland!! absolutly brillent he is, Love the Hoedown! and Barber, the Adagio for Strings, so moving... never heard of Ives though.. Ill check him out.


Yes, but Copland and Barber composed so much music. "Hoedown" and "Adagio for Strings" are just fragments of both of these composer's imaginations and what they could accomplish with a pen.

I would checkout Ives symphonies first and then go from there. This was my first Ives recording, it also was one of the first classical recordings I bought as well:


----------



## SenorTearduct

Ah.. I like Charles... I just heard his "Spem in Alium" from Kronos Quartet. I like it very much, hes pretty good.


----------



## SenorTearduct

Ya I just got it on Itunes... its great! thanks so much! I found it odd though.. a 5 movement symphony, never thought of such a thing. But then again I just started listining to classical in April when I started writing. So I am subject to such abstract limitations due to time. I like his 4th movement the most so far though.


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now:










Later:


----------



## SenorTearduct

Ah, Arnold, theres another composer I like!


----------



## Mirror Image

SenorTearduct said:


> Ya I just got it on Itunes... its great! thanks so much! I found it odd though.. a 5 movement symphony, never thought of such a thing. But then again I just started listining to classical in April when I started writing. So I am subject to such abstract limitations due to time. I like his 4th movement the most so far though.


I'm glad you're enjoying it. Bernstein does a fine job with Ives.

You will find, as you explore more classical music, that many composers, who have composed symphonies, will write 3 movements, one movement, five movements, 6 movements, etc. from time to time. Four is just a number. It all comes down to whoever you're listening to and usually they feel they didn't express all of what they wanted to express musically, so they add more movements to the symphony. it's all a matter of what the composer wanted to do.


----------



## Mirror Image

SenorTearduct said:


> Ah, Arnold, theres another composer I like!


Believe it or not, I have just got into Arnold's music recently. Before Arnold I was heavily into English impressionsim, which I still very much am into, like Vaughan Williams, Bax, and Delius, but I soon discovered Bliss, Walton, John Ireland, Rubbra, Bantock, Moeran, Parry, Stanford (although he's Irish), and Howells.

So far I'm really enjoying Arnold's music.


----------



## SenorTearduct

Ya, my orcherstra teacher introduced me to him. good stuff


----------



## bdelykleon

The picture of the cover has a very bad quality. But it is Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen played by the Labeque Sisters.


----------



## SenorTearduct

Introit and Kyrie to Mozart's Requieum Mass


----------



## World Violist

Predictably enough:


----------



## Conor71

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2: Oppitz/Davis/BRSO


----------



## bdelykleon




----------



## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


>


I own that recording too. I haven't even heard it yet! How is it?


----------



## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> I own that recording too. I haven't even heard it yet! How is it?


A little disappointing, the original parts don't add that much to the score. I prefer the Ancerl recording on Supraphone.


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Right now:


Hi M.I., How is that Tilson Thomas Berlioz??

That might be one I'm interested in.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Hi M.I., How is that Tilson Thomas Berlioz??
> 
> That might be one I'm interested in.


Not bad at all. I wouldn't rate it as highly as Davis' three seperate readings (Royal Concertgebouw, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony), but it is a good one nonetheless. The audio is also first-rate.


----------



## haydnguy

Ok, thanks. I'll look into Davis' too. By the way, that Poulenc CD you recommended to me is supposed to be here on Monday so I'm looking forward to it.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Ok, thanks. I'll look into Davis' too. By the way, that Poulenc CD you recommended to me is supposed to be here on Monday so I'm looking forward to it.


You mean that box set? Oh excellent. It's really good. Dutoit is a master Poulenc conductor.

If you really enjoy Berlioz, may I suggest this Colin Davis set:










You can get it right now on Amazon for $24 from the seller Newbury Comics and it retails for $47:

http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Complete-Orchestral-Thomas-Allen/dp/B0000041MZ


----------



## haydnguy

Yes, sorry, the boxed set.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light." Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I need to re-examine some of the things I said about Rautavaara as should anyone else who hasn't really given his music a chance!


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## nickgray

Beethoven - Sonatas, Fischer. Currently on No.19, accompanied by the gorgeous sound of Drill from a neighboring house.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71




----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light." Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I need to re-examine some of the things I said about Rautavaara as should anyone else who hasn't really given his music a chance!


Yes, this is truly something amongst 20th-century symphonies (or is it 21st...?). The eighth is the one that caused the most disappointment among the critics and such; it has basically the same structure and much the same basic harmonic palette, used in about the same way.


----------



## Ispin

she's great, indeed!


----------



## Ispin

Annie Fische, gosh, she is great...


----------



## Marco01

*Portsmouth Point* by William Walton


----------



## Marco01

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light." Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I need to re-examine some of the things I said about Rautavaara as should anyone else who hasn't really given his music a chance!


No. 1 and 7 are currently my favourite. The opening few minutes of the third piece in No. 7 _Come un Sogno _is quite special.

The Symphonies boxset is a bargain. I bought it two weeks ago and haven't stopped listening to it.


----------



## Mirror Image

Marco01 said:


> No. 1 and 7 are currently my favourite. The opening few minutes of the third piece in No. 7 _Come un Sogno _is quite special.
> 
> The Symphonies boxset is a bargain. I bought it two weeks ago and haven't stopped listening to it.


Yes, I'm quite surprised by how good it actually is. I wasn't expecting it to be this good. My Dad has kept telling over and over again "You need to listen to Rautavaara." I'm glad I finally did! I just got through with Symphony No. 8. I'm going to go back and listen to more later, but right now:










I haven't listened to Berglund's Sibelius that much. I'm really enjoying it. I'm listening to "Lunnotar" right now and I'm impressed with his handling of this piece thus far.


----------



## nickgray

Mahler 4th, Bernstein.


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm listening to "En Saga" right now. Absolutely fantastic!


----------



## nickgray

Schnittke - String Quartet No.3


----------



## Aramis




----------



## nickgray

Schnittke - Symphony No.8, Rozhdestvensky.

Anyone else here likes Schnittke?


----------



## World Violist

(I'm sorry, I really, REALLY need to vent... I'm playing this piece for a concerto competition, so I'm supposed to listen to it a lot... ugh)










Ralph Vaughan Williams: Suite for viola and orchestra
Yizhak Schotten, viola; Kirk Trevor/Slovak Radio Orchestra

I'm really sorry for the general public having this as the only in-print recording of RVW's brilliant suite for viola and orchestra. I really am. It's one of the most disgusting travesties ever unleashed on recorded viola music. Even the opening notes are horrible; a cloud in the orchestra, followed immediately by notes on the viola that seem to have symptoms of tuberculosis, wheezing out more or less. It gets worse from here on out, as Schotten appears to get progressively less sensitive to what is actually going on in the music or his bow arm; a supposed-to-be-intensely-moving climax in the fourth movement, "Ballade," receives a display that is truly terrifying: there is a sixteenth-note run up to some high-register double stops, which is pretty daunting, I'll admit, but there is utterly no excuse for the kind of bow stroke here used (wheezing (or is it choking this time?), half-note-value bow strokes) in combination with the rushing that goes on--and to make matters worse, Schotten seems to think it makes dramatic/musical sense to make a huge, sweeping slide (almost a glissando) up to the climactic notes in what amounts to be the worst anticlimax I've ever heard. It would figure that the only available recording has to be the worst possible one as well... at least the orchestra is halfway decent, as if that matters.

My rating (on a scale of 1-10): -15 or thereabouts

As for the rest of the CD, it's ok, and the Colgrass variations are terrific, actually (I got to perform a bit of it over the summer, so listening to _that_ was a treat).


----------



## Conservationist

World Violist said:


> My rating (on a scale of 1-10): -15 or thereabouts


I thoroughly enjoyed your sadistic review. Higher standards is ALWAYS better than lower standards, in my view.

Based on M.I.'s recommendation and a fortunate used CD sale at Joel's classical shop, I'm now digging:



He makes me really want to dive into baroque.


----------



## Mirror Image

Conservationist said:


> I thoroughly enjoyed your sadistic review. Higher standards is ALWAYS better than lower standards, in my view.
> 
> Based on M.I.'s recommendation and a fortunate used CD sale at Joel's classical shop, I'm now digging:
> 
> 
> 
> He makes me really want to dive into baroque.


Corelli's really good. Corelli, A. Scarlatti, and Rameau are about the only Baroque composers I can stomach.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> (I'm sorry, I really, REALLY need to vent... I'm playing this piece for a concerto competition, so I'm supposed to listen to it a lot... ugh)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ralph Vaughan Williams: Suite for viola and orchestra
> Yizhak Schotten, viola; Kirk Trevor/Slovak Radio Orchestra
> 
> I'm really sorry for the general public having this as the only in-print recording of RVW's brilliant suite for viola and orchestra. I really am. It's one of the most disgusting travesties ever unleashed on recorded viola music. Even the opening notes are horrible; a cloud in the orchestra, followed immediately by notes on the viola that seem to have symptoms of tuberculosis, wheezing out more or less. It gets worse from here on out, as Schotten appears to get progressively less sensitive to what is actually going on in the music or his bow arm; a supposed-to-be-intensely-moving climax in the fourth movement, "Ballade," receives a display that is truly terrifying: there is a sixteenth-note run up to some high-register double stops, which is pretty daunting, I'll admit, but there is utterly no excuse for the kind of bow stroke here used (wheezing (or is it choking this time?), half-note-value bow strokes) in combination with the rushing that goes on--and to make matters worse, Schotten seems to think it makes dramatic/musical sense to make a huge, sweeping slide (almost a glissando) up to the climactic notes in what amounts to be the worst anticlimax I've ever heard. It would figure that the only available recording has to be the worst possible one as well... at least the orchestra is halfway decent, as if that matters.
> 
> My rating (on a scale of 1-10): -15 or thereabouts
> 
> As for the rest of the CD, it's ok, and the Colgrass variations are terrific, actually (I got to perform a bit of it over the summer, so listening to _that_ was a treat).


Thankfully my standards are much to high to even tolerate such bad playing. If something is bad, then I turn it off and sell it, but thankfully this has only happened to me 2 or 3 times. I've been quite lucky.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Thankfully my standards are much to high to even tolerate such bad playing. If something is bad, then I turn it off and sell it, but thankfully this has only happened to me 2 or 3 times. I've been quite lucky.


Well, the whole reason I ever listened to it (I'm never going to again...) is because I'm studying that RVW piece for a concerto competition and this happened to be the only recording between myself and my viola teacher available. And besides, his credentials are darn good: studied with William Primrose, has been principal of the Cincinnati Symphony and is now in the Boston Symphony, etc. etc. I'm pretty sure this is the only piece I've heard from him that's bad... and boy is it bad...


----------



## Conservationist

Mirror Image said:


> Corelli's really good. Corelli, A. Scarlatti, and Rameau are about the only Baroque composers I can stomach.


I will pursue the others.

We have similar tastes, except that I do not listen to Slavic composers, of course.


----------



## Mirror Image

Conservationist said:


> I will pursue the others.
> 
> We have similar tastes, except that I do not listen to Slavic composers, of course.


You don't listen to Slavic composers? May I ask why this is?


----------



## Mirror Image

Still listening and really enjoying this set. Now listening to "Pelleas et Mellisande." So fantastic. I underestimated Paavo Berglund. He may be my new favorite Sibelius conductor along with Vanska and Segerstam.


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Still listening and really enjoying this set. Now listening to "Pelleas et Mellisande." So fantastic. I underestimated Paavo Berglund. He may be my new favorite Sibelius conductor along with Vanska and Segerstam.


I just checked and that's the set I have, M.I. 

But now, I just broke open that Poulenc set that arrived today. Going to be listening to it this evening.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I just checked and that's the set I have, M.I.
> 
> But now, I just broke open that Poulenc set that arrived today. Going to be listening to it this evening.


Excellent. This is the set I own. Let me know your thoughts as soon as you get through listening to the first disc.


----------



## Conor71

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Ashkenazy/Haitink/VPO


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Kullervo" right now and it's simply outstanding! Berglund is fantastic!


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Excellent. This is the set I own. Let me know your thoughts as soon as you get through listening to the first disc.


Needless, to say it's outstanding, M.I. I was bound to like the first two pieces (Piano Concerto and Concerto for two Pianos) as I'm a Pascal Roge fan and I know that Dutoit is a first rate conductor. They were excellent. The last one (Organ concerto) I liked slightly less only because I'm not a big organ fan. I can take it in small amounts. Hearing it in a concerto however was much better and I know any organ fan would love it.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to "Kullervo" right now and it's simply outstanding! Berglund is fantastic!


Definitely one of the most intense Kullervos I've ever heard. Terrifying outer movements!


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Definitely one of the most intense Kullervos I've ever heard. Terrifying outer movements!


It's very good. It's quite bare sounding and less emphasis on the the textural aspect. It's very good though it's pure, unadulterated power and precision.


----------



## Mirror Image

Taking a break from Sibelius for a while and listening to Tortelier's Debussy. Gorgeous box set. I'm listening to "La Mer" right now.


----------



## Aramis

Pelleas et Melisande by Faure, piano arrangement. I'm starting to like this guy.


----------



## nickgray

Shostakovich, First cello concerto


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Julia Varady / Angela Maria Blasi / Juliane Banse / Marjana Lipovsek / Margarita-Hintermeier / Johan Botha / Monte Pederson / Jan-Hendrick Rootering / Konzertvereingung / Wienerstaatopernchor / Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks / Rias Kammerchor / Wiener Sängerknaben / Wiener Philharmoniker / Lorin Maazel, conductor

It's on Youtube. Here's the link to the first part: 




Very broad tempi... it's a good bit over an hour and half! Might be longer than Wyn Morris' legendarily slow account, even. I'll have to wait for the 25th to see if the New York performance will be that slow... Maazel's live Mahler cycle is becoming rather fascinating to me now... oh dear.


----------



## World Violist

Back to Boulez' terrifying Mahler 6th...


----------



## Mirror Image

One word: outstanding!


----------



## Mirror Image

One word: amazing!


----------



## haydnguy

Starting tonights listening with Shostakovich-Symphony #13/Kondrashin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## haydnguy

Next: Shostakovich - Symphonies 5 & 6/Kondrashin


----------



## Mirror Image

This is my second time listening to this recording and it's so beautiful.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## nickgray

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe, Boulez


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## nickgray

Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No.8, Jansons. Nice eighth, though my favorite so far is probably Kitajenko, still haven't found a "definitive" one.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No.8, Jansons. Nice eighth, though my favorite so far is probably Kitajenko, still haven't found a "definitive" one.


Have you heard the Ashkenazy, Barshai, or Haitink? These are very good recordings that you should also checkout, that is, if you're looking to expand your Shostakovich collection.


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> Have you heard the Ashkenazy, Barshai, or Haitink? These are very good recordings that you should also checkout, that is, if you're looking to expand your Shostakovich collection.


I do have Barshai and Haitink, no Ashkenazy though. Also got some Mravisnky, Svetlanov, Kondrashin, Solti, Kitajenko and a couple more. I'm now in an "interpretation finding" mode with Symphonies 4 -> 10, while getting into many other Shostakovich's works.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> I do have Barshai and Haitink, no Ashkenazy though. Also got some Mravisnky, Svetlanov, Kondrashin, Solti, Kitajenko and a couple more. I'm now in an "interpretation finding" mode with Symphonies 4 -> 10, while getting into many other Shostakovich's works.


You should hear Simon Rattle's Shostakovich 4th and 10th symphonies. Talk about burning the house down performances!


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> ...still haven't found a "definitive" one.


I think the interesting thing is there is no "definitive" version. There never will be a "definitive" version. The reason is because every conductor, if they're passionate about the music they're interpreting, will provide another view of the piece. This view may be a view you don't agree with or you may agree with, but whatever the case may be, if a conductor is good at what they do, then they'll give you a new understanding of a piece.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Songs of Farewell" right now and it's absolutely gorgeous. It's a shame not many people on this forum aren't as enthusiastic about Delius like I am.


----------



## Mirror Image

Up next:


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening Sibelius' Symphony No. 5, Osmo Vanska, Lahti Symphony Orch.


----------



## tahnak

bdelykleon said:


> Sure it is, my first Bartók CD back in 1998, and still find it nearly perfect, a great introduction to one of the best (if not the best) composers of C20th.


Yes. This is the best recording of the Wooden Prince.


----------



## tahnak

This week I heard three versions of Mahler's Magnificent Eighth.
Neeme Jarvi/Gothenburg Royal Stockholm
Leonard Bernstein/Wiener
Solti/Chicago and Wiener Choir

Jarvi is good except for the penultimate bars where he rushes a bit and loosens the grip on the soul of the gate shattering finale.
Leonard Bernstein is excellent with the Wiener. His dedication is unquestionable in the performance that he elicits.
Solti is heavenly, even his contrasted tempi but he delivers the definitive performance and I still hold this recording as the recording of the Twentieth Century.


----------



## Mirror Image

tahnak said:


> Yes. This is the best recording of the Wooden Prince.


It's "one of the best." There are no "best." Every interpretation has something different to offer. Have you heard Marin Alsop's take on "The Wooden Prince"? Ivan Fischer's interpretation is also fantastic.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Davis does a great job with Mozart's Requiem. Moveover Marriner, Solti, Karajan, Bohm, and Shaw, there's a new sheriff in town.


----------



## nickgray

Symphony No.4


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


>


My favorite Brahms box set and I own most of them. Not many can match the power of Solti. I think too often conductors don't give Brahms music enough energy and power. Solti did an outstanding job in that set.


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> My favorite Brahms box set and I own most of them. Not many can match the power of Solti. I think too often conductors don't give Brahms music enough energy and power. Solti did an outstanding job in that set.


I'm not that familiar with Brahms to judge, but this set is indeed extraordinary. I'd even go as far as saying that this is one of the finest records in classical music - the music, the interpretation, the performance, the sound quality - all up to the highest standards.


----------



## Aramis

I have just purchased this Solti set, curious if it will kick Karajan's out of my playlist. 

And currently I'm listening to piano trio by Clara Schumann.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> I have just purchased this Solti set, curious if it will kick Karajan's out of my playlist.


Yeah, the Solti is definitely better than the Karajan set. In fact, I wouldn't even compare the two.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Listen to Arnold's "Concerto for Two Violins and Chamber Orchestra." Absolutely fantastic!


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


>


How's this one? I only have Boulez's 5th, 6th, and 9th.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Clarinet Concerto No. 2" right now.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> How's this one? I only have Boulez's 5th, 6th, and 9th.


It's actually turning out to be one of the best Mahler 8ths I've yet heard. I don't know if it quite measures up to the grandeur and intensity of Ozawa's concept, as I haven't gotten to Part II yet, but the first part is utterly amazing; every part is totally audible for once--I don't know if I've ever heard it done that way yet!--and he does everything as the score says, nothing less, nothing more, with extraordinary musicality. The soloists are uniformly very good; one of the things I've already noticed of Boulez's Mahler is that he never picks bad performers, for sure, and with this symphony one has to be extremely picky in every regard, and Boulez is spectacularly so in the best way possible. And the end of the first part has to be heard to be believed! He takes it at such a slow tempo... truly epic.

Ok, so now I'm starting the second part...

Beginning of this movement is really good. Possibly the best transition from first to second part I've heard. The tremoli aren't that pronounce, but they still stand there and still audible. The woodwinds give a very memorable performance here, moulding and sculpting each phrase masterfully. When the celli and horns take over the whole recitative thing, it's more like an organic growth than an outburst like most conductors see it. Here the string tremoli are truly magnificent. This is actually turning out to be a seriously expressive Mahler performance from Pierre Boulez... who woulda known? However, there is a drawback, and that's in the overall drama and intensity that many conductors bring to this movement--that is, if you see it as a drawback. Some parts seem boring, but every measure is always the pinnacle of unforced musicality. And the choir... wow. Great.

VIOLA SOLO is AMAZING!!! Just thought I'd throw that out there.

The tenor is also very amazing (not as amazing as the violist, of course, but it'll have to do). Never before have I noticed "Hochste Herrscherin der Welt" as so much of a turning point in the symphony as it is here. And, while not intense, it is spellbinding and absolutely gorgeous, especially in the instrumental/choral part right after the tenor stops, where it gains the sort of ethereal feeling that sends chills up my spine. Especially after those four big harp chords--now that's my idea of heaven in music. The part directly after that (with the women singing one after the other) seems rather bland in comparison, but this segment sounds reminiscent of what Mahler would later achieve in Das Lied von der Erde, what with the freely moving contrapuntal lines going on. Mater Gloriosa is a wonder... "Blicket Auf" is wonderfully spacious, sublime. His last recitative is glorious; Boulez does not rush, as many conductors tend to... and when the choir bursts in afterward, it's also very moving.

There isn't anything that resembles words that could convey the last ten or so minutes. I like this recording a good bit better than Chailly's, really--Chailly tends to let the music sink into a blissful cushion of the hyper-polished Concertgebouw sound, which I agree is very beautiful, but I feel that this recording just edges it out with its sheer musicality (Boulez at his considerable best here!). The slower tempi are glorious in my opinion. It obviously isn't for everyone, but then again there is no such thing in Mahler's 8th (proven to me by the fact that everyone but me seems to value Solti's recording of it above their own lives).

I'll cut to the chase. Yes, MI, this is good.


----------



## andruini

Levine's Ring Cycle..
Been watching Das Rheingold this afternoon.. After a short break, I'm continuing with Scene 4.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> It's actually turning out to be one of the best Mahler 8ths I've yet heard. I don't know if it quite measures up to the grandeur and intensity of Ozawa's concept, as I haven't gotten to Part II yet, but the first part is utterly amazing; every part is totally audible for once--I don't know if I've ever heard it done that way yet!--and he does everything as the score says, nothing less, nothing more, with extraordinary musicality. The soloists are uniformly very good; one of the things I've already noticed of Boulez's Mahler is that he never picks bad performers, for sure, and with this symphony one has to be extremely picky in every regard, and Boulez is spectacularly so in the best way possible. And the end of the first part has to be heard to be believed! He takes it at such a slow tempo... truly epic.
> 
> Ok, so now I'm starting the second part...
> 
> Beginning of this movement is really good. Possibly the best transition from first to second part I've heard. The tremoli aren't that pronounce, but they still stand there and still audible. The woodwinds give a very memorable performance here, moulding and sculpting each phrase masterfully. When the celli and horns take over the whole recitative thing, it's more like an organic growth than an outburst like most conductors see it. Here the string tremoli are truly magnificent. This is actually turning out to be a seriously expressive Mahler performance from Pierre Boulez... who woulda known? However, there is a drawback, and that's in the overall drama and intensity that many conductors bring to this movement--that is, if you see it as a drawback. Some parts seem boring, but every measure is always the pinnacle of unforced musicality. And the choir... wow. Great.
> 
> VIOLA SOLO is AMAZING!!! Just thought I'd throw that out there.
> 
> The tenor is also very amazing (not as amazing as the violist, of course, but it'll have to do). Never before have I noticed "Hochste Herrscherin der Welt" as so much of a turning point in the symphony as it is here. And, while not intense, it is spellbinding and absolutely gorgeous, especially in the instrumental/choral part right after the tenor stops, where it gains the sort of ethereal feeling that sends chills up my spine. Especially after those four big harp chords--now that's my idea of heaven in music. The part directly after that (with the women singing one after the other) seems rather bland in comparison, but this segment sounds reminiscent of what Mahler would later achieve in Das Lied von der Erde, what with the freely moving contrapuntal lines going on. Mater Gloriosa is a wonder... "Blicket Auf" is wonderfully spacious, sublime. His last recitative is glorious; Boulez does not rush, as many conductors tend to... and when the choir bursts in afterward, it's also very moving.
> 
> There isn't anything that resembles words that could convey the last ten or so minutes. I like this recording a good bit better than Chailly's, really--Chailly tends to let the music sink into a blissful cushion of the hyper-polished Concertgebouw sound, which I agree is very beautiful, but I feel that this recording just edges it out with its sheer musicality (Boulez at his considerable best here!). The slower tempi are glorious in my opinion. It obviously isn't for everyone, but then again there is no such thing in Mahler's 8th (proven to me by the fact that everyone but me seems to value Solti's recording of it above their own lives).
> 
> I'll cut to the chase. Yes, MI, this is good.


Sounds like you're enjoy it quite a bit. 

I'm not really a fan of the 8th to be honest. My Dad is really the Mahler fan in the family. I hardly listen to his music at all and if I do it's usually to hear the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 9th symphonies.

I'm much more into Impressionism and Neo-Classicism.


----------



## haydnguy

World Violist said:


> It's actually turning out to be one of the best Mahler 8ths I've yet heard. I don't know if it quite measures up to the grandeur and intensity of Ozawa's concept, as I haven't gotten to Part II yet, but the first part is utterly amazing; every part is totally audible for once--I don't know if I've ever heard it done that way yet!--and he does everything as the score says, nothing less, nothing more, with extraordinary musicality. The soloists are uniformly very good; one of the things I've already noticed of Boulez's Mahler is that he never picks bad performers, for sure, and with this symphony one has to be extremely picky in every regard, and Boulez is spectacularly so in the best way possible. And the end of the first part has to be heard to be believed! He takes it at such a slow tempo... truly epic.
> 
> Ok, so now I'm starting the second part...
> 
> Beginning of this movement is really good. Possibly the best transition from first to second part I've heard. The tremoli aren't that pronounce, but they still stand there and still audible. The woodwinds give a very memorable performance here, moulding and sculpting each phrase masterfully. When the celli and horns take over the whole recitative thing, it's more like an organic growth than an outburst like most conductors see it. Here the string tremoli are truly magnificent. This is actually turning out to be a seriously expressive Mahler performance from Pierre Boulez... who woulda known? However, there is a drawback, and that's in the overall drama and intensity that many conductors bring to this movement--that is, if you see it as a drawback. Some parts seem boring, but every measure is always the pinnacle of unforced musicality. And the choir... wow. Great.
> 
> VIOLA SOLO is AMAZING!!! Just thought I'd throw that out there.
> 
> The tenor is also very amazing (not as amazing as the violist, of course, but it'll have to do). Never before have I noticed "Hochste Herrscherin der Welt" as so much of a turning point in the symphony as it is here. And, while not intense, it is spellbinding and absolutely gorgeous, especially in the instrumental/choral part right after the tenor stops, where it gains the sort of ethereal feeling that sends chills up my spine. Especially after those four big harp chords--now that's my idea of heaven in music. The part directly after that (with the women singing one after the other) seems rather bland in comparison, but this segment sounds reminiscent of what Mahler would later achieve in Das Lied von der Erde, what with the freely moving contrapuntal lines going on. Mater Gloriosa is a wonder... "Blicket Auf" is wonderfully spacious, sublime. His last recitative is glorious; Boulez does not rush, as many conductors tend to... and when the choir bursts in afterward, it's also very moving.
> 
> There isn't anything that resembles words that could convey the last ten or so minutes. I like this recording a good bit better than Chailly's, really--Chailly tends to let the music sink into a blissful cushion of the hyper-polished Concertgebouw sound, which I agree is very beautiful, but I feel that this recording just edges it out with its sheer musicality (Boulez at his considerable best here!). The slower tempi are glorious in my opinion. It obviously isn't for everyone, but then again there is no such thing in Mahler's 8th (proven to me by the fact that everyone but me seems to value Solti's recording of it above their own lives).
> 
> I'll cut to the chase. Yes, MI, this is good.


Thanks for that review of the Boulez Mahler 8th, World Violist. I have individual recordings of all the Mahler symphonies and have been trying to decide on getting a cycle. I had chosen Chailly as the one, but after reading your review I am also interested in Boulez. I have a couple of Chailly's individual recordings and really like them but I think that Boulez would likely bring a lot to the table too, even if different than Chailly. Bottom line is that I think both would be outstanding so I think I will get both.


----------



## haydnguy

Listening Now:

*Poulenc* - Disk 3
_Les Biches
Les Animaux modeles
Matelote provencale
Pastourelle Valse
Discours du General
La Baigneuse de Trouville
Aubade
Deux Preludes posthumes et une Gnossienne
_
Charles Dutoit


----------



## haydnguy

Listening Now:

*Schoenberg*
_String Quartet in D major
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7_
Leipziger Streichquartett


----------



## nickgray

No.4


----------



## World Violist

haydnguy said:


> Thanks for that review of the Boulez Mahler 8th, World Violist. I have individual recordings of all the Mahler symphonies and have been trying to decide on getting a cycle. I had chosen Chailly as the one, but after reading your review I am also interested in Boulez. I have a couple of Chailly's individual recordings and really like them but I think that Boulez would likely bring a lot to the table too, even if different than Chailly. Bottom line is that I think both would be outstanding so I think I will get both.


At the moment Boulez's Mahler cycle is not available in a box. However, it always offers huge insights into the music (both the 6th and the 8th do, so consistently and confidently that I can't imagine the rest of the cycle being any different).

Besides, it's one heck of an antidote to Bernstein or Tennstedt.


----------



## World Violist

It's here!

So I immediately started listening to the suite for viola and orchestra, of course. And while there are some things that could be better (Riddle's intonation, for one), I still vastly prefer this to the Schotten disaster. Riddle at least has a robust, strong tone, and he's not close-miked much if at all, which is generally the best way to record a concerto. It sounds very natural this way. And besides, the climax of the Ballad, which was to my ears the most disgusting disappointment of many in Schotten's recording, is near-miraculous here; slight ritardando, slight portamento, and a soaring downward line at an a tempo. Yes, this is infinitely better than Schotten. Besides, this is an all-British crowd, which, while I admit doesn't generally enhance performances, does give this compilation a much greater sense of idiom and naturalness.

The only slight quip anyone might have (apart from Riddle's intonation issues) is the sound: it is rather boxy while still managing to give an idea of space.

Who am I kidding? It's a darn good set.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Aramis

I finally received Solti's Brahms set. Awesome. But my favourite fraze in 3rd movement of 4th symphony is at 4:10/11 - 4:13 and I think Karajan conducted it better.

Hovewer, I will listen the whole set tomorrow and then make up my mind.


----------



## nickgray

Mahler - Symphony No.4, Ivan Fischer. For the third time... whoops, no, it's past 12, so for the first. It seems that I've developed some kind of "program" for this symphony, involving a distant future, a cold wasteland landscape and a mid-sized Dome with lots of green plants, advanced technologies and a small population of somewhat more evolved humans. Yeah, that's not what Mahler had in his mind while composing the symphony.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Mahler - Symphony No.4, Ivan Fischer. For the third time... whoops, no, it's past 12, so for the first. It seems that I've developed some kind of "program" for this symphony, involving a distant future, a cold wasteland landscape and a mid-sized Dome with lots of green plants, advanced technologies and a small population of somewhat more evolved humans. Yeah, that's not what Mahler had in his mind while composing the symphony.


I've been looking at Fischer's Mahler recordings for a while, but here in the States they are pretty high. Is he actually a good Mahler conductor? His Bartok and Kodaly recordings are great, but I was just curious about how he handled Mahler.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Sibelius: Lemminkainen Legends, Leif Segerstam, Helsinki Philharmonic Orch, Ondine


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> Sibelius: Lemminkainen Legends, Leif Segerstam, Helsinki Philharmonic Orch, Ondine


How do you like this CD? I've looked at it for a good bit of time now, especially for the Tapiola.


----------



## Conor71

Previously: Brahms - Violin Concerto










Now: Brahms - Symphony No. 1


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> How do you like this CD? I've looked at it for a good bit of time now, especially for the Tapiola.


It's excellent. Segerstam does an admirable job, especially with getting the pieces off the ground, which not many Sibelius conductors are good at doing.

Right now it's hard to beat Segerstam, Berglund, and Vanska as Sibelius conductors. They are probably the best I've heard and I've heard almost all of them.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


That's a great set. I was just listening to it several weeks ago.


----------



## andruini

Chorale Variations on a Bach Christmas Carol, Zvezdoliki (The Star-Faced One), Ave Maria, Credo, Pater Noster, Cantata, Mass and Babel.

I think both the Sacred Works discs on this set are my favorite part of the set. Stravinsky's sacred music is really special.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> I've been looking at Fischer's Mahler recordings for a while, but here in the States they are pretty high. Is he actually a good Mahler conductor? His Bartok and Kodaly recordings are great, but I was just curious about how he handled Mahler.


It's really good, my favorite 4th now along with Bernstein's, and afair both Gramophone and CToday praised this record. I still haven't heard his 2nd, though I suspect it too will be outstanding.


----------



## haydnguy

Prokofiev - Symphony No. 1


----------



## haydnguy

*Ravel*
Performed by Marcelle Meyer from Disk 3 of this 17-CD boxed set:


----------



## nickgray

Ludwig's Ninth, Rene Leibowitz


----------



## haydnguy

Just finished the *Poulenc*/Dutoit boxed set. Wow, what a great set. Finishes off with Gloria. Fantastic!  (Thanks to Mirror Image for that recommendation.)

Now in the same French mode:

*Germaine Tailleferre*
_Musique de Chambre_
Marcia Eckert, piano
Ruth Ehrich, violin


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Just finished the *Poulenc*/Dutoit boxed set. Wow, what a great set. Finishes off with Gloria. Fantastic!  (Thanks to Mirror Image for that recommendation.)


It actually finishes with "Stabat Mater."  Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the set, Dutoit is a master Poulenc conductor and pianist Pascal Roge does a fantastic job through the whole box set. I think you'll be returning to that set more and more as time goes along.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Arnold's "Guitar Concerto." What a great piece.


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> It actually finishes with "Stabat Mater."  Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the set, Dutoit is a master Poulenc conductor and pianist Pascal Roge does a fantastic job through the whole box set. I think you'll be returning to that set more and more as time goes along.


Your right, it does finish with Stabat Mater.  The name on the last track had not been entered on the Media Player listing and I was guessing by how the lyrics sounded.

Speaking of Pascal Roge, I'm getting ready to listen to a very good one played by him next of Erik Satie. 

"After the Rain... The Soft Sounds of Erik Satie"


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## nickgray

Quartet No.2


----------



## Zeniyama

Currently, I'm listening to a live version of Captain Beefheart's "Safe as Milk". Very cool song, but I think I may go back to classical music after it's over for today. I need to go listen to Charles Ives' String Quartets over and over again now.


----------



## Mirror Image

After all these years, this is still one of the best Bartok recordings available on the market period.


----------



## andruini

Comprising Canticum Sacrum Ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis, Introitus (T.S. Elliot in Memoriam), A Sermon, A Narrative and A Prayer, Anthem and Threni.

Almost at the end of this Stravinsky set.. It's probably the best set of discs I own. I shall be constantly revisiting it.


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to Act II of *Schoenberg*'s Moses und Aaron on Naxos (the orchestration is brilliant!) and some of *Penderecki'*s orchestral works (Threnody, Partita, Cello Concerto) on EMI Gemini. A great 2 cd set reissue with Penderecki himself conducting...


----------



## Aramis




----------



## nickgray

No.2. The choir's accent in the last movement absolutely kills me


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Sid James

*Dutilleux & Lutoslawski *- Cello Concertos (Rostropovich/Orch. de Paris/Baudo/Lutoslawski) EMI


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


>


I'm lukewarm about Haitink's interpretations, but I do recall him giving a very good performance of "Symphony No. 5."


----------



## haydnguy

I had read here that the Boult recording is considered better. I probably would get that one if I had it to do over again. I took this set with my wife and I on a day trip today and for some reason you could barely hear the second disk. We only played the first two. I'm going to listen on my home system and see how it sounds.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to "Songs of Farewell" right now and it's absolutely gorgeous. It's a shame not many people on this forum aren't as enthusiastic about Delius like I am.

I've added this recording to my wish list as I certainly am one who has come to love Delius.


----------



## haydnguy

*Schoenberg*
_String Quartet No. 2
String Quaratet No. 4_
Christiane Oelze, soprano
Leipziger Streichquartett


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## nickgray




----------



## nickgray

Mussorgsky - Boris Godunov, edited by Shostakovich.

damn, this stuff is epic! why I never bothered to hear it earlier...


----------



## Sid James

*Szymanowski* - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; *Stravinsky* - Concertino, 3 pieces, Double Canon (Goldner SQ) Naxos

Some great music, performed by one of the best of our very own SQ's in Australia, recorded here in Sydney! Excellent listening & I got it for $5 as well!


----------



## haydnguy

My first listen of the morning:


----------



## Aramis




----------



## World Violist

It's here!










and it's amazing!


----------



## haydnguy

Listening now:


----------



## Weston

Today at work Carl Reinecke came up more or less at random in the CD's I took with me today. The first movement of the Symphony No. 2 just slayed me! I wasn't good for getting any work done today. The melodies are so beautiful, like discovering Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture for the first time. In fact, I almost thought I had grabbed a Mendelssohn disc until I looked at the playlist readout.


----------



## haydnguy

Starting now:


----------



## Jaime77

Finally I got hold of this and I am enjoying it already....

View attachment 644


----------



## World Violist

jaibyrne said:


> Finally I got hold of this and I am enjoying it already....
> 
> View attachment 644


I've definitely been looking into that CD set for a long time... the 7th is on Youtube (from this recording) and the last five minutes are unbelievably epic. The rest of it's really great too, but that ending... wow.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

Ligeti's *Requiem* on Austrian Wergo label. Spooky, wierd & wonderful. The equal of any Requiem I have heard. Although his more experimental Adventures on the same disc is much quirkier...


----------



## PartisanRanger

Currently listening to the 4th Movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony conducted by Solti. I'm liking this symphony better with each listen...



Andre said:


> Ligeti's *Requiem* on Austrian Wergo label. Spooky, wierd & wonderful.


Yes it is. Gotta love the Kyrie.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad"


----------



## andruini




----------



## nickgray

Prokofiev - Symphony No.7, Ozawa. It's the first time I listen to Prokofiev and I quite like him already. *wonders if other symphonies are also that good*


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius (random assorted symphonies and tone poems for me...)
Berglund/HPO (Bournemouth Symphony too)

















Sibelius: Symphonies 3, 5, 6, and 7
Colin Davis/LSO (LSO Live)


----------



## haydnguy

Now:

*Ligeti*- String Quartets


----------



## World Violist

Finally settled on this:

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6
Paavo Berglund/HPO


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Absolutely gorgeous!


----------



## Mirror Image

Amazing recording. I've become enraptured with Alwyn's music. I've been listening to his music for two days straight.


----------



## Mirror Image

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I've added this recording to my wish list as I certainly am one who has come to love Delius.


I'm glad you enjoy Delius. I think once you get a grasp of his music, the more you appreciate him. Like some have said, his music repays you in many ways.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 2: Kremer/Ozawa/Boston SO


----------



## nickgray

Best 11th, hands down, and from a conductor I've never heard before. Brilliant!


----------



## tahnak

*Das Lied Von Der Erde*

I have been listening to Das Lied Von Der Erde this week. I have two recordings - Berlin/Karajan and Amsterdam/Haitink. Both are electrically charged. I am studying the first two movements currently.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Best 11th, hands down, and from a conductor I've never heard before. Brilliant!


I'm quite familiar with Petrenko. I've got a few recordings with him conducting Tchaikovsky. They're pretty darn good too.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 4, which has Symphony No. 7 on it. The third movement (Adagio) is absolutely gorgeous.


----------



## World Violist

This music is seriously amazing. I could listen to it all day and never get sick of it. (incidentally, MI, there is a good amount of development in some of these pieces that you might like)


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> This music is seriously amazing. I could listen to it all day and never get sick of it. (incidentally, MI, there is a good amount of development in some of these pieces that you might like)


Hmmm...I'll check it out. I'm not a fan of Part's idiom, but it's always worth a shot I suppose.


----------



## Mirror Image

Right now, listening to Schoenberg's "Gurrelieder." Really quite beautiful. Orchestration is top-notch.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 4 right now.


----------



## Eutow

I really like De Leeuw's interpretation of Satie's compositions.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich - Cello Concerto No. 2: Ivashkin/Polyensky/Moscow SO


----------



## Weston

Andre said:


> Ligeti's *Requiem* on Austrian Wergo label. Spooky, wierd & wonderful. The equal of any Requiem I have heard. Although his more experimental Adventures on the same disc is much quirkier...


Is this work different than the _Requiem for soprano, mezzo-soprano and blah blah_ that we all know from _2001:a space odyssey_? Or was that an excerpt from the whole?


----------



## haydnguy

Andre said:


> Ligeti's *Requiem* on Austrian Wergo label. Spooky, wierd & wonderful. The equal of any Requiem I have heard. Although his more experimental Adventures on the same disc is much quirkier...


After you posted this, Andre, I looked and somehow I don't' have that one.  How in the world did I miss it??

Now, I'm enjoying:


----------



## Sid James

Weston said:


> Is this work different than the _Requiem for soprano, mezzo-soprano and blah blah_ that we all know from _2001:a space odyssey_? Or was that an excerpt from the whole?


Excerpt(s?) from Ligeti's _Requiem_ were heard in Stanley Kubrick's _2001_. I really enjoy this work. It's quite a short _Requiem_, only 26 minutes, but he really takes you on a journey (to the land of the dead?) in that short time. Anyway, I plan to get some more Ligeti in future. He was definitely one of the most significant composers of the C20th.

By the way, I think Wergo is a German label, but whatever the case, the series of discs of Ligeti's music, of which this is one, looks really interesting (covering all of his major works). They seems to be reissues of old LP recordings from the 1960's & 70's. Unfortunately, because it's a small label, they are not cheap...


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Chopin's "Piano Concerto No. 2" played by one of the all-time greats.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* - Symphonies Nos. 99 & 101 'The Clock' (English Chamber/Tate) EMI

Haydn was the master of contrast. Just listen to how he opens _The Clock Symphony _very darkly & solemnly, then floods the movement with light, wit & grace. I especially also like the fugal finale of _No. 99_, which is very smooth & sophisticated. For some reason I have more time for Haydn than Beethoven, I don't know why, that's just how my taste has developed. This recording by Tate offers a light & jovial interpretation of these works, compared to others like Dorati. However, there is still much depth here, and the recording sound is excellent (DDD). A treat for all Haydn's lovers, I think there are 3 discs in the series...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Choral compositions by 20th century composers: Stephen Paulus, Benjamin Britten, Cecilia MaDowell, Herbert Howells, etc...


----------



## Mirror Image

Now listening to Ravel's "Piano Concerto in G Major."


----------



## Mirror Image

Got this set in the mail a few days ago and I'm really enjoying it right now. Listening to Symphony No. 1 right now. I love Ives.


----------



## Jaime77

Listening to Arrau playing Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor by Beethoven. I like Arrau. It is very commanding stuff.


----------



## Mirror Image

Absolutely fantastic version of Korngold's Violin Concerto. Probably one of the best I've heard. I heard a version a few months ago with Gil Shaham and it was okay. I prefer this one so far for the clarity of tone, emotional comittment from Quint, and execution.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Absolutely fantastic version of Korngold's Violin Concerto. Probably one of the best I've heard. I heard a version a few months ago with Gil Shaham and it was okay. I prefer this one so far for the clarity of tone, emotional comittment from Quint, and execution.


I saw him a few weeks back with that same orchestra playing Mendelssohn's VC.. He's quite the violinist.. And the orchestra is getting quite good as well.. Prieto is such a good conductor..


----------



## World Violist

Morigan said:


> Mendelssohn's String Octet, my favourite, alongside with the obvious Violin Concerto. This recording is by the Medici and Alberni Quartet, it's an old rip I got from someone... I'm looking for a better recording of the Octet. Any suggestions?


It seems to me that the Emersons made a gimmicky Emerson/Emerson multi-tracked recording of the Mendelssohn octet.

The Cleveland Quartet, I think, made an amazing recording with another one--can't remember who--on Telarc several years ago that I own and love. Coupled with (what else) the A major quartet.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 5.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2- Songs of Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky... beautiful works beautifully sung by the great voice of Russian lieder.


----------



## haydnguy

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Disc 2- Songs of Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky... beautiful works beautifully sung by the great voice of Russian lieder.


I have that StlukesguildOhio! It's absolutely gorgeous...heavenly!

Now:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An all Russian evening?


----------



## haydnguy

A little French for ME


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

OOh! I've got that one on my "wanted" list.


----------



## haydnguy

Back to Russia.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> OOh! I've got that one on my "wanted" list.


Me too! I haven't heard anything by Jolivet...


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## tahnak

I am listening to Haitink's version. It is crisp and electric. Brass is good. Karajan's brass is better with the Berliners. James King and Janet Baker are superb as are Rene Kollo and Christa Ludwig with Karajan. Surprisingly, Karajan comes out with a definitive performance of Das Lied.


----------



## Mirror Image

Excellent rendition of Bruckner's 4th. The audio quality is also superb.


----------



## bassClef

Mirror Image said:


> Excellent rendition of Bruckner's 4th. The audio quality is also superb.


Better than Wand?


----------



## bassClef

A rarity!


----------



## Mirror Image

bassClef said:


> Better than Wand?


Nobody beats Wand in my opinion. For me, the only equal to Wand is Chailly. Vonk did a great job though, but he's not Chailly or Wand.

Listening to now:










Listening to Symphony No. 4 right now. Incredible.


----------



## nickgray

No.14


----------



## Aramis




----------



## bassClef

Aramis said:


>


That's odd, I listened to this very recording earlier today too.


----------



## Aramis

bassClef said:


> That's odd, I listened to this very recording earlier today too.


It's not more odd than if we would both eat hardboiled eggs for a breakfast today.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


>


Amazing recording...'nuff said.


----------



## andruini

Langgaard: Symphonies nos. 4 "Lovfald" and 5 "Steppenatur" (Dausgaard/DNSO)


----------



## nickgray

8th. I think I'll give sixth a try next, never heard his other symphonies besides 7-8-9.


----------



## nickgray

Aw, dammit, I just realized I forgot about Dvorak  Guess he'll have to wait a bit then...


----------



## haydnguy

*Vaughan Williams*
_Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 4_
Haitink/EMI


----------



## Conor71

Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 7. Fantastic of course.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Alywn's "Pastoral Fantasia" right now. Beautiful piece of music. Anyone else here heard this composition?


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Britten's "Cantata Misericordium." Fantastic!


----------



## Conor71

Taking a break from my recent Shostakovich listening: Sibelius - Symphony No. 1:


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to Britten's "Cantata Misericordium." Fantastic!


Im interested to know what Brittens orchestral music is like - does he sound anything like Shostakovich (being they were contemporaries and such)?


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Im interested to know what Brittens orchestral music is like - does he sound anything like Shostakovich (being they were contemporaries and such)?


Yes, Britten and Shostakovich do share much in common. Britten's music, like Shostaovich's, is very dark. I sometimes refer to Britten as the English Shostakovich. If you're at all interested in his music checkout his war-themed orchestral works first like "War Requiem," "Ballad of Heroes," and "Sinfonia da Requiem." I view each of these as kind of a trilogy of sorts. I will say his music isn't quite as erratic as Shostakovich's.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> Yes, Britten and Shostakovich do share much in common. Britten's music, like Shostaovich's, is very dark. I sometimes refer to Britten as the English Shostakovich. If you're at all interested in his music checkout his war-themed orchestral works first like "War Requiem," "Ballad of Heroes," and "Sinfonia da Requiem." I view each of these as kind of a trilogy of sorts. I will say his music isn't quite as erratic as Shostakovich's.


Excellent, sounds like a Composer I might like! - Will try and check out some of his orchestral stuff, cheers for the recommendations


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Excellent, sounds like a Composer I might like! - Will try and check out some of his orchestral stuff, cheers for the recommendations


No problem, C71, my pleasure.


----------



## nickgray

Die Walkure. I think I'm gonna listen the whole thing, haven't done it in quite a while, so this is as good a time as any


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


>


How is this recording? I've heard nothing but good things about it. I can see Bernstein doing this piece. He definitely will give a harder edge that's for sure.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Simple Symphony" right now. I've heard the entire box set twice, but I haven't listened to any Britten in a while and it's still fantastic.


----------



## Gneiss

A collection of remastered recordings of Victoria De Los Angeles...


----------



## Aramis

Mirror Image said:


> How is this recording? I've heard nothing but good things about it. I can see Bernstein doing this piece. He definitely will give a harder edge that's for sure.


So far I'm though with first movement and it's fantastic.


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> So far I'm though with first movement and it's fantastic.


I'm sure it's good, because I have read nothing but good things about it and from very hard-nosed critics and even anti-Bernstein people like it.


----------



## haydnguy

nickgray said:


> Die Walkure. I think I'm gonna listen the whole thing, haven't done it in quite a while, so this is as good a time as any


I'm going to get that someday.


----------



## haydnguy

*Scarlatti*
_Seven Sonatas_
Michelangeli


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Bruckner's "Symphony No. 2." This is such a fantastic cycle.


----------



## Sid James

*Takemitsu* - Spirit Garden; Solitude Sonore; 3 Film Scores; Dreamtime; A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden (Bournemouth SO/Alsop) Naxos

This cd is an excellent introduction to Takemitsu's orchestral music. Takemitsu's music takes a while to absorb, he uses similar techniques in many of these works, like washes of colour, dissonance & flowing harmonies. I'd say that even though some of these works were composed decades apart, there is a remarkable consistency of style. Influences one can pick up are Debussy & Messiaen. I particularly like the _3 Film Scores _for string orchestra, maybe because they sound more European than the other works? Anyway, if you want to familiarise yourself with Takemitsu's music, you can't go wrong with this disc, it's not only at budget price, but the playing is of a high standard...


----------



## Mirror Image

Beautiful recording of some of Finzi's more well known orchestral works. William Boughton and the English String Orchestra are simply outstanding I think. Very underrated group that specializes in English music.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13, "Babi Yar"


----------



## bassClef

Spectacular!


----------



## haydnguy

It's the middle of the night here and ironically the first track on this CD is called, "Oh sleep, why dost thou leave me?"


----------



## Jaime77

Chabrier! So influential on composers like Debussy and Ravel and admired greatly by Faure. Quality French piano music. If you don't have any Chabrier then start here.


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


>


Jean Martinon is the master of Impressionistic music as far as I'm concerned. His Debussy and Ravel are unparalleled and I have yet to hear better interpretations than his.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

R. Strauss: Symphonic Poems, Vol. 1, Neeme Jarvi, Scottish National Orchestra. Chandos









I'm weighing this set against two serious competitors: Karajan and Kempe, so far Jarvi has me won over. He brings much more of a modern edge to these Strauss pieces. His reading of "Alpine Symphony" was out-of-this-world.


----------



## bdelykleon

Chopin piano sonata no. 2
Volodya Horowitz

This is an amazing piece of music.


----------



## Padawan

Beethoven - Coriolan Overture, Op.62 - Carlos Kleiber (conductor)
Carlos is interesting to watch. I've played this piece many times and I like it even I didn't what it was about until yesterday.

Lalo - Symphonie Espagnole (1st Mvt) - Leonid Kogan 
I wish I knew more about music so I could describe this accurately, "interesting tempo" seems inadequate.

Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" (1st Mvt) - Dublin Philharmonic 
I love how this piece is haunting and dramatic at the same time. This version by The Dublin Philarmonic sounds so much better than the one I own.

F.J. Haydn - Symphony No.39 in G minor (1st Mvt)
After listening to this piece, I read somewhere that Haydn was Beethoven's teacher although it reminded me more of Mozart. I'll be researching his (Haydn's) work.


----------



## Sid James

Hi Padawan,

If you enjoy Dvorak's _Symphony No. 9_, then you'll probably like his _8th_. It's his 'nature symphony,' it has a lightness of tone, and I think it's more cohesive & better thought out than the _9th_. But that's just my opinion...


----------



## Eutow




----------



## Padawan

Hi Andre,

I took your advice and listened to Symphony no. 8 and I liked it, not as much as the 9th though. I like the bombast nature of the 9th and that's probably why it doesn't transition as smoothly the other one. I do occasionally listen to pieces that are mellower sometimes. I enjoy Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor op. 72 because of the yearning I sense when I listen to it. I need to find time to listen to the other 15 pieces in that series.


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Jean Martinon is the master of Impressionistic music as far as I'm concerned. His Debussy and Ravel are unparalleled and I have yet to hear better interpretations than his.


I think it's an excellent set and excellent value at that price. Thanks for confirming that.


----------



## Conor71

Earlier: Beethoven & Mendelssohn - Violin Concertos: Heifetz/Munch/BSO
Amazing! 










Now: Bach - Violin Concerto In E Major: Marriner/ASMF
Havent listened to any Bach in ages! - Quite nice listening to this one: very catchy & lovely slow movement.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I think it's an excellent set and excellent value at that price. Thanks for confirming that.


Well I own this set with Martinon, it's 8-discs. The complete Debussy/Ravel orchestral works:










This was actually my first major exposure to Debussy or Ravel. Since this set, I have heard almost everything there is to hear on CD and while I love Tortelier, Boulez, and Dutoit, they all seem to fall by the wayside in comparison to Martinon and his French forces.


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Well I own this set with Martinon, it's 8-discs. The complete Debussy/Ravel orchestral works:
> 
> This was actually my first major exposure to Debussy or Ravel. Since this set, I have heard almost everything there is to hear on CD and while I love Tortelier, Boulez, and Dutoit, they all seem to fall by the wayside in comparison to Martinon and his French forces.


You know what? I've discovered a gap in my collection. No Debussy orchestral works. In addition to the previous set, I have this only:


----------



## haydnguy

Eutow said:


>


Eutow, I don't have it but I've heard that it is an excellent set you have there.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> You know what? I've discovered a gap in my collection.


I'd say it's high time you get some Debussy's orchestral music.  Try these out:


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1


My favorite Beethoven piano concerto is the 5th "The Emperor." One of the best pieces of music Beethoven wrote I think next to his symphonies of course.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Macbeth" right now.

Later:


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> My favorite Beethoven piano concerto is the 5th "The Emperor." One of the best pieces of music Beethoven wrote I think next to his symphonies of course.


Yes Its a lovely piece of music . My favourites are the 4th & 5th Concertos - I have a hard time chosing between these two and have a few different versions of them!.


----------



## Padawan

I just bought this CD called Classical Blast. I'm listening to track #5 which is fantastic.










On this CD: 
1.	Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zoroaster), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 30 (TrV 176) Sehr Breit 
Composed by Richard Strauss 
2.	Symphony No. 3 in C minor ("Organ"), Op. 78 Finale 
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens 
3.	Symphony No. 9 in E minor ("From the New World"), B. 178 (Op. 95) (first published as No. 5) Finale 
Composed by Antonin Dvorak 
4.	Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ("Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties"), H.48 (Op. 14) 4. March to the Scaffold 
Composed by Hector Berlioz 
*5.	Scheherazade, symphonic suite for orchestra, Op. 35 Festival in Baghdad / The Sea / The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock / Surmounted by a Bronze Warrior (Shipwreck) 
Composed by Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov *
6.	Night on Bald Mountain (Noch' na Lïsoy gore), symphonic poem, edited by Stokowski 
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky 
7.	Symphony No. 9 in D minor ("Choral"), Op. 125 4. Ode to Joy 
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven 
8.	Carmen Suite for orchestra No. 1 (assembled by Ernest Guirard) Toreador March 
Composed by Georges Bizet 
9.	Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Finale 
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky 
10.	Music for the Royal Fireworks, for orchestra, HWV 351 Prelude 
Composed by George Frideric Handel 
11.	The Planets, suite for orchestra & female chorus, Op. 32, H. 125 Mars, Bringer of War 
Composed by Gustav Holst 
12.	Mass (Msa glagolskaja) for soloists, double chorus, orchestra & organ ("Glagolitic Mass"), JW 3/9 Intrada 
Composed by Leos Janacek 
13.	Pacific 231, symphonic movement for orchestra (Mouvement symphonique No. 1), H53 
Composed by Arthur Honegger 
14.	Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2 for orchestra, Op. 64 ter Montagues and Capulets 
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev 
15.	Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 Finale 
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich 
16.	Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor Finale 
Composed by Gustav Mahler 
17.	Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel Great Gates of Kiev 
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky


----------



## World Violist

Berg: Violin Concerto
Pinchas Zukerman, violin; Pierre Boulez/London Symphony Orchestra

Very good, insofar as I can tell from my near-total inexpertise of twelve-tone music...


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Disc 2 "Don Quixote." Very good indeed.

Later:










Much later:


----------



## haydnguy

To start my evening listening:


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> I'd say it's high time you get some Debussy's orchestral music.  Try these out:


This one looks really interesting and I'm always interested in Boulez. Now that I see those, I do have La Mer on something and maybe the Nocturnes. Sometimes I don't remember what I have.  But that Decca sure looks interesting. I'll check it out.


----------



## haydnguy

Just starting:










I should say that this is a solid CD but is a bit more on the dissonant side than the Berg/Webern disk I posted earlier.


----------



## andruini

Just incredible!! One of my absolute favorite compositions by a living composer.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Right this very moment??

*Gershwin*: Jazzbo Brown from _Porgy & Bess_.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra- _James Levine_.


----------



## Enkhbat

Oscar Nedbal - Forest Bell Waltz
Addicted


----------



## World Violist

Erkki-Sven Tüür: Symphony No. 4, "Magma" for percussion and orchestra
Evelyn Glennie (percussion); Paavo Järvi/Estonian National Symphony Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I love the Golijov disc as well.


----------



## nickgray




----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Delius' "Cello Concerto." One of the best versions I've ever heard.


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Mirror Image

Great recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## haydnguy

It's been too long since I've listened to Mahler! 
Rafael Kubelik
View attachment 658


----------



## haydnguy

Alfred Brendel


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm reconsidering Haitink's readings of Vaughan Williams. Listening to "The Lark Ascending," with Sarah Chang and it sent shivers down my spine, which has never never happened before with this piece.  Perhaps I'm starting to come around to Haitink after all.


----------



## andruini

Absolute perfection.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

French orchestral songs: Chausson's _Poème de l'amour et de la mer_, Ravel's cycle, _Shéhérazade_, and John Adam's orchestration of Debussy's _Poèmes de Baudelaire_ done to absolute perfection. Dripping with sensuality to the point or being "erotic". An exquisite disc!


----------



## Mirror Image

Finished listening to "A Pastoral Symphony," which was incredible. Now listening to "Symphony No. 4," which is so great and terrifying! Haitink has really impressed me with these readings.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 5 right now. These are very good readings indeed. I'm starting to reconsider Previn's RVW cycle as well. It has a lot of merit, but I'm not crazy about the audio quality. It's adequate at best and doesn't really compare to Boult's EMI cycle, which is still the best cycle I've heard and I own them all.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Symhony No. 1" with Abbado. Such a fantastic reading.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Mahler "Symphony No. 5." Tennstedt takes the tempi a little slower than most conductors I've heard, but this doesn't distract from the music. It's still a very good set.


----------



## bassClef

Recommended!


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Chamber Symphony right now.


----------



## Mirror Image

Outstanding recordings. Anyone who * hasn't* heard Roussel's symphonies are truly missing out on some of the most beautiful French symphonies ever composed.


----------



## Padawan

Brahms - Symphony No.3


----------



## Sid James

*Ligeti* - Chamber Concerto; Ramifications; Lux Aeterna; Atmospheres (Ensemble Die Reihe Wien/Stuttgart Schola Cantorum/others) Wergo

This is a great disc, even though the playing time is just under an hour. I especially like _Atmospheres_, on the surface there is nothing much going on in this music, but beneath the stillness there is much tension & darkness. _Lux Aeterna _ has some very dense choral writing, similar to Ligeti's _Requiem_. _Ramifications_ is offered in both the chamber & full sting orchestra versions. But the standout work is the_ Chamber Concerto_, in which Ligeti seems to reach back to music of the past (a harpsichord is featured prominently, as well as an organ). It's got a slow-slow-fast-fast structure which is also very accessible, but I especially like the mechanical third movement, which can be funny as everything goes haywire at one stage. These are classic analogue recordings which have been digitally remastered. Not cheap, but worth every cent...


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Thanks to Mirror Image's suggestion to me I am thoroghly enjoying the Rued Langgaard complete symphonies! Absolutely beautiful and dramatic and of the highest calibre.










Kevin


----------



## Mirror Image

Kevin Pearson said:


> Thanks to Mirror Image's suggestion to me I am thoroghly enjoying the Rued Langgaard complete symphonies! Absolutely beautiful and dramatic and of the highest calibre.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Ah, that's a beautiful set and I'm glad to see you're enjoying it, Kevin! Langgaard has been a very happy discovery for me in recent months and I've been sharing his music with everybody I can.


----------



## andruini

Rachmaninoff's Vespers for like the 5th time since yesterday.. <3


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Mirror Image said:


> Ah, that's a beautiful set and I'm glad to see you're enjoying it, Kevin! Langgaard has been a very happy discovery for me in recent months and I've been sharing his music with everybody I can.


Since I have your attention and also because I respect your opinion and tastes (only because mine are so similiar), I was wondering if you have heard and comment about Einojuhani Rautavaara? I saw an advertisement in the one of the recent issues of Listen Magazine and it piqued my curiousity. Is he someone worth exploring or do you think his music is not up my alley? Here is a review of his music that also made me think he might be worth my time.

_Good heavens, this is gorgeous music! Anyone who can listen to this disc and still say that either (a) tonality is dead, or (b) there's no great classical music being written any more, needs a major course of shock therapy. In just a few years, Rautavaara has come to be known not just as Finland's greatest composer, but probably the world's. It's a reputation effortlessly sustained by this release. I can't think of another composer presently active whose music is at once so deeply felt, so personal in style, so approachable, so intensely beautiful, but at the same time so free of anything that smacks of kitsch, sensationalism, or pandering to special interests whether conservative, progressive, or anything in between.

I believe that in Rautavaara's current work we are witness to the artistic phenomenon of a truly great musical voice writing at full maturity. This is a rare enough occurrence in itself. How much more wonderful is it, then, when we have the privilege of hearing each new work in a first rate recording, practically as it's created? For that we have Ondine to thank. This label's far-sighted artistic partnership with Rautavaara represents one of the most enlightened policies in the classical record industry today, and offers genuine evidence of the logic and practical utility of placing commercial interests in the service of great new art.

Rautavaara composed his Third Piano Concerto (subtitled "Gift of Dreams") expressly for Vladimir Ashkenazy, and designed it to be conducted from the keyboard. The opening movement grows organically from a series of soft chords played first by the strings, and next by the solo piano. Then the music takes wing in a series of aspiring episodes capped by the return of the movement's opening, vigorously played by the piano and backed by single notes on the chimes. The whole work proceeds with similar inevitability, and there is no greater testimony to the composer's mastery than the fact that the spirited finale actually ends quietly with no sense at all of anti-climax, but rather with a calm smile, in a mood of contentment. "Autumn Gardens" is a very substantial orchestral meditation on the beauty of nature and the transience of life. With three movements in all, and totaling more than 26 minutes, the composer could very well have called it a symphony. It shares something of the concerto's lyrical warmth, but its overall mood is less dynamic, more relaxed, though with plenty of variety to sustain its length.

Both works are played very well indeed by Ashkenazy and the Helsinki Philharmonic, and splendidly recorded by Ondine. This disc inaugurates a new partnership between conductor and orchestra that will eventually take in a new Sibelius symphony cycle. In the meantime, we have the premiere of Rautavaara's Eighth Symphony (commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra) to look forward to in spring, 2000. Buy this disc, and join in the thrilling discovery of some new "classics"._

What's your opinion? If you have one.

Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I must get that Langaard set... its been in my sites for some time... but then I'm also looking at a couple 20th century operas: the new recording of Shostakovitch's _The Nose_, Daniel Catan's _Florencia_, Thomas Ades' _The Tempest_ among them.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just completed this:










Quite marvelous.

Now I'm on this:


----------



## Mirror Image

Kevin Pearson said:


> Since I have your attention and also because I respect your opinion and tastes (only because mine are so similiar), I was wondering if you have heard and comment about Einojuhani Rautavaara? I saw an advertisement in the one of the recent issues of Listen Magazine and it piqued my curiousity. Is he someone worth exploring or do you think his music is not up my alley? Here is a review of his music that also made me think he might be worth my time.
> 
> What's your opinion? If you have one.
> 
> Kevin


My opinion of Rautavaara is quite mixed. He's fully capable of composing beautiful music as in his "Symphony No. 7 - Angel of Light" and "Symphony No. 8 - The Journey." I have a box set of his symphonies on the Ondine label, but I hardly ever listen to it. Much of the music doesn't grab me or stick out to me. He's a decent composer, but not somebody I'm crazy about or return to that often.

He certainly isn't up to par with Sibelius, Nielsen, Langgaard, Alfven, Stenhammar, Berwald, but then again these Nordic composers were all apart of the Romantic tradition.


----------



## Mirror Image

I'm giving another listen to Karajan's later take on Ravel. He's quite good, but the jury is still out on this one. I'm highly critical of Ravel's music, after all, he is my favorite composer.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Thanks for the reply Mirror Image. I saw where Ondine is releasing a set of his complete concertos too this month. I was thinking of purchasing both but I guess I need to investigate further. 

Kevin


----------



## Mirror Image

Kevin Pearson said:


> Thanks for the reply Mirror Image. I saw where Ondine is releasing a set of his complete concertos too this month. I was thinking of purchasing both but I guess I need to investigate further.
> 
> Kevin


No problem, but I think this is more of a question of personal taste/subjectivity more than anything. I knew you would like Langgaard, because a: you like Mahler and b: you enjoy Nielsen. Did you know that Nielsen was one of Langgaard's music teachers in school? Langgaard was not a big fan of Nielsen, because he felt that Nielsen's music stole much of his thunder. Langgaard was labeled by the Danish music establishment as an "outsider" or "oddball," so he died in obscurity. It has been in only recent years that a Langgaard revival of sorts has been happening thanks to conductors like Dausgaard, Jarvi, and Segerstam.


----------



## andruini

Disc 6 - Music for a Reformed Church.
Still one of the best sets I own.


----------



## Eutow

I'm liking it so far, but I don't have much experience with classical music in general. So maybe I'll like just about anything for a while until I develop a more sophisticated taste.


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 - Mehta/LAPO etc.


----------



## haydnguy

*Brahms* 
_Piano Quartets_
Domus


----------



## haydnguy

Eutow said:


> I'm liking it so far, but I don't have much experience with classical music in general. So maybe I'll like just about anything for a while until I develop a more sophisticated taste.


The more you listen the more you'll start liking some things more than others.


----------



## greatest unknown music

*Something AMAZING*

great idea!!! you should check out this amazing violinist I found on youtube. I think she rivals with the greatest of 20th century.


----------



## jhar26

Entertaining and funny opera from Prokofiev. His Il Barbiere di Seviglia, sorta.


----------



## nickgray

Bruckner - 3rd Symphony, Asahina. The 3rd is the only one I'm familiar with and I do like it very much. Any recommendations as to what Bruckner symphony I should listen to next?


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Bruckner - 3rd Symphony, Asahina. The 3rd is the only one I'm familiar with and I do like it very much. Any recommendations as to what Bruckner symphony I should listen to next?


Yes, listen to "Symphony No. 5" next. One of the best symphonies I've ever heard.


----------



## andruini

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Chailly/RCO)
I'm actually really enjoying this one!


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


>


One of the best, most intense readings of Bruckner's 9th I've ever heard. Giulini employs a very brisk tempo in the "Scherzo" movement, which I haven't heard anywhere else but that recording. Great stuff.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Chailly/RCO)
> I'm actually really enjoying this one!


Chailly is one of my favorite Mahler conductors for the very reason he keeps his eye on the ball and doesn't let up until it's finished.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Myaskovsky's "Symphony No. 24." Such a beautiful symphony. Full of beautiful melodies and harmonies. Anyone who doesn't have this Svetlanov set needs it right now!


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to Myaskovsky's "Symphony No. 24." Such a beautiful symphony. Full of beautiful melodies and harmonies. Anyone who doesn't have this Svetlanov set needs it right now!


Listening to it now. Never heard Myaskovsky before, but I think I'm his fan now


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just unwrapped this recent lovely purchase and downloaded it to the computer only to discover, sadly, that the conductor, Erich Kunzel, died today.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Listening to it now. Never heard Myaskovsky before, but I think I'm his fan now


You own the Evgeny Svetlanov set too?


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> You own the Evgeny Svetlanov set too?


Yeah, digitally though.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Yeah, digitally though.


Oh, you don't collect CDs?


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> Oh, you don't collect CDs?


Nah. You don't remember arguing with me some time ago about that?


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Nah. You don't remember arguing with me some time ago about that?


I do now.  It's cool. To each their own.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Myaskovsky's music?


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> Anyway, what are your thoughts on Myaskovsky's music?


Well, I've only listened to 24th, just now, and it's incredibly good. I'll certainly explore his music further, it's really strange that he's not very popular, especially considering his vast musical output - 13 quartets, 27 symphonies and many others.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Well, I've only listened to 24th, just now, and it's incredibly good. I'll certainly explore his music further, it's really strange that he's not very popular, especially considering his vast musical output - 13 quartets, 27 symphonies and many others.


I'm not sure why he isn't more popular, but this could be said for many composers. There's a lot of composers who should be more well-known but aren't.


----------



## World Violist

It's arrived:










So I plan to listen to it tonight. I'm excited.


----------



## Enkhbat

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I just unwrapped this recent lovely purchase and downloaded it to the computer only to discover, sadly, that the conductor, Erich Kunzel, died today.


Sad news! Rest in peace Erich Kunzel!~
Bowed down!

Where did you find the downloading URL ?


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> It's arrived:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So I plan to listen to it tonight. I'm excited.


I bought a bunch of Paavo Jarvi Hybrid SACD recordings for dirt cheap: $5 and less. I'm looking forward to them. I like Jarvi pretty good. His father is a killer conductor.


----------



## Enkhbat

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to Myaskovsky's "Symphony No. 24." Such a beautiful symphony. Full of beautiful melodies and harmonies. Anyone who doesn't have this Svetlanov set needs it right now!


I need, i need


----------



## Mirror Image

Enkhbat said:


> I need, i need


Why don't you go buy you a copy? It's a 16 CD set and you can probably get around $60. It's an expensive set, but it's worth every penny as most of these symphonies have never even been played before or heard.


----------



## Enkhbat

Mirror Image said:


> Why don't you go buy you a copy? It's a 16 CD set and you can probably get around $60. It's an expensive set, but it's worth every penny as most of these symphonies have never even been played before or heard.


Because, In Mongolia, Classical sets are very rare. I think, I can't find it in Mongolia


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Ravel's "Piano Concerto in G Major" played by Pascal Roge. An outstanding performance.


----------



## Mirror Image

First time listening to recording with Mata and the Dallas Symphony Orch. Very good...so far.


----------



## nickgray

Myaskovsky - Symphony No.27, Polyansky


----------



## World Violist

I dunno, I think I'll listen to one of Paavo Jarvi's CD's tonight... I've got his recordings of Beethoven 3&8, Bruckner 7, Sibelius' Kullervo, and Shostakovich 10 (with Tormis' 2nd overture). I just really like all of them immensely.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Mirror Image said:


> First time listening to recording with Mata and the Dallas Symphony Orch. Very good...so far.


Mata was a fine conductor for the Dallas Symphony but I think Andrew Litton was far far better and brought the DSO to the level of the big boys! I have not yet heard their new conductor Jaap van Zweden, but I understand he is quite a powerhouse. Am hoping to get to a concert with him very soon!

Kevin


----------



## Mirror Image

Kevin Pearson said:


> Mata was a fine conductor for the Dallas Symphony but I think Andrew Litton was far far better and brought the DSO to the level of the big boys! I have not yet heard their new conductor Jaap van Zweden, but I understand he is quite a powerhouse. Am hoping to get to a concert with him very soon!
> 
> Kevin


Well, Mata did good with this Ravel recording. It certainly doesn't rank with Boulez, Martinon, Tortelier, or Dutoit, but it's quite good.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> I dunno, I think I'll listen to one of Paavo Jarvi's CD's tonight... I've got his recordings of Beethoven 3&8, Bruckner 7, Sibelius' Kullervo, and Shostakovich 10 (with Tormis' 2nd overture). I just really like all of them immensely.


You understanding Bruckner a bit better now? What's your favorite Bruckner symphony that you've heard thus far? I've heard them all and I'm torn between the 3rd, 4th, 8th, and 9th.


----------



## Rondo

Bach: _St. Matthew Passion_ (Matthäuspassion)
Karl Richter, Munchener Bach-Orchester


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 7. This is so fantastic. These are passionate, committed performances.


----------



## haydnguy

*Bax*
_Volume 2 of this series on Chandos_
Bryden Thomson/Vernon Handley
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## haydnguy

The Hyperion Schubert series Disk #4
Philip Langridge
Graham Johnson
View attachment 667


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> *Bax*
> _Volume 2 of this series on Chandos_
> Bryden Thomson/Vernon Handley
> London Philharmonic Orchestra
> Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


Great series. Own them all. Volume 2, in particular, is really good. I just love "Spring Fire." That's such a great piece of music.


----------



## nickgray

Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin Suite


----------



## Mirror Image

Absolutely amazing. Pletnev does a fantastic job. I'm listening to "Romeo and Julet Overture" right now.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some marvelous contemporary choral work.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Where did you find the downloading URL ?

Oops. I should clarify. I bought the disc a few weeks back and had just copied it to my computer... where I listen to most of my music.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to one of my favorite Tchaikovsky symphonic poems "The Voyewoda." My goodness this is such a great piece. Aggressive, dark, demonic this was Tchaikovsky's last symphonic poem I believe.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I must admit that it was the cover that caught my eye but I'm, glad it did. Some damn sensual and gorgeous music.


----------



## Mirror Image

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I mus admit that it was the cover that caught my eye but I'm, glad it did. Some damn sensual and gorgeous music.


I own the whole Bantock box set on Hyperion with Vernon Handley conducting and it is some damn fine music indeed.


----------



## Mirror Image

Took a break from the 3-CD set of Tchaikovsky symphonic poems and now listening to this:










Gorgeous music indeed!


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Took a break from the 3-CD set of Tchaikovsky symphonic poems and now listening to this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gorgeous music indeed!


My favorite Nielsen disc!!! Isn't Hymnus Amoris just perfect??


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> My favorite Nielsen disc!!! Isn't Hymnus Amoris just perfect??


Yes, it's a good piece of music no question about it. Why "Hymnus Amoris" isn't performed more often is beyond me, then again that could be said with much of Nielsen's work. Even his symphonies aren't played much, which is surprising because I think he was one of the greatest symphonists of his time. I definitely perfer his symphonies to those of his contemporary Sibelius.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Festival Overture" right now and it's just too damn good.  Pletnev turned in some remarkable performances here. Some of the best performances I've heard of Tchaikovsky's symphonic poems.


----------



## andruini

I can't get enough of this set!


----------



## Efraim

Aramis said:


> Van Beethoven string quartets by Alban Berg Quartet.


Would you be willing to join our String Quartet Performances thread? I have all of the Late Quartets by Alban Berg Q., so do some other people too, I suppose.


----------



## Jaime77

Bavouzet playing Ravel - love it. 

Guys how do you put a large image of the cover into your posts? I thought I had it figured but not workin.


----------



## Conor71

jaibyrne said:


> Bavouzet playing Ravel - love it.
> 
> Guys how do you put a large image of the cover into your posts? I thought I had it figured but not workin.


First up find yourself a picture of the cover online and then copy the URL, then when you write your post click on the insert image icon and paste the URL of the picture in and it should work


----------



## Conor71

Just finished listening to Symphony No. 2 and now going to listen to Symphony No. 9 - I really like this set! .


----------



## haydnguy

I'd like to ask. Do we have a "What are you considering buying?" thread so that we can ask others opinions on CD's? Thanks.

Really enjoying these two works by Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov:


----------



## haydnguy

More Stravinsky. My first spin on this one:


----------



## Jaime77

C71 said:


> First up find yourself a picture of the cover online and then copy the URL, then when you write your post click on the insert image icon and paste the URL of the picture in and it should work


Thanks will give it a go


----------



## haydnguy

I need more Stravinsky, I need more Stravinsky, I need more Stra....

Now:


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I need more Stravinsky, I need more Stravinsky, I need more Stra....


How much Stravinsky do you own? You should checkout out this 22-CD box set:










This is an essential set for all fans of Stravinsky's music. You should be able to get it for around $30-$40 on Amazon. I wouldn't pay over that for it though, because I got mine for $35.


----------



## haydnguy

Thanks, M.I. I'll check that out!! 

EDIT: By the way, M.I., how is the sound on that boxed set??


----------



## World Violist

I have a couple of student composition discs from University of Louisville's composition class so... yeah. I'll be listening to that.

In other news, I'll be gone for the weekend. Be back on Monday!


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Thanks, M.I. I'll check that out!!
> 
> EDIT: By the way, M.I., how is the sound on that boxed set??


You're welcome. Anytime I can help people with music, I feel good and I think that's the great thing about this forum is we're all looking what other people are listening to and hopefully in most cases others will make a recommendation.

The audio in this set is yery good to great. These recordings were done in the '60s. They're all in stereo. They're also Stravinsky conducting, so that alone, is worth the price of admission. I made the mistake early on and bought three releases from this box set that had been issued previously before I knew about this box set, so now I own doubles of three of these discs in this set, but 3 out of 22 isn't bad at all.


----------



## haydnguy

The lowest in the U.S. is $41. For some reason, the used sets are twice that!


----------



## haydnguy

World Violist said:


> I have a couple of student composition discs from University of Louisville's composition class so... yeah. I'll be listening to that.
> 
> In other news, I'll be gone for the weekend. Be back on Monday!


Happy listening! (You do know that this is a 3 day weekend!?)


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> The lowest in the U.S. is $41. For some reason, the used sets are twice that!


It's out-of-print over here, so I'm not sure if it's out-of-print overseas, but you should get while you still can. The original release of this box set is going for around $200. This set is definitely a collector's item and contains some of the best Stravinsky recordings put to record.


----------



## haydnguy

Now:

Disk 1:
*Schumann*
_March No. 2 in G minor (from Four Marches, Op. 76)
Waldsceenen, Op. 82
Six numbers from Fantasiestüke, Op. 12_


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm currently listening to another recent purchase... another collection of works by the British composer Granville Bantock... who I am only beginning to explore. The performance by Vernon Handley is unquestionably top notch... but I will need to listen to the work a few times to truly digest it. It has not struck me as immediately as the marvelous song cycle, _Sappho_ (which I listened to last night)... but then admittedly I lean toward vocal works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

andruini said:


> I can't get enough of this set!


As an avowed lover of early music I must check this recording out as I find it just keeps popping up.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique, Gustavo Dudamel - LA Philharmonic


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

French chanson of melodies performed by a marvelous countertenor. The title is perfectly suggestive of the result: the somewhat unearthly voice of the countertenor lends these _fin de siecle_ gems a true decadent and magnificently artificial air.


----------



## Mirror Image

I can't get enough of this set. Listening to Poulenc's "Piano Concerto" right now.


----------



## andruini

StlukesguildOhio said:


> As an avowed lover of early music I must check this recording out as I find it just keeps popping up.


Simply put, you owe it to yourself. It's amazing.

Right now listening to:


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Simply put, you owe it to yourself. It's amazing.
> 
> Right now listening to:


Been there, done that! 

Now listening:










Listening to "Symphony No. 5" right now by Solti/CSO and it's very good indeed. Again, not one of my favorite performances, but it's good.


----------



## andruini

Listening to some Mahler too:









Symphony No. 7


----------



## nickgray

No.7


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Listening to some Mahler too:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Symphony No. 7


Listening to Symphony No. 7. It's a pretty strange symphony for Mahler. My favorites will always be 2, 5, and 6.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> No.7


That's my favorite Mahler box set. I like all the ones I own, which is all of them except for Gielens and Neumann, but I really like Bertini's consistency.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This one... which I saw posted here over on the discussion of CD covers... is one of those rare incidents in which the packaging alone virtually seduced me. Of course Richard Bonynge conducting was the clincher... especially considering I have nothing by Massenet. After a single listening I'm wondering what I was waiting for. Exquisitely lovely... very sensuous... very French operas.


----------



## nickgray

Mozart - Symphony No.38, Mackerras


----------



## andruini

Listening to another one of my favorite sets:


----------



## andruini




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A first listen through. Hmmm...


----------



## Padawan

Right now on YouTube:

Edvard Grieg
Sonata no. 3 Opus 45 in C minor

Fritz Kreisler, violin
Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano
Recorded in 1928 (lots of static)

Wow! I suppose I need to start collecting Grieg's stuff now.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Quite rousing.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Pastoral Fantasia" right now. A gorgeous piece of music. This piece and "Lyra Angelica" from this recording with Hickox (apart of his survey on Chandos), I return to quite often.

Any Alwyn fans here?


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## nickgray

Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

haydnguy said:


> I'd like to ask. Do we have a "What are you considering buying?" thread so that we can ask others opinions on CD's? Thanks.


Sorry I ddin't get back to you on this question earlier, *hg*!

Here on TalkClassical, we use the 'Latest Purchases' thread for that. In the original post of _that_ thread, the thread-starter said:


DanielFullard said:


> Simply post what you have been buying OR ARE CONSIDERING BUYING! (emphasis mine)


When you think about it, it really was the best way. In another place, there's a thread something like "Purchases you're considering," then another thread to the effect of "Purchases you've made," and of course the "maiden-voyage" of the acquisition is often mentioned in a "What have you been listening to lately-"type thread. Makes for a few redundant posts.

Thanks for bringing this up.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Ballad of Heroes" right now. A great piece of music by any standards.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of my favorite Bach CDs... the magnificent alto cantatas magnificently performed. Some of the most marvelous and sensuously orchestrated works Bach ever wrote.


----------



## Mirror Image

I've been listening to this set off and on all week. I can't get enough of it.


----------



## haydnguy

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Sorry I ddin't get back to you on this question earlier, *hg*!
> 
> Here on TalkClassical, we use the 'Latest Purchases' thread for that. In the original post of _that_ thread, the thread-starter said:When you think about it, it really was the best way. In another place, there's a thread something like "Purchases you're considering," then another thread to the effect of "Purchases you've made," and of course the "maiden-voyage" of the acquisition is often mentioned in a "What have you been listening to lately-"type thread. Makes for a few redundant posts.
> 
> Thanks for bringing this up.


Great idea! Thanks for responding.


----------



## haydnguy

I've had this CD for about 7 months and this is my first listen.


----------



## haydnguy

First spin on this double CD set.

View attachment 669


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I've had this CD for about 7 months and this is my first listen.


Hands down, the best version of "Daphnis et Chloe" I've heard. I enjoy Boulez, Martinon, and Tortelier, but there's something magical about that performance. It's a "Decca Legends" and it's aptly titled.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Aramis

No. 24


----------



## Padawan

Was that an expensive purchase? Because I just heard "El Amor Brujo - Ritual Fire Dance" on youtube and I really like it.



Mirror Image said:


>


----------



## Mirror Image

Padawan said:


> Was that an expensive purchase? Because I just heard "El Amor Brujo - Ritual Fire Dance" on youtube and I really like it.


Expensive? Absolutely not. De Falla is one of my favorite composers. Spanish impressionism at it's finest.


----------



## nickgray

Mussorgsky - Boris Godunov, Shostakovich ed.


----------



## Padawan

From YouTube:

*Rachmaninov Prelude in G Minor - Op. 23 No. 5* - Gilels (pianist). His style is very animated.



> Expensive? Absolutely not. De Falla is one of my favorite composers. Spanish impressionism at it's finest.


What other Spanish impressionist composers do you listen to?


----------



## Mirror Image

Padawan said:


> What other Spanish impressionist composers do you listen to?


Spain hasn't really produced too many Impressionist composers. The only Spanish Impressionist I know of is Falla. Although there are several composers like Enrique Granados and Albeniz who had semi-Impressionist styles, but both composers didn't really composer in this style per se. These are really the only significant Spanish composers of Romantic and early C20th that I can think of right now. Rodrigo is definitely not an Impressionist, but he was of some of significance in Spain and a very popular composer there.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to this one again after about a month or so. It's regarded as one of Ozawa's top recordings and I can certainly see why.


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## haydnguy

This is my first spin on this 2-CD set that I've really been looking forward to listening to.


----------



## Mirror Image

Now:










Next:










Later:


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Next:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Later:


Nice! I've got the middle one and the one with the Cello concerto on it. Great series!


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Nice! I've got the middle one and the one with the Cello concerto on it. Great series!


Yeah, I've got the whole series. I think this is some of the finest Barber I've heard from any conductor and orchestra. Alsop does a fantastic job.


----------



## Conor71

Brahms: Symphony No. 1: Karajan/BPO


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An exquisite singer and a marvelous collection of rather less-well-known songs from Dvorak, Janacek, Martinu, Novak, and others in Czech.


----------



## Mirror Image

StlukesguildOhio said:


> An exquisite singer and a marvelous collection of rather less-well-known songs from Dvorak, Janacek, Martinu, Novak, and others in Czech.


Do you ever listen to anything without the vocals?


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Brahms: Symphony No. 1: Karajan/BPO


Karajan does a decent job with Brahms, though he's not my favorite conductor of Brahms that honor goes to Solti and Harnoncourt.


----------



## greatest unknown music

*Great Unknown Violinist*

After discovering this amazing violinist (Anahit Tsitsikian), I ordered the CD on CDbaby.com and am happy to inform all of you that it was worth the money. It came in double disc pack. one disc is all classical music .The other disc is very unique, since I think she plays Armenian traditional/classical music. You can find her on youtube (as I discovered her)


----------



## Mirror Image

I really love what Vernon Handley did with Vaughan Williams' "Symphony No. 5." I never heard a more gorgeous third movement "Romanza."


----------



## andruini




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Do you ever listen to anything without the vocals?

On a rare occasion. Song! Its the basis of all music. Do you ever listen to anything with...?


----------



## Mirror Image

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Do you ever listen to anything without the vocals?
> 
> On a rare occasion. Song! Its the basis of all music. Do you ever listen to anything with...?


Absolutely, I do.

In terms of choral works, I enjoy Delius, Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Parry, Berlioz, Barber, and few others. I'm not really into vocals that much, but I do enjoy choral with orchestral accompaniment.


----------



## haydnguy

Very nice performance and value. Sound excellent.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## nickgray

RVW here too, No.8, Hickox


----------



## Padawan

On CD:

*Csárdás - Johann Strauss, Jr.* (performed by Roby Lakatos & His Ensemble)

Listening this to felt like riding a roller coaster: very fast pace with unexpected twists, and fun.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> RVW here too, No.8, Hickox


Haven't heard Hickox's RVW recordings. I've heard many bad things about them. I heard something happened to the audio quality on those recordings. I would have thought RVW would be up to Richard Hickox's alley. How is that recording?


----------



## nickgray

I've never heard the 8th before, but it seems to be pretty good. The sound quality is brilliant, dunno where you heard about "something happened" stuff, but it doesn't seem to be the case, at least on that cd.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> I've never heard the 8th before, but it seems to be pretty good. The sound quality is brilliant, dunno where you heard about "something happened" stuff, but it doesn't seem to be the case, at least on that cd.


I've read reviews on Amazon, ClassicsToday, and MusicWeb-International that say the interpretation isn't very good and the audio quality isn't good, but I'm just not sure.


----------



## nickgray

Well, perhaps. I wanna try a set of VW's symphonies, what's a good choice? Boult and Previn sets seem to be a good ones.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> Well, perhaps. I wanna try a set of VW's symphonies, what's a good choice? Boult and Previn sets seem to be a good ones.


The Previn is marred by horrible audio quality. The Boult on EMI is the way to go, but there are several others to consider as well: Handley, Haitink, Thomson, Andrew Davis, etc. But just go with the Boult on EMI which looks like this:










Don't bother with the Boult set on Decca many of the performances are in mono and are just terrible from a listening perspective.


----------



## nickgray

hmmm... thanks, I think I'll check out Boult and Haitink










Shostakovich - Symphony No.4, Rozhdestvensky. I've heard a couple of Rozhd. interpretations of Shostakovich's symphonies, but was never really impressed with them - solid, but nothing special. And just out of the blue I've decided to put his 4th, and surprisingly it turned out to be one of the strongest 4th I've ever heard, perhaps the best, along with Myung-Whun Chung's recording.


----------



## Mirror Image

*This is the RVW Symphony No. 5 to own!*










Of the 12 versions of RVW's Symphony No. 5 I own, this is the best one I've heard. Next would be Boult/EMI, Barbirolli/EMI, and then Haitink/EMI. The audio quality is amazing as is the intepretation. This is the best "Romanza" movement I've heard and it's also the longest clocking in around 13 minutes whereas most performances are only 9 or 11 minutes.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic

Always a favorite of mine; there isn't much to equal the emotional impact of this recording, and less that actually surpasses it. In my humble opinion, anyway.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
> Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic
> 
> Always a favorite of mine; there isn't much to equal the emotional impact of this recording, and less that actually surpasses it. In my humble opinion, anyway.


How would you know? How many Bruckner 4ths have you heard? I thought you're still a new Bruckner listener?


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## andruini

Can't find a picture because it's a mexican release, but I'm listening to a CD of Arturo Márquez' Danzones and some other works of his.. Wonderful music!


----------



## andruini

Listened to Symphony No. 6, and now on Symphony No. 9..


----------



## Gary45

I like very much symphonies by Joseph Haydn. They are masterpieces!
_____________
cigars for dummies


----------



## maestro267

Not classical at all, but it's in eight movements: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater.


----------



## Jaime77

This is such great playing! First time hearing this version of a concerto brim full of such beautiful harmonies... I love the Prokofiev. I am not familiar with the Shosta. Will hear shortly.


----------



## Aramis

Cool, bro.


----------



## haydnguy

Gary45 said:


> I like very much symphonies by Joseph Haydn. They are masterpieces!
> _____________
> cigars for dummies


I like them too!


----------



## andruini




----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "The Wooden Prince" right now, which I consider, next to Ravel's and Stravinsky's ballets, one of the best ever written.


----------



## andruini

Listening to Symphony No. 8.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 5.


----------



## haydnguy

Almost through with Symphony No. 5 and can say it is just gorgeous. Mirror Image, you should definitely consider this. Haven't listened to 'The Seasons' yet though.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Almost through with Symphony No. 5 and can say it is just gorgeous. Mirror Image, you should definitely consider this. Haven't listened to 'The Seasons' yet though.


Oh, I've been considering that recording for a while, but I already own all of Glazunov on Naxos and Brilliant Classics. I'll probably just wait until they release that series as a box set, which I'm sure Warner Classics will do. I've heard nothing but positive things about Serebrier's cycle.


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Oh, I've been considering that recording for a while, but I already own all of Glazunov on Naxos and Brilliant Classics. I'll probably just wait until they release that series as a box set, which I'm sure Warner Classics will do. I've heard nothing but positive things about Serebrier's cycle.


Oh ok, I didn't know you had the other sets. 'The Seasons' is really good too. I think this is the front runner for my personal "Find of the Year".


----------



## haydnguy

From the Bantock Hyperion boxed set:


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Oh ok, I didn't know you had the other sets. 'The Seasons' is really good too. I think this is the front runner for my personal "Find of the Year".


Must be a good recording then.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> From the Bantock Hyperion boxed set:


That whole first disc of Bantock set is outstanding.


----------



## andruini

Finished off the second part of Mahler 8. I gotta say I enjoyed this symphony as well.. That makes for three Mahler symphonies that have impressed me in some way so far.. 5, 6 and 8.

Now listening to:


----------



## Mirror Image

Now:










Later:










These are excellent Bartok recordings with Solti and the CSO. Anyone into Bartok's orchestral music should definitely acquire these.


----------



## haydnguy

Starting tonight's listening with more Bantock from the hyperion boxed set:


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Symphony No. 4" right now. A truly great reading.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Looks like a Bantock evening all around.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Francesca da Remini" right now. Completely amazing, but Tchaikovsky was one of Bernstein's specialties anyway, so it's to be expected.


----------



## andruini

Listening to Disc 1: Symphony No. 1 and Symphonic Dances.


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Listening to Disc 1: Symphony No. 1 and Symphonic Dances.


That is a remarkable set right there. It's probably one of the best of Ashkenazy's conducting career. He always had an affinity for Rachmaninov whether it's conducting or performing his various piano works. I haven't listened to that one in awhile.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> That is a remarkable set right there. It's probably one of the best of Ashkenazy's conducting career. He always had an affinity for Rachmaninov whether it's conducting or performing his various piano works. I haven't listened to that one in awhile.


I agree.. Ashkenazy's Rachmaninoff is always top of the line.. I really enjoy this set as well.


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 - Rattle/CBSO


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 - Barshai/WDRSO


----------



## andruini

Been waiting to hear this one a long time!


----------



## Isola

Listening to symphony No. 2 right now:


----------



## World Violist

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7
Mark Wigglesworth/BBCNOW

This is seriously one of the greatest Shostakovich recordings I think I've ever heard, bar none. It is at least the equal of Bernstein's famous recording from Chicago, and in ways it surpasses the Chicago recording. Both conductor and orchestra have an innate feel for this music, and so it proves deeply committed, deeply moving. The first movement is utterly harrowing, the march sequence taken at a perfect tempo so that it never quite becomes annoying. The second and third movements are very well done, though I need to listen to them more...

And then there's the finale... wow. It is perfect in every way imaginable. I remember first hearing the opening tempo of the last ten or so minutes and thinking "wow, this is slow" and then as it got going thought "my God, this is going to be huge...". And huge it was. True, the brass here aren't near the powerhouse as their counterparts in the Chicago Symphony, but still, these guys certainly belt it out. It's really overwhelming.

The BIS sound is typically without fault. Lush, wide in dynamic, and atmospheric. That's all needs to be said as regards that.

To make a short story shorter, there's no reason for anyone who likes Shostakovich symphonies to not at least have heard this. It's seriously great.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 6....awesome!


----------



## haydnguy

Continuing my "Bantock listening" tonight:


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> That is a remarkable set right there. It's probably one of the best of Ashkenazy's conducting career. He always had an affinity for Rachmaninov whether it's conducting or performing his various piano works. I haven't listened to that one in awhile.


I'm glad to know it's a good set. I got it awhile back because I wanted a set of Rach's symphonies and didn't know if it was a really good one. I haven't listened to it that much yet.


----------



## Conor71

Broke this set out after seeing it mentioned a few posts ago..










Its been a while since I listened to this one - Listening to Symphony 2, lovely Adagio, rest is pretty good too .


----------



## haydnguy

If you like vocal music, that Bantock 'Sapphic Poem' disk I mentioned earlier is absolutely top shelf. Susan Bickley (mezzo) does a beautiful job. I like this disk as much as I do the 'Hebridean Symphony' disk (same set). The Hebridean disk is orchestral, however. 

Currently, I'm listening to Symphonies 67-69 of the Haydn Brilliant boxed set. (Always like coming home.)


----------



## andruini

Listening to Haydn 2 and Dvorák.


----------



## haydnguy

andruini said:


> Listening to Haydn 2 and Dvorák.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 - Barbirolli/Halle Orchestra


----------



## andruini

haydnguy said:


>


Haydn's second concerto is so lovely.. It's one of my favorites for the instrument!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

haydnguy said:


> Continuing my "Bantock listening" tonight:


Yes... the Sappho song-cycle is quite marvelous... sensual... exotic... erotic... and the performances are quite special. Susan Bickley is exquisite. I have yet to get through the whole of _Omar Khayyam_... which is something of a hybrid... a song cycle... a vocal suite... and opera? One again it is a marvelous piece with a lush, exotic atmosphere. The performers expressed shock during the performance that such a magnificent work had been ignored for so long. It's been suggested that it is almost an aural equivalent of a great epic history film such as _The Ten Commandments, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia_... or more recently, _The English Patient._ From what I have heard... there is something to this analogy... not that the music sounds like a Hollywood film score... but rather that it contains a similar grandiose breadth... theatricality... exoticism... splendor... and sheer entertainment value (in the very best sense).


----------



## haydnguy

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Yes... the Sappho song-cycle is quite marvelous... sensual... exotic... erotic... and the performances are quite special. Susan Bickley is exquisite. I have yet to get through the whole of _Omar Khayyam_... which is something of a hybrid... a song cycle... a vocal suite... and opera? One again it is a marvelous piece with a lush, exotic atmosphere. The performers expressed shock during the performance that such a magnificent work had been ignored for so long. It's been suggested that it is almost an aural equivalent of a great epic history film such as _The Ten Commandments, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia_... or more recently, _The English Patient._ From what I have heard... there is something to this analogy... not that the music sounds like a Hollywood film score... but rather that it contains a similar grandiose breadth... theatricality... exoticism... splendor... and sheer entertainment value (in the very best sense).


Thanks for the heads up about Omar Khayyam. I'm putting it on my 'to buy' list. You hear it all the time but I'm shocked that he's not better known. 

EDIT:

Listening now to :
*Berg*
_Seven Early Songs (Anne Sofie Von Otter, mezzo)
Altenberg-Lieder, op. 4 (Juliane Banse, soprano)_
Abbado, conducting
Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> I'm glad to know it's a good set. I got it awhile back because I wanted a set of Rach's symphonies and didn't know if it was a really good one. I haven't listened to it that much yet.


Absolutely, it's really good. It just edges out my other favorite Rachmaninov conductor Mariss Jansons and his EMI set, which is also a must-buy if you ever find it cheap.


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Thanks for the heads up about Omar Khayyam. I'm putting it on my 'to buy' list. You hear it all the time but I'm shocked that he's not better known.


Bantock I'm afraid will never be well-known or at least in the concert halls. His music is really good, but he's certainly not the only English composer to fall into neglect just look at Alwyn, Bax, Finzi, Bliss, John Ireland, etc. whose music has seen a small revival of sorts, but nothing much became of it unfortunately.


----------



## haydnguy

There are a lot of them, that's for sure. -_-


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> There are a lot of them, that's for sure. -_-


That there are!


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 - Yo-Yo Ma


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23, "Appasionata" - Barenboim


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Since the conversation has turned to Beethoven solo piano works, I recently added a disc to my collection, via the Princeton Record Exchange- and it's _my_ latest listening-

*Beethoven*- _Diabelli Variations_: Artur Schnabel- piano. (Love at first listen...)


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Rattle conduct John Adams' "Harmonielehre." Not bad at all. Quite good actually. It's certainly not something I would listen to all the time though.


----------



## World Violist

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Francesca da Rimini
Gustavo Dudamel/SBYOV

Wow, this is pretty exciting...


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 8 right now.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Francesca da Rimini
> Gustavo Dudamel/SBYOV
> 
> Wow, this is pretty exciting...


I haven't heard this recording, but I'm not too keen on "youth" orchestras.


----------



## World Violist

Mirror Image said:


> I haven't heard this recording, but I'm not too keen on "youth" orchestras.


Well you'll be pleased to know that this "youth" orchestra is actually very very good. And the intrepretation is very full of life. At least in the symphony. Haven't heard Francesca yet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A truly magnificent singer on some lovely selections of American opera.


----------



## Mirror Image

World Violist said:


> Well you'll be pleased to know that this "youth" orchestra is actually very very good.


I'll be the judge of that.


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> Listening to Rattle conduct John Adams' "Harmonielehre." Not bad at all. Quite good actually. It's certainly not something I would listen to all the time though.


 Holy cow!! You liked a piece by John Adams?? That's really surprising, but awesome!


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Holy cow!! You liked a piece by John Adams?? That's really surprising, but awesome!


Yeah, I guess it is kind of surprising the way I've been going on for months now about Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, etc., but I actually enjoyed this piece. Granted, it's not something I would listen all the time, but it was enjoyable.


----------



## Mirror Image

Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony, Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orch., Decca --- Simply outstanding! What a performance!


----------



## haydnguy

I'm moving on to Haydn's Symphonies 70-72 of the Brilliant Boxed set.


----------



## Mirror Image




----------



## dmg

Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K 622
Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam - Lev Markiz, conductor


----------



## Polednice

I've recently developed an obsession with Grieg's ten books of _Lyric Pieces_, particularly those performed by Eva Knardahl.


----------



## Padawan

"Daphnis Et Chloé - Suite No. 2" from this CD:


----------



## World Violist

I still feel like I'm missing something; I'll be posting a review later on in the "Another list of Mahler symphonies" thread, when I've finished listening.


----------



## andruini

Listening to the 2nd disc: Symphony No. 2 and Isle of the Dead..


----------



## bplary

I've been listening my way through this set.










But at the moment I'm listening to Tchaikovsky's 6th...


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 2 right now. Bernstein does a great job.


----------



## bplary

I have the Maazel set of Sibelius' symphonies, haven't familiarized myself with all of them yet though..


----------



## dmg

Playlist is currently on:


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to "Pohjola's Daughter" right now. I don't care what anybody says Bernstein was one hell of a Sibelius conductor. "Symphony No. 2" was one of the best I've heard and I own almost all of them!


----------



## Zeniyama

Listening to Hamelin play Sorabji's first Piano Sonata. Sorabji's music is so full of emotion, it's a pity you don't hear him more often.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 7. Very good indeed! I'm quite surprised actually, because I don't really think of Solti as a Bruckner conductor.


----------



## bplary

Listening to Maazel's rendition of Sibelius' No.3 right now, pretty fantastic if you ask me!


----------



## haydnguy

Continuing with Bantock:

View attachment 681


----------



## Mirror Image

bplary said:


> Listening to Maazel's rendition of Sibelius' No.3 right now, pretty fantastic if you ask me!


Yeah, that Maazel set is pretty decent. Maazel is pretty much frowned upon by critics, especially after the way he ran the NY Philharmonic into the ground. But the NY Philharmonic looks like they have a good conductor now named Alan Gilbert. A pretty young guy. I think he'll do some great things there.


----------



## Zeniyama

Mussorgsky's songs are addicting: I'm listening to The Nursery cycle right now. My favourite is either "The cat sailor" or "On the Hobby-Horse".

It's a pity that such an imaginative composer wrote so little music, but I suppose that's just how it was supposed to be.


----------



## Padawan

*Suite from "The Firebird" (1919 version): Lullaby - Stravinsky, Igor*
Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Suite from "The Firebird"


----------



## Mirror Image

Zeniyama said:


> Mussorgsky's songs are addicting: I'm listening to The Nursery cycle right now. My favourite is either "The cat sailor" or "On the Hobby-Horse".
> 
> It's a pity that such an imaginative composer wrote so little music, but I suppose that's just how it was supposed to be.


Mussorgsky was a drunk. That's why he didn't get any work done.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 - Barbirolli/Halle


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 - Barbirolli/Halle


Very good set. That was one of my first Sibelius symphony sets. I haven't listened to it in a long time. I think Barbirolli did a good job or at least more than he's ever been given credit for.


----------



## haydnguy

Listening to ballet music:


----------



## Mirror Image

haydnguy said:


> Listening to ballet music:


Do you own any recordings of the full ballets of Tchaikovsky? I'm afraid the suites offer only a glimpse into those great scores.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Symphony No. 5. Outstanding reading by Haitink and the Concertgebouw.


----------



## nickgray

Mirror Image said:


> Mussorgsky was a drunk. That's why he didn't get any work done.


That's a harsh way to put it. His environment was at least as influential on his drinking problem as was he himself. Really a pity, his decline and eventually death at a relatively young age.


----------



## Mirror Image

nickgray said:


> That's a harsh way to put it. His environment was at least as influential on his drinking problem as was he himself. Really a pity, his decline and eventually death at a relatively young age.


I don't have any sympathy for people who use their "drinking" problem as an excuse for their life. He had considerable talent no question about it, but he chose to go down the wrong path and let that environment get the better of him. He just wasn't strong enough as person to handle it.

You didn't hear of Bruckner going around drunk and he had more of an excuse than Mussorgsky, but no Bruckner was a strong person and it shows in his music.


----------



## Aramis

Mirror Image said:


> I don't have any sympathy for people who use their "drinking" problem as an excuse for their life. He had considerable talent no question about it, but he chose to go down the wrong path and let that environment get the better of him. He just wasn't strong enough as person to handle it.


Easy to say.

Btw, you can't call Russian a drunk. It makes no sense, because you would have to brand them all as drunks. Vodka, tovarich!


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> you can't call Russian a drunk.


I just did. So what?


----------



## Aramis

> I just did. So what?


So pick up your gun <dramatic chord> <drumroll>


----------



## Mirror Image

Aramis said:


> So pick up your gun <dramatic chord> <drumroll>


What is that supposed to mean?


----------



## haydnguy

Mirror Image said:


> Do you own any recordings of the full ballets of Tchaikovsky? I'm afraid the suites offer only a glimpse into those great scores.


I'm afraid I don't. (Although I do have the actual ballets on DVD). 

Yet another gap in my collection.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I don't have any sympathy for people who use their "drinking" problem as an excuse for their life. He had considerable talent no question about it, but he chose to go down the wrong path and let that environment get the better of him. He just wasn't strong enough as person to handle it.

You didn't hear of Bruckner going around drunk and he had more of an excuse than Mussorgsky, but no Bruckner was a strong person and it shows in his music.

Do you actually believe this? Not to underestimate Bruckner (who I dearly love)... but what does the strength or weakness or morality or ethics of the artist to do with the art? Baudelaire was probably the greatest French poet of all time... and certainly the leading poet of the latter 19th century... and yet he was an alcoholic, addicted to drugs, prostitutes, etc... Van Gogh was an alcoholic, suffered from mental illness... probably bipolar and certainly depression (as did Mussorgsky) to the point that in his "weakness" he committed suicide... and yet there is hardly a single artist of his time to rival him in expressive power, innovation, and sheer output. Mussorgsky's "weaknesses" undoubtedly destroyed him and shortened his life span... still he remains a major figure. His output includes not merely the Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain but also a more that goodly amount of songs and a number of operas left in various stages of completion, including the Magnificent _Boris Gudonov_ and _Khovanshchina_. In spite of Mussorgsky's limited output and the fragmentary state of a great deal of his work, he nearly towers over all the other Russian composers of the time, with the exception of Tchaikovsky.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

By the way... I'm currently listening to a good upstanding artist who certainly can never be accused of not living up to his potential:


----------



## Mirror Image

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I don't have any sympathy for people who use their "drinking" problem as an excuse for their life. He had considerable talent no question about it, but he chose to go down the wrong path and let that environment get the better of him. He just wasn't strong enough as person to handle it.
> 
> You didn't hear of Bruckner going around drunk and he had more of an excuse than Mussorgsky, but no Bruckner was a strong person and it shows in his music.
> 
> Do you actually believe this? Not to underestimate Bruckner (who I dearly love)... but what does the strength or weakness or morality or ethics of the artist to do with the art? Baudelaire was probably the greatest French poet of all time... and certainly the leading poet of the latter 19th century... and yet he was an alcoholic, addicted to drugs, prostitutes, etc... Van Gogh was an alcoholic, suffered from mental illness... probably bipolar and certainly depression (as did Mussorgsky) to the point that in his "weakness" he committed suicide... and yet there is hardly a single artist of his time to rival him in expressive power, innovation, and sheer output. Mussorgsky's "weaknesses" undoubtedly destroyed him and shortened his life span... still he remains a major figure. His output includes not merely the Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain but also a more that goodly amount of songs and a number of operas left in various stages of completion, including the Magnificent _Boris Gudonov_ and _Khovanshchina_. In spite of Mussorgsky's limited output and the fragmentary state of a great deal of his work, he nearly towers over all the other Russian composers of the time, with the exception of Tchaikovsky.


My point is simple: you won't be getting sympathy from me if you're a drunk or drug addict. If you use something like drinking or taking drugs as way of dealing with your problems, then you're not a person who warrants my sympathy.


----------



## andruini

Before:










Now:


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


>


Finzi is fantastic. "Fall of the Leaf" is a beautiful piece of music.


----------



## Mirror Image

Still the best reading of Elgar's "Violin Concerto" I've heard. Nigel Kennedy is incredible. I look forward to hearing his second recording of this concerto with Rattle, which I've heard isn't as good, but I'll be the judge of that.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 - Barshai/WDRSO


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini

Finishing off this wonderful set with Symphony No. 3 and The Bells.


----------



## andruini

This is totally amazing.


----------



## Mirror Image

Listening to Delius' "Violin Concerto." Simply fantastic.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some truly lovely late Romantic orchestral and choral songs.

After one listening I can't fathom why Marx wasn't more well-known.

Fabulous stuff here.


----------



## Zeniyama

The only Khachaturian CD I own currently (surprisingly). I'm very pleased with it.


----------



## Praine

I know most people here enjoy Bantock, so I'm just sharing the love.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just discovered him recently myself. The Sappho song cycle is quite magical... sensuous, sensual, exotic, erotic... what's not to love?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And in the immortal words of Montey Python: "And now for something completely different!"


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Ortiz/Ashkenazy/RPO


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Ortiz/Ashkenazy/RPO


Do you own any Bruckner, C71? I think his music would be right up your alley.


----------



## andruini

Listening to the last Symphony in that Carl Vine set.. Symphony No. 6 "Choral".
This man is brilliant.. He's a serious contender for the greatest living composer post.. 
It's such a shame he's not more known.. Some times I forget that music of this caliber can still be made today.. And it's inspiring..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> Listening to the last Symphony in that Carl Vine set.. Symphony No. 6 "Choral".
> This man is brilliant.. He's a serious contender for the greatest living composer post..
> It's such a shame he's not more known.. Some times I forget that music of this caliber can still be made today.. And it's inspiring..


What is Vine's music like? Care to elaborate? Neo-romantic? Neo-Classical? Impressionist?


----------



## andruini

Mirror Image said:


> What is Vine's music like? Care to elaborate? Neo-romantic? Neo-Classical? Impressionist?


I don't think I'd put it in any of those categories.. It's pretty modernist, continuing with some of Stravinsky's ideas, with a strong tonal base and an excellent ear for orchestral color and power.. His handling of the orchestra and percussion is comparable to John Adams, without the repetitive structures. I think basically it should be approached as what the logical continuation to the music of Stravinsky, Bartók and others like them should be..


----------



## Mirror Image

andruini said:


> I don't think I'd put it in any of those categories.. It's pretty modernist, continuing with some of Stravinsky's ideas, with a strong tonal base and an excellent ear for orchestral color and power.. His handling of the orchestra and percussion is comparable to John Adams, without the repetitive structures. I think basically it should be approached as what the logical continuation to the music of Stravinsky, Bartók and others like them should be..


Sounds interesting. Thanks, I'll have to check him out.


----------



## Conor71

Mirror Image said:


> Do you own any Bruckner, C71? I think his music would be right up your alley.


Yes, I like Bruckner (though I havent listened to any of his music in a while) - I own the Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden and Chailly/RCOA-DSOB Cycles and a disc of his masses/Te Deum - I will definetely get around to listening to him again someday, just a bit focussed on Mahler/Shostakovich recently! .


----------



## Mirror Image

C71 said:


> Yes, I like Bruckner (though I havent listened to any of his music in a while) - I own the Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden and Chailly/RCOA-DSOB Cycles and a disc of his masses/Te Deum - I will definetely get around to listening to him again someday, just a bit focussed on Mahler/Shostakovich recently! .


The Chailly symphony cycle is outstanding. Bruckner is a different animal altogether from Shostakovich and Mahler. Nobody sounded like Bruckner, especially in the way he built and repeated those motifs in a cyclic type of phrasing. Beatiful music. I can recognize Bruckner in almost the first couple of measures.


----------



## Mirror Image

Still one of the best Saint-Saens' piano concerto sets available (there's 3 of them). Blows the Jean-Phillippe Collard out of the water in my opinion. There's much more musicality here, but it's hard to beat the team of Roge/Dutoit anyway.


----------



## andruini

Listening to Symphony No. 1 and the Violin Concerto.


----------



## andruini

Lovely, one of my favorite Masses.


----------



## Mirror Image

Decent Gerswhin, outstanding Barber. Haven't listened to the Copland, but I'm sure it's good, Bernstein was a master Copland conductor.


----------



## andruini




----------



## bplary

Right now listening to Sibelius' 4th Symphony....










P.S. What did Mirror Image get banned for?


----------



## bplary

Hmm, now I'm listening to the Brahms' G Minor Piano Quartet played by the Amadeus Quartet with Murray Perahia..


----------



## andruini

On to the second disc, Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, "Pathetique"


----------



## andruini




----------



## Krummhorn

Since 99.9% of this thread applies to Classical music, we have decided to relocate it into this forum area, Classical Music Discussion. 

An expiring redirect has been left in the Member Chat area so that the new location can be found easily.


----------



## Taneyev

Charles Koechlin string quartets
Boris Tchaikovsky v.c.
Lalo cello concerto (Marechal)


----------



## Cortision

If people posted smaller pictures of CD's then perhaps this thread would be only 150 pages long rather than 260000! I like the pictures though.

I am listening to ABC FM's Classic 100 Symphony Countdown, as mentioned in other threads.
And exploring Arvo Part's Fratres, Speigel im Speilgel etc.


----------



## dmg

*adds another picture*


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Rattle/CBSO


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 9 - Rattle/BPO


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: The Wood-Nymph
Osmo Vanska/Lahti Symphony Orchestra

from









Glorious music!


----------



## Isola

Currently listening Brahms symphony No.1 - Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## haydnguy

Something a little different this morning: 










*Carter:*
_String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5_
Pacifica Quartet


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to some amazing surbahar music on Youtube; Ustad Imrat Khan.


----------



## Elgarian

Arrived yesterday. Unbelievable. I mean, seriously overwhelming. Humbling, even. The second disc of the 7 in the box is all Mozart (the usual suspects - arias from _Figaro_, _Giovanni_, _Cosi_, _Flute_, etc), and she sings them _as if they were written specially for her_. Total mastery of the material. Tremendous passion. Music to listen to and then just be silent, because it can't be surpassed.


----------



## Tapkaara

Sibelius: Symphony no 2 - Jansons/Oslo


----------



## Tapkaara

Big Bird said:


> Jansons isn't really known to be a Sibelius conductor. Those recordings he made for EMI are sadly out-of-print.


Actually, a two-CD set was recently released on EMI of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Symphonies including Valse triste, Andante Festivo and Finlandia. I picked it up in Helsinki; I had not heard these recordings before. Again, this is a fairly brand new re-release.

Jansons has a strange take on Sibelius...it's certainly not what I am used to. It's an enjoyable set, though, with pretty good sound. The timpani need to be more present, but it's actually pretty good stuff.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After the Baroque (Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi) Beethoven was among the first classical music I listened to... and his was the first biography I read. I remember being profoundly moved (when I was a young Romantic... and not a weathered cynic like I am now) by this most beautiful of music... inspired by the composer's long walks in nature... especially in light of the famous Heiligenstadt Testament. This music still moves me deeply... and Böhm's is one of the finest interpretations. By the way... Schubert's 5th is great too.

Too bad MI's not here. He'd see I actually do listen to some music without vocals.


----------



## World Violist

Closing out today with this:


----------



## bplary

I'm listening to Albeniz's Iberia...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some appropriate music to close out the evening.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 - Barshai/WDRSO


----------



## bplary

Elgar's Enigma Variations...


----------



## haydnguy

This is my second listen to this CD. Pagan Symphony is a beautiful piece.


----------



## Padawan

*Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major *, very interesting from:


----------



## World Violist




----------



## dmg




----------



## dmg




----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Leonard Bernstein/NYPO (Sony); Martha Lipton, mezzo


----------



## dmg




----------



## Tapkaara

Sibelius's 5th - Jansons/Oslo


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 7
Bernstein/NYPO (Sony)


----------



## Lukecash12

Sibelius - King Christian II Suite, Op. 27


----------



## Tapkaara

Lukecash12 said:


> Sibelius - King Christian II Suite, Op. 27


Which recording??


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Lukecash12

Tapkaara said:


> Which recording??


Performer: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Pietari Inkinen

I'm not sure of the year, but here is a link to it.


----------



## dmg




----------



## Tapkaara

Lukecash12 said:


> Performer: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
> Conductor: Pietari Inkinen
> 
> I'm not sure of the year, but here is a link to it.


EEEEEEEEEEEXCELLENT recording. Pobably my favorite of that work. Inkinen and New Zealand are foridable as hell when it comes to Sibelius. They will soon be producing a cycle of Sibelius symphonies...my mouth is already watering...


----------



## Lukecash12

Can't help but agree.


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> EEEEEEEEEEEXCELLENT recording. Pobably my favorite of that work. Inkinen and New Zealand are foridable as hell when it comes to Sibelius. They will soon be producing a cycle of Sibelius symphonies...my mouth is already watering...


OH MY GOSH they are???


----------



## dmg

Something that isn't Mozart.


----------



## World Violist

Ravi Shankar - India's Master Musician


----------



## bongos

How interesting it is to hear praise for the New Zealand Symphony orchestra .They regularly perform in Auckland , so I go to a few concerts and enjoy them but I always assumed that they would be no match for orchestras from Europe , USA etc .I am delighted if they are a match .Pietari Inkinen is the resident conductor presently , other guest conductors this year are Mark Wigglesworth , Mattias Bamert,Leif Segerstam, I really enjoyed Mahler 3 in March , the mezzo was Ekaterina Semenchuk .Soloists with orchestra this year have been Gautier Capucon, Pinchas Zukerman,Steven Osborne and others


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> OH MY GOSH they are???


Yes, this was confirmed to me in Lahti.


----------



## Tapkaara

bongos said:


> How interesting it is to hear praise for the New Zealand Symphony orchestra .They regularly perform in Auckland , so I go to a few concerts and enjoy them but I always assumed that they would be no match for orchestras from Europe , USA etc .I am delighted if they are a match .Pietari Inkinen is the resident conductor presently , other guest conductors this year are Mark Wigglesworth , Mattias Bamert,Leif Segerstam, I really enjoyed Mahler 3 in March , the mezzo was Ekaterina Semenchuk .Soloists with orchestra this year have been Gautier Capucon, Pinchas Zukerman,Steven Osborne and others


Just because an orchestra is from Europe does not mean it is great...

From what I have heard, the New Zealand Symphony can hold its own with any of the quality orchestras anywhere in the world. I suppose it does not have the international reputation of the Concertgebouw or of the Los Angeles Phil, but the sound if its playing speaks for itself.

You should be proud of your national orchestra.


----------



## bongos

thanks for that, Tapkaara , I am proud  the reputation amongst Finns doesnt surprise me ,they seem to be drawn here , the lead violin is Vesa Matti Lappanen , the clarinetist Kari Kriikku performed with them in June .


----------



## Lukecash12

Right about now, I'm listening to Godowsky playing Liszt's "Un Sospiro".


----------



## bongos

this is a sight familiar to me......... Pietari Inkinen and the NZ Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bongos

We have a NZ composer that we are very proud of , Douglas Lilburn who studied composition under Ralph Vaughan Williams .I like Lilburn and the RVW influence is obvious . .Another NZ composer is John Psathas who composed the music for the Athens Olympic Games .He likes to write a lot of stuff for percussion .Do tell me , if any one in the forum has heard these NZ composers


----------



## Tapkaara

bongos said:


> this is a sight familiar to me......... Pietari Inkinen and the NZ Symphony Orchestra


Great photo!

Finns are an amazingly musical people. There is obviously a high quality music scene in the Land of the Kiwis, otherwise they wouldn't be drawn there. Just my thoughts.


----------



## bongos

the NZSO gets good audiences but they have a big marketing machine that has the money to spend on glossy brochures and advertising .I sing in the tenor chorus in a choir called the Handel Consort and Quire which will be performing Dixit Dominus and Dettingen Te Deum in a church on October 10 .Tickets are $35. .We do have a private sponsor , but we have no newspaper advertising at all . We have printed colour brochures to display in shop windows, cars etc .When we performed Athalia last year I paid for 2 newspaper advertisements out of my own pocket , which I was happy to do , to try and get a decent sized audience .Auckland is NZs biggest city , about 1.5 million people .We got about 150 people ,over 2 performances, to Athalia .I am not expecting any more this year .This year we will do 1 performance.The soloists and instrumentalists are professional musicians but all the choristers are amateurs , and we love it .....we sure would like bigger audiences


----------



## bplary

I'm listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade....


----------



## bongos

hi bplary ,Padawan and I love Sheherazade , and Telarc make some outstanding quality recordings I will go to Amazon and listen to this particular recording also


----------



## Padawan

bongos said:


> hi bplary , I love Sheherazade , and Telarc make some outstanding quality recordings . I will go to Amazon and listen to this particular recording also


Hey, I was going to say that.


----------



## bongos

damn there are no sound samples


----------



## bongos

and passionato dont do Telarc


----------



## Conor71

Listening to Shostakovich these last few days, now listening to:

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 - Schiff/Shostakovich/BRSO


----------



## bdelykleon

This is an almost perfect recording. I never imagined Argerich was such a good pianist in Bach, her playing is perfect, sober, clear and sophisticated. I wonder why didn't she record more of it.


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan - Chamber Music - Sonate de Concert Op. 47 - Finale 

Quote alert:

"The problem of creating an apt and effective finale must plague every serious composer. Alkan had already provided outstanding solutions in his Grande Sonate and solo Symphonie but here he surpassed himself in an electrifying Saltarello in the dark key of E minor. The opening subject seems to transport the mercurial flight of Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony to the orient. The last few pages are pursued with a pitiless fury that devours every obstacle in a final devastating avalanche."

"Alkan included the sonata in the programme of his 'Petit Concert' on April 30, 1875, surprisingly enough not with the sixty-six-year-old Franchomme but with his younger contemporary Leon Jacquard (1826-1886). The writer in the 'Revue et gazette musicale' (May 2, 1875) commented on the pianist's prodigious memory, his absolutely personal approach to the keyboard and a loftiness of style which was equally matched by its poetry. 'The cello sonata' he continues, 'with its wealth of melody and most taxing 'Finale Alla Saltarello' was superbly executed. It received an ovation'. The technical difficulty of this final movement renders its performance an 'event'. Alkan may have realized this when he made a brilliant arrangement for four hands. In this form it can be strongly recommended to piano duettists as an applause-winning wind-up to their programmes; yet it must remain only a partial substitute for the breathtaking 'tour de force' that crowns Alkan's finest chamber work."

- Ronald Smith -


----------



## Isola

One of my most frequently listened recordings:


----------



## Tapkaara

Daphnis et Chloé by M. Ravel - Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine - Laurent Petitgirard...a great reading of an opulent score.


----------



## bplary

Shostakovich's First Symphony.....


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 - Rattle/BPO


----------



## bongos

Daphnis and chloe .........listening as I type , never heard it before , this is a new genre for me


----------



## bplary

Listening to Verdi's La Traviata now


----------



## classicalmusicfan

currently listening to...
*Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons (arranged for piano)*










presents a sparkling new version of The Four Seasons for solo piano by Jeffrey Biegel, complemented by equally effective arrangements by Andrew Gentile of two of Vivaldi's other beloved concertos for mandolin and lute


----------



## Padawan

*Federico Moreno Torroba*: Sonatina - with Dagoberto Linhares, Cassovia Camerata 
Conducted by Johannes Wildner from:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Exquisite!


----------



## bplary

Listening to Mahler's First Symphony "Titan" under the baton of Rafael Kubelik....


----------



## Sid James

This morning:

*SAYGUN*: 12 Preludes on Aksak Rhythms / 10 Sketches on Aksak Rhythms / Piano Sonatina (Zeynep Ucbasaran, piano) Naxos

*PENDERECKI *- Canticle of Solomon (Krakow Philh. Ch/Polish NRSO/Penderecki) EMI

*DUTILLEUX* - Cello Concerto (Rostropovich/Orch. de Paris/Baudo) EMI

Later:

*LUTOSLAWSKI *- 5 Songs for soprano & orch / Cello Concerto / String Quartet (Various soloists/Polish NRSO/Lutoslawski/Alban Berg Quartet)
*
CARTER *- String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 (Pacifica Q) Naxos - A Grammy Award winning disc - superb!


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 6, "Tragic" - Rattle/CBSO


----------



## Lukecash12

Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, op. 102 - 1st Movement


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 - Barshai/WDRSO


----------



## Lukecash12

Myself practicing Liszt's Grand Concert Solo for a bit.


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Padawan

*Rachmaninov:* Piano Concerto #2 In C Minor, Op. 18

from:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Started the evening with this:










Then moved on to something completely different:


----------



## MrTortoise

Now into the first movement of the Septet as I write this.


----------



## Don Fatale

Verdi's Simon Boccanegra (Freni, Ghiaurov, Cappucilli)

Wow, I forgot how good this is!


----------



## Isola

Mahler Symphony No.1 - Leonard Bernstein/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Conor71

World Violist said:


>


Now listening to Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 - Barbirolli/Halle


----------



## MrTortoise

Brahms 2 & 3 Karajan and the Berlin Phil.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Cello Sonata - Ma, Ax


----------



## MrTortoise

Michael Nyman Live


----------



## dmg




----------



## Tapkaara

Padawan said:


> *Rachmaninov:* Piano Concerto #2 In C Minor, Op. 18
> 
> from:


That recording only has a sample from the concerto...it's not the whole concerto.


----------



## Padawan

Tapkaara said:


> That recording only has a sample from the concerto...it's not the whole concerto.


I know. I've bought several best of CDs from a dozen composers that I was slightly familiar with to see what I like. Then I'll buy more specialized works (concertos, symphonies, sonatas, etc.) based on what I hear. I know you're trying to help and I appreciate that.


----------



## MrTortoise




----------



## MrTortoise




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still exploring Schubert's piano sonatas in some depth. These lovely works are certainly informed by the work of his idol Beethoven... but they are more pared down... as one might expect of the master of song/lieder:


----------



## Conor71

Bruch: Scottish Fantasy - Heifetz/Sargent/NSOOL


----------



## Isola

Evgeny Kissin - Scriabin: Sonata No. 3; Five Preludes; Medtner: Sonata Reminiscenza; Stravinsky: Three Movements from Pétrouchka










The Pétrouchka is pure magic!


----------



## JSK

Khachaturian Symphony No. 2 - 2nd Movement - VPO Conducted by the Composer

Khachaturian is one of my major guilty pleasures.


----------



## Conor71

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Reiner/CSO


----------



## MrTortoise

Beethoven Symphony 6 - Ashkenazy/Philharmonia


----------



## tahnak

Edvard Grieg's Norwegian Dances by the Goteburg Symphony and Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Zeniyama

Litening to some Massenet piano works right now, played by Aldo Ciccolini. Pity such a talented composer is so neglected nowadays.


----------



## bplary




----------



## Tapkaara

JSK said:


> Khachaturian Symphony No. 2 - 2nd Movement - VPO Conducted by the Composer
> 
> Khachaturian is one of my major guilty pleasures.


Why is he considered a "guilty" pleasure?


----------



## JSK

Well, I'd say that some of his works, like the 3rd Symphony and the Triumphal Poem, are not very good, but I listen to them anyway. 

I actually don't like the piano concerto though despite the fact that I am a pianist.

Listening to Spartacus (complete) right now.


----------



## Tapkaara

JSK said:


> Well, I'd say that some of his works, like the 3rd Symphony and the Triumphal Poem, are not very good, but I listen to them anyway.
> 
> I actually don't like the piano concerto though despite the fact that I am a pianist.
> 
> Listening to Spartacus (complete) right now.


I would say the Triumphal Poem is certainly good, perhaps not great. It's tuneful, well orchestrated and "fun." I see, then, nothing wrong with calling it a good work.

The Khachaturian 3rd is sort of a "love it or hate it," affair, and I personally love it. I can understand why it would confound somebody and I'd even go as far to say it has the feel of a minimalist tone poem more than a real symphony, but it's a strangely appealing work and there is nothing else in the repertoire that sounds quite like it. I think it's a splendid piece.


----------



## bplary

Brahms' First Symphony


----------



## JSK

Tapkaara said:


> I would say the Triumphal Poem is certainly good, perhaps not great. It's tuneful, well orchestrated and "fun." I see, then, nothing wrong with calling it a good work.
> 
> The Khachaturian 3rd is sort of a "love it or hate it," affair, and I personally love it. I can understand why it would confound somebody and I'd even go as far to say it has the feel of a minimalist tone poem more than a real symphony, but it's a strangely appealing work and there is nothing else in the repertoire that sounds quite like it. I think it's a splendid piece.


Although he is definitely one of my favorite composers, I think Khachaturian's music does have its flaws. Sometimes his pieces are just too long. He also was not too versatile in my opinion. He was a master of orchestral writing, but did not make any great contributions to other genres.


----------



## Cyclops

Just played Prokofiev, piano concertos 1&5, part of a 2 CD set, Ashkenazy and Previn on Decca. Not keen on number 5.


----------



## Lukecash12

Clementi Sonata in D Major 'La Chasse', Op.16 - 3. Allegro assai


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A very recent recording of a new opera by Daniel Catan... perhaps the leading Mexican composer. Its a live recording with the Huston Opera who commissioned this opera in Spanish. It has a bit of the usual stage noise common to live opera recordings... but otherwise the sound is quite good. The music is exquisitely lush and washes over you in endless swells and surges. There are clearly elements of Puccini, Wagner, Richard Strauss, Delius, and Impressionism... as well some aspects of Modernism and Latin-American sensuality. Highly recommended for those seeking out rich Romanticism and sheer beauty in contemporary music.

I am quite pleased with what I hear if not fully enamored or even seduced.

http://www.themodernword.com/gabo/gabo_music_catan.html


----------



## bplary

Shostakovich Symphony No.7...


----------



## haydnguy

This is my second CD by this composer (the first had Symphony #5 and The Seasons on it) and I'm still loving his music. Beautiful.


----------



## Sid James

On the weekend:

*Berlioz* - La Damnation de Faust (Soloists/Orch National de Lille/Casadesus) Naxos

*Penderecki* - Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima; Canticle of Solomon; Cello Concerto No. 1; Symphony No. 1 (Soloists/Krakow Phil. Choir/Polish NRSO/London SO/Penderecki) EMI

*Lutoslawski* - Symphony No. 2 (Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

*Lutoslawski* - 5 Songs for Soprano & Orchestra; Cello Concerto; String Quartet (Soloists/Polish NRSO/Lutoslawski/Alban Berg Quartet) EMI

*Prokofiev* - Symphonies Nos. 1 "Classical" & 3 (London SO/Abbado) Award

*Carter* - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 (Pacifica SQ) Naxos

*Vaughan Williams *- Symphony No. 4 (London PO/Boult) Belart

& today:

*Schoenberg* - Moses und Aron (Stuttgart Opera) Naxos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to disc one again... I was interrupted last time and didn't get to hear much... although what I did hear I certainly liked.


----------



## World Violist

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Janet Baker, Anthony Lewis/English Chamber Orchestra

Must be one of the most gorgeous things I've ever heard... wow.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 - Rattle/CBSO


----------



## bdelykleon

*Great!*


----------



## Sid James

*Rubbra* - Violin Concerto (Osostowicz/Ulster O/Yuasa) Naxos

*Rozsa* - Viola Concerto; Hungarian Serenade (Karni/Budapest Concert Orch. MAV/Smolij) Naxos

*Duparc, Ravel, Charpentier, Debussy, Berlioz *- Songs & arias (Kiri Te Kanawa/various orchestras) EMI


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some strangely beautiful music. There are elements
that remind me of Impressionism... there is something of
the miniature about these works that is both clearly
Japanese... but also seemingly builds upon French 
Impressionism. I am especially reminded of Messiaen.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And now for something completely different... and I mean "different".










As a great fan of medieval music I have long admired the work of Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras and Alia Vox records. Expensive... but worth it. They offer up some of the most consistently original and fabulously performed/recorded examples of medieval music.


----------



## haydnguy

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listening to disc one again... I was interrupted last time and didn't get to hear much... although what I did hear I certainly liked.


S.O., was wondering if you had a chance to listen to any more of this and if so what you thought. Thanks.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 - Stern, Ma, Ax


----------



## haydnguy

Listening to CD2 from this wonderful boxed set.

*CD2*
_Violin Sonatas
Oboe Sonatas_


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Rough day. Need something mellow:


----------



## bplary

Listening to Dvorak's 7th symphony....


----------



## Lukecash12

R.Schumann - Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129 - I. Nicht zu schnell

Mstislav Rostropovich, cello
Orchestre National de France, Leonard Bernstein


----------



## bplary

Hmm, now im listening to Strauss' Death and Transfiguration....


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've always loved the clarinet... such a sensuous instrument. Rather like chocolate. It seems I'm not alone in such thinking. Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Weber, and so many others have written some of the most marvelous music for this instrument.


----------



## Conor71

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 - Karajan/BPO


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Strangely meditative... and Modernist.


----------



## shoehorn0plenty

Mahler's Fifth
I love finding new interpretations of the same piece. Currently listening to Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony.

Also found some good versions on youtube.
Bernstein's:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tokkemon#grid/user/2326BC50651F9E9B 
and Tchivzhel (hope I spelled it right!!)
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F45D39CB143944A4

Don't know about a favorite yet but Tchivzhel's conducting technique is fun to watch!!


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 - Barshai/WDRSO


----------



## World Violist

I am now taking advantage of the fact that one can easily download a whole Bruckner cycle (and then some) for free, and very legally, from a single website (highlights include Kurt Sanderling, Zubin Mehta, and Paul Hindemith conducting No. 7 and Eduard van Beinum conducting the Concertgebouw in No. 8!).

Thus, I am finishing listening to "Die Nullte," which I actually quite like.


----------



## World Violist

Moving on to Bruckner's 4th in an excellent but completely forgotten recording by Siegfried Heinrich and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra of Warsaw. It's probably only forgotten because it's in normal tempo etc, which everyone's been doing for the past fifty years or whatever. But for someone whose ears, like mine, are used to Celibidache's Munich reading... well, it's definitely quite different!


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Jablonski/Ashkenazy/RPO


----------



## chillowack

Niccolo Paganini, Concerto No. 1 in D for violin and orchestra, Op.6; Itzhak Perlman on violin, Lawrence Foster conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

This is my first time hearing Paganini, who is regarded as the first great violin virtuoso, and perhaps the greatest ever.


----------



## bdelykleon

Haydn's last completed work. It sounds to me as a cheerful musical testement, not from a intellectual and learned mind, but from an uncomplicated and pious man, but who happened to be of music's greatest masters.


----------



## Lukecash12

Joseph Haydn, "Seven Last Words Of Christ"


----------



## haydnguy

I'm currently listening to this wonderful boxed set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas played by Friedrich Gulda on Brilliant Classics.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 - Schiff/Shostakovich/BRSO


----------



## MrTortoise

World Violist said:


> I am now taking advantage of the fact that one can easily download a whole Bruckner cycle (and then some) for free, and very legally, from a single website


Could you provide a url to the site? I would love to take advantage of this as well


----------



## MrTortoise

Amazing playing.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Eduard van Beinum/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've long been enamored of Japanese and Islamic art, music, and literature. Japanese culture owes much to the Chinese... but they developed an art that was uniquely their own and quite different from the Chinese (which I respect... but am not so enamored of). This album is of classical Japanese Shakuhachi (flute) music and is incredibly evocative... eerie... and meditative. The image of the Japanese Zen rock garden perfectly suggests this work.


----------



## Lukecash12

Charles Valentin Alkan - Concerto da camera No.1 Op.10


----------



## nimmysnv

ecg_fa said:


> Today I've been listening to Robert King/King's Consort 'Monteverdi The Sacred
> Music, Vol. 2.' I love the whole series of their Monteverdi Sacred Music & also 'Vespers.'
> Also, jazz-- 'Lost and Found' by guitarist Ralph Towner.


Oh, thanks for this as I will find this out soon, and I just love listen to Robert King's concert which is one of my favourite.

Thanks!!


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Ozawa/Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra

Let's see if this recording does something for me this time around...


----------



## MrTortoise




----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 2
> Ozawa/Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra
> 
> Let's see if this recording does something for me this time around...


It's definitely nowhere near the existential angst of either of Bernstein's recordings, but that doesn't diminish from my opinion that this is a great Mahler 2nd. It's really, really intense, too, pretty much the whole way through.


----------



## andruini

Great CD.


----------



## andruini

Quite something!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4 - Jarvi/SNO


----------



## haydnguy

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I'd be very interested to know how this one is. I saw one reviewer in Fanfare say that he still prefers this one over the new one by Jenny Lin.


----------



## Yoshi

Beethoven's 1st symphony


----------



## World Violist

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## The Cosmos

Rachmaninoff's piano concertos. (No. 1 to be specific)

I'll be on a buying spree pretty soon!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'd be very interested to know how this one is. I saw one reviewer in Fanfare say that he still prefers this one over the new one by Jenny Lin.

New is obviously not always better. The only other version I have listened to is that of Tatiana Nikolayeva... whose playing of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier was the source of inspiration for Shostakovitch's work. I quite liked her recording... but I prefer Ashkenazy's. His version is more "clean"..."clear"... without excessive Romantic flourishes... but still able to convey the feeling and depth of these works. Lin's recording is receiving great accolades and so I wouldn't wish to underestimate it without having heard it myself. Still... I am more than certain that Askenazy's version will still stand among the best interpretations.


----------



## Lukecash12

Feinberg - Fantasia No. 2 in E minor


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3 - Jarvi/SNO


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished disc one of this:










Now onto this:


----------



## Sid James

Some of the weekend's listening:

*Offenbach/Rosenthal* - Gaite Parisienne (Pittsburgh SO/Previn)

*Shostakovich* - Symphony No. 4 (Chicago SO/Previn) EMI

*Tippett* - Concerto for Double String Orch; Piano Concerto; Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli (Moscow CO/Bath Festival/Barshai/Ogdon/Philharmonia/Davis/others) EMI - I'm beginning to appreciate Tippett's neo-classicism more after initially being unimpressed with it. I recently heard Beethoven's _Piano Concerto No. 4,_ which inspired Tippett to write his own _Piano Concerto_ & I can hear some parallels there...

*Handel* - Water Music Suites 1-3 (Prague CO/Mackerras) Seraphim

*Bartok* - Divertimento for Strings (Moscow CO/Barshai) Decca

& today:

*Shostakovich* - Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

*Carter* - String Quartets 2-4 (Pacifica Q) Naxos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc Two- Symphonies 26, 49, 58


----------



## Lukecash12

Charles-Valentin Alkan - Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Ages' - 40 Ans 'Un Menage Heureux'


----------



## bdelykleon

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Disc Two- Symphonies 26, 49, 58


This box-set is one of my favorites. Wonderfully played by Mr. Pinnock and his orchestra.


----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Das Rheingold
Solti/VPO et al. (original CD release)


----------



## Conor71

Bach (J.S): Mass In B Minor - Karajan/BPO etc.


----------



## Lukecash12

Leoš Janáček - String Quartet No. 2, 'Intimate Letters':


----------



## bdelykleon

heard it twice today...


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Goldberg Variations - Perahia


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Love Perahia's Bach... areal eye-opener.

I just finished up with this:










Quite beautiful and powerful.

Now I'm on to this:










My first experience with Cyril Scott. Quite lovely stuff.

A British music night? I do have a new Delius disc waiting in the wings.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And moving on to Delius:


----------



## Sid James

*Lutoslawski* - Preludes & Fugue; Postlude No. 1; 5 Songs for Soprano & Orchestra; Cello Concerto; String Quartet; etc. (Soloists/Polish NRSO/Lutoslawski/Alban Berg Q) EMI Gemini

A good selection of Lutoslawski's music on this 2 cd set (at a budget price!). I especially like the 5 songs, they convey impressions without resorting to the usual impressionistic cliches. Lutoslawski has become one of my favourite composers...

*Shostakovich *- Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

The first concerto is based on Shostakovich's motto theme, the second is more wide-ranging, with a slow-fast-slow structure. What strikes me about these concertos is the composer's ability to develop themes in interesting ways, as well as his willingness to experiment (some passages in the second concerto, where the cello plays against a background of percussion, seems to prefigure the Lutoslawski concerto). Kliegel, a protege of Rostropovich (to whom these works were dedicated), gives a very emotional but down to earth performance...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

StlukesguildOhio said:


> And moving on to Delius:


While I love the old Beecham, Boult, and Barbirolli recordings, Vernon Handley is absolutely magnificent! As is the sound 9as always) on Chandos.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

OK... OK... time to move across the channel:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And now for something completely different:


----------



## dmg




----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> And now for something completely different:


Awesome, I ordered that set not long ago and eagerly awaiting its arrival! .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to Massenet:










The composer suffers from a reputation in certain camps not unlike that of some 
Italian opera composers... especially Puccini... that of being essentially a light-
weight composer... this in spite of his ability to repeatedly compose
some of the most achingly beautiful melodies... magnificently orchestrated.
Interestingly, only in Vienna and Italy were his works initially taken seriously...
and both the Viennese and the Italians know the value of a good melody. 
Grove's Musical Dictionary (by way of contrast) from the mid-1950s describes
Massenet as only worthy of consideration by those who imagine music as nothing
more than "agreeable after-dinner entertainment". Harsh!

The book which comes with this CD (a marvelous recording, by the way) points out
that Massenet suffered from the traditional lack of support... especially among the 
French... for the work of native composers. It continues to suggest that he may have
been the first since Rameau to have established French as the most natural of
musical languages. Romain Rolland would go so far as to paint the picture of a 
"slumbering Massenet in the heart of every French composer".

Regardless of his popularity with critics or the larger public (and we all know that
popularity with the larger public is the one sin that can never be forgiven if one is
to be considered a "serious artist") I am quite loving this music and this marvelous 
recording, Hell... I'll even admit that it was almost the packaging... the magnificently
"decadent" graphics that sold me on the album (that and the fact that I knew less 
than nothing of Massenet... and had nothing by him outside of a few selections on
recital discs. The work has become one of my current favorites.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Monteverdi's _Orfeo_ performed by John Eliot Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists, etc... This is not a work that should be relegated to a mere mention in music history due to its having been the first "true" opera... this is an absolutely magnificent piece of musical theater magnificently performed here.


----------



## Sid James

*Josef Tal* - Symphonies 1-3; Festive Vision (NDRSO/Yinon) cpo

Tal was an Israeli modernist composer. His symphonies are all atonal, I especially like No. 1 which is in 3 movements, and explores some Jewish themes. The other works on this cd are in single movements. They all have an interesting use of percussion. The NDRSO under Israel Yinon give solid performances.

*Elliot Carter* - String Quartet No. 4 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos

I find Carter's quartets quite hard to follow, except the phenomenal first one. They were all composed one decade apart each, there are five in total, the last one composed in 1995. However, I do enjoy listening to them, although it will probably take me quite a long time until I figure them out.

*Tippett* - Piano Concerto (Ogdon/Philharmonia/Davis) EMI

Tippett wrote this work in the 1950's after hearing Walter Gieseking play Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. It has some of the grand gestures of Beethoven, but on the whole is quite a lyrical work. An interesting aspect of it is the parts where the celesta plays duos with the piano. It conjures visions of a dream world, less down to earth than Beethoven, more ethereal.


----------



## World Violist

Mariss Jansons' Shostakovich 13.


----------



## greatest unknown music

C71 said:


> Awesome, I ordered that set not long ago and eagerly awaiting its arrival! .


Its funny violinist that I now like and was just listening to performed with Maxim Shostakovich. I just bought the CD but you can listen to it on youtube where I originally discovered it.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: The Oceanides - Gibson/SNO


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Violin Concerto - Heifetz/Hendl/CSO


----------



## Lukecash12

Scott Ross playing Scarlatti Sonata in A major, K 62


----------



## Dim7

Sibelius, Symphony No. 7 played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Simon Rattle. Beautiful composition with some very chilling moments. I'm slowly starting to appreciate certain works by Sibelius.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first hearing of Myaskovsky.

The 19th Symphony written for winds and brass and building upon folk tunes, waltzes, etc... has something of Stravinsky to it in its brashness. The works are broad and will certainly demand repeated listenings before I can offer a real opinion... especially considering that I have never listened to anything by him before.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Moving on...


----------



## Tapkaara

Sibelius's 1st - Ashkenazy/Philharmonia


----------



## MrTortoise

'The Canticle of the Sun' and 'Music for Flute, Strings, and Percussion' by Sofia Gubaidulina


----------



## Tapkaara

Dim7 said:


> Sibelius, Symphony No. 7 played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Simon Rattle. Beautiful composition with some very chilling moments. I'm slowly starting to appreciate certain works by Sibelius.


Sibbe's 7th is such a cosmic, strange, triumphant work. Anything I can do to help you appreciate (my hero) Sibelius more, let me know!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A major shift from all the Romantic/Post-Romantic music I've been listening to today (Delius and more Delius, Vaughan-Williams, Tchaikovsky, Mayakovsky). Quite lovely... and definitely rooted in a tradition quite apart from mainstream classical music of the time.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 - Jansons/BPO


----------



## Tapkaara

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A major shift from all the Romantic/Post-Romantic music I've been listening to today (Delius and more Delius, Vaughan-Williams, Tchaikovsky, Mayakovsky). Quite lovely... and definitely rooted in a tradition quite apart from mainstream classical music of the time.


I have the volume 2 of Naxos's set of Barrios's guitar music. A great composer.


----------



## PartisanRanger

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5, Gustavo Dudamel


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Julian Webber playing Britten's first cello suite on youtube, searching for more stuff to do for my senior recital (I definitely need to do the Shostakovich viola, but for the other piece I would need to do Bach, which I suppose isn't a bad thing at all, but still, the Britten is really cool... if I can transpose it effectively enough to bring it off...)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

With the Ensemble Orchestrel de Paris... beautiful songs beautifully sung and performed. Makes for a truly different... or original recital. Not the usual suspects: Puccini, Verdi, Mozart etc... On the other hand... the Korean composers were from the early 20th century and all were educated in Japan and Western schools. The music is clearly lush late/post-romantic in style. I was largely attracted to it because I have a Korean studio mate and thought I would explore a bit of the culture. I also must admit that a couple of my favorite recent CDs have been of collections of music unfamiliar to me: Magdalena Kozena singing Czech music and Anna Netrebko's _Russian Album_.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've had this one on back-order for nearly two months and it finally arrived. This work is not to be believed. Even Shostakovitch's own intensely powerful symphonies and string quartets pale before this insane masterwork. This is Shostakovitch at his most outrageous... his most barbaric... his most scandalous. Unsurprisingly the Soviets took a dim view of this experimental work (as well as his other Opera, _Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District_) and he would never produce something as outrageous again.

The opera is built upon Gogol's surrealistic/Kafkaesque tale of the same name involving a middle-ranking government official's loss of his nose. The music is suitably extravagant and brilliantly preposterous. Explosive passages of involving a vast array of rhythm instruments, surprising combinations of wind instruments, horns, xylophones, etc... elements of cabaret music, elements that suggest Asian folk music or Russian folk music or even jazz... And then there is one scene which begins with the insanely comic sounds of the Major (who loses his nose) snoring and snorting as he awakes... sung to the musical accompaniment!

This opera must certainly be among the most incredibly insane or original works of music of the 20th century... and easily rivals Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_. Shostakovitch might have outdone Stravinsky at his own game had he left the Soviet Union along with his compatriot and Rachmaninoff.

Another thread here asked for examples of the "Most Powerful, Epic, Angry, Intense Classical Recommendations"... undoubtedly Shostakovich's _The Nose_ needs to be listed high among these.

I can't recommend this new recording by Gergiev highly enough. This has become my favorite Shostakovich recording after a single hearing.


----------



## Lukecash12

Drools just a bit...


----------



## Sid James

Weekend:

*Leyendecker* - Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 3 (Gruetter/NDRSO/Kalitzke) Naxos

*Bartok *- Piano Concertos 1-3 (Jando/Budapest SO/A. Ligeti) Naxos

*Milhaud* - Scaramouche, Le bal Martiniquais, Paris, Le Carnival d'Aix, Suite Francaise, Suite Provencale (Beroff/Collard/Ivaldi/Lee/Monte Carlo PO/Pretre) EMI

This morning:

*Penderecki* - Emanations for two string orchestras; Cello Concerto No. 1 (Palm/Polish NRSO/Penderecki) EMI

*Hovhaness *- Cello Concerto; Symphony No. 22 "City of Light" (Starker/Seattle SO/Russell Davies/Hovhaness) Naxos

Later:

*Hovhaness* - Symphonies Nos. 4, 20 & 53 (Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama Wind Orch./Brion) Naxos

*Milhaud *- Service Sacre (Windmuller/Praque Philh. Ch./Czech PO/Schwarz) Naxos


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Ortiz/Berglund/BSO


----------



## Sid James

By the way, Stlukesguildohio, that recording of Shostakovich's _The Nose _sounds excellent, it's on my wish-list...


----------



## shsherm

I am listening to a radio broadcast of The Brahms 2nd Symphony by the USC Symphony and they are playing the music very well. (University of Southern California)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Philippe Jaroussky, counter-tenor, performing French chanson or melodies (Massenet, Faure, Hahn, Debussy, Chausson, etc...). An exquisitely "decadent" recording. Perfect for a lazy afternoon.


----------



## MusicalOffering

Shostakovich's String Quartet no 8


----------



## andruini

Rorem: Symphonies 1-3. Amazing music!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yes... I have that disc of Rorem as well. Quite nice. I really love his songs, however... especially as sung by Susan Graham.

I'm currently listening to Bruckner's _First Symphony_. The first time hearing the first... for me.


----------



## Tapkaara

Tapiola by J. Sibelius - Segerstam/Helsinki


----------



## Lukecash12

Leoš Eugen Janáček- The Madonna of Frýdek from Book 1 of "Along an Overgrown Path":


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 - Jansons/Pittsburgh SO


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Concerto For Flute And Harp K. 299; 2nd Movement By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

I have always loved this piece because it just makes me warm. Find me a prettier song, I guarantee you cannot.


----------



## Lukecash12

Salieri=Innocent said:


> Concerto For Flute And Harp K. 299; 2nd Movement By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
> 
> I have always loved this piece because it just makes me warm. Find me a prettier song, I guarantee you cannot.


How about Handel's Ombra Mai Fu from his Xerxes program? The prelude from Bach's first Cello suite? Alkan's first chant, Assez Vivement? Or Janacek's first piece from On the Overgrown Path, _The Madonna of Frydek_? Rachmaninoff's Ave Maria, or his Polka Italienne?


----------



## bplary

Listening to Bruckner's 4th Symphony under the baton of Celibidache.... Fantastic!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bach's _Art of the Fugue_ played upon recorders (again!).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And now I'm off on a medieval tangent:


----------



## Conor71

Stil listening to this set which is a recent purchase - it is my second set of the Shostakovich symphonies (other being Barshai/WDRSO) and I am finding it excellent so far .
Now listening:
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 - Jansons/Philadelphia SO


----------



## Conor71

This set arrived yesterday - I dont listen to a lot of chamber music so this will be an interesting one! Have listened to the first 2 quartets so far and have enjoyed them 
Now listening:
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3 - Fitzwilliam Quartet


----------



## andruini

Tonight having a John Adams marathon..
Fearful Symmetries
Shaker Loops
Christian Zeal and Activity
Common Tones in Simple Time
John's Book of Alleged Dances
Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Apart from being an insanely good composer, he has the coolest names!


----------



## Lukecash12

Charles Valentin Alkan - Treize prieres (for organ) Op.64

Some of the most beautiful music ever written. It sounds almost symphonic, and there is so much inner voicing and contrapuntal phrases. He just brings out every quality in the instrument.


----------



## Tapkaara

Debussy's La mer - Jun Markl/Orchestre national de Lyon


----------



## Lukecash12

> Apart from being an insanely good composer, he has the coolest names!


You have a point there...

I'm enjoying Rostropovich's playing of Bach's first and second cello suites right now.


----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Die Walkure
Solti/VPO et al

SOOOOOO INTENSE!!! Yikes!

...that's about all I can say, I'm pretty speechless right now.


----------



## Ravellian

Beethoven- Symphony #7


----------



## andruini

Leoš Janáček - String Quartets No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" and No. 2 "Intimate Letters" (Stamitz Quartet/Brilliant)


----------



## Conor71

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 - Heifetz/Sargent/NSOOL


----------



## Lukecash12

Dmitry Bashkirov playing Scriabin's Piano concerto. My favorite piano concerto ever written, by a composer who is tied with only a few others as my favorite.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 12 - Fitzwilliam Quartet


----------



## andruini

Lukecash12 said:


> Dmitry Bashkirov playing Scriabin's Piano concerto. My favorite piano concerto ever written, by a composer who is tied with only a few others as my favorite.


I coincidentally saw that played today by Anatol Ugorski and the OFUNAM from Mexico City. Lovely playing, lovely concerto. That second movement is on another plane of beauty.


----------



## Isola

Prokofiev's piano sonata No.6 played by Evgny Kissin.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished this lovely collection of works by Berlioz, Faure, and Ravel for orchestra and vocals (countertenor):










I'm now listening to this:


----------



## nickgray

Mussorgsky - Khovanshchina, Gergiev


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* - String Quartet No. 13 (with both the original _Grosse Fuge _& substitute ending) Alban Berg Quartet EMI

This is the only one of Beethoven's late quartets I have heard, and I think it's a masterpiece, way ahead of it's time. The way he uses short interludes between the longer movements is very innovative, for instance. I like the orginal (_Grosse fuge_) ending better than the substitute ending he wrote. The _Grosse Fuge _is a masterpiece in itself, particularly how he intertwines and combines the two contrasting themes. & the beginning, how he doesn't go straight into the theme, is so C20th! The substitute ending is much more conventional, it's great music, but I think that the original ending much surpasses it for it's originality & complexity. It would have been interesting if the substitute ending was also in the form of a fugue, so we could directly compare, but it sounds like a basic rondo to me. The Alban Berg Quartet gives a great performance, as usual.

*Elliot Carter *- String Quartet No. 4 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos

I'm only beginning to understand & absorb Carter's SQ's nos. 2-5, after several listenings. I virtually understood the first quartet straight away, it is a undoubtedly a masterpiece. The other ones are a bit harder to follow, particularly how he often doesn't seem to present a theme at the start of the work, so they are more complex. Themes are worked out along the way, as if the actual process of composition is taking place in front of your eyes. I really enjoy listening to this music, exactly because it is so complex. Undoubtedly one of the great SQ cycles of the C20th...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Traditional Japanese Shakuhachi Flute music... very meditative... almost Impressionistic.


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven - Symphony No.2, P.Jarvi. It puzzles me with this gorgeous symphony is so underrated.



Andre said:


> This is the only one of Beethoven's late quartets I have heard


Try the next 3. They're equally as amazing, if not more.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing in the same strain... albeit a "bit" more Modernist:


----------



## Lukecash12

Two Spanish Songs from the 16th century: Esteban Daça (Daza) & Juan Vasquez


----------



## Conor71

Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Kovacevich/Davis/LSO


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Clearly magnificent!


----------



## Tapkaara

The Four Seasons by A. Vivaldi - Sejong (that's the name of the ensemble)


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Il Bariere Di Silviglia - La Calumnia - Ruggero Raimondi


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of the most exquisite performers of Debussy and Ravel.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 4 - Fitzwilliam Quartet


----------



## andruini




----------



## Lukecash12

Feinberg Berceuse Op. 19 (1925)


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 1 by G. Mahler - Chicago/Solti


----------



## Lukecash12

King David's Lyre- Echoes of Ancient Israel

Here's a good quote. It gives some bio of the music: 
*
"This amazing Biblical Lyre is known in Hebrew as the "Kinnor" - the Lyre once played by King David himself, 3000 years ago, as he danced before the Ark of the Covenant; and later, during the actual time of Jesus, the Kinnor was played by my very own, very ancient Levite ancestors over 2000 years ago, to accompany the almost legendary singing of the Levitical Choir in the Temple of Jerusalem...

According to the writings of the 1st century Jewish Historian, Josephus Flavius, who actually witnessed the Levites play their Kinnors in the Temple of Jerusalem, the Kinnor had 10 strings, made of sheep gut.

Jewish Mysticism is more popularly known as Kabbalah; according to the Kabbalists, each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has a unique, transcendental and spiritual significance - therefore, I have decided to record 22 tracks for this album; to match each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet...

The piece I am playing, is the beautiful, meditative Shabbat melody, "Ose Shalom"; the title means "The One Who Makes Peace"...

The transiteration and translation into English from Hebrew is:

Ose shalom bimromav hu ya'ase shalom aleynu ve'al kol Israel ve'imru, imru amen. Ya'ase shalom, ya'ase shalom, shalom aleynu ve'al kol Israël - "May the One who makes peace make peace above make peace over us and over all Israel. And let us say; Amen" "*


----------



## EdiSun

Piano Concerto No.2 Rachmaninoff By LangLang


----------



## fpulsipher

Beethoven 6th Symphony. Snowing here...music is perfect.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I remember a discussion not too long ago in which we were asked to list our favorite musical forms or genre. The string quartets (trios, quintets, etc...) have never been among my most admired works... although I do have examples of a number of the finest works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, etc... Recently I have been making a concerted effort to explore this form in some greater depth. I purchased a box set of Shostakovitch's quartets a couple of weeks ago... and just today this set of Bartok's work arrived. I was unable to resist the work at such a ridiculously low price (I believe I paid $5) and from what I have heard so far it is worth every penny and far more.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Having another go at Schoenberg. I've always liked Pollini and I was able to get this disc for next to nothing... so I gave it a try. I don't imagine that Schoenberg will ever be someone I'll play much for pleasure... but I must admit that with more experience of Debuss and Takemitsu I find that his music here is not so inaccessible. I find Debussy sets more of a mood or an emotional feeling... as does Takemitsu... For the intellectual rigour I'll also take Bach or even Shostakovitch's Preludes and Fugues. Still... you can't say I haven't given him a try.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 1: Papillons, Davidsbundlertanze, Carnaval... Wilhelm Kempff... now we're talking!


----------



## Tapkaara

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Disc 1: Papillons, Davidsbundlertanze, Carnaval... Wilhelm Kempff... now we're talking!


There is no better visual for the music of Schumann than wet grass...


----------



## Lukecash12

Tchaikovsky- The Nutcracker, Waltz of The Flowers. Great, great composer. Puts everything together in a remarkably meticulous way.


----------



## Conor71

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 - Ashkenazy/Previn/LSO


----------



## andruini

Listening to Disc 1. The bagatelles for Wind Quintet are completely charming. I definitely love Ligeti's music more and more with every listen.


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan- Le Preux (The Knight)


----------



## andruini




----------



## nickgray

Mahler - No.4, Svetlanov. This one got a much slower tempo than usual, making it a most interesting interpretation, it's very clear and transparent, allowing to take your time to appreciate the orchestration. Svetlanov is really a great conductor, it's a pity that he's somewhat unknown in the west.

edt: just finished listening to it, this is probably the most impressive record I've heard lately. If you happen to stumble upon it somehow you should most certainly try it, it's incredibly good.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Marvelous... shimmering... exquisite.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Friday night... time for another Russian epic opera.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad" - Jansons/St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous recording... must be played loud! Bartok is one of those composers who I have unjustly ignored for far too long and now I am jumping in with full enthusiasm.


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A marvelous recording... must be played loud! Bartok is one of those composers who I have unjustly ignored for far too long and now I am jumping in with full enthusiasm.


Have you noted the box set recently released by DG of Boulez' Bartok recordings? It's pretty darn impressive. That's an item for my Christmas list or something.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And now for something completely different:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

So far I am quite loving this new set. I've long admired Perahia's recordings of Bach and these recordings seem informed by his experience with Bach. There is a real pinpoint articulation... a shimmering of the notes... that clearly reveal Beethoven's to Mozart in the marvelous first concerto (currently listening to that selection). The real test will be no.s 4 and 5 which I have in numerous versions including Gilels, Serkin, Fleischer, Kempff, etc...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first listen to Tansman.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
James Levine/Chicago Symphony; Marilyn Horne, mezzo

Checked this out of the local library... never thought I'd see it there!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I always drive everyone nuts with this stuff:


----------



## nickgray

Mahler - Symphony No.5, Waart. Never heard this conductor before, but he seems to be doing pretty well.


----------



## dmg

Rondo for Violin and Orchestra no 1 in B flat major, K 269 (261a) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Emmy Verhey (Violin)
Conductor: Eduardo Marturet
Orchestra/Ensemble: Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra


----------



## fpulsipher

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor
Violinist - Anne-Sophie Mutter


----------



## dmg

Paganini


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished with this:










A fascination contemporary choral piece. Combines elements both tonal and atonal along with intimations of Minimalism. Quite a strong work from my first hearing.

Now I'm on to an unquestionable masterpiece... one of my absolute favorites:










Ravishingly sung by Renee Fleming. I can see why Solti declared he was having a love affair with her voice!


----------



## fpulsipher

Beethoven - Symphony #1


----------



## Sid James

A friend's cd's I listened to one the weekend:

*Gershwi*n: Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris (List/Cincinatti SO/Kunzel) Telarc

*Beethoven*: Symphony No. 4 (Dresen SO/Kegel) Capriccio (This is a more complex work than I thought. Shades of Haydn, but it's all Beethoven's own. I especially like the intricate finale. Look forward to seeing it done live in concert here in Sydney by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, in late November)

& these past few days:

*Diamond* - Suite from the ballet 'TOM;' This sacred ground; Symphony No. 8 (Choirs/Soloists/Seattle SO/Schwarz) Naxos

An interesting selection of USA composer David Diamond's works. I hadn't heard any music from this composer before, so I was eager to check him out. He seemed to compose in a wide variety of styles, and in many genres. The ballet suite from the ballet 'TOM,' based on the anti-slavery novel _Uncle Tom's Cabin_, is a typical piece of Americana, with shades of Copland coupled with a strong sense of rhythm. The work was never performed as a ballet, only as a concert suite. _This sacred ground _is a work for choir, baritone and orchestra, with text from Lincoln's _Gettysburg Address_. It was written in the 1960's but sounds as if it were composed in the 1940's, when composers were more concerned with creating a sense of national identity. The other two works are interesting, but the standout piece on this CD is the _Symphony No. 8_, which uses atonal techniques. Parts reminded me of Schoenberg's _Chamber Symphonies_. An interesting CD all round, and a good introduction to Diamond's s diverse output.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm currently listening to Martinu: Nipponari, Magic Nights and Czech Rhapsody. The works are clearly rooted in late-Romanticism with echoes of Mahler, Strauss, Zemlinsky, and especially Szymanowski... but there are also elements suggestive of Impressionsim... and elements quite unique (no doubt rooted in Czech musical traditions). Nipponari is based upon a collection of Japanese poetry while Magic Nights is based upon Chinese poetry... from the same collection which Mahler used as the basis of his Das Lied von der Erde. There are definite elements of Japanisme or Western attempts to capture something Japanese (or Chinese). The music is certainly worth further exploration. I might add that two of my favorite recent purchases are the collections Love Songs and Songs my Mother Taught Me by Magdalena Kozena which include some lovely songs by Martinu (and other Czech composers).


----------



## nickgray

Schnittke - (Not) A Midsummer Night's Dream. The title says it all


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2: Concertos 3 & 4


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan - Esquisses Op.63 No.28 - Inflexibilite


----------



## andruini

Lepo Sumera: Mushroom Cantata and other choral works..
Amazing disc.. His choral music is truly outstanding, unlike anything I've heard before.. What an unjustly forgotten composer!!


----------



## Lukecash12

andruini said:


> Lepo Sumera: Mushroom Cantata and other choral works..
> Amazing disc.. His choral music is truly outstanding, unlike anything I've heard before.. What an unjustly forgotten composer!!


Agreed. Such an interesting composer.


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> Lepo Sumera: Mushroom Cantata and other choral works..
> Amazing disc.. His choral music is truly outstanding, unlike anything I've heard before.. What an unjustly forgotten composer!!


Interesting sounding disc. I know he is Estonian...how would you describe his sound?


----------



## Tapkaara

Beethoven's 6th - Vanska/Minnesota


----------



## andruini

Tapkaara said:


> Interesting sounding disc. I know he is Estonian...how would you describe his sound?


It's really peculiar.. His symphonic music in particular is hard to peg down.. It's really modernist, seems to be strictly tonal for the most part, really awesome treatment of rythm and orchestral colour.. His choral music is quite amazing, I would describe it as a happier, more melodious Ligeti.  You should check him out.

And now I'm unto this one:


----------



## World Violist

I'm really craving some Boulez for no real reason whatsoever... early Rautavaara will have to do, I suppose... first four symphonies and a bunch of early concerti and whatnot on an old 2-disc Finlandia label release.


----------



## andruini

World Violist said:


> I'm really craving some Boulez for no real reason whatsoever... early Rautavaara will have to do, I suppose... first four symphonies and a bunch of early concerti and whatnot on an old 2-disc Finlandia label release.


Early Rautavaara...Boulez? I don't see it..


----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


> Early Rautavaara...Boulez? I don't see it..


It's that sort of rebellious 12-tone infant terrible type thing I'm more after. Boulez just seemed _right_ but I don't have any Boulez.

Sorry for the confusion, I fully realize that Boulez has nothing really in common with Rautavaara at all.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Absolutely stunning!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm really craving some Boulez...

Is that actually possible?


----------



## Conor71

Chopin: Ballade No. 1 - Demidenko


----------



## andruini

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm really craving some Boulez...
> 
> Is that actually possible?


Even I crave me some Marteau Sans Maître or Sur Incises from time to time..


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> Even I crave me some Marteau Sans Maître or Sur Incises from time to time..


Le Marteau san maitre...I cringe at the thought!!

Stravinksy did say about this piece: "It reminds me of ice clinking together in a cocktail glass."

I'd think you'd need a few cocktails to appreciate this "Masterless" Hammer.


----------



## nickgray

Pettersson - Symphony No.7, Albrecht.

This is the first time I'm listening to him (afair), and I must say it's great. The overall feeling reminds me of Shostakovich, it's definitely not an easy listening stuff, and it is that type of music that I like the most. Definitely looking forward to hear some more Pettersson later.


----------



## Lukecash12

Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 6, Op. 62 1. Modéré: mysterieux

It's a fairly rare recording of Sofronitsky playing this piece, so if you haven't heard it:


----------



## andruini

Tapkaara said:


> Le Marteau san maitre...I cringe at the thought!!
> 
> Stravinksy did say about this piece: "It reminds me of ice clinking together in a cocktail glass."
> 
> I'd think you'd need a few cocktails to appreciate this "Masterless" Hammer.


Wait, didn't I read somewhere that Stravinsky LOVED Marteau? I believe he thought it was one of the best modern compositions of its day.. I'm quite sure, actually..
It's not something I listen to often, but I can appreciate its importance.


----------



## Tapkaara

andruini said:


> Wait, didn't I read somewhere that Stravinsky LOVED Marteau? I believe he thought it was one of the best modern compositions of its day.. I'm quite sure, actually..
> It's not something I listen to often, but I can appreciate its importance.


Stravinsky did indeed love Le marteau. He said the thing about it sounding like ice in a cocktail glass. The bit about needing a cocktail to listen to it is not Stravinsky, it's me!


----------



## noestoycierto

I am listening to a CD entitled Georgian Sacred Music. It is by the Rustavi Ensemble. It wasn't meant to be 20th Century music, but the harmonies would belie that!


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Stravinsky did indeed love Le marteau. He said the thing about it sounding like ice in a cocktail glass. The bit about needing a cocktail to listen to it is not Stravinsky, it's me!


I'm beginning to gradually come to the realization that anything anyone says about anything else as far as music goes that is not written/said by Tapkaara and has anything to do with water and/or ice and/or cocktails (but not alcohol in general, necessarily) is something good in some way.

Apparently people don't try to think of anything different. There's this whole Marteau thing, and Boulez' Mahler 6 has been compared to being bludgeoned with... an icicle. And then, of course, one can't forget Sibelius' quote about his music as compared to other contemporary composers.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> I'm beginning to gradually come to the realization that anything anyone says about anything else as far as music goes that is not written/said by Tapkaara and has anything to do with water and/or ice and/or cocktails (but not alcohol in general, necessarily) is something good in some way.
> 
> Apparently people don't try to think of anything different. There's this whole Marteau thing, and Boulez' Mahler 6 has been compared to being bludgeoned with... an icicle. And then, of course, one can't forget Sibelius' quote about his music as compared to other contemporary composers.


Ahh, now I need a drink. On the rocks, of course!


----------



## nickgray

World Violist said:


> and Boulez' Mahler 6 has been compared to being bludgeoned with... an icicle.


Huh? Really? This is a most disturbing picture... I don't think I'll be able to enjoy Boulez' interpretation of 6th the same way I did before  Seriously, bludgeoned with an icicle?


----------



## Wagner




----------



## Lukecash12

Mstislav Rostropovich - Bach Cello Suite 5: Gigue


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2, _Symphony no. 2 in C-minor_

I'm quite impressed with how strong even these early works of Bruckner are.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vladimir Godar: _Mater_










An absolutely magical recording. Godar was born in Bratislava. This record collects a series of works scored for solo female vocals, chorus, and string orchestra. There are elements that recall the "holy minimalism" of Arvo Part and Henryck Gorecki as well as elements of Slavic folk music (the lead female singer Iva Bittova is not a classical/operatic singer but closer to a talented folk singer). The music broods with a dark East European sensibility... and drones with elements that recall medieval modal music or even aspects of Middle-Eastern music. This is a composer I want to hear much more of!


----------



## Lukecash12

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Vladimir Godar: _Mater_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An absolutely magical recording. Godar was born in Bratislava. This record collects a series of works scored for solo female vocals, chorus, and string orchestra. There are elements that recall the "holy minimalism" of Arvo Part and Henryck Gorecki as well as elements of Slavic folk music (the lead female singer Iva Bittova is not a classical/operatic singer but closer to a talented folk singer). The music broods with a dark East European sensibility... and drones with elements that recall medieval modal music or even aspects of Middle-Eastern music. This is a composer I want to hear much more of!


I'm afraid I haven't done much of an intimate study of Godar yet. I appreciate the reminder very much


----------



## andruini

After all that Marteau talk, I've decided to listen to a little compilation I snagged off the interwebs, which includes:

Kontra-Punkte for 10 Instruments, Op. 1 by Stockhausen
Serenata No. 1 for Flute and 14 Instruments by Berio
Le Marteau Sans Maître by Boulez
Oiseaux Exotiques by Messiaen


----------



## symphonicrevolution

Brahms Piano Trio in A, Posth. (2. Vivace)


----------



## Lukecash12

> From andruini:
> 
> Oiseaux Exotiques by Messiaen


Great choice, my friend.


----------



## World Violist

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Kurt Sanderling/Berlin Symphony

It's pretty darn amazing, I'm not gonna lie!


----------



## Sid James

*Ginastera* - Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (Marinis/Slovak RSO/Malaval) Naxos

Two very different piano concertos. The first, sounds more modernist, an extension of Bartok & Prokofiev. Although they're both atonal, the first one sounds more tonal, particuarly the finale '_Toccata_,' which was made into an Emerson Palmer & Lake song. The second has a different type of harmonic language, more informed by the directions that Varese had began to take. The recording sound is vivid, and all in all, this is a wonderful disc. I look forward to getting more Ginastera...

*Milhaud *- Le Creation du Monde; Saudades do Brasil (4 Dances) (French NO/Bernstein) EMI

Bernstein really understood this music well, and I don't agree with critics who said he didn't understand the French repertoire as well as he did others. He gives a breathy, spaced out and warm interpretation of the _4 Dances _(unfortunately he didn't record all 12), and _Le Creation _is also full of insight and charm. This Cd, in EMI's 'Great Recordings of the Century" series, also has Milhaud conducting the Hollywood Concert Arts Orchestra for the full set of Saudades; but his orchestra is smaller than Bernstein's, thus Milhaud's account has less gravitas for me.


----------



## Conor71

Liszt: Piano Works - Daniel Barenboim


----------



## andruini

Finished listening to a compilation of mexican orchestral works which inlcuded:

Cuauhnáhuac by Silvestre Revueltas
Symphonic Prelude by Alfredo Carrasco
Angelus by Miguel Bernal Jiménez
Clepsidra by Mario Lavista
Poema de Neruda by Blas Galindo
Ritual by Manuel Enríquez
Encantamiento de la Hija de Colquide by Carlos Chávez
Sinfonieta by José Pablo Moncayo
Fábula by Héctor Quintanar

Now I'm off to Disc 3 of the Ligeti DG box set.


----------



## Enkhbat

Watched Prokofiev's Romeo Juliet by LYON opera ballet. 
Fantastico. especially, Act3 ..


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan- Scherzo Focoso Op. 34


----------



## andruini

Listened to Lepo Sumera's Symphony No. 5, Music for Chamber Ensemble and In Memoriam, and now I'm off to Karajan's recording of The Planets.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc two- _Symphonic Etudes, Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana..._


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Lukecash12

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Disc two- _Symphonic Etudes, Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana..._


Personally, I think Sofronitsky made the best recordings of those pieces.


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek* - Glagolitic Mass; Diary of the one who disappeared (Soloists/Bavarian RSO & Ch./Kubelik) DG

This is the first time I have heard the _Glagolitic Mass _for years, and I think it's awesome! Grand, monumental, but not without intimacy in some parts. This has to be one of the greatest choral works of the C20th. It's also amazing how the composer was in his 70's when he wrote it. The performance, under Kubelik, has never sounded better, with excellent digital remastering. _The Diary of one who disappeared_ is also an interesting work, a song cycle for tenor, contralto, female choir & piano. This is an excellent reissue all round.

*Guarneri *- Piano Concertos 1-3 (Barros/Warsaw PO/Conlin) Naxos

I haven't heard many other Brazilian composers other than Villa-Lobos, so I decided to buy this disc of music by Mozart Camargo Guarneri, Brazil's second most famous composer (thanks also to bdelykleon on this site for informing me about him). Guarneri's music sounds more structured and tightly controlled than Villa-Lobos', but there is a commonality in that Guarneri also uses some Brazilian percussion instruments to give some local flavour to the music. This is a very enjoyable disc, one which I will get back to many times. All 3 concertos are different (he wrote 6), the 1st very Brazilian and folkish, the 2nd more sparsely orchestrated with a very dynamic, rhythmic piano part, and the 3rd is virtually a symphony-concerto.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Personally, I think Sofronitsky made the best recordings of those pieces.

I'm unfamiliar with his work. I quite like Rubinstein's Schumann but Kempff is never a slouch.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ooh! I quite like Uchida's Schubert. She really turned me onto his sonatas... although I have the complete Kempff recordings and the inimitable Brendel for the _Impromptus._


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Scriabin seems to be one of those figures that inspires a fanatical following out of all proportion to his merits or flaws... rather like opera... so much so, indeed, that there seems to be nothing approaching a consensus about who is the perfect or best interpreter. I find that Ponti's set is quite nice (although a bit lacking in the lower registers) and serviceable. It may also be the most complete collection... when combined with the sonatas. I do have Horowitz, Pletnev, and Hamelin's selections on my wish list.


----------



## Lukecash12

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Personally, I think Sofronitsky made the best recordings of those pieces.
> 
> I'm unfamiliar with his work. I quite like Rubinstein's Schumann but Kempff is never a slouch.


Well, fret no longer, my friend!

Sofronitsky plays Schumann Carnaval Op 9:

Part 1- 




Part 2- 




And the Symphonic Etudes Op. 13:

Part 1- 




Part 2- 




Part 3- 




And Sofronitsky's best performance of his entire life (my very favorite piano performance ever):

Scriabin Poem Tragique Op. 34- 




The most towering, sonorous, sensitive, rhythmic, performance on a piano ever. He's hidden a dificult technical exercise behind scores of wonderful musicality and clarity. If it's humanly possible, than Sofronitsky brought every good quality you can wrest out of a piano and injected it into this performance.

The only thing that comes even remotely close is Michaelangeli's performance of the Bach/Busoni Ciaccona:

Part 1- 




Part 2- 




That said, I don't mean to say that these are the two best universal recordings, rather that they are the best (in my opinion) for the piano.

Edit: Actually, there is one other performance that is on par with Sofronitzky's recording of the Poem Tragique. The fact that its Scriabin is purely coincidental, though:

Valeri Kastelsky plays Vers La Flamme-


----------



## Tapkaara

Beethoven's 3rd - NY Phil/Mehta


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues [Disc 1] - Keith Jarrett


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous collection of Debussy's piano music. I would highly recommend the whole set as a strong choice for a more recent version of these works. Of course I have the the inimitable historic Gieseking recordings as well.


----------



## Lukecash12

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A marvelous collection of Debussy's piano music. I would highly recommend the whole set as a strong choice for a more recent version of these works. Of course I have the the inimitable historic Gieseking recordings as well.


I know absolutely everyone says it, but Giesking made some awesome recordings of Debbusy's Arabesques.


----------



## Sid James

*Carter *- String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos


----------



## andruini

Total love. The Sextet is an incredible piece, and Six Marimbas is so soothing.


----------



## dmg




----------



## The Cosmos

Currently listening to Sibelius's symphony 1 by Paavo Berglund/Helsinki PO. Took me long enough to get it! Darn, I've been living under a rock or something. Fine performance indeed .


----------



## jhar26

Today:



















Listened to the Debussy preludes. Fascinating.


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek *- Taras Bulba (Cleveland Orch./Dohnanyi) Decca

*Janacek* - Glagolitic Mass; Diary of the one who disappeared (Soloists/Bavarian RSO & Ch./Kubelik) DG

*Guarneri* - Piano Concertos 1-3 (Barros/Warsaw PO/Conlin) Naxos

*Carter *- String Quartets 2-4 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos


----------



## World Violist

I'm currently watching Boulez explain "Sur Incises" on Youtube. I actually like it, too.

EDIT: Now listening to ...explosante-fixe... on Youtube. Amazing!!!


----------



## Lukecash12

Andre said:


> *Janacek *- Taras Bulba (Cleveland Orch./Dohnanyi) Decca
> 
> *Janacek* - Glagolitic Mass; Diary of the one who disappeared (Soloists/Bavarian RSO & Ch./Kubelik) DG
> 
> *Guarneri* - Piano Concertos 1-3 (Barros/Warsaw PO/Conlin) Naxos
> 
> *Carter *- String Quartets 2-4 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos


Seems like a lot of folks (me included) can't get Janacek out of their heads lately


----------



## Sid James

Lukecash12 said:


> Seems like a lot of folks (me included) can't get Janacek out of their heads lately


I've always liked Janacek, ever since I was acquainted with his music about 10 years ago. Quite an interesting composer, because he really came into his own relatively late in life. So many masterpieces flowed from his pen in his last decades. He definitely had a unique style...


----------



## Lukecash12

Andre said:


> I've always liked Janacek, ever since I was acquainted with his music about 10 years ago. Quite an interesting composer, because he really came into his own relatively late in life. So many masterpieces flowed from his pen in his last decades. He definitely had a unique style...


Out of any one composer, I think he wrote the best sonata for violin and piano.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In the mood for something a bit...... "antiquated"?


----------



## andruini

Continuing with a lengthy selection of Steve Reich music to help me get through a big load of schoolwork.. It's perfect working music.

-Music for a Large Ensemble
-Music for Mallet Instruments, Voice and Organ
-Triple Quartet
-Octet
-Sextet
-The Desert Music


----------



## sunnyyuan

Lady Gaga's Just Dance


----------



## Conor71

Bach (J.S): The Well-Tempered Clavier - Book I [Disc 2] - Bernard Roberts


----------



## nickgray

Mahler - No.6, Solti.

Man, Solti is so good here, I've been exploring Bertini, Kondrashin, Inbal, and some more obscure and rare recordings for months, and I totally forgot how great Solti's Mahler is. I think I'm gonna stick with his interpretations for a week or two.


----------



## Conor71

Glazunov: Violin Concerto - Heifetz/Hendl/RCAVSO


----------



## Lukecash12

Griffes - The Fountains of the Acqua Paola


----------



## Sid James

I've been spending a lot of time listening to *Villa-Lobos *lately, as the 50th anniversary of his death is coming up later this month:

_Bachianas Brasilieras No. 3; Momoprecoce; Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone & orch.; Guitar Concerto; solo piano works _(Ortiz/Harle/Romero/Philharmonia/Ashkenazy/etc.) EMI Gemini, 2 cd's


----------



## andruini

jhar26 said:


> Today:


Ha! I just finished listening to that recording right now.. What an amazing work and what an amazing recording.. Brought tears to my eyes.


----------



## andruini

Listening to Martinu's String Quartets 1 - 3 by the Stamitz Quartet.


----------



## Lukecash12

Luigi Boccherini- String Quintet No 6 in G major G. 395


----------



## nickgray

Berlioz - Grande Messe des Morts, Levine


----------



## Il Seraglio

Just finished listening to Rick Wigglesworth conduct Stravinsky's symphony for wind instruments and Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2 (much better than No. 3 actually) with the BBC Radio Symphony Orchestra on Radio 3. He started to play one of his own compositions afterwards, but it was very atonal and I just couldn't keep my attention on it.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Lukecash12 said:


> Luigi Boccherini- String Quintet No 6 in G major G. 395


Love that piece. I own a version recorded by Chiara Banchini and Ensemble 415. Very nice.


----------



## Lukecash12

Il Seraglio said:


> Love that piece. I own a version recorded by Chiara Banchini and Ensemble 415. Very nice.


That and No 5 is fantastic too. He wrote an awful lot of music for the cello, obviously, and I'm a big fan of the cello. So he is one of my very favorite Baroque-Classical transitional composers.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Scarlatti's sonatas were famously described by the Italian poet, Gabriele d'Annunzio as comparable to the sound made when a necklace breaks and the glistening pearls rain down in a resounding hail bouncing and rolling about like precious bubbles or drops of watery beauty. This poetic description almost perfectly describes Scarlatti's sonatas for indeed they suggest shimmering and dancing gems... a light dancing rain of exquisite musical notes.


----------



## Lukecash12

Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Allegro 

You can never go wrong with this one.


----------



## andruini

Stravinsky: The Firebird; Scherzo à la Russe; Scherzo Fantastique; Fireworks (Stravinsky; CSO)


----------



## andruini

Tallis: Music for Henry VIII (Dixon; Chapelle du Roi)


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Sid James

*Saygun*: From Anatolia; 12 Preludes on Askak Rhythms; Inci's Book; 10 Sketches on Askak Rhythms; Sonatina (Ucbasaran) Naxos

*Ligeti*: Requiem; Aventures; Nouvelles Aventures (Ericson/Poli/Bavarian Radio Choir/Hessen Orch/Gielen/others) Wergo


----------



## Tapkaara

Stabat mater by Pergolesi - Cologne Chamber Orchestra/Helmut Muller-Bruhl


----------



## andruini

Sumera: Cello Concerto; Musica Profana; Symphony No. 6


----------



## The Cosmos

Gustav Holst - The Planets
Charles Dutoit / Montreal Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Tapkaara

The Cosmos said:


> Gustav Holst - The Planets
> Charles Dutoit / Montreal Symphony Orchestra


A reference recording. Absolutely stunning performance.


----------



## The Cosmos

Stunning performance indeed! The only other recording I've got is by Levine/CSO which is pretty good too, but I feel this one is much better. Mars is really heavy and at-your-face (it's a war theme after all I guess) but Saturn is the highlight for me. Absolutely crushing! (the slow build-up still haunts me). Mercury and Jupiter even things out pretty well. All in all, a stellar performance.


----------



## Tapkaara

I have much love for the Levine/CSO recording too. 

You should check out the Jones/Scotland recording of The Planets on Naxos. Excellent sound and great gusto, much like these performances. (Mars is astounding on this recording.) The only drawback is that Colin Matthew's "addendum" Pluto is included after Neptune. It wouldn't be an issue if there was a break between Neptune and Pluto, but there isn't. As the sound in Neptune fades, it never quite fades to complete silence and it builds again to Matthew's piece. It not that it's bad...it just isn't Holst. There should have been a break between the two tracks so listeners could have the option to listen or not.


----------



## Il Seraglio

This...










Just wonderful, genius music. I'm starting to think Brahms belongs to the same canon of epoch-making musical masters as Bach and Mozart.


----------



## nickgray

Shostakovich - Symphony No.5, Sanderling. A very introspective interpretation - detailed and clear, nothing is rushed, yet all the tension is still there (but nothing over-the-top). Should be very enjoyable to people who know this symphony well.

argh, the opening of the 4th movement is done fast  though because of the slower than usual Largo it's not that awkward


----------



## Tapkaara

Suite francaise by F. Poulenc - Orchestre national de Lille/Casadesus


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek *- On an overgrown path; Sonata 1.X.1905 "From the Street;" In the mists; Concertino; Capriccio; etc. (Firkusny/Bavarian RSO members/Kubelik) DG

*J. Strauss Jnr*. - Die Fledermaus highlights (Soloists/Vienna PO & Ch./Bohm) Decca


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 6, "Durnitz" - Mitsuko Uchida


----------



## andruini

Listening to a bit of the Quasthoff/Otter/Abbado disc of Schubert orchestrated Lieder. An Die Musik is so amazing. Perfect song if there is one..
Gonna listen to Proverb, Nagoya Marimbas and City Life by Steve Reich afterwards..


----------



## Tapkaara

Le Sacre du printemps by I. Stravinsky - Salonen/Los Angeles


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen*: Poemes pour Mi; Les offrandes oubliees; Un sourire (Schwanewilms, Lyon National Orchestra, Markl) Naxos

_Poemes pour Mi _for soprano & orchestra has to be one of the best song cycles of the C20th...


----------



## Lukecash12

Charles Valentin Alkan
Twenty Five Preludes Op. 31
Prelude No. 7 in Eb major


----------



## andruini




----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 4 by Beethoven - Vanska/Minnesota


----------



## Praine

Tapkaara said:


> Symphony no. 4 by Beethoven - Vanska/Minnesota


Beethoven's 4th Symphony is so awesome. I listened to it twice yesterday, but it had Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It was a great performance. The 3rd symphony was also on that tape so I heard that twice as well! Yep, 'twas an good day.

Right now I'm listening to Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Louis Lortie conducting the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. A quaint little piece.


----------



## Sid James

Reign of Praine said:


> Beethoven's 4th Symphony is so awesome...


& more complex than what most people would give it credit for. One can clearly hear the influence of Haydn in the first movement especially, but this work is much more vigorous than old papa. The second movement is also very direct and lively for a slow movement. The third movement has the most memorable tune of the work, while the fourth shows complex counterpoint, the influence perhaps of Handel. I'm still coming to terms with it after recently re-acquainting myself with it (conducted by Kegel), I have to do this because I'll be attending an Australian Chamber Orchestra concert the weekend after next when it will be on the bill. It will be interesting to see it played by a smaller orchestra, probably how the composer himself would have heard it...


----------



## Sid James

*Verdi* - Macbeth (Mascherini/Callas/Tajo/others/Ch. & Orch. of La Scala Milan/de Sabata) Membran/Quadromania - coupled with Otello, which I haven't heard yet.

Despite the poor sound (this was recorded live in 1952), this performance is electrifying. Baritone Enzo Mascherini as Macbeth & soprano Maria Callas as Lady Macbeth give very memorable performances. Obviously, this is a very dark work, known mainly to present-day audiences for it's chorus of refugees "Oppressed country," (patria oppressa) but there is much more to the opera than that. Callas' performances of Lady Macbeth's arias is hair-raising (almost), and the rest of the cast offer great support. Initially, I regretted buying this mono performance, as like many I am used to the clarity of modern stereo & digital recordings, but once I got past that, I was able to enjoy fully what this rendition has to offer. Pretty brilliant if you ask me, and I haven't heard the Otello yet which is coupled with it on this four-disc set...

*Mozart* - Salzburg Symphonies (Divertimenti K. 136-138); Divertimento K. 205 (Capella Istropolitana/Edlinger) Naxos

Mozart is not my favourite composer by far, but I haven't heard a Divertimento by any composer that I didn't like. The one in D, K. 136 especially has this very vigorous opening which is quite riveting. All in all a pretty good disc, in fine digital sound. I can suggest these works for people who've heard & liked some of Mozart's other chamber works, such as the _Little Night Music_...


----------



## andruini

Listening to Copland's amazing Clarinet Concerto.


----------



## Tapkaara

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in F Major by A. Vivaldi - Korchin/St Petersberg New Classical Orchestra - Flute: Sergei Bashanov


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 8, Celi/Munich


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Verdi... marvelously sung.


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan- Treize Prieres

Kevin Bowyer (organist)


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23, Op. 57, "Appassionata"


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

I have never heard Pictures At An Exhibition played with this power. I shopped for years looking for a recording like this one and it blew away all of the others.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 6 - Alfred Brendel


----------



## Tapkaara

Salieri=Innocent said:


> I have never heard Pictures At An Exhibition played with this power. I shopped for years looking for a recording like this one and it blew away all of the others.


Try Kuchar/Ukraine on Naxos is you like a powerful Pictures. Bargain price, awesome sound and nice bass.


----------



## andruini

Langgaard: Symphony No. 4 "Løvfald"; Sympony No. 5 (Version 1); and Symphony No. 5 (Version 2) "Steppenatur" ("Sommersagnsdrama") - Dausgaard/DNSO


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 1 by J. Sibelius - Bernstein/Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## World Violist

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

...aka most visceral piece of work I've ever experienced in all my life.


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 5 by P. Tchaikovsky - Bernstein/New York


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
> Bernstein/New York Philharmonic
> 
> ...aka most visceral piece of work I've ever experienced in all my life.


Where did you find it?


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

This is one of my favorites of all time. I know it may seem a little over produced, but this just has everything I could want in a recording.


----------



## Tapkaara

Salieri=Innocent said:


> This is one of my favorites of all time. I know it may seem a little over produced, but this just has everything I could want in a recording.


Now THAT'S what I call an anachronistic album cover!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now THAT'S what I call an anachronistic album cover!

Yeah, that's a classic, ain't it?

Currently listening to this cycle:










Now on Symphony no. 4 (after listening to the first disc of nos. 1 and 3 twice). A marvelous and underrated work. No wonder it was called "miraculous" by earlier critics.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

*Varese* - Arcana; Offrandes; Octandre; Integrales; Deserts (Castets/Polish NRSO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos

*Janacek*- Variations; On an overgrown path; Reminiscence; Sonata I.X.1905 'From the street;' In the mists; Concertino; Capriccio (Firkusny/Mbrs. Bavarian RSO/Kubelik) DG

*Tal* - Symphonies 1-3; Festive Vision (NDRSO/Yinon) cpo

*Gubaidulina* - In croce; Silenzio; Sieben Worte (Kliegel/Moser/Rabus/Camerata Transsylvanica/Selmeczi) Naxos

In these works, for cello, violin and the Russian button accordion, Gubaidulina explores the outer reaches of music. There is a certain spirituality about these works; they inhabit the same space as Messiaen's _Quartet for the end of time_. I like how she pushes the instruments to their limit, to make sounds that you don't hear anywhere else, but the language remains tonal. This is an amazing disc, and I look forward to getting more Gubaidulina...


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso"


----------



## Sid James

*Takemitsu* - Spirit Garden; Three Film Scores for strings (Bournemouth SO/Alsop) Naxos

*Ifukube* - Sinfonia Tapkaara; Ritmica Ostinata; Symphonic Fantasy No. 1 (Saranceva/Russian PO/Yablonsky) Naxos

*Mozart* - Salzburg Symphonies (Capella Istropolitana/Edlinger) Naxos
*
Henze* - Violin Concertos 1 & 3; 5 Night Pieces (Skaerved/Saarbruken SO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A real eclectic mix tonight:


















-Disc 4



















And now I finish the evening with God himself:


















-Disc 7


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *Takemitsu* - Spirit Garden; Three Film Scores for strings (Bournemouth SO/Alsop) Naxos
> 
> *Ifukube* - Sinfonia Tapkaara; Ritmica Ostinata; Symphonic Fantasy No. 1 (Saranceva/Russian PO/Yablonsky) Naxos


To go from Takemitsu to Ifukube in one sitting is quite a leap!

Spirit Garden is an attractive work.


----------



## The Cosmos

Bartók - Concerto for Orchestra
Fritz Reiner/CSO

I'm not a big bartok fan, but this must be one of the creepiest/mysterious works I've ever heard, and is weirdly melodious almost throughout!


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> To go from Takemitsu to Ifukube in one sitting is quite a leap!
> 
> Spirit Garden is an attractive work.


Those two are the only two cd's I have of Japanese composers, and I felt like listening to a bit of music from that country. I'm really getting into non-European music these days. I've got a small amount of music from the Americas, Australia, Japan, and even Israel (Josef Tal) & Turkey (Saygun). I don't seem to come across this type of music that often in the shops, so every time I see something interesting like that, I just grab it...

Now my current listening:

*Liszt *- Sonata in B minor; Funerailles; & works by Chopin, Schumann, Debussy (Horowitz) EMI

Horowitz was generally not considered to be a poet of the piano, but in these recordings (particularly the Liszt), he really shows his contemplative side. The recordings, made in the 1930's, show him in top form & the remastering is excellent.

*Kodaly* - Hary Janos Suite; Dances of Marosszek; & Galanta; Psalmus Hungaricus (Haefliger/Choirs/Berlin RSO/Fricsay) DG

A very good recording, in early stereo & mono, Fricsay was in top form here. The only grumble I have is that the _Psalmus Hungaricus_ is performed in German not Hungarian, but I guess you can't have everything...


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 In C Minor, Op. 111


----------



## Praine

Absolutely fantastic. First time I've listened to Stenhammar and although I'm only on the first disc, I'm completely blown away. The first symphony is magnificent and the "idyllic Bruckner" description that Stenhammar applied to it definitely holds true. I can compare moments of the Adagio here to the Adagio of Bruckner's Seventh.


----------



## JSK

That is a great Kodaly CD Andre!


----------



## bassClef

Praine said:


> Absolutely fantastic. First time I've listened to Stenhammar and although I'm only on the first disc, I'm completely blown away. The first symphony is magnificent and the "idyllic Bruckner" description that Stenhammar applied to it definitely holds true. I can compare moments of the Adagio here to the Adagio of Bruckner's Seventh.


I listened to this myself for the first time only yesterday. Pretty fine agreed.


----------



## akaba

i JUST LIKE TO RECOMEND THIS LINK. ITS THE OPERA SINGER ANNA EKLUND TARANTINO DOING UNDERGROUND LIVE CONSERTS EVERY WEDNESDAY.http://bambuser.com/channel/Punkis/broadcast/333381 ITS REALLY WORTH VISITING.


----------



## emiellucifuge

Dvorak - Slavonic Dances


----------



## Sid James

*Hovhaness* - Celestial Fantasy; Meditation on Orpheus (Seattle SO/Schwarz) Delos

_Celestial Fantasy_ (1935, orch. 1944), unlike what the name implies, is a four-part fugue for string orchestra. It's actually a pretty dark work for Hovhaness. _Meditation on Orpheus_ (1958) is based on the Greek legend, and has some very innovative & spectacular orchestral effects.

*Shostakovich* - Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

Both of these concertos are excellent, but I really like the second one. It's so modern (or is it post-modern?), parts of it sound like they could have been composed today, not in the 1960's. This just shows how Shostakovich, once that monster Stalin died, was no longer afraid to experiment with the latest avant-garde techniques.

*Verdi* - Otello, Acts 1 & 2 (NY Metropolitan Opera/Busch, rec. 1948) Membran/Quadromania

A good interpretation, although the sound is not great as this was done live, not in a studio. There is real pathos and drama in this opera, although one can argue that the role of Iago is a bit predictable (the big bad guy) by today's standards.

*Liszt *- Sonata in B minor, Funerailles; *Chopin* - a selection of mazurkas, nocturnes and etudes; works by Schumann, Debussy (Horowitz) EMI

Apart from Horowitz's Liszt, his Chopin is also excellent. He is able to coax the most subtle colourings from the piano, and his accounts are full of the melancholy & pensiveness that Chopin's music is known for. A surprise on the CD is Horowitz's account of one of the Debussy etudes, which shows him as a very adaptable pianist, able to go beyond the Romantic repertoire. One could only imagine what the result would have been if he had recorded a complete set of the Debussy Etudes or Preludes. Judging from this, it would have probably been a pretty good interpretation...


----------



## andruini




----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 2 by C. Nielsen - Schonwandt/Danish National


----------



## emiellucifuge

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 1-9

Adrian Boult & London Philharmonic Orchestra

Cant find an image, currently on the London Symphony


----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

*Dutilleux & Lutoslawski* - Cello Concertos (Rostropovich/Orch. de Paris/Baudo/Lutoslawski) EMI

*Janacek* - Diary of the one who disappeared (Griffel/Haefliger/Women's ch./Kubelik, pno.) DG

*Janacek* - Orchestral suites from the operas (arr. Peter Breiner) Vol. 2 - Kat'a Kabanova & The Makropulos Affair (Leppanen, vln./New Zealand SO/Breiner) Naxos


----------



## Conor71

Debussy: Preludes Book 2


----------



## Conor71

Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15


----------



## nickgray

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde, Pappano


----------



## Tapkaara

Pulcinella by I. Stravinsky - Craft/Philharmonia


----------



## World Violist

I'm going to put John Cage's 4'33" on repeat for an indefinite amount of time...


----------



## Guest

Rachmaninov's Etudes-Tableaux Opp. 32 & 39 - Howard Shelley
and
Mahler Symphony No. 9 - Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> I'm going to put John Cage's 4'33" on repeat for an indefinite amount of time...


There are probably people in this forum that ACTUALLY do that...


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 1 by M. Balakirev - Golovchin/Russian State


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> There are probably people in this forum that ACTUALLY do that...


I think that everyone does that subconsciously...










No more 4'33" for me, I'm going absolute here.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Philippe Herreweghe!


----------



## andruini




----------



## dmg

*Oratorio de Noel* - Domine, ergo credidi.

Such a beautiful piece of music. <3


----------



## andruini

dmg said:


> *Oratorio de Noel* - Domine, ergo credidi.
> 
> Such a beautiful piece of music. <3


I love A Ceremony of Carols. Perfect Christmas music.


----------



## Conor71

Verdi: La Traviata


----------



## Dim7

Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 5, 2nd movement Adagio

Now this is unusual, the slow movement is my favorite movement from this symphony.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finally got around to a first listening of this. I absolutely
loved it.:throb: I say this especially because this production
received some rather mixed reviews on Amazon. Of course
one needs to consider that opera (for whatever reason) produces
far more than its fair share of absolutely obsessive fanatics
who will relentlessly attack the most talented performers
for the simple reason that they are not their own personal
favorite. One can find endless postings on YouTube, for example,
in which Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Angela Gheorghiu, etc...
are called "whores" and worse... by a poster who happens to be
the fan of another diva. In this particular instance, Bellini's _La_
_Sonombula_ has been previously recorded by two of the
biggest and most beloved (deservedly) divas: Maria Callas and Joan
Sutherland. Not taking anything away from Sutherland or Callas...
both of whom I love... I still found this set to be absolutely splendid.
The sound was crystal clear, the entire cast is rock solid, the 
production stunning... down to the beautiful packaging in a 
hard-cover book with color photographs, essays, the libretto, etc...
And of course the music... well that goes without saying, doesn't it?
Bel Canto at its finest.:throb:


----------



## Praine

Béla Bartók - Piano Concerto No. 2
Piano: Natacha Kudritskaya
Conductor: Christoph Campestrini
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Fantastic piece and recording. The second movement restored my faith in Bartok as an extremely original and great composer.


----------



## Sid James

*Sculthorpe* - Piano Concerto (Fogg/Melbourne SO/Fredman) ABC Classics

*Lutoslawski *- Piano Concerto (Paleczny/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

*"Concertos from Spain"* works for piano & orch. by Albeniz, Turina, Montsalvatge, Surinach (de Larrocha/LSO/RPO/de Burgos) Decca

This is a pretty good compilation. Alicia de Larrocha plays with poetry, flair and drama in these varied works. The highlights of the disc are the Albeniz & the Surinach. Albeniz' _Rapsodia espanola_, a work originally composed for two pianos but here arranged for piano & orchestra by Cristobal Halffter. Surinach's _Piano Concerto_ is excellent, I especially like the syncopated ending which seems to combine Bach with Spanish flamenco music.

*Ifukube* - Sinfonia Tapkaara; Symphonic Fantasia No. 1 (Russian PO/Yablonsky) Naxos

*Messiaen* - Poemes pour Mi; Les offrandes oubliees; Un sourire (Schwanewilms, sop/Lyon NO/Markl) Naxos


----------



## Conor71

Puccini: Madama Butterfly


----------



## Guest

Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 2 - Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## Sid James

Just heard on radio here in Sydney:

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 9 (Moscow RSO/Barshai) - A compelling performance, recorded live.


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to these two, which I borrowed from the local library:

*Martin* - Cello Concerto; Ballade for cello & piano; 8 preludes for piano (Poltera, c/Stott, p/Malmo SO/Ollila-Hannikainen) BIS

*Walton* - Cello Concerto; solo cello works by Bloch, Ligeti, Britten, Walton (Wispelwey/Sydney SO/Tate) ONYX


----------



## Air

I'm giving Penderecki another try. Just finished the Threnody and am listening to "Fluorescences for orchestra", with Antoni Wit conducting the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## World Violist

Some random soundtracks (probably Final Fantasy IX first; I've always been a sucker for Nobuo Uematsu).


----------



## Dim7

World Violist said:


> Some random soundtracks (probably Final Fantasy IX first; I've always been a sucker for Nobuo Uematsu).


Orchestral version (



) for "One Winged Angel" is pretty cool. Gotta love that evil, chromatic intro especially... Maybe this is the reason for my chromaticism fetish, those days playing FF VII as a kid.


----------



## Sid James

Air said:


> I'm giving Penderecki another try. Just finished the Threnody and am listening to "Fluorescences for orchestra", with Antoni Wit conducting the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


Have you heard his _Cello Concerto No. 1_? It's just as brutal as the _Threnody_. Lucky it only lasts about 15 minutes, any longer & it would be even more exasperating. His _Dies Irae ("Auschwitz Oratorio")_ sounds like the moaning of the souls of the dead. The choral _Canticles of Solomon_ is also very spooky. & his _Symphony No. 1_ has the most amazing textures. I really like Penderecki, but the mood he seems to portray best is "dark." I think he's still one of the most serious composers around today, even though some of his more recent compositions have a neo-Romantic flavour to them...


----------



## Air

Andre said:


> Have you heard his _Cello Concerto No. 1_? It's just as brutal as the _Threnody_. Lucky it only lasts about 15 minutes, any longer & it would be even more exasperating. His _Dies Irae ("Auschwitz Oratorio")_ sounds like the moaning of the souls of the dead. The choral _Canticles of Solomon_ is also very spooky. & his _Symphony No. 1_ has the most amazing textures. I really like Penderecki, but the mood he seems to portray best is "dark." I think he's still one of the most serious composers around today, even though some of his more recent compositions have a neo-Romantic flavour to them...


I actually only have one Penderecki CD as I have never really understood his music very well until recently. The "Fluorescences for orchestra" i mentioned earlier was absolutely amazing... it's the one with the typewriter, siren, and cowbells... an incredible study of sound i should say.

Right now I'm listening to one of his later works: the Symphony No. 3 written 1988-1995. He's calmed down a bit on his "sound" experiments but his "dark Romantic" flavour is still there. The last four movements are just insane, and the whole thing is surprisingly accessible. What fascinates me is his ability to connect with the modern audience by using modern effects (even subliminal at times). The second and fifth movements resemble a modern version of Beethoven and the fourth is (dare I invent this word) Gubaidulina-ish, except with his tension Penderecki portrays doom instead of suspense. It's a great work overall - I have to say this one trumps even Gorecki's 3rd as my favorite symphony written in the late C20th.


----------



## Sid James

Air said:


> I actually only have one Penderecki CD as I have never really understood his music very well until recently...


I haven't heard those two works, but I've heard similar ones. I've got a 2 cd EMI set which I purchased for a mere $15 of Penderecki's own 1970's recordings of the early texture-type music, eg. _Symphony No. 1, Cello Concerto No. 1, Threnody, Partita, De natura sonoris, Canticle of Solomon, Capriccio_, etc. I've also got his _Symphony No. 8 'Songs of Transcience'_(quite Mahlerian) and a chamber music cd (shades of Shostakovich & Britten) from that Naxos series, and they can also be described as 'dark-(neo-)Romantic' music with modern techniques/effects thrown in. I will get to his other symphonies at some stage, I'm particularly interested in the ones in which he uses chorus & soloists. His music really stands up to repeated listening, I think. I probably like his earlier output better, but there's much to gain from his later works, as you point out...


----------



## Guest

Brahms - Violin Sonatas - Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Conor71

Weber: Der Freischütz


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Some random soundtracks (probably Final Fantasy IX first; I've always been a sucker for Nobuo Uematsu).


No, in fact I lied... random Takemitsu pieces on Youtube.


----------



## andruini

Probably the only one on here who is stoked (or knows) about this, but I've been playing the new Animal Collective EP non-stop for the past two days.


----------



## Lukecash12

andruini said:


> Probably the only one on here who is stoked (or knows) about this, but I've been playing the new Animal Collective EP non-stop for the past two days.


And what exactly is that? You've got me curious.


----------



## Aramis

No. 8

YARRRRR!


----------



## andruini

Lukecash12 said:


> And what exactly is that? You've got me curious.


Well, I don't know how much it would actually interest you, but Animal Collective is an experimental-electronic band, pretty much the best band out there right now, in my opinion. If you're ever in the mood for some non-classical and want to see who's at the forefront of popular music nowadays, I suggest you check them out.


----------



## Sid James

*Lees* - String Quartets 1, 5, 6 (Cypress Q) Naxos

Benjamin Lees (b. 1924) is a contemporary American composer. His style is tonal, but like Shostakovich, Britten & Messiaen he has a progressive approach to tonality. These are quartets that display a range of moods, from light to dark. No. 5 (2002) is my favourite, it's quite a serious work, displaying the influences of composers listed above, but it's all Lees' own. No. 6 (2005) is lighter, showing the wit and sarcasm of Shostakovich at times. & there's a big difference between these two and No. 1, which was composed in 1952. All in all a quite enjoyable disc of music by an important but little known composer, & I hope that Naxos brings out another volume of these excellent quartets.


----------



## Air

*Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach
Concerto in d minor for Harpsichord, Violins, Viola and Basso Continuo
Gustav Leonhardt / Leonhardt-Consort
*

Very dramatic and beautiful music.


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Die Zauberflote


----------



## Praine

Just listened:










Now listening:










Really glad I found this composer. Very obscure but very good.


----------



## andruini

Praine said:


> Just listened:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now listening:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Really glad I found this composer. Very obscure but very good.


Never heard of this composer.. What is his/her music like? Sounds interesting.


----------



## Sid James

*Carter* - String Quartets 2-4 (Pacifica Q) Naxos - Just listening to Carter, as a contrast to the Lees quartets which I have also been listening to.

*Walton *- Cello Concerto; solo cello works by Bloch, Britten, Ligeti, Walton (Wispelwey/Sydney SO/Tate) Onyx - Walton's concerto takes you on a journey. It's similar in format to his two other string concertos, whose structure owes much to Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1. A pretty dark work, with a quicksilver scherzo at it's centre. Very well played by Wispelwey, recorded in a live performance a few years back here in Sydney.

*J. Strauss Jnr. *- Die Fledermaus (Soloists/Vienna State Opera Ch./VPO/Bohm) Decca - Some froth & bubble just for some relaxation!


----------



## Praine

andruini said:


> Never heard of this composer.. What is his/her music like? Sounds interesting.


Well I would describe his music as being really quite conservative in the romantic idiom. He was a pupil of Mendelssohn so that probably played a role in it and you can definitely hear that influence. Just finished that symphony on the second album and I would happily listen to it again. I'll reccomend it to you if you like the more traditional music of the romantic era (Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, etc...).


----------



## Air

*Carl Nielsen
Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
Blomstedt / Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra*

Life is powerful.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Takashi Asahina/Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

I think this is one of those unknown greats; despite my not having a great deep appreciation for Bruckner's 9th symphony, I am shocked by the intensity of emotion in this recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## nickgray

World Violist said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
> Takashi Asahina/Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra


Yeah, Asahina's a great conductor! It's most unfortunate that he is virtually unknown in the west. You should also try Celibidache's Bruckner, it's somewhat similar to Asahina's.


----------



## World Violist

nickgray said:


> Yeah, Asahina's a great conductor! It's most unfortunate that he is virtually unknown in the west. You should also try Celibidache's Bruckner, it's somewhat similar to Asahina's.


I know Celibidache's Bruckner quite well; in fact, his interpretations were what more or less got me into bruckner in the first place. His recording of the fourth symphony (on EMI) must be one of the most moving recordings ever made.

I agree it's a shame Asahina is unknown in the West, especially for his Bruckner. I've since listened to that Bruckner 9th, and it is towering, an enormous human experience. I don't understand the symphony very much at all, yet I'm still deeply moved by that first movement (the third movement never has made much sense to me yet--much like Tchaikovsky's 6th in that regard, I suppose).


----------



## nickgray

Schmidt - Symphony No.3, Rajter


----------



## World Violist

Takemitsu: Orchestral Works; Marin Alsop, Bournemouth Symphony
Very satisfying music, lush, absolutely gorgeous, meditative, slow, with infinite amounts of inner detail that are brought out extremely well by the Bournemouth Symphony.

and then I'll listen to this again:








Ifukube: Sinfonia Tapkaara; Yablonsky, Russian Philharmonic
This piece is very moving and emotionally very satisfying, with stunning use of ostinato in the outer movements and a wonderful slow movement that is as reflective as anything by Mahler, yet never falls into any sort of banality or sentimentality. This is simply a MUST-hear symphony!


----------



## World Violist

Takemitsu Chamber Music (from Naxos). Currently on the "Cape Cod" movement of "Toward the Sea". Very beautiful.


----------



## Sid James

I've got those two Naxos Japanese Classics Cd's (Ifukube & Takemitsu). I think they were both great composers, but Ifukube is easier to absorb & understand than Takemitsu - he takes more time. I enjoy listening to both of them, they are quite good discs...

Now for some of my weekend & current listening:

*Lutoslawski *- Symphonic Variations; Little Suite; Symphony No. 2; Piano Concerto (Paleczny/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

*Lutoslawski* - Preludes & Fugue; Paroles Tristees; 3 Poems de Henri Michaux; 5 Songs for soprano & orch.; Cello Concerto; String Quartet (Soloists/Polish NRSO/Lutoslawski/Alban Berg Q) EMI

*Kodaly* - Hary Janos suite; Dances of Marosszek & Galanta; Psalmus Hungaricus (Haefliger/Berlin RSO/Fricsay) DG

*Shostakovich* - Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

*Janacek* - Suites from the operas Kat'a Kabanova & The Makropolous Affair (arr. Breiner) (New Zealand SO/Breiner) Naxos

*Ligeti* - Chamber Concerto; Ramifications (Orch. & chbr. versions); Lux Aeterna; Atmospheres (Ensemble die reihe Wien/Cerha/others) Wergo


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to Menuhin playing Bach's Chaconne, presumably from his 1950's cycle of the sonatas and partitas (the source from which I got it doesn't say). Regardless, it's the most intense Bach I've ever heard. Especially the arpeggiated section from the first minor section, which becomes a monumental force of nature. The way the phrases grow and develop are not like anything I've ever heard--they just keep growing and growing, and by the time they resolve (at the very end of the whole piece, by the way; Menuhin does not let up for the entire duration) you are entirely at its mercy. This is the great, noble Bach; not for HIPsters.


----------



## Air

*Xaver Scharwenka
Piano Concerto No. 4
Stephen Hough
Foster / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
*

A real find.  Probably one of the best romantic piano concertos out there.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 In Eb Major, Op. 73, "Emperor"


----------



## andruini




----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Takemitsu: Orchestral Works; Marin Alsop, Bournemouth Symphony
> Very satisfying music, lush, absolutely gorgeous, meditative, slow, with infinite amounts of inner detail that are brought out extremely well by the Bournemouth Symphony.
> 
> and then I'll listen to this again:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ifukube: Sinfonia Tapkaara; Yablonsky, Russian Philharmonic
> This piece is very moving and emotionally very satisfying, with stunning use of ostinato in the outer movements and a wonderful slow movement that is as reflective as anything by Mahler, yet never falls into any sort of banality or sentimentality. This is simply a MUST-hear symphony!


And I named myself after that symphony!

Sinfonia Tapkaara must be one of the first major works of minimalism. Yes, his use of ostinati is incredible. Anyone who hates minimalism should hear this work. It could be the portal some people need in order to appreciate the minimalist aesthetic.


----------



## Air

*Franz Liszt
Les Jeux d'Eaux a la Villa d'Este
Arthur Friedheim*

Charming romantic playing by this Liszt pupil and very, very fast!


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* - Violin Concerto; Academic Festival & Tragic Overtures; Alto Rhapsody(Grumiaux/Heynis/Concertgebouw/van Beinum) Decca

Listening to Saint-Saens' own showy & flashy _Violin Concerto No. 3_ on the radio yesterday made me realise how restrained & profound the Brahms concerto is by comparison (or probably by any standard). After a long introduction, we are treated to a first movement of such great breadth & depth, that it could be a violin concerto in itself. Then follows a very lyrical and autumnal slow movement, then the finale, which has a Hungarian flavour. Arthur Grumiaux shines in this recording, made in the late 1950's, and beautifully remastered. The accompanying _Tragic Overture & Alto Rhapsody _are interesting couplings, they are the darkest works by Brahms that I have ever heard...


----------



## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> ...Sinfonia Tapkaara must be one of the first major works of minimalism. Yes, his use of ostinati is incredible. Anyone who hates minimalism should hear this work. It could be the portal some people need in order to appreciate the minimalist aesthetic...


That disc is so good, it's indeed a pity that not much else is widely available of Ifukube's music...


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> That disc is so good, it's indeed a pity that not much else is widely available of Ifukube's music...


His music is somewhat widely available...just not so much outside of Japan. Indeed, he is one of Japan's most recorded composers, it's just that these discs are recorded/manufactured with the Japanese public in mind and not many people else!

HMV Japan is a good place to order his discs, but they tend to be a little pricey (like everything else in Japan.)

I am hoping Naxos will come forth with a second Ifukube disc. They have already done three Takemitsu discs, two Ozawa discs and two Yamada discs. Ifukube has to be the best known Japanese composer after Takemitsu, and the Sinfonia Tapkaara disc was well reviewed across the board, so what gives?

It's a great pleasure for me to "introduce" Ifukube to a wider audience. I'm glad you who have heard him have been receptive. He really is a "well kept secret" that should not be so well kept!


----------



## Conor71

Puccini: Madama Butterfly


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've got those two Naxos Japanese Classics Cd's (Ifukube & Takemitsu). I think they were both great composers, but Ifukube is easier to absorb & understand than Takemitsu - he takes more time. I enjoy listening to both of them, they are quite good discs...

Interesting that you should say this Andre, considering that you are one who is far more comfortable and appreciative of the more esoteric and experimental strains of late Modernism than I... and yet I found Takemitsu quite easy to absorb. Perhaps it relates to my love of medieval music... which might also explain my immediate appreciation of Minimalism.


----------



## Sid James

I think Ifukube has this drive and energy, this mesmerising repetitiveness, which just draws you in. Some of Takemitsu's music is more like Ligeti's _Atmospheres_ - there seems to be nothing much going on, it's only with repeated listens that one begins to notice the things going on beneath the surface.

I'm beginning to get into minimalism more, actually. Just got John Tavener's _The Protecting Veil _(kind of a concerto for cello & orchestra) & noticing the similarities between this & Hovhaness is amazing...


----------



## Sid James

*Tavener* - The Protecting Veil for cello & strings; In Alium for soprano, tape & orchestra (Kliegel, c./Hulse, s./Ulster O/Yuasa) Naxos

Some interesting, experimental music from 'holy minimalist' John Tavener. The highlight of the disc is the 45 minute long _The Protecting Veil_, a very involving work for cello & orchestra (the soloist virtually never stops & there is a 10 minute long cadenza!). I can hear similarities between this & Hovhaness' _Cello Concerto_ written half a century earlier, but Tavener's cello technique sounds more modern. The accompanying _In Alium_ is fine, I just don't like the sound of the organ which sounds too churchy. All in all, a very enjoyable disc.


----------



## World Violist

Bach: Chaconne in d minor for solo violin (from Partita No. 2 in d minor)
Johanna Martzy (via Youtube)

This has to be one of the most overwhelming, involving accounts I've ever heard of this piece, and I've heard quite a few recordings of it (close contenders are Yehudi Menuhin and Georges Enescu). The organ-like sound and phrasing is totally mesmerizing, the slower-than-usual tempo very moving (because of her very long sense of line), her sound unbelievably glorious (the best sound I've ever heard from a single violin, hands down), and a remarkable contrapuntal sensitivity that is only the icing on this generous cake.

Yeah, I've got to get this woman's set of the sonatas and partitas...


----------



## Conor71

Grieg: Lyric Pieces


----------



## TresPicos

The piano music of Frank Bridge is a wondrous and sublime mix of late-romanticism, impressionism and early modernism.


----------



## nickgray

Beethoven - No.9, Mahler re-orchestration, Tiboris

Though nothing extraordinary, it is nevertheless a bit strange in some parts and quite interesting. If only it was done in a more straightforward-aggressive way, or even Furtwangler-ish... but I doubt anyone would bother with Mahler's Beethoven. Unfortunately. I do think it may and can be more than a curious artifact of musical past.


----------



## Tapkaara

nickgray said:


> Beethoven - No.9, Mahler re-orchestration, Tiboris
> 
> Though nothing extraordinary, it is nevertheless a bit strange in some parts and quite interesting. If only it was done in a more straightforward-aggressive way, or even Furtwangler-ish... but I doubt anyone would bother with Mahler's Beethoven. Unfortunately. I do think it may and can be more than a curious artifact of musical past.


I have always been tempted to hear this. Speaking of the 9th, I'm seeing our local SD Symphony bang it out this weekend. Can't wait...! (Beethoven's original version, or course.)


----------



## nickgray

Tapkaara said:


> I have always been tempted to hear this.


It's just an average ninth, and mostly you the re-orchestration is, well, let's just say that unless you wanna hear it - you won't (in about 90% of the symphony). Trouble is, I think it has a lot of potential and if a right conductor would wanna record it... Here's another pov: I think there are two ninths - period and Furtwangler's. IMO, the Mahler's nine has a potential to be the "third one". The critics probably would hate it, lots of listeners would probably hate it too, but it'd be great 



> I'm seeing our local SD Symphony bang it out this weekend. Can't wait...! (Beethoven's original version, or course.)


Wow, awesome! I've never actually visited a live concert, to my shame.


----------



## Sid James

*Bax* - Symphony No.6 (Royal Scottish National SO/Lloyd-Jones) Naxos

In a word, boring. The symphony begins with a Janacek-like flourish, then it's onto a rehash of Debussy for the next half hour, orchestration very similar to _La Mer_. This is one of the most tedious symphonies I have ever heard. I can cope with Bax's 7th, the only other symphony I have heard by him, but the 6th is far less exciting. & this is not a hasty 'first impression,' I've owned it now for 6 months or so...


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *Bax* - Symphony No.6 (Royal Scottish National SO/Lloyd-Jones) Naxos
> 
> In a word, boring. The symphony begins with a Janacek-like flourish, then it's onto a rehash of Debussy for the next half hour, orchestration very similar to _La Mer_. This is one of the most tedious symphonies I have ever heard. I can cope with Bax's 7th, the only other symphony I have heard by him, but the 6th is far less exciting. & this is not a hasty 'first impression,' I've owned it now for 6 months or so...


I have a hard time with Bax. His 1st symphony is very good, but I have trouble getting into the other ones. Also, I find his tone poems to be meandering and, dare I say, boring. Tintagel is good, I suppose.


----------



## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> I have a hard time with Bax. His 1st symphony is very good, but I have trouble getting into the other ones. Also, I find his tone poems to be meandering and, dare I say, boring. Tintagel is good, I suppose.


I have only heard two of the Naxos cd's, and I'm not really impressed. Even _Tintagel_, which is a fair work, has too many overtones of Debussy's _La Mer_. The limited works I have heard by Bax give me the impression that he studied that composer and then just copied him, particularly his orchestration. I also hear some of Janacek in there as well. I'm not saying I expect a composer to be 100% original, that's not possible, but the music should be more engaging than this. I have a similar problem with Vaughan Williams.


----------



## Lukecash12

Toni Jardini - Etude Op.4 N.23 "Indian Dance"


----------



## Dim7

Third movement of Bruckner's ninth... I'm finally beginning to like this movement about as much as the first and the second. All the movements of this symphony are awesome. If it had a finale this might be Bruckner's best.. Damn Bruckner, if you had lived just a bit longer.


----------



## World Violist

Dim7 said:


> Third movement of Bruckner's ninth... I'm finally beginning to like this movement about as much as the first and the second. All the movements of this symphony are awesome. If it had a finale this might be Bruckner's best.. Damn Bruckner, if you had lived just a bit longer.


I haven't really gotten the adagio of the ninth yet... I love the first movement, am ambivalent about the second, and can't understand the third. Oh well; I bet it just takes some time and maturity and whatnot.

What I'm listening to is pretty obvious if you've seen my post in the "latest purchases" thread.








Goldberg Variations, Masaaki Suzuki

Revelatory. It's possibly as far as it's possible to get from Gould's 1955 recording (Gould is about twice as fast overall, largely due to the fact that Suzuki takes all the repeats and Gould takes none--the rest due to the fact that Suzuki imparts a staggering amount of nobility and breadth of tempo in some of the statelier variations. All in all, I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase.


----------



## Conor71

Wagner: Die Walküre, WWV 86b


----------



## Aramis




----------



## World Violist

Dvorak: Romance in F minor
Isaac Stern; Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra

Simply gorgeous music, gloriously played.


----------



## Conor71

Wagner: Siegfried, WWV 86c


----------



## Il Seraglio

Just listening to some of the late, great Fritz Wunderlich's interpretation of Schubert's songs via YouTube and I've completely fallen in love with this singer.

He sings "Der Müller und der Bach" with a seriousness and sensitivity I never thought possible.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* - Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 9 'Kreutzer;' Rondo; *Schubert*- Rondo (Yehudi Menuhin, v./Hephzibah Menuhin, p.) Naxos Historical

-Some really spirited playing from the two teenagers. Brother & sister, they made a fine duo, and in these recordings they show extraordinary maturity for their age. The sound remastering is also pretty good, considering the age of these recordings (1930's).
*
T. L. de Victoria* - Requiem a 6; Gregorian Chant; *Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina* - Motets (Choir of Christchurch St. Laurence, Sydney/McEwan) St Laurence Music

- A brilliant locally recorded version of Victoria's meditative (& pretty laid back) _Requiem_ and some other a capella masterpieces. This is the oldest continuously operating choir in Australia, it was founded in the 1840's. The recording is breathy & detailed. Just shows some of the depth of talent we have in this country.


----------



## Conor71

Schumann: Piano Works


----------



## Guest

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Riccardo Chailly; Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Lukecash12

pf. Marc Andre Hamelin.

Alkan barcarolle op 65


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki* - Symphony No. 8, "Lieder der Verganglichkeit" (Songs of Transience) (Soloists/Warsaw NPO/Warsaw NP Ch./Wit) Naxos


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 In C Major, Op. 52


----------



## Sid James

*Grieg* - Piano Concerto;* Rachmaninov* - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Cziffra/Budapest SO/New Philharmonia/Cziffra jnr.) EMI
*
Berg, Hindemith, Hartmann* - Piano Sonatas; *Schoenberg* - 3 Piano Pieces (Allison Brewster Franzetti) Naxos

*Ligeti* - Etudes Books I & II (Idil Biret) Naxos

*Hovhaness* - Symphony No. 22 'City of Light,' Cello Concerto (Starker/Seattle SO/Russell-Davies/Hovhaness) Naxos


----------



## Air

Andre said:


> *Beethoven* - Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 9 'Kreutzer;' Rondo; *Schubert*- Rondo (Yehudi Menuhin, v./Hephzibah Menuhin, p.) Naxos Historical
> 
> -Some really spirited playing from the two teenagers. Brother & sister, they made a fine duo, and in these recordings they show extraordinary maturity for their age. The sound remastering is also pretty good, considering the age of these recordings (1930's).


I also have a few Naxos Historical recordings, particularly of pianists (Moiseiwitsch, Lhevinne...)  I agree that the sound is clean and clear, but a lot of the transferring done from the original 78's is barely satisfactory. I cannot stand amplified (almost electric) sound, especially in the lower register. (You should hear Moiseiwitsch's Rach 2...) That said, it is probably a decent improvement on the originals. I'm glad for my Moiseiwitsch and Lhevinne. 

I actually had this conversation with someone on another forum just a few days ago suprisingly...


----------



## Sid James

The Menuhin cd is the only Naxos Historical I have. I think it's pretty well done, you can hear a bit of surface noise, but it is not bothersome. I'd rather have a bit of noise than have the recording over-remastered, it takes away some of the depth of the original recording. I've also read that alot depends on the quality of the masters, and apparently, the ones recorded in London were the best, the continental technology was not up to that standard back then.


----------



## World Violist

Bowen: Viola Concerto
Lawrence Power, viola; Martyn Brabbins/BBC Scottish

This piece was a revelation to me when first I heard it. I had never heard such a glorious viola concerto, and to my ears it still outshines Walton's famous one by quite a margin! But Rubbra's is even better.


----------



## Guest

Mahler Symphony No. 10 - Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Lukecash12

RAVI SHANKAR ; Rag Bihag in 1971


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues [Disc 1]


----------



## World Violist

Kalevi Aho: Book of Questions, Viola Concerto, Symphony No. 14 "Rituals"
Monica Groop, mezzo; Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic, viola; Herman Rechberger, percussion; John Storgards and the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland

This is quite the cast to bring together for a concert of works written by possibly the greatest living composer at the height of his powers. Indeed, these works were initially commissioned and conceived as a single concert for a chamber orchestra.

The opening work, _Kysymysten kirja_ ("The Book of Questions"), is an orchestral song-cycle of poems by Pablo Neruda (from his posthumous collection "Book of Questions") translated into Finnish. The poems themselves are very deeply philosophical, meditative questions, and the music is much the same, a vast, half-hour long landscape of a selection of eleven poems from this book played without a break. It is a work of immense depth, and I get the feeling listening to it that nobody else than a 60-year-old could have written something that unfolds so naturally and unpretentiously whose subject matter is so weighty as this. It ends with a high note in the violins, which leads directly into...

The viola concerto's restless opening measures, with the violist making an excellently dark, full sound on the lower registers. The orchestra is in a more percussive mood in this piece, bass drums making themselves clearly known after a half-hour of basically sitting there on the stage. This turns into quite primal music in the second movement (also attacca), the violist setting into motion a whirlwind of scurrying notes. The third movement quiets down quite a bit, and sets up the mood for the cadenza fourth movement, which is very reflective yet at the same time fiery. The violist is put through the technical ringer, with very understated music that spans the entire breadth of viola technique; harmonics and spiccato bowings abound, some of which transition seamlessly into tremolo. All this stuff is really hard to do as well as this soloist is doing it. Anyway, the fifth movement picks things up from the rather bare cadenza, introducing a slow, hopeful atmosphere into the concerto for the first time, helped by the high notes that are finally introduced (the rest of the concerto has been about as subdued as the song-cycle, despite the aforementioned fieriness). The pace picks up once again, falters once, then makes a mad dash for the finish line, a frenetic pace that stops suddenly with a swift drum stroke--the first pause in the entire concert thus far.

The fourteenth symphony starts with what has become a sort of trademark with Aho: an expertly-crafted drum riff that pounds over the moving orchestral lines. This first movement covers a range of orchestral colors before finally coming into the second movement--again with a slight break. A lone violist plays a baleful melody senza vibrato, which a solo cellist soon joins. It is a short two-minute movement, slightly breaking again before the third movement, a solo wind instrument with the drums playing below it. This brews into a spectacularly thrilling and light-footed climax, full of motion, with the strings in the upper registers and without the drum. By the time the drummer returns, the climax crumbles under its weight, leaving just a couple of winds over a drone to repeat the melody. Soon after this, deep-bells toll ominously as the low strings start a slow, dark chorale. The cor anglais joins in, making it even more ominous and gloomy. It's really something to hear how quickly Aho can change orchestral colors and emotions. Considering that this movement titled "Processions," though, it had better be able to settle into a rhythm, which is done so naturally I spent about four minutes listening to it before I realized that it was the same basic rhythm the whole time. It's really absorbing listening. The other two movements are very good indeed, but there was a glitch in the track for the last movement I downloaded (I could still listen to them perfectly fine, there were just a couple of parts where it sounded like a record backing up on a turntable)... oh well. Stupid Amazon, what can one expect?

I really like this concert. Possibly the most organically organized program I've ever heard in my life, certainly very ambitious. Not quite the greatest thing I've ever heard, and it doesn't quite surpass my experience in the CD containing the cello concerto and 9th symphony, but hey, it's still great modern music with a very distinct voice.

Or maybe I just need to hear it more and let it sink in. I intend to anyway.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/NYPO (DG)

I tend to think that this performance and Riccardo Chailly's recording with the Concertgebouw are the two most overwhelming accounts of this work ever committed to disc, though I can't be sure as I haven't heard every Mahler 2 ever recorded... but it would be damn hard to top Bernstein's last one...


----------



## Tapkaara

Death and Transfiguration by R. Strauss - Karajan/Berlin


----------



## jhar26

Very Beethoven-like without the great man's genius. Worth the occasional listen, but it's mostly a case of the difference between a good and a great composer.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus et al.

I'm just beginning to realize how tremendous this recording is. The first movement is exciting without being rushed (such as Solti or Bernstein), and the second movement is tremendously moving in parts.


----------



## Tapkaara

En Saga by J. Sibelius - Ashkenazy/Philharmonia


----------



## Lukecash12

World Violist said:


> Kalevi Aho: Book of Questions, Viola Concerto, Symphony No. 14 "Rituals"
> Monica Groop, mezzo; Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic, viola; Herman Rechberger, percussion; John Storgards and the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland
> 
> This is quite the cast to bring together for a concert of works written by possibly the greatest living composer at the height of his powers. Indeed, these works were initially commissioned and conceived as a single concert for a chamber orchestra.
> 
> The opening work, _Kysymysten kirja_ ("The Book of Questions"), is an orchestral song-cycle of poems by Pablo Neruda (from his posthumous collection "Book of Questions") translated into Finnish. The poems themselves are very deeply philosophical, meditative questions, and the music is much the same, a vast, half-hour long landscape of a selection of eleven poems from this book played without a break. It is a work of immense depth, and I get the feeling listening to it that nobody else than a 60-year-old could have written something that unfolds so naturally and unpretentiously whose subject matter is so weighty as this. It ends with a high note in the violins, which leads directly into...
> 
> The viola concerto's restless opening measures, with the violist making an excellently dark, full sound on the lower registers. The orchestra is in a more percussive mood in this piece, bass drums making themselves clearly known after a half-hour of basically sitting there on the stage. This turns into quite primal music in the second movement (also attacca), the violist setting into motion a whirlwind of scurrying notes. The third movement quiets down quite a bit, and sets up the mood for the cadenza fourth movement, which is very reflective yet at the same time fiery. The violist is put through the technical ringer, with very understated music that spans the entire breadth of viola technique; harmonics and spiccato bowings abound, some of which transition seamlessly into tremolo. All this stuff is really hard to do as well as this soloist is doing it. Anyway, the fifth movement picks things up from the rather bare cadenza, introducing a slow, hopeful atmosphere into the concerto for the first time, helped by the high notes that are finally introduced (the rest of the concerto has been about as subdued as the song-cycle, despite the aforementioned fieriness). The pace picks up once again, falters once, then makes a mad dash for the finish line, a frenetic pace that stops suddenly with a swift drum stroke--the first pause in the entire concert thus far.
> 
> The fourteenth symphony starts with what has become a sort of trademark with Aho: an expertly-crafted drum riff that pounds over the moving orchestral lines. This first movement covers a range of orchestral colors before finally coming into the second movement--again with a slight break. A lone violist plays a baleful melody senza vibrato, which a solo cellist soon joins. It is a short two-minute movement, slightly breaking again before the third movement, a solo wind instrument with the drums playing below it. This brews into a spectacularly thrilling and light-footed climax, full of motion, with the strings in the upper registers and without the drum. By the time the drummer returns, the climax crumbles under its weight, leaving just a couple of winds over a drone to repeat the melody. Soon after this, deep-bells toll ominously as the low strings start a slow, dark chorale. The cor anglais joins in, making it even more ominous and gloomy. It's really something to hear how quickly Aho can change orchestral colors and emotions. Considering that this movement titled "Processions," though, it had better be able to settle into a rhythm, which is done so naturally I spent about four minutes listening to it before I realized that it was the same basic rhythm the whole time. It's really absorbing listening. The other two movements are very good indeed, but there was a glitch in the track for the last movement I downloaded (I could still listen to them perfectly fine, there were just a couple of parts where it sounded like a record backing up on a turntable)... oh well. Stupid Amazon, what can one expect?
> 
> I really like this concert. Possibly the most organically organized program I've ever heard in my life, certainly very ambitious. Not quite the greatest thing I've ever heard, and it doesn't quite surpass my experience in the CD containing the cello concerto and 9th symphony, but hey, it's still great modern music with a very distinct voice.
> 
> Or maybe I just need to hear it more and let it sink in. I intend to anyway.


Thank you very much for the reference.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Orlando Lassus' _Missa pro defunctus_ and _Prophetiea Sibyllarum_ beautifully performed.


----------



## Conor71

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 In G Major, Op. 88


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Zdênek Kôsler/Slovak Philharmonic

Easily the best Mahler 1st I've ever heard. The whole symphony is just as good as any other one, but the difference is that he NAILS the finale. I've simply never heard such an exciting rendition of the finale. The explosion at the beginning of it is magnificently terrifying, cymbal crashes particularly full. The false climax is not a climax at all, with the solitary horn simply not enough; and I think this is an advantage. Kosler doesn't pour the syrup on the slower bits, but it is still deeply felt. And the end, of course, brings the house down. It's amazing!


----------



## Mozartgirl92

Right now Im listening to Mozarts violin concerto No. 2.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 1
> Zdênek Kôsler/Slovak Philharmonic
> 
> Easily the best Mahler 1st I've ever heard. The whole symphony is just as good as any other one, but the difference is that he NAILS the finale. I've simply never heard such an exciting rendition of the finale. The explosion at the beginning of it is magnificently terrifying, cymbal crashes particularly full. The false climax is not a climax at all, with the solitary horn simply not enough; and I think this is an advantage. Kosler doesn't pour the syrup on the slower bits, but it is still deeply felt. And the end, of course, brings the house down. It's amazing!


Some of those early Naxos recordings are real hidden treasures.

So, the interpretation is a good one. How about the sound?


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Some of those early Naxos recordings are real hidden treasures.
> 
> So, the interpretation is a good one. How about the sound?


Sound is actually pretty darn good for the 1980's. I mean, it isn't BIS or DG (what else is?), but it isn't distortive or anything, just natural sound (a little sharp though) with a nice bit of space around it for decent reverb. Not sound to worry about.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Dvořák: Symphony No. 2 In Bb Major, Op. 4


----------



## Siegfried

Bruckner's 8th Symphony - Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic (70s DG recording)


----------



## andruini

Arvo Pärt: Pro et Contra; Symphonies 1 & 2; Collage über BACH; Meie Aed; Perpetuum Mobile (Jaarvi/ENSO)


----------



## Siegfried

Holst: Planets - Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic (80s Karajan Gold)


----------



## andruini

*Mouth wide open*


----------



## Siegfried

Beethoven's 3rd Symphony "Eroica" - Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic (80s Karajan Gold)


----------



## Siegfried

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring - Pierre Boulez, The Cleveland Orchestra (90s DG)


----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

*Martinu* - Symphony No. 4; Sinfonietta La Jolla (RLPO/Weller); Frescoes of Pierro Della Francesca (RPO/Kubelik); Concerto for Piano, Timpani & Two String Orchestras; Concerto for String Quartet & orchestra; Sinfonia Concertante for violin, cello, oboe, bassoon & orchestra (Soloists/City of London Sinfonia/Hickox); Memorial to Lidice (Bamberger/Metzmacher) EMI (2 cd's)

There seems to be a marked difference between the music that Martinu composed before & after he went to live in the USA. Before, there was more of a neoclassical/neobaroque feel to his works, and after, I detect a fuller, more textured & layered sound, which reminds me of the Americans Ives & Copland. Whether or not this was a direct influence, it was definitely the case of the composer responding to his changed surroundings. This is a good set to get if you want an introduction to Martinu's music, at budget price (on the EMI Gemini label). The recordings are pretty good, a highlight being the classic 1958 account by Kubelik of the _Frescoes of Piero Della Francesca_, the sound is crisp and clear.


----------



## Tapkaara

Swan of Tuonela by J. Sibelius - Rosbaud/Berlin ... A mono recording on DG from the 1950s. All things considered, great sound an powerful interpretation.


----------



## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> Swan of Tuonela by J. Sibelius...


That work is a masterpiece, it always conjures up a bleak landscape in the icy wastes of the arctic when I listen to it. Sibelius' orchestration is so modern exactly because he paints this picture using minimal tools. I also like how he doesn't present the theme at the beginning, he gives you a bit at a time, and builds up the ideas into a single theme at the end. This technique was nothing short of revolutionary, for other composers who were to do this (eg. Scriabin - _Poem of Ecstasy_; Debussy - _Jeux_) did it over a decade later (maybe two decades, my musical history can be hazy, but in any case, Sibelius got there first)...


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> That work is a masterpiece, it always conjures up a bleak landscape in the icy wastes of the arctic when I listen to it. Sibelius' orchestration is so modern exactly because he paints this picture using minimal tools. I also like how he doesn't present the theme at the beginning, he gives you a bit at a time, and builds up the ideas into a single theme at the end. This technique was nothing short of revolutionary, for other composers who were to do this (eg. Scriabin - _Poem of Ecstasy_; Debussy - _Jeux_) did it over a decade later (maybe two decades, my musical history can be hazy, but in any case, Sibelius got there first)...


No argument from me that The Swan is a masterpiece. But I know you are a fan of the entire Lemminkainen Legends work anyway.

The Swan features some if Sibbe's most delicate orchestration. And boy does it paint pictures: one can so easily envision the swan as it swims dolefully on those chilly black waters of Tuonela. If there was ever a "cool" classic, The Swan would have to be it!


----------



## Bartók

Probably the best recording of the Trout Quintet I have heard.


----------



## Air

*Alexander Scriabin
Mysterium
Ashkenazy / Berlin Symphony*

Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celestra / Ligeti / Scriabin's 8th Sonata / E.T. = Mind-blowing.


----------



## andruini

Harry Partch: U.S. Highball (Kronos Quartet)


----------



## Sid James

*Martinu* - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Berlin SO/C. Peter Flor) RCA Red Seal

*Beethoven* - Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 9 "Kreutzer" (Y. Menuhin, v./H. Menuhin, p.) Naxos Historical

*Ligeti* - Chamber Concerto; Ramifications; Lux Aeterna; Atmospheres (Ensemble de reihe Wien/Cerha/others) Wergo


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

I just saw that Massenet in the shops, how is it?


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - Turangalila-symphonie (Kimura/Harada/Melbourne SO/Iwaki) ABC Classics


----------



## Bartók

Andre said:


> *Messiaen* - Turangalila-symphonie (Kimura/Harada/Melbourne SO/Iwaki) ABC Classics


Andre, how is this recording of Turangalila? It's one of my all time favorite pieces, but I am yet to own this cd.


----------



## dmg




----------



## andruini

Today's playlist:

Schnittke: Symphony No. 9 / Raskatov: Nunc Dimittis (Russell Davies/Dresdner Philharmonie)
Silvestrov: Leggiero, Pesante
Silvestrov: Postludium; Metamusik
Grainger: The Grainger Edition Vol. 1: Orchestral Works (Hickox/BBC Philharmonic)
Stockhausen: Stockhausen Edition Vol. 1: Early Works


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## colin

Bach Brandenburg Concerto's at the moment, getting a good feel for his music on violin.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Prelude to act 1


----------



## Air

Finally I can sit down with these...


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 1
Boulez/CSO


----------



## World Violist

Takemitsu: Green

This piece is REALLY hard to follow with the score... yikes! Five minutes of constantly changing compound uneven metre.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Takemitsu: Green
> 
> This piece is REALLY hard to follow with the score... yikes! Five minutes of constantly changing compound uneven metre.


You are becoming quite the Takemitsu-o-phile.


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> You are becoming quite the Takemitsu-o-phile.


Eh, somewhat. Just a few pieces so far. I'm just really intrigued by his sound world and orchestration. And I like it anyway.


----------



## andruini

Arvo Pärt: Psalom; Summa; Fratres; Es Sang Vor Langen Jahren; Stabat Mater


----------



## andruini

Now a CD with:

Copland: Excerpts from Billy The Kid
Griffes: The White Peacock
Morton Gould: Tropical
Hanson: Symphony No. 2 "Romantic"
Griffes: The Pleasure Dome of Kubla-Kahn
Copland: Hoe-Down from Rodeo


----------



## SamGuss

Great stuff.


----------



## Bartók

I haven't heard anything from Ireland before this, but I am enjoying it greatly.


----------



## Jaime77

I am listening to *Mozart* - his Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat. Some very nice wind playing. Sweet and playful and colourful.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Michael Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg

This Mahler 8th really gets going in the first movement without ever sounding out-of-control rushed like Solti does at times. Really perfect pacing here, with reckless abandon being balanced by perfect judgment on the part of the performers. Never heard anything like this!


----------



## Sid James

*Berg*:

String Quartet; Lyric Suite (New Zealand SQ) Naxos

Violin Concerto; Chamber Concerto (Stern/Serkin/New York PO/Bernstein/Abbado) Sony

These are truly some of the greatest masterpieces of the C20th. Lyrical, passionate and emotionally/intellectually engaging music. Berg's death at the relatively young age of 50 was one of the greatest tragedies of C20th classical music. He would never hear his _Violin Concerto 'To the memory of an angel'_ performed - probably my favourite now of all, but it took a while to grow on me. I particularly like Stern's performance, his reading of the work's emotional turbulence is spot-on, as is the peaceful ending with Berg's reference to a Bach chorale. But (like Britten's _Violin Concerto)_ this will never be as popular as those by Prokofiev, Shostakovich or Bartok because it has a quiet & still ending - not very flashy at all.

& the _String Quartet_ is probably the most thematically tightly structured work that Berg ever wrote. The first movement is dominated by one theme, in the second he introduces two themes and then concludes with the first movement's theme. This work is very memorable, lingering in the listener's mind long after s/he has heard it. So I have little time for people who argue that atonal music has no structure. That is just pure codswallop, especially in the case of Berg...


----------



## andruini

Such a good disc, the Mozart is sooo lovely.


----------



## agoukass

Mahler: Symphony No. 10
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle


----------



## Bartók

Horowitz is a wonderful interpreter of Scriabin.


----------



## Sid James

*Takemitsu* - Spirit Garden; Solitude Sonore; 3 Film scores; Dreamtime; A flock descended onto the pentagonal garden (Bournemouth SO/Alsop) Naxos

*Carter* - String Quartets 1 & 5 (Pacifica Q) Naxos

*Ligeti* - String Quartets 1 & 2 (Parker Q) Naxos


----------



## Air

A follow-up to our lovely Schumann discussion...

*Schumann
Carnaval, Op. 9
Cortot (1928, London)*

After listening to Cortot's twisting and turning, almost impulsive Papillons (which I quite liked), I had no idea what to expect in his interpretation of Schumann's Carnaval.

Here Cortot is more controlled, and even misses less notes. This doesn't take away from his style though. He continues to show the elegance and keenness for melody that one has come to expect from his work. Those familiar with Sofronitsky's recording of the Carnaval will find a sort of an antithesis in Cortot's recording. Instead of banging out the first few chords, he feels them. It is a Carnaval for the stylish, the elegant, the graceful, and the beautiful. It sings and dances, yet doesn' t lack in passion either. My only complaint is that the piece as a whole lacks the sort of cohesion that i.e. Richter provides, as Cortot likes to take a more scenic, maybe even operatic route. Even so, it is highly enjoyable and the SQ is quite good.


----------



## andruini

African marimba music.


----------



## Tapkaara

Lots of Takemitsu in the forum these days...


----------



## andruini

And listening to the Mozart K.361 Serenade for Winds again.. Perfect night music!


----------



## Jaime77

And me also Herr Mozart. Symphony No. 29, right now.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/NYPO (DG)


----------



## andruini

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 2
> Bernstein/NYPO (DG)


That's a lot of Mahler you listen to WV.. I don't think I could manage it myself..! 

Listening to:


----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


> That's a lot of Mahler you listen to WV.. I don't think I could manage it myself..!


Well there are times when I can't listen to it, of course. And there are times when I block out the emotional aspect of it and just listen for the orchestration and counterpoint, etc. Though if I had wanted to do that I would have gone for Chailly.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely Impressionistic music. Quite an underrated composer in my book. I'm currently looking into some of his chamber works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

"And now," in the immortal words of Montey Python, "for something completely different":










Nothing like a little Ravi Shankar while gathered 'round the Christmas tree sipping egg nog... a true holiday tradition.


----------



## agoukass

Busoni: Piano Concerto, Op. 39
John Ogdon, soloist

One of my favorite recordings.


----------



## Conor71

Debussy: Images For Orchestra, L 122


----------



## andruini

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Some lovely Impressionistic music. Quite an underrated composer in my book. I'm currently looking into some of his chamber works.


Koechlin is so great, I hadn't thought about him in a while.. I have a lovely disc of his "Jungle Book" Symphonic Poems, and his piano music is so nice. I'll have to give his music a listen one of these days!

Listening to:


----------



## Conor71

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3, "A Pastoral Symphony"


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> "And now," in the immortal words of Montey Python, "for something completely different":
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nothing like a little Ravi Shankar while gathered 'round the Christmas tree sipping egg nog... a true holiday tradition.


Absolutely! Ravi is great Christmas music! Nobody plays it on Christmas though... except for you apparently. And occasionally myself.


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini

Shostakovich: Jazz Suites Nos. 1 & 2; Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chailly/Concertgebouw)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Absolutely! Ravi is great Christmas music! Nobody plays it on Christmas though... except for you apparently. And occasionally myself.

Seriously the droning modal nature of Indian music has many similarities with Western medieval music... the Gregorian chants and other such music that most certainly fits in with the holiday.


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Absolutely! Ravi is great Christmas music! Nobody plays it on Christmas though... except for you apparently. And occasionally myself.
> 
> Seriously the droning modal nature of Indian music has many similarities with Western medieval music... the Gregorian chants and other such music that most certainly fits in with the holiday.


Yeah, I was being at least semi-serious there. It makes people think about things they don't generally think about, at least in my experience. Realize the scope of the world, or something like that.

I'm currently listening to... Bruckner 4. Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic.


----------



## Romantic Geek

Currently listening to:

Edward MacDowell - Hamlet and Ophelia Op. 22


----------



## paulchiu

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto In D, Op. 35

by Anne-Sophie Mutter; Herbert Von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, which are all my favoriate player


----------



## andruini

Doing some Christmas listening!! After the obligatory Charlie Brown Christmas listening, I listened to The Messiah with my father, a true family tradition.. And now:


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Various Symphonies
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Earlier I did some true Christmas listening:



















Now I'm listening to Schubert's quartets:


----------



## World Violist

Holmboe: Symphony No. 8


----------



## andruini




----------



## World Violist

Handel: Messiah
Masaaki Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan


----------



## andruini

Stunning!


----------



## Conor71

Dvorak: Wood Dove, Op. 110


----------



## LatinClassics

Working my way through this fantastic 8-CD set on Brilliant Classics. All of these recordings were originally released on the ASV label.

Listening to Ponce's "Piano Concerto" right now.


----------



## andruini

LatinClassics said:


> Working my way through this fantastic 8-CD set on Brilliant Classics. All of these recordings were originally released on the ASV label.
> 
> Listening to Ponce's "Piano Concerto" right now.


Great choice there.. I really love Ponce's PC, and that set looks to be quite varied and interesting!


----------



## LatinClassics

andruini said:


> Great choice there.. I really love Ponce's PC, and that set looks to be quite varied and interesting!


Yes, do you own it? You should check it out. There are a few performances I'm not particularly fond of, for example, I do not like the tempi Batiz used on Revueltas' "Sensemaya."

There are two great discs in this collection dedicated to Chavez and Ponce that are quite good.

In terms of Latin American music, it's hard to beat Eduardo Mata's conducting. If you don't own this box se, you should acquire itt:

http://www.amazon.com/Latin-America-Alive-Claudio-Muskus/dp/B002N5KEMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1261888435&sr=1-1

This contains some great performances, in particular, Ginastera, Chavez, Villa-Lobos, Revueltas, and Estevez.


----------



## andruini

I don't own either set, but I have many recordings of both conductors doing Latin American music.
I do tend to prefer Mata's recordings, but Bátiz does a mean Ginastera if you ask me..
The Mata set looks really good, I'll be looking into that one. Thanks for the recommendation!


----------



## LatinClassics

andruini said:


> I don't own either set, but I have many recordings of both conductors doing Latin American music.
> I do tend to prefer Mata's recordings, but Bátiz does a mean Ginastera if you ask me..
> The Mata set looks really good, I'll be looking into that one. Thanks for the recommendation!


I've been trying to collect all of Dorian's Latin American recordings outside of Mata's recordings for them and I have found some real gems. In particular, there's a recording called "Danzon" with Keri-Lynn Wilson and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orch. Of Venezuela:

http://www.amazon.com/Danzón-Javier-Alvarez/dp/B00000DMYX/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1261888990&sr=8-4

There's also a great recording of Latin American chamber works that is quite good. This recording contains a piece by Ginastera that the composer himself withdrew written for flute and string quartet:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001QAG/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music

There's also a great recording with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the New World Symphony on Decca (originally released on Argo) and it has one of the best performances of Chavez's "Sinfonia India" I've heard.

Gustavo Dudamel's recording titled "Fiesta" on Deutsche Grammophon is also very good. It has an absolute killer version of Revueltas' "Sensemaya" on it.

Have you heard these recordings?

Thread duty: right I'm listening to this:










Like Villa-Lobos' symphonies, I feel his piano concerti are quite underrated.


----------



## Romantic Geek

MacDowell: Piano Sonata No. 4 "Celtic"
James Barbello, piano


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to Ben Zander talking about Mahler's 6th... I suppose this is my "easy listening" if ever there was any. But I also have a bit of John Dowland, so I suppose that too counts...


----------



## World Violist

A bit more Mahler and that's it for today. 9th symphony, Bernstein conducting the Royal Concertgebouw. I actually think this is one of the best I've heard so far, despite its being so maligned by those who seem to operate under the delusion that slower is immediately worse. And if one can sustain intensity and line as well as Bernstein does, there's no point in such nit-picking.


----------



## LatinClassics

Right now:










Interesting American composer. One of Gottschalk's claims to fame is he wrote one of the first American symphonies. He was a virtuoso pianist of Jewish and Creole decent and lived much of his life abroad performing. He died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm quite loving this recital... but what's not to love about Anna?


----------



## Conor71

Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 In D Major, Op. 60


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Ahhh, Kurt Moll as Osmin!!! I am listening to "O wie will ich triumphieren"


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Perhaps its due to all those years of the New Years Day Concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic and Strauss... or maybe its having grown up watching the Sound of Music every Christmas time... and maybe its just the Netrebko disc that got me going... but it seems I need a fix of light opera/operetta/and waltzes:


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Signeur, rempart et seul soutien from Les Huguenots. Siepi is one of the best. He shall be my new avatar!!!


----------



## Conor71

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20


----------



## andruini

Britten: Cello Suites (Jean-Guihen Queyras)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Oh, I love Fritz Wunderlich... he died _way_ too young!


----------



## Conor71

Same as yesterday :
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20


----------



## SamGuss

I've also watched these 3 episodes from Keeping Score:


----------



## simeoc

I am currently listening lady gaga's bad romance...


----------



## World Violist

SamGuss said:


> I've also watched these 3 episodes from Keeping Score:


I like the Shostakovich and Ives episodes. They're quite amazing, whatever complaints one might have with MTT's conducting. That said, these three are pretty darn good as well.

As for what I'm listening to...








Wagner: Das Rheingold
Georg Solti/VPO

I can see why this (whole cycle) is sometimes regarded as the greatest recording in history. Despite its obvious controversial aspects, it is all tremendously atmospheric, and the music-making is just astounding.


----------



## World Violist

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Karajan/BPO

Delightful recording of a delightful symphony. What more could one ask for on a lazy late-December Tuesday?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Paavo Jarvi/Frankfurt Radio Symphony

Now that I've returned to this recording (and piece) for a second go, it's striking me just how great it really is. The gorgeous cello line at the beginning of the symphony sent shivers up my spine, and again in its recapitulation about two-thirds of the way through the movement. This orchestra really is something wonderful; rock-solid bass foundations (actually realized that way rather than just "being there"), unbelievably light and beautiful strings and winds, and a brass section that knows its place; it is very loud when it needs to be, yet all the time transparent enough to allow everything else to pass through it--yes, even when they are the loudest parts in the orchestration. It's really quite unbelievable.

In the liner notes, Paavo speaks of Bruckner's music appealing to his "'Buddhist side,' though I am not a Buddhist." He explains that it isn't because it's slow or because it's repetitive, even though it is clearly both, but because it is constructed so that you have to look at the big picture. That is clearly the case with this recording; the phrases are very long indeed, and the tempi are never quite sagging--rather, spacious--but always reaching for the next phrase, the next "event" I suppose. Such is definitely the case with the Adagio, at about average tempo (just short of 23 minutes) but feeling much broader than it really is. Not dragging, just more spacious. And the phrasing is tremendous, always going somewhere and never wandering or anything like that. Thus it builds a lot of intensity by the massive cymbal climax. The dying down to the end of the movement is, again, really well-done.

The scherzo proper is utterly demonic, the brass blazing, and the trio is quite charming. And the finale is very charming as well. And really good. Can't really say a whole lot about this finale, as it's probably the movement I'm least familiar with at the moment.

I really like this recording.


----------



## Conor71

Havent listened to this one in a while:
Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4

Following it up with this companion disc:
Webern; Berg; Schoenberg: Orchestral Works


----------



## andruini




----------



## World Violist

A live performance from 2001 or thereabouts of Pierre Boulez conducting the VPO in Bruckner's 9th symphony (not 8th).


----------



## andruini

Listening to the Duruflé Requiem with my mouth wide open.


----------



## nehaworld

*hi it's looks interesting!!!!!!!!*

Affordable  SEO solutions at your hands.


----------



## kmisho

The Durufle is heavenly. I had the pleasure of performing it in a college choir, in the version for organ and chorus.

I recently landed the complete set of Shostakovich Symphonies, Haitink version and have been working my way through that.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

andruini said:


>


Ooh... I've been looking at this one myself... considering that vocal music... end especially choral music... in probably my favorite genre.


----------



## dmg




----------



## dmg




----------



## Tapkaara

dmg said:


>


Love it, love it, love it! Super recording.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Leif Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic

Possibly the most atmospheric and wonderful recording of this I have. Despite its slightly fleet timing (21'), it starts out very broadly and nebulously. The hymn tune is rather quick, but I like it this way; it has a fantastic sense of line and direction, and feels very refreshing to listen to rather than people like Bernstein who pour syrup over the whole thing. This is the pure spring water Sibelius was referring to. The trombone solo is impeccable, purposely underplayed (almost a non-event, really, and over before one knows it) yet still offering a glimpse of the grandeur of what is to come. It feels unbelievably natural this way. As a result, the ensuing "interlude" doesn't sound boring or anything, and Segerstam doesn't let it fall into a bunch of indulgent mess like so many other conductors would. He just lets it flow along as it likes, on its own terms. 

The second iteration of the trombone theme, in the minor key, isn't menacing so much as just an event in the bigger picture of life, which ultimately doesn't mean much. Not to say Segerstam doesn't make much of it. On the contrary, while it doesn't start at heaven-stormingly as does Bernstein in New York, it builds momentum very nicely. And the best part is, also unlike Bernstein, Segerstam doesn't make the "interlude" bit afterward sound like some kitschy hyper-romantically overdone Mozart overture or whatever. It's just pure Sibelius, and I vastly prefer it this way. 

And what comes after dances very well, to be interrupted by the leading into the final and grandest statement of the entire work, which starts out very quick in the triplet strings, then slows down very impressively. Then the trombone emerges seamlessly from the texture. It's really perfectly done from here on out. What I thought was so eccentric a year ago when I first got this recording (the strings not being really loud in their last chorale, the end going by so quickly, and so on) now seems not only normal, but the only way to make it seriously make sense, not let the textures in the orchestra cloy and be overly bombastic. This way it also makes it seem like a much greater, more cohesive work of music, rather than some late-romantic thing that appeals exclusively to the emotions.

I suppose that I'm just trying to say that my views on Sibelius have changed quite drastically within the last few months. I actually used to love Bernstein's Sibelius 7th, and although I still respect it, I feel like it's way too overblown with not enough attention paid to... anything, really, except for emotional decadence and occasional total self-indulgence.

This post has gone on way too long.


----------



## Dim7

Long or not, that's definately better than just stating what you're listening to... It's more interesting to hear what the members are thinking about the compositions and the recordings rather than just what they are listening to.


----------



## andruini

Dim7 said:


> Long or not, that's definately better than just stating what you're listening to... It's more interesting to hear what the members are thinking about the compositions and the recordings rather than just what they are listening to.


----------



## World Violist

Dim7 said:


> Long or not, that's definately better than just stating what you're listening to... It's more interesting to hear what the members are thinking about the compositions and the recordings rather than just what they are listening to.


Why thank you! 

Right now I'm listening to audio samples of Segerstam's Danish Mahler cycle.


----------



## LatinClassics

A great collection of Latin American pieces. Of particular interest (for me at least), are performances of some lesser heard works by Caturla, Alvarez, Nobre, and Fernandez. As always, the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela play with passion and intensity. This particular recording is under the direction of Keri-Lynn Wilson. What a great disc.


----------



## LatinClassics

andruini said:


>


I've been wanting to get some of those Sculthrope recordings on ABC Classics, but they are too expensive for me right now. I'll just have to wait until they come down in price. You can buy directly from ABC's website, but they're too expensive and they have a 3-CD collection of his music that looks very appealing. I wonder if Andre has any of these discs?

Anyway, do you mind commenting on the quality of his music? I've heard bits and pieces of Sculthrope like "Port Arthur" and "Little Suite." I would really like to hear his "Sun Music." Have you heard this piece? Any kind of feedback you can give would be much appreciated as Australia is my next destination, then I will be moving my way up to Japan, which I will seek Tapkaara's advice there.


----------



## andruini

LatinClassics said:


> I've been wanting to get some of those Sculthrope recordings on ABC Classics, but they are too expensive for me right now. I'll just have to wait until they come down in price. You can buy directly from ABC's website, but they're too expensive and they have a 3-CD collection of his music that looks very appealing. I wonder if Andre has any of these discs?
> 
> Anyway, do you mind commenting on the quality of his music? I've heard bits and pieces of Sculthrope like "Port Arthur" and "Little Suite." I would really like to hear his "Sun Music." Have you heard this piece? Any kind of feedback you can give would be much appreciated as Australia is my next destination, then I will be moving my way up to Japan, which I will seek Tapkaara's advice there.


Well I'm afraid the only exposure to Sculthorpe I've had is that disc and a couple of his String Quartets. It's great music, I particularly agree with a philosophy I know he has, which is to always make music that makes people glad to have listened to it.. The result of course, is quite pleasant music all the time, with a very distinct Australian flavour to it. I really liked Quamby and the piece called Cello Dreaming. They're works with a very distinct modern edge, yet easy on the ear and enjoyable to all. I've only heard a live performance of Sun Music 3, which, although it didn't grab me so much, is quite interesting for its gamelan influences. I really recommend what I've heard from Sculthorpe and I'll be continuing exploring his music myself..

Now I'm listening to:


----------



## LatinClassics

andruini said:


> Well I'm afraid the only exposure to Sculthorpe I've had is that disc and a couple of his String Quartets. It's great music, I particularly agree with a philosophy I know he has, which is to always make music that makes people glad to have listened to it.. The result of course, is quite pleasant music all the time, with a very distinct Australian flavour to it. I really liked Quamby and the piece called Cello Dreaming. They're works with a very distinct modern edge, yet easy on the ear and enjoyable to all. I've only heard a live performance of Sun Music 3, which, although it didn't grab me so much, is quite interesting for its gamelan influences. I really recommend what I've heard from Sculthorpe and I'll be continuing exploring his music myself..


Thanks for sharing this with me. I figured his music was enjoyable as I've heard nothing but good things about him.

Listening to right now:










Another amazing disc of Latin American music. I personally feel this is the best version of Revueltas' "Sensemaya" I have heard. I rank Mata's recording on Dorian second best. There is also an absolutely killer version of Ginastera's "Estancia" suite on this. I prey for more Latin American music from Dudamel in the future. I would really like to hear him conduct some more Estevez. Perhaps some orchestral works that haven't been recorded yet.


----------



## World Violist

Man, I wish I had Paavo Jarvi's Bruckner 9th... but so it goes.









Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Paavo Jarvi/Frankfurt Radio Symphony


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Symphony No. 36 In C Major, K 425, "Linz"










Awesome stuff!, liking this set so far


----------



## Conor71

LatinClassics said:


> I've been wanting to get some of those Sculthrope recordings on ABC Classics, but they are too expensive for me right now. I'll just have to wait until they come down in price. You can buy directly from ABC's website, but they're too expensive and they have a 3-CD collection of his music that looks very appealing. I wonder if Andre has any of these discs?
> 
> Anyway, do you mind commenting on the quality of his music? I've heard bits and pieces of Sculthrope like "Port Arthur" and "Little Suite." I would really like to hear his "Sun Music." Have you heard this piece? Any kind of feedback you can give would be much appreciated as Australia is my next destination, then I will be moving my way up to Japan, which I will seek Tapkaara's advice there.


Haha, you will probably get around to hearing Sculthorpe well before me! , I feel so unpatriotic now!


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

I believe this is the best realization of Mahler's unfinished 10th. It is the Deryck Cooke version. I love it the most because it worked around Mahler's work instead of over it like most versions.


----------



## Alkanian

Alkan's etudes, they are really underrated.
Especially the one called "Les Preux" op 16 or whatever.

After that, probably the transcendental etudes by Liszt (especially no.4 and 11/12)


----------



## beetzart

Beethoven's Triple concerto.


----------



## dmg

Listening currently to these recordings:

http://kco.radio4.nl/index.php?lang=en


----------



## andruini

After Latin Classics mentioned this one the other day, decided to give it a spin.. Good stuff!


----------



## kmisho

I just listened to the 1st mvmnt of Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony for the first in at least 10 years...and was so blown away that I immediately listened to it again. It's a fantastic orchestral journey full of many attractive melodic and dramatic moments. All the pieces fit together so well, naturally flowing from one section to the next.

PS I don't think anyone should ever conduct the abbreviated version. The full version is a must.


----------



## Aramis

Rach's 2nd is indeed a great symphony, but also a little bit candy. There are few unnecessary and exaggerated romantic explosions which, fortunately, did not spoil the whole.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 6
Levine/BSO

I think this is the Mahler recording I've always wanted to hear, from the opening bars alone. Intensely rough, incredibly accurate, and unafraid to really get into this unforgiving music, the BSO strings dig into the opening like nobody since Bernstein. It's visceral to the core, but it isn't only that. Levine has such an enormous grasp on this music that he brings out every nuance, every structural detail, that makes this symphony one of Mahler's best. The "Alma" theme doesn't have any syrup ladled into it, but is almost convulsive in how quickly it comes off of the little hymn in the woodwinds. It is still very beautiful, the arch coming off really naturally under this conductor. The repeat is observed, and it doesn't feel at all awkward, so quickly did the first iteration of the exposition seem to go by (when in reality it was over 4 minutes). The development reaches harrowing levels of intensity, with choppy little phrases interrupting one another and nearly spiraling out of control. It's really thrilling to hear a modern American orchestra throw themselves into such demanding music with such dedication; I'd thought that was a bygone era, actually, when I'd heard orchestras such as the Cincinnati and San Francisco orchestras making a sort of overly-polished approach. The cowbell interlude is perfection itself; the cowbells not making too much racket like some other recordings, the woodwinds exhibiting some really exquisite phrasing, the solo violinist emerging naturally from the texture (no spotlight-miking here!). The reopening into the march is sudden, jolting, and very brisk, taking us back into the torment of earlier in the movement with an effect akin to whiplash. The recapitulation is really savage, and the end of the movement is a mad, frantic dash to the end.

The end of the first movement is probably the only case in which I would want to put the Andante second, and it works splendidly here, with a flowing tempo that is neither slow enough to become a bowl of orchestral soup nor fast enough to become heartless. The first woodwind interlude is heart-rending, with tremendous phrasing from the first soloist (I think it's a cor anglais? Darn it, I have to check my score for this one... I don't know my woodwinds.). During the second iteration of this theme, the horn soloist comes out of the texture brilliantly, with no edge, yet still loud enough to be heard perfectly well. The tympani contributions, which I'd never noticed in any other recording before, make a particularly stunning contribution. There are some really stunning bits of this movement, especially when the celesta is involved, which is very clearly heard... still never jarring. The sound of this orchestra is really luscious, and the phrasing added in make this pretty much the best recording of this movement I've ever heard. The climax is incredibly expressive, bursting into the softer music before and never letting up, towering ever higher until it peaks and then seems to float down into some sort of exalted quiet for the ending. I don't know if I've ever heard such impressive sense of arch, of long line, in this movement before. I don't know if I ever will, either.

The Scherzo is another jolt back into the ugly reality of the first movement. One of the interesting things I see potentially happening here is the Scherzo being an interruption between the Andante and the Finale, so the Finale can still carry out its harmonic function off of the Andante. A sort of "as I was saying..." type of thing. Regardless, in this interpretation, this order is turning out remarkably satisfying. Back to the Scherzo, it is slightly broader in tempo than usual, especially when the trio kicks in, making a very clearly delineated contrast between the two sections. The trio is very witty, the phrasing very deft and light on its feet. The scherzo proper, on the other hand, is very heavy, never at the expense of the phrase. There are times at which Levine slows down tremendously, never sounding mannered in the slightest, yet giving the music a different character I've never thought of it as having before.

The Finale does indeed start with a bit of an "as I was saying" feel, starting from the deathly quiet of the Andante and building up to a shattering mini-climax. The first point of interest concerns the low strings during the hallucinatory sequence that begins soon after the beginning of the movement. They are doing a tremolando phrase, and every change of note they dig into as a heavy accent. I haven't really heard this done before, but it's certainly interesting. The result is quite alarming in how it changes something that is generally creepily calm into something twisted and violent. The march segments in this are brisk in the manner of the first movement. Other parts of the movement are almost nightmarish, with sudden outbursts in the lower strings or high winds. The modified reprise of the "Alma" theme is shot through with desperation, and its drive into the first hammerblow is really great. The first hammerblow, though, is an event into itself. It is a killer hammerblow, not quite so piercing as in Zander's recording with the Philharmonia, but still really scary. What comes after is like a bat out of hell, like it should be, and the music is driven back down into the sort of darkness that it was in earlier in the movement. The leading into the second hammer blow is really tentative, then lunges into the blow, this time being shoved all the way back to the beginning of the whole movement. That's the first time I've actually realized that, actually, listening to this recording. This time it really is nightmarish, the sound reaching a much greater level of transparency than previously. Once it rises out of these depths, the brass choir is really thrilling, and the music drives itself forward, then grinds almost to a halt. But it still never seems mannered. Levine has a purpose, an end goal, and he isn't letting go of that until the very end. It's really impressive how focused this performance is turning out to be. As it nears the last hammer blow (it's actually included!!!  ) the intensity grows much more weary and heavy, more a device of the music speaking for itself than anything else. The trombone quartet is played really slowly, more slowly than I've ever heard it before, and it does wonders for this interpretation. The sense of focus, of determination, still doesn't let up, even though the hero has already been "felled like a tree." Mahler still has one last statement to make, and it is the most terrifying statement of this I've ever heard. The tympanists really go for it here.

I'm wondering if this is my favorite Mahler performance I've ever heard. As far as I know, it's a one-off live performance. It wouldn't surprise me; there exists a video on youtube in which Levine speaks about his new set of recordings with the BSO, and he talks about how occasionally there is that one performance that is really exhilarating--and he scoffs at the practice of patching up mistakes, since when you edit out a mistake there is a probability of editing out most of the excitement as well. I feel like there are no edits in this because there is one pretty spectacular crack in a trumpet, I think, in the finale. There are also a few coughs, and right before the last big chord in the symphony you can hear Levine take two steps forward (presumably getting off his chair because of this intensity). Regardless, this recording does what it aims to do: provide a really exciting, concert-like experience.


----------



## LatinClassics

andruini said:


> After Latin Classics mentioned this one the other day, decided to give it a spin.. Good stuff!


Yes, that's a very good recording. I own the original Argo release. I think the performance of Chavez's "Sinfonia India" is one of the finest I've heard next to Mata and Batiz. I also like the performances of Revueltas, Caturia, Piazzolla, and Ginastera. Yes...good stuff indeed.


----------



## LatinClassics

Fantastic recording. Outstanding performances of Revueltas, Ginastera, and Orbon.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 4 In Eb Major, Op. 7


----------



## beetzart

Cesar Franck violin sonata.


----------



## Weston

Great googly moogly!

Much as I have enjoyed the Andras Schiff lectures on the Beethoven piano sonatas at The Guardian UK in the past: http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/page/0,,1943867,00.html

-- I found an even greater treasure trove of armchair musicology here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/listeninglibrary.shtml#b

Maybe many of you already knew about this link, but I didn't. I absolutely love this kind of stuff.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Organum

I'm in the midst of a big sacred choral music fixation, especially Russian Orthodox stuff. This CD is fantastic.


----------



## andruini




----------



## andruini

Wow. Stunning.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72


----------



## haydnguy

Just a quick hello to everyone. I haven't posted for a couple of months. (I have been listening though!!) 

Started tonight with some standard stuff:

*Tchaikovsky*
_Symphony No. 6_
Mariss Jansons, Conducting

Getting ready to listen to:


----------



## Conor71

haydnguy said:


> Just a quick hello to everyone. I haven't posted for a couple of months. (I have been listening though!!)


Welcome back haydnguy 

Now listening:
Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66


----------



## haydnguy

Thanks Conor71. Ah, I need that Tchaikovsky ballet CD in the worst way. I have a DVD version of all of them but my only audio CD are not complete versions. 

Shifting gears for me:


----------



## World Violist

Paavo Jarvi, Bruckner 7

I'm absurdly stressed lately, I've got to keep my sanity somehow...


----------



## kmisho

Aramis said:


> Rach's 2nd is indeed a great symphony, but also a little bit candy. There are few unnecessary and exaggerated romantic explosions which, fortunately, did not spoil the whole.


At the same time, he holds back and in some places thwarts conventional expectation. It's a marvelous balancing act. I think of the first movement as an adventure.


----------



## dmg

I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard the first scene for the first time.


----------



## andruini

Stravinsky: Pulcinella / Orphée


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some intriguing... at times lovely... art songs by an contemporary American composer...










My first hearing of Dutilleux... Fabulous! I only wish he had written much more.










Currently, I'm off listening to a classic of Indian traditional/classical music. Hypnotic.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And still another shift in direction:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely French Impressionism.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Bernstein Conducts Stravinsky- The Rite Of Spring (The 1958 version thanks to a good friend!!!)


----------



## kennyshafard

I am listening to O Fortuna.


----------



## andruini




----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


>


I am about as jealous as I get...


----------



## andruini

World Violist said:


> I am about as jealous as I get...


Haha! Yeah, Le Grand Macabre is pretty much one the best Post-WWII operas you can get, both in terms of music and production, IMO.. Just look at some of the pictures of that staging!  I'd kill to see this live some day..


----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


> Haha! Yeah, Le Grand Macabre is pretty much one the best Post-WWII operas you can get, both in terms of music and production, IMO.. Just look at some of the pictures of that staging!  I'd kill to see this live some day..


Most of my jealousy actually stems from the fact that you actually have that recording. It's none too easy to find these days...


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 In F# Major


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Salonen is an amazing conductor. His Peer Gynt CD is fantastic. I wish he would have recorded the whole incidental music.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

World Violist said:


> Most of my jealousy actually stems from the fact that you actually have that recording. It's none too easy to find these days...


I just did

http://www.amazon.com/Gyorgy-Ligeti-Vol-Grand-Macabre/dp/B00000ICMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1262750987&sr=8-1


----------



## Sid James

*Villa-Lobos*: Chamber music - Duo for violin & viola; Quintet Instrumentale; 5 Songs for flute & harp; The Jet Whistle; Song of the Black Swan (mobius) Naxos

I really like Villa-Lobos style, there is certainly a song-like quality to much of his work. This is a great cd if you want an introduction to some of his chamber output right through his career, from the early _Song of the Black Swan_ to the late _Quintet_. The playing, from a group of young American musicians who call themselves mobius, is superb and the recorded sound is clear and vivid.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Best Planets CD ever


----------



## Sid James

Also listened to a selection of *Chopin's* _Nocturnes_ played by Daniel Barenboim (a friend's cd). This was a very light, classical and relatively untroubled interpretation, compared to what I've heard Horowitz playing one of them, which was much darker...


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan's transcription of the first movement of Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto with Alkan's phenomenal cadenza. Played by Marc-Andre Hamelin, live at Wigmore Hall in June 1994.


----------



## Vic

Vaughan Williams - A sea symphony - Hickox


----------



## Tapkaara

SalieriIsInnocent said:


> Best Planets CD ever


It is certainly ONE of the best in my book. Up there with Dutoit/Montreal.


----------



## kmisho

Tapkaara said:


> It is certainly ONE of the best in my book. Up there with Dutoit/Montreal.


I'm not particularly fond of the Levine or the Dutoit. Ever since I discovered the way Stokowski did The Planets, particularly in his handling of the Saturn and Neptune movements, I compare every other version to his. So far none has measured up for me.


----------



## Tapkaara

kmisho said:


> I'm not particularly fond of the Levine or the Dutoit. Ever since I discovered the way Stokowski did The Planets, particularly in his handling of the Saturn and Neptune movements, I compare every other version to his. So far none has measured up for me.


I have not heard Stokoi's recording, but I understand it is legendary.


----------



## Bartók

I thought I'd relisten to one of the CD's that first got me to listen to classical music. I still like it as much today as the day I first heard it.


----------



## Conor71

Nielsen: Violin Concerto, Op. 33


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Paavo Jarvi/Frankfurt Radio Symphony

Wonderfully spacious recording by an orchestra and conductor who really know this great work. The brass in the beginning are terrific (and terrifying), the strings later are sweet and bring off a great sense of nostalgia, and the winds are expressive and full of nuance. Second movement seems to strike the perfect balance between weight and tempo, never in danger of slogging through nor of just breezing through. The adagio seems really great too, but I don't know it so well, so I need to listen to it again. The very beginning sent goosebumps up my arms, though, so that's a good sign.


----------



## andruini

Charles Ives: Symphony No. 1 (Mehta/LA Phil); Symphony No. 4 and Orchestral Set No. 2 (Dohnanyi/Cleveland)


----------



## World Violist

Adagio from Bruckner 8
Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic

Still need to get the first two movements. This movement is intensely moving and definitely makes a case for its 35+ minutes.


----------



## Vic

La Mer - Karajan
I am really trying to like Debussy, but I am not sure if it is working for me. I find that every single note is beautiful - maybe a bit too pretty if that's possible!? Only the third listen to it though, so it may grow on me.


----------



## andruini




----------



## Moldyoldie

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
Hallé Orchestra
Sir John Barbirolli, cond.
BBC*
Both performances are recorded in live performance at London's Royal Albert Hall -- the Nielsen on July 30, 1965; the Sibelius on August 8, 1969, the year prior to Maestro Barbirolli's passing. Both exhibit the conspicuous audience rustling and dispersed coughing we've come to expect from BBC's welcome series of releases recorded from this venue. The stereo fidelity of the orchestra is decent enough and one easily adjusts to the unforgiving hall acoustic. Unfortunately, despite the very exuberant and affectionate applause which erupts spontaneously on their respective closing chords, I can't rightly say either performance measures up to the occasion.

Carl Nielsen's flamboyant _Symphony No. 4_ is arguably the most popular entry in the preeminent Danish composer's symphonic canon. Composed during the brutal depths of World War I, its seamless four movements expound on the dualities of war, culminating in the victory of man's ingenuity for creative good vis-à-vis the forces of his destruction; it presents many a rebus to the interpreter as well as pitfalls to the players. In the better performances I've heard, this music displays a subtle profoundness and even reverence amidst the rousing ballyhoo. Here, Barbirolli does strive for meaning behind the notes, but renders a performance with nary a truly memorable moment outside of the finale's hallmark tympani duel. We're guided through the thickets with an interpretation I can only describe as thoughtful and deliberate, but ill-measured and often plodding. Manchester's Hallé Orchestra, here sounding as scrappy a bunch as one will likely ever hear, do admirably plow through some glaringly sour notes from the trombones and a few ensemble mishaps, not to mention a brass and bass-heavy balance exacerbated by undernourished violins, to effect a true sense of commitment and sponteneity. Still, a few iterations of the important three-note theme heard throughout (which I shamelessly refer to as the "gotta dance" theme re _Singin' in the Rain_) are underplayed to the point of being nearly buried. Likewise, the dynamic clarion horn in the fourth movement (which I can't help but describe as Gershwinian; Nielsen adherents would rightly take exception and evoke the "which came first" argument) doesn't resound with the soul-stirring assurance I've come to expect, but rather with a disappointing lassitude and homogeneity -- this isn't supposed to sound like Sibelius, folks. Speaking of which....

Barbirolli approaches the often enigmatic Sibelius _Symphony No. 3_ with the same slow deliberation I've heard recently from the likes of Colin Davis, probing for an elusive meaning that may not necessarily exist -- Barbirolli's first and second movements both exceed ten minutes. The finale, while effecting a nicely pointed crescendo-decrescendo at the movement's dynamic peak (with no caesura), eventually deteriorates into a wheel-spinning sonic morass lacking definition and musical coherence. To echo Emperor Joseph in _Amadeus_, is this modern? I much prefer more flowing, straightforward, and tuneful phrasing in this symphony, even at similarly slow tempi.

Needless to say, I'm not as enamored of these performances as many reviewers I've read, including in UK's _Gramophone_, though I'm sure fans of either the conductor or of these two fine symphonies will be curious to hear this...as was I.


----------



## ScipioAfricanus

Gernsheim's 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Draeseke's 2nd.


----------



## Conor71

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 In E Minor, Op. 27


----------



## Sid James

*Villa-Lobos* - Choros 8 & 9 (Hong Kong PO/Schermerhorn) Naxos

*Berg* - Violin Concerto; Chamber Concerto (Stern/Serkin/NYPO/Bernstein/LSO/Abbado) Sony

*Ligeti *- Etudes Books 1 & 2 (Biret) Naxos


----------



## andruini

Ligeti - Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets (Arditti Quartet)


----------



## World Violist

Enescu: Symphony No. 3
I dunno who's performing it. It's on Youtube, and it's terrific. That's really all I care about.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Enescu: Symphony No. 3
> I dunno who's performing it. It's on Youtube, and it's terrific. That's really all I care about.


Enescu is an interesting composer. I would like to hear more of his music.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 7
MTT/SFSO

I'm looking for something heavier than this... Looking at getting Levine with CSO, Maazel with NYPO, or trying to get the almost-mythical-these-days Klemperer recording (undoubtedly the longest Mahler 7 ever recorded). Any recommendations?

Though this is one smashing recording. Something different is nice.


----------



## Aramis

Mahler 1st, Kubelik, Bavarian Radio SO


----------



## Conor71

Pärt: Te Deum (Alfred Schlee Gewidmet)


----------



## Vic

Bartok: second string quartet (Balcea quartet) 
Bartok : third piano concerto
- totally love it.


----------



## andruini

A great and underrated composer.. Some LOVELY choral works.. Everyone should check this out..


----------



## hawk

Charles Avison: Concerto in Seven Parts after Domenico Scarlatti
Cafe Zimmerman
Brilliant Music!


----------



## alfine

I am delving into Bruckner - xmas present to self - complete symphonies Barenboim and Berlin Phil - wish me luck!


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Pierre Boulez/Chicago Symphony

Best Mahler 1 I've ever heard, I'll say that much... and I've heard many of the "best" ones (Bernstein I & II, Walter (Columbia), Claudio Abbado/Chicago, Mitropoulos/Minnesota. This one just soars above all of them.


----------



## Air

*Listening to: Piano Concerto No. 23*

2010 might as well become the year of Mozart for me. I've fallen in love. Everything just sounds different then it did before, and I just can't get enough


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Levine/CSO

Can anyone recommend a better one to me? This one's too good to be true.


----------



## Conor71

Strauss (R): Metamorphosen, AV 142


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 3
> Levine/CSO
> 
> Can anyone recommend a better one to me? This one's too good to be true.


I have just listened to the version by Abbado and the VPO, Jessye Norman, the vienna boys choir, it is IMO very good but I would not like to compare with Levine/CSO


----------



## andruini

Listening to Gerald Finzi's Clarinet Concerto. That second movement can't be beaten.. So beautiful, amongst my favorite slow movements in any concerti..


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tristan Murail: _Gondwana, Desintergrations, Time and Again_

A contemporary French "spectral" composer. I find his music fascinating... elements of Impressionism, Messiaen, electronics and sound effects, and hints of Asian music (Takemitsu):


----------



## Conor71

Sculthorpe: Mento Mori










Pretty cool music, quite dark so far - I have had the wrong idea of what this composer would sound like up till now .


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 - Herbert Von Karajan conducting!!!


----------



## Lukecash12

String Quintet in G-Major, Op. 60 No. 5, G. 395, composed by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), composed in Madrid, Spain in app. 1801.

Ensemble 415
Chiara Banchini-violin
Enrico Gatti-violin
Emilio Moreno-viola
Wim ten Have-viola
Käthi Gohl-cello

II. Minuetto. Allegro risoluto
III. Andantino con grazia

One of Boccherini's last compositions, String Quintet from Op. 60. Boccherini follows Mozart's footsteps in composing his late string quintets for two violas rather than his older quartets for two celli.


----------



## World Violist

Listening to what I can find of Enescu's violin playing on Youtube. I'm studying his Concert-piece for viola and piano at the moment, so I'd like to hear his own playing style. There's also a recording of the piece with him at the piano that my viola teacher has.


----------



## kmisho

Bartók said:


> I thought I'd relisten to one of the CD's that first got me to listen to classical music. I still like it as much today as the day I first heard it.


I love the minimalists. Are you familiar with the score to Koyaanisqatsi? Some more great Glass from about the same timeframe.


----------



## Romantic Geek

Edward MacDowell Piano Sonata #1 (Tragica)

Performed by Alan Mandel


----------



## Sid James

*Josquin* - Missa "Pange Lingua" & motets (Sydney Chamber Choir/Routley) Tall Poppies

This is an excellent survey of the music of Renaissance genius Josquin des Prez, and recorded right here in Sydney. Excellent sound and the direction by Nicholas Routley is very good, the sound of the choir sublime.

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 4 (Danish RSO/Segerstram) - On air today, 2mbsfm sydney

It's been years since I heard this same recording on tape, which I had borrowed from the local library. This must be one of the darkest symphonies ever composed. It's a masterpiece in which Sibelius seems to allude many times to the world of Tchaikovsky, but in a modern way. I think it's the perfect picture of a very depressed man. That's why I haven't bought it, it's so emotionally effective in portraying the composer's feelings, that the listener can't help but get involved. Gone is the artifice of late Romanticism, this is something very bold & brave, composed in the face of death...


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Purcell - _They that go down to the sea in ships_


----------



## Lukecash12

Alkan - Scherzo Focoso Op. 34


----------



## Guest

Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41 - Jos van Immerseel/Anima Eterna

I love the 40th - my favorite of all Mozart's symphonies, and this is a beautiful performance.


----------



## Lukecash12

RAVI SHANKAR ; Rag Bihag


----------



## Bartók

kmisho said:


> I love the minimalists. Are you familiar with the score to Koyaanisqatsi? Some more great Glass from about the same timeframe.


I have heard some of his score to Koyaanisqatsi, but I am not too familiar with it. I listen a lot to Steve Reich and Terry Riley for minimalism.


----------



## Sid James

*Liszt *- Sonata in B minor; Funerailles; plus works by Chopin, Schumann, Debussy (Horowitz) EMI

This 1932 recording of the two Liszt works by Horowitz is deservedly a classic. Horowitz takes you on a thrilling journey with every contrast and new phrase. The colours he coaxes out of the piano are amazing, even on this mono recording. The journey from dark to light which the _Sonata_ presents is rich and complex, and seemed to pave the way for composers like Rachmaninov & Scriabin. But I love how Liszt seems to leave the listener up in the air at the end, and Horowitz conveys this masterfully.

*Britten* - Violin Concerto; Cello Symphony (Hirsch/Hugh/BBC Scottish SO/Yuasa) Naxos

These are significant, but somewhat neglected works, in the C20th repertoire. So the coupling is apt, and the performances are excellently played & recorded. Highlights of these works are the passacaglia endings, which are quite unique. These works show how Britten was a master of orchestral music of the C20th.


----------



## hawk

Handel: Select Harmony
Concerto Grosso OP 6 no. 1
Oboe Concerto in G minor
Cantata: "Cuopra Tal Volta Il Cielo
Oboe concerto in B flat
Sonata in F OP 1 no 11
Duo in F for recorders

Telemann Society Orchestra~ Richard Schulze conductor

Recorded in 1962 by Amphion Record Company
( I have a few albums by this company -can't find anything on line about them???)


----------



## Conor71

Debussy: Jeux, L 126


----------



## andruini

Villa-Lobos: Missa Sao Sebastiao; Bachiana Brasileira No. 9


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *Sibelius* - Symphony No. 4 (Danish RSO/Segerstram) - On air today, 2mbsfm sydney
> 
> It's been years since I heard this same recording on tape, which I had borrowed from the local library. This must be one of the darkest symphonies ever composed. It's a masterpiece in which Sibelius seems to allude many times to the world of Tchaikovsky, but in a modern way. I think it's the perfect picture of a very depressed man. That's why I haven't bought it, it's so emotionally effective in portraying the composer's feelings, that the listener can't help but get involved. Gone is the artifice of late Romanticism, this is something very bold & brave, composed in the face of death...


Beautifully put, and all very true. Dark, but at times pastoral and even giddy. And you are so right about the lack of artifice.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 55, "Eroica"

View attachment 806


----------



## Guest

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Pierre Boulez/Wiener Philharmoniker

I am more impressed with Boulez than I had thought I would be.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Some of the music I've been listening to in the past few days:

_*Bruckner - Symphony no. 9* conducted by Herbert von Karajan and the BPO_
The first movement is most definitely my highlight of this unfinished symphony. The orchestra sounds as if it is swallowing everything in its path as the movement reaches its coda. The scherzo pretty impressive too and far more interesting than the scherzo in his 7th.

_*Sussmayr - Concerto for Basset Clarinet and Orchestra in D* conducted by Leopold Hager with Thea King and the English Chamber Orchestra (pretty much the only available recording)_
What to say about this? A really enjoyable piece and way above average for a classical era composition.

_*Biber - Partita for Two Violins and Basso Continuo in D Minor* conducted by Reinhard Goebel with the Koln Chamber Orchestra_
Another one of those pieces where the first movement completely grabs you. No surprise that Biber was first and foremost a violinist. The presto section of that said movement has such an unusual and distinctive harmony.

_*Webern - Five Pieces Op. 5* conducted by Herbert Kegel with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra_
Shockingly enough, the first Webern piece I've managed to derive some enjoyment out of. I won't say too much as I have very little knowledge of the Second Viennese School, but out of what I've heard, this sounds like Webern at his most musical.

_*Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 'Eroica'* conducted by Gustavo Dudamel with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra_
I'm ashamed to say it, but this is the first time I have properly listened to 'Eroica' all the way through. I guess I could have done a lot worse than hear this Dudamel performance from the 2007 Beethovenfest in Bonn. The symphony seems to be played with more fire than you might expect from somebody like the more restrained Osmo Vanska and I don't think I would have had it any other way.


----------



## Guest

Something by the Spice Girls can't make out the lyrics but fantastic music


----------



## Il Seraglio

Andante said:


> Something by the Spice Girls can't make out the lyrics but fantastic music


Must be the rough regional accents.


----------



## Lukecash12

Quote: *A live recording from a concerto with Roland Pöntinen at Stockholms Konserthus
*

*
~~~~~~Eleven Bagatelles op. 119 by Beethoven~~~~~

Part 1: 




1. Alegretto (g minor)
2. Andante con moto (C major)
3. á l'Allemande (D major)

Part 2: 




4. Andante cantabile (A major)
5. Risoluto (c minor)
6. Andante (G major)

Part 3: 




7. Allegro, ma non troppo (C major)
8. Moderato cantabile (C major)
9. Vivace moderato (a minor)
10 Allegramente (A major)
11. Andante, ma non troppo (B flat major)*


----------



## World Violist

Robert Simpson: Symphony No. 9
Vernon Handley/Bournemouth... I think

via Youtube 




Opens mysteriously, like a Bruckner symphony, with little motivic things flitting around everywhere. There is some wind writing that is vaguely reminiscent of Shostakovich, really, at which I wasn't entirely surprised. I feel a little bit lost right now, seeing as I'm hearing a very distinctly 20th-century piece lay out in a very orthodox sonata form... and the second theme doesn't even sound all that different from the first. I dunno what to think of this piece all that much, but now that I've heard some of it it's starting to grow on me.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21


----------



## Dim7

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (String Orchestra Arrangement)

I remember how I really liked Tristan und Isolde overture, but wasn't interested in opera really and wanted to hear someting similar. Verklärte Nacht is perfect piece in that situation. 
I got a feeling that I've heard the fourth part in a movie... Or somewhere before I listened to this whole piece. Does anyone know what that might be?


----------



## Polednice

I've been listening to a bit of Berlioz:

_The Damnation of Faust_ with Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic, as well as his _Grande Messe des Morts_ with Sylvain Cambreling and the South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra. At some point, I want to read Byron's _Childe Harold_ and then listen to Berlioz's symphony of the same name (I won't do it without reading Byron first!).

I've also been returning to Andre Previn's recording of Tchaikovsky's _Manfred Symphony_ as well as the 10 volumes of Grieg's complete piano music by Eva Knardahl.


----------



## Guest

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20-27
Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner - The English Baroque Soloists

I love the sound of the English Baroque Soloists - I'm not sure, yet, what I think of the fortepiano. To me it comes across as somewhere between a harpsichord and a piano. Sounds like a piano, but the notes are very short and chopped.


----------



## Lukecash12

I'm going through my Sofronitzky cycle today. Here's the list:

1. Chopin, Barcarolle in F-sharp major, op.60.
2. All of Chopin's Etudes, Ballades, Preludes, Polonaises, and Nocturnes.
3. Several of Beethoven's Sonata's.
4. A boatload of Scriabin, of course.
5. Schumann Carnavals, Symphonic Etudes, some Concertos, and several miscellaneous pieces (such as the novelletes).
6. His unbelievably good Bach recordings.
7. Mendelssohn Sonatas, Preludes, Nocturnes, and several miscellaneous pieces.
8. Some wonderful recordings of Handel.
9. Liszt Sonatas, and Etudes.
10. And I will finish it with all of his Rachmanninoff recordings.


----------



## Il Seraglio

A few of Giacomo Meyerbeer's arias which I'm enjoying very much thanks to Meyerbeer1's channel. 

I'm not sure if any of his operas still get performed today despite being very popular in his time. His descent into obscurity was largely thanks to Richard Wagner's anti-semitic attacks on him and his music's subsequent ban under the Nazis.


----------



## Lukecash12

Il Seraglio said:


> A few of Giacomo Meyerbeer's arias which I'm enjoying very much thanks to Meyerbeer1's channel.
> 
> I'm not sure if any of his operas still get performed today despite being very popular in his time. His descent into obscurity was largely thanks to Richard Wagner's anti-semitic attacks on him and his music's subsequent ban under the Nazis.


Yes, I like his channel quite a bit. And if you didn't know, there is a new Franz Ferenc Liszt channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/newFranzFerencLiszt He is gracing us with his recordings once again.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Lukecash12 said:


> Yes, I like his channel quite a bit. And if you didn't know, there is a new Franz Ferenc Liszt channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/newFranzFerencLiszt He is gracing us with his recordings once again.


Ah, thanks very much.

Liszt, Chopin, Schumann... I like this man's taste.


----------



## andruini

Stravinsky: Symphony In C; Symphony of Psalms; Concerto in D (Von Karajan/BPO)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely tunes sung beautifully... full of all the sophistication of a New York coming into its own.


----------



## Air

DrMike said:


> Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20-27
> Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner - The English Baroque Soloists
> 
> I love the sound of the English Baroque Soloists - I'm not sure, yet, what I think of the fortepiano. To me it comes across as somewhere between a harpsichord and a piano. Sounds like a piano, but the notes are very short and chopped.


What a good set you have there!


----------



## Tapkaara

Moonlight Sonata by L van Beethoven - Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Sid James

*Bizet* - Symphony in C (Montreal/Dutoit) 
*Arriaga* - String Quartet No. 1 (Chilingrian SQ)
both on air today on 2mbsfm Sydney

The Bizet is a wonderful symphony, with echoes of the classicism of Haydn, early Beethoven & Schubert, but there are also individual touches. Like the haunting melody coming from the woodwind in the slow second movement, it has such a melancholic feel about it. I think that this is one of the best first symphonies by a French composer, along with Berlioz' _Symphonie Fantastique_. The Arriaga oddly enough shows the same influences, but there is a sunny, southern feel to his music. Both these pieces were aired as the first in a series of programs about composers who died way too young. What a pity...


----------



## andruini

Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande; Tapiola; Symphony No. 7 (Beecham)
Would be a great recording if it weren't for the fact that it's live and apparently there was a flu epidemic in England at the time of recording.. By far the loudest coughs I've ever heard on any recording.. ¬¬


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *Bizet* - Symphony in C (Montreal/Dutoit)
> *Arriaga* - String Quartet No. 1 (Chilingrian SQ)
> both on air today on 2mbsfm Sydney
> 
> The Bizet is a wonderful symphony, with echoes of the classicism of Haydn, early Beethoven & Schubert, but there are also individual touches. Like the haunting melody coming from the woodwind in the slow second movement, it has such a melancholic feel about it. I think that this is one of the best first symphonies by a French composer, along with Berlioz' _Symphonie Fantastique_. The Arriaga oddly enough shows the same influences, but there is a sunny, southern feel to his music. Both these pieces were aired as the first in a series of programs about composers who died way too young. What a pity...


The Bizet is a wonderful work. I have always had much admiration for it. And I have much admiration for Bizet the composer. One of the greatest melodists of all time.


----------



## C_Bach

Bach The English suites by Glenn Gould,a legendary pianist.


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 1 by G Mahler - Maazel/Vienna


----------



## Air

Just listened to 25 versions of Chopin's First Ballade today (back-to-back), which really helped me gain insight on my own playing of this piece. (Just for fun) Here is what I got...

1. Kissin / Michelangeli
3. Rubinstein
4. Hofmann / Arrau
6. Zimerman
7. Gavrilov / Cortot
9. Egorov / Ashkenazy
11. Licad
12. Richter / Pollini
14. Perlemuter / Bolet
16. Moravec
17. Francois
18. Horowitz
19. Casadesus
20. Gilels
21. Brailowsky
22. Perahia
23. Koczalski
24. Argerich
25. Fiorentino

*No recording dates, since I was listening on Youtube.

This was quite difficult, as a matter of fact, because all of the interpretations were unique, and each had their own value. One just cannot compare the Kissin to the Michelangeli to the Hofmann to the Cortot to the Perlemuter, but I did anyways...

Surprise of the day was Bolet, who surprised me with a beautiful (even mournful) subtle quality that transcended me even beyond the capabilities of Michelangeli's interpretation. Honestly, I think he could have well made the top 5, but it seemed like a loss of concentration / inconsistencies throughout just made the whole piece lose shaping, which was really quite disappointing. 

OK, that was exhausting, so Mozart for the rest of the night!


----------



## Guest

I have really come to enjoy Rachmaninoff - beyond his 2nd piano concerto. I have his Preludes and Etudes-tableux by Howard Shelley (Hyperion) which I greatly enjoy. I have several recordings of the piano concertos - Hough/Litton (Hyperion); Richter/Warsaw Philharmonic (DG - 2nd only, with Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 5); Rubinstein/Reiner (with the Paganini Rhapsody) (RCA Red Seal); Rachmaninoff/Stokowski and Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra (2nd and 3rd; RCA Red Seal); Van Cliburn/Reiner (2nd, with Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1; Red Seal); Horowitz/Reiner (RCA Gold Seal; 3rd).

I've also picked up his 2nd Symphony (Previn/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), the "Elegiac" Piano Trios (Nos. 1 & 2) (Borodin Trio); and the All-night Vigil (Paul Hillier/Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir).

What an incredible composer. I'm working on acquiring all of his works for piano. I am really enjoying the recordings by Shelley on Hyperion.


----------



## andruini

Arturo Márquez: Cello Concerto "Espejos en la Arena" (Mirrors on the Sand) - Carlos Prieto: 'cello


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 In D Major, Op. 12/1


----------



## andruini

John Adams: John's Book of Alleged Dances (Kronos Quartet)


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29, "Hammerklavier"


----------



## Guest

I have also been listening to this work but by Alfred Brendel a fine performance


----------



## Polednice

andruini said:


> Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande; Tapiola; Symphony No. 7 (Beecham)
> Would be a great recording if it weren't for the fact that it's live and apparently there was a flu epidemic in England at the time of recording.. By far the loudest coughs I've ever heard on any recording.. ¬¬


Thank you! I was reading Thomas Malory earlier today (_Le Morte D'Arthur_), and I came across a bit about Sir Pelleas and I knew the man's name was coupled with another in a separate tale and I couldn't think what it was. I knew it ended in an 'ande'!

I've just been listening to Mozart's four Horn Concertos with Jiang Lin (horn), Barry Tuckwell (conductor) and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra - it's rare for me to be interested in 'classical' classical!

Also (prompted by the BBC Music Mag. website), I've been listening to Berlioz's _Grande Masse des Morts_ (did I already say that?!) with Cambreling, and the cello sonatas by Rachmaninoff and Grieg (Walton and Grimwood). I haven't finished Rachmaninoff, but I loved Grieg's. And, to my shame, I haven't listened to Brahms's two yet, so that's next!


----------



## Conor71

Andante said:


> I have also been listening to this work but by Alfred Brendel a fine performance


Nice  - I like Alfred Brendel too and own the digital set of his Beethoven Sonatas.


----------



## World Violist

Luciano Berio: violin duets. They're pretty neat little pieces!


----------



## Conor71

Again:

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 In D Major, Op. 12/1


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor: V. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck


----------



## World Violist

SalieriIsInnocent said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor: V. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck


Haha, I was just listening to that this morning! Lively little movement, isn't it?


----------



## World Violist

Berio: Coro
Berio/Cologne Radio Symphony and Choir

After Sinfonia, this is just blowing me away! This is just amazing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This disc presents songs of Faure, Debussy, and Poulenc setting the poems of Sully Prudhomme, Leconte de Lisle, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, Pierre Louÿs, Théodore de Banville, Guillaume Apollinaire, and others. Absolutely gorgeous...














and even more exquisite for someone like myself long enamored of French Symbolist poetry.:worthy: And Véronique Gens?


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 In A Major, Op. 47, "Kreutzer"

View attachment 811


----------



## andruini

William Byrd - The Byrd Edition 1: Propers for Lady Mass in Advent (The Cardinall's Musick)


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 In Eb Major, Op. 31/3


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

World Violist said:


> Haha, I was just listening to that this morning! Lively little movement, isn't it?


Christmasy to me. All Winter I have been blasting that wonderful tune. I plan on using a lot of Mahler for a future project of mine.

Right now I am listening to my favorite aria from Die Zauberflöte, O Isis und Osiris (Sung by the great Kurt Moll)


----------



## tahnak

The renditionof Saint Saens' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Perlman and Mehta is brilliant.


----------



## tahnak

*Dvoraks' Ninth*

I was listening to the first movement of Dvorak's ninth today by Jascha Horenstein and the Vienna Symphony performed in 1954. Though the recording is historic and there are patches of Horenstein's special abilities but the performance was disappointing. Vienna is not playing this with spirit.


----------



## Moldyoldie

Just listened to...







Earlier listened to...








*Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3; Symphonic Danses
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Mariss Jansons, cond.
EMI*

*Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3; Symphonic Danses
Berlin Philharmonic
Lorin Maazel, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Earlier last week, I began listening to a few Rachmaninov orchestral discs I've had in my collection for years, including Andrew Litton's _Symphony No. 1_ and _Isle of the Dead_ with the Royal Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel's _Symphony No. 3_ and _Symphonic Dances_ with the Berlin Philharmonic. All, surprisingly, made a very positive impression, but it was Maazel's decidedly anti-Romantic take on this composer that pricked up my ears. _Symphony No. 2_ has been a long-time favorite, but I'd always thought of the composer's piano concertos as bombastic, longwinded, overly _virtuoso_ and somewhat cloying -- I like maple syrup on my pancakes, but I don't drown them -- to say nothing of their seeming ubiquity in the repertoire. (I'll concede this impression may very well change over time.) Reading reviews from the usual sources led me to the Jansons disc.

Without going into great specifics, Jansons' performances hew much closer to my previously conceived notions of the composer. There's great beauty and drama to be heard here as Jansons expertly molds the phrasing and the orchestra immaculately negotiates the long-limned lines with suitable romance and great power when called on. The portamento in the strings and vibrato in the brass are on full display. However, the seemingly inherent musical longueurs are disappointingly allowed to remain so. Though the symphony comes off well enough, it's especially apparent in the second and third movements of the _Symphonic Dances_ -- Maazel would have none of it! I've read the Maazel Rachmaninov performances described as "cool" and "detached", but perhaps to these semi-virgin ears, that's exactly what these so-called "Late Romantic anachronisms" need to bring them into the, er, modern age. I realize this is largely a matter of taste, hardly objective and perhaps unsympathetic to the composer's elaborate musical expression...but there it is.

The Jansons early '90s digital recording in St. Petersburg's Philharmonic Hall is beautifully spacious with power, warmth, and vividness across the spectrum. Apparently it's been remastered for this EMI _Great Artists of the Century_ release. Maazel's _Symphony No. 3_, on the other hand, is up-close, perhaps overly hard and bright, and somewhat bass-shy in DG's problematic early digital from Berlin's Philharmonie. The _Symphonic Dances_, recorded a couple years later, displays a noticeable improvement. I won't dismiss the possibility that the recording itself lends to my musical impressions, but I really don't think so. My Maazel recording pictured above is long out-of-print, but it inspired me enough to order the DG two-fer release of his complete Rachmaninov symphonies.

If your favored notions of Rachmaninov are that of a Late Romantic in league with Tchaikovsky, Jansons will certainly be to your liking. I dare say Maazel places the composer more firmly in the 20th century, perhaps in league with Prokofiev.

And no, I've not heard Ashkenazy, Previn, or Litton in these two works; though Previn's renowned LSO recording of _Symphony No. 2_ has been a mainstay of my collection on LP along with very fine and divergent later recordings by Rozhdestvensky/LSO and Bychkov/Orchestré de Paris. I greatly look forward to hearing Leonard Slatkin's new Naxos recording of _No. 2_ with my "hometown band" from Detroit.


----------



## Tapkaara

Hey World Violist...tried to get your attention in the Ifukube thread. Did you hear the rest of that Ifukube Naxos CD yet?


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Hey World Violist...tried to get your attention in the Ifukube thread. Did you hear the rest of that Ifukube Naxos CD yet?


Sorry, I haven't yet. Thanks for reminding me; I'll listen to the rest later on tonight!


----------



## Tapkaara

Sehr gut! Arigato!


----------



## Lukecash12

Pipa - Moon over Xunyang at Night 浔阳月夜


----------



## andruini




----------



## Sid James

*Schnittke* - Cello Concerto No. 1; Stille music for violin & cello; Cello Sonata (Kliegel/Saarbrucken RSO/Markson/others) Naxos

This music, the concerto especially, is not easy listening. Written after a stroke and coma, it seems to depict images in the subconscious. It is pretty brooding throughout, then the finale seems to present a picture of a (mountainous, icy?) landscape, which reminds me of Hovhaness, and is pretty awesome.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm quite loving this one.


----------



## tahnak

*Dvorak's Eighth*

I am listening to Dvorak's Eighth played by the Boston Symphony under Charles Munch . I recommend this recording above all for this symphony.


----------



## tahnak

*Shostakovich Tenth*

Bayerischen Rundfunks - Zestful performance by Sir Georg Solti of Shostakovich Tenth.


----------



## Guest

I've been listening to Wagner's Lohengrin - directed by Rudolf Kempe. I have been trying to listen to Wagner, as I feel this is a gaping hole for me, but somehow I'm just not deriving the same experience listening to his works as I have with others of his period. I have listened to his Ring cycle by Bohm with the Bayreuther Festspiele, and a recording of Tristan with Placido Domingo. These have all been recordings from my local library, as I have not yet wanted to spend money on him.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 3
Earl Wild, piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Jascha Horenstein, cond.
CHANDOS (Disc #2 of 2)*
No. 2 still leaves me nonplussed with its longwinded pseudo-Romantic virtuoso pounding and chatter while building to _"Full Moon and Empty Arms"_ in the finale. However, No. 3 was actually very affecting this morning as a refulgent Late Romantic expression -- perhaps it was in comparison to what preceded it. For those unfamiliar, the performances and recording here are both wonderful -- the former mostly straightforward and unfussy; the latter vivid and powerful with a fine up-close balance between soloist and orchestra.


----------



## Aramis

What a terrible cover :<


----------



## Polednice

View attachment 817


_The Legend of King Arthur (A Choral Symphony)_ by Elinor Remick Warren.
Words adapted from Tennyson's _Idylls of the King_.
Szymon Kawalla and the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra/Chorus.
Featuring Thomas Hampson and Lawrence Vincent.

In my quest to find some neoromantic composers, I stumbled upon this which was a nice surprise as I'm studying Malory's _Le Morte D'Arthur_ and other such medieval romances at the moment!


----------



## kmisho

Bartók said:


> I have heard some of his score to Koyaanisqatsi, but I am not too familiar with it. I listen a lot to Steve Reich and Terry Riley for minimalism.


All in all I like Reich better than Glass. The complexity of it is more my style.


----------



## kmisho

I made an interesting discovery yesterday. That Borodin guy is not half bad. In fact, I've liked him for years and didn't even know it.

Every once in a while, for years now, this tuneful little melody I heard somewhere sometime pops in my head. I discovered yesterday it was from Borodin's Polovetsian dances. So I checked out his symphonies and my initial reaction was that they are better in a lot of ways than Rimsky-Korsakov's but not as good as Tchaikovsky's final three.


----------



## kmisho

Moldyoldie said:


> *Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 3
> Earl Wild, piano
> Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
> Jascha Horenstein, cond.
> CHANDOS (Disc #2 of 2)*
> No. 2 still leaves me nonplussed with its longwinded pseudo-Romantic virtuoso pounding and chatter while building to _"Full Moon and Empty Arms"_ in the finale. However, No. 3 was actually very affecting this morning as a refulgent Late Romantic expression -- perhaps it was in comparison to what preceded it. For those unfamiliar, the performances and recording here are both wonderful -- the former mostly straightforward and unfussy; the latter vivid and powerful with a fine up-close balance between soloist and orchestra.


I'm not that up on my record labels. But in my experience Chandos puts out a lot of top-notch recordings.

I once had a chance to see the 3rd concerto performed live and was somewhat surprised at how harmonically "modern" it was.


----------



## Polednice

kmisho said:


> I made an interesting discovery yesterday. That Borodin guy is not half bad. In fact, I've liked him for years and didn't even know it.
> 
> Every once in a while, for years now, this tuneful little melody I heard somewhere sometime pops in my head. I discovered yesterday it was from Borodin's Polovetsian dances. So I checked out his symphonies and my initial reaction was that they are better in a lot of ways than Rimsky-Korsakov's but not as good as Tchaikovsky's final three.


I've been wanting to listen to some more Borodin as well. I have some of the music from _Prince Igor_ (where those dances come from); _In the Steppes of Central Asia_ and his second symphony - can you recommend a particular symphony that stands out?


----------



## kmisho

The second one has a definite air maturity over the first. As we were recently talking about orchestration, I would place his skill level as above that of Rimsky-Korsakov or Tchaikovsky. 

There is part of a third symphony I haven't heard. Borodin only completed 2 movements before he died.


----------



## Polednice

kmisho said:


> The second one has a definite air maturity over the first. As we were recently talking about orchestration, I would place his skill level as above that of Rimsky-Korsakov or Tchaikovsky.
> 
> There is part of a third symphony I haven't heard. Borodin only completed 2 movements before he died.


My recording of the second symphony is by Carlos Kleiber. I find very often that if a completely different piece happens to end on a big, deep chord, my mind is instantly transported to the opening of the first movement of Borodin's symphony.


----------



## dafnis

amazing the the unfinished contrapunctus XIV...


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 In Eb Major, Op. 31/3, "Hunt"










Been listening to this cycle the last several days with a renewed enthusiasm after having previously retired it for being a bit harsh in places!. Really enjoying it this time around - Barenboim has performed with what I think was the passion of Beethoven .


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* - Symphony No. 1 (VPO/Kertesz) on air today on 2mbsfm, Sydney

This symphony is gripping from beginning to end. I especially like the upbeat last movement, and the change in mood from darkness to light. I'm looking forward to seeing this work done live by the Australian Chamber Orchestra in May...

*Piazzolla* - Tangos, songs, Maria de Buenos Aires Suite (Moratalla/Rey-Joly/Ferrer/Versus Ensemble) Naxos

This is one of my favourite cd's period. I really like Piazzolla's instrumentation, the quintet sounds as rich as an orchestra! Here, the Argentinian bandenon (accordion) is missing, substituted by sax. I think that the way Piazzolla combined his knowledge of traditional counterpoint (i.e. Bach) with the Argentinian tango was really unique.


----------



## andruini

Andre said:


> *Piazzolla* - Tangos, songs, Maria de Buenos Aires Suite (Moratalla/Rey-Joly/Ferrer/Versus Ensemble) Naxos
> 
> This is one of my favourite cd's period. I really like Piazzolla's instrumentation, the quintet sounds as rich as an orchestra! Here, the Argentinian bandenon (accordion) is missing, substituted by sax. I think that the way Piazzolla combined his knowledge of traditional counterpoint (i.e. Bach) with the Argentinian tango was really unique.


That sounds like an awesome CD, I'll have to look into it!

Now listening to Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer with Kent Nagano. Totally amazing!


----------



## Polednice

View attachment 820


I'm half pleased and half ashamed to say that I've finally converted... I've listened to some Wagner and actually enjoyed it 

Prompted by a raving review of Christian Thielemann's recent live recording of _Der Ring des Nibelungen_ with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, I've been listening to it online (I can't quite afford the whole box-set yet!). I'm just working my way through _Das Rheingold_ at the moment, but I'm impressed so far - let's hope I keep enjoying it all the way through!


----------



## Polednice

Andre said:


> *Brahms* - Symphony No. 1 (VPO/Kertesz) on air today on 2mbsfm, Sydney
> 
> This symphony is gripping from beginning to end. I especially like the upbeat last movement, and the change in mood from darkness to light. I'm looking forward to seeing this work done live by the Australian Chamber Orchestra in May...


I'm going to a performance of Brahms's 1st in May as well - I'm incredibly excited because it's being performed by Daniel Barenboim and the Berliner Philharmoniker, and I've never seen an orchestra of that calibre before. What's more, the theatre is a thirty-second walk away from my university house, and my exclusive ticket is free because I'm writing a review for a student newspaper


----------



## Conor71

Alfven: Symphony No. 4
Rautavaara: Cantus Articus, Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 3
Hovhaness: Cello Concerto, Symphony No. 22


----------



## tahnak

*Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead*

I heard this today by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. This comes second to Yevgeny Svetlanov and the USSR Large Symphony Orchestra . After Ashkenazy, it is probably Previn and London Symphony that bring out the ethereal in this great tone poem.


----------



## Guest

tahnak said:


> I heard this today by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. This comes second to Yevgeny Svetlanov and the USSR Large Symphony Orchestra . After Ashkenazy, it is probably Previn and London Symphony that bring out the ethereal in this great tone poem.


I also recently found this recording, and have not yet had the time to really listen to it. I have been greatly drawn to Rachmaninoff as of late. His 2nd Piano Trio was a wonderful discovery for me, as well.


----------



## andruini

This is just too great and overblown!!


----------



## Moldyoldie

kmisho said:


> I'm not that up on my record labels. But in my experience Chandos puts out a lot of top-notch recordings.


The recordings date from the '60s and were originally produced by RCA for distribution through Reader's Digest; Chandos merely acquired the distribution rights. I believe the recordings are also available individually with various couplings on the Chesky label.

Currently listening to...








*Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande Suite; Suite Mignonne; Suite Champêtre; Suite Caractéristique; Cassazione; Presto for Strings
Tapiola Sinfonietta
Tuomas Ollila, cond.
ONDINE*

Very, VERY lightweight Sibelius, but often delightful. The _Pelléas et Mélisande Suite_ is the most substantive work here. The other stuff might float away if not tied down.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

John Harbison: _At First Light_

The song cycle, _Due Libri Mottetti di Montale_ in which the composer set poems of Eugenio Montale (one of my favorite poets) to an orchestral score sung by Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson.

_Snow Country_- for oboe and chamber orchestra

_Chorale Cantata_- with soloist Dawn Upshaw

_Concerto for Clarinet_- Oboe, and Strings

An intriguing disc by a contemporary American composer. Elements of Romanticism, Post-Romanticism, Impressionism, Atonalism, etc... I bought the disc especially for the first selection... both for the performances of Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson... and the setting of such a favorite poet to song. As it is... I am especially interested in exploring contemporary art song.


----------



## Conor71

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"


----------



## Romantic Geek

Intermezzo in A, Op. 118 No. 2


----------



## Sid James

*Martinu* - Piano Concertos 3 & 5 "Fantasia Concertante;" Concertino (Koukl/B. Martinu PO/Fagen) Naxos

There are so many instantly recognisable influences here - from Brahms in the 3rd concerto, Bartok in the 5th & Rachmaninov in the _Concertino_. But surprisingly, it all sounds pretty fresh & 110% Martinu. This cd is hot off the press, and successfully pairs two Martinu experts, Czech pianist Giorgio Koukl & conductor Arthur Fagen. All in all, a pretty good release, and Volume 2 will come soon, no doubt...


----------



## dafnis

Argerich and Freire in Salzburg's Festival 2009... in particular Rach's Symphonic dances in version for 2 pianos... pure magic!


----------



## tahnak

Listened to Zoltan Kodaly's Hary Janos today. It was quite well performed by the Budapest philharmonic under Arpad Joo.


----------



## Moldyoldie

It seems to come in various packaging.
*Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Frank Shipway, cond.
RPO PLATINUM*
Shipway/RPO's Mahler Fifth is schizoid to the max (in the now sullied sense of meaning thoroughly contrasting in mood, tempo and dynamics); yet comprehensible, committed, and thrillingly performed -- it's how I imagine Mahler imagined it! The brass soloists are spot-on in expression and overall ensemble is quite fine with this very inspired conducting. Also, the twelve-minute _Adagietto_ isn't "beautiful", it's fine steel mesh being stretched and rent asunder. This is a Mahler Fifth that demands to be heard!

The recording is spacious, somewhat less than impeccably balanced; but mostly clean, unfussy and gimmick-free...and it's available dirt cheap online. You'll love it!


----------



## World Violist

Got this in the mail today, so I'll listen to it now.










Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke II)
Levine/Philadelphia Orchestra

Kind of interesting that this is the orchestra that gave the piece's premiere recording (under Ormandy), and yet here it is again. Oh well.


----------



## Lukecash12

Ablinger: "Der Regen, das Glas, das Lachen"


----------



## andruini

Perfection holla!!


----------



## Polednice

That cover art is going to give me nightmares...


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Got this in the mail today, so I'll listen to it now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke II)
> Levine/Philadelphia Orchestra
> 
> Kind of interesting that this is the orchestra that gave the piece's premiere recording (under Ormandy), and yet here it is again. Oh well.


First impressions... I don't know this symphony terribly well at all, but I love this recording already.

The first movement I kinda know, and it receives an interpretation to die for here; it all unfolds with great organic quality (and for those who think this movement is the one that's too slow... you're wrong, terribly wrong; it's only 25 minutes and boasts some of the longest lines any Mahler recording I've ever heard has produced). The climax is absolutely terrifying; the first (tonal) one had me in a state of shock, as I thumbed the volume control a little bit. Then, imagine my shock as I furiously thumbed the volume again as the _real_ climax hit! The winding-down into the coda was sheer bliss.

Then came the realization, with the first scherzo, that there were TONS of quotes from Mahler's earlier symphonies. In this movement, there are numerous thinly-veiled and thoroughly blatant quotes from his fourth symphony's scherzo (especially the first trio, in which the formerly charming violin solo becomes a dark, menacing, foreboding, and outright creepy statement of what is to come). The performance is smashing, Levine dodging through the thorn-bush of metre changes effortlessly while keeping a tight rein on the orchestra and phrasing wonderfully (somehow).

The short Purgatorio is very odd, so I haven't really gotten my head around what must be Mahler's shortest-ever movement (at only about 4 minutes it's brief even by Beethoven and late Mozart's standards!). But this performance of it is really great to my ears. I heard some snippets of things from his earlier symphonies, but I'd be hard-pressed to say which ones at the moment. Besides, the real nest of quotations comes in the last two movements.

In the fourth movement Mahler quotes a lot from the seventh symphony (a bit thinly veiled), the sixth (again not so obviously), the 9th (scherzo a little obviously), and some from the third. However, what he does with all of this self quotation is to thoroughly rewrite them, so that while they bear a representation of their previous incarnations, they are at least somewhat (sometimes totally) different in character. This performance is also really great. And then comes the thud of the muted bass drum, signaling...

The last movement. This is where most of the critics of this recording should be pointing their attention. As one would imagine, James Levine has a bit of a field day with the "adagio" marking (nearer to a half-hour than the usual 21-25 minutes), but it all works out so unbelievably well thanks to his not-entirely-human realization of line. The whole movement is extremely moving anyway, and with this slow tempo and Levine's sense of line, it is absolute heaven. It all dwindles down to a whisper, and then the violins have their glissando up the two-and-a-half or whatever it is octaves (the glissando here a bit quicker than usual) into the last heart-rending outburst of emotion Mahler would ever write. And here's the most amazing thing about this performance. This last phrase does a REAL diminuendo into nothing. Seriously. I kept on listening and literally could not tell when the sound stopped until the next track on my MP3 player began. And it is superbly controlled, and really drawn out.

In short, this is an incredibly moving performance of an incredibly moving symphony. It works for me.


----------



## Conor71

A new puchase - first listen .

Alfven: Orchestral Works


----------



## Conor71

Bantock: Orchestral Works










Lush, gorgeous


----------



## Conor71

Again:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"


----------



## andruini

Byrd! <3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely French _melodies_... beautiful orchestral songs. Only one song by Chausson. The rest by Delage and Jaubert. Clearly in the tradition of the Impressionistic French melodies of Faure, Debussy, Hahn, etc... but also distinctively Modernist.


----------



## Lukecash12

Alain Louvier's Etudes pour Agresseurs










http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0943E3128563889D


----------



## Tapkaara

Violist: Ifukube???


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Violist: Ifukube???


Yes. Ifukube. I think he's one of those composers one needs to listen to a lot of to dig into the subtleties. And I don't know how well this CD really does that.










Sinfonia Tapkaara I still believe is a fantastic piece of music. I just think that this performance just doesn't do it justice. The second movement is great, but that's just about it. The first and last movements are just underpowered, and not propulsive enough for this almost brutally propulsive music. They're just being too proper and cautious, especially much in the last movement, in which they think a slight nudging of tempo in the coda could actually make it exciting. There's a video on Youtube of this movement. In the coda they really shove the tempo forward. _That_ is exciting.

Ritmica Ostinata is rather similar to the Tapkaara symphony, and for that reason I'm not entirely sure it belongs on an Ifukube "overview" disc (which this disc is essentially trying to be). Again, a fine piece if a bit short of the inspiration to be found in the symphony. The pianist seems to have no idea that this is supposed to be full of real, _visceral_ intensity. That's really all that I can say. About 15 minutes in I was wondering "When is this going to end?" This recording of this piece is essentially a sales pitch for its only other recording by Reiko Yamada, which I am made to understand is played all stops out. It's not just meant to show off, it's necessary for the piece to work.

The first symphonic fantasia is essentially a medley of things from the Godzilla soundtrack. It's a pretty neat piece, and despite its sounding a bit episodic, I think it's a powerful artistic statement anyway. It has intensity, rhythmic power, cool melodies (really evident in a very good slow section), and a smashing ending. This, I think, is about the only piece in the CD in which everyone involved rises to the occasion, but I also get the impression that it's because the piece isn't entirely based on the amount of potential and kinetic energy that can be put into the end. Either way, this piece receives a fine recording here.

This CD is really as good as it gets, mostly because it's the only recording of the Tapkaara symphony, the only cheap and non-import one of Ritmica Ostinata, and a very good first symphonic fantasia. However, if there were other accessible recordings of the first two pieces, I tend to think that this CD wouldn't be worth it. It doesn't have a whole lot of stylistic diversity in the pieces, which isn't so great for newcomers to Ifukube's unique sound-world. However, in the end I would urge people to get this disc and make their own conclusions.


----------



## Tapkaara

Thanks for your views on the disc, Violist!

Yablonsky's reading of Tapkaara is a very good one, I think, but I agree it lacks the propulsion and intensity that the work is capable of, when in the right hands. That Tetsuji Honna video on YouTube, where he conducts the final movement of the work, I think is what Ifukube had in mind when writing the work. Yablonksy takes slack tempi at times, and the percussion that is in (and so important to) the work is often very severely muffled and recessed. Notwithstanding, I think Yablonsky, a Russian, is probably one of the few "white people" to ever conduct the work, and certainly the only non-Japanese on record to do so. So, I think his is a viable and interesting alternative to the myriad Japanese recordings that exist, but are, unfortunately, not all that easy to get here in the west. I suppose I find his down-played take on the work a refreshing and insightful alternative to "the real thing."

I have never endorsed the recording of Ritmica Ostinata on this disc. The pianist, Ekatarina Saranceva obviously has a very agile set of digits, but this is a GREAT example of how technical skill and interpretive skill are two different things. She hits the notes just right, gets the angular rhythms right, but her playing is so without fire or commitment. I agree, Violist, with your comments that it's like she didn't know what to do with the score. I think the orchestra plays along well enough, but under Yablonsky's baton, they are never allowed to explode. It's a tame performance, and playing Ifukube tame, I think, is a sin.

I do endorse Reiko Yamada's scintillating performance with the Tochigi Orchestra with Masaaki Hayakawa. This disc is fairly easy to get in the west and, yours truly, wrote the program notes for the disc. If anyone is interested in purchasing the disc, let me know.

The performance here of Symphonic Fantasia no. 1 is a very good one. Yes, it is episodic because it is a patchwork of various cues from Ifukube's monster movie music. By the way, the composer resisted for years re-working his film music as concert music, but as persuaded into doing so by his students and colleagues. Anyway, I feel that Yablonsky and his Russian orchestra finally get the idiom pretty much "right" with this one. The only bit that irks me about the performance is the timbre of the muted trumpets in the middle of the work. They sound thin and something out of a 78 RPM record of 1920s "hot jazz." In other recordings, the muted trumpets have a much fuller and more menacing sound than they do here. In the final march section, the percussion is well done and the brass is appropriately piercing. I enjoy this performance quite a bit.

One thing to keep in mind with this disc, I think, is what I have already mentioned. Ifukube is well-known in classical music circles in Japan and he has been widely recorded there. This is a ground-breaking disc in that we have the very rare occasion of a non-Japanese conductor and a non-Japanese orchestra performing music that is very Japanese. There seems to be a certain reticence or even confusion with the most "ethnic" scores (Tapkaara, Ritmica) but they seem more at ease with the Shostakovich-like Symphonic Fantasia.

As Ifukube's music begins to be performed more an more in the west since his death in 2006 at the ripre old age of 91, I hope that more western ensembles will take on these scores for the digestion of the world's concert-goers. Perhaps it will take some time before these Ifukube newbies will get it "just right," but in the meantime, I am thankful that, at the very least, attempts are finally beginning to be made.


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> So, I think his is a viable and interesting alternative to the myriad Japanese recordings that exist, but are, unfortunately, not all that easy to get here in the west.


There are too many of these... and not only of Ifukube. Having a quick look through the 3 pages of Ifukube on Amazon, half of the entries are Godzilla soundtrack compilations, probably about a fourth are of other movies he wrote soundtracks, and the rest are of his actual concert music. Only about 3 of these CDs are actually available in the US, the rest being exorbitant imports from Japan. I just don't get it. I mean, I've heard of new recordings being released in Japan well before they are in America (Paavo Jarvi's Bruckner and Beethoven cycles being notable in this regard), but I don't see the Ifukube being released, or even considered for being released, at all.

I just really hope this changes...


----------



## Conor71

Stuck on Bruckner the last few days - listened to the entire Symphony cycle yesterday! .
Now listening:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"


----------



## World Violist

Miles Davis; Kind of Blue


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## andruini

World Violist said:


> Miles Davis; Kind of Blue


Very awesome, one of my first favorite albums a few years back.. Changed my perspective on lots of musical-related things.. 

Listening to:








IMHO, one of the most important large scale symphonic works of the 20th Century.


----------



## Air

andruini said:


> IMHO, one of the most important large scale symphonic works of the 20th Century.


So this is a guessing game? Hmm... I'll go with Messaien's Turangalila Symphony, Webern's Symphony, or Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. These are not the top 3 of the C20th but I know you are listening to one of them because I have this ability. I'm right... am I.. AM I?! 

Current Listening: One of the greatest piano concerti by one of the greatest composers, played by one of the greatest pianists in 1964. Guess it up! (Hehe, start of a new tradition...probably not)


----------



## andruini

Air said:


> So this is a guessing game? Hmm... I'll go with Messaien's Turangalila Symphony, Webern's Symphony, or Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. These are not the top 3 of the C20th but I know you are listening to one of them because I have this ability. I'm right... am I.. AM I?!
> 
> Current Listening: One of the greatest piano concerti by one of the greatest composers, played by one of the greatest pianists in 1964. Guess it up! (Hehe, start of a new tradition...probably not)


Ha! I forgot to put the picture in.. You're guesses were good ones though, I consider those three equally important as what I'm listening to, which is this:









Harmonielehre by John Adams.


----------



## Guest

I'm listening to multiple versions of Elgar's Cello Concerto:
Du Pre/Barbirolli
Maisky/Sinopoli
Harrison/Elgar
Kliegel/Halasz
Ma/Previn

I love this piece. The Maisky/Sinopoli is a wonderful one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 4, "Arabescata"
Vine: Symphony No. 1, "MicroSymphony"


----------



## andruini

Don't care what anybody says, this is the best Deutsche Grammophon release in the last few years.


----------



## Romantic Geek

Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor - Bach


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Miles Davis; Kind of Blue


You, sir, are a man after my own heart.


----------



## bplary

Listening to Mahler's First under the baton of Rafael Kubelik...


----------



## Guest

bplary said:


> Listening to Mahler's First under the baton of Rafael Kubelik...


I don't have that recording, but I really enjoy his live recording of the 1st on Audite. Very nice. His "Das Lied von der Erde" with Janet Baker, also on Audite, is also wonderful. One of my favorite Mahler conductors.


----------



## Romantic Geek

Concertstueck for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 20 - Cecil Chaminade


----------



## Polednice

View attachment 834


Brucker - Symphony No. 9; Hallé Orchestra with Cristian Mandeal.


----------



## Sid James

*Elena Kats-Chernin* - Wild Swans concert suite; Piano Concerto No. 2; Mythic (Sheldon/Munro/Tasmanian SO/Rudner) ABC classics

I can hear many influences in the music of this Australian composer, from Ligeti's mechanistic utterances to minimalism and even cabaret. There's also a lush, filmic feel to some of her orchestration. My favourite work on the disc is the _Piano Concerto No. 2_, which displays all of those influences, but is kind of wierd in parts, like the very abrupt ending to one of the movements - a bit like choppy editing in a film, but deliberate.

*Carter* - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 (Pacifica Q) Naxos

This is one of my favourite recordings of string quartets by any composer. Carter's first quartet is justly labelled as a classic - and it is rather gripping, from the jagged cello solo at the beginning to the concluding variations. The slow movement is also very memorable. This was one of the first works with which Carter established his reputation in the 1950's. Fast forward to the mid-90's, to the other work on this disc, the fifth quartet (his last one so far), and you get a work that is shorter by half, much more compact, in 12 short connected movements, very serialistic. This recording is great, it actually received a Grammy Award, so that should be enough to recommend it, apart from the praise of Carter himself. Superb...

*Sculthorpe* - Earth Cry, Irkanda IV, Small Town, Kakadu, Mangrove (Sydney SO/Challender) ABC classics

I really like Sculthorpe's soundscapes of the Australian continent. They are pictures that emphasize the varied landscapes here, which can be beautiful but quite harsh and inhospitable. I can hear many influences in this music, from Messiaen to Varese, but it is more tonal, and the colours are different. I especially like how Sculthorpe refuses to compose cliches, eg. _Kakadu_, a piece about the rainforest area of the north, does not use any flutes or harps or gauzy strings to render such a landscape, the orchestration is much more pared down but still very colourful in it's own unique way.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

andruini said:


> Don't care what anybody says, this is the best Deutsche Grammophon release in the last few years.


No argument from me. I love it too.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Lukecash12

Marc Andre Hamelin playing Alkans Vivante op 65


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 In E Major, Op. 109


----------



## bplary

I just got that same Barenboim set, really great stuff.


----------



## Polednice

Is that from the first cycle he did? I've got the full second cycle - has anyone heard both?


----------



## Conor71

bplary said:


> I just got that same Barenboim set, really great stuff.


For sure, its a cool set - great listening .



Polednice said:


> Is that from the first cycle he did? I've got the full second cycle - has anyone heard both?


Yes this set is the first complete first Cycle (for EMI) and his second is the the Cycle you've got (for DG) - not sure if anyone on this site has both or how the 2 sets compare to each-other .


----------



## bplary

I'm now listening to Mahler's Second from the same cycle I posted above. Slowly working my way through these monster works!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Well- I listened to the instrumental introduction to Act II of Puccini's _La Bohème_...

in mono.

It was the 'piped music' another workplace-establishment had, while I was on hold.

(I thought to myself "out of all the calls this place receives, what [minscule]
percentage of people would be able to recognize the music and 'name that tune?'")


----------



## World Violist

Bernstein: Candide
Bernstein/LSO et al.

One of my favorite recordings of anything.


----------



## Ilych

Elgar Enigma Variations
Adrian Boult


----------



## Il Seraglio

Berlioz' Béatrice et Bénédict on Radio 3. This is a highly enjoyable piece. If I could sum it up in one glib soundbite, I'd describe it as Wagnerian expressiveness meets the elegance of Mozart and Gluck. I'm far from up to scratch with French opera (having been put off Donizetti's contributions), but this is making me want to hear more.


----------



## ScipioAfricanus

Haydn's last string quartets.


----------



## Guest

I'm working my way through Richard Goode's Beethoven Piano Sonata Cycle. Currently I am on the 3rd disc of 10 - right now it is the 4th sonata.


----------



## MattTheTubaGuy

*Tchaikovsky*

I love Tchaikovsky's music!

I am listening to The Nutcracker at the moment.(Celesta)

Rimsky-Korsakov is also good.

I have played a bit of Tcaikovsky, which helps (Tchaik symphony 5 and 6, Cappriccio italen, march slave)
I am going to play the Little Russian Symphony, and Rimsky-Korsakov Russian Easter Overture this year in the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, which I'm really excited about!
I listen to Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Dvorák, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Strauss (Jr. and R), Shostakovich (not my favourite composer, but OK), Beethoven, Brahms, Elgar, Grieg, Holst, and Mahler to name a few.
I have probably got nearly 200 hours of music at the moment!


----------



## Lukecash12

Quote from Ronald Smith, Alkan- the Man, the Music:

"Alkan's preoccupation during the 1850's with his translation of the Old Testament yielded one of his finest short pieces. Super Flumina Babylonis Op. 52 paraphrases Psalm 137 in the style of an operatic scena and falls roughly into three sections: a lachrymose adagio in G minor, a muted song of Zion with thrummed 'harp' accompaniment generating frustrated developments in an impatient 12/8, and a powerful G minor finale burning with rage. 'Blessed be he that taketh thy children and crushes them against the stones.' The piece makes a novel and arresting concert item."


----------



## Conor71

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, Op. 100


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Souzay was frequently touted as the French answer to the great German master of lieder, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau... and certainly not without reason. He is a masterful singer of French melodies with a warm and exquisite baritone voice. I generally prefer the female voice for French melodies but Souzay's recordings challenge that preference.


----------



## Conor71

Playing this set again - it is a real favourite lately :
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 In E Major, Op. 109


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Holst: The Planets; Lyric Movement for Viola and Orchestra
Matthews: Pluto, the Renewer
The Hallé Orchestra
The Ladies of the Hallé Choir
Mark Elder, cond.
HYPERION*
The only genuine attraction for me here was to hear Colin Matthews' Pluto appendage. I suppose the musical planetoid has it's peculiar modernist charms, but as has been pontificated _ad nauseum_ elsewhere, it doesn't belong in the same solar system as Holst's classic suite (nor as science would now have it, in anyone's set of planets!). Matthews' Pluto is of an idiom far removed from Holst's _veddy_ English brand of dramatic romanticism. In my opinion, it's best listened to in isolation...if at all. The convenience here is that Pluto can either be heard as such or as a seamless segue from Neptune's wordless choir. Likewise, if one wishes to go to the trouble, the CD can be programmed so that the suite ends in the traditional manner.

This is one of the most generally subdued and understated performances of _The Planets_ I've heard, abetted by Hyperion's spacious soundstage. Mars builds and culminates broodily instead of menacingly; Venus and Mercury are featherlight filaments in this celestial firmament; Saturn grudgingly packs and imparts its "old age"; Neptune waxes eerie instead of ethereal. I will, however, give big thumbs up to both Jupiter and Uranus -- Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra are well-measured here delivering a suitable punch and brio, along with a splash of vinegar; though the recording's wide dynamic range renders Uranus' pianissimo barely audible. Those expecting the usual sonic blunderbuss will be surprised by the generally well-considered understatement here...or else sorely disappointed by it.

Holst's _Lyric Movement for Viola and Orchestra_ from 1933 is a very beautiful, but very, very plaintive sounding number to round out the program -- perhaps somewhat in concordance with Elder's general approach to the main attraction.


----------



## World Violist

Now I'm watching the Bernstein/LSO performance of Candide. Sometimes Jerry Hadley's facial expressions are pure magic. Such a sorrow that he removed himself from a world that loved him so.


----------



## david.allsopp

DanielFullard said:


> A few other forums I have used in the past have had this kind of thread which serves as an ongoing one in which you basically post what youre listening to or have been listening to lately and any comments on it.
> 
> Works well elsehwere so should work here....
> 
> Ill get the ball rolling...
> 
> This hasnt been out of my Disc player in 2006 and as you will come to find out I bloody love Alwyn..


Cool - Alwyn was from Northampton where I work and he went to Royal Academy like me! I love his symphonies, and again the RLPO play 20th C english music better than any other orchestra in the world!


----------



## Lukecash12

Vivaldi - Concerto in C Major RV 534 (F.VII-3) for 2 Oboes, Strings & Harpsicord - 3. Allegro


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The local boy makes good: Joshua Smith of the Cleveland Orchestra plays Bach in an absolutely lovely disc.


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 1 In C Major, K 279


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Air

*Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 3
Kapell / Dorati*

This is frightening. I've always thought that Argerich was best (I like both the recording with Abbado and the later one with Dutoit, though for different reasons), but once you truly discover how many great recordings there are of a single work, it becomes impossible for you to make up your mind. One would never think of Prokofiev's 3rd (or for that matter Prokofiev's 2nd) as having so many great recordings, but there is, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing for me in the current economic situation. (That being said, we can all agree on Richter for the 5th concerto, right?)

Comments on Kapell? Well, he plays the "dynamic" Prokofiev, much like Argerich, which is a good thing, because I don't like the 3rd concerto played slowly (ala Francois). The orchestra here is lusher and more romantic than most. Kapell's technique is brilliant, and he uses it to great effect. His choices are often very different from Argerich, but I'd say they work just as well. There is one thing I don't like though: on some of the rougher chords he feels the need to exaggerate and even slow down. And his playing doesn't seem to have that same (unexplainable) sexiness that Argerich has. That said, the orchestra is one of the best I've heard.


----------



## Polednice

View attachment 851


I felt like finding the perfect performance of an old favourite, and Daniele Gatti's performance of Tchaikovsky's _Romeo and Juliet_ with the Royal Philharmonic seems to be just that recording! It comes with the 5th symphony, although I haven't listened to that yet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely magnificent singer... once forwarded as the French answer to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau... and every bit worthy of the comparison. I will most certainly be seeking out more by Souzay.


----------



## Sid James

*Tippett *- String Quartets 3 & 5 (Tippett Quartet) Naxos

Listening to these quartets, one is constantly reminded of Beethoven's late quartets. The 5 movement structure of String Quartet No. 3 is an example of this. But there is also something very Twentieth Century about these works, not only technically but also in the ways they seem to picture the English landscape, which is very different from the music of other UK composers of the time. This is a very good recording by the young Tippett Quartet, and I look forward to acquiring the other volume of this survey of the composer's complete string quartets.

*Osvaldo Golijov *- Oceana - DG

I just borrowed this from the library, thought I'd give it a spin due to other's positive reviews above. I really like the textures & rhythms of the title work, they are pretty unique. Alot of influences from outside classical have made their way into this music, which is interesting. The other pieces are very fine as well, I particularly like the 3 songs which showcase Dawn Upshaw's voice perfectly.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 In Eb Major, Op. 74, "Harp"


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

I bought this several months ago but only just started to listen. Complete Haydn solo piano/keyboard works. Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano.


----------



## bplary

Listening to Murray Perahia playing Schubert's Impromptu Op,90 No.1 from this disc....


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Here's one you might like, Andre. I actually sort of like it as well... although its certainly something I'd need to be in the mood for:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely pairing... Debussy and the "Impressionistic" works of Takemitsu with local buy Joshua Smith, of the Cleveland Orchestra, on flute.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Dutilleux: Symphony No. 2 "Le Double"; Timbres, Espace, Mouvement (ou La nuit étoilée); Métaboles
Orchestre de Paris
Semyon Bychkov, cond.
PHILIPS*

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov, cond.
PHILIPS*

Briefly, the Dutilleux was superb! From what I've heard on CD, Bychkov and Philips had a great thing going in Paris -- love their Rachmaninov _Symphony No. 2_ especially. The Shostakovich from Berlin, not so much. I've been disappointed by all three of their Shostakovich recordings - the _Fifth_, _Eighth_, and _Eleventh_ - though the orchestra sounds great as usual. _No. 8_ is one of my absolute favorite works. DePreist/Helsinki is most convincing in No. 11.


----------



## Guest

Richard Goode's Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle (the last 2 discs)
Harnoncourt - Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5
Bohm - Mozart Cosi fan tutte


----------



## Il Seraglio

I have been digging into my new Bruckner CD lately and have enjoyed the Te Deum and Mass No. 3. There is also a setting of Psalm 150 on the third disc, the only piece here that is sung in German. On first impressions, it almost seems to collapse under its own weight. Thank goodness the singing is wonderful though. This is about as big and expansive as choral music gets.


----------



## bplary

Listening to Heifetz playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto....fantastic piece by a fantastic composer and violinist...


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso"


----------



## Conor71

Havent listened to any Bach in a while! :
Listening from these 2 sets:


----------



## kingdubrock

Boulez conducting La Mer










Abravanel conducting Satie










Christoper Warren-Green conducting Adams:










Myung-Whun Chung conducting Daphnis et Chloe










Neeme Jarvi Conducting Rimsky-Korsakov


----------



## andruini

Satie Piano Works with Pascal Rogé..


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Zubin Mehta, cond.
DECCA ELOQUENCE*
I've read professional reviews of this performance of Carl Nielsen's "Inextinguishable" from the '70s with scornful one-word descriptions such as "superficial" and "extrovert". The reviewer in the Third Ear Guide proclaims "the floor has been littered with recording failures" before summarily dismissing Mehta as if it illustrates his point. The Penguin Guide states Mehta "fails to penetrate the music's fullest depths and disclose all its subtleties." Robert Layton in The Gramophone calls it a "well-played, well-recorded but superficial account." Upon first hearing, I, too, was somewhat taken aback by Mehta's headlong and seemingly impetuous tempos, especially in the _poco allegretto_ second movement, which here sounds as if it's played more _a tempo_ with the rocket-propelled _allegro_ opening of the symphony, merely softer (I'm perhaps exaggerating to make a point). However, coming to this with fresh ears, purposely freed of notions of what this great symphony represents and how it should be rendered, makes for a truly exhilarating listening experience! Mehta never slams on the brakes as is often heard, but skillfully adjusts dynamics while subtly bringing tempos to bear.

Is it "superficial" to dauntlessly render Nielsen's wonderful and powerful wartime rhetoric as a single headlong unified statement? In this case, I certainly think not.

Hearing this performance, I was instantly reminded of the captain in _The Sand Pebbles_ played by Richard Crenna, who in his frustration in being militarily shackled by the dictates of his superiors while sensing the simmering and ominous threat of his increasingly restless crew, feigns wireless failure with HQ and proclaims: _"We will make one last savage thrust deep into China -- and if the San Pablo dies, she dies clean."_ The San Pablo, of course, doesn't die and neither does Mehta's Nielsen Fourth. Instead, it resounds with an inexorable life force that's nothing if not "inextinguishable". Evoking another allusion, instead of Marlow (or Capt. Willard, if you prefer) piercing deep into Conrad's heart of darkness, this performance is a brazen repudiation of its very existence!

Appended is a late '60 performance of Alexander Scriabin's _Poem of Ecstasy_, a work from the first decade of the 20th century that bears many marks of Debussy, but shimmers with its own eroto-exotic passions and musical language. It's become a personal favorite -- it's persistent trumpet wails calling forth above the shimmering orchestral fray as affectingly, but certainly more consistently and resoundingly, as that of those wonderful trombones in Sibelius' Seventh Symphony, a similarly uninterrupted, but more varied statement of similar length. This is a beautifully played and recorded performance, perhaps even more vividly recorded than that of the later Nielsen recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Moldyoldie said:


> *Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
> Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy
> Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
> Zubin Mehta, cond.
> DECCA ELOQUENCE*
> I've read professional reviews of this performance of Carl Nielsen's "Inextinguishable" from the '70s with scornful one-word descriptions such as "superficial" and "extrovert". The reviewer in the Third Ear Guide proclaims "the floor has been littered with recording failures" before summarily dismissing Mehta as if it illustrates his point. The Penguin Guide states Mehta "fails to penetrate the music's fullest depths and disclose all its subtleties." Robert Layton in The Gramophone calls it a "well-played, well-recorded but superficial account." Upon first hearing, I, too, was somewhat taken aback by Mehta's headlong and seemingly impetuous tempos, especially in the _poco allegretto_ second movement, which here sounds as if it's played more _a tempo_ with the rocket-propelled _allegro_ opening of the symphony, merely softer (I'm perhaps exaggerating to make a point). However, coming to this with fresh ears, purposely freed of notions of what this great symphony represents and how it should be rendered, makes for a truly exhilarating listening experience! Mehta never slams on the brakes as is often heard, but skillfully adjusts dynamics while subtly bringing tempos to bear.
> 
> Is it "superficial" to dauntlessly render Nielsen's wonderful and powerful wartime rhetoric as a single headlong unified statement? In this case, I certainly think not.
> 
> Hearing this performance, I was instantly reminded of the captain in _The Sand Pebbles_ played by Richard Crenna, who in his frustration in being militarily shackled by the dictates of his superiors while sensing the simmering and ominous threat of his increasingly restless crew, feigns wireless failure with HQ and proclaims: _"We will make one last savage thrust deep into China -- and if the San Pablo dies, she dies clean."_ The San Pablo, of course, doesn't die and neither does Mehta's Nielsen Fourth. Instead, it resounds with an inexorable life force that's nothing if not "inextinguishable". Evoking another allusion, instead of Marlow (or Capt. Willard, if you prefer) piercing deep into Conrad's heart of darkness, this performance is a brazen repudiation of its very existence!
> 
> Appended is a late '60 performance of Alexander Scriabin's _Poem of Ecstasy_, a work from the first decade of the 20th century that bears many marks of Debussy, but shimmers with its own eroto-exotic passions and musical language. It's become a personal favorite -- it's persistent trumpet wails calling forth above the shimmering orchestral fray as affectingly, but certainly more consistently and resoundingly, as that of those wonderful trombones in Sibelius' Seventh Symphony, a similarly uninterrupted, but more varied statement of similar length. This is a beautifully played and recorded performance, perhaps even more vividly recorded than that of the later Nielsen recording.


Cheers for the interesting review - I have this one and really like it! .


----------



## Conor71

More Bach:
Bach: Well Temperer Clavier, Book 2
Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins In D Minor, BWV 1043, "Double"
Bach: Concerto For Flute, Violin, Harpsichord, Strings & Basso Continuo In A Minor, BWV 1044, "Triple Concerto"


----------



## Harmonie

Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Clarinet and String Quartet - Ravel


----------



## Guest

After reading good reviews of this recording, I picked it up.

Bach - Fantasias & Fugues
Masaaki Suzuki (harpsichord)

Sometimes I find that Bach's keyboard works played on the harpsichord can be too much - I don't know if recording harpsichord is particularly challenging, but often the sound is just too harsh on my ears. Not this one. The recording is done very well, and the sound is very pleasant. A much warmer sound than the recording of Bach's keyboard concertos I have from Trevor Pinnock.


----------



## Il Seraglio

This finally arrived today after a long wait and I was just itching to listen to it.










What to say? Giulini takes Bruckner's ninth a notch slower. Don't expect anything along the lines of Furtwangler. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the symphony at this tempo. It feels weightier and full of gravitas and the recording itself has wonderful clarity. Highly recommended.

I listened to Tchaikovsky's string serenade in C on youtube afterwards for a bit of light contrast. The sort of music that instantly seduces you.


----------



## andruini

Disc 4: Symphonies No. 6 "The Heaven-Rending", No. 7, and No. 8 "Memories at Amalienborg"
What a fantastic box set!


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 In D Major, BWV 1012


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

andruini said:


> Disc 4: Symphonies No. 6 "The Heaven-Rending", No. 7, and No. 8 "Memories at Amalienborg"
> What a fantastic box set!


I must get this set.Its been on my radar for quite some time.


----------



## Head_case

I've been trying to get into Langgaard's String Quartet Cycle (Kontra Qt) but it ain't happening 

Listening to the Czech Kapralova's Qts V & VIII by the Kapralova Quartet. A bit of an unfortunate name for English readers but an excellent disc!


----------



## Head_case

Conor71 said:


> Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso"


Are you enjoying this at all?

I bought the box set and listened (tolerated) it once.

There's something missing from the Alban Berg despite the flawless playing. I find the vinyl LP version by the Hungarian or the Taneyev Quartet is far warmer.


----------



## Conor71

Head_case said:


> Are you enjoying this at all?
> 
> I bought the box set and listened (tolerated) it once.
> 
> There's something missing from the Alban Berg despite the flawless playing. I find the vinyl LP version by the Hungarian or the Taneyev Quartet is far warmer.


Sure, I have been enjoying this set (I am listening to SQ #12 atm!)  - I have found the playing and the sound to be quite good. It has taken me quite a few listens to warm to the music as I am not really that experienced with the SQ genre and chamber music in general but I really like it now, have been listening mainly to the later SQ's the last couple of days.

I cant really comment on ABQ Vs other versions as this is the only version of the Beethoven quartets that I own - if I am looking for alternate versions in future I will certainly check out the recordings you have mentioned (assuming they are now on CD) .


----------



## Head_case

Yes - the Hungarian Quartet are on CD but it is older than the Alban Berg version. The Harp Quartet and the Rasumovsky Quartets are sublime 

I don't know if it is a LP vs CD thing: I have a Michell Gyrodec and a Musical Fidelity tube amplifier, so just about everything on LP sounds 'warmer' than CD. What's nice about the Alban Berg is the lack of crackles and pop! 

The Taneyev Quartet; Beethoven Quartet or the Hungarian Quartet would be my first choice for playing though; all of these are pre-1970s recordings lol. You might prefer to stick with the Alban Berg for clarity 

I'm sure someone else will be able to recommend a great new modern cycle on DDD recording on CD! I might look out for one too if I ever scratch my vinyl late at 3.00am one night...


----------



## andruini

Adams: Nixon in China (De Waart; Orchestra of St. Luke's)


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich* - Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Symphony No. 1 (Rudy/Antonsen/BPO/LPO/Jansons) EMI

The piano concertos contain writing that is sparkling, witty and sometimes lush. The last description can especially be applied to the middle slow movement of the 2nd concerto, shades of Rachmaninov. But the standout work on the CD is the _Symphony No. 1_, which has some of the grandiose qualities of Mahler or Bruckner, but is much more unsettling. The slow movement keeps being interrupted by outbursts of despair and the finale is quite gloomy. Shostakovich keeps you on tenterhooks, the listener tries to predict whether the movement, and the whole work, will end with a sense of resolution or not. He does resolve it at the last minute, but this has to be one of the most unsettling, demented and unnerving finales to any symphony. Simply a masterpiece...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm on a bit of a Hindemith kick lately as he is someone I haven't listened to enough. I've been listening to all the Hindemith recordings I have lately... and I've got a few works on order. I just finished listening to this for a second time in as many days:










Now I'm on to a bit of Haydn:










Absolutely magnificent!


----------



## Head_case

I'm listening to ..... the wind. 

No wait. That's my tummy rumbling. It must be dinner time.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Schumann: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 97, "Rhenish"


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Keyboard Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV826


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn & Vivaldi* - Cello Concertos (Harrell/ASMF/Marriner/Zukerman) EMI Encore

Listening to this music is interesting, as it's not my usual repertoire. Lyn Harrell's playing has a big, woody sound. Haydn's two concertos reflect changing trends, the first looks back to Bach & the Baroque, the second (written decades later) looks forward to Classicism. Two of Vivaldi's concertos, arranged by Malipiero, are included as a filler. The orchestration sounds a bit too beefy, like Bach or Telemann, but it's ok...


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm on a bit of a Hindemith kick lately as he is someone I haven't listened to enough.


I find that almost funny, as most of it seems to sound the same. I know this sounds weird coming from a violist, but I just despise Hindemith. There isn't anything approachable about anything I've ever heard of his, and were I to hear two different pieces of his for viola alone I absolutely wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

To each his own though, I won't go on about it.

I'm listening to Mahler 10, James Levine/Philadelphia Orchestra. I think this is one of my favorite Mahler recordings. I just don't get sick of it.


----------



## Art Rock

Mendelssohn - symphonies 3&4 (Chicago SO/Solti).


----------



## Guest

It is a Mahler day:
Thus far I have listened to -
Mahler 3 - Boulez/Vienna
Mahler 4 - Tilson Thomas/San Francisco

Current -
Mahler 5 - Bernstein/Vienna

I also made a short playlist of all the "Urlicht" movements from the 2nd symphony that I have, as well as from "Wunderhorn" recordings, to see which appeals to me the most. The selection:

Christa Ludwig; Bernstein/New York
Solti/Chicago
Bernstein/London
Slatkin/St. Louis
Klemperer/BRSO
Boulez/Vienna
Tilson Thomas/San Francisco
Rattle/Birmingham


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable"
Sibelius: Tapiola
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*
Frankly, I find Karajan's _Nielsen No. 4_ with the BPO from the early '80s to be a bit underwhelming, but hardly worthy of out-and-out dismissal. After a comparatively tepid burst out of the starting gate, the first movement grinds to near stasis before lumbering along for a protracted thirteen minutes, albeit with some sparkling soft magic, to its quiet segue into equally drawn-out second and third movements. The _poco allegretto_ second features some fine, stately chamber-like interplay among the winds while the nearly twelve minute _poco adagio_ third movement puts the famous Berlin strings on full display. The ensemble playing certainly sounds nice here, but it's an ameliorating consideration when this great symphony's dramatic cogency is so undermined by such polite and tidy pacing. While listening, I found myself admiring the orchestra more than being swept along by the drama. The all-important tympani battles in the finale are also noticeably "civilized" and more recessed in the scheme; they're thus heard as semi-distant fusillades instead of rapid stereo punches to the solar plexus -- I suppose this may actually appeal to some listeners.

Despite misgivings as to Karajan's seemingly tame approach to what should be nothing less than a depiction of the triumph of Man's capacity for creative good over those forces which would usurp it, I do find the overall performance to lend an affecting reverence to the music not heard in many others -- once again, an ameliorating consideration. In comparison, I find Simon Rattle's similarly deliberate approach to the Nielsen Fourth to be much more successful and satisfying. _(Review to follow)_

What's somewhat disconcerting is the early '80s digital recording which is noticeably steely and bass shy, but the recording scheme is consistent with Deutsche Grammophon's general approach with these forces; i.e., strings and winds are in the forefront. More often than not, I've been able to adjust and appreciate it. In matters of interpretation, however, and as a requisite imploration to novice listeners, introduce yourself to this great symphony through any of the many other fine recordings before hearing Karajan's.

Appended to the Nielsen is Karajan's very expansive last recording of Sibelius' late tone poem _Tapiola_ from '84. Though I'm a big fan of the composer, this is not my favorite Sibelius. Still, Karajan and the BPO manage to wring every last ounce of brooding emotion from the score in a performance seemingly driven more by mythic ambience than epic drama. It's funny in that some days I really take to it, while other days....


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
James Levine/Chicago SO


----------



## Head_case

I'm listening to ........................

my washing machine. 










No, wait. It's actually Wagner


----------



## World Violist

Head_case said:


> I'm listening to ........................
> 
> my washing machine.
> 
> No, wait. It's actually Wagner


My washing machine is loud enough I can be listening to both it AND Wagner.


----------



## World Violist

First impressions:










Erkki-Sven Tüür: Crystallisatio

The first sound that greets the ear, the opening bars of Architectonics VI, is very ethereal, mysterious, yet not in the least indulgent. The music moves on in much the same vein, but is never boring in the least. This is not Rautavaara; nothing is really repetitive, and after the opening stasis the music moves forward with a purpose... not terribly common in my experience. Little ironic staccato wind passages alternate with dissonant string clusters that never really sound ugly. If you're at all familiar with the free counterpoint of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde--you'll know largely what to expect here, as the strings and winds move in much the same way, but with a greater modernity about the overall sound. What strikes me most about this piece, however, is that this exchange does not last. There is a perfect transition, pulled out of nowhere, into a much more sprightly section, with the strings making a simple rhythmic statement and the winds again responding. It's so simple and so similar to the previous section, but it feels as though worlds apart. This gradually shifts into another slow, ethereal section again--not so much a transition, but a gradual winding-down--and ends with a reprise of the faster rhythmic section.

Passion, the second piece, starts with a slow, quiet cello chorale that is simply mesmerizing. Then, slowly but surely, colors emerge from the strings, playing entirely without vibrato. So radical are these shifts in color that I could swear I was hearing a cor anglais at one point, only to check back in the liner notes that affirmed the piece to be for strings only. Little flourishes come from thin air, adding some spice, and pretty soon the listener is completely enveloped in this totally unique sound world. When the violins add a bit of vibrato, it doesn't disturb, but rather draws one in further, such is Tüür's mastery of timing. There is much dissonance here, as in Architectonics VI, but, like the previous piece, the dissonance in Passion doesn't fall into the ugly, even though there are clusters in the bass.

Illusion is a quick little piece, about three and a half minutes long, and it is brilliant. Brisk, with little rhythmic flourishes that remind one of Architectonics VI and some modern American pieces such as the once-famous Rounds by David Diamond, it is a most convincing character piece.

The title piece, Crystallisatio, begins with a high-pitched violin note, with added color via the addition of flutes and a glissando in the violins, and occasional clusters thrown in. When depth is finally added to the sound (and by depth I mean still in the soprano range of the orchestra, then gradually descending into some of the lower ranges to haunting effect), it is never surprising but always natural, always flowing, never boring in the least. As the piece progresses (and it does progress; Erkki-Sven Tüür is not the kind of composer who lets things sit and stagnate), it becomes clear that it's very aptly titled; the ideas seem to crystallize, to emerge one from the next. There are no clearly-demarcated transition points--it shifts from a series of nebulous glissandi to a gorgeous chorale to a scherzo that resembles rainfall back to a chorale, then gradually dotted with clusters in the woodwinds... etc. At the end, the piece really does crystallize into a cushion of strings supporting some squeaking harmonic sounds in the flutes (not ugly; just there).

The opening of the nearly-half-hour-long Requiem, which rounds off this CD, is haunting: a single triangle followed by the basses in their lowest register singing "Requiem." This piece works on similar lines as the other slower pieces, with the violins' running eighth notes adding color and dynamic contrast. As the vocal basses rise in register, the orchestral basses double them at the lower octave, making the sound still more searingly intense. This intensity builds until it's suddenly let up by the basses in their upper register with a considerably lighter tonal pallet in the orchestra. It's a very masterful exercise in contrast if nothing else, and it promises to be much else. The men prove to be the main voices, at least at this point in the Requiem. Tüür solidifies much of his orchestral technique as displayed in the earlier pieces: there are several glissandi, not only in the violins and violas, but also in the sopranos when they enter, as well as multiple clusters, especially in the prominent piano part. There is a lot of gloss in this piece, but it isn't all surface glitter, as the glissandi and ostinato patterns, not to mention the clusters, add considerable grit. After the rhythmically intense first part, there is a sudden silence, out of which come a solo soprano and violin, supported by gently moving clusters in the upper strings in the background. This is not boring in the least, as despite its calm surface, there are plenty of undercurrents, not least because of the swift solo violin and the creepy orchestral clusters that never seem to let go of the tension. And the clusters all converge on the tonic note of a half cadence when the section ends, which hardly does anything to alleviate this tension. In fact, despite all the little pauses, there is no letting up of tension anywhere, and the whole piece seems to depend on this long-term accumulation of tension. For, even when the music conveys stasis on the deepest level music can possibly convey, there is still unbelievable amounts of tension given by the juxtaposition of the long notes of the choir vs. the faster, shimmering notes in the upper strings. After a final outburst from the choir about two minutes from the end, it is devastatingly clear that this music has nowhere to go but into complete, implacable silence, and it does, with no resolution offered but for a cluster in the strings that leads into the triangle chime with which the piece began.

This CD is a tour de force of orchestral and choral writing from the late 20th century. In fact, I would challenge somebody who "doesn't like 20th century music" to listen to it and come away unmoved, especially the terrifying Requiem. The sound quality seems to define perfection, crystal clear and perfectly natural, highlighting nothing yet allowing every line to come through. The orchestra and choir are wonderful, giving everything the composer asks.

I've got to hear more from this composer. And to think he was only in his thirties when he wrote these pieces... it's just astonishing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I first got Erkki-Sven Tüür's _Crystallisatio_ this past summer and it was indeed one of the stronger pieces of newer music that I have purchased. I need to give it another listening to.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished playing this marvelous Sibelius disc which has me thinking I need to listen to him some more:










Now I'm on to Hindemith:








I'm especially intrigued by the contrapuntal aspects of this work which remind me of the manner in which Shostakovitch builds upon Bach's WTC.


----------



## Guest

Hildegard von Bingen: The Origin of Fire - Anonymous 4
I picked this up on a whim at my local library - absolutely beautiful. I didn't think I would be much into medieval religious chants, but the Rachmaninoff Vespers got me thinking that a cappella music might appeal to me. Very beautifully sung.

Bach: St. John Passion - Philippe Herreweghe, etc.
Looking forward to enjoying this piece. Got good reviews on ClassicsToday.com.

Bruckner: Requiem, Psalms - Matthew Best, Corydon Singers, etc.
Another shot in the dark from the library. I have not yet heard any of Bruckner's religious works, but am a big fan of his symphonies, which leads me to . . . 

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 - Bohm, Vienna Philharmonic
I have Wand's recording on RCA with Berlin, but had read good things of this recording. I enjoy Bohm a great deal, so I picked this up on iTunes. Can't wait.

Finally:
Bach: Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4 - Diego Fasolis, I Barocchisti (if I spelled that wrong, forgive me)
I've had a resurgence in my interest for all things Bach. I picked up some harpsichord recordings of his Goldberg Variations (Kenneth Gilbert), and his Fantasias and Fugues (Suzuki). I sampled this particular recording on iTunes, and loved it. Period instruments, but not necessarily historically informed, as the musicians take a few liberties. Beautiful sound!

I'm also considering picking up Rinaldo Alessandrini/Concerto Italiano's recording of the Brandenburg Concertos, as well as the Bach Collegium Japan's recordings of both the Brandenburgs and the Orchestral Suites. Because really, can you have too many recordings of the Brandenburg Concertos?
(I currently have 3 - Trevor Pinnock/English Concert, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien).


----------



## Head_case

World Violist said:


> My washing machine is loud enough I can be listening to both it AND Wagner.


Sometimes I'm not sure what the different is 

Wagner seems to go on and on...round and round.....


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* - Preludes Books 1 & 2 (Hans Henkemans, pno) Philips Eloquence

Not a bad recording, 1950's mono, and one of the few that the Dutch pianist ever made. There's plenty of colour here, perhaps not as lush as Gieseking, Henkemans seems much more direct. It's wierd, Debussy apparently never intended for the _Preludes_ to be listened to as a set (eg. together), but this is what we seem to do when we get them complete on cd.


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## Moldyoldie

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Martina Arroyo, soprano; Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano; Nicholas di Virgilio, tenor; Norman Scott, bass
Julliard Chorus
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
SONY FRANCE (Disc #5 of 6)*
Fine enough first and second movements with plenty of momentum, a long and lugubrious _adagio_ without Furtwängler's special magic, and an undernourished finale with the soloists barely adequate and the chorus kinda wimpy and sounding "joy"-less. 
Still, it was _"The Ninth"_. 

Actually, apart from these reservations about the Ninth, this cycle is quite fine for big band Beethoven, including my favorite Fifth. I liked Lenny's New York Beethoven much better than his Vienna.


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## Conor71

Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46










Heifetz was awesome!, I love this disc .


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## StlukesguildOhio

Some marvelous Impressionist music by one of the less well known composers of the era. The work reminds me of Debussy... or even more so, of Koechlin.


----------



## Conor71

Dvorak: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 10










I really like this Symphony, especially the first movement - first listen from this recently aquired set


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## StlukesguildOhio

I just completed this...










A lovely disc of cello works (cello concerto, cello sonata, and prelude) by Ernest John Moeran conducted by Adrian Boult with Peers Coetmore, Moeran's wife, on cello. It seems the marriage was a disaster, but produced these three marvelous pieces. I'll most certainly be looking into further discs by Moeran in the future.









These two look especially promising:



















My collection of British music continues to grow. I'm looking at adding some more Cyril Scott and a Edgar Bainton disc. I must be swinging back toward a fixation on Post-Romanticism after all my recent purchases of more experimental works (Cage, Reich, Takemitsu, Murail, George Crumb, etc...):lol2:


----------



## Romantic Geek

Variations on Balkan Themes Op. 60 - Amy Beach, performed by Virginia Eskin

A truly wonderful piece if any of you haven't heard it yet. However, it's pretty inaccessible 

About to listen to Amy Beach's Ballad Op. 6 right after. Another great piece.


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## Moldyoldie

*Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7; String Quartet No. 2 (with soprano), Op. 10
New Vienna String Quartet
Evelyn Lear, soprano
PHILIPS (CD #1 of 2)*
I was somewhat surprised at how well I took to these (or vice versa) this morning -- very stimulating and quite affecting. Does anyone know why these aren't mentioned in the same breath as the LaSalle and Arditti recordings?

*Bernstein: Jeremiah (Symphony No. 1); The Age of Anxiety (Symphony No. 2); Divertimento
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano; James Tocco, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, cond.
CHANDOS*
Again, very surprised at how well I took to these. The idiom certainly rings familiar and the performances are committed, if perhaps more genteel than is probably optimum. Very fine Chandos recording.



StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I'll vouch for this one; it's about as pastorally Anglo-Irish as you'd ever want. Or as English serialist composer Elisabeth Lutyens might say, firmly entrenched in the "cowpat" school of twentieth century British music.


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## Conor71

Brahms: Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77


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## StlukesguildOhio

Absolutely stunning! Another composer I must explore much further.


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## andruini

^That's a lovely disc right there, StLukesguild...


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## Moldyoldie

*Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30
New Vienna String Quartet
PHILIPS (on disc #2 of 2)*
Continuing on in my first listening traversal of this repertoire. As music, it initially appeals more to the viscera and the intellect than to the emotions...not that there's anything wrong with that. I do find it engagingly complex and will probably return to it. This morning, however, I took in only the one opus instead of the two I dove into yesterday morning; it's probably better that way.

*Holst: The Planets
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult, cond.
EMI*
By my recollection, this was the first CD incarnation of Sir Adrian Boult's late 70's recording of the work to which he's inexorably tied by reputation, the last of something like five recordings he'd made of it since conducting its world premiere in a hastily arranged private performance during the waning weeks of World War I. This recording's seeming cult status is probably justified by virtue of the authority present on the podium; indeed, many unique and felicitous insights are heard throughout. However, orchestral execution is definitely not of the highest order -- especially, right off in the slow, ominous _Mars_ are plainly heard a few ensemble flubs one would think have necessitated a retake.

Where the unique magic of this performance is clearly felt, however, is in the near-nonagenarian Boult's measured and glitteringly phrased _Venus_, his sprightly and elusive _Mercury_, and to these ears, a most cogently rendered _Saturn_ that gives this often enigmatic "Bringer of Old Age" a significance and import not heard before nor since. _Uranus_, too, is a beneficiary of Boult's insights in a deliberately phrased rendering that packs the most broad dynamic variances to be heard in the entire suite, including its loudest _fortissimi_...there's no mistaking it! One ultimately gets the feeling here that the usual sonic showpieces of _Mars_ and _Jupiter_ are mere cogs in this celestial sphere.

EMI later re-released this as one of its series of _Great Recordings of the Century_. While I think the designation is dubious, fans of _The Planets_ owe it to themselves to eventually hear this, perhaps along with Bernard Haitink's earlier, more exquisitely played and recorded version with the same orchestra -- both are anything but prosaic.


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## agoukass




----------



## bongos

Biber: Missa Salisburgensis /Musica Antiqua Koln * Goebel * Gabrieli Consort & Players * McCreesh
WOW I LOVE THIS


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## World Violist

Sitar music on Youtube.


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Sid James

*Schubert* - Piano Trios 1 & 2; Sonatensatz; Notturno; Grand Duo (Collard/Dumay/Lodeon) EMI, 2 Cd's

If it is difficult (& sometimes unneccessary) to talk about music, to put it's otherwise inexpressable qualities into words, this especially applies (I find) to the music of Schubert. I suppose it's commonly said that there's a lyrical, songlike quality to his music (well brought out by the French players here), but at time there is also a darkness (_Notturno_) or an almost relentless driving force & dynamism (parts of _Trio No. 2_). I also think that the latter work points the way to the so-called impressionism of Debussy & Ravel in thier piano works. More obviously, Schubert's use of Hungarian themes in the scherzos also prefigures Brahms.

Don't believe the negative low-rating that this set got on classicstoday.com, it is an excellent and very enjoyable set to have...


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 2 by Tchaikovsky - San Diego/Ling


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## agoukass

Piano Sonata in A major, D. 664


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## StlukesguildOhio

^ Great set!


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## Tapkaara

agoukass said:


> Piano Sonata in A major, D. 664


Nothing says "Schubert" more than snow and barbed wire. Looks like Auschwitz on a cold day. Some of the worst graphic artists in the business work in the classical music realm designing album covers, I'll tell ya...


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## BeethovenListener

For some reason I can only find one place that sells this(amazon) and it only has one for 40$. I wonder why that is. It's a good cd. Is it out of print or something?


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## Guest

Bach: Goldberg Variations - Murray Perahia


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Polednice

DrMike said:


> Bach: Goldberg Variations - Murray Perahia


Me too 

[Giv me 10 chars plox, thx]


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## agoukass

Thanks, St. Luke's. I've enjoyed it a great deal in the last four and a half years. However, I'm in the market for a new one. I'm thinking about Lupu's recordings.

Yes, the graphic design is terrible, Taapkara, I agree.


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## Sid James

*Mozart & Brahms *- Clarinet Quintets (Vladimir Riha/Smetana Quartet) Supraphon Archiv

I got this on special. The Mozart is notable for the memorable final movement (theme and variations) & the Brahms for the quite quirky Hungarian inspired slow movement. Some great playing by these Czechs of old (recordings made in the 1950's & 60's)...


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## Danny

Wonderful recording that just doesn't show its age at all.. Lovely and warm sounding,one minor criticism though there's an odd drone of noise at the opening of the Symphony as if someone had left the air conditioning on in the room.

Later


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## agoukass

Listened to the first two volumes of _Annees de la pelerinage by Liszt with Aldo Ciccolini (1961 recording). I am both amazed and astounded by the quality and beauty of this music.

Previously, I had only listened to Liszt's pot boilers (Don Juan Fantasy, Rigoletto Paraphrase, Mephisto Waltz No. 1) and had never really explored much else. But this recording has definitely changed my opinion of him as a composer._


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## StlukesguildOhio

What a brilliantly talented couple!

And a stunning recording!!


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## Danny

Have not played this cycle for a while and I'm starting to discover qualities in it I now like; yes it does seem to just gently pause and hold back at times when I think the music is not asking for that, but it does seem at times to make for a more personnal listen.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Daphnis et Chloé, 2ème partie, Interlude right now.


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## tonphil1960

*listning to now*

Beethoven's Piano Sonata's 
Schumann, 4th
Tchaikovsky's Pathetique


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## andruini

Three Places in New England (Dohnányi/Cleveland)


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## World Violist

Wagner: Die Meistersinger
Barenboim/Bayreuth et al.


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## andruini

Perfect morning work music..


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## agoukass

Fourteen years ago, I made my first acquaintance with Clara Schumann's music. It was a world premiere recording of her _Konzertsatz_ with Diana Ambache and the Ambache Ensemble that came with a BBC Music Magazine issue devoted to women composers. I enjoyed that intense and brooding work at the time.

Based on this long forgotten memory, I had some idea of what Clara Schumann's would sound like and so I bought this CD thinking that I would have more of the same. My reaction, however, was very mixed.

For starters, none of the piano pieces on the particular recording jumped out at me as something that I would listen to over and over again. They are marvelous virtuosic miniature worthy of the salon, but nothing particularly special. I suppose this is because they lack an original voice and sound more like imitations of Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms.

The Variations on A Theme by Robert Schumann, the most substantial piano work, is interesting, but does not stand comparison IMHO with Schumann's own Variations on a Theme of Clara Wieck (third movement of the Third Piano Sonata) which was loving recorded by Vladimir Horowitz a number of years ago.

The Piano Trio, considered by some to Clara Schumann's crowning glory, is an interesting work to listen to. She gets the balance of the instruments right and the movements possess some interesting melodies as well as ideas. However, it is nothing to write home about. Perhaps, that will change with repeated listenings.

In terms of sound quality and performance, everything is excellent and clear. Micaela Gelius is an excellent advocate for this kind of music even if she didn't convince me of Clara Schumann's worth as a composer. She has a fine technique and I would be interested to hear her in the music of Brahms and Robert Schumann. Her partners, Sreten Krstic and Stephen Haack, are excellent in their own ways. Together, the three artists' performance of the Trio showed me that they had been together for years even if they hadn't.

So a mixed bag. Probably something to listen to every once in a while, but not something for the top drawer.


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## Head_case

http://www.myspace.com/thesectionquartet










Classical string quartet music like mama never heard!


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## World Violist

Frank Bridge: Lament for 2 violas
from Yizhak Schotten's CD "Bratsche!"

Why on earth are there no viola duets that even approach this level of mastery? This one has everything: it's motivic development is magnificent, the emotional impact is shattering, it is not boring in the slightest because of its harmonic daring. It is a harrowing masterpiece.

Listening to something like this makes one first say, "No wonder Britten idolized him!" and then ask, "Why on earth is this composer never performed anymore???"

Now, if only this masterful British music performance were indicative of another British piece Schotten has recorded...


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## Sid James

*Beethoven*: Septet
*Mendelssohn*: Octet
(Melos Ens. of London) EMI Gemini series

There was no precedent for writing works with these instrumental configurations in mind - Mozart or Haydn hadn't done anything like this - the composers had to start from scratch. No wonder the results still sound quite fresh & innovative today. Beethoven's _Septet_ seems to be dominated (or led?) by the violin, while Mendelssohn's _Octet_ (written in his mid-teens) is for strings only and sounds more symphonic, if you like. Both are masterpieces and are played well on these classic recordings. I haven't listened to the second CD yet, with the Beethoven & Schubert Octets.

*Dutilleux*:
Le Loup ("The Wolf") - symphonic fragments (Conservatoire/Pretre)
Cello Concerto "A whole remote world" (Rostropovich/Orch. de Paris/Baudo)
Violin Concerto "Tree of Dreams" (Capucon/French Radio Orch./Chung)
EMI 2cds, with Metaboles, Shadows of time, Symphony No. 2

Dutilleux's music seems to inhabit a mysterious & nocturnal world, were nothing is as it seems. The structure is free & intuitive, the music still tonal (only just), but heavily leaning towards the atonal. Some wonderful, concentrated playing here by the two soloists in the concertos, which by any standard are among the best of the C20th. Both the cello & violin concertos had thier genesis in literature, the former in the poetry of Baudelaire, the latter in the writings of novelist Proust. No wonder these are not showy, virtuostic pieces but more lyrical and poetic, although there are moments of dissonance as well.


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## Danny

Waking up to this! Really enjoying going through this cycle again!


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## Sid James

*Martinu*:
Symphony No. 4; Sinfonietta La Jolla (Roy. Liv. PO/Weller)
The frescoes of Piero Della Francesca (RPO/Kubelik)
EMI Gemini (2 cd's, with concertos & Memorial to Lidice)

Written during the leadup to the end of WWII, Martinu's 4th is a struggle between the forces of darkness & light. This is especially apparent in the final movement, which contrasts a solemn Beethoven-like march with more chaotic Czech themes, which leads to a transformative finale that is different to both these things. The other two works are from Martinu's final decade, and are perhaps lighter, but there is some wonderful orchestration in the _frescoes_ which perfectly captures the sunny, Italian world of Della Francesca's paintings.

*Henze*:
Symphony No. 7 (CBSO/Rattle)
EMI 20th Century Classics (2 cd's with Sym. 9, Barcarola, Three Auden Songs)

Henze's 7th symphony reads a bit like Mahler without the sheer emotionalism or bombast. The opening movement has some dance-like themes, the other three movements are more solemn & grand. The final movement makes the most impact, which is difficult to describe in words. Perhaps, as the sleeve notes say, it pictures an icy world where all is silent? In any case, it's a fitting conclusion to what is overall an engaging work.


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## Guest

Currently:
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde - Ludwig; Wunderlich; Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra

On Deck:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 - Szell/Cleveland Orchestra
Bach: Mass in B Minor - Masaaki Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan


I have been on a huge Bach kick as of late, and have really enjoyed discovering Suzuki's recordings on BIS. They make me wish I had a SACD player. I am greatly impressed with the BIS label. In addition to Suzuki's recordings, I have really enjoyed Vanska's recordings of Beethoven's symphonies. I have the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th, and the 6th is wonderful.

I have also increased the number of recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites. I now have the following:

Brandenburg Concertos -
Trevor Pinnock/English Concert
Il Giardino Armonico
Nikolaus Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Rinaldo Alessandrini/Concerto Italiano

Orchestral Suites -
Trevor Pinnock/English Concert
Masaaki Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan
Diego Fasolis/I Barocchisti


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## Head_case

Hungarian night! 

Lajtha & Vajda String quartets!


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## World Violist

Got this out of the library yesterday:









Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Boulez/VPO

I personally find this a very powerful recording. The first movement is spectacular, the second movement is brisk but very musical and flowing in tempo. I don't get the problem people have with the third movement. Yes, it is rather quick, but I think a faster tempo here makes a world of difference, and with Boulez and the VPO, that difference can only be good. The phrasing is perfection, and there is a very charming lilt even among all the nearly surgical precision. And, even though they may be very far back in the soundstage at times, Boulez makes sure that the little eighth notes are always audible. And, for once, the part in the middle with the muted horns and stuff is played at tempo; unlike most conductors, Boulez sees this interlude as just a part of the larger picture--as, indeed, he seems to view the symphony as a whole, unlike those like Bernstein who seem to go for the momentary thrills and chills (not saying it's wrong, I just respect Boulez's view more often lately). The lead up to and the actual "cry of despair" is done perfectly. It doesn't rush forward, but one can certainly feel the music pushing forward into it, which I feel is ideal.

"Urlicht" opens with something I'm not entirely accustomed to: a mezzo who actually has a consistent vibrato. I don't know if I've ever heard one in the opening (if at all) before. True, it might be a bit wide, but one can't deny the supreme richness of tone. And Boulez's conducting pays dividends here. It isn't at all fast or "brisk" as one might assume it to be. In fact, it's very leisurely, and the textures are intoxicatingly transparent.

The finale begins with a rather slow and visceral rumble from the 'cellos and basses, and that's what Boulez and the VPO play it for. As for the quiet section that follows, I must say that while some conductors do this very well, I don't think I've ever heard it done this well. Transparent textures, slowish tempi, barely-noticeable phrasing that still sounds musical and without drawing one's attention to it--it's all there and it works more perfectly than in any other recording I've ever heard. Things get even better at the first iteration of the "O Glaube" theme. It's almost spectral, and haunting. The Dies Irae brass chorale is very good also, not weighed down by unnaturally slow tempo, but just letting everything unfold by itself. The bass brass instruments show some spectacular stuff here, loud enough to provide a great underpinning for everything else. And once again, this is not brisk by any means, but not slow enough to induce boredom. That, I think, is one of the great advantages Boulez's Mahler has over most others'. And the march is in a real march tempo! The winding down into the grosse appell is great, and the grosse appell itself is actually audible.

The choir entry is also audible, for once in recorded history, so it would seem (though I'll bet the very first few recordings had audible choirs... in the wrong way). The soprano is also amazing; light of voice, with little vibrato, her entrance seems as though from another world (which is what I'm sure the composer intended). Then comes the actual "O Glaube," which I don't think I've ever heard this slowly. Seriously. And it gives the whole thing a sort of disembodied feel; in short, it also works. The men of the Vienna Singverein are superb as always (reminiscent of their condition in Zubin Mehta's reading with them; very strong basses). There is a lack of bite in their outburst, which is an interesting choice, but not unfounded. It continues in the trend set with the rest of the finale, of a rather ethereal performance. Indeed, the entire end is generally at a slower tempo, greatly emphasizing subtle shades of color that I find really fascinating. And my God! those low brass! The last Aufersteh'n chorus is taken at a bit of a brisker clip than I'm used to, but it's not aiming to be overwhelming; it's meant to bear the listener toward a musically, artistically satisfying end to a torrential symphony, and at journey's end, it really does feel like a magnificent journey, not just a wallowing in unbearably intense emotion.

I honestly am beginning to think this is one of my favorite Mahler 2nds. I used to be a bit intimidated by it, thinking it would be entirely without passion (it's Boulez, for goodness' sake!). However, this combined with his recording of the 8th symphony has convinced me to listen to the rest of Boulez's Mahler cycle. His recordings in general are just so rich and musical, the orchestral balances are never anything short of perfect, and his performances are eminently satisfying, not because he goes for the gut emotionally, but because he realizes that a piece of music needs to have this sort of arc over the whole thing, and that a really satisfying performance has to go all through that arc with an intense focus. He realizes this possibly better than anyone else.

So yeah... I like this recording.


----------



## World Violist

Britten: War Requiem
Kurt Masur/New York Philharmonic, Westminster Symphonic Choir, American Boys' Choir, Carol Vaness, Jerry Hadley, Thomas Hampson

I just heard Britten's War Requiem for the first time tonight via this recording from the public library. While I could sometimes tell this wasn't the greatest recording available, I was still greatly moved by this music, especially the last 20 or so minutes... wow, this is moving stuff.


----------



## andruini

World Violist said:


> Britten: War Requiem
> Kurt Masur/New York Philharmonic, Westminster Symphonic Choir, American Boys' Choir, Carol Vaness, Jerry Hadley, Thomas Hampson
> 
> I just heard Britten's War Requiem for the first time tonight via this recording from the public library. While I could sometimes tell this wasn't the greatest recording available, I was still greatly moved by this music, especially the last 20 or so minutes... wow, this is moving stuff.


You just inspired me to give it a spin myself, although in this incarnation:


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 In G Minor, Op. 96

View attachment 899


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## andruini




----------



## Guest

DVD - Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, performed by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony


----------



## Danny

World Violist said:


> Got this out of the library yesterday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 2
> Boulez/VPO
> 
> I personally find this a very powerful recording. The first movement is spectacular, the second movement is brisk but very musical and flowing in tempo. I don't get the problem people have with the third movement. Yes, it is rather quick, but I think a faster tempo here makes a world of difference, and with Boulez and the VPO, that difference can only be good. The phrasing is perfection, and there is a very charming lilt even among all the nearly surgical precision. And, even though they may be very far back in the soundstage at times, Boulez makes sure that the little eighth notes are always audible. And, for once, the part in the middle with the muted horns and stuff is played at tempo; unlike most conductors, Boulez sees this interlude as just a part of the larger picture--as, indeed, he seems to view the symphony as a whole, unlike those like Bernstein who seem to go for the momentary thrills and chills (not saying it's wrong, I just respect Boulez's view more often lately). The lead up to and the actual "cry of despair" is done perfectly. It doesn't rush forward, but one can certainly feel the music pushing forward into it, which I feel is ideal.
> 
> "Urlicht" opens with something I'm not entirely accustomed to: a mezzo who actually has a consistent vibrato. I don't know if I've ever heard one in the opening (if at all) before. True, it might be a bit wide, but one can't deny the supreme richness of tone. And Boulez's conducting pays dividends here. It isn't at all fast or "brisk" as one might assume it to be. In fact, it's very leisurely, and the textures are intoxicatingly transparent.
> 
> The finale begins with a rather slow and visceral rumble from the 'cellos and basses, and that's what Boulez and the VPO play it for. As for the quiet section that follows, I must say that while some conductors do this very well, I don't think I've ever heard it done this well. Transparent textures, slowish tempi, barely-noticeable phrasing that still sounds musical and without drawing one's attention to it--it's all there and it works more perfectly than in any other recording I've ever heard. Things get even better at the first iteration of the "O Glaube" theme. It's almost spectral, and haunting. The Dies Irae brass chorale is very good also, not weighed down by unnaturally slow tempo, but just letting everything unfold by itself. The bass brass instruments show some spectacular stuff here, loud enough to provide a great underpinning for everything else. And once again, this is not brisk by any means, but not slow enough to induce boredom. That, I think, is one of the great advantages Boulez's Mahler has over most others'. And the march is in a real march tempo! The winding down into the grosse appell is great, and the grosse appell itself is actually audible.
> 
> The choir entry is also audible, for once in recorded history, so it would seem (though I'll bet the very first few recordings had audible choirs... in the wrong way). The soprano is also amazing; light of voice, with little vibrato, her entrance seems as though from another world (which is what I'm sure the composer intended). Then comes the actual "O Glaube," which I don't think I've ever heard this slowly. Seriously. And it gives the whole thing a sort of disembodied feel; in short, it also works. The men of the Vienna Singverein are superb as always (reminiscent of their condition in Zubin Mehta's reading with them; very strong basses). There is a lack of bite in their outburst, which is an interesting choice, but not unfounded. It continues in the trend set with the rest of the finale, of a rather ethereal performance. Indeed, the entire end is generally at a slower tempo, greatly emphasizing subtle shades of color that I find really fascinating. And my God! those low brass! The last Aufersteh'n chorus is taken at a bit of a brisker clip than I'm used to, but it's not aiming to be overwhelming; it's meant to bear the listener toward a musically, artistically satisfying end to a torrential symphony, and at journey's end, it really does feel like a magnificent journey, not just a wallowing in unbearably intense emotion.
> 
> I honestly am beginning to think this is one of my favorite Mahler 2nds. I used to be a bit intimidated by it, thinking it would be entirely without passion (it's Boulez, for goodness' sake!). However, this combined with his recording of the 8th symphony has convinced me to listen to the rest of Boulez's Mahler cycle. His recordings in general are just so rich and musical, the orchestral balances are never anything short of perfect, and his performances are eminently satisfying, not because he goes for the gut emotionally, but because he realizes that a piece of music needs to have this sort of arc over the whole thing, and that a really satisfying performance has to go all through that arc with an intense focus. He realizes this possibly better than anyone else.
> 
> So yeah... I like this recording.


Thanks for that detailed and well articulated description.. It's enough to encourage me to try this version..


----------



## andruini

Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic; Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet
Beautiful on so many levels.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Schubert: Fantasia for piano in C major ("Wanderer")
Schumann: Fantasy for piano in C major
Maurizio Pollini, piano
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON*

What a beautiful finale to the Schumann! A very fine alternative to Richter's, my personal favorite.


----------



## Sid James

*'Organ Concertos'
Respighi* - Suite for Organ & Strings
*Lovelock* - Sinfonia concertante
*Poulenc *- Concerto for Organ, Strings & Timpani
(Boughen/Dudman/Queensland SO/Sydney SO/Dommett/Thomas)
ABC Classics/Eloquence

Two lesser known organ concertos with the Poulenc. Respighi's has overtones of Bach, while Australian composer William Lovelock's has influences of English composers, Walton in particular. & the Poulenc is a modern masterpiece. The recordings sound very good, even though they are analogue, they are very spacious.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolute vocal goddess!


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36

View attachment 910


<3 Beethoven's early symphonies!


----------



## Conor71

Brahms: Choral Works
Brahms: Cello Sonatas

















Just finished listening to Choral Works for the first time - lovely! .
Now listening to Cello Sonatas with du Pre/Barenboim.


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *'Organ Concertos'
> Respighi* - Suite for Organ & Strings
> *Lovelock* - Sinfonia concertante
> *Poulenc *- Concerto for Organ, Strings & Timpani
> (Boughen/Dudman/Queensland SO/Sydney SO/Dommett/Thomas)
> ABC Classics/Eloquence
> 
> Two lesser known organ concertos with the Poulenc. Respighi's has overtones of Bach, while Australian composer William Lovelock's has influences of English composers, Walton in particular. & the Poulenc is a modern masterpiece. The recordings sound very good, even though they are analogue, they are very spacious.


Are you familiar with Jongen's Sinfonia Concertante? I suppose you probably are, it is rather famous. It's an enjoyable work.


----------



## muxamed

Here is something that I am currently listening to. Simply amazing.


----------



## muxamed

and this one


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## Conor71

Continuing from last nights listening to Brahms - np :
Brahms: Concerto For Violin & Cello In A Minor, Op. 102


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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*"Kaddish"
Weill *- Berliner requiem
*Schoenberg* - Survivor from Warsaw
*Bernstein *- "Kaddish" (Symphony No. 3)
(Samuel Pisar, narrator/Rundfunkchor Berlin/Lucerne SO/Axelrod) Nimbus

This is an interesting collection of works by composers of Jewish origin. The Weill is an early work, written in memory of soldiers killed in WWI. The Schoenberg is very famous, quite intense stuff, about the Warsaw ghetto uprising during WWII. & in this version, narrated by Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar, we have Bernstein's gripping and dark "Kaddish" remade as a requiem to those who perished in the Holocaust. I especially like the last work, it is quite an eloquent, if sometimes tortured, picture of the human condition...

*Elliot Carter*
Concerto for Orchestra
Violin Concerto
Three Occassions for Orchestra
(Bohn/London Sinfonietta/Knussen)
EMI "American Classics"

The Concerto for Orchestra has to be Carter at his most engaing & impressive. Such a complex work (not done much live here in Australia, it's probably been 20 years since), but so innovative in the way he uses the orchestra as a timbral pool from which to draw colours, textures and shapes. This is excellent repertoire for those who have more flexible views of "what is music?" Well recorded, superb spacious sound from EMI, as usual. Highly recommended...



Tapkaara said:


> Are you familiar with Jongen's Sinfonia Concertante? I suppose you probably are, it is rather famous. It's an enjoyable work.


No, never heard of it. What period is this work from? Can you give more details?


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## andruini




----------



## The Cosmos

Currently listening to Symphony No.7: 'Sinfonia Antartica'. Me likings!


----------



## jurianbai

a video about string quartet, very entertaining:


----------



## The Cosmos

Now moved onto:










The videos that is! Great sound quality. Ear candy .

*Edit:* And now, few hours later:










*The Firebird* - Dorati/LSO

My mind wandered off. I've got my own animated version of the firebird playing in my mind's eye (although it does get hilarious at times ).


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39










This Symphony has almost become my favourite by Sibelius - I have come to really like its grandiose stylings and beautiful Slow movement and finale .


----------



## TWhite

I've been listening to several unrelated pieces--the Brahms Horn Trio and Carmina Burana. So before you think I've taken COMPLETE leave of my senses, several of my high school students would like to do the Horn Trio, and our male choir, which I accompany and co-direct, is doing several of the pieces from Carmina Burana for our spring concert ("In Taberna Quando Sumus" and "Si, Puer Cum Puellula"). 

The students doing the Horn Trio would like me to do the piano part, which like most piano parts in Brahms chamber music is extremely demanding. But I love the Horn Trio--it's Brahms at his most 'unbuttoned', and though difficult, is actually a lot of fun to play (though I haven't played it in some years and have to get it under my fingers again). As far as Carmina Burana, we're using piano and percussion for "In Taberna", and the chief problem is getting the guys (I teach at a Catholic boy's high school) to spit out the Latin. But they're having a good time. 

So, to kinda/sort of relax tonight, I put on Strauss' "Rosenkavalier Suite". Good God, that's gorgeous stuff!

Tom


----------



## Conor71

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 In Bb Minor, Op. 23










<3


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki* - Capriccio for violin & orch., Canticle of Solomon, Dream of Jacob, etc. (Wikmorska/Polish NRSO & Ch./Penderecki) EMI, part of a 2 cd set

I really like the textures & sounds in Penderecki's music. They are brutal, brittle but brilliant. I'm guessing that some of these sounds hadn't been heard before. The standout work is the choral _Canticle of Solomon_, which is pretty dark & spooky, like hearing voices of the dead.


----------



## Tapkaara

Conor71 said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This Symphony has almost become my favourite by Sibelius - I have come to really like its grandiose stylings and beautiful Slow movement and finale .


A wholly satisfying work on every level. Technically masterful, aptly orchestrated, tuneful and dramatic. This is a work with much potential popular appeal. Perhaps the perfect intro work for those who don't care much for Sibelius...yet.


----------



## muxamed

Andre said:


> *Penderecki* - Capriccio for violin & orch., Canticle of Solomon, Dream of Jacob, etc. (Wikmorska/Polish NRSO & Ch./Penderecki) EMI, part of a 2 cd set
> 
> I really like the textures & sounds in Penderecki's music. They are brutal, brittle but brilliant. I'm guessing that some of these sounds hadn't been heard before. The standout work is the choral _Canticle of Solomon_, which is pretty dark & spooky, like hearing voices of the dead.


Thank you for the suggestion Andre


----------



## muxamed

Conor71 said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This Symphony has almost become my favourite by Sibelius - I have come to really like its grandiose stylings and beautiful Slow movement and finale .


Barbirolli's recording is so masterful, full of colors and insight.


----------



## bplary

Listening to Shostakovich's titanic 7th symphony under the baton of Leonard Bernstein, fantastic work and an incredible performance!


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* - Preludes Books I & II (Hans Henkemans, piano) Philips Eloquence

I'm beginning to hear how revolutionary Debussy was - like presenting themes in blocks, seemingly unrelated to eachother, but also growing organically out of eachother. Henkemans, who was a Debussy specialist, plays these pieces well - there is much warmth & colour in these recordings, perhaps not as much as Gieseking, but almost. I usually listen to the two books in two sittings, otherwise I get overloaded.


----------



## Polednice

View attachment 912


_Ole Kristian Ruud, Bergen Philharmonic,_ *Grieg* _Peer Gynt (Complete Play and Incidental Music)_

I've never heard it in full before - but this is fantastic! It's complete with choruses and soloists as well as the actors. Hearing _In the Hall of the Mountain King_ with all the original parts made me laugh the first time! It's a great listen.


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## Conor71

Bach: Goldberg Variations


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Boulez/VPO; Anne-Sophie von Otter
via Youtube

The whole performance is very fascinating, like all the Boulez Mahler I've heard so far.

I tried to type this in earlier, but it took too long and when I tried to load it it deleted the whole post... so I'll just review the first and last movements, since the four inner ones were perfectly fine (the fourth one was especially interesting, in case you wondered).

Boulez lets the first movement take its time, unlike Levine who revels in its colossal impact. This laid-back-ness makes it sag a little bit, but it's repaid double by the amount of sheer detail that's afforded.

The finale may be a bit fast-paced, but it's tremendously introspective. And easily the most satisfying performance of it I've ever heard. The phrasing and chamber sonorities easily steal the show until the very end, which is a shattering culmination of the entire symphony. As opposed to Levine's apocalyptic approach to the overall movement, Boulez made it much more intimate and meditative.

I like this version a lot, but it isn't for everyone. Especially those looking for thrilling recordings (not to say it's absolutely boring, but it did test my patience every once in a while). If you're looking for an introduction, get the Levine recording if you have the money. Bernstein is fine, but in my opinion he doesn't come close to either Levine or Boulez. That, however, is only my opinion.

Edit: and hey! this is my 2,000th post. Neat.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Bach: Goldberg Variations


Listened to this yesterday. I love this recording - easily now my favorite Goldberg.

I am now listening to his recording of the keyboard concertos of Bach. Equally enjoyable. For a while I thought I could only enjoy Bach's keyboard works on a harpsichord - Perahia has set me straight.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 3
> Boulez/VPO; Anne-Sophie von Otter
> via Youtube
> 
> The whole performance is very fascinating, like all the Boulez Mahler I've heard so far.
> 
> I tried to type this in earlier, but it took too long and when I tried to load it it deleted the whole post... so I'll just review the first and last movements, since the four inner ones were perfectly fine (the fourth one was especially interesting, in case you wondered).
> 
> Boulez lets the first movement take its time, unlike Levine who revels in its colossal impact. This laid-back-ness makes it sag a little bit, but it's repaid double by the amount of sheer detail that's afforded.
> 
> The finale may be a bit fast-paced, but it's tremendously introspective. And easily the most satisfying performance of it I've ever heard. The phrasing and chamber sonorities easily steal the show until the very end, which is a shattering culmination of the entire symphony. As opposed to Levine's apocalyptic approach to the overall movement, Boulez made it much more intimate and meditative.
> 
> I like this version a lot, but it isn't for everyone. Especially those looking for thrilling recordings (not to say it's absolutely boring, but it did test my patience every once in a while). If you're looking for an introduction, get the Levine recording if you have the money. Bernstein is fine, but in my opinion he doesn't come close to either Levine or Boulez. That, however, is only my opinion.
> 
> Edit: and hey! this is my 2,000th post. Neat.


I also have been exploring Boulez' Mahler interpretations - I have the 2nd and 3rd with Vienna, the 9th with Chicago, and Das Klagende Lied with London.

While his 2nd has not overtaken my favorite (Klemperer/Bavarian Radio), it is close behind. I have started listening to the 3rd a few times, but then become distracted, and not been able to give it a good listening as of yet, but I have enjoyed what I have heard thus far. His Klagende Lied is alright, but I definitely prefer Tilson Thomas for that piece. I still need to sit down and listen to the 9th as well. Lately, though, I have been obsessing over Bach, so I need to ride this out before I get back to Mahler and Beethoven, when my desire for symphonic works is reawakened (I have some marvelous recordings of Beethoven by Jarvi and Vanska that I have been supplementing my Bach with, and they are incredible).


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> (I have some marvelous recordings of Beethoven by Jarvi and Vanska that I have been supplementing my Bach with, and they are incredible).


Oh, yes. Jarvi and Vanska's Beethoven are amazing; definitely my favorite Beethoven cycles.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Oh, yes. Jarvi and Vanska's Beethoven are amazing; definitely my favorite Beethoven cycles.


I have 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 by Vanska, and 1, 2, 5, and 6 by Jarvi. I have recently begun to enjoy the 3rd and 6th symphonies more than the 5th and 9th, and these recordings are incredible. I have the entire cycle by Szell, which is still at preferred status in my library, but these new recordings have the added bonus of wonderful recorded sound. I must say, also, that, while I am enjoying some of the HIP Beethoven symphonies on period instruments (Gardiner, Norrington, Immerseel, Bruggen, Harnoncourt), Vanska and Jarvi just seem superior.


----------



## Guest

And incidentally, I have only just realized that Jarvi has one final season in Cincinnati, and being just a short drive away in Columbus, I may have to convince my wife to go see him conduct some Mahler. Maybe the 5th Symphony.


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> And incidentally, I have only just realized that Jarvi has one final season in Cincinnati, and being just a short drive away in Columbus, I may have to convince my wife to go see him conduct some Mahler. Maybe the 5th Symphony.


Yes, that last season line-up is really something!


----------



## Head_case

Tigran Mansurian ~ String Quartets No.1 & 2.

Already 2 months into the year, this is already my hit contemporary string quartets of the year. Sublime, elegiac and persistently lyrical strinq quartet music, beautifully realised by the Rosamunde Quartet:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## andruini

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Elaborate on this please? I'm a bit intrigued..


----------



## Sid James

*Elliot Carter* - String Quartets 1 - 5 (Pacifica Q) Naxos

All of these quartets have very different characters, although they are all in a dense, atonal idiom (which I know many find hard going, but I like it). No. 1 is monumental, perhaps reflecting the Arizona desert where it was written; No. 2 operatic, each player is virtually a soloist; No. 3 is the most dense, with the quartet split into two duos sometimes coming together, sometimes playing apart; No. 4 is similar to No. 2, but perhaps even more complex; while No. 5 is the lightest, a tight-knit serial work, a bit like a divertimento. The Pacifica Quartet play very well, this is a fine recording (vol. 1, SQ's 1 & 5 actually won a Grammy)...


----------



## Sid James

andruini said:


> Elaborate on this please? I'm a bit intrigued..


Me too, that El-Khoury looks quite interesting...


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Moldyoldie

*Bizet: Carmen Suites 1 & 2; L'Arlésienne Suites 1 & 2
Orchestre de Paris
Semyon Bychkov, cond.
PHILIPS*
Bychkov seemed to run hot and cold in Paris. Though nice enough, I'd place this closer to zero on the Celsius scale -- fine execution and nicely intimate recording, but I've certainly heard more "life" in this stuff elsewhere...despite a stirring _Farandole_ and _Les Toréadors_! Probably right orchestra, wrong guy on the podium.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In spite of being Lebanese-French, Bechara El-Khoury is unquestionably a Western composer: few if any hints of his Middle-eastern heritage to the music. The main piece here is a 4 movement composition entitled _The Ruins of Beirut_. The music combines elements of Romanticism, Impressionism, Stravinsky, and a little dissonance. The work doesn't seem to be so much a unified whole in which we can follow the development in a narrative manner, but rather it is something Impressionistic... or even collage-like... in which the over-all impact is the result of a series of brief fragmentary episodes (perhaps not unlike Eliot's _Wasteland_... although certainly not so audacious). In this sense the composer suggests something of a city like Beirut... fragmented... built up of successive levels rudely truncated. There are brief poetic passages that fade out repeatedly into silence which is violently interrupted with bursts of brass. I doubt that El-Khoury will be recognized as a major composer, but his work certainly has its moments... is unquestionably accessible while not ignoring the whole of Modernism... and he surely has a mastery of orchestration... building layers of various sound colors. After only one listening I can say that the disc is certainly worth having purchased (especially considering the price of any Naxos disc) and I will certainly be giving it more than a single listen... after which I may have a better grasp upon what I like or dislike. On the other hand... it certainly does not challenge my notions of classical music or offer anything shockingly new... for better or worse.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The latest in my ever-expanding collection of late 19th/early 20th century French music... especially of French "art songs" or Mélodies. Duparc's songs are marvelously sung by tenor, Paul Groves:










Now if Naxos would only hire some graphic artists to work on the lame CD cover art.


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> Listened to this yesterday. I love this recording - easily now my favorite Goldberg.
> 
> I am now listening to his recording of the keyboard concertos of Bach. Equally enjoyable. For a while I thought I could only enjoy Bach's keyboard works on a harpsichord - Perahia has set me straight.


For sure, Perahia's Goldbergs are awesome .

np:
Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Major


----------



## andruini




----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 In G Major


----------



## andruini

I'm getting back into John Zorn, currently alternating between the first Masada songbook series and the Book of Angels releases. Amazing stuff.


----------



## Tapkaara

Violin Concerto by R. Strauss - Staatskapelle Dresden/Kempe


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A phenomenal woman... a phenomenal singer... an absolute essential disc.


----------



## Tapkaara

Violin Concerto by J. Brahms - T. Nishizaki (violin)/Slovak Philharmonic/Gunzenhauser


----------



## Tapkaara

Violin Concerto by J. Sibelius - L. Kavakos (violin)/Sinfonia Lahti/Vanska


----------



## World Violist

Boulez conducting the third movement of Bruckner's 8th via this video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xtix1_bruckner-symphonie-no-8-boulez_music


----------



## Sid James

(Thanks for your review of the El-Khoury, stlukesguild, quite interesting...)

Time for some *atonal violin concertos *(except the Sibelius):

*Schoenberg & Sibelius *(Hahn/Swedish RSO/Salonen) DG

*Leyendecker* (Gruetter/North German RSO/Kalitzke) Naxos

*Carter* (Bohn/London Sinfonietta/Knussen) EMI

(Might have added the Berg, but I think that's enough for one day!)...

& on the weekend, heard a friend's cd which was superb, especially the version of _Shepherd on the Rock_:

*Schubert* - Lieder (Battle/Levine) DG


----------



## World Violist

I'm having one of those Hindustani days...


----------



## Conor71

Elgar: Violin Concerto, Etc.
Bruch: Violin Concerto, Etc.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Guest

Picked these up at my local library to try out. I have listened to other Mozart operas, so I thought I would listen to Idomeneo. Slow going, as I have had lots of distractions.
The Renaissance/Early Baroque dance music caught my eye - generally I enjoy Archiv releases, so I thought I would try it out. A little different - lots of instruments I'm not used to hearing (including bagpipes), but I could see this as sort of fun music from time to time.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Tapkaara

jhar26 said:


>


Ah, such a splendid work.


----------



## jhar26

Tapkaara said:


> Ah, such a splendid work.


Yeah, not bad for a guy who wears a wig.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Brahms Trios 1 & 2

Arthur Rubinstein, Henryk Szeryng, Pierre Fournier- What a trio!

Rubinstein is known as a preeminent performer of Chopin, but Brahms was his admitted first love:

_Brahms became my obsession. I had to know everything he had written; instead of working on the pieces for my piano lessons, I would read with ecstasy anything of Brahms which fell into my hands. I would buy this music on credit. I would have stolen money to get it! _


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky* - Violin Concerto; Zvezdoliky; Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Rite of Spring (Frautshi/Philharmonia O/Craft) Naxos

Craft's recordings of the works other than the _Rite_ are quite good, but I don't really enjoy his_ Rite_, it's not 'savage' enough (surprising how he seems to have misread it, since he was a personal friend & colleague of the composer).

*John Cage* - Credo in Us; Imaginary Landscape 1; Concert for piano & orchestra; Rozart Mix; Suite for toy piano; Music for carillon (Various soloists/Ensemble Musica Negativa/Riehn) EMI

Some of the music on this CD takes some getting used to, but it is very thought provoking and stimulating for the listener. _Credo in Us _is the standout piece, for vinyl recordings, radio, pianist & percussionist. The other works are even more quirky & wierd, but there is never a dull moment. I feel that even after half a century, Cage's works have not lost their ability to make the listener think about the nature of music itself (which was surely Cage's main motivation?). These are very good analogue recordings from the 1970's, and a bonus is his 3 pieces for carillon, a recording of Loughborough Carillon in Leicestershire, UK.


----------



## World Violist

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Pierre Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra (Sony)

All the precision of his later remake with all the visceral impact anyone could ask for in this piece. This is definitely one for the books!


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Rubinstein is known as a preeminent performer of Chopin, but Brahms was his admitted first love...


Yes, one of the greatest artists of the C20th, full stop. I haven't heard any of his recordings for years, but my father saw him live in Europe in the 1950's or 60's, and it was the best concert of his life...


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37


----------



## Tapkaara

jhar26 said:


> Yeah, not bad for a guy who wears a wig.


Yeah, but Back was a pimp. He could wear anything on his head and still be the man.


----------



## World Violist

I'm going to listen to some Boulez tonight, I think... Rituel, Pli selon pli, Le Marteau sans maitre... yeah...


----------



## TWhite

Aramis said:


>


Aramis:

How do you like the Zimermann performances of the Liszt? I found them extremely convincing, "Romantic' in the best sense of the word and exciting-- especially the "Todentanz", which is a favorite of mine. I really LIKE him as a pianist! I've got his two Brahms with Bernstein which I really admire, and I love his Schumann and Greig a minor concertos. IMO he seems to have the technique and musicianship for the Romantic period pretty well wrapped up. He's always a joy to listen to for me, at least.

Tom


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm going to listen to some Boulez tonight, I think... 

Penitence?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some exquisitely beautiful music.


----------



## Lukecash12

Tapkaara said:


> Yeah, but Back was a pimp. He could wear anything on his head and still be the man.


They just say he wore a wig to keep the church happy. Knowing him, he probably wore a viking helmet, and had an "I love Lucy" tattoo on each of his hands.


----------



## Air

*J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue No. 8 BWV 853
from Bk.1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier
Samuel Feinberg*

I'm starting to like his WTC much better now! Maybe I've finally unlocked the key to Feinberg's interpretations...


----------



## Aramis

TWhite said:


> Aramis:
> 
> How do you like the Zimermann performances of the Liszt? I found them extremely convincing, "Romantic' in the best sense of the word and exciting-- especially the "Todentanz", which is a favorite of mine. I really LIKE him as a pianist! I've got his two Brahms with Bernstein which I really admire, and I love his Schumann and Greig a minor concertos. IMO he seems to have the technique and musicianship for the Romantic period pretty well wrapped up. He's always a joy to listen to for me, at least.
> 
> Tom


Indeed, he is one of those performers that I worship. His cooperation with Bernstein gave us complete Ludwig Van concertos (two without Bernstein, but these are less important than 3,4,5) which is one of best performances ever. I have great sentiment for this recording. Liszt is great too, especially because Zimerman always plays with his own piano so his sound is always full-cream (and this is very important in Liszt IMO). His Brahms is less fantastic, but still very good.


----------



## Lukecash12

Air said:


> *J.S. Bach
> Prelude and Fugue No. 8 BWV 853
> from Bk.1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier
> Samuel Feinberg*
> 
> I'm starting to like his WTC much better now! Maybe I've finally unlocked the key to Feinberg's interpretations...


Yes, join the dark side!  Feinberg was quite the virtuoso.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> I'm going to listen to some Boulez tonight, I think... Rituel, Pli selon pli, Le Marteau sans maitre... yeah...


Le Marteau...Violist...I simply had no idea you were into such things!!!


----------



## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Le Marteau...Violist...I simply had no idea you were into such things!!!


No, I'm just interested in something new and different. So I got some Boulez.

Le Marteau might take a bit to get used to.


----------



## Guest

Still very much on a Bach kick. These BIS recordings have incredible sound and clarity.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Moldyoldie

*Daugherty: Fire & Blood; MotorCity Triptych; Raise the Roof
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, cond.
NAXOS*
Michael Daugherty; he of the _Metropolis Symphony_, _UFO_, _Philadelphia Stories_, and myriad other works inspired by modern American life and pop culture; is currently Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan School of Music. Here are three works commissioned and premiered by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra during Daugherty's four years as Composer-in-Residence from 1999 to 2003 -- recorded in live performance with nary a hint of audience noise till each work's concluding applause. Inspirations range from Detroit's magnificent Diego Rivera murals and the artist's heritage, politics, and illness-stricken wife to Rosa Parks and the Motown sound. The composer writes at length of his Motor City muses, but I'd like to leave allusions to the movement titles and merely describe the music and its imparted emotional impressions.

_Volcano_, the first movement of *Fire and Blood* for violin and orchestra, displays the scissoring, angular violin attacks heard elsewhere in Daugherty's oeuvre, here brought to us by committed soloist Ida Kavafian, punctuated by colorful orchestral explosions redolent of Mexico with perhaps an accidental tinge of Appalachia. Featured is an interlude of violent violin underlain by marimba, xylophone, and a plethora of percussion. In _River Rouge_, the second movement, Kavafian moves from abject screaming to somber contemplation. Mexican trumpets are taken up by the solo violin in a mournful and purposely nostalgic expression. In the finale titled _Assembly Line_, Kavafian digs into her strings while the orchestra bangs, slaps, soars, and sizzles in what's probably the work's closest approximation to the listener's initial expectations; i.e., the kind of relentless rhythmic raucousness of industry on parade painted notoriously by Prokofiev in his _Symphony No. 2_, but here hewing much closer to the personal amidst the collective rather than the collective per se.

*MotorCity Triptych* (triptych a la the Auto Club rather than any Renaissance art form) begins with _Motown Mondays_. Here is that marvelous R&B that smacks of orchestral Smokey Robinson - that's until things turn dramatic. We're suddenly thrust into a combination of a Midwest morning followed by explosive swashes of Brando and Bernstein's waterfront -- stirring stuff! A direct quote of Copland's opening tympani of _Fanfare for the Common Man_ introduces _Pedal-to-the-Metal_ with that trumpet again interceding from south of the border. Violent orchestral eruptions are interrupted by a screaming siren. The trumpet displays angst and anger before being assuaged by a seemingly reluctant acceptance...the city moves on! _Rosa Parks Boulevard_, the finale, is a soulful _tour de force_ for the DSO trombones -- alternatingly mournful, tensely dramatic, delicately drunken, but always powerfully expressive. The unforgettable trombone theme pervades a colorful and varied orchestral workout.

*Raise the Roof* is for tympani and orchestra. While it gives those kettles a chance to shine, it's otherwise stylistically similar to what we've heard up to this point replete with prominent brass, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and even a piano. As they've done on previous forays into this pseudo-classical cum jazz idiom, Järvi and the DSO eat it up! By the way, were you one of those who enjoyed drum solos?


----------



## World Violist

... the disc originally released as:









Paul Dukas: La Peri

I'm not very familiar with the opening fanfare, and it was quite striking. I read somewhere that the fanfare gets its share of airtime. Compared with the rest of the ballet, though, I can't imagine why; the remainder is a tour-de-force of orchestral transparency, especially under Boulez's distinct direction. I can certainly hear a lot of impressionistic touches, here made luscious and lucid. One can definitely hear much of both Impressionistic and Romantic influences, as though the Romantic touches are obscured behind an Impressionistic veil; still there, just not obvious.

I'm kind of shocked to learn that this wonderful piece is not often performed, though. It's Dukas' last work, and one of his best, as I've read.


----------



## Sid James

*Ippolitov-Ivanov* - Caucasian Sketches (Suites 1 & 2); Turkish March; Turkish fragments (NSO Ukraine/Fagen) Naxos

I really like the way I-I paints pictures in the _Caucasian Sketches_. It's like Grieg's _Peer Gynt_, it transports the listener straight into a landscape - this one among the mountain passes & villages of that part of Russia. The orchestration is quite exotic & reminds one of Rimsky Korsakov, but perhaps not as overbearingly lush. Recommended for those like me who want some more out of the way Romantic repertoire...

& I'm a fan of Dukas' _La Peri _as well, I have the Naxos recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A little bit of a weird mood tonight:


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* - Reverie (Walter Gieseking, piano) on radio today

Can't believe it, the announcer said that Debussy thought this piece was not worthy of publication! It was one of the first pieces in Debussy's new modern style for piano. In the hands of Gieseking, it sounded very colourful and lush. I suppose composers are not always the best judges of the quality of their music.

*Schubert *- Piano Trios 1 & 2; Trio Sonata D. 28; Notturno; Grand Duo (Collard/Lodeon/Dumay) EMI

Still enjoying this superb recording. There is something not only lyrical but quite dark about these works (perhaps about mortality or fate?), some written in the final year of the composer's life. This is a very enjoyable performance (I'll be seeing the PT1 performed live mid this month, can't wait!)...


----------



## jhar26




----------



## muxamed

Nice recording


----------



## Guest

Very relaxing.


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - Trois melodies; Harawi (Bruun; Hyldig) Naxos

In _Harawi_, Messiaen's song-cycle about love & death, the pianist & soprano are equals. & what amazing sounds & colours come from the piano! It's even more gripping than _Quartet for the end of time_, if I can compare (at least the piano part). After listening to this, I really wish he would have composed an actual piano concerto (I know there's _Turangalila_, but that's different). Recommended...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Contemporary music for flute and piano by Ian Clarke, Paul Schoenfield, Carl Vine, Sofia Gubaidulina, Dan Welcher, Joseph Schwantner, Paul Ben-Haim, etc...










Just completed some wonderful recordings of Ravel:


----------



## andruini

Minimalist Jukebox - Pärt: Tabula Rasa; Andriessen: Raconto dall'Inferno; De Staat (De Leeuw, LA Philharmonic)


----------



## Efraim

(To StlukesguildOhio)


I don't know, I have several records of Boulez - Bartók, Stravinsky, Schönberg, Berg, the Complete works of Webern - and I heard by him in the Paris Opera Berg's Wozzeck, but he never impressed me. All I have by him is incomparably more exciting by anybody else, mainly by conductors incomparably less famous than him. More exactly, nothing is exciting by him, at least for me. His is possibly a high-level professional approach, but others make Music. I once heard at a concert Stravinsky's Les Noces by an orchestra acceptable but by no means on a truly high professional level, conducted by an unruly drunkard, whose concerts were usually worth nothing, but this Noces was exceptionnally vivid, sparkling, electrifying, while Boulez’ is not.


----------



## Efraim

I just bought Schubert’s Four-hand Fantasy in f by Richter and Britten. It sounds like an improvised interpretation, not overly elaborated, but is demoniac, as Richter always was in the 60’s. Since the recording – or the playing? - is somewhat blurred, it must be listened to with headphones so to enjoy Richters’s pervasive, explosive touch. Does someone of you have this Decca CD? 

Apart from that I listen all the time to Haydn’s inexhaustible piano sonatas, mainly by Buchbinder, whose playing is globally the richest among the complete recordings of these sonatas I have, the others being those by Brautigam, Carmen Piazzini and Walter Obertz. Brautigam plays on the copy of a fortepiano made in 1795. His readings are original, expressive, and prove convincingly that it is entirely fatuous to skip repetitions as other pianists do, probably in order to avoid boredom. (By him the timings are by far the longest among all the recordings of Haydn I have.) The sound of this particular fortepiano is somewhat interesting and not immediately unbearable like the other fortepianos I heard – but after listening to several sonatas in a row it starts to be… Perhaps it would have been a better idea of this good pianist, after all, to play these sonatas simply on a modern piano, which poor Haydn would have certainly be happy to play instead of his various fortepianos, however he might have liked them.


----------



## Efraim

Did you notice that the cosiest, the most jovial, the most “Biedermeier” composer, Schubert, wrote the most frightening, the most blood-curdling music? I have in mind first of all his shrieking String Quartet in G and his String Quintet, further the Quartet in D Minor, parts of the four-hand Fantasy in f and in some sense the last piano sonata too. This idea came to me while listening to different recordings of the Quintet.


----------



## muxamed

Efraim said:


> Did you notice that the cosiest, the most jovial, the most "Biedermeier" composer, Schubert, wrote the most frightening, the most blood-curdling music? I have in mind first of all his shrieking String Quartet in G and his String Quintet, further the Quartet in D Minor, parts of the four-hand Fantasy in f and in some sense the last piano sonata too. This idea came to me while listening to different recordings of the Quintet.


Yes, that's true. Listen to his Die Unvollendete. Really scarry.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Guest

I really can't say enough good things about Vanska's recordings of the Beethoven symphonies. The sound is excellent, and the performances are top notch.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49


----------



## Air

*Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 9
Wilhelm Furtwangler* conducting the _BPO_

The biggest, grandest interpretation of this work in which Schumann's "heavenly lengths" are finally done justice. The tempos are great - and it is the most soaring, heart-wrenching ninth I have ever heard. Though the sound quality is quite poor, this recording is an absolute triumph - along with his Beethoven, Bruckner, Wagner, and Brahms it is part of Furtwangler's great legacy.


----------



## jhar26

So far I've listened to symphonies 1-4. Really excellent!


----------



## World Violist

Debussy: La Mer
Pierre Boulez/New Philharmonia Orchestra

This is one of those performances full of blazing inspiration, one of those things that make you want to redefine what music actually is. Really, I don't know if I've ever heard Debussy played with as much lucidity, as much vibrancy, as here.

And it's really only the tip of the iceberg; this box of Boulez conducting Debussy contains the major orchestral works and the opera, Pelleas et Melisande. It's a goldmine disguised as a budget box. And it isn't even cheaply packaged (robust jewel case that holds 5 CDs)!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yes... I have this one ordered:










and I've already received the Ravel set:










and then... in one of the crazy moods I went about and ordered this one:












Currently listening to this:


----------



## Conor71

Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Caballe, Domingo, Etc.)


----------



## World Violist

I dunno what... but something!


----------



## Sid James

*Szymanowski* - Symphonies 2-4; Harnasie; Concert Overture; Theme & Variations for solo piano (Polish NRSO/Polish Radio Orch. Krakow/Krakow Ch./Kaspszyk/Semkow/Wit/others) EMI 2 cd's

Interesting how Szymanowski's style developed - from sounding strongly like R. Strauss or Mahler (_Concert Overture; Symphony No. 2_), to a bit impressionist (_Symphony No. 3 'Song of the Night'_) to outright modernist, like Bartok or Prokofiev (_Symphony No. 4 'Sinfonia Concertante'_). The most individual piece here is the ballet _Harnasie_, which incorporates some of the music from the Tatra mountains in Poland which so inspired the composer.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Tapiola, Op. 112


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well... with the great discount being offered by Sony on Pierre Boulez' box sets I thought I would take another stab at... Schoenberg










(I've already received the Ravel and Debussy sets). Today the package arrived from the Amazon secondary dealer and in anticipation I opened it to discover...

This!










:

I can't help but wonder... is this Karma? Is it some sort of cosmic symbolism? Perhaps the dealer knew better than I... I might just like Bill Withers better than Schoenberg!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

At least they got this one right:










Some beautiful music by a precursor to Bach.

Quite lovely!


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok* - Complete String Quartets (Alban Berg Q) EMI
Currently listening to disc 1, SQ's 1,2,4

I'm really into C20th music, & string quartets, but it's taken me a while to warm to these works by Bartok. The palindromic 4th has struck me as the most interesting, original work, but the 1st also has a lot going for it (although composed in the 1900's, around the time of Berg's SQ, it is tonal though seems no less revolutionary). The ABQ play very well as usual, in fully digital sound - superb!


----------



## Air

Andre said:


> *Bartok* - Complete String Quartets (Alban Berg Q) EMI
> Currently listening to disc 1, SQ's 1,2,4
> 
> I'm really into C20th music, & string quartets, but it's taken me a while to warm to these works by Bartok.


Not even... No. 2? 

I'm glad you got around to these though. Take the 5th Quartet next. Then give the 4th a couple more spins.


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Well... with the great discount being offered by Sony on Pierre Boulez' box sets I thought I would take another stab at... Schoenberg
> 
> (I've already received the Ravel and Debussy sets). Today the package arrived from the Amazon secondary dealer and in anticipation I opened it to discover...
> 
> This!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't help but wonder... is this Karma? Is it some sort of cosmic symbolism? Perhaps the dealer knew better than I... I might just like Bill Withers better than Schoenberg!!


rofl!


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Well... with the great discount being offered by Sony on Pierre Boulez' box sets I thought I would take another stab at... Schoenberg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I've already received the Ravel and Debussy sets). Today the package arrived from the Amazon secondary dealer and in anticipation I opened it to discover...
> 
> This!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :
> 
> I can't help but wonder... is this Karma? Is it some sort of cosmic symbolism? Perhaps the dealer knew better than I... I might just like Bill Withers better than Schoenberg!!


Ain't no sunshine in that Amazon dealer's head, I can tell you that much...


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Rautavaara's "House of the Sun" via a search result on Google that (apparently legally...) allows me to hear the whole CD before I buy it.

The overture recalls the scherzo of his two latest symphonies (a jagged, staccato harmony in parallel clusters), but quickly becomes very tranquillo, in the manner of the first movement of these symphonies as well, adding in a sweeping, grand melody over the undulating violas (why is it always US who have to do the shimmering undulations???). But of course, it's in that Rautavaara mold, always fitting in the chord but not quite really _fitting._ The overture seems a bit overlong to my taste...

The sisters' first duet is stunningly beautiful, and these two singers in particular are utterly perfect. Their voices blend perfectly in every way. The music is sort of a scaled-down Romantic melodic thing, very introverted and not pretentious. The next obvious change of character is obviously one of the sisters' hallucinations. There is very sparse scoring, a bit of singing from one of the sisters, and a sort of creepy electronics device that sounds like a vibraphone but wanders back and forth across the soundstage. Then a man's voice enters--presumably one of their dead relatives. Though I suppose it could be one of their visitors... In an opera where one never knows what is reality and what isn't, though, does it really matter all that much? This opera is actually quite shocking in its philosophical nature. It doesn't really change a whole lot afterward, but it always keeps one engaged if one is susceptible to it.


----------



## Guest

I finally picked up Beethoven's 4th and 5th symphonies, by Vanska/Minnesota, completing my Beethoven symphony cycle by him. I will be listening to the whole cycle throughout the day - I'll see how far I get. 

I also picked up (from my library) Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel (Jeffrey Tate conducting) and Mozart's La Nozze di Figaro (Rene Jacobs conducting) that I want to get to this week.


----------



## andruini

World Violist said:


> Right now I'm listening to Rautavaara's "House of the Sun" via a search result on Google that (apparently legally...) allows me to hear the whole CD before I buy it.


Do share, don't be greedy!


----------



## jhar26




----------



## World Violist

andruini said:


> Do share, don't be greedy!


Haha fine then.

http://ligamusic.com/Album/2485525/Einojuhani_Rautavaara/The_House_Of_The_Sun/download-mp3/

Rather crappy sound quality, but it's better than nothing!


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Sid James

Air said:


> Not even... No. 2?
> 
> I'm glad you got around to these though. Take the 5th Quartet next. Then give the 4th a couple more spins.


I agree, the 4 & 5th are pretty accessible, but the one I've come around to "understanding" most easily is the 6th. I find Nos. 1-3 the hardest nuts to crack, but it's early days yet (I'll be listening to this more in depth over then next few weeks)...

Listening later in the evening:

*Nielsen* - Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable"/*Scriabin* - Poem of Ecstasy (LAPO/Mehta) Decca Eloquence


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of the best choral discs I've heard in a while... hell, one of the best discs period.


----------



## Johnny

Been listening to Beethoven's 5th and 6th. I like them both. I recommend them if anybody hasn't heard them. 

I plan on moving outwards and listening to all nine. I'm arbitrarily going to listen to the 7th now. Wish me luck.


----------



## Guest

Johnny said:


> Been listening to Beethoven's 5th and 6th. I like them both. I recommend them if anybody hasn't heard them.
> 
> I plan on moving outwards and listening to all nine. I'm arbitrarily going to listen to the 7th now. Wish me luck.


Don't neglect the 3rd, or the 9th. My preferences change over time, but my current order of preference is 6, 9, 5, 3, 7, 8, 4, 1/2. Really, though, the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th change positions frequently in order of preference. All are incredible. The 7th is also quite nice.

What recordings are you listening to? There are certainly many good older recordings, but I would highly recommend the recent recordings by either Osmo Vanska or Paavo Jarvi.


----------



## Johnny

Thanks. Don't know what recordings they are. 

Would I be right in thinking most people consider the first two to be the weakest?


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Conor71

Good morning :

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 16 In G Major, Op. 31/1


----------



## David58117

Johnny said:


> Thanks. Don't know what recordings they are.
> 
> Would I be right in thinking most people consider the first two to be the weakest?


Count me in as someone who loves the first symphony. His least listened to for me are the 2nd and 8th.


----------



## World Violist

David58117 said:


> Count me in as someone who loves the first symphony. His least listened to for me are the 2nd and 8th.


I rather adore the second. I'm probably one of the only people whose least favorite is the ninth. It's just unnecessarily long and bombastic.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Guest

Johnny said:


> Thanks. Don't know what recordings they are.
> 
> Would I be right in thinking most people consider the first two to be the weakest?


It's not the weakest, just the earliest. It is more of a different style - the classical style. With the 3rd, he made a big break, and his style changed.


----------



## Johnny

Yea, but don't most people prefer the later stuff?


----------



## Guest

Johnny said:


> Yea, but don't most people prefer the later stuff?


Probably so, but I don't think this should be taken to mean that they consider the first two symphonies weak. Someone who is a much greater fan of Classical era music over Romantic era music may very well prefer the first 2 symphonies to the latter 7. I list them as my least favorite of Beethoven's symphonies, but enjoy them much more than the entire symphonic selection of other composers (e.g. Vaughan Williams, Schumann).

Judge them for yourself. As you can see by the comments, some people very much enjoy the first 2 symphonies. You may find that you do as well. Popularity and quality are not synonymous.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Johnny

DrMike said:


> Probably so, but I don't think this should be taken to mean that they consider the first two symphonies weak. Someone who is a much greater fan of Classical era music over Romantic era music may very well prefer the first 2 symphonies to the latter 7. I list them as my least favorite of Beethoven's symphonies, but enjoy them much more than the entire symphonic selection of other composers (e.g. Vaughan Williams, Schumann).
> 
> Judge them for yourself. As you can see by the comments, some people very much enjoy the first 2 symphonies. You may find that you do as well. Popularity and quality are not synonymous.


I hope you don't think I'm just trying to start an argument or something, but just because one of his symphonies is the weakest, doesn't mean it is weak. I was just asking if most people do consider the first two the weakest/least good/the ones that they enjoy the least/or whatever way you want to say that. And, I think, based on my brief scannings, that that probably is the case. It doesn't really matter though because I will be checking them all out. I was just asking because maybe if the general consensus was that particular ones were his least good, that I'd make them less of a priority.

Like I said, I'm not just trying to start an argument, and I appreciate your replies.


----------



## jhar26

Johnny said:


> I hope you don't think I'm just trying to start an argument or something, but just because one of his symphonies is the weakest, doesn't mean it is weak. I was just asking if most people do consider the first two the weakest/least good/the ones that they enjoy the least/or whatever way you want to say that. And, I think, based on my brief scannings, that that probably is the case. It doesn't really matter though because I will be checking them all out. I was just asking because maybe if the general consensus was that particular ones were his least good, that I'd make them less of a priority.
> 
> Like I said, I'm not just trying to start an argument, and I appreciate your replies.


The first two (especially the second, but both really) were very good. The only reason why they (relatively speaking of course) generally don't rank quite as high in the opinion of some is that they were comparitively traditional whereas from No.3 onwards he was breaking down barriers so to speak. That's also the reason why Nos.4 & 8 are less popular (again comparitively speaking) although they both are very good.


----------



## Johnny

Sorry it took so many posts to come to that conclusion, but thanks.

I'm actually currently listening to _Carnival Of The Animals_. Refreshing.


----------



## Sid James

*Ravi Shankar *- Sitar Concertos & other works (Shankar/Rampal/Menuhin/LSO/Previn/LPO/Mehta/others) EMI 2 cd's

I knew the 1st concerto but not the 2nd. There is colourful use of percussion in both, & I particularly like hearing the bongos played so skilfully by Terence Emery in the 1st one. There are also some chamber works (ragas) played by Shankar seperately with Yehudi Menuhin & J.P. Rampal. Quite different to what I'm usually used to & very interesting...


----------



## Efraim

jhar26 said:


> "I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings." - W. A. Mozart


This can be true only to some (very limited) extent, even if an original creator and not a merely skillful craftsman wrote it, and even if he was sincere when writing it. The feelings of the most original author have a meaning not only but mostly in the context of the prevailing style and the average tastes of his time and his civilization, and though himself contributes to changing this style and these tastes, he can modify or even revolutionize only what he has found around. All that is quite obvious. But apart from that I feel that especially in the case of Mozart this saying of his is true even in this limited extent with respect to a lower percent of works than in the case of many other famous composers: I have in mind first of all his handful of works in a minor key, further some other (i.e. not-minor-key) violin sonatas, piano concertos, the Violin Concerto in A, parts of Figaro… And even in his very ambitious piano concertos (as far as I know them) the most original ideas rub shoulder with unbelievable stereotypes. As for his symphonies I know (apart of course from both in G Minor), I have the impression that he wrote them to cope not with what he expected himself to achieve but with the enormous popularity of Haydn's symphonies, adopting their manners, which were not akin to his own dispositions. (Not being a professional musician - as most of us in this forum are not -, I am unable to prove my contention with any detailed analyse.)

My wife, who is an unconditional Mozart fan, says all that is sheer nonsense. I am afraid most of you agree with her. Nevertheless, is there someone who doesn't? If there is, I beg him to help me…


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## David58117

Here's what I'm about to start now that Spring Break is here! Otherwise, it's been the usually Haydn symphonies (the Fischer set).


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## World Violist

Mahler 9
Boulez/Chicago


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## Conor71

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2










I have been making my way through this over the past week and am trying to get to know these pieces .


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Conor71




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## jhar26

Efraim said:


> This can be true only to some (very limited) extent, even if an original creator and not a merely skillful craftsman wrote it, and even if he was sincere when writing it. The feelings of the most original author have a meaning not only but mostly in the context of the prevailing style and the average tastes of his time and his civilization, and though himself contributes to changing this style and these tastes, he can modify or even revolutionize only what he has found around. All that is quite obvious. But apart from that I feel that especially in the case of Mozart this saying of his is true even in this limited extent with respect to a lower percent of works than in the case of many other famous composers: I have in mind first of all his handful of works in a minor key, further some other (i.e. not-minor-key) violin sonatas, piano concertos, the Violin Concerto in A, parts of Figaro… And even in his very ambitious piano concertos (as far as I know them) the most original ideas rub shoulder with unbelievable stereotypes. As for his symphonies I know (apart of course from both in G Minor), I have the impression that he wrote them to cope not with what he expected himself to achieve but with the enormous popularity of Haydn's symphonies, adopting their manners, which were not akin to his own dispositions. (Not being a professional musician - as most of us in this forum are not -, I am unable to prove my contention with any detailed analyse.)
> 
> My wife, who is an unconditional Mozart fan, says all that is sheer nonsense. I am afraid most of you agree with her. Nevertheless, is there someone who doesn't? If there is, I beg him to help me…


Well, even though Mozart is now seen as one of the most accessible composers of them all, that wasn't the way he was viewed in his own tme. I know nothing about music theory, but leaving aside the single exception of Joseph Haydn - Mozart's music was more 'advanced' than the music of his contemporaries. His contemporaries were still composing music in the 'galant' style that was dominating at the time. Mozart's music sounded much more demanding and learned in comparison. If you listen to Mozart's concertos, symphonies, operas or chamber music from his Vienna years and you compare them with the music that his colleagues came up with at the same time the difference is very obvious. To my ears their music often sounds like something Mozart would have composed as a teenager. Good music and fun to listen too, but nowhere near as sophisticated or 'deep' as Mozart's.

But even when he was composing serenades, divertimenti or other music who's only purpose it was to 'entertain', more often than not he did that better than anyone else also because his tunes were always that little bit more catchy and memorable than those of the others. The ability to come up with unforgetable tunes is nothing to sneeze at. Virtually all composers wrote 'light' music in Mozart's era (the pop music of the time so to speak), but it's Mozart's tunes from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Serenata Notturna that are still whistled by bricklayers from Hull - not the tunes from Salieri, Dittersdorf or Paisiello, although it wasn't for a lack of trying on their part to create tunes that were just as memorable.

As for if Mozart only followed his own muse without regard for anyone else's opinion? No, probably not. No composer could afford to do that at the time. The man after all had to eat and he had a family to support. But having said that, as a freelance composer he no doubt had more freedom to please his own artistic sensibilities than the vast majority of his contemporaries.


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## Moldyoldie

*Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 (A London Symphony); Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, cond.
EMI*
Coming to Bernard Haitink's late '80s rendition of Ralph Vaughan Williams' pictorial _A London Symphony_ is like beholding a great city stupefied as to its post-Victorian destiny. While the soft tolling of Big Ben is barely perceived upon a peaceful daybreak, our anticipation that the capital of The Empire will eventually spring to life is quashed by a surfeit of soft legato phrasing throughout, all abetted by tempi and dynamics seemingly meant to draw us into this city's collective daylong reverie...or perhaps its living on the edge of a shattered dream filled with self-doubt.

To the novice listener, instead of exemplifying one of the world's diverse centers of culture and commerce as heard in fine recordings from the likes of Boult, Handley, and Previn; this is London on a solemn and sobering Sunday, perhaps too hungover from Saturday night to ever get out of bed and get dressed for church. It's probably best listened to in a like state -- don't worry, you won't wake the neighbors.

The appended _Tallis Fantasia_, a truly great and powerful piece for string orchestra, is given the same downy, yet downtrodden treatment. Is this supposed to be the antecedent of Britain's forthcoming place in the 20th century? Was the composer this calmly despondent at the state of the world? For that matter, was Haitink?

I'm thinking both these sleepy "new age" performances are more reflectively reactive to Thatcher's world than of Vaughan Williams to his.


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## World Violist

Berg: Wozzeck
Pierre Boulez/Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opera de Paris (avec Walter Berry! c'est bon, non?)

Well, I happen to like it a lot. Great opera, great singers, fantastic orchestra under possibly the greatest 20th century conductor. Of course, none of this really counts for much, since I've heard performances with big names that were horrible performances, but hey, whatever. This isn't one.


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## Conor71

Conor71 said:


>


Whoops just realised I should have posted this one in Purchases yesterday! - would delete it if I could .

np:
Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 In C Minor, BWV 1011










A recent purchase this set, very fine so far .


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## World Violist

http://www.classicaltv.com/v889/britten-curlew-river-aix-en-provence-festival

A tremendously moving, mesmerizing performance of Britten's greatest work (some of you might not agree with this last point, but I fully believe it far and away eclipses both the War Requiem and Peter Grimes).


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## World Violist

Wagner: Siegfried
Georg Solti/Vienna Philharmonic; et al.


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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*Barber *- Orchestral, instrumental & chamber works (Oliviera/St Louis SO/Slatkin) EMI 2 cd's

Some of Barber's best known works, including the _Adagio for strings, Violin Concerto, Three Essays for Orchestra_. He really did have a recognisable style, even though it sounds a bit more European than American, but music really has no national boundaries to it's unneccessary to speak about that. His music seems to linger in your memory long after you've intially heard it, it makes a strong impression. I haven't yet listened to the second cd, with the chamber/instrumental works, but will do so shortly.

*Beethoven* - Piano Trios 1, 4, 5 'Ghost,' 7 'Archduke' (Chung Trio) EMI 2cd's
Currently listening to Nos. 4 & 5

As is usual with Beethoven, these works are revolutionary for making people sit down & listen to these trios as serious works rather than having them merely as background entertainment music, as with Haydn. I'd say the slow movement of the 'Ghost' trio is more mysterious than ghostly. I can also hear how he influenced Schubert in the lyricism of those slow movements especially. The finales by contrast, are full of drive & vigour.


----------



## Air

*Béla Viktor János Bartók
The Piano Concertos
Géza Anda
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra* conducted by _Ferenc Fricsay_


----------



## andruini

Very interesting so far!!


----------



## Isola

I'm listening to Dvorak's piano trio 'Dumky' by Dresdner Klaviertrio. Excellent!


----------



## Sid James

*Berg* - Piano Sonata (A. Brewster-Franzetti) Naxos

*Schoenberg* - Violin Concerto (Hahn/Swedish RSO/Salonen) DG

*Messiaen *- Preludes; Vingt regards sur enfant Jesus (Beroff) EMI


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## StlukesguildOhio

A stunning recording!


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## Air

Andre said:


> *Messiaen *- Preludes; Vingt regards sur enfant Jesus (Beroff) EMI


Beroff is a good pianist. I've been impressed with both his Prokofiev and his Messaien.

*Albert Roussel
Symphony No. 3
RSNO* conducted by _Stéphane Denève_

Great stuff! Roussel was an impressionist who grew into a more neoclassic style. This symphony is him at its best - colorful, lyrical, and aggressive. He seems to have favored a rhythmic style that very few of his French contemporaries exhibited...


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## Conor71

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2


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## Sid James

Air said:


> Beroff is a good pianist. I've been impressed with both his Prokofiev and his Messaien...


I only bought that recording yesterday. The guy at the store also said it was a good recording. It's my first experience of Messiaen's piano music, & I'm especially enjoying the _Vingt regards _which are quite dark (no wonder, written during the time Paris was bombarded in WW2, just prior to liberation). It also sounds quite technically demanding & clocks in at around 1.5 hours.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


> Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2


I like this recording... it is good to have as more "romantic" alternative for someone with one or two other versions of the WTC... but it wouldn't be my first choice.


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## Air

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I like this recording... it is good to have as more "romantic" alternative for someone with one or two other versions of the WTC... but it wouldn't be my first choice.


I urge you to try Feinberg then. It's the ultimate "romantic" alternative.


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## jhar26




----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I like this recording... it is good to have as more "romantic" alternative for someone with one or two other versions of the WTC... but it wouldn't be my first choice.


I am getting into the WTC lately and have been enjoying getting to know it better - I have 2 versions atm: Roberts and Richter out of which I much prefer the Richter. I also really like the Cello Suites performed by Yo-Yo Ma so maybe I like my Bach a bit more romantic?, Im not really sure yet?.
Which versions of the WTC do you own Stlukes and are there any you would recommend for a compliment to the Richter?. Im not really sure how I/others would classify Roberts version, I find it a bit dry though I havent listened to it nearly as much as the Richter so I may get to appreciate it yet .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> I am getting into the WTC lately and have been enjoying getting to know it better - I have 2 versions atm: Roberts and Richter out of which I much prefer the Richter. I also really like the Cello Suites performed by Yo-Yo Ma so maybe I like my Bach a bit more romantic?, Im not really sure yet?.
> Which versions of the WTC do you own Stlukes and are there any you would recommend for a compliment to the Richter?. Im not really sure how I/others would classify Roberts version, I find it a bit dry though I havent listened to it nearly as much as the Richter so I may get to appreciate it yet .


I have (and enjoy) the WTC performed by Schiff. Lately I have enjoyed Bach's keyboard works on piano more than harpsichord. However, I also have a recording by Moroney on Harmonia Mundi which is quite enjoyable.

If you like the Cello Suites, I really enjoy the recordings by Rostropovich and Isserlis. Additionally, Fournier's recording offers a very different approach, and is worth checking out.


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## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A stunning recording!


I'm listening to this today - I could not agree with you more. Generally I don't care much for opera, but Mozart is the exception (along with Beethoven's Fidelio), and these recordings by Jacobs are superb. I also have his recording of Idomeneo. I have Christie's recording of Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Erato) and Hogwood's recording of La Clemenza di Tito. I love these HIP recordings of Mozart's operas. However, I have not yet sought out a period recording of the Magic Flute - I love Klemperer's recording on EMI! But I'm sure that I will, eventually. I also need to look into Jacobs' Cosi fan Tutte.


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## jhar26

If you would ever consider buying Mozart operas on DVD, start with this one. You won't be disappointed.


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## Guest

jhar26 said:


> If you would ever consider buying Mozart operas on DVD, start with this one. You won't be disappointed.


I actually checked out a DVD from my library of Levine conducting Beethoven's Fidelio - I thoroughly enjoyed it! Not the best recording I have heard, but it was nice to be able to follow the story, even though I had to constantly refer to the subtitles (my German is a bit rusty).

My only issue with DVD, though, is that mostly I listen to my music on my MP3 player while I work.


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## World Violist

What's with all the Mozart lately???

Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra

Slow first movement. I like it better that way. Much better.


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - Quartet for the end of time (Reinbert De Leuw, pno & other Dutch performers) Philips Eloquence

*Barber* - Adagio for strings; Violin Concerto; Three Orchestral Essays; Medea's Dance of Vengeance; plus chamber, piano works (Oliviera/St Louis SO/Slatkin/others) EMI 2 cd's


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## Johnny

That's the one from Platoon, right?


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## Sid James

Johnny said:


> That's the one from Platoon, right?


Yes, Barber's _Adagio for Strings _was used in that movie, as well as in _Elephant Man _(if I remember correctly). Another interesting fact is that the piece was played on radio when President Kennedy died. The piece is a string orchestra transcription of a movement from Barber's _String Quartet..._


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## Conor71

DrMike said:


> I have (and enjoy) the WTC performed by Schiff. Lately I have enjoyed Bach's keyboard works on piano more than harpsichord. However, I also have a recording by Moroney on Harmonia Mundi which is quite enjoyable.
> 
> If you like the Cello Suites, I really enjoy the recordings by Rostropovich and Isserlis. Additionally, Fournier's recording offers a very different approach, and is worth checking out.


Cool, I have Schiff for the Goldberg Variations and like them so I will investigate his WTC further . I am also quite interested in getting a WTC performed on Harpsichord as I seen one at my local Borders (This one by Kenneth Gilbert):










I just bought the Cello Suites by Fournier on the weekend so will be sure to lisen to that one further .
Cheers for the recommendations .


----------



## Johnny

Andre said:


> Yes, Barber's _Adagio for Strings _was used in that movie, as well as in _Elephant Man _(if I remember correctly). Another interesting fact is that the piece was played on radio when President Kennedy died. The piece is a string orchestra transcription of a movement from Barber's _String Quartet..._


Is there any particular recording you recommend?

And is the film _Elephant Man_ any good?


----------



## Grosse Fugue

Grosse Fugue as I write.




Thank goodness for YouTube.


----------



## Sid James

Johnny said:


> Is there any particular recording you recommend?
> 
> And is the film _Elephant Man_ any good?


Well the EMI recording I listed above by Slatkin is pretty good. Due to the popularity of the piece, I have ended up (unintentionally) with three recordings of Barber's _Adagio_, one other is Previn, the other I can't remember. I think (especially) if you have a recording of it done by Americans, it's probably going to be quite good.

As for _Elephant Man_, it's been about 20 years since I last watched it, so my memory is hazy. It's actually quite a moving story, about John Merrick, the man in C19th London who had a deforming disease. You've probably heard the famous quote from it "I am not an animal, I am a human being!" John Hurt (with alot of mask/makeup) was in the title role, with Anthony Hopkins as the doctor who looked after him. But I can't remember if Barber's music was used as prominently in it as it was in _Platoon_...


----------



## Johnny

I might have to watch that. Thanks.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I've always had something of a mixed reaction to Tchaikovsky... a love hate relationship with him... indeed with a good deal of Russian music in general. I am ever enamored of his violin concerto and his great piano concerto no. 1... especially in the iconic recording by Van Cliburn... but with other pieces I run hot or cold. Except for his vocal music... his operas are magnificent and grossly underrated. And his songs are a sheer pleasure. Beyond this marvelous disc (ignore the smarmy cover that suggests a washed up Hollywood Lothario) by the eminent Russian, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, I have several other discs of Tchaikovsky's "romances". Russian vocal music deserves to be far more known and performed... not that even French melodies or German lieder are regularly performed... at least in the US.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

What's with all the Mozart lately???

Lately??? I'm never away from him for long.

I'm listening to this today - I could not agree with you more. Generally I don't care much for opera, but Mozart is the exception (along with Beethoven's Fidelio), and these recordings by Jacobs are superb. I also have his recording of Idomeneo. I have Christie's recording of Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Erato) and Hogwood's recording of La Clemenza di Tito. I love these HIP recordings of Mozart's operas. However, I have not yet sought out a period recording of the Magic Flute - I love Klemperer's recording on EMI! But I'm sure that I will, eventually. I also need to look into Jacobs' Cosi fan Tutte.

Don't get me wrong... I would never be without Klemperer's magnificent _Magic Flute_... but Jacobs offers something truly fresh that has re-awoken my passion for these works... rather like hearing them once again for the first time. I'd like to see someone pull off a similar feat with Wagner.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 5*
Nielsen: Pan and Syrinx; Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
Philharmonia Orchestra*
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Simon Rattle, cond.
EMI*
The young Simon Rattle of pre-knighthood was seemingly the cat's meow among British music critics throughout the '80s, a sensitive and often dynamic conductor whose recordings endeavored toward new benchmarks in much of the basic early modern repertoire. Here from 1982 (the CD is a re-release from 1993) is Rattle's initial foray into recording Sibelius, the popular _Symphony No. 5_, and it became the most talked about recording of the work since Karajan's in the '60s. Here ends the requisite dispensable history lesson.

Rattle and the Philharmonia deliver a well-prepared and wonderfully understated interpretation that forces one to re-think this popular symphony in terms which are mostly extra-musical; i.e., cerebrally, as if inside the head of a dual-faced Janus consisting of the young conductor and the dourly disposed composer himself, only looking at each other instead of oppositely! Unlike Esa-Pekka Salonen's outright depressing recording with the same orchestra from a few years later, Rattle brings his own youthful intellect and optimism to bear on this fine music while effectively harnessing its more overtly dynamic attributes -- it's this latter consideration which may dissuade the novice listener and rebuff the seasoned one. A few listens, however, have brought me around. I've become particularly taken by the wonderful play (and interplay) of the woodwinds heard throughout, as well as the purposely blatty brass which evoke the large fowl flying overhead in the Sibelian realm. The big build in the coda to the first movement, one of the most thrilling moments in the entire repertoire for this listener, is rendered in a controlled manner and culminates not with a bang, not with a whimper, but merely as the end of the first part of a lengthier musical journey. The pianissimo strings in the finale are on the very threshold of audibility (even through headphones!), in itself an ear-catching technical feat, but it still remains temporally and emotionally consistent with this well-played, well-articulated, and sensitive performance. In my opinion, Bernstein and Karajan are the most effective in pulling out all the stops in all the right places in _Sibelius No. 5_ -- Rattle/Philharmonia is the antithesis, one I can now readily advocate as a fine alternative. I've read where Rattle's subsequent _Sibelius No. 5_ recording, part of his complete cycle with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, is appreciably different -- I've yet to hear it.

The Nielsen recordings here date from '85 during Rattle's prodigious stint with the Birmingham orchestra. _Pan and Syrinx_ is a brief buffer between the main attractions --it's both evocative and powerful, especially the brooding cello and marvelous brass crescendo in the middle. In my limited experience with it, this is the most effective and entertaining performance I've heard.

Rattle's rendition of the _Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable"_ invites a special scrutiny among those who love this work. I've read one critic describe the performance as "fussy", I suppose in reference to Rattle's tendency to deliberately fawn over certain details in sacrifice of momentum. As evidenced here, however, there's certainly much to love and fawn over. It's true that Rattle takes the middle two movements of this seamless symphony at a pace that elicits a great deal of both loving detail and charm. Where charm exists and flourishes, however, there's always a most effective countervailing aggression that follows -- this performance never wallows in sweetness and light. The culminating, all-consuming tympani battle in the final movement is brought to bear with resolute meaning and results in an equally powerful victory, putatively of Man's capacity for creative good over those forces which would usurp it. To my ears, Rattle's judgments and the orchestra's responses are much more effective than the likes of Karajan and Barbirolli in their likewise expansive and deliberative readings. Instead of "rattling" on, I'll conclude by saying that this lucid performance, as manifested by the young conductor's understanding of Nielsen's multi-fold wartime expression, is worth the "fuss"!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to the original string sextet version of Verklarte Nacht... which I've always loved. Suite Op. 29 was somewhat interesting... but we shall see.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Bach: Mass In B Minor, BWV 232


----------



## Sid James

*Chavez* - Symphonies 1-6 (LSO/Mata) VoxBox

These are mainly modal works, but quite innovative. My favourite is the 1st '_Sinfonia de Antigona_,' after the Greek tragedy, and using Doric scale. Some of the textures remind me of Sculthorpe or even Penderecki, although it was written in the 1930's. The most famous symphony by Chavez is the typically Mexican 2nd _'Sinfonia India,'_ his use of indigenous percussion perhaps influenced by the Brazilian Villa-Lobos. Another interesting one is the 4th _'Sinfonia Romantica'_ which has a Coplandesque feel of openess, but seems more tightly structured. I have heard Chavez's own recordings, but these digital ones with Mata from the early 1980's beat them in terms of sound quality, anyway. Very enjoyable & highly recommended for those who want to perhaps discover something outside the usual European repertoire...


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/New York Philharmonic; Lee Venora, soprano; Jennie Tourel, mezzo

Despite my liking Boulez's approach to Mahler (and this symphony as well) and generally not preferring Bernstein, this performance will always be special as my first exposure to this monumental work, and the frenetic intensity throughout places it right at the top of my list of favorite recordings of this piece. Has the opening of the first movement ever sounded so vicious as here? I would daresay hardly anybody has made it this gripping, this terrifying. The middle three movements are done to perfection. Jennie Tourel's aging voice may not be perfect in tone, but she compensates magnificently--as does Bernstein himself--by supplying magnificent music-making to go with it. Lee Venora in her small role is one of the best ever recorded, in my humble and limited opinion, emerging gloriously from the choir with little vibrato and pure, voluptuous tone. And if the indescribable climax doesn't move you, I don't really know what to say.

All in all, one of the great Mahler recordings I've ever heard.


----------



## World Violist

Now on Youtube I'm listening to Britten's Peter Grimes, with Jon Vickers as Grimes. Colin Davis conducting the Covent Garden people.


----------



## Conor71

World Violist said:


> Now on Youtube I'm listening to Britten's Peter Grimes, with Jon Vickers as Grimes. Colin Davis conducting the Covent Garden people.


Awesome - I plan on listening to Peter Grimes at some stage this weekend too .

np:
Bizet: Carmen










I really like this - great performance & recording! .


----------



## andruini




----------



## World Violist




----------



## Moldyoldie

Recording is a bit resonant for this, but vivid and spacious in the Chandos manner. I think I like these by the Grimethorpe Colliery UK Coal Band a tad better. Still, fun stuff!


----------



## mueske

Currently on the first movement of the second sonata. Genius work by Beethoven, and sublime performance. But what do you expect from two of the biggest names in music?


----------



## Conor71

Bach: The Art Of Fugue, BWV 1080










Bought this yesterday and listening for the second time now - It is very beautiful, like it a lot! .


----------



## World Violist

I'll listen to it as it comes on the discs, so I'm starting with the Solo Cello Sonata. It's really a remarkable piece of music. I'm particularly enchanted by the pizzicato glissandi; in this recording it's tremendously effective and atmospheric. There is no question that Ligeti is in full command of his composition skills (if still somewhat under the influence of other composers and styles). I think it a rather wise decision on DG's part to open the set with an accessible and tonal work with some quirks to showcase Ligeti's style without going berserk about it.

The 6 woodwind bagatelles follow the cello sonata immediately, and it follows perfectly. The intensity of the cello sonata subsides into this quirky, parodic little set of pieces in a truly spectacular way. Well, whaddaya know, the DG people have good programming tastes too!

The first string quartet is brilliant... everything so far is brilliant. I think Ligeti is about to gain a new addict...


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus (Beroff) EMI


----------



## Conor71

Conor71 said:


> Bach: The Art Of Fugue, BWV 1080


Listening to this again, tis good - may play some of the WTC after .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Listening to this again, tis good - may play some of the WTC after .


Very nice recording that I just stumbled across at my local library some time ago, liked so much that I bought my own copy. I also had the Emerson recording, but prefer Fretwork.


----------



## Moldyoldie

*Brahms: Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano in E minor, Op. 38; Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano in F major, Op. 99 
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Emanuel Ax, piano
RCA (Musical Heritage Society)*
Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax give technically proficient readings, allowing the tortured Romanticism of Brahms to shine through in his notes without gooey nor overt over-expression. Some have written that these performances lack the fire and passion found in others; I find that to be a virtue here as the music speaks well for itself -- understated, communicative, and intellectually engaging. The recording is comfortably close and the range of tones from both instruments are sublimely rendered. Very fine!


----------



## Conor71

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1










Still working my way through this set - have a lot of Book 1 imprinted on my memory now, though book 2 is proving a bit more elusive - enjoying these works very much .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still working my way through this set - have a lot of Book 1 imprinted on my memory now, though book 2 is proving a bit more elusive - enjoying these works very much .


I don't know what it is, but with WTC book 1 and the Cello Suites, Bach really nails it with the very first prelude in each. Talk about making wonderful first impressions. They are simply beautiful.


----------



## Sid James

*Copland, Ives, Carter, Barber* - American Piano Sonatas (vol. 1)
(Peter Lawson, piano) EMI


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> I don't know what it is, but with WTC book 1 and the Cello Suites, Bach really nails it with the very first prelude in each. Talk about making wonderful first impressions. They are simply beautiful.


For sure, they are great openings to each piece!. 
I am really getting into Bach's instrumental works lately and they have re-awakened my interest in him - one could easily spend many years just exploring his entire works I think .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> For sure, they are great openings to each piece!.
> I am really getting into Bach's instrumental works lately and they have re-awakened my interest in him - one could easily spend many years just exploring his entire works I think .


Absolutely. I am amazed not only by the sheer volume of his works, but also by the frequency of quality work. His instrumental works are incredible - I never tire of the Brandenburg Concertos, the Cello Suites, the Orchestral Suites, the Goldberg Variations, etc. I could continue with the list, but you get the picture. But with as incredible as those are, I think his choral masterpieces have a greater power to move me. His Mass in B Minor and St. Matthew's Passion are breathtaking.


----------



## Guest

It is a day of renaissance music, mostly courtesy of the Tallis Scholars. Palestrina, Josquin des Prez, Thomas Tallis, Ockeghem, Praetorius. I need some relaxation.


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - 8 Preludes; Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus (Beroff) EMI

*Chavez* - Symphonies 1, 3, 4 (LSO/Mata) VoxBox

*Ligeti *- Etudes Books 1 & 2 (Biret) Naxos


----------



## World Violist

I'm on a bit of a Boulez kick right now...

Pli selon pli - Halina Lukomska, Boulez/Ensemble Intercontemporain
Notations - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Structures for 2 pianos, book II - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Florent Boffard
...explosante-fixe... - Boulez/Ensemble Intercontemporain


----------



## Conor71

Continuing with the Bach listening :
Bach: The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988


----------



## Guest

I'm finding the Concerto for Orchestra much more approachable than his string quartets. I grabbed this from my library on a whim - I have been pleasantly surprised, after not being too impressed by his string quartets.


----------



## andruini

Ah, bliss.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tristan Murail:





































I'm still waiting on the Fretwork recording of the _Art of Fugue_. One can never have too much Bach.


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## Guest

andruini said:


> Ah, bliss.


Excellent recording! Kempff is wonderful with these middle period sonatas.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to _The Miserly Knight_.


----------



## Air

*Krzysztof Penderecki
Violin Concerto No. 2 Metamorphosen
Anne-Sophie Mutter
LSO* conducted by _Lambert Orkis_

Unbelievable! Heart-wrenching, powerful playing by Mutter. She's a beautiful woman, and I am absolutely delighted by her constant dedication to the late C20th repertoire. Early Penderecki and Late Penderecki alike, I think, will only be admired more as time goes on, even if the latter is often seen as being "too conservative". It is just so full of color, drama, and passion...


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 8
Nagano, et al. (too lazy to put the name of the orchestra, choirs, and soloists in, sorry... but Rootering is the bass solo! 

This is easily the most beautiful Mahler 8 recording I've ever encountered. Easily. For three reasons:

1) The discs and case themselves. This is one of those rare occasions I'll ever mention this aspect, let alone give it a whole section to itself. But there's a good reason, and that's simply the fact that the packaging is utterly perfect. There is nothing wrong with it; presented in an elegant, relatively thin box (think MTT's Mahler cycle), the CD case opens like a book, with the two CD's beautifully designed in a perfectly functional, artistic case that presents no risk whatsoever of damaging the CD's. And then there's the booklet. If you think MTT's Mahler cycle has some good liner notes... think again. This booklet has everything: the complete instrumentation; photos of Mahler rehearsing for the world premiere; documentation of both movements, their origins, and how they're related (French, English, and German); little bios of the conductor, orchestras, and one of the choirs (the Berlin Radio Choir, I think...); and of course the complete texts in German, English, and French.

2) The sound quality: the most opulent and completely gorgeous sound quality I've ever heard. Simple.

3) The performance. Just the best, in my humble opinion. The orchestra and choirs play and sing their hearts out, also very idiomatically, and Nagano does a splendid job at the podium. Whoever said he takes the whole symphony too slowly is just plain wrong, unless he's been listening to Neeme Jarvi's speed-demon recording from BIS every day of his life. The first movement, at 24 minutes, is by no means fast, but it does not in the least seem slow. Rather, it moves naturally, always retaining a natural pulse. At the climactic moments Nagano sends the entire ensemble into a frenzy, whereas in the less climactic bits he does not get lazy, as does Solti; rather, he loads the spring, so to say, for the next incredible event.

I've not gotten through the second movement yet, but so far it's incredible. It is not too slow at the beginning (Boulez took it slower, even, if memory serves). I haven't even gotten to the really beautiful segments of the symphony yet (the tenor solo on, that is; I've gotten about halfway through said tenor solo), and it's incredibly moving straight through. That just doesn't happen with Mahler 8ths, and I've heard a bunch of them (Mitropoulos, Bernstein, Ozawa, Solti, Chailly, Boulez...). I have heard a segment of "Dir, der Unberuhrbaren" (the part where the strings take over the main theme, horns and harp in the background) and that 30 seconds only encapsulated a phrase or so. It is incredibly broad, incredibly well-controlled, impossibly gorgeous, perfectly phrased... so I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of the recording.


----------



## Comistra

I was in Clear Lake, Iowa recently, visiting relatives. While looking around Music Man Square (a few miles away, in Mason City), I discovered that Meredith Willson had written a couple of symphonies, so on a whim, I bought this disc from the gift shop. Both symphonies are really very enjoyable, and I'm glad I made the purchase.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Mass In B Minor, BWV 232


----------



## World Violist

And now for something completely different...






J.S. Bach: Johannes-passion
Masaaki Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan

Nothing short of inspired, possibly more.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Bach: Mass In B Minor, BWV 232


This is a great recording - no doubt. But try Masaaki Suzuki's recording with the Bach Collegium Japan on BIS. The sound, in and of itself, is amazing. BIS does a wonderful job. But the Gardiner recording is a great one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've never been overly fond of the Suzuli performances of Bach. I've far preferred Gardiner, Koopman, or Harncourt/Leonhardt.


----------



## Sid James

*Ives* - Piano Sonata No. 1; with sonatas by Griffes & Sessions (Peter Lawson) EMI

A very interesting work, prefiguring (some of) what Schoenberg & the others would do (although Ives had no way of knowing, being half a world away from Vienna in the USA). This work has it's basis in traditional American & ragtime tunes heard in Ive's youth. I'm amazed, it sounds so fresh 100 years later. We only have 5 of the 7 movements of this sonata, because the others were lost. I will definitely buy some more Ives in future, I think this is very interesting, stimulating music.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 8
Kent Nagano et al.

Added to my previous impressions of this performance, there are some instances of rubato that might be a slight nuisance depending on one's views of rubato, but since I don't really mind it's still just as amazing as I at first thought.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sometimes Tchaikovsky can strike me as too schmaltzy... but his songs are just beautiful.


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> This is a great recording - no doubt. But try Masaaki Suzuki's recording with the Bach Collegium Japan on BIS. The sound, in and of itself, is amazing. BIS does a wonderful job. But the Gardiner recording is a great one.


Cool, will try and check out Suzuki's Bach at some stage - Just ordered a 22cd set of Bach's Sacred works and Cantatas by Gardiner so look forward to hearing more of his work as well .

Thread:
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 In Eb Major, Op. 81a, "Les Adieux"


----------



## jurianbai

If you like chess this news should be sad to you. Vassily Smyslov ex world champion passed away last week. He was also a classical trained singer, so just a small tribute to him in this classical forum :

Interpolis 





Eulogy 
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6220


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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Reiner/CSO; Maureen Forrester, Richard Lewis


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248










Just arrived this morning - first listen


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just arrived this morning - first listen


I have a different box set from Archiv of Gardiner doing Bach's Sacred Choral works - it has the passions, the Christmas Oratorio, and a few others that don't currently come to mind.

By any chance, does that contain the Easter Oratorio? I'm wondering whether that is something I should add to my collection.

I do have several recordings of various cantatas from Bach - various performers, including Gardiner. I don't know why, but I haven't felt as much of an affinity for the cantatas and motets as I do for the larger works.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
> Reiner/CSO; Maureen Forrester, Richard Lewis


I have seen this particular recording pop up from you periodically, and am intrigued, but don't know whether it would stimulate me to buy another recording of this work. I already have:
Ferrier, Patzak; Walter/Wiener Philharmoniker
King, Fischer-Dieskau; Berstein/Wiener Philharmoniker
Skelton, Hampson; Tilson Thomas/San Francisco Symphony
Ludwig, Kollo; Bernstein/Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Ludwig, Wunderlich; Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra

Is the Reiner good enough to supercede all of these? I've been looking at Nagano's 8th, mainly because none of the 8's I already have have impressed me much.


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> I have seen this particular recording pop up from you periodically, and am intrigued, but don't know whether it would stimulate me to buy another recording of this work. I already have:
> Ferrier, Patzak; Walter/Wiener Philharmoniker
> King, Fischer-Dieskau; Berstein/Wiener Philharmoniker
> Skelton, Hampson; Tilson Thomas/San Francisco Symphony
> Ludwig, Kollo; Bernstein/Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
> Ludwig, Wunderlich; Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
> 
> Is the Reiner good enough to supercede all of these? I've been looking at Nagano's 8th, mainly because none of the 8's I already have have impressed me much.


The thing I like most about the Reiner/CSO recording is that I don't get the feeling that anything is put between composer and listener. I don't think I've ever heard anything as viscerally exciting as Fritz Wunderlich in the first song, but Lewis still does a very respectable job. And Maureen Forrester, as one of Bruno Walter's favorite alto soloists (she's the soloist in his Columbia Orchestra recording of Mahler 2), is certainly nothing to sneeze at either. I suppose that what I'm trying to get at is that this recording doesn't have the emotional hysteria that other recordings would have, but that it presents exactly what's in the score.

The other highlight of this disc is the amazing clarity Reiner gets out of his orchestra. It's very full-blooded but at the same time one can discern every line. It even sounds impressionistic at times (the last four minutes of Abschied are ravishing and devastating in effect).

If Der Abschied sounds rather understated at times, it's because nobody is going for moment-to-moment thrills (as Bernstein oft does), but rather for the big picture. Forrester is perfect for this purpose; she hasn't the passion of a Ferrier, nor quite the sheer ability of Ludwig or Baker (she's still darn close), but she makes a real statement nonetheless, both musically and emotionally. After the climax (with the horns and trombones blasting out notes and the cellos with the little trill motive going down to low C; absolutely wonderfully done here) in particular, Forrester's singing always sends shivers down my spine, because she really makes one realize that it's her voice completely alone, with nothing else except a C many octaves down. It's chilling.

And about the recording quality... don't be fooled by the 1959 date. I daresay it's better than most modern recordings.

So if you like Mahler that is concerned with the big picture rather than sensationalism, this is a great recording.


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## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Herbert von Karajan's DVD version of the Bruckner 8th with the Vienna Philharmonic on Youtube. It's really good, I think, at least thus far. I've always been enormously skeptical of those who would go so far as to call it the greatest recording of this symphony.


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## Guest

World Violist said:


> Right now I'm listening to Herbert von Karajan's DVD version of the Bruckner 8th with the Vienna Philharmonic on Youtube. It's really good, I think, at least thus far. I've always been enormously skeptical of those who would go so far as to call it the greatest recording of this symphony.


I have that recording on CD, as well as Wand's with Berlin. I haven't listened to both of them enough times to pass judgment, although I do so like Wand's recording, with Berlin, of the 4th. It is what turned me on to Bruckner.

However, given the majestic, brooding, emotionally draining passions that I have been listening to, I decided to turn to some smaller scale works, less emotionally packed . . . Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" and "Rosamunde" String Quartets.
Takacs Quartet, Hyperion


----------



## Lukecash12

Mozart - Fra cento affanni, KV 88


----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Parsifal
Karajan/BPO, et al.

Since CTP recommended Parsifal on the Holy Week thread, I went to the library and, lo and behold, this was on the shelves, tremendously battered, but hey, nothing's perfect. As long as it plays well...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

World Violist said:


> Wagner: Parsifal
> Karajan/BPO, et al.
> 
> Sheer coincidence... I was listening to this very disc last night. Couldn't get all the way through, though.
> 
> Currently:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A magnificent singer. A magnificent disc. The closing _Ombra mai fu_ is one of the best recorded... literally brings tears to the eyes.


----------



## Johnny

Karajan's versions of Beethoven's Symphonies.

Heard a few versions of the ninth. Don't like the vocal bit.


----------



## Isola

What a joy!


----------



## Air

*Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Mehta, VPO*

At 2:30 AM _this_ is truly refreshing.


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> I have a different box set from Archiv of Gardiner doing Bach's Sacred Choral works - it has the passions, the Christmas Oratorio, and a few others that don't currently come to mind.
> 
> By any chance, does that contain the Easter Oratorio? I'm wondering whether that is something I should add to my collection.
> 
> I do have several recordings of various cantatas from Bach - various performers, including Gardiner. I don't know why, but I haven't felt as much of an affinity for the cantatas and motets as I do for the larger works.


This new box has the same works as your set on the first 9 discs with the Magnificat on 1 disc and the 12 discs from Gardiners first Cantata cycle (It doesnt contain the Easter Oratorio unfortunately).
I used to have the Easter Oratorio by Rilling: from what I remember it was not a bad work, but I thought it might not be essential? - it had quite a bit of "recycled" material in it from memory. Still, I might get another copy at some stage too (Maybe the McCreesh version) as I have a lot more enthusiasm for Bach lately than I used to .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> This new box has the same works as your set on the first 9 discs with the Magnificat on 1 disc and the 12 discs from Gardiners first Cantata cycle (It doesnt contain the Easter Oratorio unfortunately).
> I used to have the Easter Oratorio by Rilling: from what I remember it was not a bad work, but I thought it might not be essential? - it had quite a bit of "recycled" material in it from memory. Still, I might get another copy at some stage too (Maybe the McCreesh version) as I have a lot more enthusiasm for Bach lately than I used to .


Yes, I read that a lot of it is recycled from some secular cantatas - but I have been enjoying the recording by Herreweghe. I have been really preferring his and Suzuki's Bach recordings lately - for choral works, though, Herreweghe has the edge.

Today, though, it is Mozart's Magic Flute:


----------



## Boccherini

Bach: The Six Partitas / Angela Hewitt


----------



## Sid James

Things I've been listening to in the past few days:

*Berg* - Violin Concerto (Stern/NYPO/Bernstein) Sony

*Schoenberg* - Violin Concerto (Hahn/Swedish RSO/Salonen) DG

(People who think serial music can't be emotional should listen to these - perceptively, of course!)

*Kats-Chernin* - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Munro/Tasmanian SO/Rudner) ABC classics - Australian minimalism mixed with Chopin's waltzes & a hint of blues/cabaret.

*Varese* - Tuning Up; Un grand sommeil noir; Ionisation; Ameriques (Watts/Polish NO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos

*Debussy* - Jeux (Montreal SO/Dutoit) Decca

& also Ives, Bloch, Berlioz, Sibelius, Villa-Lobos, etc. etc.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A collection of lovely music for piano and flute by composers including Paul Schoenfield, Carl Vine, Sofia Gubaidulina, Joseph Schwantner, Ian Clarke and Anne Boyd. I purchased this as a result of my growing infatuation with Japanese Shakuhachi flute music... as well as t music for flute by Takemitsu and Debussy from a recent disc:


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Bruno Walter; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Vienna State Opera Choir; Vienna Singverein; Vienna Boys' Choir
Mater gloriosa: Elizabeth Schwarzkopf; Magna Peccatrix: Birgit Nilsson; Una Poenitentium: Astrid Varnay; Mulier Samaritana: Maureen Forrester; Maria Aegyptiaca: Christa Ludwig; Doctor Marianus: Fritz Wunderlich; Pater Ecstaticus: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Pater Profundus: Hans Hotter

Recorded live in 1960 in the Musikverein

There isn't a whole lot to say about this recording. Apart from a few "hoyotohos" thrown in by Nilsson for good measure (especially at the end of the first part, in which she completely overpowers all of the 529 other people in the hall in the final cadence, including Bruno Walter himself, who is trying to get her to shut up), this performance, while very fast (about 75 minutes) and in quite bad sound for the day that distorts whenever Nilsson opens her mouth, is almost passable. The orchestra more or less falls apart at the grand fugue toward the end of the first movement, the opening of the second movement is interrupted by an audience who appear to believe that there is an intermission between the two movements, someone (again in the audience) actually cries out in shock when the cellos have their big outburst, and Fischer-Dieskau misses his first entrance. After Fritz Wunderlich's entrance, however, everyone gets the idea and shuts up. The rest of the performance goes by swimmingly, especially Elizabeth Schwarzkopf's Mater gloriosa, which is undeniably the highlight (though Fritz challenges this immediately afterwards in his ode to her). The "Alles vergangliche" is spectacular in entirely the wrong way. As detailed in the liner notes: "the devilish prankster Bruno Walter placed the offstage brass right behind the operator of the recording device without his knowledge; thus, upon their entrance at the work's climax, there is an audible screech amongst the monstrous […] distortion offered by the organ (incidentally with all the stops out for once) that renders virtually everything else incomprehensible." There is evidence that Brunnhi-I mean, Nilsson was laughing at all this as well.


----------



## Sid James

*Ligeti* - Chamber Concerto; Atmospheres (Ensemble de reihe Wien/Cerha/SWRO/Bour) Wergo

*Hovhaness* - Symphony No. 22 "City of Light"/Cello Concerto (Starker/Seattle SO/Russell-Davies/Hovhaness) Naxos

*Webern* - Orchestral works (Ulster O/Yuasa) Naxos


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 8
> Bruno Walter; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Vienna State Opera Choir; Vienna Singverein; Vienna Boys' Choir
> Mater gloriosa: Elizabeth Schwarzkopf; Magna Peccatrix: Birgit Nilsson; Una Poenitentium: Astrid Varnay; Mulier Samaritana: Maureen Forrester; Maria Aegyptiaca: Christa Ludwig; Doctor Marianus: Fritz Wunderlich; Pater Ecstaticus: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Pater Profundus: Hans Hotter
> 
> Recorded live in 1960 in the Musikverein
> 
> There isn't a whole lot to say about this recording. Apart from a few "hoyotohos" thrown in by Nilsson for good measure (especially at the end of the first part, in which she completely overpowers all of the 529 other people in the hall in the final cadence, including Bruno Walter himself, who is trying to get her to shut up), this performance, while very fast (about 75 minutes) and in quite bad sound for the day that distorts whenever Nilsson opens her mouth, is almost passable. The orchestra more or less falls apart at the grand fugue toward the end of the first movement, the opening of the second movement is interrupted by an audience who appear to believe that there is an intermission between the two movements, someone (again in the audience) actually cries out in shock when the cellos have their big outburst, and Fischer-Dieskau misses his first entrance. After Fritz Wunderlich's entrance, however, everyone gets the idea and shuts up. The rest of the performance goes by swimmingly, especially Elizabeth Schwarzkopf's Mater gloriosa, which is undeniably the highlight (though Fritz challenges this immediately afterwards in his ode to her). The "Alles vergangliche" is spectacular in entirely the wrong way. As detailed in the liner notes: "the devilish prankster Bruno Walter placed the offstage brass right behind the operator of the recording device without his knowledge; thus, upon their entrance at the work's climax, there is an audible screech amongst the monstrous […] distortion offered by the organ (incidentally with all the stops out for once) that renders virtually everything else incomprehensible." There is evidence that Brunnhi-I mean, Nilsson was laughing at all this as well.


Wow - that sounds . . .

Incidentally, I succumbed and finally bought:








And you (as well as the glowing review at Classics Today) were right. This is definitely a more moving performance than the other recordings I have (Solti, Tilson Thomas, Rattle). The finale, in particular, is incredible. I've only given it one listen through thus far, so I'll need to try it out a couple more times. This may be the version I can live with. I've really wanted to like this symphony, but haven't been impressed with it yet . . . until now. I think this would be one to see live in concert if at all possible - just the experience alone.

But it still doesn't have the hold on me that the 2nd does.


----------



## Guest

For today, I think I'll start with:









Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique - Michael Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> Wow - that sounds . . .
> 
> Incidentally, I succumbed and finally bought:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And you (as well as the glowing review at Classics Today) were right. This is definitely a more moving performance than the other recordings I have (Solti, Tilson Thomas, Rattle). The finale, in particular, is incredible. I've only given it one listen through thus far, so I'll need to try it out a couple more times. This may be the version I can live with. I've really wanted to like this symphony, but haven't been impressed with it yet . . . until now. I think this would be one to see live in concert if at all possible - just the experience alone.
> 
> But it still doesn't have the hold on me that the 2nd does.


The Mahler 8 I posted about above was obviously my April Fools joke of the year... I couldn't pass it up.

I'm beginning to realize just how much of an understatement my previous review is, and how much closer the ClassicsToday review is when it speaks of this as a milestone in Mahler interpretation. It actually reveals how truly ingenious the first movement is, structurally as well as dramatically (which I don't recall any recording doing). In the last bits of the movement especially, he reveals every layer and gets rid of the notion that it's just a bunch of loud chorales and fanfares. Despite all the major slow-downs into cadences within the last couple of minutes (I'll have to look in my score to see if there's anything structural about that, since it fails somewhat on dramatic grounds). Also really emphasized is the tremendous importance of the two first chords on the organ. Up until recently, I felt that there wasn't much of an importance to it, that it was just a "shut up and listen" tactic (now, in retrospect, I realize that this would be a "Barnum & Bailey" tactic that Mahler so detested in the marketing of this very symphony's premiere). Indeed, I think the opening organ chords are possibly the most important motif in the whole symphony, as it marks virtually every important landmark in the whole symphony (and its large ascending interval being a primary feature throughout), not to mention that it opens and closes both movements.

I've yet to listen to the second movement to see how all this plays out, but this recording of the first movement has been nothing short of revelatory to me lately.

(and DrMike, after today I would've changed my vote to the Mahler anyway, so good job reading my mind.)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished this:










This one hasn't really grabbed me the way my other recent Tavener purchases did:










Especially this disc:










Of course I never count on the accuracy of my first impressions. I can't say how many works that I was initially cool toward have grown upon me greatly... and how many that initially seduced me now leave me a bit more indifferent.

Right now I'm giving a first listen to this:


----------



## World Violist

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## Conor71

Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245


----------



## JRFuerst

World Violist said:


> Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
> Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra


Excellent. Anything Boulez touches is sure to be a great recording.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> The Mahler 8 I posted about above was obviously my April Fools joke of the year... I couldn't pass it up.
> 
> I'm beginning to realize just how much of an understatement my previous review is, and how much closer the ClassicsToday review is when it speaks of this as a milestone in Mahler interpretation. It actually reveals how truly ingenious the first movement is, structurally as well as dramatically (which I don't recall any recording doing). In the last bits of the movement especially, he reveals every layer and gets rid of the notion that it's just a bunch of loud chorales and fanfares. Despite all the major slow-downs into cadences within the last couple of minutes (I'll have to look in my score to see if there's anything structural about that, since it fails somewhat on dramatic grounds). Also really emphasized is the tremendous importance of the two first chords on the organ. Up until recently, I felt that there wasn't much of an importance to it, that it was just a "shut up and listen" tactic (now, in retrospect, I realize that this would be a "Barnum & Bailey" tactic that Mahler so detested in the marketing of this very symphony's premiere). Indeed, I think the opening organ chords are possibly the most important motif in the whole symphony, as it marks virtually every important landmark in the whole symphony (and its large ascending interval being a primary feature throughout), not to mention that it opens and closes both movements.
> 
> I've yet to listen to the second movement to see how all this plays out, but this recording of the first movement has been nothing short of revelatory to me lately.
> 
> (and DrMike, after today I would've changed my vote to the Mahler anyway, so good job reading my mind.)


My willpower was weak - with the iTunes card I got the Celibidache/Bruckner 4 and Alkan's Symphony for Solo Piano (on Hyperion by Hamelin). But then I decided I just couldn't pass this one up, so I got the Mahler as well. My will power is rather weak.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Johnny

He looks like he means business.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71

Good morning and happy Easter all 

Bach: St. Matthews Passion, BWV 244


----------



## sospiro

Recorded in 1973.


----------



## Sid James

*Carter *- String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 (Pacifica SQ) Naxos

*Berg *- String Quartets (No. 1 & Lyric Suite) (NZ SQ) Naxos

*Rota *- La Strada suite (Monte Carlo/Gelmetti) EMI

*Sibelius* - Tapiola (Helsinki/Berglund) EMI

& an excellent cd I heard from a friend on the weekend *Cyprian Katsaris playing Chopin's waltzes *(complete). Subtly coloured & engaging playing which reminded me of Gieseking...


----------



## World Violist

Video on Youtube of Celibidache conducting Bruckner's 9th with the RAI orchestra. Very stirring... fine sound for 1950's, very good video (b&w), wonderful performance with perfect sense of when to take things at a quicker clip and when to let things relax a bit. The beautiful second theme unfolds naturally. This is not the kind of conductor who contorts the music; he just lets it happen.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2


----------



## Sid James

*Ifukube* - Sinfonia Tapkaara (Russian PO/Yablonsky) Naxos

*Takemitsu* - Spirit Garden; 3 Film Scores for strings (Bournemouth/Alsop) Naxos

*Byrd* - Mass for 3 voices (Westminster Cathedral Choir) Decca

*Art Blakey* - 1958 Paris Olympia (Gitanes)

*John Coltrane *- My Favourite Things (live in Sweden, 1961) Delta


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *Ifukube* - Sinfonia Tapkaara (Russian PO/Yablonsky) Naxos
> 
> *Takemitsu* - Spirit Garden; 3 Film Scores for strings (Bournemouth/Alsop) Naxos


Taking in the "two sides of the coin, I see!

Spirit Garden is one of my favorite Takemitsu works. His music here is truly "phantasmic." Static an harmonically prismatic. A perfect foil to the motor-rhythms and harmonic conservatism of Ifukube.


----------



## Sid James

Tapkaara - I'm actually going to listen & get to know those Takemitsu orchestral works on the Naxos cd one at a time. If I listen to the cd right through, I can't distinguish between the works (except for the more "European" sounding film scores). Anyhow, the uniformity is pretty amazing, because right from early in his career, Takemitsu had established his style (the earliest work on the cd is "Solitude Sonore" from the 1950's). I think it will take time to absorb and "get" the Takemitsu (although I have been enjoying it), just like my journey with Carter, Schoenberg & Berg.

Ifukube, on the other hand does have this "conservative" bent. His orchestration in particular sounds like it may have come from Prokofiev in the 1910's. But I am fascinated by the repetitivess, ostinatos, which in Ifukube's skilfull hands never sound tired or dull, they never outstay their welcome either. I just read the Naxos cd notes, and they say Ifukube authored some authoritative texts on orchestration, which are still studied today in Japan. You can really hear his skill in his music, it's very well crafted, and even much better than some European composers (Vaughan Williams couldn't hold a stick to Ifukube in that department, anyway)...


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> Tapkaara - I'm actually going to listen & get to know those Takemitsu orchestral works on the Naxos cd one at a time. If I listen to the cd right through, I can't distinguish between the works (except for the more "European" sounding film scores). Anyhow, the uniformity is pretty amazing, because right from early in his career, Takemitsu had established his style (the earliest work on the cd is "Solitude Sonore" from the 1950's). I think it will take time to absorb and "get" the Takemitsu (although I have been enjoying it), just like my journey with Carter, Schoenberg & Berg.
> 
> Ifukube, on the other hand does have this "conservative" bent. His orchestration in particular sounds like it may have come from Prokofiev in the 1910's. But I am fascinated by the repetitivess, ostinatos, which in Ifukube's skilfull hands never sound tired or dull, they never outstay their welcome either. I just read the Naxos cd notes, and they say Ifukube authored some authoritative texts on orchestration, which are still studied today in Japan. You can really hear his skill in his music, it's very well crafted, and even much better than some European composers (Vaughan Williams couldn't hold a stick to Ifukube in that department, anyway)...


I quite agree that much of Takemitsu sounds the same. In a way, his breadth of expression from work to work is limited. Spirit Garden seems to be one of the more "concise" works of this composer. I think he distills much of what makes Takemitsu Takemitsu in a neat little package.

I think an area where Takemitsu shows more "variety" is in his piano works. Check out a the FANTASTIC disc of Takemitsu piano works on Naxos. Pay attention in particular to his early works from the 40s and 50s. They sound more conventional as opposed to the more idiosyncratic later Takemitsu.

Ifukube admired Prokofiev and many other composers. As a youth he studied Rimsky-Korsakov's text on orchestration and perhaps that's where the Slavic orchestral textures come from. In turn, Ifukube wrote his own text on orchestration (called, appropriately, "Orchestration" in the 1950s. Yes indeed it is still used by Japanese composers until this day. Keep in mind that no such text in Japanese existed before Ifukube took up the task. Thus it has become a staple of Japanese musical education.

I agree that Ifukube is "well crafted." Every note has a purpose in an Ifukube score. His works are very sturdy.


----------



## Sid James

Yes, Tapkaara, the Takemitsu piano works disc on Naxos has been in my sights for some time. I am keen to get it, particularly since I enjoy his orchestral works. I am always trying not to be too "Euro-centric" in my musical forays. I've really enjoyed the little music I've collected & heard from my own part of the world, Australia (Elena Kats-Chernin is an excellent Australian minimalist composer, you might wish to check her out?). I also like Latin American composers like Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla, Ginastera, Chavez, etc. & your own USA has some wonderful composers, some groundbreaking (like Ives), some not. Some people forget that classical music is really "world music" not just "European" music...


----------



## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> I also like Latin American composers like Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla, Ginastera, Chavez, etc. Some people forget that classical music is really "world music" not just "European" music...


Very well put!

Ginastera is a good one. Have you heard Revueltas (from Mexico)? Another brilliant composer. His Night of the Maya is astounding.


----------



## muxamed

This is my 100th post


----------



## Guest

This was one of the first CDs I bought once I started, in earnest, to listen to classical music. I have always loved it. Kempff, to my ears, is a beautiful Beethoven interpreter. Although I thoroughly enjoy the Fleischer/Szell recordings of these piano concertos, Kempff/Leitner is the one I turn to most frequently for the 4th and 5th.

Incidentally, while the 5th gets the most praise, it seems, my preference is for the 4th, and have always felt that the second movement Andante con moto is MUCH too short. What is there is incredible - if only there were more.


----------



## Grosse Fugue

muxamed said:


> This is my 100th post


Who is the composer?


----------



## muxamed

Grosse Fugue said:


> Who is the composer?


I, of course


----------



## Guest

I'm just in a piano concerto mood today. I'm starting at disc 1, and am currently on the 2nd concerto. Very enjoyable.


----------



## Sid James

*Milhaud*
The Creation of the world
The ox on the roof
Souvenirs of Brazil (4 dances)
(French National O/Bernstein)
Souvenirs of Brazil (12 dances, complete)
(Hollywood Concert Arts O/Milhaud)
EMI

It's interesting to listen to Bernstein's & Milhaud's interpretatios of the _Souvenirs_. Bernstein takes a more "romantic" broad approach (I can hear a touch of rubato), whilst the composer (recorded some 20 years earlier in the 1950's) takes a more chamber-like "classical" approach. It took me a while to come around to Milhaud's more pared down version (he uses a smaller orchestra), but now I love them both, even though they are polar opposites. Apparently, Milhaud's widow Madeleine thought that the Bernstein sounded a bit like Mahler (no surprise there), but she still had much affection for that version, and respect for Bernstein himself. It's a pity that he only recorded four of the twelve dances, but his readings of the two other Milhaud works on the cd somewhat makes up for that...


----------



## World Violist

Finally!










Bach: Cantatas 4, 150, and 196
Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan

Breath-taking and awe-inspiring... I think I'll start collecting this series.

Funny little side-note... I got the issue featured in the 1998 BIS catalogue--that's not supposed to be for resale.


----------



## Sid James

*"New world composers from the old world"*
String quartets by Surinach, Hindemith (No. 5), Bloch (No. 5), Tcherepnin (No. 2), Stravinsky (3 pieces), Rozsa, Korngold (No. 2)
The New World Quartet (VoxBox)

After not having listened to this 2-cd set for many years, I gave it a spin last night. These are by no means "groundbreaking" (or even "essential") works in the genre, but collectively they highlight some of the different trends that European emigre composers were exploring in the USA, during the 1930's - 70's.

The Surinach is very "Germanic" sounding, but he uses alot of Spanish flamenco. The Hindemith is the most well crafted work here, in a sort of neo-classical idiom, but there's also alot of variety (for example he throws in a couple of waltzes for contrast). The Bloch was written in the 1950's but it could've come out of the 1910's. It's one of his typical "Jewish" works. The Tcherepnin is the most engaging for me, even after 15 years. There's a kind of "bluesey" feel to it, and I especially like the lively but dark Russian dance of the last movement. The three Stravinsky pieces are well known, another fine example of a more neo-classical style. The Rozsa was written in the 1950's but is more romantic than modern, shades of Bartok, but not as experimental. He uses some interesting effects, like simulating a cimbalom in the slow movement. The Korngold is the most conservative work here, from the 1930's but sounding like it was composed 50 years ago. But he does incorporate some American tunes in this work, so I suppose it couldn't have been composed by Brahms after all (even though the style/idiom is similar).

All in all an enjoyable set, even if it doesn't push boundaries too much, it's a good snapshot of C20th string quartets. The sound quality is not something to write home about, but it's listenable.

*Penderecki*
Symphony No. 3 (Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos
Canticles of Solomon (Krakow Ch./Polish NRSO/Penderecki) EMI

Penderecki seems to to "dark" very well. I have not (as yet) fully come to grips with this symphony, it seems to lack the contrast one has become accustomed to with works in this idiom (similar to late Beethoven or early Bruckner). It's also longer than any other work I own by Penderecki, so far I've mainly connected with his shorter works. The _Canticles_, in contrast, is from his "avant-garde" period in the 1970's. It too is quite dark, the voices sound ghostly, even other-worldly. Both perfromances are excellent.



Tapkaara said:


> Very well put!
> 
> Ginastera is a good one. Have you heard Revueltas (from Mexico)? Another brilliant composer. His Night of the Maya is astounding.


Yes, Revueltas is on my to-get list, definitely.


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Various Works For String Orchestra










This disc is lovely, have listened to it many times!


----------



## Conor71

Gorecki: Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, "Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs"


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

World Violist, I've just noticed that the Suzuki/Bach cantata recordings are currently available in limited edition box sets: 10 discs per box available for around $45 US through secondary dealers on Amazon. That's about $4.50 per disc! One hell of a bargain by most standards.


----------



## David58117

I've had a very busy 2 day listening period, where I finished listening to Tristan und Isolde, Das Rheingold, and then once I put on Turandot I just couldn't stop! My favorite was the Puccini followed closely by Das Rheingold. 

Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend this Puccini box. I wish I could take a picture of the inside - the operas come in very nice digipaks, and each opera has it's own book with libretto. The recordings are the "definitive versions" (as the box is called "The Definitive Collection"), meaning Pavarotti stars in each of them. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Sid James

*Gesualdo* - Madgrigals, Book 1 (Concerto delle Dame di Ferrara/Vartolo) Brilliant Classics

This music encompasses virtually all aspects of human existence - love, sex, death, loss, joy, sorrow, hope, despair, passion, detachment - you name it, it's got it. It's very emotional for the time, and definitely has it's two feet planted firmly on the ground (this is definitely "secular" stuff, nothing at all "sacred" about it). After listening to the disc, I read the Wikipedia article on Gesualdo. Not only does it cover the murders he allegedly committed (his wife and her lover both killed by him), but a very surprising fact - he used melodies with all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, some 400 years before Liszt, Wagner, R. Strauss were beginning to do this. This is amazing, perhaps not so surprising at all, this is why I instantly connected with the music, it sounds so "late-Romantic" in many ways. The recording and performance sound excellent to my ears, I hope to hunt down any of the other 5 books if this group has recorded them?...


----------



## muxamed




----------



## Conor71

Bach: The English Suites










2nd listen to this recent aquisition. It is nice to listen to some Bach keyboard works besides the WTC and Goldberg's - I think I will grow to like these works quite a bit .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Bach: The English Suites
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2nd listen to this recent aquisition. It is nice to listen to some Bach keyboard works besides the WTC and Goldberg's - I think I will grow to like these works quite a bit .


Perahia also recorded the English Suites - highly recommended. In addition, his recording of the Keyboard Concertos is also very enjoyable. FWIW, I also enjoy Davitt Moroney's recording of the Art of Fugue on (I believe) clavichord or harpsichord. And don't miss the Italian Concerto - I have two recordings - Trevor Pinnock and Kenneth Gilbert - both on harpsichord.


----------



## Guest

Today, a recent (but not new) find - Kempff and Menuhin playing Beethoven's Violin Sonatas. I love Kempff's recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas and Concertos, so this was a must have. In addition, I am looking for other recordings of his - my father had a collection of Beethoven's works in a series of LP box sets from Deutsche Grammophon - I think he got it back in the '70's, not sure. My brother claimed them all (and he doesn't even care much for classical!!!!). But I think it had Kempff, accompanies by I'm not sure who, performing the piano trios. Gotta find that.


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> Today, a recent (but not new) find - Kempff and Menuhin playing Beethoven's Violin Sonatas. I love Kempff's recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas and Concertos, so this was a must have. In addition, I am looking for other recordings of his - my father had a collection of Beethoven's works in a series of LP box sets from Deutsche Grammophon - I think he got it back in the '70's, not sure. My brother claimed them all (and he doesn't even care much for classical!!!!). But I think it had Kempff, accompanies by I'm not sure who, performing the piano trios. Gotta find that.


Try this: it's a complete set of Beethoven's piano trios, and the violin sonatas you just mentioned are in the same series of releases.

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1271000687&sr=8-1-spell

That having been said... I'm jealous of your having gotten that CD, Menuhin having been my favorite violinist since I first heard him. Maybe they'll bring that set back into print... one can only hope.


----------



## muxamed

A very nice recording of very listenable songs.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Try this: it's a complete set of Beethoven's piano trios, and the violin sonatas you just mentioned are in the same series of releases.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1271000687&sr=8-1-spell
> 
> That having been said... I'm jealous of your having gotten that CD, Menuhin having been my favorite violinist since I first heard him. Maybe they'll bring that set back into print... one can only hope.


I found it at my local library. I haven't heard as much Menuhin, and it was really Kempff that drew me to it. I managed to get to the "Spring" sonata today. The other recordings I have are Perlman/Ashkenazy doing the Spring and Kreutzer, and Immerseel/Schrader (I believe) on a HIP recording that I just don't enjoy as much. This recording, though, is very enjoyable. Kempff is wonderful. I really need to get his complete piano sonata cycles.

That link looks like what I am looking for. Thanks for the heads up. I enjoy Szeryng and Fournier, so this looks to be a winning combo. It has been so long since I listened to the old LPs that my dad had.


----------



## Sid James

*Boulez* - Piano Sonatas 1 - 3 (Idil Biret) Naxos

*Brahms* - Piano Trios Nos. 3 & Op. posth. (Vienna Piano Trio) Naxos

& can't get enough of this one:

*Gesualdo* - Madgrigals, Book 1 (Concerto delle Dame di Ferrara/Vartolo) Brilliant Classics


----------



## Isola




----------



## Sid James

*Mozart, Brahms* - Clarinet Quintets (Riha/Smetana Quartet) Supraphon "Archiv"

*Ives* - Emerson Concerto for piano & orch; Symphony No. 1 (Feinberg/Ireland NO/Sinclair) Naxos

*T. L. de Victoria* - Requiem for 6 parts; plus short works by Tallis, Palestrina; Gregorian chant (Choir of Christchurch St. Laurence, Sydney) Christchurch St. Laurence publishing


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm quite enamored of this one:










Great orchestral "colors" and a fabulous use of percussion. Too bad its out of print.


----------



## graaf

I'm from north Serbia, so this Hungarian flavour is extremely nice to hear...


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Canata No. 82, BWV 82, "Ich Habe Genug"


----------



## Guest

Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Romances - Josef Suk performing; I love his recording of the Brahms Piano Trio No. 1.


----------



## robert

Ernst Toch

String Quartets 6 8 9 12 Verdi Quartet

String Quartets 7 10 11 13 Buchberger Quartet

I haven't listened to these in quite awhile.. I forgot how good they are......

Robert


----------



## robert

Andre,

Do you like the Biret? Have you heard the Helffer?

Robert


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Listening online to KUSC.org

Earlier today audited Fournier's Bach Solo Cello (spouse found it depressing);
Kirkpatrick's eccentric WTC1 on the clavichord (little metal hammers strike strings);
Gould's Moonlight, Pathétique, and Appassionata; and
Kempff's Moonlight, Pathétique, and Appassionata.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

I have Toch's Quartets Nos. 8-9 with the Verdi on cpo.
Enjoy them very well, especially No 8 in Db-major--my favourite key!


----------



## robert

Sebastien,
I like Toch's string quartets better than his symphonies. (they are not bad either) I like the Verdi Qt in 8-9. I do not care for them in 6 & 12. All around I prefer the Buchberger's, they are much more intense. My favorites quartets 12 & 13.....worth a visit...

Robert


----------



## Sid James

robert said:


> Andre,
> 
> Do you like the Biret? Have you heard the Helffer?
> 
> Robert


Yes, I have enjoyed Biret's recordings of the Ligeti_ Etudes_ as well as the Boulez _Sonatas_. No, I don't know anything about Helffer...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished with Penderecki (violin concerto no. 2) and Bartok (Sonata for piano and violin no. 2):










Currently I'm still struggling to come to terms with Schoenberg... listening to his one-act opera, _Enwartung_ and _Pierrot Lunaire_:


----------



## robert

Andre said:


> Yes, I have enjoyed Biret's recordings of the Ligeti_ Etudes_ as well as the Boulez _Sonatas_. No, I don't know anything about Helffer...


I am not familiar with Biret's Ligeti, my favorite has always been Aimard...In regard to Biret's Boulez I am very familiar with them. I like them, I just happen to like Helffer's a bit more......

Robert


----------



## robert

Schnittke

String Quartets

Kronos Quartet 

yummy yummy


----------



## robert

Whats in that Boulez/ Schoenberg volume??....

Robert


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Volume 1 of the Boulez/Schoenberg set contains:

Suite Op. 29
Verklärte Nacht (version for full orchestra and original version for string sextet)
Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra
Jacob's Ladder
Kammersymphonie Nr. 1 Op. 9
Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene Op. 34
Serenade Op. 24
Five Pieces for Orchestr Op. 16
Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte
Die Gluchliche Hand (The Lucky Hand) Op. 18
Variations Op. 31
Erwartung Op. 17
Pierrot lunaire
Lied der Waldtaube from Gurrelieder

5 discs all for around $15 US through secondary dealers on Amazon.


----------



## Weston

I'm trying to appreciate Bartok, although nothing here has quite reached out and grabbed me (except for a few passages that sound like quotes from something else, but are intriguingly elusive . . .)


----------



## Lemminkainen

Die Schöne Melusina Overture, op.32


----------



## robert

Bela Bartok
Mikrokosmos suite
Tibor Serly

Dance Suite
Miraculous Mandarin, Suite
Franco Autori

Bartok Records 1301

Out of Doors (5 piano pieces)
Leonid Hambro

Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano
Stanley Drucker
Robert Mann
Leonid Hambro

Sonata for Solo Violin
Robert Mann

Bartok Records 1916

Robert


----------



## robert

Weston said:


> I'm trying to appreciate Bartok, although nothing here has quite reached out and grabbed me (except for a few passages that sound like quotes from something else, but are intriguingly elusive . . .)


If I may suggest the following disc.

Concerto for Orchestra
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Leonard Bernstein
New York Philharmonic

If you enjoy these, I will be happy to suggest a few others...

Robert


----------



## robert

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Volume 1 of the Boulez/Schoenberg set contains:
> 
> Suite Op. 29
> Verklärte Nacht (version for full orchestra and original version for string sextet)
> Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra
> Jacob's Ladder
> Kammersymphonie Nr. 1 Op. 9
> Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene Op. 34
> Serenade Op. 24
> Five Pieces for Orchestr Op. 16
> Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte
> Die Gluchliche Hand (The Lucky Hand) Op. 18
> Variations Op. 31
> Erwartung Op. 17
> Pierrot lunaire
> Lied der Waldtaube from Gurrelieder
> 
> 5 discs all for around $15 US through secondary dealers on Amazon.


Great price. I have all of them individually......a real bargain.....


----------



## robert

*curreent listening*

Harrison Birtwistle

Mellencolia 1
Ritual Fragment
Meridian
London Sinfonietta
Knussen

The Triumph of Time
Gawain's Journey
Philharmonia Orchestra
Elgar Howarth

Robert


----------



## Sid James

*Arvo Part *- Berliner Messe, etc (Elora Festival Singers & Orch.) Naxos

*Ornstein* - Sonatas 4 & 7, etc. (Weber) Naxos

*Brahms* - Piano Trios 3 & Op. Posth. (Vienna Piano Trio) Naxos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just completed listening to disc one of this Ton Koopman set of Buxtehude's vocal music. I decided upon Koopman here after having decided to go with Gardiner's recordings of Bach's cantatas. The recording, performance, and music are all first rate!










Now I am listening to a collection of French Baroque music sung by Patrician Petibon. I am absolutely in love with this woman since first coming upon her spirited performance of Rameau's Les Indes Galantes:






Looking more into her work I discovered a truly unique operatic singer with an absolutely outrageous personality that brings a truly fresh breath of air into the sometimes stodgy world of classical music:











Of course the girl can actually sing:


----------



## Lemminkainen

Symphony No. 1, Mvt. IV.


----------



## Guest

I picked these up from the library to listen to:








































This is Karajan's recording of Prokofiev's 1st and 5th Symphonies (thought I would try out this Russian composer).









Should keep me busy through the weekend.


----------



## Guest

Oh, and these (it only lets you post 6 pics/post)


----------



## robert

Schoenberg
Pelleas und Melisande
Variations for Orchestra
Boulez
Chicago S.O.
Erato

This could be the disc for music listeners that do not like Schoenberg. I am referring to Pelleas und Melisande. A Highly Chromatic Tone Poem. Similar in feel to Verklarte Nacht. Shades of Strauss and Wagner with a little Mahler mixed in...Symphonic in feel....
Now back to one of his best works, the 12 tone, Variations for orchestra. I prefer this version over the BBC Sony version. ....

Robert


----------



## Lukecash12

The Raga _Panchem Se Gara_.


----------



## robert

Boulez

Pli Selon Pli
Livre Pur Cordes

BBC S.O.
Strings of the new P.O.

Boulez

Sony


----------



## World Violist

Going back to some Sibelius 










Sibelius Edition, Volume 1: The Tone Poems
Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony, Neeme Järvi/Gothenburg Symphony


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Sonata For Solo Violin No. 1 In G Minor, BWV 1001


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
Paavo Berglund/Helsinki Philharmonic

Wonderful recording!


----------



## Guest

I listened to Schubert's 9th (Wand) and 8th (Szell) the other day, and can't believe I have neglected these pieces. I bought them way back when, when I was interested in mainly Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms, and had just discovered Schubert. Great symphonies. So I looked for reviews for other good recordings, and saw high marks for the Munch/Boston Symphony recording, so I snagged it, and plan to devote some time to it tomorrow.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*Schnittke* - Cello Concerto; Stille Musik; Cello Sonata (Kliegel/Saarbrucken SO/Markson/others) Naxos

*Boulez* - Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3 (Biret) Naxos

*Wagner* - Tannhauser (Act 1) (Domingo/Struder/Philharmonia/Sinopoli) DG - A friend's cd which I listened to on the weekend. What struck me most were the strings of the Philharmonia - very lush indeed.


----------



## shsherm

I have the radio on and a portion of the "Pastoral" conducted by Bruno Walter is being played by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra recorded in 1936.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## robert

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


A favorite CD

Robert


----------



## Sid James

*Josquin des Prez* - Missa "Pange Lingua" & motets (Sydney Chamber Chr./Routley) Tall Poppies

*Ramirez *- Missa Criolla, Navidad Nuestra; arr. *Haazen* - Missa Luba (Soloists/Washington Choral Arts Soc./Holt) Naxos

*Villa-Lobos* - Bachianas Brasilieras 4-6 (Nashville SO/Schermerhorn) Naxos


----------



## robert

Berg

Chamber Concerto 
3 Orchestral pieces op6
Violin Concerto

Zuckerman
L.S.O.
Boulez

Sony


----------



## Conor71

Schoenberg: Concerto For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 42










May take a few more listens before I appreciate this one but its not bad .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Believe it or not, I just ordered that same disc.


----------



## Sid James

*Frank Martin* - Mass for Double Choir (Stockholm Radio Choir/Erickson) EMI

*Puccini* - Messa di Gloria; Stabat Mater; Cristantemi (Bedoni/Speres/Choirs/Luxembourg P/Enquist/others) Classico

*Villa-Lobos* - Bachianas Brasileiras 1-3 (Nashville SO/Schermerhorn) Naxos


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## robert

Boulez

Piano Sonatas 1-3

Claude Helffer

This playing is very good. However, nobody touch Pollini's second.....nobody.....

Robert


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Believe it or not, I just ordered that same disc.


Cool!, its a pretty good disc I think, certainly interesting - I have listened to it a couple of times now .

Now playing:


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## Sid James

Heard last night on radio 2MBS-FM Sydney:

A program focusing on music about the elements:

*Birtwistle: *Earth Dances
*Takemitsu:* And Then I knew twas wind (Flute, viola, harp)
*Nigel Butterley* (Australian): Fire in the Heavens
*David Lumsden* (Australian): Motowinje, wind on the ridges
*Larry Sitsky *(Australian): Coonelinie, the serpent fire (Trombone, percussion, keyboards)
*Gorecki:* Broad Waters (choir)

The Birtwistle was one of the most colourful pieces of music I have ever heard. The Takemitsu was familiar territory for me, I have some of his orchestral works. Butterley sounded similar to Carter, at least in the colours he used, but it was more wild. The Lumsden incorporated bird recordings made around Broken Hill, in the far western part of New South Wales, Australia. The Sitsky was the wierdest one, quite quirky & I like how he used both piano & harpsichord. & it was interesting to hear the Gorecki, which is the only thing I have heard other than his famous Symphony No. 3. _Broad Waters _was quite minimalistic, but also very folkish in parts. For those in Sydney who are interested in C20th music, tune in to this program, it on every Tuesday from 10 - 12pm.

Today:

*Rachmaninov:* Trio Elegiaque No. 2 (Serebrekov/Vaiman/Rostropovich) Point "Russian Legacy"

*Gounod:* Petite Symphonie for wind instruments (Members of Halle O/Barbirolli) EMI


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## Tapkaara

Andre said:


> *Frank Martin* - Mass for Double Choir (Stockholm Radio Choir/Erickson) EMI
> 
> *Puccini* - Messa di Gloria; Stabat Mater; Cristantemi (Bedoni/Speres/Choirs/Luxembourg P/Enquist/others) Classico
> 
> *Villa-Lobos* - Bachianas Brasileiras 1-3 (Nashville SO/Schermerhorn) Naxos


Messa di Gloria, a work I truly love. I wish Puccini had written more non-operatic stuff. I'm not much of an opera guy so I don't get to hear much Puccini. The Mass is powerfully understated. Have you heard his uber-Wagnerian Preludio sinfonico, Andre?


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## robert

Paul Hindemith

Concert Music for Brass and Strings OP.50
Nobilissima Visione - Suite
Symphonia serena
Clarinet Concerto
Horn Concerto
Symphony in B flat for Concert Band

Philharmonia Orchestra
Paul HIndemith

EMI

Robert


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## Guest

Can I say once again how much I enjoy Perahia's Bach recordings? While I do enjoy Suzuki's harpsichord recordings, Perahia just works magic.


----------



## Guest

Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus - Steven Osborne (Hyperion)

I grabbed this at the library out of curiosity. I have a long day of travel tomorrow, so I'll load this on the MP3 player. I am curious, but not sure what I will think of it.


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## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> Messa di Gloria, a work I truly love. I wish Puccini had written more non-operatic stuff. I'm not much of an opera guy so I don't get to hear much Puccini. The Mass is powerfully understated. Have you heard his uber-Wagnerian Preludio sinfonico, Andre?


I also like Puccini's _Messa di Gloria_, it's a good piece & not over the top like Gounod's _Solemn Mass for St Cecilia _(though I like that too). I especially like the Agnus Dei at the end, where the tenor and baritone join together to sing what is a very memorable melody, and a rather upbeat ending to work.

I have heard his _Preludio Sinfonico_, but years ago, so I don't remember much about it. It was on a tape that I had borrowed years ago from the local library, coupled with the _Messa_...


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## Sid James

*Beethoven* - Piano Trio No. 4 & 5 'Ghost' (Chung Piano Trio) EMI

*Brahms *- Piano Trio No. 3 & Op. posth. (Vienna Piano Trio) Naxos

*Ginastera* - String Quartets 1-3 (Enso Q/Shelton) Naxos

*Carter *- String Quartets 2-4 (Pacifica Q) Naxos


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## StlukesguildOhio

I'm really enjoying Purcell. He's far better than I thought or remember from past experiences.


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## Grosse Fugue

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm really enjoying Purcell. He's far better than I thought or remember from past experiences.


I have this and it is one of my favourites.


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## World Violist

Got this out of the local library the other day...










Sibelius: Symphonies 4 & 5
Blomstedt/SFSO


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## StlukesguildOhio

As a fan of medieval chant, the modal music of India and the Middle-East, and Minimalism... to say nothing of Paul Hillier... I could not help but be enamored of this disc: enchanting... hypnotic!


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## Sid James

Yes, I agree,_ Stimmung _is excellent - though a pretty intense listen...

Today's listening:

*Astor Piazzolla:* "The Ultimate Collection" (2 cd's) MCPS/LMM Ireland

Just picked up this set for a mere $10 in a cd shop - a bargain. It has live & studio recordings with Piazzolla on the bandeneon (Argentinian button accordion) playing many of his great hits, tangos & songs such as _Ballada par una loco, Libertango, Verano Porteno, Adios Nonino, Fuga y mysterio_, and many others. The only downside is that the other players in the ensembles accompanying him, the recording dates and locations, are not included. I think the vocalist must be Horacio Ferrer, but I can't be sure (I'm not an expert in this area). Anyway, the music is quite experimental, various combinations are used (some with electronic keyboards), and (as usual with Piazzolla), a blend of Bachian counterpoint, the Argentinian tango & jazz. His writing for instruments is so rich, that often even though only four instruments or so are playing, it virtually sounds like an orchestra. No wonder Piazzolla had the ability, perhaps like no other classical composer/musician, to attract people to his music that would have never otherwise enjoyed or been interested in classical music.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Was just listening to Tchaikovsky-Swan Lake on

http://www.kdb.com/


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## Conor71

Bach: Cantata No. 36, BWV 36, "Schwingt Freudig Euch Empor"


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## robert

Shostakovich
Symphony No. 4
Jansons


Love this version.....

Robert


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## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Trios 1 & 2 (Florestan Trio) Hyperion


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## World Violist

Some Sibelius tonight, no doubt... to get tonight's Berlioz out of my ears...


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## StlukesguildOhio

French Baroque opera: Rameau, Lully, Charpentier, and Grandival... all marvelously performed.


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## Conor71

Puccini: Manon Lescaut










2nd listen to this first Opera on this big boxset.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I haven't listened to Chopin in a while. I must rectify that. Some absolutely marvelous music.


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## Aramis

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I must rectify that.


But not with Ashkenazy :<<


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## StlukesguildOhio

Nonsense. Certainly, I'd also want Rubinstein... especially for the Nocturnes, and also Pollini (Etudes)... as well as recordings by Martha Argerich and Dinu Lipatti... but in no way is Ashkenazy a slouch.


----------



## Sid James

*Granados:* Piano Trio; Piano Quintet; Intermezzo from "Goyescas" (LOM Piano Trio, Spain/others) Naxos

This recent release by Naxos is my first taste of Granados. There are many influences here, Spanish (of course), salon music, Moorish, & I even hear a bit of Brahms' hungarianisms in the finale of the Quintet. This is Romantic music, coupled with the so-called "Impressionist" innovations of Debussy. It's quite good, my only gripe is that the cd's total playing time is only 45 minutes, which is a surprise comparing to most other Naxos cd's I own, which usually last more than 60. My main reason for buying it is that I will go to a concert in mid May where "Trioz" headed by Australian pianist Kathryn Selby will play the Granados Trio, as well as Mendelssohn's 2nd trio.


----------



## Machiavel

Don't know if anybody knows him.He was call the mozart of Quebec. einstein said he was the genius of genius that he saw in is life. At a competition when he was below 18 he finnish first where guy like bernstein finnish 25. Rachmaninov said that only him could achieve what he had only in mind but not skiills. The link I give is a piano concerto 4 that he wrote probably in his 13. He die alone and has an alcoholic. Would really like someone to comment on the music as I think its one of the greatest prodigy ever to live on earth and barely no one knows him .


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## Air

Wow! Thanks for sharing, Machiavel. Favorited on first listen. His music fuses together everything I like most about Rachmaninov, Sibelius, and Medtner. And it's so very Canadian!


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## Sid James

*Haydn:* _Piano Trio in G major "Gypsy Rondo" _(unfortunately interrupted by interveiws with the musicians)...


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## Sid James

Music related to the issues of 'war' (for Anzac day in Australia)
Radio 2mbs-fm Sydney http://www.2mbs.com/
'New Horizons' program, Tuesday 10-12pm

*Raymond Hanson *(Australian) - Piano Sonata
*Grant Foster *(Australian) - Rhapsody for piano & orchestra 'War, peace & love'
*Shostakovich* - Chamber Symphony (arr. Barshai from String Quartet No. 8)
*Steve Reich* - Different Trains
*John Williams *- Star Wars Suite

The Australian pieces didn't really grab me, but it was good to hear pieces by two composers I had never even heard of before, let alone heard. Hanson was more modernistic (written during the days of WW2) & Foster kind of neo-Romantic. The Shostakovich is a piece I have on disc, but on this version, there were drums added to the string orchestra (which I thought detracted a bit from the piece, probably because I'm so used to the string orchestra version). Anyway, this is a very tragic piece, dedicated to the victims of the second world war, but also very autobiographical - Shostakovich wrote it after joining the Soviet Communist Party, which he saw as a moral & spiritual 'death.' Very gloomy indeed. The Reich I had read of, but never heard, so it was good to hear it. Choo-choo train sounds, interspersed with recollections of the composer's nanny who took him on train journeys across America to see relatives during the war, as well as reminiscences of Holocaust survivors. A string quartet plays along with the taped sounds, but it is very integrated. It had a strange, hypnotic effect, I almost didn't want it to end. Then for some light relief, John Williams' atmospheric score to the first 'Star Wars' movie.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished this disc of choral pieces by Valentin Silvestrov which I found to be one of the strongest collections of Modern/Contemporary choral works I have heard in a while... in spite of the fact that I also greatly enjoyed these recent purchases as well:




























Of course, the Stockhausen work is something altogether different... and quite mesmerizing... while I find Tavener's Shunya to be absolutely hypnotic... perhaps the best single choral work I have heard by him... and certainly one of the best by a living composer, IMO.

Right now I'm onto Rautavaara's chora; works:


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Currently auditing the Emersons' new late-Dvorák set.
It's very good as one may expect from the fabulous Emersons.
They have a real commitment to this music along with their trademark technical excellence.

http://www.amazon.com/Old-World-Eme...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1272466653&sr=1-1


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## StlukesguildOhio

Jan Dismas Zelenka- A Baroque Czech composer whose work was long forgotten... until the late 19th and early 20th century... in spite of the fact that J. S. Bach held Zelenka in high esteem. Zelenka's genius is slowly becoming more and more recognized among the new wave of discoveries of previously unknown and often astonishing baroque music. Zelenka played the violone, the largest and lowest member of the viol family, analogous to the double bass in the violin family of stringed instruments. His compositions... including a great many sacred works, are often virtuosic and difficult to perform... In particular, his writing for bass instruments is far more demanding than that of other composers of his era.
-culled from Wikipedia

Some truly marvelous and muscular music... magnificently performed! Highly recommended!


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## StlukesguildOhio

And some more contemporary choral music...


----------



## Tapkaara

Schubert - Mass in E minor / Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Immortal Bach Ensemble, and Leipziger Kammerorchester

Another great Naxos recording...


----------



## Sid James

Getting ready for some concerts here in Sydney the next few weeks:

*Arvo Part *- Berliner Messe (Elora Festival Singers/Edison) Naxos

*Granados *- Piano Trio (LOM Piano Trio, Spain) Naxos

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Trio No. 2 (Florestan Trio) Hyperion - a great find in the library, coupled with the lighter Piano Trio No. 1

& some non-concert related listening:

*Carter *- Three Occasions for Orchestra; Violin Concerto; Concerto for Orchestra (Bohn/London Sinfonietta/Knussen) EMI

*Ives* - Symphony No. 1; Emerson Concerto (Feinberg/Irish NSO/Sinclair) Naxos


----------



## Ravellian

I've been listening to the complete Haydn symphonies conducted by Adam Fischer for a while now.. I'm on symphony #38 or so.. trying to listen to about one CD a day


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Cantata No. 139, BWV 139, "Wohl Dem, Der Sich Auf Seinen Gott"


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Gramophone Magazine... or BBC Music Magazine raved about a new collection of Irmgard Seefried. I couldn't find that one yet on Amazon (an import, no doubt) so I picked up on this... and I'm quite glad I did. here is some marvelous singing. I'll certainly grab onto this one with Seefried in duets with Schwarzkopf:


----------



## Sid James

Heard on radio last night:
www.2mbs.com

*Walton* - Facade
*Herzogenberg* - Horn Trio
*Beethoven* - Kreutzer Sonata
*Janacek* - String Quartet No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata"
*Chausson* - Piano Trio

I enjoyed all of these pieces. The Walton, with it's nonsense rhyme, was a bit repetitive (annoying?), but I loved the orchestration. I had not heard Chausson's _Piano Trio _before, the opening was quite dark & tempestuous, and some of the movements had abrupt, unexpected endings (which I quite liked, anything that is not predictable is fine with me). It was good to hear the Beethoven & Janacek together, as they are related works. The Herzogenberg sounded much like Brahms, except not as "orchestral" as the great man's own chamber works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to Othmar Schoeck's Notturno... a setting of five poems by Nikolaus Lenau and a fragment by Gottfried Keller:










This is an absolutely marvelous song cycle... one of the best... and I am a great fan of Schubert's, Schumann's, Mahler's, Richard Strauss', Mussorgsky's... and recently... Peter Lieberson's _Neruda Songs_... etc... The works are set to a string quartet and baritone with elements unmistakably Modernist... while remaining firmly rooted in late Romanticism. There is a dark, elegiac aspect to this music. For all his Romanticism, this is not a sentimental reactionary music. During his later years Schoeck was dismissed by adamant Modernists as "too accessible" :eh?: yet his works were greatly admired by Wilhelm Furtwängler, Alban Berg, and Paul Hindemith... with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as the foremost champion of his music. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything but an extract from this particular composition on YouTube:






There are several other good examples of his music to be found... including a performance by Fischer-Dieskau:
















My only possible complaint is the brevity of this disc... but then again... like Peter Lieberson's _Neruda Songs_... it is only that you wish the music could go on and on. I've been trying to avoid exploring more music by the less-well-known Romantics and early Modernists and to focus more upon the Baroque and early music... but in this case I will most certainly need to make an exception.


----------



## Head_case

Thanks for posting ~ I was really curious about this disc.

I love the Rosamunde Quartett's wispy renditions of Silvestrov's quartet/chamber work and wondered how this one might fare (his choral music is quite special too). Yes - the ECM cycles are rather short on time. That is a regular frustration for any ECM cd.

Currently listening to the Section Quartet:

http://www.myspace.com/thesectionquartet


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev* - Lieutenant Kije (Royal Scottish/Jaarvi)
*Rossini *- Overture Il Signor Bruschino (London Classical Players/Norrington)

Heard on radio 2mbs fm Sydney:
www.2mbs.com


----------



## Siegfried

Mahler: Symphony No.4 - Claudio Abbado, Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent most of the day in the studio painting and listening to a wide array of music:























































The Tristan Murail is an especially fine disc (I've already discussed the Silvestrov and Schoeck earlier)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Right now I'm listening to something a bit older:


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Major *Dvorák* chamber binge:

String *Quintet* (G-major, B. 49)
*Bagatelles* for Harmonium Quartet (B. 79)
String *Sextet* (A-major, B. 80)
String *Quartet* (Eb-major, B. 92)
*Terzetto* (C-major, B. 148)
String *Quartet* (F-major, B. 179)
String *Quintet* (Eb-major, B. 180)
String *Quartet* (G-major, B. 192)
String *Quartet* (Ab-major, B. 193)

With Prazák http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-String-Quartet-Antonin-Dvorak/dp/B000007SZV/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

Emerson http://www.amazon.com/Old-World-Emerson-String-Quartet/dp/B0039ZELK8/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

and Vienna http://www.amazon.com/String-Sextet...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1272813150&sr=1-1


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

StlukesguildOhio, if you enjoy Schoeck, pray consider:

(with D. Fischer-Dieskau)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M4BOS6/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

http://www.amazon.com/Elegie-Op-36-...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1272813618&sr=1-2


----------



## World Violist

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Salonen/LA Philharmonic
on Youtube

Most. Amazing. Performance. Ever. This tops even Bernstein's legendary New York recording for me. Perfect tempi, visceral like I've never heard while still having clean execution, and some dissonances that are revealed that even Boulez couldn't make clear. Magnificent!


----------



## Sid James

On radio on www.2mbs.com

*Dvorak *- Piano Quintet No. 2 'Dumky' (with Piers Lane)
*Chopin* - Piano Concerto No. 2
*Enescu *- Romanian Rhapsody No. 1

First time that I have heard the Dvorak & Chopin in their entirety - excellent! I really liked the slow movement of the Dvorak & the Polish-flavoured finale of the Chopin. & I just love the Enescu!...

& on cd:

*Bartok* - Mikrocosmos (selections) (Balazs Szokolay, piano) Naxos

These are a series of etudes which Bartok composed for students - going from beginners level to very advanced. I especially like the "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" which concludes the set & are the most challenging of these pieces to play. Szokolay gives a pretty good performance, though I have not heard any other recordings of this collection to compare...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

All of these are truly special recordings.


----------



## rahul khanna

Listening to Shashidhar Kote's one of the popular singer in Bangalore City, India since 2004. Official Website: Free Classical Songs - Shashidhar Kote


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg* - Violin Concerto (Hahn/Swedish RSO/Salonen) DG


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> All of these are truly special recordings.


I do enjoy the Alkan recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous collection of music of the Trouvères (the Troubadours of Northern France). The various singers of the Gothic Voices take turns at these songs... sometimes unaccompanied... or accompanied with a few simple instruments: fiddle, bagpipe, lute, etc...


----------



## Tapkaara

The Four Seasons by A. Vivaldi - Sejong Soloists and Cho-Liang Lin on Naxos.

High-octane Vivaldi. Great stuff.


----------



## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
> Salonen/LA Philharmonic
> on Youtube
> 
> Most. Amazing. Performance. Ever. This tops even Bernstein's legendary New York recording for me. Perfect tempi, visceral like I've never heard while still having clean execution, and some dissonances that are revealed that even Boulez couldn't make clear. Magnificent!


I had the supreme pleasure to see Salonen do Le Sacre at the Walt Disney Hall a little over a year ago. One of the best classical concerts I'd ever seen. And those acoustics...


----------



## KaerbEmEvig

Currently listening to Marek Grechuta (sung poetry):


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

*Ravel*'s Miroirs featuring the immortal _Une barque sur l'océan_ and _Alborada del gracioso_.

Fred Chiu plays marvellously on this Harmonia Mundi release:

http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-M...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1272993905&sr=1-1

After this, *Ravel*'s String Quartet.


----------



## World Violist

Sergiu Celibidache's "Der Taschengarten" in his very last studio recording, itself a very isolated event in 1979 (his last studio outing before that having been over 20 years previous; Ida Haendel playing the Brahms violin concerto). I must say that, listening to this now for the first time, that this music somewhat belies its being written for children, yet at the same time a work of such breathtaking fantastical soundscapes could be nothing but a child's mind at work. I believe that Celibidache, after having conversations with children (that is what these short pieces are based on, after all), decided to take these conversations and magnify their content to the significance a child must put into them. Thus, there are moments of absolutely ecstatic discovery (The Beetles' Dance) paired with moments of deepest melancholy ("Old Fir Tree, you're too far away from the Sky," "Hedgehog, where are you?").

As I have already mentioned, this CD contains breathtakingly original music, which is unleashed in "The Fish's Night Song," which is really only a fantasia on the first five notes of the major scale. Instead of the cliche childish romp, we have a deeply meditative, almost psychedelic panorama including an oboe part meant to be played out of tune (and done here to haunting effect).

During the emotional core of this work, "Hedgehog, where are you?," it is evident that even in the studio Celi couldn't stop yelling at the climaxes. Nevertheless, this turns out to be an amazing experience, with marvelous phrasing and atmosphere making for a devastating climax--only half way through... and the winding-down is marvelous!

Out of the devastation of "Hedgehog..." come the tentatively hopeful chords of the "Green Prayer." It makes for particularly moving effect. It reminds me very much of Elgar's "Enigma Variations," how after the devastation of "Nimrod" comes the gorgeous breath of fresh air. This entire piece is marked by this sense of fresh air. In the penultimate movement, "Rain in the Sprinkling Can," which serves as the major climax, one can practically feel these drops of rain, as well as the open air surrounding them. 

And then, with its humorous final movement--a verbatim da capo--we realize that these previous vignettes were all as whimsical and temporary as they seemed.

Overall, I think this piece is a genuinely great piece of music. It's a really great shame that no more of Celi's music has ever been recorded... people should petition the Celibidache family to release more of his works!


----------



## afterpostjack

Sebastien Melmoth said:


> *Ravel*'s Miroirs featuring the immortal _Une barque sur l'océan_ and _Alborada del gracioso_.
> 
> Fred Chiu plays marvellously on this Harmonia Mundi release:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-M...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1272993905&sr=1-1
> 
> After this, *Ravel*'s String Quartet.


I'm also much into Ravel's music. Miroirs blew me away, especially "Une barque sur l'océan". His string quartet is also my favorite of all string quartets, thus far. But I've not listened to quartets much at all. I think it is Ravel's quartet that raised my interest in that genre in the first place. So it might be a bit early to tell what my opinion will be of it when I've heard more quartets.


----------



## Sid James

*Saygun* - 10 Sketches; Inci's Book; From Anatolia; 12 Preludes; Sonatina (Zeynep Ucbasaran, piano) Naxos

*Saygun* - Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (Onay/Bilkent SO, Ankara/Griffiths) cpo

These two discs of the music of Turkish composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun show different aspects of his approach to composition. The solo piano works have these limping rhythms, unique time signitures, which are apparently typical of his "Turkish" works. Sure, you can hear European influences (particularly Bartok), but it's music with a strong individual voice & character. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the piano concertos. They were composed in the 1950's & 1980's respectively, but they sound as if they were written in the 1920's or 30's. Here, Saygun just seems to be regurgitating tired old cliches, even though there are engaging aspects to this music (like the percussive opening to the first concerto). Nonetheless, I don't enjoy the concertos half as much as his solo piano music. That Naxos disc is a gem (& cheaper than the cpo disc if you want a good sampling of his music!).

*Ligeti *- Requiem (Poli/Ericson/Bavarian Radio Choir/Hessen RSO/Gielen) Wergo

This recording is a classic, it was actually used in the film score of _Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyessy_. Superb!

*Bartok* - Mikrocosmos (selection); Allegro Barbaro; Sonatine (Balazs Szokolay, piano) Naxos

Still enjoying these superb works. One can clearly hear the influence of Bach, but Bartok is equally interested in enlivening old traditions with the vital and life-affirming folk traditions of Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and of course his native Hungary.


----------



## ScipioAfricanus

alternating between Schumann's Piano Trios, Draeseke's String Quintet, Arnold Krug's Sextet, and Herzogenberg Piano Quartets and String Trios.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still getting back into Chopin:


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Esa-Pekka Salonen/Los Angeles Philharmonic; Placido Domingo, tenor; Bo Skovhus, baritone

This recording is fascinating to me on two counts: firstly, it's got Placido Domingo singing tenor (first I've ever seen a hardcore bel-canto operatic singer do Mahler...); and secondly, it's the first time I've listened to the work in its alternate baritone version. Plus, it's Salonen and the LAPO, definitely one of the greatest conductor/orchestra teams in America.

It's taking me a little while to get into Domingo's Spanish accent in the first song, as well as the extremely long lines he sets up. The overwhelming amount of transparent detail Salonen and his wonderful orchestra bring to this piece is very welcome to me, my only CD of this until now having been the historical Reiner/CSO account, itself sounding almost like a series of Debussy tone poems for voice and orchestra. In fact, as far as pure detail is concerned, Salonen wins hands-down.

As for Skovhus, he's a nice contrast to Domingo's absolutely dominating first movement, blending in with the orchestra--and here it is a treat, as Salonen lays every line bare, fitting in with the idea of "independent counterpoint" the work as a whole so stresses. Sometimes, as is inevitable, one wishes for the delicateness of a woman singer in this second song.

In the third song, I rather miss Harris' wonderful lightness and grace with Domingo's somewhat more heavy-handed account, but I still like the interpretation it's given anyway.

The fourth song is about as good as it gets, with ethereal baritone, wonderfully characterized orchestra, and perfectly-judged tempo, with a bit of swagger hinted at. I actually think the louder section suits the baritone better than alto, as it calls for (and thus gets) heavier voicing.

With the penultimate song, I see a perfect lead into the monumental Abschied. Things become still more delicate here, more crystallized and slower in texture. The orchestra here becomes much more bass-heavy, and Salonen and his orchestra (I genuinely hesitate to say it's just Salonen, because every single person in the orchestra is 110% involved) play to that strength, making a wonderful sense of timelessness.

The opening of the Abschied is strong, implacable. The low harp and bass notes speak as though of the earth itself, and the woodwinds come through from a world all of their own. This opening on its own is worth the price of the CD. The first improvisation-like stanza between flute and voice is utterly hypnotizing, especially at the very end, when the flute slips into nothing and total silence envelops everything for a moment. Skovhus' characterization is also absolutely wonderful, and very musical as well. The climax is devastatingly done, and the very end is intoxicating.

Wonderful recording with a few small misgivings.


----------



## jhar26

Just wonderful.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely recital of Schubert's lieder. I may need to look into one of Bostridge' recordings of a major cycle by Schuebert (_Winterreise, Schwannengesang_, etc...)


----------



## Sid James

*de Falla* - 7 popular Spanish songs
*Granados *- 12 Spanish dances
(Ann Monoyios, soprano/Manuel Barrueco, guitar I/Thomas Muller-Pering, guitar II)
EMI "Encore"

It's interesting to hear both de Falla & Granados on the one cd. The former has this rough, gutsy, kind of unpolished feel; the latter is refined, cultivated, full of the gentilesse of the Spanish courts (with a hint of Grieg, who actually approved of the *Spanish Dances*, and whose _Piano Concerto _Granados had played in its Spanish premiere). These are sensitively done guitar arrangements of the original works. I remember having some of these works on tape in the violin/piano versions, played by Perlman/Sanders. Of course, listening to them in this version is totally different, perhaps more "Spanish?"...


----------



## SatiesFaction

I just discovered Gorecki's 3rd Symphony. A bit mellow, but very pleasant nonetheless. Dawn Upshaw does a great job here.


----------



## Aramis




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## Guest

Here we go again - giving Wagner another shot. This time with HvK's recording of Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg on EMI. So far I really enjoyed the overture.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely wonderful recording of Handel's absolutely wonderful cantatas.


----------



## Sid James

*Hovhaness* - Symphony No. 22 "City of Light" (Seattle SO/Hovhaness) Naxos

*Brahms *- Violin Concerto; Academic Festival & Tragic Overtures; Alto Rhapsody (Grumiaux/Heynis/Royal Male Choir "Apollo"/Concertgebouw/van Beinum) Philips Eloquence

& on radio (www.2mbs.com):

*Berg* - Violin Concerto (Zehetmair)

*Turina *- Symphonic Rhapsody (de Larrocha/London PO/de Burgos)

Later:

*Dutilleux *- Cello Concerto "A whole remote world" (Rostropovich/Paris O/Baudo) EMI


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## StlukesguildOhio

A first listening to this:










The title piece, _Black Sounds_, written for a ballet, is a piece composed for winds, brass and percussion that merges elements that are at once tonal and atonal. The work is clearly rooted in the Modernist tradition... and quite powerful. The second piece, Cantio Sacra, is a series of orchestral variations on a baroque organ work by Scheidt. The piece is clearly far more conservative... but not without interest. The final work, Phedra, is a brief monodrama... a short opera in monologue... setting the dramatic high points of Robert Lowell's translation of Racine's original (French) tragedy. This work is once again clearly Modernist. The work is powerful and dramatic... employing outburst of brass and strident dissonances... yet remains largely tonal. The tragedy and rage of this tragic love-triangle are marvelously conveyed through the music.

Rochberg was profoundly marked by the experiences of WWII (he was seriously wounded during the Normandy landings) which he declares taught him about art because they taught him about life. During the 1950s he composed in a largely atonal/serialist manner and wrote critical essays on the subject. Following the long illness and eventual death three years later of his 17-year-old son due to a brain tumor, Rochberg struggled to find some meaning through music... but found that the serialism upon which he'd founded his career seemed empty and meaningless. He had never turned his back upon older musical traditions:

_"When the international avant gard was trying hard to erase from memory the glories of the old, I remember quite clearly my reasons for continuing to delve into music which was supposed to be finished... obsolete... It seemed perfectly natural to me to speak multi-lingually; i.e. to be able to think and express both atonal and tonal wherever the need arose... whether simultaneously or successively. The only thing I demanded of myself, then as now, was that whatever language I used, the result was music."_


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## Guest

DrMike said:


> Here we go again - giving Wagner another shot. This time with HvK's recording of Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg on EMI. So far I really enjoyed the overture.


So the overture and the finale were very nice. Otherwise, I still just don't care for Wagner that much. The stuff in the middle is okay. Nothing I'm going to be dying to listen to. I enjoy opera sometimes, but can't get into it that much without having see it to put the story line with it.


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## Poppin' Fresh

DrMike said:


> So the overture and the finale were very nice. Otherwise, I still just don't care for Wagner that much. The stuff in the middle is okay. Nothing I'm going to be dying to listen to. I enjoy opera sometimes, but can't get into it that much without having see it to put the story line with it.


Do you read along with the libretto or do you just kind of put on the music and let it go?


----------



## Guest

Poppin' Fresh said:


> Do you read along with the libretto or do you just kind of put on the music and let it go?


I usually read the libretto separately, then just listen to the music. Most of my listening is while I am working, and reading the libretto isn't really an option. I'd like to be able to just sit back and follow along, but after work, I have a 4-year old and a 1-year old.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

DrMike said:


> Most of my listening is while I am working ...


What line of work do you do? I assume you are a medical doctor? Are you operating on your patients with Classical music in the operating theatre?


----------



## Poppin' Fresh

DrMike said:


> I usually read the libretto separately, then just listen to the music. Most of my listening is while I am working, and reading the libretto isn't really an option. I'd like to be able to just sit back and follow along, but after work, I have a 4-year old and a 1-year old.


Yeah, I feel for you. That's a tough way to get into Wagner though, I don't think I could have ever appreciated him as much as I do if I had gone that route. It's just so much to take in, and if you're not staying engaged with the drama I can see how everything could become a kind of blur. When you read along with the libretto, not only do you pick up on the little nuances of the score and how the music brilliantly weaves itself into the fabric of the story, but it helps keep your mind from wandering while you're still becoming familiar with it all. It was difficult for me to appreciate many of the purely musical aspects of Wagner's operas (besides the preludes/overtures and orchetral interludes of course) until my second and third times listening to them while following along with the libretto. Only then could I start to appreciate the brilliance of moments like Sachs' cobbler's song, the Act III quintet, Walther's prize song, etc. outside of the context of the dramas.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms & Mozart:* Clarinet Quintets (Riha/Smetana Q) Supraphon Archive

Vladimir Riha, the Czech clarinettist on this recording, was a legend. Certainly these recordings bear this out. Some very emotional readings of these key works. The Smetana Quartet give expert accompaniment. Recommended (though I'm not sure if this cd has been deleted?)...


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## Guest

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> What line of work do you do? I assume you are a medical doctor? Are you operating on your patients with Classical music in the operating theatre?


No, I am a scientist - the low paying doctor! My day is at my computer analyzing data or at the bench generating data. I listen to classical music a great deal of the day.


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## Guest

I realized I didn't have a good recording of Night on the Bare Mountain, so I picked this up, which also has Pictures at an Exhibition. I decided to devote some time to the Russians.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Recently I've been focused upon my collection of Baroque and Early Music... beyond Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi... so that it somewhat matches the breadth and depth of my collection of Romantic/Post-Romantic/Modern/Contemporary collection. This is but one of my recent purchases with this goal in mind... and a marvelous recording at that. Gradually purchasing the whole of Bach's cantatas I decided to go with the Gardiner set... although I quite admire what I had heard of the Koopman recordings as well. Perhaps as something of a consolation prize, I purchased Koopman's video DVD of selected Bach cantatas in performance... as well as his recordings of Buxtehude. This performance of collected vocal works is better than any other Buxtehude performances I have heard.


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## World Violist

Bruckner 4: Salonen/LAPO

Amazing recording, the only one besides Celibidache's legendary Munich recording that really "works" to me. The amount of inner detail in this reading is unbelievable, the tempi a bit on the broad side, but all to the best. Only problem is the last four or so minutes won't play on this CD. I hate when this happens... and it never does, which makes this even worse...


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## Sid James

Heard this morning on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney (www.2mbs.com)

*Rossini:* Il Signor Bruschino overture
*Weber: *Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (was good to hear this again after so many years, I think Weber is still highly underrated. Saw his Clarinet Quintet in concert recently and this was also very good music)
*Dvorak:* String Quintet
*Holst:* The Planets suite (a marvellous performance by the Los Angeles Orch. & Choir/Zubin Mehta)

St Luke's: that Rochberg sounds interesting. He was definitely not the only composer to go from atonal/serial to more tonal. Might get it myself at one stage...


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## World Violist

Listening to some Berg tonight... would listen to some early-middle Webern, but I have none.


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## Sid James

Just heard on radio ABC Classic FM, Australia - string quartets by Munro, Vine, Edwards, Sculthorpe played by the *Goldner String Quartet*. To sum up, a dissapointment as these composers seem to be looking back rather than forward. I have written a more detailed impression on this thread:

http://www.talkclassical.com/8798-world-new-music-days.html#post96410


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## Ravellian

Just got this:









   I can't wait to dive in!


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## Head_case

That looks reall painful! 

Just got this:


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## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 5 by J. Sibelius - Philharmonia/Karajan


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## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Symphony no. 5 by J. Sibelius - Philharmonia/Karajan


Apparently I'm on roughly the same wavelength: listening to one of my favorite CDs, a breathtaking set of interpretations by Jukka-Pekka Saraste of Sibelius' 4th symphony, Pohjola's Daughter, The Bard, and The Oceanides. One heck of a program, and these interpretations are some of the most astonishingly picturesque, beautiful, and intense that I have ever heard.


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## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Apparently I'm on roughly the same wavelength: listening to one of my favorite CDs, a breathtaking set of interpretations by Jukka-Pekka Saraste of Sibelius' 4th symphony, Pohjola's Daughter, The Bard, and The Oceanides. One heck of a program, and these interpretations are some of the most astonishingly picturesque, beautiful, and intense that I have ever heard.


I have Jukka-Pekka's 4th on disc but not of the tone poems. Got to see Jukka-Pekka perform the 4th live in Lahti last year, though...and what a treat that was!!


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## StlukesguildOhio

Simply marvelous!


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## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> I have Jukka-Pekka's 4th on disc but not of the tone poems. Got to see Jukka-Pekka perform the 4th live in Lahti last year, though...and what a treat that was!!


The original release of his symphony cycle was really interesting: one symphony per disc with a handful of tone poems or other such things (Karelia suite, Belshazzar's Feast, King Christian II, etc.) as fillers. That's the only reason I didn't get the box of his symphonies; there are no fillers.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Right now auditing *Maxim Vengerov* playing *Beethoven* and *Brahms* _Violin Sonatas_.


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## Sid James

*Bruckner*: Mass in E minor; Two Aequalae for three trombones; Libera me (Soloists/Corydon Singers/English Chamber Orchestra/Best) Helios - Hyperion budget label

Bruckner's _E minor mass_, contemporaneous with Symphonies 0 and 1, takes you on a journey from darkness to light, then back to darkness again. There's a sense of the composer communing in private with his god. There is a sense of hope, but more often than not, I hear much doubt in this music as well. I am looking forward to seeing this work performed live later this year in Sydney. The couplings are also interesting, the two _Aequalae_ for three trombones (which were composed for use in solemn occassions like funerals) and the early_ Libera me_. This is a very good disc, with performances of a quite high standard, but the only problem is that the time (at 53 minutes) is a bit short. But at budget price, you can't go wrong with this disc, really.


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## StlukesguildOhio

A truly magnificent recording: exciting and dramatic French Baroque music performed by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants with Véronique Gens and Sandrine Piau among the soloists... what more could you ask for?


----------



## Head_case

Dug this old CD out after a friend asked for neo-baroque stuff:










The harpsichord Partita is just glorious ~ along the same thundering maelstrom of Goreckian dimensions from his Harpsichord Concerto albeit more measured with incredibly beautiful writing.


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## Sid James

*Harry Partch* - Delusion of the Fury (Ensemble of Unique Instruments/Desnee Mitchell) Sony


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Currently auditing *Balakirev*'s First Symphony.
It features an achingly very lovely echt-Russian adagio with that faux-orientalist filligree.


----------



## World Violist

Tallis: Spem in Alium
Jeremy Summerly/Oxford Camerata

Amazing...


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## Tapkaara

World Violist said:


> Tallis: Spem in Alium
> Jeremy Summerly/Oxford Camerata
> 
> Amazing...


I have that recording too!


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## StlukesguildOhio

Yes... the Oxford Camerata turn out some consistently good recordings. I have that disc as well... although recently I picked up a two disc Tallis set by The Tallis Scholars that is simply magnificent... and unbeatable for the price. I believe I paid around $8 US for this set:










Right now I'm absolutely enthralled with Zelenka... such a powerfully rhythmic Baroque:


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## World Violist

I found a live performance on Youtube of the European premiere of Arvo Pärt's 4th symphony (the "Los Angeles" symphony). Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Cem Mansur conducting.

I really wish they had the LA Philharmonic recording on Youtube... this recording seems a bit thin and cluttered compared to what they served up in the piece's namesake and recorded by DG. Oh well, whatever works.

The first movement is interesting... Starts out very high register violins, then very slowly winds down to the lowest register basses (it takes about 5 minutes). Very well-done, too. The second section is faster paced, with some more recognizable Pärt in it; two-note phrases punctuated by percussion, but here his percussive arsenal is vast, and Pärt uses it to wonderful effect, with tam-tams, tympani, chimes, and so on alternating. It might sound rather silly, but it's all very moving in performance. This, too, winds down, this time in dynamic, to the point where percussion changes seamlessly into quiet pizzicato basses.

What really strikes me about this movement is that, while it is absolutely and inimitably Arvo Pärt, it is emotionally very rich and diverse; there are parts of this movement in which anguish is palpable. 

The second movement takes a motivic cell from the first movement--a sort of pulsating set of eighth notes--and develops it further still, and this movement is even more stark than the first, its emotional impact still more immediate. In fact, it depicts devastation, with blank, monolithic pedal-tones in both low basses and upper violins, and only the inner voices have motion (there's a nice viola solo in there too, I do believe).

In the third movement, this desolation and penchant for pedal-tones comes to its most extreme; the intensity of expression here reaches close to the depths of his earlier masterpiece, the Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten. There's a point at which a gong rings, and out of its resonance comes a wondrous violin solo (here played with obscenely excessive vibrato, but whatever). It ends with a series of short false harmonics in the violins, ushered out by a final strike of the gong. A marvelously effective, dreamlike ending to a fantastic symphony.

Being so reminded of the Benjamin Britten homage, I decided to play that on Youtube afterwards; there's a marvelous 10-minute video of it.


----------



## Tapkaara

Speaking of Estonian composers, I am listening to the 5th Symphony of Eduard Tubin - Paavo Jarvi/Cincinatti


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## Sid James

Some of *Haydn's London symphonies* later on tonight, with English Chamber Orchestra/Tate (EMI)...


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## Tapkaara

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Yes... the Oxford Camerata turn out some consistently good recordings.


Yes they do. I love their La Mess de Nostre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut. The first disc of theirs that I bought and have kept in firmly in my 'repertoire or recordings' ever since.


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## Sid James

Heard last night on radio (www.2mbs.com) "New Horizons" program:

*Tippett* - Piano Sonata No. 3
*Arvo Part* - Symphony No. 2 (1966)
*Britten* - Nocturne for guitar, op. 70
*Nigel Butterley* (Australian) - chamber work (forget title!)
*Crumb* - 11 echoes of Autumn

Another interesting program in this series of "New Horizons," focusing on music composed after 1945. I had not heard any of these pieces before. The Tippett reminded me of his _Piano Concerto _- a very vivid style, with echoes of Bach's (and especially) Beethoven's counterpoint, with a hint of Debussy & Ravel thrown in. Whatever his influences, I think that Tippett had quite an individual style, almost unmistakable. The Part symphony was a very dissonant piece which even had sounds of children's squeaky toys, which was quite wierd. Britten's _Nocturne_ reminded me a bit of the guitar works of Villa-Lobos, but that's my only reference point, since I am not hugely knowledgeable about this repertoire. Apparently, Britten wanted to originally compose it for lute, but dedicatee Julian Bream persuaded him to write it for the guitar instead, since then it would have more of a chance of being played regularly. I wonder if this is still the case today? Butterley's piece was very listenable, quite a colourful 'impressionistic' piece for woodwinds & strings. & the Crumb had this kind of "organic" feel to it, as it had come right from the earth. All in all, I enjoyed this program as usual, but they couldn't broadcast *Ligeti's* _String Quartet No. 2_ because of a technical problem. A pity, because I have this work, but not played by the Lasalle Quartet, which was programmed.


----------



## Sid James

Just heard on radio www.2mbs.com

*Handel* - Coronation Anthem for George II
*Bach* - Partita No. 1 (for piano)
*Haydn *- Symphony No. 103 "Drumroll"

Tuned in to this program, especially as I'll be seeing some of Bach & Handel's choral works live later in the month. I found both of them quite repetitive & the Haydn another one of his "cookie cutter" predictable symphonies. I'm trying to be flexible, though, get something out of this music, which is not my usual repertoire. One thing I can say for the Handel (despite all of the repetition) was that it was quite bright and uplifting. But I didn't really get the point of the Bach, he's the toughest nut of the Baroque to crack for me (sometimes, some works, anyway)...


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert *- Symphony No. 4 "Tragic" on YouTube conducted by Lorin Maazel. It's been years since I've heard this symphony.


----------



## Poppin' Fresh




----------



## SatiesFaction

Ancient Airs & Dances by Respighi.


----------



## Glaliraha

Corelli's Trio Sonatas, Op. 1


----------



## Sid James

On radio www.2mbs.com

*Glazunov *- Symphony No. 2 (Final movement)

I know I've bashed Glazunov around here quite a bit, but actually I enjoyed this excerpt quite a bit. It reminded me of his _The Seasons_, as well as Tchaikovsky (though not as emotionally charged as the latter, which is ok by me). I might actually get this symphony at some stage later on down the track...


----------



## World Violist

I've been listening to this CD for quite a while now... it's really a great listen.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*Harry Partch* - Delusion of the Fury (Ensemble of Unique Instruments/Danlee Mitchell) Sony

I've been listening to this operatic work all week. I like the way in which Partch uses his microtonal (43 tone system of just intonation), in a way that sounds quite tonal in many parts. The percussiveness reminds me sometimes of Orff or Stravinsky, but Partch's music is way more complex than those. There are so many things going on in this music. Of course, hearing the recording is only 50% of the experience, this work was one of "total theatre" much like Wagner's concept of a total art work. Hearing the recording, you don't see the physicality of how these strange instruments are played (which are on stage with the other performers, not hidden away in a pit), the chorus (the instrumental players also join in the singing) and the miming of the drama by actors. Probably seeing the dvd would be more 'wholistic,' or a live performance (which only regularly happens in New Jersey, in a university which houses the instruments, and has a purpose-built theatre for Partch's music)...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## jhar26




----------



## Aramis

Terrible Herod.


----------



## Sid James

*Nyman* - The Piano (soundtrack) (Members of Munich PO/Nyman) Virgin

*Beethoven* - Egmont Overture (Ljubljana SO/Nanut) Vox

*Baroque music *of Handel, Arne, Boyce, Locatelli, Albinoni, etc. played by ASMF/Marriner - Decca


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre said:


> *Baroque music *of Handel, Arne, Boyce, Locatelli, Albinoni, etc. played by ASMF/Marriner - Decca


You should listen to these composers played by HIP bands. The works do sound different and in my opinion, way better.


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## Herkku

Verdi's first opera, Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio, on DVD.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> You should listen to these composers played by HIP bands. The works do sound different and in my opinion, way better.


Give me some credit, as Baroque is not my favourite period, but I'm trying to be flexible.  I'm gearing up to go to a concert here in Sydney later this month where they will perform Handel's _Dixit Dominus _& a mass by Bach. I'm trying to get into some of this type of music, but I picked up the ASMF/Marriner recording for only $3 in an op shop, so it was not a big investment. Some months back I also got a 2 cd set there (in pretty good nick) of Handel's _Fireworks & Water Music suites _with Menuhin & Mackerras conducting (again, not HIP but better than not having any Baroque in my collection at all, which was the case). I'm more into exploring early music, then I'll delve into more Baroque, probably by borrowing from my local library rather than buying. I also have a friend who has some Handel & Bach on cd, he's more into Baroque than I am (his are HIP recordings, I have heard them but didn't really notice any huge difference). But I know that some people swear by HIP, but I grew up listening to Baroque composers mainly played by non-HIP groups, and they sounded pretty fine to me, although I am definitely no expert. The concert I'm going to will not be HIP, but I am interested nonetheless in seeing works by these two composers live for the first time. I may even go to see Handel's _Messiah_ live later on in the year.

Just listened to:

*Franz Schreker* - Chamber Symphony in one movement; *Frederick Cerha *- Cello Concerto (Schiff/Netherlands Radio Chamber Orch./Eotvos) ECM New Series

This is a cd I borrowed from my local library. The Schreker is similar in many ways to Mahler, it's like a reduced version of some Mahler symphony. I especially liked when the celesta was used, it made quite an atmospheric type of effect. The Cerha is a different kettle of fish altogether, I'd call it very Bergian, perhaps a reflection of that composer's more lyrical moments. This is not surprising, since Cerha is a Berg expert, he completed the opera _Lulu _back in the 1960's. I really liked the playing of Schiff, it was quite evocative & poetic...


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## Sid James

Heard on www.2mbs.com

*Martinu *- Symphony No. 2 (Bamberg SO/Jarvi) - quite a good performance, though I was in & out, could only catch parts of the broadcast. Love the third scherzo movement - hints of Czech folklore (homesickness? as he was exiled in the USA), marching bands (a nod to Ives, perhaps?) - a fascinating movement in itself.

Getting ready to go to a Piazzolla concert with the Sydney Consort...

EDIT: Just tried to go to the concert, but the bus wouldn't come! Gee, Sydney buses are great!...


----------



## Sid James

* Messiaen* - Oiseaux Exotiques (Aimard, Boulez) Part 1






The music of *Harry Partch*, Part 1


----------



## Conor71

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Guest

Andre said:


> Give me some credit, as Baroque is not my favourite period, but I'm trying to be flexible.  I'm gearing up to go to a concert here in Sydney later this month where they will perform Handel's _Dixit Dominus _& a mass by Bach. I'm trying to get into some of this type of music, but I picked up the ASMF/Marriner recording for only $3 in an op shop, so it was not a big investment. Some months back I also got a 2 cd set there (in pretty good nick) of Handel's _Fireworks & Water Music suites _with Menuhin & Mackerras conducting (again, not HIP but better than not having any Baroque in my collection at all, which was the case). I'm more into exploring early music, then I'll delve into more Baroque, probably by borrowing from my local library rather than buying. I also have a friend who has some Handel & Bach on cd, he's more into Baroque than I am (his are HIP recordings, I have heard them but didn't really notice any huge difference). But I know that some people swear by HIP, but I grew up listening to Baroque composers mainly played by non-HIP groups, and they sounded pretty fine to me, although I am definitely no expert. The concert I'm going to will not be HIP, but I am interested nonetheless in seeing works by these two composers live for the first time. I may even go to see Handel's _Messiah_ live later on in the year.


I am by no means a HIP purist - Perahia's recordings of Bach's keyboard works on a piano are my preferred recordings. That being said, I was kind of like you initially with baroque - it didn't do much for me. But, honestly, HIP recordings really turned me onto baroque. More modern or, dare I say, romantic interpretations of baroque works, to me, sound very heavy and ponderous. Really, they sound almost too dense. They really weren't written for such interpretations. Listening to HIP recordings opened them up to me. It doesn't even necessarily have to be on baroque instruments (as I said, I am not that much of a purist). The best illustration I have for this is to listen to Bach's St. Matthew Passion performed in a modern/romantic style, and then an HIP recording. Miles apart. This piece can sound very oppressive and full of doom (obviously I mean more than what the subject matter already imbues in it), but with a period performance, the gravity of the piece is conveyed, but without feeling like the musical equivalent of a lead blanket.

That being said, there are certainly some fine recordings of baroque works prior to the HIP movement. And I still intend to get my hands on a copy of Klemperer's recording of the St. Matthew Passion.

Off my soapbox now.


----------



## Herkku

Kirsten Flagstad singing songs of Sibelius. I think this is not available generally. My copy is from Australia. Sibbe composed some marvellous songs, too. Try Anne- Sophie von Otter! Nearly all of the songs are in Swedish anyway.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Tapkaara

Eine Alpensymphonie by R. Strauss - Kempe / Staatskappelle Dresden


----------



## Falstaft

Atterberg No. 7 'Sinphonia Romantica'. Yet another magical Atterboy' slow movement!


----------



## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Trios 1 & 2 (Kavakos' trio) Sony

*Granados *- Piano Trio; Piano Quintet; Intermezzo from "Goyescas" (LOM Piano Trio, Spain/others) Naxos

The Mendelssohn 2nd & Granados Piano Trio will be played live at a concert I will go to this weekend - looking forward to seeing these lesser-performed works done live...

*Janacek* - String Quartets 1 & 2 (Alban Berg Q) EMI; Violin Sonata (Naxos)

*Carter* - Concerto for Orchestra (London Sinfonietta/Knussen) EMI - Carter's percussive work a contrast to the Harry Partch that I have been hearing lately...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm not a great fan of the harpsichord... but there was no alternative for Frescobaldi... and I actually quite like this recording.


----------



## Falstaft

Yummmm


----------



## Herkku

Manon Lescaut with Kiri te Kanawa and Placido Domingo, from ROH, Sinopoli conducting.


----------



## Herkku

Right now I'm listening to operatic paraphrases for piano, by Busoni, Kempff, Brahms (!), Tausig, Horowitz and, of course, Liszt, played by a Finnish pianist, Matti Raekallio.


----------



## Herkku

Now it's Respighi's Piano Concerto, not one to win any votes, but quite easy on the ears.


----------



## Herkku

*Savitri*










Gustav Holst's Savitri with Janet Baker.


----------



## janne

Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 45 (Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra - Adam Fischer)
Johann Stamitz - Trumpet Concerto in D (Hardenberger - Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields - Marriner)


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Sergiu Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic

Very interesting take on this piece; wonderful first movement with an absolutely amazing coda; great second, quite slow but with just the right kind of weight to counteract the slowness. I haven't heard the finale all the way through yet, but I'll listen to it now.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, op. 14 of Sergey Prokofiev. Pianist is Mikhail Pletnev.

It's magical! It reminds me of rainy days, and long past romantic nostalgic dream... yes, Prokofiev is very romantic in this work, besides being his ironic self.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still exploring the less-well-known composers of the Baroque era... once again another French composer... who produced some marvelous music beautifully realized by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants.


----------



## Herkku

*Argerich: Chopin & Liszt Concertos*










Currently listening to some instrumental music, because I can't watch an opera and write at the same time...


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Max *Reger* made some magnificent transcriptions for solo piano of *Brahms*' Four Serious Songs (Op. 121) which Claudius Tanski performs in HIPP mode on an 1901 Steinway.
_They sound like marvellous late piano pieces by Brahms, recently discovered_.

http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Clarin...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274020919&sr=1-4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've listened to this at least 5 or 6 times since getting it a week or so ago. Kozena and Bach... what's not to love?


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Hey--didn't I see you at http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47822

??

Cheers!


----------



## jhar26

I desperately needed a Martha fix today, so.....


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hey--didn't I see you at http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=47822

Indeed you did.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

More Bach... and what could be better?


----------



## Guest

Vaughan Williams 4th. They say it's his most dissonant symphony, but I don't mind...


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: Krystian Zimerman with the Chopin Ballades.

One of the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stlukesguild: except that over there you have a Rubenesque beauty. Nice...


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished a second hearing of this:










On to something completely different:


----------



## Sid James

*Piano Sonatas: Beethoven (Pathetique), Bartok, Chopin (B minor)*
(Selby) ABC Classics

Just went to a concert here in Sydney on the weekend with Australian pianist *Kathryn Selby *and her "Trioz" group - with Niki Vasilakis (violin) & Emma Jane Murphy (cello). They played Haydn, Goossens, Granados, Mendelssohn. After the concert, some of her cd's were on sale in the foyer, & I picked this solo recital recorded like on the ABC last year (she also signed it). Selby is one of this country's finest pianists, and she did her masters in the Julliard School with Rudolf Firkusny. It's wierd, but since I've been to some of her chamber concerts, when listening to this cd, I expect other instruments to come in & play with her. Anyway, I particularly have enjoyed the Chopin, my first experience of any of his piano sonatas. I especially like the rollicking last movement, but the slow movement has much poetry as well. This is a totally different take on the genre from Beethoven's (or Liszt's) efforts, the Chopin has this salon feel, it's quite light in many ways, but also doesn't lack drama (but I can't detect the turmoil or edginess of the other two). I think I may need to get some more Chopin down the track...


----------



## Air

Well, that's good Andre about the Chopin. His status as "the pianist's composer" can sometimes make him a bit enigmatic for those who don't play the instrument. There's actually a lot of turmoil and edginess in his works, it may just be a little harder to detect sometimes....

I'm listening to Hindemith's _Nobilissima Visione_ right now. It's a great work with which Yoel Levi and the ASO do an admirable job. The _Mathis der Maler_ and _Symphonic Metamorphosis_ on this disc are equally superb.


----------



## Sid James

Air said:


> Well, that's good Andre about the Chopin. His status as "the pianist's composer" can sometimes make him a bit enigmatic for those who don't play the instrument. There's actually a lot of turmoil and edginess in his works, it may just be a little harder to detect sometimes....


Well, I was generalising (of course). For me, Chopin's music has this intimate salon feel about it, as well as a good dose of melancholy. Even his waltzes, many of which are more upbeat, not only seem to reflect the glamour of the ballroom, but some of the sadness which could be found there as well. The more I get into classical, the more difficult I feel it is to compare composers fairly. Especially as my frame of reference is quite limited in many ways. Anyway, all I aim to do is enjoy the music, especially music like solo piano which I had neglected (or not been that interested about) in the past.

Talking of the solo piano repertoire:

*Janacek* - Piano works (In the mists, Piano Sonata "From the street," On an overgrown path, etc.) (Firkusny) Double DG

Janacek is one of the few composers for solo piano with whom I felt that I had an instant connection with, as soon as I had heard it. The double album has his most famous works for the instrument, played by his former student Rudolf Firkusny. There is much emotion in this music, and alot of (sometimes) rather abrupt contrast. Like in one of the pieces of _In the Mists_, he starts off with a simple folk like theme, then segues into a Bach-like fugue or something. Many of these pieces are about memory, for example _In the Mists _is about Janacek's memories of walking in the misty hills outside Brno with his muse Kamila; the _Piano Sonata_ was written in memory of a worker who was killed at a protest which he witnessed; and _On an overgrown path_ was written in memory of his young adult (about 20 year old) daughter who had recently died. There's so much emotion in this music, it's just amazing and quite visceral, even hearing it on a recording moves me greatly.

*Janacek *- Orchestral suites from the operas: Kat'a Kabanova & The Makropolous Affair (arr. Breiner)(New Zealand SO/Breiner) Naxos

This is also a great disc, part of three seperate volumes of orchestral suites from Janacek's great operas, sensitively arranged by Peter Breiner. The sound quality & performance is superb. Who says all of the great symphony orchestras are in the northern hemisphere?


----------



## Head_case

Listening to the Prazak's quartet cycle of Dvorak's last V quartets from the last century 

This is just epic. They achieve utter distinction in their field - a perfect 10/10 recording translated onto 3 discs. Any fans of the Panocha Quartet; the Prager String Quartet and the Vlach Quartet Prague's CDs would just weep at the sheer bliss these CDs/SACD transfer have gained.

Still, it's unsurpassed by the 1960's mono recordings by the original Vlach Quartet. That's saying somethin' ..


----------



## jhar26

Today....


----------



## Isola

Currently on the 7th:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Starting off the evening:


----------



## Lukecash12

More of Casella and Strauss' (I know, an odd pairing) operatic works.


----------



## Sid James

*Tippett *- String Quartets 3 & 5 (Tippett String Quartet) Naxos

*Bruckner *- Mass in E minor (Corydon Singers/English CO/Best) Hyperion "Helios"

*Janacek* - On an Overgrown Path (Firkusny) DG


----------



## Conor71

Mini Beethoven Symphony Marathon :

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral"










Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36










Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92


----------



## Il Seraglio

I still can't get enough of Brahms' chamber music. More specifically, these fine pieces...

Cello Sonata in E minor Op. 38 performed by Mstislav Rostropovich and Rudolf Serkin
String Quartet in Bflat major Op. 67 performed by the Delian Quartet
String Quintet in G major Op. 111 performed by the New Russian Quartet w/ Schlomo Mintz on viola

I think I should probably buy these records, lol... they would be more than worth it.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Andre said:


> *Bruckner *- Mass in E minor (Corydon Singers/English CO/Best) Hyperion "Helios"


Love this... my favourite piece of "sacred music" from Bruckner.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Right now:


----------



## jhar26

Listened to nos. 3 & 7.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While I do greatly admire a good many HIP productions of Baroque music, I generally prefer the piano for the performance of Baroque keyboard works. This is a particularly splendid performance:


----------



## World Violist

I think I'll give this a spin in the "and now for something completely different..." category...










Boccherini String Quintets
Ensemble 415 and Chiara Banchini

Is it possible for Harmonia Mundi to have a flawed package design??? This case is just as perfect as the Nagano Mahler 8th... I love this company. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...

Anyway, I like this CD. Recorded sound is lovely, Boccherini is a nice composer, performances are very good, and I like 2-cello quintets. What more could one ask for?


----------



## Tapkaara

Couperin Dance Suite by R. Strauss - Kempe/Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In the immortal words of Monty Python: "And now for something completely different!"


----------



## Sid James

Il Seraglio said:


> Love this... my favourite piece of "sacred music" from Bruckner.


Yes, it's great & I'll be seeing the Mass in E minor live later on in the year (that's why I got the cd).

Today, more piano repertoire:

*Alkan *- Esquisses (selections); Etude "The Feast of Aesop;" Sonata les quatre ages (Alan Weiss) Brilliant Classics

Piano Sonatas: *Beethoven* - Pathetique; *Bartok*; *Chopin* - B minor (Kathryn Selby) ABC Classics

*Janacek* - Capriccio for piano left hand and winds (Firkusny/Mbrs of Bavarian RSO/Kubelik) DG


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Glenn *Gould's Beethoven*: the three *Sonatas Op. 31*.

This is an especially nice disc: Gould's enthusiasm, incredible digital technique, and insight of interpretation are a miracle of existence.

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Piano-Sonatas-Op-Complet/dp/B000VFGSL4/ref=cm_lmf_tit_8


----------



## Boccherini

World Violist said:


> I think I'll give this a spin in the "and now for something completely different..." category...


I guess you're the Mahlerian guy, are you not?



World Violist said:


> What more could one ask for?


Well, his Cello Concertos/Sonatas, Violin Duets/Sonatas, String Trios/Quartets/Quintets for example ?


----------



## Sid James

*A recital by Pierre Luboshutz & Genia Nemhoff, duo pianists*
*Mozart* - Sonata for 2 pianos in D major KV. 448
*Chopin* - Rondo for 2 pianos in C major, Op. 73
*Luboshutz* - "The Bat" A fantasy from Johann Strauss' "Die Fledermaus"
Everest LP (1960)

I just bought this from a local op shop for $2. I have not heard these works before, nor of the performers, but the notes say that they were famous in the 1940's - 60's. The Mozart is a very delicate work, quite charming & easy to listen to. I can hear traces of Bach's & especially Beethoven's counterpoint in the Chopin. & the Luboshutz fantasy is a lot of fun, based on themes from my favourite operetta. Does anyone know about this duo? It would be great to get something that has been reissued of theirs on CD, because they sound pretty brilliant...


----------



## maestro267

Currently listening to *MASS - Bernstein*

Just on the final 'Almighty Father' chorus.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Guest

I love Suzuki's recording of Bach's Mass in B Minor. The entire piece is incredible, but for some reason, the part that always stands out to me is the Gloria: Gratias Agimus Tibi. I am fond of Gardiner's recording as well, but Suzuki wins out for me.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Schubert: complete dances for solo piano

http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Tänz...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274388225&sr=1-3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Josquin was one of the first Renaissance/Medieval composers I became enamored of.


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Symphony No. 1 In Eb Major, K 16










First symphony in this box-set which I have only listened to a couple of times since purchasing over a year ago - time for a re-listening of these works .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And now for something completely different...










... and utterly fabulous. Schoenberg... and even John Cage... have nothing on Harry Partch.


----------



## Sid James

Yes, St Luke's, the Partch recording is excellent - demonstration quality, reviewers might say. Partch himself was apparently very happy with it, though he emphasised that solely listening to the work (as opposed to seeing it live) was only half the experience. Anyway, I love the percussiveness in this work, it's probably the most complex music that I've ever heard. & his instruments are so beautiful & sculptural (I especially like the gourd tree with cone gongs)...

On a *Mozart* binge:

Mass in C minor "The Great" K 427; Ave verum Corpus K 618 (Harper/Donath/Davies/Dean/LSO Ch./Oldham/LSO/Davis) Philips Eloquence

Eine kliene nachtmusic; Seranta notturna (BPO/Bohm) DG LP

Salzburg Symphonies K 136-8; Divertimento K 205 (Cappella Istropolitana/Edlinger) Naxos

Violin Sonatas K 301, 303, 304, 481 (F.P.Zimmermann/A.Lonquich) EMI Encore

Sonata for 2 pianos in D major K 448 (Pierre Luboshutz & Genia Nemhoff, duo pianists) Everest LP, 1960

I thought I'd listen to some Mozart, since I'll be going to see the _Great_ mass live on the weekend. I just bought the cd yesterday, it's the first time I have heard the work. For a mass of thanksgiving, this is (in parts) a quite dark work, but Davis maintains a quite light atmosphere throughout this 1971 recording made in Westminster Abbey. The work was written in the early 1780's but never finished (the _Credo_ is incomplete & there is no _Agnus Dei_). Scholars don't know why. At 55 minutes, this is quite a long work, and in many ways pays homage to Mozart's Baroque predecessors (particularly J.S. Bach, whom Mozart admired highly). The first soprano (there are two sopranos) is given prominence, no wonder as the work was probably written for Mozart's fiancee of the time, Constanze Weber, to perform. This is quite a complex work, so I have little time to get my head around it before the concert on Sunday. It's quite strange how, after listening to this work, I don't feel as though an hour has gone by at all. Seems more like 20 minutes, Mozart seems to freeze time (for me, anyway).

Of the other works, I really like the _Violin Sonata K 304_, which seems to prefigure Beethoven (& even Brahms?). It's a pretty dark work & in a minor key. I also like the _Salzburg Symphony _(or "Divertimento") for string orchestra K 136. This was one of the first works I heard by Mozart in my youth. I really like the subtle counterpoint, and the first movement has this very vigorous rhythm going.


----------



## Earthling

DrMike said:


> I love Suzuki's recording of Bach's Mass in B Minor. The entire piece is incredible, but for some reason, the part that always stands out to me is the Gloria: Gratias Agimus Tibi. I am fond of Gardiner's recording as well, but Suzuki wins out for me.


Oh, what a lovely recording. I just got this CD a few months back.

I'm about to put this on, mainly for the *Eclogue*, which I can't seem to get enough of:


----------



## Earthling

maestro267 said:


> Currently listening to *MASS - Bernstein*
> 
> Just on the final 'Almighty Father' chorus.


I've been eyeing the Kristjan Järvi recording on Chandos for awhile. Its good to see its been getting some attention (aren't there at least three new recordings of it out now?) I used to have the old Columbia recording on LP-- wore it out! The Agnus Dei is terrifying! The final communion section still moves me to tears.

I remember when I first heard it, on cassette-- I was maybe 16. I checked it out from the local library, thinking it was, you know-- a Mass. The cassettes were in terrible condition and there were no liner notes or anything for me to go on. By the time it got to the marchlike Kyrie, the whistling, the kazoos, the jazz swing beats and the scat singing, I remember stopping the tape declaring (foolishly!), "How terrible! THIS isn't a mass!" Ha!

_~Earthling_


----------



## Sid James

Mozart - "et incarnatus est" from Mass in C minor "The Great" K 427
Kouda Hiroko, soprano/NHK SO/Herbert Blomstedt






Speaking of another great mass, from earlier times. This almost brought me to tears. Just so beautiful (for once, I can use that word truthfully!)...


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Bruckner-Symphony No. 7 Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra/Kurt Sanderling (Hanssler)

http://www.kdb.com/

At the Adagio wherein the lugubrious Wagner tubas roll over and introduce the beautiful gesängsperiod (as Bruckner termed his singing melodies).


----------



## Guest

Andre said:


> Mozart - "et incarnatus est" from Mass in C minor "The Great" K 427
> Kouda Hiroko, soprano/NHK SO/Herbert Blomstedt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking of another great mass, from earlier times. This almost brought me to tears. Just so beautiful (for once, I can use that word truthfully!)...


I have to admit that I have not given this mass the attention it deserves. I have 2 recordings of this one - one by Gardiner, the other by Hogwood. I should listen to it again. I also have the Coronation Mass by Pinnock. For me, the masses that stand out the most are Bach's Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Both are incredibly moving. I also quite enjoy Haydn's Missa in Angustiis (Nelson Mass), as well as various Renaissance masses by Palestrina and others. I also have Schubert's Mass in E flat major that I need to listen to some more, as well as Bruckner's Mass in E minor, and Haydn's Missa Cellensis in honorem BVM.

That doesn't include Requiems.


----------



## lavenderchild

Mozart
Sonata in C major K521 l,ll,lll
Sonata in D major K381 l,ll,lll
Sonata in D major K448 l,ll,lll

Beethoven
Symphony No,7 1st movement


----------



## Il Seraglio

Listened to some little known pieces from Spanish composer Jose de Nebra earlier.

"Vacilante Pensamiento" from Iphigenia en Tracia
Overture to Vendado es Amor, no es Ciego, Zarazuela

Now listening to the George Solti recording of Siegfried Act I... again


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart *- Mass in C minor "The Great" K 427; Ave verum Corpus K 618 (Harper/Donath/Davies/Dean/LSO Ch./Oldham/LSO/Davis) Philips Eloquence

Still listening to this one, as preparation for the performance of the mass tomorrow at Sydney University. Looking forward to that. Yes, Dr. Mike, this is a great work (even though it was not completed, for reasons we don't know). Even so, it lasts just under an hour. I'm one of those people who had kind of dismissed Mozart in the past, but I'm slowly coming around to him. Not via his orchestral works or concertos, mind, but more through his chamber, solo instrumental and sacred vocal works. Undoubtedly he was a genius, and surely I have to connect with some aspect of that. Anyway, I'll take tissues to tomorrow's performance because I wouldn't be surprised if I'd end up in tears (this hasn't happened before, but it could easily happen, judging from my reaction to the youtube clip I posted above). I haven't heard any HIP cd performances of the mass, but I will hear Karajan's recording (apparently darker than the Davis) tonight, as a friend is coming over with his cd. We'll probably go to the concert together, as he is a huge classical fan as well...


----------



## Conor71

Some more Mozart listening here too! :

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 12 In F Major, K332


----------



## andeehunt

I'm listening to Morton Feldman's Patterns in a Chromatic Field. Now I don't expect everyone to fall in love with avant garde composition, but it's really worth checking out.


Mistakes are the portals of discovery.


----------



## Earthling

andeehunt said:


> I'm listening to Morton Feldman's Patterns in a Chromatic Field. Now I don't expect everyone to fall in love with avant garde composition, but it's really worth checking out.
> 
> Mistakes are the portals of discovery.


I think I've heard that one before-- that's for cello and piano I think? Feldman's music is exquisite.

I just finished Sibelius' third symphony (an energetic performance by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra). Its always been my favourite of Sibelius' symphonies.


----------



## World Violist

I'm about to listen to Boulez's Bruckner 8... totally amazing. He needs to record the ninth. He has performed it, I know it. There are even bootleg recordings on the internet... so he needs to professionally record it. His Bruckner is just too good.


----------



## Guest

Andre said:


> *Mozart *- Mass in C minor "The Great" K 427; Ave verum Corpus K 618 (Harper/Donath/Davies/Dean/LSO Ch./Oldham/LSO/Davis) Philips Eloquence
> 
> Still listening to this one, as preparation for the performance of the mass tomorrow at Sydney University. Looking forward to that. Yes, Dr. Mike, this is a great work (even though it was not completed, for reasons we don't know). Even so, it lasts just under an hour. I'm one of those people who had kind of dismissed Mozart in the past, but I'm slowly coming around to him. Not via his orchestral works or concertos, mind, but more through his chamber, solo instrumental and sacred vocal works. Undoubtedly he was a genius, and surely I have to connect with some aspect of that. Anyway, I'll take tissues to tomorrow's performance because I wouldn't be surprised if I'd end up in tears (this hasn't happened before, but it could easily happen, judging from my reaction to the youtube clip I posted above). I haven't heard any HIP cd performances of the mass, but I will hear Karajan's recording (apparently darker than the Davis) tonight, as a friend is coming over with his cd. We'll probably go to the concert together, as he is a huge classical fan as well...


My favorite compositions from Mozart are his sacred choral works (I quite like the Coronation Mass, and the Requiem) and his operas (The Magic Flute is still my all-time favorite opera, but I have really been enjoying the new Rene Jacobs recordings of Idomeneo and Le Nozze di Figaro). I enjoy his symphonies (esp. 40 & 41) and piano concertos, and sometimes enjoy listening to his string quintets. But it is really the vocal works that draw me to him.

Lately I have been swinging a lot back to Classical over Romantic. Haydn, in particular, has been heavy in my playlist - I found several of Adam Fischer's recording of the complete symphonic cycle, and I also am thoroughly enjoying his oratorios and masses.


----------



## Aramis

Just preparing to watch:


----------



## World Violist

Listening to a handful of composers performing their own works today...









Bernstein: Candide









Boulez conducts Boulez









Celibidache: Der Taschengarten


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

More early music... English this time. Quite lovely... with singers including Barbara Bonney, Emma Kirkby, Anne Sofie von Otter, Andreas Scholl, Nigel Rogers, etc...


----------



## Conor71

Sibelius: String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56, "Voces Intimae"










Having an all-Sibelius listening day - this work is new to me .


----------



## Guest

Glad to see so much Sibelius!



earthling said:


> I just finished Sibelius' third symphony (an energetic performance by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra). Its always been my favourite of Sibelius' symphonies.


The 3rd was the piece that first got me into Sibelius. It too is my favorite of his symphonies, although the 4th and 7th are awesome as well.

I'm currently listening to the Nielsen symphonies, none of which have impressed me.


----------



## Tapkaara

Conor71 said:


> Sibelius: String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56, "Voces Intimae"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Having an all-Sibelius listening day - this work is new to me .


I've always wanted to hear that recording of Voces intimae. Please let me know if you like it...especially if you are new to the work.


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio ABC classic fm, *"New music up late"* with Julian Day.

A broadcast of a recording made a few weeks ago, of a concert that was a part of the ISCM Festival here in Sydney. Percussion works by *Steve Reich* & Australian *Nigel Westlake* played by one of our best ensembles, *Synergy Percussion* with two guest pianists. Interesting to hear the contrast between these composers' works, as I haven't heard much of the former, and nothing of the latter. There were commonalities and differences. Reich's _Sextet _ for percussion ensemble and two pianos had this jazzy feel, almost kind of like a combination of pianist Bud Powell with minimalism. It had more contrasts than the other works of his on the program (or _Different Trains_, which I heard recently, and it sounded much more monotonous than this). The Westlake had this distinctly West African feel, added to a kind of hip hop sense of beat. I really liked them both, I will have to perhaps get some more of these guy's music (& Philip Glass as well). This is basically new territory to me, but it almost sounds like I've known this music for years. It has a certain familiarity to it, I don't know what it is, maybe it's a similarity to jazz bebop or classic rock? Don't really know, but I like it...

Agree with *Tapkaara* regarding the Emerson's performance of those Nordic composers. It looks very interesting, and an appropriate coupling. I don't remember hearing any of those works (not in recent memory, anyway). I've been getting into string quartets over the past year, especially by Schubert, Beethoven, Bartok, Szymanowski, Tippett, Bliss, Carter, Lutoslawski, Hovhaness, Shostakovich etc. etc. (some more than others), so I would be interested in getting that Emerson disc sometime down the track...


----------



## Conor71

Tapkaara said:


> I've always wanted to hear that recording of Voces intimae. Please let me know if you like it...especially if you are new to the work.


I ended up listening to Voces Intimae twice today  - My first impressions of this work are very favourable and I really liked the opening and slow movements. I am interested in hearing more of Sibelius chamber and Piano works although it may be a fair while before this happens as I have promised myself not to buy any new recordings for quite a while!.
The sound on the disc and the performance was excellent - this is the 3rd Emerson SQ I have owned and I have not been disappointed by them yet .


----------



## starry

DrMike said:


> My favorite compositions from Mozart are his sacred choral works (I quite like the Coronation Mass, and the Requiem) and his operas (The Magic Flute is still my all-time favorite opera, but I have really been enjoying the new Rene Jacobs recordings of Idomeneo and Le Nozze di Figaro). I enjoy his symphonies (esp. 40 & 41) and piano concertos, and sometimes enjoy listening to his string quintets. But it is really the vocal works that draw me to him.
> 
> Lately I have been swinging a lot back to Classical over Romantic. Haydn, in particular, has been heavy in my playlist - I found several of Adam Fischer's recording of the complete symphonic cycle, and I also am thoroughly enjoying his oratorios and masses.


The reason why some may find the C minor mass passes quickly is I think because it has some very nice melodic ideas in it, more so than might be typical for that kind of work.

Fischer I have some mixed feelings about in the symphonies. I like a bit of character and edge in Haydn recordings and I have a feeling he may tend towards the modern smooth style.

Ushida in Mozart I find a bit over precious at times, a tendency to indulgence.


----------



## Aramis

Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale by Berlioz, Sir Colin Davis conducting. Nice work, a little bit too long opening movement, weak middle movement and great finale with chorus.


----------



## Head_case

Myaskovsky String Quartet No. XIII

- new release by the Kopelman Quartet










Quite the 'romantic' reading of both Myaskovsky and Shostakovich. They don't have the lean athletic tensions of the Taneyev Quartet in either reading, however are eminently more approachable for newcomers to Shostakovich' VIIIth & Myaskovsky's XIIIth string quartets.


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## Head_case

...and this one:










Exceptionally difficult string quartet music to appreciate!

I thought I'd like him. After all, I like more introverted string quartets by Kodaly; Lathja; Dohnanyi as well as the extroverted Bartokian classics.


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## prustage

Pleyel Symphonies. Part of my ongoing exploration of contemporaries of Mozart and Beethoven. Pleyel is a contemporary of Beethoven and at times sounds like him but without the attitude.

Works fine as background music to a task that is not intellectually demanding and every now and then will do something interesting or unexpected and make you stop for a moment and listen more closely


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## StlukesguildOhio

Some grandiose choral music by Biber... who is rapidly becoming a favorite.


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## Sid James

*Morten Lauridsen *(born 1943)
Choral works
(Elora Festival Singers/Edison)
Naxos

I got this disc because I want to go to another concert here in Sydney next weekend, where they will be performing a few of these works, as well as choral works by others like Monteverdi.

I had never heard of him before, but Lauridsen is one of the most recognised American composers of choral music alive today. This disc has some of his most well known works for chorus a capella (some with piano accompaniment). There's a huge difference between these works, partly because they are based on different texts in Latin, Italian, French and English. I was really moved by _Les Chansons des Roses_, especially the final song _Dirait-on_, which is the only one with piano accompaniment. The text is by Rilke and is about reminiscences and impressions of a French garden, which is pictured as a place of nature, love and transience. The sadness and longing (perhaps for the past which is gone, a lost world of the imagination?), moved me to tears, and this is one of the few pieces that have done this. The imagery is highly potent, not impressionistic, and this music is intense in a quiet, almost hushed way (although there are parts which emphasise movement and lightness). The _Mid-Winter Songs _(based on poems by Graves) has parts which are similarly quiet and serene, but also some dissonance and brightness (perhaps to evoke the weather at Majorca, where Graves lived?). Words are not powerful enough to express one's emotions and feelings when listening to this music. The _Madrigali: Six "FireSongs" on Renaissance Italian Poems_, are much more down to earth, drawing from Renaissance influences, particularly Monteverdi. There are also two sacred motets, based on the traditional Latin texts, _O Nata Lux_ (from _Lux Aeterna_) & _O Magnum Mysterium_.

Just like with their Arvo Part disc which I've got, this was recorded in a church in Canada, and the sound is ambient, intimate and warm. The choir and pianist perform these works excellently (to my inexperienced ears in the choral realm), betraying no signs that this is some of the most difficult repertoire composed in the last few decades. Grab it if you're a choral fan, you'll love it, it got 10/10 on classicstoday.com...


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## Sid James

*Hovhaness:*
Celestial Fantasy, Meditation on Orpheus (Seattle SO/Schwarz) Delos double
Symphony No. 22 "City of Light" (Seattle SO/Hovhaness) Naxos

_Celestial Fantasy_ is a work for string orchestra, and moves from an atmosphere of darkness to light (it is a prelude & fugue, not really a fantasy). _Meditation on Orpheus _ is just as dissonant and experimental as something by say Lutoslawski, but I can also hear the influence of Sibelius' late orchestral works (eg. _Tapiola_). I really love the chorale-fugue ending of the _Symphony No. 22_, it is so optimistic and uplifting. Hovhaness gives a very flowing and organic performance, which is always a joy to hear. Schwarz's approach seems a bit more controlled and "classicist," but I like him equally.

*Liszt:*
A Faust Symphony (Winbergh/Philadelphia/Westminster Male Chorus/Muti) EMI Encore
Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Totentanz, Hungarian Fantasy (Cziffra/Orch. de Paris/Cziffra Jnr) EMI Encore

Two hugely contrasting reissues from the EMI Encore series. A very good recording of Faust, sonically excellent. Muti's performance may be more restrained than others, but he gives a good balance between the more intimate and grand aspects of the work, and never relapses into bathos or bombast. Cziffra's Liszt may not be everyone's cup of tea, way more flamboyant and extroverted than many others, but his technique is thrilling to behold nonetheless. Unfortunately, the sound engineering on this recording leaves alot to be desired, the mixing is poor, and there is a lack of balance and naturalness. But still recommendable, not as a first choice, more of a second or third one. Perhaps one strictly for Cziffra admirers?...


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## Air

Andre said:


> Perhaps one strictly for Cziffra admirers?...


No, more for pianists in general. Cziffra is the king of Liszt. If you don't like his style though, I'd suggest Richter or Michelangeli as equally enjoyable alternatives.


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## Conor71

Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 In Bb Major, Op. 67










Brahms String Quartets are quite lovely! - I hadnt really listened to this disc that much until the last couple of days .


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## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 In Bb Major, Op. 67


The Piano Quintet is also on this disc. Excellent recording of a great work.


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## Lukecash12

Scriabin, Estudio Op. 8 No. 2- Played by Vladimir Sofronitsky.


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## Earthling

Just finished the brief *The Banks of Green Willow* (Hickox/LSO) of George Butterworth. I always tear up every time just hearing that opening solo clarinet and I still don't know why...


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## Lukecash12

Beethoven, Symphony no. 1, HIP. The orchestra is Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra. Not sure who the conductor is.


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## Conor71

Jeff N said:


> The Piano Quintet is also on this disc. Excellent recording of a great work.


Yes, it seems an interesting work for sure (still quite new to it too) .

Now Playing:
Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8


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## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Yes, it seems an interesting work for sure (still quite new to it too) .
> 
> Now Playing:
> Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8


Wonderful recording! One of my favorites! I also enjoy the recording by Suk, Katchen, and Starker.


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## Sid James

Air said:


> No, more for pianists in general. Cziffra is the king of Liszt. If you don't like his style though, I'd suggest Richter or Michelangeli as equally enjoyable alternatives.


I still enjoy Cziffra & I've actually got Richter on LP playing Liszt's two piano concertos. A totally different interpretation, more "no nonsense" & straight to the point. In comparison, Cziffra sounds somewhat too fussy, while Richter just lets the music speak for itself, more or less. But as I was saying, a big drawback of the Cziffra recording I listed above is the relatively poor audio quality, especially the lack of balance between the pianist & orchestra. The mixing/splicing is also very poor. But I enjoy the "thrill" of Cziffra's edge of your seat pyrotechnics (& sometimes even his "flamboyance.") I haven't heard Michelangeli much at all, but I remember borrowing a disc from the local library a decade or more back, where he was playing Beethoven's _Piano Concerto No. 4_. He was very poetic, and really made me fall in love with that work, which I was also lucky enought to see live in Sydney last year with guest Dejan Lazic and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (his performance was good, but he played these big & loud Brahmsian cadenzas which he himself had written, & which I felt didn't fit into the general tone of the work)...

& I'm really interested in maybe getting the Brahms Piano Trios (Beaux Arts Trio) mentioned above. I have a recording on Naxos of two of his trios (Vienna Piano Trio) & the performance is very good, but the audio is not so good at all. It sounds as if there's not enough "focus," the players sound as if they are a long distance away from the microphones. It's the only recording which I have been disappointed with for a similar reason after 18 months of collecting, apart from the Cziffra above. This is very rare, but when it happens, the drawbacks really "stick out," you can notice them by a mile, particularly because we are all used to basically excellent sound quality generally...


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## Air

Andre said:


> I haven't heard Michelangeli much at all, but I remember borrowing a disc from the local library a decade or more back, where he was playing Beethoven's _Piano Concerto No. 4_. He was very poetic, and really made me fall in love with that work...


Nah, that's a well known fake. The recording you heard is actually of Maria Tipo, who replaced Michelangeli at the concert. Michelangeli never recorded the 4th concerto of Beethoven, as far as I know.


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## Isola




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## Conor71

DrMike said:


> Wonderful recording! One of my favorites! I also enjoy the recording by Suk, Katchen, and Starker.


For sure - really like the Piano Trios 

Now Playing:
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 in Eb Major, K 482


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## World Violist

Just arrived today.










... glorious.


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## Vaneyes

Myaskovsky Piano Sonatas (McLachlan, Olympia Vol. 1).


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## Vaneyes

Air said:


> Nah, that's a well known fake. The recording you heard is actually of Maria Tipo, who replaced Michelangeli at the concert. Michelangeli never recorded the 4th concerto of Beethoven, as far as I know.


1973, whether he knew it or not.

http://www.andrewfwilson.co.uk/abm1.htm


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## Conor71

Bach: Magnificat In D Major, BWV 243


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## Falstaft

Got all these goodies at Newbury Comics for less than 20 bucks.


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## Air

Vaneyes said:


> 1973, whether he knew it or not.
> 
> http://www.andrewfwilson.co.uk/abm1.htm


The 1973 recording _is_ the alleged fake, in case you didn't know.


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## Guest

Falstaft said:


> Got all these goodies at Newbury Comics for less than 20 bucks.


I just got that CD too! I really like the Vaughan Williams piano concerto. Very easy piece to listen to.

Just finished Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. Liked it. Also finished his 2 symphonies. Did not like them as much.


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## Falstaft

Jeff N said:


> I just got that CD too! I really like the Vaughan Williams piano concerto. Very easy piece to listen to.


I like it a lot too, and this recording's great. It answers my dream "what would it be like it RVW blended his 4th and 5th symphonies and tossed in a piano?" Also the romanza is drippingly gorgeous . Don't know the Walton symphonies, maybe I'll give them a try.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished this:










Gesualdo remains one of my favorite composers of the era.

Now I'm on to this:


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## Tapkaara

Violin Concerto by J. Sibelius - Fedoseyev (cond.)/Bushkov (soloist)/Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra


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## Sid James

The sound of the Beethoven PC 4 "allegedly" played by Michelangeli didn't sound like it was stereo, it was probably mono, so I doubt that it would have been made in the 1970's (more like the '40's or '50's). I can't remember the other details, haven't looked them up, but the coupling on the cd was an orchestral arrangement of Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge_. Definitely not played by the Belgrade Philharmonic & I think that the conductor for both (& arranger for the coupling) was Weingartner (???). Sadly, the library "weeded" that cd, it is no longer in their collection (it was about 12 years ago that I heard/borrowed it last). Anyway, whoever played it, it was a very fine performance, full of soul and lyricism...


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## Earthling

Jeff N said:


> I just got that CD too! I really like the Vaughan Williams piano concerto. Very easy piece to listen to.


I need to check that out myself. I have a weird bias against most concertos, but I love RVW, so maybe this will be a happy exception for me.

Cuing up Mozart before I head off to work: Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor (Mitsuko Uchida)


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## Air

Andre said:


> The sound of the Beethoven PC 4 "allegedly" played by Michelangeli didn't sound like it was stereo, it was probably mono, so I doubt that it would have been made in the 1970's (more like the '40's or '50's). I can't remember the other details, haven't looked them up, but the coupling on the cd was an orchestral arrangement of Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge_. Definitely not played by the Belgrade Philharmonic & I think that the conductor for both (& arranger for the coupling) was Weingartner (???). Sadly, the library "weeded" that cd, it is no longer in their collection (it was about 12 years ago that I heard/borrowed it last). Anyway, whoever played it, it was a very fine performance, full of soul and lyricism...


Many of the late Michelangeli recordings are in bad sound quality, especially the live ones. Like one of my favorites, the '88 Bach-Busoni _Chaconne_ in Bregenz, sounds like it could have been made in the 30's or even earlier. Weingartner? Hmm... the link provided below was an almost complete discography of Michelangeli so I don't think he ever recorded the 4th concerto with Weingartner.

The arrangement of the _Grosse Fugue_ sounds interesting, by the way...


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## Sid James

*Morton Feldman* - String Quartet No. 1 (1979) (Group for Contemporary Music) Naxos

This is the lesser known string quartet by Feldman (a work that lasts about 80 minutes, as opposed to the second quartet, which is about 5-6 hours). Feldman was clearly influenced by Webern & Varese. In terms of Webern, the episodic structure of the music (though, obviously, Feldman is a master of long pieces, whilst Webern excelled in very short ones). Feldman does not use strict serial techniques, and his sense of structure is more "organic" than Webern's. In terms of Varese, Feldman was influenced by that composer's use of colour and use of dynamic contrasts (though Feldman is perhaps more subtle in both those departments, especially in terms of the volume, which is relatively quiet throughout, although there are some measured contrasts earlier on).

My first impressions after listening to the work is that he uses more sparse and pared down textures earlier on in the piece, and gradually builds up to a "richer" sound by the conclusion. The work is only on the one track on the disc, there is no separation of the work into smaller bits. Indeed, it is very difficult to "guess" where one section ends and another begins. It's more like a continuous thought process, or a quiet conversation between good friends. There also seems to be a movement from less unity and using the instruments in more soloistic ways, to one of more or less complete unity by the end of the work. There are also more "ideas" at the beginning, these get less and less shorter (more longer), and the final idea lasts about 20-30 minutes (I didn't time it, I just let things flow). In a way, very organic, like the ebb and flow of the tides on the seashore.

I will keep delving into this disc, it is fascinating. Next step will be to get his _Triadic Memories_, a similarly timed continuous work for solo piano...


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## agoukass

Mozart: Church Sonatas
Janos Sebestyen, organ
Ferenc Erkel Chamber Orchestra


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## Il Seraglio

*Borodin's String Quartet no. 2* by none other than the Borodin Quartet

There is something very warm-hearted and sincere about this piece and it's made more interesting in the final movement where things get more emotionally ambiguous.

An excerpt (I think) from *Debussy's Estampes* performed by Richter

I think warming to the Russian nationalist composers and their oriental flourishes has, by extension, helped me come over to the music of Debussy (I'll be careful not to use the I-word, which Debussy hated) and I like the way Richter really exploits these exotic melodies.


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## Aramis




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## agoukass

Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Fritz Kreisler, violin
London Philharmonic/Barbirolli


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## StlukesguildOhio

Schoenberg still does very little for me... but I quite like what I've heard by Berg... to say nothing of Britten.


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## Conor71

Bach: English Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807


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## StlukesguildOhio

A beautifully performed and packaged disc of Dufay's beautiful... yet complex motets.


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## Conor71

Bach: Violin Sonata In G Major, BWV 1021










Now on the second disc of this set - awesome!, the sound and playing are great .


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## Earthling

Conor71 said:


> Bach: Violin Sonata In G Major, BWV 1021
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now on the second disc of this set - awesome!, the sound and playing are great .


Glad you are enjoying that one-- there's some wonderfully sunny music on it both Pinnock and Podger do a great job on that disc.


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## kithara

Schubert's Unfinished symphony by the ASMF with Neville Marriner. I really love the first movement. It has all of this low end. It's really cool sounding. Schubert was definitely a genius. And Neville and company sound really great.


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## agoukass




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## Il Seraglio

I thought I would challenge my ears a little bit with Telemann's Concerto A6 for Flute and Violin and the Concerto for 4 Violins. Both performed by Reinhard Goebel and the Musica Antiqua Koln. 

I've never really been head over heels in love with Telemann, but it's clear that there is more to his music than simply baroque/rococo fluff written for stuffy aristocrats. It would appear Telemann had a taste for unusual instrumentation and his music features some unpredictable harmonic and tonal shifts.


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## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 1 In F Major, Op. 18/1


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## World Violist

My six-dollar Meistersinger!










Barenboim/Bayreuth

Smashing overture as always... haha. Beautiful.


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## Sid James

*Antheil* - Ballet Mecanique; Serenade for String Orchestra No. 1; Symphony for Five Instruments (2nd version); Concerto for Chamber Orchestra (Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orch./Spalding) Naxos

I had never heard music by this composer before, but had certainly read a bit about him. He was considered to be the _enfant terrible _of American music in the 1920's. His reputation really rests on the extravagant _Ballet Mecanique _(less of a ballet & more of a concert item). The original performance included a huge battery of percussion, wind propellers and 16 pianos (Aaron Copland was one of the pianists at the USA premiere in the 1920's). Parts of this work remind me heavily of Stravinsky in his Modernist phase, or of Varese. It can be pretty confronting, but has some interesting passages. This recording has only four pianists, but I think that is adequate to convey the work on a basic level. The other three works are a total contrast, written later (Antheil later worked as a film composer in Hollywood). These are not film scores, however, but "serious" works, strongly in the neo-classical tradition. Perhaps like Stravinsky, Antheil thought that works like the _Ballet Mecanique _were artistic "dead ends" and he moved towards a more traditional style of music, based more on craftsmanship rather than flashy or shocking effects. But I enjoy the contrasts on this disc, and certainly it is a good introduction to his music, at budget price, with clear and crisp sound. As far as I can tell, the performances are committed and well done.


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## Conor71

Going to have another String Quartet/Chamber Music session today! :

Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 5, 2 & 4
Brahms: String Quartet No. 1
Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2


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## World Violist

I'm craving John Dowland today... and the only Dowland CD I've got is by Sting, so I suppose I'll be listening to that... I don't really have a problem with the interpretations or anything, in fact I think they're pretty fascinating, compelling, and quite convincing. I'm just tired of having only one less-than-an-hour-long Dowland CD!


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## agoukass

Some Greg Lyric pieces on this fine morning...


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## Guest

My first experience with Bax. Diggin' it.










Likewise, my first experience with Hovhaness. Also totally diggin' it.


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## nimrod3142

I am listening to WKSU on the internet. They play a great mix of classical music and they provide an excellent playlist so you can know what is coming up at exactly what time. There is very little talk, just lots of great music.


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## Head_case

by the original Vlach Quartet

- kind of having a 60's LP revival at the moment. This is one of the most noble interpretations I've heard. The Alban Berg box set I have is okay - but not as warm or as listenable as this one. Just sublime. Who'd have thought petroleum distillates in black vinyl could sound this good? Better than a piece of shiny metal plastic


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## Earthling

So many memorable moments in this piece... One of my favourite moments is the bass drum erupting into the end of part I.

The Rite is overwhelming and I imagine this is something like what Arjuna in the _Bhagavad Gita _must have felt when Krishna reveals himself totally-- sheer beauty and terror all at once.


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## Random

I'm about to listen to some of this for the first time. I hear Dvorak's string quartets are good.


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## Guest

Oh yes, Dvorak's quartets are very good. And he wrote several of them.

Currently discovering Amy Beach:


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## agoukass

Some gloriously played excerpts from "The Well Tempered Clavier" to round out the evening.


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## Conor71

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73










First listen to this performance - very good! .


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## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Brahms: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First listen to this performance - very good! .


No, no, no, no, no. If you want Karajan's best Brahms 2 (and 3) you have to go with his first Brahms cycle, from way back in the early '60s. They have digitally remastered the recording:










Probably my all-time favorite CD.


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## Earthling

Just finished listening (twice) to Messiaen's Preludes. There's very little Messiaen I am able to really appreciate at this point, but this I at least have been able to connect with this. Lovely piano music with a nod to Debussy.


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## Guest

My first taste of Kabalevski, and it tastes quite good.


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## agoukass

Jeff N said:


> My first taste of Kabalevski, and it tastes quite good.


Yes, his music is quite wonderful. Horowitz made an amazing recording of the Third Sonata.

As for me:










Albeniz: Iberia
Aldo Ciccolini, pianist


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## Conor71

Brahms: Serenade No. 1 In D Major, Op. 11










First time listening to this work .


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## Earthling

Abbado conducting excerpts from Wagner's Tannhauser, Parsifal and Tristan. Enjoying it. Strange that its taken me so long to finally have a better appreciation of him.


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## Il Seraglio

Still pressing on with Telemann. I know that makes it sound like hard work, but it's really not. I'm impressed with the emotional depth of works such as the *Concerto for Recorder and Viola de Gamba TWV52:a1*

Naysayers should really give him a chance.


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## Mark Harwood

Il Seraglio said:


> Still pressing on with Telemann. I know that makes it sound like hard work, but it's really not. I'm impressed with the emotional depth of works such as the *Concerto for Recorder and Viola de Gamba TWV52:a1*
> 
> Naysayers should really give him a chance.


Amen to that.


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Just finished: new acquisition of Brahms' Sextet No. 2 & Quartet No. 1 with the Leipzigers on MD&G: wonderful!

http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275232250&sr=1-6

Now: Schönberg's Orchestral Pieces & Chamber Symphonies Nos. 1-2 in versions for two pianos on Praga: very exceptional!

http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Schönb...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275232366&sr=1-2


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## Vaneyes




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## Earthling

Leonard Slatkin / St. Louis SO: *Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2 *(subtitled "Romantic"). I haven't listened to this for several years and hearing it again I think I enjoy it much more now than when I was younger.

Little did I know, that at age nine I first heard a portion of this (the second movement I believe?) on the end credits of Ridley Scott's _Alien_. I think it must have been a temp track that ended up staying in the film.


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## Sid James

*Ravel* - Introduction & Allegro; Pavane; Sonata for violin & cello
*Debussy *- Syrinx; Sonata for flute, viola & harp; Chansons de Bilitis
(Deneuve/Ensemble Wien-Berlin)
DG

This is a friend's disc which we heard on Saturday. A collection of chamber works by these two great composers. Listening to this, I agree that the description "Impressionist" doesn't really apply to these composers very much at all. For example, Ravel's _Sonata for violin & cello _had some pretty "aggressive" dissonant sounds in it, and plenty of movement (not merely colour). It was so good, we listened to that piece twice through. Also enjoyed Catherine Deneuve's narration in French (though I don't speak that language!) of Debussy's _Chansons de Bilitis_, which I read were based around an erotic theme. Certainly sensual music, but so much looking forward decades ahead that to describe it as merely "Impressionist" is kind of selling it short, imo...

*Antheil* - Ballet Mecanique; Serenade for String Orchestra No. 1; Symphony for Five Instruments (2nd version); Concerto for Chamber Orchestra (Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orch./Spalding) Naxos

Still listening to this excellent disc. I can hear more of his influences now. The _Ballet _(1927) definitely has influences of both/either Bartok & Cowell. The tone clusters, the dissonance and general percussiveness makes me come to this conclusion. This work was not recorded during the LP era, it was in the late 1980's that it was revived. Otherwise, I would have sworn that he influenced the American minimalists in the 1970's (some of it has the percussiveness of Reich, especially). The _Serenade_ (1948), is not music of it's time, really looking back to the neo-classicism of the '20's. A hint of Copland in the first movement, Vaughan Williams in the second, and Prokofiev's bounciness in the third. But it sounds pretty unified to me. As for the_ Symphony _and _Concerto_ (1920's & 30's), there are strong hints of Stravinsky (eg. his _Symphonies of Wind Instruments & Octet_). They're both pretty virtuostic pieces (as are the other two, basically), demanding much of the performers. All in all, a very enjoyable disc, the last three are highly accessible (but not necessarily lightweight) pieces. It's a bit of a worry that Antheil's reputation still largely rests on the notorious _Ballet_. Hopefully, publications like this disc may change that.

*Debussy* - Preludes (Books I & II)
Hans Henkemans, piano
Philips Eloquence

This is quite a "light" interpretation of the preludes, it has a sense of joy and wit, especially in the more lighthearted preludes. I first heard these works played by Gieseking, and his interpretation was more colourful & visual. Henkemans, who was a Debussy expert who later became a psychiatrist, gives a less weighty or overwhelming interpretation, but this is still very much to enjoy here. His reading of classics like _The Engulfed Cathedral _is less literal, it's more pure music than an "impression" of what the title suggests. This is appropriate, as I understand that Debussy did not emphasise that the titles should be taken too literally, and he also said that the whole set(s) don't have to be played/heard right through. But when I do hear the whole (about 80 minute) disc, I can hear the connections between some preludes in the first and second books, themes seem to come back, but they are transformed in terms of mood, dynamics and tempo. This recording is mono from the early 1950's, but really, most people wouldn't know, it may as well be stereo or even digital. It was very well recorded in the first place, and the remastering is superb. Recommended (& the only disc, as far as I know, that is available from this pianist)...


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## maestro267

Just discovered Joseph Jongen's Symphony Concertante for organ and orchestra. Woah, this piece is huge. Love it!


----------



## Phil

This song makes me smile every time I listen to It. 
New member but I have to start somewhere I suppose. 





I've been listening to that song so much.


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## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 In C# Minor, Op. 131


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## Guest

Allegri's Miserere is wonderful - I count it up there with Tallis' Spem in Alium as one of my favorites of this genre.









I am a huge fan of the Takacs Quartet - I have their recordings of all of Beethoven's string quartets, Brahms' quartets, and Schubert's Rosamunde and Death and the Maiden quartets. That compelled me to also add this recording to my collection. I have to say that the quartet has not yet left much of an impression on me, but the collaboration with Hamelin on the quintet is very nice.


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## fighttofly

agoukass said:


> Yes, his music is quite wonderful. Horowitz made an amazing recording of the Third Sonata.
> 
> As for me:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Albeniz: Iberia
> Aldo Ciccolini, pianist


 - Nice.

I forget how I came acorss Mark Masri but that's who I've been listening to lately. He sings in 5 or 6 different languages, great voice. http://www.markmasri.com/


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## agoukass




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## agoukass




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## Vaneyes




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## Guest

Highly underrated and underperformed music from American great Amy Beach.










William Grant Still's symphony no. 2.


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## Conor71

agoukass said:


>


I have this one too - nice recording, the 25th is one of my favourite Mozart symphonies .

Now Playing:
Mozart: Symphony No. 29 In A Major, K 201


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## Ravellian

I have been listening to piano concerti all day, now listening to Das Lied von der Erde for the first time  Wow.. this last movement is incredibly beautiful..


----------



## Sid James

*Enescu *- Violin Sonatas: No. 2, "Sonata Torso," No. 3 "In the Romanian character" (Adelina Oprean, vln/Justin Oprean, pno) Hyperion "Helios" label

There's an interesting contrast between these sonatas, written over a span of 25 or so years (1899 to mid 1920's). The second has pretty strong modernist tendencies, but the notes also say that the influence of Faure is present (but he's a composer I am not highly familiar with). The_ Sonata Torso_, has this light, salon feel, it's a bit like a quiet conversation which changes topics and direction quite frequently. This was an unfinished work, not published until after the composer's death. The third sonata is the standout work on the disc, the violin techniques mirror those of gypsy fiddlers, and the piano often sounds as if it were a cimbalom. It's quite modern in outlook, just hear how the piano plays a single note for about a minute or two at the beginning of the second (slow) movement, which really has a night-time feel about it. The performers are a sister and brother duo from Romania, and to my ears, they play very idiomatically (to use an oft-used term by reviewers, but in this case it's true). A good disc to get, especially if (like me) you had only heard Enescu's _Romanian Rhapsodies _before...

*Bacewicz* - Violin Concerto No. 7 (heard on radio 2mbs FM Sydney last week - www.2mbs.com)

Bacewicz was the most significant Polish composer between the generations of Szymanowski & Lutoslawski. I had not heard any of her music before this. The orchestration of this concerto reminded me a bit of Bartok, and the violin technique (funnily enough) of Enescu, it had this gypsy feel about it (quite improvisational). The structure seemed quite loose and free. I quite liked this piece, and I found it quite accessible (also interesting listening for those who like C20th music)...


----------



## Guest

Ravellian said:


> I have been listening to piano concerti all day, now listening to Das Lied von der Erde for the first time  Wow.. this last movement is incredibly beautiful..


Yes, Das Lied von der Erde is a very powerful piece. The Abschied is a very unforgettable movement.


----------



## Vaneyes

Disc #3.


----------



## Earthling

It isn't perfect (but damn close!), but this Jian Wang recording really does seem to be my favourite out of of my several recordings of the *cello suites *(and sadly out of print...?). What a lovely, clear tone!


----------



## agoukass




----------



## JakeB433

Mozarts Requiem


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Sid James

Heard on radio 2mbs FM Sydney last night
*"New Horizons" program*
www.2mbs.com

*Vazzana* - Odissea (1986)
*Mageau *- The Furies (Piano Concerto) (1995)
*Penderecki* - Sextet (2000)
*Sculthorpe* - New Norcia (2000)
*Segerstam* - Symphony No. 11 (1986)

The Vazzana sounded as if it was straight out of the 1960's. The others were interesting, but I really liked Segerstam's symphony. Some very wierd, vivid & colourful percussive effects, it had this driving energy which was pretty cool. It was the first time I had heard anything by Vazzana, Mageau or Segerstam. Got to check these composers out later, especially Segerstam...


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Symphony No. 25 In G Minor, K 183


----------



## Earthling

This treasure just came in the mail today. I just finished listening to the sixth symphony-- had to hear that one first as a test-- the sixth has always been my favourite. Judging from that, this looks like I got a winner. It's a beautifully articulated, lighter and leaner recording. And many tears in various places.

Now I just have to figure out what to listen to next... the third? seventh? or jump into the ninth? --so many choices...!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## agoukass




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 In C Major, K 515










First listen to this recently aquired Disc .


----------



## Sid James

*Widor - Organ favourites*
Organ Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 13, No. 1: V. Marche Pontificale 
Organ Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 13, No. 2: IV. Salve Regina 
Organ Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 13, No. 4: III. Andante cantabile 
Organ Symphony No. 3 in E minor, Op. 13, No. 3: V. Finale: Allegro molto
3 nouvelles pieces, Op. 87: No. 2. Mystique 
Bach's Memento (excerpts) 
Organ Symphony No. 6 in G minor, Op. 42, No. 2: I. Allegro 
Symphonie gothique, Op. 70: II. Andante sostenuto 
Organ Symphony No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42, No. 1 (complete)

Robert Delcamp, organ
Naxos

At over 80 minutes, this is a very good CD of selections from some of Widor's 10 organ symphonies. I really enjoyed the lyrical and simple Andante Cantabile from _Symphony No. 4_. & the Allegro from the Symphony No. 6 is probably the most virtuostic piece for organ you'll hear anywhere. I also liked the two excerpts from _Bach's Memento_, one a transcription and another a more free fantasia on two of Bach's pieces. It's also great to have the _Symphony No. 5_ complete, not only the famous concluding Toccata (which is here played as it should be, in Allegro tempo, not a Vivace). The symphony begins with a somewhat Schumannesque theme & variations, then a slow movement which hints at the finale to come, then the famous finale, which speeds up the former theme. A very holistic work in all aspects. The recording, made in a Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska, is pretty spectacular, and Delcamp's technique is a thrill to hear. Recommended especially for people like me, who are just beginning to get into the organ repertoire. I had only heard the _Toccata_ in concert about 20 years ago, so I was eager to explore some of Widor's music in more depth...


----------



## ToneDeaf&Senile

I've done a good bit of listening lately, mostly to opera and concert DVDs along with various online classical-music snippets. I'll list highlights below, and link YouTube clips when appropriate.

*WARNING:* The bulk of these have appeared in various other of my recent posts here. If you normally visit a majority of our forums and sub-forums you're bound to have seen at least a few.

*From my disk-based music-on-video collection​*
*Mozart: "Don Giovanni" - Siepi/VPO/Furtwangler (DVD).* An old favorite that, in my opinion, still can't be beat.

*Mozart: "Magic Flute" - Ingmar Bergman's film adaptation (Laserdisc).*

*Rossini: "La Cenerantola"- Ponnelle film adaptation Frederica von Stade, Araiza, Montarsolo, Deseri, La Scala, Abbado (DVD).*

*Mozart: Symphonies 35&36, piano concerto no 22, horn concerto no 1 - Berlin Philharmonic/Barenboim (DVD).* This might be my favorite orchestra DVD. Audio, video, venue, camera work, interpretation are all top-notch. My one nitpick is that the finale to symphony 35 could be more fiery.

*Beethoven: Symphonies no 1, 6, 8 - Berlin Philharmonic, Abbado (DVD).* Decent performances, though I'm not overly taken with this interpretation of the first symphony.

*Schubert/Liszt: "Schwanengesang" (last 14 songs transcribed for piano) - Valentina Lisitsa (DVD).*

*I was recently turned on to these vocal clips by other posters here.​*
*Mozart: "Batti, Batti..." from Don Giovanni - Hei-Kyung Hong (Zerlina) MET/Levine.*
My allegiance to the above mentioned Siepi/VPO/Furtwangler Don Giovanni performance on DVD remains rock soild. But this Batti, Batti is yummy.

*Offenbach: "Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille" (the Doll Song) from Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Natalie Dessay/Bastille.*
Ms. Dessay is a personal favorite for this sort of thing. The rendition seen here (there are a number of others, it being a specialty of hers) floored me, and the audience as well. (It becomes deliciously naughty near the end.)

*Lehar: "Meine Lippen sie Kussen so heiss" (My Lips Kiss with such fire) from Giuditta - Anna Netrebko during the Last Night of the Proms.*
Ms. Netrebko sells the piece for all it's worth and then some!

*And now for something completely different...​*
*Gottfried Huppertz: score to "Die Nibelungen", Fritz Lang's 1924 silent two-part take on the same myths that inspired Richard Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" opera cycle (DVD).*
I'll link two YouTube excerpts below. They interconnect. Combined they contain the entirety of what I consider the pivotal scene of the second film, _"Kriemhild's Revenge"._

I suppose a brief summary of preceding events is in order. The first film, _"Siegfried",_ is roughly equivalent to events depicted in Wagner's _"Siegfried"_ and _"Gotterdammerung",_ ending with the betrayal and death said hero at the hands of Hagen. Film two concerns itself solely with Kriemhild's relentless desire to bring the murderer of her dead husband to justice. Hagen is protected by Kriemhild's clan, the royal family of Burgundy. To accomplish her goal, Kriemhild marries Attila the Hun and eventually manipulates him into inviting the family to court. At the same time, through bribery and oaths of fealty she has, unbeknownst to Attila, set in motion events that will result in Hagen's discreditation in the eyes of Attila. The first linked clip begins after the family arrives at Attila's court, and prepares to enter the Hun palace to celebrate Summer Solstice with Attila and his allies.

*YouTube "Kriemhild's Revenge", Canto 5 beginning.
YouTube "Kriemhild's Revenge", Canto 5 conclusion.*

I deem this pivotal simply because an act by Hagen near the halfway point of clip two makes the Nibelungen's fate irreversible. (Notice how after the deed Kriemhild at first shows remorse, but once Attila expresses the desired reaction, visibly reveals that she instigated and condones the encounter.)

(By the way, I recently rewatched Tim Burton's first *"Batman"* movie, and was amazed by how much its music track was indebted to Huppertz's Nibelungen score. Too many similarities to be purely coincidental, in my opinion.)

-ToneDeaf&Senile-


----------



## World Violist

Lassus: Cantiones Sacrae
Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Ghent

...Gorgeous.


----------



## Guest

Amy Beach's Balkan Variations.


----------



## agoukass

Quite enjoyable music by one of Mozart's main competitors in Vienna.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* - String Quartets Opp. 51 'Seven Last words of Christ' & 103
Kodaly Quartet
Naxos

The_ Seven Last Words _is, on the whole, a contemplative and meditative work. In one of the movements (Christ's final words), Haydn even employs mutes. Op. 103, his last string quartet, is more in familiar Haydn territory - more contrast and a bit of wit to boot. It was unfinished, and is made up of only two movements (lasting about 10 minutes in total). A good disc, the sound is excellent, the performance quite good...


----------



## Tapkaara

ToneDeaf&Senile said:


> I've done a good bit of listening lately, mostly to opera and concert DVDs along with various online classical-music snippets. I'll list highlights below, and link YouTube clips when appropriate.
> 
> *WARNING:* The bulk of these have appeared in various other of my recent posts here. If you normally visit a majority of our forums and sub-forums you're bound to have seen at least a few.
> 
> *From my disk-based music-on-video collection​*
> *Mozart: "Don Giovanni" - Siepi/VPO/Furtwangler (DVD).* An old favorite that, in my opinion, still can't be beat.
> 
> *Mozart: "Magic Flute" - Ingmar Bergman's film adaptation (Laserdisc).*
> 
> *Rossini: "La Cenerantola"- Ponnelle film adaptation Frederica von Stade, Araiza, Montarsolo, Deseri, La Scala, Abbado (DVD).*
> 
> *Mozart: Symphonies 35&36, piano concerto no 22, horn concerto no 1 - Berlin Philharmonic/Barenboim (DVD).* This might be my favorite orchestra DVD. Audio, video, venue, camera work, interpretation are all top-notch. My one nitpick is that the finale to symphony 35 could be more fiery.
> 
> *Beethoven: Symphonies no 1, 6, 8 - Berlin Philharmonic, Abbado (DVD).* Decent performances, though I'm not overly taken with this interpretation of the first symphony.
> 
> *Schubert/Liszt: "Schwanengesang" (last 14 songs transcribed for piano) - Valentina Lisitsa (DVD).*
> 
> *I was recently turned on to these vocal clips by other posters here.​*
> *Mozart: "Batti, Batti..." from Don Giovanni - Hei-Kyung Hong (Zerlina) MET/Levine.*
> My allegiance to the above mentioned Siepi/VPO/Furtwangler Don Giovanni performance on DVD remains rock soild. But this Batti, Batti is yummy.
> 
> *Offenbach: "Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille" (the Doll Song) from Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Natalie Dessay/Bastille.*
> Ms. Dessay is a personal favorite for this sort of thing. The rendition seen here (there are a number of others, it being a specialty of hers) floored me, and the audience as well. (It becomes deliciously naughty near the end.)
> 
> *Lehar: "Meine Lippen sie Kussen so heiss" (My Lips Kiss with such fire) from Giuditta - Anna Netrebko during the Last Night of the Proms.*
> Ms. Netrebko sells the piece for all it's worth and then some!
> 
> *And now for something completely different...​*
> *Gottfried Huppertz: score to "Die Nibelungen", Fritz Lang's 1924 silent two-part take on the same myths that inspired Richard Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" opera cycle (DVD).*
> I'll link two YouTube excerpts below. They interconnect. Combined they contain the entirety of what I consider the pivotal scene of the second film, _"Kriemhild's Revenge"._
> 
> I suppose a brief summary of preceding events is in order. The first film, _"Siegfried",_ is roughly equivalent to events depicted in Wagner's _"Siegfried"_ and _"Gotterdammerung",_ ending with the betrayal and death said hero at the hands of Hagen. Film two concerns itself solely with Kriemhild's relentless desire to bring the murderer of her dead husband to justice. Hagen is protected by Kriemhild's clan, the royal family of Burgundy. To accomplish her goal, Kriemhild marries Attila the Hun and eventually manipulates him into inviting the family to court. At the same time, through bribery and oaths of fealty she has, unbeknownst to Attila, set in motion events that will result in Hagen's discreditation in the eyes of Attila. The first linked clip begins after the family arrives at Attila's court, and prepares to enter the Hun palace to celebrate Summer Solstice with Attila and his allies.
> 
> *YouTube "Kriemhild's Revenge", Canto 5 beginning.
> YouTube "Kriemhild's Revenge", Canto 5 conclusion.*
> 
> I deem this pivotal simply because an act by Hagen near the halfway point of clip two makes the Nibelungen's fate irreversible. (Notice how after the deed Kriemhild at first shows remorse, but once Attila expresses the desired reaction, visibly reveals that she instigated and condones the encounter.)
> 
> (By the way, I recently rewatched Tim Burton's first *"Batman"* movie, and was amazed by how much its music track was indebted to Huppertz's Nibelungen score. Too many similarities to be purely coincidental, in my opinion.)
> 
> -ToneDeaf&Senile-


Huppertz? Huppertz? Goodness gracious...I'd never think in a million years I'd ever read his name in here. Yes, he wrote some truly powerful film scores. I have the DVDs of Die Niebelungen and Metropolis. Great stuff. I wish the scores would be released on CD. He also wrote concert works which have not, to my knowledge, been recorded. What a shame...I'd be first in line to buy those discs.


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## Tapkaara

agoukass said:


>


I should buy that disc for the cool picture alone. What a beautiful photo.


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## Conor71

Mozart: Violin Sonata No. 19 In Eb Major, K 302










Listened to this set over the last couple of days now making my way through it again .


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## agoukass

A very enjoyable recording. The Fourth was a warhorse for many great pianists including Arthur Rubinstein and Josef Hofmann. Sadly, it has fallen out of the standard repertoire and is only performed occasionally outside Russia.


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## Conor71

Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 8










Shostakovich is easily one of my favourite composers - first listen to this work, from the above disc, which I bought a couple of months ago .


----------



## Julie

This must be the most recommended CD in awhile:

http://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.572407&languageid=EN

HIGHLY recommended - rare repertoire and superb performances . It is out of stock most of the time so if you find a copy you should grab it.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Last night:










I really like this commedia dell'arte inspired version, particularly for Charles Workman

Today:










Patricia Bardon sounds like a counter tenor in this and rocks my socks off.


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## Earthling

A wonderful, rather accessible (to my ears anyway) album. *Lontano *and *Atmospheres *are especially beautiful shimmering, colourful pieces.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Earthling




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## Head_case

Some old fashioned Russian stuff:


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## Conor71

Ravel: String Quartet In F Major


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## agoukass

Very elegant and precise recordings that I've enjoyed for years.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Koopman, the president of the International Dieterich Buxtehude Society, has led me to an ever-increasing respect and admiration for the music of Buxtehude as a result of his marvelous recordings which follow in the wake of his landmark recordings of the whole of Bach's cantatas.


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## Phil

Been listening to that song very much. Such a nice song.


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## mamascarlatti

What a loss Tatiana Troyanos was...










A truly sparkling performance. The wheelchair doesn't detract from the performance, in fact it acts as a good symbol of Rosina's frustration and imprisonment. It'll be popping up in any number of Regie productions...


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## Sid James

Heard on radio 2mbs-fm sydney (www.2mbs.com):

*Satie, E*. Ballet: Relâche (1924). 
*Milhaud, D.* Double concerto for marimba, vibraphone & orchestra (1947). 
*Gounod, C.* Symphony no 2 in E flat (1856).

I switched on halfway through the Satie & it seemed to be quite light music, perfect for the morning. The Milhaud was quite neo-classical, with a slight jazzy feel (improvisatory?). The Gounod reminded me strongly of Beethoven, with a more polished, elegant French touch. A bit like Bizet's _Symphony in C_, except that reminds me more of Schubert.


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## Conor71

Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 In D Major, K 593


----------



## Falstaft




----------



## Sid James

*Heard on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney* (www.2mbs.com)
"Morning Concert" with Barrie Brockwell

*Tcherepnin, N. *The distant princess, op 4.
*Arensky, A.* Violin concerto in A minor, op 54 (1891).
*Shostakovich, D.* Piano concerto no 2 in F, op 102 (1957).
*Rimsky-Korsakov, N.* Suite from Le coq d'or (1907).

I enjoyed this all-Russian program. The Tcherepnin sounded quite impressionistic and the Arensky had this salon feel about it (very light). I am familiar with the Shostakovich, and Elisabeth Leonskaja's performance was excellent. Two outer movements which are bouncy and fun enclosing a Rachmaninov-like poetic movement, the core and pivot of the concerto. The Rimsky-Korsakov was quite filmic, vivid & very polished (as is the usual case with his music). I quite like this program, it's essential daily listening for me if I get the time...

*Barber:* Knoxville Summer of 1915 (Karina Gauvil, soprano/RSNO/Alsop) Naxos

I borrowed this cd from my local library (it also has his _Orchestral Essays 1 & 2_ & the rarely heard_ Toccata Festiva_). The main reason was that I will go to a concert in a few weeks where they will perform _Knoxville_. To my knowledge, this is Barber's only piece of "Americana." But it doesn't sound at all like Copland to me, more like Debussy or Ravel. It really is a very lyrical and even poetic work. I think Barber wrote beautifully for both the voice and the orchestra. It is also amazing how wide and varied his output is, from the neo-Romantic Brahmsian _Cello Sonata_, to some of his "jazzy" piano pieces (_Excursions, Souvenirs_), to the modernistic _Violin Concerto_, to atonal works like the _Piano Sonata_ or _Medea_. Knoxville, with its warm, langorous colours reminds me of his _Summer Music_ (Wind Quintet). I don't think many people realise just how much a versatile composer this man was. I have also borrowed his opera _Vanessa_ from the library, looking forward to getting into that later...


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## Earthling

Andre said:


> *Heard on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney*
> *Shostakovich, D.* Piano concerto no 2 in F, op 102 (1957).


Isn't that a beauty?  This was one of the first pieces of classical music I heard when I was 13 or 14, on the radio-- so that piece has a bit of sentimental significance for me.



> *Barber:* Knoxville Summer of 1915 (Karina Gauvil, soprano/RSNO/Alsop) Naxos


This may be my favourite Barber piece. I have a Telarc recording with Sylvia McNair which is a tearjerker for me. Makes me think of Thornton Wilder's play _Our Town_.

~ ~ ~










Just finished BWV 140 & 147. Some of the tempi are on the brisk side, but I'm getting used to it...

From earlier today, I got to crank it up a bit:










Another HIP with a magnificent sound.


----------



## mamascarlatti

More of a mind-blowing multisensory experience than just listening... I think this is going to become my favourite Ring.


----------



## Badinerie

I must be getting old....Slowing down...Been enjoying this the last few days...










On vinyl of course....Crackin stuff!


----------



## World Violist

Rubbra: Violin Concerto; Viola Concerto
Tasmin Little, violin; Rivka Golani, viola; Vernon Handley/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

This recording of the viola concerto is the best one of the two available. Some people might think it a bit odd that I don't prefer Lawrence Power's more sensational recording, but that's why I don't prefer it; it's too sensational. Rubbra is not a sensational composer and that approach just doesn't work. Also, Power's viola is just too light of tone, and doesn't lend itself very well to Rubbra's dark, introspective sound world. Golani's instrument, thus, also scores over Power; the sound, I think, is virtually unable to be unsurpassed in this work; dark, gorgeous, and complemented by both the music and the violist's wonderful sense of musicality.

And that's the other thing that needs to be present above all else in this concerto; musicality. Rubbra is a member of that shamefully rare breed of concerto-composer who places technicality second to musicality. Rivka Golani is simply glorious in this regard. Not only that, but she gives a much better sense of the long phrase, the big picture, than does Power, who seems to settle for a more episodic, spastic interpretation.

Oh, and another point against the Power recording... can anybody surpass Vernon Handley or Richard Hickox in Rubbra's music? None that I know of. This is not a concerto for viola with orchestral accompaniment; it's a concerto for viola with orchestra as an equal partner, and the orchestra rises very fully to this occasion.

I haven't listened to the violin concerto yet, but I can't wait.


----------



## haydnguy

Complete Sonatas and Partitas


----------



## Sid James

*Earthling:* I only heard the Shostakovich_ Piano Concerto No. 2_ for the first time this year. Got it on cd with Mikhail Rudy. I prefer it to his first concerto, but I like them both. I'm only beginning to get into Shostakovich after many years. I thought his music was always dark, but that's obviously not true. & I'm really looking forward to seeing the Barber _Knoxville Summer of 1915 _done live in a few weeks here in Sydney - what a gorgeous piece!

*Heard on radio 2mbs fm Sydney *(www.2mbs.com):
MORNING CONCERT with Heather Sykes

*Brahms, J. *Sonata in F minor, op 120 no 1 (1894; arr. Berio). 
*Melcer-Szczawinski, H. *Piano concerto no 1 in E minor (1892-94). 
*Beethoven, L.* Symphony no 8 in F, op 93 (1812).

The first piece was an arrangement of one of Brahms' violin sonatas by Berio, for viola and orchestra. It sounded pretty Brahmsian to me, except maybe the orchestration was a little bit lighter. The rich tones of the viola were very good to hear. The Melcer sounded very grand, but I wasn't able to hear all of it. It seems he had an individual style, because I couldn't discern any strong influences. This was the first time I had heard anything by this Polish composer, who was also a mathematician, apparently. Then the Beethoven, which is a classic, and probably his most upbeat symphony, apart from the first.


----------



## Guest

William Walton, Viola Concerto. Absolutely gorgeous piece.


----------



## World Violist

Now at the end of Bruckner's 8th. Boulez conducts the Vienna Philharmonic. Truly an amazing performance!


----------



## Guest

My first listen of Brahms' Rinaldo. Love it.


----------



## Earthling

Andre said:


> & I'm really looking forward to seeing the Barber _Knoxville Summer of 1915 _done live in a few weeks here in Sydney - what a gorgeous piece!


You lucky *******! Enjoy!


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## haydnguy

StlukesguildOhio said:


> What a brilliantly talented couple!
> 
> And a stunning recording!!


StLukes, I was going back through the posts and saw that you had this one. I thought I was the only one in the world that had it. I love it too!


----------



## Chasman

Violin duets by Viotti this morning. Sweet stuff.


----------



## gmubandgeek

Today I listened to Haydn's "Creation" for the first time in its entirety (slow day at work). Too bad I had my headphones on during the 1st movement. I knew it was coming but didn't know where. Suddenly when I was multitasking, "there was *LIGHT*"


----------



## Guest

gmubandgeek said:


> Today I listened to Haydn's "Creation" for the first time in its entirety (slow day at work). Too bad I had my headphones on during the 1st movement. I knew it was coming but didn't know where. Suddenly when I was multitasking, "there was *LIGHT*"


Absolutely brilliant piece of work by Haydn, which is rapidly becoming my favorite of all his works. I have the Spering recording on Naxos, and am very pleased with the sound and the quality. I am slowly making my way through The Seasons as well.


----------



## CarelessJaco

Mozart Piano Concerto No.9


----------



## Sid James

*Heard on 2mbs-fm radio in Sydney*, www.2mbs.com

MORNING CONCERT with Jocelyn Cameron Prepared by Paul Hopwood

*Bizet, G.* Overture: Patrie, op 19 (1873).
*Bruch, M.* Double concerto in E minor, op 88 (c1912).
*Brahms, J.* Symphony no 1 in C minor, op 68 (1855-76).

Funnily enough, the Bizet had this small part with the harp & strings playing, it (almost) reminded me of Debussy or Ravel. The Bruch was interesting to hear, the viola & clarinet soloists contrasted well. & the Brahms, a classic journey from darkness to light. No matter how many times I hear it, I still like the journey he takes you on, although I'm a bit tired of similar "grand narrative" symphonies like Beethoven's 5th or Shostakovich's 5th.

*American Piano Sonatas Vol. 1: Barber, Carter, Copland, Ives* (Peter Lawson, piano) EMI

There's such a huge contrast between the piano sonatas on this disc. The Barber is basically atonal, and I am really grabbed by the slow movement, which has this 12 note theme which is so expressive & emotional. The Carter is full of dynamic contrasts and brilliant colours. The Ives is a short work (the _Three Page Sonata_), which is also atonal but much more "jumbled" than the previous two, it's probably (ironically) the most challenging work on the cd. The Barber, Carter & Ives all end in a fugue. The Copland is perhaps the least conventional work here, written in the late 1930's (after his "Americana" period). It is in a slow-fast-slow format and is pretty inward looking and dark, despite the bright jazzy middle movement. I think Peter Lawson does a pretty good job with these varied works, capturing the essence of each.


----------



## Conor71

A change from my recent diet of chamber music/solo piano works:
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic" 8)


----------



## Grosse Fugue

Giving this a relisten


----------



## Guest

I'm also going to get started on this:


----------



## mamascarlatti

Gluck, Iphigénie en Tauride, with Domingo and Graham, on Met player. I want to be familiar with the music before the HD transmission next year. I think it'll take a couple more hearings, the music didn't grab me first time.


----------



## World Violist

Rubbra: String Quartets
Dante Quartet


----------



## Head_case

ooooh! 

what do you think of the Dante Quartet?!

What do you think of the Dante Quartet playing Rubbra?!

Do tell....(personally, I love the Dante Quartet!)


----------



## Conor71

Bach: The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1


----------



## Sid James

*Heard on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney last night *(www.2mbs.com):

*Evenings with the orchestra*

*Dvorak* - Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" (LPO/Rostropovich)
*Copland* - 4 Dance Episodes from "Rodeo;" Fanfare for the Common Man (Detroit SO/Dorati)
*Bernstein* - Prelude, Fugue & Riffs
*Gershwin *- Rhapsody in Blue (original version)

I really enjoyed the performance of Dvorak 9, it was quite epic. The Copland had some wild dissonances that I didn't remember, and it was interesting to hear a work written for jazz band by Bernstein. I'm not sure if some of that music is improvisational, or all of it is scored? It was the first time I heard the original version of the Gershwin, and I liked it's intimacy and jazzy feel, as opposed to the more big and Romantic sounding later version.

*Chamber Soiree*

*Marais* - Trio in C
*Haydn* - London Trio No. 3 for flute, violin, cello (J.P.Rampal/Stern/Rostropovich)
*A. Scarlatti* - Cantata
*Locatelli* - Cello Sonata
*Respighi *- Violin Sonata
*Telemann *- Quartet No. 2 (Paris Quartet No. 8)

I gave this program a listen, mainly because I was interested in hearing the Respighi. To me, it sounded quite Germanic & not Italian at all. Beethoven came to mind, as did Richard Strauss. Otherwise, I'm not a huge fan of Baroque/Classical era music, but the rest was pretty pleasant listening, nonetheless. The Locatelli was a highlight as well, as I'm a big fan of any sonatas, really...


----------



## mamascarlatti

Listening to La Traviata, with Kaufmann & Gheorghiu, on Met Player.

Supposed to be background music while I prepare a workshop.

Can't concentrate now as I'm weeping onto my keyboard.


----------



## Conor71

Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, FS 76, "The Inextinguishable"










First listen to this version of this great symphony - impressed! .


----------



## Head_case

I'm listening to....

the washing machine.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Nothing like a bit of monotonous droning once in a while.


----------



## Head_case

The spin cycle will start shortly. 

I guess that is the climax to the monotony? 

This is functional pragmatism, blending aleatory elements from everyday life to create a music of sorts.

Like ... none sorts!


----------



## altosax

At this moment I just finished listening to Herman Koppel's Symphony No. 3 and am listening to his fourth symphony on the same label. I have all seven of his symphonies on the four-CD series from Dacapo. His music is similar to what you might expect from a Danish composer. His music seems most similar to Vagn Holmboe's, although the third symphony has a part sounding very much like Shostakovich.

These are exciting works from a relatively neglected composer. I will be listening to his full cycle of symphonies today and tomorrow to compare the symphonies.


----------



## Earthling

Head_case said:


> I'm listening to....
> 
> the washing machine.


Cage? 










I intend only to listen to the Preludes. I can only handle Messiaen in small doses.


----------



## Guest

Someone should create "prepared washing machines."


----------



## SatiesFaction

Debussy's Cello Sonata by Naoumoff & Pidoux.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 In Bb Major, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"










Have been working my through this set the last few days and liking most it - not too keen on the live sound of the Hammerklavier but think the performance is good .


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Give this CD a listen. It's very good music.

Orazio Benevolo (1605 - 1672); sacred music: _Missa Azzolina_, _Magnificat_, _Dixit Dominus_. Performed by _Le Concert Spirituel_/Herve Niquet. Cheapy price from Naxos, clear recording and excellent performance.

Samples and reading here:- http://www.naxos.com/person/Orazio_Benevolo/19134.htm


----------



## Weston

This week I have been listening again to this album of Wojciech Kilar works. It is quite satisfying on every level. I'm trying to categorize his style in my mind and all I can come up with is post-minimalist retro bombast (in the most respectful sense of the words).










This is all I have heard by this composer that I recall. It's been too long since I watched_ Dracula_ to remember the score. I need to invest in some more from him. I'd rate all four pieces on this album very highly.


----------



## Guest

Alan Hovhaness' Symphony no. 22, "City of Light." Very ethereal, mystical, and of course supremely beautiful. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite American composers, along with Barber and Beach and Gershwin.


----------



## Conor71

Puccini: La Boheme
This version (as part of the EMI boxset):

















First time listening to this work - quite lovely .


----------



## Guest

Bartok Violin Concertos. Really cool stuff.


----------



## Head_case

> *Earthling:
> *
> Cage?
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Well....errr......not quite. A spin-off of Cage really 

Now listening to:



>


----------



## Earthling

This is a addictive music...


----------



## Head_case

It probably is...so long as you don't foolishly give the CD away!


----------



## Earthling

Head_case said:


> It probably is...so long as you don't foolishly give the CD away!


I couldn't tell you how many CDs I have bought and sold, re-bought, re-sold, bought again... You'd think I would know better by now...


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

After hearing Conlon/LA Opera's new *Siegfried* yesterday, listening to Solti/VPO's *Walküre* today.

Was veering back to Karajan/BPO's Ring cycle, but Conlon/LA is so new and fresh...

This fall Levine/MET is supposed to give us a new Ring at NYC.


----------



## Phil

I hope It doesn't matter what genre It Is but I'm listening to "Amazing Grace" from the Joshlin Grove Choral Society. A CD from Thomas Kinkade: Amazing Grace.

I might not be allowed because this Is a Classical forum but It does say "What are you listening to" so I don't know...

One of my favorite songs there Is. Love it.

If it's restricted to classical only then I apologize.

Edit:
Now "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Is playing.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Phil said:


> I hope It doesn't matter what genre It Is but I'm listening to "Amazing Grace" from the Joshlin Grove Choral Society. A CD from Thomas Kinkade: Amazing Grace.
> 
> I might not be allowed because this Is a Classical forum but It does say "What are you listening to" so I don't know...


You could try here Non Classical currently listening


----------



## Falstaft




----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Trio No. 3 In Bb Major, K 502


----------



## karenpat




----------



## 151

Falstaft said:


>


Am I right in thinking these tunes were originally written by Milkos Rosza? I love his compositions.


----------



## Falstaft

151 said:


> Am I right in thinking these tunes were originally written by Milkos Rosza? I love his compositions.


Nope, this isn't Rosza's score for the 1942 film _The Jungle Book_ (which I'm sure is very good, I'm a big fan of MR's film work). Rather, this CD features a conglomeration of pieces written over the whole lifetime of the 20th century French composer *Charles Koechlin*, all inspired by Kipling in one way or another. CK has an inimitable style (well unless you're John Coolidge Adams, who does a very good Koechlin impersonation in his _Harmonielehre_), and I'd highly recommend this CD if you're interested in his strange kind of tropical impressionism.


----------



## maestro267

Currently at the percussion Nocturne at the start of Pt. 3 of Songs of Innocence


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Trio No. 2 In G Major, K 496


----------



## Guest

Einojuhani Rautavaara's Symphony no. 7, Angel of Light. Fascinating modern composition by a very worthy successor to Sibelius.


----------



## Sid James

*Heard last Friday radio 2mbs-fm Sydney*
www.2mbs.com
*
Edward German*
Romeo & Juliet
Symphony No.2 in A minor
Merrie England (excerpt)

*C.V.Stanford *
The Lord is My Shepherd
Incidental Music to Tennyson's "Beckett" (Funeral March)
Songs from "The Spanish Gypsy" (baritone & piano)
Violin Sonata No. 1 in D

I really enjoyed all of these works, except for German's symphony, which I thought had too many drum rolls, cymbal clashes & swelling strings (a bit like Tchaikovsky on steroids!). I want to get something on cd from these composers. I really liked the Stanford hymn so I have ordered his _Requiem_ on Naxos today.

*Heard today on 2mbs-fm*

MORNING CONCERT with Peter Kurti

*Goldmark, K. *Overture: Sakuntala, op 13 (1865).
*Vaughan Williams, R.* The wasps: Aristophanic suite (1909).
*Dvorák, A.* Piano concerto in G minor, op 33 (1876).

Was good to hear these works, this is one of my favourite radio programs. I especially liked Andras Schiff's light and airy interpretation of the Dvorak piano concerto, on of my favourite works by him.


----------



## Weston

Having been guilty of a bit of (largely tongue in cheek) Schoenberg bashing now and then, I thought I would take the plunge and try, try, try to get something out of his music. So I am listening to these works, but found to my amazement they are mostly accessible. The 5 Pieces for orchestra, Op. 16 are particularly interesting. The Variations for orchestra, Op. 31 do come across as just plain ugly on first hearing, but I am trying to like them. (And some people think metal is ugly.) Still they don't repel as much as some of Schoenberg's offerings I have not quite endured.










The Lutoslowski just reminds me of action movie soundtracks. This type of music unfortunately makes me want to go turn off the TV when it's not even on. The Livre pour orchestre does become interesting once it stops raging and a mysterious piano comes into play.


----------



## Earthling

Weston said:


> So I am listening to these works, but found to my amazement they are mostly accessible. The 5 Pieces for orchestra, Op. 16 are particularly interesting.


Those five piece by Schoenberg are quite good and a great place to start I think-- very colourful music.

I'm putting this on now:










_Schlingen-Blangen_ for pipe organ. Only one chord sustained. The only thing that changes is the stops (and your aural perception). Its a sublime piece of music. I hope the neighbours don't mind because I need to hear this *loud*!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back listening to more Baroque music... after a break.


----------



## Sid James

*Heard last night on "New Horizons" program, radio 2mbs-fm Sydney*
www.2mbs.com
*
Canadian composers in focus*
*
Burge, J.* - Upper Canada Fiddle Suite (1997) (string orchestra); Flanders field reflections (2006) (cello & string orchestra)
*Robinovitch, S*. - Four Sephardic Folk Songs (3 guitars & percussion)
*Mack, C.* - Trio in memoriam D. Shostakovich (2006) (piano trio); Winterseen (1997) (flute, piano, percussion)
*Kloppers, J. *- Carolingian temperaments (1994) (saxophone & organ)

I had never heard of, or heard, any music by these Canadian composers before. I really liked the Robinovitch - it had this North African feel - more like world music than classical, but I really don't mind. I also enjoyed the Kloppers, which was pretty cool & quirky. I like it when classical composers use the sax, because it's not often used in this kind of setting. I've really discovered so many new composers on this weekly program - it's a must-listen for me every week...


----------



## mamascarlatti

Rigoletto with Pavarotti, Reri Grist, Ingvar Wixell. Trying to gain appreciation for Pav.

A rare interruption in my mainly vocal diet:










Really enjoyed it, especially Prokofiev 3.


----------



## Earthling

Best *La Mer*, IMO.

I prefer Boulez for most of my orchestral Debussy, except, oddly his _Faun_ (too fast-- I want to savor it more!)


----------



## Sid James

I've seen that Hokusai-ish wave as a cover of so many cd's & lp's of Debussy's music, it's just not funny!

Anyway, I've got Boulez conducting some of those Debussy works on LP (it may well be the same recording). I agree he was a very fine conductor of this repertoire, and I find his richly dark _Jeux_ very captivating...


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Symphony No. 15 In G Major, K 124


----------



## Sid James

Heard on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney last night (www.2mbs.com)

*Canberra Wind Soloists*
A concert recorded at the Mittagong Easter Festival (for Musica Viva) in 1989

*Ligeti *- 6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet
*J.S.Bach* (arr. Larry Sitsky) - Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue BWV 903
*Ravel *(arr. Richard Macintyre) - Mother Goose Suite
*Farkas* - Ancient Hungarian Dances

A good program, first time I had heard all of these except the Ravel. It was interesting to hear something very tonal from Ligeti, as well as the work of his teacher, Ferenc Farkas...


----------



## mamascarlatti

Petibon plays it for the emotions, or should I say "affects" to be all baroque about it, and there were times when the sighs and groans spoiled the beauty of the music for me, but she certainly brings out the character and emphasises the meaning of each aria. Never a dull moment!


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: String Quartet No. 9 In A Major, K 169










The first disc of this set was awesome! - now playing the second disc .


----------



## maestro267

Currently on: _Jeux_ - Debussy

About to listen to: _Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra_ - Debussy


----------



## Guest

Mozart's Sinfonia concertante is a work that I continuously return to. I find I enjoy it more than his violin concertos. Carmignola brings it off wonderfully in this recording (I wish I could say I liked Abbado's Mozart symphonies with the same ensemble as much).


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> Mozart's Sinfonia concertante is a work that I continuously return to. I find I enjoy it more than his violin concertos. Carmignola brings it off wonderfully in this recording (I wish I could say I liked Abbado's Mozart symphonies with the same ensemble as much).


Awesome DrMike - just listening to the same Violin Concertos recording right now .
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 In Bb Major, K 207










Have listened to this Disc quite a few times since purchasing it a few weeks ago - one of the only HIP recordings I own .


----------



## Sid James

*Heard on radio 2mbs-fm, Sydney*
www.2mbs.com

Last night:

*EVENINGS WITH THE ORCHESTRA with David Ogilvie*

*Smetana, B.* Festive symphony, op 6 (1854/81).
*Dvorák, A.* Cello concerto no 1 in A (1862-65; orch. Burghauser).
*Janácek, L.* Sinfonietta (1926).

*CHAMBER SOIRÉE with Robert Small*

*Schumann, R. *
Piano Quintet in E flat, op 44 (1842) (Maria Jao Pires/mbrs. Chamber Orch. of Europe)
Five pieces in folk-tone, op 102 (1849) (Maisky/Argerich)
Trio in D minor, op 63 (1847) (Israel Piano Trio)
Quartet no 1 in A minor, op 41 no 1 (1842) (St. Lawrence String Quartet)

Today:

*MORNING CONCERT with David Brett*

*Auber, D-F-E.* Overture to Marco Spada (1852).
*Janácek, L. *Violin concerto, [Pilgrimage of the soul] (1927-28).
*Bruckner, A.* Symphony no 6 in A (1879-81; arr. Nowak).

*VIOLA CENTRE STAGE with Pat Hopper*

*Dittersdorf, C. *Sinfonia concertante.
*Albinoni, T. *Sonata in G, op 2 no 6 (c1700).
*Brahms, J.* Sonata in F minor, op 120 no 1 (1894; arr. Berio).

I particularly enjoyed the program of Schumann's chamber music. There was a lot of variety there, despite the fact that a large number of these works were composed in Schumann's "chamber music year" - 1842 (if I remember correctly?). The _Piano Quintet_ was dramatic, with a funeral march at it's heart (it seemed pretty familiar, although I doubt that I'd heard it before), the _Five Pieces_ were (obviously) quite folksy, the _Piano Trio_ full of love and lightness, written at the time of Schumann's marriage to Clara Wieck. & the _String Quartet No. 1_ was comparatively sombre in tone, not exactly melancholic, but quite restrained in comparison (except for the exhuberant finale). I am looking forward to hearing more programs in this wonderful series, charting the many achievements of Schumann across many genres. Later in the month, they will play his opera _Genoveva_ in full...


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Awesome DrMike - just listening to the same Violin Concertos recording right now .
> Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 In Bb Major, K 207
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have listened to this Disc quite a few times since purchasing it a few weeks ago - one of the only HIP recordings I own .


This recording is wonderful - if you haven't gotten the recording of Mozart's symphonies, don't worry about it. There are other better HIP recordings of those. But Carmignola makes this recording. If you haven't already, I would recommend checking out his recordings of Vivaldi concertos with Marcon and the Venice Baroque Orchestra, especially the Four Seasons.


----------



## Earthling

My lunch break: Copland's *Orchestral Variations*, conducted by MTT.


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Viola Sonata In C Major, Op. 147


----------



## Sid James

Heard yesterday on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*ROMANTIC INITIATIVES with Elaine Siversen*

*Schumann, R. *
Impromptu on a theme by Clara Wieck, op 5 (1833).
Songs from Myrthen, op 25 (1840): Dedication; The nut-tree; You are like a flower.
Fugue on BACH, op 60 no 3 (1845).
Piano trio no 2 in F, op 80 (1847).
Jagdlieder, op 137 (1849).
Forest scenes, op 82 (1849).
Intermezzo, op 74 no 2; Liebesgram, op 74 no 3.
In der Nacht, op 74 no 4.
Fantasy in C, op 131 (1853).

This was an interesting program showcasing a varied selection of Schumann's output, from pieces for piano & organ, songs, chamber works, and also the Fantasy for violin & orchestra (one of his final works, and is this a transcription of the Fantasy for piano?). I have really enjoyed this series of broadcasts of Schumann's music, celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth. Next week there will be a program of his & Clara's piano works, and on the 30th they will play his only opera, _Genoveva._ That will be interesting to hear, I have never heard that, I've only got the overture.

*BAROQUE AND BEFORE with Ian Dunbar*

*Vivaldi, A. *Sonata no 3 in A minor, RV43.
*Handel, G.* Chandos anthem no 6: As pants the hart for cooling streams (1718).
*Purcell, H.* Four-part fantasias nos 4-12 (1680).
*Brumel, A. *Magnificat secundi toni.
*Roman, J. *Suite no 4 in D.

It was interesting to hear these works. I was surprised how the Vivaldi Sonata for cello & organ started off with a slow movement, as I'm used to his concertos, which start off moderately fast. I really enjoyed the Handel, the accompaniment in his works is just as interesting (if not more so) than the singing. It's been years since I'd heard something by Brumel, but I could remember his distinctive style. & it was the first time I had heard a work by the Swedish Baroque composer, Roman.


----------



## Air

Trying to choose future concert repertoire besides the hackneyed Beethoven/Chopin/Liszt. I've gone with Medtner in the meantime:

Dityramb, Op. 20 No. 2
Fairy Tales, Op. 10
Sonata Tragica
Sonata Reminiscenza (too long, methinks)
Sonata Romantica - Scherzo only? (transition problem)
Theme and Variations

I think the first two options are the most sound, but not sure where to go between the two...


----------



## Conor71

Schubert: String Trio In Bb Major, D 471
Schubert: String Quintet In C Major, D 956










First listen to this newly purchased disc.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Jubei

*Dvorak*

Falstaft identified a piece for me a while back "Tis' Liebestraum by Franz Liszt". While listening to it on Youtube there was another version by cellist Seeli Toivio performing it on Cello with her brother on piano which was ... interesting. But then there was another video of her performing: "Antonin Dvorak: Klid - Silent Woods for Cello and Orchestra op. 68"

That piece has just enchanted me whereas I was never a big cello fan and I've been listening to it non-stop!

youtube.com/watch?v=46ebhYDGRnw


----------



## Weston

Conor71 said:


> Mozart: String Quartet No. 9 In A Major, K 169
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first disc of this set was awesome! - now playing the second disc .


Really nice cover concept.


----------



## Weston

This morning I purchased a digital album through the web site bandcamp. It's the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues by Bach, BWV 553 through 560 performed by the Zagreb Guitar Quartet.

I have had the score booklet for these for a long time and I once tried to make synthesizer versions, but was never happy with my efforts. I don't much care for organ music on an organ -- I can seldom hear all the notes. So I'm always excited to find transcriptions of Bach organ music to other instruments. This is a pleasant album of music I've known a long time but never really heard. It's only $5.00 USD (though I paid a lot more because I think it's worth it).


----------



## joen_cph

Air:


> Trying to choose future concert repertoire besides the hackneyed Beethoven/Chopin/Liszt. I've gone with Medtner in the meantime:
> 
> Dityramb, Op. 20 No. 2
> Fairy Tales, Op. 10
> Sonata Tragica
> Sonata Reminiscenza (too long, methinks)
> Sonata Romantica - Scherzo only? (transition problem)
> Theme and Variations


Nice with Medtner, seems to be gradually working his way into the repertoire.

If you are looking for some really attractive, early 20th piano repertoire, you might check out the works of William Baines (1899-1922). They are quite short pieces, a mixture of late-romantic and debussyan influences, some of them very catchy even at first hearing. Even the titles make them interesting ("The Lone Wreck", "Tides", "Paradise Gardens", "Coloured Leaves", "Twilight Pieces" etc.) There is a short introduction at the www.classicalsource.com. Apparently, there has oly been one recording of some of his many piano works, the Lyrita one, also issued on LP by MHS in the US.


----------



## Conor71

Weston said:


> Really nice cover concept.


Yes its cool - the other Sets in the series look good too I think .

Now listening:
Sibelius: Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Yesterday heard the LA Opera's final installment of the Ring Cycle, *Götterdämmerung*--it was fanstastic!

Day before reviewed Levine/MET's *Rheingold*--one of the best.
http://www.amazon.com/Das-Rheingold...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1277041982&sr=1-6

Today, Böhm/Bayreuth's famous 1968 *Wälkure*.
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Die-Wa...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1277042024&sr=1-1


----------



## jhar26

Fantastic.


----------



## Mitch6711

Malcolm Williamson's Piano Concerto - absolutely incredible!


----------



## Conor71

Palestrina: Missa Brevis
Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek* - Glagolitic Mass (Kubelik) DG; Taras Bulba (Dohnanyi) Decca Eloquence
*Ligeti* - Requiem (Gielen) Wergo
*Huang Ruo* - Chamber Concertos (composer's ensemble) Naxos


----------



## Earthling

*Symphony No. 3*

I'm so glad I bought this box set of Beethoven symphonies-- beautiful clarity, absolutely transparent. Definitely the best I've ever heard of Beethoven's symphonies. I've been really impressed with a lot of the HIP recordings I've been getting the past couple years...


----------



## Conor71

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Minor, WAB 107, "Lyric"


----------



## Sid James

*Dutilleux & Lutoslawski *- Cello Concertos (Rostropovich/Orch. de Paris/Baudo/Lutoslawski) EMI
*Lutoslawski* - Cello Concerto; String Quartet (Jablonski/Polish NRSO/Lutoslawski/Alban Berg Quartet) EMI

The Lutoslawski concerto is one of the few works I have two recordings of. Both done in the 1970's, conducted by the composer, but with different soloists & orchestras. Rostropovich's dynamics show more contrast than Jablonski's, whose colours are lighter. But to me, Jablonski's interpretation is more full of menace and agressiveness, even brutality, lurking under the surface. I like them both. The Dutilleux concerto is somewhat lighter than the Lutoslawski, but it is by no means lightweight. Based on a literary theme (the poetry of Baudelaire), it has a certain poetic quality & a kind of sensuous, nocturnal feel. The Lutoslawski quartet is a work that I have not fully come to grips with, but it takes me on a very interesting journey, which is the point (for me) of his works that I have heard.

*Schumann *- Piano Concerto; Cello Concerto; Adagio & Allegro for Horn and Orchestra; Manfred Overture (Lipatti/Gendron/Suisse Romande/Ansermet) Decca Eloquence

This recording has Dinu Lipatti's live radio performance (never before released on cd) of the Schumann _Piano Concerto_, done somewhat later than his classic studio recording of the same work with Karajan (surely a benchmark for this work?). Anyway, he doesn't quite reach the same heights in his recording with Ansermet, but on the whole this is a fine performance (probably still in the top ten?). Maurice Gendron really gets to the heart of the _Cello Concerto_, the central accompanied cadenza is very subtle and gentle. The horn piece is well done as well. I think though that Ansermet undercooks the _Manfred Overture_ a bit, lacklustre would be too harsh, but it's definitely a bit too laid-back for my liking. On the whole, a very enjoyable set of performances.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still exploring and building my collection of Baroque music with the intention of creating a depth and breadth to this era that is somewhat more in line with that of my Romantic/Post-Romantic collection. For the moment I seem to have been most enthralled with the works of German and French composers... although I'm sure I'll get around to more of the Italians with time.


----------



## Sid James

On radio 2mbs-fm Sydney www.2mbs.com

*VIENNA 1807 *with Tony Immerglück Prepared by Gordon Clarke

*Beethoven, L.* 
Overture to Coriolan, op 62 (1807).
Piano concerto no 4 in G, op 58 (1806). 
Symphony no 4 in B flat, op 60 (1806).

Saw the last two works live in concert last year so it's interesting listening on radio to these different interpretations. I think that these works are still somewhat overshadowed by others. The concerto is innovative for it's quiet and gentle opening, and the symphony contains much complex Haydnesque counterpoint...


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Trio Sonata No. 1 In Eb Major, BWV 525


----------



## Guest

I'm still trying to gain an appreciation for Bartok. The Concerto for Orchestra is a nice enough work. The other works on this recording aren't connecting with me quite as much.

After this, I may have to switch over to:


----------



## Sid James

Last night on 2mbs-fm Sydney www.2mbs.com

*NEW HORIZONS* Reflections from the bridge of dreams with Robert Small

*Williams, J. *Tuba concerto (1985).
*Penderecki, K.* Te Deum, part 3 (1980).
*Carmichael, J.* Bravura waltzes (1995).
*Powning, G.* Four inequali.
*Alwyn, W. *Sinfonietta for strings (1970).
*Chen, Q.* Reflection at a vanished time (1996).
*Boyd, A.* As I crossed a bridge of dreams (1975).

I enjoyed this program, though I only heard it until the first movement of the Alwyn (dozed off, was a bit tired). The Williams was similar to his movie scores, quite filmic and colourful. Penderecki (as usual) was dark, this work was from 1978 when Cardinal Wojtola became Pope John Paul II (composed for that event). I liked the Carmichael, kind of a modern version of Chopin's waltzes. The Powning was quite humorous, a trombone quartet, quoting themes from Ravel's _Bolero_ to Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_. The Alwyn (first movement) was quite vigorous and a bit dissonant. It was the first time I had heard anything by all of these except Penderecki. This is one of my favourite radio programs, a must-listen every week, I have discovered so much new music there...


----------



## Conor71

A very Bach kind of day  - listening so far:


----------



## Argus

This week, I have been mostly listening to contemporary classical.(/Fast Show reference)

Eliane Radigue - Koume & Kyema

Alvin Lucier - Still Lives & Music on a Long Thin Wire

La Monte Young - The Well-Tuned Piano

Akira Rabelais - Eisoptrophobia

Bo Nilsson - Quantitaten

Charlemagne Palestine - Live at Les Siestes Electroniques

Theatre of Eternal Music - The Tortoise and the Dream

Luc Ferrari - Petite Symphonie Intuitive pour un Paysage de Printemps


----------



## mamascarlatti

Kozena and Marcon have opened a new door for me with this music. I particularly like the diaogues between orchestra and singer that Vivaldi creates. And the arias are a lot more musically and emotionally varied than I would have expected, some fierce and virtuosic, some lyrical and expressive.


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm www.2mbs.com

*THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA*

*Strauss, R.* Le bourgeois gentilhomme, op 60 (1920). (Christopher Lyndon-Gee, cond.)
*Sculthorpe, P.* Sonata for strings no 1 (1983). (Richard Tognetti, dir.)
*Tchaikovsky, P.* Sextet in D minor, op 70, [Souvenir de Florence] (1892; arr). (Carl Pini, dir.)

I'm not a huge fan of R. Strauss, but I enjoyed the other two pieces. It was also good to hear this fine ensemble, which I go a couple of times a year to see live, coducted/directed by three different people. I especially liked the Tchaikovsky, a piece I saw them play live in about 1999, but by then Pini had left & Tognetti had taken over. Incidentally, there was a piece by Sculthorpe played at that concert. Anyway, I like that Tchaikovsky piece for it's vigour, passion and tunefulness.

& before:

*Dvorak* - Symphony No. 5; *Janacek* - Sinfonietta (South German PO/Austrian Radio SO/Horvat) Point

*Barber *- Knoxville Summer of 1915 (Gauvin/Alsop) Naxos

*Zemlinsky *- Sinfonietta; The Mermaid (New Zealand SO/Judd) Naxos

& this morning:

*Sibelius* - Lemminkainen Suite (Four Legends); Tapiola (Philadelphia/Ormandy/Helsinki/Berglund) EMI

The Dvorak & Barber I will go to see live this weekend, so gearing up for that. I'm really getting into the Zemlinsky, and beginning to hear influences like Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, R. Strauss in those two works. The Siblelus _Four Legends_ is my favourite work by him, and Ormandy gives it a suitably epic treatment...


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## Conor71

A Mozart kind of Morning :


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## StlukesguildOhio

mamascarlatti said:


> Kozena and Marcon have opened a new door for me with this music. I particularly like the diaogues between orchestra and singer that Vivaldi creates. And the arias are a lot more musically and emotionally varied than I would have expected, some fierce and virtuosic, some lyrical and expressive.


I've had that one on my wish list for a little time now... being absolutely in love with Kozena.

Currently listening to something quite distant from Vivaldi:










Clearly Modernist... yet quite meditative and rooted in traditional Japanese music.


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## StlukesguildOhio

This one has just arrived and is proving to be quite lovely. I'm really beginning to love Zelenka!


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## Conor71

Some Chamber Music to get my day off to a good start :


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## Sid James

*Yesterday on radio 2mbs-fm*
www.2mbs.com

I dipped in & out in a variety of evening programs:

*Kodály, Z.* Dances of Galánta (1933).

*Chabrier, E.* Gipsy song, from Le Roi malgré lui (1887).

*Tchaikovsky, P.* Piano concerto no 3 in E flat, op 75 (1892).

*Schumann, C.* Piano concerto in A minor, op 7 (1836).

*Brahms, J. *Song of destiny, op 54 (1868-71).

*Brahms, J.* Symphony no 1 in C minor, op 68 (1876).

*Haydn, J. *String quartet in B flat, op 1 no 1, [Hunt].

*Franck, C. *Sonata in A (c1877).

Liked Dorati's interpretation of the Kodaly, it was very up-tempo. I hadn't heard the Tchaikovsky 3rd concerto for years, but it was exactly as I remember, very vigorous and percussive (almost Bartokian?). I had never heard the Clara Schumann piano concerto or the Franck violin sonata. The former reminded me a bit of Mendelssohn, but even more laid back. The Franck seemed such an innovative work, presaging the impressionists, with a slow-fast-slow-fast format. No wonder the conservative Saint-Saens hated what Franck was doing. I have no doubt as to who was the more interesting, innovative and challenging of the two. & Istvan Kertesz & the VPO gave a performance of Brahms' first symphony which was a thrill to behold - bold, dramatic and poetic as well. I'm sorry I missed seeing this work done live by the Australian Chamber Orchestra last month, but funds were a problem. Oh well, maybe I will see a Brahms symphony live at some stage, but I just saw his violin concerto on the weekend, and that was superb...

In between:

*Mahler *- Songs of a Wayfarer; Kindertotenlieder; Selections from Ruckert lieder & Das Knaben Wunderhorn (Ludwig/Philharmonia/Boult/Vandernoot/Klemperer) EMI

I will see some of the_ Wunderhorn _songs done live later in July, so thought I'd give this a spin. These are pretty dark works & I like Mahler's sense of melody & his orchestration, which are pretty unique. It sounds much more modern to my ears than say R. Strauss (or even Wagner?). Ludwig's fine performances were done in the late '50's & early '60's. This is a classic.

Later:

*Harry Partch* - Delusion of the Fury (Ens. of unique instruments/Mitchell) Sony/Innova

Got halfway through the second act & drifted off. Not through boredom but just through being tired. Too much music for one day! This is some of the most intense & complex music I have ever heard. I love it, would love to see it done live, but this is unlikely (I think that it is only regularly performed in New Jersey?). Anyhow, it's a brilliant work...


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## StlukesguildOhio

Ah! Bach!!


----------



## World Violist

Rubbra's string quartets... the most wonderful quartets I've ever heard. There is an enormous amount of contrapuntal and motivic focus in these masterpieces. I just can't get over the fact that there are so few recordings and performances!


----------



## Guest

Andre said:


> *Brahms, J.* Song of destiny, op 54 (1868-71).


Great piece! Terribly underperformed and under-appreciated. Actually, this might be my favorite choral work from Brahms, along with the Song of the Fates and the Alto Rhapsody.


----------



## Sid James

Yes, Jeff N - I enjoyed that Brahms choral piece. He had a knack for writing in this genre. I have also heard some of his motets, but can't remember hearing the _German Requiem_. I do have the _Alto Rhapsody_, and it's pretty dark (for Brahms), not autumnal at all. I intend to get a cd or two of this repertoire in future (thanks for mentioning _Song of the Fates _- I have never heard of it)...


----------



## Sid James

*George Crumb *- Songs, drones & refrains of death; Quest (New Arts Ens./Kent) Naxos

I thought I'd buy a cd of this guy's works, since I'm going to see his _Voice of the Whale _tommorrow live in concert. I couldn't find that work on the shelves, so I got this. I really enjoyed the later work on the cd, _Quest_ (completed in 1994). It's subtle colouristic effects and shimmering textures bought to mind Ravel, Messiaen & Dutilleux. The work features guitar and saxophone soloists (the latter quotes _Amazing Grace_), and some quite exotic percussion instruments (Appalachian hammered dulcimer, African talking drums, South American rain sticks). As for _Songs, drones & refrains of death_ (composed in the 1960's), it's a song cycle for baritone & chamber ensemble with text by the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. It's quite a dark work, with many tone clusters, perhaps not as immediately appealing as the other one, but quite interesting nonetheless. I'm looking forward to tommorrow's concert, where other composers (such as Gojilov) will also be featured...


----------



## haydnguy

Love this one.


----------



## Camilla

~Sir Edward Elgar - Serenade for Strings - Second Movement 

~Classic FM


----------



## Guest

Einojuhani Rautavaara, Symphony no. 7 'Angel of Light.' This music brings a tear to my eye.


----------



## Conor71

Schubert: Octet In F Major, D 803
Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 In Eb Major, Op. 100, D 929

















Good Morning - Some Chamber music by Schubert to start the day .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... I quite love that George Crumb CD... although I might lean more toward the first piece. Still I love them both.

Currently:


----------



## Conor71

Ending the day with some Bach :


----------



## Nix

Elgar Violin Concerto, Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony and Beethoven's 1st String Quartet. 

A first for the Elgar, and I'm quite liking it. Revisiting the other two, and they're fun.


----------



## Earthling

Conor71 said:


> Ending the day with some Bach :


_mmmmmhhhhh Bach!_ -- oh, pardon me, I'm drooling! 










I think Debussy's piano music is very easy to do badly, but Jean-Efflam Bavouzet knows how to play it! I'm just going to listen to a few of the _Etudes _and get into bed (where I should've been two hours ago).


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Ending the day with some Bach :


I love the Fretwork recording of Art of Fugue - very nice. I have been looking at Savall's recording of Musical Offering. How do you like it? I've read good things of it. I have his recordings of Handel's Water Music and Haydn's 7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross, and couldn't be happier with them.

As for me today, I'm going to be exploring the following:
























I have Pictures at an Exhibition by Ancerl, La Mer by von Karajan, and the Bartok Piano Concertos by Pollini/Abbado, but I thought I would check out these recordings as well - found them at the library. I enjoy Reiner's recordings of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Beethoven and Brahms Violin Concertos (with Heifetz).


----------



## Aramis

Pretty awesome organ transcriptions of Wagner:


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/BorodinRequiem.htm

Borodin-Stokowski Requiem is epic!!!
Stokowski's larger-than-life, highly-coloured orchestration manages to combine with the utter simplicity of Borodin's theme and accompaniment to produce a result which is convincing in its power and majesty. The world premiere recording of Borodin-Stokowski Requiem is orchestrated for: 4 flutes, 3 oboes & 1 english horn, 3 clarinets & 1 bass clarinet, 3 bassoons & 1 contrabassoon, 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 1 bass tuba, timpani, 3percussionists(tam-tam, cymbals, suspended cymbals, xylophone, bells, bass drum) celeste, harp, strings (male chorus & organ optional)


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## Conor71

DrMike said:


> I love the Fretwork recording of Art of Fugue - very nice. I have been looking at Savall's recording of Musical Offering. How do you like it? I've read good things of it. I have his recordings of Handel's Water Music and Haydn's 7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross, and couldn't be happier with them.


The Savall Musical Offering is very good - nice playing and lovely sound . I have just ordered his Sonatas for Gamba & Harpsichord as well!.
I definetely like this HIP approach to playing Bach and am really starting to like the sound of the Harpsichord - I may have to invest in HIP versions of Bachs Orchestral works at some stage I think .

Edit - Now playing:
Shostakovich Piano Quintet


----------



## Sid James

Last Friday, I heard *Charpentier's *opera _La malade imaginaire_ (1673) here on radio 2mbs-fm, Sydney. It was the Harmonia Mundi recording with Le Arts Florissants & William Christie. I enjoyed it a lot, I like the vigorous rhythms and obviously there was much humour in the way the singers were speaking (even though I don't understand a word of French). This work as a collaboration between the composer and Moliere. It involves the story of a hypochondriac who wants to marry his daughter off to a doctor, so he can get free medical advice. But the daughter doesn't want to cooperate, and by the end the father solves his problem by himself becoming a doctor!

Today's listening:

*Shostakovich *- String Quartets 14 & 15 (Eder Quartet) Naxos

The 14th quartet was composed for a cellist friend of Shostakovich, so it is dominated by that instrument. Sadly, the friend died and was not able to play the work at the premiere. It is a light work in three movements, while the last of the composers string quartets, the 15th, is in five movements which flow into eachother. This final quartet was written in memory of the cellist friend who died. It is pretty sombre in mood, and the first movement reminds me of the lyricism of Vaughan Williams, but much darker. Other parts remind me somewhat of Ligeti or Carter, but it still seems firmly tonal. Here, the cello is much less involved, but it does play some meandering solos, but seems more of a kind of continuo instrument generally. It's interesting how these last two string quartets by Shostakovich are both linked to the memory of that cellist friend. One is lighter, the other darker.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished:










Now listening to Tchaikovsky songs:


----------



## mamascarlatti

Andre said:


> Last Friday, I heard *Charpentier's *opera _La malade imaginaire_ (1673) here on radio 2mbs-fm, Sydney. It was the Harmonia Mundi recording with Le Arts Florissants & William Christie. I enjoyed it a lot, I like the vigorous rhythms and obviously there was much humour in the way the singers were speaking (even though I don't understand a word of French). This work as a collaboration between the composer and Moliere. It involves the story of a hypochondriac who wants to marry his daughter off to a doctor, so he can get free medical advice. But the daughter doesn't want to cooperate, and by the end the father solves his problem by himself becoming a doctor!


Ooh I love that play, grew up watching it on French TV3 (Comédie-Française production every Saturday) and must get hold of a copy of this opera. Didn't even know it existed.


----------



## Sid James

Mamascarlatti - I envy you for understanding French, because it sounded like a lot of fun. I don't know if it's obscure, but I know that Charpentier probably composed dozens of operas. The radio presenter talked of the composer's rivalry with Lully. Lully apparently made it very hard for this opera to be produced, he constantly sent it back to Charpentier to be revised, again and again. Moliere also apparently died while performing this play. I don't know if I'd buy it, but I want to get something sacred from Charpentier for sure.

St Luke's - the Biber looks interesting, would probably invest in this disc at some stage, I am getting a penchant for requiems, especially the obscure ones...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre, Biber is someone certainly worth exploring. Beyond this Requiem recording (which is very good... and at 81 minutes+ you truly get your money's worth) I would greatly recommend the Salzburg Mass (Missa Salisbugenis):










... which is absolutely magnificent.

You also might be particular taken by Biber's violin concertos. The Rosary (or Mystery) Sonatas especially...










...but this disc is also excellent:










Biber employed strange tunings and dissonant sounds that are shocking for the era. He's one of many Baroque composers (Zelenka, Buxtehude, Lully, Charpentier, Rameau, etc...) that have been largely unknown for far too long.


----------



## Sid James

St Luke's - thanks for the low-down on Biber. I didn't know of his "strange tunings & dissonant sounds." Makes him seem to be very interesting. All of your discs are tantalising, but I think I might go for the _Requiem_ first, then the last violin sonatas disc. I like how he uses the lute, which is unusual, perhaps not in his day, but certainly it would be strange today...


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=7741
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/1967


----------



## LazsloPap

Classical Music Sentinel Review

Aamazon


----------



## maestro267

*Mendelssohn* - Symphony No. 2 (Lobgesang)

BBC NCW/NOW, Hickox


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=5526
http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 6652


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 2/1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*Lutoslawski *- Paganini Variations (Bernd Glemser, pno.); Paroles Tissees (Piotr Kusziewicz, ten.); Les Espaces du Sommeil (Adam Kruszewski, bar.); Symphony No. 3 (Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

Apart from the _Paganini Variations_, which is a lighter work, all of the works on this disc are quite intense. Lutoslawski was a master of orchestral colour. The _Symphony No. 3_ begins with a rapid quotation of the theme of the first movement of Beethoven's 5th, and ends with it. In between it is a journey of colour, tension and drama. It's quite a dark work, but Lutoslawski denied any allusions to the rise and crushing of the Polish _Solidarity_ movement, which occured during the ten year gestation of the work, up to the early 1980's...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bach... and Henryck Szeryng... what's not to love?


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Bach... and Henryck Szeryng... what's not to love?


I have that one as well - wonderful recording. I also have Perlman's recording, but prefer Szeryng.


----------



## Aggelos

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/6...The_Power_of_The_Orchestra-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6107


----------



## Conor71

First listen :


----------



## Whistlerguy




----------



## Guest

Very nice work. I had previously had the Dennis Brain recording of these on EMI, which are wonderful. This has not necessarily replaced that, but the crisper, cleaner sound is wonderful. I'm still not entirely certain what a hornbone is, but a picture on the inside of the instrument played by Lindberg looks a lot like a trombone. Interesting notes inside as well about the discovery of what this instrument looked like based on the finding that a famous painting of Mozart had been tampered with, and underneath it was a picture of the hornbone. I don't know enough to verify how accepted this story is, but whatever. This recording is still highly enjoyable, and makes these concertos fresh and new.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

__
https://flic.kr/p/8f1uHv

A 6th or 7th Goldberg... but you can never have too much Bach, can you? I tend to lean toward the piano for recordings of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, etc... as the harpsichord tends to wear upon my nerves after a while... but this disc is marvelously recorded... avoiding the excessive "jangly" nature of the instrument. Staier also employs a variety of organ-like stops on the instrument in order to bring a greater variety into play. I very much enjoyed this recording.

Damn.!... Flickr has changed its format and I can't figure out how to post a picture from the site.


----------



## Sid James

Last night on 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*CHAMBER SOIRÉE* with Phil Vendy Prepared by Win Thompson

*Hoffmeister, F. *String quartet in D minor, op 14 no 3. 
*Schmitt, F.* Suite en rocaille, op 84 (1937). 
*Bazzini, A. *Three lyric pieces, op 41 (1863). 
*Foote, A. *Piano trio no 1 in C minor, op 5 (1882-84). 
*Beethoven, L.* Trio in G, WoO37 (1786).

I kind of dozed off during the Schmitt & Bazzini, but listened pretty intently to the rest. The Hoffmeister reminded me strongly of Haydn, a contemporary. I'd never heard anything by the American composer Foote, and his work sounded much like Brahms (very Classical-Romantic). Beethoven composed this trio for oboe, bassoon & piano (if I remember correctly?) during his teenage years, and it is a pretty light work.

This morning:

*Janacek* - Choruses for male voices (Moravian Teacher's Choir/Mati) Naxos

This is pretty intense music - there's a lot of speech-song like parts, and also repetition. Some of these texts are taken from traditional folk sources, others from contemporary poets. _"The 70,000"_ is perhaps the most gripping song here, about a miner's strike. It is appropriate that the Moravian Teacher's Choir sing these songs, because this was the ensemble which Janacek composed this music for, 100 years ago. The recording is good, one gets a strong lifelike sense of the bass sounds...


----------



## Conor71

Haydn: String Quartet No. 19 In C Minor, Op. 17/4










On Disc 7 of this mammoth 22 Disc box - really enjoying Haydn's SQ's so far and am glad I decided to invest in this (almost) complete set .


----------



## Aggelos

Love this CD









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2004/Aug04/Bach_conductors.htm


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Concertos 11, 12, 14 & 2 [Disc 2]










Maiden listens


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney (I dipped in & out of a few programs)
www.2mbs.com

*ROMANTIC INITIATIVES* A thoroughly romantic concert with Robert Small

*Tchaikovsky, P.* Violin concerto in D, op 35 (1878). 
*Schumann, R. *Concert piece for four horns and orchestra, op 86 (1849). 
*Dvorák, A. *Symphony no 1 in C minor, [The bells of Zlonice] (1865).

*BAROQUE AND BEFORE *A magnificent burial with Robert Small

*Leclair, J-M.* Deuxième recréation de musique d'une exécution facile composée, op 8 (c1737). 
*Palestrina, G.* da Magnificat anima mea Dominum septimi toni. 
*Corrette, M.* Organ concerto in F, op 26 no 5 (1756).

My first time hearing the Dvorak 1st symphony, and I was surprised that it had no bells in it! It was good to hear the Schumann as well, after many years (decades?). The Leclair seemed to drag on forever, a suite of unending French dances. The Palestrina was a magnificent wall of sound (I must get something like this by him). The Corrette, as presenter Robert Small said, was so outdated, it's not funny. Written in the style of Vivaldi or Corelli at least 50 years after their style had gone out of fashion - but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Later last night:

*Messiaen* - Quartet for the End of Time (Vera Beths, v./George Pieterson, cl./Anner Bijlsma, c./Reinbert de Leeuw, p.) Philips Eloquence (out of print)

Before I used to think that this interpretation of this seminal work was very dark, now I'm beginning to hear it as light. It's interesting how our perception of works/interpretations change over time. I'm very much looking forward to seeing this work played live here in Sydney, by pianist Kathryn Selby and her "Trioz" group with guest clarinettist Cathy McCorkill later on this month...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Mass In B-minor!!!

Absolutely magnificent!!!


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/aug00/bachtranscription.htm

Badassery in here...


----------



## andruini

Been listening to Lepo Sumera's symphonies and a bit of Rautavaara's and I felt like breaking out this lovely set for some great glacial-y music.


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The Mass In B-minor!!!
> 
> Absolutely magnificent!!!


That set is fantastic Stlukes - enjoy! 

Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro - Act: 1










First listen


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

That set is fantastic Stlukes - enjoy!

Yes. I have had Gardiner's St. John Passion and several of the discs of cantatas included in this set (to say nothing of a number of the cantatas recorded as part of his complete sacred cantatas set) for quite some time. Getting all of the major choral works and 10 discs of Bach's cantatas by Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir, and English Baroque Soloists for a little of $35 US was too good of a deal to pass up. Hell, the St. Matthew Passion alone often sells for around the same price.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well... I pretty much have no choice. Living in a large urban American city I am currently being deluged by the continual sound of fireworks being set off by neighbors in celebration of the 4th of July holiday... so what goes better with fireworks than:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Holy Christ!!!

This 1812 Overture nearly blew me out of my chair! No wonder this recording is still so highly acclaimed 50 years after the fact. The sound on this disc is absolutely spectacular.


----------



## andruini

Hindemith: Kammermusik (RCO/Chailly)


----------



## Sid James

On Saturday, I heard a one hour radio program here on 2mbs-fm Sydney devoted to the playing of *Glenn Gould*. He played J.S.Bach, as well as his amazing transcription of Wagner's _Meistersinger Prelude_, a Handel suite for harpsichord (never knew Gould played this instrument as well), and to finish off, Prokofiev's spiky and dissonant 7th sonata...


----------



## Aramis

Glenn Gould's Ludwig Van Piano Sonatas - at the beginning I was like  because of very fast tempos, but now I begin to hear idea behind it. I'm not sure if this will become one of my favourite interpretations but it is surely original and brilliant.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... you might love this one.










Having studied with a pupil of Schoenberg, Giacinto Scelsi became the first Italian composer to employ 12-tone technique... and rapidly rejected it as too restrictive. He was far more inspired by later studies with a disciple of Scriabin and drawn to the spiritual/metaphysical aspects of music as well as Eastern culture: Indian and Chinese art, Zen Buddhism, etc... He was hospitalized for some years after the war as a result of an emotional breakdown, and spent endless hours playing a single note on the piano... and intensely listening. Scelsi was practically unknown until 1987, the year before his death, when the ISCM Festival in Cologne presented a series of concerts of his work.

I'm currently listening to _Four Pieces for Orchestra, each on a Single Note_. The piece employs primarily the lower register instruments: bass clarinet, French horns, bassoon, 4 horns, trombone, tuba, and various percussion. The work is hypnotic... mantra-like... suggestive of some examples of droning Eastern music... but at once clearly Modernist. A fascinating composer.


----------



## World Violist

Well thanks to the above post I'm becoming utterly engrossed in this composer named Scelsi... I've got the first of the four pieces for orchestra up on Youtube right now and all I can say is that it is one of the most profound things I've ever heard. It is one note that is colored purely by orchestration and microtonal fluctuations. I'd actually thought of doing this sort of thing myself, but it seems somebody else has already. No surprise.

Love it! I'm going to keep sifting through these Youtube videos, I think...


----------



## Sid James

Aramis - didn't Glenn Gould omit the repeats in his recordings of the Beethoven sonatas? I read this on the back of a Naxos cd in a shop.

St Luke's - haven't got sound on this computer, but thanks, I'll have to check Sclesi out because I love 12-tone music...

Last night:

*French Organ Music *
Simon Lindley (organ) Naxos

*Guilmant* - Pieces dans different styles pour orgue, Book 4: No. 1. Grand Choeur in D major, "Alla Handel;" Cantilene-Pastorale, Op. 19

*Vierne *- 24 Pieces en stile libre: Berceuse

*Charpentier *- Te Deum, H. 146: Prelude (arr. for organ)

*Langlais *- 3 Meditations 
1. Pater Noster
2. Noel Nouvelet 
3. Veni, Creator Spiritus

*Vierne *- 24 Pieces en stile libre: Epitaph; Stele pour un enfant defunt

*Bonnet *- Romance

*Malengreau *- Suite Mariale

*Boellmann* - Suite Gothique

*Widor* - Organ Symphony No. 5: Toccata

This was an interesting disc, I especially liked the Langlais which seemed very modern and also the Boellmann, a composer who died at a young age. I remember seeing the _Suite Gothique _live at a recital in Sydney's town hall in 1989. I didn't recall the tunes, but I definitely was reminded of the dark atmosphere of this work. & I immediately recognised the Charpentier tune, I don't know where I've heard it (at weddings?) but I've definitely come across it somewhere before...


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2002/Jan02/Symphbaroq.htm









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/nov00/Glieremultiple.htm


----------



## maestro267

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Resurrection')

CBSO/Rattle


----------



## Aramis

> Aramis - didn't Glenn Gould omit the repeats in his recordings of the Beethoven sonatas? I read this on the back of a Naxos cd in a shop.


I didn't notice anything like that in three sonatas that I've listened (Moonlight, Pathetique, Apassionata). There is still No. 9 though.

On-topic:


----------



## Earthling

I'm _very _impressed with the string quartet!


----------



## Earthling

While I'm on a string quartet kick today...


----------



## Sid James

Heard last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*"New Horizons" with Phil Vendy*

*Nilsson, A.* Serenade (2000).
*Raum, E.* Duet and burlesque (2001).
*Karkoff, I.* Recorder concerto (2000).
*Hersch, M. *Symphony no 2 (2001).
*Svoboda, T.* Sonata for Clarinet & Piano, op 167 (2001).
*Current, B. *For the time being (2000).

I had never heard of (or heard music by) these composers before. I really enjoyed Karkoff's Recorder Concerto - two neo-classical sounding outer movements framing a quite wierd & modernistic middle movement (the recorder's range was fully exploited here). Somehow it worked for me. & the Current piece (a Canadian composer - they seem to play many on this program) was pretty wild, dissonant & edgy - just my cup of tea! An interesting program which I listen to almost religiously every week...

Before that:

*Scarlatti, D.* - Stabat mater; Church Sonatas for organ; Salve regina (Hyperion Helios)

One word to describe the_ Stabat mater_: sublime. To me, it seems not to be a very dark work, and is quite laid back, until the final fugal part which is (slightly) more vigorous. The music reminds me of the "static" feel of Messiaen or Arvo Part. I listened to the _Stabat mater_ several times, it really moved me, but the other works on the disc are also pretty good. This label has some excellent choral recordings from all across the spectrum, which I want to get into more.


----------



## Conor71

Schubert: String Trio In Bb Major, D 471
Schubert: String Quintet In C Major, D 956


----------



## maestro267

Mahler - Symphony No. 3 in D minor

CBSO/Rattle

He may be 150, but he doesn't look a day over 51.


----------



## Aramis

Today's Mahler playlist:



















And no to get too monothematic:


----------



## Guest

With all the discussion of Jordi Savall, I decided to put this one at the top of my playlist today:


----------



## mamascarlatti




----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to my Rubbra CDs today... so amazing.


----------



## Sid James

*Last night on radio 2mbs-fm*
www.2mbs.com

*THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA IN CANBERRA* with Belinda Webster

*Bach, J. Christian *Sinfonia concertante in A (1770). 
*Britten, B. *Serenade, op 31 (1943). 
*Sculthorpe, P.* Port Essington (1977). 
*Schubert, F. *Symphony no 5 in B flat, D485 (1816). 
ACO/Carl Pini, lead violin & director

The Britten was the highlight of the program for me. I remember seeing this done live in concert by the ACO in the late '90's (but it wasn't this concert, which was recorded earlier, in the '80's). It such a dark, passionate and engaging work...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just had a number of discs of early music arrive. I just finished giving this a second hearing:










As always, the Hilliard Ensemble is top-notch. The music is quite lovely... but will certainly take several more hearing to even begin to grasp.

Right now I'm giving a first listen to this:










I was quite entranced by what I was able to hear on the samples on Amazon. The concept of the work is quite fascinating: "The music is a combination of _musique concréte_, largely tonal instrumention and vocals. The point of departure for Chansons pour le corps was a series of spontaneous interviews with women on the subject of the female form, which Ferrari recorded in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It's a great image, a young woman out for a Sunday afternoon stroll approached by a man wondering if she might allow him to record her talking about various intimate parts of her body! The interviewees were invited to speak about their eyes, hands, breasts and sex, and those who accepted did so with extraordinary candor. Novelist and radio presenter Colette Fellous was then asked to write texts based on the tapes. These were set for soprano and ensemble and interspersed with extracts from the original interviews. Ferrari states: "…the interpretation of the Chansons could be very simple, in a voice without vibrato, paying special attention to the words and their meaning." (from jazzloft.com)

The resulting music is quite beautiful... at once sensual/sensuous and unnerving... eerie. It also conveys an intense intimacy and eroticism.


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical...8A7222EAA48A68524A98C4B750823C?album_id=72329
http://www.aadl.org/catalog/record/1217195


----------



## Conor71

Haydn: String Quartet No. 49 In B Minor, Op. 64/2, H 3/68










Now listening to Disc 16/22 of this excellent box set.


----------



## Earthling

DrMike said:


> With all the discussion of Jordi Savall, I decided to put this one at the top of my playlist today:


I listened to samples of this and the Haydn's _Last Seven Words of Christ_ last night and yeah-- they are on my list now!


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.atmaclassique.com/En/Albums/AlbumInfo.aspx?AlbumID=352
http://www.yoavtalmi.com/composition.html









http://www.atmaclassique.com/En/Albums/AlbumInfo.aspx?AlbumID=293
http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=10752


----------



## dmg

Up next:










All this talk about Respighi lately is putting me in the mood...


----------



## Earthling




----------



## Conor71

Some eclectic listening this morning - the following Discs + some Xenakis clips (Eonta, Metastasis & Pithoprakta) on YouTube :


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Earthling said:


>


Marvelous recording!

Currently listening to this:


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy, Ravel, Schmitt* - Piano Trios (Joachim Trio) Naxos

There's much variety on this disc. The Debussy has a slightly Romantic feel, and I like the witty scherzo. The Ravel uses pentatonic melodies, but is much more vigorous than his comparatively pallid orchestral music. I'm looking forward to seeing this work played live later this year. The Schmitt is only 3 minutes long, and it has a pared down, minimalistic feel.

Later:

*Messiaen *- Poemes pour Mi / Les offrandes oubliees / Un sourire
(Schwanewilms, Lyon National Orchestra, Markl) 
Naxos

Since I'll be seeing his _Quatour_ live the weekend after next, I thought I'd get into some of Messiaen's other music. I particularly like the song cycle _Poemes pour Mi_, it is so intense, dramatic and dark. The colours in his music are unbelievable...


----------



## Boccherini

Conor71 said:


> Some eclectic listening this morning - the following Discs + some Xenakis clips (Eonta, Metastasis & Pithoprakta) on YouTube :


Oh, what an odd mixture. Second Viennese School + Ligeti and fellow Boccherini.


----------



## hocket

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Currently listening to this:


Gombert at his moody, brooding best. Extraordinarily beautiful and a great performance by the Hilliards. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I do.

I'm currently listning to volumes 7 and 8 of The Cardinall's Music's Byrd Editon and to Johann Paul von Westhoff's sonatas by Les Plaisirs du Parnasse. Westhoff and Walther are well worth checking out if you like Biber (and who doesn't?).


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.mofi.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=72
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/3608


----------



## anshuman

Currently listening to Weber's last sonata for Piano. Melancholic stuff.


----------



## Earthling

Just listening to a little bit before I go to sleep. A superb recording. The only problem is there doesn't actually appear to be a "volume 2." This was recorded in 2007, so maybe that's still in the works. I certainly hope so.


----------



## JMJ

Currently listening to Regions 1 & 2 from Stockhausen's electronic masterpiece _Hymnen_. Mindblowing!


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Joy


----------



## Earthling

Feelin' kinda woody today:


----------



## Conor71

Boccherini said:


> Oh, what an odd mixture. Second Viennese School + Ligeti and fellow Boccherini.


Haha yes - good listening session though! .

Now listening:
Ysaye: Solo Violin Sonatas, Op. 27










Really like these works which I have only gotten to know recently - they make a nice companion for the Bach Solo Violin Sonatas & Partitas .


----------



## Guest

Gabriel Faure's barcarolles. I really like no. 4; I think I'll learn it.


----------



## Sid James

Heard last night on radio 2mbs fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*ROMANTIC INITIATIVES* The good die young with Andrew Bukenya

*Schumann, R. *Requiem; Fantasy in C, op 17 (1836-38).

*Wieniawski, H.* Polonaise in A, op 21 (pub. 1870).

*Nicolai, O.* O süsser Mond, from The merry wives of Windsor (1849).

*Chopin, F.* Sonata in G minor for cello & piano, op 65 (1846); Andante spiniato and Grande polonaise brillante, op 22 (1830-31; 1834).

*BAROQUE AND BEFORE *with Charles Barton

*Corelli, A.* Concerto grosso in F, op 6 no 6 (pub. 1714).

*Handel, G.* Concerto grosso in G minor, op 6 no 6 (1739).

& this morning:

*LANDMARKS* with Ron Walledge

*Strauss, R.* Till Eulenspiegel's merry pranks, op 28 (1895).

*Britten, B.* Four sea interludes, from Peter Grimes, op 33a (1945).

*Mozart, W.* Symphony no 41 in C, K551, [Jupiter] (1788).

*Brahms, J. *Piano concerto no 2 in B flat, op 83 (1881).
*
WINDS OF CHANGE *with Debbie Scholem

*Reicha, A. *18 Variations and a fantaisie on Mozart's Se vuol ballare, op 51 (1804).

*Bach, J.S. *Double concerto in C minor, BWV1060 (1736).

*Beethoven, L.* Quintet in E flat, op 16 (1796).

*Reicha, A. *Symphony in C minor.

- I enjoyed all of these pieces, but the highlight was the Chopin - the cello sonata was excellent, as was the andante spinato. The Bach double concerto is my favourite piece by him, especially the final movement. It was also good to hear the Brahms, which is both lyrical and dramatic in parts...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Earthling said:


> This one's been on my radar for quite some time.
> 
> Currently listening to this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Obviously... I'm on a bit of an "early music" kick lately.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Andre, you really must get sound on your computer. You might find this music to be even further "out there" than a lot of the contemporary work you love. I just finished playing Ligetti's A Cappella Choral Works and while I certainly like a good deal of it... especially the well-known _Lux Eterna_... he almost seems conservative in comparison.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Sergiu Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic

Some people say it's too slow, and I think that statement is utterly ridiculous. Tempo is not a definitive thing, so why quibble about tempo? The point remains that this is a wonderful recording, with simple and effective phrasing, miraculous balance in the orchestra, and a great feeling of being "in the moment." The first movement is gorgeous, working up to a very powerful climax and ending; the second movement receives the heaviest treatment I've ever heard, but it works all the better; and the finale is purely transcendental. I just don't see what people find so wrong with the tempo.


----------



## Aramis

> I enjoyed all of these pieces, but the highlight was the Chopin - the cello sonata was excellent, as was the andante spinato.


Indeed. Too bad that it's so rarely recorded - the only world-famous and legendary performers that I can't think of are du Pre/Barenboim duet.

BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT BARENBOIM COULDN'T PLAY THE PIANO


----------



## JMJ

Stockhausen's Telemusik ... this stuff is just "off the hook" Amazing!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemusik


----------



## Conor71




----------



## mamascarlatti

Don Carlo on NZ Concert Programme

Don Carlo..................... Jonas Kaufmann
Elisabeth....................... Marina Poplavskaya
Rodrigo......................... Simon Keenlyside
Eboli............................. Marianne Cornetti
Philip II......................... Ferruccio Furlanetto
Grand Inquistor............. John Tomlinson
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Semyon Bychkov

I'm in heaven...


----------



## Earthling

Just No. 13 & 8 (it contains the 9th quartet as well). The slowest largo I've heard of the 8th and maybe the most aggressive I've heard of the 2nd movement, grinding, not bowing the strings (this is a pro, not a con!).

Some of the saddest music ever written.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely singer performing a well-chosen collection of German lieder (Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, R. Strauss). My only complaint is that the lyrics are not translated. Still... I look forward to more from Ms. Hateros.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beautiful!


----------



## Sid James

Conor - I've got that Enescu disc & love it! What a contrast from the (kind of) French sounding earlier sonatas to the 3rd which is very Romanian.

St Lukes - yes, I rarely use computers with sound, although occassionally use internet cafes that do have them (but their software is often not updated). Anyway, I know what you mean re choral. I heard some ancient Bulgarian choral music on the radio years back & your comparison with Ligeti applies to that - there was hardly a thing that separated them...

Aramis - yes, Chopin is a composer I want to get into more, particularly his chamber works...

This week, going on a *Messiaen* binge, as will see his _Quartet for the End of Time_ live this coming weekend. I listened to my recording of that on the weekend. Today I will continue with perhaps his grimmest work, the _Vingt Regards_:

Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jesus; 8 Preludes (Beroff) EMI double


----------



## Guest

I'm listening to the 3rd symphonies of Roy Harris and William Schuman. I like both works a lot, but Schuman is the composer I find more broadly appealing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This week, going on a Messiaen binge, as will see his Quartet for the End of Time live this coming weekend. I listened to my recording of that on the weekend. Today I will continue with perhaps his grimmest work, the Vingt Regards:

I love Messiaen myself. I am dying to get his complete organ works on DG. I still laugh, however, at this great classical music guide I had from years ago with the most opinionated critic. He declared that Messiaen was the only composer who ever had made him physically ill. He goes on to admit that he did have 103 fever going into the concert and he had eaten that disgustingly greasy double cheeseburger right before the performance... but he was still certain it was Messiaen! I wonder what he would have made of Ligeti... to say nothing of Stockhausen.


----------



## Sid James

There's also a set of Messiaen's organ works on another label, played by a woman organist who is photographed on the cover with the composer (he was present at those sessions). I think it's on Regis or Alto (?). I plan to get a couple of these, but not the whole set. I think that would be too much for me, though I enjoy this composer quite a bit. I am really looking forward to the recital...

I was reading Norman Lebrecht's article on Messiaen in his _Companion to Twentieth Century music_. He really gets into Messiaen for his religious "dogmatism" (which I can't hear in his music, can you?). & says he put other French composers on a pedestal too much, while on the next page says he was influenced by Stravinsky & Webern. Contradictions galore. That critic you mentioned was not the only one who could be (clearly?) wrong about this genius of C20th music...


----------



## Sid James

*F. Couperin* - Mass for the Parishes; Mass for the Convents (Gillian Weir, organ) Decca Eloquence (2-cd)

Some very relaxing music, but it also has depth. I'm just beginning to get into the organ repertoire, especially French. It has these unique colours which are only comparable to an orchestra.

& continuing my *Messiaen* exploration before I go to the recital of his Quartet on the weekend, I left out listening to his _8 Preludes _yesterday, so will give that a spin (played by Michel Beroff on EMI)...


----------



## Earthling

Andre said:


> & continuing my *Messiaen* exploration before I go to the recital of his Quartet on the weekend, I left out listening to his _8 Preludes _yesterday, so will give that a spin (played by Michel Beroff on EMI)...


*Andre*, hope you enjoy the Messiaen recital (I'm jealous!). I'm a bit touch and go with Messiaen, but I do like the _Quartet_ (the final movement is sublime).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An interesting figure: born in 1939 in Crete, he had access to the immense library of his father where he read on philosophy, history, literature, poetry, religion, and the arts. He listened to classical music as well as the traditional "folk" music of Greece and the greater Mediterranean. He studied at the Athens Conservatory and began composing for the theater and film. With the military dictatorship imposed on Greece in 1967, Markopoulos moved to London. His acquaintance with Janis Cristou and IannisXenakis opened the door to his making contact with the leading musical figures in Britain. In London he composed a cantata on the poetry of Odysseus Elytis and several other pieces based upon Greek themes and traditional Greek music and employing native instruments such as the lyre. He also wrote works clearly geared toward his English hosts such as music for Shakespeare's _Tempest_.

In 1969 he returned to Greece and became a leading figure not only in Greek music, but also in the Democratic movement, the struggle for the return of Democracy being led at the time by students, intellectuals, and artists. Collaborating with young musicians, actors, and singers he staged a series of performances including his music which made further use of traditional Greek themes, rhythms, and instruments... often organized or orchestrated in highly original ways... and often setting the texts of leading Greek writers, such as the Nobel Prize winning poet, George Seferis. Students and leading Greek intellectuals filled his music studios almost daily, in spite of attempts by the regime to shut him down.

He described his musical vision as a "Return to the Roots," rejecting the more esoteric aspects of Modernism that had left much of the populace behind. He sought to construct a new music that might speak to the populace of his beleaguered Greek through the use of elements of traditional classical music, traditional Greek folk music, and elements of Modernism and popular art. In 1976, the entire Panathenean Stadium was filled by the audience for the performance of Markopoulos' setting of the liturgy, _The Free Besieged_, based upon a poem by Dionysius Solomos, the national poet of Greece. At this time the composer began to receive invitations for concerts and to perform around the world: in Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, Canada, Russia, and the United States.

The Liturgy of Orpheus is based upon ancient Orphic poems. The work combines song, chorus, spoken narrative, with the purely instrumental. The work employs elements of traditional Greek music (both from folk and liturgical sources), and especially the use of dance rhythms and the use of percussion. The piece makes extensive use of the lyre and the Greek pipes or flutes. The music is unabashedly tonal... Romantic... with elements almost suggestive of the grandeur or theatricality of some music written for Hollywood epics. With the use of the wealth of melody and driving rhythms and rich orchestration and especially the use of the chorus, the aim of the work is to reinstate the myth of the musician/prophet through engaging of the larger audience. The resulting music is certainly in no way difficult or challenging... but I quite enjoyed the piece... perhaps no less than I might the work of certain other late Post-Romantic composers who brought elements of their own national heritage to play (be it Copland, Barber, Bantock, Moeran, Jose Pablo Moncayo Garcia, Silvestre Revueltas, Daniel Catan, Manuel Ponce, Enrique Granados, etc...). Truly pleasurable... if not earth-shattering or leading to an entire re-evaluation of all you believe about music. But we don't always need that, do we?


----------



## Sid James

Yes, Earthling, I am looking forward to seeing Messiaen's music played live for the first time. The _Quartet for the End of Time_ grabbed me the first time I heard about it in a radio series on C20th music written & narrated by Andrew Ford in the late '90's. I saw a cd of it on sale at my local shopping mall for $10 in about 2000, and got it. It has captivated me ever since, not only for it's use of birdsong, and the way he uses one integrated theme throughout, but also those two slow, repetitive and meditative "eulogies." Since then, I have begun to collect some of Messiaen's other works - song cycles, orchestral and solo piano (& I want to get some of his organ works as well). The recital will feature Beethoven (_Clarinet Trio_), Bruch (_Piano Trio _- I have never heard this), and the Messiaen. Kathryn Selby will be on the piano, Nikki Vasilakis violin, Julian Smiles cello, and Cathy McCorkill clarinet. I'm also going to an orchestral concert on the same day (in the evening), but I will post my impressions of both concerts on the "latest concerts" thread after I see them...


----------



## Conor71

Andre said:


> Conor - I've got that Enescu disc & love it! What a contrast from the (kind of) French sounding earlier sonatas to the 3rd which is very Romanian.


Yes, its a great disc - I have listened to it a couple of times already!. I look forward to getting to know this music a bit better, may give it a spin before I retire for the night .

Now listening:
Mozart: String Quartet No. 4 In C Major, K 157


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Nov01/Homage.htm
http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=5203


----------



## Earthling

I only know Gorecki's _third symphony _and a couple of his _string quartets_, so this was a new treat for me.

Based on just an initial listening, the *Second Symphony ("Copernican") *quite impressive. It is in two movements-- the first movement is a raucous, dissonant mess! (this is not a bad thing!)-- like desperately beating one's head against an indifferent wall. It seems Gorecki was trying to portray the shock and mental revolt against the metaphysical implications of the Copernican revolution. I'd say he did a great job!  There's quite a lot of micropolyphonal textures, but not quite how I've heard Ligeti use them.

The second movement shares some qualities of his more famous _third symphony_, which is more serene and expansive. Its as if the "wall" in the first movement turned out to be dissolved in a sense of newfound awe. The ending is really something to experience.

I think I'll have to follow this up with Stravinsky's _King of the Stars_...


----------



## Conor71

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2


----------



## Sid James

Conor, we seem to be on the same wavelength - I've also got that Villa-Lobos disc. What a journey he presents from the Baroque--minimalistic (?) first Bachianas, to the final one, where I can hear (perhaps) a preoccupation with atonality. I really like this composer, he's one of my favourites.

As for listening lately:

*Heard last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney*
www.2mbs.com

*NEW HORIZONS* with Phil Vendy Prepared by Chris Blower

*Hatzis, C.* Telluric dances (2005). 
*Larsson, L-E. *Seven little fugues with preludes in the old style, op 58 (1969). 
*Shostakovich, D. *Symphony no 15 in A, op 141 (1971).

I had never heard anything from the first two composers before. Hatzis is a Greek-Canadian composer, and this work was basically an oboe concerto. The solo piano work by Larsson, a Swedish composer, had overtones of Bach (obviously). & it was good to hear the Shostakovich 15th symphony after so many years. I heard quotes in it from his 4th symphony, and the changes in mood were very sudden, one minute it was dark, the other it was light.


----------



## Earthling

100% Pure grade A schmaltz and lovin' it!


----------



## Sid James

Yes, Earthling, we need a little sugary schmaltz now and then. I occassionally like to listen to some operetta, like J. Strauss Jnr's _Fledermaus_...

Listening last night and today:

*Shostakovich* - Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit) Naxos

These are two very different concertos. To me, the first is very bitter & dark, the second lighter (in parts, anyway). Shostakovich apparently quoted Stalin's favourite song in the first concerto, but I don't think it was a homage, I think he was being very sarcastic (eg. we had to dance to these tunes of yours). Then in the second concerto, he quotes an Odessa street song. Shostakovich was apparently holidaying in that part of the USSR when he wrote it. I like the way he uses percussion in the second concerto, especially the part where he uses a tambourine as a backdrop to a cadenza by the solo cello. Both of the concertos were written for Rostropovich, whose protege the German Maria Kliegel, plays them on this disc.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen - Die Zauberflote - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.discogs.com/Bach-Cyprien-Katsaris-Bach-Recital-Vol-2-Transcriptions/release/2186443


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Kissin performing Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition on Youtube. It's pretty interesting, and I very much like the performance. I wonder how the Great Gate of Kiev will hold up to Celibidache's performances of the Ravel orchestration...


----------



## Guest

Today is Mahler day, courtesy of Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. Currently, I am listening to the 3rd:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Cage at his most accessible... mellow... beautiful even. I am reminded of Erik Satie and Takemitsu and certain aspects of Minimalism.


----------



## Earthling

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Cage at his most accessible... mellow... beautiful even. I am reminded of Erik Satie and Takemitsu and certain aspects of Minimalism.


Oh, yes, that _is_ a lovely recording! Especially _In a Landscape_, which is very mesmerising (if I recall, the sustain pedal is held throughout). This is the best recording of _In a Landscape_ and _Bacchanale _that I've heard.


----------



## Sid James

*Heard last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney*
www.2mbs.com

*BAROQUE DELIGHTS *with Elaine Siversen

Lavinia Bertoti, soprano / Nicholas Powell, harpsichord (with London Sinfonia in Handel concerto)/ Kate Clarke, baroque flute

*Frescobaldi, G. *Toccata prima (1637); Aria di passagaglia (1630).

*Caccini, F.* Amarilli mia bella (1601).

*Eyck, J. *Amarilli mia bella (pub. 1649).

*Monteverdi, C. *Et è pur dunque vero (pub. 1641).

*Handel, G.* Sonata in B minor, op 1 no 9; Organ concerto no 13 in F, HWV295, [The cuckoo and the nightingale] (1730-48).

*Purcell, H. *The plaint, from The Fairy Queen (1692).

Listening to songs with harpsichord accompaniment was a bit strange at first, but I got used to it at then end. I especially liked the Handel. His sonata sounded similar, in parts, to the water music. The concerto was like a very civil conversation between equals, there was no high drama, bombast or rivalry and I enjoyed that aspect a lot.

& heard this morning:

*DIVERSIONS IN FINE MUSIC *Composer focus with Ron Walledge

*Chausson, E. *
- Soir de fête, op 32 (1898). 
- Four songs, op 8: Nocturne; Love of yesteryear; Sad spring; Our souvenirs (1886). 
- Andante and allegro (1881). 
- Poem, op 25 (1896).

I had not heard much Chausson, except for the famous poem. He was a friend of Debussy, but his style sounded quite different. It seemed to have more in common with other late Romantics of the time like Bruch & Elgar. A tragic bicycle accident ended his life when he was in his 40's.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently... I finally got around to this:










Well worth waiting for. The composition was probably of a communal nature (with multiple composers contributing) although it is in no way an ad hoc assemblage, but rather exudes a strong sense of unity owed in likelihood to the careful editing of a single composer/musician. The work originated at Beauvais Cathedral. The music accompanied the liturgical drama of Daniel believed to have been the invention of a pupil of Peter Abelard. There music employs a broad array of instruments: bells, harps, flute, organ, and percussion. There are elements of plainsong or chant and elements that are far more dramatic and employ driving rhythms rooted in folk music of the era.


----------



## Mariemiller02

he Choir of Guilford Cathedral, and conducted by Sir David Willcocks, on the EMI label. It's getting me into the mood of the season!


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## Sid James

Heard last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*EVENINGS WITH THE ORCHESTRA* Creative links with the New World with David Ogilvie Prepared by Judy Ekstein

*MacDowell, E.* Piano concerto no 2 in D minor, op 23 (1885). 
*Stravinsky, I.* Ebony concerto (1945). 
*Grofé, F.* Grand Canyon suite (1931).

*CHAMBER SOIRÉE *with Phil Vendy Prepared by Sheila Catzel

*Joachim, J. *Variations in E minor (1881). 
*Raff, J.* Octet for strings in C, op 176 (1872). 
*Fauré, G.* Piano quintet no I in D minor, op 89 (1906).

I really enjoyed the Raff Octet, probably just as fine as Mendelssohn's more famous work, very melodious and warm. The MacDowell sounded a bit like Rachmaninov (without the yearning), the Stravinsky was a neo-classical jazzy piece (I don't think Miles Davis would have approved!), and the Grofe was pure dross, marketed for the lowest common denominator, imo.

& my own cd (an out of print one):

*Brett Dean* - Beggars and Angels (Melbourne SO/Markus Stenz)

I'm gearing up to see a Dean piece live this weekend, so thought I'd give this a spin. This was his first large scale orchestral work (from 1999), and it is Mahlerian and Bergian in scope and colour. This was the title of an exhibition that his wife took part in at Berlin. The piece's contrasts between light and dark symbolise the subject matter well. Dean is probably Australia's most eminent composer, and used to be lead violist in the Berlin Philharmonic before he took to composing full time. He lives in Queensland.


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## Conor71

Andre said:


> Conor, we seem to be on the same wavelength - I've also got that Villa-Lobos disc. What a journey he presents from the Baroque--minimalistic (?) first Bachianas, to the final one, where I can hear (perhaps) a preoccupation with atonality. I really like this composer, he's one of my favourites.


Yes its a great set for sure Andre - Ive started to become quite interested in Villa-Lobos now and have ordered his Piano Trios and String Quartets so it should be interesting to hear those as I dont have much modern chamber music in my collection .

Now listening:
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 7 In C Minor, Op. 30/2


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## World Violist

I've been on a bit of a Bernstein kick lately; started reading Jean Peyser's bio yesterday and listening to this today:










Mahler: Complete Symphonies
Bernstein/NYPO/et al

Finished listening to #2 about a half hour ago. Wonderfully inspired performance. Going to listen to #9 later, I think.


----------



## Earthling

Enjoying more Jordi Savall (arrived today by mail): Bach's _Orchestral Suites_-- or, more properly, his _Ouvertures_. These suites have never really been one of my very favourite compositions by Bach, but listening to this recording I think has changed my mind.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Also listening to Jordi Savall... this one an older recording repackaged at a bargain price. I particularly like the second disc which focuses upon Sephardic music... or music of the Jews of Spain prior to the _Reconquista_ of 1492 and the establishment of the Inquisition.


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## StlukesguildOhio

According to Wikipedia: Byzantine music remains the oldest genre of extant music, of which the manner of performance and (with increasing accuracy from the 5th century onwards) the names of the composers, and sometimes the particulars of each musical work's circumstances, are known. The Byzantine Church came into existence in a place in which Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin all rubbed shoulders. Some of this music dates back to as early as the 4th century. It was largely preserved both as passed down from generation to generation orally, but also in a rough form of notation known as Ekphonetic notation, which involved symbols used as a mnemonic device to assist in their cantillation. The music was not set rigidly as in more modern Western music, but rather allowed for a deal of improvisation while adhering to notes within the given mode, metrical scheme, accents, and patterns.

Soeur Marie Keyrouz is virtually unrivaled as a cantor of this ancient music. She was born in Deir el Ahmar in Lebanon and is a member of the Melkite through her religious congregation, she took her vows in the Melkite/Melchite or Byzantine Greek Catholic Church. She has a joint doctorate in musicology and anthropology from the Sorbonne. She has collected and performs a variety of so-called "Oriental" Christian chants, mostly preserved in Greek, Syrian, and Arabic manuscripts and through oral tradition. She is accompanied on this disc by the Chorale De L'église Saint-Julien-Le-Pauvre which provide the steady choral drone over which her voice soars. Not only is this music intensely spiritual... and hypnotic... but the disc is beautifully packaged in a booklet containing the complete texts in translation and a number of lovely reproduction of Byzantine art of the era. Soeur Marie Keyrouz has become something of a "cottage industry" with a high-tech web site of her own:

http://www.keyrouz.com/


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## StlukesguildOhio

I almost forgot what a magnificent and moving piece of music this is... lot having listened to it... or any Brahms for that matter... for quite some time. Of course it holds a special depth of meaning to me, having played it over and over again after my father passed away some years ago. A truly marvelous recording.


----------



## Earthling




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## Earthling




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## Conor71

Earthling said:


>


Cool! - I bought my first Feldman today (his 1st String Quartet) . How was the Rothko Chapel/Why Patterns?.


----------



## Earthling

Conor71 said:


> Cool! - I bought my first Feldman today (his 1st String Quartet) . How was the Rothko Chapel/Why Patterns?.


Yes, I noticed that!  It's sort of middle period Feldman, whereas the string quartet is a later work where he is often obsessed with gradually shifting textures (finding inspiration in ornate Persian rugs)-- sort of like atonal minimalism in slow motion.

_Rothko Chapel _is for an ensemble of solo viola, percussion (woodblocks, vibraphone, tympani, etc.) and wordless chorus. Like much of Feldman's music, its dissonant, though almost entirely subdued. Though it is often focused on texture, it seems more melodic to me (the viola part is so mournful!). The odd surprise is at the end: a brief movement of shimmering vibraphone with a simple tonal melody, bringing in a bit of sunlight.

Why Patterns? is one of his "Persian rug" pieces, though its not one of my favourites of his, scored for flute, glockenspiel and piano-- the music is mostly in a high register and a bit brittle sounding. Of course, I'm sure he intended just that too!

The disc is certainly worth getting for the _Rothko Chapel_ alone however. Reminiscent of Takemitsu's work.


----------



## Conor71

Earthling said:


> Yes, I noticed that!  It's sort of middle period Feldman, whereas the string quartet is a later work where he is often obsessed with gradually shifting textures (finding inspiration in ornate Persian rugs)-- sort of like atonal minimalism in slow motion.
> 
> _Rothko Chapel _is for an ensemble of solo viola, percussion (woodblocks, vibraphone, tympani, etc.) and wordless chorus. Like much of Feldman's music, its dissonant, though almost entirely subdued. Though it is often focused on texture, it seems more melodic to me (the viola part is so mournful!). The odd surprise is at the end: a brief movement of shimmering vibraphone with a simple tonal melody, bringing in a bit of sunlight.
> 
> Why Patterns? is one of his "Persian rug" pieces, though its not one of my favourites of his, scored for flute, glockenspiel and piano-- the music is mostly in a high register and a bit brittle sounding. Of course, I'm sure he intended just that too!
> 
> The disc is certainly worth getting for the _Rothko Chapel_ alone however. Reminiscent of Takemitsu's work.


Thanks for the description Earthling, most interesting, I may have to get this disc! .
Now playing the String quartet for a first listen:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finally got around to picking up Lennie's version of Mahler's First. Quite a marvelous recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## tophtheearthbender

Mozart's Flute and Harp concerto, 2nd movement


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 10
James Levine/Philadelphia Orchestra

Still one of the most devastatingly beautiful recordings I've ever heard.


----------



## Cnote11

I am currently listening to Chopin's Op. 9 Nocturne. Great stuff really.


----------



## Earthling

Not the whole thing, mind you! --just the first half of Book I. I can only take this in small doses.


----------



## shsherm

Beethoven 2nd Rasumovsky Quartet (No. 8). I love that music and the Slava theme which was used by so many composers.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The more I hear by Koechlin, the more I feel he has been grossly underrated.


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## Sid James

Hi Conor, I got that same Feldman cd a few months back, and I like it. It's the only work I have heard from him. I like it's subtlety and understatedness. It would be great (but pretty intense!) to see this work live.

As for my listening:

Last few days have heard some interesting things on radio 2mbs-fm sydney (www.2mbs.com)

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 2

*Bruch* - Double Piano Concerto

*Beethoven* - Missa Solemnis - a performance conducted by the late Sir Charles Mackerras, here in Sydney

*Borodin *- Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (choral version)

*Handel *- Zadok the Priest

Works by *French Baroque composers* - Muffat, Philidor, Couperin, Battistini - from an Australian ABC Classics cd with sopranos Sara Macliver and Taryn Fiebig & Ensemble Battistini (this one might interest St. Lukes or even Harpsichord Concerto, if they haven't heard it already?)

& others...


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## SimonH

Fancied some violin this morning. This is good stuff


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## Sid James

Later on in the evening, I will listen to the following program on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney (www.2mbs.com). I haven't heard any of these works, so it will be an interesting evening.

*KEYBOARD CONTRASTS* with Phil Vendy

*Saint-Saëns, C. *Six études for the left hand, op 135 (1912).

*Alkan, C-V. *Fantasy in A flat for left hand, from Trois grandes études, op 76 (c1838).

*Mozart, W.* Sonata in F, K497 (1786).

*Haydn, J. *Sonata no 51 in E flat, Hob.XVI:38 (1779).

*Korngold, E.* Suite for strings and piano left hand, op 23 (1930).


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## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Jukka-Pekka Saraste/Finnish Radio Orchestra


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## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to audio samples of Gustavo Dudamel's recent recording of the Rite of Spring. It's genuinely shocking in how violent it is. Makes my previous favorite (Boulez on Sony) sound like a pleasant and almost uneventful stroll through the park.


----------



## Guest

My first real taste of Ives.


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## Guest

Listened to this this morning - very soothing and beautiful. I need to look some more into Part's works:









Currently listening to this, after all the discussion on favorite recordings of Bach's Cello Suites:


----------



## Aramis

Rimsky-Korsakow piano concerto.


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## World Violist

My senior recital! It actually isn't that bad, so I'm actually listening to it without too much wincing.


----------



## Head_case

Myaskovsky String Quartets No. IV-VI










This isn't actually the same label/cover as mine: I have the vaunted Russian Discs (Purple cover) set


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## Sid James

Andre said:


> Later on in the evening, I will listen to the following program on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney (www.2mbs.com). I haven't heard any of these works, so it will be an interesting evening.
> 
> *KEYBOARD CONTRASTS* with Phil Vendy
> 
> *Saint-Saëns, C. *Six études for the left hand, op 135 (1912).
> 
> *Alkan, C-V. *Fantasy in A flat for left hand, from Trois grandes études, op 76 (c1838).
> 
> *Mozart, W.* Sonata in F, K497 (1786).
> 
> *Haydn, J. *Sonata no 51 in E flat, Hob.XVI:38 (1779).
> 
> *Korngold, E.* Suite for strings and piano left hand, op 23 (1930).


This was an interesting program. The Saint-Saens & Alkan were works for piano left hand only. The Saint-Saens had a Bach-like feel, and the Alkan was quite dramatic and dark. The complexity of Mozart's sonata for one piano four hands overwhelmed me a bit, but it was in a quite approachable "galant" style. The Haydn was a normal sonata, but here played on clavichord, which I found more listenable than harpsichord. & the Korngold was again for a left hand soloist, it had touches of Debussy (but sounded more conventional) and also sounded quite symphonic and Brahmsian for a quartet work. The amazing thing is that these left hand only works sound so complex and rich, you wouldn't notice that it was for one hand only unless you had been told.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Lovely music and a lovely performance. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get the whole box set rather than buy these one at a time:










Currently listening to Pierre de la Rue and Antoine Brumel. Quite different from the Eton choir book with the high vocals soaring. Here there is quite a bit more use of vocals in the lower register.


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## Conor71

Haydn: "Russian" Quartets, Op. 33


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## StlukesguildOhio

Last Night:












This one absolutely blows my mind... with the high plaintive voice rising above the others in a sweetest/saddest of laments:


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## SimonH

Never even heard of this composer before, but I've already listened to 'Singuliere' twice. Good stuff.


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Earthling

These are some of Takemitsu's last works. _Tree-Line _and _Water-Ways _are particularly memorable. If you like Messiaen or Feldman, then Takemitsu is probably worth checking out.


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## Earthling




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## Sid James

*Boulez*
- Sur Incises (1996-98) for 3 each of pianos, harps, percussionists
- Messagesquisse (1976-77) for cello soloist & 6 cellos
- Anthèmes 2 (1997) for violin & electronics 
Soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain / Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello / Ensemble de violoncelles de Paris / Hae-Sun Kang, violin / Pierre Boulez
(Deutsche Grammophon)

I had been eyeing this disc for a while, and bought it this week. I really wanted to get into Boulez, but buying the piano sonatas 3-6 months ago was not the best start. Those pieces are known (and feared by pianists) for their complexity and uncompromising qualities. Not so for these chamber & electroacoustic works. There is quite a bit of dissonance there, but there is also much poetry and even lushness.

_Sur Incises_ is the longest and most complex music of the set. It is fascinating how all of the nine players interact in this complex web of counterpoint. Parts of it remind me of Bartok or Stravinsky, parts of Messiaen or even Dutilleux. _Messagesquisse_ is a very short suite for cellos, and is quite listenable. I like how Boulez uses not only the low registers of the cellos, but is unafraid to use the higher registers as well. & I really like _Anthemes 2_. The violin sometimes plays on it's own, sometimes as a part of a virtual quartet of violins, sometimes as part of an "orchestra." There are parts that could only be realised by the use of electronics, there is a pizzicato part towards the middle which could obviously not be done by human hands, it's too fast.

I'm really happy with this purchase, and intend to use it as a springboard into more of Boulez's music sometime down the track...


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## StlukesguildOhio

A good many years ago... when I first began to explore classical music... I had a recording of Mahler's 3rd on cassette tape... but for whatever reason I never got around to getting it on disc... although I have all of the other symphonies... some in two or three versions. As such I haven't heard this in years... and so it is good to discover it again... under the baton of Boulez:


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## tgtr0660

A majestic cycle. Currently on number 5. My only complain is that he doesn't do the repeats on the first movements. Other than that, an amazing experience.


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## World Violist

Boulez: Pli selon Pli (the Sony recording, from the box set)

I find this piece a lot more enjoyable than I used to. As in, this is the first time I've been able to listen through the entire work... and I've actually enjoyed it. A lot.


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## Conor71

Lovely!


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## Sid James

Yesterday night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*CHAMBER SOIRÉE* with Pat Hopper Prepared by Judy Ekstein

*Hummel, J.* Piano trio no 5 in E, op 83 (pub. 1819).
*Herzogenberg, H.* Trio in D, op 61 (1889).
*Beethoven, L.* Sonata no 9 in A, op 47, [Kreutzer] (1803).
*Janácek, L. *Quartet no 1 (1924).

& later on tonight:

*ROMANTIC INITIATIVES *The innovators with Elaine Siversen

*Gluck, C. *Suite from Don Juan (1761); Chè farò senza Euridice? from Orpheus and Eurydice (1762); Dance of the furies, from Orpheus and Eurydice.
*Field, J. *Nocturnes (1812): no 1 in E flat; no 2 in C minor; no 3 in A flat.
*Beethoven, L. *Triple concerto in C, op 56 (1803-04); To the distant beloved, op 98 (1816).
*Lanner, J.* Pesther-Waltzer, op 93 (1834); Evening star waltz, op 180 (1841).
*Strauss, J. I* Philomel waltz, op 82.

*BAROQUE AND BEFORE* with Andrew Bukenya Prepared by Elaine Siversen

*Rameau, J-P.* Suite from Dardanus (1739).
*Couperin, F. *The French, from The nations (1726).
*Chambonnières, J. de* Suite no 3 in D minor.
*Attaingnant, P. *Bransles de Bourgogne.
*Corbeil, P. de *The fool's service and the donkey Mass.


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## StlukesguildOhio

In 2000... the 250th anniversary of J.S. Bach's death, the International Bach Academy of Stuttgart commissioned new settings of the 4 passion narratives of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These commissions went to four very different contemporary composers: Wolfgang Rihm, Sofia Gubaidulina, Tan Dun, and Osvaldo Golijov:





































I have owned _Tan Dun's Water Passion_ After St. Matthew for some 4 or so years now. It is a strange... yet somehow compelling work. The other three have been on my wish list for a good length of time now. Today my copy of Golijov's _La Pasión según San Marcos_ arrived and I have been giving it a first listen. Where Tan Dun's effort was decidedly challenging and at times difficult, Golijov's work is clearly populist... employing the rhythms, joyful choruses, language (it is largely in Spanish... with some Latin passages) and instrumentation of Latin American Music. Golijov argues that Christ was a man of the people... a man of the streets... and should be presented in decidedly populist manner. He stages the entire drama within a contemporary Latin-American setting that displays his affinity with the music of this aspect of his heritage far more than any other work that I have heard by the composer (and I have some 4 or 5 of his compositions). The composer employs three choirs and suggests that he imagines them as being based upon South American Easter processionals rooted in the Latin American synthesis of Catholicism and the Yoruba religion brought by African slaves. He intends something connoting the rituals and joyful processions coming from various villages as opposed to the Protestant tradition of somber meditation. The initial effect is somewhat disconcerting... as if the take on the most sacred of narratives was almost blasphemous. But the music is also very effective. I was especially moved by the aria, Colorless Moon (Aria of Peter's Tears). The journey to Golgotha and the crucifixion are accompanied by a raucous joyful chorus that at once suggest the mockery of Christ's tormentors... but also the joy of the believers who celebrate the crucifixion as the penultimate event in the life of Christ and ultimately humanity. This is followed by a more mournful, wailing cry of "Elohi, Elohi, Lama Shabachtani" in the final movement, _Kaddish_, a haunting Prayer for the Dead sung in Christ's own language of Aramaic.

This particular recording comes complete with a DVD recording of a 2008 live performance of the work in Holland.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Villa-Lobos' symphonic poem, Forest of the Amazon originally began as music composed for the Hollywood Film, _Green Mansions_. Villa-Lobos' relationship with Hollywood was rocky from the start as they suggested that he need not orchestrate his music as they had plenty of professional Hollywood orchestrators who would do that for him. Villa-Lobos insisted that he orchestrate his own own music. When the composer attended the premier of the film he was aghast to discover that the music had been entirely altered. There were moments taken from his score... but the whole was essentially little more than a pastiche of his score composed by Bronislau Kaper.

Villa-Lobos returned to the score and expanded upon it, adding and overture and deciding that the closing tune should be an actual song. To this end, his friend, the poet Dora Vasconcellos wrote four new lyrics that Villa-Lobos would set as the four songs within the expanded score that was re-imagined as conveying various aspects of the Amazon rain forests: Amazon Indians, lush vegetation, the songs of birds, a forest fire... even headhunters.

The music is exquisitely lush and clearly rooted in Romanticism... there are passages that clearly remind the listener of American composers of the era such as Copland or Virgil Thompson as well as of Hollywood film scores... even to the point of the orchestration... and one wonders about the studio's decision to have the original Villa-Lobos score rewritten. Of course there are also with elements of Latin-American rhythms and musical themes. Some passages bristle with excitement and explosive drama while others convey a slowly swaying sensuality. The latter is especially true of the songs... which are surely made all the more rich and sensuous thanks to the voive of Renee Fleming.



Too bad our beloved member Mirror Image went and got himself banned before he enjoy witnessing me gushing forth upon his current love: Latin-American music.:lol2:


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## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...Too bad our beloved member Mirror Image went and got himself banned before he enjoy witnessing me gushing forth upon his current love: Latin-American music.:lol2:


Yes, it is ironic that a year ago he described Villa-Lobos as "terrible" and now he has obviously changed his mind. But anyway, people change, that's ok.

I did see that recording in the store, but didn't buy it as I have quite a bit of Villa-Lobos already. He's one of the top composers (by number) in my small collection.

I would really like to see Villa's music done live here in Sydney. I will be seeing Piazzolla's Piano Trio "The Four Seasons" next year with Kathryn Selby's "Trioz" group (he seems to be the flavour of the moment). I only heard of a performance at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music up in Townsville of something by Villa-Lobos, but I'm not THAT obsessed by going to concerts, I wouldn't travel that far to see his music done live (but, of course, there was plenty of other good stuff on offer at that festival)...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yes, it is ironic that a year ago he described Villa-Lobos as "terrible" and now he has obviously changed his mind. But anyway, people change, that's ok.

Before he recently left Bright Cecilia for other grounds more amenable to his tastes for Romanticism and Post-Romanticism (too many fans of Baroque, Renaissance, and Medieval music for his tastes) he came around on Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg and began spouting forth like the recently converted. What made him hard for many to stomach was the fact that he pontificated like a long-term aficionado, when the reality is that he had only started listening to classical music a couple of years ago. He just had the seemingly endless financial resources to buy just about every performance of every piece of music by every composer of the eras of his choice. I can barely keep up with my own purchases... I can't imagine buying 3 or 4 or 5 versions of nearly every piece of music. I have maybe 3 pieces of music that I have 5 recordings of: the Goldberg Variations, The Well Tempered Clavier, and Beethoven's 9th... and all are among my absolute favorite works.


----------



## Sid James

Yes, I don't like it if people say "THIS is the best version" of something. I don't care if they've heard 10 versions or something, the whole exercise is highly subjective. They are setting themselves up as self appointed "experts" when, let's face it, the music scholars are the real experts (& even their opinions often should be taken with a huge grain of salt, imo). I'd personally get bored by listening to more versions repeatedly, but listening to them on the radio or going to live concerts to hear music I know being played is good. I'm not obsessed with 10 different interpretations, I know each has limitations, I'm more interested in the music itself.

I think it's ok if people change their tastes, we all do as we develop, but we all have much to learn. No-one is an "expert" on anything around boards like this. People may be highly familiar with or passionate about a particular area of music, but that doesn't mean they are "experts." It just means that they like certain types of classical music more than they like others, and they have invested more time (& money?) in exploring that repertoire. Their knowledge may be wide-ranging in a certain niche, but their opinion is no more valid than someone who doesn't have the same passion for the same field. I don't like when people preach or pontificate to others about what is or isn't "the BEST" (if I wanted that, I'd go to church)...

Bought today & listening to:

*Handel *

Italian Cantatas: 
O come chiare e belle; 
Clori, mia bella Clori; 
Amarilli vezzosa 
(Patrizia Kwella, sop. / Gillian Fisher, sop. / Catherine Denley, cont. / London Handel Orch. / Denys Darlow, cond.) 
Hyperion Helios


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I will say that while I agree that all opinions are ultimately subjective, there are some opinions that are better than others... and experience... having invested a degree of time and effort and even money into understanding and appreciating a given field does lend greater credence to one's opinion. Still... even "expert" opinions disagree. It would be easy to shop for classical music if all the experts were in complete agreement as to which performance of a given work is unrivaled. Only a few performances such as Kleiber's 5th or Callas' _Tosca_ seem to even approach such.

Admitting to the disagreements among "experts"... I might suggests that this brings us back to the questions of contemporary music, John Cage, etc... where contrary to the suggestions of some, there is still a great deal of debate even among experts as to the merits of given composers or specific works... but that is perhaps best left for another thread.


----------



## Sid James

Well, I only say this because I've often bought discs which were poo-pooed on sites like classicstoday.com, but I actually think they were pretty good performances (after listening & getting to know them, of course, as is the usual thing with me).

& talking about "great" performances, I just heard one which can probably be described as such on the radio this morning:

*Schubert* - Symphony No. 9 "Great" (VPO/Solti)

& also, the *Boccherini *_Cello Concerto No. 9 in B flat_, which the presenter said was cobbled together from the composer's other works in the genre by another composer? Anyway, I hadn't heard it in years, and it was good to hear. Then:
*
Britten, B. *Prelude and dances, from The Prince of the Pagodas (1957) - I dipped in and out of this (was doing other things), but it was an interesting piece. Sounded quite traditional, underneath all the surface spikiness. This was only a 45 minute excerpt, the whole ballet lasts more than 2 hours...


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## World Violist




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## Earthling

World Violist said:


>


Ha! Got worked up talking about that with DrMike, eh?  _Spiegel im Spiegel_ is a lovely piece.

Listened to this earlier today:


----------



## Guest

My new obsession is getting to know the works of Arvo Part. I listened to the Te Deum and Berliner Messe earlier, and continue to enjoy his works. Now this work. 1 track on the album, over an hour long. This isn't so much music to be listened to as music to be wrapped up in, like a warm blanket, or immersed in.

World Violist: I have the Alina on reserve at the library to check out. The review I read of it at ClassicsToday kind of makes me wary, but with all that I have heard thus far, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.


----------



## Sid James

& another great choral work (of times gone by?)

*Rossini *
Petite messe solennelle. 
RIAS Kammerchor/Marcus Creed

Just listened to the Kyrie - wow, the piano opening sounds so modern (reminds me of Carmina Burana). The harmonium gives it this southern European, relaxed feel. I just borrowed this cd from my local library, as I will go to a performance of the work here in Sydney in October. So I want to acquaint myself with it well before. I'm really looking forward to getting to know this work & then going to the concert.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second hearing... of a truly lovely disc.

Earlier today I spent time browsing YouTube for videos of Modern/Contemporary music that I might wish to explore further.


----------



## Earthling

DrMike said:


> World Violist: I have the Alina on reserve at the library to check out. The review I read of it at ClassicsToday kind of makes me wary, but with all that I have heard thus far, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.


Just a warning about that ECM recording: the actual original piano piece, Fur Alina is actually only about 3 minutes in length-- on this ECM recording, it is repeated several times, and there are two recordings of that piece (roughly ten minutes each). There are three different recordings of Spiegel im Spiegel (two for violin and piano, one for cello and piano). The tracks are then put in a symmetrical format:

_1. Spiegel im Spiegel (violin & piano)
2. Fur Alina (several repeats) 
3. Spiegel im Spiegel (cello & piano)
4. Fur Alina (several repeats)
5. Spiegel im Spiegel (violin & piano)​_Each track is roughly 10-11 minutes in length.

Classics Today may give a negative review of the album, but *if* their review is justified, it isn't necessarily Part's fault, but ECM's-- because of this peculiar format.

Still, this particular disc contains the best recording of _Spiegel im Spiegel_ I've heard, which is a beautiful piece. The structure is so simple and obvious, but that's precisely why it is so beautiful. Alexei Lubimov has done a recording of Fur Alina that is only a mere 3 minutes and makes more sense that way IMO.


----------



## SimonH

In preparation for my trip to the proms.


----------



## Earthling




----------



## Jiyangc

Rachmaninov and Franck Cello Sonatas
Isserlis/Hough

Perhaps the best recording of a cello/piano collaboration I have ever heard, and definitely a top 10 desert island CD.

--
JC
http://www.jiyangchen.com


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 16 In D Major, K 451
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 18 In Bb Major, K 456
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 19 In F Major, K 459


----------



## mamascarlatti




----------



## Sid James

Tonight on radio 2mbs-fm
www.2mbs.com

*KEYBOARD CONTRASTS* with Tony Immerglück

*Bach, J.S. *Suite no 1 in D minor, BWV812 (c1722).
*Debussy, C. *Suite bergamasque (1901).
*Brahms, J.* Piano trio no 3 in C minor, op 101 (1886); Intermezzo no 3 in C sharp minor, op 117 (1892).
*Rameau, J-P.* Excerpts from Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin (c1728).
*Chopin, F. *Sonata no 3 in B minor, op 58 (1844).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 22:

Cantatas-
BWV 106- Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit
BWV 118- O Jesu Christ, mein's Lebens Licht
BWV 198- Lass, Furstin, lass noch einen Strahl


----------



## Guest

I enjoyed "Miserere" but have to say that "Sarah Was Ninety Years Old" left me not nearly so impressed. The lengthy periods of the drum pounding got rather monotonous, and I found myself tuning out frequently (especially given that it is 25 minutes long). Not my favorite Part album thus far.

Now I am listening to:


----------



## Conor71

mamascarlatti said:


>


I own that one too - thats a really nice recording I think .

Now playing:
Villa-Lobos: Piano Trio No. 1, W 42
Villa-Lobos: Piano Trio No. 3, W 142










First listen to this newly arrived disc - very good! .


----------



## Sid James

*Tonight on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney*
www.2mbs.com

*NEW HORIZONS Angels in flight* with Robert Small

*Hatzis, C. *Pyrrichean dances (2001).
*Connesson, G. *Aleph: A glimmer in the age of darkness (2005-09).
*Meale, R. *Cantilena pacifica (1980).
*Mozetich, M.* Angels in flight (1987).
*Dallapiccola, L. *Dialogues (1960).


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Sandor Varess -

a student of Bartok (for piano); Kodaly (for composition) and Lajtha (folk research) - his intense and small string quartet output is fascinating:


----------



## Guest

Going with some of Bach's Cantatas today. Very refreshing and beautiful sound. Suzuki is becoming one of my top conductors for Bach.


----------



## hocket

Gorgeous disc, and very different to Savall's superb efforts with Saint Colombe.


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 18]
Haydn: String Quartet No. 56 In Eb Major, Op. 71/3, H 3/71
Haydn: String Quartet No. 57 In C Major, Op. 74/1, H 3/72
Haydn: String Quartet No. 58 In F Major, Op. 74/2, H 3/73

Now well on my through a second listen to this set - it will still take many more listens before I become familiar with these quartets! .


----------



## graaf




----------



## Conor71

Villa-Lobos: Piano Trio No. 1, W 42
Villa-Lobos: Piano Trio No. 3, W 142
Villa-Lobos: Cello Sonata No. 2, W 103
Villa-Lobos: Piano Trio No. 2, W 105

Pretty easy listening these - Nice .


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 2]
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 3, W 112
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 8, W 446
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 14, W 519

First listen to these quartets - the first Disc in this new set was excellent so I am looking forward to exploring these works .


----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Das Rheingold
Solti/VPO et al.

I've got a new MP3 player and so I'm going to play the whole Ring cycle on it between today and tomorrow.


----------



## Guest

So I got this from the library yesterday. My initial thoughts:
Spiegel im Spiegel is simply beautiful. Simple. Beautiful. 
Fur Alina is nice as well, but at first listen it didn't have the impact on me that Spiegel did.

I'm not quite sure why it was recorded this way. It is a very repetitive recording. I'm sure that multiple listens will reveal subtle differences, but it seems to be needlessly repeated.

Still, though, it is a very lovely recording. I will have to buy this one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A first listen. Quite a strong piece.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to:

*"American Clarinet"* (EMI American Classics)

*Elliott Carter:* Clarinet Concerto (1996); Gra - for solo clarinet (1993)
*Steve Reich:* New York Counterpoint (1985)
*Howard Sandroff: *Tephillah, for clarinet and electronics (1997)
*John Adams:* Gnarly Buttons, for clarinet and small orchestra (1996)
(I. The Perilous Shore - II. Hoedown (Mad Cow) - III. Put your loving arms around me)

This is an interesting disc. The Carter concerto has the colour & intensity of Varese. Parts of Reich's work for "live" and recorded clarinet, make me think of Copland on speed! The Sandroff is a work that uses improvisation & chance, a la John Cage. & the John Adams is the most conventional sounding work, with a concluding ballad that reminded me of Ravel a bit. It includes a prominent part for banjo...


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> So I got this from the library yesterday. My initial thoughts:
> Spiegel im Spiegel is simply beautiful. Simple. Beautiful.
> Fur Alina is nice as well, but at first listen it didn't have the impact on me that Spiegel did.
> 
> I'm not quite sure why it was recorded this way. It is a very repetitive recording. I'm sure that multiple listens will reveal subtle differences, but it seems to be needlessly repeated.
> 
> Still, though, it is a very lovely recording. I will have to buy this one.


This is rather interesting; I've always preferred Fur Alina over Spiegel.

As for me, I'll be not listening to Wagner as planned (I always tend to give up on full Wagner operas; dunno why), but Bruckner, namely the 4th symphony by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Philharmonic.


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to the end of Mahler's second symphony, Bernstein's lesser-known London recording/performance. Simply overwhelming; must get the CD.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Conor71

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, BWV 1052
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 2 In E Major, BWV 1053
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 In D Major, BWV 1054

First listen to this recently arrived Disc.


----------



## Sid James

First listenings:

*Langgaard* - Symphonies 15 & 16, etc. (Dausgaard) Da Capo

Boring, cliched, predictable, bland, derivative - I could go on but I won't. I'm not surprised this guy felt alienated by the musical establishments in Europe - this music sounds so outdated, it was written in the 1940's & '50's & sounds as if it came from the late C19th (R. Strauss & Wagner easily come to mind, but he didn't have their facility or naturalness). A waste of money, I might even try taking it back to the store.

*"Minimalism"*
*Steve Reich: *Vermont Counterpoint; Eight Lines; New York Counterpoint; Four Organs
*Philip Glass :* Facades; Company
(EMI American classics)

By contrast, a very enjoyable disc. I especially like Reich's _Four Organs_, as I have been getting into some of the organ repertoire lately. In this work, Reich repeats the same phrase over and over again (for about 25 minutes), but by playing the notes longer and longer, it gets more and more hypnotic. Just proves that it's probably not the material that you have that really matters, it's what you do with it. To me, Glass's works here are much darker, but I love them, especially the saxophone playing against the shifting background of the strings in _Facades_. It reminds me of clouds moving slowly.


----------



## Guest

This morning I wanted some Haydn, and I haven't given this oratorio as much attention as I have his Creation. What a wonderful work, and Jacobs shines, as ever. Later, I think I'll take a turn to something a little more "dense" with this:


----------



## Conor71

Good morning  - some Violin Concertos to start the day then moving on to some chamber music later.

Barber: Violin Concerto
Korngold: Violin Concerto
Elgar: Violin Concerto
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## World Violist

I've got a free download to listen to: Bruckner's 8th symphony: the Nagoya University Orchestra conducted by Takashi Asahina in 1976. Can't wait!


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Much solo piano:
just finished Art Tatum 1945-47 V-discs of American standards
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Tatum-194...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280680794&sr=1-6

Now, Gould Beethoven Op. 31
http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...r_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280680880&sr=1-19

Then, Smith Chopin Mazurkas
http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Mazurk...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280680932&sr=1-1


----------



## World Violist

Lassus conducted by Herreweghe.


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 1]
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, BWV 1052
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 2 In E Major, BWV 1053
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 In D Major, BWV 1054
[Disc 2]
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 In A Major, BWV 1055
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 In F Minor, BWV 1056
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 6 In F Major, BWV 1057
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 7 In G Minor, BWV 1058

First listen to Disc 2 of this set - these works are excellent!, most enjoyable .


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 4]
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 2, W 100
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 12, W 496
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 16, W 526

Slowly working my way through this so far excellent set  - First listen to this Disc.


----------



## Sid James

First listen:

*Ives *- Songs; Sets for chamber orchestra; From the Steeples and Mountains; etc. (Marni Nixon, sop./John McCabe, pno./Henry Herford, bar./Ensemble Modern/Ingo Metmacher) EMI

I exchanged this disc at the store for Langgaard's _Symphonies 15 & 16,_ which I was not very happy about. Anyway, Ives very much looks forward in these works, written between 1900 and 1920. There is a huge variety of moods and contrast between lyricism and sometimes quite brutal dissonances in this music. The songs are some of the most expressive I have ever heard (Marni Nixon sings them in a classic 1967 recording). The other half of the disc has Ives' sets for chamber orchestra. _From the Steeples and Mountains _starts of with what sounds like church bells, but towards the end of the 3 minute piece you could also imagine you're in a factory or something (a la Varese?). The last work on the disc, the _Set for Theater or Chamber Orchestra_, is pretty amazing. In these three movements, Ives basically predicts the major developments in classical music of the C20th - from atonality, to "Americana," to static non-goal oriented music to minimalism. I'm slowly getting into Ives as a local chamber orchestra here (the Bourbaki Ensemble) have featured him as their composer of the year. I went to a concert of theirs in july were they played the 3 minute _Hymn _which was pretty amazing, and in December they will play a longer work, which I am also looking forward to. But I want to immerse myself in some of this guy's music to be better prepared. I've got 3 discs of his music so far (this one, the_ Piano Sonata No. 1_ & _Three Page Sonata _& _Symphony No. 1_ & _Emerson Concerto_) and want to collect more gradually.


----------



## World Violist

Arvo Part's Passio again; the Naxos recording with the Tonus Peregrinus ensemble (and all this time I though it was a PERSON's name until I actually read about it in the stupid liner notes...).


----------



## World Violist

Arvo Pärt: In principio
Tonu Kaljuste, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra

Despite my first rather negative reaction to this album, I actually really like it now that I'm listening to it with a different perspective. The first piece, the titular In principio, I now find remarkably dramatic as opposed to the woodenness I saw on my first hearing. True, it has self-imposed limits that some may find a bit stupid (such as the choir singing only one chord for the entire first movement), but looking beyond that and listening in the way one would listen to it in an actual concert proves this to be very potent music, not least because of the extraordinary performance of the ensembles involved.

La Sindone is definitely my favorite piece in this album, and one of my highlights through all of Pärt's oeuvre that I've yet heard. The thematic relations in this piece, while conventional, are executed with such grace and confidence that I immediately fell in love with the piece.


----------



## Guest

I have three recordings I plan to listen to throughout the day, in no particular order:

























World Violist - I notice you are listening to a lot of Part lately - did I inspire you to put him at the top of your playlist?


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> World Violist - I notice you are listening to a lot of Part lately - did I inspire you to put him at the top of your playlist?


In some ways, yes you did. Although lately I've also been coming back to Franco-Flemish Renaissance music for no immediately apparent reason, so that would also contribute to an explanation. Take however much credit you want, I don't mind.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

World Violist - I notice you are listening to a lot of Part lately

I was about to say the same thing. Don't get me wrong... as a lover of medieval and choral music I cannot help but admire Part. How much have you explored by those around him of a similar ilk: Gorecki, Silvestrov, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Veljo Tormis, John Tavener, Tarik O' Regan, James MacMillan... maybe even Scelsi, Jonathan Harvey, and Per Norgard?


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> World Violist - I notice you are listening to a lot of Part lately
> 
> I was about to say the same thing. Don't get me wrong... as a lover of medieval and choral music I cannot help but admire Part. How much have you explored by those around him of a similar ilk: Gorecki, Silvestrov, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Veljo Tormis, John Tavener, Tarik O' Regan, James MacMillan... maybe even Scelsi, Jonathan Harvey, and Per Norgard?


I haven't heard much of Gorecki, though I've heard and admired what I've heard of his third symphony on Youtube. Tüür I've always been very fond of, and Scelsi is fascinating to me. Other than that, I haven't heard much of any of the above. I just feel like Part's music is something different than a lot of what is being written lately, so I listen to it and like it... apparently recently more than usual.


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to this Philip Glass piece on NPR called "The Hours." I don't like it terribly much; there's just too much of it.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Conor71

[Disc 1]
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 13 In A Major, D 664
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 7 In Eb Major, D 568
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 9 In B Major, D 575

First listen from this recently arrived set .


----------



## Sid James

First listens:

*Widor *- Organ Symphonies 1 & 2
Joseph Nolan, organ of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
ASV

This is the first time that I have heard any of Widor's solo organ symphonies in full, up until now I'd only heard extracted movements. These are quite modern in the way that the organist (literally?) doesn't pull out all the stops until the final movements. They both start off with slow movements, but the 1st is slightly more vigorous and the 2nd is very lyrical. Highlights are the famous March Pontificale (5th movt.) of the 1st symphony, which conjures up images of a church procession, and the finale (Allegro) of the 2nd symphony, which reminds me of J.S. Bach. This recording has a lovely acoustic, even if you turn the music down pretty low, you can still hear all of the details.

*Virgil Thomson *- Suites from The Plow that Broke the Plains, Louisiana Story & Power Among Men
New London Orchestra/Ronald Corp
Hyperion Helios

I particularly enjoyed the first suite from Louisiana Story. It is quite evocative and atmospheric, but not overladen with obvious imagery, Thomson lets the music speak for itself. The first few movements are quite tranquil and calm (idyllic but not idealised), and I especially like the fugal ending, and how Thomson uses the brass in particular reminds me of how Vaughan Williams did a similar thing in the conclusion of his 4th symphony. There is a long drum-roll at the end which is really dramatic.


----------



## Guest

A couple of CDs I picked up at the library. I have already listened to this:








I'm still not quite sure what I think of Messiaen. I have listened to this before:








And while I don't find much enjoyment in either of these works, still there is something there that has drawn me in a bit more than Schoenberg.

Now I am listening to this:








Who couldn't use some more violin concertos in their life? I am thus far enjoying this CD, which I grabbed off the library shelf on a whim - up until now, I have heard his Carnival of the Animals, and, I believe, a Piano Trio.


----------



## mamascarlatti

I'm not usually a great fan of Cecilia Bartoli's but she excels in this virtuosic repertoire.


----------



## jhar26

I listened to quartets Nos.7 and 15. In fact I listened to No.7 twice. A real masterpiece in my opinion. But this whole set is jaw dropping. Must be one of the greatest string quartet cycles of the 20th century.


----------



## World Violist

To my surprise, I decided to put this on:










Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
David Zinman

My favorite Beethoven symphony, given a very light and punchy account. I like it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sheeesh!!! This disc is now selling for $185 on Amazon!!


----------



## World Violist

Celibidache's Berlin Bruckner 7th


----------



## World Violist

...and back to Arvo Part's Passio.


----------



## Sid James

DrMike said:


> A couple of CDs I picked up at the library. I have already listened to this:


I saw Messiaen's Quartet live recently here in Sydney. A very profound experience. It's really the type of work that you have to see live to actually experience fully. I also like Vingt Regards, but (because of it's length), going to a recital of that would just be overload (but I would'nt turn a thing like that down)...


----------



## jhar26

Just listened to Gubaidulina's "The Canticle of the Sun." Unfamiliar territory for me, but I like it a lot more than I had expected I would.


----------



## Conor71

jhar26 said:


> I listened to quartets Nos.7 and 15. In fact I listened to No.7 twice. A real masterpiece in my opinion. But this whole set is jaw dropping. Must be one of the greatest string quartet cycles of the 20th century.


I am exploring this set at the moment too and agree that it is an awesome SQ cycle .

Now listening:










[Disc 2]
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 16 In A Minor, D 845
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 17 In D Major, D 850, "Gasteiner"


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Sid James

*Handel *- Messiah, highlights
Annon Lee Silver (sop.); Patricia Payne (contr.); Wynford Evans (ten.); Alan Opie (bass bar.) / Little Symphony & Ch. of London / Arthur Davison
MFP LP (1968)

I just got this LP for $2. This is one of the chamber versions of the _Messiah_. I especially like the intimacy and bass baritone Alan Opie's "And the trumpets shall sound" is a highlight. I am looking forward to seeing this work done live here in Sydney in December, so preparing a bit...


----------



## Chris

I've just listened to Mozart's very first piano concerto on the radio; op. 37, written aged 11. Quite impressive but not really his music, he took existing pieces by two other composers and reworked it.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

I picked up Hurwitz' guide to Mahler's symphonies, and am starting to listen again to his symphonies while reading it to learn more about them. I will be completely honest here and show how much of a Mahlerian neophyte I am and say that I did not realize that the opening theme in the 3rd movement is the tune "Brother John" in a minor key. Interesting to listen to these when you know what to look for.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


>


You have listed this one twice in the last little while. Not that I doubt how good it is (I have several recordings of Herreweghe's on HM, and enjoy them all), but can I conclude that this is a recording worth having?


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> You have listed this one twice in the last little while. Not that I doubt how good it is (I have several recordings of Herreweghe's on HM, and enjoy them all), but can I conclude that this is a recording worth having?


Oh yes. Lassus was one of the most brilliant Renaissance composers, and this recording steps up to the occasion. It's really beautiful and expressive.

Right now I'm listening to some other Mahler... the symphonies aren't really my cup of tea today, so after skipping around the 3rd, 7th, and 9th and not being satisfied I'm listening to Das Lied von der Erde with much more satisfaction:










Fritz Reiner/CSO; Richard Lewis, tenor; Maureen Forrester, alto


----------



## jhar26

I watched a concert on MediciTV. Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Ion Marin with Renée Fleming as soloist from the Waldbuhne Berlin 27 june 2010. Renée sings arias from Dvorak, Smetana, Strauss (including the last scene from Capriccio), Puccini and Leoncavallo. Inbetween there's orchestral work from Mussorgsky, Khachatourian, Wagner, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Dinicu and Lincke's "Berliner Luft" WITH VUVUZELA's!  Good mix of serious and "let's have some fun" type of material. Fleming is in glorious voice and changes dress three times and looks stunning in each.

For those not familiar with MediciTV, here's the link. You can watch this concert (and several others) for free, all you need to do is register. For 7 Euros per month you can watch all they have to offer, which is quite a lot and they add new things all the time.

http://www.medici.tv/#/movie/13802/


----------



## Head_case

Czech moment tonight:

Lights dim too - but evocative and intense music - dark, but not in an opaque nor in a shallow emo sort of way. I don't know why I keep thinking of Martinu when I'm listening to this...maybe because of his nationality....I can't say


----------



## World Violist

Busoni: Piano Concerto
John Ogdon


----------



## Chris

It takes stamina to listen right through the Busoni piano concerto


----------



## Head_case

Having a Scandinavian moment this evening.

Cold, dour emotionless cover. Thankfully it's the warm and resonant vinyl LP version I'm listening to:


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Suites, Violin Concertos
Bach: Keyboard Partitas


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre said:


> *Handel *- Messiah, highlights
> Annon Lee Silver (sop.); Patricia Payne (contr.); Wynford Evans (ten.); Alan Opie (bass bar.) / Little Symphony & Ch. of London / Arthur Davison
> MFP LP (1968)
> 
> I just got this LP for $2. This is one of the chamber versions of the _Messiah_. I especially like the intimacy and bass baritone Alan Opie's "And the trumpets shall sound" is a highlight. I am looking forward to seeing this work done live here in Sydney in December, so preparing a bit...


Never heard of that recording you bought (on LP record ) There are many excellent versions of _The Messiah_ around by HIP that do justice to that work. Or even YouTube.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: French Suites Nos. 1-6, BWV 812-817


----------



## haydnguy

Have really been enjoying the last batch that I ordered. Now I'm back in ordering mode. 

Listening now to this beauty:


----------



## jhar26

I listened to Bellini's "La Sonnambula."


----------



## sospiro

jhar26 said:


> I listened to Bellini's "La Sonnambula."


Wow, what an amazing set.

I've just finished listening to










The mad scene is mad  but the rest is sublime; especially Di Stefano.


----------



## jhar26

sospiro said:


> Wow, what an amazing set.


Yes, a total of 70 cd's.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Never heard of that recording you bought (on LP record ) There are many excellent versions of _The Messiah_ around by HIP that do justice to that work. Or even YouTube.


Yes, I have listened to a friend's cd of the complete _Messiah_ that was HIP (3 cd's). I think the conductor was John Elliot Gardener (?). I have recently bought a highlights cd on Naxos, of the Baroque Scholars Ensemble. Haven't listened to it yet, but I will get back to you here once I do get around to it...


----------



## Guest

I've been totally addicted to Roy Harris' 3rd lately. Can't get enough of it. I ordered some of his other symphonies and am eagerly awaiting their arrival.


----------



## Aramis

Rued Langgaard's String Quartet in A. Makes me hungry for other five he wrote.


----------



## Guest

I was in the mood for some organ music from the master, and this album very nicely is filling that need. I have another recording by Walcha, which is also wonderful, but John Butt provides here a superb performance of many of Bach's better known organ works.


----------



## Guest

More Roy Harris. Now it's the 7th.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Guest

My first taste of Ernest Bloch; loving it so far.


----------



## Sid James

Heard last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*KEYBOARD CONTRASTS* with Ian Dunbar Prepared by Paul Hopwood

*Chopin, F. *Sonata no 3 in B minor, op 58 (1844).
*Mozart, W. *Piano trio no 3 in G, K496 (1786).
*Rachmaninov, S.* Sonata no 1, op 28 (1907).
*Haydn, J. *Sonata no 33 in C minor, Hob.XVI:20 (1771).

The Rachmaninov was the work I found most interesting. It was based on the Faust story, it's three movements corresponding to Liszt's symphony - the first a portrait of Faust, the second of Gretchen, the third of Mephistopheles. This was a long, rambling work which was pretty dramatic in parts. I enjoyed the other works too, the only one I was familiar with was the Chopin.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Boccherini

Back in time to the premiere in 1910?


----------



## Guest

Honegger symphonies 3 & 5. Neeme Jarvi is starting to rival Carlos Kleiber as my favorite conductor.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Joseph Marx is surely a grossly underrated composer. Born in 1882 in Graz, Marx spent his childhood wandering the idyllic landscapes of his home and the sun-drenched vineyards of the family's second home in Italy. His mother was a concert pianist and Marx literally taught himself music performance and composition, acquiring excellent skills as a pianist and cellist. His insatiable appetite for learning led him to devour scores of the great masters and to eventually undertake formal studies in philosophy, art history, German studies, and music at Graz University, earning several degrees including a doctorate in 1909. His thesis for his doctorate was a paper on tonality in which he coined the term "atonality."

Marx was deeply enamored of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart (he was Honorary Chairman of the Vienna Mozart Association for years), but his greatest influences were Debussy (Impressionism), Scriabin (Expressionism), Wagner and Max Reger (Romanticism). Not surprisingly, Wagner, Scriabin, and Debussy were all pushing the boundaries of tonality.

Marx taught at the Vienna Music Academy, becoming the director in 1922. He was selected to establish a classical music conservatory in Turkey, develop a system of music academies, and a structure for concert performances of music modeled on Western classical music. He would be followed in the position by Paul Hindemith and Bela Bartok. His teaching, essays, and criticism made him one of the leading figures in music in Vienna... to the point that at his death in 1964 following the great pomp of the funeral any number of mourners... major figures in the Viennese music scene... could speak of "the end of the Marx era."

In spite of all this... as well as the efforts to champion his music by conductors as eminent as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Fritz Reiner, Clemens Kraus, and Karl Böhm, Marx music has languished for decades ignored and unperformed. This is surely a travesty for his music, if this disc be representative, is surely worthy of far greater recognition and appreciation. Songs or lieder building upon the tradition of Wolf were among Marx first serious efforts as a composer. Many of these works were later orchestrated in a rich and lush manner. The resulting works are worthy of Mahler or Strauss' orchestral songs... but are unmistakeably original. His style is characterized by a polyphonic harmony allied to masterly contrapuntal skills and frequent key changes pushing the tradition of tonality... but always with expressive intention and never at the loss of melody.

Marx is certainly someone I need to explore in greater depth.


----------



## Sid James

Heard last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*NEW HORIZONS* with Phil Vendy Prepared by Chris Blower

*Thomson, V.* A joyful fugue (1962). (orch.)
*Leighton, K. *Fantasy on an American hymn tune, op 70 (1974). (clarinet, cello, piano)
*Martinez-Parada, V. *Fantasy on a song by Stevie Wonder. (guitar)
*Hovhaness, A.* Fantasy on Japanese woodprints, op 211 (1965). (marimba & orch.) 
*Brubeck, D.* Chromatic fantasy sonata (1996). (piano) 
*Arnold, M. *Fantasy in B flat, op 87 (1966). (clarinet)
*Glass, P. *Concerto fantasy. (2 timpanists & orch.)

I really enjoyed the Leighton, which was a modern clarinet trio. Parts of the Hovhaness sounded more like what you'd expect from someone like Lutoslawski. The Brubeck didn't seem to get off the ground until the last minute, most of it seemed a bit stodgy and dry. The Thomson took a fugue on a journey from the Baroque till the (then) present. The Glass was surprisingly melodic, especially for a timpani concerto.

& from my own collection (a recent purchase):

*Howard Hanson* - Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" (St. Louis SO/Slatkin) EMI American Classics

Like Bloch, Hanson's music veers between sublime moments and those that seem to come from the soundtrack of some old Hollywood movie. There seems to be an underlying influence of Sibelius here, coupled with Copland's big American sound. I quite like this symphony, the main theme is very memorable. A portion was apparently used in Ridley Scott's _Alien_, at which the composer was quite understandably surprised...


----------



## jhar26

First time I've listened to a cd with music from Kaija Saariaho. I like the cello concerto "Notes on Light," love the orchestral work "Orion," and don't care for "Mirage" - a vocal work sung here by Karita Mattila. Two out of three ain't bad - interesting composer.


----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to about 20 minutes' worth of recordings by Annapurna Devi. She is a surbahar (bass sitar) player and is the daughter and former student of Alauddin Khan (teacher also of Ravi Shankar (incidentally her ex-husband), Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Banerjee, etc.). She is a recluse and has only performed 11 times in her life, all in the 1950's I think. Even though the recordings I have are of bootleg quality, I've never heard anything like them. There is some seriously inspired music-making going on here; listening to them I feel the world might be a better place had Annapurna Devi decided to perform more often.


----------



## Guest

Today I have been working my way through the Mozart piano concertos, courtesy of Murray Perahia. I have been working from the back forward (or latest to earliest). It is always nice to come back to these after immersing yourself in piano concertos of the romantic period - kind of like cleansing your palate.


----------



## DreamInSong




----------



## Guest

Getting my first taste of Albert Roussel. Absolutely loving these symphonies, especially no. 3.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Tannhäuser on Met player in a 1954 version conducted by George Szell.


----------



## World Violist

I sometimes like listening to Ravi Shankar talking a bit about music and then playing a bunch of it... right now I'm really craving an hour-long raga from him though, and I can't get it!!!


----------



## Aramis

> Tannhäuser on Met player in a 1954 version conducted by George Szell.


Did you try Solti with Kollo?


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## Bix

mamascarlatti said:


>


What's the Glass like? - I haven't yet heard it and I am just working my way into Glass's compositions.


----------



## jhar26




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## Conor71

BWV 1060R at the moment - slow movement .


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## mamascarlatti

Bix said:


> What's the Glass like? - I haven't yet heard it and I am just working my way into Glass's compositions.


Quite hypnotic, I love it and have been listening to it for years. I also enjoy the spoken (English) text.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Aramis said:


> Did you try Solti with Kollo?


Well, after our discussion on another thread about the merits of Tannhäuser vs Nixon in China I decided I really needed to get to know it (I'm fairly new to Wagner), and Met Player at this point is the cheapest way of hearing unfamiliar operas (within a fairly restricted range). The choice was between this one and the video version, which I started watching, but Richard Cassilly in the title role has such a whiny voice I couldn't finish it.

My next step is to watch the DVD I just ordered.

If I decide to get a CD version I'll certainly bear this in mind, thanks. I have to say that singers matter more to me personally than conductors...


----------



## tsubomi

"Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring", by Bach


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## Sid James

*Carter* - String Quartets 1-5 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos

I love these works, especially the epic 1st quartet. It has to be one of the greatest pieces in the genre full stop. I find 2 & 3 quite a hard listen (the second is interspersed with solo cadenzas for each instrument, the third is split up into two duos). The 4th I'm beginning to grasp, although it's less emphatic than the 1st (though cast in a similar 'traditional' mould of four movements). The fifth is a tight, serial work stretching over about a dozen connected movements of 21 minutes duration. I'd call it mercurial, light and (as Carter has said) a bit like a divertimento. Carter might not be the easiest composer to understand (straight away?), but I really like his fragmented style. It's like a jigsaw puzzle which the listener has to slowly put together, across many repeated listenings. The first disc in this series (quartets 1 & 5) got a Grammy, so the Pacifica are pretty good by any standard.


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## Aramis

> Well, after our discussion on another thread about the merits of Tannhäuser vs Nixon in China I decided I really needed to get to know it (I'm fairly new to Wagner), and Met Player at this point is the cheapest way of hearing unfamiliar operas (within a fairly restricted range). The choice was between this one and the video version, which I started watching, but Richard Cassilly in the title role has such a whiny voice I couldn't finish it.
> 
> My next step is to watch the DVD I just ordered.


If you will be willing to explore further, get this Solti recording necessarily. Kollo is one of greatest Wagner singers of all time and his Tannhauser, at least for me, is absolute peak. He was born to sing this role.


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## World Violist

All this talk about Solti... I'm gonna listen to his Rheingold.


----------



## World Violist

Now Sibelius' tone poems... Osmo Vanska/Lahti Symphony in this wonderful box from BIS records.


----------



## Sid James

*Ravi Shankar*

Morning Love (based on Raga Nata Bhairav) - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Ravi Shankar/Alla Rakha/Kamala Chakravarti

Raga Piloo - Yehudi Menuhin/Ravi Shankar/Alla Rakha/Kamala Chakravarti

Prabhati (based on Raga Gunkali) - Yehudi Menuhin/Alla Rakha


----------



## Bix

Beethoven's Piano Concerti - currently the 5th










Ashkenazy / Chicago Symphony / Solti


----------



## Conor71

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2


----------



## Aramis

It's so hot that I can't turn on computer for any longer, listening to music in usuall way is impossible  I'm stucked with my ancient CD player (at least it doesn't overheat) and couple of original CDs that I have.

So I have Szymanowski piano music going on all day long, thanks to my recently purchased 4 CD box by Jerzy Godziszewski. 

If it won't get any colder tomorrow I guess I will have to vacuum my good old DVDs with Wagner and Ludwig Van.


----------



## World Violist

Nikhil Banerjee: Chandrakaush Khamaj (live-to-air recording from KPFA Berkeley, 1967)


----------



## Bix

Conor71 said:


> Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2


Thats what I had one last week - books one and two - just great.


----------



## Conor71

Bix said:


> Thats what I had one last week - books one and two - just great.


Yes its a cool version of the WTC which is one of my favourite works by Bach .

Now playing:
Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080


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## World Violist

Michael Gielen's Mahler 1. It's a bit more relaxed than usual. I'd say it's closest in spirit to Boulez, though it doesn't have that razor edge that characterizes Boulez. It is wonderfully characterful, though, and the brass really deliver in the last movement, except in the false climax, which I think is the only thing to do there; make it as sarcastic as possible.

I haven't heard the Ives yet, but I'll put that on soon.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

You can never get too much Biber!


----------



## Guest

Here's a question: WHY IS ROUSSEL NOT PLAYED MORE?!?! This symphony, the 3rd, is as good--if not better--than those of his contemporaries. I can't even recall the last time the local orchestra had a Roussel piece on the program, but I would kill to hear his stuff played live.


----------



## World Violist

Gielen's Mahler 2nd. Finally, a recording that actually does the hemiola CORRECTLY toward the beginning of the first movement. I think Boulez did this too, but I can't remember it. Plus, this recording just sounds cool while it's happening.

Very dramatic.


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## tsubomi

Currently having "Lacrimosa" on repeat though, it's my favorite song on the album.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Schubert lieder: http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Lied...=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1281906045&sr=1-9


----------



## Sid James

Last night, Debussy's Violin Sonata, which I'll be seeing live tonight. This morning, some Steve Reich to start the day - Vermont Counterpoint, New York Counterpoint, Eight Lines (that was enough, I couldn't stomach Four Organs on the same disc, after all that - maybe later). Next I want to get into some Schumann (esp. Cello Concerto) as I'll be seeing it live in September...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

This is simply fantastic. Utterly civilised.

Luigi Boccherini: Piano quintets (complete), played by _Ensemble Claviere_ (on period instruments). 4 CDs


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## Aramis

> Utterly civilised.


 Civilised music! I always thought that such remark could be made only by fictional movie characters presented as hyperbolic personifications of obsolete aesthetic ideas that preceded romantic revolution.

I remember one of such scenes (old movie about Chopin, from 40's): Chopin and his handsome fellows are sitting by the table and talk about new poetry and in the middle of conversation not so handsome fellows (fat and old geezers in wigs) sitting by another table interrupt their talk and make pretentious lecture about purposes of poetry - it must be civilised and galant and stuff.

You have similiar scenes in famous Amadeus.

It's quite shallow view on pre-romantic music and it's values. It doesn't make it more popular for sure. Don't know why you work so hard on propagating such stereotype of baroque and classical period fans.


----------



## Guest

Aramis said:


> Civilised music! I always thought that such remark could be made only by fictional movie characters presented as hyperbolic personifications of obsolete aesthetic ideas that preceded romantic revolution.
> 
> I remember one of such scenes (old movie about Chopin, from 40's): Chopin and his handsome fellows are sitting by the table and talk about new poetry and in the middle of conversation not so handsome fellows (fat and old geezers in wigs) sitting by another table interrupt their talk and make pretentious lecture about purposes of poetry - it must be civilised and galant and stuff.
> 
> You have similiar scenes in famous Amadeus.
> 
> It's quite shallow view on pre-romantic music and it's values. It doesn't make it more popular for sure. *Don't know why you work so hard on propagating such stereotype of baroque and classical period fans.*


I'm not quite sure why such an innocuous statement drew such a heated and long-winded tirade from you. Here is what civilized means:
1. having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc.
2. polite; well-bred; refined.
3. of or pertaining to civilized people.

Any of those could pertain to this music, and his statement does not preclude other music from being civilized, nor does his statement in any way imply that, because he found this work to be utterly civilized, no other work could possibly be also classified as such. Calm down.


----------



## Aramis

> Calm down.


I'm calm. If everything except citing favourite works, recordings and composer's names is tirade to you then it's your problem and you have distorted concept of discussion. My post was not result of only one "innocuous" statement, but of whole style of writing that I observe in post by HC for some time - I belive it's deliberate (even ostentatious) and I'm simply provoking him to elaborate on his ideas.


----------



## Guest

After all the talk of what Bach works to have if you could have only one, I decided to give Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier a hearing today. I am quite fond of this recording by Moroney.

Also, I had picked up the Egarr recording of Handel's Organ Concertos after reading high praise for them - I had the craving to listen to them again today.

Both very "civilized" recordings!


----------



## mamascarlatti

Beautiful virtuosic music (written for someone who was deliberately mutilated in the name of civilisation).


----------



## World Violist

Civilization? Forget civilization, I'm gonna listen to Mahler and Sibelius until the cows come home.


----------



## Bix

Scriabin: The Piano Sonatas - Vladimir Ashkenazy










Good interpretation - a little harsh in parts, but my love for Ashkenazy is in no way diminished


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 01]
Bach: Trio Sonatas

First listen from this newly arrived set .


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Aramis said:


> ... My post was not result of only one "innocuous" statement, *but of whole style of writing that I observe in post by HC for some time *- I belive it's deliberate (even ostentatious) and I'm simply provoking him to elaborate on his ideas.


Well, I'm actually quite flattered that fellow members here might take such depth of notice on my style of writing. Thank you, member Aramis.

As for my descriptions used on Boccherini's piano quintets, in particular that played by the ensemble mentioned above, I thought the performers really brought out the spirit of the sounds from the period during which the work was composed. If you ever got hold of the sleeve notes, they show that the works were carefully dedicated to the French powers at the turn of the 19th century, after due advice from his publishers to do so, thus it's not just any regular aristocratic party music (which can be utterly civilised in anycase).



Aramis said:


> *I always thought that such remark could be made only by fictional movie characters* presented as hyperbolic personifications of obsolete aesthetic ideas that preceded romantic revolution.


Well, maybe you might like to read more on musicology about 18th century musical aesthetics (pre-Romantic), or speak with perfomers who specialise in historically informed practices, instead of 20th century Hollywood movies, to better understand the Age of Enlightenment and its ideals. Your motivation comes very strongly from Romantic and beyond aesthetics, based on the type of works you seem to prefer to specialise in understanding. Perhaps not, I cannot be sure.

But Dr.Mike's comments above have kindly summarised it all, on a broader level.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Also listening to some Baroque music... although I don't know how "civilized" it is. Some of the unearthly sounds and strange dissonances lead me to suspect its not even housebroken.


----------



## Sid James

Some *Elliot Carter *to start off the day - the Naxos 100th Anniversary cd of chamber works played by the New Music Concerts Ensemble (Canada) under Robert Aitken. Works for solo instruments (eg. the quite well-known _Gra_ for solo clarinet), as well as works for solo instruments with chamber ensemble - _Mosaic_ (for harp) & _Dialogues_ (for piano)...


----------



## andersion

Hi Friend,
I am Andersion
in this thread we discuss about the music discussion
i likes music
music is a good thing which provide a relaxation for our mind
In free time i work on my website which provides a lot of Video/Audio demos and downloads.


----------



## graaf




----------



## Existentialist

All of Bartok's greatest works including:

Concerto for Orchestra 
Violin Concerto No. 2 
String Quartet No. 4 
String Quartet No. 3
String Quartet No. 5
Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Sid James

*David Fanshawe's* _African Sanctus_, a work for singer soloists, chorus, piano, rock band, and tapes of African traditional music. Also, another work based on African rhythms, *Guido Haazen's *arrangement of the Congolese _Misa Luba_. I think that latter is more cohesive, but I also like the Fanshawe, I don't often get the chance to listen to traditional African music...


----------



## Guest

While this does not replace my Fischer-Dieskau recording, it very nicely compliments it as the tenor rendition of this simply wonderful lieder-cycle. I think I might have to pick up Lewis/Padmore's recording of Die Schone Mullerin.


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 03]
Bach: Various Preludes & Fugues
Enjoying this set very much so far! .


----------



## orquesta tipica

Right now I'm playing on my cd player Bach's _Ich habe genug_ cantata to sing me to sleep at nights; at work I'm listening to a compilation of classic bossa nova songs, and a Caetano Veloso album, and a compilation of classic tango songs; in my car I'm listening to this newest cd purchase of a local cajun band I heard playing at the farmers market the other day.


----------



## Sid James

On radio 2mbs-fm Sydney:

*D. Shostakovich *- String Quartet No. 13
*A. Part* - Stabat Mater; Tabula Rasa - Looking forward to seeing the latter live later on in the year, the radio played Gidon Kremer's recording with his Camerata Baltica
*Ross Edwards* - Symphony "Da Pacem Domine"
*Malcolm Williamson *- Organ work (forgot title - I think some sort of carols) - I really enjoyed this, it had the most amazing crazy demented ending. I'll have to investigate this Aussie composer as I haven't heard much from him...

& then:

*A. Bruckner *- Mass in E minor
(English CO Wind Ens./Corydon Singers/Best)
Hyperion Helios

I'll be going to see this live on the weekend at Sydney Uni. I really like this work, because (in comparison to his more emphatic and upbeat symphonies - I'm generalising of course), in this mass Bruckner was not afraid to express more darker and ambigious (?) thoughts. I really like how he goes back to tradition - Gabrieli was apparently a huge influence, & his music will also be featured at the concert.

& first listen to more sacred music, but much more in an operatic style:

*G. Verdi*
Requiem (Price/Bjorling/Tozzi/Elias/VPO/Wiener Singverein/Reinter)
Sour Sacred Pieces (Minton/LAPO & Chorus/Mehta)
Decca Double

This is the first time I've heard these works complete. I like the slower more lyrical parts better than the more dramatic ones. I missed the last time the requiem was done live here in Sydney, but now that I am more familiar with the work, I'll probably go the next time it is on.


----------



## Bix

Dvorak Cello Concerto - Julian Lloyd-Webber - Neumann and the Czech Phil

Im listening to this on CD and coldnt get a decent enough graphic so here is tube of the second movement.


----------



## Moscow-Mahler

Aramis said:


> Easy to say.
> 
> Btw, you can't call Russian a drunk. It makes no sense, because you would have to brand them all as drunks. Vodka, tovarich!


No. I'm Russian. And I've never drunk Vodka. I drink Martini. 

Current listenig: Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet Suites
Myung Wung Chung and Concertgebouw


----------



## Aramis

> No. I'm Russian. And I've never drunk Vodka. I drink Martini.


My post from last year's september? What the hell?


----------



## Moscow-Mahler

Don't take it too seriously!


----------



## Aramis

Moscow-Mahler said:


> Don't take it too seriously!


I'm just surprised that you replied to my post from these ancient times, I think I was wearing bronze armor and spear back then, how the hell did you stumble upon it?


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

EVENINGS WITH THE ORCHESTRA Creative links with Judy Ekstein

*Rubinstein, A. *Eroica fantasia, op 110 (1884). 
*Liszt, F. *Piano concerto no 2 in A, op 25 (1839/49/61). 
*Raff, J. *Symphony no 10 in F minor, op 213, [In autumn] (1879). 
*MacDowell, E. *Piano concerto no 1 in A minor, op 15 (1882).

The first three influenced MacDowell. I especially liked the Raff, the last movement had this Beethovenian feel...


----------



## World Violist

Need I say it?










Rozsa: Viola Concerto


----------



## Wicked_one

I'm listening to Barenboim's Beethoven Sonatas. Step by step, one by one and following the score. I reached the 6th so far  I really like young Beethoven


----------



## Conor71

Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

First listen to this newly arrived Disc.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
> 
> First listen to this newly arrived Disc.


You'll have to tell us what you think of these Alain recordings. I haven't heard them at all.

I did pick up a wonderful single disc recording of some of Bach's more famous organ works - it is on Harmonia Mundi, played by John Butt. It is a wonderful recording.

Anyways, yesterday and today I have had a craving for some over-the-top emotional romanticism - so I've bee listening to Tchaikovsky. Yesterday I listened to The Nutcracker (Mackerras/Telarc), excerpts of ballet suites (Rostropovich/DG), his Romeo & Juliet (Pletnev) and 1812 (Jarvi) overtures, and string serenade (Karajan/DG).

Today, though, it is symphonies:


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*ROMANTIC INITIATIVES* with Michael Morton-Evans

Puccini, G. Capriccio sinfónico (1883). 
Schubert, F. String quartet no 3 in B flat, D36 (1813). 
Wölfl, J. Sextet in D (1800). 
Dohnányi, E. Four pieces, op 2 (1897). 
Leoncavallo, R. Non parlate così; Musetta, o gioia, from La bohème(1897). 
Vieuxtemps, H. Violin concerto no 4 in D minor, op 31 (c1850).

& before that, getting quite spaced out with:

*Feldman* - String Quartet No. 1 (The Group for Contemporary Music) Naxos


----------



## Aramis

Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus. 

Birds sing beautifully, but they would make it better without his music. What a kitsch. Cheap quasi-romantic tunes a'la hollywood movie soundtrack with addition of few modern techniques. Some parts are ingenious and interesting, but most of this work, like I said, is kitsch.


----------



## Aggelos

Exquisite CDs!









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Mar06/Sato_SME1001.htm









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Nov01/Homage.htm


----------



## World Violist

Randomly getting into some Nørgård... already heard 7th symphony and Terrains Vagues earlier today, which got me hooked; now listening to the 3rd symphony on Youtube: 




Thomas Dausgaard, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir


----------



## Conor71

Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244


----------



## Air

Aramis said:


> Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus.
> 
> Birds sing beautifully, but they would make it better without his music. What a kitsch. Cheap quasi-romantic tunes a'la hollywood movie soundtrack with addition of few modern techniques. Some parts are ingenious and interesting, but most of this work, like I said, is kitsch.


  Amazing... I have the same exact thoughts about this composer. See my note on the "Piano Music: 1953-Present" thread.


----------



## Sid James

*Ravel* - Gaspard de la nuit
Martha Argerich (live at Concertgebouw, 1978/9)

It has been 20 years since I last heard this piece. It was live, played by Roy Howat. Funnily enough, I'm gearing up for two piano recitals in September including this piece, and one of the pianists is none other than Howat. Anyway, I borrowed the Argerich cd from the library. Her playing veers from dreamy to frenetic, perfectly capturing the poetic source of this music. A riveting performance in many ways...


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> You'll have to tell us what you think of these Alain recordings. I haven't heard them at all.
> 
> I did pick up a wonderful single disc recording of some of Bach's more famous organ works - it is on Harmonia Mundi, played by John Butt. It is a wonderful recording.


I have been really impressed with the Bach Organ Integral and AoF sets by Alain - The performances of the works are excellent and the sound on the recordings very good as well. I am still new to Bachs Organ works so it is a lot to absorb but can recommend the full works and the Alain recordings without hesitation .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

J. S. Bach: _Art of Fugue_, Wolfgang Rübsam, Flentrop organ.

Not Glenn Gould, but not bad.


----------



## Air

Andre said:


> *Ravel* - Gaspard de la nuit
> Martha Argerich (live at Concertgebouw, 1978/9)
> 
> It has been 20 years since I last heard this piece. It was live, played by Roy Howat. Funnily enough, I'm gearing up for two piano recitals in September including this piece, and one of the pianists is none other than Howat. Anyway, I borrowed the Argerich cd from the library. Her playing veers from dreamy to frenetic, perfectly capturing the poetic source of this music. A riveting performance in many ways...


It's a wonderful performance I'll admit


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71

[Disc 1]
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Another set which just arrived today - now giving the First Disc in this set a second spin: Very impressive performances and sound .


----------



## Conor71

[Disc 05-07]
Bach: Passacaglia & Fugue, BWV 582 - Pastorale, BWV 590 - Das Orgel-Buchlein

Finished a first run-through of this excellent set: now re-listening .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


>





Conor71 said:


> [Disc 1]
> Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
> Another set which just arrived today - now giving the First Disc in this set a second spin: Very impressive performances and sound .


Pinnock was my "gateway drug" to HIP recordings. These are great recordings. I've since found other favorites for these various works, but still come back to Pinnock from time to time.


----------



## Sid James

*Ravel* - Gaspard de la nuit
- M. Argerich (1978/9 Concertgebouw, live)
- P-L. Aimard

I borrowed both the performances from the library, in order to reacquaint myself with this masterpiece after 20 years. I will be seeing it live in September here in Sydney. These recordings are worlds apart, not least the timing (Argerich is 5 minutes faster than Aimard). Argerich has this white hot intensity, while Aimard has much clarity (you can almost literally hear every note). I like both for their different approaches, they both shed much light on this great piano work.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## mamascarlatti




----------



## Guest

It's going to be a day of Anne Sofie von Otter and lieder!

And at the end, I may try Suk's Asrael Symphony for the first time.


----------



## World Violist

Today's a Sibelius day for me!










Sibelius: Complete Chamber Music, volume 1
part of the BIS Sibelius Edition

I'll have something to say about this in a day or maybe two... there are six quite full discs here!


----------



## sospiro

Ingvar Wixell's *Alla vita che t'arride* is so beautiful.


----------



## mamascarlatti

I want to hear more of this man. Come on opera conductors, music producers, take a risk.

Anyone seen the Giulio Cesare with him and Scholl?


----------



## Conor71

Bach: English Suites, Italian Concerto, Goldberg Variations
More Bach Keyboard music, all on Harpsichord .


----------



## Sid James

Two of EMI's excellent American Classics series:

*Cage *- Credo in Us; Imaginary Landscape No. 1; Rozart Mix; Piano Concert; Music for toy piano; Music for carillon (Ensemble Musica Negative/Riehn/others)

*Hanson* - Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" - coupled with V. Thomson's film suites (St. Louis SO/Slatkin)

I'm beginning to really appreciate the Cage. At first when I bought this disc about 6 months ago, I only liked Credo in Us, but now I like the whole disc. I like how Cage manipulates the music or just sounds coming from turntables or radios, and combines them with the acoustic music. As for the Hanson, anyone can tell that it's highly derivative of guys like Sibelius, but I like it all the same. I think it's a pretty good symphony, probably one of the best I've heard so far coming out of the 1930's...


----------



## Il Seraglio

Sibelius' Second Symphony on BBC Proms
I have never listened to Sibelius at length before, despite Tapkaara's evangelical enthusiasm for him, but I'm really impressed by this. Sweeping and complex.


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

EVENINGS WITH THE ORCHESTRA The Viennese links with David Ogilvie Prepared by Denis Patterson

Vanhal, J. Symphony in D minor (c1770). 
Kozeluch, J. Bassoon concerto in C. 
Berg, A. Three orchestral pieces, op 6 (1915). 
Brahms, J. Alto rhapsody, op 53 (1869). 
Schubert, F. Symphony no 1 in D, D82 (1813).

CHAMBER SOIRÉE with Phil Vendy

Mozart, W. Divertimento in D for two violins, viola, cello and two horns, K334 (1780). 
Verdi, G. Fantasia on Rigoletto. (clarinet & piano)
Spohr, L. Fantasie, op 35 (1816). (harp)
Ravel, M. String quartet in F (1903). 
Werthmüller, F. Sonata in A, op 17. (guitar)
Beethoven, L. Serenade for violin, viola and flute, op 25 (1801).

First time I had heard all of these pieces in full (except the Brahms & Ravel). I enjoy listening to these programs every week, especially for the variety...


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Cello Suites
First listen of this newly arrived set.


----------



## World Violist

Listening to the wealth of Enescu playing violin on Youtube today: starting off with himself and the young Yehudi Menuhin playing Bach's double concerto. Marvelously spontaneous reading, though I find it interesting how so many reviews say they can't tell one violinist from the other; it's very clear to me that Enescu has a vastly darker tone than Menuhin. It almost makes me think it's a concerto for violin and viola rather than for two violins (I've sightread the second violin part of the second movement like this; it actually works out really well if your first violinist (like mine) has a dark tone as well!). The second movement is all Enescu, despite Yehudi getting all the melody: Enescu's sense of phrasing and musicality make his part seem much more important. Indeed, I'm convinced that his playing is what makes this recording of the whole concerto work on a structurally.

Next in some order: Chausson's Poeme (a marvelous reading that reaches tremendous depths), Corelli's "La Follia" sonata, and some solo Bach (definitely including the D minor partita--Enescu's chaconne is absolutely the best I've ever heard).


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: *Brahms* _Two String Quartets Op. 51_, ABQ.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## mamascarlatti




----------



## World Violist

Listening to some Webern today. It's a Webern kind of day for me.


----------



## World Violist

Done with Webern for now; listening to some of Hugo Wolf's lieder for the first time today... gorgeous stuff!


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's 26th and 27th piano concertos. The 27th has a gorgeous, fragile, tragic middle movement. First hearing suggested something slight but still beautiful. Since then, I think it's heart-breaking, actually. So resigned.






Nice thread, by the way! It's great learning and reading the posts on this forum...


----------



## RJ Empson

I'm going through compilation cd's to broaden my knowledge as I'm still fairly new to being "in" to Classical music. Beethoven is never far from my sights and I have a growing love for Mozart and Vivaldi too.


----------



## Conor71

Haydn: The Seven Last Words Of Our Saviour On The Cross, Op. 51, H 3/50-56

First listen to this piece.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




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## Sebastien Melmoth

World Violist said:


> _Hugo Wolf's lieder ... gorgeous stuff!_


Indeed: after Schubert, Wolf's lieder are best.

Now: late piano *Nocturnes by Fauré*. Really interesting, quite different from Chopin's Nocturnes. Some of them are positively hypnotic.


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## Conor71

[Disc 8]
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 28 & 30-32
First listen to these works from the above set which I have owned for a couple of months - sounds good so far .


----------



## Sid James

I'm gearing up to see Schumann's_ Cello Concerto_ live in late September, so really getting into this work & others of the genre. Over the last week, I have listened to two of Vivaldi's, Haydn (both), Hovhaness, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski, Penderecki (1st) & Schnittke (1st). I like all of these, but am especially impressed by the Schnittke- what an amazing journey!


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Haydn: The Seven Last Words Of Our Saviour On The Cross, Op. 51, H 3/50-56
> 
> First listen to this piece.


If you like this work, then you really need to get this:


----------



## World Violist

Yay this got in today, so I'm gonna listen to it.


----------



## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*KEYBOARD CONTRASTS* with Judy Ekstein Prepared by Judy Ekstein

*Hummel, J.* Piano trio no 5 in E, op 83 (1819).
*Khachaturian, A.* Sonata (1976).
*Balbastre, C-B.* La d'hericourt; La lugeac (pub. 1759).
*Schubert, F.* Sonata no 20 in A, D959 (1828).

I really enjoyed the piano sonatas of Khatchaturian & Schubert. The Khatchaturian was not exactly avant-garde sounding, but I enjoy his rather exotic sounding harmonies once in a while. The slow (2nd) movement of the Schubert was a knockout - brimming with tension, and far ahead of what other composers were doing at the time (like the Hummel, which sounded like a rehash of Mendelssohn, but it was ok)...

& later:

*Haydn & Vivaldi* - Cello Concertos (Harrell/ASMF/Marriner/others) EMI

I especially enjoyed Harrell's cadenzas for the Haydn concertos - very witty and improvisatory, reflecting on what has gone before in the concerto, but (as in the 1st) quoting totally unrelated material, like the end of Schubert's 9th symphony...

& this morning:

*Tippett *- String Quartet No. 4 (Tippett Quartet) Naxos

This is the most dissonant of Tippett's 5 quartets (written between the 1930's and '90's). It was written in 1978 and quotes Beethoven's Grosse Fuge at the end. But even at his most astringent, Tippett has this smooth lyricism, not least because he was imaging the Suffolk countryside of his childhood. I would love to see this kind of thing done live here in Sydney, but I think that unfortunately these works are still quite unknown to the majority of classical music listeners.


----------



## Sid James

Thanks to mamascarlatti, I can now copy & paste images. Will be listening to the epic 3rd quartet later on this evening, infused with the English landscape (but not in the "cowpat" style of Vaughan Williams which I'm tired of)...


----------



## Guest

Frederick Delius' Florida Suite. Not quite Vaughan Williams, but still very pretty.


----------



## Bix

Jeff N said:


> Frederick Delius' Florida Suite. Not quite Vaughan Williams, but still very pretty.


very much so - lovely suite


----------



## Guest

More Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring. Another lovely piece!


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Guest

I know that the orchestrated version of Barber's Adagio for Strings gets more attention, especially with the public at large (and in the wake of the movie Platoon, where it really does make many of the scenes), but I find the smaller, original string quartet rendition from Barber's String Quartet in B Major to be much more poignant, more heart-rending. In the orchestral form, it very much conveys a sense of communal grief - we are all mourning together. But trimmed down to just 4 instruments, it feels more like a personal, lonely grief, which makes it all the more tragic.

I find I prefer the string quartet version over the orchestral version.

And the 2nd Ives Quartet, for all of its atonality and seeming chaos, actually intrigues me more than the 1st. Go figure.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I can't recommend this one highly enough. Poulenc contrasts passages of exquisite shimmering Impressionistic melodies with elements of a more jagged Modernism and even jazzy rhythms. Pascal Roge is the impeccable performer of this oeuvre and the price is bargain basement through Amazon secondary dealers.


----------



## Ravellian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> and the price is bargain basement through Amazon secondary dealers.


Probably because it's Poulenc's piano works


----------



## Sid James

Was listening to some Tippett yesterday, so thought I'd go back much further. Byrd's three massess are masterworks. Although he only uses 3, 4 or 5 voices, the music sounds very rich and "big." I also like it because it is very lyrical and relaxing...


----------



## Sid James

More British music, now the more recent stuff, including _The Protecting Veil_, which is virtually a cello concerto. _In Alium_, a work for soprano, tape and orchestra, is from Tavener's earlier experimental phase...


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> If you like this work, then you really need to get this:


Cool I will keep that one in mind as I like the couple of Savall Discs I own .

Now playing:










Bach: Keyboard Concertos

First listen of this newly arrived disc.


----------



## Guest

My appreciation for Haydn continues to grow, and today I am listening to this recording of some of his piano trios, performed by Trio Wanderer. I have been in a chamber music mood the last few days, so I have loaded up my MP3 player with quartets, quintets, trios, and sonatas. I'm covering every period from classical to 20th century (the Emersons Shostakovich string quartet cycle).










Incidentally, I have been eyeing this recording of Dvorak's piano quintet, by the Takacs Quartet and Haefliger. I love the Takacs quartets Beethoven and Schubert recordings, and noticed this one also got great reviews - anybody know whether this is a worthwhile investment?


----------



## World Violist

Per Nørgård: String Quartets 1-6
Kontra Quartet

Some seriously amazing quartets here! No. 1, titled "Breve" for its 7-minute duration, packs a lot of punch into those seven minutes. No. 2 is similarly impactful, but has much more room to breath within its 20-minute-long structure and incorporates some hints of the more lyrical music to come from the composer.

That's all I've heard for now (been listening to it in between classes; very unused to being able to do that!), but I look forward to returning to this after next hour!


----------



## Guest

I gave George Lloyd a shot today; didn't care for it. None of his ideas really struck me as very interesting, and they were certainly nothing new.


----------



## World Violist

Apparently this class was cancelled, so I'm back to listen to the rest of Nørgård's first six quartets. No. 3 is very quirky... the first of the three miniatures is a quick little thing, the second and longest is a long-lined adagio, and the third is about a ten-second-long "That's all folks!" kind of thing. The whole thing isn't much longer than four minutes. The fourth quartet (titled "Dreamscape) is a fascinating look into quarter-tones and features a big quarter-tone cluster toward the beginning from which everything else emerges. Really interesting stuff. And apparently this quartet uses three different quartets, by utilising electronics: one being the "stage" quartet, and one each "distant" and "close." The recording is very good; one can pretty easily distinguish between the three quartets, but the way they are recorded is very well integrated; the difference between the three doesn't detract from the music. Actually, this piece is fairly reminiscent of George Crumb's "Black Angels" and things of that sort.

"Inscape," the fifth quartet, is along similar lines as the fourth, starting out with all instruments in the same pitch, then having them branch out into harmonics and glissandos into quarter tones. Indeed, this quartet's first two movements use only a scale of 7 quarter-tones as their entire basis. It's even a bit difficult for me to listen to, since I'm not as used to quarter-tones as I'd like to be (virtually my entire experience with quarter-tones has been within Hindustani music--melodically, not harmonically as presented here). Definitely something I could get used to. Maybe I'll just get a group together here and we'll play it... it's in our music library...

Per Nørgård's sixth quartet is called the "Tintinnabulary" but it has no relation whatsoever with Arvo Pärt. I find it more approachable than the 5th, but probably less so than the previous four; it's quite atonal, but it's melodic--though certainly not in the same way as Berg. It's very barbed. What I respect about this quartet over the others is that, while it uses quarter tones and stuff like that, it doesn't feel like an end in itself, as bits of the 5th are wont to seem.

Overall, I think this is not the best introduction to Nørgård's music, but it's essential for those who already know they like his music. Check out some of the symphonies first; they're more accessible than some of what's here, though the symphonies don't necessarily carry more content or beauty.


----------



## Yoshi

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.5


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Probably because it's Poulenc's piano works 

Of course Ravel's piano works are an even greater bargain.


----------



## Guest

Trying Walter Piston after an unsuccessful bout with George Lloyd; Piston isn't really impressing me that much either, though. I'll keep trying.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this Henze 2 cd set in the last 24 hours. This music is mainly dark in mood but colourfully orchestrated. Henze likes to use percussion and brass as highlights, a bit like Shostakovich. The *Barcarola for Large Orchestra* marries Stravinsky-like dance rhythms with Schoenberg's atonality. The mood (but definitely not the style) of the *Symphony No. 7 *reminded me of Holst's _The Planets _- it's a world devoid of human life. The *Symphony No. 9 *is choral, the text based on a story of a man's escape from imprisonment by the Nazis. The second last movement has this amazing crescendo when the organist (uncredited here) joins in the fray, but the work ends quietly. A bonus are the *Three Auden Songs*, very intimate (Henze knew the poet well) & sung by Ian Bostridge. All of the orchestral works are live performances. The only criticism I have of this fine set is that they haven't included the lyrics - but it was at budget price, so maybe I shouldn't expect that. For me, this has been a good introduction to this composers interesting music...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a first listen to this. So far I'm quite intrigued. The music merges diverse elements of traditional classical, atonalism, klezmer, and jazz... I hear especially elements of Ellington's orchestration, Monk's unexpected rhythms and odd "off" notes... but especially Miles Davis of _Bitches Brew_... while quieter passages remind me of Schoenberg's piano works... or Berg's clarinet pieces or Klezmer gone "sour". It shouldn't be surprising that Coleman worked with John Zorn.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I first came across that disc last year... and I agree that it is quite good and has me looking forward to exploring Henze's music in greater depth.


----------



## Sid James

Listening to these as preparation for live performances. I'll be seeing Shostakovich's 5th on Sunday, and a song recital in October of Schubert, Mahler, Britten. All of these excellent discs have been borrowed from my local library...


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I first came across that disc last year... and I agree that it is quite good and has me looking forward to exploring Henze's music in greater depth.


Yes, it is very interesting. Naxos has also released some Henze at budget price - I have the excellent violin concertos (Nos. 1 & 3) cd. I want to get the chamber music cd as well. I like Henze because he has this very personal take on what has gone on in music (German in particular) in the last 100 years...


----------



## Guest

Paul Creston's Symphony no. 2; awesome! The Ives on this disc is also excellent.


----------



## jhar26

GREAT!!!!


----------



## World Violist

Nørgård: String Quartets 7-10
Kroger Quartet

I like these a lot more than the previous six. The first six are very fine quartets, but in these later four there is such a jump in transparency and emotional directness that I respond to them much more easily. There is also absolutely no experimenting for the sake of it, like I thought I heard occasionally in the first set. Then there's the playing of the Kroger quartet. It's really something else, much more characterful, charismatic, and effortless than the Kontra quartet. Now _these_ are some seriously great string quartets of the 20th and 21st centuries!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Today my copy of _Einstein of the Beach_ arrived:










This is a recent bargain packaging of the original Glass opera. I first heard this some 20+ years ago on LP and was absolutely stunned. I had little experience of classical music at that time... let alone contemporary classical music... and while _Einstein on the Beach_ was unlike anything I had ever heard, I found that I was quite seduced by the music and ended up purchasing my own copy on LP... and later a copy on cassette. Contrary to Aramis, I quite admire Minimalism... in spite of the fact that I never liked the results of the art form when it came to the visual arts. I suspect it may be the manner in which Minimalism connects with the repetitive structures of Medieval music and some non-Western musics (which I quite like) and even the almost mathematical forms of Bach.


----------



## Conor71

Schubert: SQ No. 13, "Rosamunde"
First listen to this recently arrived set.


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to this 2 cd set in that last 24 hourse. Pretty intense. It's a good compendum of some of Penderecki's orchestral (& a choral) works written before about 1970 & all are conducted by him. Standouts are the spooky choral work _Canticum Canticorum Salomonis_, the brutal _Cello Concerto No. 1_ & the very textured and layered _Symphony No. 1_ (I think one of the best of the century, and more enjoyable for me than the rest of his symphonies which are more tonal). Some of the works have interesting effects - eg. a piece of metal attacked by a hammer and a saw! The _Partita for harpsichord and orchestra _also has prominent parts for electric guitar, bass guitar, harp and double bass - an odd combination. The famous _Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima _is less interesting to me than some of the other works here...










And also (picked up for $3 at a local op shop). I especially like the gentle "Gabriel's oboe" theme:


----------



## Conor71

Giving this one a go as I have had it since the start of the year and still havent listened! .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to:










As a lover of lieder and art song in general I discovered Schoeck some while ago with the recording of his beautiful _Notturno_, a cycle of "songs"... a "tone poem" blending vocal passages with those of a string quartet. Elegie op. 36 is an earlier work... a cycle of songs in a chamber orchestra setting... written during a period of emotional upheaval... as the composer struggled with the impact of Modernism and the implications of Schoenberg. This cycle is unquestionably Elegiac in nature... at once lush and Post-Romantic in nature... but sadly suggestive of a farewell to all that entails... not unlike Mahler's _Song of the Earth_. It may also be seen as a farewell or elegy for the composer's great love, the pianist Mary de Senger... with whom he had on on again-off again affair that was waning. There are dramatic narrative elements suggestive of Wolf or even Wagner... but as a whole the music is somber... gentle... elegiac. The music often often throbs and pulses with great portent against pining strings while the vocal plays against this in deep and steady mournfulness. Schoeck is worthy of exploration by anyone enamored with Richard Strauss, Mahler, late Romanticism... and the art of song.


----------



## Aramis

Just perparing to blow up this bomb, to fire this rocket, to unleash this beast, to knock a horse, to revert this Bulgarian, to start this Sputnik, to ripple this beaver:


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Chopin_Fan777

Dance of the Hours from "La Giaconda" by Amilcare Ponchielli


----------



## Conor71

:tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

2nd Opera listened to this week - very good!.


----------



## Conor71

Another Opera in my collection overdue a first listen!.

:tiphat:


----------



## Bix

Conor71 said:


> 2nd Opera listened to this week - very good!.


Lovely Opera


----------



## Bix

*Hugh the Drover* or Love in the Stocks - Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams - Words by Harold Child.


----------



## Conor71

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 1
Alfven: Symphony No. 1
:trp:
Have only given these 2 cursory listens up till now: Both quite enjoyable, the Alfven was an especially good natured work .
Now listening to Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 12 :tiphat:.


----------



## Ravellian

Currently listening to Feldman's Violin and String Quartet again. The endless dissonant pulsing in this music reminds me of how my life is now: endless, painful, developmentally static.


----------



## Sid James

Count me in as another Feldman fan, though I haven't heard that particular work...

Listening in the last few days:










*Mark Cauvin (Double Bass):* *Transfiguration* - A collection of modern works which serve to explore and reinterpret the outer tonal qualities and harmonic possibilities of the double bass.

REPERTOIRE:

KO-THA 1967 vers. 1975 per Contrabbasso di Fernando Grillo
Giacinto Scelsi (1905 - 1988)
Solo No.10 for double bass 
László Dubrovay (1943 - *)
A Harmonic Study for Mark (first recording)
Fernando Grillo (1945 - *)
Paperoles per contrabbasso
Fernando Grillo (1945 - *)
Hommage a Johann Sebastian Bach Op.44
Julien-François Zbinden (1917 - *)
Psy per contrabbasso solo
Luciano Berio (1925 - 2003)
ӨЕРАΨ - theraps pour contrebasse solo
Iannis Xenakis (1922 - 2001)
Suite I for Double Bass (first recording)
Fernando Grillo (1945 - *)

I picked this up at a concert at Sydney Conservatorium. I was basically clueless about the double bass as a solo instrument, so I got this disc. I am also interested in hearing more from living (or at least the more recently departed) composers.

This disc offers a variety of approaches to this instrument, from the more traditional to the avant-garde. Grillo's and Zbinden's works are like a combination of the Baroque with minimalism. The Sclesi is totally different, the instrument is turned on it's side (on the floor) and played with two bows and attacked by knitting needles. Parts of it remind me a bit of Cage. The Dubrovay and Berio are also very interesting, but the one that I have listened to repeatedly is the Xenakis. He starts off with these brutal, primal rhythms, and then uses these glissandos that glide into a very dissonant high point which flows back away, and he ends with a few seconds of the aggressiveness of the beginning. It sounds like more than one instrument is being played, maybe a whole string orchestra, the harmonies are so rich. The gliding sounds remind me of an airplane flying overhead. It's just an amazing piece, and I have ordered some Xenakis, I really want to get into his music. The first piece I heard by him was last year at a concert, called Shaar. All up, this is a very good disc, suitable for the more traditional as well as more experimental listeners...


----------



## Aggelos

currently listening to prom 67!....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/whatson/0509.shtml#prom67


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Various Preludes & Fugues.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Cello Suites 4-6


----------



## mamascarlatti

Making inroads on my new Carlos Kleiber DVD box set:

















Also:


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - Turangalila-symphonie; Quartet for the End of Time; Le Merle Noir (for flute & piano)










I just got this for a friend, and listened to it last night. This is a light and lyrical interpretation of _Turangalila_. I especially like the breezy, almost carefree ending. It is an optimistic and soulful reading of the _Quartet_, I was especially moved by the two Eulogy movements which are played with intensity and sensitivity. _The Blackbird (Le Merle Noir)_ is a great bonus track. I strongly disagree with the negative review this set got on classicstoday. These are recordings to cherish...


----------



## mamascarlatti

Mendelssohn's oratorio Paulus from this boxed set:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As a great lover of "art song" I finally got around to getting something by Lori Laitman... a composer best known for her song settings of contemporary and classical poetry. She is often compared to Ned Rorem... who may be the leading American composer of "art song". So far I find what I've heard to be quite strong. The music beautifully brings out further layers of meaning to the text through the exploration of a range of colors, moods, textures while remaining ever accessible.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


>


Great recording of the WTC!!


----------



## Sid James

I discovered Harry Partch after a composer friend of mine mentioned him to me last year. So six months later, I got this recording of his_ Delusion of the Fury._ If you think that something like Stravinsky's _The Rite of Spring_ is rhythmically complex, well, that's just child's play compared to this. Partch devised his own musical notation system based on a 43 tone (microtonal) scale and designed and built his own instruments so that the music could be played on them (some of them based on ancient instruments, like the Greek kythera (whose sounds hadn't been heard for some 3000 years, but Partch's is different, it has 70 or more strings instead of just eight). Partch was not interested much in the Western musical traditions, he was more into ancient cultures, not only European, but from other parts of the world. _Delusion_ is based on two stories, one Japanese, the other Ethiopian. One critic of the time (we're talking around 1969 when this recording was made) said Partch turned out the most significant dramatic music on the American continent to date. Listening to this, one could hardly disagree. It is superb, but (as Partch said) listening is only part of the experience, this is also a visual work of art...


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Great recording of the WTC!!


Thanks  - I agree it is pretty cool though it took me a while to get used to the low volume of the Clavichord!.

Now playing:


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Thanks  - I agree it is pretty cool though it took me a while to get used to the low volume of the Clavichord!.
> 
> Now playing:


This recording is on my playlist for the day as well! Right now I am listening to the Pinnock/English Concert box set of Bach's concertos. It has been a while since I have given Pinnock a listen - his were some of the first Bach recordings I acquired. Very pleasant. He doesn't have as much of the flair, it seems, as some of the Italian and Japanese conductors I have of late come to enjoy, but I'd forgotten how much I do enjoy his interpretations.

In particular, though, the recording I am focusing on today is this:


----------



## World Violist

A bit of Enescu before lunch.


----------



## Art Rock

Silvestrov - Stufen.

Beautiful.


----------



## Sid James

An excellent recording (you can even hear the parts where the wind players are blowing into their instruments with just air coming out). Great to have both versions of _Ramifications_ as well. I think the description of Ligeti's music as being like "clocks and clouds" is pretty apt. Only problem with this disc is it's short time (just over 50 minutes).










Gearing up for a live performance of the Mozart _Clarinet Quintet_, I am listening to this recording often nowadays. I think the slow movement has much poetry, something I don't usually associate with Mozart (he's usually just elegant). I also like the theme & variations at the end - one of his most memorable moments of the many in his chamber output.










Bliss is a composer who seemed to write in a hybrid of styles. He's one of the few minor composers whose works I enjoy. I think that his _Clarinet Quintet_ is (probably?) up there with the best, but the 2nd string quartet on this disc is harder to warm to - a bit like an uncomfortable fusion of Romanticism and Modernism. It was written around 1950, but you wouldn't think so, listening to it...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## World Violist

Here we go, I'm actually listening to some opera for once (albeit rather odd, but opera all the same):










Per Norgard: Siddharta


----------



## Falstaft




----------



## Sid James

This electronic piece by Xenakis is an amazing journey. It starts off quietly then slowly proceeds to a series of crescendos and then ends quietly. The 46 minute work is symphonic in scope. It was written for the opening of the Georges Pompidou arts centre in Paris in the late '70's. One of the things that strikes me is the multilayered aspect of this work (it's for 8 track tape, whereas Varese's Deserts of more than 20 years before was for 2 tracked - I think - so he had to use a small orchestra to generate most of the sounds). One thing that is fairly obvious after a few listens is the strong sense of structure in Xenakis' work. No wonder, he studied engineering and was an architect before he became a full time composer. Anyway, this is really great stuff, and I aim to get into more electronica - guys like Kagel and Lachenmann are next on my list.










I'm really getting into the Mozart Clarinet Quintet as I will be seeing it live in a few weeks. What strikes me about this work, now that I've listened to it several times, is the prominence of the first violin. The clarinet and violin have several duos, and in the last movement there is an extended solo for both of them. I'm not sure if this was convention or an innovative thing Mozart did. One thing is for sure, Mozart writing this and other works for the clarinet was innovative as it was a new instrument at the time.










I'd describe this music as haunting, intense and uncompromising. In the Piano Quintet, the pianist's part is minimal but still somehow dominant. The other players appear almost as ghosts. In the final movement, Schnittke uses a phrase from Beethoven's Pastoral symphony to create one of the most poignant endings in the C20th chamber repertoire. The String Trio quotes a much more mundane tune, "Happy Birthday To You." A homage to the city of his student days, Vienna, it also has reminiscences of Schubert, Mahler and Berg. I can also hear bits of the Cello Concerto No. 1 in there. This can be a harrowing work, which is very close to the bone, but whenever I listen to it, I hear new associations between it's disparate elements. This is a great recording done by Naxos here in Queensland, Australia with local as well as Russian musicians (including Irina Schnittke, the composer's widow, who plays piano in the first work)...


----------



## Guest

I got new headphones today and broke 'em in with my all-time favorite recording of Brahms' 4th (and one of my favorite recordings period) :


----------



## Sid James

*Ligeti *- _Ramifications _(versions for string orchestra & 12 solo strings)










I'm beginning to really dig this work. It's good to have both the versions on this disc. Half the instruments are tuned up a notch, to create some high pitched sounds (particularly at the end, there is a striking one which sounds very electronic, it almost comes out of nowhere). I feel that the version for string orchestra has a more aggressive, almost brutal edge, and the one for 12 solo strings is more lyrical. But I would probably have problems working out which one was which if I was subjected to a "blind" test. Whenever I listen to this work, I feel as if I'm listening to something from the Baroque period slowed down to a snail's pace. Ligeti said that he reworked the tuning because he wanted to make an impression of tonal decay, but I get more of an impression of the dissolution of the music due to the very slow tempos throughout the work. When I first heard it, I thought that it was nothing much, but now I appreciate it much more...


----------



## World Violist

Per Norgard: Remembering Child (viola concerto)
Pinchas Zukerman, viola; Jorma Panula conducts the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

Marvelous work; maybe I'll play it someday... I certainly have no aspiration of approaching Zukerman, though--this is some seriously amazing viola playing. I mean, I've always been a great admirer of Zukerman's violin playing, but sometimes his viola playing sounds a bit understated. No such understatedness here; his playing is raw, direct, uncompromisingly musical and not trying to make everything sound pretty (in the best sense; indeed, everything about his playing is absolutely beautiful). Despite an Amazon reviewer who found this concerto had a dearth of memorable material, I'm awestruck at every turn of this concerto. Truly a shame this hasn't already entered the standard repertoire for violists. Maybe I can do something to change that in the future? There's a concerto competition at my school, and maybe I can learn this in time to play it next year.

Regardless, it's a wonderful concerto that greatly deserves to heard more often.


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## Guest

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content

















Some nice madrigals today, and then, on to weightier matters - I'm finally going to try and conquer Tristan. I have read many good things about Furtwanglers recording, so I picked it up from the library. Mono sound, but that doesn't bother me - I also have his recording of Beethoven's 9th.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An intriguing collection of choral compositions composed by a master performer of medieval choral/vocal work with the impeccable Ensemble Gilles Binchois.


----------



## trillian

bruckner 5 by furtwangler


----------



## Guest

Today, some of Beethoven's more monumental works:
The Kreutzer Sonata from this wonderful recording








His 9th Symphony








The Hammerklavier Sonata








And to wrap things up, his Missa Solemnis


----------



## Aramis

Listening to SS-Camille thing. Finally I've found some music that makes good use of french horn's possibilities - I mean most of music on this album, not only SS work. Highly recommended.


----------



## Guest

Ives Concord Sonata.


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## Guest

Holy moley these are incredible. Ives continues to surprise and amaze me (Barber already won me over long ago).


----------



## Conor71

This one arrived a couple of months ago - first listen to this work .


----------



## Guest

More Ives. Really like these sonatas.


----------



## Conor71




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## StlukesguildOhio

Lovely singer. Lovely singing. Lovely music. Of course I have been enthralled with Véronique Gens for some time now.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier - Roberts (Book 1), Kirkpatrick (Book 2)


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## Conor71

Bach: St Matthew Passion, BWV 244


----------



## Patricio Madrigal Cauduro

Mahler: Symphony No.1 in D mayor with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Georg Solti.


----------



## Weston

I just got the mp3 version of this 2001 Naxos album of Granville Bantock Music. The Hebridean Symphony is very nice, though I am annoyed that the mp3's break the last three continuous movements so you get an ugly gap in playback . That's the problem with downloading mp3's. I'd rather make them myself. The Old English Suite suffers a bit from being a little too lush for the material I think.

It's too bad Bantock was all but forgotten. I guess his music has been unpardonably accessible until recently.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely marvelous recital of songs by Barber, Copland, Bernstein, Rorem and several others performed by a variety of singers and groups... and in spite of the variety there is a wonderful continuity to this all. Highly recommended!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another disc of great American songs.


----------



## Sid James

After listening to some of these works for a while, I'm finally getting my head around them. The second sonata is very spiky and stop and start. The last movement is the one I can hear the structure in the most, it has a bit of a bravura beginning (but in the C20th sense, of course), then some more choppy fast/loud - slow/quiet bits, then some regrouping and less contrast, and finally a slow and quiet ending, which sounds like a mirror image of the earlier material. It's a bit like the opposite of a traditional finale, because the climax comes first and is followed by what one may call a development of the ideas from the whole sonata. The first sonata I have not delved into much, but the third formation (a type of movement) of the third sonata is beginning to make sense structurally too. There is much stop and start (again), fragments of phrases and quite pregnant pauses (I wonder if it's ending, then it goes on). Towards the end of the 15 minute movement, there are some loud chords (tone clusters?) without the use of the sustanin pedal (the sounds are allowed to decay and fade out naturally). These more emphatic and stark notes lend the end of the work feeling of finality, basically that it's all over (which is ironic, as at the date of the recording - 1995 - the third sonata was still a work in progress & I'm not sure if it's still incomplete now?). Turkish pianist Idil Biret plays with an ear to the dynamic contrasts and there is a bit of (measured?) flamboyance to her performance.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245


----------



## Aramis

Nos. 30 and 32.


----------



## World Violist

Oddly enough, volume 3 arrived today, before either of the first two... so I guess I'll be hearing that one first.










Bach Cantatas, Volume 3
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Keyboard Partitas


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## Sid James

Last night on radio 2mbs-fm, Sydney
www.2mbs.com

*Chopin, F.* Ballade no 4 in F minor, op 52 (1842). 
*Haydn, J.* Sonata no 33 in C minor, Hob.XVI:20 (1771). 
*Bach, J.S.* Suite in A minor, BWV818a, [French] (1722).

Funny to hear the Chopin, because I just went to a recital were the ballades were played on the weekend. On this recording, Australian Roger Woodward played the 4th (actually my favourite one) with a lightness of touch and finesse. The Haydn & J.S. Bach were fine, but I'm more interested in keyboard music from Beethoven to the present day...


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## Guest

I've been looking for something new to try, and Bach for lute jumped out at me. I'm looking forward to this:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've got to get that Bach lute recording. I've been eying it for some time now.

Currently I'm listening to some Palestrina madrigals. A marvelous recording by the Concerto Italiano with Rinaldo Alessandrini... on the bargain budget label, Brilliant Classics.


----------



## SonataSonataSonata

Lately, but not at this exact moment, I have been listening to this stuff over and over and over:

Leo Ornstein - Arabesques
Arvo Part - Trying to discover more than just "Fratres"
Alvin Curran - "For Cornelius"
Philip Glass - "Dracula" Soundtrack and "Two Pages". I can't stand Philip Glass except for these two particular works.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I've got to get that Bach lute recording. I've been eying it for some time now.
> 
> Currently I'm listening to some Palestrina madrigals. A marvelous recording by the Concerto Italiano with Rinaldo Alessandrini... on the bargain budget label, Brilliant Classics.


The lute recording is very nice - granted, I've only given it one listen, but the sound is wonderful. The space it was recorded in provides for a very lovely sound, sustaining the notes a little longer than would normally be heard with a lute. It makes me hope that a volume 2 is not far off.

Incidentally, I have been listening to some of Alessandrini's recordings of Monteverdi's and Frescobaldi's madrigals, and have very much enjoyed them. While I still prefer the sacred vocal works of the renaissance and baroque, these madrigals are growing on me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yes... I probably lean more toward Monteverdi's choral works and his operas than toward the madrigals... but as with yourself... I find they are growing on me. I especially love this one from Monteverdi's 8th book with the high, plaintive voice rising above all the others in the sweetest/saddest of laments:






This, by the way, is the version by La Venexiana on the Glossa label:










Currently I'm giving a first listen to this:










I'm quite enjoying the first piece, _The Time Gallery_, a chamber piece including bells and percussion. The music is tonal... suggestive initially of some of Brahms' chamber works... but slips into elements that clearly suggest more modern, if not atonal, music, brief jazzy passages, the B.A.C.H motif, shifting rhythms, etc... The work plays with shifting moods from plaintive and prayer-like to mysterious, disorder and near chaos, and on to the playful. The over-all work conveys a virtuosic use of instrumental colors and a light touch.


----------



## World Violist

Volumes 1 and 2 came in today!


----------



## mamascarlatti

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Yes... I probably lean more toward Monteverdi's choral works and his operas than toward the madrigals... but as with yourself... I find they are growing on me. I especially love this one from Monteverdi's 8th book with the high, plaintive voice rising above all the others in the sweetest/saddest of laments:


This is a truly lovely version of this beautiful lament. I love La Venexiana's slightly jazzy take on these madrigals. Have you see their version of Pur ti Miro?


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## Conor71




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## StlukesguildOhio

Absolutely hypnotic!


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## Sid James

A solo piano kind of day:










It's a scandal that Ornstein is not better known - he was a true original. Just love the finale (marked Vivo) of the Fourth Piano Sonata - a sweeping Romantic Russian dance theme followed by something that sounds atonal, then Impressionistic, and then a return to the original theme. He experimented with many styles and approaches, even within the same piece. Janice Weber plays these works brilliantly but with a poetic and lyrical sensibility. Recommended.










The first book grabbed me instantly, the second has taken a while to sink in. There's a lot going on in this music, especially rhythmically. The coda of the last movement in Book 1, Autumn in Warsaw, is just amazing - a rapid descent from the highest to lowest notes on the keyboard. Biret is a flamboyant performer, and she plays rather engagingly.










More Biret, this time playing the 3 Boulez sonatas. This is quite complex music in a knotty serial language. After about 6 months listening to this on & off, I've finally come to understand a bit of the structure of this music. For example, in the final movement of the Second Sonata, there is a rather grand statement at the beginning, followed by the usual passages of alternating speeds and dynamics. There is a brief slow & quiet section in the middle, followed by a longer development of the earlier material, and then the sonata quite unexpectedly ends in a quiet and slow way, a world away from the original grand statement. Again, Biret's playing is quite extroverted & warm...


----------



## Aramis

Andre said:


>


At first look I thought that it's Lord Byron playing the piano.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Scelsi is more minimal than the Minimalists... with the result that his music suggests a hypnotic Hindu or Buddhist chant.


----------



## Sid James

Aramis said:


> At first look I thought that it's Lord Byron playing the piano.


Ornstein looked a bit like the young Leonard Bernstein to me as well...


----------



## Sid James

An eclectic mix last night:










I have a tape of this group doing the Faure _Requiem, Messe Basse _and 8 motets. I am gearing up to see the Requiem at Sydney University Sunday week (& Vivaldi's _Gloria_). I have not long been familiar with these works. The _Requiem_ can be a bit sugary (especially the violin solo in the middle part of this, the original chamber version), but it redeems itself in spades with its lyricism and gentle gracefulness.










This is classic Janacek, but not all that well known compared to some of his other works. These choruses for male choir have his trademark unique ways of developing a piece through counterpoint and dynamic contrast, rather than strictly traditional means of thematic development. Quite modern. The two songs that grab me are _The Seventy Thousand _- about a Czech miner's strike which is about to be brutally crushed - and _The Czech Legion_, dedicated to the 40,000 Czech soldiers who died at the Western Front of WW1. The coda of the latter must be one of the bleakest things that he ever wrote. Powerful, potent and visceral stuff indeed.










This compilation album was loaned to me by a colleague at work. It's a heady mix of highlights of works by some well-known and lesser well known composers from Monteverdi & Purcell to Jarre, Vine & Morriconi. All tracks are performed by Australian artists, which just shows some of the depth of talent we have in this country.










This is a great coupling of two very different works (with three excerpts from the miniature _Visions Fugitives_ thrown in as a bonus). There is a part in the final movement of the 5th concerto which reminds me of a luminous underwater world. & the 8th sonata veers from lyricism to brutal dissonance. Richter plays without flashy effects but really delivers the emotional content of all of these pieces, no wonder as he knew the composer personally.


----------



## Conor71

Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 6, 1 & 17
I am very taken with this string quartet cycle which is full of interesting and moving works - now listening to Disc 1 .


----------



## Sid James

I'm going to see Mozart's Clarinet Quintet live tomorrow, so this has been on my playlist for the past fortnight. It is an interesting work, mainly because not only the clarinet takes a star role, but also the first violin. They join together in a number of duos throughout the work, the other instruments acting a bit like a rhythm section. I'm not sure if this type of thing was traditional or an innovation of this composer? This is a mono recording made in Prague in the early 1950's, but the sound is good and I cannot hear any hiss. I haven't really gotten much into the accompanying Brahms, but that will come later, since I'm seeing that work performed live in October.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71

Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244


----------



## World Violist

Enescu's 3rd symphony. Christian Mandeal conducts the George Enescu Bucharest Orchestra.

One of the most wonderful CDs I own.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lenny was pretty damn good.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 In Bb Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar"


----------



## Conor71

:tiphat:


----------



## drbetteridge

*Love Saint-Saëns*









Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 in C Minor ("Organ"): Adagio - Allegro Moderato


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71




----------



## Sid James

Last night's Australia ensemble performance of four works, including the Mozart Clarinet Quintet was superb (I'll report on it in a few days, I am a bit squeezed for time now). However, no time to rest - I'm seeing the Ravel & Tchaikovsky _Piano Trios_ live tomorrow. Haven't got the Tchaikovsky, but I do have the *Ravel*, and intend to listen to it a few times before the recital...


----------



## Conor71

First listen to this newly purchased work.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Boulez' 1970 *Parsifal*...(again)...

Marvellous--can't stop...

http://www.amazon.com/Parsifal-Wagner/dp/B000009JNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1284910667&sr=1-1


----------



## Conor71

Verdi & Strauss: String Quartets


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

First listen to this newly arrived Set.


----------



## Firefly




----------



## World Violist

Enescu: Oedipe
Lawrence Foster conducts the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic
Jose van Dam, et al.

I listened to this in its entirety for the first time today, and I now think it's an absolute travesty how ignored this opera is. I'd place as one of the great operas of all time. Dramatically it's flawless, musically it's transcendent. There's nothing bad to be said about it (indeed, the only complaint about the whole opera came from the public who were expecting love duets, which this opera lacks). The opening scenes might seem unassuming, but they're just gearing up for the last two (Oedipus' realization of his fate and the epilogue (his death)). In the last two acts there is to be found some of the most well-realized drama as well as some gorgeous, lush music that would give the likes of Debussy and Ravel a run for their money. Not only is it lush, though; this music, as with the same composer's masterful third symphony, is full of warmth, unbelievable depth and sinuous, majestic power.

Actually, after hearing this Mahler is firmly ousted from my list of favorite composers. Not even Das Lied von der Erde can compare to the last act.


----------



## Aramis

World Violist said:


> Enescu: Oedipe
> Lawrence Foster conducts the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic
> Jose van Dam, et al.
> 
> I listened to this in its entirety for the first time today, and I now think it's an absolute travesty how ignored this opera is. I'd place as one of the great operas of all time. Dramatically it's flawless, musically it's transcendent. There's nothing bad to be said about it (indeed, the only complaint about the whole opera came from the public who were expecting love duets, which this opera lacks). The opening scenes might seem unassuming, but they're just gearing up for the last two (Oedipus' realization of his fate and the epilogue (his death)). In the last two acts there is to be found some of the most well-realized drama as well as some gorgeous, lush music that would give the likes of Debussy and Ravel a run for their money. Not only is it lush, though; this music, as with the same composer's masterful third symphony, is full of warmth, unbelievable depth and sinuous, majestic power.
> 
> Actually, after hearing this Mahler is firmly ousted from my list of favorite composers. Not even Das Lied von der Erde can compare to the last act.


I remember thinking about getting this opera while I was interested in exploring Enescu. I didn't get it. But now it's like my life goal to hear it.


----------



## Listener




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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Chi_townPhilly

I've been on a bit of a Schumann run lately- focusing primarily on Symphonies 3 & 4, and especially on the Piano Concerto. [Though I've also made time for Symphony 1 and the Cello Concerto, too.]


----------



## Lukecash12

Corrente by Alessandro Piccinini


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71

I like this old-school approach to playing Bach! - I have also just finished playing through Richter's 1970's account of St. Matthew Passion which was also excellent and am awaiting arrival of his versions of Mass in B Minor and St. John Passion.
These new recordings make a nice compliment to the Gardiner set of Sacred works which I have owned and enjoyed for a few months now :tiphat:.


----------



## Sid James

An eclectic evening, focusing on composers/items coming up in future concerts - Sculthorpe, Bartok, Saint-Saens.
*
Sculthorpe*: Sun Music(s) I-IV
Melbourne SO/John Hopkins








This is such a convincing rendition of Australia's harsh interior - oppressive, vast, uncompromising. Some Aboriginal rhythms and also reminiscences of East Asian music in the third one, which lightens the overall mood somewhat. I can clearly hear Sculthorpe's main influences of the time (the '60's) - Messiaen & Varese.

*Sculthorpe*: The Fifth Continent
Peter Sculthorpe, speaker/Mark Atkins, didgeridoo/Tasmanian SO/David Porcelijn








Overall a lighter work, though the Outback movement (Irkanda IV) has some darkness. I won't be seeing either of these live, but a new work commissioned from Sculthorpe this year by the Sydney Conservatorium. It'll be played alongside:

*Bartok*: Concerto for Orchestra
Melbourne SO/Hiroyuki Iwaki








A high octane reading of this classic modern work. Pity the audio is so poor (done in the '70's but sounds much older). Perhaps the masters aren't in a very good condition. Anyhow, I really like Iwaki's intense interpretation of this work (it's coupled on this two cd set with Stravinsky & Messiaen both also conducted by Iwaki).

*Saint-Saens*: Carnival of the Animals
Narrated by Beatrice Lillie








I'm gearing up to see this late October (the chamber version, without narrator - a pity since I enjoy the witty and funny narration)...


----------



## Guest

Messiaen intrigues me. I don't know why - the atonality of much of what I have heard is normally a turn-off. And yet, there is something intangible that keeps me coming back. I have only this recording and the Quartet for the End of Time, recorded by Tashi, but I am checking out his organ works from the library as well.

This is my third listen to this work, and each time it endears itself to me just a little more.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> I like this old-school approach to playing Bach! - I have also just finished playing through Richter's 1970's account of St. Matthew Passion which was also excellent and am awaiting arrival of his versions of Mass in B Minor and St. John Passion.
> These new recordings make a nice compliment to the Gardiner set of Sacred works which I have owned and enjoyed for a few months now :tiphat:.


I have a recording of some of Bach's cantatas by Richter, and enjoy them. Not HIP, which I generally prefer with baroque, and Bach in particular, but still it is not as heavy handed as other non-HIP recordings. I still prefer Herreweghe and Suzuki, but this is a nice change.


----------



## dmg




----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Night Ride and Sunrise, etc.
Pietari Inkinen/New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

I was just listening to their other Sibelius CD before putting in this one, and I am amazed at this team's natural, spoken way with Sibelius' music. These accounts are much earthier than many other recent recordings (even Vanska is more polished and uptight than this young conductor), and I find this approach to Sibelius vastly more convincing than the multiple other recordings that are by comparison flashy and insincere.

As a side note, I greatly look forward to the release of the first volume of Naxos' THIRD Sibelius symphony cycle by this same conductor and orchestra, containing the first and third symphonies. If this "spoken" quality continues through the recordings of the symphonies, I am particularly looking forward to the second movement of the third symphony, which has always struck me as being more "spoken" than "sung" in many respects.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572305


----------



## Listener




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## dmg

Currently active in my playlist:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Guest

Zoltan Kodaly's cello music: awesome.


----------



## Conor71

Bach: Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord
I really enjoy these works and rate them amongst my favourite Bach compositions - this old-school performance is excellent and in good sound: This is becoming one of my favourite Bach sets :tiphat:.


----------



## Conor71

Britten: Orchestral Works
First listen to this recently aquired disc.


----------



## Sid James

Listening to Faure's _Requiem_ & Vivaldi's _Gloria_, which I will see live this coming weekend. Also (in another concert) Schumann's _Cello Concerto_, Haydn's _Drumroll Symphony _& Ravel's _Pavane for a Dead Princess_...

*Faure *- _Requiem_ (I have a tape of this performance, but it is coupled with the _Messe Basse _&_ 8 motets_)









*Vivaldi* - _Gloria_ (from my local library)









*Schumann* - _Cello Concerto_ - I've seen a number of this composer's works performed live in this, his 200th anniversary year, but am especially looking forward to seeing this one.


----------



## Conor71

First listen of this newly aquired Opera.


----------



## Conor71




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## Aramis




----------



## World Violist

George Enescu and Dinu Lipatti play George Enescu and Dinu Lipatti (released on Philips and then unreleased by Philips)

Amazing!!!


----------



## Sid James

I really like this disc. Had never heard these works before, but I really enjoy Richter's performances of two of Prokofiev's most "difficult" works.










I'm beginning to understand the _Waldstein_ Sonata more after a few months. The first movement has a very melodic, hummable tune. The second reminds me of the C20th, it is quite stark and bare. & the third has a tune which reminds me of bells ringing. I also like the _Hammerklavier_, the last movement reminding me of Baroque counterpoint.










This excellent recording seems to be out of print now. The late Stuart Challender really had an empathy for Australian music. I like the contrast between the pieces on this disc, for example _Kakadu_ evokes lush tropical rainforests while _Mangrove_ is about those places on the flat coastal areas. There's a part in _Kakadu_ that is really memorable to me, it is as if you are walking through the rainforest and come to this clearing, a lake teeming with hundreds of birds...


----------



## Conor71

Some Bach on the Harpsichord.
Bach: Keyboard Concertos
Bach: Goldberg Variations
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1


----------



## Guest

For a change, I'm going with non-HIP, non-stereo Bach today.


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> For a change, I'm going with non-HIP, non-stereo Bach today.


Those look interesting DrMike  - I like the EMI historical sets and the restored sound is quite good in the few that I have heard, enjoy! .


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Those look interesting DrMike  - I like the EMI historical sets and the restored sound is quite good in the few that I have heard, enjoy! .


So far, the Brandenburgs have some of the best sound I have heard with mono recordings transferred to CD. The background hiss is really not that noticeable - and considering these recordings were made back in the '30s, that seems quite impressive. Other mono recordings I have include Furtwangler's Beethoven 9th, also on EMI - I'll have to compare the sound between the two.

I've been reading a bit about Busch's recording of the concertos, and it seems he was a bit of a forerunner of the HIP movement (not intentionally, I'm sure), as he shunned the big band Bach sound prevalent at that time, and decided to go with one instrument per part - much like Egarr's and Alessandrini's recent recordings of the concertos.


----------



## Listener




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## Conor71

Excellent! - For once the scale of this work really comes through.
Beautiful and imposing.


----------



## Sid James

Because of upcoming concerts on the weekend, Schumann's_ Cello Concerto_, Haydn's _Drumroll Symphony_, Faure's _Requiem_ & Vivaldi's _Gloria_ have been on high rotation this week. But I also got a chance to get into these last night:

*Alkan* - Piano music played by Alan Weiss









(CD 1):
Nocturne, for piano in B major No. 1, Op. 22 
Esquisses, Op. 63 (selection of 7) 
Le festin d'Esope, variations for piano in E minor (Études dans tous les tons mineurs No. 12), Op. 39/12
Le temps qui n'est plus, prelude for piano in B flat minor (Préludes tous les tons No. 12), Op. 31/12 
Fa, for piano in A minor (Recueil de Chants 2/2), Op. 38b/2
Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Ages', for piano in D major, Op. 33
Toccatina, for piano in C minor, Op. 75

I have known & loved the very different _Grande Sonate _for 20 years - I originally had it on tape played by Roland Smith. Alan Weiss' more flamboyant interpretations have taken me a bit of getting used to, but I'm beginning to appreciate these works more. Some of the _Esquisses (Sketches)_ sound very Twentieth Century. These are some of the most technically difficult works to play, but what strikes me is Alkan's innate sense of structure - often it is very simple like ABA. I haven't listened to this set for a while & plan to listen to the 2nd disc soon.

*Boulez *- Piano Sonatas played by Idil Biret









I listened to this whole disc straight through last night. The 1st & 3rd sonatas are harder to crack than the 2nd, which is already pretty hard. One of the great French pianists of the century, the recently departed Yvonne Loriod (who also happened to be Messiaen's second wife) said she was sitting in front of the score of the 2nd sonata, and she literally cried. Like Weiss, Biret plays quite flamboyantly, with plenty of gusto.

*Ravel, Prokofiev, Schlime* - piano works









I borrowed this from my local library. Schlime gives solid interpretations of both concertos, and as a bonus you have his own improvisations. With the SACD sound, one can hear the tiniest of details clearly. I really like how Schlime slows down the slow movements of the concertos, it sounds like he thinks that they are the most important parts of these works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished listening to an interesting collection dating from right around our cut-off date of 1960:










The collection includes the _Mass_ in 5 movements (1960) by Vincent Persichetti, William Schuman's _Carols of Death_ (1958), William Bolcolm's _The Mask_ (1990), Irving Fine's The Hour Glass (1949), and Lucas Foss' _Psalms_ (1956).

Persichetti's _Mass_ is very calm... one almost wants to say "relaxing"... perhaps "comforting" and "consoling" might be a better choice of words. In many ways the work reminds me of Eric Whitacre's work. Nothing earth-shatteringly new... but definitely beautiful.

Schuman's _Carols of Death_ sets texts from Walt Whitman's great elegy for Abraham Lincoln, _When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed,_ a favorite text for choral composers... including Hindemith and Roger Sessions. The pieces are again very consoling... simple and song-like.

Bolcolm's _The Mask_ is a choral song cycle set to piano accompaniment... with a solo piano movement. The music sets texts by African-American poets. Stylistically the work is quite diverse... as is much of Bolcolm's work. The first movement is more Modernist... with elements of atonality played off the chorus. The second movement is suggestive of jazz... the waltz... and a simple folk tune. The third movement again plays the beautiful, somber, tonal singing of the chorus against a more jarring atonal piano reminiscent of some passages of Takemitsu.

Irving Fine's _The Hour Glass_ sets texts by the English Renaissance post/playwright, Ben Jonson. Fine was a talented friend of many well-known American composers, including Aaron Copland. Fine employs an extraordinary technique weaving voices of several soloists and chorus... yet retaining absolute clarity for each syllable.

Lukas Foss fled Nazi Germany in 1933. His composition style has been termed "eclectic". His _Psalms_ employs an interweaving of various soloists with chorus with the accompaniment of two pianos.

Right now I'm giving a first listen to Sweelinck:










Quite joyful and crystalline choral music. certainly not as dense or complex as Bach... or even Buxtehude... but still quite removed from the Italian works of the period (which I need to explore in more depth).


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## Conor71

A spot of Opera listening - First listen to the Strauss which I just purchased yesterday .


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## Ravellian

Currently listening to Parsifal, with Peter Hofmann (Parsifal) and Waltraud Meier (Kundry), with James Levine conducting. Wonderful performance, if a tad long (about 4 1/2 hours).


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## Conor71

I would never have imagined I would enjoy Tchaikovsky's Ballet Music as much as I do when I first started getting into Classical Music - This set is excellent and is one of my better purchases . I just got the Schubert with Britten/Pears earlier this week and this will be a first listen to these works - I dont own/listen to much Lieder so this one should be interesting!.


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## Aramis

Haydn _Frog_ string wuartet. Quartet. By Lindsay Quartet.


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## Guest

Conor71 said:


> I would never have imagined I would enjoy Tchaikovsky's Ballet Music as much as I do when I first started getting into Classical Music - This set is excellent and is one of my better purchases . I just got the Schubert with Britten/Pears earlier this week and this will be a first listen to these works - I dont own/listen to much Lieder so this one should be interesting!.


Schubert's Winterreise is incredible - my first foray into lieder! I have heard good things about this recording, but I actually prefer the songs sung by a baritone, instead of a tenor. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was a master of Schubert's Lieder. Try his recording of Winterreise if you enjoy it. Also, the recent recording by Padmore/Lewis on Harmonia Mundi (tenor) is a very nice new recording. I would also suggest a few other individual Lieder from Schubert:
Erlkoenig, Death and the Maiden, Ave Maria. Those are some of his more popular ones.


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## Conor71

DrMike said:


> Schubert's Winterreise is incredible - my first foray into lieder! I have heard good things about this recording, but I actually prefer the songs sung by a baritone, instead of a tenor. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was a master of Schubert's Lieder. Try his recording of Winterreise if you enjoy it. Also, the recent recording by Padmore/Lewis on Harmonia Mundi (tenor) is a very nice new recording. I would also suggest a few other individual Lieder from Schubert:
> Erlkoenig, Death and the Maiden, Ave Maria. Those are some of his more popular ones.


I just finished listening to Winterreise and it was great! :trp:. I may try and get some Lieder in future, maybe some more from Schubert and/or some of Schumann's. Cheers for the recommendations, I will keep them in mind .

Now listening:
Following Aramis lead and breaking out the Haydn Quartets listening to some of the earlier ones: 8, 9 and 10. After this I will listen to a Disc of Mozart SQ's probably some of the earlier ones again.


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## World Violist

I've determined today to be a Bach/Enescu day for me. So I'm going to play a bunch of Bach and Enescu and Enescu playing and conducting Bach (and not playing or conducting Bach). Sadly, there are no known recordings of Bach playing Enescu. Maybe some day some creeper is going to look through someone's attic and find a record of it... never give up hope!!!

So right now:









Bach: Violin Concerti; Chaconne
Yehudi Menuhin, violin; George Enescu, violin (for double concerto) and conductor (for other concerti); Pierre Monteux (for double concerto)

And by the way, even though Enescu is a marvelous and sensitive accompanist in the solo violin concerti, he is so imposing that even as accompanist he basically steals the show. On the other hand, I've never in my life heard any concerto recording with this level of musical ESP going on. It's really quite moving.

and later... (probably after the marvelous History class I have at 1:00...)










Enescu: Symphonie Concertante, Sept Chansons, Chamber Symphony
Christian Mandeal/Bucharest Philharmonic; Marin Cazacu, cello; Florin Diaconescu, tenor


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## anshuman

Mozart's Piano Concertos No.11 and 12 peformed by Harmonie Universelle


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## Ravellian

I will second Fischer-Diskau's Schubert Lieder recordings. He made several series, including the complete Lieder with Gerald Moore - THIS is the set you should try to get. These Fischer-Diskau - Moore recordings of Die schone Mullerin, Winterreise, and Schwenangesang are the absolute epitome of excellent Schubert performances. I'm sad that I lost my copy


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## Rangstrom

Working through the box set of DVDs of the Rolf Liebermann/Hamburg opera-movies series. The Wozzeck was overpowering; Magic Flute was charming; Fidelio suffered the most from the out-dated mono sound; Freischutz one of the best that I've heard; Zar und Zimmermann didn't do much for me; the Offenbach Orpheus is strong (too bad it is in German); Devils of Loudon better than expected and Menotti Globolink is just strange.

I'm up in the air on the Meistersingers. Cassilly is a challenge to watch and there were some strange staging choices. The problem may be me more than the performance. I Like Wagner very much but never really warmed up to Meistersinger. I was hoping that a staged performance would get me there.

There is also a Mozart Figaro that I've only started. So far so good--Mathis is a gem--even if it also is in German. Anyone know why they didn't release the Lulu and Elektra performances with this set?


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## Conor71

Ravellian said:


> I will second Fischer-Diskau's Schubert Lieder recordings. He made several series, including the complete Lieder with Gerald Moore - THIS is the set you should try to get. These Fischer-Diskau - Moore recordings of Die schone Mullerin, Winterreise, and Schwenangesang are the absolute epitome of excellent Schubert performances. I'm sad that I lost my copy


Cheers for the rec's Ravellian - I will check those recordings out :tiphat:.
Now listening:

















Debussy; Ravel: Chamber Music.


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## Conor71

Mozart: PC's #'s 20, 21 & 1
Haydn: SQ's #'s 11-13


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## World Violist

More Bach today...


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## World Violist

Ok, so browsing through Yehudi Menuhin videos on Youtube I came across a video of him playing in a full video of "Erbarme dich" from the St. Matthew Passion, but didn't like it too much once the singer entered... so I went to the next video of it that came up, which was possibly the most glorious Youtube video I've ever seen. I've watched it about five times by now, and I just keep repeating it. Needless to say, right now I'm an emotional train wreck, but it's so unbelievably beautiful I can't stop!






Bach: "Erbarme dich" from the St. Matthew Passion
Julia Hamari, alto; Karl Richter conducts the Münchener Bach Orchestra and Choir


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## Conor71

World Violist said:


> Bach: "Erbarme dich" from the St. Matthew Passion
> Julia Hamari, alto; Karl Richter conducts the Münchener Bach Orchestra and Choir


I recently bought and have been listening to the Karl Richter recordings of Bac's sacred works - I am really impressed by these and like them a lot!.
I guess these are not the most fashionable recordings but they are certainly very moving - cheers for posting the Vid, I will check it out! .

Thread Duty:
Now listening:

















Just finished listening to Mendelssohn: Piano Trios 1 & 2 - Now moved on to Schubert: SQ's 14 & 13.


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## Listener




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## Sebastien Melmoth

Brahms' *String Quartets* w/the ABQ.

Honestly I somewhat dislike the ABQ. On the other hand, I respect them as purely Viennese, and also I respect their musical _accuracy_.

On the other-other hand, they are consistently shrill, sharp, and harsh.


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## Sid James

*Alkan* - solo piano works played by Alan Weiss










Disc 2 of 2:
Promenade sur l'eau, morceau for piano in A major (Les Mois No. 6), Op. 74/6
Gros temps, morceau for piano in F major (Les Mois No. 10), Op. 74/10
Petites Fantaisies (3), for piano, Op. 41: No. 2
Petit conte, for piano in E flat major
Le tambour bat aux champs, 'esquisse' (piece) for piano in B minor, Op. 50bis
Recueil de Chants Book 1 (6), for piano, Op. 38: Nos. 1, 5 & 6
Symphonie, for solo piano in C minor, Op. 39/4-7

Weiss' playing on this second disc (recorded almost 20 years after the first disc) sounds less flamboyant and simpler. I'm not sure if it's the pieces or a change in his style over that time. The Symphony for solo piano is the most serious work here, with it's pivotal dark funeral march. I plan to get some more Alkan at some stage (perhaps played by our own Australian pianist Stephanie Maccallum or the classic analogue recordings of Roland Smith), but I want to fully absorb this two cd set which I got in March first...


----------



## World Violist

Listening to the first minutes of Brahms' second symphony from this CD:










Brahms: Symphony No. 2
John Eliot Gardiner/Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique

So beautiful... I've never realized Brahms could have so much clarity and poetry. I think I'll have to give this cycle a go. The lack of vibrato actually doesn't disturb me at all; the string sound is glorious (and very in tune) and the sound, of course, is something to behold (although coming from SDG that's hardly a surprise to me anymore). What's the shocker is that live recordings can actually sound this good.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Always... always... always... I return to Bach:










There's no Janet Baker version of this on YouTube... but Quasthoff's version is equally moving.






The very idea that Bach wrote cantata after cantata laden with such exquisite music... week after week... simply staggers the mind.


----------



## Sid James

Yesterday, coming back after a concert of the Faure _Requiem_ & Vivaldi _Gloria_, I was in a choral mood, so listened to Kodaly's _Psalmus Hungaricus _& Janacek's _Glagolitic Mass _in these two classic DGG recordings:



















What a world of difference between these two works, written only years apart! The Kodaly is basically a protest against political oppression (probably the darkest thing he ever wrote). It was written in the 1920's at the time of the Horthy dictatorship in Hungary, and it's biblical theme of the prophet's voice crying in the wilderness must have struck a chord with Hungarians longing for some type of freedom. In contrast, Janacek's _Glagolitic Mass _was written at the time Czechoslovakia became independent after more than a hundred years(?) of Austrian rule - it exudes a sense of vitality and optimism. The ony complaint I have is that the Kodaly is not in the original Hungarian but German, nevertheless both conductors expertly convey the complex emotions of thier country's music...


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## Listener




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## Conor71

Schubert: Piano Sonatas 18 & 14
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues

Having a Piano music day today .


----------



## david.allsopp

Hi I work in Northampton where Alwyn grew up. I wish I could enjoy his music but though I try hard I find it never really develops into anything. I am spoilt by Mahlers enormous melody lines, wheras Alwyn seems to string very short patterns together. Really clever bloke though.


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## david.allsopp

*Awesome recordings*

These two are just hair-raising, I rarely say that but you must hear them:

1. Beethoven Symphonies with Anima Eterna + Jos Van Immerseel










2. Rite of Spring and La Noche De Los Mayas with Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel


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## toucan

It is true what Sebastian Melmoth said about the ABQ.

For a while now hooked of Anne Sofie Von Otter's Brahms CD - especially #7 "Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn," #11 "Die Mainacht," #13 "O Kuhler Wald," #14 "Von ewiger Liebe," #17 "Unbewegte laue Luft" and the everlastingly touching Wiengenlied - a dangerous piece, no doubt, as it could lure you into conceiving another baby, in order to create pretext to listen to more Brahms. There is sweet charm to Anne Sofie Von Otter's voice and in his best songs Brahms is as good as that father of all romantic and post-romantic lied, Franz Schubert.


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## dmg

This is the first time I listened to this, and I was completely surprised by how intense and moving it was. I bought it at a local second-hand shop at a clearance price and popped it in the player before I read reviews and other info about it.


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## World Violist

Mozart: Die Zauberflote
Rene Jacobs, et al.

Well this is quite marvelous... in just about every imaginable way. Kind of funny really, in some strange way. The packaging is simply spectacular in Harmonia Mundi's inimitable manner. And then I open up this enormous box and find myself faced by a 300+ page "booklet" (more like novella, really) that has all sorts of stuff about this opera that I have no idea about. I put the CD in and the music-making is marvelously sinuous, nowhere close to the stereotypically "fluffy" Mozart I've come to know and not love. Sure, Jacobs' orchestra is HIP to the hilt, but nothing sounds in the least zingy, stringy or otherwise not pleasurable; in fact, it contributes to the sinuous sound earlier--and I can actually hear all the inner parts... and the overtones! This is really something.

The sound quality... yikes. Harmonia Mundi have really outdone themselves this time. There are moments in which a singer is singing and I can't tell there's anyone else in the immediate ten-mile radius of the recording space. The reverb is perfectly natural, for all practical purposes like a live performance.

The singers themselves are great also, not afflicted by any sort of wobble or anything of the sort, and as far as I can tell (I'm not familiar with this opera in the least), they are characterizing their respective characters wonderfully. I'm particularly pleased with the spoken bits; I don't know any German and even though I'm not reading along in the libretto (I've come to realize I can't do that very well at all...), I can get the sense of what they're saying; the acting is very dramatic and engaging.

I just heard a really weird chord in the sixth track... I don't know what it is and can hardly imagine Mozart writing it. Huh.

Anyway, I like it.


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## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Mozart: Die Zauberflote
> Rene Jacobs, et al.
> 
> Well this is quite marvelous... in just about every imaginable way. Kind of funny really, in some strange way. The packaging is simply spectacular in Harmonia Mundi's inimitable manner. And then I open up this enormous box and find myself faced by a 300+ page "booklet" (more like novella, really) that has all sorts of stuff about this opera that I have no idea about. I put the CD in and the music-making is marvelously sinuous, nowhere close to the stereotypically "fluffy" Mozart I've come to know and not love. Sure, Jacobs' orchestra is HIP to the hilt, but nothing sounds in the least zingy, stringy or otherwise not pleasurable; in fact, it contributes to the sinuous sound earlier--and I can actually hear all the inner parts... and the overtones! This is really something.
> 
> The sound quality... yikes. Harmonia Mundi have really outdone themselves this time. There are moments in which a singer is singing and I can't tell there's anyone else in the immediate ten-mile radius of the recording space. The reverb is perfectly natural, for all practical purposes like a live performance.
> 
> The singers themselves are great also, not afflicted by any sort of wobble or anything of the sort, and as far as I can tell (I'm not familiar with this opera in the least), they are characterizing their respective characters wonderfully. I'm particularly pleased with the spoken bits; I don't know any German and even though I'm not reading along in the libretto (I've come to realize I can't do that very well at all...), I can get the sense of what they're saying; the acting is very dramatic and engaging.
> 
> I just heard a really weird chord in the sixth track... I don't know what it is and can hardly imagine Mozart writing it. Huh.
> 
> Anyway, I like it.


Really helpful review, WV - thanks. I have all the other Jacobs Mozart operas (essential, all), and have dithered about getting this - partly because _Flute_ isn't an opera I warm too very readily, partly because all that dialogue alarms me, and partly because I've been listening to a highlights CD (sent free by the nice people at PrestoClassical to try to persuade me to buy the set), but am not all that sure about what I've heard. In particular the famous Queen of Night aria didn't really give me the shivers as I'd like it to.

OK, I know I'll give in and buy one in the end, but in the meantime I'm being resistive and relishing the reading of opinions like yours about it.


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## Elgarian

david.allsopp said:


> just hair-raising
> 
> 1. Beethoven Symphonies with Anima Eterna + Jos Van Immerseel


Hair-raising indeed. This set blew my head off when I first heard it last year, and realised that all the Beethoven I'd heard in the past was ersatz Beethoven, filtered through the super-smooth gloss of large modern orchestras. Immerseel blows the lid off that. I called it 'Beethoven on a motor bike'. Marvellous stuff.


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## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> Really helpful review, WV - thanks. I have all the other Jacobs Mozart operas (essential, all), and have dithered about getting this - partly because _Flute_ isn't an opera I warm too very readily, partly because all that dialogue alarms me, and partly because I've been listening to a highlights CD (sent free by the nice people at PrestoClassical to try to persuade me to buy the set), but am not all that sure about what I've heard. In particular the famous Queen of Night aria didn't really give me the shivers as I'd like it to.
> 
> OK, I know I'll give in and buy one in the end, but in the meantime I'm being resistive and relishing the reading of opinions like yours about it.


Haha, thanks for letting me know my thoughts count for something in this genre. I'm becoming rather alarmed about the comment you made to me a while ago when I ordered this, about how I wouldn't be able to resist the rest of them, and I think it's proving to be rather accurate (although I think I'll be resistive in your fashion for now).


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## Conor71

Rachmaninov: Piano Trio No. 1
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio, "In Memory Of A Great Artist"
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations


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## Listener




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## Steve M

Holst, The Planets 1. Mars, The Bringer of War


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## Sid James

I have been listening to this as i'll see _Carnival of the Animals_ live in October, and it's a hoot, not least because of Beatrice Lillie's witty and colourful narration:










& this has also been on high rotation lately - Fricsay's interpretations of his countryman Kodaly's music. This disc is a good introduction to this composer's music. Not only do you get the Hungarianisms of Hary Janos Suite and the Marosszek and Galanta dances, but also his darkest and most powerful work, the Psalmus Hungaricus (virtually a condemnation of political oppression). Superb...


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## karenpat

It was supposedly not going to be released until Friday but the Norwegian iTunes store claims it was released September 17. I'm not complaining.


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## Conor71

About 1/2 way through my first listen of this new Opera Set - Wow!, I am impressed


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## Conor71

Verdi: String Quartet
Verdi: La Traviata


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Sid James

First few listens to this:










This is the first time I have heard (within living memory) Pollini play. This is a great compendum of C20th piano music. The Stravinsky is optimistic and kind of orchestral. The Prokofiev sounds very difficult to play, not only technically, but in the way the music veers from tenderness to brutality with the bat of an eyelid. The Webern is concise but multi-layered. & the Boulez second sonata is the only work I had heard before to any depth (I have Idil Biret on Naxos). There's much difference between them, they play each movement differently. I particularly like the kind of nocturnal feel that Pollini imparts to the second slow movement. I have enjoyed this disc, and look forward to hearing more from this pianist, as a friend will bring over his cd of the Schubert late sonatas soon.

& St. Luke's - I've got that Monteverdi _Tasso Madrigals _cd & like it a lot. I'm only beginning to get to know his music, and I might even go to see the _Vespers _live later this year (there have been a few performances of this on here in Sydney, to mark it's 500th anniversary)...


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## Conor71

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Bach: Art of Fugue


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## Aramis

Since yesterday I listen almost exclusively to this set:










Today it's time for String Quintet and Unfinished Symphony (Haitink).


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## Listener




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## Guest

Getting to know some of the other Bachs. This is thus far a very nice recording. Very different sound from his father.


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Conor71

Morning all  - A spot of Bach.
The Art of Fugue recording is one I recently had delivered and its a great performance but I still struggle a bit with this work as is just not as lively as some of Bach's others.
Following AoF up with works that have no shortage of liveliness - the Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord!.


----------



## Sid James

I've been listening to these two (which I bought in the past fortnight) quite a lot lately:










The Stravinsky is such a brilliant piece - an expression of optimism, vigour, vitality. By contrast Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 has parts that are brutal, dark, edgy, tense. It is one of his three war sonatas, which I am only now discovering. The Webern has much subtlety and delicacy - it's a bit like filigree. The to top it all off the scorching virtuosity of the Boulez Second Sonata - the dynamic contrasts & tempo changes are thrilling to hear.










I'm just beginning to absorb this after many listens. The Piano Concerto No. 5 is really kaliedescopic - many things going on in that piece. & the Sonata No. 8, his final war sonata, has sudden mood changes which can be quite confronting. These two cd's are great value, because they give the listener much meat to chew on, listening to them can be quite intense...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ades' _Tempest_ followed by a real shift in direction... or in the immortal words of Montey Python: "And now for something completely different."



















Both of these recordings are fabulous... with perhaps added points for La Venexiana's performance of Luca Marenzio's madrigals which are absolutely marvelous works by a little known contemporary of Monteverdi.


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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

First movement of Barraque's epic piano sonata (on youtube) played by Pi-Hsien Chen - this sounds even more complex than the Boulez 2nd or Carter sonatas - will have to get it on cd at some stage...


----------



## Sid James

Sean Chen plays Elliott Carter's _Caténaires_ (2006) - what amazing virtuosity! Breath-taking!


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## Aramis

Haydn symphony no. 39 and then possibly no. 45 by Alexander Leibreich


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## Guest

I hadn't listened to Hovhaness in a while, and decided to give it a new listen. Very nice!


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## MattTheTubaGuy

Tchaikovsky #4 at the moment. haven't listened to Tchaikovsky for a while, so it is good
Tchaikovsky 5 next, since I have the symphonies in order.


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## Conor71

Good morning ,
Some sacred music - first listen to the Requiem: This was a great piece, I recognized a few of the themes from it, I guess it is a famous work!. The recording of SMP is awesome - part of a set of Karl Richter's old-school Sacred bach which i recently purchased.
Overall some great listening and not too heavy even for this time of day.


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## Sid James

More solo piano stuff:

Carter, Barber - Piano Sonatas










I'm beginning to hear more "romance" for want of a better term in these works, especially the Carter. There's a "warmth" in Carter that I don't find as apparent in other atonal composers (although I understand that this work was still largely tonal).

Saygun - piano works










This is a good collection of this composer's solo piano music, from the 1930's to the 1970's. He was kind of like a Turkish Bartok, and actually knew that composer well when he came to Turkey. Saygun's works have this trademark limping rhythm and a strong bass. I especially like the opener "From Anatolia," and the 12 preludes (the last one sounds like a slightly more tamer version of a Ligeti etude). "Inci's Book" is in the tradition of Debussy's "Children's Corner" or Faure's "Dolly Suite." The Turkish pianist on this recording plays well, and some of the pieces sound technically quite difficult...


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Sid James

More solo piano:

Copland - Piano Sonata; Ives - 3 Page Sonata (ed. Cowell)










The piano sonata is fast becoming one of my favourite genres. I think that the mark of a truly great composer is writing a good piano sonata (now all the Bruckner & Mahler fans will disagree with this, as will Verdi & Puccini fans, too!). Copland's sonata is made up of two nocturnal sounding slow movements sandwiching a jazzy quick movement. I think there is use of blocked chords in this works, similar to things like Appalachian Spring. But, as the liner notes say, this is a more "pensive" and intimate work than his more readily accessible orchestral "Americana" works (which I'm not as huge a fan of as this one). There's quite a bit of improvisational "noodling" in this sonata, but I like it a lot. Ives' 3 Page Sonata is exactly that long. This is like a condensed version of his epic two piano sonatas. As usual with Ives, there is quotation aplenty. The notes say a Bach fugue is quoted at the end, though I can't hear this (yet?), but I can clearly hear the opening "fate" theme from Beethoven's 5th near the beginning of the sonata (this was a favourite quote of Ives, it pops up in some of his other works). It's amazing to think that decades before the polystylism and collage techniques used by guys like Schnittke, Ives was already doing this kind of thing.

Liszt - Sonata in B Minor; Funerailles (played by Horowitz)










This is an epic and rather dark reading of these two key Liszt works. I haven't heard many other pianists play this kind of repertoire (I heard a friend's Brendel cd, which was naturally totally different). So I don't know if it's "correct" but I like it...


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## Conor71

Alfven: Symphony No. 2
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1


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## Listener




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## Conor71

Good morning 
Now listening:
Schubert: String Quartets 14 & 13
Dowland: Lachrimae


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## World Violist

Aho: Symphony No. 12
John Storgards, Lahti Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Lapland

I'm much more impressed by this now than I was a few weeks ago when I first heard it.


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## Sid James

*Griffes *- Piano Sonata
*Sessions *- Second Sonata
*Ives *- Sonata No. 1 for Piano
Peter Lawson, piano










These three sonatas are all by C20th American composers, but completely different. The Griffes sonata, one of his final works, has oriental and Native American melodies (which I can clearly hear now, but didn't initially). The Sessions is an "atonal" work, but one can still hear the structure of the three movements which is cast in the traditional mould (moderately fast - slow - fast). At just under 40 minutes, the Ives first sonata is the most substantial work here. It includes his favoured hymn and ragtime tunes, & brings up memories of his youth in Conneticut. It's interesting to hear how Ives presents fragmentary themes at first and assembles the whole work from the ground up. It was apparently made up of 7 movements, but we only have 5 (the other two were probably lost). But the end still gives me a sense of resolution, humpty dumpty has been put back together again, so to speak...


----------



## Guest

My first real taste of Ravel; liking it very much so far.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

Good morning - some chamber music to start the day.
I was very impressed by the Vaughan Williams Disc - I was'nt sure what this one would be like as RVW does not seem known for his chamber music but I was pleasantly suprised. The Quintet is beautiful and lyrical and the first SQ in a similar vein. The 2nd SQ is a bit stormier but still an enjoyable listen.
This set of Haydn SQ's has seen regular play since I bought it several months ago and I am now working my through the set for the 3rd time - currently listening to the Op. 17 quartets and finding much to enjoy here .


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I just got this Disc last week! - It's very good I think, especially for a bargain, I really like the first Cantata on the Disc.
I dont have a complete set of the Cantatas but almost feel like getting one sometime, although it seems an expensive proposition! :lol:.


----------



## Cookiefication

I got two CDs earlier last month and I'm still listening to them. Wonderful work by Shinji Miyazaki and his orchestra, as usual! My Pokemon CD collection continues to grow...


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms:* Clarinet Quintet (Riha/Smetana Q) Supraphon Archiv









*Beethoven: *Septet (Melos Ens. of London) EMI









I hope to see these two masterpieces live during next week here in Sydney (played by members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra). I have had these recordings for months, but haven't listened to them that much (except the Mozart _Clarinet Quintet_ which I saw live a few weeks back). The Brahms _Clarinet Quintet_ has a decidedly Hungarian gypsy flavor (especially in the slow second movement and finale) and the Beethoven _Septet_ sounds like a mini orchestra. It is a masterpiece of clarity and succinctness of expression. I hope I can make it to the concert, it will be superb (& Schubert's _Rondo Brilliante_ for violin and strings, a work I don't remember ever hearing, will be opening the concert)...


----------



## Guest

Anyone familiar with Joly Braga Santos? He was recommended to me through Amazon and I'm amazed at how utterly gorgeous his music is (at least the early stuff). He reminds me a lot of Sibelius and Vaughan Williams. I'm listening to his 3rd Symphony now and plan on hearing the rest soon.


----------



## Kopachris

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5. (Mvt. III right _now_.)

Got it from Peabody's Concert Orchestra website.


----------



## Listener




----------



## Listener




----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15
Martinu: Piano Trio's Nos. 1-3


----------



## Sid James

I'm beginning to hear more of the Hungarian elements in this music. The core of these pieces is the rhythm, everything else follows on from that.










Just listened to the _Concord Sonata_ for the first time. I can clearly hear the quotation of the opening bars of Beethoven's 5th symphony throughout. There's a crazy ragtime part towards the middle, and an American hymn-like part towards the end (before a kind of "atonal" ending). I borrowed this from the library and will listen to it more times later. I haven't listened to the songs as yet...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second listen to this collection of marvelous French Baroque chamber works for voice: harpsichord, violin, and soprano. Quite original, graceful, and elegant. For whatever reason I have come to develop a greater collection and understanding of the French baroque than of the Italians. Although my collection of Italian Baroque music may be larger in number thanks primarily to Vivaldi and Scarlatti (and Monteverdi if we count him as Baroque and not Renaissance), my collection of the French Baroque is not far behind in terms of sheer numbers of recordings... and is far more broad is exploring a variety of composers and genre.


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## World Violist

Some more Bach Cantatas... John Eliot Gardiner... predictable! Such engaging interpretations and in wonderful sound. And what about that packaging?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yes... I'm slowly collection Gardiner's Bach Cantatas as well... although I have also explored recordings by any number of others.


----------



## haydnguy

Hello everyone. Haven't been on in awhile. :tiphat:

Getting started with a good one. A 9-CD boxed set:


----------



## Conor71

First listen of this newly arrived Opera.


----------



## haydnguy

Now:










Svjatoslov Richter - Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20, Prokofieff Piano Concerto No. 5 (with descriptive insert) National Philharmonic of Warsaw Conductors, Stanislaw Wislocki & Witold Rowiki


----------



## haydnguy

Rachmaninoff/Richter, Piano

Concerto No. 2
6 Preludes.

Label: DG


----------



## Aramis

Paderewski's piano sonata op. 21


----------



## Elgarian

Last July I attended this concert:

John Blow's _Venus and Adonis_ at York Early Music Festival

and yesterday BBC Radio 3 broadcast the recording of it that they made on the day. Delightful to relive such a fine and lively performance.


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## Guest

I thought I would listen to Heifetz today. I just started listening to the Sibelius concerto yesterday and decided I was in the mood for some violin concertos. Right now I am on Tchaikovsky's. I still don't have Heifetz' recording of the Mendelssohn - I'll have to remedy that.


----------



## Argus

I think all these can be called classical. This is over the past month or so.

Teiji Ito - Music for Maya

Feldman - Patterns in a Chromatic Field

Halim El-Dabh - The Miraculous Tale

Beethoven - Sonata No. 32 - Arrau

Erkki Kurenniemi - Information Explosion

Ilhan Mimaroglu - Hyperboles

Helmut Lachenmann - Concertini

Kagel - Antithese

Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music and Turtle Dreams

Alvin Curran - Lost Marbles

Christopher Adler - Signal's Intelligence

Grieg - Lyric Pieces (all 66)

Messiaen - Des canyons aux étoiles

Philip Jeck - Sand

Partch- Revelation in the Courthouse Park

Glass - Violin Concerto

Mendelssohn - Midsummer Nights Dream Op 61

Franck - Prelude, Aria et Final

Piazzolla - Libertango

Scarlatti - Sonatas No 82-92


----------



## Listener




----------



## AlphabetG

Simon Godden Symphony #1. It is without doubt the greatest symphonic work written to date, far, far outshining those of Beethoven or Brahms. Here's the link:

http://composersforum.ning.com/profile/SimonGodden


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## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second listen to this disc:










Brahms was my great love. When there was a birthday or any kind of anniversary , I would ask for arrangements of Brahms' symphonies, chamber music, everything. I knew Brahms completely when I was 13 or 14 years old."
-Arthur Rubinstein


----------



## World Violist

Bach: Cantatas Vol. 4 (BWV 9, 170, 186, 107, 187, and a motet by Kuhnau but attributed to Bach called "Der Gerechte kommt um."
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, Joanne Lunn, Katharine Fuge, Michael Chance, Richard Wyn Roberts, James Gilchrist, Kobie van Rensburg, Stephen Varcoe, Stephan Loges

I look forward to hearing Michael Chance; there are raves about him just about everywhere I look on the internet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

OK... you twisted my arm... Bach cantatas it is:










By the way... this recording includes not just Michael Chance, but also Emma Kirkby, Charles Daniels, and the Purcell Quartet. I just put in an order for volume one from the set which I got earlier on digital download... but I want the actual disc, booklet, and all:










I'm almost tempted, at times, to spend a year simply filling in and listening to all the empty slots in my collection of Bach... starting especially with the cantatas. Just looking at the marvelous Purcell Quartet recordings I have these three discs waiting at the top of my wish list:




























I'd almost be sold on the covers of these last two alone...

continued...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

...and still there's the Suzuki set... which has been drastically reduced in price in special box sets:










Ton Koopman:










... including video taped presentations of selected cantatas:










And ever looming in the Background is the groundbreaking Harnoncourt/Leonhardt recordings of the entire cantatas:










And I still have another 15 or so volumes of Gardiner's cycle yet to get.

And that's just the cantatas!!!


----------



## World Violist

I think those Suzuki boxes are going out of print now... at least that's what seems to be the case on Amazon US. Bit of a shame, really, but I suppose that's what happens to limited editions.

I'm just getting the Gardiner recordings because 1) I'm really liking the SDG label in general right now and wanting to get some of their other recordings of Brahms and... um... more Bach.


----------



## Air

Conor71 said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
> Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5


Hello Conor,

I was wondering, what do you think of the Mozart/Beethoven recording? It's good repertoire for him, though maybe not the best (he's more well known in other repertoire, though his work with the Beethoven _sonatas_ have certainly gained renown). I am especially curious about the Mozart - does it seem excessive to you, heavy even? (I'm thinking Michelangeli here) Or does it have the lightness and briskness of a pianist like Casadesus?

Of course, the Prokofiev is an undeniable classic.


----------



## haydnguy

@StLukes: Those Purcell Quartet/Lutheran Masses look really interesting (not just for the covers either!) 

As you may (or may not) remember, I went ahead and took the plunge for the Harnoncourt last year, and of course, haven't gone through them. Maybe sometime we could start a little "listening thread" and listen to one a week (by the Lutheran calender?) and discuss them. At the time that I got the boxed set, I went ahead and bought the book on the cantatas by Alfred Durr. I was told that it is the definitive book on the cantatas and after looking at it's thickness, I can believe it!


----------



## Conor71

Air said:


> Hello Conor,
> 
> I was wondering, what do you think of the Mozart/Beethoven recording? It's good repertoire for him, though maybe not the best (he's more well known in other repertoire, though his work with the Beethoven _sonatas_ have certainly gained renown). I am especially curious about the Mozart - does it seem excessive to you, heavy even? (I'm thinking Michelangeli here) Or does it have the lightness and briskness of a pianist like Casadesus?
> 
> Of course, the Prokofiev is an undeniable classic.


Hey Air, I think in the Mozart Richter seems to find a pretty good balance between the 2 styles you have described though perhaps leaning a bit towards the heavier style (though not excessive) and very fluent - My comparison points are the only other recordings of the 20th I have heard which are Uchida and Anda .
Its a great disc too! - I have listened to it and the Prokofiev a couple of times already :trp:.


----------



## Conor71

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2, Concert Fantasy
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphonies 1 and 3
Pietari Inkinen/New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

First thing I'd like to say about this CD: this is the first time I've ever received Royal Mail.

Second thing I'd like to say: this CD is awesome.

Just as I had hoped, there is a sense of rightness about this CD. Some of the phrasings in the first symphony seem a bit odd to me, but I suspect that's because I'm not that used to a Finnish performance of this symphony (nor do I really know the symphony that well anyway). Otherwise, many of the qualities of this performance of this symphony apply to the third, which I'm going to spend more time on...

There is something really special about this third symphony, though, and I know a lot of recordings of it; it's long been among my favorite symphonies of any composer. The opening is hypnotic and rugged at the same time. There's one part in the first movement in which the music sinks as it were into the depths, seeming to grind down to a halt, and then the flute begins to pick everything back up again; I never even realized that section was there until hearing this recording; Inkinen makes such a bold statement of it that it asserts itself as part of the texture, while still making sense of it in the overall architecture of the piece. In fact, this whole reading of the first movement flies in the face of more conventional readings, taking a much darker tone than is usual. And it works thoroughly convincingly. (not to mention the amazing detail I hear in some places; there's a neat high-register lick for violas that I'd heard several times, but never realized was for the viola section). The final hymn in the movement has something very stark, simple, plain about it, but it makes the movement for me.

Given this first movement, my hopes are very high for the haunting second. It's far surpassed my expectations; the opening seconds gave me goosebumps, actually. I've made a comparison before, on a different forum, between this movement and plain speech, and this recording bridges that comparison beautifully. There is something, again, plain, solemn, and yet captures the totality of feeling this movement carries with it. The hemiola passages don't drag (for once; and I actually just realized that almost every other recording does drag the hemioli), but neither do they stick out for not dragging; again, rolling off the tongue as though speaking. There may be something monumentally solemn about this reading, but it's not without humor; there are several bits where the flutes' staccato and string pizzicato provide a sort of secco humor about the proceedings. Inkinen doesn't waste any time on the last measures of the piece; he just gets them out of the way and moves on to the third and final movement.

In the beginning of this movement, Inkinen does push and pull the tempo a little bit, but only to emphasize the phrase that used to be the main theme of the second movement, and I think this is done well; besides, he doesn't make this a habit, and after the first two quotations he settles into a very nice tempo that allows for great cogency and detail. He also makes his first definite forte in the whole symphony, though it falls off pretty quickly and we're back in the darkness that so characterized the previous movements. The beginning of the march is quite pesante, but becomes more legato as it progresses, which I think is a stroke of genius. It gives it a sense of timelessness while still grabbing the attention. The brass revel in their only big moments in the symphony, making for a very exciting finish; the excitement is added to by the fact that Inkinen holds the tempo steady throughout the last few minutes for a great accumulation of tension and release at the held chords.

Darn it, where's the rest of the cycle???


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

@StLukes: Those Purcell Quartet/Lutheran Masses look really interesting (not just for the covers either!)

As you may (or may not) remember, I went ahead and took the plunge for the Harnoncourt last year, and of course, haven't gone through them. Maybe sometime we could start a little "listening thread" and listen to one a week (by the Lutheran calender?) and discuss them. At the time that I got the boxed set, I went ahead and bought the book on the cantatas by Alfred Durr. I was told that it is the definitive book on the cantatas and after looking at it's thickness, I can believe it!

I am always open to any excuse to listen to Bach... especially the cantatas. Each time I sit down and seriously explore a couple I am simply floored at how much great music is contained therein... and how many of these there are and how rapidly he needed to turn them out.

I think those Suzuki boxes are going out of print now... at least that's what seems to be the case on Amazon US. Bit of a shame, really, but I suppose that's what happens to limited editions.

If so... I should get one of them before they're gone. I plan on getting the complete Gardiner set... but I would like some by Suzuki and Koopman... as well as the Herrewegge recordings I already own (and a number of others).

Currently giving a first listen to this disc:


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Sibelius: Symphonies 1 and 3
> Pietari Inkinen/New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
> 
> First thing I'd like to say about this CD: this is the first time I've ever received Royal Mail.
> 
> Second thing I'd like to say: this CD is awesome.
> 
> Just as I had hoped, there is a sense of rightness about this CD. Some of the phrasings in the first symphony seem a bit odd to me, but I suspect that's because I'm not that used to a Finnish performance of this symphony (nor do I really know the symphony that well anyway). Otherwise, many of the qualities of this performance of this symphony apply to the third, which I'm going to spend more time on...
> 
> There is something really special about this third symphony, though, and I know a lot of recordings of it; it's long been among my favorite symphonies of any composer. The opening is hypnotic and rugged at the same time. There's one part in the first movement in which the music sinks as it were into the depths, seeming to grind down to a halt, and then the flute begins to pick everything back up again; I never even realized that section was there until hearing this recording; Inkinen makes such a bold statement of it that it asserts itself as part of the texture, while still making sense of it in the overall architecture of the piece. In fact, this whole reading of the first movement flies in the face of more conventional readings, taking a much darker tone than is usual. And it works thoroughly convincingly. (not to mention the amazing detail I hear in some places; there's a neat high-register lick for violas that I'd heard several times, but never realized was for the viola section). The final hymn in the movement has something very stark, simple, plain about it, but it makes the movement for me.
> 
> Given this first movement, my hopes are very high for the haunting second. It's far surpassed my expectations; the opening seconds gave me goosebumps, actually. I've made a comparison before, on a different forum, between this movement and plain speech, and this recording bridges that comparison beautifully. There is something, again, plain, solemn, and yet captures the totality of feeling this movement carries with it. The hemiola passages don't drag (for once; and I actually just realized that almost every other recording does drag the hemioli), but neither do they stick out for not dragging; again, rolling off the tongue as though speaking. There may be something monumentally solemn about this reading, but it's not without humor; there are several bits where the flutes' staccato and string pizzicato provide a sort of secco humor about the proceedings. Inkinen doesn't waste any time on the last measures of the piece; he just gets them out of the way and moves on to the third and final movement.
> 
> In the beginning of this movement, Inkinen does push and pull the tempo a little bit, but only to emphasize the phrase that used to be the main theme of the second movement, and I think this is done well; besides, he doesn't make this a habit, and after the first two quotations he settles into a very nice tempo that allows for great cogency and detail. He also makes his first definite forte in the whole symphony, though it falls off pretty quickly and we're back in the darkness that so characterized the previous movements. The beginning of the march is quite pesante, but becomes more legato as it progresses, which I think is a stroke of genius. It gives it a sense of timelessness while still grabbing the attention. The brass revel in their only big moments in the symphony, making for a very exciting finish; the excitement is added to by the fact that Inkinen holds the tempo steady throughout the last few minutes for a great accumulation of tension and release at the held chords.
> 
> Darn it, where's the rest of the cycle???


I've been listening to Sibelius' violin concerto repeatedly (Heifetz recording), and am really enjoying it. I'm interested in jumping into his symphonies. Can you recommend a good place to start, and a preferred recording (I figured since in many other works, our tastes have overlapped)?


----------



## haydnguy

Starting:


----------



## Conor71

Good Morning .
Dvorak: Piano Trio's Nos. 2 & 4
Saint-Saens: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 3


----------



## Conor71

Continuing listening to more concertos today








Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

I like it how Henkemans brings out a real sense of fun and humour in this interpretation of the Debussy Preludes...


----------



## Conor71

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## World Violist

This again, mostly because I have little else I want to listen to.


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to this last night:










This is a good collection of C20th piano music (although the Schoenberg is from the 1890's, his earlier tonal period). American pianist Alison Brewster Franzetti plays a modern instrument, a Bluthner concert grand, which is apparently well suited to this kind of repertoire. It has a deep and rich tone, but I'm not sure if it's just the instrument or the recording, but it sounds as if the mikes are a bit too close at times.

The highlight for me of the whole disc is the Hartmann _Piano Sonata '27 April 1945'_ which was written after the composer witnessed a column of prisoners being marched to their deaths during the closing days of WWII. This is a powerful piece of music that brings up more questions than can be comfortably answered, like what is the nature of humanity if we are capable of doing such terrible things? How can Germany or the world deal with this? Should we just go on as before or do we need to change things so it can never happen again? These are the type of things I think about when listening to this work. It has a pivotal funeral march (the third movement) which seems to quote the opening "fate" theme of Beethoven's 5th symphony. Hartmann wrote two versions of the final movement, the first is more optimistic and quotes American and Russian songs (them being the ones who liberated Europe from the Nazis), the second feels somewhat less firmly resolved, with a toccata which reflects and goes over the themes of the whole work. I can't tell you which one I like better, both are very effective, and I think it's a bonus that they have both been included on this fine recording.

The other works are worthwhile as well, not least Berg's classic opus 1, or Hindemith's 2nd sonata (from the 1930's) and also the early tonal Schoenberg which reminds me very much of Brahms...


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
> Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


I have been meaning to get that Heifetz recording. I have really been enjoying Heifetz lately. I have the Gilels recording as well, but just haven't gotten into Brahms' Piano Concertos like I have his other concertos (Violin and Double stand out for me).


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> I have been meaning to get that Heifetz recording. I have really been enjoying Heifetz lately. I have the Gilels recording as well, but just haven't gotten into Brahms' Piano Concertos like I have his other concertos (Violin and Double stand out for me).


Heifetz is awesome! - I have a mini collection of his Stereo VC's and have played all the discs a fair bit. Heifetz Mendelssohn Concerto is wonderful (and fast!) and the Beethoven is good too - this is definetely a Disc you should add to your collection DrMike .
I know what you mean about the Brahm's PC's - I do like them but find them a bit hard to fathom at times + for concertos they are both very long!. The Gilels recording is a good one though - I have owned a couple of others but this is the one I ended up keeping :trp:.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Heifetz is awesome! - I have a mini collection of his Stereo VC's and have played all the discs a fair bit. Heifetz Mendelssohn Concerto is wonderful (and fast!) and the Beethoven is good too - this is definetely a Disc you should add to your collection DrMike .
> I know what you mean about the Brahm's PC's - I do like them but find them a bit hard to fathom at times + for concertos they are both very long!. The Gilels recording is a good one though - I have owned a couple of others but this is the one I ended up keeping :trp:.


Yes, I have the Beethoven already, paired with the Brahms, by Heifetz. I also have the Brahms/Tchaikovsky, and then the Sibelius/Prokofiev/Glazunov. The Sibelius has really caught my ear as of late. A lot of these older stereo recordings I have been finding at used book/music stores, so they aren't the newly remastered Living Stereo releases (except for the Brahms/Tchaikovsky). I hate paying shipping costs, and the prices facilitate more purchases than new - but I haven't found the Beethoven/Mendelssohn recording yet.

Today I am spending some time with Berlioz:


----------



## World Violist

This finally arrived... I'm STILL waiting on those bloody Philip Pullman books to get here. Upside is, today I got distracted from them once again by Monty Python's Life of Brian also arriving in the mail, so I've been messing around with the features and such.

Anyway, after Life of Brian I'm gonna be listening to this:









Bach Cantatas 5
Gardiner et al.

Looks to be very exciting listening based on the booklet and reviews.


----------



## World Violist

I'm just coming to the end of Szymanowski's first violin concerto on Youtube (David Oistrakh's recording). Some incredibly beautiful music in this, though I imagine it would sound a bit better if the sound were not necessarily worse than it could be today. I'm really looking forward to Boulez's upcoming release of this composer's first violin concerto and third symphony on DG with the VPO (Tetzlaff on violin). Should be stunning!


----------



## Ravellian

I am performing Chopin's Preludes Op. 28 next month, so those 24 pieces are always playing in my head in some form or another...


----------



## Sid James

Listened to these last night:










At first, when I got this cd at the beginning of this year, I thought all three of the Boulez piano sonatas sounded the same. Now I can hear just how much they are different. The first two are similar, perhaps they have the most contrast. The first sonata starts of quietly with what reminds me of a nocturnal feel, and in the middle there is a crazy fugue-like part. The second sonata, the most well-known, has a structure that is solid to the core. I am beginning to understand the final movement, with its alternation of rapid and loud parts with quieter, slower and more reflective parts. The way it ends very quietly makes me think that the music is just dissolving. The third sonata has a lot more decay of the sound than in the other two, it is a very resonant piece. I also have Pollini's recording of the second sonata, but I prefer Biret's, probably because it's the one I got to know the piece with.










Beethoven: Waldstein and Hammerklavier sonatas/Ashkenazy

I really like the catchiness of the opening theme to the Waldstein. The second (slow) movement is marked "introduction" and that's exactly what it is to the final rondo movement. Whereas the former is unresolved and searching, the latter is joyous, optimistic and reminds me of hearing a peal of bells. The Hammerklavier was an obvious choice after the Boulez, setting the standards of piano playing in the C19th as he did in the C20th. The slow movement alone can virtually be a sonata in itself - so much emotion in that. & the counterpoint in the final movement reminds me strongly of Handel & J.S. Bach. Recorded in the 1960's and '70's, these early accounts by Ashkenazy have the vigour of youth.

Also heard these on radio 2mbs-fm Sydney (to have a bit of chamber after all of that piano):

CHAMBER SOIRÉE with Stephen Wilson Prepared by Win Thompson
Haydn, J. String quartet no 4 in D, op 20 no 4 (1772). 
Berwald, F. Grand septet in B flat (1842). 
Bruch, M. From eight pieces for clarinet, cello and piano, op 83 (1908): no 2 in B minor; no 6 in G minor. 
Debussy, C. Piano trio in G minor (1880). 
Petrini, F. Duo in E flat, op 30 (c1793). 
Beethoven, L. Violin Sonata in C minor, op 30 no 2 (1802).

Needless to say, I really enjoyed listening to other interpretations of the pieces I already own - the Debussy and Beethoven. I have also not heard much Berwald before, and Petrini was a totally unknown quantity to me previously. This is a program I try to tune into regularly, as I love chamber music and it always presents a good mix...


----------



## World Violist

Oh my gosh BWV 170 is awesome... it's the alto solo cantata, and of course it's Michael Chance's cantata. First aria is definitely one of my new favorites in all of Bach that I've heard. Heavenly!


----------



## Listener




----------



## haydnguy

A good one I like to listen to from time to time:


----------



## Conor71

Faure: Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2
Faure: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2
Schubert: String Trio, String Quintet


----------



## World Violist

Pilgrimage to Santiago
Gardiner/Monteverdi Choir


----------



## Chopin_Fan777

The second movement from Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos


----------



## haydnguy

Well...all I can say is WOW!!

I was reading a review of this CD by a brand new classical music fan and he said, after listening to this CD, that Julia Fischer is the Jimi Hendrix of classical music. Well, you have to love the enthusiasm but Julia hasn't quite made the same status in classical music that Hendrix did in rock. But you can understand how he might think so. Just a marvelous CD.

(A word of caution.) This is my first copy of this work so it might be I'm WOW'ing over the pieces as much as Julia's playing. But she does do an excellent job.


----------



## haydnguy

When the wife's away, the CM will play!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

BWV 106, 118, 198

Ach!!! Bach!!!


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Ach!!! Bach!!!













Bach: Cantatas BWV 4, 150, and 196
Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan

I think I'll end up collecting this series of Bach's cantatas as well. It's definitely very different from Gardiner, and the differences are quite obvious just from the surface: one is Christian while the other is Agnostic, one studio and the other live, one more devotional and the other more dramatic... It's truly a testament to Bach's greatness that these works can survive such diverse interpretations.

BWV 4 is one of the more famous cantatas, but it's not actually among my favorites thus far. Suzuki makes a very good performance of it, though.

BWV 150, however, is one of my favorites, and this very recording is why. From the very opening I'm captured and drawn in, and the rest of the cantata is incredibly moving.

After 150, BWV 196 is a bit of a let-down for me, but it's still a wonderful cantata.

It'll be interesting to compare/contrast Gardiner's and Suzuki's approaches between the same cantatas; as of yet I have no parallels between them.


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## Conor71

Allright!!










Bach: Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord


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## World Violist

Conor71 said:


> Allright!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bach: Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord


I vote Bach until A) the cows come home (void if cows are not indigenous) or B) the fat lady sings (much more probable if one is listening to cantatas/passions/etc., so the cow scenario is vastly preferable for the largest possible amount of Bach). All in favor?


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## Guest

:wave: you have my vote! I listened to the Mass in B Minor (Suzuki's BIS recording) yesterday.


World Violist said:


> I vote Bach until A) the cows come home (void if cows are not indigenous) or B) the fat lady sings (much more probable if one is listening to cantatas/passions/etc., so the cow scenario is vastly preferable for the largest possible amount of Bach). All in favor?


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## Conor71

World Violist said:


> I vote Bach until A) the cows come home (void if cows are not indigenous) or B) the fat lady sings (much more probable if one is listening to cantatas/passions/etc., so the cow scenario is vastly preferable for the largest possible amount of Bach). All in favor?


I'm in! :lol: - now listening:


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## Guest

Does C. P. E. Bach count?


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## World Violist

DrMike said:


> Does C. P. E. Bach count?


I didn't provide a specific Bach, so yes.

I'm listening to Vol. 1 of the Suzuki cantata series again...


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## Guest

Michael Daugherty's Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra. I heard Trail of Tears for flute and orchestra a few weekends ago in Ann Arbor, where Mr. Daugherty teaches at UofM, and it was awesome. Now I'm waiting for that to be put on disc.


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## haydnguy

J.S. Bach/WTC Book 1/Peter Watchorn, pedal harpsichord


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## Conor71

Villa-Lobos: SQ's #5, 10, 13, Piano Trios #1 & 3

Wonderful music!.


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## Argus

Jeff N said:


> Michael Daugherty's Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra. I heard Trail of Tears for flute and orchestra a few weekends ago in Ann Arbor, where Mr. Daugherty teaches at UofM, and it was awesome. Now I'm waiting for that to be put on disc.


That's the first classical album cover I've seen that's made me want to check out the music. I did and it was pretty good.

Lately, I've mostly been listening to lots of chillwave and electronic ambient stuff, but I've checked out some classical in between:


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## Sid James

Just got this yesterday & listened to it last night and this morning:








*Liszt:* from The Years of Pilgrimage
Stephanie McCallum, piano
ABC Classics

This is our very own Australian pianist, Stephanie McCallum, playing extracts from this seminal series of works by Liszt. I have seen her in recital & she is as amazing to hear on this recording as she was to see live. I really like the lyrical and poetic Swiss Book. In _Les cloches de Geneve (The Bells of Geneva)_ you can clearly hear the quietly chiming bells of that city. In _Au lac de Wallenstadt (On the lake at Wallenstadt)_ you can hear the lapping of the water on the oar, and imagine Liszt gliding on the lake in his boat. & the _Vallee d'Obermann (The Valley of Obermann)_ develops from a rather dark and tragic space to one filled with light and hope. I get the impression that the valley, with it's high and low points, is like a metaphor for where we are at (the changes) in our lives. I also like the Italian Book. The _Sonetto del Petrarca 104 (Petrarch Sonnet 104)_ was the only work I had heard from this collection before, and it is such a luminous work. The _Sonata Apres une lecture du Dante (Dante Sonata)_ is perhaps in more familiar Lisztian territory, being somewhat similar to the more famous Sonata in B Minor. & _Sposalizio _(composed after Liszt saw a painting of the virgin Mary by Raphael), has this descending figure which strongly reminds me of Debussy's (later) _Arabesque No. 1_. This is an excellent collection, unfortunatley McCallum hasn't recorded the whole three sets, but it is a great introduction for some largely unfamiliar repertoire for me...


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## Conor71

Good morning :
Rossini: Overtures
Bach: Art Of Fugue


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## Guest

A recording by my local orchestra, the Ann Arbor Symphony conducted by Arie Lipsky. I'm wondering why there aren't more recordings of Fetler's music...


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## bachbabe

I have been listening to a very unique rendition of the Four Seasons by Red Priest.


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## elgar's ghost

Hindemith's 7 string quartets (on CPO - 3 discs). Pretty underrated as SQ cycles go - then again, so is most (or maybe all) of his chamber music.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Still listening to the one... the only... J.S. Bach!!!


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## Listener




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## Sid James

*Schubert*: Piano Trio No. 1; Trio Sonata; Notturno (First cd of two cd set)

I saw the 1st trio for piano, cello and violin live earlier in the year, and have not listened to it since. I was so moved by the live performance, especially the soulful slow movement. This recording is pretty good, and includes all of the composer's works for this combination, as well as the _Grand Duo_ for violin & piano, which I am less familiar with. I will be listening to the second cd tonight...


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## Conor71

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5, Piano Sonata No. 8, Visions Fugitives.


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Guest

Heard my Prof give a recital that included a short piece by Moszkowski, who I'd never heard of before. Decided to give him a shot and I'm enjoying so far.


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## Conor71

Good morning  - Some Piano Works by Schumann to start the day: The Fantasy In C Major is becoming a favourite.


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## World Violist

Some marvelous Bach from the Japanese guys. For whatever reason, BWV 111 doesn't capture me so much as other cantatas, but 123 (the second on this disc) certainly does, and the rest of the disc is pure greatness.


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## StlukesguildOhio

A mostly choral day.


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## Sid James

Still enjoying this one, which I bought on the weekend:








*Liszt*: from _The Years of Pilgrimage_
Stephanie McCallum, piano
ABC Classics

These pieces go right across the range of expression for the keyboard - from the poetic imagery of the Swiss Book to the drama and darkness of the Dante Sonata from the Italian Book. I like McCallum's style which reflects this diverstiy - warm, poetic, fiery. I think these works are fast becoming my favourites - I planned to listen to more music after I put this cd on last night, but by the end I was "full" unable to take any more in. I look forward to getting the complete _Years of Pilgrimage_, played by another pianist, because McCallum has not recorded it in full. I'm thinking of getting Brendel & Kocsis's recording, available on a Philips double, as I saw that at the store. In any case, that'll be later, because I want to absorb this quite complex music fully before I move on...


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## World Violist




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## Guest

Alright, all this talk of Bach's Cantatas put me in the mood to load this up on my MP3 player to listen to at work:









Most of my cantata recordings are from Herreweghe, but I really enjoy Suzuki's - I have 3 different recordings by him. If I were to collect the entire cantata catalog, I think Suzuki would be the first one I would collect.


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## World Violist

Brahms 1: Gardiner, ORR

Fantastic recording. The finale is enormously exciting!


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## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Brahms 1: Gardiner, ORR
> 
> Fantastic recording. The finale is enormously exciting!


Ok, so now I'm listening to the whole CD.

I like the album cover way too much... so I got the high definition close-up shot from SDG's Facebook page for this one 










Brahms 1: Gardiner, ORR

Begrabnisgesang (Op. 13, first track) is wonderful, and grabbed me from the beginning. The Monteverdi Choir and ORR give this a great recording, full of life and vigor and a wealth of rich detail. Immediately makes me want to hear more of Brahms' vocal/orchestral music.

And then, of course, the gear shifts completely to a different composer: Mendelssohn's Mitten wir im Leben sind. It sounds rather similar to the Brahms of the previous track, except with a little more spring in its step, and it's a bit more willing to find itself in a major key. It's also much more flexible as it proceeds, and the depths of expression are quite striking! Mendelssohn the "light-hearted" this is definitely not, and I doubt the integrity of that generalization the further I get into this wonderfully impressive piece. The hush that surrounds its ending is chilling.

Then the CD returns to Brahms for the Schicksalslied, Op. 54. Here's where the impressiveness of the programming comes out: the first two pieces were generally dark, ominous, hopeless, but this piece is genuinely heartwarming at the start and goes through a full emotional gamut before the (again quiet) end. Very reminiscent of the first symphony... imagine that!

And then, after the perfect quiet set up by the end of the Schicksalslied, in comes the first symphony, here with all stops pulled and a hell-for-leather opening by Gardiner and his forces. Put a nice broad grin on my face to hear such ingenious and shocking programming on a CD! I'm such a sucker for strings really digging in on a CD, and here I get it. :devil:

The first movement overall is given one of the most imaginative, lucid, and excitingly dramatic readings I've ever heard. Immediately gone is all the obscurity in detail that plagues Karajan's and even Bernstein's recordings; everything emerges in an intensely dramatic way, counterpoint bares itself, and so on. It's brilliant. Makes me completely reassess what I thought about Brahms.

Second movement is very nice (I've never warmed to the middle movements of any of the Brahms symphonies... kinda weird, but hey), and I like the nicely flowing tempo for it. It reminds me a lot of the slow movement of Beethoven's fourth symphony that I had the pleasure of playing in September, especially when the little dotted rhythm thing comes in. The violin soloist is heavenly, as is the end of the movement.

Third movement is much more brisk than I'm used to, but I'm willing to get used to it. Gardiner emphasizes the play of light and shadow much more than I seem to remember, with gentle shades occasionally giving way to a near savagery that's really quite thrilling. There's great cogency in this movement, too; the hymn theme reveals itself to have already been played in the first movement, and I doubt a slower tempo would have allowed it to be so clear. Another thing about other recordings: I wonder if they take the "grazioso" marking much too seriously. This recording has only a hint of grazioso in some bits, despite the overall feeling being that of grazioso.

The finale is simply wonderful. The beginning has sweep, drama, terrifying stillness, great flexibility and naturalness in the dynamics (witness the amazing control in the pizzicati). And still that astounding clarity. The color that springs out of the score is unbelievable; I've never heard any of this before. The horn solo REALLY comes out this time, sounding for once like a real alp horn (and I understand they used a real natural horn here!). The choral is understated, anticipating the impossible grandeur of its restatement in the coda (and it really blew me away, let me tell you; small orchestra this may be, but the sound suggests very much otherwise). The melodic section that ensues is beautifully phrased, with rich sounds from the strings (who said absence of vibrato immediately means lack of expression? They lied!). Time melts away with this rendition; it's so exciting that I looked down at the timer to find that ten minutes have gone by... when??? Oh, and after those ten minutes is the most jaw-droppingly awesome coda I've ever heard in this symphony.

Think you don't like Brahms' orchestral music? Get this CD and think otherwise.


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## haydnguy

Robert Schumann
-- Phantasiestucke, op. 12
-- Kreisleriana, op. 16

Elisso Wirssaladze, piano


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## elgar's ghost

World Violist said:


> Ok, so now I'm listening to the whole CD.
> 
> I like the album cover way too much... so I got the high definition close-up shot from SDG's Facebook page for this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Brahms 1: Gardiner, ORR
> 
> WV - dare I suggest that the covers of these Brahms recordings are as watering to the eyes as the music is to the mouth?


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## World Violist

elgar's ghost said:


> WV - dare I suggest that the covers of these Brahms recordings are as watering to the eyes as the music is to the mouth?


The dare wouldn't be entirely unfounded! It's really a wonderful set of covers SDG has secured for these CDs.:tiphat:


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## Conor71

Faure: Piano Quintets

Beautiful music, love it! - a great way to start the day.


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## Sid James

Last night I listened to this stuff:

*Beethoven:* Piano Trios Nos. 4 & 7 "Archduke"










I last heard the version for clarinet, cello and piano of Beethoven's 4th trio in recital a few months ago, so I thought I'd listen to this version. It's a light work, about twenty minutes, and the bubbly first movement, poetic slow movement and concluding variations on a theme from an opera in the last movement all point towards Schubert. Then the "Archduke" trio, which I will hear next year. Someone on one of these boards described it as "noble" and I can't disagree. I especially like the scherzo, where the instruments seem to be doing their own thing individually, but also in unison, which sounds quite modern to me.
*
Schubert:* Grand Duo for violin and piano
Jean-Philippe Collard, piano
Augustin Dumay, violin










This practically sounds like a violin sonata in all but name. I'm not sure why it's called a grand duo. It is a very Viennese work, and the slow movement reminds me of some of the ballet music from _Rosamunde_. Apparently, a Viennese music critic at the time thought that it was too long and walked out halfway through the first performance! But to my ears, it wasn't too long at all, Schubert didn't over elaborate in any way.

*Liszt*: from _The Years of Pilgrimage_
Stephanie McCallum, piano
ABC Classics










Still enjoying and savouring this fine performance by one of our best Australian pianists. I particularly enjoy the poetry of the _Swiss Book_. The main part of the _Italian Book_ is more turgid, but the appendix _Venice and Napoli _ ends with a tarantella dance which is fun to listen to, but must be quite a challenge for the pianist.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Disc One... Symphonies 1 and 7... marvelous stuff wonderfully performed. The only complaint... no notes... but considering the price for 7 discs... who's complaining? I can always look him up on line.


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## Sid James

*C.P.E. Bach* - Concertos for Harpsichord & Strings
wq31 in C minor & wq33 in F major
Alexander Cattarino, hpschd./Slovak Ch. Orch./Bohdan Warchal
Point Classics








With J. S. Bach, I feel like I'm in a straightjacket, but I enjoy his son C.P.E's stuff more. C.P.E. does some interesting stuff in these concertos in the way the soloist and orchestra interact, the solo passages have variety, and his use of dynamics and tempo are also interesting. This is coming from me, a guy who thinks that the harpsichord sounds just about as appealing as two skeletons having sex on a tin roof! But in a concertante setting, I can stand it, and there is a good balance in this recording between the soloist and strings. My only quibble is that the disc is just 48 minutes long, but it's still not bad, since I got it for $2 in a bargain shop (I see it's about $30 now on Amazon!). It's a pity that these Point Classics are now out of print, because there was some good stuff available on that label...


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## Sid James

Listened to these last night:

The Beethoven & Liszt again, but also some Villa-Lobos & Barber for variety.

*Beethoven:* Piano Trios 4 & 7 "Archduke" (CD 2)










*Liszt:* from The Years of Pilgrimage










*Villa-Lobos: *Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra (the first work that I got to know by him just over 2 years ago - it's still a favourite)










*Barber:* Cello Sonata (an early work - very Brahmsian)


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## StlukesguildOhio

An intriguing collection of German Baroque vocal works by Heinrich Schutz, Johann Rosenmuller, Christoph Graupner, George Philipp Telemann, Dietrich Buxtehude, and Johann Philipp Krieger... all sung by the magnificent Fritz Wunderlich.


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## Guest

My first taste of the Schoenberg Piano Concerto.


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## World Violist




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## Conor71




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## Conor71

Another first listen - I am interested to hear this one. Don't know if I'll be able to make it through this in one session as it seems quite long but we'll see.


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## World Violist

Vol. 6; almost done with disc 2 now.

I was really moved by this whole disc; highlights for me were the opening chorale of BWV 77, the third movement aria of BWV 164, and the third movement aria of BWV 33. But really, all of these cantatas were glorious all the way through.

I'll also be listening to this later today:










Vol. 19

One of the most intriguing things about this volume is that Maya Homburger, one of the violinists and the writer of the short essay in the back of the booklet, wrote about the extremely slow tempo Gardiner insisted on for the last aria of BWV 13... upon looking up Suzuki's timing for the same aria, I was shocked to find a timing of 6:44, whereas Gardiner's is indeed nearly half that tempo, taking 10:38. I listened to this cantata the other day and it was really astounding how this extremely slow tempo just seemed to fit; Gardiner wrote of it as a profound meditation and here it really is one, and a very moving one at that; not only do the phrases fully connect as they should, but Gerald Finley's singing is to die for, as always.


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## Sid James

Listened to these last night & this morning:









*Liszt:* from The Years of Pilgrimage
Stephanie McCallum, piano
ABC Classics

I'm really getting into this piano music by Liszt, and plan to acquire some more of his stuff played by a variety of pianists. It would be great to see McCallum play some of this stuff live, I saw her earlier in the year play George Crumb's Voice of the Whale - that was great, but some of the older Romantic stuff would be really special.









*Hovhaness:* Symphony No. 22 "City of Light"

On the surface, this symphony doesn't appear as cohesive as it really is. The first movement makes me think I'm floating in outer space, the second has a touch of sentimentality, the third reminds me of Haydn, and the fourth - a prelude & fugue - reminds me of say Beethoven or (more likely) Brahms. But these disparate elements are all held together by Hovhaness' style, and the finale is quite spectacular and worth the wait.









*D. Scarlatti:* Stabat Mater; Organ Sonatas; Salve Regina

I really like Scarlatti's style - very Italian & warm. No wonder that my favourite Baroque composer is Handel, who was greatly influenced by the Italians (& went there & met one of the Scarlattis). The sacred works are more for contemplation, while the organ sonatas are more "active" in some parts, but contrasting with slowness in others...


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## StlukesguildOhio

A second listening...










just couldn't get enough.


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## Conor71

First listen to this newly arrived Disc - listening to the slow movement at the moment, quite lovely .


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## Listener




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## Sid James

Last night, listened to these:

*Handel: *Messiah (highlights)









This is the "minimalist" version of this work (I believe the original "Dublin version?"). The soloists also sing as part of the choir, and the whole ensemble is made up of 20 musicians all up. I like the clarity of this version (I believe Handel produced 6 in all?). An unusual thing is that the soloists are part of the choir, so the recording sounds like they are standing behind the small orchestra rather than in front of it. Another twist is that the contralto soloist is replaced here by a counter-tenor.

*Mahler:* Symphony No. 9









I listened to the Mahler 9th symphony for the first time in years - I want to get my head around this work, as I plan to see it live here in Sydney next May. I borrowed this disc from my local library. I like the feeling of finality (but resignation in the face of death?) that is conveyed by the closing slow movement - which could really be a symphony in itself.

*Carter:* String Quartet No. 5









I'm beginning to get my head around this piece. The 1st quartet on the same disc is more immediately accessible, presenting a theme and it's subsequent development and elaboration. The 5th and final quartet is however a totally different kettle of fish. The "theme," indeed if there is one, is highly fragmented and disjointed. A phrase initially heard at the beginning of the work reappears later in a transformed way. Although about half the length of the 1st quartet, and sounding much more chamber like rather than orchestral, the 5th quartet is not without it's challenges. I believe that it is a serial work, wheareas the 1st is freely atonal.

For some light relief, and also because I'll be seeing it live on the weekend, I also listened to a recording of *Saint-Saen's *classic _The Carnival of the Animals_. Beatrice Lillie's narration is pretty hilarious...


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## Conor71

First listen of another newly arrived VC disc.


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## handlebar

In Bach's Mass in B minor with Gardiner and then on to Moeran's Symphony. A good autumn day for Moeran. Highly underrated.

Jim


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## StlukesguildOhio

Simply beautiful.


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## Sid James

Last night & this morning, listened to these:

*Beethoven:* Piano Trio No. 7 'Archduke'









This is fast becoming one of my favourite piano trios. The first movement has such a noble theme. The second movement (scherzo) has this interesting short bit between the first and second themes that sounds decidedly C20th - it really wouldn't be out of place in something by Ligeti or Carter - it's kind of a free polyphony thingie. The lyricism and song-like quality of the third (slow) movement reminds me of Schubert's trios which came about 15 years later. & the finale is helter skelter, the tune reminds me of Mozart or Haydn, but it's treatment is pure Beethoven. I look forward to seeing this work played live here in Sydney in March next year, with pianist Kathryn Selby and her "Trioz." It'll be great...

*Berg:* Chamber Concerto









After owning this disc since Christmas last year, I'm finally beginning to get my head around these works. The Chamber Concerto is made up of three cadenzas (each of the movements). The first is for piano, the second for the violin and the third is for them both. The sound of this work is so rich, it's difficult to imagine that it's only for the two soloists and a smallish wind ensemble. It was written at roughly the same time as Wozzeck, and the world of that opera is never far away - eg. Berg's favoured waltz themes pop up here and there. I'm seeing this work live this Friday at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and it promises to be a great concert...

*Liszt:* from The Years of Pilgrimage









I've been listening to this since I bought it just over a week ago. This music is amazing - I can hear things in there anticipating everything from impressionism to atonality and even minimalism. I plan to get more of Liszt's piano works, he is fast becoming my favourite solo piano composer...


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## Air

Andre said:


> I can hear things in there anticipating everything from impressionism to atonality and even minimalism.


Ravel was very much influenced by Liszt's _Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este_ (from the Third Book) and transferred it to one of his own solo piano works, also titled _Jeux d'eau_. If you ask me, Ravel's so-called "impressionism", in this work at least, is much more akin to that of Liszt than that of Debussy.

I think my favorite from the set is still the _Dante Sonata_.


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## Sid James

Air said:


> Ravel was very much influenced by Liszt's _Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este_ (from the Third Book) and transferred it to one of his own solo piano works, also titled _Jeux d'eau_. If you ask me, Ravel's so-called "impressionism", in this work at least, is much more akin to that of Liszt than that of Debussy.
> 
> I think my favorite from the set is still the _Dante Sonata_.


I don't know that Ravel piece, but you are definitely right about the correspondence between the Liszt and that - it says so in the excellent notes of the ABC disc. I can hear a similarity in how Liszt goes down the scale at the end of _Sposalizio_ and how Debussy does a similar thing in _Arabesque No. 1._

My favourites from the disc are the excerpts from the _Swiss Book_. They are very lyrical, poetic and picturesque. The _Bells of Geneva_, _On the Lake at Wallenstadt_, and _The Valley of Obermann_ are included on the disc. I particularly like the last one, a journey from darkness to light. It's as if the composer was reflecting on the highs and lows of a valley, being a metaphor for our lives. It's going to take a while to get my head around the _Dante Sonata_ - it's the most substantial piece in the collection, and probably the most complex.

I plan to get more piano music by Liszt - Leslie Howard and Tamas Vasary are next on my to-get Liszt list!...


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## World Violist

Right now I'm getting acquainted with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique with the classic Colin Davis recording with the Royal Concertgebouw on Youtube. It's rather charming right now (I'm still in the first movement) and I like the orchestral colors, even though I am aware that the original instrumentation was somewhat different than what is here presented (there was a serpent and ophicleides or something like that instead of two tubas, yes?).


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## Guest

World Violist said:


> Right now I'm getting acquainted with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique with the classic Colin Davis recording with the Royal Concertgebouw on Youtube. It's rather charming right now (I'm still in the first movement) and I like the orchestral colors, even though I am aware that the original instrumentation was somewhat different than what is here presented (there was a serpent and ophicleides or something like that instead of two tubas, yes?).


Davis' was also my first introduction to this piece, off of a recommendation on another site. I quickly also picked up the Gardiner recording. In addition, I also picked up the Anima Eterna recording with Immerseel (Zig Zag) and Tilson Thomas on Sony, I believe. The Gardiner and Tilson Thomas recordings are my favorites for HIP and modern recordings. I believe Gardiner uses the serpent and ophicleides, but might be mistaken.


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## World Violist

DrMike said:


> Davis' was also my first introduction to this piece, off of a recommendation on another site. I quickly also picked up the Gardiner recording. In addition, I also picked up the Anima Eterna recording with Immerseel (Zig Zag) and Tilson Thomas on Sony, I believe. The Gardiner and Tilson Thomas recordings are my favorites for HIP and modern recordings. I believe Gardiner uses the serpent and ophicleides, but might be mistaken.


In the reviews I've seen of Gardiner's Fantastique, it does use the original orchestration, including ophicleide and serpent. It'll definitely be interesting to hear how it snarls compared to the modern tuba!

I didn't have time to hear the complete Symphony, because I had a history class, so I decided to change recordings... now I'm listening to Boulez's earlier recording, also on Youtube. It's a really thrilling recording; all the orchestral detail makes the program leap out and come to life, making one believe that Berlioz knew what he was doing. Must have been one crazy trip...


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## Manxfeeder

Today I'm comparing Simon Rattle's recording of Schoenberg's Five Pieces for Orchestra with Hans Rosbaud's 1958 recording.


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## Conor71

Havent listened to Brahms Symphonies in a while as I overplayed them a bit last year - This is a fine set, playing Symphonies 1 & 3 at the moment.


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## Sid James

Listened to these last night & this morning:

*Penderecki:* Sextet, Clarinet Quartet, Divertimento for Solo Cello, Three Miniatures for Clarinet & Piano, Prelude for Solo Clarinet









As member Harpsichord Concerto mentioned this disc, I listened to it as I hadn't done so i
n a while. These are works at the either end of Penderecki's avant-garde phase - the last two works listed above are from the 1950's while the others are dated 1993-2000. The latest works have a decidedly nocturnal feel, and he uses the Notturno marking in two of the works. The _*Sextet*_ has an edgy and rather turgid first movement, and concludes with a slow movement which is at times mounful, and inhabits a similar sound world to especially Bruckner (the way Penderecki uses the french horn) and Schnittke (the despair). The _*Clarinet Quartet *_also has a less conventional structure of slow-fast-slow. The last movement 'Evening' is particularly affective. The _*Divertimento for Solo Cello *_was written for Rostropovich, and is apparently a portrait of him. I particularly liked the pizzicato and bowing on the wrong side of the bridge in the fast and dissonant scherzo. The _*Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano *_seem to inhabit the same sound world as Prokofiev, at least the first movement. The _*Prelude for Solo Clarinet *_is the shortest work on the disc, which it concludes. All in all this is not a bad disc to get into if you like C20th chamber music, even though the style of the latest works sounds of the past rather than of the present (the idiom is hardly more advanced than that of say Shostakovich or Britten). But that's not a huge problem, as Penderecki can obviously write well for these combinations. I'd jump at the chance to see this type of repertoire played live...


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## Conor71

Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 & 3, Ballades.


----------



## Manxfeeder

There's a thread around here about serialism versus minimalism, so I'm going through Philip Glass' third and fourth symphonies, recorded by Marin Alsop and the Bournemouth SO.


----------



## tahnak

World Violist said:


> Right now I'm getting acquainted with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique with the classic Colin Davis recording with the Royal Concertgebouw on Youtube. It's rather charming right now (I'm still in the first movement) and I like the orchestral colors, even though I am aware that the original instrumentation was somewhat different than what is here presented (there was a serpent and ophicleides or something like that instead of two tubas, yes?).


This recording left me in delirium when I experienced it first in 1987. Since then, there has not been any performance to replace this. It is simply magnificent. The Concertgebouw and Davis perform this as they were possessed by the spirit of Berlioz himself.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 1
Ozawa/BSO

I'm liking the beginning quite a lot; it's a real Langsam, rather than the quick little run-throughs I get with most recordings. Some might call it bland, but I prefer this kind of music-making now, in which the music plays itself rather than being twisted and contorted to make it "more exciting." The excitement is already there.


----------



## World Violist

Nevermind the Mahler 1 above...










Mahler 6
Bernstein/VPO

Holy crap...


----------



## Sid James

*Liszt *played by Lilya Zilberstein (DGG Eloquence): 
Two Legends, S.175 
Consolations, S.172 
Fantasia And Fugue On The Name B-A-C-H, S.529 
Ballade No. 2 In B Minor, S.171 
Valse Oubliee No. 1 In F Sharp Major, S.215 
Impromptu In F Sharp Major, S.191 









I'm really getting into Liszt's solo piano works. I really like how these works were so innovative for their time. The _*Two Legends *_are contrasting pieces, the first one (about St. Francis of Assisi talking to the birds) incorporates birdsong, which immediately made me think of Messiaen. In parts of the second, St Francis of Paola walking on the waves, the piano is not so much played as attacked. It virtually sounds like a religious sermon put to music. Liszt was much influenced by Chopin's _Nocturnes,_ and I can hear this clearly in his _*Consolations*_, which have much of their contemplative and melancholy nature. Liszt was obsessed with religion all of his life, and these works present a mixture of the temporal and the spiritual. The _*Fantasia and Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H* _was originally an organ work that was rearranged for piano. Like many of Liszt's works, this is a journey from darkness to light, with the BACH theme only being fully revealed at the end of the piece. The notes say that the way in which Liszt developed the theme in a less tonal way, pointed the way forward to composers like Mahler and Schoenberg. But the fragmentary nature of the fugue (it is apparently not "correct") also reminds me of what Ives did in his piano sonatas. The _*Ballade No. 2* _is my favourite work on this disc. Composed around the same time as the B minor sonata, and in the same key, it shares with it an amazing fluidity of thematic development, which is very flexible and romantic and modern at the same time. I am amazed how in the space of a millisecond, Liszt's music completely changes mood and atmosphere. The _*Valse Oubliee *_is perhaps the lightest work on the disc, and shows that not all is doom and gloom in Liszt's late piano music. & the _*Impromptu *_reminds me of some of the music in the _Years of Pilgrimage _but also the famous _Liebestraum_. This is also the first time I have heard this pianist play, and she seems very flexible in her apporach - you get the passion but also the contemplation. She never descends into sentimentality, which could be easy in works like the _Consolations_. It's also great to have them complete on this disc. I plan to get more Liszt in the coming months - I really enjoy his music, and I think that his solo piano works are perhaps the finest in the canon of classical music...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Absolutely stunning!

I'm a sworn Wagnerian, but this has surely led me to a renewed admiration for Brahms and I have no doubt I'll be getting this entire cycle.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, Violin Romances
Faure: Violin Sonatas


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Absolutely stunning!
> 
> I'm a sworn Wagnerian, but this has surely led me to a renewed admiration for Brahms and I have no doubt I'll be getting this entire cycle.


I need to put that on my wish list.

Now I'm listening to Rosbaud's recording of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire.


----------



## Guest

I don't know why, but I have absolutely been obsessed with Beethoven's 7th symphony. I've been listening to multiple recordings:
Frans Bruggen: Orchestra of the 18th Century
Osmo Vanska: Minnesota Orchestra
Carlos Kleiber: Vienna Philharmonic
George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic (70's recording)

Something about the 2nd movement allegretto is just mesmerizing. For a while it was the 9th that I obsessed about. Lately I've been giving listens to some of the less popular symphonies - 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 8th. Really good stuff here.

I'm trying to decide how I want to expand my collection of the 7th symphony. Some of the recordings I'd like are:
Immerseel: Anima Eterna (ZigZag)
Paavo Jarvi: Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (RCA)
Gardiner: Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique (Archiv)


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Piano Trios, Piano Quintet, SQ's 14 & 15.


----------



## World Violist

On Youtube:










Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Karl Richter

I don't know what to say now. Speechless. Right now I'm beginning to think Julia Hamari steals the show among the singers, but really it's Bach to whom all the glory goes. And, through him, God of course.


----------



## Sid James

DrMike said:


> I don't know why, but I have absolutely been obsessed with Beethoven's 7th symphony...


I haven't heard Beethoven's 7th in years (although everyone remembers the allegretto), but I'll be seeing it live in November. I have borrowed the LSO/Dorati recording on Mercury from the library & I'll be getting into that shortly...

I have been listening to this since I got it on Thursday:










I like all of these works, but the _*Ballade No. 2*_ grabs me the most. It has a repeat early on, and a part which sounds almost bluesy. It's amazing how Liszt changes mood and atmosphere at the bat of an eyelid. He can go from the bleakest of statements to the most heartwarming. Amazing stuff, and Zilberstein plays the works well (no syrupy sentimentality here, even in the _Consolations_ which perhaps in the wrong hands could maybe descend into that, but not here)...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Roger Sessions' Symphony No. 2, a very well-done atonal piece.


----------



## Comistra

I don't always feel in the mood for Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies, but today I did. Katsaris does a great job with these.


----------



## ChamberNut

*Brahms*

Works for Choir a Cappella, Vol. 7

*Marienlieder, Op.22
Fest-und Gedenkspruche, Op.109
Funf Lieder Op.41 (for male choir)
12 Lieder und Romanzen Op.44 (for female choir)
Vier Lieder aus dem, Jungbrunnen (7.-10.)*

Chamber Choir of Europe
Nicol Matt, conducting

Brilliant Classics

I absolutely adore the a Cappella choir works in this Brahms set!


----------



## Conor71

ChamberNut said:


> *Brahms*
> 
> Works for Choir a Cappella, Vol. 7
> 
> *Marienlieder, Op.22
> Fest-und Gedenkspruche, Op.109
> Funf Lieder Op.41 (for male choir)
> 12 Lieder und Romanzen Op.44 (for female choir)
> Vier Lieder aus dem, Jungbrunnen (7.-10.)*
> 
> Chamber Choir of Europe
> Nicol Matt, conducting
> 
> Brilliant Classics
> 
> I absolutely adore the a Cappella choir works in this Brahms set!


Hey ChamberNut, welcome back to TC :tiphat:, havent seen you post here in a long time! .

Now listening:

















Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Clarinet Quintet
Mozart: Prussian SQ's


----------



## ChamberNut

Conor71 said:


> Hey ChamberNut, welcome back to TC :tiphat:, havent seen you post here in a long time! .


Hi Conor, yes it has been awhile!  Well, another site (which I will not mention) is down for maintenance, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to revisit TC! :wave:


----------



## ChamberNut

*Brahms

String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op.88
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op.111*

Brandis Quartett
Brett Dean, viola II

Brilliant Classics


----------



## KaerbEmEvig

J. S. Bach - Concerto for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings & b.c. in A minor BWV 1044


----------



## Manxfeeder

Webern's Variations, Opus 27, for piano by Charles Rosen.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

*Stunning!!!*


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Then: Beethoven's Op. 31 Piano Sonatas with Glenn Gould:
http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1287949116&sr=1-3

Now: Schubert's late Impromptus with Krystian Zimerman:
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Impr...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1287950336&sr=1-1


----------



## JMJ

Manxfeeder said:


> Webern's Variations, Opus 27, for piano by Charles Rosen.


Great box, Love Webern ... right now I'm re-visiting _stonkin' performances_ by the Juilliard SQ of op. 5 & 9.


----------



## Manxfeeder

JMJ said:


> Great box, Love Webern ... right now I'm re-visiting _stonkin' performances_ by the Juilliard SQ of op. 5 & 9.


Cool! I think I'll put those on right now.


----------



## Sid James

Listening to* Ravel's *_Piano Trio_, as I'm going to see it live tonight (along with Tchaikovsky's which I don't remember ever hearing).


----------



## JMJ

Disc 1 (op.1-12) from this wonderful box ... starting with an impressive piece of music; the beautifully sparse, haunting & concentrated _Passacaglia op.1_.


----------



## World Violist

Brahms 2
Gardiner/ORR; Nathalie Stutzmann, contralto

This disc opens with the Alto Rhapsody--first time I've ever heard it. It sounds almost the exact opposite of the 2nd symphony; however, Gardiner appears to want to bring out the darkness in Brahms' second symphony, so this is an interesting programming choice. For some reason I've never been entirely convinced in Nathalie Stutzmann's voice. Yes, it's a great beautiful warm voice and all that, but it's never just captured me like other alto voices have (Elina Garanca and Magdalena Kozena spring to mind, not to mention the historical greats like Baker and Ludwig). Not minding Stutzmann, everything else in this performance is incredible (although considering I've never heard the piece before now that's not saying a whole lot, I suppose). Great first impression, anyway.

The choral/orchestral song that follows, Schubert's Gesang der Geister uber den Wassern, sends shivers down my spine (well, my dorm is rather cold at the moment, but that's beside the point). Simple, to the point, and beautiful. Then comes the more vigorous second section, not a moment too soon or late. The first section returns more ethereally than before.

Gruppe aus dem Tartarus and An Schwager Kronos, both composed by Schubert and transcribed by Brahms, are both dark, short, in your face, and in these arrangements very Brahmsian. All three are wonderfully sung and characterized by the men of the Monteverdi choir, yet the orchestral part is not merely an accompaniment here.

And in comes the symphony. Interestingly, An Schwager Kronos ended in D major, in a short burst. Presumably this was where the interval would be in the actual concert. I remember a time when I was studying the score to this symphony and found that everything in the writing of the exposition was intimately interweaved; the opening "pickup" in the cello and the endlessly spinning melody line of the violins are the only two real sources for the whole symphony, from which everything else, in this movement at least, is brought forth. Gardiner realizes this too, and as a result this performance is one of the simplest I've ever heard. As a performance it is nowhere near as in-your face as the first symphony, but it does contain the darkness Gardiner strives to bring to the surface. There are little unexpected shifts in color, as one would see looking at a wall on which light is reflecting off of water. I've never heard it quite like this. Interestingly enough, I've never noticed this movement is almost as long as the second and fourth movements combined.

I can't write much more than this... Brahms is distracting me too much!


----------



## JMJ

JMJ said:


>


Hitting replay on _Six Pieces for large orchestra op.6_ (1909)


----------



## Manxfeeder

JMJ said:


> Hitting replay on _Six Pieces for large orchestra op.6_ (1909)


Great stuff.

I'm listening to Franck's Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue.


----------



## World Violist

Vol. 25


----------



## World Violist

Recovering from hearing way too much Chopin today (three of the ballades; I couldn't sit through the fourth). I think this year will be either the year I'll have some massive epiphany and fall in love with Chopin or learn to hate him from the depths of my soul for the rest of my life.










Vol. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelously well thought out and performed disc... to say nothing of the beautiful packaging. Tartini's sonatas for solo violin are contrasted with songs (Arias of Tasso) reinforcing the song-like nature of the sonatas and suggesting the manner in which Tartini was inspired by songs and poetry. Highly recommended!


----------



## World Violist

Vol. 24

Yeah, I'm liking this one... I wonder how much a coincidence it was to put a Tibetan monk on the cover of this CD.

Edit: BWV 12 is amazing...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous HIP recording of Beethoven's violin concerto... and other works for violin and orchestra. I was due a fresh exploration of this work as the versions I have are quite within the older traditional performance style:



















Currently, I've been focusing a bit on re-exploring some of the core repertoire through new and different interpretations while I's still building up my early music collection (Baroque and before)... although I don't rule out interesting works from any era grabbing my attention. Right now I', listening to this:










Some truly good music by a rather unknown composer... although it seems he was an esteemed professor of counterpoint at the Paris Conservatoire and a writer of texts on music education studied by Smetana and Chopin. Rejcha's Mass for the Dead/Requiem was written while the composer lived in Vienna, in response to the Napoleonic invasion of Austria. The Requiem was written without any guarantee of performance, and yet it is quite complex and demanding. It is clearly classical in structure... but also makes great use of the fugue.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Heggie must rank with Ned Rorem as one of the great composers of contemporary American "art song". A lovely disc.


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Tallis' Spem in alium, sung by the Tallis Scholars, on Youtube. Up to now I'd only ever heard the Naxos recording, which, while good, never reaches the heights scaled easily by the Scholars from the first note. I think the difference is that this recording is more evenly balanced, whereas in the Naxos recording the balance heavily favored the sopranos.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Right now I'm listening to Tallis' Spem in alium, sung by the Tallis Scholars, on Youtube. Up to now I'd only ever heard the Naxos recording, which, while good, never reaches the heights scaled easily by the Scholars from the first note. I think the difference is that this recording is more evenly balanced, whereas in the Naxos recording the balance heavily favored the sopranos.


Ah, one of my favorite works, and one of my favorite recordings of that work. The Tallis Scholars do a wonderful job here. I also really enjoy their early recording of Allegri's Miserere. To be quite honest, there is not a recording by the Tallis Scholars that has yet disappointed me.


----------



## Conor71

Beetoven & Mozart - Violin Sonatas


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Harry Christophers and The Sixteen's take on Spem in Alium. It's a little different; they opt for a wall of sound without emphasizing the dramatic homophonic inserts as the Tallis Scholars do.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Symphonies 2-4
First listen .


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to Harry Christophers and The Sixteen's take on Spem in Alium. It's a little different; they opt for a wall of sound without emphasizing the dramatic homophonic inserts as the Tallis Scholars do.


Yes, I have that one too. I went through a spell where I was absolutely obsessed with Renaissance and Medieval music, and Spem in Alium totally captivated me. In addition to those two recordings (Tallis Scholars, Harry Christopher/The Sixteen), I also have a recording by David Hill/Winchester Cathedral Choir (Hyperion), by Magnificat (can't remember the label). It is an absolutely stunning work. This is one where a wonderful sound system, or good headphones, will benefit greatly. You really need that experience of the music coming in from all directions, with the various parts coming at you from different directions.


----------



## Guest

I've been very much in the mood for Bach's sacred choral works. Yesterday and today I have been listening to the following:

















































After the Johannes Passion, I think I'll probably switch over to Beethoven. I've been meaning to revisit his string quartets - I have them all performed by the Takacs Quartet. Very nice recordings.


----------



## JMJ

from Disc 3 ..

-_Variations for piano op.27_ (1936)
-_String Quartet op.28_ (1938)
-_Variations for orchestra op.30_ (1940)


----------



## ChamberNut

Conor71 said:


> Beethoven: Symphonies 2-4
> First listen .


To the works themselves, or just the performance Conor?


----------



## World Violist

Conor71 said:


> Beethoven: Symphonies 2-4
> First listen .


Beethoven 2 and 4 are my favorites among the symphonies. 4 especially.

As for my current listening...

Nothing right now!


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Michael Tilson Thomas' recording of the 1924 version of Rhapsody in Blue. Personally, I prefer this campy original version over the smoothed-over orchestral version; it sounds like the society jazz of the '20s.


----------



## Conor71

ChamberNut said:


> To the works themselves, or just the performance Conor?


First listen to these performances in the Gardiner set  - I have had this box for quite a few months but had only listened to Symphonies 1 & 7 till now! .
I really enjoyed the Eroica from this set it was quite a bit different to what I am used to - I think I will really enjoy listening to tis set now I am in the mood to hear it .


> Beethoven 2 and 4 are my favorites among the symphonies. 4 especially.


Yes, I really enjoy Beet's early Symphonies too (and his early works in general) - I think No. 4 is especially good! .


----------



## Sid James

Listened to these last night:

*Beethoven *- 7th Symphony
LSO/Dorati









Borrowed this from the library. I have never been highly familiar with this work, but am trying to get my head around it before seeing it live next month. The rather tragic Adagietto (2nd movement) is perhaps the highlight of the whole work, but there's also much lightness with the dance tunes he uses (wasn't this Wagner's favourite symphony, with him calling it "the apotheosis of the dance?"). Written at the time of the Napoleonic wars, the symphony is virtually a sequel to the Eroica, and this symphony shares with that a sense of inevitable triumph against adversity, perhaps not only in terms of humanity but also with the composer's own struggle with deafness.

*Xenakis* - Theraps for double bass solo
Mark Cauvin, double bass









This is an amazing work, the standout work on this two cd set by Australian bassist Mark Cauvin (currently studying and performing in Europe, I believe). This work has an amazing sense of structure, and gives the solo instrument an almost orchestral or even electronic quality. The gliding glissandos remind me of flying in a plane. I have ordered some more Xenakis, because this is the only work I currently own by him on cd...


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Stravinsky's Apollon Musagete.


----------



## Sid James

Last night listened to cd one of the Xenakis & bits of the Stockhausen (I got these yesterday) -

*Xenakis* - chamber music (CD 1)
Atrees for 10 instruments
Morsima-Amorsima for piano, violin, cello & double bass
Nomos Alpha for solo cello
Herma for solo piano









There's a sparse and pared down feel in these works. In some ways, Xenakis uses these ensembles as timbral pools from which he draws various colours and textures, like Varese. Some other works which I have heard by Xenakis display a strong sense of structure, but on first listen I can't detect that readily here. _Atrees_ is a very virtuosic piece - all of the players are in effect soloists. The piano quartet _Morsima-Amorsima_ is typical of these works - static moments of high and low pitched sounds interspersed by frenetic activity. The solo cello work has double and triple stops galore. & at 8 minutes, the solo piano work is as concentrated Xenakis you'll get. I have enjoyed this disc and look forward to getting into the second disc later - I want to absorb this one first a bit.

*Stockhausen* - chamber and electronic music (bits of both discs)
Spiral II for zither, bamboo flute, reed pipe, synthesiser and short-wave radio
Japan for electronium, woodblocks, percussion and electrochord
Wach for electronium, percussion and electrochord
Tierkreis for trumpet and organ









These were interesting works to listen to for the first time - the listener doesn't really know what to expect, what's around the corner. I liked how in _Japan_ Stockhausen was able to evoke a country without resorting to cliches. _Wach_ was my favourite work of the four, the electronic instruments played high and low notes, with the percussionist tending towards the middle. _Tierkreis_ (which I will see live tonight) is the most traditional work here - played here by the composer's son on trumpet with organ accompaniment. Baroque and classical allusions are strong, as are modernist ones. This is a very playful work. I aim to get more into this cd in the next few weeks...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I had to jump on this bargain priced set as well... although I have long loved Gardiner's 3rd, 5th, and 9th (especially the 3rd!!!):










Currently listening to nos. 1 & 2


----------



## Sid James

Listening to this work, as I will see it live at Sydney Conservatorium tonight:

*Bartok:* Concerto for Orchestra
Suisse Romande/Ansermet
Decca Eloquence


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm comparing Murray Perahia's and Stephen Hough's interpretations of Franz Liszt.


----------



## Guest

Enjoying the Shostakovich preludes and fugues for the first time. Perhaps I'll some...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Comparing Gardiner's recording of Beethoven's 9th with Norrington's.


----------



## Sid James

*Stockhausen:* various percussion, electronic and chamber works on this two 2 CD set









Just listened to some of this set last night after coming back from a live performance of Tierkreis (a completely different version from the trumpet/organ one on this recording). Anyhow, the feeling I get with this music (particularly the electronic works) is that it is quite ephemeral, here one minute gone the next. Ideas and sounds come and go - the structure seems much looser than the electronic music I've heard by Xenakis. I think Stockhausen can be thought of as the opposite of Xenakis - he's more intuitive and free. For the listener, this can be quite difficult (even though some of the sounds are quite ravishing). As one reviewer said of this music on musicweb, you have to have a bit of patience to enjoy this music...


----------



## JMJ

Andre .. if you want electronic music from Stockhausen that is more set in stone check out _Gesang der Junglinge_, _Kontakte_ (pure electronic version), _Hymnen_, _Telemusik_, _Sirius Electronic Music_ (4 seasons), _Oktophonie_, _Electronic music w/ Sound Scenes from Freitag_, _Mittwoch Gruss & Abschied_, _Sonntag Abschied_, _Cosmic Pulses_ ...










from Disc 2 ..

-_String Trio op.20_ (1927)
-_Symphony op.21_ (1928)
-_Quartet op.22_ (1930)
-_Concerto op.24_ (1934)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Franz Liszt's Christus. Great choral writing.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Septet, Sextet, Piano Sonatas #1, 2 & 4


----------



## Manxfeeder

I just put on Furtwangler's idiosyncratic interpretation of Beethoven's Eroica symphony.


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Trios #5 & 6, Clarinet Quintet .


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm ending the day comparing Dorothy Darow and the Schonberg Ensemble with Christiane Oelze and Pierre Boulez singing Anton Webern's songs.


----------



## Sid James

JMJ said:


> Andre .. if you want electronic music from Stockhausen that is more set in stone check out _Gesang der Junglinge_, _Kontakte_ (pure electronic version), _Hymnen_, _Telemusik_, _Sirius Electronic Music_ (4 seasons), _Oktophonie_, _Electronic music w/ Sound Scenes from Freitag_, _Mittwoch Gruss & Abschied_, _Sonntag Abschied_, _Cosmic Pulses_ ...


Thank you very much for those suggestions. As a matter of fact, I saw a recording of _Gesang der Junglinge_ coupled with some Varese, Xenakis, Henry and Schaeffer and getting that may well be my next step. I just want to absord the Stockhausen & Xenakis EMI sets that I got first. It'll take a while...


----------



## Violinnostalgics

I love Mendelssohn's violin concerto, and i've been obsessed with it ever since the first time i started playing.


----------



## Charon

I'm listening to CPE Bach's flute sonata WQ73.


----------



## JMJ

Andre said:


> Thank you very much for those suggestions. As a matter of fact, I saw a recording of _Gesang der Junglinge_ coupled with some Varese, Xenakis, Henry and Schaeffer and getting that may well be my next step. I just want to absord the Stockhausen & Xenakis EMI sets that I got first. It'll take a while...


BBC Radio 3's Discovering Music has this programme that you may be interested in listening to. (scroll down to the bottom once there)


----------



## Sid James

(Thanks again JMJ, I'll be checking that link out when I get the chance. I love bells)...

Been listening to disc one of this set for a couple of days:

*Xenakis:* Chamber, instrumental and choral music









When I first listened to the first piece on the disc, _Atrees_, I could hear the similarities with things like Varese' _Deserts_. But with more listening, I can hear a bit more of how Xenakis was different. For one thing, he uses the strings as being integral to the piece, rather than just using their colours to 'highlight' what's going on as in the Varese. This and the other Xenakis pieces are very rich soundscapes, and all instruments seem to contribute equally. There are periods of almost static 'nothingness' or 'voids' (as in the music of Xenakis' teacher, Messiaen) interspersed with more frenetic, active episodes. Another difference between Varese & Xenakis is that the latter used computers to generate the material for pieces like this (several pieces on this set were composed using such methods with the IBM computer). & the movements in _Atrees_ can be played in any order that the musicians want. Like some other composers of the time (Boulez' 3rd piano sonata comes to mind with regards to the lack of order in the movements), Xenakis was interested in not only methods of controlling the structure (with the computer) but in 'controlled randomness' (the order of the movements here). This might be disconcerting to some listeners, but for me it's quite liberating. No longer do I have to think about what's the beginning, middle or end of the piece, I can just go with the flow. It's like a jigsaw that the listener puts together at the end (and perhaps during the listening as well).

All in all, the sound of this music is quite rich, but to some people it's hard to listen to because of the lack of traditional melody. But I got this set because I had very little of Xenakis, but since first experiencing some of his music live here in Sydney last year, I wanted to get to know his works a bit more...


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Dorothy Dorow and the Schonberg Ensemble performing Anton Webern's songs for chamber orchestra. It's a pity this recording has been withdrawn from the catalogue.


----------



## JMJ

Disc 2 ..

_The Wooden Prince, op.13 (Sz 60)_ (1916)


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Glenn Gould's String Quartet for the first time. It's a really puzzling piece... I don't really know what to make of it. There are some bits that are completely tonal (complete with massive pedal-tones in the cello part), and then it's like he flicks a switch and goes straight into almost 12-tone-like atonality, has this sort of pastoral interlude, then suddenly just sort of goes into a 12-tone fugue after a short pause.

This might well be the first time in a good while that I've been completely bewildered by a piece.


----------



## World Violist

Forget Gould, I'm moving on to some Sibelius:










Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
Inkinen/NZSO

Still my favorite recording of this symphony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

The first two discs of Boulez's Webern cycle.


----------



## Conor71

Dvorak: Piano Quartets #1 & 2


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to these last night:

*"The Devil's Dream" *- musical miniatures from Shakespeare's England
Music by Eccles, Dowland, Byrd, Purcell, etc.









I bought this for $2 a few months back, so decided to finally listen to it. I just didn't want any of the mainstream stuff, so this fit the bill perfectly. These are mainly instrumental works for the two guys on baroque instruments, with a few songs thrown in with the soprano. There are some truly wierd harmonies in some of these pieces. The feel of the cd is very intimate, and in the last track (the Purcell) you have clinking glasses and one of the guys singing, which makes you feel like you're in some English tavern in the Seventeenth Century...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schumann, Symphony No. 4, by David Zinman.


----------



## Conor71

Good morning - first listen of this newly arrived Disc .


----------



## Listener




----------



## Sid James

Last night listened to these:

*Xenakis* - Chamber, solo instrumental and choral music (CD 1)
Atrées for 10 instruments, Morsima-Amorsima for piano quartet, Nomos Alpha for solo cello, Herma for solo piano
Very rich music coming from a C20th master. The solo cello piece is particularly virtuosic & arresting - double & triple stops galore!








*
Gounod* - Solemn Mass for St. Cecilia
Lorengar/Hoppe/Crass/Paris Conservatoire Orch./Hartemann
Syrupy, sentimental & schmaltzy - & I LOVE IT!!! Nothing solemn about this mass at all, it's very operatic & in your face. Great stuff...


----------



## David C Coleman

Right now I've been concentrating on Mozart's Prague Symphony! Yes I know you are saying, just a bright little 30 minute classical piece!!, but I find it has all the quality as his last famous big three (39, 40, 41)..only maybe a little bit more subtle. 
Apart from being a beautifully crafted piece in typical Mozzie style, It's drafted in 3 movements only: He had the vision to sense that the 3 movements were of a sufficient enough scale and content not to include the proverbial minuet movement. Having said that, if all the repeats were incuded, it can attain nearly 3/4 hour playing time normally! which could be the largest symphonic piece up until that time!!..No mean feat!.


----------



## JMJ

Disc 2 ..

- _The Nightingale_ (1914)
- _Four Russian Peasant Songs_ (1917)
- _3 Pieces for String Quartet_ (1914)
- _"Madrid" Study for Pianola_ (1921)
- _Four Studies for Orchestra_ (1928)


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## World Violist

No Boulez or Mahler (or even Bach) today...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely electrifying. The music is exquisitely beautiful... simple... and I feels as if I had known it all my life... like the first time I played Beethoven's "Moonlight" or "Pathetique" sonata or Chopin's Nocturnes. This sense of timelessness and having known the work forever is even more likely to strike the Russian-speaking listener, for the texts Silvestrov sets are among the most beloved of Russian poems (including works by Lermontov, Pushkin, Mandelastam... but also Keats and Shelley). Silent Songs were composed after Silvestrov was expelled from the Soviet Composer's Union in 1974. His public career as a composer at an end, he turned to the intimate, "private" genre or the lied. What had once been the favoured parlour music becomes in Silvestrov's hands a kind of commentary on enforced privacy and inwardness/introspection in the political environment of the Soviet Union. The music achieves a similar nocturnal impact as the aforementioned works of Beethoven and Chopin... an unimagined depth of feeling within the most reserved and quiet of music. The title "Silent Songs" is perfectly apt for music that almost never rises above sotto voce... a rich hush. The warm baritone of the singer, Sergey Yakovenko, impressed me as if he were in the very room with me... with the lights dimmed... whispering in my ear. The effect is entrancing... seductive... incredibly moving... almost draining.

Highly recommended.


----------



## Sid James

@ st luke's:

The way you describe Silvestrov's music (& experiences under the Soviet dictatorship), it sounds like there are strong paralells with Schnittke there. I was actually in a record store mainly selling rock next to where I work & saw a disc of Silvestrov's piano concertos in the window. It's gone now (I got something else that fortnight), but I'm still interested in Silvestrov, particularly since I want to get more post-Shostakovich stuff from the former USSR. I'll have a look at the clips you posted once I get the chance...

Listened to this stuff last night:

*Haydn:* Symphonies 94 "Surprise," & 95









Haydn's "Surprise" is one of his most famous symphonies, but funnily enough I have never heard it before I got this budget disc within the last 2 years. The surprise is actually a loud chord played a minute or so after the beginning of the slow movement. Critics say that it was maybe just a bit of a joke, or calculated to wake those dozing off during the performance. The 95th symphony was apparently the least popular of the set of London symphonies, but it does have a gorgeous cello solo during the minuet. I have two of these recordings with the ECO/Tate & I plan to get the others gradually (hope they don't go out of print before I do!). Haydn has always been one of my favourite classical era composers for his craftsmanship, elegance and wit.

*Stockhausen:* Spiral II, Wach, Japan (variously for zither, bamboo flute, reed pipe, percussion, electronium, electrochord, synthesiser, short-wave radio), Tierkreis (for trumpet and organ), In Freundschaft (for solo trumpet)









I didn't listen to that last Haydn symphony on the above disc & opted for some Stockhausen again. I'm beginning to hear a bit more structure in the electronic works, as at first I thought they were just random sounds. The Spiral pieces (first performed at the Osaka World Fair in 1970), obviously have a spiral like structure, with quieter sounds interspersed with louder onslaughts. Japan & Wach are a bit more subtle, and less wierd because they don't use radio sounds. The instrumental works are also interesting, especially Tierkreis, a musical representation of the 12 signs of the zodiac.

*Chavez:* Symphonies 1 (Sinfonia de Antigona), 3 & 4 (Sinfonia Romantica)









IMHO, Chavez was one of the great symphonists of the c20th, ranking alongside guys like Mahler, Sibelius and Shostakovich. The way that he went back and explored old forms (from the doric modes in the first symphony to the influence of especially Beethoven in the third, to perhaps Bruckner in the fourth) with a new twist is always interesting and refreshing. There is tragedy & darkness in the first symphony, it is probably my favourite by him. The third symphony I'm just beginning to get my head around after several months with this set. It has an unusual slow-fast-fast-slow structure, beginning and ending quite triumphantly. The wind writing in the scherzo reminds me a bit of Shostakovich, and how Chavez starts the finale, building up from these long soft notes seems to echo Beethoven. The fourth symphony is based around a single theme which is elaborated in the three movements. There are echoes of Bruckner in the slow movement and Copland in the finale. I used to have the composer's own recording of the 1st, 2nd, 4th symphonies on Philips. Chavez (if I can remember correctly) had a more vigorous and grittier tone than Mata here, who is more polished. But I don't mind Mata's more dry rendition, it just takes a bit of a while to get used to...


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## StlukesguildOhio

I guess its an evening for lieder:










I had to get this disc... and will be looking into others in the Grieg cycle... first and foremost because of Monica Groop... whose recording of Bach's cantatas for alto has long been a favorites. Grieg was a master of the miniature and the lied was a perfect outlet for him. These are not lieder ala Schubert or Hugo Wolf, but rather simpler, almost folk-song like tunes. They are simple gems... quite beautiful... often wistful or longing. This particular disc includes 3 songs from Peer Gynt... including what may just be Grieg's most famous song, _Solveigs Sang_:






This is the lovely orchestral version with Barbara Bonney... and the soprano is quite a bit lighter than Groop's richer mezzo... albeit both are exquisite.


----------



## JMJ

Andre said:


> I didn't listen to that last Haydn symphony on the above disc & opted for some Stockhausen again. I'm beginning to hear a bit more structure in the electronic works, as at first I thought they were just random sounds. The Spiral pieces (first performed at the Osaka World Fair in 1970), obviously have a spiral like structure, with quieter sounds interspersed with louder onslaughts. Japan & Wach are a bit more subtle, and less wierd because they don't use radio sounds. The instrumental works are also interesting, especially Tierkreis, a musical representation of the 12 signs of the zodiac.


Actually ... most of the music on this set is loose, improvisational & free ... a lot of it was from a really experimental phase of his career. It's cool that you're checking it out but he did sooo much better stuff.


----------



## Sid James

I haven't read about those Stockhausen pieces other than what's in the notes (which don't talk about improvisation). But you're probably correct. It's just that, upon repeated listening, I tend to listen for some things (the structure) and maybe it is there, maybe it's just how I react. I will get more of Stockhausen's stuff, but I want to subject this set to some repeated listening before I do so...


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## JMJ

Disc 3 ..

- _The Soldier's Tale for chamber ensemble & 3 speakers_ (1918)
- _Concertino for 12 instruments_ (1952)


----------



## JMJ

Andre said:


> I haven't read about those Stockhausen pieces other than what's in the notes (which don't talk about improvisation). But you're probably correct. It's just that, upon repeated listening, I tend to listen for some things (the structure) and maybe it is there, maybe it's just how I react. I will get more of Stockhausen's stuff, but I want to subject this set to some repeated listening before I do so...


Yea .. the more you listen to something that's captured on a recording (improvised or otherwise) the more and more you'll recognize patterns and how it generally goes. But there are other recordings of these pieces out there and all of them are so different, in this vein...Stockhausen gave the players lots of options & freedoms. In fact, during this phase he even toured extensively with a hand picked ensemble and things would vary radically from performance to performance.


----------



## Sid James

Actually, JMJ, I know a new Naxos recording (the first one in digital sound apparently) has recently been issued of Stockhausen's _Mantra_ for two pianos and electronics. That's on my to-get list, especially because I also want to experience some of his more "fixed" type of music (which he apparently returned to not long after the freer electronic works I have been listening to were composed). He's an interesting composer, but his music takes a while to absorb, imo...


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## JMJ

Yea it's different but once you get accustomed to him, he'll turn you around with his best ... & along the way sort-of make you think about music in a different way.

First listen ...










_NATURAL DURATIONS 1-24 for piano_ (2005-06)


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Everyone here seems to be posting weird stuff.

Well, here's one which I guarantee not many of us would have listened to yet.

*Justin Heinrich Knecht* (1752 - 1817), _Die Aeolsharfe_ (1808), opera in 4 acts. Played by Hofkapelle Stuttgart directed by Frieder Bernius (on period instruments). Apparently, a world premiere recording (live recording) made in April 2008. Unfortunately, as often with greedy record companies and whatever rubbish excuse they can muster, the opera was quite significantly cut for this CD issue. The whole work supposedly lasts around 3 hours 45 minutes according to the composer himself, but the CD recording goes for 148 minutes.

An audience then would have been indeed one of the most fortunate concert goers on the whole planet had they attended this opera long with many other great works, such as Beethoven's symphonies #5, #6 (1808 premiere) etc.


----------



## World Violist

Just listening to the Adagio of the 10th now. It's really bizarre... I've never heard Boulez use such rubato (except perhaps in his Bruckner 8 of some 14 years ago... certainly never in his Mahler). It's going to take me a little while to get used to this. Meanwhile, the climax receives one mind-blowing reading; the big hymn-like sequence being very strong and the still bigger cluster being absolutely bone-chilling--it actually makes some sort of sense, rather than the rather stupid-sounding cluster of every other recording I've ever heard. The rest of the movement is purely hypnotic.

I didn't listen to much of the Wunderhorn songs (I will later on tonight, though); I've listened to bits of them, however, and the bits are absolutely wonderful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm finally able to get into Webern's songs because of Dorothy Dorow's interpretations.


----------



## World Violist

And now for some Boulez...










Sur Incises, Messagesquisse, Anthemes II
with the Ensemble Intercontemporain

I'm really enjoying this CD, and I'm not even listening for the structure/thematic goings-on yet (although I already know the thematic goings-on at the beginning of Sur Incises, having seen Boulez give a talk on it via Youtube).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Simply beautiful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Webern, Piano Variations, Pollini.


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> And now for some Boulez...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sur Incises, Messagesquisse, Anthemes II
> with the Ensemble Intercontemporain
> 
> I'm really enjoying this CD, and I'm not even listening for the structure/thematic goings-on yet (although I already know the thematic goings-on at the beginning of Sur Incises, having seen Boulez give a talk on it via Youtube).


I didn't have time to listen to the whole thing earlier today, so now I'm coming back to it and I'm determined to listen to all of it now. I'm rather intrigued with the idea of the cello piece; it looks like there's a movement at the beginning that is constantly brought back at the end of subsequent movements.

Oh, and the Mahler 10 is just awesome now. I had reservations about it before because I didn't know why Boulez kept slowing down at parts I was used to people just barreling through, but now I've listened to it a second time and realize they prefigure the towering climactic cluster; this figure never appears afterward.


----------



## World Violist

And now for something completely different.

Episode 12-B: How to recognize different kinds of trees from a long way away. Number one: the larch. The larch... The. Larch.

And now for something completely different.


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## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> Webern, Piano Variations, Pollini.


I got that disc a couple of months back, & I couldn't stop listening to it! The Stravinsky is such a great opener, then you get three even more intense works - the Prokofiev sonata, the Webern and to top it all off, the Boulez. This has to be one of the finest collections of c20th piano music out there. I think he's a brilliant performer & the disc is also a great introduction to these composers' piano music...


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## Sid James

Haydn: Symphonies 94 & 96 (arr. Salomon for piano trio) & Trio in A major, Op.70 No.1 (Hob.XV:18)
Ensemble of the Classica Era (period instruments)
ABC Classics Discovery Label

The painoforte dominates more in Salomon's symphony arrangements than in the original Haydn trio where the players seem to be more on equal terms. Salomon's arrangements were important to get Haydn's symphonies "out there" into the salons and drawing rooms of people. Most people then never got the chance to hear the symphonies played by an orchestra, as popular as they were. The Australian performers here play their hearts out, but a minor quibble is that the recording is a little too forward. But at budget price, this is a bargain.


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## Manxfeeder

Today, Honegger's second symphony.


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## Guest

Bartok and Daugherty at the moment. I'm trying to listen to as much Bartok as possible, since the guy who teaches composition at my university is a big fan.


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## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Bartok and Daugherty at the moment. I'm trying to listen to as much Bartok as possible, since the guy who teaches composition at my university is a big fan.


The Mandarin is an interesting piece, exposing the "civilized" city as really a jungle. It's a strange story, though.


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## Manxfeeder

I'm ending the day with Erik Satie's nocturnes. These come close to Plato's concept of the ideal, meaning the essence of a thing.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Back to songs... Jake Heggie, one of the strongest American composers of "art songs".


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## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Back to songs... Jake Heggie, one of the strongest American composers of "art songs".


Wow, I wasn't aware of him. Thanks for the heads-up. I'm watching some interesting pieces on YouTube.


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## Sid James

Listened to these in the past few days:

*Hovhaness:* Orchestral and chamber works (2 cd set)









I'm hit and miss with Hovhaness. Some of his stuff I like, but some of it I can definitely do without. & there is no logic to account for it at all. Like the favourite work on this set is his _Celestial Fantasy _for string orchestra. It's actually not a fantasia at all, but a pretty strict four voice fugue. Considering that I'm not into Baroque music that much, which this piece imitates, my liking this is a bit strange. I think that (unlike some of his other music) this piece comes off as very emotional, a journey from darkness to light. The other piece I like here is the _Mount St. Helens Symphony_. The use of percussion here sounds very oriental, particularly in the eruption part in the last movement (no wonder as Hovhaness visited places like Japan a number of times, and studied it's music). I basically don't think that he did anything new after his _Mysterious Mountain Symphony_, he tended to go for a kind of ersatz spiritualism, which can sometimes get a bit repetitive and tiring after a while (I can't stand the _Allelulia and Fugue_, which is basically a regurgitation of Vaughan Williams). But I listened to the whole set, as I tend to do with these things, whether I love all of the pieces or not.

*Cowell: *Solo piano, chamber music and songs









Henry Cowell was an interesting American composer active from the 1920's to the '60's. His early use of tone clusters in his piano music influenced Bartok. His music was also admired by guys like Berg. There's quite a variety of music on this disc, from some of the piano pieces which made his name, to the _Quartet_ and _Suite_ which fuse the tone cluster with Baroque and Classical influences. In between, there's a short contrapuntal piece for chamber orchestra called _Polyphonica_ (shades of Hindemith?), as well as the _Irish Suite_, which is kind of a concerto for ensemble and a person strumming the strings of a piano. There are some quite novel effects in the latter piece. There's also the three Anti-Modernist Songs, which basically take the **** out of the conservatives view of music at the time. I will eventually get volume two of this series, because I think that Cowell's music is quite interesting.

*Haydn:* Symphonies (arr. Salomon for piano trio), as well as one of his own trios









It's interesting hearing these two symphonies played by a piano trio. It took me a while to get used to hearing the pianoforte, but now I'm fine with it. I really like the minuet of the _Surprise Symphony_ - such an infectuous romp it is. I hadn't heard any of Haydn's trios other than the "Gypsy Rondo" trio which I saw live played by Trioz earlier this year...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ives, Symphonies 1 and 4.


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## JMJ

Disc 1 ..

- _Pulcinella ballet with song for chamber orchestra & soloists_ (1920)
- _The Song Of The Nightingale symphonic poem for orchestra_ (1917)


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm cramming in some Hindemith and Bartok on work breaks.


----------



## JMJ

- _Concerto for double string orchestra_ (1938-39)
- _Piano Concerto_ (1953-55)
- _Fantasia concertante on a theme of Corelli for string orchestra_ (1953)


----------



## Conor71

Hmm, might make today a Dvorak day! - Now listening: Violin Concerto, Romances, Tone Poems.


----------



## JMJ

- _Secret Theatre for chamber ensemble_ (1984)


----------



## World Violist

In preparation for Per Norgard coming for the next whole week...


----------



## Sid James

JMJ said:


>


I've got that cd, it was the first one I bought of Tippett's music about 12-18 months ago. The music did not resonate with me at first, but now I really like Tippett's style. Especially the subtlety and delicacy of the piano concerto, which was inspired by Beethoven's 4th concerto, but (of course) sounds completely different. I think that the duo between the piano and celesta in the final movement was a neat touch. A great disc, imo...

Thread duty:

*Carter:* Clarinet Concerto
Alain Damiens, clarinet/Ens. Intercontemporain/David Robertson
EMI American Classics









This is a very colourful work, with a fast-slow-fast-slow-fast structure, the movements flowing into one another. There are periods of frenetic activity contrasted with more contemplative quieter sections. Carter's use of a chamber orchestra ensures that the soloist is never drowned out or dwarfed by the other players. This is by far my favourite work on this excellent and very interesting disc...


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

*Tchaikovsky*'s first two *String Quartets*

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-String-Quartets-Pyotr-Ilyich/dp/B00004TF2T/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

Wonderful!


----------



## Sid James

Yesterday, listened to these two (I'm hoping to see the Sibelius 2nd live in December, so borrowed it from the library) :

*Sibelius**:* Symphony No. 2, Pohjola's Daughter
LSO/Davis









*Bruckner:* Symphony No. 6; Weber: Overtures
VPO/Stein


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## JMJ

Disc 3 ..

- _Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta_ (1936)
- _Dance Suite_ (1923)


----------



## vlmt

Currently listening to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8, "Pathetique". Beethoven's pieces really gets me inspired to play the piano 

And Mozart's Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 314, plus my all time favourite - The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 

Don't really have cds, I listen to them mostly through youtube. But will take note of some of the cds you guys mentioned in the previous posts!


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## World Violist

Disc 3 of this: Particularly listening to the Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod. Earlier I was listening to the Klagende Lied and was stunned at how accurate the intonation was; the open fifths at the very beginning especially took me by surprise because of how they jumped out of the speakers (or in my case, headphones). This Tristan is quite magnificent also; shame Boulez never got around to recording the whole opera (at least he got Parsifal and the Ring, though...).


----------



## Conor71

Lovely!


----------



## Sid James

Conor, that's great repertoire (though I haven't heard that recording). I have been fortunate to see those three works live this year. I love the French chamber music repertoire, even though there seems to be less in volume than say from the Germans, quality is more important than quantity imo...

To mark the passing of* Rudolf Barshai*, I listened to these recordings last night:

*Shostakovich:* Chamber Symphony (String Quartet No. 8, arr. Barshai for string orchestra)









*Prokofiev:* Visions Fugitives (originally for solo piano, arr. Barshai for string orchestra)
ASMF/Marriner
*Bartok:* Divertimento for strings
*Vivaldi:* Two concertos from L'Estro Armonico
Moscow Chamber Orch./Barshai









I can tell that Barshai was an excellent arranger, because you'd swear that these arrangements were done by the composers themselves. I don't have Barshai performing any of his own arrangements, so I also heard him with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra (which he founded) play classic accounts of the Bartok and Vivaldi. He was also apparently a great Mahler conductor in his later years (and did an orchestration of the 10th symphony, which I haven't heard). He was definitely one of the outstanding musicians of the c20th...


----------



## opus55

Earlier at work:








I happened to hear on radio about Heifetz' career so I listened to him on my ipod.

Now at home:








Thought I heard Beethoven 3,5,6,9 enough but I'm re-discovering them all over again!


----------



## Sid James

Got this today & listened to the middle movements (Adagio, Scherzo) earlier:

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 7 (ed. Haas)
Queensland SO/Muhai Tang (live recording)
ABC Discovery Label









I used to own a Solti recording of this symphony before, and this shapes up well in comparison with that, as far as I can remember. A generation ago, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra wouldn't have been able to successfully handle this repertoire, but now they are really up to it. I can't really tell the difference between them & the Sydney or Melbourne orchestras. Muhai Tang is also an accomplished conductor, who has worked with the likes of Karajan in the past. All up, a very enjoyable performance, which I will listen to in full tonight...


----------



## World Violist

Ok, so this is a great CD. The symphony in itself is quite a remarkable piece, but the "filler" is just incredible: fragments of Kanon Pokajanen. Of course, there is a recording of the entire Kanon (from which this release is taken, by the way), but here it gains a different meaning when both juxtaposed and complimenting the symphony. Part said that the symphony drew inspiration from the same source as the Kanon, and it's this that's put on focus here.

The Symphony is the recording of the premiere performance that was initially released on DG's concert download series (Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic). I also watched a bit of a series of Youtube videos of this performance, and was a bit skeptical at first, what with the coughing during the nearly silent score. However, the ECM engineers have done wonders with this. There are a few coughs that creep through, and there is one part in the first movement when one can hear the rustle of turning pages from the stage, but it is not distracting to me. I realize it's a one-off live recording and therefore there are mistakes, but the composer's presence is felt just as strongly as in any other ECM release (don't forget that Alina was taken from one-off live "performances" (minus audience), and it turned out to be wonderful).

Great, now this makes me want to hear the Kanon Pokajanen CD... but I will definitively wait until December if not later to buy anything else.


----------



## Sid James

Got these in the past week, so have been listening to them quite intensively:

*Haydn* & Haydn (arr. Salomon) - Piano Trios









*Bruckner* - Symphony No. 7 (ed. Haas)


----------



## Rangstrom

Pulled out a budget cassette recording of Moravec doing the Mozart 25th. I probably haven't listened to this in decades but it still sounds fine and is a lovely performance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rattle's recording of Schoenberg and Chailly's recording of Varese.


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich: *Chamber Symphony (String Quartet No. 8, arr. Barshai for string orchestra)
A very dark work but I like to listen to it because (although it's pretty intense), it's over in less than half an hour. This was composed in memory of those who died in the Dresden bombings, but it's also related to Shostakovich's feelings of depression about having to join the Communist party in 1960, a thing which he saw as a kind of moral death.










*Miaskovsky:* Cello Concerto
*Rachmaninov:* Vocalise for cello & piano
The Miaskovsky is not the greatest cello concerto in the world, but it can be quite moving and this disc has had a good run over the last 18 months since I bought it.










& also these two great ABC Classics releases which I recently got:

*Haydn:* Piano Trios - especially like the bounciness of the gypsy-like finale of the trio in A major, the only one here not arranged by Salomon.










*Bruckner: *Symphony No. 7 (ed. Haas) - this has to be one of the great 7ths by any composer, a lyrical and life-affirming masterpiece.


----------



## Listener




----------



## Conor71

Brahms: String Sextets

These works are just lovely! - Going to play Bruckners 7th next after reading Andre's post .


----------



## smtm

Mozart concert arias 5cds, these days I am listening in my car.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## vlmt

Dvorak's New World Symphony, all movements, by Dublin Philharmonic. 

Just. So. Wonderful. Listened to it once, and got hooked.

Gonna give Rachmaninoff pieces a try later on


----------



## Manxfeeder

After Conor71 and Andre's comments, I'm pulling out Bruckner's 7th also. Of course, I'll take any excuse to hear Bruckner.


----------



## Ravellian

Today I went to a winners concert at my university... the competition was for the entire music school but all three winners were sopranos  And they were absolutely wonderful, especially the first prize winner, who is a beautiful coloratura. Here's the program:

1st prize:
Let the Florid Music Praise, from _On This Island_ - Britten
Pierrot - Debussy
Je veux vivre, from _Romeo et Juliette_ - Gounod
Erstes Lied der Ophelia - R. Strauss
Kommt ein Schlanker Bursch gegangen, from _Der Freischutz_ - von Weber
Da Schlagt die Abschiedsstunde, from _Der Schlauspieldirektor_ - Mozart
Per pieta bell'idol mio - Bellini
Ma rendi pur contento - Bellini
Me llaman la primorosa, from _El Barbero de Sevilla_ - Gimenex/Nieto

2nd prize:
Solo e amore - Puccini
O mio babbino caro - Puccini
Les berceaux - Faure
Reward - J.J. Niles
Von ewiger Liebe - Brahms

3rd prize:
Vocalise - Rachmaninov
Ach, wende diesen Blick - Brahms
Bachianas Brasileiras, II. Danza - Villa-Lobos


----------



## Rangstrom

The Archipel remastering of the Furtwängler '50 La Scala Siegfried. The sound is a major improvement over prior releases and makes listening a much more enjoyable experience.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to a nice recording of cantatas by Gottfried August Homilius.


----------



## Sid James

Last night listened to these:

*Khachaturian* - highlights from Spartacus & Gayaneh Ballets
*Glazunov* - Autumn from "The Seasons"
Got this for $4 in a second hand shop yesterday - as new. It's been a while since I listened to these works. I particuarly enjoyed the adagios from the two Khachaturian ballets.

*Sculthorpe *- Piano Concerto
Anthony Fogg, piano/Melbourne SO/Myer Fredman
ABC Classics (no image)
This was (I think) the world premiere recording of this work back in the '80's. Sculthorpe fuses the static repetitiveness of Messiaen with gamelan like harmonies, as well as the dissonant brassy outbursts of Varese. It's quite a dark work (composed after he lost three friends), but it also has this polished luminosity (like a gemstone?) which I like.

*Stockhausen *- Japan & Wach
These works were subtitled "intuitive music for ensemble" & are for various acoustic instruments such as percussion and also electronic instruments.

*Frank Martin *- Petite Symphonie Concertante; 2 Ballades
Various soloists/ASMF/Marriner/Menuhin Festival Orch./Stoutz
EMI Gemini (2 cd set)
In the concerto, Martin fuses the Baroque concerto grosso with a sense of tonality falling apart. It's interesting because it includes all string instruments (except those in the guitar family) & the harpsichord part is quite prominent, not merely a continuo role. This was done in the 1940's, but Schnittke later was to do similar things in the '70's, so maybe Martin was not such a conservative as some people make him out to be? Anyway, I particularly like the upbeat ending. The Ballades are also interesting, again tonally vague harmonies, but this time in a much freer form. Martin was one of the first composers to write ballades after they had suffered many decades of neglect. He must have like this genre, for he composed about a dozen for various combinations of instruments...


----------



## Listener




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## opus55

Amazingly clear recording - hard to believe how all instruments are so well captured. Found it at a used book store last weekend. I still need Mahler's 3rd and 10th.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> I still need Mahler's 3rd and 10th.


Yeah, definitely you need the 3rd. Personally, I think everybody needs Mahler's 3rd. 

Tonight, Sibelius' Belshazzar'ss Feast by Adrian Leaper and the Slovak Phil.


----------



## JMJ

Andre said:


> *Stockhausen *- Japan & Wach


Ugh, can't stand the essentially group improvised stuff in this vein ... it just doesn't work and isn't that musical or focused.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: String Trios

First listen to this newly arrived Disc .


----------



## jhar26

Magnificent! This three cd set contains the best recordings of Haydn symphonies I've heard in my life.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 - First listen of this Symphony from the Gardiner set.


----------



## JMJ

Disc 2 ..

-_Symphony #2 in D major op.73_
-_Symphony #4 in E minor op.98_


----------



## Guest

I really enjoy Hamelin in these virtuoso piano works. His skill is incredible.

I haven't heard any of the works on the Heifetz disc before - I'm looking forward to this recording, as I have lately been obsessed with his recordings since really listening to his recordings of the Sibelius and Mendelssohn concertos.


----------



## Sid James

JMJ said:


> Ugh, can't stand the essentially group improvised stuff in this vein ... it just doesn't work and isn't that musical or focused.


Well, I don't mind it, but I can listen to it more times that some of the more intense stuff such as Varese's Deserts or Xenakis' Legende d'Eer. I suppose I listen to different things for different reasons. Sometimes I want "focus," at other times I don't...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## JMJ

Disc 1 ..

-_Friday Greeting_ (1991-94)


----------



## Sid James

*Gorecki* - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
Kilanowicz/PSPO/Swoboda
Belart (I have an earlier incarnation of this recording, now on Eloquence)
Just listening to this as a tribute. It's been at least 6 months since I last heard it. A friend is coming over tonight, and we will play part of it then also...


----------



## World Violist




----------



## opus55

Just finished listening to it. Another great find from used book store. I only paid US$2 and the experience was worth much much more than that!


----------



## World Violist

Ok, I'll listen to some Gorecki today. First time I've really listened to much of him (I remember a bit of a craze over the third symphony on this very forum some years ago, and I heard a bit of it then).


----------



## Air

I have also listened to some Gorecki tonight, the 3rd symphony conducted by Wit. It is a very sad day for classical music, and the dream-like, requiem-like "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" is a fitting lament...


----------



## Conor71

Dvorak: String Quintet #2, String Sextet
Schubert: Violin Sonatas


----------



## JMJ

Disc 4 ..

-_Friday Farewell_ (1991-94)


----------



## JMJ

Disc 2 ..

_-Invasion-Explosion with Farewell_ (1990-91)


----------



## World Violist

Ok, so I found a huge load of Havergal Brian LPs being given away in my school music library, so now in my room I've gotten... um... all the piano music, a collection of songs, a violin concerto, and symphonies 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 21, 23, 25, 28, and 31.

Since I don't have a turntable readily available to me, I'm listening to a different recording of the Gothic on Youtube (yes, there are actually TWO recordings; the one I've got is a live performance by Sir Adrian Boult conducting a motley crew of BBC choirs, orchestras, and bands from the BBC Proms). I suppose the one I'm hearing now is the more famous one on Marco Polo (later Naxos).

I actually like it quite a bit, for some reason (I was turned off it a few years ago when I first heard about it, thinking it excessive without even hearing a note of it... shame on me). Yes, it does sound rather bombastic at some parts, but even so there are moments of extreme delicacy; there are a lot of instrumental solos that are actually very heart-warming, most notably for the violin.

I suppose the most direct comparison with Brian's Gothic would be Bruckner, not Mahler. Mahler is nowhere to be found in this symphony, whereas the massive brass chorales and forward-moving gallops are more common in Brian's soundworld. The contrasts are particularly relish-worthy. Nothing overstays its welcome (in my book far more important than the bombasticism that is only occasionally brought out and never jarring), and therefore nothing is remotely boring throughout its nearly 2 hours.

If you're still unsure about this symphony, look it up on Youtube. Someone's finally posted it in its entirety, and even if this symphony doesn't strike your fancy, apparently several of his other symphonies are better still.


----------



## joen_cph

Ouch, lucky you ... 
As it is known, those LPs are rare and usually expensive; in Europe they usually go for about 15-20 $ each, especially the Lyrita ones, and the works are barely recorded except in those issues. They very rarely turn up here, and that is a very impressive collection.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> If you're still unsure about this symphony, look it up on Youtube. Someone's finally posted it in its entirety, and even if this symphony doesn't strike your fancy, apparently several of his other symphonies are better still.


I agree; I think the Gothic is a fine piece.

I'm listening to Furtwangler's 1942 recording of Bruckner's 5th on an outstanding remastering by Music & Arts from 2008.


----------



## Conor71

Schumann: Piano Quintet
Franck: Violin Sonata

Some chamber music before bed .


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Manxfeeder

Bartok's first piano concerto.


----------



## Steve M

"Symphony of Sorrowful Songs." Thanks to World Violist for the heads up on Gorecki. The 3rd Symphony 1st movement Lento requires patience and reflection, but is quite compelling.


----------



## Steve M

Pictures At An Exhibition, Mussorgsky, Great Gate At Kiev. My beloved walked to this 32 years ago.


----------



## World Violist

BWV 67's opening lacks the overwhelming ecstasy of Gardiner's recording, but hey, it's still marvelous and forms a structural unity with the rest of the cantata (it is only a beginning after all).

I hate the enormous file size for this picture, by the way, but the Amazon one is a dinky little customer image...


----------



## Sid James

Chavez: Symphonies 1, 2, 3 & 4
LSO/Mata
VoxBox
I like how Chavez does counterpoint and how he develops themes. He was a kind of dark horse, because on the surface he seems conservative, but when you dig deeper you realise he was anything but, doing things that you wouldn't usually expect. The LSO conducted by Mata play with much polish in these recordings...


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Prelude to Tristan und Isolde
Bernstein/NYPO

Wow, this is really amazing... makes me wonder what his later recording of the whole opera is like (yes, I'm still considering it despite all the stuff said against it in the Tristan und Isolde recordings thread... yes, I do still remember that thread).


----------



## Conor71

Like this Disc a lot .


----------



## Guest

My first dive into the post-romantic Penderecki.


----------



## Sid James

Last night's listening went like this. First the Verdi choruses, which I always enjoy. Then some piano sonatas by Ives, Janacek & Berg. I particularly enjoyed the Ives, with that first piano sonata, he seemed to have anticipated some of the trends of the C20th - from a jazzy feel, to Americana, to atonality and minimalism. & it was written in about 1905! I like the pianist's Peter Lawson's playing here, it is very forceful but not without colour...

*Verdi:* Opera choruses
La Scala/Muti









*Ives:* 1st sonata
Peter Lawson, piano









*Janacek:* Sonata I.X.1905 "From the Street"
Rudolf Firkusny, piano









*Berg:* Sonata
Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven's 1st symphony by Toscanini.


----------



## World Violist

Nørgård: Gilgamesh

Well this is the trippiest opera I've ever heard... whoa dude, it's like... opera lava lamp!


----------



## World Violist

The more I listen to this recording of Enescu's 3rd symphony, the more I'm convinced I am that it's simply one of the most exalted symphonic utterances ever made.


----------



## jhar26

It's supposed to be moving I guess, but it does do nothing for me. I will try again later - probably much later.


----------



## Conor71

Good morning 
Lalo: Cello Concerto
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto
Bruch: Kol Nidrei
Bloch: Schelomo


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Sid James

This is one of my favourite recordings. I love the drama of Christopher Plummer's narration, even if it is a tad mannered. As usual with Walton, you have this kind of quick witted astringency combined with a piquant Prokofiev-like orchestration. I can also hear a flash of Debussy's La Mer in the sea voyage scenes. He even quotes Canteloube to conjure an image of France. The use of the harpsichord takes us back to Elizabethan times. The most emotional scenes for me is when Walton uses the strings only - the death of Falstaff and "Touch her soft lips and part." I have loved this recording, ever since I borrowed it from my local library in the mid '90's, and now I own it & give it a spin now & then...


----------



## Conor71




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## World Violist




----------



## World Violist

One of the most beautiful Mahler recordings I've ever heard, and I don't mean that in a bad way: I mean beautiful as in having a marvelous grit about the whole occasion that marks Boulez's live recordings in an unforgettable way, while still making the Wunderhorn songs and Mahler 10 adagio sound like heaven on earth.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some "conversational polyphony" by Jorgen Bentzon.


----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: String Quintets, String Quartets .


----------



## Sid James

*Carter:* String Quartet No. 5 (Pacifica Quartet) Naxos
After owning this disc for about 18 months, I've finally begun to decode the 5th string quartet. There's a violin solo in the 11th movement which sounds like the theme upon which the whole work is based (the whole work is made up of 12 linked movements). Then the final movement (capriccioso), which is mainly pizzicato, elaborates a bit on this, and then the work ends & kind of leaves you hanging. This excellent Grammy Award winning disc is the one I'd recommend to Carter newcomers - it represents the works at either end of Carter's quartet cycle - the 1st which is more traditional (the theme is stated at the beginning) & the 5th which is a shorter work by half but is very dense and tight.

*Beethoven:* Sonata for violin & piano No. 7 in C minor ("Eroica"), Op. 30/2 
Sonata for violin & piano No. 9 in A major ("Kreutzer"), Op. 47 
Rondo for violin & piano in G major, WoO 41 
*Schubert:* Rondo for violin & piano in B minor ("Rondeau Brillant"), D. 895 (Op. 70) 
with Yehudi Menuhin (violin), Hephzibah Menuhin (piano)
Recorded 1934-8 (Naxos Historical)
Next year there will be a series of recitals at Sydney Conservatorium of the Beethoven violin sonatas. Having got wind of this yesterday, I thought I'd give this disc a spin. The 7th sonata is a pretty dark work with a soulful slow movement, whilst the more famous 9th is a bit more bubbly (with a theme & variations as the slow movement). The two Menuhins, who were teenagers when the first sessions here were recorded, play very well and the recorded sounds is pretty good for something of this vintage. Now I plan to get Yehudi & his son Jeremy Menuhin's much later recording of this same repertoire...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Guest

There was a time when I refused to listen to Shostakovich, but at the same time I was in love with Prokofiev. That has long since changed, thanks to the 5th Symphony and 1st Violin Concerto. Now the String Quartets.


----------



## opus55

Jeff N said:


> There was a time when I refused to listen to Shostakovich, but at the same time I was in love with Prokofiev. That has long since changed, thanks to the 5th Symphony and 1st Violin Concerto. Now the String Quartets.


I've been wanting this Shostakovich SQ box set for a while now.


----------



## Ravellian

Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 from the set. My favorite of all the sonatas, by a wonderful interpreter


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> I've been wanting this Shostakovich SQ box set for a while now.


It's worth the wait, in my opinion.

I'm starting the day with works for the horn by Strauss and Britten, followed by Schmidt's Book of the Seven Seals.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm ending the day with Furtwangler's fiery 1942 recording of Beethoven's 9th.


----------



## Conor71

Good Morning  - Now listening:
Beethoven: Piano & String Trios


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

I have been listening to this excellent disc all this week:

*American Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2*
Peter Lawson, piano
*Griffes* - Sonata
*Sessions *- Second Sonata
*Ives* - Sonata No. 1









The Ives sonata is my favourite. It's kind of like a memory-scape of his early years in Conneticut. The trademark hymn tunes, ragtime, atonality and knotty counterpoint are all there. Ives apparently completed the work, but we only have 5 of the 7 movements (the last two have been lost). As with the Janacek sonata, one can only guess how it would have ended. I've found it harder to get into the Griffes because it is a work in the transitory stage between earlier 'isms' (maybe Impressionism?) and more aggressive high Modernism. Apparently, he uses oriental pentatonic scales, but I have not heard these much in the work. The Sessions is a lot of fun (for an atonal work). The slow movement sounds like the bluesy feel of a Gershwin prelude given the full on atonal treatment. UK pianist Peter Lawson plays clearly and articulately, and the recording quality is excellent...


----------



## Conor71

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
I like the 3rd despite it's daunting length! - Have'nt listened to this version from the excellent Tennstedt Cycle in quite a while.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 3
> I like the 3rd despite it's daunting length!


Me too. I like its depiction of progress from unknowing to enlightenment.

Today, Schumann's symphonies by Zinman and some works by David Diamond.


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> Me too. I like its depiction of progress from unknowing to enlightenment.
> 
> Today, Schumann's symphonies by Zinman and some works by David Diamond.


I really enjoy Schumann's Rhenish Symphony (especially the uplifting 1st movement) - how do you find the Zinman recording?, I only have the version by Mehta myself .

Thread Duty:










Gooing to listen to Mahlers 2nd from the Tennstedt cycle next - another excellent version although marred slightly by very low sound level!.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> I really enjoy Schumann's Rhenish Symphony (especially the uplifting 1st movement) - how do you find the Zinman recording?, I only have the version by Mehta myself .


I think he does very well with it, at least to my ears. He doesn't go in for large Romantic sweeps and sounds like he leans toward HIP practices but with a modern orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

A bit of relaxing Sacred music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> A bit of relaxing Sacred music.


Nice!

This morning, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini.


----------



## World Violist

Boulez Edition: Mahler and Wagner

I'm skipping the Mahler to get straight to Wagner: Yvonne Minton singing the Wesendonck Lieder are the first bit from Wagner, and it is simply luxuriously beautiful. I think Boulez could have done so much more with Wagner than he did, and I suppose that is saying rather a lot, but Boulez admits himself that if Wieland Wagner had lived a bit longer Boulez might have come back to Bayreuth more often after his Parsifal and Ring years.

Regardless, this is beautiful.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## World Violist

I'm listening to Furtwangler conducting Bruckner 8 from a 1949 concert. There's a lot of coughing going on, and the climaxes are quite distorted sometimes... but _my GOD_ is it intense!


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> I'm listening to Furtwangler conducting Bruckner 8 from a 1949 concert. There's a lot of coughing going on, and the climaxes are quite distorted sometimes... but _my GOD_ is it intense!


I agree. I had a root canal a while back, and I played that on my iPod during the procedure. I was so caught up, I didn't notice much of what the doctor was doing.

Following a suggestion from a member here, I'm trying to get into opera by listening to Turandot. The Naxos recording probably isn't the greatest version, but it's the only one I have.


----------



## LindenLea

After last night's astounding performance, I've just been playing this repeatedly all day - I may even transfer it to my iPod so I can take it to bed with me!


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> I agree. I had a root canal a while back, and I played that on my iPod during the procedure. I was so caught up, I didn't notice much of what the doctor was doing.


Wow, that's brilliant! When I had my braces put on I had Borodin's second string quartet playing on mine. That was some three years ago, and I don't like it quite so much now, but it did the trick back then.

Getting back on topic, I'm now scouring Youtube for more Furtwangler videos.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: Cyprien *Katsaris*' brilliant readings of Chopin's *Polonaises*.

http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Comple...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1290361855&sr=1-5


----------



## JMJ

-_Edentia for soprano sax & electronic music_ (2007)


----------



## Conor71

Mozart: Piano Concertos #26, 27 & 4, Violin Concertos: #1 & 2
Despite being modern versions I think 2 sets have awesome playing and I really enjoy the works as well!.


----------



## Aramis

- stumbled upon this today by accident, can't stop listening - this guy is marvelous, this timbre and manner, as good or even better Onegin than Hvorostovsky I dare say, but I need to listen to the whole opera with him to make sure.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Stunning!!!


----------



## JMJ

_-Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz 75_ (1921)
_-Violin Sonata No. 2, Sz 76_ (1922)
_-Contrasts, Sz 111_ (1938)


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## JMJ

_-Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op.15_


----------



## Gymnopédie




----------



## LindenLea

I awoke this morning to Debussy's marvellous Piano Trio in G on BBC Radio 3, so now that I have dug out my recording of it, this will keep me going until lunch time!


----------



## Conor71

Vaneyes said:


>


This looks interesting, I would like to hear your thoughts on this one .

















Shostakovich: SQ's #14 & 15
Shostakovich: Symphonies #8


----------



## jurianbai

Hodie, Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Why the "Three Kings" theme always the coolest in Christmas cantata.....


----------



## JMJ

_-Fantasia in C minor, K.475
-Piano Sonata in C minor, K.457
-Fantasia in D minor, K.397
-Piano Sonata in A major, K.331_


----------



## Manxfeeder

Stephen Kovacevich's Schubert. I really like the 21st sontata, but this interpretation doesn't connect with me. I wonder what I'm missing.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> Stephen Kovacevich's Schubert. I really like the 21st sontata, but this interpretation doesn't connect with me. I wonder what I'm missing.


I haven't heard Kovacevich's recording of these works, but I would suggest either Pollini's recording, or Wilhelm Kempff's. I have been very satisfied with both (with maybe a slight edge to Kempff, but only as a matter of personal preference).


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> I haven't heard Kovacevich's recording of these works, but I would suggest either Pollini's recording, or Wilhelm Kempff's. I have been very satisfied with both (with maybe a slight edge to Kempff, but only as a matter of personal preference).


Thanks!

I'm listening to some Shostakovich.


----------



## Aramis

Sorry, couldn't find bigger scan!


----------



## World Violist

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Furtwangler, Philharmonia, Kirsten Flagstad, Ludwig Suthaus, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, etc...

So... long... but... so... beautiful...


----------



## karenpat

Quoniam from the second of the pieces to be specific.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Well...I should speak about classical music, but actually I'm listening to my son's music...






and his cover internationally played. Composed by Colbie: Realize

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFKhAklc3no&playnext=1&list=PL9049D53D77CDE93C&index=8[yt]

Proud father.

Martin Pitchon


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Please give me some comments.

Thank you


----------



## johogofo

Mahler 8 Robert Shaw, Atlanta SO


----------



## Manxfeeder

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Proud father.


You have reason to be!

I just went through Pelleas et Melisande. First impression: Melisande isn't too bright, is she?


----------



## Conor71

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Firebird Suite
Ligeti: Melodien, Chamber Concerto, Piano Concerto, Mysteries of the Macabre

Good morning  - Some Modern (for my collection!) music to help wake me up!.


----------



## JMJ

First listen ..










_-Nun for flute, trombone, male chorus & large orchestra_ (1997-99)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some lovely quartet music from Borodin.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This is my third hearing in a week. These are quite marvelous sonatas. They have the Italian Baroque panache while maintaining a certain muscularity and atonal daring that is more suggestive of the German composers such as Biber. I think that you would especially appreciate these, Andre.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...This is my third hearing in a week. These are quite marvelous sonatas. They have the Italian Baroque panache while maintaining a certain muscularity and atonal daring that is more suggestive of the German composers such as Biber. I think that you would especially appreciate these, Andre.


Yes, well, I am into violin sonatas but don't have that many - only a Naxos Historical disc of Menuhin playing two of Beethoven's, as well as some by Roslavets (on Naxos) and Enescu (on Hyperion Helios). I especially want to get Bartok's. Those Baroque ones you have mentioned look interesting as well. Alas, I am now buying far less discs, as I plan to save some money next year, hopefully I can go on a holiday - I'd like to see Tasmania, but that's another story. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to seeing Beethoven's violin sonatas performed live at the Sydney Conservatorium next year...


----------



## Sid James

*Lutoslawski:* Paganini Variations; Symphony No. 3
The _Paganini Variations_ was originally a work for two pianos (written for the composer to play with fellow Polish composer and pianist Andrej Panufnik, with whom he was in a piano duo during WW2). It was later orchestrated in the '70's. I can hear many things in this work, not only the original Paganini tune (of course) but also a Debussyish lusciousness in the slow middle section and an almost Ivesian jazziness in the finale. The _Symphony No. 3_ is in contrast a mature work, finished in the early '80's after the composer had worked on it for about 10 years. It was dedicated to the conductor Georg Solti and premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I can't hear any strong indications that this was the time of martial law in Poland (but an American critic did hear these kinds of things). The symphony is in one movement split up into three parts - an introduction, the main middle part, and an epilogue. The motto theme from Beethoven's 5th opens and closes the work, but put at a very rapid speed (almost unrecognisable to me upon first listen), and in between this is a musical journey taking in many ideas about what a symphony is (or should be?). I aim to give this disc more considered listening throughout this week...


----------



## Falstaft




----------



## JMJ

Disc 1 ..

_-Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K.173
-Symphony No. 28 in C major, K.200
-Symphony No. 29 in A major, K.201_


----------



## Conor71

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 2
Shostakovich: SQ's Nos. 3 & 7, Cello Sonata
Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2, Piano Quintet


----------



## World Violist

Right now going through the G major concerto for the first time. The thing I'm most fascinated about so far (I'm only in the first movement, going to listen to the whole CD) is not the jazzy inflections (though they're pretty neat too) but the breathtaking juxtapositions between the piano and the harp. The color generated between those two instruments alone is incredible, never mind what Ravel could do with the rest of the entire orchestra.

I wonder if I would have heard that in a non-Boulez recording?


----------



## JMJ

_-Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466
-Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491_


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


>


OK, now I've heard the rest of the CD... holy crap, that left hand concerto is crazy... I wish my left hand could do something vaguely resembling something like that.

G major concerto second movement is incredible, my favorite movement of the concerto, and Boulez and Zimerman wonderful throughout it, interplaying with much intelligence and profound instinct.

I'm finding it very interesting to listen to Ravel and compare him to Enescu, as they were both classmates at the Paris Conservatoire. The only things they really share are unbelievable orchestration and eclecticism, but luckily they are both very profound and insightful musicians as well, certainly not shallow or mere "technicians."


----------



## JMJ

_-Sonntags-Abschied for five synthesizers_ (2001/2003)


----------



## myaskovsky2002

mmm...Der Schmied von Gent by Schreker...I've just bought this marvelous and unique CD recorded from the radio...

http://www.theoperacritic.com/reviewsa.php?schedid=chzschmie0110

Martin Pitchon


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> This looks interesting, I would like to hear your thoughts on this one .
> 
> Re Gould Sibelius, underrated compositions with poetic playing. Enjoy.:trp:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

Conor71 said:


> This looks interesting, I would like to hear your thoughts on this one .
> 
> Re Gould Sibelius, underrated compositions with poetic playing. Enjoy.:trp:


Thanks Vaneyes - I may have to get this Disc in future! 

Now listening:

















Mozart: SQ's #14, 15 & 17
Mozart; String Trios and Duos
Good Morning!  - some of mozarts chamber music: first listen to the String Trios/Duos Disc 2.


----------



## Listener




----------



## JMJ

-_High Times for 5 choirs & for 5 orchestral groups_ (2001-2002)


----------



## JMJ

_-Scents-Signs for 7 solo voices, boy soprano & synthesizer_ (2002)


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Net broadcast: *Borodin*'s *Second SQ* with the Prazak:
http://www.kusc.org/


----------



## Sid James

Last night listened to these LP's I got yesterday for $2 each!

*Purcell:* Suite of Airs & Dances (arr. Bliss for string orch.)
*Handel:* Water Music Suite
*Bliss:* Checkmate Suite
City of London Sinfonia/Bliss
(World Record Club)

*Nikos Skalkottas: *String Quartet No. 3
Dartington String Quartet
(World Record Club) Side B

*Handel:* 3 Oboe Concertos
Holliger/English CO/Leppard
(Philips) Side A

I really liked the Purcell but it's difficult to tell how much of it was altered by Bliss, as I have not heard the original works. The Handel _Water Music Suite _was good as always (one of my favourite Baroque works) and I found the Bliss _Checkmate_ a bit forgettable, but this will be remedied with repeated listening. The Skalkottas (first time I have heard his music) reminded me strongly of Bartok, but the coda had this Viennese waltz straight out of something like _Wozzeck_ or _Der Rosenkavalier _(a bit odd, but Skalkottas must have travelled to Vienna to hear some of that music, I'm pretty sure, as there's a photo of him on the back of the LP at a lake in Austria). It was also the first time I'd heard Handel's oboe concertos, and I enjoyed them quite a bit, especially their Italian feel (Handel's music has this wonderful bassy sound, which I love)...


----------



## JMJ

_-Light-Pictures for for basset-horn, flute with ring modulation, tenor, trumpet with ring modulation, synthesizer, sound projectionist_ (2002)


----------



## Conor71

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 & Piano Trio


----------



## Argus

Last night's (Tues 23 Nov) Late Junction on Radio 3 was the single best music-orientated radio programme I've ever listened to.

If you can get the i-player in your part of the world, give it a listen:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vkpr8

Cash, Fahey, Partch, Schaeffer and Oneohtrix Point Never were artists I am already familiar with and really like a lot of their work, but Prins Thomas, Trevor Wishart, Richard Youngs and Chris Abrahams were new to me and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. I also liked the Gamelan Semar Pegulingan and found it a really nice contrast to the Gong Kebyar style I'm most used to listening to.

Here's what else I've been listening to:

Tom Johnson









Morton Feldman


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sebastien Melmoth said:


> Net broadcast: *Borodin*'s *Second SQ* with the Prazak:
> http://www.kusc.org/


I was listening to that on CD yesterday. It was my first time through the second quartet, so it was surprising when the tune to Baubles, Bangles and Beads popped out. Between this and the musical Kismet, it looks like Borodin had his share of pop hits.


----------



## JMJ

_-Angel Processions for 7 choir a cappella groups with 4 soloists_ (2000)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Comparing Daniel Barenboim's Mozart concertos to Murray Perahia.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> Comparing Daniel Barenboim's Mozart concertos to Murray Perahia.


Interested! Who's winning?


----------



## Conor71

Mahler marathon! :
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor - Haitink/RCO
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, "Resurrection" - Klemperer/PO
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 In Eb Major, "Symphony Of A Thousand" - Solti/CSO
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 In C# Minor - Tennstedt/LPO
*Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Major - Karajan/BPO*
Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde - Klemperer/PO


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> Interested! Who's winning?


I prefer Murray Perahia.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> I prefer Murray Perahia.


That's interesting. He's coming to Dublin in Feb - unannounced programme - and I'm sorely tempted, and hoping he performs some Mozart. There's already a cycle of Mozart concertos being performed in Ireland by Finghin Collins, so hopefully we'll get some Beethoven & Mozart sonatas.

You ever have the chance to throw Mitsuko Uchida into your heavyweight rumble? She's done an excellent cycle of Mozart concertos too. I wonder if you rate hers as highly as the two you're comparing now...:tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> That's interesting. He's coming to Dublin in Feb - unannounced programme - and I'm sorely tempted, and hoping he performs some Mozart. There's already a cycle of Mozart concertos being performed in Ireland by Finghin Collins, so hopefully we'll get some Beethoven & Mozart sonatas.
> 
> You ever have the chance to throw Mitsuko Uchida into your heavyweight rumble? She's done an excellent cycle of Mozart concertos too. I wonder if you rate hers as highly as the two you're comparing now...:tiphat:


I'd like to hear that one. He has a way of playing that keeps me interested, regardless of what he's playing.

I haven't heard Ms. Uchida yet. I heard some clips on Amazon and I'm listening to a video on YouTube. I guess I have some catching up to do.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today's listening:


----------



## Aramis

Today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow and two days after tomorrow I'm listening to:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Aramis said:


> Today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow and two days after tomorrow I'm listening to:


Now there's a commitment!


----------



## JMJ

_-Violin Concerto in D, op.77
-Sinfonia concertante in E flat, K.364_


----------



## Sid James

Listened to these last night:

*Beethoven:* Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor," & Piano Sonata No. 25
Andor Foldes, piano
Berlin Philharmonic/Ferdinand Leitner
LP

*Xenakis: *ST 4 for string quartet; Polla Ta Dinha for children's choir and orchestra
Quatour Bernede
Maitrise de Notre Dame de Paris
Instrumental Contemporary Music Ensemble, Paris/Konstantin Simonovich

*Stockhausen:* Zyklus for solo percussion; Spiral I & II for soloist with shortwave receiver; Pole/Expo for players and shortwave receivers

I listened to the Beethoven because I'll be going to a live performance of the Emperor Concerto by a local orchestra here. Don't know who the soloist will be yet. I had never heard Hungarian pianist Andor Foldes before, and I like his performance. I really like the Xenakis string quartet and choral work. The latter sent shivers down my spine. & the Stockhausen is great music to kind of relax & chill out to, it doesn't demand a huge amount from the listener, it's pretty laidback sort of stuff...


----------



## hocket

This is the only recording of Agricola's that I've heard that can bear comparion with the Huelgas Ensemble's collection. Alexander 'Agricola' Ackermann, so distinguished in his own day that like Josquin he was sometimes known simply as 'Alixandre' as befits a true High Renaissance master, is one of the most startling and remarkable composers of his time. This recording is one of the few that captures his individuality -different enough to have provoked responses varying from 'crazy' to 'sublime' in listeners of his own day. Another excellent record from the superb Capilla Flamenca. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes Renaissance polyphony.


----------



## JMJ

_-Light-Waters for soprano, tenor, orchestra with synthesizer_ (1998-99)


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Manxfeeder

hocket said:


> This is the only recording of Agricola's that I've heard that can bear comparion with the Huelgas Ensemble's collection. Alexander 'Agricola' Ackermann, so distinguished in his own day that like Josquin he was somet


Thanks. If I just downloaded the mass sections and bypassed the other stuff, would I be missing something essential?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Quite beautiful... and beautifully crafted music. There are certain broad elements suggestive of Copland and other mid-century American late-Romantics. Undoubtedly, Fuch's experiences with the wide plains of his Oklahoma home have inspired the broad, pastoral, and celebratory (fanfare) nature of this music. I can't say the work is incredibly original... nor likely to survive through the centuries... but it is a lovely listening experience... the music is marvelously realized by the LSO... and considering the bargain basement price of Naxos, I'm more than pleased with the purchase.


----------



## hocket

*Manxfeeder wrote:*



> If I just downloaded the mass sections and bypassed the other stuff, would I be missing something essential?


That depends to a large extent how interested you are in viols. A lot of the other material is either accompanied by viols or played solely by them. Personally I thought the renditions of Walter Frye's 'Tout a par moy' on viols was quite exciting, but is probably not strictly accurate since AFAIK the viol wasn't a well known instrument in England during Frye's lifetime.

'Bien soiez venu' is accompanied by viols and is worth hearing IMO.

Broadly speaking I'd say that the Mass is the essential part of the disc and that you could get by without the rest but the closing rendition of Regina coeli is fairly thrilling and I'd recommend picking that up too if it's available reasonably.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

hocket said:


> *Manxfeeder wrote:*
> 
> That depends to a large extent how interested you are in viols . . . the closing rendition of Regina coeli is fairly thrilling and I'd recommend picking that up too if it's available reasonably.


I really like music from that period, but I don't really like the sound of viols. The rest looks good, though. Thanks for the response.


----------



## johogofo

Bruckner 9th by Wand and the BPO.
Amezing work, amazing performance!!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, WAB 102, "Symphony Of Pauses"*
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 In G Major


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Sarabande

Magnard Symphony 4
Bartok's Piano concertos
Bloch Symphony 1
Shostakovich Symphony 11


----------



## Sid James

*Lutoslawski:* Symphony No. 3, Paganini Variations for piano & orch., 2 song cycles - _Woven Words_ & _The Spaces of Sleep_
Soloists/Polish NRSO/Wit
Naxos
Listening to the two song cycles _Woven Words_ (for tenor & orch.) & _The Spaces of Sleep_ (for baritone & orch.) one can't help but disagree with the composer's feelings that he didn't aim to compose music that was poetic. These being surrealist poems, Lutoslawski didn't want his music to be a kind of a haze of impressionistic cliches. But these works are nothing of the sort. Listening along last night with the text translations in front of me (which Naxos has for once provided - they don't always do this) I could hear what Lutoslawski was doing with every sentence - it was basically a very refined kind of mood painting. These works not only have a nocturnal feel for me, but they are in this nether world between reality and super reality. I don't want to be too arty farty here, but that's the closest I can get to expressing in words what I hear in these two song cycles. The 3rd symphony on the same disc inhabits the same kind of space, albeit in an instrumental mode. & the _Paganini Variations_ are the perfect showpiece, with this jazzy coda that makes you wish the work was longer. All in all this is a wonderful disc, a good introduction to some of the composer's myriad of works in many genres...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Interesting, Andre. I might get a copy of that CD you got.

I plugged this in an hour ago:-

*Orlando Gibbons* (1583 - 1625), various consort (i.e. instrumental music of viols), keyboard music and songs. Rose Consort of Viols (on period instruments), and other performers. There is a simplistic serenity with this period's viols that strike one as completely unpretentious and naturally flowing.


----------



## hocket

*HarpsichordConcerto wrote:*



> I plugged this in an hour ago:-
> 
> Orlando Gibbons (1583 - 1625), various consort (i.e. instrumental music of viols), keyboard music and songs. Rose Consort of Viols (on period instruments), and other performers. There is a simplistic serenity with this period's viols that strike one as completely unpretentious and naturally flowing.


Yeah, it's a nice record that. Love a bit of Orlando Gibbons. Tessa Bonner's singing is of course lovely, but is even more delightful on the William Byrd disc in that series IMO:






It's a shame they don't have the rendition of 'Christ Rising Again' off that on YouTube.


----------



## JMJ

Disc 2 ..

_-Envelopes
-Bogus Pomp
-Strictly Genteel_


----------



## JMJ

_-The Perfect Stranger
-Naval Aviation in Art?
-Dupree's Paradise_


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concertos # 6, 8 & 9*


----------



## World Violist




----------



## World Violist

Now that I'm home I'm revisiting some things I haven't heard in quite a while:









Rubbra's string quartets: possibly some of the best string quartet writing I've heard in quite some time, and very masterfully played by the Dante Quartet.









Salonen's Bruckner 4, a grossly underestimated recording. The only thing wrong with it is the acoustic space, which was pretty bad and virtually necessitated Walt Disney Hall's construction. It's a very broad reading along the lines of Celibidache, but Salonen's constant attention to detail and phrasing make this into an unforgettable and unique reading.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Conor71

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas #1-3
*Beethoven: String Quartets #11 & 15*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beecham's take on Haydn.


----------



## Sid James

I'll be getting into these tonight as I aim to go to a recital tommorrow with the Melbourne based Flinders String Quartet, performing the Berg (FIrst) _String Quartet _and Mozart _Clarinet Quintet_ (as well as a piece by Aussie composer Richard Mills, whose music I don't really know, so it'll be a good surprise sandwiched between these two classics).

*Berg:* String Quartet
New Zealand String Quartet
Naxos









*Mozart:* Clarinet Quintet
Vladimir Riha, clarinet/Smetana String Quartet
Supraphon


----------



## Conor71

*Dvořák: String Quintet No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 1, B 7*
Dvořák: String Quintet No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 97, B 180
Dvořák: String Quintet No. 2 In G Major, Op. 77, B 49
Dvořák: Intermezzo (Nocturne) In B Major, Op. 40
Dvořák: String Sextet In A Major, Op. 48, B 80

Listening to the first couple of Discs from this excellent set of Dvorak chamber music .
Still awaiting the arrival of my Dvorak String Quartet cycle which was ordered from Amazon France almost 2 months ago :-\! .


----------



## hocket

I have, and enjoyed, the Rose Consort's Ward collection but this was a revelation; I suppose I should expect that from Phantasm by now. This is already well on the way to becoming as cherished as my copies of their Orlando Gibbons and John Jenkins recordings.

Here are some notes by founder Laurence Dreyfus:

http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-john-ward--consort-music-for-five-and-six-viols.aspx

and a review from classical.net:

http://www.linnrecords.com/review-john-ward-phantasm-consort-music-for-five-and-six-viols-ckd-339-classical-net.aspx

I also came across this clip which might be helpful to anyone who's curious:


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier I, with Glenn Gould--(still my all-time favourite).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Haydn's 101st symphony, comparing the elegance of Sir Thomas Beecham with the crispness of Sir Colin Davis.


----------



## Guest




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been toying about with the idea of purchasing this set for some time as a contrast to the Collin Davis and Norrington. Let us know about the set. Reviewers on Amazon report a defect in the pressing which is what has kept me from purchasing this so far.


----------



## Sid James

*Walton* - String Quartet in A minor; Piano Quartet
Donohoe/Maggini SQ (Naxos)

Walton's string quartet is one of my favourite SQ's of those that I know so far. It is richly dark, and a bit like a good red wine it gets better the more you savour it. I was just listening to this in the morning & for the first time after 15 years of knowing the work, heard where the fugue appears in the first movement. I think this is a great work for those who are new to atonality to begin with & get into this type of music (it is in the key of A minor, but I think that this is only a nominal key?). The accompanying _Piano Quartet_ is a much earlier and youthful work. The cd notes say that he was influenced in this work by Ravel, Vaughan Williams and Elgar, but the thing that I can hear most (in the - at times - strident & thumping piano part) is Bartok.


----------



## Guest

I never used to be big on Schumann, being familiar with only his orchestral music and disliking most of it (except the Piano Concerto, which I love). Now I'm digging into his songs and solo piano music, and I must say that I really overlooked Brahms' mentor. So much good stuff here!


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I've been toying about with the idea of purchasing this set for some time as a contrast to the Collin Davis and Norrington. Let us know about the set. Reviewers on Amazon report a defect in the pressing which is what has kept me from purchasing this so far.


Unfortunately, the last track on CD 2 does hang up. As far as the set, I have enjoyed the rest of it. The orchestra isn't on the same par with Davis, and the recording is from 1960, though remastered, but once you get used to that, it's pleasant to hear Haydn played spaciously, giving it a Beethovenian feel. And the second movement of the Clock symphony actually sounds like a clock (with Davis, it's more like a stopwatch).


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Sid James

*Stanford:* Requiem; The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan (Opera excerpts)
Soloists/RTE SO Ireland/Pearce/Leaper (Naxos)

*Berg:* String Quartet; Lyric Suite* Wolf:* Italian Serenade
New Zealand SQ (Naxos)

Stanford's music has this Mendelssohnian flavour, especially how he uses the orchestra not as a protagonist but more of an accompanist to the vocal forces in the Requiem. & the ballet music from the opera excerpted here is pure Mendelssohn. If you are looking for hellfire and brimstone, you won't get it in this Requiem, which is more lyrical and contemplative. He only uses the cymbals in the Lacrimosa, for example. Some of the music seems a bit uneventful upon first listen, but I aim to give it more listens to appreciate it more (I bought this a few months back and have only listened to it a few times).

I got into the Berg after attending a concert of his string quartet op. 3 last night. There is much thematic unity in these works, but after 15 years I'm still a bit baffled by the Lyric Suite. It's definitely one of his most complex works. But even just with these two string quartets, Berg's place amongst the great writers for the medium is assured. I think that compared to the more 'no frills' approach of the Alban Berg Quartet, the New Zealand Quartet play in a more Romantic way. The accompanying bonus track, the Wolf, is a bit of fun, and good light relief after the heavier Berg.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


>


Would you mind describing this? What do you think about it? I've been thinking of getting this one myself. As a matter of fact, it is pictured on the inside cover of the Stanford which I was listening to last night. I have not heard the music of Brian for many years and don't own a single disc of his music. I would be interested in your comments...


----------



## Air

Andre said:


> Would you mind describing this? What do you think about it? I've been thinking of getting this one myself. As a matter of fact, it is pictured on the inside cover of the Stanford which I was listening to last night. I have not heard the music of Brian for many years and don't own a single disc of his music. I would be interested in your comments...


Andre, the music here is definitely worth getting. It's full of ideas, and dwarfs even Mahler's largest symphonies with its largeness and length. My only problem with this symphony right now is finding a connection _between_ the ideas, which I find fresh and fascinating. For example, the xylophones in the Vivace section that provide for a breathtaking climax - one of the mosts thrilling bits of music I know - don't seem to have much relevance to the music surrounding it, though the transition is generally quite beautiful and smooth. It almost seems ADHD, jumping from idea to idea like Prokofiev often does. I can't say that Brian pushes the limits of contemporary music very much - the piece is very Romantic/neo-Romantic, but it does exhibit progressive tonality - and it certainly pushes the limits of large-scale music as we know it to a new level, being two hours long, which I feel is just as innovative as the notorious masterpieces Varese or Stravinsky were writing at this time.

I can't say the performance is all that good, but it's decent. I really wish that the details were clearer - sometimes it is prone to being a bit "messy" - and the details are so fascinating. But I think the work is solid enough - certainly a hard work to perform - and I'm grateful for these musicians and Naxos for making Brian available to the public.


----------



## World Violist

Alright, now that my turntable's arrived I figure it's time to sift through my by now pretty sizeable collection of LPs... second one up (after my PDQ Bach revisit):










Haydn: Mass in time of war
Leonard Bernstein, cond. (doesn't say orchestra, presumably NYPO)


----------



## Conor71

Good morning - concentrating on the Mozart PQ disc today then maybe some Haydn SQ's later on .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In spite of a brilliant pedigree (his teachers included Haydn, Mozart, Clementi, and Beethoven; his pupils included Mendelssohn) Hummel seems sadly underrated or even unknown. Until recently, all I knew of him was the trumpet concerto. These piano concertos... beautiful... and beautifully performed and recorded... are clearly rooted in Mozart and Beethoven... and offer a bridge to the later virtuosity of the Romantics and the scintillating shimmer of Chopin.


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Alright, now that my turntable's arrived I figure it's time to sift through my by now pretty sizeable collection of LPs... second one up (after my PDQ Bach revisit):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haydn: Mass in time of war
> Leonard Bernstein, cond. (doesn't say orchestra, presumably NYPO)


Well, this was a revelation. I haven't heard much Haydn (apart from the 88th symphony, the C-major cello concerto, and my sightreading some of his SQs not much at all), and this is really a great recording; Bernstein searingly inspired here.

Next up, a Beethoven symphony that is remarkably unknown; I don't think it's ever been released on CD at all (scratch that; they've been out of print for years), which is rather interesting given the packaging of these LPs (it's way more lavish even than the Solti/CSO LP set; big red box, solid red cover with big silver lettering). The performers? Kurt Sanderling conducting the Philharmonia. It's one of the earliest digital traversals of these symphonies.

So I figure I'll listen to all of them chronologically over this week. And now I've got my scores with me too, so I can actually see what's going on. This is going to be interesting, putting an eye on one of my least favorite symphonists (I make this distinction because his piano sonatas and string quartets are way more interesting and moving to me).


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...In spite of a brilliant pedigree (his teachers included Haydn, Mozart, Clementi, and Beethoven; his pupils included Mendelssohn) Hummel seems sadly underrated or even unknown. Until recently, all I knew of him was the trumpet concerto. These piano concertos... beautiful... and beautifully performed and recorded... are clearly rooted in Mozart and Beethoven... and offer a bridge to the later virtuosity of the Romantics and the scintillating shimmer of Chopin.


Yes, the Hummel piano concertos are worthy of listener's attention - he seemed to have anticipated what Chopin would do with the genre later. I remember seeing Piers Lane perform one of the Hummel concertos here in Sydney with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in the mid '90's & it was a really good piece to see/hear live. Unfortunately, these minor works in the canon seem to get less of an airing nowadays, perhaps because of the more conservative programming which has seemed to have taken over a few ensembles here like the ACO and Sydney Symphony. It seems that gone are the days when they'd be daring and program more obscure composers like this. It's just basically the warhorses now, with some more obscure shorter pieces thrown in for interest (tokenism?). It seems they don't want to perform anything older that is more out of the way and a longer piece. I still have one of those Hummel concertos on tape (it's stored away at my mother's house), I can't remember the details (I think Paul Angerer was involved, it was an old analogue from the '60's, coupled with one of Haydn's piano concertos played by Brendel)...


----------



## Manxfeeder

I finally got a free moment to hear Erwartung. Of course, it's disturbing, but he sure got some sounds out of the orchestra. I'm comparing this with a live version sung by Dorothy Dorow with Haitink.

If you don't think the singer murdered her lover, Phyllis Brun-Julson with Rattle is fine. If you think the singer is the killer, Dorothy Dorow sings like someone who would do such a thing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Only the second recording I have of Janacek and this is quite lovely. The narrative is rather absurd... the tale of the drunken Mr. Broucek who in a drunken stupor dreams of escaping from all the problems of the world by flying to the moon... which he discovers is populated by the sort of artsy intellectuals he so despises. After a debate with one such avant-gard artist (Azure) who sings of his Platonic love for the moon-maiden, Eterea, she runs away with the more "realistic" and earthy Broucek on the back of Pegasus. He is introduced by Etherea at the Temple of Arts where he soon becomes the latest craze. At a meal of sniffing flowers, Broucek is attacked for eating sausages. At daybreak he is discovered in a drunken stupor.

The second part of the opera concerns Broucek's excursion into the 15th century. Following a night of drinking and talking of the old tunnels constructed beneath medieval Prague, Broucek wanders home, only to find himself in such a tunnel. He ends up in a discussion with the poet Svatopluk Cech who bemoans the moral decline of the Cech nation where heroes have been replaced by non-entities (such as Broucek) and where heroic poetry and anthems have been replaced by satires (such as this very opera). Broucek is expected to participate in the wars between the Germans and the Cechs and he rapidly finds a moment to escape and go into hiding. The Cech's win the war, but discovering Broucek in hiding, he is accused of treason and sentenced to death in a beer barrel. Back home again, the landlord of the inn hears moaning coming from the basement, where he discovers Broucek inside a beer barrel. Relieved to be back home, Broucek boast of having helped liberate Prague.:lol:

The opera itself unfolds in the post-Wagnerian manner... as a single unbroken narrative. The music is at times lush... richly orchestrated... yet laden with the rhythms and other elements of folk music. There are many musical elements that suggest the farcical aspects of the narrative... as an elegant waltz is churned out in a slightly "twisted", satirical manner (not unlike Ravel's La Valse).

Undoubtedly I will need several more listenings to begin to really grasp this opera... especially considering the difficulty of following the libretto due to my complete unfamiliarity with the language. The music and performance, however, is quite worth the effort... and I am quite intrigued with the farcical/satirical narrative.


----------



## opus55

Thanks to Haydn for so many beautiful quartets.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Janacek's most famous opera seems the next logical purchase:










But right now this 9-disc box set of operas... also recorded by Mackerras... is selling (through secondary dealers) for the same price!










I had intended broadening my collection of Wagner... but this is quite tempting, indeed.:lol:


----------



## Guest

The set doesn't have libretti.

You can find those online, of course, so as long as you don't mind searching for them yourself, you're fine. The price can't be beat, anyway.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I tend to listen to most of my operas... at least initially... sitting in front of the computer screen, so this shouldn't be a big problem... at at the price it is to be expected. This great Bach set had the same short-coming...










But $35 for 22 discs... including the St. John and St. Matthew Passions, the Magnificat, the Mass in B-Minor, the Christmas Oratorio... and 10 discs of cantatas all performed by Gardiner with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists and soloists such as Nancy Argenta, Barbara Bonney, Michael Chance, Bernarda Fink, Magdalena Kozená, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, etc... how can you squabble about librettos?


----------



## Sid James

Yes, Gardiner has done some great work. I have recently been enjoying his recording of Handel's _Messiah_. It's a friend's disc and basically my reference recording leading up to a performance of the work which I will attend in late December here in Sydney. My first taste of this work live, and I'm really looking forward to it (as is the friend, who will come along too)...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now this one might be up someguy's alley... Andre's as well. Seriously, I quite like it so far. I''m familiar with Dusapin's choral works, and this opera was highly recommended by several acquaintances for an excellent contemporary opera. The narrative takes the form of a farce or a satire in which Perela, the man of smoke, arrives suddenly and is embraced... and later reviled... in a manner suggestive at once of the story of Christ's passion... and the dream of Christ's return and the Grand Inquisitor from Dostoevski's _Brothers Karamazov_. The work is at once outrageous, grotesque, meditative, and thought-provoking.

The music bears a tonal core... but clearly slips into dissonance as well. The whole has an eerie, evocative, oneric aspect... a throbbing, churning quality that reminds me somewhat of Tristan Murail's _Gondwana_... and is suggestive of the coming and going of the tides... or the crashing waves... breathing in and out... Like _Gondwana_ the work is rich in orchestration with the use of a broad array of instrumentation in various combinations, including a frequent employment of percussion, bells, cymbals, piano, harpsichord, the pipe organ etc.... with droning horns beneath it all suggest some Eastern music... and perhaps even Jonathan Harvey's recent work. Over this, strings and woodwinds and bells ring out clear and clean and with great portent.

I found the whole

Quite worth exploring.


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## Sid James

I've seen stuff by Dusapin at the classical cd shop I frequent (though lately have been doing less so). I saw a disc of three of his concertos which I might get. He's definitely a composer I want to get on disc at some point in the future...


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## Sid James

*Stanford:* Requiem; The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan (opera excerpts - overture, ballet musics, aria)
Soloists/RTE PO & Choir, Ireland/Pearce/Leaper (Naxos)

*Sibelius:* Symphony No. 2
LSO/Davis (LSO Live UK)

Still getting into the Stanford, I particularly like the Requiem on this two disc set. It was written in memory of the British painter Lord Leighton (a painting by him is on the cd cover). I particularly like the Lacrimosa, where there is this counterpoint between the mezzo soprano and soprano singing a very mournful melody. This is a very lyrical and contemplative work, more in the tradition of Mendelssohn than Berlioz or Verdi (Stanford studied in Germany for a while).

I am also listening to the Sibelius, since I'll be going to a concert on the weekend in Sydney where a local semi-professional orchestra will play it (the Woollahra Philharmonic at the Eastern suburbs). In this symphony, all of the themes grow out of eachother organically. I especially like the third scherzo movement with it's two trios. There was a time when I really disliked this work, as the main theme from the finale was used in this TV ad - I couldn't stand it. Now I have (hopefully?) matured, and such irrelevant external things don't stop me from enjoying what is a great work, even a masterpiece...


----------



## Manxfeeder

This morning, some charming and puckish chamber music from Poulenc.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## johogofo




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## Manxfeeder

I'm taking another stab at Berg's violin concerto. Eventually it will fall into place for me.


----------



## Conor71

Good morning  - Now playing Mahler: Symphony No. 8.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Guilini's powerful recording of Bruckner's 9th.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: *Satie* solo piano pieces with *Pascal Rogé*.


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## World Violist

I'm approaching the symphonies of Arnold Bax for the first time today, starting (appropriately) with the first. It's really a fascinating work, quite captivating. I very much like his orchestration, and it's very bold for a first symphony.


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## Sid James

World Violist said:


> I'm approaching the symphonies of Arnold Bax for the first time today, starting (appropriately) with the first. It's really a fascinating work, quite captivating. I very much like his orchestration, and it's very bold for a first symphony.


With Bax, I started at the other end - the last two symphonies (6 & 7). The 6th is said to be his masterpiece, but it hasn't grabbed me after more than a year of listening, on & off. The 7th I like better, it just seems to have this bold (as you say) and forceful first movement which is very memorable for me. The Naxos discs I have also have some smaller works - I quite like _Tintagel_, quite an epic imaging of that castle on the craggy cliff by the coast, full of light and colour...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A truly marvelous cycle of American art songs. This set shows an incredible gain in maturity over his last collection, _The Faces of Love_, which was already quite good... it is no wonder many of leading singers look forward to performing his works: Susann Graham, Frederica von Stade, Renée Fleming, Brian Asawa, etc...


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## StlukesguildOhio

Currently I'm listening to the songs or "Romances" of Tchaikovsky. I've not been a great fan of Tchaikovsky... at least not since I was a teenager... but I quite love his songs, which are stripped of all the overly lush orchestration that can sometimes seem a bit too saccharine... but not of his absolutely masterful ability to churn out the most beautiful melodies... again and again. This disc... recommended by Gramophone Magazine and the BBC Classical Music Magazine is simply gorgeous. Christianne Stotijn is surely a singer to watch.


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## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm taking another stab at Berg's violin concerto. Eventually it will fall into place for me.


Szeryng/Kubelik do it for me, on this exceptionally well-programmed CD. Also available on other reissues.


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## StlukesguildOhio

It's a night for "lieder" or song. I've gone from the US to Russia... and now to warmer climes... quite needed as its now snowing. This repertoire is quite unknown to me... but I quite like what I'm hearing so far. The music clearly is rooted in the European art song tradition... but infused with native Latin-American elements... especially in terms of rhythm. And of course Bernarda Fink is marvelous.


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## opus55

One of my early favorites which I haven't listened to much in recent years. I think several members confessed they got tired of Tchaikovsky, so did I.

But revisiting my old favorite tonight


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## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing on my way with this "all lieder" evening with a less-well known German composer of the genre. Perhaps I'm sticking with lieder because it seems appropriately intimate to a cold winter night... the first of December and the first snows falling.


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## Conor71

Listening to Mozarts Gran Partita and Nacht Music for Winds followed up by Mahler Symphony No. 3.


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Johannes Brahms: String Sextet No.1 in B-flat Op.18
The Raphael Ensemble
Hyperion

on http://webplaylist.org/cgi-bin/kusc/playlist.cgi#5


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## Aramis




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## Manxfeeder




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## World Violist

Kurt Sanderling and the Philharmonia Orchestra in Beethoven 3rd symphony.

After the initial disorientation associated with hearing this symphony in E major instead of E-flat and the little wobble because of the record, this is a pretty nice recording. I'm not hearing anything really special yet, but I'm still only in the first movement, and I imagine Sanderling is going to make something special out of the adagio.


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## Manxfeeder

Bruckner's first and second symphonies.


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## Sid James

*Buxtehude:* Organ Works Volume 3
Wolfgang Rubsam on the organ of the Cathedral of St Martin in Colmar
Bellaphon (1983)

Buxtehude was a Baroque composer who was known in some circles at "the Danish Bach." I admit that Buxtehude's organ works are perhaps less captivating and flamboyant as J. S. Bach's (although I'm no fan of the latter), but I really like how these works are more lyrical and calming. This is a great recording which I picked up second hand for a mere $3 along with some other good stuff. The sound is magnificent, even on my small portable cd player...


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## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quintets*
Dvorak: String Quintets/Sextet


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## StlukesguildOhio

Andre, I sometimes suspect that your aversion to J.S. Bach has some external basis having little whatsoever to do with the actual music... which would be ironic... considering your continual argument that works of modern and contemporary music should not be judged without giving them a fair chance... and judging them upon their own terms... listening again and again if necessary.

I quite agree that Buxtehude produced some marvelous music. I have a good selection of his choral works as well as work for organ. There is indeed a greater simplicity than is found in some of Bach's works (although Bach is far from being as ponderous and heavy as you portray him). You might want to give a listen to the other Northern baroque composers: Biber, Zelenka, Praetorious, Schutz, Pachelbel (who should not be written off on the grounds of his over-played canon), Telemann, Sweelinck, and Handel. I'm still making an effort at rounding out my grasp of the Baroque in greater depth. I've done quite a bit to build upon my collection of the French Baroque... the Germans beyond Bach... even the English... but admittedly I've only begun to explore the Italians in greater depth. Pandolfi and Tartini are great. Of course I've long loved Scarlatti jr.s sonatas... but Scarlatti sr. may have been the greater composer... in the field of opera and choral music. All of this gives a greater context to the major composers of the time... but never undermines the status of Bach or Handel.

By the way... currently listening to:


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## Sid James

Yes, st luke's you make some good points re my lack of enthusiasm for J. S. Bach. I'll write you a visitor message as a longer response.

Thread duty:

*Stanford:* Requiem; The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan (Opera excerpts)
Soloists/RTE Choir & Orch./Leaper/Pearce
Naxos (2 cd's)

I have been listening to this great set all week. I bought it a few months back, gave it a cursory listen, so I thought it might be time to explore it in more depth. Well, this has been rewarding, to say the least. Stanford seems to have carried on the classical Germanic tradition of Beethoven and especially Mendelssohn, and combined it with a sense of British directness and clarity (he was Irish, but spent most of his life in England). It seems almost ironic that Stanford being an Anglican could set the words of the Latin requiem mass in such a sensitive and well thought out way. This work was composed in the 1890's in memory of a friend and colleague, the great Victorian painter Lord Leighton. I really like the simplicity of this music, and the thematic wholeness. For example, there is a gentle horn call underpinning the _Introit_, and it returns in the final _Lux Aeterna_. My favourite part of this 80 minute long work is the _Lacrimosa_, where (at first) the mezzo soprano is joined by the soprano in a contrupuntal melody of poignant mournfulness. A valley of tears indeed. On the whole, this is a soothing and contemplative work. I'm sure Stanford would probably not have liked the more hellish fire and brimstone settings of the requiem mass, as done by Berlioz and Verdi. But I'm sure he would have loved and found much inspiration from Mendelssohn's and Beethoven's great choral works. The 25 minute filler on the second disc, an overture, ballet music and an aria from Stanford's so far unrecorded opera _The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan_ again has this Mendelssohnian puckishness (reminding me of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_). It is meant to be exotic, but is really just simply charming. It doesn't have the sensuousness of say _Scheherazade_ of Rimsky Korsakov, although it was based around a similar story of Arabian inspiration. It's a good filler, but my favourite work of the two by far is the _Requiem_. I plan to get the Naxos disc of Stanford's settings of the Anglican service (still widely used in churches today, apparently), to get another "take" on sacred music by this very interesting composer...


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## Conor71

*
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 55, "Eroica"*
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37

Some listens from this excellent box-set .


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## Rangstrom

Beethoven's String Quintet op 29 on LP/members of the Vienna Octet. For some reason I never picked this up on cd, probably because there are relatively few recordings of one of my favorite early Beethoven works. The sound of cds has gotten better over the years, but still not up to the level of this LP (on a 33 minute side, no less). The cello especially is full, rich and warm.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor*
Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"

Some EMI Budget-Box choices: 2 Symphonies in D Minor - Excellent performance of the Mahler though the SQ could have been better!. Have listened to the Bruckner Wagner Symphony a fair few times but still not that familiar with it .


----------



## Geronimo

Havergal Brian - Symphony No. 1 "Gothic"


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich's 10th symphony.


----------



## Aksel

Geirr Tveitt's Hundrad hardingtonar (A Hundred Folk Tunes from Hardanger).

These are miniatures for orchestra by Norwegian composer Geirr Tveitt. They are based on folk songs from the Hardanger region of Norway that Tveitt collected when he moved there last century. These pieces aren't some kind of folksy, charming music a la Grieg, rather, they are descriptions of the Hardangerian (if that is a word) people. And, in addition to that I find these pieces to be utterly marvellous, I'm currently playing four of them in a youth orchestra I'm part of.
The recordings I have are played by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Bjarte Engeset
Suggested movements: 
Ver no velkomne med æra (Welcome with honor)
Å naoe me no fø mi tusta (Oh, Please Preserve Me From my Sweetheart)
Vise folks folkevisa um visse folk (Wise Folks' Gossip)
Storskrytarstevsongviseslåtten (The Braggart's Song)
Syrgjeleg song um ein tom brennevinsdunk (Lament for an emtpy whisky-keg)

Only thing is that the titles don't really translate into English very well.

EDIT: For those with Spotify, there is a recording of the piano versions of some of the movements as well as the folk-tunes they were based on. http://open.spotify.com/album/1bddTRUPVk1ibrCMwZKCUm


----------



## Geronimo

Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 7


----------



## World Violist

Soon...










and some time after that, Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra (not Minneapolis) in Mahler 2.


----------



## Sid James

*Martinu:* Piano Concertos 3 & 5 "Fantasia Concertante," Concertino for piano & orch.
Giorgio Koukl, pno./Bohuslav Martinu PO/Arthur Fagen
(Naxos)










I bought this disc a few months ago, and thought I'd give it a listen last night. I have known the 5th concerto for 20 years, I still have an old Supraphon recording on tape of it. The other two I had not heard before. The notes say that Brahms was an influence on Martinu when he wrote these concertos, and the way in which the piano and orchestra are equally important protagonists makes me agree with that opinion. Bachian counterpoint is kind of torn to shreds in the middle slow movement of the 3rd concerto (& I also hear similarities here with Villa-Lobos' _Bachianas Brasilieras No. 3 _for piano & orchestra in that regard) & the corresponding movement of the _Concertino _opens with the piano playing a melody that sounds like the opening of Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_. It's interesting how many Czech composers seemed to have been hugely inspired by the Germans - Smetana by Wagner, Dvorak by Brahms and Martinu by J. S. Bach, Beethoven & Brahms. But they all sounded quite Czech as well. Some of the orchestral bits in this music sounds quite filmic & probably would not be out of place in _The Lord of the Rings _or something like that. I'm quite sure film composers like Howard Shore would be familiar with Martinu. It's also interesting how all three concertos end with an orchestral flourish. Martinu seemed to like to repeat himself in some ways, sometimes I find this a tad annoying, but 90 per cent of the time it doesn't stop me from liking his music. There are some ingenious and even brilliant ideas here for sure & I will listen to this throughout the coming week. Pianist Giorgio Koukl, who was born in the former Czechoslovakia & now lives in Switzerland, is apparently the foremost expert in this repertoire, having studied with guys like Rudolf Firkusny (to whom Martinu's 3rd concerto was dedicated). I think that fellow Sydneysider & member on this forum Harpsichord Concerto might be interested in this disc (volume two with the other 3 concertos has also been released, but I haven't bought it yet)...


----------



## World Violist

Gave up on Mahler 2 and Bernstein's A Quiet Place, so now I'll go somewhere else entirely and listen to Milhaud's first viola concerto, op. 108 (first time I've listened to any viola concerto for a while now). It was issued on CD in this, originally released on two separate records that I have:










and here's the LP cover:


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## Conor71

Good morning - its going to be a Chamber Music kind of day today! :
*Schubert: String Quintet In C Major, D 956*
Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 In A Minor, Op. 29, D 804, "Rosamunde"
Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 99, D 898
Schubert: Violin Sonata In A Major, Op. 162, D 574


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm quite enjoying this one:










This disc utterly destroys the notion that ol' Pachelbel had nothing to offer other than his grossly over-played Canon.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... have you explored any other music by Martinu? I think you might quite enjoy his oratorio, _The Epic of Gilgamesh_:










I'm also especially fond of this disc:


----------



## Geronimo

Per Nørgård - Siddharta


----------



## Geronimo

Alban Berg - Lulu Suite / Drei Orchesterstücke


----------



## Guest

After recently hearing Penderecki's 2nd Violin Concerto, I've been delving into his music. Some of it I like, some not so much. These violin sonatas are really impressing me so far, though.


----------



## Conor71

A beautiful pair of Discs!


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Conor71

*
Mozart: Symphonies 35-41 - Bohm/BPO*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich Symphonies 2 and 15.


----------



## Geronimo

Alfred Schnittke - Symphony No. 1


----------



## jhar26

Sibelius symphonies 4-7 plus Tapiola & The Swan of Tuanela. Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## Moscow-Mahler

A great recording of Alpensinfonie by Jansons and Concertgebouw. Jansons found the ideal balance between drama and clarity.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just picked up this lovely disc last week... perfectly suited to the season:


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Conor71

*
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39*
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 43


----------



## World Violist

Stunning!


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Sid James

*Saint-Saens:* Carnival of the Animals; Organ Symphony
South German PO/Hanspeter Gmur
Munich SO/Alberto Lizzio
(Point Classics)

*Handel:* Italian Cantatas
Soloists/London Handel Orch./Dennis Darlow
(Helios)

I got the Saint-Saens as a Christmas gift for a friend, and was checking it out for faults. I love the _Carnival of the Animals_, I heard the chamber version performed live this year. & the _Organ Symphony _I have had a chequered relationship with, I loved it as a 12 year old when I heard it live in concert (with the grand organ of the Sydney Town Hall, one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere) - but more lately, I had grown distanced from it. But it was wonderful hearing it again after many years. It's actually quite thematically unified, with the "dies irae" theme that dominates the finale popping up in various guises in the first movement. These are good recordings, the Carnival a bit dry acoustically, but neither the two pianists in the first work, or the organist in the symphony, are credited. It's a pity, because they do a fine job, imo.

I'm going to see the Messiah live the weekend after next, for the first time, so I thought I'd pop on some Handel. These Italian Cantatas are aptly named, because most of the time you'd swear you're listening to Vivaldi or something like that. I especially like _Il Duello Amoroso_, where the contralto is a shepherd wooing the soprano shepherdess. Of course, being Baroque vocal music, inevitably the text is about love and the gods, which I can't care less about, to tell you the truth. I just like the contrast between the voices and the light way in which Handel wrote for the strings. The vocalists and orchestra here are pretty dexterous, and handle the tricky passages well. & it's got a nice busty brunette on the cover, how could I complain?...


----------



## Conor71




----------



## hocket




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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Manxfeeder

It isn't Christmas without Bach.


----------



## Rangstrom

Just got through the latest M&A remastering of the Bruckner syms conducted by Furtwängler. I'm not a huge Bruckner fan but the 10-17-44 VPO 8th is just amazing.


----------



## Geronimo

Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 5


----------



## Aramis

Recently I'm not listening to nothing at all - somehow I got tired of music, since Four Last Songs of Strauss I feel exhausted and can't appreciate what I hear and commit myself for listening - I just listened to Ravel's Sonatine (Argerich) but seems like I'm not ready, Eddie, to get back to active listening OCH ACH


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rangstrom said:


> Just got through the latest M&A remastering of the Bruckner syms conducted by Furtwängler. I'm not a huge Bruckner fan but the 10-17-44 VPO 8th is just amazing.


Music and Arts did a great job of remastering in that set.

Yeah, that is a great 8th.

Today's listening, Weber's symphonies by Marriner. Then I'll give Furtwangler's recording of the 8th another spin.


----------



## Conor71

*Boccherini: Guitar Quintets*
*Mozart: "Prussian" String Quartets*


----------



## Sid James

*Handel:* Messiah (highlights)
Soloists/London Symphony Orch. & Chorus/Davis
Philips Eloquence

Last night, got into this, as I'll be seeing _The Messiah_ Sunday week live (for the first time). This recording, on modern instruments, is midway between Malcolm Sargent's one with colossal forces, and the more recent smaller scale ones on period instruments. I have recently been hearing a friend's cd of Gardiner's interpretation, and it's interesting to hear how Davis' larger orchestra plays the same work. There's more complexity and ornamentation here, in both the instrumental and sung parts. Tonight, I will probably listen to the Naxos recording with the Scholars Baroque Ensemble, which has only 20 musicians (but a big sound!). _The Messiah_ is the only work I like to have multiple performances of, because there were about 6 different versions, and they're all very different from eachother...


----------



## Sid James

Aramis said:


> Recently I'm not listening to nothing at all - somehow I got tired of music, since Four Last Songs of Strauss I feel exhausted and can't appreciate what I hear and commit myself for listening - I just listened to Ravel's Sonatine (Argerich) but seems like I'm not ready, Eddie, to get back to active listening OCH ACH


I know that feeling, I've been feeling a bit of "music overload" myself lately. I'm finding it's a bit harder than before to absorb works that are new to me. Or new interpretations. I'm trying to focus on a few discs a week, rather than listening to many discs throughout the week. Last week I listened to Stanford's _Requiem_ about 5 to 6 times, and I needed that many listens to begin to properly absorb the work...


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven:* String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132; String Quartet in F major, H. 34
Kodaly Quartet
(Naxos)

*Feldman:* String Quartet No. 1 (1979)
The Group for Contemporary Music
(Naxos)

I was initially planning on listening to another disc of Handel's Messiah when I got back home, but I decided to leave that for another day & listen to some string quartets. I had recently purchased the Beethoven disc and this has been about the third time I'd listened to it. The main work is one of his late quartets, the Op. 132, what some people say is the greatest string quartet of all time. It certainly is a great work, with that pivotal _Hymn of Thanksgiving_ movement completely drawing the listener in. This recording is warm and full bodied, and the Kodaly Quartet display their mastery of rich tone and nuanced detail. The coupling is a little known quartet, which was an arrangement by the composer of one of his piano sonatas. It's less than 15 minutes long, and a nice after dinner mint following the almost 45 minute long main work.

Talking of long quartets, Feldman's 1st is up there with some of the longest - it's 80 minutes on this recording, but in the premiere performance was apparently over 90 minutes. This is a work of delicate and subtle textures and the instruments are muted for the most part throughout. There is dissonance, but not to release tension as in say Bartok or Stravinsky, it's just part of the work in a very natural, almost understated way. I closed my eyes, lay down on my bed, and just let the work carry me to various places and states of being. That's a good thing to keep in mind when listening to this type of music, you just have to let yourself go a bit. Bits of it reminded me of Webern or Takemitsu, but of course Feldman had his own unique style. This is the only work I know by him, except for another chamber work for three clarinets, cello and piano, which I saw live this year...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> This is the only work I know by him, except for another chamber work for three clarinets, cello and piano, which I saw live this year...


If you get a chance, look up his Rothko Chapel.

Today's listening, Schutz's Weihnacts-Historie by Rene Jacobs.


----------



## Geronimo

Alfred Schnittke - Life with an Idiot


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Manxfeeder

Love the Variations for Piano.

Webern may not have been correct that in 50 years children would sing his music, but at least he got Glenn Gould humming it.


----------



## Rangstrom

Manxfeeder said:


> Music and Arts did a great job of remastering in that set.
> 
> Yeah, that is a great 8th.
> 
> Today's listening, Weber's symphonies by Marriner. Then I'll give Furtwangler's recording of the 8th another spin.


I'm astounded with how good mono recordings from the 40s and 50s can sound on cds.


----------



## Conor71

*
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 28, 30, 31 & 32*


----------



## Sid James

*Handel:* Messiah (highlights)

- Soloists/Royal Liverpool PO/Huddersfield Choral Soc./Sargent (Seraphim tape)
- Soloists/Little Symphony Orch. & Choir of London/Arthur Davison (Music for Pleasure LP)

Last night I listened to these two highlights recordings of Handel's _Messiah_, the Sargent from 1959 and the full blown version, the Davison from 1968 and a smaller sized version. The Sargent was the first recording I got to know as a kid, my mother bought it. But honestly, I don't feel that I like that more than any of the others I have heard. I'm trying to get in as many versions of this work as possible before I see it live Sunday week. I'm not sure what version will be performed, I think it will be on modern instruments. It'll be at Sydney Town Hall, and will (appropriately, following tradition) be for charity. A great way to round off the concert going year...


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm home alone tonight, so that means I've got Prokofiev's 5th symphony on full blast.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm home alone tonight, so that means I've got Prokofiev's 5th symphony on full blast.


I've got that disc & think it's excellent. I think Rattle conducts this repertoire very well. I like both works, but especially like the slow movement of the 5th symphony, which seems to speak so eloquently to living under a dictatorship...


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm home alone tonight, so that means I've got Prokofiev's 5th symphony on full blast.


NICE!

I haven't bought anything for the longest time, but I did record (steal?) Glazunov's 2nd Symphony, Cello Concerto, and Raymonda Acts I & II off the radio.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 In E Major, Op. 14/1*
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 10 In G Major, Op. 14/2
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 11 In Bb Major, Op. 22


----------



## Sid James

Last night, listened to this stuff:
*
Beethoven:* String Quartets Op. 132 & H. 34
Kodaly Quartet
(Naxos)
*
Tippett:* String Quartets 3 & 5
Tippett Quartet
(Naxos)

*Chopin:* 7 Polonaises
Maurizio Pollini, piano
(DGG tape)

The Beethoven and Tippett string quartets have a bit of a similar feel and structure, no wonder, as the latter was deeply influenced by the former. The Beethoven opens with a theme which becomes the basis for which much is what to follow. He wrote this work in Heiligenstadt (pictured on the cover) where he went to recuperate during a period of illness (probably took to the waters there). The Song of Thanksgiving, the pivotal third movement, was composed as thanks to the almighty for his recovery from the illness. In the middle of it is a light march that just seems to come out of nowhere. The Tippett 3rd quartet is my favourite of his 5 quartets. It has this pastoral feel (but not much like the "cowpat" pastoralism of Vaughan Williams) and a similar five movement structure to the Beethoven, but with two slow movements and no less than three fugues! The coda is one of the most amazingly lyrical and terse fugues that I have ever encountered. These Naxos recordings are very warm and full bodied, they do the music justice (even on my small portable player, they sound magnificent).

I bought the tape of the Chopin_ Polonaises_ played by Pollini second hand yesterday for $1. This is very crisp and clear playing. Pollini does bring out the melancholy and hope in these works, but he is a bit more subtle than some other pianists. The last three, on the second side, are more complex and free flowing than the earlier four...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely disc of American "art song":


----------



## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> NICE!
> 
> I haven't bought anything for the longest time, but I did record (steal?) Glazunov's 2nd Symphony, Cello Concerto, and Raymonda Acts I & II off the radio.


Well, I won't tell anyone. 

Today I'm listening to Glazunov's 8th symphony, conducted by Joseo Serebrier. In the third movement, there's a chromatic motif. It's interesting to hear what he does with it in comparison to what Schoenberg did with it in Transfigured Night.

Since you mentioned Raymonda, I'll keep the CD playing for the Raymoda Suite.


----------



## lokomotiv

Im listening to leonid kogan playing carmen fantasia and david oistrakh playing shostakovich concertos

nice.


----------



## Conor71

lokomotiv said:


> Im listening to leonid kogan playing carmen fantasia and david oistrakh playing shostakovich concertos
> 
> nice.


Welcome to the forum lokomotiv - nice to see a fellow Perth resident here! .

Thread:










First listen of this newly arrived recording .


----------



## Manxfeeder

This evening, Beecham's strong argument for three of Schubert's symphonies some have labeled musically insignificant.


----------



## opus55

Lots of coughing going on in this recording lol


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> This evening, Beecham's strong argument for three of Schubert's symphonies some have labeled musically insignificant...


I thought Schubert's 5th was one of the most popular symphonies in the repertoire. Have some critics labelled it "musically insignificant?" I think that would be a bit of a silly thing to do, considering that it's his most played symphony, along with the 8th & 9th...


----------



## Sid James

Last night, mainly listened to string quartets:

*Beethoven:* String Quartets Op. 132 & H. 34
Kodaly Quartet
(Naxos)

*Beethoven: *String Quartets Nos. 9 (Razumovsky No. 3) & 10 "Harp"
Hungarian String Quartet
Columbia LP
(No image)

*Haydn:* The Seven Last Words of Christ, Op. 51; String Quartet No. 68 Op. 103
Kodaly Quartet
(Naxos)
(No image because Amazon have got the wrong image for this!)

*Xenakis:* ST/4 for string quartet; Polla ta dinha for children's choir and orch.
Quatour Bernede
Notre Dame choir/Contemporary Music Ensemble, Paris/Simonovich
EMI

I'm beginning to devote some in-depth listening to the Beethoven late string quartet Op. 132, as I hope to see it live twice next year. I got the LP of the Razumovsky No. 3 and Harp quartets yesterday for $5, and this was my first listen to this recording. I had only heard the Harp quartet before. The Razumovsky No. 3 is undoubtedly a masterpiece - I loved how he opened the second (slow) movement with pizzicato on the cello, an almost jazzy sound. Speaking of plucking, the Harp quartet's first movement has it in droves, hence the nickname. I also like the third (presto) movement which is quite intense.

Haydn's _Seven Last Words of Christ _string quartet is an atypical work. It was composed for use in liturgical purposes by the monks of Cadiz. It has a short introduction, followed by seven "sonatas" (which are all slow movements) and a brief concluding fast movement, which was meant to symbolise the moment of Christ's death, when there was a storm. This is a very dramatic ending, and a kind of release after all the slowness of the rest of the work (mutes are removed before it is played). Even though most of the work is slow, there is an enormous amount of variety here. The accompanying String Quartet No. 68 was Haydn's last work in the genre, but he didn't finish it (it consists only of a slow movement and minuet). Here we are in more familiar Haydn territory, quite light, but both works on the disc have his trademark elegance and poise.

Then the Xenakis, which I got about a month ago & am slowly listening to, bit by bit. The choral work has a visceral impact. The children's choir intones thier phrases without much apparent change, with a shimmering, textured and sometimes dissonant backdrop provided by the orchestra. The string quartet is also interesting, it (may?) have echoes of the Beethoven above, at one stage, the plucking sounds exactly as if it was coming from a harp!...


----------



## jurianbai

excellent quartets there you got! I love all the Beety's quartets and now you make me want to listen to them. my versions is the veemeer for late quartet then alban berg and julliard for razumovsky's.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvořák: String Quartet No. 1 In A Major, Op. 2, B 8*

This is a really beautiful recording - glad this set has finally arrived! .


----------



## karenpat

Schubert's impromptus on the radio.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> I thought Schubert's 5th was one of the most popular symphonies in th repertoire. Have some critics labelled it "musically insignificant?" I think that would be a bit of a silly thing to do, considering that it's his most played symphony, along with the 8th & 9th...


The 5th is fun to hear. I just discovered it last week, and I already have two recordings of it. 
Today is Beecham.


----------



## emiellucifuge

After recently seeing one of his operas, and yesterday the RCO performing some of his music.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## World Violist

Apparently now I can hear complete BIS CDs via Naxos, and I'm not even registered to listen to Naxos stuff... it's a partnership between the two companies is what I gather.

Anyway, I don't like this interpretation too much, even though it is very good Bruckner. This orchestration is very fascinating, and reveals a lot of things I'd never realized before; it's very imaginative. The thing I don't like about the interpretation, though, is how flashy it is. I tend to prefer a more solid Bruckner (not to be confused with "traditional;" I don't think my favorite Bruckner is really traditional, since I really don't like harmonic sludge...).

Anyway, it's a very good recording for those who like this approach... it's just not my kind of Bruckner.










This, however, is. In case the image is too small, it's Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in Bruckner 2. The clarity is unbelievable, and the approach is toward the straightforward side. There is very little if any vibrato, and the string section is small enough to be transparent but large enough to not sound thin. And this gives the brass plenty of leg room, so to speak.


----------



## opus55

Listening to LP handed down to me from my dad.










Now time to flip to side 2


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Manxfeeder said:


>


Ayyyy... Coombs is great. What are some pieces on that particular volume?


----------



## opus55

Another LP










I like this better than Solti/CSO. I should get the re-issue CD version of Fricsay's 9th.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Gymnopédie




----------



## World Violist

Glenn Gould: The Idea of North


----------



## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Ayyyy... Coombs is great. What are some pieces on that particular volume?


Some heady stuff: Prelude and Fugue and D minor, Four Preludes and Fugues Op. 101, and the Prelude and Fugue in E minor.

Today, something with more froth: William Henry Fry's Santa Claus Symphony.


----------



## Art Rock

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde

For my blog, I am re-listening to all five versions I have, two of the regular composition, one with baritone instead of alto, one for chamber orchestra, and one with Cantonese instead of German texts.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Watching the snow fall with Beethoven.


----------



## Sid James

> excellent quartets there you got! I love all the Beety's quartets and now you make me want to listen to them. my versions is the veemeer for late quartet then alban berg and julliard for razumovsky's.


You know, I have been listening to classical music for more than 20 years, and for most of the time the only Beethoven quartet I knew was the "Harp." Lately I've been trying to rectify that, delving into the late quartets especially. I don't know why I avoided them for that long, I guess I was a little daunted by the bigness and sheer complexity of these works. But since I have been getting into C20th quartets like by Carter, Tippett and Feldman, I am also interested in what came way before that...



> The 5th is fun to hear. I just discovered it last week, and I already have two recordings of it.
> Today is Beecham.


I might acutally get that recording, because one of the local orchestras will be playing the 6th the "Little C-major," and it's been years since I've heard it. This year I was fortunate enough to see the same orchestra (the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra conducted by Sarah Grace Williams) playing the 4th, the "Tragic." Yes, these lesser known symphonies of Schubert can also be highly rewarding & I'm glad that orchestras here in Australia are beginning to put some of them into their concert programs.

BTW, how's the sound quality of that Beecham recording? I know it probably won't be as good as recordings today, but I am not hugely fussed about recording quality (I'm by no means an audiophile). If it's got good engineering in the first place, and has been well remastered, I'm happy...


----------



## Sid James

On the weekend, I concentrated on *Beethoven's string quartets*:

Opp. 130 & 133, "Grosse Fuge"
Alban Berg Quartet
(EMI)

Op. 132 & H. 34
Kodaly Quartet
(Naxos)

The late quartets were a synthesis of all that Beethoven had done before with the genre, and much more. Their scale is symphonic in scope, and there is much complexity in their dealings with thematic development, texture and counterpoint. I especially like the Kodaly Quartet's performance of Op. 132, it is simply staggering. So too is the Alban Berg Quartet's recording, especially the _Grosse Fuge_, which Stravinsky thought was Beethoven's greatest work. I just love the rather odd things that Beethoven does, from the five & six movement 'balanced' structure of these works, to things like how ideas of pure genius just seem to come and develop out of nowhere. I am going to get some more Beethoven string quartets, I especially want to hear the Lindsay Quartet strut their stuff in this repertoire...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> BTW, how's the sound quality of that Beecham recording? I know it probably won't be as good as recordings today, but I am not hugely fussed about recording quality (I'm by no means an audiophile). If it's got good engineering in the first place, and has been well remastered, I'm happy...


Overall, I'm pretty happy with the sound, once my ears adjust. They did a nice job with the bass.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> I especially want to hear the Lindsay Quartet strut their stuff in this repertoire...


I really like how they performed the Opus 59 quartets and Opus 131.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I really like how they performed the Opus 59 quartets and Opus 131.


I'll try to get my hands on some of those recordings. I haven't heard the Op. 131 yet, I'm really looking forward to hearing it & exploring any string quartet of Beethoven's that I can get my hands on (especially the _Razumovsky_ and late quartets)...



> Overall, I'm pretty happy with the sound, once my ears adjust. They did a nice job with the bass.


Good to hear. I might get that recording next year. It's been years since I've heard any of these works. Digital remastering does wonders to many of these historic gems, I know...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished listening to this lovely disc for a third time.










Now I'm listening to this exquisitely lush collection of French songs. The sensual orchestral grouping, Poeme De Lamour Et De La Mer, is surely necessary by anyone who loves the orchestral songs of Mahler or Strauss.


----------



## jurianbai

Andre said:


> You know, I have been listening to classical music for more than 20 years, and for most of the time the only Beethoven quartet I knew was the "Harp." Lately I've been trying to rectify that, delving into the late quartets especially. I don't know why I avoided them for that long, I guess I was a little daunted by the bigness and sheer complexity of these works. But since I have been getting into C20th quartets like by Carter, Tippett and Feldman, I am also interested in what came way before that...


You should listen ALL his quartets now! do not waste another 20 years!!!! 
His Op.18 six set of quartets is the ocean of creative melody.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another lush and sensuous late 19th century French composition. Massenet's choral setting of the Adam and Eve story focuses in an undeniably French manner upon love and the erotic.


----------



## lokomotiv

Conor71 said:


> Welcome to the forum lokomotiv - nice to see a fellow Perth resident here! .


thanks. have a nice day.

and for the thread .....

I'm currently listening to - leonid kogan playing khachaturian and symanowski.


----------



## World Violist

Cage Against the Machine

Why yes, in fact, I'd love to see Simon Cowell sent up by silence, but the fact is that this is the definitive collection of recordings of this piece.

Why the hell did I buy this? Simon Cowell on one hand, but the money also goes to charity. So it all works out.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Cage Against the Machine


I'm listening to clips on Amazon. Weird.

Today's listening is tame compared to that.


----------



## Guest




----------



## Guest




----------



## Manxfeeder

Korngold's Die Tote Stadt.


----------



## Sid James

*Handel:* The Messiah (highlights)
Scholars Baroque Ensemble
(Naxos)

I'm looking forward to going to a concert of _The Messiah_ here in Sydney on the weekend. This is close to the original Dublin version, with only 20 musicians in all. But gosh, they do make a big sound! My favourite part (amongst many favourite bits!) is "The Trumpet Shall Sound." Love that bass solo accompanied by the trumpet (but here cornets are used) & all the embellishments. As a teenager 20 years ago, this work didn't interest me much, but as I have gotten older I now appreciate it much more. It's one of my favourite choral works now, which is not surprising, because it's one of Handel's best...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

I don't have that version of _The Messiah_ performed by The Scholars Baroque Ensemble, which is a period instrument group. Nice to see you find it enjoyable.

I do have them performing Handel's _Acis & Galatea_ out of interest to see what one instrument per part sounded like, which worked quite well. Comparing with other versions of _Acis_ I have (Hogwood, King), The Scholars have done a good job with the singers, so I might buy a copy of their _The Messiah_ one day. Ah well, no harm done adding another version of _The Messiah_. I have several already.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A first hearing of this opera.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Nice music for driving in the snow.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

Last night listened to:

*"The Legendary Casals" *- A series of recordings from the 1930's with the famous cellist, both solo and accompanied:
*J.S. Bach* - Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007
*Beethoven* - Cello Sonata No. 3; Minuet in G major (with Otto Schulhof, piano)
*Brahms* - Cello Sonata No. 2 (with Mieczyslaw Horszowski, piano)

I bought this disc a few months back & thought I'd give it some more in-depth listening. It's amazing how Casals makes light work of all the intricacies and subtleties of the J.S. Bach. The notes say that he was amongst the first cellists to play these works in a gutsy and intense way, a world away from the dull academicism prevalent in earlier times. Even though I'm not a huge fan of J.S. Bach, I really like this recording. The Beethoven sonata is also a fine work, the third movement a fusion of a slow movement and faster finale. The Minuet in G is an excellent encore, known and loved by many classical (& non- classical) fans around the world. To top it all off, the Brahms sonata, which starts off with an epic melody which would probably not be out of place in his symphonies or concertos, continuing with a lyrical slow movement with a bit of pizzicato to spice things up, then the scherzo marked "allegro appasionato" which has a secondary theme full of longing, yearning and hope. The finale, compared to the more grand first movement, sounds quite homely and intimate - it's the shortest movement at just over four minutes. This disc shows Casals' mastery of his instrument at his peak, and the rapport and coordination with the accompanists is a thrill to hear. The sound for recordings that are 70-80 years old is excellent, not a snap, crackle or pop in sight, and it's very warm and deep...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... have you seen this version of Handel's _Messiah_?:










The recording is a unique version of Handel's 1751 score employing all male singers. It's been acclaimed by a number of HIP aficionados. The price alone (barely $6 through a secondary dealer on Amazon) has led me to spring for what will become my fourth _Messiah_. And another Naxos release on top of that!:lol:

As a further alternative, I'm tempted to pick up this real "old school" recording by Beecham:










Also quite the bargain...


----------



## Sid James

Haven't heard of the Higginbottom recording of Messiah, but I have heard of the Beecham one, which is apparently one of the best "old style" accounts of it. I do have a tape of highlights with Sargent conducting a huge scale version of the work. It's the account which I first heard when I was a kid, my mother brought the same tape. The tape doesn't include what is now my favourite part, "The Trumpet Shall Sound," which I first heard on a friend's Gardiner set. Now I have several versions of the work (all highlights), not only the Scholars Baroque Ensemble & the Sargent one, but also ones conducted by Davison & Marriner (on LP), as well as Davis & (two I haven't got around to listening yet) Susskind and Harnoncourt...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre, there are plenty of excellent recordings of _The Messiah_, which I must admit, I have yet to experience a "bad" HIP recording of. The standard now on this masterpiece by HIP is consistently high that each version I own and have sampled seem to convince me that this masterpiece deserves all the attention that it commands when a record label releases one on CD.

I have (all are HIP):-

(1) The Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood (L'Oiseau-Lyre label, *note this is a different recording *to the one mentioned by StlukesguildOhio above. It was the first ever HIP recording). Solid musicology throughout. 1754 Foundling Hospital version. Soloists include Emma Kirkby.

(2) The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock. Another solid version, with the long _da capo_ version of _Why do the nations_. Soloists come out a bit stronger than Hogwood's.

(3) Freiburger Barockorchester / Rene Jacob. Perhaps the most dramatic version of all. I wouldn't recommend this as one's first and only version, but would recommend it to complement other versions. It is quite dramatic, as anyone familiar with Jacob's Mozart operas could imagine.

(4) Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki. The sound quality of this recording is extremely clear. The performance is intimate, while recognising the dramatic qualities of its numbers.

(5) The Sixteen / Harry Christophers. Solid. Bought it because it was very cheap.

I've been trying hard not to get more!


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to parts of Sibelius' Kullervo.


----------



## david.allsopp

*Orchestre de Paris*










You can hear all 9 Mahler symphonies here:

http://mahler.christoph-eschenbach.com/

They are very good and you will be surprised that a French orchestra is as strong as any German/American orchestra at playing Mahler.


----------



## Guest

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Andre, there are plenty of excellent recordings of _The Messiah_, which I must admit, I have yet to experience a "bad" HIP recording of. The standard now on this masterpiece by HIP is consistently high that each version I own and have sampled seem to convince me that this masterpiece deserves all the attention that it commands when a record label releases one on CD.
> 
> I have (all are HIP):-
> 
> (1) The Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood (L'Oiseau-Lyre label, *note this is a different recording *to the one mentioned by StlukesguildOhio above. It was the first ever HIP recording). Solid musicology throughout. 1754 Foundling Hospital version. Soloists include Emma Kirkby.
> 
> (2) The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock. Another solid version, with the long _da capo_ version of _Why do the nations_. Soloists come out a bit stronger than Hogwood's.
> 
> (3) Freiburger Barockorchester / Rene Jacob. Perhaps the most dramatic version of all. I wouldn't recommend this as one's first and only version, but would recommend it to complement other versions. It is quite dramatic, as anyone familiar with Jacob's Mozart operas could imagine.
> 
> (4) Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki. The sound quality of this recording is extremely clear. The performance is intimate, while recognising the dramatic qualities of its numbers.
> 
> (5) The Sixteen / Harry Christophers. Solid. Bought it because it was very cheap.
> 
> I've been trying hard not to get more!


I also have the Pinnock recording, and enjoy it. In addition, I have Gardiner's recording on Phillips, which I admittedly haven't listened to as much. Add to that Harnoncourt's on Teldec. But I think that my favorite is William Christie's recording on HM, I believe. All very solid recordings. I've been considering the Suzuki recording, as I am in love with his Bach cantata cycle.


----------



## World Violist

david.allsopp said:


> You can hear all 9 Mahler symphonies here:
> 
> http://mahler.christoph-eschenbach.com/
> 
> They are very good and you will be surprised that a French orchestra is as strong as any German/American orchestra at playing Mahler.


I'm listening to the 9th right now... Yikes, this is really powerful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> I'm listening to the 9th right now... Yikes, this is really powerful.


Wow, how cool is that!


----------



## Conor71

Good morning - Now playing:
*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5's
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7*


----------



## Sid James

@ HC: Thanks for your list of recordings of _Messiah_. I don't yet have a full recording of the work, only the highlights. Wow, there are heaps of good ones to choose from!...

Last night listened to:

*Beethoven:* String Quartets Nos. 9 "Razumovsky No. 3," & 10 "Harp"
Hungarian String Quartet
Columbia LP

I've been listening to this excellent recording repeatedly since I bought it for $5 last week. The 3rd Razumovsky quartet is an amazing work. The first and third movements remind me strongly of Haydn, but the second and final movements are pure Beethoven, and really special. The second (slow) movement opens with this deep plucking sound from the cello, which reminds me of jazz! It is apparently based on a Russian folk song (Count Razumovsky who commissioned these quartets was Russian). This song was (according to Wikipedia) also used by Mussorgsky in _Boris Godunov_. Beethoven contrasts this sad song with a section which sounds like a Viennese dance, maybe a waltz. He is effectively combining the two cultures, & I think that this contrast works. & the final movement follows straight from the minuet before, it is a vigorous & intense fugue, which seems to prefigure what Beethoven did in the _Grosse Fuge_, one of the late quartets. I also like the accompanying "Harp" Quartet, which I first got to know as a teenager (on another recording). This work has plenty of pizzicato in the opening movement (hence the nickname), a lyrical slow movement which can be quite moving and intense, then an intense _presto_ & a delightful & lighter concluding theme and variations. The playing of the Hungarian String Quartet is a thrill to hear, these guys were at the top of their game in the 1950's...


----------



## opus55

After listening to Schoenberg VC twice, Prokofiev almost sounds like easy listening now.


----------



## karenpat

one of my favourites.


----------



## ScipioAfricanus




----------



## ScipioAfricanus




----------



## Sid James

Last night I listened to these three:

*Bax:* Symphony No. 6; Into the Twilight; Summer Music
Royal Scottish National SO/Lloyd-Jones
(Naxos)

*Beethoven:* String Quartet Op. 132
Kodaly Quartet
(Naxos)

*Buxtehude:* Organ Works - Prelude & Fugue in A minor BuxWV 153; Prelude & Fugue in D minor BuxWV 199; Passacaglia in D minor BuxWV 161; Ciaccona in E minor BuxWV 160; 8 Chorale Preludes
Wofgang Rubsam, organ
(Bellaphon)

I'm trying to give Bax a chance, particularly the 6th symphony, which I haven't been able to absorb properly for whatever reason. I like Bax's opening idea, with the brass & drums, it's very muscular & rhythmic. But I can't really readily follow what goes on after. In all these works, I like the depth of how he uses the winds and percussion, but I don't like the gauzy sound of the strings.

Then the Beethoven, which is more my territory (chamber) & a disc I have just acquired two weeks ago, and have been giving it some pretty intensive listening. I'll be seeing the Op. 132 next year, twice if I can. The core of this work is the _Hymn of Thanksgiving _pivotal slow movement, which contrasts a reposeful lyrical theme with a light march. I'm hoping to acquire more Beethoven SQ's in the near future.

To wrap up, I listened to this newly acquired disc of Buxtehude's organ works. The chorale preludes are more contemplative and song-like, whereas the other works have more movement and the counterpoint sounds much more involved. I particularly enjoyed the _Ciaccona_, which has this driving rhythmic dynamism. I got this disc for just $3, but am planning to order more of Buxtehude's organ works, because I have enjoyed it so much...


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Geronimo

Veljo Tormis - Litany To Thunder


----------



## Manxfeeder

Simon Rattle's recording of Mahler's 2nd.


----------



## Guest

Grieg's Symphonic Dances. Scandinavian music just does something for me, I don't know what. But I love it.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


>


So is my Naxos thread bleeding over to here?

I actually saw that you could buy this whole album (in MP3 form) for less than $4 on Amazon, so I went ahead and got it as well. I'm looking to expand my Barber collection. I'll have to listen to this tonight after the kids go to bed.


----------



## Sid James

DrMike - I borrowed a copy of that very disc from my local library earlier in the year. I wanted to get to know _Knoxville: Summer of 1915 _before seeing it live. I think that it might be safe to say that the two orchestral essays on the disc are Barber's finest purely orchestral works. There's a rigour in the way in which he works with single ideas and themes, and expands them over a period of time. & as a bonus, you get a work for organ & orchestra, which is unusual to say the least in terms of the rest of Barber's output. So I think it's not a bad disc at all...

Last night listened to:

*Zemlinsky:* The Mermaid (Symphonic Fantasy); Sinfonietta
New Zealand SO/Judd
(Naxos)

I got this a while back & have listened to the_ Sinfonietta _quite often, which I have found I liked more than _The Mermaid_. I like the former because it is quite a modernistic work, with some of the rhythms of composers like Stravinsky. The middle slow movement has an all pervading sense of tragedy, a bit like the slow movements of Mahler's late symphonies. Only just over 20 minutes long, Zemlinsky crammed a lot into that relatively short space of time. _The Mermaid _sounds similar to film music (though it was written in 1903) & has this phrase in the middle movement that reminds me of the main theme of Tchaikovsky's 5th. At more than 40 minutes, this is a pretty long work. I like how Zemlinsky captures the feel of the mermaid's underwater world in the opening bars. Some very good orchestration here, in both works. I saw a recording of his _Lyric Symphony_, and I'll try and buy it today. I am a bit daunted by that work, as the last time I heard it it sounded a bit dark, but I want to own it so I can subject it to repeated listening. I also want to get the EMI double budget Gemini set of his choral and vocal works. If anyone has heard this set, please PM me, I would like to know a bit more about it, thanks...


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Guest

My piano professor gave a recital in the fall where he played Scriabin's 2nd Piano Sonata, and I hadn't heard much Scriabin at all before that; now, I like him a lot. I'm just now revisiting the sonata.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... what set are you looking at? I have this 3-disc set:










and this 2-disc set:










Zemlinsky seems to be going through a period of rapid repackaging and this second set is already out of print in the US (at least on Amazon where it has shot up to over $20). If you have a chance to get it still at the budget price, jump on it. The performances by James Conlon are top notch. The music varies from choral works to earlier songs that are quite lush and beautiful in a late Romantic manner to later songs (some based on texts from African American poems) that are more thorny and Modernist in manner. Personally, I quite liked the collection as well as the Lyric Symphony and the various operas I also own.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius Symphonies
Kurt Sanderling/Berlin Symphony

Currently I'm listening to 6, and it's really fantastic.


----------



## dmg

This recording of Michael's 30th (actually his 29th, but who's counting?) is one of my current favorite symphonic recordings. Quite possibly my best $2 discount bin discovery yet:

















This review on Amazon's page describes it quite nicely.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> So is my Naxos thread bleeding over to here?


You betcha!


----------



## Manxfeeder

This morning I'm reading the Christmas story in the book of Luke, and Bach is singing about it.










Heinrich Schutz just popped in also.


----------



## Geronimo

Anders Brodsgaard - Galaxy
Not bad at all. Quite like it.


----------



## Ravellian

I have decided to give Brahms another chance, and I have decided to devote a good portion of this weekend to listening to the majority of Brahms' major works. Maybe I'll find something I actually like. Who knows..


----------



## Guest

Ravellian said:


> I have decided to give Brahms another chance, and I have decided to devote a good portion of this weekend to listening to the majority of Brahms' major works. Maybe I'll find something I actually like. Who knows..


If anything will get you to like Brahms, try Carlos Kleiber conducting Brahms 4. Also listen to Van Cliburn performing various piano works. Those might help...hopefully...


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Conor71




----------



## Romantic Geek

DrMike said:


> So is my Naxos thread bleeding over to here?
> 
> I actually saw that you could buy this whole album (in MP3 form) for less than $4 on Amazon, so I went ahead and got it as well. I'm looking to expand my Barber collection. I'll have to listen to this tonight after the kids go to bed.


That album is amazing. Such a great recording of Knoxville.

Currently listening to the final moments of Tchaikovsky 6 done by Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Honestly...this may be my favorite symphony!


----------



## Manxfeeder

I finally got time to mark up the score to this one. It's interesting, especially in the first movement, to see the fragments jumble around and finally come together.


----------



## Guest

My music lit professor spoke very highly of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, so I ordered her violin concerto.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 21-25*

Second listen from the first disc of this newly purchased set - very impressed!. Great modern performances and the sound is excellent.
Currently listening to one of my favourites - Symphony No. 25 .


----------



## World Violist

Listening to this on Youtube:










Schoenberg: Gurrelieder
Michael Gielen/SWR Baden-Baden und Freiburg, et al.

This is pretty amazing!


----------



## World Violist

Some more Youtubing: this time Sorabji's Transcendental Etudes. Crazy stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schubert's 9th, 7th, and 3rd quartets.


----------



## opus55

My second hearing of this cd. I liked the three Etudes at the end when I first heard it.


----------



## Romantic Geek

Tchaikovsky 4 - never heard it before, and it's starting out pretty cool!


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Manxfeeder

They paired Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengance with the Piano Concerto? I'm listening to Barber's Cello Concerto, paired with the Medea Ballet Suite. Am I sensing a pattern - linking concertos with Medea? Hmm, doing some head scratching.










Now it's on to the violin concerto with Gil Shaham.


----------



## opus55

Romantic Geek said:


> Tchaikovsky 4 - never heard it before, and it's starting out pretty cool!


That's my favorite Tchaikovsky symphony.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> They paired Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengance with the Piano Concerto? I'm listening to Barber's Cello Concerto, paired with the Medea Ballet Suite. Am I sensing a pattern - linking concertos with Medea? Hmm, doing some head scratching.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now it's on to the violin concerto with Gil Shaham.


I have the Violin Concerto on Naxos, and am enjoying it greatly. I don't have either of the recordings with the Medea music. I imagine I eventually will, though. I am enjoying my exploration of Barber. Today, I listened to the Naxos recordings of the Knoxville 1915, 2nd and 3rd Essays, and the Violin Concerto. Tomorrow I'll move on to the 2 symphonies and the 1st Essay, as well as the School for Scandal overture.


----------



## Guest

DrMike said:


> I have the Violin Concerto on Naxos, and am enjoying it greatly. I don't have either of the recordings with the Medea music. I imagine I eventually will, though. I am enjoying my exploration of Barber. Today, I listened to the Naxos recordings of the Knoxville 1915, 2nd and 3rd Essays, and the Violin Concerto. Tomorrow I'll move on to the 2 symphonies and the 1st Essay, as well as the School for Scandal overture.


Don't forget Barber's piano music, especially the Excursions and Piano Sonata.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> Tomorrow I'll move on to the 2 symphonies .


I'm curious about your thoughts about the 2nd symphony. A lot of people don't seem to care for it.


----------



## Romantic Geek

opus55 said:


> That's my favorite Tchaikovsky symphony.


I like it but I still like 5 and 6 better. I'm sure over time - I will grow to like it.


----------



## opus55

Those low rumbles in slow quiet passages remind me of the US$8000 (pair) speakers I heard at the store last Saturday. It sounded like thunder storm approaching from miles away (Mahler 3, 1st mvnt). I was hearing instruments I didn't know was there.

I think the whole system was over US$15,000!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*Zemlinsky*

- Lyric Symphony for soprano, baritone & orchestra;
Opera preludes and interludes
Gurzenich Orch. Koln/Conlon
(EMI)

- Psalm 13 Op. 24; Psalm 23 Op. 14, Psalm 83 (with Chor des Stadt Muiskvereins zu Dusseldorf/Raimund Wippermann)
- Symphonische Gesange Op. 20 (texts from 'Afrika singt. Eine neue afro-amerikanischer lyrik,' Vienna, 1929)(with Michale Volle, baritone)
From 2 disc set of complete choral works & orchestral songs
With above orch./cond.
(EMI)

I got these discs in the past few days. I think Zemlinsky was an interesting composer because his style spanned the period from late Romanticism to modernism. I like the (almost?) atonal _Lyric Symphony_, which is a very emotional work. The text was taken from love poems by Bengali poet Tagore. I haven't gotten my hands on the text yet but I think that the singing & music captures a sense of yearning and passion perfectly. Zemlinksy's orchestration is like an opal - it is iridescent and radiant. I originally found this work daunting after first hearing it on a cd borrowed from my local library, but now that I have listened to it a number of times, I absolutely love it. The accompanying orchestral excerpts from the operas span Zemlinsky's many styles and 'hats' from the Brahmsian _Sarema_, to the Waltz-Intermezzo from _Kleider Machen Leute _which sounds much like Richard Strauss, to the more pared down & modernistic (but still quite rich) _Der Kreidekreis & Der Konig Kandaules_.

I have only listened once to the three _Psalms_ and _Symphonic Songs._ The former are in the late Romantic vein, but include some quite surprising harmonies for the time. The latter is a setting of texts by African-American poets, and is very modernistic, reflecting the sardonic wit and jazzy rhythms popular in the late 1920's. I plan to listen to more of this set in the next couple of days...


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## zoziejemaar

Bach's coffee cantata (BWV 211)! The aria "Ei! Wie schmeckt der Coffee süsse" is hilarious, especially when you love coffee (like I do)...

View attachment 1331


----------



## World Violist

I discovered a composer quite by accident just a few minutes ago by the name of Tristan Keuris (1946-1996), a Dutch composer. I looked up the Concergebouw orchestra on Amazon and found that they had participated in a recently released CD box of his complete works. Naturally I was fascinated that he would have a complete set of his works recorded within 15 years of his death, so I looked into him a bit more and found this fantastic symphony on Youtube:






Keuris: Symphony in D (1995)
Jaap van Zweden conducts the Radio Kamerfilharmonie.


----------



## KaerbEmEvig

Not sure whether to classify this as classical:










Some pieces are in jazz arrangement, but many are left untouched.

Waiting for Impressions on Chopin by Możdżer.


----------



## World Violist

Erkki-Sven Tüür: Crystallisatio
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

It's been a while since I've listened to this, and now it still seems just as powerful and fascinating as it did about a couple of years ago when I first heard it. It's very fresh and flexible.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

World Violist said:


> Erkki-Sven Tüür: Crystallisatio
> Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
> 
> It's been a while since I've listened to this, and now it still seems just as powerful and fascinating as it did about a couple of years ago when I first heard it. It's very fresh and flexible.


Yes... I quite like the disc myself and I've been waiting and watching for subsequent work by the composer.

Currently I'm listening to this:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Yes... I quite like the disc myself and I've been waiting and watching for subsequent work by the composer.


A disc containing his sixth symphony is coming out soon or is already out, depending on what websites you look at. "Strata" is the name of the disc.

As for right now, I'm listening to this:


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I hooked on Stravinsky right now:


----------



## Sid James

Still savouring this excellent recording:

*Zemlinsky:* Lyric Symphony for soprano, baritone & orchestra;
Opera preludes and interludes
Gurzenich Orch. Koln/Conlon
(EMI)

I've enjoyed listening to the _Lyric Symphony_ especially since I got it on Saturday. I love the radiance of Zemlinsky's writing for the orchestra, the sometimes vague tonality, and those trademark glissandos for brass & strings. He expresses the feelings we feel when we're in & out of love perfectly. The third and fourth movements are like serenades. I also like the intensity of the fifth movement. The final two movements express a feeling of resignation in the face of love found and lost. I'd love to see this work live, but I'm not sure if it's been performed here in Australia. It would be great to see it, even with chamber or two piano accompaniment...


----------



## myaskovsky2002

*Martin is unique!*

I was listening Il barbiere di Seviglia sung in Russian!

I have about 25 Italian and German operas sung in Russian by excellengt singers.
e.g. Lohengrin by Ivan Kozlovsky

http://www.amazon.com/Sings-Lohengr...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1293038712&sr=1-6

Martin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre's comments got me interested in pulling out Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony.

I'm not sure what that's a picture of on the cover, but as they say, don't ask, don't tell.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Faure continues to grow in my estimation. It's too bad he he commonly known only for his Requiem... as fine as that is. His songs and his chamber works are exquisite!


----------



## Sid James

@ Manxfeeder - I'll probably get Chailly's recording of the _Lyric Symphony_, because the Conlon recording I have doesn't have texts, translated or otherwise. I could only find the text of the first song on the net. If there is anyone out there who knows a website where I can get the text for free (even if it's just in the original German), please let me know - thanks.

Speaking of Zemlinsky, I have been listening to that symphony repeatedly (can't get enough of it, it seems) & hearing more each time I listen. This morning I have been listening to that as well as one of his Psalms & Janacek:

*Zemlinsky:* Psalm 13
Cologne Philh./Dusseldorf Choir/Conlon
EMI

*Janacek:* Glagolitic Mass
Soloists/Orch. & Choir of Bavarian Radio/Kubelik
DGG

What these two very different choral works have in common is that they are totally wedded to the contexts in which they were written. Janacek's mass was written at the time Czechoslovakia became independent after the first world war. It is full of optimism and passion for the homeland. It is basically an expression of national pride set to words and music. In contrast, the Zemlinsky psalm was written in Europe's darkest days in the mid 1930's, just after the Nazis had taken over in Germany. This is a thinly veiled protest against oppression, and quite dark, although the ending seems to suggest hope and triumph against all odds. A big thing that these two masterworks have in common is that they are powerful expressions of humanity by two composers at the top of their game...


----------



## Conor71

Good morning - some Haydn quartets to start the day .
*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> If there is anyone out there who knows a website where I can get the text for free (even if it's just in the original German), please let me know - thanks.


Does this link work for you?

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/assemble_texts.html?SongCycleId=225


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> Good morning - some Haydn quartets to start the day .
> *Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33*


Do you own the box set? I'm jealous - I only have opus 20, 54, 74. My goal is to collect them all by buying individual sets by different performers. :lol:

Haydn quartets are especially great in the morning.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to the perennial holiday favorite... the famous _Hallelujah Chorus_ is playing as I write. This is the 1751 version with all male singers... both as soloists and in the chorus. In spite of owning several other far more expensive recordings of the _Messiah_ I must say that this is simply a damn good recording!


----------



## Sid James

Yes, _The Messiah_, it's brilliant. Just saw it here in Sydney on the weekend, I got myself to the concert even though I was not in the best of health (I probably should have been in the emergency department from what transpired later, that's exactly where I had to go later due to complications of what I thought was a simple head cold!). It was worth it & I will try to do this every year (go to see Messiah, not be in ED!!!)...

Still exploring that *Zemlinsky* set:

- 6 Songs for mezzo-soprano & orchestra, Op. 13 (text by Maeterlinck) (with Violeta Urmana, mezzo)
- Symphonic Songs, for baritone & orchestra, Op. 20 (texts from African-American poets, 1929) (with Michael Volle, baritone)
Cologne Phil./Conlon (both above)
EMI

These two works show the diversity of Zemlinsky's style(s), and the skill with which he could combine a solo voice with the full gamut of sounds from an orchestra. The _6 Songs for mezzo soprano & orchestra _remind me of Mahler and his lieder for this voice colour. Some very lush writing for the orchestra, some of which also brings to mind Ravel or Debussy (somewhat lighter in the orchestral scoring than Mahler, perhaps?). & the _Symphonic Songs for baritone and orchestra _is also an interesting work. These are settings, translated into German, of poems by African-American poets. Capturing the spirit of the heady 1920's, these songs are full of percussive and even jazzy rhythms. I plan to give this excellent set some more in-depth listening over the holidays. I'm glad I snapped it up after I saw this copy in a classical music store on Sunday, as st lukes said, it's now out of print, and will probably be harder to get...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Martinu's first and second violin concertos.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listening to the perennial holiday favorite... the famous _Hallelujah Chorus_ is playing as I write. This is the 1751 version with all male singers... both as soloists and in the chorus. In spite of owning several other far more expensive recordings of the _Messiah_ I must say that this is simply a damn good recording!


Stop it, damnit! I am trying really hard to not buy anything else before Christmas, and between this and that damned Messiah thread, I am having a hard time not picking up another recording of this masterpiece (currently I am fluctuating between the Layton/Polyphony recording on Hyperion and this Naxos recording, as I already have the Christie recording).


----------



## Manxfeeder

I just picked Schreker's Der Ferne Klang at a CD store 40% sale. I'm halfway through it.


----------



## World Violist

Glenn Gould conducts and plays Wagner

Right now listening to the Siegfried Idyll here. I'm not terribly familiar with this piece, but this recording of it, while really REALLY slow, is amazing. Taken this slow I daresay it sounds like Wagner the predecessor of Debussy rather than the bookend to Beethoven. I can see the negative reviewers' points, what with the orchestra members (13 of them) sounding somewhat stressed at points, but this is one recording in which all of that is swept away by the sheer beauty of the music.


----------



## Sid James

*Horowitz *plays Liszt (Sonata in B minor, Funerailles), Chopin, Schumann, Debussy
Recordings mainly from the 1930's
(EMI)

There are a lot of contrasts on this disc. The Liszt works are played in a rather dark way, with scorching virtuosity, but also hints of lyricism. Horowitz also captures the wistful melancholy of the Chopin works. The Schumann has this rhythmic edge, whereas the Debussy is pure colour and texture. This is one of my favourite solo piano recitals on disc...


----------



## jurianbai

Listen to my only version of Messiah :









MERRY CHRISTMAS ..... have a nice season holiday!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schreker's Chamber Symphony.










Then Norgard's Concerto in Due Tempi and 3d Symphony.


----------



## Conor71

Good morning & Merry Christmas everybody .
First listen to tthis recently aquired Disc:
*Dvorak: Slavonic Dances*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The first listen to the latest by Magdalena Kozena.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Waiting for the family to arrive, I'm listening to Norgard's 3rd symphony. Amazon is having a sale on downloads you give as gifts, so my wife gave it to me. Wow. I had been listening to it on YouTube; it's even better now.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

X-mas present to myself: Claudio Arrau plays Mozart (A-major Sonata).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My Christmas gift to myself:










and










I've been a very good boy this year.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, Schreker's Chamber Symphony. He sure could get some sounds out of an orchestra.


----------



## World Violist

I'm currently listening to Tristan Keuris' first string quartet. It's really quite interesting; I'm beginning to really like this composer.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Trios, String Quintets, String Quartets*


----------



## World Violist

Kalevi Aho: Piano Concerto No. 2; Symphony No. 13
Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony; Antti Siirala, piano


----------



## Guest

One of my xmas gifts:


----------



## World Violist

Kalevi Aho: Rejoicing of the Deep Waters and Symphony No. 10
Vänskä/Lahti


----------



## Manxfeeder

Another go at Schreker's Chamber Symphony.


----------



## World Violist

I am bound and determined to hear all the BIS releases of Kalevi Aho this winter, so here's another one:










Kalevi Aho: Symphony No. 1, Hiljaisuus, Violin Concerto No. 1
Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Grasbeck, violin

This first symphony is very reminiscent of Shostakovich texturally.


----------



## Aramis

> I am bound and determined to hear all the BIS releases of Kalevi Aho


Are his other works less annoying than clarinet concerto?


----------



## World Violist

Aramis said:


> Are his other works less annoying than clarinet concerto?


I don't know, I haven't heard the clarinet concerto yet. He composes in tons of different styles, though, so I imagine the clarinet concerto might be different from other works.


----------



## Aramis

Well, I'm considering exploring his other stuff but I still have the terrible impression that this concerto made on me in memory. Really annoying work - I can stand what's boring but it was much more than that. I'll be checking your forthcoming posts in this thread to see how do you view it in comparison with works you heard before.


----------



## World Violist

Aramis said:


> Well, I'm considering exploring his other stuff but I still have the terrible impression that this concerto made on me in memory. Really annoying work - I can stand what's boring but it was much more than that. I'll be checking your forthcoming posts in this thread to see how do you view it in comparison with works you heard before.


I'm listening to the clarinet concerto right now. I can see the annoyingness in it, but I'm not all that annoyed by it, actually. Maybe I can recommend to you the "Rituals" CD; it's got a beautiful song cycle on Neruda poems, a robust viola concerto, and the very direct, powerful 14th symphony.


----------



## Aramis

Thanks. I'll try to get it (eventually other recording of these works, if this particular won't be at hand). Hope it will make some difference.


----------



## Head_case

Listening to... The Shanghai Quartet's 'Chinasong'.

what an amazing album! To think this is a complete album of folk song transcriptions rearranged for string quartet. Yi Wen Jiang tells us that the album of music is crafted from the folk songs, most of which were repressed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution - playing anything on the violin was considered decadent and western. Hell anything in a pentatonic minor was considered subversive then. This is one sublime album!


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> I am bound and determined to hear all the BIS releases of Kalevi Aho this winter.


I'm interested in your impression of his seventh symphony when you get to it. I've heard its Foxtrot, and it's interesting, with a Shostakovich/Ives/Bernstein/Looney Tunes feel.


----------



## Saul_Dzorelashvili

Listening to this, it somehow reminds me of Hans Zimmer's soundrack of Gladiator...

Handel


----------



## Manxfeeder

Saul_Dzorelashvili said:


> Listening to this, it somehow reminds me of Hans Zimmer's soundrack of Gladiator...
> 
> Handel


A very dramatic interpretation of Handel's take on La Follia.

Today, Schreker's Der Ferne Klang.


----------



## Guest

Another xmas gift:










The Piano Trio is gorgeous.


----------



## Guest

To be followed by:


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Guest

Martinu was one of my big discoveries this year and he's become one of my favorite composers.


----------



## zoziejemaar

Currently listening to the music of 1735 and 1736... (Well, about Telemann's concertos, I'm not sure if the dating is right).









































- Rameau: Les Indes galantes
- Telemann: String concertos
- JS Bach: BWV 11 "Ascension-oratorio"
- Telemann: Wind concertos
- Pergolesi: Stabat mater


----------



## Guest

Another one of my big discoveries this year. One day I'll play some of these.


----------



## Aramis

Jeff N said:


> Another one of my big discoveries this year. One day I'll play some of these.


It's awesome recording, Roscoe was my first performer of 2nd sonata and after hearing couple of others I still like his. I never had opportunity to hear all of these Naxos volumes though (but of course I do have complete piano music of Szymanowski).


----------



## Guest




----------



## Sid James

Over the holidays, have mainly been listening to the EMI 2 disc set of *Zemlinsky's* complete choral works and orchestral songs. There is a huge stylistic variety in these works, stretching from the earlier Brahmsian Frühlingsbegräbnis (a cantata actually written in memory of that composer), to the Maeterlinck songs for mezzo soprano & orchestra (the orchestration here is not far from Debussy), to the 13th Psalm (which has quite a lot of dissonance). My favourite work of the set is the Symphonic Songs for baritone & orchestra. The text of this work is taken from Afro-American poets. It has a jazzy feel, and reflects the heady days of the 1920's. Zemlinsky tackled what must have been quite unfamiliar territory with his usual flexibility, and the slow songs have a bluesy feel that would not be out of place in the music of Gershwin or Ives. I am glad I picked up this set, because it looks as if now it's out of print. Zemlinsky was one of my biggest "discoveries" of the year, and a very welcome one at that!...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm currently working my way through the first of the two Ring cycles I recently purchased.

Phenomenal!!!


----------



## World Violist

Webern: Complete Works

I suppose I'll just start with disc 1 and work my way through...


----------



## Astrognash

Well, I just finished listening to something from _Pirates of the Caribbean_, and I'm about to start Holst's _First Suite in E-Flat_, and then I'm gonna hear me some _1812 Overture_ before I go to bed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Astrognash said:


> And then I'm gonna hear me some _1812 Overture_ before I go to bed.


Wow, you must have no sleep problems! I'd have to listen to the 1812 Overture to get me OUT of bed.

Today, Stanford's Requiem. I wasn't aware of it until it was mentioned here. Was that Andre? Anyway, thanks for bringing it up; it's a great piece overall.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Webern: Complete Works
> 
> I suppose I'll just start with disc 1 and work my way through...


The advantage with starting at the beginning is, you realize Webern really could write a traditional Romantic melody, if he wanted to.


----------



## Conor71

Good morning and Happy New Year everyone! .


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> Good morning and Happy New Year everyone! :).[/QUOTE]
> 
> Happy New Year! 2011 hasn't reached Tennessee yet, but news from Australia that 2011 is starting out well is reassuring. Well, except for that flooding in Queensland.
> 
> I'm supposed to go to a New Year's party, but I'd rather stay inside and ring out the old with Mahler's 2nd.
> 
> [IMG]http://www.musicweb-international.com/mahler/Mahler2/Rattle.jpg


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> Happy New Year! 2011 hasn't reached Tennessee yet, but news from Australia that 2011 is starting out well is reassuring. Well, except for that flooding in Queensland.
> 
> I'm supposed to go to a New Year's party, but I'd rather stay inside and ring out the old with Mahler's 2nd.


Oooh, good musical choice.


----------



## jurianbai

listen to my forgotten CD for many years..... Pepe Romero Flamenco!









still the guitar never failed to entertained you!


----------



## Manxfeeder

It's time for some New Year's Cantatas: Telemann's Lobet den Herrn and Bach's Erschallet Der Lieder. Then a bowl of black-eyed peas for luck, and I'm off to work in a new year.


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> Happy New Year! 2011 hasn't reached Tennessee yet, but news from Australia that 2011 is starting out well is reassuring. Well, except for that flooding in Queensland.
> 
> I'm supposed to go to a New Year's party, but I'd rather stay inside and ring out the old with Mahler's 2nd.


Now that's leaving 2010 in style!

Did you time it so that the last "Aufersteh'n" chorus started at midnight? :lol::trp:


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Now that's leaving 2010 in style!
> 
> Did you time it so that the last "Aufersteh'n" chorus started at midnight? :lol::trp:


That would have been incredible. But it was ringing in my ears all night.


----------



## Art Rock

Absolutely fascinating.


----------



## Guest

Everyday is like xmas for me, since I order so much music through inter-library loans. Here's Johan Svendsen's symphonies 1 & 2.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Live: Simon Rattle at the MET, Debussy's *Pelleas et Melisande*: remarkable!


----------



## Guest

Rautavaara is easily my favorite living composer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


> Absolutely fascinating.


Yes... I picked that disc up earlier this summer and quite enjoyed it. The story behind the music is quite fascinating as well.


----------



## Art Rock

Jeff N said:


> Rautavaara is easily my favorite living composer.


I second that. Both the CD and the statement.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Guest

Zwilich is another great living composer.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

This is indeed a fine recording: *Luigi Cherubini* (1760 - 1842), complete string quartets (3 CDs), by Hausmusik London (on period instruments).


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Trios & Cello Sonatas*


----------



## Enkhbat

This album consists of 2 CDs.

In the first CD, there is four great performance of *Anoushka Shankar*(You may know she is Norah Jones' sister and Ravi Shankar's daughter)

Especially, I really appreciated the 4th track, Arpan. 
Whole CD is really exotic. It reminds me Natacha Atlas - Gafsa(Soundtrack of 3-iron).

In the second CD, there are some songs of George Harrison, Clepton, Preston.


----------



## JeremyMcGrath

Art Rock said:


> I second that. Both the CD and the statement.


Excellent piece. How could you not like Rautavaara?


----------



## Art Rock

Geronimo said:


>


Love it. My favourite CD I first heard last year.


----------



## World Violist

Sheer brilliance.


----------



## DTut

*What have you been listening to lately?*

alert: newbie first post.

1. Mahler Symphonies 2, 5, 6

2. Segovia Decca recordings

3. Whatever I don't change the channel on Sirius "Symphony Hall".

4. Hovahness "Mysterious Mtn."

5. Debussy "La Mer"

Thanks,

Dave


----------



## Air

DTut said:


> alert: newbie first post.
> 
> 1. Mahler Symphonies 2, 5, 6
> 
> 2. Segovia Decca recordings
> 
> 3. Whatever I don't change the channel on Sirius "Symphony Hall".
> 
> 4. Hovahness "Mysterious Mtn."
> 
> 5. Debussy "La Mer"
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dave


Great choices, not newbie at all! Welcome to the forum.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


> Love it. My favourite CD I first heard last year.


I'll need to check into it. I've heard other great reviews, but the other Mayakovsky recordings I've listened to have honestly not done a great deal for me.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## bassClef

Quite like this, my first listen to Tubin.


----------



## Art Rock

I think I bought that one about 20 years ago. Tubin's symphonies are very much worthwhile.


----------



## Manxfeeder

This just came in.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


>


I've got that disc & I think it's pretty good. Breiner's orchestrations seem idiomatic & this is a great way for me, not a huge opera lover, to get into some of the music of Janacek's great operas. The NZSO is fast becoming one of the great orchestras of the Southern Hemisphere, I also have their Zemlinsky recording on Naxos, which is also very well done...


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven:* Piano Trios 1, 4, 5 "Ghost," & 7 "Archduke"
Chung Trio
EMI

*Schoenberg:* 
Pierrot lunaire, melodrama for voice & chamber ensemble, Op. 21; 
Herzgewächse, song for soprano, celesta, harp & harmonium, Op. 20; 
Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, for narrator, piano & strings, Op. 41 
Christine Schafer, speech-song & soprano
David Pittman-Jennings, baritone (in Ode)
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez
DGG

I have been listening to the Beethoven over the past week or so & just got the Schoenberg yesterday. The stimulus to get to know this repertoire is that I'll be seeing the _Archduke Trio_ & _Pierrot Lunaire_ this year live in concert.

The whole Beethoven set is very enjoyable for me. Over the past year, I have become more interested in the piano trio as a genre and greatly expanded the number of works I know. These are all great works. The 1st trio is from Beethoven's opus 1, and is amongst his earliest published works. I particularly like the lyrical slow movement, which is the heart of the work. There are echoes here of Haydn (his teacher) especially, but this first trio seems to divide the work more evenly between the soloists (they are not so much led as facilitated, perhaps, by the pianist), looking forward to Schubert's great late trios. The 4th trio is also a delightful work, with a bubbly concluding set of variations on an opera tune by the now forgotten composer Weigl. Funny how today this might be taken as plagiarism, but Weigl was probably delighted that his work was quoted by the great Beethoven. This work was originally written with clarinet replacing the violin, the version I saw live last year played by Trioz. The 5th trio is called "Ghost" for its whispy and ethereal middle largo movement. That also has much drama, but the finale is very bright, and I feel that the players here are given a chance to be in a convivial dialogue, one finishing a sentence started by the other. The 7th trio, the "Archduke," is really in a class of it's own. One member on one of these boards said that the first movement is very noble, and I could not but fully agree. The scherzo has this short phrase which pops up a number of times. It reminds me of something straight out of the C20th maybe by Ligeti. The slow movement is very soulful - again prefiguring the song-like qualities of Schubert who was only a teenager when this was composed - and the finale is just sublime. This work is highly innovative, not only in the way in which fragmentary melodies are built up into unified themes, but also in how the last three movements are linked. This set was recorded in France and New York, and the sound and playing are both excellent.

The only work that I had heard on the Schoenberg disc prior to getting it yesterday was _Pierrot Lunaire_, and that was in the '90's. The text for this, as well as the accompanying short _Herzgewächse_, are based on surrealist poems. These works have a nocturnal feel for me. In the former Schoenberg pioneered the use of speech-song, while the latter is for a more conventional soprano. These works are seminal vocal works of the C20th. The most arresting piece on the disc (for me) is the _Ode to Napoleon_, for baritone speaker and piano quartet. The words here are from the poetry of Lord Byron, written about Napoleon's downfall in 1814. This work was written at the height of WW2 in 1942, and reflects the turbulence of those times. It is a none too subtle protest against and a condemnation of tyranny, oppression and the misuse of power. I plan to give this disc much more repeated listening before I go to the performance of _Pierrot Lunaire_, which I am looking forward to greatly...


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Guest

Lalo Cello Concerto. It's an alright piece, not as good as Symphonie Espagnol. But then again, maybe it's just Riccardo Chailly...I don't care for his work...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still working my way through Wagner's Ring:


----------



## JeremyMcGrath

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still working my way through Wagner's Ring:


How's this recording by the way? I'm thinking of grabbing this one.


----------



## zoziejemaar

Currently listening to the music from 1736-1738:

- Pergolesi: Stabat mater (Il seminario musicale / Gens / Lesne)
- Bach: St Matthew Passion (Gardiner / Rolfe-Johson, etc.)
- Händel: Serse (William Christie / von Otter etc.)
- Rebel: Les élémens (Goebel / Musica Antiqua Köln)
- Telemann: Paris Quartets (Kuijkens / Leonhardt)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Busoni's piano concerto. It's huge.


----------



## Aramis

I didn't listen to it entirely yet, but I think I like it. I'm kind of guy who look at last sentence in book before he starts to read and likewise, in music, I always jump through my favourite fragments of work to check if I will like it before I listen 

And the cover I likes.


----------



## Guest

Aramis said:


> I didn't listen to it entirely yet, but I think I like it. I'm kind of guy who look at last sentence in book before he starts to read and likewise, in music, I always jump through my favourite fragments of work to check if I will like it before I listen
> 
> And the cover I likes.


I highly recommend this recording, as well. Different than Kubelik's DG recording. This one is live, and is a great one to have.


----------



## Vaneyes

Elegant playing with entrancing early digital sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

Jeff N said:


> Lalo Cello Concerto. It's an alright piece, not as good as Symphonie Espagnol. But then again, maybe it's just Riccardo Chailly...I don't care for his work...


Try Chang with Pappano. I think you'll be a convert. I was.


----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to a Youtube video set of the Tetzlaffs playing the Brahms Double under Paavo Jarvi and the German Chamber Philharmonic. It's fantastic--they play this work all stops out and it's thrilling.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ockegehem's Missa Prolationum - an amazing composition.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Prussian Quartets
Shostakovich: SQ's #14 & 15*


----------



## World Violist

Boulez conducts Debussy (Sony)


----------



## Maeror

Sonatas for violin and cemballo from J.S. Bach


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*


----------



## Sid James

*Ornstein* - Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 7 & other piano works
Janice Weber, piano
Naxos

This disc contains a good selection of Ornstein's music. As the notes say, he was a "consistently inconsistent" composer in terms of style, he absorbed many traits of romanticism, impressionism and modernism, which makes it hard for some people to pin him down. Some of these works have his trademark tone clusters, others betray a bit of a romantic feel of melancholy or moodiness a la Chopin, and yet others have this ambigious tonality reminiscent of Debussy. I really like the 4th sonata (1924) which has bits of all of the above approaches. The first movement has a flowing, romantic feel, the second a bit of the poetry of Chopin, the third seems like just a fragment, and he ends with an emphatic Russian dance which goes through many twists and turns before the brilliant conclusion. The 7th sonata (1988) is also highly unified, based on a single theme. I also like _Impressions of the Thames _(1914) which is quite dissonant, and makes one think of walking down the Thames embankment on a Sunday morning, hearing the church bells in the distance. The Tarantelle (1960) has an ending that would not be out of place in the music of Elliot Carter. I have not yet heard other recordings of this repertoire, but I do want to get Hamelin's recording at some stage, particularly as it has the final 8th sonata...


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50 & Op. 54*


----------



## andrea

Chopin Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58 (Lugansky)


----------



## myaskovsky2002

*Sensemaya*

One of the master pieces of the XXth century...by a Mexican guy unknown in North America.

Sensemaya or how to kill a snake:






it is a programmatic work following the poem written by the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillén.

PLEASE LISTEN TO IT!!!!! AND GIVE ME SOME NEWS.

Martin


----------



## Guest

Andre said:


> Ornstein - Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 7 & other piano works
> Janice Weber, piano
> Naxos


Thanks, Andre. I had never heard of Ornstein till you mentioned him, so I went and checked out the 4th piano sonata and I love it! Listening to it now on youtube.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Taking a break from the Ring cycle.


----------



## Conor71

*Borodin: String Quartet No. 2
Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 13 & 14
Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 19, 20, 7 & 8*


----------



## Guest

These quartets have made me fall completely in love with Martinu. They're fantastic.


----------



## Falstaft

The Requiem, particularly the Dies Irae, are really something!


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Geronimo

I really like this one. Thanks to whoever recommended it on the forum.


----------



## Art Rock

Geronimo said:


> I really like this one. Thanks to whoever recommended it on the forum.


Seconded. I think I like the piano trio even better than the (great) symphony.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Geronimo

Didn't like it very much.


----------



## Nix

Currently listening through cycles of music that I haven't finished yet. Right now, Mahler symphonies coupled with romantic piano quintets (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak, Vaughan Williams)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Geronimo said:


>


How is this one? I'm, always on the lookout for new choral music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished a marvelous disc of choral works by Joseph Haydn's brother:










Now I'm back to exploring my two new Wagner Rings... currently listening to the Krauss set:


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg:*
Pierrot lunaire, melodrama for (female) voice & chamber ensemble, Op. 21 
Herzgewächse (Heart's Foliage), song for soprano, celesta, harp & harmonium, Op. 20
Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, for narrator, piano & strings, Op. 41 
Christine Schafer, voice/soprano
David Pittman-Jennings, baritone (in Ode)
Members of Ensemble InterContemporain, Paris
Pierre Boulez, direction
DGG

I bought this excellent disc of three of Schoenberg's great vocal works last week, primariliy because I wanted to get to know _Pierrot Lunaire _before I hear/see it live here in Sydney in April. I haven't heard this work since I borrowed the Simon Rattle recording on Chandos from my local library more than 10 years back. I was a bit shocked then by it's intensity, but the Chandos disc doesn't have a libretto, so I didn't really know what was going on (I don't speak German). All three of these works are quite different, _Pierrot_ is freely atonal and the _Ode_ is serial (they both employ speech-song), while _Herzgewachse_ is also freely atonal but similar to my ears to the world of Debussy or Ravel (here the soprano just sings, there is no speech-song).

_*Pierrot Lunaire*_, a set of 21 songs based on the work of Belgian poet Giraud, will be well known to some listeners here. The feeling here is decisively expressionistic and Schoenberg borrowed the technique of speech-song from the world of cabaret. Here you have a heady mix of high drama and the grotesque, with much tenderness and lyricism thrown in between. There is much references to a moonlit world in the text, as well as sacrificial and religious imagery (blood and the wine is contrasted in one very vivid song, _Red Mass_, for example). Some of it is just bizarre - eg. the song _Atrocity_ has Pierrot the clown slice off the top of the cranium of his adversary Cassander, scoop out the brain, drill a hole & attach a tube, put Turkish tobacco in the cavity and smoke it. I'm amazed how the censors didn't pounce on this work in 1912 (but there was the inevitable riot at it's premiere). Cassander gets back at Pierrot in _Serenade_, stringing him up in the strings of a giant viola. This is perhaps the most beautiful music that I have heard where a person is being strung up! The final two songs are quite serene, with Pierrot going back on a boat to his home in Bergamo, and thinking of old memories of his youth. This work was originally commissioned by an actress, and in the original performances the musicians (a chamber ensemble comprising piano, clarinet, and string quartet) where hidden behind a screen while she spoke/sang and acted out the songs. After premiering it in Vienna in 1912, Schoenberg took the work all over Europe and it proved very influential on a diverse array of composers, from Webern, Stravinsky & Ravel to Peter Maxwell-Davies and Britten in later decades.

_*Herzgewachse*_, sounds quite impressionistic, which is quite appropriate as it is based on a poem by Maeterlinck (who I think Debussy and definitely Zemlinsky also set songs to). This work was described by an amazon reviewer as being like rich, dark chocolate, and I think that's an apt description. Here the soprano sings in a more traditional way, and is accompanied by a trio of harmonium, celesta and harp.

The final work on the disc is the _*Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte*_, for baritone speaker, piano and string quartet. This was based on the poem by Lord Byron (1814) and composed in 1942. The poem describes Napoleon as a pathetic figure, who had half conquered Europe and dreamt of conquering the world, but ended up living like an animal in a cell on the island of St. Helena. The old poem, combined with this very intense music, seems to me to be an attack on despotisim, tyranny and the oppression of people by such people who become corrupted by power. If you would describe this as an ugly and harsh work, I'd probably agree, but the fact is that there is no nice way to express the emotions that Schoenberg was here trying to get out. Perhaps it was a commentary on what was going on in the world in 1942, with the world plunged into yet another world war, initiated by Hitler. I find it no less relevant now than it must have been then, having had several decades of such horrible rulers all across the world since then. Dictators like Mao, Mobutu, Soeharto, Pol Pot, Galtieri, Idi Amin, Papa Doc (& currently that horrible Mugabe) have abused their powers in unacceptable ways with horrendous results.

I feel that the performances on this disc stay true to Schoenberg's vision, but there is also much lusciousness here. Not that it smooths over the intensity of these works, but there is also a focus on some of the harmonies in Schoenberg's music, which can be amazing. The recording is also excellent, it's basically as good as being in a concert hall hearing these works. I don't usually "rate" things, but I'd give this 5 stars...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Mozart*, piano concertos (listening to various CDs from this 11CD box set). This is one of the finest complete set of his concerti (including the concerto for more than one piano, and early arrangements of works by Johann Christian Bach). *Viviana Sofronitzki*, fortepiano and harpsichord, with _Musicae Antiqae Collegium Varsoviense_ (Early Music Ensemble of the Warsaw Chamber Opera), on period instruments. Viviana is the daughter of Vladimir S.

The Classical Mozart idiom at its most apparent. Highly mercurial in expression of moods, with all the elegance of precision. (The only other attempts that come as close/at times better, are some of the incomplete set played by The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood, Robert Levin).

Not a cheap set and it seems hard to get by. I had to pay almost USD100 for the box (including shipping).


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre said:


> I feel that the performances on this disc stay true to Schoenberg's vision ...


So, you are a purist afterall, interested in what the composer may have originally intended.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Geronimo

StlukesguildOhio said:


> How is this one? I'm, always on the lookout for new choral music.


Choral music is rather new to me, so it's difficult for me at the moment to compare it with other works. I quite liked it, though.


----------



## SatiesFaction

I've known Opus 12 for 15 years, and I'm still very fond of it. Wonderful melodies.


----------



## World Violist

Now that I'm finally back at university (my 50-something degree F room...), I can listen to this!










I'm listening to the first disc, the workshop on the finale, right now. Fascinating!


----------



## Rangstrom

The Andrew Manze/English Concert recording of the Biber Missa Christi Resurgentis. For too many years now I've been satisfying my Baroque needs via JS. As much as I love Bach this recording of the mass (with a number of sonatas interposed) reminds me that I've been ignoring a ton of excellent music. I've got some catching up to do.


----------



## Manxfeeder

The Nashville Symphony is back in their symphony hall, and NPR has its concert archived, so I'm listening to it. I have John Adams' Harmonielehre in queue.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous disc of English "lieder" or art songs. Gurney was both a poet and composer of real merit. He, unfortunately had a rather tragic life, dying early and institutionalized from what was quite likely bipolar disorder. Gurney composed some 300 songs that have elements of the great German lieder... but more of folk music. This particular recording focuses upon Gurney's settings of the poems of other poets: Yeats, Shakespeare, Fletcher, Walter de la Mare, etc... I will certainly be looking into the Hyperion disc of Gurney's settings of his own poems as well.

I picked up this disc of Gurney's work along with that of a number of other English and American songwriters. There is something to be said for listening to songs in one's native language... although I am able to struggle through the German of Schubert, Schumann, Strauss, etc...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rattle's recording of Szymanowski.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> So, you are a purist afterall, interested in what the composer may have originally intended.


Yep, definitely, the composer's intentions are paramount for me. But by the same token, I don't mind some of the more "liberal" interpretations (the great Horowitz comes to mind), providing the artist has the skill and panache to bring them of well. Of course, this issue is what musicology is largely about, but many "takes" and interpretations of the same work are valid, particularly if we don't really know how the composer liked his/her work to be performed. Even if we do, a composer's opinion is not always paramount, often performers who never knew them can open up new doors and experiences to listeners by making us aware of things that we didn't take notice of before...


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven:*

- String Quartet Op. 131 (No. 14)
Budapest String Quartet
Coronet LP
(No image)

- String Quartets Op. 132 (No. 15) & H. 34
Kodaly String Quartet
Naxos

Beethoven's late quartets are undoubtedly some of the greatest composed, but I had not made an effort to listen to acquire them & listen to them until recently. I think I was a bit daunted by their complexity. Other composers, scholars and musicians all seem to agree that these works were the pinnacle of all of his great achievements. When I first listened to the Op. 131, it just blew me away. That opening fugue has to be the most profound and moving statements in all music. Then there's the middle slow movement "Hymn of Thanksgiving" in the Op. 132 which is just sublime. Words are not adequate to express my reaction to these great works. The ghost of Beethoven's one time teacher Haydn seems never too far away, and in the scherzos especially the old Beethoven fire is still there. I absolutely love the playing of these two Hungarian string quartets, the Budapest Quartet recorded in about the '50's and the Kodaly Quartet in the '90's. There is a rich, deep and woody sound in their playing, which is irresistable. They make light of all of the huge dynamic contrasts and rhythmic changes in these works. I am very much looking forward to going to a concert where the Goldner String Quartet will play the Op. 132. It will be the first time of me seeing/hearing a live performance of this music, and it will be great. I also plan to get all of the Razumovsky and late quartets on disc in the space of this year. I am definitely no longer "daunted" as I was in the past!...


----------



## Sid James

Geronimo said:


>


That's one of my favourite Janacek recordings. The performance of the _Glagolitic Mass_ is basically definitive. The harrowing organ solo is a thrill to hear. Then there's the song cycle _The Diary of One Who Disappeared_, which is also one of his great works. Pity that the latter is not sung in Czech but German, but Ernest Haefliger gives such a fine performance, full of intensity and emotion (I almost forget the language it's being sung in as a result, it's almost irrelevant). He could not have a better accompanist than the great Rafael Kubelik. Superb on all accounts...


----------



## Rangstrom

The 1988 Chung/Muti recording of the Dvořák Violin Concerto. What dismal sound--shallow and grit your teeth harsh. !980-89 might be the lost decade of classical music; so many poorly done digital recordings.


----------



## Herr Rott

*Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov - LIVE - Strauss - Alpine Symphony*

I've heard a few Alpine Symphonies, in this one I can see the Sunrise and feel the Storm. Magnificent.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, Shosti's 1st Symphony.


----------



## Art Rock

Love this composer.


----------



## Geronimo

My first Hovhaness. Sounds good.


----------



## Guest

Geronimo said:


> My first Hovhaness. Sounds good.


Your next should definitely be Mysterious Mountain (Symphony no. 2).

Also, is your avatar Klaus Kinski?


----------



## Sid James

@ Geronimo - that was also my first disc of Hovhaness. Since you like his music, you may wish to get one of the budget two for one Delos discs, one of which includes the "Mysterious Mountain" symphony mentioned above.

Listening of the past 24 hours:

*Liszt: *
"Szekszard" Mass and other works for male choir and organ
Soloists/Hungarian People's Army Choir/Kis
Hungaroton LP

*Sibelius:* 
Symphony No. 1
Melbourne SO/Jose Serebrier

*Saint-Saens:* 
Septet in E flat, Op. 65
Nash Ensemble

(Two above heard on radio 2mbs-FM Sydney www.2mbs.com)

I found the Liszt a bit dark, not being used to works with just males in the choir (sounds totally different to mixed choirs, obviously). Liszt was here influenced by the old church music of Palestrina, and compared to some of his other more flamboyant works, this was quite austere indeed. The "Szekszard" Mass was written for the inauguration of a church in that town. The LP has a photo of a plaque bas relief sculpture of Liszt's head which is in the church, and the sculpture was "autographed" by the composer. I believe this is the only recording of the work that has been made. The accompanying shorter works on the LP are in the same realm as the mass, music stripped down to the bare essentials. No flashiness or extravagant emotions here.

I enjoyed the Sibelius symphony, which has shades of (maybe?) Bruckner but especially Tchaikovsky. I had heard that work before, but not the Saint-Saens, parts of which reminded me of Beethoven's own septet (written for a different combination of instruments, of course), but more strongly of the music of the next generation in France, that of the "Les Six" group (Poulenc especially came to mind in how Saint-Saens used the piano in this work)...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


> Love this composer.


I just picked this up last week. I've only half-listened to it once while working in my studio, but hope to give a more concentrated listen soon.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A great Mozart:










Now exploring English song... and broadening my experience of Britten:










I'll head back to my Wagner cycle later this week (or on the weekend).


----------



## World Violist

Finally arrived today...










Enescu: Piano Sonata No. 1, Suite No. 2, Choral and Carillon Nocturne
Matei Varga, piano

I'll get back tomorrow with thoughts on it.


----------



## Sid James

Currently listening to _Rudepoema_ by *Villa-Lobos *played by Marc-Andre Hamelin on youtube. How anyone can play this music which sounds humanly impossible to play is beyond me. It's just amazing...


----------



## Sid James

After that, another great solo piano work from the c20th, *Xenakis' *_Herma_ played at top speed by Yuji Takahashi also on youtube...


----------



## Geronimo

Jeff N said:


> Your next should definitely be Mysterious Mountain (Symphony no. 2).
> 
> Also, is your avatar Klaus Kinski?


It's on my 'to buy' list.
And yes, it's Klaus Kinski, from the movie Fitzcarraldo.


----------



## Art Rock

A2CD opera of one of my favourite contemporary composers - picked it up for 4 euro in a sale.


----------



## Pieck

Arriaga - String Quartet No. 2 in A major


----------



## dmg

My first time to ever hear this symphony


----------



## zoziejemaar

Jean-Marie Leclair: Violin Sonatas op. 5 (John Holloway)










Surprisingly expressive music by times. I quite like it.


----------



## emiellucifuge

dmg said:


> My first time to ever hear this symphony


No way! Hope you enjoy :tiphat:

Im currently on the 9th:


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Manxfeeder

Hanson's 2nd symphony. Maybe not his best, but it's still fun to hear.

Then some exciting pieces by Ernst Bloch, downloaded from SymphonyShare: his 2nd string quartet, his first piano quintet, his first concerto grosso, then Schelomo. Somehow I've missed this composer until now.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Sid James

*Zemlinsky* 
Lyric Symphony for soprano, baritone & orchestra
Opera preludes & interludes
Soloists/Cologne PO/Conlon
EMI

I've listened to this recording of the _Lyric Symphony_ more than a dozen times since I got it late December last year. It works both as a great symphony and as a song cycle. As the notes say, it is really both, the former because of it's structure, the latter because it is made up of seven connected songs (German translations of the poetry of Bengali poet Tagore). The first movement acts as an introduction, which is followed by a scherzo like movement, then two slow movements, then three intermezzi and a finale. The songs are about the anticipation, flowering and end of love. The orchestration is quite luscious and displays characteristics of atonality, but often (it is said) returning to different tonal centers in each movement/song. Speech-song, pioneered by Schoenberg, is used in the second last song by the soprano. It is significant to me how the soprano & baritone soloists have each song to themselves, they alternate taking turns, and never combine as a duet. Perhaps Zemlinsky didn't want the work to sound operatic. Another reason might be how, often in relationships we are very close to the other person, but never really know him/her as deeply as we think. We are all kind of encapsulated within our own worlds when we are in love. The accompanying opera preludes and interludes give a good run down of Zemlinsky's many influences, which (judging from these excerpts) ranged from Brahms, Wagner, R. Strauss, Mahler and the Second Viennese School. What I notice about these orchestral extracts from his operas is that there is a song-like or cantabile treatment of the musical material, at any moment I expect a singer to burst out with a song based on the tune. I'm not sure if this is the usual thing with orchestral extracts in operas, or whether Zemlinsky's style just had a close connection with the human voice. This disc is pretty good, the recording amazing, the only problem is that lyrics have not been included (but of course, if they were, it would greatly jack up the price). All in all a very recommendable set of works for those into late c19th & early c20th music from central Europe...


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## Guest

Rautavaara, Symphony no. 6. An interesting work that blends dissonant synthesizers with passionate lyricism. Love it.










EDIT: just got to the Cello Concerto and it's awesome! This disc only solidifies my stance on Rautavaara being the greatest living composer.


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## Sid James

*Prokofiev*
Piano Concerto No. 5
Piano Sonata No. 8
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Warsaw NPO/Witold Rowicki
DGG

There's so much going on in this music, particularly the piano concerto. The mood and atmosphere just keeps changing & never settles down for too long. Haydn once said of Beethoven that he was like a man who had "several heads, several hearts and several souls." I think that he would have said the same of Prokofiev had he known him (which is impossible, of course!). Richter's playing is just amazing, not only in technical terms, but how he makes it possible for listeners to really access this music. There's no unneccessary flashiness or showiness, he has a way that makes all these disparate elements come together and even flow a bit (although quite a bit of the concerto at first seems like stop and start, it takes many listens to hear what's going on with the main themes, etc.). The icing on the cake are the three excerpts from _Visions Fugitives_, such genius there in both the composition and playing (a pity that we've only got excerpts, but they are a joy to hear nevertheless, and the live performance has a bit of a buzz as well). This is one of my favourite recordings of c20th piano music. I think it's pretty much definitive, although I am loathe to usually say this, particularly since I haven't heard many other accounts of this repertoire. Highly enjoyable, in any case...


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## Pieck

Roussel 3rd symphony /Bernstein


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## Manxfeeder

Today, Samuel Barber, both Jarvi's recording and the two-CD set from VoxBox. The nice thing about the 21st Century is, it's finally okay to listen to the Neo-Romantics.


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## Pieck

brahms cello sonata no. 1


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## Guest

Pieck said:


> Roussel 3rd symphony /Bernstein


That is hands down the best recording of that piece. I'll go listen to it now, too...


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## Sid James

*Benjamin Lees*
String Quartets 1, 5, 6
Cypress String Quartet
Naxos

Basically I think that this is quite conservative music but well written. The 1st quartet is from 1952 whilst the other two are from 2002 & 2006. The sleeve notes say Lees was particularly inspired by Britten & Shostakovich, but I also think that he is close to the neo-Romantics like Walton & Barber. There is much contrast here, and a kind of Lisztian or Wagnerian sense of thematic development, Lees seems to start off with a 'leading motif' which is constantly being transformed throughout the work. He also splits up the quartet between the 2 violins on the one hand, and the viola and cello on the other. Often there is a contrast between the different instruments highest and lowest registers. Carter also did this in some of his string quartets, but Lees "take" on this technique is more listenable, if not quite as edge of your seat compelling. Lees' juxtaposition of various moods and textures are said to come from his interest in Cubist and Surrealist art. I think that keeping this in mind when listening is quite interesting. I particularly like the second movement of the 5th quartet, marked arioso. The violins sing like birds at a very high register, which gets higher and higher, while the cello and viola interject with comparatively menacing sounds. Messiaen comes to mind here, but unlike him I don't think that Lees was literally transcribing birdsong. This 5th quartet is the most immediately appealing on the disc, it "was chosen by Chamber Music America as one of its 101 Great Ensemble Works."


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## StlukesguildOhio

Exploring more of the English "art song" tradition. Like Gurney, Butterworth's music is clearly rooted in the English folk song.


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## World Violist

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Schoenberg/Riehn edition)
Osmo Vanska/Members of the Lahti Symphony; Jorma Silvasti, tenor; Monica Groop, alto

The opening is quite powerful; Vanska demonstrates his sinewy style to great effect. Silvasti's tenor sounds somewhat weak and fluttery to my ears, but that's what I get for growing up with a bunch of dead heldentenors. Anyway, the orchestral playing throughout is thrilling, since the players can actually play out; I think I actually heard some real accents in the violin part!

Second movement is incredible. From the first notes there is a great sense of atmosphere, made even more urgent and spacious by the smaller numbers. Groop's voice is a bit too large, though, and I get the feeling that Vanska is scaling down too much; there isn't quite enough of that effortless give-and-take you get in the full orchestral version. However, as the song goes on it establishes a better pulse and sense of balance, so while the beginning doesn't live up to its promise, the rest of the movement does.

Third movement opens with the best phrasing I've ever heard from the winds. Silvasti doesn't have many long notes here, so the vibrato isn't much of a problem. In fact, I think this song has him in his element, as the bright quality of his voice goes well with both the song and the orchestration. So overall this is the most successful movement yet.

Fourth is wonderful. That's all I feel qualified to say, since it's probably the one I understand least.

The penultimate movement seems a bit brisk, although it's paced pretty similarly to any other recording. Maybe it's just Silvasti's breathlessness-invoking vibrato... (I promise, last time I'll complain about it).

Opening of Der Abschied is great. I really like the hard tone of the piano (which takes the low C's) in this context. And every line is SO CLEAR! True, this marks all the other movements, but this one is just special. And Groop's entrance is just great. I know this is going to be a great Abschied for those two spots, regardless of orchestration (after all, the winds are basically doing most of the playing, and there is a wind quintet in the orchestration).

So here it is in a nutshell: Vanska is awesome, the orchestra and orchestration are awesome, Groop is inspired if a bit overpowering in her first contribution, and Silvasti is alright. All in all, I'd recommend this, especially to a Mahlerite who knows the orchestral version really well... or, as the cliche goes, thinks they do.


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## Manxfeeder

Flagello's first symphony.


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## Sid James

*Thomas Ades*
Asyla (for orchestra)
Concerto Conciso (piano & chamber ensemble)
These Premises Are Alarmed (orchestra)
Chamber Symphony for 15 players
...but all shall be well (orchestra)

Thomas Ades, piano & direction
City of Birmingham SO & Contemporary Music Group
Simon Rattle, conductor

I can hear a lot of influences and similarities with other composers in this music. From the opulence & big emotions of Mahler, R. Strauss or Zemlinsky, the shadowy night-time world of Dutilleux, the rhythms of techno, to the randomness and chaos of John Cage. However cohesive this heady brew of various styles may or may not be, it is quite enjoyable on many levels. I particularly like _...but all shall be well_, a very accomplished orchestral work that has a bit of the tintintabulation (bell sounds) of Arvo Part & even a reference to a piece by Liszt in the closing bars (I can hear a similarity to something, maybe the _Consolations_, but I'm not sure - the notes do mention Liszt, though). I'm not really sure if it matters if Ades has a single "style" or not, because these pieces come across to me as quite engaging. Another good thing is that you get to hear him as a piano soloist in the short and aptly named _Concerto Conciso _& boy, can he play!...


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## Art Rock

Love it!


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## emiellucifuge

Ive been meaning to listen to Ades for a while now.

But today its Prokofiev's Cinderella with Rozhdestvensky at the helm.


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## MrTortoise

Beethoven middle quartets - Juilliard String Quartet










Just finished No. 7 from the Razumovsky quartets. The middle movements are jaw dropping.


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## Pieck

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition / Giulini


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## opus55

Listening to CD's checked out from local library.

Finished listening to Beethoven #1 and #2 by Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music. Great recording. I think my taste now lean towards HIP recordings, at least for some Beethoven and Mozart symphonies.









Now listening to the first movement of Bruckner 4 by Böhm/Wiener Phil. Another recording I must purchase now


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## Art Rock




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## Manxfeeder

Some American Neo-Romantics.


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## Botec

That Hanson CD has been on high rotate here in the last few days - my 6 year old likes to dance along to the Merry Mount Suite.


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## Manxfeeder

Botec said:


> That Hanson CD has been on high rotate here in the last few days - my 6 year old likes to dance along to the Merry Mount Suite.


She has good taste!


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## StlukesguildOhio

I just finished with this:










A local boy (from small town Ohio) made good, Ferko moved on to Chicago and later the West Coast. This recording of his _Stabat Mater_ is magnificently realized by His Majestie's Clerkes. The work is constructed from 25 miniature pieces that fit together like a mosaic. 20 of these miniatures are based upon the Latin text of the _Stabat Mater_ with 5 interpolations of English texts. The English texts are comprised of _Andromache's Lament_, taken from Richard Lattimore's translation of Euripides' _The Trojan Women_; Padraic Pearse' _The Mother_, selections from Charlotte Mayerson's _The Death Cycle Machine_ (inspired by Mayerson's loss of her son to AIDS), Sally M Gall's _Elegy_, and an excerpt from the _Gospel According to St. Luke_. Ferko spoke of the aim of his work being to express something of the death of a young man and the grieving of his mother of the Stabat Mater in which he saw an immediate connection with our time. His inclusion of the English texts were intended to further connect the music with the present.

The music itself is largely tonal... traditional or old-fashioned in many ways. The composer employs tonal centers, church modes, melody, counterpoint, etc... that sometimes digresses from the tonal center but always returns. While the music is clearly rooted in older traditions, it also is unquestionably a modern composition. Ferko makes little effort to formally break with the past or establish a new and unfamiliar musical vocabulary. His intent is clearly to work within a traditional framework to convey his message clearly and beautifully.

I wouldn't look to Ferko if you demand difficult new approaches to music from your contemporary composers. If, however, you enjoy the efforts of such choral composers as Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, David Briggs, and James MacMillan you will surely find much of interest in this recording.

I'm now giving a listen to this:










... and I'm quite loving it (Andre, I think you would certainly like Daddy Scarlatti).I've long been an admirer of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas but as I begin to venture forth further into the Italian Baroque I begin to suspect that papa Scarlatti may just have been the greater composer.


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## Ravellian

Did quite a bit of listening today.. heard the Met production of La Traviata broadcast live, and later I listened to the St. John Passion for the first time.


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## Pieck

Canaanic Symphony - Boaz Ben Moshe \ The Israel Kibbutz Orchestra

I looked at the schedule of the local (Israeli) classical music station and saw that program dedicated to Israeli compositors so I had to check it out. The symphony wasnt so good but some pieces after that was better


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## Manxfeeder

Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, Stokowski, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It must be old; I can't find a picture of it.


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## Art Rock




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## emiellucifuge




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## emiellucifuge

I highly recommend the above for anyone who has read Camus' Le Peste


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: András *Schiff* performing *Schubert Sonatas* on a *Bösendorfer* Grand Salle: stupendous!


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## Geronimo




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## Pieck

Orff - Carmina Burana \ Ormandy
O Fortuna!


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## Sid James

*Tippett*
String Quartets 3 & 5
Tippett SQ
Naxos

Tippett, like his idol Beethoven, liked to work with a single theme throughout his string quartets. There's a similar feel in mood, profundity and texture to the Beethoven late quartets. There is also an English pastoral feel, but not like the tired cowpat pastoralism of some other composers of the time. There's not a touch of faux spiritualism here, but this music is strongly rooted to the earth, like an enormous tree, and it branches off in many different directions. The notes say that the 3rd quartet has no less than 3 fugues. I haven't counted them, but I really like the final one (the final movement which follows without a break from the previous movement) which creates this amazing tapestry of sound. The 5th quartet is in two movements, the second employing much repetition. It just glides out into nothingness at the end - no grand gestures or statements here, just a sense that something profound is being expressed. I also have the other volume, with his other quartets, but I haven't given it as much listening as this one, which I like a lot...


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## World Violist

Disc 1: Kullervo
Osmo Vanska/Lahti Symphony

I've almost forgotten just how epic this symphony is. And this recording is incredible too.


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## Rondo

Grieg's Cello Sonata in A minor. Great nighttime listening.


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## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Peter Katin, piano/LSO/Anthony Collins
Decca LP

Just got this LP for $5 & gave it a listen. I had only heard the 1st concerto before, and that was ages ago. The main theme of its first movement still stuck in my mind, it can be very memorable. Both concertos were written in the 1830's.

The 1st concerto was an innovative work for the time, with no break between the movements, and a fanfare (which reminded me of Tchaikovsky) announcing the 2nd and 3rd movements. The first movement is dramatic, bold and sweeping. The second gave me an impression of being in suspended animation. The movement begins with a dreamy cadenza, and the piano dominates the dialogue with the orchestra throughout. I found the final movement to be a bit of a let-down, as it has this feel of being like a bouncy Rossini aria with the piano replacing the vocals. Some very technically demanding double octave work for the soloist here, which Katin brings off expertly.

The 2nd concerto is perhaps not as experimental as the 1st, but it definitely sounded to me to be more cohesive. Again, there is no break between the movements and the second slow movement begins with a cadenza. The brilliant finale here still has an element of the theatrical, but sounds a bit more serious. I think that this concerto also has a hint of melancholy, a la Chopin.

Peter Katin brings out the poetry from these works. He is a very delicate pianist. The accompaniment is good, and the sound for a recording of this vintage (on LP!) was excellent, although a bit less focused in the finales. I'm not sure if this recording has made it to cd, but to my mind it is an excellent recording with which to get to know these works...


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## tdc

I recently purchased all of J.S. Bach's works on disc, (brilliant classics label) Im trying to listen to everything he ever composed. In nearly two months Im about half way through. It seems like so far nearly everything is Cantatas. I'm currently listening to Secular Cantata Bwv 203. I am enjoying these recordings. I like studying while they are on in the background.


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## Xaltotun

Bruckner 7th by Furtwängler. This one finally sold Bruckner to me!


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## hocket




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## Manxfeeder

Xaltotun said:


> Bruckner 7th by Furtwängler. This one finally sold Bruckner to me!


Oh, yeah!

Today, music for Martin Luther King Day: Schwanter's New Morning for the World and Flagello's The Passon of Martin Luther King.


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## emiellucifuge

How about Berios Sinfonia? The 2nd movement 'O King' is dedicated in his memory.


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## Manxfeeder

emiellucifuge said:


> How about Berios Sinfonia? The 2nd movement 'O King' is dedicated in his memory.


Thanks! I'm YouTube-ing it.


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## Aramis

Bernstein's 9th of Mahler (Sony). Tomorrow the same by Kubelik/Bavarian bla bla bla. I listened to excepts from the latter and I think I'm going to love this chamber sound. It totally didn't work for 1st but... anyway, I'll talk about it after I listen to whole thing. A WISE CHOICE... THANK YOU MASTER


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## Sid James

*Thomas Ades*
Asyla*
Concerto Conciso
These Premises Are Alarmed
Chamber Symphony for 15 instruments
...but all shall be well

Thomas Ades, piano & direction
City of Birmingham SO
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
*Simon Rattle
EMI

I have been listening to this for the past couple of days, since getting it last week. This is a good collection of Ades' orchestral and chamber music from the '90's. _Asyla_ is a work for orchestra in four movements without a break. It could basically be called a symphony. The third movement is marked _Ecstasio_ (after the party drug ecstasy) and is a bit like the _Rite of Spring _meets techno. The _Concerto Conciso_ and _Chamber Symphony _both have Ades on piano. Some of the notes are 'prepared' a la John Cage or Arvo Part in _Tabula Rasa_. The _Concerto Conciso_ is quite angular and spiky, and ends with the pianist slamming the lid on the piano (it comes very suddenly out of the blue, one expects that the work - which is just under 10 minutes - could have gone on a bit more). The _Chamber Symphony _has this jazzy feel, employing many wind instruments. Incidentally, Ades uses 15 instruments - same number as Schoenberg in his chamber symphonies - but they are different instruments. My favourite work on the disc is _...but all shall be well_, a work for orchestra that employs some of the tintintabulation (bell sounds) of Arvo Part, but to a kind of more dreamy as versus spaced out effect. It's quite a gentle work, contrasting with the more full-on nature of the other works on the disc. _These Premises Are Alarmed _is a short virtuoso showpiece for large orchestra. I think what unites these works is a subtle use of the percussion section. Theres always a strong rhythmic undertow there, even if it's barely discernible. I'd hazard a guess that Ades more recent works are also quite interesting, but I haven't heard any of them except for his _Piano Quintet_. He's an interesting composer because of what I think is a successful fusion of many seemingly disparate styles...


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Now: *Background Briefing* with Ian Matthews.

The most informative news programme anywhere.

http://ianmasters.com/


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## StlukesguildOhio

Finally getting around to the finale of Karajan's Ring. I still need to listen to Krauss.


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## Art Rock

Another composer I picked up at this forum:


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## Pieck

today's listening:
Earlier - Haydn symphonies 100,102,104
Roussel 3rd
Beethoven Rasumovsky no. 1 \ Hungarian Quartet
Now - Tchaikovsky symphonies no. 1 'Winter Daydreams', no. 2 'Little Russian'
Hoping to listen to - Franck symphony
Mozart Symphonies No. 39, 41 'Jupiter'
Brahms Piano Quartets No. 1,3 \ Beaux Arts Trio
Haydn cello concertos \ Rostropovich
*All symphonies conducted by Bernstein (from the Bernstein Edition)


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## World Violist

Mahler 4
Salonen/Los Angeles; Barbara Hendricks, soprano

Salonen really gets the gemutlichkeit of this piece.


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## Aramis

World Violist said:


> Mahler 4
> Salonen/Los Angeles; Barbara Hendricks, soprano
> 
> Salonen really gets the gemutlichkeit of this piece.


Uhm, I would not buy it just because of the cover.


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## Art Rock




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## tdc

Aramis said:


> Uhm, I would not buy it just because of the cover.




maybe Iron Maiden would be more up your alley?


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## emiellucifuge

Im sooo lucky! tomorrow I get to watch Pierre Boulez rehearsing the above with the Concertgebouw Orchestra!


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## Manxfeeder

Dallapicolla, Seven Goethe Lieder, sung by Dorothy Dorow.


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## Art Rock




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## Art Rock




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## StlukesguildOhio

Delving deeper into the tradition of English art song... and also delving further into Benjamen Britten who has until recently remained one of the most important and most prolific modern composers whose work I have long had but a passing contact with.

These are quite beautiful works beautifully performed by Ian Bostridge and David Daniels (two of the finest vocalists today). there are elements of English folksong, a good many Impressionistic overtones, and plenty of Modernist twists and surprising turns.

I think Andre would especially be interested in this recording.


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## Sid James

Yes, st luke's, I have heard one of Britten's song cycles _Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings_, which I thought was great. Had the old Robert Tear/Guilini recording on LP & heard the work live here in Sydney with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in '97. I like that kind of work, where Britten stays kind of conservative, and doesn't go all-out on experimentation. That's why I think works like the _Cello Symphony_, where he tries to 'do a Prokofiev/Shostakovich' are not very successful. I have heard Bostridge perform the _Serenade_ & also Henze's _3 Auden Songs_, & I think he's great.

As to my own listening, it has also included a song-cycle, by *Schoenberg*:

Le livre des jardins suspendus (The Book of the Hanging Gardens), op. 15 (Colette Herzog, mezzo soprano/Jacqueline Bonneau, piano) - This recording won Grand Prix du Disque
5 pieces for orchestra, op. 16 (Gurzenich Orch. Koln/Wand)
Musidisc LP

These works come from 1908 & 1909 respectively. At that time, Schoenberg had just started composing using atonality. The idiom of the song-cycle was close to Ives, with the piano playing an active part (not merely that of an accompanist). I found that I was listening more to what the piano was doing than the singer. I don't know much about what these poems are about (by Stephan George), as I don't have the texts.

The feeling I had when listening to the _5 pieces for orchestra_ was the same as when I first heard Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_ more than 20 years ago. If Stravinsky was familiar with this work by Schoenberg, I'm sure it would have influenced him when composing that work. The same kinds of rhythms and colours are there. This is a great interpretation by Gunther Wand, I didn't know that he recorded more modern repertoire such as this (I've only heard his Brahms & read about his Bruckner before).

All in all a gread buy (only $5!), which I plan to listen to repeatedly over the next few days...


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## Art Rock




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## Art Rock

Heart breaking.


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## Manxfeeder

Hildegard, Schubert, and eventually one of Shostakovich's symphonies.


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## Art Rock




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## Pieck




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## zoziejemaar

Wow. Never thought a harpsichord could evoke such a kaleidoscope of different atmospheres.


----------



## Sid James

*Ginastera*
Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Marinis/Slovak RSO/Malaval
Naxos

When I first got this disc about a year ago, the 1st concerto immediately appealed to me (especially the wild _toccata_ ending, into which he incorporates elements of Argentinian dance). I think that any listener of modern music will love the 1st concerto, but the 2nd concerto is just as good. Both concertos open with a theme and variations, the second one's opening is based on a theme from Beethoven's _Choral Symphony_. I couldn't really hear the Beethoven, but that doesn't really matter. It is a massive 15 minute long movement, brimful of ideas. I think that it's easier to kind of think of the 2nd concerto as a series of concertos (perhaps like Vivaldi's _Four Seasons_) rather than as just one concerto. In the three minute long accompanied cadenza which opens the final movement, there are ideas for several concertos, imo. I think that many of the phrases which Ginastera presents as being by the way could be the basis for whole works in themselves. & what of the music in these concertos? For me, there is a strongly surreal quality, as if I am in another world. It's a bit like a stream of consciousness, one idea following another with little or no overt connection between them. There is much fragmentation here, things just come and go, which can be likened to what Beethoven did in his late quartets. I like how the 2nd concerto ends kind of leaving the listener up in the air. Some of the solo parts in these works sound near impossible to play, but the Argentinian pianist Dora De Marinis makes light work of the trickiest passages. The Slovak orchestra play well, the conductor Julio Malaval is also Argentinian, and the recording sound could not be better, capturing all of the nuances...


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## StlukesguildOhio

Yes, st luke's, I have heard one of Britten's song cycles Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, which I thought was great. Had the old Robert Tear/Guilini recording on LP & heard the work live here in Sydney with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in '97. I like that kind of work, where Britten stays kind of conservative, and doesn't go all-out on experimentation. That's why I think works like the Cello Symphony, where he tries to 'do a Prokofiev/Shostakovich' are not very successful. I have heard Bostridge perform the Serenade & also Henze's 3 Auden Songs, & I think he's great.

Ah! So I'm not alone in this judgment of the Cello Symphony... which essentially put me off Britten for some time. From what I've heard of the cello sonatas, on the other hand, they are far more promising. The Britten cycle you mention is an early one and commonly presented with two other song cycles: Illuminations and Nocturne. These are available in the classic recording with Britten's partner, Peter Pears and with Ian Bostridge... who I am growing quite fond of. I just purchased the cello suites and will let you know what I think.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


>


Intriguing. How is it?


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## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


> Heart breaking.


Indeed! Quite a moving recording.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> Hildegard, Schubert, and eventually one of Shostakovich's symphonies.


Two old favorite recordings. That may be my favorite Wintereisse.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Zelenka and Biber have rapidly become my favorites among the Northern Baroque (after Handel and Bach... which goes without saying) Zelenka played the violone, the largest and lowest member of the viol family, akin to today's double bass. As a result his music always employs a great complex and churning bass-line that drives the music.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Now this is a truly magnificent recording. Benjamin Britten was invited by Shostakovitch to the 1960 London premier of his first cello concerto. Britten had been an ardent admirer of Shostakovitch since at least the Russian composer's opera, _Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk_ which was a major influence upon his own operatic efforts. At the premier of the cello concerto, Shostakovitch introduced Britten to the great Russian cellist, Rostropovitch. Thus began a close friendship and collaboration.

Britten had not written any major instrumental music since the 1940's. Indeed, Britten rarely thought of music as abstract and commonly tied some sort of "narrative" to his music. As such, it shouldn't be surprising that much of his major work is vocal: song and opera. Britten, however, began a body of cello works dedicated to, and intended for performance by Rostropovitch. His Sonata for Cello and Piano was planned during a holiday in Greece in 1960 and completed the following December and January '60/'61. The first Cello Suite dates from 1964 and the second from 1967. (A third is not included here and was never recorded by Rostropovitch).

The first cello suite is marvelous. It builds upon the most obvious model, that of Bach's cello suites... which Britten surely knew through Rostropovitch's recordings. The slow canto introduction is worthy of a slow movement by Bach. It is followed by a fugue... but a fugue that it rather unexpected in form: jaunty and bouncy and upbeat. The serenata movement is especially notable for its plucked string pizzicato impression of a Spanish flamenco, while the Marcia suggests an elfish parade.

The second suite builds upon the first. It is comprised of only 5 movements as opposed to the 9 movements of the first. The adante lento is especially profound in its suggestion of grief with broad canto lines played against a deep bass pizzicato. The last movement begins with a deep churning rhythm that is maintained for much of the movement... suggestive of the dance forms upon which Bach's cello suites were constructed. There are, however, breaks in which the cello wanders into a lilting song... even suggestive of birdsong.

The suite for cello and piano features the composer himself on piano. The opening movement contrasts lyrical passages with moments of turbulent play or dialog (and the movement is entitled "_Dialogo_") between piano and cello which are more suggestive of Brahms than Bach. The tonality however suggests something of Debussy. The second movement once again employs a great deal of pizzicato... again suggestive of the guitar. The most lovely movement is the _Elegia (Lento)_ in which the cello sings a long tune against a somber piano background.

Rostropovitch's performances are muscular and energetic and bring such electricity and passion to what were then newly composed works that one cannot help but recognize that these works for cello stand comfortably alongside the strongest works in the genre.

Andre, you will definitely want to check these out. They are a whole different beast from the cello symphony.

:tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

@ st lukes - yes, both the zelenka & britten are interesting. especially the zelenka, as i love a heavy bass sound! (haven't heard one note of zelenka's music, as far as i can remember, definitely haven't owned anything by him on disc). i am also a great admirer of rostropovich & it indeed sounds like the works on that cd have more variety than the cello symphony.

Currently listening to:

*Beethoven:*
Symphonies 4 & 8
Cleveland Orchestra/Maazel
CBS LP

I often get these two symphonies mixed up in my mind. They are two of Beethoven's lightest symphonies, and have a similar feel. I think that the 4th is harder for me to grasp than any other of his symphonies. It has a kind of hidden complexity. I heard the Australian Chamber Orchestra play this live in '09 & hope to go hear the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra play it this year. If the 4th seems elusive, the 8th is more direct. It's probably his most joyful symphony. The sound of this LP is excellent, the recording is very lifelike. Indeed, I'd say that it's just as good as some of the modern digital recordings...


----------



## Sid James

Australian double bassist *Mark Cauvin *playing some of his own compositions:

http://www.myspace.com/avantgardedoublebass


----------



## Art Rock

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Intriguing. How is it?


This theremin record is different - in a good way. No cheesy horror effects, but a real attempt to show off the theremin as a "serious" instrument, both in the compositions and in the performance. I would probably not buy it (it was a gift), but it does make for a special experience.


----------



## tdc

Schubert - Impromptu D899 op. 90 Nr. 4


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, two live versions of Stockhausen's Gruppen by the BBC Symphony Orchestra which I downloaded.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Aramis

Art Rock said:


>


Seems like you dig her but avoid her chamber stuff. That's mistake. 2nd piano sonata, 4th string quartet!


----------



## Art Rock

Got it, played it. Agree.


----------



## LordBlackudder

I was listening to the Okami soundtrack.


----------



## tdc

All in Twilight (first movement) - Toru Takemitsu


----------



## Manxfeeder

Aramis said:


> Seems like you dig her but avoid her chamber stuff. That's mistake. 2nd piano sonata, 4th string quartet!


Wow, another composer I was unaware of. I'm off to YouTube.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Finishing the day with two recordings of Bruckner's 3rd. Jochum dwells on details; Horenstein on the overall architecture. to my ears, Horenstein is more successful, although I wish he had a better orchestra. (Which is how I always feel with Horenstein's recordings.)


----------



## tdc

^^ looks like nearly everyones on the Bruckner train around these parts...must be something to it. Im gonna have to round up some Bruckner here soon. I'll probably just go get his complete symphonies. 

Currently listening to:

Marche des Mousquetaires - Lully


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A sensual, decadent, ravishing soundscape. The miracle is the manner in which Takemitsu can make so much dissonance sound so unabashedly beautiful.


----------



## Sid James

*Reger*
Clarinet Quintet (1915)
String Quartet No. 4 (1909)
Wenzel Fuchs, clarinet/Philharmonia Quartett Berlin
Naxos

I had not heard much of Reger's music, despite reading about his life and music. He was a German composer at the turn of the c20th who was considered by many as their heir of the three B's. He died in his 40's of a heart attack. Some of the sources say that he was considered a traditionalist, and yet his music was also highly chromatic & not as conservative as some might think. That aspect can be heard in his last completed work, the _Clarinet Quintet_. In the slow movement especially, I get a feeling that this is like a song without words. Take out the vocalist in songs by Wagner or R. Strauss and substitute a clarinet, and you basically get the slow movement of this work. The _String Quartet No. 4_, his final work in the genre, is quite a heavy work. Here, Reger is moving towards the more 'orchestral' sound of the quartet, to be fully exploited by other composers later on in the c20th. Beethoven's late quartets must have obviously been an influence. Take the fugue that Reger ends the quartet with. It is in two parts, one brisk and lively, the other slower and more profound. Often in these chamber works, Reger plays around with two or three part structures within a movement. I can see the point of some critics, who say that Reger's music is too technical and a bit dry (the same criticism is often levelled at Hindemith). But on the whole (to my ears) Reger's music sounds no more academic than Beethoven or Brahms. Perhaps his works do have a kind of Bachian solidity and immutability, but that doesn't stop people from enjoying Bach's music, so why shouldn't it be the same case with Reger? The musicians on this disc are drawn from the Berlin Philharmonic, so the listener is virtually guaranteed top-notch performances. All in all, a very enjoyable disc, recommendable especially for chamber buffs who want to move beyond the three B's (great though they are). There were performances of the Mozart, Weber and Brahms clarinet quintets last year here in Sydney, some of which I was fortunate enough to attend. I think Reger's effort can compare favourably with these giants, and it would be great if ensembles could play this work, because I think that audiences would absolutely love it...


----------



## Guest

Really, is there such thing as too many recordings of these? This one does not contain all the sonatas and partitas for solo violin, but it does have the ever popular Chaconne and the Fugue. I'm going to give it a listen.


----------



## opus55

I don't get the music but the mood and the sound of violin are beautiful.


----------



## tdc

Im listening to the first movement of Falla's harpsichord concerto. This piece has a lot of dissonance in it, at times it almost seems as if Im listening to two different pieces at one time, yet there is something quite tangy and refreshing about it.


----------



## opus55




----------



## Guest

I'm just now starting to get into Britten. Listening to the 4 Sea Interludes and Temporal Variations.


----------



## mamascarlatti




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

Vaneyes said:


>


Excellent! - Ive just been listening to a bit of Faure's chamber music this morning too, its beautiful stuff! .

















*Faure: Piano Quintets, La Bonne Chanson, Piano Trio, Violin Sonatas
Bach: Sonatas For Violin & Harpsichord*


----------



## Guest

Frank Bridge, The Sea. Gorgeous!


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## MrTortoise




----------



## Vaneyes

In honor of Conor, more Faure. Fantasie for Piano & Orchestra, and Piano Trio.


----------



## tdc

In honor of the fact that everyone else is listening to Faure, and I too LOVE Faure...

Piano Quartet #1 in C minor op. 15


----------



## World Violist

tdc said:


> In honor of the fact that everyone else is listening to Faure,


Allow me to be a dissenting voice.:devil:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I won't dissent when it comes to Faure who remains one of my favorite composers. But right now I'm delving deeper into the German Baroque:










Schein was quite literally one of J.S. Bach's predecessors... a cantor at St. Thomas Cathedral, Leipzig from 1617-1630... the exact same position Bach would hold some 90 years later. Like Bach, Schein was well aware of the innovations occurring in Italian music and freely employed the form of the secular madrigal in composing this liturgical work setting texts from the Old Testament.


----------



## Vaneyes

In homage to German-Brit Haendel.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Pieck

Piano quartets No. 1,3 now


----------



## Guest

The more I hear from Faure, the more I fall in love with him. Listening to the impromptus right now.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've never been overly fond of concerti grosso... with a few exceptions... in spite of being a great fan of the Baroque. I do quite love violin (and cello) sonatas: Biber, Bach, Tartini, Pandolfi, Vivaldi... and Veracini.


----------



## tdc

Joaquin Rodrigo - Tarde en el Parque - Piano solo

I possibly prefer this composers piano works to his supposedly superior guitar works, and I'm a guitarist. 
One of those composers (Ravel is another one) that seriously makes me consider taking up Piano.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky*
Oedipus Rex, opera-oratorio with narration
Sadler's Wells production, rec. London, 1961
Sir Ralph Richardson, speaker
Soloists from Sadler's Wells Opera Company
Sadler's Wells Men's Voices
Royal Philharmonic Orch./Davis
EMI

I got this two years ago & hadn't listened to it in a while, so I gave it a few spins on the weekend. This work was from Stravinsky's neo-classical phase, composed in 1928. It was apparently a big influence on Carl Orff's _Carmina Burana_. It is a very static opera, with little or no action, which is sung in latin with the speaker telling the story in the language of the audience (in this case, it's in English). Almost everyone probably knows this ancient story of the man who accidentally married his mother & unknowingly killed his real father, but Stravinsky really brings it to life with this powerful and emotional music. Stravinsky was apparently highly influenced here by Italian opera composers from Monteverdi to Verdi. The most moving moment in the whole work for me (& the culmination point), is when Oedipus realises that he had it wrong all along, his life was lived in a shadow of untruths. The words "Lux facta est" (All is revealed) are pregnant with meaning and emotion. He, the great king, has been brought down from the arrogance and lofty heights of his throne. It's almost as if he's in shock, he can't deal with the truth. Indeed, one gets that feeling from listening to the whole work, every phrase was set with great care and sensitivity. The songs of Oedipus' brother Creon (baritone) and his mother Queen Jocasta (mezzo soprano) are really virtuoso pieces without being flashy or indulgent. Oedipus blinds himself and Jocasta hangs herself, but this is not acted out on stage, the speaker merely relates these facts after they have happened, a bit like a reporter. This is a great recording (now out of print) with the then young Colin Davis at the helm...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just completed this lovely Takemitsu disc for the second time today:










Now I'm listening to this stupendous recent recording of Handel arias:










Both the performance and the music are absolutely thrilling!


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## tdc

Benjamin Britten - Scottish Ballad Op.26 - I am very much enjoying this piece!


----------



## Pieck

Pieck said:


> Piano quartets No. 1,3 now


Disc 2: Piano Quartet No. 2, Trio Op. Posth.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich Symphony No. 6.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Clarinet Quintet*


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Clarinet Quintet*


Have fun! :tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> Have fun! :tiphat:


Thanks  - it's an awesome set, now listening to the String Sextets! :trp:


----------



## Sid James

*Boccherini*
String Quintets with double bass, Op. 39
La Magnifica Communita
Brilliant Classics

*Stockhausen*

Chamber works:
Tierkreis, version for trumpet & organ
Zyklus, for percussionist
In Freundschaft, for solo trumpet

Electronic works:
Spiral I, Spiral II
Pole
Japan
Wach

Tristan Fry, percussion
Markus Stockhausen, trumpet/Margareta Hurholz, organ
Harold Boje & Peter Eotvos, flutes, short wave radios, synthesisers, etc./Christoph Caskel, percussion accompaniment
EMI 2 discs

The Boccherini disc is the first of his music that I have ever acquired (even though I've been listening to classical for more than 20 years - somehow he had slipped under the radar & not interested me much until now). Obviously, his music isn't preoccupied as much as the Germans were with counterpoint and strict thematic development. Boccherini likes to introduce one theme, then continue with a related theme, and maybe come back to the original theme (but not always). He also liked to use interesting structures - for example, the first quintet here has a middle movement Allegro - Minuet - Allegro and a final movement Rondo - Minuet - Rondo. He also liked to use subtle effects, for example the pizzicato in the slow movement of the second quintet which reminds me of the guitar a bit (I'm looking forward to hearing his guitar quintets). & the middle movement of the final quintet here is marked Amoroso, & it's delicious. My first impression is that Boccherini had more in common with guys like Monteverdi or Corelli than say Mozart or Haydn. Having said that, some of the textures in the finale of the last quintet remind me of early Beethoven.

I listened to almost all of the Stockhausen set late last night. The electronic works are quite ambient, there are elements that remind me of church bells, the sound of the wind amongst trees, or waves crashing at the ocean. Sometimes a snatch of melody will come from the music from the short wave radios, and this forms the basis for a short improvisation from the player on synthesiser or whatever. This music is based on chance and is very ephemeral, it comes and goes. By contrast, the chamber works on the discs are traditionally notated. I particularly like _Tierkreis_, based on the signs of the zodiac. I heard this work live in an arrangements for all manner of instruments played by Ensemble Offspring at the Conservatorium in Sydney last year. Naturally, it sounded completely different from the trumpet and organ version here, but I wasn't really that familiar with it then to judge properly. Lovers of this repertoire should immediately snap up this set, as I don't think it will remain in print for too long. That's unfortunate, because it is quite good...


----------



## Guest

Continuing my exploration of Arthur Bliss, and getting started with my first real taste of Khachaturian. Loving it all so far.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## tdc

Finale of Bruckner's first symphony. Great stuff


----------



## myaskovsky2002

*a lucky day*

Listening? No, not just listening!

I am going to see Renée Fleming tonight!















My son, Christopher (25) gave me the ticket for my birthday.

Martin


----------



## Guest

More Khachaturian, this time the Violin and Cello Concertos. He continues to impress.


----------



## opus55

Listened to this again tonight. It gave me goosebumps and I was yelling in my room!


----------



## tdc

opus55 said:


> Listened to this again tonight. It gave me goosebumps and I was yelling in my room!


Were you a bit like this kid?

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=76PW7WNX


----------



## tdc

Im now listening to Britten's War Requiem Op. 66, and I must say I am completely blown away by the raw emotion conveyed in this piece of music. W-o-w.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to the most remarkable recording of the Bruch G minor violin concerto I've ever heard: the one by the little-known violinist Guila Bustabo. Conductor and orchestra are rather more well-known: Willem Mengelberg and the Royal Concertgebouw.


----------



## opus55

tdc said:


> Were you a bit like this kid?


lol yeah like that.. I was holding a paint brush instead but didn't have a podium like he does.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
Piano Trios 1 & 5 "Ghost"
Chung Trio
EMI

*Prokofiev* - Lieutenant Kije
*Kodaly* - Hary Janos
Dan Iordachescu, baritone (in Prokofiev)
Philharmonia Orchestra/Erich Leinsdorf
Seraphim LP

I was listening to the Beethoven while I was reading, and a funny thing happened. I noticed the strange harmonies underpinning the melody in the famous slow movement of the "Ghost" trio. I had not heard these before. It sounded almost c20th. & I got the LP for $1 & gave it a first listen. I have always liked Leinsdorf's interpretations. It was interesting to hear the baritone in two of the songs in the Prokofiev (I hadn't heard this version before & I think it must be pretty rare)...


----------



## tdc

I'm listening to the final movement of Philip Glass' violin concerto and am quite impressed by it. Very tasteful music.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Herbert von Karajan/Philharmonia Orchestra

It's probably the closest I've heard yet to a "favorite recording" of this piece. I couldn't call it "the best" or anything, because it has its flaws, but then again I've always been convinced that this symphony is like a Wagner opera in that it is too great to make a "perfect" performance of it.


----------



## mamascarlatti

tdc said:


> I'm listening to the final movement of Philip Glass' violin concerto and am quite impressed by it. Very tasteful music.


I love this music.:tiphat:


----------



## Pieck

The fourth movement now.
Bernstein.


----------



## Sid James

*Handel*
Messiah (highlights)
Soloists/Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood
Tape of cd image below

*Beethoven*
String Quartet Op. 131
Budapest String Quartet
Columbia LP

I got both these at bargain price at second hand shops. It's the first time I have listened to the Foundling Hospital version of Handel's _Messiah_. Previously I have heard the Novello, Dublin and big version of Sargent (went to a concert last December were the choir was 400 strong!). It took me a while to get used to Hogwood's interpretation, but by the end it all came together for me. There are quite brisk tempos here in some of the parts as well as a lighter sound overall from the choir.

When I first heard the Op. 131 quartet of Beethoven (this recording) I went "far out!" I agree with Schubert who made comments to the effect that this could basically not be surpassed. Beethoven basically said it all with this work (& this series of works, the late string quartets). The amazingly intense fugue at the beginning of the work (apparently thematically related to the _Grosse Fuge _Op. 133) forms the basis for much which follows. This is like a stream of consiousness, it's almost as if there is no barrier between what the composer is thinking & what we are hearing. I'm looking forward to hearing the next quartet in the series, Op. 132, live in recital here in Sydney by the Goldner String Quartet. I'm also familiarising myself with that piece, but I'm sure that one day I'll get a chance to hear this one live as well. It could turn out to be my favourite of the series (I haven't heard the Opp. 127 & 135 yet)...


----------



## Sid James

*Vytautas Barkauskas* (b. 1931)
Sun, tone poem for orchestra (1983/1995)
Concerto for viola and chamber orchestra (1981) - dedicated to Yuri Bashmet
Symphony No. 5 (1986)
Konzertstuck fur Orchester No. 2 (1994/1996)

Yuri Bashmet, viola
Robertas Servenikas, conductor
Jouzas Domarkas, conductor (in Konzertstuck only)
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
(Avie)

Barkauskas is a contemporary Lithuanian composer. I got this disc for $5 a year ago at a weekend market. Judging from the pieces on this disc, Barkauskas loves harpsichords and ostinatos.

The opening track, _Sun_, reminds me a bit of Sculthorpe's _Sun Musics _in it's beginning. An ostinato quickly develops, which is passed around from the harpsichord to the woodwinds, percussion and brass. The rhythm constantly changes. This is a brilliant orchestral showpiece.

The viola concerto has a prominent part for the harpsichord, which accompanies the viola in many passages. The viola playing at it's highest register in the opening cadenza makes me think of whale-songs. There is turbulence in this music (the high glissandos of the orchestra) and also darkness. The work ends peacably, with first the harpsichord playing a repeated phrase, then joined by the viola. There is a feeling here of time standing still, not unlike that of the final movement of Arvo Part's _Tabula Rasa_.

The 5th symphony was written in 1986, at the time of the Chernobyl disaster. In the cd notes, Barkauskas talks of the anger he felt at how the Soviet government handled the crisis, which he saw as a metaphor how they dealt with Eastern Europe. I don't really hear this programmatic element in the music. Basically this symphony is like a journey of an ostinato. It is similar in scope, but not style, to Bartok's _Concerto for Orchestra_. Indeed, I wouldn't have blamed Barkauskas if he'd given this work the same title. I particularly like the 4th movement, were a rhythm starts with the harpsichord and vibraphone. It is taken up by the orchestra and has the brutal overtones of Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_. Towards the end of the movement, there is this crazy guitar riff played by an amplified bass guitar. Then the movement ends with what sounds like a string quartet, and continues on into the final movement, which has a very chamber like feel.

To end the disc, we have a work called _Konzertstuck for Orchestra No. 2_. This time, there is no harpsichord, which I kind of miss having listened to the other works. Like the opener, this is a virtuoso piece for full orchestra.

This is the only music I have heard from this composer. It definitely is a value for money disc (I see that it's not too expensive now at the usual online retailer). In 75 minutes, you get a great opener, a concerto, a symphony and an "encore." Perfect. At some stage I think I will buy the other disc on this label Avie devoted to some of Barkauskas' other works. All up, a great listen. His music reminds me a bit of Schnittke, Penderecki and even Bernstein (the brilliant orchestration, and a sense of theatricality) but he definitely has his own unique style...


----------



## tdc

^^Very nice review Andre. That sounds like a composer I'd like to check out....

I am currently listening to 'Ballet D'Alcidiane Et Polexandere' by one of my very favourite baroque era composers --> Jean-Baptiste Lully.


----------



## Sid James

tdc said:


> ^^Very nice review Andre. That sounds like a composer I'd like to check out....


Yes, I really enjoyed this disc, & thought I'd describe it in some detail, as most people here wouldn't have heard about Barkauskas or his music...


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Lipatti

Prompted by the "Favorite last symphony"-poll on this forum, I decided to listen again to this:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with Dvorak's 6th by Neeme Jarvi and Istvan Kertesz. Jarvi has a broader sweep and a very resonant recording space, while Kertesz is more, I don't know, scrappy.


----------



## World Violist

Enescu: Vox Maris
Christian Mandeal/George Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest; Florin Diaconescu, tenor


----------



## tdc

World Violist said:


> Enescu: Vox Maris
> Christian Mandeal/George Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest; Florin Diaconescu, tenor


Thoughts on this composer/recording?


----------



## World Violist

tdc said:


> Thoughts on this composer/recording?


Oh, I've already made my thoughts known about the composer. He's one of my absolute favorites. This is part of a series of recordings Mandeal made with the Enescu orchestra of the composer's orchestral works (6 CDs or so), and all of them that I've heard have been absolutely wonderful. Hallmarks of this series are commitment, extraordinary musicality and emotional immediacy, even though technically they're not the best.

Vox Maris is a masterpiece, no doubt, and the orchestra plays it as such. I can't say much about it in particular, since I don't know it all that well; this piece is a bit of a tough nut to crack. If you're interested in Enescu, listen to the 3rd symphony. Definitely one of his greatest works among a long string of great works.


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok*
Piano Sonata (1926)
Kathryn Selby, piano
Self published cd (recorded by ABC Classic FM)
Coupled with Beethoven's _Pathetique_ and Chopin's 3rd sonata

*Boulez*
Piano Sonatas 1 (1946), 2 (1948) & 3 (1957-8)
Idil Biret, piano
Naxos

I enjoyed listening to & comparing the Bartok & Boulez sonatas. Bartok's solo piano sonata was his only work in the genre. It is perhaps his greatest piano work. In it, you can hear the use of tone clusters. He also used the 12 note system, but in a "tonal" way. The quiet and somewhat eerie slow middle movement reminded me a bit of the Boulez, but Bartok's melody was more flowing, whereas Boulez's was more fragmented. It's great to hear all of the Boulez piano sonatas played with much brilliance and flair by Idil Biret. All three are quite different works, if you listen closely. The 1st has a nocturnal feel for me. Like the colours of Debussy reduced to a thousand shades of grey, in monochrome. The 2nd is claimed by some to be the most significant piano sonatas since Beethoven's _Hammerklavier_. Whether you agree with that or not, this is a work that stretches the possibilities of the traditional sonata in a thousand different directions. The 3rd and final of Boulez's sonatas is the most fragmentary of the lot, apparently it is still not finished. The movements can be played in any order that the pianist wishes. When listening to this music, I try to focus on the dynamics rather than the fragmentary melodies. I find it much easier to 'read' them this way. I really like both of these pianists, they did justice to the composer's works, imo...


----------



## tdc

Good stuff World Violist, and Andre. I enjoy reading the reviews. 

Im currently listening to 'Fetes from Trois Nocturnes' - Claude Debussy, this is imo a staggeringly good composition, one of his best.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

World Violist said:


> Oh, I've already made my thoughts known about the composer. He's one of my absolute favorites. This is part of a series of recordings Mandeal made with the Enescu orchestra of the composer's orchestral works (6 CDs or so), and all of them that I've heard have been absolutely wonderful. Hallmarks of this series are commitment, extraordinary musicality and emotional immediacy, even though technically they're not the best.
> 
> Vox Maris is a masterpiece, no doubt, and the orchestra plays it as such. I can't say much about it in particular, since I don't know it all that well; this piece is a bit of a tough nut to crack. If you're interested in Enescu, listen to the 3rd symphony. Definitely one of his greatest works among a long string of great works.


I quite agree. I greatly enjoyed this recording as well. It was one of those that immediately grabbed me in spite of never having before heard Enescu.


----------



## World Violist

tdc said:


> Im currently listening to 'Fetes from Trois Nocturnes' - Claude Debussy, this is imo a staggeringly good composition, one of his best.


The Nocturnes are incredible. I especially love the Sirenes movement; it just soars.

As for me...










Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10
Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra

Remarkably intense performance of the searing last statement of the Mahler canon.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to this... delicious Vivaldi play by the inimitable Manze.

I just completed a second listen to Gardiner's version of Brahm's 2nd.










These have led me to listen to Brahms afresh. I've always loved the German Requiem and the chamber works... especially for clarinet... but often felt that the big symphonic works were to leaden. I'm now on something of a Brahms fixation with several new discs on order and several already having arrived. Surprisingly this is all taking place just as I have delved deep into the man's arch-rival... Her Richard Wagner himself in the form of two complete Ring cycles... and another one that I'm seriously considering.


----------



## the_emptier

Stravinsky-The Firebird


----------



## Ravellian

I'm going to try listening to Bach's Mass in B minor for the first time this weekend. I've heard many people say it moves them to tears... well, I've never been very moved by anything Bach wrote, so I'm rather skeptical. But, I'll give it a try...


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 2, 12 & 16 - Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 3*


----------



## World Violist

Complete Webern, disc 4: Lieder
Christiane Oelze, soprano; Eric Schneider, piano

I love these lieder. Many of those on this disc come from Webern's early period, which, while harmonically adventurous (as in indebted to Wagnerian chromaticism), don't feel in any way overwrought like most other composers indebted to Wagner in this way. These songs flow with confidence and grace, not least because of Christiane Oelze, who manages the melody line with supreme security and ease, no matter how large the leaps get. The result is occasionally almost Debussian in its transparency and fluency. Beautiful!


----------



## Pieck

Hindemith - Quartet for clarinet, piano, violin and cello.
Haven't decided yet if i like it or not. There are some parts that I like, especially first movement, but other parts just dont catch me.
BTW, does anyone know\like it?


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Complete Webern, disc 4: Lieder
> Christiane Oelze, soprano; Eric Schneider, piano
> 
> I love these lieder. Many of those on this disc come from Webern's early period, which, while harmonically adventurous (as in indebted to Wagnerian chromaticism), don't feel in any way overwrought like most other composers indebted to Wagner in this way.


Thanks for the review. I'm pulling out my copy and listening also.


----------



## World Violist

I'll post the back of this CD, since Amazon's silly image makes the letters illegible on the front.










Schubert: Winterreise
Christine Schafer, Eric Schneider
(on Youtube)

This is my first time hearing this all the way through. Yes, I realize that it's "supposed" to be a baritone, but I'm quickly realizing that I don't much care for a baritonal approach to this cycle. So sue me.

I'm loving this recording, though. It's got the same sort of wonderful simplicity about it that my Webern lieder CDs also have (same pianist!), which with Winterreise translates into harrowing, barren intensity.


----------



## opus55

Listening to Bruch - Romance in F major for viola and orchestra, op.85


----------



## Manxfeeder

Janacek, Mass in E Flat. The Westminster Cathedral Choir is outstanding in this recording.


----------



## Pieck

Schumann piano concerto.


----------



## opus55

Listening to samples


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## opus55

Hearing Myaskovsky for the first time - his Violin Concerto performed by Vadim Repin


----------



## tdc

John Cage - Dance no. 1 

I must admit I get a hankerin for some Cage percussion music every now and again. There is just something really wild about it that I enjoy.


----------



## Pieck

Manxfeeder said:


>


It's obvious that the guy who made that dreidel had know clue what he was doing.


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek*
String Quartets 1 & 2
*Dvorak*
Piano Quintet - 2nd movement
Elisabeth Leonskaja, piano
Alban Berg Quartet
EMI

*Janacek*
Glagolitic Mass
Diary of one who has disappeared
Soloists/Bavarian Radio SO & Choir/Kubelik
DGG

*Liszt*
A Faust Symphony
Winbergh/Westminster Ch./Philadelphia Orch./Muti
EMI

Janacek is one of my favourite composers & I love these works. The string quartets are some of the most passionate in the repertoire, as is the song cycle _Diary of one who has disappeared_. The latter is sung in German, not the original Czech, but I soon forget that by being totally absorbed by Ernest Haefliger's very emotional performance. The emotions speak for themselves, really. I also like the _Glagolitic Mass_, such a grand work. The crazy organ solo sounds like it is for four, not only two, hands. Then I listened to Liszt's _A Faust Symphony_, & one can easily hear how it influenced the Russians like Tchaikovsky, and maybe even Bruckner (definitely Wagner). I wouldn't be surprised if guys like Bartok & Schoenberg would have studied the score as well. The theme at the beginning is taken on a journey of epic proportions (though there are also many intimate moments, like the string quartet in the middle slow movement). It ends with a male chorus and tenor solo which can be very uplifting and quite a release after all of the tension that went before it. Interesting how Liszt's symphony ends with a chorus, like Beethoven's 9th, but the effect is completely different...


----------



## toucan

A good day, a day that ends with a sense of accomplishment and profit, is the day one masters Schoenberg's sentimental marvel, the string trio op 45 (1946):


----------



## Manxfeeder

Pieck said:


> It's obvious that the guy who made that dreidel had know clue what he was doing.


Yeah, the cover is curious. The Sacred Service has nothing to do with Hannukah. And though it is a Jewish service set to music, Bloch wanted it to be universal and even compared parts of the liturgy to the Magnificat.

Today, I'm listening to Bruckner's 2nd symphony and Rautavaara's 7th.


----------



## tdc

Manuel de Falla - El Amour Brujo (1st mvt) - the more I hear from this composer the more I like him!


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 9
Harnoncourt/VPO


----------



## RBrittain

Senza Mamma - Puccini!


----------



## Sid James

*Xenakis*
La Legende d'Eer
Electronic work for 8 track tape
Naive

This is so intense. The first time I heard it about 6 months ago, it immediately resonated with me. This is based on a story by Plato of a man going out of consciousness and seeing the afterlife before coming back. It was composed for the opening of the Pompidou Centre in Paris in the late 1970's. Anyone who calls this "fart" music may as well call the music of Bach or Beethoven the same. The work starts off quietly and proceeds to a series of crescendos and then returns to the material at the beginning to end quietly. So it's as highly structured as any of Xenakis' works. Despite it's age, this work has aged quite well. Apart from a bit that reminds me of the soundtrack to a pac-man video game, the sounds are quite environmental and put together to great effect. An amazing journey, imo...


----------



## tdc

Xenakis was a truly fascinating individual ^^


currently listening to Arvo Part's 3rd symphony


----------



## Pieck

Beethoven - violin ciincerto - Heifetz


----------



## myaskovsky2002

*Schubert*

Shubert's sonatas


----------



## mamascarlatti

Jacobs and Mehta are a dream team, and this is a beautifully varied and interesting selection of arias. I particularly enjoyed the duet with Rosemary Joshua at the end, the two voices so well-matched.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to the end of Gurrelieder, on which one commentator observed, "Historically, C major is welcomed for the last time." (Though I'm not sure I agree with him about that.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> *Xenakis*
> La Legende d'Eer
> Electronic work for 8 track tape
> Naive


I'm listening on YouTube. I'm interested so far, except the opening is kind of painful with all those high pitches. I wonder how healthy it is to listen to those frequencies for that long. Has it bothered you?


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 9
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, WDR Cologne Symphony

Hey, he starts out in a real Andante comodo! I've never heard that before. And there is a lot of detail in this that I haven't heard in a very long time. Saraste is a very anonymous conductor, which I actually like a lot in the first movement of Mahler 9. _He doesn't make obscene tempo choices!_ The only reason I never really listen to Mahler 9 anymore is because most recordings either have a first movement that sucks because the conductor is flailing around and making a big deal over it or the last movement sucks because the conductor just sails through. I haven't gotten to the last movement of this performance yet, but so far it sounds as though Saraste has my kind of idea as to how this symphony needs to work. He gives it much-needed space but not such that it falls flat (timing, for what it's worth, is 26:20; technically on the middle-of-the-road side of things). The climax with the brass hammering out the main rhythm is very interesting; very impactful, very full, but things move on afterwards; it's not a fatal encounter, just a musical argument reaching its peak. Nothing seems particularly disjunctive about this movement, either; every instrument in the orchestra is beautifully balanced, and the interplay between motives within the fabric is wonderful. I'd recommend this CD on the basis of the first movement alone, but there are three others.

Second movement is superb. There's some really rustic playing here, down to a massive zurück in the violins when they come in. There's more of the beautiful flowing lines as well as a structural reminder of the first movement; I love particularly how expertly Saraste balances the beautiful with the vulgar. And despite the basses digging into their notes and all of that, there is no dragging, another pet peeve of mine among Mahler 9's: either the orchestra breezes through with nothing to say, or it becomes a slog through a mess akin to trudging (very heavily) through molasses. It all flows very well, never losing interest.

The Rondo-Burleske doesn't waste any time. One could quibble about the orchestra needing to be a bit more savage about it, but these guys bite hard enough to get their point across: they're not screwing around. There are some textures Saraste emphasizes that I'd never noticed before, and they work very well indeed. The low brass get some great moments, like a big downward scale reminiscent of the first movement of Mahler's 8th that they punch out with vehemence to spare. All of the multiple soloists in the movement are definitely up to their spotlit moments. The first trio is fine; I've heard some better and some worse. However, I do particularly like when the first section starts poking into it; the way Saraste juxtaposes the two tempi is very well done. When the first section crashes back in at full tilt, though, I was slightly disappointed but not surprised when it didn't quite snarl. The last minute or so really does snarl, though, and is at one hell of tempo; not too fast, but fast enough to really make impact.

The opening of the Adagio is the shining moment of this whole performance so far; the violins really tear into it. The strings are incredible throughout the whole movement, actually, with the result that all the glissandi are visceral experiences and the quiet stretches are all the more striking (and the turn of phrase involving "deafening silence" has never been more apt). The quiet bits in particular are wonderful also because they form the perfect counterbalance to the highly emotional "less quiet" bits; I've heard a few recordings more meditative than this one, and not by much. The bass is very full when it needs to be, but never drowns anything out. The last outburst is a real arrival in this recording, and the B-flat trumpet solo is almost as good as the same spot in the Barbirolli recording (which is really one of the most wrenching moments I've ever heard in Mahler). The Adagissimo is quite good, possibly a bit fast to some tastes (definitely way faster than Bernstein with the Concertgebouw), but it works wonderfully within this context.

All in all, this is definitely one of the most satisfying Mahler 9ths I've ever heard. Probably my favorite one personally, even though I obviously couldn't call it the best.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening on YouTube. I'm interested so far, except the opening is kind of painful with all those high pitches. I wonder how healthy it is to listen to those frequencies for that long. Has it bothered you?


It did bother me a bit when I listened to it with headphones, so I listen to it just from speakers now. I think this is a great piece. Enjoy!...


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
String Quartets Opp. 131, 132, 135
LaSalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics

Just got this yesterday, & listened to the above quartets repetitively throughout the night until 3am (too hot to sleep, very oppressive weather in Sydney here lately). I think this is a performance of much clarity & the LaSalle Quartet don't shy away from conveying especially the unprecedented dissonance in these epic works. The notes say that it is better to think of this cycle of 6 quartets as a whole work in itself, rather than to think of each quartet individually. That makes sense, as (for example) Beethoven originally ended Op. 130 with the _Grosse Fuge_ & he started off the next one (Op. 131) with a fugue as well. It's as if one ending leads to a new beginning in a similar way. It was the first time I had heard the Op. 135, and I really liked the emphatic & I think a bit quirky ending, incorporating the question and answer "Must it be?" "It must be!" I have collected some seperate recordings of these late quartets, but I wanted to get a cycle performed by the same group, to get the "big picture." The impetus for getting to know these works are two performances of the Op. 132 coming up this year in Sydney, one by the Goldner String Quartet (Australia Ensemble) & the other the Flinders Quartet. I look forward to these performances, as well as delving in to these classic recordings of perhaps the greatest string quartets ever written...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

mamascarlatti said:


> Jacobs and Mehta are a dream team, and this is a beautifully varied and interesting selection of arias. I particularly enjoyed the duet with Rosemary Joshua at the end, the two voices so well-matched.


One of my recent purchases that truly blew me away!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

:tiphat:


----------



## RBrittain




----------



## dmg

Symphony research for the Top 150 thread. :tiphat:


----------



## tdc

Missa Brevis in G minor BWV 235- J.S. Bach


----------



## tdc

Harpsichord Sonata in E flat - W. F. Bach (back to back to back Bach's in the current listening thread)


----------



## the_emptier

various Elgar works


----------



## zoziejemaar

Arriving in the year 1744-5 now. The company Bach&sons is everywhere here too.










A very clear rendering by Ivo Janssen on the piano.










The Württemberg sonatas of CPE Bach (1744) by Miklos Spanyi. Exciting and innovating music, but you have to get used to the clavichord sound (sounds a bit like a piano in a swimming pool or something).


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Guest

RBrittain said:


>


Easily one of the most beautiful things ever. This might be my favorite Vaughan Williams symphony.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 2
Boulez/VPO


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second listen to the Brahms posted above.:tiphat:


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Giving a second listen to the Brahms posted above.


Is it good? For that matter, is all of Gardiner's Brahms good? I'm pretty set with Karajan and Kleiber, but I see people listening to Gardiner a lot so I'm wondering if I should give him a shot. (I'm still looking for that elusive, definitive recording of Brahms 1; right now I have Szell, and others I've had are Dorati and Walter).


----------



## World Violist

Jeff N said:


> Is it good? For that matter, is all of Gardiner's Brahms good? I'm pretty set with Karajan and Kleiber, but I see people listening to Gardiner a lot so I'm wondering if I should give him a shot. (I'm still looking for that elusive, definitive recording of Brahms 1; right now I have Szell, and others I've had are Dorati and Walter).


Gardiner's Brahms cycle is my favorite (though I've only got the first two). Shockingly, almost everything is at a roughly "normal" tempo, but there is a wonderful clarity about them. You should try the first symphony; I've been through my share including Karajan and Bernstein, and I was disappointed in all of them until Gardiner showed up.

EDIT: My current listening... any guesses?

Hint.


----------



## tdc

1st mvt of Bruckner's 4th


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner's 4th also, by Haitink.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
String Quartets Opp. 127, 131, 132, 135
LaSalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics

*Rachmaninov:* Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
(Margrit Weber/RIAS SO Berlin/Ferenc Fricsay)
*Mozart:* Rondo in D major for piano & orchestra, K.382
(Annie Fischer/Bavarian State Orch./Fricsay)
*Schumann:* Introduction & Allegro appassionato Konzertstuck for piano & orchestra in G major, Op. 92
(Sviatoslav Richter/SONP Warsaw/Stanislav Wislocki)
From DGG LP Set - "A festival of concert favourites"

We've been subjected to a massive heatwave here in Sydney over the past few days so I have been staying up late (unable to sleep) & listening to these late quartets by Beethoven. I feel that there is something very comforting in these works. I listened to Op. 127 for the first time last night, and I think that it might well be the most complex of the lot - so fragmented. I'm going to listen to Opp. 130 & 133 (the_ Grosse Fuge_) tonight, I've been leaving that for last. I'd like to know who or what the LaSalle Quartet were named after, so if anyone here knows, please tell me by PM, thanks.

I also listened to the vinyl record from a set I got for free & particularly liked Annie Fischer's delicate and finely wrought account of the Mozart...


----------



## Comistra




----------



## the_emptier

Glenn Gould playing Mozart sonatas


----------



## tdc

^^ I could've sworn I once read Glenn Gould thought Mozart was a terrible composer, so I find that interesting. 

Im currently listening to the 4th movement of Brahms 2nd symphony. Ive been listening to Brahms all morning and really enjoying what Im hearing - Hungarian dances 1-6, his Deutsche volksleider, and now this wonderful movement of his 2nd symphony.


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: German Requiem
Herreweghe, Oelze, Finley


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Joey Jo Jo Jr Shabadoo

Cherubini - Symphony in D
Mendelssohn - Die erste Walpurgisnacht
Haydn - Oxford. (Harnoncourt - revelatory performance)


----------



## Pieck

grieg - PC


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Rachmaninov's 1st Piano Concerto. It sounds good so far.


----------



## Guest

More Khachaturian, this time the 1st and 3rd Symphonies.


----------



## Sid James

*Rawsthorne*
Theme & Variations for two violins (1937)
String Quartet No. 1 (Theme & Variations) (1939)
String Quartets Nos. 2 (1954) & 3 (1965)
Maggini Quartet
Naxos

*Highlights from the Ballet*
From DGG LP set "A Treasury of Concert Favourites"

Tchaikovksy: Swan Lake - Waltz (SONP Warsaw/Witold Rowicki)
Ponchielli: Goconda - Dance of the Hours (Berlin RSO/Ferenc Fricsay)
Verdi: Ballet music from "Aida" (Berlin RSO/Fricsay)
Berlioz: Hungarian March from "La Damnation de Faust" (Lamoureux Orch., Paris/Igor Markevitch)
Gounod: Valse from "Faust" (Berlin RSO/Fricsay)
Khatchaturian: Sabre Dance from "Gayaneh" (Leningrad PO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky)
Stravinsky: Firebird (Ballet Suite)(Berlin RSO/Lorin Maazel)

I bought the Rawsthorne earlier this week, it is the first time I have heard his music. These works come from the 1930's to the '60's. Rawsthorne came from the North of England, and his music reflects the directness and no-nonsense attitude of how we tend to stereotype people from those parts. A book I have describes his music as having "terseness & tension." Norman Lebrecht wrote that he was kind of like a Birtwistle in embryo. Rawsthorne initially studied in Manchester, then went on to Berlin. His music shares a vagueness of tonality common in some other continental European composers around that time, like Frank Martin, Bartok, & especially Hindemith. They are "ambitonal" as one reviewer on Amazon aptly describes. These works are all short and to the point, four works fit onto an hour long disc. Here we have all of his string quartets, except for an unpublished one.

J. S. Bach's _Double Violin Concerto _immediately came to mind when I first heard the _Theme & Variations for two violins_. There is something very Baroque about the counterpoint here. This work consists of a theme and 9 variations, the 5th variation marked _Notturno_ being the "pivot." At times I thought I was listening to four violins, not two, so complex are the harmonies here. This was the first work of Rawsthorne's to be recorded, one of the violinists back then in the late '30's was actually his wife.

The _String Quartet No. 1_ is subtitled _Theme and Variations_. Obviously, Rawsthorne liked this form. There is a theme and 6 variations, again a slow movement - the 4th movement _Adagio _- forming the heart of the work. This can be quite an approachable work, if you listen to it a few times.

The _String Quartet No. 2_ is my favourite work on the disc. The theme is stated at the beginning of the first and second movements. It makes me think of something like when you open a window and a strong rush of air comes into the room. The first and second movements are quite similar, almost as if the second one is like an "alternate take." The second movement has an intense and lyrical theme which leads into the third movement where the main theme is modified. This slow movement has a Bergian sombreness and intensity. The same material is slowed right down at the beginning of the final movement - which is a theme, 5 variations and coda, almost like a mini string quartet in itself. This concision reminds me of Webern, though the style is different. Here, the theme is disassembled & put back together again. There is some counterpoint in the middle which reminds me of Beethoven. The work ends mysteriously, with low notes from the cello accompanied by high notes on the other instruments.

The final _String Quartet No. 3_ is perhaps the most "difficult" work on the disc. At 7 minutes, the opening movement is the longest track on the disc. It opens with a fragmentary emotional theme played by the violin, which goes in and out of focus as it is taken up by the other instruments. The second movement marked _Andante_ is the emotional core of the work. It has a feeling of mourning and suspension of time which reminds me of Bartok. The final movement is in a lighter mood, nimble and fast. Baroque like rhythms are mixed up with decidedly c20th dynamic shifts. Fragments of the second movement, with it's suspension of time return briefly, accented by heavy chords. The theme from the first movement closes the work.

All in all, I think this is pretty full on music, quite serious. In my limited experience, these works compare very well with other major string quartets of the c20th. I think that it is better to beging exploring Rawsthorne with these smaller scale works, because I imagine his orchestral works to be quite complex. I really enjoy the Magginis playing - I also have their Walton & Bliss discs, and I definitely want to get the Elgar.

To relax a bit after the intensity of the Rawsthorne, I listened to the ballet music from an LP set which I got for free. It's in mint condition. The Ponchielli was quite different from what I had remembered it - the last time I heard it was more than a decade ago. These were stellar performances, and I particularly enjoyed the Stravinsky, which sent shivers down my spine...


----------



## Art Rock

Thanks for the extensive review - very interesting.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While I am a a sworn Wagnerian who also loves Mahler, Bruckner, and Richard Strauss, for some reason I have been getting in Brahms again. In part this is owede to the marvelous period recordings of the symphonies by John Eliot Gardiner. I quite admire the Gardiner HIP recordings of Brahms' symphonies... they have brought a breath of fresh air to works that can come across as leaden at times. Regardless of this preference, this old-school recording of the piano concertos with George Szell and Leon Fleischer is absolutely stupendous. I certainly like this performance every bit as much as the Jochum/Gilels set.:tiphat:


----------



## Agatha

Jeff N said:


> More Khachaturian,


I love his violin concerto. Was it you who recommended it? Can't stop listening to it!! Can't control my facial expression of utmost delight. The one I have is played by Leonid Kogan.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
String Quartets Opp. 130 & 133 "Grosse Fuge"
LaSalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics


----------



## Pieck

Ma plays Dvorak's concerto. I like Rostropovich and du Pre more.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius Edition, vol. 5: Theatre Music

This is going to be the third recording of Valse Triste I've got...rather sad.


----------



## Comistra

Stephen Kovacevich has become one of my favorite pianists. I haven't heard his piano concertos 1-4 with the BBCS (I do have the Emperor with the LSO), but these versions with him conducting (and, of course, playing with) the Australian Chamber Orchestra are fantastic.


----------



## gr8gunz

World Violist said:


> This is going to be the third recording of Valse Triste I've got...rather sad.


Doncha hate it when that happens? I think I have 5 recordings of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I'm beginning to really hate that piece. You just can't get away from the pairings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Quartet No. 15, Opus 132 by the Vegh Quartet.

I have more technically perfect recordings of this, but there's something about this world-weary recording that speaks to me. The cello is prominently recorded, and it gives me the feeling that I'm sitting behind him among a group of older, wiser people sharing their thoughts with each other as I eavesdrop.


----------



## dmg

Currently playing:


----------



## dmg

Moving on to my other Musical Heritage Society re-release:


----------



## tdc

Benjamin Britten- The Building of the House Overture op.79


----------



## Sid James

This week, I've mainly been listening to the *Beethoven* late quartets as well as string quartets by *Rawsthorne*. For something lighter, I've been listening to an DGG LP set I got for free called "A Treasury of Concert Favourites." I listened to the one below last night, devoted to string music. I particularly enjoyed the Bach, I don't often listen to his music. The third & final movement of the 3rd _Brandenburg Concerto _is almost pure minimalism & the _Air on the G string _is a very emotional piece. Was also good to hear the Beethoven _Romance_, which I haven't heard in yonks, and my memory of it was incorrect (perhaps I was mixing it up with the 2nd romance?)...

*Festival of the Strings*

*Vivaldi:* Springtime from "The Four Seasons" (Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violin/Festival Strings Lucerne)
*J.S. Bach:* Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (Festival Strings Lucerne/Rudolf Baumgartner)
*Beethoven:* Romance No. 1 for violin & orch. (David Oistrakh, violin/London RPO/Eugene Goossens)
*Mozart:* Divertimento in B flat major K137 (Festival Strings Lucerne/Baumgartner)
*J.S. Bach:* Air from Suite No. 3 in D major BWV1068 (Munich Bach Orch./Karl Richter)


----------



## the_emptier

i had no idea he was so good!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

the_emptier said:


> i had no idea he was so good!!


Taking your cue, I've put on Martinu's first symphony. Same conductor, etc.


----------



## tdc

Philip Glass - Symphony #4 3rd movement

Another awesome Glass composition!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still fixated on Brahms:




























I love the muscularity, energy, and transparency that Gardiner brings to Brahms' symphonies... which can sometimes seem leaden. In spite of its being a traditional "old school" recording, Szell's/Fleischer's piano concertos are absolutely magnificent. The best of all of these, however, must be the last... if only because Brahms' clarinet sonatas are one of the greatest things he ever composed. There is no hope for anyone who cannot appreciate these exquisite masterworks which alone are worthy of Brahms status as one of the giants.


----------



## Pieck

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The best of all of these, however, must be the last... if only because Brahms' clarinet sonatas are one of the greatest things he ever composed. There is no hope for anyone who cannot appreciate these exquisite masterworks which alone are worthy of Brahms status as one of the giants.


Absolutely!


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The best of all of these, however, must be the last... if only because Brahms' clarinet sonatas are one of the greatest things he ever composed.


I must agree, although I am biased toward a certain transcription Brahms himself made... but overall, yes, I agree.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The choral works included in this set are particularly marvelous. I particularly like _Einformig ist der Liebe Gram_ in which Brahms constructs a choral canon from Schubert's _Der Leiermann_, the haunting final song from _Die Winterreise_. _Gesang der Parzen_ may be even better... bursting forth with a raw energy. I don't think I've ever really listened to Brahms' 3rd as closely as I did with this muscular recording. By many standards the tempos taken by Gardiner are rapid... but these never feel rushed... and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique are fully up to the demands. I may still be a Wagnerian... but this in no way negates admiring... enjoying... loving a great deal of what Brahms achieved.


----------



## tdc

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I may still be a Wagnerian... but this in no way negates admiring... enjoying... loving a great deal of what Brahms achieved.


What exactly do you mean by this comment?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

What exactly do you mean by this comment?

I assumed that the Wagner/Brahms rivalry was well-known with a great many taking one side or the other. The two were imagined in critical circles as representing opposing views of the future of music. Of course this rivalry is ancient history and we are free to enjoy both composers equally. I have long been a Wagner fan and little by Brahms has grabbed be as deeply as Wagner. My comment, tongue-in-cheek... was that Of a Wagner fanatic admitting after recent hearing of a number of Brahms' works, that Brahms ain't half bad after-all.

:tiphat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently giving Myaskovsky another chance:










He has yet to really grab me.


----------



## tdc

StlukesguildOhio said:


> What exactly do you mean by this comment?
> 
> I assumed that the Wagner/Brahms rivalry was well-known with a great many taking one side or the other. The two were imagined in critical circles as representing opposing views of the future of music. Of course this rivalry is ancient history and we are free to enjoy both composers equally. I have long been a Wagner fan and little by Brahms has grabbed be as deeply as Wagner. My comment, tongue-in-cheek... was that Of a Wagner fanatic admitting after recent hearing of a number of Brahms' works, that Brahms ain't half bad after-all.
> 
> :tiphat:


That is interesting, I also consider them both great! :tiphat:


----------



## Pieck

Listening to Mendelssohn's string quartet in E flat on youtube, and I'm sad that I cant find it except for Emerson's box set of the complete SQs that costs a lot


----------



## myaskovsky2002

*Did you buy this disc used?*



> Currently giving Myaskovsky another chance:


I sold this disc three weeks ago on ebay...Because I bought the complete symphonies.
These symphonies are great, the 3rd and the 6th are better.

Mysakovsky should give you another opportunity rather...you look a bit...more the Haendel-type...a bit older...then probably you'll never like Myaskovsky, it is too modern for you.

Put your slippers, take a tea and listen to Bach instead...Put a candle too.

Martin, quiet


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Arvo Part's Berliner Messe pre-Super Bowl.


----------



## Pieck

Manxfeeder said:


> Listening to Arvo Part's Berliner Messe pre-Super Bowl.


Very nice work, and I'd recommend you listen to the Te Deum if you're not fimilliar with it already, an excellent work (which I first heard in a concert performed by the Estonian chior something and immediately loved it).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Pieck said:


> Very nice work, and I'd recommend you listen to the Te Deum if you're not fimilliar with it already, an excellent work (which I first heard in a concert performed by the Estonian chior something and immediately loved it).


You know, although I have a lot of Arvo Part recordings, I still haven't heard the Te Deum. Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## World Violist

I'm going to go get some cookies and then listen to Boris Godunov all the way through... I don't care about Super Bowl, even the commercials aren't worth it since they'll probably all be on Youtube within the next 24 hours.


----------



## Pieck

Brahms 2nd concerto - Gilels


----------



## tdc

The finale of Bruckner's 6th. Bruckner has been dominating my playlist all day, this will wrap up Bruckner's 5th and 6th for me today, remarkable pieces of music!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I sold this disc three weeks ago on ebay...Because I bought the complete symphonies.
These symphonies are great, the 3rd and the 6th are better.

Mysakovsky should give you another opportunity rather...you look a bit...more the Haendel-type...a bit older...then probably you'll never like Myaskovsky, it is too modern for you.

Put your slippers, take a tea and listen to Bach instead...Put a candle too.

Martin, quiet

Martin... while I certainly enjoy Handel, Bach, Monteverdi, Gesualdo, and even Leonin more than Myaskovsky, I doubt that it is because he is too "modern" for me. I also greatly enjoy Debussy, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky, Bartok, Olivier Messiaen and Shostakovitch who are every bit as "modern" and more so. Beyond this I also listen to more music from the mid-twentieth century on (including living composers) than very many others who follow classical music... including Arvo Part, Peteris Vasks, Steve Reich, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Osvaldo Golijov, Peter Lieberson, Tristan Murail, Gérard Grisey, Giacinto Scelsi, Kaija Saariaho, Toru Takemitsu, Pascal Dusapin, David Lang, Thomas Adès, George Crumb, Ned Rorem, Jake Heggie, Phillip Glass, Henryk Gorecki, Harry Partsch, John Cage, John Corrigliano, William Bolcolm, Joseph Schwantner, Veljo Tormis, and any number of other composers.

Personally I've never found Bach, or Handel to be the tea and slippers music. Certainly not when done right... as Bejun Mehta does:


----------



## Sid James

*George Antheil*
Ballet Mecanique (chamber version)
Serenade for Strings No. 1
Symphony for 5 instruments
Concert for chamber orchestra (a wind octet)

Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra/Spalding
(Naxos)

I listened to this on the weekend, as a break from the Beethoven and other heavy stuff I had been listening to last week. The _Ballet Mecanique_ was an avant-garde piece, composed in the 1920's. It was billed as the next best thing to Gershwin's _Rhapsody in Blue_. It's a crazy piece with several pianos, buzzers and wind propellers. It's not really a ballet, more a concert piece. I feel that here Antheil was trying too hard to be the "bad boy of music." It comes across now as a bit gimmicky and cheesy. Kind of like a poor man's Varese. But it's fun to listen to, I guess. It's repetition and heavy use of percussion remnds me of Steve Reich. There are also tone clusters galore. The _Serenade for Strings_ has two outer movements that remind me of the rhythmic bouyancy of Prokofiev, and an inner slow movement that has the tension of Bartok married with the pastoralism of Vaughan Williams. I like how the theme in the first movement is played pizzicato in the second movement. The other two works on this disc, the _Symphony for 5 instruments_ and the concert-octet remind me of Stravinsky, particularly his_ Petrushka_ and _Octet for Winds_. There's something quirky and cheeky here. All in all, this is a very relaxing disc to listen to, music which doesn't challenge me much, but is well crafted and (perhaps except for the _Ballet_) has a fair bit of soul...


----------



## the_emptier

Prokofiev 3rd symphony


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## tdc

Penderecki- St. Luke Passion

This is an eerie at times downright frightening piece of music! This kind of reminds me of the first time I listened to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.


----------



## the_emptier

nice, i'll have to check that out


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> I don't care about Super Bowl, even the commercials aren't worth it since they'll probably all be on Youtube within the next 24 hours.


I was surprised at the number of classical themes in the commercials: Beethoven's 7th, Bruckner's 7th, Mozart's Requiem, and that perennial minuet by Boccherini. I was identifying for my daughter the classical themes, and she was identifying for me the Black Eyed Peas songs.


----------



## World Violist

Boulez: Pli selon pli
Boulez conducts the BBC Symphony; Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano


----------



## Pieck

Bruch Konzertstuck for Violin and Orchhestra Op. 84 - Accardo, Masur


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm watching the snow fall while listening to Schreker's Chamber Symphony and Romantic Suite. Very nice snow music.


----------



## Sid James

*Carl Ruggles'* _Sun Treader _on youtube. Sounds a bit like a "civilised" Varese. An interesting work, whose sense of unified thematic development reminded me a bit of Beethoven, but maybe I've been listening to him a bit too much lately. I might actually get the Tilson-Thomas recording, as I haven't heard the Ives or Piston couplings...


----------



## Pieck

String Quintet no. 1 Op. 18


----------



## Manxfeeder

I've had the Naxos recording of the Elgar Violin Concerto, and I haven't taken to it. I'm going through Nigel Kennedy's recording, and it's finally holding my attention.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius Edition, vol. 6: music for violin and piano

I'm skipping to half way through disc 3 for now... the reduction of the violin concerto, mostly because I'm sad and don't have the full orchestral one with Kavakos (that's in volume 8).


----------



## Guest

Prokofiev's piano etudes. I particularly like the first one.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* - The late quartets
LaSalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics

*Rawsthorne* - String Quartets
Maggini Quartet
Naxos

I've been enjoying these recordings since getting them last week. I got the LaSalle's Beethoven due to the cheap price, but actually I think this was the best buy I've made in ages, regardless of the price. I really enjoy their sometimes gritty, edgy and dissonant take on the Beethoven late quartets. I really can't tell you which one I like the most. The most challenging has been the Op. 127, which seems quite fragmented (it was originally sketched as a 5 or 6 movement work, then shrunk down to 4 movements). If cornered, I'd say my favourite is the Op. 131, with that opening fugue which is as moving to me now as it was the first time I heard it. There are moments of pure genius in all of these great works. Due to the fragmentation, it's had for me to "memorise" these works as I sometimes do with others, but regardless of that I just like the journey that Beethoven takes me on.

I'm also beginning to understand the Rawsthorne more, his 2nd quartet in particular. It has a theme clearly stated at the beginning of the first movement, repeated in the second movement, and then elaborated in the last two movements. I particularly like the Bergian slow movement...


----------



## the_emptier

Prokofiev symphony #4


----------



## Guest

Opus 47 or 112?


----------



## tdc

Mozart - string quintet in G minor kv 516 a truly great Mozart piece even by his standards


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert*
String Quintet
Fitzwilliam SQ/Chistopher van Kampen, cello 2
Decca LP

Got this for $5 yesterday & gave it a listen. I've known this work for roughly 20 years, but my memory of it is a bit rusty. The Australian Chamber Orchestra players will be performing it later in the year, & I hope to go to that concert. As for this performance, it is a virtuoso one. The scherzo is taken at breakneck speed & this makes the contrast with the famous trio all the more marked. The finale really comes across as a somewhat demented version of Viennese cafe music. There's a feeling throughout this work that this is the final testament of the composer, that he won't survive until his next birthday. That is exactly what happened, he died shortly after, & this, the _Symphony No. 9 _& _Winterreise_ were perhaps the three greatest works that came from his pen in that final period. Both those other works will also be performed live in Sydney this year, & I hope to make _Winterreise_ at least...


----------



## Sid James

Currently listening to Janos Starker playing the Kodaly _Sonata for Solo Cello_. Quite haunting, austere & dark yet full of life and energy at the same time.


----------



## tdc

Andre said:


> Currently listening to Janos Starker playing the Kodaly _Sonata for Solo Cello_. Quite haunting, austere & dark yet full of life and energy at the same time.


^Wow! Incredible virtuosic playing right there, and an accurate description of the piece of music.

I'm currently listening to J.S. Bach's cantata #150 1st mvt.


----------



## Sid James

tdc said:


> ^Wow! Incredible virtuosic playing right there, and an accurate description of the piece of music...


Yes, an amazing piece. Just finished listening to it. The third movement is a knock out. Sounds (& looks) almost impossible to play. When I get the chance, I'll listen to other performances of this on youtube, Fournier & Yo-Yo Ma are on there as well. This was the first time I've heard this seminal piece. Quite a detailed & complex work for something written for only one instrument. Amazing...


----------



## Pieck

Beethoven sonata no. 2 Op. 2 no. 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

Elgar's violin concerto by Kennedy. I tried listening again to Dong-Suk Kang on Naxos, and it still doesn't ring my chimes, but this one has, as they say, je ne sais quoi.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with Glazunov's 3rd symphony by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. I really like how he conducts this composer's music.

I know the picture is of the 4th symphony, but I can't find a picture of the 3rd.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still delving deeper into the Baroque... in this case some less-well-known vocal works... performed marvelously.


----------



## Sid James

*Tippett*
String Quartets 1-5
Tippett Quartet
Naxos

I've been listening to Beethoven's late quartets lately, so I decided to give Tippett's quartets a listen again, since he was highly influenced by those works. Apart from Beethoven, these works are infused with the landscape of Suffolk, where Tippett grew up. At the end of the 3rd quartet, I get the feeling of coming down in a hot air balloon over a pastoral English landscape. In that work, the first, third & fifth movements are fugues, the other two are lyrical slow movements. More than thirty years separated the 3rd and 4th quartets. Tippett apparently got bogged down in other projects, particularly his operas and orchestral music. The 4th quartet, composed in the late '70's, has this cradle to grave narrative. Like the beginning of Beethoven's 9th symphony, the beginning of this work is hazy and vague. That introductory movement is followed by a movement full of dance rhythms, then the slow movement where the "singing" of the violins reminds me of birdsong (& perhaps a bit of Messiaen?). In the final movement, Tippett "quotes" the ideas that had gone before, as well as a bit of Beethoven's _Grosse fuge_. That part is actually a bit like Beethoven meets Stravinsky. The Tippett Quartet plays superbly, one has to remember that these are virtuoso pieces. These are definitely two of the most enjoyable string quartets discs I own - & I'd love to experience these works live at some stage, but unfortunately (here in Australia, at least) Tippett seems to be little known...


----------



## the_emptier

some guy said:


> Opus 47 or 112?


47, i have the revised...is it much better?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, Symphony No. 8, conducted by Rozhdestvensky.










Then my first foray into the music of Enescu.


----------



## tdc

Currently enjoying my first foray into Jean Sibelius : Symphony #7


----------



## the_emptier

Donizetti-La Fille Du Regiment w/ pavarotti, sutherland etc.


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart*
"Hunt" & "Dissonance" Quartets
Chilingirian Quartet
Regis

*Stravinsky*
The Soldier's Tale (version in English)
Octet for wind instruments
John Gielguid/Tom Courtenay/Ron Moody
Boston Symphony Chamber Players
DGG Eloquence

Got these two yesterday & gave them a first listen last night. These Mozart quartets were two of the six dedicated to Haydn. I particularly find the slow movements to be very emotionally moving & direct. There is quite a bit of dissonance in the "Dissonance" quartet, but it is not as "in your face" as in say Beethoven. It's introductory adagio segment - the first two minutes - sounds like Schoenberg (no kidding) & returns to this quieter kind of tense mood in the slow movement. I enjoyed Stravinsky's _The Soldier's Tale_, which I had never heard before. Like _Faust_, this is a morality play (& the devil wins in the end as usual). Stravinsky apparently got the idea for writing a piece for voices and chamber ensemble from Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire_. Much of the music here reminded me strongly of Stravinsky's _Violin Concerto_, as there are prominent parts for violin (the soldier trades his violin to the devil, which sounds to me to be a representation of his soul). I liked the three actors' narration, Gielgud was the narrator as well as speaking the thoughts of the soldier (Courtenay) out aloud, and Ron Moody was a very fiendish and crafty devil. Stravinsky's _Octet for winds _is also an enjoyable work, which includes a Brazilian samba (or is it a Jamaican rhumba?) in it's finale. I'll listen to the second disc in the set later this weekend...


----------



## tdc

Im now finally listening to Josquin Desprez Motet- Vultum Tuum Deprecabuntur - O Maria, Nullam Tam Gravem

This Josquin album (Brilliant Classics/Motets) is very good, really enjoying it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

tdc said:


> This Josquin album (Brilliant Classics/Motets) is very good, really enjoying it.


Thanks for the update.

Today, Bloch's String Quartet No. 1.


----------



## Guest

Me and another person in my studio are playing an arrangement of Brahms 4 as a piano duet, so I'm listening to Naxos' superb recording of the work. I played the 3rd Symphony last year with my professor, and it was so much fun that I decided to do it again. The symphonies not only lend themselves extremely well to the piano, but I've learned so much about them and have grown to appreciate/love them even more.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartets Nos. 8 & 9, Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8*


----------



## tdc

Vaughan Williams - Symphony #2, 2nd mvt.

The remastered Adrian Bolt recording


----------



## opus55

Listening to Schumann. Enjoying chamber works by Schumann and Brahms more these days.


----------



## Guest

I turned pages for my professor at a vocal concert she accompanied, and they played two Rachmaninoff songs. I have to admit that I'm incredibly under-exposed to vocal music. I loved the songs so much, however, that I decided to fix my lack of knowledge.


----------



## Art Rock

I recently bought that one - good stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bloch, Concerto Grosso No. 1


----------



## Sid James

*Bliss*
String Quartet 2; Clarinet Quintet
Campbell/Maggini SQ
Naxos

At first when listening to this disc a year or so ago, I didn't dig Bliss' music that much, which can sit a bit uncomfortably between Romanticism & Modernism. Now I like it better. The _Clarinet Quintet _composed in the early 1930's can be a moving work, but it depends on the mood I'm in (the clarinet was the instrument played by Bliss' brother Kennard who had been killed in WW1). The lush & lyrical opening is a highlight. The 2nd string quartet here comes from 1950 and has a more acerbic & astringent quality. Rhythms reminiscent of Stravinsky are more noticeable here. It's a well crafted work, but not as memorable for me as it's coupling here.


----------



## World Violist

Victoria: O Quam Gloriosum
David Hill: Westminster Cathedral Choir

Heavenly.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre said:


> *Bliss*
> String Quartet 2; Clarinet Quintet
> Campbell/Maggini SQ
> Naxos
> 
> At first when listening to this disc a year or so ago, I didn't dig Bliss' music that much, which can sit a bit uncomfortably between Romanticism & Modernism. Now I like it better. The _Clarinet Quintet _composed in the early 1930's can be a moving work, but it depends on the mood I'm in (the clarinet was the instrument played by Bliss' brother Kennard who had been killed in WW1). The lush & lyrical opening is a highlight. The 2nd string quartet here comes from 1950 and has a more acerbic & astringent quality. Rhythms reminiscent of Stravinsky are more noticeable here. It's a well crafted work, but not as memorable for me as it's coupling here.


Thanks for the notes. I have my eyes on the Bliss clarinet quintet for a while now, just didn't get around to buying the CD. You might have motivated me a lot more now.


----------



## Geronimo

I really enjoyed this one. Rameau never wrote a symphony, but this cd is a compilation of some instrumental parts (overtures, dances, etc.) from his operas. I only heard (and saw on dvd) "Les Indes galantes", but this cd makes me want to discover his other operas.


----------



## World Violist

Ravi Shankar: Nine Decades, Vol. 1

Quibble all you want about sound quality or that there are gaps in the master tape; Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha still play the hell out of this raga. It's a force of nature.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 4
Celibidache/Munich

Still the defining recording of this symphony for me.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 9, by Kyrill Kondrashin.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1*

Good morning - some chamber music to start the day! .


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Manxfeeder said:


> Shostakovich, Symphony No. 9, by Kyrill Kondrashin.


A laughing fix?


----------



## Sid James

*Hindemith*
String Quartet No. 6
New World Quartet
From VoxBox 2 disc set "New world composers from the old world"

*Berg*
String Quartet Op. 3
New Zealand SQ
Naxos

I can hear similarities between what Hindemith & Berg were doing with Beethoven's late quartets, which I have been listening to intensively lately. Hindemith's 6th quartet reminds me of the Beethoven Op. 131. Both open with strict counterpoint forms - the Hindemith with a canon, the Beethoven with a fugue. Both have a theme & variations as the heart of their quartets & both end with dance tunes - the Hindemith with a waltz that evaporates into thin air. I think this is a great work, and I want to get all of Hindemith's quartets at some stage. I think that people who say his chamber works are dry & academic are wrong. & the Berg quartet opens with all the themes stated one after the other in the first minute, which reminds me of Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge_ Op. 133. I was lucky enough to hear Berg's quartet live here in Sydney last year, played by the Melbourne-based Flinders Quartet. I didn't recognise the similarities then, so basically I'm seeing music of the c20th in a new light, having become acquainted with the Beethoven late quartets...


----------



## opus55

World Violist said:


> Bruckner 4
> Celibidache/Munich
> 
> Still the defining recording of this symphony for me.


How is the sound quality?


----------



## World Violist

opus55 said:


> How is the sound quality?


Sound quality's great; live performance with very few coughs that aren't very readily audible. Some of the best-sounding Bruckner I've heard, anyway.


----------



## opus55

World Violist said:


> Sound quality's great; live performance with very few coughs that aren't very readily audible. Some of the best-sounding Bruckner I've heard, anyway.


Whenever someone mentions coughing in recording, I think of this in my collection.








In this case, it is hard to ignore .. :lol:


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Pieck

Schubert Rosamunde Emerson Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 7, Kondrashin.

I'm used to Bernstein's version. Whereas Bernstein makes the repeated theme in the first movement sound like an invasion, Kondrashin makes it sound like an intense variation on a theme, like Bolero combined with La Valse.


----------



## science

Much against my will, I'm listening to AC/DC's Highway to Hell. This is my wife's choice of music, but that's odd, I like it more than she does. In a moment we'll back to Bach, celebrating the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin with Gardiner and his friends:










My first image! I'm learning my way around.


----------



## science

Cancel that. It is Dvorak's Stabat Mater, Kubelik's forces:










I really like that color too.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Cancel that. It is Dvorak's Stabat Mater, Kubelik's forces:


Either composer is a good choice. 

I'm going through Shostakovich's 13th Symphony by Kondrashin. I'm liking what he does with these. 
First I was trying to get into Shostakovich by going through my Naxos Shostakovich White Box, but it wasn't clicking. I even got David Hurwitz's listener's guide to Shostakovich so I could start to connect with these pieces. Finally, this music is making sense.


----------



## tdc

Symphony #5


----------



## Manxfeeder

tdc said:


> Symphony #5


I saw that set in a used CD store a while ago and passed it up. Now I'm kicking myself.


----------



## tdc

Manxfeeder said:


> I saw that set in a used CD store a while ago and passed it up. Now I'm kicking myself.


Yes, its got wonderful recordings, and live audio clips of Vaughan Williams speaking regarding the performances which is quite cool. It is however, the first set of Vaughan Williams symphonies I've purchased/listened to, so I'm not sure how it stacks up against other recordings.


----------



## tdc

Now I'm onto:


----------



## Pieck

Debussy quartet for my very first time


----------



## Manxfeeder

Pieck said:


> Debussy quartet for my very first time


If you're like me, it won't be the last time.


----------



## Pieck

Manxfeeder said:


> If you're like me, it won't be the last time.


It sounds interesting, but I'll keep on listening to that for another reason. When I first listened to his Cello Sonata I was like WTF?! and after couple of times listening to it, I fell in love. So I hope it will happen again with the quartet.

P.S
Woohoo!! I'm a senior member


----------



## Sid James

*Sonatas for Violin* - Decca Eloquence 2 disc set
*Ruggiero Ricci, violin*

*J. S. Bach* - Sonata No. 1, Partita No. 2
*Stravinsky* - Elegie
*Hindemith* - Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2
*Prokofiev* - Sonata; Sonata No. 2 for violin & piano
(All for violin solo except Prokofiev 2nd sonata)

I listened to some of this set after getting it yesterday. What strikes me is that the modern composers just treated the violin as a solo instrument, whereas J. S. Bach's music gives me the illusion that there are two instruments (the double stopping). Bach's 2nd partita ends with a monumental ciaccona which (at 15 minutes) is a veritable cathedral in sound. The notes say that some scholars are of the opinion that this was written in memory of Bach's first wife who had just died (the letters of her name apparently encrypted in the music, as well as Bach's own name & some chorales). Likewise, the Stravinsky _Elegie_ (originally written for viola) was composed after he lost his mother, wife & a daughter in the space of a year. It's quite a dark work. I particularly like how Hindemith's 2nd sonata ends with a set of variations on a tune by Mozart. People who wrongly stereotype Hindemith as a dry and academic composer should listen to this. & the Prokofiev solo sonata has two busy outer movements enclosing a contemplative slow movement, for once without too much irony. It's amazing how even with one instrument, each composer's voice and style can clearly be heard.

Ricci plays with "attack" and rich vibrato. His style is no holds barred and pretty gutsy. He plays with vigour and high octane emotion. Pretty amazing. He had a career which lasted 75 years and he still does masterclasses in California where he lives (he's now in his early 90's). I look forward to hearing (for the first time) Bartok's solo sonata tonight. The only "extra" that one could wish for in this set (if there was time for it) is a Paganini caprice or two, which Ricci was apparently an expert in playing. But you can't have everything, I guess...


----------



## Pieck

Schubert's last SQ played by Emerson Q


----------



## Sid James

Pieck said:


> Schubert's last SQ played by Emerson Q


That's an amazing work (the 15th SQ). Such an anguished & impassioned expression of sheer emotion. It's my favourite chamber work by him, apart fromt he sublime string quintet. I want to get the Brandis Quartet set on Regis, as I used to have a tape of that performance. Haven't heard it in years, but it's imprinted on my memory...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, Kondrashin.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Stupendous recording, this is my first Weber record and I'm in love.

But the CD set is godawful. There are two CD's in a massive 80's style jewel case big enough to fit at least six and the English libretto is printed so close to the middle of the booklet, it's impossible to read along with the German words on the other page. Plus they had to go and ruin box art as you can see above, but that's DG budget sets for you.


----------



## tdc

The Gaspard De La Nuit and Piano concerto for left hand are quite remarkable on this recording, Im happy with all the pieces actually.


----------



## tdc

Could only find a small picture...Faure's Requiem on Collegium Records conducted by John Rutter


----------



## Pieck

Gilels play Beethoven Op. 10


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 14.


----------



## Sid James

*Jacob Druckman* (1928-1996): Incenters, per ensemble da camera (1968).
Contemporary Chamber Ensemble diretto da Arthur Weisberg.






Pretty amazing piece, reminds me a bit of Penderecki or Lutoslawski, but perhaps not as dark...


----------



## Rangstrom

I just finished a leisurely survey of the Naxos/Schwarz set of the W. Schuman symphonies 3-10 (the composer "disowned" 1 & 2). I have other recordings of all the syms, but many are stuck with substandard sound or performances (although there are some excellent choices: Bernstein 3, Ormandy 9 and Slatkin 10).

Bottom line: this set is amazing and strongly supports Schuman's position as the pre-eminent American symphonic composer. At this price you should own these 5 discs.


----------



## Sid James

*Stefan Wolpe*
String Quartet
Trio in two parts for flute, cello & piano
Second Piece for Violin Alone
Piece for Oboe, Cello, Percussion and Piano, "Oboe Quartet"

The Group for Contemporary Music
Naxos

I got this yesterday & listened to it a few times last night. I had never heard the music of Wolpe before. He was a composer who was apparently trying to make the techniques of the Second Viennese School more accessible to listeners by including more tonal references throughout the music. These chamber works come from the 1950's and '60's. These are by no means easy works to grasp, it might well take me many months, if ever to fully "get" them. I was watching Alain Resnais' seminal film _Hiroshima mon amour _ (1959) on the weekend, and in some ways, Wolpe's music is similar. There is much fragmentation & a non-linear approach to melody and other things here. The music on this disc does not really "flow" easily, until you give it a few listens & connect all of the ideas, a bit like a jigsaw.

The _String Quartet _ sounds atonal but the notes tell us that there are strong tonal references throughout, like the sounding of the viola's E string at the end (it just peters off into nothingness). Some of it reminds me of the disjointedness of Carter's string quartets. It's in two movements, and the first seems to be based on a number of ideas that overlap eachother and sometimes collide. The second movement is highly fragmented, and I don't hear a lot of melody in that. Like Lutoslawski, Wolpe liked two-part forms, and both the _String Quartet _& _Trio _here are in two movements. The_ Oboe Quartet _is perhaps the most appealing work on the disc. This work uses all manner of percussion, and in the final movement, the players do some chanting & clap their hands, which reminded me of Partch's music. That movement makes me think of something like the _Jazz Suites_ of Shostakovich put into a blender & all mixed up.

I plan to get more of The Group for Contemporary Music's series on Naxos. I already have their recording of Feldman's first quartet (Wolpe taught Feldman, by the way). This series was originally put out on Koch, but now Naxos have licensed them & brought them out on budget price. This is great if you, like me, are a fan of c20th chamber music...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre said:


> *Stefan Wolpe*
> String Quartet
> Trio in two parts for flute, cello & piano
> Second Piece for Violin Alone
> Piece for Oboe, Cello, Percussion and Piano, "Oboe Quartet"
> 
> The Group for Contemporary Music
> Naxos


Noted. I'll give it a listen at some stage. I have not heard of Wolpe either before your post. Usage of percussion seems quite different, at least as mixing it with traditional chamber music ensemble is concerned.


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## science

I'm finding Verklarte Nacht more and more interesting.


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## Manxfeeder

science said:


> I'm finding Verklarte Nacht more and more interesting.


I think Karajan dids a great job with his Schoenberg recordings. If you haven't already, try to hear the Hollywood Quartet's version also. They played it for Schoenberg, and he was so impressed, he wrote the liner notes for their recording.


----------



## Pieck

Melos play Schubert's first quartet, and quite surprisingly enjoying it


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## Manxfeeder

Today, I'm exploring the conducting of Dimitri Mitropoulos. I downloaded a performance with the Minneapolis Orchestra of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony from November 1940. One person described it as white-hot, and it definitely is.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Noted. I'll give it a listen at some stage. I have not heard of Wolpe either before your post. Usage of percussion seems quite different, at least as mixing it with traditional chamber music ensemble is concerned.


Wolpe's music is interesting, because on the surface, it can sound all the same a bit, but once you listen to it more, you begin to hear the melodies (some of the harmonies, apparently, are from traditional Jewish music, as he was a German Jew who spent the WW2 years teaching in Jerusalem). The notes describe the trio on the disc as kaliedescopic, which is an apt description, imo. His music is also like those 3 dimensional images which, the longer you look at them, the image starts to appear before your eyes. I'm sure some of his music is on youtube, but some of the earlier pieces are apparently more Webernian and pared down than on this disc, which are later works when he returned to classical principles of tonality much more.

My current listening:

*Huang Ruo*
Chamber Concerto Cycle (2000-2002)
No. 1 for 8 players, "Yueh Fei"
No. 2 for 8 players, "The Lost Garden"
No. 3 for 5 players, "Divergence"
No. 4 for 15 players, "Confluence"

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
Huang Ruo, conductor

I got this disc more than 2 years ago, and it's one of my favourites mainly because it's totally different from the more Western classical music that I usually listen to. This American composer was born in China, and his music is influenced not only by Western classical music but also the musical traditions of his homeland. In the first three concertos, there is rich use of all of the instruments, including percussion. The players also recite poems in Chinese, which has quite a dramatic & atmospheric effect. I particularly like these first three for smaller forces. The fourth & final one is for larger forces, almost orchestral, so being more of a chamber buff I don't like it as much as the others. There is dissonance here, but not much more than in say Messiaen or Lutoslawski. The performance & recording are excellent, and I might even get the other Naxos disc which has come out since, devoted to more of his chamber works...


----------



## Sid James

More *Huang Ruo*, "To the Four Corners" a chamber work on youtube:


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## World Violist




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## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelously elegant collection of baroque recorder music by Telemann. For quite some time he has been the most important baroque composer who has remained "faceless" to me... who has not conveyed a distinct personality... but I am coming around to appreciating him more and more. His music for flute and recorder has struck me the most, although his violin fantasias (especially performed by the inimitable Manze) and his choral works seem equally good.










Poor Vivaldi, it seems to me, is far too often underestimated. He is blamed for the popularity of his _Four Seasons_ (as if that is a bad thing) and his other works are repeatedly dismissed as little more than more of the same. I have little doubt that most of those who make such accusations have rarely if ever listened to Vivaldi's vocal music. This collection sung by the marvelous Sandrine Piau is absolutely thrilling. These may not be works with the complexity and emotional depth of Bach... but they are certainly among the finest vocal works of the Baroque period.


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## StlukesguildOhio

And now for something completely different:


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## Sid James

> Poor Vivaldi, it seems to me, is far too often underestimated. He is blamed for the popularity of his Four Seasons (as if that is a bad thing) and his other works are repeatedly dismissed as little more than more of the same. I have little doubt that most of those who make such accusations have rarely if ever listened to Vivaldi's vocal music...


I agree about Vivaldi, his vocal works are great. Caught a live performance of his_ Gloria _last year & it was very emotional music. & I don't mind _The Four Seasons _either. This year I'm planning to see two live performances of it, one in March, an open air concert in the perfect setting - Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens - played by the Conservatorium's Early Music Ensemble conducted by the award winning Dr. Neal Peres da Costa. Hope the weather holds off. I'm looking forward to that because I've never encountered this work live before, in the past I dismissed it as kind of too cliched, but I don't now. One of my friends is more into Vivaldi & she says _L'estro Armonico _& _La Stravaganza_ in particular are finer works than _The Four Seasons_. I've only heard a bit of the former & haven't heard the latter yet, so I can't really judge...


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## tdc

One of my personal favorites -

Vivaldi - Dixit Dominus, RV 595


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## Pieck

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A marvelously elegant collection of baroque recorder music by Telemann. For quite some time he has been the most important baroque composer who has remained "faceless" to me... who has not conveyed a distinct personality... but I am coming around to appreciating him more and more. His music for flute and recorder has struck me the most, although his violin fantasias (especially performed by the inimitable Manze) and his choral works seem equally good.


Also an underrated composer I think as one of the 3 big german baroque composers he is very less popular than bach handel. I have some of his works for recorder and he really was a master in that area, and I have played some of his music (on recorder) and it is really beautiful.


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## Pieck

Listening to Mendelssohn's 6th quartet Op. 80 played by Ysaye and thinking that it might be his best quartet (and with his quartets it is a really tough competition)


----------



## Vaneyes




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## Manxfeeder

Mahler's 3rd symphony by Mitropoulos. This is his last performance; the next day he died rehearsing it in Italy.


----------



## emiellucifuge

Watching a great documentary on BBC 4 about Salzburg festival


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## Sid James

*Beethoven* - String Quartet Op. 127 (LaSalle Quartet) Brilliant Classics
*Wolpe* - String Quartet (Group for Contemporary Music) Naxos
*Debussy* - Piano Trio "No. 1" (Joachim Trio) Naxos


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## Lipatti




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## science

I'm on the Telemann bandwagon big time. Lots of delightful music there.

Now, however, I'm listening to the Beaux Arts and Trampler playing Brahms' piano quartets.


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## Sid James

2nd part of *Huang Ruo's *"To the 4 Corners." I think it's pretty amazing (& scary?)...


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## Conor71

science said:


> I'm on the Telemann bandwagon big time. Lots of delightful music there.
> 
> Now, however, I'm listening to the Beaux Arts and Trampler playing Brahms' piano quartets.


I really like the Brahms Piano Quartets!  - think ill put them on now too!:
Now Playing:










*Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 1-3*


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## StlukesguildOhio

...in the past I dismissed it as kind of too cliched, but I don't now.

I think its easy to forget that if some works of music sound cliched, its because they were the model upon which later composers constructed the cliches. In the case of the Four Seasons, its obvious that it is simply one of those works that has been grossly overplayed. This rarely effects me for the simple reason that I don't listen to the radio and never watch TV so my music selections are predominantly my own. Whenever I get around to playing The Four Seasons, the Brandenburg Concertos, Beethoven's 5th or Bolero you can be certain that I haven't heard them in a while and I am able to hear them again with a fresh ear.

One of my friends is more into Vivaldi & she says _L'estro Armonico_ & _La Stravaganza_ in particular are finer works than _The Four Seasons._

Yes, I have both of these collections, and I remember them as being quite fine... but it has been a while. I'll need to give another listen. Among works I do know and love well I would surely include the mandolin concertos. Recently I also picked up some of his sonatas for violin and sonatas for violincello (both with continuo). For whatever reason, I relate more with these than the concerto grossi as a whole... but as always... there are exceptions. As I noted, the Telemann disc I recently listened to was quite lovely.


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## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> I really like the Brahms Piano Quartets!  - think ill put them on now too!:
> Now Playing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 1-3*


I like them too, but among Brahms' chamber music their some of my least favorite works. He wrote much more interesting and beautiful composition e.g clarinet works, string quartets quintets


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## Conor71

Pieck said:


> I like them too, but among Brahms' chamber music their some of my least favorite works. He wrote much more interesting and beautiful composition e.g clarinet works, string quartets quintets


Really, I enjoy all of Brahms Chamber Music too - Probably in order of preference and listening frequency I would say the String Sextets, Piano Quartets and String Quartets are my favourites. I find the Clarinet Trio/Quintet and Piano Trios the least interesting but it really feels like splitting hairs to say that! .

Thread:
Now Listening:










*Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2*


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## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> Really, I enjoy all of Brahms Chamber Music too - Probably in order of preference and listening frequency I would say the String Sextets, Piano Quartets and String Quartets are my favourites. I find the Clarinet Trio/Quintet and Piano Trios the least interesting but it really feels like splitting hairs to say that! .
> *Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2*


At least we agree that all of his chamber music is excellent, but our favorites are different. Also I forgot to mention that I love his sonatas, especially clarinet and cello.


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## World Violist

Today is feeling like a French music day for me, so I'm listening to French music today. Starting with this intoxicating performance of Une Barque sur l'Ocean by one Andre Laplante (I'll listen to the entire Miroirs at some point today).


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## Conor71

Pieck said:


> At least we agree that all of his chamber music is excellent, but our favorites are different. Also I forgot to mention that I love his sonatas, especially clarinet and cello.


Yes for sure Pieck - I really enjoy the Cello and Violin Sonatas .
Who else do you enjoy for Chamber Music? - I am listening to and enjoying Dvorak and Shostakovich lately and I have a decent amount of Chamber Music by Beethoven and mozart as well!.

Now Listening:










*Bach: Brandenburg Concertos*


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## tdc

This is what Im listening to right now, very original intriguing music.


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## tdc




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## opus55

Listening to the 3rd symphony - my new favorite from the box set I purchased recently


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## StlukesguildOhio

A couple of new discs arrived today. I gave them both a listen to while in my studio painting. Both are quite exquisite and go toward increasing my admiration for each composer. The Monteverdi disc includes some unexpected accompaniment that sound almost jazz-like at times.










The Telemann disc has me wanting to discover more of his cantata works. They are clearly in the German tradition and share many elements with Bach, Buxtehude, etc... but what I was especially intrigued with was the chamber-group-like instrumentation stressing winds/recorders and a small group of singers or soloist. This disc offers a marvelous collection of highlights from various cantatas with instrumental works for recorders/flutes. Highly recommended!


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## tdc

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The Telemann disc has me wanting to discover more of his cantata works. They are clearly in the German tradition and share many elements with Bach, Buxtehude, etc... but what I was especially intrigued with was the chamber-group-like instrumentation stressing winds/recorders and a small group of singers or soloist. This disc offers a marvelous collection of highlights from various cantatas with instrumental works for recorders/flutes. Highly recommended!


Thanks for the recent Telemann suggestions. He has been on my radar for baroque composers to more thoroughly check out for a while now. This one piece in particular recently caught my attention - his suite in A minor "Les Plaisers', some incredible recorder parts in this suite.


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## opus55

end of first movement.. second movement coming up soon


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## tdc

Now I'm moving right along into:










Three tracks in, and Im just hearing beautiful choral music, none of the dark/heavier side of Penderecki showing up so far on this recording. Still very tasteful and incredibly crafted as has been everything I've heard thus far from him.


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## Art Rock




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## science

Bach - Mass in B minor - Richter, etc. (the one recorded in Japan)


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## science

Ok, just finished:










And now on to:


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## science

Conor71 said:


> Really, I enjoy all of Brahms Chamber Music too - Probably in order of preference and listening frequency I would say the String Sextets, Piano Quartets and String Quartets are my favourites. I find the Clarinet Trio/Quintet and Piano Trios the least interesting but it really feels like splitting hairs to say that! .
> 
> Thread:
> Now Listening:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2*


Conor71, I don't have any recordings of Rachmaninov's symphonies! At this point that is probably one of the most tragic gaps in my collection.

Would you say the Ashkenazy set is "the one to have"?


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## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, Quartet No. 3.


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## tdc

Manxfeeder said:


> Shostakovich, Quartet No. 3.


Very nice, I'm going to be listening to a lot of Shostakovich in the next while, he is a composer that has sparked my interest a lot.


----------



## Rob

Myaskovsky - Symphony No. 6

Only the second time I listen to this. I really enjoy it so far.


----------



## science




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## tdc

Ok, now were back to somewhat frightening sounding Penderecki, (Threnedy for the Victims of Hiroshima)


----------



## Pieck

Emerson play Beethoven Op.127


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## Guest

science said:


> Conor71, I don't have any recordings of Rachmaninov's symphonies! At this point that is probably one of the most tragic gaps in my collection.
> 
> Would you say the Ashkenazy set is "the one to have"?


At least get the 2nd - I recommend Slatkin's recent recording on Naxos - very nice!


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## science

is my current listening.

Earlier today, I listened to:


----------



## Guest

Piano music by Takemitsu. I like some more than others, but overall they're atmospheric and enjoyable pieces.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Alexander Gretchaninov's Mass in Terra Pax.


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## World Violist




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## World Violist

World Violist said:


>


Debussy Complete Piano Works, vol. 1 (Preludes Books 1 & 2, Les soirs illumines par l'ardeur du charbon")
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

This is my first time listening to all the Preludes, I think. Book 2 is particularly fascinating; I never realized just how hilarious Debussy's "Spanish" writing really is until hearing the 3rd prelude of book 2 (the habanera one).

Bavouzet's playing is remarkably clear and very humble (what else could one expect from a great pianist who made only one or two recordings before he turned 40?). He clearly "gets" Debussy in a very genuine way (it's very easy to tell, even though Arrau was virtually the only pianist I've heard in Debussy before now, some years ago). There's no "impressionist gauze" as I once read it so aptly, rather a real shimmering tone.

One of my favorite preludes so far has been Le cathedrale engloutie (fairly common favorite, I know, but I'm not always as weird as one would think), and Bavouzet does a brilliant job of it, setting up an atmosphere at the very beginning and holding the attention throughout. The climax, with the bells tolling and the organ playing, is spectacular; the low notes before it ring out with authority and the "organ" entrance is truly uplifting.


----------



## dmg

This is one of those times when I put in a disc of a work I'm unfamiliar with and do not know what to expect. I was absolutely floored by it! A completely amazing work. Full of emotion and depth - I had to stop it and go back and start it again.


----------



## tdc




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## tdc




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## Guest

I finally finished my collection of Rene Jacobs' recordings of Mozart's operas, so over the next week (or more) I'll be listening to the following:


----------



## science




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## science




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## science




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## science




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## science




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## Conor71

science said:


> Conor71, I don't have any recordings of Rachmaninov's symphonies! At this point that is probably one of the most tragic gaps in my collection.
> 
> Would you say the Ashkenazy set is "the one to have"?


Hey Science  - sorry for the late reply! , the Ashkenazy set is very good I think and the performances, sound and extra works are all very good .
Admittedly I have only heard Ashkenazy and Jansons for the Rachmaninov Symphonies but I do think this is the better set of the two - I would certainy recommend this set if you are thinking of getting the Rach Symphonies :tiphat:.


----------



## science

Thanks man. I really need to go a month or so without buying any new music, but Rach's symphonies will be at the top of my wishlist.


----------



## Conor71

*Borodin: SQ # 2
Dvorak: SQ #13*

Cant get enough of the Borodin No. 2 at the moment! - after this some Dvorak! .


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Borodin: SQ # 2
> Dvorak: SQ #13*
> 
> Cant get enough of the Borodin No. 2 at the moment! - after this some Dvorak! .


A week ago I was thinking on buying the Emerson CD. I think we have pretty similar taste.

Oh, and listening to Emerson playing the Death and the Maiden


----------



## science

I'll listen to that Emerson next, in the spirit of communion.

For now, I'm listening to:










In truly ancient sound. I feel like I'm really back in Italy in 1955, hanging my laundry out on a string...

But Callas' voice really is lovely.


----------



## Rob

Listening to Myaskovsky's 6th (Neeme Järvi conducting the Gothenburg Philharmonics) right now.

It's really growing on me!


----------



## World Violist

Mitropoulos in Minneapolis (Beethoven 6, Coriolan, Leonore 3, Brahms Haydn Variations; Franck D minor, Chausson B-flat major)

First, the booklet is incredible. It gives a wonderful, substantial, personal portrait of the conductor in only a few pages, talking about his ascetic habits and his charitability (one memorable one for me was how he reduced a young composer to tears over a piece, then paid for him to attend university for composition).

I have only enough time to listen to one of the symphonies, so I chose the Franck D minor because I've never heard either it or the Chausson. The sound isn't all that great; wiry, shrill in the upper registers, some distortion and presumably faults with the source they used for this release. However, this performance is incredible. Searing drama, great balancing... and the whole thing so far makes a lot of immediate sense. Somewhat strangely, Mitropoulos reminds me a bit of Boulez in his ability to dissect a score and look at it from the inside. Mitropoulos gains the edge, though, because along with giving the music clarity, he also gives it bite, edge, verve... he doesn't make it pretty (said in the best possible way). Possibly the best thing about this recording, though, is how the orchestra doesn't sound in the least like just a bunch of people playing instruments; not only do the sections sound unified, but the entire orchestra as one organism. Many conductors talk about this ideal, but none execute it this perfectly in my experience. The swells are more than just amassing of orchestral sound, but a single-minded expansion, a really visceral experience that just doesn't happen anymore in recorded music.

One of the most inspiring CDs I've listened to in a while.


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## tdc

I'm listening to Prokofiev's 5th symphony off of this compilation:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

And earlier this morning, in succession. The Oslo/Jansons Sibelius 3 never fails to amaze. Perfection.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich Symphonies 6 and 10, Kondrashin.


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Pieck

Beethoven's last SQ - Emerson


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Most of the smaller settings of sacred texts to an instrumental concerto-like accompaniment were known as "Geistliche Konzerte" (Sacred Concertos) or "Symphonia Sacra". The term "Cantata" was not regularly applied until 1700 and was only first used by Schütz' pupil, Kaspar Kittel. Heinrich Schütz spent the peak of his career as a composer during the ravages of the Thirty Years War. As a result of the economic turmoil, pestilence, and ongoing warfare and havoc, Schütz was often greatly limited in terms of access to adequate singers and instrumentalists. Except for brief stays in Venice and Dresden, where he was appointed as a sort of honorary kapelmeister, Schütz spent much of his career wandering from one German city to the next. His settings for sacred texts were often quite bare and minimal, employing no more than 5 singers and seldom more than a small quartet of instrumentalists playing the most common of instruments: violin, cello, lute, and organ.

In spite of his limitations, Schütz clearly built upon the models of the most recent Italian music... especially the madrigals of Monteverdi. Schütz especially made use of the Monteverdi model of the duet in which voices engage in a dialog that is often suggestive of a competition... a question and answer in which one singer seeks to outdo the other. The music as a whole, however, remains quite simple... folk-like... one is even tempted to say child-like (especially considering the use of the adolescent choir boy vocalists) in comparison to the Italianate sophistication later found in Handel or the contrapuntal complexity of J.S. Bach. Personally, as one who has spent much time over the past year listening to the Madrigals of Monteverdi and his peers, Schütz offers an intriguing German expansion on this tradition... a simplicity that will surely be expanded by later composers like Bach and Handel... but one that is also enjoyable in it own rite.


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## Guest

morning commute: 
-Ravel, String Quartet
-Vaughan Williams, Phantasy Quintet

evening commute:
-Ravel, Rapsodie espanogle + Bolero (believe it or not, this was my first listen--and probably my last)


----------



## Sid James

Thanks for your info on Schutz, stluke's. I heard a motet by him live last year & ever since I have been interested in him, but I haven't got anything by him on disc yet. He's a composer I definitely want to collect a bit of. Your description of a "dialog" is spot-on. At the concert, the choir was split in two, one group at the altar of the church, the other in a side chapel. That's probably how Schutz envisaged his work being performed.

In the past few days, I have been listening to Beethoven's piano trios played by the Chung Trio on the EMI twofer below. These are such innovative works. I particularly like the "Ghost," not only for it's whispy and in parts almost minimalist slow movement but it's exhuberant finale, with that driving note/rhythm by the violin. Beethoven here made dissonance sound consonant. & the mighty "Archduke," king of piano trios, which I'm gearing up to hear live here in Sydney played by "Trioz" on the first leg of their national subscription tour. So much innovation in this work, eg. the piano's cadenza like passage at the end of the first movement doesn't build on the main theme - it goes in another complementary direction, as the main theme has been dealt with in depth previously. & the second theme or phrase of the second scherzo movement sounds like it's straight out of the c20th. Then a mercurial & sublime slow movement prefiguring what schubert would do in his own great two piano trios. Very song-like, which is unusual for Beethoven. & with the last movement, Beethoven gently brings us back down to earth. It's like being in a hot air balloon coming down slowly back to earth, peering over a pastoral landscape. Bird's eye view. Amazing stuff...


----------



## tdc

Jeff N said:


> morning commute:
> -Ravel, String Quartet
> -Vaughan Williams, Phantasy Quintet
> 
> evening commute:
> -Ravel, Rapsodie espanogle + Bolero (believe it or not, this was my first listen--and probably my last)


One listen in the car, while driving? Thats weak. Even if you are just referring to Bolero thats still weak, if not thats way worse! Ravel's music is rarely fully understood on first listen, even with undivided attention given. We are talking about one of the deepest composers of the 20th century. He deserves far better.


----------



## Sid James

Ravel's orchestral works seem to divide people a bit like that. Bolero especially comes in for much flak. But I agree that one listen in the car might not be doing the music justice. Then again, Jeff N might have other reasons for not liking those works...


----------



## science

Ravel's music has been a tough nut for me to crack. For a long time I thought it was just "pretty." Then a number of his works impressed me much more, particularly the string quartet, Gaspard de la Nuit, and the ballet Daphnis et Chloe. Then lately I've been wondering what was in them that impressed me so much. 

He is a composer I've got to get to know better. 

Bolero, for me, is all about the texture of the music. If you only listen for melody, you're not going to get it at all. Instead, what you want to do (IMO) is pay attention to how each particular set of intruments sounds together - how the timbre changes. It is a rather intellectual piece of music, I think; tightly focused on this one issue. I sometimes think a lot of Ravel's music is really about that.


----------



## science

Listening to the Borodin String Quartet #2 by the Emerson String Quartet on this album:


----------



## Art Rock

Fascinating composition from 1986 by a composer I had never heard of. I immediately hit the replay button after 76 minutes.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Bolero, for me, is all about the texture of the music.


In a sense, Bolero is a theme and variations. But instead of varying the melody or the rhythm, Ravel varies the color.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, Norgard's third symphony and Webern's Opus 15, sung by Dorothy Dorow.


----------



## emiellucifuge




----------



## World Violist

Mahler 8
Boulez/Staatskapelle Berlin

One of my all-time favorite Mahler 8s. Might just overtake Nagano's as my favorite overall after this listening; it's really solid.


----------



## tdc

Listening to Rachmaninov's 2nd symphony off of the earlier posted Rattle compilation on EMI classics. 

I was quite impressed by Prokofiev's 5th symphony, 1st piano concerto, and Scythian suite I listened to earlier off the same compilation. Having previously only listened to some of his pieces from Peter and the Wolf, Romeo and Juliet, and Lieutenant Kije, none of which really resonated with me too much, my appreciation for his work has gone up a lot. Rattle also strikes me as a tremendous conductor.


----------



## david.allsopp

tdc said:


> Yes, its got wonderful recordings, and live audio clips of Vaughan Williams speaking regarding the performances which is quite cool. It is however, the first set of Vaughan Williams symphonies I've purchased/listened to, so I'm not sure how it stacks up against other recordings.


I have all nine with Royal Liverpool and Vernon Handley. They are sublime. Tod's death it is such a loss! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaughan-Williams-London-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B00006J3LP


----------



## tdc

david.allsopp said:


> I have all nine with Royal Liverpool and Vernon Handley. They are sublime. Tod's death it is such a loss! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaughan-Williams-London-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B00006J3LP


Thanks for the recommendation, I'll make a note of it.


----------



## Rangstrom

A New World disk of Jacob Druckman: Counterpoise (Upshaw/Sawallisch), Viola Concerto (Diaz/Sawallisch) and Brangle (Zinman). I haven't listened to much of his music in the last few years, but this is certainly a recording with some depth and sparkle (if a little too much percussion--but that is near endemic in late 20th century orchestral music).

The big shock was that the HDCD LED on the cd player lit up. That rarely happens with classical music. No mention of this bonus on the label. The sound is very good indeed.


----------



## tdc

I'm Listening to Mahler's 8th off of this:










(My box looks different, but same recordings)

Mahler's 7th,8th,9th and 10th symphonies are all under-listened for me compared to the first six, so I am spending some time going through these brilliant works in more detail.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with Schubert's quartets.


----------



## World Violist

Britten: War Requiem, disc 2
Masur/LPO

I couldn't get to the second CD before. I just don't understand this piece right now, much of it bores me and much of it is just not what I like. The only thing I like about the War Requiem right now is the Strange Meeting/Let us sleep now bit at the end, which frequently moves me to tears and makes me wonder what keeps me from clicking with the rest of it. (and on this recording, I dare say "Let us sleep now..." surpasses the Britten recording)


----------



## tdc

World Violist said:


> Britten: War Requiem, disc 2
> Masur/LPO
> 
> I couldn't get to the second CD before. I just don't understand this piece right now, much of it bores me and much of it is just not what I like. The only thing I like about the War Requiem right now is the Strange Meeting/Let us sleep now bit at the end, which frequently moves me to tears and makes me wonder what keeps me from clicking with the rest of it. (and on this recording, I dare say "Let us sleep now..." surpasses the Britten recording)


Britten's War Requiem is a bit like this for me too. I probably haven't listened to it as many times as you, but I remember it being very hit and miss, with moments I really enjoyed and other moments that I just couldn't really wrap my brain around when listening to it.


----------



## Sid James

Last night:

*Morten Lauridsen* - Choral works
Elora Festival Singers, Canada/Noel Edison
Naxos

This is one of my favourite choral discs. The last song _Dirait-on _from the _Rose Songs _never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The piano is only used in that song, the last of five, and it's use has such a powerful yet understated effect. I'm gearing up for a live performance here in Sydney in April of _Lux Aeterna_, which I also saw last year. It's a popular work, and there's an excerpt from it on this disc. I also like the _Mid-winter Songs_, which have a more hard edged & slightly dissonant feel.










Now:

Just listened to *Ives'* _Three Places in New England _& now listening to the first movement of *Mendelssohn's* _String Quartet No. 6_ - a very turbulent work - both on youtube...


----------



## Rob

Right now I'm listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 for the first time in my life.


----------



## Moscow-Mahler

A great recoring of the 10th symphony. *BUT ATTENTION: *my copy has only 1-disc box, my copy is not a *twoofer,* and so I have only one cd with 10th. It seems to me that it's an errow of the manufacturer, not of the seller. But I bought it mostly for the 10th.

Has someone this CD? Do you have the same problem?


----------



## emiellucifuge




----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, Symphony 3, by Rozhdestvensky. Wrong picture, but you get the idea.


----------



## Pieck

Rob said:


> Right now I'm listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 for the first time in my life.


Great choice! amazing symphony, but I definitely didnt understand it on the first time.

and listening to Schumann's quintet played by Budapest Quartet with Clifford Curzon


----------



## World Violist

After a quite stressful day, there's nothing quite like listening to Haydn, especially when it's performed this well.


----------



## World Violist

And right after rehearsing the Schumann piano quintet...










Bartok: Piano Concerti
Bavouzet/Noseda/BBC Phil


----------



## Conor71

science said:


> Listening to the Borodin String Quartet #2 by the Emerson String Quartet on this album:


Man, I love that Borodin SQ #2 so much!! 

Now listening:

















*Dvorak: String Quartet No. 14
Franck: Violin Sonata
Debussy: Violin Sonata
Chausson: Poeme*


----------



## World Violist

Interspersing these through tonight.









Pierne: Piano Concerto, etc.









Ravel: Piano Concerti, Debussy: Fantaisie, Massenet piano music









Ravel: Complete music for solo piano

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano


----------



## Pieck

1812 Overture - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Leaper
and in a couple of minutes Schumann's Piano Quintet - Budapest Quartet, Curzon


----------



## tdc

This guy's music I find fascinating, I'm rather enjoying this recording.


----------



## Sid James

@ tdc, i've got that Webern recording, & I particularly like the 5 pieces for orchestra...

Today, have been listening to:

*Enescu *- Violin Sonatas

*Copland, Ives, Carter, Barber* - Piano Sonatas/Peter Lawson, piano

The 2nd sonata of Enescu sounds a bit like Franck with a Romanian flavour. Particularly like how the violin plays tremolo in the second movement. The 'Torso' sonata has a salonish feel, and the music of Debussy & Ravel is never far away. The most Romanian sounding of these is the 3rd sonata, here the piano is not merely an accompanist but a more active protagonist, sometimes playing like a cimbalom. Enescu here does not shrink back from using pretty harsh dissonances.

Of the Lawson disc, I particularly like the Copland sonata. Completely different in tone from his "Americana" works, this work has a darker feel and speaks more of the isolation in the big cities rather than the epic sweep of the wide open spaces (for me, anyway). It can prove to be quite an intimate work, after a few listens. It's in an unconventional slow-fast-slow format, with a jazzy scherzo forming the "pivot." The Ives _Three Page Sonata _is a crazy piece, mixing Beethoven's 5th, the trademark hymn tunes & the letters of Bach's name in a concluding mini fugue. The Carter & Barber sonatas also end in fugues. Some really virtuoso playing here from a pianist I have not heard about before, Peter Lawson...


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Concerto For Flute & Harp
Reinecke: Harp Concerto
Rodrigo: Harp Concerto
Ysaye: Violin Sonatas*

Some less listened to recordings from my collection - all beautiful music .


----------



## Efraim

I search here after Hummel but curiously can find almost nothing. This is strange; I am certainly not unearthing Hummel, since you can find as many as forty or fifty CDs with his various works or perhaps even more. I recently ordered twenty or so CDs of him, they arrived only a couple of days ago but I already devoured all of them. I swear that this is a very good and interesting composer, at any rate far more interesting than many other famous and often-played composers of the past. E.g. César Franck or Bruckner are certainly great composers but irresistibly boring, at least for me, while composers like Honegger or Richard Strauss are simply unendurable. Hummel seems far less disciplined and consequent in realizing his objectives; moreover, in some of his works you can hear queer soundings or on the contrary classical stereotypes, nonetheless he has plenty of excellent original ideas and in many respect he interestingly anticipates - more than did Beethoven and Schubert - the big upheaval that was to happen in the music twenty or more years ahead. Some of his works, when played in a great manner, are true masterpieces, first of all his Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor and his Piano Quartet in E Flat Minor. Both works exist on CD in six different recordings at least, possibly as many as 8 or 10. Among those I have, the greatest interpretation of the Sonata is by Malcolm Binns, on a fortepiano that has _not_ the well-known poor wooden-sound of this rudimentary instrument, and of the Quintet, by The Music Group Of Manchester (on modern instruments) and by the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet (on period instruments, gut strings, diffuse sounding etc. - Can be heard in Youtube.). The fortepiano of the quintet detracts a lot from the quality of the whole thing - even though it is not the worse fortepiano sound you can hear -, which is a pity, because the musicians make a true marvel. Both interpretations are unusually rich and inventive - Binns' properly monumental - revealing the greatness of two little known masterpieces.

Hummel's string quartets (only three in number) are original and interesting, some of his seven piano trios (Parnassus trio), his cello sonata (several available recordings), among others, are very good and enjoyable music, his Oberon's Magic Horn (Naxos) has original explosive romantic flavors. Worth listening!


----------



## World Violist

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano

This Gaspard (which opens the set) is rather fascinating, but I'm not sure just how much I like it. It's a little _too_ clear for my liking, at least in Ondine, in which it's less shimmering cascades than a lot of notes that make the impression of shimmering cascades. Le Gibet is much better, though, and it has that requisite mix of overcast/ominous/menace that is necessary. And Bavouzet plays the hell out of Scarbo. I don't think I've ever heard a better beginning to this last movement; it's not subdued like Thibaudet and not a heart-attack like Argerich, but it still manages to strike a middle balance while still being utterly terrifying. I'd probably recommend this Gaspard as a second version, but then again, this is only my second time hearing this performance within two days.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Brahms' second piano concerto by Emil Gilels.


----------



## science

This is the only recording of this music that I have. I wonder if it's highly regarded? I think it's fine.

The interesting thing is the narration. When I bought this, I was under the impression that most recordings of it don't have the narration. Now I think I'd usually prefer to listen to it that way. But it's interesting to hear this one though.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Rob

Pieck said:


> Great choice! amazing symphony, but I definitely didnt understand it on the first time.


Me neither! I will give it one more chance, that's it.... :lol:


----------



## Guest

Morigan said:


> Mendelssohn's String Octet, my favourite, alongside with the obvious Violin Concerto. This recording is by the Medici and Alberni Quartet, it's an old rip I got from someone... I'm looking for a better recording of the Octet. Any suggestions?





opus67 said:


> The one on Naxos seems to get good reviews.


Yes, I have the Naxos recording - I like it a lot. Kodaly and Auer Quartets - and paired with Bruch's as well.


----------



## Guest

Sorry, I unintentionally replied to a post from 2007. Didn't mean to. But this is a great recording of Mendelssohn's Octet, and now I think I actually will listen to it today while I work from home, quarantined with walking pneumonia.


----------



## tdc

Efraim said:


> I search here after Hummel but curiously can find almost nothing. This is strange; I am certainly not unearthing Hummel, since you can find as many as forty or fifty CDs with his various works or perhaps even more. I recently ordered twenty or so CDs of him, they arrived only a couple of days ago but I already devoured all of them. I swear that this is a very good and interesting composer, at any rate far more interesting than many other famous and often-played composers of the past. E.g. César Franck or Bruckner are certainly great composers but irresistibly boring, at least for me, while composers like Honegger or Richard Strauss are simply unendurable. Hummel seems far less disciplined and consequent in realizing his objectives; moreover, in some of his works you can hear queer soundings or on the contrary classical stereotypes, nonetheless he has plenty of excellent original ideas and in many respect he interestingly anticipates - more than did Beethoven and Schubert - the big upheaval that was to happen in the music twenty or more years ahead. Some of his works, when played in a great manner, are true masterpieces, first of all his Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor and his Piano Quartet in E Flat Minor. Both works exist on CD in six different recordings at least, possibly as many as 8 or 10. Among those I have, the greatest interpretation of the Sonata is by Malcolm Binns, on a fortepiano that has _not_ the well-known poor wooden-sound of this rudimentary instrument, and of the Quintet, by The Music Group Of Manchester (on modern instruments) and by the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet (on period instruments, gut strings, diffuse sounding etc. - Can be heard in Youtube.). The fortepiano of the quintet detracts a lot from the quality of the whole thing - even though it is not the worse fortepiano sound you can hear -, which is a pity, because the musicians make a true marvel. Both interpretations are unusually rich and inventive - Binns' properly monumental - revealing the greatness of two little known masterpieces.
> 
> Hummel's string quartets (only three in number) are original and interesting, some of his seven piano trios (Parnassus trio), his cello sonata (several available recordings), among others, are very good and enjoyable music, his Oberon's Magic Horn (Naxos) has original explosive romantic flavors. Worth listening!


He has a trumpet concerto (in E flat major) I used to listen to on occassion, it has a nice sound, reminds me a little of Mozart. I might have to try some of his other works.

I was listening to some of that Hummel concerto now Im onto Shostakovich's 4th Symphony.


----------



## mamascarlatti

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A couple of new discs arrived today. I gave them both a listen to while in my studio painting. Both are quite exquisite and go toward increasing my admiration for each composer. *The Monteverdi disc includes some unexpected accompaniment that sound almost jazz-like at times.*


Both la Venexiana and Christina Pluhar's L'Arpeggiata seem to bring some jazz elements to Monteverdi - a stranbge but addictive fusion. Time to post my favourite YouTube clip of La Venexiana's "Pur Ti Miro" From L'incoronazione de Poppea:


----------



## Pieck

Death and the Maiden played by Melos


----------



## tdc

Mozart- Symphony #38 Adagio-Allegro

Deutsche Grammophon Karl Bohm

I love this symphony!


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Pieck

MEndelssohn's 2nd quintet by Hausmusik of London or something


----------



## Efraim

tdc said:


> He [Hummel] has a trumpet concerto (in E flat major) I used to listen to on occassion, it has a nice sound, reminds me a little of Mozart. I might have to try some of his other works.


I am not a big fan of concertos; the only works of this kind I really like are Brahms'. As to Hummel, meanwhile I only overheard on the radio something from his piano concertos. They could easily be mixed up with Mozart's, which is a praise and a blame at the same time. It seems nonetheless that two of them, one in A Minor and the other in B Flat Minor, are very original, the first foretelling Chopin (whom I don't like at all, but this is a different story). I ordered these two concertos, they didn't arrive yet, as well (more exactly _'as bad'_...) as a Violin concerto, coupled with a Concerto for Violon and Piano, something unusual. This reminds me of Alban Berg's Kammerkonzert, for Violon and piano (a work I do like a lot).

I would advise you to start with Malcolm Binns' CD. In addition to having a great l interpretation of a monumental masterpiece, which somebody said to have inspired Beethoven to write his Op. 106 (entirely different in style, though), you will be able to enjoy a fortepiano that does not sound like a children toy but is still different from the modern piano. Nonetheless, unlike in the fortepianos you can usually hear, here the low, medium and high registers differ only in pitch but not in kind, not in colour, just like in modern pianos. It is obvious that in the choice of an instrument Binns' interest lay not in history or curiosity but that he wanted to extract from the work unheard potentialities with an already good but still different instrument. (The second sonata is played on another, more poorly sounding fortepiano.) A real raritiy, and a huge artistic value!


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: String Quartet, "Voces Intimae", Lemminkainen Suite*


----------



## tdc

Efraim said:


> I am not a big fan of concertos; the only works of this kind I really like are Brahms'. As to Hummel, meanwhile I only overheard on the radio something from his piano concertos. They could easily be mixed up with Mozarts's, which is a praise and a blame at the same time. It seems nonetheless that two of them, one in A Minor and the other in B Flat minor, are very original, the first foretelling Chopin (whome I don't like at all, but this is a different story). I ordered these concertos, they didn't arrive yet, as well (more exactly 'as _wrong_'...) as a Violin concerto, coupled with a Concerto for Violon and Piano, something unusual. This reminds me of Alban Berg's Kammerkonzert, for Violon and piano (a work I do like a lot).
> 
> I would advise you starting with Malcolm Binns' CD. In addition to having a forceful interpretation of a forceful masterpiece, which somebody said to have inspired Beethoven to write his Op. 106 (entirely different in style, though), you will be able to enjoy a fortepiano that does not sound like a children toy but is still different from the modern piano. A real raritiy!


All right, I'll check it out. Thanks for recommendation! :tiphat:


----------



## science

Conor71 said:


> *Sibelius: String Quartet, "Voces Intimae", Lemminkainen Suite*


Very nice!


----------



## science




----------



## Art Rock

Another neglected symphonist.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
Schumann: Cello Concerto
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1
Monn: Cello Concerto*


----------



## science

OFF TOPIC!

But even so, right now I'm listening to:


----------



## Guest

Art Rock said:


> Another neglected symphonist.


Completely agree. I have his second symphony and I love it. His teacher, Luis de Freitas Branco, is also unfairly neglected.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## tdc

Ha! I found a recording of Schubert's Sonata in B Flat Major D.960. 

It was in a stack of discontinued classical cds I found at Dollarama. :lol:

It appears to have originally came in this set:










Listening to it right now. Its played by somebody named Michael Endres, not sure if he's anybody considered too special, but sounds quite good I'd say.


----------



## opus55

Beautiful sopranos.. (voice)


----------



## tdc

Prince Igor Polovetsian Dances- Alexander Borodin (Rattle/EMI Classics)


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius Symphonies 4 & 5
Inkinen/NZSO

This recording really emphasizes the structure of the 4th symphony, along with its still essentially melodic nature. This is probably the first recording to make me think I "understand" this symphony. The others I've heard either baffled me or made me realize it's a real masterpiece, but this one revealed a lot to me and moved me deeply.


----------



## science

Listening to #7. What a fun, joyful, uplifting, inventive, fascinating work.

It's one of those that, whenever I hear it, it's hard not to think it's the best thing I've ever heard. But there's a lot of music like that!


----------



## science

Listening to #3. This work is less familiar to me, but I love the cello and I love the way Rostropovich plays it, and I love the piano and I love the way Richter plays it, and it is a beautiful experience.


----------



## Pieck

1812 Overture - Leaper


----------



## Pieck

science said:


> Listening to #7. What a fun, joyful, uplifting, inventive, fascinating work.
> 
> It's one of those that, whenever I hear it, it's hard not to think it's the best thing I've ever heard. But there's a lot of music like that!


He lacks the mustache









(I hope no one will be offended by it, but we jews tend to joke about it)
If the moderators will censore I'll understand


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kodaly, Mass in E Flat.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely disc of beautiful choral music in a manner not unlike the works of Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre... clearly in the Anglo-American choral tradition. Not a composer for those who expect something challenging... shocking... unexpected from a contemporary composer, but a good example of a contemporary composer who is a masterful craftsman and whose music is unabashedly "beautiful".


----------



## Guest

Piano Works, by Les Six member Germaine Tailleferre. It's really sad that her music isn't more exposed. I can see how some might find it derivative, but to me it's just too gorgeous.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jake Heggie has surely picked up the mantle as the great American composer of "art song" from Ned Rorem. Heggie has composed any number of recent acclaimed opera including _Dead Man Walking_ and yet to be recorded _Moby Dick_... but it is his art songs that have won him the greatest adulation... as well as the admiration of singers such as Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Brian Asawa, Paul Groves, Joyce DiDonato, and Renée Fleming... all who have performed and/or recorded his songs. This disc includes setting for texts/poems by Raymond Carver, Anne Sexton, Emily Dickenson, Vincent Van Gogh, and Sister Helen Prejean (whose story is at the heart of the film and Heggie's opera, Dead Man Walking). The music varies in arrangement from voice and piano to voice, piano and small chamber arrangements (including violin, cello, clarinet, saxophone, etc...). It is too bad that Heggie's older recordings have rapidly gone out of print and demand high prices. I heartily recommend this, _The Faces of Love_, and last year's release, _Passing By_. They are a must for any lover of American art songs... anyone who fears the "art song" or "lieder" is a dead art form... and anyone interested in some of the finest music being written today.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this late last night:

*Beethoven* "Pathetique" sonata
*Bartok *Sonata
*Chopin* Sonata No. 3

Live piano recital by Kathryn Selby recorded by ABC Classics here in Sydney in 2009.

I've seen Selby playing with her "Trioz" group on a number of occassions but this is the only time I've heard her playing solo. I got this disc signed by her at one of those concerts last year. I think she really shines in the Chopin. There's a feeling of searching & uncertainty in the slow movement & I love how she plays the delicate counterpoint in the final movement. Her playing has subtlety but also vigour & bounce. A joy to hear. The Beethoven & Bartok are also played well, but it's in the Chopin that she really shows off her prowess at the keyboard, imo...


----------



## tdc

Glazunov - Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 82

Off of this:


----------



## karenpat

L'heure exquise to be specific. My favourite track from that CD


----------



## Guest

Starting my dive into Spanish music with Granados and Albeniz. Listening to Goyescas now, then moving on to Iberia. Loving it all so far.


----------



## science

Jeff N said:


> Starting my dive into Spanish music with Granados and Albeniz. Listening to Goyescas now, then moving on to Iberia. Loving it all so far.


You won't go wrong with those works and De Larrocha! Some of my favorite things.

In fact, I think I'll listen to that!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sylvius Leopold Weiss was a lutenist who served at courts in Breslau, Rome, and Dresden. He was well recognized for his virtuosity upon his chosen instrument. There is an account of his challenging J.S. Bach to an improvisational competition. One musicologist noted, "Anyone who knows how difficult it is to play harmonic modulations and good counterpoint on the lute will be surprised and full of disbelief to hear from eyewitnesses that Weiss, the great lutenist, challenged J. S. Bach, the great harpsichordist and organist, at playing fantasies and fugues." What is even more incredible is the fact that the competition was said to have ended in a tie.

As a composer, Weiss wrote some 600 pieces for the lute. Quite likely, as a result of his service in Italy, his compositions suggest a certain "openness" and delicacy that is not unlike the harpsichord compositions of Domenico Scarlatti.


----------



## science

That's the liner notes, or the back cover or something. I have volume 1, and I'll probably get more someday. Which ones do you have?


----------



## Sid James

*Ives* - Piano Trio; Largo for clarinet, violin & piano; Violin Sonatas 2 & 4; selected songs
Various artists
EMI American classics

*Schubert* - String Quartets Nos. 14 "Death & the Maiden" & 15
Busch Quartet
EMI

I got these yesterday & gave them a first listen. I listened to most of the Ives chamber disc, including his only _Piano Trio_. As usual with Ives, it's hard to believe that this work was composed in the early 1900's, more than 100 years ago. There's atonality galore & many tough dissonances here. The work is in a slow-fast-slow format, unconventional for the time. In the first movement, the piano firstly accompanies the cello in a broken melody, then does the same thing with the violin. After this sort of introduction, the two fragments are blended together in a wierd kind of counterpoint. The second presto movement is subtitled TSIAJ (This Scherzo Is A Joke) & it has many hymn like tunes as well as quotations from the composer's own songs. The final movement is a set of variations on gospel tunes, it's the longest & most substantial movement at 12 minutes. The way Ives ends his piano trio with a slow movement which is a set of variations reminded me of Tchaikovsky's trio. I was very tired last night and fell asleep for most of the rest of the disc, so I'll have to give it a proper listen in full later.

I had not heard the playing of the Busch Quartet before, but I had read about them here with regards to their renditions of Beethoven. These Schubert recordings were made in the 1930's at Abbey Road, and the sound & remastering is top notch. I agree with the review printed on the back of the disc, these are readings full of humanity and give insight to the less comfortable & perhaps even more extreme emotions in these works. The concluding movement, based on Italian tarantella tunes, of the 14th quartet is taken at breakneck speed - & they do it so effortlessly, it's amazing. The 15th quartet is an almost schizophrenic work - the first two movements are probably the most intense and dissonant music that Schubert ever wrote, whilst the last two movements have this sense of Viennese lightness & carefree-ness. But this interpretation doesn't sound as contradictory and fragmented as this dualism suggests. I was very happy with this buy, I got it in a store on special for $10, cheaper than it would be online...


----------



## science

Listening to this one - if I recall correctly, it's the last one she recorded. Could be wrong.


----------



## Guest

science said:


> Listening to this one - if I recall correctly, it's the last one she recorded. Could be wrong.


I just ordered that, for Suite Espanola. I got through Iberia earlier and loved it! I think I'm going to go through a Spanish phase: Albeniz, Granados, de Falla, maybe some others when I discover them.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

That's the liner notes, or the back cover or something. I have volume 1, and I'll probably get more someday. Which ones do you have?

Actually the brief history is culled from the CDs, Wiki, and whatever I've read before with my own thoughts on the sound of his music. I was introduced to Weiss by (of all people) Robert Newman, the conspiracy theorist who is certain that the music of Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven was all written by some clandestine consortium in the employment of the Jesuits, the Templars, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster... or some such nonsense. I currently have volumes 1, 2, and 8.


----------



## tdc

^ Well you've definetely sparked my interest. Comparisons to Bach AND Scarlatti. Impressive. Was he also born in 1685? j/k

I've previously heard one of Weiss' Fantasies a short little piece around 2 1/2 minutes, its a nice piece. He is definetely someone I'm going to check out more of.


----------



## tdc

J.S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto #1 in F Bwv 1046 off my complete works on the Brilliant Classics label.

This marks a major transition for me. I obtained these recordings in early December and I have just now finally finished listening to _all _of the Cantatas! This is a refreshing change of pace! Only 1016 more songs 2.2 days/2.98 GBs of non-Cantata Bach to listen to, and then I can honestly say I have listened to J.S. Bach's complete works.


----------



## Pieck

Haydn quartets Op. 76 1-3 - Kodaly


----------



## tdc

I paid 26 dollars for this recording. I was curious, the clerk at the store informed me this label had exceptional sound quality. Listening to it now the sound quality is actually terrific, and the music is also exceptional. I am not disapointed with this purchase.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well you've definetely sparked my interest. Comparisons to Bach AND Scarlatti. Impressive. Was he also born in 1685?

Bach is definitely far more dense... complex... or can be. My comparison with Scarlatti intended to suggest that Weiss has a greater openness... simplicity...

As for his date of birth... well he only missed by two: 1687.

Currently I'm listening to this marvelous disc of Telemann's music:










Like this disc that I wrote about a little while ago:










the current one presents a nice balance between Telemann's instrumental works and his cantatas. Both the instrumentals and the cantatas are of a smaller chamber-music-like instrumentation which brings a certain intimacy and openness to the music which I find quite refreshing. I'm not as fond of Telemann's efforts when he employs a larger orchestration as the music becomes somewhat dense... and ponderous. I felt this was somewhat true of another recent purchase:










Of course, this may have simply been a first impression and I will surely give this disc another chance... or several chance. These smaller chamber work configurations however... especially with Telemann's marvelous use of the recorder... are so airy and immediately engaging. I will be looking for more music in this vein by the composer.

:tiphat:


----------



## the_emptier

Stravinsky violin concerto in D


----------



## Guest

Songs by Faure. Beautiful fare, as I've come to expect from my favorite of French composers.


----------



## science

The lovely, lovely quartet #1 in G minor - as heartwrenching as so much of Brahms' wonderful music.


----------



## Pieck

science said:


> The lovely, lovely quartet #1 in G minor - as heartwrenching as so much of Brahms' wonderful music.


Listening to Schumann's quintet and Brahms PQuartet No. 2 Op. 26,

Have you heard the piano trio? There's a beautiful motif in the 2nd movement somwhere about 2:20 in the track led by the cello and then violin. It's so beautiful.
The 2nd Quartet isn't something fantastic IMO


----------



## science

I don't remember the spot you're talking about. I'll listen for it!

Right now I'm on disk 2, and I'm just going to keep going until my wife comes home and makes me stop:


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> I
> Right now I'm on disk 2, and I'm just going to keep going until my wife comes home and makes me stop:


Ha! I've never had that happen with Tallis. Ives and Schoenberg, that's another story. Actually, our house rule is, I listen to Ives with headphones.

Today, I'm finally getting around to discovering Symphones 3 and 4 by Etienne-Nicolas Mehul.


----------



## Art Rock

The first time I listen to this vintage recording of my favourite piece of music. Fascinating.


----------



## tdc

final mvt. of Sibelius 1st symphony. This symphony is a masterpiece in my opinion, and is the first of Sibelius symphonys to really take to me.


----------



## Guest

Starting my exploration of George Enescu--listening now to the 3rd Symphony. My piano teacher is Romanian and has been so gracious as to loan me many discs of Enescu's music. So far, I love it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Starting my exploration of George Enescu--listening now to the 3rd Symphony. My piano teacher is Romanian and has been so gracious as to loan me many discs of Enescu's music. So far, I love it.


How nice of her! I need to get back to exploring his music. I've just heard the 3rd symphony also.

I'm ending the day with Peteris Vasks' Message.


----------



## Pieck

Beethoven Quartets 4-6 - Emerson
The only ones I haven't heard


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


> The first time I listen to this vintage recording of my favourite piece of music. Fascinating.


Fascinating? Heartbreaking.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm giving a second listen to this absolutely marvelous disc. Surely Rostropovitch will remain recognized as a towering figure in 20th century music. A brilliant cellist, a talented conductor, the husband and accompanist of the magnificent Galina Vishnevskaya, and the individual responsible for commissioning and/or inspiring a wealth of the finest cello repertoire. Anyone having the least doubts as to the merits of Britten the composer should give this disc a try.


----------



## Sid James

Speaking of *Britten*, I sneaked a first listen to this set from my local library:










Some really great music here. Britten gets less and less tonal from the first through to the final third quartet. I liked the modernity of the 1st quartet, the chacony final movement of the 2nd quartet (based on a theme from one of Britten's favourite composers, Purcell) & the creepiness and pared down feeling of the 3rd quartet, a companion piece to his opera _Death in Venice_. The 3rd quartet was one of his final works, he was present at the rehearsals for it but died before the premiere. This work and the opera named above were his first forays into atonality. I disagree that these works lacked heart and were merely technical exercises using atonal techniques, an erroneous view of some critics. I really like the spooky movement marked "solo," which has a legato violin line moving in and out of focus amongst the other 3 instruments. The final movement has a folkish feel, a bit like an atonal version of some of the cowpat pastoral music of Vaughan Williams. Despite, or maybe because of, it's simplicity, it's quite effective. I plan to listen to this set more, as I have enjoyed this music a lot. As with other UK string quartets, it doesn't grab me immediately, it grows on me slowly, bit by bit...


----------



## tdc

^Interesting reviews on two Britten works I have been interested in checking out. Thanks Andre and StLukesguildOhio.

I'm listening to the Szymanowski String Quartets from this:










Having previously only heard one small Szymanowski piece (Harnasie op.46 'rural scene' mvt.) I was not quite sure what to expect here. But on first listen this guy strikes me as a pretty heavy composer, with some skill. The String Quartets feel quite dense and a little dark. The closest comparisons I can think of to what I'm hearing might be a rough mix between Debussy's String Quartet in G, and the Stravinsky pieces for String Quartet from this same recording. Some pretty virtuoso work showing up here and there and interesting effects maybe somewhat remeniscient of Ravel's String Quartet in F as well, though I am not getting the bright colors and lighter feel in these works that I get from Ravel's work.

There are folk music elements present here, and the definite influence from the impressionistic period. The composer Bartok is also credited in the liner notes as having shown his influence in the 2nd mvt. of the 2nd String Quartet.


----------



## science

science said:


> I don't remember the spot you're talking about. I'll listen for it!
> 
> Right now I'm on disk 2, and I'm just going to keep going until my wife comes home and makes me stop:


I'm on the backside of disk 4 now.

Wonderful stuff.


----------



## science

Listened to this last week, and here I am again.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Enescu, Romanian Rhapsody and 3rd Symphony.


----------



## World Violist

Wow, there seem to be a lot of listenings to Enescu's 3rd lately...

I'm listening to another rarity: Chausson's B-flat symphony, Mitropoulos/Minneapolis Symphony


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A Baroque evening:










Some marvelous instrumental, dance-based compositions by another less-well-known German Baroque composer... and energetically performed by Jordi Savall and accomplices.

Following this up with:










Kozena is one of my favorite living singers. She could almost sing the phone book and I'd buy it certain that there would be something of merit there. In this instance, she is in her are of real expertise having recorded any number of Baroque operas and other vocal works (including those of Vivaldi) for many of the leading HIP conductors. Kozena even admits that prior to this disc even she underestimated Vivaldi:


----------



## Sid James

tdc said:


>


That's a great disc. The Goldner Quartet are one of our top ensembles here in Australia, I've seen them on a number of occassions last year, and plan to see them again this year. You can't really get much more luscious or febrile chamber music than the Szymanowski string quartets (especially the radiant first one), or (the opposite) more earthy and a bit coarse like the Stravinsky _Three Pieces_ on the same disc. Glad you enjoyed it, which reminds me, I haven't listened to it in a while. Maybe it's time to get it out & do just that!...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Art Rock

An interesting rarity.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

All the discussions of Vivaldi has got me on a Vivaldi kick. Quite magnificent, this disc.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## science




----------



## Pieck

Mozart Clarinet Concerto - Dont know who's playing


----------



## science




----------



## Manxfeeder

Mehul Symphony 1, comparing Michel Swierczewski's recording on Nimbus with Jorge Rotter's recording on Naxos. So far, in movement 1, Rotter has the edge in drive and clarity.


----------



## Geronimo




----------



## tdc

Haydn - Organ Concerto no. 1 in C Major


----------



## science




----------



## Guest

science said:


>


I very much enjoy this recording. Oistrakh and Rostropovich do wonders with these concertos.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

*Borodin:String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2, String Sextet
Elgar: String Quartet
Walton: String Quartet*


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 71 & 74
Borodin: String Quartets, String Sextet (again!)*


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> I very much enjoy this recording. Oistrakh and Rostropovich do wonders with these concertos.


Thanks for the input. Every time I go into Barnes and Noble, that CD stares at me with puppy dog eyes to take it home.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 6
Mitropoulos/New York Philharmonic

This performance is downright legendary, and it's easy to see why. Part of it is undoubtedly because it was never released on CD until the disgustingly overpriced "Mahler Broadcasts" box the New York Philharmonic put out a few years ago, in which everyone singled this performance out as the best of the lot. But most of it is simply because it is a smashing performance, and one of the most harrowing performances you'll ever hear, basically of anything. Mitropoulos and the orchestra are both in top form, this basically meaning that musically and technically it's an unstoppable force of nature (indeed, I've never been this excited by the last movement in my life, by Bernstein, Horenstein, Levine, Barbirolli--anybody). Sound quality? It's a 1955 live broadcast recording, yes, BUT Mitropoulos and the Philharmonic give us an incredible amount of inner detail which does still come through very clearly and make one forget its age.

The only remote problem is that it's Andante-Scherzo, but the playing and conducting is more than enough to forgive this.

Mahler fans should revel in this one. Forget Bernstein.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> This performance is downright legendary, and it's easy to see why.


Thanks for the review.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm absolutely loving this other-worldly vocalist and the driving performance of the accompanists.


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the input. Every time I go into Barnes and Noble, that CD stares at me with puppy dog eyes to take it home.


I think it's a purchase you won't regret. Whenever people talk about these works, these recordings come up.


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert* - works for piano trio

*Schnittke* - Piano Quintet & other chamber works (some great Australian chamber musicians on this disc recorded right here in oz - members of the Goldner String Quartet, who do us proud playing alongside the Russian musicians)

*Piazzolla* - Songs, tangos, Maria de Buenos Aires suite


----------



## Manxfeeder

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the input. Every time I go into Barnes and Noble, that CD stares at me with puppy dog eyes to take it home.


I'm at Barnes and Noble, and I've given the puppy dog a home. I just finished the violin concerto and am starting the cello concerto. Great so far.


----------



## Sid James

I listened to Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_ & _Four Etudes for orchestra_ last night, conducted by Antal Dorati. It was a cd I got last week for just $2! Pretty good sound for the time & a knockout performance! It was interesting to hear the etudes, as they were originally a work for string quartet, which I'm quite familiar with. What a great orchestrator he was, the work lost no intimacy in this other version. I'll listen to the coupling (_Petrouchka_) tonight if I'm in the mood. For a further break from the chamber, I listened to Mendelssohn's 3rd & 5th symphonies, played by the Munich Philharmonic under Albert Lizzio (on a budget disc). I'll got to a Queensland floods benefit concert this coming weekend where they'll play the _Scottish_ symphony, so I thought I'd do a bit of revision. This is one of my favourite symphonies, but I haven't listened to it in a long time. I'm looking forward to the concert, the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra of Sydney, under Sarah Grace Williams. It's great that it's for a good cause...


----------



## Rangstrom

The Bream recording of Britten's Nocturnal on a pristine RCA LP pressing. That doesn't happen very often.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Pieck

Brahms violin concerto - Heifetz


----------



## tdc

Joaquin Rodrigo's brilliant Tonadilla for two guitars:


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Pieck

Schubert Messe D. 950 conducted by Bernius


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schreker's Chamber Symphony.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky* - Soldier's Tale & other chamber works
*Schoenberg* - Chamber Symphony No. 1 (arr. Webern)
*Berg* - Adagio from Chamber Concerto (arr. for piano, clarinet, violin by composer)
Geilgud/Courtenay/Moody/Boston Symphony Chamber Players
Eloquence

*Stravinsky* - Petrouchka; Four Etudes for orchestra
Minneapolis/London SO/Dorati
Mercury

*Mendelssohn* 
- Octet for strings (Melos Ensemble of London) EMI
- Scottish Symphony (Munich PO/Albert Lizzio) budget cd

I got the first two disc set about a month ago & this was my second listen. I really liked Stravinsky's _Soldier's Tale_, the narration by the three British actors - especially Ron Moody as a suitably crafty & cunning devil (in his more out-there moments he reminded me of the Emperor from _Star Wars_!). Of the other chamber works I liked the _Ragtime_, which includes a cimbalom, and the _Octet_ with it's Latin American rhythms. I didn't hear the dance rhythms reminiscent of waltzes in Schoenberg's _Chamber Symphony _upon first listening a month back, but this time they really struck me. It makes me think of the composer's quote that his music was not modern but just played badly. Well here it is performed beautifully. I'm not familiar with the original, but Webern's arrangement for much smaller forces sounded great. & it was interesting to hear the trio version of Berg's _Chamber Concerto _(the Adagio) in his own arrangement. In this more pared down and intimate version, it sounds to me to be even more romantic than the original.

I listened to Dorati conducting _Petrouchka_ for the first time & I enjoyed it. I especially like how here Stravinsky composed music that could tell a story in quite a literal way, but it can also be enjoyed just as music without any specific program. In other words, it stands on it's own two feet as music, even if one doesn't experience it as a ballet. I skipped the _Rite of Spring_, which I had listened to earlier, and went to the _Four Etudes for orchestra_, a brilliant arrangement of the _Three Pieces for String Quartet_ (the fourth etude is an arrangement of another piano work, a colourful homage to the city of Madrid).

I'm going to a concert of Mendelssohn's _Scottish Symphony _on the weekend, so I listened to both it & his gorgeous _Octet_. These are amazing works. The slow movements have this air of sublime tragedy. The endings are both uplifting, the symphony ending with a grand hymn & the octet with a fugue which reminds me of Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge _a bit.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

These Naive covers in the manner of fashion magazines are some of the worst... almost repulsive at times... but the music is top notch. Listening to a newly arrived disc of Vivaldi's motets. Quite lovely.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today I'm comparing Jose Serebrier's take on Glazunov's 8th symphony with Rozhdestvensky's. First observation: Serebrier is easier to spell.


----------



## Pieck

4 pieces for SQ Op. 81 Mendelssohn Ysaye Quartet


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak*
- Serenade for Strings (Czech Chamber Orch./Vlach)
- Serenade for Winds, cello, double bass (Chamber Harmony/Turnovsky)
Award tape

Got this tape yesterday for a mere 50 cents & gave it a first listen. I haven't heard these works in years. I last heard the _Serenade for Strings _in concert 20 years ago & hope to experience it again this year. It's such an atmospheric work. I also enjoyed the _Serenade for Winds_. This recording was made by Supraphon & it sounded great...


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Manxfeeder said:


> Today I'm comparing Jose Serebrier's take on Glazunov's 8th symphony with Rozhdestvensky's. First observation: Serebrier is easier to spell.


Serebrier is wonderful! I love his interpretations! I hope you like him too.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished with this marvelous recording of Vivaldi arias and cantatas by Philippe Jaroussky:










Now I'm listening to something completely different:


----------



## Sid James

Still enjoying this excellent set of Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Berg:


----------



## mamascarlatti

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Paul Spicer, there's a name I haven't heard since he was my music teacher at school. How did he do in this?


----------



## Pieck

Dvorak violin concerto


----------



## Efraim

Efraim said:


> ... you can find as many as forty or fifty CDs with his [Hummel's] various works or perhaps even more...


Actually there are far more, simply it is not easy to find them, even if you search inside Amazon. I gleaned Amazon.co.uk and found a lot more than in my previous gleanings there: the search machine of the different Amazons (com, co.uk, fr [=French], de [= German]) is execrable, and quite often you can simply not find out what the disc exactly contains or who is playing. You have to be stubborn: suppose you wrote the name of a composer in the rectangle, you ran over all the pages you got and didn't find some CD. You must not give up. Search elsewhere - in Google, etc. - and write again the exact name of the disc in Amazon. You have a big chance to find it. Check also the other Amazons, sometimes you can find the sameself item for far cheaper.

I did not count the Hummels but there must be seventy or eighty of them. There is an unbelievely huge amount of Hummel-only-CDs and a lot of others where he is coupled with Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber, Moscheles or anybody else.

I just ordered from Presto Classical ([email protected], but you can find it in Amazon too) a box of 6 CDs, "Hummel - selected masterpieces" with mainly rare opuses, for only 20 British pounds (30 $ at Amazon.com). Seems good. At the site of Presto you can listen to every track longer than the mere 29 seconds of Amazon.

You can hear some works of Hummel at http://www.jnhummel.info/en/, as well as on Youtube. Try it! A most versatile and interesting composer, full of verve and invention, rarely dull, if not often very deep, whatever "deep" means.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today's events in Japan have me popping into the cathedral of the mind for Janacek's Mass in E Flat.










Ending the day with Bloch's Sacred Service.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Paul Spicer, there's a name I haven't heard since he was my music teacher at school. How did he do in this?

The recording as a whole was quite lovely.

Current listening:










Absolutely exquisite!






I've been working my way through all of Monteverdi's madrigals... backwards!?

I've gone through the epic Book 8 and Book 7... now for the transitional Book 6.


----------



## tdc

Efraim said:


> Actually there are far more, simply it is not easy to find them, even if you search inside Amazon. I gleaned Amazon.co.uk and found a lot more than in my previous gleanings there: the search machine of the different Amazons (com, co.uk, fr [=French], de [= German]) is execrable, and quite often you can simply not find out what the disc exactly contains or who is playing. You have to be stubborn: suppose you wrote the name of a composer in the rectangle, you ran over all the pages you got and didn't find some CD. You must not give up. Search elsewhere - in Google, etc. - and write again the exact name of the disc in Amazon. You have a big chance to find it. Check also the other Amazons, sometimes you can find the sameself item for far cheaper.
> 
> I did not count the Hummels but there must be seventy or eighty of them. There is an unbelievely huge amount of Hummel-only-CDs and a lot of others where he is coupled with Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber, Moscheles or anybody else.
> 
> I just ordered from Presto Classical ([email protected], but you can find it in Amazon too) a box of 6 CDs, "Hummel - selected masterpieces" with mainly rare opuses, for only 20 British pounds (30 $ at Amazon.com). Seems good. At the site of Presto you can listen to every track longer than the mere 29 seconds of Amazon.
> 
> You can hear some works of Hummel at http://www.jnhummel.info/en/, as well as on Youtube. Try it! A most versatile and interesting composer, full of verve and invention, rarely dull, if not often very deep, whatever "deep" means.


I looked for the Malcolm Binns recording today you had suggested earlier, unfortunately they didn't have it where I usually purchase my classical stuff. I may have to try to special order it.


----------



## tdc

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I've been working my way through all of Monteverdi's madrigals... backwards!?
> 
> I've gone through the epic Book 8 and Book 7... now for the transitional Book 6.


You sure have been on quite a baroque period kick for a while... I am still working my way through J.S. Bach complete, so when I'm not listening to that wonderful music, I'm generally listening to later period stuff.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

You sure have been on quite a baroque period kick for a while... I am still working my way through J.S. Bach complete, so when I'm not listening to that wonderful music, I'm generally listening to later period stuff.

Like many here... and many classical music listeners in general... I developed my music collection deepest and broadest in the Romantic/Post-Romantic era. In spite of the fact that my initial explorations and my initial passions for classical music were to be found in the Baroque (Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi) the most "complete" part of my music collection is surely to be found with the Romantics: Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Wolf, Wagner, Weber, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Berloiz, etc... etc... I probably have music by 100 different composers from this era... and in many cases I not only have most of the major works... but often multiple recordings thereof. Outside of the Romantic/Post-Romantic era only Mozart and Bach were explored in such detail. Some 2 or 3 years ago I began to explore Modern and Contemporary classical music to a similar degree. Now my focus is early music... primarily the Baroque. This does not stop me from buying works which grab my attention from other eras. Among my recent purchases are the above mentioned Khachaturian set, a number of discs of Britten's music, still another Takemitsu disc, two entire box sets of Wagner's "Ring", Rene Jacob's recent Magic Flute recording, several discs of English Romantic era art songs, still another _Carmen_, Debussy's keyboard works, several discs of Richard Strauss, and several volumes of contemporary choral music... as well as forays into jazz and blues. Rather than focusing upon a single era, my goal is to develop a more balanced collection that offers a degree of depth across the spectrum.


----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> You sure have been on quite a baroque period kick for a while... I am still working my way through J.S. Bach complete, so when I'm not listening to that wonderful music, I'm generally listening to later period stuff.
> 
> Like many here... and many classical music listeners in general... I developed my music collection deepest and broadest in the Romantic/Post-Romantic era. In spite of the fact that my initial explorations and my initial passions for classical music were to be found in the Baroque (Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi) the most "complete" part of my music collection is surely to be found with the Romantics: Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Wolf, Wagner, Weber, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Berloiz, etc... etc... I probably have music by 100 different composers from this era... and in many cases I not only have most of the major works... but often multiple recordings thereof. Outside of the Romantic/Post-Romantic era only Mozart and Bach were explored in such detail. Some 2 or 3 years ago I began to explore Modern and Contemporary classical music to a similar degree. Now my focus is early music... primarily the Baroque. This does not stop me from buying works which grab my attention from other eras. Among my recent purchases are the above mentioned Khachaturian set, a number of discs of Britten's music, still another Takemitsu disc, two entire box sets of Wagner's "Ring", Rene Jacob's recent Magic Flute recording, several discs of English Romantic era art songs, still another _Carmen_, Debussy's keyboard works, several discs of Richard Strauss, and several volumes of contemporary choral music... as well as forays into jazz and blues. Rather than focusing upon a single era, my goal is to develop a more balanced collection that offers a degree of depth across the spectrum.


Enjoyed reading that. You're a long way ahead of me, so my story is shorter.

For years I basically just wandered into the CD shop every so often and bought something shiny. I "followed" the Kronos Quartet passively and went through a Karajan phase and then a "sacred music" phase. Then when I wanted the big names: Mozart, Beethoven. I went through an intense Chopin phase, still picking recordings basically randomly. Then, in a mild Brahms phase, I became a devotee of the Penguin Guide and discovered that I had acquired a fairly large collection of apparently unknown recordings.

Though I still go for something shiny, for the last couple of years my goal has been to know well the most famous recordings of the basic repertoire - which is dominated by classical and romantic era compositions, meaning I'm finally at the stage where your story started.

But for the past few months, I've been feeling a sense of impending completion of that project, and an itch to explore the modern and baroque periods more deeply. I got the DHM 50th anniversary box set (all renaissance and baroque), and discovered a lot of leads that I've slowly started to follow up, but my 2011 rate of purchasing is way down from 2009-2010. I think in a couple years I may be back to random shiny things.

Thread Duty: Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin - Milstein


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Pieck

Beethoven 2nd SQ - Emerson


----------



## tdc

Some of the nicest chamber music I've listened to in quite some time, I'm very pleased with this recording.


----------



## World Violist

After spending some time largely away from Bach, I've started listening to Suzuki's cantata series again.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

...for the last couple of years my goal has been to know well the most famous recordings of the basic repertoire - which is dominated by classical and romantic era compositions...

This was my goal about 15 years ago or so when I got my first "real" job. As you suggest, the "basic repertoire"... at least as defined by most record guides... focused upon the Classical and Romantic periods... with a bit of the Baroque and early Modernism thrown in for good measure. I no longer need to find a definitive recording of any symphony by Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Schubert, Schumann, etc... I do have a few glaring gaps (Verdi being perhaps the most obvious), but if I purchase a work by Mozart or Beethoven or Mahler today it is because I am interested in a specific (often new) performance of a favorite work. I spent several years building up a greater collection of Modern and Contemporary work... and I am still always on the lookout for powerful new works... but right now I am awed at the brilliance to be found in the Baroque and earlier music among composers who are often little more than names in the history of music. Perhaps in another few years I'll turn my attention to the composers of the Classical era beyond Mozart, Haydn, Gluck, and early Beethoven.

Not listening to anything right now... I'm on my way to my studio for the day... but I'll surely take a stack of discs with me.


----------



## Efraim

tdc said:


> I looked for the Malcolm Binns recording today you had suggested earlier, unfortunately they didn't have it where I usually purchase my classical stuff. I may have to try to special order it.


Look:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hummel-Piano-Sonatas-op-81-op-106/dp/B000FKO042

Hummel - Piano Sonatas op.81 & op.106 
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (Artist), Malcolm Binns (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Price: £7.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available. 
Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

11 new from £4.57 1 used from £8.61 
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually there are at least 8 different recordings of this sonata. I have 3 home and ordered 4 others, but they didn't arrive yet.

Listen to this (this is something else, not the sonata):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ6UxQmgku8

Good luck


----------



## tdc

Efraim said:


> Look:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hummel-Piano-Sonatas-op-81-op-106/dp/B000FKO042
> 
> Hummel - Piano Sonatas op.81 & op.106
> Johann Nepomuk Hummel (Artist), Malcolm Binns (Artist) | Format: Audio CD
> 
> Price: £7.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
> 
> In stock.
> Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
> Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
> 
> 11 new from £4.57 1 used from £8.61
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Actually there are at least 8 different recordings of this sonata. I have 3 home and ordered 4 others, but they didn't arrive yet.
> 
> Listen to this (this is something else, not the sonata):
> 
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ6UxQmgku8
> 
> Good luck


So far I usually never do online purchases, but this may start to change as I'm finally getting a credit card in a week or so. Thanks for the links.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Listening to this (or was):


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 13 & 14
Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 7 & 15*

Good morning - some chamber music to start the day! .


----------



## Efraim

Andre said:


> *Hummel, J.* Piano trio no 5 in E, op 83 (1819) [...]
> 
> The slow (2nd) movement of the Schubert was a knockout - brimming with tension, and far ahead of what other composers were doing at the time (like the Hummel, which sounded like a rehash of Mendelssohn, but it was ok)...


(This is a pretty belated answer but for me your post is brand new: I just came across it when looking for mentions of Hummel.)

Excuse me but I can't get it. As to Schubert, all right, he is one of my biggest idols too, and this very sonata is perhaps my foremost Schubert-favourite (I have it in 9 or 10 different interpretations) among other terrific works and it goes without saying that Sch. largely outmatched Hummel - but not yet in 1819.

Furthermore, I don't understand how Hummel's trio, written in 1919, can possibly sound like a rehash of Mendelssohn, knowing that M. was 10 years old by then. This reminds me of an even odder statement in the "_J.N.Hummel - Piano Sonata in F Minor_" thread, by the pianist Daria Groukhova who says _ "... I'm very skeptical about the F-sharp minor Sonata [of Hummel]... . And this Sonata - a clear *imitation* of Schumann, which makes Hummel's not so attractive"..._ Now this sonata of Hummel was published in 1819, not only before Schumann but nine years before Schubert wrote his last sonatas, and even before Beethoven wrote his Hammerklavier sonata, which someone says was inspired by Hummel's, even though I can hear no stylistic similarity between them apart from the fact that both are emotionally unusually high-pitched and full of outpouring energy.

_Do you know this sonata? I would like to know what you think of it._ - It is an astonishing prophesy, reminiscent not only of Schumann but also of Liszt and Chopin, these last two composers having been positively fond of Hummel, and I feel it also directly influenced Brahms' piano sonata in the same key, which curiousely is not very Brahms-like at all. Brahms' Op. 1, another piano sonata, opens with the quotation of the rhythmical pattern of the opening of Beethoven's Op. 106, as if to say 'be as modern as you want, _my_ master is Beethoven'. His Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 2, does not directly quote anything but in my ears its beginning is somewhat redolent of Hummel's, I think consciously. True, Hummel was forgotten by then, but not completely. Clara Schumann, for example, played this sonata in her concerts.

The sonata Daria Groukhova plays in the mentioned thread is also worth listening, even though it does not sound like a prophesy or a foreboding of something wich lay far ahead.


----------



## Manxfeeder

After reading the news I pulled out Barber's Adagio, a fragile interpretation by the Kronos Quartet.


----------



## tdc

J.S. Bach - cello suite #4 in E flat bwv 1010


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While I'm still in love with Anna Netrebko, Magdalena Kozena, Veronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, Natalie Dessay... and prefer the female voice in most instances to the choir boy... or the countertenor... I am coming to love Jaroussky's unearthly voice... and combined with Andreas Scholl and Bejun Mehta I am coming to quite love the countertenor.


----------



## Sid James

@ Efraim - yes I shouldn't have criticised Hummel in that way. But that post was from August last year! Hopefully I've changed my modus operandi a bit by now. I agree that it's not smart to elevate one composer or piece & devalue another. Point taken & lessons learned!!!

Thread duty:

*Durufle*
Requiem - revised 1961 version
4 Motets on Gregorian themes - a capella chorus
Prelude & Fugue on the name ALAIN; Scherzo - solo organ
Notre Pere (our father) - a capella chorus
Various artists/Naxos

*Hovhaness*
Cello Concerto (Starker/Seattle SO/Russell-Davies)
Symphony 22 "City of Light" (Seattle SO/Hovhaness)
Naxos

I was in a mood for more relaxing music, so I popped on these two discs.

Durufle's choral music is a combination of plain chant and Faure. I think he had a wonderful talent for writing beautiful & memorable melodies. The _Requiem_ is a contemplative work, it's pivotal _Pie Jesu_ for soprano is like a lullaby for the dying. I also like the _4 Motets_, which are now central to the repertoire of most choirs. The organ works are full of colour and understatement. The prelude & fugue is a moving tribute to his friend and fellow composer Jehan Alain, who was killed at the front in WW2. I know that Durufle felt at the end of his life to be out of touch with some of the latest developments (like serialism) but I think he could have drawn solace from the fact that other younger composers like Part, Gorecki and Tavener were beginning to show a similar interest in ancient Christian church music. Maybe he didn't know what these composers were doing (he died in the mid 1980's). His output is very small but of a very high quality. I want to get volume 2 of this excellent Naxos series.

Hovhaness music would be familiar to most here as well. It is a mix of Neo-classicism, oriental and middle eastern harmonies, Baroque counterpoint, and influences of some c20th composers like Vaughan Williams and Sibelius (Hovhaness knew the latter personally). I particularly like his two works on this disc, the lyrical and calming _Cello Concerto _(one of his earliest works from the 1930's to survive, he destroyed most of the rest) & the 22nd symphony, from his mature period, which has this great fugal ending based on an American hymn. Some great playing here from Starker and the composer himself at the helm in the symphony...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After several days (and then some) of Baroque music I need something lushly Romantic to the point of decadence... and so...










Some of these arias from American operas are so achingly beautiful... such as Bernard Hermann's "I have dreamt" from his opera _Wuthering Heights_... that it seems a shame that there are no recordings of the whole opera.


----------



## Efraim

Andre said:


> @ Efraim - yes I shouldn't have criticised Hummel in that way. But that post was from August last year! Hopefully I've changed my modus operandi a bit by now. I agree that it's not smart to elevate one composer or piece & devalue another. Point taken & lessons learned!!!


But on the contrary, I would like that you _do_ criticize him, of course not without knowing his works. Don't think that I am an uncritical admirer, even though I don't want to imply that Hummel interests me purely because of the "objective" qualities of his works: I admit having for his music some personal sympathy that I lack for, say, Glazunov, whose symphony is played right now in the background, on the radio (not boring, though), or for Mendelssohn, whom Hummel seems to have influenced to some extent and whose works might not be "objectively" (?) less good than Hummel's. But it does not mean that I don't criticize him. I think Hummel was far more gifted than were many more famous composers who owe their lasting fame to the fact that they laboured hard to find their personal style, while Hummel seems to have more often than not satisfied himself with more easily acquired popularity. On the other hand I think he was right not to try to adopt Beethoven's ways, although it seems he knew pretty well who Beethoven was.

I think the piano trio you heard is, like all the other six piano trios of Hummel, a very good work in a well-known classical style, written with impressive craftsmanship and not without inventiveness. Do you agree? But he wrote some other, a lot more personal, more original works, eg. 3 string quartets, two piano quintets, a few Fantasies for piano two of which astonishingly anticipate Schumann - one of them, Op. 18, in 1805 -, and, first and foremost, his terrific piano sonata in F sharp minor, a tremendous original masterpiece with no allowance to any stereotype. If you are ready to navigate to http://www.jnhummel.info/en/ you can hear this sonata, plus the Fantasy Op. 18, two string quartets by the Chilingirian qu., a piano quintet and those two of his piano concertos that you can not mix up with Mozart's (all the others I heard you can), all that in live recordings from concerts somewhere in France. (You can see there an interesting rectangular piano with two keyboards, one in front of the other, at each end of this uncommon instrument: they play on it a four-hand piano sonata.)


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart concertos 25 and 27, featuring Friedrich Guilda on piano and perfunctory humming.


----------



## World Violist

Mitropoulos' NYPO Mahler 6. Still one of the most harrowingly intense performances of this symphony I've ever heard.


----------



## Pieck

Schubert last SQ Emerson


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked up a number of these sets when Sony was dumping them for next to nothing. Certainly quite an impressive set. Currently listening to _La Mer_.


----------



## Sid James

Efraim said:


> I think Hummel was far more gifted than were many more famous composers who owe their lasting fame to the fact that they laboured hard to find their personal style, while Hummel seems to have more often than not satisfied himself with more easily acquired popularity. On the other hand I think he was right not to try to adopt Beethoven's ways, although it seems he knew pretty well who Beethoven was.


Yes, I know that Hummel like many other composers of the time, found it hard to respond to what Beethoven was doing without copying him. I remember seeing Piers Lane here in Sydney in the mid '90's play Hummel's Piano Concerto in B minor. It was a great experience. Hummel seemed to anticipate much that went on later, especially Chopin's cantabile style, both probably being inspired a bit by opera. Liszt also played one of Hummel's concertos (I think it was the B minor) in his first concert as a teenager. I think that Liszt wanted to take lessons from Hummel, but Hummel was not too keen - he disliked child prodigies. So I am aware that Hummel was a great influence on future generations, an important composer in his own right, and someone who did a very difficult thing - write music that was completely different from the demigod of the time, Beethoven. That piano concerto is the only one of his works that I know well, I still have a tape of it played by Martin Galling. I might get some Hummel on disc later, he's on the backburner now...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

I have several CDs featuring music by Hummel. He certainly deserves far more attention that currently. Remember, Hummel was recommened by Joseph Haydn himself to succeed Haydn as the next resident composer for the Esterhazy establishment, and there were certainly plenty of other talented composers around during the early 19th century.


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

It is early morning here in Budapest. Tchaikovsky String Quartet in D Major (Op11) (Emerson) is prepping me for a splendid day. Sun shining and my Nikon FM (Analogue) is wanting me to come outside. Best bring the headphones.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel, For Frank O'Hara, and Violin and Orchestra, an out of print recording someone uploaded on the Internet.


----------



## tdc

Le Canal De Versailles - Ouverture - Philidor

Listening to some baroque music today.


----------



## World Violist

So I've more or less decided that today is going to be my "listening to glacially slow recordings" day, starting off with one I haven't heard in several months:










and then taking a small break from that to listen to the Suzuki/BCJ's recording of Bach BWV 106.

Then this, bringing me back on track:










I don't know what I'll listen to after that. Suggestions?


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## tdc

World Violist said:


> Suggestions?


Hmmm...maybe Wagner or Britten, I haven't seen you posting as often about those two lately and I know you like both, so seems like a pretty safe suggestion. Or if you want to stick with slow recording mode maybe try one of Chailly's Mahler symphonies.


----------



## World Violist

tdc said:


> Hmmm...maybe Wagner or Britten, I haven't seen you posting as often about those two lately and I know you like both, so seems like a pretty safe suggestion. Or if you want to stick with slow recording mode maybe try one of Chailly's Mahler symphonies.


I don't have any Britten with me at the moment as I'm home from college for spring break, and I don't have any Chailly Mahler with me because it slowly dawned on me once that it bored me.

If I had Reginald Goodall's Ring cycle (any Wagner, really) I could do super-slow and Wagner... but I don't.

If I'm in the mood later today I could listen to Celibidache's Bruckner 9... that would be a feat of endurance.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Beautiful stuff


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> So I've more or less decided that today is going to be my "listening to glacially slow recordings , , , I don't know what I'll listen to after that. Suggestions?


I'm listening to For Philip Guston by Morton Feldman. Glacially slow. I think it lasts a couple hours.

Or else there's Karajan's recording of Haydn's The Creation from 1982. Its pace makes a stronger case for evolution.


----------



## World Violist

I'm going off track again with a recording of Bach's Chaconne done by Isabelle Faust... she might be my favorite living violinist now. I mean, she's the only violinist I can think of who actually realizes this is a dance and not a Wagner opera.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jaroussky is rapidly becoming one of my favorite singers.


----------



## Conor71

*
Ravel: Piano Trio
Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14, 15 & 17*


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak*
String Quartet No. 12 'American'
String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major
From Cypresses:
No. 1 I know that on my love to thee
No. 2 In many a heart is death
No. 3 In the sweet power of your eyes
No. 11 Nature is held in light sleep

Australian String Quartet
ABC Classics Discovery label

I was wanting to get this disc for ages, and picked it up this week. I had only heard the "American" quartet on radio yonks ago, and had never heard the other quartet or the _Cypresses_. The simplicity of this music can be deceptive, because while Dvorak used some of the structures and forms set up by Haydn, he combined with them some quite odd harmonies and spicy dissonances. The "American" quartet was - not surprisingly - written during Dvorak's stay in the Czech community in Spillville, USA. It has this open air feel, anticipating what future American composers would do, not least Ives and Copland. The scherzo has a decidedly American twang, but on the whole this music is nothing if not Czech. A tinge of homesickness lies just under the surface.

The other two works were written earlier back in Europe. The 10th quartet is on the whole a sunny work. At it's core is a "dumky" movement, which is a slavic traditional form made up of slow sections alternating with faster ones. & the 12 Cypresses, of which 4 are played here, were originally songs for voice and piano but later transcribed for string quartet. As usual, love is the theme, and this is an autobiographical work for Dvorak was in love with a young Czech woman. His love would remain unrequited, for he later married her sister. The vocal quality of these short works anticipates the music of Janacek, who would further develop these ideas.

All in all a wonderful disc at budget price, with excellent playing by the Australian String Quartet in it's former incarnation, when it was headed by lead violinist Natsuko Yoshimoto. She's now the concertmaster of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & I saw her only a couple of weeks ago as guest violinist with the piano trio "Selby and Friends" or Trioz. She also plays a lot of contemporary classical, last year I saw her in the premiere of a chamber concerto by Australian composer Brian Howard. This woman really gets around, and her companions on the disc were no less brilliant...


----------



## World Violist

Just at the end of Masaaki Suzuki/BCJ's recording of BWV 67. I love this cantata, and this recording is incandescent.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Josiah

Beethoven 9 Karajan Berlin Phil.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I just discovered this composer myself. Is this recording worth exploring?


----------



## Art Rock

Donlt know about that one, but I have the five Chandos CD's with his symphonies, and I enjoy them.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Art Rock said:


> Donlt know about that one, but I have the five Chandos CD's with his symphonies, and I enjoy them.


Thanks.

Today I'm listening to Kurt Weill's violin concerto.


----------



## the_emptier

Mahler symp. 3


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms*
Piano Trios No. 3 & Op. posth
Vienna Piano Trio
Naxos

*Xenakis* - Chamber music
Various soloists/Bernede Quartet/Choir of Notre Dame de Paris/Contemporary Music Ens. Paris/Simonovich
EMI double

*Bernstein* - Serenade
*Barber* - Violin Concerto
*Foss* - 3 American Pieces
Perlman/Boston SO/Ozawa
EMI

I find that I'm listening to more chamber music these days. I like the intimacy and don't feel as overwhelmed as when listening to orchestral music. The Brahms piano trios are symphonic in scope. I particularly like the second movement of the 3rd trio, which sounds quite similar to minimalism. I then listened to the Xenakis chamber music, the second disc. I particularly liked _Polla Ta Dhina_ for children's choir & orchestra - the choir intones the ancient Greek text over rumbling sounds from the brass & glissandos on the strings. & then the Perlman disc, Bernstein's _Serenade_ being inspired by Plato's symposium where various philosophers talk of love. The second last movement sounds a lot like "Maria" from his _West Side Story_. Barber's _Violin Concerto_ has always been a favourite since I first heard it at Sydney Uni in the mid '90's. This was the first recording I got of it three years ago. & the Foss pieces are a bit of Americana, similar to Copland. Well played...


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

Thanks to St.LukesGuild for recommending the Gardiner set of Sacred Masterpieces and Cantatas, I am in a glorious mood!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have a couple other discs from the Chandos Grechaninov series as well, but I quite love this one. Admittedly, I an a choral fanatic... but this is some top-notch Russian choral work... and the critics offered up similar praise... in spite of the fact that one might be somewhat suspect of Russian choral music performed by a group in Kansas City.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Thanks to St.LukesGuild for recommending the Gardiner set of Sacred Masterpieces and Cantatas, I am in a glorious mood!

Thanks... but I'll not take the full credit. Others here recommended this set before me, and it is truly one of the best purchases I made last year.


----------



## World Violist

The Tallis Scholars Finest Recordings 1980-1989

I still haven't got the other two volumes yet, but I've got them on my wish list.


----------



## tdc

Been listening to some Max Bruch this morning, first the violin concerto in G minor, and now another piece with stunningly beautiful violin - Kol Nidrei op. 47


----------



## World Violist

tdc said:


> and now another piece with stunningly beautiful violin - Kol Nidrei op. 47


Not cello? It's supposed to be cello...


----------



## tdc

World Violist said:


> Not cello? It's supposed to be cello...


My version is definetely violin , strange. Its off a compilation recording, called the A & B of classical composers ( featuring all composers who's last names start with A or B :lol. Beautiful piece though, I'll have to look into other interpretations.


----------



## tdc

Now I am onto violin concerto #1 by:










A ridiculously good concerto. Szymanowski has officially made my list of composers I feel to be under-rated.


----------



## Manxfeeder

In honor of St. Patrick's Day - oh, rats, these are Germans. Oh, well, maybe I'll put Bax in the queue.


----------



## World Violist

A bit more Bach today...










BWV 124
Suzuki/BCJ


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, some Gretchaninov.


----------



## Art Rock

Love that one.

Another undervalued symphonist:


----------



## Art Rock

Lovely combination of Golijov and Berio, with the brilliant (and gorgeous) Dawn Upshaw.


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

Claudio Arrau - Chopin _Nocturnes_

This is some truly great playing.

http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Noctur...6645729?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300474303&sr=1-2


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## the_emptier

Mahler symphony #4 from the kubelik cycle


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, Manfred Symphony*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Rafael Orozco playing Rachmanonoff's 2nd piano concerto. Mainly because I saw Ashkenazy's recording at a used CD store and began thinking, aww, do I need ANOTHER Rocky 2?


----------



## Art Rock

the_emptier said:


> Mahler symphony #4 from the kubelik cycle


I had symphonies 6 and 7 of that set in the CD player this morning.


----------



## Guest

Listened to Prokofiev's violin concerti earlier today; listening now to Shostakovich Symphony no. 10 while I study for my criminal law exam...


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Air

*Olivier Messiaen
Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus (20 Contemplations of the Infant Jesus)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard*

This is fantastic, wow! I'm too stunned to say anything worthwhile, except that this is perhaps the greatest piano work of the 20th century. Messiaen is strongly influenced by Debussy, especially in the slower, reflective moments, but also by the serialists - though he manifested these ideas in his own unique musical philosophy - modes of limited transposition based on symmetry and the idea of divine religious inspiration. The religious aspects have never been so apparent as in this long cycle of meditations of Jesus's childhood. It's chromatic, sure, and seeks very little for a tonal center, but it doesn't have the staunch serialism that Boulez refuses to let go of. He's so brilliant with leitmotifs that the listening is always interesting - allowing thoughts to be easily organized in the listener's mind. It's so encompassing and sensitive to different moods, concentrating on the contrast between mysticism, spiritual clash, and joy. It's one of the most optimistic pieces of the post-WWII era - an era of overall anxiety. I think that Messiaen felt that religion and his music were the answer to this anxiety, and this piece is sort of a response to that. I enjoy how Messiaen uses tritones too - in a piece about the life of Jesus it provides the tension and the contrast that gives the piece a sense of struggle. Perhaps most of all, I enjoy the rhythmic changes in the piece that metamorphose into each other and are reflected by all the independent voices that the two hands have to carry. The piece has an incredible sense of symmetry and structure while maintaining a vital and spiritual sense of spontaneity, which makes it so attractive and unique in my eyes.

Impressive, thoughtful and virtuosic playing by Aimard too, it's no breeze to play a work like this. I'm seriously considering playing sections from this piece next year. How exciting that would be!


----------



## the_emptier

Rachmaninov Symphony #2


----------



## Pieck

The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ for SQ - Haydn - Kodaly Quartet


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words
Chopin: Ballades, Piano Sonata No. 3*


----------



## Oskaar

smetana. ma vlast. I find the wholw work very good


----------



## Manxfeeder

Air said:


> *Olivier Messiaen
> Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus (20 Contemplations of the Infant Jesus)
> Pierre-Laurent Aimard*
> 
> This is fantastic, wow! I'm too stunned to say anything worthwhile, except that this is perhaps the greatest piano work of the 20th century.


Thanks for your comments. I've tried to get into Messiaen before, but his style is so idiosyncratic, I never felt it was possible for me to understand what he was doing. I mean, who hears color?

I'm pulling out my Naxos recording. Maybe the piece isn't as esoteric and intimidating as I thought it was.


----------



## Vaneyes

The most attractive Italian songs album since Di Stefano. Highly recommended.


----------



## Vaneyes

Pieck said:


> He lacks the mustache
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I hope no one will be offended by it, but we jews tend to joke about it)
> If the moderators will censore I'll understand


Cute, but it would make more sense for Mengelberg, Bohm, and Furtwangler introspection.


----------



## Geronimo

This morning:









Now:


----------



## mmsbls

Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2. Gorgeous second movement. I think I still prefer the concerto for two pianos.


----------



## Air

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for your comments. I've tried to get into Messiaen before, but his style is so idiosyncratic, I never felt it was possible for me to understand what he was doing. I mean, who hears color?
> 
> I'm pulling out my Naxos recording. Maybe the piece isn't as esoteric and intimidating as I thought it was.


For me, I think some of the fun is in _not always understanding everything_ - a quality that attracts me to contemporary music in general.

Hope the listening goes well for you!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lovely driving performance.


----------



## Pieck

Ravel SQ Borodin Quartet


----------



## the_emptier

Borodin-Prince Igor


----------



## Sid James

*Piazzolla* - Tangos & Dances arr. for piano trio
Macquarie Trio/ABC Classics

I love Piazzolla's music. It's a heady blend of Bachian/Baroque counterpoint, jazz, classical avant-garde techniques and (of course) the great Argentinian tango. A fusion which you'd think would never work on paper but in Piazzolla's masterful hands anything could happen. Some great playing here from the Macqarie Trio of Australia, which folded about 5 years ago (but pianist Kathryn Selby has now formed a new trio called "Trioz" who I regularly see live in concert). Speaking of "Trioz" I'm looking forward to them performing some of these very pieces later on in the year. A great disc that's just been put out this year that I got for a mere $10...


----------



## the_emptier

Gorecki 3rd symphony


----------



## Manxfeeder

Parade by Erik Satie.


----------



## Guest

Hamelin is an incredible pianist. I am always amazed at his skill. I just added these two to my collection, and will be listening to them today.


----------



## World Violist




----------



## Manxfeeder

Pierrot Lunaire, in a great performance by Erikz Sziklay, at least to my ears.


----------



## Pieck

Faure SQ - Ebene Quartet


----------



## Sid James

*GUBAIDULINA*
In croce for bayan & cello
Silenzio for bayan, violin & cello
Seven Words for bayan, cello & strings
(Naxos)

All of these works by contemporary Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina feature the bayan, the Russian button accordion. This is a very difficult instrument to play, because unlike the simpler piano accordion, the bayan makes a different sound (even if you're pushing the same buttons) when it is contracted or expanded. This instrument, especially in "Seven Words" has a sound similar to the human voice - it sighs, breathes, wails. That work is the highlight of the disc, and it is based on the same theme as works by Schutz and Haydn - the seven last words (or more accurately sentences) of Christ on the cross. A dialogue develops between the bayan and cello, and the string ensemble play music that definitely has the harmonies of choral music and tolling bells. The strings remind me of Sibelius and Arvo Part & the use of the solo cello a bit of Schnittke & Penderecki. This is quite creepy music which would not be out of place in a horror film (no wonder, as Gubaidulina - like many composers in the Soviet era - was forced to make a living writing film music). The religious title of this work had to be suppressed when it was premiered in Russia in the early 1980's. I find that I have to be in the right mindset to listen to this music, as it's quite intense. The other two shorter works are also based on religious themes. Some avant-garde techniques are used, such as the cello bowing on the "wrong" side of the bridge and the use of glissandos, and the music - as far as I know - slips in and out of certain tonal centres. This is interesting music if you want to get your head around what happened in Russian music after Shostakovich...


----------



## Vaneyes

A decent reading and performance. Expansive with detail and just right brass.


----------



## Guest

Stravinsky: Petrushka and The Rite of Spring
Andrew Litton: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
BIS

Great sound! These works are ones I have warmed up to. Initially I didn't care for them. But now I enjoy them. They aren't in my top list of favorites, but maybe in time.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov's saxophone quartet, a downloaded concert.


----------



## Pieck

Berg Piano Sonata Op. 1 Gould


----------



## Air

*Bela Bartok
Bluebeard's Castle
Adam Fischer
Eva Marton / Samuel Ramey*

This is part of an excellent WQXR program called "discovering Bartok". It started with the _Four Pieces_ from 1912, which showed a heavy Debussy influence and which the commentator said reminded him of Debussy's opera _Pelleas et Melisande_. I love how free Bartok's music sounded in his early years - so different from the complex rigidity of middle era masterpieces such as the String Quartets or the _Mikrokosmos_. The program also spent a good deal of time exploring Bartok's fascination for folk music. This began with Bartok playing his _Sonatina on Themes from Transylvania_, followed by the orchestrated version in the _Transylvanian Dances_. I like the Slavic sort of sadness that these works exhibit - almost like the Czech and Russian nationalists of the late Romantic era. It's very simple and sincere and I see how Bartok, in a time where Hungary's empire was beginning to break down, was drawn to it. It also shows that Bartok had much more of a melodic ear than many of us seem to think.

The highlight of this program was for me the performance of _Bluebeard's Castle_, which has to be one of the most interesting plots in the history of opera. I think the idea of the seven doors and the bloodstained levels that finally lead to the pool of tears are very compelling as symbolism. The fact that his fourth wife joins the other three in sharing the inevitable burden and fate is an interesting twist from former opera plots - no dying, but also no redemption. The excerpt played in the program was the opening of the 4th and 5th doors - again, very free music in the spirit of Debussy. Bartok is a master at using harmonic modes and even tone clusters to create melody. In his early days, he wasn't the rhythmic and harmonic beast that he became later on, and his early music shows an almost reluctance to follow the expressionist paths that many of his contemporaries were paving at the time.

The program ended with performances of _The Wooden Prince_ and the ever-popular _Romanian Folk Dances_. I'm really looking forward to the next episode of this series, which begins with the _2nd String Quartet_, a perennial favorite of mine. The commentator remarked that Bartok did not confine himself to Hungary and Transylvania when exploring the folk music traditions he loved so much. Apparently, the 2nd String Quartet is also influenced by and integrates a lot of the Algerian music tradition in it too, something I am eager to explore in the next parts of the program.


----------



## Sid James

@ Air - thanks for your description of the radio program. Some interesting observations there. I've only heard _Bluebeard's Castle_ once on the radio years ago...


----------



## Pieck

Arensky Quartet for violin, viola and 2 cellos


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 8
Boulez/VPO

The more I listen to this, the nearer in my estimation it gets to the Celibidache 4th. There is some stunning stuff going on in this recording!


----------



## DTut

Hello Air, 
That's funny, I just started a thread a while ago titled "Discovering Bartok". I got some good recommendations. Thanks for some more in-depth info. I'm not a vocal fan but I might check out a used CD.

Dave


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked this up as part of a 3-disc set of highlights from 3 different Vivaldi operas. The set was a steal (about $8) and the recordings/performers are all top notch. The more of Vivaldi's vocal music I hear, the more I respect him as a composer.

Speaking of a composer gaining respect... now here is something by Schoenberg I really love:










Schoenberg scored Mahler's masterful work for a small chamber orchestra. The resulting work is quite marvelous... more intimate... yet just as emotionally riveting. Of course the recording cannot surpass the great versions with Christa Ludwig... and the absolutely heart-wrenching recording with Kathleen Ferrier... but it is a lovely alternative that is truly unique. I'm pleasantly surprised at Philippe Herreweghe's participation here... the conductor is not really known for this oeuvre... but the result is marvelous as always.


----------



## Air

DTut said:


> Hello Air,
> That's funny, I just started a thread a while ago titled "Discovering Bartok". I got some good recommendations. Thanks for some more in-depth info. I'm not a vocal fan but I might check out a used CD.
> 
> Dave


Hi Dave,

The program is actually streaming on WQXR right now if you are interested in tuning in for a little bit. Right now they're playing his excellent ballet _The Miraculous Mandarin_.

The link is here: http://www.wqxr.org/programs/exploring-music/2011/mar/21/. You can also stream off of iTunes.

Hope everything works for you!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Haydn-esque but still original symphonies by Joseph Martin Kraus.


----------



## Pieck

Shostakovich 9th Bernstein
I'm going to here live tonight along with Mendelssohn VC and Vivaldi 4 viloins concert and Dvorak Carnaval Overture


----------



## adore




----------



## Sid James

*CAGE*
Credo in Us for piano, percussion, buzzer, turntables, radio
Rozart Mix
Imaginary Landscape 1
Piano Concert/Pieces for voice 1 & 2
Suite for amplified toy piano
Music for carillon
(EMI American Classics)

*BYRD*
Masses for 3, 4 & 5 voices
(Decca Eloquence)

I like the Byrd for it's serenity, sense of sublime & static qualities & I like the Cage for it's sense of anarchy & no holds barred. _Credo in Us _is the most engaging work that I have heard by Cage so far. I also enjoyed his Rozart Mix, but this is only a 4 minute version, and apparently the work can go on for much longer. I would also like to ask people here (sounds like a dumb question) but are Byrd's masses written for only 3, 4 or 5 voices, because it sounds like there are more voices than that. Maybe it's a number of voices per part??? Anyhow, I enjoy Byrd's works regardless of this, just thought I'd ask...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening again to one of those "fringe composers" from earlier times:










:lol:


----------



## World Violist




----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listening again to one of those "fringe composers" from earlier times:


:lol: Good one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Pierrot Lunaire with Erika Sziklay. It's interesting how Schoenberg explored different methods of coherence in these pieces, sometimes using canons, other times instrumental interludes, once klangfarbmelodie, once triangle patterns of three notes.


----------



## Guest

Haydn: Philemon und Baucis - Manfred Huss: Haydn Sinfonietta Wien (BIS)
An interesting marionette opera (I had no idea of their existence) from Haydn. My tastes lately have been trending back to the Classical period, away from the Romantic period, and Haydn is dominating.


----------



## EricIsAPolarBear

"My tastes lately have been trending back to the Classical period, away from the Romantic period, and Haydn is dominating."

Dig! me too with the London Symphony set, I have pushed mahler aside for a moment to give Haydn and Beethoven some respect!


----------



## mmsbls

Handel's Messiah. I hadn't listened to it in quite awhile. I'd forgotten how beautiful some of the orchestration is.


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> An interesting marionette opera (I had no idea of their existence)


Peter Sellars has a time machine.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> Peter Sellars has a time machine.


Alright, you have thoroughly confused me here - help me out.


----------



## World Violist

DrMike said:


> Alright, you have thoroughly confused me here - help me out.


He is infamous for staging Mozart operas as puppet shows.

EDIT: Or maybe it was the Ring... I've forgotten.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 5, 10 & 13
Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet, String Quartets*

Good morning - 2 Discs of beautiful chamber music to start the day! .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

World Violist said:


>


Beautiful recording. I purchased it some years ago, but only listened to it again recently. Quite lovely.


----------



## opus55

I like the sound of Tonhalle Orchestra. Listening to Ein Heldenleben.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A truly marvelous recording of some truly marvelous music. Handel is not as layered or complex as Bach... more open... simple (not to say simplistic) and Italianate. But his scoring of these works are every bit as varied as Bach. The _Saeviat tellus inter rigores_ has a marvelous chamber music-like scoring that weaves beautifully with the solo vocal lines. The _Laudate pueri Dominum_ plays with a contrast between passages of an elegant dancing solo vocal line set against a chamber orchestra and powerful passages of the full chorus. The more I hear of Handel the more esteemed he becomes in my opinion. I am nearly of the opinion that he was second in his lifetime to the only composer in the whole of Western music to whom he could possibly have played a second to.


----------



## tdc

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A truly marvelous recording of some truly marvelous music. Handel is not as layered or complex as Bach... more open... simple (not to say simplistic) and Italianate. But his scoring of these works are every bit as varied as Bach. The _Saeviat tellus inter rigores_ has a marvelous chamber music-like scoring that weaves beautifully with the solo vocal lines. The _Laudate pueri Dominum_ plays with a contrast between passages of an elegant dancing solo vocal line set against a chamber orchestra and powerful passages of the full chorus. The more I hear of Handel the more esteemed he becomes in my opinion. I am nearly of the opinion that he was second in his lifetime to the only composer in the whole of Western music to whom he could possibly have played a second to.


Thats funny, I was just listening to some of this yesterday and thinking; A) how incredibly good it sounds and B) that parts of it actually sound stunningly similar to Bach's Missa Brevis in G minor.


----------



## Pieck

Tchaikovsky Quartet No. 1 - Emerson


----------



## Art Rock

Interesting music - another unsung symphonist.


----------



## elgar's ghost

One of my favourite cycles.


----------



## mmsbls

Conor71 said:


> *Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 5, 10 & 13
> Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet, String Quartets*
> 
> Good morning - 2 Discs of beautiful chamber music to start the day! .


I have the Vaughan Williams and love the Phantasy Quintet










The Sunrise is pure delight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Webern, Six Lieder. Comparing Christiane Oelze and Boulez with Dorothy Dorow and the Schoenberg Ensemble. So far I prefer Ms. Dorow.


----------



## Pieck

Mendelssohn Viola sonata


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Earlier today:










Marvelous choral music of the English Renaissance... a period when the English were among the leading figures is music as well as the written word.










An exquisite rendering of Strauss magnificent Four Last Songs as well as various operatic arias.

Just completed:










I've grown increasingly enamored of Jaroussky's otherworldly pure and virtuoso countertenor. I also appreciate that he is among one of the most intelligent performers in seeking out works of great merit... sadly forgotten... beyond the core repertoire. Jaroussky has unearthed any number of virtually unknown Baroque composers worthy of hearing and has given them performances worthy of the greatest music.

Right now:










Absolutely ravishing music! For those who imagine that beauty was not to be found among the efforts of modern composers... this is a recording you should seriously explore. Takemitsu was profoundly inspired by Debussy... and Messiaen. John Cage led him to a deeper appreciation of his own native Japanese music. He merges a music deeply rooted in the love of nature that was central to both Impressionism and the Japanese tradition. The music employs a range or orchestration and variation of "sound colors" worthy of Ravel. One critic exclaimed that he could not fathom that Takemitsu could create music of such ravishing beauty in spite of employing so much dissonance... so much beyond the traditional Western tonality. I quite possibly would select Takemitsu as my favorite composer of the second half of the twentieth century.


----------



## tdc

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Absolutely ravishing music! For those who imagine that beauty was not to be found among the efforts of modern composers... this is a recording you should seriously explore. Takemitsu was profoundly inspired by Debussy... and Messiaen. John Cage led him to a deeper appreciation of his own native Japanese music. He merges a music deeply rooted in the love of nature that was central to both Impressionism and the Japanese tradition. The music employs a range or orchestration and variation of "sound colors" worthy of Ravel. One critic exclaimed that he could not fathom that Takemitsu could create music of such ravishing beauty in spite of employing so much dissonance... so much beyond the traditional Western tonality. I quite possibly would select Takemitsu as my favorite composer of the second half of the twentieth century.


A fine composer indeed. Unfortunately aside from some youtube stuff so far I've only listened to:

Rain Coming for chamber orchestra
Cassiopeia for percussion solo and orchestra
All in Twilight: for solo guitar

All of which I was quite impressed by. I ordered the guitar music soon after hearing All in Twilight, as well as some of his jazz guitar arrangements. I've had an orchestral recording of his on back order for close to a month now too, I'm itchin' to listen to this thing.


----------



## hespdelk

Wonderful symphony from the composer better known as a conductor.. I've always loved the historic Vienna recording conducted by Furtwangler himself (in surprisingly good sound for its age too), but Barenboim's Chicago reading does the work full justice with the benefit of modern sound.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Manxfeeder

Handel's Dixit Dominus.


----------



## Pieck

Concerto for Orchestra for the first time


----------



## emiellucifuge

Pieck said:


> Concerto for Orchestra for the first time


By who? Which one?


----------



## Pieck

emiellucifuge said:


> By who? Which one?


I haven't heard of anyone other than Bartok's

PS: you havent voted yet on the chamber ensembles, please come.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Disappointed with this.

I don't think I'll be buying anything more from Rachel Podger. Generally her playing is alright, but non-descript. She is not entirely to blame though. The orchestra's phrasing in the Andante of the A minor concerto (possibly my favourite movement of any Bach concerto) is what really ruined it for me. Left me completely cold.

Approach with caution.


----------



## tdc

Ravel's Sheherazade - (Introduction and allegro), one of my all time favorite pieces of music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Il Seraglio said:


> Disappointed with this.
> 
> I don't think I'll be buying anything more from Rachel Podger. Generally her playing is alright, but non-descript. She is not entirely to blame though. The orchestra's phrasing in the Andante of the A minor concerto (possibly my favourite movement of any Bach concerto) is what really ruined it for me. Left me completely cold.
> 
> Approach with caution.


I have quite a different opinion of this. I quite like Rachel Podger... and certainly Andrew Manze who has been consistently masterful in his recordings of violin music of the Baroque period. Considering that this is Bach, of course one recording won't do. I also have the classic Yehudi Menuhin recording. Seriously, unlike the keyboard concertos, I have yet to find what I consider an unrivaled recording.


----------



## Sid James

*Bernstein* - On the Waterfront, Chichester Psalms, On the Town (Naxos)
*Bernstein* - Serenade; *Barber *- Violin Concerto; *Foss *- 3 American pieces (EMI)

Getting back into some orchestral music after spending months listening to chamber. I particularly like Bernstein's film score for _On the Waterfront _(nominated for an Oscar) & the Barber concerto, which I first encountered at a concert at Sydney University 16 years ago & it stuck in my mind all those years until I got this disc a few years back. I also remember seeing the remastered version of _On the Waterfront_ at the movies back in the '90's & although it seemed a bit dated, it presented a vivid picture of that aspect of New York in the 1950's. The acting of Marlon Brando, Eve Marie Saint & Karl Malden was memorable, as was Bernstein's dramatic film score...


----------



## Efraim

Manxfeeder said:


> Pierrot Lunaire with Erika Sziklay. It's interesting how Schoenberg explored different methods of coherence in these pieces, sometimes using canons, other times instrumental interludes, once klangfarbmelodie, once triangle patterns of three notes.


This is by far the best interpretation of this work among all I ever heard, including that by Schoenberg himself. I think the name of Andras Mihaly should be mentioned too since the excellence of an interpretation depends first and foremost on the conductor; after all he picked up even Sziklay from a host of more famous singers. (I don't remember any other recording by him. I think he was mainly a composer.) That does not mean at all that I am not fond of Sziklay's performance. She has not a great imposing voice at all, but she has something that is more important in this work: she proves here an excellent actress, what Helga Pilarczyk (if I remember well her name) and the others I heard are not.

In my ears this work is in incomprehensible outburst of originality, even inside the body of Schoenberg's own oeuvre, one that defies any historical or comparatistic approach. But it would be more appropriate to speak of Schoenberg's, Mihaly's and Sziklay's collective creation. Agreed?


----------



## Efraim

If it is for me excusable to use the expression "current listening" in the somewhat expanded sense of "listening during my current life" or “during the finishing current 50-years period” so I would list the most extraordinary performances I fanatically (used to) listen to at various periods. Most of them are on old LPs hard to find, but what to do.

.

Bach, Art of Fugue. Ars Rediviva ensemble, Prague. About 1970.
Bach, Sonatas for violin and harpsichord. Josef Suk and Zuzana Ruzickova. About 1965. Available on CD.
Bach, French suite in C minor. Sv. Richter. Rec. in the 60s.
Bach, Fantasy in C minor & other works (Handel etc.). Zuzana Ruzickova. (Old Czech LP.)
Bach, French overture in B minor. Andras Schiff. (Decca LP.)
Bach: Cello suites. Maurice Gendron.
Haydn: Piano Sonata in B minor. Alfred Brendel (CD)
Haydn: Piano sonata in A flat. Lili Krauss.
Haydn: Piano sonata in C minor. Sviatoslav Richter. (1960.)
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 9/ D minor, Op. 33/B minor, Op. 55 (all). Festetics Quartet.
Haydn: SQ Op. 20/C major. Dekany Quartet. (Old Vox.)
Beethoven: String quartets Op. 127, 131, 132, 133. Smetana Quartet. (Czech LPs from the 60s and 70s.)
Beethoven: SQs Op. 59. Bartók Quartet. (Old Hungarian LPs.)
Beethoven: SQ Op. 132. Artis Quartet. (CD)
Beethoven: SQ Op. 18/6. Janacek Quartet. (Old Czech.)
Beethoven: Appassionata. Sv. Richter. (1960.)
Beethoven: Sonatas Op. 106 & 111. Istvan Antal. (Old Hungarian)
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A. Du Pre and Bishop Kovacevich. (Available on CD.)
Hummel: Piano Quintet in E flat minor, 1st movement. Schubert Quintett Wien. (On Youtube.)
Schubert: Piano sonata in A. Bishop Kovacevich.
Schubert: Piano sonata in B flat. Ashkenazy.
Schubert: Impromptus. Brendel.
Schubert: Four-hand fantasy in F minor. Richter & Britten.
Schubert: String quartet in G. Novak Quartet. (Old Czech.)
Schubert: String Quintet. Taneyev Quartet & Rostropovich.
Schumann: Fantasy in C. Dezso Ranki. (Old Hung.)
Schumann: Kreisleriana. Horowitz.
Schumann: 6 Intermezzo. Dmitry Bashkirov. (Old Russian.)
Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze. Ashkenazy.
Schumann: Sonata in F sharp minor. Istvan Antal.
Brahms: Piano trio in B. The Prague Trio. (Very old Czech LP.)
Brahms: String Quartets Op. 51. The Bartok quartet. (Old Hung.)
Brahms: Piano concerto in D minor. Rudolf Kerer, cond. Rozhdestvensky.
Brahms: Piano conc. in B flat. Gilels, cond. Fritz Reiner.
Brahms: 4th symphony. Fritz Reiner.
Brahms: 3d symphony. F. Reiner.
Brahms: Tragic overture. F. Reiner.
Brahms: Double concerto. Heifetz, Piatigorsky, cond. Alfred Wallenstein.
Id. Oistrach, Fournier, cond. Gallieri.
Brahms: Variations on a theme by Haydn. Antonio Pedrotti.
Brahms: Clarinet quintet. Thea King & the Gabrieli Quartet.
Smetana: SQ. Guarneri Quartet. 
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. K. Ferrier, J. Patzak, Bruno Walter.
Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire. Sziklay, cond. Andras Mihaly. 
Schoenberg: Transfigured Night. The completed Parrenin quartet.
Id. Gewandhausorchester, cond. George Sebastian.
Webern: String trio. Musica Nova Pragensis, cond. (yes!) Zbynek Vostrak. (Czech LP)
Berg: Chamber concerto. Ivan Straus, Zdenek Kozina, cond. Libor Pešek.
Bartók: Sonata for 2 pianos and percussion. Bishop Kovacevich, M. Argerich.
Bartók: Music for strings, percussion and celesta. Cond. Fritz Reiner.
Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex. Cond. Karel Ancerl (Czech LP.)
Lutoslavski: String Quartet. The La Salle Quartet.


How many of the above do you know?

Currently - in a narrow sense - I listen all the time to the dozens of Hummel CDs I recently bought, but I am afraid this topic hardly interests anybody of you.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1, Overtures
Dvorak: String Quartets Nos. 6 & 7*


----------



## tdc

The Piano Quintet in F Minor by Cesar Franck - a very nice piece of music, and I quite like Biret's playing on this.


----------



## Il Seraglio

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I have quite a different opinion of this. I quite like Rachel Podger... and certainly Andrew Manze who has been consistently masterful in his recordings of violin music of the Baroque period. Considering that this is Bach, of course one recording won't do. I also have the classic Yehudi Menuhin recording. Seriously, unlike the keyboard concertos, I have yet to find what I consider an unrivaled recording.


The playing is technically great. It's more the interpretation I didn't like. The Andante movement I mentioned needs more rubato imho. The strings should breathe and sigh, not simply plod along as they do here. I'd probably post a link to Trevor Pinnock's version at this point, but our good friends at UMG have wiped it from YouTube. :lol:


----------



## Sid James

*Music for Flute & Guitar*
Virginia Taylor flute, Timothy Kain guitar
ABC Classics

*PIAZZOLLA* Histoire du Tango 
*BEASER* Mountain Songs (excerpts) 
*LEISNER* Dances in the Madhouse 
*MACHADO* Musiques Populaires Brésiliennes 
*CORREA* André de Sapato Novo

I got this disc yesterday & gave it a first listen. I had not heard any of these works before, and Piazzolla was the only composer whose music I had heard before. All of these works feature the flute with the guitar in an accompanying role. The American composers Beaser & Leisner & the Brazilian Machado are all living composers in their fifties. Correa was a Brazilian composer of the mid c20th.

I connected with Piazzolla straight away, his history of the tango being related in music - from it's sultry beginnings in the brothels, then the cafes, night clubs and finally a concert hall of today. Beaser's Mountain Songs had an earthy American folksy feel allied with some modern techniques (he studied with Takemitsu, a master of composing for the flute). I couldn't pin down Leisner's work, based on the etchings of early c20th artist George Bellows, even though I listened to it twice. Maybe I was a bit tired. Machado's music reminded me especially of Stan Getz's album with the Gilbertos - the feel of "The Girl from Ipanema" was never too far away. Like the Piazzolla, this was a potted history of various Brazilian popular musical forms, such as the choros, bossa nova and samba. Correa was a guy who led a popular jazz band in Brazil during the 1930's who eventually became a professor of music. His piece "Andre's new shoes" was short and sharp. All in all this is an excellent album, at budget price, featuring some interesting music engagingly performed by these two Australian musicians. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in chamber music of the c20th...


----------



## Guest

I've been making my way through the Takacs Quartet's Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - I started with their wonderful recordings of the Razumovsky and Harp Quartets, then went to the late quartets - right now it is the Grosse Fugue. Their recording of this piece is powerful and helped me begin to appreciate this work. And I still think the 15th quartet is one of the most beautiful and heart-breaking works in this genre - along with the adagio from Barber's string quartet.


----------



## starthrower

Benjamin Britten-Cello Symphony









I snagged a used copy of this deleted title. I'm glad I did!


----------



## Pieck

Webern string trio


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

starthrower said:


> Benjamin Britten-Cello Symphony
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I snagged a used copy of this deleted title. I'm glad I did!


If you like this, be sure to check into the cello sonatas and sonata for piano and cello.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely thrilling performance of some truly magnificent music! Truly, the more I hear of Handel the more he impresses me. His music has an openness and a sprezzatura that is surely rooted in his years in Italy... but there is also a German seriousness and profundity and an English stateliness and love of the chorus. Seriously, this recording was absolutely thrilling... better than anything I've heard in quite some time. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up on end!!! :trp:


----------



## Sid James

*RAWSTHORNE* - "Practical cats" suite for narrator & orchestra & other works
Simon Callow, narrator/RPO/David Lloyd-Jones
(Epoch records)

Finally a piece of music that agrees with my profile picture! I just borrowed this from the library & listened to the "Practical Cats" suite, with words by T. S. Elliot. The music reminded me a bit of Prokofiev & there was also a bit in there that sounded very similar to "Land of Hope & Glory" by Elgar. I liked Callow's narration, particularly the bit about cats having three names (a "real" name, a "nickname" & the name that they only know) The poem about the old cat Deutoronomy was also good. I will listen to the rest of the disc tonight. I find that I'm kind of getting into the less "serious" & "weighty" music now because I feel a bit down & need a bit of a boost. I've listened to the more "serious" (particularly modern & contemporary) music for a large part of three years & it's time to take a break. I also borrowed Australian composer Miriam Hyde's piano concertos, and a disc coupling Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge songs with Ireland's "Overlanders" film suite. It'll be good getting into these later...


----------



## starthrower

StlukesguildOhio said:


> If you like this, be sure to check into the cello sonatas and sonata for piano and cello.


Will do. Thanks!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As a lover of lieder and art songs I could not pass up this two disc set... especially when it dropped down to a ridiculously low price through the Amazon secondary dealers. Beyond being an admirer of art song, I am quite fond of British music and was well pleased with the pastoral, folk-music nature of the music of Moeran with which I am familiar.

This recording is beautifully performed and recorded... as one would expect of Chandos. The music is simple and folk-like... with elements of the British pastoral... but also the pub and the town. The texts set by Moeran include poems by William Butler Yeats, Thomas Dekker, Dorothy L. Sayers, William Shakespeare, Thomas Campion, Christopher Marlowe, Seumas O'Sullivan, and A.E. Housman... of whom Moeran seems particularly fond.

I somewhat suspect that part of my love of art song is owed to my passion for poetry. There is a certain unique pleasure in exploring poems well-known and admired seen/heard through the imaginings of composers like Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Rubbra, Finzi, Britten, Moeran... and even John Adams, Ned Rorem, Jake Heggie, and Peter Lieberson. This is a particularly pleasurable disc for any who share an equal passion for the art of song.


----------



## tdc

Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words


----------



## Sid James

*Miriam HYDE* (1913-2005)
Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Village Fair for orchestra
Miriam Hyde, piano/West Australian Symphony Orchestra/Geoffrey Simon 
Sydney Symphony Orchestra/Dobbs Franks (in Village Fair)
ABC Eloquence

Along with Neo-classicist Peggy Glanville-Hicks and modernist Margaret Sutherland, the Romantic-leaning Miriam Hyde was one of the major Australian female composers of the older generation. I borrowed this disc from my local library, and gave it a first listen. Both of these piano concertos were composed by Hyde in the 1930's while she was a student at the Royal College of Music in London. These recordings are from the 1970's. The notes say that her major influences were Brahms and Rachmaninov. I can hear elements of those composers, but there is less overt passion there, there's more lyricism, finesse and poetry which reminds me more of Liszt and Saint-Saens (but not as much virtuoso fireworks as those). I didn't listen to the bonus track, Village Fair, because I was out of time, but I'll probably return to the disc this coming weekend. I enjoyed the two concertos, particularly their finely wrought slow movements, which although quite placid on the surface, have a kind of subtle unsettled undercurrent as well, imo. It's great to have the composer at the piano and the recorded sound is pretty good, even by today's standards. I agree with the musicweb review that is critical of one thing, the notes, which tend to focus on Australian women composers generally rather than Hyde's career and these works specifically. But at budget price, the buyer will have to ignore that a bit and simply go look elsewhere to find the relevant information...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, a CD titled Eugen Jochum and the Romantic Concerto. It's a live performance of Schumann's piano concerto with Claudio Arrau and the Greig concerto with Emil Gilels.


----------



## Guest

I needed to calm myself down today, so some wonderful Tallis Scholars are on the menu. After this one, I plan on giving these a listen as well.


----------



## nickgray

a damn good Satie cd


----------



## Guest

nickgray said:


> a damn good Satie cd


Agreed. I have this recording, and it is really quite good.


----------



## Sid James

Music for flute & guitar - Piazzolla, Beaser, Leisner, Machado, Correa

Piazzolla - Dances, songs, tangos arr. for piano trio


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1-3, Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3 & 6*


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Art Rock

I have the original version of the Brahms sonatas (for clarinet), as well as a transcription for viola - was very curious how the flute version would sound. Like the viola, I like it, but prefer the original.


----------



## science

I've been curious about that one, Art Rock. I will be on a Pahud binge sometime in the next few months.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


>


Do you have any thoughts about that one? I don't know much about Gieseking playing Debussy's piano works, if his interpretation is something to look into.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ernst Toch's Cantata of the Bitter Herbs.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## tdc

J.S. Bach - Christ, Der Du Bist Tag Und Licht BWV 1096


----------



## nickgray

Il Cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Invenzione (skipped the first four concerts though). And no, I don't think he wrote one concert 500 times.


----------



## karenpat




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> Do you have any thoughts about that one? I don't know much about Gieseking playing Debussy's piano works, if his interpretation is something to look into.


His interpretations have long been thought of as THE Debussy interpretations... with the Preludes perhaps being the finest example. I have Gieseking's complete works of Debussy and have found them exquisite... shimmering... but at the same time acknowledge that one must deal with the dated sound quality. I recently purchased the entire solo piano work by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and I find these to be equally magnificent.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous disc. The piano concerto employs some rather odd forms (Toccata, Waltz, Impromptu, March) that make the work rather suite-like. The opening is rather bouncy... almost jazz-like. One could imagine it in a Hollywood film. The waltz is clearly twisted... ironic... not unlike Ravel's _La Valse_. The winds play elegantly against the piano. The third movement... the Impromptu... is absolutely exquisite. It begins simply... almost like a nocturne. The piano goes on to play in a shimmering manner along with the rich romantic strings. Again there is something almost certainly ironic... comic about the March. One can imagine that Britten is building off of some of the ideas of Stravinsky

The Violin Concerto written in 1939... a year after the Piano Concerto... a right before Britten and Pears leave for the US... seems darker and laden with foreboding... of the war to come no doubt. In the opening movement the violin plays frequently against the rat-tat-tat rhythms that suggest something militant. A more lyrical theme contrasts with this more aggressive one... the two eventually weaving together as the richly romantic lyricism is punctuated with the second theme in pizzicato. The second movement is a driven, urgent, scherzo laden with drama that fold into the final Passacaglia movement in which the theme is initially stated by the low horns. The choice of this contrapuntal form cannot but call to mind J.S. Bach... whose own great Passacaglia for organ was making circles in the orchestration of Stokowski. This movement brings a formal solidity and a certain profundity to the closing of Britten's concerto.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

karenpat said:


>


What did you think? I quite enjoyed this... and having Jaroussky in the cast never hurts.


----------



## Conor71

*Glass: Glassworks
Ligeti: Melodien, Chamber Concerto, Piano Concerto, Mysteries Of The Macabre*

Some modern music for a bit of variety - interesting .


----------



## petrarch




----------



## Conor71

*Nyman: String Quartets
Part: Te Deum*


----------



## karenpat

StlukesguildOhio said:


> What did you think? I quite enjoyed this... and having Jaroussky in the cast never hurts.


I confess I was listening on Spotify because I've only bought Philippe's arias from iTunes so far However I think it's a great cast overall. I found I actually like Natalie Stutzmann a lot because she sounds more like a countertenor than a contralto which I think is a rare quality. And Gemma Bertagnolli sounds great too.


----------



## science

Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!

The World is Holy! The tongue and ... is holy!


----------



## tdc

My mind has lately been over-whelmed by the sheer brilliance of these piano sonatas. Where for years I solemnly declared Bach's Well Tempered Clavier to be the pinnacle of the repertoire for solo keyboard, I now can no longer say so with such confidence. I still cannot say which I prefer but I would go so far as to say that at this point, in my mind anyway Beethoven has pretty much equalled Bach with these works. Though admittedly its an odd comparison - apples and oranges, however what Im trying to say is Beethoven has simply blown me away with these sonatas.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Played this one late last night.










There is surely something to be said for listening to an opera in which one can understand the language... pick up on how the music is used to heighten or lend a certain color to a given word or phrase. Initially I was going to go with the original Britten/Peter Pears recording, but any number of reviews suggested that this more recent Bostridge.Rodgers pairing was even stronger and I can honestly say that I was in no way disappointed. Initially I had my doubts about the CD-Rom libretto... but I gotta say after using it, I love it. The PDF format allows me to enlarge the text to read it comfortably... much more comfortably that the micro-print most CD booklets allow.

The opera in question is a chamber-opera setting of Henry James classic tale. Where the original book leads us to believe that the ghost of Quint and Miss Jessel are all in the young governess mind, Britten's allowing us to see Quint and Miss Jessel leads us to wonder otherwise. Britten also plays up the loss of innocence (a common theme throughout his work) employing Yeats line from the _Second Coming_, "The ceremony of innocence is drowned..." with even greater suggestions of something horribly wrong having happened involving Quint and Miss Jessel... something suggestive of abuse of the children. The discomfort is further heightened if one knows of Britten's troubled sexual life.

Britten employs a twelve-tone "Screw Theme" which he runs through a series of 15 variations before each scene. While the music is largely tonal... with dramatic employments of dissonance, the twelve-tone theme and variation was an obvious nod to Schoenberg. The score makes repeated use of child-like music... nursery rhymes and such which a scoring suited to such. This in repeatedly contrasted with darker brooding passages highlighting the dark under-pinnings and the premonition of something not right.

Altogether a powerful musical drama in a marvelous performance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven Cello Sonatas with Eugene Istomin and Leonard Rose.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Gegiev shakes the dust off this old warhorse and offers up a _Nutcracker_ played under white light and lightning speed:










Quite thrilling!


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg* - Pierrot Lunaire
*Webern* - Concerto Op. 24
Jane Manning, speech-song/Nash Ens./Simon Rattle
Chandos

*J. Strauss Jnr. *- "Strauss in Berlin" album
Berlin PO/Harnoncourt
Teldec

I borrowed these two from the library yesterday. I particularly wanted to hear the Manning/Rattle recording of _Pierrot Lunaire _& compare it to the one I have (Schafer/Boulez). I'll be going to a concert of _Pierrot Lunaire _Saturday week, & they'll also play a chamber transcription attributed to Schoenberg of J. Strauss Jnr's _Emperor Waltz_. That's why I got the "Strauss in Berlin" album.

Well I think that the Manning/Rattle recording of _Pierrot_ is very much in your face, ascerbic, raw, no holds barred. At times, Manning's voice is hard as nails, at others it's soft as a baby's. She goes from being maniacal and crazy to sounding quite vulnerable and lyrical. I think that this recording has more of a feel of the grittiness and gutsiness of the cabaret world - which inspired this work - whereas the Schafer/Boulez recording sounds somewhat more refined and classical. I like both recordings, they offer an interesting contrast in ways to perform it. It'll be interesting to see how Australian soprano Fiona Campbell and the Australia Ensemble tackle this seminal work at the concert.

As for the accompanying Webern & J. Strauss Jnr. album, I also enjoyed them. The _Emperor Waltz _by Strauss is the opener on the Harnoncourt album and it's great. But I also like the _Die Fledermaus Overture & Voices of Spring_...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## science




----------



## mmsbls

The early violin concerto was written at age 13, and the concerto for violin and piano was written at 14. While the violin concerto is perhaps nice, the concerto for violin and piano is quite beautiful.

I have this other recording by Kremer/Argerich. It's awful. The rhythms are bizarre and the music does not sound like Mendelssohn.


----------



## petrarch




----------



## tdc

Schumann - Piano Quartet In E Flat, Op. 47, off of this:










Gorgeous!


----------



## Sid James

*Miriam Hyde* - Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Village Fair
ABC Classics Eloquence

These are concertos in the Romantic tradition, I especially like the slow movements, a lot of rather unsettled undercurrents there. The orchestral work "Village Fair" is a bit reminiscent of Chabrier's "Espana" - I think I hear castanets in this work as well...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

und es ward LICHT!!!!!

Stunning! This is the music and the recording to set all those straight who imagine Haydn as little more than a talented craftsman lost in Mozart's shadow.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> und es ward LICHT!!!!!
> 
> Stunning! This is the music and the recording to set all those straight who imagine Haydn as little more than a talented craftsman lost in Mozart's shadow.


It is an amazing work. Too often it lingers in the shadow of that universally recognized oratorio (though not without merit), Handel's Messiah. But listening to the introduction of light, you can almost hear Strauss' sunrise from Also Sprach Zarathustra.

Have you heard Spering's recording on Naxos? I have that one and have been very pleased with it, although you generally don't have to do much to convince me of the merits of Christie in any endeavor.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14, 18, 19 & 21*


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I recently purchased the entire solo piano work by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and I find these to be equally magnificent.


Thanks. I've never heard of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. I'll have to check into it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Prokofiev's second symphony by Jean Martinon. I don't know what to make of it. Is it worth getting to know better?


----------



## Air

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to Prokofiev's second symphony by Jean Martinon. I don't know what to make of it. Is it worth getting to know better?


Yes it is! Don't give up! 

Though I didn't know Martinon conducted Prokofiev. Interesting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Air said:


> Yes it is! Don't give up!
> 
> Though I didn't know Martinon conducted Prokofiev. Interesting.


Is that a good or bad interesting?

I'm going through Prokoviev's 7th symphony now with the same conductor.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg* - Pierrot Lunaire
coupled with *Webern* - Concerto
Manning/Nash Ens./Rattle
Chandos

I've been listening to this recording, especially the Schoenberg, since I borrowed it from the library on the weekend. I remember being perplexed and a bit put off by this very recording 10-15 years ago. It was my first foray into Schoenberg. Fast forward to now & I really like this work, and this recording in particular. It has the grittiness and edginess of the cabaret world which inspired this music. Some say that Jane Manning's performance is the best on record. I can't comment on that, as I've only heard the Schafer/Boulez recording which is totally different, so not much use comparing it to that. Manning goes from being over the top and maniacal to as vulnerable as a baby in the blink of an eye. I'm looking forward to seeing Pierrot done live by the Australia Ensemble Saturday week. It'll be an interactive performance, with not only the soloist and ensemble, but also a choreographed dancer, lighthing and the English translation of the text scrolling on a big screen. It'll be interesting to experience, and these two recordings have prepared me amply in terms of being able to appreciate this complex work a bit beforehand...


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 12 & 15
Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 6*

Good morning, some romantic Chamber Music to start the day - this type of music has been the core of my listening the last several months, love it! .


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Good morning, some romantic Chamber Music to start the day - this type of music has been the core of my listening the last several months, love it!

I have this Schubert set and quite like it... but admittedly the string quartet (and trio, quintet, etc...) remains the genre that has the least hold on me.


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 12 & 15
> Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 6*
> 
> Good morning, some romantic Chamber Music to start the day - this type of music has been the core of my listening the last several months, love it! .


Mine too! Mendelssohn's and Schubert's are my favorite SQs. Now listening to Mendelssohn's PianoTs and quartres, the trios are really amazing


----------



## hespdelk

Loved Cherubini's quartets since I discovered them about a decade ago.. the Melos Quartet's reading is first rate in all respects. This cycle of quartets is an important contribution to the form and should be better known in my opinion. It had been a while since I'd listened to them.. its been refreshing to return to them.










Schnittke's piano concerto - a compelling piece, one of my favourite by Schnittke. The Requiem, at turns fascinating and bizarre.. ultimately rather moving as well.


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> Mine too! Mendelssohn's and Schubert's are my favorite SQs. Now listening to Mendelssohn's PianoTs and quartres, the trios are really amazing


I really enjoy the Mendelssohn Piano Trio's too - the slow movement from the Trio No. 1 is awesome! :trp:

now listening:

















*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 7, 8 & 9
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 50*


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Good morning, some romantic Chamber Music to start the day - this type of music has been the core of my listening the last several months, love it!
> 
> I have this Schubert set and quite like it... but admittedly the string quartet (and trio, quintet, etc...) remains the genre that has the least hold on me.


Its mainly over the last year or so that my listening preference has changed from Orchestral to Chamber Music! - Listening to the Beethoven and Shostakovich SQ Cycles was the turning point for me .


----------



## Conor71

hespdelk said:


> Loved Cherubini's quartets since I discovered them about a decade ago.. the Melos Quartet's reading is first rate in all respects. This cycle of quartets is an important contribution to the form and should be better known in my opinion. It had been a while since I'd listened to them.. its been refreshing to return to them.


I havent heard any of this composers work before hespdelk and checked out some reviews of this SQ cycle on Amazon after reading your post - sounds like just my cup of tea and have this cycle on my wish-list now! :tiphat:.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravel's Valse nobles et sentimentales by Jean Martinon. Maurice Ravel's orchestral music has sounds that make me glad I have ears.


----------



## 1648

Harnoncourt's 90s recording of Bach's St. John Passion, easily his most successful recording of a Bach passion.

Going to see it performed live by Koopman and his forces on the 11th.


----------



## World Violist

Breathtaking live Mahler 8 from Tennstedt.


----------



## Conor71

*Borodin: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2, String Sextet
Dvorak: String Quartet No. 3*


----------



## World Violist




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Its mainly over the last year or so that my listening preference has changed from Orchestral to Chamber Music! - Listening to the Beethoven and Shostakovich SQ Cycles was the turning point for me

I have most of the major quartet cycles: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven (although I quite desire the Alexander String Quartet cycle), Schubert, Brahms' chamber music, Shostakovitch' and Bartok's (I still need Dvorak). I have those moments when I am truly in the mood for such... but these moments are far less rare than the desire for vocal music (choral, opera, song, etc...), symphonic, concertos, or solo instrumental. I remember that someone once described the string quartet... I believe Beethoven's... as the most "democratic" of musical forms. It was compared to a dialog among four individuals... none of whom was dominant... each of whom had something of equal importance to add. Perhaps this is so... and perhaps this is part of the reason for my aversion... after all, when it comes to art, I am a clear "elitist".

:tiphat:


----------



## hespdelk

Conor71 said:


> I havent heard any of this composers work before hespdelk and checked out some reviews of this SQ cycle on Amazon after reading your post - sounds like just my cup of tea and have this cycle on my wish-list now! :tiphat:.


I'm glad to have brought it to your attention - I think you'll find it a rewarding listen. :tiphat:

I had mostly known Cherubini from his opera Medea and Beethoven's high opinion of him - this made me curious to know more. There is much to discover - Riccardo Muti has recorded a number of his large scale sacred works that are also well worth hearing.

I didn't know the quartet set had been re-released by Brilliant at budget price.. nice.. I saw they have a number of interesting reissues..


----------



## hespdelk

Giving this recording another chance.. sadly wasn't all that impressed with this reading (or the sonics) of one of my favourite Shostakovich symphonies the first time round.. and this impression has only been reinforced.. 

A somewhat lackadaisical run through of a work that should be brimming with tension...


----------



## Ravellian

A Naxos recording of Beethoven's violin concerto. This piece reminds me so much of his 4th Piano Concerto.. they're almost identical in mood and overall structure.


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Its mainly over the last year or so that my listening preference has changed from Orchestral to Chamber Music! - Listening to the Beethoven and Shostakovich SQ Cycles was the turning point for me
> 
> I have most of the major quartet cycles: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven (although I quite desire the Alexander String Quartet cycle), Schubert, Brahms' chamber music, Shostakovitch' and Bartok's (I still need Dvorak). I have those moments when I am truly in the mood for such... but these moments are far less rare than the desire for vocal music (choral, opera, song, etc...), symphonic, concertos, or solo instrumental. I remember that someone once described the string quartet... I believe Beethoven's... as the most "democratic" of musical forms. It was compared to a dialog among four individuals... none of whom was dominant... each of whom had something of equal importance to add. Perhaps this is so... and perhaps this is part of the reason for my aversion... after all, when it comes to art, I am a clear "elitist".
> 
> :tiphat:


:lol:

Speaking of Opera/Vocal Music, thought I'd give this a spin :









*
Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Symphonic masses by Nicolas Flagello and Arnold Rosner, then Haydn's Missa in Angustis.


----------



## World Violist

Monumental beyond even Bernstein's wildest dreams. Not even joking.


----------



## Pieck

Mass for the End of Time - Anonymous


----------



## jhar26

Mutter's debut recording.










Lots of fun indeed.


----------



## World Violist

It's rather amusing that John Eliot Gardiner has changed from being one of the fastest Bach conductors on record to now being among the slowest...especially in the movements that are marked to be slow.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> It's rather amusing that John Eliot Gardiner has changed from being one of the fastest Bach conductors on record to now being among the slowest...especially in the movements that are marked to be slow.


That's a good thing, right? My chief complaint about Gardiner has been that slow movements have lacked soul. I hope that's changing.

Tonight, Poulenc's Gloria.


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> That's a good thing, right? My chief complaint about Gardiner has been that slow movements have lacked soul. I hope that's changing.


Gardiner's slow movements are very interesting. Take the third movement of BWV 4, for instance, "Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt." At first glance it's ridiculous: most performances average about 3 minutes, Richter standing out for being 4 minutes... and then we have Gardiner at 5:33. Nearly twice as long as average. However, he varies each verse in such a way that the text really makes sense with the music, and the Monteverdi Choir work miracles with it. It's very moving; I think you might well be impressed.

No, what I was really getting at was that back in the 1980's and 90's Gardiner's recordings were famous for being way faster than usual, but now many conductors have taken things way faster than him, making him seem quite sedate in comparison. But nobody can make something as dramatic as can Gardiner, even if it's at half normal tempo.


----------



## Sid James

*PIAZZOLLA*
"Classic tracks from Argentina" album
Concerto For Bandoneon And Orchestra 
& orchestral arrangements of:
Decarisimo 
Chiquilin De Bachin 
Milonga Del Angel 
Muerte Del Angel 
Adios Nonino 
Fuga Y Misterio

Daniel Binelli, bandoneon
Orquestra Estable del Teatro Colon
Jose Carli
EMI

*ROZSA*
Viola Concerto (1979)
Hungarian Serenade (1932, rev. 1945)
Gilad Karni, viola
Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV (Hungarian State Railways)
Mariusz Smolij
Naxos

I got the Piazzolla album for $3 in a second hand shop. I had not heard the concerto before, but I was familiar with the songs and tangos in their chamber versions. It was interesting to hear Piazzolla played by an orchestra, they sound like completely different works in these versions. Piazzolla's own orchestration of the concerto sounds more Modernistic, while the arrangements by others of the songs & tangos sound much lighter. The bandoneon sounds a bit alien to my ears, because I'm not used to it.

I haven't heard the Rozsa in a long time, although I've had it for a couple of years. The _Viola Concerto _certainly exploits the rich tones of the instrument, from it's highest to lowest registers. There is an interesting interplay between the violist and the woodwinds in particular. The world of Brahms' own string concertos is not too far away, although the style itself is more akin to the more astringent moments in Bartok's music. The _Hungarian Serenade _was originally scored for string orchestra but later (in this version) rearranged for full orchestra. The style of this piece reminded me of Kodaly in particular, but also a bit of Holst and Vaughan Williams. I really like both of these works, and might later get some of the other Naxos disc of Rozsa's concert music...


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4, Preludes & Pugues Nos. 1-12*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Nicolas Flagello's first symphony and accompanying pieces.


----------



## Rangstrom

Another great find by Naxos: orchestral works by Jack Gallagher.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Pieck

Schoenberg String Trio Op. 45 Recherche Ensemble.
Doing homework for the Top Chamber Ensembles list


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio made me pull out this one.


----------



## the_emptier

Bruckner 7th, Barenboim conducting


----------



## hespdelk

I still prefer Bernstein's Chicago recording for the first movement of this symphony, but for the full work I've been warming up to Gergiev's more and more.


----------



## World Violist

Leonard Bernstein conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's 7th symphony... possibly the only time Bernstein fully lived up to his hype?


----------



## hespdelk

World Violist said:


> Leonard Bernstein conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's 7th symphony... possibly the only time Bernstein fully lived up to his hype?




I don't know if I'd say its the only time, heh, but this recording certainly stands as one of his best in my view. I think his old rendition of the 5th with the New York Philharmonic stands on similar level, and there's quite a bit of his later Mahler recordings for Deutsche Grammophone that I keep coming back to.


----------



## World Violist

hespdelk said:


> I don't know if I'd say its the only time, heh, but this recording certainly stands as one of his best in my view. I think his old rendition of the 5th with the New York Philharmonic stands on similar level, and there's quite a bit of his later Mahler recordings for Deutsche Grammophone that I keep coming back to.


Yes, you could say that his Mahler and other Shosty recordings were on a similar level, but that statement would be controversial, particularly regarding Shosty 5. Besides, there are other recordings of Mahler and Shosty symphonies that are great that are not by Bernstein, but the S7 with the Chicago Symphony is the only recording that rises to this level that I'm aware of. Which is why I say living up to "hype" rather than "stature."
:tiphat:

Or rather...
:tiphat:+:trp:=


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 1-3*


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 1-3*


How are his early ones? I dont know them yet, although heard some of them once or twice.


----------



## Pieck

Beethoven 4th - Emerson SQ.
I feel obligated to vote for this one, it's just so good.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schumann's string quartets Op. 41, Nos. 1 and 3.










Then Stravinsky's Mass by Robert Craft.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Schubert's lieder marvelously sung by Anne Sophie von Otter and Thomas Quasthoff scored for orchestra by the likes of Brahms, Britten, Liszt, Webern, Berlioz, and Max Reger. While I would not replace the original scoring for piano and vocalist, this recording does give a hint of what Schubert might have achieved had he lived longer. One can only imagine Schubert taking what he had learned in his last symphonies and his late chamber works and applying this to future lieder compositions, scoring older "favorites", and even eventually coming about with choral compositions and opera.

:tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

This morning, Sir Thomas Beecham's special way with Schubert's symphonies, then Vol. 3 of the Kodaly Quartet's survey of his string quartets.


----------



## dmg




----------



## Manxfeeder

dmg said:


>


Wow! She sure knows her way around a ukelele.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Pieck

Still doing homework for the Chamber Ensembles. Now Elgar's SQ


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> How are his early ones? I dont know them yet, although heard some of them once or twice.


I enjoyed the Early Quartets I have listened to so far  - probably no suprise that there not as memorable or involved as the later Quartets but they are still a nice listen. They are probably similar in style to Beethovens Early and Rasumovsky Quartets which isnt a bad thing!.
I wouldnt say the early quartets are essential listening Pieck but they are worth your time if you enjoy SQ's or are a completist like me :tiphat:.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Again!

Beautiful Baroque music deserving of more exposure.

Absolutely beautiful performance.


----------



## Sid James

*R. Strauss* - Metamorphosen
Dresden Staatskapelle/Giuseppe Sinopoli
DGG Eloquence

*Schoenberg* - Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) - string orchestra version
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
DGG

*Cecil Forsyth* - Viola Concerto
Power/BBC Scottish/Brabbins
Hyperion

I just got the Schoenberg and Bowen/Forsyth viola concertos discs from the library. I hadn't listened to Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night _in at least 10 years. This is undoubtedly one of his most significant works (his first large scale work, written in 1899). It's a very turgid and emotional piece pushing tonality to a great degree, but the world of Brahms and Wagner is never too far away. Then I got out my recording of Strauss' _Metamorphosen_, another great work for string orchestra, using similar techniques to the Schoenberg. But unlike Schoenberg who was at the beginning of his career in 1899, Strauss was well into his eighties when he came to write _Metamorphosen_ - a very emotional reminiscence of what had happened to Germany during the war years. Despite much darkness, there is also a fair bit of hope for the future in this work. It's funny, I just got the image from musicweb, and the reviewer said that Sinopoli's interpretation was slick but without much emotion. This is utter rubbish, imo. I've heard this work 3 times live in concert played by the Australian Chamber Orchestra over the years, and I also used to own Karajan's much darker account with the BPO. I think I am in a good position to judge Sinopoli's account, and in my opinion it is top-notch.

Then I listened to Cecil Forsyth's _Viola Concerto_, which like the York Bowen coupled with it, comes from the 1900's. This is a work in the Romantic tradition, and the music of Mendelssohn, Brahms and Bruch is never too far away. I especially like the sad and affecting slow movement. The finale to me sounded a bit Celtic like Bruch's _Scottish Fantasy_, but somewhat more restrained and British. I'll listen to the Bowen soon as well...


----------



## Conor71

*
Elgar: Violin Concerto In B Minor, Op. 61 - Kennedy; Handley: LPO*

The Elgar is one of my favourite Violin Concerto's - I really like this version with Kennedy & Handley .


----------



## Manxfeeder

A good friend's mother died suddenly yesterday (she was my age), so I'm in a pensive mood, listening to Michael Haydn's requiem by Christian Zacharias.


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> I enjoyed the Early Quartets I have listened to so far  - probably no suprise that there not as memorable or involved as the later Quartets but they are still a nice listen. They are probably similar in style to Beethovens Early and Rasumovsky Quartets which isnt a bad thing!.
> I wouldnt say the early quartets are essential listening Pieck but they are worth your time if you enjoy SQ's or are * a completist like me* :tiphat:.


I am, it's a sickness. I'm also in love with SQs, but there are so many things that are more important listening (for me) on my list for now, but I'll get to it eventually.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with a download of Sergui Celibidache conducting Bruckner's 4th at Osaka, Japan, on 4/20/93.


----------



## Conor71

*
Bach: Well Tempered Clavier - Book 1, BWV 858-869*

The sound on Book I of this WTC set by Kirkpatrick is'nt the best but I still really enjoy the playing of these works .


----------



## Sid James

*de Falla & Granados* - Songs & guitar music

Got back from a recital of Spanish music, including these two composers, so I was in a mood for more. de Falla's music is more earthy and dissonant, whereas Granados is more refined and restrained. This disc offers a two guitar arrangement of Granados' 12 Spanish Dances as well as de Falla's 7 Popular Spanish Songs arranged for soprano and guitar. Delightful!...


----------



## Ravellian

Today I listened to the complete Scriabin sonatas, with a mix of youtube and personal recordings.


----------



## science

Almost done with it. Quite an interesting mix of music.


----------



## science

Ravellian said:


> Today I listened to the complete Scriabin sonatas, with a mix of youtube and personal recordings.


Listened to Ashkenazy's recordings of them two or three days ago. Not works I know well. I've listened to them probably ten times in the past two years, but I just don't appreciate them.


----------



## Conor71

*Elgar: Falstaff, Op. 68*


----------



## Ravellian

science said:


> Listened to Ashkenazy's recordings of them two or three days ago. Not works I know well. I've listened to them probably ten times in the past two years, but I just don't appreciate them.


Probably the easiest Scriabin sonatas to "get" are the 2nd and the 5th. (Wow, kind of like Sibelius, huh? O_O) The 2nd has a lovely second theme, and the 5th is a bit "atonal" but has a wonderfully mystical dance-like theme and a lot of energy. I recommend the Richter recordings of both; they're available on youtube.

The 6th to the 10th are all pretty weird and grounded in Scriabin's theosophic ideas. The only one of them I can really appreciate is No. 9, "Black Mass."


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner's 3rd by Horenstein and 4th by Karajan.


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Des Canyons Aux Étoiles*


----------



## Pieck

Tristan und Isolde for the first time. haflway through


----------



## Sid James

@ ravellian - thanks for that info on the scriabin sonatas, which I'll have to get into on youtube at some stage. I've not heard any of them, but I'd like to explore them later...

Listening last night:

*Philip Glass* - Violin Concerto (coupled with *Schnittke*)
Kremer/VPO/Dohnanyi
DGG

I borrowed this disc from the library on the weekend, and gave it a first listen. I remember hearing the Glass concerto at least 10 years ago on radio, it must be memorable because the final movement kind of stuck in my mind, but I'd never heard the Schnittke work before. I really like the Glass concerto. The first two movements can be described as slow but intense, and relatively quiet, but at the beginning of the third & final movement he really turns the volume up - BAM! It's like techno or something. This gave my cd player a workout for sure! But the ending returns to the more gentle mood of the first movement.

The Schnittke concerto was a contrasting work to the Glass. It's probably more gratifying for the violin soloist. This work seemed quite dark and colourful, with the addition of harpsichord and piano. But I dozed off in the middle of it  not because I was bored but because I was quite tired after a long day. I plan to revisit this whole disc, the Schnittke in particular, in the coming days. All in all an enjoyable recording, & interesting to see the Vienna players adapting themselves to repertoire that must be a bit off the beaten track for them...


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Art Rock




----------



## World Violist

BWV 4, Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists/Monteverdi Choir

Third movement still puts tears in my eyes.


----------



## haydnfan

Jacobs/Freiburger performing Mozart's 39th and 41st symphonies. Excellent, energetic but not rushed performances.


----------



## tdc

Walton - Violin Concerto No. 2 (impressive)


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 4 (with 'Blumine')
Alexandra Coku, soprano/Netherlands PO/Hartmut Haenchen
Brilliant Classics

I'm not a huge Mahler fan, but I like this symphony, because it's not too heavy. It reminds me a bit of my early childhood spent in the Northern Hemisphere before coming to the sundrenched shores of Australia. Sleigh rides in the snow, that kind of thing. I just realised when listening to this after having been familiar with it for a couple of years since I bought it, the slow movement sounds like it would sound great if transcribed for organ. It's harmonies make me think of being in a magnificent cathedral with a grand organ piping out this movement. The swelling strings and huge climaxes remind me a bit of Tchaikovsky, I wonder what Mahler would have thought of this comparison? The song at the end of the symphony - the final movement - is quite uplifting and it makes me feel happy. As a bonus the disc includes the excised 'Blumine' movement, which is a pretty good piece in itself. I'm looking forward to seeing this work, as well as the composer's _Songs of a Wayfarer_, performed at a free concert in May out at Macquarie University in North-Western Sydney. It's great that they'll be playing my favourite symphony by this composer...


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to this. 
Great acoustic quality!
Stokowski's and Egarr's orchestral transcriptions deliver!









http://www.glossamusic.com/glossa/reference.aspx?id=217
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6907


----------



## Manxfeeder

Loren Maazel's recording of Porgy and Bess.


----------



## Conor71

*
Bach: Mass In B Minor, BWV 232*


----------



## Pieck

Bartok 1st SQ - Emerson.
Pretty nice
400 posts


----------



## Aggelos

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6959
http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 5086

Chandos, Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Philharmonic as usual deliver!!!


----------



## Sid James

*New Directions in Music*
*Stockhausen* - Etude Concrete; Nr. 5 Zeitmasse (Time-measures) for 5 woodwinds; Klavierstuck XI
*Boulez* - Le marteau sans maitre (The hammer without a master)

Soloists & ensemble cond. by Robert Craft
David Tudor, piano
EI Records

*Nielsen*
Symphony No. 5
Violin Concerto

Soloists/Danish Radio SO/Kubelik (in symphony)/Blomstedt
EMI double

I really liked the Boulez song cycle, which was of course influenced by Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire _(which I'll go to see tonight), but it sounds completely different. The deep contralto voice sounds quite lyrical at times and dissonant at others, but it is never harsh. The accompaniment is rich in percussion, which reminds me strongly of Balinese gamelan. There is hardly any repetition in this music, it's a bit like a labyrinth that you can easily get lost in. The rest of the disc was also excellent (very well filled, clocking in at just under 80 minutes). The other highlight for me was the Stockhausen Klavierstuck XI, I think it's an example of "total serialism." I love the wild dynamic contrasts and the way the piano is almost attacked, sometimes the sounds remind me of screaming. Quite ferocious and intense in parts.

As for the Nielsen 5th, I enjoyed it a lot. I like how it opens quietly and quite vaguely. The snare drum is quite insistent in the first movement, with a vibe that reminded me of Shostakovich somewhat. The second and final movement is less unsettled and more triumphant. The use of the kettle drums in the magnificent conclusion reminded me of the end of Janacek's _Taras Bulba_. There was quite a bit of gravitas in this live recording, Kubelik and the Danish orchestra were pumped to the max. The violin concerto was also very interesting. A bit like Elgar without the pathos, as one critic said. I liked the two quite modern sounding cadenzas (not far off from Schoenberg). I plan to listen to the other disc in the next few days...


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Chamber Music*


----------



## haydnfan

Chopin Preludes Tharaud for me-- sublime!


----------



## Conor71

*
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4*

Such a great piece and easily one of my favourite Symphonies .


----------



## Art Rock

It's that time of year.....


----------



## Manxfeeder

Art Rock said:


> It's that time of year.....


True. I need to go through the passions again this week.

Today, I'm listening to Rachmaninov's first two piano concertos by Ashkenazy/Previn.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 5 & 22*

Prompted by reading a thread on Amazon I thought I'd give these a spin .


----------



## Pieck

Does this ever happen to you that you dont know what music to choose?
Well so I chose Beethoven Serioso played by Emerson, just to refresh my memory to the TC Chamber Ensembles


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been listening to a lot of Handel's early Italian works. The cantatas he wrote during his stay in Italy are absolutely exquisite. I've been collecting the complete body of these works on Glossa records with La Risonanza, but I also tried out a few other performances. This recording by The Sixteen and Harry Christophers with Ann Murray is absolutely thrilling. While I am still a sworn Bach idolater, Handel continues to grow ever in my esteem... to the point where I can easily imagine a strong argument for his superiority to Wagner... Beethoven... and possibly Mozart.










Perhaps wishing to offer up some defense of Mozart I am now listening to some of his greatest works... for surely Mozart's piano concertos are among the strongest works in his entire oeuvre... after only his operas.










While I find the piano forte seems wrong for Beethoven's piano concertos and sonatas (I'm no HIP purist... my favorite performances of Bach's keyboard works are on piano) it works just fine for Mozart. Of course I also have some "traditional" recordings of his major concertos by Brendel, Horowitz, Serkin, etc... but this set is quite marvelous.


----------



## Orange Soda King

Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28.

Played by none other than John Ogdon!


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: St. Matthews Passion, BWV 244*

Prompted by Art Rocks listening .


----------



## Manxfeeder

I was reaching for a passion-week recording and pulled out this: Lassus' Tears of St. Peter.


----------



## tdc

Pieck said:


> Does this ever happen to you that you dont know what music to choose?
> Well so I chose Beethoven Serioso played by Emerson, just to refresh my memory to the TC Chamber Ensembles


Yes, sometimes I need to hear the start of several pieces before I can figure out what I am in the mood for. I don't like listening to pieces I don't feel receptive to. Right now I am listening to - J.S. Bach's lute suite in E minor BWV 996.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## dmg

Enjoying this at the moment.


----------



## Conor71

*Takemitsu: Chamber Music*

Only my second listen to this Disc of Chamber Music .


----------



## DTut

Who's playing the Lute Suite? That's my favorite of the four and it's a killer to play. Check out 995, 997, and 1006a which he adapted from a violin partita (sonata?), can't remember...


----------



## tdc

DTut said:


> Who's playing the Lute Suite? That's my favorite of the four and it's a killer to play. Check out 995, 997, and 1006a which he adapted from a violin partita (sonata?), can't remember...


This morning I was listening to a keyboard version of it played by Christiane Wuyts on harpsichord. I also have lute suite recordings by Jakob Lindberg (lute), Sharon Isbin (guitar) and Andres Segovia (guitar) among others...

On guitar I often play the famous Bouree from 996, I really want to learn the Sarabande next from that suite and I'm currently working on BWV 995 as well. Its a joy (and challenge) to play such brilliant works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still delving deeper into Handel... in this instance the truly English Handel... with libretto by John Dryden. The music is far more regal and processional than the lilting and elegant Italian cantatas with horns ala the Royal Fireworks and thrilling choruses geared toward the English audience and their great tradition of choral music. Handel inserted two of his organ concertos (the Op. 4, no. 6 re-scored for harp, and no. 1). The newly created harp concerto picks up where the recitative announces Timotheus' playing the harp. Among the most well-known passages is the Air/Duet/Chorus, _None but the brave deserves the fair_. This whole oratorio on the "Power of Musick" is itself a triumph of music.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still delving deeper into Handel... in this instance the truly English Handel... with libretto by John Dryden. The music is far more regal and processional than the lilting and elegant Italian cantatas with horns ala the Royal Fireworks and thrilling choruses geared toward the English audience and their great tradition of choral music. Handel inserted two of his organ concertos (the Op. 4, no. 6 re-scored for harp, and no. 1). The newly created harp concerto picks up where the recitative announces Timotheus' playing the harp. Among the most well-known passages is the Air/Duet/Chorus, _None but the brave deserves the fair_. This whole oratorio on the "Power of Musick" is itself a triumph of music.


Glad you enjoyed it. I have this version of _Alexander's Feast_, and it's a fine recording of it. (Classical Viennese society obviously thought well of it too, as Mozart himself made an arrangement of it, K.592 (1790)).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Prompted by Art Rock and Conor71's listening. This time, it's by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Easter music? Yes... I should give another listen to the passions (any excuse to listen to Bach) if not some other choral works... perhaps Gesualdo's _Tenebrae Responsoria_.


----------



## haydnfan

How does Christophers compare to Gardiner in Alexander's Feast? Gardiner is the recording I have.


----------



## Pieck

Janacek 2nd SQ - Emerson


----------



## Manxfeeder

Gabriela Frank's CD Hilos with the Alias Chamber Ensemble and the composer at the piano.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Pieck

Bruch 1st symphony - Masur


----------



## Guest

Shostakovich, Symphony no. 11. My first listen; very nice so far.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Piano Quartets*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> Gabriela Frank's CD Hilos with the Alias Chamber Ensemble and the composer at the piano.


This Gabriela Frank looks intriguing... and the samples on line sound intriguing. Any thoughts on the work?


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1*


----------



## Ravellian




----------



## Orange Soda King

Tota Pulchra Es - Ola Gjeilo


----------



## Sid James

*Berio* - "Chamber Music," song cycle for voice, harp, cello and clarinet (words: James Joyce)
Berberian/Julliard Ens./Berio

*Boulez* - "Le Marteau sans Maítre" (The hammer without a master), song cycle for contralto and chamber ensemble (words: Rene Char)
Ens. directed by Robert Craft

Arguably two of the finest song cycles of the 1950's. I love the rich use of percussion and the flute in the Boulez, which creates a very oriental flavour. This music was influenced by Webern, Schoenberg and Stravinsky, but is more complex than their music. It's a bit like a labyrinth set to sound. I borrowed the Berio disc from the library and all of the works on it are interesting. In this brief song cycle, the music sounds a bit Celtic with the use of the harp. There is a bit of Schoenberg's speech-song used in the last song, "The winds of May." The vocal agility of Cathy Berberian is quite a thrill to hear. Some very fine music on these discs...


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> This Gabriela Frank looks intriguing... and the samples on line sound intriguing. Any thoughts on the work?


Hilos is an evocation of Peruvian music, and the composer has the ensemble imitating various instruments, singers, and dances. She gets some interesting sounds from the group. Her writing is easy to listen to and doesn't pile on dissonance or polyrhythms. My favorite piece so far is Quitjotadas, based on the Don Quijote story. Written for string quartet, it explores Spanish music, but it has hints of Bartok.
The Alias group is itself is very accomplished - most have master's degrees in music and teach and are in the Nashville Symphony - and they present a committed performance, and the recording is well-engineered.


----------



## Manxfeeder

The Lukas Passion, attributed to Bach but probably not by him, conducted by Gerhard Rehm.


----------



## Conor71

*
Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 3, 8 & 14*

I really enjoy this Cycle and have gotten quite a bit of milage out of it since purchasing it last year .


----------



## Conor71

*
Ligeti: Lontano, Atmospheres, Etc.*

A great set and some of the most interesting and modern music in my collection .


----------



## Guest

I'm exploring Haydn's Op. 33 string quartets, the ones that inspired Mozart. It is weird how I have come full circle in my short few years since I started listening in earnest to classical music. I started out more interested in the Classical period - especially Mozart. Then I became enthralled with Romantic period works, followed by Baroque, then Renaissance. Now I am back to Classical, with a fascination in Haydn's works.

I'll also take this moment to give another ringing endorsement for the Kodaly Quartet recordings of these string quartets on the Naxos label!


----------



## haydnfan

The Kodaly Quartet is my favorite complete set, the Angeles Quartet has a strange lop-sided sound to it, Tatrai is too grim, Mosaiques too laid back, Festetics are overpriced, and the Buchbergers while they are pretty good, but I still prefer Kodaly.


----------



## Conor71

*Xenakis: Metastasis, Pithoprakta, Eonta*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still delving deeper into Handel... and I'm quite liking the sensuous, limpid music of his early Italian period.


----------



## Pieck

Faure Cello Sonatas


----------



## fasolo

This


----------



## Sid James

*Boulez* - Le Marteau sans Maítre, song cycle for contralto and chamber ensemble incl. percussion
*Stockhausen* - Zeitmasse (Time Measures) for five woodwinds; Klavierstucke XI
Ens. conducted by Robert Craft; David Tudor, piano
EI Records

*Messiaen* - Poemes pour Mi for soprano and orchestra
Anne Schwanewilms, soprano/Lyon NO/Jun Markl
Naxos

The Boulez and Messiaen song cycles are two seminal works in that genre of the c20th, one composer influencing the other. A common influence for both of them must surely have been Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire_ - especially the use of speech-song. Both of them come across as luscious and ravishing to the extreme. I have only owned the Boulez/Stockhausen disc since last week, so I'm basically coming to terms with it (it's early days yet). Both of these composers have sound worlds that I'd describe as pretty complex and labyrinthine. I've owned the Messiaen disc for 18 months (got it when it just came out in October 2009). _Poemes pour Mi_, a song cycle with words by the composer & written for his first wife, is about the usual themes for this composer - God, nature and man. Some of the music and the use of the voice has Wagnerian connotations, but I'm not sure if it's the performance more than the work - the soprano here is a R. Strauss, Mahler and Wagner expert (Messiaen is probably not her usual repertoire). Whatever the case, this work has a unified theme which runs through all of the 9 songs (I only realised this today). Funnily enough, both the Boulez and Messiaen song cycles have 9 sections, and both end with a stroke of the gong. As for the Stockhausen - I just love this stuff, especially the _Klavierstucke XI_. This is a hard core serial work, but it loses nothing in terms of expressiveness or immediacy. Sometimes the piano is hit so hard, it sounds like it is screaming. Amazing performances all round...


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Manxfeeder

Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater.


----------



## Art Rock

A rarity:


----------



## haydnfan

Beethoven's 4th and 5th piano concertos.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## hespdelk

Sensitive subtle works.. Boccherini has such a unique distinctive style. The accompaniment is sparse, a very basic bass, the emphasis entirely on the solo cello.


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Conor71

Just been reading the Beethoven VC thread !


----------



## Conor71

hespdelk said:


> Sensitive subtle works.. Boccherini has such a unique distinctive style. The accompaniment is sparse, a very basic bass, the emphasis entirely on the solo cello.


I have this Disc too - its a good one! Think I'll play it after I finish the Beethoven VC .


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Guest

My relatively-recent dive into Impressionism has led me to Charles Griffes, and I have fallen in love.


----------



## Pieck

Holst the Planets - Boult


----------



## Conor71




----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

Apart from almost obsessively listening to Boulez's rhythmically complex song-cycle _Le Marteau sans Maítre_ in the last week since I've got it, I've also listened to this in the past couple of days -

*BEETHOVEN*
The late string quartets - Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135
LaSalle String Quartet
Brilliant Classics

These works are undoubtedly amongst the finest in the genre, and the pinnacle of Beethoven's creation. Here Beethoven began to work in a fresh way with things like counterpoint, thematic development and harmony. It's very difficult to single one of these works out, but my favourite is the Op. 131. This work was also praised by the likes of Schubert and Wagner. This is a very imaginative work, a lot of it's ideas spring from the opening movement which is a slow and intense fugue. Many people have argued that all 6 of these late quartets basically constitute one single work. I wouldn't dispute that, e.g. the Op. 130 originally ended with a fugue, and this next one of the set (Op. 131) begins with a fugue. The longest movement of the Op. 131 is a central set of theme and variations. The seventh and final movement (all of them following from eachother without a break - another innovation?) brings together all of the work's manifold ideas. It seems to encapsulate so much in life, from the highs to the lows. I love the LaSalle Quartet's interpretation, which is very gutsy, full on and no holds barred. It wouldn't be outlandish to think that maybe the composer "heard" these works with all of their glorious dissonance and intensity in his mind's eye in a similar way to which they are played on this recording...


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Mahler: Symphony No. 10*

A couple of "Unfinished" Symphonies .


----------



## haydnguy

Enjoying some Schubert tonight.

Emerson String Quartet:


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to this. Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Dimitri Mitropoulos and Henry J Wood have done truly nice work!
And the others are very sympathetic.









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2004/Aug04/Bach_conductors.htm
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2116
http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 5030


----------



## Sid James

Later on in the evening, I plan to listen to highlights from _Carmen_, a performance conducted by Solti with the likes of Kiri, Domingo and Van Dam on a disc I got yesterday for the grand sum of $3. I'm not usually into opera but Bizet is one of my favourite composers & I love his music whatever form it comes in...


----------



## Manxfeeder

My favorite recording of my favorite Good Friday piece. Great liner notes also from Bishop John V. Taylor.


----------



## Conor71

*Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7*


That is one freaky piece of music. I'm going to have to dig out my copy (the Naxos version) and hear it again.


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> That is one freaky piece of music. I'm going to have to dig out my copy (the Naxos version) and hear it again.


Yes for sure Manxfeeder - its very spooky in parts! .
It's been quite a while since I've listened to this one - hope you enjoy your listening too!.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Jeff N said:


> My relatively-recent dive into Impressionism has led me to Charles Griffes, and I have fallen in love.


Is the Poem for flute and orchestra on that CD?


----------



## Comistra




----------



## Art Rock




----------



## tdc

Beethoven - Piano Sonata #20


----------



## Pieck

Bernstein - Schubert's 8th, so beautiful


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Guest

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Is the Poem for flute and orchestra on that CD?


Yes it is. Gorgeous piece.


----------



## Sid James

*BEETHOVEN* - String Quartet in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131

Listened to the 2 performances that I have - by the Budapest Quartet (1950's Coronet LP) & LaSalle Quartet (Brilliant 3 disc set). The Budapest Quartet brings out the lyrical qualities of this piece, their playing is quite song-like in parts. In contrast, the LaSalle Quartet emphasise the grittier and more dissonant aspects of this score. Both performances are top-notch, needless to say. My favourite is the LaSalles because they don't hold anything back, their interpretation is quite full-on...


----------



## Stasou

Reiner, Chicago Symphony - Concerto for Orchestra (Bartok)
Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw - Tone Poems (Strauss)
Mehta, LA Phil - Symphonies 1-6 (Tchaikovsky)


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: String Quartets*

First listen of this recently arrived Disc .


----------



## Aggelos

Wow, the Chandos sound is addictive, can't stop listening to it! Thank God we have PCs to create mp3s and FLACs, otherwise I would have worn out my original J.S. Bach OTs CDs. Truly nice work by Chandos!:tiphat: They are really ecstatic/orgasmic. Hopefully Chandos will bring out more some day.

(OT = Orchestral Transcription)









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2000/aug00/bachtranscription.htm
http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 9835



> "In these days of "historically informed" performances it might seem anachronistic, even heretical to present a programme of orchestral transcriptions of works by Bach. But there are two compelling reasons to do this.
> 
> The first is that we are presenting pieces in versions made by other composers. In each case it is clear that the transcriptions are made with the deepest respect for Bach's genius. Clearly, the transcribers were trying to bring the master's works to a wider public via these orchestrations. It must be remembered that Bach's popularity is largely a product of the mid- to late-twentieth century.
> 
> This brings us to the second reason. For several generations Bach's music was heard first in various orchestral versions rather than in its original form. Therefore, this disc will represent for some listeners a kind of authenticity of first exposure. We are all influenced by music in the way we hear it for the first time: just as many will always associate The Sorcerer's Apprentice with the film Fantasia, so will many people remember the sound of a full symphony orchestra as it brings Bach's music to life.
> 
> It is my hope that you will enjoy the wonderful and inventive way in which each of the composers represented here has treated these works. We are reminded of the genius of Bach, who gave all of these creators the inspiration to be inventive." -- Leonard Slatkin


----------



## An Die Freude

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor - 1. Molto Vivace.


----------



## Pieck

Martinu - 3 Madrigals for Violin and Viola - Emerson SQ members


----------



## An Die Freude

*Beethoven* - Symphony #6, "Pastoral," 1. Allegro ma non troppo


----------



## Guest

Just finished Busoni's Piano Concerto; now onto Szymanowski's String Quartets. Both works are superb, the Szymanowski especially so.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto, twice, both by Ashkenzy and Rachmaninov himself.


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1, Violin Concerto No. 1*

Good morning  - In honour of Prokofiev's Birthday I will be playing some of his music today, especially as he's a Composer I like but dont listen to enough! .


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto, twice, both by Ashkenzy and Rachmaninov himself.


I was just listening to Rach's 3rd Yesterday  - definetely one of my favourite PC's!.


----------



## Conor71

Up a bit later on:










*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring*


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I just finished listening to the Alexander Nevsky Cantata by Prokofiev on the radio. It was amazing! There's really not that much singing, but more like a huge tone poem/symphony. I'm not sure of the exact recording, but it was done by Russians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky_%28Prokofiev%29


----------



## samurai

Today I listened to Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7, Op. 60 {"Leningrad"} _performedbythe Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. This was recorded in 1988 at Chicago's Orchestra Hall and is on Deutsche Grammophon.
I am especially taken with the first movement, containing as it does elements--at least to my untrained ear--of Ravel and Copland in certain parts of its structure. For me--never having heard this work before--it has been a sublime experience of discovery!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Orange Soda King

John Ogdon playing Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15

In my opinion, this is the best recording of it.


----------



## haydnfan

Prokofiev's Piano Concertos for me, my favorite is the 1st.


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2
Prokofiev: Lt. Kije Suite*

Some more Prokofiev - after these I will listen to Romeo & Juliet to finish off my Classical listening for the day .


----------



## Air

Right now (happy birthday!):










Later:


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64*


----------



## Art Rock

What else on Easter Sunday?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach's Easter Oratorio.


----------



## Aggelos

*Some Stokowski For The Win!*


















http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/The-Fantastic-Stokowski/


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Pieck

Bruch *2nd* VC - Accardo\Masur.
Very nice work, I think the 1st casts a shadow on his other violin + orchestra works.


----------



## Conor71

*Satie: Piano Works*


----------



## tdc

J.S. Bach - Notenbüchlein Für Anna Magdalena Bach


----------



## Conor71




----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--_Symphony No.1 in B-flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} _and _Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61._ 
Both works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jerzy Semkow. They were recorded in 1990 and are on the Musical Heritage label.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And still another volume of Handel's beautiful Italian cantatas:










_Amanta e Fillide_ tells the tale of the beautiful shepherdess, Phyllis who flees the unwanted romantic advances of the shepherd, Amantis. The tale from Ovid was a favorite of the Italian Baroque, along with that of _Daphne and Apollo_ which was also set by Handel... and given it's ultimate form in Bernini's famous sculpture:










Unlike the tale of Apollo and Daphne, that of Phyllis and Amantis does not involve the gods and the need for supernatural intervention. Amantis relies solely upon his artful pleas... as a silver-tongued seducer... or poet, as it were in order to win the object of his affections. Ultimately, the tale has a much happier ending.

Handel's cantata is a joyful, bubbling chamber cantata... a limpid hymn to Eros. The libretto follows the dialog of seduction. Midway through the cantata, Phyllis begs, Be quiet, shepherd, speak no more... for your words possess to much force. Handel follows this turning point with Amantis most beautiful aria, _Se vago rio_... and shortly thereafter he has won Phyllis' heart. Love has been won by the music of words... and the music of Handel.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This just arrived yesterday. It should be a pleasure to explore.


----------



## haydnfan

Some Ives for me


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Sid James

*MONTEVERDI* - Tasso Madrigals
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini (Brilliant Classics)

I got this disc about a year ago & I have loved it ever since. It contains a selection of his Madrigals - from Books 1 to 4 - all written by the Italian poet Tasso. Madrigals are secular songs about love, life and death. These works are for six solo voices and a vocal backing group. They are very emotional and complex works. Funnily enough, I have been listening lately to Beethoven's late quartets, and some of the harmonies in those are exactly the same as in these works by Monteverdi (but of course, the medium is different). My favourite tracks are the four madrigals that close the disc - from books 3 & 4. They usually begin with one or two voices with the rest joining in slowly in a web of counterpoint. I'm amazed at the way Monteverdi treated tonality, dissonance, dynamics and rhythm in these works, especially because exactly these kinds of techniques came back to the fore and were employed by composers from Beethoven until this very day. Next, I aim to get a recording of his Vespers, in which he used the same innovative and bold techniques (indeed, some of the conservatives of the time said that these dissonant harmonies did not belong in sacred music). I missed several of the 500 year anniversary concerts of the Vespers last year, and have been kicking myself ever since. A friend went and she said it was awesome. But I'll do the next best thing & get the recording. The more and more I listen to older music, from Beethoven and before, I am coming to realise that the real innovations in classical music happened during the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. So I'm trying to get my head around the seminal works of those periods bit by bit - eg. Monteverdi, Handel, Beethoven to name three. So far, it's been a joy, and actually taught me how to appreciate modern and contemporary music much more deeply than before...


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 4, 5, 6, 11 & 14*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> Good morning  - In honour of Prokofiev's Birthday I will be playing some of his music today, especially as he's a Composer I like but dont listen to enough! .


Rats, I missed his birthday! I'll have to fix that today. In the queue as time permits:


----------



## Guest

> Rats, I missed his birthday!


His birthday is actually on the 27, so you still have time!


----------



## Aggelos

Kurt Masur conducting Mendelssohn Symphony No 4 & Mussorgsky / Sergei Gorchakov : Pictures at an Exhibition 
Wonderful sound. All in all, a must have DVD release.


















*

http://www.kultur.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=D4562
http://www.amazon.com/Gewandhausorchester-Leipzig-Mendelssohn-Gewandhaus-Orchester/dp/B004AOECV0*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> His birthday is actually on the 27, so you still have time!


Great! That means I can cram in some more listening.


----------



## jhar26

It's been literally years since I've listened to any Bruckner. He's a composer I've always respected more than loved. But ok, I removed the dust from this Jochum set that I've bought some twenty years ago and yesterday and today I've worked my way through the first five of his symphonies and the other four will follow in the days ahead. Of those first five I like No.4 the most and I now like No.5 significantly more than I did previously. I'm still not a Bruckner fan, but the fact that I could bring myself to listen to five of his symphonies in two days is a sign that I must appreciate him more than I did in the past.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to an old live recording of Vladmir Ashkenazy tear up Prokoviev's 3rd piano concerto.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich-- Symphony No.1, Op.10 , performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. This performance was recorded in 1989 at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and is on Deutsche Grammophon.
Peter Tchaikovsky-- Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, performed by the MunchnerPhilharmoniker conducted by Sergiu Celibidache. The performance was recorded in 1992 in Munich and is on EMI Classics.


----------



## Pieck

Bruch 3rd VC. If you like the first, you should get this one (and the 2nd either)


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Stasou




----------



## World Violist

Right now I'm listening to Raymond Lewenthal's monumental radio talk about Alkan, courtesy of Youtube. It's really fascinating and in-depth (for a radio presentation), and he performs several pieces in their entirety (Festin d'Esope, _the whole Symphony,_ etc.). I'd recommend anyone interested to listen to it.


----------



## Sid James

*BEETHOVEN*
The late string quartets
Lasalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics

*HINDEMITH*
String Quartet No. 6
New World Quartet
Vox Box 2 cd set

*BERG* - String Quartet Op. 3; Lyric Suite
*WOLF* - Italian Serenade
New Zealand SQ
Naxos

I've concentrated on the string quartet medium this last week, and have especially been listening to Beethoven's late quartets. When I first heard it, I thought Op. 127 (the first of the set) was very fragmented. I still think that because a lot of things happen in this work, ideas come quickly and are gone in a flash, the mood changes as much as the rhythm or harmonics. It's basically like a stream of consciousness, held together by a tight four movement structure. But if you unpack each movement, they each seem to have so many ideas in themselves that there is enough material in them each for a whole string quartet in itself. The heart of the work is the slow movement (the longest slow movement in the string quartet repertoire up until the time in which it was composed). It seems to point ahead to the long symphonic arches of the slow movements of the Bruckner and Mahler symphonies. On the whole, this movement is quite comforting and consoling, but there is one part (only say a minute long) towards the end which though quiet has a disturbing effect on me, it sends chills down my spine. It's probably not far from being atonal and imo is one of the most amazing moments in all of these great works. He seems to want to come back to it, and is just about to later, but never does. Here, Beethoven has reached the heart of darkness.

The other quartet in this set that I'm currently obsessed with - have listened to it every day in the past week - is the Op. 131. It's expanisive and flowing, connected seven movement span influenced not only composers of string quartets, but also people like Liszt whose _Piano Sonata in B minor_ can reasonably be thought of as a direct descendant of it. Unlike most composers, who begin with a sonata form movement and end with a fugue, Beethoven does the reverse, he begins with a fugue and ends with the sonata form (albeit fragmentary). The pivotal fourth movement is perhaps the only nod to established conventions, being a theme and variations which reminded me of the slow movement of the "Archduke" trio. But even this more restrained movement would have made people like Haydn balk. Beethoven said this was his best effort in the genre, and the likes of Schubert & Wagner agreed. The final movement, interspersing rough dance like ideas and rhythms with a gentle lyrical section which lifts my mind up to the heavens, is one of those few pieces of music which seems to have it all - every emotion is there, every nuance and mood imaginable.

I have also listened to two composers whose string quartet music can be said to be direct descendants of Beethoven's experimentations in the genre - Hindemith & Berg.

Hindemith's 6th quartet (which I became familiar with 15 years ago, almost the same amount of years before the Beethoven) has some of the elements of Beethoven's Op. 131, but it's in 4 (not 7) movements. Just like the Beethoven work, Hindemith's opening is contrapuntal, not a fugue, but a very intense canon which gets louder and louder. Then a scherzo followed by a - you guessed it - theme and variations. In the final movement, all of the themes of the work are combined but they are more recognisable than in the Beethoven, who tends to transform his themes almost beyond recognition. The coda of the Hindemith has a pizzicato waltz which is like a fragmented version of something by Johann Strauss Jnr. Like Beethoven, Hindemith closes with a dance, but this one is more refined. It peters off into nothingness. This work shows Hindemith's mastery of form and very expressive style. I disagree with people who say his music is dry and technical, they are talking rubbish. He was a master of his craft and his music strikes me as being nothing but emotional.

As for Berg's two string quartets - his Op. 3 and the highly charged Lyric Suite - they are just as masterly as the other two composers above. In the Op. 3, Berg gives you all of the three themes which dominate the work at the very beginning. The Lyric Suite is much more fragmented, the closer you get to the end of the work - this is another gigantic arch of 6 movements, obviously owing a debt to things like Bach's orchestral suites - the whole picture becomes clearer. There are correspondences between the various parts, some are like sketches of what comes in other parts, others are more fully fleshed out. The second last movement - presto delirando - has two intense outer sections framing a slow and eerie middle section which is very similar to the scene in Wozzeck where Wozzeck throws the knife in the lake and drowns. The Lyric Suite is an amazing work which has taken me a long time to appreciate, but even now I can't say that I appreciate it fully. These things takes time. The accompanying bonus track, Wolf's Italian Serenade, is also very good but in a late Romantic idiom. It was also apparently planned to be a movement in a multi movement work, but it was not completed...


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## Conor71

*
Handel: Messiah*

I have'nt been that enthused about this work on previous listenings but I'm feeling motivated today and enjoying it quite a bit - this is a wonderful recording as well! .


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## World Violist

Mahler 2
MTT/SFSO

I've spent probably more than a year away from this recording, but now that I've come back to it I wonder why, as it is one of the most engaging accounts I've ever heard. It flows a bit better than Bernstein II and Tennstedt's live performance, but it still maintains an incredible amount of impact, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson making a transcendent impression and MTT precipitating a blazing final chorus. The ensemble is incredibly tight throughout. Just a great recording of a masterpiece.


----------



## Conor71

*Handel: Water Music, Music For The Royal Fireworks*

Good morning  - first Classical Listen of the day. Enjoyed listening to The Messiah yesterday so thought I'd give my other Handel Disc a spin!. Handel is a composer i would love to explore more of some day but for the moment I have plenty of music - Classcial and Non-Classical to be listening to! :trp:


----------



## Fugue

*Wojciech Kilar - Requiem Father Kolbe*









I'm new to Kilar but this to me is really something.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> *Handel: Water Music, Music For The Royal Fireworks*
> 
> Good morning  - first Classical Listen of the day. Enjoyed listening to The Messiah yesterday so thought I'd give my other Handel Disc a spin!. Handel is a composer i would love to explore more of some day but for the moment I have plenty of music - Classcial and Non-Classical to be listening to! :trp:


Handel is not my favorite composer, but definitely worth exploration. Pinnock's recording of his Water Music is a good one, and my first recording of this work, but the recording by Savall is superior, IMHO. Don't neglect Handel, if you get the chance. I particularly have enjoyed his Organ concertos, if you want a recommendation on what else of his to explore. Or if you like the Messiah, he has some other worthy biblical-themed oratorios, as well as some nice operas.


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## Pieck

Faure - Piano Quartets


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## Manxfeeder

Prokofiev's first piano concerto with Michel Beroff.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--Symphony No.7, Op. 60 {"Leningrad"}, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. This performance is on Deutsche Grammophon and was recorded in 1989 at Orchestra Hall in Chicago.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with Joseph Kraus.


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## opus55

Hmm. Can't seem to attach image (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg)

Listening to Bartok Violin Concerto No 2 Mutter/Ozawa. Trying to get familiar with this piece..


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## World Violist

Sorabji: Opus Clavicembalisticum (courtesy Youtube)
Geoffrey Douglas Madge






So far it seems good. Not quite so heaven-storming as I imagine it ought to be, but a fine enough introduction. It's one of those monumental pieces in which the vision has to be absolutely unshakable, and I'm getting something from Madge but it's a little diffuse. Kinda makes me wish I had the whole Ogdon recording, but hey, this is sufficient. No complaints.


----------



## Guest

Rubbra Viola Concerto. A pretty work, but so far nothing really extraordinary.


----------



## BarenboimFan

Liszt trancendental etudes, schubert impromptus

just got off a rachmaninoff prelude/etude binge...now to try and play them!


----------



## World Violist

Jeff N said:


> Rubbra Viola Concerto. A pretty work, but so far nothing really extraordinary.


This is actually one of my favorite concerti of any instrument. It's far more inward-looking than most, and I like that.


----------



## tdc

Bartok - Piano Concerto #2

I'd have to agree with a youtube comment I recently saw in regards Bartok's music, 'Its made out of awesome'.


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## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Jazz Suites*

First listen to this newly arrived disc - quite a different side of Shostakovich than I'm used to! .


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> Handel is not my favorite composer, but definitely worth exploration. Pinnock's recording of his Water Music is a good one, and my first recording of this work, but the recording by Savall is superior, IMHO. Don't neglect Handel, if you get the chance. I particularly have enjoyed his Organ concertos, if you want a recommendation on what else of his to explore. Or if you like the Messiah, he has some other worthy biblical-themed oratorios, as well as some nice operas.


Thanks DrMike  - he's definetely an interesting composer for sure!. If I ever decide to explore Handel further I've had my eye on the Handel Masterworks box-set from Decca for a while! - this seems to have all that is required for a reasonable understanding of the composers work!:


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> This is actually one of my favorite concerti of any instrument. It's far more inward-looking than most, and I like that.


It may just require multiple listenings on my part. Some of my favorite pieces (including several by Brahms) took a while for me to swallow.


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## haydnfan

I'm marathon listening to Prokofiev's symphonies to celebrate his b-day.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> And still another volume of Handel's beautiful Italian cantatas:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Amanta e Fillide_ tells the tale of the beautiful shepherdess, Phyllis who flees the unwanted romantic advances of the shepherd, Amantis. The tale from Ovid was a favorite of the Italian Baroque, along with that of _Daphne and Apollo_ which was also set by Handel... and given it's ultimate form in Bernini's famous sculpture:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unlike the tale of Apollo and Daphne, that of Phyllis and Amantis does not involve the gods and the need for supernatural intervention. Amantis relies solely upon his artful pleas... as a silver-tongued seducer... or poet, as it were in order to win the object of his affections. Ultimately, the tale has a much happier ending.
> 
> Handel's cantata is a joyful, bubbling chamber cantata... a limpid hymn to Eros. The libretto follows the dialog of seduction. Midway through the cantata, Phyllis begs, Be quiet, shepherd, speak no more... for your words possess to much force. Handel follows this turning point with Amantis most beautiful aria, _Se vago rio_... and shortly thereafter he has won Phyllis' heart. Love has been won by the music of words... and the music of Handel.


For those who haven't seen Bernini's famous sculpture up close, make sure you do. It's mind-altering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Borghese


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## Manxfeeder

Prokofiev, Works for Orchestra, Vol. 2, conducted by Jean Martinon. Oh, and happy birthday, Sergei!


----------



## Pieck

Debussy - Sonata for Flute Viola and Harp


----------



## Conor71

*Xenakis: Chamber Music*

Good morning  - Something a bit different, for me anyway, to start the day! :trp:


----------



## Pieck

Good night 
Manfred Symphony - Pletnev


----------



## Vaneyes

Frank Shipway's Mahler 5 is not for the faint of heart. He out-Lennys Lenny.










"Frank Shipway isn't the first conductor you think of as a Mahler interpreter. In fact he may not be among the first conductors you think of, period."

- Tony Duggan


----------



## Air

Celebrating Sergei Sergeyevich's birthday, again!










It doesn't get much more exciting than Slava playing Prokofiev - the perfect balance between savageness, intellect, and sensitivity. The 8th sonata is a very different soundworld from the other two War Sonatas, the First Movement sprawling out from its melancholy center with great tonal ambiguity almost like one of Scriabin's late sonatas. The fiendishly difficult Finale is one of the best firework shows music has to offer, and I dream of the day I will be able to play it even half as good as Richter does.

What I love to death is when amidst all the fireworks, chaos, and devil, almost Romeo and Juliet-like melodies suddenly pop up out of the blue in both the First and Third movements of the sonata. For example, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-bmxgxH_WU#t=05m04s

Doesn't it sound kind of like that gorgeous, soaring theme from the Epilogue of _Romeo and Juliet_, just in a more mystical, surreal, and spooky way?


----------



## Sid James

Air said:


> Celebrating Sergei Sergeyevich's birthday, again!


I've had that recording for about a year now & I agree that it's great. Richter seemed to make everything he touched into gold. The whole album is excellent, from the sometimes quirky 5th concerto, to the complex but very emotional 8th sonata & perhaps my favourite pieces are the excerpts from "Visions Fugitives," Richter's dexterity and flexibility at the keyboard in these miniatures is a thrill to hear...


----------



## Sid James

Last night, apart from listening to the Beethoven late quartets, I also listened to this somewhat lighter disc which I borrowed from the library:

*RAWSTHORNE*
Street Corner Overture (1944)
Madame Chrysantheme Ballet Suite (1957)
Practical Cats - An entertainment for speaker & orch. (1954) Words: T. S. Eliot (Simon Callow, narrator)
Theme, Variations & Finale (1967) *
Medieval Diptych, for baritone & orch (1962) (Jeremy Huw Williams, baritone)
Coronation Overture (1953) *

* World premiere recordings
Royal Liverpool PO/David Lloyd-Jones
Epoch/Dutton

This is an interesting disc, a good collection as any of Rawsthorne's music. What I like about him is that he's not long-winded, most of his works are short and sweet. So you get a whole lot of works on the one disc. This music is not far from the styles of Prokofiev and Hindemith, perhaps with a tiny touch of Schoenberg. My favourite work on the disc, and one which I have listened to a fair few times, is the _Practical Cats_ suite. Narrator Simon Callow hams it up and the orchestral writing is colourful and complements the words very well. I thought I could even hear a fragment of Elgar's _Land of Hope and Glory _in there! The other work which grabbed my attention was the _Medieval Diptych_, a two part song-cycle for baritone and orchestra. Here, the atonal harmonies of Schoenberg could be detected a bit, but these works (according to the liner notes) were still pretty firmly tonal. The text is based on Latin sacred texts, but sung in English. This work starts out in darkness but ends in a flood of light. All in all a very enjoyable disc, worth getting your hands on especially for the two works using the voice...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting the day with Sir Thomas Beecham.


----------



## Vaneyes

And still my favorite performances of these works.


----------



## haydnfan

I'm looking to pick up the Britten SQs (I haven't heard them at all), that was most helpful!


----------



## Vaneyes

haydnfan said:


> I'm looking to pick up the Britten SQs (I haven't heard them at all), that was most helpful!


To elaborate a little, to my ears Maggini tempi, intonation, and recording balance help set them apart. I'll use the Three Bears adage of, Just right.


----------



## Vaneyes

I remain unconvinced by Bavouzet's playing. I find this Haydn even more of an embarrassment than his Ravel, Debussy, Bartok, etc. If I had to describe it in one, no, let's make it two words...timid and below average. Haydn has sparkle. So, where is it? In the score, not in Bavouzet's fingers. This is worse than Andsnes, and that's saying something.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Stockhausen's Kontra-Punkte by the London Sinfonietta, my first hearing. It's not grabbing me. Maybe it needs to be seen as well as heard.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--_Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op. 120._ Both works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jerzy Semkow. They were recorded in 1990 and are on a 2 cd set from the Musical Heritage Society entitled Robert Schumann--The Complete Symphonies 1-4. I am really becoming more aware of just how melodic--if that's the right term--this composer is. Very beautiful and flowing themes indeed!

Gustav Holst--_The Planets,_ performed by the Vienna Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan. This suite was originally recorded in 1961 and is on Decca. For me, _Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune _areespecially_ haunting and memorable._


----------



## Conor71

*Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Firebird Suite** 
Berg: Violin Concerto** 
Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto*

Looks like its going to be a modern-20th Century listening day for me  .


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Firebird Suite**
> 
> Schoenberg: Violin Concerto*


Cool! Those are three pieces I'm always up for. And one of these days I'm going to hear Schoenberg's piano concerto.

Tonight I'm going through Stockhausen's Kontra-Punkte by the London Sinfonietta. I hated it the first time through a couple hours ago, but it's making more sense the second time around.


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> Cool! Those are three pieces I'm always up for. And one of these days I'm going to hear Schoenberg's piano concerto.
> 
> Tonight I'm going through Stockhausen's Kontra-Punkte by the London Sinfonietta. I hated it the first time through a couple hours ago, but it's making more sense the second time around.


Nice one Manxfeeder  - I just listened to my first Stockhausen recording (mostly electronic works) yesterday and today!.
I've been really enjoing Rite Of Spring this week (have listened a couple of times) and the Concertos Disc is always an interesting one too! enjoy .


----------



## Guest

Continuing my small affair with Busoni. Anything played by John Ogdon is worth the price of admission, and these works are no exception.


----------



## Sid James

*MONTEVERDI* - Vespers of 1610 (disc 1 of 2)
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naive

Borrowed this set from the library yesterday and gave it a first lesson when I got home (disc 1). This is some of the most amazing music that I have heard, full stop. Monteverdi's innovative take on harmony, tonality & counterpoint is just awesome to hear. None of it is cookie-cutter and it is just as fresh as it must have been to those who first listened to it in 1610. His writing for the voice is very unique, so too are the colours and textures that he garners from the small ensemble of instruments - the opening fanfare, for example, must simply be one of the most bold openings of any work in the canon. I just ordered this work today, but not this recording (although I have no problems with it, the 2 disc set on boutique label Regis has bonus tracks - works of Schutz, Allegri, Palestrina which I also want to hear). I'd recommend the _Vespers_ to anyone who is open to hearing one of the greatest works in the history of classical music. I've just been devoting a lot of time to Beethoven's late quartets, and Monteverdi's masterpiece is up there with those at the top of the tree. I have also decided to get around to hearing the operas _Orfeo_ and _The Cornonation of Poppea _at some time down the track. Even though I'm no huge opera fan, if I generally dig a certain composer, I end up liking their operatic works as well. This is the beginning of a new discovery for me...


----------



## samurai

Via you tube, I just finished listening to Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 {"The Year 1905"} _as performed by the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra under the baton {it actually looks like a toothpick in the video!} of Gergiev. It was recorded in 2004. I am about to order the LSO rendition from Amazon. I also intend to listen to his 5th and 12th symphonies; I'm already in love with his 7th.


----------



## World Violist

So now I've finally decided to hear this legendary concert:






Bruckner 9
Furtwangler/BPO 1944


----------



## samurai

Just placed my Amazon order for the Shostakovich 7th and 11th performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Can't wait to receive them!


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> So now I've finally decided to hear this legendary concert:


Yeah, "this single wrenching performance." (John Ardoin)

I'm listening to the Music & Arts remastering from 2008, which is very well done.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Endingi the day with Xenakis' Kraanerg. He is one composer whose composition titles are consistently hard to remember.


----------



## samurai

Brahms--_Symphony_ _No.1 in C Minor, Op.68_, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the guidance of Herbert von Karajan. This performance was recorded in Hamburg, Germany in 1987 and is on Deutsche Grammophon.

Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30. _Both works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin, with Abbey Simon pianist. They were recorded in 1977 and are on a 2cd set from VoxBox entitled "Rachmaninoff, Complete Works For Piano and Orchestra."


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## Legato

They are two of my favourite composers. I love those two concertos . .what did you think of Slatkin/Simon's interpretation of them?


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## samurai

Legato, I thought very highly of the Slatkin/Simon renditions of these works; but then again, at this juncture I have nobody else with whom to compare them. However, for my untrained ear, they sounded very melodic and passionate. How would you rate them as compared to other orchestras and conductors you've heard performing these works?


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## hespdelk

I've much enjoyed this recording since I acquired it. Great playing, great sound. A strong case for Bruckner's original vision of this symphony - it is commonly accepted that the revision is an improvement.. and wihle I do love that version, listening to this I'm not so sure that it is so much an improvement as simply different.. we gain some new things.. but we also loose some stunning moments.. always a bit of a dilemma..


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## Sid James

Last night, listened to these discs borrowed from the library:

*Richard MEALE*
Incredible Floridas (Homage to Rimbaud) - sextet for piano, winds, strings and percussion
Seymour Group/Anthony Fogg, director
ABC Classics

*MONTEVERDI*
Vespers of 1610 (disc 2 of 2)
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini, director
Naive

I borrowed the Meale disc (which is coupled with other ensemble works by Ross Edwards & Roger Smalley, which I haven't listened to yet), because it's coming up in a recital I plan to go to in May here in Sydney. _Incredible Floridas _is a homage to the French visionary poet Arthur Rimbaud, inspired by his poem "The Drunken Boat." It was premiered on the 100th anniversary of that poem, in 1971. The late Richard Meale was one of the most significant Australian composers of the c20th, who started writing in an atonal style but later went back to tonality. _Incredible Floridas _comes from his atonal phase, but like Messiaen, most of Meale's works still have a strong remnant of tonality. Like fellow Australian Barry Conyngham (who studied under Takemitsu), Meale was also interested in Asian and Far Eastern music. The work starts with the players softly saying the opening words of Rimbaud's poem and the music seems to develop out of nothingness. Throughout the work, each of the players is a soloist in their own right, and all of the half hour long score is underpinned by taught percussion work. It's difficult to describe this music, maybe poetic is the word, but Meale's style in this work definitely has affinity with Messiaen and Takemitsu (& also note that the instrumentation is similar to Boulez's _Le Marteau sans Maitre_, but there is no vocal soloist). I'm looking forward to seeing this work done in the flesh, it definitely warrants more exposure and recognition, many critics and musicians say this is Meale's finest score.

Then I listend to the second disc of the Monteverdi _Vespers_, for the first time. I thought it was even better than the first disc, especially the two concluding _Magnificats_ which are (appropriately) magnificent. Monteverdi's counterpoint in particular is unlike anything else I have heard before. It's so multilayered and complex, but at the same time even upon the first listen I felt that I had known this work for years. Perhaps this sense of familiarity comes from the chromatic harmonies that Monteverdi and others pioneered, techniques which were not to be fully investigated and explored further by future composers until Beethoven in his late works and beyond. There is a part in the second _Magnificat_ where two female vocalists sing one after the other, the effect is that of an echo. The recording engineers captured this brilliantly, it really feels to me as if I was there in Rome where this was recorded (in the Farnese Palace, which is the French Embassy today). Handel's _Messiah_ was my entry to Baroque vocal music a few years ago (when I first heard it in full, then saw it live last December), and the_ Vespers _has been the major follow up - to be followed by Bach's _B Minor Mass_. The discoveries seem to get better & better...


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## Pieck

Rimsky - Antar & Symphony No. 3 - Svetlanov


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## science

Schoenberg's SQ #2.


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## Manxfeeder

Handel's Chandos Anthems.


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## Guest

Just discovered Leos Janacek. Right now I'm listening to his piano suite, "In the Mist." I just might learn them, too. Fantastic stuff.


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## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Just discovered Leos Janacek.


That spurred me to pull out his orchestral suites from the operas and his Mass in E flat. I'm needing to pay more attention his works also.


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## Comistra

I purchased this for the piano arrangement of the violin concerto. I like listening to it now and again (as I am right now), but I find it more of a novelty than anything else. Perhaps it's just because I'm used to it, but I think this piece works better with a violin. It's probably worth hearing the piano arrangement, though.


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## mmsbls

Kissin playing Mussorgsky. I'm still not sure if I prefer the piano or orchestral version.


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## Pieck

Jeff N said:


> Just discovered Leos Janacek.


Well I know only the SQs, but if you dont know them, get them!

Oh and I'm listening to Bartok's 3rd SQ - Emerson


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## Conor71

*Penderecki: Orchestral Works*

Good morning - first listen of the day .
This is also my first listen of this Composer - Like what I'm hearing so far!.


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## Legato

I've never heard of this composer, but I've just requested his violin, and piano concertos from my library. Unfortunately the harp concerto isn't in it. Maybe, hopefully it's on youtube. Thanks for the introduction.


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## Legato

samurai said:


> Legato, I thought very highly of the Slatkin/Simon renditions of these works; but then again, at this juncture I have nobody else with whom to compare them. However, for my untrained ear, they sounded very melodic and passionate. How would you rate them as compared to other orchestras and conductors you've heard performing these works?


I haven't heard them, or even heard of the pianist, so I was waiting to see what you thought of them before looking for the cd. I have just looked in the library to no avail. Never mind. I'll keep looking.


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## Vaneyes

From the Capucons and Angelich's "New Brahms" chamber series for Virgin Classics, I find this release the most convincing, with committed playing throughout (violist Causse was added) and staggeringly-good sound. I marvelled numerous times at the detail, such as the weaving of Gautier Capucon's cello. Often in recordings of these works, the piano drowns the strings. It was good on this occasion to hear Angelich choosing restraint. And for once, I didn't want the usually dull and plodding Piano Quartet No. 2 to end.


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## Air

Delightful! I love how Rameau uses the trill to emulate bird calls in Le rappel des Oiseaux 

Later, one of my favorites:










Strauss so beautifully reveals the wonder and power of nature as a hiker is caught amidst it all. Humans may do what they will to our depleting forests, but the beauty of Planet Earth will forever be captured in music such as this.


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## Sid James

Jeff N said:


> Just discovered Leos Janacek. Right now I'm listening to his piano suite, "In the Mist." I just might learn them, too. Fantastic stuff.


That is an excellent set in which you have all of Janacek's great piano works expertly played by Rudolf Firkusny, whom the composer actually taught. _On An Overgrown Path_, Janacek's heartfelt tribute to his daughter who died around age 20, is the highlight of the set for me. Such an intensely emotional work. My other favourite is the sonata fragment, "From the Street" which commemorates a worker who was killed when a protest against Austrian rule in the composer's hometown of Brno went horribly wrong. This short work really packs a big emotional punch. I especially like it how there is no sense of sentimentality or bathos in Firkusny's playing. He plays each work with conviction and directness, without a hint of flashiness, bravado or superficiality. Although he is generally quite restrained, the overall impact of his playing for me is one of total engagement with what these works have to say, whether it's the two more tragic works I mentioned above, or the _Concertino_ or _Capriccio_ which have a sense of quirkiness and fun. I really can't praise this set highly enough.



Conor71 said:


> *Penderecki: Orchestral Works*
> 
> Good morning - first listen of the day .
> This is also my first listen of this Composer - Like what I'm hearing so far!.


Another great set you have there, Conor. I'm noticing that our tastes tend to overlap quite a bit! It could be that it's because we're both Australians, but there also must be other reasons. It's a pity that we're at opposite ends of the continent, you in the West & I on the East, if we were in the same area we could meet over a cup of coffee, which would be interesting.

Anyway, getting back to the set, I really like it. Highlights for me is the spooky and quite abraisive 1st cello concerto which has some sounds that do not sound like acoustic music but more like electronic music. The solo instrument is literally pushed to it's limits, it's not so much played as attacked. The choral works Canticum Canticorum is also quite eerie & dark & the voices have this otherwordly feel, as if from the depths of hell or something (Penderecki seems to be quite good at this kind of thing, I've never heard a work by him which is not generally quite dark). The _Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima_ is also very well played here, especially the climax where the orchestra are crying out en masse (some recorded versions of this work don't have this). Another favourite is the highly textured and layered 1st symphony, a kaliedoscope of colour and rhythm which easily beats any other subsequent symphony by him that I have heard. Basically, this set is a very good "one stop shop" for Penderecki's earlier more experimental phase...


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## Sid James

Last night listened to these two:

*"Lilac Time"* (operetta based on the music of *SCHUBERT*)
Adapted by Heinrich Berté and C.H. Clutsam. Book and Lyrics by Adrian Ross, based on the operetta _Das Dreimäderlhaus_ by A.M. Willner and Heinz Reichert, adapted from the novel Schwammerl by Dr. Raimer H. Bartsch. 
Soloists/City of London Sinfonia/John Hollingsworth
World Record Club Australia LP

*MONTEVERDI*
Vespers of 1610
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naive

I've been getting into the Monteverdi _Vespers_ ever since I borrowed it a couple of days ago, and it's been a joy. My favourite parts are the two concluding _Magnificats_, which are beyond words. No other choral works that I have heard so far could approach it even by half.

Then an LP that I got for $1, highlights from an operetta about Schubert's life & arranged entirely from his most famous pieces. The melodies from all of his big hits formed the backdrop of the songs - from _March Militaire_, to _Rosamunde_, _The Trout_, _Serenade_, the _Unfinished Symphony_, to name a few. Funnily enough, my father saw this in Europe in his younger years, but I think that he was under the impression that Schubert actually composed the whole thing. The basis of this story is a love triangle which develops between a girl & Schubert, and his friend Baron von Schober. The ending is not what what I thought it would turn out to be - Schubert doesn't get the girl, he steps aside so that Schober can have her. The moment that Schubert resigns himself to loneliness and unhappiness is quite poignant, the tragic theme from the _Unfinished Symphony _suddenly pops up amongst all of the froth and bubble. This is not a bad operetta, and it would be good if it would be revived on the stages of the world again, because the story is well told, and the music (of course) is excellent...


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## science




----------



## science




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## science

About to wrap it up; wonder what I'll do next?


----------



## science

This is, as they say, "something else."


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## science

This is a great recording! What a relief after Nono.


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## Conor71

Andre said:


> Another great set you have there, Conor. I'm noticing that our tastes tend to overlap quite a bit! It could be that it's because we're both Australians, but there also must be other reasons. It's a pity that we're at opposite ends of the continent, you in the West & I on the East, if we were in the same area we could meet over a cup of coffee, which would be interesting.
> 
> Anyway, getting back to the set, I really like it. Highlights for me is the spooky and quite abraisive 1st cello concerto which has some sounds that do not sound like acoustic music but more like electronic music. The solo instrument is literally pushed to it's limits, it's not so much played as attacked. The choral works Canticum Canticorum is also quite eerie & dark & the voices have this otherwordly feel, as if from the depths of hell or something (Penderecki seems to be quite good at this kind of thing, I've never heard a work by him which is not generally quite dark). The _Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima_ is also very well played here, especially the climax where the orchestra are crying out en masse (some recorded versions of this work don't have this). Another favourite is the highly textured and layered 1st symphony, a kaliedoscope of colour and rhythm which easily beats any other subsequent symphony by him that I have heard. Basically, this set is a very good "one stop shop" for Penderecki's earlier more experimental phase...


Thanks Andre  - I've been adding a few modern pieces to my collection and have been inspired by your choices in this area for sure so thats probably why we share some of the same recordings! :trp:.

Im always interested to read your thoughts on CM Andre and I lived nearby I would definetely like to discuss Music over a coffee with you!  - If you ever visiting my end of the continent make sure and give me a yell and we can do just that! .


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## Conor71

*Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus*

I bought this disc and a boxset of Rautavaara's Symphonies last year and still have'nt spent a lot of time with them yet as I have been busy exploring Chamber Music!. I'm in the mood for some Orchestral Music today and am enjoying this recording quite a bit .


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## Manxfeeder

The royal wedding reminded me that I haven't paid much attention to John Rutter's music recently, so today it's his requiem.










Now I'm reminded why I haven't paid much attention to John Rutter's music.


----------



## World Violist

Paavo Jarvi conducting the Frankfurt Radio Symphony in Mahler 3, Waltraud Meier being the mezzo. (courtesy Youtube)

This is actually the best Mahler 3 I've yet heard; everything is totally in place and Paavo gives a great reading full of risk and wonderment in turn. The only disappointment for me is the fourth movement; Meier is overpowering the orchestra and wobbling and all that ridiculous stuff. Paavo conducts it well (and has wonderful upward glissandi!), but it isn't good enough to redeem Meier.

The high point so far has to be the third movement, in which the posthorn solo is unbearably beautiful and everything very characterful and purposeful at the same time. It's wonderful.


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## Vaneyes

Andre said:


> Another great set you have there, Conor. I'm noticing that our tastes tend to overlap quite a bit! It could be that it's because we're both Australians, but there also must be other reasons. It's a pity that we're at opposite ends of the continent, you in the West & I on the East, if we were in the same area we could meet over a cup of coffee, which would be interesting.
> 
> Anyway, getting back to the set, I really like it. Highlights for me is the spooky and quite abraisive 1st cello concerto which has some sounds that do not sound like acoustic music but more like electronic music. The solo instrument is literally pushed to it's limits, it's not so much played as attacked. The choral works Canticum Canticorum is also quite eerie & dark & the voices have this otherwordly feel, as if from the depths of hell or something (Penderecki seems to be quite good at this kind of thing, I've never heard a work by him which is not generally quite dark). The _Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima_ is also very well played here, especially the climax where the orchestra are crying out en masse (some recorded versions of this work don't have this). Another favourite is the highly textured and layered 1st symphony, a kaliedoscope of colour and rhythm which easily beats any other subsequent symphony by him that I have heard. Basically, this set is a very good "one stop shop" for Penderecki's earlier more experimental phase...


Maybe I could be considered for honorary Australian citizenship. Evidence presented...I bought the forerunner to that Penderecki reissue, and as well, I visited Melbourne and Sydney in March of this year.


----------



## Pieck

Iberia - Mark-Andre Hamelin


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## Conor71

vaneyes said:


> maybe i could be considered for honorary australian citizenship. Evidence presented...i bought the forerunner to that penderecki reissue, and as well, i visited melbourne and sydney in march of this year.


:d


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## Conor71

*Sibelius: Orchestral Suites*

First Classical listen of the day! - I love Sibelius and he has been my favourite Composer before


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## Comistra

Both pieces are played very well by Vengerov, but at the moment I'm listening to the Glazunov.


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> :d


And furthermore, my barber's wife is originally from Perth.

Back to the topic at hand...currently listening to the underrated chamber music of Albert Roussel.


----------



## Vaneyes

Comistra said:


> Both pieces are played very well by Vengerov, but at the moment I'm listening to the Glazunov.


One of my favorite fiddlers. Up next...


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## Conor71

Vaneyes said:


> And furthermore, my barber's wife is originally from Perth.
> 
> Back to the topic at hand...currently listening to the underrated chamber music of Albert Roussel.


Nice one! - People from Perth like to travel because of it's isolation I think. Favourite places for Perth ex-pats are London and Melbourne! 

Now Playing:










*Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7*

This is such a great piece but for some reason I've been daunted by it's length and have'nt listened to it as much as some of Sibelius's other works.
The performance from this set is great and in excellent sound - good stuff!


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## StlukesguildOhio

Lovely! I haven't listened to _Die Schöne Müllerin_ for some time now.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I guess I'm in a lieder/song mood.


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## Conor71

Up Next:

















*Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4
Penderecki: Orchestral Works*

My ears have been coddled so far this morning, time for some tough love!


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## Sid James

Conor71 said:


> Thanks Andre  - I've been adding a few modern pieces to my collection and have been inspired by your choices in this area for sure so thats probably why we share some of the same recordings! :trp:.


Well thanks for that, I feel a bit flattered by your comments. I'm basically an all rounder, and I'm not "experted" in any area of classical music. I do have my favourite areas - especially chamber, vocal/choral and c20/21st stuff. If my enthusiasm & engagement in these things rubs off a bit on people, that is not bad thing (I hope!). I'm often intruiged by people's listening here, I don't really have the dough to buy a lot of these things, but now am taking advantage of City of Sydney Library's very good classical collection, and have found that I can listen to excellent performances of similar if not the same repertoire/recordings as people have here. So yes, I also find it interesting & stimulating to read what others are getting up to listening wise...



> Im always interested to read your thoughts on CM Andre and I lived nearby I would definetely like to discuss Music over a coffee with you!  - If you ever visiting my end of the continent make sure and give me a yell and we can do just that! .


Yes, well a dream of mine is to cross the Nullabor Plain from East to West by train. I read Bill Bryson's description of that journey in his book "Down Under" and it sounded beaut. I would love to do that at some stage. All of my limited travels in Australia have been on the Eastern seaboard, so travelling through South Australia and getting to Western Australia would be awesome...



Vaneyes said:


> Maybe I could be considered for honorary Australian citizenship. Evidence presented...I bought the forerunner to that Penderecki reissue, and as well, I visited Melbourne and Sydney in March of this year.


Well, if I were the Australian Immigration Minister, I'd make you "one of us" without a thought!


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## Sid James

Last night, I listened to this a couple of times:

*SHOSTAKOVICH*
String Quartets -
No. 14 in F sharp major, Op. 142 (1973)
No. 15 in E flat minor, Op. 144 (1974)
Eder Quartet
Naxos

Shostakovich's string quartets Nos. 14 & 15 were his final works in the genre. In many ways, these works sum up not only the composer's own compositional explorations of more than half a century, but also engage with many aspects of the genre, from the traditional to the avant-garde. When I first listened to this disc about a year ago, all I could hear was their technicalities which seemed to be devoid of any emotions other than detachment. But now, having explored some of Mozart's, Haydn's and Beethoven's key quartet works, as well as much chamber music from the Classical period until today, I think that I can appreciate more of the subtleties & nuances of these Shostakovich works.

The 14th quartet was written for Sergey Shirinsky, the cellist of the Beethoven Quartet of Moscow, the group that premiered most of this composer's string quartets. Shirinsky subsequently died during rehearsals for the 15th quartet. Much of the 14th quartet is strongly underpinned by the cello, unsurprisingly. It is in 3 movements, the final two played without a break. The opening Allegretto looks back to the solid counterpoint of the Baroque and Classical eras, and the main theme has a Russian folksy feel (bringing to mind the Odessa street song of the 2nd cello concerto). This movement can be described as Shostakovich meets Baroque. In the second movement, an intense and dark adagio, the cello gets the lion's share of good bits. This leads to the third and final movement, another Allegretto which brings together all of the ideas of previous two movements. The jumble of styles and ideas here is almost schizophrenic. A bit of it makes me think of a very chilled and icy version of English pastoralism. One phrase puts the main theme from the 1st movement through a blender - a la Carter. Another fragment is waltz-like. What this all means is a bit of an enigma. The overall effect of this work is similar to Bartok's _Divertimento for Strings _- an angsty slow central movement flanked by two more agitated and busy ones. But this work is undoubtedly more complex and takes in techniques that weren't around during Bartok's time.

The 15 quartet harks back to Classical models - Beethoven's Op. 131 comes to mind, especially it's slow and intense fugal opening & it's fragmented finale which seems to contain all things under the sun; as does Haydn's _Seven Last Words _string quartet. Like that Haydn work, this work is mostly slow throughout - it consists solely of Adagios. The work is in 6 connected movements, which are not difficult to distinguish from one another - Shostakovich, like Haydn, was able to come up with innovative solutions to the "problem" of having a work made up entirely of slow movements. The opening Elegy has all of the intensity of Beethoven's Op. 131, and the dark gestures of Shostakovich's own opening movement of his 10th symphony comes strongly to mind. The following Serenade opens with the violin playing 12 notes in quick succession, each note going from pianissimo to forte. Shortly afterwards the cello also starts to play this sequence, but stops at 8 notes. Then other fragments follow, notably what sounds like a quirky waltz. It didn't occur to me a year ago, but now that I've listened to some of the key serial works, what Shostakovich is doing here is obviously a ****-take on serialism. The following Intermezzo is a transition movement under 2 minutes, and consists mainly of a violin solo which sounds like Tartini combined with gypsy fiddling. The pivotal Nocturne which follows returns to the dark colours of the opening movement, but the structure is less strict and more rhapsodic. Heavy chords which remind me a bit of Corelli open the Funeral March and interweave with ruminative cello solos that are gradually taken up by the other players. The concluding Epilogue opens with the earlier gypsy fiddle fragment but quickly returns to the main theme of the 1st movement. The mood is mournful but quite unsettled, with the lyrical song-like lines of the cello interupted by scurrying notes. The work comes full circle at it's conclusion, with the cello's lonely wanderings and musings, a bit like Elgar's Cello Concerto, but with much less pathos and more detached.

I've really enjoyed returning to this disc, so much so that I've made notes of the works in my diary (from which the above observations are drawn). Currently I only own this disc and also Barshai's transcription of the famous 8th quartet. I'm now thinking of buying a box set of all of these quartets, or maybe buying the other discs in this Naxos series one by one, as I think that the Hungarian Eder Quartet's renditions of these works are very good...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> This is such a great piece but for some reason I've been daunted by it's length and have'nt listened to it as much as some of Sibelius's other works.
> The performance from this set is great and in excellent sound - good stuff!


Me too. I have the Naxos recording and only have been through the piece once. I'm not sure it's Peter Sakari's best effort. I'll have to check into Berglund; maybe I'll have better success with it.

UPDATE: Looks like the only copy of Berglund's recording they have on Amazon is $99. Ouch!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> *SHOSTAKOVICH*
> String Quartets -
> No. 14 in F sharp major, Op. 142 (1973)
> No. 15 in E flat minor, Op. 144 (1974)
> Eder Quartet
> Naxos


Thanks for the synopsis. I'm reading it and going through the 14th and 15th quartets.


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## Castleman




----------



## Guest

jizzing my pants to Gyorgy Ligeti's piano etudes...


----------



## Pieck

Earlier the Mass in B minor - Bernius
About an hour ago BWV 82 inspired by the TC project
And now going to listen to Liszt Sonata in B minor again inspired by the...


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.1 in F-sharp Minor, Op.1, Piano Concerto No.4 in G Minor,Op.40 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini All three works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin, featuring Abbey Simon on piano. They were originally recorded in 1975 and are on a 2 cd set from VoxBox entitled Rachmaninoff: Complete Works For Piano and Orchestra. 
I am especially impressed and moved by the haunting beauty of the second movement {largo} of the 4th concerto._


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words
Chopin: Nocturnes*

Listening to some beautiful works from my collection of Piano Music this morning


----------



## graaf




----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> I am especially impressed and moved by the haunting beauty of the second movement {largo} of the 4th concerto.


I haven't paid much attention to the 4th concerto until now. I'm putting the CD in for a listen.


----------



## Guest

A friend in my piano studio commented on one of my compositions a while back, saying that it reminded him of Kapustin. I decided to check him out, having never heard of him before. So far, I absolutely love what I'm hearing, especially his concert etudes. Such fun, exhilarating pieces.


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## Pieck

Good morning TC members
Listening to Verklarte Nacht (although it does not fit the time of day) - Yo Yo Ma, Trampler, Juiliard SQ.
Last nacht I listened to Liszt sonata in B minor and Faure PQua's and as I said in an earlier post - Bach BWV 82


----------



## Conor71

*
Bach: Art Of Fugue*


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *
> Bach: Art Of Fugue*


I also listened on the way to the mall (I exchanged a CD) to the AotF but with the members of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
I also considered to buy it played by Emerson SQ, but it was too expensive.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the synopsis. I'm reading it and going through the 14th and 15th quartets.


Well thanks for reading my impressions & I hope that they are of some use to you in guiding you through these complex works a bit. Often, when dealing with works of this complexity, I find it useful to make notes like this, about what I hear in each movement, then go back to the notes when I listen the next time.

I'm thinking of buying the other Shostakovich SQ's, perhaps this Naxos series (as the playing of the Eder Quartet is very good, imo) or perhaps a box set (there is one on the boutique Alto label with them being performed by the Shostakovich Quartet). I'll have to think about it, but I hope to get into the rest soon, as the only other Shostakovich SQ that I have heard so far is the famous 8th...


----------



## CaptainAzure

Well at the moment Beethoven's Egmont Overture has just come up on my iTunes player. But away from the computer Mozart's Complete Violin Concertos is in my CD player.


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> I also listened on the way to the mall (I exchanged a CD) to the AotF but with the members of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
> I also considered to buy it played by Emerson SQ, but it was too expensive.


I used to have the Marriner AOF as well but I sold it for some reason! - I remember it being quite good though! :/
I have 3 versions of AOF - Alain/Organ, Fretwork/Viol Ensemble and the Guillot/Harpsichord (above) so I'm pretty happy with what I've got - If I was to add another version I would like to hear the Emerson version you have! .


----------



## Vaneyes

A Tartini fest.


----------



## Vaneyes

Andre said:


> Well thanks for reading my impressions & I hope that they are of some use to you in guiding you through these complex works a bit. Often, when dealing with works of this complexity, I find it useful to make notes like this, about what I hear in each movement, then go back to the notes when I listen the next time.
> 
> I'm thinking of buying the other Shostakovich SQ's, perhaps this Naxos series (as the playing of the Eder Quartet is very good, imo) or perhaps a box set (there is one on the boutique Alto label with them being performed by the Shostakovich Quartet). I'll have to think about it, but I hope to get into the rest soon, as the only other Shostakovich SQ that I have heard so far is the famous 8th...


You wouldn't be disappointed with the Shostakovich Quartet set. Slightly harder-edged interps. than Fitzwilliam. Sound is very good.


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> I used to have the Marriner AOF as well but I sold it for some reason! - I remember it being quite good though! :/
> I have 3 versions of AOF - Alain/Organ, Fretwork/Viol Ensemble and the Guillot/Harpsichord (above) so I'm pretty happy with what I've got - If I was to add another version I would like to hear the Emerson version you have! .


The Emerson's highly recommended, as is Aimard. Gould's selected pieces with organ & piano can be fun, though not collector-compulsory.


----------



## haydnfan

Vaneyes said:


> And furthermore, my barber's wife is originally from Perth.
> 
> Back to the topic at hand...currently listening to the underrated chamber music of Albert Roussel.


I like Roussel but have not listened to his chamber music. This helped push me to order that set.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schumann's string quartets Nos. 1 and 3.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.2 in C Moll, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Moll, Op.30._ Both works are peformed under the baton of Leonard Slatkin leading the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, with Abbey Simon on piano.


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.2 in C Moll, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Moll, Op.30._ Both works are peformed under the baton of Leonard Slatkin leading the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, with Abbey Simon on piano.


I just got into these pieces last month - one week after our symphony performed the 2nd concerto. Go figure. 

On to something completely different, I'm listening to YouTube clips of Gerard Grisey's Partiels. This is my first exposure to spectral music. I can't believe this is being done on acoustic instruments.


----------



## Vaneyes

This Russian big boy symphony of 64:30 has its moments. Miaskovsky threw in everything, including a kitchen sink and choir, so there's something for everybody. Not for frequent listening, occasional does fine. Jarvi's interp. is expansive, matching Miaskovsky's landscape well. No sappy tunes here. Meditative is a key word. Recorded well, with slightly recessed soundstage.


----------



## graaf




----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> You wouldn't be disappointed with the Shostakovich Quartet set. Slightly harder-edged interps. than Fitzwilliam. Sound is very good.


Sounds good, I like hard-edged & gritty...


----------



## Meaghan

I just discovered Saariaho today. I haven't even listened to the whole CD yet. But I have listened to her _Six Japanese Gardens_ three times already. That's how much I like it. I recommend this work highly, especially if you like Crumb, of whom it reminds me.


----------



## Sid James

I've concentrated on these for the past week or so:

*Richard MEALE*
Incredible Floridas (Homage to Rimbaud) (1971) for sextet - piano, violin, cello, clarinet, flute, percussion
Seymour Group/Anthony Fogg, director (at piano)
ABC

*MONTEVERDI*
Vespers of 1610 - disc 2 of 2
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naive

Both of these discs were borrowed from the library. I've been familiarising myself with this Meale work as it will be played at a concert here in Sydney Saturday week. This work was written for the hundredth anniversary of visionary poet Arthur Rimbaud's poem "The Drunken Boat" which contains the lines:

You know I've stormed incredible Floridas
Her flow scattered with panther's eyes
And human skin! Rainbows hung beneath horizons
Like bridles on blue-green broods.

Meale's music excellently captures the clashing images and surreal quality of Rimbaud's poetry. This poem is about voyages, both on the high seas and in the minds of men. The work starts with the players reciting these lines of the poem, and then a flute solo playing a fragmentary melody emerges out of the darkness. This phrase becomes the basis of much of which is to follow. Meale's technique is very much like a film, which has many scenes filmed from different angles and edited to form a narrative. In the fourth movement (the work has 6 in all), the piano plays a chord which resembles the opening flute phrase, it reminds me a bit of Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1. This is like the eye of the storm, a calm oasis amidst all of the fragmentation of the rest of the work. All of the players are soloists in their own right in this work, and the whole ensemble is taughtly underpinned by rhythms from the percussionist. This earlier period of Meale's music reflects influences from other continents that were having a decisive impact on Australian composers of his generation at the time - Messiaen, Boulez & other French composers, Varese from the USA, Takemitsu from Japan. This work is a synthesis of stylistic approaches, but it has clarity and purpose at the same time.

I also listened to the 2nd disc of the Monteverdi Vespers, which is my favourite disc of the two, in particular the concluding two Magnificats. This is some of the best music I have ever heard, full stop (after more than 20 years of listening to classical on and off). The greatest composers may have a dozen or so ideas of genius in a single work, but in this work Monteverdi gives us dozens if not hundreds. The use of a particular instrument as a highlight here, the combination of different coloured voices there, it all adds up to something beyond words. I'm still at the beginning of my exploration of these kinds of canonical works, but I doubt that anything will ever surpass this, to be honest. I'd be surprised if I do find something like that. Next on my list is Haydn's The Creation, which will be performed in late May here in Sydney, and which I will also borrow from the library soon (I don't remember ever hearing this great work)...


----------



## mmsbls

Ries' Piano Concerto 6 and 8. Clearly early romantic. Similar to Hummel as a bridge between Beethoven and Chopin.


----------



## World Violist

One of my rare times of listening to Liszt.










Hymne a la Nuit: Piano Music by Franz Liszt
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano

I imagine this is about as good as Liszt on piano tends to get. There's some stunningly effortless playing and musicality going on here, and I actually like some of this music.

I'm thinking about my second Liszt CD being Hamelin's new recording of the B minor sonata, which by all accounts is a blockbuster.


----------



## Pieck

World Violist said:


> One of my rare times of listening to Liszt.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hymne a la Nuit: Piano Music by Franz Liszt
> Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
> 
> I imagine this is about as good as Liszt on piano tends to get. There's some stunningly effortless playing and musicality going on here, and I actually like some of this music.
> 
> *I'm thinking about my second Liszt CD being Hamelin's new recording of the B minor sonata, which by all accounts is a blockbuster*.


As I said in this thread I listened to the Liszt sonata both yesterdey and the day before it, and last evning I went to a concert (with a lot of explanations about the music) about Liszt and the last piece was the sonata (I couldn't know that), what a nice surprise


----------



## Pieck

Bach Triple Concerto - Bruggen


----------



## hespdelk

Bizarre but compelling.. not a style I usually enjoy, but Scelsi does it differently from most.. not a trace of intellectual ************ or just going through the numbers.. the music's language is strange and itentionally alienating.. yet it still pulls you in.. raw idiosyncratic espressivity.. there is emotion aplenty here.. a mystery wrapped in an enigma as Scelsi fully intended..

My personal favourite on this volume of the set is Uaxuctum.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 2 In Bb Major, Op. 4, B 12*


----------



## Vaneyes

Pieck said:


> Bach Triple Concerto - Bruggen


Thanks for your mention, it inspired me to play this one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mendelssohn's Elijah.
]


----------



## Pieck

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for your mention, it inspired me to play this one.


Youre welcome. I also listened to BWV 1055 earlier played by Gould
Now I'm listening to Rachmaninov 2nd PC - Prats, Batiz


----------



## Manxfeeder

On to two pieces I haven't paid much attention to, but now I'm interested because they were brought up by forum members: Dvorak's second symphony (Conor71) and Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto (Argus).


----------



## Meaghan

Manxfeeder said:


> On to two pieces I haven't paid much attention to, but now I'm interested because they were brought up by forum members: Dvorak's second symphony (Conor71) and Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto (Argus).


The Ebony Concerto is awesome and Richard Stoltzman is a badass who can play classical _and_ jazz clarinet.


----------



## graaf




----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony No.11 in G moll,Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}. _This piece is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, and was recorded in March 2002 in London. It is on LSO Live.


----------



## Pieck

Now- Faure's SQ
Later - Stravinsky symph for winds - Boulez


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 In E minor, Op. 95, B 178, "From The New World"*


----------



## Conor71

Now Playing:










*Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6*

Ive found RVW's 4, 6 & 9th Symphonies a bit harder to appreciate than his other works.
Now listening to Symphony No. 4 and enjoying it! - I guess it has been a fair while since I've listened to it! .


----------



## Sid James

Only listened to this again last night:

*Richard MEALE*
Incredible Floridas (Homage to Rimbaud) (1971) for sextet - piano, violin, cello, clarinet, flute, percussion
(Coupled with sextet works by Ross EDWARDS & Roger SMALLEY)
Seymour Group/Anthony Fogg, director (at piano)
ABC










I talked about this work yesterday on this same thread but every listen seems to give me more to talk about. I'm hearing much more structure & melody in this work than when I first heard it last week. The fragmentary flute solo in the opening movement becomes the basis of much that follows in this 6 movement piece. There is quite a bit of fragmentation & chaos in the first half, but in the 4th movement everything seems to come together. The piano plays this chordal melody which sounds to me a bit like Satie's _Gymnopedie No. 1_ slowed down greatly with a slight feel of the darkness in Rachmaninov's _Preludes_ (the G minor, or is it the C-Sharp minor one? - anyway the feel of those is similar, but not the style). In this movement, the instruments play together for the first time in the piece, there is much more unity than before. The 5th movement has almost jazzy dance-like episodes, much like Varese's_ Integrales_. In the 6th (final) movement, the broken flute melody returns, but it now flows beautfully and is uninterrupted. The birdsong of Messiaen comes strongly to mind here at the end, as does the way Takemitsu uses the flute in some of his works.

I'm planning on going to a concert of this work Saturday week & by then, I think I'll have come a long way to understanding it as much as I can. I have enjoyed this work a lot more than other works by Meale that I have heard. I was more familiar with his later works where he returned to tonality in a big way (a bit like Penderecki, around the same time in the 1980's). His opera _Voss_ from that later more conservative period is also very fine, but I enjoy _Incredible Floridas _more (not surprisingly because I'd take any chamber over opera any day). In the upcoming concert, this Meale work will be sandwiched between Liszt & Beethoven, & honestly, I can't say that Meale suffers by way of comparison to them in any sense. Not a note seems out of place in this work, & I'm just as amazed by how he could develop themes in such imaginative ways as with the works of the earlier greats. Meale may well have been Australia's finest composer of the generation born between the two world wars - & he had stiff competition from the likes of Peter Sculthorpe, Barry Conyngham, Nigel Butterley, Ross Edwards, Roger Smalley (who are all still alive). Whatever the verdict, Meale's music is an interesting & quite sophisticated synthesis of c20th styles from all over the world - namely Europe, Asia & the USA...


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 18 In G Major, D 894*
*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 14 In A Minor, D 784*


----------



## World Violist

Some late night/early morning (it's 1 AM now) Mahler:










Mahler: Symphony No. 1, Adagio from Symphony No. 10
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic


----------



## Conor71

*Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Op. 8*

Have'nt listened to this one in a long time - sounds great!


----------



## Niklav

Ravel piano concerto, just wonderful. Hear also the other parts.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back...


----------



## haydnfan

Over the past week I've been repeatedly listening to this collection of Bach's Easter Oratorio and several fine cantatas performed by Herreweghe/Collegium Vocale:










I've also been listening repeatedly to the sprightly Sturm und Drang symphonies of Haydn from the Weil/Tafelmusik set:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, Gardiner's recording of Solomon - well, the first CD.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony No.7 in C Major,Op.60 {"Leningrad_"}. This was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitnik. On Decca, it was recorded in 1979 in London's Kingsway Hall.


----------



## Orange Soda King

"Ziles Zina" by Petera Vaska, performed by Sola. Intense!!


----------



## Vaneyes

This all-star line-up (Aimard, Kremer, Bashmet) doesn't disappoint. A fitting conclusion to a sterling series.


----------



## World Violist

Continuing on my Mahler listening (I figure it's been long enough since I've listened to the whole cycle, and I'm in the right sort of sanguine mood):










Mahler 2
Bernstein/NYPO; Lee Venora, soprano; Jennie Tourel, mezzo; The Collegiate Chorale (Abraham Kaplan, director)


----------



## Vaneyes

World Violist said:


> Continuing on my Mahler listening (I figure it's been long enough since I've listened to the whole cycle, and I'm in the right sort of sanguine mood):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mahler 2
> Bernstein/NYPO; Lee Venora, soprano; Jennie Tourel, mezzo; The Collegiate Chorale (Abraham Kaplan, director)


Re 2, some fluffs in playing and recording, but an exciting ride and my preference of Bernstein's M2s. To my mind, only Scherchen's is wonderfully crazier. Suitner with Staats. Berlin is another fun account, on one CD.


----------



## World Violist

Vaneyes said:


> Re 2, some fluffs in playing and recording, but an exciting ride and my preference of Bernstein's M2s. To my mind, only Scherchen's is wonderfully crazier. Suitner with Staats. Berlin is another fun account, on one CD.


Have you heard Tennstedt on LPO Live? It's way better than his studio recording, and I prefer it over any of Bernstein's (although it's different enough that now I can't be without both... and like you, I prefer the '60s Bernstein over his other efforts).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked this one up through an Amazon dealer for a ridiculous price ($2.00 US). While I am still set on collecting the complete Gardiner cycle of Bach's cantatas, the Suzuki recordings are quite spectacular in their own right. This makes about the 5th volume I have of this cycle.

I quite like the fugal work of the cello in the sinfonia from cantata BWV 18. BWV 152 has a more melancholy edge with the lilting sound of the oboe playing in contrast to the bass vocals. There is quite a shift in color as the voice of the countertenor is beautifully accompanied by recorder and violin.

Lovely!


----------



## haydnfan

$2 for a Suzuki set-- that's a steal! <Goes to furiously search amazon for Suzuki bargains...>


----------



## Sid James

For a week now, have been repeatedly listening to two discs I borrowed from the library, Monteverdi's _Vespers_ and Richard Meale's _Incredible Floridas _sextet, both of which I've written about during that time. Last night I revisited them, but also listend to another disc from the library in full:

*BEETHOVEN*
String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ("Serioso"), Op. 95 
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127 
Lindsay String Quartet
ASV label

This is the first time I listened to the "Serioso" quartet, and it strikes me as in the same league as the late quartets, which were written 12 years later (in the intervening years, Beethoven wasted much time in a bitter custody battle involving his nephew and sister in law, these were his leanest years composition wise). This work strikes me not necessarily for it's seriousness, but for it's compactness (not much over 20 minutes). The unison chords that open the work are as striking as anything I've heard from Beethoven, definitely one of the most attention-grabbing openings in his output. There is a lot of fragmentation, twists and turns, but surprisingly the work comes across as having a feeling of overall unity and clarity. The slow movement is quicker than some of his other slow movements - it's an allegretto. This leads directly into the following movement, another contrast which gives you a bit of a jolt. As usual with Beethoven, the final movement neatly sums up everything that went before, ties it all neatly into a package, but it's far from predictable.

The other work on this disc is the first of Beethoven's late quartets, Op. 127. I am familiar with this work, I own the LaSalle Quartet's interpretation on the Brilliant Classics label. This was originally composed as a 6 movement work, but Beethoven revised it down to the usual 4. There are many great moments in this work which reads more like a symphony than a chamber work in it's scope and textures. On the whole, the slow movement is quite comforting and positive, but there is a very short part towards the end where Beethoven gives the listener a glimpse of the heart of darkness. I'm no musician, but this phrase sounds tonally distant from the rest of the movement, it's from another dimension. This was the longest slow movement in any string quartet composed up until that time in history.

Like all of the Lindsay Quartet's Beethoven series, this disc was recorded live. I'm simply amazed at how perfectly these guys were able to get Beethoven's music down pat in this setting. Maybe the pressure of this kind of situation makes them take more risks and play better than even they are usually capable of. It's a highly charged account with a feeling of spontaneity, warmth and directness. Their reading of the Op. 127 is less dark and edgy though than the LaSalles, the Lindsays give this music a kind of warm inner glow or aura. I'll definitely be returning to this disc many times before I return it...


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 2*


----------



## science




----------



## World Violist

Now that I'm home I can revisit one of my perennial favorites...










Arvo Pärt: Alina


----------



## Conor71

World Violist said:


> Now that I'm home I can revisit one of my perennial favorites...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Arvo Pärt: Alina


That was one of the first Classical Discs I bought after seeing the Gus Van Zandt film "Gerry" - beautiful music, enjoy!


----------



## Conor71

Now Playing:










*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 74 & 76*


----------



## science

A few pages ago there was a brief discussion of Janacek's "On an Overgrown Path," and rather than listen to the recording that I already own I went out and bought the one that was discussed here, played by Firkusny (I hope you'll indulge my carelessness with the tildes and squigglies) on DG. 

What a lovely work! A great addition to my listening repertoire!


----------



## science

Listening to Clavier-Ubung III. Very, very nice!


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> A few pages ago there was a brief discussion of Janacek's "On an Overgrown Path," and rather than listen to the recording that I already own I went out and bought the one that was discussed here, played by Firkusny (I hope you'll indulge my carelessness with the tildes and squigglies) on DG.
> 
> What a lovely work! A great addition to my listening repertoire!


Yes, Janacek's "On an Overgrown Path" is one of his finest works, and Firkusny plays it beautifully. He strikes the right balance between darkness and light. Some may say that he's too restrained, but if he did it too darkly and melodramatically, then it would be quite a bitter pill to swallow (the work virtually being a requiem for Janacek's daughter who died around age 20). Even played like this, it can be a bit draining, so I only listen to it once in a while. But Firkusny is always a joy to hear, especially in his native Czech repertoire, he has this understated power that can be quite mesmerising in itself, let alone the wonderful music he plays and gets right to the heart of without any flashy tricks...


----------



## science

Now, Haydn 101:


----------



## science

science said:


> Listening to Clavier-Ubung III. Very, very nice!


I'm back for more; this time the Leipzig Chorales.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## Vaneyes

World Violist said:


> Have you heard Tennstedt on LPO Live? It's way better than his studio recording, and I prefer it over any of Bernstein's (although it's different enough that now I can't be without both... and like you, I prefer the '60s Bernstein over his other efforts).


Yes I have and I agree with your comparison (Tennstedt concertgoers often made that distinction), though it still isn't "frantic" enough for me. EMI Klemperer/Bavarian RSO M2 is another good example for Live outshining Studio.

Cheers!


----------



## science

"Rodeo."










The Schumann.

And now:










Ravel's 5 Mélodies populaires grecques.

That was very pretty and very short. Now:


----------



## World Violist

Enescu: Symphony No. 3
Christian Mandeal/"George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic


----------



## science

Took a break to listen to this:


----------



## Vaneyes

Essential listening for Dutilleux lovers...


----------



## clavichorder

science said:


> Took a break to listen to this:


Hahahaha, awesome.


----------



## clavichorder

science said:


> Now, Haydn 101:


Haydn 101 is my all time favorite Haydn symphony. Hooray for the clock, its so sophisticated. Its one of the few Haydn symphonies that might be able to handle Karajan's treatment quite well. I'll have to check that out.


----------



## clavichorder

The fantastic symphony 51 in b flat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._51_(Haydn)

Can't find a youtube.


----------



## clavichorder

And, Brahms Symphony 1 first movement


----------



## clavichorder

And this disc by Miklos Spanyi, the first movement of the A minor sonata. Also playing it myself
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/173702


----------



## Pieck

Faure Violin Sonatas - Christian Ferras and Pierre Barbizet
and the Elegie for Cello and Piano - Tortelier and Eric Heidieck


----------



## science

Enescu's octet is great!


----------



## Vaneyes

A Boulez the composer mini-fest.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 9*

Listening to more Haydn Quartets from the excellent Aeolian Quartet cycle . I was prompted to listen to the Op. 9 after reading a thread on Haydn's Sturm Und Drang period - these are excellent Quartets and although they are not quite as sophisticated as Haydn's later Quartets, they still have a lot of charm and have plenty of energy with lovely slow moments too!.


----------



## World Violist

Kalevi Aho: Symphony No. 12
John Storgards/Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Chamber Orchestra of Lapland


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 9*
> 
> Listening to more Haydn Quartets from the excellent Aeolian Quartet cycle . I was prompted to listen to the Op. 9 after reading a thread on Haydn's Sturm Und Drang period - these are excellent Quartets and although they are not quite as sophisticated as Haydn's later Quartets, they still have a lot of charm and have plenty of energy with lovely slow moments too!.


You know what... Tell me which one of the Op. 9 you recommend and I'll give it a spin tomorrow


----------



## Conor71

Now Playing:










*Bach: Mass In B Minor, BWV 232*

I bought this set about 6 months ago but still have'nt listened to it all the way through!  - In the mood for some Bach today and will listen to the recording in full no worries today. Enjoying this so far! - I like Richter's old-school approach to Bach and have enjoyed his recordings of the Passions and Christmas Oratorio as well :trp:


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> You know what... Tell me which one of the Op. 9 you recommend and I'll give it a spin tomorrow


I listened to all 6 of the Op. 9 earlier today  - I think the second one Op. 9/2 was the nicest out of the bunch (assuming I'm not getting them mixed up ) but they were all pretty fine!.

Im still not as familiar with the Haydn SQ's as some of the other cycles I've listened to so still some "work" to do with these ones!  - I do like this cycle and it is a good bargain I think!. Which set/sets do you have for Haydn Pieck?.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I found Mera's sampler from the Suzuki cantatas set this at my neighbor's yard sale.


----------



## Sid James

@ Vaneyes - I've also been getting into the music of Boulez over the past 12-18 months or so. The first disc I got of his stuff was Idil Biret playing the piano sonatas on Naxos. I particularly like the 2nd sonata, which can be described as a kind of mid-c20th "Hammerklavier." I don't have anything orchestral by him (yet), but I do have that chamber disc which you have there. On that disc, I particularly like _Anthemes 2_ (violin with electronic realisation, whatever that is). I like the playfulness and even the synthetic/artificial quality of this piece. Another work that I recently got on disc is the song-cycle _Le marteau sans maitre_, which like Sur Incises is quite complex and labyrinthine...

Last night listened to these below, after coming back from a piano recital at the Con, buying the Joplin LP from a book shop that was opened until late, & on the way home dropping into the local pub:

*MILHAUD*
Cello Concertos Nos. 1 (1935) & 2 (1945)
Elegy for cello & piano (1945)
Stanislav Apolin, cello
Josef Hala, piano (in Elegy only)
Brno State PO/Jiri Waldhans
Supraphon stereo LP

*Scott JOPLIN*
"The World of Scott Joplin" - 14 rags published between 1899 & 1966
Max Morath, piano
Vanguard stereo LP

This was the first time I listened to both these vinyls & they were interesting.

The Milhaud cello concertos have some good ideas, but somehow they don't fully gel with me. The 1st concerto opens with a dark cello solo, which reminded me of the Elgar concerto, but before the page is out goes into something that sounds like an orchestral version of one of Edith Piaf's chansons. Similarly, there are some interesting eerie harmonics at the beginning of the second (slow) movement, which reminded me a bit of Ligeti or Penderecki, but this dissipates into something less gripping. The concluding movement is nothing special, just the usual Milhaudesque bouncy romp.

The 2nd concerto is a bit more cohesive, this time he opens with the orchestra at full tilt. As usual with Milhaud ideas ranging from the very banal to very brilliant tumble on top of eachother, one after the other, without much apparent rhyme or reason. The second movement was the most interesting of the work, it's refinement and lyricisim reminded me a bit of Ravel, but Milhaud's music comes across as much less detached than his, it sounds more emotional. The final movement had an opening that lead to the cello playing a repetitive thing that was slightly varied each cycle, not unlike some of the stuff of one of his students, Steve Reich. But this only lasted a minute or two, the rest of the movement was similar to the rumbunctous ending of the 1st concerto, only longer.

The bonus track, the Elegy for cello & piano, showed off the rich and deep textures and sounds of the cello beautifully. I enjoyed this LP, but I think that Milhaud could have done much more interesting things with the material, particularly the 1st concerto. Maybe he was rushing to meet the deadline of various commissions? Who knows? But even though the concertos don't fully come up to scratch for me, I can hear the craftsmanship and skill of these works, and there are even moments of genius.

The Joplin LP was excellent as well. It was interesting to learn from the notes by the pianist that although Joplin died in 1917, many of his ragtimes were not published until 50 years later. My favourite rags on the LP were "The Ragtime Oriole" (1911) & "The Chrysanthemum - An Afro-American Intermezzo" (1904). The latter sounded to me a bit like Chopin meets ragtime...


----------



## Vaneyes

Andre said:


> @ Vaneyes - I've also been getting into the music of Boulez over the past 12-18 months or so. The first disc I got of his stuff was Idil Biret playing the piano sonatas on Naxos. I particularly like the 2nd sonata, which can be described as a kind of mid-c20th "Hammerklavier." I don't have anything orchestral by him (yet), but I do have that chamber disc which you have there. On that disc, I particularly like _Anthemes 2_ (violin with electronic realisation, whatever that is). I like the playfulness and even the synthetic/artificial quality of this piece. Another work that I recently got on disc is the song-cycle _Le marteau sans maitre_, which like Sur Incises is quite complex and labyrinthine......


That's about the extent of my Boulez the Composer, the things I've enjoyed the most for repeated listening. I usually cull something, if I don't see a future for it...as I did with Milhaud a decade or so ago. Two or three string quartets were the most likeable, but not that likeable, and finally they were gone, too. The only Milhaud that remains is the Choephores on a Bernstein CD, because I like the blazing Roussel Sym. 3 interp. (so-so sound)...


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> I listened to all 6 of the Op. 9 earlier today  - I think the second one Op. 9/2 was the nicest out of the bunch (assuming I'm not getting them mixed up ) but they were all pretty fine!.
> 
> Im still not as familiar with the Haydn SQ's as some of the other cycles I've listened to so still some "work" to do with these ones!  - I do like this cycle and it is a good bargain I think!. Which set/sets do you have for Haydn Pieck?.


I'll listen to it when I wake up, 'cuase I'm so tired right now it's amazing (It's 6:27 am and I'm back from milking the cows (and I didnt sleep before it because they call by surprise))
and I have the Kodaly cycle, dont know anything other I think.
Now listening to Rachmaninov 2nd PC 3rd mov. where I stop when I got to call to come milk the cows  no kidding I'm milking cows


----------



## Conor71

*Britten: Peter Grimes, Op. 33*

Making a second attempt on this one as I did'nt finish listening to it last week - an interesting Opera with some beautiful moments and also the only Opera in my small collection which is sung in English


----------



## Manxfeeder

Pieck said:


> I'll listen to it when I wake up, 'cuase I'm so tired right now it's amazing (It's 6:27 am and I'm back from milking the cows


Wow! At that hour, it sounds like you need Haydn's Quartet Op. 76, No, 4 - "Sunrise."

Today, Beecham's recording of Schubert's symphonies.


----------



## Guest

Just finished this:








I'm not going to lie and say that Furtwangler is my absolute favorite when it comes to Beethoven's 9th, but sometimes I find I do enjoy this recording. I won't criticize the sound - it is what it is. If you can get over that it isn't crystal-clear sound, it really is quite good for a mono recording from 1951. I do find the first movement to be just a bit slower than I tend to prefer.

Anyways, now to Beethoven's 3rd, but this time a HIP recording, from Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music. I also have HIP recordings of this work from Gardiner and Immerseel (with Anima Eterna), but I seem to prefer Hogwood. The fact that I got the CD for $1.50 at a favorite used book store also doesn't hurt my attachment to this recording:


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> *Britten: Peter Grimes, Op. 33*
> 
> Making a second attempt on this one as I did'nt finish listening to it last week - an interesting Opera with some beautiful moments and also the only Opera in my small collection which is sung in English


You should try Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. I believe there is a recording in the Decca Legends series with Janet Baker conducted by Willcocks (I may be mistaken), or there is also a HIP recording by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. It has been a while since I have listened to either, but do remember enjoying them.


----------



## karenpat




----------



## sliick

hi all

i'm new to the world of classical music, and just wondering if anyone minds identifying a piece for me.
it's at 2.01 of this youtube clip: 




thanks for your help,
sliick

edit: just spotted their is a seperate forum for identifying a piece, sorry.


----------



## Pieck

Now - Bartok Dance Suite
Earlier - Haydn Op. 9\2. Indeed very nice


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Ravel's Piano Trio. I bought it last week, and it disappeared on the way home. I finally found it under my car seat. So far, it's worth the wait.


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> You should try Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. I believe there is a recording in the Decca Legends series with Janet Baker conducted by Willcocks (I may be mistaken), or there is also a HIP recording by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. It has been a while since I have listened to either, but do remember enjoying them.


Thanks for the recommendation DrMike  - you're the second Person who has thought I might like Purcell so I will try and check out some of his music.
The Dido and Aneas on Decca Legends sounds good! - I like Janet Baker and am pretty sure I have browsed across that one before!.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 1*

Ahhh, Brahms Chamber Music is such a delight!


----------



## Vaneyes

In salute to the Haydn vs Schubert thread.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Thanks for the recommendation DrMike  - you're the second Person who has thought I might like Purcell so I will try and check out some of his music.
> The Dido and Aneas on Decca Legends sounds good! - I like Janet Baker and am pretty sure I have browsed across that one before!.


My mistake, the Decca Legends recording is conducted by Anthony Lewis, but it does have Janet Baker.


----------



## Vaneyes

Pieck said:


> I'll listen to it when I wake up, 'cuase I'm so tired right now it's amazing (It's 6:27 am and I'm back from milking the cows (and I didnt sleep before it because they call by surprise))
> and I have the Kodaly cycle, dont know anything other I think.
> Now listening to Rachmaninov 2nd PC 3rd mov. where I stop when I got to call to come milk the cows  no kidding I'm milking cows


I had to grocery shop, since cows aren't allowed within the city limits. In honor of our morning chores, Bliss' Morning Heroes, conducted by Sir Charles Groves.


----------



## Sid James

@ Manxfeeder - The Ravel Piano Trio is one of my favourites, and not doubt the favourite work in this genre of many others too. I have the Naxos recording played by the Joachim Trio - coupled with Debussy & Schmitt. The final movement of the Ravel trio makes me feel that I'm at the beach, the sun, the surf, the seagulls, the beautiful (& perhaps not so beautiful ) bodies. But when I heard the piece live at Sydney Conservatorium last year, played by members of staff there, I didn't get the "beach" feeling! Obviously they did it differently than the Joachim Trio, they played it very well, but I felt a bit of a let-down not to get my free trip to the beach courtesy of Ravel! & I wasn't even aware that Chausson composed a piano trio as well!...


----------



## Sid James

Last night when I got home from a fairly busy/strenuous Saturday, I listened to an LP which I just got for $2 from a store near my place -

*LISZT*
Dante Symphony
Margit Laszlo, soprano
Budapest PO & Budapest Radio Choir/Gyorgy Lehel
Recorded at Coronation Church Budapest in August 1961 for Liszt's 150th anniversary (released in the West 1962)
Westminster LP (mono)

This was my first time listening to Liszt's _Dante Symphony _& I enjoyed every minute. This work was inspired by Dante's "Divine Comedy" and it comprises two parts - the first "Inferno" and the second "Purgatorio & Magnificat" (the _Magnificat_ includes chorus and a brief soprano solo). This work is the second of Liszt's two symphonies, the first being _A Faust Symphony_. The _Dante Symphony_ began it's life as a stage work in 1845 but reached it's present form by the time Liszt finished it in 1856. It was published the following year, dedicated to Wagner, and premiered in 1858. The dedication to Wagner was apt because Liszt had conducted the world premiere of Lohengrin at Weimar in 1852. The LP notes say that Wagner was influenced by some of Liszt's ideas when composing _Lohengrin_, and in turn Liszt was influenced by _Lohengrin_ as he worked on this symphony. An interesting aspect of this work is that it includes a solo harpist, who was placed at the front of the orchestra when this recording was made (but s/he is not credited).

The first part of this work sounded quite dramatic and complex for me, it was hard to break down, ideas just came at me one after the other. Some of Liszt's tone poems came to mind as well as the _Faust Symphony_. But the second part came across as more approachable, it is made up of distinct parts that come together at the end. The Purgatorio starts of slowly and quite mysteriously, with woodwind solos that sounded similar to things like Sibelius' _Swan of Tuonela_. Then there is a fugue that starts of quietly and slowly, but increasingly becomes more intense and agitated. Coming towards the end of this section, there are a number of passages for the strings, their hymn like melodies reminding me very much of Vaughan Williams' _Tallis Fantasia_. I'd hazard a guess that Liszt might well have been influenced by guys like Palestrina, whose harmonies are very close to this passage. This segues neatly into the concluding _Magnificat _with the vocals, which sounds again like Renaissance music given the full Romantic treatment. The soprano solo appears briefly in the middle of all of this, kind of acting like a "pivot," and then we have a blazing conclusion. This ending is pretty stunning and lifted me to the heavens, a bit like Handel's choral music.

I have read comments about the _Dante Symphony _judging it as being somewhat inferior to the _Faust Symphony_. Now that I've heard both, I think these opinions are utter rubbish. Both of these are amazing and very innovative works. I also don't agree with some people's opinions that Liszt was not a good orchestrator, or at least not as good as some others of his time. This is preposterous, especially considering that he influenced guys like Wagner, R. Strauss & Debussy in this regard. He could really equal them all, and then some. The last words I will give to another great composer of the time, Saint-Saens (quoted in the LP notes) who said at the time when he conducted an all-Liszt orchestral programme in Paris "The programme was comprised entirely of the orchestral works of Franz Liszt whom the world calls a great pianist in order to avoid acknowledging as one of the greatest composers of our time..."


----------



## samurai

Today it was all Dmitri Shostakovich for me. First, I listened to his _7th Symphony in C Major, Op. 60 {"Leningrad"} _as performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik. This performance was recorded in London,1979.
Then, it was on to his _11th_ _Symphony in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"} _as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich. The performance was also recorded in London, 2002.


----------



## Conor71

*Franck: Violin Sonata
Debussy: Violin Sonata
Chausson: Poeme*


----------



## Conor71

*
Elgar: Violin Concerto In B Minor, Op. 61*

Some more Kyung-Wha Chung, this time in one of my favourite Violin Concertos.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> @ Manxfeeder - The final movement of the Ravel trio makes me feel that I'm at the beach, the sun, the surf, the seagulls, the beautiful (& perhaps not so beautiful ) bodies.


I like that observation. I'm listening to the fourth movement again - I see what you're talking about.

One of these days I want to see Un Coeur in Hiver, about a violinist in a trio, where this piece is prominently featured.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some devilish music for baroque violin by Tartini.


----------



## Pieck

the last 16 hours:
Grieg, Kabalevsky, Shostakovich Cello Sonatas - Rostropovich
Bruckner 6th, after someone (World Violist I think) said Brahms liked it, so I thought maybe I will too. I noticed Grieg copied a motif from it in his CS.
Bach Concerti: Triple, Oboe D'amor, violin BWV 1055
Bartok Dance Suite
Stravinsky Ebony Concerto
Rachmaninov 2nd PC
Part Te Deum (after a long time)
Faure violin sonatas
Now - Vaughan Williams 4th symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

They're kind of like potato chips (though more nourishing), once you get started, there's no turning back.


----------



## Conor71

*
Khachaturian: Piano Concerto In Db Major, Violin Concerto In D Minor*

Have'nt listened to these works in quite a while - both Concertos are interesting and memorable particularly the PC with its use of the "saw" (flexatone) in the slow movement.


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *
> Khachaturian: Piano Concerto In Db Major, Violin Concerto In D Minor*
> 
> Have'nt listened to these works in quite a while - both Concertos are interesting and memorable particularly the PC with its use of the "saw" (flexatone) in the slow movement.


Just listening to Khachaturian - Spartacus for the first time, first piece I hear by him. very nice so far


----------



## Sid James

Pieck said:


> ...Bruckner 6th, after someone (World Violist I think) said Brahms liked it, so I thought maybe I will too. I noticed Grieg copied a motif from it in his CS.


Interesting lineup there, Pieck. I have mentioned that Brahms liked Bruckner's 6th a while ago, but World Violist may have as well (he's more an authority on this kind of repertoire than I am). I read in the liner notes of the recording I have of the work that Brahms was applauding wildly after a performance of two of it's movements (it was only partially performed during Bruckner's lifetime). I might hazard a guess that the autumnal quality & burnished golden colours of Bruckner's 6th might well have struck a chord with old Johannes? The work definitely has a kind of Brahmsian restraint and classicism about it, compared to some of Bruckner's other symphonies, anyway.

My favourite Bruckner symphonies are actually the 6th and 7th, for what it's worth...


----------



## Sid James

The last couple of days I have listened quite obsessively to Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night _but last night also listened to some Vaughan Williams & Beethoven -

*SCHOENBERG*
Transfigured Night (1899, arr. string orch. 1917)
Orpheus Chamber Orch.
DGG

*VAUGHAN WILLIAMS*
Partita for Double String Orchestra
Strings of LPO/Adrian Boult (recorded 1960, stereo)
Belart CD

*BEETHOVEN*
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132
LaSalle Quartet (from 3 disc set, the late quartets)
Brilliant

I really like the poetry, drama and passion of Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night_. Before borrowing this disc, I had not heard it for more than 10 years. I didn't connect with this work that much then (I found it too dark and heavy), maybe I'm liking it more now because I'm a bit more mature (I hope?) & more familiar with this kind of music. I had the Karajan recording, but the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's recording is also excellent. The six note theme, repeated & played by the basses is taken on an amazing half hour journey. It's amazing to think that this was Schoenberg's first work of any substance, and already at this early time he was highly accomplished. A performance of this work - I'm not sure which version - is slated for June here in Sydney by the Sydney Camerata & if it does happen, I'll definitely go.

Then Vaughan William's _Partita_, which has been a favourite of mine since I got this recording over 10 years ago. Much of the material of this work is based on the hymn like themes and harmonies elaborated in the first movement - which reads as a kind of potted version of the _Tallis Fantasia_. That was written about 30 years before this work, so RVW was kind of covering old ground with this movement. But the following three movements are different & quite imaginative. I like the predominance of the basses in this work, it's just about the bassiest work I have heard. My favourite movement is the _Intermezzo - Homage to Henry Hall_, a bandleader in the UK during the early part of the c20th. Here, RVW is reminiscing about the marching bands that were active in cities across the UK & Europe - soon to be swept away by the many changes following the end of World War Two. It's a lilting movement, quite airy, with lots of pizzicato. It makes me think of the older parts of Sydney - the grounds of Sydney University with it's neo-gothic main quadrangle modelled on Oxford & Cambridge, or Observatory Hill park on the harbour near the city with it's colonial era relics - the old observatory, the Boer War memorial, ancient oak trees, and a hundred year old bandstand which probably hasn't been used since the 1940's (tellingly, when this RVW piece was written!). I like this movement's sense of reminiscence & memory, it even brings back for me the smells of the gardens in these places.

Then Beethoven's mighty _String Quartet Op. 132_, which is on the bill of a performance by the Australia Ensemble I hope to go to on the weekend. This work really needs little introduction around here. I only got to know it in December last year, and it seems like I've known it all my life. Like the Schoenberg piece, Beethoven takes a theme stated at the beginning on an journey which is both epic and intimate at the same time. It's another work which moves from tragedy to triumph...


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti:
Adventures, Nouvelles Adventures
Artikulation for Tape
Eight Pieces from Musica ricercata
Sonata for Cello Solo
Big Turtle Fanfare for the South China Sea
Balada si joc
Regi Magyar tarsas tancok.*

Listening to Disc 5 - The first few works are quite (intentionally I hope!) amusing! 
I have listened through this set several times now and it is some of the more interesting music in my collection and never tiresome to listen to .


----------



## Pieck

Andre said:


> The last couple of days I have listened quite obsessively to Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night _but last night also listened to some Vaughan Williams & Beethoven -
> 
> *SCHOENBERG*
> Transfigured Night (1899, arr. string orch. 1917)
> Orpheus Chamber Orch.
> DGG


I listened to it quite obsessively in the week before this week. Really amazing work, I learned to appreciate it deeply. But I have it in the sextet version with Ma and Juiliard. I'm quite sure I'll prefer it this version rather than the string orchestra from my experience.


----------



## Pieck

Listening to Roussel 3rd symphony conducted by Bernstein.
I first listen to this piece (more than a couple of times) when I was before I could appreciate modern music, so I didnt really enjoyed it. Today I really can  
And the first theme is brilliant (Ti di ta-da Ta)


----------



## haydnfan

Schubert's String Quintet... it just doesn't get much better than this. One of my all time favorite chamber works.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Ligeti:
> Adventures, Nouvelles Adventures
> *


*

I've focused on Ligeti's Requiem and haven't paid much attention to the companion pieces on the disc, the Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures. I'll remedy that now.

So far Aventures reminds me of what Varese was doing with phonetics. Interesting. I haven't been able to find Aventures on YouTube, only snippets ofo Nouvelles Aventures. I wonder how it is acted out.








*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Symphonies 40 & 41... why not go straight to the best?


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I've focused on Ligeti's Requiem and haven't paid much attention to the companion pieces on the disc, the Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures. I'll remedy that now.
> 
> So far Aventures reminds me of what Varese was doing with phonetics. Interesting. I haven't been able to find Aventures on YouTube, only snippets ofo Nouvelles Aventures. I wonder how it is acted out.


I've got that exact Wergo disc (as well as the one with the _Chamber Concerto_, etc.). It's a good series, but quite pricey. I think that I read in it's sleeve notes that yes (as you are thinking) there are stage directions in this work as well. Whether they are specific or more flexible, I'm not sure. I think that this is one of those pieces of music that needs to be seen as well as heard. Stockhausen's _Tierkreis_ is similar in that regard - I've seen it live twice here in Sydney (at the Conservatorium, I think that sadly, these kinds of things have little or no chance of being played in the mainstream commercial venues), & it's a lot more fun and animated "in the flesh" than on record. But then again, even listening to Ligeti's_ Aventures _is fun in itself, in a kind of wierdish way...


----------



## Vaneyes

Intriguing. This release becomes the standard for these works. As close to a perfect recording as one can get. Don't miss it.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I like that observation. I'm listening to the fourth movement again - I see what you're talking about.


Yeah, often when listening to that movement of the Ravel trio, I also think of some of the chamber music of Australian composers like Peter Sculthorpe & Ross Edwards. It has a kind of organic, natural feel...



> One of these days I want to see Un Coeur in Hiver, about a violinist in a trio, where this piece is prominently featured.


Sounds like an interesting movie. I always like films with classical music in them. Recently I watched _The Soloist _, the score of which is full of Beethoven's late quartets (as well as a bit of Neil Diamond )...



Pieck said:


> I listened to it quite obsessively in the week before this week. Really amazing work, I learned to appreciate it deeply. But I have it in the sextet version with Ma and Juiliard. I'm quite sure I'll prefer it this version rather than the string orchestra from my experience.


I haven't heard the original sextet version of _Transfigured Night_. I borrowed this string orchestra version from the library, but when it comes to buying the work (eventually) I might actually go for the sextet version, as I'm a chamber freak. I'm not sure which version they'll play at the concert of it I'm planning to go to in June here in Sydney, but either way it will be great...


----------



## Conor71

*
Schumann: Symphony No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 38, "Spring"*


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, Op.35, _performed by the Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester, conducted by Jorg Faerber. Guy Touvron, solo trumpet.
Joseph Haydn--_Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Major_, with Martha Argerich, piano. This was also performed by the same orchestra under the same conductor. Both works are on the same Deutsche Grammophon cd and were recorded in 1994.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43,_ performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Also on this cd is _Finlandia, Op.26. _ These works are on Teldec and were recorded in 1990.
Edward Elgar--_Enigma Variations, Op.36, _as performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Sir Georg Solti. These are on London Decca and were recorded in 1996.


----------



## Sid James

Australian works for sextet - piano, violin, cello, clarinet, flute, percussion
*Richard MEALE*
Incredible Floridas (Homage to Rimbaud) (1971)
*Ross EDWARDS*
Laikan
*Roger SMALLEY*
Ceremony II
Seymour Group/Anthony Fogg, director (at piano)
ABC

In the past couple of weeks, I've been listening to the Richard Meale work on this disc I borrowed, getting ready for a performance of it this coming weekend. Until now, I'd been too busy trying to make sense of Meale's _Incredible Floridas_, so I avoided the other two works on this disc - by Ross Edwards & Roger Smalley. But last night I listened to the whole disc.

I've written about Meale's quite astounding work on this thread previously. Incredible Floridas is a line that pops up in French c19th visionary Arthur Rimbaud's poem "The Drunken Boat." Meale composed this work for the 100th anniversary of this poem in 1971. Like the poem, the piece is a kaliedoscopic and fragmented journey that only begins to make a little sense once you start reading between the lines. The poem is not only about a physical voyage, but more importantly a journey in the mind. A fragmented flute solo dominates the first movement, and becomes the basis for much of which follows later. There's a lot of chaos in this work, but it still seems to be fairly firmly grounded in that opening flute solo. The fourth movement has the pianist playing this chord like phrase over and over, very slowly. It kind of has the feeling of something by Satie or Rachmaninov, & it's kind of like an empty void in the middle of the work, the oasis in the desert, the eye of the storm. An empty space filled only with dark and light. By the end of the work, the flute solo appears again, but it's more coherent and flowing. All of the players are soloists in their own right in this work. I look forward to the performance here in Sydney by the Australia Ensemble this weekend (I hope I'm recovered by then from this head cold that just started this morning!).

Ross Edwards is one of Australia's best known living composers. He is a bit like an Australian Arvo Part. Edwards' style has not changed much during the past 40 or so years. Like Part, Edwards had a period of silence during the early 1970's. Edwards retreated into the Australian bush during this time, taking with him a tape recorder. He recorded the sounds of the bush and wrote them down in musical notation. In the process, he discovered these fractal like repetitve patterns, and his "organic" brand of minimalism was born. Like Part's style, Edwards' music is easily recognisable, once you've heard a couple of his pieces. This piece, called _Laikan_, has some of his trademarks - repetitive dance like loops, the use of Aboriginal clapsticks, and generally a quite positive and happy vibe.

The last piece on the disc, Roger Smalley's _Ceremony II_, grabbed me more than the Edwards. Smalley was born and grew up in the UK but he came to work at the University of Western Australia in Perth during the 1970's and eventually stayed. I think he now lives in Sydney, because I've seen him at some concerts here at the Conservatorium. This piece can be described as post-minimalist. Smalley is interested in rhythm and repetition, but the harmonies and dynamics of this work come across as being more complex and interesting than in pieces by say Edwards or Part. Ceremony II is in three parts - the first part is an introduction, and the other two are linked and form the body of the work. The first part is quite complex and has some jagged rhythms and ideas, while the other two parts start off quietly and gradually get louder and louder. Some of the piano phrases reminded me a bit of Ravel, and the aspect of the piece getting louder and louder was not unsimilar from the Bolero (except Smalley's piece had more twists and turns, it wasn't as straitjacketed). It's difficult to absorb this piece, but I'll definitely be returning to it before I return the disc to the library.

All up, my favourite work on this disc was the Meale, the Smalley not being far behind, and the Edwards is an interesting bonus...


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 In G Major, Op. 88
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 In E Minor, Op. 95, "From The New World"*

Dvorak's Symphonies are amongst my favourite works in this genre - I especially enjoy owning this set for the interesting and often excellent early Symphonies, in particular, Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4.


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 In G Major, Op. 88
> Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 In E Minor, Op. 95, "From The New World"*
> 
> Dvorak's Symphonies are amongst my favourite works in this genre - I especially enjoy owning this set for the interesting and often excellent early Symphonies, in particular, Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4.


Although I own a complete set of these works, and love the last 3 (The 9th is in my top 5) I dont know the others . The problem will be fixed in the future.


----------



## Pieck

I'm starting to listen to VCs for the future project.
So now Dvorak's, earlier Berg's.
What next? maybe Elgar


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Conor71 said:


> *Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 In G Major, Op. 88
> Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 In E Minor, Op. 95, "From The New World"*
> 
> Dvorak's Symphonies are amongst my favourite works in this genre - I especially enjoy owning this set for the interesting and often excellent early Symphonies, in particular, Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4.


How is this set under Kertesz and the LSO? Dvorak's symphonies are quite enjoyable. Many remind me of Beethoven's symphonies. Dvorak's #9 is my favourite.


----------



## Guest

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> How is this set under Kertesz and the LSO? Dvorak's symphonies are quite enjoyable. Many remind me of Beethoven's symphonies. Dvorak's #9 is my favourite.


I have several recordings of the 9th, but the only complete set I have is Kertesz', and I have always enjoyed it.


----------



## Conor71

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> How is this set under Kertesz and the LSO? Dvorak's symphonies are quite enjoyable. Many remind me of Beethoven's symphonies. Dvorak's #9 is my favourite.


I agree with DrMike, its a great set i think  - The sound of the LSO is awesome and fits the music well, the tempo's are on the slow side compared to the previous Dvorak I have heard (A.Davis & Giullini?), I would recommend this set unless you are looking for a newer DDD version .


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> Although I own a complete set of these works, and love the last 3 (The 9th is in my top 5) I dont know the others . The problem will be fixed in the future.


Symphonies Nos. 7-9 are considered the essential ones but I think it's well worth owning a complete set of Dvorak's Symphonies as his lesser known ones are often very beautiful and reward further listening . I like 7-9 and also really enjoy 3 & 4 as well :trp:


----------



## Conor71

*Rodrigo: Concierto De Aranjuez*

Prompted by the new thread on this piece i thought I'd give it a play - very nice and absolutely gorgeous slow movement, like this music a lot


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--_Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, Op.35, _performed by the Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester, conducted by Jorg Faerber. Guy Touvron, solo trumpet.
> Joseph Haydn--_Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Major_, with Martha Argerich, piano. This was also performed by the same orchestra under the same conductor. Both works are on the same Deutsche Grammophon cd and were recorded in 1994.
> Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43,_ performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Also on this cd is _Finlandia, Op.26. _ These works are on Teldec and were recorded in 1990.
> Edward Elgar--_Enigma Variations, Op.36, _as performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Sir Georg Solti. These are on London Decca and were recorded in 1996.


Re Haydn, make an effort to hear her London Sinfonietta version, if you have not. Available on OOPs EMI and RCA (2CD). The latter licensed from EMI.


----------



## Guest

Listening to Poulenc for the first time. I'm really enjoying the Improvisations.


----------



## Vaneyes

Jeff N said:


> Listening to Poulenc for the first time. I'm really enjoying the Improvisations.


The entire Roge Poulenc solo series is most rewarding. For those interested, his solo and chamber are currently available in a boxset special at Presto.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4757097


----------



## Vaneyes

If it's fallen through your 20th century cracks, this is something different for occasional play. In these violin and cello concertos Frank Martin tightropes tonal and atonal well. Lovely haunting opening themes are highlights for me. Things cheer up somewhat after that. Performed well by unfamiliar artists (with Louisville Orchestra) in '63 and '73. Slightly compressed sound, which probably adds to the effects. Haitink and Szell have recorded the Cello Concerto, but those OOPs don't offer the Violin Concerto and are often pricier.


----------



## Pieck

Listening on the radio to Schumann PC in the opening concert of the Rubinstein Competition with the last competition's winner (dont remember the name) with Avner Biron conducting. Considering whether to go to one of the concerts.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> I like 7-9 and also really enjoy 3 & 4 as well :trp:


Then today, Dvorak's 3rd it is! With Kertesz, no less.


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> Then today, Dvorak's 3rd it is! With Kertesz, no less.


Haha awesome, think I'll play it later on too! 

Now playing:









*
Schubert: Piano Quintet In A Major, D667, "Trout"*


----------



## Pieck

Listening to the Radio (It's 01:23) and there's Brahms chamber music pieces for an hour and a half by now, how fun is this?


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--_Symphony__No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, _asperformed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Maurice Abravanel. This performance was recorded in 1974 at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is on Musical Heritage
Society..
Jean Sibelius_--Symphony No.2, Op.43 in D Major and Symphony No.6, Op.104 in D Moll. _Both of these works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis. They were recorded in 1994 at Blackhealth Concert Halls, London. They are on RCA Victor Red Seal.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4, Op.36 in F Moll, Symphony No.5, Op.64 in E Moll, and Symphony No.6, Op.74 in E Moll {"Pathetique"}. _All of these works are on a 2 cd set from Deustche Grammophon and were recorded in 1975 and 1976 in Hamburg, Germany. They are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
Having never heard the 5th before, I simply cannot get over the magnificent triumphal beauty of its last movement!


----------



## Pieck

Now I'm listening to Elgar VC, Heifetz playing, really antique recording


----------



## Conor71

I've owned this box-set of Debussy/Ravel orchestral works for a couple of years and it's fantastic but I have yet to dig into it thoroughly.
The Full Daphnis Et Chloe Ballet in this set is beautiful and a work I will try to return to more often


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> Now I'm listening to Elgar VC, Heifetz playing, really antique recording


That sounds like a good listen! - I really like the Elgar VC and have a couple of recordings of it but have never heard the Heifetz version


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## Sid James

Australian works for sextet - piano, violin, cello, clarinet, flute, percussion
*Richard MEALE* - Incredible Floridas (Homage to Rimbaud) (1971)
*Ross EDWARDS* - Laikan
*Roger SMALLEY* - Ceremony II
Seymour Group/Anthony Fogg, director (at piano)
ABC

*BEETHOVEN*
String Quartets
- in A minor, Op. 132
- F major, Hess 34 (arr. of Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 14, No. 1)
Kodaly Quartet
Naxos

*SCHOENBERG*
Transfigured Night (comp. 1899, orch. 1917)
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
DGG

I've been mainly listening to things coming up in concerts - Meale's Incredible Floridas, Beethoven's SQ Op. 132, Schoenberg's Transfigured Night. I do listen to other things as well, but it seems I've mainly got headspace to get to know these well. But I enjoy repeated listening more than anything else, it helps me to understand & appreciate these great works in a deeper way...


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Preludes & Fugues (Various)
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 17*

Working my way back through some of the box-sets I bought last year  - both of these sets are excellent and have given me plenty of good listening. I bought so much stuff in the last couple of years and although I have listened to it all, I'm not as familiar with some of the works as I'd like to be!. With all the stuff I've got I have enough to keep me going in re-listens for a long time! 8)


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## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> That sounds like a good listen! - I really like the Elgar VC and have a couple of recordings of it but have never heard the Heifetz version


Well it's from his early years.









Link: http://www.amazon.com/Heifetz-Collection-Vol-1949-1951/dp/B000003FIK/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1305113727&sr=1-4


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## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


>


I didn't care for Debussy's music until I heard Jean Martinon's recording. I don't know what it is he's doing, but suddenly it all sounded _right_.


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## science

Haven't listened to this since The Great Hard Drive Calamity of 2010. I left $200 in an ATM today, so I'm in the mood.


----------



## haydnfan

That recording is brutal Science, prepare to be emotionally exhausted! What an intense work.


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## Manxfeeder

Roussel's Padmavati.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> I bought so much stuff in the last couple of years and although I have listened to it all, I'm not as familiar with some of the works as I'd like to be!. With all the stuff I've got I have enough to keep me going in re-listens for a long time! 8)


I have that same problem. We have a used CD store that has a wall of .99 cent CDs, and I've been gorging on some great stuff (like Gilels' Brahms Piano Concerto, Kraus' symphonies, Ravel's piano trio, to name a few) which I need time to sit back and assimilate, but as they say, ars longa, vita brevis.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Roussel's Padmavati.


You're an adventurous sole, Manxfeeder.


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## Guest

Returning to an old favorite this afternoon:








I put it in originally for teh Op. 8 Trio in B (one of my all time favorites), but quite enjoyed the Op. 87 Trio in C.

The Op. 8, I think, is what first turned me on to Brahms. The opening movement just clicked immediately in my mind. My first recording was on London by Suk, Katchen, and Starker - and I still love that one. But the Beaux Arts Trio do a wonderful job, and I have no complaints - it really is a toss up between the two recordings. This may win by a hair because you get 5 works in this Phillips Duo.


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## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> I didn't care for Debussy's music until I heard Jean Martinon's recording. I don't know what it is he's doing, but suddenly it all sounded _right_.


Yes, its a great recording for sure - when i first joined TC one of the other members was very enthusiastic about Martinon's recordings which prompted me to buy it 

Thread:
Now Listening:










*Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Preludes & Fugues Nos. 13-24, BWV 858-869*

Good morning  - Some Bach to start the day from what is currently my favourite WTC.


----------



## Pieck

DrMike said:


> Returning to an old favorite this afternoon:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I put it in originally for teh Op. 8 Trio in B (one of my all time favorites), but quite enjoyed the Op. 87 Trio in C.
> 
> The Op. 8, I think, is what first turned me on to Brahms. The opening movement just clicked immediately in my mind. My first recording was on London by Suk, Katchen, and Starker - and I still love that one. But the Beaux Arts Trio do a wonderful job, and I have no complaints - it really is a toss up between the two recordings. This may win by a hair because you get 5 works in this Phillips Duo.


Really? I have both recordings and think that the first is more sensitive.


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## Vaneyes

Berman's 1 & 4 are competitive. No one's really competitive with Richter's 5.


----------



## Guest

Pieck said:


> Really? I have both recordings and think that the first is more sensitive.


Hmmm, you are convincing me to give the Suk recording another listen. I will admit it has been a while. The Beaux Arts Trio recording I have on CD, so I can listen to it in the car, at home, at work. The Suk recording is an iTunes download, and only have it on my personal computer. Maybe I burnt a CD - I'll have to check and get back.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to some praise and worship music from Bach.


----------



## Vaneyes

Argerich's famous Prokofiev 3, at age 26.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, Op.35_, featuring Guy Touvron on solo trumpet.
Joseph Haydn_--Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Major_, featuring Martha Argerich, piano. Both pieces are from a Deutsche Grammophon cd recorded in 1994 by the Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester under the baton of Jorg Faerber.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Moll {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the LSO conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich. This performance was recorded in Barbican, London in 2002 and is on LSO Live.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Moll, Op.104._ Both works are performed by the LSO conducted by Sir Colin Davis. They were recorded in 1994 in London and are on RCA Victor Red Seal.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Finlandia, Op.26, _as performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta. These performances were recorded at the Manhattan Center in New York, 1990.


----------



## Vaneyes

Enescu: Octet, Quintet - Kremerata Baltica (Nonesuch)


----------



## Pieck

Listening to Shostakovich VCs - Oistrakh
Earlier I played my new CD of Avishai Cohen new album, it's the first non-classical CD I bought in 9 months, but I'm a bit partial to him, cause my cousin is playing with him (on sax) in concerts, and his my favorite jazzist.


----------



## samurai

Pieck said:


> Listening to Shostakovich VCs - Oistrakh
> Earlier I played my new CD of Avishai Cohen new album, it's the first non-classical CD I bought in 9 months, but I'm a bit partial to him, cause my cousin is playing with him (on sax) in concerts, and his my favorite jazzist.


Hi Pieck. I hope all is peaceful and safe in Israel tonight. I was just wondering who Avishai Cohen is. What instrument does he play and where does he perform. Thanks for your time.
Peace Out--Samurai aka Stephen Marcus


----------



## Ravellian

I've been returning to my box set of Romantic classics lately - contains a nice mix of romantic violin concerti, orchestral dances, and piano music.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 2, 12 & 16*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I always have a soft spot for this beautiful pastoral British music. I especially like Moeran's cello works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


> Haven't listened to this since The Great Hard Drive Calamity of 2010. I left $200 in an ATM today, so I'm in the mood.


Acck!!! $200!!??  That might be enough to make me go off on a Schoenberg binge.:lol:


----------



## Sid James

*HAYDN*
The Creation (Disc 1 of 2)
Soloists/Cologne Choir & Orch./Andreas Spering, cond.
Naxos

Just borrowed this set from the library & listened to disc 1 twice. Like a lot of my listening these days, it's tied to concerts. I want to try & get to a performance of this in late May out at Macquarie Uni in Sydney's North-East. As for the work itself, it was inspired by performances of Handel's _Messiah_ which Haydn saw in London. _The Creation_, an oratorio based on the book of Genesis & some poetry of Milton, was first performed back home in Vienna in 1799. There's a lot in this work that reminds me of, and seems to point forward to, the works of Haydn's famous student, Beethoven. The prelude, or "representation of chaos" has some of the dissonance and energy of the latter composer. Some of the vocal writing also reminds me of the Beethoven of _Fidelio_ or the choral symphony. Haydn's music illustrated the text very well. Eg. my favourite part was in Part II, the creation of the animals and plants. As the soprano soloist sings about the creation of the birds, the woodwinds imitate different types of bird calls. Things like this seem to predict what Beethoven was to do in the Pastoral Symphony, but I'm sure Ludwig van might have denied any influence, even if it was there. But a commonality between both Haydn & Beethoven was that they were influenced by Handel.

I like this work a lot, & I'll probably listen to the whole thing tonight. It's a performance on period instruments...


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Salome, Op. 54*


----------



## Pieck

samurai said:


> Hi Pieck. I hope all is peaceful and safe in Israel tonight. I was just wondering who Avishai Cohen is. What instrument does he play and where does he perform. Thanks for your time.
> Peace Out--Samurai aka Stephen Marcus


Avishai in Wikipedia
Well I hope youre not making fun of me, so I'll answer it. Avishai Cohen is one of the most popular jazzists in the world and he playes the contrabass. He perform all over the world.














I was in that concert and from 3:02 in the video you can see my cousin with the the sax and the black shirt behind Avishai.
Good day


----------



## Guest

Andre said:


> *HAYDN*
> The Creation (Disc 1 of 2)
> Soloists/Cologne Choir & Orch./Andreas Spering, cond.
> Naxos
> 
> Just borrowed this set from the library & listened to disc 1 twice. Like a lot of my listening these days, it's tied to concerts. I want to try & get to a performance of this in late May out at Macquarie Uni in Sydney's North-East. As for the work itself, it was inspired by performances of Handel's _Messiah_ which Haydn saw in London. _The Creation_, an oratorio based on the book of Genesis & some poetry of Milton, was first performed back home in Vienna in 1799. There's a lot in this work that reminds me of, and seems to point forward to, the works of Haydn's famous student, Beethoven. The prelude, or "representation of chaos" has some of the dissonance and energy of the latter composer. Some of the vocal writing also reminds me of the Beethoven of _Fidelio_ or the choral symphony. Haydn's music illustrated the text very well. Eg. my favourite part was in Part II, the creation of the animals and plants. As the soprano soloist sings about the creation of the birds, the woodwinds imitate different types of bird calls. Things like this seem to predict what Beethoven was to do in the Pastoral Symphony, but I'm sure Ludwig van might have denied any influence, even if it was there. But a commonality between both Haydn & Beethoven was that they were influenced by Handel.
> 
> I like this work a lot, & I'll probably listen to the whole thing tonight. It's a performance on period instruments...


GREAT recording. I also have the Gardiner recording, but this is my favorite. The opening is my favorite part.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Listening to Poulenc for the first time. I'm really enjoying the Improvisations.


The piano music was my first introduction to Poulenc also. One time I requested Trois Mouvements perpetuels on a classical request line, and after it was played, the phone lines lit up asking what it was. Turns out it's the theme to a children's radio show in Nashville. I guess a lot of people were introduced to Poulenc that night.

Anyway, I'm putting on my recording. I don't know how Paul Crossley stacks up next to Pascal Roge, but this is the kind of music that sounds good whoever is playing it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> The piano music was my first introduction to Poulenc also. One time I requested Trois Mouvements perpetuels on a classical request line, and after it was played, the phone lines lit up asking what it was. Turns out it's the theme to a children's radio show in Nashville. I guess a lot of people were introduced to Poulenc that night.
> 
> Anyway, I'm putting on my recording. I don't know how Paul Crossley stacks up next to Pascal Roge, but this is the kind of music that sounds good whoever is playing it.


It stacks up very well. This set led the way until Roge finally finished his over a twelve year period. Crossley, one of my favorite pianists, prioritized venue (The Maltings, Snape) and pedal. Roge recorded in three different venues in London and Paris, and used less pedal. Those elements plus tempi, and affinity for the music all help a listener guage preference. Roge's clarity, jauntiness, and affinity with Poulenc, win out for me.


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens_--Symphony No.3 for Organ in C Moll, Op.78 and Cypres et Lauriers, for organ and orchestra, Op.156._ Both works are performed by the Orchestre Du Capitole De Toulouse, conducted by Michel Plasson. They were recorded in 1995 and are on EMI Classics.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, _performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik_. _Every time_ I _hear this work, I still get emotionally blown away by its power, beauty and intensity-- especially the first movement!


----------



## Pieck

samurai said:


> Camille Saint-Saens_--Symphony No.3 for Organ in C Moll, Op.78 and Cypres et Lauriers, for organ and orchestra, Op.156._ Both works are performed by the Orchestre Du Capitole De Toulouse, conducted by Michel Plasson. They were recorded in 1995 and are on EMI Classics.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, _performedbytheLondonPhilharmonicOrchestraunderthebatonofBernardHaitnik_. _Everytime_ I _hearthiswork, I still get emotionally blown away by its power, beauty and intensity--especially in the first movement!


I hope you saw my post addressed to you, it was last post on the previous page.

Anyway, Vieuxtemps 5th VC - Heifetz.
I think afterwards it Schumann's VC's turn. Why didnt Heifetz play it either?


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Chamber Music*


----------



## samurai

Pieck said:


> Avishai in Wikipedia
> Well I hope youre not making fun of me, so I'll answer it. Avishai Cohen is one of the most popular jazzists in the world and he playes the contrabass. He perform all over the world.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was in that concert and from 3:02 in the video you can see my cousin with the the sax and the black shirt behind Avishai.
> Good day


Pieck, thanks for answering my question. I really had never heard of this musician before; I am in no way trying to make fun of you!
Peace Out--Steve


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still delving ever deeper into the Baroque. lately I've been focused mostly upon three of the major players: Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.


----------



## Void Eater

Jean-Philippe Rameau: 'La Pantomime' for 2 harpsichords 

No comment, good stuff.


----------



## science




----------



## science

Void Eater said:


> Jean-Philippe Rameau: 'La Pantomime' for 2 harpsichords
> 
> No comment, good stuff.


Of course it is. I don't think I've heard that work, but I love Rameau.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20*
*Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 - Preludes & Fugues, BWV 870-881
*


----------



## Sid James

*HAYDN*
The Creation (2 Discs) Sung in German
Soloists/Cologne Choir & Orch./Andreas Spering, cond.
Naxos

I got a head cold earlier this week which I'm recovering from, so I've been holed up in bed listening to this some of the time. This work was much inspired by performances of Handel's Messiah which Haydn saw while he was in London during the early 1790's. The three parts tell the story of the creation - of the planets, of the earth, and of man. The texts were Genesis and John Milton's Paradise Lost. In the first two parts, the soloists play the parts of archangels, and in the final third part they play Adam & Eve.

This work has many moments of beauty and pure genius. Some of it reminds me of Handel, Mozart or Beethoven (I'm new to this work). As a matter of fact, if someone gave me a "blind test" to try & figure out who this music was by, the last guess I'd make would probably be Haydn. But then again, I'm not an expert in these matters. Haydn's music comes across as quite intimate compared to the grander moments of those other composers, although there are some powerful statements made in this work too.

There are many parts that I like a lot. The opening prelude, a "representation of chaos" before the planets were formed is quite dissonant and even a bit astringent. The song about the dividing of the oceans also has a similar vigour and energy. In part two, my favourite song is the one about the creation of the birds - the soprano's voice is simply angelic and the woodwinds imitating bird calls is really unique and imaginative. In the final part, there are a few duets between the tenor & soprano as Adam & Eve. The contrast between the voice colours with the delicate orchestral accompaniment is beyond words.

This performance is excellent overall, but the South Korean soprano Sunhae Im really steals the show for me. He voice is angelic, golden, sensuous and kind of sexy at the same time. She really nails the songs she sings, whether they're solos or duets. There'll be a performance of this here in Sydney in late May & I plan to get to that if I can. In the meantime, these two discs will be in my player many times, no doubt...


----------



## Sid James

DrMike said:


> GREAT recording. I also have the Gardiner recording, but this is my favorite. The opening is my favorite part.


My local library (where I got the Naxos recording of _The Creation _from) does have other recordings as well. Maybe they have the Gardiner one, I'll have to check. But the CD's aren't in any order on the shelves, you just have to rummage through them to find what you want. I found the Naxos one first, so it's the one I borrowed. But maybe next time I'll have a look for other recordings. It's certainly a work that warrants hearing more than just recording of, although like you I'm quite happy with this Naxos one. As I said above, the Korean soprano Sunhae Im's voice has a very special glow to it, which I absolutely adore...


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20*


My first Haydn SQ I heard was in a concert, and it was Op. 20\4. At that time I didnt like the classic era, but really enjoyed that one, and that made me buy Op. 76 (the only in the store).


----------



## science

Listened to op. 52.

Now on to Vivaldi's Gloria, from this disk:


----------



## science

D'Indy: Jour d'été à la montagne.


----------



## science

Incidentally, I cannot find that on Amazon, nor can I find the Fischer-Dieskau recording of Mahler's songs (Rukert Lieder, Kindertotenlieder, etc.) on DG.


----------



## science

Now, _El amor brujo_ from this disk:










It wasn't so long ago one might've said that if you like this you should listen to Golijov's Ainadamar, but now we should probably say that if you like Ainadamar you should listen to this!


----------



## Guest

science said:


> Incidentally, I cannot find that on Amazon, nor can I find the Fischer-Dieskau recording of Mahler's songs (Rukert Lieder, Kindertotenlieder, etc.) on DG.


I don't know about the Mahler recording on DG, but EMI does have this, which I own and greatly enjoy:


----------



## science




----------



## science

DrMike said:


> I don't know about the Mahler recording on DG, but EMI does have this, which I own and greatly enjoy:


Yeah, I found that. The recording I have is this one:










Amazon.co.uk has it, but not amazon.com.

Now I've just started Schubert's _Die Schone Mullerin_.










Hyperion has re-released it with a pink cover.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> My first Haydn SQ I heard was in a concert, and it was Op. 20\4. At that time I didnt like the classic era, but really enjoyed that one, and that made me buy Op. 76 (the only in the store).


The first Haydn SQ's I heard where the Op. 76 - It took me a while to get used to the "Classical" sound of the SQ's even though I have liked Beethoven and Mozart since starting out in CM.
I really like my set of Haydn's SQ's - I dont have much other Haydn in my collection so It's nice to own at least something complete by him as I rate him as an Important Composer


----------



## Conor71

*Rossini: Overtures*


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Overtures*

Only listened to this one once before - fun disc! :trp:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Rossini: Overtures*


That's one of my binge purchases that's on my to-listen stack one of these days. These are like symphonies without the development section, right?

Today, another group of 99-cent used CDs that I couldn't pass up yielded Enescu's first symphony by Rozhdestvensky. Lovely music, great recorded sound.


----------



## Fugue

Now there's a beauty! A new discovery, don't you just love it when it happens?


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> That's one of my binge purchases that's on my to-listen stack one of these days. These are like symphonies without the development section, right?


I purchased that Rossini Set under similar circumsatnces and it took about 9 months before I listened to it! 
I'm not too how I would describe the Overtures Manx, the only thing I know about them are that they are Orchestral Music and they were used as the Opening music to Rossini's Operas (even that may be wrong!)


----------



## Vaneyes

This is the first "Domestica" that clicked with me, after hearing Karajan, Maazel, Reiner, etc., A bonus was Parergon, which I'd not heard before.


----------



## samurai

Maurice Ravel_--Daphnis_ _and_ _Chloe: Suite No.2; Rapsodie espagnole; Pavane pour une infante defunte; Alborado del gracioso and Bolero._ All these works were performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Donald Peck is on flute. These were recorded in 1991 at Chicago's Orchestra Hall and are on Musical Heritage Society.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"} _asperformedbytheLondon Philharmonic under the baton of Bernard Haitnik. I am so impressed by the elegiac, brooding intensity of the string section in the third movement of this work.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36,_ performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
I find the second movement to be very intense and moving.


----------



## Guest

Just popped in Per Norgard - Symphony no. 3; my first experience with Norgard. Very interesting so far.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some magnificent performances of American symphonic works.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Some magnificent performances of American symphonic works.


Love the Harris symphony, but never cared for Bernstein's take on it. Give Neeme Jarvi a shot, he's got a recording on Chandos with my hometown Detroit Symphony Orchestra (which, by the way, is back together).


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*

Have been listening to mostly Orchestral music today for the first time in quite a while - This Bruckner set always hits the spot when I feel like listening to an Epic Symphony


----------



## Conor71

*Weber: Der Freischutz*

Previously listened to Eugene Onegin (need to re-listen again soon!) - now listening to this entertaining Opera.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm following up on suggestions from a question I asked, "If I love Bruckner, what should I purchase next," with tone poems by Liszt and Schmidt's Book of the Seven Seals.


----------



## Vaneyes

No deep meanings here...


----------



## Pieck

Avishai Cohen - About a Tree
But because it's off topic, next I'll put Myaskovsky cello concerto


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64*

Continuing on my recent orchestral music binge with this set of the Tchaikovsky Symphonies - Such beautiful music, I love Tchaikovsky! :trp:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listened to this whole set over the course of the day. Lovely.


----------



## science

The concerto.

Earlier today I listened to Saint-Saens' 4th piano concerto:










That is another that has been released in Hyperion's pink series.

And then Mozart's 11th piano sonata (a true classic - you'll recognize it even if you don't know what it is) by Uchida:


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Missa Solemnis, Op. 123*


----------



## samurai

Tchaikovsky_--Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.6__ in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"} _performedbytheBerlinerPhilharmonikerunderthebatonofHerbert vonKarajan. Both works are from the same 2 cd set from Deutsche Grammophon as posted by Conor71 earlier today.


----------



## Art Rock




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## Manxfeeder

Bruckner's 2nd mass by Frieder Bernius.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## tdc

I know 'best of' compilations are often frowned on, this one was a steal of a deal at $20 for 6 cds. However, in my humble opinion this compilation contains some of the finest recorded Bach music I have listened to, and has become one of the most prized items I have in my music collection.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Belshazzar's Feast, Walton.


----------



## Pieck

Scriabin Piano Sonatas (first time) - Odgon - Fantastic


----------



## Air

*Telemann: Paris Quartet No. 1
Gustav Leonhardt & the Kuijkens*

This is one of the most delightful CD's from the big Gustav Leonhardt Jubilee box. It changed my whole view of Telemann's music being derivative and inferior in quality to Bach. It's really lovely how he maintains a lightness in the dance rhythms while still keeping his music dense in the typical German flavor. After listening to the weighty organ and religious music of Bach and Buxtehude, it's a refreshing little break. Some of the melodic passages are really just drop-dead gorgeous, especially in the Presto section of the 1st quartet. They seem to interweave in a most effortless way and develop naturally in and out of new modulations. The intermittent dissonances in the passages add a spice to the music that is really reminiscent of Corelli and his harmonic work.

I also really love Telemann's interplay between the instruments - flute, violin, viola de gamba/cello and harpsichord. The harpsichord is of course a great continuo but the flute is the standout here. It soars above the rest, at moments allowing the violin and viola de gamba/cello to sputter out a few sentences. When one instrument finishes a melodic line, another instrument does not hesitate to dance joyously out of the phrase and sing its own song. Baroque chamber music such as this is a pure delight and I wonder why the Paris Quartets do not have the same renown as Telemann's also wonderful Tafelmusik.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Chamber Music*

Good morning - First listens of the day


----------



## Pieck

Air said:


> It changed my whole view of Telemann's music being derivative and inferior in quality to Bach.


As one who playes a lot of Telemann, I completely agree with you. He has so beautiful moments, that I say to myself 'Damn he's f***ing good!' and dont understand the prejudice of him being a 2nd grade to Bach. I think a lot of people dont know enough of his music, and it has something to do with Bach being one of the biggest names in CM and Telemann aint, compared to him.
(Still acknowledge that Bach is the greater one, but you know, he's the greatest)


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens_--Organ_ _Symphony_ _No_.3 _In_ _C__ Moll, Op.78 and Cypres et Lauriers, Op.156._ Both works performed by the Orchestre Du Capitole De Toulose under the baton of Michel Plasson. The featured organist is Mathias Eisenberg.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Schubert's lieder... beautifully arranged for orchestra by Britten, Brahms, Reger, Liszt, Webern, and Offenbach.


----------



## Sid James

*MAHLER* - Songs of a Wayfarer; Songs on the death of children (Kindertotenlieder)
Christa Ludwig, mezzo soprano
Philharmonia Orchestra of London
Adrian Boult/Andre Vandernoot
EMI

*HAYDN*
The Creation (Disc 1 of 2)
Soloists/Cologne Orch. & Choir/Andreas Spering
Naxos

I'll be listening to these two (as well as Mahler's 4th symphony), as I'm preparing for concerts of these works in upcoming weeks.

Mahler's songs are some of my favourites. I've only got this recording but I last year I went to two concerts which included this music, and this coming weekend, it'll be the _Wayfarer Songs_. The text of this set is by the composer, and the subject is love and loss, which is relevant to many young people, and Mahler was no exception. Mahler's treatment of the voice is very original, although he probably does owe quite a debt to Wagner. But his orchestration sounds much more delicate than Wagner's to me. His use of cross rythms in the woodwinds especially comes across as being very imaginative and modern. The _Kindertotenlieder_ bought back a memory to the surface of my mind very intensely, it had been dormant for 20 years. My father lost his sister during their childhood in the war back in Europe. He was about 10 and she was 5. Mahler's very emotional (to say the least) music made me remember the only time that he talked about this experience to me. I felt that he was angry at the world for letting this happen. His sister died of starvation. He was starving as well, but he saved his rations for her, but she still died. I was in tears & sobbing by the end of this set. All of my emotions regarding my father resurfaced from the deep. At about the same time that he lost his little sister, my father's mother also died, of TB. I had forgotten (or thought that I had forgotten, repressed?) these things for years. He only talked about this once or twice. The only other pieces that I got this emotional over were Morten Lauridsen's _Chansons des Roses _and Gorecki's _Symphony of Sorrowful Songs_. On this EMI Mahler songs disc, Ludwig sings a third set - five highlights from the _Ruckert lieder _and _Wunderhorn_ songs conducted by the legendary Klemperer - but I wasn't in a state to finish the disc.

I usually listen to a religious comedy program which is very irreverent on radio on Sundays nights. Run by comedian John Saffran & Father Bob MacGuire. The odd combination of an Australian Jew and a Catholic priest. They have a lot of fun together. After the catharsis of the Mahler this was not exactly appropriate. But I forgot about the radio show anyway. So a little while later I listened to Haydn's magnificent _Creation_, which really gave me a boost. It's not only a really "feel good" work, but also highly innovative, imaginative and original. I'll try to get to the concert of it at the end of May if I can, out at Macquarie University in Sydney's northeast. I saw Handel's _Messiah_ last year in December, and this Haydn work would be equally awesome to see...


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 54, Cello Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129*

Some more Schumann


----------



## Sid James

Conor71 said:


> *Schumann: Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 54, Cello Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129*
> Some more Schumann


Love those two works. Haven't heard those particular recordings, but undoubtedly they must be superb. I've got them played by Dinu Lipatti & Maurice Gendron respectively, on a Decca Eloquence release (with the Suisse Romande under Ansermet). I saw Australian cello supremo Emma Jane Murphy perform the Schumann _Cello Concerto _last year and it was great. Really soulful music, I like how there's no break between the movements, and the accompanied cadenza is simply a masterpiece in itself. It's a pity that many people skip Schumann's masterpiece and jump from Haydn straight to Dvorak, Elgar and Tchaikovsky, totally missing this amazing work. Talking of Richter's Schumann, I recently got a vinyl record with the Russian playing Papillons, the 2nd Sonata & Carnival in Vienna. I haven't listened to it yet but it will happen soon. It's a matter of headspace more than time, I'm a listener who tends to listen to new things repeatedly, in-depth, rather than tackling a whole lot of new stuff straight away. It's both a plus and a minus in many ways. I know that with this approach, I won't cover all of the masterpieces I would otherwise in a lifetime. But "less is more" is kind of my motto, musically speaking, for better or worse...


----------



## Conor71

Andre said:


> Love those two works. Haven't heard those particular recordings, but undoubtedly they must be superb. I've got them played by Dinu Lipatti & Maurice Gendron respectively, on a Decca Eloquence release (with the Suisse Romande under Ansermet). I saw Australian cello supremo Emma Jane Murphy perform the Schumann _Cello Concerto _last year and it was great. Really soulful music, I like how there's no break between the movements, and the accompanied cadenza is simply a masterpiece in itself. It's a pity that many people skip Schumann's masterpiece and jump from Haydn straight to Dvorak, Elgar and Tchaikovsky, totally missing this amazing work. Talking of Richter's Schumann, I recently got a vinyl record with the Russian playing Papillons, the 2nd Sonata & Carnival in Vienna. I haven't listened to it yet but it will happen soon. It's a matter of headspace more than time, I'm a listener who tends to listen to new things repeatedly, in-depth, rather than tackling a whole lot of new stuff straight away. It's both a plus and a minus in many ways. I know that with this approach, I won't cover all of the masterpieces I would otherwise in a lifetime. But "less is more" is kind of my motto, musically speaking, for better or worse...


I definetely agree with you less is more approach Andre  - On quite a few occasions i have bought more Music than I was able to listen to straight away and I actually find it slightly stressful trying to keep up with a growing "to listen to pile"!.
I enjoy re-listens as well and will often listen repeatedly to new material until Im satisifed I've been able to absorb it properly.
I'd rather have less repertoire that I know well than possessing a lot of stuff I'm not that familar with!


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartet No. 3 In D Major, B 18*

This must be about the longest piece of chamber music in my collection!


----------



## haydnguy

Got this at a used shop for practically nothing. This is my first listen:


----------



## science

I'm wrapping up my tour of Bach's organ music with the "chorale settings."










I will probably do this again in the fall, though parts of it I will get to again much sooner. There is a lot of good music here.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some nice chamber music by Bruckner for a cloudy day: his string quintet by the Raphael Ensemble.


----------



## Guest

science said:


> I'm wrapping up my tour of Bach's organ music with the "chorale settings."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I will probably do this again in the fall, though parts of it I will get to again much sooner. There is a lot of good music here.


I really enjoy Bach's organ works. I don't know that I'll ever procure a comprehensive set, but I have a few wonderful recordings that I come back to quite frequently:
















Walcha is great, but I love the recording by Butt on HM.

Right now, I am also listening to some Bach:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

Lovely playing by Miss Little, and the usual top-notch support by the late great "Tod" Handley (No knighthood remains a mystery to some).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with Shostakovich's Festive Overture by Eric Kunzel. It's bringing back memories of playing the band arrangement in my old high school; it was a real hit among us school bands back in the day.

Then ending with orchestral music by Frank Bridge.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 7-9*

Good morning  - A Disc from this excellent set to start the day!.


----------



## Guest

I remember, many years ago, absolutely loving the Bach Brandenburg Concerti. When I started playing Bach on piano, I had a falling out with the composer and forwent all listening of his music. Lately however, I've started to enjoy playing Bach (the Well-Tempered Clavier especially, which I've also been listening to of late) and thus have had a sort of "rediscovery." So, I am now breaking out the Brandenburg Concerti after a very long haitus.


----------



## science




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## science

Coincidence?


----------



## Sid James

A Mahler hat-trick!

*MAHLER* - Symphony No. 4 (incl. Blumine)
Alexandra Coku, soprano/Netherlands PO/Hartmut Haenchen, cond.
Brilliant

*J. STRAUSS Snr.* - Radetzky March
*J. STRAUSS Jnr.* - Thunder & Lightning; Annen Polka
*WALDTEUFEL* - Skater's Waltz
*VERDI* - Theme from "La Traviata"
Andre Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra
(bonus disc with book "My music, my life" by Marjorie Rieu)

I'm getting into this Mahler symphony because there'll be a free concert of it out at Macquarie Uni here in Sydney on the weekend. They'll also be performing his Wayfarer Songs. This is actually my favourite Mahler symphony. It's lighter than the others and not as much full of angst. The first movement has sleigh bells, the second is a scherzo featuring a solo violin tuned to sound like a gypsy fiddle, the slow movement reminds me of Bruckner or Tchaikovsky's Pathetique, and the final movement has a soprano solo in an arrangment of one of the Wunderhorn Songs, returning thematically to the first movement. This recording also has the discarded Blumine movement, whose harmonies kind of remind me of Berg.

To relax, I listend for the first time to the bonus disc that came with Andre Rieu's biography. His arrangements come off as being more percussive than the originals, and the playing is very slick and polished. His biography is light reading, but has many interesting facts. As a kid, he met many of the finest violinists of the day - Grumiaux, Menuhin, Kogan, Oistrakh - who'd join the Rieu family for dinner after Rieu senior conducted the Limburgh Symphony Orchestra accompanying them in the great concertos. Andre Rieu also took up to playing in that & other top Dutch orchestras & ensembles, but his dream was always to lead his own orchestra & play his favourite composers - the Strausses, Verdi & Mozart. Rieu was always a musician first and foremost, it was his wife Marjorie who was the bussinessman (or person?) in the partnership. He credits her business acumen as being the secret ingredient of his phenomenal success. She authored this biography of him as Andre apparently hates writing...


----------



## Air

*Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Chamber Orchestra of Europe*

I'm reading Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream at the same time. It's an experiment, but I've already noticed that both the book and the music have gotten even lovelier when put together!


----------



## Fugue

It's Scandinavia for me at the moment. Interesting disk from Synne Skouen, some lovely violin sonatas and a quartet with voice.
Plus some Grieg, what a melody writer!


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm starting the day with Heinrich Schutz's polychoral music.


----------



## tdc

I've been listening to this a lot since I picked it up recently. Stunningly gorgeous music, and there is nothing else quite like this in my music collection. Highly recommended. If this recording has a flaw it is that most of the pieces on it sound fairly similar, however they are all very very good in my opinion.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Enescu's second symphony and Romanian Rhapsody in A Major by Horia Andreescu.


----------



## Pieck

Back to the roots. Exploring Brahms agian, in the section I'm not fimiliar with - Choral, songs lieder...
Now - Requiem
Earlier - Romances Songs etc.


----------



## Conor71

*Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 1
Dohnanyi: Suite In The Old Style For piano, Op. 24
Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet No. 2 In Eb Minor, Op. 26*

First classical listen of the day - slowly becoming familiar with the Music on this pleasant Disc


----------



## haydnguy




----------



## haydnguy

Fugue said:


> It's Scandinavia for me at the moment. Interesting disk from Synne Skouen, some lovely violin sonatas and a quartet with voice.
> Plus some Grieg, what a melody writer!


I was just listening to that Grieg disk yesterday. Lovely.


----------



## Sid James

*MONTEVERDI* - Vespers of 1610 (Disc 2 of 2)
- Vespers Part II: Sonata sopra; Hymn (Ave maris stella); Magnificat
- Salve, O Regina for tenor & organ
*SCHUTZ*
- Fili mi Absalon for bass, brass, organ
- Heu mihi Domine for bass solo & choir
- O Quam tu pulchra es for tenor, bass, lute, strings, organ
*PALESTRINA*
- Stabat Mater for solo vocal group & men's choir
Pro Cantione Antiqua UK, Mark Brown, Edgar Fleet, Collegium Aureum, Musica Fiata & Hannover Boys Choir
Alto label

*HAYDN* - The Creation (2 discs)
Soloists/Cologne Orch. & Choir/Andreas Spering
Naxos

I'm really getting into & enjoy the choral repertoire now, especially the old stuff. I got Rinaldo Alessandrini's recording on Naive of Monteverdi's _Vespers_ from the library a few weeks back, & immediately fell in love with the work - it's daring innovation, it's beauty, it's passion, it's many moments of pure genius - I could go on forever. But I didn't get that recording when it came to buying the work, I got this Alto reissue of a Harmonia Mundi recording, put out this year. It was mainly for the Allegri, Schutz, Palestrina bonus tracks. I listened to the second disc of this set after getting it yesterday. It's interesting because this recording & Alessandrini's account are quite different. This Alto recording was a collaboration between UK and German musicians, recorded in 1979. The use of the boy's choir is an interesting touch. The _Magnificat_ is my favourite part of the work, and they play it beautifully.

The bonus tracks on the second disc were equally interesting. I particularly liked the Schutz - that is an understatement, I thought these three motets were out of this world! The first two are laments & pretty dark. The use of the brass & organ in _Fili mi Absalon_ made me think not only of Gabrieli but also Bruckner. _Heu mihi Domine_ was just amazing, so emotional, almost minimalist, and it basically beats anything I've heard from the likes of Arvo Part. The third & final motet in this selection, _O Quam tu pulchra es_, is less darker than the other two, the interweaving of the tenor and bass points forward to the Baroque and beyond - Schutz died 30 years before J.S. Bach and Handel were born (an amazing fact!). There was less overt emotion or contrast in the Palestrina _Stabat Mater_, but it had this purity and depth that just speaks genius to me. These bonus tracks were so good, I listened to them again. I'm looking forward to listening to the first disc of this set tonight.

As for Haydn's _Creation_, I'm getting into it because I hope to go to a performance of it here in Sydney in late May. It's a masterpiece that was inspired by Handel's _Messiah_, but looks very much forward to Beethoven and (in some ways) even to Wagner. Two things in particular, the vague tonality of it's opening prelude and the use of what I'd basically call instrumental leitmotifs to paint pictures of animals in particular, speak to Haydn's music looking foward a century (_The Creation_ was first performed in 1799). This is another recording I borrowed from the library, and I may well invest in a copy for myself in the future, it's excellent.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Fugue

Good time of year for this. You know, I really think Frank Bridge never gets the mentions he deserves.
The Suite for String Orchestra is a wonderful work.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Fugue said:


> You know, I really think Frank Bridge never gets the mentions he deserves.


I've just discovered his music myself. Enter Spring is a great piece.

I'm starting the day with Debussy's cello sonata.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Pieck

Hindemith 4th SQ, pretty pleasant - Zehetmier Quartet
Wondering: is Karajan a good Verdi's Requiem conductor (dont know he's performences, recordings etc.)


----------



## Pieck

Roslavets violin sonatas. First pieces I hear by this composer, surprisingly nice.


----------



## Vaneyes

Pieck said:


> Wondering: is Karajan a good Verdi's Requiem conductor (dont know he's performences, recordings etc.)


Thanks for asking. If one's not a Verdi hardliner, I say it's worth a listen. I chose it because after listening to Toscanini, Muti, Barenboim, and a few others, I felt like I was beat up after each go. IOW I wanted a more user-friendly version. Meaning I'd like more spirituality than histrionics.


----------



## Conor71

*Martinu: Piano Trios*


----------



## haydnguy

Listening to the harpsichord concertos. This set is a good buy IMHO.


----------



## Sid James

Last night's listening went like this -

*HAYDN*
- Symphonies Nos. 49 in F minor "La Passione" & 50 in C major (Philharmonia Hungarica/Antal Dorati) World Record Club Australia tape
- The Creation (2 discs) (Soloists/Cologne Orch. & Choir/Andreas Spering) Naxos

*MAHLER*
- Songs of a Wayfarer (Christa Ludwig, mezzo soprano/Philharmonia Orch./Adrian Boult) EMI

*MONTEVERDI*
- Vespers of 1610 (2 disc set, with following bonus tracks) -
- Salve, O Regina for tenor & organ
*ALLEGRI*
- Miserere mei
*SCHUTZ* Three motets -
- Fili mi Absalon for bass, brass, organ
- Heu mihi Domine for bass solo & choir
- O Quam tu pulchra es for tenor, bass, lute, strings, organ
*PALESTRINA*
- Stabat Mater for solo vocal group & men's choir
Pro Cantione Antiqua UK, Mark Brown, Edgar Fleet, Collegium Aureum, Musica Fiata & Hannover Boys Choir, Heinz Hennig, direction.
Alto label

I started with Haydn - two symphonies that are as different from eachother as night and day (almost literally!). The 49th symphony is the darkest work that I've heard by Haydn. The structure is unusual, that of a church sonata (four movements, slow-fast-slow-fast). The themes are cyclical, those of the two slow movements are related to eachother as are those of the two fast ones. This is quite an intense work, for Haydn anyway. The consecutive 50th symphony is more in the familiar Haydn territory, a light work which is less harmonically adventurous. The 49th symphony had harpsichord as continuo, but the 50th symphony was without this.

Then more Haydn, the magnificent _Creation_ oratorio, which I've been familiarising myself with as I want to go to a concert of it later this month if I can. Then Mahler's _Wayfarer Songs _which is also being played at a concert on the weekend here in Sydney. This work was premiered with a male vocalist, I'm not sure but maybe Mahler preferred it to be sung by a male? Anyhow, I'm sure that if he'd heard Christa Ludwig singing this set, he would have tipped his hat to her, no doubt. Hers is a very deep and dark interpretation of the texts, written by the composer, and one cannot but feel that she was born to sing Mahler's rather sad and angst ridden songs.

To finish, the Monteverdi _Vespers_ set, which I got earlier in the week. It was my first time last night listening to Allegri's _Misere mei_, which kind of reminded me of Gregorian chant, though not as simple. This set has been my first exposure to the works other than the _Vespers_, and I've enjoyed every moment...


----------



## haydnguy

That alto does look interesting. I'm buying a bunch of early music at the moment.


----------



## science

I was going to ask about the Alto recording of Monteverdi's vespers. I will buy another recording of the vespers sometime in the coming months, and I wonder why you chose that one? Or if it's the one you'd recommend?


----------



## Pieck

Janacek Glagolitic Mass for the 1st time - Rattle
Last night listened to Nielsen and Reger's VCs


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> I was going to ask about the Alto recording of Monteverdi's vespers. I will buy another recording of the vespers sometime in the coming months, and I wonder why you chose that one? Or if it's the one you'd recommend?


Well I'm no expert in this area. The first time I heard Monteverdi's _Vespers_ was a few weeks ago, I borrowed it from the library on the Naive label, the one voice per part version under Rinaldo Alessandrini. That set has the original version - with instrumental ensemble accompaniment - of the whole work, and as a "bonus track" the organ version of the concluding _Magnificat_.

The main reason that I got the Alto recording was to not only own a recording of the _Vespers_, but also for the bonus tracks on it - another work by Monteverdi, plus key works by Allegri, Schutz & Palestrina. The Alto recording of the _Vespers_ differs in that there's a boy's choir involved (the accompaniment is by instrumental ensemble). As you probably know, the forces used to perform this work are flexible (have always been). At original performances at St Mark's Venice, Monteverdi apparently had a choir of 25 singers at his disposal (which was a huge amount back then), plus a handful of instrumentalists (if he didn't have those, the version with organ would be performed). On festivals and feast days, larger forces were available, as more musicians were employed. I don't think that there is a "definitive" performance of this work at all. It's a bit like Handel's _Messiah_, of which there are at least 6 different versions, from the minimalist one voice per part "Dublin" version to the mammoth ones favoured from the late c18th (during Haydn's time, there was a mammoth performance of it at Westminster with over 1000 musicians). Monteverdi's masterpiece is the same, whatever recorded version you get, it will be like one slice of the pie. So I got one with great bonus tracks from a variety of Renaissance composers, which is an area I'm becoming increasingly interested in. But the difference between Alessandrini's and Hennig's accounts are more in terms of forces used, they are both very fine accounts imo...


----------



## science

Thanks for the 411, Andre. Good stuff to know.


----------



## Vaneyes

These two sets, seven CDs total, will account for a good portion of the day. At 85, Ciccolini still performs. Mompou died in 1987.


----------



## kv466

Variations on a theme of Chopin - Rachmaninov


----------



## Niklav

Alkan Concerto for Solo Piano (and second part)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schumann's 3rd symphony by David Zinman.


----------



## Melvin

Bach - Art of the fugue! 

Contrapunctus IX; that's how it's done


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I was going to ask about the Alto recording of Monteverdi's vespers. I will buy another recording of the vespers sometime in the coming months, and I wonder why you chose that one? Or if it's the one you'd recommend?

The Alessandrini recording that Andre speaks of is certainly a contender... as is Alessandrini for almost anything he has recorded. Among the top recordings IMO are those of Martin Pearlman and the Boston Baroque, John Eliot Gardiner with the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir, Andrew Parrott's with the Taverner Consort, and William Christie with Les Arts Florissants. Not too long ago, BBC Music Magazine devoted an article to the Vespers and looked at the best recordings... and those to avoid. I have all of these but Christie's which is out of print and quite expensive. I love them all. I think I prefer Pearlman's (perhaps because this was my first exposure to this stunning work) but Gardiner's may be the most consistent.

Current listening:










More Monteverdi with Alessandrini!


----------



## Sid James

Last night's listening went like this -

*ANDRE RIEU* - "Dreaming" album
(Andre Rieu, violin & arrangements)
Andre Rieu & his orchestra
Universal Music Australasia

*MONTEVERDI* - Vespers of 1610
Bonus tracks:* MONTEVERDI *- Salve, O Regina; *ALLEGRI* - Miserere mei; *SCHUTZ* - 3 Latin Motets; *PALESTRINA* - Stabat Mater
Pro Cantione Antiqua UK, Mark Brown, Edgar Fleet, Collegium Aureum, Musica Fiata & Hannover Boys Choir, Heinz Hennig, direction.
Alto label (2 disc set)

*LALO* - Piano Concerto
Marylene Dosse, piano/Stuttgarter Philharmoniker/Matthias Kuntzsch, cond.
Pilz label (Germany)

The Rieu album & Lalo Piano Concerto were first listens.

I kind of expected the Andre Rieu album to be a bit schmaltzy, but on the whole it was quite restrained, if anything. My favourite piece on the album was Beethoven's _Romance in F_, which Rieu played very well. Rieu didn't hog the limelight as soloist, there were also other tracks featuring the principals of his 42 piece orchestra, and 2 tracks were choral. These were nostalgic and lyrical evergreens that everyone knows, the only two pieces unknown to me were the opening track called _Ballade_ penned by Rieu and his conductor father, and a choral piece called _Aimer (Romeo & Juliet)_ by someone called G. Presgruvic. Rieu's arrangements were tasteful and well done, but to fit 18 tracks on the album he cut some of them considerably. Eg. the Beethoven piece was just under 5 minutes, but the original is probably more than double that length. I would have preferred him to just play the originals and have less tracks on the album. I'm not really into compilation albums, but this was okay. The whole thing has a kind of nostalgic and sad feel, far less flamboyant and upbeat than his interpretations of waltzes and operetta.

Then the Monteverdi _Vespers_ set, including some substantial bonus tracks from Allegri, Schutz and Palestrina. Monteverdi's _Vespers_ can be interpreted flexibly in terms of forces used to perform them. Monteverdi would usually have a 25 strong choir at St Mark's Venice (which was quite a huge choir at that time) along with a handful of instrumentalists (or just solo organ). The work would be performed by larger forces if there was a festival or feast day on, when more musicians would be hired. This recording, a collaboration of UK and German musicians under the baton of Heinz Hennig, was done in 1978 for North German Radio and subsequently issued on the Harmonia Mundi label. It's now on the boutique budget Alto label. The acoustic is that of a large space, it was recorded in a monestary in Germany. It's quite reverberant and appropriate for the many echoes that permeate this work. The sound is less clear than some more recent recordings, but I'm not an audiophile so it doesn't really bother me.

The bonus tracks are just as good as the title work. Schutz's _Latin Motets _have this sense darkness and tragedy. They show the influence of his teacher Gabrieli, as well as Monteverdi, and look forward many centuries to the sacred works of Bruckner. The Allegri _Misere mei _was originally performed with improvised ornamentation from the vocalists, but since the Baroque period these improvisations have been notated and set in stone, more or less. It's another dark work, which was sung in the Vatican three times during Holy Week. The Vatican didn't allow it to be published, but the teenaged Mozart got around this by exactly scoring the 12 minute long work after having heard it live on a visit to Rome. Needless to say, that must not have been very easy, this is a highly complex work. In contrast to the Schutz and Allegri, the Palestrina work on the set has this light, ethereal and delicate quality. It's no surprise that the likes of Debussy were said to have been great admirers of this guy's music.

To finish, I listend to Lalo's _Piano Concerto_, an obscure work. His most famous work is the _Symphonie Espagnole_, for violin and orchestra (which is also on this disc) which he wrote for the virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate. Pundits say, however, that Lalo's finest work is his opera _Le Roi D'Ys_, a late work. The style of Lalo's _Piano Concerto _reminded me of his contemporaries and friends, Saint-Saens and Franck. It's a fusion of Germanic structure and French finesse. The repetitve melody played by the pianist in the slow middle movement seemd to look forward to Ravel a bit, but it's treatment was quite Brahmsian as well. The finale had the air of a French folk song, a bit like D'Indy's _Symphony on a French Mountain Air_. This is a work perhaps not in the first rank, but lovers of piano concertos - Romantic ones in particular - will no doubt get something out of it...


----------



## Meaghan

Lots of recordings of the G Major prelude and fugue from Well-Tempered Clavier vol. 2 (because I'm playing it), as well as other preludes and fugues. Most recently: Wanda Landowska.


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius Edition, Volume 3: Voice and Orchestra


----------



## science

Whew! Finished that one. Have to give God credit for getting it over with a touch faster than Papa.

Now on to Beethoven PC #4:










The 3rd movement won't upload from my disk, so I have to settle for the first two. (Of course I have other recordings in which the 3rd movement works just fine.) Someday I'll buy the 3rd movement mp3 file.


----------



## Sid James

@ science - I've also been listening to that very recording!...

*HAYDN*
The Creation (Disc 2 of 2)
Soloists/Cologne Orch. & Ch./Andreas Spering, cond.
Naxos

*LALO*
Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21 
Ruggiero Ricci, violin/Bochumer Symphoniker/Matthias Kuntzsch
Pilz budget label (Germany)

The second half of Haydn's _Creation_ oratorio is less arresting for me than the first half, but altogether it's a great work. Haydn shows his mastery in vocal and instrumental writing throughout. He pays his debts to former great masters of the Baroque, particularly Handel in the finely crafted choral fugues. There's a lot of innovation in this work - from the vague tonality of the opening prelude - the so-called "representation of chaos" - to the leitmotifs that Haydn uses to illustrate the texts in describing various animals. But the main reason why I like it is that it has a "feel good" vibe, it's very optimistic and uplifting.

Then I revisited Lalo's _Symphonie Espagnole _ for violin and orchestra, after a 10 year gap, on this disc I got yesterday. It's really neither a symphony nor a concerto, it's more like a suite. But semantics aside, this is an enjoyable work. Italian-American violinist Ruggiero Ricci, known for his passionate & emotional performances, certainly doesn't let the listener down (& he is ably backed up by the accompanists here, who are unknown to me). Both this work and Saint-Saen's 3rd concerto were written for the Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate. No wonder they're both two of the most technically demanding works for violinists of the time. The soulful 4th slow movement even reminded me a bit of the gypsy feel of Sarasate's famous _Zigeunerweisen_. The final movement came across to me to have a festive carnival atmosphere. It was a joy to revisit this, and I liked Lalo's much lesser known _Piano Concerto _as well, the coupling on this disc. Maybe if someone like Lang Lang would record it and take it on tour, it could garner more audiences. Like the _Symphonie Espagnole_, it too is a virtuoso piece, but it leans more toward German influences, not Spanish...


----------



## science




----------



## Pieck

Janacek SQs. I like the interpretation, very different from Emerson though.


----------



## kv466

yuck, Barenboim attempting to play the G major concerto of LVB...i saw some guy a couple posts up had it and well, glad i don't...gonna go hear the real version now...


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Joseph Martin Kraus' symphony in C minor.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Scenes Historiques, Op. 25 & 66*

First classical listen of the day - Returning to Sibelius who is one of my favourite Composers


----------



## Pieck

Neukomm (1778 - 1858) Requiem - conducting: Malgoire


----------



## haydnfan

VanEyes you just listened to my favorite recording of Schubert's late string quartets, and my favorite Carter cd (Boston concerto etc), awesome! 

For me Mozart's String Quintets kv 515 and 516 performed by Ensemble 415.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius_--Symphony__No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6, Op.104 in D Moll_. Both works are performrd by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir Colin Davis.


----------



## Vaneyes

haydnfan said:


> VanEyes you just listened to my favorite recording of Schubert's late string quartets, and my favorite Carter cd (Boston concerto etc), awesome!
> 
> For me Mozart's String Quintets kv 515 and 516 performed by Ensemble 415.


I'm under the gun now for a turkey--three in a row.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to these last night (it was my first listen to the Mahler & Rieu discs borrowed from the library) -

*MONTEVERDI* - "Magnificat" from Vespers of 1610
Pro Cantione Antiqua (UK), Mark Brown, Edgar Fleet, Collegium Aureum, Musica Fiata & Hannover Boys Choir/Heinz Hennig
Alto label

*MAHLER* - Symphony No. 4
Miah Persson - soprano/Budapest Festival Orch./Ivan Fischer
Channel Classics

*ANDRE RIEU* - "You'll Never Walk Alone" album - Rieu's arrangements of light classics, movie themes, showtunes & opera arias...
Andre Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orch.
Universal Music Australasia

I've been listening to Mahler's 4th symphony as I'll be going to a concert of it this weekend. This recording under Ivan Fischer was excellent, the SACD sound was very clear. Also the Monteverdi _Vespers_, which I haven't put down since purchasing during the week. To wind down, some arrangements of light classical pieces as well as other things by Dutchman Andre Rieu. I particularly enjoyed his arrangment of Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Leonhardt's recording of the Brandenburgs.


----------



## kv466

Hindemith: Das Marienleben Roxolana Roslak, Glenn Gould


----------



## Vaneyes

My Judgement Day line-up. I decided Mahler exclusively was appropriate. When I realized it was a false alarm, no beat was skipped. Sidenote: Manxfeeder also had Mahler 2 thoughts for kick-off.


----------



## Pieck

Xenakis - Eonta for piano, 2 trumpets and 3 trombones. The piano part is nice, the brass not so much


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, a walk in the park with Marcel Tyberg's third symphony, a nice complement to the mists rising through the trees.


----------



## World Violist

My Apocalypse soundtrack that doesn't have anything to track sound on: Bruckner's 8th symphony, played by the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra conducted by Eduard van Beinum. A heaven-storming account if ever there was one. But it's only raining outside.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Cello Sonatas*


----------



## science

I'm old school.


----------



## Pieck

Eroica - Bruggen


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 In A Minor, Op. 63*

Continuing with my recent Sibelius re-listens


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: The Tempest Suites, Op. 109*


----------



## Pieck

Bruggen - Beethoven 5th
Earlier Strauss - Ein Alpensymphony - Solti


----------



## science

Had to take a break from the classical for some poppy guests, and this is the leftovers. 'S a good album if you're a Charles fan. A friend of mine says it's his best album.

But now we're watching


----------



## karenpat

Listening on Spotify.. contemplating whether to buy it on iTunes when it's released there.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Had to take a break from the classical for some poppy guests, and this is the leftovers. 'S a good album if you're a Charles fan. A friend of mine says it's his best album.


I especially like the remakes from his Country album. The original backup singers were too - what's the word? - nonethnic.


----------



## Laz62

currently listening to John Adams - Harmonielehre - Simon Rattle and CBSO


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm taking another turn with Tyberg's third symphony.


----------



## kv466

Bach French Suites, nos. 1-4 Glenn Gould, of course


----------



## science




----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Piano Quintet In Eb Major, Op. 44
Schumann: Piano Quartet In Eb Major, Op. 47*


----------



## kv466

Bach Cello Suite in d minor, Rostropovich


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

*DUFAY*
Chansons
Bernhard Landauer, counter-tenor
Ensemble Unicorn
Michael Posch, director & arrangments
Naxos

I got this disc at least a year ago. Dufay was a major French composer of the 15th century. Compared to many composers works of the time, a lot of Dufay's stuff has actually survived which may be not only because of it's quality but also because he was highly esteemed in his time. This disc contains arrangements of his songs for voice and a quintet of instruments, interspersed with purely instrumental arrangements of other songs. The musicians of the quintet named Ensemble Unicorn are highly skilled in playing many medieval instruments, and they play about 30 between them on this disc (though not all at once!). My favourite song is the concluding track, a vocal number titled in translation "Fairwell these good wines of Lannoys." The poet sings of having to leave his home town on a long journey, farewelling his friends, the local women and (not least!) the good wines there. It starts with an instrumental section before the counter-tenor comes in singing a light rondeau. It's kind of tuneful & catchy, this was the popular music of the time. At the end of the song, as he sings "Farewell every pleasing joy/Farewell all my gallant companions" his voice fades out, as he walks away from the microphones. It's an interesting effect, and a nice end to the disc. Criticisms have been made of these arrangments in that the accompanying ensemble is made up of many more musicians than what may have been customary at the time. Generally, you wouldn't of heard a quintet, especially if you were in a small town. But who knows? Maybe if you were in a princely estate, like the cover painting from the Book of Hours, you may well have heard something approximating these lavish arrangements - especially if it was something like a big wedding banquet for the rich. In any case, much of how we interpret early music is guesswork, even though it's educated guesswork.

After the Dufay disc I also listened to Mahler's _Songs of a Wayfarer _- which I had just heard at a concert - and some of the songs of Edith Piaf, who (in my opinion) was just as skilled a writer of chansons as the great Dufay...


----------



## Pieck

Haydn Symphony No. 49 "La Passione" - Dorati


----------



## Pieck

and now Op. 1\1 Kodaly Quartet


----------



## science

Just finished this gem. Some gloriously beautiful music there.


----------



## Trout

science said:


> Just finished this gem. Some gloriously beautiful music there.


Congrats on your 1000th post!


----------



## science

Trout said:


> Congrats on your 1000th post!


Why, thank you. I'm fast approaching internet faux-expertise!


----------



## science

(Oops. Double post. Looks like I've revealed my true lack of expertise. In my defense, I'm distracted because my wife is yelling at me. That is my current listening.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Just finished this gem. Some gloriously beautiful music there.[/QUOTE]
> 
> Reminds me of the Peter Schickele poem, "Oh Cindy, you're like a symphony by D'Indy." Now, that's how you give a girl a compliment ;)


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Berwald's Sinfonie Singuliere.


----------



## Pieck

The Firebird - Boulez


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Pieck

Mendelssohn's 6th SQ op. 80 (Ysaye) although I tried to resist the urge to listen to it. I'm afraid i'll get it over used. It just makes my eyes wet every time, it's just unbelievably beautiful.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad_"}, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G moll, Op.103{"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.6 in B Moll, Op.74 _{"_Pathetique_"}, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

Last night I listened to a number of things - including Monteverdi, Kodaly & Schutz, but I'll talk about these two:

*Antoine BRUMEL*
Mass for 12 voices, "Et Ecce Terrae Motus" (with three organs and brass accompaniment)
Dominique Visse (Conductor), Ensemble Clément Janequin, Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse
Harmonia Mundi

*Ariel RAMIREZ*
Misa Criolla (arr. J. G. Segade & others)
Joseph Holt (Conductor), Manuel Melendez (tenor), José Sacin (tenor), Pablo Talamante (tenor)
The Choral Arts Society of Washington, with instrumental ensemble
Naxos

These two masses are really different, but both are great. I borrowed the Brumel from the library & hadn't heard it in 15 years. He was a Renaissance composer whose dates are c.1460 - 1515. He started his career as a choirboy at Chartres Cathedral and ended it working conducting a choir in Italy. This mass is his most significant work, and both in terms of the large forces used and the length and complexity of the work, nothing can match it from that time except Tallis' _Spem in alium _(a masterpiece that I haven't heard yet). Complexity is the word with this work. Some parts come across as a "wall of sound" (like the music of Brumel's teacher Josquin des Prez), but Brumel also builds things up gradually for maximum effect. Take the concluding _Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)_ which is in three parts. The first is choir only, in the second the brass comes in, and in the third the organs. It's one of the most amazing climaxes you're likely to ever hear. It's certainly just as sophisticated (if not more) as anything I've heard from more contemporary composers. I'm actually amazed at how Brumel could get this all down on the page, all of this complexity (I mean - THREE organs!). It's simply staggering. This work was published in the 1500's & we are lucky to have a full copy of the score. This work remained popular even after Brumel's death - the great Lassus, a composer of the next generation, was to direct a number of performances of it in Germany.

If Brumel's mass is amazing because he managed to get things down, Ariel Ramirez's mass is great because he didn't get things down and left a lot of things open._ Misa Criolla _is based on the Hispanic folk music of Latin America, and like that music, a lot of it is improvised. There's even a cadenza for the percussionist! The work needs to be arranged by someone else to "fit" the specific musicians who perform it. This version has a chamber choir of 100, three tenor soloists and an instrumental ensemble of traditional Latin American instruments made up of 8 musicians, some playing multiple instruments. Technical considerations aside, it is a very exhuberant and life affirming work. The optimistic _Gloria_ can be very fetching. I just found this image on amazon, and there some idiot reviewer rubbishes this performance for not being as good as the 1960's recording. This guy is a fool - doesn't he know that this work can be interpreted very flexibly - even more flexibly than other classical works (the improvisation). What a nobhead ...


----------



## tdc

Today I have been listening to a lot of these breathtakingly beautiful works for guitar, which seem to 'suite the mood of the day':

(I have provided a youtube link for the second piece - it is very good and not as well known.)

Lachrimae Antiquae Pavan - John Dowland performed by Alvero Perri

Appalachian Summer- Matthew Dunne performed by Jerome Ducharme (the studio version from Jerome's CD is wayyy better quality but unfortunately not on youtube.) 





All in Twilight - Toru Takemitsu performed by Julian Bream


----------



## science

This morning I've listened to:

- Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden from "A Village Romeo & Juliet"










(Edit: Later in the day I returned to this disk to hear the "Two Pieces for Small Orchestra," which includes the title work, "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring." The other is, "Summer Night on the River." These are really pretty works.)

- Brahms: Cello Sonata #2










- Beethoven: Violin Sonata #5 "Spring"










- Grieg: Violin Sonata #1










- And now, to Schubert's "Wanderer-Fantasie"


----------



## Pieck

Brahms Symphony No. 1 (after quite a while) - Bernstein. It's like talking to an old friend after not seeing him a long time.


----------



## science

I don't know the Bernstein recording, but I do love Brahms 1.


----------



## science

Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto (#1 evidently)










Liszt: Sonata in B minor


----------



## Manxfeeder

I haven't listened Harnoncourt's recording of the Christmas Oratorio in a long time. I'm not a big fan of Harnoncourt's old Bach series, but in this one the boychoir sounds very good.


----------



## Guest

Today I am listening to Book 1 of Bach's Well-tempered Clavier. This recording is by Kirkpatrick on the Archiv label. I have mixed feelings about this one. I have the Schiff recording of both books on piano, as well as Pollini's recent recording of Book 1 on piano, and Fisher's old historic recording on EMI. I do really enjoy Bach's keyboard works on piano. I also have Moroney's recording on harpsichord, and enjoy it. However, unless the recording is stellar, my ears tire very quickly of too much harpsichord. So many recordings record it too closely, and I'm left with a tinny, metallic sound in my ear. Kirkpatrick made a recording on harpsichord, but this is his recording on the clavichord. I don't always enjoy the timber of the clavichord as much as the harpsichord, and it can sound rather weak, but the sound can be a lot more pleasant on the ears, and this recording is very nice and quiet, so you hear the clavichord perfectly. The more subtle clavichord also makes it easier to hear the notes individually, rather than a big muddled mess at times.


----------



## Vaneyes

Pieck said:


> Brahms Symphony No. 1 (after quite a while) - Bernstein. It's like talking to an old friend after not seeing him a long time.


Sony or DG?


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> This morning I've listened to:
> 
> - Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden from "A Village Romeo & Juliet"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (Edit: Later in the day I returned to this disk to hear the "Two Pieces for Small Orchestra," which includes the title work, "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring." The other is, "Summer Night on the River." These are really pretty works.)


Thanks for the Delius mention. He's now on my playlist. Some thumb their noses at his "pretty" music. Whatever the label, I love it. Beecham, Barbirolli, Handley, Groves, Mackerras, etc. couldn't all be wrong.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Pieck

Vaneyes said:


> Sony or DG?


Sony

Listening to Durosoir (1878 - 1955) SQs- quite interesting.








Is someone here French who can tell me how to pronounce his name, cause I'm so bad with French names. I read Vieuxtemps like it's written, Beaux Arts Trio too.


----------



## kv466

Grieg - Holberg Suite (can anyone recommend a version they love of this?...while i very much like the record i have of this, it's the only one i have and would rather just jump to someone else's fav than go looking...thanks!)


----------



## Iforgotmypassword

Bach Violin Sonata No. 1 1st movement.


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


>


I'm going to the Wiener Konzerthaus on 31st May to hear this phenomenal pianist. I'll report back after the recital.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: String Quintet
Bruckner: Symphony No. 3*

Good morning  - starting the day with some Bruckner. I am very impressed with his String Quintet, what a lovely work!.
I was going to listen through the Jochum/EMI cycle this week but I have reverted back to my Chailly set as I prefer the interpretations and SQ on this one. Now listening to Symphony No. 3, "Wagner" - Although I found it a bit difficult to get into him at first, I have really come to admire Bruckner and often listen to one of his works when I feel like listening to a Symphony.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, listened to two new acquisitions -

*Album: Chants sacrés de l'Orient (tradition melchite)*
Sister Marie Keyrouz, arrangements & solo vocals
Accompaniment by male choir "de la Paix"
HM label

*MONTEVERDI*
Duets & solos, secular and sacred fragments
Emma Kirkby, Evelyn Tubb, sopranos
Consort of Musicke/Anthony Rooley
Alto label

Sister Keyrouz's album is simply breathtaking! This music is haunting, technically complex, emotional, to name just three aspects. These are her arrangements of early Christian music, most of it in veneration of the Virgin Mary, from the Middle East. This album has won both the Choc and Diapason d'or awards in France, which are the recording world's highest accolades. Sister Keyrouz has an enormous vocal range - 2 and a quarter octaves - which she uses in such a subtle and unique way. The male choir sing repetitive drones (echoes in cycles of 6 or 8) which form this hypnotic background to her ever changing filigree ornamentations. I told a work colleague about this, who was an organ scholar many decades ago, and she has given me the money to get her a copy. Like me, she likes virtually all types of classical music. She was astounded by my description. I basically think that anyone with a medium to advanced interest in classical music generally should listen to this. It's as timeless as any of the great classics, yet most of this music is anyonymous. We might not know who composed most of these songs, but they must have been very emotional men to have produced gems like this.

The Monteverdi collection was no less astounding. Half of the disc has secular works like madrigals and operatic fragments, the other half sacred works. Penelope's Lament from the opera Ulysses just went so deep. Monteverdi was a genius at bringing the text to life - eg. if the women sing about cymbals clashing, then their voices and the instruments sound like that instrument, but there's not a cymbal in sight! It's the same with images of nature or animals. This reminds me of the part in Stravinsky's _Symphony of Psalms_ when the choir sings about the same thing - cymbals clashing - but it's all in their voices, not in the accompaniment. Both Stravinsky and Monteverdi were highly emotionally sensitive men, and they knew that sometimes "less is more." On this disc, Evelyn has the higher soprano voice, Emma has the lower one. This disc, at budget price, is a nice intro to a variety of Monteverdi's vocal works. The explanatory notes are good, and full translations are provided of the original texts...


----------



## science




----------



## science

Andre said:


> Last night, listened to two new acquisitions -
> 
> *Album: Chants sacrés de l'Orient (tradition melchite)*
> Sister Marie Keyrouz, arrangements & solo vocals
> Accompaniment by male choir "de la Paix"
> HM label
> 
> Sister Keyrouz's album is simply breathtaking! This music is haunting, technically complex, emotional, to name just three aspects. These are her arrangements of early Christian music, most of it in veneration of the Virgin Mary, from the Middle East. This album has won both the Choc and Diapason d'or awards in France, which are the recording world's highest accolades. Sister Keyrouz has an enormous vocal range - 2 and a quarter octaves - which she uses in such a subtle and unique way. The male choir sing repetitive drones (echoes in cycles of 6 or 8) which form this hypnotic background to her ever changing filigree ornamentations. I told a work colleague about this, who was an organ scholar many decades ago, and she has given me the money to get her a copy. Like me, she likes virtually all types of classical music. She was astounded by my description. I basically think that anyone with a medium to advanced interest in classical music generally should listen to this. It's as timeless as any of the great classics, yet most of this music is anyonymous. We might not know who composed most of these songs, but they must have been very emotional men to have produced gems like this.


If you feel that way, when you want to hear more, I recommend her Chant Byzantin album. I'll listen to the Melchite album again tonight to be sure, but I remember finding the Chant Byzantin album the more profound and beautiful.

Edit: Nevermind. I didn't appreciate this CD earlier. I di slightly prefer Chant Byzantin, and I may simply be biased. The music is extremely similar; aside from my favorite tracks, I might have trouble distinguishing them.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today's queue:

Franz Schmidt's Quintet, from a recommendation by Delicious Manager to explore Schmidt's music.










Then Stravinsky's Les Noches from a recording featuring on pianos some interesting players: Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Roger Sessions.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## science




----------



## Tapkaara

science said:


>


I have that recording on vinyl.


----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Vivaldi - Concerti for Mandolin


----------



## Guest

Going on a big Faure kick. Always been a huge fan (favorite piano composer after Brahms), but lately I've come to appreciate him even more. One of the most under-appreciated composers, imo.


----------



## Aramis

Jeff N said:


> (favorite piano composer after Brahms)


After Brahms? Piano? That must be something like 32946326416387128634th place on this list?


----------



## Guest

Aramis said:


> After Brahms? Piano? That must be something like 32946326416387128634th place on this list?


So? Am I not allowed to regard Faure so highly?


----------



## Pieck

Jeff N said:


> Going on a big Faure kick. Always been a huge fan (favorite piano composer after Brahms), but lately I've come to appreciate him even more. One of the most under-appreciated composers, imo.


I really have to start listening to Brahms' piano music, I'm a bit ashamed that I know almost nothing by him in that genre (but I know and love all his orchestral + chamber, a huge Brahms fan.)


----------



## Pieck

Alban Berg SQ - Berg SQ Op. 3


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Trio Sonatas*

Good morning - first Classical listen of the day!


----------



## Conor71

*Xenakis: Chamber Music*

Don't know if it's a good idea to listen to stuff like this so early in the morning but here goes!


----------



## Tapkaara

Conor71 said:


> *Xenakis: Chamber Music*
> 
> Don't know if it's a good idea to listen to stuff like this so early in the morning but here goes!


Or indeed at ANY time.


----------



## Vaneyes

Tapkaara said:


> Or indeed at ANY time.


My thought, too, but I liked the bravado.


----------



## Tapkaara

Vaneyes said:


> My thought, too, but I liked the bravado.


Those Greeks, they are the funny people.


----------



## samurai

Joseph Haydn--_Symphony No.6 in D Major, Symphony No.45 in F sharp Minor and Symphony No.48 in C Major. _All three works are performed by the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra under the baton of Adam Fischer. They are on a Musical Heritage Society release called "Great Haydn Symphonies", and were recorded in Eisenstadt, Austria in 1988 and 1989.
Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony_ _No_._7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad_"}, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard haitnik.
Peter Tchaikovsky_--Symphony__No.4 in F Moll, Op. 36 and Symphony No.5 in E Moll, Op.64. _Both pieces are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan. 
The second movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th I find to be especially evocative and haunting.


----------



## Sid James

Conor71 said:


> *Xenakis: Chamber Music*
> 
> Don't know if it's a good idea to listen to stuff like this so early in the morning but here goes!


That's a great set, which I have enjoyed greatly, particularly the solo instrumental tracks which round off the first disc. The choral piece Polla ta dinha is simply amazing, the way Xenakis uses this organic repetitiveness is so ancient and modern at the same time, it has a huge emotional impact in inverse proportion to it's surface simplicity (or even crudity, which Boulez criticised Xenakis for, but he was wrong, imo - lack of refinement can be an asset in the hands of a master - it can produce powerful emotional results). I see it as less a chamber work and more of a kind of tone poem for ensemble and choir, bringing to life the ancient Greek text. The delicacy of the children's voices blending with the toughest of dissonances from the instruments has a visceral impact on me every time. It's certainly one of that excellent set's highlights for me. Grabs me every time. Amazing!!!

Given the brilliance of what Xenakis did, I don't understand some people's negativity about him. All the great composers throughout history were very emotional people who knew how to get these emotions down on the page. We all have these emotions, but we're not as sensitive or skilled as they are to bring them to life in a work of art. These naysayers just don't "get" this at all. Then again, they might have similar negative opinions about any music outside of their limited "niche" - which for some of these people seems to be orchestral from c.1850 to 1950. Anything that came before or after that is "boring" "dry" "unemotional" "cliche" whatever. Even the greatest masters are dismissed at the drop of a hat. I'm not saying these people don't know anything, or can't appreciate music, but their limitation is their loss.

On a more positive note, I have booked a performance of Xenakis percussion work "Pleiades" which will be played by the Synergy Percussion Ensemble here at the City Recital Hall in Sydney next month. I haven't heard this work, which is reputed to be one of the man's finest, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I hear it at that recital for the first time ever. I like to be positive & try these things out, I tend to get something out of them, sometimes a great deal, sometimes a little. But in this case I think it'll be the former...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Home alone and sick tonight, so I've got Andre Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto to hold my hand.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> Home alone and sick tonight, so I've got Andre Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto to hold my hand.


That's kind of odd & unique - 2 of the top pianist/conductors working on one of the greatest piano concertos of all time. What a great combination! Who's the pianist & who's the conductor?...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> That's kind of odd & unique - 2 of the top pianist/conductors working on one of the greatest piano concertos of all time. What a great combination! Who's the pianist & who's the conductor?...


Huh, I never thought of that. Previn is conducting and Ashkenazy is playing.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> Huh, I never thought of that. Previn is conducting and Ashkenazy is playing.


Sounds good, but either way is good with these two brilliant guys. I've heard them both as pianists and at the helm of the great orchestras, and they are just superb in every way.

Ashkenazy has been here in Sydney as cheif conductor of the Sydney Symphony for a few years now. He's currently rounding off his Mahler cycle, which is also being put on disc. I've heard him on radio interviewed about Mahler & he's surprisingly a man of very few words. He says things like Mahler's music is pure genius & can't really be put into words. He says he still practices piano daily, just to exercise his mind, but he doesn't play in public anymore apparently. I think he's pushing 80. So is Previn but I haven't heard about him in a while, but he's probably still alive...


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

This is last night's listening, but I haven't had time to post it till now -

*Chants sacrés de l'Orient (tradition melchite)*
Sister Marie Keyrouz, arrangements and vocals
Male choir "de la Paix"
Harmonia Mundi (white label)

*ANDRE RIEU *(arranger) - Album "You'll Never Walk Alone"
Various vocal and instrumental soloists/Johann Strauss Orch. & Chorus/Andre Rieu, lead violin & direction
Universal Australasia

*J.S. BACH*
The Well Tempered Clavier (Nos. 9-17)
Wanda Landowska, harpsichord
Stereo Tape CC-697 (no date)

I have to be brief, as I'm out of time.

Sister Keyrouz's album is highly impressive not only in terms of her technique but her ability to deliver the strongest of emotions. Hearing this twice in a row was interesting, some of the differences between her chants became clearer. Eg. one of them features a short duet between her and one of the guys; the final song lasts almost 10 minutes and her voice just goes higher and higher into the stratosphere.

Andre Rieu's arrangements come across to me as being highly sensitive to and faithful to the gist of the originals. He knows these scores well, whether they be classical, show tunes or movie themes. His blending of various soloists with the orchestra is excellent. I think he can easily be compared to the great Canteloube, arranger of the "songs of the Auvergne."

Finally, the J. S. Bach floored me, particularly the ones in the minor keys. Landowska's playing was rich and powerful. She had tonnes of authority and a really unique voice. I now can't dispute the emotion in Bach's music, it's just as strong as that of Mahler. Amazing!!!


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to this for the first time -

*Charles WOOD *(1866-1926)
St Mark Passion (sung in English)
- for Tenor (Evangelist); Baritone (Christ); Bass (High Priest; Judas; Pilate); Soprano; Organ; Mixed chamber choir
Soloists/Jonathan Vaughn, organ/Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge/Daniel Hyde, direction
(Naxos)

I just came across this disc for the first time in the music store. I had never heard of this composer before, but I've been getting into the vocal/choral repertoire of earlier centuries, so I just had to buy it.

Wood is mainly known today for his many church hymns in the Anglican tradition, but he also wrote a number of longer works, such as this one, which was composed in 1920 and first performed a year later. Wood was an Irishman by birth, but exactly like his great teacher Stanford, made his career in England. This work was commissioned by the Dean of King's College, Cambridge, who wanted a choral work along the lines of J. S. Bach's great Passions, but for much smaller forces and somewhat easier to perform. To another composer, this might have been quite restrictive, but Wood stepped up to the plate to produce a work which, I think, though reminiscent of ancient traditions it also heavily engages with the more recent trends of the day. Wood was a true polymath and multi-talented man, eg. he was not only a noted organ scholar but also lecturer and later Professor in harmony and counterpoint at Cambridge. Although these things may make you think that this music is dry, boring and kind of dull, that's far from the case.

The notes say that Wood's St Mark Passion was indeed influenced by Bach's seminal masterpieces in the genre, but I haven't heard any of those yet, so I can't comment on this. What I did hear in this work was a kind of retro style that looks forward as well - much like Durufle's_ Requiem _that was to come about 20 years later. Both of these guys were experts in ancient music of all kinds, but they also looked forward and were innovators and visionaries in many ways as well. The structure of the piece consists of the five Gospels telling the story of Christ's passion from the last supper to his crucifiction. These are interspersed with a series of hymns which are like commentaries on the action that went on before. The first two gospels have a static nature overall, the next two gospels are more dramatic and even operatic (especially the third one); and the final one returns to the statis of the first gospel. The opening hymn and final hymn have the same theme, the text of their first and last stanzas are the same. These are the two "bookends" within which the drama is played out, and these two hymns are really the only "big hummable tunes" in the work. It's the economic restraint of this work that comes across as quite daring for it's time. In my mind, it kind of anticipates what Stravinsky would do in his opera-oratorio _Oedipus Rex _in many ways.

There's not a huge amount of dissonance in this work of the loud type, but when it comes, it kind of hits you like a strong draft of air. POW! In these and other parts, Wood comes across as creating moments of genius which animate the text with plenty of sensitivity to detail. As in that Stravinsky work, the chorus provides a running commentary of what's going on, and also steps into the shoes of some of the witnesses to Christ's suffering. Take for example the final chorus of the 4th gospel. The chorus takes the role of the soldiers mocking Jesus and preparing him for slaughter. Wood's treatment of the words of the soldiers "bowing their knees, and worshipped Him" is quite disturbing and chilling, but in a very nuanced way. If you didn't know what they were saying (eg. if it was in a language you didn't understand) you'd kind of think this was a happy event. The bitiness and astringency of the chorus intonation of the words here and in a few other places comes across as anticipating the savagery of things like Walton's _Belshazzar's Feast_. The choir in all it's parts, both soloistic and operatic and in the hymns, sheds light on the many moods and multilayered aspect of the texts. The sung solo parts are not virtuosic, they are more subtle, a bit like artsong or something like that.

The liner notes say that evidence of Wagner's more daring harmonies are also present in this work, and I guess I agree, especially in terms of the organ role. It's really like a character in itself and less of an accompanist than in other similar kinds of works. I am a big organ buff (though no expert), and again some of the kind of ancient & modern harmonies of the great c20th French composers such as Alain, Langlais and Durufle were not far from my mind when listening to this.

All in all this is a very interesting work, but if you want a carbon copy of something like the Walton mentioned above, or Orff's Carmina Burana, of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass, please look elsewhere. I think Wood was a very emotionally attuned composer like all of those guys, but his music might only hit you squarely between the eyes after quite a few listens, a bit like Stravinsky's abovementioned Oedipus Rex. This setting of the Passion is very subtle, but I like that very much, but for people who want more kind of outright biff, aggro or top heavy stuff, this might not be for you. I really like the final chorus, which dissipates the darkness a bit, it's quite hopeful and joyous. Edward Bairstow's organ voluntary rounds off the disc, a quite virtuosic solo which tapers off into nothingness, a bit like the congregation who - after singing the hymns and living this masterwork - leave the church, their minds filled not necessarily with "big tunes" but with a greater connection to one of the greatest stories ever told...


----------



## science




----------



## Hazel

Rodrigo's Concierto De Aranjuez with Pepe Romero. Almost daily for hours. I don't even put it away at night because I know I'll be putting in on to play early the next morning. This is one of the best - for me anyway.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


>


Hyperion leaves no rock unturned in this series. Lloyd-Jones gets quite a bit out of these pieces. In the Balakirev, some lovely winds playing from the English Northern Philharmonia.


----------



## Aramis

Schubert's 9th by Sawallisch/Dresden Staatskapelle 

I never told but during my break from the forum my esteem for Schubert rised radically. The 9th is truely like a world: it includes everything. It's one of those pieces that can be called wonders in the most borad meaning of this word. Even the scherzo, often meaningless and empty part of the symphony here becomes something profound and trandenscental, it's like Schubert would look at the whole world from the perspective of God and describe his seeing, creating work of absolute beauty with it's expression ranging from beginning to the very end of what can be expressed in music, with always noble and distanced from histerical subjectivity kind of expression, like I said - like written by someone from above, lifting beyond all what he sees and describing it from afar.

Apart from this abstract comment about work itself, Sawallisch cycle with Dresden Staatskapelle is really great cycle, I didn't find better 8th or 9th so far.


----------



## Vaneyes

Aramis said:


> Schubert's 9th by Sawallisch/Dresden Staatskapelle
> 
> I never told but during my break from the forum my esteem for Schubert rised radically. The 9th is truely like a world: it includes everything. It's one of those pieces that can be called wonders in the most borad meaning of this word. Even the scherzo, often meaningless and empty part of the symphony here becomes something profound and trandenscental, it's like Schubert would look at the whole world from the perspective of God and describe his seeing, creating work of absolute beauty with it's expression ranging from beginning to the very end of what can be expressed in music, with always noble and distanced from histerical subjectivity kind of expression, like I said - like written by someone from above, lifting beyond all what he sees and describing it from afar.
> 
> Apart from this abstract comment about work itself, Sawallisch cycle with Dresden Staatskapelle is really great cycle, I didn't find better 8th or 9th so far.


 Dresden Staatskapelle has illustrious history with The Great, resulting in fine recordings. With Sawallisch, Blomstedt and Davis can be included for strong central readings. My favorite, however, is an almost over-the-top interpretation from Jeffrey Tate on EMI(avoid their later 'Great' on Berlin Classics).


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## Conor71

*Glass: Glassworks*


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## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> *Charles WOOD *(1866-1926)
> St Mark Passion (sung in English)


Thanks for the intro. I'm not a big fan of organ/choir works, but the clips on Amazon sound interesting.

Today, Bernstein's recording of Mahler's 3rd.


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## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Glass: Glassworks*


I need to dig out my LP of that. I just saw *Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts*, so I'm hoping maybe his music will click with me this time.


----------



## Vaneyes

I continue on this Bruckner mini-fest. Sidenote (Warning of another hang-up): I repurchased the older Jochum reissue, because I found the Sibelius coupling on DG Originals to be a distraction. The sound is still very good. I've done that with a few recordings.


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to Finzi`s clarinet concerto right now... kind of spooky! eccelent recording, northern sinfonia, robert plane, clarinet, howard griffits, conductor. By the way...if anyone needs a spotify-invitation..send me a message. i am premium member so i have 2 each month. spotify is like a 10 million music piece jukebox. you can find almost everything... great way to check out music before bying.


----------



## Tapkaara

Conor71 said:


> *Glass: Glassworks*


Yeah!! I love this!


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Cello Concerto
Ligeti: Clocks And Clouds
Ligeti: Violin Concerto
Ligeti: Sippal, Dobbal, Nadihegeduvel*

I like this set so much!  - now listening to the amusing Vocal Piece which is the last on the Disc


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Glass: Glassworks*


I'm listening to this on YouTube. I'm going to have to get this on CD; it's too much trouble to haul out my LP player.

I'm listening now to Loyaanisqatsi, which is making me laugh, because I finally get the joke from PDQ Bach's Einstein on the Fritz where they sing "Coy Hotsy-Totsy."


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## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}. _Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> peter tchaikovsky--_symphony no.5 in e minor, op.64 and symphony no.6 in b minor, op.74 {"pathetique"}. _both works are performed by the berliner philharmoniker under the baton of herbert von karajan.


dg, emi, dvd?


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## Sid James

*HAYDN*
_The Creation _(sung in German)
Oratiorio (1799), based on texts from Book of Genesis & John Milton
Sunhae Im (Artist), Jan Kobow (Artist), Hanno Muller-Brachmann (Artist), Capella Augustina (Orchestra), Cologne Chamber Choir, Andreas Spering (Conductor)
Naxos

An amazing work and an excellent recording. This is one of Haydn's many masterpieces. I can tell by listening to it that Haydn was a very emotional man, and an optimist. Listening to this work always gives me a boost. Soprano Sunhae Im steals the show here, her voice is not only angelic, graceful, but also very sexy! I'm very much looking forward to hearing this live tomorrow out at Macquarie University, in north-western Sydney. The conductor will be a choral specialist of ours, Anthony Pasquill, and he will be leading instrumentalists and choristers drawn from amongst the university's ranks as well as guest soloists...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart Flute Quartets with the Kuijken brothers and Lucy Van Dael, then CPE Bach's flute concertos in queue by Roy Goodman.


----------



## Serge

I am listening to Haydn String Quartet, Op 76 1-3. (Can you imagine?) About 50% of it is actually OK.


----------



## Vaneyes

Horenstein Five is a classic. Nagano Six may be underappreciated--flows nicely. Detailed, with sensible brass. I need aspirin at the conclusion of some Sixes.


----------



## Serge

Darn, how do you listen to two of his symphonies at once? Do you have stereo or something?


----------



## mmsbls

Mahler Symphony 2 -










To me Mahler's symphonies are like journey's not because they are so long (well maybe partly), but because they present so many musical ideas.

The fourth, vocal movement is simply gorgeous.


----------



## Manxfeeder

mmsbls said:


> Mahler Symphony 2 -
> 
> To me Mahler's symphonies are like journey's not because they are so long (well maybe partly), but because they present so many musical ideas.


True, which I guess explains why I don't listen to Mahler that much, though I like his music. I have to have my head in the right frame first.

The Nashville Symphony is doing No. 2 next week . Of course, I've come down with something, so I'll probably miss it


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## Aramis

Manxfeeder said:


> The Nashville Symphony is doing No. 2 next week . Of course, I've come down with something, so I'll probably miss it


Don't - I missed it two years ago and I still regret.


----------



## robert

This week I have been in a Dutilleux mood... now
Metaboles
Cello Concerto
Mystere de L'instant

Tortelier
BBC Philharmonic

Chandos 9565


----------



## tdc

SQ #2


----------



## robert

tdc said:


> SQ #2


TDC
Just yesterday I listened to their interpretation of the Dutilleux SQ whic I liked very much...How does their Bartok stack up?


----------



## tdc

robert said:


> TDC
> Just yesterday I listened to their interpretation of the Dutilleux SQ whic I liked very much...How does their Bartok stack up?


This is the only version I am really familiar with at this time, (just beginning to explore the Bartok SQ's) but the sound quality is great and the performance so far also seems top notch.


----------



## Vaneyes

Herbie's Bruckner summit, three months before his death.


----------



## Vaneyes

Serge said:


> Darn, how do you listen to two of his symphonies at once?


Nope, you can only do that sort of thing with Glass or Adams.


----------



## robert

tdc said:


> This is the only version I am really familiar with at this time, (just beginning to explore the Bartok SQ's) but the sound quality is great and the performance so far also seems top notch.


Just curious, how did you come to them for the Bartok?


----------



## tdc

robert said:


> Just curious, how did you come to them for the Bartok?


I received that item as a gift from my mom for my birthday!


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony__ No.__11 in G Moll, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the LSO under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra Op.35 _featuring Guy Touvron on solo trumpet.
Joseph Haydn--_Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Major,_ featuring pianist Martha Argerich.
Both of the latter two works are performed by the Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn conducted by Jorg Faerber.


----------



## Manxfeeder

tdc said:


> I received that item as a gift from my mom for my birthday!


Hey, I like her already!


----------



## robert

tdc said:


> I received that item as a gift from my mom for my birthday!


Your mom knows her music. Great gift.... If you like it and decide to try some others let me know.....

Robert


----------



## Vaneyes

Bruckner, Jochum, and I have saved the best for last.


----------



## Pieck

Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn - Thomas(?) conducting


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm ending the day with Michael Haydn's Requiem in honor of a friend who was laid to rest today.

Christian Zacharias conducting the Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne.


----------



## Sid James

Last night stayed up quite late to listen to many things before kind of taking things easy Saturday. Anyway, I got into Brahm's string sextet #1, J.S. Bach's solo violin sonatas 1 & 2 (Menuhin); some of the _Well-Tempered Clavier _(Landowska); some of the melchite chants album of Sister Marie Keyrouz; the "Gloria" from Beethoven's _Missa Solemnis _(first listen in ages). But I'll discuss the things (all vocal) below in more depth -

*JOSQUIN DES PREZ*
Motet - "Inviolata, integra, et casta es Maria" (Inviolate, immaculate and chaste art thou, Mary)
Sydney Chamber Choir/Nicholas Routley, musical director
(coupled with other motets & Missa, 'Pange lingua')
Tall Poppies (Australia)

*FRANK MARTIN*
"Ariel-Chore" (Words Shakespeare, from 'The Tempest') (5 choruses from the opera, comp. 1950)
Stockholm Chamber Choir/Eric Ericson, direction
(coupled with other chamber, solo instrumental, vocal & choral works)
EMI Gemini series

*EDITH PIAF* (composer, arranger, vocalist) singing with a range of vocal, instrumental ensembles
Songs from compilation album '20 'French' Hit Singles' - publication dates below
"Les Trois Cloches" (The three bells) (Villard, arr. Herrand) 1946
"La Vie En Rose" (Louiguy - Piaf) 1946
"Johnny tu n'es pas un ange" (Paul-Lemarque) 1953
"Bravo pour le clown" (Louiguy-Contet) 1953
"La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean" (The poor people of Paris) (Rouzand - Monnot) 1954
"Exodus" (Gold - Marnay) 1961
EMI (1979)

*H. WOLF*
Michelangelo Songs
*SATIE*
Poemes d'amour (1914, texts cmpsr.)
Petites melodies (date ?, words various sources) - Elegie (Lamartine) - Danseuse (Cocteau) - Chanson (Anon. c.18th) - Adieu (Radiguet)
Unnamed male vocalist & accompanist
Point Classics (1994) coupled with song sets by Nietzsche, Liszt, Poulenc

Whatever their era or style, these great musicians were at the top echelon the vocal realm.

The Josquin is a piece for 12 voices, all of them soloists. Only a few of them are present at the beginning, but the song gradually builds up to a very powerful climax which includes all of them. This is three minutes that is just out of this world, Josquin's innovative "wall of sound" technique is just as amazing as a similar vibe I hear in things like Ligeti's _Requiem_.

Frank Martin has a similar flair with getting down the vibe of the texts with enormous sensitivity and nuance, even though he was a more restrained kind of guy than Josquin probably was. The second chorus "Full fathom five thy father lies" begins with these static and kind of dense bell like harmonies, reminiscent of Arvo Part. The guys gently sing "bing-bong" giving an impression of hearing bells faintly, as if from a distance. Towards the end, all sections of the choir join in, both the guys and girls. Now you are not hearing only a few bells but maybe 10 or more, you are right near the church. "BING-BONG, BING-BONG." Apart from masterfully getting these kinds of specifics down on the page, Martin mirrors the overall vibe of Shakespeare's play, which comes across as being kind of pastoral and natural.

One of Edith Piaf's most earliest hits (c.mid 1930's) has exactly the bell like harmonies and vocalisations of Martin's "Ariel-chore." It's also purely vocal, no accompaniment. Piaf takes the most juicy solo part, and her voice is very distinctive and clear. The melody is first sung by a vocalist at either the bottom of the female vocal range or the top of the male (I can't make out whether this is a girl or guy). Then we get the whole choir harmonising underneath, then Piaf, a repetition of this all underscored by "BONG" of the bells. This is simply a masterpiece in minature, it comes across to me as being more classical than a lot of what you'd hear from the popular spectrum of the French chanson realm of the 1930's. The other songs I listed are also basically vocal - chamber pieces. Piaf composed many songs, her big hit was "La Vie En Rose" which was even sung by the three tenors. But she also had a huge hand in the arrangements of these songs on the instrumental & vocal side, and in this she was often too humble to take the credit. While not formally qualified in the classical sphere (but neither were guys like the great Elgar, either, but so what?), her arrangements often have the sensitivity and emotional scope of chamber music. She didn't go by conventions because she probably didn't know them as well as some others, but the main thing was that she just knew what she was doing in an instinctive way. The songs I have listed above are my favourites, and in them she uses many types of unusual instruments - harpsichord, accordion, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, all kinds of percussion - as well as more conventional things like piano, orchestra and choirs. Some of her ideas are totally left of field, but somehow they work. Take "Johnny tu n'es pas un ange," which in more conventional hands, can come of as just another light ditty of her era. Here, the star accompanist is a harpsichord. It's almost as if some guy like Lully or Couperin had been resurrected from the past and stepped into the studio with Edith to put down this song. Growing up on "the wrong side of the tracks" she took her cue from all the highs and lows of her life, her music coming across as just as deeply autobiographical as any of the great classical composers. If anyone has any truck with me for including this brilliant musician on this thread, you can ask me for detailed anaylsis of any of these songs from my perspective of listening to all kinds of classical and more for almost 30 years, and I will give them at the drop of a hat. I will defend the woman to the hilt, just like I would Sir Edward Elgar.

Then the Wolf and Satie songs, which I don't have the texts for, but nevertheless these miniatures are world unto themselves. Wolf is darker and highly charged, mirroring the emotional intensity of the great Renaissance painter Michelangelo. The two Satie sets show great concision, they are both over in about 8 minutes. But I can hear echoes of J. S. Bach in there, if only for a few seconds, as well as the overall vibe of minimalists like Glass or Part. These guys were amazing, but my knowledge of them is rudimentary at best. They certainly don't get that much coverage on these forums, which is a bit of a pity, as the little I've heard from them is totally unique...


----------



## Aramis

Today is the day for Haydn's Creation. By Marriner, with Mathis and Fischer-Dieskau. I have the Rattle's too but they sing... in... english


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andre said:


> f
> The two Satie sets show great concision, they are both over in about 8 minutes. But I can hear echoes of J. S. Bach in there, if only for a few seconds, as well as the overall vibe of minimalists like Glass or Part. These guys were amazing, but my knowledge of them is rudimentary at best. They certainly don't get that much coverage on these forums, which is a bit of a pity, as the little I've heard from them is totally unique...


I hope you can explore Satie, if not only as a historical figure, which is fascinating in itself (he knew everybody and got Debussy away from Wagner), but in the many developments of the 20th Century he anticipated: Cubism (Descriptions Automatiques), Surrealism (La Piege de Meduse), Neoclassicism (Socrate), proto-Minimalism (Vexations - it also, I believe, uses all 12 notes of the chromatic scale), Muzak/ambient music (Musique d'ambulement), frame-by-frame film music (Relache), multimedia musical events (Sports et Divertissements), even the music of Part and Tavener (Le Fils des Etoiles, Messe Des Pauvres). He wrote some nice pop tunes also (Je te veux, Jack in the Box). He had a big influence on John Cage and others after him. Ned Rorem used to sing part of Socrate once a week just for inspiration (his famous quote about Satie: He knew when to stop.)


----------



## robert

GEORGE ENESCU

Orchestral Works VOL. 1

SYMPHONY NO. 1
STUDY SYMPHONY NO. 4
ROMANIAN OVERTURE

ROMANIAN NATIONAL RADIO ORCHESTRA
HORIA ANDREESU

OLYMPIA OCD 441


----------



## Manxfeeder

robert said:


> GEORGE ENESCU
> 
> Orchestral Works VOL. 1
> ROMANIAN NATIONAL RADIO ORCHESTRA
> HORIA ANDREESU


I have Volume 2. Personally, I like Andreescu's way with this music.


----------



## robert

I agree. I do not have Vol 2. I do have and its my favorite Vol 3. This has my favorite symphony of his No. 3.....I also place 4 high.... How do you like his second?


----------



## robert

Giacinto Scelsi
5 String Quartets, String Trio, Khoom
Arditti String Quartet

on tap

Nikolay Roslavets
Chamber Symphony
In the hours of the New Moon
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Volkov


----------



## Manxfeeder

robert said:


> I agree. I do not have Vol 2. I do have and its my favorite Vol 3. This has my favorite symphony of his No. 3.....I also place 4 high.... How do you like his second?


I have No. 3 somewhere by Rohzdentsky; I'll have to dig it out.

I'm listening to No. 2 now. It's huge. There's some lovely playing by Andreescu's crew on the 2nd, so I tend to forget about the sturm und drang of the piece. One of these days I'm going to sit down with a pencil and notate all the ideas as they fly by, but right now, I'm happy to have it wash over me.


----------



## Oskaar

Arensky-egyptian nights..moscow symph orch. right now. Quite rewarding so far. I like russian performers very much. I often feel that they have the litle extra, both in intensity and sensitivity.


----------



## robert

Thanks for that. I will have to seek 2 out........


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Philip Glass' 3rd Symphony. I really like this one.


----------



## robert

So do I...


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.1 in F-sharp Minor,Op.1, Piano Concerto No.4 in G Minor, Op.40 and Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini. _All three works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin, featuring Abbey Simon as pianist.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Moll, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the LSO under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3, Mazurkas*


----------



## Pieck

Beethoven cello sonatas - Du Pre and Barenbiom


----------



## robert

Chamber Music
Alban Berg Anton Webern
Arditti String Quartet
Arditti string quartet edition 42
Naive

on tap
Bartok Eotvos Kurtag
Works for Viola
Kim Kashkashian
Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra
Peter Eotvos

ECM new series 465-420-2


----------



## Romantic Geek

Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein conducted by John McGlinn - Show Boat

So good!


----------



## samurai

What, no Gershwin :lol:


----------



## Romantic Geek

Lol, hey I love Gershwin, but I just got this fantastic album on Amazon which has been on my wish list for over 2 years! By the way, that album is even cheaper than when I bought it just a couple days ago. It's only just above $25 for one of the definitive Broadway recordings ever.

I highly highly recommend it!


----------



## samurai

Romantic Geek said:


> Lol, hey I love Gershwin, but I just got this fantastic album on Amazon which has been on my wish list for over 2 years! By the way, that album is even cheaper than when I bought it just a couple days ago. It's only just above $25 for one of the definitive Broadway recordings ever.
> 
> I highly highly recommend it!


Hi RG, I know how much you love Gershwin--as do I--after reading the monumental battle of words you've been having with one of our fellow members re: his "proper status" {Gershwin's, that is}. Enjoy, and keep up the fight!


----------



## Romantic Geek

If this doesn't get you hooked in...


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*

I have a re-awakened interest in Bruckner lately since I bought a Naxos Disc with his beautiful String Quintet and String Quartet on it - I can't believe there was a time when I found Bruckner a difficult Composer to get into!


----------



## crmoorhead

I am collecting up a few more Tchaikovsky pieces from a seller on ebay. My favourite ATM is Souvenir de Florence (Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Entremont). Slightly related, i am also listening to Stravinsky's 'A Fairy's Kiss' (Stravinsky) and Bartok's Divertimiento for Strings (Solti).


----------



## Pieck

Debussy Cello Sonata, I forgot how much I love that piece - Rostropovich, Britten


----------



## Vaneyes

Saint-Saens mini-fest, kicked off with concertos.


----------



## science

Taking on the Stanford right now.

To uneducated ears (mine), it's as good as works that are much more famous.


----------



## Oskaar

Trying to listen to Brucner, symphony nr 5 , but I dont like it... It is like a big package with nothing in it...Perhaps I am not in the right mood for it, but it seems that nothing happens..., an when something happens it seem half ways...maybe the recording aint too good...Aachen symphony orchestra, Marens Borch...nothing too compare with. I must give it a new shot one day...


----------



## robert

Sunday mornings 
Pierre Boulez
Three sonatas for Piano
Claude Helffer
Naive

Karol Szymanowski
Violin Concertos 1 & 2
Concert Overture
Kaja Danczowska
National Warsaw Orchestra
Kord
Accord 011 314-2

Bartok String Quartet 5
Hindemith String Quartet 4
Zehetmair Quartet
ECM New Series 1874


----------



## Oskaar

This was bether...Tchaikovsky suite for orchestra no 1, beautifully plaid by USSR state, symphony, Evgeny Svetlanov. At least this work suited me much better right now.


----------



## robert

oskaar said:


> This was bether...Tchaikovsky suite for orchestra no 1, beautifully plaid by USSR state, symphony, Evgeny Svetlanov. At least this work suited me much better right now.


Perhaps you might like some Moeran, Atterberg Peterson-Berger


----------



## Vaneyes

Be cleansed with this mahvellous spirituality.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Trying to listen to Brucner, symphony nr 5 , but I dont like it... It is like a big package with nothing in it...Perhaps I am not in the right mood for it, but it seems that nothing happens..., an when something happens it seem half ways...maybe the recording aint too good...Aachen symphony orchestra, Marens Borch...nothing too compare with. I must give it a new shot one day...


Yes, please try another Bruckner 5. To me, Marcus Bosch Bruckner sounds more like Tchaikovsky...no disrespect to Tchaikovsky.

Although my favorite Bruckner 5 is Horenstein's, I have no trouble recommending Herreweghe's, which has strong dynamics in exquisite sound. I believe it's as user-friendly as one can get (intimate, musical), and still stay close to the composer's intentions. Many critics panned it...even audaud.com (It might have the distinction of being the first recording they haven't liked. A bit of humor there).


----------



## Pieck

Beethoven violin sonatas 8, 9, 10 Opp. 30\3, 47, 96, Heifetz, Bay


----------



## tdc

String Quintet in C, K515


----------



## Manxfeeder

The Nashville Symphony is performing Mahler's 2nd symphony this week, and I'm hoping I can recover from an illness in time for it. So I'm going through an old historic performance - Bruno Walter and the VPO from 1948. The sound isn't the greatest, but these guys do a great job.


----------



## Conor71

*Elgar: String Quartet
Walton: String Quartet*


----------



## Tapkaara

Piano Quintet (opus 29) by G. Enescu - Solomon Ensemble


----------



## Sid James

@ Romantic Geek, agree with you, _Show Boat _is great, I only saw it once on television decades ago. I have a fond memory of the great Paul Robeson singing "Old Man River"...

*Album: With a Song in my heart - A tribute to Mario Lanza
JOSE CARRERAS, tenor* - Singing Italian and Spanish melodies, Italian opera, show tunes (arrangements & adaptations by Christopher Palmer)
London Studio Orch./Ambrosian Singers/Marcello Viotti, cond.
Teldec

This was my first listen to this album. It's an excellent one by Carreras, I think he did Mario Lanza proud with this. Not to forget the great arrangements by no less a musician than the late Christopher Palmer, who was no slouch of an arranger (he reworked Walton's film scores into orchestral suites with large forces in the symphonic/choral dimension). Eg. I like it how in the title track, the voices of the tenors in the choir exactly match the colours of Carreras' unique voice. Palmer was simply that good. The closing track is very much in this Spanish tenor's neck of the woods, the very dramatic and colourful "Granada" by Lara. Carreras might not have the huge vocal range of some singers, but like Kiri Te Kanawa, he has a high degree of flexibility and willingness to explore many areas of the musical spectrum - not only opera, but popular songs of yesteryear, show tunes, & on other recordings things like operetta, zarzuela, he even put down a recording of Ariel Ramirez's folksy _Misa Criolla_. I admire this & I respect the man for the breadth of his vision, professionalism and artistic integrity (just like I do guys like Mantovani or Andre Rieu). Some people may not, but it's simply kind of a case that they "can't see the forest for the trees," they are solely interested in a certain niche, they are not interested in exploring all aspects of the endless classical universe (or more accurately, many universes within universes!). Anyway, enough negativity, this album is a celebration just as much as a tribute to Mario Lanza, who not only inspired guys like Carreras in his boyhood, but countless others. It's all good...


----------



## samurai

Ludwig van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Moll, Op.67 and Symphony No.6 in F major, Op.68 "Pastoral"}. _Both works are performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto no.2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30. _These works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin, with Abbey Simon as pianist.


----------



## violadude

I've been listening to a lot of Takemitsu lately. Right now I am listening to "A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden"


----------



## Oskaar

elgar enigma variations.. So rewarding. Listening to London symphony orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

robert said:


> Perhaps you might like some Moeran, Atterberg Peterson-Berger


Listening to moeran, string quartet in e-flat major. I absolutely Like!


----------



## Oskaar

Mahler symphony nr 5. Almost finished. What an adventure! Barenboim, Chicago symphony orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

Tchaikovsky, Piano concerto no 1. Yevgeny Sudbin. Sao Paulo symphony orchestra. John Neschling, conductor... If you have spotify: 



 Also medtner first piano concerto


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today, based on a post by Weston, I'm listening to Howard Hanson's Concerto for Organ, Harp and Strings.


----------



## Vaneyes

If I could only have a hundred CDs, this would be among them.


----------



## science

The piano concerto. It's ok. But you probably don't need to put it at the top of your wish list.


----------



## Vaneyes

A symphonic mini-fest with RVW.


----------



## science

Been listening to this for 3 days; I'll wrap it up today.


----------



## robert

Schmidt
Symphony no. 4
Mehta
Wiener Philharmonikeer
London Double Disc B/W Mahler 2
440 615-2

ON TAP

Armand Marsick
Three Symphonic Poems
La Source
Scenes de Montagne
La Source Stele
Orchestra Philharmonie De Lorraine
Jacques Houtmann
Koch Schwann LC 1083

Webern/Mahler
Webern
Passacaglia op. 1
Im Sommerwind
Mahler
Adagio from Symphony 10
Gielen
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden Und Freiburg
Hanssler 03-062


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Mahler symphony nr 5. Almost finished. What an adventure! Barenboim, Chicago symphony orchestra


Oskaar, glad you enjoyed it. If you're interested in weightier versions, to the point of explosiveness--Bernstein (DG) and Shipway (RPO, 2003 reissue).


----------



## Pieck

Found a new listening system, I think this one will work:
Each week I choose a subject (e.g Piano + instrument, first symphony, piano concerti, Renaissance) and choose 5-8 CDs to focus on. So this week it's instrumental sonatas, specific: Beethoven Cello and Violin Sonatas, Debussy violin, and I want another modern CD, maybe Roslavets, or Winberg, or Bartok, what do you recommend?


----------



## Tapkaara

science said:


> Been listening to this for 3 days; I'll wrap it up today.


Cool album cover!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Glazunov's 5th symphony by Rozhdestvensky. The scherzo could be titled "If Mendelssohn Were Russian."


----------



## Conor71

*Faure: Piano Quintet No. 1 In D Mino, Op. 89
Faure: Piano Quintet No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 115*


----------



## Vaneyes

Pieck said:


> Found a new listening system, I think this one will work:
> Each week I choose a subject (e.g Piano + instrument, first symphony, piano concerti, Renaissance) and choose 5-8 CDs to focus on. So this week it's instrumental sonatas, specific: Beethoven Cello and Violin Sonatas, Debussy violin, and I want another modern CD, maybe Roslavets, or Winberg, or Bartok, what do you recommend?


----------



## robert

Schoenberg
Piano Concerto 
Berg
Sonata
Webern
Variations

Mitsuko Uchida
Boulez
Phillips
289 468 033-2


----------



## Sid James

*PLACIDO DOMINGO* - Greatest Love Songs (same album cover/photo/tracks, different title/edition)
Includes - Popular Spanish songs - Maria from "West Side Story" - Time After Time - Yesterday - Annie's Song - Blue Moon/Moon River medley - Autumn Leaves - and many others
Some tracks with guests John Denver (vocals, guitar) & Maureen McGovern (vocals)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Lee Holdridge, conductor and arrangements
CBS label

*STANFORD*
"Dies irae" section from Requiem mass (IV. Sequence - Dies irae: Allegro moderato ma energico)
Vocal soloists/Radio Telefis Eireann Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Adrian Leaper
Naxos 2 disc set

This was my first listen to Domingo's "Love Songs" album, and it was so good, I listened to it right through again! The performance was excellent on all accounts, at a very high level of this lighter part of the classical spectrum. Domingo's voice and the arrangements were perfectily matched, in tone, delivery and mood. Every song was individual and unique, they definitely weren't cookie cutter. Although the Spanish songs were quite fiery and rhythmic, many of the others were quite sad. I shed many tears when hearing the evergreen "Autumn Leaves," Domingo's vocal range was more in the middle, but the intensity of his delivery matched those of his great performances in the operatic realm.

Then for something more "serious" - the half hour Dies irae sequence from his massive Requiem, which is my favourite part of it. Stanford really had a passion for vocal and especially choral writing, and it shines through here in all it's wonderful aspects. The way he treated some of the vocal solos had a bit of the Verdian Italian opera aspect (a sense of warmth, perhaps?) and his orchestral writing had a kind of Mendelssohnian vibe. This work is not as intense or top heavy overall like some others, but it does have parts that come off making a huge emotional impact. My favourite moment of genius here is how Stanford treats the "lacrimosa" section of this sequence. The soprano and mezzo soprano gracefully intertwine, singing their mournful song that perfectly images the valley of tears, the point of no return for all departed souls. Later the male soloists and choir with orchestra add to this, but it's the purity of how the two women initially sing the words "lacrimosa" that just plunges me deep into an emotional crevice every single time I hear it...


----------



## robert

Rubbra
Symphonies 4 10 11
Hickox
Chandos

Love Rubbra....


----------



## tdc

Right now I am listening to Penderecki's Violin Concerto #2, its quite good as is all of what I've so far heard from him, though sometimes I wish Penderecki would attempt something a little bit light hearted and joyful, just to change things up a little! :lol:

I've yet to hear anything from him that sounds happy. If its out there, let me hear it!


----------



## Sid James

tdc said:


> Right now I am listening to Penderecki's Violin Concerto #2, its quite good as is all of what I've so far heard from him, though sometimes I wish Penderecki would attempt something a little bit light hearted and joyful, just to change things up a little! :lol:
> 
> I've yet to hear anything from him that sounds happy. If its out there, let me hear it!


Yes, most of his stuff comes of to me as well like that, he's quite kind of "top heavy" vibe. He's basically an expert in that niche of the emotional spectrum. I kind of think of the same way with Heinrich Schutz, though I'm no expert on his stuff. But last year, I read a newspaper report on Penderecki visiting his colleague Gorecki when he was sick & dying in hospital. The report said that Penderecki was trying to cheer his friend up, being positive, saying that Gorecki would finish the symphony he was working on, he would get through this. He said they'd both be at the premiere. Maybe it was a fantasy, as Gorecki died before the week was out. But in this anecdote, Penderecki's lighter, more humorous, human, positive side shines through. Obviously, although his music can plumb the lowest depths, he obviously has his lighter side at least in the personal aspect just like anyone else...


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Faure: Piano Quintet No. 1 In D Mino, Op. 89
> Faure: Piano Quintet No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 115*


I have the EMI set how is yours?
and Kreutzer Sonata - Heifetz, Smith


----------



## kv466

Haydn sonatas - glenn gould


----------



## Conor71

Pieck said:


> I have the EMI set how is yours?
> and Kreutzer Sonata - Heifetz, Smith


I like the Faure set a lot Pieck  - the performances and sound are both very good to me. The EMI box looks like a good one too and I had considered getting that one, although i think the Brilliant set won out on price at the time!.


----------



## science

SS's violin concerto #3.










The whole album. Without a doubt this is some of the most beautiful trumpet/cornet (or whatever) that I've ever heard.


----------



## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> I like the Faure set a lot Pieck  - the performances and sound are both very good to me. The EMI box looks like a good one too and I had considered getting that one, although i think the Brilliant set won out on price at the time!.


The EMI was very cheap something like 20 USD (5 CD), I didnt know much of Faure at the time, the price was a major factor in the decision to buy it.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

Albeniz; Iberia.


----------



## Oskaar

Albeniz; Suite Espanole.. I like it more than Iberia.....


----------



## robert

Alexander tcherepnin
Symphonies No. 3 & 4
Piano Concerto No. 6
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Lan Shui
Bis 1018


----------



## robert

Raff
Symphony No. 3
Philharmonia Orchestra
Francesco D'Avalos

ON TAP

Raff
Symphony No. 5
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Herrmann


----------



## Pieck

Part - Kanon pokajanen


----------



## McNick

Beethoven Symphony No. 8 - London Symphony Orchestra

I'm very much in love with Beethoven


----------



## Aramis

Ludwig Van's 14th SQ, I thought I was going to go mad, the first movement is suicide-provoking in my current state but somehow I've survived, yes, anyway it's amazing how great (negative though) emotions are enchanted into this work's first movements (and the penultimate one). The last movement is the best description of struggle that came from LvB and probably from all other composers. The marching-like rhythm reveals determination but in rough harmony you can hear painfulness of these strunggles, like every step forward would bleed you out more and more, it's intensively emotional movement - the first and the last two are absolute masterpieces and best things written in this genre. After that I went to Grosse Fuge because it ends in positive mood and discourages suicidal thoughts casted by first movement of previous work. Turn on the light. All of it by Lindsay SQ (my favourite versions so far).


----------



## kv466

Wagner: Orchestral Showpieces - Transcription by Glenn Gould


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony_ _No_._2_ _in_ _D_ _Major_, _Op_._43_ and _Finlandia, Op.26._ Both works performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Zubin Mehta.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Moll, Op.36. _Performance is by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Villa-Lobos' recording of his Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 1, 2, 5, and 9, mostly for Victoria De Los Angeles' vocals.


----------



## robert

George Enescu
Symphony no. 3
Romanian National Radio Orchestra & chorus
Horia Andreescu
Olympia 443


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Smyphony No. 6 In A Minor, "Tragic"*


----------



## Pieck

I want to introduce you to someone TC fellows
Aharon Harlap, Israeli composer.
I got to know him in a concert, it was a premiere of an orchestral work by him, and I talked with him a little bit afterwards and apparently he's a friend and ex-student of my recorder teacher.
His Clarinet Concerto movement no. 1


----------



## Vaneyes

Two old Sony favorites...


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 9, Sergiu Celibidache conducting the Munich Philharmonic

It's really one of the most overwhelming recordings of it you'll ever hear if you get over the slow tempi.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Bruckner 9, Sergiu Celibidache conducting the Munich Philharmonic
> 
> It's really one of the most overwhelming recordings of it you'll ever hear if you get over the slow tempi.


Hmm. I like what he did overall to the fourth. I'm listening to clips. But the price - wow, that one doesn't come cheap.

Tonight, Vaughan Williams' 4th symphony.


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> Hmm. I like what he did overall to the fourth. I'm listening to clips. But the price - wow, that one doesn't come cheap.


Yeah, I got it as a present about a year and a half ago. It was the only way I could get it.

Actually, this performance is somewhat different from that of the fourth. I mean, fundamentally it has the Celi hallmarks of incredible inner detail, slow tempi, etc. but the whole performance is a tougher nut to crack than the fourth. I think tonight was the first time I really listened to the whole performance and really appreciated it, out of about four or five times hearing it since I got it.


----------



## Sid James

@ Aramis - interesting comments there on Beethoven's SQ #14 op. 131. My favourite of his late quartets, which I only got into in more depth since late last year. Couldn't stop listening to them for ages. Fascinating music, to say the least, there's such a richness in these works at all levels. To say that they are masterpieces is a huge understatement. I can see that you hear struggle in there - there's certainly a lot of that. I wouldn't disagree, but (depending on my mood, or "vibe" at any given moment) generally I don't find these works too "top heavy." They are very deep, but also ultimately (for me) optimistic, spiritually uplifting, inspiring, saying things that are totally unspeakable and inexpressable. Are you hearing these for the first time, or has it been a long time since you heard them? I have heard a few recordings of the seperate quartets, but the performance by the American LaSalle Quartet (previously on DGG, now on Brilliant Classics) really moves me to a high dimension. I like their intensity and "fresh" take on these classic works. I also recently saw our very own Goldner String Quartet, one of our finest chamber ensembles based right here in Sydney, play the next one (Op. 132) and they also had a very interesting "take" on this work - fascinating especially to see the intricacy & subtlety of this group's delivery. I basically haven't heard a performance of these works that I haven't enjoyed - including the Lindsays who you mention, they are great - I know there are endless ways these things of such high complexity can be "delivered," and to play them the musicians have to be at the very highest level of craftsmanship, sensitivity, artistry, etc...

Recent listening has included Bach's _Well-Tempered Clavier_ (with Wanda Landowska), Jose Carreras' tribute to Mario Lanza album, but I would like to discuss the following in depth -

*PUCCINI*
- Messa Di Gloria [Marcello Bedoni, tenor. Jeff Speres, baritone. Choruses & Luxembourg Philharmonia/ Martin Elmquist]
- Salve Regina [Patricia Freres, soprano w.Carlo Hommel, organ]
- Crisantemi. (Martin Elmquist & Verna Kanisto-Deage, violins. Danielle Hennicot, viola. Henri Foehr, cello)
Classico Label

I've always enjoyed Puccini's mass, it's such an uplifting work, and so unique. He composed it early on in his career, but it wasn't published until after his death. Maybe the man thought it was like the scribblings of his mis-spent youth, not good enough for publication? Anyway, there are a number of things I have loved about this work for ages. Puccini started out as an organist, a bit like Ives, so the harmonies and colours of the king of instruments are a strong feature of the way he handles things in all of his works I have heard, especially this one. Those sounds are definitely there at some level, even though there's no organ in sight in this mass (although the accompanying _Salve Regina_ does have organ). High points for me are the baritone solo in the _Benedictus_, which is so soothing and goes so deep. Puccini also treats the concluding _Agnus Dei _in a very unique way - it has a kind of happy vibe (to my ears, anyway). The two guys sing this wonderful kind of lilting tune seperately, and when they join together, the blending of their voice colours sounds like heaven, divinity mixed with great passion. Some sources I have read say that this work was heavily influenced by Verdi, but I find it nothing like him, it's Puccini all the way (just like the operas which were to come later). I think the same thing about _Turandot_, which was written after Puccini experienced and praised Berg's_ Wozzeck_. Despite an element of some influence no doubt, my feeling is that there is more difference and less similarity between these works in many ways. _Crisantemi_, a short work for string quartet written in memory of a close friend who died, makes me wish the man wrote more for this medium. I love this recording, I bought it by chance on special for $5 a few years ago. I'm kind of saddened by recent news that the Classico label is folding...


----------



## Pieck

Diego Ortiz (ca.1510–ca.1570) - Trattado de Glossas for viola da gamba


----------



## jaimsilva

because of this thread: http://www.talkclassical.com/8730-haydn-creation-seasons.html


----------



## McNick

Franck - 



 The Franck is very Romantic.

Mahler - 




I'm a romanticist as well as classicist. I hope this thread isn't strictly classical...


----------



## Oskaar

McNick said:


> I'm a romanticist as well as classicist. I hope this thread isn't strictly classical...


 I am eclectic! I am in a periode listening a lot to music after romanticm. But right now I am listening to Mozart... His delightful concert for flute and orch k. 313


----------



## Oskaar

haydn trumpet concerto in e flat major


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## robert

Vyacheslav Artyomov (THREESOME)
INVOCATIONS
LIDIA DAVYDOVA, MARK PEKARSKY PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
OLYMPIC OCD 514

AWAKENING
MOSCOW PHILHARMONY SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA
VIRKO BALEY
BOEME CDBMR 010127

AVE
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
MURAD ANNAMAMEDOV
BOEME CDBMR 002124


----------



## science

Currently: Vivaldi, Oboe Concerto in F, RV 455










Just finished: Berg's Chamber Concerto for Piano, Violin and Winds










Both of these are very much worth hearing, IMO.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin*

Along with the Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord and the WTC these are my most frequently played Bach works


----------



## Manxfeeder

Herreweghe's recording of Bruckner's 7th on authentic instruments.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Moll, Op.104._ Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.5 in E Moll, Op.64 and Symphony No.6 in B Moll, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}. _Both are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
For me, the last movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th and the first and third movements of the _"Pathetique" _are especially melodic and inspirational.


----------



## science

I love, love, love this album. Been a favorite for years. Savina Yannatou sings Manos Hadjidakis. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.


----------



## Vaneyes

While Scherbakov warms up in the green room, Hae-Sun Kang does Anthemes 2, with Electro-acoustic realization from Andrew Gerzso.


----------



## Sid James

Many of you guys are on the same wavelength as I have been recently, judging from some of the posts above - Haydn's _The Creation_ was a revelation to me at a performance here in Sydney on the weekend, I have equally enjoyed things like Frank Martin's ballades, Berg's _Chamber Concerto_, Bach's solo violin works, I have that exact Boulez disc, & the Bruckner 7th symphony is one of my top favourites by the man...

Recent listening has included *Monteverdi's* duets for two sopranos, the "Agnus Dei" from *Brumel's*_ Mass for 12 voices_, the "Dies Irae sequence" and "Offertorium" from *Stanford's* massive but not too top heavy _Requiem_ (he was highly attuned to and sensitve to the sacred texts, plus many other things), but I'll discuss these two albums in more detail -

The Choir of Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney "Requiem" album
*Thomas Luis de VICTORIA*
Officium Defunctorum a 6 (Requiem for six parts)
*Gregorian Chant*
Missa "Pro Defunctis"
*Thomas TALLIS*
Motets: If ye love me - O sacrum convivium - Verily, verily I say unto you
*William BYRD*
Motet - Ave verum corpus
*PALESTRINA*
Motet - Sicut cervus

The Choir of Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney
Dr Neil McEwan, director
St Laurence Music Inc. (Self published - 2002)

*Ravi SHANKAR* (Arrangements of traditional Indian ragas, also some original compositions)
Ravi Shankar, sitar (all tracks) & his ensemble - Alla Rakha, tabla; Kamala Chakravarti, tanpura (on first three tracks)
"Morning Love" - with J.P. Rampal, flute
"Raga Piloo" & "Prabhati" - with Sir Yehudi Menuhin, violin
"Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra" (No. 1) - with Terence Emery, bongos/London SO/Andre Previn, cond.

Disc 1 of 2 disc set - "Shankar - Sitar Concertos and other works" (EMI)

On the surface, Victoria's requiem sounds quite light compared to others, but it's definitely not lightweight. It was written towards the end of his career after the death of the Spanish queen. Some people say that they hear more flamboyance in his music, but I can't pick that up much in this. There's an ethereal quality, some of the "star turns" are given to the sopranos, to my ears they are like the main soloists, the guys especially being like a backing group. The traditional Gregorian Chant requiem here sounded a bit boring to me before - eg. only male voices - but this time I had a revelation with it. The final part, the minute long "Agnus Dei" sounded exactly like the same part in Durufle's requiem, just slowed down. I have read about the impact which this type of ancient Christian music made on the Frenchman, and for the first time, I heard it in all it's glory. Even if many of you haven't heard a single work by Tallis, most here have heard Vaughan Williams' fantasia on a theme by him. RVW so expertly translated Tallis solo vocal "vibe" into the realm of the modern string orchestra, that there's only that superficial difference between the orginal and RVW's masterly arrangement. The Byrd I had not tapped into emotionally before, but this time the concluding words "miserere mei" or "have mercy on me" before the final Amen had a huge impact, in inverse proportion to this man's seemingly simple and direct style. Then the Palestrina motet to finish up, which sets the very short text "As the deer longs for streams of water: so does my soul long for you, O God." The kind of gently flowing vocal lines exactly mirrored the stream in that short but very potent poetic imagery. This choir, and it's director Dr Neil McEwan, are amongst our finest here in Australia. This man is a musical polymath, and the choir has performed all kinds of this repertoire, even performing Arvo Part's _Passio_ in the presence of the man himself. I think that Mr Part would have taken off his hat to them (if he wears a hat, that is!).

Talking of musical polymaths, Ravi Shankar is one of the greats of our own times as well. I can't praise this man enough. Even in his ninetieth year last year, he made a world tour (touching our shores as well, but sadly I didn't get to see him) and even composed a new concerto for three sitars and orchestra for him and his two daughters (I think?) to perform with one of the London orchestras. I have been into Indian music since I was a kid, ever since we lived in the same apartment block with some Indian people, and I played with their kids at their place where their music was always playing (it was more like the pop style, "Bollywood," but anyway). I used to have a tape of these very recording of _Morning Love _and the 1st sitar concerto in my teenage years, I played it so much it wore out. So when this reissue of the same things and more came out, it was a total "no-brainer" to get them. The tracks Shankar and his ensemble put down with J.P. Rampal and Sir Yehudi have a chamber vibe, they sound improvisatory, but are probably anything but! I mean for one thing, the sitar has like over 30 strings!!! The shortest one called "Prabhati" is my favourite here, the violin plays a kind of darkish and deep solo, the next layer are the Indian rhythm players, and the sitar is right in the background. So much subtlety in that. The 1st concerto has had a special place in my heart. It's as much a tone poem as a concerto, the four ragas describing a "day in the life" of India, from daybreak to sunset. It's also more like a double concerto, Terence Emery on bongos has many "star turns" he's much more than just a glorified rhythm section. I can easily go into it in great depth, it's ingrained in my mind. The third movement "Raga Adana" comes across to me as like an Indian version of Smetana's _Die Moldau_, I see images of a river flowing here, first quietly and gently then going at full tilt. There's even an orchestral whip cracked in one part, it's as if a cowboy from Copland's ballet _Rodeo_ has joined the fray with great glee. An amazing set, I'll listen to the second disc tonight, but even the variety on this set is just like a tip of the iceberg of Shankar's genius...


----------



## Manxfeeder

In the queue today: Lizat's Christus by Rilling and Marcel Tyberg's 3rd symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

This just arrived...enjoying the fine performances and sound. In addition to the main piano meal, many intriguing winds accents throughout.


----------



## robert

Harrison Birtwistle
The Triumph Of Time
Gawain's Journey
Philharmonia Orchestra
Elgar Howarth

Melencolia 1
Ritual Fragment
Meridian
London Sinfonietta
Oliver Knussen


----------



## Oskaar

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.


----------



## Vaneyes




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## Oskaar

Mahler; symphony nr 2. I love Mahlers symphonies. He is painting the most adventurous landscapes. I find this recording very good to..Zubin Mehta conducting Israel Philharmonic orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> This just arrived...enjoying the fine performances and sound. In addition to the main piano meal, many intriguing winds accents throughout.


The sound is truly great, as well as performance and the music itselfe. Thanks for this one! Luckily I could find it on spotify..


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


>


Not a bad recording at all - my first, in fact, of these incredible works. But I do prefer the Takacs Quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hilary Hahn's recording of the Elgar Violin Concerto. Her approach is taking me some time to warm up to; I'm used to Nigel Kennedy.


----------



## Jeremy Marchant

Andrew Rudin's concertos for piano and for viola - reviewing for Fanfare


----------



## Pieck

Knipper SQ No. 3
Roslavets SQs Nos. 1,3
Novosibirsk SQ


----------



## Vaneyes

DrMike said:


> Not a bad recording at all - my first, in fact, of these incredible works. But I do prefer the Takacs Quartet.


I have Takacs for Op. 18, and Emerson for the rest.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> The sound is truly great, as well as performance and the music itselfe. Thanks for this one! Luckily I could find it on spotify..


You're welcome, Oskaar...glad you like it.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.9 in E moll, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, _performed by the Cleveland Orchestra led by Christoph Von Dohnanyi.
Gustav Mahler--_Symphony No.1 in D dur {"Titan"}, _performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F moll, Op.36, _performed by Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.

I am overwhelmed by the first and last movements of both the Dvorak 9th and the Tchaikovsky 4th. Talk about energy and inspiration!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Edgard Varese by the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: French Suites Nos. 4-6*


----------



## Sid James

*STANFORD*
- Requiem - soprano, mezzo, tenor, bass, choir & orch.
- Suite from "The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan" (Opera)
Irish soloists/RTE Phil. Choir/RTE National SO of Ireland
Adrian Leaper (with Colman Pearce in suite only), cond.
(Naxos - 2 disc set)

i bought this a year ago & have liked it ever since. it's the only recording i have of this composer. getting into this choral/vocal area - eg. with works like handel's "messiah," vivaldi's "gloria," faure's "requiem," mozart's "great mass in c," in the live format, and most recently haydn's "the creation" which probably made the hugest impact on me - i have come to appreicate stanford's requiem even more. like brahms, he probably wasn't a high voltage innovator like say beethoven, liszt or wagner were, but stanford's unique vision and "vibe" is unmistakably there in every bar, every note. it might not be technical (i don't know) but more philosophical or a "head space" kind of attitude thing. he was really an all-rounder and musical polymath in many ways, but his real passions lay in the choral realm. the choral harmonies in this work are just "to die for," totally out of this world, but not top-heavy like in some other requiems. it's hard to compare, but i hear some of verdi's italian warmth and flair in there, as well as mendelssohn's lyricism and understatement in how stanford writes for the orchestra. it's very subtle, but just as powerful as something more overtly dramatic (not much bombast here, he draws on the cymbals only twice if i remember correctly in the whole 80 minute piece). there are so many moments of genius here, it'd take me all day to go into it in detail as i'd like to. highlights for me are the "lacrimosa" in the fourth section "sequence - dies irae." stanford puts across the "vibe" of this valley of tears from which no departed souls ever return with such sensitivity and accuteness, it's depth is just unfathomable. many questions in this five minute section - eg. what lies after that valley of tears when we die? is there eternal life or just a void, nothing? another part is in the following section "offertorium" - the text speaks to us the living entrusting the souls of our departed loved ones to the care of god, in a "good" space, but it's beyond our reach. is this more in our minds, are we just kidding ourselves that this space actually exists? anyhow, the music of this short part is comforting and soothing beyond words. this requiem was written in memory of lord leighton, a great british painter who was not only a professional colleague but also a dear friend of the irish composer. no wonder, that even though stanford was of the protestant faith, this work setting the latin text from catholic sacred rites does away with these meaningless barriers. it's totally heartfelt, genuine, there is no hint of religious dogma of any kind in there. the forces are massive, but it's so intimate that it could have been written for only one instrument, like australian composer peter sculthorpe's "requiem for solo cello" which was also in memory of a dear departed freind of his. this is the only recording, done 70 years after the man's death. it's great that naxos has kind of gone "out on a limb" to put this work down on disc, my heartfelt commendations to them. like stanford, they are a label of little or no "********" - they are committed to putting out music, many things like this that deserve to be heard.

the "filler" here on the second disc is no less unique, but it's an orchestral selection/suite from one of the man's many operas that haven't seen the light of day for like 100 years. this work was premiered in germany. i particularly like how stanford uses the double basses and other lower string instruments in the ballet sections. like a famous part i remember in beethoven's 5th symphony, he gives these instruments, which are often relegated to the background, a huge "star turn." the song "there's a bower of roses" comes across as having the intimacy of art-song, it's more like that, not much like grand opera. for most of the song, the soprano sings accompanied by a harp, the irish national instrument.

in a word, this set is "awesome." yes, a cliche, but here it's use is highly warranted, imo...


----------



## Aramis

Think it's better than Brahms' op. 118

I especially love the romantic ending


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to this very unique Requiem, along with an orchestral suite (which includes a song) from one of Stanford's operas. Pure exaltation!!!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

*I couldn't end THIS week without listening to...*

...Johann Strauss-

_"Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald"_


:lol:
:devil:


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## Vaneyes




----------



## Guest

I was inspired by the earlier posting of the Emersons recordings of Beethoven's late quartets, and decided to end the week, working on grants and listening to my Takacs Quartet recording of the same works.


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## Oskaar

Brahms piano concerto nr 2. I have found a litle gem of a recording; RSO ljubliana, Anton Nanut conducting, Dubrovka Tomsic on piano. Sometimes when I listen to this work, I find a bit static.. But a good performanc make the work fold out! Not perfect performing, but charmingly and intensely played. Fore those of you with spotify, I have a link ,


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## Oskaar

i am into piano concerts at the moment! Beethoven no 5. Serkin, new york philharmonic, bernstein


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## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Brahms piano concerto nr 2. I have found a litle gem of a recording; RSO ljubliana, Anton Nanut conducting, Dubrovka Tomsic on piano. Sometimes when I listen to this work, I find a bit static.. But a good performanc make the work fold out! Not perfect performing, but charmingly and intensely played. Fore those of you with spotify, I have a link ,


The orchestra and conductor have done respectable Mahler. I guess they should, since their city was one of Mahler's first conducting posts.

Tomsic is one of classical music's unheralded...with good buys available on Point Classics label. I treasure her Scarlatti.


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## Manxfeeder

Bernstein's Mahler 3.


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## samurai

Gustav Mahler--_Symphony No.1 {"Titan"},_ performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maurice Abravanel.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G moll, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the LSO under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D dur, Op.43 and Finlandia, Op.26. _Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Zubin Mehta.
The second movement of the Sibelius 2nd is quite lush and moving.


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## Pieck

Gorecki 3rd symphony for the first time. Now in the 2nd movement, the first was nice


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## Pieck

And now Tishchenko 1st SQ - The Glazunov Quartet


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## tdc

I'm listening to the second mvt. of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances conducted by Simon Rattle. The horns on this piece of music take me to a magical place.


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## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 55, "Eroica"*

Have'nt dipped into this box-set in quite a while - now playing Klemperer's excellent Eroica


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## tdc

Now I am onto Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 (performed by Ashkenazy). The Beethoven Piano Sonatas are very satisfying to listen to, and I think will provide me with a lifetime of enjoyment.


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## samurai

tdc said:


> Now I am onto Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 (performed by Ashkenazy). The Beethoven Piano Sonatas are very satisfying to listen to, and I think will provide me with a lifetime of enjoyment.


I am especially fond of his "Moonlight Sonata".


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## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 4 & 13*


----------



## Air

Had a sudden urge to hear this tonight.










*Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9
Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker (1962)*

Music like this can dig me out of the deepest pit. It constantly restores my faith in life and humanity.


----------



## kv466

Air said:


> Had a sudden urge to hear this tonight.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Ludwig van Beethoven
> Symphony No. 9
> Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker (1962)*
> 
> Music like this can dig me out of the deepest pit. It constantly restores my faith in life and humanity.


nice! i have these on record...hmmm, no ninth for me tonite but i think i'll pop me in the 8th...i think i may have heard that a total of 2 times and prolly not even at a full sitting...thanks for the inspiration


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## Pieck

Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 4 & 13*


The 4th is my favorite, surprising isnt it?


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## Oskaar

*Edvard Grieg-Piano Concerto in A minor*










Very good performance With Leif Ove Andsnes, Berliner Philharmoniker, and Mariss Janson conducting.

Listening to Grieg I often get images in my head of fat Cow-girls in the mountain making butter.. With norwegian colorful national dressing.. The feeling can be to strong sometimes..

For me these pictures are present here too (as the norwegian I am), but they are not destroying this wonderful work.


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## Oskaar

*Ludwig Van Beethoven-Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major - Ludwig Van Beethoven*

From This record.










I had some avertions agains beethoven earlier.. Moonlite sonata gives me headace (strange)(almost euforic), and some other reasons I cant remember. But I have started to listen to some works, and in the future I will really explore him.. then he will grow to one of my favourites.

I can see the genious he was, and look forward to explore him. To describe his music shortly, after only touching the surface... Complex multy-layered soulful music that is easy to listen to! But maybe difficult or challenging to go in depth. Number two and three times listening to a work unfold new layers.


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## Conor71

Pieck said:


> The 4th is my favorite, surprising isnt it?


Yes that is suprising!  - I always figure most people like the late Quartets the best but theyre all masterpieces i think!
The 13th, "Lieb" is probably my favourite - I also really like the 14th, 15th and the "Harp" Quartet as well


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## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 6, 4 Pieces For String Quartet*


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*

I have the same problem with this work as I have with Beethovens moonlight serenade. Both are beautiful, but they give me headache, and a depressive feeling! I dont know why. Must be something hypnothic with Them.

I suffer from depressions, so that also may be the reason, they tuch a nerve in me, that make this result. Beautiful anyway, and I must listen once in a while. Most of classical music is good for my depression, also "depressive" works. Strange that some works have this effect on me. In this concerto it is only first movement by the way


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## Oskaar

*Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*

From this record










This concert I really Like. More depht than number 21, more compareable to beethoven. I think I found a good recording in this one too.

Cut and paste from Amazon: Mozart: Piano Concertos 22 & 24
Mozart (Composer), David Greilsammer (Conductor, Performer), Suedama Ensemble (Performer)

Fore those of you with spotify (pm me if you need invite)


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## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> I suffer from depressions, so that also may be the reason, they tuch a nerve in me, that make this result. Beautiful anyway, and I must listen once in a while. Most of classical music is good for my depression, also "depressive" works. Strange that some works have this effect on me. In this concerto it is only first movement by the way


There are a few pieces which produce a reaction in me also which makes no sense. Fortunately, there's enough classical music out there so that I don't have to visit those particular ones. Unless you're a music major, and studying it is part of your curriculum, there's not much of a reason to let anything take you to the Dark House.

Today, Enescu's second symphony. It may have dark undertones, but, as Charles Rosen said about Mozart's G minor symphony, it's like a woman who is so beautiful you don't notice how sad she is.


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder said:


> Fortunately, there's enough classical music out there


yes, its a big universe out there!


----------



## Oskaar

alkan op 39. Great piano work for orchestra

For you with spotify:


----------



## Conor71

*Rautavaara: Symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 5 & 6*

I don't think Rautavaara is a hard composer to "get" but I admit to struggling a bit with these works up till now as I find them quite abstract! - I'm on a roll this morning and in the right fame of mind to appreciate these Symphonies.
Just finished listening to Symphony No. 5 and No. 6, "Vincentiana" - I particularly enjoyed the sci-fi sound effects in the latter!  
Now moving on to Symphony No. 3 and the atonal (??) Symphony No. 4!.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival. Krzysztof Bakowski (bio linked) impresses on Chain 2 and Partita, as does Wit's interp. for Sym. 4. Funeral March for Strings and Interlude are fill-ups for this 76:55 disc.

http://www.warsaw-autumn.art.pl/05/performers/p54.html


----------



## Oskaar

I may be hyperactive tonight, but I find so much Good music! Listening to Arensky Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 2. I was going throug a list over the 100 best piano concerts, and got a litle tired after the first ten....absolutely good works,but...

After searching alternatives new blood came in! Lately Arensky Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 2.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> I don't think Rautavaara is a hard composer to "get" but I admit to struggling a bit with these works up till now as I find them quite abstract! - I'm on a roll this morning and in the right fame of mind to appreciate these Symphonies.


That's what I've been lacking! My sole Rautavaara disc (the 7th symphony on Naxos) has been languishing on my shelf, not so much for lack of interest, just lacking a mindset. I'll put it in the queue after I've finished my present listening, Vol. 3 of Joseph Kraus' symphonies.


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to Rautavaara Symphony no 3 right now


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Listening to Rautavaara Symphony no 3 right now


Quite nice,great landscapes, but a bit (lack words in english) passive?


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> Quite nice,great landscapes, but a bit (lack words in english) passive?


I'm checking it out on YouTube. Wow, starting out, it's Bruckner's 4th through a looking glass!


----------



## Oskaar

Conor71 said:


> in the right fame of mind to appreciate these Symphonies.


That is for sure...It is very much up to our state of mind


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder said:


> I'll put it in the queue after I've finished my present listening, Vol. 3 of Joseph Kraus' symphonies.


You make me curious, I will find kraus symphonies


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak_--Symphony_ _No_._9 in E moll, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, _performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Von Dohnanyi.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C dur, Op.60 {"Leningrad"},_ performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitnik.
I find the first and last movements in both these works to be especially moving and emotionally inspirational.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

William Byrd, Antonio de Cabezon, Sebastian Lopez de Velasco, Miguel de Fuenllana, Diego Ortiz, Anthony Holbone, John Dowland, and others from the Baroque courts of England and Spain. Performed by Fretwork, Michael Chance, Christopher Wilson, etc...

I just couldn't turn this one down. I think I got it for about $3 US... for two discs of well recorded music with some marvelous performers.


----------



## Pieck

It's 6 AM and I'm back from Aida in Masada, it was great and exhausting, and cost a fortune which I dont have. The production was so massive, including arab kids dancing, camels, fireworks, a lot of colorful lights on the mountain itself, and projecting on it to create a river effect. There were almost 8000 people and they applauded like 500. It was great overall.


----------



## science




----------



## tahnak

Anton Stepanovic Arensky's Piano Concerto in F Minor

This is a beautiful concerto. I have heard it about thirty years back. I got it on 'Turnabout' vinyl pressing. It is simple and leaves a good feeling stamp on you. I am deeply impressed by Arensky's works. The recording was by Felicja Blumenthal and the Vienna Pro Musica Symphony under Hans Swarowsky.


----------



## tahnak

*Beethoven's Choral*

I heard a version by the Vienna Philharmonic yesterday conducted by Hans Schmidt Isserstedt. It is a crisp recording. Excellent sound by Decca. The performance has punch. Nothing extra ordinary but a capable performance. The only disappointment was the second movement scherzo where Isserstedt did not honour the repeat and edited it.


----------



## Sid James

@ science - Some interesting selections there. You really can't go wrong with Liszt & Smetana - both tops! Regarding Hovhaness, I think he just stuck to one thing and did it quite well, quite to a high level. He also incorporated some controlled chance techniques that seem to me very close to what Lutoslawski was doing at the time. I really like the _Mount St. Helen's Symphony_, the percussive finale really packs a punch! Another one I like is much more obscure, a work for string orchestra called _Celestial Fantasy_. It's not really a fantasia but quite a strict and controlled fugue, but what he does within what you'd think is quite a restricted structure is highly interesting, and not cliched, imo. A work that moves from tragedy to triumph, it inspires me greatly every time I hear it (link below, a clip on youtube that I haven't heard, I haven't got time now, I hope you'll forgive me for this, but it should be good as can be)...








tahnak said:


> ...The only disappointment was the second movement scherzo where Isserstedt did not honour the repeat and edited it.


Yes, this is a thing that can be a bit difficult to see what the composer was trying to do with a piece on the whole, the "big picture." I've noticed it in some older recordings of Handel's _Messiah_, even live in concert (but it didn't really bother me much then, I suppose the whole thing even with some of these minor changes, takes like 2 hours to perform). But I like hearing the "extras." I recently went to a recital at Sydney Conservatorium, they played three Schubert violin sonatas, and the violinist (Goetz Richter) said he played all of the repeats to give the idea of what Schumann called Schubert's "heavenly length." So this is not a trivial issue, it is quite important, you are 110 per cent correct on that...


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakireviano Concerto No. 2 in E flat, Op. posth*

From this album










:clap:


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakireviano Concerto No. 2 in E flat, Op. posth*

From this album










:clap:


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## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38*

From this album


----------



## Pieck

Ronald Corp: SQs 1&2, Country Matters for SQ and Tenor (funny).


----------



## Oskaar

*Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*

From this album


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## Oskaar

*Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor - Sergei Rachmaninoff*

From this record


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some good listening for a Sunday morning: Arvo Part's In Principio.


----------



## Oskaar

*Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major - Sergei Prokofiev*

From this record


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## science

Albinoni: Concerto for trumpet, 3 oboes and bassoon.


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## Oskaar

*Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major - Franz Liszt*

From this record


----------



## Oskaar

*Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor - Johannes Brahms*

from this record


----------



## kv466

Shoenberg - opus 3 Six Songs for voice and piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Camille Saint-Saens-Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor -*


----------



## Oskaar

*ROSSINI/RESPIGHI La Boutique Fantasque RESPIGHI Impressioni Brasiliane*

Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal conducted by Charles Dutoit


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## kv466

Claude Debussy - Suite bergamasque no.4, Passepied


----------



## Pieck

Schoenberg - Pelleas und Melisande Op. 5, and Variations for Orchestra Op. 31 - conducted by Boulez.
And now - Jadin String Trios Op. 2 - Ensemble Les Adieux


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

On to disc two from this set:


----------



## Sid James

Came back from a mandolin concert last night, was in a thoughtful but lighter mood, so i got into some not too top-heavy things -

*Nino ROTA* - Film music album - Guerra e pace (War and Peace); Il gattopardo (The Leopard); La Strada (The Road); Waterloo

*Ariel RAMIREZ* - Misa Criolla; Navidad Nuestra
*arr. Guido HAAZEN* - Missa Luba (Mass in the Congolese style)

*TOM WARD* (Australian classical guitarist) - "Tasmanian Sunrise" album
Original compositions & arrangements of music by Albeniz, Sagreras, Chopin

*"Romantic Russia" ablum* - Sir Georg Solti, conductor
Glinka, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Tchaikovsky (Symphony #2, "Little Russian")


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Piano Sonata no. 14 in c minor, glenn gould al piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... a rather eclectic mix. 

Currently listening the Bach by Suzuki:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Just finished driving to Paris, Tennessee, listening to Penderecki's Credo. No baguettes in this Paris.


----------



## Pieck

I woke up sick this morning, and decided to listen to Verdi's Requiem (Karajan) in case I die in the middle.


----------



## Sid James

Pieck said:


> I woke up sick this morning, and decided to listen to Verdi's Requiem (Karajan) in case I die in the middle.


Probably not a bad way to "go"  ...


----------



## science

#7


----------



## Pieck

Well I'm in the Sanctus and still alive, I think it's a good sign. Maybe if I'll make it to the end I'll listen to M. Haydn Requiem, because if I will die, I dont want it to be to the sounds of a J. Strauss waltz or something alike, I want to die with honor.


----------



## Sid James

Pieck said:


> Well I'm in the Sanctus and still alive, I think it's a good sign. Maybe if I'll make it to the end I'll listen to M. Haydn Requiem, because if I will die, I dont want it to be to the sounds of a J. Strauss waltz or something alike, I want to die with honor.


Well, the great Brahms, a good friend of J. Strauss Jnr., actually said he'd have been very proud to have put his name to _The Beautiful Blue Danube._ Speaking for myself, I wholeheartedly agree with Brahms, and I would equally be honoured to put my name to his own _Lullaby_  ...


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33*


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Horn Concertos Nos. 2 & 3*


----------



## Pieck

Andre said:


> Well, the great Brahms, a good friend of J. Strauss Jnr., actually said he'd have been very proud to have put his name to _The Beautiful Blue Danube._ Speaking for myself, I wholeheartedly agree with Brahms, and I would equally be honoured to put my name to his own _Lullaby_  ...


I know they were good friends and there's an anecdote quoted from wiki:

Johannes Brahms was a personal friend of Strauss, and to whom the latter dedicated his waltz "Seid umschlungen, Millionen!" ("Be Embraced, You Millions!"), Op. 443. A story is told in biographies of both men that Strauss's wife Adele approached Brahms with a customary request that he autograph her fan. It was usual for the composer to inscribe a few measures of his best-known music, and then sign his name. Brahms, however, inscribed a few measures from the "Blue Danube", and then wrote beneath it: "Unfortunately, NOT by Johannes Brahms."

That's a good one.


----------



## science

Handel Variations.


----------



## Sid James

Pieck said:


> I know they were good friends and there's an anecdote quoted from wiki:
> 
> Johannes Brahms was a personal friend of Strauss, ...Brahms, however, inscribed a few measures from the "Blue Danube", and then wrote beneath it: "Unfortunately, NOT by Johannes Brahms."


Thanks for reminding me of exactly what happened, it's been like years since I read about this somewhere...



> That's a good one.


Yes, it's wonderful. Sounds like Brahms was quite a laid back & humorous kind of chap, despite some of his music being quite dramatic and full-on in some ways...


----------



## Pieck

Andre said:


> Thanks for reminding me of exactly what happened, it's been like years since I read about this somewhere...
> 
> Yes, it's wonderful. Sounds like Brahms was quite a laid back & humorous kind of chap, despite some of his music being quite dramatic and full-on in some ways...


I imagine him very sharp minded and sarcastic, and full of sense of humor, but he must had a dark side to compose music like his.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Piano Sonata no. 13 in e-flat, glenn gould al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Janacek: Capriccio for Piano*

From this record










Interresting little pearl. I find it quite homouristic!


----------



## Oskaar

*Moritz Moszkowski: Piano Concerto in E major*

from this record

Moritz Moszkowski: Piano Concerto in E major; Suite for Orchestra "From Foreign Lands"
Moritz Moszkowski (Composer), Antoni Wit (Conductor), Polish Radio Orchestra & Chorus Katowice (Orchestra), Markus Pawlik










Very rewarding so far! Great romantic feel.


----------



## Pieck

Karajan conducting the Rite


----------



## Oskaar

*Grieg SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO NO. 2 IN G MAJOR, OP. 13*

From this record: DAVID & JULIE:
GRIEG BRAHMS SINDING










Bursting with norwegian national romantic. To much maybe? Beautifully played.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sinding: SUITE "IM ALTEN STILE" IN A MINOR*

From the same album.

I can fast get enough of Grieg. Sinding on the contrary deserves further exploring!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sinding: SUITE "IM ALTEN STILE" IN A MINOR*

Here in an orchestral version. Very nice!


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Dur, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Moll, Op.104. _Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir Colin Davis.
Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.9 in E Moll, Op.95 {"From the New World"},_ performed by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Christoph Von Dohnanyi.
Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes _
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A Dur, Op.92._
Both the Britten and Beethoven works are performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. They are from a Deutsche Grammophon cd called "Bernstein-The Final Concert". They were recorded in August of 1990 at Tanglewood. The outburst of overwhelming applause and cheering from the audience at the end of this concert showed how much people really loved and revered this icon; it sent chills up and down my spine!


----------



## crmoorhead

Das Rheingold (and just about to start Die Walkurie) - Solti version on CD and Barenboim DVD.
Beethoven - Romances for Violin, Symphony No. 5 (Klemperer), Symphony No. 4 (toscanini)
Tchaikovsky - Still Souvenir de Florence (I love it!) and Variations on a Rococo Theme
Verdi - Gloria All'Egitto from Aida


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 4 & 5*

Good morning  - re-listening to the string quartets from the Mendelssohn box-set as I wish to get to know these work better!.


----------



## science

#23









Brahms


----------



## Pieck

Poulenc Sinfonietta conducted by Pretre, I'm growing to like it a lot, it's very accesible


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was these -

*HONEGGER*
"Les Miserables" complete film score
Score preparation, orch. conducted by Adriano (Naxos)

*JON LORD*
"To Notice Such Things" - suite for solo flute, piano & string orch. & other works
John Lord, pno./Cormac Henry, flute/Royal Liverpool PO/Clark Rundell
(Avie)

*Album: Three Tenors Rome Concert, 1990*
Carreras/Domingo/Pavorotti/orch. cond. by Zubin Mehta
(Decca)

*DUTILLEUX*
Symphony No. 2 "Le Double"
Orch. cond. by Michel Plasson
(EMI - 2 disc set)

A word on Jon Lord - he used to be in the band "Deep Purple" but he has been playing piano and composing music of all kinds since he was like 7. He even had a work premiered under the baton of Malcolm Arnold in about the 1970's. The main work here, the suite for piano, flute and strings is a tribute to his friend the late Sir John Mortimer (1923-2009) who was not only a barrister but wrote the famous "Rumpole of the Bailey" books (which was turned into a tv series which I loved watching repeats of, our very own Aussie actor Leo McKern was in the main role). This suite shows Jon's caring and love for this man, it comes across as very lyrical, warm, optimistic, all these things. Exactly what I needed after a busy day. This is very well crafted music and it's good to hear Mr Lord himself on the piano, his favourite instrument.

& re the Dutilleux symphony - I hadn't heard this in months, but this time I heard for the first time how it's more like a concerto than a symphony (but I don't really care about these artificial boundaries, it's all just music). There are solo parts for many instruments, in particular, harpsichord, violin, cello & trumpet. The use of harpsichord made me think that the instrument had been left on stage the night before after a concert of early music or something, and just joined in with the orchestra in this modern symphony. Anyway, this is an interesting work, and I was glad to hear much more before than last time I encountered it...


----------



## science




----------



## Meaghan




----------



## karenpat

Meaghan said:


>


No one does Winterreise like Bostridge.

What I'm listening to:


----------



## science

Haven't listened to #9 in a few months at least, and it's probably been a year since I heard this one.


----------



## Guest




----------



## Huilunsoittaja

An invisible piece, it won't show up on my Pandora channel. But I know what it is. Prokofiev's early tone poem, Dreams.


----------



## Pieck

Huilunsoittaja said:


> An invisible piece, it won't show up on my Pandora channel. But I know what it is. Prokofiev's early tone poem, Dreams.


Wow, Pandora... what a nostalgy.. I loved digging there a long time before I was into 'fancy' music (as Serge suggested ). Too bad they abandoned Israeli IPs


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Guest




----------



## Oskaar

*3 small pearls from Elgar*

Chanson De Nuit Op. 15 No. 1
Chanson De Matin Op. 15 No. 2 and, the most famous:
Salut D'amour Op. 12

From this record


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*Paderewski Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17*

From this record:










This works is at times brilliant, at times more mediocre in my opinion. But absolutely a good listen! Very good recording.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Romance, for violin & piano (later orchestrated) in C minor, Op. 1*

From this album










I think I will dive into Elgar for a while. Wonderful multy-faded composer!

well, I wont talk about every piece from this record, But this may very well be a favourite album!

If you have spotify: 




Sound and performance is fantastic!

Marat Bisengaliev [Violin] & Benjamin Frith [Piano]


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 9
Celibidache/MPO


----------



## Meaghan

Oskaar, you are very busy! I hope you're having fun with your extensive listening.


----------



## Oskaar

*Busy me*



Meaghan said:


> Oskaar, you are very busy! I hope you're having fun with your extensive listening.


Yes! I am so lucky to have Spotify, a sweedish-english streeming service, in fact owned by the biggest record companies. It is ownly awayable in a few countries, because of copy right policy. It is like a giant jukebox, and you can just play what you want on demand! I am quite new in classical music, and I love to listen and discower...So the knowledge is not very good, but the listening experience are, and I just want to share it!

When time comes, I will hopefully be more selective, wise, etc, but right now, I am just exploring...I have catalogizized a lot of music in spotify...there are often very many recording of the same piece, and right now I use this catalogue to explore 20 century music... But I have to stop with Elgar...


----------



## Oskaar

So I really enjoy! Good monster earplugs...And classical music wash away stress, negative thoughts and other problems..


----------



## Oskaar

*More extencive listening*


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back to back...


----------



## Oskaar

Almost finished listening to this fantastic record!


----------



## Oskaar

Elgar: Violinconcerto in b minor, op 61

Elgar hit a nerve in me!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sublime.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> Sublime.


I will try to find this


----------



## World Violist

Sibelius: Violin Concerto, then in a little while the seventh symphony.

Osmo Vanska/Lahti Symphony (first time I've heard their 7th; I'm excited!)


----------



## Oskaar

not on spotify this recording.. what is subleme, recording, works or both?


----------



## Oskaar

Paderewski piano concerto again.. Another good recording.


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes_
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein.

Sergei Rachmaninov--_The Isle of the Dead, Op.29 and Symphonic Dances, Op.45. _Both works are performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

:tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> not on spotify this recording.. what is subleme, recording, works or both?[/QUOTE
> 
> Performances.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Paderewski piano concerto again.. Another good recording.


Paderewski rests in Warsaw, but his heart remains in Doylestown.


----------



## Meaghan

StlukesguildOhio said:


> :tiphat:


Jordi Savall is a character. I watched a DVD of him conducting the Monteverdi Vespers, and before taking the podium, the guy swooped down the aisle like a wizard, wearing floor-length robes. But early music scholarship and performance owes a lot to him. How is this recording? I'd be interested in hearing it.


----------



## Guest

Meaghan said:


> Jordi Savall is a character. I watched a DVD of him conducting the Monteverdi Vespers, and before taking the podium, the guy swooped down the aisle like a wizard, wearing floor-length robes. But early music scholarship and performance owes a lot to him. How is this recording? I'd be interested in hearing it.


I love this recording. I'd recommend you get it.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

StlukesguildOhio said:


> :tiphat:


I have many versions of _Water Music_ and _Fireworks Music_. This version by Savall is quite good. I would say Savall's _Fireworks Music_ is a clear standout.


----------



## Sid James

Talking of Mr Savall, I'm going to get into some of his recordings of Marin Marais viol consort music. I look forward to not only hearing him play for the first time, but also Marais' music no less...

Ok, this is how last night's listening panned out -

*Hans ZIMMER, Lisa GERRARD - "Gladiator"* (Music from the motion picture)

*MOZART* - Great Mass in C; Ave Verum Corpus (cond. Sir Colin Davis) (Australian Eloquence)

*RUBBRA* - Violin Concerto (Naxos)

First time hearing the "Gladiator" soundtrack, and it was great. I really enjoyed it, but I don't want to see the movie, I don't enjoy seeing people's arms and heads being hacked off, violent stuff like that. This was the first time I heard the Mozart choral disc for about a year. The last time I heard it was last year after going to a performance here in Sydney of the "Great Mass in C." A really uplifting, joyous, optimistic work. Pity we don't have the complete work, but I suppose we have to be happy for what we've got. Then the Rubbra concerto, I love it's quirks - the richly dark slow movement and the sprightly final movement are the parts I like most...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jordi Savall is a character. I watched a DVD of him conducting the Monteverdi Vespers, and before taking the podium, the guy swooped down the aisle like a wizard, wearing floor-length robes. But early music scholarship and performance owes a lot to him. How is this recording? I'd be interested in hearing it.

I'd never been a big fan of the Water Music or Royal Fireworks Music. They always struck me as tainted of the worst of English music: Pompous and and stately to the point of boredom. I never even bothered to get a copy of these two works on CD... until now... and damn! This recording kicks ***! It's a balls to the wind driven recording that completely opened my ears to this music. I am looking forward to Savall's Brandenburg Concerto's. I recently picked up this as well and it should be quite different from Suzuki's version which I also picked up recently.


----------



## Air

*Robert Schumann
Piano Concerto, op. 54
Rudolf Serkin with Ormandy & Philadephia Orchestra*

Alright, let's face it, one of the most gorgeous Schumann PCs on record, hands down. No slouch orchestra like Richter's forced to play with, instead we've got Ormandy and his Philly crew! The sound quality is also significantly better than the Lipatti/Karajan gold standard recording. I love how natural Serkin's phrasing is - so effortless yet he never falters to put the nuances right where they should be. His touch is absolutely golden; it's a joy simply to hear each note. And his articulation is so lively and unique! You know you've got the right man when the last movement of the Schumann sounds as heroic as the finale of Beethoven's ninth yet still contains all the human passion found in a Chopin Ballade.

I've got to personally thank whoever remastered this 1964 recording so well that it sounds like it was made in the last decade.


----------



## Oskaar

*Grechaninov: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2*

From this record

Grechaninov: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2
Alexander Grechaninov (Composer), Juraj Alexander (Performer), Daniela Ruso (Performer), Viktor Simcisko










delightful!


----------



## Oskaar

*GRECHANINOV: String Quartets Nos. 2 and 4*

Following up With string quartets. I find GRECHANINOV pleasent to listen to, but not very exiting...so far... but that can change










If you have spotify: 




Moyzes Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

spotify link:


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


>


no 2 is quite good


----------



## Oskaar

*poulenc-Sonata for Flute and Piano*

From this record










beautiful music...

The whole album is very nice

Enchantment: Music for Flute & Piano [Single]
Kenneth Smith;Paul Rhodes (Artist), Henri Dutilleux (Composer), Cesar Franck (Composer), Reynaldo Hahn (Composer), Francis Poulenc (Composer), Joseph Guy Ropartz (Composer), . (Conductor), Kenneth Smith (Performer), Paul Rhodes (Performer)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, Symphony No, 6, by Rozhdestvensky. I know; wrong CD image, but the cover is the same except for the number 6.


----------



## tdc

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 8 , Gyorgy Sandor


----------



## Oskaar

*Ropartz-String Trio in A minor*

Very pleasent listening from this record:










Trio Violin Violincello & Piano [Import]
Ropartz (Artist), Galperine (Artist), Tsan (Artist), Ensemble Stanislas (Artist)


----------



## Oskaar

Joseph-Guy Ropartz: Petite Symphonie & Pastorale


----------



## mleghorn

DanielFullard said:


> A few other forums I have used in the past have had this kind of thread which serves as an ongoing one in which you basically post what youre listening to or have been listening to lately and any comments on it.
> 
> Works well elsehwere so should work here....
> 
> Ill get the ball rolling...
> 
> This hasnt been out of my Disc player in 2006 and as you will come to find out I bloody love Alwyn..


I love Alwyn too! I didn't realize that he wrote symphonies, and that recordings of them are available. One of my favorite works by him is "The Innumerable Dance".


----------



## Oskaar

*American Orchestral Works*

Corigliano / Harbison / Hersch / Kernis / Kolb: American Orchestral Works Carlos Kalm


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36, Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}. _Allthreeworksareperformedby the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
I think I am only now--after repeated listenings--beginning to realize and appreciate just how beautifully melodic and well-constructed and connected thematically Tchaikovsky's 5th is.


----------



## science

Russian Scenes

I think this could be more popular on the "pops" rotation.


----------



## science

Oskaar, you have a lot of interesting looking stuff. I don't think we own any of the same recordings!


----------



## Meaghan

oskaar said:


> Corigliano / Harbison / Hersch / Kernis / Kolb: American Orchestral Works Carlos Kalm


Yay, Kalmar! He conducts my local orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> I think I am only now--after repeated listenings--beginning to realize and appreciate just how beautifully melodic and well-constructed and connected thematically Tchaikovsky's 5th is.


Yes, it's not hard to hear how he takes that theme through the whole work (Sym #5). Apparently Tchaikovsky was highly critical of this work, and kind of saw it as weak. He was a very sensitive and self-critical person, he even felt empty when the whole of Carnegie Hall in NYC was applauding him after the performance of a concert of his works there. I think that, deep down, despite all of his success with music, he was not a happy man...


----------



## Keychick

I just finnished listening to " The Red Violin " by John Corigliano with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
A very unique Violin Concerto conducted by JoAnn Falletta on Naxos.
Starting to really like John Corigliano's scores quite well...
The Violin played by Michael Ludwig very well indeed.


----------



## Sid James

This morning before starting the day -

*MANTOVANI* (arrangements, conductor)
*Album: Mantovani & his orchestra - A Night in Vienna*
Die Fledermaus Overture - Merry Widow Waltz - Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Perpetuum Mobile - The Skater's Waltz - Light Cavalry Overture - Tales from the Vienna Woods - Eine Kliene Nachtmusik - Monti Csardas - Radetzky March

Some of these are originals, others arrangements by Mantovani. I like his trademark "cascading strings" sound, which sounds as if it was recorded in a cathedral, but I think he did it in a recording studio. The arranged works have added touches that are interesting. There's an accordion in the _Merry Widow Waltz_ - which is more like a fantasy on themes from the operetta rather than just a simple arrangment of the famous waltz. _The Skater's Waltz_ starts with the cascading strings coming at you very quickly, I don't think that Waldteufel thought of that! _Tales From The Vienna Woods_ doesn't have the zither, but has some interesting effects - eg. muted trumpets in one small bit, which kind of gives a jazzy feel. The arrangement of the Monti_ Csardas_ is the best one I've heard - the quick part even has a bit of percussion. I also enjoyed some of the other pieces, which are played "straight." I remember hearing _Light Cavalry_ at a pops concert here in Sydney when I was a kid. With the second theme, the slow and mournful one, Suppe captured the tragedy of Hungary's history, even though he wasn't Hungarian. Then we have the _Radetzky March,_ dedicated to the man who suppressed the Hungarians and others in the Hapsburg Empire. Anyway, this is a great album, both performance and sound are excellent...


----------



## kv466

Scarlatti - Sonata in D, k. 96 Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Meaghan

Keychick said:


> I just finnished listening to " The Red Violin " by John Corigliano with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
> A very unique Violin Concerto conducted by JoAnn Falletta on Naxos.
> Starting to really like John Corigliano's scores quite well...
> The Violin played by Michael Ludwig very well indeed.


I like _The Red Violin_ a lot. Though my favorite Corigiliano work I've heard so far is the Clarinet Concerto, which is, well... very different. The second movement is my favorite.


----------



## Oskaar

*Lalo, E.: Violin Concerto*

From this record


----------



## Oskaar

*Albert Roussel - Sonatas para violín y piano*


----------



## Oskaar

*Dukas: Goetz de Berlichingen; Le Roi Lear; Symphony in C minor*


----------



## Oskaar

*Glazunov: Piano concert no 2*

From this record










I have problems to like Glazunov in general. Find him boring and uninspiering. This work is an exeption. It is like the lightning struck him here, but not elseweare..


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back, or mask to mask.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Opus 10 sonatas for piano, glenn gould al piano


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> I have problems to like Glazunov in general. Find him boring and uninspiering.


Well, another exeption comes up... maybe the exeptians will overshadow my first negative impression of Glazunov.

This is ballet music, and very enjoyable!


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 8
Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic

This is the most daunting Bruckner recording I've ever heard; even though it's unbelievably beautiful and goes to heights of beauty and intensity I've never experienced from Bruckner (or many other composers) before, it's really long. I'm a little past the halfway mark of the Adagio (which is in itself 35 minutes long!) and I feel like I'm getting a second wind here...hopefully enough to carry me through the finale.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--_Symphony No.1 {"Titan"},_ performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Moll, Op..67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92._ Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic led by Carlos Klieber.
The majesty of both these works leaves me in awe!


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103, "Year 1905"*

Good morning, first Classical listen of the day


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Bruckner 8
> Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic
> 
> This is the most daunting Bruckner recording I've ever heard.


I'd like to get the chance to hear this. And it would probably only be once.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 12 In D Major, Op. 133
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 13 In Bb Minor, Op. 138*


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> I have problems to like Glazunov in general. Find him boring and uninspiering. This work is an exeption.


Have you heard Rozhdestvensky's recordings?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Michael Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> Michael Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony.


I keep seeing this one pop up, and have to confess I know nothing about it. Is this something I should check out, or is it acquired taste music?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## science

More Savall! Can't go wrong there. (Wish his CDs were cheaper though.)

Me: Mozart's Violin Concerto #2, Mutter. Sorry, I'm losing the fight with google and there'll be no picture!


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Brandenburg Concertos*

I was lucky enough to see the Brandenburg Concertos performed live earlier in the year and really enjoyed the experience - for a recording of the Concerto's this set would be pretty hard to beat I think!


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéric Magnard: Suite Dans Le Style Ancien*

From this record:

Albéric Magnard: Orchestral Works (Hymne À Vénus, Chant Funèbre, Hymne À La Justice, Suite Dans Le Style Ancien, Ouverture)
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Mark Stringer









I really like!


----------



## Oskaar

*Magnard: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4*


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Nikolaj Znaider: Nielsen - Violin Concerto & Max Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1, G-min*










Beautiful record!

I listened to the Bruch concerto not long ago and really liked it Listening again now, I really LOVE it! It seams almost perfect, but that can also be my listening mood, and the performance

The adagio is soooo good!! Me out of words again, at least in english


----------



## tdc

Bruckner 5 - Eugen Jochum

I've been listening to this symphony a bit recently since it was nominated in the classical music project, and its starting to grow on me. This one is currently my second favorite after the ninth.


----------



## Oskaar

Nielsen violin concerto again. Beautifully played by our national violinist, Arve Tellefsen. He is better than I thaught. He has done some more poppy stuff, and that sells and get media attention.

But obviouvsly he has done some more serious stuff, more unknown to the average public, but should get attention among lovers of classical music. He is really good, and I dont say it because I am norwegian!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Tatiana Shebanova playing Chopin*

Tatiana Shebanova - Tatiana Shebanova studied with Victor Merzhanov at the Moscow Conservatoire. She graduated in 1976 and remained at the Conservatoire as Merzhanov's assistant for the following ten years.
Ms. Shebanova was awarded at several international music competitions: 
Concertino Praha in Prague (1st Prize, 1969), 
Geneva (1st Prize, 1976), 
Chopin Competition in Warsaw (2nd Prize, Chopin Society Award for best polonaise performance, National Philharmonic Award for best piano concerto performance, 1980) and 
Bösendorfer Empire Grand Prix Competition in Brussels (1st Prize, 1990). 
She also took part in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1974.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> Metropolis Symphony . . . I keep seeing this one pop up, and have to confess I know nothing about it. Is this something I should check out, or is it acquired taste music?


Truth be told, I got it because my local symphony recorded it with our new conductor. As far as the piece, I got halfway through it and ran out of time, but my first impression is, it's kind of frivolous, like the composer is playing to the average listener. I'm going to have to listen to the rest of it eventually, but I'm not feeling a compulsion to jump on it right away. Maybe another listen will make me more sympathetic.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today I've been playing Dvorak's 4th symphony and listening for Wagner.


----------



## Manxfeeder

tdc said:


> Bruckner 5 - Eugen Jochum
> 
> I've been listening to this symphony a bit recently since it was nominated in the classical music project, and its starting to grow on me. This one is currently my second favorite after the ninth.


Which recording of Jochum's is it?


----------



## Oskaar

*Nielsen, C.: Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 / Solo Violin Works*


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Various Preludes and Fugues [Disc 03]*


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## tdc

Manxfeeder said:


> Which recording of Jochum's is it?


This one:


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky_--Symphony_ _No_._4 in F Moll, Op.36._ This work was performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both of these works are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## science

Lyra Angelica


----------



## hespdelk

Pleasant works if not the most earth shattering - lovingly performed. Personally I found the 3rd concerto to be the strongest of the set.


----------



## jaimsilva

There are a bunch of not very well-known composers of the soviet period I'll start litening. Like Boris Tchaikovsky, Boris Tishchenko, Rostislav Boiko, Gavriil Popov, Nikolai Roslavets, Mieczyslaw Weinberg (Vainberg), and others (if you'r interested see: http://avaxhome.ws/blogs/54ajax)

I'm starting with Weinberg's symphonies.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Chaliapin singing a russian traditional song , 1934 (from a 78rpm record)


----------



## Art Rock

Beats me why these get played so little.


----------



## Keychick

Right now its Korngold , " Between Two Worlds " Londons Entartete Musik.
DeutschlandRadio
John Mauceri conducting.
Awesome work!


----------



## Oskaar

*Svendsen, Johan Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4*

From this 5 cd collection










A wonderful listening! I am norwegian, but have never heard this symphony..embarrising..

Detailed info of the whole collection here : http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=bis-cd-1496-98


----------



## Tapkaara

Symphony no. 2 by G. Enescu - BBC Phil., G. Rozhdestvensky. A dense work...this is gonna take a few listenings...


----------



## Oskaar

*GILSON: The Sea*

From this album


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Arthur Foote : Sonata for Piano and Violin in G Minor, Op. 20*

From this record:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## eorrific




----------



## Keychick

Just listened to Beethoven's Sonata #8 : 14 : 21 and 23.
Deutsche Grammophone legendary recordings.
Wilhelm Kempff, piano.
Four wonerful Sonata's, beautifly done by a Beethoven master.

Just want to say im 56 and not very computer savvy.
So i want to learn how to upload the covers of disks
like everyone else does, they look very nice and inviting.
Please bare with me at time as i have early Alzhimers.
Other than that , life is good and i like it here too.


----------



## Conor71

Keychick said:


> Just listened to Beethoven's Sonata #8 : 14 : 21 and 23.
> Deutsche Grammophone legendary recordings.
> Wilhelm Kempff, piano.
> Four wonerful Sonata's, beautifly done by a Beethoven master.
> 
> Just want to say im 56 and not very computer savvy.
> So i want to learn how to upload the covers of disks
> like everyone else does, they look very nice and inviting.
> Please bare with me at time as i have early Alzhimers.
> Other than that , life is good and i like it here too.


First you need to find a picture of your Disc from another site like Amazon  - when you 've done that right click on the picture and select save image URL / copy image location - when you make your post click on the icon with a picture on it and when it prompts you to enter the URL then paste the URL you saved earlier and click ok.
Alternatively when you make your post you can type







after it and this will work too.
Hope I explained it ok! - maybe someone else can expain better than me if you still have trouble.
Welcome to TC too :tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72*


----------



## Art Rock

Hilarious.


----------



## jaimsilva

very relaxing:


----------



## Oskaar

*Alfred Hill: String Quartets Nos 5, 6 & 11*


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


>


alfred hill was one of australia's finest composers, but i haven't heard much of his music. what are these pieces like? what's your opinion of this guy's music? would be interested to know, since the last time i heard his music was on radio years ago...


----------



## jaimsilva

Joseph Joachim Raff (May 27, 1822 - June 24 or June 25, 1882)

then I'll go through Raff's piano concerto, violin concertos, and then the 11 (yes, eleven) symphonies!










"If there is one unsung composer who deserves to be heard, it is Joachim Raff. Self-taught, prolific, a gifted orchestrator with a knack for beautiful tunes, Raff was highly respected in his day but was ultimately swept away in the current that divided the Romantic era between Brahms and Wagner. Raff was his own man and ignored being pigeonholed. There are those who say Raff was too much a salon composer, lacking the sturm und drang that is often equated with greatness, and that he should have edited a little more and composed a little less. And there may be truth in these criticisms. But at his best, as he often was, Raff has earned a rightful place in the repertory." (from the booklet)


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Keychick

Conor71 said:


> First you need to find a picture of your Disc from another site like Amazon  - when you 've done that right click on the picture and select save image URL / copy image location - when you make your post click on the icon with a picture on it and when it prompts you to enter the URL then paste the URL you saved earlier and click ok.
> Alternatively when you make your post you can type
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> after it and this will work too.
> Hope I explained it ok! - maybe someone else can expain better than me if you still have trouble.
> Welcome to TC too :tiphat:


Thank you very much for your help. Im going to give it a go soon. It should work well?


----------



## Aramis

Long time no hearing diese piece. I think I'll refresh the 3rd tomorrow.

I liked how Grimaud described the 2nd in her book claiming that playing it equals writting a letter full of confessions.


----------



## Oskaar

Andre said:


> alfred hill was one of australia's finest composers, but i haven't heard much of his music. what are these pieces like? what's your opinion of this guy's music?


 I will relisten now


----------



## Oskaar

Well, I remember now and dont have to listen to it all..have qued up some other stuff.

I am no expert, but I find these string quartets very playfull, melodious and colorful. Really a discovery, not heard something else yet, but I will discover more later, I hope.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony_ _No_._7_ in_ D Moll, Op.70 and Symphony_ _No.8 in G major, Op.88. _Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Carlo Giulini.
Felix Mendelssohn--_Violin Concerto in E Moll, Op.64_
 Sergei Prokofiev--_Violin Concerto No.2 in G Moll, Op.63 _
Both violin concerti are performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Daniel Barenboim. The featured violinist is Itzhak Perlman.
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op. 25 {"Classical"}, and Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, Op.100._
Parts of the first and last movements of the 5th Symphony had echoes of Shostakovich in them, at least to my ear.


----------



## clavichorder

Richard Strauss, Death and Transfiguration
Berlioz, Symphony Fantastique
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach-Symphonies


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## crmoorhead

Weber - Overture to Euryanthe
Britten - Simfonia Requiem
Janacek - Galgolithic Mass
Handel - Concerto A Due Cori No. 2 In F
Wagner - Das Rheingold

Lots of other things, but these are my current favourites.


----------



## science

I only have one other recording of Mahler 2, the one by Solti. I used to have another, I think it was Klemperer but it was a long time ago.

Anyway, this one by Bernstein is the best I've heard. Part of the credit goes to Bernstein, but a whole lot of credit goes to the recording itself. Wonderful stereo, the way I would imagine it sounds to the conductor.

I see on Amazon that it's so dern expensive. If you're gonna get it, get one of the Mahler/Bernstein boxes.


----------



## jaimsilva

Cesar Franck symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Back to back.


I can't find sound clips of the Raphael's sextets. How is the second movement of the first quartet? At 9:58, it looks like it's on the slow side, which I'm looking for. Is there much drama there? (As a back story, I first heard the piece on Star Trek TNG, and it made a Vulcan cry. I've been looking for a recording like that.)


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Wow! I actually made it through a period of over 24 hours without hearing a single note of Prokofiev! I guess that means I've rehabilitated? Or what's that word for the time period one has to go through to clear all chemicals from their system?


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> I can't find sound clips of the Raphael's sextets. How is the second movement of the first quartet? At 9:58, it looks like it's on the slow side, which I'm looking for. Is there much drama there? (As a back story, I first heard the piece on Star Trek TNG, and it made a Vulcan cry. I've been looking for a recording like that.)


Try Hyperion for sound samples, etc....

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/find.asp?f=raphael+ensemble

My CD says 10:04. Doesn't sound sluggish or less dramatic in comparison with what I've heard, and the intonation and recorded sound throughout the CD, IMO is far superior (Comparisons: Stuttgart, L'Archibudelli, Nash, Stern/Ma et al, maybe others). I'd say the Raphael is a popular choice you can trust, but let your ears do more homework.


----------



## Art Rock

Working my way to my latest Amazon purchase (about 10 euro for a 10 CD box...). Wonderful music.


----------



## Kieran

Listening to Schubert's final sonata lately, and finding it to be a profoundly melancholic experience. Also, his Death and the Maiden.

Trying to broaden my horizons (I know, still Viennese old school, might take me a hundred years before I reach Wagner, let alone Schoenberg...)...:tiphat:


----------



## jaimsilva

long time I don't listen to Debussy piano music and by Gieseking!


----------



## Oskaar

*Scriabin: Piano Concerto*

From this record


----------



## CaptainAzure

Handel - Concerto Grosso #12


----------



## Oskaar

*Scriabin: Symphony 3*

From this record










Strong and adventuorous symphony! Great variations in mood.


----------



## Vaneyes

"Tragic" and "The Great" from...


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: Oboe quintet*

From this record:










Really a nice listening! Very "searching" in style. I did not get into Bax symphonies, so far...bet I will later, here, the style is much lighter, naturally.

The Bliss quintet is also very delightfull


----------



## samurai

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Wow! I actually made it through a period of over 24 hours without hearing a single note of Prokofiev! I guess that means I've rehabilitated? Or what's that word for the time period one has to go through to clear all chemicals from their system?


*Detox**, *maybe*? *


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 {"From the New World"},_ performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Giulini.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"},_ performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik. Maybe for the first time in my numerous listenings to this work, I am only now appreciating just how melodic and beautiful the _Leningrad's _third movement really is! Unless I am mistaken, the third movement segues right into the fourth without any pause between the two.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 13 In A Major, D 664
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 7 In Eb Major, D 568
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 9 In B Major, D 575*

Good morning - first listens of the day


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Trio Opus 11.


----------



## science

I think my post about Bernstein's Mahler 2 was my post popular post ever!

I'm going through my Bernstein/Mahler disks, and now I'm on #9:










Might offend the fans, but I think I prefer Abbado. It's close; both are good.


----------



## Sid James

ariel ramirez - misa criolla (naxos)

puccini - messa di gloria (cond. martin elmquist)

bizet - symphony in c (cond. alfred scholz)


----------



## science

This is the only #3 I have.


----------



## tdc

The first mvt of Mahler 3 is sooooo intense and dramatic...I love it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Time to get the organ revved.


----------



## Sid James

@ vaneyes - my friend has that richard strauss recording under karajan. we listened to it together a while back. as i remember, it was excellent, very colourful & dramatic. it was good for me to hear the whole of zarathustra after many years of not hearing it, many people only know the opening fanfare, but the whole work is really worth listening to. my friend is particularly fond of a violin solo (done on this recording by a guy i remember called brandis) which he thinks of as kind of "spring like"...


----------



## clavichorder

Les Preludes by Liszt, the end parts feel so relevant to my life right now. I can't explain it without telling my story... I'm just jamming out to it right now, I just FEEL it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Andre said:


> @ vaneyes - my friend has that richard strauss recording under karajan. we listened to it together a while back. as i remember, it was excellent, very colourful & dramatic. it was good for me to hear the whole of zarathustra after many years of not hearing it, many people only know the opening fanfare, but the whole work is really worth listening to. my friend is particularly fond of a violin solo (done on this recording by a guy i remember called brandis) which he thinks of as kind of "spring like"...


Reiner's recording first got me to listen to the rest. I like this one (1983) for everything. Some prefer HvK's '74 DG rec (violinist Michel Schwalbe featured), but its timpani and spatial effect don't sound as good to me. The '59 on Decca has the weakest timpani, with understandably so-so sound.

Tremendous talent, Thomas Brandis. Founder of Brandis Quartet. Wikipedia says he became BPO Concertmaster at age 26, in 1961 and remained in that position until 1983. So this must have been one of, if not the last of his recordings with HvK.

I'm somewhat puzzled by his tenure because I thought Schwalbe was BPO Concertmaster during some of those years. Perhaps someone can clarify. Brandis is now 76, and Schwalbe 92.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Reiner's recording first got me to listen to the rest...


yes, reiner was another great conductor. i've got him at the helm of verdi's requiem and other sacred works, i have only listened to it once, but i enjoyed it & will get back to it when i am ready to get into that in more depth...


> Tremendous talent, Thomas Brandis. Founder of Brandis Quartet. Wikipedia says he became BPO Concertmaster at age 26, in 1961 and remained in that position until 1983. So this must have been one of, if not the last of his recordings with HvK.


i'm glad we're having this conversation re mr brandis. you have reminded me, i used to have a recording of his brandis quartet of berlin playing schubert's 15th quartet. it has remained my favourite quartet by schubert of all that i've heard (basically nos. 12-15). i recently purchased a recording of both the 14th & 15th quartets played by the busch quartet. a different recording entirely, but it has bought back the memories of mr brandis and his colleagues playing the same work...


----------



## Vaneyes

Andre said:


> yes, reiner was another great conductor. i've got him at the helm of verdi's requiem and other sacred works, i have only listened to it once, but i enjoyed it & will get back to it when i am ready to get into that in more depth...
> 
> i'm glad we're having this conversation re mr brandis. you have reminded me, i used to have a recording of his brandis quartet of berlin playing schubert's 15th quartet. it has remained my favourite quartet by schubert of all that i've heard (basically nos. 12-15). i recently purchased a recording of both the 14th & 15th quartets played by the busch quartet. a different recording entirely, but it has bought back the memories of mr brandis and his colleagues playing the same work...


You probably know Brilliant Classics reissued their Schubert and Brahms.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> You probably know Brilliant Classics reissued their Schubert and Brahms.


thanks for telling me that, i'll keep that in mind...


----------



## Oskaar

If you have Spotify:


----------



## Oskaar




----------



## science




----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Violin Sonatinas Nos. 1-3*


----------



## Oskaar

*Alan Hovhaness-Khrimian Hairig*

From this record










Ramarkly capturing litle piece!

Then the guitar-concerto:

Strange! Light, "spanish" guitar, and sometimes flute, combined with darker symphonic carpet of tones. Very interresting!

Then the symphony:

Also a good listening.. I have had problems to like/get into other Hovhaness symphonys. May have been my mood. But this I enjoy.


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold / Goldmark: Violin Concertos*


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## jaimsilva

after a day of hard working, time to relax:


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Concerto for violin Op14; Korngold: Much Ado about Nothing Op11*










I think Korngold is an inner-ten in what I enjoy most to listen to right now...Quite modern, but melodious and "understandable". Playful and light, but also epic and "full blodded". He must be discoverd deeply


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Art Rock

majestic.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 9
Paavo Jarvi/Frankfurt Radio Symphony


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart Concertos 22 and 26, Malcom Bilson with John Eliot Gardner.


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Oskaar

*Magnard; Orchestral Works*

Magnard, another one to really discover!


----------



## Oskaar

*Chausson: Str Qrt / Roussel: Str Qrt Magnard: Str Qrt*










And what a record!!!


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Moll, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the LSO conducted by Mstislav Rostropvich. What a glorious first movement, as it gradually builds and ascends up the dynamic ladder!
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Moll, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92._ Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber. I love the majestic second movements of both of these masterpieces!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 4,5 & 6*

I'm planning on listening to Schubert again and will re-listen to some of his Piano Sonatas and the String Quintet later in the day


----------



## Sid James

@ oskaar - i like hovhaness too. haven't got that exact cd, but have some of the others on naxos, as well as a twofer on delos. an interesting composer who presaged some of the trends that came decades later (his cello concerto - on one of the other naxos discs - has the same feel as some things by philip glass & arvo part, but it was written in like the 1930's!). he also used "controlled chance" techniques later, like lutoslawski, they both took their cue from the experimentations of john cage. indeed, cage praised hovhaness' music as reminding him of "inner singing." both lutoslawski's & hovhaness' string quartets have no meter markings, for example, there are heaps of commonalities between them. another area which hovhaness developed was an interest in world music, not only of armenia (his cultural background) but also places like japan, which he visited numerously. for more info go to the hovhaness threads on this site, there used to be a member here called handlebar who knew the man personally, and his posts are very interesting regarding mr hovhaness...


----------



## Sid James

last night it was these -

monteverdi - vespers of 1610 (heinz hennig, cond.) alto label

schoenberg - transfigured night, op. 4 (orpheus ch. orch.) dgg

mendelssohn - symphony # 4 "italian" / schubert - rosamunde: overture, ballet music, entra'cte (concertgebouw orch./bernard haitink/george szell, conds.) philips tape

these things were great. really like the monteverdi, such a journey, especially the songs like "***** sum" - a song to the black virgin icon. these two guys are not adoring the virgin mary from afar as if she was just a painting, but like they would woo a real woman, a lover. it's so emotional, passionate, amorous. then the schoenberg, which really goes to the heart of darkness. finally, you can't go wrong with mendelssohn & it was great to hear schubert's rosamunde after a gap of 10 years or more. i think this was the first time i heard the original version of this music, outside his string quartet of the same name...


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> @ oskaar - i like hovhaness too.


Thank you for an informative response, Sid James!


----------



## Oskaar

*NOVAK: Serenade in F major / Serenade in D major, Op. 36*


----------



## Il_Penseroso

*Renata Tebaldi* sings *La Canzone del salice *from *Verdi's Otello*. What a holly celestial voice ! As Toscanini said truely such a beautiful voice is to be found only one or two in a century !


----------



## Oskaar

*The Lion And The Lute: British Guitar Music*


----------



## science

science said:


>


Still working on this; about to wrap it up.

Light, tight baroque music - a very refreshing break from Mahler's sprawling melodramas.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sonatas for Cello & Piano*

Beethoven (Artist), Brahms (Artist), Reger (Artist), Gavrysh (Artist), Block (Artist)


----------



## Art Rock

Another set of symphonies that is woefully neglected.


----------



## science

Art Rock said:


> Another set of symphonies that is woefully neglected.


You gotta cut me a break man. There's only so much time in the day.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

I think I'm finally getting the concept of neo-classicism, so I'm listening to Stravinsky by En Shao on Naxos.


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 5
Harnoncourt/VPO


----------



## jaimsilva

excellent, after a hard working day:


----------



## tdc

This morning listened to:

R. Strauss - An Alpine Symphony / Naxos / Wit

Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 / Decca / Blomstedt

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 / Decca / Haitink

These works all flowed really well together, back to back to back. In ways they almost felt like continuations of each other. I had a 'eureka' moment in Shostakovich 5, (the first time), I'm finally starting to 'get' this symphony.


----------



## Guest

Breaking out last summer's obsession: Roy Harris, Symphony no. 3. I much prefer Jarvi's recording to Bernstein's or Alsop's...


----------



## BelaBartok




----------



## Oskaar

Barber: Canzonetta for Oboe and String Orchestra/Strauss: Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra/Wolf-Ferrari: Idillio










the barber-canzonetta change between butterflies and the spookey...packed with emotions.

the strauss concerto is in my opinion not so good...caotic and without purpose..

Wolf-Ferrari: Idillio... more focused, but did not give me much..


----------



## Oskaar

*barber*

I think I am in the mood to dig a bit deeper into Barber tonight. What I have heard so far ballance very good between the adventurous, poetic, epic seeking++

I find him very exiting.

Listening to this record right now:

Music of Samuel Barber


----------



## jaimsilva

The arpeggione sonata!


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten_--4__ Sea Interludes_
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92_
Both of these works were performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein in what would unfortunately turn out to be the maestro's last appearance conducting in public before he died a short time later in 1990.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92._ Both works performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. They were recorded in 1964 at the Manhattan Center in NYC.


----------



## jaimsilva

Mendelssohn piano concertos with András Schiff is a nice choice for the evening


----------



## Manxfeeder

Murray Perahia, Mozart's 15th piano concerto.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 16 In A Minor, D 845
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 17 In D Major, D 850, "Gasteiner"*


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Der Rosenkavalier*


----------



## Sid James

Last night was a long listening session -

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - Die Fledermaus (highlights) (Karl Bohm, cond.) Eloquence

*Album: Giacomo Lauri Volpi (tenor) recital of opera arias by Verdi, Puccini, Ponchielli *(with other vocalists as guests, accompanists unnamed, recorded 1941-6) Opera label

*MONTEVERDI* - Vespers of 1610 (Heinz Hennig, cond.) Alto label

*SCHUBERT* - Symphonies # 3 & 4 "Tragic" (BPO/Bohm) GMI tape

*HAYDN* - Symphony # 49 "La Passione" (coupled w/sym # 50) (Phil. Hungarica/Dorati) Decca tape

The Strauss, Schubert, Haydn works I have known for like 20 years, and loved them to bits. I just got the Volpi disc secondhand and had never heard about him. He was one of the great Italian tenors of the mid twentieth century. He had a "love-hate" relationship with the limelight. He appeared at the top opera houses of the world and worked with people like Toscanini and Callas. He equally liked doing recitals, and did this right up to his final years (his dates are 1892-1979). There is an interesting quote in the liner notes: "His controversial, fiesty character, which led him to distance himself from various fashions and the international star system, finally tended to isolate him completely. His rivalry with Gigli grew out of all proportion: once he went so far as he asked Metropolitan Opera Company for 10 cents more than Gigli was getting, just so he could boast a higher fee." Has anyone around here, particularly mamascarlatti (Natalie from NZ) or Almaviva heard about (or actually heard) this guy??? His voice sounded quite expressive and mid range. I knew all of the arias except the ones from Verdi's _Otello_, which I've actually got a recording of, but haven't listened to it much...


----------



## kv466

Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos - Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu


----------



## World Violist




----------



## science




----------



## Cyber

Antonio Vivaldi - La Stravaganza


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber; Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 22*

From this great record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto*

From this record


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata, one of my favorite pieces of all time. This recording is by Charls Rosen.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber; School for Scandal*

From this record:










Another fantastic little work from this eminent composer.


----------



## Oskaar

listening to symphony no 1 from the same record.

Very good!


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14 / Piano Concerto, Op. 38 / Adagio for Strings*

Very good sound here..

And performance so far is very satisfying


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 - Cello Concerto*


----------



## Keychick

Listening to Carl Nielsen's symphony's
#4 " The Inextinguishables "
#6 Sinfonia semplace 
Royal Scottish Orchestra
Bryden Thompson

That #4 The Inextinguishables is an awesome piece of work!


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to another version of barber-violin concerto. Hilary Hahn.










good version


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## jaimsilva

Mozart, Schubert, Debussy - by an outstanding piano duo: Sviatoslav Richter and Benjamin Britten


----------



## jaimsilva

moving to different territories:


----------



## Keychick

One of my favorite compossers of all time.
Bohuslave Martinu.
Just finnished " Memorial to Lidice " 
Field Mass, and 
symphony #4.
Such gleem on the strings with The Czeck Philharmonic Orchestra...
Jiri Belohlavek at the helm. What sound from Chandos and what a performance indeed!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Huilunsoittaja

What have I discovered? Hmm.... OH!

Gliere is a wonderful Russian composer, that's what! I've already gotten into the Red Poppy, which is a new ballet favorite. His Horn Concerto and Cello Concerto are supremely Russian, and feel greater than just concertos but truly epic pieces of music. His 3rd Symphony is also pure Russian brilliance. His orchestration is uncannily like Glazunov's!!!


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.7 In D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88._ Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Giulini.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.9 in D Moll, Op.125, _performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Sir Georg Solti.
Serge Prokofiev--_Symphony No.5 in B flat Major, Op.100_, with James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## jaimsilva

Schumann by Pollini ( I like particulary the Symphonische Etüden)


----------



## Wicked_one

G. F. Händel - Organ concerto Op.4 No.1 HWV289


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

A happy discovery. So lovely! I always have liked Schubert.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Murray Perahia's take on Mozart's 19th piano concerto.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back. For years, I've been meaning to get Serge Baudo's Honegger.


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was these -

*HANDEL* - masterpiece collection (emi label) - water music suite (arr. harty); zadok the priest: anthem; dead march from "saul;" let the bright seraphim from "samson;" honour and arms from "samson;" hallelujah chorus from "messiah;" amen chorus from "messiah;" largo (arr. connah) from "serse;" royal fireworks suite (arr. harty) - various performers from the emi stable of yore - cond. sargent, mehuhin, marriner (all knighted guys!!!) (cd issued 1990)

*Album: Andre Rieu live in Australia *(Melbourne, 2008) 2 disc set
Johann Strauss Orch./Australian Police Wind Band/guest vocalists & bagpipers/Andre Rieu, arrangements & direction
Universal Music

*MARTINU* - Symphony # 2
Berlin SO/Claus Peter Flor, cond. (coupled w/sym #1)
RCA label

The Handel disc I just got yesterday, it was a first listen. I had not heard these pieces in yonks. Hamilton Harty's arrangements are nothing like what Handel would have heard these works like in his time, but as the notes say, Harty's arrangements were the ones that were most commonly played in the mid c20th. _Zadok the Priest _was amazing, loved it totally, last time I'd heard it was on radio ages ago. I would have liked _The Harmonious Blacksmith_ for harpsichord on this collection, that would've been great (one of my fav Handel pieces), but you can't have everything. Same for _The Cuckoo & the Nightingale _organ concerto. But as compilations go, this wasn't bad at all, and I'll certainly be returning to it often in the future.

Then the Andre Rieu concert, another first listen of a set I just got last week (mint condition, second hand!). His arrangements of the Aussie things (eg. Waltzing Matilda & Botany Bay) sounded "you beaut" Australian! During the concert, one of the vocalist guests shouts out "Aussie Aussie Aussie - Oy Oy Oy!" which is wierd coming from something recorded in 2008, this was a common refrain during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. All round a very good set, but it took me a bit of getting used to the acoustic (recorded in a stadium) whereas I'm usually used to Mr Rieu's studio recordings, which sound more intimate.

Then the Martinu, the 2nd symphony is the only one I "get" (I have two others - the 1st on this disc, and the 4th on another). The fuzzy tonality or hamonies of this music makes me think of it being like Dvorak under water! Similar to what someone said of Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night_, that it was like Wagner's _Tristan_ with the ink smeared! I love how Martinu uses the piano as part of the orchestra in this, and his other symphonies. The third movement, marked "Poco allegro" (a kind of scherzo) is my favourite, with it's changing rhythms and marching band ideas that remind me a bit of Ives. The whole thing has this American "open air" feel about it, reminiscent again of Ives & also Copland (no wonder, all of Martinu's symphonies were composed in the USA). This was a disc that is now deleted from the catalogue, I got it brand new for $2 - well worth it, imo!...


----------



## World Violist

A few hours ago I listened to this, but my internet was down temporarily so I couldn't post about it. And I had a nice paragraph about it too! 

Anyway, here it is. I'm apparently on a Bruckner 9 kick, but it had better end soon, because this is my last one.










Bruckner 9
Harnoncourt/VPO

After a while of having not heard this, it's interesting to revisit it. So here goes.

This is the strangest one I've heard, but it's also one of the best in some ways. It's fascinating to hear a Bach specialist conducting Bruckner; in this recording, when the brass have long-held chords, they back out of the way, revealing a wealth of detail I'd never noticed to this degree before. Harnoncourt reveals Bruckner's music as not one massive, thick texture, but several very sparse textures that Bruckner puts in place. This recording has near-miraculously transparent counterpoint. What can I say, it's awesome.


----------



## jaimsilva

for my "_musical breakfast_"


----------



## science

#12


----------



## jaimsilva

Now something new: Morton Gould's "Latin American Symphonette"


----------



## Oskaar

*Elgar / Barber / Cello Concertos / Gastinel*










Two absolutely great concertos!


----------



## Oskaar

*Macdowell, Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor Op. 23*

From this record... part of a box set.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Bruckner 9
> Harnoncourt/VPO
> 
> After a while of having not heard this, it's interesting to revisit it. So here goes.


Thanks for your comments.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Sonata in B-flat Major KV 454*










Wonderful little sonata!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Musically Speaking, Lizst. Gerard Schwarz takes a CD explaining the life and selected works of Franz Liszt, then he provides a CD with the pieces he discussed played in full length by Jorge Bolet and Solti and the London Phil. I think it's well-done; not too technical but not too dumbed-down, either.

I can't find a picture of the Lizst CD, but you get the idea.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Cello Concerto, Cello Sonata, Adagio for Strings*

More, Barber.. I have a little crush in him


----------



## cruentus

Passacaglia Violin + Viola duet between Perlman and Zukerman! ♥ I can't get enough of this epic piece!


----------



## jaimsilva

starting with Richard Strauss "Four last lieder" by Schwarzkopf with Szell










then Mahler "Kindertotenlieder" by von Otter with Boulez


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven, Korngold: Violin Concertos*


----------



## Vaneyes

My favorite modern performance of "Planets". I'm a fan of Levi (Mahler/Atlanta, Prokofiev/Cleveland).


----------



## World Violist

It's kind of funny how many CD covers for Holst's Planets have either paintings or shots of actual planets when the suite really has little or nothing to do with the actual planets.


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold: Quintet in E; Sonata for violin in D*


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold: Concerto; Rózsa: Concerto; Tema con variazioni; Waxman: "Carmen" Fantasy*


----------



## Oskaar

Krenek

Violin Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 3


----------



## Art Rock

World Violist said:


> It's kind of funny how many CD covers for Holst's Planets have either paintings or shots of actual planets when the suite really has little or nothing to do with the actual planets.


Is this one better?










ROFL


----------



## Art Rock

Now playing:


----------



## jaimsilva

a Bartok evening:


----------



## World Violist

Art Rock said:


> Is this one better?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ROFL


Yes. Yes it is. Yes.


----------



## Oskaar

*Zemlinsky; piano trio*

from this album..


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 18 & 14*


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> from this album..


Oh, rats, I have such a huge pile of to-listen CDs, but still, that sure looks interesting.


----------



## Keychick

Oh my friend. That Korngold, Zemlimsky disk right above me.
That is more than worth investigating?
Done so well, total justace with The Beaux Arts Trio indeed.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92._ Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Klieber.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36, _performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Air

*Richard Strauss
Oboe Concerto in D Major, AV 144
Alex Klein w/CSO & Barenboim*

Prep for the Wind Concerti thread. So colorful and lush, it's gonna be up there I think. I've never heard another oboist who plays with such tone like Klein does.

Really cool story behind this work too. Pittsburgh oboist John de Lancie visited Strauss as an intelligence operative in Germany to complement him on his oboe writing (which as well all know, is exquisite). When he asked Strauss if he had ever thought about writing an oboe concerto, Strauss said no but obviously he gave it some thought because several months later, it had been written!

If I had been an American soldier at that time, I would have definitely requested a piano concerto!


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Piano Concerto no.3, Friedrich Gulda al piano with Horst Stein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Meaghan

One of the records a friend of mine found in her new rental house. Slightly scratchy, but the performance is fine so far, and the cover is excellent. 

Mahler 3, LSO, Horenstein


----------



## jaimsilva

Air said:


> *Richard Strauss
> Oboe Concerto in D Major, AV 144
> Alex Klein w/CSO & Barenboim*
> 
> Prep for the Wind Concerti thread. So colorful and lush, it's gonna be up there I think. I've never heard another oboist who plays with such tone like Klein does.
> 
> Really cool story behind this work too. Pittsburgh oboist John de Lancie visited Strauss as an intelligence operative in Germany to complement him on his oboe writing (which as well all know, is exquisite). When he asked Strauss if he had ever thought about writing an oboe concerto, Strauss said no but obviously he gave it some thought because several months later, it had been written!
> 
> If I had been an American soldier at that time, I would have definitely requested a piano concerto!


You know the "Burleske" for piano and orchestra?










Well, it is not really a Piano concerto, and it is not , in my opinion, one of the most representative works of Richard Strauss. You may find some recordings of it:










or


----------



## Vaneyes

This is cellist Kosower's first album for Naxos, a fine intro for his acclaimed Ginastera Cello Concertos.


----------



## science

#7


----------



## World Violist

Meaghan said:


> One of the records a friend of mine found in her new rental house. Slightly scratchy, but the performance is fine so far, and the cover is excellent.
> 
> Mahler 3, LSO, Horenstein


I'd have to look, but I think I've got this same record, cover and everything. Yeah, it's one fantastic bit of Mahlerian psychedelia, man. I can't remember the performance, I think when I started listening to it I was still on fallout from a horrendous Horenstein Mahler 6 I have on another record. And when I mean "horrendous," I mean I would predict the next time one of the horns would crack and not only would I be right, but they would crack between the time I made the prediction and the time I predicted.

I'm sure I'll get back to it someday if only because tons of people on the internet laud this as being "the best Mahler 3 ever" or whatever. (Then again, look at my track record with those...I always hated the Solti Mahler 8)


----------



## Comistra

While waiting for my Sibelius box to arrive, I figured I'd listen to.. Sibelius! I've grown quite fond of The Wood Nymph.


----------



## Vaneyes

World Violist said:


> I'd have to look, but I think I've got this same record, cover and everything. Yeah, it's one fantastic bit of Mahlerian psychedelia, man. I can't remember the performance, I think when I started listening to it I was still on fallout from a horrendous Horenstein Mahler 6 I have on another record. And when I mean "horrendous," I mean I would predict the next time one of the horns would crack and not only would I be right, but they would crack between the time I made the prediction and the time I predicted.
> 
> I'm sure I'll get back to it someday if only because tons of people on the internet laud this as being "the best Mahler 3 ever" or whatever. (Then again, look at my track record with those...I always hated the Solti Mahler 8)


I haven't heard that 6th, and I thank you for the heads-up. Payment in kind, avoid Mahler 2 with StuttgartRSO/Barbirolli, performed shortly before maestro died.


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

Air said:


> *Richard Strauss
> Oboe Concerto in D Major, AV 144*
> 
> ...So colorful and lush, it's gonna be up there I think.


That's a good description of this work (I'd also add pastoral). I used to have it on tape with Karajan & the BPO (I think the oboeist was Lothar Koch). The opening bit is still etched in my mind. I remember seeing a performance art piece done by a German artist visiting here, and he used the music of R. Strauss as accompanying music, including the oboe concerto! To this piece, him and some nice young women were dancing around the place! You've bought back that memory for me, I had forgotten it completely. I know a guy who used to be a wind player & he definitely would know this piece, I'll have to mention it to him next time we meet...


----------



## Sid James

Last night & this morning (going into a weekend here), it was these...

*SCHOENBERG*
Transfigured Night, Op. 4 - Orpheus Chamber Orch. (DGG label)

*FAURE*[not pictured]
Requiem (original chamber version, ed. Nectoux & Delage, 1988)
Messe basse
Eight Motets
Various soloists/The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge/Richard Marlow, director (Boots Company label tape, 1989)

*KODALY*
Psalmus Hungaricus for tenor solo, choirs and orchestra (sung in German)
Ernest Haefliger, tenor/St Hedwig's Cathedral Choir/RIAS Berlin chamber choir, children's choir, symphony orch./Ferenc Fricsay, cond. (DGG label cd, mono recording, 1954)

The Schoenberg I borrowed from the library. I used to own Karajan's recording, but I didn't like it much, I found it too dark and kind of draining. This recording with the Orpheus players appeals to me more, it has more lightness & seems more balanced. I have been listening to it a lot lately. Maybe it's just the intervening 15 or so years since hearing this work that has made me come around to it, rather than any "problems" with Karajan. But now I'm finding his darker style not to my taste, I want a bit of a boost, not just dark dark dark.

I was introduced to the Faure _Requiem_ in a live performance here last year. This is such a moving work, I am always moved to tears when hearing it, especially the _Pie Jesu _section, for boy treble (here the part is sung by soprano, but she sounds exactly like a boy treble!). This was the first recording of the original chamber version, which I found on tape for next to nothing. Faure uses a group of low strings - violas, cellos, and double bass - as his "orchestra," the sole violinist only appears in the _Sanctus_ and there is also a prominent part for organ. The vocal soloists are the boy treble (or soprano) and baritone. Faure wrote this for general use at the church of La Medeleine in Paris, where he was organist and organiser of the choir. It was first performed in 1888 at the funeral service of a parishioner unknown to the composer. Faure's father also died around this time, but he said that this did not really impact on him composing the work. Some people say this is kind of sentimental & schmaltzy, but I don't agree with this. The emotions are just very pure and simple. The way the deep strings float and glide under the corresponding sounds of the choir and lead vocalists is just to die for. & unlike some more top heavy requiems, this work (despite moving me to tears) just lifts me up to the heavens. The couplings on the tape are no less good, the _Messe Basse _being a short mass without the _Gloria_ or _Credo_. Unfortunately, this recording is not available fully on cd, but I think that the requiem is, but the rest is sadly not.

As for the Kodaly, another one that moves me to tears every time. The _Psalmus Hungaricus_ was written in the early 1920's after Hungary was under the dictatorship of Horthy. He oppressed the people, and because Kodaly didn't agree with his politics, he was fired from his job at the music academy. This work encapsulates the anger that Kodaly felt at his & his countrymen's situation. The words of the Psalm of David, about a voice crying out in the wilderness, perfectly echoed the spirit of the times. Eventually, after a huge public outcry, Kodaly was reinstated into his position at the academy. But his relationship with the goverment remained uneasy, for example, they banned his _Peacock Variations_, which was also seen as a cry for freedom from tyranny. Stylistically, I hear a lot of similarities between this work and Vaughan Williams' _Sinfonia Antartica _(the spooky choir sounds), no wonder, as the two men actually met...

















Then I listened to a bit of Lady Gaga's latest album, lent to me by a friend, but I couldn't get through it all (only half), it was pretty good, but too full-on for the mood I was in!!!...


----------



## jaimsilva

Starting the day with some not so well known works:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sacred music from a BBC compliation, particularly Dufay's Missa Sine Nomine by the HIP, half-crazy sounding Clemincic Consort. Definitely not the Tallis Scholars.


----------



## science




----------



## Conor71

*Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos*


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold & Krenek: Sonatas For Violin And Piano*

I listened to it yesterday, and found it so good that I must relisten. Well played enjoyable music. Nothing very special maybe, but very enjoyable!










The Krenek sonate is lovely!


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold, Goldmark: Violin Concertos*


----------



## science




----------



## Aramis

The concerto: good recording, it's Maisky after all, but I still prefer du Pre. Uhm. I mean I prefer du Pre's accompaniament from orchestra. I can't put her over Maisky (both sound great) but the orchestra on Maisky's recording is not that good.

I think I'm starting to hear Tristan und Isolde influence on this concerto. In slow and last movements. Handling the tension and resolving it, instrumentation, somethimes it's quite obvious association.


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Huilunsoittaja said:


> What have I discovered? Hmm.... OH!
> 
> Gliere is a wonderful Russian composer, that's what! I've already gotten into the Red Poppy, which is a new ballet favorite. His Horn Concerto and Cello Concerto are supremely Russian, and feel greater than just concertos but truly epic pieces of music. His 3rd Symphony is also pure Russian brilliance. His orchestration is uncannily like Glazunov's!!!


HAHA! I put this one the wrong thread. I meant to put it on the New Discoveries Thread. But you all would have liked it anyway, right?


----------



## jaimsilva

Huilunsoittaja said:


> HAHA! I put this one the wrong thread. I meant to put it on the New Discoveries Thread. But you all would have liked it anyway, right?


Do you know his (Gliere) "Concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra"? Outstanding piece! I have it recorded by Joan Sutherland with Bonynge for Decca.

watch this excerpt by Anna Netrebko: 




There is another record on Chandos coupled with the Harp concerto


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius & Korngold Violin Concertos-Sinding Suite*










Have some expections to this....


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Have some expections to this....


Well, I am not really impressed. Sound is not very good, but that is ok. It is worse that perlman seems tired. Sinding suite is an exeption.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}. _Both works are conducted by Herbert von Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Finlandia, Op.26. _Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Sid James

*PUCCINI* - Messa di Gloria; Salve Regina; Crisantemi (Classico Label)

I think these are all of Puccini's sacred works. I have loved the mass for like 15 years, the organ like harmonies of the orchestra show that his first instrument was the organ (but there's no organ in this work). The text is treated with great sensitivity, particularly the Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus and the Agnus Dei, which has the two male vocalists in a duet which is just beyond words. The Salve Regina, for soprano and organ, is a very lyrical and soothing work. & the string quartet "Crisantemi" (named for chrysanthemums, the flowers of mourning in Italy) was written at lightning speed when Puccini heard of the death of a close friend. Listening to this, one wishes the man composed a full string quartet (it lasts about only 5 minutes). The same can be said of all these sacred works, they are all we have from him, despite his close associations early on with the church and it's music. However, themes from all three of these works were later incorporated into the man's operas which we all know & love today...


----------



## science

I'd reccomend this to Part fans.










This is a really good deal.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## hespdelk

I come back to this one now and again - gorgeous sound in the SACD remastering, with that sumptuous Stokowski touch in all the pieces.

A side note for the Enescu Romanian Rhapsody - the opening to this piece always struck me as trite and worked to turn me away from it.. but as it develops there are some gorgeous moments.. really shows the composer's origins as a virtuoso violinist.


----------



## Oskaar

*Saint Saens; Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75*

from this record:


----------



## jaimsilva

maybe the best record of Brahms "Ein deutsches Requiem"


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Symphony In D Minor / Chausson: Symphony In B Flat Major*


----------



## jaimsilva

Brahms: Haydn Variations
Reger: Mozart Variations
Ives/Schuman: Variations on America


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major, WAB 107, "Lyric"*


----------



## Oskaar

*Chausson - Concert; Mathieu - Trio & Quintette*


----------



## Oskaar

*Chausson & Fauré: Piano Quartets*


----------



## Oskaar

*Chausson : Un portrait*


----------



## jaimsilva

Gliere: Harp concerto
Gliere: Concerto for Coloratura Soprano
Ginastera: Harp concerto


----------



## Oskaar

*Chausson: Piano Trio, Op. 3 - Debussy: Piano Trio in G - Widor: Quatre Pièces en Trio*


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## tdc

Lately I've been quite enamored of Beethoven. I find an astounding amount of depth to his music, for example his piano sonatas, I find they are enjoyable on first listen, yet continue to reveal so much more on continued listens. I can listen to one of his sonatas 30 times and still not really glean everything from it, - not even close. In some cases I can't even really remember much of how they sound after this many listens - yet I am never forced out of my zone of comfort with these works, and I always love hearing them. His works are so _dense_.

So in the past several days I've been kind of taking a page out of Andre/Sid James book. I am just trying to focus on understanding two Beethoven works for the time being, and not listening to much else. So right now it is Beethoven's Piano Sonata #30 and Piano Concerto #4.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Shostakovich - Songs vols. 1-4 (Delos label). A treat in store for anyone who is largely or totally unfamiliar with DSCH's non-symphonic vocal works.


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck: Piano Quintet; Ernest Chausson: String Quartet*


----------



## Oskaar

*Lekeu: Sonata in G*

from this record


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Albert Roussel - Sonatas para violín y piano*

Not long time since I listened, but it is a fantastic record!


----------



## jaimsilva

found when I was looking for the Debussy's Rhapsodie for http://www.talkclassical.com/13735-tc-50-most-recommended.html


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6*

Absolutely love Karajan's way with these symphonies - the 6th has long been my favourite Sibelius Symphony and is a delightful work


----------



## science




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## science

I love this music. I haven't compared other recordings, but at least I can guarantee that this one is very nice.


----------



## violadude

science said:


> I love this music. I haven't compared other recordings, but at least I can guarantee that this one is very nice.


I was sampling this CD on Amazon just yesterday. It sounded really nice. I want to get it because I don't have much pre-barque music in my library.


----------



## science

Biber is one of those hidden gems. Something else you might look for is Rebel's Les Elemens. It's all good, but the first movement, "Cahos," will blow your mind.


----------



## Meaghan

tdc said:


> Lately I've been quite enamored of Beethoven. I find an astounding amount of depth to his music, for example his piano sonatas, I find they are enjoyable on first listen, yet continue to reveal so much more on continued listens. I can listen to one of his sonatas 30 times and still not really glean everything from it, - not even close. In some cases I can't even really remember much of how they sound after this many listens - yet I am never forced out of my zone of comfort with these works, and I always love hearing them. His works are so _dense_.
> 
> So in the past several days I've been kind of taking a page out of Andre/Sid James book. I am just trying to focus on understanding two Beethoven works for the time being, and not listening to much else. So right now it is Beethoven's Piano Sonata #30 and Piano Concerto #4.


_Yes._ Beethoven piano sonatas are pretty much the best thing ever. I think I could live on just his sonatas for a long time; there is so much to them. And those are two wonderful picks. The Op. 109 sonata is particularly sublime. And the first time I heard the 4th piano concerto was through the closed doors of the rehearsal hall at the college I ended up attending. I think it had some influence on my decision to go there, in some subconscious way.


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was these treats -

*BENATZKY/STOLZ* - Im Weissen Rossl (The white horse inn) - jazz operetta - cond. Willy Mattes (EMI cd)
*BERNARD HERMANN* - Suite from North By Northwest (Hitchcock film) London Studio SO/Laurie Johnson (Varese Sarabande cd)

Got these both from the library. Haven't listened to them in yonks. Some great memories flooding back...


----------



## science

#9


----------



## Oskaar

*Hovhaness; symphony no 53 op 378*

from this record










very exiting experience


----------



## Oskaar

*Hovhaness: Symphony No. 29*

from this record


----------



## science

#14, in which dynamic range is taken to an extreme.


----------



## Guest

science said:


> #9


I was just listening to these quartets the other day. I decided it was time to give Shostakovich another listen. In general, I have not found myself as drawn in by his works, but I first picked up this recording back when I was new to the string quartet genre, and still enraptured by Schubert and Brahms. I listened to the first CD here, and found that my tastes had broadened.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hovhaness; Spirit of Trees, sonata for harp & guitar, Op. 374*

from this record


----------



## Oskaar

*The Cello Virtuoso: Guido Schiefen plays Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Reger*


----------



## Oskaar

*Max Reger; Sonate G-Moll fuer Violoncello und Klavier op. 28*

from this record


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Broughton; Fingerprints of Childhood*

from this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich; Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147*

from this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole*

from this record:


----------



## Keychick

Am i happy that i pulled this disk out, blew off some dust.
No dust on my disks...
Leos Janacek
Sinfonietta
Rapsody for Orchestra
" Taras Bulba "
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Charles Mackerras

on the same disk is 
Shostakovich 
Suite from " The Age of Gold "
L.P.O.
Bernard Haitink

The horns are so crisp!


----------



## jaimsilva

Keychick said:


> Am i happy that i pulled this disk out, blew off some dust.
> No dust on my disks...
> Leos Janacek
> Sinfonietta
> Rapsody for Orchestra
> " Taras Bulba "
> Wiener Philharmoniker
> Sir Charles Mackerras


Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba are so powerful!


----------



## jaimsilva

Allways amazing to listen to "Pictures at an Exhibition" in both versions: the original piano, and Ravel's orchestral one.

This time by Yuri Temirkanov with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, and Nikolai Petrov.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Debussy's Nocturnes, by Jean Martinon, the conductor who opened Debussy up to me.


----------



## Oskaar

*bloch, shostakovich*

Bloch: Baal Shem (3 Pictures of Chassidic Life) (1923); Abodah (1929)/ Shostakovich: Sonata for Violin & Piano Op. 134 (1968)


----------



## Aramis

The Jupiter.

I had a day full of extremely bad luck and doubts and I thought that I will listen to Scriabin's 1st piano sonata at the end if it because of it's character but I switched to turn something more positive, not to cheer myself but because I've decided that despite all good reasons I have to do such thing it's bad idea to fall on the couch hopelessly and listen to funeral-like music.

The Jupiter symphony is not a cheerful piece full of sweet tunes, it's great apotheosis of beauty that doesn't let you go down, it was evening, it's raning and cloudy, not quite dark yet but all-gray, I was sitting in gray, as grim as it gets room with numerous reasons to kill myself and then the Jupiter from the symphony casted his divine light into this gloomy places, two of them: my soul and the room I dwell, what was the other great composer who said that Mozart is sweet sunshine? He was so right, though it may sound a little bit trivial - but Christians claim that Jesus is sweet and there is nothing trivial about it, so why couldn't such great music be refered to as "sweet sunshine"?

All of this from our boring, obvious, inexpressive Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.


----------



## Vaneyes

Offering a wide range of Piazzolla, spotlighting piano and bandoneon. Hear Bach influence--Introduccion al Angel, La Muerte del Angel. Originally on Finlandia label, now economical Apex. Impressive soundstage.


----------



## jaimsilva

Sheherazade by Ansermet with "his" L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--_Symphony No.1 in D major, Op.25 {"Classical}, and Symphony No.5 in B flat major, Op.100._ Both works are performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, OP.60 {"Leningrad"}, _performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitnik.
Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes and_
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92_
Both of the above pieces were performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## science

Aramis said:


> The Jupiter.
> 
> I had a day full of extremely bad luck and doubts and I thought that I will listen to Scriabin's 1st piano sonata at the end if it because of it's character but I switched to turn something more positive, not to cheer myself but because I've decided that despite all good reasons I have to do such thing it's bad idea to fall on the couch hopelessly and listen to funeral-like music.
> 
> The Jupiter symphony is not a cheerful piece full of sweet tunes, it's great apotheosis of beauty that doesn't let you go down, it was evening, it's raning and cloudy, not quite dark yet but all-gray, I was sitting in gray, as grim as it gets room with numerous reasons to kill myself and then the Jupiter from the symphony casted his divine light into this gloomy places, two of them: my soul and the room I dwell, what was the other great composer who said that Mozart is sweet sunshine? He was so right, though it may sound a little bit trivial - but Christians claim that Jesus is sweet and there is nothing trivial about it, so why couldn't such great music be refered to as "sweet sunshine"?
> 
> All of this from our boring, obvious, inexpressive Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.


I'm glad you got that out of the music, but you don't have any actual reasons to kill yourself. There's too much music in the world, if nothing else.


----------



## science

Wieniawski.


----------



## Sid James

Last night mainly American music, but also a repeat listen to Bernard Hermann's excellent score for Hitchock's "North by Northwest"...

*HERMANN* - North by Northwest film score (suite) - London Studio Sym. Orch./Laurie Johnson, cond. (Varese Sarabande)

*IVES* - Symphony #1 in D minor - National SO of Ireland/James Sinclair, cond. (Naxos)

*HOVHANESS* - Symphony #2 "Mysterious Mountain" & Celestial Fantasy for String Orch. - Seattle SO/Gerard Schwartz, cond. (Delos double)

*IVES* - Songs for soprano & piano; Songs for baritone & chamber orch.; Orchestral sets for chamber orch. - Marni Nixon, sop./John McCabe, pno./Henry Herford, baritone/Ensemble Modern (Germany)/Ingo Metzmacher, cond. (EMI)

Love the rich orchestration of Hermann's film scores. His music made such a huge difference to Hitchcock's movies. The Ives 1st symphony was his first large scale work, looking back on European influences (Dvorak, Mahler, Tchaikovsky were clearly discernible to me, as was J.S. Bach and Handel in the fugal third movement marked "scherzo") but also looking forward with optimism to "America's century." Then the Hovhaness "Mysterious Mountain" symphony, with that devlish and complex double fugue in the middle movement, which dispite it's complexity, comes across as nothing but accessible (although I hate using the "a" word!). Finally, a well filled (80 minutes) disc of some of Ives' pivotal songs, and the orchestral sets which come across as anticipating so many things, from atonality, polytonality, minimalism, Americana, jazz fusion, you name it, this guy was doing it way before anybody else!...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Sid James said:


> Last night mainly American music, but also a repeat listen to Bernard Hermann's excellent score for Hitchock's "North by Northwest"...
> 
> *HERMANN* - North by Northwest film score (suite) - London Studio Sym. Orch./Laurie Johnson, cond. (Varese Sarabande)


Interesting. Love that old movie but never paid much attention to the film score/music because the movie was so captivating!


----------



## jaimsilva

Not so well known Fauré's Nocturnes.


----------



## jaimsilva

More french piano music: Ravel by Hewitt


----------



## Aramis

science said:


> Wieniawski.


AND HOW YOU LIKE IT JOHNNY s


----------



## Oskaar

*Ana Vidovic Guitar Recital*


----------



## science

Aramis said:


> AND HOW YOU LIKE IT JOHNNY s


Very much, thank you.


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*Walton; Concerto for Violin & Orchestra*

from this record


----------



## Oskaar

Have just listened to this fantastic record!


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák; Walton: Cello Concertos*


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Walton: VIOLIN CONCERTO / CELLO CONCERTO*


----------



## jaimsilva

jaimsilva said:


> More french piano music: Ravel by Hewitt


going on with Ravel Piano Concertos


----------



## Oskaar

Slavonoc dances no 10

My favorite before I started to discover...

This piece is so beautiful!

Another is montis chardaz


----------



## Oskaar

*dvorak, smetana*

Antonin Dvorak : Piano Trio Dumky, Op. 90 - Bedrich Smetana : Piano Trio, Op. 15 (Trio Raffaello)


----------



## jaimsilva

Arrangements for Trumpet and Orchestra of the Haydn C Major cello concerto, Hoffmeister D major viola concerto and Mendelssohn D minor violin concerto! Played by the virtuoso Sergei Nakariakov with the Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn under Jörg Faerber.










Nice arrangements, wonderful playing of Nakariakov.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonin Dvorak, Johannes Brahms- Sonatas and Sonatina for violin and piano*


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak, A.: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 And 2 (Sucharova-Weiser, Members Of Vlach Quartet)*


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90, _performed by the Vienna Philharmonic led by James Levine.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Moll, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Bothworksperformed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber.


----------



## jaimsilva

R.Strauss Wind concertos:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Chopin_Fan777

I'm intrigued at how Tchaikovsky ended his 5th Symphony with a plagal cadence instead of a perfect authentic. Sounds unfulfilling.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Kleiber's Beethoven 5 and 7.


----------



## violadude

I've been listening almost exclusively to Quincy Porter's string quartets lately because I am reviewing them on my blog. He is a more lesser known American composer. When I first listened to his string quartets I thought they were kind of boring, but they do very well with repeated listening and now I enjoy them quite a bit.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Interesting. Love that old movie but never paid much attention to the film score/music because the movie was so captivating!


Yeah, I can certainly understand that! _North by Northwest _has a main theme that is odd in this context to say the least - a Spanish kind of dance thing (I think it's a fandango?). This is what the credits open up with & the climactic scene on Mount Rushmore is accompanied by. This theme perfectly gives the sense of a man being hunted, a fugitive on the run, which is what the story is about. In between the opening & closing, there are quite a few interesting moments - this suite has about 12 movements in all. I especially like the Mahlerian "Romance on the trian" theme, which breifly returns in the finale. This recording may be out of print, but there is a 2 disc set on Australian Eloquence of Hermann himself conducting some of his film suites. I aim to get it at some stage, this guy was great - other film scores of his I find memorable are _Psycho _(of course) and _Fahrenheit_ 491. Towards the end of his life, Hermann fell out with Hitchcock, because the director couldn't afford to pay for the huge orchestras that Hermann's music demanded. So they never worked together again. Oddly enough, Hermann's last score was the small scale chamber-like jazzy score to _Taxi Driver_ (I think Scorsese directed that?)...


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was quite a few things, but mainly these -

*Album: The Glory of Gershwin featuring Larry Adler* (harmonica) - with guest vocalists, incl. an arrangement of "Rhapsody in Blue"
Producer & arranger - George Martin (Mercury label)

*IVES* - Emerson concerto (piano & orch.) - reconstructed by David G. Porter
Alan Feinberg, pno./Nation SO of Ireland/James Sinclair, cond. (Naxos label)

*BENATZKY/STOLZ* - Im Weissen Rossl (The White Horse Inn) - cond. by Willy Mattes (EMI label)

*R. STRAUSS* - Metamorphosen, study for 23 solo strings - Staatskapelle Dresden/Giuseppe Sinopoli, cond. (Australian Eloquence/DGG)

It was my first time listening to the Larry Adler Gershwin tribute, and I enjoyed it, especially the arrangement of _Rhapsody in Blue_ (which wasn't just a straight transcription). Then the craggy and dissonant Ives _Emerson Concerto_, which dwells a lot on the motto theme from Beethoven's 5th symphony. A "work in progress" that Ives was not keen to finish, and deliberately left open ended, here it recieves a brilliant performance on a Naxos disc which has been awarded the coveted Diapason D'Or, no less. Then a revisiting of _The White Horse Inn_, which is pure schmaltz, and I love it!!! This was in the very short-lived genre of jazz operetta (composed in 1930, just before the Nazis, who hated jazz, came into power), Benatzky's arrangements are very suave and sophisticated (much lighter than the older operettas of say J. Strauss Jnr. or Lehar - although I also love them, they are definitely more substantial & "operatic" in some ways). Finally, _Metamorphosen_, a work I really love (despite not connecting with much other works by R. Strauss), I have experienced it live three times, which says a lot...


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 74 No. 3 in G minor 'The Rider'*

from The Alban Berg Quartett , teldec recordings [Box set]


----------



## Oskaar

*dvorak; Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Opus 88*

from this record


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonin Dvorák, Hermann Zilcher & Joaquín Turina: Piano Trios*


----------



## Aramis

A catharsis difficult to bear. I don't wish anybody to ever understand this symphony.


----------



## Guest

It is a day for Beethoven's Chamber Music. I have listened to his piano trios before, but had not yet experienced these early string trios. Very nice, I have to say. Later I will be diving into the Takacs Quartet's recordings of his string quartets.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; Piano Quintet No. 2 In A Major, Op. 81, B. 155*

From this record:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Second Viennese School.


----------



## robert

Today I am going to tackle all the Shostakovich String Quartets....by Sorrel Quartet..


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; 10 Legends, Op. 59, B. 122*

from this record:










I find dvorac much more exiting and pleashuring when he is free from the symphony frame. Maybe I will learn to love his symphonies later thhough.

Number nine is of course and exeption, but I struggle a bit to like the former... He seems somewhat uninspired.. That is me here and now, and might change later


----------



## elgar's ghost

Szymanowski - Songs of the Infatuated Muezzin and other orchestral songs (Naxos). No bloody texts/translations included and recmusic.org lieder page doesn't have any Szymanowski songs in English yet. I managed to get English translations for the Love Songs of Hafiz from wikipedia but have drawn a blank elsewhere. I don't appear to have a lot of luck with the Central/Eastern Europeans - I'm also missing texts/translations from various recordings of vocal/choral works of Kodaly, Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek - grrr....


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak: Works For Violin And Piano / Ivan Zenaty, Igor Ardasev*


----------



## Aramis

elgars ghost said:


> Szymanowski - Songs of the Infatuated Muezzin and other orchestral songs (Naxos). No bloody texts/translations included and recmusic.org lieder page doesn't have any Szymanowski songs in English yet. I managed to get English translations for the Love Songs of Hafiz from wikipedia but have drawn a blank elsewhere. I don't appear to have a lot of luck with the Central/Eastern Europeans - I'm also missing texts/translations from various recordings of vocal/choral works of Kodaly, Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek - grrr....


OKAY SO ESPECIALLY FOR YOU ME MAKES MY DEBUT AS TRANSLATOR OF POETRY

It's clumsy translation though

Allah, Allah Akbar, Allah!
I know, I know, that Allah made you so I could worship him,
Cause would I be mad muezin without you?
Cause would I send my praising voice to heavens
Without hoping, that it's sound will awake you?

O, my beloved!! Allah Bismillah, Allah!
To you my voice prays five times,
Allah Bismillah, Allah!
Cause I know, that in the night and in the noon
And in the season of a morning star
You're waiting for my longing call!
Allah Bismillah, Allah!

Barely the sunrise covers towers with gold,
My voice I send to you.
I know, that in calm morning you trust 
In his silver tone!
Awake, awake, and send along with sun
Your first smile, my beloved!

In the noon city white from heat,
Waters splash with wet greenery.
I call for Allah glory only,
So you would dump your colorful robes for bath.
My call causes a wonder every day,
Wonder of your bareness!

In the hour in which the city sleeps,
O olali! O olali! Awake to praise Allah!
Stand up, old merchant, to praise Allah!
While counting your pearls.
Stand up, you, maiden, to praise Allah,
While waiting for you lover.
Only you, o beloved, wrapped with sleep, o olali! o olali!
Sleep curled up like lotus.

O o olio o o olio! 
You're gone to western desert!
O o olio!
At this hour your white body
Doesn't know drops of silver waters.
In dry sands of western desert
you plunge your body and my heart sand of parting drinks
instead of sweet water of loving!
O olio! o o olio.


----------



## jaimsilva

Trying Frank Martin concertante works


----------



## mmsbls

Shostakovich's Piano concertos and quintet.










Piano Concerto No. 1 is of course a great work. The concertino for 2 pianos is quite lovely. While I do love the first concerto, I may enjoy the Piano Quintet even more.


----------



## jaimsilva

after this thread:

http://www.talkclassical.com/1615-top-5-schumann.html

listening to Mahler's orchestration of Schumann 4 symponies with Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester


----------



## elgar's ghost

Thanks, Aramis!


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; romance for violin and orchestra*

From this record


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155*

from this record:


----------



## Manxfeeder

robert said:


> Today I am going to tackle all the Shostakovich String Quartets....by Sorrel Quartet..


Wow, all of them at once? Better keep some Elavil handy


----------



## science




----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op.33, _featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I must say that* Storms,* the last of these pieces, reminded me a little of *Mars,* from the _Planets _by Gustav Holst.
Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, _performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Von Dohnanyi. This is rapidly becoming one of my favorites, along with the _"Leningrad" _by Shostakovich and the _7th _by Beethoven.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No. 2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Moll, Op.104. _Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir Colin Davis.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony_ _No.2 in D, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A, Op.92. _Both works are played by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, all of them at once? Better keep some Elavil handy


I think I would skip that and just keep a knife at the table beside me.


----------



## World Violist

Stravinsky: Firebird Suite, Pulcinella Suite, Scherzo fantastique, 2 Suites, Petrouchka, Le Sacre du Printemps, and Symphonies of Wind Instruments

cond. Pierre Boulez


----------



## robert

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, all of them at once? Better keep some Elavil handy


That is why I wrote Tackle.......to be continued....


----------



## robert

World Violist said:


> I think I would skip that and just keep a knife at the table beside me.


Guys give me a break, after all I did not say ALLAN PETTERSSON.....


----------



## World Violist

robert said:


> Guys give me a break, after all I did not say ALLAN PETTERSSON.....


Point taken.


----------



## hespdelk

Well performed, though I question the authenticity of the arrangements.

Surprisingly baudy - they offended my post-victorian sensibilities.  :lol:


----------



## Sid James

@ samurai - I'm no huge fan of Sibelius' symphonies, but I like the way maestro Davis conducts them. Borrowed the 2nd under his baton (I think a more recent "LSO Live" recording than yours there) last year, and rediscovered it after many years of living without it. The only one of his 7 symphonies that I have never heard is the 6th, which would be interesting to get into at some point. My favourite is funnily enough the 4th, but it it so dark and gloomy (a bit like Tchaikovsky's Pathetique) that I probably will never own it, it just plunges me to the depths in an almost unbearable way.

@ oskaar - I have heard that Naxos disc of the Dvorak, and especially enjoyed the 2nd symphony. Yes, it is quite Beethoven-like (& some say it doesn't quite "get off the ground" so to speak) but I love it just the same as his Piano Concerto, which is also a bit like that. As for the 8th symphony, love it's optimism, sense of nature, and pure joy.

@ science - I haven't heard that Debussy disc, but I do have maestro Markl doing some Messiaen on Naxos (_Poemes pour Mi _is the main work) & he & his Lyon players are great. This guy knows the French repertoire back to front...


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was again a quite long session, with these -

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - Jabuka (The Apple Festival) Operetta in three acts - cond. Prof. Christian Pollack. (Naxos double disc set, coupled with orch. suite of dances from the operetta) World Premiere Recording.

*Album: Andre Rieu "Live in Australia"* (Recorded Melbourne, 2008) - Guest vocalists/Johann Strauss Orch./Australian Police Force Wind Band and Bagpipers/Andre Rieu, leader, arranger (Universal double disc set) - I listened to disc 1

*TCHAIKOVSKY* - Violin Concerto - Nigel Kennedy, violin/London PO/Okko Kamu, cond. (EMI - coupled with Sibelius concerto)

*BERNARD HERMANN* - "North by Northwest" soundtrack - London Studio SO/Laurie Johnson, cond. (Varese Sarabande cd)

I'll just discuss the Strauss & Tchaikovsky, as I have give "airtime" to the other two before. The operetta Jabuka is said to be his most opera-like work in the genre. It was first performed in 1894 to mark the 50th year of Strauss being in the music industry. In composing this work, he was hugely influenced by Smetana's comic opera _The Bartered Bride, _which had been given it's Austrian premiere in 1892. Jabuka is set in Serbia, so the Slavonic flavour has a reason to be there. A lot of the music comes across as a kind of sophisticated blend of Smetana and Dvorak with Viennese operetta. There was a huge quarelling and falling out between the two librettists for this work, one of them wanted this to be purely opera, Strauss was stuck between the two of them. Despite what people say are the consequent weakness of the libretto, this work shines in all other respects. It is indeed more like opera than operetta - the final scenes of acts 1 & 2 combine all of the cast and last 15 minutes or more each (quite complex stuff). My favourite song was in Act 2, a duet between mezzo soprano & tenor. Both the vocal writing and the orchestration was "to die for." As for the orchestral suite of dances filling out the 2nd disc, I only listened to the first waltz, which (at 10 minutes) came across to me as more of an overture than a simple waltz. A good set all round, and I plan to return to it tonight for a second listen.

I hadn't heard the Tchaikovsky violin concerto for years, and this was my first listen to Dr Kennedy's performance. It was very good and "straight," low on the schmaltz. He played the cadenzas excellently. The only other recording I have of this is by David Oistrakh, and Dr Kennedy matches him, imo...


----------



## rojo

Schubert: Scherzo No.1 D593 in Bb 

Just been checking out random versions of this work on YT out of curiosity, as I'm teaching it to a student.


----------



## science

Boulez.


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> Boulez.


A great disc. My "one stop shop" for great piano music of the c20th. The Boulez sonata is put down with great clarity by Pollini. I mainly concentrate on the changes in dynamics when listening to this complex work. The final movement, with its fugal textures/patterns, is simply breathtaking...


----------



## jaimsilva

Dvorak Piano concerto










during many years, as far as I know, this piano concerto was almost an exclusive of Sviatoslav Richter










very interesting listening to both interpretations.


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> A great disc. My "one stop shop" for great piano music of the c20th. The Boulez sonata is put down with great clarity by Pollini. I mainly concentrate on the changes in dynamics when listening to this complex work. The final movement, with its fugal textures/patterns, is simply breathtaking...


That's interesting. Last time I listened, the rhythm is what interested me the most, but this time as I listened the dynamics did stand out.


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms & Schumann Sonatas for Violin & Piano*


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms; String Quartet No.1 in C minor, Op.51 No.1*

From this record:


----------



## jaimsilva

I love specially Franck Violin sonata

I'll listen later that both versions (the original and the revised) of Sibelius Violin concerto by the same violin player (Leonidas Kavakos)


----------



## Oskaar

*Herbert; Concerto No. 2 For Cello & Orchestra In E Minor, Op. 30*

from this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*saint-saens; Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op.33*

From this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*dvrak; Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op.53*

From this album:


----------



## Pieck

Now Dvorak Wind Serenade
Earlier Eybler's Requiem


----------



## Oskaar

*Scumann; violin concerto in d*

from this album


----------



## science

Just about to finish Martin's Mass for Double Choir - sounds great in the headphones.


----------



## Oskaar

*Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor Op. 85*

From this exellent album:


----------



## Aramis

Tchaikovsky's.

I never enjoyed the faster, russian theme of first movement as much as today - it sounds so much better when the pizzicato rhythm doesn't get lost under piano but creates noticeable groove. Btw, why some piano passages in slow movement sound like late Schoenberg?


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak;Concerto for Cello & Orchestra*

Truls Mørk is from my fatherland, Norway, and i may be biased. But everithing I have listened to from him is very good! He submit a warmth in his cello, that I not often feel.

Mariss Jansons an Olso Philharmonic is also a good combination!


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak: Piano Quartet/Piano Quintet*

I see that this album goes for 89 dollars used on amazon...


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Joseph Kraus, Vol. 3.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak: Piano Trios*


----------



## World Violist

jaimsilva said:


> Dvorak Piano concerto


Wow, I didn't know Aimard recorded this...I might just look out for that CD...


----------



## Oskaar

*Peter Schickele; Quartet For Clarinet Violin Cello & Piano*

from this album:


----------



## jaimsilva

Two nice peices I like before dinner (I don't know if these things are related  ) 
Mussorgsky Pictures at an exhibition and Bartok Concerto for orchestra - and Solti is good for both!


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Sonata for Violoncello & Piano*

from this album:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Louise Farrenc's Clarinet Trio, then on to some tonal Schoenberg - as Allen Shawn said, at the end, C major is welcomed for the last time.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Moll, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Moll, Op.64. _Both works were performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op.33_
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92. _Both works were performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Comistra

Last week this was in the "Latest Purchases" category; a few days ago, it arrived!

I've already listened to the entire 7 hours and 37 minutes (with varying amounts of concentration). A lot of this is new material for me, and by and large I've really enjoyed it. I'll be spending more time getting to know it better, but I already like the music, the playing, and the sound a lot.

This was the best US$29 I've spent for quite some time; although Amazon (or DG) seems to have raised the price $5 in the last week!


----------



## science

#23 Appassionata.

Just doesn't get any better than this.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to a download of Dorothy Dorow singing Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Outstanding, IMO.


----------



## hespdelk




----------



## tdc

^ Nice hespdelk, I am listening to the same thing as you! (Different recording though).


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into these -

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - Jabuka (operetta in 3 acts); + Orchestral suite of dance arrangements from the operetta - cond. Prof. Christian Pollack (Naxos double disc set)

*Album: Django Reinhardt: Swing '48* - Reinhardt on guitar with guests incl. Hubert Rostaing (clarinet); Michel de Villers (saxes); Rex Stewart (trumpet) - recordings made in Paris, 1947 - & yes, it is (partially?) classical - they play Grieg's "Norwegian Dance"!!! (the second one, I think)

*IVES* - Piano Trio - Glenn Dicterow, violin; Alan Stepansky, cello; Israela Margalit, piano - EMI American Classics series - a wonderful & underrated work by Ives, incorporating a number of his songs and trademark hymn tunes, the soulful final movement with it's wistful cello music is just beyond words...


----------



## science

The Nocturnes. Heard Boulez's earlier today:










And now on to a few of Brahms' lieder:


----------



## Oskaar

*Heitor Villa-Lobos; Choros No. 7, "Settiminio"*

From this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Andre Jolivet; Pastorale de Noel: I. L'Etoile: Simple et sans lenteur*

same album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Malcolm Arnold; Trio, Op. 6*


----------



## elgar's ghost

Tippett's A Child of Our Time - CBSO conducted by the composer in 1991. This is a Naxos re-release originally on Collins.


----------



## Oskaar

*Martinu; Sonatina Für Klarinette Und Klavier*

from this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*concert for lidice*


----------



## science

#14


----------



## Oskaar

*Destination Paris*










Works:

Martinu, string trio no 1 and 2
Fransaix, string trio
Enescu, aubade in c major


----------



## Oskaar

The Enescu piece is a real gem!


----------



## Oskaar

*Double Play: Rachel Barton & Wendy Warner play Great Duos for Violin & Cello*

the works:

Bohuslav Martinu, Duo No. 2, H. 331
Erwin Schulhoff, Duo for Violin and Cello
Maurice Ravel, Sonata for Violin and Cello
Zoltan Kodaly, Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some late Stravinsky.


----------



## Vaneyes

The Pav (some nice tunes in his prime) and I must bid farewell. It's been mostly nice. So long, CM soldiers.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> and I must bid farewell. It's been mostly nice. So long, CM soldiers.
> 
> [/IMG]


Are you leaving us, Vaneyes? Hove can I survive with all the "likes" I have recieved from you?


----------



## Oskaar

*Deconstructing the Wall*










The works:

Enescu: Troisième Sonate « dans le caractère populaire roumain » pour piano et violon en La Mineur (à la mémoire de Franz Kneisel), Op. 25

Bohuslav Martin: Five Madrigal Stanzas for Violin and Piano (to Albert Einstein), H. 297

Vasilije Mokranjac: Sonata za violinu i klavir G-Mol


----------



## Oskaar

I love to explore music, and with spotify it is easy to get driven away... It is time too make a little pause and go back to listen to the best works I have discovered so far. And maybe find my favourite recording of the work..


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert; symphony no 9*

From this album:

Schubert: Symphonies Nos 5, 8 & 9 /OAE * Mackerras [Import]
Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Charles Mackerras (Conductor), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"*

This a faboulos recording in sound and perfarmance! I really love this symphony also.


----------



## jaimsilva

discovering this:










never heard before about the composer Davidoff, neither his cello concertos ...


----------



## Oskaar

jaimsilva said:


> discovering this:never heard before about the composer Davidoff, neither his cello concertos ...


Never heard of eather, but i got curious....Nothing on spotify


----------



## World Violist

jaimsilva said:


> never heard before about the composer Davidoff, neither his cello concertos ...


That's because he's known primarily as a cellist. Heard of the Davidoff Strad (Jacqueline du Pre, Yo-Yo Ma)? That was his cello.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor Op. 43*


----------



## jaimsilva

I started with Davidoff cello concertos (amazing works!)

Now going on with du Pré playing Dvorak and Saint-Saens (better known cello concertos  )


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky_--Symphony_ _No_._6 in _B _Minor_, _Op_._74__ {"__Pathetique"}, _performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Serge Prokofiev--_Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}, _performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tcaikovsky; Suite No. 2 'Charactéristique' in C major, Op. 53*

Eccelent reccording! The russians have something...


----------



## Noak




----------



## science

The Clavier-Ubung III.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, decided to revisit some Bernstein works after many months of not hearing them, and listened (again!) to J. Strauss Jnr's operetta "Jabuka" -

*BERNSTEIN* - Symphony #3 "Kaddish" - Samuel Pisar, narrator; orch. cond. by John Axelrod (Nimbus label) - This is a version with narration by a Holocaust survivor, which is very dramatic & moving. It was recorded live, and it is a wonder that Mr Pisar doesn't make a single "slip up." The pivotal soprano solo, coming after Mr Pisar's reminiscences about his grandmother who was killed in the death camps, immediately bought tears to my eyes.

*BERNSTEIN* - Symphonic Suite from the film "On the Waterfront" - Marin Alsop, cond. (Naxos) - I saw this film when it was remastered & came out in the cinemas in the mid-90's. Apart from the amazing performances and great direction, the music is what grabbed me the most. It is a perfect portrayal of the rough dock areas of New York in the 1950's. As one critic said of Bernstein's music, it is "brutal, brittle and brilliant." After listening to this, it's hard not to agree fully with that.

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - "Jabuka" (The Apple Festival), operetta in 3 acts - cond. Prof. Christian Pollack (Naxos double disc set) - This operetta especially shows Strauss' flair for writing for the voice - both the solo vocalists and choir. Act 1 has some very fine choral writing, Strauss uses the choir like an orchestra, drawing from it different voice colours and textures at will. The 2nd act is my favourite, a duet between tenor and mezzo soprano is simply "to die for." This work has a Slavonic theme - it is set in Serbia - & the musics of Dvorak and Smetana is never too far away...


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Well, _was _listening to some existential Shostakovich (DSCH stuff), but now, I'm off to sleep. With existential Shostakovich ringing in my head.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hair-raising!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid James... thanks for the insightful reviews. I do need to broaden my collection of Bernstein's music. Have you heard Lennie's original recording of _Kaddish_?

The Strauss operetta/opera caught my eye most of all. Ever since first coming upon Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Rita Streich singing some of the lovely arias from various Parisian and Viennese bon-bons and truffles, I have had a soft spot for these sweets:



















Not that I'd surrender my Wagner... or Mahler... but sometimes you are just in the mood for these sensuous delights, brilliant melodies, and no pretensions.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Sid James... thanks for the insightful reviews. I do need to broaden my collection of Bernstein's music. Have you heard Lennie's original recording of _Kaddish_?


Thanks for reading. No, I haven't heard Lennie's account of the _Kaddish_ symphony. I understand this work went through a number of revisions, so maybe what he put down earlier is substantially different than on the Axelrod recording I own. It would be interesting to hear what the man himself did with this fine score. I read somewhere that this work was premiered not long after J.F.K's assasination, so it had a "double meaning" for Bernstein, who I think knew the President personally. In that first performance when he was on the podium, the composer was visibly shaken, and he was in tears while conducting. He later said that he had a vision of J.F.K. saying something to him while he was conducting that first performance of the _Kaddish_. BTW, I also know that David Diamond composed a _Kaddish for cello & orchestra_, and I would be interested in getting that at some stage. I only own one of those other Naxos discs of his music, which is pretty good...



> The Strauss operetta/opera caught my eye most of all. Ever since first coming upon Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Rita Streich singing some of the lovely arias from various Parisian and Viennese bon-bons and truffles, I have had a soft spot for these sweets...


I have the Naxos Historical reissue of Ms Schwarzkopf's classic recording (also under maestro Ackermann) of Lehar's complete _Merry Widow_. I like it a lot, but the only thing I don't like about some operettas is the seemingly endless dialogue (I don't understand German). & I'm too lazy to fast forward to the next vocal/musical track. But I'm slowly getting used to this, I'm kind of treating it as "down time." Re Ms Streich, I have never heard of her or her work until I just saw the cover you posted. I'll have to look for something with this woman, I prefer complete operettas (or at least highlights), but I'll PM you soon in the next few days and we can talk about this, your recommendations, etc...



> Not that I'd surrender my Wagner... or Mahler... but sometimes you are just in the mood for these sensuous delights, brilliant melodies, and no pretensions.


Yes, I have been mainly listening to a lot of top-heavy stuff, not much of those two guys, but a lot of more modern things in the past couple of years. So I'm taking a detour to operetta, which is quite fun, and I love those lovely melodies, and the way these guys sensitively applied their craft. As you say "no pretensions" - we can enjoy both the "serious" and "not so serious" things in life and music. BTW, the Strauss operetta "Jabuka" which I listened to this week after getting it has no dialogue, and it's actually more like a comic opera than an operetta. Apparently, it was Strauss' most "opera-like" operetta, inspired in a big way after he saw the Vienna premiere of Smetana's _The Bartered Bride_. The world of Dvorak and Smetana is never too far away in the music of "Jabuka." I plan to get more of his operettas (the Naxos series is a good start), as well as some more of Lehar, and also Kalman and Pal Abraham (who specialised in "jazz operetta" - which I have also been getting into in previous weeks - I borrowed "The White Horse Inn" by Benatzky/Stolz and have enjoyed that heaps)...


----------



## jaimsilva

Rachaminov and Lutoslawski Paganini variations for piano and orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Finzi: Clarinet Concerto*

From this album-










Nice to come back to this very good concerto. I feel that I should say some more, but my English wokubalary dont allows...


----------



## Oskaar

*Glazunov; Violin Concerto, Op. 82, in A Minor*

From this record:


----------



## World Violist

Sid James said:


> Thanks for reading. No, I haven't heard Lennie's account of the _Kaddish_ symphony. I understand this work went through a number of revisions, so maybe what he put down earlier is substantially different than on the Axelrod recording I own. It would be interesting to hear what the man himself did with this fine score. I read somewhere that this work was premiered not long after J.F.K's assasination, so it had a "double meaning" for Bernstein, who I think knew the President personally. In that first performance when he was on the podium, the composer was visibly shaken, and he was in tears while conducting. He later said that he had a vision of J.F.K. saying something to him while he was conducting that first performance of the _Kaddish_. BTW, I also know that David Diamond composed a _Kaddish for cello & orchestra_, and I would be interested in getting that at some stage. I only own one of those other Naxos discs of his music, which is pretty good...


Lenny did make a second recording toward the end of his life, and I'm fairly sure it's the "final edition" of it (I can't remember offhand what manner of revision it went through; I don't think Bernstein completely rewrote stuff, only messed a bit with orchestration like Mahler). And yes, he was friends with JFK.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy: Sonata for violin & piano in C major Op.59 / Sonata for cello & piano*


----------



## Oskaar

*stravinsky, debussy, la pieri*

Stravinsky: Sacre Du Printemps (Le) / Debussy: Jeux / Dukas: La Peri (Les Ballets Russes, Vol. 1)


----------



## Oskaar

*Sonater for violin og klaver op. 9 & op.35 by Carl Nielsen*










This a norwgian album,not on amazon. But it is very good, and the violinsonate by nielsen is outstanding!


----------



## Oskaar

*SINDING: Piano Trios Nos. 2 and 3*

Sinding is a norwegian treasure, who often come in the shadow of Grieg.

I must say that I have more pleasure listening to sinding than Grieg. Grieg may be overwhelming nationalromantic sometimes. But I must admit, I did not explore Grieg so much so far. I will! (I am from Norway)

But sinding is a diamond! 
These work reflects some of his brilliant tenderness.


----------



## Oskaar

*listening disclaimer*

I listened to mahlers symphony no 2 yesterday...such a fantastic work!

But the work involve me in such a way that I get tired. I love the big works, and most of them are undiscovered by me..

But since I get so involved.. I often chose lighter works, that dont have this heavy inpact on me. I suffer from depressions, have medicin for it, but I love Brahms, wagner, Mahler++. I just have to be a bit careful with them!


----------



## Oskaar

*svendsen; Romance, Op. 26*

A little pearl!

From this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius & Korngold Violin Concertos-Sinding Suite*










Remarkable...Listened to sibelius violin concerto one moment ago, and felt that i did not like the work, so I skipped....Here with perlman...outstanding!


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Remarkable...Listened to sibelius violin concerto one moment ago, and felt that i did not like the work, so I skipped....Here with perlman...outstanding!


But it may also be my quiqley cahnging mood! hehe

I bet the Dong-suk Kang version was not that bad.


----------



## Air

I'm currently listening to Andras Schiff's lectures on Beethoven's Piano Sonatas, specifically the op. 22 (underrated!), op. 53 ('Waldstein'), and op. 81a ('Les Adieux'). I've decided to play an entire Beethoven sonata this upcoming year and have been able narrowed my choices down to these three (unfortunately, in the competition I'm working towards everything after op. 90 is off limits ).

It's nice to hear him play and explain almost equally. No surprise that he (like me, and Glenn Gould) also hums a lot when he plays.


----------



## Oskaar

*Scandinavian Wind Quintets*


----------



## Oskaar

*Paul Dukas: Symphony In C Major / Gabriel Fauré: Pelléas Et Mélisande*


----------



## Oskaar

Air said:


> No surprise that he (like me, and Glenn Gould) also hums a lot when he plays.


The humming is mostly charming!


----------



## Oskaar

*Ignacy Paderewski: Piano Concerto*

From this album:










Fantastic!


----------



## Oskaar

*nielsen, linde ,leifs,sibelius*

Nielsen: Suite / Linde: Concerto Piccolo / Leifs: Variazioni Pastorali / Sibelius: Impromptu


----------



## Oskaar

The Armide Overture is all that i can find from Wesstrom. Does anybody knows something about him?


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op.33, _performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Sergei Rachmaninoff_--Piano_ _Concerto__ No.__2 in C Moll, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Moll, Op.30. _Both works feature Abbey Simon on piano playing with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Conductor is Leonard Slatkin. I don't know which piece I like better, so I'll just say that both are simply lushly gorgeous!
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111, Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34bis and The Love for Three Oranges, Op.33bis. _All 3 works are performed by the National Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin.
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.1 in D major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. _Both works are performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of James Levine. As of now, I seem to be leaning more towards the 5th than the 6th in terms of my listening appreciation.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Brahms 2nd piano concerto, Emil Gilels and Eugen Jochum, played very loudly.


----------



## Chopin_Fan777




----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 8
Dohnanyi/Cleveland

(It's the Haas edition, just for the record) (Also for the record, I'm writing this as I listen for the first time)

It's just the first movement and this recording already has me in awe. It's a reading that feels broad yet moves forward _and_ has its inner logic; in other words, it just doesn't get better than this.

The second movement is very fleet, which I feel is a vast advantage over other recordings that make it weighty and it just feels like a slog-fest. This one moves right along while still being impactful and precise, the trio quiet, intimate and foreshadowing the adagio; in other words, a counter-balance to the first movement that is unjustly ignored by many others.

Now on to the adagio...this is one of the most heartfelt recordings of it I've ever heard. It doesn't reach into eternity like Celibidache, nor is it the no-nonsense approach of Boulez. It's just there, luxuriant yet intensely inward-looking (if you care, it clocks in at over 29 minutes). He makes the Haas edition really feel _right,_ the quiet episode near the climax being shatteringly so. And the climax, its fallout, and the coda must be heard to be believed.

Needless to say, when the finale storms in it sets things off at a clip, always giving the music its due space but always moving forward.

Oh, forget it. There's no way to describe this sort of recording. It's my desert island Bruckner 8. I've never experienced it quite this way before. The architecture feels incredible. You Brucknerites out there owe it to yourselves to hear this.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, it was these things -

*BERNSTEIN/SONDHEIM *- "West Side Story" - performed by the West Side Story Orchestra with vocal leads Yvonne Othon, Betty Wand, George Chakiris, Jim Bryant, Tucker Smith, Russ Tamblyn, Suzie Kaye, Marni Nixon, Natalie Wood, Joanne Miya/Conducted by Johnny Green (Columbia stereo cd)

- This was the first time I had heard all of the songs in this musical (I've never seen the film). There are many stylistic currents here, from jazz to echoes of techniques in Berg's _Wozzeck_, to Latin American rhythms and beats. I really like soprano Marni Nixon, I have her doing some Ives songs, and she is tops in the American song realm. As for Natalie Wood, she is pretty good for someone who was an actor rather than singer, she doesn't take any "risks" but she does it in a straight and natural way. There are quite a few politically risque lyrics here. Eg. in "America" one of the singers playing a Hispanic woman sings that she'd like to get a good job, to which one of the guys replies "Better if you lose your accent" (talking to the migrant experience of prejudice and discrimination in Anglo-dominated American in the 1950's). No wonder Bernstein was viewed with some suspicion by "the establishment" back then - the time of the McCarthy "blacklist" regime - and his phone was actually bugged by the CIA, apparently. I am now going to try to get the version Bernstein put down with Carreras and Te Kanawa, which would be an interesting contrast.

*Haydn* - Keyboard Concerto in D major; *Handel* - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba; *Purcell* - Ciacona in G minor - Three pieces from *Album: Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord) directing his English Concert* (Archiv Produktion CD)

*Hadyn* - Keyboard Concerto in D major (Alfred Brendel, pianoforte/Vienna CO/Paul Angerer)
*Hummel* - Piano Concerto in B minor (Martin Galling, pianoforte/Innsbruck SO/Robert Wagner)
Award tape

These three highlights from the Pinnock disc I acquired yesterday where sheer delight. I compared his harpsichord version of the same Haydn concerto with Mr Brendel's pianoforte version. On the whole, this concerto is amazing, from a moment that sounds like atonality in the slow movement to the "Hungarian Rondo" finale which is very bouncy. If I remember correctly, Mr Brendel plays no cadenza in that third movement, whereas Mr Pinnock does - and the harpsichord here, with the plucked strings, sounds exactly like a Hungarian cimbalom!!! As for the Hummel concerto, it has always been a favourite. Seeing Piers Lane playing it in the 1990's was a great memory. This work typifies Hummel's operatic "cantabile" style which was apparently to have great impact on guys like Chopin. It's the only work I own by the man, and I certainly aim to at least get Stephen Hough's much lauded disc of both of Hummel's piano concertos (I don't remember ever hearing the other one)...


----------



## Pieck

Shostakovich 8th SQ (Emerson), I missed this work. Actually I got to know it through the TC top chamber string ensembles list.


----------



## science

Symphony #1


----------



## science

Pieck said:


> Shostakovich 8th SQ (Emerson), I missed this work. Actually I got to know it through the TC top chamber string ensembles list.


I love that piece. Never get enough of it.


----------



## presto

Online BBC Radio 3
Love this station, I get all my classical musical needs here when I'm not playing my ipod.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_three


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Sid James

A weekend here, listened to these earlier - some music from three composers in the "Pan American Musical Society" set up after the First World War to promote new music of the American continent, which folded by the outbreak of the Second World War due to funding problems for obvious reasons. Guys like Leopold Stokowski were also heavily involved in this on the conducting side, also other composers like Ives, Carter, Villa-Lobos, Cowell (& the ones below) to name the main ones were also part of this sadly short-lived progressive music movement -

*CHAVEZ* - Symphonies: # 1 "Sinfonia de Antigona;" # 2 "Sinfonia da India;" # 3 "Sinfonia Romantica" (LSO/Eduardo Mata) VoxBox 2 disc set

I got this set a while back and just returned to it now, after revived interest in music from that part of the world. This guy was so innovative (definitely influencing Copland - see below). His symphonies are comparatively short - the first two are about 10 or so minutes - but they pack a hell of a lot in to that short space of time. Take the 1st, named after the famous Ancient Greek tragedy. There is a section shortly after the beginning where there is this counterpoint, Chavez splits the violins into several (say 3 or 4) groups. Some play this interweaving slow & intense music, and one group of violins glides above in an icy almost electronic sounding glissando. This was composed in about 1933, almost 10 years before Messiaen employed glissandi in his _Quartet for the End of Time_. Not to speak of Penderecki and Sculthorpe in the '60's. Apart from this counterpoint, the low strings are playing providing a kind of foundation to this sequence, and then the brass come in later with this ominous music, which is just so tragic and dark. Similarly, the 2nd symphony, while on the surface appearing to sound like a soundtrack to a cowboy film, is highly sophisticated, particularly in terms of rhythm (native Mexican percussion instruments are used). There is a slow, intense and sad middle section which speaks (to me) of the tragic history of colonialism and oppression of Mexico (this being a few years after the revolution which brought "people power" to the country). Of course, the end is triumphal and optimistic, seeming to say that the worst is behind us. As for the 4th symphony, it is no less amazing, the three movements follow on from eachother here but there is a short pause between each. The slow movement has a decidedly Brucknerian grace and lilt. Interesting how all of these symphonies start with the main themes stated straight away, there is no mucking around with lengthy (or any) introductions. Chavez didn't seem particularly interested in traditional (sonata?) forms, he was taught for a while by Varese, but throughout his life constantly returned to the scores of Beethoven and Brahms for inspiration. I think Chavez himself taught the conductor on this recording, Eduardo Mata, and it is an excellent account in all respects, imo (Chavez's own recording, put down in about 1960 - which I used to have - sounded then more rougher and less polished than Maestro Mata's).

*COPLAND* - El Salon Mexico (Detroit SO/Antal Dorati) Decca London sublabel - with other orchestral works

This work, a picture postcard "snapshot" of Mexican life, was undoubtedly influenced by Chavez. Copland actually visited Mexico when Chavez was active there as a conductor and composer. They soon became firm friends, premiering eachother's works in their respective countries. This is a very bright work, full of breezy orchestral writing and rhythms reminiscent of Stravinsky. But it is very unique, perhaps a bit more traditional in structure than Chavez, but things like Copland's blocked chords are clearly apparent.

*VARESE* - Integrales; Un grand sommeil noir (song for soprano & piano, wds. Paul Verlaine); Ionisation for percussion (Polish NRSO/Lyndon-Gee & others) from 2 seperate Naxos discs below

Just like the Chavez symphonies and the Copland work above, Varese' _Integrales_ neatly fits into three distinct sections. But that's kind of where the similarity ends. There is a huge battery of percussion in this work, played by no less than four percussionists. There is a sequence in the middle reminiscent of jazz or marching brass bands. The trademark "lion's roar" also pops up many times, as it does in _Ionisation _- which is purely for percussion. This guy loved percussion instruments, and had a battery of them in his home in New York, so he could play them and hear the sounds while composing these complex pieces. As for Ionisation, Varese never specified what it's about - the sirens speak to air-raids (but this was composed around 1930, well before WW2), but they can also be fire engines, the tubular bells are church bells, is this an urban jungle or an image in sound of modern warfare? It's up to the listener to decide. As for the song, it was part of a group of songs but went up in smoke with all of Varese's works done before WW1 in a warehouse fire in Berlin around 1913. This song was somehow deposited in the New York Public Library before that fire, so it's the only thing we have from him composed before WW1. It is a perfect image in sound of Verlaine's brooding and dark poetry, it is a bit like Debussy but perhaps even less tonal and more dissonant, but not hard to listen to by any stretch of the imagination. The soprano here sings with a little too much vibrato for my tastes, but it's hard to judge, since I haven't heard any other performance of this works. On the whole, these two discs contain everything the man has left to us (apart from the _Poeme Electronique_), and is an excellent primer in Varese's musics...


----------



## Bix




----------



## jaimsilva

I never get tired of listening this:










then I'll go for:


----------



## Oskaar

*Carl Nielsen; String Quartet in G minor, Op. 13*










The two first quartets on this album;

String Quartet in F minor, FS 11 (Op. 5)
Composed by Carl Nielsen and

String Quartet in E flat major, FS 23 (Op. 14)
Composed by Carl Nielsen

both did not catch my attention very much.

But this one absolutely do!


----------



## Oskaar

*Ropartz; Symphony Nos 2 & 5*


----------



## Oskaar

*Ropartz: Les Quatuors, Vol. 1- Quartets Nos. 2 and 3*


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Oskaar

*Alberic Magnard | Guillaume Lekeu: Violin Sonatas*


----------



## jaimsilva

Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter playing Brahms and Grieg
recorded at the 1964 Aldeburgh Festival


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin Sonatas By Delius And Elgar*


----------



## World Violist

Now listening to Bruckner 3 for the first time. Dohnanyi/Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## jaimsilva

Oleg Kagan and Sviatoslav Richter playing Brahms, Grieg and Ravel (on a japanese edition, live recording in Nakaniida Bach Hall, 1986)


----------



## Oskaar

*svendsen; Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4*

From this record;


----------



## Oskaar

*Malcolm Arnold; Viola Sonata, Op. 17*

From this record:


----------



## jaimsilva

Milhaud "La création du monde" and "Suite Provençale", Poulenc "Concerto for organ", Stravinsky "Jeu de cartes"


----------



## Oskaar

*Delius Cello Sonata*

From the same album


----------



## Oskaar

*Lennox Berkeley; Viola Sonata in D minor, Op. 22*

Beutiful and interresting sonata. One of those that creap under you skin!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Brahms, Piano Concerto 1, Gilels and Jochum.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enchantment: Music for Flute and Piano*

The works:

Sonata for Flute and Piano; Francis Poulenc
Deux Pièces pour flûte et piano; Reynaldo Hahn
Sonatine for flute and piano; Joseph-Guy Ropartz
Sonatine for flute and piano; Henri Dutilleux
Sonata for flute and piano; César Franck










outstanding!


----------



## Oskaar

Sonata for flute and piano; César Franck

it is so beatiful!


----------



## Pieck

Violin Sonata - Bartok


----------



## jaimsilva

Sviatoslav Richter playing Schumann


----------



## science

I love these. You can sneer "light classical" whatever else snooty nonsense you like. I love them regardless. Rhythm, tone color, melody, harmony - it's all there.


----------



## mmsbls

I love Sibelius symphonies, but somehow the fourth seems a bit different to me. I may just need more time. I copied these to my Sibelius playlist in ITunes and planned to listen to No 1 and 4. Instead as the horns began the fifth I found myself listening to that as well.


----------



## Guest

I'm listening now to a cello sonata from Charles-Marie Widor:









I generally associate Widor with organ music, but apparently his chamber music is quite good. The rest of the album is quite good too, by the way.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was mainly these -

*BERNSTEIN* - Symphony #3 "Kaddish" (Nimbus label)

*MILHAUD* - Service Sacre (Naxos label)

*BENIAMINO GIGLI* (tenor vocalist) - 2 disc set of radio broadcasts from 1930's-1950's done in the UK & USA, a disc I borrowed from the library. Sound quality isn't very good, but this guy's magnificent voice just shines through, he has always been one of (if not the) favourite tenors of mine of all time. I especially like the sets he put down with piano accompaniment, which have a very intimate, "art-song" type of feel...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I finally got around to listening to this recent purchase:










I was expecting something more knotty and expressionistic... but the work (a large choral piece) was simply rather beautiful. While the work was clearly Modernist, it struck me as not far removed from something like Herbert Howell's choral works.

As for Beniamino Gigli... yes indeed! A marvelous singer... regardless of how dated his recordings are and how dated his over-the-top emoting can be. He was a marvelous singer.


----------



## jaimsilva

Brahms Handel variations and other piano pieces by Perahia


----------



## jaimsilva

Perahia jumping on other music:


----------



## jaimsilva

piano and orchestra again: Mendelssohn Piano concertos by Andras Schiff


----------



## Oskaar

*Nielsen: Violin Sonatas, Etc / G. Demertzis, M. Asteriadou*


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 8*

Listening to choral Symphonies today! - have already listened to Mendelssohn's 2nd and Vaughan Williams 1st.
Next up Beethoven's 9th


----------



## Oskaar

*Nielsen, Ibert, Jolivet*

Nielsen, C.: Flute Concerto / Ibert, J.: Flute Concerto / Jolivet, A.: Flute Concerto / Suite En Concert (Alanko)


----------



## Oskaar

*Nielsen: Concerto for Violin - Symphony No. 4*


----------



## Oskaar

*Cal Nielsen; Violin concerto, Op. 33 (FS 61)*

From this record:


----------



## jaimsilva

Beethoven: cello and piano - sonatas and variations. Pieter Wispelwey and Dejan Lazic


----------



## Oskaar

*Max Bruch; Concerto for clarinet & viola with orchestra, in E minor, Op. 88*

From this very nice Album:










The Bruch concerto is Very beautiful, at least for me!


----------



## robert

Well I finished listening to the complete string quartets of Shostakovich...I like the performance of the Sorrel Quartet. I do not love it. They will not replace my favorite Borodin or Shostakovich quartets. I love their playing. Not always intense enough but enough to keep me interested...I will definitely return to this set....Shostakovich is probably my favorite composer. I love his symphonies 1 4 5 7 8 10 11 15, his string quartets 1 3 4 8 10 11 15 plus his concertos....I have a large library of his music.....never tire of it.....


----------



## robert

Lepo Sumera

Symphony 1


----------



## jaimsilva

Salieri: Requiem


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--_The Wasps, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, In the Fen Country, Variations for Orchestra, Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 in E Minor, and Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus". _All these works are performed by the Academy Of St Martin In The Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. 
Gustav Mahler--_Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, _performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maurice Abravanel.
Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op.33_
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92_
Both of the above works are performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## robert

Harrison Birtwistle

Secret Theatre...


----------



## Conor71

*Vaughan Williams: Concerto For 2 Pianos, Job*


----------



## samurai

robert said:


> Well I finished listening to the complete string quartets of Shostakovich...I like the performance of the Sorrel Quartet. I do not love it. They will not replace my favorite Borodin or Shostakovich quartets. I love their playing. Not always intense enough but enough to keep me interested...I will definitely return to this set....Shostakovich is probably my favorite composer. I love his symphonies 1 4 5 7 8 10 11 15, his string quartets 1 3 4 8 10 11 15 plus his concertos....I have a large library of his music.....never tire of it.....


@robert, Like you, I am a great admirer of Dmitri Shostakovich, and consider him to be one of my favorite composers. However, not having listened to any of his sqs, and noticing by your comment that you have completed listening to the complete set, I was just wondering if each numbered quartet matches up in any way to the same corresponding number of his symphonies in terms of thematic structure and mood etc. etc. For instance, would his 7th sq be anything like the "Leningrad" or the 11th sq be reminiscent in any way of "The Year 1905". or do they both {sqs and symphonies} just happen to share the same corresponding numbers? 
Anyway, I hope you don't find my query to be too silly; I intend to obtain all of Shostakovich's symphonies--perhaps a box set would be best--and am really not that intrigued by string quartets from any composer. However, if his sqs somehow *do *reflect the vividness and historical and personal angst of the symphonies by him which I've heard so far, then they would definitely be worthwhile for me to look into as well. I believe he wrote 15 symphonies {?}; how many sqs did he write? Thanks for your time and patience in wading thru this post.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been pulling out a couple of old favorites lately:










In the case of Mahler, it appears I've been on a bit of a kick lately... listening to the 2nd, 9th, and 8th over the last few days.










Now I'm on to something completely different:


----------



## Sid James

Some repeated listening last night, and my first listen in ages to some Rachmaninov piano pieces as well as Chavez's 5th symphony -

*RACHMANINOV* - Prelude in C Sharp Minor; Paques from Suite for Two Pianos No. 1; Prelude in G minor (Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andre Previn, pianos) - from Decca double "The No. 1 Rachmaninov Album"

- All three of these works are very innovative for the time (around 1900). There are Rach's trademark blocked chords there, as well as repetitive passages prefiguring minimalism (esp. in the amazing "Paques" (or Easter) from the 1st suite). This double disc set is a compilation, there are some complete longer works (eg. the 2nd concerto & rhapsody on Paganini) as well as shorter works and movements from longer ones. I haven't listened to it much since getting it, and beginning to get into it in more depth just now.

*CARLOS CHAVEZ* - Sinfonia India (Symphony #2); Symphony #5 for string orch. (LSO/Eduardo Mata, cond) VoxBox double disc set - Chavez complete symphonies

- Chavez was again, another great innovator. The _Sinfonia India_, his most famous and often recorded work, is much more than just a Hollywood cowboy film soundtrack, as some people erroneously try to stereotype it as. The block like cellular thematic development is highly reminiscent of his teacher, Varese. This symphony is for the most part upbeat and happy, but there is a central section that is just so tragic, and speaks to me of the struggle against oppression in the revolution against the dictatorship in Mexico, which had happened not long before this was penned (1933). Chavez's use of native percussion instruments in this work is also highly original. As for the 5th symphony, it is for strings alone, and shows Chavez's mastery of counterpoint. There are quite a few glissandos there, decades before guys like Penderecki and Xenakis would use them as a trademark. There is also use of the technique of rallontando, which (I think?) means that after a phrase is played, elements or fragments of that phrase continue in the next section. The first movement is quite long and complex, at 16 minutes (there is a violin solo towards the middle that reminds me strongly of Berg's _Violin Concerto_), the second and final movement is about 8 minutes, and sounds like Baroque meets Mexicana. A great performance here from Eduardo Mata, who studied under the composer. I am getting into these complex works bit by bit, listening to them all in one sitting would be "biting off more than I can chew."

*BENIAMINO GIGLI* (tenor vocalist) - Live in concert 1938-1955 (Eklipse label, 2 disc set, put on cd 1993)

- An interesting set I borrowed from the library. Here, Gigli sings a range of arias and popular melodies with orchestra and also with piano accompaniment. His vocal range was considerable, some of the songs are done in deep tenor voice, others in his trademark lighter and more sensitive style. I also like how these were radio recordings, the announcers go into some depth about the songs being sung (eg. telling the story of the operas or reading the text of the popular songs) and there is even a short bit at the end of one recital where Gigli talks to the announcer on stage and expresses gratitude for the audience and conductor. A bit of humour too in the final song, _Torna A Sorrento_, a duet which Gigli sings with the singer of the popular realm back then, Gracie Fields...


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms and His Contemporaries, Vol. 1*

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Robert Fuchs (Composer), Alexander von Zemlinsky (Composer), Paul Rivinius piano, johannes moser cello










the works:

Brahms:
Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99

Fuchs, R:
Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 83

Zemlinsky:
Sonata in A minor for Cello & Piano (1894)


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*rabl, zemlinsky, brahms*










Walter Rabl: Quartett Op. 1; Alexander Zemlinsky: Trio Op. 3; Brahms: Trio Op. 114 
Ensemble Kontraste


----------



## science




----------



## presto

oskaar said:


> From this record:


I think I might like this CD.


----------



## Oskaar

*Zemlinsky: String Quartets*


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


>


Man, I've got to get a set of those sometime. I've been tempted by the LaSalle Quartet, because it's cheap, and by the Artis Quartet, but they're expensive. The Amazon clips from this sound good.

How are these quartets grabbing you?


----------



## Manxfeeder

I like Ravel's Bolero because of its unique take on the theme and variations concept - instead of varying the theme, it varies the color. Today, I'm listening to Louis Fremaux and the LSO's recording. The recording engineering is very responsive; it sounds like I'm standing behind the conductor, even picking up some key clicks.


----------



## Oskaar

I have just finished relistening to this album gem:


----------



## Oskaar

*Albert Roussel - Sonatas para violín y piano*

Found this one again. I am in a litle "chamber-late 1800-beginning 1900" periode.

The sound and performance on this album is eccelent.


----------



## jaimsilva

starting with Debussy, of course!


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: Works for Violin & Piano*

Almost finished this great Album;


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax / Bliss: Oboe Quintets / Britten: Phantasy Quartet*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, 4th symphony, by Klaus Tennstedt. Well done, with a nice, big, romantic sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*chausson, debussy, widor; Piano trios*


----------



## World Violist

Szymanowski: Symphony No. 3
Antal Dorati/Detroit Symphony

Just got past the first big climax. This is some fascinating stuff, don't know fully what to make of it. One hell of an orchestrator though.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Finlandia, Op.26. _Both works feature Zubin Mehta conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor {"The Year 1905"},_ performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## science




----------



## Chopin_Fan777

Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony. Found it on Youtube featuring Charles Dutoit and a Japanese orchestra. Truly a pathos, just as the nickname suggests.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, I got into these, & this morning bits of the Khatchaturian/Glazunov disc -

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - Jabuka (Operetta in 3 acts) - Prof. Christian Pollack, cond. (Naxos 2 discs, coupled with orch. suite of dance arrangements from the operetta)

- Have listened to this gem of an operetta several times since getting it last week. Fellow member here Stlukes said he thought operetta music was like bons bons, but in terms of this work at least, it's more like a rich black forest cake! There are so many layers there. Some superb choral and vocal writing, and orchestration which is highly sophisticated. The music has a decidedly Czech flavour, as this work was inspired by Smetana's _Bartered Bride_, and _Jabuka_ is also set in Serbia. The plot, like all Viennese operettas, is pure whimsy. There are two couples, the women (as usual) playing "hard to get," but in the end (of course) they fall in love, and there is champaigne for all to drink happily at the end. So it's the "stock standard" operetta "plot" if you can call it that (wafer thin?) but who cares when the music and singing is as bloody good as this?!

*CARLOS CHAVEZ* - Symphony #4 "Sinfonia Romantica" - LSO/Eduardo Mata, cond. (VoxBox 2 disc set - Chavez compete symphonies)

- I have been re-exploring Chavez's brilliant and masterful symphonies of late, one by one. This time, the 4th symphony, composed in the early 1950's, was in the player. This symphony opens with a 16 note theme played by an oboe, which becomes the basis of much which follows after. The second movement has a decidedly Brucknerian grace, married with atonal elements. Copland's "open air" style is also there, the two were great friends, and undoubtedly influenced one another. The final movement has some interesting counterpoint, and makes me think of a carnival atmosphere (Chabrier's _Espana_ and Debussy's "Fetes" from _Nocturnes_ have a similar feel). There is a passage for the brass at the end, some rhythms and ideas are passed back and forth between them, it's quite intense. A great work all round, & Maestro Mata & his London players do a wonderful job with it.

*COPLAND* - Piano Sonata - Peter Lawson, pno. (EMI - Album: American Piano Sonatas Vol. 1 - Copland, Ives, Carter, Barber)

Speaking of Copland, I put this on, it had been almost 6 months since I heard it last. This, his only piano sonata, was written in the late 1930's - so sandwiched between_ El Salon Mexico_ & _Billy the Kid_ on the one hand & _Appalachian Spring_ on the other. Like those works, Copland's trademark block chords are all over the place. While his more popular works speak to the open air spaces of America, the piano sonata is more pensive and restrained, speaking of the inner loneliness of individuals living in the country's teeming cities. The middle movement is more busy and fast, the jazz influences of Copland's younger years come to the surface. This sonata is the one I most often return to on this disc (I also have volume 2) & it was the one that "kicked off" an interest in the genre from other American composers like Barber, Carter and Sessions to name a few.

*GLAZUNOV* - "Autumn" from _The Seasons_ ballet (Philharmonia Orch./Yvgeny Svetlanov, cond.)
*KHATCHATURIAN* - Lullaby, Storm sequence, Sabre Dance from _Gayaneh_ ballet suite (LSO/Khatchaturian)
Both on EMI "Classics for Pleasure" disc

- This morning, before getting the day under way, listened to these two brilliant composers. I hardly have anything of theirs on disc at the moment. Love the main theme of Glazunov's "Autumn," so invigorating. I thought his orchestration was more similar to say Bizet than Tchaikovsky. Then some bits of Khatchaturian's _Gayaneh_ ballet, which I have always loved. The lullaby is pretty dramatic towards the end, definitely not a stereotypical lullaby, the storm sequence comes across as just as intense as the one in Sibelius' _Tapiola_, and who could not love the bouncy and upbeat _Sabre Dance_?


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I've listened to many of the Shostakovich symphonies. But tonight, a mvmt. of the 10th on Pandora.


----------



## samurai

Chopin_Fan777 said:


> Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony. Found it on Youtube featuring Charles Dutoit and a Japanese orchestra. Truly a pathos, just as the nickname suggests.


Especially its final movement. For me, it basically defines the word *despair. *


----------



## Guest

Listening to a very remarkable album at the moment:









Louise Farrenc is a pretty obscure Romantic composer, but one of the best in my opinion. These violin sonatas are just gorgeous.

If you want to be surprised by something new and delightful, check this out. Highly recommended.


----------



## Pieck

Borodin 1st SQ and PQuintet - The Moscow SQ


----------



## Manxfeeder

Over the last few years, I've gotten in the habit on my birthday of listening to something recorded around the time I was born that's still remarkable after all these years. Today, it's David Oistrakh playing Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1.


----------



## Pieck

A. Scarlatti - Variations on La Folia for harpsichord. Great variatoins.


----------



## Aramis

Today's stuff:


----------



## Oskaar

*Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Rachmaninov*

Kabalevsky - Cello Concerto No. 2 / Khachaturian - Cello Concerto / Rachmaninov - Vocalise


----------



## Oskaar

*lalo; Works for Violin & Orchestra*

Fantastic album!


----------



## jaimsilva

listening again these two works of Cesar Franck: Symphony in D and Symphonic Variations (no big surprises, just relaxing after a very hard working day)


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi: Concerti per flauto traversiere*


----------



## elgar's ghost

Weill/Brecht - Das Berliner Requiem (DG 2-disc comp.)


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.9 in D Moll, Op.125, _performedbytheChicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Sir Georg Solti. The chorus director is Margaret Hillis.
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.6 in B Moll, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, _featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.9 in E Moll, OP.95 {"From the New World"}, _performed by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Christoph Von Dohnanyi.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Violin Sonatas*


----------



## jaimsilva

nice works - Dvorak: cello concerto, Bruch: Kol Nidrei, Tchaikovsky: Variations on a rococo theme - nicely played: Janos Starker, Antal Dorati with the London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still working my way slowly through this box set:










Currently listening to vol. 3: _Music from the Court of King Janus at Nicosia (1374-1432)_


----------



## Sid James

Last night, it was these -

*de FALLA* - "La Vida Breve" (Lyric opera) - cast incl. Victoria de los Angeles (sop.), orch. cond. by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos (EMI - 1 cd)

*Albert LORTZING* - "Zar und Zimmerman" (Highlights from the comic opera) - cast incl. Renate Holm (sop.), Waldemar Kmentt (ten.), Eberhard Wachter (bar.), Wiener Volksoper/Franz Bauer-Theussl, cond (Eurodisc vinyl LP)

*Album: Andre Rieu live in Australia *(rec. Melbourne, 2008) - with guest vocalists, Johann Strauss Orch., Australian Police Wind & Bagpipe Band, Andre Rieu, directions & arrangements (listened to 2nd disc of double disc set) (Universal Music)

My first listen to the de Falla & Lortzing operas. I quite enjoyed the de Falla, his use of orchestral and choral colours reminded me strongly of guys like Debussy & Ravel (whom he both knew intimately). The writing for the solo voices reminded me quite a bit of Verdi. Victoria de los Angeles was in her element in this Spanish music, and parts were also quite chamber-like, using the solo guitar to give strong hints of Flamenco. I had previously only heard the orchestral suite from this opera, but the opera itself was much better, imo. As for the Lortzing, he came across to me as being a bit like a German Rossini. Mozart and Beethoven, what little I know of them in the opera realm, came through to me as clear influences/links as well. This comic opera is a lot of fun, I don't know or care much about the plot (the usual shenanigans), but the music was superb. & to finish up, some Andre Rieu, whose arrangements are always fun for me to listen to (many Aussie tunes here, from _Botany Bay_, to _Waltzing Matilda_ & even the _Neighbours_ tv show theme!)...


----------



## World Violist

I'm just listening to "Erbarme dich" over and over again from this album:










Just the way she sings it; it's as though she's singing it to herself. And with the violinist interweaving with her lines and the orchestra just whispering. Whereas Hamari on Karl Richter's DVD makes one experience anguish, this one actually _aches._ It's just stunning.


----------



## Pieck

Poulenc - 4 Motets pour Un Temps


----------



## jaimsilva

Brahms three Violin Sonatas played by Oistrakh; the first with Osborin the second and third with Richter


----------



## Oskaar

*Elgar, Walton: Cello Concertos*


----------



## Oskaar

*Saint-Saëns - Cello Concertos Nos 1 & 2; Cello Sonata No 1*


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> I'm just listening to "Erbarme dich" over and over again.


Thanks for the clip.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

oskaar said:


>


Wow, that's a flutist? Hah, I need to pose like that for my CDs (if I ever come to that)


----------



## Oskaar

*walton, shostakovich; Cello Concertos*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Wow, that's a flutist? Hah, I need to pose like that for my CDs (if I ever come to that)


Oh, I hope it doesn't come to that! I was hoping that Lara St. John's "topless" photos was when that kind of thing hit "bottom."

I miss the good old days when you could be ugly as sin and play beautifully and that was enough.


----------



## jaimsilva




----------



## Aramis




----------



## Oskaar

*British Viola Concertos*

This is an exiting record....outstanding so far!


----------



## presto

Been captivated by this set for some weeks, a lot of wonderfull yet hardly known music.


----------



## jaimsilva

Not too happy with the sound of the Pianoforte, on the other hand very satisfied with the sound of the "Arpeggione" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arpeggione)


----------



## jaimsilva

two great works for cello and orchestra: Khachaturian: Cello Concerto and Concerto-Rhapsody for Cello and orchestra

















I'm loving it a lot! Don't miss this!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Horatio Parker's Concerto for Organ and Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev_--Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100._ Both works are performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--_The Wasps, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, In the Fen Country, Variations for Orchestra, Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 in E Minor and Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus_". All are performed by Academy Of St Martin In The Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## kv466

Liszt - Hungarian Fantasy, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1963) Russell Stanger conducts


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into these -

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - "Jabuka" (The Apple Festival) 2 disc set - cond. Prof. Christian Pollack - listened to disc 2 - Act 3 & orchestral arrangements of dances from the operetta (Naxos)

*Album: Music from the film "Titanic"* - James HORNER, composer, arranger, conductor - incl. theme song "My heart will go on" sung by Celine Dion (Sony Classical/Sony Sountrax)

*Album: Shearing On Stage!* - concert recorded live at Claremont College, Southern Californa (published 1959) - George Shearing (pno.) & his quintet (Capitol Records/EMI vinyl)
*
Carlos CHAVEZ* - Symphonies Nos. 2 "Sinfonia India" & 5 (for string orch.) - LSO/Eduardo Mata, cond. (from VoxBox 2 disc set - Chavez Complete Symphonies)

Some repeated listening of the Strauss & Chavez, & my first listen to the "Titanic" soundtrack. I have never seen the film, but James Horner's music was pretty good, a blend of many modernist elements in particular - Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Holst, Schoenberg especially came to mind. The sequence accompanying the sinking of the ship is quite dramatic and percussive. The soprano soloist and orchestra are "real" but the choral parts are obviously done by synthesiser. I'm not sure what's the reason - is it the complexity of this music (too difficult for a "real" choir?) or did the composer just want an artificial "other wordly" sound? I remember being saturated with Celine Dion's song back when the film came out in the late '90's, but the version she put down for this soundtrack is obviously different from her single which topped the charts. Her voice here is less "on steroids" than in the other version, she is more delicate and nuanced. The theme from her song is prefigured throughout the score beforehand (she only appears on the second last track). There is also a kind of English/Celtic feel to some of the music, kind of apt since the Titanic sailed from Britain. As for George Shearing, he's been one of my favourite pianists ever since I first heard him (he passed away earlier this year, in his early nineties). He was a great innovator, but never hard to listen to, getting into the Latin rhythms a decade or more before the likes of Stan Getz, using modern classical techniques like block chords and odd time signatures, and repetition which seems to have prefigured the minimalists. Great atmosphere in this live recording, and Mr Shearing who announces the pieces, had a very nice sense of humour...


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 9
Dohnanyi/Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Bruckner 9
> Dohnanyi/Cleveland Orchestra


And now that I've read through the score, it's GREAT to hear a recording that finally observes all the tempo fluctuation indications in the first movement (in case you were wondering, toward the beginning of the movement there's an accelerando that then is marked to ritard before the first big brass outburst, and in the equivalent spot toward the end of the movement, there isn't a ritard...and no other conductor that I've heard races into it like this!).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Cleveland misses Dohnanyi.


----------



## World Violist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Cleveland misses Dohnanyi.


Yeah, that's one of those golden combinations that makes me wish I lived there then...


----------



## Air

I've been following the "Summer of the Great Composers" countdown from my local radio station. It's nice to dedicate each day to listen to a different one of the "great composers" even if the order of the countdown is a bit strange (Liszt at 40, Verdi at 38...) I really like how open my station is to listener comments and requests - for example, yesterday the composer of the day was Ravel, and I requested _Daphnis et Chloe_ through email. I was delighted when they played the whole piece (nearly an hour long) in its entirety at 10 o'clock at night! 

Today is *Sibelius*'s day and right now I'm digging his *First Symphony*. It may not often be considered one of his 'greatest' symphonies but it's one of my personal favorites and listening to it is always a refreshing treat. The whole piece speaks of jagged peaks, pristine lakes, and enchanted forests - something that a suburban soul like me can sometimes lose touch with amidst the hubbub of life. It's simply a wonderful journey through Ainola and into the heart of Finland.


----------



## Tapkaara

Air said:


> I've been following the "Summer of the Great Composers" countdown from my local radio station. It's nice to dedicate each day to listen to a different one of the "great composers" even if the order of the countdown is a bit strange (Liszt at 40, Verdi at 38...) I really like how open my station is to listener comments and requests - for example, yesterday the composer of the day was Ravel, and I requested _Daphnis et Chloe_ through email. I was delighted when they played the whole piece (nearly an hour long) in its entirety at 10 o'clock at night!
> 
> Today is *Sibelius*'s day and right now I'm digging his *First Symphony*. It may not often be considered one of his 'greatest' symphonies but it's one of my personal favorites and listening to it is always a refreshing treat. The whole piece speaks of jagged peaks, pristine lakes, and enchanted forests - something that a suburban soul like me can sometimes lose touch with amidst the hubbub of life. It's simply a wonderful journey through Ainola and into the heart of Finland.


The 1st is probably my second favorite symphony by Sibelius. Of course, I love them all!


----------



## jaimsilva

some Barber


----------



## Pieck

Mendelssohn's Piano Trios just before catching the plane to Amsterdam (Beaux Arts Trio)


----------



## jaimsilva

*2 pianos*

Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire playing:

Sergei Rachmaninov: Suite op. 17 No. 2 for 2 pianos
Maurice Ravel: La valse (transcription for 2 pianos) 
Witold Lutoslawski: Variations on a theme by Paganini, for 2 pianos


----------



## jaimsilva

Rostropovich playing Schumann and Dvorak Cello Concertos


----------



## Aramis

No. 2 from which I draw magical powers

This recording has some great qualities, btw


----------



## World Violist

jaimsilva said:


>


I've got to say, Argerich looks terrifying on this cover. Looks like she's staring down Nelson Freire!


----------



## jaimsilva

going on with Argerich and Nelson Freire, this time the gorgeous Bartok Concerto for 2 pianos, percursion and orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*dussek-Piano Concertos*


----------



## Guest

Doesn't replace my preferred recording by Heifetz/Munch, but I am very much enjoying this recording.

Mike


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold / Goldmark: Violin Concertos*










Vera Tsu violin

Performers: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Long Yu, Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra, Karl Goldmark
Composers: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Karl Goldmark
Conductors: Long Yu


----------



## Manxfeeder

I put on Sibelius' first symphony, then thought, "Huh?" Turns out I grabbed Nielsen's first symphony. That kind of thing gets you awake in the morning.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Walter Gieseking*


----------



## Oskaar

*Max Bruch: Viola Concerto / Romance / 8 Pieces*










Fantastic sound on this album, and brilliant play so far!

Max Bruch: Viola Concerto / Romance / 8 Pieces
Miguel da Silva (Artist), Guillaume Sutre (Artist, Performer), Bruno Fontaine (Artist, Performer), Stefan Sanderling (Artist, Conductor), Orchestre de Bretagne (Artist, Orchestra), Max Bruch (Composer), Miguel de Silva (Performer)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This one just arrived:










Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and Josef Krips with the Vienna Symphony... recorded live in Vienna in 1964... What more could one desire?


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruch: ?uvres pour clarinette et alto*

The same score as my last listening, only clarinet instead of violin! In fact, coincident, only searched for op 88..

Eccelent album!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Myaskovsky: Symphony-Ballad No. 22, Symphony No. 23*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The second hearing since this arrived in the mail around 11:00 AM. It is absolutely stunning... and emotionally draining. I swear by Ferrier's recording with Bruno Walter... but this version is every bit as powerful. Wunderlich takes the three tenor numbers and renders them with his usual lyrical manner and heroic outbursts that verge upon the resplendent or radiant. Fischer-Dieskau renders the other three selections, including the devastating finale, _Der Abschied_, with the greatest subtlety of tone and emotion... dying away into nothingness. The applause begins immediately in earnest... and then intensifies greatly with loud cheers as if it had taken a moment for the notoriously difficult-to-please Viennese audience to sense (as the liner notes suggest) "it had experienced something extraordinary at this concert."

There can be no better way to begin the celebration of the 2011 as the "Mahler Year".


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, _performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitnik.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
What a rousing and wonderful way to end the day and get ready for the first game of the "Subway Series" between my NY Mets and the Yankees! Now I'm in the right frame of mind--combative and inspired. Bring 'em on! {The Yankees, that is.}


----------



## hespdelk

Interesting historical recordings featuring the great Adolf Busch.

Much could be said about the interpretations of the Brahms concerto and Beethoven romances, but the real curiosity for me is the account of Busoni's early violin concerto - a solid work that should be better known. Historically significant as Busch played a fair bit of Busoni's music and knew him during the time when Busoni was director at the conservatory in Berlin. The recordings are taken from old 78s, so it is serviceable but hardly hifi. I can't help but wish there was a performance of this callibre of the concerto available in modern sound.


----------



## science

Raz #2.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Cello and orchestra*

Pieter Wispelwey playing Saint-Saens Cello Concerto n.1, Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile and Variations on a Rococo Theme and Bruch Kol Nidrei


----------



## elgar's ghost

Stefan Wolpe - 'Zeus & Elida' and 'Schone Geschichten' (Decca Entartete Series). Two of his early Bauhaus-era works. If you like the jazz-tinged parody/absurdist/social(ist) commentary elements of Weill/Brecht's German output then this is for you. The fill-up is a small three-movement work called 'Blues - Stimmen aus dem Massengrab - March' which he wrote c. 1928 for a short-lived Berlin cabaret company.


----------



## science

Korngold - a favorite. A really beautiful, passionate work, everything a romantic violin concerto should be. Blow your nose at the snobs and just enjoy it.

And now:










A really random thing. I have no idea where I picked this up or what I was thinking. It must've been back in the days of wandering into music stores and buying random things.

Anyway, it's nice. I don't know that it's particularly special among all the recordings along these lines, but it is pretty and interesting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Korngold - a favorite. A really beautiful, passionate work, everything a romantic violin concerto should be. Blow your nose at the snobs and just enjoy it.


Amen, Bro.!


----------



## science

Listened to a couple recordings of Lalo's cello concerto earlier: Fournier 1960 and Starker 1962. It's amazing what a difference those 2 years made in recording quality. The cello sounds fine in both, but the orchestra in the 1960 recording sounds so tinny.


----------



## jaimsilva

Something I haven't listened for a long time


----------



## jaimsilva

first time listening to Hubay Vioin Concertos


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok, Szymanowski, Ravel*


----------



## World Violist

Songs from the Labyrinth: Songs by John Dowland
Sting, Edin Karamazov

The big reason I listen to this is because it's John Dowland, for goodness' sake. And Edin Karamazov's lute playing is just brilliant. Sting, I think, deserves props just for doing this, taking himself and his fans out of their comfort zone and exposing them to this music.

As for whether anyone here would like this, I rather doubt it. It's easy to tell that this is a rock musician's album, despite the classical appearance. Sting's ragged chest voice, for one thing, is a bit jarring at first (especially if you're used to, say, Andreas Scholl). And then there's his pronunciation. The consonants are all there, but he has a tendency to warp a vowel sound mid-word; rather offsetting. Also, there are times when there is four-part harmony: all four parts are Sting, multi-tracked very closely, so it looses the resonance of a natural, real quartet.

Still, I for one do like this album. Style aside, this is the real deal. Sting understands what these songs are about, has a seriously good lutenist in Karamazov, and can actually sing this stuff on a good musical level.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven_--Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92_. Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43,_ performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin davis.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 (Pathetique), by Solomon. Mainly because I was at an unusual funeral today; for the 30 minutes before it started, they just played the first movement over and over, and it reminded me of how long it's been since I've listened to it.


----------



## science

World Violist said:


> Songs from the Labyrinth: Songs by John Dowland
> Sting, Edin Karamazov
> 
> The big reason I listen to this is because it's John Dowland, for goodness' sake. And Edin Karamazov's lute playing is just brilliant. Sting, I think, deserves props just for doing this, taking himself and his fans out of their comfort zone and exposing them to this music.
> 
> As for whether anyone here would like this, I rather doubt it. It's easy to tell that this is a rock musician's album, despite the classical appearance. Sting's ragged chest voice, for one thing, is a bit jarring at first (especially if you're used to, say, Andreas Scholl). And then there's his pronunciation. The consonants are all there, but he has a tendency to warp a vowel sound mid-word; rather offsetting. Also, there are times when there is four-part harmony: all four parts are Sting, multi-tracked very closely, so it looses the resonance of a natural, real quartet.
> 
> Still, I for one do like this album. Style aside, this is the real deal. Sting understands what these songs are about, has a seriously good lutenist in Karamazov, and can actually sing this stuff on a good musical level.


I'll admit, with some embarrassment of course, that I like that album very much.


----------



## Sid James

Last few days, it's been these -

*ALLEGRI* - Miserere Mei
*MONTEVERDI* - Salve, O Regina
*SCHUTZ* - 3 Latin Motets
*PALESTRINA* - Stabat Mater
Pro Cantione Antiqua UK/Mark Brown, direction
(Alto Label - main work is Monteverdi's _Vespers of 1610_)

*J. STRAUSS JNR.* - "Jabuka" (The Apple Harvest) - Operetta in 3 acts - cond. Prof. Christian Pollack (Naxos double)

*RACHMANINOV* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Georges Cziffra, pno./New Philharmonia Orch./Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr., cond. (EMI, coupled with Grieg Concerto)

*RACHMANINOV* - Trio Elegiaque No. 2 in D minor
Pavel Serebrekov, pno./Mikhail Vaiman, vln./Mstislav Rostropovich, cello.
Rec. 1976, CD published 1998 (Point Classics/Russian Legacy)

Rachmaninov's _Trio Elegiaque No. 2_ is a wonderful work, written in the space of 6 weeks after Tchaikovsky's death. The outer movements are intense, dark, brooding, whereas the middle theme & variations are like miniature tone poems within themselves, worlds within worlds. This guy was so innovative, using techniques like block chords (those bell-like sounds, similar to the famous opening of his 2nd concerto, or the "Easter" movement from the first suite for two pianos), & also repetition (prefiguring minimalism) decades before anybody else made these their "trademark." I highly disagree with those who say that Rach was nothing but a weak imitator of Tchaikovsky (in fact, these people are talking utter rubbish, imo). Rach was one of the great innovators of his time, just like someone like say Stravinsky. But apart from that, this trio just moves me to a higher/deep spiritual level, and hearing it live has always been a dream of mine (but perhaps it's not programmed often due to it's darkness & intensity - indeed, the composer himself avoided playing or hearing it for about a decade after composing it, it bought back memories of losing a great friend & colleague in Tchaikovsky).


----------



## science

Another random thing. I wanted a recording of the Lear overture, and got this - I think most people would probably want the Corsair or the Carnaval Romaine. But there are probably more famous recordings of them out there.

And now:










One of my recent acquisitions. Listening now to Arrau playing the 12 Transcendental Etudes. Maybe they are harder than they sound, but I expected them to sound harder than they do. Anyway, they are very entertaining.

Edit: Almost finished with them, and they have become something I will recommend often! It has been awhile since works for solo piano connected with me so well on a first listening.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak & Smetana*

Quite a long time since I haven't listen to this


----------



## Sid James

Have only had time to listen to bits & pieces of these two this weekend, so before the weekend is out, I'll get into them tonight -

*Charles WOOD* - St Mark Passion for soloists, organ & choir - cond. Daniel Hyde (Naxos)

This is a quite "static" work, a bit like Stravinsky's _Oedipus Rex_. This work was composed after WW1 & meant as a smaller scale alternative to J.S. Bach's passions, incorporating hymns in English that could be sung by the congregation. I have heard it twice since getting it a few weeks back, the first time when I read along with the text (fully included in the liner notes) was more rewarding than just hearing it purely as music. The organ is itself like a character here, and the choir also like protagonists commenting and getting involved in Christ's road to Calvary. These exact hymns here intespersing this work are still sung in Anglican churches across the world. They are my favourite part of this work, and a friend described them perfectly, "they're like floating clouds." No wonder, as the notes say that the vague sense of tonality in some of Wagner's late operas had some impact on Wood when he put this work down on the page.

*BERNSTEIN/SONDHEIM* - West Side Story (Original soundtrack recording) - cond. Johnny Green (Columbia stereo CD, recorded c.1965)

One of the great musicals of all time, it's been great hearing all the songs for the first time (I have never seen the movie). Some quite politically risque lyrics in some of the songs, particularly "America" and "Gee, Officer Krupke." No wonder Bernstein's phone was bugged by the FBI during the McCarthyist "witch-hunt" regime. This was actually the first musical to be shot "on location" in a place (namely New York, of course) rather than in the sterile confines of a studio (Bernstein wanted it to be more natural). A good recording all round, my next step will be to hear the recording the man himself put down towards the end of his life, with Carerras and Kiri (which would be more "opera-like," no doubt)...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Jacqueline du Pré*

du Pré playing Strauss Don Quixote with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult
and
Lalo Cello Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim










allways nice listening to du Pré (and Lalo Cello concerto is underrsted in my opinion)


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms - Viola Sonatas*

Kim Kashkashian & Robert Levin playing Brahms Viola Sonatas


----------



## Oskaar

*Honegger, Milhaud , Saint-Saens- 3 cello concertos*


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> I have heard it twice since getting it a few weeks back, the first time when I read along with the text (fully included in the liner notes) was more rewarding than just hearing it purely as music.


Sorry to snip your quote like that, but this is an issue to me. I've noticed that I can't really enjoy a vocal work unless I know what is being sung, and also that I can't really pay attention to the music while following along liner notes.

I think this may be common, and maybe it explains why the most popular vocal music is masses.

So it takes awhile. These days I usually listen to the music a few times before following along with the words. For instance, I did so today with a work that is new to me, Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony:


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Violin Sonata; Szymanowski: Mythes / Danczowska, Zimerman*


----------



## Oskaar

*Enrique Granados, Joaquin Turina, Francis Poulenc*


----------



## Oskaar

*Gabriel Fauré - Joaquin Turina: Quartetti Per Pianoforte, Violino, Viola E Violoncell*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Debussy - Préludes*

Youri Egorov playing Debussy Préludes books 1 & 2


----------



## Oskaar

*ENESCU: Cello Sonata Op. 26 / VILLA-LOBOS: O Canto do Capadocio*


----------



## Oskaar

*Heitor Villa-Lobos, Three Sonatas*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Debussy - 12 Études*

Mitsuko Uchida playint the Twelve Études pour le piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi: Concerti per flauto traversiere*

Vivaldi CAN be boring, and it depends very much on my mode if I want to listen to him. No I am in the mood.. This concertos are very nice, and I love the performance!

Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in E minor, RV 432 Allegro 
Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in G major, RV 436 
Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in D major, RV 429 
Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in A minor, RV 440 
Double Flute Concerto, for 2 flutes, strings & continuo in C major, RV 533 
Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in G major, RV 438 
Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in D major, RV 427 
Flute Concerto, for flute, strings & continuo in E minor, RV 431


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The clarinet has long been a favorite instrument of mine... and it seems many composers share my love: Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, Copland, Morton Feldman, Spohr, Krommer, Nielsen, Mendelssohn, Stamitz, Saint-Saëns, Weber and more all composed some of their finest work for this instrument.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104, _performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Sir Colin Davis.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducyed by Carlos Kleiber.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50*


----------



## science

Ein florentische tragodie - surprised this isn't more famous.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--S_ymphony No.7 in D Moll, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. _Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Giulini.


----------



## Guest

samurai said:


> Antonin Dvorak--S_ymphony No.7 in D Moll._


_

This, along with Brahms 3, is one of the most grossly underperformed symphonies in the standard repertoire. Why it doesn't get played more boggles me._


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> Sorry to snip your quote like that, but this is an issue to me. I've noticed that I can't really enjoy a vocal work unless I know what is being sung, and also that I can't really pay attention to the music while following along liner notes.
> 
> I think this may be common, and maybe it explains why the most popular vocal music is masses...


Yes, you are exactly right, it's often the case that I need to read the lyrics while the work is playing to get the "full picture" so to speak. But sometimes, I'm too tired to do that, so I just listen to the songs purely as music. & some works kind of "illustrate" themselves, as long as you know the gist of what's going on (Stravinsky's _Oedipus Rex_, which is narrated in English on the recording I have, is quite "easy" in that regard). Then there are lighter things like operetta where the plot is like wafer thin & always the same, so I just listen to these things just to enjoy the music. I'm now getting into some more musicals (like Bernstein's _West Side Story_) which are sung in English, so it's easy to understand what's going on. & you're right about masses, the text is always the same, so no sweat there. Once you know the words to one (or the gist of them), then you know them all.

BTW - Zemlinsky was a "discovery" of mine last year, I love this guy's stuff. Such a unique composer, & his one-time student Schoenberg said that he learnt virtually everything he knew music-wise from Zemlinsky. I've basically loved all that I've heard from the guy - his output seems to be of a consistent high quality. It's sad that he died in relative obscurity (his music being banned by the Nazis in occupied Europe didn't help him one bit), but more recently some great conductors like Chailly, Maazel and Conlon have rescued Zemlinsky from the shadows, he is now much more better known than he was in the decades following his death...


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten--_Passacaglia, Op.33b, from the opera Peter Grimes. _This work is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andre Previn.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven's Trio, Op. 1, 2 and 3.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm taking a stab at Stockhausen's Gruppen, a downloaded live performance. I don't know the nuances of the serialism at work here, but what's compelling here is, almost every second there's a new sound color.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Violin Concertos*

two very different Violin Concertos both very well played by Hilary Hahn: 
Mendelsohn and Shostskovich n.1


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven, Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos*


----------



## Aramis

Rachmaninov's cello sonata in G minor, Ax/Yo-Yo Ma. It is a good shrubbery. First theme from last movement sounds like theme from NEW ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD series.


----------



## World Violist

I just stumbled on this on Youtube, looking for viol music. Not only is it strikingly beautiful, but it has a low A string! I'm torn between saying I could die happy and saying I can't die happy until I am able to play this.


----------



## Aramis

World Violist said:


> I just stumbled on this on Youtube, looking for viol music.


How about this beautiful piece:


----------



## Oskaar

*schumann; Violin Concerto in D minor (1853) Op. posth*

From this record:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The first opera I ever saw... in the versions with Stratas and Domingo. It was televised some 5 or 6 years after it had been made. It's been a while since I've heard this version featuring Callas and di Stefano


----------



## Oskaar

*schumann piano concerto op 54*

Fantastic!


----------



## Meaghan

My father is trying to teach my mother to play harmonica while everyone in the neighborhood sets off fireworks. So, at the moment, I am listening to standard Independence Day warzone noises and beginner harmonica renderings of "Sweet Betsy from Pike." Hmm.


----------



## Air

Well, just couple hours ago I was listening to the fireworks go off at our local country club - a real treat to have such a wonderful show available to us in our small town!

Right now I'm feeling a bit patriotic - the United States of America is a great country indeed and I don't care who disagrees with me. I'm having some fun with Ives Holidays Symphony, specifically the 3rd movement (Fourth of July). Great festive atmosphere and exciting tone clusters and drums that reminds one so well of fireworks! I like how he also incorporates a really standard anthem-like theme in the background, a lot of patriotic spirit in this work. Crazy stuff.

Next up, MacDowell's Woodland Sketches - To a Wild Rose. Short and simple but never fails to touch me every time I hear it. I think it perfectly captures the sunny beauty of the Gilded age and the slow, sincere lifestyle of its time. As a suburban American, this is a tradition that I still try to hold very dear.


----------



## Sid James

Last night it was these -

*BERG:* Wozzeck (Opera in 3 acts) - cast incl. Theo Adam (Wozzeck), Gisela Schroter (Marie), Reiner Goldberg (Captain), orch. cond. Herbert Kegel - Recorded live, Leipzig, 1976 (Berlin Classics, 2 discs)

_El Barberillo de Lavapies_ (Zarzuela, composed 1874)
*Music by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri/Lyrics by Luis Mariano de Larra*
Cast incl. Dolores Perez, Luis Sagi-Vela/Orch. cond. Federico Moreno Torroba
Rec. 1969, CD published 2000 (Spanish EMI)

This recording was my introduction to "atonal" music in my teens, and I immediately "clicked" with it. This is a very dark & dramatic work. Berg uses Wagner's technique of leitmotifs to represent characters, and the structure of each act is rock solid - eg. the second act is cast as a symphony. The whole cast is very good, Marie gets the most luscious and heart rending songs, while Reiner Goldberg's captain is suitably manic but not in a stereotyped way. In the final scene, after Wozzeck drowns in the lake (accompanied by these kind of minimalistic watery sounds from the orchestra), his tormentors the doctor and captain are walking past & notice what's happening, but don't do anything. The captain's final spoken line "Komm zi, komm zi schnell" (come, let's leave quickly) sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. The work was premiered in the mid-1920's, but the "head in sand" attitude exemplified by the captain's sentiment there perfectly mirrored what went on in many European's minds as the slaughter of millions proceeded unchecked during the Holocaust which was to come in the next decade. So this work "speaks" to us not only in terms of it's many musical innovations, but more importantly as imaging the fragile human condition of modern times (especially of the opressed and their opressors, who I see as no less victims in this deadly "game"). Funny that, since George Buchner's play "Woyzeck" upon which the opera was based was penned in the early Nineteenth Century (& only premiered in Vienna when Berg was younger, and he was there).

As for Barbieri's zarzuela, it was quite opera-like in many respects. One can think of it easily as a kind of Spanish _Die Fledermaus_, his interweaving of dance elements in the music is exactly like that of J. Strauss Jnr. This is a very colourful score with excellent choral numbers and chamber music to boot (castinets galore & also a bit of Flamenco guitar). The recording, made for Spanish television in 1969 does sound a bit dry (particularly when the mixed choir is singing) but otherwise it's quite serviceable. A good experience for me all-round, but at first it was totally alien to me, as I'd never heard a zarzuela before in my life...


----------



## Oskaar

*Anna Stoytcheva Plays Schumann*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Brilliant countertenor singing of Baroque arias originally written for the castrato, Giovanni Carestini, rival of Farinelli. The composers include Gluck, Hasse, Handel and a couple of less-well-known opera composers of the time. Simply marvelous singing.


----------



## Aramis

No. 3

Two years of listening and I still consider this recording to be absolutely definitive for all piano concertos by Ludwig Van, one of few works for which I could name such versions. Powerful and lyrical touch of Zimerman makes passages that sound cold and formalistic under other hands beautiful. And there is a lot of such beauty to dig out in 3rd concerto, it's probably the first romantic piano concerto ever written. All movements are masterpieces, culimation and coda of first movement, lyrical theme opening slow one, then finally the rondo which belongs to most heroic pieces Ludwig Van ever wrote. Perfection. My DVD box with this recording is very fatigued but I hope to get Zimerman's autograph on it one day, then I'll keep it under cloche for the rest of my days.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schumann - chamber music*

Schumann: Piano Quintet, Op. 44; Piano Quartet, Op. 47


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin Concertos: Bruch / Busoni / Strauss*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Beethoven - Cello Sonatas*

Beethoven - Cello Sonatas with Miklós Perényi and András Schiff


----------



## Oskaar

*dvorak, barber; violin concertos*

Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Violin Concerto op.53 (1879) [33:01]

Samuel BARBER (1910-1981)
Violin Concerto, op.14 (1939) [22:45]

Martin Válek (violin)

Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Válek


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak - Piano Concerto*

Dvorak Piano Concerto
Pierre-Laurent Aimard with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, _performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Giulini. This is quickly becoming one of my "go to listens" on a regular basis.
Johannes Brahms_--Symphony_ _No_._3_ _in_ _F_ _major_, _Op_._90, _performedbythe Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of James Levine.
What a beautifully majestic work this is!
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34bis. _Both works are performed by the National Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin.


----------



## Oskaar

*Walton; cello concerto*

light, but not uncallenging concerto


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius, Violin Concerto*

From this album:


----------



## science

L'heure espagnole


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach's Art of Fugue by the Canadian Brass.


----------



## CMeyer

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. I first heard Isao Tomita's version several years ago and decided to check out the orchestral version a couple days ago. I have to say that this may be my favorite suite of classical music.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into some recent purchases - Bernstein's "On the Town" & the Naxos Nostalgia album -

*BERNSTEIN* - Highlights from the musical "On the Town;" Medley (for piano duo) from the musical; Ballet Music (Dance Episodes) from the musical; "The Revuers" musical comedy skits; Three Dances from "Fancy Free" - Original cast members cond. by composer, Arthur Fiedler & others (Naxos Musicals label)

*BERNSTEIN* - Ballet Music (Three Dance Episodes) from "On the Town" - Marin Alsop, cond. (Naxos)

*GERSHWIN* - Some songs (eg. "Swanee"), Rhapsody in Blue, Three Preludes for piano - played by the composer; Piano Concerto (played by another pianist I can't remember) - accompanied by Paul Whiteman & his orch.
*ADDINSELL* - Warsaw Concerto
*ANTON KARAS* - The "Third Man" movie theme - composer on zither
*DUKE ELLINGTON* - Take the "A" Train - original recording

All from *Album: The Ultimate Nostalgia Collection Vol. 2* - Original (instrumental) recordings from the 1920's to the 1950's (2 disc set) - incl. Paul Whiteman, George Gershwin, Anton Karas, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Mantovani, Artie Shaw, Harriet Cohen, etc. (Naxos Nostalgia)

Especially enjoyed Bernstein's 1945 recording of the "On the Town" ballet music (complete with a fourth movement - the "dream sequence" - which was subsequently omitted in the later revised version). This guy was so pumped, he made it sound like _The Rite of Spring_. I compared that to the more recent recording by his protege Marin Alsop, & by comparison she sounded more "classical" & restrained (but I liked her strong sense of clarity and balance as well & of course, the recording quality was much better 60 years after Bernstein's). It was great hearing the songs from the musical as well, I remember seeing the movie with Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly like 20 years ago. The "On the Town Medley" played by piano duo team Howard "Rack" Godwin & Eadie Griffith was also superb, it sounded quite modern to my ears today. The two comedy skits from "The Revuers" team, which Bernstein was part of, were interesting but less of musical & more of historical interest. The the three dances from "Fancy Free" (which was the ballet from which most of the tunes in "On the Town" originated) have always been my favourites (I used to have the whole ballet under Bernstein, a later stereo recording). Even in the mid-1940's, Bernstein's music was incorporating many dance forms, not least the Latin American inspired "Danzon" (the third dance) which just rocks! Again, Arthur Fiedler seemed more restrained than Lenny himself. All round, this is a great disc, clocking in at just over 70 minutes.

Then it was time for highlights from the Naxos nostalgia double album, & I chose to focus on Gershwin. Listening to the man playing his own music, by comparison to other later recorded versions I've heard, he seemed more restrained than anything else. The pianists I can think of who are close to his way of playing are probably Brendel & Pollini - the "no frills" guys. So, in a way, Gershwin's playing was ahead of his time. I also listened to some other short pieces on the album, but I aim to listen to it in full soon. One "down-side" is that there are no details of recording dates or locations, which is quite important with this kind of vintage stuff. But nevertheless, this is a pretty solid collection, a good "snapshot" of pre-war era musics...


----------



## violadude

Just listened to a trio for oboe, bassoon and piano by (in my opinion) a really underrated composer, Francis Poulenc. I would liken Poulenc to a 20th century version of Mozart. I don't know if he is necessarily on the same "level of genius" that Mozart was, but I compare the two because, like Mozart, Poulenc's music is so beautifully graceful and charming. Most of it is emotionally restrained and melodious, very classical. Also, like Mozart, he seems to be able to switch moods very effortlessly. The trio is a perfect example of all that I'm talking about. There are some parts in the piece where the music takes a totally different and surprising turn though. Such as the first movement, which is very classical and Mozartian like I was describing, has a middle section that is suddenly really "bluesy." It's really cool. Luckily, Naxos has put out a complete 5 CD series of his chamber music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Albinoni; Concerti a cinque Op. 9 for oboe and strings*

from this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Mathieu; Trio for violin, cello and piano*

from this album:


----------



## Aramis

No. 3 in G major - has really beautiful moments and mysterious quotation of Dies Irae in one of variations.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mozart - chamber music*

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet - Horn Quintet - Oboe Quartet

by The Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Ensemble

with:
Antony Pay: Basset clarinet
Michael Thompson: Horn
Stephen Hammer: Oboe


----------



## jaimsilva

*Perahia playing Brahms*

Brahms:
Händel Variations, Op. 24
Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79
Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118
Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119

by the fabulous Murray Perahia


----------



## jaimsilva

*Weber - Clarinet concertos*

Weber: Clarinet Concerto #1 In F Minor, Op. 73
Weber: Concertino In E Flat For Clarinet & Orchestra, Op. 26
Rossini: Introduction, Theme & Variations In E Flat
Weber: Clarinet Concerto #2 In E Flat, Op. 74

Charles Neidich and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Bach's Circle*

Just finished this delightful album:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I must say right from the start I have some mixed responses to this opera. I'll begin with the positive aspects. The recording at the Weiner Staatsoper in 1970 is quite good. There is a fine balance between the orchestra and the vocalists. Joseph Krips conducting is quite lush and the singers all perform admirably. The music includes some marvelous lush moments and moments of intense drama. The libretto tackles an interesting theme: that of Menelaus and Helen after they are reunited following the fall of Troy. Menelaus is tormented with thoughts of his wife's infidelity and the realization that she is responsible for the horror that was the 10 long years of war and the endless bodies now burning in Troy.

Unfortunately this material is presented in a convoluted... and even unintentionally comic manner at times. Hugo von Hofmannsthal was certainly not up to his usual level with this libretto. Reportedly, both the composer and his librettist had originally intended a comedy. They should have gone with their initial instincts. Who can take the all-seeing sea mussel seriously? And then there is the confusion of magic potions and extraneous characters. One can imagine a domestic drama with Menelaus suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome of a sort... and attempting to come to terms with his feelings for Helena without all the other characters. Menelaus spends most of the opera trying to kill Helen and Paris (in reality or in his mind) and fails. But he does kill the innocent son of the mountain king, who initially doesn't seem all that concerned (he being more than infatuated with Helen). Still it all concludes with a happy ending?

Again... the recording is quite marvelous and there is some lush and even spectacular music involved. The failings of this opera cannot be laid upon Strauss. I would surely recommend it for the Strauss lover... who would probably do better to just enjoy the music without following the plot all to closely.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Pollini playing Schumann*

Robert Schumann - Symphonic Etudes Op.13 - Arabeske Op.18

Maurizio Pollini


----------



## Bix

This is just beautiful - Sacrificium - Cecelia Bartolli


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and __Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30. _Both works are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. Abbey Simon is featured on piano.
This is truly "timeless music" indeed--especially the 2nd piano concerto--*IMHO, *of course!


----------



## Sid James

Last night, returned to Bernstein's "On The Town" & a first listen to the first disc of the nostalgia instrumental collection & also some of my favourite Richard Strauss works -

*R. STRAUSS* - Metamorphosen (Metamorphoses) study for 23 solo strings; Oboe Concerto; Four Last Songs
Berlin Phil./Herbert von Karajan, cond. with guests Lothar Koch (oboe), Gundula Janowitz (soprano)
DGG label CD (recorded 1970's)

*BERNSTEIN* - Highlights from the musical "On the Town;" Medley (for piano duo) from the musical; Ballet Music (Dance Episodes) from the musical; "The Revuers" musical comedy skits; Three Dances from "Fancy Free" - Original cast members cond. by composer, Arthur Fiedler & others (Naxos Musicals label)

Disc 1 of *Album: The Ultimate Nostalgia Collection Vol. 2* - Original (instrumental) recordings from the 1920's to the 1950's (2 disc set) - incl. Paul Whiteman, George Gershwin, Anton Karas, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Mantovani, Artie Shaw, Harriet Cohen, etc. (Naxos Nostalgia)

The best parts of the Karajan conducts Strauss album for me where the _Oboe Concerto_ &_ Four Last Songs_. The concerto has a neo-classical and pastoral feel, the woodwind writing of guys like Mozart seems not too far away. Ms Janowitz in the songs is superb, and Karajan's accompaniment is rich but suitably restrained in this repertoire, I much prefer that than this music turning into some kind of schmaltz-fest, which can easily be done, I think. Full marks for those, but maestro Karajan's take on the _Metamorphosen_ is a bit too dark and brooding for my taste. I prefer this work to have some sense of "light at the end of the tunnel" but this recording is more pessimistic than optimistic, imo. In any case, I hesitate to rubbish it (I try not to do that with anything nowadays), especially because it was this recording that introduced me to this masterpiece, and subsequently over the years I have experienced it live no less than three times (the Australian Chamber Orchestra here has a tendency to program it every few years, which I have no problem with at all, this music warrants all of the exposure it can get - I prefer it to the man's more popular works like the tone poem _Thus Spoke Zarathustra_ any day!).

As for the other two albums, they were purchases this week, & a joy. Bernstein's "On the Town" was the first musical set in a big city, as far as I know. At least it was the first one to make any impact. It's a huge contrast not only in setting but also in terms of musical style and technique to things like _Showboat_ and _Oklahoma_ which speak to the past more than to the (then) present. & with a line like "New York, New York, it's a wonderful town, the Bronx is up & the battery's down" accompanied by that great syncopated tune, I'd think that this in itself would attract tourists to see that great city. The couplings here - the piano duo medley arrangement, the ballet musics from "On the Town" and it's precursor "Fancy Free" are also great to hear on the one disc (the comedy skits from "The Revuers" - a group which Bernstein was part of in his early years, here he is on the piano - are more of historical rather than solid musical interest, imo). Regarding the Naxos nostalgia set, I especially enjoyed the "Third Man Theme" with Anton Karas' quite haunting zither music, Addinsell's Rachmaninov take-off the ever popular "Warsaw Concerto," Ellington's "Take the "A" Train," & the superb artistry of guys like George Gershwin, Paul Whiteman, Glenn Miller, Dizzy Gillespie & Mantovani. The "downside" here is that there is no info about where or when these tracks were recorded, but in the end, that's a "minor quibble"...


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Listening to Tapiola by Sibelius. I've fallen in love with it now.


----------



## Manxfeeder

The Adagietto from Mahler's 5th by a rather indulgent Rafael Kubelik, clocking in at 9'45.


----------



## hespdelk

I've always loved these pieces, so unique and rewarding. Excellent energetic performances - though I sometimes wonder if a smoother approach might serve some of the movements better.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schumann Complete Symphonies Mahler Edition*

Mahler great admired Schumann's symphonies, but for his prfomances of these works (Mahler was a renowned conductor) he made careful revisions to Schumann's orchestration. 
He did not revise them so drastically as to create new arrangements of the scores. Rather, he revised the brass and woodwind parts, as well as added indications for effects, like stopped horns, etc.; his efforts included adjusting dynamic markings, and other details that allowed him to interpret these symphonies from the podium. (read more here: http://www.operatoday.com/content/2010/10/schumann_the_co.php)

the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly plays Mahler edition of all 4 Schumann symphonies


----------



## violadude

http://www.amazon.com/Ligeti-Projec...=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1310024712&sr=1-3

Ligeti's piano concerto. The rhythmic complexity is stunning and the theme development is quite amazing as well.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms - The Complete Trios - Beaux Arts Trio*

Piano Trio #1 In B, Op. 8
Horn Trio In E Flat, Op. 40
Piano Trio #2 In C, Op. 87
Piano Trio #3 In C Minor, Op. 101
Piano Trio In A, Op. Posth


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

dedicated to Glazunov.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Kabalevsky - Piano Concertos*

Kabalevsky:
Piano Concerto No.1, op.9
Piano Concerto No.2, op.23
Piano Concerto No. 3

Rimsky-Korsakov:
Piano Concerto Op. 30


----------



## World Violist

Schumann: Complete Songs, Vol. 1
Christine Schafer, Graham Johnson

First thing that caught my attention was the box. Because it's actually a box, for one CD. That's because Graham Johnson has thoughtfully written out a _freakin' novella_ so that we know every detail about what we're listening to.

Which is, in all seriousness, awesome. I've no doubt that I'll get a lot of pleasure out of this single issue. First, there's the novella, then there's Christine Schafer's glorious voice, then Graham Johnson's no doubt very sensitive pianism (it must be, seriously...to take on this gutsy a project several times and be accoladed for them incessantly?). Then there are the actual songs themselves, which belong to the end of Schumann's life, the texts by such poets as Goethe and Morike...

Have I said I'm excited yet? For all the flack I've given Schumann regarding his larger-scale stuff, I'm really excited to wallow in this!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Lalo - Works for Violin and Orchestra*

Lalo: Concerto For Violin & Orchestra, Op. 20
Lalo: Fantaisie Norvégienne
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole

Jean-Jacques Kantorow; Kees Bakels: Granada City Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

Webern, 6 Pieces for Orchestra, Karajan. Having no sense of continuity, I'm following it up with Vol. 1 of Bach's cantatas by Ton Koopman.


----------



## Comistra

This is truly an excellent box. It has some of my favorite interpretations (Kuchar and the Janáček Philharmonic do fantastic renditions of the tone poems, and I really like Košler's symphonies with the Slovak Philharmonic); and even those that are not my favorite are good to great.

Currently I'm listening to Piano Quintet No. 2.


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin Romances*

Pinchas Zukerman (Artist), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Franz Schubert (Composer), Antonin Dvorak










Just finished this one....Very nice listening on a summer evening!


----------



## Oskaar

*beethoven--schumann; Piano Concerto 5 Emperor/Piano Concerto a Minor*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mozart - The Four Hornbone Concertos*

In fact the 4 Mozart Horn concertos, here played by Christian Lindberg on hornbone.


----------



## Manxfeeder

jaimsilva said:


> In fact the 4 Mozart Horn concertos, here played by Christian Lindberg on hornbone.


Is a hornbone in the same genus as the jackalope?


----------



## Aksel

jaimsilva said:


> In fact the 4 Mozart Horn concertos, here played by Christian Lindberg on *hornbone*.


He plays them on the trombone. That's kind of the whole gimmick with that cd. Hornbone is just a clever play on words.


----------



## Oskaar

*Romantic Pieces (Dvorak, Janacek, Smetana)*

Great sound on this recording. An I am satisfied with the performance so far. Delightful music!


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Finlandia, Op.26._ Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Zubin Mehta.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--_The Wasps, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, In the Fen Country, Variations for Orchestra, Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 in E Minor and Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus_". 
I am really impressed by the beauty and evocativeness of these pieces, especially the first two. They are simply stunning in the beautiful fullness of their expressions, yet somehow stark and spare at the same time. 
All these works are performed by Academy Of St Martin In The Field, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## Sid James

I'm really p*ssed off - wrote my entry here & this thing timed out (I tried logging back on as requested, but it wouldn't happen). This shouldn't happen - we should be logged on forever until we log off...

Anyway, last night listened to *Bernstein* (_On the Town_ on the Naxos Musicals disc) as well as some *Copland* (_Appalachian Spring & El Salon Mexico_ - Detroit Symphony under Dorati on the London label) again, but the main thing on the menu was this newly acquired set -
*
DONIZETTI* -_ La Figlia del Reggimento_ (The Daughter of the Regiment, comic opera in 2 acts, version sung in Italian) - Marzio Conti, cond. (Naxos double)

My first time listening to this opera & I loved it. The original version sung in French was premiered in Paris in 1840, this recording was the later version performed at La Scala in Milan. This is the story of a young woman called Maria who is adopted by a regiment. She thinks she is an orphan, until she later finds out that she is actually the illegitimate daughter of one of the characters, the Marchesa. The Marchesa takes Maria to her castle at the end of Act I, and in Act II she wants her to marry a young Duke. Maria is not happy about this, because she's in love with one of the members of the regiment, Tonio. The song Maria sings alone in her room, dreaming of seeing Tonio again, is very touching & I like how her mood changes to that of hope and elation when she hears her regiment approaching (the drums) through her open window. One thing I really digged about this opera was Donizetti's use of chamber ensembles (eg. the string quartet playing a Tirolean dance which opens Act II) as well as a piano on the stage, which is integral to the action (eg. the Marchesa accompanies Maria in her singing of a love song, but this is interrupted often as Maria heartily breaks into the regiment's theme song, the famous "Ratalpan" chorus!). The use of the piano strongly reminded me of Berg's _Wozzeck_ - he did a similar thing in that work. Listening to this opera (here recorded live in Italy) was pure joy for me & I think I may well repeat it tonight!...


----------



## Meaghan

Sid James, did you like _On The Town_? Leonard Bernstein has a very funny cameo (as "Raja Bimmy") on the original recording!


----------



## Sid James

Yes, Meaghan, I love _On the Town!_ I haven't heard Bernstein's recording, but I have seen it for sale. This Naxos disc of original recordings (mainly from 1945 under various other conductors) does not have the full musical (eg. the song you mention isn't on it) but the other main ones are on it. I got this Naxos disc due to the budget price, but I may well invest later in Lenny's own recording, which was made in 1960. But there are some interesting add-ons to this Naxos disc, including a piano duo arrangement of tunes from the musical, as well as a fully-pumped up performance (with Lenny conducting) of the three dances & rarely heard "dream sequence" arranged from the musical, some comedy skits put down in 1940 with Lenny on piano (these are more of historical rather than musical interest) as well as the three dances from _Fancy Free_ (the ballet which provided inspiration for _On the Town_) conducted by Arthur Fiedler. For me, the highlights of the disc are Betty Comden & Adolph Green's singing of two of the numbers (they were the lyricists as well) & that great performance from 1945 with Bernstein conducting the dances (he makes it sound as intense as _The Rite of Spring_!). I am getting more into Bernstein's music now, I also got a disc of him conducting his 1st & 2nd symphonies (a DGG reissue) which I will hear when I get some "head-space."  ...


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Meaghan

Sid James said:


> Yes, Meaghan, I love _On the Town!_ I haven't heard Bernstein's recording, but I have seen it for sale. This Naxos disc of original recordings (mainly from 1945 under various other conductors) does not have the full musical (eg. the song you mention isn't on it) but the other main ones are on it. I got this Naxos disc due to the budget price, but I may well invest later in Lenny's own recording, which was made in 1960. But there are some interesting add-ons to this Naxos disc, including a piano duo arrangement of tunes from the musical, as well as a fully-pumped up performance (with Lenny conducting) of the three dances & rarely heard "dream sequence" arranged from the musical, some comedy skits put down in 1940 with Lenny on piano (these are more of historical rather than musical interest) as well as the three dances from _Fancy Free_ (the ballet which provided inspiration for _On the Town_) conducted by Arthur Fiedler. For me, the highlights of the disc are Betty Comden & Adolph Green's singing of two of the numbers (they were the lyricists as well) & that great performance from 1945 with Bernstein conducting the dances (he makes it sound as intense as _The Rite of Spring_!). I am getting more into Bernstein's music now, I also got a disc of him conducting his 1st & 2nd symphonies (a DGG reissue) which I will hear when I get some "head-space."  ...


Yes, I guess the 1960 studio recording isn't quite an original cast recording--there's a different Gabey, for one thing. But it's complete! And Comden and Green are pretty much my heroes; they are hilarious! When _On The Town_ first came out, my Grammy saw it twice, even though she was a sudent and couldn't afford it, because she had to see them again. And the Naxos add-ons sound like fun. I may have to look into that.


----------



## Aksel

Meaghan said:


> Yes, I guess the 1960 studio recording isn't quite an original cast recording--there's a different Gabey, for one thing. But it's complete! *And Comden and Green are pretty much my heroes*; they are hilarious! When _On The Town_ first came out, my Grammy saw it twice, even though she was a sudent and couldn't afford it, because she had to see them again. And the Naxos add-ons sound like fun. I may have to look into that.


Do you have the CD where they sing their own songs? It's hilarious.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Prokofiev - the 5 Piano concertos*

I'll start my musical weekend with this:


----------



## agoukass




----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Variations On God Save The King, John Ogdon al piano


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes_
Ludwig Van Beethoven_--Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92_
Both of the above works are performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Meaghan

Aksel said:


> Do you have the CD where they sing their own songs? It's hilarious.


No, I've heard them do a few, but not a whole CD. Must find!


----------



## Meaghan

agoukass said:


>


First Mahler CD I ever heard.


----------



## Aksel

Meaghan said:


> No, I've heard them do a few, but not a whole CD. Must find!


It's called_ A Party with Comden and Green_.


----------



## Oskaar

*Francis Poulenc: Music for Piano and Wind*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Martinů : Two Piano Concertos & other works*

Martinů:

Overture (1953)
Piano concerto n.2 
"Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca"
Piano concerto n.4 "Incantation"

Robert Kolinsky (piano)
Sinfonieorchester Basel
Vladimir Ashkenazy (conductor)


----------



## Oskaar

*Berwald: The Complete String Quartets*


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Concerto for violin Op14*

From this record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Szymanowski: Violin Concerto*

From thgis record:


----------



## Oskaar

*Walton: VIOLIN CONCERTO*

From this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*kodaly; Duo for violin & cello, Op. 7*

From this record:


----------



## Sid James

@ Meaghan - Thanks for your reply. Good to have some "dialogue" here about the "lighter" music realm, which some people don't get into much for various reasons, but in the past few weeks, this is the "head-space" I have been in, I've really needed a boost from things like musicals, operetta, salon music, comic opera, these kinds of things. As for the Naxos Musicals series, it's not avaiable for physical sale in the USA for some reason, but I don't doubt that you can get it through digital downloads. & speaking of Lenny, I had a first listen to his Symphony #1 "Jeremiah" last night on a disc I acquired this week:

Last night I re-listened to *Donizetti's* wonderful comic opera _La Figlia del Reggimento _(on Naxos) as well as some other things, focussing on these two pieces, I kind of needed some more "serious" music which has been on the back-log for a while -

*BERNSTEIN* - Symphony #1 "Jeremiah" (text: Lamentations of Jeremiah in the Bible - sung in Hebrew) Israel PO/Bernstein/Christa Ludwing, mezzo soprano in 3rd (final) movt. (DGG) Recorded in a live concert in Berlin, 1978.

*RACHMANINOV* - Symphonic Dances, original version for 2 pianos - Nelson Freire & Martha Argerich, pianos (DGG - Salzburg 2009 Recital disc)

The Bernstein was interesting, sounding a bit like Ernest Bloch's music (the Jewish vibe) but more "atonal." Comparisons could also be drawn with things like Walton's first symphony. This was composed in 1942 & has a dramatic mezzo solo in the final movement. The horns/brass in the animated 2nd movement made me think of the destruction of the city of Jericho with the sound of ancient horns, but I don't think this is what was meant in this work?

As for the Rachmaninov played by Freire and Argerich, I didn't like their interpretation. Too much "thumping" & lack of subtlety, imo. I know I'm going against the grain with this opinion, this recording has been lauded by all the critics. But, to be more balanced, I haven't listened to the rest of the disc, and this was my first listen to this interpretation, I might "warm" to it later. Also, I don't ever remember hearing this work in this original version, I only know the orchestral version. But compared to a performance by Previn & Ashkenazy of the famous "Paques" movement from the 1st suite for two pianos also by Rach, this Salzburg performance sounds like they are just banging the keys willy-nilly (a more nuanced delivery of dynamic contrast seemed to have been left by the wayside?)...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Berlioz has been one major composer who has never grabbed my attention. Of course I love the _Symphonie Fantastique_ but nothing beyond that has stuck with me... until this. _Les nuits d'été_ is the first known cycle of orchestral songs... and it is a beauty. The texts/poems are all by Theophile Gautier, long a favorite writer of mine... so I am surprised I haven't happened upon these earlier.

The cycle begins with the lighthearted _Villanelle_. This is followed by 4 songs that are far more laments... plaintive... even mournful (yet ever beautiful) songs in the minor key of lost love. _Le Spectre de la Rose, Sur Les Lagunes: Lamento (On the Lagoon: A Lament), L'absense, and Au cimetière (clair de lune)_ are all especially longing... with languorous slow vocal lines played out against a rich orchestration that is ever beautiful. The cycle ends with _ L'Ile inconnue_ (The unknown Isle) and tells of the desire to go to the unknown isle where love lasts forever. Here Berlioz turns to a lighter... ironic/melancholic vein of music... Not as bouncy or carefree as opening... which suggested something of the naivete of first love, but rather more a sense of resolve earned through experience (as conveyed in the four middle songs of the cycle).

_Les nuits d'été_ is followed by several arias from Berlioz' operas _La damnation de Faust, Benvenutto Cellini, Les Troyens_, and _Béatrice et Bénédict_. _D'amour, l'ardente flamme_, from _Faust_ immediately convinced me that I must set about exploring Berlioz once again. Indeed... I must make it a point to explore the whole of 19th century French opera and operettas to a far greater extent than I have. Damn! what a beautiful aria! Seriously, I enjoyed this disc enough that I am thinking of getting an alternative version... that sung by Veronique Gens... who is one of my favorite singers when it comes to French songs and arias.


----------



## hespdelk

Stylish historic performances of these works.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Haydn - Overtures*

The complete Haydn Overtures

Haydn Sinfonietta Wien
conductor: Manfred Huss


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms - Symphonies*


----------



## kuculan

_*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat Minor, Op.23, I - Andantino simplice*_


----------



## Manxfeeder

In the queue today: Bruckner's completed 9th and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second listen to this... well actually for most of the disc it's actually a first listen as I fell asleep partway through.










Again... there's something about the rich, sensual, almost chocolaty sound of the clarinet that I just love... and considering the composers who created such brilliant works for the instrument (Mozart, Brahms, Berg, Weber, Berg, etc...) I am not alone in feeling this way.

This disc contains five quintets with clarinet by English composers: Herbert Howells, Elizabeth Machony, Arnold Cooke, Benjamin Frankl, Josef Holbrooke. Howells' piece is a single movement _Rhapsodic Quintet_. I have long admired Howell's choral works so it was a thrill to explore his achievements in other genre. His teacher, Charles Stanford, was a disciple of Brahms, and Brahms' influence is clearly felt throughout this piece... which is clearly structured upon two main themes as opposed to being a "ramshackle" as Howell's suggested in relation to the title.

Cooke's piece is classically structured and reflects the contrapuntal complexities of his teacher, Hindemith. Over this rigorous form he allows the "vocal" line to sing and meander without ever fearing the work will slip into chaos.

Elizabeth Maconchy's (1907-1994) work is quite removed from the pastoral England of Howells quintet or the work of her teacher, Ralph Vaughan-Williams. Maconchy studied for a short while in Prague and her work has a thornier sound with elements of atonality and even a rude rhythm informed in from her Irish background.

The Frankel is thornier still... clearly building upon the Second Viennese School... and yet the work as a whole remains clearly accessible... especially the final movement... an unquestionably beautiful, melancholic work that could only have come from the mid-20th century.

The final Holbrooke piece is a short, beautiful single movement work... lovely and lilting... that returns us to the more pastoral English sounds of the first movement... yet the slow elegant piece never slips into pastiche or saccharined sentiment... just pure beauty with a tinge of sadness.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak - Requiem*

Antonin Dvorak - Requiem Op. 89 - Sawallisch, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## kv466

Edward Elgar - Introduction and Allegro Serenade for Strings, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## jaimsilva

*Rachmaninov - Variations*

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano & orchestra
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, for piano
Variations on a Theme of Chopin, for piano

piano: Nikolai Lugansky


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. I simply adore the 2nd and 4th movements of the _7th _for their passionate intenseness.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bach - English suites - Richter*










live, May 20, 1991, at the Great Tchaikovsky Concert Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic


----------



## kv466

Gustav Holst - Jupiter, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal under the direction of Charles Dutoit


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"} _performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Sid James

*@ stlukes - re Berlioz's Les nuits d'ete, *yes this is a wonderful work. I have the recording on Naxos with mezzo soprano Elsa Maurus. Usually nowadays, it is sung by soprano, but the original version for female voice was for mezzo. I have read criticism that Ms Maurus takes it slower than in other recordings, and more "dark" but I've enjoyed this disc immensely. This is the only recording of the work I have heard, apart from a vintage one I heard on radio, but I don't remember the details. As you probably know, this was a ground-breaking work in France, the first ever song-cycle in the French language. This work "kicked off" a tradition in that country which lead to many others doing similar things, not least the great Duparc, followed later by guys like Debussy, Ravel, Varese, Messiean, Poulenc, Satie & so on. The Naxos recording is coupled with _La Peri,_ a ballet by Dukas, but more relevant is the opener, *Chausson's* _*Poeme de l'amour et de la mer* _(Poem of love and of the sea). This is on the whole dark & also quite Wagnerian (which was kind of a "cardinal sin" for the French following their bitter defeat by the Germans in the Franco-Prussian war of (about) 1871). This is also a very effective work, perhaps a bit too thickly orchestrated, but it is definitely not mere "hack-work." Chausson went out on a limb a bit here, doing something so obviously Wagnerian, but in the end (for the listener) it kind of pays off. I know you're familiar with Dukas, but I'd recommend the Chausson to you if you've not heard it before...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Naxos recording is coupled with_ La Peri_, a ballet by Dukas, but more relevant is the opener, Chausson's _Poeme de l'amour et de la mer_ (Poem of love and of the sea). This is on the whole dark & also quite Wagnerian (which was kind of a "cardinal sin" for the French following their bitter defeat by the Germans in the Franco-Prussian war of (about) 1871). This is also a very effective work, perhaps a bit too thickly orchestrated, but it is definitely not mere "hack-work." Chausson went out on a limb a bit here, doing something so obviously Wagnerian, but in the end (for the listener) it kind of pays off. I know you're familiar with Dukas, but I'd recommend the Chausson to you if you've not heard it before...

Oh yes... I'm well acquainted with _Poeme de l'amour et de la mer_. I have a couple versions... perhaps my favorite found on another Susan Graham disc:










I've long loved the orchestral song... perhaps since first coming across Strauss' _Four Last Songs_ and Mahler's _Song of the Earth_, as well as Schubert's choral songs. If this is a form you admire I'd suggest you look into the following discs if you can find them:










Schoeck continues, in some ways, in the late-Romantic tradition of Strauss... but his songs are slower paced... less lush and unabashedly gorgeous... maintaining, rather, a slow melancholic line.










Lieberson's Neruda Songs have been called the _Four Last Songs_ of our time. I don't find the praise to be a gross overstatement... and you know how I feel about Strauss and the _Four Last Songs_. This cycle is heartbreaking... especially when you read up on the tragic love between the composer and his wife, Helen Hunt-Lieberson, for whom the songs were written... and who brilliantly performs these shortly before her death.










Grieg, Joseph Marx, Sibelius, and any number of other composers were attracted to the orchestral song. Few were better than Szymanowski.










I know that you are always on the outlook for contemporary composers of merit. Von Otter is not only a brilliant singer, but also one of those truly intelligent singers who is always on the outlook for something deserving more recognition. These songs, by contemporary Norwegian composers, give a view into what is being done with this genre today.

There are a number of other contemporary orchestral song cycles which I'll toss out by way of suggestion at some later point. Right now I must get to bed.


----------



## Conor71

*Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6*

This is some great music! - I'm in the perfect mood for stuff like this


----------



## jaimsilva

*Richter playing Prokofiev Piano concerto n.5*

SERGE PROKOFIEV

Piano Concerto No. 5 op. 55
Sviatoslav Richter
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Witold Rowicki


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Des Canyons Aux Étoiles*

Just finished listening to Messiaens Turangalîla Symphonie, now listening to another interesting work by the same Composer.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Fauré: Piano Quartets*

Emanuel Ax, Isaac Stern, Jaime Laredo, Yo-Yo Ma


----------



## jaimsilva

*Debussy - orchestral*

• La Mer 
• Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune 
• Ibéria

Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## jaimsilva

*Smetana: Ma Vlast*

Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884): Má vlast (1872)

Gewandhaus Leipzig under Václav Neumann


----------



## Pieck

Rachmaninov - Preludes Op. 23, Nocturnes, Vairiation... Corelli - Rodriguez


----------



## Aramis

Don't really like orchestra on this recording, I feel like they wouldn't bring out everything that there is to raise from the score. But the Zimerman is great as always, brings memories of time where I actually thought that I can still be a pianist HO HO HO och, well, I still can, why not? If I won't play at least one Chopin etude on my 20th birthday call me a kiwi bird and tickle me behind the right ear.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14*

From this album: (or only mp3-download):


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonin Dvorák, Hermann Zilcher & Joaquín Turina: Piano Trios*


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. _Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber. 
What a gloriously uplifting piece of music is the 5th, especially its first and last movements! I love the energy and passion with which Kleiber approaches both the 5th and 7th. Marvelous readings indeed!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bartok: Orchestral Music*

Village Scenes, Sz 87a
Concerto for Orchestra, Sz 116
Kossuth, Sz 21
Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19/Sz 73
Hungarian Peasant Songs, Sz 100
Hungarian Sketches (5), Sz 97
Transylvanian Dances (4), Sz 96
Wooden Prince, Op. 13/Sz 60
Romanian Dance, Sz 47a
Dance Suite for Orchestra, Sz 77
Romanian Folkdances for String Orchestra, Sz 68

Conductor: Iván Fischer
Orchestra/Ensemble: Budapest Festival Orchestra, Slovak Folk Ensemble Chorus, Hungarian Radio Chorus


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A third hearing of Savall's Brandenburgs. Quite marvelous... and quite different from the Suzuki recording that I also picked up recently.


----------



## Aramis

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A third hearing of Savall's Brandenburgs. Quite marvelous... and quite different from the Suzuki recording that I also picked up recently.


What did they do to Bach's face on this cover? I thought "och, finally some Wagner!" before reading that it's Bach.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Aramis said:


> What did they do to Bach's face on this cover? I thought "och, finally some Wagner!" before reading that it's Bach.


The portrait pictured above is *not* an authenticated painting of Johann Sebastian. Unfortunately, Bach was one of those composers whom we have only a couple of authentic portraits done while he was sitting for the portrait (rather than posthumous impressions, which is not the same thing at all).

That aside, Jordi Savall's _Brandenburg_ is worth having a listen. I have this recording too.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into this after not hearing it for many years -

*BERLIOZ* - _La Damnation de Faust _(Opera in 4 parts based on Goethe's tragedy)
Soloists (tenor - Faust, baritone - Mephistopheles, mezzo-soprano - Margeurite, bass - Brander), with choir & orch. conducted by Jean-Claude Casadesus
(Naxos 2 discs)

Borrowed this from a friend on the weekend. I used to own Solti's performance on tape years ago, which was a studio recording, but this Naxos one was put down live. This opera started life as a series of settings of_ Faust _by Berlioz in the late 1820's which was subsequently expanded to a full-scale opera in the mid-1840's. Wierd and wonderful is how I'd describe it. He diverted quite a bit from Goethe's original story, especially in terms of changing the setting to Hungary, but on the whole it is faithful to the gist of the story (as I understand it, I've never read the Goethe fully after an abortive attempt). There are many great moments in this opera. Faust is kind of portrayed as a quite angsty individual, Mephistopholes quite charming until the final fourth part when he fully shows his true colours (so to speak), & Margeurite (Faust's love interest) is kind of saintly & innocent (even being borne up to heaven in the final scene). This work has often been done purely as a concert performance & not staged (as in this recording). I remember seeing it ages ago on tv with Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel singing as Mephistopheles.

The final part is my favourite, starting with a lyrical song by Margeurite accompanied by one of the most wonderful cor anglais solos you'll ever hear. Then Faust muses about nature, with some bassy kind of rhythmic highlights which sound just as Hungarian to me as the Rakozy March which Berlioz put in the first part as an "overture" - though it doesn't appear right at the beginning, Berlioz is seldom that simple or conventional. Then Mephisto tricks Faust into signing away his soul to him, and kind of suggests they'll go to see Margeurite. They get on their horses and the music perfectly images those galloping beasts. On their way, they are accompanied by a choir which at one stage shrieks out hysterically, while singing a song which is a triple entreaty to St. Mary, the Magdelene and (appropriately) St. Margaret (this song reminds me of Ligeti, but most of the wonderful choral writing in this work harks back to the Renaissance, I think, but with a "modern" twist). The horses stop in a clearing, and a death knell is heard, clearly a harbinger of Faust's demise which is to come. They continue to ride the horses, the music sounds double the speed, and the odd sounds from the woodwinds and horns give images of the scene - rivers of blood, skeletal birds flying overhead, totally wierd **** like that. Not long after Faust falls down into the pit of hell, & there is much rejoicing from Mephisto and his demon brethren. Then follows Margeurite's ascension into Heaven, which Faust had paid for with his life. "Neat" isn't it? There are definitely sparks flying in this recording, it is excellently done. The leads all sing with soul, they are not mere caricatures, but images of complex beings. I can't really compare it much to the Solti recording, it's been a long time since I've heard that, but the special effect of Faust falling into the pit was kind of done more slickly than here, but that's understandable since this was done live. Another great one by Naxos, & I may well have to get it myself!...


----------



## Pieck

Webern - 2 stucke fur violoncello und klavier.
One of my first listenings to Webern, and I'm a little surprised. I imagined it will sound like Shoenberg, but apparently not. Sounds great.
Now his arrangements of Bach's fuge, and Schubert's dances.
After that.... Pieces for violin and P, and for cello and P.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Victoria from Summerly with the Oxford Camerata and Carwood with the Cardinall's Musick. Both are well done, but I prefer Carwood. Summerly is matter-of-fact; Carwood is ethereal.


----------



## Oskaar

*TELEMANN: Oboe Sonatas - Sarah Francis*

earlier today


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin Sonatas / Debussy / Janacek / Poulenc / Jezek Josef Suk, Jan Panenka*

earlier today


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak: Complete Works for Solo Instrument & Orchestra*

Earlier today:


----------



## jaimsilva

*Good "classical" listening*

Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos by Oistrakh with Kondrashin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravel's lovely Piano Trio.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

www.blackswanexperience.com

Well, I was just listening to the music cycle on this website over and over. I love Swan Lake. Is the movie good? I'm bitten with curiosity now.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Great Violin Concertos - Kyung Wha Chung*


----------



## Oskaar

*Temporal Fantasies of Britten & Hindemith*

just started this one


----------



## jaimsilva

*Tchaikovsky Piano Trio*

with Gidon Kremer, Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė, Khatia Buniatishvili


----------



## Pieck

War Requiem counducted by Guilini


----------



## Oskaar

*Francis Poulenc Sonata for oboe & piano, FP 185*

From this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Guillaume Lekeu violin sonata*

from this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Camille Saint-Saëns; Concerto for Violoncello and Ochestra 1 in A minor, Op 33*

from this album:


----------



## Oskaar

All americans. Go to http://www.spotify.com to get info about spotify in amerika.

I dont know how it will be, but if you need invitations, I have some.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> All americans. Go to http://www.spotify.com to get info about spotify in amerika.


Interesting. Thanks for the update.

Tonight, Mahler's 1st by Benjamin Zander.


----------



## Pieck

Bach BWVs 1-3


----------



## samurai

oskaar said:


> All americans. Go to http://www.spotify.com to get info about spotify in amerika.
> 
> I dont know how it will be, but if you need invitations, I have some.


@oskaar, Thanks for that 411; I'll check it out.


----------



## science




----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Finlandia, Op.26._ Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonoc conducted by Zubin Mehta.


----------



## Sid James

Last night got into these -

*BERG* - Violin Concerto
Isaac Stern, violin/NYPO/Leonard Bernstein, cond. (recorded live in NYC, 1957) - Sony Classical

*BERNSTEIN* - Serenade for solo violin, string orchestra & percussion ("Serenade after Plato's Symposium")
Itzhak Perlman, violin/Boston SO/Seiji Ozawa, cond. - EMI

*SARASATE, ALBENIZ, DE FALLA, GRANADOS, HALFFTER* - Spanish violin classics
Itzhak Perlman, violin/Samuel Sanders, piano/orchestras cond. by Lawrence Foster & Andre Previn - EMI

It's taken me quite a while to appreciate Berg's concerto more fully (just as with Schoenberg's) but now I like it a lot. His subtle use of orchestral colours & the incorporation of things like waltz melodies from Vienna & a chorale which sounds like J. S. Bach is very imaginative. Mr Stern's more dry, thin & "no frills" style, avoiding overly heavy vibrato, suits this music perfectly, and the final chord he strikes at the top of the register floating above the orchestra "grabs" me every time.

The Bernstein _Serenade_ was actually inspired a good deal by the Berg. The melody of the opening violin cadenza reminds me strongly of the song "Maria" in _West Side Story_. This was written about a year before that, in 1954. Stern gave the first performance, but here it is very ably played by Perlman, who appropriately makes his instrument sing, and sound exactly like the human voice. The forces used here are not as large as in the Berg, but Bernstein uses them to the max & I especially love the closing bars, where the tubular bells come in. It's very brash and upbeat ending can be called typically American, a huge contrast to the other-wordly transcendent ending of the Berg. Indeed, listening to the tunes in the _Serenade, _they sound exactly apt for a Broadway musical, & this is what Bernstein actually did with some ideas from this piece.

As for Perlman's Spanish disc, I got it yesterday, but I had it on tape years back. It was a joy to hear this same recording once again. Again, Perlman's "singing" style is perfectly suited to these pieces, many of them originating in songs - eg. the transcription of de Falla's "Seven Popular Spanish Songs" (well, six of them anyway), Sarasate's _Carmen Fantasy_, as well as his _Zigeunerweisen_ (Hungarian gypsy songs). A lot of variety on this disc, it cover a wide span of Spanish violin music. I love Samuel Sanders incisive piano accompaniment (in the Granados Spanish Dance, his piano sounds very much like a guitar!) & the two items with orchestral accompaniment are also superb, Perlman was on fire here, in the full bloom of his youth. I actually went to a recital earlier this year where many of these very pieces were played, but in cello (not violin) transcriptions. There, the cellist Georg Pedersen played "devil's advocate" saying that perhaps the transcriptions are better than the originals! This being the recording I first heard these works being played as, I kind of agree with the man...


----------



## science

#4


----------



## mmsbls

Four symphonies by Joseph Kraus.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Janacek*

Janacek:
Sinfonietta
Taras Bulba

Vaclav Neumann conducting the Czech Philarmonic Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak*

earlier today

Dvorak: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat, Op. 87 / Sonatina in G, Op. 11 / Romantic Pieces, Op. 75


----------



## Oskaar

*Strauss: Piano Trios and Piano Quartets*

earlier today


----------



## Aramis

Filling my shameful gaps in sacred repertoire. I think I'll listen to C minor mass of Mozart tomorrow.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dúo Concertante: Obras Del Romanticismo Para Oboe Y Piano*

earlier today

composers:

Amilcare Ponchielli 
Antonio Pasculli 
Robert Schumann 
Camille Saint-Saëns 
Johannes Wenceslaus Kalliwoda

Eduardo Martinez, oboe
Ricardo Cecchetti, piano










fantastic sound and performance


----------



## World Violist

This is just staggering. No wonder many people consider him 300 years ahead of his time.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Carl Stamitz - Symphonies*

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801)
Four Symphonies
Matthias Bamert directing the London Mozart Players


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

World Violist said:


> This is just staggering. No wonder many people consider him 300 years ahead of his time.


What if he actually _was_ crazy? That must have affected his view of musical progression if his regular thoughts lacked progression.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, _with Vasily Petrenko leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. This performance was recorded at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England on September 11th and 12th, 2009. It is on Naxos.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> No wonder many people consider him 300 years ahead of his time.


Wouldn't a more accurate description be, he was at the end of his time? Because after him, you couldn't take modal music any further.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> earlier today


The Arabische Tanz is unique for Strauss. I don't think anyone in a blindfold test would pick him as the composer.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart horn concertos by Dennis Brain.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mozart horn concertos by Dennis Brain.

Contrary to the anti-Mozart sentiments on the Mozart vs Beethoven thread, these are not just little "ditties" whipped off in a day or two... and the Denis Brain performance in itself is a "classic". Most of all... I love the cover. rather than announcing Denis Brain performing Mozart it looks as if it should be a poster for "The Mad Brain that Ate Vienna"! or some such pulp horror film from the 1950s with the radioactive magenta image.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listened to the following two discs today:










The Dutilleux is fabulous. It's too bad that his oeuvre is so small. What he did produce is immaculate and brilliantly orchestrated. Surely, he is a clear heir to Ravel. The music is unquestionably of its time... post Schoenberg... he plays with dissonance or atonality... and yet the work is so exquisitely beautiful... not unlike Toru Takemitsu's take on non-traditional tonality... that you almost forget the dissonance. I would certainly recommend this disc to anyone who imagines they cannot stomach atonalism.










First time I listened to this in a while... and what can I say. A pair of damn good Romantic piano concertos... brilliantly performed by Kirrill Kondrashin and Sviatoslav Richter.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70. _The first work is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik. The second is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, also conducted by Bernard Haitnik. The 5th was recorded in 1981 in Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. The 9th was recorded in 1980 in Kingsway Hall, London. They are both on the London Decca label.


----------



## kv466

Pretty crazy I'd never heard this before...luckily I was thinking how much I like Susskind and found it searching for his performances...this is (so far, still on the first mvt.) just as wonderful as Wild's...perfect pace and beautiful playing...wow...great to find such a good version of this after so long and so many heard


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A wonderful, lush, orchestral song cycle... sensuous... erotic...

The concluding piece, the _Sapphic Poem_, is harmless filler... having nothing of what makes this song cycle so special.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listened to the following two discs today:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Dutilleux is fabulous. It's too bad that his oeuvre is so small. What he did produce is immaculate and brilliantly orchestrated. Surely, he is a clear heir to Ravel. The music is unquestionably of its time... post Schoenberg... he plays with dissonance or atonality... and yet the work is so exquisitely beautiful... not unlike Toru Takemitsu's take on non-traditional tonality... that you almost forget the dissonance. I would certainly recommend this disc to anyone who imagines they cannot stomach atonalism.


Agreed that this is a great set, have it myself. I think he is totally different from Ravel or Takemitsu for that matter, though (but kind of see what you're getting at with the comparison). The cello concerto, played by & dedicated to Rostropovich, is my favourite work here. Although this work was not meant to be a literal "join the dots" musical portrait of Baudelaire or his poetry, I feel that Dutilleux captured the "vibes" of this guys sensuous, dark and disturbing imagery and moods perfectly in this work. Yes, Schoenberg was clearly an influence here (the cello's solo at the beginning is obviously a tone-row, perhaps consisting of the 12 notes, but maybe as some of these kinds of things it's not exactly that number, but the serial technique is used in some way I guess). The other work I like on that set is the 2nd symphony "Le Double" - which I think of as a modern concerto grosso in all but name. The larger orchestra plays off & interacts with the smaller ensemble of soloists - I can particularly remember some great (almost jazzy) trumpet & string solos. The other works on the set I haven't yet fully absorbed to comment, suffice to say that I like Dutilleux's music a lot.



> First time I listened to this in a while... and what can I say. A pair of damn good Romantic piano concertos... brilliantly performed by Kirrill Kondrashin and Sviatoslav Richter.


I also have that one, but on vinyl. Like Richter's "matter of fact" playing, which is also quite robust and deep in many ways. I didn't know it had got to CD. That's good news, because I have loved this vinyl for a number of years...


----------



## Oskaar

*Hotteterre: Suite for flute & continuo No. 1 in G minor*

from this album:










Paul Dombrecht (oboe), Wieland Kuijken (viol) & Robert Kohnen (harpsichord)


----------



## Oskaar

Dornel:


Sonate pour le hautbois (oboe) avec la b.c

Same album


----------



## Oskaar

*French Oboe Music*

and the rest of this beautiful album:

Couperin, F:
Concert No. 1 (Concert Royal) in G major

Dornel:
Sonate pour le hautbois avec la b.c.

Hotteterre:
Suite for flute & continuo No. 1 in G minor (Book 2)
Suite for flute & continuo No. 2 in C minor (Book 2)

Philidor, P:
Cinquième suitte in D minor

Paul Dombrecht (oboe), Wieland Kuijken (viol) & Robert Kohnen (harpsichord)


----------



## Pieck

All kinds of SQs by Webern - Emerson SQ


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto,Op.35*

from this album


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I also have that one, but on vinyl. Like Richter's "matter of fact" playing, which is also quite robust and deep in many ways. I didn't know it had got to CD. That's good news, because I have loved this vinyl for a number of years...

It's been on CD for some years at least. The version I have has quite a different cover from the current incarnation (posted above) in which it is presently being sold. I quite like Richter for a good many composers, although I balk at the suggestion of him for a first choice for Bach's WTC. Like Gould (who I also wouldn't recommend as the first choice), he brings a bit too much that is uniquely his own to the work... although for a Bach fanatic like myself I do have Richter (and Gould) as well as several others.


----------



## Oskaar

and just finished the rest... very nice album!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sol Gabetta Plays Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, and Ginastera*


----------



## Oskaar

*Szymanowski - L'æuvre Complète Pour Violon Et Piano*


----------



## kv466

Gabriel Fauré - Ballade for Piano and Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Charles Gerhardt, Earl Wild al piano


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schubert - Violin and Piano*

with Julia Fischer and Martin Helmchen


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Oskaar

*chopi, schumann; piano concertos*

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2/Schumann: Piano Concerto - Schiff, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*The Classical Clarinet / Henk De Graaf, Daniel Wayenberg part 1*

earlier today

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano by Francis Poulenc 
Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano by Claude Debussy 
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major, Op. 167 by Camille Saint-Saëns 
Pastorale for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 46 by Paul-Henri Büsser 
Pieces (3) for Clarinet solo by Igor Stravinsky 
Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano by Bohuslav Martinu


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; Music for Violin & Piano 2*

earlier


----------



## Oskaar

*tcaikovski*

earlier










The London Symphony Orchestra, Walter Goehr, Tossy Spivakovsky - Peter Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 35 & Melodie, Op. 42 No. 3


----------



## Oskaar

*Glinka: Life for the Tsar*

earlier


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes_
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92_
Both of the above works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Moll, Op.65,_ performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. This performance is on the Naxos label, and was recorded on April 6th and 7th, 2009, at Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, England.


----------



## Oskaar

*Christian Poltéra plays Frank Martin*

earlier


----------



## Pieck

Myaskovsky - SQs No. 1-3 - The Taneyev Quartet


----------



## Bix

samurai;180982[COLOR=#008080 said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Moll, Op.65,_ performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. This performance is on the Naxos label, and was recorded on April 6th and 7th, 2009, at Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, England.[/COLOR]


This is fab, and from my hometown orchestra


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## Bix

After Samurai's post im putting this on now


----------



## Oskaar

*Three concertos for cello -honegger - milhaud -saint-saens*

fantastic album!


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQ No.7 in F sharp minor, Op.108 and SQ No.8 in C minor, Op.110. _Both works are performed by the Emerson String Quartet. They were recorded at the Harris Concert Hall in Aspen, Colorado in July of 1998. They are on Deutsche Grammophon.


----------



## Oskaar

fantasic album

hehe, I repeat myself...sorry

All of this three concerts is very rewarding!


----------



## Oskaar

*milhaud*

what a wonderful composer!

Right now listening to


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A rather eclectic mix today:










Takemitsu is surely one of my favorite composers of the second half of the 20th century. His music is clearly indebted to Debussy and Ravel (and the whole tradition of French Impressionism) as well as Messiaen and his own native Japanese traditions. Critics have repeatedly expressed shock at just how beautiful this music sounds... in spite of the amount of dissonance Takemitsu employs. Wonderful, gorgeously orchestrated music that subtly suggests moods and landscapes and the fleeting moment.










A marvelous collection of choice arias from the operettas of one of the supreme masters of the form. My favorite might just be _Dein ist mein ganze Herz!_...

but that may just have something to do with a certain lovely Russian girl:















From this box set:










A collection of some of the most complex polyphony of the Renaissance... including Allesandro Striggio's 40-voice motet, _Ecce beatam lucem_ and Tallis' _Spem in alium_.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Prokovfiev's Romeo and Juliet.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQ No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.117 and SQ No.10 in A Flat major, Op.118. _Both works are performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

*@ oskaar* - Some great cello concertos you have listened to recently there. I borrowed that same Frank Martin collection from the library a while back, & his only cello concerto on it was the work that "grabbed" me the most. Unusually for Martin, I recall the work opening with a kind of Vaughan Williams-ish pastoral vibe, but he gets more kind of "serious" before the page is out. I think Christian Poltera is one to certainly look out for & it's kind of appropriate that he is a countryman of the composer, both of them being Swiss. As for the other French collection, I have got Milhaud's 2 concerti on vinyl, on the Supraphon label. I remember one of them opening with a kind of chanson-like melody, reminiscent of what the late Edith Piaf would sing (absolutely love this woman's songs), but getting into classic Milhaud territory (polyrhythms) after a few bars of that. The vinyl LP also has a "bonus" track - a work by Milhaud for cello & piano written during the WW2 years, which is kind of more darker, I think it's called _Elegy_(?). Anyway, I really like Milhaud, esp. his earlier jazzy works (_Genesis_) & his post-WW2 _Sacred Service_ for baritone, chorus & orchestra is also very enjoyable listening, quite modern but also very ancient at the same time.

*@ stlukes* - That Lehar collection looks great, I have seen it in shops, high time I should get it. I think he was a wonderful melodist, and it's kind of great that _The Merry Widow _has endured for over 100 years now, it has (& always will) be produced by both amateur operatic societies as well as professional ones. He was definitely a master of that field. As for Takemitsu, agreed about him, he was great. I have the orchestral disc on Naxos with some of those same works (with Bournemouth symphony under Marin Alsop) but I'm itching to get my hands on other discs on that label, including one with his chamber works & also another with his solo piano works, which must be great as well...


----------



## Sid James

Recently have been enjoying some works with violin solo component & also Bernstein's symphonies -

*BERG* - Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel" (Stern/NYPO/Bernstein) Sony Classics
*BERNSTEIN* - Serenade for violin, strings & percussion; *BARBER* - Violin Concerto; *Lukas FOSS* - 3 American Pieces (Perlman/Boston SO/Ozawa) EMI
*SARASATE & others - "Virtuoso Violin" album* - Collection incl. violin & piano transcriptions, as well as his _Carmen Fantasy & Zigeunerweisen _& other Spanish composers(Perlman/Samuel Sanders, piano/Royal Phil./Pittsburgh SO/Foster/Previn) EMI
*Album: Music from Hungary - Sandor Lakatos, violin* - arrangements for Gypsy band of "Hungarian" classics incl. Sarasate's _Zigeunerweisen_, Brahm's _Hungarian Dances_, Monti's _Csardas_, traditional melodies & many others - Laserlight label (publ. 1990)
*BERNSTEIN* - Symphony #1 "Jeremiah" (Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano/Israel PO/Bernstein) DGG

Briefly, it is hard to compare Sandor Lakatos' and Itzhak Perlman's playing of the Sarasate piece (_Zigeunerweisen_), as the former is for gypsy band (chamber size, incl. cimbalom & the Hungarian clarinet called the tarogato) & the latter has full orchestral accompaniment. They both certainly do the work justice (Mr Lakatos' version is the full version, there are no cuts or anything like that). I feel Perlman's style is more like singing, whereas Lakatos plays it as a violin piece. Their playing of the most tricky bit, the cadenza in the third & final song with all of those double and triple stops, is just amazing to hear. These "gypsy songs" were actually written by the Hungarian nobility in the c19th as salon pieces & the gypsy violinists of the time were considered the finest improvisers of the instrument. So they naturally took these up as part of their repertoire, playing them in all places, from the side of the road as buskers to the salons and the grandest of palaces. I hazard a guess that the Spaniard Sarasate, himself a great violinist of the classical realm back then, would have heard these gypsy violinists & become inspired to write a piece incorporating their techniques (this is a mini-concerto in all but name, two slow & tragic songs preceding a fast and joyous csardas). It says a lot that both discs end with this piece, in other words, they have left the "best piece till last"...


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

Just remembered that I also got heavily into this one last night -

*K.A. HARTMANN* - Piano Sonata (No. 2) "27 April 1945"
Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano (Bluthner concert grand)
Naxos - coupled with solo piano works by Berg, Hindemith, Schoenberg

I got this disc a year or more ago & I have enjoyed it immensely since. The photograph on the cover is part of the Holocaust memorial in one of the big USA cities. This is certainly apt in terms of Hartmann's work, which was written towards the end of WW2 on 27 April 1945, when he saw a column of prisoners of war being marched away from the Dachau concentration camp. I don't think we know anything of their fate, like that of many others at that time. Certainly, the end of the war (& the end of the Nazi regime which the composer absolutely hated) was near. Upon first listen, I thought this was quite a grim work, and in a kind of "atonal" language which is always hard to grasp quickly. However now I can hear a lot of hope in this work as well. The sonata opens rather cryptically with a brief & quite shrouded quotation from the beginning of Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring _(the bassoon solo & other woodwind bits). What this exactly means I do not know, anyone who knows this work or more about this composer (this is the only work I have heard from him, apart from the more famous _Concerto Funebre_), please let me know. Maybe this quotation is just meant to be an enigma, simple as that. The following scherzo is just as vicious as the one in Shostakovich's 8th string quartet. The pivotal funeral march quotes the four note motto theme (or part of it?) from Beethoven's 5th symphony. Towards the middle of this movement, the theme rings out like a peal of bells, perhaps speaking to the joy which would be felt by millions when the day to end the war would finally come, and real bells would ring out across the cities of Europe once again. Hartmann composed two endings to this work, both are on this recording. At first, I could hear little difference between them (the movement begins exactly the same in both versions) but now the difference is "clear as a bell" so to speak. The first version is more tuneful, incorporating an American & a Russian song, which speak to the armies that were to liberate Germany. The second one has a powerful toccata which brings together & sums up the whole work, perhaps in a more traditional way. I think I like the first version, it's more optimistic for me. The pianist here plays in a subtle way, particularly with regards to dynamics, which is important for this type of music. She uses a different type of piano which at first I thought sounded kind of icy and too "perfect" but now I don't think it's so wierd. I'd recommend this as a "next step" to those people (like me) who like things like Boulez's seminal 2nd sonata, this work is in the same league, imo. Hartmann was also the person who established Musica Viva, a movement that lead to the performance of new music around the world, and we even have a very active & long-standing branch of it here in Australia...


----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Schubert - Fantasy in C, 'The Wanderer' arr. for piano and orchestra by Lizst, Sir George Solti conducting the London Symphony Orchestra with Jorge Bolet at the piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

Prokofiev's 3rd piano concerto, Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

My Pandora free monthly hours ran out yesterday, less than halfway through the month. 

What am I gonna dooo?


----------



## World Violist

Okay, I'll do the Takemitsu thing too.






...and assorted "related videos" from there, I'm sure.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> My Pandora free monthly hours ran out yesterday, less than halfway through the month.
> 
> What am I gonna dooo?


You can sit yourself down and finish War and Peace!


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Manxfeeder said:


> You can sit yourself down and finish War and Peace!


Yes! Although I like listening to music while reading. I got a few orchestral clips from Prokofiev's War and Peace that I can listen to while reading it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rhapsodie - Pierre Lenert/Cedrick Tiberg*

earlier


----------



## Guest

I decided to pull out my copy of this:









I bought this a long time ago, as I was just starting to explore classical music, and was very much interested in Mozart, but haven't picked it up much since. However, on ClassicsToday.com, I have been reading a few excellent reviews of new recordings of Mozart's Divertimento, K. 563, on Naxos and BIS, and it spiked my curiosity. I know this recording is of his string quintets (which are also very nice), but it also contains the Grumiaux Trio's recording of the Divertimento, and I wanted to hear it again. I have heard it in several places described as one of the truly great works for a string trio, as well as one of Mozart's most mature chamber works. And maybe I'll listen to the quintets as well!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Music of the twentieth century*

ROLF LIEBERMANN (1910-1999): Furioso for orchestra (1945)
BORIS BLACHER (1903-1975): Paganini-Variationen (1947)
WERNER EGK (1901-1983): Französische Suite (1949-52)
GOTTFRIED VON EINEM (1918-1996): Klavierkonzert (1956); Ballade for orchestra op. 23 (1958)

Feren Fricsay - conductor
Gerty Herzog - Piano
RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

I like particulary Liebermann "Furioso" and a lot Blacher "Paganini Variationen"


----------



## Oskaar

*2 Violins & 1 Guitar, Vol. 2*


----------



## Pieck

Gombert - Missa Quam Pulchra es a 6


----------



## World Violist

I tried listening to this before with the libretto and all that, but it proved too much for me mentally. So now, about 4-5 months later, I'm not going to try to get involved with it (for once); that is, no libretto and no deep, exclusive listening. I'll just be hearing Messiaen's music. Hopefully it'll be a better experience for me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid James- As for Takemitsu, agreed about him, he was great. I have the orchestral disc on Naxos with some of those same works (with Bournemouth symphony under Marin Alsop) but I'm itching to get my hands on other discs on that label, including one with his chamber works & also another with his solo piano works, which must be great as well...

Andre... I have a number of Naxos discs as well of Takemitsu. Seriously, he may just be the composer of the second half of the 20th century by whom I have the most discs. Off the top of my head I can only think of Arvo Part and Penderecki as possible competition... at least within the realm of "classical music". I would recommend this disc without hesitation:










It features a number of Takemitsu's compositions for smaller ensembles... and each ensemble is unique in the choice of instruments.

And this one may be even better... if you can still find it:










It shows takemitsu at his most delicate... most suggestive and Impressionistic... and most attuned to his own Japanese heritage.

If you enjoy Takemitsu... look into Tristan Murail... especially the discs, _Gondwana; Désintégrations; Time and Again_ and _Winter Fragments_. They are in every bit contemporary... and yet unabashedly beautiful and suggestive of nature.


----------



## Oskaar

*Printemps*

Jacques Ibert (Composer), Henri Tomasi (Composer), Darius Milhaud (Composer), Charles Koechlin (Composer), Jean Francaix (Composer), Eugene Bozza (Composer), Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet (Performer)


----------



## Oskaar

*Francaix, Poulenc, Milhaud..: Works for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon*


----------



## Oskaar

*Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole*

fantastic work!


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93 and Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65. _Both works are performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko.
Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, _performed by Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Carlo Guilini. For its sheer melodic beauty and depth, I am starting to like this at least as much as --if not more than--his 9th.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart's piano concertos Nos. 19 and 23, Murray Perahia.


----------



## Sid James

*@ stlukes* - Thanks for the info/recs on Takemitsu. Many people seem to criticise the man for the "sameness" of his music, which is kind of understandable in many ways, but I don't mind this that much. Like many composers (Hovhaness, Arvo Part, Glass come to mind here a bit) Takemitsu had a style which he perfected & kept perfecting/developing. The "echo21" label is great (I notice quite a few people here are getting these discs), the couplings/selections on these discs seem to be quite good, worth the "full price" that they cost. As for Murail, I remember you posting some of his music elsewhere (I think it was _Gondwana_ which you mention) & I enjoyed it quite a bit...

*@ samurai* - you've just listened to two of my favourite symphonies by those composers - shosty's 10th & Dvorak's 8th. I've loved these for years. The former I was able to hear live in concert last year, with Sir Mark Elder conducting the Australian Youth Orchestra. The young lady piccolist worked double overtime in that!!! As for the latter, it's Dvorak's "nature symphony" - I hear it as a kind of walk in the woods, very lush and green imagery, and those sweet bird-calls. The man was a natural, a bit like Schubert with his lyrical way...


----------



## samurai

@Sid James, I like your descriptions in refererence to Dvorak and the 8th; for me, it sounds as beautifully melodious--in a different way, of course--than his more famous 9th. It is really quite evocative. As for Shostakovich, I am really "getting into" both his 8th and 10th symphonies, as well as the 8th and 10th SQS. There is an urgency and sense of danger in all of them. I especially like the way Petrenko interprets these works {Now I'm thinking I'd be better off and happier if I were to wait and purchase his complete cycle of Shostakovich symphonies, rather than the one already available by Rostropovich. Decisions, decisions! ut:}.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I gave a first listen to Toivo Tulev's Songs today. This is also my first exposure to this composer. Tulev is an Estonian (what is with all the great composers from this this little plot of land from the former Soviet Union?) composer of the generation following Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis. Like Pärt, Tulev made a concerted study of early music and Gregorian Chant. He was rejected from the conservatoire of music because of the religious nature of most of his compositions until he was 27. He studied under the composers Sven-David Sandstrom and Eino Tamberg and explored electro-acoustic music in Cologne in 1997.

Like Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis, Tulev is fond of vocal and choral music... undoubtedly as a result of the spiritual/religious basis of much of the work. While there are elements that recall Arvo Pärt, Tulev's music is far more pluralistic in style. There are elements that recall Kaija Saariaho or Erkki-Sven Tüür. Like both of these composers, he freely ranges from traditional tonality to atonality of dissonance... and back again.

The major work on this disc is simply entitled _Songs_. It is a cycle of eight choral songs with orchestral accompaniment. The texts are drawn from the Biblical "Song of Songs" or "Song of Solomon" in both the King James English and the _Vugate_ Latin translation. These texts are interpolated with two poems from the great Spanish visionary poet, San Juan de la Cruz, _Cantico espiritual_ and _Coplas del alma que pena por ver a Dios_ (Stanzas of the Soul that Suffers with Longing to see God). Both the Biblical "Song of Songs" and the poems by San Juan de la Cruz present spiritual longing in the form of erotic desire. Throughout these songs, various solo voices sing plaintively against the chorus as a whole suggestive of such desire.






The disc contains several other smaller compositions, including two settings of _Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt_ or "The Lord is my shepherd..." This setting of the famous Psalm (in German) is the most simple... minimal... with the lovely use of the piano and violin accompanying the vocals.






I surely recommend anyone fond of Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, and Erkki-Sven Tüür look into Toivo Tulev.

:tiphat:


----------



## Pieck

Saint Saens - Piano Trios 1&2 - Trio Wanderer


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into these, among other things -

*BIZET*
L'Arlesienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2 (No.2 orchestrated by Ernest Guiraud)
London Festival Orch./Cesare Cantieri, cond. (Point Classics)

*BERNSTEIN*
Chichester Psalms (with Vienna Boy's Choir)
Symphony #1 "Jeremiah" (with Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano)
Israel PO/Composer cond. (DGG)

Chichester Psalms
Thomas Kelly, boy treble/Vocal soloists/Bournemouth SO & Chorus/Marin Alsop, cond. (Naxos)

I have always loved Bizet's _L'Arlesienne_ suites, especially the image & sound of the swinging bells in the _Carillon_ movement, which rounds off the first suite. The next suite, which Bizet's friend Guiraud orchestrated very ably, also begins with rhythms and harmonies suggestive of bells. I haven't heard the complete incidental music ever, this would be interesting.

I've been enjoying Bernstein's music in all it's multifarious guises or the past couple of weeks. The _Jeremiah_ symphony, his earliest written in 1942, is such an expressive and dramatic work. This work speaks to the events current at the time (the world at war) - the first movement is Jeremiah's prophecy, the second depicts the destruction of Jerusalem, & the third (which is a song for mezzo-soprano & orchestra) is Jeremiah's lament as he's walking through the ruins of the city. I can detect the influence of some other composers here, but all in all, this work is quite unique. Some interesting effects are used throughout, including the ingenious use of hitting maraccas against drum-skins to create a kind of simultaneous rhythm. This has a kind of Latin American beat to it, but all up there is a kind of Jewish feel in this work (but no actual Jewish themes are quoted).

Then I compared Bernstein's recording of his popular _Chichester Psalms_ with that of his protege, Marin Alsop. I liked them both equally. Apparently this work was kind of going off the bat of Stravinsky's _Symphony of Psalms_, but I much prefer the Bernstein, who is totally unafraid to convey his personal emotions. The central boy treble solo does have the feel of Faure with a modern tinge, but it is interrupted by Latin rhythms culled from a bit of _West Side Story_ that hit the cutting room floor. The outer movements are very exhuberant and joyful, speaking to the text, while the orchestral introduction to the third & final psalm speaks to the influence/technique of atonal composers (although Bernstein boasted of this as his most tonally centred work, in the key of B-flat major). I'll definitely be getting into this more and more in the next couple of days/weeks...


----------



## hespdelk

Lovely performance, a compelling case for Bruckner's original conception of this symphony. There are some touches I miss from the revisions, but on the whole I think Bruckner was wrong to doubt himself. Great sound on this SACD too.


----------



## Oskaar

*Lalo: Cello Concerto In D Minor*

from this album;


----------



## jaimsilva

*Good to distress after a hard working day*

Haydn, Hummel, Hertel, Stamitz - Trumpet concertos

Hardenberger (trumpet) with
the Academy of St.Martin-in-the-Fields
Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)


----------



## kv466

Shostakovich - Piano Concerto no. 1, Evgeny Kissin with Vladimir Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi


----------



## Oskaar

*20th Century French Wind Trios*


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## jaimsilva

*Denis Matsuev · The Carnegie Hall Concert (2008)*

Schumann - Kinderszenen
Liszt - Sonata in B minor
Prokofiev - Sonata n.7
Liadov - The Musical Snuff-Box
Scriabin - Etude op.8 n.12
Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King


----------



## Pieck

Grieg - SQ No.1, No.2 (incomplete), Fuge for SQ - The Norwegian SQ


----------



## Oskaar

*Leos Janácek: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Maria João Pires - Le Voyage Magnifique*

SCHUBERT Impromptus


----------



## Oskaar

*janacek*

Leos Janácek: Orchestral Works - Danube / Incidental Music to Schluck & Jau / Moravian Dances / Suite, Op. 3


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.5 in D Moll, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E Flat major, Op.70._ 
The 5th is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The 9th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Both are conducted by Bernard Haitnik, and are from the same Decca label cd.


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## Oskaar

*Dvorak: Serenade for Wind+ janacek+ enescu*


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQ_ _No_._4_ _in_ _D_ _Major_, _Op_._83, No.5 in B flat Major, Op.92 and No.6 in G major, Op.101._ All are performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


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## Guest

Having wallowed in late romantic chamber music for the last month or so, I'm drifting back a bit toward more symphonic music, in part because I'm determined to listen to every track in my entire classical music collection at least once this year.

At the moment, it's Roussel's Third Symphony:









Perfectly fine music, but I wouldn't say great. However, I'm hardly one to judge - I'm not too keen on orchestral music.


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## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14*

Have'nt listened to this piece in a while - great performance!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Monteverdi's Vespers, John Eliot Gardiner's gloriously non-HIP first recording.


----------



## Guest

Ravel's Sheherazade - 









Revisiting nuggets like this epitomizes why it's fun to listen to your entire collection top to bottom from time to time.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to quite a few things last night, incl. *Bernstein's* _Kaddish_ Symphony, but I'll talk about these -

*R. STRAUSS*
Capriccio: Sextet (1941) (arr. for chamber orch.)
Die Frau ohne Schatten: Symphonic Fantasy (arranged from opera by composer in 1946)
Feuersnot: Love Scene (1901)
Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils (1905)

Stuttgart CO/Munchinger (in Sextet only) & Dresden Staatskapelle/Sinopoli
On DGG Eloquence 2 disc set (all above from disc 2)

*Album: Twentieth Century Piano Sonatas*
*BERG* - Piano Sonata Op.1 (1908)
*HINDEMITH* - Piano Sonata #2 (1936)
*SCHOENBERG* - Three Piano Pieces (1894)
*HARTMANN* - Piano Sonata (#2) "27 April 1945" (1945, revised with addition of alternative second finale, 1947)

Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano (Bluthner concert grand)
Naxos

*BERNSTEIN*
Symphony #2 "The Age of Anxiety"
Lukas Foss, piano/Israel PO/composer (rec. 1977 live in Berlin)
DGG

I had bought the *Richard Strauss* set over 2 years ago to re-acquaint myself with his _Metamorphosen_ before a concert then, but I haven't listened to the other things on it much since. The _Sextet_ sounded to me a bit like a precursor to _Metamophosen_, but maybe a tad more kind of Mozartian. Elegance was the word here for me, more than tragedy. The _Symphonic Fantasy _based on tunes from the opera _Die Frau Ohne Schatten _was great, I think that because this arrangement was a late work (1946) it had more modern and kind of pared down feel (although still in his rich style) than his earlier works which are too rich for my liking. The _Love Scene _was very Wagnerian, it could have come straight out of one of his operas (the notes say_ Tristan _was a possible influence here). The _Dance of the Seven Veils _ reminded me strongly of Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_ & the notes say that Strauss actually wrote this after he finished the rest of the opera. So, in a way, not knowing the opera & the themes in it (whith the dance brings together) is a huge drawback here in a way. But overall, I enjoyed these works.

Then a full listen to the c20th piano sonatas disc. The *Berg* is the best known piece here, replete with the waltzes of his native city, but also suggesting some of the darker undercurrents in his life. The *Hindemith* has strong elements of Schumann, particularly in the second movement (lebhaft - lively) which brings the latter's _Piano Concerto _to mind. This is quite a sunny work, showing Hindemith's mastery of counterpoint and finesse in particular (not too heavy & ponderous, as he is often stereotyped as being). *Schoenberg's* _Three Piano Pieces _are redolent of Brahms, but there is a sudden mood change in the final one, which brought Liszt to my mind quite a bit. This is a tonal work, much different from his later mature works. Then *Hartmann's* seminal sonata, pondering the horrors of WW2, & speaking to the liberation which was to come - the war ended before he finished this work. The opening cryptically quotes the start of Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_, which may or may not be connected to the final movement in it's first incarnation, which quotes a popular Russian song (as well as an American one), speaking to the armies which were then liberating Europe. The pivotal funeral march (3rd movt.) quotes the four note motto theme from Beethoven's 5th symphony, at one stage this theme rings out like a peal of bells. The bells return briefly in the second version of the final movement, which ends with a demanding toccata. The quotation of the American song here reminded me a bit of Ives, the bells made me think of Rachmaninov. Oddly enough, any hint of Hartmann's teacher Webern isn't to be found (at least as far as I can tell). But this is clearly a very unique work, & now that I'm more familiar with it, not as dark and depressing as I first found it. All in all, this is a good collection of Austro-Germanic piano music from the 50 years leading up to 1945.

Then my first listen to *Bernstein's *_Symphony #2 "The Age of Anxiety." _ The work opens with a duet for clarinets, suggesting a conversational tone, followed by a set of variations for piano and orchestra which made me think of Ravel (esp. the slow movement of his _Piano Concerto in G major_). A highlight of this work was the second last movement, a cadenza for the pianist called "Masque," which is heavily imbued with the feel of Scott Joplin's ragtimes. The final movement is for the most part quite pensive, but the whole work ends in an epic mood, suggesting the feel of a film score. I actually listened to this symphony a second time, I enjoyed it so much. Great to hear Lukas Foss on piano, who was no slouch of a player, and a significant American composer of the latter half of the c20th in his own right...


----------



## World Violist

Listening to this stunning account of Arvo Part's Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten. Agonizing in the best possible way.










As a quick side request...does anyone know where the thread for dream concerts is (can't remember the exact name, searches came up with 7896354 results of course)? I can't find it and I have an idea...


----------



## Sid James

World Violist said:


> ...As a quick side request...does anyone know where the thread for dream concerts is (can't remember the exact name, searches came up with 7896354 results of course)? I can't find it and I have an idea...


Dunno, but I think that the search facility on this website is not the best (something that may have to be put on the possible "improvement" list for you mods out there?!)...


----------



## Bix

World Violist said:


> As a quick side request...does anyone know where the thread for dream concerts is (can't remember the exact name, searches came up with 7896354 results of course)? I can't find it and I have an idea...


http://www.talkclassical.com/4420-your-dream-concert.html


----------



## tdc

World Violist said:


> As a quick side request...does anyone know where the thread for dream concerts is (can't remember the exact name, searches came up with 7896354 results of course)? I can't find it and I have an idea...


Edit - Bix got it, see above. ^


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60, "Leningrad"*

Another great Symphony from the superb Haitink Cycle!


----------



## kv466

Richard Strauss - Piano Sonata in B minor, opus 5; Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## samurai

@Conor71, That looks like a really great compilation of Shostakovich you've got there, and I'm really glad for--and somewhat envious--of you at the same time. I have Haitnik conducting his 5th, 7th and 9th Symphonies. I am about to purchase the boxed set of his complete symphonies by either Rostropovich or--if and when available--Petrenko. Off hand, would you know if the Haitnik 11 cd set you have is still available in the U.S.? I haven't seen it on Amazon, but perhaps I have to search a little harder. If I am able to find it, would you recommend it over Rostropovich or Petrenko.
p.s. I have Petrenko conducting the Shostakovich 8th and 10th symphonies, and I have been very impressed indeed.


----------



## Bix

samurai said:


> p.s. I have Petrenko conducting the Shostakovich 8th and 10th symphonies, and I have been very impressed indeed.


This is with my home orchestra - the RLPO, the recordings are so very good and I'm so proud of the orchestra. I really do like Haitink so I'd appreciate Conor71's comments also.


----------



## Conor71

samurai said:


> @Conor71, That looks like a really great compilation of Shostakovich you've got there, and I'm really glad for--and somewhat envious--of you at the same time. I have Haitnik conducting his 5th, 7th and 9th Symphonies. I am about to purchase the boxed set of his complete symphonies by either Rostropovich or--if and when available--Petrenko. Off hand, would you know if the Haitnik 11 cd set you have is still available in the U.S.? I haven't seen it on Amazon, but perhaps I have to search a little harder. If I am able to find it, would you recommend it over Rostropovich or Petrenko.
> p.s. I have Petrenko conducting the Shostakovich 8th and 10th symphonies, and I have been very impressed indeed.


Hey Samurai  - I have owned the Haitink, Jansons and Barshai cycles of Shostakovich Symphonies and think that the Haitink Cycle is the strongest of the 3 in terms of quality performances and sound  The Haitink is available on Amazon through the 3rd Party sellers for about $50 US which I think is a great price and if youre thinking of pulling the trigger on this one I dont think you will be disappointed!. As regards Rostropovich I have only heard the 5th from that set and it is a wonderful performance but unfortunately I havent heard the rest of the cycle or any of the Petrenko recordings so I am unable to comment on these.
On another Forum I visit there are quite a few Shosty fans and I have read good things about Petrenko and Rostropovich recordings so again I think you will enjoy these sets too!.

Here is a link for Amazon for the Haitink set:

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Complete-Symphonies-Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau/dp/B000F3T7RO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1310781487&sr=1-1

I think Shostakovich's Symphonies are great works and you would enjoy exploring them a lot - I am glad to see you have gotten a set of the Shostakovich String Quartets as well - these will give you a lot of enjoyment and challenge as a listener too - enjoy!.


----------



## kv466

Krenek - Sonata for Piano no.4 opus 92, Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## Wicked_one

Paganini - Sonatas for Violin and Guitar. 1st listening and there will follow more. Love them so far.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Vivaldi - Bassoon concertos*

Vivaldi - 5 Bassoon Concertos - Milan Turkovic, I Solisti Italiani


----------



## jaimsilva

*OTTO NICOLAI - Orchestral Works*

Carl Otto Ehrenfried Nicolai (9 June 1810 - 11 May 1849) was a German composer, conductor, and founder of the Vienna Philharmonic. Nicolai is best known for his operatic version of Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor). In addition to five operas, Nicolai composed lieder, works for orchestra, chorus, ensemble, and solo instruments. (from wikipedia)

Listening:
Fantaisie avec Variations brillantes sur Norma, op. 25 for piano and orchestra
Symphony in D major, WoO 99

Claudius Tanski, piano
Südwestfälische Philharmonie conducted by David Stern










then I'll go for volume 2

Kirchliche Fest-Ouvertüre, op. 25
Variations brillantes su motivi dell'opera La Sonnambula, op. 26 for clarinet and orchestra
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, overture WoO 114
Die Heimkehr des Verbannten, overture WoO 113
Weihnachts-Ouvertüre, WoO 109

Johannes Pieper, clarinet
Evangelische Kantorei Siegen
Südwestfälische Philharmonie conducted by David Stern


----------



## Manxfeeder

Victoria's Requiem with the Tallis Scholars.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bartok - Orchestral works*

Divertimento (1939) Sz. 113
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936) Sz. 106
Romanian Folk Dances (1915) Sz. 56 (Orchestration : Jean-Marie Zeitouni)

Les Violons du Roy - Jean-Marie Zeitouni


----------



## kv466

Mahler - Adagietto from the Symphony no. 5, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic (absolutely gorgeous)


----------



## Oskaar

*Frank Stradler & Luis Magalhas Play Janeck, Schumann & Schubert*










1. Sonata for violin & piano, JW 7/7 (18:40)
Common Name Sonata For Violin & Piano
Composer Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928)
Performer Frank Stadler (Violin)
Luis Magalhaes (Piano)

2. Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121 (33:07)
Common Name Sonata For Violin & Piano
Composer Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Performer Frank Stadler (Violin)
Luis Magalhaes (Piano)

3. Fantasia for violin & piano in C major ("Sei mir gegrusst!"), D. 934 (Op. posth. 159) (25:11)
Catalog No. D 934
Composer Franz Schubert (Vienna) (1797 - 1828)
Performer Frank Stadler (Violin)
Luis Magalhaes (Piano)


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano_ _Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30. _Both works feature Abbey Simon, piano. They are both performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. The more I listen to these works, the more I appreciate how lushly beautiful and deeply melodic they really are!


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## Oskaar

*Szymanowski / Janacek: Violin Sonatas*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Kozeluch: Piano Concerto & 2 Symphonies*

Leopold Antonín KOŽELUCH (1747-1818)
Sinfonie A-Dur
Klavierkonzert D-Dur
Sinfonie g-moll


----------



## Oskaar

*Gare Du Nord*

BOHUSLAV MARTINU: Duo No. 2 for Violin and Cello

REINHOLD GLIERE: Eight Duets, Op. 39

ARTHUR HONEGGER: Sonatina for Violin and Cello

BRIAN FENNNELLY Sigol for Two

DARIUS MILHAUD: Sonatina for Violin and Cello

BOHUSLAV MARTINU: Duo for Violin and Cello


----------



## World Violist

Dusting off my Bernstein/Mahler set (Sony). I can't believe this; I haven't listened to Mahler 9 in forever!


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony_ _No_._5_ _in_ _D_ _Minor_, _Op_._47_ and _Symphony_ _No_._9_ _in_ _E_ _flat__Major, Op.70. _The 5th is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, while the 9th is played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some TC members have been extolling Mozart's Sinfonia concertante, so I'm listening for the first time.


----------



## tdc

Danses concertantes


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Symphony No. 3 In D Major, D 200
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 In D Minor, D 759, "Unfinished"*


----------



## Sid James

*@ jaimsilva* - yes, Nicolai was great, a quite overlooked composed, but I was able to hear a number of his works on radio last year, they played a lot of them in a series marking his 200th anniversary. I missed a local performance of his Merry Wives (the full opera) but I did see the Sydney Symphony at the open-air Domain concert this year play it's famous overture, which is marvellous, imo!

*@ samurai* - Rachmaninov has always been one of my favourites. Love those bell-like sounds in his music, his trademark technique of block chords which he pioneered in the 1890's was to influence so many others, incl. Copland & other Americans (as you know, Rach toured the USA & eventually settled there). I think people who say Rach was nothing but a weak imitation of Tchaikovsky are talking bullsh*t & don't know the first thing about music....


----------



## samurai

@ Sid James, I completely agree with you about Rachmaninoff; when I listen to Tchaikovsky and him, I hear two very distinctive artists and styles. I don't think--though anything is possible with my lame-brain self--that I could ever confuse the two. No doubt they both employ lushly melodic themes, but to me they are very identifiable on their own merits.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> @ Sid James, I completely agree with you about Rachmaninoff; when I listen to Tchaikovsky and him, I hear two very distinctive artists and styles. I don't think--though anything is possible with my lame-brain self--that I could ever confuse the two. No doubt they both employ lushly melodic themes, but to me they are very identifiable on their own merits.


Agreed & to me, Rachmaninov was just as a great innovator as guys like Stravinsky & Debussy were, he was no less as great. & in terms of the development & modernisation of things like piano technique, Rachmaninov was just as significant as his fellow composers in the Russian sphere, Scriabin & Prokofiev (but of course, they were all unique as well).

BTW, I may have mentioned this in the past, but if you like Rach's piano concertos you may well like his piano trios (esp. the 2nd one, named "Trio Elegiaque" written in memory of his friend & valued colleague, Tchaikovsky). These are very "pianistic" works, but the pianist doesn't "hog" the limelight, just as in his concertos, there are many superb sections played by the other instrumentalists. The 2nd trio is a very emotional work, an epic first movement full of brooding & contemplation, followed by a much lighter slow movement which is a series of imaginative variations on a theme (each of these is just as unique, a world in itself (microcosm/macrocosm) as the ones in his more famous _Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini_, then another quite turgid and dark movement to close, "framing" the work by returning to the ideas of the first movt. in particular. Even if you're not a "chamber freak" like myself, you'll be sure to enjoy it, it has much in common with the idiom & content of his great works for piano & orchestra...


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into some "light" classics -

*Album: "Andre Rieu - You'll Never Walk Alone"*
Light classics, opera arias, show tunes, movie themes
Instrumental & vocal soloists/Johann Strauss Orch./Andre Rieu, arranger, lead violin, direction. - Universal Music

*Album: "Festival of British Light Classics"* (not pictured)
*Elgar* - Salut d'Amor, Pomp & Circumstance March #4; *Binge *- Elizabethan Serenade; *Coates* - Dambuster's March, Knightsbridge March, Down by the Sleepy Lagoon; *E. German *- Waltz from "Tom Jones;" *Ketelbey* - Bells Across the Meadows; In a Monastery Garden; In a Persian Market; many others
Chorus & orch. of Slovak Radio & Czecho-Slovak Radio/Adrian Leaper/Andrew Penny - Naxos Selection series

I have no doubt that Andre Rieu is the finest arranger of light music today. It is true that sometimes he goes over the top with schmaltz or makes a show tune like the title track sound almost Mahlerian in scale, but I actually enjoy it when he takes liberties like this. But on the whole, his arrangements add to, not detract from, the originals. Eg. in his arrangement of the famous opening movement of Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata _he has the piano accompanied by an orchestra as well as a wordless choir providing an extra harmonic underpinning in the final bit. The "vibe" Rieu creates here is in line with what many people think of this work, even though (as the Rieu's notes point out) Beethoven didn't furnish the title to this piece. Rieu's arrangement does maybe kind of overplay an image of beams of moonlight hitting a pond or something like that, but so what? He's definitely not "cheapening" the original, imo. Rieu's "take" on Rossini's famous_ La Danza _works with his use of three tenors, but I think that when he uses the same combination for Puccini's _E Lucevan le stelle _(from _Tosca_) he falls quite a bit off the mark -this aria only makes sense to me when sung by one person, due to it's intimacy and poignancy. Having said that, sometimes I much prefer Reiu's arrangements to the originals - his version for cello solo and orchestra (with a dash of choir) of Lloyd Webber's _All I Ask of You _(from _The Phantom of the Opera_) works better for me than the original by far. It's also apt as the composer's brother, Julian, is a cellist. Rieu really gives this tune more than a hint of "class" imo, I don't mind the rest of that musical (actually like it quite a bit) but that song in it's original form was always something I almost couldn't stand. As for the grand finale, the title track, it is done in an over the top way - with all the vocal soloists as well as orchestra & chorus - but somehow, it works (there is a slow build up from just one instrument to many, it's quite sophisticated in many ways). In short, I've enjoyed this album a lot.

As for the Naxos disc of British light classics, it's also quite good, but I would've like this music played with a bit more "oomph" for lack of a better term. Maybe more vigour? Obviously, this is not the usual repertoire of the Czech & Slovak players, but they do give justice to the music on the whole. My favourites here are the ones I listed above. Most if not all of these pieces have a simple three part structure & they are relatively short, obviously composed with the time limitations of 48 & 78 RPM records in mind. They were big sellers in those days, and are still the core repertoire for light & salon orchestras, esp. in the UK. Ketelbey probably was the most original and unique of the bunch - his pieces can be described as mini tone-poems (or tone-poems for the Common Man, to paraphrase Copland's big hit). But I equally love the more derivative ones, eg. Eric Coates' _Dambuster's March _is obviously an Elgar _Pomp & Circumstance _"spin-off" but Coates' tune is equally as good as any of Elgar's were. As for Edward German, I am planning of getting the Naxos recording of his operetta _Tom Jones_, from which the waltz on this disc is extracted...


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Symphony No. 9 In C major, D. 944, "Great"*


----------



## Conor71

*Smetana: Ma Vlast*


----------



## Aramis

5th

So long since last listening. But Schumman was right about this work when compared it to wonders of nature which will always thrill us. Take a hundred century-old oak trees, and write his name with them, in giant letters, on a plain. Now when I'm much more experienced listener than during last listening I still find this work stunning and profound, unlike many other "early fascinations" and understand it even more since I'm currently at the edge wrestling with fate myself. A nous deux, maintenant! "Destiny knocking to your door" - what an apt description of the first movement's theme, did they really had to spoil it so much by overexposing in media?


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas arranged for Orchestra*

I knew before the Berio arrangement of the Sonata Op.120 No.1
Now I found this CD with the same arrangement coupled with the Sonata Op.120 No.2 arranged for orchestra by Schottstaedt.

Both Sonatas were composed by Brahms either for Viola either for Clarinet.
The arrangements are for Clarinet and Orchestra.

Clarinet: Wolfgang Meyer
Polish Radio Orchestra
Conductor: Wojciech Rajski


----------



## Meaghan

Conor71 said:


>


Hey, the album art is from that one Klimt painting! I wish Klimt had painted more composers.


----------



## Meaghan

jaimsilva said:


> Both Sonatas were composed by Brahms either for Viola either for Clarinet.


Though, of course, they were _originally_ written for clarinet.  Composed for the clarinetist Richard Muhlfeld, whose playing was what inspired Brahms to write for clarinet in the first place. I'd be interested in hearing these orchestral arrangements.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Songs without Words - Works by Mendelssohn, Schubert/Liszt & Bach/Busoni*

Murray Perahia


----------



## jaimsilva

Meaghan said:


> I'd be interested in hearing these orchestral arrangements.


I would say, if you haven't heard before these Sonatas played either by clarinet (yes, indeed they were originally written for clarinet!) or by viola (there are a lot of recordings with this string instrument), you could think it were originally composed as Concertos. The orchestrations are very in the Brahms style...
BTW: you know the orchestral arrangement by Schoenberg of Brahms's Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25? You could say, like I read somewhere, it could be Brahms 5th Symphony...

I strongly recommend!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... you are quite right about Andre Rieu. He can be the schlock-meister _par excellence _... but sometimes you aren't in the mood for Mahler or Black Angels. Some of favorite discs are the recordings of operettas by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Fritz Wunderlich, or Rita Streich. Currently I'm giving a second listen to this:










Now while my admiration of the arts of Vienna usually leans more toward the decadence of this:




























or music such as that of Mahler, Strauss, or Zemlinsky... yet sometimes you are just in the mood for bon-bons and truffles:






Of course... I prefer Anna Netrebko's version:


----------



## jaimsilva

*Byron Janis playing Concertos*

Liszt - both piano concertos
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos No.1, No. 2 & No.3
Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1

(starting with Prokofiev, then Schumann, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky... I'll later see what next)


----------



## tdc

Continuing my exploration of Stravinsky, I am really clicking with the 'Dumbarton Oaks' , 'Danses concertantes' and ' Concerto in D' from this recording. These pieces actually have exactly the kind of sound I've been looking for for a while now, clearly I appreciate Stravinsky's neo-classical period. The closest I can come to explaining why I really love these works is they are somewhat similar to Ravel's Trio in A minor. I hear subtle yet profound genius here... these works don't seem autobiographical to me. The artists here seem to have a powerful detachment in the music, as though they are sacrificing their limited viewpoint for higher artistic ideals.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neeme Jarvi's take on Bruckner's 8th.


----------



## Oskaar

*Clara Wieck Schumann, Carl Maria von Weber: Piano Concerto*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schönberg, Berio: Brahms Arrangements*

The G minor Quartet - orchestrated by Schoenberg
The Clarinet Sonata op.120 n.1 - orchestrated by Berio

Karl Heint Steffens (clarinet)
Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie
Daniel Raiskin (conductor)


----------



## Oskaar

*Wieniawski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Shostakovich - 24 Preludes and Fugues op. 87 - Alexander Melnikov*


----------



## Bix

jaimsilva said:


>


I've got these played by Vladimir Ashkenazy - totally fab!


----------



## science




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




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## Sid James

jaimsilva said:


> The G minor Quartet - orchestrated by Schoenberg
> The Clarinet Sonata op.120 n.1 - orchestrated by Berio
> 
> Karl Heint Steffens (clarinet)
> Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie
> Daniel Raiskin (conductor)


I remember hearing both those orchestrations on radio some time ago. I think both Schoenberg & Berio did a good job, by no means "aping" Brahms' style but definitely speaking to doing these works justice & by no means fooling around with these masterpieces. I also know about (but haven't heard) Berio's orchestration (or it's more of a kind of realisation) of Schubert's incomplete 10th symphony. I have only heard this symphony as completed by Brian Newbould, who kind of filled in the gaps to fully "complete" the work. But I understand that Berio kind of retained the fragments by Schubert and almost left the gaps empty, at least empty of the kind of content Schubert may have imagined but never got around to putting down on the page. I would be interested in hearing Berio's personal "take" on Schubert's 10th, esp. as a contrast to Newbould's more conventional (or scholarly?) completion.

& another thing re Schoenberg - & his pupils Berg & Webern as well - being typical Viennese, these guys loved the Strauss dynasty's waltzes. All three made chamber arrangements of a number of these waltzes (I have seen, but didn't get, a Deutsche Grammophon disc of these arrangements). But I did hear Schoenberg's chamber arrangment of J. Strauss Jnr's _Emperor Waltz (Kaiser Walzer)_ live in concert earlier this year, & I thought it was interesting how he did that. Schoenberg's song-cycle _Pierrot Lunaire _(in a presentation with choreographed dancer & lighting) closed that concert, which I thought was highly appropriate, perhaps speaking to the "darker side" of the magnificent city of waltzes...


----------



## Sid James

*@ stluke's & Conor* - thanks for your "likes" of my posting of the light music discs above. It's good that discerning listeners like yourselves are open to this "lighter" side of the classical spectrum. Unfortunately, some other people I have encountered on other forums are totally negative to these kinds of things, & this is partly why I have bascially ceased being a member of such forums...

As for last night's listening, it was a world away from that of the day before - I needed something more "serious" -

*MESSIAEN *- Song-cycles for soprano & piano
Trois Melodies (1930)
Harawi: Songs of Love & Death (1945)
Hetna Regitze Bruun, soprano/Kristoffer Hyldig, piano (Naxos)

I got this disc over a year ago, & like many of these more contemporary things, it has taken me a while to kind of "warm up" to it. Although both of these works were composed with Messiaen's intimates strongly on his mind - the first set following the death of his mother, Cecile Sauvage, in 1927 & the second set in 1945 at the time that his first wife, Claire Delbos, was beginning to suffer from a neurological condition that would eventually kill her - they are by no means over-indulgently miserable or "in your face" or anything like that. As the notes say, "the shimmering beauty of Messiaen's music leaves the listener with a sense of hope and transcendence." The texts to both of these song-cycles were written by the composer, excepting the middle (2nd) song in _Trois Melodies_, which was a poem by his late mother called _Le Sourire_ (_A Smile_, musical ideas from which would find their way into one of his final works which shares it's title, written for the Mozart anniversary in 1991 in memory of that composer).

The earlier work here, _Trois Melodies_, speaks strongly to the infuence of French composers of earlier generations, esp. Faure, Debussy, Ravel. Messiaen's interests already strongly lie in the realm of nature and God, but he was already using his signature harmonic techniques ("modes of limited transposition" for you musicians out there) which would become his trademark.

The second set here is almost an hour long, it is one of the composer's most important song-cycles. The "story" relayed in _Harawi _mirrors the Tristan myth with it's strong concerns relating to love, death and the afterlife/eternity. Messiaen was a huge admirer of Wagner's music, his _Tristan_ in particular. But Messiaen, with his interest in non-European cultures, sets this story in Peru. He uses a lot of onomatopoeic words in this work, taken from the indigenous Quechua language (I last encountered the word "onomatopoeic" when studying poetry in high school, it's basically a word that has a strong musical beat/rhythm or something like that). Other things informing the composer in this work were Surrealist poetry and painting (Reverdy, Eluard, Penrose) & (of course) his study of bird-song.

There are many highlights in _Harawi_, too much for me to go into here. Although the translated text is not given with this disc, there is a good synopsis detailing what's going on in each song both in terms of poetic & musical content, & the non-French speaking listener can use this as a good overall guide. There are a lot of contrasting moods here, from the "love music" mirroring Wagner's_ Liebestod_, to wild Peruvian dances, to pictures of nature and wildlife. There is a lot of thematic unity here, but it took me a while to "hear" this more fully. Eg. the second song _Bonjour toi, colombe verte (Good Morning, green dove)_ has a kind of tonal theme, a part of which is just musical, another part is like bird-song. This theme returns in the seventh song _Adieu (Farewell)_ but is slowed down greatly so it's almost unrecognisable. In the final song (the twelth) _Dans le noir (In the dark)_, this theme returns, but now it sounds totally other-wordly, wind chimes and bells tolling come strongly to mind. Part of Messiaen's facility was not only changing this theme to suit the text, but also telling the story through this (the first song mentioned is a celebration of love being part of nature, the second one a farewell to love & earthly life, the final one symbolises eternity). My personal favourites in this song-cycle are_ Montagnes _(the 3rd song -_ Mountains_) where the pianist plays these loud chords imaging the peaks of mountains & then goes down low - as if going down to the valleys - where he is "met" by the soprano's equally low voice. Messiaen had never seen the Andes, but he loved & often holidayed in the European Alps. The next song, _Doundou tchil_, is based on the sound of Peruvian ankle-bells, & the rhythms here are just as memorable as anything from Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring _- a work Messiaen loved & often used as a study tool when teaching.A funny thing here, songs like this not only remind me of quite different things like Schoenberg's own song-cycle _Pierrot Lunaire _but also the soundtrack to _The Planet of the Apes _(1960's) by Jerry Goldsmith. The piano rhythms with their chaning metres sound exactly the same to my ears. Just as any of the great song-cycles of musical history, the pianist here is much more than just an accompanist - he is kind of like a protagonist in the "plot." This work sounds to be bloody hard to perform - a lot of sudden dynamic & rhythmic changes in particular - & I think that these two young Danish musicians do a very good job, as far as I can tell.

For those who are new to Messiaen, I would strongly recommend the 10th song _Amour oiseau d'etoile (Love bird of a star)_ which is quite easy on the ear compared to some of the other songs & sums up his style quite well, in a short space of time. Here it is sung by Dawn Upshaw, but there are other recordings of it on youtube as well - 



 )


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92._ Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Guest

Via Spotify (US): Dawn Upshaw's Knoxville Summer of 1915










Now I have to remember all the other tracks that are hard to download.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann's 4th Symphony, one of my favorite works.


----------



## saxy

I've been listening to various saxophone concertos. Here's the one I'm currently listening to: Glazunov's Concerto in Eb major for Alto Saxophone


----------



## Sid James

saxy said:


> I've been listening to various saxophone concertos. Here's the one I'm currently listening to: *Glazunov's Concerto in Eb major for Alto Saxophone*...


An excellent piece, which shows that Glazunov's powers were by no means diminished in his older age. BTW, in case you don't already know, there are a few discs on the Naxos label which include a number of sax concertos. The one I've got, with Sohre Rahbari playing sax, features the Glazunov, as well as works by Ibert, Debussy, Mussorgsky, Milhaud. Another one (which I haven't heard) is with saxophonist Theodore Kerzekos, who plays some of the same works as Rahbari, but I think he also plays other more contemporary things like Villa-Lobos & other Greek ones. Definitely worth checking out...


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this after not hearing the whole album for like about 20 years -

*ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER* - The Phantom of the Opera (highlights from the musical) (Lyrics by Charles Hart)
Original London cast, incl. Michael Crawford (Phantom), Sarah Brightman (Christine), Steve Barton (Raoul)
Over 60 piece orchestra conducted by Mike Reed
PolyGram/Polydor

It's been "a long time between drinks" for me with this one, my mother used to listen to it all the time when it came out (in fact, she had the complete musical on 2 tapes). I think I kind of got sick of it due to oversaturation, but listening to it now was quite a joy. _Phantom _was probably the most "operatic" musical up until that time (late 1980's). The plot is the usual thing, the classic love triangle between the Phantom, Christine, a young singer at the Paris Opera, & a guy called Raoul. The music is a mixture of styles & is quite eclectic, but it seems to hang together okay. Eg. it has a big operatic aria in _The Music of the Night _(which comes across to me as being much like Puccini & I was not surprised to learn just now that the Puccini Estate actually sued Lloyd Webber for plagiarising one of his tunes from _The Girl From the Golden West_. I don't know that particular opera, but Phantom always came across to me as being a bit like _Turdandot_ & also Berg's _Wozzeck_, which in turn influenced Puccini when he was composing that. BTW - the case was settled out of court, so we don't know if the Puccini Estate was right or wrong on the matter. Anyway, the song _All I Ask of You _could have easily come from Lehar's pen, it's really redolent of Viennese operetta in some ways. & _Past the Point of No Return _has the feel of a tango - perhaps a throw-back to_ Evita _- & I could definitely hear a note-row in _Down Once More_, but I don't know if it consists of 12 notes? Of course, there is a fair bit of bathos here, but probably not any more than in a Puccini opera. What "made" this recording for me were the leads - Michael Crawford in particular, with his perfect portrayal of a clearly disturbed man, not only physically scarred but also mentally. I like how Lloyd Webber doesn't portray the phantom as a "freak" but as a real human being, with genuine emotions. Sarah Brightman & Steve Barton are no less good in their respective roles, imo. Lloyd Webber was also good in composing the purely orchestral bits, the _Overture_ & _Entr'acte_ weave together the many seemingly disparate themes of the musical in a quite sophisticated way. All in all, this was very enjoyable for me, but the one "quibble" is that (on this disc, put out in 1987) all of the titles are on the one track! Very inconvenient to say the least, but if you buy it new that's probably been changed (I hope?)...


----------



## elgar's ghost

About to listen to remaining three acts of Semyon Kotko by Prokofiev (Gergiev/Philips). Listened to the first two acts days ago but broke my cardinal rule of not playing a whole work all the way through so I just hope it doesn't seem less fulfilling in this case.


----------



## Oskaar

*Poulenc / Milhaud / Ibert / Francaix: Modern French Music for Wind Instruments*


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius; Sonata for violin & piano in A minor*

From this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius; Sonata for violin & piano in F major*

From the same 5-set of albums.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Sibelius Edition Volume 6 - Complete Works for Violin & Piano*

In the 5 album box:

Sibelius:

Sonata in A minor (1884)

Andante grazioso in D major (1884-85)

Sonata [movement] in D major (1885)

Mazurka in A major, JS4

Andante molto in C major, JS49

Aubade in A major, JS3

[Scherzino] in F major (1887)

[Andante elegiaco] in F sharp minor (1887)

Andante cantabile in G major (1887)

[Sonata Allegro Exposition] in B minor (1887-88)

Suite in D minor (1887-88)

Moderato - Maestoso in E flat major, JS 132

Interludium and Maestoso in C minor

Lento in E flat minor, JS 76

Allegretto in E flat major, JS 22

Allegretto in C major, JS 19 (1888)

Tempo di valse in A major, JS 2

Suite in E major, JS 188 (1888)

Allegro (Sonata Exposition) n A minor, JS 26 (1888-89)

Larghetto, Fragment in D minor (1890-92)

Sonata in F major, JS 178 (1889)

Largamente, Fragment in E minor (1889-91)

Adagio in D minor (1890)

Grave, Fragment in D minor (1891-94)

Tempo di valse in B minor, JS89

completed by Jaakko Kuusisto

Allegretto in G major, JS86

revised version

[Andantino] in A minor (1886-87)

Menuetto in E minor, JS67

Menuetto in D minor

[Moderato] - Presto - [Tempo I] in A minor, JS7


----------



## Oskaar

*Martinú: Sonatas, Promenades, Madrigal Stanzas*


----------



## kv466

Bach - Suite for cello no. 1 in G, Rostropovich


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak, Smetana & Janacek: Dances*


----------



## Oskaar

*French Cello Concertos*










1. Milhaud : Cello Concerto, I. Nonchalant 
2. Milhaud : II. Grave 6:08 
3. Milhaud : Concerto, III. Joyeu
4. Saint-Saens : Cello Concerto, No. 1, Mt I. Allegro ma non troppo
5. Saint Saens : II. Allegretto con moto
6. Saint Saens : III. Tempo Primo 
7. Saint Saens : IV. Un peu moins


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## Vesteralen

Mahler - Symphony No.7 - Bernstein/NYP

This is my first time to hear the Bernstein version. I had an old vinyl copy of the interior movements with Abravenal/Utah Sym on Vanguard (bearing the awful 70's title ' "Mahler is Heavy"), and I recently purchased the Abbado version. From what I'm hearing so far, I think I like Bernstein's take.


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## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5*


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## jaimsilva

*Kreutzer and Berwald Septetts*

Conradin Kreutzer - Septett Es-Dur, Op.62
Franz Berwald - Septett B-Dur

by the Berliner Oktett


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven; Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19

first tme listening, and I find it quite boring..


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## Oskaar

*Dvorák: Trio E Minor op. 90; Janácek: Violin Sonata; Suk: Elegy, Op. 23*


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## jaimsilva

*Kancheli and Gubaidulina*

Giya Kancheli - Styx: for viola, mixed choir, and orchestra
Sofia Gubaidulina - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra

Yuri Bashmet, Viola
St. Petersburg Chamber Choir
Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater - Valery Gergiev


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony__ No.__8, in C Moll, Op.65, _performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko. The  third movement is especially powerful in its evoking of terror and the unknown.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mendelssohn String Quartets*

played by the Emerson String Quartet


----------



## Chopin_Fan777




----------



## Manxfeeder

Tennestedt's traversal of Bruckner's 8th.


----------



## Meaghan

Vesteralen said:


> Mahler - Symphony No.7 - Bernstein/NYP
> 
> This is my first time to hear the Bernstein version. I had an old vinyl copy of the interior movements with Abravenal/Utah Sym on Vanguard (*bearing the awful 70's title ' "Mahler is Heavy"*), and I recently purchased the Abbado version. From what I'm hearing so far, I think I like Bernstein's take.


:lol: Upon reading this, I first thought of critiques of Mahler's music as too angsty or dense, but then considered that in 70's slang "heavy" is a good thing... right?


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS_ # _7_-_10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet. All of them--at least to me--are beautiful in their very sombreness and starkness. I am also noticing parallels between certain movements of his sqs corresponding to the same numbered symphonies, in terms of the types of feelings he seems to want to evoke in the listener--terror and a sense of foreboding--which he must have been experiencing as well living under the madman Stalin. I especially note this in the second and fourth movements of SQ # 8 which align with the third movement of his 8th Symphony. The loud *1-2-3* plucking motif of the strings in the fourth movement of the 8th SQ is especially jarring, as Shostakovich meant it to be. As well, the second movements of both his 10th SQ and 10th Symphony produce moments of utter angst and ominous foreboding --at least in this listener.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I'm currently playing around with Spotify... listening to some great percussion works by Joseph Schwantner.


----------



## Sid James

Got through this this morning before getting the day under way -

*BARTOK* - Piano Concerto #3
Julius Katchen, piano/Suisse Romande Orch./Ernest Ansermet, cond.
(Recorded at Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 1953)
Decca Eloquence 2 discs, coupled with other orch. wks.

Like some people seem to do, I had kind of almost dismissed this, the final of Bartok's piano concertos. The reason was mainly that this is a much more lyrical & less loudly dissonant work than the other two. But listening to this again after a break of at least a year (or maybe two?) I kind of got connected more with it's subtleties. Eg. there is the strong imprint of guys like J.S. Bach in many of the solo piano passages. Counterpoint galore, which is not unusual with Bartok. The central "night music" movement was written by Bartok thinking of insects, but it always makes me think of birds, perhaps even Messiaen's birds. As usual with Bartok, there is a very optimistic & exhuberant ending - the war had just ended, but Bartok was very ill & probably knew he wouldn't be around for much longer. In fact, the very end of the work was completed by his friend, fellow composer & emigre Tibor Serly. The last time I heard this work in full was probably when I got this disc two years ago, but I also remember hearing it live at Sydney Uni in the mid-1990's. A lot of the works on this disc are staples of the concert repertoire & I've heard this concerto, as well at the _Concerto for Orchestra _& _Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta _live in recent years. I'm glad that Bartok is getting more exposure in this way. He's probably the most "listener friendly" of the "Modernists" - in retrospect, anyway, as many of his contemporary listeners found him to be "difficult." How times have changed!...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mussorgsky - Pictures at an exhibition*

First the original piano version by my favorite pianist: Sviatoslav Richter










Then Ravel's orchestral version by Kubelik










and will go ahead with the gorgeous Bartók: Music For Strings, Percussion & Celesta


----------



## Vesteralen

Meaghan said:


> :lol: Upon reading this, I first thought of critiques of Mahler's music as too angsty or dense, but then considered that in 70's slang "heavy" is a good thing... right?


You got it.

I don't know how to bring the image over, but if you Google "Mahler Is Heavy", and select "Images" from the toolbar, you can see the album cover, It was one of the Vanguard "Two-Fers". The other disc had Symphony No. 4. Good performances, by the way.


----------



## jaimsilva

*R. Strauss - Szell*

Death and Transfiguration
Till Eulenspiegel
Don Quixote

Pierre Founier - cello
The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell


----------



## jaimsilva

*Reger and R. Strauss - Piano and orchestra*

Max Reger - Piano Concerto in F minor Op 114 
Richard Strauss - Burleske in D minor for piano and orchestar

Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Ilan Volkov (conductor)


----------



## World Violist

Getting a bit more into Messiaen.






Éclairs sur l'au delà... (1987-91)
Sylvain Cambreling/SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (they made a recording of Messiaen's complete orchestral music!)


----------



## jaimsilva

*Michelangeli playing Schumann*

Carnaval op.9
Three pieces from "Album für die Jugend"


----------



## Air

*Carl Maria von Weber
Aufforderung zum Tanz ("Invitation to the Dance")
Artur Schnabel, piano*

_"the first and still perhaps the most brilliant and poetic example of the Romantic concert waltz, creating within its little programmatic framework a tone poem that is also an apotheosis of the waltz in a manner that was to remain fruitful at least until Ravel's choreographic poem, La valse…" ~ John Warrack_

These days we are only starting to understand the genius of Carl Maria von Weber - who lived during the same time as Beethoven and is as much a precursor to romanticism as his mighty contemporary was. With Weber, you get the same elegant and clean lines of his slightly older cousin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart combined with a sense of Romantic brilliance and sentimentality that was in my opinion unprecedented in his time.

Very significant to Weber's work is his incredible knack for theatricality. It is often forgotten that he was primarily an opera composer, writing such masterpieces as _Euryanthe_, _Oberon_, and _Der Freischutz_. For me, however, this theatricality is intrinsically linked to his other works as well. For example, in his wonderful clarinet concertos, the clarinet almost acts as a character in and of itself, with personality and comic flair.

In the _Invitation to the Dance_, this is no less true. Often dismissed as light music, this short 8 minute piece is one of the most significant in piano history. It is one of the first strictly programmatic works with a detailed description for each phrase in the 'invitation'. The high and low registers represent the conversation of a young man and a lady as he presses her to dance. She eventually acquiesces and the dance commences. The dance itself is in rondo form - a brilliant concert waltz with passages up and down, exhilarating and freshly romantic. In it, you can hear not only the Waltzes of Chopin but also of Liszt and Johann Strauss. If we go by this standard, Weber could definitely be the 'Waltz King'.

Alas, when the waltz comes to an end in an impressive bang of a conclusion, one is compelled to clap, but the piece goes on. The young man and the lady say farewell and part - in a way very similar to parts of Beethoven's _Eroica_ and his _Les Adieux_ sonata as well. Surely these two composers influenced each other very much and their combined influence is felt all over the Romantic period - Beethoven especially in the symphonic and chamber repertoire, but Weber more in concertos, operas, and piano music.

A few last words about the pianist, Artur Schnabel. I was delighted to find a recording of Schnabel playing something besides Beethoven, Schubert, and Mozart. In his earlier years, he had played a much wider range of repertoire than he is now known for, though Weber's _Invitation to the Dance_ always remained a staple of his. In such a piece, the fusion of his long Mozart and Schubert lines with the power and thought of his landmark Beethoven is clearly shown - it is exciting, beautiful, and compelling all the way to the end. The sound quality, too, is worthy of this historic performance.


----------



## Aramis

Air said:


> *Carl Maria von Weber
> Aufforderung zum Tanz ("Invitation to the Dance")
> Artur Schnabel, piano*
> 
> _"the first and still perhaps the most brilliant and poetic example of the Romantic concert waltz, creating within its little programmatic framework a tone poem that is also an apotheosis of the waltz in a manner that was to remain fruitful at least until Ravel's choreographic poem, La valse…" ~ John Warrack_
> 
> These days we are only starting to understand the genius of Carl Maria von Weber - who lived during the same time as Beethoven and is as much a precursor to romanticism as his mighty contemporary was. With Weber, you get the same elegant and clean lines of his slightly older cousin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart combined with a sense of Romantic brilliance and sentimentality that was in my opinion unprecedented in his time.
> 
> Even more significant was Weber's knack for theatricality. Though he was primarily an opera composer, writing such masterpieces as _Euryanthe_, _Oberon_, and _Der Freischutz_. For me, however, this theatricality is intrinsically linked with his other works as well. For example, in his wonderful clarinet concertos, the clarinet almost acts as a character in and of itself, with personality and comic flair.
> 
> In the _Invitation to the Dance_, this is no less true. Often dismissed as light music, this short 8 minute piece is one of the most significant in piano history. It is one of the first strictly programmatic works with a detailed description for each phrase in the 'invitation'. The high and low registers represent the conversation of a young man and a lady as he presses her dance. She eventually acquiesces and the dance commences. The dance itself is in rondo form - a brilliant concert waltz with passages up and down, exhilarating and freshly romantic. In it, you can not only hear the Waltzes of Chopin but also of Liszt and Johann Strauss. If we go by this standard, Weber could definitely claim the title of 'Waltz King'.
> 
> Alas, when the waltz comes to an end in an impressive conclusion, one is compelled to clap, but the pieces goes on. The young man and the lady say farewell and part - in a way very similar to parts of Beethoven's _Eroica_ and his _Les Adieux_ sonata. Surely these two composers influenced each other very much - and their influence is felt all over the Romantic period - Beethoven especially in the symphonic and chamber repertoire, and Weber more in the concertos, operas, and piano music.
> 
> A few words about the pianist, Artur Schnabel. I was delighted to find a recording of Schnabel playing something besides Beethoven, Schubert, and Mozart. In his earlier years, he had played a much wider range of repertoire than he is now known for, though Weber's Invitation to the Dance always remained a staple of his. In such a piece, the fusion of his long Mozart and Schubert lines with the power and thought of his landmark Beethoven is clearly shown - it is exciting, beautiful, and compelling all the way to the end. The sound quality, too, is worthy of this historic performance.


Yes, good to see someone appreciating Weber. But I'm not so sure about influence between Beethoven and Weber. Weber sort of respected Ludwig Van but didn't admire him as much as other early romantics and even laughed at his Eroica. Beethoven at the other hand called Weber "bloody brick" when they met in the time of Der Freischutz's initial success.


----------



## Air

Aramis said:


> Yes, good to see someone appreciating Weber. But I'm not so sure about influence between Beethoven and Weber. Weber sort of respected Ludwig Van but didn't admire him as much as other early romantics and even laughed at his Eroica. Beethoven at the other hand called Weber "bloody brick" when they met in the time of Der Freischutz's initial success.


Well, you know what they say. Rivals often borrow from each other, though they would probably be ashamed to admit it.

van Beethoven and von Weber were two very different composers who achieved very different things.


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## Oskaar

*Morgen Strauss / Dvorák*


----------



## Oskaar

*sammartini; Oboe Concerto In D*


----------



## Vesteralen

Listening to Jon Leifs' HAFIS (Drift Ice) for mixed chorus and orchestra (1965) at work, and sort of frightening everyone.

I've been reading and listening to everything I can obtain at the county library system on, from or about Iceland. This came up because Leifs is an Icelandic composer. The recording is from BIS and features the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

I was a bit impressed with HAFIS, it's a powerful work. The booklet says it was not performed until the 1990s because of a "fiercely difficult choral part, which makes frequent use of extreme registers in _pianissimo_ dynamics."


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to the Boston Baroque's recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 1-3. It's well-done - there are no instrumental quirks that remind you that they're playing authentic instruments - and it's played with a sense of musicality. They're not afraid to let the music breathe on the slow movements.

That being said, I'm afraid I've heard too many Brandenburg recordings to be blown away by this. It doesn't seem to add much interpretatively in comparison to what I already have on my shelf. I might warm to it with time, but right now, my pulse isn't quickening.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia On "Greensleeves"; The Lark Ascending / Delius: Two Pieces; Two Aquarelles; Intermezzo / Walton: Two Pieces


----------



## Oskaar

*Hurník: Chamber and Orchestral Music*


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony_ _No_._5_ _in_ _C_ _Moll_, _Op_._67_ _and_ _Symphony_ _No.7 in A major, Op.92_. Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Carlos Kleiber.
I have just noticed that in the 5th Symphony, the 3rd movement segues right into the 4th without a pause between the two.
Also, after listening a number of times to the 7th conducted by both Kleiber and Bernstein, it strikes me that Kleiber sets a faster tempo, especially in its 3rd movement. In any event, both renditions are superb!

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93,_ featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 2*

From this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D, Op.61*

Beethoven never fail to impress!

From this album:


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, Op.35*

From the same record..


----------



## Oskaar

*Poulenc: Sonata For Violin And Piano, Op. 119*


----------



## Oskaar

*Spotify*

Congratulatrions, america! you have now access to the best streaming service in the world!

Just send me a private message if you need invite!


----------



## samurai

@ oskaar, Thanks for the heads up; I'll try to access it later on tonight!


----------



## samurai

oskaar said:


> Congratulatrions, america! you have now access to the best streaming service in the world!
> 
> Just send me a private message if you need invite!


@ oskaar, I just finished going to spotify.com and registering my e mail address with them. They'll send me aninvite, hopefully not too far in the future.


----------



## science

Sinfonietta, one of my favorite Janacek works.


----------



## Guest

David Hurwitz over at classicstoday seems to like Lou Harrison and recommends this album, but this is the kind of thing I probably would never listen to without access to Spotify (as well as AirFoil to send the sound out to my good speakers).










So far it's quite nice.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

First listen...


----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> First listen...


Look forward to hearing your impressions.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--11th String Quartet in F Minor, Op.122. This is performed by the Emerson String Quartet. This is an unusual work--at least to my knowledge--in that it consists of 7 movements, all of them under 5 minutes in duration.


----------



## Sid James

BPS said:


> David Hurwitz over at classicstoday...


I tend to take Mr. Hurwitz's reviews with a "grain of salt" as they say (as well as those of his other colleagues at classicstoday). Sometimes they can be enlightening, but at other times they are fairly questionable. Despite reading fairly negative reviews on that website of discs I was interested in, often I just went ahead & bought them, and have enjoyed these recordings a lot. Having said that, Mr. Hurwitz, as well as a colleague of his called Jed Distler, have written some very good & informative notes for the Australian Eloquence reissue label, they certainly are very knowledgeable about classical music (but sometimes, regarding their reviews on classicstoday, I think they're trying a bit too hard to say things that are kind of contentious & controversial).

BTW - I haven't heard anything (or don't remember) by Lou Harrison, although I've come across his name around the traps, so to speak...


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into two discs I purchased yesterday, as well as an old Schoenberg favourite -

*Kurt WEILL* - An album of songs, original recordings 1929-1956 (Naxos Nostalgia label)

*WALTON* - Facade, an entertainment (Text: Dame Edith Sitwell - who also narrates, with Peter Pears); coupled with 1950's recordings of Walton - Siesta; Scapino - a comedy overture; Portsmouth Point overture; Orb & Sceptre; *BAX* - Coronation March, 1953; *BLISS* - Welcome the Queen (last three pieces written for Queen Elizabeth II) - various orchestras & conductors: Anthony Collins, Adrian Boult, Malcolm Sargent, Arthur Bliss (Decca Eloquence)

*SCHOENBERG* - _Pierrot Lunaire_, melodrama for reciter & chambre ensemble
*WEBERN* - Concerto, Op. 24
Jane Manning, speech-song/Nash Ensemble/Simon Rattle, direction (Chandos)

These composers were, in a way, working within the same tradition. In his whimsical _Facade_, Walton was talking to the popular music hall world of the time, about 10 years earlier Schoenberg's seminal song-cycle _Pierrot Lunaire_ reflected the seamier side of middle European life, the cabaret, & as for Weill, he lifted that genre with his lyricist Bertold Brecht into a kind of political opera & then morphed into writing Broadway musicals once he got to the USA.

The Weill disc has many rarities, including the man himself singing _Speak Low_ & also accompanying his wife, the singer Lotte Lenya, on piano in a few songs (about a third of this disc has songs in German, the rest are in English). Weill's songs are perhaps the most flexible of things, eg. here you have _The Ballad of Mack the Knife_ in the orginal cabaret style sung by Brecht, then a surprising arrangement of it for violin (with piano) played by Jascha Heifetz (which is bloody good!), then Louis Armstrong's jazzified version, one of the biggest hits of 1956. After this (but not on this disc) came Bobby Darrin's smooth pop-crooner version in 1959, then a hilarious one (my favourite) put down live in Berlin by Ella Fitzgerald, with her ad-libbing as she forgot the lyrics! Weill's facility with writing a great tune and fitting it to the meanings behind the lyrics speaks to his efforts to continue the art-song and operatic genres, but make them understandable to the "common man." A highlight of the disc is a 1954 recording, made in New York, with Lotte Lenya giving a quite chilling & sinister rendition of _Pirate Jenny_ (her voice in this later recording is definitely deeper & mellower than her earlier recordings on this disc, which I don't like as much as she sounds a bit girlish).

Walton's _Facade_ was his first major work to make an impact, he was 20 at the time (1922). There's a lot of whimsy here, Peter Pears' speech-song is solid, whilst Dame Edith who was in her seventies when this recording was made (1954) doesn't attempt any big vocal pyrotechnics but her sense of timing and rhythm (a key thing in this work, with it's many tongue-twisters) is spot-on. There's virtually everything in this music, from sea shanties, vaudevillian tunes, to Rossini, Ravel, Schoenberg, homage piled upon homage, but they are fleeting. As for the rest of this disc, it is great. Highlights are Walton's _Portsmouth Point_ overture, which has strong elements of Stravinskian rhythm, Prokofiev-like orchestration, as well as a kind of folksiness, both English & Spanish (castanets galore) but all in all, it's quite recognisable as something that could have been only penned by Walton. In any case, it's difficult to imagine a more perfect musical rendition of a busy port, just like the engraving upon which this work was inspired by, Walton's score bustles with life & energy. Another immediate favourite was Bliss' _Welcome the Queen,_ passages of which sound just as European as English, many could have come straight out of his earlier things like the _Colour Symphony_, a personal favourite. The 1950's mono sound is crisp & clear.

As for the Schoenberg, I saw it live earlier this year, & finally connected with it big time after many years kind of in the wilderness with it. The presentation I saw was not only musical, but theatrical (or more ballet?) with a choreographed dancer & lighting. The commedia dell'arte associations of _Pierrot_ became crystal clear to me that night. This work is like cabaret meets nightmare. But you'd be surprised, the atonality is underpinned by very traditional techniques, eg. counterpoint forms such as double canons and passacaglias appear in some songs. Many of the songs have a fairly clear three part structure, which you can pick up if you hear it on disc a few times. Schoenberg's setting of Giraud's surreal and disturbing poetry could not have been better. As for the Webern, this concerto is based on a Roman poem that is a palindrome. The six minute work took about 4 years for the composer to put down. Reminds me of the joke that if you go to a concert with Webern as an opener & if you're late a few minutes, you'll definitely miss his piece! I have trouble distinguishing this work from Schoenberg's chamber things, but Webern's orchestral & solo piano works I don't have this "problem" with. As for the performance it is very "direct" (esp. Ms Mannings speech-song, which is quite similar to Brecht's delivery on the Weill disc, very kind of ascerbic and rough, but defintely not without nuance. If you want a more smoother, less "in your face" interpretation, go for Christine Schaeffer's one on DGG with Pierre Boulez at the helm - but both "takes" are equally valid & insightful...


----------



## Wicked_one

Brian's Gothic Symphony performed at the Proms on 17 July 2011.  And recording it for further listening in case something official will not come up.


----------



## science

Ok, in order to avoid trouble, I should comment on my current listening:










#9.

It's good. I really like this music, and this is my favorite recording of it, though Kubelik is tied.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Wicked_one said:


> Brian's Gothic Symphony performed at the Proms on 17 July 2011.


You lucky dog!!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> Congratulatrions, america! you have now access to the best streaming service in the world!
> 
> Just send me a private message if you need invite!


Thanks for the update. I just signed up. We'll see what happens next.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Pablo Casals play the second movement of Brahms' first sextet. I'm still looking for a recording that rings my chimes, and this isn't quite it, but it comes close.


----------



## Oskaar

*Oboe Concertos from Bohemia*


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm going through John Harbison's At First Light. I'm actually enjoying it for the first time (I've had it for a couple years and only listened to it twice). The recording is unique in that the soloists on the CD are the ones who the pieces were either written for or who premiered them.

As for the compositions themselves, Harbison's style is Neo-Romantic but not self-indulgent, if that can be said of the genre.










Followed by Murray Perahia's Handel and Scarlatti CD. Harpsichords may be more authentic, but I really like how Mr. Perahia plays these - with a nice sense of line and phrasing.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Prokofiev - Piano concertos n.2 and n.3 - Kissin*

Prokofiev - Piano Concertos Nos.2 & 3

Evgeny Kissin
Philarmonia Orchestar
Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Oskaar

*dvorak*










Dvořák: Quintet - Terzetto - Romantic Pieces 
Silvia Marcovici, Ami Flammer, Gérard Caussé, Robert Cohen and Roberte Mamou


----------



## Oskaar

*Moritz Moszkowski*

Moritz Moszkowski: Piano Concerto in E major; Suite for Orchestra "From Foreign Lands"


----------



## Oskaar

samurai said:


> @ oskaar, I just finished going to spotify.com and registering my e mail address with them. They'll send me aninvite, hopefully not too far in the future.


It was the same system in norway...I also registrated, but never got invitation. Then I signed into premium (more value for money must be hard to find) and I get two invitations I can send to friends each month.. I have now about ten unused invitations I think.


----------



## Guest

My first listen to Gorecki, after hearing the Third Symphony in The Tree of Life.


----------



## Aramis

Just had a terrible strike of temper and kicked my stool in anger quite badly, then spontaneously turned on Chopin's last etude from op. 25 performed by Pollini.

It's one of those works that make me understand what Debussy had in mind when he said that Chopin is greatest because he could express everything on the piano alone. Limitations? There are many for sure, but not for him. This etude, as well as many others of his works, have no less depth than symphonies of Mahler.

"Enjoy":


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## Oskaar

the violin concerto is absolutely fantastic


----------



## Vesteralen

Quite a contrast between Op. 7 - the Organ Concerto (in theme and variations mode, but with such dissonance and aural impact from the percussion section that it's hard to tell most of the time), and the Op.8 - Variations on a Theme By Beethoven (think a mix of Brahms and the Prokofiev of the Scythian Suite). Both very early works (circa 1930).

Haven't gotten to the last two works (including the title work) on this disc yet.


----------



## Wicked_one

Alkan's Morceaux nr. 2 "Le Vent". 

It fits just perfect with the weather outside: thunders and lightnings and heavy rain.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70_. 
The 5th is performed by the Concergebouw Orchestra, while the 9th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
For their lush melodic feel, I am especially drawn to the 5th's third movement and the 9th's second movement.


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## samurai

Antonin Dvorak_--Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G major, Op.88. _
The 7th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, while the 8th is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are conducted by Carlo Giulini.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Recently I've been getting more into the Russian composers... excepting Stravinsky. While I love his early works (_The Firebird, The Rite..._) I just can't seem to get much into his music. Perhaps I find it too cool... impersonal... intellectual.

Last night I gave a first listen to this...










Last night was the first listen...

And undoubtedly it will take a number of hearings to really delve into this disc. Donnacha Dennehy is an Irish composer, born in Dublin in 1970. This disc contains two works: _Grá agus Bás_ and a song cycle entitled _That the Night Come_ which consists of settings of the poems of William Butler Yeats.

_Grá agus Bás_ is a 25-minute piece rooted in a form of unaccompanied Irish vocal music known as _sean-nós_ which are traditionally highly ornamented. The vocals in this recording are taken by the Irish folk singer Iarla Ó Lionáird. The piece begins slowly... with clear elements suggestive of Irish/Celtic folk music, minimalism, medieval music, and even the "spectralism" of composers such as Tristan Murail, Kaija Saariaho, Jonathan Harvey, and Julian Anderson... especially in terms of the orchestration. This piece builds and surges... punctuated with percussion and dissonance... until it comes to a climactic wall of sound with the soaring sound of the electric guitar and other electronics.

The song cycle, _That the Night Come_, is by comparison, far more subdued, composed primarily for voice and piano. The cycle was written for the performer, Dawn Upshaw, who is known for her willingness... even preference... for exploring new music (She has performed Osvaldo Golijov, Henryck Gorecki, Olivier Messiaen, Vernon Duke, and Earl Kim, among others). The music is simple... perfectly accompanying both the voice of the singer and the marvelous lyrics of Yeats poetry. In the song, The Old Men Admiring Themselves in the Water, for example, the piano creates a rippling effect suggestive of the rippling water... not unlike that manner in which Schubert frequently reveals some aspect of the text through the music.

This is not one of those discs of new music that immediately grabbed me (I think of David Lang's _Little Match Girl Passion_ or Peter Lieberman's _Neruda Poems_, for example), but it is a disc that I am certain will be worthy of and reward repeated listening.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...Recently I've been getting more into the Russian composers... excepting Stravinsky. While I love his early works (_The Firebird, The Rite..._) I just can't seem to get much into his music. Perhaps I find it too cool... impersonal... intellectual...


I can see where you're coming from there. But, since you love many of the "classic" older things, I'm surprised that you don't connect (if that's the case) with many of Stravinsky's pieces speaking to their traditions/influences. Some I can think of are his _Violin Concerto_ (J.S. Bach's violin concertos were intently studied by Igor when he wrote this & it's not hard to hear), & also his opera _The Rake's Progress _(which I know was - in a way - modelled on guys like Mozart; But I haven't heard this opera in full, but I'm thinking of getting it sometime). Is the reason why you don't connect with these types of older-style things is because they were written in the c20th, not in their "own" time, eg. c18th?...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I can see where you're coming from there. But, since you love many of the "classic" older things, I'm surprised that you don't connect (if that's the case) with many of Stravinsky's pieces speaking to their traditions/influences. Some I can think of are his Violin Concerto (J.S. Bach's violin concertos were intently studied by Igor when he wrote this & it's not hard to hear), & also his opera The Rake's Progress (which I know was - in a way - modelled on guys like Mozart; But I haven't heard this opera in full, but I'm thinking of getting it sometime). Is the reason why you don't connect with these types of older-style things is because they were written in the c20th, not in their "own" time, eg. c18th?...

I don't know what it is with Stravinsky... he's just never clicked with me in a major way. As I stated, this isn't true of everything. I find _Petrouchka_, the _Firebird_ and even the _Soldier's Tale_ to be fabulous... and I would never question the notion that the _Rite of Spring_ is the musical equivalent of Picasso's _Les Demoiselles d'Avignon_ or _Joyce's Ulysses_. Later he just seems to clever... jumping about a playing with different styles. Somehow I never feel a real deep emotional connection with these. Before you mentioned Picasso in connection with Stravinsky's chameleon-like nature... but there was a definite difference with Picasso. No matter where or what he steals... he makes it fully and passionately his own. I always sense his fire. I don't get that with later Stravinsky... but I'll admit I need to listen to his later work more. Honestly, until quite recently I was equally ambivalent with regard to Shostakovitch... albeit for different reasons. The more I have listened to him, the more impressed I am.


----------



## Sid James

*@ stlukes* - you have raised some good points there re Stravinsky. Do you mind if we continue this "chat" on the Stravinsky thread? Maybe not today, but another time soon. Is it ok if I copy & paste what you said above to the Stravinsky thread (when I have more time) for general discussion re your points?...


----------



## Sid James

Last night, got into the disc I posted yesterday, incl. ceremonal music of Walton, Bax & Bliss, but I'll just discuss these -

*LEHAR* - The Merry Widow (complete, with minor cuts, incl. "new" 1940 overture)
Cast incl. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Hannah), Erich Kunz (Danilo), Nicolai Gedda (Camille), Emmy Loose (Valencienne)
Philharmonia Orch. & Ch./Otto Ackermann, cond. (Recorded in London, 1953)
Naxos Historical

*BARTOK* - Solo piano music
Allegro Barbaro
Three Hungarian Folksongs from the Csik District (Transylvania)
Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs
Sonatina
Three Rondos on Slovak Folktunes
Mikrokosmos (selection, incl. Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm - Vol. 6, Nos. 148-153)

Balazs Szokolay, piano (Naxos)

Lehar's _The Merry Widow _has always been a favourite operetta of mine. I used to own the recording with Hilde Gueden in the lead role, & that is so strongly in my memory still, but this earlier recording with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is no less enjoyable. There are many great moments in this show, incl. the famous _Vilja Song_, but my favourite bits are the duets between Camille and Valencienne in Act 2. These simply ooze eroticism, comparison with Wagner's _Tristan und Isolde _- to some degree at least - is kind of apt, methinks. Adding to that, Emmy Loose's voice sounds so sexy! This recording includes Lehar's "retake" on the overture, expanding it to almost symphonic dimensions in terms of content & length. This certainly proves that the man could orchestrate very well in a more "serious" way. This conductor, Otto Ackermann, was an expert in the operetta field (as well as with Mozart) & he put down a number of now classic recordings of these things in the early to mid 1950's. The sound is pretty good & all the leads do a sterling job.

Bartok's solo piano music shows him in a variety of stylistic guises, but always conveying his passion for folk musics of the Eastern European region. The _Allegro Barbaro _ruffled quite a few feathers back in 1911, but now it's not hard to hear all those distinct melodies beneath all of the dissonance. The Csik collection of folksongs as well as the Fifteen Hungarian songs speak to the influence of guys like Debussy & maybe Ravel, but in a highly personal way. The latter contains a marvellous theme & variations movement, which can really hold it's own against things like Webern's. In staying "tonal," Bartok was by no means being conservative - this in itself shows his clarity of vision & ability to put things very concisely but eloquently. The _Sonatina_ is more "classic" Bartok territory, with sounds of bagpipes and cimbaloms imitated by the piano. The last two Slovak rondos come from 1927 & have much in common with the more dissonant aspects of his first two piano concertos. Bartok wrote _Mikrokosmos_ - 153 pieces in all, in six volumes - for educative reasons, and also to play them as encores at his recitals. They range from pieces designed for beginners to the most able of virtuosos. Here, the impact on Bartok of the "classics" - J.S. Bach not the least - comes to the fore, with a very individual take on many aspects of piano playing, from harmony to counterpoint & beyond. They are very gratifying for both players and listeners. The final six (in "Bulgarian Rhythm") are the hardest to play - crossing of hands, etc. - & they speak to his style at it's most robust & astringent while being at the same time quite interesting just as pieces for enjoyable listening in a natural way...


----------



## hespdelk

Always a soft spot for this performance of Sheherazade with Stokowski.


----------



## Oskaar

*Falla; Albéniz; Turina: Works for Piano and Orchestra*










does anyone knows wahat orchestra playing here? Jean-Francois Heisser on piano and Jesús López-Cobos conducting is all information given on several pages.


----------



## Bix

oskaar said:


> does anyone knows wahat orchestra playing here? Jean-Francois Heisser on piano and Jesús López-Cobos conducting is all information given on several pages.


Yes, it's the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne - here is their site http://www.ocl.ch/DefaultEng.aspx - they are Swiss


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

@ stlukes - you have raised some good points there re Stravinsky. Do you mind if we continue this "chat" on the Stravinsky thread? Maybe not today, but another time soon. Is it ok if I copy & paste what you said above to the Stravinsky thread (when I have more time) for general discussion re your points?...

Go to it.


----------



## Oskaar

Bix said:


> Yes, it's the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne


thanks a lot


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"},_ performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted my Mstislav Rostropovich. Those ominous opening notes on timpani and strings to begin this work; one really has to turn up the volume at the onset of the first movement to hear what's going on, the dynamics being so subdued--at least I do!


----------



## Bix

samurai said:


> one really has to turn up the volume at the onset of the first movement to hear what's going on, the dynamics being so subdued--at least I do!


me too  and I like it


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner's 8th by Jochum. This version is one of my favorites from my collection; he is just interventional enough to nudge the music where it needs it.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS 11, 12 and 13, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Anna sings a selection of her native Russian songs/romances by Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky. Her dark, rich voice is perfect for these works... and the performance sounds spectacular, in spite of being recorded live. I'm currently auditing this disc on Spotify... and would surely like to have the lyrics and information about the composers and the works in question.


----------



## Sid James

Ms Netrebko's disc looks to be great, stlukes, & speaking of art-song, I got into some last night - but of a different type -

*SCHOENBERG*
Erwartung (Expectation), Monodrama in one act, Op. 17
Brettl-Lieder (Cabaret Songs)

Jessye Norman, soprano
Metropolitan Opera Orch.
James Levine, cond. & piano (in songs)
(Philips)

*DOHNANYI*
Violin Concertos Nos. 1 (in D minor, Op. 2 - 1915) & 2 (in C minor, Op. 43 - 1949)
Michael Ludwig, violin/Royal Scottish NO/JoAnn Falletta, cond.
(Naxos)

This was my first listen to this Schoenberg disc._ Erwartung _sounds to me very Wagnerian, of whose music Schoenberg was a huge fan (he saw all the operas several times each during his life). A work too dramatic & heavy for my tastes, but Ms Norman's vocal agility was quite thrilling to hear. But the set of _Cabaret Songs _grabbed me much more. These were written between 1901-3, when Schoenberg was working as conductor in the Uberbrettl Cabaret in Berlin, a kind of intellectual cabaret place. I particularly liked the last two (there are 8 songs in this set in all), which were quite fun, had a strong sense of rhythm, and spoke to the composer's love of J. Strauss Jnr's light music. Who knows, had he continued on this trajectory, Schoenberg may well have composed an operetta? In the last song, the piano accompanist is joined by other instruments like a drum, as well as flute & trumpet (if I can remember correctly), which can be a bit of a shock to the first-time listener as all the earlier songs are with piano only. There's definitely a sense of fun in this music, a thing not always associated with this composer.

As for the Dohnanyi, some people say he's a lot like Brahms, which is true in some ways, but in others he's not. I think that Dohnanyi has a more relaxed feel than Brahms, & he's kind of more into an intimate vibe, not much "big" statements here. Both concertos have four movements, I like the first and last movts. the most in each. The 1st concerto is my favourite of the two, I like how Dohnanyi is more suggestive than direct about the theme in the first movt., then brings it back more directly in the final movt. This theme came across the me as being very good, kind of lyrical like Elgar, but without the sense of sadness. Dohnanyi's 2nd concerto is quite amazing, esp. in terms of it's lightness & optimism, coming from a guy who was by then in his seventies & in exile in the USA, following a bitter retreat from Europe (& his two sons died during WW2). But there's not much of a hint of tragedy here, indeed the concerto speaks to Dohnanyi's knowledge of the lighter sides of guys like Prokofiev & Stravinksy (I think?) & maybe also to the sunny & warm climate of Florida, where he made his final home. Listening to these excellent works (the 1st one is as good, imo, as anything from the early c20th - eg. the Sibelius or Elgar concertos - & the 2nd one is pretty good as well) it is a bit of a pity that Dohnanyi is mainly known for his "musical joke" - the colourful _Variations on a Nursery Theme_...


----------



## hespdelk

So many great moments in these works.. a side of Haydn perhaps not everyone knows.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> This was my first listen to this Schoenberg disc._ Erwartung _sounds to me very Wagnerian, of whose music Schoenberg was a huge fan (he saw all the operas several times each during his life). A work too dramatic & heavy for my tastes, but Ms Norman's vocal agility was quite thrilling to hear.


Interesting. I haven't associated Wagner with this, although there are two "leitmotifs" of Bb-a-Bb and C#-A# which appear various times. But I don't listen to much Wagner, so I probably couldn't tell. Or maybe Ms. Norman has infused it with an operatic sound.

I'm listening to Dorothy Dorrow's account, which isn't overly operatic but still very frenetic. I have Rattle's recording as well, but as of now, I prefer her interpretation.

Either way, it must be a beast to perform. Someone counted that the metronome markings shift 111 times.


----------



## Oskaar

*Volkmar Andreae: Piano Trios*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bartok and Prokofiev*

Starting with Bartok's Concerto for orchestra played by George Solti conducting the London Symphony Orchestra










then going to Prokofiev's Piano concertos played by Ashkenzy with the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre Previn










[gorgeous program!]


----------



## Oskaar

*Auric: Lola Montez / Notre-Dame De Paris / Farandole*










Moscow Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Georges Auric (Composer), Adriano (Conductor), Moscow State Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

My first exposure to John Dowland. It's easy to just turn my brain off and enjoy the sound, but then I'd miss the many major/minor twists, rhythm shifts, and ornaments that Paul O'Dette inserts.


----------



## kv466

Rachmaninov - Variations on a theme by Chopin, opus 22, Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev: Symphony No. 2; Russia*


----------



## Oskaar

I listen to music, but my thaughts are elsewhere. There have been a terror attack in Oslo today, a big car-bomb. Dead or injured unknown. I have thaught lateley that it could happen here to. And it did... 

On the top of that there have been shooting on a youth camp for our biggest party...several shall be dead. This is a black moment in norways history.


----------



## Oskaar

Well. I ceep on posting... Need to get my mind away from what happened. I am glad my family in oslo is not involved!


----------



## Oskaar

*Georges Auric: Phèdre*


----------



## Air

I'm getting to know *Eugene Onegin* by Tchaikovsky for the first time. Wow, wow, wow! The Letter Scene, the duel, the Waltz and Polonaise, the ending duet, and the music... the music is out of this world. I'll post some more thoughts later when I've gotten to know the work better... but already, this has become my very favorite work by Tchaikovsky, a composer that I haven't been too keen on lately. But Eugene Onegin... a masterpiece on every level!


----------



## Oskaar

The terrorists want us to fear. I have no fear, only hate against them. The odd thing is that the shootin!! g at the political camp...the man in police uniform had nordic apperance... And the blast in oslo, islamists has taken "honor". And the police see connections....


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4*


----------



## Oskaar

Ten people confermed dead at the political camp.... This is so incredibley bad...


----------



## Oskaar

*Benda-symphony no 7*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Fauré Piano Quintets*

Domus, Anthony Marwood (violin)


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36, Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor {"Pathetique"}._
All three works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## science

I like it. Listening now to Shaker Loops. For non-opera fans, this might be the basic Adams work. I don't really know, but that's the impression I have.

Another thing that I don't know for sure but might be true is that this might be the recording that made Shaker Loops a famous work.

----

And now:










Seems to have been a hit in the '70s. I can see why. It's interesting. Not going to get on my regular rotation, but something I will enjoy sharing with select friends.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> Interesting. I haven't associated Wagner with this, although there are two "leitmotifs" of Bb-a-Bb and C#-A# which appear various times. But I don't listen to much Wagner, so I probably couldn't tell.


Those kinds of specific musical things went over my head (I'm not a musician in any way). It was just the overall "vibe" of _Erwartung_ that made me immediately think of & "feel" Wagner behind it as a possibly strong influence. I too am not hugely experted regarding Wagner (nor a fan), but I have heard his big "hits" eg. the_ Liebestod_, most of the famous orchestral highlights/preludes, & a number of operas in full - eg. more recently _Tannhauser _& _Gotterdamerung_, others like _Meistersinger _& _Lohengrin _ages ago. I think I liked _Tannhauser_ the most, esp. for it's memorable_ Pilgrim's Chorus_.



> Or maybe Ms. Norman has infused it with an operatic sound.


Could very well be that, but then again, she sounded suitably intimate in the _Cabaret Songs_. I suppose you have to project your voice to a greater degree when you have a full orchestra behind you? & what exactly is a monodrama? A combination of opera & orchestral art-song for one person? Are there any other prominent ones? Would this have influenced things like Bartok's _Bluebeard's Castle _ which came slightly later? (it's also a one act work, but it has two singers)...



> Either way, it must be a beast to perform. *Someone counted that the metronome markings shift 111 times*.


An amazing fact, another one is that Schoenberg wrote _Erwartung_ in a very short time (I think it may well have been a matter of days???)...


----------



## Sid James

Weekend listening done just now (plus* Berg's *_Chamber Concerto_, which I'll post about on his thread later, I've kind of garnered some "new" personal insights of that work) -

*PROKOFIEV*
Piano Concerto #3 in C major, Op. 26
Emil Gilels, piano / USSR Radio SO / K. Kondrashin, cond.
(unidentifiable Russian label (vinyl), Soviet era, coupled w/Piano Sonata #2)

Sonata for Solo Violin
Violin Sonata No. 2 (w. Carlo Bussotti, piano)
Ruggiero Ricci, violin (Decca Eloquence double - coupled/w. other solo violin works)

*IPPOLITOV-IVANOV*
Caucasian Sketches - Suites 1 & 2
Turkish March & fragments
NSO Ukraine / Arthur Fagen, cond.
(Naxos)

*STRAVINSKY*
Symphony in Three Movements
Elaine Donohoe, pno. / Robert Johston, harp / CBSO / Simon Rattle, cond.
(EMI - w/Petrushka - 1947 version)

I just got the Gilels plays Prokofiev LP yesterday & my first listen to the 3rd concerto on it was great. Loved how Prokofiev balanced the loud clashing bits with a kind of tender Romantic lyricism, reminiscent of Tchaikovsky (he was esp. "present" in the last movt. - waltz & ballet-like feel there, but more modern). I like the dreamy sequences the most, which can be like being underwater seeing a colourful coral reef, or in another universe like that. I also enjoyed the solo violin sonata (1947) - it came off as kind of more "direct" & not too ironic. The first movement mixed soaring lyrical melodies with something that sounded more rough, a bit like from a country fiddler, the second movement not being afraid to be simply "romantic," the third with the most brilliant pyrotechnics. David Oistrakh turned this sonata down, the notes say this but not the reason why. Mr Ricci loved it & was the first to play it live in the USA, only a matter of days before Szigeti. The second (accompanied) sonata didn't really make me go as many places as the solo violin one did, but it was fine.

I really like Ippolitov-Ivanov, he's a bit like a mix between Rimsky-Korsakov (his teacher) & film music. His marches, that round off these suites, are my favourite parts - colourful orchestral showpieces, quite exotic for the time (late c19th). But I like the lyrical movts. as well, this guy was probably better than what some people may think. He actually spent a lot of time in the Caucasus region, esp. Georgia, where he helped set up the music academy.

Stravinsky's _Symphony in Three Movements_, composed in the USA during WW2, spoke to the feelings the composer had regarding world events. Militaristic, march-like rhythms pervade this work strongly, esp. the outer movts. Listening to this, I know he definitely hated the Nazis, but there was nothing he could do about the terrors that they were inflicting over in Europe. There is kind of that feeling of distance, but certainly not safety, but this is an interesting contrast to war music from those in the thick of things in Europe - eg. Shostakovich, Prokofiev or R. Strauss, less obviously, in his_ Metamorphosen_ which was more a matter of looking back at what had happened than the Russian guys who were talking to "the here & now."


----------



## hespdelk

Yesterday's Haydn put me in the mood for more classical period sacred works - so I followed up with some Cherubini.


----------



## jaimsilva

*to the memory of Norwegian children killed yesterday*










*Fauré - Requiem*

Sandrine Piau - soprano
Stéphane Degout - bariton
Luc Héry - solo violin
Christophe Henry - organ
Maitrise de Paris
Accentus
Members of the Orchestre Nationale de France
Laurence Equilbey

(one of the best interpretation I ever heard)


----------



## Conor71

*Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6*

Just recieved this disc yesterday - very good so far!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 8, 23 & 24*


----------



## Oskaar

.....


----------



## Oskaar

*Romantic Orchestral Music by Flemish Composers, Vol. 1*


----------



## Manxfeeder

jaimsilva said:


>


Following your lead, in memory of the victims in Norway, I'm listening to Brahms' German Requiem - or, as he also called it, a Human Requiem. "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." (Movement V; Isa 66:13)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> Those kinds of specific musical things went over my head (I'm not a musician in any way).


I don't think too many people _can _ pick up on that, because his writing is so dense. I only figured it out after I printed out the score.



Sid James said:


> I suppose you have to project your voice to a greater degree when you have a full orchestra behind you? & what exactly is a monodrama? A combination of opera & orchestral art-song for one person?


True; it does require someone trained operatically. I don't think Schoenberg gives any breaks to the vocalist by lightening the texture when she's singing. A cabaret singer would get drowned without amplification.



Sid James said:


> Are there any other prominent ones? Would this have influenced things like Bartok's _Bluebeard's Castle _ which came slightly later? (it's also a one act work, but it has two singers)...


I don't know about Bartok. Wikipedia says that Schoenberg also wrote Die glückliche Hand, which is basically a monodrama, and Poulenc wrote one with La voix humaine. They list a couple others I'm not familiar with.



Sid James said:


> An amazing fact, another one is that Schoenberg wrote _Erwartung_ in a very short time (I think it may well have been a matter of days???)...


That _is_ amazing. He believed in intuition, and there are musical links which appear in his pieces during this time that others have found that he apparently wasn't aware of; his subconsious tied them together.


----------



## Oskaar

*BENJAMIN: Symphony No. 1 / Ballade for String Orchestra*


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 21-25*


----------



## Vesteralen

I ordered these from my library system and listened to them today - the disc with the String Quartets No 2 twice.

I hadn't realized when I ordered them that the Janacek No 2 had just been added to the "Classical Music Project" permanent list. I would have voted for it if I had heard it back then (but it was right before I joined the forum).
The Haas No 2 (Haas was a student of Janacek's who died in a concentration camp in WWII) was equally impressive, but in a different way. The addition of percussion to the finale was totally unexpected and very entertaining.

The Janacek No 1's final two movements reminded me of the only Janacek piece I knew for many years - the Sinfonietta. I think I still have my old George Szell vinyl of that.

(By the way, I actually *purchased* this group's newest disc - two Dvorak quartets. I may purchase the first pictured disc here as well. It was that good.)


----------



## Sid James

Some late-night listening last night -

*BAX*
Tintagel - tone poem
Symphony # 7
RNSO / Lloyd-Jones (Naxos)

I'm beginning to appreciate Bax's music more now, after a bit of a struggle initially. Someone compared him to like giving the listener many jewels, one after the other. This kind of makes sense to me now. He's quite intuitive & his ideas come rapidly & not directly connected. Like the start of the symphony starts quietly & questioningly, then a big bold statement, then some British march thing, then something that reminded me of salon or light chamber music. & this is only the first few minutes! A critic of the time said that Bax was feeding off scraps of Impressionism, but this can kind of be turned into a positive in a way. His music comes across to me as not a big hearty meal, but more like a smorgasbord from which you just choose things (or yum-cha). An odd way of seeing it perhaps, but it's helping me come to terms with Bax on his own terms (not comparing him to Debussy, who was completely different, the similarities are only superficial, imo). Bax's orchestral colours come across as a bit like Richard Strauss or Wagner, but I have never put originiality (or lack thereof) of things like orchestration above the more important things, which is basically a composer's unique voice overall. The "big picture" so to speak. For one thing, all of his symphonies have three movements, not the traditional four, and I know at least some - like this one - don't have a key assigned to them. Another thing is that I think his symphonies are just like longer versions of his tone poems, he didn't seem to want to fit everything in a neat "box."

Speaking of these works here, the 7th symphony was inscribed "for the American people" & written in the months leading up to World War Two. Overall, it's not angsty at all, it's quite mixed, but optimism is more the word here. I especially liked the middle slow movement which had some interesting loud/soft contrasts, it was very lush but modern at the same time. A shadowy, night-time world? The final movement was a theme & variations, but it didn't sound straightjacketed to that form at all. The coda is hushed, as if the composer is waving a quietly cheerful "goodbye." This was his last symphony, but he lived until the early 1950's.

As for _Tintagel_, it's very sunny, mirroring the time he spent on the Cornwall coast with his lover, the pianist Harriet Cohen. The "theme" is stated early on & comes back right towards the end, but in between there he doesn't stick to it strictly at all. In a way, there's only the minimum of things to "hang on to" for the listener, but this is quite unique. Maybe that there's no firm "point" IS "the point" of it all. Audiences certainly see it this way, this is Bax's most performed work, it has been since it was written around 1917. This piece images the seaside town, & many UK composers have kind of done this type of thing, theirs is a maritime nation.

I think this performance is very good & the sound is very colourful & detailed. So I'll be returning to it again now that I like it more (I also have Bax's 6th symphony in this series, which I haven't listened to in ages)...


----------



## Conor71

*Bizet: Carmen*

This Opera blows me away every time I hear it - superb!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schubert: Piano Sonata D.960 - 12 Landler D.790 - Allegretto D.915 - Kovacevich*

Stephen Kovacevich playing the "good old" Schubert


----------



## jaimsilva

*Shostakovich playing his own Piano Concertos*

It's always a joy to hear a composer's own interpretation of his music. In the case of the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, getting to hear him play his own piano concertos as well as several Preludes and Fugues is nothing short of breathtaking.

with André Cluytens and the Orchestre Nationale de la Radiodifusion Française.

recordings dating from 1958


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1*


----------



## Vesteralen

Sid James said:


> Some late-night listening last night -
> 
> *BAX*
> So I'll be returning to it again now that I like it more (I also have Bax's 6th symphony in this series, which I haven't listened to in ages)...


I have four discs in this Naxos series (though not this particular one). I've only listened to each one once. My experience with Bax seems to have been much like yours. Your post gives me a reason to think about trying them again. Thanks.


----------



## Aristotle

J.S.BACH - prelude and fugue no 12 (book 2 ) ,god where have i heard those trills before?


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 13, 7 & 9*


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruch: String Quartets, Nos. 1 & 2*


----------



## Oskaar

Invitation to hold hands. In memory of the dead, in support of the survivors, ins support to parents and family of the dead, and all others affected, and in support of our democracy and multi-cultural and open socyity that we are more than ever wanting to ceep and strenghten.

Wishes are for the whgole world to.

http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/oslobomben/lenke.php


----------



## Oskaar

*Jadin, Hyacinthe & Louis-Emmanuel: Trois quatuors*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Several around these parts have been talking about Mozart's Symphony No. 38, so I'm seeing what all the fuss is about.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Adagio for Strings / Violin Concerto Op.14 / Essay Op.12 / Cello Concerto Op*


----------



## science

Vesteralen said:


> I ordered these from my library system and listened to them today - the disc with the String Quartets No 2 twice.
> 
> I hadn't realized when I ordered them that the Janacek No 2 had just been added to the "Classical Music Project" permanent list. I would have voted for it if I had heard it back then (but it was right before I joined the forum).
> The Haas No 2 (Haas was a student of Janacek's who died in a concentration camp in WWII) was equally impressive, but in a different way. The addition of percussion to the finale was totally unexpected and very entertaining.
> 
> The Janacek No 1's final two movements reminded me of the only Janacek piece I knew for many years - the Sinfonietta. I think I still have my old George Szell vinyl of that.
> 
> (By the way, I actually *purchased* this group's newest disc - two Dvorak quartets. I may purchase the first pictured disc here as well. It was that good.)


I have one of those disks and love it.

I would get the other but they're so darn expensive. For now, an alternative is the Gabrieli String Quartet, in this 5 disk set, which is a good deal:










The orchestral recordings there are more well-known in the double decca format:










So you get pretty well-known recordings of the orchestral music, and acceptable recordings of the solo piano and chamber works. For now at least, I'm contet with this.


----------



## jaimsilva

science said:


>


You gave me a good idea: listen again to Janacek's Sinfonietta and "Taras Bulba"
this time by Karel Ancerl with the Czech Philarmonoc Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Duparc - Poulenc cello sonatas +*

This is the cover....terribly bad...


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck; d'indy*

Franck: Symphony In D Minor
D'indy: Symphonie Sur Un Chant Montagnard Français, Op.25


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Romanian Rhapsodies; Suites*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Beethoven: "Diabelli" Variations - Kovacevich*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Bax's Tintagel for the first time using Sid James' review as a guide.


----------



## dmg

Currently enjoying this recording of late Mozart symphonies (Böhm):


----------



## science

Love the Bohm Mozart.

A moment ago:










The Paderewski. This is almost as beautiful as Rachmaninoff's 2nd and 3rd piano concertos - or perhaps as beautiful, but not as dramatic. It is amazing. A new favorite for me.

Now:










An interesting concert. A bit pricey though. I'd say there's no reason to spend your cash here unless you're a big fan of fancy piano, or you're looking to take a step or two off the beaten path. The opening piece is the first movement of Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto, transcribed for piano by Alkan. So it's that kind of thing.

If it weren't so pricey, I'd recommend it more enthusiastically. It's good to hear, but there are CDs that are good to hear at half the price.


----------



## Sid James

@ Manxfeeder & Versteralen - Thanks for reading my thoughts on the Bax disc. It's good that you're both listening to his music, I think it rewards repeated listening, but probably not all his symphonies/tone poems at once! Just have to give this guy's stuff "time to settle" he's that unique, imo...

Lately it has been this, among other stuff -

*BARTOK* - Divertimento for strings (Moscow CO/Barshai) - Decca Eloquence

This has been a favourite work of mine for yonks. Originally had a recording with the Australian Chamber Orchestra under Carl Pini, I was able to hear them in concert play it with their current leader, Richard Tognetti. The outer movements are chock-full of counterpoint, quite Baroque feel. These are more "tonal" with some twists - eg. solos that hint at concerto grosso in the first movt., tapping of music stands for percussive rhythm in the final (3rd) movt. & also gypsy fiddler like violin solos. The middle movement, more "atonal" capped by a big gushing Hungarian melody, speaks to the composer's anguish over yet another war looming over Europe, which he left soon afterwards (it was composed in Switzerland in 1939, about a month before the outbreak of WW2). This is a sterling account which I've returned to heaps of times...


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. _Both works feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30. _Both are performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra featuring Abbey Simon on piano. The conductor is Leonard Slatkin.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mahler: Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen, Kindertotenlieder, other 5 lieder*

Mahler's lieder by the great Christa Ludwig


----------



## jaimsilva

*Weber: Chamber music with clarinet*

Clarinet Quintet in B Flat Major, Op. 34
Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet and String Quartet, Op. posth.
Grand Duo Concertant in E Flat Major for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 48
Seven Variations on a Theme from Silvana for Clarinet and Piano in B Flat Major, Op. 33

Kálmán Berkes, Clarinet
Jenö Jandó, Piano
Auer Quartet


----------



## Pieck

Brahms - Sonata No. 3
Schumann - Papillons, Fantasie in C

I'm starting to get into piano music lately after discovering Grieg's.
It's my first listen for all three works, so I'll have to give it another listen or two to make an opinion


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> @ Manxfeeder & Versteralen - Thanks for reading my thoughts on the Bax disc. It's good that you're both listening to his music, I think it rewards repeated listening, but probably not all his symphonies/tone poems at once! Just have to give this guy's stuff "time to settle" he's that unique, imo...


You're right about not gorging on his music. The first time I heard the symphonies, I followed a blogger's advice to listen to one symphony in the sequence a night. It was an interesting experience.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck - Debussy - Ravel -*

Franck - Sonata for violin and piano · Debussy - Sonatas · Ravel - Introduction and Allegro / Chung · Lupu · Ellis · Melos Ensemble


----------



## Guest

I wanted a new look at these symphonies. I have, buried somewhere, the entire Hogwood recordings of Mozart's symphonies, but in a recent thread I read much about the 38th, which I haven't taken as much time to appreciate. I'm afraid my adoration of the 40th and 41st symphonies has blinded me to some of Mozart's other gems. So between these two recordings, I have several of the "named" symphonies, and intend to give them a good listen today as I am bogged down with paperwork at work.


----------



## Oskaar

*schuster - burgmuller - schubert*

Schuster, V.: 3 Stucke / Burgmuller, J.F.F.: 3 Nocturnes / Schubert, F.: Arpeggione Sonata (Lessing, Mohs, Beenhouwer)


----------



## Oskaar

*Schumann - Chamber Works*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mozart, Reger & Busoni - Music for Two Pianos*

Andras Schiff & Peter Serkin playing

Mozart: Fugue in C minor for 2 pianos K.426
Reger: Variations and Fugue on a theme of Beethoven for 2 pianos op.86
Busoni: Fantasia contrappuntistica for 2 pianos BV.256b
Mozart: Sonata in D major for 2 pianos K.448


----------



## jaimsilva

*The "good old" Beethoven concertos*

Performers: David Oistrakh, Pierre Fournier, Wilhelm Kempff, Christian Ferras, Geza Anda, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Orchestras: Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra, Berlin Radio-Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philarmonic Orchestra London
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan, Sir Eugene Goossens, Ferdinand Leitner, Ferenc Fricsay


----------



## World Violist

So I've got this Spotify thing up and now I'm playing this CD on my computer full-blast:










Mahler 9
Alan Gilbert/Royal Stockholm Philharmonic

This is one wrenching performance. I'm in the middle of the adagio right now, and I honestly don't know if I've heard the strings this richly expressive since hearing Bernstein's last effort from Amsterdam. Tempi are dead-on, and best of all, everyone in the hall is putting everything in the performance, which almost never happens anymore. I'm glad I listened to this!


----------



## Oskaar

*Elgar - Enigma Variations & Cello Concerto*


----------



## Oskaar

World Violist said:


> So I've got this Spotify thing up and now I'm playing this CD on my computer full-blast:


Hope you will enjoy spotify! I will listen to this album right away.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9*


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Sonata No.3 for Violin & Piano*










fantastic work!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bax's stormy first symphony. Then I'll join the group and try Alan Gilbert's Mahler 9.


----------



## Conor71

*Koechlin: The Jungle Book*

First listen of this newly arrived Disc - reaching the end of the First Disc now: so far, so good


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm comparing the Hillier Ensemble's recording of Ockeghem's Requiem with Edward Wickham and the Clerks' Group.

The Hilliers shoot for serenity and historical accuracy with an all-male group. It also teeters on the boring side.

Wickham, however, is more interesting to hear, because it has more energy, and the female voices provide sufficient contrast in the duo sections where the composer plays the high voices off the low voices.

That being said, the Hillier recording is priced insanely low on Amazon at $9.63 for a double CD.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--_ Symphony No.1 in C Moll, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. _Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker. They are from a 2 cd Deutsche Grammophon set entitled *Brahms:The Complete Symphonies.*


----------



## Sid James

jaimsilva said:


> Mahler's lieder by the great Christa Ludwig


That recording of Ms Ludwig singing the _Kindertotenlieder_ made me cry. It made me remember some sadder things about my life & those close to me that I had almost forgotten & disconnected with. She just "lived" the music to the max. The _Wayfarer Song_s are no less powerful, the last song with all it's mood changes, ending with a kind of surreal image of the poet beneath the linden tree with it's petals falling & him thinking that his love may just have been a dream. Truly beyond words! I also like how she put these down with three different conductors at the helm - Boult, Vandernoot, Klemperer. It's probably my favourite Mahler album.



Manxfeeder said:


> You're right about not gorging on his music. The first time I heard the symphonies, I followed a blogger's advice to listen to one symphony in the sequence a night. It was an interesting experience.


Yes, Bax is to me now more like guys such as Schoenberg, Frank Martin or Carter, with whose music I tend to come back to after a long hiatus. I listen to this kind of complex stuff less regularly than other things, maybe once a month or two (or less, I'm not systematic with these things). In between I just go away & think about their music, consciously or unconsciously, & then come back to it with these thoughts. So often, after "a long time between drinks" with these guys, their music "clicks" with me quite well, probably more so than if I'd listened to them more intensively or regularly...


----------



## Sid James

Mainly British things lately -

*BAX*
Symphony No. 7
Tintagel (tone poem)
RNSO / David Lloyd-Jones, cond. (Naxos)

*Hubert BATH*
Cornish Rhapsody for piano & orch. (from the film _Love Story_)
Harriet Cohen, piano / LSO / Bath
Plus _La Cucaracha _played by *Mantovani* & his orch. & *George Gershwin *playing his _Three Preludes _for piano solo.
(historic recordings 1920's-50's from 2 disc compilation "Ultimate Nostalgia Collection Vol. 2" on Naxos)

*BLISS*
A Colour Symphony
English Northern Phil. / Lloyd-Jones, cond. (Naxos)

This was my third listen to this Bax disc & it's been great. I'm coming to appreciate the 7th symphony heaps. Funny how Bax said that he liked Boult's recording for it's imaging of a "languid summer feel" of the slow middle movt., but my "impression" of that was of a night-time feel, maybe by the Thames in London, with bells ringing in the background. After that, I dipped into some historical recordings, incl. one put down by Bax's girlfriend, the pianist Harriet Cohen (she was strongly on his mind when he wrote _Tintagel_). The _Cornish Rhapsody _is one of the many mini piano concertos written for films during the 1940's - another famous one was Addinsell's _Warsaw Concerto _- & these are works with a suitably "Romantic" feel. To finish, Bliss' _A Colour Symphony _- his imaging of the four primary colours (purple, red, blue, green). Written at the instigation of Elgar, who was a supporter of new music by younger UK composers, Bliss's use of strings does remind me of Elgar's richness in that area, but the rhythms of Stravinksy are often not far away either (esp. in the very vigorous "red" movt.). Upon it's premiere in the 1920's, this was considered to be quite modern, Elgar was kind of baffled by it. But now it comes across as a kind of combination of many influences, put together in Bliss's individual way. Who else, I ask, has written a symphony based on the symbolism behind colours?...


----------



## World Violist

Marais: Pieces for viol, second book
Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, bass viol; Elina Mustonen and Eero Palviainen, continuo

I've been sampling a bunch of viol-players (I've read that players of the viol are technically called "violists" and players of the viola "viola-players" but really I have no clue) and MLM is my favorite so far. I'm not sure how exactly how to describe the tone he gets out of his instrument in contrast to others, but his playing style is certainly characterful, clean, incisive, and sensitive. I would say his tone is more informed and inflected by the cello than many others I've heard.

This CD begins with a very large set of variations on La Folia (lasts about 17 minutes!), which I've found to be one of Marais' more popular pieces; I even learned a truncated version of this on viola a few years ago, and it was fun to hear this and pick out which ones I remembered, all the while noticing the differences in sonority between viola/piano and viol/lute/harpsichord. Fascinating, and, more importantly, beautiful just to listen to.


----------



## Guest

As usual, a grab-bag of stuff. Bloch's Three Nocturnes:










Lalo's Chants Russes for Cello and Piano:










Chants Russes is a really gorgeous piece, but it doesn't sound Russian at all. In fact, it sounds American!

And now, completely incongruously, some Rameau:










Refreshing perhaps, but I'm just not a big fan of the orchestral stuff.


----------



## Sid James

BPS said:


> As usual, a grab-bag of stuff. Bloch's Three Nocturnes:


As I said a couple of days ago on your Bloch blog, I heard his _Three Nocturnes _for piano trio once last year, at a recital. Came across to me as an interesting mix of "impressionism" & "modernism." The middle movement came across to me to be a bit like a lyrical bit of Copland's "Americana" phase, the final movt. had the bounce & vigour imaging life in the American cities of "the roaring twenties," the decade this work was composed. A very eclectic work which I enjoyed & I hope you do as well...


----------



## Guest

Sid - I enjoy and learn a lot from your terrific comments. Re Bloch's Nocturnes, I went back and re-listened a few times.

I think I like best the middle movement (and agree with your Americana comment). While the third movement bustles around a bit at the beginning, I think I like it least of the three movements. At one point it starts to sound almost like "Born Free" (not Bloch's fault of course).

Taken as a whole, a fine piece worthy of repeated listens. I should listen a couple more times to form a better opinion.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Great minds think alike, Andre. I just picked up the same Bliss disc today and gave it a first listen while painting. I can't offer much of an opinion because I obviously wasn't really focused upon the music. I'll give another more focused listen later this week.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to... a greatly enjoying this recording of Purcell's _Dido and Aeneas_.










Several years back I purchased this "classic" recording of Purcell:










It absolutely turned me off Purcell. After all, I loved Janet Baker... but this recording sounded so stodgy and ponderous and the singing so mannered and effected... that I presumed it must be Purcell's music. Yet with time I picked up other Purcell works... and greatly enjoyed them... but _Dido and Aeneas_ left the same aftertaste every time I gave a listen. So I was talked into trying another recording... and I must say it has made all the difference. The performance is much more intimate and sprightly, and the singing marvelous... without the affected pomposity that sounds like the worst stereotype of the Victorian matron.


----------



## science

The Preludes.

Very nice.

This recording is part of my no-more-purchasing project.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Great minds think alike, Andre. I just picked up the same Bliss disc today and gave it a first listen while painting. I can't offer much of an opinion because I obviously wasn't really focused upon the music. I'll give another more focused listen later this week.


Well, that's a coincidence & these kinds of things seem to happen quite often around this forum. I think you listening to Bliss' _A Colour Symphony_ while painting is quite apt in a way. It's less about synesthesia - which Scriabin was kind of obsessed with, as I understand, chord - colour correspondences - & basically about heraldry & the symbolism attached to the different colours over the ages. The notes say Bliss had "writer's block" after Elgar asked him to produce a work for a new music festival in the UK, but he coincidentally (again, there it is!) came across a book about heraldry and used some of that info as the basis for this symphony. Interesting, don't you think? But when I got that disc (in 2008 - I found the docket in the liner booklet!) I listened to it purely as music, it's only now that I'm listening to it with attention to Bliss' comments about each movement in the cd notes (which are pretty good, imo). As for the coupling on that disc, the ballet suite _Adam Zero_, it's been a while since I've heard that, but I remember it as being very colourful. Bliss certainly had that way, & Britten was an admirer of the man, esp. for bringing modern European techniques more into the British mainstream.

& re your comments on comparing the old & new Purcell discs, I had similar experience with different accounts of Schoenberg. Almost 15 years ago, I got a recording with von Karajan conducting _Transfigured Night_, and I didn't like it. It was the first/only time I heard that work, my introduction to Schoenberg's music, and I thought it too dark & brooding. But this year I borrowed a disc of this piece with your own Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and I liked thier "take" - came across to me as being much more nuanced and with a fair hint of "light at the end of the tunnel." Of course, this doesn't detract from von Karajan's many talents, & maybe it's the intervening years that added to my appreciation of the newer recording, but I've had similar experience with this conductor esp. in terms of other modern music. He seems to have taken a darkish "slant" on many things. I admire him to a degree for "going out on a limb" & putting things down in that unique way, but I think I'm more of an optimist, I need a "boost," not just gloom & dread. So there you go, sometimes it's worth "switching" from older to newer accounts, even though (as you write) we often have great admiration for the great musicians of the earlier times. You "live & learn," I guess...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Debussy's piano music by Arrau*










a competitor of Gieseking?


----------



## Oskaar

*Elgar & Grieg: Sonatas for Violin and Piano*


----------



## Oskaar

*Liadov: Baba Yaga / Enchanted Lake / Kikimora*


----------



## science

Copland's Connotations for Orchestra. A surprising work.

This is one of the disks from my "no purchasing" project.

When Connotations is finished, next up will be Rachmaninov's Symphony #3:


----------



## Oskaar

*Italian Concertos*


----------



## Oskaar

*Harp Concertos by Boieldeu, Saint-Saens, Tailleferre & Ravel*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Arnold Bax, Symphony No. 2. "Turbulent" is how Naxos describes it, also cinematic, with some memorable themes.


----------



## Vesteralen

There's only so much you can do wrong with the Sixth, a very tuneful piece. Alsop makes no blunders with it. Suitably energetic and well-played, IMO.

The Nocturne is not one of my favorites. It's about the sleepiest work of music I know.

I haven't finished the Scherzo yet, but it seems a little low key so far.


----------



## Oskaar

*French: Violin Sonatas*

Cesar Franck (Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Gabriel Faure (Composer), Fritz Kreisler (Composer), Isaac Albeniz (Composer), Carl Maria von Weber (Composer), Henryk Wieniawski (Composer), Alexander Glazunov (Composer), Louis Couperin (Composer), Yefim Bronfman (Performer), Clifford Benson (Performer)


----------



## jaimsilva

*Nelson Freire: LISZT Harmonies du Soir*

Etudes de Concert, S.145 - No.1 Waldesrauschen
Années de pèlerinage: 2ème année: Italie, S.161 - 5. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
Valse oubliée No.1 in F sharp, S.215
Ballade No.2 in B minor, S.171
Années de pèlerinage: 1e année: Suisse, S.160 - 2. Au lac de Wallenstadt
Hungarian Rhapsody No.3 in B flat, S.244
Consolations, S. 172 - No. 1 - 6
Harmonies du soir


----------



## Guest

After waiting unnecessarily long to listen to this, I finally got Faure's Requiem. It is strengthening his status as one of my favorite composers; I like it even more than Brahms' Requiem!


----------



## Oskaar

*The Sheremetyev Ensemble Brahms and schumann*


----------



## Oskaar

*Benoit: Piano Concerto / Flute Concerto*


----------



## CaptainAzure

Mahler's 7th


----------



## hocket

It pains me to say that I'm really enjoying this a fair bit more than the Fretwork renditions. Phantasm really do make the music accessible. Still, I know they're called Phantasm and all but it does seem a bit gratuitous putting those ghouls on the cover.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky: Trio in A minor & d'Indy: Violin Sonata in C Major*


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. _Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker. I found the 3rd and 4th movements of the 4th Symphony to be most bracing indeed!
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. That 1st movement of the 2nd Symphony really grabbed my attention!


----------



## graaf




----------



## Oskaar

*schumann*

Schumann, R.: Fantasiestucke / Adagio and Allegro / 3 Romanzen / 5 Pieces in Folk Style / Fairy Tales


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jacob Obrecht's *Missa Sub Tuum Praesidium* is remarkable; the voices in each movement are added from the initial three to seven at the end, all with the same Marian chant unchanged sung in the soprano over it all.

I'm comparing the Clerks' Group with Capella De La Torre. De La Torre uses instruments at different sections doubling the parts; the Clerks' Group is a capella.

There isn't a huge difference in the quality of singing between the two groups; they both do very well. But I think in comparison, the choice to use instruments by Capella De La Torre, instead of clarifying the polyphony, actually obscures it. The increased layering of voices as the movements progress is more noticeable and effective in the a capella setting that the Clerks' Group provides.


----------



## Guest

Listening now to Encruzilhada by Joly Braga Santos.










A collection of five short orchestral pieces, apparently a ballet score, written in 1967. No doubt it works well as such. There is a reasonable variety of styles and moods present - sure to give the dancers plenty to do. Of the five tracks, I prefer the latter three.


----------



## science

Part of my "future listening no purchasing" project.


----------



## Sid James

*@ samurai *- I also love Brahms' 4th symphony, it was the first one I got to know. The "highlight" for me is the slow movement, esp. how he uses the horns, very autumnal feel, golden colours, a leisurely pace (like a walk in a park in autumn?). & also that amazing final movt., surely one of the most technically accomplished & emotionally engaging things the man wrote!

*@ science* - I've also been getting into Copland -_ El Salon Mexico_ is a perennial favourite of mine, as well as the other "Americana" works. I haven't heard the piano concerto for years, but I remember it as totally different from Gershwin's, Copland's is more kind of "dark," but jazzy in his own way (I think he subtitled it the "jazz concerto" originally?). His only _Piano Sonata_ of about 1940 speaks (to me) of the life in the teeming American cities, where you can be surrounded by millions of people, but still feel lonely. A possible tribute there is to Rachmaninov in a short sequence of bell-like sounds? His two sets of _Old American Songs i_s a gem (got it with William Warfield singing with the composer conducting on LP). I haven't heard any of his late period works (or don't remember) like _Connotations_, and that is on my "to-get" list. He was a very varied composer for sure.

*@ oskaar* - I also just listened to Alison Balsom (trumpeter) last night, her _Caprice_ album (see below). She's tops...


----------



## science

The "No Purchasing Project" continues. Aside from the ubiquitous "Fur Elise" the music here is less famous than the sonatas, and probably deservedly so. But it is pretty. It certainly puts Chopin in context.


----------



## Sid James

Didn't get through many whole discs last night, but did listen to the Walton symphony in full -

*William WALTON*
Symphony #1 in B flat minor
LSO / Colin Davis, cond.
LSO series, SACD

*Kurt WEILL*
Symphony #1 (1921)
Bournemouth SO / Marin Alsop, cond.
Naxos

*Georges BIZET*
L'Arlessiene - incidental music & Suite #1 (original chamber orch. versions)
(CD also incl. Suite #2 & Prelude & Entracte music from Carmen)
Orch. & choir under Marc Minkowski
Naive label

*M. de Falla (arr. L. Berio)*
Seven Popular Spanish Songs
Alison Balsom, trumpet / Gothenburg SO / Edward Gardner, cond.
From Album: Alison Balsom - "Caprice"
EMI

Davis' "take" on the Walton symphony was a bit of a let-down for me overall. It wasn't kind of edgy & malignant enough. Walton didn't mark the Scherzo movt. "con malizia" (with malice) for nothing! It is true that a critic called this symphony as sounding something like Sibelius gone sour, but do you have to interpret it (almost?) exactly as you would something penned by the Finn? A "plus" is the detailed SACD sound, you can really hear everything. Davis does take the two quicker movements in a kind of jazzy way, mirroring Walton's love of jazz. But I don't know if doing this symphony in a way that maybe Count Basie would (no disrespect to him) is really a good idea. Anyway, I was glad to hear this work after not hearing it for ages.

Weill's earliest - & previously "lost" - 1st symphony is a gem, it shows his talents for writing songs that would emerge later. It has two loud & kind of brash/bouncy movts. encasing some of the most lyrical and lush "atonal" music that I've ever heard. In this bit, Weill pulled out string soloists from the orchestra to make many "star turns," almost as if this was a concerto grosso (Schnittke, eat your heart out!!!). I'd recommend this to any "first-timers" moving towards the "atonal" realm (& I think I saw some of you listening recently to this very disc?).

It was also interesting to hear Bizet's incidental music for the first time in it's original chamber format (25 piece orch.). Naturally, it was more intimate than the orchestral version I know well, & the speeds tended to be a bit more brisk (esp. in my favourite movt., the "carillon" perfectly conveying bells in sound, without a percussionist in sight!). Mahler was a big admirer of this guy's music, and the _Adagietto_ movt. here for me presages the one in Mahler's 5th symphony. It was also good to read Daudet's tragic & poignant short story upon which the play was based, it gave me a new perspective on this music (his short story was included in a lavish book holding the disc, replete with colour images of Arles by Van Gogh & Francis Bacon).

To finish up, Berio's well-suited arrangement of my favourite de Falla work, his famous set of Spanish songs. Ms Balsom played mercurially without a hint of overindulgence or flashiness. I also like how Berio didn't simply "ape" de Falla's style but remained quite faithful to his vision at the same time...


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 1 &2*

A first listen from this set which I just recieved yesterday - I'm not as familiar with these works as I'd like so I will be revisiting this set several times over the course of the next week!.


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> I also just listened to Alison Balsom (trumpeter) last night, her _Caprice_ album


Thanks, sid for advice. Listening now. Delichious to here trumphet....I not to often do.


----------



## Oskaar

*Caprice - Alison Balsom*










1) Mozart: Rondo alla Turca (arr. J.Milone)

2) Piazzolla: Libertango (arr. J.Milone)

3) Lindberg: Gammal Fäbodspalm (arr. J.Milone)

4) Arban: Variations on Bellini's Norma (arr. J.Milone)

5) Paganini: Caprice No.24 (arr. A.Balsom / J.Milone)

Falla: Siete canciones populares españolas (orch. L.Berio)

6) i. El paño moruno

7) ii. Segudilla muriciana

8) iii. Asturiana

9) iv. Jota

10) v. Nana

11) vi. Canción

12) vii. Polo

13) Rachmaninov: Vocalise Op.34, No.14 (arr. A.Balsom)

14) Mozart: Die Hölle Rache (from Die Zauberflöte) (transc. A.Balsom)

15) Bach: Andante (from violin Concerto in A minor BWV1041) (transc. A.Balsom)

16) Debussy: Syrinx (arr. A.Balsom)

17) Tomasi: Nocturne (from Trumpet concerto)

18) Piazzolla: Escualo (arr. J.Milone)


----------



## hocket

Conor71 said:


> *Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6*
> 
> Just recieved this disc yesterday - very good so far!


Yeah, I really like that version. I initially got the Musica Amphion rendition based on some reviews I'd read saying it was outstanding but the Pinnock version blew it away once I'd heard it.

The English Concert's versions of Vivaldi have long since been surpassed but that Corelli's still a winner for me.


----------



## Oskaar

*beethoven; Symphony No.1 In C Major Op.21*

From this mastodont recording:

Harnoncourt - The Complete Beethoven Recordings


----------



## Oskaar

*Britten*

Britten, B.: Double Concerto / Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge / Les Illuminations (London Philharmonic, V. Jurowski)


----------



## Guest

It's regrettable that, although Brahms has been my absolute favorite composer for the better part of the last five years, I've waited till now to listen to his Handel Variations. My god are they fantastic!!! Murray Perahai plays with Baroque clarity and Romantic sentiment, the perfect balance for a great Brahms performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prisms / Chamber Music Palm Beach*










Composer: Irving Fine, Darius Milhaud, Charles T. Griffes, Clark McAlister, Albert Roussel, 
Gabriel Pierné, Amy Marcy Beach
Orchestra/Ensemble: Chamber Music Palm Beach


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm continuing Bax week with Arnold Bax's sea-inspired 4th symphony.


----------



## Oskaar

*Italian Oboe Concertos*










Verkliste
Concerto for Oboe and Strings in C minor
Komponist	Domenico Cimarosa
Dirigent	Nicholas Ward
Orkester	City Of London Sinfonia Orchestra
Oboe	Anthony Camden
Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in E flat
Komponist	Vincenzo Bellini
Dirigent	Nicholas Ward
Orkester	City Of London Sinfonia Orchestra
Oboe	Anthony Camden
Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in C
Komponist	Vincenzo Righini
Dirigent	Nicholas Ward
Orkester	City Of London Sinfonia Orchestra
Oboe	Anthony Camden
Sinfonia Concertante in F
Komponist	Federico Fiorillo
Oboe	Julia Girdwood
Dirigent	Nicholas Ward
Orkester	City Of London Sinfonia Orchestra
Oboe	Anthony Camden
Concerto for Oboe and Strings in F
Komponist	Arcangelo Corelli
Dirigent	Nicholas Ward
Orkester	City Of London Sinfonia Orchestra
Oboe	Anthony Camden
Concerto for Oboe and Strings
Komponist	Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Dirigent	Nicholas Ward
Orkester	City Of London Sinfonia Orchestra
Oboe	Anthony Camden


----------



## Oskaar

Bellini; Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in E flat

What a wonderful work! Melts into my body. 

from the abow album


----------



## tdc

Wow, if anyone ever wants to rack up a lot of 'likes' just come into this thread and post a cover picture of Brahms symphonies!


----------



## Oskaar

*Golden Flute*

Kenneth Smith flute, Paul Rhodes piano










Concertino for Flute & Piano (or orchestra), Op. 107
Composed by Cecile Chaminade
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Walking Tune, for wind quintet (RMTB 3)
Composed by Percy Grainger
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Berceuse, for piano, 4 hands or orchestra (Dolly, suite), Op. 56/1
Composed by Gabriel Faure
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando for flute & piano
Composed by Philippe Gaubert
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Pieces (2) ("Chanson de matin" & "Chanson de nuit"), for violin & piano (later orchestrated), Op. 15 Chanson de Matin
Composed by Edward Elgar
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Schön Rosmarin, for violin & piano
Composed by Fritz Kreisler
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Suite de trois morceaux in B flat major for flute & piano (or orchestra), Op. 116
Composed by Benjamin Godard
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

La fille aux cheveux de lin, prelude for piano, L. 117/8
Composed by Claude Debussy
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Petite suite (4), for piano, 4 hands (or orchestra), L. 65 En Bateau
Composed by Claude Debussy
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Variations on "Non più mesta" from Rossini's La Cenerentola, for flute & piano in E major, KK Anh.Ia/5 (B. 9) (spurious)
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Vocalise, transcriptions for various instruments, Op. 34/14
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Le Basque et double, for viola da gamba & continuo in A major (Pièces de viole, Book IV, Nos. 39-40)
Composed by Marin Marais
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Granpa, film score Make Believe
Composed by Howard Blake
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Sonatina for flute & piano, Op. 19 Allegretto
Composed by Malcolm Arnold
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Spartacus, ballet in 4 acts Adagio
Composed by Aram Khachaturian
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith

Carnival of Venice for flute & orchestra Op. 77
Composed by Giulio Briccialdi
with Paul Rhodes, Kenneth Smith


----------



## Oskaar

tdc said:


> Wow, if anyone ever wants to rack up a lot of 'likes' just come into this thread and post a cover picture of Brahms symphonies!


I believe that that is not the way people think.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: String Octet; Violin Sonata No. 3*


----------



## Oskaar

Enescu: String Octet

This octet have some remarkable moments.. verywell use of orchestra..strong and dynamic to slow and fragile...Splendid


----------



## jaimsilva

*César Franck & Vincent d'Indy - Symphonies*

César Franck - Symphony in D minor
Vincent D'Indy - Symphony on a French Mountain Air, Op. 25

Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Charles Dutoit (conductor)
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano on d'Indy Symphony)


----------



## Oskaar

Enescu; Sonata For Violin And Piano No.3 In D Major Op.25










Enescu is a lovable composer... Rearly heard about him, that is a shame
It may be the recording and performance that is remarcable, but thumbs up for this work!

The tenderness in the interplay between violin and piano is delightful.

The work seems to me almost minimalistic in one moment, then almost romantic....even with oriental shades.
Incredible work!


----------



## ooopera

Fidelio
Abbado, Kaufmann, Stemme

http://www.deccaclassics.com/cat/single?PRODUCT_NR=4782551


----------



## Oskaar

*Romantic Echoes*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Someone recommended Liszt's Annees de Pelerinage. I can't remember who. Anyway, somehow it's ended up at the bottom of my to-listen stack, so I'm remedying that now with Stephen Hough's recording.


----------



## Oskaar

*Richard strauss;Sonata for Violin and Piano in E flat, Op.18*










Very romantic, very nice.... I thaugt the name Strauss only was about walses... Richard is the guy!

The violin is here the master... Gidon Kremer Is fablous here I must check out more of him..


----------



## Oskaar

*dvorak; Romantic Pieces (4) for violin & piano, B. 150*










I love these dvorak pieces.. Again, wonderful play by Gidon Kremer.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--String_ _Quartets_ # _7_-_10_. The more I listen to these particular works, the more I am enjoying them and being better to follow their thematic developments. I also really believe that in some ways, they do in fact mirror or echo his Symphonies of the same sequential numbers to a certain extent. {I am about to purchase a book by David Hurwitz re: Shostakovich in which he seems to be making the same argument}. SQS performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Moll, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works feature Carlos Kleiber conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker. 
having just listened to Bernstein's reading of the 7th yesterday, for me Kleiber's is also very passionate and heart-felt. They are both tremendous renditions, *IMHO*. It seemed that Bernstein was practically breathing in his reading of the 7th, that's how intensely his interpretation struck me!


----------



## Oskaar

*Strauss: Piano Trios and Piano Quartets*


----------



## Oskaar

Eminent pian trios! I find a bit sadness over them both.. But maybe I am biazed after what happened in norway.

Max mandel on viola...really has a warmth in his play..


----------



## jaimsilva

*Chopin - the Piano Concertos*

Never heard before Rafał Blechacz.

On October 21, 2005, he became the sole recipient of all five first prizes at the 15th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, taking First Prize and the polonaise, mazurka, sonata, and concerto prizes. (from wikipedia)

with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
conducted by Jerzy Semkow


----------



## Oskaar

2 Pieces for Piano Quartet, TrV 169

The little arabic dance is the kind of work that emediatley set marks.

The other little piece are wonderfully played, it could be a lulyby for children..


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Bax's 3rd symphony. As they say on TV's _Criminal Minds_, "I'm sensing a pattern here": the color, the contrasts, then a chant-like theme and rhythmic cells derived from a theme. They seem to cross from one symphony to the next.


----------



## Oskaar

*Les Perles oubliées de la flûte*


----------



## Oskaar

What struck me first is how beautiful flute-playing can be...then it opens up..the piano-flute, interplay, the wonderful melodies! This is a record you should listen to!


----------



## science

The "no purchasing project" enters Day 3.










Prokofiev PC #3, which I like a lot more than I remember liking it. (A famous recording. If you think of buying it, consider the Argerich concerto box.)

And now: Schubert's Piano Sonata #21 by Schiff:










I like it, but if you're in the market, I would suggest considering the Uchida box. It's a good deal, and for my money her playing is as good as anyone's.

Earlier today I listened to Haydn's Symphonies #50 and #52 by the Pinnock crew:










Both of them are better than their (lack of) popularity would suggest. This Pinnock box is a good enough set, but you might shop around first; I bought it on a whim without any preliminary research.

Last night my only listening was Van Cliburn's recording of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto:










I think I have about eighteen different recordings of that concerto, and I think my favorite is by Richter, but really they're all good enough.

And, last night, to Mussorgsky's Pictures, orchestrated by Ravel, performed by Reiner and the Chicago:










I can now say decisively that I like Pictures better as a work for solo piano, but the orchestration is nice too. This recording of it is interesting, it has a few details I hadn't noticed in the Karajan, whch I think I like a little better.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaughan-Williams' "The Lark Ascending." It's a goody, though the violin solo at the end does get a bit boring.


----------



## samurai

Klavierspieler said:


> Vaughan-Williams' "The Lark Ascending." It's a goody, though the violin solo at the end does get a bit boring.


@Klavierspieler, I fully agree with you on this. Have you heard his *Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,* though? For me, that is a much stronger and more evocative piece than *The* *Lark* *Ascending.*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Picked up another disc of Bliss' music. Both the concept (music for a ballet based upon the "characters" in a chess game) and the actual music have grabbed me far more immediately than the Color Symphony... which admittedly I will need to given a closer listen to... while not painting.


----------



## Sid James

Went from Rieu to Boulez -

*Album: Andre Rieu live in Australia * (rec. Melbourne, 2008)
Light classics, Australiana, musical/show tunes/songs, opera, popular melodies, operetta, etc.
Univeral - I listened to disc 2 of double disc set

*BAX*
Symphony #7
RNSO / Lloyd Jones (Naxos)

*WALTON*
Facade - an entertainment
Sitwell/Pears - narrators / ensemble under Michael Collins (Eloquence)

*BOULEZ*
Piano Sonatas 2 & 3
Idil Biret (Naxos)

The Rieu concert is a lot of fun & 110 per cent atmosphere. I especially liked his arrangement of Radetzky March, with a touch of piano. I'm hearing more & more unity in Bax's 7th symphony & his "waving goodbye" coda grabs me every time, so serene & kind of freindly. Then the whimsy of Walton's Facade, incorporating everything from folk, jazz, music hall tunes & "spot the composer" - Schoenberg, Ravel, Rossini were definitely in there amongst all the stuff, as (I think?) were Gershwin & Brahms. Then to finish, Boulez's granitic sonatas, I esp. connected with the 3rd one, some very good use of the lower notes on the keyboard, quite dark...


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## StlukesguildOhio

First hearing ever of Aho. Damn good stuff. I'll need to explore him more.


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## jaimsilva

*Louis Spohr: Complete Violin Concertos & Concertantes*

Ulf Hoelscher: violin & Gunhild Hoelscher: violin (for the Concertantes for 2 violins)
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Christian Frohlich


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## Oskaar

*Faure - Pelléas et Mélisande ~ Dolly ~ Après un rêve ~ Pavane ~ Elégie*


----------



## Oskaar

*Delius: Orchestral Works*










Well, this recording had some annoying trackshifts every half minute... felt like there where only small prelistenings of the tracks.
So I skip this listening


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## Oskaar

*Clarinet Xxth Century 2*










On this CD:

Sonata for clarinet solo
Composed by Edison Vassilievich Denisov
with Andrej Startchenko

Pieces (4) for clarinet and piano, Op. 5
Composed by Alban Berg
with Kayoko Takae, Johannes Pieper

Sonatina for clarinet & piano, H. 356
Composed by Bohuslav Martinu
with Zoltan Kovacs, Gabriele Kaufmann

Sonata for clarinet & piano, FP 184
Composed by Francis Poulenc
with Kayoko Takae, Chika Kishihara

Hommage à Richard Strauss, for solo clarinet
Composed by Bela Kovacs
with A. Nagy

Sonata for 2 clarinets, FP 7
Composed by Francis Poulenc
with Sandra Arnold, Johannes Pieper

Quatuor pour la fin du temps, for violin, cello, clarinet & piano, I/22 Abîme des 
oiseaux
Composed by Olivier Messiaen
with Zoltan Kovacs

Sextet for 6 clarinets, Op 128
Composed by Florent Schmitt
with Julia Hutfless, Kiyo Hayakawa, Thilo Fahrner, Johannes Pieper, Jochen 
Bardong, Heiko Hinz


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart, Schubert, Ravel and Janácek: Chamber Music Selections*


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## Oskaar

*Ravel; Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet, Flute, Clarinet and Harp, M. 46*










Fantastic romantic litle work...I imagine the sun breaking into the forest on a spring day.
I have more words to describe, but in english it is difficult..


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## Oskaar

*Mozart; Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581*










Somtimes I can find mozart boring..the works seems "industry" made, if you understand. But I am sure I will discover more and learn to love these works also after more listening.

But this work appealded at once. Seem more from the romantic age, than the classic for me..

Lovely version here


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arnold Bax, Symphony No. 5*. I'm almost through the first movement, but I'm looking forward to the last one: they say it's pagan abandon colliding with a liturgical theme, with the liturgical theme prevailing. As one person commented, "It is a bit like being bawled out by a bishop."


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Schubert; String Quintet in C Major, D. 956*










If you can compare...I am normally a more "fan" of schubert than of mozart. But the abow work by mozart really blow me away... and this work of schubert dissapoint me. It never takes away, never touch me. But it is a first time listening.

Well, it grows on me! I geass I had to convert a bit after mozart, tune mye ears in


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## Oskaar

*Mozart; Quartet in F Major for Oboe, Violin, Viola and Cello, K. 370*










This work is more the "mozart machine" that I dont like speciffily at the moment..

Light and clever, and very well played by the Endres quartet though.

And the adagio is in fact very nice!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak: Piano Quintets*

Quintet for Piano and Strings no 1 in A major, Op. 5/B
Quintet for Piano and Strings no 2 in A major, Op. 81/B

Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Borodin String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Albinoni / Cimarosa / Marcello / Sammartini / Lotti: Oboe Concertos*


----------



## Klavierspieler

samurai said:


> @Klavierspieler, I fully agree with you on this. Have you heard his *Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,* though? For me, that is a much stronger and more evocative piece than *The* *Lark* *Ascending.*


@ Samurai:

Yes! I have! and it is indeed a much nicer piece!


----------



## tdc

Sonata Giocosa - Joaquin Rodrigo, Jeremy Jouve guitar


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 7
Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin

I think I rather like Barenboim in Mahler. He goes straight for the gut, outlining rhythmic contours equally with the melodic/harmonic ideas. During the times of repose, he allows it to blossom as much as needed, and even in the more savage, darker episodes of the first movement, he still gets an enormous range of color and detail without downplaying the physicality of the music. The brass especially are note-worthy, capable of any number of sounds that I've heard before, but never all at once from the same orchestra (plus, they're positively roof-shattering in the finale, always a plus).

Barenboim is very flexible in his interpretation, always keeping things moving but always looking for places to bring out. Rubato is very present, but always at appropriate times and never obtrusive.

What can I say? Very good recording of a symphony with which I'm less familiar than I should be.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms: Piano Quartet No.2*

Quartet for Piano and Strings no 2 in A major, Op. 26

Again with: Sviatoslav Richter and the Borodin String Quartet


----------



## jaimsilva

*Niels Gade*

Gade(1817,1890) - Symphonies No.2 & 8

With the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Hogwood










I've listened before the Concert Overture: Echoes of Ossian - awesome!


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125_, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Sir George Solti. Chorus director is Margaret Hillis. This performance also featured soprano Jessye Norman, contralto Reinhild Runkel, tenor Robert Schunk and bass Hans Sotin.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS # 14 and 15,_ performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## science

Poeme Symphonique.

Heard of this one from a participant in the CM project, and it's a pretty good choice.


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> ...Quatuor pour la fin du temps, for violin, cello, clarinet & piano, I/22 Abîme des
> oiseaux
> Composed by Olivier Messiaen
> with Zoltan Kovacs...


Some good stuff on that clarinet compilation, oskaar. True, that solo clarinet movt., of Messiaen's Quatour is the highlight of the whole work for me, but I always hear the whole work right through. That's not too often, this is a very dark work & can be quite draining - but there is light at the end of the tunnel, big time, here as well. I was lucky enough to experience it live last year (coincidentally, the composer's second wife, the great pianist (his former student) Yvonne Loriod, died the same week of that recital, she was in her nineties). Anyway, this work, written when the composer was a prisoner of war during WW2, basically takes in Messiaen's "big themes" - man, nature (esp. the bird-song which you'll hear in the extract you heard), love & God. These are the things that got the man through that very difficult experience. Definitely one of the great chamber works of it's time. So, you'll have to listen to it in full, my man, because I told you!!!


----------



## Sid James

Went from cabaret, to opera, art-song, "atonal" piano music & finished up with some jazzy violin music -

*Cabaret: Original Soundtrack Recording (1972 Film)
John KANDER (music); Fred EBB (lyrics)*
Cast incl. Liza Minelli (Sally Bowles) & Joel Grey (Master of Ceremonies)
EMI tape

*MOZART / Da Ponte*
Le Nozze Di Figaro - Highlights from Acts I & II
Fischer-Dieskau - Schwarzkopf - Seefried - Kunz - Dickie - Stern - Ludwig
Chor der Wiener Staatsoper / Die Wiener Philharmoniker / Karl Bohm, cond.
Recorded live at Salzburg Festival, 1957
Sarabandas tape

*WAGNER*
Gotterdammerung - Act 3, Scene 3 (Brunnhilde's immolation scene)
Margaret Jane Wray, soprano / Russian State SO / John McGlinn, cond.
Naxos

*Album: John McCormack (tenor) - 18 Favourites (Vol. 1)*
Irish songs, mainly popular (some trad.), also songs from the Hollywood film _Song O'My Heart _(1930) & others
Recordings 1910's - 1940 made in New York, London, New Jersey
Various orchestras/accompanists
Naxos Nostalgia

*BOULEZ*
Piano Sonata #1
Idil Biret, piano
Naxos

*Album: Jean-Luc Ponty & Stephane Grapelli* (violinists)
Playing jazz standards & their own originals, rec. live 1960's-70's in Europe; various personnel accompanying.
Sony Walkman Jazz series (tape)

A number of these were first time listens._ Cabaret _has to be one of the best musicals of all time & I don't like to use the word "best" with these things, usually. But in this case, it stands - every single song here is so good on so many levels, from just being great tunes to tapping into the underlying uncertainties of Weimar Germany, which is the setting. Liza Minelli shines here, of course, but the film was just "made" for Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies - combining so many things, from mischief, to irony, high-jinks, humour, a touch of the sinister or cold detachment, & I could go on. The song "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," sung by a young Nazi cadet in uniform, is no less chilling on record as it was in the film.

Then a seguee to the world of opera. No complaints here for the Mozart performance, so many great songs in that, my favourite was "Porgi, amor" sung by Schwarzkopf with her golden dulcet tones. Conductor Karl Bohm was really in his element here, as were the rest of the cast, but sadly I've only got this first volume with bits of the first two acts. Then the Wagner, one of his most thrilling scenes, but done differently here than elsewhere, bringing out the lyricism underlying the music in this very tragic & highly charged scene.

I am increasingly enjoying getting into the great Naxos Nostalgia series, & the John McCormack album was no exception. This Irish-born tenor (1884-1945) studied in Milan & sung at Covent Garden, before concentrating mainly on the song realm, esp. that of his country of birth. Such an emotional voice, the diction is perfect, so expressive & sensitive to the lyrics. He was second only (in terms of sales) to the great Caruso, who recognised his talent (& one year, McCormack actually overtook the Italian in record sales). The traditional Irish tunes were my favourites here, & the social values & anti-English politics of the times was never far beneath the surface of these. A highlight was a song McCormack put down with a young Gerald Moore as accompanist in London, 1940. This is truly a gem of a disc.

Then Boulez's first sonata, in which I could detect a jazzy rhythmic feel in some parts. The 2nd sonata is the most popular, but it's also worth hearing the other two to either side of it. Initially they kind of sound the same, but later you can really hear the differences. Idil Biret gives an impassioned & fiery delivery here, this disc won a Diapason D'Or & was recorded for Radio France.

To finish, some jazzy violinism from the older Grappelli & the younger Ponty. The recently departed George Shearing, my favourite pianist, was one of the accompanists here. Some tracks have a "jam-session" feel, very free-wheeling, others have a classical bent (Ponty won first prize in violin at the Paris Coservatoire when he was 17). _Flamingo_, played by Grappelli, starts with a Debussy tune which after a solo of his morphs into a romantic but dreamy love-ballad. I used to own quite a few of these Sony series, but sadly they're now out of print...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to this collection of Norwegian folk songs from the Middle-Ages onward. The singers are a trio of young women perform these songs _a capella _ in a manner not far removed from the Anonymous Four. A lovely collection.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A first listen to this:










Karl Ignaz Weigl (Vienna 2 February 1881 - 11 August 1949) was one of the many composers whose career was truncated by the rise of the Nazis. Weigl's father was a Jewish banker and keen amateur musician. The composer studied under Alexander Zemlinsky. He continued studies at the Vienna Music Academy and the University of Vienna. His classmates includes Anton Webern. At the age of 23 he was appointed by Mahler as his rehearsal conductor. His circle of friends included Zemlinsky, Mahler, Schoenberg, and Webern. In 1903 the _Vereinigung scaffender Tonkunstler_ was founded by Zemlinsky, Schönberg and Weigl under the patronage of Mahler, and was programmed much 'new' music, including works by Mahler, Richard Strauss, Zemlinsky, Schönberg , Pfitzner, Reger and Bruno Walter, as well Weigl's own compositions.

In 1906 Weigl left the Vienna Opera to concentrate on composing, and his chromatic harmonies and imaginative orchestration, which did not follow the musical path of his friend Schönberg, achieved considerable success. His Phantastisches Intermezzo, was performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Furtwängler, and the Rose Quartet premiered several of his chamber works. Other champions of his work included George Szell and the Busch Quartet. In 1929 joined the music department of the University of Vienna, and his students included Hanns Eisler, Erich Korngold and Kurt Adler.

In 1933 the political, and cultural, map of Europe started to change. The rise to power of the Nazis saw the start of discrimination against non-Aryan musicians and music. After Hitler annexed Austria in March 1938 Weigl's music was removed from publisher's catalogues, and exile became inevitable. In October 1938 he arrived in New York with the conductor Kurt Adler and the cellist Emanuel Feuerman. His letters of recommendation from Schönberg, Richard Strauss and Bruno Walter cut little ice in America, and Weigl struggled to survive giving private lessons. Later he held several teaching posts on the East Coast, but these were a far cry from the post in Vienna that he had left. Karl Weigl died after a prolonged illness in August 1949, eleven years after he had arrived in New York.

After this denouement it would be pleasing to report a revival of interest in Weigl's music, but sadly this has not been the case. Stokowski gave the premiere of the Fifth Symphony Apokalyptische in New York, and other performers including Richard Goode have performed his compositions. Admirably BIS have recorded his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies together with the Phantastisches Intermezzo. Both the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were composed by Karl Weigl in America, and the poignant sub-title of the Fifth says it all - Apocalyptic.










http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/01/mahlers-forgotten-assistant.html


----------



## Sid James

*@ stlukes* - Thanks for your detailed commentary on the life & times of Karl Weigl. I read every word. I think that understanding the context that a composer comes from (or goes to, with many of these "exiled" composers) is very important. Unfortunately, the Nazis supression of many composers during that time did lead to the careers of many of them to be "truncated" as you say. The bad legacy of this unfair opression has only been somewhat rectified in recent decades (eg. Lorin Maazel kick-starting a small but steady revival of Zemlinsky's music with his recording of the _Lyric Symphony _in the 1980's). & it often had little to do with whether they were "Aryan" or not, eg. K.A. Hartmann & Hindemith were also hounded, the former going underground, the latter leaving for the USA. Neither had any Jewish ancestry, as far as I know. & I think I remember reading that, despite the ancestry of the Strauss waltz dynasty being (partly?) Jewish, the Nazis didn't give a hint of supressing their music. So "double standards" is surely the word here. Anyway, it's good that today I learnt about Weigl & will be informed about him if I get to a point of moving towards purchasing a cd of his stuff, or even just listening to it wherever/whenever I can...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I am absolutely in love with Berlioz... or at least with Berlioz' _Les Nuits d'été_

Of course I may actually be in love with Véronique Gens. She is quite a looker... and French to boot. But her voice! Mon Dieu! She is virtually without peer IMO when it comes to French song... and damned fabulous with the French operatic Baroque repertoire as well.

But back to Berlioz. A week ago or so I first heard _Les Nuits d'été_ sung by Susan Graham... and certainly she is a more than talented singer. But Véronique Gens takes this work to an entire different level. She sings with such an almost icy perfection that I am reminded of the efforts of her compatriot and sometime co-performer, Philippe Jaroussky. Stunning!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

@ stlukes - Thanks for your detailed commentary on the life & times of Karl Weigl. I read every word. I think that understanding the context that a composer comes from (or goes to, with many of these "exiled" composers) is very important. Unfortunately, the Nazis supression of many composers during that time did lead to the careers of many of them to be "truncated" as you say. & it often had little to do with whether they were "Aryan" or not, eg. K.A. Hartmann & Hindemith were also hounded, the former going underground, the latter leaving for the USA. Neither had any Jewish ancestry, as far as I know. & I think I remember reading that, despite the ancestry of the Strauss waltz dynasty being (partly?) Jewish, the Nazis didn't give a hint of supressing their music. So "double standards" is surely the word here. Anyway, it's good that today I learnt about Weigl & will be informed about him if I get to a point of moving towards purchasing a cd of his stuff, or even just listening to it wherever/whenever I can...

Certainly a great deal of what Hitler sought to suppress was selected because it was Jewish or Slavic or non-Aryan... but many artists in any field (painting, literature, theater, music) were simply blacklisted because they were "too Modern". Hitler's tastes were largely reactionary. He couldn't even deal with Impressionism. It is surprising that Richard Strauss was never blacklisted... especially considering the disturbing content of his operas as well as his collaboration with Jews (Stefan Zweig/librettist) and homosexuals (Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Oscar Wilde), his refusal to join the party and avoidance of the official Nazi greetings, his Jewish daughter-in-law, and his determination to preserve and conduct the music of banned composers such as Mahler and Debussy.

Of course, on the other side of the spectrum, the Nazi's banned the painter, Emil Nolde, under penalty of death, from painting. This in spite of the fact that not only had Nolde joined the party, but he had been initially supportive of the Nazi's aims, and his paintings up to this point had dealt largely with themes similar to Wagner: Germanic myth and legend and Biblical themes. Unfortunately, his style was unacceptable... and clearly Modernist:




























As a consequence, Nolde spent the war painting watercolors that were hidden in a secret panel beneath the carpet under his dining-room table. He used watercolors to avoid the tell-tale smells of oil paint should the Gestapo pay him a visit. The artist referred to this body of work as his "unpainted paintings":




























Like many of the artists whose careers were destroyed by the Nazis, Nolde never regained the recognition that was afforded him prior to Hitler. His paintings were seen as being "too German" during a period when the highest goal of the arts in Germany was to aspire to fitting within the international style as opposed to asserting their own identity. It wasn't until the 1980s and the rise of Neo-Expressionism in Germany that many of the great generation of German Expressionists were properly recognized.


----------



## jaimsilva

*French Violin Sonatas*

Franck (even if he was belgian!), Debussy, Ravel

with Shlomo Mintz and Yefim Bronfman


----------



## Sid James

jaimsilva said:


> Franck (even if he was belgian!)...


Well, in terms of where Franck lived for much (or most?) of his life, where his works were performed, where he taught & made "connections" in the musical world, it's easier to see him in those ways as "French" rather than "Belgian." Indeed, I don't know if he made a corresponding impact on the musical culture/landscape/development of his country of birth as he did of that of France. But one major thing that speaks to the man being "Belgian" is that his music is like a blend of the Germanic & French styles/approaches to music. But even this is a kind of rubbery area, as contemporary guys like Saint-Saens, though working hard to estalish (or re-establish) classical music culture in France, had huge ties with guys in the Germanic sphere, like Wagner & Liszt. Added to that, Saint-Saens played a lot of Beethoven in his piano recitals during his younger days esp., he was noted for his Beethoven interpretations (his "party trick" was being to play all of LvB's sonatas from memory at request). So there you go, let's just say Franck was an "honorary Frenchman," much like Bax was an "honorary Irishman" (living there on & off for many years, he even passed away in Cork)...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Lindberg - Violin Concerto*

Magnus Lindberg (born 27 June 1958, Helsinki) is a Finnish composer and pianist.

"_It's been said that Magnus Lindberg forges his works more from harmony and rhythm than from unfolding melodic lines, and the celestial acrobatics of this neatly constructed Violin Concerto, a real star-burst of a piece, tend to bear out that theory._" (Rob Cowan)

Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 (1903/1905)
Magnus Lindberg - Violin Concerto (2006)

Lisa Batiashvili, violin
Finnish Radio Smphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo


----------



## jaimsilva

*Sibelius, Khachaturian - violin concertos*

oh yes! more violin concertos

Sibelius, Khachaturian - violin concertos

Sergey Khachatryan, Sinfonia Varsovie, Emmanuel Krivine

*Sergey Khachatryan* is an Armenian violinist. He was born in Yerevan in 1985.
Prizes
2000: 1st Prize at the International Louis Spohr Competition for young violinists
2000: 1st Prize at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition (he is the youngest person who ever won)
2000: 2nd Prize at the International Fritz Kreisler Competition
2002 : 2nd Prize at the Indianapolis International Violin Competition
2005: 1st Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
(_from wikipedia_)


----------



## Oskaar

*Janacek String Quartets: No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" & No. 2 "Intimate Pages"*


----------



## Oskaar

*Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps*



Sid James said:


> So, you'll have to listen to it in full, my man, because I told you!!!


An order is an order...Hehe










Very deep, and challenging, but I think I am in the mood now, and find it very rewarding so far.


----------



## Oskaar

*Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps*

This is a great work, as Sid sayd, it is deep, sometimes dark, and challenging, so it takes more than average efford to listen to it.

But when in the mood, it makes a wonderful frame for afterthaught and reflection, or it stands out as complex showcase for moods and colours, intrument posibilities, and the emotions the performers can lay in it. Great!


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## Oskaar

*Strauss & Enesco Violin Sonatas*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mendelssohn & Shostakovich - Violin Concertos*

Looks like I'm in the mood for violin concertos, today! 

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto, Op.64
Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No.1

Hilary Hahn, violin
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Marek Janowski and Hugh Wolff, conductors


----------



## Oskaar

*Ravel, Chaminade, Saint-Saëns: Piano Trios*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arnold Bax, Symphony No. 6*. I'm in the middle of the second movement. So far, this is my favorite of his symphonies.


----------



## Oskaar

*Carl Nielsen: The Four String Quartets*


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 and Te Deum
Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony

There is some really strong playing here, supported by a very unassuming, communicative reading from Walter. He lets the whole structure fall into place. It's not as monumental as other readings from the likes of Celibidache or, um, whoever else really like monumental Bruckner, but it's supremely musical and sensitive.


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## jaimsilva

*Orchestral music by Ernő Dohnányi*

I've just discovered and put in my "future lestening" list Piano Quintet and a String Quartet by Ernő Dohnányi. And it comes to my mind the Variations on a Nursery Tune for piano and orchestra, I listened some time ago.
Time to listen to that again, with other orchestral works:

Symphonic Minutes Op. 36 (1933)
Variations on a Nursery Song Op. 25 (1914)
Suite in F sharp minor Op. 19 (1908-09)

(listening now the Symphonic Minutes) In fact there are some "forgotten" composers 










(if this post awakens the curiosity of some of you for Dohnányi I'll be glad)


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## jaimsilva

*Hans Rott-Symphony in E Major*

another neglected work and composer

Hans Rott (1858-1884)
Symphony in E Major (1878)

Cincinati Philarmonia Orchestra
Gerhard Samuel

"_It is completely impossible to estimate what music has lost in him. His First Symphony soars to such heights of genius that it makes him - without exxageration - the founder of the New Symphony as I understand it_" (Gustav Mahler, 1900)


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## Oskaar

*The English Connection*










performed by Denis Vigay (cello), Iona Brown (violin), Kenneth Sillito (violin), Malcolm Latchem (violin), Stephen Shingles (viola), Neville Marriner (conductor)
composed by Edward Elgar, Michael Tippett, Ralph Vaughan Williams


----------



## Oskaar

Vaughan williams; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for 2 string orchestras

fantastic

from the abow album.


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## Oskaar

I post the album that I listen to...and I post mye experience with some of the works....Some people think I collect likes! That is so far from my thinking that posible.

It is just my listening habit, and the urge to share musical experiences.


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## Oskaar

*Elgar: Serenade, for strings in E minor, Op. 20*

This work as a very melodious strength, a work that creeps into you. I must count how many vertions on spotify...about 20...on demand listening

Just contact me if you need spotify invite!


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## Oskaar

Tippet; Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, for string orchestra

Another strong work from this wonderful album. I have no comparing, but I find the performing very good. And I think this work lay out room for performance brilliance.


----------



## tdc

oskaar said:


> I post the album that I listen to...and I post mye experience with some of the works....*Some people think I collect likes!* That is so far from my thinking that posible.
> 
> It is just my listening habit, and the urge to share musical experiences.


Just to let you know, I've never been one of those people. My comment about likes in here the other day, was just as much about surprise at how popular the Brahms symphonies were, as much as about the 'likes' themselves.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio, Op. 50; Arensky: Piano Trio, Op. 32*


----------



## Oskaar

*tchaikovsky; Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50*










Strong work. Interplay beetween violin and rest of chamber orchestra is very nice.
I did not know that tchaikowsky had such works...for me he is mister nutcracker

Light, positive and melodiciouse... Recommended!


----------



## Oskaar

*arensky; Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32*

Very glad I listened to this! Never heard about arensky, but I must check him out.

perfect piano-violin interplay. out of words again..


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 1-3, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> This work as a very melodious strength, a work that creeps into you. I must count how many vertions on spotify...about 20...on demand listening
> 
> Just contact me if you need spotify invite!


I'm listening to Elgar's Serenade for the first time. Thanks for the heads-up.

I'm on the free version of Spotify in the US, and there are only 9 versions. I'm assuming that if you subscribe, they give you more selections.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 and Te Deum
> Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony
> 
> There is some really strong playing here, supported by a very unassuming, communicative reading from Walter. He lets the whole structure fall into place. It's not as monumental as other readings from the likes of Celibidache or, um, whoever else really like monumental Bruckner, but it's supremely musical and sensitive.


Hey, that's on Spotify! I'm up to the third movement and enjoying it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lowell Liebermann is called one of America's most frequently performed and recorded living composers and referred to by the New York Times "as much of a traditionalist as an innovator." For a more in depth bibliography, the composer has his own website here:

http://www.lowellliebermann.com/index.html

I honestly had never heard of him until someone on the net recommended him as a contemporary composer who was at once marvelous and accessible.










As a lover of the clarinet (think Mozart's clarinet quintet, Brahms works for clarinet, etc...) I gave this disc a listen-to on Spotify which has just begun it's US debut and really seems worth the money. The works are quite strong. There are elements of Brahms and late Romanticism which cross over in to more post-Schoenberg tonalities from time to time... yet remain anchored in traditional tonality.

The songs, settings of texts by Raymond Carver is also quite strong. It's not surprising that Liebermann counts Jake Heggie, one of the strongest composers of American "art songs" IMO among his circle of friends.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Glazunov - Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto No2, Saxophone Concerto*

Violin Concerto in A minor Op.82
Sergei Stadler (Violn)
The Leningrad Philarmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Ponkin (Conductor)

Piano Concerto No.2 in B major Op.100
Dimitri Alexeiev (Piano)
The USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra
Yuri Nikolaevsky (Conductor)

Saxophone Concerto in E flat major Op.109
Lev Mikhailov (Saxophone)
The Soloist Ensemble of the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Korneiev (Conductor)


----------



## Klavierspieler

Jaqueline Du Pré performing Elgar's 'Cello Concerto with Barenboim conducting.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> *Arnold Bax, Symphony No. 6*. I'm in the middle of the second movement. So far, this is my favorite of his symphonies.


I've got that very disc, had it for about 2 years, but haven't listened to it in any depth so far. That will change sometime soon, as I have enjoyed Bax's 7th symphony from that cycle immensely. I've gotten so much out of that one work, it's phenomenal, I've listened to it like 5 times in the past week. I think that, given time, I'll collect the others from that cycle. & i've also borrowed one of Maestro Handley's Bax tone poems discs on Chandos from the library. I'll have to get into that time in due course, this "discovery" is quite exciting in many ways!...



World Violist said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 and Te Deum
> Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony
> 
> There is some really strong playing here, supported by a very unassuming, communicative reading from Walter. He lets the whole structure fall into place. It's not as monumental as other readings from the likes of Celibidache or, um, whoever else really like monumental Bruckner, but it's supremely musical and sensitive.


I have that Walter recording of Bruckner's 9th (but not the Te Deum) & I agree that it isn't as top-heavy as other interpretations. I haven't listened to it for ages, I'll have to dig it out. It's so old, it's on cassette tape! I actually like Walter's approach in that, his more lyrical, relaxed way. I don't think it's a misreading of this work, he was just putting it down in a different way to the traditional "fire & brimstone" takes on the piece. It's not my favourite symphony by Bruckner (that is his 6th, his lightest & sweetest), but for that same reason I think Walter did a good job with it, he made it less angsty and kind of feel of impending death than others.


oskaar said:


> Vaughan williams; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for 2 string orchestras
> 
> fantastic
> 
> from the abow album.


If you get a chance to experience that work live, go for it! Maybe not realistic in Norway, or Continental Europe, as Vaughan Williams has tended to be more popular in Anglo countries rather than elsewhere. But the interplay between the soloists & bigger group - as in concerto grossi - is very interesting to see & hear "in the flesh."



oskaar said:


> Tippet; Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, for string orchestra
> 
> Another strong work from this wonderful album. I have no comparing, but I find the performing very good. And I think this work lay out room for performance brilliance.


Another great work there. If you listen to it more times, you may notice how the initial theme taken from one of Corelli's concerti grossi changes into a theme from J.S. Bach at the very end. Even if you don't know their works, you may notice a kind of change of style between the start & finish. It's subtle, I didn't hear it on my first listen & sometimes I don't hear it, sometimes I do. But anyway, you don't have to listen to it with this in mind just to enjoy it. A great intro to Tippett's music, imo, other things by him I enjoy are his piano concerto (listen for the ingenious duo between the piano & celesta at the end) & his 5 string quartets (esp. the 3rd, a masterpiece, 3 fugues which are also kind of interwoven & not "cliche," the ending is like coming down in a hot-air balloon above the English countryside, a gentle descent from the heavens). For something more "experimental," go for his triple concerto - violin, viola, cello - I heard it on radio once & it sounded to be quite interesting, a combination of the old & new like many of his instrumental works.



oskaar said:


> This is a great work, as Sid sayd, it is deep, sometimes dark, and challenging, so it takes more than average efford to listen to it.
> 
> But when in the mood, it makes a wonderful frame for afterthaught and reflection, or it stands out as complex showcase for moods and colours, intrument posibilities, and the emotions the performers can lay in it. Great!


Yes, Messiaen's quartet grabbed me in a similar way as it has yourself on first listen. I heard it first on radio about 10 years ago, on a program about c20th music. The announcer discussed it in depth before playing it (Australian musicologist/composer/radio man Andrew Ford, I later got a book based on that radio series, which took in all of c20th music, from classical to alternative, rock, pop, jazz, etc.). This work was one of my "gateways" into post-1945 music (although it's from 1941/2, but speaks to trends that would emerge later, in both Messiaen's music & that of others, as well as looking back to guys like the C20th Vienna School). A friend of mine loved it as well when he first heard my recording of it about 2 years ago. Then we both went to hear it live mid-2010. I think this is one of those works that strongly debunks the myths about modern/contemporary music saying less to people, or being less good, stuff like that, compared to the "classic" older stuff. In any case, by now, Messiaen's quartet is a real "classic" itself!!!


----------



## Sid James

Listened to a number of things again, incl. *Kander/Ebb's *musical _Cabaret_, *Bax's* _7th symphony_, but I'll talk about these in some depth -

*Elliott CARTER*
Violin Concerto
Ole Bohn / London Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen, cond.
(EMI)

*Pierre BOULEZ*
Piano Sonata #1
Idil Biret, piano
Naxos

*Album: Django Reinhardt - Swing 48 (Jazz in Paris series)*
Reinhardt on guitar, playing originals & numbers by other composers with various groups: his quintet, his big band "du Boef sur le Toit," with trumpeter Rex Stewart & his quintet
All recorded Paris, 1947 on 78 RPM Blue Star discs
Universal Music France

*Aberto GINASTERA*
Piano Concerto #1, Op. 28
Dora De Marinis, piano / Slovak Radio SO / Julio Malaval, cond.
Naxos

Carter's _Violin Concerto _is one of my favourite works by him, as it's not as complex as some of his other things. The violin plays these fragmentary themes that go through the whole work, and the orchestra is mainly in an accompanist role. The three movements go without pause & you can kind of hear the difference between them. The first movement is kind of like an introduction, in a more or less "neutral" mood, the second is the slow movement, I can hear the double basses playing lower notes, it feels darker, and the final movt. is more bouncy and almost joyful. Carter often uses a fade-out effect at the very end of his works, & he does it here as well, the violin trails off into nothingness. This is my favourite work on this disc, the other two are more colourful in terms of orchestration, but it's much harder to follow their "narratives" (esp. the Concerto for Orch., something like 5 things going on at once in the modern fugue at the end).

The Boulez's 1st piano sonata again. The first two movts. are linked, followed after a break by the other two (also linked). Some kind of jazzy rhythms in the toccata that he begins & ends the second section with. This takes a bit of getting used to, like anything I guess to a degree, but I'm now hearing the individuality of all 3 sonatas more.

Next the great Django, here playing amplified guitar, after the war. I prefer his post-war recordings to his earlier ones. These later ones are kind of less complex & "Baroque" than his earlier things put down with violinist Stephane Grappelli. I also prefer the more "modern" accompaniments here, eg. clarinet, sax, trumpet. This is like chamber music in classical, it's basically as good as it gets. They even play an arrangement of Greig's _Norwegian Dance #2_! I collected about 2 dozen or more titles in this series, covering a lot of great recordings made by the jazz greats - both European & Americans - during the mid-c20th, up to the 1970's. Some of them are coming back in print now, but with different covers.

Then last but not least, Ginastera's _Piano Concerto #1_. This is in the modern "atonal" style (composed 1962). Someone called it "Bartok on the Pampas" (the Argentinian grassy plains). Bartok's, influence is discernible, as is guys like Stravinsky & Schoenberg. It opens with a piano solo that has a Liszt-like feel, but kind of "atonal." A lot of what follows is kind of nightmarish & dreamlike, yes, a sense of landscape is clearly present here, & it does sound much like the Pampas looks, it's a "flat" landscape. Not much jagged peaks, but the final 4th movt. may give you a bit of a shock! The piano plays a modern Toccata theme, which is punctured by these jolting, harsh rhythms. It's like Bach gone totally off the deep end. It's a huge battle between the piano & orchestra, much like the end of Tchaikovsky's first concerto, but much wilder. Just before the end, the Toccata played by the pianist sounds like she's in a total frenzy, gone apesh*t, bashing the keyboard (but the melody still shines through all this). Pure genius, but I'm up in the air as to who "wins." I think this can prove to be a very appealing work to those who get to know it, but I think the main factor holding it back from live performances is the difficulty, esp. of the piano part. Rock outfit Emerson, Palmer & Lake rearranged this final movt., much to the delight of the composer...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> i've also borrowed one of Maestro Handley's Bax tone poems discs on Chandos from the library. I'll have to get into that time in due course, this "discovery" is quite exciting in many ways


I'm interested in your impression of how Handley interprets these pieces. I'm not sure David Llloyd-Jones is getting everything out of these as can be gotten.


----------



## science

Happy End.

This is very fun. Every communist should hear it.


----------



## Sid James

*@ science* - I've only heard one or two songs from that musical (or whatever they called these semi-operatic-political cabaret stage works?). I like Weill's sense of melody & strong underlying rhythm & also his sensitivity to the lyrics.



science said:


> Happy End.


I don't know that that musical had a "happy end," but the relationship between Weill & lyricist/playright Brecht didn't end happily. Not only because of the rise of the Nazis & their exile, but -



> This is very fun. Every communist should hear it.


Brecht was a staunch Comminist, Weill was left-wing but not that extreme. So they fell out in a big way & probably/maybe would have stopped collaborating, regardless of Nazi expansion in Germany/Europe. Looks like politics & music can mix in the music itself, but maybe not in terms of collaboration/partnership in making it come about, creating it, that sort of thing?...


----------



## science

I don't know about the philosophical side of things, but this particular work was delightfully sarcastic in its criticism of capitalism. Now I am a capitalist and believe in capitalism, but all the same it's fun to hear something like, "Halleluja! Rockefeller! Halleluja! Henry Ford" and so on.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Slavonic Dances, Overtures*


----------



## Oskaar

*BERWALD: Complete Duos*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade*

One of the best recordings of Sheherazade. By Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra.

Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) · Sheherazade Op.35
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) · In The Steppes of the Central Asia
Mily Balakirev (1837-1910) · Islamey

Kirov Orchestra
Valery Gergiev


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to Elgar's Serenade for the first time. Thanks for the heads-up.
> 
> I'm on the free version of Spotify in the US, and there are only 9 versions. I'm assuming that if you subscribe, they give you more selections.


Manxfeeder, Ify you search spotify on opusnumber, be sure to search both opxx and op xx. search one alternative and put in a playlist, then the next and put to same playlist. But opusnumber are not always given, even if there is, so try different search metodes, and exclude double hits. Then you should find most recordings of a work


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu - The Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano - Mariana Sirbu, Mihail Sarbu*


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu; Sonata N. 1 in D Major Op. 2*

A really rich and meditative sonata. Rich in moods and colors, wonderfully played.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu; sonata N. 2 in F minor Op. 6*

I love these sonatas...light and easy in one moment, almost spooky the next..Enescu and the performers of course touches me deep, and kind of play with my state of mind..

Not complicated or challenging music, just music with ability to go deep.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu; Sonata N. 3 in C minor Op. 25*

Here enescu almost paint musical landscapes with feather! Light and delightful, still touching deep. very quiet piece, but impress nevertheless


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: String Quintet, String Quartets in G & D minor; Death And the Maiden*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Poulenc: Sinfonietta, Concert Champetre, etc.*

Sinfonietta pour orchestre
Concert Champêtre for harpsichord and orchestra
Hommage à Albert Roussel - For small orchestra
Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long - Bucolique - for orchestra
Fanfare - for orchestra
Deux Marches et un Intermède - for orchestra
Suite française for small orchestra

Pascal Rogé - harpsichord
Orchestre National de France
Charles Dutoit - conductor


----------



## Oskaar

*schubert; String Quintet D956*

Almost romantic minimalism! at least sometimes in first movement. Sometimes the instruments only give tiny contributions to a very exiting whole. Then the work rise up to lovely romantic bliss. I love this use of the scala.


----------



## science

Doing the Nocturnes tonight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I've ended Bax week - another interesting experience.

I just saw Amazon is offering the complete Sibelius symphonies by Osmo Vanska as an MP3 download for $8, so I'm listening to his recording of the first symphony.

This sounds like an incredible bargain, unless someone can talk me out of it.


----------



## peteAllen

Angela Hewitt's Couperin...










The last track sounds remarkably like Mozart's Pa-pa-papageno...!


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> I just saw Amazon is offering the complete Sibelius symphonies by Osmo Vanska as an MP3 download for $8, so I'm listening to his recording of the first symphony.
> 
> This sounds like an incredible bargain, unless someone can talk me out of it.


No, I'll talk you further into it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> No, I'll talk you further into it.


Great! I'm downloading it now.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Korngold: String Sextet; Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht*

Erich Korngold (1897 - 1957) - String Sextet in D major (1917)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874 - 1951) - "Verklärte Nacht" for string sextet (1899)

The Raphael Ensemble


----------



## jaimsilva

*Janacek: Glagolitic Mass; Taras Bulba*

Janacek - Glagolitic Mass; Taras Bulba 
Karel Ancerl directing the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

"_What is there to say? These recordings have served as reference editions in this repertoire since the day they were recorded, and so they remain. Karel Ancerl's Taras Bulba captures the music's drama, strength, and color as few other versions have - for a case in point, just listen to the opening of the second movement, with its rippling harp against slashing strings - and his few amendments to Janácek's quirky orchestration (timpani at the very end, for example) are both logical and tasteful. Glorious playing by the Czech Philharmonic and excellently balanced recorded sound complete an irresistible package._" (ClassicsToday "10/10")


----------



## Oskaar

*Quintette à Vent*










1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento Nr. 14 KV 270 - I. Allegro molto download mp3
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento Nr. 14 KV 270 - II. Andantino download mp3
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento Nr. 14 KV 270 - III. Menuett-Moderato download mp3
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento Nr. 14 KV 270 - IV. Presto download mp3
5. Johann Sebastian Bach: Präludium und Fuge BWV 867 - I. Präludium download mp3
6. Johann Sebastian Bach: Präludium und Fuge BWV 867 - II. Fuge download mp3
7. Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Gouperin - I. Prélude download mp3
8. Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Gouperin - II. Fugue download mp3
9. Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Gouperin - III. Menuet download mp3
10. Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Gouperin - IV. Rigaudon download mp3
11. Claude Arrieu: Quintette en ut - I. Allegro download mp3
12. Claude Arrieu: Quintette en ut - II. Andante download mp3
13. Claude Arrieu: Quintette en ut - III. Allegro scherzando download mp3
14. Claude Arrieu: Quintette en ut - IV. Adagio download mp3
15. Claude Arrieu: Quintette en ut - V. Allegro vivace download mp3
16. Jacqüs Ibert: Trois PГ¬eces brèves - I. Allegro download mp3
17. Jacqüs Ibert: Trois PГ¬eces brèves - II. Andante download mp3
18. Jacqüs Ibert: Trois PГ¬eces brèves - III. Assez lent - Allegro scherzando download mp3
19. André Souris: Rengaines pour quintette à vent Galop - Pastorale - Scherzo - Marche - Cadence - Pre


----------



## Oskaar

*Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Gouperin*

Very interesting, sometimes funny. Ups and downs, and some remarkable moments!


----------



## Oskaar

*Claude Arrieu: Quintette en ut*

small and sort work, but definitialy worth a listen.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jacqüs Ibert: Trois PГ¬eces brèves*

also a very good listening

sometimes touch of wienna, sometimes touch of medievel. Correct me please all experts..I am still quite new to classical music...

But very nice listening! The work really make the instruments florish! flute, basoon++
also trombone I think.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After long having been quite ambivalent concerning Berlioz, I'm starting to really get into his music. This choral setting on the birth of Christ and flight to Egypt is quite lovely... and of course I expected nothing less considering the involvement of Andre Cluytens:










I immediately fell in love with the shepherd's song, _Il s'en va loin de la terre:_


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak : Violin Concerto in A/Piano Quintet*


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; Violin Concerto in A minor B108*

Masterfully played by Sarah chang, and this work surprises me positive, since I have had a restriction against dvoraks orchestral works...But this is fantastic!

I guess I will like the other orchestral works in a while to. It is all about listen and relisten....and mood. I like nr. 9 symphony though. But I must not overplay it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak; Piano Quintet in A major B155*

It is all about performance! And the work is very good too! But I must admit that my ultimate experience is not perfect sound, but the tonal detailes in performance. Therefore I enjoy spotify, and dont have to have it in vinyl..and equipment for 100000 dollar


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms - Cello Sonatas*

Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor op.38 (1862-65)
Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major op.99 (1886)

Mario Brunello (cello)
Andrea Lucchesini (piano)


----------



## Manxfeeder

I just listened to Osmo Vanska's recording of *Sibelius' Lemminkainen Suite*. Suite? I don't know; I think it's closer to a symphony. Then it's on to his *violin concerto*.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Surely this is one of Brilliant's greatest sets. What more could you ask? Two of the greatest singers of French melodies, Elly Ameling and Gerard Souzay (who is to French song what Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is to German lieder) singing the whole of Faure's oeuvre of song.:clap:










Exquisite!


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98._ Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS # 4-6_, performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann's String Quartets Op. 41, some of my favorites.


----------



## samurai

oskaar said:


> Masterfully played by Sarah chang, and this work surprises me positive, since I have had a restriction against dvoraks orchestral works...But this is fantastic!
> 
> I guess I will like the other orchestral works in a while to. It is all about listen and relisten....and mood. I like nr. 9 symphony though. But I must not overplay it.


@ oskaar. If you are able--perhaps on Spotify--try and listen to Dvorak's 8th Symphony as well. In recent times--for me--it has become one of my favorites, along with his 9th {"From The New World"}. 
p.s.
Hope you are well, and thanks again for the invite!


----------



## World Violist

Terry Riley: In C
Paul Hillier, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Percurama Percussion Ensemble

This was the first In C I heard, and it's still the one I listen to whenever I get the urge (admittedly not that often...). It's a nearly hour-long track, and the transitions are impossibly subtle, and even in between transitions there is such a wealth of color and detail that I often find it impossible to listen to any other recording, finding in them a lack of sensitivity that this one has in droves.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}_, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

*Richard Gavin Bryars* (b. 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, experimental music, avant-garde, etc...

Bryars's first works as a composer owe much to the New York School of John Cage (with whom he briefly studied), Morton Feldman, Earle Brown and minimalism. One of his earliest pieces, _The Sinking of the Titanic_ (1969), is an indeterminist work which allows the performers to take a number of sound sources related to the sinking of the RMS Titanic and make them into a piece of music.

Bryars has written a large number of other works, including three operas, and a number of instrumental pieces, among them three string quartets and several concertos. He has written several pieces for choreographers, including Biped (2001) for Merce Cunningham. Between 1981-1984 he participated in the CIVIL warS, a vast, never-completed multimedia project by Robert Wilson.

*David Lang* (b. 1957) is an American composer living in New York City. He was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music for _The Little Match Girl Passion_, a marvelous moving piece that I had the good fortune to hear performed live with the composer.

Lang's music is informed by modernism, minimalism, and rock - and can perhaps be best described as post-minimalist or totalist.

He was a major contributor to the music performed by the Kronos Quartet in Requiem for a Dream being the arranger in studio. He is also well known for his work with choreographers Shen Wei, Benjamin Millepied, Susan Marshall and Édouard Lock / La La La Human Steps, and has collaborated with composers Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon and librettist/illustrator Ben Katchor in the composition of the "comic strip opera" as well as the Scandinavian vocal group Trio Mediaeval.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Bryars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lang_(composer)

http://www.davidlangmusic.com/

http://www.gavinbryars.com/splash

Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty-ballets at once iconic and mutable-undergo what must be their most extreme deconstructions to date with *Amjad*. Created by the ever-inventive Édouard Lock and performed by La La La Human Steps, a troupe of commanding, supremely disciplined dancers, *Amjad* flirts with the ballets' intense Romanticism even as it plays gorgeous havoc with notions of love, gender, and narrative.

Set to music by Gavin Bryars, David Lang, and Blake Hargreaves that weaves Tchaikovsky's themes into another world, *Amjad* casts aside 19th-century decorum in favor of primal, often startling transformations. Five arm-waving ballerinas costumed in black suggest a feathery swarm; a shape-shifting prince becomes a glorious swan, dancing full-out on pointe. The stark set-projections of blood-red petals, luminous pearls, a tangled forest-emphasizes the fairy tales' exotic underpinnings.

An absolutely fascinating deconstruction of... or series of variations upon Tchaikovsky's well-known music by two of the of the most intriguing contemporary composers.






http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=122


----------



## hespdelk

From the Scarlatti sonatas to the russian show pieces - what is not to love?

A particular favourite of mine on this disc has always been Horowitz's own virtuosic Variations on a theme from Carmen.


----------



## Conor71

*Kyung-Wha Chung: Con Amore*

A collection of Violin Encores from one of my favourite performers


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After jumping around today... exploring such a broad array of music... I must return to _terra firma_... to bedrock...










J.S. Bach!!! Its like turning once again to God.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Elgar's Violin Sonata in E minor.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Debussy- Suite Bergamasque, Pour le Piano, Images by Kocsis*

Suite Bergamasque
Images (Oubliées)
Pour Le Piano
Estampes

Kocsis Zoltán


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 94, 100 & 101*

I really havent listened to this set all this much which is a shame as it is rather good music!


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 54*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Complete Piano Music of Maurice Ravel*

Casadesus playing complete works for solo piano by Ravel plus the Concerto for the left hand with Eugene Ormandy


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...
> An absolutely fascinating deconstruction of... or series of variations upon Tchaikovsky's well-known music by two of the of the most intriguing contemporary composers.


Thanks for that, sounds quite interesting, I will listen to those clips & let you all know what I think (in the next couple of days, on the contemporary music thread). Tchaikovsky has always been one of my favourites. Good to see living composers paying homage to this master, in an open way like that, not fearing accusations of copying him or anything like that. I think Tchaikovsky would probably tip his hat to these guys for doing that, keeping his music alive & exciting for modern audiences (not detracting from his original works, but this is similar in my mind to things like Liszt's or Sarasate's transcriptions of operas, etc)...


----------



## Sid James

*@ jaimsilva* - I've got that recording of Janacek's _Glagolitic Mass _with Ancerl (but on vinyl, it must be a joy to hear remastered!). I've only heard it once, I've heard Kubelik's one on CD more, for the sound quality is better. In my estimation, Ancerl gives this work a kind of "gritty" or "hard edged" take, straight from the composer's soul, whereas Kubelik's is more "romantic" & maybe a bit more "refined." These are only approximations, hence the overuse of quotation marks! But anyway, I enjoy them both for what they do with it, I got to know the Kubelik one first so maybe that's closer to my heart? BTW - if you like this work, it's worth hearing the song-cycle_ Diary of the one who disappeared._ Such an emotional work, but more pared-down feel - tenor, soprano, women's chorus, piano. With those limited means, Janacek give such an intense picture of this guy's feelings, who fell for a gypsy girl, they have a child, he has to leave his loved ones in the village to go with them on their caravans, leave the town forever. But even without knowing this, the music speaks for itself. He's one of my favourite composers of all time, love him heaps...

*@ stlukes* (berlioz - le enfance) - I love that, still have a tape with Sir Colin Davis at the helm. It is more kind of restrained, lyrical & simple than his other works, that's kind of the appeal for me too. I think some stereotype Berlioz as always being "in your face," big & brash, which maybe the case most of the time, but there are exceptions to this general rule. & I think you've tapped into this, made an effort with lesser known works, eg. this & _Les Nuits d'Ete_. Another good one is _Le Morte de Cleopatra_ (Kiri singing the former, Jessye Norman singing the latter, so I kind of remember Cleopatra as kind of more operatic?). I don't know it that well, only heard it once on an LP I recently got, but I remember it as being excellent.

*@ manxfeeder* (re sibelius - lemminkainen) - That's my fav work by Sibelius (& his VC too). I'm not bothered about what it's classed as - symphony or suite? I think it's a pity many people only know the two famous movts. - the swan one & the final movt. (the return). No doubt, compilations of Sibelius' music & also adding these to the symphonies as a "filler" has played no small part in this. The other two movts. are wonderful as well & quite innovative for late c19th. Eg. his building up each movt. from fragmentary ideas to congeal into more fully fleshed out themes before the movt. is finished was nothing short of revolutionary for the time, imo (at least in terms of instrumental music). So I'm glad you've heard the whole thing, as many listeners don't get around to anything other to the two famous movts...


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Toccatas [Disc 1]*

Some Bach with Glenn Gould at the Piano - magic!


----------



## Sid James

I just went to a recital of American songs, from art-song to cabaret & songs from musicals, which I'll report on later, but for now I'll speak about some recordings I listened to this weekend of the music of Samuel Barber, who was on the bill of that recital -

*BARBER*
_Piano Sonata_
Peter Lawson, piano
EMI (Album: American Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1)

_Medea's Dance Of Vengeance Op.23a_
St. Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin, cond.
EMI (2 disc set - Barber orch., solo piano, chamber works)

I'd hadn't heard these for a long time & I'm slowly making my way through these disc with multiple listenings. The Copland sonata on the disc with pianist Peter Lawson has shown me a whole different side to this composer. Same with Barber & his sonata. This work is quite melodic, but apparently as far as he got into "atonal" & "serial" techniques. The last movt., a fugue based on a 12 note theme is a total ripper, Vladimir Horowitz suggested Barber to end his sonata with a fugue, which I think bore great results. Horowitz was the first to play this, & Barber was "sent reeling" to quote the liner notes, when he heard that performance. It's just so great to listen to & sounds so fresh even today. The other "highlight" was the third slow movt., which did have a strong hint of the c20th Viennese School guys, this was a soundscape that spoke of a kind of darkness and uneasiness to me (this work was composed during WW2, so that might have been on his mind, amongst other things?). The dance from the ballet _Medea_ also leans toward more experimental techniques, building up slowly into an intensely rhythmic climax that made me think immediately of guys like Bernstein. I really like all I've heard put down by Leonard Slatkin, he tended to be very intense, taking things to the max in that way. I look forward to getting into more Barber (& his songs I heard live today, _Melodies Passageres _for baritone & piano, showed yet another side to his creative talents & I will get into them in more depth soon, they were the highlight of the recital for me, as well as the songs of Ned Rorem, but there were so many wonderful songs sung there today, it's hard to single one out!)...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Ravel: Songs*

SHEHEREZADE
Heather Harper (Soprano), BBC Symphony Orchestra

TROIS POEMES DE STEPHANE MALLARME
Jill Gomez (Soprano), Members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra

CHANSONS MADECASSES
Jessye Norman (Soprano), Members of the Ensamble Intercontemporain

DON QUICHOTTE A DULCINEE
Jose van Dam (Baritone), BBC Symphony Orchestra

CINQ MELODIES POPULAIRES GRECQUES
Jose Van Dam (Baritone), BBC Symphony Orchestra

Pierre Boulez (conductor)


----------



## Oskaar

*r.strauss,sibelius,rautio,schumann*

Strauss, R.: Cello Sonata In F Major / Sibelius, J.: Malinconia / Rautio, M.: Divertimento I / Schumann, R.: 5 Pieces In Folk Style (Rousi)


----------



## Oskaar

*Rautio; Divertimento I*










A lot of good music on this album, but I specially want to mention this piece.
peacefull the first two movements, then the lively can-can. Recommended


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Vincent d'Indy: Sonata for violin & piano in C major Op.59 / Sonata for cello & piano in D Op.84
Alexis Galpérine, François Kerdoncuff, Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Both works here are remarkable. The first work, the violin sonata just flows along like a lazy river...not boring, a lot of fine moments and picturas appear allong the way.

Concerning the cello-sonata, I first of all notice the fabulous piano play by Oliver Gardon.


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: String Quartet/String Quintet*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tapiola* by Jean Sibelius, a depiction of claustrophobia in the woods. I'm used to Rosbaud's mono version; this is my first stereo encounter. Osmo Vanska and the BIS engineers get produce some great sounds and dynamic contrasts.


----------



## World Violist

Manxfeeder said:


> *Tapiola* by Jean Sibelius, a depiction of claustrophobia in the woods. I'm used to Rosbaud's mono version; this is my first stereo encounter. Osmo Vanska and the BIS engineers get produce some great sounds and dynamic contrasts.


This is definitely one of my favorite recordings of Tapiola; try also to check out one of von Karajan's recordings. He's usually lionized for his efforts in Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruckner, but he's also _at least_ as good if not better in Sibelius.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid James- I love that, still have a tape with Sir Colin Davis at the helm. It is more kind of restrained, lyrical & simple than his other works, that's kind of the appeal for me too. I think some stereotype Berlioz as always being "in your face," big & brash, which maybe the case most of the time, but there are exceptions to this general rule. & I think you've tapped into this, made an effort with lesser known works, eg. this & Les Nuits d'Ete.

The disc itself makes mention of the fact that most of Berlioz' work up to this point had been ripped to shreds by the critics and not too well liked by the audiences. _L'Enfance du Christ_, however, seems to have immediately struck a chord with both the audience and critics... to such an extent that Berlioz was to come out and comment that the work wasn't different or "gentler" than anything else he'd written, rather it was the audience and critics finally coming around. Seriously, I've not found Berlioz overly bombastic. Not much more than some works of Beethoven, Schubert, or Liszt... and he has nothing on Wagner or Mahler. I found _Les nuits d'ete_ and the gorgeous excerpts from _Romeo and Juliet_ (on the _L'Enfance_... disc) to be far more sensuous than bombastic.


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## jaimsilva

*Debussy - 12 Études*

12 Études
Étude retrouvée
Élégie
Page d'album

Michel Béroff


----------



## Oskaar

*kircner-Schumann: Klavierquartette*










kirchner, not kircner, sorry


----------



## jaimsilva

*Fauré - Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2*

by the Schubert Ensemble


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to *Sibelius' 2nd symphony* by Osmo Vanska. I have the score with me, because it would escape me what the conductor is really doing here. The score calls for terraced dynamics throughout - like in the second movement, the bassoon plays ff over a tympani playing pp. The second movment also begins so softly that it approaches the famous dynamic marking attributed to Anton Webern: pensato (or, only think about playing the notes.) These subtleties make for interesting tonal colors; I appreciate the detail which this recording delves into.


----------



## Manxfeeder

World Violist said:


> Try also to check out one of von Karajan's recordings. He's usually lionized for his efforts in Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruckner, but he's also _at least_ as good if not better in Sibelius.


Will do. I have his 4th and 5th with the Philharmonia, but I stopped there. I'm fixing that by listening to his version of Tapiola with the Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 2
William Steinberg/Cologne Radio Symphony; Cologne Radio Choir; Stefania Woytowicz, soprano; Anny Delorie, alto

Now this is what orchestras should sound like; don't let technical limitations get in the way of playing the hell out of the music. The first movement is definitely not polished, and so it has the sort of thrill that almost never happens, almost but not quite making you wonder when the orchestra is going to fly out of control. Better yet, they absolutely nail the climax.

But really it's the second and third movements that really show Steinberg's way with this music. Brisk, characterful, colorful, and with a keen ear for all the counterpoint that goes on. I haven't heard people bring out the counterpoint in quite this way before. In the second movement, the strings positively shine, and as it goes on it only gets better.

Indeed, the best part of this recording is (what else?) the end of the finale. Throughout this whole performance, Steinberg focuses greatly on structure rather than rhetoric, with the result that when the organ arrives, it really _arrives._ It's genuinely and viscerally satisfying.

Only things not really good about this are the soloists (especially the alto...huge vibrato that I could swear going about a whole step off the note...) and some aspects of ensemble and intonation. Not that big a deal; I think this is a live recording without an audience.


----------



## World Violist

World Violist said:


> Terry Riley: In C
> Paul Hillier, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Percurama Percussion Ensemble
> 
> This was the first In C I heard, and it's still the one I listen to whenever I get the urge (admittedly not that often...). It's a nearly hour-long track, and the transitions are impossibly subtle, and even in between transitions there is such a wealth of color and detail that I often find it impossible to listen to any other recording, finding in them a lack of sensitivity that this one has in droves.


Yep. Again. I think I'm in the "denial" (first) stage of a minimalism kick.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 3*, Vanska/Lahti S.O. This is my favorite so far of the Vanska cycle, probably because its classical, intimate scoring especially suits Vanska's style of balanced dynamics. I'm hearing things I'm not used to hearing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A beautiful disc that is just what it says it is... a collection of American Elegies. The disc begins with Charles Ives' Unanswered Question. Honestly, I have long avoided Ives. I picked up a disc of a couple of his symphonies years ago when I was first exploring classical music... largely because Bernstein was conducting and I had a number of other recordings also conducted by Bernstein which I quite loved. The Ives symphonies, however, left me completely baffled at the time... and I have rarely ever given him a chance since.

The Unanswered Question, however, is beautiful... elegiac... and quite moving. The songs here are equally marvelous... and beautifully performed by Dawn Upshaw. I'm especially fond of Down East, in which the composer interpolated the famous hymn, "Nearer My God to Thee".

A good many of the critical comments on this disc declare difficulty with Ingram Marshall's Fog Tropes... but honestly, I don't find that work all that challenging or thorny... or out of place within the program as a whole.

Other works presented here include Morton Feldman's simple elegy for his piano teacher, _Madame Press Died Last Week at 90_, John Adams' (who conducts the disc as a whole) _Eros Piano_ a beautiful elegy for Feldman featuring piano and strings , and David Diamond's orchestral _Elegy in Memory of Maurice Ravel._


----------



## science

I've listened to this twice before. Certainly is interesting. It is fun (and not always easy) to try to hear the birds through the music. Since hearing this, I have sometimes listened more attentively to bird song as well.

By coincidence, I recently listened to Beethoven's 6th symphony as well, and in one of the movements it's very easy to identify the birdsong - although Messiaen's music is probably a more accurate, literal transition, it's often much harder (for me) to recognize it.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS # 7-10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

*KANDER / Ebb* - Cabaret (Original soundtrack, 1972)
With Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey

*BRUCKNER* - Symphony # 7 in E major (1881-3) Ed. Haas
Queensland SO / Muhai Tang, cond. (ABC Classics, Australia)
Recorded in Brisbane during Bruckner anniversary year, 1996

I've been getting into _Cabaret_ rather obsessively. Liza Minelli was great, but Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies just "takes the cake," imo. I don't usually say something is definitive, a rubbery term, but with this I can't say it's anything else.

Then more serious matters with Bruckner's 7th, my favourite by him apart from his 6th. I love the rich tapestry and detail of this work, as well as it's general optimism (well, that's how I see it compared to his final two syms., anyway). A lot of people speak of Wagner's impact on Bruckner, which was immense (esp. in terms of orchestration), but they forget the equal if not even bigger impact of guys like J.S. Bach, Palestrina, Gabrieli, Schutz. Even with the basic understanding of these guys that I've got, I can't help but hear it all there - esp. in terms of counterpoint, layering of the musical voices/lines, the way he uses the brass, the spirtual aspect, etc. & of course, Bruckner was one of the greatest organists of his time, & he started his musical life as a chorister at Linz. There's so many sides to this man, other than what we know him for, which is kneeling down before Wagner after a performance of _Tannhauser_. There's so much in this symphony alone, from the brassy sound mirroring the jagged Alpine peaks, the "lower" sounds making me think of the valleys, a part at the beginning of the 2nd movt. makes me think of being at a crystal clear blue lake, no one else in sight, just me and nature (& Bruckner too!). After the famous, & controversial cymbal clash at the end of that movt., there is apparently a quote, or fragment, he took out of _Das Reingold _to memorialise Wagner's death. I don't know that work, but I can hear the sadnesss & mourning in there. Then the scherzo, with the "cockadoodle-doo" of the rooster, which woke up the young Bruckner when he was growing up in the country. Then the finale, which speaks to optimism & triumph over grief for me.

A word about the orchestra - the QSO - it has become one of our finest. As for Muhai Tang, he worked with them for a number of years, as well as other orchestras here, & studied & worked under people like Karajan. But Maestro Tang does not take a "heavy Germanic" approach, this live performance radiates postivity for me. This is also a historically significant recording, made in 1996, a century after the composer's death. At budget price, how could I resist getting it, & even at a more expensive price I probably would have gotten it anyway to hear once again how our own musicians tackle this complex music...


----------



## Meaghan

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I have this CD, and it is indeed beautiful.


----------



## Meaghan

science said:


> I've listened to this twice before. Certainly is interesting. It is fun (and not always easy) to try to hear the birds through the music. Since hearing this, I have sometimes listened more attentively to bird song as well.


I once found some youtube videos of the Catalogue d'oiseaux that had links in the info section to videos of the birds whose songs Messiaen transcribed. They were quite handy; I will see if I can find them again, and if I do, I will post them here.


----------



## Sid James

Went to a recital of *American songs*, it was an excellent & varied program, all new to me. The performers where young Australian musicians at the beginning of their careers, currently working in our opera companies & also performing in song, concert, stage musical, contemporary repertoire. I will later post in more depth about this on the "latest concerts" thread, but here's the program for now. I especially enjoyed the Barber, who painted these words in such appropriate & poignant ways, & also Ned Rorem's set, which talked to those little things - both good & bad - in our romantic & other relationships, details which we don't think about but are always there beneath the surface. I think Mr Rorem IS the "new" Schubert! The baritone sang more "serious" things, the soprano covered more "fun" things (except for Copland's Dickinson set, which was kind of starkly emotional & pretty dark) & she was very theatrical in her performance. All up, a great intro to this repertoire for someone quite new to this kind of thing, like myself...

Performers -

*Michael Honeyman*, baritone (B)
*Naomi Johns*, soprano (S)
*Tahu Matheson*, piano (in all items)

Program -

*Three Negro Spirituals* - arr. H.T. Burleigh (B)
*A. Copland *- 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson (songs 1, 3, 5 & 12) (S)
*S. Barber* - Melodies Passageres (B)
*W. Bolcom* - Two Cabaret Songs (S)
-interval-
*L. Bernstein *- I hate music (A cycle of kid songs for soprano) (S)
*C. Floyd* - George's Aria from "Of Mice and Men" (contemporary opera) (B)
*L. Bernstein* - Simple Song from "Mass"
*A. Copland* - Pastorale
*J. Heggie* - I shall not live in vain (S - all last three items)
*N. Rorem* - (Eight) Assorted songs on poems by Whitman (B)


----------



## jaimsilva

*Debussy - Preludes*

Claude Debussy

Préludes (Book 1)
Préludes (Book 2)
Estampes

Youri Egorov


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bartok & Mahler*

Bartok - Piano Concerto No.3
Mahler - Symphony No.1

Annie Fischer
Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra
Sir G.Solti

live recording, 16 august 1964, Salzburger Festspiele


----------



## Oskaar

*Njagul Tumangelov plays Bruch, Zamecnik, Vladigerov*










does anybody knows orchestra and conductor on this one?


----------



## jaimsilva

oskaar said:


> does anybody knows orchestra and conductor on this one?


Max Bruch - Concerto No. 2 in D for violin and orchestra, Op. 44
Evzen Zamecnik - 12 Etudes for violin on technical problems in performing contemporary music
Pancho Vladigerov - Song by Bulgarian Suite, Op. 21 No. 2 & "Vardar" Bulgarian Rhapsody, Op. 16

Bojidar Noev - paino
Munich Rundfunkorchestra
Heinz Wallberg - conductor

Njagul Tumangelov received his musical education at the Music School for Gifted Children in Sofia and then went on to study at the National Academy of Music in Sofia, in the class of the renowned violin pedagogue Professor Boyan Lechev. He began his career as the principal concertmaster of Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1969 he received the position of principal concertmaster of the Austrian Radio and Television, and after that - of the Bavarian Radio and Television. He is the founder and primarius of the Austrian Radio and Television string quartet, which is famous for its virtuosic performances of contemporary music. In the 1980s he began working also as a conductor. In 1990 he received the title "professor" for special merits to the Austrian music culture.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms - Piano concertos*

both by Clifford Curzon

Concerto n.1 with the London Symphony Orchestra under George Szell










Concerto n.2 with the Wiener Philarmoniker under Hans Knappertsbusch
on a live recording at the Salzburger Festspiele, 26th July 1955


----------



## Klavierspieler

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14 in C#-minor by the Lindsay String Quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm going through *Sibelius' 4th* for the second time with Osmo Vanska and the Lahti SO. I tried listening in the car, but Vanska's dynamic contrasts tend to get lost amidst the sounds of rushing wind and tires.

This is a strange work. Aside from the obviously strange tritone melody, the first movement's development only features the first theme, so the recap omits the first theme and goes straight to the second. The second movement's scherzo is barely in 3/4 - it's really mostly in 2/4 - and it doesn't so much end as stops mid-sentence. The third movement is so desolate, it could have been written by Shostakovich. The last movement has been described as a train wreck.

Vanska's orchestra in the recordings I've heard so far is cooler than the more passionate orchestras I'm used to (particularly Jansons and Davis); I think it gives a different feel to in this symphony. There are passages in the first movement with the violins and tympani that even remind me of Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel.

I also have Karajan's recording with the Philharmonia, which I'm comparing. As of now, I still prefer Karajan's recording of the last movement; there is more contrast.


----------



## Wicked_one

Anton Rubinstein's 3rd Piano Concerto and the 4th will follow after.

Can't really give a wide description of these works because this is the 1st time I am listening to them and I'm trying to pay attention because I don't have the score in front of me, and I usually do. So this should be interesting


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mahler - Lieder*

[after both Brahms piano concertos, Mahler Lieder in an outstanding recording]

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen - Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritone
Rückert Lieder - Violeta Urmana, soprano
Kindertotenlieder - Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano

Wiener Philharmoniker
Pierre Boulez


----------



## Oskaar

*Fauré: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2*


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93,_ featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lovely Russian Romanticism. The piano concertos are quite beautiful... radiant... shimmering... but I especially like the concerto for saxophone.










One of a number of sets I have yet to work my way through. It was selling at the time for some ridiculously low price and I couldn't resist. Currently listening to _Ravels' Gaspard de la Nuit, Sonatine, and Valses nobles et sentimentales_. Beautifully performed... of course.

:tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Fauré: Works for Cello*


----------



## Oskaar

*Gabriel Fauré elegie*

what a wonderfull litle piece! mystic,magic, melodius, melancolic.


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata no. 16 for piano, Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Goldberg Variations*


----------



## Oskaar

*Orquestra De Cadaqués Performs Ravel, Fauré, & Bizet*


----------



## Oskaar

*Maurice Ravel; Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte*

beautiful little piece.


----------



## Oskaar

*Orquestra De Cadaqués Performs Ravel, Fauré, & Bizet*

loveley record the whole way through. very refreshing with bizets more ballet-like music at the end. somethong i like in small dozes.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev / Franck: Cello Sonatas / Faure: Piano Trio*


----------



## Oskaar

*prokofiev Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119*

trollish, and aventurous with lot of variations and moods. fantastic work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Julien-François Zbinden; Concerto da Camera Op. 16*

just fished listening from this record










the first movement is very playfull, light and spooky at the same time..full of variations in tempo and mood.

the next is slow and seeking, the performers slowly paint out some exelent musical moments.

the third is faster and a bit agressive. a bit to caotic for me...must relisten, and then i am sure it will grow on me.

but the work is all in all very rewarding.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Grosse Fugue, Op.133, *performed by the Orion String Quartet on Spotify {Thanks again Oskaar!}


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms: Violin Sonatas*

Sonata for Violin and Piano no 1 in G major, Op. 78
Sonata for Violin and Piano no 2 in A major, Op. 100
Sonata for Violin and Piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 108

Anne-Sophie Mutter (Violin)
Lambert Orkis (Piano)


----------



## Sid James

*BARBER* - Violin Concerto, Adagio for strings, Essays for orch. 1 & 2, Medea's Meditation & Dance of Vengeance

Elmar Oliviera, violin / St. Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin, cond.
(Disc 1 of double disc EMI set)

Esp. enjoyed the last three items, visiting them afresh after a long time. Interesting use of the piano in _Medea_, a bit like what Messiaen was doing at the same time (1945). Interesting techniques here, well worth exploring Barber beyond his more "bigger" hits...


----------



## Oskaar

*Hermann Zilcher;Trio in E minor, Op. 56 for piano, violin and violoncello*

nice and lyrical. no big challenges, and no really hights eather..

from this album:









Amazon for more info: Antonin Dvorák,


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Von Zemlinsky-Trio In D Minor For Clarinet, Cello & Piano, Op. 3*

a little boring, but definitely some highlights. may be that the artists are somewhat uninspired.

from this record:


----------



## jaimsilva

*Shostakovich piano concerto n.1 by Shostakovich family*

Shostakovich Piano Concerto #1 In C Minor, Op. 35

Dmitri Shostakovich Jr (piano)
Maxim Shostakovich (conductor)

I Musici of Montreal

plus: Shostakovich Chamber Symphony In C Minor, Op. 110A


----------



## World Violist

jaimsilva said:


>


Oh my goodness, the younger one looks almost exactly like Shosty! Except he has a bigger chin and doesn't look like a chain-smoker.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sibelius: *Symphony No. 5*, followed by the *Violin Concerto*. Vanska and the Lahti SO. An epic symphony and an icy concerto.


----------



## Vesteralen

Impressive performances. Reminded me again what a great piece of music the second sonata is. Might be my favorite Schumann work of all.


----------



## Guest

I decided to devote some time to the real anomaly amongst the composers I truly enjoy - Olivier Messiaen. I don't like Schoenberg, or Webern, or Berg, or anything else that one includes in the atonal grouping. But somehow Messiaen hooked me when first I heard a recording of his "Vingt regards . . . "

I went to the library yesterday and checked out some recordings:
2 different recordings of his Eclairs sur l'au-dela . . . (Illuminations of the beyond) - one by Myung-Whun Chung with Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille, and one by Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic.

I also picked up a recording of Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum/Chronochromie/La Ville d'en haut - recorded by Pierre Boulez withe The Cleveland Orchestra.

As I know next to no French, I have looked for translations for each of the subtitles of the movements in the Eclairs sur l'Au-Dela . . . so that I can listen for the themes in each. I have also been slowly working my way through Messiaen's organ works, and periodically will also listen to his Turangalila symphony and his Quartet for the End of Time. Not being a student of classical music, I can't tell you what draws me to Messiaen, but I find his works moving and powerful, particularly with their overt religious themes.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--_Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op.64_
Sergey Prokofiev--_Violin Concerto No.2 in G Minor,Op.63_
Both works are performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. They both feature Itzhak Perlman on violin.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92. _Both are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Carlos Kleiber.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, _with Vasily Petrenko leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

DrMike said:


> ... Not being a student of classical music, I can't tell you what draws me to Messiaen, but I find his works moving and powerful, particularly with their overt religious themes.


Yes, it can be said that he was religious but not in a dogmatic way. You don't necessarily have to be a Catholic or even Christian to like his stuff, for it to move or touch you. I'm glad that though you didn't like those other inter-war composers - the c20th Vienna School - you still found your way to something of worth to you in the modern/contemporary realm.

I'd add that another reason why some like his music is a kind of eroticsim underneath those kinds of crystal like surfaces, those repetitive natural patters maybe suggesting deep human urges of many types. It's hard to explain, but easiest to hear in his "Tristan" trilogy - eg. the song cycle Harawi, the Turangalila Sym., Cinques Rechants - ecstatic rhythms in those, kind of sensual, but also connected to nature, images of that, as well as the god/birdsong/nature connection. Boulez apparently refuses to conduct the whole of Turnagalila, he has never touched the night/love music movts. He said something like they're "brothel music." Wierd how the greatest French conductor of modern times (arguably so, of course it can be debated) refuses to conduct the best or at least one of the best of the best French symphonies of modern times. But then again, maybe Maestro Boulez's more restrained & analytical style wouldn't suit that piece or do it full justice in some ways?...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Chamber music for violin and piano, beautifully played by the two soloists mentioned below. What can I say? Romantic chamber music by Antonín Dvořák can't go wrong, encompassing a wide range of moods, which he was very good at painting with concise measures. Minor keys, major keys, low opus numbers, high opus numbers, sonatas and miscellaneous shorter pieces, and all for a cheapy chips price.

Qian Zhou, violin and Edmund Battersby, piano. (Actual album covers differ to the ones pictured below).


----------



## clavichorder

Medtner "The Complete Skazki" by Hamish Milne


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> ...Romantic chamber music by Antonín Dvořák can't go wrong, encompassing a wide range of moods, which he was very good at painting with concise measures...


Yes, the mood painting aspect of his music really came to the fore when he got to the USA - works like the "American" quartet (SQ#12),"New World" Symphony (#9), American suite would inspire the composers over there greatly. Hard to think that the classic American "open air" sound would have developed in the same way it did without him. So maybe he's not the "conservative" that some people brand him to be? He's more than just a Czech folksy flavoured rehash of the German guys, his overall optimistic tone has also worked against him in terms of superficial assessments/judgements, etc...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann's First Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor.


----------



## Sid James

Got into some of these things last night -

*BRUCKNER*
A selection of motets:
Locus iste - Ave Maria - Pange Lingua - Virga Jesse - Tota Pulchra es, Maria (Tenor solo - David Hamilton) - Os Justi - Vexilla Regis - Ecce Sacerdo Magnus
Prelude in C major for organ solo (Mark Quarmby, organ)
Sydney University Musical Society / Ben Macpherson, cond.
Recorded 1995-6 (Self published)

*David FANSHAWE*
African Sanctus - for taped African music, operatic soprano, light soprano, choir, piano/percussion, rock band, hammond organ
Saalams - for taped songs of Arabian gulf pearl divers, 11 singers, piano, cantor
Harold Lester, Valerie Hill, David Fanshawe & others
(Philips)

*SCHUBERT*
Mass in B-flat Major (#3) Posth. Op. 141 D.324
Deutsche Messe D.872
Thomann, sop. / Jahn, cont. / Wing, ten. / Ohashi, bass / Vienna SO / Vienna Chamber Choir / Hans Gillesberger, cond.
Turnabout Vox vinyl LP

*Roger SESSIONS*
Second Sonata for piano
Peter Lawson, piano
EMI

A varied listening session, I really "clicked" with the Sessions piano sonata, that kind of made my day. I have written fuller impressions of it on the thread below (incl. youtube clip, but another recording), hoping that others will be able to appreciate & access this interesting work -

http://www.talkclassical.com/11807-exploring-modern-contemporary-music-8.html#post187855

The Fanshawe works are quite good, the _African Sanctus_ more tuneful & rhythmic, _Saalams_ being more kind of dramatic & experimental. It's like a travelogue of these interesting cultures, a collage between old & new. Both Schubert's and Bruckner's sacred choral works are quite unknown to many listeners, even those who like their other things. Schubert's earlier 3rd mass comes across as very much in the Mozartian vein, & the _German Mass_ a late work (1826) is actually much more simpler & singable by the congregation of a church (it has brass accompaniment only). The Bruckner disc is great, I only listened to about half of it (not the _Te Deum_ yet). The motets & the short _Prelude in C_ for organ exhibit many influences of the past & refinements pointing toward the future. Eg. whole tone - chromatic - harmonies that sound not far away from Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night._


----------



## Conor71

*Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, Nos. 1-6








*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Great stuff today.

Uchida's recording of Webern's Variations.










Vanska's recording of Sibelius' 6th and 7th symphonies.


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## samurai

Vaughan Williams--_Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and In the Fen Country._ Both works feature Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin In The Fields.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E flat Major, Op.70_. The 5th is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, whilst the 9th is done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Aaron Copland_--Symphony No.3 and Quiet City_. Both are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Both works were recorded live at Avery Fisher Hall, NYC in 1985, and are on the Deutsche Grammophon cd label.


----------



## Sid James

A mixed bag again -

*BRUCKNER*
- Zwei Aequale for trombone quartet (R. Prussing, N. Byrne, W. Farmer, C. Harris, trombones)
- Prelude, Fugue & Postlude (Mark Quarmby, organ)
- Te Deum - Soprano-Mezzo sop-Tenor-Baritone & choir, orch.
Soloists / Sydney Uni Musical Soc. Choir / Sydney Youth Orch. / Ben Macpherson, cond.
(coupled with motets, etc.) Rec. 1995-6, Sydney, Australia (self-published)

*Silvius Leopold WEISS* - Sonata #20 in D minor, for lute & mandolin
*Johann HOFFMANN* - Sonata in D minor, for mandolin & archlute
Duo Ahlert & Schwab 
(Naxos disc, coupled with more of their sonatas)

*Album: The 3 Tenors, Paris 1998 (live)*
With Orchestre de Paris, James Levine, cond.
Arrangements mostly by Lalo Schifrin
Decca

The rarer works on the Bruckner disc are as interesting to me as his more famous things. His solo organ works capture some of his brilliance as an organist, though he didn't actually write much more than the two works featured on this album. The flavour of other major organ composers around his time, eg. Cesar Franck & Widor, is not too far away. The piece for trombones was written for use at solemn occassions in church - eg. funerals - & the feeling is quite dark, Schutz & Gabrielli's brass writing was probably of influence here. This performance of the _Te Deum _really brings out the repetitive rhythms that strongly underpin this work. The solo vocal writing is a highlight, esp. the longest solos done by the tenor, & a short one for the baritone which is low & dark (Stephen Bennett, baritone here, has been one of our best in that area, he did a really good performance of Mozart's _Don Giovanni_). The notes say some of the ideas in this work wound up in the _Symphony #7_, composed around the same time.

The disc of Weiss & Hoffmann duos was a first listen, but I just stuck to two of the four sonatas on that disc. I really liked the _Gigue_ from the Weiss sonata - very dancy, played it several times - & the central _Andante con Variazione_ which leads directly into the final _Allegro_ from the Hoffmann one, so so good.

The 3 tenors Paris concert was also good, including many popular songs that I didn't recognise (those in Europe probably know them well, though). A fun atmosphere here, this was the last one they recorded together that has made it to disc, I think? (they also did one here in Melbourne, also in one of the big Chinese cities, but I doubt they've made it to disc, for international release anyway). The "grand finale" _You'll Never Walk Alone _was kind of poignant I think, since Pavarotti is so sadly no longer with us. Schifrin's arrangements did have more of a commercial feel compared to the original Roman concert of 1990, but they were good, & I liked the sense of atmosphere & fun that came with these concerts (& this Paris one has two pretty long medlies of popular songs, operetta, popular lieder, etc., they kind of let their hair down in that, fun to listen to)...


----------



## samurai

Courtesy of YouTube, I just finished listening to the Teresa Carreno Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel perform Dmitri Shostakovich's _Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}._ These young musicians are simply marvelous and Dudamel really brings out the best in them with his obvious enthusiasm and passion for conducting. Now I really can't wait for my next Amazon delivery, as one of the works I ordered is this very symphony, though performed and conducted by a different group and conductor.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6, 7 & 22*


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 13, "Winter Daydreams"*

I was just thinking today that it's been quite a while since I listened to some Tchaikovsky so I will make my way through Karajans Cycle over the next couple of weeks!


----------



## Ludders

Was lucky enough to find this in a 2nd hand shop the other day. 
It's barely left my CD player since.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, String Quartets Nos. 5 through 7, Fitzwilliam Quartet, typical unflattering picture on the cover.


----------



## Vazgen

Manxfeeder said:


> Uchida's recording of Webern's Variations.


I like that one a lot. Uchida's great in the Variations as well as the Berg sonata and the Schoenberg op. 11 pieces.

-Vaz


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening now to a, so far, prosaic version of Bruckner's 5th by Gunther Wand.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6, 7 & 22*


I love No. 22, I think it's among the most underrated of his compositions.


----------



## clavichorder

I'm still stuck on Medtner and Hamish Milne, with Medtner's "forgotten melodies", but I'm also eating up Boris Berezovki's recording of Balakirev's Islamey, that middle section of the piece is so rich I might just keel over.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--_The Wasps, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, In the Fen Country, Variations for Orchestra, Norfolk Rhapsody, No.1 in E Minor and Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus"._ All of these works feature Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields.
Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F major, Op.90. _Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 11-13, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet. The 13th consists of only one movement, whilst the 12th is comprised of two!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Turning the Wayback Machine to the 1400s with Antoine Busnois' Missa O Crux Lignum. The album cover is freaky; I have a friend who looks exactly like the lady on the cover, only not as pallid.

Anyway, the Orlando Consort sing it as it really was, i.e., no girls allowed. Their voices are distinctive, and it's easy to follow the polyphony.


----------



## hocket

> I have a friend who looks exactly like the lady on the cover, only not as pallid.


Perhaps if you were to lock her in the shed for a few weeks...wait, sorry, this is the wrong forum isn't it.


----------



## Pieck

Rachmaninov Piano Trio No. 2 - Borodin Trio.
Inspired by the classical music project.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I still haven't come fully to terms with Schoenberg... although its not for lack of trying. I have some 10 discs of music by him... more than by some composers that I truly love... and with the arrival of this one in the mail today...










... it makes 11. I've only had a chance, thus far, to listen to the disc while driving... but from what I heard I quite like Uchida's take on this music... and of course Boulez is probably the best possible conductor. More thoughts when I get around to sitting down with this music and giving it my undivided attention.

Currently I'm listening to this:










I'll post my response to the music over on the Modern/Contemporary thread when I get a moment.

:tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

Got into these -

*GUEM* - Percussionist, composer
*Album - Le Serpent / Percussions*
Harmonia Mundi, Fance, c.1985
Short review and youtube clip here

*Virgil THOMSON *
- The Plow that Broke the Plains (suite) 
Los Angeles CO/Marriner
*Howard HANSON*
- Symphony #2 "Romantic"
St. Louis SO/Slatkin
(from EMI disc)

*WEISS,
HOFFMANN*
- Duo sonatas for lute & mandolin
Duo Ahlert & Schwab (Naxos)

The Guem album was great, please click on my link above if you want more info & a listen. The Thomson piece incorporates many things, from cowboy tunes to jazz & a pastoral feel. The final two movts. "Drought" & "Devastation" are a prelude & fugue, reflecting on the natural disaster of the dustbowl in the USA during the 1930's. In contrast, the ending of the Hanson symphony - which is very lush & "Romantic" as the title says - is quite optimistic and uplifting. This is a symphony that sounds more "European" than "American" if one uses those cliches, the sound of Sibelius' things comes to mind easily. Some bits of this symphony were used in the film _Alien_, kind of speaking against the composer's intentions, saying this was meant to be a work that is about optimism. Kind of shows that there's no right or wrong in these kinds of matters (but I do hear a kind of creepy feel in the first movt., but this seems to dissipate in the other two following movts.). As for the duo sonatas disc, superb! A good contrast between these two masters of their art, Weiss from the "Baroque" era, Hoffmann from the "Classical" era. I esp. liked the endings to the Weiss sonatas - one dancy, the other lyrical & the contrasts in dynamics in Hoffmann's sonatas...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sibelius' 6th symphony. To my ears, Vanska and the Lahti SO do an outstanding job on this one.


----------



## kv466

Bach - Tocatta in e minor, Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 7-10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Aaron Copland--_Symphony No.3 and Quiet City, _with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Manxfeeder

De La Rue's requiem.


----------



## Sid James

Various re-runs of things, the *3 Tenors Paris concert *(1998), *Boulez's* _Piano Sonata #1_ (played by Idil Biret, Naxos), *Weiss & Hoffmann *duo sonatas for lute & mandolin (Duo Ahlert & Schwab, Naxos), but this one was a recent buy & first time listen -

*Album: Interview With The Vampire: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack*
Music composed by *Elliot Goldenthal*
BMG/Warner Classics

This soundtrack seems to have everything - orchestral, choral, operatic, chamber-like solos, electronic bits, wierd vampire guttural sounds, various "styles" from Baroque (even a harpsichord!) to "contemporary," the whole "box & dice" - & overall it is pretty dark. A bit of a mixed bag, but it can be a lot of fun. I haven't seen the movie, done in the 1990's. The "grand finale" was a song written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards performed by Guns N'Roses. It kind of "stuck out like a sore thumb" from the rest of the more "classical" styles, but it was interesting to hear (the rhythmic/melodic style of the "Rolling Stones" was not too far away in this song, but I didn't find it as memorable as some of their "big hits" which I, like virtually everyone in the "Western" world, know). All in all, this is one I'll definitely return to, & the movie is said to be not half-bad either...


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 11, 12, 14 & 2*

Now on Disc 2 of this set


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte, K 588*

Just recieved this set yesterday and already on my second listen - brilliant stuff!


----------



## tdc

After taking a bit of a hiatus from listening to Mahler I've returned to listening to a lot of him over the past several days, specifically some of his symphonic works that I'd like to get more familiarized with - Symphonies 7, 8 and 10. All of which have revealed new secrets to me on recent listens and astounding beauty. I've enjoyed these works immensely.


----------



## Conor71

*Verdi: Requiem*

A beautiful piece!


----------



## World Violist

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Kubelik/BRSO; Waldemar Kmentt, Janet Baker

I hate to leave Kmentt out of my comment, but Janet Baker, Kubelik, and the orchestra are just completely in that "zone" for this performance. In Der Abschied, in particular, there are harmonies brought out that I have never heard, just because Kubelik is not afraid to let the orchestra resonate, speak a bit more. Janet Baker, obviously, is a marvel. I decided to listen to this today because, to be honest, they had her singing "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" (I think that's the correct name; I don't have it in front of me) in the last segment in utterly beautiful voice. And in this Das Lied she delivers on a different level entirely.


----------



## World Violist

Alkan: Sonate de concert (cello sonata)
Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello; Pascal Amoyel, piano

I'm currently learning (trying to learn) this piece in its viola transcription. It's a monster. I find it hard to believe that a cellist can actually play this, let alone as well as on this recording. But then again, I'm still rather new to this piece and it does require a heck of a lot of work.

No, what makes this easily the most difficult thing I've ever started working on is that it's a very long, blisteringly difficult showpiece with real depth. It lasts about 35-40 minutes, so it's a real mental workout as well. And the piano part is...by Alkan.

But to be perfectly honest, this belongs in the standard rep. for both cellists and violists (...and pianists). Because it's such a great piece of music.

About this recording, I don't have much to say. I've heard a few recordings of this piece, and I think this is the best of those. I'd recommend it to those interested.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Kubelik's Mahler cycle on DG, as luck would have it - just finished listening to 4.


----------



## Ludders

My favourite Mahler symphony at the BBC Proms, right now! 



> Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in Mahler's Symphony No 2.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b012x...Prom_29_Mahler/


----------



## hocket

Manxfeeder said:


> De La Rue's requiem.


IMHO the version of the Requiem by The Clerk's Group is vastly superior -youll actually think you can hear God's mercy falling from heaven (although Ensemble Clement Janequin do an **** kicking version of the l'Homme Arme mass).


----------



## Manxfeeder

hocket said:


> IMHO the version of the Requiem by The Clerk's Group is vastly superior.


I tried to collect all the Clerk's Group CDs as they came out. How did I miss that one? Rats; it's not on Spotify. Looks like I'll have to start saving my pennies.

Today I'm going through Sibelius' 6th symphony again, both Adrian Leaper's recording and that of Osma Vanska.


----------



## Manxfeeder

elgars ghost said:


> Kubelik's Mahler cycle on DG, as luck would have it - just finished listening to 4.


If you get around to it and if you're so inclined, I'm curious as to your impression of his recording of the 5th symphony. (If it's the one with the Bayerischen Rundfunks.)


----------



## CaptainAzure

Found it on Youtube for you all






Standard


----------



## Ludders

Ludders said:


> My favourite Mahler symphony at the BBC Proms, right now!
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b012x...Prom_29_Mahler/


That finale was incredible.
Hairs on the back of the neck standing up.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. _Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 1-3,_ performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29, 30 & 31*


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, *performedbythe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn. These performances were recorded in 1988 in London from July 6-7 and are on the TELARC cd label. And they are magnificently done indeed!


----------



## samurai

Via You Tube, I just finished listening to Roger Session's* Symphony No.**1. *As another poster remarked earlier, its second movement {largo} is especially elegaic and haunting.The last movement reminds me very much of Copland, with its use of syncopation, dynamics and the prominent role given to the trumpets. He is a composer I will definitely need to hear more of in future!
*@* *StLukes* and *Sid* *James*, Thanks for the heads up on this!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Wind Concertos*

Its been a Mozart kind of weekend!


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 40*


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 &5, Violin Concerto No. 2*

Staying with Prokofiev for the time being - an interesting Composer that I dont seem to spend enough time with! :-\ 
Now listening to Disc 2 of this fine set of Concertos


----------



## Conor71




----------



## Pieck

Schonberg PC - Brendel.
I dont seem to like or dislike for first listening...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahler's 5th by Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian SO. It has an unusual structure: Movements 1-2 (sad), 3, 4-5 (exhuberant) - the weight of the symphony is on the _third_ movement. I'm having a hard time thinking of another symphony that does this.


----------



## bumtz

Prokofiev Violin sonatas (Repin / Bereozvsky) on Erato. Good performance of the first one (Repin has a gorgeous sound!), less successful 2nd one (I don't like the tempo choices they make), IMHO.


----------



## Oskaar

*bartk- bax-barber*

A nice evenig listening.

Bartok: Piano Concerto No.1 in A, BB91, Sz.83

from this record:










Bax: Piano Trio in Bb

from this record










Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915, for high voice and orchestra, Op.24

from this record


----------



## kv466

Chopin - Scherzo no. 3 in c#minor op. 39, Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*bartok, bax, barber*

Bartok: Piano Concerto No.1 in A, BB91, Sz.83

Géza Anda

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

Ferenc Fricsay










Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915, for high voice and orchestra, Op.24

Sylvia McNair
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra










Bax: Folk-Tale

Yolande Wrigley piano

Bernard Gregor-Smith-cello


----------



## Sid James

Some of the weekend things -

*Album: Andrea Bocelli - Romanza*
Mostly old popular Italian songs, with guests Gerardina Trovato, Giorgia, John Miles, Sarah Brightman
Philips

*Howard HANSON*
- Symphony #2 "Romantic"
St. Louis SO/Slatkin
(from EMI disc)

*DUTILLEUX / LUTOSLAWSKI *- Cello Concertos
Rostropovich / Orch. de Paris / Baudo / Lutoslawski
EMI

*Virgil THOMSON*
Louisiana Story - orch. suite from the film
New London Orch. / Ronald Corp, cond.
Hyperion (Helios)

*PUCCINI*
Messia di Gloria, Salve Regina, Christanemi
Bedoni / Speres / others / Luxembourg PO / Elmquist
Classico


----------



## SonjiaWeber

I have been listening to "Mozart's Piano Concerto 23 Adagio movement"
'and also Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" perfection in the evening...


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. _The 7th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the 8th is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Manxfeeder said:


> If you get around to it and if you're so inclined, I'm curious as to your impression of his recording of the 5th symphony. (If it's the one with the Bayerischen Rundfunks.)



Greetings, Manxfeeder. I've a genuine affection for the Kubelik cycle as it was my second Mahler purchase - Solti's 8 was my first which probably was an unorthodox initiation but I felt compelled to buy the whole lot on spec after that and I'm so glad I did.

As a result, Kubelik's 5th was the first I heard until I started buying other recordings and it was only when I heard them when I thought how taut and comparatively fleet the first movement was under Kubelik. OK, the timings are a giveaway but I'd almost conditioned myself to hearing it from Kubelik's perspective and thinking how strange it seemed for it to sound slower in other recordings. In hindsight, I have to fess up and admit to liking the first movement of the 5th to unfurl a little more rather than as a manifesto being slapped onto the table so I can't claim Kubelik's way with it to be my favourite but after that it's a recording I like very much. As regards the others in his cycle I like 1 thru to 4 the best with his 6 nearly getting there. I've heard and read good things about his 'DLvdE' on Audite so I might have to pencil that one in for the future.


----------



## Manxfeeder

elgars ghost said:


> I can't claim Kubelik's way with it to be my favourite but after that it's a recording I like very much.


Thanks for the analysis. I have mostly Benjamin Zander's recordings, mainly because they were my first introduction to Mahler, and I liked his comment discs, but true Mahlerites don't speak much of them. So I'm always interested in who the notable Mahler conductors are and what they do to the music.


----------



## Oskaar

*bartok*

Bartok: Two Portraits, for violin and orchestra, Op.5, BB48b, Sz.37

Erwin Ramor

Philharmonia Hungarica

Antal Doráti










Bartok: Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra No.1, BB94b, Sz.87

Kyung Wha Chung

City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle










Bartok: Viola Concerto, BB128, Sz.120 (completed in 1949 by Tibor Serly)

Karen Elaine-Bakunin

Orquesta Sinfonica de Paraiba

Eleazar de Carvalho


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Tchaikovsky's Dance from the opera The Enchantress ... just feel happy , happy ... like a child with a pure heart !


----------



## samurai

Sergey Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111, _performed by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by leonard Slatkin.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"} _featuring Evgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad
Philharmonic Orchestra. This work is in the Erato cd label, and was recorded at the Leningrad Philharmonic Hall in April of 1984.
The fact that there are no pauses between movements in the Shostakovich work really lends an air of urgency to the *12th* *Symphony*, which is why he constructed it this way, I guess.


----------



## robert

Gubaidulina Viola Concerto 
Yuri Bashmet
Valery Gergiev


----------



## robert

Kabelac Mystery of Time

WOW. What a trip........


----------



## Sid James

Managed to fit in the epic - but truly intimate - *Stanford *_Requiem_ (about 80 mins) in dribs and drabs, but also some other stuff -

*Virgil THOMSON*
The Plow that Broke the Plains - orch. suite from the film
Autumn - Concertino for harp, strings, percussion
Los Angeles CO / Marriner (EMI)

*STANFORD*
Requiem
Irish soloists / RTE Phil. Choir / RTE NSO of Ireland / Adrian Leaper, cond. 
(Naxos, 2 discs, with orch. music by Stanford as coupling)

*WALTON*
Facade - an entertainment for speakers & ensemble (words by E. Sitwell)
Edith Sitwell, Peter Pears, speakers / English opera chamber ens. / Anthony Collins, cond.
Recorded in 1954
(Eloquence, with orch. works by Walton, Bax, Bliss)

I really connect with *Thomson's* film music, I like how he illustrates the story (even though I'd never seen the actual films, he does this so strongly, so well, it's full of these images). As for his "Autumn concertino" I didn't connect as much, maybe because there's no story behind it, it's purely just musical.

*Stanford's* _Requiem_ always brings a tear to my eye. As all the greats, he illustrates & enlivens the ancient texts with such purity of vision & emotion. He doesn't "sex up" the orchestral bit, his focus on the choral writing, which is so good. His use of the solo voices has a touch of Verdi, or the Italians, that kind of "warmth," but it's more understated & to the point than flashy. I read a review comparing this to Verdi's & Berlioz's requiem, saying that it's like not "hell-fire & brimstone" enough, etc, whatever. A silly comparison, imo, you can just reverse that false dichotomy & say the other guy's requiems are not as lyrical & understated as Stanford's is. Anyway, I think this is unique & despite the large forces, just so intimate & emotionally "simple" (not simplistic, though).

As for *Walton's *_Facade_, it's a hoot! One criticism of this was that it's just a watered down rehash of Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire _& other things, which I think is just a rubbish opinion. This is one of Walton's most unique & finest works, imo. For one thing, Walton doesn't go off the bat of cabaret as Schoenberg did, he kind of brings the antics of the music halls into the concert/classical world. His use of speech-song is more whimsical than disturbing, though there are some contrasts there that would have been controversial for the time. There's a bit of a Spanish feel to many of these "songs" (eg. use of castanets), & a regular mention of a "Don Pasquito" whoever that is. Probably made up, Sitwell's text is pretty ambigious, but the point is that it's a play on words, the rhythms of the words are more important than literal meaning/s. Anyway, it's a great work all round, esp. if you love narration/speech with your music. What other song of the time has words like "The allegro negro cocktail shaker" I ask?...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Handel, *Carmelite Vespers*, reconstructed by Andrew Parrott.


----------



## Sid James

I forgot to post this, with all the stuff going on, went to this concert & enjoyed it to the max not long ago -

*All MOZART bill* (period instruments)
Symphony No 25 in G minor K183
Rondo in D major for Piano & Orchestra K382
Overture to the Oratorio _La Betulia liberata _K118 
Piano Concerto No 22 in E flat major K482

*Australian Brandenburg Orchestra*
Guest Director & Baroque Violin - Marc Destrubé (Canada) 
Fortepiano* - Kristian Bezuidenhout (USA )

* In this concert, Mr Bezuidenhout peformed on the Brandenburg Fortepiano, a replica of the instrument on which Mozart played (ornamentation/cadenzas in Rondo written by composer, that in concerto written by Mr Bezuidenhout)

This was very good, it got a while for me to get used to the fortepiano (it's smaller, more subtle & less reverberating sound than more modern pianos). Esp. enjoyed the last two items, but all were good. Mozart was still in his teens when he wrote the symphony & overture. Amazing stuff, indeed...


----------



## Oskaar

Barber: Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Op.23a

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra

Leonard Slatkin










Barber: Capricor Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Trumpet And Orchestra

Arioso Wind Quintet

Ruth Golden

San Diego Chamber Orchestra

Donald Barra










Bartok: Violin Concerto No.2 in B-, BB117, Sz.112

Ida Haendel
Hans Muller-Kray
stuttgart radio symphony orchestra


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> Barber: Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Op.23a
> 
> Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
> 
> Leonard Slatkin


I was listening to that very work & recording last week (but on another reissue/set). I love how Barber builds up the tension & there's a short piano part in the middle that sounds uncannily like something by Messiaen (eg. the piano accompaniment to the song cycle _Harawi_) composed around the same year/time, mid-1940's. I love Slatkin's "take" on this work which is very intense & "to the max." I think the label "neo-romantic" doesn't really do justice to quite a few of Barber's works that I have heard. His _Piano Sonata_ for one (with that amazing 12-note fugue at the end) & a piece I heard live recently, the song-cycle _Melodies Passagere_s for two (which had a French flavour, not very "romantic" imo) & also his opera _Antony & Cleopatra_ for three (which I heard on radio ages ago, I don't remember thinking "this is soo neo-romantic"). Just like many composers unfairly put into a "box" like this, Barber had so many sides to his musical personality...


----------



## World Violist

Listening to a vastly under-rated and under-recorded composer in the viola repertoire: Casimir Ney. And there's almost a good reason that he's so under-recorded: these preludes are obscenely difficult. Eric Shumsky, a violist (I think he's Oscar's son), recorded the whole set which was praised by Emmanuel Vardi (!) of all people, but it's out of print. This is, as far as I can tell, the only recording on Youtube, a concert performance which is actually really impressive considering that it is live.






Another note: the composer is also the guy who transcribed Alkan's cello sonata which I'm learning.


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## robert

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphonies 1 & 7
Bernstein
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

A great pairing


----------



## Klavierspieler

Das Rheingold, my very first opera.


----------



## kv466

Mozart - String Quartet kv465 as performed by the Emerson String Quartet


----------



## samurai

Heard on the radio today, while driving, on WQXR FM, the *7th Symphony *of Ludwig Van Beethoven, featuring Simon Rattle conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Good performance, but I still--at least so far--prefer Kleiber's and Bernstein's readings of this work, because to my ears they both brought far more passion to the table.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}. _This work is performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein. It also includes a segment narrated by him at the end of the cd entitled "How A Great Symphony Was Written."
It is on the Sony cd label and was recorded in December of 1965.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, OP.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Moll, Op.104. _Bothworks feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--_Symphony No.5 in D and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. _Both are performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Andre Previn.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kent Nagano's recording of the original version of Bruckner's 4th before he revised it into the version everyone knows.

The original meanders around with snippets of what became the revised version popping up for a frame of reference. It's like listening to the 4th on hallucinogens.


----------



## Sid James

These things -

*Album: Andre Rieu - Live in Australia* (Melbourne, 2008) (Universal Music) 
Disc 1 of 2 - fun concert, real atmosphere, great tunes, keep coming back to this more & more.

*BRAHMS* - _String Sextet #1 in B flat Op. 18_ - Principals of the London PO (EMI vinyl LP)
The Hungarian-ish fell of the middle two movts. always give me a boost!

*J.S. BACH* - _Well-Tempered Clavier I & II - Preludes & Fugues Nos. 9-17_ - Wanda Landowska, harpsichord (CC-697 tape) - I like Landowska's way of bringing out the emotions of these pieces I had previously thought of as a bit too technical.

*SCHUBERT* - _String Quartets Nos. 14 & 15 _- Busch Quartet, rec. 1936-8 (EMI)
Some of Schubert's most intense music, love how the tricky final movt. of the 15th just flows, smooth as butter. These recordings scream "benchmark."

*Virgil THOMSON* - _The River (suite)* - Concertina for harp, strings, perc.* - Louisiana Story: Suite & Acadian Songs & Dances - Power Among Men (Fugues & Cantilenas)_
* Los Angeles CO / Marriner / with Ann Mason Stockton, harp (in _Concertina_) (EMI)
New London Orch. / Ronald Corp (Hyperion Helios)
Thomson's works esp. display his mastery & imaginative use of counterpoint. Very evocative & image-filled music. The Acadian pieces are about the peoples of Acadia (Nova Scotia) who settled around Louisiana.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sibelius' 1st symphony by Vanska. I like what he does with the second movement; he brings a warm sound. However, this being a hot day in August, I'm following it up with Janson's recording; it has a colder sound.


----------



## beethovenian

Telemann's early cantatas. These cantatas are very melancholic and dark, impressive work from the young Telemann.

You can hear a sample from harmonia mundi website. Track 8 got me hooked.
http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#/albums?view=home&id=482


----------



## Manxfeeder

I just found out it's Glazunov's birthday. Time to break out the collection. I'm starting with his second symphony, but I'll cram in as many as I can; any excuse to listen to Glazunov is good enough for me.


----------



## robert

On A Saariaho roll:
Graal Theatre
Prisma
Du Crystal
Notes on Light


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 3's been going through my head for a few hours now, so I'll listen to it.










Mahler 3
Antoni Wit

I like this recording a lot. Wit gives space to it, whereas many other Mahler 3's I've heard are either way too fast or are slow in such a way that it's cloying. Wit strikes an ideal balance.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, _featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 7-10,_ performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

A whole lot of things (to save space, I've put links to the cds, for more info, pls. click on the composer's name) -

DEBUSSY- _Jeux_
Montreal orch. / Dutoit
From "The Number one Debussy Album" - 2 discs (Decca)
Love the way this music morphs & changes each minute, a different "journey" every time.

GINASTERA - _Piano Concerto #2_
Dora de Marinis, pno. / Slovak RSO / Julio Malaval (Naxos)
Classic "atonal" harmonies & some really epic "vibes" from the orchestra, the way he writes for piano & orch. is pretty unique & colourful, dramatic.

John CAGE - _Concert for piano & orch. played alongside solos for voice 1 & 2 - Rozart Mix - Suite for Toy Piano - Music for Carillon_
Ensemble Musica Negativa / Rainer Riehn / others (EMI)
The concert for piano (not "concerto" for some reason) is pretty wierd & whacky, esp. those pieces for solo voices that are played simultaneously (very Cagean to do that!).

MENDELSSOHN- _Octet in E flat Op. 20_
Melos Ensemble of London (EMI)
A highly accomplished & mature work for someone in their teens, showing strong knowledge of J.S. Bach (the counterpoint of the last movt.) & also Beethoven. This was written only a few years after Spohr did his double quartets. Mendelssohn was up with the latest trends then, I disagree with the view that he didn't innovate. Anyway, the _Octet_ is unique & so enjoyable, all of it I find superb.

SCHUBERT-_ String Quartet #14 "Death & the Maiden"_
Busch Quartet, rec. 1936 (EMI)
Gave this a second listen. Such an intense work. This performance is one of the best, the only "downside" is the omission of some of the repeats in the second movt. (due to limitations of 78 rpm technology). But I can't notice this, it's really nothing to harp on about esp. with a performance so emotional & direct.

HOVHANESS- _Meditation on Orpheus for orch._
Seattle SO / Schwarz (Delos double)
A work with unexpected things, esp. in terms of rhythm, influenced (like Lutoslawski) by Cage's ideas in terms of "controlled chance" techniques used. Hovhaness & Cage were friends, & the influence of Sibelius is also there, another friend of the composer.

Elliott CARTER - _String Quartet #2_
Pacifica Quartet (Naxos)
An interesting work that I'm just getting my head around more now. The cadenzas for viola, cello & violin respectively remind me a bit of Elgar or some of the UK guys, quite lyrical but more "atonal." The theme/s are quite fragmented, but still strongly there, come out now and then in sharp relief.


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> A whole lot of things (to save space, I've put links to the cds, for more info, pls. click on the composer's name) -
> 
> DEBUSSY- _Jeux_
> Montreal orch. / Dutoit
> From "The Number one Debussy Album" - 2 discs (Decca)
> Love the way this music morphs & changes each minute, a different "journey" every time.
> 
> GINASTERA - _Piano Concerto #2_
> Dora de Marinis, pno. / Slovak RSO / Julio Malaval (Naxos)
> Classic "atonal" harmonies & some really epic "vibes" from the orchestra, the way he writes for piano & orch. is pretty unique & colourful, dramatic.
> 
> John CAGE - _Concert for piano & orch. played alongside solos for voice 1 & 2 - Rozart Mix - Suite for Toy Piano - Music for Carillon_
> Ensemble Musica Negativa / Rainer Riehn / others (EMI)
> The concert for piano (not "concerto" for some reason) is pretty wierd & whacky, esp. those pieces for solo voices that are played simultaneously (very Cagean to do that!).
> 
> MENDELSSOHN- _Octet in E flat Op. 20_
> Melos Ensemble of London (EMI)
> A highly accomplished & mature work for someone in their teens, showing strong knowledge of J.S. Bach (the counterpoint of the last movt.) & also Beethoven. This was written only a few years after Spohr did his double quartets. Mendelssohn was up with the latest trends then, I disagree with the view that he didn't innovate. Anyway, the _Octet_ is unique & so enjoyable, all of it I find superb.
> 
> SCHUBERT-_ String Quartet #14 "Death & the Maiden"_
> Busch Quartet, rec. 1936 (EMI)
> Gave this a second listen. Such an intense work. This performance is one of the best, the only "downside" is the omission of some of the repeats in the second movt. (due to limitations of 78 rpm technology). But I can't notice this, it's really nothing to harp on about esp. with a performance so emotional & direct.
> 
> HOVHANESS- _Meditation on Orpheus for orch._
> Seattle SO / Schwarz (Delos double)
> A work with unexpected things, esp. in terms of rhythm, influenced (like Lutoslawski) by Cage's ideas in terms of "controlled chance" techniques used. Hovhaness & Cage were friends, & the influence of Sibelius is also there, another friend of the composer.
> 
> Elliott CARTER - _String Quartet #2_
> Pacifica Quartet (Naxos)
> An interesting work that I'm just getting my head around more now. The cadenzas for viola, cello & violin respectively remind me a bit of Elgar or some of the UK guys, quite lyrical but more "atonal." The theme/s are quite fragmented, but still strongly there, come out now and then in sharp relief.


About the Carter quartet: I know it's kind of a cliche thing to say, but I find it really helpful to imagine that quartet as a conversation, or argument, between four people with very different personalities. The first violin plays really virtuosic, showy, embellished passages so he's like the loud person of the group that's always trying to talk over everyone with a lot of "extravagant language." The Cello has a lot of passages where he speeds up or slows down, kind of taking all the other players with him, so he's like the person of the group that is always either eager to go on to the next topic or wants to go back to a previous topic. The viola plays a lot of more "gentle and sweet" lines. Not as aggressive as the first violin and cello, so he's like the person of the group that doesn't have a strong opinion about anything and kind of tries to agree with both sides, while being as gentle as possible about it. And the 2nd violin, if you listen closely, mostly plays "straight" rhythms amidst all the chaos, so he's like the levelheaded guy that tries to keep everyone on track and stabilize the argument if it gets too intense.

That's my interpretation of it anyway. Maybe it will help you get your head around it even more.


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> A whole lot of things (to save space, I've put links to the cds, for more info, pls. click on the composer's name) -
> 
> DEBUSSY- _Jeux_
> Montreal orch. / Dutoit
> From "The Number one Debussy Album" - 2 discs (Decca)
> Love the way this music morphs & changes each minute, a different "journey" every time.
> 
> GINASTERA - _Piano Concerto #2_
> Dora de Marinis, pno. / Slovak RSO / Julio Malaval (Naxos)
> Classic "atonal" harmonies & some really epic "vibes" from the orchestra, the way he writes for piano & orch. is pretty unique & colourful, dramatic.
> 
> John CAGE - _Concert for piano & orch. played alongside solos for voice 1 & 2 - Rozart Mix - Suite for Toy Piano - Music for Carillon_
> Ensemble Musica Negativa / Rainer Riehn / others (EMI)
> The concert for piano (not "concerto" for some reason) is pretty wierd & whacky, esp. those pieces for solo voices that are played simultaneously (very Cagean to do that!).
> 
> MENDELSSOHN- _Octet in E flat Op. 20_
> Melos Ensemble of London (EMI)
> A highly accomplished & mature work for someone in their teens, showing strong knowledge of J.S. Bach (the counterpoint of the last movt.) & also Beethoven. This was written only a few years after Spohr did his double quartets. Mendelssohn was up with the latest trends then, I disagree with the view that he didn't innovate. Anyway, the _Octet_ is unique & so enjoyable, all of it I find superb.
> 
> SCHUBERT-_ String Quartet #14 "Death & the Maiden"_
> Busch Quartet, rec. 1936 (EMI)
> Gave this a second listen. Such an intense work. This performance is one of the best, the only "downside" is the omission of some of the repeats in the second movt. (due to limitations of 78 rpm technology). But I can't notice this, it's really nothing to harp on about esp. with a performance so emotional & direct.
> 
> HOVHANESS- _Meditation on Orpheus for orch._
> Seattle SO / Schwarz (Delos double)
> A work with unexpected things, esp. in terms of rhythm, influenced (like Lutoslawski) by Cage's ideas in terms of "controlled chance" techniques used. Hovhaness & Cage were friends, & the influence of Sibelius is also there, another friend of the composer.
> 
> Elliott CARTER - _String Quartet #2_
> Pacifica Quartet (Naxos)
> An interesting work that I'm just getting my head around more now. The cadenzas for viola, cello & violin respectively remind me a bit of Elgar or some of the UK guys, quite lyrical but more "atonal." The theme/s are quite fragmented, but still strongly there, come out now and then in sharp relief.


About the Carter quartet: I know it's kind of a cliche thing to say, but I find it really helpful to imagine that quartet as a conversation, or argument, between four people with very different personalities. The first violin plays really virtuosic, showy, embellished passages so he's like the loud person of the group that's always trying to talk over everyone with a lot of "extravagant language." The Cello has a lot of passages where he speeds up or slows down, kind of taking all the other players with him, so he's like the person of the group that is always either eager to go on to the next topic or wants to go back to a previous topic. The viola plays a lot of more "gentle and sweet" lines. Not as aggressive as the first violin and cello, so he's like the person of the group that doesn't have a strong opinion about anything and kind of tries to agree with both sides, while being as gentle as possible about it. And the 2nd violin, if you listen closely, mostly plays "straight" rhythms amidst all the chaos, so he's like the levelheaded guy that tries to keep everyone on track and stabilize the argument if it gets too intense.

That's my interpretation of it anyway. Maybe it will help you get your head around it even more.


----------



## Sid James

Thanks heaps for your "guide" to the Carter SQ#2, *violadude.* I read similar things in the liner notes, but the way you put it in "plain speaking" makes more sense to me. This is such a wonderful & detailed work. I like some of Carter's music like this. All of his 5 SQ's are quite different. I'm making strong headway into Nos. 1, 2 & 5 (the first is one of my fav SQ's by anyone). The 2nd I'm mulling over now, I'm doing things bit by bit. This is a "work in progress" for me. Again, great to have your solid input (I've just printed out your description, will use it as a reference when listening to it again soon, probably also with a friend). Great stuff...


----------



## beethovenian

Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos, Anima Eterna (Zig-Zag Territoires)

My first Poulenc CD, Love it!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brought from holidays*


----------



## jaimsilva

*and: La Fontana Del Placer: Zarzuela En Dos Actos*


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 In E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34bis. _Both works feature Leonard Slatkin conducting the National Symphony Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. _The 5th is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, while the 9th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Bix

samurai said:


> Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 In E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34bis. _Both works feature Leonard Slatkin conducting the National Symphony Orchestra.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. _The 5th is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, while the 9th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Bernard Haitnik.


The 5th by the Concertgebouw under Haitink is tremendously good


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Bach Cantatas. I started with Vol. 8 of Suzuki. Suzuki's approach doesn't keep my interest, for some reason. I'm following it with Ton Koopman's recording, Vol. 7. Much more interesting, to my ears.


----------



## samurai

Bix said:


> The 5th by the Concertgebouw under Haitink is tremendously good


@ Bix, Yes it is; he brings a lot of passion in his interpretation, especially in its glorious and uplifting finale of the 4th movement.
p.s Are you and yours alright?


----------



## Bix

samurai said:


> @ Bix, Yes it is; he brings a lot of passion in his interpretation, especially in its glorious and uplifting finale of the 4th movement.
> p.s Are you and yours alright?


Very good thank you - the police have very good control of it and tis quiet. Thank you for asking


----------



## samurai

Bix, That's great! I feel much better now!


----------



## Sid James

The first act of Schoenberg's seminal opera plus some smaller things (pls. click composer's names for more info on cd's) -

SCHOENBERG - _Moses und Aron _(Opera in 2 acts) - Listened to disc 1/act 1
Stuttgart Opera Co. under Roland Kluttig, rec. live (Naxos)
An opera on an ancient story/history dealing with big issues in the inter-war years - the individual vs. society, the "pack" mentality, the difference between idealism & the "hard" reality. I like Schoenberg's writing for the choir esp., bringing out the "hot house" atmosphere, which is kind of surreal.

W.A. MOZART - _Horn Concerto #2 in E flat major, KV.417_
Kamil Streter, horn / Mozart Festival Orch. / Alberto Lizzio, cond (ZYX Classics)
Always loved Mozart's horn concertos, for their craftsmanship, balance between complex & simple, & optimistic feel.

*Elliot CARTER* - _Gra for solo clarinet_
*Howard SANDROFF* - _Tephillah for clarinet & electronics_
Alain Damiens, cl. / Frank Rossi, tape & electronics (from album American Clarinet on EMI)
The Carter, a brief but joyful piece dedicated to Lutoslawski on his 80th birthday, the Sandroff a piece that incorporates some improv & "chance" elements, showing off the full range of the clarinet.

R. STRAUSS - _First & Second suites of waltzes from "Der Rosenkavalier"_
Royal Concertgebouw / Eugen Jochum (DGG Eloquence Australia)
Just getting into this set in more depth. Loved these waltzes, it's Strauss' lighter side, a fair bit of tounge in cheek here, he definitely let his hair down a bit here.

Charles Tomlinson GRIFFES - _Piano Sonata in F Sharp minor_
Peter Lawson, piano (EMI)
A very interesting work, incorporating pentatonic & whole tone harmonies. The former can be heard in the slow movt., even I can hear the predominance of the black keys. A bit of an "Asian" feel there. The last movt., the notes say, takes in Native American rhythms, & it's not hard to hear, quite rough and gutsy. Sad that this guy died so young (aged about 35 only), judging from this work we possibly had another Ives on our hands, so to speak...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> The first act of Schoenberg's seminal opera plus some smaller things (pls. click composer's names for more info on cd's) -


I think that's a great work. And I don't really like opera, and I don't completely understand what's going on with it, but it grabs my attention.

Tonight I'm working late, so I'm listening to Scott Joplin to keep awake. First, Joshua Rifkin, the one who started the Joplin revival; then William Albright, who interprets these pieces in a unique way, playing with rhythms and figurations just enough to set him apart from run of the mill ragtime players.


----------



## samurai

Via Spotify, I just listened to the following works by Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105, Karelia Suite, Op.11 and Finlandia, Op.26. _All of these pieces were performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vanska.
This is the first time for me hearing a symphony written in one movement, and it is majestic indeed! After listening to it and the *Karelia* *Suite*, I could practically see the ice floes, fjords and aurora borealis that must be a part of Finland's awesome beauty. Sibelius is fast becoming one of my favorite composers. He is very inspiring and uplifting to listen to.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> ...Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105...This is the first time for me hearing a symphony written in one movement, and it is majestic indeed!..._


_

Good to hear that. I also like his Tapiola, from the same "late" period, The Tempest incidental musics, but my fav so far of all is his early (1890's) Lemminkainen Suite (aka The Four Legends of the Kalevala). Very "epic" indeed, his treatment of themes draws me to him the most.

As for one movt. symphonies, there's quite a few of them. Recently I got to know *Kurt Weill's *Symphony No. 1 (1921) which is in three parts that flow into eachother without a break. Two outer jazzy/brassy sections enclosing a middle slow/lyrical/dreamy movt. that he brings out beautiful solos from the orch. - esp. string solos - quite lush for an "atonal" work (& that technique is not far from Vaughan Williams' earlier Tallis Fantasia, which we have discussed here before, we both love that to the max, seen how many times you've been listening to that masterwork)..._


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I think that's a great work. And I don't really like opera, and I don't completely understand what's going on with it, but it grabs my attention.


Similar thing here. I only have a synopsis for_* Moses und Aron *_(Naxos don't give libretto for this one) but just knowing the outline of each scene is enough - such emotional, dramatic music/singing. I'm similar with opera - it's mostly the "atonal" ones that grab me - eg. Berg's _*Wozzeck* _has clicked for me from the word "go," I first got it when I knew zilch about "atonal" musics. Also, Puccini's _*Turandot*_, which was influenced to some degree by _Wozzeck_ (Puccini wrote to Berg telling him of this). Other than these kinds of things, my other love in the stage music realm is operetta & musicals.

As for *Joplin*, got an LP of him recently & love that as well. He was really one of the greats, another one who was kind of devalued until his stuff started to come out on LP vinyl in about the 1960's...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid James, Sid, tomorrow night I'm going back to Spotify and check out that Weill symphony cited by you. And you're absolutely spot on vis a vis the Vaughan Williams _Tallis _piece; indeed, I have so much fallen in love with it that I want it played at my funeral, if I am not cremated, that is. :devil:


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## jaimsilva

*Back to the good old Bach*

The Six Brandenburg Concertos
by Jordi Savall and his "Le Concert Des Nations"


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## Aramis

I has this CD since ages and never checked this Saraste piece until now. It's great. Makes you want go to Spain and listen to their folk music in night time, then, in the morning, shoot some horny lover and run away from raging bulls. Really awesome, both lyrical part and the fast ending which contains most of the piece's folk character. This work is really worthy to be on one CD with masterpieces of Wieniawski.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Morning tea and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 26 by Murray Perahia. Maybe the world is going crazy, but at least for a half hour, as the old sage said, "all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."


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## jaimsilva

*after the Brandenburg Concertos... the Orchestral Suites (Ouvertures)*

Hespèrion XX / La Capella Reial de Catalunya - Jordi Savall


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## robert

Sofia Gubaidulina

In the Mirror
Piano Quintet
Introitus
Dancer on a tightrope

Stimme ( Symphony in 12 movements)
Rozhdestvensky
Royal Stockholm P.O.


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## Aramis

Just before recently I didn't even know how much I love this piece:






Right now I'm looking for best interpretations. Unfortunately, Zimerman didn't record it.


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## jaimsilva

*Orchestral music from 1945-1947*

Rolf Liebermann (german composer: 1910 - 1999)
Furioso (1945)

Boris Blacher (swiss composer: 1903 - 1975)
Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini (1947)

both works very interesting!



















I have another version of both works by Ferenc Fricsay


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## jaimsilva

*Back to the classics: Beethoven: Diabelli Variations*

Valery Afanassiev


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## jaimsilva

*Schubert - Fantasie D760 & Fantasie D934*

Wanderer-Fantasie D760
András Schiff (piano)

Fantasie in C major D934 for violin and piano
Yuuko Shiokawa (violin)
András Schiff (piano)

a fabulous recording!


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--_Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, _featuring Sir Neville Marriner conducting St Martin Academy In The Fields.
Ludwig Van Beethoven_--Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92_. Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, _performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko.


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## robert

Dutilleux

Symphonies 1 & 2

Tortelier


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## jaimsilva

*Prokofiev: Symphony no.1; Piano Concertos 1 & 2*

Symphony no. 1 in D Major "Classical" op.25
Piano Concerto no.1 in D flat Major op.10
Piano Concerto no.2 in G minor op.16

Karel Ancerl (Conductor)
Sviatoslav Richter (piano concerto no.1)
Dagmar Baloghova (piano concerto no.2)

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Sid James

*@ Aramis* - Love the Sarasate as well, recently got THIS reissue, I had this on tape ages ago, loved it then, love it now. It incl. that work as well as others by Sarasate, as well as de Falla, Granados, Albeniz, Halffter (mainly transcriptions for vln & pno, but also w/orch.).

As for my listening, a mixed bag, incl. some Aussie composers that I'd not heard for a while -

*BEETHOVEN* - _Septet in E flat, Op. 20 _(cl, bassoon, horn, vln., viola, cello, db.)
*MENDELSSOHN* - _Octet in E flat, Op. 20_
Melos Ensemble of London (on THIS EMI 2 disc set)

Funny, never noticed before that they're in the same key & opus. Anyway, the Beethoven work is like "tea-time in Vienna" (someone here not liking this kind of stuff was critical?). Delightful. This was more popular in Beethoven's day than any of his symphonies, and he couldn't get over that. As for the Mendelssohn, much more vigorous (esp. the final movt.), a full-blooded work if ever there was one, not least owing to the rich sounds of the double string quartet used.

*Australian composers of mid-c20th *(from THIS ABC Classics 2 disc set)
*Robert HUGHES *(1912-2007) -_ Synthesis _(Willem van Otterloo, cond.)
*Dorian LE GALLIENE *(1915-1963) - _Concert Overture_* (Clive Douglas, cond.)
*Margaret SUTHERLAND *(1897-1984) -_ Oboe Concertante _(Jiri Tancibudek, ob./Patrick Thomas, cond.) - _Haunted Hills _(John Hopkins, cond.)
All with Melbourne Symphony Orch. except *with Victorian Symphony Orch.

All three composers were of some repute here in the mid c20th. Hughes' piece was indeed a synthesis, the opening reminded me of Wagner's _Ride of the Valkyries_. I think Vaughan Williams & Sibelius were also of influence here, also on Le Galliene, who we lost at a young age (died in his forties). My favourite works here were by Sutherland, her _Oboe Concertante _reminiscent of neo-classicism. The soloist here was one of our finest at the time, he came from Czechoslovakia & did a lot of playing & teaching here (this work was in fact dedicated to Mr Tancibudek). The tone poem _Haunted Hills _was good, I esp. like the bits with harp & celesta (a bit of a fairy-like world?).

*Elliot CARTER* - _Clarinet Concerto _(1996)
Alain Damiens, cl. / Ens. InterContemporain / David Robertson, cond. (from THIS EMI disc)

Some jazzy bits here (but not improv), also dreamy and kind of night-feel slow/quieter parts in between. A lot of it is like a dialogue between soloist & bigger group. I also like the chamber-like feel, Carter uses a small orch., in order not to "smother" the clarinet.

*Steve REICH* - _Four Organs _(Michael Tilson Thomas, organs)
*Philip GLASS* - _Facades - Company _(both for string orch.) (London Ch. Orch. / Christopher Warren-Green, cond.)
(from THIS EMI disc)

In the organs piece, Reich doesn't do much except draw out the note. It's a bit like that "tenterhooks" ending of Sibelius' sym#5, you are waiting for it to finish, don't know when it will. Except this is for like 25 minutes, some may find that tedious, but I quite like it. I like Glass' way of writing for strings, I like the "Brahmsian" restraint & getting a lot out of little.


----------



## opus55

Interesting combination of violin and organ


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, _performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}, _performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Evgeny Mravinsky.
Aaron Copland--_Symphony No.3_, featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## hespdelk

Stylish early baroque.. interesting to note that the duet "Pur ti vedo" that traditionally concludes Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Popea is actually taken from this work by Ferrari... someone along the line seems to have thought it a good fit to finish up the Monteverdi opera..


----------



## Air

*Arensky's Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 32. * Lush, sonorous, richly melodic. I love how unabashedly Romantic Arensky is, some would even call it overly sentimental. But I guess I'm in this overly sentimental mood tonight. Every melody is a tinge of both sadness and happiness, it's beautiful. The use of both the low and the high registers is magical, it sings and it twinkles. What a beautiful work, perhaps the only piece that has kept Arensky's name alive all these years.


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## jaimsilva

*Something new (for me): Fauré's Orchestral Music*

Masques et bergamasques
Ballade for piano and orchestra [Karhryn Stott - piano]
Pavane
Prelude to Penélope
Fantaisie for flute and orchestra (orch.: L.Aubert) [Richard Davis - flute]
Elégie for cello and orchestra [Peter Dixon - cello]
Dolly suite (orch.: H.Rabaud)

BBC Philarmonic
Yan Pascal Tortelier


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## jaimsilva

*Bach: Piano Concertos*

Bach: 5 Piano Concertos: BWV 1052, BWV 1053, BWV 1054, BWV 1055, BWV 1056
Ramin Bahrami
Gewandhausorchester
Riccardo Chailly

One of the most exciting interpretations in modern instruments of Bach's Piano Concertos I've ever heard.










I'll listen later his recordings of Bach solo piano works










including among other pieces:
Goldberg Variations
The Art of Fugue
Concerto Italiano
the 6 Partitas


----------



## Manxfeeder

Preparing for a long day of sitting and listening to seminar speakers with *Debussy's Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor*. Regardless of the rest of the day, at least as of now I've already heard something interesting.


----------



## Aramis

Reconstrution of 1830 concerto in which Chopin performed his 2nd piano concerto.

XIXth century concertos were weird. What kind of program is this:

- orchestral overture
- piano concerto
- song for voice and piano
- another work for piano and orchestra
- another overture

?

But the HIP performance of Chopin's concerto is wonderful.


----------



## clavichorder

Aramis said:


> Reconstrution of 1830 concerto in which Chopin performed his 2nd piano concerto.
> 
> XIXth century concertos were weird. What kind of program is this:
> 
> - orchestral overture
> - piano concerto
> - song for voice and piano
> - another work for piano and orchestra
> - another overture
> 
> ?
> 
> But the HIP performance of Chopin's concerto is wonderful.


A concert program reconstruction? That's interesting. Also, didn't they used to ask the orchestra to replay a piece if they liked it in an encore?


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## Aramis

clavichorder said:


> Also, didn't they used to ask the orchestra to replay a piece if they liked it in an encore?


 I don't think that the concert reconstructed relations between audience and musicians too.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, _featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 7-10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 3
James Levine/CSO; Marilyn Horne

I don't care what other people say about Levine's Mahler, I find it enormously satisfying and refreshing. At least he does something significant in every movement of this symphony, makes sure the structure hangs together, is suitably vulgar when necessary, and pulls together one of the most convincing last movements ever recorded, which is far more than one can say about most other Mahler 3's out there.


----------



## science

Breaking in the new machine the right way.

Gonna be pretty mainstream for a few weeks...

Edit: Continuing in that vein, another old, old favorite:


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## jaimsilva

*Alfred Brendel - Artist's Choice Anniversary Edition*

What a program! including:

Bach - Italian Concerto, BWV 971
Mozart - Piano Concerto No.17, K453
Schubert - Fantasia, Op.15 D760 'Wanderer'
Beethoven - Sonata No.29, Op.106 'Hammerklavier'
Weber - Konzertstuck for piano and orchestra, Op.79
Mussorgsky - Pictutes at an Exhibition


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## Aramis

Some say that this work is quintessential for Chopin. There is some truth in it, but I wouldn't call it definitive. It's wonderful and profound work anyway with some of my favourite Chopin moments, like 8:20-8:54 (in this video).


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## science

A little evening listening.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}, _featuring Evgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 1-3, _Performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. _Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin davis.


----------



## Sid James

On the weekend, basically repeat listenings, as well as some string quartet works by the old chameleon!...

*MENDELSSOHN* - _Octet in E flat, Op. 20_
Melos Ensemble of London (on THIS EMI 2 disc set)

Previously to a while back, I only knew the elfish scherzo from this work (don't we all?), but now knowing the whole thing, it's all so good. Two quite complex & busy (counterpoint) outer movts. sandwiching the slow movt. that has so much depth for a composer of just 16, as well as the famous scherzo.

*Australian composers of mid-c20th *(from THIS ABC Classics 2 disc set)
*Margaret SUTHERLAND *(1897-1984) 
-_ Oboe Concertante _(Jiri Tancibudek, ob./Patrick Thomas, cond.) 
- _Haunted Hills - tone poem for orch. _(John Hopkins, cond.)
Both with Melbourne Symphony Orch.

Sutherland was on the of the major modernist composers in Australia in the mid-c20th. The influences of neo-classicists such as Bartok, Stravinsky, Martinu are apparent in the concertino. The silky, smooth & singing voice-like tone of the oboe is shown off in all it's glory. The accompanying tone poem is also interesting, a bit more like some UK composers (esp. Vaughan Williams), not far off from their film music. Interesting use of orch. colour here, esp. with the harp, celesta & brass.

*DEBUSSY* - _Jeux_
Austrian Radio & Television Phil. (ORTF) / Milan Horvat, cond.
From THIS Point Classics disc

I've got a few performances of this, my fav Debussy work to date, & I think I like Horvat's the most, due to the flexibility & agility of him bringing out those complex/changing rhythms.

*STRAVINSKY* - Works for string quartet
- _Concertino_ (1920)
- _Three Pieces _(1914)
- _Double Canon _(1959)
Goldner String Quartet (Australia)
From THIS Naxos disc

One of our finest string quartet groups, here playing three of the most well-known works for this medium by Stravinsky. One wished that the man had composed more. The first two are from his rhythmic post-_Rite of Spring _phase, exploring techniques laid down in that, the last was done at the start of his serial phase, a work which under 2 minutes expresses a tribute to the French painter Raoul Dufy, who had just passed away at the time.


----------



## Sid James

Aramis said:


> ...Some say that this work is quintessential for Chopin. There is some truth in it, but I wouldn't call it definitive. It's wonderful and profound work anyway with some of my favourite Chopin moments, like 8:20-8:54 (in this video).


Thanks for that, I enjoyed it. I just bought a Chopin disc put down by Wilhelm Kempff which I'll have to get into soon. I like Chopin's sense of melancholy & longing for a nation that could only be expressed in his music, Polish independence being just a dream back then...


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## violadude

*Isle of the dead*: This is one of my favorite pieces by Rachmaninov. Nearly the whole piece sounds like one huge, slow buildup to a really exciting climax where so many things happen along the way (including a lot of "teaser" mini-climaxes). It's haunting, dramatic, and dark with these isolated moments of sweetness that are just beautiful when they do come. The main motive is a great metamorphosis of the "Dies Irae" plainchant.


----------



## robert

Scriabin
First Symphony

Concerto for Orchestra
Reverie
Poem of Fire

Nikolay Golovanov


----------



## samurai

Thanks to Sid James, I just listened to Kurt Weill's *Symphony No.1* on You Tube, as well as Vaughan William's *Partita for Double String Orchestra.* 
As regards the Weill piece, I'm not sure if it qualifies as *atonal *or not, but on balance I was able to "follow it" and really enjoy it. I was surpried to read that although it was written in 1921, it wasn't premiered until 1956.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Thanks to Sid James, I just listened to Kurt Weill's *Symphony No.1* on You Tube, as well as Vaughan William's *Partita for Double String Orchestra.*


Thanks for reporting back.



> As regards the Weill piece, I'm not sure if it qualifies as *atonal *or not, but on balance I was able to "follow it" and really enjoy it.


Well, that symphony can be described as "atonal" - eg. music without a tonal centre - but of course every composer had a different way of writing "atonally." Some went "all the way" & some didn't. I read somewhere that two of the movts. of Sibelius' third symphony do not have a tonal centre - eg. are "atonal" - but the rest do (I'd hazard a guess that he gets back into the tonic - or dominating key - by the end of the work). Guys like Hindemith were also like this, they used these "new" techniques in their own individual way.



> ...I was surpried to read that although it was written in 1921, it wasn't premiered until 1956.


Yes, that's true, according to the liner notes of the Naxos disc, it was "discovered" in the mid-1950's in a convent in Italy! Wonder how it got there? In any case, it is highly likely that Weill never heard this work before his death in 1950.


----------



## science

Though this is the middle of the thoroughly well-trodden path for most people, I personally haven't heard it very many times.


----------



## science

violadude said:


> *Isle of the dead*: This is one of my favorite pieces by Rachmaninov. Nearly the whole piece sounds like one huge, slow buildup to a really exciting climax where so many things happen along the way (including a lot of "teaser" mini-climaxes). It's haunting, dramatic, and dark with these isolated moments of sweetness that are just beautiful when they do come. The main motive is a great metamorphosis of the "Dies Irae" plainchant.


I agree. I enjoy that work a lot, and I'm not normally a tone-poem lover.


----------



## Aramis

Sid James said:


> Thanks for that, I enjoyed it. I just bought a Chopin disc put down by Wilhelm Kempff which I'll have to get into soon. I like Chopin's sense of melancholy & longing for a nation that could only be expressed in his music, Polish independence being just a dream back then...


I don't like this generalisation, it scaries many young people here from listening to Chopin - view that his music is one huge "how can I live if I'm not in my homeland... even if I am it's like I wouldn't be!". There are only few pieces of his that I really identify with this national stuff. But his personal connection with this matter doesn't mean you have to think about it all the time and search for it in his music instead of more "human" than "national" emotions. The national background of mazurkas or polonaises is a foundation for national character of his music but the music itself, though clearly national in character, doesn't reflect national subjects and dilemmas all the time, just like his songs for which he used only Polish poet's poems are not about these things (except one of them - no. 17 from op. 74). The national character is a root of art, but it doesn't dominate it.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Richter: Schumann*

Sviatoslav Richter playing Schumann:

Faschingeschwank aus Wien, Op.26
Fantasie, Op.17
Papillons, Op.2


----------



## Vesteralen

violadude said:


> *Isle of the dead*: This is one of my favorite pieces by Rachmaninov. Nearly the whole piece sounds like one huge, slow buildup to a really exciting climax where so many things happen along the way (including a lot of "teaser" mini-climaxes). It's haunting, dramatic, and dark with these isolated moments of sweetness that are just beautiful when they do come. The main motive is a great metamorphosis of the "Dies Irae" plainchant.


Just purchased this set. With the backlog of new discs I have right now, I'll probably be getting to this sometime in February. 

Current listening includes a bunch of stuff on the Alia Vox label that I have gotten out of the library.

Best of the bunch so far:

*Elizabethan Consort Music 1558-1603 *Hesperion XXI Jordi Savalli


----------



## World Violist

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Radio Choir, Dorothea Roschmann, Thomas Quasthoff

Listening to this as the first addition to the TC Spotify playlist. So far it's as good as any German Requiem I've heard, on the more flowing side.


----------



## Theophrastus

violadude said:


> *Isle of the dead*: This is one of my favorite pieces by Rachmaninov. Nearly the whole piece sounds like one huge, slow buildup to a really exciting climax where so many things happen along the way (including a lot of "teaser" mini-climaxes). It's haunting, dramatic, and dark with these isolated moments of sweetness that are just beautiful when they do come. The main motive is a great metamorphosis of the "Dies Irae" plainchant.


I assume this is based on the series of paintings by Arnold Böcklin, eg.










This has a bit of a pedigree. August Strindberg, the great Swedish playwright, actually wrote a play based on this, although he never finished it. A copy of the painting hung to the right of the stage at Stockholm's Intimate Theatre which existed to stage Strindberg's plays. (There was another Böcklin painting, Isle of the Living, to the left).

Must get a copy of this piece and give it a listen.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Ravel: Orchestral Music*

Bolero
Alborada del gracioso
Rhapsodie espagnole
La Valse
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Valses nobles et sentimentales
Menuet antique
Le tombeau de Couperin
Ma mère l'Oye
Daphnis et Chloé

Concertgebouw Orchestra
Bernard Haitink


----------



## robert

Edmund Rubbra

Symphony 4 Del Mar
Symphony 5 Hans-Hubert Schonzeler

Visiting some old favorites


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 7-10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet
Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30. _Both pieces feature Abbey Simon on piano with Leonard Slatkin conducting the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## jaimsilva

*A piece that should be better known*

I mean *Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain"* (for piano and orchestra)

In this Decca recording very well coupled with:
Albeniz: Rapsodia Espanola
Turina: Rapsodia Sinfonica

Alicia de Larrocha (piano in "Nights in the Gardens of Spain")
London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos










strongly recommended


----------



## Manxfeeder

jaimsilva said:


> *Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain"* (for piano and orchestra)]


I just got a recording of that. It's a different conductor, but still, I'm looking forward to hearing it.

Now I'm listening to Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin, a modern take on the "eternal feminine" motif, with chords built not on thirds but on fourths.


----------



## kv466

Manxfeeder said:


> I just got a recording of that. It's a different conductor, but still, I'm looking forward to hearing it.
> 
> Now I'm listening to Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin, a modern take on the "eternal feminine" motif, with chords built not on thirds but on fourths.


I didn't know Jeff van Gundy started playing classical!!!!

Scriabin - Piano Sonata no. 3 in b minor, Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## robert

Continuing more of my favorites
William Mathias
Symphony No. 1 & 2
BBC Welsh S.O.
Mathias

Symphony No. 3
Helios
Oboe Concerto
Requiescat

BBC Welsh S.O.
Llewellyn


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2*

I love this Lady's Violin Playing - A great disc!


----------



## Sid James

A whole swag of stuff last night, started with a re-listen to pianist Peter Lawson's EMI disc of American piano sonatas by *Griffes, Sessions, Ives*, then it was this stuff -

*BEETHOVEN* - _Octet in E flat, Op. 103 _(cl., bassoon, ob., horn - 2 of each)
Melos Ensemble of London (EMI)

An early work from the 1790's, not published until 1830, after Beethoven's death (hence the high opus no.). Bits of it make me think of things coming later like Gounod's _Petite Symphonie _for winds. I'll have to give this another listen.

*Robert HUGHES* (1912-2007)
- _Symphony in Three Movements _(Joseph Post, cond.) Rec. 1953
- _Synthesis_ for orch. (Willem van Otterloo, cond.)
Both with Melbourne Symphony Orch. (on THIS ABC Classics 2 disc set of various Aussie composers)

Hughes was a major voice in Australian music in the mid-c2oth. The symphony comes across as a journey from darkness to light. The first movt., reminiscent of the darker hues of Sibelius, the second (with a sax solo in the middle) a scherzo not unlike some of those in Vaughan Williams' symphonies, the third quite triumphant, reminding me of the end of Walton's first symphony. An interesting work that would deserve a better quality recording, this one not in very good condition & ancient, but very good to hear it nonetheless. As for _Synthesis_, it's a colourful orchestral showpiece, showing off Hughes' abilities of orchestration.

*Elena KATS-CHERNIN *(born 1957) - _Piano Concerto #2_ (2002)
Ian Munro, pno. / Tasmanian SO / Ola Rudner (on THIS ABC Classics disc, with other wks. by Kats-Chernin)

Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent, but moved to Australia in her teens & she has been involved in the classical music scene here for a number of decades. This concerto was written for Ian Munro, one of our finest pianists, and a noted composer in his own right. There's a lot of ebb & flow in this work, aspects of a "minimalist" & "impressionist" feel, the slow movt. based on one of Chopin's waltzes that the composer's mother played, giving it a bluesy feel, a bit of cabaret in the third movt., then a very colourful ending (esp. like her use of percussion).

*Ferruccio BUSONI*
-_ Two studies for "Doktor Faust," Op. 51 - Sarabande & Cortege _(1918-19)
- _Berceuse Elegiaque for orch., Op. 42 _(1909)
Hong Kong PO / Samuel Wong, cond. (Naxos)

Busoni, more of an evolutionist than a revolutionist, doesn't get much of an airing in concert halls here. That's a pity, because these works are superb, blending old & new. The _Two Studies _come from an incomplete opera which was to be his magnum opus. The first is slow, the second a bit devlish & faster. The _Berceuse Elegiaque _has to be one of the most amazing works of it's time. It starts with a sense of floating tonality, like in outer space, and gradually moves towards a rocking motion, which is kind of both gentle and disturbing. The harp, gong and celesta come to the fore to underpin this rhythm at the end. Written at the time of the death of the composer's mother, this work was apparently premiered in New York under Mahler, in his final concert in February 1911. This work was dedicated to Busoni's student, Edgard Varese, and it was much admired by the likes of Richard Strauss.


----------



## clavichorder

Medtner Piano Concerto 3, Demidenko


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4, Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4*

Prokofiev is my Composer of the day! - Just finishing listening to Disc 1 of his Concertos with some wonderful Piano Concertos. I especially enjoyed number 2 from the above selection. Next up some Symphonies - I'm not that familiar with the 3rd so it should be an interesting listen


----------



## jaimsilva

*Starting my day with rare jewels!*

I found a real treasure!

*Clara Haskil in Concert at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees*

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 4 op 58
Mozart - Piano Concerto 24 KV491

Orchestre National, André Cluytens, live recording 8 December 1955

Chopin - Piano Concerto 2 op 22
Mozart - Piano Concerto 19 KV459

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Rafael Kubelik, live rec. 31 January 1960
Orchestre National, Constantin Silvestri, live recording 19 February 1959


----------



## Guest

I went to the library and picked up the following last night:








Because who doesn't love to hear some nice, fresh Haydn? My greatest love when it comes to Haydn is that, while other composers seem to lose my interest over time, Haydn only grows. When first investigating classical music, I found him boring. But the more I listen, the more I come to truly enjoy this musical genius. And I love HIP recordings of his symphonies.








Who is Bacewicz? No clue. The liner notes tell me she was a very well respected Polish composer of the last century, of the neo-classical school. The recording is on Hyperion, and I have come to love most Hyperion recordings, so I was willing to take a chance on this based solely on the label. I'm trying to give chances to composers I know nothing about.








I've been curious about this one for a while, and so when I saw it at the library, I decided it was finally time to investigate. I generally enjoy the Naxos label, and hey, it's Superman!








I've heard his second quartet recorded by the Emerson String Quartet - wasn't completely won over by it, but I understand he was a very important American composer who I knew little or nothing about, so, again, I wanted to explore someone I wasn't familiar with.








Why? Why not? I have listened to so many other recordings of the 2nd concerto - one of my absolute favorites of the genre - so what is one more?








I'm not the biggest Britten fan, but it is the Sixteen, so it is deserving of at least a listen or two. Who knows, I might like Britten's choral works (apart from his War Requiem, which doesn't do much for me).


----------



## GoldenKey

Mozart C Major piano concerto


----------



## jaimsilva

*Concertos & Solo Works for Fortepiano*

*Antonio Salieri* - Concerto for Fortepiano & Orchestra C-Dur
Concerto for Fortepiano & Orchestra B-Dur
*Joseph Anton Steffan* - Concerto for Fortepiano & Orchestra B-Dur
*Muzio Clementi* - Preludio, alla Haydn C-Dur
Sonata f-moll Op.13 N.6
Sonata g-moll Op.34 N.2
Sonata F-Dur Op.33 N.2
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Concerto No.9 Es-Dur K271 "Jeunehomme"
Piano Concerto No.17 G-Dur K453
Piano Concerto No.18 B-Dur K456
Piano Concerto No.19 F-Dur K459
*John Field* - Piano Concerto No.2 As-Dur H31
Piano Concerto No.3 Es-Dur H32

Andreas Staier (fortepiano) & Concerto Köln


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to Falla's *Nights in the Gardens of Spain* for the first time. Gerald Schwarz provides a commentary, which is helpful. This should be the Spotify link, if anyone's interested.


----------



## kv466

Bach - Concerto for Keyboard and Orchestra no. 5 in f minor, guess by who


----------



## robert

DrMike said:


> I went to the library and picked up the following last night:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because who doesn't love to hear some nice, fresh Haydn? My greatest love when it comes to Haydn is that, while other composers seem to lose my interest over time, Haydn only grows. When first investigating classical music, I found him boring. But the more I listen, the more I come to truly enjoy this musical genius. And I love HIP recordings of his symphonies.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bacewicz excellent composer. The disc mentioned is excellent. If this disc leaves you feeling you need more may I suggest:
> Piano Works- Kupiec
> String Quartet No. 3 Penderecki String Quartet
> Love her Violin Concertos for a taste try her VC 3 B/W Karlowicz Eternal Songs....on DUX
> Her discs are available at amazon and if not Archiv has plenty.... she is well worth your time..
> 
> .
> Who is Bacewicz? No clue. The liner notes tell me she was a very well respected Polish composer of the last century, of the neo-classical school. The recording is on Hyperion, and I have come to love most Hyperion recordings, so I was willing to take a chance on this based solely on the label. I'm trying to give chances to composers I know nothing about.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been curious about this one for a while, and so when I saw it at the library, I decided it was finally time to investigate. I generally enjoy the Naxos label, and hey, it's Superman!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've heard his second quartet recorded by the Emerson String Quartet - wasn't completely won over by it, but I understand he was a very important American composer who I knew little or nothing about, so, again, I wanted to explore someone I wasn't familiar with.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why? Why not? I have listened to so many other recordings of the 2nd concerto - one of my absolute favorites of the genre - so what is one more?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not the biggest Britten fan, but it is the Sixteen, so it is deserving of at least a listen or two. Who knows, I might like Britten's choral works (apart from his War Requiem, which doesn't do much for me).[/QUOTE
> 
> see response above.....


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 14 and 15, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. _Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Benjamin Britten--_4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op.33, _featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## robert

Pollini Plays

Stravinsky Petrouchka

Prokofiev Sonata No. 7

Webern Variation

Boulez Sonata No. 2

MY favorite Pollini


----------



## samurai

@ Conor71, I've been trying to decide whether to buy that Jarvi Prokofiev cycle from Amazon. How would you rate it?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with Morales' Requiem, by Paul McCreesh.


----------



## Sid James

robert said:


> Pollini Plays
> 
> Stravinsky Petrouchka
> 
> Prokofiev Sonata No. 7
> 
> Webern Variation
> 
> Boulez Sonata No. 2
> 
> MY favorite Pollini


Yes, & one of my favourite solo piano recordings so far! Esp. like the Boulez 2nd sonata, which in Pollini's hands has this crystalline clarity, though my favourite recording of that is Idil Biret's "no holds barred" more passionate & "sexed up" take on this masterpiece...


----------



## Sid James

Last night, a first & very rewarding listen to the Tristano bachCage album, such good stuff, as well as other things (I listened to more than in this post, but will return to post the rest when I have time) -

*Album: bachCage* on DGG label
*Music by J.S. BACH, John CAGE, Francesco TRISTANO*

Francesco Tristano, piano
Moritz von Oswald, live electronics
Rashad Becker, mix electronics

F. Tristano - _Introit_
J.S. Bach - _Partita #1 in B flat major, BWV.825_
J. Cage 
- _In a Landscape_ (1948) (ed. Peters)
- _The Seasons_ (1947) (ed. Peters)
J.S. Bach - _Four duets BWV.802-5_ - both parts played by Mr Tristano (overlaying of tracks)
J. Cage - _Etude Australe No.VIII book I_ (1974-5) (ed. Peters)
F. Tristano - _Interludes_
J.S. Bach - _Menuett II_ (from _French Suite #1 BWV.812_)

This was released this year & it's a fantastic & innovative album, imo. A mix of old & new keyboard music, combining acoustic playing with electronic elements. A lot of effort went into making this album, I can certainly hear that. I really enjoyed the atmospheric & gentle_ In a Landscape_, such a delicious piece, & hearing Mr Tristano play both parts of the Bach duets was pretty amazing. I think he kind of plays Bach with a "jazzy" modern groove, which makes it quite interesting for me. Mr Tristano's short pieces "frame" the album, which was meant to be like a live performance. The opening one is kind of impressionistic, the one at the end follows on from the Cage piece before, I couldn't tell the difference between them. This album is just a gem, proving that you can combine old & new successfully on the one album, it's all just music, whatever era/composer it came from, right?

*Dietrich BUXTEHUDE*
Organ works
_Prelude, Fugue & Chaconne in C major, BuxWV.137
Preludes & Fugues, BuxWV.139, 140, 141, 142, 145_
Helmut Walcha, organ of Arp Schnitger, Cappel (Archiv Produktion)

In a kind of rare Baroque groove, I listened to half of this Buxtehude organ album. I like his organ music, have quite a few recordings of it, I think it's quite relaxing yet still stimulating. Certainly not as full-on as J.S.Bach's tend to be. I like the colours that are bought out by this recording, it is quite sensitive & "realistic."


----------



## Sid James

Listening from before, continued -

*SZYMANOWSKI*
- _Harnasie (The Highland Robbers), Op. 55_ - ballet pantomime (1923-31), Text: J. Iwaszkiewicz, M. Rytard
Andrzej Bachleda, tenor / Wieslaw Kwasny, violin
Polish Radio Choir, Krakow / Polish Radio SO, Krakow / Antoni Wit, cond.
-_ Mazurka Op. 50 No. 1 in C major; Mazurka Op. 50 No. 2 in A major_
Felicja Blumenthal, piano
(EMI)

I bought this set a while back & have kind of neglected it, so have decided to listen to it bit by bit. I really enjoyed _Harnasie_, which incorporates Szymanowski's favoured Goral (highlands) music from the Tatra Mountains. Parts of it are dreamy and lush, other parts (eg. the _Drinking Song_) are all-out & quite rough. The very last part, with the tenor solo singing with violin accompaniment, is just beyond words. As for the mazurkas, they were much more astringent and kind of modernistic than how I'd remembered them, quite folksy but fragmented as well.

Then some *Australian composers of the turn of the c20th* (around 1900) from THIS ABC Classics 2 disc collection -
*Fritz HART* (1874-1949)
- _The Bush, symphonic suite, Op. 59_ (excerpts)
*George MARSHALL-HALL* (1862-1915)
- Second movt. (Largamente) from _Symphony in E-flat major_
Melbourne SO / Richard Divall, cond.

These pieces sounded more European to my ears than Australian, which is understandable, given the period of time they were composed in. Hart's piece had elements of "impressionism" & Marshall-Hall's one was more "romantic." I haven't heard anything else by these two guys, I know nothing about them, they seem to have been largely forgotten here...


----------



## Conor71

samurai said:


> @ Conor71, I've been trying to decide whether to buy that Jarvi Prokofiev cycle from Amazon. How would you rate it?


Its a very good cycle samurai  - nice lively performances and the sound is excellent! I would definetely recommend this one.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Triple Concerto*

Quite the dream team in this performance - excellent as expected!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: Triple Concerto*
> 
> Quite the dream team in this performance - excellent as expected!


Wow, that _is_ a dream team. On to Spotify!


----------



## Manxfeeder

After Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Oistrach, Richter, and Rostropovich, I'm keeping the energy buzz alive with their takes on Shostakovich.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Rachmaninov - Complete Symphonies & Orchestral Works - Ashkenazy*

In the 1970s among Vladimir Ashkenazy's first recordings were a highly regarded Rachmaninov's orchestral works recording with the Concertgebouw.

Now (2007) a new recording of the Complete Symphonies and Orchestral works by Rachmaninov came to me. With the Sidney Symphony.

I have to confess that, as far as I remember, Rachmaninov's symphonies were not of my complete satisfaction when I listened to them some years ago. Let's give another chance!


----------



## agoukass

Schubert: Sonata in C major, D. 812 "Grand Duo"
Duo Tal and Groethuysen, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

Back-to-back recordings of *Rachmaninov's 4th piano concerto*. First, Bernd Glemser with Antoni Wit, then Vladimir Ashkenazy with Andre Previn.


----------



## samurai

Conor71 said:


> Its a very good cycle samurai  - nice lively performances and the sound is excellent! I would definetely recommend this one.


Thanks for the recommendation, Conor. I'm leaning towards either this or the Rostropovich cycle, which is pretty fairly priced from Amazon. So basically, if I like Shostakovich, it should translate to Prokofiev as well, do you think?


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}, _performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Evgeny Mravinsky. Mravinsky and the Leningrad give a rousing rendition of this piece indeed!
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.55,_ performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Maestro Bernstein, as does Carlos Kleiber, seem to bring a special heart-felt passion when they are conducting Beethoven's works.


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to pianist *Francesco Tristano's *excellent *bachCage* album that I reviewed above HERE, then on to some others things -

*SZYMANOWSKI*
- _Concert Overture in E major, Op. 12_ (1904-5, rev. 1912-13)
Polish RNSO / Jacek Kaspszyk, cond.
- _Theme & Variations in B-flat minor, Op. 3_ (1903)
Felicja Blumenthal, piano
(from EMI 2 disc set)

Quite a Germanic influence in these early works, R. Strauss' impact is apparent in the overture & the Austro-German piano tradition is audible in the variations.

*Peter SCULTHORPE* (b. 1929)
- _Djilile for small orch._ (1998/96)
- _Lament for solo cello & string orch._ (1976/91), with Sue-Ellen Paulsen, cello
- _Little Suite for string orch_. (1958/62/68/83)
- _Night Song for string orch._ (1976, publ. 1991)
- _Port Arthur: In Memoriam _(1996) for orch. (two versions) with trumpet (soloist: Mark Skillington) & with oboe (soloist: Joseph Ortuso), both with Barbara Jane Gilby, solo violin
All items with Tasmanian SO / David Porcelijn, cond. (ABC Classics disc)

Aussie composer Peter Sculthorpe has a special way with strings, many of these works being written for our own Australian Chamber Orchestra, with whom he's had a special relationship. The darker pieces speak to the influence of Messiaen, mixing tonality with dissonance, glissandos, & the dynamics are low or in the middle, not much "peaks," mirroring the mostly flat landscape of our continent. The most popular work here is the _Little Suite_, a compilation of earlier bits of various films scores, the first movt. a sea shanty a bit like the British guys, then a gentle serenade, then the _Left Bank Waltz _(his most famous piece to date), an image of Paris' cafe scene which Sculthorpe was yet to see when he wrote this. The Port Arthur piece is a gentle & moving (but not schmaltzy, imo) tribute to those who lost their lives there in the massacre of 1996. Dutchman David Porcelijn was a great guy to have around this country in the '90's, he really did much to promote new music, esp. that of Aussie composers.

*BUXTEHUDE*
Organ works
_Preludes & Fugues BuxWV.146 & 149
Chaconnes BuxWV.159 & 160
Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV.161_
Helmut Walcha, Arp Schnitger organ, Cappel (Archiv Produktion)

Love Buxtehude's organ music, & have a Denon disc of his & others of the "North German School" waiting in the wings, which I hope to get into soon.

& to wind down, "an oldie but a goodie" -

*MENDELSSOHN*
_Symphony #4 in A, Op. 90 "Italian"_
Concertgebouw / Bernard Haitink, cond. (Philips tape, with Schubert _Rosamunde_ music)


----------



## samurai

@ Sid James, I am really amazed at how much you listen to in a single day! How do you find enough time in a day to accomplish all that without developing sensory overload? You--along with Science--have become one of my heroes on this forum, truly!


----------



## Sid James

Well *samurai,* the simple answer to how I get through that much music in an evening, is that I basically don't watch television. But yes, I do get "sensory overload" so tend to get through things slowly, eg. I'll probably take a week to get through that Szymanowski two disc set, bit by bit, I like to spread out my listening (eg. the Buxtehude one above, I listened to it in halves - it's pretty complex stuff & I can't absorb it fully in one go). I also appreciate your input here, & like to see what you've been listening to, keep posting!...


----------



## samurai

Sid, Thanks; it's because of supportive members such as yourself that I even feel comfortable enough to submit some of my postings/musings to this Forum!


----------



## kv466

Wagner - Prelude from Tristan und Isolde, NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini


----------



## hespdelk

Such engaging imaginative works each in their own way... Rachmaninov is a much deeper composer than he is sometimes given credit for, and Janacek is so familiar and yet so off in a world of his own at the same time...


----------



## Sid James

A busy day, about to burn the midnight oil with some things that have to get done, but am just towards the end of this marvellous piece -

*Peter SCULTHORPE *(b. 1929)
_The Fifth Continent for narrator & orch._ (1963)
Words by D.H. Lawrence, from his novel _Kangaroo_
Peter Sculthorpe, narrator
Tasmanian SO / David Porcelijn, cond.
(ABC Classics)

This quite early work by Sculthorpe shows his unique ways of imaging our landscapes. From the bush to the desolate outback & the coastline, it encapsulates a lot about Australia. The work includes a prominent part for the didjeridu (Aboriginal blown instrument), taped sounds of the wind, as well as narration of a European settlers' experience of this country coming here in the early days. The composer's voice is deep and expressive, but he reads the text in a very natural way. All of the colours of the orchestra are skilfully harnessed to paint his words in music. My favourite bits are _Outback_, about the desolate and lonely country surrounding what is now our capital city, Canberra, back then a fleaspek in the middle of basically nowhere, _Small Town_, which reflects on a war memorial in a bush town - with echoes of "the last post" on the trumpet, which is played here at Gallipoli memorial services every year - and the last part,_ Epilogue_, which is kind of optimistic (as in many of his works, the birds - symbolising new life - return), the settler has made peace with and grown to love this wierd and wonderful country. I just wish this were performed live here sometime, no prizes for guessing who would nab the first ticket to see it!...









More info about a reissue of this disc HERE at Australian Music Centre website.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto op35; Bruch: Violin Concerto 1*

Again? Another Tchaikovsky & Bruch Violin Concertos coupling?

"_Nicola Benedetti can be proud of this disc...there's a flexibility, a confidence and a rapport here that makes for consistently rewarding listening...hers is so well thought-out an interpretration [of the Tchaikovsky] and it's so alertly accompanied that it merits serious attention: it is a performance that has few quirks but bags of conviction_" -- *International Record Review*

Nicola Benedetti with the Czech Philarmonic under the batton of Jakub Hrusa

Let's try it!


----------



## violadude

jaimsilva said:


> Again? Another Tchaikovsky & Bruch Violin Concertos coupling?
> 
> "_Nicola Benedetti can be proud of this disc...there's a flexibility, a confidence and a rapport here that makes for consistently rewarding listening...hers is so well thought-out an interpretration [of the Tchaikovsky] and it's so alertly accompanied that it merits serious attention: it is a performance that has few quirks but bags of conviction_" -- *International Record Review*
> 
> Nicola Benedetti with the Czech Philarmonic under the batton of Jakub Hrusa
> 
> Let's try it!


I don't like her facial expression for some reason. To me it looks like she's trying to be a ghetto punk badass.


----------



## violadude

*Anaklasis for strings and percussion* by Krzysztof Penderecki. This is from my music review blog that I just wrote on this piece.

I have a name for this style, this kind of piece. I call it a "sound piece." In this piece there are no melodies, no traditional harmonies, no concrete rhythmic pattern, just sound. Yes this piece by Penderecki is one of many pieces he wrote that experiment with pieces made entirely out of different sounds that instruments can make. A lot of people would probably say that this piece is not music, or at least not "real music." This brings up the topic, what is music? what constitutes as music? Where is the line drawn between music and noise? In my opinion, music is merely organized sound. Mozart organized sounds to create music that expressed something. Penderecki, in this piece, does the same thing. He organizes sounds (in a different way than Mozart did) to create music that expresses something. And yes, I do believe that "just sounds" can express something. I believe any noise can express something. If I go over to a piano and pound on it, it certainly expresses something. Maybe it expresses torture, or anger but it does express something. So listen to this piece with that in mind. It may not be melodic but when you listen to it, try and think about what kind of emotions or expressions it manages to express without using traditional musical conventions. Or you can just listen to the sounds and notice how cool and interesting they are without thinking about what emotions they express for you. There are different ways of listening to a piece of music.

Anaklasis means refracted light in Greek. So the main idea to the piece is expressing the idea of refracted light through textural shifts in the instruments. Even though the piece is just sounds, it does have a structure. It is divided into three parts, the first part is just for strings, the second part is just for the percussion and the third part is for both of them combined. I think it's really cool that even when Penderecki is only using sounds to create his composition, he still finds components of the music that can be organized in a traditional way. The first section for strings only, strikes me as very ghostly. Except for one outburst, the section with the strings consists of quiet and disembodied music. The transition to the percussion happens seamlessly, even so this section is a complete contrast. It is loud, active and volatile. Just like in more traditional pieces, where there are two contrasting themes, here Penderecki creates two contrasting textures, or sound worlds. At the end, they combine to create an even more powerful sound world. Combined, these two sound worlds are a great force to be reckoned with, but they eventually die out and the piece ends.

This isn't my favorite of Penderecki's pieces that are in this style. A lot of his other pieces like this are a bit more complex and explore even greater possibilities of the orchestra as a tool to create pure sound and some of those compositions are more interesting. I like this piece though for its simplicity. One sound world is introduced, then another, and then they combine. It is a pretty simple concept for those who have never heard this kind of music to grasp so they have room to get used to it. Of course, this piece is also interesting to me as well. What's most interesting to me is not how different this music is, but how much such different sounding music actually does have in common with more traditional music. It has a simple structure, contrasting "themes" (themes here being sound worlds) and it grows and develops like any piece would.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*David Diamond, Symphonies 2 and 4*.


----------



## elgar's ghost

John Ireland's Violin Sonatas/Cello Sonata (Lucy Gould/Alice Neary/Benjamin Frith on Naxos). I like these works a fair bit so I should check out his piano trios as well.


----------



## World Violist

Bach Cantatas, Vol. 22: Eisenach (BWV 4, 31, 66, 6, 134, 145)
John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir; Angharad Gruffydd Jones and Gillian Keith, sopranos; Daniel Taylor, alto; James Gilchrist, tenor; Stephen Varcoe, bass

BWV 4 in particular has been going through my mind constantly for the last few days, but what with moving back to college yesterday I didn't have time to just sit and listen, so I'm doing that now. So I don't really have any comments; this team is nigh-incomparable in Bach, so it's nice to just sit back and enjoy it.


----------



## jaimsilva

violadude said:


> I don't like her facial expression for some reason. To me it looks like she's trying to be a ghetto punk badass.


You'r 100% right! I cannot even understand how people of DECCA could choose this pic of her for the cover. And everybody knows how much a cover can sell...

Anyway, his playing is good enough to forget that expression.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Transcriptions for cello and piano*

César Franck - Sonata A major
Robert Schumann - Adagio und Allegro, opus 70
Johannes Brahms - Sonata D Major, opus 78

Pieter Wispelwey (cello)
Paolo Giacometti (piano)

"_Contending that the cello literature needs more scope and variety, cellists have always felt free to appropriate and adapt works written for other instruments. However, some pieces are more suitable for transcription than others. So, while arrangements have become an accepted part of the repertoire, they tend to vary in quality.

On this disc, Schumann's Adagio and Allegro, written for horn, is more idiomatic to the cello than the two violin sonatas, which, though masterpieces in their original version, do not really lend themselves to successful transplantation. (...) In the corner movements of the Franck, one misses the shimmering radiance of the high violin register, and in the middle range, the cello is swallowed by the piano and the low notes sound like a growl.
The Brahms transcription was always controversial, welcomed only by cellists. To make it more cello-friendly, the key was changed from G-major to D-major, but the cello part still jumps octaves so frequently that melodies are disrupted, moods are not sustained, and climaxes plummet rather than peak. (...) The playing is good technically, and the performers know what they want, but their approach is fussy, sentimental, and exaggerated, with distorted rhythms, excessive dynamics and tempo changes, all calculated and unspontaneous. The pianist perpetuates the frequently encountered misreading of notes in both finales. This recording is not for musical purists._" --Edith Eisler

Nevertheless I will try.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Organ and orchestra*

Samuel Barber - Toccata Festiva
Francis Poulenc - Concerto in G minor
Camille Saint-Saёns - Symphony No.3

Olivier Latry (organ)
Philadelphia Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, _featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. This--along with his 10th--is starting to become one of my favorite symphonies by him, especially that driving and insistent 3rd movement.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92. _Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Fantastic readings of both works by Maestro Bernstein; he seems to have a real affinity for this composer, much like Kleiber.


----------



## agoukass

Rossini: Complete Overtures
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 
Neville Marriner, conductor


----------



## DavidJones

Bach - St.John passion !


----------



## Klavierspieler

Beethoven's String Quartets, Op. 18 by the Emerson Quartet. I listened to all six on my way to and from my piano lesson.


----------



## samurai

They must be pretty short then? Unless your teacher lives a long way from your house, I guess.


----------



## Sid James

*@ violadude*, interesting to read your thoughts about Penderecki's _Anaklasis_, I have that very recording, but I never recognised the structure of the piece. I'll have to go back & listen to it again, I've recently been getting into the Polish guys - going through my EMI 2 disc sets of Szymanowski (see earlier posts above) & Lutoslawski (see post below).



> ...A lot of people would probably say that this piece is not music, or at least not "real music."


Well, I don't really have much time for such people, in regards to their opinions on esp. contemporary music (post-1945). Just as I don't have much time for the "hard" conservatives, whose "solar plexus" of "good" music is basically the "war-horses" written between about 1800 & 1900. I don't trust their opinions - or more accurately, their ideologies - on even the music they like, let alone the music they don't like.


> ...There are different ways of listening to a piece of music.


That's exactly how I see it, try to adapt/adjust myself to each composer/piece as I go along & sometimes I just have to give these things time, leave the door open...


----------



## Sid James

Quite busy, but managed to get through several works from the set below -

*Witold Lutoslawski*
- _Preludes & Fugue for 13 solo strings_* (1972)
- _Trois Poemes d'Henri Michaux_ (1963) (Text - Michaux) (with Krakow Radio Chorus)
- _Paroles Tissees _ (_Woven Words_)(1965) (Text - J-F. Chabrun) (with Louis Devos, tenor)
-_ Postlude #1_
- _5 Songs for soprano & orch._ (1957, orch. 1958) (Text - K. Illakowicz) (with Halina Lukomska, soprano)

* Polish Chamber Orch.
Polish Radio National SO
Conducted by the composer
(from EMI - 2 disc set)

Got this ages ago, haven't listened to it for a while. The trademarks of Lutoslawski's style are tone-clusters, "controlled chance" driven counterpoint & a kind of layering & "ghosting" of instruments/voices. The _Preludes & Fugue _previously sounded to me to be too "aggro," but now I can hear it's kind of "organic" sense of melody. The Michaux poems are one of his finest works, the outer songs moving like a shoal of fish, scattered in a certain direction, & also "ghostly," the middle song called _Le Grand Combat _quite aggressive, the choir & orchestra (which has no strings) doing battle, tit for tat. _Woven Words _is quite surreal & dark, originally penned for Peter Pears. The _Postlude_ is like a symphony in compact form, under 5 minutes. & the songs for soprano have an "impressionistic" & hyper-real quality, I like the bells coming in in the final song. All this under the direction of the man himself, a great set & I'll be hearing the rest as soon as I can...


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## Klavierspieler

samurai said:


> They must be pretty short then? Unless your teacher lives a long way from your house, I guess.


Just a long drive, about an hour and a quarter each way. Sometimes I go a little out of my way to get something to eat of the way back so that makes it take a little longer. They're pretty ordinary length Quartets.


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## mmsbls

Beethoven Late String Quartets (Quartetto Italiano)










When I first got these CDs and listened to them, I was somewhat lukewarm to them. The Grosse Fugue (Op. 133) sounded unpleasant and rather surprising to me. Now I distinctly prefer the late quartets to his earlier quartets, and the Grosse Fugue is my favorite. It's hard to imagine what I heard (or did not hear) on my first listening. I can't _not_ hear beauty throughout the work.


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## Sid James

*@ mmsbls* - exactly! Getting used to LvB's late quartets just takes a bit of time, adjustment, thinking, etc. I've been into classical for over 20 yrs, on & off, but only got round to hearing them in recent years. Actually only got the whole set not much over 6 months ago (with the LaSalle Quartet on Brilliant Classics reissue). The "peak" of this process for me was hearing our very fine Goldner SQ play the Op.132 live earlier this year. It seems to be the most popular - or most-played one here - of the bunch, & what a glorious work it is, they all are, really...

[EDIT - I think I put my impressions of that concert & recordings of the Op. 132 on my blog, some lengthy discussion I did there, yr welcome to check it out if interested]...


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## violadude

*Die Winterriese* by Franz Schubert, From my Blog:
"Die Winterreise" is a collection of 24 iieder (the German word for art song) written by Franz Schubert. Schubert was considered a master of the lied and was the first composer to write great lieder. This particular collection of songs were written for Tenor and piano, however, the recording I have is a transcribed version for baritone and piano, which works well too. The title of this set of songs"Die Winterisse" is german for "A Winters Journey." The songs are about a man who was planning to marry a woman but she decides to break things off with him before they do and now he wanders the earth alone through the cold winter. Each song, for the most part, focuses on a different object he sees on his winter journey, most of which symbolizing his relationship or his loneliness in some way or another.

These are the songs in this collection (translated into english):

Goodnight

The weathervane

Frozen tears

nubmed

The Linden Tree

The Watercourse

On the river

Retrospect

Will O' the Wisp

Rest

Spring Dreams

Solitude

The Post

The Gray Head

The Raven

The Last Hope

In the Village

The Stormy Morning

Illusion

The Guide-Post

The Wayside Inn

Courage

The Mock Suns

The Organ-Grinder

It's great music, it's very beautiful music, but I think one of the main things that makes this work great is that it is so human and so relatable. The words and the music combined expresses the depression of heartbreak so vividly and so expressively that it's hard not to relate to this piece. I think everyone has felt this "lonely and cold winter" due to a failed relationship at least once in their life. Even though the piece is depressing overall, it expresses such a wide range of emotions. Sadness and regret (good night, Frozen tears, the watercourse), Nostalgia and sweet remembrance (The Linden tree, Spring dreams, the wayside Inn) Confusion (The Weathervane, Benumbed, Retrospect) Desperation (the last hope) Anger (the stormy morning) False hope (The post, Illusion, The Mock Suns) Confidence and letting go (Courage) and finally coldness and weariness (Rest, on the river, the organ-grinder). There's not a lot i can say about this piece without going into too much detail except that it's certainly such an amazing and emotional journey that you feel like you're feeling all these things right there along with the singer. As I've said before, it's a very depressing work. The final song, the organ-grinder, is so cold feeling, it's something you have to hear for yourself. You can just feel the iciness coming from this song as the "main character" of the song cycle seems to just lose hope and give up on everything. In my opinion, these songs are some of the most vivid portrayals of human emotion and different feelings relating to heartbreak written by Schubert (or anyone for that matter)


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## jaimsilva

*Gaetano Brunetti - 3 Symphonies*

"_Gaetano Brunetti (1744 in Fano-December 16, 1798 near Madrid) was a prolific Italian composer active in Spain under kings Charles III and IV. Though he was musically influential at court and, to a lesser extent, throughout parts of western Europe, very little of his music was published during his lifetime, and not much more has been published since his death._" (from wikipedia)

Symphony No. 26 in B flat major
Symphony No. 22 in G minor
Symphony No. 36 in A major

Concerto Köln


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## kv466

W.A. Mozart - sonata in b-flat, kv281


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## Manxfeeder

Bach, English Suites, Andres Schiff.


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## jaimsilva

*Jenö Hubay: Violin Concertos 1 & 2*

Violin Concerto no.1 in A minor op.21 'Concerto Dramatique'
Scènes de la Csárda no.3 Maros Vize op.18
Scènes de la Csárda no.4 Hejre Kati op.32
Violin Concerto no.2 in E major op.90

Chloë Hanslip (violin)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Mogrelia (conductor)


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## World Violist

Philip Glass: Music in Twelve Parts

This is very strange music, but I like it quite a lot for some reason. It's very warm-sounding, for lack of a better word.


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## jaimsilva

*more Bach played by Bahrami*

Some days ago I started listening to some of the works included in the 6 CDs of Bahrami's Bach. 
Listening now the first disc: the Goldberg Variations










Ramin Bahrami the iranian pianist born in 1976, is today considered one of the most complete interpreters of Bach.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Moll, Op.10, _performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko.
Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.7 in D Moll, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88. _The 7th is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, while the 8th is played by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Carlo Giulini.


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## agoukass

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453
Arthur Rubinstein, piano
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Arthur Wallenstein, conductor


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## Sid James

Listened to the rest of the Lutoslawski set, threw in a bit of Szymanowski, the Aussie Conyngham & Buxtehude -

*Witold Lutoslawski*
- _5 Songs for soprano & orch._ (1957, orch. 1958)(Text - K. Illakowicz) with Halina Lukomska, sop.*
- _Cello Concerto _(1970) with Roman Jablonski, cello*
- _String Quartet _(1964) with Alban Berg Quartet
* Polish Radio National SO / composer conducting
(from EMI 2 disc set)

It seems that Lutoslawski worked with similar ideas in much of his music, but I like how he worked things out differently with each piece. There's a feeling of darkness & anger in the cello concerto, but here played more lyrically than in Rostropovich's recording.

*Karol Szymanowski*
- _Symphony #4 "Symphonie Concertante" Op. 60 _(1932), Piotr Paleczny, pno. / Polish Radio National SO / Jerzy Semkow, cond.
- _Mazurkas in C Op. 50 #1 & in A Op. 50 #2_ (1924-5)*
- _Variations in B-flat minor, Op. 3_ (1903)*
* Felicja Blumenthal, pno.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

Esp. liked the symphony-concerto. Love the colours of the orchestra, kind of romantic but modern at the same time. The final movt. has these wild jabbing rhythms, quite unlike Bartok, even though the Hungarian did influence Szymanowski in this to a degree.

*Barry Conyngham *(b. 1944)
_Water...Footsteps...Time for amplified instruments & orch._
Melbourne SO / John Hopkins, cond. (rec. 1972)
From ABC Classics 2 disc set HERE

This is a bit like a sound-sculpture. Takemitsu, who taught Conyngham, comes to mind a bit, as well as other composers of the time. Conyngham is one of our most interesting composers, he likes to combine acoustic with electronic/recorded elements.

*Dietrich Buxtehude*
- _Chorale Variation 'Vater unser im Himmelreich' BuxWV.207
- Praeludium et Fuge in A minor BuxWV.153_
*Matthias Weckmann* - _Magnificat II Toni_
*Vincent Lubeck* - _Praeambulum_
Jacques van Oortmerssen, organ
(From Denon CD - North German Organ School)

I liked these works, it was a first listen. I find them good for relaxing, but also concentrating on the blending/interaction of "voices," good for winding down. The organ on this recording was reconstructed in 1975, exactly 300 years after it was first built. A lot of things happened in the interim (eg. the pipes being melted down for armaments in war-times), but I'm glad it's back to it's former glory.


----------



## hespdelk

Sibelius' late symphonies.. such wonderful soundscapes.. great sound on this one which really enhances the experience.


----------



## World Violist

Pilgrimage to Santiago
John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir

My SDG Gardiner CDs were the only physical CDs I brought to school with me this year, so now I'm listening to the earliest works among them. They're fascinating and performed wonderfully, with that mix of laser-like precision, focus, and fluidity that I've come to expect from the Monteverdi Choir.


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## jaimsilva

*Schubert and Liszt*

David Fray plays Schubert and Liszt

Schubert - Fantasia in C Wanderer
Schubert/Liszt - Du bist die Ruh
Schubert/Liszt - Der Doppelgaenger
Liszt - Sonate in B minor

"_David Fray (born May 24, 1981) is a French classical pianist. Voted "Newcomer of the Year 2008" by the BBC Music Magazine,[2] Fray has gained attention for his musical interpretation as well as his eccentricities in performance and rehearsal, which were highlighted in the 2008 ARTE documentary about him titled "Swing, Sing and Think"._" (from wikipedia)










"_On evidence here, David Fray is an excellent musician, technically very well equipped but willing to place his virtuosity entirely in the service of the music. His Liszt Sonata has something of the magisterial quality typical of, say, Claudio Arrau, and an equivalent richness and beauty of tone. Fray manages the most thunderous octave passages without banging, sails through the central fugato with confidence and clarity, and integrates the whole structure very satisfyingly. (...)
Against quite daunting competition in both major works Fray more than holds his own, and that's saying a lot._" [David Hurwitz - Classics Today.com]


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## jaimsilva

*David Fray again now playing Bach's Piano concertos*

Keyboard Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1056 & 1058

David Fray
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen










I've saw before the documentary made during the rehearsals for this disc.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 11-13, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich. Great rendition and reading here!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Once again...










Now for the next week I'll be singing, badly, to my self:

_Un dì, felice, eterea,
Mi balenaste innante,
E da quel dì tremante
Vissi d'ignoto amor.
Di quell'amor ch'è palpito
Dell'universo, Dell'universo intero,
Misterioso, altero,
Croce e delizia cor.
Misterioso, Misterioso altero,
Croce e delizia al cor._


----------



## Tapkaara

Sibelius's own piano transcription of his music for Pelleas et Melisande. Beautifully performed by Folke Grasbeck.


----------



## Theophrastus

Bach cello suites, performed by Rostropovich.


----------



## Pieck

Ysaye - Six Sonatas for Violin Solo Op. 27 - Philippe Graffin
First work I hear by him. Quite interesting. He really makes it sound like more than instrument, and that's a target most of the times when writing for solo instrument (not keyboard). Im not sure if Im going to love it (maybe I will) but it is indeed written pretty well.


----------



## Sid James

*Witold Lutoslawski*
- _Paroles Tissees _ (_Woven Words_)(1965) (Text - J-F. Chabrun)

On EMI with Louis Devos, tenor
Polish Radio National SO
Conducted by the composer
(from EMI - 2 disc set)

On Naxos with Piotr Kusziewicz, tenor
Polish Radio National SO / Antoni Wit, cond.

I usually don't care for comparing recordings of the same work, but in the case of Lutoslawski it's always interesting for me, given his use of "controlled chance" techniques. Every performance of his music is different, probably more so than with other composers. This song-cycle is one of his finest, written for Peter Pears. The text is surrealist poetry, very vivid. Lutoslawski's own recording emphasises different aspects, it's more kind of "full-on" & edgy, while Wit's account is more kind of lyrical and soft (and he's about 2 minutes slower than the composer). I'm slowly getting through the Polish composers in my collection, just for the reason that it's been a while since I've heard these recordings...

Also listened to this this morning before I got the day underway -

*Paul Hindemith*
_Mathis der Maler symphony_
Austrian Radio & Television PO (ORTF) / Milan Horvat, cond. (on PILZ label)

I take this work to be like a modern _Eroica_, a protest against tyranny and oppression. The slow & intense middle movt., building up to a big climax talks to this feeling for me. So does the coda, Hindemith interrupts a kind of galloping ostinato to end with a blazing chorale, which can easily be taken as a hymn to freedom (Dared he wish for freedom in the depths of Nazi rule? They didn't agree, they banned it, & he went into exile). I have a number or these recordings with the ORTF under Maestro Horvat, & they're pretty good. He was certainly an advocate for c20th music in his time with this orchestra, he put a lot of good stuff down on disc...


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## agoukass




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## jaimsilva

*Borodin*

Overture from Prince Igor (compl. & orch. Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov)
Nocturne (from String Quartet no.2)
Galitzky's aria from Prince Igor (compl. & orch. Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov)
Scherzo in A flat major
Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (compl. & orch. Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov)
In the Steppes of Central Asia
For the shores of your far-off native land
Symphony no.2 in B minor (revised Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov)

on: "The World of Borodin"

Sir Georg Solti and the London Symphony Orchestra
Borodin Quartet (on the Nocturne)
Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass, sings "For the shores...")
Ashkenazy (for the Scherzo)


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## Sid James

Looks good, jaimsilva, Borodin is a guy who I don't have much of (except the Polovtsian dances) -

This afternoon, listened to most of this disc of *"Schrammelmusik" of old Vienna*. Composers incl. Schubert, Schrammel, Fahrbach, Strohmayer, etc. This was the popular music of the time. A nice chamber combo - strings, clarinet, guitar. Very intimate. But much of them tended to sound quite the same. I'll probably get back into it later, quite enjoyable, I had about 8 more tracks to go (18 tracks in all, about 1 hour of music)...


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## jaimsilva

*Cello Concertos*

Truls Mørk box containing 5 CDs with Cello Concertos:

Haydn 
Cello Concerto in C major Hob VII: 1 
Cello Concerto in D major Hob VII: 2

Dvořák 
Cello Concerto in B minor op.104 
Tchaikovsky 
Variation on a rococo theme op.96

Prokofiev 
Sinfonia concertante for cello and orchestra in E minor, op.125 
Myaskovsky 
Cello Concerto in C minor op.66

Shostakovich 
Cello Concerto No.1 in E flat major op.107 
Cello Concerto No.2 op.126

Aaron Jay Kernis (american composer born in 1960)
Colored Field, concerto for cello and orchestra 
Musica Celestis for string orchestra
Air for cello and orchestra

[I'll start with the last one - I never heard anything about this composer]


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 8
Herbert von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic (EMI, 1958)

This is the best I've ever heard from HvK. It has all of his best qualities and none of his worst. Broad tempi, sweeping phrases, and all the rich, nuanced sound one could ask of the mid-century BPO. I haven't gotten to the adagio yet, but I'm really looking forward to it.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS nos. 7-10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works feature Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Sid James

Some of my weekend listening -

*Pierre Boulez*
_Piano Sonata #2_ (1948)
Idil Biret, piano (Naxos)

I like Biret's passionate "take" on this work, which some called the _Hammerklavier_ of it's time. One of the great French pianists of the time, Yvonne Loriod, said she trembled and cried when seeing the score at first, but she ended up premiering this work. Talking of the French, Biret recorded this live at Radio France. She is said to be less accurate than some others, but this disc was given a Diapason D'or which is not easy to get. I think some people that focus too much on accuracy don't take into account other things. In any case, this is my "go-to" recording of this work, I also like Pollini's more accurate account for it's crystalline clarity, but I listen to the Biret one more often.

*Francesco Tristano (piano) - bachCage Album *(DGG)
Works by Tristano, J.S. Bach, John Cage - piano, both acoustic and with electronic mixing/realisation

A really enjoyable recent release, which I just got last week. The high points for me are the Cage piece _In a Landscape_, which is kind of surreal and impressionistic, it can be any landscape you imagine; & also four of Bach's duets, with both parts played by Mr Tristano. The format of this recording is like that of a live concert, it's similar to what this pianist does live, but it was entirely recorded in the studio.

*Carlo Gesualdo*
_Four Marian Motets_
Tallis Scholars / Peter Phillips, director (Gimmell)

My first listen to anything sacred by Gesualdo, previously I've only heard his madrigals. I think these motets are kind of easier to grasp, they seem more kind of melodic. Still, his trademarks are there, those special harmonies which sound so fresh even today, as well as the dynamic contrasts & "in your face" emotions.

*Ludwig van Beethoven*
_String Quartet #12 in E flat major, Op. 127_
LaSalle Quartet (Brilliant)

It took a bit of a while to get used to this work when I first got this set about 6 months ago. It's quite fragmentary and choppy, esp. in terms of melody. Now I'm much more into it, can hear what's going on more. The second movement was the longest slow movement to be penned up until that time. There is a bit in there that sounds basically "atonal," it's like for a moment he takes me to the heart of darkness. But this dissipates quickly, like storm clouds blown away by a strong wind. I recently heard the 15th SQ Op. 132 live, it often gets played & is maybe the finest of the bunch, but it's a pity that this one gets less of an airing in the concert halls.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mendelssohn: Piano Trios*

with these three incredible musicians:
Emmanuel Ax (piano)
Itzhak Perlman (violin) 
Yo-Yo Ma (cello)










(long time I don't listen to this beautiful Mendelssohn works)


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## jaimsilva

*some more Mendelssohn*

Going on with Mendelssohn. This time his Piano concertos.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
Piano Concerto In E Minor (reconstructed & completed by R. Larry Todd)
Piano Concerto In A Minor (with string orchestra)

Matthias Kirschnereit (piano)
Frank Beermann conducting the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Chemnitz

"_(...) we now know that he (Mendelssohn) started work on a third concerto in 1842. Two years later, however he interrupted the work in order to return to the Violin Concerto, which he had originally begun many yers earlier. (...) his third essay in the piano concerto remained a torso consisting of two movements - with drafted orchestral and piano parts - and a transition to the finale. In 1981, Mendelssohn scholar Larry Todd published a reconstructed and completed version of the two surviving movements (...) Larry Todd added the last movement from the Violin Concerto with the solo part transcribed for the piano, and that does indeed fit into the overall musical architecture without a break, and moreover supplies a wonderfully spirited finale. (...)_" (Robert Nemecek in the booklet)


----------



## Aramis

Quite awesome piano Chopin had. This recording is true treasure.

I quite agree with note in booklet which says that first chord of revolutionary etude is shocking: we expect old piano to have much less wilderness and power and though it is indeed less loud and stuff no modern roaring piano can make the opening chord sound so fierce as this Pleyed from 1831.


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS nos. 7-10, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
> Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works feature Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


How you liken' those Shosty SQs so far, Samurai?


----------



## World Violist

Bruckner 8
Tennstedt/London Philharmonic

Yeah, so it's not a live performance, but this is still darn good stuff. He's a good bit brisker than Karajan in the first two movements, while still giving a very broad adagio that alternates very well between outward- and inward-looking. Makes me want to hear the live recording on Testament with the Berliners!


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## jaimsilva

*Nino Rota: Two Piano Concertos*

Nino Rota

Piano Concerto in E minor
Piano Concerto C major

Massimo Palumbo (piano)
I Virtuosi Italiani
Marco Boni

"_Both these works are unashamedly Romantic and nostalgic in style. The E minor Piano Concerto was composed in 1960. Rota composed four piano concertos, but the date of the one in C major seems to be in doubt. It's earlier than 1960, and is a sparer, jauntier work, in mood more reminiscent of the 1920s. It, too, presents a dialogue between the questlike piano part and the orchestra asserting a darker mood. Both concertos are played by Massimo Palumbo with brilliant technique; the recorded sound is excellent._" 
(Gramophone)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Jeux*, Debussy, conducted by Jean Martinon.


----------



## Sid James

*@ jaimsilva* - on the same wavelength with you. I "discovered" Mendelssohn's _Piano Trio #2_ last year when hearing it in a recital. Such a dramatic work, the concluding chorale-like section just amazing. His piano concertos are no less innovative than Liszt's, imo (eg. the movements continuing without a break). I have Peter Katin playing them on vinyl. As for Rota, also love his stuff, heard his clarinet trio live last year, the ending quite circus-like, much like parts of one of my fav film scores from him, the one he did for Fellini's_ La Strada_...

Okay, these were the things I got into, it was a journey across the 20th/21st centuries this time -

*Leonard Bernstein*
_Symphony #3 "Kaddish"_ for narrator, full orch., mixed choir, boys choir & soprano solo (1963, re. 1977)
Samuel Pisar, narrator & author of text
Abbie Furmansky, soprano
Rundfunkchor Berlin / Staats-und Domchor Berlin / Luzerner Sinfonieorchester / John Axelrod, cond.
(live recording on Nimbus label, coupled with Weill & Schoenberg)

Mr Pisar's narration comes from the heart & actual experience - he's a Holocaust survivor. This symphony is a journey from despair to hope. Bernstein's usual facility with creating drama & tension is apparent. I always shed a tear when hearing this, esp. the death toll listed by Mr Pisar of all the loved ones he lost. Harrowing but necessary to know and remember. "Never forget!" he screams in one of the sections.

*Krzysztof Penderecki*
_Symphony #8 "Songs of Transcience"_ (Lieder der Verganglichkeit) (2005)*
_Aus den Psalmen Davids _(1958)
* Michaela Kaune, soprano / Agnieszka Rehlis, mezzo-soprano / Wojtek Drabowicz, tenor
Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir / Henryk Wojnarowski, choirmaster
Warsaw National PO / Antoni Wit, cond. (Naxos)

The symphony is kind of contemporary sounding but harks back to Mahler. Apart from the three vocal soloists, there is a prominent part for bass trumpet. The texts are poems from German romantic poets like Goethe, Hesse, Rilke, etc. The last movt. is the longest at 8 minutes (12 movts. in total) and in this, all of the forces join together. The psalms for choir is a much earlier work, comes off as a bit like Orff's _ Carmina Burana _but "atonal." It's unusual that this work is titled in German but sung in Polish. Love the ghostly, whispering sounds from the choir, as well as the jagged rhythmic parts for the piano.

*Leonard Bernstein*
_On The Town: Three Dance Episodes_ (1944-5)
Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin, cond. (EMI compilation of American music)

This is like jazz meets symphony. Great rhythms here. Slatkin is always good with these kinds of things, his sense of timing/beat is very tightly controlled, no mucking around, but given the nature of this piece he gives it a kind of improvisatory feel/edge...


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## agoukass




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## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--_Symphony No.5 in D Major and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis._ Both works feature Andre Previn Conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.12 in D Moll, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}, _performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Evgeny Mravinsky.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mozart - Piano concertos no 22 K 482, no 23 K 488*

Concerto for Piano no 22 in E flat major, K 482
Concerto for Piano no 23 in A major, K 488

Daniel Barenboim (Piano)
Rafael Kubelik (Conductor)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

recorded in june 1970

"_Barenboim first collaborated with Kubelík when the pianist was sixteen. That encounter was in Australia. And K488 was the first concerto he played in public, back when he was eight. The conjunction of that concerto and the Czech conductor comes in this release from BR Klassik, which presents a collaboration made in June 1970 in Munich where Kubelík was music director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
This was a compatible meeting of minds. Barenboim is on record as having admired the older man for his seriousness and vitality, and it certainly sounds to have been a congenial coming together of kindred spirits. Kubelík ensures that the string weight in K488 is not too saturated but remains clarified, if not exactly spruce. 
(...)
Naturally Barenboim's concerto cycle with the ECO will be the first port of call for collectors of the commercial discography from around this time. But these almost contemporaneous live traversals are of lasting value given the assured and sensitive direction of Kubelík._"
Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International


----------



## Oskaar

*recent listening*

Antheil: McKonkey's Ferry (Washington at Trenton); A Concert Overture

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine










Albinoni: 12 Concerti a cinque for 1-2 Oboes, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, and Continuo, Op.7

Artists	
Sutcliffe (Artist), Davison (Artist)










Antheil: Violin Sonata No.2

Artists	
Jorja Fleezanis & Alessio Bax










Debussy: Danse sacrée et danse profane, for harp and orchestra, L.103

Artists	
Xavier Maistre


----------



## Oskaar

Work	
Antheil: Symphony No.4 ('1942'), W.177 
Antheil: Symphony No.6 ('after Delacroix'), W.190

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine










spotify-link:


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
George Antheil

Work 
Antheil: Symphony No.5 ('Joyous'), W.186

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice
Barry Kolman










spotify link 




Composer 
George Antheil

Work 
Antheil: Serenade, for string orchestra No.1, W.189

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra










spotify-


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## Oskaar

Antheil: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek










spotify


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms & Schoenberg*

Brahms - Piano Quartet no.1 in G minor op.25 orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg

"_(...) And in 1937, exiled in America, he (Schoenberg) returned to Brahms himself by orchestrating the Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor Op.25. Schoenberg gave a characteristic list of reasons for undertaking this task: '1) | like this piece; 2) lt is seldom played; 3) lt is always played badly, because the better the pianist, the louder he plays and you hear nothing from the strings. I wanted once to hear everything, and this I achieved.' He added that he had aimed to remain strictly in the style of Brahms and not to go further in elaboration than he would have gone 'if he had lived today'. (...)
Klemperer, who avoided Schoenberg's own 12-note pieces, conducted the premiere of his Brahms arrangement in Los Angeles in May 1938 and even the sceptical Stravinslry conceded that Schoenberg's reworking of the piano cadenza in Brahms's linale as arpeggiated pizzicatos was 'a master stroke'._"
(from the booklet) Bayan Northcott

Someone named this arrangement Brahms 5th symphony.

Plus on the same disc:

Schoenberg:
Accompanying Music to a Film Scene Op.34
Chamber Symphony No.1 Op.9b

Berllner Phllharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle


----------



## Pieck

In my last post here I wrote about Ysaye sonatas for violin solo Op. 28, and said Im not sure if I would like them. So it's my third time listening to them and I already love them!


----------



## teej

I'm currently listening to String Quartet No. 1 by Darius Milhaud. It is BEAUTIFUL...particularly the first movement. Wonderful melodies, gorgeous warm harmonies and fascinating rhythmic changes. An absolute gem. Recommend the recording by Petersen Quartet (recorded in 2008). I cannot stop playing this piece! Now I'm trying to find recordings of the other Milhaud quartets (he wrote 18 of them). Located a recording for No. 7 but that's as far as I've got. If anybody else has any luck please let me know!

...but don't forget to listen to No. 1!


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart_--Symphony No.28 in C Major, K.200, Symphony No.29 in A major, K.201 and Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}. _All of these were performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Claudio Abbado.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, _featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## World Violist

Up until soon, I've been listening to Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony. Wilhelm Furtwangler conducts the Vienna Philharmonic. I really don't get this symphony. It might be half the length of Mahler's symphonies, but at least Mahler's symphonies actually _do_ something; this is just rambling. The climaxes don't do anything because they last forever, and there's so much pointless mess in the strings and such. His melodies are alright, but seriously. Seriously.

Rant over.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vol. II... Absolutely Exquisite!!

I initially avoided this set due to the negative comments by some bonehead on Amazon deriding the recording quality (and citing his own expertise as a recording engineer). Some time ago I found the set on Spotify and it was immediate love. Gerard Souzay (the French answer to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) and Elly Ameling... two of the finest singers ever of French melodies... what more could you ask? And all at the bargain Brilliant price.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos.11-13, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet


----------



## samurai

Just listened on Spotify to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}*, featuting Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker. Magnificently uplifting, and not an "**** sound" to be heard anywhere!


----------



## Sid James

Some bits & pieces in my last music session, the Elgar more top-heavy emotional, so I moved towards lighter things after that -

*Edward Elgar*
_Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85
Sea Pictures Op.37 for contralto & orch._
(du Pre / Baker / LSO / Barbirolli)
EMI on tape

TC member science was listening to this, noted one of his blogs, so remembering that decided to take it out for a listen. I probably wasn't in the mood for this music, it can be quite dark & almost depressing (esp. the concerto, but the last of the songs is kind of uplifting). This recording needs no introduction to you astute people here, it's simply a case of the performers thoroughly "living," and not merely playing, these great works.

From *Album: The Ultimate Nostalgia Collection Vol. 2* (Naxos Nostalgia label)
Bits of disc 2 of double cd album -
*George Gershwin*
- _Rhapsody in Blue_ (George Gershwin, piano / Paul Whiteman & his orch.)
- _Three Preludes for piano solo_ (Gershwin, piano)
- _An American in Paris_ (Victor SO / Gershwin, rhythm piano / Nathaniel Shikret, cond.)
*Nino Rota* - _Legend of the Glass Mountain_ (Mantovani & his orch.)
*Hubert Bath* - _Cornish Rhapsody_ (Harriet Cohen, piano / LSO / Hubert Bath, cond.)
*Artie Shaw* - _Concerto for Clarinet_ (Artie Shaw, clarinet with his orch.)

I got this 2 disc set a month or two ago & still haven't heard all of it. A mixed bag of instrumental recordings from the 1920's to the '50's. It's amazing how restrained Gershwin was playing his own music which more recent pianists tend to kind "sex up" & romanticise. He's just simple & direct. A number of solo piano cadenzas, in their full glory, are played in the _Rhapsody_, no other recordings of this that I've heard include these (I could remember at least two solo passages, maybe three?). The other things were great as well, I always thought Artie Shaw was a clarinettist that could kick Benny Goodman's a***! He certainly does here, none of Goodman's control freakishness, just kind of ebullance and spontaneity. Shaw's concerto is in three connected parts, a cadenza in the middle like the "pivot" holding it together. It lasts about 9 minutes.

*William Walton*
_Piano Quartet in D minor _(1921)
Peter Donohoe, piano / Maggini Quartet (Naxos)

This is basically a Ravel & Vaughan Williams rehash, but I won't blame Walton, because it's among his earliest published works. Highly accomplished for someone under twenty. Some suggestions of English folkishness here, but not too much. Maybe the more astringent piano techniques of Bartok didn't pass him by either? It's kind of a pity he didn't do a "sequel" to this when he got older & developed his individual style. But the mature string quartet on this disc kind of makes up for that, it's one of my fav works by the man...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schumann - Etudes symphoniques*

Played by Sviatoslav Richter










I'll listen the other works in this disc too.


----------



## Guest

After listening to Ives' 2 String Quartets by the Blair Quartet on Naxos, I decided that I needed to explore this composer further. I picked these two recordings up from my local library. I have been meaning for some time to listen to his "Three Places in New England," and had read that Michael Tilson Thomas is an excellent Ives conductor. Looking forward to these.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to a reconstruction of a church service from the 1540s featuring *Taverner's Missa Mater Christi*, which amounts to four pieces by Taverner, not as florid as his earlier masses, and 14 pieces of Sarum chant. It's a nice CD if you like Sarum chant; it's kind of monotonous if you don't.

The advantage of this recording of Taverner is, they actually sing it on the correct pitch. (The Sixteen and the Tallis Scholars transpose it for ease of female singers). For little people like me without perfect pitch, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but I'm sure there are some purists who rejoice over such things.


----------



## jaimsilva

*French Symphonic Poems*

Paul Dukas - L'apprenti sorcier
Cesar Franck - Le chausseur maudit
Sylvio Lazzari - Effet de nuit
Henri Duparc - Lénore
Camille Saint-Saens - Danse macabre
Henri Duparc - Aux étoiles

Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson

Not very wellknown works. For instance I never heard before about Sylvio Lazzari, and from Duparc I never heard any work of him.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Morton Feldman: *For Frank O'Hara* and *Violin and Orchestra*, from a download.

*For Frank O'Hara* doesn't do much for me, but *Violin and Orchestra* is lovely - like *Rothko Chapel*, but more expansive, with subtle changes to its spare motives.


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra; Concertino; Two Waltzes

Artists	
Alexander Rudin
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar










spotify


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## Manxfeeder

*Mozart Complete Piano Concertos, Vol. 10*, with Jeno Jando and Denes Varjon on Piano. This one has Concerto No. 15 with two-piano concertos, Nos. 7 and 10.

This has been in my stack for a while, and I'm just getting around to hearing it. So far it's surprisingly good, at least to my ears. I wonder how the rest of the Naxos series of concertos is.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821*

three versions of this fantastic work. Out of 39 on spotify, hehe

Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821

Artists	
John Williams, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti

This work you can find in many instrumentations. Most common is cello and piano. This is a fantastic and humourous version! For guitar and strings.










spotify 




Artists	
David Finkel and Wu Han

here is the cello and piano. And what a wonderful cello! weeping and wailing in one moment. warm and velvety like a caramel pudding the next. Cello and oboe is at the moment my favorite instruments. viortositet and utøversens emotions are very well expressed in these two instruments .. as in other instruments ... But there's something about the tone and sound that makes them suitable for expression of feelings.










spotify 




Artists	
Timora Rosler / Klára Würtz

not so good sound on this recording, and a little more mechanical performance on the cello. pianoaccopagnementet is almost the best. Not bad but not very good either.










spotify


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## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--_Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1 in D-Flat Major, Op.10 and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.3 in C Major, Op.26. _Both works feature pianist Yevgeny Kissin with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Claudio Abbado.
Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. _Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Sid James

Just listened to this last night after getting it on the same day - it's complexity & novelty kind of warranted back-to-back listening -

*Qigang Chen* (b. 1951)

_Iris dévoilée _(Iris unveiled) - suite concertante for 3 female voices, 3 traditional Chinese instruments & grand orch. (2001)
Soloists / Muhai Tang, cond.

_Reflet d'un temps disparu _(Reflection of a vanished time) - for cello & orch. (1995-6)
Yo-Yo Ma, cello / Charles Dutoit, cond.

_Wu Xing _(The five elements: water, wood, fire, earth, metal) - suite for orch. (1999)
Didier Benetti, cond.

All items with Orchestre National de France, recorded live, world premiere recordings (Virgin Classics)

Mr Chen was born in China but has been living in France since 1984. He started four years of study that year with Olivier Messiaen. I can't hear Messiaen more in Chen's music than other post-war composers, really. There's a lot of influences here, allied with Chinese folk/traditional music elements.

The most interesting work for me here was the first one, it's the most substantial work on the disc (about 40 mins.). It's kind of operatic, incorporating both European opera and Beijing/Peking Opera with that high wierd voice. There are bits where both the two sopranos and Beijing Opera singer cross paths, this is kind of wierd but wonderful. I'd hazard a guess you won't hear this kind of thing anywhere else.

The cello concerto here is a meeting between old and new. An ancient Chinese song by 4th century AD composer Huan Yi (I'm amazed it has survived after all that time) is contrasted with modernistic elements. Towards the end, the song is "revealed" in a soaring romantic melody, which I kind of found tacky on the first listen, but on the second listen I just loved it. As usual, Mr Ma's playing is rich and woody, this is the first recording I've owned of his.

The final_ Wu Xing _suite is kind of whispy and surreal, the structure kind of reminding me of the c20th Vienna Schools' works titled _Five Pieces for Orchestra_. But Chen's piece, at about 10 minutes, has this Webernian conciseness. It is quite colourful and imaginative, showing his understanding of orchestration. I found the rhythms in this work very much similar to aspects of Stravinsky, his flexibility & sense of constant change.

So, all in all, this was a good disc to get, of a composer I didn't know about at all, and it makes the second composer of Chinese origin to find his way into my collection (the other is one of Huang Ruo's discs on Naxos, which I got ages ago, & he's pretty good too, I may have to get the other disc)...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Beethoven "Razumovsky" String Quartets by the Emerson Quartet.


----------



## violadude

I'm currently listening to all 5 of Mozart's Violin Concertos. I will post my thoughts on them later once I get it all up on my blog.


----------



## tdc

Brahms PC # 2










Quite often after reading posts by Brahms enthusiasts, I'll give Brahms a listen. I am enjoying this work, its the second time I've listened to it today actually.


----------



## Bix

I'm at work on a break listening to the sublime Cecilia Bartolli in her Sacrificium album. Tis quite extraordinary, her technical abilities are quite something.


----------



## Bix

tdc said:


> Brahms PC # 2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quite often after reading posts by Brahms enthusiasts, I'll give Brahms a listen. I am enjoying this work, its the second time I've listened to it today actually.


This is my preferred of his piano concertos.


----------



## jaimsilva

tdc said:


> Brahms PC # 2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quite often after reading posts by Brahms enthusiasts, I'll give Brahms a listen. I am enjoying this work, its the second time I've listened to it today actually.





Bix said:


> This is my preferred of his piano concertos.


These are also my prefered piano concertos (both no.1 and no.2). Arrau is fine, but I prefer Backhaus / Böhm recording from 1958; Kovacevich / Sawallisch from 1993 is very good as well.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Leos Janacek : Glagolitic Mass, Taras Bulba*

Long time I don't listen to this fine CD.

Janacek:
Glagolitic Mass
Taras Bulba

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus - Rafael Kubelik
Evelyn Lear (soprano); Hilde Rössel-Majdan (alto); Ernst Haefliger (tenor); Franz Crass (bass)










probably I'll listen to his Sinfonietta later


----------



## Manxfeeder

On the queue today:

Rimsky-Korsakov, *Antar Symphony* and *Russian Easter Festival Overture*, Neeme Jarvi.










Then *Bruckner's 4th*, a live performance by Klaus Tennstedt, from a recommendation by World Violist.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bruckner*

Some years ago I listened to some Bruckner symphonies and they sound to me, at the time, boring and uninteresting.

Recently I'm reading a lot about his symphonies here, and the Thread: "Recommendations for Bruckner Symphs?" gave me "courage" to face them again.

Thus I'll complete the entire cycle by Eliahu Inbal and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (1982-1992)

Starting with the 00 so called "Study symphony".


----------



## Manxfeeder

jaimsilva said:


> Thus I'll complete the entire cycle by Eliahu Inbal and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (1982-1992)
> 
> Starting with the 00 so called "Study symphony".


Great! Just so you start with the Study Symphony and don't end there; it gets much better.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich_--SQS Nos.7-10_, performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Johannes Brahms_--Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. _Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Korngold, *Die tote Stadt*. Just enough craziness to keep me interested.


----------



## clavichorder

William Schuman's 7th. Very dark.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## hespdelk

Compelling account of the symphony. Not necessarily my favourite, but Karajan brings out certain passages of Bruckner like few otherss.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64._ Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Bernard

Astor Piazzolla 5 pieces for Guitar


----------



## tdc

Chopin - Etude in C minor op. 10 no. 12

This is actually the first Richter recording I've purchased, and so far I'm quite liking what I'm hearing.


----------



## Air

Back to back to back. 


























All Ravel day today.

Can never forget how wondrous Dutoit's soundworld is in Daphnis et Chloe. It's menacing, but it's also full-encompassing. I could sit here and write about it for days - it's one of my favorite recordings. His La Valse is simply mad - it's a Viennese Waltz with something glaringly, almost disturbingly wrong with it. Spinning on drugs perhaps.

I got to compare both versions of the Pavane here, the orchestral and the piano. Both have its charm - the orchestral tends to be more dreamy and the piano more sharp. But both have an element of fantasy and mystical power that is undeniable. It's one work in which I love both the original and the transcription - especially since it highlights Ravel's two greatest strengths - in orchestral writing and solo piano music.

Next up, Miroirs. These are Ravel's most idyllic works - they are akin to Monet's boat and bridge paintings in how they depict still-life things. Perlemuter is a Ravel expert here. I'm not advocating for a passion-free Ravel, but I think there is an extreme sensitivity and coloring that should be focused on here. It's almost an anti-heroism in a way, an impersonal way of expressing feelings painted by the pianist. And in this, Perlemuter does perfect.

I've always felt the Piano Concerto in G is a bit kitschy, but in a good way. It's a stalwart of everything new in modernism in a way, but it reflects a sort of nostalgic mood too - a look to the past. I am stunned by the second movement every time, especially the moment right after the swell that goes into a sparkling downward piano figuration. I wish I could fix that moment in time, more than anything.

The two Gaspards are really good too, in different ways. Argerich is passionate, warm-blooded. Perlemuter is much like he is in the Miroirs, precise and virtuosic in coloring, almost like Michelangeli is in his Ravel and Debussy.


----------



## Sid James

Last night, this newly bought disc was on the menu (disc one of the two disc set), as well as one of the works from the Qigang Chen disc I got the other day -

*"Swagman's Promenade" - Australian Light Classics*
(disc 1 of 2)
Full details at Australian Music Centre HERE

*Colin Brumby*
- _Paean for orch.
- Festival Overture on Australian Themes
- Scena for cor anglais & strings_
*Lindley Evans*
- _Idyll_ for piano & orch.
*George Dreyfus*
- _Rush_ for orch.
*John Carmichael*
- _Trumpet Concerto
- A Country Fair_, for orch.
*Miriam Hyde*
- _Happy Occasion Overture
_
Various Australian soloists, orchestras & conductors (ABC Classics/Universal)

This is a great collection I picked up brand new for a fraction of the cost. Favourites were one of our great pianists of yesteryear, Isador Goodman, playing the lyrical_ Idyll_ by Evans & Barry Davis on cor anglais playing Brumby's_ Scena_. I remember hearing this work about 20 years ago, it seemed to be often played back then on air. It's made up of three connected parts, slow-fast-slow, and the cor anglais sounds like a human voice (hence the operatic title). I love Richard Mills' conducting in this, he's a bit like Solti was, very focussed and tight with rhythm. This is pertinent for this work, it's feel is distinctively neo-classical, the influence of Stravinsky is not far away, though not really literal. Carmichael's _Trumpet Concerto_ was good as well, very colourful, the soloist was Kevin Johnston. Quite recommended if you can get it, a good collection of post-1945 Aussie music, & it may well be light compared to some other things, but I don't think it's lightweight.

*Qigang Chen* (b. 1951)
- _Reflet D'un Temps Disparu_ for cello & orch. 
Yo-Yo Ma, cello / Charles Dutoit & the Orchestre National De France

I think this is an interesting work, most of it is a lead-up to the "revelation" of the "big tune" towards the end (last 8 of the 24 minutes), which is a traditional melody penned by a Chinese composer in ancient times (c.4th AD). Some fragmented ideas at the beginning, building up to a quite dramatic and romantically flavoured climax (the song tune) before it dissolves into nothingness and ends quietly. Mr Ma is as usual superb, the tone of his cello rich and woody. This is one of those contemporary works that I think I'll find it hard to put aside, I think I will listen to it until I've had enough (for a while at least). Recommended, the other works on this disc are superb as well (reviewed it yesterday on this thread & I also put youtube clips of it on the "exploring modern & contemporary music" thread)...


----------



## Manxfeeder

After reading Air's review, I pulled out Dutoit's recording of Ravel's *Daphnis et Chloe*.


----------



## Manxfeeder

On to Philip Glass' *Glassworks*. This CD works because its pieces are relatively brief, so the repetition doesn't wear on me. Also, his Minimalist technique back then was written for a new soundscape, and I like his instrumentation.

I am thinking, though, about Minimalism in general: if you are going to base a piece on repeated motifs, the motifs better be pretty darned interesting to begin with. "Opening" and "Closing" has such interest, but on the other hand, at least to my ears, the underlying pattern of "Islands" is too basic to be effective (and it doesn't help that it makes me want to hum Chicago's "Colour My World").

Just random thoughts as I'm listening.


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, I've been trying to decide whether or not I should buy that very cd; it would represent the first minimalist piece of music that I'd ever have purchased. The little snippets I was able to glean from Amazon sounded good, so maybe I'll put up with the repetition and "take the plunge". Something about some of his music has somehow struck a chord--pun intended--in my brain.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. _The *5th* is performed by the *Concertgebouw* *Orchestra*, while the *9th* is done by the *London* *Philharmonic* *Orchestra*. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Peter Tchakovsky--_Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, _featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--_The Wasps and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis_. Both works are performed by The Academy of St. Martin In The Fields, led by Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, I've been trying to decide whether or not I should buy that very cd; it would represent the first minimalist piece of music that I'd ever have purchased.


I don't think it would be a bad first plunge. I haven't been a big fan of Philip Glass, but I've actually paid attention all the way through this. This CD was written way back when for people to be able to listen on the new Sony Walkman, so it's intentionally concise, and I think that's why it's been so popular; the shifts in rhythm and texture become more pronounced.

I noticed they included In The Upper Room in the remastered CD. So far I'm not as enamored with that one, but, oh, well, consider it a freebie.


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, Thanks so much for your concise review. I'm going to buy *Glassworks*, if for nothing else than its cool cover.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with some of Debussy's *Pelleas et Melisande*.

Wow, this guy Pelleas is really into hair. It's a little creepy.


----------



## Sid James

*Ludwig van Beethoven*
_String Quartets
- #12 in E flat major, Op. 127
- #14 in C Sharp minor, Op. 131_
LaSalle Quartet (Brilliant Classics)

The opening fugue of the 14th is a knock-out, as profound a statement as you'll ever get, & it's not the "old style" introduction, but integral to the work, a lot that comes after is based on it. Schubert was gob-smaked when hearing this, & others later like Wagner sang it's praises. I like the LaSalle Quartet's "modernisitic" approach, they definitely don't smooth over the many dissonances here, they reveal this music in all it's glory.

*Qigang Chen*
- _Reflet D'un Temps Disparu _for cello & orch. (Yo-Yo Ma, cello / Charles Dutoit, cond.)
-_ Wu Xing _(The Five Elements) (Didier Benetti, cond.)
Both with the Orchestre National De France (Virgin Classics)

Still enjoying this disc I got earlier this week. The cello concerto comes across as kind of lyrical & nostalgic, the _Five Elements _ are like a new-style impressionism - _Water_ is like a whirlpool, _Wood_ has sounds of rustling leaves,_ Fire _is white hot, looks cool but is scorching,_ Earth _sounds to me like a vision of our planet from outer space & _Metal_ has these jerky, changing rhythms/beats reminiscent of Stravinsky.

*Akira Ifukube*
- _Sinfonia Tapkaara _(1954, rev. 1979)
Russian PO / Dimitry Yablonsky, cond. (Naxos)

An interesting work, after hearing member Tapkaara's radio interview about this composer last week, gave this a listen & I could clearly hear the 5 note sequences/melodies he was talking about.

*Leos Janacek*
- _Glagolitic Mass _(Soloists / Bavarian RSO & Chorus / Rafael Kubelik, cond.) (DGG)
- _String Quartet #1 "Kreutzer Sonata" _(Alban Berg Quartet) (EMI)

Carl Orff's _Carmina Burana _was my first foray into modern choral many moons ago, but Janacek's _Glagolitic Mass _kicks it's ar*e mightily, imo. On the whole, quite an optimistic work, speaking to the forces of nature allied with the newly born Czech nation. As for his string quartets, they were amongst the first modern SQ's I heard, I was hooked. Has taken me a while to get used to the ABQ's quite modernistic but dry approach, much less outwardly "warm" than the Lindsay SQ whose recording I first heard...


----------



## tdc

Now I am listening to Schumann's 'Abegg' Variations op. 1 from this recording, and have made the realization I really need to pick myself up ALL of Schumann's works for solo piano. Richter also really brings to life some of Debussy's Estampes and Preludes in a way that makes me hear these works in a new light (in a very good way).


----------



## clavichorder

Another CPE for my collection, thanks to the public library. Really digging it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Piano Variations*, first by Mitsuko Uchido, then Maurizio Pollini on Spotify, with Glenn Gould and Charles Rosen thrown in for fun off of YouTube.

I don't think Glenn Gould understands the piece, and Charles Rosen is too cool. Uchido is well done, but I think overall Pollini puts it all together the best. Just my opinion, of course.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Borodin - Symphonies*

Symphony No. 1 in E Flat
Symphony No. 2 in B Minor
Symphony No. 3 in A Minor (unfinished)

National Philarmonic Orchestra
Loris Tjeknavorian


----------



## fartwriggler

My latest acquisitions have been Schubert's Octet by the Vienna Octet and Janacek's Kreuzer Sonata-spent all afternoon listening to the latter, along with Schubert's Winterreise....


----------



## kv466

Johannes Brahms - Piano Sonata in f-minor opus 5, Earl Wild al piano


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, _performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitnik.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92._ Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Sid James

*@ Manxfeeder* - I've got Pollini playing Webern's _Variations_ & I like it a lot. The peaks and troughs in this music (eg. the strong dynamic contrasts) may well reflect, in part, the Austrian alpine landscape. Webern was a keen mountain hiker & he also collected crystals. Pollini's renditions gives me a sense of that crystalline clarity, an almost orchestral feel of refracted light. Also like this work cos it's "short & sweet" as they say, which can be said about all of Webern's works...


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Sid James

A mixed bag last night, repeated listening -

*Francesco Tristano (pianist) - bachCage album *(DGG)
Works by Tristano, as well as J.S. Bach & John Cage - acoustic piano as well as with electronic mixing/realisation

An album just out that I got recently. My favourite bits are Bach's duets which through the magic of recording technology, the pianist plays both parts, and also Cage's wonderful _In A Landscape_, a very gentle, evocative, imaginative piece. Tristano's playing is kind of groovy, maybe not that "deep," but neither is he shallow. He mostly strikes the right balance between the old & new, & I think his sense of rhythm & dynamic contrast is very strong. An album good for either relaxing or "deep" listening, or both.

*Karol Szymanowski*
Disc 2 of 2 disc set
- _Harnasie, Op. 55 _- ballet-pantomime for chorus, tenor solo, violin solo, orch. (Antoni Wit, cond.)
- _Symphony #4 for piano & orch., Op. 60_ (Sinfonia Concertante) with Piotr Paleczny, piano (Jerzy Semkow, cond.)
- _Two Mazurkas, Op.50* _
- _Theme & Variations in B flat minor, Op.3_*
* Felicja Blumenthal, piano
Soloists with Polish Radio National SO & chorus (EMI)

Both the ballet & the symphony incorporate Szymanowski's favoured goral melodies, drawn from the music of the Tatra highland villages. Quite rhythmic and vigorous in parts. The orchestration of the ballet reminded me quite a bit of the Russians (esp. Rimsky-Korsakov), but the symphony had kind of Bartokian aspects. The piano pieces are also interesting, the Mazurkas more mature & modernistic, the earlier variations more in the Germanic vein.

*Colin Brumby*
- _Scena for Cor Anglais & string orch._ (Barry Davis, cor anglais / Queensland SO / Richard Mills)
- _Paean for orch._ (Sydney SO / Patrick Thomas)
From 2 disc compilation of Australian classics on ABC Classics, full details HERE

Got this set during the week, so far have only listened to the first disc. Colin Brumby's three pieces, two of them here, kind of stood out. I remember hearing quite a bit of his music on air during the '90's, specifically remember the cor anglais piece. It can be described as opera for cor anglais. A bit pastoral, but a fair hint of the rhythms of Stravinsky. Love Richard Mills' conducting, so taught, & I hope to get some of his music on disc as well (I heard the premiere of a string quartet of his live here last year, it was great). As for _Paean_, it has a kind of festive, even British, feel...


----------



## samurai

On Spotify--and thanks once again to Sid James--I just listened to Anton Webern's *Variations*, *Op*.*27 *performed by Jacque Monod. As you say Sid, they are very short and sweet indeed. They also have a sparse, almost crystalline, quality to them as well. Not the most uplifting of music, but interesting to sample.


----------



## hespdelk

Sublime recording.. a fitting swan song for the great maestro.

Bruckner's 7th is a great symphony no doubt, but probably my least favourite personally.. which is probably a controversial view as it tends to be many Brucknerite's favourite, or even their 'gateway' work to this composer.. filled with great moments as it is, structurally it feels less strong than the other symphonies.. I've come to see it as a transitional work to the glories of the 8th and 9th where the new ideas were still coming together.

Just some personal musings on the work after having listened to it for the first time in a long while.


----------



## Sid James

*@ hespdelk *- I've heard many good things about that recording, but don't remember hearing it. I've got Bruckner's 7th on ABC classics Australia, with Karajan's protege Muhai Tang at the helm of the Queensland SO. Recorded live in the centenary year of the composer - 1996. Pretty good, very flowing, not too top-heavy. My fav symphonies by him are 6 & 7, & 4, 0 as well. I'm not a huge fan of the 8 & 9 as I find them too heavy and dark...


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this throughout the weekend -

*Album - Vladimir Horowitz, piano* (recordings from 1930's) on EMI

*Liszt:*_ 
- Sonata in B minor
- Funerailles_

*Chopin:* 
_Etude in C sharp minor Op. 10 No. 4 
Étude in G flat Op. 10 No. 5 
Étude in F Op. 10 No. 8
Etude in F Op. 25 No. 3 
Impromptu No. 1 in A flat Op. 29 
Nocturne No. 19 in E minor Op. 72 No. 1
Mazurka No. 7 in F minor Op. 7 No. 3 
Mazurka No. 27 in E minor Op. 41 No. 2 
Mazurka No. 32 in C sharp minor Op. 50 No. 3_

*Schumann:*
- _Arabesque in C Op. 18 
- Presto passionato in G minor_ (original finale of _Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor Op. 22_)

*Debussy:* _Etude No.11: Pour les arpèges composés (Dolce e lusingando)_

Ever since getting this about 18 months ago, this has constantly been in the player. The Liszt works are done in a quite epic and all-out "romantic" way, with Horowitz's classic sense of "attack" & driving bass. The bells in _Funerailles_ actually sound like bells, amazing how he could convey that so spot-on. Horowitz's Chopin is easily amongst the best I've heard so far, such poetry and imagery in every phrase. The Schumann is also good, esp. like the _Arabesque _which strongly reminds me of aspects of his_ Piano Concerto._ & the single Debussy etude is a great bonus track, proving that Horowitz could also play post-romantic music in a masterful way. Despite the shortfalls of the sound, his playing is full of colour and vibrancy after all these decades...


----------



## hespdelk

Sid James said:


> *@ hespdelk *- I've heard many good things about that recording, but don't remember hearing it. I've got Bruckner's 7th on ABC classics Australia, with Karajan's protege Muhai Tang at the helm of the Queensland SO. Recorded live in the centenary year of the composer - 1996. Pretty good, very flowing, not too top-heavy. My fav symphonies by him are 6 & 7, & 4, 0 as well. I'm not a huge fan of the 8 & 9 as I find them too heavy and dark...


If you love this symphony its worth hearing this version - even if it doesn't displace any personal favourites, Karajan's late Bruckner occupies a special place. In the case of the 8th, I'd say its a downright must.  
I may have to track down Tang's version.. other Karajan protege Nagano's recording of the original version of the 4th has nearly convinced me that the revised version was not an improvement..

The 8th and 9th are definetly darker works, the 9th moreso than the 8th for obvious reasons. I personally wouldn't define the 8th as dark, but it has a unique quality to it.. the gorgeous adagio movement is so beautiful and uplifting, but also painful.. a painful sort of beauty if that makes any sense.

I love all his symphonies, favourites probably being, in 9th, 8th, 6th and 5th. Soft spot for the 3rd as well (both original nad revised versions).
Bruckner started strong, and I feel we can trace a very definite growth of musical thinking in each symphony culminating in the great 5th, the 6th taking this train of thought one step further. The 7th feels like it is inhabiting a new world and isn't quite comfortable with itself yet, ideas from the preceeding works gestating together with something new - that will find full form in the next two.

But enough rambling from me..


----------



## hespdelk

Penderecki's late style is so rich in.. just about every department.. of late I've been coming to think he may probably be the greatest living composer.


----------



## Art Rock

Currently playing the disc with his masterpiece, the Symphony #5 "Lenore".


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak - Piano concerto*

Making a break on my Bruckner cycle with Dvorak's Piano Concerto I really love. Shame it's not very well known.

Boris Bloch
Duisburger Philarmoniker under Jonathan Darlington










after some bars I realize it's not a nice recording: sound without a good definition

I prefer by far Sviatoslav Richter's interpretation with Carlos Kleiber, or the Aimard / Harnoncourt recording


----------



## kv466

Saint Saens - Piano Concerto in g-minor op. 22, Russell Stanger conducts The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Earl Wild


----------



## starthrower

Lutoslawski-Dance Preludes; Concerto For Oboe and Harp


----------



## World Violist

Mahler 3
Jonathan Nott, Bamberg Symphony

This is a fascinating recording. Sure, it isn't as hard-hitting as Levine/Chicago (but who is?), but is a different look at the work as a whole. Some might find it bland, and it is rather understated, but the clarity and sound-space are very satisfying. It's the sort of recording to listen to for detail as well as musical interest, not really for the life-and-death cataclysmic catharsis of a Bernstein or Levine.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--_Symphony No. 1 in D Major {"Titan"}, _performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maurice Abravranel.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos.1-3, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, _featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## kv466

Sergei Rachmaninov - Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Prelude no. 20), Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Sid James

Well, last night it was a journey from Handel to more recent times - modern Poland with Szymanowski & then the USA with Philip Glass -

*G. F. Handel*
_The Messiah - A Sacred Oratorio _(Highlights)
Nelson / Kirkby / Watkinson / Elliott / Thomas / Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford / Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood, cond. (L'Oiseau-Lyre label, tape)

I like the intensity of this performance, it's no holds barred & pretty full-on. Rhythm is the thing here, but there's lyricism and gentleness as well.

*Karol Szymanowski*
_Symphony #3, Op. 27 "Piesn o nocy"_ (Song of the Night)(1914-16)
Words: Jalal-al-din Rumi (c13th), Polish adaptation: Tadeusz Micinski (1873-1918)
Wieslaw Ochman, tenor
Polish Radio Chorus of Krakow / Polish Radio National SO / Jerzy Semkow, cond. (EMI - from 2 disc set)

This is a ravishing work, parts of it come across as a tapestry or wall of sound. It's in a similar sphere to the ballet_ Harnasie _on the same set. Szymanowski packs a hell of a lot into it's 25 minutes. Kind of proves that a good symphony need not necessarily be a long one.

*Philip Glass* - _Solo Piano Album_
-_ Metamorphosis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Mad Rush
- Wichita Sutra Vortex_
The composer on piano (CBS)

I esp. like the last two pieces, _Mad Rush_ composed for when the Dalai Lama visited New York (the composer played it on the organ of New York cathedral during the visit) and _Wichita Sutra Vortex _composed as music to accompany Alan Ginsberg reading his poem of that name. Quite relaxing and chill-out kind of music. Initially when I got this album about a year back, I thought Glass' playing was kind of rough and plonking. This time, I could hear the nuances and subtleties of his playing, but he's still quite direct & no nonsense, which is good. It's taken me a while to get used to these works. The last two have stronger melodies than the _Metamorphosis_ series, which I don't like as much...


----------



## kv466

Bach - Sonatas for Violin, Joseph Silverstein at the bow


----------



## World Violist

Bach: The Art of Fugue
Phantasm

It's sort of my go-to CD for both Bach's Art of Fugue and viol consort playing. It's just an outstanding CD in every way.


----------



## clavichorder

Tcherepnin symphonies, colorful orchestration, almost like slightly minimal Prokofiev.


----------



## Guest

Sid James said:


> Well, last night it was a journey from Handel to more recent times - modern Poland with Szymanowski & then the USA with Philip Glass -
> 
> *G. F. Handel*
> _The Messiah - A Sacred Oratorio _(Highlights)
> Nelson / Kirkby / Watkinson / Elliott / Thomas / Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford / Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood, cond. (L'Oiseau-Lyre label, tape)
> 
> I like the intensity of this performance, it's no holds barred & pretty full-on. Rhythm is the thing here, but there's lyricism and gentleness as well.
> 
> *Karol Szymanowski*
> _Symphony #3, Op. 27 "Piesn o nocy"_ (Song of the Night)(1914-16)
> Words: Jalal-al-din Rumi (c13th), Polish adaptation: Tadeusz Micinski (1873-1918)
> Wieslaw Ochman, tenor
> Polish Radio Chorus of Krakow / Polish Radio National SO / Jerzy Semkow, cond. (EMI - from 2 disc set)
> 
> This is a ravishing work, parts of it come across as a tapestry or wall of sound. It's in a similar sphere to the ballet_ Harnasie _on the same set. Szymanowski packs a hell of a lot into it's 25 minutes. Kind of proves that a good symphony need not necessarily be a long one.
> 
> *Philip Glass* - _Solo Piano Album_
> -_ Metamorphosis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
> - Mad Rush
> - Wichita Sutra Vortex_
> The composer on piano (CBS)
> 
> I esp. like the last two pieces, _Mad Rush_ composed for when the Dalai Lama visited New York (the composer played it on the organ of New York cathedral during the visit) and _Wichita Sutra Vortex _composed as music to accompany Alan Ginsberg reading his poem of that name. Quite relaxing and chill-out kind of music. Initially when I got this album about a year back, I thought Glass' playing was kind of rough and plonking. This time, I could hear the nuances and subtleties of his playing, but he's still quite direct & no nonsense, which is good. It's taken me a while to get used to these works. The last two have stronger melodies than the _Metamorphosis_ series, which I don't like as much...


Is it just me, or does Philip Glass bear and uncanny resemblance to Lou Reed?


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Rapsodia española, for piano and orchestra, Op.70*

two versions:

Artists	
Baselga (Artist), Tenerife Symphony Orch










spotify spotify:track:5zOeo0Z5huR40pL07fAVth

Artists	
Jesús López-Cobos (Conductor), Jean-Francois Heisser
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

Arnold: 5 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.84

Artists	
English Piano Trio (Orchestra), Justin Pearson (Performer), Timothy Ravenscroft (Performer), Jane Faulkner (Performer)*


----------



## FrankieP

Sibelius: Kullervo
Mahler: Symphony 9, Horenstein, LSO


----------



## jaimsilva

*Shostakovich playing his own Piano Concertos*

Concerto for piano, trumpet and strings in C minor op.35
Piano Concerto no.2 in F op.102
Three Fantastic Dances op.5
Preludes and Fugues op.87 - nos.1, 4, 5, 23 & 24

Dmitri Shostakovich (piano)
Orchestre Nationale de la Radiodiffusion Française
André Cluytens (conductor)


----------



## Manxfeeder

In some ways, I still don't get Stravinsky, so I listened to Gerard Schwarz explain *Petrouchka*. Hearing it again after his discussion, it made more sense.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> Is it just me, or does Philip Glass bear and uncanny resemblance to Lou Reed?


Hmm. A while ago I saw a documentary about Philip Glass, and it included a brief scene of Laurie Anderson reciting her poem about progress. It had nothing to do with Glass, which confused me. But she is married to Lou Reed. Maybe somebody got their wires crossed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Once again, one of World Violist's posts in another topic has sent me to the CD stack. This time it's *Bruckner's 8th*, the beatific vision of the adagio.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 14 and 15, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, _featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Sid James

I don't know much about Lou Reed, or his work, but just did a search on Google Images & Dr. Mike is correct, they do look like eachother a lot; & Manxfeeder's story is interesting.

Last night, continued with the Szymanowski set & also listened to Haydn's _Cello Concerto in D_ a number of times -

*Karol Szymanowski*
- _Concert Overture in E major, Op. 12 _(1904-5, rev. 1912-13)*
- _Symphony #2 in B flat, Op. 19 _(1909-10, rev. 1936)*+
- _Symphony #3, Op. 27 "Piesn o nocy"_ (Song of the Night) (1914-16)++

All with Polish Radio National SO
* Jacek Kaspszyk, cond.
+ Wojciech Musail, violin solo
++ Wieslaw Ochman, tenor / Polish Radio Chorus of Krakow / Jerzy Semkow, cond.
(Disc 1 of EMI 2 disc set)

The first two works are in the German late romantic vein, the influences of R. Strauss & Wagner are clearly there. The 2nd symphony is unusual in that it's made up of two long movements, the second one a theme with 5 variations and a fugue; & it also has a prominent part for solo violin. Quite a complex work. The 3rd symphony has much more of a modern flavour, the choir and orchestra combined have this "wall of sound" effect. Quite an amazing work for the time.

*F.J. Haydn*
_Cello Concerto in D, Op. 101_ (1783)
Lynn Harrell, cello
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner, cond.
(EMI)

This concerto is a "safe" attribution by most scholars to Haydn. Compared to the earlier one, it has a more "classical era" flavour rather than Baroque. The first movement at 15 minutes is quite long for the time, but I don't agree with people who say it's too long for the material. I think it's great, I like the added complexity esp. of the cello part. I also like how there is no break between the slow movement & final movement, I like the sudden change in mood from lyrical to optimistic. Lynn Harrell has a very rich tone & gives it an a kind of romantic reading...


----------



## kv466

I wanna take this moment to thank Daniel Fullard for starting this thread...without your profound intuition and prescience, we would not be where we are today...

...uhhh, listening to........gimme a minute, Dan!.......


...okay, uhhhh...Prokofiev Sonata no. 7 in b-flat...yeah, you know who's playing it...


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 4-6, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## graaf




----------



## kleiber

Carlos Kleiber - Beethoven 5th and 7th with VPO


----------



## Manxfeeder

Another go at *Petrushka*, this time with Hirouki Iwaka and the Melbourne SO. Continuing on with *Agon* (nice orchestral effects) and *Fireworks*.










His recording of Fireworks doesn't have the fire of Boulez, so I'm listening to his version and continuing on with *The Firebird*.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninoff--_Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18 and Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30. _Both works feature Abbey Simon on piano, accompanying the St.Louis Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. Harkening back to another post on *beautiful* *slow* *movements*, I would have to nominate the 2nd movements of both these sublime works.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS_ _4_ _and 5, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. _Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Sid James

*F.J. Haydn**
_Cello Concertos_
- in C, Hob.VIIb:1
- in D, Op. 101

*Antonio Vivaldi*+
_Cello Concertos_ (arr. Malipiero)
- in G, RV.413
- in G minor, RV.417

Lynn Harrell, cello with -
*Academy of St Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner, cond.
+English CO / Pinchas Zuckerman, cond.
(EMI)

I like this disc for the coupling, the contrast between these two composers cello concertos. I like Lynn Harrell's warm sound & the humour of his cadenza for the 1st Haydn concerto (incl. a quote from Schubert's 9th symphony).

*
Mark-Anthony Turnage*
_Kai for solo cello and ensemble_ (1989-90)
Ulrich Heinen, cello / Birmingham Contemporary Music Group / Simon Rattle, cond.
(EMI)

My first time listening to this work, got the disc yesterday. _Kai_ was written in memory of a cellist called Kai Sheffler who died prematurely, he was involved with the Ensemble Modern. On the whole it's more a lyrical than tragic work, infused strongly with jazz and blues (eg. use of sax & piano). I aim to listen to these works bit by bit, there are 3 others on this disc.

*Iannis Xenakis*
_Herma for solo piano_ (1961)
Georges Pludermacher, piano
(EMI)

Quite intense, the waves of sound remind me of waves on the beach...


----------



## Sid James

*@ Manxfeeder *- You're the first time I've seen someone hear *Maestro Iwaki's* work on this forum & anywhere else. How did you come across him (eg. that recording?). He's passed away now, but he did great work for music in this country, esp. with the Melbourne Symphony Orch. which he was at the helm of for a record 25 years or so. I have him on ABC Classics conducting_ The Rite of Spring_ as well as Messiaen's _Turangalila Symphony_ (Australian premiere in mid-1980's) & Bartok's _Concerto for Orch._ I esp. like the Messiaen, which Iwaki took at a cracking pace - it's done and dusted in about 68 minutes (Rattle did it with Birmingham SO in like 80 minutes+). I think he was a great advocate of new, or at least newer, music for this country, both by Aussie composers and international ones. He is now gone but his legacy lives on here...


----------



## Graphyfotoz

Hey Guys....new here and a Classical CD collector of 25yrs. :tiphat:

My small collection....tad over 300
http://connect.collectorz.com/users/graphyfotoz/music

Currently on the spin....
RARE OOP VERY Limited production.....
Don't bother looking for it....got it right from his Widow. 

About Natan Brand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natan_Brand


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Sid James said:


> *Iannis Xenakis*
> _Herma for solo piano_ (1961)
> Georges Pludermacher, piano
> (EMI)
> 
> Quite intense, the waves of sound remind me of waves on the beach...


Is this the piece? I suppose it's more tame than his other pieces. I posted the clip because it contains an interesting set of notes, that the piece was his first piano piece; solo piece for an instrument it seems. And that there were mathematical applications of logic behind it. Regardless, you managed to think of waves on the beach, which is probably one of the characteristics of listeners' response to this genre I guess; that listeners can be reminded of a huge variety of "things". That diversity is probably not something one might expect from listeners who listen to a Baroque sonata, say. Whether that's good or bad is of course irrelevant. Though I think from my perspective your response was more interesting to me than the music (which reminded me of cold explosive attacks of some sort).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *@ Manxfeeder *- You're the first time I've seen someone hear *Maestro Iwaki's* work on this forum & anywhere else. How did you come across him (eg. that recording?).


I was fortunate to find him in a used CD bin for 98 cents. Apparently the proprietors didn't know what they had.


----------



## Cyber

Masterpiece!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Sarasate - Violin and orchestra*

Concert Fantasy on Mozart's Die Zauberflöte op.54
Navarra op.33 for two violins and orchestra
Muiñeiras op.32
Nouvelle Fantaisie sur Faust de Gounod op.13
Barcarolle vénitienne (Gondoliéra veneziana) op.46 (version for violin and orchestra)
Introduction et Caprice-Jota op.41

Tianwa Yang (violin)
Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra
Ernest Martínez Izquierdo


----------



## jaimsilva

*Baroque Bohemia & Beyond*

Jiří Antonín Benda (1722-95): Sinfonia No. 4 in F
Josef Bárta (1744-87): Sinfonia in C minor
František Xaver Richter (1709-89): Concerto in E-minor pro Cembalo (Harpsichord)
Jan Václav Stamic (1714-57) Sinfonia Pastorale D major, op. 4/2
Jan Křitetel Vaňhal (1739-1813): Sinfonia in E minor

Czech Chamber Philharmonic - Vojtĕch Spurný


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75*

3 versions of this beautiful work

Artists	
Vita Cernoch










spotify 




Artists	
Scott St. John & Thomas Bagwell










spotify 




Artists	
Roberte Mamou










spotify


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G major, Op.88. _The 7th is performed by the London Philharmonia Orchestra, whilst the 8th is done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Carlo Giulini.
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.47 {original 1930 version} and Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.112 {revised 1947 version}. _Both versions feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I picked up Karajan's 1977 Beethoven cycle for $6, so I'm starting through it.

The 9th from this set is supposed to be great. I think it's too polished/massaged, at least from hearing the first and last movements. I like Jose van Dam's singing, but I'm not lifted out of my chair on this one. Oh, well, eight more symphonies to go.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Is this the piece? I suppose it's more tame than his other pieces. I posted the clip because it contains an interesting set of notes, that the piece was his first piano piece; solo piece for an instrument it seems. And that there were mathematical applications of logic behind it. Regardless, you managed to think of waves on the beach, which is probably one of the characteristics of listeners' response to this genre I guess; that listeners can be reminded of a huge variety of "things". That diversity is probably not something one might expect from listeners who listen to a Baroque sonata, say. Whether that's good or bad is of course irrelevant. Though I think from my perspective your response was more interesting to me than the music (which reminded me of cold explosive attacks of some sort)...


Yes, it was that piece (Xenakis' - _Herma for solo piano_). I think it depends what mood I'm in, the impression/s I get from a piece of music. That work kind of reminded me a bit of the patterns in nature - like waves at the beach. It's like Webern's _Variations for solo piano_, have these jagged peaks & troughs (dynamic contrasts) which make me think of mountainous landscapes - Webern was a keen Alpine hiker in his younger days. Some say there is a Mediterranean warmth in some of Xenakis' music, certainly I agree in terms of some of it reminds me of aspects of nature & some of it related to the ocean (eg. his native Greece being a maritime nation). But yes, there's also a motoric drive and visceral "explosiveness" of some of his stuff - eg. he said that in some of his works he was aiming to excite and kind of shock the listener just as our ancestors in caves were frightened by a distant clap of thunder. There can be this element of brute force in his music, but it depends on the piece. I find his solo pieces not that full on, they're no more so than say Boulez or Stockhausen in that genre...



Manxfeeder said:


> I was fortunate to find him in a used CD bin for 98 cents. Apparently the proprietors didn't know what they had.


Well yes, you were in luck as Maestro Iwaki's recordings with the Melbourne Symphony Orch. are excellent!...


----------



## Sid James

*W.A. Mozart*
_Three Salzburg Symphonies (Divertimenti K.136-K.138)
Divertimento in D major, K.205_
Capella Istropolitana / Richard Edlinger, cond. (Naxos)

I've loved the _Divertimento in D, K.136 _since I was a toddler - my parents listened to it often. I especially like the opening movement which is quite intense for Mozart. The _Three Salzburg Symphonies _here are in three movts. & for string orchestra only, the_ Divertimento K.205 _has five movts., & it's for mixed chamber orch., it comes across more like an orchestral suite (I esp. like the two bouncy minuets).

*Iannis Xenakis*
_Nomos Alpha for solo cello _(Pierre Penassou, cello)
_Herma for solo piano _(Georges Pludermacher, piano)
(from EMI 2 disc set)

I'm making my way through this Xenakis chamber set bit by bit. I listened to these two works twice through. I can hear some patterns of nature in _Herma_, but the cello work_ Nomos Alpha _comes across to me as a kind of compendum of avant-garde cello techniques. At 18 minutes, this is a veritable tour de force for the soloist. Some sounds here that one is unlikely to hear in many other composers' music.

*Mark-Anthony Turnage*
_Three Screaming Popes after Francis Bacon for large orch._ (1988-9)
_Momentum for orch._ (1990-1)
_Kai for solo cello & ensemble_ (1989-90)*

*Ulrich Heinen, cello / Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
City of Birmingham SO
Simon Rattle, cond. (EMI)

The cello concerto called _Kai_ is my favourite work here. All three works show Turnage's interest in combining elements of jazz & blues with classical music. As a result, some pretty unique colours are bought out from the orchestra, but listening to three works in a row on this disc (& there's a fourth which I'm yet to hear) they kind of all blend into eachother, sounding much the same.

*Peggy Glanville-Hicks: *_Three Gymnopedies_
*John Carmichael: *_Concerto Folklorico for piano & string orch._
*Michael Hurst:*_ Swagman's Promenade_
*Arthur Benjamin:*_ Overture to an Italian Comedy_

Various Australian orchestras & conductors
(From ABC Classics 2 disc set - Australian Light Classics)

A first listen here. My favourite work here was the Glanville-Hicks _Gymnopedies_, quite intimate and chamber-like. The Carmichael concerto was okay, based on Spanish dance modes like the _Jota aragonesa_. Hurst's work was a medly of popular Aussie tunes, eg. _Waltzing Matilda _& Benjamin's _Overture to an Italian Comedy _was less Italian and had more of a kind of British feel, but it was quite fun, frothy and light.

& as I type, listening for the first time in yonks to* Steve Reich's *_Different Trains _on youtube. Interesting stuff...


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## StlukesguildOhio

Te quality of these early Italian cantatas is incredible. I actually prefer them to some of his later English works which can get a little too stodgy. There is an incredible elegance and openness to these beautiful pieces. 

Sid/Andre... I think you would especially enjoy these as you have expressed an admiration for the more Italianate and lyrical aspects of the Baroque as opposed to the more Germanic and complex contrapuntally.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Iannis Xenakis
Nomos Alpha for solo cello (Pierre Penassou, cello)
Herma for solo piano (Georges Pludermacher, piano)
(from EMI 2 disc set)

I'm making my way through this Xenakis chamber set bit by bit. I listened to these two works twice through. I can hear some patterns of nature in Herma, but the cello work Nomos Alpha comes across to me as a kind of compendum of avant-garde cello techniques. At 18 minutes, this is a veritable tour de force for the soloist. *Some sounds here that one is unlikely to hear in many other composers' music.*

of course the big question is... are they sounds one is apt to enjoy... and want to hear again? I'm not yet sold on Xenakis.


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## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> of course the big question is... are they sounds one is apt to enjoy... and want to hear again?


Well I find his works interesting, but I haven't listened to that EMI 2 disc set in a day. It's kind of too intense for that. I just like to concentrate on one or two works at a time, listen to them a couple of times in one sitting. I like the patterns in his music, the difference between the "voids" and crescendos, build up/release of tension, aspects of nature & also sheer brutal force.



> ...I'm not yet sold on Xenakis...


I pretty much am. A recent live performance here of his percussion works by the Synegy Percussion group - incl. the almost hour long _Pleaides_ - basically sealed the deal with his music for me. So intense & so amazing, the co-ordination required to do that, it was basically a symphony for percussion...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In response to a new thread on Buxtehude, I thought I'd give a listen to this on Spotify. I truly enjoy the clarity and openness of the sound of this recording which allows for a clarity of all the various voices of the organ.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Te quality of these early Italian cantatas is incredible. I actually prefer them to some of his later English works which can get a little too stodgy. There is an incredible elegance and openness to these beautiful pieces.


Very true. Some early music performers and conductors (Christophe Rousset for example) also share that view. The young Handel appeared bursting with vocal music inspiration during his four Italian years, where he really was the greatest composer on the planet at the time (1706-1710), having completely mastered the Italian opera and vocal idiom that came out of Italy (the artistic capital of the world at the time). Remember the young Bach during the same period was writing (as far as we know) mainly organ works, other keyboard music and church cantatas; the latter you can easily compare with Handel's of the same period and you will be amazed that Bach still had some catching up to do!


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## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Cantos de España, Op.232*

2 versions:

Artists	
Maria Kihlgren










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Artists	
Eva Knardahl










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## Oskaar

Albéniz: Mallorca (Barcarola), Op.202

A lovely little piece that is performed by several instruments, eg. harp and guitar. I have 11 spotify versions, and have just listened to 5 different.

Artists
Michael Chapdelaine guitar.










Spotify 




Guitar's beautiful, but can seem a bit prickly to me if the artist is not particularly clever, or play too hard. Here is a beautiful balance. Very well played.

Artists
Nicanor Zabaleta Harp.










spotify 




A little bad sound here. I am very fond of the harp .. can indeed quickly get bored. The guitar in the previous version was much better, and suited me better right now. Solo harp is in general not what I like best. For me, the harp should be interacting with another instrument.

Artists
Marcelo Kayath guitar.










spotify 




Did much better the first gitarversionen. Much closer and warmer sound. Clear and good sound here too, but a little cold and detached, and a room sound I do not like. Some embarrassing errors in the gameplay as well.

Artists
Tom Hawkins guitar.










spotify 




More like the first version, but somewhat clumsy and famlete played. Indefinite. A close sound can seem very intrusive if not actual presentation is top notch.

Artists
Santiago Rodriguez, piano.










spotify 




Some distant sound, not very good sound. But well and sensitively played. but a little boring. I miss a little more temperrament. Sometimes brilliant, sometimes futile.

The first version undoubtly gave me most pleasure!


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## Oskaar

Albéniz: Suite Española No.1, Op.47, b.7


four versions

Artists
Manuel Barrueco guitar.










spotify 




Some distant sound, but it does not so much here, since it suits the modest cautious style of play. Very sensitive and harmonious. Nevertheless, fiery and energetic when needed. Beautiful music, and very beautifully played!

Note: If my English seems better, but still a little weird, it's because I use google translator. The only way I can put it to music, and the impression I get. It is difficult NOK for Norwegian! The music speaks best for itself.

Back to the play. It is wonderful to hear Spanish music with a lot temperrament in it, played on such a sensitive and balanced way. It's not pressure, but many fine details and nuances. I like the sound better and better. Some fjærnt and lavmelt, yet very present.

A minus. Rate 5 is perhaps best known .. Asturias. But here is a completely different artist that .. Aliro Diaz, and the sound is as a 10 dollar radio in a bucket ... Very good performance indeed. But more traditional temperament full when it comes to Spanish music. Less shades.

Artists
Jorge Federico Osorio, piano.










spotify 




Some distant sound here too, but beautiful and nuanced playing. Great insight! The work fits amazingly well to the piano. The first movement is very airy and dreamy, and the performance is excellent here. The second movement gives more room for virtiositet, but the sensitivity and nuances are still there.

third movement is more jumpy, like a dance, but still very sensitively played.

Aragon - the rate is just the right intentions .. and sensitive

Wonderful version!

Artists
Miguel Baselga, piano










spotify 




Piano again. It seems that this version also has a nice balance between temperament and sensitivity. A little clearer sound, but even here a little distant, without the need to be somewhat less.

When I think of it, I did well maybe the expression of Jorge Federico Osorio in the previous version a bit better. He managed to convey more in a way.

And the more I listen, the better the previous version ends in relation to this. But it's taste. Jorge Federico Osorio seems more technical than sensitive in their expression. And a little sloppy sometimes in technique as well. And a little passive.

But on the famous asturias rate the game and also the sensitivity very good! It almost seems that he takes up. It fits maybe his style of play better with a lot of room for virtousitet and temperament.

Artists
Guillermo González - piano










spotify http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512V+Nlg-0L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Here is the sensitive and shades back. Very beautifully played. The sound is not very good. It seems a bit hollow. but I love a piano player who manages to express the nuances and feelings in this way. Gonzales must be checked out!


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## kv466

*Grieg - Piano Concerto in A Minor
Earl Wild al piano 
Rene Leibowitz conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*


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## Oskaar

*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

artists
Jian Wang-cello
Carol Rosenberger-piano










spotify 




Cello is one of my favorite instruments, and here it is folded out to the fullest. Beautifully played, beautifully pianoakkopagnement. Wang might sound a little dramatic once in a while. Other parties are brilliant balance. Excellent sound on this disc.
And for the work. I have great pleasure in listening to the barber for the time, and this piece is amazing.


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## Oskaar

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.2, No.1

Artists	
Murray Perahia










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## Oskaar

Debussy: Danse sacrée et danse profane, for harp and orchestra, L.103

Artists	
Xavier Maistre










spotify


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## Oskaar

Prokofiev: Autumnal Sketch, Op.8

Artists	
Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television
Gennady Rozhdestvensky










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## Oskaar

Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821

Artists	
Paolo Giacometti










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## Oskaar

Albinoni: 12 Concerti a cinque for 1-2 Oboes, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, and Continuo, Op.7

Artists	
Il Fondamento (Performer), Paul Dombrecht (Performer)*










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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93,_ featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Antonin Dvorak--_Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, _performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Carlo Giulini.
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100_. Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Pieck

Schuman - Symphony No. 3.
I remeber I listened to this piece a year ago, when I was quite new to CM, and I thought to myself 'WTF is this ****** music?'.
My taste has evolved since.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven's 5th, 6th, and 7th by Karajan, the 1977 release. I remember in 1980, Time Magazine called this cycle one of the 10 most important recordings of the 70s, so I'm interested in hearing the rest of it.

On first listening, the 5th and 6th are my favorites so far. I was disappointed with the 7th - not enough fire. But I like the overall sound of the orchestra; it reminds me of how I feel when melted chocolate hits my tongue, the overall smooth sensation.










I listened to the last movement of the 9th again to see if I liked it any better. It's a little better the second time around, though the choir consistently gets buried in the overall ensemble. Then on to Gardiner's 9th. But I'm finishing up with my personal favorite, at least of now, Furtwangler's version from March 1942 on Music & Arts.


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## Sid James

*Steve Reich*
_2 x 5_ (2008)
Bang on a Can ensemble:
Bryce Dessner, Mark Stewart, electric guitars
Robert Black, electric bass
Evan Ziporyn, piano
David Cossin, drums
(Nonesuch label)

A lot of Reich's more recent music uses instruments from rock & has the beats of hip-hop & also West African drumming. This was a first listen to this piece & I liked it.

*Mark-Anthony Turnage*
_Drowned Out for large orch._ (1992-3)+
_Kai for solo cello & ensemble_ (1989-90)*
*Ulrich Heinen, cello / Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
+City of Birmingham SO
Simon Rattle, cond. (EMI)

_Drowned out _ is pretty intense, a musical portrayal of a poem about a guy who is drowning. In the end, there is a final tap of the drums, which for me conveyed the heart stopping. But the cello concerto_ Kai _has been my favourite on this newly acquired disc, I've listened to it several times now. Like how he incorporates harmonies of jazz & blues, eg. use of saxes, piano, muted trumpets. Interesting colours & textures in this.

*Iannis Xenakis*
_Atrees for 10 instruments _(1962)
- Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.
_Morsima-Amorsima_ (1962)
- Georges Pludermacher, piano / Jean-Claude Bernede, violin / Paul Boufil, cello / Jacques Cazauran, double bass / K. Simonovich, direction
_Herma for solo piano_ (1961)
- Georges Pludermacher, piano
(all from EMI 2 disc set)

The works composed in 1962 here were done using the IBM computer 7090. They have Xenakis' trademark sustained notes, glissandos interspersed with moments of frenetic activity. The most appealing work to me so far on this set is the solo piano piece _Herma_, which makes me think of the ocean, maybe waves in a violent storm at sea, or waves crashing on the shore.

*Arthur Benjamin*
- _Overture to an Italian Comedy_
- _Cotillon Suite_
*Ronald Hamner*
- _Blue Hills Rhapsody_
*Michael Hurst*
- _Swagman's Promenade_

Various Australian orchestras & conductors (from ABC classics 2 disc set - Australian Light Classics)

To wind down, I listened to the rest of this set I got recently. Benjamin's pieces sounded very English, eg. the _Cotillon Suite _was based on a set of English dances of the c18th (a bit like what Peter Warlock did in his _Capriol Suite _with French dances). Hamner's _Blue Hills Rhapsody _was a bit like variations on the same theme, which he had written for a radio show. The Hurst piece is a medley of Aussie tunes, most prominently our defacto national anthem, _Waltzing Matilda_...


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## Pieck

Schonberg SQs No. 1&2 Kolisch Quartet (1936-1937)
First listening for both.
@Sid James
I just got that you're andre. And I thought you were gone. It's nice to have you back (although you were still here) :tiphat:


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## Sid James

Pieck said:


> [email protected] James
> I just got that you're andre. And I thought you were gone. It's nice to have you back (although you were still here) :tiphat:


Well, Pieck, you're the 4th person I know of who's been confused by my change in avatar & name, so what I'll do this minute is put on my footer "formerly Andre (cat in the hoodie)" & I'll leave that there for a while so that any others can realise the change...


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## kv466

*Handel - Suites for Harpsichord nos. 1-4, Glenn Gould*


----------



## clavichorder

I really like Britten's violin concerto.


----------



## clavichorder

Pieck said:


> Schuman - Symphony No. 3.
> I remeber I listened to this piece a year ago, when I was quite new to CM, and I thought to myself 'WTF is this ****** music?'.
> My taste has evolved since.


That symphony has some kind of underground following to it, assuming you mean William Schuman symphony 3?


----------



## Pieck

clavichorder said:


> That symphony has some kind of underground following to it, assuming you mean William Schuman symphony 3?


What do you mean?
And I dont know another Schuman, do you?


----------



## Pieck

Sid James said:


> Well, Pieck, you're the 4th person I know of who's been confused by my change in avatar & name, so what I'll do this minute is put on my footer "formerly Andre (cat in the hoodie)" & I'll leave that there for a while so that any others can realise the change...


I loved the cat in the hoodie, he reminded me of my cat (who is one-eyed, possibly as the cat in the hoodie).


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Sonatas & Partitas For Solo Violin*


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## Oskaar

Arnold: Clarinet Concerto No.1, for clarinet and strings, Op.20

two versions

Artists	
Janet Hilton/Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Norman Del Mar










spotify 




Artists	
Ivor Bolton (Conductor), English Chamber Orchestra (Performer, Orchestra), Malcolm Martineau (Performer)










spotify


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## Oskaar

Antheil: Concert (Concerto), for chamber orchestra, W.170

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra










spotify 




great piece, where antheil really explores the various instruments (wind) and their interaction and harmony opportunities. This work dates to play often, because it certainly is new things that pop up every time I play it.

Excellent sound and performance.


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## jaimsilva

*Argerich in the 70s*

Martha Argerich

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.2 (recorded: 1980)
Haydn - Piano Concerto No.11 (recorded: 1980)
Franck - Violin Sonata (recorded: 1977)
Schumann - Fantaisie in C (recorded: 1976)
- Fantasiestücke (recorded: 1976)
Debussy - Violin Sonata (recorded: 1977)

London Sinfonietta (with Argerich conducting)

Ivry Gitlis (violin)


----------



## Oskaar

Babbitt: Around the horn, for solo horn

Artists	
Group for Contemporary Music










spotify 




Exciting work with Babbit playing with tones and moods in a rapidly changing pace. it requires a lot of the soloist, I think, to reveal possibilities and intentions in the composition, and I think the hornist in the Group for Contemporary Music manages it to shine. Very good!


----------



## Oskaar

Balakirev: Chopin Suite, Op. 11

artists
Singapore Symphony Orchestra










spotify


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## Oskaar

Barber: Canzonetta for Oboe and Piano, Op.posth.48

4 versions

artists

Stephane Rancourt
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop










spotify 




Oboe is another of my favorite instruments. This piece offers phenomenal opportunities to express the range of emotions that I love. this version is very good. I have some Spartacus (Kashaturian) - feeling here. Calm and rolling! There are some "easy listening" but it could also fit in some occasions.

artists

Julia Girdwood
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Jose Serebrier, Conductor










spotify 




The first version was much better. It's a little quiet here, and it sounds a bit sour and sometimes from both the orchestra and oboist. Nerve in the play is also slightly damaged by a rather uninspired interplay between soloist and orchestra.

artists

Humbert Lucarelli (ob), Lehigh Valley Chamber Orch., Donald Spieth

It was far better! Beautiful tone in the oboe, and played with great gusto. Great balance and interplay between soloist and orchestra. Here is the real nerve! Best version so far, a small button better than the first, at least it is my experience here and now. But tomorrow may be different ...










spotify 




artists

Christoph Eschenbach piano
Keisuke Wakao Oboe

Here is the piano instead of orchestra. Not particularly good in any way ...










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## Oskaar

Bartok: 2 Pictures (Két kép), Op.10, BB59, Sz.46

Very exiting work, almost spooky sometimes, but lighter sometimes. Full of mood changes.

4 versions

artists

Janos Kovacs (Conductor), Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra










spotify 




Wonderful teamwork and performance. Good balance in all aspects, and the various instruments and orchestra as a whole follow each other closely through the different mood and tempo changes. Good job of the conductor, in other words!
The sound is also very good.

artists

dorati (Conductor), Detroit Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Pretty good version also, but the balance seems not so good. Some messy. The orchestra and solo instrument parts follow each other not so good. I'm no expert in listening, but it's a little gut feeling, slightly different impression. You can certainly have a totally different experience!

Artists

Pierre Boulez (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)










spotify 




Better here. A lot of nerve and tension. Can seem a little passive and recumbent. You do not get fully exploited the potential of the plant. Maybe. The changes in other parties. Must listen again to this version soon, since I think it can grow really for me. Very good sound. Spotify renders in all terrific sound. The limitations are recording, sound card and speakers or headphones.

artists

Rotterdam Phil Orch (Artist), Conlon (Artist)










spotify 




This is a version to be loved I think. Very lyrical in the lighter portions. Maybe they do not quite get up the ghost-like in the darker sections. The interaction works very well. Well-balanced, and one gets the feeling that every sound and aggregates are in the right place. But my gut feeling tells me that this is a bit a light version of the work.


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## clavichorder

Pieck said:


> What do you mean?
> And I dont know another Schuman, do you?


You've been mis-spelling Robert Schumann with two n's it looks. There is William Schuman with one n, an american composer.


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## Oskaar

*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.1 in C-, Op.26*

Artists	
Timisoara Philharmoniker









spotify 




Fine work, but not very good version I think. The sound is very good, but the clarinet sounds rusty and souer, and out of touch with the orchestra. Orchestral performance seems quite good.

I need too listen to some other versions to get bether impression of the work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.1 in C-, Op.26*

Artists	
Radio Symphony Orchestra Pilsen










spotify 




I have four versions in Spotify, and I listen until I find a good version of the work in the silver is almost addictive. A lot of Mozart and Beethoven in it, but never boring, and very elegant.

Ah, this was much better. Good sound here too, and very good orchestra. And the crisp sound from the clarinet! In any case cleaner. But something is unresolved. It is a bit half way. I can not quite put my finger on it. The previous version had 3 of 10 in my listening diary system ( http://www.efficientdiary.com/ ). This gets 5

By using efficient diary as both a database and diary, I get a much closer relationship with the music. Should anyone think the same thought, so I would like to share my database with some information about the work, the links to browse. a. spotify and more But you must have the same program to open the files .. But Efficient diary free version is recommended most warmly. It is a frame that you decide how you want.to use


----------



## Pieck

clavichorder said:


> You've been mis-spelling Robert Schumann with two n's it looks. There is William Schuman with one n, an american composer.


Of course I meant William Schuman, Im not stupid. If it was Schumann that I meant, my first post would be quite weird (i.e saying Schumann's harmonies are advanced?)


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.1 in C-, Op.26*

I listen to my two last versions also. I have four, not five.

Artists
Johannes Wildner (Conductor), Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Ernst Ottensamer (Performer)










spotify 




This is great! A very talented performer. Both virituost and sensitive. Good sound and great interplay between soloist and orchestra. I feel that the work really comes into its own here. I give 8 (Overall impression). Ernst Ottensamer must be be checked out! And the orchestra does just enough much of themselves so that the soloist can flourish.

Artists
London Sinfonietta, David Atherton, Antony Pay










spotify 




The first impression is that the orchestra is a little too pompous. The soloist is a bit in background. Great sound, but the previous version is much better. Skilled performer, but maybe with more viritouse skills than skills of of emotional expression, and interaction with the orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166*

Artists Cherubini Quartet++










spotify 




I really like the work. I think the version is ok to, I have nothing to compare with yet. But I have 15 other versions to listen to when the time comes. The sound is nice. The performance is not brilliant, but quite nice. Nice interplay nice sound... so I dont know what is lacking. Maybe the skills on each instrument.

Well, the version and skills is growing on me!


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## jaimsilva

*more Argerich playing solo*

box with 8 CDs

Johannes Brahms: Rapsodies, op 79
Serge Prokofiev: Toccata, op. 11
Maurice Ravel: Jeux d'eau
Frédéric Chopin: Barcarolle in F sharp major, op. 60
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, no. 6
(1960)

Frédéric Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 3 in B minor, op. 58
Frédéric Chopin: 3 Mazurkas, op 59 
(1967)

Franz Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor
Robert Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, op. 2
(1971)

Frédéric Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor, op. 35
Frédéric Chopin: Grande Polonaise précédée d'un Andante spianato, op. 22
Frédéric Chopin: Scherzo no. 2 in B flat minor, op. 31
(1974)

Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit
Maurice Ravel: Sonatine
Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
(1974)

Frédéric Chopin: 24 Préludes, op 28	
Frédéric Chopin: Prélude for piano No. 25 in C sharp minor, op. 45
Frédéric Chopin: Prélude for piano No. 26 in A flat major, op. posth
(1975)

Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata in C minor, BWV 911
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita for keyboard No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
Johann Sebastian Bach: English Suite no. 2 in A minor, BWV 807
(1979)

Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen op. 15
Robert Schumann: Kreisleriana, 8 fantasies for piano, op. 16 
(1983)

listening now Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 2


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821*

Artists	
Nils Monkemeyer










spotify 




I really love this work. It gives so much room for emotional expression! Here it is Nils Mönkemayer on viola (I think) and he plays beautifully. And the interplay with the piano is just perfect!


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111, Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}, Symphony No.7 in C -Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. _All these works feature the Orchestre National de France performing under the baton wielded by Mstislav Rostropovich. I am becoming very fond indeed of the 6th and the wonderfully short 1st, but especially of his 5th, most notably its very melodic and uplifting first and third movements. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92_. Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Piano Trio No.1 in Bb, D.898, Op.99*

Artists	
The Yuval Trio










spotify 




Very good sound and the performance is brilliant! Lovely work to.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Still exploring Karajan's Beethoven cycle from the '70s. Symphonies 1 and 4 sounded promising, but my disc is defective, unfortunately. So on to the 3rd. I'll have to hear that one again; I don't know what to think. The Fidelio overture underwhelmed me.










Then another old master from the pre-HIP days, Bruno Walter, with Mozart's 35th and 39th symphonies, his stereo release with the Columbia Symphony (i.e., a pickup group from the L.A. Phil). I suppose I should eventually get back to listening to authentic orchestras with gut strings and valveless horns, but for now, this sure sounds nice.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Fantasia in C for Violin and Piano, D.934, Op.posth.159*

Artists	
Trio Dali / Amandine Savary / Vineta Sareika / Christian-Pierre La Marca*










Spotify 




The violin is very sensitive, almost fragile in the expression. very nice! The sound is not very good. The piano seems very hidden. But it is beatifully played. Very good interplay. The problems with the hidden piano appeared mostly in the beginning. The sound is ok, but the lovely playing should have even bether sound.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 In D Major, Op. 29, "Polish"*

For some reason I dont get into Tchaikovsky's 2nd and 3rd Symphonies as much as his others - I want to rectify this so now listening to the Polish from this excellent set by Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

*Gounod *- _Ave Maria _(after J.S. Bach)
Ernest Riedlinger, organ
*Chopin* - _Berceuse Op. 57_
Peter Schmalfuss, piano
*Bruckner* - _Adagio_ from _String Quintet in C_
Melos Quartet, Stuttgart with Enrique Santiago, viola
(from PILZ Meditation compilation)

Bruckner's quintet is one of my favourite chamber works, esp. the slow movt. which has the same churchy harmonies as those in the symphonies & that "grand arch" structure & length.

*Xenakis*
- _ST/4_ (1962)
Quatour Bernede
- _Polla Ta Dinha _(1962) for children's choir & orch.
Maitrise de Notre Dame de Paris / Abbe Revert, cond.
- _Achorripsis for 21 instruments_
Last two items with Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

The string quartet has interesting sounds that suggest sirens, percussive effects of hitting wood and harps. The choral piece is one of my favourite works on the set, the somewhat soft and vulnerable children's voices intoning the "Hymn to man" from Sophocles Antigone underpinned by quite harsh and abraisive sounds from the orchestra. The beats are fluid and malleable. The final work here was only 5 minutes in length & consists of 28 short sections of equal duration, a lot of contrast squeezed into this.

*Villa-Lobos*
- _Fantasia for soprano saxophone and chamber orch._ (1959)
John Harle, sax / ASMF / Neville Marriner, cond.
- _Concerto for guitar & small orch._ (1951)
Angel Romero, guitar / members of LPO / Jesus Lopez-Cobos, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

The saxophone fantasia treats the instrument as a vocalist, it's almost operatic, esp. the last movt. Quite lush sounds from the orch., as if I'm in a jungle. The guitar concerto was the work that introduced me to V-L about 3 or so years ago, still love it to the max. This work also started off as a fantasia, but guitarist Andres Segovia who commissioned it, wanted a cadenza. So V-L changed it into a fully fledged concerto. Funnily enough, the cadenza, coming between the second movt. & finale, is my favourite part of this work. Quite a bit of "attack" and rhythmic playing from the soloist here, and the orchestra has a more astringent sound than in the saxophone piece.


----------



## violadude

Gave a quick run through listen to this CD today. Korngold's musical language reminds me very strongly of early Schoenberg. Especially the Sextet, while not as dark and dramatic as Veklarte Nacht, has the same general "extended chromatic harmony" feel to it that the Schoenberg has.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte, K 588*

This is my third listen through this Opera since recieving it a few weeks ago - I love it!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9, Karajan. Having heard it in my car first, I'm no listening on my home system. It's sounding much better there. Although the last movement still doesn't bring me to my feet.

Now listening to Sibelius' 6th symphony, a very well done recording by Peter Sakari on Naxos.


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Piano Concerto in A- ('Concierto fantastico'), Op.78*

This work from Albeniz dont have the typical spanish flavour that other works has. Nevertheless.. I like this concerto.

3 versions.

Artists
Turin Orchestra, Alberto Zedda & Felicja Blumental










spotify 




This version has good sound. Affordable good interplay between piano and orchestra, but I'm not very impressed, neither of the player's technical characteristics or feelings and nerve from the soloist or orchestra. It is on the regular. In between some unsightly dents or sounds in spotify transfer, which happens occasionally, but not often.

Artists
Miguel Baselga (piano), Tenerife Symphony Orch, Lü Jia (conductor)










spotify 




Very good sound! Both the pianist and orchestra is very good, and it's nice interaction. Very sensitive and lyrical in the slower sections, and intense and full expression of the stronger parties. pianist may seem a bit passive in their solo parts, but flourishes in concert with the orchestra.

Artists
Jesús López-Cobos (Conductor), Jean-Francois Heisse










spotify 




Not bad, but nowhere near as good as the last. In particular, the orchestra works unspirert and flat. But the pianist seems halfway, and is a little far behind in the sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: Violin Sonata No.2*

This work is intense, and sometimes noisy, and is very challenging for the listener, and for instruments, spesially the violin. But it is rewarding when you first get into it.

Artists	
Jorja Fleezanis & Alessio Bax










spotify 




Very good interplay with piano and violin. The violin is wild an rough. Very well played. And the piano follows very good up. The sound is very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: Fantasy for Bassoon, Op.86*

Nice litle piece, very playful! I have two versions on spotify.

Artists	
Knut Sonstevold










spotify 




Artists	
Akio Koyama










spotify 




Both versions are good, but I think I liked the first best.


----------



## Oskaar

*Babbitt: Whirled Series, for saxaphone and piano*

Very interrestings tones from the saxophone and piano! Light and funny!

Artists	
Marshall Taylor










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Mily Balakirev*

Overture on a Spanish March Theme

Overture on Czech themes

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Hoey Choo










Spotify 




I especially like the last of these overtures. It is very poetic, full of delightfull lyric moments, and niceley played.


----------



## graaf




----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann: Fünf Stücke im Volkston by Rostropovich and Britten. Wonderful combination.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: The School for Scandal: Overture Op.5*

A very liveley and potent suite.

6 versions.

artists
Leonard Slatkin / Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Good version. Here comes the good moods. And it is a good nerve. I do not have much to compare with yet, but I like what I hear. The piece should not be overplayed, and I think the balance is fine here. It seems well made .

Artistes
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop










spotify 




Even better version! Each instrument is better up here, and this version is at least as good as the previous one to get the emotions inherent in the rapid pace of change and change. Very good sound.

artists
New York Philharmonic, Thomas Schippers










spotify 




In fact, even better! Exceptional good sound. outstanding instrumental performances, but it is the totality that is wild here. Details and nuances are all the way very well presented. Very intense without the overplayed in the lyrical sections.

artists
Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Roland Keller, Siegfried Kohler










spotify 




What is wrong here? After the previous version so it seems that there are quite a lot. Poorer sound okay, but it's more than that. Uninspired and poorly sewn together. Soure sounds and chaotic. Sometimes terrible timing and interaction. A single porridge!

artists
Atlanta Symphony
Yoel Levi










spotify 




Nice to hear anything after the last disaster ...
A bit chaotic here, and not very good balance. A little too relaxed in both the lyrical and more powerful parties. There is something jarring. It seems as if the will is greater than the capacity, it limps a little too much. Now I probably sound very surmaget out ... If I only had this version and not heard the first three, I had certainly been very pleased.

artists
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
David Zinman










spotify 




Nice version. The instruments are well presented, and the whole is very good. Maybe the version that distinguish best between the weak and strong.


----------



## violadude

oskaar said:


> A very liveley and potent suite.
> 
> 6 versions.
> 
> artists
> Leonard Slatkin / Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good version. Here comes the good moods. And it is a good nerve. I do not have much to compare with yet, but I like what I hear. The piece should not be overplayed, and I think the balance is fine here. It seems well made .
> 
> Artistes
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra
> Marin Alsop
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Even better version! Each instrument is better up here, and this version is at least as good as the previous one to get the emotions inherent in the rapid pace of change and change. Very good sound.
> 
> artists
> New York Philharmonic, Thomas Schippers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In fact, even better! Exceptional good sound. outstanding instrumental performances, but it is the totality that is wild here. Details and nuances are all the way very well presented. Very intense without the overplayed in the lyrical sections.
> 
> artists
> Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Roland Keller, Siegfried Kohler
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What is wrong here? After the previous version so it seems that there are quite a lot. Poorer sound okay, but it's more than that. Uninspired and poorly sewn together. Soure sounds and chaotic. Sometimes terrible timing and interaction. A single porridge!
> 
> artists
> Atlanta Symphony
> Yoel Levi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice to hear anything after the last disaster ...
> A bit chaotic here, and not very good balance. A little too relaxed in both the lyrical and more powerful parties. There is something jarring. It seems as if the will is greater than the capacity, it limps a little too much. Now I probably sound very surmaget out ... If I only had this version and not heard the first three, I had certainly been very pleased.
> 
> artists
> Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
> David Zinman
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice version. The instruments are well presented, and the whole is very good. Maybe the version that distinguish best between the weak and strong.


I have that last CD, it is very good indeed. I love the HUGE brass climax of the piece that comes right before the Crash that signals the recap.! I love that piece in general, it's a pain to play though. I played it with my symphony on a concert tour throughout Washington DC. That was always the piece that we pulled off the worst because it is so hard to get all the parts lined up.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm comparing the first movements of *Beethoven's 3rd* with two modern orchestras, those of Karajan and Bernstein.

With *Karajan*, the pleasure for me comes from the double basses, their full, warm sound. Overall, the strings sound great. I think he is letting the piece flow like a river and run its course until the coda, not observing repeats, leading to a climax at the end with the brass.

*Bernstein* emphasizes the motor rhythms of the strings from the beginning, and he gives a sense of drive; like at bar 109 when the strings stiffen with staccato notes, it sounds like an acceptance of a challenge. There is a nice sense of playfulness at the end of the coda before the brass entrance, and it ends with the motor rhythms again.

So here are two different takes on the same piece, both different. But that's what makes classical music interesting.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak - Violin Concerto and Piano Quintet*

Antonin Dvorak

Violin Concerto in A minor B108 (Op. 53)
Piano Quintet in A major B155 (Op. 81)

Sarah Chang - violin
London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Colin Davis
(for the concerto)

Leif Ove Andsnes - piano
Sarah Chang - violin
Alexander Kerr - violin
Wolfram Christ - viola
Georg Faust - cello
(for the quintet)

What a great coupling!


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92_. Both works feature Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
Dmitri Shostakovich_--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat major, Op.70_. The 5th is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, while the 9th is played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Bernard Haitnik. That last movement of his 5th is so uplifting and driving; it reminds me a little of the third movement from Tchaikovsky's 6th_ {"_Pathetique"} in its optimism.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.47 *{original 1930 version} and *Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.112 *{revised 1947 version}. Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton wielded by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Guest

Becoming addicted to Janacek through his Sinfonietta. Playing his piano works is really fun too.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to first disc of double disc album - a collection of *Australian Light Classics *(ABC Classics label)
Various Australian performers

*Colin Brumby * 
- _Paean, for orchestra
- Festival Overture on Australian Themes, for orchestra_
- _Scena, for cor anglais & strings_

*Lindley Evans* 
- _Idyll, for piano & orchestra_

*George Dreyfus* 
- _Rush for bassoon & guitar_ (orchestral version)

*John Carmichael* 
- _Trumpet Concerto
- Fêtes Champêtres, for clarinet & orchestra_

*Miriam Hyde* 
-_ Happy Occasion Overture, for orchestra _

I remember Brumby's cor anglais piece from listening to it on radio 20 or so years ago. Back then, there seemed to be more Aussie classical music played here both on air & live, esp. that of the "light" or more traditional variety. Following the Bicentennial in 1988 of European settlement/colonisation, there was a fair amount of promotion of our own music. This has in recent years kind of dropped off, which is a bit of a pity, imo. I got this double album last week for a fraction of the original price, I wouldn't be surprised if it's going out of print (or already out of print?). That speaks to the situation now quite a bit, which isn't as good as it was 20 or so years ago.

On a more positive note, it's a joy to hear this album, rediscover these gems & own them for the first time. Of particular note amongst these great performers of ours is the late *Isador Goodman*, one of our great pianists of yesteryear. Here, he is playing a piece he arranged himself (the _Idyll _by Evans). He loved playing things like Rachmaninov, Rozsa, Gershwin, Addinsell, etc. His style was quite lyrical and understated, nuanced rather than bravura. If you guys do manage to get your hands on a recording of his, it's worth it's weight in gold, imo...


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 4, 5 & 6*

There seems to be quite a lot of discussion about Schubert on the forum lately - I am a Schubert fanboy so have decided to spend this afternoon listening to this great Composer .
First up - early String Quartets [Disc 2] from this great set:


----------



## science

Conor71 said:


> *Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 4, 5 & 6*
> 
> There seems to be quite a lot of discussion about Schubert on the forum lately - I am a Schubert fanboy so have decided to spend this afternoon listening to this great Composer .
> First up - early String Quartets [Disc 2] from this great set:


I've never heard quartets 4, 5, & 6.


----------



## science

Conor71 said:


> *Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 In D Major, Op. 29, "Polish"*
> 
> For some reason I dont get into Tchaikovsky's 2nd and 3rd Symphonies as much as his others - I want to rectify this so now listening to the Polish from this excellent set by Karajan.


I don't know those recordings, but I'd alert people that a Pletnev box of Tchaikovsky's orchestral music is available and I like it.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Conor71

science said:


> I've never heard quartets 4, 5, & 6.


I would'nt consider them essential listening but they are pleasant works and nice to have I think 

Now listening:

*Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5*


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 16 & 17*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Dvorak: Symphony No.8, Cello Concerto*

Antonin Dvorak

Symphony No. 8 in G major, B. 163 (Op.88)
Cello Concerto in B minor, B. 191 (Op. 104)

Gregor Piatigorsky (cello)

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Charles Munch


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: Violoncello Concerto No.2 in b-minor Op.104*

Trully a loveley work filled with romantic soundscapes.

I found 28 recordings with decent sound on spotify, and play two of them now.

Lorin Maazel, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma

The overall impression is very good. I am perhaps more impressed by the orchestra's ability to bring out nuances and sound, and to abide by the cellist, a I is the cellist ma. He rarely plays bad, technically proficient, but I do not think he always gets out all the possibilities of the instrument and the work itself. He is a stable cellist without the high altitudes.

But the orchestra plays as I said very well, so I can recommend this version. Maazel is an accomplished conductor, it is certainly my impression from what little I have heard.










spotify 




Artists
Peter Bruns
Dresden Staatskapelle
Michael Helmrath










spotify 




Very good orchestra here, too. And cello performance is much better in my opinion. Peter bruns get much more out of the instrument than the Mon does. The virtuosity, but even more in the mood and empathy.

There is so much to play on in this piece of romantic moods, both quiet and lyrical, and intensely powerful. And Bruns does it with flying colors! The cello sings!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> I am a Schubert fanboy so have decided to spend this afternoon listening to this great Composer .
> First up - early String Quartets [Disc 2] from this great set:


You've inspired me to pull out his 9th quartet.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: Violoncello Concerto) No.2 in b-minor Op.104*

I jump on two more versions, since I am absolutely not tired of the work yet!

Artists
wen-yang mind
Sinfonica Helvetica
Grezegorz Nowak










spotify 




First movement start dramatic before it calms down and the cello comes in, and it is wonderful to hear how the orchestra manages the variations between the lyrical and dramatic. A little chaotic in some dramatic political parties may ... Nit-picking.

Cello falls sometimes lost in the orchestral whole. Lyric parties are excellent both in the cello's own expression, and interacting with the orchestra. The stronger parts, however, the balance a little bit bad. The orchestra is too dominant, or yang can not quite follow the orchestra and conductor's ambitions. I do not know what is right ... So clever, I'm not in musical analysis! hehe

Artists
Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Philippe de Chalendar, Dominique de Willie Court










spotify 




Orchestral sound is not very good. A little chaotic so far. Great lack of empathy for the time being, and the sound in general seems not quite right.

The cello is quite clearly in hand, but it lacks much in relation to the soloist's performance and interaction. This version can be safely skipped by most I think.


----------



## science

Symphonic Dances.

I like "Isle of the Dead" even better, but these are good Russian fun.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Immortal Nystedt. Nice music for a Sunday morning.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann: _Dichterliebe_ performed by Fischer-Dieskau and some pianist I never heard of.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.89 Mazurek Op.49*

Nice litttle piece full of energy.

7 versions.

Artists
Scott St. John and Thomas Bagwell

Violin and piano. Very good sound on this recording. The violin is very good and expressive, but the interplay with the piano is not perfect. the piano is just too far behind in the sound and seems a bit uinnspirert. This lack of balance means that it lacks the nerve.

spotify 




Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Ruggiero Ricci, Walter Susskind










spotify 




Violin and Orchestra. Here is the balance between orchestra and violin pretty good. Best of the lyrical sections, more tentative in any case from fiolistens side of stronger parties. In fact, very expressive violin in the weaker parties, a little feverish in stronger.

Artists
Ivan Zenaty, Jaroslav Kolar










spotify 




Violin and piano. Good balance between piano and violin in the sound, but not quite good interaction. A little messy. Quite unpleasant shrill sounds of the violin occasionally. It seems that artists are a little stressed, and I get stressed .. The sound is very close and crystal clear, and any mistakes and disharmonies are thus very clear. I like this close to normal .. It is sort of right in the face of you. But when should the details and overall be better than this.

Artists
Ivan Fischer (Conductor), Budapest Festival Orchestra (Orchestra), Akiko Suwanai










spotify 




violin and orchestra. Some distorted here too .. Good violin in the slower sections, but the interaction with the orchestra is not quite good. it seems hesitant. But suwanai brings out some really wonderful mood in the quiet parts. This version will grow on me.

Artists
Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty










spotify 




Violin and piano. Not very good sound. Cutting sound from the violin. Many errors, and the interaction is not good. The piano is passive. And the current violin is not good. Absolutely no favorite.

Artists
Arts Music Recording Rotterdam

spotify 




Orchestra and violin. Here the violin is actually a bit stifled by the orchestra. There is a lot and put my finger on ... poor interaction, and the orchestra or violin does not work separately, either. Ugh, now I feel bad complaining, but that's what my ears perceive. Not much to brag about here.

Artists
Edmund Battersby
Zhou Qian










spotify 




Piano and violin. This can NOK become a favorite, at least with the piano. Lovely and expressive violin in all shades. The piano is perhaps a little far back and is a bit passive, but it is perhaps the way it should be in this play. Great interaction in general, and certainly the best version of these 7


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: Quintet for harp and strings*

artists
Mobius










spotify 




Wonderful! Good close to the sound without seeming too intrusive. The play itself provides plenty of room for lyrical and romantic expression, and the performance here is excellent, both from the orchestra and harp. Perhaps the orchestra is a little too far ahead compared to the harp in the interaction. In particular violin can dominate a little too much.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: Piano Trio in Bb*

Very nice and uplifting work. A lot of surprises, but that dont destroy the laidback and calm feeling throughout.

artister
Pirasti Trio










spotify 




Very nice balance between the instruments, specially in the calm parts.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.2 in A, Op.2, No.2*

Earlier i did not like solo piano very much. I found it a bit boring. But as I am training up my ear, that is about to change. When the work and the pianist is good, there are so much room for artistic expression.

Artists	
Wilhelm Backhaus










sotify 




Not at all very good. Bad sound, and the pianist seems uninspired and clumsy

Artists	
Vladimir Ashkenazy










spotify 




Ashkenazy plays it brilliantly! Changes in tempo, mood and strength are beautifully done. Bravo!


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Autumnal Sketch, Op.8*

Artists	
London Symphony Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy









spotify 




Exiting piece, but i dont think this performance get the full out of it. The sound is medium, and so is the orchestral challenge.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C, Op.26*

Artists
Theodore Kuchar
Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Lowely suite, and a very nice version. But the narrating irritates me a bit... I cant follow it easily in english.

But the orchestra impress.


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> But the narrating irritates me a bit... I cant follow it easily in english.


Well i follow it now!


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34 bis*

some parties here is extremly lovely!

2 versions.

Artists	
Southwest Chamber Music, members*










spotify 




beautiful version. Good sound, and everything balansed perfectly!

Artists	
Allegra Ensemble










spotify 




The hebraw themes ar even bether here. But the calm between was maybe bether on the other version. I must relisten. But two loveley versions for sure.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3*

This sonata is wery warm and still playfull. I simply love Schubert! And I have a lot to explore.

I think I listen two four versions here and now.

Artists
David Grimal / Valery Afanassiev










spotify 




Very good sound, and the interplay and balance between violin and piano is almost perfect! Feelings and shades are well presented both in quiet and stronger parties. There is a calmness and peace of interaction that is very pleasant to listen to.

Artists
Ruggiero Ricci









spotify 




Very good sound here too. Intense and good interaction between the violin and piano. Incredibly well in shade! I gave the previous version a nine, but I think I have to downgrade it to 8 and give this a nine. Well, I gave a tenner! So good is this versjonen.

Artists
Reto Bieri - Gérard Wyss










spotify 




pretty good. but perhaps a bit boring .. I love the clarinet, but Perhaps it does not fit all the way to this piece. Great playing by all means, but it is a bit tame. Nice and sensitive clarinet, but when not quite up.

Julia Fischer (Performer), Martin Helmchen










spotify 




Great Violin games, but sometimes she falls a bit out of the soundstage. The interaction is not very good. I get the impression that the violin and piano are in two different worlds.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven's 2nd symphony by Karajan. I'm liking this. I'm used to Norrington/Gardiner; this one is more expansive.


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concertos -
# 1 in E Flat Major, Op. 107
# 2 in G Major, Op. 126_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) / Antoni Wit, cond.
(Naxos)

Both concertos were written for Mstislav Rostropovich during the 1960's, who actually taught the cellist on this recording.

The first concerto includes the DSCH motto theme, it esp. predominates the first movement and comes back right at the end. The slow movt. and cadenza are heart wrenching. In the final movement, there's a mechanical feel, quotation at length of two of Stalin's favourite songs, topped off by DSCH.

The second concerto is more ambigious and cryptic. It has two outer slow movements sandwiching a fast one in the middle. I feel bleakness in the first, then the middle quick one is based on an Odessa street song tune (was this in reference to Khruschev who like to go to the Crimea for holiday, and he actually gave the Crimea back to Ukraine), then the final movt. starts with a cadenza initiated by a fanfare that seems almost absurd in this context, like a puffed up thing that leads to an anticlimax, then the final movt. which on the whole has kind of romantic, wistful and lyrical elements.

On another website, Kliegel's peformance was criticised by some as lacking emotion and being too detatched. I disagree in terms of the slow movts. or cadenzas, she is very emotional (but not over the top), but as far at the last movt. of the first concerto is concerned, her mechanistic delivery is exactly in line with the composer's irony and sarcasm, I mean why the hell would he quote two songs loved by the dictator Stalin? It was more a sad reflection on what Stalin had done, made people dance his tunes, it wasn't a glorification of the despot by any means. So Kliegel's deadpan delivery is spot-on, imo.

*Xenakis*
_- ST/10-1080262 for 10 instruments
- Akrata for 16 wind instruments
- Achorripsis for 21 instruments_
Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

I like how Xenakis used the harp in the first piece, it is kind of very staccato and aggressive, not the usual dreamy impressionistic qualities we associate with this instrument. Akrata has more repetition than usual in Xenakis, also sustained notes on the brass and winds, and these long silences, which are kind of ominous and eery. It's like I'm hanging out or trying to figure out if it has ended, then another sequence begins. I found a similar thing when hearing his percussion works live earlier in the year. The last work here opens with double bass plucked and a kind of jazzy swing feel, esp. with addition of vibraphone which makes me think of Lionel Hampton joining the fray. A very short piece (5 minutes) but jam-packed with so many things, little cells (28 of them, in fact) joining up to this mosaic of sound.

*Villa-Lobos*
A selection of solo piano works played by Cristina Ortiz -
_- A prole do bebe #1
- Festa no sertao
- Alma brasileira
- A lenda de caboclo
- Impressoes seresteiras_
(from EMI 2 disc set)

A lot of influences of the time (early c20th) here, _A prole do bebe_ comes across as much like Debussy or Faure. Others have the vibes of eg. Chopin or Rachmaninov. The last four works here in particular also have those unique harmonies & emotional depths that V-L was a master of, putting him way above others inclined to simple pastiche. Listening to Ms Ortiz in her prime (the 1970's) is a treat indeed...


----------



## science

Elgar: Symphony #1 in A-flat, op. 55 - Barbirolli, Philharmonia Orchestra, 1963.


----------



## tdc

Richter playing Bach's Prelude and Fugue BWV 849 - One man playing some of the best and most powerful music I have ever heard.


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4*

Theres such diversity in these 3 pieces - wonderful music and the performances are great too!


----------



## Manxfeeder

I've never connected with Emily Dickinson's poetry, so I'm listening to Aaron Copland's *Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson* to see if it helps.

No, still doesn't; her poetry is better suited to that country song about a yellow flower found above the Mexican border. However, the slower settings like _Nature, the Gentlest Mother_ and_ The World Feels Dusty_ are very nice; they remind me of Samuel Barber's *Knoxvill*e and look forward to John Corigliano's efforts with the poetry of Dylan Thomas.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner's 8th symphony*, Wilhelm Furtwangler with the Vienna Philharmonic, 1944, on Music & Arts. Outstanding.

Maybe it's just a difference in computer speakers v. stereo speakers, but I prefer this remastered version to the same performance on Musical Concepts (on Spotify).


----------



## jaimsilva

*Flagstad sings Mahler and Wagner*

Mahler 
- Kindertotenlieder
- Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult

Wagner
- Wesendonk Lieder
- "Einsam in trüben Tagen" from Lohengrin
- "Ich sah das Kind an selner Mutter Brust" from Parsifal
- "Du bist der Lenz" from Die Walküre
with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Hans Knappertsbusch


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Symphony in D-, M.48*

The first time I listen to this symphony, so I do not have much to compare with. But I found 18 versions of Spotify. Can certainly do not listen to so many in a row. When I get tired ...

The Works seem very exciting. Great drama and light shades.

Artists	
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra and Jansug Kakhidze










spotify 




This version is probably not particularly good. The sound is so-so. But it seems some effort is great. peripheral instruments are not well presented, that sometimes they are strong only to be completely gone. Small embarrassing mistake, it is too. But symphony orchestras presented as a whole seem strong and good, and shift between great lyrical and stronger parties.


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: 12 Piezas caracteristicas, Op.92*

Beatiful pieces, and wonderfully performed.

Artists	
Miguel Baselga










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

Albinez reminds me of grieg in many ways!


----------



## Oskaar

*albinoni Op.7 nr 3*

Artists	
Sutcliffe (Artist), Davison (Artist)










spotify 




Nice sound. The obo especially. Very good performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: McKonkey's Ferry A Concert Overture*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine










spotify 




Fantastic work, and a very good performance! Antheil have some very nice surprises.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: 5 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.84*

Artists	
English Piano Trio (Orchestra), Justin Pearson (Performer), Timothy Ravenscroft (Performer), Jane Faulkner (Performer)*










spotify 




Very short but brilliant pieces. And the album is superb!


----------



## dmg

Currently listening to Mahler 2 - Klemperer:


----------



## Oskaar

*Babbitt: Soli e Duettini, for flute and guitar*

Artists	
David Starobin










spotify 




In short ammount this kind of music is very awarding. Brilliant sound and very fast shifts in the mood. The flute is dominating, and very well played. But it is the guitar and other sound, with all its surprises, that make this peace enjoyable for me


----------



## starthrower

John Hollenbeck-Eternal Interlude, large ensemble jazz w/ modern orchestral feel.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bartok by Kubelik*

Label ORFEO has a very interesting collection: live recordings both at the Salzburg Festival and with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

This one I'm listening to is a live recording of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Raphael Kubelik.

Bartok
- Concerto for Orchestra 
- Music for Strings,Percussion and Celesta


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

artister
Jungran Kim Khwarg piano

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Dong Hyock Hyun










spotify 




I only found one version on spotify, and that surprise me. Very delightfull work. Very melodic, and sometimes grandeous. This version is good, sound is ok, but I have the feeling that the work has a potential that this version dont quite fullfill.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

artister
Jian Wang-cello
Carol Rosenberger-piano










spotify 




Very good sound. This emiment sonata gives a lot of room for performance brilliance. The sound of Wangs cello is devine! And the ballance with the piano is perfect!

Back to the cello. It is strong and expressiv in stronger parties, and very sensitive and nyanced in more lyric parties. Very very good!

The interplay with the piano is very good. The cello dominates, but the piano are there to complete.

The sound that Wang get out of the cello is ekstraordinary. So warm and colourful! And he his very sensitive, and expressive.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Prokofiev: Symphonies*

Prokofiev Symphonies

recorded in 1965-1967

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky

starting the listening with the well known (and my preferred) Symphony no.1 "Classical Symphony"


----------



## Oskaar

*Presenting Jian Wang*

Fantastic record!

Jian Wang-cello
Carol Rosenberger-piano










spotify


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm continuing to celebrate the day after Bruckner's birthday with his *4th symphony* by Karajan and the BPO.

After this week listening to their Beethoven cycle, I'm finally understanding the Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic sound. That combined with the somewhat resonant recording venue gives this recording of this symphony an organ-like feel.


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4*


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--_Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1 in D-Flat major, Op.10 and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.3 in C Major, Op..26. _Both works feature Claudio Abbado conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker, with pianist Yevgeny Kissin.
Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. _Both works feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, _performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton wielded by Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## SonjiaWeber

*I was listening to Joseph Martin Kraus Symphonie C Andante movement*










*I noticed the similarities in Mozart's Piano Concerto 22 Andante movement*










* I really enjoy both but, I think Mozart brings the Andante to another level, I guess Mozart and Kraus had the same creative idea's, both are beautiful in texture and tone, but just wondering why they were so similar, I am not a Musician but wanted opinions just guessing were there keys and chords that were similar in that Classical period that composer's used? *

*Thanks for helping!*

Sonjia Weber


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen*
- _Springtime in Funen (Fynsk Forar) for soloists, chorus & orch., Op. 42 _(in 6 episodes)
- _Aladdin Suite _for orch.
- _Three Motets, Op. 55 _for a capella choir
Vocal soloists / University Choir "Little Muko" / Odense SO / Tamas Veto, cond.
(Regis)

Just got this now, but I had heard these works before. _Springtime in Funen_, a work reflecting on the composer's childhood on the island of that name, is delightful (I esp. like his use of children's choir and child soloists). The _Aladdin Suite _is an interesting piece of Scandinavian exotica, I esp. liked the rhythms and colours in the final three movements (Nielsen had this way of building up a climax from the barest of elements). My favourite work here is the _Three Motets_, esp. the concluding _Benedictus_, I like the sudden dynamic shifts and tonal vagueness.

*Villa-Lobos*
_Momoprecoce - Fantasy for piano & orch._
Cristina Ortiz, piano / New Philharmonia Orch. / Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

Making my way to the last items on this set. _Momoprecoce_ is the mascot of the carnival in Rio, and this piece comes across to me as a kaliedescopic portrayal in sound of that parade. I like how the music changes direction in the bat of an eyelid, it's quite fluid, rhythmic and colourful.

*Xenakis*
- _Nomos Alpha for solo cello _(1965)
Pierre Penassou, cello
- _Herma for solo piano _(1961)
Georges Pludermacher, piano
(from EMI 2 disc set)

I went through this set bit by bit last week, got a lot out of it, so have decided to do it all again this week. These two solo instrumental works are the highlights of the album for me. In the cello piece, Xenakis stretches this instrument to it's limits, there is a part where there is triple stopping, it sounds like three cellos are being played, not only one! (but this is purely acoustic, no electronic manipulation/mixing involved) The solo piano work _Herma_ is shorter by half, but packs a lot in, there are many wave-like patterns and intermitent silences.

*Elena Kats-Chernin*
_Mythic for orch._
Tasmanian SO / Old Rudner, cond.
(from ABC Classics disc)

The composer says in the notes that here she was trying to portray a journey through a mythical cave in sound. It has a strong element of fantasy for me, and is quite filmic. Interesting how although Kats-Chernin was quite influenced by minimalist trends, her music has a richness and lushness which is not like the more pared down feel of some minimalists.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*The Wasps *and *Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. *Both pieces are performed by the Academy of St Martin In The Fields under the baton wielded by Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## Graphyfotoz

In the mood for some solo piano....
I haven't played this in a while.
Excellent recording....Won several awards!
Gramophone Awards 2008 - Finalist - Instrumental
Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - Awards Issue 2007
BBC Music Magazine Disc of the month - September 2007
DIAPASON D'OR CLASSICAL SOLO ALBUM OF THE YEAR 
JUNO AWARDS


----------



## violadude

Graphyfotoz said:


> In the mood for some solo piano....
> I haven't played this in a while.
> Excellent recording....Won several awards!
> Gramophone Awards 2008 - Finalist - Instrumental
> Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - Awards Issue 2007
> BBC Music Magazine Disc of the month - September 2007
> DIAPASON D'OR CLASSICAL SOLO ALBUM OF THE YEAR
> JUNO AWARDS


Holy crap that is one scary album cover :O


----------



## Sid James

Yeah, *violadude*, & what's with Alkan's music & birds? Our very own Stephanie McCallum's album of his etudes also has one of our avian friends - a raven? - on the cover (but not as scary as Mr Hamelin's one) -


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

artister
Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra

Alexander Rahbari










spotify


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 1, 2 & 8*

A first listen from this newly arrived boxset - this set replaces a recording of the Trios by the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt on my iPod.
Im on the 2nd Trio of the first Disc at the moment and already I can tell that Im going to enjoy this new set a lot more than the previous one!.
Im a big fan of the Beaux Arts Trio and also have sets of them playing the Mozart, Schubert and Schumann Trios


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok: 2 Portraits (2 Portre), Op.5, BB48b*

A calm and loveley piece, easy to get addicted.
just enjoying 3 versions.

artister
Jennifer koh violin, Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Grant Park Orchestra (Orchestra)










spotify 




Beautiful violin, and good interraction with orchestra.

artister
Mintz (Artist), Abbado (Artist), London Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Little dissapointed of this version. Wery well played indeed, both violin and orchestra. But the violin dissapairs in the orchestral sound far too often, so the interplay is not very good.

artister
Philharmonia Hungarica, Antal Doráti, Erwin Ramor










spotify 




Very nice interplay, and balance, but the empaty in the violin is not always there. Sounds a bit sour sometimes both from the violin and orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4*

The Piano Trios I just listened to were great! - I actually have'nt listened to much Beethoven lately so this seems like a good Disc to continue with..


----------



## Manxfeeder

SonjiaWeber said:


> *I was listening to Joseph Martin Kraus Symphonie C Andante movement*
> *I noticed the similarities in Mozart's Piano Concerto 22 Andante movement*
> 
> I really enjoy both but, I think Mozart brings the Andante to another level, I guess Mozart and Kraus had the same creative idea's, both are beautiful in texture and tone, but just wondering why they were so similar, I am not a Musician but wanted opinions just guessing were there keys and chords that were similar in that Classical period that composer's used? [


Thanks for your observation about the two pieces; I really enjoyed listening to these together.

You're right; in the Classical period, there were places you couldn't go as far as harmony; it was supposed to start at a certain place, travel to certain places, and return, and if you took a side road, there should be a compelling harmonic reason why you did so.

These two pieces show that those rules aren't limiting; on the contrary, there is room for lyricism and expression. They both go beyond the average in their pieces; Kraus uses suspirato - a vocal technique imitating panting - to a good effect and chromatic lines, with contrasting textures, to give it an earthy, impassioned feel. Mozart writes this heavenly andante - as you said, it's at another level - and it seems like in the middle he's so carried away he forgets it's a piano concerto and inserts a flute/bassoon duet.

So between the two, we're taken to earth and to heaven. What a nice way to start a day.


----------



## Oskaar

*an afternoon mix*

Bax: Folk-Tale

artister
Yolande Wrigley piano
Bernard Gregor-Smith-cello

spotify 




Very nice litle piece for violin and piano. Very good playd, good interplay. Good sound,but maybe both instrumants is a bit distance in the soundscape. A little to much "hall" feel. That can me nice to give a more eary expernce, but not to much.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.3 in C, Op.2, No.3

Artists	
Wilhelm Kempff









spotify 




Quite nicely played, but there are a bit noice in the backgrond. Kempff seems more clever as a virtous than in expressing feelings. I think he lacks some lyrical touch.

I love these sonatas, but I have to find the best versions. The next, ashkenazy, is a good kandidate. And Perahia.

Artists	
Vladimir Ashkenazy









spotify 




I love the way Ashekanazy plays. He has a great palette! From the 12 versions of this sonata I will now only listen to the best. I will skip those I dont like. And stick to those artists with all the other sonatas. Some exeptions, since not all artists play them all, at least not in spotify reportoare.

Ashkenazy has 32 sonatas on spotify. I am so impressed with his ability to expose all nuances and variations, and put his one emotional mark on it. I am glad i have all 32 sonatas on spotify. The sound is ok.

Artists	
Murray Perahia










spotify 




I find the sound quite much bether here. And perahias skills shows throughout. It can make you breathless! It feels like he treates the tangents as a baby, but he express a lot also in stronger parties.

And remember: I have some spotify invites. I have 2 new to give away each month as a premium member. I have 15 now I think. Just pm me with e-mail.

Artists	
Jean-Bernard Pommier










spotify 




Not always tecnically perfect, but a lot of charm, and empaty. This may very well be a pianist I turn back to. I prefer empaty and personal expression before tecnical brilliance. It is like he want to tell a story in his playing, and i definitivly like the story! The sound is very good. And all 32 sonatas are to be found on spotify!

Artists	
Emil Gilels










spotify 




At first I found Giles a bit stressy, but i have adapted. Extremly expressivie sometimes a little to much! But he make brilliant soundscapes. I think this will grow on me even more. Very great potential for listening pleasure. He seldom does mistakes, but it is not tecnical brilliancy that make the impression, thogh he is also teknically ver good. It is the intence stay in the precent. Giles is never uninterested or uninterresting. Every tone and every pause is strong and intence. You have to be very awake to get all out of this performance in all it intencity and glory. I have my own diary and database, where I give caracters from one to 10. This is my second 10! 29 sonatas on spotify

Artists	
Daniel Barenboim










spotify 




Also a superb version. Barenboim dont reach Gilels intensity in every note, but is maybe a bit more virtous and playfull. Great soundscapes also in the heavier or melankolic parts. Superb Beethoven, but not on Gilels level.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C, Op.26*

Artists	
Vladimir Krainev (piano) , Dmitri Kitajenko (cond) , Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Very rewarding work,fullof fast changes and different landscapes, and I find this version very good. Nice soundscapes, and the piano lays perfectly right in the whole picture. All instruments are exposed very well. Good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante in E-, for cello and orchestra, Op.125*

Artists	
Lorin Maazel, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma










spotify 




I dont find yo-yo ma as a very good cellist. It often seems as he just go to work and play what is neccesary. But he is quite decent here. Not outstanding.

But the orchestra is very good, and the work itself very exiting.


----------



## Oskaar

*schubert Piano Quintet in A, D.667, Op.posth.114 ('The Trout')*

Artists	
Derek Han










spotify 




Very good version.


----------



## kzhen

Beethoven is always my favorite, but I'm in love with Yiruma. He has some of the most amazing pieces ever!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Some nice works adapted for Viola and orchestra*

Schubert - 'Arpeggione' Sonata in A minor, D821 - arranged for viola and string orchestra by Dobrinka Tabakova
Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33 for cello and orchestra - solo part adapted for viola by Maxim Rysanov
Bruch - Romance in F major, Op.85 for viola and orchestra

Maxim Rysanov(viola)
Swedish Chamber Orchestra under Muhai Tang

"_Viola players, starved of original repertory, have traditionally plundered other instruments' concertos (notably Elgar's for cello, which Lionel Tertis adapted). Maxim Rysanov's version of the Tchaikovsky Rococo variations for cello is one of the most successful steals, not tampering with the orchestral score but simply shifting the solo part, sometimes up an octave to give its virtuosic writing brilliance and allure. Rysanov's viola sound is warm, lyrical but with an edge to it that suits Schubert's "Arpeggione" sonata (here with chamber orchestra), and he makes the most of the one original viola work, Max Bruch's Romance, a lovely melody not very memorably developed._" - by Nicholas Kenyon in The Observer, 7 August 2011










(and it sounds pretty well...  )


----------



## Graphyfotoz

violadude said:


> Holy crap that is one scary album cover :O


Yeah one of 2 scary cover art I own.
This one I listened to earlier today is a close 2nd! LOL


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 3, 6 & 10*

Now listening to Disc 2 from this new set


----------



## kv466

Schumann - Piano Concerto in a-moll, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Christoph von Dohnanyi, Claudio Arrau al Piano


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. _Both are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis.
Serge Prokofiev--_Symphony_ No._7_ _in_ _C_-_Sharp_ _Minor_, _Op_._131_ _and_ _Symphony_ _No_._5_ _in_ _B_-_Flat_ _Major, Op.100. _Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*--Symphony** No**.28 in C Major, K.200,* featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Claudio Abbado.


----------



## samurai

Thanks to Spotify, I just listened to the following:
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105,* performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska. As I am still somewhat undecided about whether to make a purchase of a box set of his complete symphonies done by either Karajan or Maazel, I intend to listen to all of those I have not yet heard {namely 1-5} before making a final decision.
Hooray for Spotify and my fellow member Oskaar! :trp:


----------



## dmg

Currently spinnin':


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concertos -
#1 in E flat major, Op. 107
#2 in G major, Op. 126_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) / Antoni Wit, cond.
(Naxos)

I've listened to this several times recently & really clicked with it. These works mirror the despair, irony, sarcasm, drudgery, relief and other things felt by the composer in the post-Stalin years (they were composed in the 1960's). A surprising thing for me is their colourful orchestration.

*Villa-Lobos*
_Bachianas brasileiras #3 for piano & orch._
Cristina Ortiz, piano / New Philharmonia Orch. / Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

Winding up my listening through this set in the last few days, this, the third of the_ Bachianas brasileiras_ is a piano concerto in all but name. It's a blending of Bach, Brazil and esp. Rachmaninov (eg. his trademark block chords on the piano, as well as a recurring passage played by the brass in the third movt., _Aria_, which strongly resembles the Russian's well-loved _Dies Irae_ theme). Despite these many things coming together, it's not rehash, but quite unique.

*Xenakis*
_ST/4 for string quartet_
- Quatour Bernede
_Polla Ta Dhina for children's choir & orch._
- Maitrise de Notre Dame de Paris / Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

Giving another spin to this set again, bit by bit, after doing the same last week with rewarding results. There is a richness & wealth of sound in these works. A lot of colour and contrast.

From *Album: Swagman's Promenade - Australian Light Classics* (ABC Classics 2 disc set)
*Arthur Benjamin:* _Cotillon Suite for orch._
- Sydney SO / Patrick Thomas, cond.
*Peggy Glanville-Hicks: *_Three Gymnopedies_ (arr. for orch.)
- Sydney SO / Myer Fredman, cond.
*John Carmichael: *_Concerto Folklorico for piano & string orch._
- Composer on piano / West Australian SO / David Measham, cond.

Benjamin & Glanville-Hicks, both "neo-classicists," are better known than Carmichael, who I'd not heard about at all before buying this set. His piano concerto is based on Spanish folk musics, it is good, but I would have liked more interplay between the piano & soloists drawn from the string orchestra, but you can't have everything, I guess.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Steven Isserlis - reVisions*

works for cello and orchestra:

Debussy - Suite pour Violoncelle et Orchestre, arr. Sally Beamish
Ravel - Deux mélodies hébraïques, arr. Richard Tognetti
Prokofiev - Concertino for Violoncello and Orchestra, Op.132
Bloch - From Jewish Life, arr. Christopher Palmer

Steven Isserlis (cello)
with the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Takács-Nagy


----------



## Art Rock

Currently once more my favourite, the 4th.


----------



## Art Rock

And the fifth for good measure after that.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in d-minor with Roman Totenberg on the Violin and Artur Balsam on Piano.


----------



## jaimsilva

*French Flute Concertos*

Chaminade: Concertino for Flute and Orchestra, Op.107
Françaix: Flute Concerto
Mouquet: La Flûte de Pan, Op.15, for Flute and Orchestra
Ibert: Flute Concerto

Manuela Wiesler (flute)
Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Philippe Auguin


----------



## clavichorder

Sonata Tragica.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Symphony no. 6 in F, Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

I have to start with mahler sometimes, and I start now. And I start with number one. Have today put 50 spotify versions with desent sound into my database. I have only listened to parts during the process, and have thought. Oh no, this is to hevey, or I will never like this, this Is an empty shell. I know of course this is wrong. I believe the symphonies are more like onions, with thousand layers than an empty shell!

But let us see.

Artists	
Zubin Mehta (Artist), Israel Philharmonic (Artist)










spotify 




After some minutes listening I think: This is not heavy or difficult at all! Just romantik beauty with thousand layers. I look forward too further exploring. This was a heavy step to take!

I have nothing to compare with, but I like this version. Beautiful lanscapes and textures.


----------



## Oskaar

Hooray for Spotify and my fellow member Oskaar! :trp: 
Samuray said that, and I thank for mentioning.

And I have a lot of invitations (15 or something) to give to you americans!! If you like George Bush there will be a problem...


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Hooray for Spotify and my fellow member Oskaar! :trp:
> Samuray said that, and I thank for mentioning.
> 
> And I have a lot of invitations (15 or something) to give to you americans!! If you like George Bush there will be a problem...


And concider to go premium (or half premium.., Idont know what they call that membership) I think spotify need that to survive. And better value for money must be hard to find...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bruch - Pieces for Violoncello and Orchestra*

Max Bruch

Kol nidrei, Op. 47
Canzone, Op. 55
Adagio nach keltischen Melodien, Op. 56
Romanze in F major, Op. 85 (arr. K. Friedrich for cello and orchestra)
Ave Maria, Op. 61
Suite on Russian Themes, Op. 79b

Friedrich Kleinhapl
Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jan Kucera


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Duo for Violin and Viola in E-, Op.13*

I love Spohr an this is a great, quite light work.

Artists
Jones (Artist), Chibah










Spotify 




After mahler this is just a feather. But I like feathers, and they can have many colours.
Very good sound on this recording, the only one I can find on spotify. Very good performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.28 op5 Piano Quintet*

Artists	
Smetana Quartet










spotify 




The touch and showing of details and gentle interplay here is very good. Also great sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Les Djinns, symphonic poem for piano and orchestra, M.45*

Artists	
Okko Kamu (Conductor), Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Kerstin Aberg










spotify 




It starts a bit slovly And spooky, but get fast into a pace of dramatic and lyric moments. But this vertion have some noysy faults in the spotify recording.. Ihave tried it over, and the same happen. So I skip to another version.

Artists	
Roberto Benzi (Conductor), Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Francois-Joel Thiollier (Performer), Martijn van den Hoek (Performer)










spotify 




This version is even bether, and without that sudden noice.

Very interresting work. Must be heard! The interplay between orchestra and piano is just beautiful. The sound here is not very good, but ok.


----------



## Oskaar

*Fauré: 3 Nocturnes, Op.33*

Artists	
Stephane Lemelin










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonin Dvorak Quintets, Op. 97 & 5*

Very good record! Performance, sound, works..very good.










spotify


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--_Symphony No.29 in A Minor, K.201 and Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}. _Both works feature Claudio Abbado conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Taking the Wayback machine to 1939 with Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra performing *Beethoven's 3rd Symphony*. Wow, I liked it so much, I listened twice.


----------



## Sid James

jaimsilva said:


> Ravel - Deux mélodies hébraïques, *arr. Richard Tognetti*...


I've seen another cd of a non-Australian group playing our own Mr Tognetti's arrangements (I think it was some Czechs playing his transcriptions for string orch. of the Janacek string quartets). That's another one you've just listened to. It's a good thing, it speaks to the quality of Tognetti's work, they're not just played here in Australia, but all over the world, and being put on disc as well. I'm not beating my own drum, but I think the quality of our musicians is very good, and in this case, the world at large is finding out about it. All good...


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to the Monteverdi/Scelsi disc, and repeat listening to the others -

*Album - Vita*
*Monteverdi:* _Madrigali Guerrieri et Amorosi, Libro VIII_, 1638 & an aria from_ L'Incoronazione di Poppea _(arr. for cellos by Sonia Wieder-Atherton & Frank Krawczyk)
interspersed with
*Scelsi:* _Trilogia for solo cello_

Sonia Wieder-Atherton, solo cello
Sarah Iancu, Matthieu Lejeune, accompanying cellos (in Monteverdi)
(Naive)

Quite deep music here, obvious in terms of the cello, which has a deep sound. That's the beauty of this album. The Monteverdi arrangements combine a very emotional feel with clear layering of counterpoint between the voices. The Scelsi work is quite wierd but fits in with the earlier Italian composer very well. In the tenth track, in one of the pieces Scelsi calls for the use of a metal mute to be placed on the strings that he invented himself. Wieder-Atherton explains in the notes how this made her play in a more controlled way because the mute takes away control, it opens up unexpected possibilities. Interesting stuff, and I could definitely hear this when I repeated the track for added analysis. A good album all round, and the younger accompanying cellists are no less good as the lead one herself.










*Xenakis*
- _ST/10-1080262 for 10 instruments
- Akrata for 16 wind instruments
- Achorripsis for 21 instruments_

Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.
(from EMI 2 disc set)

I got this late last year, and I've recently returned to it. Now I can hear Xenaki's individuality, before I thought he was too much like Varese (who did influence him, among others). Theres a richness and depth to his music that I've just discovered more now. I esp. like _Akrata_, the way Xenakis uses an orchestra made up entirely of winds is just mind blowing. There are these repetitive minimalistic bits that seem to presage aspects of Steve Reich's music, and these silences which are kind of foreboding, it has several "false endings," I'm always hanging on to hear when it will actually end. Pretty amazing stuff & unique as well...










*Elena Kats-Chernin*
- _Wild Swans Concert Suite _(with Jane Sheldon, soprano)
- _Piano Concerto #2 _(with Ian Munro, piano)
Tasmaninan SO / Ola Rudner, cond.
(from ABC Classics disc)

I'm not the hugest fan of ballet music in general, so _Wild Swans _has never grabbed me that much. It's based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, and this is a concert suite drawn from the longer original ballet. In contrast, I love the piano concerto here, esp. the nuanced playing of Ian Munro, one of our finest pianists in either chamber or concerto setting. I also like the eclecticism of this work - it has minimalism, the composer's usual lush orchestration, a bit of a Chopin waltz combined with blues in the slow movt., some cabaret in the third movt., and a finale which manages to bring it all together with panache, incl. a great cadenza (the work was dedicated to Mr Munro)...


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82 {original 1915 version} and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82 {final 1919 version}. *Both versions feature Osmo Vanska conducting the Lahti Philharmonic Orchestra. Overall, I enjoyed the 1919 version somewhat more than the original, as I found it to be more concise and more melodic than its 1915 counterpart. I especially liked the waltzlike 2nd movement, which I found to be quite interesting in the way that the strings, winds and horns " took turns" in taking on the theme before passing it on to the other section, with a lot of contrasting dynamics as well. I did like the 4th movement of the 1915 version {the 1919 has only 3 movements}, which I found to be both majestic and at the same time dissonant {perhaps reflecting the fact that it was written during the height of WW 1?} and very effective in evoking a mood of guarded optimism {at least for me, anyway}. 
Philip Glass--*Glassworks-Expanded Edition, *performedbythePhilipGlassensemble*. *I'mnotquitereadytocompletely "write off" minimalism just yet.


----------



## Sid James

@ samurai - I've only heard the revised version of Sibelius' 5th - if I remember correctly? - but the "tenterhooks" finale gets me every time, even though it's been copied quite a bit since the time it was written.

& while you're at it, you may well like to compare the two different versions of Sibelius' violin concerto, which are quite different as well, & interesting to hear that difference, as you've done with the 5th symphony...


----------



## samurai

Sid, Thanks for that tip. I'll check them out on old reliable, Spotify. Would you remember which numbered violin concerto I should focus on?


----------



## lou

I recently purchased this MP3 collection on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/3o6knt2 simply because of the price and I had no Sibelius in my collection. Still going through it, but am loving it so far.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Sid, Thanks for that tip. I'll check them out on old reliable, Spotify. Would you remember which numbered violin concerto I should focus on?


No worries. I think Sibelius only penned one violin concerto, or at least only one was published, as far as I know. He did compose some other things for violin & orch. though, more info about the concerto & those things HERE on Wikipedia.

Anyway, I'm talking of is his _Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47_. I've heard THIS older recording on the BIS label on radio a while back. It contains both versions of the work, the earlier 1903/04 version that was savaged by the critics upon it's premiere, and the final 1905 version. I can't remember the exact differences between the newer (most often played) version & the older one, but I remember when listening to the latter, it was quite different in some ways. I only own the final version with Hilary Hahn, a more recent recording put down in 2008...


----------



## Sid James

Currently listening to *Helmut Lachenmann's *_Mouvement for small orchestra _(1982) on youtube. Over the past few days, I've also listened on youtube to *Janacek's* delightful chamber work for winds called _Mladi (Youth)_ & also *Brahms'* _Piano Quartet #3, Op. 60_, quite a dark work.

All are great, the Lachenmann being an eye opener, it's the first work I remember hearing by him. I like how it builds up from the barest of elements to this crescendo of sound, the rhythms and colours remind me a bit of Harry Partch and Xenakis, but Lachenmann is quite unique. It's also quite delicate and refined, a bit like maybe Boulez as well...


----------



## Oskaar

*Amy Beach: By the Still Waters ..Joanne Polk*

I just discovered Amy Beach`s piano music. Very lyric and tender. Not very much on spotify, but two artists, Joanne Polk, and Kirsten Johnson covering most of the works I found on classical archieves list. (But that list is not complete, covering only what they sell. But that is a start, they organise very well, and if I want more, I can go to wikipedia ore elsewhere...and everything is not on spotify of course.)

The music itself is heavenly beautiful. And both artists plays beautifully. This record is the first I listen to completely. Polk plays with a lot of feeling devoted, and the sound is quite good. A little to much "hall" feel though.










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Egyptian Nights (incidental music)*

Artists	
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Michail Jurowski















I love prokofiev, but in smaller portions. I find him very intence. This work is about maximum in length of what I can make.

And I have to tell. Tonight I put on mahlers complete symphonies, and went to sleep.. Just to get into him more easily later. I did not wake up with nightmare, so it cant be so bad. But I get tonedeaph of so much simular music in a row. If I vary I can listen for many hours. This was a sidetrack that probably bore you to sleep.

Back to prokofiev. Beginning of first akt is perkussion. fantastic nerve throughout. Well, I dont feel competent to be a stunt reporter while listening. So I wait till afterwards, and maybe say a few words then.

The performance seems very good, and the sound is eminent.

Very exciting work. Very challenging and very modern. The play provides plenty of room for exploring the various capabilities of the instrument. And a bad version was certainly the most tiresome. but my attention kept constantly alive, through the various epic sequences. Even the Russian chat accompanied by rolling, captivating instrumentation, facinating.

I would like to hear others' opinion on this work since it is so special. I am really in captured! I close my eyes I see a Russian silent film. And it should mean quality.

I have previously noticed that Prokofiev is a master of velvet soft light moods. Just listen to Peter's theme in Peter and the Wolf. He is also master of the heavy and dramatic, and uses the entire orchestra with all instruments. It is easy to lose your breath.

The strong and dramatic is never heavy and depressing. It is only strong and powerful. It may be why these parties and the velvet soft light can blend so well into each other. These is no dark and heavy music. But extreemly intensive! Now it will do well with some Schubert or Dvorak afterwards!

Have you not listened to this piece yet, so I recommend that you really do it! And keep all your senses on alert, for it is strong! Never boring!


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: String Trio in Bb, D.581*

Quite ordinary work, in fact very "Mozart" (I like mozart, but he is he) but very well played, and the sound is super.










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Double String Quartet No.1 in D-, Op.65*

Artists	
Forde Ensemble










spotify 




Quite good work full of twists and detailes. The version can sound a bit messy. Sound is very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: Violin Sonata No.1*

Wonderful little sonata where the posibilities of the sound of the violin is streched to the limits. Nice contrast between calm an nice accopagnement and the circus stunts of the violin. this modern, and avantgarde, but I like.

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek










spotify


----------



## Klavierspieler

Menuhin playing Schumann's Violin Concerto.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I just went through Michale Tilson Thomas' recording of Aaron Copland's *Appalachian Spring*. He includes a part from the ballet involving a revivalist preacher which isn't usually included. Unfortunately, I don't know the piece well enough to know when that part is, so I missed the aha moment. Nevertheless, the orchestra has a nice, smooth sound; I wish it were rougher at certain points, but overall it kept my attention throughout (my other recording is Paul Gambill's on Naxos, which doesn't).










Now listening to Arvo Part's *Te Deum*. I'm finally getting around to hearing this; I'm only 17 years late. Nicely done in a resonant acoustic.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos. 7-10,_ performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Sergei Prokofiev--_Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44. _Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton wielded by Mstislav Rostropovich. First time ever hearing both of these symphonies.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart, Symphony 38, by Barry Wordsworth on Naxos. I'm surprised by this recording; it uses modern instruments but plays in 18th Century style.


----------



## Sid James

Got through shorter things, the only full discs were the Mary Poppins & Shostakovich cello concertos -

*Liszt*
- _Mephisto Waltz #1 _(Pavica Gvodzic, piano)
- _Rakoczy March _(Philharmonia Slavonica / Alfred Scholz, cond.)
-_ Hungarian Rhapsondy #6 in D flat major, "Carnival in Pesth"_ (Nurnberger Symphoniker / A. Scholz, cond.)
(From Point Classics disc)

Some lighter listening to start off, although the _Mephisto Waltz _is quite dark and intense in some ways.

*Brahms*
_Piano Quartet #3 in C minor, Op. 60_
Quatour Kandinsky
(Aria Music, France)

An amazing work, basically a masterpiece, reflecting on Brahms' inner turmoil as his friend and mentor Robert Schumann's life disintegrated with his psychological illness, and the comforts he found in the friendship (& unrequited love, we think?) of Clara Schumann.

*Xenakis*
- _Atrees for 10 instruments_ (Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.)
- _Morsima-Amorsima for piano quartet_ (Georges Pludermacher, piano / Jean-Claude Bernede, violin / Pual Boufil, cello / Jacques Cazauran, double bass / K. Simonovich, direction)
- _Nomos Alpha for solo cello_ (Pierre Penassou, cello)
- _Herma for solo piano_ (Georges Pludermacher, piano)
(Disc 1 of 2 disc EMI set)

After getting this Xenakis chamber works set at the end of last year, I'm really connecting with it to the max now. Kind of gives a big lie to those who say this composer is "inaccessible." I think that opinion is basically spurious. What I get out of this guy's music is a kind of visceral emotion, as Xenakis said like being frightened by a distant clap of thunder, & I also love his colours, the way he streches instruments to the max (microtonality), even the almost jazzy groove/swing of some works, and many other things. This guy was simply amazing.

*Mary Poppins *- highlights from the musical
Music & lyrics: *Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman */ Additional music & lyrics by *George Stiles & Anthony Drewe*
2011 Australian Production (Disney Productions)

Got this for free with a weekend newspaper (basically bought the paper for the cd, I don't read newspapers usually). Anyway, this is a live recording of the recent production here. Pretty well done, this was a trip down memory lane for me, the last time I saw the original film on tv was over a decade ago.

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concertos_
- _#1 in E flat major, Op. 107 _(1959)
- _#2 in G major, Op. 126_ (1966)
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) / Antoni Wit, cond.
(Naxos)

I have gotten more deeply into this disc, after purchasing it about a year ago. I remember seeing a documentary about Shostakovich, and the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (who commissioned these concertos) was saying about one of their slow movements that he thought that the composer was saying in that to the Communist regime "what have you done to my country?" It can apply to either the central slow movt. and cadenza of the first concerto (which has made me shed many a tear), or the two outer slow movements of the second concerto. The German cellist here, Maria Kliegel, does play with a fair bit of emotional distance, but she does have immense power in her playing when she ramps the emotion up (eg. in the slow movements), and her detachment speaks well to the irony and sarcasm of some aspects of these works as well. She was taught by both Rostropovich and Janos Starker, so her pedigree is very high...


----------



## tdc

Sid James said:


> *Brahms*
> Piano Quartet #3 in C minor, Op. 60
> Quatour Kandinsky
> (Aria Music, France)
> 
> An amazing work, basically a masterpiece, reflecting on Brahms' inner turmoil as his friend and mentor Robert Schumann's life disintegrated with his psychological illness, and the comforts he found in the friendship (& unrequited love, we think?) of Clara Schumann.


I just ended up picking this work up not too long ago and I completely agree. Some might be surprised to hear me say that considering I've criticized Brahms a time or two here, however I do love much of his music, and I really love that work - I think I'll listen to it right now...


----------



## Sid James

Yes, *tdc*, & to add, Brahms' _Piano Quartet #3_ is another work where I'm now finding hard to hold back the tears. It encapsulates the relationship between Brahms and both Robert & Clara Schumann. I read in the notes of that disc that, although Clara didn't play this work at it's premiere - the composer was at the piano on that occasion - it basically is a musical embodiment of her in many ways, & to paraphrase the notes, this work 'was not played by Clara Schumann, but it_* is*_ Clara Schumann'...


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10*, performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Botstein. {On Spotify}.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Glière*

Reinhold Gliere

Cello Concerto in D minor, Op. 87
Coloratura Soprano Concerto, Op. 82

Dmitry Khrychov - cello
Olga Trifonova - soprano
St. Petersburg State Academic 
Alexander Titov - conductor










this 14 CDs collection entitled "1941-1945: Wartime Music" shows a wide range of russian composers some of them with very interesting works (like these two I'm listening now of Glière)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Aaron Copland's Orchestral Variations, Short Symphony, and Symphonic Ode*. I'm going to have to hear these again, because something is not clicking. It may be the way Tilson Thomas is conducting; they don't seem as energetic as I'm expecting these pieces to sound.










On to *Arvo Part's Te Deum *CD. This one is clicking. The recording space is ideal, its resonant acoustics adding depth to the music without obscuring the voices, and the choir/orchestra blends well. This includes my second recording of the Berliner Mass. The first is just organ and small choir; this one is for orchestra and large choir. I can't say I prefer one over the other; they both have their merits.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 8 Unfinished*

Artists	
Riccardo Muti - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Piano music by Frederico Mompou*, played by Stephen Hough, who calls this "music of evaporation."


----------



## jaimsilva

*Reger - Variations*

Max Reger
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Beethoven
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of J.A. Hiller

Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra
Dennis Burkh










(I prefer his variations on a theme of Mozart)


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"},_ performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.
Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. _Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan_. _I'm finding the first symphony to be especially lush in its melodies and thematic developments. A very uplifting work!


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16,* featuring Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. What a magnificent orchestrator this man is; his use of timbre and dynamics, especially in the 2nd and 4th movements, really got me to sit up and take notice. That final movement is a knockout!
John Cage*--In a Landscape, Suite for Toy Piano and Prelude to Meditation. *All works are performed by pianist Stephen Drury.

@ Sid, You are absolutely spot on with that first piece, it really is a beautiful work. Thanks for the heads up on it!


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On Spotify:
> 
> Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
> Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16,* featuring Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. What a magnificent orchestrator this man is; his use of timbre and dynamics, especially in the 2nd and 4th movements, really got me to sit up and take notice. That final movement is a knockout!
> John Cage*--In a Landscape, Suite for Toy Piano and Prelude to Meditation. *All works are performed by pianist Stephen Drury.
> 
> @ Sid, You are absolutely spot on with that first piece, it really is a beutiful work. Thanks for the heads up on it!


I've always thought Nielson was a really great orchestrater as well. Was this the first symphony you've heard by him?


----------



## samurai

@ violadude, Yes it is the first one, and it looks--I mean sounds--like it won't be the last one either! I intend to sample all of his symphonies on Spotify, and then probably purchase one of the box sets of his symphonies on Amazon. Jarvi seems to me as if he really "gets" this composer. Would you recommend his cycle or perhaps another conductor whom you feel is a good intrepeter of his body of work?


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> @ violadude, Yes it is the first one, and it looks--I mean sounds--like it won't be the last one either! I intend to sample all of his symphonies on Spotify, and then probably purchase one of the box sets of his symphonies on Amazon. Jarvi seems to me as if he really "gets" this composer. Would you recommend his cycle or perhaps another conductor whom you feel is a good intrepeter of his body of work?


I haven't heard the Jarvi, but I really like the set on Decca with Blomstedt conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Symph...-Orchestra/dp/B00001X5A0/ref=pd_bxgy_m_text_b

This is a recording of the 1st symphony from that set, if you want to compare.





I warmly recommend Nielson's symphonies in general though, they are really great pieces (though you might be a bit surprised by the 6th).

Edit: I just heard what I believe to be the Jarvi version. I like the Blomstadt better. He brings out the drama more and the playing is cleaner, IMHO.


----------



## samurai

@ violadude, Thanks so much for those links; I'll be sure to listen and compare before I "take the plunge" and buy anything. I have heard a lot of good things about the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra {love that city} and might buy Michael Tilson -Thomas conducting them in various works by Aaron Copland.


----------



## Metalkitsune




----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> ...John Cage*--In a Landscape, Suite for Toy Piano and Prelude to Meditation. *All works are performed by pianist Stephen Drury.
> 
> @ Sid, You are absolutely spot on with that first piece, it really is a beautiful work. Thanks for the heads up on it!


No worries, there are quite a few people on this forum who enjoy Cage's keyboard works, but unfortunately there are is a minority who recently have descended to using him as a constant whipping boy. It's become a rather tired cliche now, old and stale. Anyway, I'm happy that you're one of those people who can throw all that negative rubbish aside & simply enjoy his music for what it is - pretty good stuff. In terms of _In A Landscape_, I played a recording of it last week to my mother, she had never heard this piece before, and she enjoyed it a lot. See, one does not have to own thousands of discs like some of these naysayers do to simply throw out useless ideologies in the trash can where they belong & simply enjoy good music.

In terms of Carl Nielsen, I concur with *violadude*. I would add that unlike Sibelius, whose symphonies started off sounding lush and romantic and got kind of leaner and more pared down as he went along, Nielsen did the opposite. He started off with a relatively restricted Brahmsian palette in his first symphony and by the 6th he got really colourful and more modern in his orchestration, but in an "expansive" way (I think he called his final symphony that, the _expansiva_?). I have heard a number of his symphonies on air, I have got on disc his 4th and 5th, which I can vouch for as being wholly at the level of guys like Shostakovich. Last week I got a disc on the alto label incl. two of his choral works - _Springtime in Funen _& the wonderful, tonally ambigious, _Three Motets _- and hearing them again after many years has been like a homecoming for me. I'm no expert on Nielsen, but in terms of what I've heard by the man, it has been bloody good...


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> No worries, there are quite a few people on this forum who enjoy Cage's keyboard works, but unfortunately there are is a minority who recently have descended to using him as a constant whipping boy. It's become a rather tired cliche now, old and stale. Anyway, I'm happy that you're one of those people who can throw all that negative rubbish aside & simply enjoy his music for what it is - pretty good stuff. In terms of _In A Landscape_, I played a recording of it last week to my mother, she had never heard this piece before, and she enjoyed it a lot. See, one does not have to own thousands of discs like some of these naysayers do to simply throw out useless ideologies in the trash can where they belong & simply enjoy good music.
> 
> In terms of Carl Nielsen, I concur with *violadude*. I would add that unlike Sibelius, whose symphonies started off sounding lush and romantic and got kind of leaner and more pared down as he went along, Nielsen did the opposite. He started off with a relatively restricted Brahmsian palette in his first symphony and by the 6th he got really colourful and more modern in his orchestration, but in an "expansive" way (I think he called his final symphony that, the _expansiva_?). I have heard a number of his symphonies on air, I have got on disc his 4th and 5th, which I can vouch for as being wholly at the level of guys like Shostakovich. Last week I got a disc on the alto label incl. two of his choral works - _Springtime in Funen _& the wonderful, tonally ambigious, _Three Motets _- and hearing them again after many years has been like a homecoming for me. I'm no expert on Nielsen, but in terms of what I've heard by the man, it has been bloody good...


Good description Sid, hope you don't mind me correcting you a bit though. It's actually symphony #3 that is nicknamed the Expansiva, not 6.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bethoven, Symphony No. 6*, Karajan. The third movement has the Berlin Philharmonic turn into a village band, but it's one which any small town would kill to have. I'm not sure Beethoven wanted it to sound that polished, but as it is, it's still quite lovely.


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26*

Stephen Gunzenhauser (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.










spotify 




Its been a while since I listened to Goldmark. Nice too meet him again. This is a very light work, but it never bores me. Close your eyes, and fields of flowers in any color will appear!


----------



## Oskaar

*Bloch: Violin Concerto*

Artists	
Williams (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (Orchestra), Oliveira (Performer)










Spotify 




Bloch catched my attention ammediately. This is a nice and pationate concerto. Very well played here, the violin as well as the orchestra. Nice sound.


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Very well played here, the violin as well as the orchestra. Nice sound.


I have to say a bit more about Oliveira on violin. He playes heavenly here! Not polished, but rough and passionate. There are some moments here that has to be experienced!


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Sonata No.5 in Gb, Op.82, B.27*

Artists	
Miguel Baselga










spotify 




Again, Albinez reminds me of Grieg (Or maybe Sinding) when the spanish flavours are not so apperent.


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## Oskaar

*Antheil: Sonata No.2 for Violin, Piano and Drums*

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek










spotify 




There is a saw on the cower. And sometimes it sounds like sawing on..whatever material. But this is very exiting! Faboulous violinplay and interplay with piano. Some ragtime baked in also. Very nice listening! ( I have probably listened and wrote about it short time ago, but I get mixed up somethime.) But you should listen to this if you are into a nice surprise!


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: Beckus the Dandipratt, comedy overture, Op.5*

Artists	
Constantin Silvestri (Conductor), Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Hehe, this is a funny piece... Every time the weapons or military wants to do something, they are hunted down by flowers, or irony. At last I think they give up! Hehe. A "must hear" piece!


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev: Symphony No. 1 in C major*

artister
Russian Symphony Orchestra
Igor Golovschin










spotify 




A little vague to be a symphony. I dont know if it is the composer, or the performance, but I have a little feel of a little boy " I want to be be big like all my brothers" And it fails in a clumsy way. It may grow on me, of course. Nice to listen to though, I love this style and epoque.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--_Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. _Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton wielded by Herbert von Karajan. I found the slow {2nd movement} of the 4th Symphony to be especially beautiful in its thematic structure and development.
Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos.11-13,_ performed by the Emerson String Quartet. In marked contrast to the Brahmsian movement cited above, the 2nd movement of the Shostakovich SQ. # 11 is quite ugly, grating and disturbing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Capricor Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Trumpet And Orchestra*

artister
Arioso Wind Quintet

Ruth Golden

San Diego Chamber Orchestra

Donald Barra










spotify 




Extraordinary good sound. The work and the performance together melts into me. The work is interresting...exploring sounds that make beatiful nuances and moments. The performance is very good, the interplay and the sounds of the instruments make this a very good listening!


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, _performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Carl Nielsen--_Symphony No.2, Op.16, FS 29 {"The 4 Temperaments_"}, featuring the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi. 
Carl Nielsen--_Symphony No.3 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, _same orchestra and conductor as for # 2. For some reason though, my Spotify developed a glitch and I wasn't able to listen to this last piece. I shot them an e-mail and am awaiting their reply, so I guess this doesn't really count, at least for now.
Getting back to the Nielsen, I really liked the slow movement from the 2nd: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 2, Op. 16, FS 29, "The 4 Temperaments" : III. Andante Malincolico. I'm gonna go back and see if I can get the Third Symphony up and running.
I also think the Sibelius slow movement is very beautiful--almost lullabylike--as well: Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52: II. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> Jean Sibelius--_Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, _performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
> Carl Nielsen--_Symphony No.2, Op.16, FS 29 {"The 4 Temperaments_"}, featuring the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi.
> Carl Nielsen--_Symphony No.3 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, _same orchestra and conductor as for # 2. For some reason though, my Spotify developed a glitch and I wasn't able to listen to this last piece. I shot them an e-mail and am awaiting their reply, so I guess this doesn't really count, at least for now.
> Getting back to the Nielsen, I really liked the slow movement from the 2nd: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 2, Op. 16, FS 29, "The 4 Temperaments" : III. Andante Malincolico. I'm gonna go back and see if I can get the Third Symphony up and running.


Darn,  the third is one of my favorites. Did you get to listen to any of it?


----------



## samurai

Since I wasn't able to get the 3rd Symphony of Nielsen to play, I went on and listened to his 4th {"The Inextinguishable"}, performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton wielded by Neeme Jarvi{On Spotify}. I'll try and access the 3rd upon my return home tomorrow night. So far, I am most fond of his 1st and 2nd Symphonies; I'm sure at some point I'll end up purchasing the complete cycle of all of his symphonies from Amazon, along with that of Sibelius as well.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Vita - Monteverdi_Scelsi*
*Monteverdi *- From _Madrigali Guerrieri et Amorosi, Libro VIII, 1638,_ etc. (arr. for cellos by Sonia Wieder-Atherton & Franck Krawczyk)
interspersed with
*Scelsi* - From _Triloguie - Les Trois Ages De L'Homme for solo cello_

Sonia Wieder-Atherton, solo cello
Sarah Iancu, Matthieu Lejeune, accompanying cellos (in Monteverdi works only)
(Naive label, France)

*Nielsen*
- _Springtime in Funen _(soprano, tenor, bass, children's choir & children's soloists, choir, orch.)
- _Aladdin Suite_ for orch.
- _Three Motets_ for unaccompanied mixed choir
Soloists / Odense Symphony Orchestra & University Choir / Conductor: Tamas Veto
(Alto label)

The *Monteverdi_Scelsi album* is quite dark and kind of brooding, showing off the unique colours of the cello. Initially, it's a bit of a shock to hear two composers that were centuries apart, but by the end of the hour long album one gets used to it. These two Italian composers' music fits together well, basically because it's quite intense and passionate, & the arrangements of the Monteverdi and the playing overall is great.

As for the* Nielsen* album, I'm coming back to his choral music now after a long hiatus. I hadn't heard it in more than a decade until I got this disc last week. _Springtime in Funen _is a lot of fun, eg. there is a part where the boy and girl soloists deliberately sing out of tune with the rest of the children's choir (or so it sounds to me to be like that, it comes across as having the uninhibited spontaneity of childhood). Nielsen's life as a child was one of material poverty - like many children then - but in terms of being close to nature and part of a close-knit loving family, he had it pretty good. The _Aladdin Suite _is something I don't remember hearing before, I esp. like the rhythms & colours of the final three movements. If you like Greig's _Peer Gynt _music, it would be a good idea to hear this work. As for the _Three Motets_, they are sheer bliss, I was in my teens when I heard them first. I loved them then to the max, the concluding_ Benedictus _I have remembered for over a decade, such a great tune yet so simple. This is quite dissonant music and probably as "atonal" as Nielsen got, yet not knowing that then, just connecting with the direct emotions, I loved it even as one inexperienced with more experimental music. So "bah humbug" to those who say such music is "inaccessible" to someone new to it!!!...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann's Julius Caesar Overture, conducted by who knows who. I think this is an extremely underrated work of his.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Never knew that Schumann work existed, *Klavierspieler*. Yes, his overtures that I've heard are great, I esp. like the _Manfred_ one...


----------



## samurai

@ Violadude, No, since I couldn't get the first movement to play, I figured I'd wait to get it straightened out and listen to the whole work, hopefully by tomorrow night!:angel:


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3*

Just recieved this set in the mail a couple of days ago after a long wait (almost 2 months but this is to be expected sometimes when getting packages from the USA!) - So far I've listened to 4 Discs including the complete Mazurkas and Preludes.
Fantastic set! - Its great to own Chopin's complete works for Piano having previously owned only bits and pieces. The music is absolutely first rate and the playing and sound beyond reproach!, this set will become a favourite of mine I think .


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 3, 5 & 11*

Now listening to Disc 3 of this fine set of Beethovens String Quartets - never had need of another recording, this one is superb!.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Trio In D Major, Piano Trios Nos. 12 & 4*


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sid James said:


> ^^ Never knew that Schumann work existed, *Klavierspieler*. Yes, his overtures that I've heard are great, I esp. like the _Manfred_ one...


Yes, Manfred is really wonderful. For me, it is second only to Beethoven's Egmont.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Nielsen's Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable," by Bryden Thomson.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Aaron Copland's *Piano Concerto*. It's a little dissonant, a little jazzy, a little of the Copland to come. This one is by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony.


----------



## Sid James

*@ Manxfeeder *- I like the gritty, urban feel of *Copland's* _Piano Concerto_. It's a world away from the suave sophistication of Gershwin's one (which I also love, but for other reasons). Another "different" Copland piece in this vein is his _Piano Sonata_, which makes me think of feeling lonely in the crowds of a big American city. Two pensive outer movements sandwhiching a jazzy middle movement, which makes me think of the protagonist of the work, if there ever was one, going out to a bar for a drink after work, then going home to his apartment late at night. Quite nocturnal, speaking of "the city that never sleeps." There is also a part with bell-like sounds, maybe echoing Rachmaninov, but these are not Russian bells, they are not heavy like that. In short, yes there are other sides to Copland's musical persona, & it's worth venturing further to explore these (I myself have yet to hear the works of his final decade/s of composition, up until when he retired in about 1970)...


----------



## Sid James

Still listening to these two discs, which I discussed to some depth above in THIS post. I basically like the passion of the Italians *Monteverdi & Scelsi*, and the humanity and directness of *Nielsen*...


----------



## Ludders

A desert island CD.










Kirsten Flagstad rocks my world.


----------



## tdc

I've really enjoyed this recording a lot since purchasing it recently:










All though I don't have any other versions to compare this with - the playing by Eckhardt strikes me as quite good. Intense listening, manic and chaotic at times and very rich and intricate music. I am reminded of Beethoven's raw passion at times in these works...though the all around feel is certainly distinct. Was listening to Sonata no. 1 and now I am onto the 'Concord'.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The *8th *is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1 in D-Flat Major, Op.10 and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.3 in C Major, Op.26. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Claudio Abbado, with pianist Yevgeny Kissin.


----------



## Vesteralen

Can't recall ever listening to William Schuman's music before. Not sure if I could distinguish it from a lot of other mid-20th century music, but it's listenable.


----------



## johnfkavanagh

Listening to this for the first time in about 25 years. I've really missed it. A beautiful piece.


----------



## Oskaar

*Elfrida Andrée*

Elfrida Andrée - Complete Works for Organ including Symphony No. 2 for Organ and Brass Ensemble - Ralph Gustafsson plays organ of the St. Maria Magdalena Church in Stockholm

Artists	
Ralph Gustafsson (Artist), Ragnar Bohlin (Artist), Brass Ens Orig Inst










spotify


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 71 & 74*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Aaron Copland's *Billy the Kid*, Michael Tilson Thomas. This is supposed to be a great recording, but I'm still kind of disappointed; he gets a Karajan-like smooth sound from his orchestra, so I'm missing the roughness. Like in the celebration after Billy's death, it's supposed to sound like a tack-hammered piano - Ormandy's recording has one playing prominently - but MTT doesn't get this sound across; if the piano is there, it's in the back of the room.

Of course, I haven't spent much time with this piece - this is my second run-through with MTT - so it may be I'm missing what's so special about the recording, and if so, I wouldn't mind if someone would help to bring me up to speed.


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, Thanks for that interesting and descriptive review; I've been "on the fence" about whether to purchase the Tilson Thomas version of this with the SFO {I believe} or Bernstein's with the New York Philharmonic. Please let us know if you have a more favorable impression of this reading after subsequent listening.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Shostakovich's Cello Sonata with the composer at the piano and Shafran on Cello.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_SQS Nos.14 and 15, _performed by the Emerson String Quartet. Although they were composed well after Stalin's death, they both create a very ugly and sinister type of mood, with the plucking of the strings and that incessant 1-2-3 motif Shostakovich used in some of his earlier string quartets and symphonies. It almost sounds to me--just guessing, of course--as if he were anticipating his own death. 
Peter Tchaikovsky--_Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. _Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton hefted by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## lou

Still trying to work my way through this collection.

I'm not finding an immediate connection to what I've heard so far. Perhaps given time, I'll discover the charms?


----------



## samurai

@ Lou, I definitely think you will. Listen for and imagine the scenic beauty of Finland in his majestic and sweeping themes, and you'll be there!
I'm currently listening to all of the Sibelius symphonies I don't own on *Spotify*, with that very same orchestra and conductor in your set, and it's been a wonderful experience.


----------



## Sid James

Got this yesterday & gave it a first time listen -

*Album: Four American Quartets* played by the Fine Arts Quartet (on Naxos)
*Ralph Evans* - _String Quartet #1_ (1995)
*P. Glass *- _String Quartet #2 "Company_" (1983)
*G. Antheil* - _String Quartet #3_ (1948)
*Bernard Herrmann* - _Echoes for String Quartet_ (1965)

I enjoyed all of these. *Ralph Evans *is lead violinist in the Fine Arts Quartet featured on this album. He composed the last two movements of this string quartet in his teens during the 1960's & finished it, completing the first movement, in 1995. I liked the last two movements more because I think they had more individuality & where in a more contemporary style than the first movement, it came off to me as being overly laden with counterpoint, a bit like some of Bartok's quartets. But it was cohesive on the whole. The *Glass *piece is great, but I've also got the version for string orchestra, which I like more for the addition of double basses. *Antheil's* work here had elements of American folklore, a look back perhaps on Dvorak's _American_ Quartet, also aspects of Prokofiev's & others' neo-classicism.

But my favourte was the final string quartet by* Herrmann*, who is better known as a film composer who worked with Alfred Hitchcock and other noted directors. This work is on one track and is made up of 10 connected sections. There are intense moments, but on the whole it is on the quieter side rather than loud. This music has aspects of the old and the new, the old in terms of emotional intensity & expressiveness, the new in terms of some moods that are quite psychological, dark, nocturnal. It was the first concert work that Herrmann put down after a 25 year break, and I think it's very fine indeed.

So, all in all a great album, and I would recommend it to string quartet fans, esp. those into c20th music...


----------



## kv466

Brahms - Ballade opus 10, no 2 Earl Wild


----------



## World Violist

This finally arrived in the mail today:










Casimir Ney: 24 Preludes for solo viola
Eric Shumsky, viola

These pieces are very pleasant to listen to, and sometimes very fun to play. I've looked through some of them today (about to go back to the practice room to work on one in particular, the one in c# minor), and they're difficult in the way that Rachmaninoff is difficult for pianists: it fits well in the hand, but within that there is tons of difficulty both technical and musical.

Also, these pieces are amazing in their use of the viola as a solo instrument! It never feels as though there should be something else (which occasionally turns out to be the cause of the difficulty...No. 7 has an open, fingered 12th which is unplayable for most people (side note from side note (...): that 12th (and many 10ths/11ths) has an ossia in the score I have, and Shumsky doesn't do them!)), which is really satisfying. They really feel like Alkan piano preludes.

Shame there aren't any "symphonies" though...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Paul O'Dette performs the lute music of the Venetian-based composer Marco dall Aquila (c1480-1544). The recording had to be moved to the Castello Piccolomini in Capestrano because of earthquake damage to the initial intended recording site. The Castello is arguably not the ideal intimate venue for the recording of lute music... although it quote likely mirrors venues the composer would have performed in. The resulting recording has a good deal of echo that may have been far more suited to Gregorian chant than to the solo lute. Personally, I find the sound quite unique... and lovely... as is the music itself.


----------



## lou

samurai said:


> @ Lou, I definitely think you will. Listen for and imagine the scenic beauty of Finland in his majestic and sweeping themes, and you'll be there!
> I'm currently listening to all of the Sibelius symphonies I don't own on *Spotify*, with that very same orchestra and conductor in your set, and it's been a wonderful experience.


Thanks samurai, I'll certainly take your suggestion and continue listening. By the way, not sure how you feel about MP3 downloads, but this is quite a nice collection and available on Amazon's MP3 store for $7.99.


----------



## samurai

Lou, Thanks for that 411. I tend to be "old-fashioned", though, and like to own the actual cd along with its attendant liner notes {as most of them are transcribed from the original vinyl} which help me to better appreciate and understand--usually, that is--the specific piece of music being performed.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann: Fantasy in C for Violin and Orchestra Op. 131. Quite a little known and underrated work.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The beautiful harmonies of the Anonymous 4 applied to early American traditional/folk melodies. Quite lovely.


----------



## Sid James

For the past week, have been listening to these on youtube -

*Brahms* - _Piano Quartet #3 in C minor_, Op. 60 played by the Colburn Piano Quartet of Los Angeles.
*Janacek* - _Mladi _(Youth) for winds played by the Zemlinsky Ensemble.
*Liszt* - _Mephisto Waltz #1_ played by various pianists - Rubinstein, Horowitz, Cziffra.

I esp. like the *Brahms* piece, which I had heard before but not this many times. I don't just like it, I love it actually. The background of this piece was Brahms' concern for the psychological decline of his friend and mentor, Robert Schumann. The composer had also just read the play _Werther_ which put him in the frame of mind of the main character, who didn't get the girl and shot himself. Brahms had similar feelings about Clara Schumann (but thankfully, didn't shoot himself!). This is on the whole a dark and pensive work, I can hear in this that Brahms was a very emotional man. There is also a fair bit of repetition (as in some of Schubert's chamber works) which makes me think that Brahms was like a prototype minimalist. An amazing work all round, & these young final year students from L.A. do a wonderful job, they play it as a chamber piece not as a piano concerto, which was the practice in the bad old days (& one of the reasons that Schoenberg ended up orchestrating Brahms' first piano quartet, but that's another story)...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*, Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska. This work features an exceptionally beautiful last movement, IMHO.


----------



## Sid James

^^ *Sibelius' 4th *is probably my favourite symphony by him, but for the wrong reasons. It's a perfect image of depression, imo (an opinion which adds up in terms of what was going on in his life then - an operation for a tumour on the throat as well as being bankrupt, or almost bankrupt). So in terms of getting these kinds of dark emotions across, & it's unadorned starkness, bleakness, no bullsh*t, simply a masterpiece. However, due to it being very draining for me, usually I don't want to go there...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann: 'Zwickauer' Symphony WoO. 29. This early and unfinished symphony was composed in 1832 and 1833.


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, Thanks for that interesting and descriptive review; I've been "on the fence" about whether to purchase the Tilson Thomas version of this with the SFO {I believe} or Bernstein's with the New York Philharmonic. Please let us know if you have a more favorable impression of this reading after subsequent listening.


I'm comparing MTT's Billy the Kid on my stereo to Bernstein on Spotify. It's probably not the best comparison, because I'm sure the Bernstein CD has better sound than my computer speakers produce, but still, I don't think the CD matches what MTT gets as far as engineering quality.

From what I'm hearing, Bernstein is rougher and more driven, while MTT is spacious and smoother. In the Mexican street scene, Bernstein's syncopations are more lively. In the Mexican dance, MTT's trombone and trumpet lean closer to the nice-sounding side rather than a rougher cantina sound. In the card game, MTT gets a Debussy-like sound, which is nice, but Bernstein's trumpet player is lovely.

I think Bernstein's gun battle gets the edge; though MTT has the sonics to emphasize the tympani-gunshots, the brass fills have more urgency with Bernstein. It sounds like MTT is just playing notes; Bernstein sounds like he's scoring a scene from Gunsmoke. In the celebration after Billy's death, Bernstein is rambunctious and produces a honky-tonk piano well.

MTT has the best sound in the end; the violin solo reminds me of moments of the music of Rohan from Lord of the Rings; Bernstein's violin sounds like someone using a back scratcher.

So it's a question of dynamism versus sound. I'm drawn more toward the former, so I'm leaning toward Bernstein overall. But that may just be a personal preference.


----------



## Oskaar

*Recreaciòn*

Antòn Garcìa Abril, Cristòbal Halffter, Claudio Prieto, José Luis Turina : Recreaciòn

Artists	
Orquesta Filarmònica de Màlaga, Aldo Ceccato










Spotify 




Abrils sonatas is really good! Short, but packed with delight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm having another go at Copland's *Billy the Kid*, this time with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Having not heard Bernstein's recording other than on Spotify to see if the sound is better on the CD, as of now, Ormandy's sound and drive reflects a good medium between MTT and Bernstein.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88. The 7th *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, while the *8th *features the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Carlo Giulini.
I don't know how accurate this may be--or if I just might be losing my mindut:--but somehow Dvorak's use of the French Horns in parts of the beautiful opening movement of the *7th *reminds me somewhat of Sibelius, as do certain sections of the second movement as well, in its orchestration.


----------



## Oskaar

*À Capriccio*

Achron, Joseph

Works: 
1. Suite bizarre 
2. Two Pastels op.44 
3. Pensée de L. Auer 
4. Niccolo Paganini - Joseph Achron: 11 Caprices arranged for violin and piano

Artists	
Violin Ingolf Turban (Performer), Piano Jascha Nemtsov (Performer)*










spotify 




Achron is new to me ( I love to explore by alphabeth..) and his suite bizarre on this record is fantastic! Delightful and spooky violin on this record. Listen to GRIMACES! The violin dance! Listen to it all! Mr Turban playes heavenly!

The Paganini caprices are not that spooky, but Turban plays very "trolly" with a lot of double-sounding tones. And he plays with a lot of empathy and finesse. The piano is there, but I find it a bit passive. The violin is the main thing of course, but it can be rather strange when the piano is to far away. It may be the sound set up. It should have been closer to the violin.

But I really love the violin here! When it is a bit rough and unpolished, but with skills and empaty, I find it as one of the best instruments. Solo or in orchestra is what I like best. In the middle, string quartets for ex... I may find it more difficult to listen to, sometimes annoying.

The two pastels are also superb! Gentle and longing violin in the first, elegant and playfull in the second.

Really a great album!


----------



## Oskaar

*Adolphe Adam: La Jolie Fille de Gand (Complete Ballet)*

Artists	
Andrew Mogrelia (Conductor), Queensland Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Listening to ballet music often gets me in good mood, since it is often light (but not dull) and playfull. The moods and pictures are almost mathematicly structured, and the whole orchestra is cleverly used in this purpose.

This ballet I find very nice. Not a big work maybe, but I am not very good educated in ballets..hehe.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, 4th symphony*, Wolfgang Sawallisch and the New Philharmonia Orchestra. So far, I like the sound and the precision he's getting from the ensemble.

This CD is combined with Gerard Schwarz commenting on Mendelssohn's life and the 3rd and 4th symphonies. I have several of his Musically Speaking discs, and they are always interesting.

I see some enterprising soul has this listed on Amazon for $99! Fortunately, I picked mine up at a used CD store for 95 cents.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## kv466

Antonio Salieri - Concerto for Oboe, Flute and Orchestra in g, Kenneth Sillito and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Sid James

A mix of things, another listen to the newly acquired *American quartets disc*, as well as a return to some *operetta* & *Stockhausen*, plus an extra bit of *Philip Glass* -

*Album: Four American Quartets* played by Fine Arts Quartet (Naxos)
String Quartets by *Evans, Herrmann, Antheil, Glass*

My favourite here is *Bernard Herrmann's *string quartet of 1965, called _Echoes_. It opens with what sounds like a canon (or other imitative technique) and unfolds in 20 minutes. Some of it reminds me of Shostakovich, though without his dryness or irony, and also bits of Herrmann's movie scores for Hitchcock (eg. the romantic love theme from _North by North-West_, or the intense/psychology of _Psycho_ or the repetition/hypnotic music of _Vertigo_).










*J. Strauss Jnr.* -_ Jabuka_, operetta in 3 acts (CD 1, acts I-II)
(Naxos)

Some wonderful choral writing here & a distinctly Slavonic feel, as this was influenced by Smetana's _The Bartered Bride_, which Strauss had just heard before beginning work on this operetta.










*Stockhausen*
Electro-acoustic works
- _Spiral I
- Pole
- Spiral II_
Peter Eotvos / Christoph Caskel / Harald Boje - on various electronic & acoustic instruments

_Zyklus for percussion_
Tristan Fry, percussion
(CD 1 from EMI double disc set)

The electro-acoustic works are chance-based, eg. if some tune comes up on one of the short wave radios, the musician "copies" it on the acoustic instruments (eg. bamboo flutes) or on the electronic ones (eg. synthesisers). But it's not always noticeable. On the whole, this is quite chill out music, but bits are quite intense.

The percussion work _Zyklus_ also has indeterminacy, staves are in boxes, the musician chooses which box to play first on each page, and the pages are spiral bound, he can start anywhere but must go through the whole book. There's a "sameness" here & little variations. Interesting stuff.










*Philip Glass*
-_ Facades for soprano saxophone & string orch.
- Company for string orch._
London Chamber Orch. / Christopher Warren-Green, cond.
(from EMI disc)

I like Glass' restraint and tunefulness, he can use a string orchestra to maximum effect, the colours are quite subtle. However, some of this is "earworm" material, I can't get it out of my head now, esp. bits of _Company_. This is a transcription of the string quartet on the Naxos disc above, I prefer this string orchestra version because I love the sound of double basses, they give added beefiness...


----------



## kv466

Lol...do you know who the other Phillip Glass is, Sid?? lol well, i've give you a hint...Brady...that's it.


Mahler - Symphony no. 2, 'The Resurrection'; A Concert for New York 9/11/2011, NYPhilharmonic


----------



## agoukass

Haydn: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn/Jorg Faerber

Boccherini: Cello Concerto in B flat
English Chamber Orchestra/Maud Tortelier

After the piano, my own instrument, I have always loved the cello. Together with the clarinet and the violin, in my opinion, it is the music which most resembles the human voice.

Listening to Tortelier's performances of the concertos, I am completely entranced and hypnotized by his playing. He turns every movement into an aria or an extended scene from an opera in which the cello takes center stage against an orchestral background. More than this, his playing is marvelous. He transcends the score and makes me listen to these works as if I were hearing them for the first time.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen*--Symphony No.3, Op.27, FS 60 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, FS 97.* Both works feature the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Neeme Jarvi. I really enjoy the way the first movement of the *5th *ends. To me the last minute or so of this movement had an almost *Bolero* like feel to it, with the clarinet and snare drum going back and forth with each other for the last minute or so, except in this instance the drum is getting progressively softer in its dynamics, until the clarinet completely takes over. Beautiful and haunting. I also really enjoyed the *3rd, *with the one reservation re: the little bit of vocal work which is part of its second movement {if I'm not mistaken}. Its final movement is quite rousing, to say the least!
I listened to both of these works on *Spotify*.


----------



## clavichorder

I have become very intimately acquainted with the Britten violin concerto recently and it is now among my favorite works.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Symphonic Studies by Richter.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3*, Wolfgang Sawallisch. Well done.










Now I'm listening to Nielsen's opera *Saul and David*, conducted by Neeme Jarvi. This will be background listening, so I won't know what they're singing. So far the music itself is very dramatic and compelling.


----------



## Vesteralen

Two ****s from the Penguin Guide:










and










Both excellent recordings.

Ehnes is a terrific violinist.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Prokofiev's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3* by Jean Martinon.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Rudolf Ahle - Barockmusik fur Posaunen und Gesang*

Artists	
Uwe Schrodi, Jens Gagelmann, Thomas Strauss, Raphael Haeger, Oliver Siefert, Datura Posaunen Quartett, Clemens Weigel, Anton Scharinger










spotify 




Once in a while it is very pleasent and refreshing to liste to baroque music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gubaidulina- Concerto for Bassoon & Low Strings*

artists-Vanska (Artist), Ahmas (Artist), Pall
Sinfonia Lahti Chamber Ensemble










spotify 




My listening to kraut-prog and electronic prog, I belive make me more able to listen to and enjoy this modern "unlistenable" music. But dont ask me to say anything wise about it! I only follow the strange and different sounds and moods. It is a good way to listen to, recognise and enjoy different instruments, since they come through so clear, and their abilities are often stretched to the limit.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.1-3, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, *featuring Carlo Giulini conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. The second movement {Largo} of this piece is especially lush and expressive.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Bruch: Pieces for Violoncello and Orchestra*

Kol nidrei, Op. 47
Canzone, Op. 55 
Adagio nach keltischen Melodien, Op. 56
Romanze in F major, Op. 85 (arr. K. Friedrich for cello and orchestra) 
Ave Maria, Op. 61
Suite on Russian Themes, Op. 79b

Friedrich Kleinhapl (cello)
Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jan Kucera


----------



## Oskaar

*Nielsen, Aho: Clarinet Concertos*

Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Martin Frost










spotify 




Fantastic clarinet by Martin frost, and the sound is really good.

The Carl Nielsen concerto is very enjoyable. It is quite modern in style, but much warmth and adventureness that make it easy to listen to.
Some parts are light, and almost balett-like. Other parts are more searching and mood-filled. The composition and performance seperate the instruments a lot, they all come in front to shine, not only the clarinet. But still there is an amalgam of the whole that is very well orchestrated, and come through as ONE. Super interplay!

The Aho concerto is more dreamy and spacy. In some parts at least. Also very rewarding listening. The genious of the performer is particulary exposed in the II. Cadenza: Tranquillo.


----------



## Oskaar

*Wieniawski, Alard, Moszkowski*

Artists	
Ilya Grigolts
Alexandr Bulov










spotify 




Violin is so heavenly when it is played with passion. Here it is so, and the interplay between the violins is very good.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Crusell - Concertante Wind Works*

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775 - 1838) was a Swedish-Finnish clarinetist and composer

Introduction and Swedish Air, Op.12 pour clarinet and orchestra
Concertino in B flat major for bassoon and orchestra
Sinfonia Concertante, Op.3 for clarinet, horn, bassoon and orchestra

Anna-Maija Korsima-Hursti (clarinet)
László Hara (bassoon)
Ib Lanzky-Otto (horn)

Osmo Vänskä (conductor)
Tapiola Sinfonietta


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich. I was very struck by the dark and almost funereal like mood induced by the final movement of the *Third* *Symphony, * with its quite somber orchestration.


----------



## kv466

Gustav Holst - St. Paul's Suite, English String Orchestra


----------



## clavichorder

Taneyev *String Quartet no. 2* performed by the Taneyev Quartet. One of the best string quartets in the entire genre, I think.


----------



## clavichorder

kv466 said:


> Gustav Holst - St. Paul's Suite, English String Orchestra


Are you another fan of Holst's lesser known works? I still need to get into his other stuff, but I really like Egdon Heath in particular.


----------



## kv466

clavichorder said:


> Are you another fan of Holst's lesser known works? I still need to get into his other stuff, but I really like Egdon Heath in particular.


I am! I can't pull them out of my hat as well as I can other composers but there are quite a bit of non-planetary works of his that are simply wonderful.

Oh, that's right...came here to post.

Tomaso Albinoni - Violin concerto no. 4, La Serenissima with Adrian Chandler as conductor and soloist


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 4*, Kondrashin. I don't know why, but I really connect with his interpretations of Shostakovich.


----------



## Sid James

Another few listens to *Bernard Herrmann's *great string quartet, as well as the second disc of *J. Strauss' *operetta _Jabuka_, & some more of the *Stockhausen* EMI set -

*Bernard Herrmann *- _Echoes for string quartet _(1965)
Fine Arts Quartet (Naxos)

I'm not sure what "style" this work is, but I know it's just grabbed me pretty much totally, which isn't surprising since I always thought that the music that Herrmann wrote for films was just as interesting as the films themselves. His way with strings was unique.

*J. Strauss Jnr*. - _Jabuka_, operetta in 3 acts (Naxos 2 disc set)
I listened to disc 2, which has Act 3 of _Jabuka_, as well as a set of dance arrangements from the music of the operetta, orchestrated by the composer and also conductor on this recording, Prof. Pollack. Pure joy.

*K. Stockhausen*
Electro-acoustic works
- _Japan
- Wach_
Peter Eotvos / Harald Boje / Christoph Caskel - on various electronic & acoustic instruments

Quite a chill out feel with these works, they were played by Stockhausen & his group at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan.

_In Freundschaft _for E flat trumpet with fourth-step valve (1977/97)
Markus Stockhausen, trumpet

A lot of this work reminds me of jazz and Baroque music, esp. the two cadenzas which the composer marked as "explosions."


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify: *Philip Glass--*Glassworks-Expanded Edition and Einstein On The Beach *{only some excerpts}.


----------



## Sid James

Now, *Bernard Herrmann's *film score for _Psycho_ (dir. Alfred Hitchcock), HERE on youtube. It's entirely for string orchestra. Thought I'd give this a listen after having enjoyed to the max his string quartet _Echoes_ on the Naxos "Four American Quartets" disc above...


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (Fischer-Dieskau), not only current: day and night, night and day !


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. *Both works feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## violadude

Been listening to a lot of Mozart's violin concertos lately. I got this CD back in my "Mozart's not deep enough" phase. But sense I've been pretty fascinated with his music lately I decided to give it another try about a month ago.

I really love these concertos. I think number 3 is my favorite, with 4 and 5 not too far behind. 1 and 2 are really good too, but there is a lot of improvement and maturity from 2 to 3, or at least thats what it sounds like to me. One of my favorite things about these concertos are how effortless the music sounds. It's as if the violin is just whirling away, improvising on and expanding themes like it's second nature to do so.

There are a lot of things in these concertos I didn't expect from Mozart and they kind of surprised me. Two examples I can think of off the top of my head are the "gypsy theme" from the 3rd movement of the 3rd and a particularly violent (violent for early Mozart at least) and very vigorous moment in the 3rd movement of the 5th. The second movement of the 3rd is particularly gorgeous! The sound of the muted strings in combo with the melody and the light pizzicato of the cellos is just so beautiful.










Also listened to Bartok's piano concertos again for the first time in a while. I only listened to the 1st and the 2nd so far.

What I love about the 1st are the exotic sounding percussion, the pounding, wild and irregular rhythms and the barbary of early Bartok in general.
The 2nd is a bit more tame...but only a bit. I love the development of themes in the 2nd, I think it is a little bit more sophisticated than in the 1st. I also *love* the slow movement of the 2nd. It's so incredible, much better than the slow movement of the second imo, which is interesting, but can get kind of boring to me. On the other hand the 2nd is not as edgy as the 1st, so there are goods and bads in both.

Havent listened to the 3rd yet, but plan to soon.


----------



## kv466

Gabriel Faure - Piano Quintet No. 1, Quatuor Parrenin; Jean-Philippe Collard, piano


----------



## jaimsilva

*Schumann - Symphonies (re-orchestrated by Gustav Mahler)*

Robert Schumann

Symphony No.1 in B flat major, Op.38, 'Spring' 
Symphony No.2 in C major, Op.61
Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op.97, 'Rhenish' 
Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120

"_The nature of the changes which Mahler made in the course of his work has been analysed by Mosco Caner (The Music Review 2, I941), who draws attention to seven featues: the thinning-down of thickly-orchestrated passages, the clairification of thematic lines and rhythms, alterations in dynamics and in part re-orchestration of specific dynamic effects (especially in the case of extended crescendo or diminuendo passages), clarification of matters of phrasing, changes in the manner of playing, thematic alterations and finally sggestions for abbreviation. In the majority of cases Mahler preferred to make small changes which aimed for a subtle redistribution of the tonal balance, and it may be for this reason that his re-orchestrations of Schumann's works attracted minimal attention in Mahler's own lifetime._" Andrew Barnett in the booklet.

Aldo Ceccato (conductor)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Vesteralen

Bartok is one composer I have unjustly neglected. Many, many years ago the first (and only) Bartok piece I heard was "The Miraculous Mandarin" which I (in my musical frame of mind at the time) absolutely loathed.

I realized that was unfair, in a way. After all, if "The Scythian Suite" was the first Prokofiev I ever heard, I would probably have reacted similarly and missed out on a lot of good stuff.

But, it's taken 40 years for me to listen to my second Bartok.

And I love it.


----------



## Vesteralen

jaimsilva said:


> Robert Schumann
> 
> Symphony No.1 in B flat major, Op.38, 'Spring'
> Symphony No.2 in C major, Op.61
> Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op.97, 'Rhenish'
> Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120
> 
> "_The nature of the changes which Mahler made in the course of his work has been analysed by Mosco Caner (The Music Review 2, I941), who draws attention to seven featues: the thinning-down of thickly-orchestrated passages, the clairification of thematic lines and rhythms, alterations in dynamics and in part re-orchestration of specific dynamic effects (especially in the case of extended crescendo or diminuendo passages), clarification of matters of phrasing, changes in the manner of playing, thematic alterations and finally sggestions for abbreviation. In the majority of cases Mahler preferred to make small changes which aimed for a subtle redistribution of the tonal balance, and it may be for this reason that his re-orchestrations of Schumann's works attracted minimal attention in Mahler's own lifetime._" Andrew Barnett in the booklet.
> 
> Aldo Ceccato (conductor)
> Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra


Interesting. This fits well with the old Schumann thread I resurrected yesterday.

Even so, should Mahler get an equal visual on the cover? 

What do you think of these?


----------



## kv466

Jean Sibelius - Andante Festivo, Neeme Jarvi conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Klavierspieler

jaimsilva said:


> Robert Schumann
> 
> Symphony No.1 in B flat major, Op.38, 'Spring'
> Symphony No.2 in C major, Op.61
> Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op.97, 'Rhenish'
> Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120
> 
> "_The nature of the changes which Mahler made in the course of his work has been analysed by Mosco Caner (The Music Review 2, I941), who draws attention to seven featues: the thinning-down of thickly-orchestrated passages, the clairification of thematic lines and rhythms, alterations in dynamics and in part re-orchestration of specific dynamic effects (especially in the case of extended crescendo or diminuendo passages), clarification of matters of phrasing, changes in the manner of playing, thematic alterations and finally sggestions for abbreviation. In the majority of cases Mahler preferred to make small changes which aimed for a subtle redistribution of the tonal balance, and it may be for this reason that his re-orchestrations of Schumann's works attracted minimal attention in Mahler's own lifetime._" Andrew Barnett in the booklet.
> 
> Aldo Ceccato (conductor)
> Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra


I was going to 'like' this, but then I saw the Mahler part.


----------



## Vesteralen

More good stuff.


----------



## robert

WEBERN

Orchestral works

Von Dohnanyi


----------



## kv466

Willem de Fesch - Trio Sonata, Ensemble of the Auvergne


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Yefrem Bronfman, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Esa Pekka Salonen










spotify 




Abselutely fantastic concerto, but I bet it must be better versions out there...This one is a bit "flat" in sound and performance. First one I listen to, but there are 26 more to go through! I have a lot of listening to do....But it is a pleasure!


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Recuerdos de viaje, Op.71*

Artists	
Esteban Sánchez










spotify 




Very nice Piano work, and well played. wawing, and seeking piano, quite melancolic. Sound is quite dated though, I dont know when recorded. A pitty sinse it is the only version on spotify. I really would like to here the work played as well as here, in good sound.


----------



## kv466

Igor Stravinsky - Apollo, Dennis Russell Davies conducting the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil:Violin Sonata No.4*

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek










spotify 




Dark and witchy.. but also warm and light in other parts. The whole album is very good


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: Clarinet Concerto No.2, Op.115*

Artists	
Lan Shui (Conductor), Malmö Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Interresting work, and I really love the clarinet. But it did not really catch me today...may be mood...


----------



## robert

SHOSTAKOVICH

String Quartets 10 13 14

Borodin String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Debussy: Danse sacrée et danse profane, for harp and orchestra, L.103*

Tiziana Moneta, Gabriele Rota










spotify 




Delightful work, but not without a nerve underneth that is quite disturbing... Strange that a so quiet and piecefull work can touch the angsyity. Credit to the composer, and performer. For me good harp music have this double spell! Without the darker undertone it had been easy listening and so called meditation music (that CAN be good).


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Dreams (symphonic poem), Op.6*

Artists	
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar










spotify 




This is "light" prokofiev, but absolutely a nice listening. A bit flat performance. The piece reminds me a bit of spartakus-katsjaturian so it is unusual prokofiev


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821*

Artists	
Nils Monkemeyer










spotify 




This sonata is absolutely wonderful, and performed like this, it makes my day! The violin is so warm and gentle, and the interplay with the piano is perfect. I have my own rating system from nine to ten. I scratch my head, to find an excuse to not give this one a ten. I give it a nine and hope for even more heavenly experiences.


----------



## dmg

I just found an iTunes gift card that I forgot about from Christmas o) and used it to purchase the following (which I am listening to now)...


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev: Overture on a Spanish March Theme*

artister
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Hoey Choo










spotify 




Hmm..It must be my mood. This sounds very boring in one moment, and ligtening and uplifting in the next. It may also be that when the march teme are in focus,I am out, and when it is not, I am absolutely following. Marches is not my favourite listening..and this work is a hybrid.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some sacred music from Kodaly and Janacek.


----------



## robert

Ustvolskaya

compositions 1 - 3

schoenberg ensemble


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the London Symphony orchestra under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--_Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. _Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Sid James

*Herrmann, Antheil, Glass, Evans* - string quartets (Naxos) played by the Fine Arts Quartet

Esp. enjoy *Bernard Herrmann's* _Echoes_ for string quartet, very emotional but modern & this group play with much warmth & atmosphere. He wasn't only a good film composer, but also an excellent composer of concert music, judging from this.

*Album - Music for Strings*
*Hindemith* - _5 Pieces, Op. 44 #4_
*Prokofiev* - _Visions Fugitives, Op. 22_ (arr. Barshai)
- ASMF / Neville Marriner, cond.
*Bartok *-_ Divertimento for Strings, SZ.113_
*Vivaldi *- 2 Concertos from _L'Estro Armonico_: in B minor for 4 violins & cello, Op. 3 #10; in D major for 4 violins, Op. 3 #1
- Moscow Chamber Orch. / Rudolf Barshai, cond.
(Decca Eloquence)

All of these are great, from *Hindemith's* Modern-Baroque combo style, to the whimsy, imagery & almost electronic sounds in parts of the *Prokofiev*, to the folksy *Bartok* with a disturbing slow movt. at it's core, & finally the *Vivaldi*, as always, radiating Venetian warmth. These classic remastered recordings, from the 1960's & '70's, have never sounded better.

*K. Stockhausen*
_Tierkreis_
Markus Stockhausen, trumpet
Margareta Hurholz, organ
(from EMI 2 disc set)

This is a fun work from Stockhausen, imaging in sound the 12 signs of the zodiac. It was originally written for music boxes with children in mind, but in it's chamber form, can be played on any number of combinations of instruments. A very theatrical work as well, & I've had the privilege to see/hear it live a couple of times in recent years.

*Ravel*
_String Quartet in F major_
Melos Quartet (DGG tape)

I like this work but it's becoming earworm material for me, as a lot of his things become once I hear them a number of times. His tunes are very memorable for me, maybe too much. First time hearing this performance & I like this group's directness & the way they present this work as quite angular, the lines interacting, interlacing, bouncing off eachother, but also quite emotional...


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, Op.100.* Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton wielded by Mstislav Rostropovich. I'm really starting to enjoy his 5th a great deal, with all its use of great dynamics and thematic contrasts, especially in its 3rd movement. I also find the opening movements of both the 7th and 5th to be most capitivating, with the 7th being almost lullaby-like in its mood. 
Prokofiev is fast becoming one of my "go to" composers.


----------



## kv466

Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 5, Moscow Virtuosi


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
Victor Tretyakov
State Symphony Orchestra Of The Ussr










spotify 




Great violin on this recording, but the sound tells me it is an older take. The work is very rewarding when I am in the mood to really take it in. The orchestra is very much in the background here, but it suits the work and the intensity of the violin


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Capricor Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Trumpet And Orchestra*

artister
Arioso Wind Quintet
Ruth Golden
San Diego Chamber Orchestra
Donald Barra










spotify


----------



## hespdelk




----------



## Oskaar

*Bloch/Lees: Violin Concertos*

Artists	
Williams (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (Orchestra), Oliveira (Performer)










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok: Contrasts, for clarinet, violin, and piano, BB116*

Artists	
Michael Collins, Chantal Juillet Martha Argerich










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: Elegiac Trio*

artister
Mobius










spotify 




Beautiful and adventurous little piece.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.8 in C-, Op.13 ('Pathétique')*

Artists	
Wilhelm Kempff










spotify 




Beethovens piano sonatas are very addictive! This sonata are not among my favourits. I know it is for many. I dont know why, but this and the moonlight serenade give me a bit headache! Itmay be something about hypnothic melancholy. The moonlight serenade is even worse.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Cinderella, Suite No.3, Op.109*

Artists
Tjeknavorian (Artist), Armenian Philharmonic










spotify 




Very good sound on this recording. The work is quite light, but very Prokoifiev in use of instruments and pace and rythm. I like it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1*

Artists	
David Grimal / Valery Afanassiev










spotify 




I love the gentle lightness of this work. Ok performance,but not outstanding.


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.2 in Eb, Op.57*

Artists	
Ernst Ottensamer
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Johannes Wildner










spotify


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wozzeck*, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.










Followed by Franz Schreker.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

samurai said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--_Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, _performed by the London Symphony orchestra under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich.


I have it on LP with Kondrashin as the conductor , the version I've never heard a better one elsewhere ... Just think it's Shostakovich, a russian orchestra, Kondrashin and after all that continous LP noise in the background ! Sounds fantastic to me !


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm comparing various recordings of *Beethoven's Grosse Fugue*, by the Vegh Quartet, Fitzwilliam Quartet, the Takacs Quartet, and the Berg Quartet (their 1983 recording).

The Vegh Quartet is measured but lightfooted. The Fitzwilliam Quartet is a little slower, so you can hear the rhythmic tensions between the parts, though at times it has a plodding feel. The Takacs proceed at a rapid pace, maybe too fast. The Berg Quartet has a good tempo and a resonant sound, but it makes the cello sound a little muddy.

Overall, at least today, I prefer the Vegh first; the Berg a close second; with the Fitzwilliam and Takacs tied for third.


----------



## robert

GABRIEL PIERNE

Ramuntcho Suites 1 & 2
Piano Concerto in C

Dag Achatz
Philharmonie de Lorraine
Jacques Houtmann


----------



## Guest

A grad student in my studio played a piece called _Suite de danzas criollas_ by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, and I enjoyed it so much that I went out and got his complete piano music. Really, really awesome music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Variations on a theme from 'Alruna' in Bb, for clarinet and orchestra, WoO 15*

Artists	
Dieter Klocker
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Gernot Schmalfuss










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Adams, John..El Dorado/Black gondola*

Track Listings
1. El dorado Part 1. A Dream of Gold
2. El dorado Part 2. Soledades
3. Berceuse élégiaque, arrangement for small orchestra of Busoni original
4. The Black Gondola, orchestration of Liszt's "La lugubre gondola" (S 200)

Artists	
Orchestra: Hallé, London SinfoniettaConductor: Kent Nagano, John AdamsComposer: John [Composer] Adams, Ferruccio Busoni, Franz Liszt










spotify


----------



## starthrower




----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## HexameronVI

Lately, I've been listening to a two-piano transcription of Liszt's Dante Symphony, but I just recently discovered Mendelsohn's Symphony 2. That should keep me preocupied for a while...


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to these newly bought discs, I took in the whole of the Elgar & half of the guitar recital -

*Elgar*
- _String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83_
- _Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84_*
Maggini String Quartet
*with guest Peter Donohoe, piano
(Naxos)

I have known Elgar's only surviving _String Quartet _for years, but I'd never heard the _Piano Quintet_. Both of these works come from immediately after the First World War and have a pensive, though not necessarily depressing, mood. Elgar had a unique way with writing for strings, his music is quite rich and lush but also atmospheric. The third & final movement of the _String Quartet _describes the woods at the back of his cottage in Sussex where he had retired to. The _Piano Quintet _has some unexpected moments, like a Spanish flavoured idea that comes sharply into focus in the first movement. There are dark moods and much questioning and yearning for the past in these works, as if he's only coming to terms with what had happened in the war, & kind of wishing it had never happened at all. The players on this recording give it more of a modernistic, no holds barred reading than heavily romantic, so it's taking me a while to get used to that. All in all, this recording is excellent, it won a coveted _Diapason D'Or_ award in France.










From *Album: Australian Guitar Music *(on Naxos)
Played by Aleksandr Tsiboulski, solo guitar

*Ross Edwards *-_ Blackwattle Caprices_
*Phillip Houghton *- _Stele_
*Peter Sculthorpe *- _From Kakadu_

Some interesting music here, played by an Australian guitarist who was born in Ukraine. Mr Tsiboulski has won numerous awards in international guitar competitions. He plays with attention to detail & an ear for dynamic contrasts. In terms of the music, I esp. enjoyed Phillip Houghton's _Stele_ pieces, I had not heard the music of this composer before. Stele is a term for these tomb-like markers which stand on the shores of Greece, as memorials to loved ones lost at sea, esp. sailors. There are four movements in this work, the structure is slow-fast-slow-fast. I esp. liked the fast bits, which reminded me of Spanish flamenco guitar music. I'll listen to the second half of the album later today when I get time. So far, it's been great.


----------



## Conor71

*Rodrigo: Concierto De Aranjez; Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre*


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.3, Op.20 {"The First of May"}, *featuring the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ladislav Slovak. {On *Spotify*}. I have to say that this is the first work by Shostakovich that I really didn't like; I found it to be overblown and bombastic, with no interesting thematic development. And that was well before the choral bit, which ruined it for me entirely. :scold:


----------



## hespdelk

I don't know that anyone will ever top Berstein's Chicago 7th for me, but of more recent versions this is my favourite. Great drive and playing. I find Gergiev makes more of the last three movements than most.. they have a tendency to seem redundant after the collossal first movement.. but he welds it into a cogent whole.


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"},* performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton wielded by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.3, Op.20 {"The First of May"}, *featuring the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ladislav Slovak. {On *Spotify*}. I have to say that this is the first work by Shostakovich that I really didn't like; I found it to be overblown and bombastic, with no interesting thematic development. And that was well before the choral bit, which ruined it for me entirely. :scold:


I've read that Shostakovich's 3rd & also the 2nd symphonies were his most experimental (although I haven't heard them). So I'm not surprised you didn't like it. I really like the 4th which is as near to "atonal" as he got (the key assigned to it is aparently only a nominal key - eg. in name only, it's not practically in that key all/most the time). The 4th was supressed by the composer for 25 years to avoid the wrath of Stalin, it was hidden away in piano reduction form, and first performed in the early '60's. You may well like the 4th, more experimental but no choral/vocal bit, you'll be glad to know!...


----------



## Conor71

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 4*

Herbie conducts Nielsen and Sibelius - good stuff!


----------



## bumtz

samurai said:


> Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"},* performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton wielded by Mstislav Rostropovich.


 This is a poor performance of Symphony 1, IMO. I would recommend Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice) with Stephen Gunzenhauser conducting on Naxos - so much more punch and energy. Or, if you want to explore an unconventional instrumentation of it, there is a phenomenal version recorded by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on DG.


----------



## bumtz

Sid James said:


> I've read that Shostakovich's 3rd & also the 2nd symphonies were his most experimental (although I haven't heard them). So I'm not surprised you didn't like it. I really like the 4th which is as near to "atonal" as he got (the key assigned to it is aparently only a nominal key - eg. in name only, it's not practically in that key all/most the time). The 4th was supressed by the composer for 25 years to avoid the wrath of Stalin, it was hidden away in piano reduction form, and first performed in the early '60's. You may well like the 4th, more experimental but no choral/vocal bit, you'll be glad to know!...


 Yes, 4th is great (and Slovak version of it on Naxos is outstanding). 
I don't like Symph 1-3 - and not because they are experimental, but because they are not good enough  . But overall I am not the biggest fan of Shostakovich. I think his best works are phenomenal (string quartet 15, viola and violin sonatas, Symph 4 and 5, piano concertos, a few more), but the rest I actually find quite formulaic.


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## bumtz

And to bring my post count to a grand total of 20 - I am listening to the Musik in Deutschland 1950-2000 6-CD set Instrumentale Kammermusik (RCA Red Seal). A lot of great stuff here (a lot of garbage too). Here is the detailed track list: http://www.musikrat.de/index.php?id=749


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## Oskaar

*Adam: Giselle*

Artists	
Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, Hanspeter Gmür










spotify 




Light and wiener-waltz like, it is a ballet, but the work also have variations and depth. Very nice listening. Elements of mozart, beethoven, waltz-strauss, and even ballet-prokofiev.
This is in fact a very good work, really a surprise! The combination of light melodies and more deapth, is very well balanced, and grab my attention. It is very well performed here, and the sound is great. I really recommend the work and the recording!

To be a ballet, this work have surprisingly many variations, and symphony-like elements.


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## chrislowski

bumtz said:


> Yes, 4th is great (and Slovak version of it on Naxos is outstanding).
> I don't like Symph 1-3 - and not because they are experimental, but because they are not good enough  . But overall I am not the biggest fan of Shostakovich. I think his best works are phenomenal (string quartet 15, viola and violin sonatas, Symph 4 and 5, piano concertos, a few more), but the rest I actually find quite formulaic.


His 2nd and 3rd Symphonies were basically just Soviet propaganda, praising the revolution and Stalin etc. to keep the regime happy. Shostakovich himself didn't even like them, so it's not surprising hardly anyone else likes them! I tend to look at them in the same way I look at his film scores - Shostakovich simply surviving and making a living.


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## Oskaar

*Adam: La Jolie Fille de Gand*

Artists	
Andrew Mogrelia (Conductor), Queensland Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




Another great ballet. More classical maybe than Gizelle, but beautiful melodies and very well composed in the form. The lack of variations that gizelle had is substituded with delightfull more traditional ballet music.


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## Oskaar

*Adams: China Gates*

Artists	
Ralph van Raat










spotify 




This is a short piece, and maybe I should listen to more before posting. But I struggle with consentration problems, and it suits me bether to post as I am listening... It will be many posts, hope you dont mind to much..

This is not the most challenging Adams. It is a rather hypnotic piece..reminds me of Mike Oldfield, Tubular bells.


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## Oskaar

*Samuel Adler: Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, And Love*

Works.
1. 3 Piano Preludes: No. 1. Rushing Waters	
2. 3 Piano Preludes: No. 2. Dream Sequence	
3. 3 Piano Preludes: No. 3. 
4. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love: I. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love	
5. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love: II. The Cheat of Cupid: Or, The Ungentle Guest	Carol Wincenc	
6. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love: III. His Poetrie His Pillar	
7. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love: IV. The Wounded Cupid Song	
8. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love: V. Art Above Nature: To Julia	
9. Of Musique, Poetrie, Art, and Love: VI. The Mad Maid's Song	
10. 4 Composer Portraits: No. 1. Milton (Babbitt)	
11. 4 Composer Portraits: No. 2. Ned (Rorem)	
12. 4 Composer Portraits: No. 3. Gunther (Schuller)	
13. 4 Composer Portraits: No. 4. David (Diamond)
16. Flute Sonata: III. Scherzo - Finale	
18. Pasiphae	Laura Melton	
19. Piano Concerto No. 3

Artists	
Melton (Artist), Farnum (Artist), Wincenc (Artist), Sampen (Artist), Brown (Artist), Schupp (Artist), Adler (Composer), Freeman Brown (Conductor), Bowling Green Orchestra










spotify 




This is an adventurous record. Not much of adler on spotify, but ths record gives me a little keyhole to his works. I am developeing my ear to listen to more vokal music once in a while. The title piece Of Musique, Poetrie, Art and Love, is good for such training, and in fact very enjoyable.

The four portraits of different composers are difficult to say much about, since I only know Babbit, and have not listened much to him. But the work itself is nice. Very good piano play!

The sound on this recording is not very good. It is not well balanced. In the flute sonata for ex. The flute is much to close in the soundpicture... It becomes noice instead of music sometimes.

But still...Adler is an exiting knowledge. The piano concerto is fantastic listening!


----------



## Oskaar

*Adam: La Jolie Fille de Gand*

Artists	
Andrew Mogrelia (Conductor), Queensland Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




sorry.. double post


----------



## Oskaar

*AHO: Quintets*

Artists	
Performers: Eero Munter, Ulla Maija Hallantie, Jyrki Lasonpalo, Anu Airas, Ilkka Palli, Hannu Lehtonen, Kalevi Aho, Harri Ahmas, Sinfonia Lahti Chamber Ensemble










spotify 




Modern, but very warm music, full of facettes and great moments.

The basson quintet really eksplores that instrument. And in the end of the overture, the basson plays with double tones. Really facinating.

The work is full of surprices, combining more traditional classical music with the modern. The fully use of the small formate orchestra is wonderful, sometimes it is hard to follow, but I think that is because it is my first listening experiance with this work. The interplay between the basson and the rest of the orchestra is superb! Sound is great...perfect balance. The fourth movement has a beautiful duet between cello and bassoon. Then comes the viola in! Then the violin. All in seperated parts. You have to listen to this!

The production and performance is very good. Nice sound, nice balance between instruments and orchestra.

If you dont have spotify yet... just get it! And go premium! As I have said before...I cant imagine of anything in my life, that gave me such value for money! ( I have invites if you need, just pm me with e-mail)

My daughter at 8 has just started to play altsaxophone. And after only a week, she gets a beautiful sound! No three grows to heaven, but I am really exited. I will keep you informed!

This work for altsax is really breathtaking. The instruments playes in quite seperate parts in the in the beginning of first movement, making them shine. Slow fine melodies glue it together. Later it is more interplay, and it is gentle and magically done. Each instrument helps the other to shine. Brilliant work!

Aho is a composer to really dive into... Modern, but very accessable music. By the little I have listened to him, hi is very clever to make a whole out of brilliant solo parts. And to make each instrument to shine in the interplay. Aho is the man! I am looking forward to explore him further!


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho: Symphony No. 4*

Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra










spotify 




After only a little listening, I can say that I love Kalevi Aho, and that he can very well become a favourite composer to me.

This 4.th symphony has a very good balance beetween the traditional, let us say romantism, and the more modern. It is always very melodious, still ekperimental in a way that is easy to addopt.

This symphony also use the whole orchestra brilliantly. Some extraordinary "build ups" from the gentle to the giant. It is like the symphonie are built op of sequences, where some sequences start in romanticm and end up in modernism. And on the way the instruments show off. I am just talking from my stomack! I hav so much to learn and am no expert at all. But I think I have a good listening ear! But terrible system and memory.

Back to this loveley symphony... Magical moments througout. The second movement is fantastic! There is a nerve under the lightness. It starts very light, but the melody and the undertone is more dramatic. Incredible drama,suddenly. This balance between the light and dramatic is extraordinary with Aho. I cant remember to have seen this so well exploited before.

Aho should be up there among the greatest composers. He is that good!


----------



## robert

bumtz said:


> Yes, 4th is great (and Slovak version of it on Naxos is outstanding).
> I don't like Symph 1-3 - and not because they are experimental, but because they are not good enough  . But overall I am not the biggest fan of Shostakovich. I think his best works are phenomenal (string quartet 15, viola and violin sonatas, Symph 4 and 5, piano concertos, a few more), but the rest I actually find quite formulaic.


 2 3 are not favorites of mine I believe them to be his weakest of the 15 but, I really like his first.....try Bernsteins 1 & 7 on dg....


----------



## robert

starthrower said:


>


WOW How about some info on that Boulez/Zappa. I was not aware of that one....


----------



## robert

Conor71 said:


> *Nielsen: Symphony No. 4*
> 
> Herbie conducts Nielsen and Sibelius - good stuff!


This is a good disc but I prefer Schonwandt for Nielsen.....


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin and Electronics*

Artists	
Davis Brooks, Violin

works:
1. In Bocco Al Lupo for Violin and Electronic Tape (James Mobberley, Composer) 
2. Epiphany for Amplified Mandolin, Amplified Violin, and Tape (C.P. First, Composer) (feat. Dimitris Marinos, Mandolin)
3. Nosotros for Violin and Pre-recorded Electronics (Hugh Levick, Composer)
4. Fantasy for Violin and Electronics (James Aikman, Composer) 
5. Sole Injection for Amplified Violin and Computer-generated Sounds (Zack Browning, Composer) 
6. Brace Yourself Like a Man for Violin and Recorded Medium (Frank Felice, Composer) 
7. Shadow Steps for Electric Violin and Computer Music System (Patrick Long, Composer)










spotify 




The sound here is brilliant! And the electronics is very well balanced with the violin which is dominant among the traditional instruments. The music itself is seeking and adventurous, making room for the many stunts, electronic as well from the violin.

Some reviews of the fantastic record: http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/review-davis-brooks-violin-and-electronics/Content?oid=2015728


----------



## Manxfeeder

Working at home all weekend, so I'm bringing some Colossal Baroque home with me. Jordi Savall nails Biber's *Missa Bruxellensis*; a very resonant acoustic, big forces, but they don't manage to step on each other or muddy the waters.


----------



## starthrower

robert said:


> WOW How about some info on that Boulez/Zappa. I was not aware of that one....


It was actually one of the first CD releases for Zappa back in the mid 80s. It's a rather brief album with just three pieces for the chamber orchestra ranging from 3-12 minutes including the title track, Dupree's Paradise, and Naval Aviation In Art. The other pieces are performed by the Synclavier Digital synthesizer. After 20 plus years it still sounds pretty darn good to my ears, but I'm a Zappa nut anyway.
http://www.amazon.com/Boulez-Conduc...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1316281185&sr=1-1

Even better is the 1993 release, The Yellow Shark. 70 + minutes of the Ensemble Modern performing a wide variety of Zappa works from the late 60s through the early 90s. http://www.amazon.com/Zappa-Yellow-Shark-Frank/dp/B0000009VU/ref=pd_sim_m42

Also not to be missed is the posthumous release, Zappa-Wazoo recorded live in Boston 1972 featuring a 20 piece jazz orchestra performing an instrumental version of The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary, and other works.
http://www.amazon.com/Wazoo-Frank-Zappa/dp/B00133FOKE/ref=pd_sim_m11


----------



## Oskaar

*Wieniawski, Alard, Moszkowski*

Artists	
Ilya Grigolts
Alexandr Bulov










spotify 




Henryk Wieniawski - Etudes-caprices (8) for 2 violins, Op. 18
Jean-Delphin Alard - Duo brillants, Op. 27/3
Moritz Moszkowski - Suite for 2 violins & piano in G minor, Op. 71

The recording is brilliant! Solo instruments are not to close in the sound picture, making a nice room feel. Performance is nice, and really good interplay.

Henryk Wieniawski - Etudes-caprices (8) for 2 violins, Op. 18. 
This work make room for virtuoso play, light and wonderful. The two violins duell briliantly against each other. The piece is melodious and very nice to listen to. Wawing violin melodies...Heavenly!

Jean-Delphin Alard - Duo brillants, Op. 27/3 - Alard is unknown to me, and this work is the only one I can find on spotify. But it is in fact very good! Pleasent tunes and melodies... very romantic! I found an Alard recording! Look forward to listen to it!

Moritz Moszkowski - Suite for 2 violins & piano in G minor, Op. 71 
Romantic and pleasent. It dont catch me at once...I have to relisten to this.. Oh, well, I dont need much time. I find it pleasent now, but I think this have very good "grow" posibilities!

If you like brilliantly played romantic music, this record is absolutely reccommended!


----------



## Oskaar

*Alard: Fantasie per violino e orchestra su Opere di Guiseppe Verdi*

Artists	
Luigi de Filippi, Orchestra dell'Impresario










spotify 




The beginning is just awesome! And so is the rest!

Performance first: The viola is so velvet - like, gentle, and still virtuos. Very nice balanced to the orchestra. Good sound. I like the violin here. Not to virtuose. That would have been an overkill. But very empatic!

The vork is beatifully romantic. I am sure that if it has been made by one of the most famous composers of the time, it would be concidered as a major work! Very nice melodies. Maybe a lot, or the whole work is stolen from Verdi, but it is cleverly stolen. By "stolen" I mean the themes, transscriptions is of course a fully work in itselfe. Mostly I think.


----------



## robert

JACK GALLAGHER

The Persistence Of Memory

Music from Six Continents
1996 series...


----------



## robert

Margaret Shelton Meier

Claremont Symphony

Music From Six Continents
1998 series
New Music for Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.17 String Quartet No.2*

Artists	
Prague String Quartet










spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.139 Balada (Ballad) in d-minor Lento Op.15/I*

Artists	
Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty










spotify 




Dvoraks chamber works is a treasure chest! This litle piece is a good example, very well played her by ivan zenaty on violin.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57*

Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty










spotify 




Beautiful sonatina. Very nice performance. ivan zenaty Is a very good violinist...he has the ability to strech the work. He has a sound in the violin that is exeptional! And his empaty is very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Igor Ardašev - Antonin Dvořák: Works for Violin & Piano*

Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty










spotify 




Fantastc album! Very much recommended.,

The largetto In four romantic pieces.... Can it be much more beatiful than this?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 11*, by Kondrashin and Slovak. Kondrashin is always interesting. Slovak is pretty good, if a little slow.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Beethoven & Hoffmann - Piano Trios*

Beethoven - Piano Trio No. 5 in D major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost"
Hoffmann - Piano Trio in E major, AV 52

[_Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (24 January 1776 - 25 June 1822), better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann, and the author of the novelette The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppelia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote. Also Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on one of Hoffmann's characters._ - source: wikipedia]

Trio Bamberg


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43, *featuring the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## samurai

Manxfeeder said:


> *Shostakovich, Symphony No. 11*, by Kondrashin and Slovak. Kondrashin is always interesting. Slovak is pretty good, if a little slow.


@ Manxfeeder, That work is one of my favorite Shostakovich symphonies, along with his 5th, 8th and 10th. Am I correct in understanding that this album you have featured 2 different conductors leading the same orchestra in 2 separate performances
of this work?


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.4 in C major, Op.47 {original 1930 version} and Symphony No.4 in C major, Op.112 {revised 1947 version}. *Both pieces feature the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 3, 5 & 11*

I plan on devoting today to String Quartets! - First Classical listen of the day is the 3rd Disc from my Beethoven set: 2 Op. 18 Quartets and the Serioso Quartet, all fine listening!


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76*

Now playing Disc 20 from my 3rd full traversal of this set.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:
Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.1 in E Major, Op.5 {"Slavyanskaya"}, *rendered by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Anissimov.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 6, 1 & 17*

This set was one of my best purchases last year - wonderful music


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to the newly purchased *Elgar* chamber disc as well as a first listen to the *Brahms*_ Piano Quartet #1_ in yonks -

*Elgar*
- _String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83
- Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84*_
Maggini String Quartet
*with guest Peter Donohoe, piano
(Naxos)

These are works with a strong reflective and pensive element, written after the end of World War I. They are quite fragmented in some ways & also deep, reminding me a bit of Beethoven's late string quartets, for example. By this time, Elgar had retired to a cottage in Sussex, got away from the city for his health and to unwind a bit. He was quite depressed about what had happened with the young men he had seen grow up, go away and fight the war, many never returning. But far from being totally bleak works, these are more just like very intimate thoughts & musings, some of them also connected to the countryside which he so loved. & there's even an element of whimsy that I hear in the opening of the_ Piano Quintet_, which eventually gives way to a tune underpinned with Spanish rhythms. It seems that Elgar didn't have a large chamber output, but what he did in these works was of a very high level.

*Brahms* - _Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_
Quatour Kandinsky (Aria Music France label)

This work has a strong Hungarian flavour throughout, esp. in the final movement marked _Rondo Zingarese _(Gypsy Rondo - a bit like Haydn's famous piano trio of that name). In that last movement, the piano imitates a cimbalom. The whole thing is pretty much dominated by the piano part, which really drives the work & gives it real body & depth. However, this excellent French group play it like a chamber work, but with big sound, not the wrong/bad old way, which is to treat a piano quartet like a piano concerto. That type of wrong interpretation, which has now been rightfully rejected, was the reason why Schoenberg orchestrated this work (& it's hard for me not to have that in mind as I listen to this, the original version)...


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.7-10, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet. I am really finding his *8th* and *9th* SQS to be much more darkly intense and brooding with each successive listening.


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> *Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 6, 1 & 17*
> 
> This set was one of my best purchases last year - wonderful music


I love Villa-Lobos quartets. They are not very "serious" or anything, but they have a really great "freshness" about them I think.


----------



## Conor71

violadude said:


> I love Villa-Lobos quartets. They are not very "serious" or anything, but they have a really great "freshness" about them I think.


 I agree  - I love the haunting slow movements too!

Now listening:

*Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite*


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> I agree  - I love the haunting slow movements too!
> 
> Now listening:
> 
> *Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite*


Yes, his slow movements are beautiful!


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, That work is one of my favorite Shostakovich symphonies, along with his 5th, 8th and 10th. Am I correct in understanding that this album you have featured 2 different conductors leading the same orchestra in 2 separate performances
> of this work?


Sorry for the confusion. No, it's Kondrashin with the Moscow SO and Ladislav Slovak with the Czecho-Slovak SO. But your idea would be an interesting concept.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm starting another long day of getting caught up on my work backlog with a shot of audio adrenaline: Gardiner's recording of Bach's BMV 51. This is probably too fast - actually, that was Emma Kirkby's assessment of it - but it's electric, and she is more than equal to the task.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Piano Concerto No.2 in B-, Op.11*

Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Francois-Joel Thiollier (Performer), Martijn van den Hoek










spotify 




Lovely piano concerto! Very romantic and Beethoven-like. Only this recording surprisingly on spotify.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3, Ashkenazy/Previn. I could have picked up the Ashkenazy/Fistoulari 3rd for $4 last night but didn't have the pocket change. Oh, well, still, I like this one.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Michel Plasson (Conductor), Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (Orchestra), Jean-Philippe Collard (Performer)










spotify 




Quite exiting work, with dreamy, seeking sequences. Also very romantic, but a bit more modern I think compared with the piano concerto.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57*

Artists	
Bohuslav Matousek and Petr Adamec










spotify 




I love Dvoraks chamber music! This sonata variate very well between the gentle and dramatic. Beautiful violin, but the piano sound could be bether.


----------



## Conor71

*Verdi; Strauss: String Quartets*
*Elgar; Walton: String Quartets*


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.139 Balada (Ballad) in d-minor Lento Op.15/I*

two versions

Artists	
Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty










spotify 




Artists	
Edmund Battersby
Zhou Qian










spotify 




The little piec is very beautiful and melancolic. It takes a good violinist to cover all the nuances of this piece.

The first version. Good sound. Sensitive and expressing violin, and very good interplay with the piano.

The next version with Zhou Qian on violin seems a bit slower, and that suits the piece. Loveley sensitive violin, even bether than ivan zenaty I think, but I
find the interplay with piano bether in the first version.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5*

5 versions of this lovely piece:

Artists	
Arto Noras
Kaupio symphony orchestra
Markus Lehtinen










spotify 




Masterfull sound and interplay.

Artists
Yo-Yo Ma (Artist), Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Performer)
Lorim Maazel










spotify 




Yo-yo-ma... He must be very overrated. Uninspired.. Not very good sound...the cello seem hidden in a way.

Artists	
Peter Bruns
Dresden Staatskapelle
Michael Helmrath










spotify 




Absolutely bether! Bruns has a lot more emphaty than Ma.. But the first version with Noras was bether I think.

Artists	
mischa maisky
Paris Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov










spotify 




Very laid back and calm version, but still with an intensive nerve! Maysky make some beautiful tones! Maybe the interplay with orchestra could have been bether.

Artists	
Timothy Walden/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
libor pesek










spotify 




Not very good sound in my oponion. And the cello dont have much nerve.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11*

Artists	
Zubin Mehta (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra), Midori (Goto)










Midori plays beautifully! Here it is with orchestra, not piano. Very good balance and interplay.


----------



## Oskaar

*Draeseke: Op 38 Clarinet Sonata in B-flat*

Artists	
Pierce-Aomori Duo;Hideaki Aomori (clarinet);Daniel Barrett (cello);Joshua Pierce (piano)










spotify


----------



## Sid James

Listened to the* Elgar *chamber music disc on Naxos several times, but also this other recent purchase in full -

*Album: Australian Guitar Music*
Aleksandr Tsiboulski, solo guitar
(Naxos)

*Ross Edwards* - _Blackwattle Caprices_ 
*Phillip Houghton *- _Stele_ 
*Peter Sculthorpe *- _From Kakadu _
*R. Edwards *- _Guitar Dances _(arr. A. Walter for guitar)
*Graeme Koehne *-_ A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design _
*Brett Dean *- _3 Caprichos after Goya_
*P. Sculthorpe *
-_ Into the Dreaming _(version for guitar) 
- _Djilile _(arr. S. Wingfield for guitar)

An interesting recital. My favourite works were Edwards' _Guitar Dances_, which are very uplifting pieces, the Houghton - parts of which had this staccato plucking, some kind of Middle Eastern harmonies there as well (one movement titled _Dervish_) - & also the short Dean pieces which came across as like "atonal" flamenco. Mr Tsiboulski was born in Ukraine but came here as a child. He has won numerous guitar competitions all over the world. His style seems to me to be focussed mainly on clarity and attention to dynamic contrasts. This recording is very close, maybe too close, but you can definitely hear every detail in this music...


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.1-3, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## dmg

Currently listening to Opus Clavicembalisticum (again). The 5th disc just started - I'd have to say the end of the Interludium Tocata - Passacaglia (probably the last 5 minutes) is my favorite part as of right now, though the Toccata is quite appealing as well.

Also, the more times I listen to it, the more I identify the recurring themes and variations of them. Listening can be very tedious at first, but the more you do, the more you appreciate the depth of the work.


----------



## Oskaar

*some more dvorak*

Dvorák: B.28 op5 Piano Quintet

Artists	
Smetana Quartet










spotify 




Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57

Artists	
Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty










spotify 




Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100

Artists	
The Zaslav Trio










spotify


----------



## graaf




----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
Stanford: Op 011 Sonata No. 1 in D major

Artists	
Susanne Stanzeleit, violin - Gustav Fenyö, piano










spotify 




Stanford is a nice knowledge. Very warm and playful sonata. Great interplay here between violin and piano. I have just listened to some chamber work of Dvorak, an this could very well have been Dvorak I think. I specially like the third movement with many tender and colorfull moments.

Work 
Stanford: Op 013 Three Intermezzi for clarinet & piano

Artists	
Emma Johnson clarinett , Malcolm Martineau piano















Another beautiful work. Beautifully played, and good interplay, but the sound is a bit distant and hollow.

Work 
Stanford: Op 035 Piano Trio No. 1 in E flat major

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio










spotify 




Very warm and relaxing work. Nice performance and sound.

Work 
Stanford: Op 039 Sonata No. 2 in D minor for violoncello & piano















Work 
Stanford: Op 054 Irish Fantasies

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio

same album as abow


----------



## Sid James

*@ oskaar* -* Stanford *was pretty good, I've only got the Naxos 2 disc set, the main work being his _*Requiem*_ which is excellent. It always moves me to tears. I have yet to get into his chamber music, which would be the first choice for me (I'm very much into chamber area), it will happen soon I hope...


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm having a John Eliot Gardiner day, starting with *Mozart's Piano Concretos Nos. 22 and 26*. I'm not a fan of fortepianos, but I like this one, especially the orchestral playing.

I'm following it with Bach's *St. John Passion*, mainly because a used CD store has the score for $3.50, and I'm wondering if I need to pick it up.

It's been a while since I've gone through this recording, being used to Parrott's one-on-a-part recording. Parrott emphasizes the teleologic aspects of this work - i.e., it's a drive to the end without stopping to dawdle - but he makes it sound rushed. Gardiner lets the piece breathe.

Then on to his second recording of *Monteverdi's Vespers*. I still prefer the first one with the Philip Jones Brass, but this one is very good also.


----------



## kv466

Pieter Hellendaal - Concerto No. 6, Jan Willem de Vriend conducts the Combattimento Consort of Amsterdam


----------



## Oskaar

*Nordic Spell*

Artists	
sharon bezaly-flute
Orchestra: Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Bernhardur Wilkinson, Christian Lindberg, Osmo Vänskä
Composer: Kalevi Aho, Christian Lindberg, Haukur Tomasson

works
Aho:
Concerto for Flute and Orchestra
Lindberg, C:
The World of Montuagretta - Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra
Tómasson:
Flute Concerto No. 2















The Aho concerto is good, but need time to grow. But the tomasson concerto hit me at once. Simply a mighty work!
The Lindberg concerto has a fine nerve.. the flute is very well expressed, but also other instruments is well exposed.
Highly recommended album!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Vianna da Motta - Symphony A Pátria*

"_José Vianna da Motta (sometimes spelt 'Viana da Mota') (22 April 1868 - 1 June 1948) was a distinguished Portuguese pianist, teacher, and composer. He was one of the last pupils of Franz Liszt._" (source wikipedia)

Symphony a Patria (To the Fatherland), Op. 13
Dona Ines de Castro - Overture

St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Mário Mateus (conductor)


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Violin Sonatas*

A beautiful Disc - listened to this one several times since recieving it a month ago


----------



## World Violist

Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Karl Richter; Munich Bach Choir and Orchestra; Edith Mathis, soprano; Janet Baker, alto; Peter Schreier, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Matti Salminen, bass

Tremendous music-making here; slow tempi aplenty, but those don't ruin anything if the people involved know what they're doing, and these people definitely knew what they were doing. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is genuinely moving as Jesus, Schreier is stunning as the Evangelist, and Janet Baker is simply glorious in the alto part. Karl Richter's conducting by the time of the recording has crystallized to the point that the music and emotion just pour out, the structure seeming effortlessly monumental.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho: Chinese Songs & Symphony No. 4*

Artists	
Tiina Vahevaara-soprano
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra















I dont listen much to vocal works. jet..But I think I can easily get addicted. The voice of Tiina Vahevaara is eccelent. The chinese songs make a very interresting listening. Very well produced and performed.

The symphony starts very slow. Very close to beeing boring, but it is not. Intense nerve in the slowlyness. Then it opens up with birds flying high, and trolls brumming low...and to the whole specter of instruments and music tools, making it a very rewarding listening.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton wielded by Vasily Petrenko.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44.* Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Conor71 said:


> *Schumann: Violin Sonatas*
> 
> A beautiful Disc - listened to this one several times since recieving it a month ago


I just got this. I've been just finishing the last track.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the workday with some wind-down music: *Arbos* by Arvo Part.


----------



## kv466

Johann Hummel - Trumpet Concerto, Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields; Hakan Hardenberger, trumpet


----------



## Sid James

Some classical *piano* and *saxophone* jazz music -

*Charles-Valentin Alkan*_
- Nocturne, for piano in B major No. 1, Op. 22
- 7 Esquisses, Op. 63
- Le festin d'Esope, variations for piano in E minor (Études dans tous les tons mineurs No. 12), Op. 39/12
- Le temps qui n'est plus, prelude for piano in B flat minor (Préludes tous les tons No. 12), Op. 31/12
- Fa, for piano in A minor (Recueil de Chants 2/2), Op. 38b/2
- Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Ages', for piano in D major, Op. 33
- Toccatina, for piano in C minor, Op. 75_

Alan Weiss, piano 
(disc 1 of 2 disc set on Brilliant Classics)

It took me a while to get used to Weiss' more full-on and attacking style (after having only known recordings by the guy who largely resurrected Alkan's music in the 1960's, Ronald Smith), but now this is quite natural to me. I love the imaginative way Alkan develops his ideas, it's quite organic and like a stream of consciousness. Also very unconventional - who else opens up a sonata with a _Scherzo & Trio_? The _Grande Sonate _is such an amazing work, the dynamics here are out of this world, so too is the depth and darkness here, Alkan goes where other composers feared to tread.

*Album: John Coltrane - Spiritual*
Compilation of recordings made live in Europe, 1961-65
(Delta label)

Some great stuff here, the title track _Spiritual_, an original composition by Coltrane, is very emotional and kind of raw. His playing had this intensity, drive, passion. A master improviser if there ever was one (just listen to the 20 minute long _My Favourite Things_, which sold 70,000 records, huge for an experimental jazz recording at the time). Supported by a great line-up here & with the spontaneity of live performance, what more could you want?


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, Regarding the Coltrane album, is it one concept piece or a variety of different songs {with vocals} and instrumental works?


----------



## Sid James

G'day *Samurai* - I didn't list the details of that Coltrane compilation, I think it's out of print (published 2001 by Delta, a UK label). A basic track listing is HERE at allmusic. They were from various concerts in Europe - namely Stockholm, Graz & Antibes - rec. in 1961-65. The others in the band incl. McCoy Tyner, piano; Eric Dolphy, flutes, clarinets; Jimmy Garrison & Reggie Workman, bass & Elvin Jones, at the drum chair...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, That sounds like a tremendous compilation. Tyner is one of my favorite pianists, and I also greatly admire the work {no pun intended!} of Workman on bass and Jones on the skins. Nice find, buddy!


----------



## clavichorder

Great recording of a CPE fantasia. I love CPE played on the fortepiano, there's nothing like it.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat major, Op.70, *featuring Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.7-9, *performed by the Rubio String Quartet. As compared with the Emerson String Quartet, I found this group to establish much faster tempi for most of these pieces, at least to my untrained ear. They also didn't sound as heavy or "muddy" to me in their overall tonality when contrasted against the Emersons.


----------



## kv466

Richard Strauss - Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils, Donald Runnicles conducts the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat major, Op.70, *featuring Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.7-9, *performed by the Rubio String Quartet. As compared with the Emerson String Quartet, I found this group to establish much faster tempi for most of these pieces, at least to my untrained ear. They also didn't sound as heavy or "muddy" to me in their overall tonality when contrasted against the Emersons.


Which group do you like better?


----------



## samurai

Well, it's only a small sample so far {with the Rubio String Quartet}, but I find their playing to be somewhat more inspired and emotional than that of the Emersons. However, I'll have to try and listen to the remainder of his SQS done by the Rubios on Spotify before I could really make a definitive decision on this question.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Oskaar

*Kalevi Aho: Rituals*

works
Ksymysten Kirja (The Book Of Questions), suite for voice & orchestra
Viola Concerto
Symphony No. 14 ('Rituals')

Artists	
Performer:* Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic,* Herman Rechberger,* Monica Groop
Conductor:* John Storgårds
Orchestra/Ensemble:* Lapland Chamber Orchestra















Ksymysten Kirja (The Book Of Questions), suite for voice & orchestra:
Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic sings with great passion and feeling. Aho overwhelm me again with his very colorful composing. Modern, yes, but I find is quite easy to listen to. Fine harmonies, and many different moods.

Viola Concerto:
Very strong work. Aho use a colourfull and variated musical palett.

Symphony No. 14 ('Rituals') This is perhaps to heavy for me at the moment, but it may grow. Almost tribal music sometimes, a lot of percussion, and many strange tones and twists. I will relisten when I am in the right mood.. I coul not take it in now.


----------



## Oskaar

*BAX: Harp Quintet / Elegiac Trio / Fantasy Sonata*

artister
Mobius















I love Bax. His composing is very calm and rich on impressions.

This album has very good sound, and the performance and production really good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Stanford: Op 133 Piano quartet No. 2*

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio
David adams, viola















Loveley quartet! Wonderfully romantic without beeng cliche. The playin is not to virotious, and that is good here. It can overshadow the colours and nuances in the music, wich this work is rich on. So, the performance is good, an so is the production. There is very nice ballance between violin and piano, both laying right (for me) in the soundscape.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mason Jones, Mstislav Rostropovich















I listened to this concerto some days ago, but was not in the right mood I tink. I made a tag in my listening diary: May grow on me!" so I try again.

This is an old release, originally 1955, but the sound is surprisingly good!

And the work is magnificent and adventurous. Much easyer and more rewarding to listen too now than the first time.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 43: Symphony No. 4 in C minor*

Artists
Rostropovich (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra















As I am in the mood for, and my ear is tuned in to Shostakovich, I jump on a symphony. A good hours listening!

To be such an an advanced and adventurous work it is quite easy to liste to. May be my listening mood and attention. The symphony is a great travel through many and quick shifting lanscapes.

Sound and production is quite good, this is here a part of a big box set, containing all symphonies. All on spotify! I dont know when and if spotify comes to Australia, Sid. But sound is much better compared to you tube in general.

Grooweshark may be a quite good, but messy alternative. Browserbased, and free with advertising.

Back to the work... I am listening right now..currently in the middle of the 28 minutes first movement. I can be bored listening to symphonies. But there are so much happening here, changes in mood and rythm, use of different instrument consilations, so I dont think It will bore me. And a strong cup of coffie is good help for attention and concentration. Wow, this is powerfull! Full use of orchestra right now! About 19 min, first movement. And short after, very tender play from a single violin. Shostakovich knows obviously how to make use of the whole spectre, and Rostropovich and National Symphony Orchestra brings it to life.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius: Piano Quintet in G-, JS 159*

Folke Grasbeck Piano
Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic Viola
Jaado Kuusisto Violin
Joel Laakso Cello
Laura Vikman Violin















I will not go to the lightest music after Shostakovich. Mye ear needs aklimatsation. Sibelius seems like a good choice, but maybe an orchestral work had been bether.... Well, I like contrasts, and the third movement of shostakovich symphony nr 4 contains many wonderfully light (some ironi) and lyric moments.

Very good sound on this recording, and nicely performed. Sibelius is quite dramatic also in smaller formates, sometimes to pompeus and national romantic, but good balance here. More lyrical than pompeus. I have problems with national romantics, I dont know why. That is why I am not a big fan of Grieg. But things and tastes can change.

Very beautiful work in fact!


----------



## Oskaar

*Beach: 3 Morceaux caractéristiques, Op.28*

Artists	
Joanne Polk















Its not long ago that I found solo piano quite dry and boring. Not anymore. Some of the best things too listen to is when a good pianist is able to channel the composers intentions as well as his/shes own feelings and interpretation. Listening to a great deal to Beethoven piano sonatas has traind my ear!

These very nice and lyric pieces give a lot of posibilities for the artist, and it is very well done here, although I have nothing to compare with. But there is a lot of nuances and deapth.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bloch: Concertino for Flute, Viola and Strings*

Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève*















Bloch is also truly a tone wizard. There is one bad thing with this work it is to short!

Amazing sound and performance. The interplay between flute, clarinett in thurd movement is extraordinary good! Very intense!


----------



## Oskaar

*Bloch: Proclamation, for trumpet and orchestra (or piano)*

Jouko Harjanne (trumpet) and Finnish Radio Symphonny Orchestra and Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)















Also short and intense. Lot of means in a small frame. I must discover Bloch as deap as I can.. Great composer for me!


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.89 Mazurek Op.49*

My four favourite versions of this fantastic little piece.

Scott St. John & Thomas Bagwell

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Ruggiero Ricci; Walter Susskind

Ivan Fischer (Conductor), Budapest Festival Orchestra (Orchestra), Akiko Suwanai

Edmund Battersby
Zhou Qian


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100*

Extremly addictivee melodies in this work. Here four versions, first time listening (exept the viola transcription)

The Zaslav Trio (viola transscription)





Susane Stanzeleit, Julian Jacobson





Itzhak Perlman (Performer), Samuel Sanders





I find the original violin and piano bether than the viola transscription. I find the Susane Stanzeleit, Julian Jacobson version as a very good production. Perlman is a virtuos, he playes gorgeos... the interplay is not so good, but that may not be the most important when you have virtuoses with great personality on your team. It depends on moods, and what I am searching for while listening, but I think I find the Stanzeleit version most enjoyable from these two. The Stern-Ax interplay on the last reccording is very good. You can hear the skills of Stern, of course, but he seem more like a teamplayer than Perlman when you compare those two. My favourite of these 4!

Isaac Stern
Robert McDonald


----------



## Art Rock

On a nostalgic trip this afternoon, with one of my first loves (Bruckner's 8th) in a version I had not heard before.


----------



## kv466

Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dances Nos. 1-3, Ivan Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11*

4 versions here:

Zubin Mehta (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra), Midori (Goto)





Edmund Battersby, Zhou Qian





The Zaslav Trio





Windscape Wind Quintet (Artist), Denk (Artist), Phillips



































Midoris playing creeps under your skin. A bit to vague and passive maybe. Zhou Qian is much more structured and ekspressive. Here is the piano maybe to much in the background. But absolutely the best of the first two.

The viola transscription is quite well played, but there is something with the production I dont like.

The wind orchestra, and violin performance is different, but really nice.

But Edmund Battersby, Zhou Qian has the best version in my opinion. I have over a dusin more on spotify, but that must wait.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.51 op21 Piano Trio No.1*

Nice trio without big surprises. But I think it wil grow on several listenings. It has qualities, but it will come to the surface slowly, I think.

I have 4 spotify versions.

Joachim Trio





Beaux Arts Trio (Orchestra), Menahem Pressler (Performer), Isidore Cohen (Performer), Bernard Greenhouse





Apple Hill Chamber Players





trio fontenay





The first version is solid, but I think it lacks the litle extra. Only medium interplay and sound.

Beaux Arts Trio is much bether! Much more intensive, very good interplay, and eminent sound.

Apple Hill Chamber Players are also good, but not as good as the former.

trio fontenay playes the work with loveley interplay and with nuances and feelings. best or second best.


----------



## robert

Art Rock said:


> On a nostalgic trip this afternoon, with one of my first loves (Bruckner's 8th) in a version I had not heard before.


How do you feel about Boulez's Bruckner?


----------



## robert

BOULEZ

SUR INCISES

Ensemble Intercontemporary


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Nice trio without big surprises.


 In fact, I find the work very good! Richer in depth and nuances than many other more immidiate ear-catching works.


----------



## Oskaar

*d'Indy: Op. 24, Suite dans le style ancien in D*

2 versions

Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg





I Cameristi & Diego Dini Ciacci





Thelast one is the best by far!


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

3 favorite versions of this fantastic work. They are all outstanding versions. One day I may prefer one, the next day another.

Alan Stepansky/Israela Margalit





Kristine Blaumane, Jacob Katsnelson





Jian Wang-cello
Carol Rosenberger-piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok: 2 Portraits (2 Portre), Op.5, BB48b*

3 versions of this atmosfaeric work

Pierre Amoyal, James Conlon & Rotterdam Philharmonic





Kubelik / Ormandy / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
England





Jennifer Koh
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar





rudolf schulz - violin
berlin radio somphonic orchestra
ferenc fricsay












]


----------



## jaimsilva

*Reger: Variations and Fugue On A Theme of Mozart*

This is my favourite Reger's work!

Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 132

also on the disc

Eine romantische Suite, Op. 125

Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra
Dennis Burkh (conductor)


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.8 in C-, Op.13 ('Pathétique')*

4 versions:

Vladimir Horowitz





Arthur Rubenstein





Valery Vishnevsky





Seymour Lipkin



































It may seem that I listen manicly today. But I am really enjoying it. I am not working and this is my therapy. Easy to forget to eat, though.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Stravinsky, *L'Histoire Du Soldat*, by Alexander Lazrev and Soloists Ensemble of the Bolshoi Theatre. Great sound, energetic playing. Maybe a little slow in a couple movements, but overall, I'm happy with it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Albeniz / Soler / De Falla / Granados: Piano Espanol*

Artists	
Jorge Federico Osorio

This is really a great album!


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.4-6, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. The 7th *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th *is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.


----------



## kv466

Johann Altenburg - Concerto for 7 Trumpets and Timpani, Gerard Schwarz and the New York Trumpet Ensemble


----------



## Sid James

Continued with the *Alkan set* (disc 2 of 2), then a repeat listen to the *Elgar chamber disc* which I'm really enjoying & soaking in, & also *Brahms'* _Piano Quartet #3_ which has also grabbed me lately -

*C-V. Alkan*
- _Promenade sur l'eau, morceau for piano in A major (Les Mois No. 6), Op. 74/6
- Gros temps, morceau for piano in F major (Les Mois No. 10), Op. 74/10
- Petites Fantaisies (3), for piano, Op. 41: No. 2
- Petit conte, for piano in E flat major 
- Le tambour bat aux champs, 'esquisse' (piece) for piano in B minor, Op. 50bis 
- Recueil de Chants Book 1 (6), for piano, Op. 38: No. 1, Assez vivement; No. 5, Agitatissimo; No. 6, Barcarolle
- Symphonie, for solo piano in C minor, Op. 39/4-7_

Alan Weiss, piano
(Brilliant Classics)

I'm just beginning to get my head around Alkan's _Symphony for Piano Solo_, a quite complex & innovative work. We don't know why he decided to compose a symphony for piano only, never intended to be orchestrated. This is one of the most challenging works in the repertoire, even Liszt was said to have shuddered at playing Alkan's music. There are many deep emotions here, both dark and light & I like the way the sounds are sometimes allowed to decay & die away naturally, without the use of the pedal, it's quite dramatic. The other work I like a lot here are the three lighter selections from _Recueil de Chants_, which was kind of like a spin-off of Mendelssohn's _Songs without Words_. I can kind of hear predictions of "impressionism" & minimalism in those.

*Elgar*
_String Quartet & Piano Quintet_*
Maggini Quartet *with Peter Donohoe, piano
(Naxos)

At the time of it's premiere in 1919 at Wigmore Hall, Elgar's _Piano Quintet_ was criticised by one critic for it's two outer movements which he said were too loud and ugly. But that's exactly what I like about these works, they're more intense & express less comforting & darker thoughts than say Brahms' late chamber works, which speak more to the balm of old age. Of course, the slow movements are wonderful as well, they're probably more typical of Elgar's lyrical style. However, it's Elgar's unflinching honesty & directness which I really dig about these works.

*Brahms*
_Piano Quartet #3_
Artur Rubinstein, piano with members of the Guarneri Quartet
(RCA Victor CD)

This work was started when Brahms' friend & mentor Robert Schumann was going through his final psychological decline but only finished about 20 years later. It's quite dark and moody, although the slow movt. is like a love-song to Clara Schumann. Again, a critic called Brahms to task for finishing in C minor, not in C major as was then the custom. Rubinstein plays it here with more emotional restraint than I'm perhaps a fan of, but his is an impeccable performance nonetheless...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.40, KV 550 and Symphony No.41, KV 551 {"Jupiter"}. *Both works are performed by the Radio Orchestra Berlin under the baton of Franz Richter.
Philip Glass--*Glassworks-Expanded Edition {2003}, *performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble.


----------



## kv466

Franz Schubert - Flute Quartet, Robert Stallman and the Martinu Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
Arthur Rubinstein
london philharmonic orchestra
Daniel Barenboim















I take in Beethoven in small portions. The material is so mighty, that it is easy to be overwhelmed.

Great concert, and I think I have found a good version.


----------



## Art Rock

Continuing my exploration of composers I have not heard before. Louis Aubert (1877-1968) was a pupil of Faure, and an excellent pianist (Maurice Ravel wrote for and dedicated his Valses nobles et sentimentales to him). Although not at the level of Ravel and Debussy, his orchestral works are well worth hearing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dunhill - Bantock - Stanford : Violin Sonatas /*

Susanne Stanzeleit violin
Gustav Fenyö piano.















I just love this album. It is so wery good played! violin and piano follow each other perfectly. Stanzeleit have a quite laid back approach, but very tender and sensitive.


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.1 in C-, Op.26*

Artists	
Johannes Wildner (Conductor), Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Ernst Ottensamer (Performer)















:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert/Mendelssohn/Schumann: Without Words*

Nils Monkemeyer















Amazing! :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Spanish Roses*

Composer 
Isaac Albéniz

Artists	
Michael Chapdelaine















Some beautiful spanish guitar can be very nice once in a while. This album is outstanding! Very close feeling to the guitar.
:tiphat:


----------



## kv466

Philip Glass - Sons of the Silent Age, Dennis Russell Davies conducts the American Composers Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: Ballet MecaniqueArtists*

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: Chamber Music*

English Piano Trio (Orchestra), Justin Pearson (Performer), Timothy Ravenscroft (Performer), Jane Faulkner (Performer)*


----------



## robert

VISSARION SHEBALIN

String Quartets 1 - 9

Krasni Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Music For Oboe And Strings By Barber, Strauss, Wolf-ferrari, Vaughan Williams*

Humbert Lucarelli (ob), Lehigh Valley Chamber Orch., Donald Spieth


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony*

Stephen Gunzenhauser (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to *Abraham Lincoln Portraits* by my homies from Nashville. It's eight pieces about Honest Abe, maybe not all at the same level of inspiration but all consistently interesting, some dissonant, some neo-Romantic.

I've always wanted to hear Ives' *Lincoln, the Great Commoner*, so there's one item off my bucket list. Copland's *Lincoln Portrait *is narrated in a dramatic way (I prefer a more informal speaker), but he tries to match his speech cadences to the music, which makes the background highlight the text in a way I haven't heard in other recordings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


>


I've been wanting to hear that. I've got it playing now.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bloch/Lees: Violin Concertos*

Williams (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (Orchestra), Oliveira (Performer)















:tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Gymnopédies*

Erik Satie, Gabriel Faure, Jacques Offenbach, Jules Massenet, Ernest Chausson, Vincent d'Indy, Edouard Lalo

Diego Dini-Ciacci (Conductor), La Scala Theater I Cameristi (Performer), Trent Chamber Orchestra















loveley album!


----------



## jaimsilva

*Field: Piano concertos*

Have received today the collection of Field's Piano concertos edited by Naxos:

Piano concerto n.1 in E flat major H.27
Piano concerto n.3 in E flat major H.32

Piano concerto n.2 in A flat major H.31
Piano concerto n.4 in E flat major H.28

Piano concerto n.5 in C major 'L'incedie par l'Orage'
Piano concerto n.6 in C major

Benjamin Frith (piano)
Northern Sinfonia
David Haslam

start listening by the first and third










[wondering the 7th piano concerto is missing...]


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"},* featuring Carlo Giulini conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100.* Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## graaf




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of the nice aspects of Spotify is that I can actually listen to many complete recordings before deciding to purchase the disc (or not). After a couple hearings of this recent recording of traditional America folk-songs by the Anonymous 4 I knew this was a "must have" disc. Of course I already own a good many of this groups exquisite recordings of medieval music and early polyphony. Their crystalline vocals applied to this oeuvre results in something really special.


----------



## graaf




----------



## starthrower

I would like Anne-Sophie to be the Mutter of my children!


----------



## violadude

starthrower said:


> I would like Anne-Sophie to be the Mutter of my children!


This is in the wrong thread, it needs to be in the corny joke thread.


----------



## kv466

Carl Maria von Weber - Clarinet Quintet, Eduard Brunner and the Hagen Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A largely percussion disc featuring music by Per Nørgård, Torbjörn Engström, Askell Masson, Emmanuel Sejourne, Darious Milhaud.


----------



## clavichorder

^wow that is adventurous!^

I'm listening to William Boyce symphonies, my favorite one is the 3rd one is C major, that piece just glows.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 15 
Cord Garben conducts the North German Radio Symphony, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli al piano


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler*
_Symphony #9 in D major_
Vienna PO / Bruno Walter, cond. (rec. live, 1938)
(EMI)

I enjoyed this performance, esp. in terms of how it is more restrained & more optimistic than some others (eg. I also just listened to Karajan's one with the BPO on youtube, the final movt., and the violins were like screaming. I thought Karajan made it sound more like say Penderecki than Mahler. I think it was too top-heavy & dark, depressing in that way).

I want to ask you Mahlerites out there (eg. World Violist), re this 1938 account is just under 70 minutes, and about 10 or more minutes shorter than most other recorded versions. So, are there cuts to the score in this recording, or is it just taken at a faster pace? Comparing Walter with Karajan, the latter did seem to take the final movt. much slower, and in total he was like about 15-20 minutes slower than Walter)...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arnold Schoenberg--*Chamber Symphony No.1, Op.9, *featuring the Smithsonian Chamber Players under the baton of Kenneth Slowick.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27, FS 60 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, *performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vanska.


----------



## Xytech

This arrived today:

http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Otello-Giuseppe/dp/B000001GLM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316661219&sr=8-1

Oh my goodness. This is amazing. Next on the list (also arriving today):

http://www.amazon.com/Mussorgsky-Bo...=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1316661277&sr=1-4


----------



## kv466

Johann Hummel - Grand Concerto for Bassoon 
Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Klaus Thunemann on the bassoon


----------



## Xytech

kv466 said:


> Johann Hummel - Grand Concerto for Bassoon
> Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Klaus Thunemann on the bassoon


Great choice! I remember practicing for hours to try and get the octave jump passage right in the first movement...


----------



## Sid James

Some other things from last night's listening -

*Miklos Rozsa*
- _Viola Concerto _(with Gilad Karni, viola)
- _Hungarian Serenade for orch_.
Budapest Concert Orch. (MAV) / Mariusz Smolij, cond.
(Naxos)

*C-V. Alkan* - _solo piano works _played by Alan Weiss (Brilliant Classics, disc 1 of 2)

- _Nocturne, for piano in B major No. 1, Op. 22
- Le festin d'Esope, variations for piano in E minor (Études dans tous les tons mineurs No. 12), Op. 39/12 
- Le temps qui n'est plus, prelude for piano in B flat minor (Préludes tous les tons No. 12), Op. 31/12
- Fa, for piano in A minor (Recueil de Chants 2/2), Op. 38b/2
- Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Ages', for piano in D major, Op. 33_ 
- _Toccatina, for piano in C minor, Op. 75_

7 esquisses (sketches):
- _La staccatissimo, for piano in F minor (Motifs 1/2), Op. 63/1/2 
- La legatissimo, for piano in D minor (Motifs 1/3), Op. 63/1/3
- Morituri te salutant, for piano in G sharp minor (Motifs 2/21), Op. 63/2/21
- Increpatio, for piano in C sharp minor (Motifs 1/10), Op. 63/1/10 
- Les soupirs, for piano in B flat major (Motifs 1/11), Op. 63/1/11 
- Le premier billet doux, for piano in E flat major (Motifs 4/46), Op. 63/4/46 
- Scherzetto, for piano in B flat minor (Motifs 4/47), Op. 63/4/47 _

Alkan's music is now having the ability to take me to places that no other piano music does. So emotional, from the heart of darkness to the very joys of life, love, beauty of nature, etc. At first I thought Mr Weiss' style of playing was too intense & modernistic compared to the pianist who I'd known playing Alkan before, Ronald Smith. Now I like Weiss more than Smith, he has more clarity & is kind of a classicist, as the rather favourable review HERE talks about. This is a very good collection to start with Alkan, you have a smattering of selections from various sets of smaller works & two biggies - the _Grande Sonate _on disc 1 & the _Symphony for solo piano _on disc 2. Recommended.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to this -

*Album: Andre Rieu - You Raise Me Up*
_Andre Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orch. with guest vocalists_
(Universal)

Despite the title, I did not find this uplifting that much, it's mainly an album of slow songs which are more for contemplation. My favourite tracks were _I Dreamed a Dream _(from the musical _Les Miserables_) & _Autumn Leaves_, both featuring Rieu's very emotional & sentimental violin solo, & also _There is a Song in Me_, a vocal arrangement of a tune from one of Chopin's etudes, in tribute to him on his 200th anniversary in 2010. Overall, a good album, but my main quibble is through the "wonders" of modern recording technology, this orchestra to me sounds like it's almost double the size, but it's a standard orchestra of about 50 or so. This being a studio recording, the sound is kind of "sexed up" a bit too much for my taste. But in other ways, it gets my seal of approval.

Next up on the playlist is the recording below of *Brahms *& *Schumann* chamber works featuring pianist *Martha Argerich *& friends. I have not heard it yet, it will be interesting, maybe it will change my so far negative experiences with this pianist...


----------



## Oskaar

*Lennox Berkeley - Berkeley: Chamber Music*

Artists	
Morgan Goff
Viola
New London Chamber Ensemble
Ensemble
Susanne Stanzeleit
Violin
Stephen Stirling
Horn
Raphael Terroni
Piano
Patrick Williams
Flute


----------



## World Violist

Sid James said:


> *Mahler*
> _Symphony #9 in D major_
> Vienna PO / Bruno Walter, cond. (rec. live, 1938)
> (EMI)
> 
> I enjoyed this performance, esp. in terms of how it is more restrained & more optimistic than some others (eg. I also just listened to Karajan's one with the BPO on youtube, the final movt., and the violins were like screaming. I thought Karajan made it sound more like say Penderecki than Mahler. I think it was too top-heavy & dark, depressing in that way).
> 
> I want to ask you Mahlerites out there (eg. World Violist), re this 1938 account is just under 70 minutes, and about 10 or more minutes shorter than most other recorded versions. So, are there cuts to the score in this recording, or is it just taken at a faster pace? Comparing Walter with Karajan, the latter did seem to take the final movt. much slower, and in total he was like about 15-20 minutes slower than Walter)...


I don't think there are any cuts; that performance is just really really fast.


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin Sonatas by Fricker, Vaughan Williams and Rawsthorne*

Artists	
Susanne Stanzeleit, Julian Jacobson















Fine album!

:tiphat:


----------



## Art Rock

Another composer I had not heard enough of:


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho: Quintet for Bassoon and String Quartet*

Ilkka Palli, Ulla Maija Hallantie, Anu Airas, Jyrki Lasonpalo















The sound here is brilliant, and the performance also. Ands I really like the work. It changes a lot between the romantic and more modern.

:tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho: Quintet for oboe and string quartet*

composer
Albéniz, Mateo

Artists	
Sinfonia Lahti Chamber Ensemble















:tiphat:


----------



## kv466

Aramis - Polonaise for piano in g# minor


----------



## Xytech

Just listened to Mendelssohn Symphony 3 for the first time, with the London Symphony Orchestra. I listened to it twice to familiarise myself and it was most enjoyable. A great symphony when you want some fun and exciting music that isn't too serious, but still has a bit of bite/interest to it.


----------



## kv466

Alexander Glazunov - Piano Concerto No. 2 
Jose Serebrier conducts the Russian National Orchestra, Alexander Romanovsky al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

I am in the mood to listen to two versions.

Artists	
Colin Davis (Conductor), Dresden Staatskapelle (Orchestra), Claudio Arrau















Great sound, and i find the performance quite good. Loveley interplay between Piano and orchestra. Arrau plays a bit layed back maybe. There are room for more intensity in this work. I find his playing a bit stiff and unengaged.

Artists	
Simon Rattle / Wiener Philharmoniker / Alfred Brendel















This version is bether. Loveley orchestra an interplay. Brendel plays with a nerve, sensitivity and engagement that i find a bit lacking on Arraus version.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57*

3 versions

Artists	
Scott St. John & Thomas Bagwell





Fine version..good sound, and Scott St. John plays wth a lot of energy. Also sensitive.

Artists	
Jack Liebeck (Artist), Katya Apekisheva 





Quite good too, the violin is eminent, but the piano is a bit hidden. But liebeck is trully great! I think i prefer this vertion compared with the first.

Artists	
Edmund Battersby
Zhou Qian





Quian may be tecnically good, but the emphaty seems to me to lack.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, 5th and 8th symphonies* and the *Fidelio Overture *by Karajan and the BPO.

Karajan's 8th has been called outstanding on Amazon. I wouldn't go that far. But Fidelio is great, and the 5th is very good if you like Karajan's way.


----------



## Oskaar

*d'Indy*

Op. 17, Helvétia, three waltzes for piano
Op. 26, Nocturne for piano

Artists	
Gérard Marie Fallour





Op. 25, Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (Symphonie cévenole) for piano and orchestra (1886)

Artists	
Francois-Joel Thiollier





Really a loveley work. Perfect for relaxation.

Op. 31, Fantaisie sur des thèmes populaires français for oboe and orchestra (1888)

Artists	
Albrecht Mayer (Artist), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (Orchestra)*

Fine, work, and loveley oboe, but I find the orchestra out of tune sometimes.

Op. 35, String Quartet No. 1 in D
Op. 45, String Quartet No. 2 in E

Artists	
Kodaly Quartet





no


----------



## Oskaar

*String Poetic*

Composer 
Lou Harrison, Carl Ruggles, Jennifer Higdon, John Adams

Artists	
Carl Ruggles, Jennifer Koh, Reiko Uchida, Jennifer Higdon, Lou Harrison, John Adams















Fantastic record; Brilliant sound, and very exiting music. And jennifer koh plays with a big pallet.

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5*, by Kirill Kondrashin. This is supposed to be the weakest recording in his cycle, but I still like it.


----------



## kv466

Luigi Boccherini - Guitar Quintet No. 1 
Academy Chamber Ensemble, Pepe Romero plays guitar


----------



## robert

REVUELTAS
NIGHT OF THE MAYAS
(orchestral music of revueltas)

String Quartets 1 - 4
Cuarteto Latinamericano


----------



## jaimsilva

*Something Essential: Strauss & Wagner - Jessye Norman*

Jessye Norman:

Richard Strauss - Vier letzte Lieder
with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Kurt Masur

Richard Wagner - Wesendonk Lieder 
with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis

I come regularly to these outstanding interpretations! *A must have and listen* (IMO).


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104*. Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Brilliant!!!

:tiphat:


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Elgar, _The Dream of Gerontius_ (1900)

First time I listened to this piece. Probably one of the more interesting large scale choral works written and premiered in England since Handel. BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Andrew Davis (1997).


----------



## Klavierspieler

Wagner - Siegfried Idyll
Sergiu Celibidache and the Münchner Philharmoniker.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82,* featuring the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29, FS 76 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *performedbytheBBCScottishSymphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.
These two works are--*IMHO*--very vibrant and exciting. Both of these composers are fast becoming amongst my favorites and my "go to" guys.
Just listen to the pulsingly "alive" final movement of Nielsen's *4th*. What a tremendous symphony!: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, Fs 76, "The Inextinguishable" : IV. Allegro


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* - _Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_

(two performances) -

Martha Argerich, piano with M. Maisky (cello), Y. Bashmet (viola), G. Kremer (vln.).
(DGG)

Claire Desert, piano with Kandinsky Quartet, France
(Aria lablel, France)

This is like comparing chalk & cheese. One of my favourite chamber works. The Argerich performance is not to my taste & basically I think it's the wrong way to do this, it treats a piano quartet as a piano concerto. In contrast, Claire Desert, who isn't by any means a household name (& this French recording is now sadly out of print) really has the goods, she doesn't merely bash the **** out of the piano like Argerich, she plays with much finesse, nuance and subtlety.

Speaking of the work, it has a strong Hungarian flavour throughout, esp. the final movt. marked _Rondo alla Zingarese_ (Gypsy rondo). Here, the piano imitates the cimbalom in various integrated cadenzas. The reason why Schoenberg orchestrated this work is that he'd had enough of it being played in the wrong way, as a concerto (as in Argerich's recording) rather than as a chamber work, which is what it is. So he made it into what some dubbed Brahms' "fifth symphony." I love both that orchestration, as well as the original (if it's played properly, given it's full due, done justice to, etc.)...


----------



## jaimsilva

*Russian music for Violin and Orchestra*

Glazunov - Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82
Kabalevsky - Violin Concerto in C major, Op. 48
Tchaikovsky - 'Souvenir d'un lieu cher' (orchestrated by Glazunov), Op. 42
Tchaikovsky - Valse-scherzo, for violin & orchestra in C major, Op. 34

Gil Shaham (violin)
Russian National Orchestra
Mikhail Pletnev (conductor)


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Michael Houstoun, Janos Furst, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra














Not so good sound on this recording, but not so bad that I cant appreciate a quite good performance. Loveley sensitive piano playing, and interplay beetween piano and orchestra is very good.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Another "obscur" composer: Robert Fuchs*

"_Robert Fuchs (15 February 1847 - 19 February 1927) was an Austrian composer and music teacher.
As Professor of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, Fuchs taught many notable composers, while he was himself a highly regarded composer in his lifetime. (...)
Robert Fuchs taught many notable composers, including George Enescu, Gustav Mahler, Hugo Wolf, Jean Sibelius, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Erich Korngold, Franz Schmidt, Franz Schreker, Richard Heuberger, Robert Stolz, Leo Fall, Petar Krstic, Erkki Melartin, and Leo Ascher._" (source: wikipedia)

Serenade for string orchestra No.1 in D major, Op.9
Serenade for string orchestra No.2 in C major, Op.14
Andante grazioso & Capriccio for string orchestra, Op.63

Cologne Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christian Ludwig


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821*

6 versions of this beautiful work:

Artists	
Nils Monkemeyer - viola
viola-piano

My favourite from earlier listening to this work. I include it again for camparision with the other 5. Beautiful performance!















Artists	
Swedish Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), Maxim Rysanov
viola - chamber orchestra






Another brilliant version. Very good sound. Rysanov playes the work a bit more virtuose and dramatic compared with Monkemeyer, but no overkill, in fact a very good balance between virtuosity and lyrical sensitivity. And he communicate very good with the ensemble... there is a good sensitive nerve between the two. The registre of variations in mood and expressing is vide.










Artists	
Kristin Merscher
Maria Kliegel
cello - piano

Not very good sound here, and the production generally is not good. Both piano and violin is very close in the sounscape, and they seem to me more too compete with each other than fill each other out. Good instrumentalists though, but so much is not right here, so I cant recommend it. The one rewiever in amazon gives it 5 stars, but he or she can not have heard Monkemeyer or Rysanov. I skip further listening to this, and go to the next.















Artists	
Coppey (Artist), Gringolts (Artist), Laul
cello - piano

Much bether, but can not compare with thi first to by any mean.. Kind of hollow sound, and the piano dissapear oten in the soundskape. Beautiful, but a bit passive and unsensitive play by Marc Coppey on cello.















Artists	
Luigi Magistrelli, Sumiko Hojo
clarinet - piano

Beautifully played, but not very good sound. The clarinet dominates the soundscape to much. I am skipping this, and goes to the last.















Artists	
Krisztina Parkai, Anna Adamik
flute and piano

Much to dominated by the flute, and it is not very good played eather. To stressy.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Violin Sonatas Op.posth.137*

Each one of these sonatas are outstanding masterpieces!

It is not an attempt yet to post my best versions of my many spotify versions of this sonatas, but I will scroll down my lists, and pick the first performance I like on each sonata.

Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1

Artists	
Ruggiero Ricci















Just wonderful! The sound of the piano is not super, but everything else is! Fantastic sensitivity in the violin. I think you have to be a very mature player to be so relaxed, and intensive at the same time. And the sonata itself is incredible..

Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2

Artists	
Gidon Kremer - violin
Oleg Maisenberg - piano















Maybe not the best sound, but not bad. And the performance is brilliant! Soar and sesitive violin, and very good interplay with piano.

As so much of Schuberts chamber work, this sonata is wonderfull! Rich on romantic sentimentality, but it so good composed that it never feels "to much" when it is good performed.

Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3

Artists	
Reto Bieri - Gérard Wyss*















Here is a trascription for clarinet and piano. Masterfull! The sound is 10 out of !0. Interplay is brilliant, none of the instrument are trying to overgo the other. Highly recommended!

And wich is the best sonata? I can not make up my mind.. I think that will change from day to day.. Each one have supperb qualities. Any oppinion?


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Iberia Suite, B.47 Books 1-4*

Artists	
Orquesta De Cordoba/Maria Esther Guzman/Jose Maria Gallardo/Leo Brouwer















The iberia suite have groed on me, i found it boring at first. It is not now! There is a caleidoscope of moments, nuances and colours, that make me addicted after some listenings.

A lot of flavours and colours of course, but they are not overshadowing all other small and large qualities of the work. When the spanish colours are to dominant, I may find a work a bit one dimentional. Like Griegs "to much" Naitional romantic.

This is a great performance. Very good sound, and nice interplay throughout the changing moods and tempi. And the guitar is not to dominent in the soundscape, wich often is a fact when in guitar-orchestra works.

Very recommended!

:tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Rapsodia española, for piano and orchestra, Op.70*

2 versions..

Artists	
Baselga (Artist), Tenerife Symphony Orch















Nice! Very comfortable sound picture, and a underlaying nerve that is in the work, but I think need a good performance to display.

The work is fantastic.. nice seeking parts with a lot of spanish colours, combined with wiener walts-like sequences.

Artists	
Jesús López-Cobos (Conductor), Jean-Francois Heisser















Also a brilliant performence... But I think I like the first one best. The whole sound picture is a bit distant here..


----------



## robert

BERG

Chamber Concerto
Three Orchestral pieces
Violin Concerto

Boulez


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold*

Arnold is fun to listen to! Often unusual instrument combinations, and very playfully composed. All the following is emineent in performance and sound. I skip the "not so good"

Arnold: Quintet No.1 for 2 Trumpets, Horn, Trombone and Tuba, Op.73















Arnold: 3 Shanties, for wind quintet, Op.4

Artists	
Ivor Bolton (Conductor), English Chamber Orchestra (Performer, Orchestra), Malcolm Martineau















Arnold: 4 Cornish Dances, Op.91

Arnold: 4 Irish Dances, Op.126

Artists	
Andrew Penny (Conductor), Queensland Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev Symphonies Nos. 1, 2*

artister
Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television (no 2)
State Symphony Orchestra Of The Ussr (no 1)
Yevgeny Svetlanov















I started with number 2.. Very speedy symphony, one moment and happening is quiqly changed to another. But it is done with finesse, so you dont get exhausted. This is a work that should have been more known and played I think. Not a BIG symphony, but absolutely enjoyable.

Great performance! Svetlanov is a conducter to check out I think, for it seems perfectly glued together, and a lot of room is given for all the nuances in the work. Great sound.

No 1 seems more slow and lyric, at least in the beginning. There are quck changes here to, but the symphony is absolutely more lyrical. The performance is so good that you get haunted by all the soundscapes that show up.

The second movement is slow and very beautiful!

Highly recommended album!

:clap::clap:


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## Manxfeeder

Holst, *The Planets*.

Though it's less about planets than the human condition, starting with primal aggression and progressing toward a solution through beauty, flexibility, joviality, perseverence, then inperturbility. Or musically, resolving Mars' minor 2d/tritone theme through various transformations, with hints of Debussy in Venus and Schoenberg's Klangfarbmelodie in Neptune and Saturn, a parallel thought in Uranus with Dukas, and the inspiration for Star Wars in Mars.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Essays for Orchestra, Op.12*

All very good performances and sound. I chose different performance for each essay.

Barber: Essay No.1 for Orchestra, Op.12

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop















Barber: Essay No.2 for Orchestra, Op.17

artister
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Slatkin (incredible sound!)















Barber: Essay No.3 for Orchestra, Op.47

artister
New Zealand Symphony
Andrew Schenck


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"},* featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

artister
Jane Coop
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Mario Bernardi


----------



## Oskaar

*Camilleri: Music for Clarinet, Violin and Piano*

:tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:Godfrey Mifsud, Charles Camilleri, Susanne Stanzeleit, Julian Jacobson















What a record! Never heard about Charles Camilleri, but it is a very nice knowledge. Extremly good sound! The works are challenging, but very rewarding when you are in the mood to absorbe. The velvet sound of the clarinet stands in contrast to the edgy modernistic tendences in the work.

10 out of 10

:tiphat::tiphat:


----------



## starthrower

Magnus Lindberg-Aura In memoriam Witold Lutoslawski


----------



## graaf




----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 5(s)*

Listening to the original and revised versions of the 5th Symphony - I think I much prefer the later version of the Symphony but it's interesting to hear Sibelius first thoughts on this work


----------



## kv466

Camille Saint-Saens - Piano Concerto No. 5 
Charles Dutoit conducts la Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, Jean-Yves Thibaudet al piano


----------



## Sid James

Thanks to TC member *itywltmt* who told me about this recording, just listened to the late Maestro Kurt Sanderling's recording of *Mahler* _Symphony #9_ (first movt.) on youtube with the Berlin Symphony Orch. I enjoyed it similar to how I've enjoyed Maestro Walter's classic account of 1938, it has expressiveness but more restrained than some others who go over the top and put the emotion on steroids, so it becomes somewhat unbalanced & maybe distorted. Anyway, I plan to listen to this recording in full when I get the chance, it's good it's on youtube...


----------



## Sid James

Recent listening has been things on repeat -

*Shostakovich* - _Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish NRSO / Antoni Wit, cond.
(Naxos)

The solo cadenza in the first concerto has made me shed many a tear. It just has this emotional effect on me, and I also remember people close to me who went through things like Shostakovich described & spoke to in this music. But also a lot of ambiguity here, as well as sarcasm, eg. the incorporation of two of Stalin's favourite songs in the finale of the first concerto - hard to know what it means, I don't think it's a tribute to the by then dead dictator, but maybe a sober reminder of how a whole nation was forced to sing these songs and dance to these tunes while they were being beaten down with a stick (as in the triple fortissimo finale of his _Symphony #5_?)...

*J. Strauss II* - _Jabuka (The Apple Harvest), Operetta in 3 acts_
Company under direction of Prof. Christian Pollack (Naxos, 2 discs)

Some wonderful choral writing here, and the rest - eg. in terms of memorable melodies and excellent orchestration - is also top notch. I listened to the first disc, with acts 1 & 2.

*C-V. Alkan* - _Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Ages' for piano, Op. 33_ 
Alan Weiss, piano (Brilliant Classics label, part of 2 disc set)

I'm getting into this more deeply, and hearing all of the pure emotion in this quite complex music, and also getting used to Mr Weiss' playing, which before I thought was too kind of focussed on technique. Funnily enough, Mr Weiss was taught by Rudolf Firkusny and has been associated with Martha Argerich for decades, but his playing doesn't remind me of those two pianists, Weiss is definitely his own man, so to speak.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*
Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major, Op.48, *performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the baton of Tadaaki Otaka.
Edvard Grieg--*Symphony in C Minor, EG 119, *featuring Okko Kamu conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
{Did Grieg compose only one symphony? I can't seem to find any other symphonies penned by him on either *Spotify* or *Amazon*.}


----------



## Sid James

^^ Yes* samurai,* that was Grieg's only symphony (agreed, a delightful work, glad you heard it, some people unfortunately pass it by). I think he actually wrote in his will that it wasn't to be played until like 50 or more years after his death. You may wish to check into this at the usual sources (eg. Wikipedia, Allmusic, or Grove's Music Online, etc.). I was listening to a radio broadcast of this symphony & the announcer talked in some depth as to how Grieg didn't like it & wanted it supressed...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, Thanks so much for that information. Was it ever made clear why he didn't like it? And here I thought Brahms was skimpy with his total output of 4 {?} symphonies!
@Conor 71, I couldn't agree with you more on the two versions of Sibelius' Fifth. I found the 1919 version to be more melodic and better developed than that of 1915. As you so rightly point out, though, it's really interesting to listen to both of them and compare, to see how his musical outlook was "evolving". I just listened to exactly the two versions you just posted on *Spotify* the other night, and intend to do so again. Thanks for a great post!


----------



## Sid James

^^I'm not sure why exactly *Grieg* supressed his symphony, nor about when it was first performed (I think it must have been ages after he died). I'll look on Grove Music Online when I have the time, I have looked at Wikipedia, but couldn't find anything of use. If you liked Grieg's only symphony, you might like to try his _Symphonic Dances_, which I think is a later & mature work. I have come across it, can't remember specifics, but remember that I enjoyed it. Another one is his_ Old Norwegian Romance with Variations_, another fine orchestral work (I do have this one on disc, but it's been a while since I've listened to it)...


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 6, 4 Pieces For String Quartet*

Disc 5 of this excellent boxed set  - Just bought a separate set of the Mendelssohn Quartets so it will be interesting to compare the performances at a later date!


----------



## hespdelk

Revisiting one of Shostakovich's late symphonies (I classify these as 11 to 15).. not one of my favourite works of his.. there is something in the ironic, twisted thematic material that doesn't seem quite right for what he was getting at.. though there are also some truly striking moments in the work. Just my personal feelings on the symphony of course.

Ineresting performance, though not necessarily my first recommendation to others.. very vivid powerful sound though.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1*


----------



## Lukecash12

Fairly loose in form, pulled out like poetic taffy. Pretty simple example of subject and counter-subject "modulated" and recast in new moods (of course there is no modulation in key signature, which I don't mean to express), two main and complementary motifs (popular with Bach) that make up for the two subjects and two counter subjects, and it's a prototype of the Romantic period urge to let everyone have a go with the "tonic" example of the subject (which that observation can probably be projected onto the widened Romantic interest in timbre). Altogether, it's head spinning to try and follow, what with all of those ideals being expressed.

Feinberg may give us a jungle of notes in the last movement of his third sonata, but once we get back his "version of serialism" we see some pretty simple goals in timbre and melody, and the multiplicity of his goals pale in comparison to the meat that is Bach even before we take a look at the scores and recognize Bach's imagery.

Not to say that I prefer Bach over other composers, but intellectually he is very, very hard to beat. Hard to beat even by Cherubini, Mozart, Rossini, Wagner, etc. what with their comparable diversity of goals.


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Fantasia in d minor, Glenn Gould and Claudio Arrau (comparison)


----------



## chrislowski

Symphony 6 from this set... fantastic


----------



## Art Rock

The first venture of Tori Amos into classical music / crossover territory. And I love it.


----------



## Oskaar

*schubert - Piano Quintet, Trios*

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D.667, Op.posth.114 ('The Trout')

Artists	
Pinchas Zukerman, Joel Quarrington, Yefim Bronfman, Jethro Marks















Delightfull work,but not so good version. A bit passive, and the sound is medium.

Schubert: Piano Trio in Bb, D.28 ('Sonatensatz')

Artists	
Trio Italiano















Beautiful version! The sound is good, very good interplay, and it is performed with great sensitivity.

Schubert: Piano Trio No.1 in Bb, D.898, Op.99

Artists	
The Yuval Trio















Brilliant! Every instrument is very good eksposed, with all nuanses, but that dont disturb the impression of perfect interplay and co-work.

Schubert: Piano Trio No.2 in Eb, D.929, Op.100

Artists	
Wiener Mozart Trio















This is brilliant as well! Incredible sound and performance.. very well balanced soundscape. The andante con moto is so beautiful...it is hard to describe. It is different in my ears to the rest..much more seeking and dramatic. It is like shubert leave his scheme and make something else, more mature, and different from the piano trio formate. It is also like a quick move 50 years further in time. and so back in the next movement. I like both, but this was quite interresting. 4 th movement is also fantastic! All the movements are quite different in form, making this my favorite piano trio at the moment. It is a seeking and exploring schubert!

This is the only work I can find on spotify played by Wiener Mozart Trio, and that is a pitty..
:tiphat:

Schubert: Notturno in Eb for Piano Trio, D.897, Op.posth.148

Artists	
Anner Bylsma, Jos van Immerseel, Jürgen Kussmaul, Marji Danilow, Vera Beths















superb piece, dreamy and epic.. quite nicely performed, but a bit "stand still". Attemps in nuances and details seem random, an the interplay is not very good.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravel and Chausson Piano Trios.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravel and Chausson Piano Trios.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden
Michael Gielen















An excellent version of a great symphony! I have been a little afraid of Mahler, it has somehow seemed so large and violent. However, a barrier is broken, and I look forward to exploring the 51 spotify versions of this symphony, and the other symphonies.

I have previously heard Zubin Mehta, Israel Philharmonic's version, and it was pretty good. I have not completely fresh in memory, but this version is NOK better. Nice and tight orchestra, very well rehearsed, and excellent communication of the many different moments and moods. The sound is absolutely superb, and the balance of the entire orchestra very well. This symphony is so easy to listen to, I jump on another version

Artists	
sofia phiharmonic orchestra
emil tabakov















Nice try, but it lacks a lot here. Poor exposure of the different instruments makes the magic moments is absent. In the stronger parties, it works fairly well, although a bit chaotic, but in the weaker sections will be vague and without nerve.


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Spohr: Duo for Violin and Viola in E-, Op.13

Artists
Vaughan Jones (Artist), Reihad Chibah















Strings allone can be a challenge to listen to, often not solo, but several together like string quartets. It can be to much for the ear. This performance is so good, sound, interplay and overall production, so that is not a problem here. Very nice and sensitive playing from one violin, beautifully accompangned by the other.

The work itself is nice, but perhaps nothing special, but the performance makes it a very nice listening.

I love Spohr! He may not be a big composer, but he have made some works that really make room for exposing good performances, maybe especially for violin and harp. But also for other instruments. The works are often so simple and well structured that there are a lot of room for the performers really too shine.

Spohr: Fantasia and Variations on a theme by Danzi, for clarinet and string quartet (or piano) in Bb, Op.81

Artists
Schubert Consort















Great piece. Good performance, but not outstanding. The dynamics in the playing is not so good, I have the feel that they all are waiting for each other..

Spohr: Fantasia for Harp in C-, Op.35

Artists
Zabaleta















Beautiful harp sound, but not very sensitive and dynamic played in my opinion. There are so much more room for expression! But this record is ment to be a relax/meditation cd I think, and they are often passive/hollow.

Spohr: Nonet, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass, in F, Op.31

Artists
Linos Ensemble















This is a fine litle work, exelent performed here. Very nice interplay, and a very sensitive nerve.

Spohr: Piano Quintet in D, Op.130

Artists
Thelma Handy
Hartley Piano Trio















The piano sound here is not so good, distance and not very good sounding. A bit messy in the interplay too. Difficult too listen to this performance since the piano sound is so disturbing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34 bis

Artists	
Michel Beroff, Parrenin Quartet, Michel Portal















Magic piece. Very nicely played here, but the sound is not perfect. It is like a cloud is hanging over it.

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.5, Op.55

Artists	
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
viktoria postnikova















I think it is the first time I listen to this concerto. It is very varied and adventurous. To be Prokofiev it is quite quiet and gentle also in parts.

Very good sound on this performance, and the interplay is brilliant, making the different moments and colours of the work very clear. The sound of the piano is crystal clear, but it is not to dominant. I find the soundscape perfectly balanced.

Spotify gives me 13 more versions, but this one must be hard to beat!

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.19

Artists	
Vilde Frang/WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Thomas Søndergård















Vilde Frang is from my country Norway, and this is my first experience with her. Quite unpolished, but I find her sensitivity and nerve in her play very promising. Much more personality than many of the chineese technical wonders for example.

The work is very exiting, and with a curious and seeking violinist like Frang, there is never a dull moment.

Maybe the orchestra is a bit passive and distant. That gives even more responsibility to Frang, but she carries it very good.

Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante in E-, for cello and orchestra, Op.125

Artists	
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Mstislav Rostropovich















Another great work! Prokofief is a master. Brillian performanse with the cello of Rostropovich that really creeps under your skin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 19, by Murray Perahia.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Martin Helmchen















Very good piano play, but the piano is a little to much hidden in the soundscape, making it dissapear in stronger parts. Loveley orchestra!

The concert is very entertaining, sometimes witty.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
Ilya Kaler
Orchestra: Katowice Radio Symphony OrchestraConductor: Antoni Wit















I believe this work will grow on me, the potential is enormous, but I quite cant absorb it right now.. I believe the performance is quite good, but it is hard to say something wise since I cant really get into the work. Well, the third movement is a door opener! Beautiful! Lovely violin, and interplay with the orchestra. I will relisten to the work very soon!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius: Piano Quintet in G-, JS 159*

Artists	
Sibelius Academy Quartet, The















Fantastic! :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Symphony No. 3*, Rattle. One of the many composers I'm happy to have discovered through this forum.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. *Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Quiet City. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. In addition, *Quiet City *features Philip Smith on trumpet and Thomas Stacy playing English horn.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *performed by the New york Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *featuring Osmo Vanska conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. I have really fallen in love with this symphony, due to its pulsating vibrant themes which are made all the more moving and effective by Nielsen's sublime orchestration.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 In A Major, Op. 13*


----------



## jaimsilva

*Mozart and the flute*

Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313 
Andante in C major, K. 315 (for flute and orchestra)
Rondo in D major for Flute and Orchestra, K. 184 Anh.
Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K. 314

Sharon Bezaly (flute)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Juha Kangas (conductor)


----------



## eorrific

Haven't listened enough to give much any opinion, though I'm enjoying it so far.
I'm liking Ravel more and more as I listen to more of his compositions.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Zubin Mehta Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Ashkenazy















What a beautiful Concerto! Very rich on lyrical moments and variations. Nice performance, maybe not the best sound..


----------



## Klavierspieler

oskaar said:


> Artists
> Zubin Mehta Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Ashkenazy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a beautiful Concerto! Very rich on lyrical moments and variations. Nice performance, maybe not the best sound..


I love that concerto, especially the third movement.


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Stanford: Op 133 Piano quartet No. 2

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio
David adams, viola















Very warm and expressive work. Very well performed, but the sound is only ok. The piano is a bit hidden, and the strings can sometime seem a bit "sticky". But I get fast used to it! Not very bothering..

Stanford: Op 035 Piano Trio No. 1 in E flat major

Same album as abow

Another good work from Stanford. Very vital and varied. And in the performance especially the violin is fantastic, but interplay with cello and piano is also very good.

Stanford: Op. 073 Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor,

Artists	
Pirasti Trio















Superb trio as well. Stanford is clever to combine gentleness with drama. More gentle soandscape here in the performance. Brilliant sound and performance. The second movement is incredibly warm and ingratiating. Very soft and pleasant melody.

Stanford: Op 011 Sonata No. 1 in D major















I have said something about Susanne Stanzeleit not long time, ago. Great performer. But she dont overshadow the performance. Brilliant interplay!

( I am no listening expert, and there may be contradictions in my posts... The experience varies often with mood, and how tuned my ear are. But I have my personal rating system, giving the total experience votes from 1-10. And I usually agree with myself when relistening! :lol: But not always..:scold


----------



## Oskaar

*Stanford: Op.028 symphony No. 3 in F minor, "Irish"*

Artists	
Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Norman Del Mar















It is the first time I listen to something other than the chamber music of Stanford, so I'm really excited!

The first movement begins quietly and comfortably rolling. Beautiful music. The performance is really good, the orchestra is tightly rehearsed, but the sound might have been better. But it adds little damper on the experience.

The second movement is pretty fun and fast paced. Here are some real highlights to be compared with what you find in the great symphonic composers.

In the third movement is a great span between the calm and dramatic. But not so many great moments here, perhaps the movement I like least. But it may grow on me.

The fourth is perhaps the most with Irish touches. Very varied and evocative. Very delicate use of different instruments and instrument groups. There are some very exciting parties with wind instruments.

Only one version of Spotify .. This work must be very little recorded in relation to the qualities it has.

Recommended warmly!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius: Piano Quartet in C-, JS 156*

Quite short but intence work.

two versions.

Artists	
Folke Grasbeck, Peter Lönnqvist















Brilliant!

Artists	
Viatcheslav Novikov















Not good at all compared too Folke Grasbeck, Peter Lönnqvist. Messy sound, and not very good performed. The first version is magic, this one dont give the work good credit.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius*

Sibelius: Piano Quartet in D-, JS 157

Artists	
Folke Grasbeck, Peter Lönnqvist















I know this is Sibelius "light" but I find it very pleasent to listen to, at least when it is so good performed as here. The work is really beutiful!

Sibelius: Piano Trio in A- ('Hafträsk'), JS 207

Sibelius: Piano Trio in A-, JS 206

Artists	
Jaakko Kuusisto
Marko Ylonen, Folke Grasbeck, Jaakko Kuusisto















The first trio is trully romantic and beautiful. Loveley violin, especially. Great performance. I will dive deap into sibelius later, but it is nice to start with such light and, charming and smiling works, so well performed as here. It is almost some mozart over it, and sertainly schubert.

The first movement in the second is more chematichly built, not so smooth as the other. The second movement is differen though. more dreamy. Very nice,reminds me of Beethoven. The last movement is a menuetto, very playfull.

Sibelius: Piano Trio in C ('Lovisa Trio'), JS 208















charming trio. Great performance!

Sibelius: Piano Trio in D- ('Korpo Trio'; unfinished), JS 209















Here I especially love the piano. I dont know if it is the play or performance, but the rolling and sensitive pianoplaying is incredible.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra), Mstislav Rostropovich















This is just incredible. 10 out of 10. This exiting work is here exposed with first class sound, and a performance that take the breath out of you! The cello is amazing, but the soundscape and production allows all orchestra to submit with their detailes. It is almost like there is another dimention to it all.
:tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quintets Nos. 1 & 2*

Disc 08 from this set - great music!


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 129: Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor*

Artists
Viktor Tretyakov
State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Mariss Jansons















Brilliant sound here too. And Viktor Tretyakov plays like a god. Great orchestra, Mariss Jansons conducted the Oslo philharmonic for many years, so he is half norwegian!

The concert has a phenomenal nerve. You are somehow sucked into the music. Tretyakov's violin is so amazing that you can cry. And the work itself is a floating journey.


----------



## doctorGwiz

*Schumann Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61*

Leonard Bernstein / NY PO (1960)










gotta love that 60s sound. so much reverbbbbbbb


----------



## kv466

Ferdinand Herold - Zampa Overture, William Boughton conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Bloch: Violin Concerto*

Sherban Lupu
National Romanian Radio Orchestra
Ian Hobson















Not the best sound..I must adabt a bit from previous listenings. But absolutely not bad!

The work itself play a lot of strings, the framework for a symphony orchestra is fully exploited. I love this work. Fabulous variations in moods, carried out by the violin.

Sherban Lupu plays the violin, and he makes it very nice. It's sort of a avventend, but not passive way in his play that provides great opportunities for the orchestra to fill out. So the interplay here is great.

Bloch is really an interesting composer. I am looking forward to explore him further.


----------



## Oskaar

kv466 said:


> Ferdinand Herold - Zampa Overture, William Boughton conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra


I did not find that version, but i find London symphonic orchestra with Richard Bonynge. Very nice overture!


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## HerlockSholmes

Shosty was a pretty good fugue writer after all.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A stunning drama! A stunning recording!


----------



## clavichorder

Herlock, are these tonally functional fugues? I'm curious because there is a composer I like named William Schuman who likes to write fugues but they are partly atonal. What do you think of that kind of fugue?


----------



## Sid James

Listened to quite a few things, but mainly concertos -

*Mark-Anthony Turnage*
_Kai for solo cello & ensemble_(1989-90)
Ulrich Heinen, cello / Birmingham Contemporary Music Gr. / Simon Rattle, cond.
(EMI)

A lyrical and bluesy work, dedicated to the cellist Kai Scheffler, who worked with the composer and tragically died quite young. I like how this work is quite emotional but not kind of like cliched pathos. Also like how he uses chamber orchestra to accompany the cellist, thus not drowning out the instrument's more delicate sounds.

*H. Villa-Lobos*
_Momoprecoce, fantasy for piano & orch._
Cristina Ortiz, piano / New Philharmonia Orch. / Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.
(EMI, part of 2 cd set)

This work is a riot of colour, named after the mascot of the Rio carnival. A lot of block or cell like sections come after one another, having little to do with eachother, as in a parade. Quite a bit of filling in, joining the dots here, it seems, but the rhythmic piano cadenza accompanied by the percussion at the end is really worth the wait. The young Cristina Ortiz is in her element here (rec. in the 1970's), & she's still playing this piece decades later, she's an expert at and big supporter of this music (not only because it's from her country, but because it's just really good stuff all round).

*M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_Guitar Concerto #1_
Norbert Kraft, guitar / Northern Chamber Orch. / Nicholas Ward
(Naxos)

First listen to this work. Castelnuovo-Tedesco said he was influenced by Boccherini in this work, and it does have a strong Classical-era feel of elegance and order. The last movement sounded a bit operatic to me, the tune could have easily come from someone like Verdi. Despite this being a bad time in the composer's life - he was forced to leave Italy due to Mussolini - he doesn't express it in this work, it is basically light, lyrical and a delight.

*P. Hindemith*
_Violin Concerto_
David Oistrakh, violin / London SO / composer conducting (rec. 1962)
HERE on youtube

I'm glad I found this. It was on the Australian Eloquence label a few years back, but now out of print. I neglected to buy one for myself, but I sent a copy to a friend who immediately said it was awesome, so emotional, despite her having not much experience with "atonal" music. That's why I have a very low opinion of these fools who say you have to listen to certain composers & build monuments to them before enjoying more recent music. It's b***sh**. Anyway, this recording put down not long before the composer died, with him at the helm, is just staggering in terms of it's directness & allied with this a lot of lyricism and emotion from the genius violinist Mr Oistrakh. In the final movt., his violin sings these sad songs of exile - internal & real - by a composer who seemed to go to the heart of modernity while having strong admiration for traditions of the past, esp. of German music...


----------



## HerlockSholmes

clavichorder said:


> Herlock, are these tonally functional fugues? I'm curious because there is a composer I like named William Schuman who likes to write fugues but they are partly atonal. What do you think of that kind of fugue?


All of the fugues from Shosty's Op. 87 are tonal. They do tend to become slightly dissonant at times though.
But it really wouldn't matter to me even if a fugue was partly atonal or not as long as it satisfies my contrapuntal urges.


----------



## violadude

clavichorder said:


> Herlock, are these tonally functional fugues? I'm curious because there is a composer I like named William Schuman who likes to write fugues but they are partly atonal. What do you think of that kind of fugue?


I have the Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, Clavichorder. Want me to send a couple?


----------



## clavichorder

violadude said:


> I have the Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, Clavichorder. Want me to send a couple?


Yes please! Also, I've been probing my classical and baroque collection for pieces to introduce to you whenever you are ready.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:
Walter Piston--*3* *New* *England* *Sketches*--*Summer* *Evening and Symphony No.4. *All works are performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwartz.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to the third movement of Karajan's recording of *Beethoven's 9th*. Smooth as glass.


----------



## Oskaar

*amy beach*

Beach: 5 Improvisations, Op.148

Artists	
Michel Legrand






Beach: A Cradle Song of the Lonely Mother, Op.108

Artists	
Joanne Polk






Beach: Ballad in Db, Op.6

Artists	
Joanne Polk

Beach: By the Still Waters, Op.114

Artists	
Joanne Polk


----------



## kv466

Aaron Copland - Our Town, Aaron Copland conducts the London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5*

5 more versions of this beautiful little piece

Artists	
Wenn-Sin Yang
Germany Chamber Orchestra
Grezegorz Nowak














Good performance and sound.

Artists	
Wenn-Sin Yang
Joseph Kaizer, Cello*














Not very good sound.

Douglas Davis
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Gerard Schwarz














Very good sound. Brilliant performance. Very warm and nice cello. Lovely intrplay with orchestra.

Artists	
The Zaslav Trio (viola transscription)














viola dont suit the piece like cello. ok performance and sound.

Artists	
yo-yo ma
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa














Like to often, I dont find ma playing particularely good.... Ok sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.28 op5 Piano Quintet*

Artists	
Borodin Quartet (Performer), Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.522 Koncert pro violoncello a orchestr (Violoncello Concerto)*

Artists	
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Zara Nelsova; Walter Susskind*














This work is one of my favourites at the moment. Niceley performed in this version. The sound from the cello could have been bether..Quite nice sound from orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.53 op23 Piano Quartet*

Artists	
Vlach Quartet Prague














This quartet is excellent. Strange it is only one version of Spotify, at least that I could find. Incredibly good interaction here, and the sound is very good. It is a fused and well balanced overall. But each player's qualities and nuances are still very much present.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Horn Concerto No. 3 in e-flat, kv447
Roy Goodman conducts the Hanover Ban with Anthony Halstead on the horn


----------



## HerlockSholmes

Schubert: Winterreise - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau









I discovered this masterpiece thanks to the countless lists and polls on this site. I'm eternally grateful.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.49 op77 String Quintet*

Salvatore: Accardo And Friends




amazon info http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SIJOXQ/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316364042&sr=8-1

A group of strings can become nerve-racking without the piano. In any case, if the work or the performers do not measure up. Strange, but I have never problems with the solo violin, or strings in a larger orchestra.

Here, however, troubled me not. Great sound, well balanced. And not least, great playing. And the work is pretty resilient, but not a great work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: B.79 op47 Bagatelles*

Artists	
Louise Bessette, Quatuor Alcan




amazon link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZTP00/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316418085&sr=8-1

These little musical seeds are incredibly beautiful! The music creeps into your soul and body. Amazingly, by the way, how well the google translator works!
Back to bagatelles. Each has its special characteristics, small meek pieces that still contains some great. Beautifully performed here.


----------



## jaimsilva

*Brahms: Four Hand Piano Music*

Variations in E flat major on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 23
16 Waltzes, Op. 39
Souvenir de la Russe, Anh. IV/6
15 Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 65a

Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn (piano)


----------



## Oskaar

*d'Indy: Op. 59, Violin Sonata in C*

Artists	
Alexis Galpérine, François Kerdoncuff, Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon




amazon info http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UTPQKM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315755393&sr=8-1

Very quietly, but quite captivating sonata. The sound is ok, In any case, the violin, but piano can grate a bit, and the stronger parties to be very harsh.

The renditions are very good the performers exposes very well the lyrical moods, and the interplay between violin and piano is very good. But the harsh piano means that I can not recommend this recording. But the work indeed!
I have one more recording on spotify. I will play it right now.

Artists	
Doris Stevenson




amazon info http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5DY7S/ref=dm_sp_alb

The piano is certainly not harsh here. But the violin is to a certain extent .. Hehe, funny that it would be just the opposite.
A little hissing sound is in the background. Not quite good .. But the performance is good.


----------



## kv466

Giuseppe Torelli - Concerto for 4 Violins, Reinhard Goebel conducting the Musica Antiqua Cologne


----------



## Oskaar

*d'Indy: Op. 25, Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (Symphonie cévenole)*

Artists	
Francois-Joel Thiollier




amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQP1YI/ref=dm_sp_alb

I had to leave the last listening since the violin was too troublesome .. It is good with a little velvet sound again!

This work is very lyrical, with a fine mood. It is only float with the music. Very nice clamping between the subtle quiet, and the rumbling dramatic. Great transitions. It seems certain that I rub on a little too much, but this is the moment experiences. I have bad musical memory, so I have to write something right away.

Excellent sound and performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*d'Indy: Op. 91, Suite for flute, string trio, and harp (1927)*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035D92X0/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

The beauty of the second movement is memorable.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Cesar Franck*--Symphony* *in* *D* *Minor*, *M*.*48*, performed by the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Benzi.
Walter Piston*--Symphony* *No*.*2*, featuring Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Piano Trios Nos. 1-5*

Now playing Disc 1 and having a first listen to this newly arrived set - sounds great!. There is a lot of music here to get to know so this set will take me a while to get through I think


----------



## Manxfeeder

*George Antheil: Ballet Mecanique*

I stumbled on this at a used CD store. This is the original score of Antheil's Ballet Mecanique. It's not much like the sanitized version recorded Antheil published years later, recorded by Naxos. This is raw and noisy.

I'm not sure what to think of it after one listen, but I was somewhat reminded of Beethoven's 6th symphony; both pieces are composers depicting an environment, Beethoven's being the country with babbling brooks, birds, and storms, and Antheil's being the city with sirens, airplanes, and construction noises. Both use repetitious phrases to evoke their scenes. Of course, Beethoven relies on melody and Antheil on blocks of sound.

The CD also has his Jazz Symphony, which I'm more attracted to.


----------



## samurai

Benjamin Britten*--4 Sea Interludes, Op.33, from the opera Peter Grimes, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Vaughan Williams--*The Wasps and Thomas Tallis Fantasia,* performed by the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92.* Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.44 {"Classical"}. *Both are performed by the Orchestre National de France led by Mstislav Rostropovich*.*


----------



## Nix

Currently getting familiar with...

Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire 
Mozart: Violin Concerto #3
Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Harp, and Viola
Mendelssohn: String Symphony #9
Messiaen: Cantéyodjayâ

Besides the Schoenberg, going for some less emotionally trying works after getting to know Messiaen's _Quartet for the End of Time_, Britten's _Frank Bridge Variations_, Schumann's _Fantasie in C_, and Mussorgsky's _Songs and Dances of Death_.


----------



## kv466

Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Concerto no. 1, 
Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Erich Leinsdorf, Earl Wild piano


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this fresh purchase, a delightful disc -

*Album - Harp Recital by Isabelle Moretti*
Sonatas for solo harp by
Carl Philipp Emanuel *Bach*, 
Jan Ladislav *Dussek*, 
Paul *Hindemith*, 
Alfredo *Casella*, 
Germaine *Tailleferre*
(HM white label)

An excellent disc spanning over two centuries of harp music. I especially enjoyed the* Hindemith *sonata, which was from the late 1930's. It's use of the bass sounds reminded me of the double bass in jazz music. The concluding rondo of the *Dussek* sonata was infectious and a lot of fun. So too with the *Tailleferre* sonata, very whimsical & a very busy perpetuum mobile ending. The other two composers sounded more technically complex, in any case they were the longest works on the disc. I enjoyed them as well but the ones I really digged were the three I mentioned. Superb stuff all round, not a complaint from me in sight. I rarely say this but I'd give this full marks in terms of repertoire covered, the playing & recording quality. It's an hour of music very well spent, a bit like a crash course in solo harp music, but more importantly highly enjoyable and even fun...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Last year the best purchase I made was of the box set of J.S. Bach's Sacred Materpieces/Cantatas performed by John Eliot Gardiner with the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir:










This year, once again it has been a box set that has been perhaps my greatest purchase of the year. Sony re-released the first 15 discs of classic recordings by the Huelgas Ensemble, the Belgian-based choral group of around 20 unaccompanied singers, specialising in Early Music (Middle Ages to Renaissance), many written by obscure or little-known composers such as Agricola, Riquafort and Ciprio de Rore.










The set runs around $30-$35 US for the 15 disc boxed set and Sony has pulled out all the stops in packaging. The box itself is beautiful... great graphics and produced of heavy stock cardboard with a second heavy cardboard liner that can be removed to allow for ease of access (in case you plan on playing all the discs one after the other). Each individual disc is housed in a lighter-weight cardboard case designed to allow easy removal of the disc by simply squeezing. The set is capped off by a 200+ page booklet which includes the texts of the works in the original Latin (in most instances) as well as in French, German, and English translation. The only possible complaints are that the original cover art is lost (although this wasn't always the finest)... reduced to an image the size of a postage stamp reproduced on the back of each individual disc liner. Neither are the original liner notes reproduced... although one might surely look up the individual composers on the internet. For example, I'm currently listening to disc 5 which features the music of the 15th/early 16th century Franco-Flemish composer, *Alexander Agricola*, and I find there is plenty about him available on the net. Seriously any shortcomings are more than compensated for by the quality of performance and wealth of music at such a bargain price. This set is ideal for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the realm of "Early Music".

The first video is of music from the 13th century Spanish musical manuscript, Codex las Huelgas, from which the group draws its name:






The other two recordings are of music by Alexander Agricola:


----------



## Lukecash12

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Last year the best purchase I made was of the box set of J.S. Bach's Sacred Materpieces/Cantatas performed by John Eliot Gardiner with the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This year, once again it has been a box set that has been perhaps my greatest purchase of the year. Sony re-released the first 15 discs of classic recordings by the Huelgas Ensemble, the Belgian-based choral group of around 20 unaccompanied singers, specialising in Early Music (Middle Ages to Renaissance), many written by obscure or little-known composers such as Agricola, Riquafort and Ciprio de Rore.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The set runs around $30-$35 US for the 15 disc boxed set and Sony has pulled out all the stops in packaging. The box itself is beautiful... great graphics and produced of heavy stock cardboard with a second heavy cardboard liner that can be removed to allow for ease of access (in case you plan on playing all the discs one after the other). Each individual disc is housed in a lighter-weight cardboard case designed to allow easy removal of the disc by simply squeezing. The set is capped off by a 200+ page booklet which includes the texts of the works in the original Latin (in most instances) as well as in French, German, and English translation. The only possible complaints are that the original cover art is lost (although this wasn't always the finest)... reduced to an image the size of a postage stamp reproduced on the back of each individual disc liner. Neither are the original liner notes reproduced... although one might surely look up the individual composers on the internet. For example, I'm currently listening to disc 5 which features the music of the 15th century Franco-Flemish composer, *Alexander Agricola*, and I find there is plenty about him available on the net. Seriously any shortcomings are more than compensated for by the quality of performance and wealth of music at such a bargain price. This set is ideal for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the realm of "Early Music".


Your music collection is like a nude-mag, you know that? That Gardiner box set sounds pretty radical.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Nikolai Rimsky*-*Korsakov*--Symphony No.2, Op.9 {"Antar*"}, performed by the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andre Anichanov.
Dmitri Shostakovich*--SQ**# 8 in C Minor, Op.110 and SQ # 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op.108. *Both works performed by the Borodin String Quartet.


----------



## Meaghan

I love Britten and I love Ian Bostridge and I love this beautiful, heartwrenching song so much. Like, you don't even know. Ohmygoodness.


----------



## Lukecash12




----------



## Sid James

*Album: Two piano recital by Martha Argerich & Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich* (Sony)
*Bartok* - Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion
*Mozart* - Andante with 5 variations, KV.501-6
*Debussy* - En blanc et noir
+ bonus tracks with Mr Bishop only (solo piano) -
*Bartok* 
- _Out of Doors Suite
- Sonatina_

A very enjoyable disc. I was dubious of Ms Argerich since I had not enjoyed a number of her recordings of other things, but this disc really hit me hard & hit me in the right spot. Her colleague Mr Bishop here is also excellent, as are the Dutch percussionists playing alongside them in the main *Bartok* sonata. Speaking of which, I really like the optimistic and bouncy finale. The *Mozart* was played in a quite beefed-up way - these are grand pianos, so of course that's going to be the case - but it was very well done, not too over the top, & the *Debussy* was quite colourful. One of his late works, this made the very conservative and grumpy old Saint-Saens say it was like not "real" music or something, he thought it was just too experimental and "out there." The solo works by Bartok are also great, some who like more traditional/early Bartok would love the _Sonatina_, in the same sound world & as short as his _Romanian Folk Dances_ for string orch. All in all, yet another album I can't really complain about. Shows that it's worth giving musicians a chance if you don't like them at first, as I did with Ms Argerich, try try again and you may well succeed...










^^& thanks for the Handel, *lukecash*, listened to it while typing this and it did rock my boat for sure, it always does...


----------



## Xytech

I'm having a listen to the complete Saint-Saens Piano Concertos with Hough/Oramo and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Saëns-C...NUPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317121469&sr=8-1

Bloody fantastic!


----------



## Sid James

^^ Yes, *Xytech*, they are good, I was just listening to the Naxos recording with Turkish pianist Idil Biret on the weekend. *Saint-Saens*' 2nd concerto, the most famous, very fine. The opening quite Bachian cadenza is the darkest music I've heard from him. The mood lightens up in the bouncy second movt., then returns to all-out intensity in the finale. The other one I know well is also on that disc, the 4th concerto, which is more experimental, Liszt praised it & Gounod said it proved that S-Saens was like the Beethoven of his generation...


----------



## Xytech

Yes, they are great! I'll have to seek out the Biret recording. I know 2 & 5 are the most famous ones, and I very much enjoyed listening to 2 just then, but I also really enjoy the first movement of 1. Worth familiarising yourself with, as it seems to be underated in my book!  

I'm about to listen to 4 & 5 now.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Timo Saarenpaa




amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WMI1U0/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317127176&sr=8-3

So I venture to listen to some major works by Sibelius, beginning with his first symphony.

There is great art, no doubt about it. Very good version I think, the first of 19 spotify versions. The deep, delicate moods, the light and bright, the strong intense, everything is very well communicated.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Aubade in C, for violin, viola and cello*

Artists	
Lendvai String Trio




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050K2EKO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315225949&sr=8-1

Funny little piec, brilliantly performed. Very good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pöntinen




http://www.amazon.com/Caf%C3%A9-lait-Sharon-Bezaly-P%C3%B6ntinen/dp/B00005YJCH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226604&sr=8-1

Beautiful performance. Very good interplay, and a loveley work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1

Artists	
Rebecca Rust
David Apter




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Cello-Sonata-VILLA-LOBOS-Capadocio/dp/B000009IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227092&sr=8-1

Intense and captivating music. Fabulous performance where the gentle seeking piano is most impressing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pontinen piano
Nobuko Imai viola




http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Came-Down-Walk/dp/B0000016OX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227644&sr=8-1

Enescu is worth to discover. This little piece put in front first of all the violin, in many aspects. Beautifully played.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Decet for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns*

Oslo Philharmonic Wind Soloists




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQUQ9I/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228471&sr=8-1

Not so good sound on this recording, unfortunately since the piece seems quite exiting. But I have two more to try later on spotify.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Impressions d'enfance, for violin and piano in D, Op.28*

Artists	
Azoitei Remus violin
Eduard Stan piano




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Complete-Works-Violin-Piano/dp/B002VVX1FW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228978&sr=8-2

Here it is in place with a little google translation again.

These pieces have a phenomenal nerve in itself. Very open, exploratory music. And here presented this nerve in a prime way of Remus especially the violin, but with careful and sensitive accompagnement by Eduard Stan on piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Impromptu concertant, for violin and piano in Gb*

Artists	
Yair Kless, Violin / Shoshana Rudiakov, Piano




http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Enescu-Bohuslav-Martinu-Sonatas/dp/B0012PCQWW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315229243&sr=8-2

Very beautiful little piece! Eccelent sound and performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Légende, for trumpet and piano*

Artists	
Zenziper, Arkadi, piano • Guttler, Ludwig, trumpet




http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=743219

I am not used to hear the thrumpet as a sensitive element of a chamber work. Very well done here. Good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Symphony No.1 in Eb, Op.13*

Artists	
George Enescu State Philharmonic Orchestra
Mihai Brediceanu




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Symphony-No-Sinfonia-Concertante/dp/B000QQNPLO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315219508&sr=8-3

The work is exiting, and the performance good, but the sound is not good.


----------



## kv466

Antonio Soler - Keyboard Sonata No. 11 
Martina Filjak, piano


----------



## jaimsilva

*more Brahms: Four Hand Piano Music*

finished listening vol.2 of Naxos set

Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn (piano)

21 Hungarian Dances for Piano 4 hands, WoO 1 
18 Liebeslieder Waltzes for Piano 4 hands, Op. 52a










now starting vol. 3:

Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 34b 
Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56b, "St. Anthony Variations" (version for 2 pianos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Copland, the Modernis*t, by Michael Tilson Thomas. Well-done pieces, but for being "modern," they sound somewhat tame after hearing George Antheil.










Followed by George Antheil's Shostakovich-esque *Symphony No. 4*.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Manana Doidzhashvili, Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra and Jansug Kakhidze




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Symphony-Chasseur-Symphonic-Variations/dp/B003RCJT8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302262&sr=8-1

Very fine version of this little orchestral work.


----------



## Vesteralen

Some pretty good music in this.

Plus, every once in a while while I'm listening to it, I get to put on my Hermione Gingold voice and say: "This rooobie hat of Omar Kyayayaya...I am appalled!"


----------



## kv466

Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 9 in C, D. 944
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Rene Leibowitz


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck: Symphony in D-, M.48*

Marek Janowski (Conductor), L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande




http://www.amazon.com/C%C3%A9sar-Franck-Symphony-Ernest-Chausson/dp/B000I2IV1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315243200&sr=8-1

Fine romantic and dramatic scenery unfolds in this symphony.
Performances are excellent, I love the way it goes from dramatic to the tranquil. Fast. It certainly requires a very well-rehearsed orchestra to achieve it. And a good conductor.


----------



## Oskaar

*faure impromptus*

Fauré: Impromptu No.1 in Eb, Op.25




http://www.amazon.com/Faur%C3%A9-Pr%C3%A9ludes-Impromptus-Gabriel-Faure/dp/B0000060CR/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314111417&sr=8-4

This pieces ha a haunting melody that get stuck in my mind. Very nice and sensitive played.

Fauré: Impromptu No.2 in F-, Op.31

Artists	
Vlado Perlemuter




http://www.amazon.com/Faur%C3%A9-Piano-Music-Barcarolle-Variations/dp/B0000037CR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314112177&sr=8-1

Not so good sound, but eminently played.

Fauré: Impromptu No.3 in Ab, Op.34

Artists	
Pascal Rogé




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Music-Faure/dp/B0000041WA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314111981&sr=8-1

Rouge plays, niceley, but here also the sound is not so good.. The piano is to harch.
The impromptu is my favourite so far. Nice vaving moods.

Fauré: Impromptu No.4 in Db, Op.91

Artists	
Jean-Philippe Collard




http://www.amazon.com/Faure-Bracarolles-Impromptus-Romances-Paroles/dp/B000006DEO/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1314111278&sr=8-11

Nice impromptu, nicely played, but harsch piano sound.

Fauré: Impromptu No.5 in F#-, Op.102

Artists	
Dominique Merlet




http://www.amazon.com/Faur%C3%A9-Roger-Ducasse-Piano-Works/dp/B0046OOKV6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314110979&sr=8-2

Nice! Not so harch. But not very good sound

Fauré: Impromptu No.6 in Db (transcribed from Impromptu for harp by Cortot), Op.86bis

Artists	
Sakuya Koda




http://www.amazon.com/Mouvance-Musique-fran%C3%A7aise-harpe-chant/dp/B000DZV8IK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314115345&sr=8-1

Harsch harpe is not any bether...


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Well, I'm currently in the UMD Dekelboum Concert Hall, listening to a dress rehearsal of the Wind Octet by Krommer, performed by some graduate players. It's lovely.

Nothing beats live music!


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 2*

Artists	
Nai-Yuan Hu
Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Goldmark-K-Concerto-Seattle-Symphony/dp/B002XC1DA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736602&sr=8-1


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, while the *8th* features the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Concertino for Cello and Orchestra in G-, Op.132*

Artists	
Alexander Rudin
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Symphony-Concerto-Orchestra-Concertino-Waltzes/dp/B0000014A5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313585688&sr=8-1

Brilliant!


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Piano Trios Nos. 6-11 [Disc 2]
Haydn: String Quartets Nos. 4-7 [Disc 02]*

This week I have been listening to a bit of Jolly Papa Joe who is not normally a Composer I spend much time with! - I think I am starting to appreciate Haydn more and more and have been enjoying my recent listening. Last night and today I have been listening to the 2nd Discs from my sets of the String Quartets and newly arrived Piano Trios set - all early works!  I plan on spending most of the week working through these 2 sets.


----------



## Sid James

A repeat listen to the piano duo and solo harp disc I got recently & reviewed earlier on this thread. I esp. like the joyful ending to the *Bartok* _Sonata for Two pianos and percussion_, the grace and charm of the *Mozart* variations, and my favourite works on the harp disc are by *Hindemith, Dussek* and *Tailleferre*. I hadn't heard much or anything from the last two composers. The Tailleferre solo harp sonata, composed in the 1950's, is a combination of old and new, I love the quicksilver rhythmic ending, played so expertly by this harpist.


----------



## tdc

Piano Trio #7. This work just blows my mind. Simply beautiful music that seems quite Romantic and Schubertarian at times, at times it seems as though this work wouldn't be out of place in the 20th century. One of my favorite works of Beethoven.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Yep *tdc*, re the _Archduke Trio_, heard it live earlier this year, also have the Chung Trio recording on EMI. I agree it is sublime and unsurpassed in the field. It is a treasure of the classical heritage. One of Beethoven's finest works in any category. Next year the _Ghost Trio_ is coming up in performance and I definitely want to be there to hear that...


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Arto Noras and Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Rasilainen, Ari




http://mp3.platekompaniet.no/site/web3/view.ftl?page=product&productId=201657

Third time I listen to this concerto in just a few days. And it grows. Quite good version.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Yes, *oskaar*, Shostakovich's cello concertos are among the best of the century. Also check out Prokofiev's and Schnittke's, I think they composed two each...


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> Shostakovich's cello concertos are among the best of the century. Also check out Prokofiev's and Schnittke's, I think they composed two each...


Thanks, sid! I will certainly czech them out. Prokofiev is under my listening umbrella Schnittke comes later. ( I try to organise my listening a bit, using a diary program, and takes composers a few at the time, and organize some of they work in the diary, a kind of database. Then I have info wich I use when listening, and reposting, giving caracters and other sorting. Easy to go back and see when I listened to what, which artists, my judgements, etc. Wonderfull tool. Not to go totally mad in the big labyrint of all that spotify has to offer. And to bether appreciate the music.) 
http://www.efficientsoftware.net/


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
John Ogdon/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Lawrence Foster




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000THKI0Q/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316344278&sr=8-1

First movement has a very millitary approach to it. But I think I can hear some "flower power" as some more gentle and lyrical tones compete with the strict and hard millitary tones.

In the second, it seem like the soft has won..hehe. A bit sad though. Maybe it is reflecting over the results of the war. Beautiful movement. Could have been film music. Could in fact have been Moricone.

Third starts light and optimistic. Like a triumph. But I heard an undertone of the millitary again...and to the end it seem to take over...

It may be my imagination, but reading the symphony like that...It is a sad reminding of war..and history repeating...


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 32a: Suite from Hamlet for small orchestra*

Artists
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Neeme Järvi




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Orchestral-Music-Concertos/dp/B000VG7TDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316355288&sr=8-1

Nice music, but I find it a bit to unstructured..to many shiftings. Contrasts can be effective where there is still a connection. But here's what it started a whole new work every two minutes. Difficult to follow.
Performance is quite good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Cinderella, Suite No.1, Op.107*

Artists
Theodore Kuchar
Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Cinderella-excerpts-Tchaikovsky-Childrens/dp/B000031WH8/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1317236484&sr=1-4

Sometimes it is nice to hear a fearytale, with musical accompagnements of the scenes.
I love that one with David Bowie narrating Peter and the wholfe. (you also have versions with dame edna and Sting.)


----------



## kv466

Jean-Baptiste Loeillet - Recorder Sonata 
Daniel Rothert, recorder
Ketil Haugsand, harpsichord
Vanessa Young, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: 7 Estudios en los tonos naturales mayores, Op.65, B.11*

Artists	
Miguel Baselga




http://www.amazon.com/Alb%C3%A9niz-Complete-Piano-Music-Vol/dp/B00004OCGB/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1313393872&sr=8-7

The piano is a bit harch, but really nice played


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Wonderfull tool.


I dont listen to structured though. I listen randomly in what I have registred, like a music collector would do, randomly, or by mood. And the "collection" gets slowly bigger. I will dive into to Sibelius soon.


----------



## Oskaar

*Albéniz: Sonata No.3 in A, op.68*

Artists	
Miguel Baselga




http://www.amazon.com/Alb%C3%A9niz-Piano-Music-Vol-4/dp/B00009W8M4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313399390&sr=8-3

A bit coctail bar music...


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: Ballet mécanique, for 4 pianos, 2 electric bells, 2 airplane propellers & pe*

Artists	
Baynov Piano Ensemble




http://www.allmusic.com/album/pianos--percussion-w179904

When I listened to this piece first time, I did not like it very much. But now I find it very exiting. Great version,and super sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: Trumpet Sonata, W.143*

Artists	
Jouko Harjanne (Artist), Juhani Lagerspetz




http://www.amazon.com/American-Trum...5IFZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313418854&sr=8-1

Very melodic Antheil, played by the trumpet, broken up by the piano in more modern ways. Then they interract in the modern. Incredible rewarding listening, I never thought that trumpet and piano could fit so perfectly together.

Second movement is velvet, both from piano and trumpet. But it dont get boring, Antheils put in some twists.

Third movement contains some very nice interplay. It really shows the genious of this instrument combination.

The same in the fourth movement. Loveley interplay!


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil:Solo Violin Sonata*

Artists	
Mark Fewer




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Sonatas-Violin-Piano/dp/B004KBOCW2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419543&sr=8-3

Solo violin brings to me often some trolly associations. So here to. Like the devel rise up, wanting to have some fun!! Fantastic performance!


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil:Violin Sonata No.4*

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Sonatas-Violin-Piano/dp/B004KBOCW2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419543&sr=8-3

Brilliant sonata, trolly and adventurous, smoth an gentle. Very good performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antheil: Symphony No.4 ('1942'), W.177*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/ANTHEIL-Symphonies-Nos-McKonkeys-Ferry/dp/B00004NK2J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313420589&sr=8-1

I find Antheil much more exiting in chamber formate, at least judging this symphony. Not especially captivating. It does not help that the recording is a bit passive, and the sound is not especially good. Big distance and "under the lid" feeling.

Well, the work itself grows on me. Pitty there is no more versions on spotify to compare with.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: Clarinet Sonatina, Op.29*

Artists	
Peter Pettinger; Murray Khouri




http://www.amazon.com/Best-British-Clarinet-Peter-Pettinger/dp/B0002R8G34/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313430516&sr=1-2

This is rewarding! Very good sound, and eccelent perfomance.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92, *featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, *performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Giulini.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

Well.. I see when loocing back to the posts that I am taking too much space..:lol:

I will try to compress my postings. I get to eager.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev*--Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Sid James

This disc featuring *Bartok's* _Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion _ & also 2 piano music of Mozart & Debussy that I talked about earlier HERE. I like the varied program and the bonus tracks with Mr Kovacevich playing more Bartok on his own are excellent.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Alexander Tcherepnin--*Symphony No.1, Op.42 and Symphony No.2. Op.77*. Both works are performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Lan Shui. The second movement of the *1st* *Symphony* is quite unique--at least to my knowledge--in that is scored entirely for percussion. Very striking indeed!


----------



## kv466

Johannes Brahms - Cello Sonata No. 2, Zuill Bailey, cello


----------



## science

I'm a-readin' Little Women, so nacherly:


----------



## chrislowski




----------



## Sid James

Shostakovich - Waltz #2
Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orch.

I am a big fan of this guy but this arrangement is over the top on steroids. Time was when his music had delicacy and nuance. More of a chamber vibe. Now it's all out of proportion.THIS better arrangement, more intimate and detailed, of *Toselli's* great _Serenade_ proves that he can do better, esp. if not in a stadium with it's rubbish acoustic but in a studio where he can control the sound. Both aren't exactly natural, but the Toselli is far more better done and better sound than the Shostakovich. In the Toselli, you can hear the violin, piano and even choir quite clearly, either in foreground or background. The Shostakovich by comparison is just without any depth of feeling. But then in the Toselli you get these ridiculous overdubbed bird and nature sounds. I'm sure that's only for the youtube clip, I'd say even Mr Rieu wouldn't like this kind of cheap kitschy effect.

[Just looked at the top 50 string concertos thread (closed). Brahms deserves top place as any of the greats, but his rehash Bruch is at 6th place well above Schoenberg, the finest of the modern repertoire, at 48th. You can guess my opinion about that. Not happy Jan!...]

EDIT - HERE is a better Rieu live recording, better audio quality than the Shostakovich above. Audience participation is captured very well, the atmosphere isn't too heavily on the schmaltz and syrup. So he can still be good when he wants to be, our Andre!...


----------



## science

Appalachian Spring.


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev*

*Balakirev: Chopin Suite, Op. 11*

Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Hoey Choo




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQPIY6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312398668&sr=8-1

This is really a beautiful work. Dont know much of chopins music yet..I have some trouble with him, like I have with Grieg. I believe that if I climb these obsticles, I will love them both...

But back to this.. Balakirev is really dreamy and romantic here. Beautiful.

The performance is quite good, not outstanding though. Sound is medium.

*Balakirev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Jungran Kim Khwarg piano
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Dong Hyock Hyun




http://www.amazon.com/Taktakishvili-Concerto-Balakirev-M-Philharmonic/dp/B002MF5G4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312397116&sr=8-1

Very good sound, and this piano concerto may be a not too known gem.. Some parts are brilliant. VERY romantic, waving moods. Some parts are poorer. Very uneven.

I find the performance very good. Nice interplay beetween orchestra and piano.

*Balakirev: Symphony No. 1 in C major*

Russian Symphony Orchestra
Igor Golovschin




http://www.amazon.com/Balakirev-Symphony-No-Islamey-Tamara/dp/B0000013YI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312389722&sr=8-1

Ok symphony, but not a great one. But I often feel that russian orchestras get more dramatics out of it than others. Wery good performance!


----------



## Oskaar

*Milton Babbitt*

Artists	
Group for Contemporary Music




http://www.amazon.com/Babbitt-Soli-Duettini-Milton/dp/B000EBEGZU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313434425&sr=8-2

Eccelent sound and performance.

*Babbitt: Around the horn, for solo horn*

*Babbitt: Melismata, for violin*

Very interresting work, I really like what is here trolled out of the violin. Listen to this if you want to know some of what the violin are able to do as an instrument! Fantastic performance!

*Babbitt: None but the Lonely Flute, for flute
*


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Canzonetta for Oboe and Piano, Op.posth.48*

Stephane Rancourt
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber-Capricorn-Concerto-Intermezzo/dp/B000675OJ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312622125&sr=8-1

Barber is a favorite! The music is deeply romantic, but he adds something very exiting to it... Hard to describe.
This work brings forward a fabolous melting of moments and moods. 
Very good performance, and the sound is very good!

*Barber: Capricor Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Trumpet And Orchestra*

Arioso Wind Quintet
Ruth Golden
San Diego Chamber Orchestra
Donald Barra




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Horizon-Samuel/dp/B000001SGH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312485013&sr=8-1

This album get in general not very good reviews on amazon. I am not sure why, since I find the recording, and performance eminent.... I love the paintings that the winds give.
Loveley work!

*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

Roger Vignoles
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Jukka-Pekka Saraste




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concer...2SRV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312622559&sr=8-2

If you have never heard this sonata.. run out and get it! It is very good!. It contains some beautiful melodies.

Brilliantly performed here. The violin is intensive, but not steeling it all. The interplay is very good! And the sound of the piano is very good. It not happen to be that always. I was unsure if it is the recording, spotify, or my computer (or my ears). But no I am quite sure it is the recordings. But maybe an album streamed on spotify is different when you buy it in a store.. I dont know. In general I am very satisfied by the sound on spotify.

*Barber: Fadograph of a Yestern Scene (after Joyce, Finnegan's Wake), Op.44*

New Zealand Symphony
Schenck




http://www.amazon.com/Fadograph-Yes...1SD6/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1312617686&sr=8-8

Nice piece!

But I think my favourite her is the cello sonata.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

Basel Symphony Orchestra
Walter Weller




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Lachi...XR96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312708970&sr=8-1

Bartok is a composer that took me some time to like, but now I find most of his works very rewarding to listen to.

This work can seem quite caotic at first, but after some listening, and relistening, there is a nice structure. Beautiful romantic undertones. Ther is some great landscapes unfolded. I dont know why I did not like this at first...I guess it is about ear listening development. This concerto is just incredible listening!
The last movement is something special...Very fast, and this is not easy to cope with it at first. But this is maybe the most rewarding movement if you give it time. One layer over an other is build, to a climax, and then it starts over again, with beautiful soundscapes, then layer on layer.

Very good performance, the orchestra seem very well sawn together. They are conveying the great spectre of moods and nuances in this work. I find Bartok very soft and easy to listen too now, that dont mean that there are no challenges, and depth in his work.

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

Jane Coop
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Mario Bernardi














Even more rewarding than the first concerto, maybe, but that oppinion might change. This one is perhaps more light and playfull, especially the first movement.

The second is very dreamy, and sensitive. Small tools provide outstanding performance. Unlike many other piano concertos, it seems here as if the piano is an instrument for achieving a whole, not so much a whole in itself.

The third is more normal, the piano playing up against the orchestra.

Brilliant performance!

*
Bartok: Contrasts, for clarinet, violin, and piano, BB116*

Artists	
Chamber Music Northwest




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messiaen-Quartet-Bart%C3%B3k-Contrasts/dp/B0000006W3/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313065648&sr=8-3

Fantastic work! 
Great sound and performance.


----------



## samurai

It's been an all Russian day for me so far:
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

*Prokofiev: Dreams (symphonic poem), Op.6*

Artists	
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
Ashkenazy




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Ale...EB9P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317332740&sr=8-1

Prokofiev are more romantic with flowing moods and romantic moments. And epic.Very beautiful. But very unlike prokofiev..

*
Prokofiev: Ode to the End of the War, for winds, 8 harps, 4 pianos, brass, percussion and double basses, Op.105*

Artists	
Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmony




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FXJPZI/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937458&sr=8-12

A stormy and adventurous little travel. I think this must be one of the nicest pieces I have heard by Prokofiev. There is a fabulous nerve. Very dramatic towards the end.

Brilliant performance!

*Prokofiev: Overture in Bb ('American'), for 17 instruments (or orchestra), Op.42*

Artists	
Gennady Rozhdestvenski
Ussr State Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Juliet-Dnieper-Russian-Overture/dp/B002VHGY9Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313938131&sr=8-2

Great! I believe that these lesser known pieces of prokofiev maybe show his genious just as much as his more famous works.
I strongly recommend this piece, I am not clever to describe, but it is trully great!

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
Vladimir Krainev (piano) , Dmitri Kitajenko (cond) , Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.prokofiev.org/recordings/album.cfm?aid=000833

This concerto displayes some of the bravour that Pprokofiev obsessed. I can easily say that Prokofiev is a favourite...( I have still a lot to explore.) But just listen to this concerto! You have to love him.

This version is very good, The piano just lift up the ground!


----------



## clavichorder

Handel Concerto Grosso #9 in F.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The choral songs of Toivo Tulev... another one of those "Holy Minimalists" from Eastern Europe (Estonia). Beautifully performed by Robin Chance, Paul Hillier, and the Estonian Chamber Orchestra Choir. Worthy of exploration by anyone who enjoys Gorecki's 3rd, Arvo Part, Peteris Vasks, etc...


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3*

Artists	
Richard Egarr




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Sona...OMT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314604585&sr=8-1

Very beautiful sonata, but the sound is not very good here. I find the performance quite good, but the sound destrois a lot..

*Schubert: Notturno in Eb for Piano Trio, D.897, Op.posth.148*

Artists	
beschi





Such an ingratiating lovely melodic piece! Very nice played, but the sound is not great.

*Schubert: Fantasia in C for Violin and Piano, D.934, Op.posth.159 ('Sei mir gegrüsst!')*

Artists	
Trio Dali / Amandine Savary / Vineta Sareika / Christian-Pierre La Marca*




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Trio...CWXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314613811&sr=8-1

brilliant and sensitive violin! The work is good, but it is very much up to the performers. Sensitive piano also.

The second movement is just so great.


----------



## Sid James

^^ *Stlukesguid*, Looks good. I've only heard Mr Hillier's work with Stockhausen's _Stimmung_. It was a good one-off listen (I borrowed it) but the one you just listened to sounds better for repeated listeing. I'll keep it in mind, choral repertoire is becoming my second favourte after chamber and concerto. There was a choral performance here of exactly those composers (Baltic states) on your disc, but I missed it, I went to a chamber concert instead on the same night. Decisions, decisions...


----------



## Sid James

The encores disc was a first listen, as was the Horn Concertos one, & also some of the Estonian music above on the Hillier disc on youtube -

*Album: Isaac Stern (violin), Encores with orchestra *(Sony Classical)
Columbia SO / Milton Katims (Conductor), Frank Brieff (Conductor), rec. 1960's-70's

So relaxing, and I was so tired after a busy day, I dropped in and out of this. Very romantic interpretation, more romantic than his other things I've heard. I esp. liked Satie's _Gymnopedie #1_ which was not done idiomatically but romantically, but I like it. It was my favourite track, others I liked were Copland's "*** Down" from _Rodeo_ and Gershwin's _Bess, You is my woman now_. The arrangements were good but not necessarily like the composers may have done it.

*Album - Concertos for Four Horns *(Naxos)
*Works by Schumann, Handel, Telemann, Haydn*
American Horn Quartet / Sinfonia Varsovia / Dariusz Wisniewski (Conductor)

Great album. These were not all named concertos - only the Handel work is - but in effect that's exactly what they are.

I've known the *Schumann* _Konzertstuck_ for over 20 years, I recorded it on radio when I was a kid. First time owning in on CD now, and it's tops. This was one of the first works for new valved horns and it is technically very challenging. Similar to his other concertos, it is very lyrical and gentle but full of melody.

The *Handel* concerto had a start that was very much like the opening to _The Royal Fireworks Music_. It was in three parts but one movement, only the first part was like rehash, the rest of the tunes were new to me. Great work but quite short (6 mins).

The *Telemann* overture was more substantial in terms of time but I think his melodies tend to sound all the same for me. But a very innovative guy, one of the movts., the horns give the impression of frogs croaking by a lake (the movement is titled to that effect, I'm not making this up!). This work blended the horns into the orchestra the best, I think this guy was as good orchestrator as Ravel later. But like Ravel, he comes off as too kind of slick for me, more technical than emotional in general.

*Haydn's* _Symphony No. 31 in D major, Hob1:31, "Horn Signal"_ really delivered the goods for me, good technically and emotionally. This was not only like a concerto for the four horns but also had many extensive solos for various string instruments - even double bass, one of the few Haydn works to have that, apparently - as well as a memorable one for flute in the final movt., as well as countless others. In a way, it was like a concerto for orchestra. Highly innovative and it hit the spot. Listened to it twice. Quite lyrical and gentle, mellow to suit the massed horn sound.

So in a word this album was well worth the price and superb.

















Now listening to this wonderful work on youtube, I was lucky to find it, it was on the disc of Estonian choral music posted by *stlukesguildohio* above. I like how it is modern but not too heavy. Like Penderecki but not just dark emotions, many emotions, and very spirtual and warm.

*Toivo Tulev*
Jusquez au printemps (2005) per coro misto


----------



## science

Hammerklavier.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Alexander Tcherepnin--*Symphony No.3, Op.83 and Symphony No.4, Op.91. *Both works are performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Lon Shui. In addition, the *3rd* *Symphony *features Noriko Ogawa on piano.


----------



## hespdelk

Tastey sensuousness, stylishly performed... not sure if this piece convinces me fully, particularly the wordless choir component.. but these are minor personal issues.


----------



## Sid James

^^ G'day *hespdelk* - I think, unless I'm incorrect,_ D&C_ is Ravel's largest scale work? It kind of proves that he could work with a large Mahlerian orchestra along with choir. I loved it when I first heard it a few years back, but I went for overkill, listening to the disc about 20 or more times in a fortnight. So naturally I kind of now think it's cliche almost, I haven't listened to it in ages. A pity since it's very good, and shows his talent at conveying strong emotion through them most unexpected means (the daybreak bit is one of the most emotional and ecstatic, image laden pieces in the whole canon). Amazing stuff. I may well drop some of my feelings of it being boring now that I've listened to it too many times and explore it again. I have same feeling about_ The Rite of Spring,_ but not luckily _Jeux _because I didn't do the overkill thing with that (smart or smarter or just obvious?)...


----------



## hespdelk

Sid James said:


> ^^ G'day *hespdelk* - I think, unless I'm incorrect,_ D&C_ is Ravel's largest scale work? It kind of proves that he could work with a large Mahlerian orchestra along with choir. I loved it when I first heard it a few years back, but I went for overkill, listening to the disc about 20 or more times in a fortnight. So naturally I kind of now think it's cliche almost, I haven't listened to it in ages. A pity since it's very good, and shows his talent at conveying strong emotion through them most unexpected means (the daybreak bit is one of the most emotional and ecstatic, image laden pieces in the whole canon). Amazing stuff. I may well drop some of my feelings of it being boring now that I've listened to it too many times and explore it again. I have same feeling about_ The Rite of Spring,_ but not luckily _Jeux _because I didn't do the overkill thing with that (smart or smarter or just obvious?)...


Good day :tiphat:

Yes, you caught my feeling with the word "cliche" - but I resisted putting it that way myself as it would be rather unfair to Ravel's originality - the things that make it cliche were done by others decades after he had passed away. Its the same feeling I get when Resipghi gets labelled "too hollywood" (an assessment I disagree with anyhow).

I know what you mean about the overkill effect.. but I haven't done that with Daphnis. I come back to the piece every once in a while, but have never fully lost myself in it. Then again it took me a while before I finally "got" Debussy's La mer - which I now thoroughly adore... so I haven't quite rested my case yet. Reservations aside, I always enjoy Ravel's rich textures and orchestrational brilliance.


----------



## hespdelk

I have a warm spot for these violin concertos by Malipiero and Casella, they should be better known.
Solid if not brilliant playing from the orchestra (which I don't fault them for, as it must have been unfamiliar repertoire), but one could hardly hope for a better advocate than violin soloist Andre Gertler - he gives such shape and expression to the works...


----------



## Sid James

hespdelk said:


> ...Reservations aside, I always enjoy Ravel's rich textures and orchestrational brilliance.


I liked your comments and I plan now to listen to D&C soon to refresh my memory. It's been a long time between drinks with that, so to speak...


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

*Britten: Cello Symphony, Op.68*

Artists	
Jame Walton
Philharmonia Orchestra
Alexander Briger




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O4H6GM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317396721&sr=8-1

Very resilient and engaging concert of Britten.
The cello really creeps under your skin like a worm, whether it is accompagned by a delicate little flute, or the entire orchestra in all its splendor.

It's exciting all the time. Version is very good, and sound quality. Jame Walton really plays with feeling and sensitivity.

*Britten: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.15*

Artists	
Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Osmo Vanska, Serguei Azizian, Giordano Bellincampi




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Walton-Concertos-Violin-Orchestra/dp/B003U9XDSY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317401641&sr=8-6

The sound spoils a bit here unfortunately. A little muddy. and sometimes harsh.

But it's great playing. The work will grow for sure, but for now I'm more impressed with Britton's cello symphony. Here it is actually a bit boring sometimes. But the solo violin part in second movement is absolutely great!

Well, I must edit this page...After relistening I find the concerto very great! I am to fast to write sometimes, and dont let my ear adapt to for ex. poorer sound quality.


----------



## Oskaar

*Amy Marcy Cheney Beach*

*Beach: Eskimos, Op.64*

Artists	
Kirsten Johnson




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Walton-Concertos-Violin-Orchestra/dp/B003U9XDSY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317401641&sr=8-6

Harch piano...that is a pitty since this is the only version on spotify. Very nice and sensitive work though...

*Beach: Fantasia fugata, Op.87*

Artists	
Kirsten Johnson




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Music-Amy-Beach-Mature/dp/B004UGOLNW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1315493441&sr=8-4


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67,* performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber. Heard on *WQXR* *FM*, New York.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS # 11-13, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65, *featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.1, for string orchestra and piano*

Artists	
da Costa (Artist), Pantillon (Artist), Orchestre Symphonique Bienne (Artist)
Rosner (Conductor)




http://www.amazon.com/Schindlers-List-Suite-Costa/dp/B001QUL764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315567277&sr=8-1

After a short period of acquaintance, I have really gained a love of Ernest Bloch. He is certainly a romantic composer, and there are so many colors and shapes in his music, so boring it will not be.

The sound here is excellent, and the performers are able to communicate well all the colors and shades that are in play.

The third movement begins with one of the most beautiful and sensitive violin play I've ever heard. And the piano, cello and orchestra helps to convey a rare magic.

The whole work has a quality that it is fun to hear from perhaps less famous composers. For me, at least Bloch was less known.

*Bloch: Suite hébraïque, for viola and orchestra*
Same record as abow.

Here is the Hebrew tones without in any way be affected cliché. Unfortunately it is only movement two and three on this disc. Fantastic music!

*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève*




http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Bloch-uvres-pour-orchestre/dp/B0038G9HXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565990&sr=8-2

Very nice presentation here of the play's lyrical qualities. A little harsh sound pulls down. The first concerto grosso is far better as a work also. But there is some beautiful moments, so it is absolutely worth listening to.

*Bloch: Concerto symphonique, for piano and orchestra *

Artists	
Jiri Starek (Conductor), SWR Radio Orchestra Kaiserslautern (Orchestra), Jenny Lin




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Concerto-Symphonique-Scherzo-Fantasque/dp/B000YKNVGG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1315567153&sr=8-7

Fantastic piano, a bit ballroom feel though. And a bit harch. Very dramatic and intence work. The tools of the orchestra is well used to expose the dramatics. It is a shame with the sound.. I can easily listen to older versions with not so good sound. Until a certain limit of course. But harsch sound in newer recordings is more difficult.

But the work is great, and so is the performance.
Jenny Lin plays with great compelling, and at the same time finesse. Maybe I can get used to all the limitations in the sound, to really enjoy this fantastic performance...

*Bloch: Proclamation, for trumpet and orchestra (or piano)*

Artists	
jouko harjanne




http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001F4XH3W/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316524291&sr=8-4

Bloch impresses again! To be as late written (1955) is surprisingly little modernist. It is perhaps what I like about Bloch. He has all the modern tools is keeping a little in.!


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Vladimir Suk & Ukrainian Festival Orchestra*




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-Titan/dp/B005C6L60K/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315420493&sr=1-1

After hearing Bloch, Mahler can be a bit boring. It may be that this recording is not particularly good. But it is certainly a compliment to Bloch. But I have found 50 versions of titan on spotify. So, there should be a fair chance to find some outstanding versions.


----------



## samurai

@ oskaar, Good hunting! I know you'll find one you may enjoy. I have the one with the Utah Symphony conducted by Maurice Abravanel. I want to see if Spotify has the Bernstein reading with the New York Philharmonic. That should be quite satisfying, I hope.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
slovenian radio symphony orchestra





Quite good version, I think. The underlaying nerve is very well exposed. And so are the lighter delicious parts that I find as a trademark to this symphony.

Sound is average, but good enough to really enjoy this performance.


----------



## Oskaar

samurai said:


> I want to see if Spotify has the Bernstein reading with the New York Philharmonic.


I have it at least in my premium spotify.


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartets Nos. 1-4 [Disc 1]*

Now listening to the first Disc in this newly arrived set for a third time. I like the Quartets very much so far - they are clearly indebted to Bartoks and are very astringent and lyrical


----------



## doctorGwiz

*Clementi: Piano Sonata No.6 in F minor, Op.25/6*


----------



## Sid James

The *horn concertos disc *(magnificent) was a second listen, I revied it earlier up on this thread HERE.

The *guitar concertos disc *was my first listen to it fully. I had listened to* Castelnuovo-Tedesco's *concerto once before, I liked it, it's like a homage to the old days of Boccherini and others (probably Vivaldi, he also wrote guitar concertos, heaps of them). I was kind of dissing *Rodrigo's* _Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez_ heaps of times before, but now just listening to it, it is very good. The slow movement which I just thought was an earworm turns out to be one of the best orchestrated works of it's time (1930's). Rodrigo could mix it with Ravel in terms of having the goods in the orchestration department, definitely. As for *Villa-Lobos*, his concerto is the most recent one of the disc (1950's) and it's probably my favourite of the three, it is one of the works that got me into the music of this great Brazilian composer. THe guitarist here, Mr Kraft, is quite direct and to the point, no bullsh*t, I think he's now retired & is now a producer &/or sound engineer for Naxos...


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

That Kraft/Ward CD is always a nice return to. They make a tired old piece sound refreshing. Sound is good, too...back in the days when Naxos was struggling with such, more often than not.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> This disc featuring *Bartok's* _Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion _ & also 2 piano music of Mozart & Debussy that I talked about earlier HERE. I like the varied program and the bonus tracks with Mr Kovacevich playing more Bartok on his own are excellent.


Thanks. This re-release had fallen through the cracks for me. So ordered!


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Copland, the Modernis*t, by Michael Tilson Thomas. Well-done pieces, but for being "modern," they sound somewhat tame after hearing George Antheil.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Followed by George Antheil's Shostakovich-esque *Symphony No. 4*.


No telling how good Copland could have been. IMO early on he took the wrong road to Americana.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A stunning drama! A stunning recording!


I've had my eyes on that one. Howz the remastering?


----------



## doctorGwiz

*Soler: Harpsichord Sonata No.21 in C sharp minor, R.21*










Friday night and at the ole computer. *Sigh


----------



## Vaneyes

violadude said:


> I don't like her facial expression for some reason. To me it looks like she's trying to be a ghetto punk badass.


I could like that look, but only for one night.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Samuel Barber--*Adagio for Strings, Op.11 *{3 different performances}:
New York Philharmonic--Leonard Bernstein
Berliner Philharmoniker--Sir Simon Rattle
London Symphony Orchestra--Michael Tilson-Thomas
Although all were great readings/performances, I enjoyed Tilson-Thomas and the LSO rendition best of all. It seemed his tempo was slower than that of Bernstein or Rattle, and this really brought out the expressiveness of this piece to a higher degree than the other 2 conductors, *IMHO*.
Bela Bartok--*Concerto for Orchestra*, featuring Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

*Britten: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 [Disc 1]
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 2 [Disc 03]*

First listen of the Britten Quartets which arrived yesterday . I try to listen to a couple of Discs from the Haydn set every week - this week I restarted on the cycle and am listening to the early quartets. I really enjoy these works and in particular always enjoy the slow movements!.


----------



## clavichorder

Sonata Tragica, Nikolai Medtner.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in e minor, Op. 44 No. 2. 

Performed by the Melos Quartet.


----------



## clavichorder

doctorGwiz said:


>


That is an incredible sonata set, op 25. I know op 25 no 5 in F sharp minor mostly, and I play the finale to it on the piano. How is the op. 25 no 6 in f minor. At first I misread it and thought it was the f sharp minor one I'm so familiar with.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> That Kraft/Ward CD is always a nice return to. They make a tired old piece sound refreshing. Sound is good, too...back in the days when Naxos was struggling with such, more often than not.


Yes, I did hear more detail in that disc, I heard more going on in the slow movement of the _Aranjuez_ than I've probably ever heard before. You're spot on, this kind of thing is important, does throw a new light on these things, even if I'm no audiophile by any means.



Vaneyes said:


> Thanks. This re-release had fallen through the cracks for me. So ordered!


It have been very enjoyable for me. A very good line up of music, as well as excellent playing. & that's coming from me, I haven't liked Ms Argerich's performance that I'd heard so far. It was about three other performances of hers I thought didn't get things right, eg. everything played on steroids, even chamber music. But with these works & with Mr Bishop at her side, they both shine. A classic recording to treasure for the ages.

Let us know what you think of it when you get/hear it, that would be really interesting, thanks...


----------



## Lukecash12

A lecture on Plato. http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/plato-knowledge

Honestly, I'm not terribly impressed by McCabe, and it's probably because she's a better writer than an orator.


----------



## doctorGwiz

clavichorder said:


> That is an incredible sonata set, op 25. I know op 25 no 5 in F sharp minor mostly, and I play the finale to it on the piano. How is the op. 25 no 6 in f minor.


Staier's playing is great. The dynamic range he produces makes you sometimes forget he's using a pianoforte. As far as a player's perspective of the piece, I'm no pianist. It's good stuff though.


----------



## Guest

For music history class: 









Very nice to see that a woman composer is one of the first true composers ever, and that she is highly recognized for her musical contributions.


----------



## science

I have the Solti also, but I like Bernstein's slower tempo in the first movement - very nice sense of majesty, grandiosity. I wish Mozart and Beethoven could've worked with a brass section like this too.


----------



## Vesteralen

*HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*

This is by far the most beautiful recording of the Rodrigo Concerto I have ever heard.

Add to it Stephen Goss' creation of a new concerto from the music of Albeniz, and you've got a real winner.

If you've never appreciated this music before, try it!


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

*Britten: Cello Sonata in C, Op.65*

Artists	
Yo-Yo Ma;Emanuel Ax




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013D6T4Y/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317470458&sr=8-1

Actually I quite fine performance by Ma. Nice interplay with Ax on piano.

*Britten: Diversions, for piano left hand and orchestra, Op.21*

Artists	
Peter Donohoe/City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V71K7I/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317397238&sr=8-5

Loveley work, spiced up with small detailes, and more dramatic moments.
Nice sencitive piano by Peter Donohoe

*Britten: Lachrymae: Reflections on a Song of Dowland, for viola and string orchestra, Op.48a*

Artists	
Malcolm Allison-viola
London Festival Orchestra
Ross Pople 




http://www.amazon.com/Variations-Theme-Bridge-Lachrymae-Britten/dp/B000005I9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317399027&sr=8-1

Very delicate and meditative piece. An excellent and sensitive playing here. Sometimes you hear almost nothing but the nerve in the piece is there! Towards the end it lightens up a bit, but is still beautiful sensitive.

*Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op.20*

Artists	
Neville Marriner, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-B-Sinfonietta-Honegger-Liturgique/dp/B004A232WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317395239&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4*, by George Tintner. The way he interprets the first movement consistently gets my attention.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Vita Cernoch









Beautiful! Fine version with great sound and performance. I really love these pieces. Nice for the mood! The larghetto is so beautifull that it is difficult to discribe in words. Absolutely one of the nicest pieces I know. And it is a showpiece for violinists to play, I think. Not virtuose playing, but I think it will show if you have the emphaty inside you to convey strong feelings in your playing.

*Dvorák: B.19 String Quartet No.4*

Artists	
Prague String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-String-Quartets-Antonin/dp/B00002DEH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315216259&sr=8-1

The prague string quartet has a box of Dvorak`s string quartets. With wery good sound and well performed. All on Spotify. But they are alone...Nothing more to find, mainly. And that is a surprice, since some of them are really good! This one is a fine string quartet. In fact it is exelent! It is quite long to be a string quartet, over 35 minutes. But there is a lot of variations, so that is no problem.

*Dvorák: B.28 op5 Piano Quintet *

Artists	
Arcus Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Quintet-Arte-Dvorak/dp/B000005I8X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315217548&sr=8-1

Good version. The soundscape is really multi-dimentional. Piano a bit harch maybe. Fine work.


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata no. 23 in f-minor, Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

*d'Indy: Op. 81, Piano Quintet in G minor (1924)*

Artists	
New Budapest String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/INDY-Piano-Quintet-String-Quartet/dp/B000004632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315757837&sr=8-1

The "under a kettle lid" feeling of the sound distroyes a lot of this listening. Sad, the performance seem very good, and the work is full of seeking sequences, and is very colourfull. Beautiful interplay between piano and strings, but a very distant sound.

*d'Indy: Op. 84, Cello Sonata in D (1924-5)*

Artists	
Alexis Galpérine, François Kerdoncuff, Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-dIndy-Sonata-violin-piano/dp/B003UTPQKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315755393&sr=8-1

Very intriguing and beautiful work, but unfortunately also this version marked by inferior sound. Strong and clear, but harsch. Very good interaction between piano and violin. And a very good performance make it easier to bare up with the sound.

*d'Indy: Op. 50, Chansons et danses for wind instruments*

Artists	
National Chamber Players
Lowell Graham




http://www.amazon.com/Nonets-Septets-Childrens-Villa-Lobos-Stravinsky/dp/B000003M67/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1315759991&sr=8-10

Hmmm, maybe I should go washing my ears. Fantastic playing but the sound is harsch.... It MAY be my ears, or the spotify version/ripping, so pay more attention to my descriptions of work/performance. Very warm and melodic work with lovely little touches. Nice performance. Especially the bassoon are lovely.

*d'Indy: Op. 33, Tableaux de voyage*

Artists	
Gérard Marie Fallour




 

Supple and evocative work. Beautiful piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

*Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*

Artists	
John Moryl*




http://www.amazon.com/The-Magnificent-Flute/dp/B0015OCAO4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226453&sr=8-1

Hurray, it is not my ears! Incredible sound here. I have not heard so much of Enescu, but this bodes well. Wonderful flute. And pleasant piano in the background. But the piano also comes in front when neaded. Loveley interplay!

*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Edda Erlendsd?r & Bryndis Halla GYLFADOTTIR




http://www.discogs.com/buy/CD/Edda-Erlendsdr-Bryndis-Halla-GYLFADOTTIR-Kodaly-Martinu-Enescu-Janacek/223158-4827398

The sound is a bit distant, yet not so very annoying. Apart from that sounds both cello and piano pretty great.

Enescu is a composer, I am looking forward to exploring further. This is very powerful music, and very romantic. May not belong to the romantic periode, but I find a lot of later composers very romantic in their back-bone.

Loveley sonata! Hear how Enescu uses the instruments here from about 4.20 in the second movement. Simply amazing. This work, I think I will return to often. It is fantastic!

The interplay between cello and piano is very good, and they get the most beautiful moods.

*Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Mihail Sarbu piano
james creitz viola




http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-Viola-Benjamin-Britten/dp/B0000044IB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227488&sr=8-3

Not very good sound ... very distant, but certainly not harsh!

In what little I've heard of Enesku so I find him, never boring. He varies very much, and it is a joy to hear.

This concert piece requires a good chemistry between the piano and violin, and I must say that is the case here.

*Enescu: Piano Quartet No.1 in D, Op.16*

Artists	
Tammuz Piano Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Quartets-1-2-Enescu/dp/B00475Q1SY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315231206&sr=8-1

This is a piano quartet. Yet so is the piano sometimes barely audible. Quite strange. Cello and violin are well ahead in the soundstage. But it is a lovely work, and as soon as I start to think of it as a cello sonata, for example, it is almost perfect.

The work is very ingratiatingly and exciting.


----------



## fartwriggler

Just discovered Mendelssohn's octets-think they are mind blowing-I've loved his 'Songs without words' for some time....Beethoven's Violin Concerto is really starting to click as well....


----------



## Manxfeeder

Heinrich Biber, *Litanie de Sancto Josepho*. It's a lot more interesting than the title leads on, with its polychoral writing, brass interludes, and resouant acoustic. And it's only $6.99 at Amazon.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), New York Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-Titan-Adagio/dp/B00000FCKW/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315405281&sr=8-8










Samurai recommended this release.

The first movement seems to be stationary if it is a less good version. Not so here. Nerve from the start. And it is floating ease that go in your ear.

I have really learned to appreciate the symphony here eventually. It contains a lot. I will not say much about the work, but maybe a little bit about the version.

Bernstein has clearly if a good orchestra to play on. All parts of the orchestra is well presented.
And the sound is good. Very nice overall, and all the little nuances of the piece is very well communicated! I hear a version after this to have something to put it up against.

The fourth movement is far more energetic and dramatic compared to the first three. I feel that it is a bit hesitant, much more could have been expressed here.

So ... this is an excellent version of Titan, apart perhaps from the 4th movement, where I find it to passive


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan') Artists Slovakia Philharmonic Orchestra Zden*

Artists	
Slovakia Philharmonic Orchestra
Zdenek Kosler




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-1-Titan/dp/B0000013KH/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315419593&sr=1-6

Pretty good sound. And the light and floating is very well communicated. Individual instruments were better conveyed by Bernstein.
It all seems a bit vague .. The music offers vagueness, yes, but still ... it's too passive. That's when Mahler becomes boring.

Some moments in the symphony is still good communicated, but as a whole is not a very good version.

The fourth movement which I found quite passive at the Bernstein version, is not bad at all here though.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

*Messiaen : Le merle noir, for flute and piano, I/37*

Artists	
Yvonne Loriod




http://www.amazon.com/Inedits-Messiaen/dp/B00000JLND/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317303840&sr=8-4

Great sound and a beautiful flute! Messiaen is an exciting composer, maybe not this work is of his great, but it allows for an incredible instrument performance!

*Messiaen : Oiseaux exotiques, for piano, 11 winds and 7 percussion, I/41*

Artists	
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Royal concertgebouw orchestra




http://www.classicalstore.com/store/product/olivier-messiaen-complete-edition-box-set

Incredible sound. Very good performance of an interresting piece. The orchestra troll out some incredible sounds. I have not listened to the record, but this work sounds so good, that I will believe that the rest of the record is amazing too.

*
Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Liebeck (Artist), Farrell (Artist)




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messiaen-Quartet-End-Time/dp/B002G3B5US/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317308187&sr=8-1

Incredible listen! And it is a fine version, expressing the magic very well. The sound is fabulous, when I hear the oboe in the Abyss of the birds, it's as if I stand amid the performers


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.47 {original 1930 and revised 1947 versions}.* Both versions feature the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica*"}, performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Oskaar

*10*

I go a bit back in time and listen to some of which I have been given 10 out of 10 in my personal ratings.

*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3*

Artists	
Ruggiero Ricci

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.3 in C, Op.2, No.3*

Artists	
Emil Gilels

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.5, Op.55*

Artists	
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
viktoria postnikova


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Where I have always struggled with Schoenberg and found him too "lumpen" and leaden... like Brahms at his worst without the tonality... this is not so of Berg. And once again I find I immediately warm to Berg's work. I already have another version of the Lyric Suite, but I find this one "special" on several accounts. Surely the Kronos Quartet plays this music in a manner at once deft... sensuous... fluid... and lyrical. But it also brings to our attention the original vocal finale of berg's suite.

The work was famously an expression of Berg's tragic love for Hanna Fuchs-Robbetin. Berg had already been married some 14 years, but he was overwhelmed with a grande passion for Hanna, the sister of the Austrian novelist Franz Werfel, the wife of a Prague industrialist and mother of two. Divorce for either was unthinkable and only rarely, through missives sent via trusted confidants count the two communicate or arrange the rare clandestine meetings. The affair was impossible and heart-breaking for both. Hanna broke down in tears at seeing Berg at an opera house. Berg drunkenly wandered the streets for hours and ending standing beneath his beloved's window in a silent parody of the ritual of courtly love.. The two resigned themselves to a silent suffering of this love that could not be.

Berg's Lyric Suite was laden with symbolic expressions of this love which were only later (1977) deciphered by the musical scholar George Perle who had access to the original annotated copy of the score sent by Berg to Hanna. With this, Perle discovered that the suite originally concluded with a setting for quartet and soprano of Baudelaire's poem, _De profundis clamavi_ in the German translation by the German Symbolist, Stephan George. This concept of transcending the inarticulate expression of the instrumental with song was of course born of Beethoven's 9th Symphony in which the bass soloist suddenly silences the orchestra to announce the song of brotherhood. Berg's mentor, Schoenberg, adapted the idea to his string quartet, the final movements of which adapt Stephan George's poems, _Litany_ and _Transport_.
Berg must have suspected that the performance of the suite with the original intended vocal finale would have resulted in a too obvious comparison with Schoenberg... but also... considering the lyrics of the chosen text by Baudelaire:

_To you, you sole dear one, my cry rises
Out of the deepest abyss in which my heart has fallen.
There the landscape is dead, the air like lead
And in the dark, curse and terror well up...

I envy the lot of the most common animal
Which can plunge into the dizziness of a senseless sleep...
So slowly does the spindle of time unwind._

it would have led to unwanted speculation among the scandal-mongering Viennese, and so once again Berg resigned himself to silence, and the melody composed for Baudelaire's words was dispersed among the instruments of the quartet. This melody was reconstructed by Perle. By placing this melody once again before the quartet, the shattering finale draws clearer thematic connections to Wagner's _Tristan und Isolde_, itself a masterpiece of love and suffering in silence. In Berg's setting the voice ends before the quartet, conveying, perhaps, that there are no longer any words fitting to such suffering. Each instrument of the quartet then equally dies away... losing its voice in silence.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 9 [Disc 04]
Haydn: Piano Trios Nos. 18-22 [Disc 4]*

Good morning - some Haydn chamber music to start the day


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

When I was in the process of first building a collection of the standard repertoire of classical music, Charles Mackerras recording with the London Symphony Orchestra on Telarc was the "go to" disc for Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_. Over the years I have never felt the need for another, but just recently, after hearing the ear-opening Gergiev rendering of Tchaikovsky's tired Nutcracker on steroids, I thought to give this disc a spin as well.

I was surprised... almost shocked... at the slow pace Gergiev initially takes with the opening theme... but then all hell breaks loose. This is one damn muscular recording of _Scheherazade_! As one reviewer on Amazon suggests, "Who would have guessed that Scheherazade is actually a big-boned Russian farmer's daughter?":lol: Admittedly, such an approach may not be for everybody... but then again, just as with the various HIP recordings, it is great to come upon a disc that shakes the dust off of some of the old tired masterworks that we have heard played the same way a million times. Mackerras' recording may sound rather staid... if not positively tame in comparison. This is not to suggest that this is the recording to end all recordings. Mackerras' interpretation is certainly far better at bringing out the subtle nuances... and the LSO is undoubtedly the far more polished orchestra. Gergiev might strike some as too much "in your face", and the close placed microphones reinforce this. Is this Rimsky-Korsakov meets rock n roll... or rather is it closer to crude Russian peasant muscularity? It certainly is a thrilling disc worthy of hearing.


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Don Quixote, Op. 35*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I find that I quite like Uchida's "light" and deft take on Schoenberg (as well as Berg and Webern) honed, as it is, upon the repertoire of Mozart, Schubert, and Debussy. She is able to erase the sense of leaden-ness that plagues many of the recordings I have heard of Schoenberg.


----------



## Sid James

*@ Vesteralen* - the Rodrigo/Albeniz guitar concertos album with Xuefei Yang looks great. I think I will get it. I am just getting into guitar area - Aussie solo guitar & concertos, as well as Vivaldi, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Rodrigo, Albeniz, SCarlatti, J.S. Bach, etc. It's great, it has substance, bears repeated listening, so well crafted, innovative, and can be extremely soothing, relaxing. I just listened to a friend's album of John Williams, the info is on my blog, a great recital even incl. Russian and Japanese composers for solo guitar, which I never knew existed.

You've kind of made my day, I think that will be perfect!...


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Sid James

Yesterday, some listening with a friend to recordings, details on my blog. Have a look, I put a bit of effort to describe what we felt with these pieces. Incl. solo guitar, chamber and a concerto. Anyway, I'm also doing some individual listening today -

*Album: Australian Guitar Music Recital
Aleksandr Tsiboulski, guitar*
(Naxos)

*Ross Edwards *-
Blackwattle Caprices 
Guitar Dances (arr. A. Walter for guitar)

*Phillip Houghton* -
Stele

*Peter Sculthorpe* -
From Kakadu
Into the Dreaming (version for guitar) 
Djilile (arr. S. Wingfield for guitar)

*Graeme Koehne*
A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design

*Brett Dean*
3 Caprichos after Goya

Took me a few listens to connect with this Ukranian born Australian guitarist's style but now I just love this. He's very accurate technically, more restrained emotionally as far as I can hear, but his sound is very rich and full bodied.

These composers are all of different generations. *Sculthorpe's* music engages with Aboriginal native music and our landscape, *Edwards* has the same inspiration but is more repetitive and minimalist, *Houghton* is a bit difficult for me to describe but there are Flamenco techniques in there, I think, *Koehne* is more commercial and lounge music, but still quite emotional, showing hints of the "dark side," and *Dean *is like atonal meets Flamenco, he's said he is influenced by Alban Berg and in this piece he puts into music the famous etchings of the Spanish artist Goya.

All up this is a great album, great repertoire coverage, great sound (maybe a bit too "close" but I'm being fussy if I say that), excellent playing from an award winning guitarist. The only downside is the cover, which is the usual cliche of Uluru (Ayers Rock) & the Red Centre. Couldn't you make it look a bit less like a poster from the Australian Tourist Board, guys??? :lol: ...

*Martha Argerich, Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich, pianos
Works for two pianos by Bartok, Mozart, Debussy*
(Universal)

In a word, superb & one of the best albums I own.


----------



## tdc

Sid James said:


> *@ Vesteralen* - the Rodrigo/Albeniz guitar concertos album with Xuefei Yang looks great. I think I will get it. I am just getting into guitar area - Aussie solo guitar & concertos, as well as Vivaldi, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Rodrigo, Albeniz, SCarlatti, J.S. Bach, etc. It's great, it has substance, bears repeated listening, so well crafted, innovative, and can be extremely soothing, relaxing. I just listened to a friend's album of John Williams, the info is on my blog, a great recital even incl. Russian and Japanese composers for solo guitar, which I never knew existed.
> 
> You've kind of made my day, I think that will be perfect!...


Some other guitar/lute composers really worth checking out: Brouwer, Walton, Barrios-Mangore, Piazolla, Koshkin, Mertz, Ginastera, Villa Lobos, Dyens, Tarrega, Falla, Sanz, Granados, Soler, Ruiz-Pipo, Dowland, Aguado, Legnani, Coste, Lauro, Guiliani, Sainz de la Maza and Sor.


----------



## science

Also, Weiss.


----------



## science

A work I've hardly ever listened to.


----------



## science

My 3rd favorite recording of my 4th favorite Beethoven symphony. Haven't listened to it in a long time, but it sure does show how far recording technology has come. Still, it is dramatic, and the sound has a nice, thick old-fashioned opacity to it.


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen* - _Quartet for the End of Time_
- The _Louange a l'Eternite de Jesus _movement
HERE on youtube.
Yvonne Loriod, piano / Manuel Fischer-Dieskau, cello (he is one of the three sons of singer Dietrich)

Amazing recording, this is benchmark. Unfortunately only one movt., on youtube. This is full of humanity. I can hear Ms Loriod "speaking" through the piano of her husband's expierences in the POW camp during the war. The cellist is so spiritual and deep. I've heard this live, and other recorded versions, it is one of my favourite works. If I could get this account, I would, I actually asked about it in the shop but it's out of print. HOpefully it'll come back in print soon, it is simply a version that will be very hard to surpass in many ways, even judging from this one movement...


----------



## Sid James

*P. Hindemith* - _Violin Concerto_
David Oistrakh, violin / London SO / composer conducting (rec. 1962)
HERE on youtube

I reviewed this HERE earlier on this thread amongst other things. Basically, I'd say this concerto equals if not trumps many of the mainstream "big name" ones of it's time easily. I'm not saying this to look good or be intellectual or "smart" but because I really believe it. I sent this recording a few years back to a friend overseas who had basically no experience with this kind of "atonal" music, and this friend wrote in an email back to me (exact words) "it is so emotional." So there you go, there could be no other better accolade for this composer who some say has no or little emotion or is dry, and I've even sent this friend other modern composers music, and yet this garnered the most telling reaction...


----------



## science

Got this because I am a fan of Hadjidakis, and I am very satisfied with the music. Beautiful 20th century songs, closer to folk than classical music.

Edit: However, I want to make clear that if anyone is interested in Hadjidakis, this disk is not the one I recommend. My recommendation would be "Savina Yannatou Sings Manos Hadjidakis."










It's a little hard to find, but it is completely worth the effort. One of my highest recommendations.


----------



## science

#2


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

*Britten: Simple Symphony, Op.4*

Artists	
Ucla Wind Ensemble/Orchestra Da Camera Di Roma




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZWAVG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317394327&sr=8-1

*Britten: Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op.10*

Artists	
Violons du Roy, Les




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Les-Illuminations/dp/B0041NJUNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317410007&sr=8-1

*Britten: Sinfonietta, for chamber orchestra, Op.1*

Artists	
Tapiola Sinfonietta
Osmo Vanska




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Sinfonietta-Serenade-Crimson-Nocturne/dp/B002WMJOMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317407274&sr=8-1


----------



## Conor71

*Rautavaara: Cantus Articus, Piano Concerto No. 1, Symphony No. 3*


----------



## Oskaar

*Schedrin * Gruner * Bloch * Jolivet: Trumpet Concertos*

Artists	
jouko harjanne and Finnish Radio Symph Orch and Saraste




http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001F4XH3W/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316524291&sr=8-4


----------



## Sid James

*Nostalgica Album by Saffire, The Australian Guitar Quartet* (ABC classics)
The AGQ are made up of guitarists Antony Field, Slava Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp, Gareth Koch

*Works by Piazzolla, J. Martin, Bartok, R. Dyens, Celtic trad., B. Whelan, Nigel Westlake, Deep Purple band*
Arrangements by members of the quartet (except Westlake's new work, which is an original)
Recorded Brisbane, Queensland, 2004

A great album, I'm beginning to get into the guitar area now. These guys are the finest guitarists we have in this country, in both classical and cross-over styles. This album has arrangements of classical, light and traditional music & also a world premiere of a work for this group penned by one of our foremost composers, Nigel Westlake. It's called _Six Fish_ and it images different types of fish with watery effects that would not be out of place in Debussy if he'd written for guitar. I can't single out one single work here, all are superb, and it's interesting because different types of guitars are used, with different strings and different bodies, etc. This is music at the level of a string quartet, it's very accomplished, as reviewer Goran Forslin writes -



> ...I don't take "light music" lightly. This is playing on the same level as the world's finest string quartets, the same flexible interplay, the same "eye-contact". Must play it again, Sam!...


Read full review, full details HERE at MusicWeb.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS # 14 and 15, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet. I think one would be extremely hard pressed to try and find 2 other pieces as depressing and despairing as these 2 SQS are.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in B-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich*.*


----------



## science

Listening to the trio, which is becoming one of my favorite Mozart works.


----------



## Guest

Felt like buying something, and I really enjoy Fretwork - I was introduced to them when I found their recording of Bach's The Art of Fugue at my local library some time ago.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting the day with a couple obscure works written outside their time, Symphony No. 1 by Nicholas Flagello and Symphony No. 3 by Marcel Tyberg.


----------



## tdc

science said:


> Listening to the trio, which is becoming one of my favorite Mozart works.


I find this post confusing! Which 'trio' are you referring to? I notice the cd cover is indicating String Quintets, so I don't know if you are referring to this particular 'trio' of cds, or one of Mozart's actual trios...

edit - Nevermind, I believe I've figured it out - you are referring to the String Trio K 563


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Missa Dei Patris,* Jan Dismas Zelenka. Zelenka is always interesting. But personally, I'm disappointed in the choir; it's too big, so it's set farther from the mics than I would like.


----------



## Guest

tdc said:


> I find this post confusing! Which 'trio' are you referring to? I notice the cd cover is indicating String Quintets, so I don't know if you are referring to this particular 'trio' of cds, or one of Mozart's actual trios...
> 
> edit - Nevermind, I believe I've figured it out - you are referring to the String Trio K 563


And a wonderful String Trio it is!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Benedetto Marcello's *Estro Poetico-armonico*, his response in some ways to Vivaldi's L'estro arminoco, though it's a set of vocal pieces.


----------



## Oskaar

*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Richard Frank
Szeged Symphony Orchestra
Robert Hart Baker




http://www.amazon.com/Eccentrics-Se...GSZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317670349&sr=8-1

Unfortunately the sound is not very good. But not to bad. And I find the performance quite good! At least instrumental acchievments. Orchestral acchievment is under pari. There should have been more intensity in the more dramatic parts. The work is very nice!.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Yuliya Gorenman
Zurich Orchestra (Orchestra), Yefim Bronfman




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Piano-Concerti-Nos/dp/B003U0J0NU/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1317052887&sr=8-17

I think I have fallen in love with this concerto.. Beethoven does not use very large measures here. He just plays on the beautiful, romantic and beautifully melodic.
Nice performance, but not to good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: Symphony No. 2 in E flat, Op. 35*

Artists	
Rhenish Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Halasz




http://www.amazon.com/Goldmark-Symphony-No-Op-Penthesilea/dp/B000QQTBWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315735442&sr=8-1










Great version of a very colorful symphony. The sound is perhaps above average, but not particularly good.

Performances, however, superior to my ears. Very lovely in the lyrical sections, as well as the more dramatic. Close and good interplay in the orchestra.

The first movement is brisk and light. The other is more quiet and lyrical, with some really great moments. Really superior! The third is very easy, and maybe a little boring.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony* *No*.*2* *in* *D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. *Both works feature the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Colin Davis.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op. 98. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark: Piano Quintets Op. 30 & Op. 54*

Oliver Triendl
Quatour Sine Nomine




http://www.amazon.com/Karl-Goldmark-Piano-Quintets-Op/dp/B001C7D264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736962&sr=8-1










*Goldmark: Piano Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 30*
Listen arround 6.30 in the first movement! Extraordinary! I find this first quintet very exiting to listen to.
Oversetter
It has some challenges for the ensemble, and I think they meet the challenges in a very good way.

The second movement is incredibly beautiful. Sensitive and colorful. perfect interaction between the various instruments. This quintet can be a favorite! This movement is long ... 15 minutes, and I'm glad.

The third is a bit snappier, but also very beautiful.

The fourth is playful, and allows for virtousitet, but it is also lyrical in between ..

The performance is excellent and the sound is good. The ensemble balances well with each other, and they are incredibly talented, both in terms of drama and sensitivity.

*Goldmark: Piano Quintet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 54*

The next quintet is also amazing, it is added almost symphonic tools making the experience much greater than what the format would suggest.

I'm not that good to describe, it's so much emotion as the music, which I would like translated in words, but it is not easy. These two quintets is so great that everyone should have had the oppurtunity to listen to them. They will undoubtably be much recorded in the future!


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS # 14 and 15, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet. I think one would be extremely hard pressed to try and find 2 other pieces as depressing and despairing as these 2 SQS are...


Agreed, they're pretty draining. I've got them on Naxos by the Eder Quartet (a Hungarian group). Esp. memorable is the Baroque on acid finale of the #14, and the part in #15 when the violin plays a 12 note row, then the cello takes it up but only manages 8 notes of the row. It's kind of humorous, but a kind of dark and bitter humour. I don't think Shosty was a big fan of serialism, this was like a send-up of it, it was like saying "this is ****."



> ...Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in B-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich*.*


I'm not that highly familiar with #6, but I'm a big fan of #1. I also like some of his other symphonies, the one that really stands out is #5, the slow movement esp. is beyond words...


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> I think I have fallen in love with this concerto.. Beethoven does not use very large measures here. He just plays on the beautiful, romantic and beautifully melodic...


RE *Beethoven's PC#4* - No wonder you've fallen in love *oskaar*, so did I many moons ago. So innovative, esp. in terms of opening with the piano (a cadenza? but it's definitely a long solo passage), Beethoven goes straight for the jugular, he doesn't muck about there. The first recording I heard was by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, recently I've heard a friend's recording with the late Rudolf Serkin under the baton of Seiji Ozawa & a few years back I heard it live with European pianist Dejan Lazic (who played it well, but used his own cadenzas, which I thought weren't really appropriate, they sounded too beefy). But otherwise I enjoyed Mr. Lazic's performance. I also like the final movement which is pure unrestrained joy.

As for Goldmark, interesting you mention him, I want to get some of his famous pieces, eg. the violin concerto & Rustic Wedding symphony. He was one of the better Brahmsians...


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> RE *Beethoven's PC#4*As for Goldmark, interesting you mention him, I want to get some of his famous pieces


 Violin concerto and rustic wedding is nice, but I did not fall for them as I did with the piano quintets. They were really special.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to the solo tracks on this album of concertos by two Aussie composers -

*P. Sculthorpe *(bonus tracks for solo guitar)
- _Into the Dreaming
- From Kakadu_
John Williams, guitar (Sony)

A very lyrical take on _From Kakadu _here compared to Aleksandr Tsiboulski's interpretation on his recital on Naxos. John Williams is more kind of relaxed and the main theme - an Aboriginal song from Kakadu in Northern Australia - is very beautifully rendered here. The other work _Into the Dreaming _is less arresting for me than_ From Kakadu_, but both kind of prove that Peter Sculthorpe is one of the best composers for guitar in this country. I look forward to listening to his and Nigel Westlake's guitar concertos on this album very soon.


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> recently I've heard a friend's recording with the late Rudolf Serkin under the baton of Seiji Ozawa


 Listening to it right now. Superb!. They dont make to much out of if, just follow the gentleness of the work.

Serkin play velvet soft, and that suites the work perfectly. He is not passive, it is a lot of tension and empathy.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

oskaar said:


> *Goldmark: Piano Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 30*
> 
> *Goldmark: Piano Quintet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 54*


Agree. I bought the same CD earlier in the year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have only two CDs of music by Goldmark; that and his violin concerto. I'm surprised these quintets haven't been recorded earlier (the CPO CD was released in 2008), again showing the classical music recording industry is alive and well.


----------



## samurai

Sid James said:


> Agreed, they're pretty draining. I've got them on Naxos by the Eder Quartet (a Hungarian group). Esp. memorable is the Baroque on acid finale of the #14, and the part in #15 when the violin plays a 12 note row, then the cello takes it up but only manages 8 notes of the row. It's kind of humorous, but a kind of dark and bitter humour. I don't think Shosty was a big fan of serialism, this was like a send-up of it, it was like saying "this is ****."
> 
> I'm not that highly familiar with #6, but I'm a big fan of #1. I also like some of his other symphonies, the one that really stands out is #5, the slow movement esp. is beyond words...


I completely agree with you about the Prokofiev *5th's* adagio movement, it is really very beautiful.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 39 
Emmanuel Krivine conducting the Sinfonia Varsovia


----------



## HerlockSholmes

I'm currently obssessed with a completely obscure orchestral recording of Bach's Art of Fugue.
No conductor name. No orchestra name. No ****ing nothing! It makes me angry!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Spectacular! And the disc includes a DVD recording of all three works (The Violin Concerto, the Piano Trio no. 1, and the Violin Sonata in F-Major) in live performance.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Sounds good,* stlukes*, except it doesn't look good cos I don't like pink . I've seen that around the traps but am not in for buying, I think I've already got his piano trios which is the area I like most.

I think Ms Mutter's playing is kind of less heavy on vibrato as I remember it to be in her older recordings. I think she's dropped that mannerism which I found kind of annoying and gone for a more kind of normal sound. Her Bach/Gubaidulina disc impressed me on the whole, as it did a friend of mine. She has certainly got the chops, imo, Maestro von Karajan was right about her considerable talents...


----------



## kv466

Vincent d'Indy - Symphony on a French Mountain Air 
Charles Dutoit conducts the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Jean-Yves Thibaudet al piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8*, by George Tintner.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rawsthorne: Concerto, Divertimento / Lloyd-Jones, Northern Chamber Orchestra*

Composer 
Alan Rawsthorne

*Works	*

*Concerto for Strings*
My first listening to Rawsthorn. A very nice surprise! This work gives me a "metallic" feel. I t may be the wery clear sound. Or the quick changing intensive string-play. Very nice indeed.
Second movement is calmer and warmer. More use of cello. Contrasts beetween the warm and melodic, and the cold "metallic", makes it a very rewarding listening.

*Concertante pastorale*
Beautiful piece, full of colours, mainly made by flute and other wind instruments playing up against, and integrated with the orchestra.

*Light music*
Short piece.. I did not like it..stressy!

*Suite for Recorder and String Orchestra*
I also dont find this work particulary good. Some medieval tendenses in the flute play, but mostly boring. But I will of course relisten to it! It can grow on me.

*Elegiac Rhapsody*
Much more exiting, and quite spooky!

*Divertimento*
Nice contrasts. Loveley work.

Very good sound and performance!

*Artists* 
David Lloyd-Jones (Conductor), Northern Chamber Orchestra (Performer), David Lloyd-Jones (Artist), John Turner (Artist), Conrad Marshall (Artist), Rebecca Goldberg




http://www.amazon.com/Rawsthorne-Concerto-Divertimento-Lloyd-Jones-Orchestra/dp/B00000IMFM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317741696&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Mussorgsky - Ravel: Pictures & Reflections*

_Artists	_
Andreas Boyde

Composer 
Mussorgsky

_Work	_
*Pictures at an Exhinition*
First time listening to this work, I know it from Emerson Lake and Palmer though.
Nice, gentle, and a bit trolly piano. A bit hollow and harch sound. Boyde dont get tempted to be too dramatic, and holding a bit back makes more room for shades. Beautifully played. I like the work quite much, and I beleve future listening will make it even more rewarding. But if the performance is not sensitive enough, I think it will be boring.
The ending is unbelievable!

Ravel

_Work	_
*Miroirs*
I find it nice, but I thinks it takes some relistenings to capture all flavors of this work. Wery gentle and sensitive performance.





http://www.amazon.com/Mussorgsky-Ravel-Pictures-Reflections/dp/B000R01MCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317745082&sr=8-1


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## Oskaar

*Dvorák, Elgar: Cello Concertos*

Composer 
Antonin Dvorak

_Work	_
*Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191
* It is a very fine concerto, with a lot of drama, and also fantastic small lyrical movements.. I love the bass-section of this orchestra! The slow horn-section in the beginning of the first movement is accompagned by a loveley quivering nerve in the orchestra. All this before the cello even has started.

Maria Kliegel dont play in big letters, but very beautiful, and sensitive, from the almost not hearable, to big drama. She is VERY present! Another cellist with a lot of recordings, Yo-Yo Ma is often very not present..That is my opinion. I am not an expert though, and I have heard little, so you Ma lovers would have no problem to argue me down...:cheers: But personal experiance is hard to argue.. Loveley orchestra, super sound. I dont find much negative here. 1:40 in the second movement...Hard to beat. Many fine moments.

Edward Elgar

_Work	_
*Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85*
The Elgar concero is also beautiful, but is very depending on good performing, not to be to boring or too "sweet". Here it is very good. Maria Kliegel`s cello is sweet and melancolic, and delightfully uplifting at the same time. 7:40 in the first movement, and the calm a bit later...one of many moments.

_Artists_ 
Maria Kliegel
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Halasz





http://www.amazon.com/Dvor%C3%A1k-Elgar-Concertos-Antonin-Dvorak/dp/B0000013SX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317747456&sr=8-1


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## Oskaar

*Massenet-Werther*

_Composer	_ 
Massenet

_Work	_
*Werther*
I dont often listen to vocal music...yet. But this fantastic. Orchestra, childrens choire, male and female voices in a fantastic blend! Fun and very rewarding listening, even if when dont understand french..:tiphat: Loveley performance, and fantastic sound. But I must admit that I so little used too vocal music, so the whole work are to long for me. But vocal music is another world to discover. I saw now it is two cd-s.... Well I am jumping off the vagon, but I will absolutely take a new ride later!

_Artists	_
Antonio Pappano (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Ensemble), Tiffin Children's Choir (Ensemble) and Angela Gheorghiu (Performer) 





http://www.tower.com/massenet-werther-antonio-pappano-cd/wapi/109105810


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57 *

Artists	
Igor Ardasev
ivan zenaty




http://www.amazon.com/Dvor%C3%A1k-Works-Violin-Piano-Hybrid/dp/B001CDL8QE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1314820404&sr=8-5

Amazing version of a very nice work from Dvorak. When the violin and the piano really is amalgamed, It is incredible. Lovely sound.
The second movement is very beautiful, and a bit out of the formula that is a bit to present in the first. Very nice violin! About 4:50 in this movements there are several nice moments in short time.

Work 
*Dvorák: B.51 op21 Piano Trio No.1*

Artists	
Joachim Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Dvor%C3%A1k-Piano-Trios-op-21/dp/B00004U2KK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316365178&sr=8-1

Fine version of a nice work. A bit to bombastic maybe in more dramatic parts. But very gentle and sensitive in the more lyric parts. The good interplay provides some very good moments. It is a long trio, over 35 minutes, an that can be long for a chamber work. But I find the work and performance very rich in colours and moments, so there are no problem here.

The second movement is quiet and incredibly beautiful. 've long been fond of Dvorak's chamber music. And in this movement he confirms to me his greatness.

Third is elegant and light, but also dramatic. The ensemble shift seamlessly between moods.

Work 
*Dvorák: B.28 op5 Piano Quintet *

Artists	
Smetana Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J5XL2C/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315217867&sr=8-7

Very good sound from the strings, but not from the piano. Not a particularely nice first movement. To much "made out of a formula"-feeling.

Third and fourth the same. I am not sure if this is a boring work, or it is the performance that make it boring...


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Norfolk Rhapsody, The Wasps, Thomas Tallis Fantasia and In the Fen Country.* All pieces performed by the Academy of St. Martin In The Field under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. *Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Arvo Part, Te Deum.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works feature the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to this -

*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_24 Caprichos de Goya for Guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Naxos, 2 disc set)

I quite enjoyed this, I bought this after listening to this composer's famous _Guitar Concerto #1_, which is a delightful work. I hear a lot of counterpoint in these _caprichos_ or _caprices_, so it's kind of neo-Baroque. As in the music of the old masters, C-T gives the impression of more than one instrument playing. Despite the surreal feel of Goya's famous etchings which served as inspiration for these works, the feeling of this music is kind of light overall, there are a few dark bits but that's an exception rather than being the rule. There's a strong Spanish flavour throughout, though this being written in the 1960's for Andres Segovia, it's more modern than say the guitar music of earlier c20th composers for the guitar. All of the 85 minute long work was interesting, I will definitely be returning to this again very soon.

& for the collectors out there, the booklet of this set includes reproductions of all of Goya's etchings that form the titles of these pieces, as well as commentary on how the art and music are related...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Mily Balakirev--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, *performed by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Golovschin.
Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.7 in F Major, Op.77 {"Pastoral"}, *featuring the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the baton wielded by Tadaaki Otaka.


----------



## Air

*Charles Ives
Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord"
John Kirkpatrick*

I've been exploring transcendentalism in literature recently. It's interesting how Ives ties in the romantic spirit of these authors into his unabashed dissonant and clustered style. It has this sprawling American mood to it that maintains a sort of 19th century nostalgia within its tonal ambiguity. Ultimately, the _Concord Sonata_ turn out to be a collection of abstract sketches of the worlds each of these authors saw the world through, on roughly the same ground. In _Emerson_, for example, there's this sort of "return to the spirit" feel that are reflected in many of his essays. It's a sort of spiritual awakening that reminds one of Bryant's "Thanatopsis", a poem that ties in closely with Emerson's vision. _Hawthorne_ is frenetic, a psychological thriller that one cannot separate from the turmoil of _The Scarlet Letter_. Then there's a quiet, dust-filled solitude, and a heroic march that soon turns into vain ambition. _The Alcotts_ is a gorgeous little reverie into the simple life of a normal Concord family, the March sisters perhaps, which one can almost envision knitting by the fire in a family room. Interestingly, _Thoreau_ is the hardest movement for me to grasp, and the hardest author of the four for me to understand thus far as well. It's amazing to think that all these great minds were once stepping over the same American soil. When one sees the work this way, the word "Concord" takes on a new meaning - it isn't isolated to a single town any more, but rather to the entire American Romantic spirit in general.

I've copied over my review from the keyboard works thread. Just thought it might be appropriate if anyone has any thoughts. It seems like a perfect example of one of those onion peel works - in which the more you understand about these authors the more you are able to ultimately connect with the inner meaning of each movement and the spirit Ives is bringing to life as a whole.


----------



## Sid James

^^ *Air*, I'm more familiar with *Ives*' _Piano Sonata #1_, but how you describe it's successor applies equally to this work. It's romanticism, the American sprawling open air feel, the family life and the town life. It gives me a feel of going for a hearty meal and a good cool tankard of ale after a hard day's work on the farm, esp. the "in the inn" movements with their honky tonk ragtime piano. I don't really detect a strong spirituality in the first sonata, but it's difficult to understand it like you would a fully finished work (the last two movements were apparently completed but lost). I have got the _Emerson Piano Concerto_ which was completed by an Ives scholar in recent years, and what I'd add to those things you talked about is that it is very dark, has a kind of epic feel, and there are quite a few references to the motto theme from Beethoven's _Symphony #5_ (fate knocking on the door), as there are in a number of his other works...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Air said:


> Just thought it might be appropriate if anyone has any thoughts. It seems like a perfect example of one of those onion peel works - in which the more you understand about these authors the more you are able to ultimately connect with the inner meaning of each movement and the spirit Ives is bringing to life as a whole.


Thanks for your thoughts. I have a recording of the piece which I have been through a few times, but as it is, it hasn't made much sense to me. I appreciate your putting it in context.


----------



## lou

Picked up this new Tori Amos CD yesterday.

It's her debut on Deutsche Grammophon.

She's created a song cycle based upon classical works.

This will probably be poo pooed on by many long time classical aficionados, but I find it interesting and it will likely inspire many Tori fans to check out the original works these songs are based upon.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting the day with Chopin's Etudes, Opus 10 and 25, by Murray Perahia.










Followed by Baroque Arias by Yoshikazu Mera.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann's String Quartet No. 1 with the Cherubinni Quartet.


----------



## kv466

Johann Hummel - Potpourri 
Theresa Bogard, fortepiano
John Dowdall, guitar


----------



## Oskaar

*Liszt: Faust Symphony, S.108, R.425*

_Artists_ 
*Leonard Bernstein* (Conductor), *Boston Symphony Orchestra* (Orchestra), *Tanglewood Festival Chorus* (Orchestra), *Kenneth Riegel*




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Faust-Symphony-Bernstein-Symphony-Orchestra/dp/B000001GQZ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317815245&sr=8-3

First time listening to this mighty work. And in this intense and powerfull version it is quite an experience.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 [Disc 1]*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Last night I got free passes from a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus to see the orchestra and chorus in a rehearsal of Mozart's Great Mass in C-Minor at Cleveland's Severance Hall. Severance is a great old Art Deco-era building that was recently fully renovated.



















The building itself actually contains a number of performance halls/stages ranging from stages suited to the performance of smaller intimate works such as string quartets, up to the large main stage where this work is to be performed:










The silver leaf makes the hall absolutely glow:



















The conductor, Franz Welser-Möst, spoke of this particular work as being especially "operatic" and pushed the orchestra for a powerful, theatrical interpretation. The orchestra numbered perhaps around 75 players with a full chorus of perhaps 100+ as well as the four soloists. The first soprano, Malin Hartelius (from Sweden) was particularly spectacular... and an orchestra favorite. In Welser-Möst's interpretation one could truly see the roots of what Beethoven would build upon.

Watching the rehearsal and listening to comments of the conductor to the orchestra, chorus, and various soloists... as well as hearing various sections played through several times with changing interpretations and changes in emphasis and accent, one was able to glean just how complex an undertaking it is to stage such a work of music. My wife and I are thinking of attending the final performances this weekend which will also include Richard Strauss Metamorphosis.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

_Artists_ 
*David Zinman* (Conductor), *Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra* (Orchestra), *Yefim Bronfman*




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...T4HU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1317052681&sr=8-7

I find this version very good. Fine sound, nice orchestra, and every instruments come out very clear. Piano is perhaps a bit to much in front in the soundscape, and that is specially noticeable in stronger parts. Othervise, a very fine versionof this fantastic concerto.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## joen_cph

*Boris Tishchenko *(1939 - 2010): _2.Violin Cto _(1981) 




Looking for Shostakovich´ s "late 3rd Violin Concerto" ? This could probably have a close resemblance of such a work, it´s a large piece lasting almost 50 mins.

Am exploring the oeuvre of this composer these days, and I must say that his perpetual, almost literal copying of traits from the late Shostakovich style as well as the martial, repetitive mood can be a bit irritating. The very harsh sounds of the Russian brass makes the music even more stressful.
The first part consists of some mostly martial variations lasting 30 mins. My impression is that this mood is probably kept for too long. 
The slower end section´s introduction has some fanfares that again calls one´s attention to Shostakovich, the slow movement of his 1st Violin Concerto, but the ongoings and the orchestration being much more complicated, at times of a Bartokian density, and there is no solo cadenza as with Dmitri. An impressive finish to the work, though.

The concerto blends monologue-like or sparse episodes with circus-like music, marches, percussive effects etc. The winds have a lot to say also in this piece. The grotesque elements seem to imply a certain critique of contemporary life (1981 in USSR ?), but it will be too harsh and aggressive for some listeners, or, on some days, most others . I recognize it´s an ambitious work, but ... I still have to find identify his, say, 3 most interesting or appealing works; whether this belongs to them, I´m not totally sure yet.

Tishchenko´s "_Double Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra_" (2006) is somewhat milder and quite catchy, almost to the level of film music (Cf. 21:20 ->...)


----------



## Oskaar

*À Capriccio*

_Composer	_ 
*Achron, Joseph*

Not long time since I listen to this, and I found it very good, so I give it a new try.
Eccelent sound!

_Works_
*1. Suite bizarre *
Both bizarre, and at the same time soft and romantic. Loveley interplay between violin and piano. Especially the *grimaces* movement is incredible. Often when the violin possibilities are streched to the limit, it can be a challenge to listen to. It is like the recording equippment cant cope with it. That is not the case here. Even the highest and most expressive tones gives great audio results.

*2. Two Pastels op.44 *
I especially like the second. Very playfull

*3. Pensée de L. Auer *

*4. Niccolo Paganini - Joseph Achron: 11 Caprices arranged for violin and piano * 
Small fine pieces, and the performance makes them loveley to listen to.

_Artists	_
Violin *Ingolf Turban* (Performer), Piano *Jascha Nemtsov* (Performer)*





http://www.amazon.com/À-Capriccio-J...8G2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315815201&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Violin Concertos 1-3*, by Fabio Biondi.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS # 7-10,* performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Vaughan Williams--*Variations for Orchestra and Dives and Lazarus--5 Variations. *Both pieces feature Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony* *No*.*7* *in* *C-Sharp* *Minor*, *Op*.*131* and *Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Oskaar

*John Adams*

_Work	_ 
Adams: *American Berserk*

_Artists	_
*Ralph van Raat*




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Co...DNO6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315818043&sr=8-3

A bit Joplin-like piano, a bit boring. This piece dont give me much. Like atonal ragtime. Niceley played though.

_Work_
Adams: *Berceuse elegiaque*

_Artists_ 
*Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra*
*Marin Alsop*




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Sh...B9F2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315818375&sr=8-1

Much nicer! Loveley soundscape. Very slow going, very dreamy. Impressingly sensitive orchestra, bringing out a garden of nice sounds and moments.

_Work	_ 
Adams: *Century Rolls*

_Artists	_
Performer: *Emanuel Ax* Orchestra: *Cleveland Orchestra*, Conductor: *Christoph von Dohnányi* 




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Ce...YR65/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315820020&sr=8-1

This is exiting, first movement is very repeating, but that can be a nice tool. Repeating music with small additions is often very rewarding, challenging your attention. But there are also fast shifts here. Suddenly a new thema, several repeatings. Very nice!
Second movement is nice rolling piano with very gentle orchestra filling out.
Third is called Hail Bop, and it is a liveley jumping movement, filled with small details. Incredible interplay beetween the performers. Fantastic! If you have the chance, and dont want to listen to the whole work, just give this movement a try!
Very good sound, and the performance is also very good.

_
_Work
Adams: *Chamber Symphony*

_Artists	_
*John Adams/London Sinfonietta*




http://www.amazon.com/Chamber-Symph...MZMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315820303&sr=8-1

This is another fantastic work. great orchestra, in first movement there are use of a lot of percussion tools, horns and strings, played fast, into a loveley amalgam. The result is absoluteley not foggy or messy, every detail comes clearly to the front.
Second movement is slower, but also with an arsenal of sounds and detailes. The double bass is very much carrying it all. Very facinating! (Name is aria with walking bass)
Third movement is a bit to messy for my head right now. But at second listening I will get it for sure. The performance is not messy!


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: The Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano (Dynamic)*

_Artists_ 
*Mariana Sirbu* , *Mihail Sarbu*




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Three-...Q3ZO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315232618&sr=8-1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

Listened to the recital of *Australian guitar music*, *Castelnuovo-Tedesco's *_Guitar Concerto #1_ & some of his _Caprichos_ for guitar, all on Naxos, but I'll talk about this now -

*Joaquin Rodrigo*
_Cello Concerto - "Concierto como un divertimento" _
Julian Lloyd-Webber, cello / London PO / Jesus Lopez-Cobos, cond.
(Sony Classics)

This is a wonderful work. I esp. like how Rodrigo writes with sensitivity and delicacy for the orchestra, thus not smothering the tones of the cello. It's more of a conversation between the cello & orch., not a competition for the limelight. The use of brass as a kind of highlight is also interesting. In the second movement, the cello is joined by a celesta, & in the finale, a vibraphonist joins in the fray. A very gratifying work to listen to, here expertly played by the guy it was written for, Mr Lloyd Webber. I haven't gotten around to listening to the Delius and Lalo concertos on the disc yet, I'm just soaking in this work by Rodrigo now.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*String Quartet No.10 in A-Flat Major, Op.108,* performed by the Eder String Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

^^ What do you think of the Eder SQ's sound compared to others you've heard, *Samurai*? I find them quite rich and woody, resonant, like most Hungarian SQ groups. Did you like their performance? Any other thoughts?

...As I've mentioned, I've got SQ's 14 & 15 of their Shostakovich cycle on Naxos...

BTW - The _Italian_ is a joy! I've read the theme of the slow movement is actually not Italian but something like Czech. But the overall sunny feel is very Italian, it could be nothing else. A work of pure genius, one of the few that I've got a few recordings of, it sounds quite difficult to bring off well, sometimes the players get a bit bogged down (it's no walk in the park for them, I think, same with things like Schubert's 4th or Bizet's _Symphony in C_, some really tricky rhythmic things in those). Glad you're enjoying some of the best of the best!...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, After listening today to both the Emerson and the Eider String Quartets performing the *10th* *SQ* of Shostakovich, I must say that I find the Eder sound to be cleaner and less "busy" and muddled. I also noticed that they take about 2 minutes longer than the Emersons in completing this work; in other words, they sound less rushed. I am going to listen to their renditions of SQS # 11 and 13 tomorrow night, after baseball, of course.
I also agree with your assessment of the Mendelssohn *4th* *Symphony*. I intend to also listen to his *3rd* *Symphony {"Scottish"} *within the next few days. Are you familiar with this work as well? And if so, how would you compare the two pieces?


----------



## Sid James

Thanks for your reply, *samurai.

* Re *Mendelssohn's Scottish, *it's been a favourite of mine for like over 20 years. I think it was pretty innovative for it's time in opening with a slow movement that is quite dramatic and kind of tragic but ends quietly and kind of like a dirge (I always thought this might be in solidarity with Scottish independence movement, but I don't think that holds water, Mendelssohn was a friend of the British monarchy, I doubt if this was a republican statement). In any case, the tragedy to triumph narrative of this symphony as a whole strongly resembles that of Beethoven's 5th symphony. But Mendelssohn is very melodic and kind of easier listening.

...If you're interested in piano concertos as well, I'd strongly recommend *Mendelssohn's two piano concertos*, they are just about as innovative & engaging as Liszt's composed around the same time (mid c19th). I don't fully agree with people who brand Mendelssohn as a conservative. More leaning towards the old traditions of the Classical Era than some of the other Romantics, maybe, but he did produce a legacy that was forward looking at least in some respects...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahler, Symphony No. 3, Bernstein.


----------



## kv466

So far about two hours of a youtube Prokofiev mix...hard to express in words!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

*3 tone poems*

_Work	_
*Liszt: Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne ('Bergsymphonie'), S.95, R.412*
My experience with Liszt so far is that he dont make indifferent music. He undoubtly lays his whole soul and efford in it. Some works can at first seem a little heavy, and a bit difficult to listen to, but that is just at first. This work is great, and great performed. Fine variations between the a bit heavy and "trolly", and the feather light. It is a live recording, so it is both coughing and applause. But it is a bear.

_Artists	_
*Gábor Farkas, 
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Zoltán Kocsis*




http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liszt-Préludes-Hungarian-Fantasy-montagne/dp/B005KGGZ08/ref=dm_ap_alb12

_Work	_ 
*Liszt: Die Ideale*
Nice work this too, but I find the first bether. Very good sound and performance.

_Artists_ 
*Kurt Masur* (Conductor), 
*Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra*




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Symphon...2SCL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317894965&sr=8-1

_Work	_ 
*Liszt: Festklänge (I and II), S.101*
Beautiful poem. The orchestra make some beautiful shades and moments.

_Artists_ 
*Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
Michel Plasson*




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-F-Symph...S406/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317896656&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Isaac Albéniz*

_Work _ 
Albéniz: *Cantos de España, Op.232*
Wonderful piano work, with a lot of romantic and national romantic tones, without being too sticky. Niceley played, not a world class pianist maybe (Maria Kihlgren) but nice.

_Artists	_
*Maria Kihlgren*




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Mediter...DEVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313391891&sr=8-1

_Work	_ 
Albéniz: *España: 6 hojas de album, Op.165, B.37*
Fantastic piano. very nice work, but the sound is not the best. Very distant feel to the piano.

_Artists	_
*Miguel Baselga*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XJZEDS/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313393872&sr=8-2

_Work _ 
Albéniz: *Mallorca (Barcarola), Op.202*

_Artists	_
*Petar Jankovic*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V8KMRC/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313396879&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Beethoven, starting with Maurizio Pollini's take on sonatas 13, 14, and 15, and then a CD I didn't know I had - the Berg Quartet's recording of the Opus 18 quartets. I need to do more dusting to see what else is hiding in the crannies.


----------



## kv466

Robert Schumann - Concert Piece for 4 Horns 
John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Revolutionary & Romantic Orchestra
Robert Montgomery, Gavin Edwards, Susan Dent and Robert Maskell play horn


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
Antheil: *Ballet mécanique, for 4 pianos, 2 electric bells, 2 airplane propellers & percussion* (1953 revision), W. 156c
This work frightened me at once, but now it is a pure pleasure to listen to. Fine version and good sound.

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra (Artist)




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Balle...NCYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313417034&sr=8-3

Work 
Antheil:*Solo Violin Sonata*
Not exeptonally good played. I feel that there are something in the work that is not expressed in the performance...

Artists	
Mark Fewer, 




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Sonat...OCW2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419543&sr=8-3

Work 
Antheil: *Capital of the World, ballet for orchestra*
Fine work! Very expressive and full of colours. The orchestral performance is eminent, letting all the instruments and instrument sections come clearly in front.
The third movement is especially lovely, with sore and sensitive violin in concert with a very present orchestra.
Never heared of Barry Kolman, but he is doing this very well. I googled him a little and has a pretty impressive cv.

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice
Barry Kolman




http://www.amazon.com/Capital-World-Part-I/dp/B0047E2RUQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313417687&sr=8-3

Work 
Antheil: *Serenade, for string orchestra No.1, W.189*
The allegro is a bit annoing and stressy.
The andante molto is slow and quiet, there is a great nerve.
It is a loveley cello sequence around 3 minutes. 
The vivo is livefull, and here is many nice moments. Great interplay between strings.

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Balle...NCYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313418175&sr=8-3


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

3 esseys for orchestra

Barber: *Essay No.1 for Orchestra, Op.12*
Some really nice momens..fantastic work, but sound and also apperance is not that good

artists
Yoel Levi & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Of-Samuel-Barber/dp/B001AUIA42/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312568268&sr=8-4

Barber: *Essay No.2 for Orchestra, Op.17*




I prefer this from the first. I think. At least both sound and performance is better here. Some great big drama! And I never stop wondering how a big orchestra can go so gently from big drama to the most tender mood within seconds... Wonderfull!

Barber: *Essay No.3 for Orchestra, Op.47*
The second essey is the best in my oppinion, but this one is also nice, and it is brilliantly performed.

artister
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

Bartok: *Two Portraits, for violin and orchestra, Op.5, BB48b, Sz.37*
Beautiful, and very lyric! Sound and performance is very good. The second movement is short and intence. Brilliantly played.

artister
Erwin Ramor
Philharmonia Hungarica
Antal Doráti




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VGRU7O/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312812351&sr=8-5

Bartok: *4 Orchestral Pieces, Op.12, BB64, Sz.51
*Not very good sound. But very good presentation, especially the second movement is great. The third, intermesso, I find a bit boring. Very stationary.
The last, the Marcia Funebre has a very nice nerve.

artister
Rtterdam Phil Orch (Artist), Conlon (Artist)




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Pieces...LENH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312923344&sr=8-1

Bartok: *44 Duos for 2 violins, Volumes 1-4, BB104, Sz.98*
Nice sound and beatifully played. But pieces down to 30 seconds dont give me much.Something good starts, and suddenly end.

Artists	
Angela Chun (Artist), Jennifer Chun




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-44-Duo...C77Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313142469&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*bax symfoni no 1*

Artists	
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
conductor-David Lloyd-Jones




http://www.amazon.com/BAX-Symphony-...?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1317925580&sr=1-1-fkmr0


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Prokofiev: *Concertino for Cello and Orchestra in G-, Op.132*
Loveley version and sound.
I love the bass laying underneath. make loveley contrast to the light tones.
First movement is fabulous! Sometimes funny, sometimes light and melodic, sometimes melancolic. And sometimes very dramatic. I love this work! 
Beautiful velvet strings in the second movement.
Third is very playfull. beautiful contrasts.

Artists	
Alexander Rudin
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar
http://open.spotify.com/album/7k2lZ...14A5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313585688&sr=8-1

Work 
*Prokofiev: Ode to the End of the War, for winds, 8 harps, 4 pianos, brass, percussion and double basses, Op.105*
Pretty disturbing music. Unfortunately not Especially good sound here. but the performance is very good.

Artists	
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky




http://www.amazon.com/Rozhdestvensk...APZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937319&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 in Bb, Op.100*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...GG/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1313844653&sr=8-15










Fantastic performance! Good sound. Very adventurous symphony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, String Quintets KV 515 and 516*. This is by Arthur Grumiaux and his ensemble. I'm used to the Naxos recording, so Grumiaux's vibrato and prettiness don't grab me like they would if I wasn't used to it sounding another way.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: Symphony No.1 in D, D.82*

Staatskapelle Dresden
Sir Colin Davis




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Symp...YWMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314183273&sr=8-1


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Piano Trios Nos. 23-26 [Disc 5]
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 9 [Disc 05]*

Good morning - some chamber music from Haydn to start the day


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Symphony No.1 in Eb, Op.20*

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra
Alfred Walter




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Symphon...UB0M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1313482834&sr=8-5


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. *The *5th *is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The *7th *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Minor, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Sid James

Getting right into the thick of some guitar music these days -

*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar (Naxos, 2 disc set)

Just got this a few days back and repeated listening has been better & better. This was originally written for guitarist Andres Segovia in the 1960's, so naturally it is a virtuoso tour de force. But far from being just a dry technical exercise, this is really quite emotionally subtle in many ways. It's not a by the numbers illustration of Goya's surreal etchings, it's more using them as a springboard for the music, not as a predictable illustrative exercise. All of them tend to have a Spanish feel, many of the old Baroque forms are used and reworked (eg. gigues, canons, fugues, etc. galore) & one of these _Caprichos_ (I think it's #10) even incorporates the serial technique. Overall, the feel is light rather than dark, but it's quite subtle emotion-wise, it's many things not just one. In a word, brilliant.

*Frank Martin *
_Quatre Pièces brèves pour la guitare _(1933) 
Julian Bream, guitar (on EMI 2 cd set of music by F. Martin)

This recording is a bit distanced, so it's hard to judge Mr. Bream's playing here. I'm no audiophile, but the sound is rather thin & distanced. I'm not hugely impressed with this kind of "atonal" Baroque/Classical Era style for the guitar, I see it as a tonal and melodic instrument more than "atonal." But it may well be the aspect of the recording being far from perfect which is influencing my opinion here...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While the primary focus of my music purchases over the last few years have been centered upon the Baroque, opera, and the twentieth century, I am still fleshing out some areas of my Romantic/Post-Romantic music collection that I find wanting... especially the music of English composers, French 19th century, and the Russians. The Russians were among my favorites as a romantic teenager when I would listen endlessly to Tchaikovsky's symphonies, Mussorgsky's _Pictures at an Exhibition_, Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_, Prokofiev's _Romeo and Juliet_, and Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_. With the passage of time I was drawn more to the German/Austrians, the Italians, and the French... although I would have to admit that the Russians still account for a good portion of my music collection after the German Austrian contingent that must account to some 40% of everything I have. Nevertheless, I have come to recognize that I am sorely missing a good many works by Russian composers of the Romantic era. I recently picked up on some powerful new recordings of Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_ and Tchaikovsky's _Nutcracker_. I also picked up a collection of Glazunov's concertos, orchestral works by Gliere, and now this collection of symphonic works by Balakirev which contains some marvelous music.










I doubt I'll become a tied-in-the-wool Russian music fanatic, like Miaskovsky. I love the Germanic structure and form and the French and Italian Mediterranean elegance and _joie de vivre_ too much... but some Russian lush bombast is great from time to time.

(Speaking of Myaskovsky... however his name is spelled... I must admit that I have yet been able to appreciate his music to the point of wanting to delve much deeper into his oeuvre... although I may take a chance with a few other discs I have seen that have received the highest reviews)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Frank Martin 
Quatre Pièces brèves pour la guitare (1933) 
Julian Bream, guitar (on EMI 2 cd set of music by F. Martin)

This recording is a bit distanced, so it's hard to judge Mr. Bream's playing here. I'm no audiophile, but the sound is rather thin & distanced. I'm not hugely impressed with this kind of "atonal" Baroque/Classical Era style for the guitar, I see it as a tonal and melodic instrument more than "atonal." 

Bream is a marvelous guitarist... considering other performances I have heard. I can't speak with any authority on Martin, but I suspect that he made a nod to atonalism out of a feeling that he was so obligated if he was to be taken seriously as a composer. A good many composers of the time made such attempts before turning back to their true musical voices... regardless of whether it was or was not _avant garde_. Martin's deep and lasting love was for the music of J.S. Bach and the strongest works I have heard from him are choral compositions that build upon Bach as well as late Romanticism. I especially liked his _Mass_ and _Golgotha_... which was recorded marvelously just a year or two ago.


----------



## Sid James

*@ stlukes*

I like *Frank Martin's *_Mass for Double Choir _as well, it is a modern classic, and a firm favourite. The other things on that EMI 2 disc set are also to my liking, overall. His guitar piece that I listened to is also a "classic" of modern "atonal" neo-classical/Baroque whatever writing for the instrument. I believe it was his first piece using serial techniques. I must say I'm moving away from atonal and serial music towards mainly tonal or modern/contemporary tonal or at least more strongly tuneful/melodic music. There was a couple of atonal guitar pieces on that Naxos recital of Aussie guitar pieces that I liked, I liked the whole album, many current styles are represented on it - "new" tonal, minimalist, atonal, new agey.

I was more critical of the sound quality of that Martin recording of the guitar piece, not *Mr. Bream's *playing, which I agree is superb. I saw him on TV many moons ago playing Rodrigo's _Aranjuez_ under the baton of Charles Groves, and it was so good. It was a doco/concert thing, so they both talked about it in depth before playing it. It's stuck in my memory years after seeing/hearing it...


----------



## doctorGwiz

*Schumann: Six Fugues on B.A.C.H., Op.60*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just starting to listen to this disc. Very minimalist in some ways. Feldman was an interesting figure. He studied composition under Wallingford Riegger, one of the first American followers of Arnold Schoenberg, and Stefan Wolpe, a German-born Jewish composer who studied under Franz Schreker and Anton Webern. Feldman and Wolpe spent most of their time the was intended for "study" simply talking about music and art.

In early 1950 Feldman went to hear the New York Philharmonic give a performance of Anton Webern's Symphony, op. 21. After this work, the orchestra was going to perform a piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Feldman left immediately before that, overwhelmed by Webern's work. In the lobby he met John Cage, who too attended the concert and was leaving for precisely the same reason. The two composers quickly became good friends. cage introduced Feldman to composers such as Henry Cowell, Virgil Thomson, and George Antheil. He also encouraged Feldman to write pieces which had no relation to compositional systems of the past, such as the constraints of traditional harmony or the serial technique. Perhaps most important, cage introduced Feldman to many of the leading figures in the visual arts: Robert Rauschenberg, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Philip Guston. Feldman found inspiration in their works and wrote a number of pieces dedicated to the various artists.

Feldman became best friends with the painter, Philip Guston, whose delicate abstractions were sometimes referred to as examples of "Abstract Impressionism".










Like many of the artists and composer of the era, Feldman was a firm believer in the late Modernist dogma. In 1969, Guston made a drastic shift in his painting, turning to a figurative art rooted in German Expressionism, primitive cave painting, graffiti, and comic books. Guston had grown disgusted with the purity and dogma of Modernist abstraction and wanted a "less pure" art that would allow him to engage the various social issues that had always been his passion.










Feldman accused Guston of "selling out" and as a result the two refused to speak to each other for the rest of their lives. Both artists regretted the estrangement... but could not find a means of reconciliation. Guston created a painting entitled, _To M.F_. that showed the profile of the chain-smoking Feldmen turning away from the viewer/artist:










Following Guston's death in 1980, Feldman composed a 4-hour elegy for his old friend entitled, _For Philip Guston_.


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartets Nos. 1-4 [Disc 1]*


----------



## chrislowski




----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Feldman was an interesting figure.


Thanks for that synopsis, both of Feldman and Guston. The cartoon works of Guston don't appeal to me - they had one at our local museum, and even in person it doesn't grab me at all - but at least now I can see what he was trying to get at.

I have *For Philip Guston* somewhere but can't find it. How could I misplace something that big? Oh, well, I'm settling for *For Frank O'Hara* and *Rothko Chapel*, a download by someone whose name I forgot to write down.


----------



## starthrower

Zappa-Orchestral Favorites


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dowland, Musicke for the Lute*, by Paul O'Dette. (No picture.)

Debussy, *Jeux and Images*, by Jean Martinon.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 100 "Military" 
Claudio Abbado conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold*

Work 
Arnold: *Clarinet Sonatina, Op.29*

Artists	
English *Chamber Orchestra* (Performer, Orchestra), *Malcolm Martineau* (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Comple...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313430353&sr=1-1

Work 
Arnold: *Quintet No.1 for 2 Trumpets, Horn, Trombone and Tuba, Op.73*

Artists	
*Gaudete Brass Quintet*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013SB7N2/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313432213&sr=8-3

Work 
Arnold: *Trio for Flute, Viola and Bassoon, Op.6*

Artists	
*Chamber Music Palm Beach*




http://www.amazon.com/Illuminations...HO/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1313433514&sr=8-15

Work 
Arnold: *Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op.54*

Artists	
*English Piano Trio* (Orchestra), *Justin Pearson* (Performer), *Timothy Ravenscroft* (Performer), *Jane Faulkner* (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Chambe...FY7T/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1313433823&sr=8-6


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
*Orquesta Sinfonica de Paraiba*
*Eleazar de Carvalho* conductor
*scott yoo* violin




http://www.amazon.com/Brazilian-Fes...sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1313776360&sr=1-1

Beautiful concerto! I find the performance quite nice, it seems like it winners or participators of a talent contest. Violin is a bit immature and unfinished. So is the orchestra and interplay. But quite nice.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Work 
Prokofiev: *Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
*Michael Tilson Thomas, London Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Feltsman*




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pia...26PD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313591189&sr=8-1

Great concerto, but maybe not the best perfomance. Very nice piano, but the orchestra seem to me a bit unstructured. Then the interplay suffers.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante in E-, for cello and orchestra, Op.125*

Artists	
*Ivan Monigetti
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ivan Shpiller*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NB6XCY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313762739&sr=8-1

Very good performance of this wery rewarding work. The cello work is heavenly, and the interplay is throughout very good. Very good sound.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44. *Both works are under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre national de France.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th* is done by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are conducted by Carlo Giulini.


----------



## Sid James

Some repeated listening to the _24 Caprichos de Goya_ for solo guitar by *Castelnuovo-Tedesco*, some jazzy fiddlers live on various stages of Europe, and also some old classic favourites -

*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco:* _24 Caprichos de Goya for solo guitar _ played by Zoran Dukic, guitar(Naxos)

*Jean Luc Ponty, Stephane Grappelli (violinists, with guests, live in concert) *- Walkman Jazz (Sony)

[Not pictured] -

*Schubert* - _Rosamunde: Overture, Ballet Music #2, Entre'act #3_
Cleveland Orch. / George Szell, cond. (Philips tape)

*Prokofiev *- _Sym. #1 "Classical"_
*Liszt *- _Les Preludes_
BPO / Herbert von Karajan, cond.

*Brahms *- _Hungarian Dance #1_
VPO / Claudio Abbado, cond.
(All three from DGG orchestral favourites collection disc)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 8 in C Minor, Op.110 and SQ # 9 in E-Flat Major, Op.117. *Both works performed by the Quatuor Byron String Quartet.
Felix Mendelssohn*--Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"},* featuring the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Oliver Dohnanyi.


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Zyklus, Spiral I & II, Pole*

Not sure if my reaction is appropriate or not but I find this music really amusing!


----------



## clavichorder

Bloch's Concerto Grosso no. 1 on Spotify.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3*

Its been a while since I listened to these - great performances!


----------



## samurai

@ Conor71, I have the same exact CD as you and have really enjoyed listening to it.


----------



## samurai

I just received this CD as a gift from my father and am listening to it as I type this post:
Vaughan Williams--*The Wasps, Entracte No.1, March of the Kitchen Utensils, The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Fantasia on Greensleeves and English Folk Song Suite. *All works feature the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christopher Seaman.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
Enescu: *Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
*Maxim Rysanov*
*Evelyn Chang*




http://www.amazon.com/Rysanov-plays...KYOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227364&sr=8-1

Work 
Enescu: *Violin Sonata No.1 in D, Op.2*

Artists	
*Mariana Sirbu* (Artist), *Mihail Sarbu*




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Three-...Q3ZO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315232618&sr=8-1

Work 
Enescu: *Impressions d'enfance, for violin and piano in D, Op.28*

Artists	
*Mihaela Martin* (Performer), *Roland Pöntinen*




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Impres...0P6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228853&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
d'Indy: *Op. 91, Suite for flute, string trio, and harp (1927)*

Artists	
*Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg*




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

D`indy has som very fine chamber music, and this suite is very beautiful. Fine performance, and good sound.

Work 
d'Indy: *Op. 81, Piano Quintet in G minor (1924)*

Artists	
*New Budapest String Quartet*




http://www.amazon.com/INDY-Piano-Qu...4632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315757837&sr=8-1

Very fine work, and the performance is quite good. Can seem a little uninspired though. But that can be because of the not very good sound. Very distant and hollow.

Work 
d'Indy: *Op. 98, Piano Trio in G*

Artists	
*Arensky Trio*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VY8X90/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315753891&sr=8-1

Beautiful trio, very good sound, and fine performance and interplay. The piano is a bit distant and hollow. I really low the calmness and melodious grace of the second movement! Pitty about the piano... It should have been more present.

Work 
d'Indy: *Op. 61, Jour d'été à la montagne, symphonic triptych*

Artists	
*Orch Phil De Radio France* (Artist), *Jankowski*




http://www.amazon.com/Dindy-Jour-De...DV/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1315745996&sr=8-11

Loveley nerve in this dreamy and colourful symphonic work. Performance is very good, and the orchestra can really convey all the lyrical details. The sound is very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
*Yvonne Loriod
Manuel Fischer-Deskau
Wolfgang Meyer
Cristoph Poppen*




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Anni...QJUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317307954&sr=8-1

Brilliant sound in this brilliant work. The problem again may be the piano..It is present enough but a bit harsch in stronger parts especially. But performance and interplay is super. The oboe is very good. And the interplay in the sixt movement, dance de la... is undescribable. The piano sounds good there too!
And the seventh movement. I dont exactly know how I come up with the word ELASTIC. But there are something in the work, and the performance that justify that word for me.
I got used to the piano, it may even be my ears... and I strongly reccomend this reccording, and of course work. There are 14 Messiaen cd-s here, all on spotify.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Brahms, Symphony No. 4, by Carlos Kleiber.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
*Konstantin Krimets* (Conductor), *Russian Philharmonic* (Orchestra), *Kyrill Rodin* (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...5IE6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316346911&sr=8-2

This concerto is a favorite of mine at the moment. And the performance here is also very good, like the Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra , Mstislav Rostropovich - version I listened to earlier. To say what is the best one, I must relisten..Rodin on cello has a quite rough, still sensitive stile... I love his approach! Some irritating shifts between movements in spotify.. The dark side of streeming music, but it dont happen to often luckily.


----------



## Vesteralen

What a violinist! My new fave.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just got back after spending a day working in my studio. While painting I listened to the following:




























All three are recent purchases and I will listen to them again under more focused conditions. The Scarlatti is great... a marvelous cantata for the eve of the Nativity accompanied by a concerto grosso by Correlli, also composed for the Nativity. Performed by Alessandrini and the Concerto Italiano the works are truly splendid... further increasing my already great admiration for Scarlatti senior.

Marenzio stands at the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque. This collection centers upon that most Renaissance of forms, the madrigal... a secular polyphonic vocal composition. This particular collection contains madrigals for 4, 5, and 6 voices. I was especially struck by moments that seemingly slipped into atonality or dissonance, only to return... perhaps not as drastically as Gesualdo... but still quite noticeable.

Strauss' Four Last Songs is among my favorite compositions of all time. I think it may be only Beethoven's 9th that exists in more recordings in my collection. Lisa della Casa was an elegant singer (I should say "is" as della Casa, born in 1919, is still alive and well in her 90s). She was known for her light lyrical soprano (specializing in roles such as Mozart's Pamina), yet she had the ability to take on far more demanding roles such as those presented by Strauss. She was quite good at knowing what roles she could and could not handle... but she seems to have been destined to sing Strauss. Richard Strauss, seeing her in performance some two years prior to his death proclaimed that "One day she will be THE Arabella" (referring to the leading role in opera of the same name. Della Casa did indeed become the Arabella... and one of the leading Strauss interpreters of the mid-century. Her recording here is something special. The performs Strauss' Four Last Songs only three years after their composition and the death of the composer, and she performs them with the great Straussian, Karl Bohm. Her voice is at once rich... yet wavering with emotion. From the performances on this disc I find I am looking forward with great anticipation to also hearing another recent purchase, della Casa's performance of the entire opera, Arabella, with another great Strauss Conductor, Sir Georg Solti:


----------



## Sid James

Conor71 said:


> *Stockhausen: Zyklus, Spiral I & II, Pole*
> 
> Not sure if my reaction is appropriate or not but I find this music really amusing!
> ...


G'day there Conor -

Re the electro-acoustic works on that set -

I just approach the electronic works there as chill-out and environmental. There is definitely humour there, as how the acoustic instruments (eg. bamboo flutes, etc.) and synthesizers echo and copy some of the sounds/tunes coming from the radios. It's not very deep, imo, but interesting improvisational music.

Re the solo percussion work_ Zyklus _-

This work has staves in boxes and a spiral bound score. The player starts from one part and goes through until they finish. But they make choices as to which box to play first, second, third, so on, until they play all the boxed staves on each page. It's kind of controlled chance. It doesn't sound as impressive as more complex percussion things, eg. Xenakis or Varese, but it is interesting. I've been listening to guitarist John Williams lately & he & Tristan Fry, percussionist in _Zyklus_ on that disc, were together in a instrumental classical-crossover band called Sky for a number of years. I haven't heard their work but it would be interesting. They subsequently returned to their solo careers...



oskaar said:


> *Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*
> Artists
> *Yvonne Loriod
> Manuel Fischer-Deskau
> Wolfgang Meyer
> Cristoph Poppen*...


That recording is benchmark, but as an individual disc, it went out of print just as I found out about it and wanted to buy it. Damn! One of the eulogy movements, the one with cello & piano, is on youtube though (amazing!). I enjoyed your review, this is one of my favourite works, it was one of my gateways into more recent music. A masterpiece of the ages. I heard it live last year and it was just so special and moving.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...The performs* Strauss' Four Last Songs *only three years after their composition and the death of the composer...


I think you know how I feel about this work, a masterpiece, as well as his _Oboe Concerto _and _Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings_. I am aiming to buy his horn concertos and give them a go, I am interested mainly in listening to more of his instrumental music...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just picked up on this disc today:










While Hahn is praised for her virtuoso and lyrical interpretation of Schoenberg... and Esa-Pekka Salonen is the perfect partner for this repertoire... the music may indeed be something of a bitter tonic following the rich and gorgeous splendors of Richard Strauss' _Four Last Songs_.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...
> While Hahn is praised for her virtuoso and lyrical interpretation of Schoenberg... and Esa-Pekka Salonen is the perfect partner for this repertoire... the music may indeed be something of a bitter tonic following the rich and gorgeous splendors of Richard Strauss' _Four Last Songs_.


I agree the Schoenberg VC isn't easy, even musicians I know say this. But for me it's a very emotional journey, although I only "get" the final movement, that crazy dance, which is a bit how Beethoven ended his SQ op. 131. It's helter skelter, chaos (ordered, or not?). The whole world dancing, so many emotions. At the end, depending on my mood, headspace, I sometimes feel resolution, sometimes I don't or am hanging up in the air in-between. I have another recording on LP done in Germany in the 1950's under the baton of Maestro M. Gielen, heard it once, it was good but hers grabs me so much on so many levels. I rarely listen to that and the Sibelius VC in the one sitting. It's like the Schoenberg is so full-on and very exciting, it delivers a very substantial meal in itself. But the Sibelius concerto is good as well, & I've known it for ages, so maybe it's getting a bit predictable for me in some ways.

If you like this type of "atonal" concerto, listen to some of Hindemith's string concertos, his violin concerto with David Oistrakh is on youtube and it is one of my favourites. I think you already know the two Berg ones...


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. *BothpiecesfeatureHerbertvonKarajanconductingtheBerliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## science




----------



## tdc

Listening to Daniel Pollack play Chopin's Piano Sonata Number 2, and having one of those moments where I wish I could play the piano, and also wishing I could express myself creatively in such a profound way.


----------



## dmg

Right now:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It might make more sense to begin with the "thornier" music than to have it follow something lush and beautiful... like sucking on a lemon after eating something sweet. Roslavets was known as "the Russian Schoenberg." His music owed much to Scriabin... but he went much further than Scriabin, writing fully atonal music. Unlike either Scriabin of Schoenberg, his music is much less structured... more free and rhapsodic... truly "Russian"... and quite demanding of virtuosity from both cellist and pianist. Roslavets was actively involved in the creation of a new post-Revolutionary music for Russia. His belief in the Soviet dogma led him to the point of writing a manifesto calling for the demolition of all operatic theaters in an attempt to eliminate the elitist, anti-proletariat genre of opera. Unfortunately, Roslavets was a Modernist at heart with no sympathy for the music embraced under Social-Realism and his music was banned in 1929 as "counter-revolutionary". He was sent to Uzbekistan where, ironically, he was placed in charge of the Tashkent Opera and Ballet Company. He returned to Moscow in 1933 where he remained until his death in 1944 employed in teaching conductors of military marching bands.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Stravinsky, *Les Noces*, on a BBC3 compilation.


----------



## kv466

Ferdinando Carulli - Concerto for Flute and Guitar 
Janos Rolla conducts the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute
Alexandre Lagoya, guitar


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: String Quartet In Bb Major, Op. 4, String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56, "Voces Intimae" [Disc 2]*


----------



## Sid James

Concentrating on guitar lately, and also harp, & less angsty more relaxing music in general -

*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco:* _24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195 _
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Naxos, 2 discs, details HERE)

This has been a find of finds for me. When I first listened to it when I got it just under a week ago, it was like easy listening. But when I listen paying attention to the reproductions of Goya's etchings provided in the booklet along with explanations, I can hear how this composer is illustrating these images & bringing them to life. There are moments of darkness, sadness, introspection, but most of this is quite whimsical, capturing the strong elements of absurdity and ambiguity in Goya's etchings (eg. in one of them a big donkey teaching a smaller donkey how to read - the way Castelnuovo-Tedesco brings this to life is quite amazing and unique). There are homages also to various composers, eg. Berlioz & Rachmaninov by way of the_ Dies Irae _theme, as well as Boccherini and de Falla who were quite close to this Italian composer's heart...

*Alan Hovhaness*
_Guitar Concerto #2_ (1985)
Javier Calderon, guitar / Royal Scottish Nat. Orch. / Stewart Robertson, cond.
(Naxos, details HERE)

A combination of many things moving towards "new age," but what saves it is the clever way Hovhaness blends things like Middle Eastern & churchy harmonies, as well as good knowledge of counterpoint. The last movement ends with an accompanied cadenza which is a gentle Arabian flavoured dance, it makes me feel I'm in a colourful market in the Middle East or something of the sort.

*H. Villa-Lobos*_
O Canto do Cisne Negro: O canto do cysne negro (Song of the Black Swan) for violin & harp
5 Brazilian song transcriptions (arr. for flute and harp)_
Members of the _Mobius_ chamber group, New York
(Naxos, details HERE)

An interesting collection of V-L's chamber music on this disc, which I'm getting into more now. I esp. like the flute & harp combination here, the flute is basically singing, I can almost hear the Portuguese language in his music as one does the Moravian in Janacek's.

*H. Villa-Lobos*
_Bachianas Brasileiras #5 for soprano & 8 cellos_ (1938, 1945)
Rosana Lamosa, soprano / Members of Nashville SO / Kenneth Schermerhorn, cond.
(Naxos 3 disc set, details HERE)

V-L's greatest hit, here sung & played quite well, but she could have pulled back a bit on the vibrato. This is one of his more memorable tunes, and I like how he writes in an intersting way for the cellos...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Seriously, I must admit to having been as seduced by the covers of this series of Gliere recordings as by any interest in the music. These colorful enamel paintings of exotic fantasies spur on memories of the Arabian Nights. The music is is well suited to the imagery... building upon exotic Russian, Slavonic, and Middle eastern myth and fairy tales, it conveys an exotic magical atmosphere not unlike Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade... although perhaps not as brilliant as Rimsky-Korsakov.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions and Sinfonias*, by Gustav Leonhardt.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony* *No*.*9* *in* E Minor, Op.95 {"*From* *the* *New* *World*"}, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Carlo Giulini.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}.* Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## science

I have not heard many other recordings of these works, and have heard none in the last seven or eight years, but this is a perfectly acceptable recording to me. I love Chopin, and I don't think anyone can fault Pollini. The recording quality is excellent too, one of the closest I've heard to the sound of actually having a piano in the room, though of course that is an impossible ideal.


----------



## science

dmg said:


> Right now:


One of my all-time favorites. (With apologies to Van Cliburn and others.)


----------



## science

Just listened to "Elégie" there, which was a very nice little work, and I will listen to the rest of that CD eventually, but for now I want to seize the time I have to listen to










I've been trying to force myself to like the Bruckner / Mahler / Strauss guys. Big orchestra, lots of bombast. Not really my thing. Somehow there's a gap between Dvorak and Debussy for me. Bruckner is the worst. Schumann is the only other major composer whose music doesn't touch me. But with time I guess I'll figure it out. So here we go again.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 [Disc 1]*

Now playing Preludes and Fugues Nos. 1-12 from Book 1 of the WTC


----------



## Guest

science said:


> I have not heard many other recordings of these works, and have heard none in the last seven or eight years, but this is a perfectly acceptable recording to me. I love Chopin, and I don't think anyone can fault Pollini. The recording quality is excellent too, one of the closest I've heard to the sound of actually having a piano in the room, though of course that is an impossible ideal.


I value this recording, and that of Artur Rubinstein, highly. Pollini gets the slight edge in terms of the quality of the recording, but then it is a more recent one.


----------



## Guest

science said:


> One of my all-time favorites. (With apologies to Van Cliburn and others.)


Richter's was the first recording of the Rach 2, and is what hooked me on it. Van Cliburn does well with the Tchaikovsky, but I don't care for him as much for the Rachmaninoff.

There are other recordings of the Rachmaninoff that I prefer.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> *Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 [Disc 1]*
> 
> Now playing Preludes and Fugues Nos. 1-12 from Book 1 of the WTC


I love the Clavishord for this work, but still turn to the harpsichord more frequently. Still, this recording is excellent, and I keep meaning to pick up book 2.


----------



## Xytech

science said:


> Just listened to "Elégie" there, which was a very nice little work, and I will listen to the rest of that CD eventually, but for now I want to seize the time I have to listen to
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been trying to force myself to like the Bruckner / Mahler / Strauss guys. Big orchestra, lots of bombast. Not really my thing. Somehow there's a gap between Dvorak and Debussy for me. Bruckner is the worst. Schumann is the only other major composer whose music doesn't touch me. But with time I guess I'll figure it out. So here we go again.


I got into Bruckner with Bruckner 7. I'm still getting there but it is an enjoyable listen. I often have it more as background music when procrastinating though, rather than just sitting and listening to the whole thing. I'm not quite sure about it yet. I'm not sure if he says as much as say Brahms does, even though he takes a lot longer to get there.


----------



## Guest

I decided to listen again to some of my favorite recordings by Gardiner. I'd forgotten how much I loved Beethoven's Missa Solemnis - the first recording by Gardiner I had ever purchased. Still love it.

Now I am moving on to one of the greates masses:


----------



## science

I wound up enjoying Bruckner 9 quite a bit more than I expected, which was a very pleasant surprise.

Now I'm doing the Brandenburgs with the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment:


----------



## TrazomGangflow

A collection of Chopin solo piano music by Vladimir Ashkenazy that I have not been able to stop listening to since I got the album. I have also been listening to Beethoven's 6th symphony. (thats a great work)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Scarlatti, Sonatas*, by Wanda Landowska. As they say, kickin' back old school.


----------



## Manxfeeder

One of these days, Alban Berg's music will click with me.

I've just gone through the *Lulu Suite* with Michael Gielen, now it's on to the *Lyric Suite* and *Three Pieces for Orchestra* with Karajan.


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> I love the Clavishord for this work, but still turn to the harpsichord more frequently. Still, this recording is excellent, and I keep meaning to pick up book 2.


Book 2 is excellent as well and also better recorded than the first - highly recommended! 

Now listening:

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20/Nos. 1-3 [Disc 07]*

Now listening to Disc 7 from one of my favourite sets - this box has been a great source of listening pleasure since I bought it last year!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 1-6 [Disc 1]*


----------



## Vaneyes

I had not heard this Feltsman Beethoven before. On first impression, I came away with mixed feelings about his generally sedate interps. Maybe I'll increase the volume on second listen, to see if that helps. I like this pianist, and I want to like this recording.


----------



## Oskaar

*Liszt: Les Préludes, S.97*

Artists	
*Polish National Radio Symphony, Michael Halasz*




http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Liszt-...ZMHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318084040&sr=8-1

Lizt wrote some really good tone poems. They are absolutely like small symphonies. I have only listened to parts of most of them, this is the first I listen to in full, and I love it! Loveley romantic soundscapes. Nice version, very good orchestral achievement. Maybe not the best sound.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartet No. 1 In A Major, Op. 2, B 8 [Disc 1]*

Continuing to listen to String Quartets this morning - now playing Disc 1 of this fine Cycle:


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both symphonies feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
*Simon Rattle* (Conductor), *City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra*




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...r_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315419455&sr=1-12

Pretty good version. Very soft, lyrical and quite atmospheric production. Maybe a little too hesitant and passive?

The movement invites to the sensitive and quiet (the first) but still. There is room for more glow. It's sort of a little painstaking and tenacious. No major nerve. Nerve also lacks some of the stronger parties. Very nice played, but it engages me sort of not, nor is the more vivid second movement.

In the last movement, it seemed that everyone wakes up. Fine nerve suddenly.


----------



## Oskaar

*Messiaen : Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot and orchestra, I/29*

Artists	
*Myung-Whun Chung* (Conductor), *Bastille Opera Orchestra* (Orchestra), 




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messi...1GF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317312247&sr=8-1

Fantastic work, very energetic and full of small and big surprises. Fun to follow the piano, it seems like a sparkling stream in an otherwise magnificent scenery.

Excellent version, where every detail is very well presented, and the nerve and the interaction is fabulous. Good sound. I really recommend both work and performance. It was really refreshing to listen to this after a little sleepy Mahler's "Titan"


----------



## Oskaar

*Stanford: Op 126 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor*

Artists	
*Finghin Collins
RTE National symphony orchestra
Keneth Montgomery*





A pretty nice piano concerto. Maybe a little "easy listening" or light music. But certainly a great listening experience. Delicately performed, with great nerve and dynamics.


----------



## Vaneyes

Fine performances, though I still prefer Ashkenazy/Previn (2) and Argerich/Chailly (3).


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
*Maria Kliegel
Antoni Wit* (Conductor), *Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra* (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...13YS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316346786&sr=8-1

Another version of this very dynamic and exciting cello concerto.

There is certainly no favorite version. It distorted a bit in both cello sound and play, and the interplay with the orchestra. And when things are distorted, disappears the nerve for me.

Much better in the second movement, but I do not think Maria Kliegel is playing particularly well, either technically or in terms of sensitivity and feelings. It's too flat. I think though that it improves slightly in excess of movement. The nerve is sometimes present. Especially towards the end.

In the solo part in the third movement, she plays quite well.

Fourth is pretty flat again ... So a fairly mediocre release.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
*Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria
Adrian Leaper*




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Sym-No/dp/B0042943E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317124302&sr=8-1

It might take some time before the symphony crawl under the skin on me. For the time being, I think it seems a bit slow and heavy, without the great dynamics.

But it has certainly qualities, and with some repeated listening to the good versions, I can certainly learn to like it.

This version is not very good sound. But the band seems tight and aligned.


----------



## World Violist

I've been unexpectedly away for a little while...between being on the busy side at school and just not getting on the internet that much at all, I just haven't posted here. But now I'm back with a long overdue avatar change...which is the CD that I'm now listening to.










Casimir Ney: 24 Preludes
Eric Shumsky, viola

The more I listen to these preludes, the more interesting they become. They're virtuoso vehicles, yes, but they're viable preludes first, almost pianistic in many respects (case in point: nos. 7 and 10 (among others), which feature a melody with full accompaniment, some with incredibly difficult stretches which somehow never seem "awkward" on the viola!).

Also, the more I listen to this, the more I become fascinated with Eric Shumsky's playing. It's extremely solid, not in the way his father or Jascha Heifetz were solid, but solid in that he can get his point across. There are errors in his playing, but they never get in the way of the music, and he plays very simply, in a rather unadorned style. That unadorned style is perfect for this music, since the incredible technical challenges don't draw attention to themselves (I had to look in the score to find out that Eric was actually playing the fingered diminished 12th (!) in the A major prelude (No. 7)).

In any case, this recording is constantly inspiring me to learn these preludes. I'm seriously preparing No. 10 for my jury this semester, alongside the slow movement of Ney's transcription of the Alkan Sonate de Concert...go French composers with cult followings! (Casimir Ney was Belgian, though...)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

For a ridiculous sum... next to nothing (Less than $6US) this entire Beethoven cycle can be had. And it is a fine cycle, at that... Josef Krips. His recording of Don Giovanni which is an equal bargain is perhaps my favorite... and undoubtedly one of the finest. Right now listening to the 2nd symphony I am quite impressed. I have several other complete cycles (Gardiner, Karajan, Cluytens...) as well as any number of interpretations of individual of individual symphonies (Furtwangler, Kleiber, Walter, Bohm, Bernstein, etc...) and I find this recording can stand on its own with any of them. For the individual on a a tight budget there is no reason not to own the whole of Beethoven's symphonies.


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
*Vera Tsu
Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra
Long Yu*




http://www.amazon.com/Korngold-Gold...T8CO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736448&sr=8-2

Great version of this violin concerto, which I have a weakness for ... No great composition, perhaps, but very charming. Excellent sound and very sensitive violin from Vera Tsu. Almost a little too fragile, and perhaps a little immature.

But it is a great nerve, and the interaction is very good.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. *Both symphonies feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

@ Stlukesguild, Was that Beethoven cycle purchased from Amazon or a "brick and mortar" store? It really looks like a tremendous deal. Congratulations and enjoy listening!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I bought two copies last Christmas from a secondary dealer on Amazon. I gave one away as a gift, and kept the other, considering the ridiculous price.

Currently I have moved off into something from left field:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to Roger Sessions Symphony no. 1 on You Tube:






Unfortunately, little of Sessions' work seems to have been favored with a truly high-quality interpretation by a major orchestra... and this is too bad because a good deal of the music is quite worthy of more recognition. I'm hoping that Naxos soon gets on the ball with Sessions as they have with many other American composers of the period such as Piston, Bolcolm, Hovhaness, etc...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Mendelssohn - "Scottish" Symphony

Performed by Dunnowhatorchestra conducted by Dunnowho.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Roger Sessions--*Symphony No.1*, performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Botstein.


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Work 
Spohr: *7 String Quintets, Op.33 no 1*

Artists	
*Danubius Quartet*




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-String-...SUGY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313499679&sr=8-2

Fine little work, elegantly played. String quartets and alike can often be to much strings for me, but here it is delightfull.


Work 
Spohr: *Piano Quintet in D, Op.130*

Artists
*Thelma Handy
Hartley Piano Trio*




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Piano-T...1467/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313858733&sr=8-1

Work 
Spohr: *Fantasia and Variations on a theme by Danzi, for clarinet and string quartet (or piano) in Bb, Op.81*

Super sound on this recording. Fine little piece.


Artists
*Quartet Glink Bcn With Josep Fuster*




http://www.amazon.com/Grandes-Quint...VE5Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313856044&sr=8-2

Work 
Spohr: *Sextet, for 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos in C, Op.140*

Artists
*New Haydn Quartet*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQSUQE/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313859651&sr=8-5

Spohr`s chamber music is balsam for the head after 2 hours sleep tonight and headache. I like Spohr. He is not heavy weight in any means, but wrote some delightfull music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
*Ruggiero Ricci; Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg; Louis de Froment*




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Vio..._shvl_album_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313776158&sr=301-3

Quite nice sound-exept the most important thing-the violin.. It sounds like it is making sounds from under a pillow! Or from inside a metal box . Passive an unengaged orchestra. Performance not reccomended. I must skip this...there is a danger to get a bad impression of the work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
*Bruno Zwicker
Philharmonia Slavonica
Henry Adolph*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NCSSGM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313775697&sr=8-1

Much bether sound from the violin, and also from the orchestra, and then you have the nerve at once. Should have been a bit more energic, both violin and orchestra. Nice, but nothing more. But the beauty of the work shines through.


----------



## science

Currently, Bartok's 2nd violin concerto:










Earlier today:

Dohnany's 1st piano concerto:










Kurtag's Stele:










Gubaidulin's Hommage to T. S. Eliot:










Albeniz's Iberia:










And Pelleas et Melisande and the Dolly Suite:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Anton Webern, works for string quartet, by the Artis Quartett.


----------



## kv466

Gustav Holst - A Moorside Suite 
David Lloyd-Jones conducts Northern Sinfonia


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Gubaidulin's Hommage to T. S. Eliot


I wasn't aware of that one. I'm pulling it up on Spotify. Thanks!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821*

Artists	
*John Williams, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti*




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Arpe...IMZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314206437&sr=8-1

This lovely piece fits very well for guitar. Beautifully played, and luckily not too technically, but easy and sensitive, and a bit modest. That suits the sonata and nerve well.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2*

Artists	
*Richard Egarr*




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Sona...OMT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314604585&sr=8-1

Beautiful sonata, but VERY distant sound, especially the piano. Niceley played.










*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1*

Artists	
*David Grimal / Valery Afanassiev*




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Sonatinas/dp/B001NGYD76/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314267625&sr=8-1

Fantastic sound and performance. Brilliant and sensitive interplay.

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3*

Another loveley sonata. Fantastic album, containing sonatas 1-3










*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata in A, Op.162, D.574*

Artists	
*Emmy Verhey and Youri Egorov
*




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Brah...ZAMG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1314609968&sr=8-3

Buatiful sonata, but unfortunately not very good sound. Nice performance. Very sensitive.


----------



## Conor71

*Borodin: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2, String Sextet*

Marvellous works!


----------



## kv466

Uncut excerpts from Bach's Sinfonias 8 in F and 15 in B moll; Glenn Gould, of course


I could have sworn that I read somewhere that when he recorded these,...there was no break...it was one after the other until it was over and it was quite amazing...I still hold hopes this is true as the ones here are not the ones that made it to the final cut.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Gramophone gave an award to Sir Mark Elder's recording of Elgar's *The Kingdom*, so I'm sampling it on Spotify.

I should be eating this up, but I'm a little rusty on my late-Romantic sacred oratorios, so it's not having the impact it should; I need to readjust my ears to this sort of thing.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.55,* performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100*. Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Pieck

Pergolesi - Stabat Mater (Gens, Lesne)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In the mood for some Wagner today... gave a listen to _Das Rheingold_:


----------



## Sid James

Guitar things last night, first listen in full to the *L.A. 4 *album as well as the *Russian guitar music* album on Naxos -

*Album: L.A. 4 - Laurindo Almeida, guitar & others*
Brazilian, jazz standards, classical arrangements (Concord label, rec. in 1976, more details HERE).

A great fusion album featuring one of the great guitarists of yesteryear, comfortable in many genres. The Brazilian flavoured tracks like Jobim's_ Dindi _were naturally great, C.P.E. Bach's _Rondo Espressivo_ was more Brazilian than Baroque, but pure joy, Sonny Rollins'_ St. Thomas_ was good although I usually don't love his pieces, and the final track, the slow movement of Rodrigo's _Aranjuez_, showed off the whole group, with prominent work by Bud Shank on flute.










*Album: Russian Guitar Music played by Artyom Dervoed* (Naxos)
*V. Biktashev* - _Orpheus - poem_ (world premiere recording)
*S. Orekhov* - _Troika Variations_
*S. Rudnev* - _The Old Lime Tree_
*N. Koshkin* - _The Prince's Toys - suite_

An interesting collection of newer guitar music from Russia. My favourites were the folk-flavoured works by Orekhov and Rudnev. The classic Russian feel of longing, nostalgia and melancholy were in these strongly. The Biktashev work is quite rhapsodic and free, like a 15 minute stream of consciousness, a tone poem for solo guitar. It's kind of modern but sounds pretty tonal, the main challenge being it's length. The final work on the disc is by Nikita Koshkin, a guy who's pretty recognised by guitar fans, he has been recorded by the likes of John Williams. This half hour long suite is quite avant-garde, fragmented and very experimental in terms of sound. The last movement is the longest at 10 minutes, but there is a bit of whimsy there, I could make out what sounded like a strong echo of the _Habanera_ from Bizet's _Carmen_. All in all a very good album, and one I hope to return to, these works bear repeated listening, they are quite varied...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This is my second listening to this disc since purchasing it. Proteges of the Hilliard Ensemble, these young women are quite marvelous on this disc of Norwegian Folk music dating back to the middle ages. In many ways, such music accounts for much of what was lost in the shadow of the classical tradition in which only the music of the aristocracy and the educated composers in their employment ( those who were able to read and write music thus assuring its preservation and transmission) was preserved. A good deal of such music is only recently being rediscovered in the same process by which earlier music is being "rediscovered". This discs is quite enjoyable and recommended to anyone with a liking for the Anonymus 4 or medieval music in general.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10, *performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Botstein.
Roger Sessions--*Symphony No.7, *performed by the Louisville Orchestra, no conductor listed.
Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony* *No. 2, Op.132 {"Mysterious Mountain"}, *with Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. This is the first time I've ever heard anything by this composer, and I am very impressed indeed by the beauty and majesty of this piece. I will definitely make it my business to listen to more of his symphonies. If nothing else, the andante movement hooked me for sure: Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2, Op. 132, "Mysterious Mountain": III. Andante Espressivo


----------



## starthrower

I'm listening to my Poulenc Concertos; Choral Works Decca Box


----------



## science

and










Edit: Was able to finish later, and they are very good works, all of them. I think these may be my 2 favorite editions in the RPC series.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

First listen last night to this -

*Luigi Boccherini*
_Quintet for guitar & strings in D major ('Fandango'), G. 448_

Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders String Quartet / Chari Saldana, castanets
(ABC Classics, from "Fandango" Album, with works by Haydn, Pujol, Houghton, live in concert, Melbourne, 2011)

Such an enjoyable work, I love Boccherini. I like the lightness of this work and how it's imaginative at the same time and easily bears up to repeated listening (I listened to it twice in a row!). The way he structured his works was often unusual and not run of the mill, eg. here there's a longer slow movement (II) and another much briefer one (III) as a transition to the final movement (IV). Speaking of that final movement, it is very bouncy and fun. The way he built up & released this tension through repetition reminded me of Philip Glass' _Violin Concerto_. This was recorded from this group's concert series earlier in the year which I missed but I'm glad to hear it now, it's great. Next up will be the other works on this CD which I have never heard either...

Short video about this album HERE on youtube.


----------



## Rapide

The Fandango is quite popular. I listened to a live performance once in Spain and many concert listners were almost felt like "dancing" to it. (it was a small concert and less formal one that I went that featured other Spanish music of different ages).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*George Enescu, Symphony No. 2*, by Horia Andreescu.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.

Horowitz and Demidenko are my go-to's for Clementi keyboard. I have not heard enough of Howard Shelley's Clementi. I shall have to explore him further, since I admire some of his Chandos Mozart PC recs (9, 17, 21, 22) with London Mozart Players.

I think this particular Eder Mozart is as good as it gets...helped by Janos Fehervari, 2nd viola.


----------



## Vaneyes

Art Rock said:


>


I like that cover. It reminds me of the Big Island of Hawaii. The flow in this picture (wherever it is) is relatively new. Older flows turn brown. For those not in the know, it's bad luck to collect lava rock.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio NMC label listen has inspired me in similar vein, with Elgar Symphony 3.


----------



## Vaneyes

One of my favorite covers, and oh yes, Schubert chamber recs.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10*, by Paavo Jarvi.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.1 in G- ('Sérieuse')*

Artists	
Jena philharmonic orchestra David Montgomery




http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-1-4-Berwald/dp/B000005IB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318420086&sr=8-1

Pretty good version of a great symphony. The sound is just average. Maybe a little tame and stagnant performance. Not very dynamic, and thus no particular nerve.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Symphony in C#*

Artists	
Stephen Gunzenhauser (Artist), Slovak Philharmonic




http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Bloch-...45T1/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565005&sr=8-2


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No. 2*, Vassily Sinaisky and the BBC Phil.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20/4-6 [Disc 09]*

Good morning - some Haydn to start the day


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Franz Berwald*
> 
> Work
> *Berwald: Symphony No.1 in G- ('Sérieuse')*
> 
> Artists
> Jena philharmonic orchestra David Montgomery
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-1-4-Berwald/dp/B000005IB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318420086&sr=8-1
> 
> Pretty good version of a great symphony. The sound is just average. Maybe a little tame and stagnant performance. Not very dynamic, and thus no particular nerve.


You're correct. I think Montgomery was more successful here...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 1*, a download of a live concert in 1952 by Wilhelm Furtwangler. I'm surprised; I like what he's doing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Symphony for Trombone (or Cello) and Orchestra*

Artists	
Will Kimball, Timothy Smith




http://www.amazon.com/Collage-Diver...IJA0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565632&sr=8-4


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> You're correct. I think Montgomery was more successful here...


Sadly not on spotify..


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*The Wasps and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. *Both works have Sir Neville Marriner directing the Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.47 {original 1930 version} and Symphony No.4 in C major, Op.112 {revised 1947 version*}. Both versions are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat major, Op.70*. The *5th* is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The *9th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are conducted by Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.15*

Artists	
Benjamin Britten, Mark Lubotsky, English Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Conducts-Vol-4/dp/B0017LWUM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317401547&sr=8-1

This is an exciting work! Very good version with a beautiful violin play. Sensitive and expressive. The orchestra is very in tune with the violin. Excellent performance and good sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Sadly not on spotify..


No big loss. Try Bychkov for Shostakovich Symphony No. 11, with Berlin PO or WDR SO Koln.


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Suite for Violin and Piano, Op.6*

Artists	
Rafal Zambrzycki Payne/Carole Presland




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TGXRXM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317579347&sr=8-1-fkmr0

I love Britton. He is very energetic and vibrant. Here is a very playful interplay between piano and violin. Excellent done, and very good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Nocturnal after John Dowland, for guitar, Op.70*

Artists	
Sonja Prunnbauer




http://www.amazon.com/Nocturnal-Gui...N94Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317575179&sr=8-1

Great guitar playing and good sound. It is perhaps a bit too much reverb. Have not quite decided whether I like it or not. Some of the intimacy is lost. At the same time it fits with the slightly distant dreamy nerve in the piece.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> No big loss. Try Bychkov for Shostakovich Symphony No. 11, with Berlin PO or WDR SO Koln.


Not on spotify...


----------



## Sid James

Another few listens to* Boccherini's Guitar Quintet #4 "Fandango"* - reviewed HERE - and the Naxos disc of *Russian guitar music *- reviewed HERE. Both are growing on me, but I also got into some non-guitar things as well by *Boulez* and *Rossini *-

*Pierre Boulez*
_Sur Incises _for 3 each of pianos, harps, percussionists
Soloists of Ensemble Intercontemporain / Directed by the composer
(DGG)

I got this about a year back & I've listened to it several times on and off. Quite accomplished in terms of interesting sounds, colours, etc. but overall I find it too complex for it's own good and a bit irritating. It's 37 minutes in duration, in two movements, the second movt. is about 22 minutes. I remember the other two shorter works on the disc as being more readily approachable, but I was too exhausted by the end of this to listen to them. A "plus" with this disc is the superb sound, audiophiles will be very pleased, it garnered an award partly due to it's crystal clear sound.










*From compilation album: Rossini's Best*
_Overture "William Tell" 
Overture "The Italian Girl in Algiers"_
- Plovdiv PO, Bulgaria / Rouslan Raichev, cond.
_Don Basile's Aria from "The Barber of Seville"_
- Nikolai Ghiaurov, bass / Bulgarian Broadcasting SO / Kamen Goleminov, cond.
(AVM/Festival CD)

It was good to hear these after many many years. I got this second-hand recently & it's as good a collection of Rossini as any on the one disc. It has a couple of other overtures and also two chamber works which I hope to listen to as well soon...

(More details HERE)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Returning to Mozart and two of his beautiful piano concertos.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... going from Boulez to Rossini is surely a jump as great as some of the ones I have posted (such as the jump from Beethoven's symphonies to the Indian flute music). I've long loved Rossini myself. Of course I'm a big opera buff. It's great to listen to music at times which has no pretension beyond entertainment and the unabashed expression of beauty and joy.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Andre... going from Boulez to Rossini is surely a jump as great as some of the ones I have posted (such as the jump from Beethoven's symphonies to the Indian flute music)...


Yes, I like contrast, but not always as big as that. My aim was to listen to _Sur Incises _(which has 3 harps) & then after revisit an Elliott Carter piece involving harp (eg. compare the two composers writing for harp). But after the complexity of the Boulez - which is kind of over my limit, esp. in terms of it's epic length - I opted for the Rossini album which I've just bought and it's been in the wings for a first-listen.



> ...
> I've long loved Rossini myself. Of course I'm a big opera buff...


Yes, he's great, I even had his _Moses in Egypt _ages ago which I may well get, he's good in dramtic mode as well, somehow that worked for me (maybe his great melodies), but I've now discovered Donizetti's lighter side as well.



> ...
> It's great to listen to music at times which has no pretension beyond entertainment and the unabashed expression of beauty and joy.


Yes, that's why I'm getting into things like Boccherini & some c20th neo-classicists inspired by him - eg. Catelnuovo-Tedesco - it wasn't only a matter of art for them but craft & beauty, etc. that you say...


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonata No. 37 
Alfred Brendel(fly) himself! al piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In this disc the always interesting violinist, Gidon Kremer, coming off performances of Vivaldi's Seasons and works by Astor Piazzola built upon the same theme, paired an original composition (again based upon the seasons) by the composer Leonid Desyatnikov with an arrangement by Alexandr Raskatov of Tchaikovsky's _The Seasons_ in order to create a Russian take on the theme that has so enthralled Kremer.

Desyatnikov (b.1955) takes authentic music and text from the collection called _Traditional Music from the Russian Lake District_ and sets them as four 'concertos' each with three 'movements' in a form similar to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. His scoring is similar too (string orchestra and solo violin) but Desyatnikov also adds a solo female voice for some numbers since his 'seasons' are different to Vivaldi's. They explore human experiences (love, separation, death and commemoration, for example) while following the quarterly rituals of the Orthodox Church.

In keeping with the idea of 'seasonal' relationships between musicians, Desyatnikov has apparently said that one of his other aims when composing The Russian Seasons was to bring together many different compositional styles. These range from 'almost uncivilised roughness to European elegance', the melding of which he feels is embodied in the work of Kremer and his orchestra. As a consequence, and although the work is wholly new, its twelve numbers all contain allusions to other composers - those who like musical challenges can amuse themselves by spotting the influences from Steve Reich, Dufay, Berg, Bach, Stravinsky and Pärt which are sprinkled liberally throughout. Desyatnikov has his own style however, and this music is often folksy but it is also wry, tender, tuneful and harmonically interesting at every turn. There's Russian irony here too: listen to the second piece, Lullaby, before reading the translated text, as an example.

Raskatov's (b. 1953) The Seasons Digest is a different kind of work though concerned with the same preoccupations as Desyatnikov's. It is a re-working of Tchaikovsky's piano cycle The Seasons op37a for a string orchestra, violin solo, percussion and prepared piano in a 'digest' form which distills the Tchaikovsky tradition nicely, but debunks it soundly too. To do this, opulent string melody is interrupted by the prepared piano and reinterpreted by percussion. Musicians are instructed to 'roam freely beyond the boundaries of their own parts' so that string players play percussion instruments sometimes. There are crops of not quite right 'modern' harmonies. Everyone whispers the 'Requiem Aeternam' in the movement for March and sings during the 'peasant minimalism' of July. Some aspects of this cannot be appreciated from a CD of course, but the excellent explanatory sleeve-note by Tatjana Frumkis fills in some of the irony and explains the intention behind what is heard. The old music is always familiar, but never exactly so: it questions how far New Russia has moved from Old Russia and how far such movement is good.

quoted from review by Bill Kenny:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Apr04/Desyatnikov.htm


----------



## Sid James

^^ I like *Piazzolla's* *Four Seasons of Buenos Aires*, I have THIS recording done by our former Macquarie Trio of the version for piano trio. Easy listening but not boring or superficial, I like how he mixed many things but definitely has his own unique style...It's been a while since I've listend to that disc...Since you reminded me it might be up for grabs tonight...


----------



## science

Op. 49.

Chopin is endless.

And now:










Instant favorite! I have two other CDs of D. Scarlatti's sonatas (Scott Ross and Trevor Pinnock) and I need to give them another listen before I judge definitively, but for now I have to say that I never heard the sonatas sound so fun. Pogorelich's interpretation of these pieces may annoy purists, but they delight me!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *performed by the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
Howard Hanson--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.21 {"Nordic"}, *featuring Kenneth Schermerhorn conducting the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. I especially liked the final movement of this work, with--for me anyway--its overtones of Sibelius and Nielsen. I found it to be powerfully melodic and uplifting: Howard Hanson - Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 21, "Nordic": III. Allegro Con Fuoco


----------



## science

Just finished that very interesting work, and now I'm cleansing my palate with a glass of milk and some more Chopin, this time by Pogorelich:










One thing I forgot to mention earlier today was Handel's Coronation Anthems:










Really enjoyed them. I will play that to my European history students some time.


----------



## Sid James

More works with guitar, the *Matthew Hindson* piece incorporating influences from Boccherini's _'Fandango' Quintet_ as well as Mendelssohn's _Octet for Strings_, plus a heady mix of fresh beats from minimalism to pop & even techno, with a hint of country 'n western along the way. A bit commercial but quite invigorating. The *Boccherini* piece is great, I reviewed it before on this thread HERE. In that, the guitar is more part of the ensemble, it has more of a chamber feel, whilst the *Haydn* is more soloistic and like a concerto, both for the guitar and other instruments...

*Luigi Boccherini*
_Quintet for guitar & strings in D major ('Fandango'), G. 448_

*F.J. Haydn*
_Quartet in D major for Concertante Guitar, Violin, Viola and Cello_

Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders String Quartet / Chari Saldana, castanets (in Boccherini)
(ABC Classics, from "Fandango" Album, with works by Pujol & Houghton, live in concert, Melbourne, 2011)

*Matthew Hindson*
_Rush for guitar and string quartet_
HERE on youtube.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

An interesting coupling of 20th century piano concertos that I thought offered a strong contrast of technique and idiom. You might like a give it a listen if you particularly enjoy piano concertos (as I do) and also relatively modern works. The Schnittke piece sounded relatively so, compared with the Martinu. You can safely be assured from me that neither are the weird extreme fart variety types. (CPO label)

*Martinu* _Concerto for two pianos_ (1943)
*Schnittke* _Concerto for piano 4 hands_ (1988)


----------



## science

A lot of listening! Whew... exhausting...

I always tell myself, next time I'll listen to it one part at a time, the way it was supposed to be heard, and then each part will be fresh for me. Instead, I always listen straight through, wearing myself out.

Next time I'll listen to it one part at a time! Maybe this Christmas I'll do the Christmas Oratorio like that.


----------



## Vesteralen

I forgot how great these are. It's been a while since I've pulled this disc out to listen to it.

The Second Symphony seems very Barber-like to me. And, that's a good thing. One can never have too much Barber.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach, Motets, with Reinhard Kammler and the Kammerchor Der Augsburer Domskingknaben. Nice singing from the boy choir.


----------



## Vesteralen

Anyone who has seen my blogs would know that I've been listening to this music. But, I just wanted to say that I'm finding this music so enjoyable I just keep listening to it again and again. Music for wind ensembles is something I've always kind of liked, but never to this degree. This is really "feel-good" stuff.


----------



## Vaneyes

In overall pleasure, I place Nagano's only behind the Bernstein (Sony) and Horenstein Mahler 3 recordings. A more introspective view, beautifully detailed, with exceptional playing (DSO Berlin), singing (Dagmar Peckova), and sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

"Instant favorite! I have two other CDs of D. Scarlatti's sonatas (Scott Ross and Trevor Pinnock) and I need to give them another listen before I judge definitively, but for now I have to say that I never heard the sonatas sound so fun. Pogorelich's interpretation of these pieces may annoy purists, but they delight me!"

science, I share your enthusiasm for Pogo's "fun" Scarlatti. We're fortunate that Tipo, Tomsic, Horowitz, Ts'ong, Argerich, Michelangeli, Gould, also share that love for Scarlatti.


----------



## Vaneyes

The Berlin Phil have been slow learners with Mahler, culminating with Abbado's magnificence.

There were some bright spots prior with Mahler 9 (Barbirolli, Karajan I & II). It was Barbirolli's sterling account in 1964 that started the learning process. Thirty-eight years later, EMI GROC ART remastering brought the performance significantly closer to what it must have sounded like in Jesus-Christus-Kirche.

I was astonished when I first heard the newness. I still am. Now also available in EMI Masters series.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 [Disc 1]*

Shostakovich String Quartets made me a fan of Chamber Music! - Its been a while since I've listened to them so time to re-visit this excellent cycle


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Prelude and Fugue, for 18 strings, Op.29*

Artists	
Violons du Roy, Les




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Les-I...JUNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317576307&sr=8-1










Work 
*Britten: Cello Sonata in C, Op.65*

Artists	
Dwight Bennett




http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Cell...GZY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317470364&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Enescu, Symphony No. 1*, by Rozhdestvensky.


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.1 in G- ('Sérieuse')*

Artists	
Herbert Blomstedt (Artist), San Francisco Symphony




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Symph...E54X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318419965&sr=8-1

Fine recording of a great symphony. The sound is very good.
Fine nerve, and the orchestra conveys very good tones and moods. Recommended!


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33/1-4 [Disc 10]*

Now listening to my daily dose of Haydn String Quartet  - can't believe I'm almost halfway through this cycle again already! Definetely one of my favourite sets!


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
Weissenberg (Artist), Karajan (Artist), Berlin Phil




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concert...7W/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1316784777&sr=8-14

Eminent performance and quite good sound

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sANt0tiEL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


----------



## Sid James

Various things, mainly *European*...

*B. Bartok*
_Sonata for two pianos & percussion, BB 115 (Sz 110)_
- Martha Argerich, Stephen Kovacevich, pianos / Willy Goudswaard, Michael De Roo, perc.
_Sonatina for piano, BB 69 (Sz 55)_
- Stephen Kovacevich, piano
On this Decca album

Love those trademark tone clusters in the_ Sonata_, it's like a journey from the outer universe back to Earth, with a big folk dance tune "coming home" at the end. The earlier _Sonatina_ is more intimate, small scale, capturing the sounds of the cimbalom with the piano.

*G. Rossini*
_Variations for Clarinet & orch._ (Petko Radev, clarinet / Bulgarian Broadcasting SO / Kamen Goleminov, cond)
_Overture "La Cenerentola"
Overture "La Scala di Seta"
Overture "La Gazza Ladra"_
(Plovdiv PO, Bulgaria / Rouslan Raichev, cond.)
_Sonata for Strings_
(Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble / Vassil Kazandjiev, cond.)
On this AVM/Festival album

The _Variations_ was my favourite here, like an opera aria for clarinet. The overtures come across as a bit formulaic now after knowing them for ages, but they're just good fun. The _Sonata for Strings _was written when Rossini was about 12, & have a similar feel to Mendelssohn's corresponding _String Symphonies_, very classical & quite optimistic, youthful & warm.

*P. Boulez*
_Messagesquisse_ for solo cello and six cellos
Members of Ensemble Intercontemporain / The composer directing
On this DGG disc of works by Boulez

Just going through this disc bit by bit._ Sur Incises_, the main work, was just too complex and intellectual for me. But this work, _Messagesquisse_, is much shorter, has a bit of repetition and not too much tempo changes throughout a single movement, so it is easier to grasp by far. Both works were written two decades apart for the Swiss conductor and promoter of new music Paul Sacher, who also comissioned works by the likes of Bartok and R. Strauss...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op.108 and SQ # 8 in C Minor, Op.110. *Both works are performed by the Rubio Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

...& also some *South American *-

*H. Villa-Lobos*
_Song of the Black Swan for violin & harp
Duo for violin & viola_
_Five Brazilian Songs_ (trans. flute & harp)
-Mobius group of New York
On this Naxos disc of chamber music of Villa-Lobos

Some really great chamber music on this disc, esp. like his music with harp, which is colourful and relaxing. The odd man out here is the _Duo for violin & viola_, which comes across as being a bit Germanic - eg. Hindemith? - but still has Villa's trademark special way with writing for strings which is quite colourful and parts even remind me of bird-calls in the rainforest.

*A. Piazzolla*
_Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)_ arr. for piano trio by Jose Bragato
- Macquarie Trio (Australia): Nicholas Milton violin • Michael Goldschlager cello • Kathryn Selby piano
On this disc of music for piano trio by Piazzolla on ABC Classics

Piazzolla is one of my favourite c20th composers & the piano trio one of my favourite combinations, so I can't go wrong here. Some superb playing by one of our best ensembles which has since disbanded, although pianist Kathryn Selby has formed another group called Trioz in recent years. This work really grabs me with it's colour and atmosphere...


----------



## kv466

Rachmaninov - Variations on a Theme of Corelli, opus 42 Earl Wild al piano


----------



## clavichorder

Neilsen's 5th. Its really great!


----------



## samurai

clavichorder said:


> Neilsen's 5th. Its really great!


You are so right; I've really fallen in love with his music. I am currently rather anxiously awaiting delivery of a box set of his complete symphonies from Amazon conducted by Douglas Bostock {currently on back order! :scold:}. In the meantime though, I resort to *Spotify*. :angel:


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaughan Williams - Suite on English Folk Songs


----------



## Vaneyes

Thanks for the Nielsen 5 nudge.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Sir Edward Elgar--*Symphony No.2 in E-Flat, Op.63, *featuring Sir Edward Elgar {?} conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93,* performed by the Minnesota Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska. This is the first time I have ever heard this work, and I am very impressed. Tomorrow night I intend to listen to it--again on blessed *Spotify*--as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, and I can hardly wait!


----------



## hespdelk

Classic Strauss with Reiner and Chicago.. not sure if this is my favourite performance of the works, but it is certainly a close contender.


----------



## Sid James

Phillip Houghton - God of the Northern Forest - played by Rupert Boyd on guitar, on youtube

One of our finest Australian composers for guitar...


----------



## hespdelk

Bit of a rarity, one of Mascagni's mature operas. Probably the best recording of it available (only two to my knowledge, the other one being more recent but taken from some sort of student workshop - scrappy performance, with bizarrely recorded sound..).

Performance here is pretty top notch, some big names involved. I wish the sound were a little better, its an older live recording (in mono) which doesn't do the rich orchestration and big choruses justice.

Still undecided on the music itself.. this is only my second time listening through. There are some stunning moments though. It would be nice if someone did a big revival of it, along the lines of what Placido Domingo has done for Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac.


----------



## chrislowski

You either love him or hate him...


----------



## Vaneyes

Martinon gets to the bone of these works. Nuances galore.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bliss, A Colour Symphony.*










I wanted to follow the crowd to Nielsen's 5th, but it looks like I don't have that one. I'll have to settle for the 6th ..


----------



## Vesteralen

I know of no other pieces of instrumental music that bear the fingerprint of their composer like these works do. They could not have been written by anyone else.


----------



## Vesteralen

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bliss, A Colour Symphony.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to follow the crowd to Nielsen's 5th, but it looks like I don't have that one. I'll have to settle for the 6th ..


Don't overlook the 3rd, since it's on this disc too. It's my favorite next to the 5th. (Though I've never heard this version...Nielsen, to my mind, is one of those composers who needs to be heard in a top-flight interpretation to be really appreciated.)


----------



## Klavierspieler

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Six Studies in English Folk Songs.
Vicki Hamm, 'Cello.


----------



## Vaneyes

Gould and Scriabin Sonata 3. Perfection.


----------



## Vaneyes

Amazing what can be had, so inexpensively. CDs are dead? Yeah, right.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 4 & 13 [Disc 4]*


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.56 op26 Piano Trio No.2 *

Artists	
Yuval Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Trios-C...XED6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318605141&sr=8-1

Very nice trio, and I think it's a great version, although the reviews on Amazon are not very good. Beautiful and sensitive, they have presented a fine nerve.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.120 op Quartet movement*

Beautiful piece!

Work 
*Dvorák: B.18 String Quartet No.3*

There is something a bit slow on the presentation here. The sound is quite good, the interaction too. But there is something in the dynamics that I feel are missing. But it is a fine work, but to long (70 minutes). There are not enough quality and variations in the work to fill up so long time.

Artists	
Prague String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-String...DEH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315216259&sr=8-1










Work 
*Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100 *

Artists	
Igor Ardasev piano
ivan zenaty violin




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Works-...L8QE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315128586&sr=8-5

Superb composition. Great melody without being to sentimental or sticky. I think you can hear some of the harmonies from "the new world" here. Great performance and great sound.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.49 op77 String Quintet*

Artists	
Members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Comple...HY8J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316364157&sr=8-1

Very good sound, and quite fine performance, but the work is a bit boring. But it may grow on me.


----------



## Vaneyes

TURN THE VOLUME UP. Good performances, but the recording engineer Wolf-Dieter Karwatky was asleep at the switch. Recorded at low volume with Shaham's projection not projected. He's somewhere in the middle of the orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 25, Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (Symphonie cévenole) for piano and orchestra (1886)*

Artists	
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Jean-Yves Thibaudet




http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-D-Minor-Franck/dp/B0000041XM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315750311&sr=8-2

Great work, but some distant sound.
The performance seems a little lax, but it may have something to do with the sound picture.










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 50, Chansons et danses for wind instruments*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Great, a little sad and fragile work. Performances are very good and sensitive, but the sound is a bit harsh. But is a very nice listening as soon my ears get used to the sound.










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 91, Suite for flute, string trio, and harp (1927)*

Artists	
Carlo Jans, Kate?ina Englichová & Martin? Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Françaix-Bord...1SRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315748542&sr=8-1

Very nice sound here, and the fine nuances in the work is loveley displayed. Loveley flute! Very nice listening. The work itself is very playfull and rich.










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 096, String Quartet No. 3 in D flat
*
Artists	
New Budapest String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/INDY-Piano-Qu...4632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315757837&sr=8-1

Nice and dreamy. The performance is good, but the sound is medium.


----------



## Lisztian

How do you post a picture?


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Redemption*

Artists	
Noël Lee, Christian Ivaldi




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Poèmes...XVTS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302761&sr=8-2


----------



## Vaneyes

Terrific music useful for pondering nothing.


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Psyché Suite*

Artists	
Sofia Symphony Orchestra
Vassil Kazandjiev




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AC5FFE/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315303027&sr=8-2

Very dreamy and beautiful work. Excellent performed, and pretty good sound.


----------



## Lisztian




----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
Nai-Yuan Hu
Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Goldmark-K-Co...1DA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736602&sr=8-1

It's a great concert, but I think Goldmark is absolutely the best in his piano quintets.
Nice version, but not sparkling.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, OP.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. *Both works have Herbert von Karajan directing the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Once again, both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26*

Artists	
Yondani Butt (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Goldmark-Rust...30T7/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315683449&sr=8-8

Excellent work! And here portrayed with subtlety and nuanced play. The drama is really dramatic, and the lyric really lyrical. Excellent sound.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schumann, Symphony No. 4*, David Zinman.


----------



## Nix

Currently getting familiar with:

Mozart: String Quartet #14
Ravel: Rhapsody Espagnol 
Babbitt: Phonemena 
Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
Debussy: Arabesques 


This is my first exposure to Mozart String Quartets, and Babbitt as a whole.


----------



## Sid James

*A. Piazzolla*
_La Muerte del Angel (Death of the Angel) 
Oblivion 
Chau París (Goodbye Paris) 
Río Sena (River Seine) 
Windy 
Adiós Nonino (Farewell Papa) 
Reunión Cumbre (Summit Meeting) 
Revolucionario (Revolutionary) 
Resurrección del Angel (Resurrection of the Angel) 
Libertango 
Escualo (Shark) 
Chiquilín de Bachín (Bachin Lad) 
Zum _
(arr. for piano trio by Jose Bragato & others)

- Macquarie Trio (Australia): Nicholas Milton violin • Michael Goldschlager cello • Kathryn Selby piano
On this ABC Classics disc of Tangos & Dances by Piazzolla

*H. Villa-Lobos*
_Song of the Jet Whistle for cello & flute
Quintet Instrumentale
Song of the Black Swan for violin & harp
Duo for violin & viola
Five Brazilian Songs _(trans. flute & harp)

-Mobius group of New York
On this Naxos disc of chamber music by Villa-Lobos

*Luigi Boccherini*
_Quintet for guitar & strings in D major ('Fandango'), G. 448_

Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders String Quartet / Chari Saldana, castanets
From their "Fandango" album on ABC Classics, live recording, 2011


----------



## Sid James

*Pierre Boulez*

_Mesagessquise for solo cello & 6 cellos_
(Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello / Ens. Intercontemporain / composer directing)

_Anthemes 2_
(Hae-Sun Kang, violin / Andrew Gerzso, electro-acoustic realisation)
Both on this DGG album of music by Boulez

This album is basically a disappointment overall. I listened to the main work, _Sur Incises _a few days back and found it too complex and intellectual for my liking. _Messagesquisse_ does tick some boxes, it's pretty good and not too convoluted. There's a contrast between a kind of static feel in the two slow/quite movements with this driving juggernaut energy in the other two fast/loud ones. As for _Anthemes 2_, I find it kind of annoying, it's like noodling on the solo violin "mirrored" or "ghosted" by itself thanks to the wonders of electronic realisation/distortion. So it's only one 8 minute work on a 67 minute disc that grabs me, & I'd advise people to download _Messagesquisse_ only, it's the one that bears repeated listening, imo, but it might only be me, who knows?...


----------



## Nix

I saw the Messagesquisse live last year, and it really is something else when heard live. It came after an electronic work of Boulez, so it was cool to see how he managed the same effects but acoustically. And it's great to see how the players interact, and how it weaves together- the soloist was in the middle of a horseshoe formation with 3 cellist on either side.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## clavichorder




----------



## clavichorder




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of *unknown* because he/she is unlisted. 
Howard Hanson--*Symphony No.2, Op.30 {"Romantic"} *featuring the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz. I especially like its beautifully lush and expansive Andante movement: Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2, Op. 30, "Romantic": II. Andante Con Tenerezza


----------



## Sid James

^^ I also like *Hanson's Romantic Symphony, *it's the only thing by him that I've got on disc. I reviewed it on this very thread briefly at THIS post. I'm not sure if you know, *samurai*, parts of this symphony were used in the first _Alien_ film (made around 1979, I think, I saw it when it was remastered & ran again in the cinemas about 10 years ago, I don't remember the music well, but yes the vibe was a bit like this symphony in parts - I spent most of the film admiring Sigourney Weaver, she wasn't a bad sort back then, :lol: )...


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify*:
> 
> Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of *unknown* because he/she is unlisted.
> Howard Hanson--*Symphony No.2, Op.30 {"Romantic"} *featuring the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz. I especially like its beautifully lush and expansive Andante movement: Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2, Op. 30, "Romantic": II. Andante Con Tenerezza


Hey! I've played that piece before in orchestra. My youth symphony went on tour to Washington DC with that piece actually! Among others.


----------



## samurai

Sid, I like the *Romantic* *Symphony* as well and just learned about its use in *Alien*. I also think Sigourney was excellent in that Ripley role. She is one tough lady, that's for sure!


----------



## samurai

@ Violadude, Are you referring to the Beethoven or Hanson piece?


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> @ Violadude, Are you referring to the Beethoven or Hanson piece?


Oh, right lol 

The Hanson


----------



## samurai

violadude said:


> Oh, right lol
> 
> The Hanson


Yes, it's a very evocative and expressive work which I really enjoyed after listening to it for the first time tonight on *Spotify*.


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> Yes, it's a very evocative and expressive work which I really enjoyed after listening to it for the first time tonight on *Spotify*.


Ya, I love the soaring melodies, and the thematic interweaving between the three movements is really cool too.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Sid, I like the *Romantic* *Symphony* as well and just learned about its use in *Alien*...


Hanson was an interesting character, he lead the Eastman-Rochester school in the post-1945 period. Actually taught the then latest experimental techniques, but as far as I know his music stayed fairly neo-Romantic. He also conducted the orchestra allied to that institution, and made a number of recordings of USA repertoire still considered benchmark today, he took them on tour across the country and really worked hard to get new American music out there in the concert halls. So his legacy is more than his music, imo...



> ...
> I also think Sigourney was excellent in that Ripley role. She is one tough lady, that's for sure!


...yes, she's a great actor, & in the _Alien_ films she wasn't to be messed with (& did I mention she was HOT?!)...


----------



## Conor71

*Britten: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 [Disc 1]*


----------



## Guest

Studying the Ars Nova in history class and greatly enjoying Machaut's music, the Mass in particular.


----------



## Sid James

*Joseph HAYDN*
_Quartet in D major for Concertante Guitar, Violin, Viola and Cello_ 
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders Quartet
On ABC Classics album "Fandango," live recording, 2011

A rare work by Haydn, apparently discovered relatively recently. This was originally a string quartet, but the first violin part was rewritten to be played by a mandolin or lute. This comes across as sounding a bit like a concerto, the concertante guitar has this deep sound compared to the higher strings, there's real contrast there. I've only listened to this and the Boccherini title work (the famous _Guitar Quintet 'Fandango'_), I have yet to get to the two contemporary works on the album.

*Luigi BOCCHERINI*
_Quintet for Strings in E major, G. 275_
Danubius String Quartet / Gyorgy Eder, cello
From Naxos album - Boccherini Guitar Quintets, Vol. 3

My first listen to this. This is the one with the famous minuet, but the whole work is wonderful. Some wonderfully warm and colourful writing for the strings here. A real treat.


----------



## clavichorder

Scriabin's 3rd piano sonata-Evegeny Kissin.


----------



## Vaneyes

Shortly, I will continue my modern collection progression I began yesterday. In the meantime, I need a Corelli injection.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaughan Williams - Piano Concerto


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Mass in B Minor,* Gardiner.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Not "classical" by the definition of "classical" used by most... but them I find the very term "classical" and the idea that it defines a single monolithic genre to be problematic at best (as I've spelled out elsewhere). I prefer the term 'classic" and this is certainly "classic music", "classic Jazz", "classic Dixieland", and "classic Armstrong".

These studio recordings with the Dukes of Dixieland capture the sound of classic Dixieland music... the sort of music young Louis Armstrong was reared upon... and they capture the sound of sheer unadulterated joy.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Studying the Ars Nova in history class and greatly enjoying Machaut's music, the Mass in particular.


If you want to hear a unique version of the mass, Marcel Peres has a historically informed version that borders on craziness.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> If you want to hear a unique version of the mass, Marcel Peres has a historically informed version that borders on craziness.


I think I've come across that on YouTube, because I remember hearing a version that has _gratuitous_ use of quarter tones. Crazy but cool at the same time! I wonder how accurate that performance is, since I don't recall hearing other French Ars Nova music being sung that way...

My orchestration prof. is a big fan of the Rachmaninov Paganini Rhapsody, especially variation 18. He got very excited when he showed us how Rach took the theme and simply inverted it, transforming it from a dark, minor melody to a gorgeous major one.


----------



## clavichorder

I love this movement of Medtner's 2nd concerto, and for once I am in awe of Hamlin's playing, sometimes I find him dead, but this is remarkable


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 013 Three Intermezzi for clarinet & piano
*
Artists	
Emma Johnson, Malcolm Martineau




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00595XWWY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315767360&sr=8-2










Work 
*Stanford: Op 039 Sonata No. 2 in D minor for violoncello & piano*

Artists	
John ireland




http://www.amazon.com/Cello-Master-Classics/dp/B004BDJDLE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315766960&sr=8-2










Work 
*Stanford: Op. 073 Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, *

Artists	
Pirasti Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Pian...30VK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768656&sr=8-1










Work 
*Stanford: Op 011 Sonata No. 1 in D major*

Artists	
Susanne Stanzeleit




http://www.amazon.com/Dunhill-Banto...FDDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315769716&sr=8-1










Work 
*Stanford: Op 054 Irish Fantasies*

Work 
*Stanford: Op *** Legend, WoO*

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Chamber-Music/dp/B005989658/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768851&sr=8-8


----------



## Vaneyes

Two greats join forces for one beguiling, elegant recording. For those sitting on the fence about modern or Martinu, be not afraid. These sonatas are most approachable.


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 071 Concert Variations*

Artists	
American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Conc...UTT8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315769387&sr=8-3

This is a very nice Work!. Elegant balance between the lyrical and dramatic. Very nice version with good interplay, good nerve and good sound. But irritating shifts between tracks on spotify


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 080 Clarinet Concerto in A minor*

Artists	
Emma Johnson, Malcolm Martineau




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00595XWWY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316968033&sr=8-1

Really wonderful and exciting concert. Good sound, and a good performance. The orchestra is very tight and coherent. And the interaction with the clarinet is excellent.


----------



## Vaneyes

Gould moves effortlessly from discipline to discipline, maintaining such steadfast focus.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky*--Symphony* *No*.*6* *in* *B* *Minor*, *Op*.*74* {"*Pathetique*"}, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"},* with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Schumann seems to be one of the composers who few really get right... at least when it comes to his symphonies. Three cycles that have really impressed me... and made me really appreciate Schumann the symphonist include that of John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique as well as two by my hometown Cleveland Orchestra: one (more recently) with Christoph von Dohnányi, and the second classic recording with George Szell.










An absolutely magnificent performance!


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 3, 4 & 5 [Disc 03] [Disc 04]*

Good morning - first classical listen of the day


----------



## Vaneyes

Poulenc, a significant part of Roge's career, acquiring benchmark status. Three recordings, back to back to back.


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> * ...
> Stanford: Op 080 Clarinet Concerto in A minor*
> ...


I haven't heard that work, but I've read that it didn't go down too well with the conservatives in the UK at the time. Something about an Irish jig in the final movement being too unbuttoned and letting his hair down, not serious and Germanic enough like Brahms as was the fashion at the time. I want to get that work in due course. I have been enjoying Stanford's _Requiem_ for about a year now since I got it on Naxos, his choral writing in particular is pretty unique and superb...


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...
> Not "classical" by the definition of "classical" used by most... but them I find the very term "classical" and the idea that it defines a single monolithic genre to be problematic at best ...


I agree, I think that there are as many similarities as differences between classical & jazz in many ways. Eg. the best jazz music for small groups engages me just the same as classical chamber music. Not to mention so many jazz players have gone over to classical & also the other way round, the whole "crossover" thing, eg. the Marsalis guys but even Benny Goodman commissioned stuff from Bartok & Copland & loved playing Mozart's _Clarinet Concerto_...That's why I post jazz things I listen to on this thread as well, if they warrant it, but lately my jazz listening has been much less than the classical...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> Poulenc, a significant part of Roge's career, acquiring benchmark status. Three recordings, back to back to back.


I know that some dismiss Poulence easily as being too "lightweight". Of course a good many aim the same criticism at Mozart and Haydn which surely would put him in good company... along with, perhaps, Johann Strauss, Massenet, Rossini... and many others I quite enjoy. I have the first disc which I greatly enjoyed and I am looking at that 5 disc set (which is rather a bargain)... but also at this 4 disc set of Poulenc's melodies (or art songs) which may be an even greater bargain:


----------



## Sid James

Really getting into guitar these days, such a colourful and intimate instrument, here in the hands of master composers & great musicians -

*M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_Caprichos_ 13-24 from _24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Disc 2 of 2 CD set on Naxos label)

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet #4 in D major, "Fandango"_
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders String Quartet / Chari Saldaña, castanets
ABC Classics

*A. Vivaldi*
_Concerto for guitar and strings in D major_
Jozef Zsapka, guitar / Slovak Chamber Orch. / Bohdan Warchal, cond.
Point Classics - with more Vivaldi & also concertos of Fasch & Krebs


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}, *featuring Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--SQ**# 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op.142 and SQ # 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op.144. *Both works are performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## hespdelk

Nice sound, solid performance. The Bells doesn't entirely convince me.. then again I once felt the same way about the Symphonic Dances, and these have grown on me considerably. There is so much more to Rachmaninov than the concertos and piano showpieces (deservedly famed as those are).


----------



## Sid James

^^The two piano version of Rachmaninov's _Symphonic Dances _is also worth hearing, if you like that kind of thing. His writing for two pianos is very good, imo. I've got an old Melodya recording on CD of_ The Bells _that's been waiting in the wings for ages for a first listen, but lately I have been steering away from heavy music, so it's on the backburner for when I get into a top-heavy kind of phase/mood. His _Vespers_ also sounds intriguing from the excerpts I've heard. Yes, he did some interesting things beyond the concertos & symphonies, although they are excellent as well...


----------



## Lisztian

Sid James said:


> ^^The two piano version of Rachmaninov's _Symphonic Dances _is also worth hearing, if you like that kind of thing. His writing for two pianos is very good, imo. I've got an old Melodya recording on CD of_ The Bells _that's been waiting in the wings for ages for a first listen, but lately I have been steering away from heavy music, so it's on the backburner for when I get into a top-heavy kind of phase/mood. His _Vespers_ also sounds intriguing from the excerpts I've heard. Yes, he did some interesting things beyond the concertos & symphonies, although they are excellent as well...


I played Rachmaninoffs 'Barcarolle' for piano four hands, and it is a lovely, beautiful, dramatic work that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's not two pianos (unless we were doing it wrong?) but as far as works combining two performers on the/a piano...if his pieces for two pianos are of a similar quality, I have to agree with you on his writing there being good


----------



## Sid James

^^ Thanks for your post, I'm always interested in discussing Rachmaninov, & welcome to the forum btw, I don't think I've come across you before...


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I know that some dismiss Poulence easily as being too "lightweight". Of course a good many aim the same criticism at Mozart and Haydn which surely would put him in good company... along with, perhaps, Johann Strauss, Massenet, Rossini... and many others I quite enjoy. I have the first disc which I greatly enjoyed and I am looking at that 5 disc set (which is rather a bargain)... but also at this 4 disc set of Poulenc's melodies (or art songs) which may be an even greater bargain:


Here's another that refutes the lightweight tag.


----------



## Lisztian

Sid James said:


> ^^ Thanks for your post, I'm always interested in discussing Rachmaninov, & welcome to the forum btw, I don't think I've come across you before...


Thanks for the welcome! I seem to recall you liking a few of my posts, but you are correct, joined a couple of days ago, and loving it so far! It's a tremendous forum...Where in Australia are you, by the way?

And speaking of Rachmaninoff I just recently, in between listens to Gilels Beethoven sonatas, listened to Rachmaninoffs third symphony for the first time, on the radio...however I always struggle with first listens so I can't really comment on what I heard, my listening skills need developing.


----------



## hespdelk

Sid James said:


> ^^The two piano version of Rachmaninov's _Symphonic Dances _is also worth hearing, if you like that kind of thing. His writing for two pianos is very good, imo. I've got an old Melodya recording on CD of_ The Bells _that's been waiting in the wings for ages for a first listen, but lately I have been steering away from heavy music, so it's on the backburner for when I get into a top-heavy kind of phase/mood. His _Vespers_ also sounds intriguing from the excerpts I've heard. Yes, he did some interesting things beyond the concertos & symphonies, although they are excellent as well...


I'll have to keep an eye out for the two piano version - I don't believe I've heard it yet. 

I don't know the Vespers well, but I liked what I heard. Perhaps my favourite piece of his is the symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead - a dark hued work, but so colourful and well wrought.. and impactful.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A beautifully filmed and recorded record of a beautifully performed concert of operatic show-stoppers. This concert included selections from Verdi, Puccini, Massanet, Bizet, Mascagni, Bernstein, Rossini, Lehar, and others performed by three of today's operatic superstars. This performance of vocal bon-bons illuminates all that makes opera what it is: love, joy, passion, sensuality, sex, beauty... the grandest of theater. watching this performance one recognizes that the ability to sing beautifully is but one element of what makes the operatic superstar. Personality and stage presence is something not to be ignored... and these three performers are truly blessed on that account:


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps*


----------



## starthrower

Vaneyes said:


> Here's another that refutes the lightweight tag.


I love Poulenc! I just got the Decca box of Concertos, and Choral works. I don't think his music is lightweight, but maybe the folks who do, take themselves too seriously?


----------



## Nix

Conor71 said:


> *Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps*


Saw this live a few nights ago... You haven't heard this piece until you've heard it in concert.


----------



## kv466

Snowflakes Are Dancing - Isao Tomita


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony*

Continuing to listen to Messiaen from my copy of the Messiaen Edition - This boxset is a great resource and contains many of Messiaens most important works in great performances. Currently listening to the Turangalila Symphonie performed by Kent Nagano and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Sid James

hespdelk said:


> I'll have to keep an eye out for the two piano version - I don't believe I've heard it yet.
> ...


Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire made a recording of the _Symphonic Dances _live at the Salzburg Festival a few years back. I've heard it but I didn't like it, but it was highly praised/regarded across the board. You might wish to give it a try, the disc also has other two piano works by Brahms, some others incl. Ravel's _La Valse_, which I remember as enjoying the most from that concert. So despite my mixed view it is a good program of two piano music, if you're into that kind of thing...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaughan Williams - Overture to the Wasps


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 60 "Absentminded" 
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back, two key recordings from the remarkable Chandos Walton series.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire made a recording of the _Symphonic Dances _live at the Salzburg Festival a few years back. I've heard it but I didn't like it, but it was highly praised/regarded across the board. You might wish to give it a try, the disc also has other two piano works by Brahms, some others incl. Ravel's _La Valse_, which I remember as enjoying the most from that concert. So despite my mixed view it is a good program of two piano music, if you're into that kind of thing...


Ten years ago, I was fortunate to see Argerich & Freire in Montreal, Dutoit conducting. What a program, what a night.

Beethoven PC 2
Bartok Concerto for 2 Pianos
Poulenc Concerto for 2 Pianos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Oskaar

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I am from, and living in Kirsten Flagstads hometown, Hamar, a little place in norway.


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 126 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
*
Artists	
Finghin Collins




http://www.amazon.com/Finghin-Colli...PXR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768019&sr=8-1

Phenomenal version of a very light and springy concert. Brilliant interplay between piano and orchestra. The sound is pretty good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich
*
Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Martin Helmchen




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...EG8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100870&sr=8-1

Beautiful concert, both lively and light, dark and dramatic. And some very nice more lyrical sections. Pretty good version, and the sound is nice, but I sit with a feeling that something is unresolved. But after more listening, I may find more aspects. Some irritating shifts, and suddenly end of movements. I dont know if it is spotyfy, or mp3 version in general. This NOT a big problem with spotify, but it happens.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 10: Symphony No. 1 in F minor*

Artists	
Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra), 




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...PNL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316085411&sr=8-1

I'm not sure if I like the symphony. I think it seems messy and unfocused, and sometimes boring. That could change.
Performances are quite straightforward, and the sound is average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich
*
Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 15a: Suite from The Nose, for tenor, baritone and orchestra*

Artists
Tatiana Pavlovskaya & Michael Hendrick & Vladislav Sulimsky & Benjamin von Atrops & Los Angeles Philharmonic & Esa-Pekka Salonen




http://www.t-music.co.uk/benjamin-v...in-shostakovich-mosolov/music/album/4787938_2

Great sound, and a very exciting work. Very detail-rich and playful, with excellent interplay between many different instruments and instrument groups. Great dramatic Russian vocals. Great performance in general.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano, I/10*

Artists	
Byol Kang, Boris Kusnezow




http://www.amazon.com/Byol-Kang-Bor...GVSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317308442&sr=8-1

Exxelent musik! Very fine performance, and great sound










Work 
*Messiaen : Des Canyons aux étoiles, for piano and orchestra, I/51*

Artists	
Yvonne Lorid




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Box-...ACWO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317309887&sr=8-1

Messaien is an interesting composer. This is a *veery* long work. Over 100 minutes. But very exiting. Great sounds and small melodies tied together by a playful and sparkling piano. Very good sound. Looking forward to hear more from this comprehensive edition..


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

*M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_Caprichos_ 1-12 from_ 24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Naxos double, disc 1 of 2)

*L. Boccherini*
_Quintet for Strings in E major, G.275_
Danubius SQ / Gyorgy Eder, cello
(Naxos - Boccherini Guitar Quintets, Vol. 3)

*J. F. Fasch*
_Concerto for guitar & string orch. in D major_
*A. Vivaldi*
_Concerto for flute, guitar & string orch. in G major_
Jozef Zsapka, guitar / Dagmar Zsapkova-Sebestova, flute
Slovak Chamber Orch. / Bohdan Warchal, cond.
(Point Classics - Guitar concertos by Vivaldi, Fasch, Krebs)

From album - _Australian Light Classics_ on ABC Classics (double disc set)
*Colin Brumby*
_Paen
Festival Overture on Australian Themes
Scena for cor anglais & strings_
*Miriam Hyde*
_Happy Occassion Overture_
*Lindley Evans*
_Idyll for piano & orch._ (arr. Isador Goodman)
*George Dreyfus*
_Rush_
- Various Australian performers


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While I may be a Wagnerian, I probably listen to Brahms far more than the Brahmsians ever listen to Wager.

:tiphat:


----------



## kv466

Hummel - Piano Concerto in a minor
Bryden Thomson and the English Chamber Orchestra, Stephen Hough al piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

On to disc two and Symphonies 3 and 4. Szell was clearly enamored of Schumann. These works are performed with an intensity that one often doesn't associate with Schumann. Just as Karajan insisted that if Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern be taken seriously they need to be performed with the same intensity and passion as Beethoven or Brahms, so Szell does the same with Schumann's symphonies. I could start to really love these!


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> On to disc two and Symphonies 3 and 4. Szell was clearly enamored of Schumann. These works are performed with an intensity that one often doesn't associate with Schumann. Just as Karajan insisted that if Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern be taken seriously they need to be performed with the same intensity and passion as Beethoven or Brahms, so Szell does the same with Schumann's symphonies. I could start to really love these!


Every time I play these discs I re-read Szell's writing about Schumann symphonies. Very nice performances by Szell.

In fact, I'm attending Civic Orchestra performance of Schumann no. 3 at Chicago Symphony Hall tomorrow night. After I finish listening to Szell then I'll listen to Zinman's version before I go to bed.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony* *No*.*7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, Op.100. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 11 in F Minor, Op.122 and SQ # 12 in D-Flat Major, Op.133. *The Emerson String Quartet performs both works.


----------



## CostaSimpson

Sergiu Celibidache conducting Brahms' 3rd Symphony in F Major, with the Munich Philharmonic
Charles Dutoit conducting Faure's Requiem with the Montreal Symphony
Martha Argerich and Mikhail Pletnev playing Ravel's Ma Mere L'oye
Michael Tilson-Thomas conducting Mahler's 4th Symphony in G major with the SFS and Laura Claycomb
Bryn Terfel singing a selection of English art songs, entitled "The Vagabond"
Vladimir Ashkenazy playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major with Solti and the Chicago Symphony (He plays the opening phrases _perfectly_)
and Valery Gergiev conducting a relentless rendition of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring with the Marinsky Theatre.

Celibidache's relatively late recording is mature, warm and very pure. Musical ideas flow freely, and the sound is just great. Its fantastic that EMI has released these recordings, as they truly are beautiful.
Dutoit's recording is quite touching, and not over-done, which can and does happen often with Faure. Te Kanawa is a fanatastic solist and this recording reaches some truly celestial moments.
The Argerich/Pletnev recording is a warm and friendly account of some beautifully written, touchingly light-hearted music from the very French Ravel.
The Mahler is the best account of the 4th after Jascha Horenstein's on EMI. The soloist is exceedingly pure and warm, and truly "childlike" which is asked in the score. I feel sometimes that TT gets in the way of the natural flow of the music. As great as this recording is, it is Tilson-Thomas's, not Mahler's.
Bryn Terfel's famous "The Vagabond" is rightfully so. Touching, warm melodies from the most melodious and sincere of the English composers of that time. It is an eye-opener to the magic of Finzi and Butterworth who recieve little time in the studio or on the stage.
Ashkenazy's recording of the Beethoven 4th is almost definitive. The opening phrase, which is so important to the mood of the entire piece, is played without ego, and Ashenazy's flawless technique and musicality are beautifully paired with the Chicago and Solti. A special bond is made, leaving the listener enthralled and joyfull.
Finally, Gergiev's 2000 recording of the Rite (and Scriabin's 4th or Poem of Ecstacy), is beautifully relentless and vicious, and a match for any regarded recording. The sound is captivating, and the last scene is ferociously beautiful.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.4, Op.165, *performed by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra under the baton of Keith Brion.
Howard Hanson--*Symphony No.4, Op.34 {"The Requiem"} *featuring Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in F minor for Mechanical Organ, kv608
An Organ Piece for a Clock; two piano version by Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Violin Sonatas*

First listen of this newly arrived Disc - really looking forward to this one as I love Uchida's set of Mozart Piano Sonatas


----------



## lou

Conor71 said:


> *Mozart: Violin Sonatas*
> 
> First listen of this newly arrived Disc - really looking forward to this one as I love Uchida's set of Mozart Piano Sonatas


She looks rather distressed in that cover photo.


----------



## Vaneyes

lou said:


> She looks rather distressed in that cover photo.


Recently (Oct. 4, LSO/C.Davis), I saw her in concert for the first time. She was delightful and also intense, providing a powerful reading of LvB PC 3. It was easily the highlight of that night's program, which included Haydn 92 and Nielsen 1.


----------



## Vaneyes

Before continuing my collection's modern journey, I was sidetracked when browsing through Presto Classical's e-mail (Presto News, Oct. 17). I noticed a BBC library building first nod to Sir Colin Davis' LSO Live "Symphonie Fantastique".

Don't believe it. Davis, who practically owns this work, has much bigger surprises in store with his VPO recording, which I will play now.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Orchestral pieces by Franz Schreker and Franz Schmidt.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Magnard - four symphonies and three other orchestral works (Plasson/Toulouse Orch. on EMI). Another 'what if' - even though he was set in his ways and composed slowly/infrequently it's still tantalising to speculate on what his later output would have had to offer had he not been killed at the age of 49 trying to beat off a detachment of marauding Uhlans.


----------



## science

Love it.

I can see why people who don't want their classical period music romanticized would hate it, but I'm too ignorant to care, thank whatever gods exist!


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Vladimir Suk & Ukrainian Festival Orchestra*




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315420493&sr=1-1

I dont think it is to long time since I listened to this version, but I deleted 1/3 of my listening diary by accident. And I have short memory.
I find this version not particulary good, not the sound, nor the performance. But I like the symphony more and more!


----------



## kv466

Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no. 3 in c, opus 26
Vladimir Golschmann conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Pennario, piano









Yes,...Bartok is next!


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88. *The *7th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The *8th* is done by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are conducted by Carlo Giulini.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op.138, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## kv466

Breaking my lifelong rule of never hearing the ninth unless I'm sitting in front of my system and only listening; after having sharpened up the senses, of course. But after reading the 4th mvt. thread I just had to. Besides, I'm here with ya'll longer than 60 minutes at a times sometimes anyway so, why not.

*Beethoven - Symphony no. 9 in d minor, opus 125*
André Previn conducts The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Paul Plishka, Gary Lakes, Roberta Alexander, Florence Quivar & The Ambrosian Singers


----------



## Conor71

lou said:


> She looks rather distressed in that cover photo.


Hehe she does a bit! - no need to worry though, its a beautiful Disc 

Now listening:

*Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 16 & 18 [Disc 4]*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. Matthew Passion*, Otto Klemperer.

Okay, this is not a historically correct performance and mostly too slow, but nevertheless, it is magnificent.


----------



## Conor71

*Victoria: Requiem*

Now playing this beautiful Disc from my small collection of Early Music


----------



## karenpat

I literally had to blow a layer of dust off this one. I bought it ages ago and have hardly listened to it, but for some reason I'm all into string concertos lately.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21*, featuring the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell.
Walter Piston--*Symphony No.2*, performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## kv466

The Complete Chopin Nocturnes by Earl Wild










Ah, good ol' Earl...he always said he wanted to work a gondola if piano didn't work out.


----------



## Sid James

*J. S. Bach:* _Suite No. 1 in G major_ (arr. from cello for guitar)
*D. Scarlatti:* _Sonata in E minor, Longo 352_ (trans. Segovia)
*A. Scarlatti:* _Gavotte_ (trans. Alboniz)
John Williams, guitar (Decca recording on Belart label, now on Australian Eloquence)

*Fernando Grillo (born 1945):* _Suite #1 for Double Bass _(first recording)
Mark Cauvin, double bass (On double disc set of modern double bass music)

This is a long work, 70 minutes. I like how it flows. A lot of Bachian counterpoint, but with a modern twist. The _Allemande_ is like 25 minutes in itself - epic! But my favourite part was the _Courante_, which is kind of light and quirky, it's also substantial at 10 minutes. I like Mr. Cauvin's playing, it veers from the rough to delicate at the wink of an eye. This virtuoso of ours actually studied with the composer of this work in Italy.

After that, a bit of a winding down, with more double bass music but with a strong jazzy twist. Canadian-born bassist *Buddy Banks *studied at Paris Conservatoire & led his group there in this recording put down in the mid 1950's. He was stationed there as a soldier in the American army. Not the best sound (mono), but his solo in the hit _Yesterdays_ is just to die for (although you can almost not hear it, the recording is quite poor). Coupled with this on this CD, some great flute playing by Belgian Bobby Jaspar with his then wife Blossom Dearie on piano, during their short-lived marriage.

*Buddy Banks & his group: Jazz de Chambre*
(coupled with Bobby Jaspar EP)
_Jazz in Paris _series on Universal Music France, details HERE...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre... I was listening today to the radio when a performance of one of Bach's sonatas for solo violin came on played on the guitar... and I meant to suggest to you that with your admiration of this instrument, you just may want to explore performances of Bach on guitar to see if they lead you to a breakthrough in appreciating his music. Honestly, I have found only a few performances upon the harpsichord that I really love (by Bach or anyone else) while I love his work on piano... so I see no point in playing the "purist"... much as I love the HIP movement.

Returning to the _raison d'etre_ of this thread... I just finished listening to this for a second time:










Thanks to Glossa and a few other labels, I've really gotten into madrigals and motets.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Andre... I was listening today to the radio when a performance of one of Bach's sonatas for solo violin came on played on the guitar... and I meant to suggest to you that with your admiration of this instrument, you just may want to explore performances of Bach on guitar to see if they lead you to a breakthrough in appreciating his music...


I have actually quite enjoyed all of J.S. Bach's solo instrumental works to some degree. I just don't write about them that much here. I didn't write about the guitar arrangement above because I had nothing much else to say that it was a first listen & I enjoyed it. I will try to listen to Bach's _Suite #3_ later which is also on that John Williams disc. You are right these kinds of things can be a gateway, eg. into more complex instrumental things like _The Art of Fugue_. I am open to these in future but I'm not rushing it.



> ...
> Honestly, I have found only a few performances upon the harpsichord that I really love (by Bach or anyone else) while I love his work on piano... so I see no point in playing the "purist"... much as I love the HIP movement.
> ...


I like either, really, no difference for me either. I have quite like all transcriptions of his music that I've heard. I used to have WTC on cd with Christian Jacotett on harpsichord, I listened to it a lot for relaxation, I found it quite relaxing, but I don't have it any more (I got rid of many things, I didn't only cull Bach, but it was 10 years ago). I also had a few compilations incl. Glenn Gould & the Moog synthesiser "Switched on Bach" which I quite liked. I don't go by what's "real" or not, I go by what I like, although usually I like to hear BOTH the original & the arrangement, so I can understand what the difference is a bit...


----------



## Sid James

More *guitar music *& making headway into *modern double bass repertoire *-

*J.S. Bach:* _Suite #3 in C major _(transcribed from cello for guitar by J. Duarte)
John Williams, guitar
Decca recording, reissued on Belart, but now on Australia Eloquence - details HERE

I enjoyed this a lot. I can hear how this arranger sought to translate the rich sounds of the cello to the guitar. John Williams also seems to play this suite with the feel of the original version firmly in mind as well.

*J.L. Krebs:* _Concerto for guitar and string orch. in G major_
*A. Vivaldi:* _Concerto for flute, guitar & string orch. in G major_
Jozef Zsapka, guitar / Dagmar Zsapkova-Sebestova, flute / Slovak Chamber Orch. / Bohdan Warchal, cond.
Point Classics, with more Vivaldi + Fasch.

I hadn't heard the Krebs concerto for ages, it comes across to me as having quite a bit of the freedom & warmth of the Italians. I really connect with the two concertos involving guitar on this disc by Vivaldi, this one combining it with flute, the other one for guitar only. The lyrical and serene slow movements are the heart and core of these wonderful works.

More music from the *"Transfiguration" double disc album*, details HERE
*Mark Cauvin, double bass *(recorded in Melbourne, Australia, 2008)

*Fernando Grillo *(1945 - *): _Paperoles per contrabbasso_

*Julien-François Zbinden *(1917 - *): _Hommage a Johann Sebastian Bach Op.44_

*Luciano Berio *(1925 - 2003): _Psy per contrabbasso solo_

*Iannis Xenakis* (1922 - 2001): _ӨЕРАΨ - theraps pour contrebasse solo_

This is an interesting collection of modern double bass music featuring both experimental and more traditional works for the instrument. All are virtuoso pieces, displaying many ways/techniques involved in playing the instrument.

This shorter* Grillo *piece called _Paperoles_ is much more experimental than his _Suite #1 for double bass _that fills the entire second disc. It comes across like more of a technical study, an etude, than a fully fleshed out work. Swiss composer *Zbinden's* piece is a variation on the B-A-C-H motto theme, which has been done by many other composers. It had three distinct sections, slow-fast-slow, and was modern esp. in terms of rhythm, but quite melodic overall. *Berio's *short _Psy_ is a showpiece for many aspects of modern double bass technique. & the *Xenakis* work is also pretty much a reference piece for the instrument in the experimental realm, I have discussed my thoughts on this to some depth on the Xenakis thread. Tommorrow I will try to listen to the remaining works on this set, incl. one by the Italian Giacinto Scelsi...


----------



## science




----------



## chrislowski




----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105*

Artists	
Giacomo Miglioranzi, Riccaedo Alfare'




http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Readin...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318937903&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Loveley melodious and peacefull sonata. Very good performance and sound.










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121
*
Artists	
Jennifer Koh
Reiko Uchida




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935399&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Absoluteley beautifully performance! Very good interplay between violin and piano. Very sensitive.










Work 
*Schumann: 3 String Quartets, Op.41 no 1 in a minor*

Artists	
Petersen Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Grieg-String-...UC4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318699265&sr=8-1

Truly a beautiful quartet. Schumann has a depth in his music that I like. Great version with good interaction and good sound.










Work 
*Schumann: 3 String Quartets, Op.41 no 2 in f major*

Artists	
Robert-Schumann-Quartett




http://www.amazon.com/Theodor-Kirch...SEL0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318696522&sr=8-1

Fantastic sound and performance! Great quartet.










Work 
*Schumann: 3 String Quartets, Op.41 no 3 in a*

Artists	
Voces Intimae Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Stri...F18W/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1318686185&sr=8-7

Fine quartet, but the sound is unfortunately quite poor here. Sticking sound, and a little too much reverb.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria
Adrian Leaper




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Sym-No/dp/B0042943E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317124302&sr=8-1

This is a symphony that slowly creeps in, and gets better and better. This version is not very good.. quite poor sound. But the performance is quite good but not exceptional.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 20: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major*

Artists
Eliahu Inbal




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...96/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1318944109&sr=8-26

Exciting work. Very varied use of the orchestra's instruments and very varied in mood.
This version is very average. The sound is not very good ... but the performance seems quite good and require later listening.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich
*
Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
Ilya Kaler
Orchestra: Katowice Radio Symphony OrchestraConductor: Antoni Wit




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...0013YT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316160490&sr=8

Great sound! The violin is very well projected in the soundscape. 
This is a great concerto, Shosta on his most lyrical and dreamy. 
The violin is very tender, sensitive, and expressive. Some great moments here. Loveley perormance.... Highly recommended!


----------



## kv466

Sid James said:


> I also had a few compilations incl. Glenn Gould & the Moog synthesiser "Switched on Bach" which I quite liked. I don't go by what's "real" or not, I go by what I like, although usually I like to hear BOTH the original & the arrangement, so I can understand what the difference is a bit...


Have you heard Don Dorsey play Bach and Beethoven yet, Sid? Oh, man, I forgot you liked 'Switched' and if so, I think you'll love 'Bachbusters'...still, one of my favorite albums in terms of it's sheer keyboard performance; then there's the way cool techniques he uses for sound. I remember reading you post once that you don't particularly care for 'Jesu, Oh Joy of Man's Desiring'; I think in the wedding music thread...anyway, I immediately thought of Don Dorsey and how there was a chance you might actually like his version.

This being said, I'm going to listen to another of my favorite digital performances:

Debussy - Snowflakes Are Dancing by Isao Tomita


----------



## science

Loved it the first time I heard it. This time I like it - but I'm in a bad situation this time and can't pay attention...


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Dmitri Shostakovich (Composer), Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Martin Helmchen




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...EG8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100870&sr=8-1

Intensive concerto, and very rewarding concerto to listen to. But it requires a good performance, and this one is very good! Very good presentation! The piano dominates, and the piano is in the lead, but at the same time responsive to the other instruments.
The concert itself is brilliant, and gives room for the orchestra and the instrument display.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kabalevsky's politics (pro-Stalin) was probably counter-productive to his composing. I enjoy his cello concertos and violin concerto. Back to back...


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles-Marie Widor
*
Work 
*Widor: Cavatine*

Artists	
Janet Packer (Artist), Orin Grossman




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...W1IP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315740677&sr=8-1

Quite nice listening. Romantic and nice rolling. The violin is a bit sticky...otherwise i find the performance quite good.










Work 
*Widor: op 07 Piano Quintet No.1*


Widor is quite unknown to me. But this piano quintet is worth listening to. Loveley romantic and quite melancolic. Very nice performance....not perfect sound but quite good.

Work 
*Widor: op 19 Piano Trio*

Artists	
Prunyi (Artist), New Budapest Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/WIDOR-Piano-T...9KUK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315742922&sr=8-2

Nice work. Very good performance. Widor needs to be explored further, his chamber music is certainly great










Work 
*Widor: op 21 3 Pièces *

Artists	
Annegret Kuttner piano
Peter bruns cello




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...R87M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315741400&sr=8-1

Beautiful melodies .. Very beautiful suite.
Excellent performance. The violin is sensitive and nuanced. The sound is not great, but ok.










Work 
*Widor: op 34 suite*

Artists	
Kenneth Smith (Performer), Paul Rhodes




http://www.amazon.com/Song-without-...N1ZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315744065&sr=8-1

Harsch sound. Difficult to get an idea of the work, but I think it's great. But the sound destroys much. Harsch flute, and the same with the piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles-Marie Widor
*
Work 
*Widor: Cavatine*

Artists	
Janet Packer (Artist), Orin Grossman




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...W1IP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315740677&sr=8-1

Quite nice listening. Romantic and nice rolling. The violin is a bit sticky...otherwise i find the performance quite good.










Work 
*Widor: op 07 Piano Quintet No.1*


Widor is quite unknown to me. But this piano quintet is worth listening to. Loveley romantic and quite melancolic. Very nice performance....not perfect sound but quite good.

Work 
*Widor: op 19 Piano Trio*

Artists	
Prunyi (Artist), New Budapest Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/WIDOR-Piano-T...9KUK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315742922&sr=8-2

Nice work. Very good performance. Widor needs to be explored further, his chamber music is certainly great










Work 
*Widor: op 21 3 Pièces *

Artists	
Annegret Kuttner piano
Peter bruns cello




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...R87M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315741400&sr=8-1

Beautiful melodies .. Very beautiful suite.
Excellent performance. The violin is sensitive and nuanced. The sound is not great, but ok.










Work 
*Widor: op 34 suite*

Artists	
Kenneth Smith (Performer), Paul Rhodes




http://www.amazon.com/Song-without-...N1ZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315744065&sr=8-1

Harsch sound. Difficult to get an idea of the work, but I think it's great. But the sound destroys much. Harsch flute, and the same with the piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Trumpet Sonata, W.143*

Artists	
Jouko Harjanne (Artist), Juhani Lagerspetz




http://www.amazon.com/American-Trum...5IFZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313418854&sr=8-1

Exciting and extensive work.
Brilliant performed, and the sound is very good.










Work 
*Antheil: Violin Sonata No.2*

Artists	
Jorja Fleezanis & Alessio Bax




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FA1RSK/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419264&sr=8-1

Great lisening! Rapid changes. but can you keep up, then it is absolutely superb.
Very nice presentation.










Work 
*Antheil:Violin Sonata No.4*

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Sonat...OCW2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419543&sr=8-3

Great sound and performance. 
The work is very challenging, but not difficult. If that make sence... Very rewarding listening.


----------



## Vaneyes

In a poll for Concerto King (violin, cello, piano), Khachaturian would get my vote. Three favorite recordings with Mordkovitch, Tarasova, and Berezovsky--back to back to back.


----------



## Vesteralen

Who said "the oboe may be barely breathin'"?

Beautiful music for oboe and guitar.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold
*
Work 
*Arnold: Clarinet Concerto No.2, Op.115*

Very playful and seductive work. The work itself is really recommended! This version is outstanding. The clarinet is very good, and the orchestra will follow very well. The third movement is kind of circus music in the beginning, but it slows down. And start again...

Work 
*Arnold: Clarinet Sonatina, Op.29
*
Artists	
Ivor Bolton (Conductor), English Chamber Orchestra (Performer, Orchestra), Malcolm Martineau (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Comple...30VH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313422265&sr=8-1

A bit boring compared with the concerto.. The third movement is absoluteley not boring! Very playfull. Nice performance, and good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

artists
Jungran Kim Khwarg piano

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Dong Hyock Hyun




http://www.amazon.com/Taktakishvili...5G4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312397116&sr=8-1

This is really something to listen to! Wonderfully romantic, and very dreamy. Balakirev's a composer, I have learned to appreciate.


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Quintet for Piano and Winds in e-flat
Alfred Brendel, piano
Heinz Holliger, oboe
Eduard Brunner, clarinet
Hermann Baumann, horn
Klaus Thunemann, bassoon


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Andante favori in f, woO 57
Maestro Arrau al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludwig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.8 in C-, Op.13 ('Pathétique')*

Artists	
See Siang Wong




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Piano-Sonatas/dp/B0048ZFIKA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313932888&sr=8-2










Loveley and intensive performance. A bit harch piano.

Artists	
Sam Rotman




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven/dp/B0002OF4SW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313932759&sr=8-1










A bit harch piano here too, but absolutly a great version. Loveley piano.

Artists	
Rudolf Serkin




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...D5GS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313932654&sr=8-1










Very niceley played. Very nuanced and played with a alot of sensitivity and feeling. Not to good sound...Old recording probably. But it is worth to listen to less good sound when the performance is so good!

Artists	
Rudolf Buchbinder
http://open.spotify.com/album/3HHP3...FTDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313932556&sr=8-2










Fantastic! Good sound. And Buchbinder plays with a great pallette. Favorite version of this sonata so far. Eccelent!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Miaskovsky, Symphony No. 6*, by Neeme Jarvi. After all this time on TC, I finally got around to hearing Miaskovsky (however you spell his name).


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev
*
Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
Michael Tilson Thomas, London Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Feltsman




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pia...26PD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313591189&sr=8-1

Fantastic conserto! This version is a bit passive in the beginning. But it gets bether. The sound is good, and the piano towards the orchestra is also good. The third movement is especially lovely.


----------



## Oskaar

Franz Peter Schubert

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2*

Artists	
Gidon Kremer




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Violin-Works/dp/B000VHZUXO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314265025&sr=8-2

Little harch piano,,,


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven*--Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both pieces feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


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## Sid James

kv466 said:


> Have you heard Don Dorsey play Bach and Beethoven yet, Sid? ...I think you'll love 'Bachbusters'...still, one of my favorite albums in terms of it's sheer keyboard performance... I immediately thought of Don Dorsey and how there was a chance you might actually like his version...


Thank you for recommending that, I will keep it in mind, it sounds quite interesting...


----------



## Sid James

*L. Boccherini:* _Quintet for Strings in E major, G.275_
Danubius SQ / Gyorgy Eder, cello
(Naxos - Boccherini Guitar Quintets, vol. 3)

Lovely work, this is the one with the famous minuet. I just noticed that the last movement is the longest at 7 minutes, and it is marked _Rondo: Andante_, which I haven't come across before, quite unusual.

*J.S. Bach* (trans. J. Duarte):_ Suite #3 in C major_
John Williams, guitar
(Decca - Australian Eloquence)

Really relished this second listen. The lyrical _Sarabande_ (IV) is the heart of the work, the concluding_ Gigue_ (VI) comes across to me as very similar to minimalism, quite rhythmic & bouncy.

*Sergei Orekhov* - _Troika Variations_
*Sergei Rudnev* - _The Old Lime Tree_
Artyom Dervoed, guitar
(From his recital on Naxos of Russian guitar music)

These are the two standout works on this recital, very much Russian, full of yearning, longing, nostalgia. Both are based on folk music & the first one was written for Russian 7 string guitar, but here played on normal 6 string guitar.

*Peter Sculthorpe* -_ From Kakadu_
*Ross Edwards* -_ Guitar Dances_
*Brett Dean *- _3 Caprichos after Goya_
Aleksandr Tsiboulski, guitar
(From his recital on Naxos of Australian guitar music)

A contrast here between the more "Australian" sound of Sculthorpe & Edwards, who are also kind of modern tonal & melodic, reflecting on Australian Aboriginal music & our landscapes. The Dean piece is more European, coming across like atonal flamenco.


----------



## fartwriggler

Exploring the music of the Russian greats right now-Mussorgsky,
Tchaikovsky-








Rachmaninov-








Prokofiev-








Stravinsky-








All wonderful, though none of them quite hits the spot like Shosta's strings!!:tiphat:-


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first listen to this. So far... exquisite. Later this week I'll give a second listen to the work while following along with the libretto. Upon the first hearing I simply let the music wash over me.


----------



## kv466

Johann Fasch - Bassoon Concerto 
Jeanne Lamon conducts Tafelmusik
Dominic Teresi, bassoon


----------



## Sid James

^ I was listening to* Fasch's* guitar concerto recently, I enjoyed it. Concertos seemed to be his strong point but there are some choral works by him on Naxos which I might try to check out...


----------



## kv466

Enriquez de Valderrabano - Sonata No. 8 
Hopkinson Smith, lute


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

With all the discussion of Baroque music, and Telemann in particular, I thought I'd give this one another spin.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid, thanks again for the heads-up. I'm thoroughly enjoying this CD.


----------



## Guest

Since Janacek has become one of my favorite composers, I thought I would finally start delving more into opera. Janacek being a major opera composer (fully endorsed by my composition teacher) and me being unfamiliar with opera in general (and not a fan of what I had heard from the likes of Wagner and Mozart and others), I decided to give Janacek's operas a try.










And wouldn't you know it? I love it! I know this particular disc is only orchestral excerpts, but I've also ordered and listened to full recordings and it's all exceptional. Janacek is a composer that really needs more exposure.


----------



## Sid James

^^*Re the Argerich/Bishop Kovacevich album, you're very welcome,* *Vaneyes*. I got it quite by chance recently on special. It's the only recording so far that I've heard of Ms Argerich that has really taken with me. They are both superb, as well as the percussionist on the Bartok piece. It's really a great album all round. Shows that if at first you don't succeed with some musician/composer, try try again. I'm now doing this in a way with J.S. Bach. All our great musicians have something to offer, I like to see it positively in that way, it's just that I have to dig hard sometimes to find it. Other times it's staring me right in the face. This forum has also been good, I appreciate you people, despite my inane ranting and lectures, I'm glad to be here heaps...


----------



## science

fartwriggler said:


> Exploring the music of the Russian greats right now


I love that playlist!

As for my own self, it is another go at the giant:


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 99 
Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields


----------



## Sid James

^^ That's one of my favs of his _London_ symphonies set, esp. the bouncy counterpoint of the last movement...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ^^*Re the Argerich/Bishop Kovacevich album, you're very welcome,* *Vaneyes*. I got it quite by chance recently on special. It's the only recording so far that I've heard of Ms Argerich that has really taken with me. They are both superb, as well as the percussionist on the Bartok piece. It's really a great album all round. Shows that if at first you don't succeed with some musician/composer, try try again. I'm now doing this in a way with J.S. Bach. All our great musicians have something to offer, I like to see it positively in that way, it's just that I have to dig hard sometimes to find it. Other times it's staring me right in the face. This forum has also been good, I appreciate you people, despite my inane ranting and lectures, I'm glad to be here heaps...


It's a tall order sometimes, but even with Varese and Ives, I've found likes. Maybe that's inspiration enough to now fast track them on my modern listening journey. Deserts, Equatorial, and Concord Sonata.


----------



## Vaneyes

Jeff N said:


> Since Janacek has become one of my favorite composers, I thought I would finally start delving more into opera. Janacek being a major opera composer (fully endorsed by my composition teacher) and me being unfamiliar with opera in general (and not a fan of what I had heard from the likes of Wagner and Mozart and others), I decided to give Janacek's operas a try.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And wouldn't you know it? I love it! I know this particular disc is only orchestral excerpts, but I've also ordered and listened to full recordings and it's all exceptional. Janacek is a composer that really needs more exposure.


Way ahead of his time. I think he's the father of modern music. Some credit JS Bach for that, inspiring the Minimalist movement...just kidding.


----------



## science

#1 - last time I listened to it (my first time), it didn't make a strong impression on me, but this time I'm liking it more.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Sergei Rachmaninoff--*Isle of the Dead Op.29, *featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring and Billy the Kid, *performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## clavichorder

Endless amounts of cool piano pieces by Medtner


----------



## science

The quintet (with a nod to the participants in "the classical music project" thread who put this onto my playlist).


----------



## Sid James

^^I've been a fan of Elgar's _String Quartet_ for years, I recently got that CD & think the accompanying _Piano Quintet_ is also interesting - eg. those Spanish salony vibes in the first movt. are quite strange for Elgar. I've discussed this disc previously on this very thread, eg. HERE. I'm not a big fan of his large scale orchestral works, but I love his chamber music, incl. these &_ Serenade for Strings, Sospiri_, etc...


----------



## science

It was interesting. It is a work that I should listen to more times - this was, I think, my second time - to get to know it better. I will eventually give the string quartet a hearing too.

But now I'm on to Parry:










and more RPC, Dohnanyi #2:


----------



## science

Moving on:










After my huge breakthrough with Bruckner 9 last week, I was hoping for a lot here. But I'm afraid I might never become one of Bruckner's enthusiastic fans.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Bruckner's symphonies are great, but I only deeply connect with his 6th & 7th, they have an uplifting vibe overall. Also don't miss out on his motets, masses (esp. the one in E Minor), _Te Deum_ & the wonderful _String Quintet in C_. He had many sides, not just the symphonies, and his motets esp. are quite daring, he was experimenting with chromaticism and not far off from how early Schoenberg pushed things in _Transfigured Night_, only a few years after Bruckner's death...


----------



## science

I'll be getting the masses relatively soon...

Now my wife is gone and I can listen to more adventurous stuff:










It is my first time with this, but in the past 6 months or so I've been becoming an Adams fan. But at least so far this is not grabbing me the way "Shaker Loops" or "Gnarly Buttons" does. It is interesting, but rather intense harmonically in a way that will take me a few listens to get used to - and then I might well wind up loving it. It is definitely unique!

And now:










This is a fun thing. Ought to be more of a hit at "pops" concerts.


----------



## clavichorder

The Hulk of Medtnerian piano sonatas, The Night Wind, played by Boris Berezovsky, its one of those movements like Alkan's concerto for solo piano, its just too epic and long to fully appreciate for me at this point


----------



## science

Exciting. I wonder why it's not as popular as Andrei Rublev?


----------



## Vesteralen

In addition to the best "Rhenish" symphony ever, this disc has the second best Manfred Overture I've ever heard, as well. Leibowitz only misses Munch's classic interpretation by failing to build the tension in the transition from the introduction to the main theme.


----------



## chrislowski

Franck's Symphony in D Minor from this set.


----------



## kv466

Aaron Copland - Tender Land: Suite 
Aaron Copland conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vesteralen

No picture for this one, but I'm listening to *Part 1 of Don Giovanni *from the Brilliant Classics complete Mozart set. It's hard to assess opera to begin with, let alone when I have to keep it on such low volume (at work). But, from what I can hear, I kind of like the soloists. They don't seem to be straining with their parts, even the basso (and a smooth-sounding basso seems pretty hard to find).


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to...Lloyd-Jones did an admirable job of bringing the Rawsthorne Symphonies into the 21st century - 2004. Bournemouth gets enough of the more abstract readings right. Harder, squarer playing works, as does the harder sound. Naxos was ready-made for this production. heh heh Just kidding.

The Lyrita label provides much earlier ('67 - '93) recs of these works. On one CD, also, they offer three conductors (Pritchard, Braithwaite, Del Mar) and two orchestras (LPO, BBCSO). Their interps and sounds are rounder. Lyrical Lyrita. Country Dance from Sym. 2 could be a page from Copland. That sort of playfulness does not exist in Lloyd-Jones' sterner view.

Both issues are most valid. I prefer the modern.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Moving on:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After my huge breakthrough with Bruckner 9 last week, I was hoping for a lot here. But I'm afraid I might never become one of Bruckner's enthusiastic fans.


At some point for Bruckner 7, give HvK's DG Gold a try. His final recording, and one of his best.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ^^I've been a fan of Elgar's _String Quartet_ for years, I recently got that CD & think the accompanying _Piano Quintet_ is also interesting - eg. those Spanish salony vibes in the first movt. are quite strange for Elgar. I've discussed this disc previously on this very thread, eg. HERE. I'm not a big fan of his large scale orchestral works, but I love his chamber music, incl. these &_ Serenade for Strings, Sospiri_, etc...


I can hear you. Most British composers lack when it comes to symphonies. They tend to fiercely or pastorally (is that a word?) ramble. Even for Elgar and RVW I've had to search far and wide for recs. Elgar symphonies with less Pomp, please. RVW symphonies with more nuance, please.

Usually there are not too many problems with chamber. My 2 cents.


----------



## Vesteralen

Vaneyes said:


> I can hear you. Most British composers lack when it comes to symphonies. They tend to fiercely or pastorally (is that a word?) ramble. Even for Elgar and RVW I've had to search far and wide for recs. Elgar symphonies with less Pomp, please. RVW symphonies with more nuance, please.
> 
> Usually there are not too many problems with chamber. My 2 cents.


Well, my two cents would be in complete disagreement here.

Elgar's 2nd is an acquired taste for sure. But, his 1st was loved and appreciated in its day (and specifically in Germany - one of its champions was the conductor Hans Richter) and is still rated very highly by many modern conductors. One man's pomp is another's nobility, I guess. 

Vaughan William's symphonies are among my favorite 20th century works in that genre. The 2nd, 4th and 7th are real favorites - each with plenty of drama and nuance.

Arnold, Alwyn, Llloyd and Bax are other British composers I admire - and *particularly* for their symphonic works.

Pre-Elgar, I'd have to agree with you, but post-Elgar I can't.


----------



## Vaneyes

Searching for a recording of Shostakovich cello concertos, this one comes up most often. Rightly so. I deem it one of my collection's perfect recordings.


----------



## kv466

Roderick Borcherding a.k.a. Violadude - Theme, Variations and Interludes fur 5 Violas


----------



## Vaneyes

My modern musical journey has now taken me to Theatre of the Absurd. I'll enjoy it, and also hope I can get out.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Symphony No.6 ('after Delacroix'), W.190*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/ANTHEIL-Symph...NK2J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313421146&sr=8-1


----------



## Vaneyes

To retro-modern and a sentimental favorite, Nimbus Britten Works for String Orchestra with English String Orchestra conducted by William Boughton.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold
*
Work 
*Arnold: Clarinet Sonatina, Op.29*

Artists	
Peter Pettinger; Murray Khouri




http://www.amazon.com/Best-British-...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313430516&sr=1-2

Great work and beautiful clarinet games. The interplay with the piano is also very good. Very good sound!










Work 
*Arnold: 5 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.84*

Artists	
English Piano Trio (Orchestra), Justin Pearson (Performer), Timothy Ravenscroft (Performer), Jane Faulkner (Performer)*

Beautifull small pieces. Eccelent recording.

Work	
*Arnold: Fantasy for Cello, Op.130*

Artists	
Justin Pearson

Solo cello requires a certain degree of empathy and ability to communicate, by the athlete. Here you feel that you are on a journey created by Justin Pearson's intensive involvement. Fabulous!





http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Chambe...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313431485&sr=1-1


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

Work
*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

artister
Jian Wang-cello
Carol Rosenberger-piano




http://www.amazon.com/Presenting-Sc...06XJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312624944&sr=8-1

Barber has a lot of exiting works Very good sound on this recording, and both Violoncello and piano, and the interaction between them is very sensitive and colorful performed.










Work
*Barber: Essay No.1 for Orchestra, Op.12*

artister
Yoel Levi & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra





http://www.amazon.com/Music-Of-Samuel-Barber/dp/B001AUIA42/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312568268&sr=8-4

Very beautiful and dreamy piece. But this version is a little static and passive. Feelings and shades are not as well conveyed. Medium sound.










Work
*Barber: Essay No.2 for Orchestra, Op.17*

artister
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Knoxvi...9ZF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312570985&sr=8-1

Much more nerve here. Great presentation of the play's diversity and nuances. Not as catchy as the first Essey, but I think I can be even more fond of this!










Work
*Barber: Essay No.3 for Orchestra, Op.47*

artister
New Zealand Symphony
Andrew Schenck




http://www.amazon.com/Fadograph-Yes...1SD6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312571699&sr=8-2

The third Essey start more dramatic. And continues with a whirlwind of intense measures.
Excellent Performance. And the sound is pretty good. Perhaps the dissemination of the most dramatic sections are rather fuzzy.


----------



## Vaneyes

Another "perfect" recording.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

Work
*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

artister
Basel Symphony Orchestra
Walter Weller




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Lachi...XR96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312708970&sr=8-1

A lovely flute, akkopangnert of grim dramatic vibrations from the orchestra, enters this magnificent work. And the sequel is also colorful and intense.
Absolutely brilliant version, where every detail is taken care of in a proper manner. This is a work and a recording I really recommend!


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"},* performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## kv466

Manuel de Falla - Ritual Fire Dance 
Charles Dutoit conducts the Montreal Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

artister
Jane Coop
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Mario Bernardi




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Bar...P99M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711860&sr=8-1

I prefer the first concert, but this is also great. It is more inquisitive and lyrical. Pretty good performance, but a little messy.


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Manuel de Falla - Ritual Fire Dance


Ah, memories - my fifth grade teacher tried to get us kids hooked into classical with the Ritual Fire Dance. She played it over and over, along with some other pieces I can't remember.

Today, *Myaskovsky's 6th symphony* by Jarvi.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Ode to the End of the War, for winds, 8 harps, 4 pianos, brass, percussion and double basses, Op.105*

Artists	
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky




http://www.amazon.com/Rozhdestvensk...APZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937319&sr=8-1

Very dramatic and challenging work. Requiers a few listenings to appreciate it. Very good and intense performance. The sound is not brilliant, but not bad. It is a live performance.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Overture in Bb ('American'), for 17 instruments (or orchestra), Op.42*

Artists	
Gennady Rozhdestvenski




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Jul...GY9Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313938131&sr=8-2

Exciting and very funny piece. It's almost like jumping on a carousel. Very good sound and great performance.










Work
*Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34 bis*

Artists	
Michel Beroff, Parrenin Quartet, Michel Portal
Ussr State Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Con...2S09/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313939515&sr=8-1

Quite hypnotic piece. Very good and sensitive performance. Good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.6 in C, D.589 ('Little C Major')*

Artists	
Otmar Suitner*
Staatskapelle Berlin




http://www.amazon.com/Franz-Schuber...5PHC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1314640572&sr=8-5

After listening to Prokofiev Schubert seems a little boring and stagnant. But it is about adaption.
But anyway, I think that this symphony is quite futile and unexciting compared with Schubert's chamber music. Perhaps I will love this symphony later! It is a lot about listening mood.
But the performance is good, great orchestra, and good sound.


----------



## kv466

Johannes Brahms - Now The Roses Are In Bloom 
John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers


----------



## Vaneyes

We're getting into deeper water now. Nothing much to ponder...it's sink or swim.


----------



## Sid James

Continuing with guitar music, my first listen to the *Slava Grigoryan *album, he's one of our finest guitarists -

*Album: Dance of the Angel*
*Tangos by Piazzolla, Baden-Powell, de Moraes, Santorsola*, etc.
Slava Grigoryan, guitar with Eduard Grigoryan (violin) & Sagat Guirey (guitar) with Al Slavic (electric bass) on some tracks
On ABC Classics, details HERE

A very good album, I esp. enjoyed Eduard Grigoryan's arrangement of Piazzolla's _Histoire du Tango_, with him as accompanist. Santorsola's_ Preludio_ (from_ Suite Antiga_) was also a standout, with a trace of the influence of J.S. Bach, as Villa-Lobos did in his music.

*Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D major 'Fandango'_ 
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders String Quartet / Chari Saldaña castanets
From their Fandango album on ABC Classics, details HERE.

This has become a firm favourite now, absolutely love it to the max.


----------



## Sid James

Following yesterday's discussions of him, some* Telemann*, also continuing with *Mark Cauvin's modern double bass recital *& some *Ravi Shankar *to finish off -

*G.P. Telemann*
_Suite for Strings & Basso Continuo in E-Flat Major, "La Lyra"_
Camerata Romana / Hanspeter Gmur, cond.
Point Classics (coupled with _Tafelmusik #1_)

I quite enjoyed this, it's been ages since I'd heard it, I plan to listen to the coupling work as well.

Works for double bass solo by *Laszlo Dubrovay, Fernando Grillo, Julien-François Zbinden, Luciano Berio, Iannis Xenakis*
Mark Cauvin, double bass
From _Transfiguration_ double album, details HERE.

I esp. enjoyed Grillo's _Harmonic Study_, dedicated to Mark Cauvin, and also the Xenakis piece called _Theraps_. The former being more traditional, repetitive, elements of neo-Baroque, the latter very experimental and with Xenakis' classic "curved" structure.

*Ravi Shankar*
_Raga Purlya Kalyan
Swara-Kakali _(with Yehudi Menuhin, violin)
Ravi Shankar, sitar / Alla Rakha, tabla / Kamala Chakravarti, tanpura
Rec. in London, 1966.
On THIS EMI double disc set.

In the first work, a kind of build up from a static solo on the sitar to more rhythmic vibes, in the second, Sir Yehudi lends a hand, providing accompanying harmonies/tones to the Indian players, showing his adaptibility to the max.


----------



## jalex

Sid James said:


> *G.P. Telemann*
> _Suite for Strings & Basso Continuo in E Sharp Major, "La Lyra"_


Woah, E sharp major? Someone tell me what's going on here.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Sorry, I wrote it wrong, thanks for correcting, I am about to do that now...


----------



## jalex

Sid James said:


> ^^ Sorry, I wrote it wrong, thanks for correcting, I am about to do that now...


Oh, I wasn't intentionally correcting you. I was just surprised, I thought there might have been some obscure Baroque convention for writing F major as E# major or something like that


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43, *featuring the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ladislav Slovak
Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid and Applachian Spring, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.The sheer beauty of *Applachian* *Spring's* Coda quite simply stunned me; it is just about the most gorgeous and sublime piece of music that I've ever heard in my life: New York Philharmonic;Leonard Bernstein - Appalachian Spring: Moderato - Coda


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both works feature Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Egmont Overture, Op.84, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## clavichorder

-Sigh- the most beautiful thing I've heard in a long time


----------



## hespdelk

Sometimes you just have to touch base with the things that first made you love music...

Its been years since I'd listened to Karajan's DG Beethoven from the 60s, I recently acquired the complete SACD set of them and am just getting around to hearing them. I don't remember the LP version very well, but I'd say this is the best these recordings have ever sounded, pretty remarkable really. The late 80s gold box set was a surprisingly sad affair.. :lol:

This isn't my favourite Beethoven 5th (Kleiber's DG recording, and actually Karajan's somewhat earlier EMI account compete for that spot), but it is a powerful rendition. The Berliners really deliver... what a horn and string sound.. the furthest thing from period performance.. but so committed and exciting. All Beethoven's idealism shines through.


----------



## graaf




----------



## chrislowski

graaf said:


>


I love Mutter!


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105*

Artists	
Jennifer Koh
Reiko Uchida




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935399&sr=8-1-fkmr0










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121*

Artists	
Ilya Kaler
Boris ****sky




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Viol...13ZN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935273&sr=8-1

Very good performance! Sound could have been bether. The sonata is very beautiful.










*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.3 in A-, WoO.27
*
Artists	
Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U9RQE6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935074&sr=8-1

Very good sound, and nice performance.


----------



## kv466

Franz Danzi - Variations on a Theme from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" 
Maria Kliegel, cello
Nina Tichman, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Timo Saarenpaa




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...I1U0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317127176&sr=8-3

Not very good sound, but I really like the performance. The expression is very well balanced. And the more I listen to this symphony, the more I like it. (Naturally! hehe)


----------



## kv466

Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony No. 1 "Classical" 
Alberto Zedda conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 43: Symphony No. 4 in C minor*

Artists
André Previn/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/London Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...VH1I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316088547&sr=8-2

Very playful and exuberant symphony. Excellent version, and very good sound. The various moods and moments imparted on a light and elegant, yet intense way. It is a long symphony, but the variations and intensivity prevent it from beeng boring. Recommended warmly!


----------



## kv466

Johann Schickhardt - Guitar Sonata No. 2 
Kristian Buhl-Mortensen, guitar
Monica Westheimer, harpsichord
Viggo Mangor, theorbo
Mogens Rasmussen, gamba


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op.056 symphony No. 5 in D major, "L'Allegro ed il Pensieroso"*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult




http://www.amazon.com/British-Compo...Z74C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316505814&sr=8-1

Maybe not a great symphony, but quite charming. Good performance.


----------



## kv466

Franz Doppler - Fantasie and Variations on Verdi's Rigoletto
Budapest Strings with Janos Balint, flute; Imre Kovacs, flute


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Miaskovsky's Symphony No. 6 again.

I've been so busy lately, I don't have time for concentrated listening. Since this is my first exposure to Miaskovsky, I'm playing it over a few times so that when I can concentrate, what I should hear will pop out.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.2 in Bb, D.125*

Artists	
Riccardo Muti/Wiener Philharmoniker




http://www.musicload.at/riccardo-mu.../schubert-symphonies-2-4/musik/album/372341_2

I love the Shubert, but seems for the time being that he is better in chamber format than in the orchestral format. However, this is a pretty festive symphony, performed great, and pretty good sound. I especially like the elegant tenderness of the second movement.


----------



## kv466

Giovanni Bottesini - Double Bass Concerto 
Hugh Wolff conducts the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Edgar Meyer, double bass


----------



## Vaneyes

Rituel...Boulez paying homage to his teacher Maderna. Not long off, someone will be paying in kind to Boulez.
Five of his Notations are also included...along with an earlier work, Figures-Doubles-Prismes.

Following, Jumppanen plays Boulez' Three Piano Sonatas. Three very early works from '40's and 50's, that seemingly have grown in stature. Generally, I prefer his later works.


----------



## science

Another one of those major works with which I am insufficiently familiar. What I really need to do is see the ballet, rather than just hearing it.

This recording has been making me think - one aspect of Stravinsky's music that may not receive enough praise is his orchestration. Seems to me he learned a lot from Debussy.


----------



## kv466

Felix Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" 
Kurt Masur conducts the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Capital of the World, ballet for orchestra*


Fantastic work! It changes between more modern expression, and cirkus-like parts. The third movement is different. Very melodic and sensitive, and kind of melancolic in one moment, optimistic and liveley in the next. Very well performed, the nerve and tention is eminent, and quite good sound.

*Antheil: Archipelago "Rhumba"*

This is circus music! Quite funny to listen to. Circus is one association. Broadway is another. Hammerstein?

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice
Barry Kolman




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047E6PG8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313417687&sr=8-3










Work 
*Antheil: Serenade, for string orchestra No.1, W.189*

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Balle...NCYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313418175&sr=8-3

Eminent work...some associations to film or theater music again, but only in small moments. Very lyric and full of small nuances and moments. The performance and sound is absolutely top notch.










*Antheil: Symphony No.4 ('1942'), W.177*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/ANTHEIL-Symph...NK2J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313420589&sr=8-1

Very rich symphony. I love it! Very good performance and good sound.


----------



## kv466

Aram Khachaturian - Masquerade: Nocturne
Barry Wordsworth conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Janine Jansen, violin


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

artister
John Michel-cello
Lisa Bergman-piano





Fine performance, but a bit messy sound. The violin is not very good projected.










*Barber: Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Op.23a*

artister
Yoel Levi & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra





http://www.amazon.com/Music-Of-Samuel-Barber/dp/B001AUIA42/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312576407&sr=8-4

Fine litle piece...Adventurous and dreamy. Performance is ok, sound is medium.










*Barber: Music for a Scene from Shelley, Op.7*

artister
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Schneck




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Samuel-Barber/dp/B000001K3Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312577568&sr=8-2

Barber is dramatic without being over dramatic. This piece is very inquisitive and lyrical at the same time there is a dramatic nerve. The overall tone balance between the romantic and alarming. Masterfully!


----------



## kv466

Valentin Silvestrov - Postludium No. 3 
Anja Lechner, cello
Silke Avenhaus, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

Work
*Bartok: Viola Concerto, BB128, Sz.120 (completed in 1949 by Tibor Serly)*

Artists
Karen Elaine-Bakunin
Orquesta Sinfonica de Paraiba
Eleazar de Carvalho




http://www.amazon.com/Brazilian-Fes...06UA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312813872&sr=8-1

Amazing work, and good performance and sound. Fine contrasts between the light and romantic, and the darker and allarming. This is from a contest, but the performance is like it should be from the best, both orchestra and instrumentalists. The viola is just amazing!










Work
*Bartok: The Wooden Prince, Op.13, BB74, Sz.60 (suite from ballet)*

artister
Saraste (Artist), Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Artist)




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Strings...6DXY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312964707&sr=8-2

Fine nerve, but I find the play somewhat messy at first. It gets better though, and the performance is very good. Bartok, the composer that I can think of who can best balance between the romantic lyric, and it dramatically more alarming. Brilliant!


----------



## Vaneyes

Essential.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
André Previn (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Vladimir Ashkenazy




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Fiv...41LA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313591070&sr=8-1

Very good version! The opening is magic, and it is very well exposed here. Eccelent sound and performance! Highly recommended. The piano is very clear and crisp, and interraction with orchestra is wonderful. Best version of this work I have heard so far. Ashekanazy dont show off, he just play perfectly what the work requires, but put a lot of his own tuch into it. Especially the more soft and gentle parts is brilliant. Well everything is perfect!!! Interraction between piano and orchestra is superb.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.16*

Artists	
Vladimir Krainev (piano) , Dmitri Kitajenko (cond) , Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.prokofiev.org/recordings/album.cfm?aid=000833

Very lyric, softer, and less dramatic compared with the first concerto. But absolutely a lovely listening. I find the performance very good, interaction is great, and it is a great nerve through it all. I actually think I might enjoy this concert just as good as the first!


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Meditations Sur Le Mystere De La Saint Trinite [Disc 15], Visions De L'Amen [Disc 05]*

Not sure what to make of this work yet - its very sprawling and abstract. I do like Organ Muisc though and Messiaens idiom so I think this is one for repeat listenings in the future


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166*

Artists	
Schweizer Oktett
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EAL0B2/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314616501&sr=8-2

Very romantic and melodious work. Almost too much .. Great playing, but the sound does not seem so well balanced. Pretty harsh sometimes. I have to skip this, and try to find a better version


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166*

Artists	
Budapest Schubert Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Octe...13QF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314615413&sr=8-1

This is a very fine version!


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Work 
*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.2 in Eb, Op.57*

Artists	
London Sinfonietta, David Atherton, Antony Pay




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Clarine...GUFM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313486719&sr=8-3

I think Spohr is very underratet. I often see that he is famous for other things than his own works. This concert is very nice, loveley clarinet, and the performance and sound is good. Very fine soundscape, perfect balance between orchestra and solo instruments.










Work 
*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.3 in F-, WoO 19*

Artists	
Timisoara Philharmoniker




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Clarine...UI/ref=sr_1_43?ie=UTF8&qid=1313487664&sr=8-43

Very fine work, and the performance is quite good. The clarinet is well exposed in the soundscape,and fantastic performed, but the orchestra is a bit distant. Not much, but a litle bit. Well, that was a first impression. I reconsider it. The orchestra is perfectly present. Spohr is quite easy listening-not very complicated. But he surely knows the art of simple comunication in his music. 










*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.4 in E-, WoO 20*

Artists	
Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields, Sabine Meyer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TRVH1K/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313487664&sr=8-36

Fantastic work.... I am wondering why spohr is so rarely mentioned in the forum.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. *Both works feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. *The *5th* is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The *9th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Sid James

I concentrated on chamber, it's become my thing now, almost to the exclusion of everything else lately -

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D major 'Fandango' _
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders String Quartet / Chari Saldaña castanets
From their _Fandango_ album on ABC Classics

*R. Shankar*
_Morning Love _(with Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute)
_Raga Piloo_*
_Prabhati_*
Ravi Shankar, sitar (playing in all except_ Prabhati_)
Alla Rakha, tabla
Kamala Chakravarti, tanpura
*Yehudi Menuhin, violin
(On EMI double disc set of Shankar's music)

These are all great, I esp. like the delicate colours of Mr. Rampal's flute in _Morning Love_, and also how in _Prabhati _Sir Yehudi got to jam a bit on his own with the Indian guys on percussion, without Ravi's sitar as in the other tracks they do together on this set. This is really good, a mix of Indian & "western" classical musics, Mr. Shankar was one of the first to do this kind of fusion thing.

*G.P. Telemann*
_Suite for Strings & Basso Continuo In E-Sharp Major "La Lyra" _(actually, to the member here who corrected me about this odd key yesterday, yes it definitely is E-Sharp Major, I checked on the CD and online)
Camerata Romana / Hanspeter Gmur, cond. (Point Classics)

*G. Scelsi*
_KO-THA 1967 vers. 1975 per Contrabbasso di Fernando Grillo_
*F. Grillo*
_A Harmonic Study for Mark (first recording)
Paperoles per contrabbasso_
*L. Berio*
_Psy per contrabbasso solo_
Mark Cauvin, double bass on his _Transfiguration_ double album, details HERE

The *Scelsi* work was wierd but interesting. In the first & final movements, the double bass' strings were resonated by the insertion of knitting needles, and the player tapped on the wood to produce a percussive effect. The middle movement had him playing the instrument with two bows, producing wierd effects, a lot of the by now cliche creaking door variety. The final movement was very percussive, minimalistic, reminded me of African drumming. Throughout the whole work, the double bass is laid on it's back on the floor.

*A. Piazzolla*
_Histoire du Tango _(arr. E. Grigoryan)
Slava Grigoryan, guitar
Eduard Grigoryan, violin
From their _Dance of the Angel _album on Sony Classics

A wonderful journey of the tango, from the brothels of 1900, to cafes, nightclubs right through to the concert-halls of today. Some great melodies and colourful writing for the instruments. Superb.


----------



## Vaneyes

Continued weaning on the Arditti String Quartet. I'm in too deep to turn back now.


----------



## Vaneyes

This seems like Benny Goodman, compared to some modern. Just kidding.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still on a Baroque kick:



















Currently listening to disc 22, Cantata BWV 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit ("Actus Tragicus")

One of Bach's finest cantatas. Quite open and airy... transparent even... with a marvelous use of the recorder within the small orchestra. Listening to this work of Bach's and thinking back to Polednice's post on Bach and Brahms, I am struck by the manner in which Bach, like Brahms, was a masterful composer of chamber music, for certainly many of his cantatas are essentially chamber works with a few soloists and not the grandiose, dense, and operatic choral works that some interpretations would suggest. In this way Bach was often working on a far more intimate and personal scale than Handel with his grand theatrical works.


----------



## teej

*Agreed! Thoroughly enjoyable performance indeed.*

Agreed! This is a thoroughly enjoyable performance.



oskaar said:


> *Franz Peter Schubert*
> 
> Work
> *Schubert: Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166*
> 
> Artists
> Budapest Schubert Ensemble
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Octe...13QF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314615413&sr=8-1
> 
> This is a very fine version!


----------



## Sid James

I agree that *Schubert's Octet* (the really long one, whichever D number it is) is a very fine work. Pity it isn't performed that often, at least around here. It would fill the second half of a recital quite amply, imo. As for that *Penderecki chamber disc on Naxos*, I have it, & think it is very good. The _Clarinet Quartet_, with it's nocturnal feel, and also the_ Divertimento for solo cello _(written for "Slava" Rostropovich), are the two standout works on that disc for me...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *featuring the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell.


----------



## Nix

Currently getting familiar with:

*Schumann: Violin Sonata #1* (love this so far, Schumann seems to do no wrong in chamber music) 
*Brahms: Piano Trio #1 *(I knew the 1st movement beforehand, so far really liking it, though it's a little schmalzy) 
*Haydn: Symphony #92* (need to know for my music history midterm)
*Dutilleux: Cello Concerto* (first exposure to the composer, also need to know for school)


----------



## science

Saving the Gabrieli for later; currently hearing Schutz' masterpiece.


----------



## Sid James

^^I've had Rene Jacob's recording of the Schutz work now for like 2-3 months. Got it on special but have gone out of a choral vibe, I'm not in that zone now at all. I will get to it eventually, but I don't want to listen just to feel obliged to do that. I don't work like that. The guy at the store said that another good choral work by him is his _Requiem_, but he said it was very very dark. I think he was good, I've got some of his motets which sound very fresh and modern in many ways, he was a master of expression through the human voice...


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> ^^I've had Rene Jacob's recording of the Schutz work now for like 2-3 months. Got it on special but have gone out of a choral vibe, I'm not in that zone now at all. I will get to it eventually, but I don't want to listen just to feel obliged to do that. I don't work like that. The guy at the store said that another good choral work by him is his _Requiem_, but he said it was very very dark. I think he was good, I've got some of his motets which sound very fresh and modern in many ways, he was a master of expression through the human voice...


Thanks man, I will look for the Requiem.










Tchaikovsky, Seasons. Second time I've heard this, and I love it as much as I did the first time. Needs to be more famous!

And now:










I'm liking the Tchaikovsky better so far, but this is a fine little diversion.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 [Disc 1]*

Been a while since I listened to these - beautiful music!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold*

Work 
*Arnold: Clarinet Sonatina, Op.29*

Artists	
Ronald Van Spaendonck




http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Chevre...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313430175&sr=1-1









Work 
*Arnold: Divertimento for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet, Op.37*

Artists	
Jaime Martin, Jonathan Kelly, Emma Johnson




http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Comple...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313430912&sr=1-1










Work 
*Arnold: Quintet No.1 for 2 Trumpets, Horn, Trombone and Tuba, Op.73*

Artists	
Swedish Brass Quintet




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Brass-E...16AS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313432598&sr=8-1










Work 
*Arnold: Tam O'Shanter Overture, Op.51*

Artists	
Jerry Junkin (Conductor), Dallas Wind Symphony




http://www.amazon.com/Arnold-Band-D...15A2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313424502&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Mily Balakirev*

*Balakirev: Symphony No. 1 in C major*

artister
Russian Symphony Orchestra
Igor Golovschin




http://www.amazon.com/Balakirev-Sym...13YI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312389722&sr=8-1

Very atmosfaeric symphony, but sound and performance is not very good here


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21 for Flute, Oboe, Trumpet and Strings*

artister
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Violin...YD/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1312484590&sr=8-12

Beautiful and a bit gloomy work. Excellent sound and performance.










*Barber: Adagio for Strings Op.11*

artister
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Orches...T6KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312567200&sr=8-1

This is perhaps Barber's most famous composition. And I've had problems like that. Not because it is not great and beautiful, it is absolute, but because it gives me a headache! So it is with Beethoven's moonlight sonata, too. There is something mesmerizing hypnotic that has such an impact on me.










*Barber: String Quartet in B, Op.11*

artister
The Eberle Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Bridge-...68C7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312644141&sr=8-1

This is a very exciting quartet, many great changes to the mood and emotions. The second movement (first part) is more or less identical to the adagio for strings, only that it is in chamber format. Very sensitive and nuanced playing. Good sound.










*Barber:Cello Concerto, in A-, Op.22*

artister
Victor Simon
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky




http://www.amazon.com/Four-Cello-Co...QARE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312488454&sr=8-1

Medium version, the sound is very muffled, and the cello has a metallic "ball room" sound. The work itself is exciting, but I absolutely must find a better version later. Performance is very good, only the sound is the problem










*Barber: Serenade for String Quartet (or string orchestra), Op.1*

artister
San Diego Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Horizon-Samuel/dp/B000001SGH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312626914&sr=8-1

Very beautiful and a great version, even if the album does not get particularly good reviews on Amazon. Beautiful interplay, and a nice vibrating nerve.


----------



## clavichorder

Rachmaninoff Etudes Tableaux played by Boris Berezovksy.

Edit, and now here we go with Rachmaninoff's 3rd symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

A Schnittke fest containing 13 CDs is underway.

Kremer/Philharmonia/Eschenbach begin with the colossal Violin Concerto 4, from their "Out of Russia" CD (Teldec). Following, Bashmet and Gutman with Viola and Cello Cti., and Postnikova et al with Piano Cti.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

artister
Michael Gielen (Conductor), SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Orches...7ZHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312923602&sr=8-1

Great pieces, and a brilliant performance. Very sensitive and nuanced orchestra. The pieces are very rich in lovely little moments.










*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

artister
ORF Symphony Orchestra
Milan Horvat




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Concer...0WME/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1312707920&sr=8-5

I love Bartok! Very dramatic concert. Fast switching between light and dark. Not superior sound but not too bad, but a really good performance.










*Bartok: Contrasts, for clarinet, violin, and piano, BB116*

Artists	
Chamber Music Northwest




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messi...06W3/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313065648&sr=8-3

Great sound, and a great number of performances. Work is Electric! Very contemporary in expression, yet gentle and melodious. In second movement, there are some magig moments between piano, clarinet, and strings. Third movement is more liveley, and the interplay is eccelent.










*Bartok: Dance Suite (Táncszvit), BB86a, Sz.77*

artister
solti(Artist), chicago symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Béla-Bartók-C...JZSM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1319220573&sr=8-5

A short little adventure! Very good sound. Excellent orchestra.










Work 
*Bartok: Rhapsody for Cello and Piano, BB94c, Sz.88*

Artists	
Jeno Jando




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Rhapso...1403/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313144039&sr=8-1

Very good fiddle. Timpani spoller very sensitive, but a bit rough and "trolly" Good audio.


----------



## Nix

oskaar said:


> Medium version, the sound is very muffled, and the cello has a metallic "ball room" sound. The work itself is exciting, but I absolutely must find a better version later. Performance is very good, only the sound is the problem


Can't go wrong with the Yoyo Ma recording- and it comes with a great Britten as well! Oddly enough you can go wrong with the recording of the cellist it was written for and about.


----------



## Oskaar

Nix said:


> Can't go wrong with the Yoyo Ma recording


 Ok, I will give Ma a chanse. But I often have problemes with him, finding him uninspired.
But I found it on spotify, and have qued the album.
Thanks nix!


----------



## Manxfeeder

I finally get to hear *Miaskovsky's Symphony No. 6 *with a minimum of distractions. This is quite a moody piece, with conflicting emotions. It matches how I'm feeling today.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*The Wasps and Thomas Tallis Fantasia, *performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## fartwriggler

Been listening to WAY too much music recently, so I've decided to restrict my diet to two or three pieces only for the time being-
















I prefer Rattle's Rite, but don't really know what else is on offer-any suggestions?
Also,I'd like to add a thread of my own-how do I do this??


----------



## Guest

I found each of these at a local used record store in pristine condition for only $3/each! I love CPE Bach, so I was really excited by the BIS score, and Heifetz' recording of Sibelius' VC is my absolute favorite.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.1 in D ('Classical'), Op.25*

Artists	
Performers: Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Conductors: Yuri Temirkanov




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Symphony-No-1/dp/B0013AZO8O/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1313783164&sr=8-5

The classical symphony is very little Prokofiev. Very elegant, but I find it a little boring. The gavotte is superb though! Very good performance here, and excellent sound.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.2 in D-, Op.40*

Artists	
Grin (Artist), Tampere Philahrmonic




http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-2-Su...3776/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313838703&sr=8-2

This is more like it! Very prokofievsk. Fantastic symphony, and I really like this version. Beautiful interplay, and perfect well tuned orchestra. Very good sound. 










Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.3 in C-, Op.44*

Artists	
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...3Q/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1313839952&sr=8-10

Violent start to the symphony. It smooths out in beautiful moods and variations. Wonderful orchestra and the different instruments are very well presented, and the intensity of the work is well projected.And the rolling quiet parties are absolutely gorgeous! The sound is ok. My favorite among Prokofiev's first three symphonies!










Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.4 in C, Op.112*

Artists	
James DePriest (Conductor), Malmo Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...FAKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313840769&sr=8-1

A much more relaxed symphony compared to the third. I think it is a bit lax in the beginning, but it is changing. Version is a little limp. Medium sound, and middle performance.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Neo-Rococo/Art Nouveau packaging of these discs of Anne Sophie Mutter's are certainly seductive... but she's worth every bit of it. A magnificent violinist. Listening to these performances I cannot help laugh at the oft-repeated criticism of Mozart as a lightweight. The music is surely elegant, lyrical, often witty and always beautiful... but "lightweight?" Never!


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The Neo-Rococo/Art Nouveau packaging of these discs of Anne Sophie Mutter's are certainly seductive... but she's worth every bit of it. A magnificent violinist. Listening to these performances I cannot help laugh at the oft-repeated criticism of Mozart as a lightweight. The music is surely elegant, lyrical, often witty and always beautiful... but "lightweight?" Never!


I love Mozart's violin concertos and the symphonia concertante. I like Giuliano Carmignola's recent recording of them. But ASM's recording is also a very fine one.


----------



## Vaneyes

LSO, New Stockholm CO, VPO, with Rostropovich, Pontinen, Kremer, et al continuing to glorify the concerti talents of Schnittke.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I love Mozart's violin concertos and the symphonia concertante. I like Giuliano Carmignola's recent recording of them. But ASM's recording is also a very fine one.

I have a couple older recordings of this oeuvre... Perlman, Stern... and somewhere buried away in my old LPs an early recording of the young Anne-Sophie Mutter with Karajan. She is one of the few performers who I follow enough to get nearly anything she does. Most of the others would be singers (Bartoli, Kozena, Hunt-Lieberson, Netrebko, Jaroussky, Scholl, etc...).

In spite of my recent focus on the Baroque... and opera and vocal music at that... I recently picked up a slew of Classical- and Romantic-era instrumental works... primarily smaller chamber genre. I've long loved Haydn's piano sonatas, and agree in many instances with the assertion that Haydn may have even been better than Mozart when it came to this genre... for the simple reason that Mozart often composed his sonatas for his less-than-talented students to perform, while Haydn composed his for himself to perform:


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, *featuring Douglas Bostock conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, *featuring Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I love Mozart's violin concertos and the symphonia concertante. I like Giuliano Carmignola's recent recording of them. But ASM's recording is also a very fine one.
> 
> I have a couple older recordings of this oeuvre... Perlman, Stern... and somewhere buried away in my old LPs an early recording of the young Anne-Sophie Mutter with Karajan. She is one of the few performers who I follow enough to get nearly anything she does. Most of the others would be singers (Bartoli, Kozena, Hunt-Lieberson, Netrebko, Jaroussky, Scholl, etc...).
> 
> In spite of my recent focus on the Baroque... and opera and vocal music at that... I recently picked up a slew of Classical- and Romantic-era instrumental works... primarily smaller chamber genre. I've long loved Haydn's piano sonatas, and agree in many instances with the assertion that Haydn may have even been better than Mozart when it came to this genre... for the simple reason that Mozart often composed his sonatas for his less-than-talented students to perform, while Haydn composed his for himself to perform:


I have the second volume of this set by Hamelin, and love it. I am a huge Hamelin fan, and he does wonders with Haydn. I would agree with you about Haydn's sonatas. I picked up the second volume back when I was interested in Hamelin, based on his Alkan recordings. I wasn't expecting as much from Haydn - I had not yet come to appreciate him beyond his Lord Nelson Mass and Creation oratorio. But I quickly was amazed by these piano sonatas. I keep meaning to pick up this first volume.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartets Nos. 4 & 5 [Disc 4]*

Gotta love these works - the slow movement to the 4th Quartet is out of this world!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely chamber music heretofore unknown to me.


----------



## Sid James

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet in E Minor, G. 451
Quintet for Strings in E Major, G. 275_
Zoltan Tokos, guitar / Danubius String Quartet / Gyorgy Eder, cello
(Naxos - Guitar Quintets, Vol. 3)

_Quintet in D, G. 339_
La Magnifica Comunita
(Brilliant Classics - 3 String Quintets Op. 39 with double bass)

*J. Sibelius*
_Tapiola, Op. 112_
Helsinki PO / Paavo Berglund, cond.
(EMI)

*Michael Nyman *(b. 1944)
_On the Fiddle _for violin & orch.
Unnamed violinist / Royal PO / Jonathan Carney, cond.
(Sanity Classics - RPO series)

It's been a long time I listened to this *Nyman* disc. This concerto sounds much like a kind of modernised Vivaldi in the first two movts., but the final movt. has churchy harmonies. It is labelled _Miserere_ _Paraphrase_, so I wonder if it's based on Allegri's famous piece of that name? I have a stack of Nyman's film music discs waiting in the wings, but I'm moving through this disc which has three shorter works as a start. Unlike some minimalists like Arvo Part & even Philip Glass, Nyman's music has changed with the times, it doesn't sound the same as it did when he started out in this style in the 1960's...


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50 [Disc 12]*


----------



## Vaneyes

We're in the thick of Schnittke's bleak landscape now. Symphony No. 8 is his symphonic masterpiece for me. It's abbreviated conclusion, as I interpret it, is the composer's last creative breath. Nothing more to say. Unfortunately, we've had some great composers who just can't leave us with a Hollywood ending.


----------



## Conor71

*Liszt: Sonata In B Minor, Funerailles, Etc.*


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Des Canyons Aux Etoiles*

I love this piece and think it perfectly evokes the setting of a Canyon (or what I imagine one must be like!) - the performance and sound on this Disc are also superb!


----------



## Sid James

*@ Vaneyes*, I am going to a performance here of Schnittke's music soon. I will report back on the "latest concerts" thread how it goes. I have been avoiding that thread, being not happy with having things thrown in my face, eg. I don't listen to 5 hour long operas, or a certain mass on steroids in B minor, so I'm not a "legit" classical listener. Anyway, enough of that ****, I'm going to post there anyway, even if certain people think I or you or whoever listens to "atonal junk"...


----------



## graaf

One of my favourite discs, if not the favourite one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Messiaen: Des Canyons Aux Etoiles*
> 
> I love this piece and think it perfectly evokes the setting of a Canyon (or what I imagine one must be like!)


You've spurred me to pull this out of my CD stack. I tried to get into Messaien a while ago and threw up my hands when I read that he wrote chords based on colors he heard. Okay, I don't hear colors, so I'll never hear this music like he did. But maybe I should stop thinking so hard and just listen for what _I_ hear.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It's Mozart Monday!



















(OK... it's Saturday... I'm getting ahead of myself here... or perhaps I should also pop in some Schnittke: Schnittke Saturday? 

Nah. :lol:


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 4 Phantasiestücke in A-, Op.88*

Artists	
Eric Le Sage / Gordan Nikolitch / Paul Meyer / Christophe Coin*




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...47SK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319024620&sr=8-1

Elegant! Meanwhile, Schumann a depth in his compositions that I have heard. Also here. The performance is good, excellent interplay between piano and strings, but the sound is just a medium.










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quartet in Eb, Op.47
*
Artists	
Jutland Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Thuille-Sexte...XA7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319048890&sr=8-1

Quite nice, but perhaps no great work of Schumann. The renditions are a bit stagnant .. The dynamics and nerve are missing. And the sound is medium.










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op.44
*
Artists	
Fitzwilliam String Quartet, Richard Burnett (Fortepiano)




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S9NDIU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319111744&sr=8-1

Wonderful work and great performances. But the sound is not very good. Remotely piano and squeaky strings. But when I get used to the sound it is absolutely a good listening!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.1 in D-, Op.63*

Artists	
Ilya Gringolts, Peter Laul, Dmitry Kouzov




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-The-...S7G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292644&sr=8-1

Wonderful sound! Performances expose Schumann's depth, lightness and melody. Very nice and romantic trio.










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.2 in F, Op.80*

Artists	
Laura Gorna, Cecilia Radic, Laura Manzini
http://www.amazon.com/Sostakovic-e-...X0P4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319293554&sr=8-1

Beautiful performance, and good sound! And especially the third movement is very beautiful! The interplay between piano and strings her is worth my monthly payment for spotify allone!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.3 in G-, Op.110*

Artists	
Vienna Brahms Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-R-Pi...T2B6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319294437&sr=8-1

All three trios are very beautiful. Perhaps no two are the best, but this is not far behind. Not very good sound, all sound seems distant. But the performance is good.


----------



## Oskaar

Jean Sibelius

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Adrian Leaper (Artist, Conductor), Jean Sibelius (Composer), Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...13M4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317127073&sr=8-3

Great performance, but ufortunately poor sound.


----------



## clavichorder

Just discovered this and recommend you all give it a quick listen, Heifetz transcribed a Medtner skazka for violin and piano and really milked this melody, I'm impressed


----------



## Aramis

clavichorder said:


> Just discovered this and recommend you all give it a quick listen, Heifetz transcribed a Medtner skazka for violin and piano and really milked this melody, I'm impressed


Well, it's... it's not much of a melody, you know... well... fakiu... I can live my own life in my own way if I want to! Fakov! Don't come following me!


----------



## clavichorder

Aramis said:


> Well, it's... it's not much of a melody, you know... well... fakiu... I can live my own life in my own way if I want to! Fakov! Don't come following me!


Oh you twerp, why'd you even bother posting.


----------



## Aramis

clavichorder said:


> Oh you twerp, why'd you even bother posting.


I don't know, how about you?


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 20: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major*

Artists
Coro Sinfonico Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi & Oleg Caetani*
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QR3KKY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316086928&sr=8-1

Wonderful sound and very nuanced and evocative performances. The work has so many facets, it is a pleasure to listen to, especially when the performances are as good as it is here. The orchestra is very tight and focused, there is a great nerve, and instruments are very well projected. Highly recommended!


----------



## clavichorder

Aramis said:


> I don't know, how about you?


Could've predicted that. I do in fact know why I posted it, because I think its wonderful.

Edit: nor was I making a demand on you to think it was wonderful.


----------



## Aramis

clavichorder said:


> Could've predicted that. I do in fact know why I posted it, because I think its wonderful.
> 
> Edit: nor was I making a demand on you to think it was wonderful.


Yet when I expressed my notfindingitwonderful you got mad... may I recommend you:


----------



## clavichorder

^^^^The anger was not towards your disdain of the piece, but your intent to provoke me, which I was gladly to fall victim to, because you are getting on my nerves. The truth of the matter is, this may have been just the right push I need to not be spending so much time on TC.


----------



## Aramis

clavichorder said:


> ^^^^The anger was not towards your disdain of the piece, but your intent to provoke me, which I was gladly to fall victim to, because you are getting on my nerves. The truth of the matter is, this may have been just the right push I need to not be spending so much time on TC.


I hope you will remember my contribution to your life and after you get to be famous performer of Medtner yourself in every interview you will say: "I owe everything to Aramis from TalkClassical, without him I wouldn't devote enough time to my musical practices because I would spend it on the forum".


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Martin Helmchen (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...EG8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316344180&sr=8-1

Very melodic and evocative concert. Almost a little "easy listening" or perhaps most film music-like. But it is balanced, so it is certainly a great work. Allegro movement is completely different. Very playful!


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Konstantin Krimets (Conductor), Russian Philharmonic (Orchestra), Kyrill Rodin (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...5IE6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316346911&sr=8-2

Eminent sound and performance! And a really great work! This is an incredibly rich concert, and I think probably many of you are familiar with it. Version is very good! Fantastic sensitive cello. Recommended for real!


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op.056 symphony No. 5 in D major, "L'Allegro ed il Pensieroso"*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult




http://www.amazon.com/British-Compo...Z74C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316505814&sr=8-1

Evocative and absolutely engaging symphony. Great version and great sound. No graceful Symphony, but very charming..


----------



## Vaneyes

Closing this challenging and rewarding modern chapter. Schnittke. The Arts are brimming with profiles in courage. There's something about staring death in the face that inspires many greats. Spirit.

Yes, we can use that well-worn one, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." I can't fathom a tougher classical soldier than Alfred Schnittke.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> *@ Vaneyes*, I am going to a performance here of Schnittke's music soon. I will report back on the "latest concerts" thread how it goes. I have been avoiding that thread, being not happy with having things thrown in my face, eg. I don't listen to 5 hour long operas, or a certain mass on steroids in B minor, so I'm not a "legit" classical listener. Anyway, enough of that ****, I'm going to post there anyway, even if certain people think I or you or whoever listens to "atonal junk"...


I look forward to it, Sid..."Schnittke's Day Will Come."


----------



## Vaneyes

It's time to descend the mount, and settle one's self into the comforting hands of Ms. Wang.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the *8th* is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are conducted by Carlo Giulini.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.53 op23 Piano Quartet*

Artists	
Vlach Quartet Prague




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Quarte...5JMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316365532&sr=8-2

I'm still fairly new compared to classical music. I try to systematize a little bit so I do not intervene over too much. I have a diary system that helps me to structure. I quickly forget, not least, what I listen to. And not least, I have time to listen. I am disabled due to psychological problems. Depressions and structural problems. But I have an ability to enjoy! So my comments are momentary impression.
This is an eminent work, I have loved Dvorak's chamber music for some time.This qartet is very well performed here by the Vlach Quartet Prague. Beautiful interplay, and individual presentation as well. Highly recommended! The sound is absolutely top!










*Dvorák: B.56 op26 Piano Trio No.2 *

Artists	
Joachim Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Piano-Trio-No-Op/dp/B000QQRCYA/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1318604999&sr=8-8

Beautiful work ... Dvorak covers so much in his chamber music. It is a joy to listen to. Again, a superb recording. Very good sound, and Joachim Trio manages to really convey anything, both the dramatic and lyrical. In this work are the two things closely intertwined. Again: My warmest recommendations!










Delicious! Great songs, very romantic. Dvorak is perhaps for me the king of the chamber for the time beeing! Brilliant performed, and the sound is good. very close and intense sound. Maybe a little harsh sometimes. Or i may put the volume a bit down.

Work 
*Dvorák: B.79 op47 Bagatelles*

Artists	
Louise Bessette, Quatuor Alcan




http://www.amazon.com/Waltzes-trans...TP00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316418085&sr=8-1

Great, and perhaps a little more edgy pieces by Dvorak great performance.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It's time to descend the mount, and settle one's self into the comforting hands of Ms. Wang.

Stravinsky, Scarlatti, Brahms, Ravel, Chopin, etc... amount to a "descent"?


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 25, Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (Symphonie cévenole) for piano and orchestra (1886)*

Artists	
Orch Phil De Radio France (Artist), Jankowski




http://www.amazon.com/Dindy-Jour-De...DV/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1315745996&sr=8-11

Not the very good sound, unfortunately, but a brilliant performance of an elegant work. D'Indy is unfortunately hard to find on Spotify, but this work is most present with 5 versions. And the work is very nice!










Work 
*d'Indy: d'Indy: Op. 91, Suite for flute, string trio, and harp (1927)*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Another great work of D'Indy. Very dreamy and exploring. Delightful nuances. Excellent sound, except perhaps for some some stinging sound in the higher tonal areas. Turning the volum down a bit helps...










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 84, Cello Sonata in D (1924-5)
*
Artists	
Alexis Galpérine, François Kerdoncuff, Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Delightfull work! very nice perormance, but not to good sound.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

So far... quite enthralling. Nielsen's orchestral writing for the flute concerto takes some rather tempestuous turns... that you wouldn't expect in context with the flute... and then slips back into lovely pastoral passages.

The clarinet solos on this disc are performed by Sabine Meyer who has a fascinating history. She began her career as a member of the Bayerische Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra. She was later hired in September 1982 by Herbert von Karajan to the Berlin Philharmonic as one of the first female members of that institution. The orchestra players voted against her and against Karajan who threatened to step down in response. An uneasy compromise was reached in which Meyer would join the orchestra under a probationary period. At the conclusion of her probation she was voted down by the orchestra by a vote of 73 to 4. The orchestra insisted the reason was that her tone did not blend with the other members of the section, but other observers, including Karajan, believed that the true reason was her gender. It might be noted that Karajan was also an ardent supporter of another great female instrumentalist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, who had her debut with him. Such snippets speak volumes against the anti-Karajan prejudice of certain critics who continue to portray him as an unfeeling Nazi, a dictator worthy of Mao and Stalin, etc...

The clarinet concerto, by the way, is quite beautiful... indeed it is good hearing a bit of music from a genre not normally known or associated with Nielsen.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 19, 20, 7 & 8 [Disc 5]*


----------



## teej

*Respighi*

Purchased this Respighi dics last week. Thoroughly satisfying string quartet and beautiful violin/piano pieces (beautifully played). Haven't given the Piano Quintet a proper listen yet, so that's next on my to-do list.


----------



## teej

For all you violin sonata lovers, you must check out these Sinding pieces. I am a huge fan of Henning Kraggerud - he is surely one of the finest violinsts of his generation.


----------



## science

Will be my first time beyond the Four Seasons.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1*


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

J.S. Bach--*Double Violin Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043, *featuring violinist Yehudi Menuhin accompanied by the Festival Chamber Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141, *performed by the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ladislav Slovak.


----------



## starthrower

I would've never guessed Carter in a blindfold test. A lush, great American symphony!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to disc 2 in this first volume. I have volume II waiting in the wings. I'm quite loving this one:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


> Will be my first time beyond the Four Seasons.


And there is a lot more of merit to Vivaldi beyond the Four Seasons... and Fabio Biondi is one of the finest of guides to this. Check into his choral and operatic works as well.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Carlos Kleiber.


----------



## Sid James

*@ clavichorder *- I am also looking forward to a performance here of some Medtner (as well as the Schnittke). Seems like another member has kind of "shown his colours" so to speak. Anyway, I'll tell you how the recital goes, I am looking forward to it. I'll probably PM it to you, as well as other some other non-(self-made) canonists. We seem to be a bit of a rare breed? F*** the(ir) canon!!! (he says, having just listened to Haydn's _Surprise_ - see below, about to post it!)...


----------



## opus55

No. 7 First movement


----------



## Sid James

*M. Nyman* (b. 1944)
_The Piano Concerto_
Peter Lawson, piano / Royal PO / Jonathan Carney, cond.
(Sanity Classics - RPO series)

It's been a long time since I've listened to this concerto. An interesting blend of things, there's a Celtic flavoured tune in there that comes back at the end, the last movement has strong overtones of Rachmaninov. It's half an hour only, so better to listen to this than the hour long film score to the film _The Piano_, which can get a bit tedious. But this is very good, imo.

*Peggy-Glanville Hicks* (1912-90)
_Three Gymnopedies for chamber orch._
Members of Sydney SO / Myer Fredman, cond.
(ABC Classics - 2 disc set of Australian Light Classics)

This has a bit of an English "pastoral" flavour. The first movement features oboe & harpsichord, the second the harp and celeste, the third the harp (all movements with strings). I love the layering of the "voices," very sophisticated stuff. Glanville-Hicks was one of our most prominent modern era composers, she spent a lot of time in Europe, esp. Greece & I think a friend said that she wrote an opera based on one of the Greek tragedies for Maria Callas to sing. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of her birth, there will be a few perfromances of her pieces here which I plan to attend. She was one of our best modernist composers.

*L. Boccherini*
_Quintet in B flat G.337_
La Magnifica Comunita
(Brilliant Classics - from 3 String Quintets Op. 39, with double bass)

*J. Haydn*
_Sym. #94 "Surprise" in G major_ (arr. J.P. Salomon)
_Trio in A Major, Op. 70 #1 (Hob. XV:18)_
Ens. of the Classic Era: Geoffrey Lancaster, fortepiano / Paul Wright, Classical violin / Susan Blake, Classical cello
(from ABC Classics - Haydn piano trios disc)


----------



## opus55

Last movement of No. 95 in C minor. Coming up next is Schubert Piano Sonata in C minor, D958


----------



## science

Listened to the symphony, an enjoyable romantic work.










Listened to Parry the other day, and now to Stanford. (They're ok, but neither work has really jacked me up.)


----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> And there is a lot more of merit to Vivaldi beyond the Four Seasons... and Fabio Biondi is one of the finest of guides to this. Check into his choral and operatic works as well.


Thanks for your advice.

I should've been clearer - I have loads of Vivaldi, and I've even listened to most of it, but that was the first time I heard the rest of _Il cimento_.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Chamber Symphonies, Op. 110a, 118a & 83a [Disc 1]*

First time listening to these works from this new addition to my Shostakovich collection. Always one of my favourite Composers to dig into and one who helped me get into Chamber Music and Solo Piano Music (through listening to Shosty's String Quartets and Preludes & Fugues).
First impressions of this Disc and the music are very good - the sound and performance are great. I learned the Shostakovich Symphonies from Barshai's Cycle and have a lot of time for this Conductor


----------



## Lisztian

Tremendous...


----------



## Guest

Currently listening to Schumann "Rhenish" Symphony (No. 3) because I've been recently on the Rhein River and Bonn, Dusseldorf, Endenich and Zwickau - which are places haunted by Schumann. I love most particularly the beautiful 3rd movement "Feierlich" of that symphony, thinking it better and more beautiful than anything else Schumann wrote for the symphony orchestra. And it's full of complexity.

Opus55, I just adore those works by Schubert to which you refer!!


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op.028 symphony No. 3 in F minor, "Irish"*

Artists	
Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Norman Del Mar




http://www.amazon.com/British-Compo...Z74C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316505814&sr=8-1

Not a great symphony, but ok listening. Fair enough version, but nothing more.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Artists
Salonen (Conductor), Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Yefrem Bronfman (Performer), Julliard String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...4CZ5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316344052&sr=8-1

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Fine concert, and played pretty good here. Nice sound, but something is missing, it is the first impression. Maybe some more energy and intensity.

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

The same here..The performance is a bit passive.


----------



## opus55

Starting a peaceful Sunday with Beethoven Piano Sonata #25 and a cup of coffee


----------



## Guest

Oscaar, I've heard Yefim Bronfman at the Musikverein in Vienna quite recently. He played Bartok's Piano concerto No. 2. Daniel Barenboim conducted and afterwards they performed an encore: a duo-piano piece, sight-read by both!!

Opus55, all the Beethoven Piano Sonatas??!! They are just wonderful, aren't they?


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 14: Symphony No. 2 in B major*

Artists	
Coro Sinfonico Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi & Oleg Caetani*




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...XIJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316086083&sr=8-1

Very quiet, almost inaudible start. It builds up gradually. A quivering nerve. When the horns come in it really begins to happen. but slowly ... Very slowly. Maybe a little boring symphony ...I get at least not completely hang of it.
Nice version, and pretty good sound.










Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 20: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major*

Artists
Dmitri Shostakovich (Artist), Bernard Haitink (Artist), Elisabeth Söderström (Artist), Julia Varady (Artist), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Artist), Concertgebouw Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...J0/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1316086682&sr=8-16

I'm more excited about this symphony. Especially the stronger parties are very colorful. Something boring in the less dramatic parts. But this symphony, I think will grow on me. Great performance and good sound.










Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 43: Symphony No. 4 in C minor*

Artists
Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi & Oleg Caetani




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...2IDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316088447&sr=8-2

Wonderfully dramatic, yet melodic and lyrical symphony. Now begins Shosta to get the hang of it!
Great version, very good projection of the various instruments, at the same time dense and uniform orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in Ab, for horn (or cello) and piano, Op.70*

Four versions of this eminent little work.

Artists	
Sergey Antonov




http://www.allmusic.com/album/works-by-robert-schumann-w186962

Very beautiful! Perhaps the cello is a little too close in sound, and the piano a little too far. Very good sound otherwise, and the performance is very good.










Artists	
Robert Schumann, Stanley Drucker, Joseph Robingson, L. William Kuyper, Hecht & Shapiro*




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319300305&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Here is it horns instead of cello. I prefer the cello version. The horn is a bit hollow and artificial sound. But great played, and otherwise good sound.










Artists	
Jenny Abel, Roberto Szidon




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319300220&sr=8-1

There is no cello or horn, but the violin. And it suits the piece perfectly! Very sensitive and beautiful violin. The piano is perhaps somewhat harsh. And to really whittle wood .. The violin is a bit distant. So the sound is not quite super, but the performance is very good.










Artists	
Antoine Tamestit
Eric le Sage




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...E3QS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319300129&sr=8-1

Here is the horn again, and maybe a bit better than the version with Stanley Drucker, Joseph Robingson, L. William Kuyper, Hecht & Shapiro. Very sensitive horn, but it quickly becomes very dominant in the sound. But after all, quite balanced here.I still have 40 versions of this glory to explore on Spotify!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

M. Nyman (b. 1944)
The Piano Concerto
Peter Lawson, piano / Royal PO / Jonathan Carney, cond.
(Sanity Classics - RPO series)

I have to give Nyman another chance. I have heard works before by him... including scores for Peter Greenaway films... that I quite liked, but the only disc that I do have by him I didn't particularly like. It was a song cycle, which I thought would be just up my alley... but obviously wasn't.

Currently listening to more Mozart and more Mutter:










I also have these performed by Itzhak Perlman and Daniel Barenboim... but for whatever reason they never grabbed me. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time. Right now I'm quite enjoying Mozart by Mutter. Looking forward to the trios:










These represent the final installation in Mutter's trilogy surveying all of Mozart's major works for violin.

edit: Just now browsing my shelves I discover that I also have this oeuvre by Szeryng... or rather one volume of the two volume set. I remember being very enthralled with these but unable to find the other volume. Now they are but the push of a button away on Amazon... although I think I'll refrain from that course for the time being. I quite like this work... but it's certainly not _Don Giovanni_ or the _Requiem_ where I will ultimately collect a slew of recordings.:lol:


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.1 in D-, Op.63*

Artists	
Eric Le Sage / Gordan Nikolitch / Paul Meyer / Christophe Coin




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...47SK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292542&sr=8-1

Brilliant play, and pretty good sound. delightful and playful trio. In fact an incredible little work! It is a slice of heaven when such a good work is performed so well! Very good interplay between violin and piano .. instruments are well balanced in the sound universe. Quite long trio (Well over 30 minutes) but absolutely a loveley listen. The third movement is just heavenly relaxed and beautiful.The fourth is more exuberant, and very enjoyable to listen to.










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.2 in F, Op.80*

Artists	
Ilya Gringolts, Peter Laul, Dmitry Kouzov




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-The-...S7G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292644&sr=8-1

Wonderful performances and good sound. These three trios is really a discovery! I said yesterday that the second might be best, and that the third was not far behind. Today, I think maybe the first one is the best! But all three are great works.The second is perhaps a little deeper and more melancholy than the first. And again..The third movement is alone worth a months Spotify payment. Superb!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.3 in G-, Op.110*

Artists	
Hyperion-Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292084&sr=8-1-fkmr0

This is perhaps the most romantic of the three trios. Pretty good version here. Lovely play from all the instruments, but piano is perhaps a little distant and hollow. And the cello is sometimes almost lost in the the soundstage. All in all a bit messy sound.scape


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles-Marie Widor*

Work 
*Widor: op 46 Romance*

Fantastic little piece, very well performed

Work 
*Widor: Suite florentine*

Quite pleasent listening. A bit to present violin compared to the rest. But I really like the suite. Not a great work, maybe, but quite charming.

Artists	
Janet Packer (Artist), Orin Grossman




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...W1IP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315743523&sr=8-1










Work 
*Widor: op 72 Introduction et rondo*

Artists	
Goran Goyevich, clarinet / Voyislav Peruchica, piano




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SP5G18/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315742339&sr=8-1

Very harsh sound of the clarinet. And the piano is quite distant. The work itself is not very special.










Work 
*Widor: op 79 Violin Sonata No.2*

Artists	
Hans Maile, Horst Göbel




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...4UUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315742585&sr=8-1

Quite interesting, but not a great work. Fine performances, and the instruments are well balanced. Especially piano playing is very nice.










Work 
*Widor: op 80 Cello Sonata*

Artists	
Annegret Kuttner piano
Peter bruns cello




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...R87M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315741400&sr=8-1

Great music! The first impression was that the sound picture was a bit messy, but the impression is better soon. The work itself is very dreamy and beautiful.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> M. Nyman (b. 1944)
> The Piano Concerto
> Peter Lawson, piano / Royal PO / Jonathan Carney, cond.
> (Sanity Classics - RPO series)
> 
> I have to give Nyman another chance. I have heard works before by him... including scores for Peter Greenaway films... that I quite liked, but the only disc that I do have by him I didn't particularly like. It was a song cycle, which I thought would be just up my alley... but obviously wasn't.
> ...


IMHO, Nyman is a much more "eclectic" composer compared to other "minimalists" like Glass or Arvo Part. It's even a bit streching it to call Nyman a "minimalist" because his music is all quite different. Eg. that disc with three orchestral works on it that I've been listening to, I can hear influences of many composers in them, as well as pop culture, etc. I just listened to the last piece called _Prospero's Books _on that disc, about to review that now.

But the long and short of it is, his style is more diverse than the other "minimalists," not as uniform, so it is a good idea to try different things out by him, you'll probably end up finding _something_ at least from his vast array of things that will appeal to you.

Mr. Nyman was out here earlier in the year, giving a free public lecture and present at a premiere of a choral work of his. I wasn't able to attend unfortunately, it would have been interesting, but now I'm enjoying his music on disc, I have about 3 of his film scores on discs & other things waiting in the wings for first listens. It is quite interesting, you don't know what to expect of him exactly...


----------



## Sid James

Rounding off my traversal of the* Michael Nyman *disc of orchestral works, a revisit after a long time of *Schnittke* and *Granados*, as well as my newest addiction which is for all things by *Boccherini* -

*M. Nyman*
_On the Fiddle for violin & orch.
Prospero's Books for orch._
Royal PO / Jonathan Carney, cond.
(Sanity Classics - RPO series)

I really like the piano & violin concertos on this disc, but I didn't really connect with_ Prospero's Books_, which is purely orchestral. It obviously has the rhythms of rock, which is fine by me, I just found it a bit too beefy and on steroids. But the other two works on the disc are very much to my taste, they're just "right" for me in all ways.

*L. Boccherini*
_Quintets in F, G. 338 & in D, G. 339_
La Magnifica Comunita
(Brilliant Classics - 3 string quintets Op. 39 with double bass)

*A. Schnittke*
Cello works played by Maria Kliegel on Naxos album
_Stille Musik for violin & cello _(1979) - with Burkhard Godlhoff, violin
_Sonata for cello & piano _(1978) - with Raimund Havenith, piano

Pretty dark & static, except the middle presto movement of the sonata, which is a perpetuum mobile. Schnittke's music to me speaks of memories, esp. in terms of these fragments of melodies, like a beautiful ornament that has been shattered into a hundred pieces. That's being a bit arty-farty but that's how I can put it in words.

*E. Granados*
_Goyescas: Intermezzo_ (arr. for piano trio by Gaspar Cassado)
LOM Piano Trio, Barcelona
(Naxos - Granados chamber music album)

A really memorable tune here, in the form of a _jota aragonesa_. Granados was worried that it would be kind of too cliched but it became his biggest hit. I haven't listened to this album much since getting it last year, having heard his delightful _Piano Trio_ in recital, a work on this album which I aim to revisit soon...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Yesterday went to see my teacher, Sasha Starcevich, perform Brahms' First Piano Concerto with the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra and the Bremerton Youth Symphony Orchestra, Alan Futterman conducting.


----------



## Klavierspieler

What has clavichorder done to me?


----------



## starthrower

Shostakovich-Cello Sonata Op. 40


----------



## science

There was no normally sized pic available, so...

This is off my own beaten path. I listened to it once before a few months ago, but don't remember my impressions then. Right now I think it sounds late romantic. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but the harmonies sound very progressive for Liszt's generation - perhaps he was influenced by Wagner when he wrote it?

And now:










Finishing my first listen of that disk off with the Desyatnikov, which, 2 minutes in, is my favorite work of the CD!


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> ...
> Maybe I'm totally wrong, but the harmonies sound very progressive for Liszt's generation - perhaps he was influenced by Wagner when he wrote it?
> ...


Other way round more likely. Liszt finished his _Faust Symphony _in about the 1850's after more than a decade of working on it. I don't think Wagner had done anything that progressive at that time, Liszt & Berlioz were the innovators, Wagner was more the later refiner of their ideas in some ways, but he deserves credit for making these techniques more or less mainstream (eg. idee fixe or leitmotif, leading motif, recurring theme, whatever you want to call it) & also incorporating them wholistically into opera, his idea of_ gesamkunstwerk_, bringing together all the arts, etc...


----------



## Sid James

Some more or less relaxing late lunch listening (LLL) -

*C. Debussy* - _Piano Trio #1 in G major_
Joachim Trio
(Naxos - French Piano Trios Vol. 1)

*R. Schumann *-_ Adagio & Allegro for horn & orch. in A flat major, Op. 70 _(orchestration by Ansermet)
Edmund Leloir, horn / Suisse Romande / Ernest Ansermet, cond.
(on Decca Eloquence 2 disc set)


----------



## science

Leningrad.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

IMHO, Nyman is a much more "eclectic" composer compared to other "minimalists" like Glass or Arvo Part. It's even a bit streching it to call Nyman a "minimalist" because his music is all quite different.

But the long and short of it is, his style is more diverse than the other "minimalists"...

Seriously, I think this is also true of Glass, Adams, and others tossed under the rubric, "Minimalism". Take a brief gander at the variety to be found in Philip Glass:































******


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

***********

Returning to the _raison d'etre_ of this thread, I'm currently listening to this on Spotify:










These organ symphonies are quite subdued... at least what I have listen to as of yet. They have a a calm, comforting spirit to them.


----------



## science

My first time in a VW 5.

Edit: It was disappointing. But:










I did enjoy the Alnaes!


----------



## Conor71

*Reger: String Quartets, Op. 54/1 & 109 [Disc 1]*

Listening to the first Disc in this newly arrived set which is another addition to my String Quartet collection.
Reger is also a new Composer for me - I have been anxious to hear this set since I purchased it just over a month ago (shipping USA to Australia often takes a while!)


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> *Reger: String Quartets, Op. 54/1 & 109 [Disc 1]*
> 
> Listening to the first Disc in this newly arrived set which is another addition to my String Quartet collection.
> Reger is also a new Composer for me - I have been anxious to hear this set since I purchased it just over a month ago (shipping USA to Australia often takes a while!)


Conor, I'm beginning to think you like string quartets


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> IMHO, Nyman is a much more "eclectic" composer compared to other "minimalists" like Glass or Arvo Part. It's even a bit streching it to call Nyman a "minimalist" because his music is all quite different.
> 
> But the long and short of it is, his style is more diverse than the other "minimalists"...
> 
> Seriously, I think this is also true of Glass, Adams, and others tossed under the rubric, "Minimalism". Take a brief gander at the variety to be found in Philip Glass:...


Oh man, you "youtubed" me big time. I didn't mean that Glass' music is all literally the same. That would be going out on too much of a limb for sure. I just meant that Nyman has had more of a diversity/range in terms of styles, influences, etc. Same can be said of Steve Reich, starting out in the '70's with those kind of "music purely about music" works like _Vermont Counterpoint, New York Counterpoint_, etc. then moving to things dealing with history and journeys, eg. _Different Trains_, then last year I heard a concert on radio here of some of his more recent chamber works which he had drawn influences from West African drumming, rock and hip-hop. I don't think Glass has been that diverse, which isn't a criticism, as he has a very strong style. As for Nyman, I was basing my judgement of the three works on that RPO series disc - _The Piano Concerto, On the Fiddle_ and _Prospero's Books _(I can hear a whole range of influences, from Vivaldi, to Renaissance choral music, to rock, Rachmaninov, neo-Romanticism, neo-Classicism, Celtic/folk, etc.), & also the fact that I've seen a few movies and only learned after that the score was by Nyman. That wouldn't happen with Glass, his music has this unique "fingerprint" which is same from work to work, across 30-40 years...


----------



## Sid James

Just returned from this recital here -

_The Great European Connection_
Georg Pedersen, cello
Clemens Leske, piano

*L. v. Beethoven* - _Sonata for Piano & Cello, Op. 5, No. 2 in G Minor_

*Rosalind Page *- _"Sonnerie des Arbres" for solo Piano_*

*A. Schnittke* - _Sonata for Cello & Piano _(1978)

* World Premiere performance

I found the last two works to be the most interesting.

Australian composer *Rosalind Page's* work was written when whe was in France in 2009 and is a reflection on the Seine River. This work was dedicated to the pianist playing it tonight, it was a mixture of dark and light, fragments that seemed to be released in a kind of crescendo towards the end. The ideas from the beginning returned right at the end, it ended quietly. Mr. Leske played the piano with this delicate wrist action, he made the piano sound as if it was amplified, he made a very resonant & rich sound.

*Schnittke's* title of the _Sonata for Cello and Piano _deliberately places the cello first, as it has a more difficult and involved part than the piano by far. It has two mournful and quite anguished slow_ Largo_ movements sandwiching an intense _Presto_. The Presto is pretty schizophrenic, it's dominated by a moto perpetuo played by the cello on high octane fuel - Mr. Pedersen's bow even had a few horsehairs detached, that's how aggressively he was playing! - and the piano kind of jabbing periodically, providing strong beats. In the middle of that, something like a fragment of a Tchaikovsky waltz on steroids, blown out of all proportion. The final movement is the longest at over 10 minutes, and basically it is not a very happy ending in the least (in contrast to the Beethoven sonata we heard earlier).

All up this was superb, and I like how Mr. Pedersen always explains the works in simple terms, he is very welcoming and informal, he doesn't mind if you are not familiar with these works...


----------



## starthrower

I have other recordings of most of the pieces on this album, 
but I couldn't pass up this two disc set for one dollar!


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73*

The only certain thing about this piece when it comes to recordings, is the piano. I have found, in addition to the clarinet, contra bass, oboe, french horn, trombone, cello, and viola. Maybe I have forgotten something.
It is a very beautiful and romantic work.

*4 versions:*

Artists	
Wolfgang Harrer, Astrid Spitznagel*




http://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Harr...0TCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319469673&sr=8-1

Here it is contrabass and piano. Not my favourite set up, but niceley played. Quite good sound










Artists	
Mihae Lee
William Purvis




http://www.amazon.com/Romances-Musi...SUNK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319469564&sr=8-2

French horn. Excellent performed, and not very hollow, wich often is the problem with french horn, an my listening equipment (combined with reccording, and maybe spotify, and the digital formate). Very calm, and good interplay.










Artists	
Jean Hubeau (Artist), Via Nova Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Chamber-Music/dp/B0001ZA2IO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319469460&sr=8-1

Clarinette (I think.. I have sometimes problems to hear the difference between clarinette and oboe.) Not very good version, I find the playing a bit passive, and the piano is very unclear in the sound picture. Sometimes almost hidden, sometimes strong and a bit harch.










Artists	
Truls Mørk & Leif Ove Andsnes




http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Sonata...4DDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319469350&sr=8-1

My fellow countrymen.. Both with a great international career. Very nice version (cello-piano) and beautiful sound and interplay. Maybe a little to much "room-sound" on both instruments, leading to some lack of intimacy.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quartet in Eb, Op.47*

Artists	
Sheremetyev Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Sheremetyev-Ensemble/dp/B000FTKPNI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319048796&sr=8-2

This quartet, I like better and better. Colourfull and melodic. Excellent performances here, with very good sound. Nice balance between the instruments, and great interaction. Higly recommended!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op.44*

Artists	
Uriel Tsachor
Amati quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H133CG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319111638&sr=8-2

Loveley version! Schumann is more romantic, and less "Classical" her, compared with the quartet. Very good sound, and beautifully played.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Oh man, you "youtubed" me big time. I didn't mean that Glass' music is all literally the same. That would be going out on too much of a limb for sure. I just meant that Nyman has had more of a diversity/range in terms of styles, influences, etc. Same can be said of Steve Reich, starting out in the '70's with those kind of "music purely about music" works like _Vermont Counterpoint, New York Counterpoint_, etc. then moving to things dealing with history and journeys, eg. _Different Trains_, then last year I heard a concert on radio here of some of his more recent chamber works which he had drawn influences from West African drumming, rock and hip-hop. I don't think Glass has been that diverse, which isn't a criticism, as he has a very strong style. As for Nyman, I was basing my judgement of the three works on that RPO series disc - _The Piano Concerto, On the Fiddle_ and _Prospero's Books _(I can hear a whole range of influences, from Vivaldi, to Renaissance choral music, to rock, Rachmaninov, neo-Romanticism, neo-Classicism, Celtic/folk, etc.), & also the fact that I've seen a few movies and only learned after that the score was by Nyman. That wouldn't happen with Glass, his music has this unique "fingerprint" which is same from work to work, across 30-40 years...


Minimalism was a short phase for me as a direct listener. Film score is a good delivery system for indirect listening.

Fond memories of, Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine (DeWaart), and Glass' Violin Concerto (Kremer). That's about it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Adams, John*

*Work 
Adams: Berceuse elegiaque*

Artists	
Orchestra: Hallé, London SinfoniettaConductor: Kent Nagano, John Adams




http://www.amazon.com/Dorado-Black-...5J3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315822506&sr=8-1

Last time I listened too Adams I was very exited. I believe this is kind of a soft work by him. Very atmosfaeric and rich in nuances and colors. Very nice performance, brilliantly monitoring the nerve and shades in the music. very good balance between instruments.










Work 
*Adams: Century Rolls*

Artists	
Performer: Emanuel AxOrchestra: Cleveland Orchestra, HalléConductor: Christoph von Dohnányi, Kent Nagano




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Ce...YR65/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315820020&sr=8-1

This is a more mechanical work, built around several repetitions, but all the time adding something new. I find it absolutely wonderful to listen to. Great performance, and good sound. Not very impressive but more hesitant and lyrical. It gives room for the instruments' different expressions. And for the atmosfaeric shades. This work might not be played very loudly. I feel at least that my enjoyment of it is increased on moderate volume. Loveley and sensitive interplay. Maybe this is minimalism..But in my ears very rich minimalism. Second movement starts with a very quiet, and hypnotic flute/piano/orchestra section. Absolutely brilliant! In the third there is a sofisticated "jazzy" piano, very well interplaying with others instruments and orchestra. Loveley! This is a work to go back to with open mind several times. Its richness will expose new details all the time, I guess.










Work 
*Adams: Chamber Symphony*

Artists	
John Adams/London Sinfonietta




http://www.amazon.com/Chamber-Symph...MZMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315820303&sr=8-1

Another great work. Playfull and light. The "jazzy" undertones is obvious, still wery modern and experimental in style. But I find the experimental anquered in tradition. That is one reasson that I like Adams so much,... the ties beetween styles, it is kind of a base for further expementation.. Another great performance. Loveley balanced instrumentation. The *aria with walking bass* is funny in title, and also funny to listen too. It is like the other instruments are trying to get rid of the bass. But the bass resists all attacks! But at the end there is no walking bass, so maybe the other instruments win.
The *roadrunner* is very playfull an rich in small detailes. Again a jazzy rythm/frame giving room for everything. 










Work 
*Adams: China Gates*

Artists	
Andrew Russo & James Ehnes




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Ha...IFTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315825181&sr=8-1

Gives me associations to Mike Oldfiels tubular bells! Not conserned to addition of instruments, but in melodic theme.
Beautiful, and a bit mystic piano!










Work 
*Adams: Dr Atomic Symphony*

Artists	
David Robertson (Conductor), St. Louis Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Sympho...58I0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315820564&sr=8-1

Not so good sound here, an quite messy performance. The work itself is very exiting, but you really cant get into it when the performance is not so good. At least it requieres some listenings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Hilos* (Threads) by Gabriela Lean Frank. The piece is the composer's reflection on her roots, depicting various parts of Peru, well-played by the ALIAS chamber ensemble.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho, Kalevi*

Work 
*Aho: Symphony No. 1*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Kalevi-Aho-Co...ED/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1315911187&sr=8-22

I like Aho, but this first symphony is to empty in contents. The version is quite good, but a bit uninspired.
There are good tendenses in the work, but to rare. I could say.. It will probably grow on me....but I doubt. To hollow an unabitious as a composition. But it is the first.. I still look forward te explore his other 12 or something.










Work 
*Aho: Symphony No. 2*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Aho-Symphonie...QD/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1315912443&sr=8-20

The second symphony has a lot more nerve than the first. It may be the recording, but I think the work itself has much more substance than the first. but it is no great symphony. The version is good, but somewhat flat and distant sound. Composition provides more room for the dramatic and nuanced than what is disclosed here. but there are some very nice light parts in this symfony, but unfortunately a bit passive exposed here. After 16 minutes it is like a turbo was set in. Both in the work itself, and performance. Nice listening towards the end. But there is a shadow,distant feel, over the soundpicture, preventing the intimacy.










Work 
*Aho: Symphony No. 3*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Kalevi-Aho-Sy...53/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1315912898&sr=8-21

Wonderful start, but little of what I associate with a symphony. But that is changing for sure. Wonderful violin, and eventually involved the entire orchestra. Very intense yet nuanced.
Symphony no 1 was not Especially good, no 2 better, and here in the third, I feel that Aho has found something. Little symphony-touch, at least in the beginning, it is more a sketch of a symphonic poem. Or a violin concerto. But it is very exciting and engaging. The work is full of details and requires repeated listening tests in order to catch everything.
Very good sound, and the performance is very good. Very good balance of sound between the different actors.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anders Eliasson*

Work 
*Eliasson: Bassoon Concerto*

Artists	
 Knut Sonstevold Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Juha Kangas, 




http://www.amazon.com/Eliasson-Symp...ED54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316864267&sr=8-1

Great work! The bassoon playing in the background in relation to a very intense orchestra. The work is rich in shades and colors. Breathe deeply and listen to this. Excellent performance! Eliasson is a modern composer, and the soundscape can seem kaotic. But dont let that scare you! Fantastic listening. (But without my long time listening to progressive rock, this music had scared me! That was a good ear training...) 










Work 
*Eliasson: Horn Concerto*

Artists	
Jari Valo, Soren Hermansson, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas




http://www.amazon.com/Eliasson-Conc...I882/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316863966&sr=8-1

Very good tension and drive in this work. delicious variations .. it can sometimes seem a little chaotic, but chaos never takes over. Very good sound, which I think is essential to appreciate and enjoy this work.
Maybe a little slower and more lyrical in between the chaos, than the bassoon concerto. wonderful orchestra, performances are all terrific! Fabulous horn, not dominent, but perfectly placed in the soundscape.










Work 
*Eliasson: Violin Concerto*

Artists	
Camerata Nordica, Levon Chilingirian




http://www.amazon.com/Eliasson-Osta...E3Z8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316863607&sr=8-1

Another exciting works from Eliasson. Superior performance and good sound. The strings form a sound score in the bottom, and the orchestra unfolds in relation to it, not the opposite. Excellent listening!


----------



## Nix

Currently getting familiar with:

*Dutilleux: Cello Concerto* (still)
*Bach: St. John's Passion* (in my quest to get to know the 3 big oratorios- this, Messiah and Creation- this year)
*Chopin: Ballade #4* (loving it so far)
*Haydn: String Quartet Op. 33/2 'The Joke'* (very charming and fun) 
*Mozart: Symphony #29* (know the first movement, getting familiar with the rest)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

On to disc 3. Currently listening to the slow movement from K. 305. Exquisite.


----------



## AlexW

I've been listening to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in preparation for this weekend's show at Walt Disney Concert Hall. I sometimes work with the LA Phil and have been lucky enough to see Dudamel a few times. He definitely lives up to the hype.

There are a few tickets available, if there are any fans in the LA area on here.

Here are the details for the show from the LA Phil website:

Oct 28 - 30
Dudamel and Goode
http://www.laphil.com/dudamel

The compelling Strauss tone poem best known for its glorious opening fanfare (2001) complements the crystalline perfection of Mozart's most dramatic piano concerto.

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 has been held in such high regard that Beethoven, Brahms, Hummel, Busoni and Clara Schumann all wrote cadenzas for this D-minor masterpiece. We have the great pleasure of hearing it performed by Grammy winner Richard Goode, who recorded it as part of his highly celebrated series with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

One of the very few pieces inspired by chapters of a philosophical treatise (by Friedrich Nietzsche), Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra is best known for its glorious opening fanfare.

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Richard Goode piano
KURTÁG Grabstein für Stephan (except Fri.)
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra

Hope some of you can make it!


----------



## Klavierspieler




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 2*, by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland {Copland the Populist}--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo*, all performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving this a second listen. The recital is quite lovely. The cello is one of my favorite instruments... solo or in small chamber ensembles. The possible monotony is broken up with the inclusion of two lovely vocal works by Franck, most famously the _Panis Angelicus_, in arrangements for the piano, cello, and soprano.


----------



## science

The one in E.


----------



## science




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, *featuring the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.92 in B Major {"Oxford"} *with the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Sid James

*R. Schumann* - _Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54_
Dinu Lipatti, piano / Suisse Romande Orch. / Ernest Ansermet, cond.
Recorded Geneva, Switzerland, live radio broadcast, 1950.
(Decca Eloquence 2 disc set)

- Pretty good performance from Lipatti, very lyrical, but the sound is not the best. The applause at the end goes on for quite a while, they loved this performance for sure.

*L. Boccherini *-_ Guitar Quintet in E minor, G. 451_
Zoltan Tokos, guitar / Danubius String Quartet
(Naxos - Guitar Quintets Vol. 3)

- A kind of wierd thing with this is that sometimes the guitar sounds more like a harpsichord, not very rich. Probably the acoustic. This is an interesting work in that it goes from minor to major, darkness to light. A restrained but good account overall, but a bit more "gutsiness" would have been quite welcome by me.

*M. Nyman* - _After Extra Time (AET)_
Michael Nyman (piano, direction) and his band
(On _After Extra Time _album - Virgin Records)

- First listen to this, the first work of three on this disc. All are related to football in some way. The acronymn AET is also the name of Mr. Nyman's wife. This comes across as a kind of modern concerto grosso combined with minimalism, all held together by the composer on the piano and also the double bass, they are like the rhythm section of a jazz band or something. Interesting stuff.

*A. Schnittke*
_Stille Musik for violin and cello _(1979)
_Sonata for cello and piano_ (1978)
Maria Kliegel, cello
Burkhard Godhoff, violin
Raimund Havenith, piano
(Naxos)

- This sonata is pretty intense and disturbing in some ways.Two outer slow movements sandwiching an intense and schizoid one. Bizarre combination of things, eg. Bachian counterpoint followed by a demented waltz. Some people can't stomach this kind of in your face collage, they say it's crude. Understandable, but I think the way he blends it all together in the final over 10 minute long movement is pretty amazing. There's a bit in that were the open strings are bowed, it brings out an eerie and ethereal vibe, as if on another planet. In this work, the cello takes the lion's share of difficult bits, and in the middle movement, the ratio of notes played by the cello compared to the piano is literally like 50:1. Not the stereotype or cliched cello sonata, that's for sure, and imo it rates amongst Messiaen's _Quartet for the End of Time_, Shostakovich's _String Quartet #8_ & other similar things as one of the great "dark" chamber works of the mid to late c20th...


----------



## science

One of my recent impulse buys. It's a nice contrast to my more standard fare, but I think I'm going to continue preferring Naxos's "From Byzantium to Andalusia." I'm not sure which would be more "authentic," if that's a concern, and I like both disks, but I like the music on the Naxos disk _more_. Of course it's cheaper too, so if you're in the market...










This is awesome! I believe Hamelin has 3 hands.










Warlock's "The Curlew." A fairly obscure little gem. (Actually "dark little pearl" might be better than "obscure little gem.")

And now:










The Miaskovsky.


----------



## Sid James

Just got through listening to these, *first time listen *to part of the* Bach *recording which I got today. I used to have this flute sonata on a compilation and remembered enjoying it, so I got this disc of the whole _The Musical Offering_. The other parts coming before and after the sonata are apparently a bit dry and technical, but judging from this part alone, the disc was well worth getting. The way the flute soars above the accompanying instruments in the second movement_ Allegro _has stuck in my mind for over 10 years, even after having not heard it for that long a time. It's been a long time between drinks with this, as they say. I aim to listen to it bit by bit, I have found this more rewarding now than taking in whole discs as I did before...

*L. Bernstein *- _Symphony #1 "Jeremiah"_
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano / Israel PO / Composer cond. 
(DGG)

*J.S. Bach* - _Sonata Sopr'il Soggetto Reale _& _Canon Perpetuo _(for flute, violin, continuo) from _The Musical Offering, BWV. 1079_
Davitt Moroney, Martha Cook, clavecins / Janet See, flute / John Holloway, violin / Jaap ter Linden, cello 
(Harmonia Mundi Musique d'abord white label)

*A. Piazzolla *- _The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires _(arr. Jose Bragato)
Macquarie Trio: Nicholas Milton, violin / Michael Goldschlager, cello / Kathryn Selby, piano 
(ABC Classics)

From *Album: Vita Monteverdi-Scelsi* (tracks 7-11)
Madrigals by *Monteverdi* (arr. for 3 cellos*) and works for solo cello by *Scelsi*
Sonia Weider-Atherton, solo/lead cello, with Sarah Iancu & Matthieu Lejuene, accompanying cellos
* Arrangements by S. Weider-Atherton & Franck Krawczyk
(Naive label)

*E. Granados*
- _Piano Trio, Op. 50
- Goyescas: Intermezzo _(arr. Gaspar Cassado)
LOM Piano Trio, Barcelona 
(Naxos)


----------



## Lisztian




----------



## science

I can imagine that this is actually what music sounded like for the richest people as they were pulling out of the darkest part of the dark ages.










I prefer this kind of thing on harpsichord, but I take pride in slumming it now and again.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy, S.123*

Artists	
Zoltan Kocsis **Gabor Farkas **Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazonka.pl/liszt-les-pr...onal-philharmonic-orchestra,99902099349.bhtml

Great sound and quite good performance. Some fragmented played, but it was perhaps Liszt's intention.










Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Richard Frank
Szeged Symphony Orchestra
Robert Hart Baker




http://www.amazon.com/Eccentrics-Se...GSZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317670349&sr=8-1

Liszt is often a serious composer and orchestral works can sometimes seem too heavy and pompous. Maybe some little more lyrical? But with time it grows certainly for me, and I notice certain nuances gradually, and sometimes I like the serious and pompous, too. This concert is fact, many small lyrical moments in between the serious.










Work	
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
The London Symphony Orchestra, Sviatoslav Richter, Kyril Kondrashin




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Concert...0RNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317670264&sr=8-1

Well, I withdraw that Liszt is not lyrical. He is wonderfully varied. Loveley concerto, I like it bether than no 1 at the moment. Fine version; very tight an well playing orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

An exceptional "New World", NYPO/Masur (1991). Alert playing throughout, and getting this gorgeous sound out of Avery Fisher was no small feat. Thanks to recording engineers Eberhard Sengpiel and Michael Brammann.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work	
*Liszt: Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne ('Bergsymphonie'), S.95, R.412*

Artists	
Gábor Farkas, 
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Zoltán Kocsis




http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liszt-Préludes-Hungarian-Fantasy-montagne/dp/B005KGGZ08/ref=dm_ap_alb12

I think Liszt can be quite challenging to listen to, but the rewards are great The wealth of nuances, shifts, moods. Fabulous! I'll dive a little into his symphonic poems, and explore different versions of Spotify. This is certainly not among the most famous, but I have found six versions. (I do not save old with very bad sound.) 43 versions of les Preludes, which is probably the best known.
I think this version of "Bergsymfonie" is very great. Good sound and good orchestra. It is a live version, so there is little coughing occasionally, but it does nothing at all.










Work 
*Liszt: Die Ideale*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Complet...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317894609&sr=8-1-fkmr0

A bit flat sound on this recording, but the performance is quite good.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YMQMU8cPL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


----------



## kv466

Scott Joplin - The Ragtime Dance 
Joshua Rifkin, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Vivaldi La Cetra with Raglan Baroque Players.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no. 85, "The Queen" 
Ton Koopman conducts the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden
Michael Gielen




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315420269&sr=1-1

Very good play and interplay, but I find the sound a bit flat and "hidden", especially in more quiet parts. But the nerve is absolutely present even if the sound and projection of instruments is not very good. I have 51 versjons of this symphony categorized in my "database". I need too systemize since spotify have everything. I am caotic at first place, and the "candy store" Spotify make me more caotic. Therefor I try to systemize my listening a bit. Therefor I have just reach Mahler symphony no 1. I have them all at my desk, but I must restrict myself. 20 million pieces of music....Not good for my attention dissorder...hehe. I use a free diary system, to make database, and to make listening diary.


----------



## kv466

Martin Mailman - Autumn Landscape 
Howard Hanson conducts the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

From a long, eventually abbreviated journey, one of Goodman's bright spots.


----------



## Aramis

20 & 21, great thing to listen when you're messed up and don't feel like digging something heavy


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Gustav Mahler *
> 
> Work
> *Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*
> 
> Artists
> South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden
> Michael Gielen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315420269&sr=1-1
> 
> Very good play and interplay, but I find the sound a bit flat and "hidden", especially in more quiet parts. But the nerve is absolutely present even if the sound and projection of instruments is not very good. I have 51 versjons of this symphony categorized in my "database". I need too systemize since spotify have everything. I am caotic at first place, and the "candy store" Spotify make me more caotic. Therefor I try to systemize my listening a bit. Therefor I have just reach Mahler symphony no 1. I have them all at my desk, but I must restrict myself. 20 million pieces of music....Not good for my attention dissorder...hehe. I use a free diary system, to make database, and to make listening diary.


Try the Gielen Mahler 7, if you can. A distinct highlight from that cycle.


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## kv466

Michael Praetorius - Suite of Voltas 
David Munrow with the Early Music Consort of London


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Liebeck (Artist), Farrell (Artist)




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messi...B5US/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317308187&sr=8-1

Excellent sound and performance! I really recommend the work itself, and this version. Lovely mesmerizing! Instruments are very well projected, and the interplay is nice. Digital audio can sometimes take away some of the instruments' characteristics. Not so here. The sound is deep and very true to the instruments. I give the work 6 oiut of 6, and total impression 10 out of ten in my rating system.


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## kv466

Carl Maria von Weber - Clarinet Concerto no.2 
Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Dresden State Orchestra
Sabine Meyer, clarinet


----------



## Vaneyes

Spurred on by Lisztian's Liszt thread, I've embarked on a Liszt cruise. Bon Voyage to me!


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> Spurred on by Lisztian's Liszt thread, I've embarked on a Liszt cruise. Bon Voyage to me!


Haha...have a great trip!


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## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot and orchestra, I/29*

Artists	
Myung-Whun Chung (Conductor), Bastille Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Yvonne Loriod (Performer), Jeanne Loriod (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messi...1GF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317312247&sr=8-1

Messiaen is a pleasure to listen to. There is so much going on. There are cascades of harmonies and disharmonies, moods, colors and shades. It is the first time I listen to this work, and I am enthralled! The sound is very good, but I wish it was even better. The work is very intriguing, I'm sitting in suspense, waiting for the next thing that will happen. I have "collected" nine versions, and here I must really find the best. here it is loveley play and interplay, but I think the sound is just a little bit flat, maybe. Just a little. I just found on wikipedia: "_supervised by Messiaen, and first recording of the revised version_"Deutsche Grammophon 1990


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## kv466

Carl Stamitz - Viola Concerto in c
Helmut Muller-Bruhl conducts the Cologne Chamber Orchestra
Wolfram Christ, viola


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> Try the Gielen Mahler 7, if you can. A distinct highlight from that cycle.


Only found 3 and 8 by Gielen. But I will listen right now if you give me a good reccomandation! I can jump out of my listening system any time.


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## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Chronochromie, I/43*

Artists	
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Quar...8YK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317312842&sr=8-1

A little more experimentell modern Messaien. Still incredibly exciting to listen to. And here is the sound quality present that I wish my previous listening (Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie) had. Excellent exposure of the instruments, and a nice balance of sound.


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## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphony in D-, M.48*

Artists	
Marek Janowski (Conductor), L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande




http://www.amazon.com/César-Franck-...IV1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315243200&sr=8-1

Very good sound, and a very sensitive and nice version of this great symphony. Marek Janowski will be checked out. He has a great grip on it here.


----------



## Sid James

A second listen to the flute sonata bit from _The Musical Offering_, as well as some other things, I was surprised at the vigour of Schubert's _Notturno_, I didn't remember it being like that, but it's optimism always grabs me, it's a favourite piece of my mother's -

*R. Wagner*
_Siegfried Idyll_
Estado de Mexico SO / Enrique Batiz, cond.
(Rainbow Music)

*P. Sculthorpe*
- _From Kakadu
- Into the Dreaming
- Djilile_ (arr. Wingfield)
Aleksandr Tsiboulski, guitar
(Naxos)

*F. Schubert*
_Notturno in E flat, D.897 for piano trio_
Jean-Philippe Collard, piano / Augustin Dumay, violin / Frederic Lodeon, cello
(EMI 2 disc set)

*C. Monteverdi*
- _Canatate Domino canticum novum _(duet)
Emma Kirkby, Evelyn Tubb, sopranos / Consort of Musicke / Anthony Rooley, direction
(Alto label - Monteverdi duets & solos)

*J.S. Bach* 
- _Sonata Sopr'il Soggetto Reale & Canon Perpetuo_ (for flute, violin, continuo) from _The Musical Offering, BWV. 1079_
Davitt Moroney, Martha Cook, clavecins / Janet See, flute / John Holloway, violin / Jaap ter Linden, cello 
(Harmonia Mundi Musique d'abord white label)

*D. Scarlatti *- _Sonata in E minor, Longo 352 _(trans. Segovia)
*A. Scarlatti *- _Gavotte _(trans. Alboniz)
John Williams, guitar
(Belart disc, now on Decca Eloquence, coupled with Bach transcriptions)


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Christopher Lyndon-Gee (Conductor), New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Michael Houston




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...144R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100769&sr=8-1

Premium version of this captivating concert. Excellent sound, well-projected instruments. Great orchestra. Shostakovich has a wonderful intensity and depth, which allows for great color and musical moments.


----------



## kv466

Johann Neruda - Trumpet Concerto 
German Chamber Philharmonic Bremen
Alison Balsom, trumpet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I must admit that whereas Myaskovsky did nothing for me, I quite enjoy these. I'll probably give Nikolai another shot... but you can't love all these Russian Romantics.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no. 93 
Colin Davis conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## kv466

Zoltan Kodaly - Variations on a Hungarian Folksong 
Georg Solti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps*

One of my favourite works of late - 3rd listen this week


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kees Bakels.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bruno Walter.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart, *Symphony No. 39*, by Bruno Walter.


----------



## kv466

Love the Odyssey, Manx!



Brahms - Symphony no. 3 in , op. 90 / Tragic Overture, op. 81
Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

(busted out the vinyl)


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler Symphony no 7*

Artist: Sir georg Sollti, Chicago Symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...JWK2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319651811&sr=8-2

Vanyes recommended this, and it absolutely breathtaking!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3*, Toscanini, 1939. Great stuff.


----------



## kv466

Gustav Mahler - Songs of a Wayfarer: Morning Walk 
Claudius Tanski, piano


----------



## Conor71

*Khachaturian: Masquerade Suite, Symphony No. 2 [Disc 2]*

Very cool!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Mazeppa, S.100*

Artists	
Gábor Gabos, Hungarian State Orchestra, András Kórodi, Gyula Németh, János Ferencsik*




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-C...F6TC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318084823&sr=8-1

Wonderful poem! Very lively and festival-like. Beautiful melodies is below the whole.
Pretty good version, great effort from the orchestra and instrumentalists, but rather bad sound. And sometimes it sounds false.










Work 
*Liszt: Les Préludes, S.97*

Artists	
Polish National Radio Symphony Michael Halasz




http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Liszt-...ZMHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318084040&sr=8-1

Very beautiful and evocative poem. And pompous and dramatic. Fine alternations. Pretty good sound and great performance. Bass sounds of the orchestra is well presented and gives the performance depth. Quite nice orchestration..very enrgic. A bit messy instrumentation once in a while, maybe. Could have been tighter orchestra.. more distingt.










Work 
*Liszt: Héroïde funèbre, S.102*

Artists	
Lazar Berman, Peter Maag & Orchestra Sinfonica Rai Di Torino




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Concert...YA9K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317989122&sr=8-1

Live performance, but very good sound. Great projection of the instruments. Very interesting work. Deep serious parts they dominate, but also some lighter and atmospheric elements. But it was tremendously as people coughing!


----------



## kv466

Gabriel Faure - Fantasy for Flute and Orchestra 
Steuart Bedford conducts the English Chamber Orchestra
William Bennett, flute


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concertino for Flute, Viola and Strings*

Artists	
Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève*




http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Bloch-...9HXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565990&sr=8-2

Great little work. Fine sound, an performed ver nice










Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.1, for string orchestra and piano*

Artists	
da Costa (Artist), Pantillon (Artist), Orchestre Symphonique Bienne (Artist)
Rosner (Conductor)




http://www.amazon.com/Schindlers-Li...L764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315567277&sr=8-1

Premium sound. Well balanced instrumentation, and a great orchestra at all.
The work is lyrical and dreamy. Something boring and stakato in some parts maybe.The third movement is delightful listening. Lyrical and ingratiating in one moment, playful and "dancing" in the next. 4th is more boring again. But nice violin.










Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Barra (Artist), San Diego Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Concerti-Gros...1SGB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566334&sr=8-2

Again, very good sound. Very beautiful first movement, very lyrical and full of delicious moments. the second, *Andante* is perhaps even more beautiful. And the *Tranqullo* is eminent! Excellent performance. I like this concert, far better than Conserto grosso no 1 But the 3 versions of this concert on spotify, compared with 7 of the first, suggests that the former is more played. For those who want to listen to the Bloch (and you shold try him)... Skip the first concerto grosso, and go to the second !










*Bloch: Concerto symphonique, for piano and orchestra *

Artists	
Jiri Starek (Conductor), SWR Radio Orchestra Kaiserslautern (Orchestra), Jenny Lin




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Concert...NVGG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1315567153&sr=8-7

Wonderful work. The sound is average, but the piano playing is very good! The orchestra, too. Quite a long work (over 40 minutes) and should be an essensial one. Pitty there is only this version on spotify.










Work 
*Bloch: Proclamation, for trumpet and orchestra (or piano)*

Artists	
jouko harjanne




http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001F4XH3W/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316524291&sr=8-4

Excellent sound, and despite the digital format, it's a warm sound from the horns. Recommended for real!


----------



## kv466

Oskaar, where do you get all this great stuff?! The dude joins asking this and that and me thinks he's a newby and next thing you know the kid is hearing some of the best funk recorded. 

Thank you for all your sharing, in case I haven't said it recently! All of you.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravel, Mother Goose ballet, by Louis Fremaux and the LSO. The sound on this recording is great; at times I have to hover over the volume control on my stereo to keep from blasting out my speakers.


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Oskaar, where do you get all this great stuff?! .


I agree; Oskaar is the king of Spotify. He can sure pick 'em.


----------



## Vaneyes

The story bears repeating...the accidental du Pre/NPO/Boult Don Quixote recording caught in rehearsal by legendary EMI engineer Christopher Parker. All but the first two bars, and those were eventually used/spliced from an earlier du Pre/NPO/Klemperer rehearsal. It remains a benchmark.

The Lalo doesn't fare as well. Good performance, but the soloist is subdued.










.


----------



## kv466

Giuseppe Tartini - Cello Concerto
Paul Sacher conducts Collegium Musicum Zurich
Mstislav Rostropovich, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Cello Symphony, Op.68*

Artists	
Truls Mørk/City of Birmingham Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Cello...MOXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317396977&sr=8-1

Truls Mørk is an absolutely brilliant cellist! And he's from Norway! But I have seldom heard him so dedicated and brilliant as here. He is tecnically brilliant, but most of all he is very eccpressive in feelings and nuances. (Ma can not measure up in comparison. I have one version on spotify with Ma to, and will listen later.) Incredibly beautiful work, and excellent sound. Very good interaction, and the instruments are well projected and balanced. The work is hypnotic and captivating. 40 minutes of real pleasure!










*Britten: Piano Concerto in D, Op.13*

Artists	
English Chamber Orchestra, Sviatoslav Richter, Benjamin Britten




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Piano...E38N/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317400332&sr=8-1

Ganske bra lyd til å være en gammel innspilling. Jeg vet ikke når den er ifra. Glimrende piano (Richter skal utforskes) og orkester og veldig bra samspill og nerve. Britten er en fantastisk komponist, og denne konserten inneholder virkelig mye.


----------



## Oskaar

kv466 said:


> Oskaar, where do you get all this great stuff?! The dude joins asking this and that and me thinks he's a newby and next thing you know the kid is hearing some of the best funk recorded.
> 
> Thank you for all your sharing, in case I haven't said it recently! All of you.


 Thank you for appreciating my posts! I am quite new to classical music, but I think I have a good listening ear. I love to explore, and spotify is a wonderful streeming service, restricted to some countries sadly. The ammount of music is so enormous, so I try to systemise my listenin. I Use a free diary software, both as a database and diary. And I try to listen to only what I have catalogizised. (Name of work, artists, links to websight, mostly amazon, where you also can find rewiews. And link to spotify. Then I pick up a work or album after mood, post it here, and give my personal points in my diary. (over all experiance, sound, performance,++. The diary system gives me opportunity to go in and check f.ex what I have given 6 in sound. I am a messy person, so this helps me systemize my listening. And systemizing my music helps me systemising other things in life too! Braintraining. And I am retarded due to psychological problems, so I have time to listen!


----------



## Sid James

*R. Wagner*
_Prelude & Liebestodt "Tristan und Isolde"_
London PO / Enrique Batiz, cond.
(Rainbow Music)

*J. S. Bach*
_The Musical Offering, BWV.1079_ - Part one, _Regis lussu cantio Et Reliqua canonica Arte Resoluta_
Davitt Moroney, Martha Cook, harpsichords
(Harmonia Mundi - white label)

*A. Dvorak*
_Piano Trio in F Minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto label)

*E. Granados*
_Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 49_*
_Goyescas: Intermezzo_ (arr. Gaspar Cassado)
LOM Piano Trio, Barcelona - *with guests
(Naxos)

This was a first-listen to part one of the *Bach* and the *Dvorak* trio. The _Ricercar a 6_ by Bach & the first movement of the Dvorak took me to quite a deep space. I like how Dvorak bought back the tragic theme at the end, but in a consoling way. This was written when he was having a hard time, his mother had just died...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Boccherini *String Quintet in C* by La Magnifica Communita. I saw this mentioned by Hocket and Harpsichord Concerto, and my curiosity is piqued.


----------



## Sid James

^^I myself have been enjoying *Boccherini's* string quintets and guitar quintets for the past few weeks, and I have a disc of his cello concertos waiting in the wings. He was a very imaginative composer, he was one of the finest writers of chamber music that I've come across...


----------



## Sid James

I also have enjoyed reading your reviews *oskaar*, you just say your opinion naturally & express how you feel it, you are honest. Keep them coming!...


----------



## kv466

Sid James said:


> ^^I myself have been enjoying *Boccherini's* string quintets and guitar quintets for the past few weeks, and I have a disc of his cello concertos waiting in the wings. He was a very imaginative composer, he was one of the finest writers of chamber music that I've come across...


Haha, that was actually going to be my first choice until I saw the bocce ball!


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Ganske bra lyd til å være en gammel innspilling. Jeg vet ikke når den er ifra. Glimrende piano (Richter skal utforskes) og orkester og veldig bra samspill og nerve. Britten er en fantastisk komponist, og denne konserten inneholder virkelig mye.


Sorry this dont make sence to most of you...I use google translater (not alway) and here I copied from the wrong side of the board. It is noregian, so if you are curious, I can teach you. Translated version is: *Pretty good sound to be an old recording. I do not know when it is outside. Excellent piano (Richter will be explored) and orchestra, and very good interaction and nerve. Britten is a fantastic composer, and this concert has a lot.*


----------



## Lisztian

Love this work. One of those works that people will point at as simply empty bombast and critisize endlessly, it is only for devout Lisztians like myself, but if you are, you can't get enough!  Actually the first time I heard it I couldn't stand it either, but it has grown on me. Even if you can't stand the work, which many can't, it holds interest in that it was written as sort of a precursor to his Piano Sonata, and to a lesser extent, the Faust Symphony.

Leslie Howard performing. I'm usually not too fond of his performances at all, but his heavy touch, for the most part, works in this performance, although there are some sections where it could be much better.


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> I also have enjoyed reading your reviews *oskaar*, you just say your opinion naturally & express how you feel it, you are honest. Keep them coming!...


 I am really glad you see it that way, Sid! I am commenting in the moment. Sometimes I feel that I am taking up to much space, though. And my comments may not be nothing else than from a newbee in classic. But if I can give some inspirations to others, I am glad. *TRULS MØRK* for example.


----------



## kv466

oskaar said:


> I am really glad you see it that way, Sid! I am commenting in the moment. Sometimes I feel that I am taking up to much space, though. *And my comments may not be nothing else than from a newbee in classic.* But if I can give some inspirations to others, I am glad. *TRULS MØRK* for example.


Oh, how I disagree! Sometimes they are so eloquent I think it's a radio host.


----------



## Sid James

G'day *Lisztian *- re the _Grand Concert Solo_, Leslie Howard must like it a lot, since he played it here at a recital I was at earlier in the year. Dr. Howard said it was a kind of blueprint for the _Sonata in B minor_. HERE is my review of that all-Liszt recital...


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by oscaar sooner than I thought...listening to my favorite Mork CD. This time, the Brahms with Lagerspetz, piano.


----------



## Lisztian

Sid James said:


> G'day *Lisztian *- re the _Grand Concert Solo_, Leslie Howard must like it a lot, since he played it here at a recital I was at earlier in the year. Dr. Howard said it was a kind of blueprint for the _Sonata in B minor_. HERE is my review of that all-Liszt recital...


Thanks! I enjoyed reading your review, and you're so lucky to have experienced that! Despite not being particularly fond of his playing, I admire the guy immensely. The project he undertook is absolutely remarkable and of great importance to the composer, and his breadth of knowledge not only of Liszt, but of many other composers (especially their neglected works) is absolutely extraordinary. He also has a wide repetoire AWAY from Liszt, focusing on the more neglected works in the repetoire, and frequently programming them in concert. Simply a remarkable man.


----------



## Oskaar

*Stanford: Chamber Music*

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Chamber-Music/dp/B005989658/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768851&sr=8-8

Absolutely a wonderful album from naxos. I bought the discs from naxos, since I had little money, but I think they gave very good value for money. There were occasional purchases, and it's only now I dive into the classical world full
But back to the disc. Stanford's delightful romantic.
Stanford is a colorful composer, worth exploring.
The album is brilliant, fantastic instrumental empathy throughout. The sound might have been better. But it is certainly not bad.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op.142 and SQ # 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op.144. *Both works performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.47 {original 1930 version} and Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.112 {revised 1947 version}. *Both versions are performed by the Orchestre National de France directed by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## kv466

Berg - Sonata for Piano, op. 1
Schoenberg - Three Piano Pieces, op. 11
Krenek - Sonata no. 3 for Piano, op. 92 no. 4

Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

More Russian music.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic with E. Power Biggs on organ. I found it fascinating that each movement is notated {?} for a different time signature. How is this for a triumphant finale: Leonard Bernstein;E. Power Biggs;New York Philharmonic - Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: III. Finale: Lento; Allegro moderato 4/4


----------



## kv466

Franz Krommer - Clarinet Concerto 
Antony Pay conducts the English Chamber Orchestra
Thomas Friedli, clarinet


----------



## Sid James

*@ samurai*, re the organ symphony by Copland, the conductor at the USA premiere of that said to the audience that if a composer is able to compose something like that not far beyond the age of 20, he'd probably be ready to murder someone by the time he gets to 30! -



> ...Audiences familiar with more lighthearted works from the composer's populist period may be surprised to know that after conducting Copland's jazz-influenced Symphony for Organ and Orchestra in 1925, *Walter Damrosch declared to the audience that "if a gifted young man can write a symphony like this at twenty-three, within five years he will be ready to commit murder!"*


I don't remember hearing that work, I will have to do that sometime, it's in the vein of a work I know, Antheil's_ Ballet Mecanique_. After Gershwin's _Rhapsody in Blue _of 1924, American composers like Copland and Antheil were falling over themselves to write the next sensation or _cause celebre_. As a matter of fact, Copland was one of the 8 pianists playing at the premiere of the above Antheil work. In it's original version, it is a work on steroids, 8 pianos, percussion, & odd things like buzzers and propellers. I've got the Naxos recording with the reduced version - 4 pianos - & even that is really quite complex. As Copland kind of predicted, _Ballet Mecanique _slipped quickly into obscurity, and was only revived in the 1980's...


----------



## Sid James

*M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco* 
_24 Caprichos de Goya op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar (Naxos, 2 discs)

This has quickly become one of my favourite works/recordings of all time. Castelnuovo-Tedesco was much more of a traditionalist compared to some other more experimental guitar composers, eg. Albeniz with his odd harmonies and spicy colours, but in this music there is very strong melody, craftsmanship and a deep understanding of counterpoint. There's a lot of highlights across all the 24 pieces, they come across to me like mini tone poems or pictures, their craftsmanship mirroring Goya's masterpieces in miniature.

*L. Bernstein*
_Symphony #1, "Jeremiah"_
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-sop. / Israel PO / Composer cond.
Rec. 1978 live in Berlin (DGG)

This is a very poignant work, and it sounds like a precursor to minimalism. Bernstein was on fire here, so much passion. His use of female voice in singing the lamentations of the prophet adds to it's universality, with a male voice singing the Hebrew, it would have probably come across as more fit for a synagogue. With the female voice, this becomes a lament for all of humanity, whether you're Jewish or not.

*R. Wagner*
_Ride of the Valkyries_
Estado de Mexico SO / Enrique Batiz, cond.
(Rainbow Classics cd)

Electrifying.


----------



## maxshrek

Glenn Gould plays Schoenberg Lieder.


----------



## science

Spent most of the day listening to Charlie Parker, but now back to "classical" music with a few odds and ends - first:


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Sonatas Nos. 22 & 23: Classic Library Series*

Artists	
Sviatoslav Richter
Boston symphony orchestra
Charles munch




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...UZ60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319722051&sr=8-1

I have just become aware of Stanislav Richter, and says he is a fabulous pianist! Here he is good company in a tight and goodBoston Symphony Orchestra on piano concerto Richter plays very light and velvety soft, yet intense and dramatic when it is needed. He plays with great enthusiasm. The sound is pretty good but not super. But the concert was recorded at the end of the fifties, so that considered, so is the sound really good.
The concert is pretty quiet and melodic, and very pleasant to listen to.

I think the reason the first sonata is a bit boring, but Richter's playing is excellent. Appasionata sonata is imidlertig rich and deep. fabulously played. Almost like a symphony for piano.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Elgar, Violin Concerto*, by Nigel Kennedy with Vernon Hadley and the LPO.

I have three recordings of this, and of the three, the one by Kennedy consistently holds my attention.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sally Beamish*

Album
*Beamish: Viola Concerto / Cello Concerto / Tam Lin*

Artists	
Ola Rudner, Gordon Hunt, Sally Beamish, Philip Dukes, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Robert Cohen




http://www.amazon.com/Beamish-Viola...5UXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319725814&sr=8-1

The sound is a bit closed, and sometimes seems a little uninspired orchestra. Well, maybe not uninspired .. more .. do not know what to say. It was the negative. On the positive side it is very good instrumentalists. The viola concerto is the play's details very well presented.
Viola Concerto is wonderful. I think it's very exciting to listen to modern classical music. There is so much going on! Unexpected turns and twists make that attention is on top all the time.
Cello Concerto is also great, with an Exceptional good tone in the cello. Wonderful interplay with the orchestra. Tam Lin is a very quiet and beautiful piece. Great musical colors.


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*Transmigration*

Works
*1. Adagio For Strings (Samuel Barber)
2. Dooryard Bloom (Jennifer Higdon)
3. Elegy (John Corgliano)
4. On The Transmigration Of Souls (John Adams)
5. Agnus Dei (Samuel Barber) *

Artists	
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Atlanta Symphony Chorus (Artist), (Composer), Robert Spano




http://www.amazon.com/Transmigratio...GWT8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319728954&sr=8-1

1. Adagio For Strings (Samuel Barber). Barber's adagio for strings is a great piece, but it gives me a headache, and sometimes I think it's a bit boring. Great playing here.

2. Door Yard Bloom (Jennifer Higdon) I have held back a little in terms of vocal music. It is a world in itself, and I have to be a little more prepared before I explore that world. But sometimes I can listen, and this is a wonderfully atmospheric piece. Great singing. The dramatic moments are especially good.

3. Elegy (John Corgliano) Fantastic piece! Waves of Peace and colorful shades, and breathttaking drama. Incredible nerve, very well rendered by the orchestra. In some areas there is tremendous dramatic and lyrical dreamy there almost at the same time!

4. On The Transatlantic Migration Of Souls (John Adams) Very epical start ... Remind me of progressive rock. I've started to really like Adams. He is modern and experimental, but it is not chaos! The works are well designed, and you feel that you are on a journey with many surprises along the way. But this work could have been progressive rock, at least most of it. A little over half way there is an amazing choral part. Fabulous! (I will not comment on all of my listening is as thorough as this, but I get a little carried away.)

5. Agnus Dei (Samuel Barber) [/ B] This is a choral version of adagio for strings. beautiful.

Premium album! Recommended!


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*Higdon & Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos*

Artists	
Hilary Hahn
Royal Liverpool philharmonic orchestra
Vasily Petrenko




http://www.amazon.com/Higdon-Tchaik...MNCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319731966&sr=8-1

The Higdon concerto is wonderfully performed, and the sound is quite good. Hillary Hahn sureley make gold out of the nuances the work has to give. It is a fantastic work! Very good interplay with a good orchestra. I wonder how the Tschaicowsky conserto will sound after this. A good fit, or totally mismatch.

In fact a fit! Totally different of course, but the work is so strong that it match. A medium work would be a misfit.
Beautiful concerto, an Hahn shows other sides that says she is a complete violonist. 
The work is so good! I bet you all know it. Sweet and charming. And very melodious. And dramatic, it is very well performed by Hahn and the orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*Schumann; Mendelssohn; Gade; Sterndale Bennett*

Works:
*Overture, Scherzo And Finale, Op. 52* Robert Schumann
Vivid overture. And I must say right away. The sound here is excellent. Good sound can reveal a poor orchestra or a bad instrumentalist. Here, however, the performance is quite superb. And I am increasingly impressed with google translators! (I am not bad in english, but expressing feelings for music can be difficoult enough in your mother language, so I feel more free, and can express more with the translater.). 

*Overture: Die Nachklänge Von Ossian, Op. 1* Niels Wilhelm Gade
Deep and sensitive overture. The beginning gives the impression of funeral music. The sequel is highly colorful. Great!

*Overture: The Naiads, Op. 15* William Sterndale Bennett
Warm and wonderful overture. Very melodic and nuanced, and sometimes dramatic. I love the shifts between the expressions. There are so many elements that the orchestra could easily provide a chaotic impression. But it is tight and well orchestrated.

*Overture: The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave)* Felix Mendelssohn
Wonderfully dramatic and melodic overture. I've heard it before, but it is a long time ago. Performance is excellent!

Artists	
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Dirk Joeres




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Mend...W31K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319735660&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4*, conducted by Eugen Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Jochum takes quite a few liberties here; just when I think he's about to ruin the piece, he does something wonderful. This isn't my favorite version, but it's an interesting alternative.


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*Hilary Hahn - Barber & Meyer: Violin Concertos*

Artists	
Hilary Hahn
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Hugh Wolff




http://www.amazon.com/Hilary-Hahn-B...RBXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319740528&sr=8-1

Barber's violin concerto is a favorite. Brilliant performed here by Hilary Hahn. She dont show off technically, but play with a tremendous emphaty. ( I have fallen in love with her..) Super sound and fine orchestra. The sound is eminent!

The Meyer concerto is slow at the start, but get fast quite dramatic. Excelent! Lovely and interresting concerto. But who is Meyer? Never herd of him. He must be explored!


----------



## Vaneyes

A frequent listen...


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 4*, conducted by Eugen Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic.
> 
> Jochum takes quite a few liberties here; just when I think he's about to ruin the piece, he does something wonderful. This isn't my favorite version, but it's an interesting alternative.


This 4th is my "starter". I returned to it after experimenting with several others.

I think Jochum is THE man for Bruckner. "Bests" are numerous in his EMI and DG sets.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Spent most of the day listening to Charlie Parker, but now back to "classical" music with a few odds and ends - first:


She has that look.


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

Work
*Barber: Symphony No 1*

artists
St Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, conductor




http://inkpot.com/classical/rcabarbslatmunch.html

Not quite excellent sound, but great orchestra. Very interesting work. There are some really great parts toward the end of the first movement.
The second is light and playfull. Slatkin must be a great conductor...very good orchestra!


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Symphony No. 2, Op. 19*

artists
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Orches...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312481090&sr=1-1

Great sound, great orchestra! The symphony is also great. Nice change from the quiet lyrical and dramatic.
The second movement is very lyrical and inquisitive. And the orchestra is very present. Wonderful listening!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P1r7M2V5L._SL500_AA300_.jpg


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, Psalm 13*, by Riccardo Chailly.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> *Samuel Barber*
> 
> *Barber: Symphony No. 2, Op. 19*
> 
> Great sound, great orchestra! The symphony is also great. Nice change from the quiet lyrical and dramatic.
> The second movement is very lyrical and inquisitive. And the orchestra is very present. Wonderful listening![/COLOR]


Rats; that isn't coming up on Spotify. I'm pulling up my two versions; one by Neeme Jarvi and the other by the New Zealand Symphony. I recall you didn't think much of the New Zealand recording; I'll see how it stacks up to Jarvi before I chase down the Alsop version.

UPDATE: I made it through five minutes of New Zealand and started thinking life is too short for this, so it's on to Jarvi. He's much better.


----------



## kv466

Giovanni Pergolesi - Sicilienne 
*Duo Similia*
Nadia Labrie, flute / Annie Labrie, guitar


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93*, performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.
Sergei Prokofiev*--Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical*"}. Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Sid James

*E. Granados*
_12 danzas espanolas_
(arr. Miguel Llobet, additional arrangements by M. Barrueco & T. Muller-Pering)
Manuel Barrueco, guitar / Thomas Muller-Pering, guitar II (dances 2,6,8,11)
(EMI)

This is quite lyrical music, mirroring the refinement and elegance of the music of the old Spanish courts. Grieg admired these dances which were inspired by his own Norwegian dances. This guitar version is just a joy in all ways.

*A. Schoenberg*
_Transfigured Night, Op. 4_ (1899, rev. 1917)
Orpheus Chamber Orch.
(DGG)

This recording made me love this work. Previously, von Karajan's recording turned me off the work for like 15 years. This one is more light and nuanced, it is more colourful and interesting for me.

*C. Nielsen*
_Three motets for a capella choir_
The University Choir "Little Muko"
(Regis)

A work I've loved for ages, had it on tape before, but recently got this cd & it's the standout work on the whole disc for me. Superb stuff.

*J.S. Bach*
Part III (_6 Canones Diversi Super Thema Regium_) from _The Musical Offering, BWV. 1079_
Davitt Moroney, Martha Cook, harpsichords / John Holloway, violin
(Harmonia Mundi France, musique d'abord, white label)

Coming to the end of this disc, I split my listening of it up into parts, this (the final part) was the last thing I came to. Comes across as a bit drier than the other parts, but these harpsichordists play with such emotion, I never thought this could be the case with period instrumentalists, at least not this much. The technically demanding _Ricercar a 6_ from Part I, as well as the whole of Part II (the flute sonata written for Frederick the Great to play) are my favourite bits of this long over 50 minute work overall...


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50 [Disc 13]*

Listening includes the "Dream" and "Frog" Quartets - not that familar with any of these works but its good music!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Admittedly I didn't pay too much attention to this when I first listened the other day. I hadn't slept much and was much to tired to focus. Listening again I must admit to being quite impressed with Rossini... although I've always been an admirer. The opening Kyrie is almost Mozartian. Some beautiful solo and choral passages.


----------



## jalex

*Beethoven String Quartet #12* performed by Quartetto Italiano










One of the less talked about late quartets but absolutely magnificent, and excellently played here. The second movement, a long set of theme and variations, is particularly moving.



Conor71 said:


> *Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50 [Disc 13]*
> 
> Listening includes the "Dream" and "Frog" Quartets - not that familar with any of these works but its good music!


Op 50 is great. I particularly like #1, #3 and #5.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.60 and Egmont Overture, Op.84. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *featuring Osmo Vanska conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. 
Listening to this for the first time, I found it to be more melodic and lush than his *2nd*, *6th* and *7th* Symphonies. I especially like the richness of the strings and brass sections in the largo movement, and was simply "blown away" by the majestic beauty of the final stanza: Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63: III. Il tempo largo
American Symphony Orchestra - Sibelius:Symphony No. 4, Op.63: IV. Allegro


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60, "Leningrad"
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 93*

Inspired by the Shostakovich Thread I thought I'd have a mini-binge on some of the Symphonies - All are in legendary performances!.
I'm currently listening to the Slow Movement from the 1st Symphony - I was blown away when I heard this for the first time and up till then had never heard anything like it! I have been a Shostakovich fan ever since and he is in my Top 5 Composers.


----------



## samurai

@ Conor71, That Bernstein cd with the *1st* and *7th* Symphonies was lent to me by my father and really began my interest in and love of Shostakovich. Re; the Karajan rendition of the *10th*, that is supposed to be the "gold standard" for that work. Could you let me know what you think of it, and whether you would say it is worthwhile for me to go out and buy it, since I already own a performance of the *10th* by Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra? Thanks for taking the time.
Steve


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Karajan Shosty 10 is THE Shosty 10.:tiphat:

Current Listening:










Disc 21... perhaps the single greatest disc in the set: Cantatas BWV 140 and 147. !40 was the cantata that converted me to a Bach fanatic. Marvelous performances with Michael Chance, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, etc...


----------



## sYnapse

Bartok's Piano Concerto #1 (1926) First piece by him that I'm seriously enjoying...I'm finally cracking the shell.


----------



## Conor71

samurai said:


> @ Conor71, That Bernstein cd with the *1st* and *7th* Symphonies was lent to me by my father and really began my interest in and love of Shostakovich. Re; the Karajan rendition of the *10th*, that is supposed to be the "gold standard" for that work. Could you let me know what you think of it, and whether you would say it is worthwhile for me to go out and buy it, since I already own a performance of the *10th* by Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra? Thanks for taking the time.
> Steve


Hey Steve - I really like Karajan's performance of the 10th and think it is the best version I've heard of this piece (I have also heard Barshai, Jansons and Haitink). I'm really not that into multiple versions as a general rule but this happens to be repertoire I own a few different performances of.
Im not really sure why I like Karajan the best if I'm being honest - I just think his is the most cohesive version I've heard and really brings out the "Battleship Grey" of Shostakovich (as another TC member described it a while ago ) and makes the piece kind of majestic.
I would definetely add this one to your library if you're thinking of getting it


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Piano Trio In A Minor
Chausson: Piano Trio In G Minor, Op. 3*

First listen to this Disc which arrived about a month ago - I've heard the Ravel before and here it is very beautiful and well performed.
This will be the first time I've heard the Chausson or any Chausson for that matter! - I like French Chamber Music and am very fond of Faure so I expect good things from this piece


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Polonaises [Disc 10]*

Continuing my exploration of this excellent set of Chopin's complete Piano Music by listening to the 2 Discs of Polonaises.
To my mind these are the Chopin's most difficult works as they are the most stormy and kind of noisy too at times! 
Magaloff is a god in this set and plays with just the right amount of sensitivity and power when required


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder said:


> Rats; that isn't coming up on Spotify.


If the links not function, it is because I have premium. Bether access. (But it is not very expensive: VERY good value for money.)


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.1 in Bb, Op.38 ('Spring')*

Artists	
Neville Marriner
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...XVXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319814064&sr=8-1

No particularly good version. It is not sparkling ! The sound is not very good. But orchestra plays well, but it seems a bit half-hearted. But Schumann as symfonist seems exciting.










*Schumann: Piano Quartet in Eb, Op.47*

Artists	
Menahem Pressler
Emerson string quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V6U79W/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319048670&sr=8-1

Pretty good version, great interaction, but the sound, and especially the piano is a bit harsh. The volin is loveley!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op.44*

Artists	
Emanuel Ax
The Cleveland quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Pian..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319817088&sr=301-1

Great version. Pretty good sound, and the piano is not harsch! Wonderful and sensitive interaction. Ax playes beatifully, but the strings is even more impressive. Recommended!


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky: variations on a rococo theme.


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Symphony no. 1 in e-flat, kv16
Sir Neville Marriner and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to Back, GG and Casadesus. If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it. Sorry.


----------



## kv466

^

Okay, I find it extremely hard to not like this!


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Gemini Variations, for flute, violin, and piano, 4 hands, Op.73*

Artists	
Wolfgang Schulz




http://www.amazon.com/Musik-mit-Oboe-Britten/dp/B00000G5GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317555646&sr=8-1

Interesting small pieces, and great sound! Very nice playing, interplay between strings and wind are first class!










Work 
*Britten: Miniature Suite for String Quartet*

Artists	
Emperor Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UOQE8A/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317574569&sr=8-1

Premium sound and very good interaction. The bass is very well projected, and it is not always. Britten is really one of my favorites at the moment. He has a lot of really exciting work. This is very "classic", but great to listen to.










Work 
*Britten: Phantasy Quartet in F-, for oboe and string trio, Op.2*

Artists	
William Bennett




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Menlo-U...46RA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317575803&sr=8-3

Wonderful sound! And an interesting little piece. Much plucked stringed instruments. Great interplay between the instruments, in all a very good performance.










Work 
*Britten: Suite in C, for harp, Op.83*

Artists	
Elisabeth Remy




http://www.amazon.com/Whirlwind/dp/B000QR1LMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317580133&sr=8-1

Quite borin work, in fact. And the harp is false and harsch. "only for collectors" hehe. I must listen to some more Britton to make a better impression. Later....


----------



## Vaneyes

Jostled by sYnapse (I like that handle and avatar)...a perfect recording.


----------



## Oskaar

:cheers:


kv466 said:


> ^
> 
> Okay, I find it extremely hard to not like this!


 Like what? I am curious!


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Violin Concerto*

Artists
michael guttman
royal philharmonic orchestra
jose serebrier




http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Concer...30T1/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315681893&sr=8-2

Not quite first-class sound, perhaps, it is like a fog over. it. But the performance is superior. This is a work to be fond of. Fantastic variations and moods. The andante movement is very beautiful! 










Work 
*Bloch: Suite for Viola and Orchestra*

Artists	
Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marcus Thompson, Paul Freeman




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ASZVYS/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315680364&sr=8-12

Great introduction! This work is very rich in nuance. Very expressive, great shifts. If you have never heard this work, then give it a chance. It is very rewarding! Excellent sound. And very well performed. Marcus Thompson on viola plays with incredible empathy. And the orchestra is great. And the sound is very well balanced. Great! ( it is a lot of great! Somethimes I skip medium recordings, and then only the GREAT is left. Sometimes I post also the less good recordings. But I dont always listen them through. But mostly I do.










Work 
*Bloch: Symphony in C#*

Artists	
Lev Markiz (Conductor), Malmö Symphony Orchestra
http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Symphon...16IU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315564893&sr=8-3

A beautiful symphony. Performance is a little messy. Sound is average.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Cello Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 33
Monn: Cello Concerto In G Minor*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Finally found Marin Alsop's recording of *Barber's Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 2* on Spotify. Energetic performances. Thanks for the heads-up, Oskaar!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Septet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello & double-bass in Bb, "Grand"*

Artists	
The Czech Nonet




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Nonet-m...6T9A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1318602703&sr=8-4

Premium sound, and a really great work. Berwald is really a nice knowledge. The sound is very well balanced, and the clarinet is really sensitive. But the strings shadow maybe a bit above the clarinet ..










Work 
*Berwald: Piano Quintet No.2 in A*

Artists	
Uppsala Chamber Soloists
Bengt-Ake Lundin




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Compl...GLLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318599958&sr=8-1

Very nice quintet, a bit harsch piano sound, an the performance is average. 










Work 
*Berwald: PIano Trio No.1 in Eb*

Artists	
Ilona Prunyi




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Piano...OPS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318599156&sr=8-1

Excellent sound!( maybe a bit harsch piano) The trio is great, and it is great performed. Bervald is a pleasure, but the recordings varies widely.










Work 
*Berwald: Duo for Violin and Piano in D-*

Artists	
Bengt-Ake Lundin




http://www.amazon.com/BERWALD-Compl...T6KJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318600694&sr=8-1

Absolutely brilliant recording. The sound is very good .. Maybe some distant. The duo is a great work. Works and the recording is recommended!


----------



## Vaneyes

Spirited performances, with some different tempi and accents in places...that's Harnoncourt, a brave musician who wins most of the time.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven
*
Work *
Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Yuliya Gorenman
Zurich Orchestra (Orchestra), Yefim Bronfman
http://open.spotify.com/album/5qaqU...NU/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1317052887&sr=8-17

Absolutely nothing special. Harsch piano, and uninspired orchestra. I love the concerto, but this is not good. I skip. Then a sigarette.










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
Mikhail Petukhov




http://www.amazon.com/Mikhail-Petuk...MJC0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316784586&sr=8-2

This is a live recording. Very good! An excellent orchestra, and a great representation of the particular instrument. Excellent piano! Recommended!


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland {*Copland* *The* *Populist*}--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo. *All works performed by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104. *Both symphonies feature Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Redemption*

Artists	
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...100W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315301075&sr=8-1

Dramatic and deeply. The music is wonderfully varied, and especially the dramatic parts are first class! Very good orchestra, there is a great nerve through it all. The sound is great! I look forward to hear the rest of the disc.










Work 
*Franck: Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), symphonic poem, M.44*

Artists	
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra (Author), Jean-Yves Gaudin




http://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Franck-...=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315237836&sr=1-8

Blowers in the introduction is a bit false. The sequel is good but the sound is not very good, especially in the dramatic parts, where the sound is terrible. But it is an exciting work,you should listen if you have the chance! I have three more on Spotify.










Work 
*Franck: Les Eolides, symphonic poem, M.43*

Artists	
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Willem Van Otterloo




http://www.amazon.com/Best-César-Franck-Cesar/dp/B00000419D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315239518&sr=8-1

Pretty good sound. Very interesting piece. Very well communicated by a close and coordinated orchestra.










Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Nüremberg Symphony Orchestra & Räto Tschupp




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...QMIA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302448&sr=8-2

Very good sound for orchestra, but the piano is a bit harsch. Great work, but I have to find a better version.










Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Leonard Pennario
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Arthur Fiedler




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...K9GK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302083&sr=8-3

Much bether! Not perfect sound maybe, but good enough too really enjoy the piece. The orchestra is very good and present. The piano ...a bit distant, an not to good sounding.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Leipzig Chorales
Bach: Deutsche Orgel-Messe*

I bought this set last year and it has become one of my played boxes - this is due to the complex and compelling music it contains which is surely among Bach's greatest.
I find the playing and sound here to be superb as well - this is a highly recommended set!


----------



## Vaneyes

I couldn't quite get into the Barber Piano Concerto...until I heard Tedd Joselson play it (w. LSO/Schenck).


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Beautiful music to chill-out, as they say. Heinrich Schütz, _Geistliche Chor-Music_ (opus 11, Dresden 1648). Wesser Renaissance Bremen/Manfred Cordes (on period instruments).


----------



## DavidMahler

Alfven's Symphony 4


----------



## World Violist

Right now listening to a BBC talk about Ralph Vaughan-Williams' "Flos Campi" for small orchestra, small choir, and solo viola. This stuff is breathtakingly beautiful...absolutely looking forward to Lawrence Power's new CD of it due out early November!

Here's the link (the talk doesn't involve Lawrence Power, though...): http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/pip/drsq8/


----------



## Sid James

*E. Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83_
Maggini Quartet
(Naxos)

*J.S. Bach*
_The Musical Offering, BWV. 1079_
Davitt Moroney (harpsichord) & his group
(French Harmonia Mundi, musique d'abord, white label)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The 4th Symphony... I heard this one in quite a while. Indeed, I haven't heard any of the first 4 symphonies for quite some time. I'll have to rectify this.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

William Walton--*Symphony No.2, *performed by the English Northern Philharmonia led by Paul Daniel.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, *featuring organist Wayne Marshall and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andrew Litton.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Coriolan Overture, Op.62, King Stephen Overture, Op.117 and Fidelio Overture, Op.72. *All three works are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell.


----------



## jalex

*Schumann: Kinderszenen*










I had forgotten how much I love this little cycle. I really, _really_ love it. Filled with beautiful melodies and delicate harmonies, and such deep feeling without being constantly gloomy. And played almost to perfection as well.


----------



## Conor71

*Reger: String Quartet No. 5 In F# Minor, Op. 121
Reger: Clarinet Quintet In A Major, Op. 146*

Now listening to the final Disc of this box which I have been exploring most of this week. After taking the time for a few listens this Music has grown on me and this set is a fine addition to my String Quartet collection. I read somewhere that Webern and Schoenberg, etc. were influenced by Reger and knowing this has made his sound world a bit more understandable for me - no tunes to hum in the shower here and stuff but its all beautiful and interesting Music in its own way  
As far as the sound and performance - this is an ADD recording from the 60/70's and sounds well good and the performances are great!.


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> *Reger: String Quartet No. 5 In F# Minor, Op. 121
> Reger: Clarinet Quintet In A Major, Op. 146*
> 
> Now listening to the final Disc of this box which I have been exploring most of this week. After taking the time for a few listens this Music has grown on me and this set is a fine addition to my String Quartet collection. I read somewhere that Webern and Schoenberg, etc. were influenced by Reger and knowing this has made his sound world a bit more understandable for me - no tunes to hum in the shower here and stuff but its all beautiful and interesting Music in its own way
> As far as the sound and performance - this is an ADD recording from the 60/70's and sounds well good and the performances are great!.


Which one did you like the best? I'm having a little bit of trouble with some of these string quartets myself, but I thought the one in d minor (no. 3?) was really amazing from what I could pick up.


----------



## Conor71

violadude said:


> Which one did you like the best? I'm having a little bit of trouble with some of these string quartets myself, but I thought the one in d minor (no. 3?) was really amazing from what I could pick up.


I agree that the 3rd is the most appealling violadude  - I think it has taken me about 4-5 listens to each Disc to get to grips with the Music so I can understand your trouble with them!


----------



## Sid James

^^I have the Naxos recording of *Reger's*_ Clarinet Quintet_, and the slow movement makes me think of vocal music and esp. opera, it is like opera for the clarinet. I think it's a pretty good piece, the accompanying string quartet on the disc is also okay, but I like the CQ the most. I've also got one of the Naxos discs of his organ music, but I haven't listened to it in full as yet, I'm not in an organ zone/vibe at the moment, but I will get to it eventually, he's a composer worth listening to, definitely...


----------



## opus55

Bach Trio Sonata in G, BWV 1038
James Galway on flute
Kyung-Wha Chung on violin
Phillip Moll on harpsichord
Moray Welsh on cello continuo


----------



## clavichorder

Clementi Sonata op. 25 no. 5, magical playing by Horowitz.


----------



## chalkpie

Shostakovich 5, 9 - Gergiev/Kirov
Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3 - Ashkenazy


----------



## Manxfeeder

Barber, *Symphony No. 1, First Essay for Orchestra*, etc.

I stumbled on David Zinman's Barber CD at a used CD store and was pleasantly surprised. To my ears, this is the way this music is supposed to sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61*

Artists	
Wolfgang Sawallisch (Conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...YUBL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319813801&sr=8-1

I have really fallen for this symphony. I find it far more colorful and cheerful than the first. I like the first too, but there is something specific about this. The last two are left to explore.
This version is great. Nice rehearsed orchestra, and good sound.


----------



## Lisztian

Listening to the WTC, book one, on youtube, Richter playing. I have tried to get into Bachs piano works many times to no avail, this is the first time i've realised just how beautiful this music is. This excites me.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Heinrich Schutz, Psalms, Motets, and Concertos*, by Cantus Colln.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th *features the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 4 in D Major, Op.83, SQ # 5 in B-Flat Major, Op.92 and SQ # 6 in G Major, Op.101. *All are performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C_Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the guidance of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## jalex

*Shostakovich String Quartet #11 in F minor*










A remarkable and very disturbing piece. It is made up of seven very short movements, each of which seems to unfold out of the previous one. Particularly disturbing, I thought, was the raw dissonance and explosive punctuations of the third movement entitled 'recitative', and also the fourth movement ('etude'). The sixth movement ('elegy') is the work's emotional centre. The final movement is an extremely unsatisfactory ending, and the piece finishes very abruptly and unexpectedly. I don't think I fully have the grasp of this yet but it's certainly recommended listening. Though it's rather put me off listening to anything else this evening.

The Borodin Quartet's playing is perfectly suited to the required style, especially the gravelly cello.


----------



## samurai

Also, his repeated usage of the jarring 1-2-3 motifs in the *7th* and *8th* movements--I believe--adds to the overall uneasiness and disquietude{?} of this piece. The *3rd* movement is particularly ugly and grating, if I recall correctly. Thanks for your great description of this work; as I already have the Emerson's rendition, I shall definitely listen to the Borodin and Rubio versions on *Spotify* very soon.


----------



## Sid James

*L. Bernstein*
_Symphony #2 "The Age of Anxiety" _(1947-9, rev. 1965), after the poem by W.H. Auden
Lukas Foss, piano / Israel PO / Composer conducting
(DGG)

I could hear the influence of Ravel in the piano writing here, & there's a cadenza with piano playing ragtime. It's a pretty complex work, in 6 movements, but it has Bernstein's trademark feel of drama and theatricality, although it's not a stage work, it's a purely concert work.

*O. Messiaen*
_8 Preludes pour piano_ (1928-9)
Michel Beroff, piano
(EMI - from 2 disc set, with _Vingt Regards_...)

The influence of Debussy is apparent here, in this work composed when Messiaen was studying under Paul Dukas at the Paris Conservatoire. Dukas actually helped him publish this in 1930. A lot of imagery in this music, eg. bells and nature, & those unique harmonies that were to become Messiaen's trademark are not very far away, in embryonic form here.

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintets
- in C major, G. 453 "La Ritrata di Madrid"
- in E minor, G. 451_
Zoltan Tokos, guitar / Danubius String Quartet
(Naxos)

First listen to the _La Ritrata di Madrid_ quintet. The final movement is a compact 6 minute set of 12 variations on the Spanish theme of the title, it reminded me a bit of Mozart, Haydn, even Schubert, who liked using this format a lot. Quite colourful and imaginative. The E minor quartet is also great, the beginning is very memorable, it's kind of elusive and mysterious, although it does lighten up quite quickly into the piece. A good performance here but the sound of the guitar is very small, sometimes it's overwhelmed by the other instruments.

*R. Wagner*
_Overture to Rienzi_
Estado de Mexico SO / Enrique Batiz, cond.
(Rainbow)

I liked the beginning with the double basses and the ending was a surprise, with all the brass, cymbal clashes and drum rolls it sounded more like Suppe's_ Light Cavalry _than typical Wagner. I enjoyed it overall, it's been a while since I've listened to this.

*W.A. Mozart*
_Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_
Strings of Heidelberg SO / Erich Klemperer, cond.
(Rainbow Music)

This is the work that introduced my mother to instrumental classical music, a teacher of hers played it to the class on a vinyl record in primary school. So too it was one of the first works I heard when very young. I still like it & the final movement, _Rondo-Allegro _is my favourite part, some very vigorous counterpoint in there...


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartet No. 9
Maconchy: String Quartet No. 10
Maconchy: String Quartet No. 11
Maconchy: String Quartet No. 12
Maconchy: String Quartet No. 13, "Quartetto Corto"*

Now listening to the final Disc in this 3 Disc set of Maconchy's Complete String Quartets. Stylistically these Quartets are a lot like Bartoks and the recording duties are shared among 3 different Quartets who each perform a Disc - the quality of the sound and performances are pretty uniform across the entire set however.
I have enjoyed exploring this set quite a bit and have listened to the first 2 Discs in the set multiple times - the music itself is great despite being quite derivative - I would recommend this Set to anyone who enjoys String Quartets or Bartok's Music


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Mass No. 1 In D Minor, WAB 26
Bruckner: Mass No. 2 In E Minor, WAB 27*

Beautiful music and a fine addition to any Bruckner collection!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Aaron Copland--*Symphony for Organ and Orchestra*, featuring E.Power Biggs, organ and the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39*, performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel. I was especially captivated by the sheer exquisite crystalline beauty of its andante movement: Maurice Abravanel - Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39: II. Andante, ma non troppo lento


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky 5th









What is the most popular Tchaikovsky 5th recording?

The 5th ended but I'm still allowed to edit haha

Now listening to Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano









Wow that was a very short piece (total time of 3:56!).

I got this box set in the mail yesterday and listening to each disc. I'm now listening to the 9th symphony by Shostakovich.. this one reminds me of 1st symphony with its playful opening movement.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

Riccardo Chailly's Bruckner is well performed and in excellent sound!


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 3 In D Minor
Cherubini: String Quartet No. 4 In E Major*

Now listening to the second Disc in this newly arrived set for the second time - This Music is great! Another fine addition to my String Quartet Collection


----------



## jalex

*Schubert: Quartettsatz*










A beautifully lyrical string quartet fragment played very well by the Lindsays. It manages to be intensely melodious without sounding trite, a Schubertian trait which always impresses me. However, it is not without stormy moments as well.

*Beethoven: Diabelli Variations*










What is there to say? Brendel calls it the greatest work ever written for piano (I am inclined to agree), and played magnificently in this (legendary?) recording by Kovacevich. The penultimate two movements are certainly contain some of the best material written for piano. I find the final C major chord of the closing minuet perhaps the most powerful in all music; after 45 minutes of hearing the theme 'improved, parodied, ridiculed, disclaimed, transfigured, mourned and stamped out' it feels like the end of an exhaustingly profound journey. There are few other works with such great cumulative power.


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt Piano Concerto No. 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No._3_(Liszt)

It's not a great piano concerto by any stretch, and is inferior to his other two, (which according to many on this site, would be a horrific thought), and also even shorter, but I like it, it makes for very pleasant listening. It was perhaps finished before the other two despite being the third.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Album
*Schumann : Symphonies Nos 1 - 4*

Artists	
Daniel Barenboim & Staatskapelle Berlin




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...S4TE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319806898&sr=8-1

All for are fine symphonies in my oppinion, and they are wery well performed here. But the sound is a bit harsh, espesialli in high tones exposed by horns


----------



## opus55

No.9


----------



## Oskaar

*Arthur Honegger*

Album
*Honegger: Symphonies 1-5; Pacific 231; Rugby*

Artists	
Charles Dutoit (Conductor), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Honegger-Symp...=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1320004021&sr=1-1-catcorr

*Disc: 1*
1. Symphony No. 1, for orchestra in C major, H75
Lively and nice symphony Beutiful colors and variatons. Very good performance an excellent sound

2. Symphony No. 2, for strings & trumpet ad lib in D major, H153
Calmer(in periodes), deeper and more dramatic symphony. Fabulous nerve in this excellent recording.

3. Symphony No. 5, for orchestra in D major 'Di Tre Re', H202
Strong and epic sewing, with a modern look, but also very romantic

*
Disc: 2*
1. Symphony No. 3, for orchestra 'Liturgique,' H. 186
Lyrical and stemninsfull. Great changes between the calm and dramatic. fantastic nerve

2. Symphony No. 4, for orchestra 'Deliciae Basiliensis', H191

3. Pacific 231, symphonic movement for orchestra (Mouvement symphonique No. 1)

4. Rugby, tone poem for orchestra (Mouvement symphonique No. 2), H67


----------



## jalex

So I was trying to think of something appropriate to follow up the Diabelli Variations and there really could only be one thing:

*Beethoven: Symphony #9*










The Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin Beethoven cycle is in my experience the most underrated one floating around. Not a dud performance in that set and many of them rank up with the best I've heard. The Ninth is one of these - Hurwitz reckons it's better than Furtwangler's (http://www.classicstoday.com/features/f3_0500.asp). I've never been as concerned about recordings as many classical listeners, but I enjoy this on pretty much the same level as Furtwangler's and Karajan's; as a bonus it has the advantage over the former of having lovely stereo, and to my ear there is more attention payed to detail in the Barenboim than the latter.

Of course there is nothing interesting I can say about the Symphony itself, but what I did find very interesting were Hurwitz's comments on 'historicists' in that article. I'm thinking there is potential for an interesting thread in that.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Mass No. 1 In D Minor, WAB 26
> Bruckner: Mass No. 2 In E Minor, WAB 27*
> 
> Beautiful music and a fine addition to any Bruckner


Amen!

Currently listening to Roger Sessions' 2d symphony by Blomsted and the SF symphony.


----------



## Sid James

*A. Dvorak*
_Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto label)

A quite dark and even tragic work overall, written after the composer's mother died. So many great moments here across the 42 minute work, in the coda, a lyrical lullaby-like idea is interrupted boldly with the same theme transformed into a vigorous dance. Great stuff.

*Album: Thelonius Monk - The Paris Concert*
The Thelonius Monk Quartet: Monk, piano/leader, Charlie Rouse, tenor sax, Larry Gales, bass, Ben Riley, drums.
Rec. in 1967
(LeJazz/RedX label, 1999)

Quite a long album this, about 80 minutes. Most of it is like three songs that are stretched out to 20 minutes each. A lot of mundane moments and noodling in those for sure, but also some star turns, esp. by Monk on piano and the double bassist. In the short 2 or 3 minute songs played solo by Monk in between, there's a lot of whimsy there, quirkyness and they make me think of Satie, it's really kind of oddball in that way.

*W.A. Mozart*
_String Quartet #17 in B flat, K.458 "The Hunt"_
Chilingirian String Quartet
(Regis label)

I haven't heard this in months, and it was a rewarding listen. Interesting how the minuet breaks off and when the next slow movement starts, it seems as if that is a kind of sureptitious extension of the minuet. The whole work ends with this fugue-like movement which has many false endings, a technique which sometimes annoys me, but on this occassion I loved it...


----------



## opus55

Violin Concerto 1
Sounds nice but it seems to wander pointlessly - only my second hearing so maybe I haven't gotten used it yet


----------



## Aramis

Love the piano timbre. I guess it's historical instrument, can't find details about this CD though. Anyway, hear, hear, it's beautiful piece.


----------



## Sid James

*@ opus55* -
It took me a while to get used to Dohnanyi's VC#1, at first I thought it was too much like Brahms. But later I could hear that it was different, I think in terms of structure & placing cadenzas (it's been a long time since I've heard that, I've got the same recording). As for the much later 2nd VC, it comes off as him learning some of the lessons of modernism - maybe the VCs of guys like Stravinsky & Prokofiev had an impact on that one? That's what I think, but in any case it's a remarkable work for someone who was aged around seventy at the time, he must have had a very agile & quick mind to do that when being over pension age...


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Billy* *the* *Kid*, *Appalachian* *Spring* *and* *Rodeo*. All works feature the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bononcini is yet another Baroque composer whose fame faded and whose music is only now again being rediscovered. Born in Modena, Italy in 1670, he was orphaned while still young and left in poverty, but continued lessons in music. He was soon recognized as an outstanding cellist. He was summoned to Milan by Francesco II d' Este where he composed an oratorio and performed in the orchestra of Cardinal Pamphili, a major patron of the arts, and one of Handel's early supporters. He was called to Rome in 1692, to work for the Colonna family. Here he collaborated with the librettist, Silvio Stampiglia, composing 5 operas, an oratorio, and a number of cantatas, serenades, sonatas, etc... Two of the operas were particularly successful: _Xerxes_, the subject of which would be also set by Handel some 40+ years later in his opera, _Serse_, parodied an earlier opera of the same theme composed by Francesco Cavalli. The second opera, _Il trionfo di Camilla_ became the first truly successful Italian opera in Britain, performed no less than 64 times.

Bononcini spent nearly the next 30 years between courts in Vienna, Berlin, and Rome, developing a stellar reputation across the whole of Europe. in 1720 he was invited to London by Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington. Bononcini was appointed Director of the King's Theatre (formally Handel's post) and became a composer for the Royal Academy of Music, which Handel headed. Between 1721-22 more performances of Bononcini's operas were undertaken than by any other composer. During that time he has 71 performances to Handel's 26. The apparent competition between the two composers inspired the epigram by John Byrom that made the phrase "Tweedledum and Tweedledee" famous. In reality, there may have been less bad blood between the two composers than is sometimes suggested. During this same time frame, the castrati were becoming a dominant element in Italian opera and on the London stage. In May 1719 Lord Chamberlain Thomas Holles, the Duke of Newcastle ordered Handel to look for new singers. Handel travelled to Dresden to attend the newly-built opera. He saw Teofane by Antonio Lotti, and engaged the cast for the Royal Academy of Music. The two men also worked together on several occasions, Bononcini playing the cello, and Handel the harpsichord. They even participated with a third composer, Filippo Amadei in writing a collective work entitled, _Muzio Scevola_.

The rivalry between the two composers, however, was played up in the public opinion as the result of various political considerations. The two were seen as representing the old tensions of the Catholics vs the Protestants. There was also those who supported the Royal family and those who opposed them. Handel was supported by the King; Bononcini by the Duke of Marlborough, who died in 1722. With Handel's assumption of the directorship of the Haymaker Theater he ruled over the London musical life. Bononcini continued to have operas performed, but in no way as frequently as before (nor in excess of those performances of Handel). He also composed for private parties of the daughter of the Duke of Marlborough.

His London career came to an end in 1731 when it was proved that he had plagiarized a composition by the composer, Antonio Lotti. Bononcini left for Paris where he composed a body of religious music including the _Concerts Spirituels_ and a _Te Deum._ In his final decade and a half he traveled frequently between Paris, Vienna, and Lisbon, performing and composing.

In spite of his fame and reputation and the body of quality music he had composed, including 30+ operas, 350 cantatas, 4 masses, several oratorios, and and vast array of other instrumental and vocal music, Bononcini was rapidly forgotten... like many of the composers of the Baroque. Handel's reputation has only been rehabilitated within the last 2 decades with the rediscovery of his vast oeuvre of operas and oratorios. Vivaldi's reputation is currently undergoing re-evaluation as many of his vocal and operatic compositions are published and performed for the first time. Bononcini, Alessandro Scarlatti, Johann Adolf Hasse, and many other Baroque composers still await rediscovery.

If this disc is any indication, Bononcini is certainly worth waiting for... and certainly worth rediscovery. La Nemica d'Amore Fatta Amante, is a brief pastorale... in which the nymph, Clori, formerly sworn enemy of love, falls in love Tirsi, the amorous shepherd, who has stirred her heart with his songs. There is an attempt by the jealous satyr, Fileno, to ruin their love, but this is to no avail as the opera ends with an aria to endless fidelity. Not a grand musical narrative in the manner of Handel's later operas, this "serenata" is quite in the manner of Handel's own youthful Italian cantatas... and maintains a similar beautiful Italianate fluidity, transparency, and joy.


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## Vaneyes

Outstanding performance, tone, recorded sound. For several years, I was barren of a recording for these works. Until I heard Mr. Ehnes. Too many have finger-nails-on-blackboard-screechy fiddles and blousy acoustics.


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## starthrower

I've listened to disc one of this set a few times now, and I'm not really convinced about the quality of this music. I just don't find it very interesting, and I have a feeling this is far from his best work. At least I hope it is.


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## Sid James

^^ It took me a while to warm to that set as well, but I found these works interesting from the beginning. I got that set exactly a year ago. I plan to review each piece on the set bit by bit on the Xenakis thread at composer guestbooks, so hang in there, if my impressions can help you access this music (which I agree is quite complex), then I would have achieved something...


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## StlukesguildOhio

Far less acerbic and sardonic than a lot of Prokofiev's other works that I know well. But then again... it is Romeo and Juliet for God's sake! The performance is brilliant... but what else would you expect considering all the awards: Editor's Choice/Gramophone Magazine, Editor's Choice/Classic FM Magazine, Disc of the Year and Best Orchestral Album/BBC Music Magazine.


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## Kayla

Maurizio Pollini
Arash
Absolutely they are totally different, but I like both fof them.


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## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 8 in G Minor, Op.110, *performed by the Rubio Quartet.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52, *featuring Maurice Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony. First time ever hearing this work, and I was very taken by its rousing 1st movement and evocative 2nd and 3rd movements as well. This is definitely a "keeper" for me, as is his *4th* *Symphony*. I will probably end up purchasing Abravanel's complete cycle of Sibelius after sampling the *5th* *Symphony* tomorrow night on *Spotify*.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"London"}, *performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kees Bakels. Again, my first time ever hearing this work, and it is indeed magnificent! For me, it really evoked the mood of London during its day and nighttime activities, especially with the lushly melodic slow movement, and its majestic and triumphal finale. Most definitely another "keeper" for me.


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## starthrower

Sid James said:


> ^^ It took me a while to warm to that set as well, but I found these works interesting from the beginning. I got that set exactly a year ago. I plan to review each piece on the set bit by bit on the Xenakis thread at composer guestbooks, so hang in there, if my impressions can help you access this music (which I agree is quite complex), then I would have achieved something...


Concerning the first piece Atrees, I was wondering what Xenakis was trying to say or communicate with this music? I found this at YouTube.


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## mcrosbie

Everything I can get my hands on regarding Glenn Gould. I have begun a collection of CDs of his music. I bought the CBC Television collection of all of the TV broadcasts of Glenn Gould (10 DVDs in the set) and 19 hours of listening. That Gould was a genius leaves no room for doubt in my mind. His repertoire was impressive. Because he quit the concert stage at the age of 30 and focussed on recording in studios and doing TV productions he mastered an extremely extensive repertoire and memorized a phenomenal amount of music.


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## clavichorder

Listening about 6 minutes into this as I post it, trying to learn more about Indian classical music


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## maxshrek

Bach's Mass in B Minor. An unequal masterpiece. Missa Solemnis pale in comparison, despite the famous Buscaroli quote.


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## jalex

*Ligeti: Musica Ricercata*










Very interesting concept-set of 11 piano miniatures. The first piece uses only two notes, the second three and so on until all the notes of the chromatic scale are used in the final piece. Apparently Ligeti aimed to avoid all musical styles written in up to that point, and amazingly he succeeded rather well. Although many of the pieces owe some debt to the Western classical and jazz traditions none of them sound a lot like anything. Particular favourites are III, a lively quasi-blues number; IV, a sort of mutilated waltz in which the performer is instructed to play 'jerkily' in the manner of 'an organ grinder playing his barrel organ'; VII, a beautiful, modal sounding melodic piece; and XI, a sort of serial/chromatic fugue 'in homage to Frescobaldi'. The interest throughout is primarily rhythmic, with lots of shifting time signatures, metric displacement, unusual note groupings and accents all over the place. Playing by Pierre-Laurent Aimard is first rate, though some of the naked semitone dissonances sound extremely harsh at high volume through headphones (my fault, not Pierre's).


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## jalex

*Webern: Five Pieces for Orchestra*










Boulez conducts the Ensemble Intercontemporain in these highly concentrated works filled with fragmented themes and abrupt colour changes.

*Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra*










These less sparse, more Romantic masterpieces of Expressionism appeal to me more than Webern's today. Especially the turbulent 1st and 4th pieces and the subdued 3rd. Kubelik's conducting gives them a transparency lacking in some other versions.


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## Sonata

Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons" from a compilation album. Hardly essential listening, but there are some pleasant little pieces to be found in there.


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## fartwriggler

Bartok's on my playlist right now-However 'difficult' his works can seem,they have a simple heart-the melodies and rhythms of the folk music of his Hungarian homeland....


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## Sonata

I have not sampled any Bartok yet. Where do you recommend a newcomer to his start?


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## jalex

Sonata said:


> I have not sampled any Bartok yet. Where do you recommend a newcomer to his start?


Concerto for orchestra is popular.






Edit: more good suggestions for starting off below. The pieces you really want to work up to are the string quartets, probably the finest cycle since Beethoven's.


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## Vaneyes

My two favorites for LvB SQs, Takacs and Emerson. I'm relistening to their LvB Middle SQs, back to back.

While many have chosen one over the other for *all* the SQs (Early, Middle, Late), I give the Takacs slight advantage in the first half, and Emerson slight advantage in the second half.

Some of this rationale has to do with perceived tone and power. I think Emerson tone is a little darker, and they seem to have a better grip on applying power when needed. Takacs are slightly better in dynamics. Emerson slightly better in transitioning.


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## jalex

*Stockhausen: Tierkreis*






_Well_.

I Youtubed this out of curiosity without much hope of liking it, and was very surprised to find myself enjoying substantial sections. It left me behind a bit in some places where I found it to be meandering, but I think I may have got my foot in the door with Stockhausen. It's by far the most accessible work I've heard by him. Straight in to the Amazon basket, this one, and I hope to find out just how stiff the door is (and whether it leads anywhere at all) sometime soon


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## Oskaar

Album
*String Poetic*

Composer 
*Higdon, Harrison, Adams, Ruggles*

Artists
Reiko Uchida, Jennifer Koh




http://www.amazon.com/String-Poetic...2FMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320076604&sr=8-1

First of all I must say that this is a great cd. The sound is very good, instrumental performances and interaction is excellent. And it's exciting works.

1. Grand Duo for Violin and Piano by Lou Harrison
Performer: Jennifer Koh (Violin), Reiko Uchida (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1985 
Very evocative works, with a little gloomy, melancholy undertone. Very lyrical and colorful.

2. Road Movies by John Adams
Performer: Jennifer Koh (Violin), Reiko Uchida (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1995; USA 
Captivating and a little magical atmosphere of the first movement. The violin leads, and the piano is like a bubbling creek in the background.

3. Mood by Carl Ruggles
Performer: Jennifer Koh (Violin), Reiko Uchida (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1944; USA 
Calm and lovely piece, with a great interplay between violin and piano.

4. String Poetic by Jennifer Higdon
Performer: Jennifer Koh (Violin), Reiko Uchida (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
The work carried out by first and foremost an incredibly sensitive violin. Many sonic turns and corners, with a wonderful nerve. I love modern music when it is so; seeking and exploratory, and new surprises and wonderful moments.


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## Oskaar

Album
*20/21 Kancheli: Styx; Gubaidulina: Viola Concerto /Bashmet*

Composer 
*Kancheli,Gubaidulina*

Performer:* Yuri Bashmet
Conductor:* Valery Gergiev
Orchestra/Ensemble:* Kirov Theater Orchestra,* St. Petersburg Chamber Choir





http://www.amazon.com/Kancheli-Styx...31NT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320081040&sr=8-1
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=52840&album_group=5

*Styx by Giya Kancheli *
It is a pleasure to use arkivemusic as a guide sometimes.. But Amazon reach wider...But arkivemusic has much better info. I have started too look at their recommended albums.. 21000 items. I assume I have finished it tomorrow night.. And I will only post record with good sound and performances and music that I like...I skip the others. I cant sit here for one houre and tell that the music is harsh...I doo that when I explore single works.

Kancheli is new to me, and so is such new music. (1999) But it is very rewarding! A womens choire are interplaying beautiffully, both with the viola solo, and the orchestra. Especially the solo-part (mostly solo) (awaiting orchestra) with viola and choire is magic listening! And me that thaught so mdern music was strange electonics, and extreme minimalism...I was wrong. Really reccomended!

*Concerto for Viola by Sofia Gubaidulina *
Viola is a wonderful instrument, and here it unfold to its fullest. The work starts very slow, but it is a wonderful nerve. Very sensitive and beautiful interplay between viola and orchestra. Perfection!


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## Oskaar

*20th Century Classics - Tavener *

Composer 
*John Tavener*

Works:

1. * The Protecting Veil by John Tavener*
Conductor:  David Hill, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Orchestra/Ensemble: Winchester Cathedral Choir, London Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1987; England 
Excellent sound! Incredibly exciting work, where a quiet string playing against a fiery, hot-headed orchestra in the first movement. In other only gorgeous (and folk music inspired ... Irish?) But still a little hot-headed, but calmer orchestra. Wonderful interaction, and delicious variations. The Celtic undertone is evident, and together with the modern and seeking, it is quite a catchy mix ..The fifth movemant has a long slow cello-part..Then the orchestra come in with quite disturbing strings, in contrast to the warm cello. Eminent! And the second last movement is just very beutiful! But the disturbing orchestra shows up at the end. Fantastic! I really reccomend this! 

2. *The Last Sleep of the Virgin by John Tavener*
Conductor: David Hill, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Orchestra/Ensemble: Winchester Cathedral Choir, London Symphony Orchestra + *Ian Simcock*
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1991; England 
A carillon-like and very vibrerenede orchestra begins this work. Incredible tones conjured up. Fabulous nerve. The sound is so good, and the tension so well arranged, so it's really a pleasure to listen

There are a second disc, not mentioned in arkivemusik...mostly coral, and I dont feel for that now, but the works are:

1. Angels (1985) Winchester Cathedral Choir/David Dunnett/David Hill 7:34 
2. Annunciation (1992) Winchester Cathedral Choir/David Hill 5:25 
3. The Lament Of The Mother Of God (1988) Solveig Kringelborn/Winchester Cathedral Choir/David Hill 15:38 
4. Thunder Entered Her William Kendall/Winchester Cathedral Choir/Ian Simcock/David Dunnett/David Hill 17:11 
5. Hymns Of Paradise Donald Sweeney/Gavyn Wright/Maciej Rakowski/Boguslav Kostecki/Ben Cruft/Jackie Shave/David Dunnett/Winchester Cathedral Choir/David Hill/Patrick Kernan 10:52 
6. God Is With Us (A Christmas Proclamation) William Kendall/Winchester Cathedral Choir/David Dunnett/David Hill





http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-...92S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320086493&sr=8-1
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=212050&album_group=5


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## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 11, "Accordion"
Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 22
Tchaikovsky: String Quartet In Bb Major*

First listen to Disc 1 of this newly arrived set - good so far, the first quartet is very charming!


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## Oskaar

Sonata said:


> I have not sampled any Bartok yet. Where do you recommend a newcomer to his start?


Try Bartok: Rhapsody for Cello and Piano, BB94c, Sz.88 Beautiful!
or Bartok: Contrasts, for clarinet, violin, and piano, BB116
or Bartok: Viola Concerto, BB128, Sz.120 (completed in 1949 by Tibor Serly)
or Bartok: The Wooden Prince, Op.13, BB74, Sz.60 (suite from ballet)
Bartok: 4 Orchestral Pieces, Op.12, BB64, Sz.51
Bartok: Dance Suite (Táncszvit), BB86a, Sz.77


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## Manxfeeder

*Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time.* with Anner Bijlsma and Reinbert de Leeuw, then *Bruckner, Masses Nos. 1 and 2* by Jochum.


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## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 43: Symphony No. 4 in C minor*

Artists
André Previn/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/London Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...VH1I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316088547&sr=8-2

The sound is excellent, and the instruments are very good projected. Excellent performance also! The symphony is energetically and dramatically. But it is quiet and sensitive areas in between, so the elasticity in my ear may experience! But as said, an excellent performance. The orchestra is very coherent, and the rapid transitions gives absolutely no impression of chaos, which had hosted the event if the orchestra was well rehearsed. I see that I have probably commented on this actual presentation recently ... It is a little mess sometimes! But none the less ... this is really recommended! Previn really have the hand on it here! And the symphony is great! And, I must check...Yes...this was the controversal one...http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/75300.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518idG2qsgL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


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## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> I have not sampled any Bartok yet. Where do you recommend a newcomer to his start?


You've received some good suggestions so far. I'd recommend also eventually that you hear The Miraculous Mandarin. The storyline is strange and even perverse, but the music is a great depiction of the city as a jungle.


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## jalex

What better way to finish a day of C20 works than with

*Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie*










Definitive interpretation of this great piece. The sixth movement is one of the most beautiful products of post-WWII music.


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## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 inE Minor, Op.98. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. The *4th* is truly a majestic work!


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## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Vol-...WU/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1317126952&sr=8-26

Wonderful oboe introduces the first movement. But it quickly becomes more dramatic. I am much more fond of Sibelius than I am Grieg (Much has been unexplored in both) Both are national romantic, but Sibelius is it without being too intrusive and clearly.
This is a great symphony, and the only thing I have categorized my system, and therefore the only one I listen to! (Hehe, Spotify Can make you mad if you do not systemize your listening a bit.) Very good version ... great sound, perhaps a little messy orchestra in the stronger parties. And a little shrill sound when I listen carefully.


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## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra), Mstislav Rostropovich




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...PNL8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316347153&sr=8-2

Very strong and clear sound, but some hiss in the background. Turns me fast to it. Excellent performance. Not my favorite work though.
But I like it better and better. But it is a little too repetitive without something happens
In the quieter sections of the second movement is rushing intrusive. Too bad, since the sound and the performance is so good otherwise. I think I have to jump over this ..


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## samurai

@ Oskaar, I just listened to the Sibelius *1st* *Symphony* the other night for the first time ever, also on Spotify. The rendition I heard was by Maurice Abrevanel and the Utah Symphony. Have you heard this version? For me it is clean and crisp, and I am about to purchase their complete Sibelius cycle on Amazon.


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## Oskaar

samurai said:


> The rendition I heard was by Maurice Abrevanel and the Utah Symphony. Have you heard this version?


 I have not heard, and I dont find it on my registration of spotify versions of the symphony. Must have skipped me. I will search for it tomorrow!


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## samurai

@ Oskaar, I hope you can find the Abravanel rendition with the Utah Symphony as I think you'd really enjoy it.


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## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82 {Final 1919 version}, *performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Ferde Grofe--*Mississippi Suite*, featuring William Stromberg conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. As I'm just about to re-read Huckleberry Finn for the first time since I was a youngster, this seemed highly appropriate to listen to.


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## Vaneyes

A David (& Igor) Oistrakh mini-fest.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 FS.97 and Symphony No.6, FS.116 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}. *Both works are performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra led by Neeme Jarvi. The first movement of the *5th* and the last movement of the *6th* are both quite interesting in their uses of dissonances and conflicts produced by not only the drums seemingly fighting against the rest of the orchestra, but with different tempi and theme developments within a very short span of time. My head is still spinning: WOW!


----------



## Sid James

*R. Wagner*
_Overture to Tannhauser_
London PO / Enrique Batiz, cond.
(Rainbow)

This gave me a boost, quite uplifting (although I know the ending of the opera isn't exactly that, I've heard it), & I noticed some interesting details like a violin solo in there.

*Album: Wes Montgomery - 'Round Midnight, the Paris concert*
Montgomery, guitar; Harold Mabern, piano; Art Harper, bass; Jimmy Lovelace, drums; with guest Johnny Griffin, tenor sax.
Rec. March 27, 1965.
(LeJazz/RedX label, 1999)

A great concert, some really concentrated playing from all involved. It's hard to single out one of these guys, all masters of their craft. Johnny Griffin's participation in the title track (a composition by Thelonius Monk) is always a highlight for me, not only in terms of his amazing virtuosity, but also his humour. The three original compositions by Montgomery here are also interesting.

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet in E minor, G. 451_
Zoltan Tokos, guitar / Danubius Quartet
(Naxos)

This disc has been constantly in the player, Boccherini is becoming one of my favourites now.

*F. Haydn*
_Horn Concerto_
Unnamed soloist / Heidelberg SO / Erich Klemperer, cond.
(Rainbow)

A more laid back concerto for the instrument than Mozart's. Quite relaxing and chill out stuff.

*A. Dvorak*
_Piano Trio #3 in F minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto label)

A work that moves from grief to consolation. This was written after Dvorak lost his mother. It is filled with his usual Czech vibe & seems to speak to me of memories and matters of the heart. Very intimate, it's chamber music at it's finest. I am yet to hear the coupling, the famous "Dumky" trio...


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## hocket

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Hi StLuke's, what's the verdict on that? I've read a less than enthusiastic review of it. I have the 'live' version by The Tallis Scholars & friends but I'd be interested to get some more feedback about this version.


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## violadude

Listened to Elgar's Violin Concerto today. It is a really really long and massive work. I liked what I heard, but I have to listen to it again and put more focus into it because it was really hard to focus on the piece for so long. It's definitely do-able for me, but today I my mind was feeling wandery anyway.










Also listened to Vincent Persichetti's 8th piano sonata. These piano sonatas are all really well crafted and really fun to listen to. The 8th is a really funny, quirky sporadic work that is probably 10 minutes long or even less, I didn't add up the times exactly. But it is a really short piece.


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## Manxfeeder

*Michael Haydn, Requiem and Sinfonia in G Major.* by Christian Zacharias


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## Manxfeeder

*Striggio's Mass in 40 parts*. I'm listening on Spotify. Something like this probably needs to be heard on an SACD player for the overall impact, with five choirs. Of course, hearing it in stereo, I'm surprised at how much detail I can hear.


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## Vaneyes

Paul Lewis, perhaps today's foremost Schubertian.


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## Oskaar

Composer 
*Kalevi Aho*

Album
*Aho: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Symphony No. 13*

Artists
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska




http://www.amazon.com/Aho-Piano-Con...6ESK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320159620&sr=8-1

*Piano Concerto No. 2*
Exciting concert. Very good sound on this disc. Some will find the concert boring and monotonous, for sure, but I think it is a great nerve, where one feels that things happen even if it is repetitive and monotonous. Most of the concert is not repetitive and monotonous. The second movement is magical, beautiful soundscapes!

*Symphony No. 13*
I am excited about what I've heard of Aho, so far, and this symphony is also great. Very dreamy and inquisitive. But also strong dramatic elements. Well-rehearsed orchestra manage shifts in tempo and nuances in a brilliant way.


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## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto No. *15, with my four recordings: Jeno Jando, Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, and Murray Perahia.

Jeno Jando plays in a light style. Brendel is slower, sounding more mannered, with a lovely second movement. Barenboim is more fleet of foot, like he's wanting to show how effortless he can play. Perahia brings out rhythmic and phrasing quirks that aren't necessarily in the music, but it makes it interesting.

After going through them, right now, at least, my preference is Perahia, Brendel, Jando, then Barenboim.


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## poconoron

Schubert: 8 Symphonies [Box set] 
Franz Schubert (Composer), Karl Bohm (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Great work by Bohm and the Berliner.


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## Oskaar

Composer	
*Samuel barber*

Album
Adagio for Strings / 3 Essays for Orchestra

Artist
St Louis Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin




http://www.amazon.com/Adagio-String..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320164859&sr=301-1
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=310

*The School for Scandal Overture, Op. 5 *
A wonderful piece as I become more and more happy in. It is quiet and melodic in one instant, quick and energetic in the next. Nice piece to describe a person's average day, at least for urban people.

*Adagio for Strings, Op. 11*
This piece is incredibly beautiful, and when I'm in the mood to listen to it so it gives me not headaches. Captivating and mesmerizing. This album has great sound, and the performance is very good. Maybe a little fused sound, at least in this piece. The digital sound and especially the sound card can not handle this piece so well.

*Essay for Orchestra no 1, Op. 12*
Much the same sound as in the Adagio for strings. A little more underlying anxiety, which makes the piece interesting, but less melodic. But if I had to hear one of the two plays ten times in a row, so I would choose this. It is much more varied. 

*Essay for Orchestra no 2, Op. 17*
The second Essey starts with beautiful horns. Not so much dark undertones in the beginning, rather beautifully romantic. However, some concern is that, as it often is in Barber's music. That is partly what makes it exciting. Individual instruments are much more evident here than in the earlier pieces. A great piece!

*Essay for Orchestra no 3, Op. 47*
More eksperimelt and sometimes violent way, but sometimes interrupted by short melodic and lyrical moments. Barber at its best can truly magic with these changes. It creates a fabulous nerve.

*Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23a*
Very exciting and vibrating piece. Fantastic orchestra!


----------



## samurai

On *WQXR* *FM*:

Antonin Dvorak*--Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88*, featuring the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.


----------



## Vaneyes

I must've caught a Schubertian bug last night, with the latest Lewis order. Playing 3 CDs-in-a-row for Schubert is not common for me.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Seiji Ozawa (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Krystian Zimerman (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-C...1G9B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669678&sr=8-1

Very nice version of a playful and entertaining concert. Excellent piano, and it sounds really good! Recommended.










Work	
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
Richard Frank
Szeged Symphony Orchestra
Robert Hart Baker




http://www.amazon.com/Eccentrics-Se...1WGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317733748&sr=8-1

Pretty good sound, but not very good. Piano is a bit harsh. Performances are also average. But it is a really great concert!


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Piano Concerto No. *15, with my four recordings: Jeno Jando, Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, and Murray Perahia.
> 
> Jeno Jando plays in a light style. Brendel is slower, sounding more mannered, with a lovely second movement. Barenboim is more fleet of foot, like he's wanting to show how effortless he can play. Perahia brings out rhythmic and phrasing quirks that aren't necessarily in the music, but it makes it interesting.
> 
> After going through them, right now, at least, my preference is Perahia, Brendel, Jando, then Barenboim.


Of these I'd go with Perahia also, but would prefer "others" such as Anda or Uchida.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Of these I'd go with Perahia also, but would prefer "others" such as Anda or Uchida.


I have yet to experience them. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll have to get on my hunting cap.

UPDATE: I'm listening to Uchida's slow movement from No. 15 and Anda's recording of No. 21. She plays with fragile beauty. I'm still trying to come up with an impression of Anda. I'll keep at it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Nudged by oskaar's Zimerman Liszt PCs 1 & 2 (which I think is the best modern recording of these works), I pulled out some Philips Richter vinyl, which in some ways beats its subsequent CD issues and reissues. The piano was helped a little on later remasterings, but unfortunately, the poor orchestra sound was boosted. In this case, it's better that the orchestra remain quieter, muddy if you will. Unfortunately again, the Janis is a worse sounding recording, that I have to avoid altogether.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work	
*Liszt: Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo, S.96*

Artists	
Ussr Tv And Radio Orchestra, Yuri Simonov, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, T. Sterling




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...EDM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318187691&sr=8-1

It is a live recording, and occasionally appears as though there is a coughing competition simultaneously. Otherwise, a great performance with good sound. The play is great and exciting. I like the waltz-like and romantic sections.








IMG]

Work	
*Liszt: Prometheus (I and II), S.99*

Artists	
Michael Halász (Conductor), Katowice Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Symphon...13SK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1318172637&sr=8-5

This poem I like very much. Soft-spoken and romantic periods, and stronger, and great transitions. There is no great work, but easy to like (of me) The sound is good, and the band is tight and sensitive.










Work 
*Liszt: Orpheus, S.98*

Artists	
Orchestra Giovanile italiana
Giuseppe Sinopoli




http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohna-...XOSU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318087884&sr=8-1

Very beautiful and romantic. Light and melodic. Excellent sensitive orchestra and good sound.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Carlos Kleiber.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both symphonies are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

*Enescu: The Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano*

Artists	
Mariana Sirbu (Artist), Mihail Sarbu




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Three-...Q3ZO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315232618&sr=8-1

*Enescu: Violin Sonata No.3 in A- ('Dans le caractere populaire roumain'), Op.25*
First of all.. the sound is fantastic! And performances very good. This sonata has some unbelivable good melodies! Very good interplay between piano and strings. Really a plesent listening. 

*Enescu: Violin Sonata No.2 in F-, Op.6*
A little more dramatic and inquisitive than the first. But it is only to fall head over heels. Beautiful sonata.

*Enescu: Violin Sonata No.3 in A- ('Dans le caractere populaire roumain'), Op.25*
Beautiful!


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 1 In Eb Major
Cherubini: String Quartet No. 2 In C Major*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this great set - love this music!


----------



## kv466

William Herschel - Symphony no.8 in c-minor 
Matthias Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players


----------



## atonal

Mozart Concert Arias

Magdalena Kozená, Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment, Simon Rattle - WONDERFUL!


----------



## Sid James

Started with some jazz with vocals and ended up with a bit of Indian fusion with Ravi Shakar & Yehudi Menuhin -

*Album: Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown & Gil Evans*
Recorded 1954 & 1956, New York City
(Emarcy label)

I've loved these recordings for ages, had it on tape before now got it on CD. Ms. Merrill had this sexy, sultry voice which speaks to me of deep feelings, eg. love, loss, regret. Combined in seperate sessions with the finest trumpeter of his generation, Clifford Brown, and the finest arranger, Gil Evans, it's all superb. In the 1954 sessions, pianist Jimmy Jones and guitarist Barry Galbraith both add greatly to the mix. My favourite songs are_ What's New, Born to be Blue_ & what is imo the best rendition of Harbach & Kern's _Yesterdays_ ever put to disc.

*A. Dvorak*
_Piano Trio #3 in F minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto label)

This is becoming a firm favourite, but then again, I have never heard a piano trio I didn't like. But this is special, at the highest possible level, imo.

*T. Arne*
_Harpsichord Concerto in G minor_
George Malcolm, harpsichord / Academy of St Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner
(Decca Baroque compilation)

Some sparkling virtuosity here, loved the cadenzas especially.

*W.A. Mozart*
_String Quartet #17 in B flat, K.458 "The Hunt"_
Chilingirian String Quartet
(Regis label)

Pure genius and I aim to get more of Mozart's quartets, esp. with this group, they play with such deep emotion, they are far from superficial, they do it with genuine commitment.

*R. Shankar*
- _Prabhati *
- Morning Love +
- Raga Piloo _*
* Yehudi Menuhin, violin
+ Jean Pierre Rampal, flute
Ravi Shankar, sitar / Alla Rakha, tabla / Kamala Chakravarti, tanpura
(from EMI 2 disc set)

Some great playing here, great interaction between the Indians and Westerners. The structure of these ragas go from a slow introduction to a quicker and vibrant second part. Chamber music with an Indian twist.


----------



## jalex

*Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, Andante for Flute and Orchestra in C major*










Felt like listening to something less intense today, so here is Mozart's excellent 1st flute concerto. As charming, melodic and graceful as one would expect, and some really lovely modulating passages. Playing from both orchestra and soloist is about as good as it comes, equal to the great Rampal's version. The Andante was I believe originally intended as the slow movement to the concerto, but Mozart was unhappy with it; exactly why this is escapes me, since it is a beautiful creation, and arguably better than the movement he replaced it with.


----------



## Vaneyes

His Chopin is sublime, working beautifully with a single malt neat.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still on a Russian journey.:tiphat:


----------



## Taneyev

Karl Goldmark`s piano trios 1 and 2.
Ottar Taktakishvilli flute concerto
Dvorak's string quintet op.1


----------



## opus55

Hugo Alfvén
Symphony No. 4


----------



## Sonata

A bit of Mozart tonight: flute concerto #1, piano concerto #21
Some blues earlier today,Rory Gallagher.


----------



## graaf




----------



## Sid James

*@ jalex *- it's ironic how Mozart so hated the flute, yet wrote such wonderful music for it. Maybe he was doing it for the money. But his letters to his father make no secret of his disdain for this instrument...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*4* *in* *A* *Minor*, *Op*.*63*, performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Arnold Bax*--Tintagel*, featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Leonore Overture No.1, Op.138, *withGeorgeSzellconductingtheClevelandOrchestra.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, *featuring organist E. Power Biggs and the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Along with his *Billy* *the* *Kid* and *Appalachian* *Spring* suites, this work of Copland's is fast becoming one of my "rock steady" favorites because of its sheer beauty and the dazzling moods and emotions it inspires--at least in me. Listen to the haunting, almost other-wordly beauty of the *Symphony* *for* *Organ's *slow movement: Leonard Bernstein;E. Power Biggs;New York Philharmonic - Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: I. Prelude: Andante 6/8


----------



## starthrower

Listening to the Schnittke/Rostropovich CD I just received. Awesome recording!
I think I'm on my way to being a big Schnittke fan! In addition to the cello
concerto no. 2, this disc features an orchestral version of the piano quintet.


----------



## science

Will listen to another recording of this later today too.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lush romanticism from Czechoslovakia... but I can't speak to it much yet. I heard it... but wasn't truly "listening"... my mind being too far focused elsewhere. I'll have to give it another spin later.










A couple of my absolute favorite works by Brahms... and by anyone else for that matter. I have long known the performance by Yo Yo Ma and Emmanuel Ax... which is quite strong. This performance is especially warm and fluid.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Will listen to another recording of this later today too.

Which one? This absolutely heartbreaking performance by Walter with Kathleen Ferrier is a "must have":










Ferrier was knowingly dying of cancer as she performed these songs of death and renewal composed by a man equally cognizant of his own imminent mortality. Walter and the orchestra were left in tears at the end of the performance.










A stunning live performance with the incomparable pair of Wunderlich and Fischer-Dieskau. One cannot help but feel the tension... the electricity... and the emotion of this magical performance.










Perhaps the best over-all studio recording. Ludwig is not far behind Ferrier.










The more intimate chamber-orchestra version of the Song of the Earth penned by Schoenberg and here performed marvelously by Herreweghe should be heard by any Mahler fan.


----------



## science

This is the one, and I'm on it now.

Thank you for the work in that post. Your passion and knowledge are obvious!

An arrangement by Schoenberg would be intriguing. Maybe someday, when my wish list is much smaller, I would be interested in the Ferrier as well since it has an interesting story to it - but for now I'm trying to expand my breadth rather than my depth, hearing works that are new to me rather than different recordings of works I already know.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Finished this set of symphonies by *Egon Wellesz* (1886-1974). Nine symphonies written betweem 1945 and 1971. First two were clearly tonal in idiom, and to some extent #3 and #4, while the rest were 12-tone. Interesting listening to these observing and to some extent enjoying this change unfold before your ears.

Box-set of 4 CDs but also available separately.


----------



## jalex

Sid James said:


> *@ jalex *- it's ironic how Mozart so hated the flute, yet wrote such wonderful music for it. Maybe he was doing it for the money. But his letters to his father make no secret of his disdain for this instrument...


Hey, commissions were commissions, right? Although true to his dislike of the instrument he only wrote one original concerto and two flute quartets of the four of each he was asked for.

As someone who plays the flute I can sympathis with his dislike for the instrument as it was in the Classical period. Horrid thing with an overly thick sound and lousy intonation. I think he'd like the modern instrument much better, though admittedly it lacks the warm distinguished tone of the oboe and clarinet. Not really the best suited instrument for solo playing, the sound is too dry and cold except in the lowest register (which strangely enough is rarely used!).


----------



## science

This is rather fun. I'm on BWV 1031 now.


----------



## chrislowski




----------



## ascension

I have been listening to Brahms and Mahler symphonies lately.


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm not a large fan of ORR/Sir JEG recs, but their "Hybrid Harold" has been with me a while now.


----------



## kv466

Chopin - Polonaise in a-flat, op.53
Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Schumann back to back--Violin Concerto (Kremer/Muti), followed by the String Quartets.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, La Valse* and *Bolero*, by Louis Fremaux and the LSO.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Barbirolli and the Sinfonia of London


----------



## graaf

Sid James said:


> *@ jalex *- it's ironic how Mozart so hated the flute, yet wrote such wonderful music for it. Maybe he was doing it for the money. But his letters to his father make no secret of his disdain for this instrument...


Letters to his father also say that he considered K452 to be "the best thing I have written in my life", and he already had written all of his violin concertos, Jeunehomme piano concerto, Paris symphony and other far more famous works.  So he had disdain not only for flute but for some of his best works! 

Anyway, that got me listening to this:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Locatelli, Concerti Gross*i, Op.1, Nos. 7-12.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57 *

Artists	
Bohuslav Matousek and Petr Adamec





Sensitive and intense version of a great sonata. Pretty good but not top sound.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.120 op Quartet movement*

Artists	
Tuma (Artist), Nejtek (Artist), Panocha Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Miniat...6BR1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316420086&sr=8-1

Nice little piece. Very melodic, romantic and evocative. Great performance and quite good sound.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Dvorak (Artist), Kreisler (Artist), Kremer




http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Echo...IVOA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314824471&sr=8-1

Fantastic beautiful pieces. Light, elegant and melodious. Very nice performed, and excellent sound. I think I have mentioned the last movement, the Larghetto before. I can not think of anything more beautiful! Espesially when it is performed with such empaty and "feeling" as here.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5*

Artists	
Wenn-Sin Yang
Joseph Kaizer, Cello*




http://www.amazon.com/Virtuoso-Cell...XBPK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315056566&sr=8-2

Rather bad sound here, unfortunately. Great work, but it is not easy to assess the performance and interaction with the hollow sound.., the nerve lacks then.(for me at least). But it seems intense and good.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.179 op96 String Quartet No. 12 in F major "American"*

Artists	
Vlach Quartet 




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-String...147Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320240761&sr=8-1

Good sound, and an exciting work. I seem to recognize tones and moods of the "new world" symphony. Pretty good fremførels, but I think the interaction is a little messy sometimes, and empathy could have been better.


----------



## Polyphemus

At this moment Beethoven String Quartet No. 7 Op 59/1 by The Lindsay Quartet.


----------



## agoukass

Some of Grieg's later piano works this afternoon.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 24, Suite dans le style ancien in D*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Pretty good sound, but slightly harsh. However, clear sound, and each instrument is well presented. Great interaction. The play itself may seem a little boring. I have to NOK listen to it several times. A touch of lack of fantasy?










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 25, Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (Symphonie cévenole) for piano and orchestra (1886)*

Artists	
Martin Helmchen, Swiss Romande Orchestra, Marek Janowski




http://www.amazon.com/DIndy-Saint-Saëns-Chausson/dp/B005IKYICS
/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315745691&sr=8-2

Beautiful! Can the memory bit, or be associated with Dvorak's new world. Far more interesting work than the previous one. Not very good sound, but still fine nerve. Great playing! Wonderful orchestra.










Works 
*d'Indy: Op. 35, String Quartet No. 1 in D*
Fantastic sound, and really good performance. The quartet is seeking and lyrical. Nice to listen to. If the string quartets is to monotonous, then I get a pain in the ears!

*d'Indy: Op. 45, String Quartet No. 2 in E*
No. 2 is also good. But I do not feel right to listen to dìndy now, so I skip.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Georg Muffat, Concerti Grossi*, Vol. 2, by Musica Aeterna Bratislava.

Kind of subdued pieces, but they're nice to accompany looking out the window on a fall day.


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 3 In D Minor
Cherubini: String Quartet No. 4 In E Major*


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New york Philharmonic.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Guest

I've had this recording for a while - picked it up somewhere used - but haven't given it much of a listen. I decided to rip it to my computer and load it onto my MP3 player to listen to.


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.1 in Eb, K.16*

Artists	
Neville Marriner (Conductor), Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...01PD/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1320069871&sr=8-7

There is something unpolished and charming over Mozart's childhood symphonies. Something a child's drawing of an artist's genius. Wonderful performances. Very atmospheric!










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.2 in Bb, K.17 (spurious)*

Artists	
Erich Leinsdorf, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*





http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TUAZ7Y/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1320071261&sr=8-1

Delicious and easy! Fine performance and good sound.










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.3 in Eb, K.18 (spurious, by C.F. Abel)*

Artists	
Nicholas Ward, Northern Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...P5I0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320070763&sr=8-1

Elegant! How old was he? Good sound and great performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
David Zinman (Conductor), Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra (Orchestra), Yefim Bronfman




http://www.amazon.com/Mikhail-Petuk...MJC0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316784586&sr=8-2

Very good version of a fantastic concert. The piano sounds great, and the band is tight and coherent.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Violin Concerto in C#-, Op.2*

Artists	
Niklas Willen (Conductor), Swedish Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Swedish-Roman...1WH3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318597767&sr=8-1

Berwald is a great composer! Grieg has perhaps the bigest name among scandinavian composers (finland is not scandinavia) but I have problems to start exploring Grieg. May be my resistance against to much national romantics. The swedish composers are free of such.Well I dont know, you may have it among them too, but I have not heard. But one day I will like grieg for sure.
And this concert is very romantic and evocative. Very playfull and melodious. Very nice performance, the sound is good but not excellent.


----------



## Sid James

graaf said:


> Letters to his father also say that he considered K452 to be "the best thing I have written in my life", and he already had written all of his violin concertos, Jeunehomme piano concerto, Paris symphony and other far more famous works.  So he had disdain not only for flute but for some of his best works! ...


I have heard his K452 recently, it is a very fine work, & innovative in terms of it being an odd combination, then & probably still. However, I was reflecting on his dislike for writing for the flute as a *solo* instrument, not as part of a chamber group or orchestra, eg. in a more of a solo as against an accompanying role, etc. Surely you get this from the gist of what I was saying? Far out, it seems a lot of people around here are constantly trying to score points against eachother, as if it was a sports match or something...


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Cello Sonata in C, Op.65*

Artists	
Yo-Yo Ma;Emanuel Ax




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013D6T4Y/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317470458&sr=8-1

Yo-Yo Ma to be the most overhyped cellist. I find his play mostly flat and uninspired. Technically, certainly good, but uninspired and uninspiring.
Exciting sonata otherwise, and good sound.


----------



## Sid James

*M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_Caprichos_ 1 to 12 from _24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Naxos double - disc 1 of 2)

The first 12_ Caprichos _are less memorable to me & more easy listening than the final 12. Standing out for me are No. 1, with an image in rhythm of the painter Goya on a stroll, as well as No. 7, with it's tune from one of de Falla's _Seven Popular Spanish Songs_, and No. 12 which is like a set of variations on the traditional _Dies Irae _theme also used by Berlioz & Rachmaninov. All of these illustrate Goya's etchings aptly, eg. No. 12 is based on an image of a person being led to their execution during the Spanish inquisition.

*Album: Don Byas - En ce temps-la (Jazz in Paris series)*
Don Byas, tenor sax with his quartet and quintet, recorded in 1947 & 1952
(Gitanes/Universal Music, France)

Don Byas comes across now as like accessible bebop, esp. with those smoochy ballads like the title track, the famous chanson by Charles Trenet. Byas has this mellow tone and is ably accompanied by various musicians incl. pianists Jack Dieval and also Art Simmons in the different sessions recorded on these 78 rpm discs. Not the best sound but the warmth of their performance compensates greatly. Apart from the title track, my favourites are _That Old Feeling _& also Dvorak's famous _Humoresque_ & the originals by Byas are not bad either.

*R. Wagner*
_Overture to The Flying Dutchman_
Slovak PO / Michael Halasz, cond.
(Naxos)

I was impressed by the beginning but I got lost eventually. I aim to go through this album bit by bit, just as I did before with the one I have with Enrique Batiz conducting Wagner's orchestral music.

*A. Dvorak*
_Piano Trio #3 in F minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto label)

This is like my feature album this week and I'm enjoying every repeated listening. This is a masterpiece which I rank amongst the finest piano trios, incl. Schubert's and Beethoven's.

*Antoine de Lhoyer *(1768-1852)
_Duo Concertante in A major, Op. 31 #1
Duo Concertante in E minor, Op. 31 #3_
Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli, guitars
(Naxos - copuled with more Duo Concertantes by Lhoyer)

I just got this yesterday. It comes across as being in the style of Mozart. Sometimes one guitar accompanies the other, other times they join together in a web of counterpoint, no one of the two dominating. Lhoyer was a French composer, mainly for his instrument the guitar, & as a professional soldier he came into contact with the royal courts of Europe, taught and played there while also doing his duty.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Serge Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.44, *performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Roy Harris--*Symphony No.1 {"1933"}, *with Francis Fuge leading the Louisville Orchestra.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still exploring the Russians in greater depth. Many, such as Borodin, have rather limited oeuvres. Beyond this disc, which contains Symphonies 1 & 2 as well as the unfinished 3rd, the symphonic tone poem, _In the Steppes of Central Asia_, his second string quartet and highlights from the opera, Prince Igor, all that is left is his 1st string quartet and the complete opera, Prince Igor and a few minor early works. Of course his career as a chemist took up a good deal of his time.










Recently, I've been fleshing out my collection of some of these marvelous older recordings by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. Under Szell, the Cleveland Orchestra came to be recognized by many as perhaps the finest orchestra in the country. While this may be an exaggeration... it was (and remains) one of the finest... and these Szell recordings remain a stunning testament to a great conductor. I have long had the phenomenal Szell/Fleischer 3rd/4th of Beethoven. In spite of the bland graphics and the budget price, this recording of the 5th and the Triple Concerto with Stern on violin in absolutely one of the finest.

I have long admired Szell's recordings of Schumann's symphonies, Schubert's 8th and 9th, selected Mozart and Haydn symphonies, Brahms' piano concertos, etc... I am seriously looking at his recordings of Dvorak's last three symphonies, Tchaikovsky's 5th, and a few other gems.


----------



## science

Right now I am going to listen to Dérive 1 and Dérive 2.

Ok, that was truly interesting, and much easier to hear than I'd anticipated.

Now, on to the Metropolis Symphony:










Ok, that was fun!

And now:


----------



## Vaneyes

Lupu and Angelich diligently pick up the Pieces. The latter, slightly more leisurely, but no less valid.


----------



## Vaneyes

I see on post #11946 the cover for the Tacet (Auryn) Schumann String Quartets went missing. Maybe Area 51 got it. 
Auryn Quartet's been around a while...recently acclaimed for their Haydn. Amen to that.


----------



## hespdelk

Interesting rendition of Mozart's Requiem. The recorded sound is very dry, drier than I usually like, but I admit it certainly lets you hear every little detail of the new critical edition the performance based itself on.

It doesn't suplant my favourite recordings of the work, but I shall certainly return to it.

_Incidentally, I listened to this while plowing through traffic today.. it uncannily formed a perfect soundtrack to this solemn procession..

As I apprehensively drove onto the highway, the opening Requiem set the scene for the sea of lost souls wading their way along, each in their own personal hell...

Dies irae.. patience snaps, my troubled soul leads me to change lanes repeatedly in a vain attempt to find escape...

Rex tremendae... sight of the police up ahead restores some superficial calm to cover the tempest within...

Lux aeterna.. the eternal brake light of the car up ahead...

As I get off the connection to the secondary highway.. that's right.. Lacrimosa.. as I realize this is just as bottled up as the first...

By the time the movements Sussmayer completed arrived, in spirit I was already dead and together with Mozart in the great beyond, complaining about young people today and their inadequate use of sonata form._


----------



## science

#3


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 49
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 66*

Performed by the Klaviertrio Amsterdam from Disc 09 of this great box-set:


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 43 "Mercury" 
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## chrislowski

Disc 2


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaughan Williams - Flos campi

Philip Dukes - viola

Richard Hickox and the Northern Sinfonia and Chorus


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

*Work 
Antheil: Ballet mécanique, for 4 pianos, 2 electric bells, 2 airplane propellers & percussion (1953 revision), W. 156c*

Artists	
Baynov Piano Ensemble




http://www.allmusic.com/album/pianos--percussion-w179904

I love this piece! Get more exiting for each time I listen to it. And quite funny with the propellers. Also the rythm and changes are quite funny.










Work 
*Antheil: Concert (Concerto), for chamber orchestra, W.170*

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Balle...NCYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313418175&sr=8-3

Great sound and good interaction. The work is very playful and colorful with various shades of expression from the horns.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *Album: Don Byas - En ce temps-la (Jazz in Paris series)*
> Don Byas, tenor sax with his quartet and quintet, recorded in 1947 & 1952
> (Gitanes/Universal Music, France)


Wow, you know about Don Byas! Cool!


----------



## kv466

Handel - Water Music Suite no.3 in G, hvv350
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

Oskaar got me interested in hearing *Mozart's Symphony No. 1*, by Nicholas Ward. So he was eight when he wrote it? That's okay; my grandson has a couple years to catch up to him.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Symphony No.4 ('1942'), W.177*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/ANTHEIL-Symph...NK2J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313420589&sr=8-1

The work is very varied and beautiful. Antheil's sometimes very lyrical and romantic, more experimental in other areas. Until recognition is very nice, but the sound could have been better.










Work 
*Antheil: Symphony No.5 ('Joyous'), W.186*

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice
Bary Koleman




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047E6PG8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313420891&sr=8-3

Wonderful wind and string section in the beginning. Then comes the piano and percussion into. Very good. Tight and rehearsed orchestra. Good sound. Excellent nerve, the composition has a fairly rapid pace in the beginning it could have been stressful if the orchestra had been so clearly and distinctly that it is.


----------



## kv466

Giovanni Batista Viotti - Sinfonia Concertante for two violins & orchestra no.2 in b-flat, g77
Academia Filarmonica


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold*

Work 
*Arnold: Clarinet Concerto No.1, for clarinet and strings, Op.20*

Artists
Janet Hilton/Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Norman Del Mar 




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SYQRUU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313422979&sr=8-2

Great concert, with long lyrical melody lines. Very good nerve. The clarinet is sensitive and the interaction is very good. The sound is also great! Christmas gift to yourself?










Work 
*Arnold: Clarinet Concerto No.2, Op.115*

Artists	
Lan Shui (Conductor), Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Martim Frost, clarinette




http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Fröst-...9NP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313422693&sr=8-1

The first movement is more experimental and lighter than the first concert. Many solo parts for a wide scope for virtuosity of the clarinet. Fortunately, the excellent performed by Martin Frost.
The second movement is more dramatic. Malmö Symphony Orchestra is probably not of the great orchestras, but Shui keep a good grip, and brings out the best. 
The last movement is just over two minutes of circus music with a middle section with lyrical romantic tones.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony no. 25 in g minor, kv183
Stevan Pasero, guitar


----------



## Oskaar

*Mily Balakirev*

*Balakirev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

artister
Jungran Kim Khwarg piano
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Dong Hyock Hyun




http://www.amazon.com/Taktakishvili...5G4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312397116&sr=8-1

Quite interesting and nice concert. Probably not a great work, but with lots of charm. Performance is great, both piano and orchestra, and the interaction. A slightly harsh piano, but otherwise good sound. (Harsh piano may be related to my sound card, but it is often not harsh, so I mention it.)










*Balakirev: Uvertyura na tri cheshkiye temi (Overture on Czech themes), "In Bohemia": In Bohemia In Bohemia*

artister
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Hoey Choo




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQPIY6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312398668&sr=8-1

Good overture. Balakirev's a bit messy in his compositions, but I like it. Lots of charm! Excellent orchestra, and great sound! (I have changed any audio settings, which may help against harsch sound)










*Balakirev: Tamara*

artister
Russian State Symphony Orchestra
Igor Golovschin




http://www.amazon.com/Balakirev-Sym...13YI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312399900&sr=8-1

Medium performance and perhaps not the most exciting work. *The driver seemed no way to go*. (Hehe, google translation suggestions to something like: It does not lead anywhare) (But mostly, I am very impressed with the google translater. Makes me more free to express feelings in music. But it is wise to check the result! Often I forget....). But it gets bether!


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Medea: Cave of the Heart (suite), Op.23*

artister
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...8USE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312576655&sr=8-1

Barber is a whiz at adding the disturbing, anxiety filled under the romantic and light overtones. This work is incredibly exciting, and has a very good range, and a fine nerve. Excellent performance and quite a good sound.










*Barber: The School for Scandal: Overture Op.5*

artister
New York Philharmonic;Thomas Schippers




http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Schipp...JCLG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312616815&sr=8-2

This is a fantastic work! Fast and energitic, still very melodious. excellent performance!










*Barber: Violin Concerto, Op.14*

artister
James Buswell
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concer...RT4V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312561604&sr=8-1

Fantastic concert, I've probably commented on it before. Very well performed, and the sound is good but not perfect.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Symphony no. 3 in e-flat
Not sure...I'm writing a paper while listening to Pandora...very good rendition, though.


----------



## Guest

oskaar said:


> *Samuel Barber*
> 
> *Barber: Medea: Cave of the Heart (suite), Op.23*
> 
> artister
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra
> Marin Alsop
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...8USE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312576655&sr=8-1
> 
> Barber is a whiz at adding the disturbing, anxiety filled under the romantic and light overtones. This work is incredibly exciting, and has a very good range, and a fine nerve. Excellent performance and quite a good sound.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Barber: The School for Scandal: Overture Op.5*
> 
> artister
> New York Philharmonic;Thomas Schippers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Schipp...JCLG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312616815&sr=8-2
> 
> This is a fantastic work! Fast and energitic, still very melodious. excellent performance!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Barber: Violin Concerto, Op.14*
> 
> artister
> James Buswell
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra
> Marin Alsop
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concer...RT4V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312561604&sr=8-1
> 
> Fantastic concert, I've probably commented on it before. Very well performed, and the sound is good but not perfect.


I love Alsop's Barber orchestral works cycle on Naxos. One of the jewels of that label! The violin concerto is one of my favorite works by Barber.


----------



## Sonata

Bach: 5th Brandenburg Concerto


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Currently, I'm sitting on cold bare ground back stage of the UMD main concert hall, and a part of the Wind Orchestra is rehearsing Stravinsky's Symphony for Winds or something like that. >.< I think I'll just mosy on down the hall to listen to the Symphony Orchestra rehearse the Brahms 2nd symphony instead, or, whatever else they're up to...


----------



## jalex

*Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76 Nos. 1&4*










Great playing by the Amadeus Quartet of some of the finest string quartets of the classical period. By this time Haydn had been writing for string quartet for over 30 years and it shows; the Op 76 quartets exhibit excellent part writing particularly for the cello and first violin and the ensemble interaction is wonderful. Particularly distinguished movements are the first of No. 4 and the slow movements of both (I find Haydn's string quartet slow movements generally better than his symphonic ones).

I sure am glad Beethoven later encouraged everyone to dispense with the minuet in favour of the scherzo, though. Haydn would have written (and occasionally almost wrote) great scherzos.


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Piano Trio In A Minor
Chausson: Piano Trio In G Major*

The Ravel is one of my favourite PT's - the performance here by the Beaux Arts Trio is beyond reproach


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

artister
Basel Symphony Orchestra
Walter Weller




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Lachi...XR96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312708970&sr=8-1

Not a grandiose work. Bartok is a lot better elsewhere. But not bad, definitely worth listening to. Great performance, (I think ... Maybe my lack of enthusiasm caused when actual presentation is not so great.) And great interaction. I have 5 more versions on spotify. Must listen to another immediately.










Philadelphia Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Concer...0JXC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312707588&sr=8-2

The previous version was probably not so good. This is far better, which makes the work far more exciting. Not least, it's a nerve, which was completely absent on the previous version. The sound is pretty good here, the orchestra is fabulous! It is a great work! But something was slowed in the previous recording. It is not always easy to put the finger on it. But it was very obvious when I played this version!


----------



## kv466

Bruckner - Symphony no.1 in c minor, Wab101
Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmonic


----------



## NightHawk

Brahms, Myaskovsky, Sibelius, R. Strauss, Mahler - symphonies, chamber music, solo piano and tone poems


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 In A Major, Op. 13
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 In D Major, Op. 44/1*

More listening from the Mendelssohn Chamber Music box - this time Im listening to the String Quartets which are great works with many fine moments. The performances and sound in this box are all good despite the Quartets being performed by 3 different ensembles.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.16*

Artists	
The London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas, Vladimir Feltsman




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pia...26PD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313594772&sr=8-1

A calm and inquisitive Prokofiev begins this concert. Eventually a variety of undulating music, with many shades and colors. Excellent exchange between orchestral sections, and more solo or almost solo piano. Version is quite good. A little uninspired and sometimes ... it seems that both pianist and orchestra loses interest. I am quite sure I can find better more versions among my 12


----------



## jalex

NightHawk said:


> Brahms, Myaskovsky, Sibelius, R. Strauss, Mahler - symphonies, chamber music, solo piano and tone poems




I look forward to your next post in a couple of months!


----------



## kv466

Le Nozze de Figaro Act IV - Ah Tutti Contenti
Sir Neville Marriner and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 in Bb, Op.100*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...GG/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1313844653&sr=8-15

Pretty good sound, great orchestra and interactive play. The symphony itself is a little different Prokofiev.(first movement.) It is interesting, but lacks some of the glow I know in Prokofiev. But by all means, fabulous parties, and great moods. But I somehow feel that there is another composer! But I'm a little tired today, then. I am sure that the symphony may grow on me.
The second movement is absoluteley Prokofiev! Beautiful melodic, and changes in orchestra is superb.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5*, by Wilhelm Furtwangler and the Berlin Phil on Music & Arts. I'm listening to the slow movement. It's one of the great interpretations, in my opinion.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, you know about Don Byas! Cool!


Yeah, well I have a few cd's of his playing on that Jazz in Paris series which I'm going through at the moment, bit by bit. I had a long jazz phase about a decade back, I bought about 2 dozen or more from that series as well as other things. Not many people seem to know that Europe produced some excellent jazz players as well as attracted some of the top players from the USA, esp. after 1945, when Americans & the other allies liberated the continent from the Nazis & a jazz craze sprung up amongst the locals as a partial result of that.



Conor71 said:


> *Ravel: Piano Trio In A Minor
> Chausson: Piano Trio In G Major*
> 
> The Ravel is one of my favourite PT's...


It's one of my favourite PT's as well. The last movement makes me think of being at the beach, it gives me that vibe. & the pianist at a performance of it I was at last year said exactly what you're saying now, it's often the piano trio people name as being their favourite. As for the Chausson one, I've never heard it, that might have to be put on my list, I like the other music that I've heard by him...


----------



## Sid James

Started with some jazz organ playing this time & ended with another listen to Mozart's string quartets -

*Album: Lou Bennett - Pentacostal feeling (Jazz in Paris series)*
Lou Bennett, organ / Rene Thomas, guitar / Kenny Clarke, drums / Donald Byrd, trumpet, arrangements (with his Paris Jazz All Stars on some tracks)
Recorded 1965 in Paris
(Universal/Gitanes)

This is a combination of West Coast smooth jazz and soul styles. Bennett makes his organ sing like a human voice. His accompanists are superb, incl. Rene Thomas on guitar & Donald Byrd on trumpet, both of whom contributed some songs to this album, as well as Bennett himself. The song_ Peter's Waltz _ penned by Sahid Shihab is my favourite, I can clearly hear Bennett playing the swinging melody on the keyboard accompanied by his feet playing the bass. Neal Hefti's famous tune _Repetition_ is also great, with Thomas playing guitar in a very cool and breezy way.

*R. Wagner*_
Lohengrin - Prelude & Introduction to Act III_
Slovak PO / Michael Halasz, cond.
(Naxos)

I quite like the prelude, with it's high strings and the cymbals coming in at the end, which kind of prefigure the slow movement of Bruckner's _Symphony #7_, written in memory of Wagner, but actually quoting material from another opera (_Rheingold_). A very mystical piece.

*Antoine de Lhoyer *(1768-1852)
_Duo Concertante in C major, Op. 31 #2
Duo Concertante in D minor, Op. 34 #2_
Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli, guitars
(From Naxos disc with other Duos Concertantes by Lhoyer)

A first time listen to the other two works on this newly purchased disc. Superb playing here. Mozartian is the word for the music, very elegant, well crafted, graceful, etc. The third movement,_ Adagio cantabile_, from _Op. 31 #2_ really grabbed me with its depth and even a sort of pathos. 

*W. A. Mozart*
_String Quartets #17 in B flat, K. 458 "Hunt" & # 19 in C, K. 465 "Dissonance"_
Chilingirian Quartet
(Regis)

I'm rediscovering this great recording now, & have just gotten another one by this group. The slow movement of the _Hunt_ quartet is sublime beyond words, & the finale of the _Dissonance_ really grabs me with some quite vigorous counterpoint, coming across as being quite like a vocal quartet from an opera. The notes say that the publisher thought that the famous "atonal" or vaguely tonal introduction of the _Dissonance_ quartet (from which it got it's name) was a mistake by Mozart, that he had not been careful enough or that it was something like his first draft. It is a kind of wierd beginning for the time, maybe prefigured in some ways by guys like Vivaldi, but pointing the way ahead for Beethoven in his late quartets, who'd do away with such things done just for sheer effect (the "old" convention for introductions) and write whole quartets that could be described as "dissonant"...


----------



## Vaneyes

This double is one of the better reissues for Liszt 200. It's comprised of two Zimerman albums.

Concerti, Totentanz, Sonata, etc. I'm currently listening to the solo portion--Sonata in B minor, Nuages gris, La notte, La lugubre gondola II, Funerailles.


----------



## jalex

Sid's post has put me in the mood for some

*Wagner: Tannhauser - Act I Prelude, Lohengrin - Act I Prelude, Parsifal - Act I Prelude*










My three favourite Wagner overtures (edit: along with Tristan of course!). Parsifal especially has it all. Performances are great, though I want to buy the Solti/CSO Wagner preludes CD just for the Tannhauser after hearing it on Youtube. The CSO brass are a perfect match for it.


----------



## kv466

Bach - The English Suites, Glenn Gould


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second closer listen to this. As a whole it has the lush orchestration one would expect of late Romantic-era tone poems... especially from Eastern Europe. There are elements of folk music... passages of shimmering transcendent music contrasting more musculature and even crude dance rhythms. The final piece, _De Profundis_, was written in Novak's final decade (he was born 1870) and completed during the Second World War and German occupation. Novak dedicated the piece: "Consecrated to the suffering of the Czech nation during the German reign of terror. The work begins ominously... something of an evil march ensues until eventually a hopeful/joyful melody led by the organ takes charge.










The Sir Neville Marriner recording used in Amadeus remains my favorite... but this is certainly a marvelous recording. I like it above the Herreweghe and Gardiner versions I have... and I especially like the inclusion of two beautiful "smaller" vocal pieces, the _Ave Verum Corpus_ K.618 and the concert aria, _Per questa bella mano_ K.612. The latter work is particularly fascinating in its virtuoso passages for bass and cello. The disc includes a spoke "history" of this work. It seems that Mozart was partially spurred on by the amorous attentions aimed toward his wife Constanza by the cellist slotted for the premier performance, and Mozart set out to embarrass him by composing cello passages beyond his abilities.:lol:










When I first began to seriously explore classical music I fell in love with Tchaikovsky. His Symphony no. 1 "Winter Dreams" was one of my favorite works... and it still holds a special place for me. Coming to Tchaikovsky again after listening to a lot of the minor Russian composers, I cannot help but recognize how strong he is... how much better he is than most of them.


----------



## Vaneyes

Re English Suites, GG looks different in that photo. Kind of like Ted Koppel, with better hair of course.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## science

Shostakovich Violin Concerto #1.

Incidentally, if you are considering this CD, here is what I would say:

If you are only going to have one Shostakovich violin concerto #1, get the one by Oistrakh that is paired with Rostropovich playing the cello concerto.








<-- #1 choice for historical reasons. Excellent performances, I think everyone agrees, but not modern sound.

If you are going to have two, then your other one should probably be in the best modern sound, and there are many options but I can only evaluate three: Batiashvili, Hahn, and Vengerov.

















Hahn's comes with the Mendelssohn's violin concerto - you will have that already, though Hahn plays it wonderfully and it is in modern sound. Vengerov has Prokofiev's 1st violin concerto, rarer than the Mendelssohn but still there are lots of good options ranging from Heifetz, Milstein, Stern to Fischer or Shaham.

Batiashvili has an odd selection: Shostakovich's Lyric Waltz, Part's Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in the Mirror), Kanceli's V & V, and Rachmaninov's Vocalise. For Spiegel im Spiegel, you want the "Alina" disk from ECM; you'll get a Vocalise elsewhere (it's filler on lots of disks), and you might as well get the Lyric Waltz along with the whole jazz suite it came from, such as on Chailly's entertaining disk "Shostakovich: The Jazz Album."

In the end, I guess I would suggest Hahn for the #2 recording, because I can't decide whether I like Hahn's Shost 1 or Vengerov's better, but I prefer either of them to Batiashvili (IMO the orchestras sound better on Hahn and Vengerov, and for whatever reason the music moves me more in their recordings than in Batiashvili). I chose Hahn as #2 because her Mendelssohn is more valuable to me than Vengerov's Prok 1. I wouldn't want to miss Vengerov's Prok 2 though.

But I bought the Batiashvili disk for Kanceli V & V, and I think it is only available here.


----------



## science

So evidently the spelling is "Kancheli." Who knew?


----------



## hespdelk

I've only recently developed an interest in Faure's requiem, thus cannot really offer an opinon as to 'best' recordings and such.. but I find this one quite moving, wonderful contributions from soloists Bartoli and Terfel.

The Durufle is also a significant work that I first came to know through this recording.


----------



## science

hespdelk said:


> I've only recently developed an interest in Faure's requiem, thus cannot really offer an opinon as to 'best' recordings and such.. but I find this one quite moving, wonderful contributions from soloists Bartoli and Terfel.
> 
> The Durufle is also a significant work that I first came to know through this recording.


IDK if you're planning to get another recording, but if you are I'd be curious to know how you feel it compares to the Shaw recording, the main one I have. I wasn't planning to get another, but Bartoli/Terfel is interesting.


----------



## hespdelk

science said:


> IDK if you're planning to get another recording, but if you are I'd be curious to know how you feel it compares to the Shaw recording, the main one I have. I wasn't planning to get another, but Bartoli/Terfel is interesting.


I hadn't been contemplating alternative versions just yet, but I'll certainly keep an eye out for the Shaw!

This set was stacked in 'pros' for me when i saw it - apart from the great soloists I am a fan of the Santa Cecilia orchestra sound, and have been developing an increasing regard for Chung's conducting in recent years. Not everyone may agree, but his recent recording of the original version of Bruckner's 4th is one of the most sublime ever done (in my view).


----------



## Sid James

^^Don't forget that there are two versions of Faure's _Requiem_ (a chamber size version and a bigger one) & I think three versions of the Durufle _Requiem_ (I know one is with organ accompaniment only, one with organ and orch., the third I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly there are three versions around). This can be great fodder for those obsessive about hearing all the versions. I have the Faure chamber one and naturally being a chamber fan, I'm happy with that - even heard it live - as for the Durufle, I've got the one on Naxos with French performers, it's with organ & orchestral accompaniment, I think it's one of his revised versions.

Anyway, good to see people listening to these, they are great works, although not fire and brimstone like traditional requiems. For another more lyrical and gentle requiem, check out Stanford's, it's close in time to the Faure (late 19th cent.), his choral writing was unique, the vocal solos have an Italian warmth, and the orchestration isn't on steroids, it speaks to more the classical restraint of eg. Mendelssohn or Brahms, not the steroidal giganticism that was in fashion at the time...


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 55, "Eroica"*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this awesome set - I was blown away the first time I heard Karajan's Beethoven


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Mass In C Major, Op. 86*

Continuing on with some Beethoven - havent listened to this one in ages!


----------



## chrislowski

Earlier:










Now:


----------



## Vesteralen

If the liner notes are to be believed, there is not a whole lot of structured music for unaccompanied violin (outside of Bach and Paganini) in the repertoire. I can understand that. The technique can be marvelous and jaw-dropping, but the music itself tends to be a bit boring to listen to for some people (including me).

The only solo violin CD I own is Hilary Hahn's debut disc - Bach Partitas, etc. It's a LONG disc, with a few highlight moments and a lot of material that makes my mind just shut off entirely.

The disc above, which I got out of the library, is a bit more musically interesting in my opinion. Still, it's not quite something that would motivate me to plunk down the hard-earned (as Wodehouse might have said). But, if you like unaccompanied violin, I'd definitely recommend it.


----------



## Sonata

I have a set of Bach solo cello suites off of a cello compilation album and, overall, I'd have to say that the cello is not a great solo instrument.

However, I listened to Bach's solo cello suite #5.... and while "enjoy" is not precisely the right word, I was intruiged by it. It had a very austere, bleak tone to it. Like the passing away, not of an individual, but an era or culture.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bernstein, Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah."*

I haven't listened to this in a while but was spurred to dig it out again by the comments of Sid James and Violadude.


----------



## Vesteralen

Another library CD. These concertos are not too difficult to appreciate. In fact, they are kind of appealing.

Just a question, though. Why is so much modern "classical" music dark-toned?

I haven't finished this disc yet, though. Maybe there's something a bit more upbeat to come.


----------



## Sonata

Khachaturian: concerto in e minor for cello and orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 9*, by Alfred Brendel. Not dark-toned.


----------



## starthrower

Re: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

You may want to try some of her other pieces including Concerto Grosso 1985,
and Concerto For Trumpet and Five Players. Available on New World Records
recorded with Zubin Mehta and members of the NY Philharmonic.


----------



## Guest

This is a wonderful recording, in terms of both direction and sound. I don't have an SACD player, but listening to this on a normal stereo is still impressive. One of the better recordings of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique I have heard. I still mean to get the Mravinsky recordings of the 4th, 5th, and 6th symphonies on DG.


----------



## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Have you heard about the defect in that edition, Dr. Mike? According to several Amazon reviewers, the SACD layer contains a different recording of non classical music.


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky's 5th sympony


----------



## Vaneyes

A well thought out production, this Bach with Daniel Hope/Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Hybrid approach--something borrowed, something new. Clean performance and sound. Recommended.

The 2005 recording venue is St. Paul's Church, Deptford. For those interested, there's a 3-minute YouTube video of the interior, and a brief history at Wikipedia.


----------



## Vaneyes

@ science re Shostakovich Cello Cti. 1 & 2 & Violin Cti. 1 & 2, I'd suggest H. Schiff/M. Shostakovich (The Originals), and Vengerov/Rostropovich (Elatus). Fine performances and sound, with the added convenience of having both concertos on one CD.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Daugherty, Metropolis Symphony*, by the Nashville Symphony.


----------



## Guest

starthrower said:


> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Have you heard about the defect in that edition, Dr. Mike? According to several Amazon reviewers, the SACD layer contains a different recording of non classical music.


Not aware of that - but, like I said, I don't have an SACD player, so I don't know that that will ever be an issue. I just found it for 40% off at Barnes & Noble last night, and couldn't pass it up.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, BB114, Sz.106*

Performed by Brussels BRTN Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Alexander Rahbari




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Concer...13NN/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1312922821&sr=8-9

Not quite easy to listen to this work. It is quite demanding. Must surely listen to it a few times to like it. Also, the sound here pretty bad. Ok performance, but nothing more.


----------



## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^
That Naxos disc was my first purchase of the Bartok pieces. I've since picked up Seiji Ozawa's recording on Philips.
I'm sorry to hear he is suffering with cancer of the esophagus. Get well Mr. Ozawa.


----------



## Aramis




----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Piano Concerto No.1 in A, BB91, Sz.83*
Exciting and dramatic concert. I think that the performance is a bit messy. Perhaps it should be that way. The sound is good, and it is a great nerve.The third movement is especially colorful and varied.

*Batrok: Piano Concerto No.2 in G, BB101, Sz.95*
Wonderful energetic first movement, with a great fast and rolling piano, lively horns and intense orchestra. Far less messy than the first concert. Each instrument is much better presented. The most energetic sections with powerful blows, intense orchestra and energetic piano at the same time, may seem a bit messy though.
The second movement begins magically evocative. It's great built, with piano and timpani before the orchestra sneaks in. Wonderful nerve. Magical interaction between a very good piano, and orchestra.

*Bartok: Piano Concerto No.3 in E, BB127, Sz.119 (completed by Tibor Serly)*
This concert is not as exciting and innovative as the first two (especially the second), but quite pleasant listening nonetheless. But certainly not Bartok at its best. But any impression can be changed by more listening. And the mood and shape also determines much.

artister
Sir Colin Davis
The London Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Kovacevich




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Piano-...X09R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312709829&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.19*

Artists	
Vilde Frang/WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Thomas Søndergård




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Conc...EIRE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313770563&sr=8-3

Beautiful concert! Prokofiev at its best! Wonderfully energetic and imaginative, and the fiddle is quite magic. Very good performance, Vilde player with unpolished, and fresh approach, and the interplay with the orchestra is fantastic. The sound is very good!










Work 
*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
Philharmonia Orchestra, David Oistrakh, Alceo Galliera




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000THENAM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313774970&sr=8-2

Not so good sound, probably because it is a vintage recording. But the sound is not so unattractive that it is not possible to appreciate the excellence of the actual presentation Beautiful and evocative concert. Pretty low-key at times, and lighter playful in other periods.


----------



## Tapkaara

Oskaar- Is this the only thread you participate in? You obviously listen to a lot of music, why not discuss in in more detail in other threads instead of staying here and telling us what you just heard it and that you like it?


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sibelius - Finlandia

Can't be bothered to look up the performers.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work*
Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1*
Wonderful melodious and exuberant work. Excellent sound, attractive and sensitively performed!

*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2*
This sonata is a bit more romantic, melodic and inquisitive than the first. Ricci plays sensitive and virtuoso, without the virtuosity sacrificing sensitivity.
*
Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3*
The third is perhaps my favorite. A little adventure! Very romantic and colorful. Wonderful melodic!

Artists
Ruggiero Ricci	




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040I9GY4/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314267515&sr=8-2


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.47 {original 1930 version} and Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.112 {final 1947 version}. *Both versions feature the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo. *All works are performed by the San Francisco Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## Sid James

Took in a whole lot of things, including some classic FM radio at the end which I'd thought I'd get into, it's been a while (see next post)...

*Album: Rene Urtreger joue Bud Powell *(Jazz in Paris series)
_Compositions by Bud Powell & Rene Urtreger_
R. Urtreger, piano / Benoit Quersin, double bass / Jean-Louis Viale, drums
Rec. 1955 in Paris
(Universal / Gitanes)

An interesting album, it's been ages since I've listened to it. The American pianist Bud Powell was like an idol to many jazz musicians of the mid c20th, and the then young Rene Urtreger was no exception. He plays Bud's classic compositions such as _Bouncing with Bud _and _Parisian Thoroughfare _with verve and a sense of ornamentation, detail, and flowing. Rene's own two compositions in tribute to Bud are suitable in terms of style, they fit into the album well, even though the one titled _Mercedes_ comes across as sounding like the tune from another jazz standard _Darn that Dream_. A great album but too short (half an hour only), surely they could've gotten some other recordings out of the vaults by Mr. Urtreger and put them as a coupling, which they do in other titles of this series, but we are fortunate to have this as it is, it's quite rare.

*A. Berg*
_String Quartet, Op. 3
Lyric Suite for string quartet_
*H. Wolf *
_Italian Serenade_
New Zealand String Quartet
(Naxos)

Had a bit of a eureka moment with the _Lyric Suite _with this listen. After 15 years of knowing it. Before it was a jumble but now I'm starting to make sense of it. It's obvious but I approached it as a suite, not as a normal string quartet. Eg. the first movement is an prelude, the last movement a postlude & the four movements in between are the real meat on the bones of the work. So this has been a good breakthrough, I'm happy with this, although I've always enjoyed it, but was wrong in approaching it like his earlier _String Quartet Op. 3_ on this disc, which is more conventional than the _Lyric Suite_ in some ways.

*R. Wagner*
_Tannhauser - Overture, Venusberg Music, Entrance of the Guests (Act II), Tannhauser's Pilgrimage (Intro to Act III)_
Slovak PO / Michael Halasz, cond.
(Naxos)

I like the optimistic and uplifting vibe of this overall, although the last item is quite dark and a bit gloomy, which speaks to the ending of the opera, both hero and heroine die.


----------



## Sid James

*A. Vivaldi*
_Flute Concerto in D Major Op. 10, No. 3. Il Cardellino ("The Goldfinch") _
Emmanuel Pahud, flute / Australian Chamber Orch. / Richard Tognetti, leader

*M. Ravel*
_String Quartet in F_
Australian String Quartet

*J.S. Bach*
_Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1043_
Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, violins / Members of New York Phil. / Leonard Bernstein, directing from harpsichord
Rec. Carnegie Hall, New York City, c. 1960's.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Sergey Prokofiev*
> 
> Work
> *Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.19*
> 
> Artists
> Vilde Frang/WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Thomas Søndergård
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Conc...EIRE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313770563&sr=8-3
> 
> Beautiful concert! Prokofiev at its best! Wonderfully energetic and imaginative, and the fiddle is quite magic. Very good performance, Vilde player with unpolished, and fresh approach, and the interplay with the orchestra is fantastic. The sound is very good!
> 
> Vilde looks too naughty for words.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Imrich Szabo.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *featuring the Utah Symphony conducted by Maurice Abravanel.
Claude Debussy--*La Mer,* performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in G Major {"Military"}, *featuring Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*.*


----------



## Lisztian

I currently have 111 unread posts...which has motivated me to listen to Beethovens op 111. Barenboim playing.


----------



## Conor71

*Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua
Josquin: Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi
Josquin: Praeter Rerum Seriem
Josquin: Ave Maria*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this beautiful Set from my small collection of Early Music - I cant listen to too much of this kind of Music in one session but I do really enjoy it and find it very refreshing.
The pieces in this set are absolutely sublime - the performances and sound are outstanding


----------



## hespdelk

Not my overall favourite in these pieces, but Pollini always delivers a powerful and thoughtful performance.


----------



## science

Dialogue de l'ombre double - this is fascinating.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major, BWV 1007
Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 In D Minor, BWV 1008
Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 In C Major BWV 1009*

Bach - Cello Suites Disc 1, A great performance!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Civil War Re-enactors are about to have a battle in the park about a mile from my house, so I'm getting ready to amble over there. *Barber's First Essay for Orchestra* is a fitting tribute.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I finally hit upon a Mayaskovsky recording that immediately resonated with me. Both his final symphony and the cello concerto are quite beautiful... quite moving. I had picked up a few other recordings of his symphonies at random... recorded by Evgeny Svetlanov... and these did little for me. I'll certainly give them another listen... but at the same time I thinking that contrary to statements by the Myaskovsky fans it just may be that like Shostakovitch... and many others... not all of his symphonies were created equally... not all of them are masterpieces. This one, however, is damn good!


----------



## science

Listened to a lot of stuff today. The two best were the Boulez piece I mentioned earlier, and Weiss:










I really liked it the first time I heard it, about four months ago I'd guess, and I liked it this time too.

My wife recently saw people hanging up Christmas decorations - and whereas my reaction is to be disgusted that the dirty retailers can't even wait till November to start shoving Santa at us, so that Sinatra or John Denver singing carols is the last thing I want to hear, for some reason it put her in the mood for Christmas music. So we compromised:










It was a lot of fun. She usually doesn't listen to music with me but we had a big fight and she's started too, and this was a good choice. We read the liner notes together and followed the texts, and I hope she'll do things like this with me more often!

When we finished that, I asked what kind of thing she wanted to hear, and she said something famous (evidently the Praetorius didn't qualify, though something very similar to the Eine feste burg melody was in there, and maybe it was the thing its own self), so I put on Dvorak 9:


----------



## HexameronVI

So far, this piece is amazing.


----------



## Nix

Just got familiar with:

*Debussy: Nocturnes* Very beautiful stuff, especially the 1st movement
*Schumann: Violin Sonata #2* One of my favorite in the genre, and by the composer- slow movement is gorgeous! 
*Haydn: String Quartet #23 in f minor* My favorite Haydn quartet _so far_. Only familiar with the 'Lark' and 'Joke' 
*Bach: St. John's Passion * Some really good stuff, especially the opening, but I find that it gets watered down by too much recitative.

Currently getting familiar with:

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #4
Debussy: Ballade
Brahms: Horn Trio
Mozart: Symphony #30
Barber: some songs without opus numbers


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sibelius - Karelia suite

Sir Charles Mackerass and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## kv466

*Bach - Toccatas, bwv 910-916 Glenn Gould*


----------



## Oskaar

Sergey Prokofiev

Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
Viktoria Postnikova
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pia...5A44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313590891&sr=8-1

An absolutely irresistible piano concerto. Very good performance, after a somewhat hesitant start. Good sound.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.16*

Artists	
Vladimir Ashkenazy, The London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn




http://www.amazon.com/Great-Piano-C...CLIH/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1313594611&sr=8-9

This concert is not as catchy as the first, but deeper, more reflective. And more epic.
Very good performance, but the sound is average.


----------



## Tapkaara

Does anyone else get the feeling that Oskaar is not a real person but some sort of spambot?


----------



## kv466

Tapkaara said:


> Does anyone else get the feeling that Oskaar is not a real person but some sort of spambot?


Not I,...he's actually a really cool dude who just happens to listen to a lot of good stuff!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Piano Concerto No. 1*. I haven't listened to this recording that much, for some reason; Oskaar spurred my interest.










Then on to *Bartok's 2nd String Quartet* by the Emersons.


----------



## Aramis

Tapkaara said:


> Does anyone else get the feeling that Oskaar is not a real person but some sort of spambot?


Yes, I do - but he's progressing, he even started to notice that you can actually talk to people through this forum. Another two-three months and he may even write something to someone by his own initiative.


----------



## teej

*Current Listening...BArtokl Violin Concertos*

Just purchased this particular recording after hearing several others. Beautiful playing by both the soloist and the orchestra, and a very well balanced recording.


----------



## jalex

*Bach: Six Flute Sonatas*










These sonatas are absolutely fantastic, some of the few flute pieces which really should be heard by everyone regardless of their interest or lack of it in the instrument. It has been remarked that the almost equal treatment of the bass and upper keyboard lines with the flute makes these in some ways closer to trio sonatas than sonatas for solo instrument with accompaniment. The slow movements display a level of melodic invention perhaps not immediately associated with Bach but truly remarkable, especially in the sixth sonata. The first is the most obviously great work, largely due to the magnificent first movement, but all are fairly substantial despite their brevity. The striking thing about them is that they offer, to me at least, a side to Bach's music I haven't really heard anywhere else. Bennett's playing is first class throughout.

*Haydn: String Quartets Op 76 Nos. 1&2*










Commented on this set already. Excellent playing though I prefer the more agressive sound of Quatuor Mosaiques in the first movement of No 2. Both sets are worth having.

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25*










Haven't listened to Ashkenazy's Mozart in a while so I decided to give it another spin. It doesn't compare too badly to Perahia's; Ash has the lovely light touch required though sometimes I find the interpretation a little dry.

As for the 25th concerto, I reckon it to be one of Mozart's best, beaten only the 20th. It's shocking to see it sometimes left off these 'Great Piano Concerto' compilations (though the choices are often odd: I've seen ones lacking 23, 24 and 27 as well).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*MacKenzie, Benedictus*, from the CD British Music on Hyperion. It's labeled as like Barber's Adagio 50 years before Barber wrote it. I wouldn't go that far.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Sonata For Solo Violin No. 1 In B Minor, BWV 1014
Bach: Partita For Solo Violin No. 1 In B Minor, BWV 1002
Bach: Partita For Solo Violin No. 2 In D Minor, BWV 1004*

Man do I love this set! - have listened to this one many times before and now listening to Disc 1 








[/b]


----------



## Manxfeeder

After listening to The Sacred Music Series, Episode 2, about Palestrina (



), I've put on his Stabat Mater by Pro Cantione Antiqua.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving this a second focused listen. _The Firebird_ is an interesting mix of elements that are clearly rooted in the tradition of Russian Romanticism with moments that are quite definitely leaning toward Modernism... but it never crosses over into the realm of the shattering innovations of the _Rite of Spring_. The work as a whole is quite lovely... with aspects of the exotic and the pastoral. What especially strikes me is the "transparency"... the manner in which the composer rarely hits you with the massed forces of the orchestra, but rather moves from one small grouping of instruments to another... in often unexpected ways. In the Strauss/Sibelius debate some have suggested that Strauss reached his peak early and then regressed (an idea which I wholly reject). I do, however, suspect something similar of Stravinsky. He never seems to hit the same level as these early ballets: _The Firebird, Petrouchka, The Rite of Spring_, and even _A Soldier's Story_.

What is truly fascinating is the contrast between Stravinsky and the other composer on this disc, Alexander Scriabin. The difference between the two can even be read in their portraits:










Stravinsky looks all the world like the sophisticated, urbane/urban, composer... a Modernist innovator, ironist and great wit. One could imagine him comfortable in the company of Oscar Wilde, Proust, Diaghilev, and Matisse.










Scriabin, on the other hand, is of the old guard Romantics... Irony and wit hold no place in his music which is of absolute sincerity and visionary self-expression. I imagine him far more in the company of Tolstoy, William Blake, and perhaps Picasso... always arguing... and drinking.:lol:


----------



## violadude

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Giving this a second focused listen. _The Firebird_ is an interesting mix of elements that are clearly rooted in the tradition of Russian Romanticism with moments that are quite definitely leaning toward Modernism... but it never crosses over into the realm of the shattering innovations of the _Rite of Spring_. The work as a whole is quite lovely... with aspects of the exotic and the pastoral. What especially strikes me is the "transparency"... the manner in which the composer rarely hits you with the massed forces of the orchestra, but rather moves from one small grouping of instruments to another... in often unexpected ways. In the Strauss/Sibelius debate some have suggested that Strauss reached his peak early and then regressed (an idea which I wholly reject). I do, however, suspect something similar of Stravinsky. He never seems to hit the same level as these early ballets: _The Firebird, Petrouchka, The Rite of Spring_, and even _A Soldier's Story_.


Hmm I'm surprised you don't like Symphony of Psalms, given your "speciality" in vocal music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Oh... actually I do quite like the _Symphony of Psalms_... although I like the Rite more. I even like _Les Noces_... although that is far more challenging and doesn't engage me as much as his earlier work.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: English Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806
Bach: English Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807
Bach: English Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808*


----------



## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> Does anyone else get the feeling that Oskaar is not a real person but some sort of spambot?


No, I don't think Oskaar is a spambot, although of course you're joking, nor is he a troll or whatever. I agree with kv466 -



kv466 said:


> Not I,...he's actually a really cool dude who just happens to listen to a lot of good stuff!


I have enjoyed reading what Oskaar listens to, that's the point of this thread. I have replied to some of his things and he has replied back on this thread. This thread is probably my favourite on this forum, I like posting here & like reading other's posts here...


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> No, I don't think Oskaar is a spambot, although of course you're joking, nor is he a troll or whatever. I agree with kv466 -
> 
> I have enjoyed reading what Oskaar listens to, that's the point of this thread. I have replied to some of his things and he has replied back on this thread. This thread is probably my favourite on this forum, I like posting here & like reading other's posts here...


Plus it is where people come to only talk about what they like. So this thread is probably one of the least negative thread in the forum.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Quiet City.* Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92.* Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works have Mstislav Rostropovich leading the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Sid James

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet #4 in D major, "Fandango"_
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders Quartet / Chari Saldana, castanets
(ABC Classics)

*L. Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet in E minor, G. 451_
Zoltan Tokos, guitar
Danubius Quartet
(Naxos)

Boccherini is a firm favourite of mine now, esp. his chamber music that I've heard so far, but I've got a disc of his cello concertos waiting in the wings for a first listen yet, which should be very interesting.

*Dvorak*
_Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto)

The coda, which includes a lullaby like bit, brought tears to my eyes, this was written just after the composer's mother died, it is a very powerful work of reminiscence and thanksgiving for her life. A bit sentimental perhaps but it's nothing but genuine and heartfelt, there is not much hint of artifice here.

*B. Britten*
_Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10_
Bournemouth Sinfonietta / Richard Studt, cond.
(Naxos - English String Music)

Premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 1937, which was then a hotbed of new music before von Karajan with some help from _The Sound of Music_ turned it into a shrine to Mozart after the war, this is the work that put the young Britten in the international spotlight. An amazing tour de force going through the whole gamut of emotions and techniques. Just brilliant, and I'd hazard a guess it was influenced somewhat by the Berg work I listened to next, which was by that time more than a decade old. Britten actually wanted to study with Berg but his dream was never realised. Frank Bridge was Britten's teacher, and the theme that forms the basis of this work is from his pen, the work is said to be a musical portrait of Bridge.

*A. Berg*
_Lyric Suite for string quartet_
New Zealand Quartet
(Naxos)

Had a breakthrough with this the other day & now I can hear more unity in this, some type of theme or sequence coming up in the middle 4 movements esp., the outer two movements are like neutral bookends more or less, like a prologue and epilogue, they do not make any comments on the "meat between the sandwich" it seems...


----------



## science

That says "Medtner" and we're listening to the 2nd Piano Concerto.


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## StlukesguildOhio

The delicious orchestral song cycle, _Les Nuits d'été_, truly sold me on the prospect that Berlioz was indeed a major composer. I fell in love with this work to such an extent that I rapidly picked up upon several alternative recordings. Among these, I absolutely had to have the exquisite Véronique Gens, who I already loved in any number of other recordings. An absolutely splendid and sensuous performance.


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## hespdelk

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I finally hit upon a Mayaskovsky recording that immediately resonated with me. Both his final symphony and the cello concerto are quite beautiful... quite moving. I had picked up a few other recordings of his symphonies at random... recorded by Evgeny Svetlanov... and these did little for me. I'll certainly give them another listen... but at the same time I thinking that contrary to statements by the Myaskovsky fans it just may be that like Shostakovitch... and many others... not all of his symphonies were created equally... not all of them are masterpieces. This one, however, is damn good!


I've done a partial exploration of the works of Myaskovsky and still haven't come to a proper assessment of it all.. he was very prolific and the pieces range from top rank to, well, somewhat forgettable..

I don't think it was possible to write 27 symphonies in the 20th century and have them all be indisputed masterpieces... the form had come a long way from when such prolific creation was commonplace. There are some brilliant ones in the set though - and I still have many to explore. There is a complete set that Svetlanov recorded (his second complete set) that is supposed to be excellent but is also quite rare.. haven't been able to track it down yet!


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## science

Request of the wife. Something I haven't heard in a long time! Love the harp though. Gotta get myself to Prague sometime.


----------



## Sid James

hespdelk said:


> I've done a partial exploration of the works of Myaskovsky and still haven't come to a proper assessment of it all.. he was very prolific and the pieces range from top rank to, well, somewhat forgettable...


Myaskovsky's cello concerto, which I've got, is a strong work but (as the notes say to the EMI disc I've got, played by "Slava" Rostropovich) it's style is not more advanced than Glazunov or Elgar. It was written in the mid-1940's. It is as emotionally powerful as Elgar's in some ways, but musically it's the more modernist cadenza at the end that really grabs me on terms of intellectual/technical level. I think this work does move me deeply, esp. in terms of seeming to mirror the war which cost so many Russian lives, the reprise of the earlier main theme at the end does speak to a sense of hope or light at the end of the tunnel. But in terms of innovation, this is not moving music forward, but that doesn't necessarily matter for me or every listener, it depends what you want or value, etc. It is a memorable work though, very memorable, and I find myself craving it from time to time, it gives an emotional release a bit like the Elgar concerto does.

The other work I have by him is the_ Sinfonietta for string orchestra_, which is very much like Tchaikovsky, it has a similar feel to his _Serenade for Strings_. It certainly would be an apt coupling on a cd with that, despite being composed decades later, it shares the same vibe, but on the Naxos disc I have it's with Shostakovich's _String Quartet #8_ (trans. Barshai for string orch.) which is definitely a work of it's time unlike the Myaskovsky one which looks back, esp. in terms of style. But it's a good coupling, contrasting the lighter Myaskovsky work followed by the very intense Shostakovich.

That's all I've got from Myaskovksy, I'm now in more of a solo instrumental & chamber phase, so if I do get anything by him, it'll be either a piano sonata or string quartet, I've seen some on compilations of various Russian or modern era composers which might be worth exploring, dip my toes into the water so to speak...


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## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104, *performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I just love Classical wind music (i.e. think of Mozart's _Gran Partita_ etc.) They wrote real wind music, not farts. 

Here are two I picked up recently. *Franz Anton Hoffmeister* (1754-1812). Consortium Classicum (CPO label).


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## hespdelk

Sid James said:


> Myaskovsky's cello concerto, which I've got, is a strong work but (as the notes say to the EMI disc I've got, played by "Slava" Rostropovich) it's style is not more advanced than Glazunov or Elgar. It was written in the mid-1940's. It is as emotionally powerful as Elgar's in some ways, but musically it's the more modernist cadenza at the end that really grabs me on terms of intellectual/technical level. I think this work does move me deeply, esp. in terms of seeming to mirror the war which cost so many Russian lives, the reprise of the earlier main theme at the end does speak to a sense of hope or light at the end of the tunnel. But in terms of innovation, this is not moving music forward, but that doesn't necessarily matter for me or every listener, it depends what you want or value, etc. It is a memorable work though, very memorable, and I find myself craving it from time to time, it gives an emotional release a bit like the Elgar concerto does.
> 
> The other work I have by him is the_ Sinfonietta for string orchestra_, which is very much like Tchaikovsky, it has a similar feel to his _Serenade for Strings_. It certainly would be an apt coupling on a cd with that, despite being composed decades later, it shares the same vibe, but on the Naxos disc I have it's with Shostakovich's _String Quartet #8_ (trans. Barshai for string orch.) which is definitely a work of it's time unlike the Myaskovsky one which looks back, esp. in terms of style. But it's a good coupling, contrasting the lighter Myaskovsky work followed by the very intense Shostakovich.
> 
> That's all I've got from Myaskovksy, I'm now in more of a solo instrumental & chamber phase, so if I do get anything by him, it'll be either a piano sonata or string quartet, I've seen some on compilations of various Russian or modern era composers which might be worth exploring, dip my toes into the water so to speak...


Its been years since I've heard the cello concerto - I admit it did not grab me back then, but it may be time for a reassessment - may have to track down the Rostropovich! His violin concerto is also lovely.

In terms of style, I have found Myaskovsky to be fairly flexible - he doesn't appear to have had a dogmatic adherance to any one style, though he has a very distinct personal voice. He was never ashamed to pursue his romantic and nationalist roots, though many of his works are in a harsher more angular style that kind of gives me the impression of a russian Hindemith..

I personally find him at his best when in his most dark hued russian garb.. then again I love that style in general. 

I am not familiar with them at all, but speaking of chamber works Myaskovsky also composed a large number of string quartets. There is a complete set on Melodya, and no doubt a host of other versions out there...


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## hespdelk

This has been a recent discovery for me, and a pleasantly surprising one too. The disc contains six orchestral works (two are concertante pieces with solo violin) by Cataldo. While all the pieces show the composer's personal voice, there is some surprising variation in style between them. Recommended!


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## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7 In C# Minor, Op. 131*

I noticed that member Samurai has been playing this one a bit lately so I decided to give it a spin as i don't know it very well - Im glad I did it's a wonderful Symphony and at least as good as the 5th, which I am reasonably familiar with


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## Sid James

Some *Mozart* to wind up the weekend here -

_Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478_
Ingrid Haebler, piano with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orch.
(Philips, coupled with Mozart's other PQ)

My parents listened to these piano quartets when I was a kid, this has been the first time I've heard this work for ages. It is in Mozart's favourite dark key of G minor, same as with those two great symphonies of his. This was the first work to write for a combination like this in a chamber like manner, not treating the piano with strings format as a mini-concerto. Funny how it's in three movements like a concerto though. A great work which I aim to revisit in the following week, as well as the other piano quartet on this disc.

_String Quartet #17 in B flat, K. 458, Hunt_
Chilingirian String Quartet
(Regis, coupled with his _Dissonance_ Quartet)

A very enjoyable work in many ways, I esp. like the "to die for" slow movement, so emotionally arresting, and the vigorous and spritely counterpoint of the final movement. These guys play it with zest and a sense of conversationalism, it's all so absorbing, gets better every listen...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting my Sunday morning with God in the Cathedral and God in Nature: *Palestrina's Missa Benedicta es* by the Tallis Scholars and *Beethoven's 6th* by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Here are two I picked up recently. Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812). Consortium Classicum (CPO label).










What I love about Spotify is being able to really sample the music of some composers (entire discs) before purchasing. Right now I'm listening to Hoffmeister's clarinet quartets. I think you would really like them. They are truly delicious confections... worthy of playing along-side Mozart's and Weber's clarinet work.

The classical period (Mozart, Haydn, early Beethoven, Bach's kids, Stamitz, etc...) is undoubtedly the period I am least familiar with outside of Mozart, Haydn, etc... I've been putting a lot of effort into broadening my grasp of the Baroque, but I think I need to look at this period more.


----------



## Tapkaara

Danses fantastiques by Loris Tjeknavorian - Loris Tjeknavorian/Armenian S.O.


----------



## Vaneyes

Emerson providing a powerful, at times broody, conclusion to LvB SQs.


----------



## Vaneyes

hespdelk said:


> I've done a partial exploration of the works of Myaskovsky and still haven't come to a proper assessment of it all.. he was very prolific and the pieces range from top rank to, well, somewhat forgettable..
> 
> I don't think it was possible to write 27 symphonies in the 20th century and have them all be indisputed masterpieces... the form had come a long way from when such prolific creation was commonplace. There are some brilliant ones in the set though - and I still have many to explore. There is a complete set that Svetlanov recorded (his second complete set) that is supposed to be excellent but is also quite rare.. haven't been able to track it down yet!


Having heard most of them, I agree as far as his symphonic output being uneven. I see no reason to be a completist...I enjoy what I have, which at the moment is seven of twenty-seven.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Civil War Re-enactors are about to have a battle in the park about a mile from my house, so I'm getting ready to amble over there. *Barber's First Essay for Orchestra* is a fitting tribute.


Who won the battle?


----------



## Vaneyes

hespdelk said:


> Not my overall favourite in these pieces, but Pollini always delivers a powerful and thoughtful performance.


That facial expression I could punch. More Vilde, oskaar.


----------



## Oskaar

kv466 said:


> Not I,...he's actually a really cool dude who just happens to listen to a lot of good stuff!


Hehe, Thanks Kv466! In fact... I have a lot of time to listen to music! And I love it! And I like to share my exploring.


----------



## Oskaar

Tapkaara said:


> Oskaar- Is this the only thread you participate in? You obviously listen to a lot of music, why not discuss in in more detail in other threads instead of staying here and telling us what you just heard it and that you like it?


It is mostly here I partisipate. I dont feel that I know enough to participate in other threads. It will come. And I have a short musical memory. Most of the komments I write here is in the moment, while listening. The only "Bot" about me is that I often use a translater from norwegian to english, since Expressing feelings and thoughts about music in english is difficult. And I cut and past "The Black" writing from my growing database. (I need to systemise my listening a bit, since spotify has way to many options, and I forget what I have been listening to.) And I am a messy person, so I stick mostly to this thread at the moment. I was participating in a few others earlier.. and I hopefully will in the future


----------



## Oskaar

Aramis said:


> Yes, I do - but he's progressing, he even started to notice that you can actually talk to people through this forum. Another two-three months and he may even write something to someone by his own initiative.


I hope I will also... It is only lack of knowledge... I am quite new to spotify. I can talk about the weather, my Daughter, and much more. But classical music is difficult since I have a short musical memory, and feel that I know to little. But for the moment I try to express my feelings when I listen to music, and I try not to gap ower to much. This thread suits me, and I hope that some people (I KNOW that some people) appreciate that I share what I listen to, and my small comments. But Invite me to some threads, or suggest some threads to me, but I can not promise posting. I dont want to make an impression of knowing more than I do.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> That facial expression I could punch. More Vilde, oskaar.


 Yes, He really looks like a spoiled son of a billionaere. Vilde shall be!


----------



## Oskaar

*Vilde Frang*


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## Oskaar

*Vilde Frang*


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## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Maria Kliegel
Antoni Wit (Conductor), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...13YS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316346786&sr=8-1

Nice and energetic version of this fine and energetic concert. Wonderful band, especially in the more low-key parties. Beautiful and sensitive cello! I am particularly fond of the second movement. Beautiful!


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## Oskaar

Dmitri Shostakovich

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*
Excellent version! Quite good sound and good interplay between orchestra and piano. Possibly some harsch piano. The concert is wonderful! Not very challenging, as Shostakovich can be. (I like him when he is challenging too!)

*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*
I both like and not like this concert. Very energetic and great variations. But there are some scenes with a little monotonous, "military play."

Artists
Dmitri Alexeev/Philip Jones/English Chamber Orchestra/Jerzy Maksymiuk




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...RGUO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100587&sr=8-2


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## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: String Sextet In D Minor, Op. 70, "Souvenir De Florence"
Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 3 In Eb Minor, Op. 30*

This set of Tchaikovsky Chamber Music is a recent aquisition - I have been very suprised and pleased at the quality of the Music here!. The Souvenir De Florence is wonderful and I wish I had heard this work earlier. The 3 String Quartets are also of high quality. Overall I am very pleased I aquired this set - The performance by the Endellion Quartet is great too and the sound very good.


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## Oskaar

No bad feelings for those commenting on me. BUT I think that those peple that actually POST in here, (and then I meen the purpose of the thread) accept me for what I am AND they have read what I have said earlier about short musical memory, new to classical music, and so on. But "BOT" is a nice thing to be! Then I have succeded in my attempt to be more structured!


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## jalex

*Mozart: Symphonies 39 and 40*










Got the Mozart itch at the moment, and I'm revisiting some of his well known pieces I haven't listened to for a while. Mackerras gives a breathtaking account of these two Mozart symphonies; I had forgotten just how turbulent the G minor symphony is, and this one knocked me off my feet. The first movement needs no comment. The second provides _some_ respite from the relentless turmoil but is also extremely chromatic. And the anger is still here; there is a strikingly dissonant moment in the exposition section when the flute plays an accented, forte Cb against an accented, forte Eb major chord in the rest of the orchestra. The harmony in this movement is exquisite.

The third is by long way the best minuet and trio to come from the Classical period, a real powerhouse; the sharp violin stabs flying out of the counterpoint in the minuet section are as aggressive as anything Beethoven ever wrote, and the gorgeous trio section with it's six bar phrases and captivating scoring provides a wonderful contrast. Ending the minuet section quietly with just a solo flute playing the melody was a true stroke of genius. In my absence I somehow gained the impression of the fourth movement as a bit lighter than the rest of the symphony. That didn't last long.

*Beethoven: Symphony 8*










Something a bit more cheerful to end the evening on, Beethoven's raucous 8th in a superb performance conducted by Haitink. I continue to be astonished at how underrated this symphony is, probably because of it's cheerfulness. Not all fun and games though, the first movement contains one of the longest continuous fortissimos in the standard repertoire. The second and especially the fourth movements are ingenious creations.


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## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Elmar Oliveira
Conductors: Gerard Schwarz




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...PIG4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316160393&sr=8-2

This is a very exciting concert .. playful and virtuoso fiddle and wonderful orchestra. Very good sound! And the performance is Trolly and very sensitive. The violin is gorgeous, and Oliveira plays with very good empathy!










Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 129: Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor*

Artists
David Oistrakh; Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra; Kyril Kondrashin




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...EE/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1316352605&sr=8-20

Maybe not the best sound here, but very good performance. The concert is magical!


----------



## Tapkaara

Ivan the Terrible by S. Prokofiev - V. Gergiev/Rotterdam Symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

Some bands give the first two a cursory run-through. Not so here.


----------



## science

In this thread, somewhere back in the page 50s or so, people were talking about this, bringing it to my attention for the first time. Now I'm listening to it for the first time, and I have never enjoyed anything by Strauss so easily.


----------



## science

Tapkaara said:


> Ivan the Terrible by S. Prokofiev - V. Gergiev/Rotterdam Symphony


Heard it like a week ago, and already I can't remember anything except that as I listened I remember thinking it was better than Alexander Nevsky.


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## Huilunsoittaja

I could literally rave about this recording. It's soooooooooooooooo good!!!!!!


----------



## starthrower

Re: Vilde Frang 

Relieving a bit of sexual tension are we?


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## Sid James

jalex said:


> ...
> Something a bit more cheerful to end the evening on, Beethoven's raucous 8th in a superb performance conducted by Haitink. I continue to be astonished at how underrated this symphony is, probably because of it's cheerfulness. Not all fun and games though, the first movement contains one of the longest continuous fortissimos in the standard repertoire. The second and especially the fourth movements are ingenious creations.


I remember a musician here talking of Beethoven's 8th on radio, and she said something to the effect that it was the most innovative of all his symphonies. Esp. in terms of what he does with the sonata form in the first movement, if my memory of her interview is right. I'm not a musician able to follow along with scores, etc., but I do love this work a lot. Esp. the parody of the newly invented metronome, it also reminds me of Haydn's _Clock_ symphony. Beethoven's 8th is definitely not lightweight, nor is his 4th, which I find quite substantial & challenging as well in many ways, it's like looking back to Haydn & Mozart but not exactly like them at all, it's a hybrid of sorts of old and new...


----------



## Sid James

*@ oskaar,* your answers to the "criticisms" made sense to me, you're basically a gentleman. You just keep doing what you're doing. There's no rule here on this forum that you have to post in one thread or two or ten or a hundred. If you're comfortable sticking to this thread, fine by me. Actually, as I said, it's one of my favourite threads of this forum, and your posts are part of that for sure...


----------



## Sid James

*A. Piazzolla*
_Le Cuatro Estaciones Portenas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)_ (arr. J. Bragato)
Macquarie Trio, Australia: Nicholas Milton, vln., Michael Goldschlager, cello, Kathryn Selby, pno.
(ABC Classics)

Piazzolla at his most atmospheric & in some ways, impressionistic.

*B. Britten*
_Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10_
Bournemouth Sinfonietta / Richard Studt, direction
(Naxos - English String Music)

One of my favourite works for massed strings, apart from things like R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings_. Hearing them live is a treat, their firm foothold in the repertoire is well deserved imo, although you do get idiots leaving during interval before they are played as the final item live in concert, but it's their loss, fully and utterly.

*I. Stravinsky*
_Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Octet for Wind Instruments_
Netherlands Wind Ensemble / Edo de Waart, cond.
(Philips Eloquence)

Two works I haven't heard for a while. I like how Maestro de Waart and his musicians play them with a fair amount of whimsy and fun.

*A**. Hovhaness*
_Return and Rebuild the desolate places, Op. 213
Prayer of St. Gregory, Op. 62b_
John Wallace, trumpet / Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama Wind Orch. / Keith Brion, cond.
(Naxos)

A controlled chance outburst in the first work always grabs me by surprise, spine-chilling stuff, but it doesn't last long. Otherwise, there's Hovhaness usual mix of counterpoint and an Eastern & Armenian vibe.


----------



## science

Now listening to the Poème de l'amour et de la mer, the last thing I haven't heard yet from this set.

Earlier, I should've specified that I was listening to the Oboe Concerto.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo. *All works feature Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France led by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## violadude

My listening session today started with *Keyboard suite no. 7 in d minor* by Mr. Purcell here. Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was played on a harpsichord. The first movement was a long and stately Alemande, with tons and tons of dotted rhythms. Mr. Purcell did love those quite a bit. But some of the harmonic twists were quite nice. My favorite was the middle movement, a Courante. It sounded kind of like a double to the Alemande, but it was really fierce and energetic and there was lots of cool counterpoint among the different layers of voicing. Not imitative counterpoint, but a much more subtle brand that you have to listen more closely for. The last movement was a "Hornpipe." It was a cool movement, but really disappointing as far as the entire work is concerned. It was only 0:48 while the other movements were 4:33 and 1:22, so it sounded like a footnote to the piece rather than its concluding paragraph, quite disappointing indeed.










Next on my list was *Langgaard's 15th symphony, sub-titled "The sea storm.*" Now I don't particularly like this guys music all that much, but I decided why not give it a try anyway. Why I picked the 15th symphony? Well don't ask me, ask Itunes shuffle.  
Anyway, my honest to goodness thoughts about this symphony were that it had some awesome musical material. There was a really cool fugue-like section, some cool orchestral effects and nice lyrical writing in the strings in the first movement that really impressed me actually. What Langgaard really fails to do in my opinion is wrap all this material together in a way that makes sense. In other words: his structure kind of sucks.  Anyway, like I said, really awesome material in the 1st movement, put together horribly (as far as I can tell), I didn't know where he was going, it sounded like he took the material and cut and pasted things together. Then the second movement was this really pleasant dance...right in the middle of a tumultuous first movement and the "adagio funebre" 3rd movement. I guess the idea was that this was our little break from the action movement...but it wasn't really that long to be an intermezzo that worked. It was only 1 minute long, so it really just sounded like an awkwardly placed, out of place melody, and then right on to the third movement. The third movement was pretty good. It sounded really sad which is appropriate for a funeral adagio, but it also sounds kind of disjunct, having the same problem as the first movement of not being able to hold the material together. There's also a quote from one of the main melodies of the first movement, which I thought was kind of cool actually. The fourth movement introduces a choir, which was nice and refreshing, especially since the orchestral writing I didn't think was particularly good in this movement. There's some really god-awful repetition in this movement, but the newness of the choir fixes that right up. However, since all the movements were kind of disjunct in the first place, I failed to see this movement as a closing or summing up of the last movements, it just kind of sounded like another random piece in this really scattered symphony. Anyway, the ending was pretty exciting at least.










Finally on my listening list, we have *Reger's early "Quartet in d minor (1888-1889).* This quartet is particularly interesting because Reger adds a string bass to the last movement, giving it a dark massive hue. This was definitely my favorite piece that I listened to today. I may be pointing out the obvious here, but Reger really does remind me a ton of Brahms, especially early on here before he fully formed his own voice. He's got that, heavy, dark thick Germanic, chromatic middle-late Romantic sound definitely. The first movement of this piece was awesome. Not only was the material good, but the development was long and juicy, with plenty of things to sink your teeth into, which is my kind of development section, and something I miss quite a bit when listening to the shorter and tamer development sections of Classical Era composers. The recap had the perfect balance of repeating the exposition, and changing the material of the exposition so it's not boring. The second movement was pretty, nothing that special about it as far as I can remember but it was nice. The third movement, while not as structurally pleasing as the 1st movement I guess, was really exciting, especially the ending, which is a blast. The sound of the string bass really adds a lot to the texture. This was a really cool piece overall, I thought.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Where am I?


----------



## Sid James

Thanks for your thoughts *violadude*, I agree re Purcell & Reger, their music can be very rewarding, but I don't know those specific works (chamber as well, right my type of thing!).

As for this -



violadude said:


> ...Next on my list was *Langgaard's 15th symphony, sub-titled "The sea storm.*" Now I don't particularly like this guys music all that much, but I decided why not give it a try anyway. Why I picked the 15th symphony? Well don't ask me, ask Itunes shuffle.  ...


That's one of the symphonies I remember getting on disc a while back, took it back to the store after a couple of listens. I didn't make such a detailed anaylsis as yourself, but I agree about the gist of your criticisms. My gut impression of this and the other symphony on that disc (same recording, it was just sold seperately) was that they were like R. Strauss rehash, and not very good rehash at that (eg. Max Bruch is like a rehash or polyglot composer, but he did it so well, you forget whilst listening to his music, it kind of becomes less relevant due to his facility, fluency, skill, etc.). Recently I have listened to Langgaard's _Music of the Spheres _on youtube, it was much better, an earlier work from about 1918, I wonder why he didn't continue exploring more interesting avenues like that, he obviously had the talent, ability, skills, etc. he just chose to go down the path of regurgitation.

As for his bitterness re Nielsen getting all the limelight at the time - the same disc even included a bonus track with a 2 minute choral work that was like a bitter rant against Nielsen or the Danish musical establishment or whatever - fact of the matter is that Nielsen could run rings around Langgaard in so many ways, though usually I don't like to make these kinds of comparisons, but here I can't resist.

It's good though that you're listening to music you don't necessarily like, giving it a chance, but I'm less patient nowadays, I've streched myself as much as I can, now I am kind of settling into what I know I'll have a fair chance of liking or at least middling with, if my initial reaction is "this is cactus" I just don't have the energy to rectify that feeling anymore, right or wrong...


----------



## science

Cannot comment on this. I've heard it 3-4 times before, but it defies any description I can give. Yet I'll try - it's postmodern, people blowing through their instruments, making sounds that are not meant to be enjoyed naively or sentimentally.

Innarestin.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *Both works are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *with Michael Schonwandt conducting the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## jalex

Sid James said:


> I remember a musician here talking of Beethoven's 8th on radio, and she said something to the effect that it was the most innovative of all his symphonies. Esp. in terms of what he does with the sonata form in the first movement


Yeah, there are some strange formal things going on eg. he modulates to the 'wrong' place for the second theme the first time it is given in the strings, then sort of 'apologises' and backtracks to the correct key (he goes to the sub-mediant (F major -> D major) instead of the dominant (F major -> C major) if anyone is interested). I picked up a Beethoven symphony analysis by Tovey in a bookshop yesterday, he says about that modulating passage 'I can think of no other passage in music where, if the composer had left it unfinished at that point, it would be less clear how to continue'.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm back on Spotify... listening to an enjoyable disc of French music for orchestra and saxophone. The composers include Ibert, Ravel, Milhaud, Florent Schmidt, etc... The music often seems to cross over from traditional "classical" into elements of cabaret, jazz, and popular music.


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## Conor71

*Rachmaninov: Trio Elegiaque No. 1 In G Minor
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio In A Minor, Op. 50, "In Memory Of A Great Artist"*

I've been listening to a bit of Tchaikovsky the last couple of days and thought I'd put this one on - I've played this Disc quite a few times but for some reason the Music never sticks in my memory! Not sure why as on the surface its quite good Music!.
The Trio playing here is an all-star line up - I feel a bit sorry for Lang Lang with all the criticism he cops on the internet forums I read!. In any ways he is fine here and the performances of these pieces are good


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## Sid James

*@ jalex* - Thanks for your reply re Beethoven's Sym. #8. Seems what info you've come across & your understanding of the score, that musician I heard on radio here knew what she was talking about. I'll need to get it out, currently I only own it on vinyl LP, I think under Maestro Maazel, otherwise my mother has a recording of it on cd, which I can lend from her.

*@ conor* - I think the Tchaikovsky trio is a great work, very moving, I heard it live last year (in a recital with the Ravel trio you were listening to before, would you believe, it was very good programming). I recently got a recording of the Tchaikovsky on the alto label played by the Rosamunde Trio of Prague, I've been enjoying their Dvorak disc on that label lately. Anyway, I plan to listen to the Tchaikovsky (& coupled Shostakovich 2nd trio, which I haven't heard yet ever), soon, but I'm still absorbing the Dvorak. These things take time, these are profound works.

& BTW, I think Lang Lang is okay, he's like a soft target, if anything I'm not a big fan of Mischa Maisky doing chamber music, he tends to do it on steroids, too beefy like a concerto, which is not to my taste (& ask any musician worth their salt - usually that approach is wrong or now seen as like outdated). Mr. Maisky is a good player in concerto format, eg. with orchestra, but as a chamber player I find him too big for his boots, so to speak. But maybe he's okay on that, I haven't heard that disc, and I am not very familiar with Vadim Repin's work at all...


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## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> I could literally rave about this recording. It's soooooooooooooooo good!!!!!!


This is my first introduction to the piece. Thanks!


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## Vaneyes

Takacs Quartet Haydn (Hyperion) is on the heels of Auryn Quartet Haydn (Tacet). I'm currently sampling from TQ's Op. 71 and Op. 74. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. For those interested, Presto Classical's homepage has a blurb on a TQ recording session.


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## Oskaar

starthrower said:


> Re: Vilde Frang
> 
> Relieving a bit of sexual tension are we?


 Maybe  But is was answer to a request, and a bit of mild humor.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sibelius - Lemminäinen suite

Youtube listen - dunno performers.


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Thanks for your thoughts *violadude*, I agree re Purcell & Reger, their music can be very rewarding, but I don't know those specific works (chamber as well, right my type of thing!).QUOTE]
> 
> A personal sidestreet. I've found Reger more challenging than rewarding. I went through a good chunk of him...orchestral, concerti, chamber, solo. Most were akin to lots of mileage, but no destination. The only keepers were orchestral with Salonen, Zagrosek, Jarvi, and piano solo with Hamelin.


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## Oskaar

SID! Thanks for nice words. I dont see it as criticism, more curiosity over a guy, hyperactive in one thread, and not present in others. Maybe I would have been to. I love to be social on the net, so that is not a matter. But I feel comfortable beeing in this group right now, since I am so active in discovering, not only works and composers, but also good performances. And when you hear something for the first time...it is difficult to participate with strong meenings in lets say the Schumann group. But it will come.

And to all others that "like" my posts. I appreciate it! I dont count (forum counts them for me!) or collect "likes", but it is nice anyway...I like "likes". It is also a minimalistic way of communication.

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...ZOJI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317125828&sr=8-6

Very strong and beautiful version of this great symphony. Incredibly nervous. I wish the sound was a bit better.










Work 
*Sibelius: Piano Trio in C ('Lovisa Trio'), JS 208*

Artists	
Juhani Lagerspetz




http://www.amazon.com/Early-Chamber...378J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315672808&sr=8-1

Strong and clear sound, but a bit harsh piano. Fine and imaginative trio. 










Work 
*Sibelius: Piano Trio in D- ('Korpo Trio'; unfinished), JS 209*

Artists	
Jaakko Kuusisto
http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Comp...985I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1315672937&sr=8-4

Beautiful trio! Catchy and melodic. The sound is almost perfect, and the performance is very good. I particularly like the violin. Very warm and sensitive.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105*

Artists	
Ilya Kaler
Boris ****sky




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Viol...13ZN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935273&sr=8-1
I love Schumann! He has real depth without being too heavy. Expressions wise he lies perhaps between Brahms and Schubert somewhere. Maybe a little closer to Brahms, but he has a melodiøsitet, and intensity in his store, which I have been very fond of.

This is a wonderful sonata! Brilliant performed. The violin is again the winner. Virtuosity, depth and sensitivity. The sound is also pretty good.










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121*

Artists	
Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U9RQE6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935074&sr=8-1

Excellent sound! These violin sonatas are quite superb, and this is perhaps the best. And here is the performance again excellent, and then it is a delight! The interplay between the violin and the piano is superior.










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.3 in A-, WoO.27*

Artists	
Jennifer Koh
Reiko Uchida




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935399&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Beautiful sonata this too. Reiko Uchida plays beautifully Good sound!


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## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.3 in Eb, Op.97 ('Rhenish')*

Artists	
Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, Kurt Redel




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Rhei...OXJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319985000&sr=8-1

Kind of half-way sound ... But the orchestra is good. I think the symphony is very colorful. Very SYMPHONY, but not heavy and sad. But the performances are perhaps a little heavy. There is room for more playfulness.










Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.4 in D-, Op.120*

Artists	
Neville Marriner
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...XVXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319814064&sr=8-1

Kind of tame sound. Symphony is fabulous. I wonder a little that Schumann is rarely mentioned among the great. He has the most in my opinion. Not too heavy and not too light. The performance is ok


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## Dodecaplex




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## Dodecaplex




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## Dodecaplex




----------



## Vaneyes

Listened to Feltsman and Gilels Opp. 109, 110, both pianists being of the more pensive school of Beethoven. On these occasions, Gilels seemed less so--closer recording, greater use of dynamics, though the TTs were a couple of minutes longer.

Then moved on to Rostropovich & Britten's famous Schubert Sonata recording, where Britten seemed only adequate, after the Russian keyboardists. I may be too harsh.


----------



## Conor71

*Stravinsky: Petrouchka
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 In Bb Major, Op. 83, "War Sonata No. 2"
Webern: Variations For Piano, Op. 27
Boulez: Piano Sonata No. 2*


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## jalex

*Mozart: Piano Concerto 23*










*Rachmaninoff: All Night Vigil*

(See attachment)

Polyansky's is by some way the best version I have ever heard of the finest piece Rachmaninoff ever wrote. Very spiritual, haunting and moving. Personal highlights are the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 11th movements. I find the quality tails very slightly in the last four movements but nowhere near enough to spoil the work. The sustained high standard of lyricism and harmonic invention are very impressive.

Youtube sample of this recording (and what a magical final cadence):


----------



## Vaneyes

For me, the Naxos label is mostly successful with post-1900 composers. The five exceptions shall be played back to back to back to back to back.


----------



## Sid James

*@ vaneyes *-* re Reger*, I've only got the Naxos disc with his clarinet quintet & one of his SQ's, I think it's the last one. I esp. like the former work, the slow movement is very song like, like a song for clarinet. I remember the final movt. of the SQ as very contrapuntally dense, a bit like Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge_. I've also got a Naxos disc with some of Reger's organ works, a couple of preludes & fugues, and I remember then as pretty spectacular, kind of like showpieces for organ, not dissimilar to say Widor of the same period, but Reger is more heavy and Germanic...


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## Sid James

*Xenakis*
_Akrata for 16 wind instruments
Achorripsis for 21 instruments_
Instrumental Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Paris / Konstantin Simonovich, cond.
(EMI - from 2 disc set)

The first work, quite minimalistic, with an outburst two thirds through, leading to a rather dark and foreboding conclusion. The second work with his trademark glissandos, the outburst comes right towards the end here, & it kind of settles down in a way. I will talk at length about this set in more depth on the Xenakis thread, once I'm finished listening to all of it bit by bit.

*Jazz et cinema, vol. 2* (Jazz in Paris series)
_Les tricheurs_
- Jazz at the Philharmonic
_Des Femmes disparaissant_
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
_La bride sur le cou_
- Georges Arvanitas quintet
(Universal/Gitanes)

It's been ages since I've heard this, three film scores from the 1950's & '60's featuring jazz music. The highlight is Blakey's set, he was a master with the drums, the opening track his muted used of cymbals like a fog, and also great solos by his illustrious colleagues here. As for the last set, pianist Georges Arvanitas, this was for a low budget Brigitte Bardot film, as the rather racy _Brigitte Strip Blues_ attests to.

*A. Hovhaness*
_Sym. #4, Op. 165_
Royal Scottish Ac. of Music & Drama Wind Orch. / Keith Brion, cond.
(Naxos)

The outer movements here feature brass, the middle faster one for percussion only. Some interesting controlled chance effects in the final movement, giving a hint of chaos to Hovhaness' otherwise ordered combination of counterpoint and Eastern harmonies/tunes.

*A. de Lhoyer*
_Duo Concertante in C major, Op. 31 #2_
Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli, guitars
(Naxos)

The first movement, quite vigorous, reminding me of Beethoven (whose work Lhoyer probably knew, the notes say) & the slow movement having the elegance and poignancy of Mozart.


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## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The *8th* is done by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are conducted by Carlo Giulini.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}, *performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Evgeny Mravinsky.


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## violadude

Vaneyes said:


> Sid James said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your thoughts *violadude*, I agree re Purcell & Reger, their music can be very rewarding, but I don't know those specific works (chamber as well, right my type of thing!).QUOTE]
> 
> A personal sidestreet. I've found Reger more challenging than rewarding. I went through a good chunk of him...orchestral, concerti, chamber, solo. Most were akin to lots of mileage, but no destination. The only keepers were orchestral with Salonen, Zagrosek, Jarvi, and piano solo with Hamelin.
> 
> 
> 
> Reger is very difficult, so dont feel bad! lol
Click to expand...


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## Manxfeeder

Pergolesi, Stabat Mater, by Robert King and The King's Consort.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I wonder a little that Schumann is rarely mentioned among the great. He has the most in my opinion. Not too heavy and not too light. The performance is ok

Oskaar... I'm one with little doubt as to Schumann's merits... but then again I'm also highly enamored of vocal music and Schumann stands only behind Schubert in the lieder department. On the other hand... I will admit that I was one who once questioned Schumann's orchestral works... until I heard the symphonies played by John Eliot Gardiner and George Szell (one HIP the other "old school"). Both brought out the brilliance in these works and played them with the intensity worthy of Beethoven, Schubert, or Brahms.

Currently listening to:










Ernest Fanelli (1860-1917) was mentioned in the (in)famous autobiography of the self-styled "Bad Boy of Music", George Antheil. Antheil lived in Paris from 1923 to 1927, rented a small apartment above Sylvia Beach's legendary Shakespeare and Co bookstore rue de l'Odéon, befriended Ezra Pound and everybody of note in the Parisian cultural scene of those days. His first composition teacher in Philadelphia, Constantine von Sternberg, a former pupil of Liszt, had told him of an Ernest Fanelli, who he claimed had invented musical impressionism, only to see his "invention" plagiarized by Debussy and Ravel (that was meant disparagingly against the two latter composers). Antheil was of course more than sceptical but, on his arrival in Paris, "decided to investigate the Fanelli case". After some sleuth work he found the family's address, only to discover that the composer had died a few years earlier. Fanelli's widow let Antheil peruse some manuscripts and scores (including the present "Tableaux symphoniques".

Antheil writes:

_I soon discovered that Constantine von Sternberg had been right, at least in one regard: the works of Fanelli WERE pure "Afternoon of a Faun" or "Daphnis and Chloe", AT LEAST IN TECHNIQUE, and they predated the Debussy-Ravel-Satie works by many years. BUT, as I also soon discovered, they were not as talented as the works of the two slightly younger men although they had had the advantage of being "firsts"._

The music does NOT sound like a harbinger of Debussy and Ravel. What it does evoke is much more Dukas' _Sorcerer Apprentice_, or the sultry atmospheres of Schmitt's _Tragédie de Salomé_, Ibert's _Ports of Call_, Griffes' _The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla-Khan_, 1912), or even the _orientalism_ of Bantock's _Sapphic Poem_ and _Omar Khayyám_. The music is clearly an offshoot of the exotic middle-eastern inspired Romanticism of St. Saens' _Samson_ or even Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_. Ultimately, Fanelli is no Debussy or Ravel or Rimsky-Korsakov. This music is far closer to the lush bombastic _orientalism_ of Bantock with its elements suggestive of grand Hollywood film scores for films such as _Lawrence of Arabia_)... but as such it is quite fun to listen to... as is Bantock or the great Hollywood film score.


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## Dodecaplex

*Two forgotten Romantic masters*


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## StlukesguildOhio

I wouldn't say that Alkan is really "forgotten" anymore. Like Scriabin, he is one of those composers whose work has been rediscovered and revived and championed by a good many performers and music lovers. The fact that Marc-Andre Hamelin has seen fit to record much of Alkan's work speaks volumes.


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## Dodecaplex

Until that Symphony in B minor is found, I won't be satisfied. So I'm still calling Alkan forgotten.


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## Vaneyes

Franck Violin Sonata with Kremer & Maisenberg. And his underheard piano music performed by Hough.


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## Manxfeeder

I'm reading Tovey's comments about *Haydn's Quartet Opus 1, No. 1*, and following up with the Kodaly Quartet's recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This set showed up on Spotify so I had to give it a listen. Absolutely f***in' fantastic!! An essential collection for anyone with a love of "early" (ie. medieval) music... such as myself.

The editorial review in Amazon.com states:

Catharism was the name given to a Christian religious sect that appeared in the Languedoc region of what is now southern France and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Cathars saw matter as intrinsically evil. They denied that Jesus could become incarnate and still be the son of God and thus, the Catholic Church regarded the sect as dangerously heretical. Faced with what they saw as a rapidly spreading cancer, the Church called for a crusade, which was carried out by knights from Northern France and Germany and was known as the Albigensian Crusade. This campaign, and the inquisition that followed it, eradicated the Cathars completely. It also had the effect of weakening the semi- independent southern principalities in the area, ultimately bringing them under direct control of the King of France. Occitania, once a crossroads of many cultures, was one of the victims of the Albigensian Crusade. Occitania s refined culture culminated in the troubadour tradition, which subsequently spread to Italy, Spain and Greece. Related movements sprang up throughout Europe: the Minnesingers in Germany, trovadorismo in Galicia and Portugal and the trouvères in northern France. On this album, Jordi Savall not only explores the classical period of the troubadour school from around the turn of the 13th century, but also provides us with a comprehensive historical and artistic background of this Golden Age. It is time we remembered this forgotten kingdom where much of what we call Western culture was incubated.

The music of this lost culture is not only brilliantly explored through Savall's performances... but also in the form of the lavish illustrated book that accompanies this set of discs. I will be certainly looking forward to purchasing this in the not-so-distant future.


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## Vaneyes

By the time he was 32, Daniel Harding had two out of two impressive Mahler releases. Mahler 4 with Mahler CO, 2005. Mahler 10 with VPO, 2008. Mahler 5 could be next, since he conducted it three times in Tokyo last summer. Hopefully, the quality of orchestra can be maintained.


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## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Samuel Barber--*Adagio For Strings, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Walter Piston--*Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4, *featuring the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.


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## violadude

The night started out with *Eduard Tubin's Symphony #2 "Legend"*. This is a very epic sounding symphony, and also very quirky in form. It starts with a first movement that has an introduction that takes up almost half the movement. It starts out very mysterious, with nebulous, but also beautiful, chords in the high registers of the strings. The introduction builds and builds to a fantastic climax and after that comes the first movement proper, which I thought was the only disappointing part of this symphony. I'm not sure why, but the thematic material didn't seem very strong to me. Maybe I need to listen to it in a different way though, it sounded like Tubin was building tension and climaxes with little theme and lots of orchestra, if you know what I mean. There is a big climax to this section as well and it dies down beautifully. The first movement leads directly into the second movement. Tubin reminds me a lot of Sibelius the way he is able to build tension and climaxes using dramatic but subtle orchestral effects and sustaining those climaxes for long periods of time. This is skill is ever more apparent in the magnificent second movement. The entire movement is built around the beats of the timpani, regularly beating I-V-I-V, one of the most common things a timpani can do, but there is nothing common about this movement. Around this beating I-V, all the instruments slowly build up to an earth shattering climax that is sustained for quite sometime, with the timpani still pounding out I-V. It is a great movement. The third movement is not connected to the other two, in that there is a break between the 2nd and 3rd movements. The 3rd movement is a long and exciting toccata. Tubin once again shows a magnificent ability to build to fantastic climaxes and sustain them perfectly. The toccata begins with few instruments, playing tiny cells of what will become the entire 3rd movement, over an ostinato. From there it just builds and builds and builds all from these little cells until it reaches a very satisfying climax, all still based on 1 or 2 little cells that were played at the beginning of the movement. After this climax is reached, there is a long more relaxed section with lots of solo violin. It still sounded like it was based on the cells at the beginning of the 3rd movement, or based on something I had heard earlier in the movement. The main toccata action then builds itself up again for one more wild ride until the music takes a turn and quotes the mysterious opening once again. This time around though, it sounds less mysterious and very beautiful and peaceful. It is a great ending to this great, and underrated symphony.










Next thing I listened to was *Darius Milhaud's 2nd piano concerto*. I think I have said a couple times on this forum that I think Milhaud piano concertos are dearly underrated. They aren't big serious piano concertos, but they are plenty fun and very inventive, and on the right occasion, very beautiful. This concerto has two short, fun movements on the outside. Sandwiched between these is an achingly gorgeous "Romance." The first movement has a lot of really quirky but very attractive melodies, with lots of counterpoint from the other instruments. It becomes just a joy to listen to. As I said, the second movement is just gorgeous. The melody first introduced on the piano is so beautiful, as well as the harmonies that goes with it, and it just keeps getting better. It is not over the top at all, but a very soft kind of beauty. I might even post a youtube link if I can find it. The 3rd movement starts out stately, almost a humorous kind of stately, but soon turns into a very fun, jazzy, rhythmic movement that amazingly incorporates that stately theme within all the rhythmic inventiveness.





 Here it is if anyone wants to listen to it. This is the whole concerto on one video, but that gorgeous 2nd movement starts at 3:40










Finally, I listened to *Heitor Villa-Lobos' 3rd string quartet*. To anyone who likes string quartets, please please please please please!! do NOT miss out on these string quartets. They are wonderful. Again, none of them have a very serious tone, but every single one is so imaginative and inventive. Villa-Lobos builds beautiful sound worlds and harmonies with these string quartets that are unique to only him. The sound and effects he is able to pull out of these strings sounds like magic, seriously. Not only that, but the thematic material is always 1st rate, as is the development and treatment of that material. Villa-Lobos does every trick in the book, augmentation, diminution, Bach-like counterpoint. These are wonderful string quartets, so please don't miss out. Anyway, the 3rd was really good. The first theme in the first movement is actually a theme that keeps returning throughout the entire quartet. It is transformed to varying degrees in this movement, always using lush Villa-Lobos harmonies. The second movement is a fun pizzicato movement, with lots of really really rapid pizzicato. The main theme from the first movement shows up a couple times in this movement. The third movement is really pretty, like most of the slow movements. I think there are other slow movements in the Villa-Lobos string quartets that are more gorgeous than this one, but this one is good too. I believe the main theme is hinted at but not played entirely in this movement, but Im not sure. The fourth movement is very dashing, vigorous and full of excitement. The main theme eventually gets played in this one too. The movement then rushes to an exciting finish. Great quartet! Great composer. I'm lovin' it lol





 Here is the first movement of VL's 3rd string quartet. The sound quality is pretty bad though so you cant fully hear his magical harmonies and beautiful sound world lol.


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## science

> Next thing I listened to was *Darius Milhaud's 2nd piano concerto*. I think I have said a couple times on this forum that I think Milhaud piano concertos are dearly underrated. They aren't big serious piano concertos, but they are plenty fun and very inventive, and on the right occasion, very beautiful. This concerto has two short, fun movements on the outside. Sandwiched between these is an achingly gorgeous "Romance." The first movement has a lot of really quirky but very attractive melodies, with lots of counterpoint from the other instruments. It becomes just a joy to listen to. As I said, the second movement is just gorgeous. The melody first introduced on the piano is so beautiful, as well as the harmonies that goes with it, and it just keeps getting better. It is not over the top at all, but a very soft kind of beauty.


Sold!

(10 characters)


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## violadude

science said:


> Sold!
> 
> (10 characters)




Does that mean you liked it? Did you listen to the video?


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## Shostakovichiana

Schoenberg's "Verklarte Nacht" (with Karajan/ Berlin philh.) has left me bitterly regretting: why did I never take up the viola instead?  The work is so dark and gives you an "empty" feeling inside.. it's very strong and claustrophobic: imagine being locked up in a dark room, banging on the walls, trying to get out.. (The third movement is one of the most depressing works of music I've ever heard- the light in the violins being crushed by the hopelessness in the darker strings..). But then; the last two movements, the poem sees redemption, and you finally see some hope, a light, forgiveness. I could die happily to this music. 4th mvt. easily leaves you crying.


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## science

The Sibelius.

I love Hilary Hahn. I mean, her music. (I met her; my father thought she had a crush on me; she had no such thing; I'm sure she cannot remember me now.)


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## Sonata

Beethoven's ninth symphony: I am near the completion of my first listen-through of Beethoven's complete symphony cycle. I I listened to the second movement on my drive to work, and I hope to listen to the 3rd and 4th while I do some paperwork.


----------



## schigolch

_Canzonetta spirituale sopra alla nanna_, by Tarquinio Merula.






_Hor ch'è tempo di dormire 
Dormi figlio e non vagire 
Perche tempo ancor verrá 
Che vagir bisognerà 
Deh ben mio, deh cor mio fa 
Fa la ninna nanna na.

Chiudi quei lumi divini 
Come fan gl'altri bambini 
Perche tosto oscuro velo 
Priverà di lume il cielo 
Deh ben mio, deh cor mio fa 
Fa la ninna nanna na.

Over prendi questo latte 
Dalle mie mammelle intatte 
Perche I minnistro crudele 
Ti preppara aceto e fiele 
Deh ben mio, deh cor mio fa 
Fa la ninna nanna na.

Amor mio sia questo petto 
Hor per te morbido letto 
Pria che rendi ad alta voce 
L'alma al Padre su la Croce 
Deh ben mio, deh cor mio fa 
Fa la ninna nanna na.

Posa hor queste membra belle 
Vezzosette e tenerelle 
Perche puoi ferri e catene 
Gli daran acerbe pene 
Deh ben mio, deh cor mio fa 
Fa la ninna nanna na.

Queste mani e queste piedi 
Ch'hor con gusto e gaudio vedi 
Ahime, com'in varii modi 
Passeran acuti chiodi

Questa faccia gratiosa 
Rubiconda hor più che rosa 
Spuri e schiatti sporcheranno 
Con tormento e grand'affanno

Ah con quanto tuo dolore 
Sola speme del mio core 
Questo Capo e questi crini 
Passeran acuti spini

Ah, ch'in questo divin petto 
Amor mio, dolce diletto 
Vi sarà piaga mortale 
Empia lancia e disleale

Dormi dunque figliol mio, 
Dormi pur, Redentor mio 
Perche poi con lieto viso 
Si vedrem in Paradiso

Hor che dorme la mia vita 
Del mio cor gioia compita 
Tacia ognun con puro zelo 
Tacian sin la terra e'l Cielo 
E fra tanto io che farò 
Li mio ben contempierò 
Ne starò col capo chino 
Sin che dorme il mio Bambino._

This piece was written for a collection of works for continuo and voice, _Curtio precipitato et altri Capricij Composti in diversi modi vaghi e lagiadri a voce sola_, published by Merula in Venice, in 1638. Under the form of a lullaby the Virgin is singing to the infant Jesus, we can also hear many forebodings of the Passion, ant the torments that will be inflicted upon Jesus.


----------



## Vaneyes

String Quartets back to back to back--Janacek 1, Ravel, Britten 1.


----------



## chrislowski

science said:


> The Sibelius.


Great cd, I love her Brahsm & Stravinsky Concerto's too.


----------



## chrislowski

I adore Celibidache at anything he touched!


----------



## Sonata

So disappointed . I have been listening to Beethoven's ninth and really enjoyed the first three movements...and then the first few minutes of the fourth. Then the singing started. It was so jarring and harsh to me, and took me completely out of the music. The singing was no surprise, I had read about this symphony. I am sincerely hoping that it was this particular rendition alone. Otherwise it has been second only to the 6th in Beethoven's symphonies for me. Can anyone else recommend a version of the ninth with quality singing, and perhaps a softer tone? I really enjoyed the singing in Mahler's Resurrection, so it isn't the singing in a symphony itself that detracts me.


----------



## jalex

Sonata said:


> So disappointed . I have been listening to Beethoven's ninth and really enjoyed the first three movements...and then the first few minutes of the fourth. Then the singing started. It was so jarring and harsh to me, and took me completely out of the music. The singing was no surprise, I had read about this symphony. I am sincerely hoping that it was this particular rendition alone. Otherwise it has been second only to the 6th in Beethoven's symphonies for me. Can anyone else recommend a version of the ninth with quality singing, and perhaps a softer tone? I really enjoyed the singing in Mahler's Resurrection, so it isn't the singing in a symphony itself that detracts me.


Which version do you have?


----------



## Sonata

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001NBIYAS/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=163856011&s=dmusic

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the version, though I am a relative newb to serious classical music listening.

Not sure how to make the url an image, sorry


----------



## jalex

Sonata said:


> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001NBIYAS/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=163856011&s=dmusic
> 
> Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the version, though I am a relative newb to serious classical music listening.
> 
> Not sure how to make the url an image, sorry


I dunno that version. What do you think of Wand's?






The singing is supposed to be a bit 'rough' in this movement, though not harsh.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.47*

Vilde Frang/WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Thomas Søndergård




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Conc...EIRE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320775942&sr=8-1

Vilde has a very charming approach to this great concert: Maybe she is quite incomplete as a violinist, but I'm impressed! Lots of personality and sensitivity in her game. Great orchestra. Good sound.










Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Comp...Q450/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1317126452&sr=8-7

Pretty good sound. Nice and powerful orchestra. The work requires some power, but it is also lyrical and stemnigsfull. Lahti s.o. and Vänskä handle both fine. This is a symphony, to really love!


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Piano Concerto In G Minor, Op. 33
Schubert: Fantasy In C Major, D 760, "Wanderer"*

I've been replaying this one a few times since yesterday trying to get the Music to sink in! - Somehow I'm finding the Piano Concerto a bit underwhelming! Not the fault of the Music of course 
The performances on this Disc are great though - plenty of excitement in the Concerto particularly. I think this Disc will click for me when Im in the right mood for it.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sonata said:


> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001NBIYAS/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=163856011&s=dmusic
> 
> Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the version, though I am a relative newb to serious classical music listening.
> 
> Not sure how to make the url an image, sorry


I think that that is the version I have. I quite enjoyed it.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sibelius - En Saga

Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## Conor71

*Verdi: String Quartet In E Minor
Strauss (R): String Quartet In A Major, Op. 2*

A change of pace and back to listening to Chamber Music - this is a very nice Disc and the Quartets here are both interesting with good moments. The performances and sound are great, as usual, for a Hyperion Disc


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 String Quartets, Op.41 no 1 in a minor*

Artists	
The Alberni String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Stri...RH7K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1318686069&sr=8-5

Maybe a bit too much treble in the recording, and a little background hiss. Otherwise, an excellent recording. Great balance and interplay of the ensemble, and the quartet itself is very enjoyable!










Work 
*Schumann: 3 String Quartets, Op.41 no 2 in f major*

Artists	
Eroica Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Stri...1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318685950&sr=8-3-fkmr0

Wonderful sound! Nice and melodic quartet. Very balanced and good performance, with very good interaction.










Work 
*Schumann: 3 String Quartets, Op.41 no 3 in a*

Artists	
Montreal Players, Jean-Philippe Tremblay




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Stri...AT1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318685831&sr=8-1

Again, lovely sound! Wonderful varied and melodious quartet. At the same time deep and very expressive. Hard to say what I like best of the three. All are great. Must be listened to more!


----------



## Sid James

Shostakovichiana said:


> Schoenberg's "Verklarte Nacht" (with Karajan/ Berlin philh.)...The work is so dark and gives you an "empty" feeling inside.. it's very strong and claustrophobic: imagine being locked up in a dark room, banging on the walls, trying to get out.. (The third movement is one of the most depressing works of music I've ever heard- the light in the violins being crushed by the hopelessness in the darker strings..). But then; the last two movements, the poem sees redemption, and you finally see some hope, a light, forgiveness. I could die happily to this music. 4th mvt. easily leaves you crying.


I didn't connect with von Karajan's take on that work. I more recently got the Orpheus Chamber Orch's recording on DGG and it's more nuanced and colourful. I found von Karajan's too dark and stodgy, it made me think I disliked Schoenberg, but truth is, I disliked that recording. Pity because it made me avoid the work, incl. live in concert, for like 15 years. Anyway, all is good now, I know what happened. But agreed, von Karajan does do the dark to light thing very well at the end, the lightbulb goes on very vividly, it's just like the previous 25 or so minutes that I found not very palatable...


----------



## Oskaar

Dmitri Shostakovich

Work 
Shostakovich: Op. 10: Symphony No. 1 in F minor

Artists	
*American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein*




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...JMC2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316085080&sr=8-2

It has taken some time to like Shostakovich's symphonies, except the fourth, which I liked right away. (and I have for the time being only categorized the first four, and I listen mostly to what I have categorized as not to get mad with Spotify vast range.) But now I know that I like the symphony, at least! Adventurous and varied. Possible I was not in the mood to listen to the last. It has a lot to say.
Great performance, really close and good orchestra. They get to experience every detail and nuance. And very good sound!










A very vague and unfocused start. But I'm in the mood to listen to Shostakovich's symphonies, like now, then I experience a fabulous nerve. The first movement soon get more focused. Very atmosphaeric play and interplay beetwen a seeking, sensitive violin, and a vibrant orchestra.
The second starts vocal. And the choir is impressing.
Very good sound! Performance is also good,,, Very energetic, and distinguishes well between the various parties, instruments, and the work's nuances are well presented. Even in more "caotic" parts, it is destinguished well. Really reccomended!

*Shostakovich: Op. 14: Symphony No. 2 in B major*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...J0/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1316085977&sr=8-17


----------



## jalex

*Berlioz: Harold en Italie*










Great performance of this great work. Although _Harold_ is somewhat overshadowed by _Symphonie Fantastique_ (not entirely unjustly; I think SF is a more inspired and exciting composition even if it is a bit less consistent), it remains one of the best symphonies of the Romantic period. As usual Berlioz's command of the orchestra is total, and fascinating to hear (I recommend anyone with even the slightest interest in theory to read these excerpts from his famous _Treatise on Instrumentation_, full of wonderful insight: http://www.hberlioz.com/Scores/BerliozTreatise.html. Even for non-musicians I think there is a lot to gain from reading that). The slow fugue which opens the first movement is harmonically exquisite; Berlioz had a particular hatred for 'academic' style fugues and this is a brilliant example of his preferred highly expressive style.


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Violin Sonata In Eb Major, Op. 18
Respighi: Violin Sonata In B Minor*

Some more chamber music from Strauss - this is an equally beautiful Disc to the last!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I didn't connect with von Karajan's take on that work. I more recently got the Orpheus Chamber Orch's recording on DGG and it's more nuanced and colourful. I found von Karajan's too dark and stodgy, it made me think I disliked Schoenberg, but truth is, I disliked that recording. Pity because it made me avoid the work, incl. live in concert, for like 15 years. Anyway, all is good now, I know what happened. But agreed, von Karajan does do the dark to light thing very well at the end, the lightbulb goes on very vividly, it's just like the previous 25 or so minutes that I found not very palatable...


IIRC engineering was a problem on that HvK recording. I culled it, and eventually found and kept Philharmonia/Sinopoli for that work, coupled with Pelleas et Melisande. Re Karajan Schoenberg, I think Variations for Orchestra Op. 31 is more successful than Verklarte Nacht.

Playing the Sinopoli now.


----------



## kv466

Johann Fasch - Quartet for 2 Oboes and 2 Bassoons 
Ingo Goritzki & Burkhard Glaetzner, oboe
Thomas Reinhardt & Lutz Klepel, bassoon


----------



## Vaneyes

If you have a Chopin Waltzes CD sitting on your shelf gathering dust, it probably isn't this one. Tharaud's scrambled them to his personal preference, and brought them into the 21st century, with an added bonus from Mompou. The sound, the sound...c'est magnifique!


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles-Marie Widor*

Work 
*Widor: Widor: op 50 Violin Sonata No.1*

Artists	
Janet Packer (Artist), Orin Grossman




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...W1IP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315740677&sr=8-1

I have not managed to capture many works of Widor on Spotify, and only one version of each. But I love what I have! Violin Sonata is wonderful and romantic atmospheric, while light and playful. Very melodious! The andante is very, very beautiful! The sound is quite good , and the performance is quite very good.










Work 
*Widor: op 80 Cello Sonata*

Artists	
Annegret Kuttner piano
Peter bruns cello




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...R87M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315741400&sr=8-1

This is very beautiful music! Wish Widor had more to offer on spotify but organ music. I'm not so fond of it, at least not currently. Wonderful sonata. Dramatic and colorful. And the lyrical and sensitive. Excellent Performance, brilliant cello. The sound could have been better.










Work 
*Widor: op 19 Piano Trio*

Artists	
Prunyi (Artist), New Budapest Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/WIDOR-Piano-T...9KUK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315742922&sr=8-2

A little "closed" sound. But Widor impresses again with a delightful trio. Fine performances.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## kv466

Brahms - Violin concerto in D, op. 77
Christoph von Dohnanyi conducts The Cleveland Orchestra, Joshua Bell violin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Palestrina, Missa Benedicta es*, by the Tallis Scholars. Also Josquin's Motet of the same name, which they threw in free.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Following Manok's lead, I'm listening to *Bruckner's Symphony No. 1*, by Georg Tintner.


----------



## Vaneyes

Spurred onward by the Schoenberg talk, playing the "Variations" first, then Webern, then Berg. I've always been surprised that HvK recorded this stuff...and on that note, it's more about curiosity than him pushing any atonal envelope. Others have done that more convincingly. Need I name names? Oh, okay, Boulez, Dorati, Gielen, etc.


----------



## opus55

DrMike said:


> I love Alsop's Barber orchestral works cycle on Naxos. One of the jewels of that label! The violin concerto is one of my favorite works by Barber.


I like the Barber orchestral works vol. 1. I should get vol 2 as well.

I'm listening to Shostakovich Symphony no. 13 for the first time.


----------



## Sid James

*@ VAneyes*, re Sinopoli, I have got him doing R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen_, & have heard a friend's disc of him at the helm of Wagner's _Tannhauser_ (with Domingo in the title role). I like Sinopoli's kind of detachment, but he isn't dry, just less obviously involved than some others. He's not projecting himself into the music, or not much, he's just letting the music speak for itself. Some criticise his work as lacking emotion, but I think these things are relative, he does have emotion but it's not on steroids like some others. BTW, I also have von Karajan conducting the same R. Strauss work, & I like that too, but it is more dark than Sinopoli's account. It's a pity that Maestro Sinopoli died so young (around 50), I think he was a very fine conductor...


----------



## Sid James

*S. Prokofiev*
_Sonata for solo violin, Op. 115_
Ruggiero Ricci, violin
(Decca Eloquence 2 disc set)

Some rough playing here, deliberately like country fiddling, but the slow movement is very lyrical, and not very ironic at all, he kind of dropped that cliche in the middle movement. This was written for David Oistrakh but he refused or didn't play it for some reason. Mr. Ricci was the one who gave the American premiere of this, and here he plays it with real vigour but also refinement when he needs to. The recording quality is very good for something like over 50 years old.

*Album: Jazz et cinema, vol. 3* (Jazz in Paris series)

_Les loups dans la bergerie_
- Original soundtrack of Herve Bromberger's movie, all compositions by Serge Gainsbourg / Alain Goraguer, arrangements & on piano with his orchestra

_Les tripes au soleil_
-Original sountrack of Claude Bernard-Aubert's movie / Andre Hodeir, composer, leading his _Le Jazz Groupe de Paris_ with guest vocalist Christiane Legrande (soprano)

_The connection_
- Soundtrack of Jack Gelber's play, all compositions by Freddie Redd / Daniel Humair (drums) with his _Soultet_, incl. Eddy Louiss, piano / Rene Urtreger, arrangements
(Universal / Gitanes)

An interesting collection. Highlights are the wierd kind of atonal singing by Christiane Legrand (the wife of the French composer, Michel) & also the brilliant drum solo in the last set by Daniel Humair, as well as Eddy Louiss' piano playing which is rare, he was more known as an organist. I also like the obligatory bar scene, _Cha cha cha du loup_, from the first set here, quite groovy and memorable, a bit of an earworm.

*A. Hovhaness*
_Sym. #53 "Star Dawn," Op. 377_
Royal Scottish Ac. of Music & Drama Wind Orch. / Keith Brion, cond.
(Naxos)

I'm beginning to hear American hymn tunes in this more now, which a friend pointed out before, prior to that I mainly heard the Armenian & Eastern vibes.


----------



## opus55

Okay.. I don't get this at all now but I'll listen anyways


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have to thank Harpsichord Concerto for introducing Franz Hoffmeister earlier on this thread. Intrigued I looked him up on Spotify, but rather than finding the wind serenades that HC had purchased, I came across this absolute delicious disc of clarinet quartets that I am now listening to for the third time (Its already in transit from Amazon).










I also listened to this disc, which I found equally marvelous:










Again, I am more than certain that the Classical Era will be in for a re-evaluation and rediscovery of forgotten composers much as we have been witnessing for some time with the Baroque.


----------



## science

Just finished that monster.










Starting this one.


----------



## science

This is about the wildest music I think I can get away with in the presence of the wife. It's possible that "Et expecto" is my favorite Messiaen work.

Now, giving the poor woman a break:










Yesterday I listened to Hahn play this, and I love Heifetz too. One or the other should be fine, but...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Aaron Copland--*Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, *featuring organist E. Power Biggs and the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, *performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## violadude

Started out with Korngold's first string quartet. This piece is in a very post-romantic, early Schoenberg kind of musical language. Though it doesn't seem as wrapped up in the dark expressionism of the early 20th century as early-ish Schoenberg was eg. Erwartung, 2nd string quartet. It is quite a bit more "sunny" to my ears. The first movement has a lot of really lyrical themes, but the very first theme is really zany sounding. It surprised me when I first heard it. There are some cool development stuff in this movement. I liked it quite alright. The 2nd movement struck me as very optimistic. It doesn't start out that way I guess, but later there are a lot of soaring melodies with sweet, tender harmonies underneath. The 3rd movement is expectedly humorous. I heard a lot of tempo shifts and quirky, swirly melodies. The finale was my favorite I think. It starts out simple enough, but Korngold does a lot with what he gives us. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good quartet, but far from my favorite, but still really good. 










I have to admit, I was having a super off day today as far as listening. I was having so much trouble concentrating for some reason. I know I'm not alone with this feeling, it is so frustrating when I want to listen to music but I just cant concentrate for whatever reason. That being said, this probably wasn't the best day to listen to Penderecki's St. Luke's Passion...

Anyway, what struck me most about this piece was how ancient it sounded, even though it was using 20th century techniques. There was a lot of switching back and forth between really chaotic "avant-garde" sections and very static plainchant sections. Many parts were very beautiful in an eerie sort of way. I liked the strange modern counterpoint in the voices of the chorus. Anyway, I should listen to it again soon when I am having a better time concentrating. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. I was getting annoyed with all the switching back and forth between super intense and super static, but I'm sure it is merely because I was having trouble concentrating as that kind of thing doesn't usually pose a problem for me.


----------



## science

Le marteau sans maître - meh. It's ok, but go for Boulez' Dialogue de l'ombre double first. That's a really good work.










Deus ex machina - again, meh. It's ok, but Metropolis Symphony is so much more fun it's no wonder they didn't even put Deus ex machina on the cover.










SQ #1 is next.


----------



## violadude

science said:


> SQ #1 is next.


I have that recording. SQ 1 is a blast. Everything developing from the very first theme. SQ 2 is quite a different beast, but just as good.


----------



## science

violadude said:


> I have that recording. SQ 1 is a blast. Everything developing from the very first theme. SQ 2 is quite a different beast, but just as good.


I agree, it is a lot of fun. This is the first time that I've heard it, but I will spend some time with this one.


----------



## Sid James

violadude said:


> ...
> 
> Anyway, what struck me most about this piece was how ancient it sounded, even though it was using 20th century techniques. There was a lot of switching back and forth between really chaotic "avant-garde" sections and very static plainchant sections...I was getting annoyed with all the switching back and forth between super intense and super static, but I'm sure it is merely because I was having trouble concentrating as that kind of thing doesn't usually pose a problem for me.


I haven't heard that work but I know what you mean re the confusion sometimes caused by the mixing of styles in a very contrasting less "smooth" kind of way. Penderecki isn't like that for me but Martinu is to a degree. Eg. in his piano concertos, kind of Romantic Brahmsian ideas rub shoulders with more brittle sonorities reminiscent of eg. Bartok & Prokofiev. I remember ages ago listening to one of these works back at home & my mother literally asked me whether Martinu was crazy, composing something as mixed up as this in terms of style.

But you're right, if you can't concentrate it makes it worse. & I often have music overload, I'm getting it more and more now, it esp. comes if I've been to a live performance, my mind is still back in the vibe of the concert.

*@ samurai *- I like Boulez's _Le Marteau_. I have it with Robert Craft at the helm, done in the 1950's. I see it as a kind of extension of Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire_ in some ways. I like the rich use of percussion & the winds & the way he uses the rhythms/syllables of the text as basis for the music, as well as the imagery. But it is quite intense so I rarely listen to it, it is a very concentrated work. I also like Boulez's piano sonatas, esp. the first one, to the point, short but so full of atmosphere, although the other two are also great.

...As for the Ligeti SQ's I like them too, it's been a while since I've heard them. I'm not listening to as much experimental things now as before. I esp. like the first SQ, and the 2nd SQ has a movt. very similar to one in his _Chamber Concer__to_, where it's like the sound of machines out of control in a factory, bizarre...


----------



## science

(And now for something completely different...)










Hey, this _is_ interesting!


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> I like Boulez's _Le Marteau_. I have it with Robert Craft at the helm, done in the 1950's. I see it as a kind of extension of Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire_ in some ways. I like the rich use of percussion & the winds & the way he uses the rhythms/syllables of the text as basis for the music, as well as the imagery. But it is quite intense so I rarely listen to it, it is a very concentrated work. I also like Boulez's piano sonatas, esp. the first one, to the point, short but so full of atmosphere, although the other two are also great.
> 
> ...As for the Ligeti SQ's I like them too, it's been a while since I've heard them. I'm not listening to as much experimental things now as before. I esp. like the first SQ, and the 2nd SQ has a movt. very similar to one in his _Chamber Concer__to_, where it's like the sound of machines out of control in a factory, bizarre...


It's interesting how 1st impressions change over time. This was my first time with both works - let's see how I feel c. 2016....

And now:










So far I've only listened to the smaller works, not yet the concertos - but I am loving it. I went through a Mendelssohn phase about 2-3 years ago, where I was in love with the lightness of his music. Besides Mozart and maybe sometimes Chopin, who else made such feathery music? It's like dancing with fairies in a world of cotton and pastel. Not that there's no drama, in fact there's plenty of excitement, but there's no darkness. It's fun all the way through.










This is not what I was expecting - so far anyway...


----------



## Vaneyes

GG, Bach to Bach.


----------



## science

Got to admit, I can't do the WTC in a single sitting. Four hours of it... too much for me.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Got to admit, I can't do the WTC in a single sitting. Four hours of it... too much for me.


Only about three and a half...give it another try.


----------



## science

Vaneyes said:


> Only about three and a half...give it another try.


I can do it in 2-3 sittings, and that's good enough for me!

I don't have Gould, but before I get it, I'd like to hear it on harpsichord.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> *@ VAneyes*, re Sinopoli, I have got him doing R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen_, & have heard a friend's disc of him at the helm of Wagner's _Tannhauser_ (with Domingo in the title role). I like Sinopoli's kind of detachment, but he isn't dry, just less obviously involved than some others. He's not projecting himself into the music, or not much, he's just letting the music speak for itself. Some criticise his work as lacking emotion, but I think these things are relative, he does have emotion but it's not on steroids like some others. BTW, I also have von Karajan conducting the same R. Strauss work, & I like that too, but it is more dark than Sinopoli's account. It's a pity that Maestro Sinopoli died so young (around 50), I think he was a very fine conductor...


I have GS for Maderna and the aforementioned, that's it. I wouldn't mind having the "Pictures" he did with NYPO. More for the hornplay than anything. The interp's a little soft, but interesting.
IIRC, DG terminated his contract shortly before his fatal heart attack.

Metamorphosen with Barbirolli, only because it's coupled with Mahler 6. I haven't thought enough about the work to seek another. Karajan's is touted by many--can't recall whether the analogue or digital is preferred. He also did it in '47 with VPO for EMI.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.47*

Madoka Sato
Folke Gräsbeck




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Viol...sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320775734&sr=8-3-spell

Arrangement for piano and violin. Something is missing, of course, but in the intense interplay between violin and piano, new exciting aspects of this work is appearing.. Masterful performance. A little too intense and squeaky violin, otherwise pretty good sound.










Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Petri Sakari (Conductor), Iceland Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...DMYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317126361&sr=8-2

Not very good sound, which makes the experience a bit tame. But good and dedicated orchestra. Great dramatic alternations, and good projection of instruments and instrument groups.


----------



## Vaneyes

My favorite ASZ rec, along with Reiner's...though it's not one of my favorite R. Strauss compositions. Those would be "Till", Death & Transfiguration, and "Alpine".


----------



## jalex

science said:


> Got to admit, I can't do the WTC in a single sitting. Four hours of it... too much for me.


Not sure why you'd particularly want to, I never get the impression that one can get more out of it by listening to it that way. I listen to two, three, four (occasionally up to about seven) preludes and fugues in one sitting fairly often, that's enough for me.


----------



## Vaneyes

jalex said:


> Not sure why you'd particularly want to, I never get the impression that one can get more out of it by listening to it that way. I listen to two, three, four (occasionally up to about seven) preludes and fugues in one sitting fairly often, that's enough for me.


You're either with us or against us GGers.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73*

Artists	
Todd Levy (clarinet) (Performer), Elena Abend (piano)




http://www.amazon.com/Todd-Levy-Pla...1KCE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319469264&sr=8-3

Not very good sound on the clarinet. I've noticed before also that the clarinet is struggling a bit with the digital medium. But the pieces are beautiful ... colorful and melodious. And clarinet and piano works very well here. No virtuosity, but very sensitive.










Work 
*Schumann: 3 Romances, for oboe and piano, Op.94*

Artists	
Mihae Lee, William Purvis




http://www.amazon.com/Romances-Musi...3WO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319548513&sr=8-1

The horn sounds bether in this format, but has something of the same problems as the clarinet seems. Beautiful romances. Soft-spoken and sensitive performance. The other romance is quite famous, I think!










Work 
*Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, for cello and piano, Op.102*

Artists	
Sergey Antonov




http://www.allmusic.com/album/works-by-robert-schumann-w186962

Excellent sound! Wonderful interplay between piano and strings. Played with a lot of sensitivity and personality! The first piece is simply and easily, Playful and melodious. The second is quieter and almost a little sad. Fits a cradle song. The cello goes right to the heart! No. 3 and 4 are also quiet and very atmospheric.
No. 5 is faster, but with lots of sweetness and melancholy. Great pieces! I look forward to hearing the 36 other versions that I have found on spotify.










Work 
*Schumann: Andante and Variations for 2 pianos, 2 cellos and horn (original version of Op.46)*

Artists	
Robert Schumann, Stanley Drucker, Joseph Robingson, L. William Kuyper, Hecht & Shapiro*




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...59MG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319374127&sr=8-1

Fairly closed and distant sound. It is a serious minus. But it is beautifully played. And the play is wonderful sensitive and inquisitive. And wonderfully melodious!


----------



## Conor71

*Debussy: String Quartet In G Minor, Op. 10
Ravel: String Quartet In F Major
Stravinsky: 3 Pieces For String Quartet*

Great pieces! - like this Disc a lot


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quartet in Eb, Op.47*

Artists	
Jutland Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Thuille-Sexte...XA7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319048890&sr=8-1

Fantastic beautiful and sensitive playing. But the piano is a bit hidden. The violin is excellent. The quartet is wonderfully romantic!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op.44*

Artists	
Fitzwilliam String Quartet, Richard Burnett (Fortepiano)




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S9NDIU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319111744&sr=8-1

Pretty bad sound. Hidden piano, Way to much discant .... and the performance is rather dull.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Violin Concerto "Pilgrimage of the Soul" JW 9/10*

Artists
Christiane Edinger




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Sinfo...5I7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320427413&sr=8-1

Absolutely wonderful violin! Trolly and a little rough. But very sensitive. The sound is excellent. (I think ... The previous listening had lousy sound, so this seems obviously better to my ears). Very exciting concert! Janacek is really worth exploring.










Work 
*Janácek: Srting Quartet No 1 JW 7/8*

Artists
Weilerstein Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Weilerstein-T...S8K6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320333067&sr=8-1

Even better sound! Very good! Everything! The trio (or quartet...I am confused) itself is very imaginative and varied, and the good sound and the excellent performance creates an incredibly nerve!










Work 
*Janácek: String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" JW 7/13*

Artists
Mikael Ericsson, Frantisek Maly and Jana Vlachova




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Strin...60D0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332968&sr=8-1

Again, very good sound. And superior performance. This and the previous quartet is full of imagination and playfulness. They must be a pleasure to play for the performers! They really give room for artistic expression.


----------



## jalex

*Mozart: Piano Concerto 24*










*Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements*










Great piece, great performance. Second movement especially is brilliant, and really beyond my powers to describe. First and third are very exciting and rhythmic, though I think the third falls a way behind the first two in terms of inspiration.

These two works programme quite well together.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
The London Symphony Orchestra, Sviatoslav Richter, Kyril Kondrashin




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Concert...0RNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317670264&sr=8-1

A wonderful and very dramatic concert. Unfortunately, there is an annoying hiss in the background here. But when i get used to it, then the sound is very good. Excellent performance!










Work	
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
Claudio Arrau
London Symphony Orchestra
Colin Davis




http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Lisz...5BKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317733304&sr=8-1

The first movement is wonderfully melodic and colorful. The sound is not very good, a little harsch piano. But the performance is very good.
The second and third movement is more intense, but very lyrical and romantic at the same time.
Great concert!


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> It's interesting how 1st impressions change over time. This was my first time with both works - let's see how I feel c. 2016...


It didn't take me that long to understand, enjoy, etc. Boulez's_ Le Marteu _to some degree, but it did take me more than a decade to do the same with Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire _(I got reacquainted with it on disc this year and also saw/heard a performance, incl. dancing/lighting, this year). So yes, it does take time, and probably some effort as well.

Other works spurned on by_ Pierrot _that you may like are Walton's_ Facade _and Stravinsky's _A Soldier's Tale _(the full hour-long version, not the suite, it is purely instrumental, not vocal)...



Conor71 said:


> *...Ravel: String Quartet In F Major
> ...*


*

A great work, agreed. In 1903, it ruffled a few of the conservative's feathers. It broke many rules, which I think are meant to be broken anyway, if you know what you are doing like Ravel obviously did. Eg. he treats the sonata form very liberally in the first movement (eg. goes into the themes straight away, no mucking about), breaks the quartet up into two different sections in the scherzo/minuet whatever it is (hello, Elliott Carter!), the slow movement is like a stream of consciousness, with no set structure, intuitive, & the final movement has these dissonances which probably didn't go down well with the old fuddy duddies of the conservatoire. But as you say, it's just great music, full stop, so it's good enough reason to just love it for that alone.

BTW - This is why I dislike the term "Impressionism" used for Ravel, Debussy and others. IMO, they were Modernists, but I don't care for labels, but that would be more accurate.*


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janecek - Taras Bulba

Karel Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Aerghh! I don't like breaking up pieces but I have to do something after the first movement.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo. *All three suites are performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Jazz et cinema, vol. 4* (Jazz in Paris series) 
Gitanes/Universal label

Jean Wetzel: _Touchez pas au grisbi _(1954)
- Original soundtrack of Jacques Becker's movie, composed by Jean Weiner

Alain Goraguer: _Le piege _(1958)
- Original soundtrack of Charles Brabant's movie, composed/arr. by Alain Goraguer / Goraguer, piano with his quintet

Michel de Villers: _Le Saint mene la danse _(1960)
- Original soundtrack of Jacques Nahum's movie, composed by Paul Durand / M. de Villers, alto/baritone saxes & his orch.

Gonzalo Fernandez / Martial Solal: _Les ennemis _(1961)
- Original soundtrack of Edouard Molinaro's movie / Orch. du cabaret Keur Samba, G. Fernandez, cond. / M. Solal, piano with his orch.

Martial Solal: _Le proces _(The trial) (1962)
- Extract from the original soundtrack of Orson Welles' movie / Solal, piano with his jazz trio

It's been a while since I've heard this. Highlights are Jean Wetzel's bluesy harmonica playing in_ Touchez pas au grisbi_, the lyrical soundtrack of _La piege _which is basically a rehash of The Modern Jazz Quartet's style, the _Cha cha _from de Villers' set, and the Cuban salsa rhythms, incl. vocals for some tracks, in_ Les ennemis_.

*A. Hovhaness*
_Sym. #20, "Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain," Op. 223_
Royal Scottish Ac. of Music & Drama Wind Orch. / Keith Brion, cond.
(Naxos)

Some interesting elements in this, minimalist and new age vibes, long Eastern folkish melodies streching over drones and sustained notes of the winds, and ostinatos underpinned by the percussion. The three movements all have strong elements of chant & the final movement, as is customary with Hovhaness, is a fugue.

*A. de Lhoyer *(1768-1852)
_Duo Concertant in D minor, Op. 34 #2_
Matteo Meli & Lorenzo Micheli, guitars
(Naxos)

The first movements of these tend to be vigorous, a la Beethoven, and the slow movements have the poignancy and elegance of Mozart. The minuets and finales are more predictable & similar, but overall I like the virtuosity of this music, it is a real duo, one guitar doesn't dominate the other, or not for too long anyway.

*J. S. Bach*
_Cello Suites Nos. 1 in G major, BWV.1007 & 3 in C major, BWV.1009_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC Classics, double disc set, Bach-The Cello Suites)

A first listen to part of this set I got yesterday. I esp. like the 3rd suite, with it's soulful and quite sad, lonely feeling _sarabande_ and the lively _gigue_ that rounds it off, quite vigorous and robust. Mr. Goldschlager is one of our finest chamber musicians, with him I can hear clarity and warmth, fireworks but also depth and poetry. I look forward to hearing these all, bit by bit...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, It's really great that you mentioned Hovhaness in your last post, as I have really been impressed by a couple of his symphonies that I've listened to so far.


----------



## Sid James

^^Yes, I quite like Hovhaness, for his craftsmanship & also fusing old & new. That's one of two discs on Naxos with his symphonies for winds & percussion. I've now listened to all three symphonies on that disc, as well as 2 shorter bonus tracks. I did it bit by bit because I find if I do it all in one sitting, it kind of blends together, sounds the same, which really it doesn't, all three of those symphonies, which I've reviewed here this past week, are quite different in many ways. But it's the same with many other composers I guess, Hovhaness had a uniform style but he is more interesting to me than guys like Arvo Part, he doesn't just repeat himself wholus bolus, he does different things in each work, but they can be subtle...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm giving a second listen to this exquisite disc of Lisa della Casa performing Strauss' Four Last Songs and excerpts from _Arabella, Aiadne auf Naxos_, and _Capriccio_. Della Casa was a classic beauty (She was dubbed "the most beautiful woman on the operatic stage") with a classical purity and vocal control. Richard Strauss himself predicted "That young girl will one day be THE Arabella"... and by all accounts her performance with George Solti sets the standard by which all others are measured.



















Born in 1919, Della Casa had a long and successful career. She was still at her peak when she gave her last performance at the Met in 1967. She continued performing even after her daughter had a stroke in 1970, as the daughter insisted it made her feel better. She gave her last performance in 1974. In 2008, at the age of 89, she agreed to participate in a documentary of her life. Della Casa herself appears in recent footage as very much alive, even feisty, still a warm radiant ray of sun in the winter of her days. She is reportedly still the same today as she approaches 93!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lisa della Casa also appears on a good number of other "must have" discs:


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach*
_Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009_
Soloist: Jean-Guihen Queyras
Violoncello: Gioffredo Cappa, 1696
HERE on youtube.

Thought I'd do some listening to this work on youtube, compare it to the Australian recording I just got (details above in earlier post). I liked Mr. Queyras' rich tone, and his articulation was very clear & kind of warm, the expression very direct but not on steroids or anything like that. This is a joy, very good sound here, and I thought it appropriate that he played it in an empty recital venue, it reflects some of the feelings in this music of solitary contemplation and solitude...


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> @ Sid, It's really great that you mentioned Hovhaness in your last post, as I have really been impressed by a couple of his symphonies that I've listened to so far.


I think Symphony No. 50 "Mount St. Helens" is the best symphony written since Shostakovich. Listening to it now.


----------



## Sid James

^Yes, I like it too, I have that same recording but as reissue (part of 2 disc set of hovhaness on Delos label), the ending is spectacular with the Oriental style drumming and the inevitable fugue, speaking to the power of nature and how it can heal itself. I also like the _Sym. #22 "City of Light_," but I have it on another recording, on Naxos with the composer at the helm of Seattle SO...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ^Yes, I like it too, I have that same recording but as reissue (part of 2 disc set of hovhaness on Delos label), the ending is spectacular with the Oriental style drumming and the inevitable fugue, speaking to the power of nature and how it can heal itself. I also like the _Sym. #22 "City of Light_," but I have it on another recording, on Naxos with the composer at the helm of Seattle SO...


Yes, Naxos split them up, putting a Cello Concerto (I didn't think much of) with one, as I recall.


----------



## Sid James

^^Yes, that's the one I have, the _Sym. #22 _&_ Cello Concerto_. The concerto is among his earliest works to survive (1930's), he junked much of the rest. I quite like it, slow-fast-slow structure is relatively innovative for the time, he caps it off with a fugue as he liked to do usually, but it's more slow and solemn than vigorous. He liked the old masters and was happy to pay his debts to them, put them in his music, so to speak...


----------



## science

Listened to the first piano concerto first thing in the morning, which was a good decision.










Now listening to #4. It's ok, but I'd say Rachmaninov or Brahms need not be worried....


----------



## hespdelk

I love Sibelius' sound world..

But I have to say, I really don't care for Davis' interpretations of his work.. I know his performances of Sibelius are generally held in high regard, but I never did like his old series from the 70s for Philips, and I'm not too impressed with this newer offering.. He just doesn't follow through on the symphonic narrative.. it comes across as sluggish and indecisive...

I'll stop now as I really can't find anything nicer to say..  I suppose I just don't 'hear' Sibelius this way.


----------



## Sid James

^^I've heard that recording & I liked it. But I didn't like Maestro Davis' take on Walton's _Sym. #1_ in the same series, but maybe that's another story. By the same token, at least with these hybrid multichannel recordings you do get VERY clear sound, so at least that is a plus, you can basically hear everything, it's very detailed sound...


----------



## hespdelk

Sid James said:


> ^^I've heard that recording & I liked it. But I didn't like Maestro Davis' take on Walton's _Sym. #1_ in the same series, but maybe that's another story. By the same token, at least with these hybrid multichannel recordings you do get VERY clear sound, so at least that is a plus, you can basically hear everything, it's very detailed sound...


Yes, the LSO Live recordings are very detailed, though not always the most flattering sound.. I have mixed feelings about them, on some recordings (like the Gergiev Mahler) its worked for me, but others (like this Sibelius) I found myself wishing for more 'air'. I've collected a few and will no doubt continue to - I am glad the LSO went this route and that they're releasing them as hybrid SACDs - it has been a significant addition to the catalogue. I'm actually rather curious about Davis' new Nielsen series and have heard some good things about it.

I'm sure my reactions to Davis' Sibelius are unique to myself, but they are surprisingly strong.. 
Of other recent Sibelius I like what I've heard of Ashkenazy's series for Exton so far (6th and 7th symphonies) - I've chalked these up on my 'to buy' list.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Walter Piston--*Symphony No.6,* featuring Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*5* *in* *E*-*Flat* *Major *{*final* *1919* *version*}, performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel. Both this particular symphony, as well as the composer himself, are fast becoming favorites of mine. I find this work to be especially melodic and haunting.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *performed by the Ireland National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Leaper. Man, how I have grown to love this work for its sheer drive and power! I am trying to listen to as many renditions of is as possible on Spotify, as I know that I will end up buying--sooner or later--a complete cycle of both Sibelius and Nielsen's symphonies.
Alan Hovhaness*--Symphony* *No*.*4,* *Op*.*165*, featuring Keith Brion conducting the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra. This is another composer whom I am growing to admire. This work is relatively short but quite intense, with fantastic orchestration and "colors" provided by the use of what sound like chimes or bells and xylophones. Fantastic effect. Consider the lyrical and ethereal andante movement: Alan Hovhaness - III. Andante Espressivo


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> ...Alan Hovhaness*--Symphony* *No*.*4,* *Op*.*165*, featuring Keith Brion conducting the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra. This is another composer whom I am growing to admire. This work is relatively short but quite intense, with fantastic orchestration and "colors" provided by the use of what sound like chimes or bells and xylophones. Fantastic effect. Consider the lyrical and ethereal andante movement:  Alan Hovhaness - III. Andante Espressivo


Yes, that middle movt. of that symphony stands out for me as well, very colourful & imaginative use of percussion there. The conductor on that Naxos recording, Keith Brion, is specialised in wind music, and he's been working with this repertoire for decades. Pretty good stuff, I'm glad you're getting into Hovhaness beyond his most famous one, the _Sym. #2 "Mysterious Mountain," _he composed around 70 symphonies in all & they haven't all been recorded yet as far as I know, but a good deal of them have been & are available...


----------



## Sid James

hespdelk said:


> ...
> I'm sure my reactions to Davis' Sibelius are unique to myself, but they are surprisingly strong.. :eek...


No, it's not only you, I think it's fair to say that Maestro Davis is more of a formalist or classicist if we want to use labels/cliches, he's less emotionally involved, but I'd still say he's a great Sibelian. As was Sir Thomas Beecham, I used to own an earlier edition of THIS old mono live performance, of Sibelius 2 and Dvorak 8, and he was very emotionally involved, and the finale of the Sibelius was quite electrifying, as I remember it (it's been years)...


----------



## violadude

Started today's listening session with a familiar favorite among many, *Beethoven's 14th Piano Sonata, Op. 27 #2.* I don't call it the "moonlight" sonata for the simple reason that Beethoven never called it that, so why should I? Anyway, I'm not going to go into too much detail with this one because I'm sure most people have heard it by now. What I want to talk about with this piece is how difficult it is to listen to something like this with fresh ears. If I'm being honest, I'm frankly sick of this piece. I feel it is only as popular as it is because it has a poetic title that people like. That being said, trying to listen to it with fresh ears as I was talking about earlier, it is a really good sonata. Especially that last movement, I always forget about some of the really cool things in that movement because I hear only the famous bits of it all the time. Perhaps my favorite movement is the middle one though. Really like that dancing melody that plays with rhythmic shifts and the harmonies I think are really awesome in that movement. Don't care for the first movement all that much. That all being said, I do still think however, that there are many many Beethoven sonatas that _should_ be more popular than this one, or at least as popular. But sadly they aren't because they don't have catchy nicknames. 










Next I listened to *Rubbra's 7th symphony*. For any one who hasn't had enough of member World Violist promoting these symphonies (although he hasn't done so as much as of late) I'm here to second his promotion. These are amazing symphonies, with a capitol A and poorly, poorly underrated IMO in the face of the Brits who made it to the big time e.g VW and Elgar. Rubbra's symphonies are very unique in that not one of them, at least to my knowledge, is in a neatly laid out sonata form. They all unfold as they go along, very organically. A typical Rubbra symphony might start out with part of a theme, and then the piece goes on until all of the theme is revealed, then the rest of the movement is spent developing that theme. It's almost as if the piece is being composed right in front of us and that's what makes his symphonies so exciting. The 7th one is considered one of his most emotional. Some compare it to Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony. I honestly wouldn't go that far, I think the Tchaikovsky makes a bigger emotional impact, but the Rubbra is a very good piece indeed. Starts with a slow kind of movement that starts on a broken theme in the horn that rises up a few steps and then takes a heavy fall. The main themes grow and grow out of this theme. The movement turns into a moderate paced gigue of sorts. Lot's of really cool stuff going on, though I couldn't catch everything on the first listen. The second movement is a crazy dance movement with tons of stuff going on as well. It sort of reminded me of the dance movement from Mahler's ninth in that there were a lot of deliberately(?) awkward dance themes kind of stumbling over each other, although it's not as strange sounding as the Mahler. The last movement is the heart of the piece. A massive Passicaglia with a fugue at the end. There are lots of emotional parts to this movement, ultimately it ends peacefully though, after a series of gut-wrenching climaxes. Rubbra's music is constantly evolving and constantly moving forward, he is the type of composer that you always have to have your brain engaged, but it is very rewarding if you manage that. I definitely recommend this piece and all of his symphonies.










Lastly, I listened to another Villa-Lobos quartet, this time the *16th quartet.* If I were to compare this to his third which I listened to just a couple days ago, I would say that this quartet has a definitely more modern feel to it. The harmonies are still very rich in a uniquely Villa-Lobos kind of way, but they are not as romantically lush as in the third. The themes are definitely more angular and sprawling than in the 3rd quartet. But the treatment of the themes and development of the material is just as good in my opinion. The first movement has a really crazy theme that sounds like it goes in every direction before it finally settles on a note to land on. This is coupled with a more lyrical theme throughout the movement. The second movement contrasts moments of sweet lyricism with moments of tense recitative like sections punctuated by very harsh chords. The third is a really fun movement with a very familiar 6/2-6/3 rhythmic device. The 4th movement starts out with some crazy glissandi, which continue as a theme that comes back throughout the movement. It's hard to describe this movement, but it is really enjoyable just like everything else.
Seriously guys! If you enjoy string quartets, this set is only 25 dollars now and it contains 17 really great string quartets! Seriously guys! Seriously! lol


----------



## Conor71

*Elgar: String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 83
Walton: String quartet In A Minor*

Currently listening to the Walton - this is quite a turbulent work with a haunting slow movement at its heart.
Overall this is a good Disc - the performance and sound are great


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach*
_Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC Classics)

A joy to hear this, one of Australia's finest cellists & chamber musicians playing the peak of the repertoire for solo cello. There is warmth here and clarity, a lot of depth in the slow movements and bounciness and vigour in the quick ones.

*W.A.Mozart*
_Piano Quartet in E flat, K. 493_
Ingrid Haebler, piano with members of the Berlin Philharmonic
(Philips)

My parents had a recording of this and the earlier piano quartet by Mozart. This one is so good, I don't know, it's like a case of the sequel being better than the original, if that's possible with Mozart's gems. I like the conversational qualities of this one, the opening is more laid back and like a relaxed dialogue between the players, it is less dark or dramatic than the first one. Some great memories flooded back here, it's been ages since I've heard this work.

*A. de Lhoyer*
_Duos Concertants
- in A major, Op. 31 #1
- in E minor, Op. 31 #3_
Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli, guitars
(Naxos)

These are simply masterpieces of the duo guitar genre. The influences I can hear are Beethoven, Mozart and Lhoyer obviously knew the Baroque masters, his counterpoint is very accomplished. The second work here was very enjoyable, esp. it's middle movement marked _Romanza_, which brang images of Romeo serenading Juliet at her balcony to my mind. This is chamber music at it's finest.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
New Classical Orchestra, St Petersbourg,
elisso bolkvadze
Vladimir Shakin




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HXVRWM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317052336&sr=8-6

Great Version! Good sound. Orchestras t is tight and coherent. And variations and different passages are very good projected. A little harsh piano.










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Tabakov, Emil, Conductor • Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra • Dikov, Anton, piano




http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=749879

A little distant sound, and a little hiss in the background. But the performance is fine. But I do not think this is a favorite.










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Artist, Orchestra), Artur Pizarro (Artist, Performer), Ludwig Van Beethoven (Composer), Sir Charles Mackerras (Conductor)




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Con...SLTS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317051063&sr=8-1

Somewhat hidden sound. A little lack of nerve, and some harsh piano. Do not run out and buy this disc!










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Seiji Ozawa (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Rudolf Serkin




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...3CSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317049386&sr=8-1

Fantastic performance! The sound is average, but good enough that I can really appreciate this version. Serkin is wonderful on the piano!


----------



## kv466

Brahms - Sonata for Viola and Piano no. 1 in f minor, op.120/1


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
sofia phiharmonic orchestra
emil tabakov




http://www.amazon.com/Gustav-Mahler-Symphony-D-Major-Titan/dp/B005GVR6UA

The sound is average. A little messy sound sometimes. It could probably have been better orchestrated. Nerve and tension fail to a great extent .. I jump to the next version!










Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
slovenian radio symphony orchestra
Anton Nanut




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...FNGU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320932266&sr=8-1

This was much better! The sound is still average, but the performance is generally very good. Nerve and colors / moods / emotions in the symphony is communicated very well. I want to listen in spite of certain defects. I did not at the previous version.
One of the strengths of this the performance is the projection of individual instruments and instrument groups. It creates a clarity and enhances the whole, it split not up. It is pefrect glued together.
I learn to know this symphony more and more, and really start to love it! It contains so much! I am soon ready to go further in exploring more of mahlers symphonies.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Le merle noir, for flute and piano, I/37*

Artists	
Werner Tast*




http://www.amazon.com/Flute-Recital...XWFU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317303736&sr=8-2

Very clear and sounding flute. Beautiful and sensitive playing. Good interaction with the piano, which also sounds good. Quiet and sensitive way, giving the performers plenty of room for personal expression.










Work 
*Messiaen : Oiseaux exotiques, for piano, 11 winds and 7 percussion, I/41*

Artists	
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Royal concertgebouw orchestra




http://www.classicalstore.com/store/product/olivier-messiaen-complete-edition-box-set

A more experimental piece. Playful and expressive. Use of silence between the piano and the ensemble's investigative notes, is very effective. Fun and rewarding listening!










Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Yvonne Loriod
Manuel Fischer-Deskau
Wolfgang Meyer
Cristoph Poppen




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Anni...QJUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317307954&sr=8-1

This work contains really a lot! Much of the time there is a light hold between the instruments, creating a wonderful tension. Pretty good sound and excellent performance! I especially like it lingering, longing for the fifth movement. I gave Liebeck (Artist), Farrell (Artist) 10 out on 10 on my personal ranking. Because of the slightly poorer sound, I give this 8 out of 10


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*
> 
> Artists
> slovenian radio symphony orchestra
> Anton Nanut
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...FNGU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320932266&sr=8-1
> 
> This was much better! The sound is still average, but the performance is generally very good. Nerve and colors / moods / emotions in the symphony is communicated very well. I want to listen in spite of certain defects. I did not at the previous version.
> One of the strengths of this the performance is the projection of individual instruments and instrument groups. It creates a clarity and enhances the whole, it split not up. It is pefrect glued together.
> I learn to know this symphony more and more, and really start to love it! It contains so much! I am soon ready to go further in exploring more of mahlers symphonies.


Nanut and Wit are two good Mahler conductors available at budget, who can easily be recommended for starter sets. Middle of the road interps, with all the main themes caught nicely.


----------



## Vaneyes

Nudged by a Walton mention. Previn gets many nods for Sym. 1, but I prefer the Rattle...especially coupled with Lynn Harrell's Walton Cello Concerto. Some irony here, in that Harrell was the principal cellist on the classic Szell Sym. 2 recording.


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: The School for Scandal: Overture Op.5*

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
David Zinman




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Adagio...2O/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1312615800&sr=8-15

I love this piece, maybe more than anything by Barber. It has a wonderful vitality. Much more exciting than adagio for strings, which is great and beautiful, but perhaps somewhat overrated?










*Barber: Serenade for String Quartet (or string orchestra), Op.1*

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concer...RT4V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312642987&sr=8-1

Exciting and quite jittery work. Barbers music is multi-dimensional! There is an under forest of emotions and moods. He balances the often beautiful cheerful, and threatening. Excellent performing, and quite good sound.










*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

Roger Vignoles
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Jukka-Pekka Saraste




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concer...2SRV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312622559&sr=8-2

Exceptionally interesting and beautiful work! It's very melodic, but it has depth and undertones. Very sensitive and beautiful performance! Great interplay between cello and piano, and very good sound!










*Barber: Canzonetta for Oboe and Piano, Op.posth.48*

Humbert Lucarelli (ob), Lehigh Valley Chamber Orch., Donald Spieth




http://www.amazon.com/Lucarelli-Hum...D242/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1312621593&sr=8-3

melancholic and beautiful piece. Brilliant performed, and the sound is very good. This must be one of the best to listen to if you are stressed.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - String Quartet No. 1, "The Kreutzer Sonata"

The Vlach Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Piano Concerto No.2 in G, BB101, Sz.95*

György Sándor
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Michael Gielen




http://www.amazon.com/Gyorgy-Sandor...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312796950&sr=1-1

Messy and quite stressful concert. I love Bartok, but this work I do not like. Discontinuous, and it leads nowhere. It does not help that the performance is good. I can not keep up!
Adagio is quieter, but the composition is groping in the dark. It could grow, I'll listen to this and other versions later, but right now I like absolutely not this concert. But maybe I am just not in the mood for it. The end of the adagio is quite interresting. And the allegro molto is quite interresting to. More focused. I must relisten to this work soon!










*Bartok: Piano Concerto No.3 in E, BB127, Sz.119 (completed by Tibor Serly)*

Jane Coop
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Mario Bernardi




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Bar...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312803351&sr=1-1

This concert, I like! More focused and more easily understood themes than the previous one. Great performance, but average sound.


----------



## NightHawk

On the moment of this post I am listening to Elliott Carter's Concerto for Orchestra (1969) in a 1992 recording by the London Sinfonietta with Oliver Knussen conducting.

The work is described in the liner notes as: Carter's most polyvalent work...

_(Adjective polyvalent m. f. polyvalente, m. plural polyvalents, f. plural polyvalentes)
1. versatile, multipurpose; that has various uses, functions, or capacities_

..."Its form is not generated by an oppostion of themes in the traditional sense, but by an interplay of dynamic forces. The orchestra is divided into four mixed groupings - the contrasts between them is heightened by evolving the harmony of each from a different 3-note segment of a twelve-tone chord - which itself returns from time to time as a tutti sonority, and by assigning to each a different type of motion through time itself. At this point, Carter came across St. John Perse's epic poem, _VENTS_, evoking a vision of America swept by great winds of change, destruction and renewal"...

I found this to be a timely piece to be listening to and just thought some might find it interesting. As with all Carter, the colors are brilliant, brassy, yet full orchestra and chamber groupings abound - his music has always seemed Promethean, somehow. Lots of fire anyway.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.19*

Artists	
Vienna Violin Ensemble
Dubravka Tomsic




http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Viol...HDOO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313770337&sr=8-2

Unfortunately, some strangely and closed sounds on this recording. It is a live recording. The concert is exciting, but maybe not my favorite work of Prokofiev.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
Ruggiero Ricci; Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg; Louis de Froment




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Vio..._shvl_album_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313776158&sr=301-3

A little "crackling" sound. The concert is exciting, and performance well. But I notice that I am not quite in the mood to listen to Prokofiev now.


----------



## Vaneyes

I'll make you an offer you cannot refuse.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> I'll make you an offer you cannot refuse.


I got curious, But try to add the image again. I tried to cut and past adress, but it did not work


----------



## Oskaar

Wow... In the quote bubble the image showed up.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1*

Work 
Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1

Artists	
Reto Bieri - Gérard Wyss*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AKH7PK/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314267411&sr=8-1

Transcription from violin to clarinet. And it's great to hear! Clarinet cut through in the soindscape a little sometimes, but it's mostly a pleasure to listen to this. Very nice interaction. The work is wonderful! And I have a feeling that it is toned down somewhat in this transcription. Not very intense and energetic. And it suits the composition good!










Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2*

Artists	
Paolo Giacometti




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Arpe...3UZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314266850&sr=8-1

Beautiful Sonatina, but I feel that performance is a bit tame. The pace is too slow. The last movement is more powerful, and it works very well. The sound is pretty good.










Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3*

Artists	
Gyorgy Pauk
Peter Frankl




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Cham...1K70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314265995&sr=8-1

A little hiss in the background spoils some. The sound is very close. A little too close. Very playful and great sonata.


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Work 
*Spohr: String Quartet No.11 in E, Op.43 (Quatuor brillant No.2)*

Artists	
New Budapest String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-String-...45VH/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313496426&sr=8-2

No brilliant quartet, but still nice to listen to. The second movement is very beautiful and melodic. And very romantic. Very good sound and great performance.










Work 
*Spohr: String Quartet No.32 in C, Op.141*

Artists	
Moscow Philharmonic Concertino Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQP1VQ/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313497338&sr=8-46

I like Spohr. He is perhaps not a great composer, but these quartets have no simple and childlike about it, which is nice to listen to once in a while. Excellent performance and good sound.










Work 
*Spohr: String Quartet No.33 in G, Op.146*

Artists	
Moscow Dima Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FC8SMQ/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313497338&sr=8-33

I really like this quartet! Very romantic, and easy. Great performance and quite good sound.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Puccini, La Boheme*, by Karajan. I don't usually care much for opera, but I picked this up for 99 cents. It's my first time hearing the opera. Holy smokes, this recording is beautiful . . . at least to my ears.


----------



## Sid James

Some repeated listening with the *Dvorak, Piazzolla *& *Elgar*, the latter's _String Quartet in E minor _written after World War One, with the composer reflecting on what the end of that disaster meant to him, & I only realised after that today is Armistice Day (or Rememberance Day), the day the guns finally stopped on the horrible Western Front. Also, a first listen to the two bonus tracks on a* John Cage *disc I got yesterday, the work dedicated to Marcel Duchamp has this Asian vibe, and although not electronic it sounds amplified as a result of the use of prepared piano. Also, *Warlock's* _Capriol Suite_, an eternal favourite of mine, for some light relief...

*A. Dvorak*
_Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto)

*P. Warlock*
_Capriol Suite_
Bournemouth Sinfonietta / Richard Studt, cond.
(Naxos - English String Music)

*John Cage*
_Music for Marcel Duchamp _(1947)
_The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs _(Words: J. Joyce, composed in 1942)*
* Gerald English, tenor
Nigel Butterley, prepared piano
(Tall Poppies)

*A. Piazzolla*
_Las Cuatros Estaciones Portenas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) _(arr. Jose Bragato)
Macquarie Trio, Sydney
(ABC Classics)

*E. Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83_
Maggini Quartet
(Naxos)


----------



## kv466

Felix Mendelssohn - Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, *all featuring Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - Sinfonietta

Karl Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mendelssohn, Quartet No. 6, comparing the Quatuor Ysaye with the Aurora String Quartet.

On first hearing, the Ysaye is "nicer"; the Aurora is more passionate. Both are well-done.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 18 in b-flat, kv456
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Richard Goode, piano


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both symphonies are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm jumping the gun by several weeks. I can't help it. I have happy feet.


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> .... under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## kv466

Yeah, I love the way Samurai uses 'under the baton of...'; I've always liked to just because i'm used to it from the radio but it sounds so nice that way...especially with Van's visual.


----------



## samurai

Thanks guys, I think


----------



## Klavierspieler

Thomas Tallis - Spem In Alium

The Tallis Scholars.


----------



## clavichorder

Myaskovsky Sonata number 2.


----------



## science

Glazunov.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *featuring the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Lorin Maazel. I really enjoyed this entire work, especially its haunting andante movement: Lorin Maazel;Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52: II. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto.
Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.20, Op.223 {"3 Journeys To A Holy Mountain"} and Symphony No.53, Op.378 {"Star Dawn"}. *Both works feature Keith Brion conducting the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra.
Georges Bizet--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, *performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein. Magnifique! What a beautiful and rousing last movement!


----------



## science

Dioclesian.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> ...Georges Bizet--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, *performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein. Magnifique! What a beautiful and rousing last movement!


People would be surprised how hard that is to perform, esp. live. In terms of rhythmic changes, but also other things, like in the slow movement, the lead oboist has this long solo which is like one of the hardest in the canon. It's always been a favourite of mine, I prefer this kind of classical restraint - coming at the height of the "music on steroids" romantic era - it talks to many things, craftsmanship, purity of expression over excess/vulgarity, economy, attention to overall "big picture" as well as detail, the works of what is fine music. When I heard it live, the conductor at applause went to the back of the orchestra to shake hands with the lead oboist, that's the only time I've seen that kind of things happen, ever, principals in the orch. rarely if ever get that special treatment or singling out at the applause. & it was well deserved imo, that solo is like opera for oboe, you can clearly hear that Bizet at 17 was marked to be a great opera composer as he later became...


----------



## Lisztian

One of my absolute favourite pieces. I'd never heard the presto agitato assai played anywhere near this fast before, although it does seem to actually be what is written! I'm not sure if I like it better this speed or slower, but both work. Played by Lazar Berman (I have GOT to get his Années de pèlerinage CD).


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


>


What in the world? Farben for a choir? Strangely, that works. It recalls the choir of angels in Moses und Aron. And it adds breath sounds. But after all, isn't the name of God, YHVH, more like a whisper?

I think the rest of the vocal works would surprise those who think of Schoenberg as vinegary or cerebral.

I wasn't aware of this CD. Thanks for bringing it up.


----------



## violadude

Lisztian said:


> One of my absolute favourite pieces. I'd never heard the presto agitato assai played anywhere near this fast before, although it does seem to actually be what is written! I'm not sure if I like it better this speed or slower, but both work. Played by Lazar Berman (I have GOT to get his Années de pèlerinage CD).


Thanks for that, Lisztian. I enjoyed the piece quite a bit. Seems like there is a lot of really good stuff by Liszt out there that never gets mentioned, or gets overshadowed by the Hungarian Rhapsodies or Transendential Etudes or something like that. Anyway, really good stuff.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*

Artists 
Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Alain Lombard 




http://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-van-Be...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321016047&sr=8-2-fkmr0

My first experience with this great symphony! Very good performance. The orchestra brings out very well the nuances in both the lyrical and dramatic.


----------



## starthrower

Manxfeeder said:


> What in the world? Farben for a choir? Strangely, that works. It recalls the choir of angels in Moses und Aron. And it adds breath sounds. But after all, isn't the name of God, YHVH, more like a whisper?
> 
> I think the rest of the vocal works would surprise those who think of Schoenberg as vinegary or cerebral.
> 
> I wasn't aware of this CD. Thanks for bringing it up.


It's a beautiful album! Mostly choral pieces with chamber symphony no. 2 sandwiched in the middle. You can pick it up for a few dollars at Amazon.

There's also the Boulez Edition 6-CD box set of Schoenberg vocal works which I just ordered for the paltry amount of 16 dollars. No track listings on these sets at Amazon, but you can find the content info at the Presto Classical site.
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/search.php?searchString=pierre+boulez+edition&page=1

Accentus http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Naive/V5008


----------



## Lisztian

violadude said:


> Thanks for that, Lisztian. I enjoyed the piece quite a bit. Seems like there is a lot of really good stuff by Liszt out there that never gets mentioned, or gets overshadowed by the Hungarian Rhapsodies or Transendential Etudes or something like that. Anyway, really good stuff.


You're welcome! And i'm glad you enjoyed it. By the way, in case you were unaware, that piece is part of his Années de pèlerinage, the Deuxième année.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
Joshua Pierce
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Bystrik Rezucha




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XUUYA8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316784404&sr=8-1

An absolutely amazing performance! It is wonderful to hear Pierce on piano, he plays so with such ease, yet sensitive, and with great personality. Very good orchestra, too. The sound is very good.










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Performer: Mario Galeani
Conductor: Grzegorz Nowak
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concertos-Nos-4-5/dp/B001HRPXEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317049250&sr=8-1

I prefer this concert in front of "Emperor". It has a warmth that no 5 is missing. Both are naturally excellent in their own way.
Performances here are very good! The sound is not as good as the last, but certainly not bad. Galeanier brilliant on the piano! And there is a great nerve between piano and orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> There's also the Boulez Edition 6-CD box set of Schoenberg vocal works which I just ordered for the paltry amount of 16 dollars.


I see it listed for $26. Did you wave a magic wand or something for your price?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 4*, Kleiber, then *Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4*, by Blomstedt.


----------



## science

Classical guitar. What a great instrument. These Villa-Lobos pieces are on the whole not the sweet, romantic things we associate with that instrument, but more like virtuoso works with fairly interesting structures. I haven't made my mind up about how much I like it - it could be prettier, after all. But it is definitely very well recorded.


----------



## Vaneyes

In memory of those killed, and the absurdity of war.


----------



## Klavierspieler




----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.1 in Eb, K.16*

Artists	
The Academy of Ancient Music (Artist), Christopher Hogwood




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...4CYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320070009&sr=8-1

I'm pretty new to Mozart, and I start with his first symphonies. But I like them really! Lots of charm! An 8 year old boy should be out playing! In this symphony, it is certainly a playfulness. But also a maturity that is almost frightening in terms of how old he was. Performance is excellent. It is a bit jittery gloomy undertone of the symphony, too, and it projected very well. The sound is pretty good.










*mozart: Symphony No.4 In D, K.19*

Artists
Hans Graf*
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...KPTQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320074488&sr=8-1

Excellent sound!. A little messy and lanky symphony, but still very charming. I am looking forward to exploring the big world of Mozart! There was a thread that discussed the word "violent" in Mozart's music. I do not remember where it was, but it was Tapkaara who questioned the use of the word. I will defend the use of the word. A violent expression of emotion, imagination and creativity defends the use of the word. In romantism, there was much violence. Strong emotions bursting out.










*mozart: Symphony No.5 in Bb, K.22*

Erich Leinsdorf, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Essential/dp/B005TUAZ7Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1320073105&sr=8-4

Very short symphony. But a nice listening. Performance is really good!


----------



## starthrower

Manxfeeder said:


> I see it listed for $26. Did you wave a magic wand or something for your price?


I bought it from an Amazon vendor. There's a set available from another vendor for 15 dollars! http://www.amazon.com/Schoenberg-Pierre-Boulez-2/dp/B002N2NDYS/ref=pd_sim_m_2


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> People would be surprised how hard that is to perform, esp. live. In terms of rhythmic changes, but also other things, like in the slow movement, the lead oboist has this long solo which is like one of the hardest in the canon. It's always been a favourite of mine, I prefer this kind of classical restraint - coming at the height of the "music on steroids" romantic era - it talks to many things, craftsmanship, purity of expression over excess/vulgarity, economy, attention to overall "big picture" as well as detail, the works of what is fine music. When I heard it live, the conductor at applause went to the back of the orchestra to shake hands with the lead oboist, that's the only time I've seen that kind of things happen, ever, principals in the orch. rarely if ever get that special treatment or singling out at the applause. & it was well deserved imo, that solo is like opera for oboe, you can clearly hear that Bizet at 17 was marked to be a great opera composer as he later became...


Forward expression, like Candide Overture, which Bernstein knew fairly well.

Stokowski does a fine Bizet C major. It may be my favorite work conducted by him.


----------



## Vaneyes

Turina Rapsodia Sinfonica and Danzas Fantasticas, with the late always great Alicia de Larrocha.


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> I bought it from an Amazon vendor. There's a set available from another vendor for 15 dollars! http://www.amazon.com/Schoenberg-Pierre-Boulez-2/dp/B002N2NDYS/ref=pd_sim_m_2


Oh, there it is! Thanks. (And you can disregard my private message; that answers my question.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelsson, Quartets 1, 2, and 6*, Quatuor Ysaye.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
Mikhail Rudy/Mariss Jansons/London Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Concertos/dp/B0015PZ57W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316343832&sr=8-1

Last time I listened to this concert, and commented, I was probably not find in the mood to Scostakovich. I can still not find the some "military" sequences especially good. But the concert has many other delights! The second movement, andante, is very beautiful!
Performances are very good but the sound is average.










Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Folke Gräsbeck
minsk chamber orchestra
vitaly katajev




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...O8BE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100459&sr=8-1

Great piano. Some medium sound, but it's a great performance. The interplay between orchestra and piano is very good, and it is a great nerve throughout the concert.
The concert itself is great, I especially like the second movement. Very quiet and sensitive in one moment, colourful and dramatic in the next.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Petri Sakari (Conductor), Iceland Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...DMYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317126361&sr=8-2

This is an absolutely fabulous symphony! Very good performance, but the sound is not great. I am looking forward to exploring the other six symphonies. But I must go slowly out not to be mad with spotify`s incredible opportunities.


----------



## Guest

Szell's was the first complete Beethoven symphony cycle I ever purchased, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for it. This is a very rewarding recording of the 9th. These CDs are incredibly priced, and are an incredible value, in terms of both the quality of the recordings and the price.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 In B Major, Op. 14, "To October"
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 20, "First Of May"*

Now listening to the first Disc of this excellent set of Shostakovich's Symphonies - Currently playing the 1st Symphony which is a great performance.
I know a lot of people don't like them but I really enjoy these early Symphonies and return to them fairly often. Barshai has the measure of these works and makes the most out of them


----------



## jhar26

Two discs with music from living composers, both very good. Tavener is very well known and The Protecting Veil is probably his most popular work. Chen Yi is a lady composer from China who's still relatively unknown in the west, but it seems almost inevitable to me that this will change. Her music is definitely modern, but also very accessible. Very much east meets west, but unlike in the case of Tan Dun this doesn't mean China meets Hollywood (not that I necessarily have a problem with that).


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 In Bb Minor, Op. 113*

Symphony No. 13 from the Barshai set playing now - I found this one of Shostakovich's more challenging works to listen to at first because of the Bass singing but I quite like it now. As before Barshai and his performers put in a good performance!.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists

 Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker 




http://www.musicload.ch/leonard-ber...ymphonies-nos-1-2-5-7/musik/boxset/10993960_1

I'm getting more and more fond of the symphony! Absolutely førstelkasses performance! It's almost as if Bernstein conjure up something extra. Very good sound. And very good projection of single instruments and instrument groups. Fantastic nerve!


----------



## graaf

I guess this can be considered as classical:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

With Palestrina having popped up recently I just had to give another listen.


----------



## jhar26

Conor71 said:


> *Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10
> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 In B Major, Op. 14, "To October"
> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 20, "First Of May"*
> 
> Now listening to the first Disc of this excellent set of Shostakovich's Symphonies - Currently playing the 1st Symphony which is a great performance.
> I know a lot of people don't like them but I really enjoy these early Symphonies and return to them fairly often. Barshai has the measure of these works and makes the most out of them


Cool. I've had that box set for some time now, but I still haven't listened to any of it. Good to know that it's a good one.


----------



## Conor71

jhar26 said:


> Cool. I've had that box set for some time now, but I still haven't listened to any of it. Good to know that it's a good one.


Its a good one for sure jhar - I definetely recommend it when you get a chance to listen


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 55, "Eroica"*

Now playing Disc 1 of this famous set of the Beethoven Symphonies - currently on the Eroica: HvK's version of this work is superb and gets me going every time


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.1 in Bb, Op.38 ('Spring')*

Artists	
Roger Norrington
Stuttgart radio symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VQ5CGI/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319813916&sr=8-5

The work is very vibrant and imaginative. Great version, the orchestra is very close and good, and moods and passages conveyed excellent. The sound could have been bether. I have said it befor, but i say it again; Scumann suits me very well! 










Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61
*
Artists	
Rafael Kubelik (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-4-Sy...WSLE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319808014&sr=8-3

Very good sound. And a glorious symphony! Performance is very good. Schumann is a master of melodic glory!


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Vita Cernoch




http://www.amazon.com/Bedrich-Smeta...5IN4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314825122&sr=8-4

Excellent sound! And wonderfully melodious. This could have been Schubert. I love Dvorak's chamber music! Very nice presentation. Maybe the piano is a little too far behind. But I have sayed before.. The larghetto is incredible beautiful!










*Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5*

Artists	
Wenn-Sin Yang
Germany Chamber Orchestra
Grezegorz Nowak




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Comple...DLES/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315056313&sr=8-3

Fantastic piece! The sound is not super. I find the strings a bit glaring, but othrwise the version is good and emphatic.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11 *

Artists	
Edmund Battersby, Zhou Qian




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5C8O8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314804511&sr=8-1

Not good sound. The piano is very harsch. The violin is excellent, and very sensitive. Glittering empathy!
The play is delightful romantic! And very melodic.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.48a Nokturno (Nocturne) in B-major Op.40 *

Artists	
David Golub Padova Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Czech-...0T9V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314816233&sr=8-1

Quite a dramatic little piece. To be a nocturne, it is actually very dramatic. But very nice! Excellent framførinng. The sound is very good.


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 3 In D Minor
Cherubini: String Quartet No. 4 In E Major*

Now playing the Second Disc of this set which I have had on high rotation since recieving it a couple of weeks ago - this is infectious music and performed expertly by the Melos Quartett


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Anton Eberl* (1765-1807)

Quintet for piano, clarinet, two violas and cello.
Trio for piano, clarinet and cello.
Quintet for piano, oboe, violin, viola and cello.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - String Quartet No. 2 (Intimate Letters)

The Vlach Quartet.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44. *Both feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France. For my ears, these are two of the most dissonant {atonal?} sounding symphonies in the whole of Prokofiev's symphonic output. Ludwig Van Beethoven*--Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Bothworksareperformed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Vaneyes

I reach for Jacobs Debussy more than ABM, but it's nice just the same.


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> ...I am looking forward to exploring the other six symphonies. But I must go slowly out not to be mad with spotify`s incredible opportunities.


Same here, I'm kind of having music overload now. I've got stacks of discs waiting in the wings for a first listen. I'm seriously thinking of stopping buying cd's for like 6-12 months and get through the backlog at a leisurely pace. & of course, get more of "a life" happening :lol:, although I do do other recreational things outside music, but it's beginning to be a bit too much now, I am aiming to make some changes, etc...


----------



## Sid James

*N. Myaskovsky*
_Piano Sonata #_2 HERE on youtube
Murray McLachlan, Piano.

Thanks to clavichorder for posting this earlier on this thread. At about 4:48, the _Dies Irae _them enters, bringing to mind memories of Liszt and Rachmaninov. I immediately thought of the former when the work started. It has aspects of Liszt's lightness and is somewhat less heavy than the way I think of Rachmaninov as being. All round pretty good but it kind of speaks to rehash to me strongly. This is what I was saying to Martin on his recent thread on this composer, Myaskovsky doesn't strike me as having a voice that's as recognisable as his own as his contemporaries more known to us today, be they from Russia or other places. But thanks for posting, it was good to hear.

As for other things of recent listening -

*J.S. Bach*
_Cello Suites
#6 in D major, BWV.1012
#3 in C major, BWV.1009
#2 in G major, BWV.1007_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC Classics - double disc set)

First listen to the 6th cello sonata. It's a beast, the longest of the set at 34 minutes. Something strongly reminiscent of _Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring_ (which I dislike, but in this context it was good actually) came up in the second movt., and in the 5th movement, a tune came up I remember being played by Itzakh Perlman on violin on _Sesame Street _(or something very similar). I like Goldschlager's playing, it's light and nuanced and not on steroids.

*J. Rodrigo*
_Concierto como un divertimento_
Julian Lloyd Webber, cello / London PO / Jesus Lopez-Cobox, cond.
(Sony - coupled with Delius, Lalo)

A delightful work, here played by it's dedicatee. The highlights are the slow movement, giving a night-time feel, with splashes of celesta and xylophone, and a heartfelt cadenza slap bang in the middle. The finale, with a broad sweeping Spanish-flavoured melody is epic and noble.

*Album: Cabaret the musical (soundtrack)*
Music - John Kander; Lyrics - Fred Ebb
Cast incl. Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey
(EMI)

Easily one of the best musicals of all time, all songs are pure gold, and also they bring in the history of the setting - Germany during the rise of Nazism - into sharp relief. _Tommorrow Belongs To Me_ sung by a Nazi youth cadet, for example, is just chilling. This musical was simply made for Minnelli and Grey, or at least the film was, they just shine in all ways, even on this recording without the aid of visuals.

*E. Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83_
Maggini String Quartet
(Naxos)

This work captures Elgar's musings following the end of the First World War. A generation of young men, who he'd seen grow up and who probably played with and courted his daughter, had been sent off to war and many never returned. He's asking questions here, like what was it all for, as well as reflections about himself.

It wasn't the type of music people wanted to hear in 1919, the reception at it's premiere was lukewarm to say the least. Conservatives were not happy about many things - as usual they were full of **** then as they are now - eg. Elgar didn't apply sonata form strictly enough in the first movement, the structure in the second movement was seen as somewhat vague, and esp. the dissonant final movement with very full on counterpoint echoing Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge_, perhaps, was described by them as "ugly" and harsh.

I don't know what they were expecting him to compose after such a personal catharsis, was it "pretty" music? They were on another planet, and like Beethoven and Schubert with their late quartets and sonatas, Elgar wasn't exactly giving the public what they wanted. But as for future generations, we are reaping the benefits of their genius. This is a masterpiece I put on the same level as the greatest quartets, it is very powerful and expressive music in all ways...


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> Same here, I'm kind of having music overload now. I've got stacks of discs waiting in the wings for a first listen. I'm seriously thinking of stopping buying cd's for like 6-12 months and get through the backlog at a leisurely pace. & of course, get more of "a life" happening :lol:, although I do do other recreational things outside music, but it's beginning to be a bit too much now, I am aiming to make some changes, etc...


I really did try to do this, and I actually did succeeded in slowing myself down to the point that I'm under 24 hours of music that I haven't heard yet! It will be 23 soon....

But I have hardly listened to the stuff that I used to really enjoy in the meantime as well, and I'm looking forward to getting back to some of that stuff too.


----------



## clavichorder

Medtner Lieder


----------



## Klavierspieler

Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No. 1

Performed by some trio I've never heard tell of.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Chopin Lieder


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde*

Continuing with the Lied theme for this page..


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

With this disc... and the previous disc I purchased by Myaskovsky featuring the cello concerto and the 27th Symphony... I am finally coming around to enjoying his work.


----------



## science

Here is about 1 of those 24 hours -

There was some discussion of this work here a few pages back, and it made me look forward to hearing it even more than I had been.


----------



## violadude

science said:


> Here is about 1 of those 24 hours -
> 
> There was some discussion of this work here a few pages back, and it made me look forward to hearing it even more than I had been.


I believe that was me who was discussing that work. Let me know what you think of it.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Arvo Part--*Symphony No.1 {"Polyphonic"}, *with Neeme Jarvi conducting the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. My first "go" at Part and his work and wasn't overly impressed, but I'll give his *2nd* and *3rd* symphonies a listen as well before making a final decision on him. So far, at least, I'm liking Glass and *Glassworks *a lot better.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Okko Kamu.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82 {final 1919 version}. *Both works feature Osmo Vanska conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. The second movement of the *5th* especially struck me for its beauty and wonderful usage of dynamics and pizzicato techniques: Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 82: II. Andante Mosso, Quasi Allegretto


----------



## Klavierspieler

Dodecaplex said:


> Chopin Lieder


He'd probably kill you if he heard you call them "Lieder."


----------



## Klavierspieler

Anton Arensky - Piano Trio No. 1

The Preston-Friedman-Kreger Trio.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Klavierspieler said:


> He'd probably kill you if he heard you call them "Lieder."


Chopin Piosenki?


----------



## Trout

Myaskovsky's 6th. Svetlanov, State Academic Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> *Cherubini: String Quartet No. 3 In D Minor
> Cherubini: String Quartet No. 4 In E Major*
> 
> Now playing the Second Disc of this set which I have had on high rotation since recieving it a couple of weeks ago - this is infectious music and performed expertly by the Melos Quartett


I noticed that you've been playing these discs often :lol:

Lightening up with Mozart after an hour of Shostakovich.










then onto










Currently playing Six Duos - I love the sounds of violins on this recording.


----------



## science

violadude said:


> I believe that was me who was discussing that work. Let me know what you think of it.


Wow, I loved it. This is one of those instant favorites.

Wojciech Kilar must have been heavily influenced by Penderecki, and I love his music. I discovered him because he did the soundtrack for the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula."

I'd say everyone should try Penderecki's "Luke Passion" and anyone who really loves it should give a try to Kilar's disk on Naxos with Angelus, Exodus and so on.


----------



## Lisztian

I've been on a Liszt kick lately (as some of you may have noticed by my entries in here ). I tried to stay away from him for a little while and really broaden my horizons but I couldn't stay away for long. When it comes down to it, and especially when i'm feeling down, to me there's no one better.

Been looking through this http://www.youtube.com/user/newFFL14 channel lately. It contains a lot of Liszt rareities, as well as some more familiar pieces. I'm currently listening to his Réminiscences de 'Norma', S.394. It is my favourite opera fantasy, written in 1841. While it is certainly a virtuosic showpiece that many of Liszt's critics will point to as being over the top, vulgar, bombastic or what not, I simply love it. To me, except for the cheesy and bombastic 'allegro deciso' at 4:45 in the first part, (which I still enjoy, although I didn't it first), it represents a high point of effective romantic virtusosity, and one of the pinnacles of romantic expression on the piano (I may be the only one ). The second part of the piece never fails to take my breath away. And it is funny, like most of Liszt, I didn't like this piece at first, but boy has that changed. Played by Leslie Howard.


----------



## violadude

I'm trying to listen to music but my computer keeps shutting off on its own


----------



## science

It doesn't matter what I am listening to - this set has made me a huge Purcell fan. (Happens to be Timon of Athens, but everything here is so good.)


----------



## science

violadude said:


> I'm trying to listen to music but my computer keeps shutting off on its own


I hope you get that fixed! Good luck!


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39*

Inspired by both Tapkaara's Sibelius thread and the thread on 1st Symphonies I thought I'd give this one a spin!


----------



## violadude

This currently listening post by me is going to be a little bit shorter today because my computer could shut off again any second so I don't want to type a bunch just to lose it all right when I'm about to post it.










Alright, started out with something light tonight. *A prelude by Cui in b minor*. Most of these preludes by Cui are pretty good, it's kind of a hit and miss type of thing though. Fortunately, the b minor prelude was a hit for me.Very good melody and some cool harmonies to boot. Maybe not "cool" cool, but they're very characteristic and pronounced.










Next was *Elgar's second symphony*. Someone, I think it was Clavichorder, mentioned to me that this symphony was a lot like Brahms and I agree. I really liked this symphony, there was some really beautiful orchestration in it. There is a lot of grandeur and nobility in this symphony, especially the first movement. The second movement is beautiful. The 3rd movement had some sections that reminded me of Brahms hungarian dances.










Finally, I listened to Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathrusta. I don't remember liking this piece as a whole as much as I did tonight. I used to not like the second half when I was a teenager (around 16 or so) because the 1st part was so dramatic, which me and my crazy teenage hormones loved, but then the second part kind of petered out in my ears. Now that I am a little bit more mature and not quite as hormone driven as I was at that age, I like the second part quite a bit too. Although my favorite part of this piece I think is still and has always been that absolutely gorgeous string hymn that appears a few minutes after that famous bit at the beginning.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*

Artists

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Claudio Abbado 




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Sym...H8/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1321016502&sr=8-12

Nice and decent version, and pretty good sound, but something is missing. Intensity and nerve is a bit lacking. That is a first impression, but I realize it may have qualities I may discover after repeated listenings.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Roger Norrington (Conductor), London Classical Players (Orchestra), Melvyn Tan (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...HZ4M/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317049108&sr=8-4

I can not find this version particularly successful. The sound is not very good, but there is also something half-heartedly over both piano and orchestra. I think I skip this version for now..










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
, Antoni Wit (Conductor), Bilkent Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Idil Biret (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...IENE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316784268&sr=8-1

Far better sound here, although it seems on the cover that it is an older recording.. Biret seem sensitive and committed, and it is really great sound of the piano. The orchestra follows up nicely. Beautiful nerve and tention.


----------



## Guest

My composition teacher loves Stravinsky. He thinks that along with Bartok, Stravinsky is the greatest 20th century composer. I've kind of avoided Stravinsky up to this point, but with my teacher pushing him on me I thought that I'd finally give him a shot.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Violin Sonata No.1 in D, Op.2*

Artists	
Márta Gulyás, Vilmos Szabadi




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Three-...0JUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315232473&sr=8-1

A wonderful sonata! The sound is a little closed, but the performance is very good. Nice interplay between piano and violin. Great nerve! It is a climax, or a short passage that is repeated several times in the first movement, which is amazing!
The second movement is wonderfully inquisitive and lyrical.
The third is more cheerful, but perhaps the weakest part of the work. It is not as captivating as the first two movements.










*Enescu: Violin Sonata No.2 in F-, Op.6*

Artists	
Azoitei Remus




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Comple...X1FW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315233704&sr=8-2

Beautiful sound and great interplay between piano and violin.
The first movement has many facets. It provides ample room for the artistic expression. It glides between the quiet colorful lyrical, and the more energetic dramatic.
The second movement is particularly beautiful. Quiet and calm, almost lullaby-like. But later, intense and energetic. Wonderful changes in the expression!
The third has some lovely areas where both piano and violin playing pretty intense.
This sonata is recommended indeed!










*Enescu: Violin Sonata No.3 in A- ('Dans le caractere populaire roumain'), Op.25*

Artists	
Donald Weilerstein - violin (Performer), Vivian Hornik Weilerstein - piano




http://www.amazon.com/Sonatas-Violi...0T85/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315235359&sr=8-1

Again, a great recording. Nice sound and good interaction. In particular, the violin has a great personality and expressiveness. But the piano follows nicely with sensitive accompagnement.
Enescu is a master in creating suddenly beautiful moments. They conjured up! It's like a cornucopia. The second movement begins magically! Awaiting and sensitive violin, and a fairly trolly piano in the background. Wonderful nerve!


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Manana Doidzhashvili, Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra and Jansug Kakhidze




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...JT8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302262&sr=8-1

Very pleasant piano. And the orchestra is very present, very sensitive interplay. It takes place in silence, with slow lyrical passages. But it is a pleasure to listen to!










Work 
*Franck: Les Djinns, symphonic poem for piano and orchestra, M.45*

Artists	
Okko Kamu (Conductor), Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Kerstin Aberg




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Orches...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315238504&sr=1-1

Not very good sound. A little squeaky strings. But the piano is great.
The play itself seems a bit boring for me right now. Especially after hearing Enescu. But it can probably grow on me.










*Franck: Les Eolides, symphonic poem, M.43*

Artists	
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Raymond Leppard




http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Membran/222834

Today I find this poem far more exciting than the previous one. Great number of performances and good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Joseph Banowetz
Oliver Dohnanyi
Slovak radio symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Piano-...13OF/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669915&sr=8-2

This is a fantastic concert, and the performance here is excellent. Unfortunately, it does not sound very good. But the quality of the performance does, however, that it is worth two to listen to.










I dont find this concert as good as the first. But the performance here is absolutely excellent, and the sound is very good. The interplay between orchestra and piano is first class. I think probably this concert may grow on me, because it is very rich.

Work	
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
Seiji Ozawa (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Krystian Zimerman (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-C...1G9B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669678&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Hungaria, S.103, R.420*

Artists	
Hungarian national philharmonic orchestra
Jeno Jando




http://www.amazon.com/19-Hungarian-...KX42/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1317987671&sr=8-5

Lizst's tone poems are fantastic! This is also great, but perhaps one of the least inspiring. The sound is distant and not very good, and it can be difficult to evaluate performance.










*
Liszt: Héroïde funèbre, S.102*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Complet...?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1317986838&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Wonderful sound! The play opens quite gloomy with horns and percussion. A great nerve from the start of! It all builds up gradually. And then calms it all down around 5.00. But it's a wonderful tension ... silence and awaitening is used as tools. And then it builds up again ... Fantastic! But this is the work you really need to listen intensely to in order to have some pleasure. But it is really awarding! The performance is brilliant! Really reccomended!










*
Liszt: Hunnenschlacht, S.105*

Artists	
Ondrej Lenard (Conductor), 
Slovak radio symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Music-...13MY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317988435&sr=8-4

Exciting work. But the performance is a bit tame. The sound is not very good. I think I'll skip this one.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *featuring the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor*

Odense Symphony Orchestra, Justin Brown Vassily Primakov




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concert...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320587034&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Excellent sound! And a very great and varied concert. Performances are also excellent. Wonderful interplay between piano and orchestra. And the sound of the piano is very good. Primakov plays with great personality and empathy. It is the first time I listen to this concert, and I'm really impressed. It is really rich in color and nuances.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still listening to this:










Disc 2: _Lamentations for Holy Saturday, Missa Brevis_, and the famous _Missa Papae Marcelli_.


----------



## Chrythes

Inspired by the Piano Trios thread. I am really in love with chamber music right now, actually it's only what i listen to at the moment, so finding new music of this genre is always a great treat. The only chamber music by Tchaikovsky that i've heard so far is Souvenir De Florence, which i really loved. All the movements are wonderful it feels Russian and it's one of the most enjoyable listening experiences for me. So far the trios are interesting, but are very different in mood from the Sextet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Te Deum*.

This piece is well-done, combining static harmony with enough contrasting sections to keep it interesting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Te Deum*.

This piece is well-done, combining static harmony with enough contrasting sections to keep it interesting.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.522 Koncert pro violoncello a orchestr (Violoncello Concerto) No.2 in b-minor Op.104 *

Artists	
James Kreger, Philharmonia Orchestra, Djong Victorin Yu*




http://www.amazon.com/Cello-Concert...1Z36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315135066&sr=8-1

Not the big sound, but the performance is very good. Kreger plays very sensitive. The concert is very melodic and romantic. I really recommend the concert but not this recording. The sound is too bad.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 81, Piano Quintet in G minor (1924)*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Great performance and very good sound.
And the work is pretty exciting. Vivid and lyrical. Piano and Strings plays great together and creates beautiful moments and colors.










*d'Indy: Op. 59, Violin Sonata in C*

Artists	
Alexis Galpérine, François Kerdoncuff, Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-dIndy...PQKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315755393&sr=8-1

Beautiful sonata. The piano is a bit hidden in the sound, but otherwise the sound is pretty good.
The work is quiet and lyrical.










*d'Indy: Op. 98, Piano Trio in G*

Artists	
Arensky Trio




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VY8X90/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315753891&sr=8-1

Pretty good sound, but the piano is something hidden and harsch.
The work is not particularly exciting.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Hänsel und Gretel on DVD. Nice funny, refreshing.

Martin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Thanks to this being a big Liszt year I came across this collection of exquisite piano music hitherto unknown to me. It is absolutely delicious... evocative... sensual... and surely sets the stage stage for Debussy and Impressionism. I must explore Liszt a bit more!


----------



## Vaneyes

There's more than Four Seasons with Vivaldi, as I Musici and ASMF proved in the '60's & '70's. But thank goodness for the newer... Raglan Baroque Players, L'Europa Galante, I Solisti Italiani, Venice Baroque Orchestra, to name a few. Viva Vivaldi!


----------



## Tapkaara

Violin Concerto by P. Tchaikovsky - Stern/Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Antonín Leopold Dvorák*
> 
> Work
> *Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor*
> 
> Odense Symphony Orchestra, Justin Brown Vassily Primakov
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concert...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320587034&sr=8-2-fkmr0
> 
> Excellent sound! And a very great and varied concert. Performances are also excellent. Wonderful interplay between piano and orchestra. And the sound of the piano is very good. Primakov plays with great personality and empathy. It is the first time I listen to this concert, and I'm really impressed. It is really rich in color and nuances.


Listening to Dvorak's Violin, and Cello concerti, one could easily think the Piano Concerto wasn't written by the same man. IMO, even Richter couldn't sell this turkey.


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: String Quartet No.1 in D, Op.25*

Artists	
Coolidge Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Koppel-Quarte...7C14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317578046&sr=8-1

Britten can be very exciting when I'm in the mood, and incredibly boring when I'm not. Right now I'm in the mood!
Very interesting quartet, and the performance is very good. Great sound. Excellent violin, and there are some vibrant undertones throughout, which makes it a great listening!










*Britten: String Quartet No.2 in C, Op.36*

Artists	
Sequoia String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Quart...6KFH/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317578621&sr=8-2

Pretty good sound. There is a sense of presence in the room where it is played. For better or worse. The good ... a fabulous presence. The bad ... all the little sounds .. turning of the notes, coughing, and even breathing are well projected.
The work is exciting. And the performance is excellent!

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm105994908/britten-string-quartet-no-2-in-c-major-cd-cover-art.jpg

*Britten: String Quartet No.3, Op.94*

Artists	
Penderecki String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/String-Quartet-Op-94/dp/B000003WHG/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1317579162&sr=8-13

Wonderful sound! And it is good to bring up this quartets delights. There is a witch-like atmosphere. Performance is great! I have never experienced that a string quartet can be so versatile.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> IMO, even Richter couldn't sell this turkey.


I assume you dont like it. I do! I had a very nice listening experiance!


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Violin Concerto*

Artists
oleh krysa	
Yehudi Menuhin/Paul Kletzki




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003C4JVZG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315681771&sr=8-2

Bloch is a composer I liked immediately. He has a lovely tone in his compositions. They are very exciting built.
This concert is very exciting. Wonderful dreamy passages.
Performances are very good, but the sound is average.


----------



## Sid James

Mainly repeated listening, and a listen to the Hovhaness work which I hadn't heard in a while. More information about it and the Bach on my blog here at TC -

*J.S. Bach*
_Cello Suite #3 in C major, BWV.1009_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC Classics - double disc set)

This is my favourite suite on the first disc of this set, but the concluding _gigue_ is becoming a bit of an earworm.

*E. Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83_
Maggini String Quartet
(Naxos)

A very poignant and direct work, not holding back at all, it's like an intimate conversation between the listener and composer. A masterpiece of the string quartet genre, imo.

*A. Hovhaness*
_Celestial Fantasy_
Strings of the Seattle SO / Gerard Schwarz, cond.
(Delos - from 2 disc Hovhaness set)

A work moving from darkness to light, or at least hope. It's not a free form or fantasy at all, but in the prelude-fugue-prelude-fugue structure. The prelude is Armenian & the fugue reminds me of J.S. Bach and also Palestrina in some ways. The string writing here is the best it could be, imo. My favourite work on this set...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

On to disc two of this collection by Liszt. The opening piece is far more dynamic... demanding of virtuosity... and Romantic than some of the other pieces that clearly point the way toward Impressionism.


----------



## Klavierspieler

It's like the ultimate combo of performers, and on youtube!


----------



## Trout

Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings

Northern Sinfonia Orchestra, conducted by Neville Marriner; Robert Tear, tenor; Alan Civil, horn


----------



## NightHawk

The Violin Sonatas of Brahms - Perlman/Barenboim - live in Chicago **********!


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. *Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## starthrower

I can't stop listening to this Sony CD! Schnittke's cello concerto no. 2 is the best thing I've heard since the Lutoslawski concerto. In Memoriam... is another fabulous work!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 In C Minor, K 406
Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 In C Major, K 515
Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 In D Major, K 593*

Now playing Disc 1 of this 2 Disc set of Mozarts 6 String Quintets


----------



## Lisztian

This has quickly become one of my absolute favourite discs. I purchased it a month or so ago, when I saw Stephen Hough live in concert, a program of what he called 'strange or unusual sonatas.' The program included Beethovens 'Moonlight' sonata, Hough's own 'broken branches' sonata, Scriabin's sonatas No. 4 and No. 5, and the Liszt sonata. It was one of the strongest recitals i'd ever been to, and aside from that I also purchased this disk, as well as two others - Hough's Chopin Waltzes and Rachmaninoff piano concertos.

Anyway, on to this disk. Hough selected the pieces of Liszt that were based on the forms that Chopin made famous: Polonaises, Ballades, Berceuse, and finishing off with the Sonata (because why not). It must be stated that these are only original works, and only the ones that could be considered 'popular,' in Liszts vast output there are more pieces in these forms, whether original or not.

Starting with the two Polonaises. The first one, the Polonaise 'melancolique,' is often said to be a very neglected work by Liszt, worthy of much more attention. Personally, I hate to say, I disagree. It is a long work (Hough's recording clocks at over 12 minutes), and lives up to its 'melancolique' subtitle. The original theme is a good one, and over the course of the piece goes through many different variations, from the simple to ones of all sorts of pyrotechnics and ornamental decorations. I just find as the piece goes on, I find myself unable to enjoy the theme over the various harmonics Liszt inserts. The middle section I do enjoy much more than the outer sections, with another great theme, this one in a major key, but yet doesn't resolve the dark, 'melancolique' tension, in what is overall a dark polonaise. One of the few pieces by Liszt that after a few listens, I still don't find worth it, although many avid Lisztians tend to disagree with me. However, as has often been the case with Liszt, my opinion could very well change! I feel that Hough's performance here is second to none, yet I still don't find much enjoyment in it.

The second Polonaise is a different story altogether. The mood and character of this piece is wholly different to its predecessor. It is one of nobility, general optimism, and more 'dancy' as a whole - with no shortage of pianistic brilliance. It is one of my favourite Polonaises by any composer, Chopin included (although, as is often the case with Liszt, it is often the subject of criticism). It is not a particularly deep work, but more a light-hearted romp that I always find much joy in. The themes are very strong and present much grandeur, the various virtuoso guises that Liszt inserts are, IMO unlike its predecessor, very effective, in what is, IMO, a top flight concert piece (once a warhorse, that is very neglected today), that needs to be played more. Hough's performance is solid, although I would prefer it if he would bring out the noble grandeur of the piece a bit more, like Richter. I feel Hough's tone tends to be too light in this piece, not 'arrogant' enough, but his interpretation is 100% valid and I enjoy it immensely.

On to the Ballades. These are two pieces I simply love. They are both unjustly neglected, both to the same degree. The first one is neglected almost entirely, and the second one does get played a little..although with regards to the quality of each of the pieces, both about the same neglect compared to where IMO, they should be.

The first Ballade is simply gorgeous. Again, this is not a particularly deep piece, it is one of a more light-hearted nature than Chopin's Ballades, and Liszt's second, and that is where its charm lies. The work takes place as essentially multiple themes and variations, with the A section's them being varied a few times, from the utmost simplicity to gorgeous shimmering passages. The middle section is a joyful, heroic march. The piece ends rather abruptly (which is the only fault I can find with the piece, it doesn't seem to round off the terrific material that precedes it effectively). This piece may not quite stand up to the Ballades of Chopin, but it is a terrific, beautiful, sweet, charming, gorgeous, etc, etc, etc! piece that requires much more attention. Hough's playing is absolutely superb here, second-to-none.

The second Ballade is a much more substantial work, Hough's performance at over 14 minutes long. This is one of my absolute favourite pieces. I've read at a few places, mainly over this forum, that while this piece has it's moments, it is in general 'vulgar' and 'bombastic,' and what not - I can't believe we are listening to the same piece when I read this. It does include the typical Lisztian virtuosity and bravura, but it is all strictly for a musical purpose. I will admit it did take me a very long time to warm up to this piece, but it is remarkable. While I love Chopin's Ballades, (especially the fourth, which IMO definately lives up to its place in the top ten of this sites 'top 200 piano works'), I firmly believe this piece is just as good as Chopin's fourth, and I actually prefer it. Not to get too worked up over a list, but the fact that this piece has not yet been put on is disgusting. Few works in the entire literature of piano music display as much drama as this one, and such a wide array of emotions. It is an extraordinarily dark piece from the outset, by turns beautiful and simple, to heroic, stormy chromatic broken octaves suggesting a good vs evil scenario, to a simply sublime, glorious, quasi-operatic melody (which remarkably, is a variant of the opening theme(!)) that resolves the remarkable tension this piece conveys, and leads to a hushed close of the work. I beg people to give this piece a try, with open ears, however it is NOT an easy piece to understand, and I guess not everyone does, but at least give it a try. Hough's playing is very good...this piece does not have many recordings that I would consider good, I always feel like the performance could be better. Hough goes as close to what i'm looking for as possible I guess. If I ever get good enough, i'll have to produce my own recording and try to do 100% justice to the piece . Here's Hough's recording on youtube. (Make sure it is turned up to at least a reasonable volume, to get the dramatic effect).






The Berceuse is clearly closely based on Chopin's Berceuse. While this piece is quite beautiful and dream-like, it can't stand up to Chopin's. For some unknown reason Hough decided to record the first, unrevised version, instead of the revised, and infinitely superior version. Oh well, his playing is top-notch, on a piece that while nice seems more an afterthought on this disc.

Finishing the disc with a piece that needs no introduction, the Sonata. While Hough's playing is superb, it is nothing compared to the experience of when I saw him play it live, which remains fixed in my memory. Still a reading of this, my favourite solo piano piece, that I will treasure among my other favourite recordings I have of it, by Bolet, Zimerman, and Hamelin.

All in all this disc is highly recommended, as is anything by Hough in general. He has quickly become one of my favourite pianists, and also has a very informative and interesting blog online, of which the contents are also recommended, especially for pianists. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/author/stephenhough/


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto
Ligeti: Concerto For Flute & Oboe, "Double"
Ligeti: Ramifications For 12 Solo Strings
Ligeti: Requiem*

Now listening to Disc 4 of the Ligeti Project Box set


----------



## Sid James

Some listening to things by *Alan Hovhaness *-

_Symphony #22 "City of Light"_
Seattle SO / The composer conducting
(Naxos)

An interesting symphony, the two outer movements very contrapuntal, the inner ones shorter and kind of lighter diversions. This was commissioned by the city of Alabama and premiered in 1971. The concluding tune based on a popular American hymn makes me think of unity and humanism, something needed in that city which had seen riots in the times of the civil rights movement in the 1960's. This finale is a whopper and has what sounds like a four or five part fugue at it's core. It is very optimistic and though in his early eighties, the composer here conducted in a way that would put many conductors half their age to great shame. Energetic and muscular is the word here. He really makes the music sound great through this vivid performance, it is a lived account, there's no bullsh*t or mucking about here, it's pure emotion all the way.

_Celestial Fantasy_
Strings of Seattle So / Gerard Schwarz, cond.
(Delos - 2 CD set)

A journey from darkness to light, showing Hovhaness' mastery of counterpoint and writing for strings. Despite the title it's not a fantasy, it's a strict fugue in four sections, prelude-fugue-prelude-fugue. It combines his trademark Armenian melodies with the solidity of the Baroque, maybe some choral sounding harmonies, eg. Palestrina, and the high emotion of Romantic music. The end is optimistic and it gives a boost in our fractured times, just as it must have in 1944 when it was orchestrated (originally composed for string quartet in 1935).

_Suite_ from _String Quartet #2_
Shanghai String Quartet
(Delos - as above)

An interesting, though short 5 minute work in 3 movements. The first movement is reminiscent of Balinese gamelan, so loved by Debussy & Ravel, and here the cello takes the star role. After an interlude, the final third movement is based on a hymn tune, not unusual for this composer...


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Phantasy Quartet in F-, for oboe and string trio, Op.2*

Artists	
Jared Hauser




http://www.amazon.com/Temporal-Fant...WROK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317575696&sr=8-1

Beautiful and atmospheric piece. Brilliant performed, and good sound.










*Britten: Quartettino for String Quartet*

Artists	
Maggini Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Strin...RDZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317576462&sr=8-1

Again, good sound, and a great performance. Stunning work. very vibrant. Great nerve!










*Britten: Suite for Violin and Piano, Op.6*

Artists	
Susan Wass, John Gilbert




http://www.amazon.com/Howells-H-Bri...3T6I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317579649&sr=8-1

Very playful and exuberant suite. Excellent sound and performance. It's almost as if the violin and piano compete in the merriment!


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Concerto fur Klavier & Orchestra no. 20 in d minor, kv466
Claudio Abbado and the Wiener Philharmoniker, Friedrich Gulda al Piano


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach*
_Cello Suites Nos. 3 & 6_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC Classics)

I've been enjoying & absorbing this first disc of this 2 cd set of the cello suites, next week I aim to listen to the second disc. It's been a joy all round.

*A. Hovhaness*
_Sym. #2, Mysterious Mountain_
- Seattle So / Gerard Schwarz, cond.
_Sym. #53, Star Dawn_
- Ohio State Univ. Wind Band / Keith Brion, cond.
(from Delos double disc set)

The double fugue, the middle movement in the _Mysterious Mountain _symphony, is just amazing. The only thing I can think of in this more traditional style to rival the finale of Mozart's _Jupiter_. The _Star Dawn_ symphony is also interesting, esp. the duos between clarinet and metal tubes & also xylophone and tubes in the first movement. It was inspired by the _Paradiso_ section of Dante's_ Inferno _which apparently suggests space travel.

*W. A. Mozart*
_Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478_
Ingrid Haebler, piano with members of Berlin Philharmonic Quartet
(Philips)

A favourite of my parents which I'm rediscovering now. He only wrote 2 piano quartets, but they were among the first ever penned and the first to write them as chamber works, not with the piano dominating as in a piano concerto. The first movt. here is quite dark, but the last two are much lighter, more typical of Mozart.

*J. Haydn*
_Sym. # 104 in D major, London_
Radio Luxembourg SO / Louis de Froment, cond.
(BCI Music)

A symphony full of invention & imagination. From the grand intro which does seem to look ahead to Beethoven, the slow movement interrupted a bit by storm clouds which gradually dissipate, the minuet an interlude to the finale which is such a memorable tune & has a drone sound imitating the bagpipes. Apparently based on a Croatian folk tune, not Scottish as I thought. This is a portrait of the imperial capital in all it's glory. Love the optimistic ending heaps, it's becoming an earworm now...

*Album: Jack Dieval - Jazz aux Champs Elysees* (Jazz in Paris series)
- _Jack Dieval (pno.) & his J.A.C.E. All-Stars, rec. 1957
- Jack Dieval & his jazz trio, rec. 1956_
(Gitanes/Universal)


Another listen to this great album, bringing together two recordings of this great jazz pianist from post-1945 France. In the first set, one of his originals is called _Blues for Polydor,_ a shamelss promotion of the record label on which this album came out. Another one suggesting newly emerging hi-fi stuff, called _Rif hi-fi_. A mix of the larger group items as well as more initmate jazz trio ones. One of the latter, is_ The Man I Love_, rendered beautifully by Dieval on the bones with Paul Rovere on bass and Christian Garros on the drums (great delicate use of the brushes here). Overall, the vibe of this group has elements of French classical music, esp. Dieval's piano playing, also of American West Coast "cool" jazz and last but not least, Count Basie kind of minimalist "less is more" swing style (the first item they play is his _Jumpin' at the Woodside_). A rare one but a good one, that's why I got so many of these Jazz in Paris series when they came out 10 years ago, they're out of print now but some are being reissued...


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Violin Sonata In F Major, K 377
Mozart: Violin Sonata In C Major, K 303
Mozart: Violin Sonata In E Minor, K 304
Mozart: Violin Sonata In A Major, K 526*

Having a second listen to this lovely Disc


----------



## chrislowski

Disc 2 (quartets 3 & 6)


----------



## starthrower

I got hold of a used copy of this excellent, but deleted Moscow Studio Archives CD. It features superb Russian soloists who were friends and colleagues of Schnittke's. If you find CG No. 1 rough going, no. 2 is a good remedy. It's full of brilliant parody and good humor!


----------



## Clementine

Hi, I will try now.

Piece: Peer Gynt Op. 23
Composer: Edvard Grieg 
Recording: Paavo Järvi with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra

Premiered in 1876 when Grieg was 33, the score for Peer Gynt was written to accompany a play by the same name. The music was not well received in the context of the play, with critics citing it as too superficial for the content it was supporting. Nonetheless the music was popular among audiences, so much so that Grieg went on to produce two concert suites out of the incidental music. Today, it is the first suite that is frequently performed. This is unfortunate as the hour of music that Grieg left us has few weak spots, and some of its strongest material is left out of the suite. Oddly enough, the incidental music as whole works rather well as a concert piece, creating a sort of mish mash of overtures, ballet, opera, and folk tunes. Highlights include _Peer Gynt's Serenade_ and _Solvieg's Song_ the latter of which references the yodeling Grieg did when hiking the mountaintop as a child. Though the music can sound a little cinematic at times, overall Peer Gynt is a well crafted piece, filled with hummable tunes, Norwegian flavor, and a rousing orchestral part.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Clementine said:


> Piece: Peer Gynt Op. 23
> Composer: Edvard Grieg
> Recording: Paavo Järvi with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra


Thanks for the info. I just have the two suites, but I'm listening to them now, by von Karajan. I'll follow that with the Holberg Suite, not a pastiche but a recollection of an era gone by.


----------



## science

#5 - I will listen to Karajan's recording again to be fair, but for now I think I like this one much better!

And now:










Cell Symphony - which is awesome - I don't mean to endorse this recording, as I haven't compared others, but the work itself.


----------



## Sonata

Puccini's Suor Angelica. This particular recording is with the Britain Philharmonic Orchestra and Miriam Gauci in the title role. I really like opera. The aria "Senza Mama" is one of the most moving, beautiful pieces of music that I have ever heard.


----------



## Manok

Schubert Symphony No. 2 in B flat.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Gurreliede*r, by Robert Craft. *Schrecker, Chamber Symphony*, by Welser-Most.

I'm in the mood for big, lush orchestral sounds.


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Symphony No. 1, Op. 9*

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Orches...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312481090&sr=1-1

I really like the symphony! Beautiful and dramatic. Nice performance, but the sound is not great.










*Barber: Symphony No. 2, Op. 19*

Berlin Symphony Orchestra; Roland Keller; Siegfried Kohler




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FA3NIA/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312483282&sr=8-6

Exciting work, but it's more of a piano concerto than a symphony. Pretty good sound.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Major*

Listening to some Mahler - first time in ages! This is a great recording


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm Bach to Bach to Bach.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57 *

Artists	
Jack Liebeck (Artist), Katya Apekisheva (Artist), Dvorak (Composer), Garry Walker (Conductor), Royal Scottish National Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Violin...A2LO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314819781&sr=8-1

Fantastic sonata, and I love this version!










*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Susane Stanzeleit, Julian Jacobson, Dvorak




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Music-...IQL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314824004&sr=8-1

So beautiful! Dvorak really made some of the most outstanding chamber music that I have heard! And I have statet many times, I think...The larghetto is out of this world! So beautiful and loveley melancolic. And Stanzeleit submit outstandin feelings and personality into it!










*Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5*

Artists	
Douglas Davis
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Gerard Schwarz




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Serena...625U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315056116&sr=8-2

Very short piece, but this is concentrated beauty! Loveley performed. Great sound also.










*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11 *

Artists	
The Zaslav Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Dvoraks-Viola...1OI3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314804383&sr=8-1

Just beautiful! And a very good reccording. Brilliant sound.


----------



## kv466

Bach - Italian Concerto bwv971, Glenn Gould piano


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 6 In A Minor*

The Mahler 9th was great! - Now listening to Mahler 6th and after this will put on Karajan's Mahler 5th


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.1 in D, D.82*

Artists	
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden, Hans Zender




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Symp...CMM0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314183395&sr=8-2

Schubert and the Symphony .. maybe not my favorite format of him. Nevertheless, I think it's a great symphony. To be the first one is the really good! Great playing, with great nerve, and the sound is pretty good.










*Schubert: Symphony No.3 in D, D.200*

Artists	
Vaclav Neumann
SWF Symphony




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Rosa...6L/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1314191434&sr=8-34

A symphony to really become in love with! Very good melodies, and it is very picturesque. Great sound and great performance.


----------



## Sid James

Some repeated listening to these things, except Haydn's _Miracle_ symphony & _Trio in A major_, both of which I hadn't heard in a good while -

*J. Haydn*
_Sym. #96 in D major, The Miracle_ (arr. J.P. Salomon)
_Trio in A major, Op. 70 #1 (Hob XV:18)_
Ensemble of the Classic Era - Geoffrey Lancaster, fortepiano / Paul Wright, Classical violin / Susan Blake, Classical cello
(ABC Discovery label)

*J. Haydn*_
Sym. #104 in D major, London_
Radio Luxembourg SO / Louis de Froment, cond.
(BCI Music)

The quirky endings of these works, esp. in terms of their humour and lightness, may well have been frowned upon a bit by the composers of the previous Baroque era. I like how Haydn does his own brand of things, eg. the fugues that come at the end, or dotted rhythms at least. It's like he's paying his debts to J.S. Bach and Handel but in a cheeky way. I like J.P. Salomon's arrangements of the Haydn symphonies here, this one - the_ Miracle _- and also the _Surprise_, it's amazing what he does with just three instruments, but it's taken me a while to get used to the smaller & more delicate sounds of the fortepiano compared to the modern pianos I'm more used to.

*E. Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83_
Maggini String Quartet
(Naxos)

Rarely or ever have I heard Elgar's music to be as angry and intense as this. These last chamber works, written in his older age in Sussex, is all about musing & reflection. There are many thoughts here, it's a stream of consciousness, & he particularly had in mind the local "Worcester lads" who had gone off to fight the first world war and never came back, they were lying in the fields of France, still are. It's like an intimate conversation between the listener and the composer, no bullsh*t, pure emotion, and comparable in that way to Beethoven's late quartets. Elgar, on the surface a reserved man, doesn't hold back here one bit, he lets it all hang out, so to speak..


----------



## robert

Busoni Piano Concerto 
Hamelin

Sibelius Symphony 1 6
Berglund


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104*. Both works feature the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Ludwig Van Beethoven*--Symphony** No.2* *in D Major, Op**.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein at its helm.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65, *featuringVasilyPetrenkoconductingtheRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Work 
*Spohr: Symphony No.1 in Eb, Op.20*

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra
Alfred Walter




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Symphon...UB0M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1313482834&sr=8-5

I am very fond of Spohr's music. But what little I've read around, suggesting that he is valued as a violinist and conductor, but not as a composer. I find it very pleasant to listen to Spohr. He has a simple approach. But simplicity gives often the best moods and moments. At least for me! That is why I have problems with Beethoven sometimes. It is like the music is tied together in knots. But Beethoven is very rewarding when I am able to untie the knots! But that takes time.

This symphony is very elegant and melodious. There are some brilliant themes! To be a first symphony, I must say this is brilliant!

Very good performance! The sound is average.










*Spohr: Symphony No.2 in D-, Op.49*

Artists	
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Hoey Choo




http://www.amazon.com/Lachner-Symph...UZ6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313483394&sr=8-1

Why is not this man not more known for his compositions? It is a mystery to me. It is a wonderful nerve in the symphony.

Brilliant performed, but the sound is only average.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify* over the course of the last 2 nights:

Howard Hanson--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.21 {"Nordic"}, *performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kenneth Schermerhorn.
Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Havergal Brian--*Symphony No.7, *featuring Adrian Leaper directing the Slovak radio Symphony Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the guidance of Leonard Bernstein.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.4 , Op.165*, with Keith Brion conducting the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra.
Havergal Brian*--Symphonies** Nos**.11 and 15, *performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland with Adrian Leaper at the helm.
Amy Beach--*Symphony in E Minor, Op.32 {"Gaelic Symphony"}, *featuring the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kenneth Schermerhorn.
Walter Piston--*Symphony No.6, *performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 In Bb Major, Op. 14, "To October"
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 20, "First Of May"*

A change of plans.. Decided to listen to Shostakovich's early Symphonies instead of the Mahler 5th (which I will listen to later or tomorrow instead)


----------



## NightHawk

This is a fine recording of the Rachmaninoff g minor and the myaskovsky D major sonatas for cello and piano, and the only one I've heard as I'm new to both sonatas - but I'm sure there are some treasured recordings of these works, esp of the Rach., that i don't know about. Would appreciate some opinionated comments on recordings of these works. thnx.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 43*

Now listening to Shosty's mighty 4th!


----------



## science

#1 - first time I've ever heard this symphony


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak*--Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88*. The *7th* features the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th* is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton wielded by Carlo Giulini.


----------



## teej

*Goldmark Violin Concerto - Sarah Chang*

After spending much time comparing several different recordings I finally settled with this one. I love Sarah Chang's full tone and almost perfect intonation (for absolute _perfect _intonation you would have to go with Hilary Hahn!) Excellent orchestral playing too (which isn't too surprising!). Highly recommended.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: The Wood-Nymph, Op. 15*

Prompted by mention of this piece on Tapkaara's Sibelius Thread!


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn Symphony No.1


----------



## opus55

After reading Tapkaara's thread, some Sibelius!

The Tempest: Suite No.1, Opus 109, No. 2


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13, *performed by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Stephen Gunzenhauser.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *with Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*(Blessed) Hildegard von Bingen* (1098-1179), medieval music that are almost one thousand years old, yet strikingly serene and modern. Performed by a group called Sequentia. 8 CD set at give away prices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen


----------



## Tapkaara

Conor71 said:


> *Sibelius: The Wood-Nymph, Op. 15*
> 
> Prompted by mention of this piece on Tapkaara's Sibelius Thread!


PLEASE me what you think of this!


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 47 "*Kreutzer*" 
*Pamela Frank*, violin/*Emanuel Axe*, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

Before bed, *Sibelius' Violin Concerto*, by Vanska. Upon rising, *Brahms' 4th, Kleiber*. Just a reminder that who can be bored when there's so much interesting music out there?


----------



## kv466

Peter von Winter - Flute Concerto No. 1 
Prague Chamber Orchestra
Bruno Meier, flute


----------



## Trout

Glazunov - Symphony No. 5
USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov.
Recorded in Moscow in 1970.

Listening on youtube, but the recording is also part of this box set:


----------



## opus55

Manxfeeder said:


> Before bed, *Sibelius' Violin Concerto*, by Vanska. Upon rising, *Brahms' 4th, Kleiber*. Just a reminder that who can be bored when there's so much interesting music out there?


amazon.com is selling mp3 of the above set for $7.99. Too bad I only buy CDs.
Just in case someone is looking for Vanska set.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonata No. 35 
Emanuel Ax, piano


----------



## robert

Braga Santos

Symphony 4


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## opus55

Enjoying a windy, quiet afternoon with coffee









Villa-Lobos: Suite popular brasileira
Eduardo Fernández, guitar


----------



## Conor71

Tapkaara said:


> PLEASE me what you think of this!


I love the Wood-Nymph - great piece  I like the other Music on the CD as well especially the Lonely Ski Trail with the spoken word.
The performance and sound on this Disc are great too as one would expect from Vanska and Bis!


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Suite No.1 in C, Op.9*

Artists	
Romanian Broadcasting Orchestra & Chorus
Josif Conta




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Suites...45TG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315222263&sr=8-5

Very interesting work. Strong and almost frightening intensity. Very good sound (a litle hiss), and the orchestra conveys moods and undertones very good.










*Enescu: Suite No.2 in C, Op.20*

Artists	
bucharest philharmonic orchestra
cristian Mandeal




http://www.amazon.com/Romanian-Rhap...5IAX/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1315223135&sr=8-6

Even better sound! This suite feels lighter than the first, but is also very nice. Excellent performance. In particular, the violin is very playful and stunning.










*Enescu: Suite No.3 in D ('Villageoise'), Op.27*

Artists	
Foster (Artist), Monte Carlo Phil Orch




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Romani...F11C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315224147&sr=8-2

Very interesting, and perhaps a little more modern suite than the previous ones. Wonderful variety of tones and sounds. Great sound and performance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. *5, Vanska.


----------



## jalex

*Berio: Folk Songs*










Berio once remarked that immersing oneself in folk music is musical refreshment, and indeed this is strangely beautiful and refreshing music. And, of course, a terrific performance by a terrific singer.


----------



## Tapkaara

Conor71 said:


> I love the Wood-Nymph - great piece  I like the other Music on the CD as well especially the Lonely Ski Trail with the spoken word.
> The performance and sound on this Disc are great too as one would expect from Vanska and Bis!


I just now saw that I said "please me" instead of "please TELL me." I am an awful typist. I often leave words out, duplicate words, leave in bad spelling, etc. I hope no one think that I am illiterate!

The Wood Nymph is quite possibly my favorite Sibelius tone poem. If it were performed more, it could enter inter the standard repertoire, I think.

That you like it PLEASES ME.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Shostakovitch Symphony 14... really an orchestral song cycle... or oratorio... a collection of dirges inspired by Benjamen Britten's _War Requiem_.










A stunningly fluid interpretation of Mendelssohn's violin works... by a stunningly good-looking violinist.










Bach's cantatas by Gardiner again. As I listen to these more and more I find that I am as enamored of them as I am and Andre dislikes them as much as he does. What a particularly recognize in the majority of Bach's cantatas is the chamber music-like structure. Quite often these works are performed by a small instrumental ensemble (and one that displays a real variety of orchestration) and a few soloists... with perhaps only a chorale or two given over to the larger full forces of the massed choir. Considering my personal leanings (away from chamber music) and Andre's preference for the same I am somewhat surprised at our respective responses to Bach's cantatas.


----------



## opus55




----------



## science

Starting my morning off easy.


----------



## science

Carter's Violin Concerto.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...
> 
> Bach's cantatas by Gardiner again. As I listen to these more and more I find that I am as enamored of them as I am and Andre dislikes them as much as he does. What a particularly recognize in the majority of Bach's cantatas is the chamber music-like structure. Quite often these works are performed by a small instrumental ensemble (and one that displays a real variety of orchestration) and a few soloists... with perhaps only a chorale or two given over to the larger full forces of the massed choir. Considering my personal leanings (away from chamber music) and Andre's preference for the same I am somewhat surprised at our respective responses to Bach's cantatas.


Well I may well come around to Bach's choral works. I am currently, have been for a while now, revisiting his solo instrumental & chamber things. So it may take time, but I am aiming to have a moratorium on buying discs soon, I am snowed under with a pile of unlistened discs, it's becoming ridiculous.

Talking of J.E. Gardiner, I was just listening to a friend's recording of him at the helm of J.S. Bach's orchestral suites, I will put the info on my blog soon, I quite enjoyed them, esp. as a contrast to his cello suites which I've been getting into lately.

I maybe came across as being anti-Bach but truth is I was more on the fence and coming in from the cold so to speak, I am revisiting things by him that I remember liking a decade or more ago...


----------



## Sid James

*W.A. Mozart* - _Piano Quartet in E flat major, K.493_
The Mozartean Players
(Harmonia Mundi)

A first listen to this disc I got yesterday, I'm also putting it on my blog. I have loved his two piano quartets since I was a kid. But now it's not just pleasant background music as it was to me then, there's a wealth of riches and a wealth of invention in this music, I can hear it better now, these rediscoveries keep getting better all the time...


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 5 In C# Minor*


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> *Mahler: Symphony No. 5 In C# Minor*


This is probably the only Mahler symphony recording I truly love from begining to the end. His 9th live recording seems to be popular too but I was very disappointed. It's funny that your "currently listening" selections coincide so often as my favorites.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}, *featuring Carlo Giulini conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, *all performed by the San Francisco Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## opus55

"Appassionata"

Will ECM ever bundle up Schiff's Beethoven sonatas into a box set at more affordable price?


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> This is probably the only Mahler symphony recording I truly love from begining to the end. His 9th live recording seems to be popular too but I was very disappointed. It's funny that your "currently listening" selections coincide so often as my favorites.


Thanks opus  - The Adagietto in the Karajan 5th is the best I've heard and its my favourite recording of this Symphony too!.

Now listening:

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 65*


----------



## science

I'll catch up a bit:










Glagolitic Mass.










Chronochromie.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Festive Cantatas*, by Ulrich Stotzel. Lively, tuneful pieces that will get your blood pumping, especially on a rainy Sunday morning.


----------



## science

4 Piano Pieces - if I'm not mistaken, there is no Sz. number for them.

Earlier today I listened to the long version of the op. 1 Rhapsody, and liked it very much.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## opus55

Bach Magnificat BWV 243 by Collegium Vocale/La Chapelle Royal directed by Herreweghe. The two arias by soprano 1 and 2 are so beautiful. Herreweghe's recording of Mozart Mass in C minor is also excellent by the way.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 In C Major, K 465, "Dissonance"
Mozart: String Quartet No. 20 In D Major, K 499, "Hoffmeister"
Mozart: String Quartet No. 7 In Eb Major, K 160
Mozart: String Quartet No. 8 In F Major, K 168*

Now listening to Disc 5 of this set of Mozart's String Quartets - This Disc contains my favourite Quartets from Mozart's Cycle: The Dissonance and Hoffmeister Quartets. Mozart's Cycle of String Quartets is some of my favourite Chamber Music and is always a pleasure to listen to


----------



## Manok

Aaron Copland - Symphony for Organ and Orchestra. Interesting work.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Violin Concerto*, Vanska.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.4-6, *performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}, *featuring Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## jalex

*Bartok: String Quartet #1
*









*Bach: Brandenburg Concerti #4-6
*


----------



## Vaneyes

My favorite rec for Mahler 5...an extraordinary performance with RPO/Shipway. And the sound equals.

I'm listening to the remastered 32-bit reissue on the left. A more recent reissue has the cover on the right.


----------



## Sid James

*W.A. Mozart*
_Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478_
The Mozartean Players (USA)
(Harmonia Mundi)

Another listen to this newly bought disc, a joy. This is the first of two piano quartets by Mozart, and the first movement mines his favourite dark key, G minor. A very expressive opening movement there, but the other two movements are lighter and more typically Mozartean by comparison.

*J. Haydn*
_Sym. #103 in E flat major, Drum Roll_
Royal PO / Thomas Beecham, cond.
(EMI)

*L. Beethoven*
_Sym. #1 in C major, Op. 21_
Broadcasting Orch. Ljubliana / Jiri Pospal, cond.
(PWK Classics)

First listen to these after a long while. I remember when I first listened to Haydn's_ Drum Roll _symphony as a kid, the opening made me think that the whole thing would be dark. But as he does with all of his _London _symphonies in the final set of 12, it's only the short intro which is dark, the mood changes not long into the piece, with his typical lightness and whimsy. As for the Beethoven, it's been so long, I listened to it with fresh ears.

*R. Shankar*
_Concerto for Sitar and Orch. (#1)_
Composer on sitar / Terence Emery, bongos / London SO / Andre Previn, cond.
(on EMI double CD set)

A picture of a day in the life of India, from sunrise to sunset. Some great writing combining the sitar with various instruments of the orchestra, some great chamber-like duos with everything from flute to harp to bassoon, and of course not forgetting Terry Emery here, such a brilliant virtuoso on the bongos, he's Shankar's equal in all regards.

*A. Hovhaness*

_String Quartet #3, Op. 208 #1 "Reflections on my childhood" (Childhood in New England)_
-Shanghai String Quartet
_And God Created Great Whales_ (1970), for taped whalesong and orch.
_Prelude and Quadruple Fugue_ (1936, orchestrated 1954)
- Seattle SO / Gerard Schwarz, cond.

The string quartet is somewhat dark and static almost, with Hovhaness' trademark Renaissance and Baroque allusions, but written without any meter markings. The whale work is more interesting in how three whale's songs are played at different speeds, creating a kind of counterpoint, & apart from some glissandos from the brass in one section, the orchestral part is not as interesting as the taped parts, imo. Then the _Prelude and Quadruple Fugue_, which is a showpiece for orchestra, reminiscent in some ways of Vaughan Williams and Sibelius - it has his monumental aspect - & Hovhaness was an intimate friend of the great Finnish composer.

*J.S. Bach*
_Partita for solo violin #2 in D minor, BWV.1004_
Ruggiero Ricci, violin
(from Decca Eloquence double disc set - various composers violin sonatas)

_Chaconne_ from BWV.1004
London SO / Leopold Stokowski, cond. & arranger
(RCA Victor - Bach Greatest Hits album)

The massive chaconne has been called Bach's greatest achievement, it is a cathedral in sound written in memory of his first wife, & it includes her name, Bach's own name, and some Lutheran chorales. I cried at the end of both these recordings, the original version on violin and Stokowski's brilliant orchestral transcription. Bach's violin music has brought me to tears before, I seem to emotionally connect with it in a deeper way than his other things...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A bit of variety over the last day and a half. The Mendelssohn is a second hearing before shelving the disc. Mutter is fabulous... as always. The Borodin is quite thrilling even if he is a rather minor composer among the Russians. Shostakovitch' 14th is actually more of a suite of orchestral songs... dirges... mourning after the war. Shosty was reportedly deeply moved by Britten's _War Requiem_. The Bach cantatas by Gardiner are as brilliant as always. _The Musical Offering_ is a work that for whatever reason I never got into before. Of course I had but one recording... part of a 2-disc set that included the _Art of Fugue_. As usual, Jordi Savall has a way with bringing older music to life, and this is no exception.


----------



## Vaneyes

There's Mutter again, teasing me.


----------



## starthrower

You'd like Anne-Sophie to be the Mutter of your children, wouldn't you?


----------



## kv466

Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 
Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Henryk Szeryng, violin/Michala Petri, recorder
Heinz Holliger, oboe/Andre Bernard, trumpet


----------



## Vaneyes

starthrower said:


> You'd like Anne-Sophie to be the Mutter of your children, wouldn't you?


That sends us almost to 1963 with, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh".


----------



## starthrower

Well... we're not gonna nail Anne, so let's have a bagel!


----------



## science

The Pique Dame overture.









Carter: 3 Occasions for Orchestra.









Hary Janos Suite - first time hearing this recording, and I _love_ it. Wunnerful music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 5: Symphony No. 1 in E major "Slavonian Symphony"*

Artists
Alexander Anissimov and Moscow State Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...7N5V/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273600&sr=8-6

Ok symphony, but I'm not very excited. The sound is not great on this recording. Performances also seem a bit tame. Tha adagio is easy to like, though










*Glazunov: Op. 16: Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp minor "To the Memory of Liszt"*

Artists
Alexander Anissimov, Alexander Annissov and Moscow Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...14F8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321274293&sr=8-1

Much better symphony in my opinion, actually I find it very good! Full of delightfull details, colors, shades, moods and moments. Even if it is the same performers as in the first symphony, I find them more dedicated here.


----------



## david.allsopp

oskaar said:


> *Alexander Glazunov	*
> 
> Work
> *Glazunov: Op. 5: Symphony No. 1 in E major "Slavonian Symphony"*
> 
> *Glazunov: Op. 16: Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp minor "To the Memory of Liszt"*
> 
> Artists
> Alexander Anissimov, Alexander Annissov and Moscow Symphony Orchestra


I have to say that the series with Scottish National and Jose Serebrier is awesome, here is 5th:





http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61uZl73bgOL._SS500_.jpg


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 33: Symphony No. 3 in D major*

Artists
The London Symphony Orchestra 
Yondani Butt




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...RQFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321275028&sr=8-1

Fine and quite enjoyable symphony. Fine changes in moods and intensity. I think I like no 2 bether though. Good performance and very good sound.










*Glazunov: Op. 48: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major*

Artists
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Fedoseyev




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-The-...UW10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273361&sr=8-2

No. 4 is not as good as No. 2 I get a certain feeling of light music or elevator music. Easy and lovely, and quite romantic, but not very exciting or challenging. Good sound and performance.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: String Quartet No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 41/1
Schumann: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 41/2
Schumann: String Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 41/3*

Prompted by the new thread about Schumann I thought I'd give these pleasant works a spin


----------



## Oskaar

Conor71 said:


> *Schumann: String Quartet No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 41/1
> Schumann: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 41/2
> Schumann: String Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 41/3*
> 
> Prompted by the new thread about Schumann I thought I'd give these pleasant works a spin


I really love those quartets!


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
Vera Tsu
Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra
Long Yu




http://www.amazon.com/Korngold-Gold...T8CO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736448&sr=8-2

I am very fond of this concert! It is playful and light, yet dramatically eventful and exciting. And it provides a lot of room for virtousitet and expression from the violinist. Vera Tsu has a wonderful approach. She plays virtuoso, but she has a great sense of expression. Good interaction with the orchestra, and good sound.










*Goldmark: Symphony No. 2 in E flat, Op. 35*

Artists	
Yondani Butt (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra)
http://www.amazon.com/Goldmark-Symp...30VT/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315735334&sr=8-2

Goldmark may have some less exciting work, but he is never boring! In any case, in my opinion. It is an effervescent energy and creativity during the whole thing. This symphony is perhaps not as exciting, but it is a joy to listen to! Excellent performance and quite good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Cantéyodjayâ, I/30*

Artists	
Patricia von Blumroder




http://www.amazon.com/Webern-Messia...0LBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317142245&sr=8-1

Messiaen is a modern komponis that I really like. It is a form of context or synchronicity in an apparent chaos. I prefer chamber music or orchestral, but this piano piece is absolutely exciting. Great piano, and very good sound.










*Messiaen : Fantaisie burlesque*

Artists	
Roger Muraro




http://www.amazon.com/Petites-Esqui...BH5T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317141778&sr=8-1

Wonderful and sparkling piano piece. It has a section no 2 which is lovely lyrical and evocative. Great work, and great piano.










*Messiaen : Les Offrandes oubliées, méditations symphoniques, I5/a,b*

Artists	
Anne Schwanewilms, Jun Markl, Lyon National Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Offr...YNX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317314981&sr=8-1

I find this piece quite boring. Sometimes annoying.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Piano Quintet In Eb Major, Op. 44*

Currently enjoying some more chamber music by Schumann


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"},* featuring E. Power Biggs and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.
Havergal Brian--*Symphonies Nos.17 and 32, *performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland conducted by Adrian Leaper.


----------



## kv466

Chopin - 12 Etudes, opus 10 Andrei Gavrilov, piano


----------



## World Violist

I think that lately more than ever, Enescu is the violinist I keep coming back to. In many ways he remains unmatched in the recorded history of the violin, and his dark, deep tone is incredible.










George Enescu: The Columbia Solo Recordings










JS Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
George Enescu, violin


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony For Organ And Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works feature the New york Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein. *Symphony* *No*.*1 *has E. Power Biggs on organ.
Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *performed by organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.


----------



## starthrower

Schnittke-Concerto For Piano And String Orchestra









Whoa! This piece is fantastic! I got this Ondine edition from the library, but I've read that the recording by Viktoria Postnikova is the definitive performance. It's available very cheap on an Apex reissue. Just ordered from Presto Classical.


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to Bach's solo violin music, the originals and the orchestration by Stokowski, then a welcome return to some music by Kodaly and Janacek that I hadn't heard for ages. Rewarding all round as usual...

*J.S. Bach*

_Partita for solo violin II in D minor, BWV.1004_
Yehudi Menuhin, violin
(cassette tape)

_Sonata for solo violin #1 in G minor, BWV.1001
Partita for solo violin #2 in D minor, BWV.1004_
Ruggiero Ricci, violin
(from Decca Eloquence double disc set - various composers violin sonatas)

_Chaconne_ from BWV.1004
London SO / Leopold Stokowski, cond. & arranger
(RCA Victor - Bach Greatest Hits album)

*Z. Kodaly*
_Concerto for orchestra_
- Philharmonia Hungarica / Antal Dorati, cond.

*L. Janacek*
_Taras Bulba for orch._
- Cleveland Orch. / C. von Dohnanyi, cond.
(Both on Decca Eloquence CD)

*L. Janacek*
_Violin Sonata, JW VII/7_
Adriane Daskalakis, violin / Miri Yamplonsky, piano
(Naxos - with music by Lutoslawski & Szymanowski)


----------



## Vaneyes

This is one of those Penguin Rosettes which stopped being competitive years ago. It's been hanging around my collection for over twenty years. Kinda like a friend who came for dinner and stayed the winter.

Tempi drag, and Bohm is too noticeable.


----------



## science

Vaneyes said:


> This is one of those Penguin Rosettes which stopped being competitive years ago. It's been hanging around my collection for over twenty years. Kinda like a friend who came for dinner and stayed the winter.
> 
> Tempi drag, and Bohm is too noticeable.


I'm gonna hafta hear it!


----------



## Vaneyes

You haven't heard all the Rosettes? Shame!


----------



## science

Just beautiful. I bet those English guys like Delius ate their hearts out when they heard this.


----------



## science

Vaneyes said:


> You haven't heard all the Rosettes? Shame!


My bad!

(Hadn't thought of it as a goal before. But by this time next year...)

Edit: Turns out there's a lot of them. Gimme a decade instead.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Frederick Delius--*Florida Suite, *featuring David Lloyd-Jones conducting the English Northern Philharmonia.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Morton Gould.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Shostakovich - 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87

Tatiana Nikolayeva.

The first Shostakovich I've really connected to!


----------



## science

Tagebuch - and I loved it. Janacek is so amazing.


----------



## jhar26

Perfect. I can't imagine a better recording of this opera than this one.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.19 String Quartet No.4*

Artists	
Prague String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-String...DEH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315216259&sr=8-1

I do not like this quartet very much. It is choppy and disjointed, and lacks good melody lines. I get just stressed from listening to it. The Andante is better, but a little heavy and dull. Quite nice performance, but the sound is average.










*
*Dvorák: B.192 String Quartet No. 13 in G major

Artists	
A. Weithaas & C. Tetzlaff & R. Roberts & G. Rivinius




http://www.amazon.com/String-quarte...FYQ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320573095&sr=8-1


Much better! But Dvorak is much more appealing in other chamber forms. Still, a warm and rich quartet. Very good and sensitive playing! The sound is pretty good.










*Dvorák: B.40 op12 String Quartet No.6*

Artists	
Panocha Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/String-Quartets-Nos-6-7/dp/B00004S96P/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1316362964&sr=8-9

This quartet is very beautiful! Some tame performance, it lacks somehow spark. The sound is also pretty bad, and then will the performance seem bad two. But I will not only blame it on the sound.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no.85 in b-flat, La Reina
Sigiswald Kuijken conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100 *

Artists	
Lincoln Mayorga
arnold steinhardt




http://www.amazon.com/Strauss-Dvora...09EK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315128314&sr=8-1

I love this work! Incredibly atmospheric and melodious. Quite nice performance .. but the violin sounds not very good. Generally quite poor sound.










*
Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11 *

Artists	
Edmund Battersby, Zhou Qian




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5C8O8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314804511&sr=8-1










Wonderful piece! Unfortunately pretty bad sound, especially from the piano. It sounds very harsh. The violin is far better. And there is great empathy and sensitivity in the play of Zhou Qian

*Dvorák: B.56 op26 Piano Trio No.2 *

Artists	
Beaux Arts Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Comple...IVOO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318604883&sr=8-2

Quite nice trio, but I find Dvorak much better in other chamber formats. It is as if he binds slightly when he should compose something in a format, whether it's a string quartet or piano trio. But when he creates individual chamber pieces, or more non-traditional formats, so he flourishes! Both melodic and excitement and nerves in the work.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> My bad!
> 
> (Hadn't thought of it as a goal before. But by this time next year...)
> 
> Edit: Turns out there's a lot of them. Gimme a decade instead.


Get cracking. Here's the list...

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/rosettes.php?keytype=0&keyword=all


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 4, W 129
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 9, W 457
Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 11, W 481*

Now listening to Disc 6 of this great set of Villa-Lobos String Quartets. This is great music and one of my best buys of last year. Villa-Lobos Quartets have a spikiness like Bartoks but they are also infused with a wonderful latin lyricism.
The slow movements in some of these quartets are to die for - really haunting stuff!


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Eduard Brunner (Performer), Trio Fontenay




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Quar...I4B3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317307866&sr=8-1

Very modern, but a very exciting work! It is both romantic and experimentally in the expression. It varies from movement to movement, and from moment to moment. I want to comment on the fifth movement in particular. It is very romantic and sensitive. But there is an electrical nerve against the more modern. Recommended warmly!
Performances are very good, and the sound is also good.










Work 
*Messiaen : Le merle noir, for flute and piano, I/37*

Artists	
Sharon Bezaly




http://www.amazon.com/Bezaly-Sharon...LRDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317303664&sr=8-1

Nice and interesting piece! Performance and sound is very good.










*Messiaen : Oiseaux exotiques, for piano, 11 winds and 7 percussion, I/41*

Artists	
Loriod Yvonne




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messi...9Q/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1317304160&sr=8-14

Very interesting piece! Delicious variations and moods. The percussion is especially exciting to listen to. Superior performance and sound.


----------



## Oskaar

Hello, friends! This is an invitation to participate in a thread where we highlight works we love, or works we just want other people to hear.

There are two simular threads right now, and I participate in both. When I was new to Talk Classical I searched for such threads, to se what people like most! (I came up with the current listening thread as the best alternative..) There are so much knowledge in this forum, and also personal preferances, and people able to speak about them!

I invite you to participate in one or both of this threads. I started the alternative classical music thread, but then we had the crash, and after that some other nice people ( like Klavierspieler ) found it interresting to start again. 

I hope that more people will join, every addition will be saved to future referances, even if it is removed from the list ( New archive thread starting 1.12.2011. I know that most people have limited time, but spaering a little time on this project will enlighten newcomers as well as "oldies". 

Alternative Classical Music Project

Here are the rules of this project:

Everyone can add one work every day, but then they have to remove a work. The same person is not allowed to add the same work twice within a month once it has been removed. Other people can add that work anytime again (within the limits of one per day). You can not remove the same work twice within a month. Most importantly, have fun! This is not a perfect list of the best works, but a list where we want to highlight some good works. Discussions are welcomed. Bashing is not.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73*

Artists	
Stefan Vladar
Clemens Hagen




http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Selec...KDG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319469168&sr=8-1

Schumann really does something to me. It's hard to put my finger on it, but he has an appeal, a depth in the works with great melodies creates a deep track. I still believe that those who are lukewarm to the Schumann miss something. We are different, and taste can not be discussed, but I'm certainly glad I have the ability to appreciate Schumann!










*Schumann: 3 Romances, for oboe and piano, Op.94*

Artists	
Charles West (Performer), Susan Grace (Performer)*




http://www.amazon.com/Sonatas-Clari...JLET/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319548331&sr=8-1

Very beautiful! This work can I play for my daughter at night, and she will fall asleep quickly! Not out of boredom, but because it is unsurpassed qualities in the work. Great performance and very good sound. Brilliant interplay between clarinet (originally oboe) and piano.










*Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, for cello and piano, Op.102*

Artists	
Martin Frost, Roland Pontinen




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Work...M8ZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319555336&sr=8-1

Beatifully played! Light and capturing work. Light and deep I should say, like it often is with Schumann.


----------



## jalex

*Niels Gade: Symphony #2
*









Pleasantly surprised by the quality of this symphony, the first major work I have heard by Gade; it's his 'Pastoral' symphony, full of infectiously energetic themes and attractive melodies. Not an earth shattering piece, but good enough for me to bookmark his name in my mental catalogue as someone to check out further. The 'In the Highlands' overture also on this CD was praised in the Amazon reviews so I look forward to listening to that soon.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Tapiola and Symphony No. 6, *Vanska.


----------



## Vaneyes

Wrong packaging?


----------



## samurai

Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.4, Op.165, Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places, Op.213, Symphony No.20 {"Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain"}, Prayer of Saint Gregory, Op.62b and Symphony No.53, Op.377 {"Star Dawn"}. *All works are performed by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra led by Keith Brion. John Wallace is the featured soloist on trumpet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Francesco Landini or Francesco da Fierenze (of Florence) or Francesco degli Organi was an Italian/Florentine of the mid- through late 1300s. He was active as an organist, writer, philosopher, poet, etc... and was close with the great poet, Francesco Petrarch and composers such as Lorenzo da Firenze and Andreas da Florentia. Landini was a leading exponent of the so-called _"Italian ars nova"_. While there are records of his having composed sacred music, none of it has survived. What have survived are eighty-nine ballate for two voices, forty-two ballate for three voices, and another nine which exist in both two and three-voice versions. In addition to the ballate, a smaller number of madrigals have survived. Landini is assumed to have written his own texts for many of his works.

As usual, the Anonymous 4 bring their careful research and exquisite harmonies to this body of music.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1*}. Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein at its helm. The *First* *Symphony *also features E*. *Power Biggs on organ.


----------



## Vaneyes

Not long ago, I deemed Khachaturian the Koncerto King. I'll raise even more highbrows by stating now that Rawsthorne isn't far behind him.

The three nominated recs are below. I listened to the PCs a couple of days ago, so it's violin, and cello concerti tonight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Wrong packaging?


Oops! Same group, different disc.


----------



## Conor71

*Satie: Piano Works*

Havent listened to this one in quite a while, its very pretty too! - excellent playing from Pascal Roge


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony* *No*.*4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jean Martinon. This symphony's last movement--especially its first few bars--reminds me so much of the opening movement of Nielsen's *First* *Symphony, *which has become one of my favorites.
Jean Sibelius--*Valse Triste, Op.44 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82. *Both works are performed magnificently and with ardor and passion by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra helmed by Mariss Jansons. After really *listening* to *Valse* *Triste* for the first time, I can now comprehend why Wayne Shorter--one of my favorite jazz musicians of all time--admires it so highly.
Vis a vis the symphony, I find its *3rd* *Movement* to be one of the most melodically beautiful I've ever heard: Mariss Jansons - Symphony No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op.82: III. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto -


----------



## Sid James

*J. Brahms, arr. A. Schoenberg*
_Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_
City of Birmingham SO / Simon Rattle, cond.

I can't imagine a better arrangement of this seminal chamber work by Brahms. It's nickname of Brahms' "5th symphony" is very apt. The orchestration throughout sounds quite like Brahms would have done it himself, except in the final gypsy rondo movement, Schoenberg adds a touch xylophone and sliding glissandos on the trombones to add some spice to the proceedings. I have known this for over a decade, but this is the first time owning it & it's great.

*A. Schoenberg*
_Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night), Op. 4_ (comp. 1899, arr. string orch., 1917)
English Chamber Orch. / Daniel Barenboim, cond.

(Both above on EMI 2 disc set of music by Schoenberg)

I found this quite an odd rendition of_ Transfigured Night,_ it will definitely take getting used to. But on the whole I liked it, it had character, this is definitely quite a nuanced performance, but maybe not as emotionally involved as the recording that recently got me to love this work, by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. However, Barenboim's delivery here does pack a punch in the coda which is like the litmus test for this piece. It's like a lightbulb is turned on to brighten a darkened room.

*Album: Andre Rieu - You'll Never Walk Alone, Songs of hope and inspiration*
The Johann Strauss Orch. / Andre Rieu, direction & arrangements
(Polydor / Universal)

Another album I've heard before but not owned so far. I got this yesterday & gave it a full listen through last night. The arrangments here are pretty good, imo. _All I Ask of You _from _The Phantom of the Opera_ is my favourite track, it has some great cello and violin solos. There are light classical pieces here too & the title track which comes at the end is quite an emotional boost.

*Album: Gus Viseur - De Clichy a Broadway* (Jazz in Paris series)
Gus Viseur, accordion
- in 1955, with Boulou Ferre, guitar & Roger Paraboschi, drums
- in 1962, with unknown rhythm section
(Gitanes / Universal)

Viseur was one of the finest accordionists in Europe between the two wars and after 1945. He was a virtuoso of the instrument, and this album has a number of his compositions, as well as jazz standards. His accompanists here are sensitive and delicately underpin his quite involved playing. Like guitarist Django Reinhardt & some other jazzmen active in France at this time, Viseur was originally from Belgium but as far as the French were concerned, he was one of their own. Viseur even pays tribute to Django by playing his most famous song, _Nuages (Clouds)_...


----------



## science

#4


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Francesco Landini or Francesco da Fierenze (of Florence) or Francesco degli Organi was an Italian/Florentine of the mid- through late 1300s. He was active as an organist, writer, philosopher, poet, etc... and was close with the great poet, Francesco Petrarch and composers such as Lorenzo da Firenze and Andreas da Florentia. Landini was a leading exponent of the so-called _"Italian ars nova"_. While there are records of his having composed sacred music, none of it has survived. What have survived are eighty-nine ballate for two voices, forty-two ballate for three voices, and another nine which exist in both two and three-voice versions. In addition to the ballate, a smaller number of madrigals have survived. Landini is assumed to have written his own texts for many of his works.
> 
> As usual, the Anonymous 4 bring their careful research and exquisite harmonies to this body of music.


I discovered Anonymous 4 by chance - I saw their album "The Origin of Fire" at my library, and was inclined to trust a recording on Harmonia Mundi. This was really the launch of my discovery of early (pre-baroque) music.

I've got their two Christmas albums, Wolcum Yule and The Cherry Tree, on my list for today to listen to as I drive to the in-laws for Thanksgiving:


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - String Quartet no. 53 in d, "The Lark" Emerson String Quartet


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Great Mass in c minor, kv427 'Kyrie'

Sir Neville Marriner and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Neeme Järvi 
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Comp...NVSU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317126209&sr=8-4

I love this symphony! It is so colorfull, and has a lot of "unpolished" charm. Very nice performance, and the sound is quite good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.3 in Eb, Op.97 ('Rhenish')*

Artists	
Wolfgang Sawallisch (Conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...YUBL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319813801&sr=8-1

I love Schumann! But the symphony is a bit boring. Nice and decent, but lacks a little sparkle and nerve. But as usual, Schumann is good with melodies. Nice version, and pretty good sound. And I really like the 4.th movement; Feierlich


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.4 In D, K.19*

Artists	
Moscow Chamber Orchestra
Ilmar Lapinsch




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PT5SUA/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1320073192&sr=8-1

Occasionally, this symphony has wonderful sections. But in all I do not think it is especially exciting. For the moment! Things can change. Quite nice sound, and the performance is quite ok. And the guy was only a child!










*mozart: Symphony No.5 in Bb, K.22*

Artists
Hans Graf*
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...KPTQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320074488&sr=8-1

Far better and more exciting symphony than the fourth, in my opinion. Beautiful melody lines, and colorful and energetic. There is something harsh at the sound of full orchestra, but the performance is good.










*mozart: Symphony No.1 in Eb, K.16*

Artists	
Karl Böhm (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...9M4L/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320070106&sr=8-2

When I hear this I think of a children drawing from a genious! I really like it! Very charming. Nice performance, and very good sound!


----------



## Oskaar

*Achron, Joseph*

Work 
*Achron: Suite bizarre*

A wonderful composition! Colorful and lively. Beautiful interplay between piano and violin. Both are very sensitive and expressive, especially the violin: Very good sound!

*Achron: Capricen for violin and piano*

Wonderful listening! Outstanding play and interaction, and the work is exciting and dynamic. Much room for virtuosity, especially from the violin.


Artists	
Violin Ingolf Turban (Performer), Piano Jascha Nemtsov (Performer)*




http://www.amazon.com/À-Capriccio-J...8G2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315815201&sr=8-1










*Achron: Epitaph to the Memory of Alexander Scriabin, Op. 24*

Artists	
American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein




http://www.amazon.com/Achron-Epitap...W9DS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315815677&sr=8-3

A bit boring piece. Bether in periodes. Average sound, but it is performed nicely.


----------



## Oskaar

*Adam, Adolphe*

Work 
*Adam: Giselle*

Artists	
Andrew Mogrelia (Conductor), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Giselle-Adolphe/dp/B0000013XU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315817515&sr=8-1

Listening to balettmusikk often produces a strange experience. It is natural, it is music meant for stage. The Ballet, however, have very strong qualities in themselves. It could almost have been a symphony! A wonderful work!

Performances are very good. Excellent and tight orchestra, and the shades and moods are great performed. Great sound!

There is unfortunately little else to be found on spotify of Adam.


----------



## deeslexia

Hi from a newbie .
just revisiting my 1st , long discarded MFP LP found in a second hand shop for £1 for 3 - 
Stokowski's 1956 Holst ' Planets ' in excellent condition .
I find that I am fine with the deviations after all these years . Bit of a cheat . 'cos my original was mono , and until my Pink Triangle returns refettled , the ancient Rega is still creating magic !
I am lost in it once again !
dee


----------



## Klavierspieler

Prokofiev - Visions Fugitives

Heinrich Neuhaus


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I love Schumann! But the symphony is a bit boring. Nice and decent, but lacks a little sparkle and nerve. But as usual, Schumann is good with melodies. Nice version, and pretty good sound. And I really like the 4.th movement; Feierlich

Try George Szell's recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra... or John Eliot Gardiner. Both approach Schumann with the same intensity as Beethoven or Schubert's 8th.

Currently listening to:










Yesterday someone asked if Beverly Sills might be called the Callas-lite. She is surely no Callas... nor anything like Callas, but she did have a way with some of the repertoire that might be dismissed as opera-lite. This collection of French bon-bons is quite delicious... and perfectly suited to the coming holidays.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho, Kalevi*

Work 
*Aho: Flute Concerto*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
sharon bezaly





Flute is a bit harsh. The Works is an exciting and colorful.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Currently listening to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yesterday someone asked if Beverly Sills might be called the Callas-lite. She is surely no Callas... nor anything like Callas, but she did have a way with some of the repertoire that might be dismissed as opera-lite. This collection of French bon-bons is quite delicious... and perfectly suited to the coming holidays.


An infectious smile. R.I.P., Bubbles.


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78* performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *BothworksfeatureLeonardBernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Vaneyes

A frequent play--the great Kremer on Franck's sonata and quartet. An original poster on another thread wanted the names of elite musicians. I don't think that way, so I left a list of oldies who are still alive, plus a list of up 'n comers, well, some are a little beyond the up 'n coming stage, but you get the idea, maybe a few years beyond up 'n coming. Anyway, the OP comes back at me, pressing for "elites". As I said, I don't think that way, but I may get back. I suppose we'd hafta consider Kremer as one of the elites...if we were so pressed. When Argerich and he are coupled...my God, what a musical collaboration. So there you have it. Two elites. You heard it here first.


----------



## Sid James

*L. Bernstein*
_Fancy Free - Ballet_ (1944)
Nashville SO / Andrew Mongrelia, cond.
(Naxos)

As oskaar said about _Giselle_ above, it came across as a symphony to him, and that could be said about _Fancy Free_. Bernstein takes a number of themes on a journey through this work. I love how he combines all manner of things, esp. jazz, Latin American rhythms and of course his own modern classical style. I used to have his own account but this newer one is just as good, perhaps a bit less high octane and intense, but it also includes an opening jazz song (part of the original score) which was absent from Bernstein's recording.

*C. Gounod*
_Petite Symphonie for 10 wind instruments_
Members of Halle Orch. / John Barbirolli, cond.
(EMI)

This is pure whimsy and delight. It comes from the first wave of neo-classicism in France during the second half of the 19th century. Guys like Gounod & also Bizet and Saint-Saens became interested in music of the Classical Era, esp. Mozart. & it definitely shows in this important piece for winds, the only of Gounod's chamber works to enter the repertoire. The feel of the _Gran Partita _is never far away, & like that piece this sounds totally fresh and new every time I hear it. Gounod's symphonies and chamber works are also getting some airing in the concert halls here lately, so that is good, he didn't only compose operas as some people may think.

*P. Hindemith*
_Sonata for solo violin, Op. 31 #2_
Ruggiero Ricci, violin
(Decca Eloquence - 2 disc set of various composers solo violin works)

Another delightful work, from the period of neo-classicism proper in the 20th century. A virtuoso piece that isn't too hard to listen to here, the third movement is just a minute and entirely pizzicato, and the final movement is a set of variations on a theme by - you guessed it - Mozart, his song _Komm, lieber Mai _which also appeared in the final movement of his _Piano Concerto #27_. Hindemith takes us through the gamut of styles and violin technique in this under four minute movement, from Bachian counterpoint to atonality & Mozartean grace, it's a compression of many things until that point in time, a synthesis of old and new, like many of Hindemith's works...


----------



## NightHawk

The theme that overwhelms the finale of the symphony no. 1 is magnificent. I listened to that symphony with Berlin and Von Karajan yesterday, along with the 6th which is quite different (from all the other symphonies, but very, very fine).



oskaar said:


> *Jean Sibelius*
> 
> Work
> *Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*
> 
> Artists
> Neeme Järvi
> Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Comp...NVSU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317126209&sr=8-4
> 
> I love this symphony! It is so colorfull, and has a lot of "unpolished" charm. Very nice performance, and the sound is quite good.


----------



## kv466

Felix Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto no.1 in g minor, op. 25
Kurt Masur conducts The New York Philharmonic
Helen Huang, piano


----------



## NightHawk

I would politely venture that another conductor might add that sparkle you mentioned and missed. Von Karajan, & Gardiner both have wonderful recordings of the symphonies that seem wholly satisfying to me.



oskaar said:


> *Robert Alexander Schumann*
> 
> Work
> *Schumann: Symphony No.3 in Eb, Op.97 ('Rhenish')*
> 
> Artists
> Wolfgang Sawallisch (Conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...YUBL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319813801&sr=8-1
> 
> I love Schumann! But the symphony is a bit boring. Nice and decent, but lacks a little sparkle and nerve. But as usual, Schumann is good with melodies. Nice version, and pretty good sound. And I really like the 4.th movement; Feierlich


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I got in the mood to hear a familiar "voice" today and so I popped Beethoven's 5th and 6th into the CD player... Karajan's classic 1963 recording.


----------



## NightHawk

I greatly admire her Handel 'Julius Caesar' - the coloratura is effortless and affecting in all her da capo aria moments. I think it was this opera (w NYCity Opera) that launched her late-blooming career.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> I love Schumann! But the symphony is a bit boring. Nice and decent, but lacks a little sparkle and nerve. But as usual, Schumann is good with melodies. Nice version, and pretty good sound. And I really like the 4.th movement; Feierlich
> 
> Try George Szell's recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra... or John Eliot Gardiner. Both approach Schumann with the same intensity as Beethoven or Schubert's 8th.
> 
> Currently listening to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yesterday someone asked if Beverly Sills might be called the Callas-lite. She is surely no Callas... nor anything like Callas, but she did have a way with some of the repertoire that might be dismissed as opera-lite. This collection of French bon-bons is quite delicious... and perfectly suited to the coming holidays.


----------



## NightHawk

Love Gluck - only contemporary of H, M and B that ranks closely with them (IMO) - I have, and enjoy greatly, these three operas:
















5***** = extravagantly beautiful singing. (Paride ed Elena)












jhar26 said:


> Perfect. I can't imagine a better recording of this opera than this one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

These cantatas by Handel are absolutely enthralling! Delicious! Handel has captured the Italianate _joie de vivre_ and _sprezzatura_ "effortlessly". I cannot help but concur with member Harpsichord Concerto who has suggested that at this period in time (1708) Handel was quite likely the greatest living composer... at a mere 23 years of age. These recordings on Gloss with Fabio Bonizzoni are absolutely exquisite... but it seems as if this repertoire is so inspirational that it has resulted in fabulous results wherever it has been undertaken: Fabio Biondi with Sandrine Piau; Cecilia Bartoli with Marc Minkowski; Christopher Hogwoood, The Ancient Academy of Music and Emma Kirkby; Marc Minkowski with Magdalena Kozena; Emma Kirkby and the London Baroque; Emmanuelle Haim, Le Concert d'Astree, Natalie Dessay; Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; and Ann Murray, Symphony of Harmony And Invention and Harry Christophers.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60, "Leningrad"*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Love Gluck - only contemporary of H, M and B that ranks closely with them...

Agreed. Once again he is proof of my suggestion that composers such as Wagner, Bellini, Donizetti... even Handel and Vivaldi fare well below what they deserve in terms of recognition and reputation as a result of the unfortunate bias against opera. When I initially came upon Gluck my first thoughts were akin to "Where the ****** did this guy come from, and why haven't I ever heard of him before?!" Indeed, I will admit that for years he was just a name... this guy I vaguely remember as having represented the transition from the Baroque operas of Handel to those of Mozart. Yes, this guy revolutionized opera... but he did this by writing some of the most exquisite music ever composed for opera:













All this talk has spurred on to pull out one of my Gluck discs here soon.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 4 In D Minor, Op. 120*

I dont really know Schumann's Symphonies apart from the 3rd so going to rectify this - This version of the Symphonies uses Mahlers changes to Schumann's Orchestration, which doesn't mean a lot to me! I just know this is a very fine set of performances with great sound


----------



## Klavierspieler

Leos Janacek - Piano Sonata 1.X.1905

Rudolf Firkušný.


----------



## opus55

Mahler Symphony No.2 "Resurrection"

I think I now prefer Walter recording over Bernstein/NYPO. I'm in desperate need of more recordings to better enjoy the monumental works of classical music!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving another listen to this delicious music for clarinet quartets from a peer of Mozart. I already have this disc on order from Amazon... waiting for it to arrive... but had to listen to it again. Yes the music is that good.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra helmed by Mariss Jansons.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the Royal Danish Orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 63*


----------



## kv466

Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Rondo in E flat, Op. 11 Earl Wild al piano


----------



## opus55

Romeo and Juliet


----------



## kv466

Chopin/Earl Wild - Largo from the Piano Concerto no. 2 in f minor, op.21 Earl Wild, piano










From the album, 'The Romantic Master'.


----------



## chrislowski

I prefer this to the Naxos cd, shame Kalinnikov died so early...









Got this for the Kalevi Aho, but the whole cd is stunning, I highly recommend it


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Orlando Gibbons, Hosanna to the Son of David*, etc., by the Choir of Trinity College. Lovely singing.


----------



## opus55

chrislowski said:


> I prefer this to the Naxos cd, shame Kalinnikov died so early...


I have the Naxos one and thought was decent but somewhat bland. I'd like to hear the BIS recording.










The first concerto is my second favorite Beethoven piano concerto at the moment.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Aubade in C, for violin, viola and cello*

Artists	
Lendvai String Trio




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050K2EKO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315225949&sr=8-1

Loveley little piece! Very bouncy and energetic. The sound and the performance is excellent!










*Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pöntinen




http://www.amazon.com/Café-lait-Sha...YJCH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226604&sr=8-1

Enescu creates evocative and beautiful music! Lovely flute and piano, in these little jewels.










*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Rebecca Rust
David Apter




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Cello-...9IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227092&sr=8-1

This is a wonderful sonata! Varied and expressive. And very melodious. Excellent performance with great interplay between piano and cello. And the sound is very good. Recommended warmly!










*Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pontinen piano
Nobuko Imai viola




http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Came-Down-Walk/dp/B0000016OX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227644&sr=8-1

Fantastic piece! I become more and more fond of Enescu. Beautiful, tender moods and colors, and the performance is good with great interplay between viola and piano. Excellent sound.










*Enescu: Decet for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns in D, Op.14*

Artists	
Mandeal (Artist), Bucharest Phil Orch




http://www.amazon.com/Octuor-Op-Dixtuor-14/dp/B000023ZLX/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228346&sr=8-2

Exciting work, but not among the best of Enescu. A little harsh sound.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 30

András Schiff


----------



## Manxfeeder

Following Yukaweber's comment on the Tchaikovsky thread, I'm listening to his 1st symphony, "Winter Daydreams." It may have caused him insomnia, hallucinations, and apoplectic fits, but you can't tell; it's a lovely work.


----------



## Vaneyes

Zacharias, then Horowitz Scarlatti. Zacharias breezes through these with his rounder notes and fewer dynamics. Who wins? No contest. Horowitz's style was made for this composer. Oneness.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Mahler Symphony No.2 "Resurrection"
> 
> I think I now prefer Walter recording over Bernstein/NYPO. I'm in desperate need of more recordings to better enjoy the monumental works of classical music!


Is that a cry for help?


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> Is that a cry for help?


Would you donate some recordings? lol


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. *2, "Little Russian."


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Violin Sonata No.1*

Very interesting listening! It is a fabulous nerve through it all. This is the only version I found on Spotify, but it is thankfully excellent. Excellent interplay between piano and violin. Good sound. Recommended absolutely!

*Antheil:Violin Sonata No.4*

Very nice sonata also. Great nerve!

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek
http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Sonat...OCW2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419543&sr=8-3










*Antheil: Violin Sonata No.2*

Artists	
Jorja Fleezanis & Alessio Bax




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FA1RSK/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419264&sr=8-1

Resilient and quite funny sonata! It is easy to be dragged into it . in the light jazz-like sonata. Very good performance and great sound!


----------



## NightHawk

I am familiar with only a few of Enescu's works but love them. Thanks for this great overview to ponder!



oskaar said:


> *George Enescu*
> 
> Work
> *Enescu: Aubade in C, for violin, viola and cello*
> 
> Artists
> Lendvai String Trio
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050K2EKO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315225949&sr=8-1
> 
> Loveley little piece! Very bouncy and energetic. The sound and the performance is excellent!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*
> 
> Artists
> Roland Pöntinen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Café-lait-Sha...YJCH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226604&sr=8-1
> 
> Enescu creates evocative and beautiful music! Lovely flute and piano, in these little jewels.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*
> 
> Artists
> Rebecca Rust
> David Apter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Cello-...9IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227092&sr=8-1
> 
> This is a wonderful sonata! Varied and expressive. And very melodious. Excellent performance with great interplay between piano and cello. And the sound is very good. Recommended warmly!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*
> 
> Artists
> Roland Pontinen piano
> Nobuko Imai viola
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Came-Down-Walk/dp/B0000016OX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227644&sr=8-1
> 
> Fantastic piece! I become more and more fond of Enescu. Beautiful, tender moods and colors, and the performance is good with great interplay between viola and piano. Excellent sound.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Enescu: Decet for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns in D, Op.14*
> 
> Artists
> Mandeal (Artist), Bucharest Phil Orch
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Octuor-Op-Dixtuor-14/dp/B000023ZLX/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228346&sr=8-2
> 
> Exciting work, but not among the best of Enescu. A little harsh sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

After reading about the recent Grimaud and Abbado cadenza spat, I was anxious to hear their latest respective Mozart--PCs 19 & 23, and Symphonies 39 & 40. After sampling, I come away underwhelmed with interps., playing, and recorded sound.

I keep waiting for Helene to match her voluminous press coverage. As for Claudio, I was optimistic after the fine Mozart Horn Concertos with Allegrini. Maybe his frontman days are over.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Would you donate some recordings? lol


No culls at present, however, I can suggest. I'll take the initiative and PM.


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Trio no. 4 'Gassenhauer' played by the Vienna Piano Trio


----------



## NightHawk

This is a wonderful sonata! Varied and expressive. And very melodious. Excellent performance with great interplay between piano and cello. And the sound is very good. Recommended warmly!










I found this same recording new on Amazon for $3.99 and snapped it up


----------



## Vaneyes

Don't know about the pink jacket, but the recording's (1983) easily recommended.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: String Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 41/3
Schumann: Symphony No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 38, "Spring"*


----------



## AlainB

Currently listening to _Piano Concerto #1 (B-Flat minor)_ by _Tchaikovsky_. Beautiful piece, can't stop listening to it.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Sonatas For Violin, Viola Da Gamba & Harpsichord*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After talking about Gluck yesterday I was prompted to listen to something by him today. I pulled out this operatic recording which I had yet to hear. As usual with my first foray's into an opera I first read over the synopsis and then listen to the work all the way through without following along with the libretto. I will usually give the opera a second listen a few days or a week later, at which time I will follow along closely with the libretto.

Popping this disc in a settling back I found myself absolutely stunned by the wealth of beautiful music in this work... and the absolutely gorgeous sound quality of the performance... from the orchestra to the vocalists... Magdalena Kozena over all. I feel like a fool for having put off hearing this work for so long (I must have purchased it sometime last spring!). Anyone who loves the operas of Mozart and/or Handel should rush out (run... don't walk) and pick up this disc as well as a few others by Gluck. I very much recommend the following:





































Gluck lead the way away from the extreme virtuosity of the Baroque operas of Handel etc... toward a 'classicism' in which the music was focused upon reinforcing the drama as opposed to virtuosity for its own sake. But more important than his role in the development of opera is the music itself which is absolutely beautiful... and grossly underrated.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. The *First* *Symphony *features organist E. Power Biggs.


----------



## Chrythes

Stravinsky - Concerto in E flat major ("Dumbarton Oaks"). Delightful music!
Feels like a light, warm rain.


----------



## Sid James

Got into some recent purchases -

*C. Weber*
_Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 19, J. 50
Symphony No. 2 in C major, J. 51_
_Overture and Marches from Turandot, J. 75: Overture; Funeral March from Act V; March from Act II	_
_Silvana, J. 87: Tanz der Edelknaben; Fackel Tanz_ 
_Die drei Pintos, J. Anh. 5_:_ Entr'acte_

Queensland Philharmonic Orch. / John Georgiadis, cond.
(Naxos)

I used to have a tape with these two symphonies, they've always been favourites. There's a fair amount of whimsy & humour there, these works look back heavily to Haydn & Mozart, although they were both composed as late as 1807. But it's as if Beethoven's innovations which had been around for a few years by then went by unnoticed. But Weber was on a different wavelength to Beethoven, these works are more operatic and have singing _cantabile_ & flowing lines. It's basically like opera without words.

Talking of which, I had not heard the orchestral bits of the operas here put as fillers. These tunes from _Turandot_ became the basis for Hindemith's _Symphonic Metamorphoses_, so it was very interesting listening & comparing. The dances from _Silvana_ had a Schubertian flavour and the _Pintos_ piece was really good, kind of starting off slow but building up. Throughout all this album, Weber's _Invitation to the dance_ was not far from my mind.

The orchestra playing here is one of our own, based in Brisbane in sunny Queensland, but they are more accurately a chamber orchestra despite their name. They comprise of 31 core musicians plus guests, but I'm not sure if they are larger than this on this recording. It compares well with what's left in my memory of the older recording I had, under Maestro W. Sawallisch, but of course, it's different.

*Album: In this hid clearing...*
(Music for wind band - Naxos)
*Gordon Jacob* _Suite for symphonic wind band in B flat major_
*Jack Stamp*_ In This Hid Clearing...,_ for wind ensemble 
*Aaron Copland* _Lincoln Portrait, for speaker & orchestra _ (version with wind band)	
*J.S. Bach arr. Percy Grainger* _Blithe Bells_ (Ramble on Bach's _Sheep May Safely Graze_), for band & tuneful percussion 
*Percy Grainger *_Country Gardens,_ folk song for orchestra (arr. J. Sousa)
*George Gershwin* _Catfish Row, symphonic suite_ (from _Porgy and Bess_, arr. for wind band, with soprano and bass soloist)

Soloists, narrator / Univ. of Missouri Wind Ens. / Thomas O'Neal, cond.

I esp. enjoyed the Copland work, I listened a few times to that. Gordon Jacob's & Jack Stamp's music was new to me, & they were interesting, modern but by no means wierd. The Grainger arrangement of Bach was esp. good, I thought. Faithful to the original but pushing it just a bit. As for the Gershwin, it was a good performance, but marred by a recessed sound of the two singers, I hazard a guess that this one was done live, or they had problems with the acoustic, etc. (the other works here sounded fine). All in all, a good album, it's easy listening but with a fair amount of real substance...


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> *Schumann: String Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 41/3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


*
This is a very nice recording (nice art work as well) which I listened to this morning.

@Vaneyes: thanks again for suggestions. Solti's Mahler 7th also sounded good

I'm currently listening to Wagner (not a opera fan but I do have Ring cycle)







*


----------



## kv466

Conor71 said:


> *Bach: Sonatas For Violin, Viola Da Gamba & Harpsichord*


Oh, Conor! I'm sure I need not tell you that the playing on these recordings are beyond amazing and exquisite by both men...wow, now you've made me want to hear them while I am in a Chopin mood. Good choice, my friend.


----------



## kv466

Chopin - 4 Scherzos & Ballades


----------



## Conor71

kv466 said:


> Oh, Conor! I'm sure I need not tell you that the playing on these recordings are beyond amazing and exquisite by both men...wow, now you've made me want to hear them while I am in a Chopin mood. Good choice, my friend.


Thanks kv466  - I think these recordings are my favourite in my whole Bach collection and I agree are superb music making!.

now listening:

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106, "Philosophic"*


----------



## jhar26

Listened to some of the earlier concertos (Nos.5 and 6). Fab box set, this one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Chrythes said:


> Stravinsky - Concerto in E flat major ("Dumbarton Oaks"). Delightful music!
> Feels like a light, warm rain.


Interesting description!


----------



## kv466

Carl Maria von Weber - Clarinet Concerto no. 1 
Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Dresden State Orchestra
Sabine Meyer, clarinet


----------



## chrislowski

Disc 2, The Prokofiev Scythian Suite


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: String Quintet In F Major, WAB 112*

A little late night/early morning listening - this one is achingly beautiful!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Mass No. 2 In E Minor, WAB 27*

Some more beautiful music from Bruckner - the performances on this 2 Disc set are great I think!


----------



## Vaneyes

Mendelssohn and Schubert Epilogue--Op. 80 String Quartet, String Quintet in C (Oxingale). The deep intonation of Miro matches their introspection for both works. Haimovitz adds to the drama. No domination...the messages are as one.

This Oxingale recording represents an epilogue of sorts, in that apart from promoting some of Haimovitz's "unique projects", not much has happened. Anyway, I'm glad these performances got out into the arena. It was likely touch and go in that regard, since they were canned in 2001 and 2003, and not released until 2006. Highly recommended.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 In D Minor, WAB 100, "Die Nullte"*

Listening to the Die Nullte Symphony - this is still recognizably Bruckner and there is much to enjoy here I think


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"},* featuring Claudio Abbado conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Douglas Bostock.


----------



## MrCello




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 3*, by Antoni Wit.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski; Minnesota Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Concer...9VU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312707323&sr=8-1

Fabulous and exciting work. Quite rough around the edges, it is certainly not easy listening. But when I'm in the mood to listen to Bartok, it's very rewarding listening.The 4th and 5th movement is especially good in my oppinion. The performance are quite good, and so are the sound too.










*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

Vienna Symphony Orchestra; Gyorgy Sandor; Michael Gielen




http://www.amazon.com/Gyorgy-Sandor...1KC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711640&sr=8-1

Not the best sound, but it is certainly an older recording. But beautiful and evocative work. Very well performed.










*Bartok: Violin Sonata No.1 in C#-, Op.21, BB84, Sz.75*

Artists	
Ryoko Yano, Sergey Kuznetsov




http://www.amazon.com/Sonata-Scherz...R4IW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313238902&sr=8-1

Wonderful and very intensive work. Great colors and shades. Very good performance, with good interplay between piano and violin. Very good sound!


----------



## chrislowski

This a a great recording, the bass drum on rite is earth shakingly good!


----------



## Sid James

*C. Weber*
_Symphonies 1 & 2_; orchestral excerpts from _Turandot, Sylvana, Die Trei Pintos_
Queensland Philharmonic Orch. / John Georgiadis, cond.
(Naxos)

*C. Weber*
_Bassoon Concerto in F major_
Georg Zuckermann, bassoon / Wurtemburg Chamber Orch. / Jorg Faerber, cond.
(ZYX Music)

I love the whimsy in Weber's music, he was a great humorist, but maybe more subtle than say Haydn. I also like how this is like opera without vocals, it's more melody based, not contrapuntally complex or anything like that, it's easy listening but with substance.

*A. Copland *- _Lincoln Portrait_ (arr. W. Beeler for wind ensemble) (1942)
- Alvin Chea, narrator
*G. Gershwin *- _Catfish Row_ (arr. D. Hansberger)
- Jo Ella Todd, sop. / Derrick Fox, bar.
Univ. of Missouri Wind Ens. / Thomas O'Neal, cond.
(from Naxos album - In This Hid Clearing...Music for wind band)

A good album, another listen to these two items, my favourite works on it. The Gershwin pieces are performed well, apart from the soprano's sometimes overly heavy use of vibrato, but the acoustic is not exactly perfect. However overall the album is top notch imo.

*William Bolcom* (b. 1938)
_Cabaret Songs_ (orch. composer)
Measha Brueggergosman, sop. / BBC SO / David Robertson, cond.
(DGG - from their _Surprise_ album)

First listen to this recording, I realised that I'd heard these songs in a recital in August. As I saw at that performance, these require not only good singing but also good acting. These songs are about the little and big things in life, life's daily routines, a mix of the sublime, mundane and ridiculous/surreal. A lot of comedy here as well, but a kind of deadpan feel too, a kind of detachment from these ironies and contradictions of everyday life.

*J. S. Bach*
_Partita #2 in D minor, BWV.1004_
Ilya Kaler, violin
(from Naxos 2 disc set)

This, along with his _Cello Suite #3_ & _The Musical Offering_, has become my favourite work by Bach. This was a first listen to this recording. I like how this violinist built this piece up from a kind of minimalist vibe with less emotion to the end where he kind of was more emotional and attached to the music. You can't help but let it out in that massive_ Chaconne_, the most complex thing Bach ever penned for solo violin, and a very powerful work besides that, emotionally gripping, gutwrenching, etc. 

*A. Schoenberg*
_Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4_ (arr. by composer for string orch.)
English Chamber Orch. / Daniel Barenboim, cond.
(on EMI 2 disc set)

A second listen to this and I'm "getting" Barenboim's take on this masterpiece. The ball is fully in the listener's court here. At the end, the lightbulb is switched on, but it reveals and empty room. It's up to the listener to kind of imagine what's there. I'm not trying to be arty-farty but that's how I can express it. It's an interesting interpretation, not the run of the mill kind of thing, it definitely has it's quirks and a bit of character, which I quite like...


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Mazurkas Nos. 1-29*

Now listening to Disc 6 of this impressive set of Chopin's complete Piano Works


----------



## NightHawk

The Mazurkas are the soul of Chopin and my favorite of his numerous solo work genres.



Conor71 said:


> *Chopin: Mazurkas Nos. 1-29*
> 
> Now listening to Disc 6 of this impressive set of Chopin's complete Piano Works


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> The Mazurkas are the soul of Chopin and my favorite of his numerous solo work genres.


They're my mother's favourites as well, she also likes his _Nocturnes_. But I find these a bit too dark for my tastes, generally speaking, I really like his waltzes. Heard a friend's disc of Cyprian Katsaris playing them and I found that to be amazing. Such colour in those works and in his playing technique...


----------



## NightHawk

Dorati anything is great! I have his complete Haydn Symphonies and you can easily tell there is a genius behind the composition in the Symphony No. 1 and a genius behind the baton in this monumental and brilliant essay of Haydn's greatest sustained statement.
~ Sort of lost my balance there ~



chrislowski said:


> Disc 2, The Prokofiev Scythian Suite


----------



## NightHawk

In my OP on Gluck above I failed to mention that I also have Gardiner's 'Iphigenia in Aulide' and do so now 












StlukesguildOhio said:


> Love Gluck - only contemporary of H, M and B that ranks closely with them...
> 
> Agreed. Once again he is proof of my suggestion that composers such as Wagner, Bellini, Donizetti... even Handel and Vivaldi fare well below what they deserve in terms of recognition and reputation as a result of the unfortunate bias against opera. When I initially came upon Gluck my first thoughts were akin to "Where the ****** did this guy come from, and why haven't I ever heard of him before?!" Indeed, I will admit that for years he was just a name... this guy I vaguely remember as having represented the transition from the Baroque operas of Handel to those of Mozart. Yes, this guy revolutionized opera... but he did this by writing some of the most exquisite music ever composed for opera:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All this talk has spurred on to pull out one of my Gluck discs here soon.


----------



## NightHawk

to: StLukesguildOhio:

The clip of Madeleine Bender singing 'fortune ennemie' is so beautiful in every way! I love her voice, the chorus is excellent and the stylized 'choreography' of their movements against the blue then green scrim is mesmerizing. The simplicity of this exquisite melody set to such a scoring alone is proof enough of Gluck's great gift. Edit: in another thread 'modern staging' is discussed and these clips are proof that Gluck's concepts of opera reform are met in a totally modern, 21st century way!

The ballet 'Menuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits' is so lovely and the flute solo, played on a period instrument here, is as fresh as spring water. Thanks for the clips!



NightHawk said:


> In my OP on Gluck above I failed to mention that I also have Gardiner's 'Iphigenia in Aulide' and do so now


----------



## opus55

No.3 "Scottish"


----------



## Manxfeeder

Haydn, Quartet in D major, Op. 20, No. 4.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, WAB 101, "The Saucy Maid"*

This Symphony has got to have the coolest nickname (great symphony too!)!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Edvard Grieg--*Symphony in C Minor, EG 119, *performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ole Ruud. I thought I could detect some of his influence in the way that Nielsen and Sibelius use color and timbre in their symphonies as well.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Scythian Suite, *featuring Antal Dorati conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Walter Piston--*Symphony No.4, *with Gerard Schwarz at the helm of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.22, Op.236 {"City Of Light"}, *performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *featuring Maurice Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony. I especially love the majesty of its final movement's last 5 minutes or so, after the one theme that had been playing is subsumed by the closing anthem: Maurice Abravanel - Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 52: III. Moderato, Allegro ma non tanto


----------



## Sid James

*A. Schoenberg*
_Pelleas und Melisande, Op.5_ (1902-03)
New Philharmonia Orch. / John Barbirolli, cond.
(on EMI Gemini 2 disc set)

It's been a while since I've listened to this work, I used to have von Karajan's account, this was my first time listening to Barbirolli's recording here. It didn't gel with me, but I did notice a few interesting bits, eg. one with piccolos playing against the deep brass, an interesting affect. There are many such moments here, but at about 45 minutes, even the most astute listener's powers of concentration have to be streched.

I'd much rather watch and listen to this music than simply listen to it. Either live or on video. Ages ago I remember watching a video on TV of von Karajan conducting R. Strauss' _Zarathustra_, and it was very interesting to both see and listen. But with this music on steroids as I call it, it is not really my cup of tea, but this came as part of this twofer of various Schoenberg works.

BTW, R. Strauss supported the younger Schoenberg's efforts and he actually encouraged him to read Maeterlinck's book upon which this story is based (Debussy, of course, based his opera on it around the same time, but Schoenberg and him didn't know what eachother were doing at the time, that they were inspired by the same work)...


----------



## chrislowski

NightHawk said:


> Dorati anything is great! I have his complete Haydn Symphonies and you can easily tell there is a genius behind the composition in the Symphony No. 1 and a genius behind the baton in this monumental and brilliant essay of Haydn's greatest sustained statement.
> ~ Sort of lost my balance there ~


I have his 'Conducts Bartók' box on Mercury Living also, some of my favourite Bartók recordings


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> There are many such moments here, but at about 45 minutes, even the most astute listener's powers of concentration have to be streched.


I'd have to agree; Schoenberg's Pelleas is so dense, it's one of those pieces you need to have a score marked up to follow. There are too many themes and subsequent thematic transformations to hear them all without help. Of course, when I'm following the score, I almost have to press pause every other page so I can read all the notes I've put in to stay up with what's happening.


----------



## Aramis

Sid James said:


> They're my mother's favourites as well, she also likes his _Nocturnes_. But I find these a bit too dark for my tastes, generally speaking, I really like his waltzes. Heard a friend's disc of Cyprian Katsaris playing them and I found that to be amazing. Such colour in those works and in his playing technique...


I agrees about them being dark, surprisingly these little pieces get me more depressed than famous funeral march from 2nd sonata:


----------



## kv466

Domenico Cimarosa - Concerto for 2 Flutes and Orchestra 
James Galway conducts the London Mozart Players
James Galway / Jeanne Galway, flute


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata in C minor, D958
This music goes well with typical gloomy winter weather in Chicago


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 22a: Suite from The Age of Gold for orchestra*

Artists
Christopher Lyndon-Gee (Conductor), New Zealand Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...144R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316354356&sr=8-1

Very varied and excellent suite. Great energetic and powerful parties, and the beautiful rolling and lyrical sections. A great nerve! Quite good performance, but average sound..










*Shostakovich: Op. 27a: Suite from The Bolt for orchestra*

Artists
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Neeme Järvi




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...7TDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316354511&sr=8-1

Very theatrical as the ballet music of course is. Some great parties, but in all I dont like it. Messy performance and harsh sound.










*Shostakovich: Op. 30a: Suite from Golden Mountains for orchestra*

Artists
Alexander Nazarik
Byelorussian Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra
Walter Mnatsakanov




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...04MC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316355076&sr=8-1

Exciting and colorful film music! Very rich in nuances. From march to waltz, and other musical forms in seconds! I like it! Nice performance, but the sound seems average.


----------



## NightHawk

Many fine recordings of this perfect work, this is the one for this afternoon.


----------



## HexameronVI

Scriabin's first piano concerto. Simply beautiful.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op.44*

Artists	
Uriel Tsachor
Amati quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H133CG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319111638&sr=8-2

Comfortable and ingratiating listening, Schumann's delightful romantic. Great piano, it is fortunately good enough promoted in the sound picture, which is not always the case. Very good sound! Good balance, and the interaction is wonderful! Recommended for real!


----------



## kv466

Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 6 in c, _d_.589
Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61*

Artists	
Neville Marriner
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...XVXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319814064&sr=8-1

Wonderful symphony! Light and romantic, but deep enough to provide a range of tones and emotions. Very good orchestra and performance. But there is a small climax early in the first movement that I feel a bit cheated out of here. It somehow slipped seamlessly over.










*Schumann: Symphony No.4 in D-, Op.120*

Artists	
Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, Kurt Redel




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Rhei...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320066526&sr=8-1-fkmr0

I do not like the symphony as well as no 2 It is a little weaker, a bit more anemic. Version is quite good. The performance is good, but the sound is a bit average.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. The *First* *Symphony *also features organist E. Power Biggs.
Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"},* performed by organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op .100. *Both works have Mstislav Rostropovich leading the Orchestre National de France.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *featuringHerbertvonKarajanconductingtheBerlinerPhilharmoniker.


----------



## kv466

Hindemith - Piano Sonatas nos. 1-3, Glenn Gould piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Dvorak 7, then Mahler 3.

I like the extra cello muscle Bernstein and Nagano apply early in these works. Mahler's less of a problem for interpretive strength, but too many conductors dance their way through Dvorak.

I'm also reminded today that Dvorak wasn't finished with Wagner by his 4th Symphony. Four minutes into the 2nd movement of the 
7th, there's Richard again.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Christmas Oratatorio*, Gardiner. Ah, now I'm feeling the holiday spirit.


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, WAB 101, "The Saucy Maid"*
> 
> This Symphony has got to have the coolest nickname (great symphony too!)!


Hearing that title, Bruckner looked toward heaven for guidance.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I'd have to agree; Schoenberg's Pelleas is so dense, it's one of those pieces you need to have a score marked up to follow. There are too many themes and subsequent thematic transformations to hear them all without help. Of course, when I'm following the score, I almost have to press pause every other page so I can read all the notes I've put in to stay up with what's happening.


Well that makes sense of what the notes of that EMI recording said of Schoenberg's _Pelleas_. It says he surpassed R. Strauss with the "textural and polyphonic complexity" of this work. & at such a young age! (I think Schoenberg was less than thirty). But it is very very rich, too much for me, but I am coming to the conclusion that on the whole I am kind of a "Classicist" rather than a "Romantic" in the broad sense of these terms, eg. I like a bit of restraint, economy, clarity rather than sheer effect and this kind of Wagnerian & Straussian density as you say.

I think I have been able to get heaps more out of things like _Transfigured Night _and_ Pierrot Lunaire _this year though, which I think is pretty good considering before I thought them kind of impenetrable. With the former, I had to listen to other recordings than von Karajan's, which just didn't gel with me, and for the latter there was a performance of that earlier here this year, and that made me really take it on board and appreciate it as deep as I have been able to so far. But Hilary Hahn's recording of Schoenberg's violin concerto was the thing that really sparked off my connection with him. Her interpretation is so emotional and speaks to me directly every time, it's not laden with any hang-ons from more kind of heavy and stodgy "takes" of Schoenberg that were in fashion in some quarters in the past...


----------



## Sid James

All repeated listening, apart from the J.S. Bach more edging towards the less dark side of the moon, so to speak...

*J.S. Bach*
_Partita #2 in D minor, BWV.1004_
Ilya Kaler, violin
(Naxos)

*J. Brahms, orchestrated by A. Schoenberg*
_Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op.25_
City of Birmingham SO / Simon Rattle, cond.
(EMI)

*Gordon Jacob*
_Suite in B flat major, version for symphonic wind band _(1979)
Univ. of Missouri Wind Ens. / Thomas O'Neal, cond.
(Naxos - wind band classics series)

*C. Weber*
_Sym. #2 in C major, J.51_
Queensland PO / John Georgiadis, cond.
(Naxos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, English Suites*, Schiff.


----------



## kv466

Haydn - Piano Sonatas 56 -62


----------



## Lisztian

The divine commentary of Bill Walton.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7*

First Classical listen of the day, which I have spent listening mostly to Rock and Jazz Music
I dont listen to this Epic work very often but I do really like it!.


----------



## science

Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain - Reiner

(My internet is too slow for images today...)


----------



## kv466

Busting out that Sunday vinyl again! I'm still becoming familiar with different versions of this piece and I just heard a bit of the beginning from the recording with the Berliner Philharmonic and I liked the first minute so much more. Still, I'm doing a typing job so I want something I don't have to keep going to the next part so I decided to play my record of it with the ol' CSO...I've always liked it but now I really wanna hear that BPO in its entirety.

Anyone who has any absolute favorites of this piece, please share!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto No. *22, Brendel and the Academ of St.Martin in the Fields. The flute player has a great sound on this one.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Piano Quartet No.2 in D-, Op.30*

Artists	
Tammuz Piano Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Quartet...Q1SY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315231206&sr=8-1

This quartet, I like Tylö stone compartment well. Very picturesque and varied in expression, the waves back and forth in tone language, between the bright, cheerful, and the yearning, almost sad. Excellent performance. The piano is somewhat harsh.










*Enescu: Symphonie Concertante, for cello and orchestra in B-, Op.8*

Artists	
Valentin Arcu
George Enescu State Philharmonic
Josif Conta




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Symphony-No-Sinfonia-Concertante
/dp/B0000045TD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315225340&sr=8-1

Lovely melodic and evocative piece. Enescu is a master in creating a fabulous nerve and intensity in the long lingering sequences. It requires great sensitivity and nuance wealth from the performers, as well as good interaction to reveal the magic. It's here. But the sound is not very good. Still, recommended!


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Gunther Herbig




http://www.amazon.com/Symphonic-Var...OHCK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315301931&sr=8-2

Excellent sound and great interaction on this wonderful work! The piano sounds great and piano performance is very good!










*Franck: Les Eolides, symphonic poem, M.43*

Artists	
Kurt Masur (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...QHU3/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315239041&sr=8-3

This piece warms the heart! It is so well made and well balanced that I get tears in my eyes. Very elegant. Not large, deep, or epic. Just amazing! It is simple yet full of nuance. Beautiful performed with Masur at the controle sticks..










*Franck: Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), symphonic poem, M.44*

Artists	
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra (Author), Jean-Yves Gaudin




http://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Franck-...=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315237836&sr=1-8

I dont like this work very much at the start. But it improves, and get dramatic and colourfull. I think this will grow on me! But the performance is good, and the sound also.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Dumka JW 7/4*

Artists	
Thomas Hlawatsch
Ildiko Line




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Violi...P242/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320323486&sr=8-1

Yust a loveley piece! Fine performance!










*Janácek: Pohadka JW 7/5*

Artists	
Ivo Kahanek Tomas Jamnik




http://www.amazon.com/Martinu-Sonat...4SG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320328545&sr=8-1










*Janácek: Romance JW 7/3*

Artists	
Ulf Wallin, Roland Pontinen




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Chamb...7JD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320323861&sr=8-1

Janacec is a fabulous componist! Chamber music has a tincture of adventure .. He is wonderfully melodic and nuanced. Very good performance and good sound.

http://static.qobuz.com/images/jaquettes/7318/7318596636644_230.jpg


----------



## Sid James

A couple of song-cycles sandwiching some opera, Rossini's _Moses in Egypt_, one I had on tape yonks ago but now got this new Naxos recording, and I enjoyed it, or the first disc at least, I will listen to the other one asap -

*E. Elgar*
_Sea Pictures - A cycle of five songs for contralto, Op. 37_
Bernadette Greevy, contralto / LPO / Vernon Handley
(EMI)

*G. Rossini*
_Mose in Egitto_ (1819 Naples version)
(I listened to disc 1, Act I & Act II beginning)
Cast members / San Pietro a Majella Chorus, Naples / Wildbad Wind Band / Wurttemberg PO / Antonio Fogliani
(Naxos 2 discs)

*Album: Measha Brueggergosman - "Surprise"
Cabaret songs by William Bolcom, Schoenberg, Satie*
Brueggergosman, sop. / Bolcom, pno. / BBC Sym. Orch. / David Robertson
(DGG)


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> A couple of song-cycles sandwiching some opera, Rossini's _Moses in Egypt_, one I had on tape yonks ago but now got this new Naxos recording, and I enjoyed it, or the first disc at least, I will listen to the other one asap -
> 
> *E. Elgar*
> _Sea Pictures - A cycle of five songs for contralto, Op. 37_
> Bernadette Greevy, contralto / LPO / Vernon Handley
> (EMI)


Love those songs! They are so beautiful, yet never seem to be mentioned anywhere.


----------



## Sid James

violadude said:


> Love those songs! They are so beautiful, yet never seem to be mentioned anywhere.


Yes, Elgar didn't write many song-cycles, at least that I know of, but this set is very good. I found this performance more uplifting a bit and less dark than some others of it that I've heard. This was my first time listen to this recording. It's coupled with the 5 P&C marches, which I will get to later. The singer here used a tad more vibrato than I generally like, but overall I enjoyed her performance, as well as with Maestro Handley at the helm of his London players, you can't go wrong with him, he will be sorely missed.

& BTW, this cd, put out in 1981, was sponsored by Imperial British Tobacco Limited. It says on the inside of the CD. How times have changed. That kind of sponsorship/advertising has been outlawed, at least here down under it has, ages ago in the 1980's sometime. I knew cigarette companies funded sports, but music as well? Seems, from this evidence,they did...


----------



## science

One of those works that I've only begun to appreciate. First few times I heard it, it didn't connect, but last time was better. Let's see this time....


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Violin Concertos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Night Ride and Sunrise*. I don't know if I get credit for hearing it, because I thought I was listening to Oceanides and thinking it doesn't sound much like water, but it turns out I pushed the wrong track.

I'm listening to *Oceanides* now. Now it makes more sense; it's masterful nature music. Unfortunately, the recording is mono, with Eugen Jochum conducting, and though he does well with it, a piece like this suffers from the mono sound.


----------



## samurai

Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.4, Op.165, Symphony No.20, Op.223 {"Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain"} and Symphony No.53, Op.377 {"Star Dawn"}. *All 3 symphonies feature Keith Brion conducting the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra.
Gustav Holst--*The Planets, *performed by the Vienna Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works have Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## violadude

kv466 said:


> Mozart - Violin Concertos


That's the recording of Mozart's violin concertos that I have. It's a really great one.


----------



## science

Manfred.


----------



## Conor71

*Vaughan Williams: Serenade To Music*


----------



## science

With all of my projects essentially completed, I'm free to return to some good old friends, like Brahms #2.


----------



## World Violist

Hindemith: Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 25 No. 1
Lawrence Power, viola

It's been growing on me throughout the last few weeks, possibly because I've been learning it as well as listening to it. It's just a difficult piece to come to terms with, and by now I'm astonished that this came out of the 1920's, for viola alone.


----------



## science

Another old friend: the Sinfonia Concertante.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Christmas music from Marc-Antoine Charpentier: * In Navitatum Domini Canticum;* also, *Messe de Minuit*, a mass interspersed with French Christmas carols.


----------



## TzarIvan

various geistliches lieder from Bach's schemelli gesangbuch.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.4 in C-, D.417 ('Tragic')*

Artists	
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Lorin Maazel




http://www.amazon.com/Lorin-Maazel-...GKG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314622809&sr=8-1

Very nice and moody Symphony. Great melody lines. The renditions are superb, and the sound very good to be a pretty old recording.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.5 in Bb, D.485*

Artists	
St.Petersburg Orchestra of the State Hermitage Museum Camerata




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HU330E/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314634430&sr=8-5

I really like this symphony as well. Very pleasant to listen to. It is very in-between the "classical" and "romantic" in my ears. Beautiful and sensitive performance. Very nice balance. Pretty good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Work 
*Spohr: Fantasia and Variations on a theme by Danzi, for clarinet and string quartet (or piano) in Bb, Op.81*

Artists
Schubert Consort




http://www.amazon.com/Virtuoso-Clar...0K2F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313856217&sr=8-1

Beautiful and playful way! Very cheerful and melodic. The clarinet sounds very good, and the interaction with the strings are first class. Recommended!










*Spohr: Fantasia for Harp in C-, Op.35*

Artists
Zabaleta




http://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Harp-Old-Music/dp/B000002NSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313856917&sr=8-1

Beautiful and sensitive playing. But it is a bit ubehadelig hiss in the background. The play itself is beautiful!










*Spohr: Nonet, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass, in F, Op.31*

Artists
Linos Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-L-Beeth...O68I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313858264&sr=8-1

Great music! I wonder still why not Spohr is more appreciated. Very nice version. Great interaction, fine nerve, and the sound is pretty good.


----------



## kv466

Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in d minor, op.47 / En Saga, op.9
Jerzy Salwarowski conducts the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Vadim Brodsky, violin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach, Christmas Oratorio. This is my favorite of Harnoncourt's recordings with his boychoir. The choir is spot-on.


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Violin Concerto, Op.14*

artister
Leonid Kogan
Grand Symphony Orchestra of State Radio and Television
Gennady Rozhdestvensky




http://www.amazon.com/Leonid-Kogan-...JF7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312561217&sr=8-1

Barber has a unique musical language. Very picturesque and rich in nuance. It is a wonderful underlying melancholy. Not the best version here. Great played, and a great orchestra, but the sound is not very good. The violin is pretty glaring.










*Barber:Cello Concerto, in A-, Op.22*

Wendy Warner
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...8USE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312488899&sr=8-1

Very beautiful work! Excellent performance. The cello is beautiful, and it is a very fine nerve. And as in most of Barber, a hypnotic, captivating ubdertone.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Symphony No. 4

Leonard Bernstein and the Wiener Philharmoniker.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra No.1, BB94b, Sz.87*

Kyung Wha Chung
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F5K5MM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312809244&sr=1-1

Bartok may seem heavy and difficult sometimes. This work is however very light and easy to like. Great tender moods. Very beautiful and intense performance.










*Bartok: Sonata for 2 Pianos and 2 Percussion, BB115, Sz.110*

Artists	
John Ogdon (Performer), Brenda Lucas (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...ON/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1313233502&sr=8-19

Very interesting combination, piano and percussion. The combination creates a sparkling intensive nerve. Very nice work, and performance is very good. Good sound.










*Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, BB114, Sz.106*

Michael Gielen (Conductor), SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)*




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Orches...7ZHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312921970&sr=8-1

There is nothing monotonous about this work that actually makes it very exciting. Very good performance, the orchestra conveys a very good nerve.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Pange Lingua*, Tallis Scholars.

I bought this in December a few years ago before I went Christmas shopping, so since then I've associated this with the holiday season. Of course, the Kyrie does have a bell-like sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.19*

Artists	
Sarah Chang (Artist), Simon Rattle (Artist), Berlin Philharmonic




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...5RYU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1313770004&sr=8-4

This is truly a wonderful and imaginative work! Very colorful and rich in detail and wonderful moments. Sarah Chang plays brilliant on the violin. Very sensitive and full of empathy. And the interaction with the orchestra is very good. I really recommend both works and version!










*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
Eleazar de Carvalho
scott yoo
Orquesta Sinfonica de Paraiba




http://www.amazon.com/Brazilian-Fes...sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1313776360&sr=1-1

Delicious dreamy work. I like Prokofiev very well, both when he leans towards the more romantic, and when he leans towards the more modern and experimental. Very nice presentation. the violin is very good and sensitive.


----------



## Conor71

*Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet*


----------



## kv466

Felix Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto no.2 in d minor, op.40
Lawrence Foster conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Hough al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Dumka JW 7/4*

Artists	
Paul Crossley
Kenneth Sillito




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Chamb...4JH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320324277&sr=8-1

I really love this piece! Very sensitive and expressive played here. Very good sound.










Work 
*Janácek: Romance JW 7/3*

Artists	
Thomas Hlawatsch
Ildiko Line




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Violi...P242/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320323486&sr=8-1

This has also been a beautiful piece! Very well performed. Great interplay between the violin, but piano is a little tucked away in the sound picture.










*Janácek: Youth JW 7/10*

Artists	
Ross Pople and London Festival Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Idyll...5I80/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320412736&sr=8-2

Very interesting work with great variety in expression. Constant change, and a fabulous nerve. Spotify does not have many chamber works by Janacek, but those that are there are very good! Performance is very good. The variety of colors is very good projected. Excellent sound!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *featuring Maurice Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 

Artists	
Alfred Holecek (Performer), Jan Panenka





http://www.amazon.com/Smetana-Dvorá...7GL4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314823721&sr=8-2

First movement is one of the most beautiful there is. The entire work is beautiful and has a special character, and beautiful melodies. Performance is very good. The sound is perhaps not great. *But if it is only for a movement*: The larghetto!










*Dvorák: B.522 Koncert pro violoncello a orchestr (Violoncello Concerto) No.2 in b-minor Op.104 *

Artists	
Jörg Metzger, 
Othmar M.F. Mága
Nurnberger Symphoniker




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EEMP80/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315134780&sr=8-1

Beautiful concert! Perhaps one of the best cello concertos I know of. Performances are very good! Jörg Metzger plays with great enthusiasm. The sound, however, is average.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartet No. 1, D 18*


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Slovakia Philharmonic Orchestra
Zdenek Kosler




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315419593&sr=1-6

This is the only Mahler symphony I have categorized. And my categorization helps me to go a little deeper into the various work. Spotify has a range in which the sense of diversity is comparable to a child's entry into a candy store.
The symphony is adventure-like, and wonderful to listen to. The many facets and colors are very well communicated by Slovakia Philharmonic Orchestra and
Zdenek Kosler. The sound is perhaps not the gratest but the performance is so good that I do not hesitate to recommend this version


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Virgil Thomson, The Plow that Broke the Plains*. This is a lot of fun to listen to, with its folk songs, hymns, and folk instrumentation mixed in, including a guitar, saxophone, and I can't remember what else. I wish the recording had more drive; at least on Spotify, the orchestra sounded kind of laid back. But fun nonetheless.










Then a rarity, *C.E.F. Weyse's Christmas Cantat*a. It sounds like Mendelssohn. Not very deep but very tuneful. Fans of Danish music can pick this up at Amazon for $3, plus shipping.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Following Conor71's lead, I'm listening to *Vaughan Williams' Phantasy Quintet*. It's been too long since I've heard it.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both symphonies are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. The *First* *Symphony *features organist E. Power Biggs.


----------



## Sid James

*Rossini*
_Mose in Egitto_, 1819 Naples version
CD 2: Act 2 conclusion, Act 3
Soloists, chorus, orch. under baton of Antonio Fogliani
(Naxos - 2 cd's)

*B. Herrmann*
_Echoes for String Quartet_ (1965)
Fine Arts Quartet
(Naxos - 4 American Quartets)

*Schoenberg*
_Chamber Sym. #1, Op. 9 for 15 solo instrumentalists_
Birmingham Contemporary Music Gr. / Simon Rattle
(EMI - double cd set)

*Weber*
_Piano Concerto #1 in C major, Op. 11 *
Piano Concerto #2 in E flat major, Op. 32 +_
Hamburg SO
* Maria Littauer, pno. / Siegfried Kohler, cond.
+ Akiko Sagara, pno. / Gunter Neidlinger, cond.
(ZYX classic)

*Haydn*
_Sym. #104 in D major, London_
Radio Luxembourg SO / Louis de Froment
(BCI Music)


----------



## Vaneyes

Piazzolla goes atonal!

Just kidding, it's only another Gubaidulina composition for bayan (Russian accordian). I believe Fachwerk (2009) aka "Bayan Concerto" is her sixth for the instrument. I like much of what's in the latest, but I do think it's (high) time to give bayan a rest.

I prefer it more in a lesser role, such as old favorite Silenzio (1991), which fortunately is also given an outstanding performance on this CD.

Naxos, less music (55:54 TT) and more money. Not kidding.


----------



## violadude

Vaneyes said:


> Piazzolla goes atonal!
> 
> Just kidding, it's only another Gubaidulina composition for bayan (Russian accordian). I believe Fachwerk (2009) aka "Bayan Concerto" is her sixth for the instrument. I like much of what's in the latest, but I do think it's (high) time to give bayan a rest.
> 
> I prefer it more in a lesser role, such as old favorite Silenzio (1991), which fortunately is also given an outstanding performance on this CD.
> 
> Naxos, less music (55:54 TT) and more money. Not kidding.


I have to say, Gubaidulina is becoming one of my favorite semi-contemporary composer. I dig the solemn and spiritual (but not boring) feel to most of her compositions. Out of the works on this CD I have only heard Silenzio, but I love "7 words" for Bayan, Cello and strings. I would consider it a masterpiece actually.

I've been really loving Schnittke too. Man the post-Shostakovich generation of Soviet/Russian composers really produced some true greats.


----------



## kv466

Carlos Baguer - Symphony no.16 in g
Matthias Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet in G minor, Op.74 No.3 "The Rider"
Endellion String Quartet

One of the last CDs I bought from Borders before they closed down..









Dvorak: Trio in E minor, Op.90 No.4 "Dumky"
Very lively recording!


----------



## kv466

Grieg - Piano Sonata in e minor, op.7 Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Sid James

*RE Gubaidulina*, I like her earlier works from the 1980's on another Naxos disc, eg. _Seven Words_. The recent works I've heard by her come across to me as rehash & grabbing things from the now deceased Schnittke. I can't stand her recent works, eg. the violin concerto played by Mutter, but a friend of mine, after I put on that disc for him to hear, basically loved it. So there you go, some people will connect with her more recent stuff, for what it's worth...


----------



## science

Just finished New York Counterpoint, and now on to


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> *RE Gubaidulina*, I like her earlier works from the 1980's on another Naxos disc, eg. _Seven Words_. The recent works I've heard by her come across to me as rehash & grabbing things from the now deceased Schnittke. I can't stand her recent works, eg. the violin concerto played by Mutter, but a friend of mine, after I put on that disc for him to hear, basically loved it. So there you go, some people will connect with her more recent stuff, for what it's worth...


Have you heard her viola concerto?


----------



## Sid James

^^Yes, I think, on youtube. My general impression, from memory, was that it was very similar to the violin one. 

But her music is still somewhat more interesting to me than say Arvo Part or Rautavaara, who I don't like at all for the reason that they've been repeating themselves for like about 20-30 years or more. Listen to their earlier works and you've basically heard them all, eg. the works that came after just rehashing what was there originally. Just my opinion of course, but I'm not happy with them being almost the only "acceptable" things to play by our flagship orchestras, as the conservatives won't be challenged or walk out on their music, which is like treating the rest of us like morons, serving us scraps from last night's dinner.

So it must be admitted that Gubaidulina is more pushing boundaries than those two have been for decades, but even she is kind of becoming same old same old for me now, but maybe I'm just becoming cynical and jaded a bit, esp. about some of the contemporary "mainstream?"...


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> ^^Yes, I think, on youtube. My general impression, from memory, was that it was very similar to the violin one. But her music is still somewhat more interesting to me than say Arvo Part or Rautavaara, who I don't like at all for the reason that they've been repeating themselves for like about 20-30 years or more. Lisen to their earlier works and you've basically heard them all, eg. the works that came after just rehashing what was there originally. Just my opinion of course, but I'm not happy with them being almost the only "acceptable" things to play by our flagship orchestras, as the conservatives won't be challenged or walk out on their music, which is like treating the rest of us like morons, serving us scraps from last night's dinner.
> 
> So it must be admitted that Gubaidulina is more pushing boundaries than those two have been for decades, but even she is kind of becoming same old same old for me now, but maybe I'm just becoming cynical and jaded a bit, esp. about some of the contemporary "mainstream?"...


Hmm, well I really liked it. It is kind of repetitive I suppose, but I think it's beautiful. Oh well, different tastes, I haven't heard the violin concerto so I was just guessing you might like the viola concerto more haha.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> *RE Gubaidulina*, I like her earlier works from the 1980's on another Naxos disc, eg. _Seven Words_. The recent works I've heard by her come across to me as rehash & grabbing things from the now deceased Schnittke. I can't stand her recent works, eg. the violin concerto played by Mutter, but a friend of mine, after I put on that disc for him to hear, basically loved it. So there you go, some people will connect with her more recent stuff, for what it's worth...


Grave robbing, how gauche. Atonal theft? Seriously, they were friends and had great respect for each other. I doubt if there was theft other than "borrows" used in complimentary brevity.

Your friend has good taste re In tempus praesens (VC 2).


----------



## Vaneyes

violadude said:


> Hmm, well I really liked it. It is kind of repetitive I suppose, but I think it's beautiful. Oh well, different tastes, I haven't heard the violin concerto so I was just guessing you might like the viola concerto more haha.


I like the Viola, but the VC 2 makes me jump up and shout, "Amen!" You must hear.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> ...
> Your friend has good taste re In tempus praesens (VC 2).


I think he's got different taste to me, which I won't attempt to "box" or boil down, but that's good getting a second opinion like this, I might come around to other people's "angles," whether his or yours, but it can take time, effort, etc. & maybe I was quick to judge. But I must emphasise, chamber music is my focus, and so I like her chamber works on the earlier Naxos disc more, probably for that reason, at least in part...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I think he's got different taste to me, which I won't attempt to "box" or boil down, but that's good getting a second opinion like this, I might come around to other people's "angles," whether his or yours, but it can take time, effort, etc. & maybe I was quick to judge. But I must emphasise, chamber music is my focus, and so I like her chamber works on the earlier Naxos disc more, probably for that reason, at least in part...


That's all fine, and you took my ribbing well.


----------



## NightHawk

I am glad to read your review of S.Gubaidulina - I have heard her name for a while and will look her up on Youtube tonight. Thanks.



violadude said:


> I have to say, Gubaidulina is becoming one of my favorite semi-contemporary composer. I dig the solemn and spiritual (but not boring) feel to most of her compositions. Out of the works on this CD I have only heard Silenzio, but I love "7 words" for Bayan, Cello and strings. I would consider it a masterpiece actually.
> 
> I've been really loving Schnittke too. Man the post-Shostakovich generation of Soviet/Russian composers really produced some true greats.


----------



## opus55

The 9th
Ferenc Fricsay, Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## violadude

NightHawk said:


> I am glad to read your review of S.Gubaidulina - I have heard her name for a while and will look her up on Youtube tonight. Thanks.


look up "seven words" and Gubaidulina. You wont be sorry.


----------



## kv466

Sergei Rachmaninov - Variations on a Theme of Chopin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dreams"} *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Abbado.
Walter Piston--*Symphony No.2, *featuring Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
David Diamond--*Symphony No.1,* again with the SSO and Gerard Schwarz.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50*, with Douglas Bostock conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I especially like the way its 2nd movement ends on an almost Bolero-like effect played by the clarinet: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Douglas Bostock - Symphony No. 5, Op. 50: Adagio non troppo (Carl Nielsen).
Paul Creston--*Symphony* *No*.*5*, *Op*.*64*, performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## NightHawk

Received this in the mails today and at this moment am listening to the astonishing Penderecki Violin Concerto. What a great work! I read that some consider it a 'stepping back' from the avant garde style that characterized him (Threnody and similar, I suppose). No matter to me. This significant work is dramatic and melancholy, deeply so, yet highly contrastive in its significant four movements performed _attacca_.


----------



## violadude

NightHawk said:


> Received this in the mails today and at this moment am listening to the astonishing Penderecki Violin Concerto. What a great work! I read that some consider it a 'stepping back' from the avant garde style that characterized him (Threnody and similar, I suppose). No matter to me. This significant work is dramatic and melancholy, deeply so, yet highly contrastive in its significant four movements performed _attacca_.


Do you know which Vln. C it is? Penderecki wrote 2.


----------



## NightHawk

Re: Seven Words - Sophia Gubaidulina: I just watched/listened - gorgeous, so 'ineffable' haha, I'm not sure I know exactly what that word means but it means 'Seven Words' to me. Then I listened to this:






This was tough going, but it paid off hugely - the long 'breath' at the end of the clip was a masterful touch. Is that, perhaps, Gubaidulina playing the accordion?



violadude said:


> look up "seven words" and Gubaidulina. You wont be sorry.


----------



## starthrower

violadude said:


> Do you know which Vln. C it is? Penderecki wrote 2.


It's got to be the 1st, as no.2 was written for Anne Sophie Mutter.


----------



## NightHawk

violadude said:


> Do you know which Vln. C it is? Penderecki wrote 2.


It is No. 1 and here is No. 2 which I must have:










The 2nd Concerto was written between 1992-95 and is entitled 'Metamorphosen'.


----------



## violadude

NightHawk said:


> Re: Seven Words - Sophia Gubaidulina: I just watched/listened - gorgeous, so 'ineffable' haha, I'm not sure I know exactly what that word means but it means 'Seven Words' to me. Then I listened to this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was tough going, but it paid off hugely - the long 'breath' at the end of the clip was a masterful touch. Is that, perhaps, Gubaidulina playing the accordion?


Glad you liked what you heard of "Seven Words." Unfortunately, that is not Gubaidulina playing the Bayan in that video.










This is Sofia Gubaidulina.


----------



## violadude

Today was pretty much Australian day for me haha. First thing I listened to was Peter Sculthorpe's "Earth Cry" for digeridoo and orchestra.










It was a really dramatic piece. It struck me as very cinematic. The digeridoo has a big solo at the beginning that is very rhythmic. After that the orchestra builds to a dramatic climax with the digeridoo competes with the forces of the full orchestra. It is an interesting sound. It seems to let out a primal and "earthy" kind of scream over the orchestra. It is very effective in my opinion.

Next was Brenton Broadstock's Symphony #4 titled "Good Angel's Tears"










One thing I think is so interesting about Australian composers in general is their idea of what a symphony is, as far as form and things like that go, is so free and loose in a way that most other composer's symphonies aren't. I think this is because, aside from perhaps Percy Grainger, Australian composers were so late at jumping into the classical music scene that by the time they did finally join music was so free anyway. In other words, they are able to write symphonies in a free and rhapsodic sort of way because they aren't bogged down by any sort of long tradition of sonata forms and things like that, like Western Europe and those that were influenced by that area.

Anyway, that is just my theory. As for the Broadstock, it was in a very strange form indeed. A nearly 18 minute slow first movement that is divided into 2 sections and a 3 minute very fast exciting second movement. Things I liked were that the slow music was very very beautiful and atmospheric. The fast music as well, was very exciting and thrilling. He knows just the perfect way to draw the best qualities out of each kind of music. Things I would criticize it for though is perhaps a lack of balance...(18 minutes of slow music versus 3 minutes of fast music) and I wish the form of the piece was a bit more cohesive. I was searching greatly for a connection amongst the constant stream of themes which seemed to flow out of the music like a river, but I had a hard time doing so. Maybe I will notice a connection in the themes with further listening. But overall it is a very enjoyable piece.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Sid James

violadude said:


> ...One thing I think is so interesting about Australian composers in general is their idea of what a symphony is, as far as form and things like that go, is so free and loose in a way that most other composer's symphonies aren't. I think this is because, aside from perhaps Percy Grainger, Australian composers were so late at jumping into the classical music scene that by the time they did finally join music was so free anyway. In other words, they are able to write symphonies in a free and rhapsodic sort of way because they aren't bogged down by any sort of long tradition of sonata forms and things like that, like Western Europe and those that were influenced by that area...


That makes sense. It was an ultra conservative climate here musically and in the arts generally before 1945. Eg._ The Rite of Spring _was not premiered here until about the 1950's, _Pierrot Lunaire _about the 1960's, and_ Turangalila Symphonie _until mid-1980's. There was this time lag here, but when new trends finally emerged, it was so long between the old and new things, the old things were really old and almost obsolete/irrelevant. So our composers had to catch up fast, and they have. It is true, we had less baggage from Europe/USA, because we were so closed off before 1945, and things only opened up gradually. But now things are different, our musicians and composers can and do mix it with the finest of them abroad.

A worrying trend more recently - eg. last 10-15 years - has been a move back towards conservatism. I am unhappy about this and this is often the basis of my rants on TC :lol:. I need an outlet like anybody else, but it's getting old hat and cliched, so I'm toning down things. But anyway, I have a low opinion of calcified jurassics who thinks that the "best" music are the warhorses only, esp. from between 1800-1900 with a few token things thrown in from either side of that. Their attitude is just rubbish, and it does get me down when I think about it...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

violadude said:


> ... Things I would criticize it for though is perhaps a lack of balance...(18 minutes of slow music versus 3 minutes of fast music) and I wish the form of the piece was a bit more cohesive. I was searching greatly for a connection amongst the constant stream of themes which seemed to flow out of the music like a river, but I had a hard time doing so. Maybe I will notice a connection in the themes with further listening. But overall it is a very enjoyable piece.


Funny. That timing thing was also one of the things I first noticed when I first listened to it (on radio many years ago, I recall). But it's one of the defining features of the work I guess. Australia's environment is unique (or reasonably so) with extremes - hot baking deserts to snow and ice to tropical rainforests in all wide ranging distances across the continent. Maybe he was trying to show that in all aspects of his score. Just a thought.


----------



## AlainB

Currently listening to Va Tosca - Te Deum, by Sherrill Milnes. Great voice.


----------



## Sid James

*@ Nighthawk *- I haven't heard the Penderecki VC but I do know Hindemith's one, and I think it's just so amazing. I sent a copy to a friend overseas, who has little experience with modern "atonal" music, and she wrote back saying that she found it "so emotional." It shows that some people who say this type of music has no emotion (eg. stereotyping guys like Hindemith and Schoenberg as too technical and dry, emotionless, etc.) are talking pure bunkum. At least in the case of their violin concertos, they are nothing if not but emotional. & I wouldn't doubt the same or similar of Penderecki's efforts in this genre...


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to the* Elgar *recording, & a welcome return to old favourites *Britten* and *Bernstein*, & now a third "B," *William Bolcom*, is also a favourite, just having purchased this album with Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, it has been a joy -

*Elgar*
_Pomp & Circumstance Marches (1-5), Op. 39_
London PO / Vernon Handley
(EMI) - This recording published in 1981 was funded by Imperial Tobacco Limited! Don't believe me, it says inside the liner notes of the disc...

*Britten*
_Serenade for tenor, horn and strings_
Ian Bostridge, tenor / Radek Baburak, horn / Berlin PO / Simon Rattle
(EMI)

*Bernstein*
_Fancy Free - Ballet _(1944)
Nashville SO / Andrew Mongrelia
(Naxos)

*William Bolcom*
_Cabaret Songs _(orchestrated by the composer)
Measha Brueggergosman, sop. / BBC SO / David Robertson
(from "Surprise" album on DGG - coupled with Schoenberg, Satie)


----------



## NightHawk

oh...well, she is a very nice lady, I'm sure, nicer than my ignorance of the Bayan. Shoulda googled her. Vladislav Andreyevich Zolotaryov also wrote for the instrument. Did you care for 'De Profundis'?



violadude said:


> Glad you liked what you heard of "Seven Words." Unfortunately, that is not Gubaidulina playing the Bayan in that video.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is Sofia Gubaidulina.


----------



## NightHawk

The Hindemith (which I listened to later) is as you say. I haven't listened to him in a long time, but recently have been regularly listening to the Music for Strings and Brass, the Mathis der Maler quite a bit. I am enjoying his music as if for the first time!!



Sid James said:


> *@ Nighthawk *- I haven't heard the Penderecki VC but I do know Hindemith's one, and I think it's just so amazing. I sent a copy to a friend overseas, who has little experience with modern "atonal" music, and she wrote back saying that she found it "so emotional." It shows that some people who say this type of music has no emotion (eg. stereotyping guys like Hindemith and Schoenberg as too technical and dry, emotionless, etc.) are talking pure bunkum. At least in the case of their violin concertos, they are nothing if not but emotional. & I wouldn't doubt the same or similar of Penderecki's efforts in this genre...


----------



## violadude

NightHawk said:


> oh...well, she is a very nice lady, I'm sure, nicer than my ignorance of the Bayan. Shoulda googled her. Vladislav Andreyevich Zolotaryov also wrote for the instrument. Did you care for 'De Profundis'?


Ya that is a pretty neat work I thought, very typical of her compositional style. Gubaidulina's music is so raw. It hardly ever is made up of "themes" in a conventional sense, but of gestures of a profound and symbolic nature. At least to me, it comes of as very powerful.






Try one of the string quartets as well. It is pretty bad sound quality, so sorry about that >.<


----------



## NightHawk

I've been thinking of buying some Ian Bostridge for a couple of years now, but just never get around to it. I love that Serenade for Tenor, horn and strgs. Any others, lieder perhaps, that you'd say are 'must haves'?



Sid James said:


> A first listen to the* Elgar *recording, & a welcome return to old favourites *Britten* and *Bernstein*, & now a third "B," *William Bolcom*, is also a favourite, just having purchased this album with Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, it has been a joy -
> 
> *Elgar*
> _Pomp & Circumstance Marches (1-5), Op. 39_
> London PO / Vernon Handley
> (EMI) - This recording published in 1981 was funded by Imperial Tobacco Limited! Don't believe me, it says inside the liner notes of the disc...
> 
> *Britten*
> _Serenade for tenor, horn and strings_
> Ian Bostridge, tenor / Radek Baburak, horn / Berlin PO / Simon Rattle
> (EMI)
> 
> *Bernstein*
> _Fancy Free - Ballet _(1944)
> Nashville SO / Andrew Mongrelia
> (Naxos)
> 
> *William Bolcom*
> _Cabaret Songs _(orchestrated by the composer)
> Measha Brueggergosman, sop. / BBC SO / David Robertson
> (from "Surprise" album on DGG - coupled with Schoenberg, Satie)


----------



## NightHawk

Exceeding cool! The 'bad sound quality' actually enhanced it a bit (thinking of 'De Profundis'). I've got my 'new music' ears back! It was good to listen. I learned this about her on Wiki:

"In conversation she is most keen to stress that she cannot accept the idea (a frequent post-serial one) of rhythm or duration as the material of a piece. . . . To her, rhythm is nowadays a generating principle as, for instance, the cadence was to tonal composers of the Classical period; it therefore cannot be the surface material of a work. . . . he expresses her impatience with Messiaen, whose use of rhythmic modes to generate local imagery, she feels, restricts the effectiveness of rhythm as an underlying formal level of the music.[15]
To this end, Gubaidulina often devises durational ratios in order to create the temporal forms for her compositions. Specifically, she is prone to utilizing elements of the Fibonacci sequence or the Golden Ratio, in which each succeeding element is equal to the sum of the two preceding elements (i.e., 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc.). This numerical layout represents the balanced nature in her music through a sense of cell multiplication between live and non-live substances. She firmly believes that this abstract theory is the foundation of her personal musical expression. The "Golden Ratio "between the sections are always marked by some musical event, and composer explores her fantasy fully in articulating this moments."

Bartok also used the Fibonacci series in his music as well as the 'Golden Section', the value .618 to determine the climatic point in a finite number of bars and for other applications as well. I find Gubaidulina's music to be spiritual in the same way that Bartok's is. Really appreciate knowing about her - anyone else in this extreme direction that you like? cheers.



violadude said:


> Ya that is a pretty neat work I thought, very typical of her compositional style. Gubaidulina's music is so raw. It hardly ever is made up of "themes" in a conventional sense, but of gestures of a profound and symbolic nature. At least to me, it comes of as very powerful.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Try one of the string quartets as well. It is pretty bad sound quality, so sorry about that >.<


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Trio Élégiaque




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CKEVVG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317307745&sr=8-1

Very interresting work, very well performed


----------



## kv466

Rachmaninov/Wild - Song Transcriptions


----------



## violadude

NightHawk said:


> - anyone else in this extreme direction that you like? cheers.


I sent you a private message with a recommendation.


----------



## chrislowski

Symphony 4

Celibidache was amazing at everything he touched...


----------



## kv466

Jean Sibelius - Symphony no.7 in c, op.105
Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Dodecaplex

Beautiful, beautiful music. Reminds me of childhood for some reason.

Listening to both versions currently, though not sure which one I prefer yet.


----------



## violadude

Dodecaplex said:


> Beautiful, beautiful music. Reminds me of childhood for some reason.


That's the exact impression I get from these pieces as well.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Suite Châtelaine*

Artists	
Timisoara Banatul Philharmonic
Remus Georgescu




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQOP9A/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315223894&sr=8-1

Some indeterminate plants. In between the gorgeous lyrical sections. Sometimes quite boring ... But it is a first impression. It has the potential to grow. After full listening the imression is much better! Fine performances and beautiful sound.










*Enescu: Suite No.1 in C, Op.9*

Artists	
Foster (Artist), Monte Carlo Phil Orch




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Romani...F11C/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1315222554&sr=8-6

The play is a little static in the beginning. It can provide a vibrating nerves, but you must have exceptional performers. I do not think it is here. Medium performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Piano Concerto No.2 in B-, Op.11*

Artists	
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Francois-Joel Thiollier (Performer), Martijn van den Hoek




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...UO8G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315299625&sr=8-1

A sparkling and colorful concert! Very appealing. Very melodic, elegant and evocative. Great performance and great sound.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

Hindemith VC with Oistrakh/LSO/Hindemith (1962).


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 5: Symphony No. 1 in E major "Slavonian Symphony"*

Artists
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Fedoseyev




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-The-...UW10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273361&sr=8-2

I love this symphony much better now than last time I listened to it. It has of course a lot of recording to do. Wonderful engaged orchestra, which brings out emotions and moments very well. The sound is average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 16: Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp minor "To the Memory of Liszt"*

Artists
José Serebrier
Royal scottish national orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symphony-Nos/dp/B002LCCSMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273199&sr=8-1

This symphony is another good one from Glazunov. I think I love no one better anyway. But the sound and performance here is very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 33: Symphony No. 3 in D major*

Artists
Alexander Annissov and Moscow Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...PC2E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321274890&sr=8-1

Very melodic and enchanting symphony! Glazunov has really made some first-class symphonies. And now I also appreciate Assumov`s approach. But the sound is not very good.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.98. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
Gurzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker, James Conlon




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026DC598/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736305&sr=8-3

A wonderful concert! I has been very fond of this, currently it is only Bruch's first, which I like better. But it is are many I have not heard. First-class performance. Sarah Chang plays with great gusto, and the interaction with a close and committed orchestra is very good. The sound is very good. Recommended for real!


----------



## Sid James

*Album: In This Hid Clearing...*
Music (arrangements) for wind band by *Gordon Jacob, Jack Stamp, Aaron Copland, Percy Grainger, George Gershwin*
Vocalists / Univ. of Missouri Wind Ens. / Thomas O'Neal
(Naxos)

*Brahms, orch. Schoenberg*
_Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_
City of Birmingham SO / Simon Rattle
(EMI - 2 disc set)

*Qigang Chen* (b. 1951)
_Wi Xing, The Five Elements - suite for orch._
Orch. National de France / Didier Benetti
(Virgin Classics)

*Bernstein*
_Fancy Free - Three Dances_
-Boston Pops / Arthur Fiedler - rec. 1946
_On the Town - Ballet Music_
- Studio orch. under baton of the composer - rec. 1945
(Naxos Musicals series)


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> I've been thinking of buying some Ian Bostridge for a couple of years now, but just never get around to it. I love that Serenade for Tenor, horn and strgs. Any others, lieder perhaps, that you'd say are 'must haves'?


For c20th, Britten did many other song-cycles, another good one is _Les Illuminations_. It's on that same EMI Bostridge/Rattle disc. I don't know if it's still in print. Of course, Britten's own recordings of his songs and song arrangements are available, with his partner Peter Pears, who he wrote them for. But my favourite recording was by the late tenor Robert Tear, with CArlo Maria Giulini at the helm, I had an LP on DGG of this work, the Serenade, I think the hornist was Barry Tuckwell. It had this animalistic intensity, it wasn't refined or mannered, stylised like I find the others to be. Worth hunting out.

As for other artsong recs, better contact the member here on TC stlukesguildohio, who is really into art-song and can probably recommend you more things, he has wider experience of this area than I do. But there was a recent blog by the Canadian member with a dog for avatar, itymlt or something, I gave some art-song recs there, or listed things I like...


----------



## kv466

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915):
Sonata No. 4 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 30

Cesar Franck (1822-1890):
Prélude, Chorale and Fugue, M. 21

Robert Schumann (1810-1856):
Fantasiestüke, Op. 12

Earl Wild, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy, S.123*

Artists	
Václav Neumann (Conductor), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Orchestra), Siegfried Stockigt




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Prelude...OBR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317643110&sr=8-1

A little quiet and timid work. I love Liszt, but he is perhaps a little distant and modest here. But with full orchestra It is different. This work has great potential!


----------



## agoukass




----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony* *No*.*3* *in* *C* *Minor*, *Op*.*78* {"*Organ*"}, featuring organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.


----------



## opus55

Listening to Naxos Music Library
Sibelius : music for voice and orchestra


----------



## science

#1


----------



## science

One of those really famous works that I just don't know so well. I'll listen to it again tomorrow.


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 1 In Eb Major*

Good afternoon to all - now listening to Disc 1 of this excellent set


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 43*

The mighty 4th!


----------



## science

Ries: Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, op. 55 - Littauer; Spring: Hamburg SO

from this box:


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26*

Artists	
André Previn/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Goldmark-Dohn...C598/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315683282&sr=8-5

Fine and intense performance of a great nuance-rich, romantic work. Very picturesque.


----------



## Oskaar

*Joseph Haydn*

Work 
*Haydn: String Quartet in G, Hob.III:75, Op.76*

Artists	
Amadeus Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-J-Strin...O0LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321385758&sr=8-1

Exxelent rekording! Very good sound.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sibelius - Violin Concerto

Itzhak Perlman.

Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Pohadka JW 7/5*

Artists	
Barta and Lapsansky




http://www.amazon.com/Cello-Recital...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320328433&sr=8-1-fkmr0

A beautiful and dreamy work! Intensive in terms of emotion and nuance. Brilliant interplay between violin and piano. The sound is also very good.










*Janácek: Violin Sonata JV 7/7*

Artists	
Gyorgy Terebesi
Michel Jean Fournier
http://www.amazon.com/Szymanowski-J...3ZKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320330989&sr=8-1

I love Janacek's chamber works. Not so many are represented on Spotify, but those which are excellent. This sonata I think is very exciting, it's a great nerve that is conveyed very well in this performance.










*Janácek: Romance JW 7/3*

Artists	
Leos Janacek, David Atherton, Charles Mackerras and François Huybrechts




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Chamb...4JH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320323733&sr=8-1

Very beautiful! Excellent performance and good sound.










*Janácek: Dumka JW 7/4*

Artists	
Marianne Piketty, violin
Dana Ciocarlie, piano




http://www.amazon.com/Bohemia-Maria...S70C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320324034&sr=8-3

I love this piece! Beautiful and excellent playing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Hungaria, S.103, R.420*

Artists	
Dirigent
Kurt Masur
Orkester
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Utøvere
Michel Béroff (Piano)




http://www.platekompaniet.no/Musikk...Fr_Klavier_Und_Orchester_7CD/?id=509990851602

Great piece! The delightful exchanges between the lyrical and more dramatic. It is easy to get caught on a journey through this piece. Very good performance and good sound.










*Liszt: Die Ideale*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Complet...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317894609&sr=8-1-fkmr0

I do not think this piece is as beautiful and varied as Hungaria. But it is still a great listening experience. Very energetic and excellent playing. The sound is average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Simon Rattle (Conductor), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...r_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315419455&sr=1-12

I love this symphony! It has a very peaceful and harmonious about it. I have over 50 versions to listen to. This version is probably one of the better so far. Not very good sound, but very energetic and lively performance.


----------



## tdc

I'm currently listening to the Karajan '63 cycle Beethoven 3. I'm not sure on which side of the 'Karajan fence' I stand yet, but I will say imo this is the best Beethoven 3 I've heard so far...


----------



## starthrower

Schoenberg piano & violin concertos
Brendel/Kubelik, etc.


----------



## tdc

tdc said:


> I'm currently listening to the Karajan '63 cycle Beethoven 3. I'm not sure on which side of the 'Karajan fence' I stand yet, but I will say imo this is the best Beethoven 3 I've heard so far...


All though on close listening I do notice some problems here too, for example about halfway through the second movement where the percussion comes in, I don't hear the percussion on its own distinctly enough (its not loud enough) - the sound of the percussion is too mixed in with the rest of the orchestral sounds somehow imo...


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: 2 Earnest Melodies, for violin and orchestra, Op.77*

Artists	
Yoshiko Arai, Eero Heinonen




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-J-Vi...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320763409&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Excellent sound on this recording! And especially Yoshiko Arai impresses on violin. Beautiful and full of empathy. The work is very colorful and exciting. Full of small moments and wonderful variations. The pieces are quite different, but good in their own way.










*Sibelius: 2 Serenades for Violin and Orchestra, Op.69
*
Artists	
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi, Dong-Suk Kang




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-6-Hu...NJU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320761628&sr=8-1

Absolutely beautiful serenades! Very melodic, and quite playful, yet profound and dramatic. I thaught no 1 was the ultimate regarding staggering capturing melodics, but the second is even bether! The serenades provide room for virtuoso violin play. Fortunately Dong-Suk Kang is not tempted to overplay, but goes well in line with a dedicated and energetic orchestra. Excellent version.










*Sibelius: Belshazzar's Feast, Op.51*

Adrian Leaper and Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...13M7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320844224&sr=8-1

Reminds me a bit of Grieg "The hall of the mountain king" Clear oriental inspiration. I'm not so excited about this work, compared to the first two. A little exciting, but it sparkles not, and sometimes it's pretty boring. It's a pretty fremtonende hiss in the background, and the sound is pretty harsh.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 43*


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
Lorin Maazel (Artist), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...41Z3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317125828&sr=8-1

I think I have a relationship with the symphony after a while. Very adventurous and varied. It remains to explore the remaining, but with this in mind, promising signs. Very good version! The qualities of the symphony communicated very well. Should like to hear about Tapkaara've heard this version, and what he thinks about it.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, "Resurrection"*


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.47*


Spivakovsky (Artist), London symphony orchestra (Artist), Hannikainen




http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Concer...MLMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320775536&sr=8-1

Great concert, but maybe not my favorite violin concerto. Bruch's First is a bit better in my opinion. But the concert is absolutely great. Very good performance here. Tossy Spivakovsky plays with great virtuosity and empathy. Good interaction with the orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

Dvorak concerti--something older (Fournier, 1961), something newer (Suwanai, 1999).


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
Performer: Andrew Litton
Orchestra: Dallas Symphony OrchestraConductor: Andrew Litton




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...JHLP/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1316343624&sr=8-7

The concerto has amazing qualities! The Andante is incredibly beautiful. Version is very good! Sound and performance is excellent.


----------



## science

#13


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, *featuring David Lloyd-Jones conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
David Stock--*Symphony No.2, *with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Stock. I don't know if Stock is a contemporary of Copland, but certain passages--especially in this piece's last movement--have a Copland like feel to them, perhaps due to Stock's use of color and timbre in the way he orchestrates.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra led by Okko Kamu in an inspired and impassioned performance. What a great opening movement; it literally reaches out and grabs the listener from its opening notes and *demands* that this work be heard: Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 7, FS 16: I. Allegro Orgoglioso.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *featuring the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Okko Kamu. After hearing this version by this wonderful musical entity, my opinion of this work--which originally not that high--has grown by leaps and bounds!


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo. *All works are performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
_Piano Sonata #21 in C major, Op. 53, Waldstein_
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano (1973 recording)
(Decca Eloquence)

*Beethoven*
_Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56_
David Oistrakh, vln. / Sviatoslav Knushevistzky, cello / Lev Oborin, pno.
Philharmonia Orch. / Malcolm Sargent
(EMI)

*Weber*
_Symphonies
- #1 in C major, J. 50
- #2 in C major, J. 51_
& orchestral highlights from _Turandot, Silvana, Die Drei Pintos_
Queensland PO / John Georgiadis
(Naxos)

*Ravi Shankar* (b. 1921)
_Raga Mala - A Garland of Ragas (Concerto #2 for sitar & orch.)_
Composer on sitar / London PO / Zubin Mehta
(EMI - double cd set)


----------



## science

Czerny, Divertissement de concert, op. 204

That is one awesome work. Youtube it, spotify it, whatever you do.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies 2 and 7*, Karajan, the '79s cycle. Can't find a picture of it, for some reason.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphonies 2 and 7*, Karajan, the '79s cycle. Can't find a picture of it, for some reason.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony #5, Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## kv466

Bach - French Suites


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

All the Karajan hatred leading to a Karajan love-in.:lol:

Currently listening (or rather just finished listening) to this:










Schwarzkopf has to make due without the lush brilliance of George Szell (who conducted her in a later recording of the Four Last Songs) but we get to hear a younger Schwarzkopf... at the peak of her abilities.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.50, Op.360 {"Mount St. Helens"} and Symphony No.60, Op.396 {"To The Appalachian Mountains"}. *Both works feature the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. For sheer angst and heart-felt passion, Tchaikovsky's *Pathetique* *Symphony* has nothing over this.

edit: The *60th* *Symphony* by Hovhaness is performed by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, not the SSO, but with the same conductor {Schwarz}. My apologies.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## kv466




----------



## Dodecaplex

Karajan's 1986 recording of Mozart's Requiem. Not as good as Herreweghe's (my favorite) or Bohm's (my 2nd favorite), but definitely somewhere up there.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
_Piano Sonata #29 in B flat major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"_
Vladimir Ashkenazy, pno. (1967 recording)
(Decca Eloquence)

It's taken me a while to get used to this account, it's more "attacking" than what I was used to with the _Hammerklavier_ before. But I like the crispness of the playing & the clarity, although at first it came across as almost kind of aggressive, but now I think it's not like that necessarily.

*Schoenberg*
_Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4 (Transfigured Night)_
(composed 1899, arr. for string orch. by composer, 1917)
London Chamber Orch. / Daniel Barenboim, cond.
(EMI - from 2 disc Schoenberg set)

I have read, this is one of the largest string sections used to interpret this work. It was done in the late 1960's, around the same time as von Karajan's one. But Barenboim, though using a larger orchestra than von Karajan, gets a kind of leanness and muscularity from the score. Upon first listen or two I thought this was kind of too restrained and Barenboim holding back too much. But now I'm more used to the "flow" of this interpretation, it definitely has it's quirks, but I've warmed to it over about the last week since I got it...


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 43*


----------



## NightHawk

Hey Conor - could you possibly write up a review on your take of this cycle? I'm interested in it. Thanks, NH



Conor71 said:


> *Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 43*


----------



## Conor71

NightHawk said:


> Hey Conor - could you possibly write up a review on your take of this cycle? I'm interested in it. Thanks, NH


No worries NightHawk - I think its the best Sibelius Cycle out of the 6 or so which I have heard (Berglund, Barbirolli, Blomstedt, Karajan, Segerstam, Rattle, Vanska) The tempi are perfectly judged in each piece with no eccentricities in interpretation. The sound of the Lahti SO is rich and smooth. The recorded sound is exemplary - one of the nicest sounding recordings in my collection 

Now listening:

*Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 1 In A Major, Op. 20*


----------



## Klavierspieler

Beethoven - Violin Concerto

Itzhak Perlman
Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra London.


----------



## kv466

_This one's for you, Dodeca:_

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no.22 "The Philosopher" in e-flat 
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 In D Major, Op. 19*

A great recording of some excellent Music!


----------



## Dodecaplex

kv466 said:


> _This one's for you, Dodeca:_
> 
> Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no.22 "The Philosopher" in e-flat
> Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


From now on, this will become my favorite Haydn symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

Bach to Bach.

Quintana & Frisch Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord (rec 2000). Mahvellous playing, intonation, and sound.

GG's '81 GVs--more hums for your money this last time 'round.


----------



## Vaneyes

Playing in memory of record producer Andrew Kazdin (who also remixed this reissue), dead at 77. R.I.P. Obit in NY Times.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*
*
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
Ashkenazy and Boston Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...4210/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322745261&sr=8-2

Dramatic and quite heavy symphony. But also with some lovely lyrical sections. I like it really! Very exciting and varied. The performance is live, and it's something bakgrunsstøy. But it does not destroy the experience. Very good performance. The sound is otherwise very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Suite for Violin and String Orchestra, Op.117*

Artists	
Orchestra: Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Osmo Vänskä
Dong-Suk Kang




http://www.amazon.com/Finlandia-Fes...16IT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320764946&sr=8-1

Very good sound! And nice presentation. And the work is interesting and charming.










Work 
*Sibelius: Suite caractéristique, for harp and strings, Op.100*

Artists	
Neeme Järvi, Charlotte Forsberg and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Spri...16E1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320763799&sr=8-1

Light and charming little work. Viennese Waltz. No big deal but fun to listen to. The second movement is a little masterpiece! Very ingratiating melodic and lyrical. Nice version, and good sound.










*Sibelius: Suite mignonne, for 2 flutes and strings, Op.98a*

Artists	
Erik T. Tawaststjerna




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Comp...98IK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320764045&sr=8-1

This is a transcription for piano. Some harsh piano, and not especially exciting.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
Lawrence Foster (Conductor), Malcolm Sargent (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), John Ogdon (Performer), Brenda Lucas




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...UUON/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316343380&sr=8-1

Very fine version. John Ogdon plays brilliantly! A little hiss in the backgound. I dont care much for the first movement, but Ogdons skills is perhaps best shown there. But I love the second movement. The sound is not very good.










*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Chamber Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, Mikhail Petukhov, Yuri Simonov




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00384GT7S/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100384&sr=8-1

This is a live recording. It is an ugly bi-sound in the piano. Definitely not a good version. orchestra and the pianist's energetic and good, but the experience ruined by bad sound.


----------



## Sid James

*H.W. Henze* (b. 1926)
_Violin Concerto #1_ (1946) *
_Funf Nachtstucke (Five Night Pieces) for violin & piano_ (1990) +
Peter Sheppard Skaerved, vln.
* with Saarbrucken Radio SO / Christopher Lyndon-Gee
+ with Aaron Sharr, pno.
(Naxos)

Henze's first concerto, written not long after the war in which he as a teenager was conscripted into the German army, is understandably a dark work. It's really a series of cadenzas for violin interlaced with orchestral bits, some quite brutal and violent. It makes me think of the individual versus society or the political system, etc. There are shades of Berg especially here, but also the rhythms reminiscent of Stravinsky in the final movement. Henze has said he is not entirely happy with this work, he saw it as kind of weak and not that good, but I think that on an emotional level at least, it does tell me his story and emotions at the time, and that's what really counts for me as a listener.

As for the accompanying _Five Night Pieces_, they are nocturnal in feel, the ending fifth movement, marked _Ode,_ is capped off by the violin soaring quite high, a bit like the ending of Messiaen's _Quartet for the End of Time_. There is also his 3rd concerto on this disc, which I aim to get to over the weekend. It's been a while since I've last listened to this disc, about a year, and my impressions of it is different now, the music seems more lyrical, even mellow, less outright angry and aggressive, etc.

*Rossini*
_Mose in Egitto _(1819 Naples version)
_Opera seria in 3 acts_
Cast, chorus, orch. conducted by Antonio Fogliani
(Naxos, 2 discs)

I'm not usually into opera but I've liked this for years, had it on tape, recently got this newer recording. Esp. notable here are duets for various characters and voice colours, often accompanied by the winds - flute, clarinet, etc. - and in one very delicate duet, the harp. The love duet in Act I takes the cake for me, but the parting of the Red Sea with quite brilliant orchestral effects in Act III is very impressive and dramatic. Rossini was influenced here by similar bits in Haydn's _The Creation_, the very good notes to this set says...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Dodecaplex said:


> Karajan's 1986 recording of Mozart's Requiem. Not as good as Herreweghe's (my favorite) or Bohm's (my 2nd favorite), but definitely somewhere up there.


Wow! Thanks for posting. Quite an experience! Not my favourite, but quite an experience!


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90.* Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
*Moscow Radio Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Dmitri Kogan
Conductors: Maxim Shostakovich*




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...9LVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316160271&sr=8-1

Adventurous and evocative concert. No favorite concert, but I like it. Very good violin, Dmitri Kogan plays with great enthusiasm, and very energetic. All in all a very good performance, also the orchestra.










*Shostakovich: Op. 129: Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor*

Artists
Ilya Kaler
Orchestra: Katowice Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Antoni Wit




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...13YT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316352688&sr=8-1

Shostakovich's violin concertos are tiresome, if not the performance is very good. Here is the performance excellent! And then it's a pleasure to listen to. Wonderful nerve!


----------



## Dodecaplex

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Wow! Thanks for posting. Quite an experience! Not my favourite, but quite an experience!


I still feel like I'm being manipulated. 

Just kidding. You're welcome!


----------



## opus55

One of my discs that don't get played often

Charpentier: Motets for one and two voices


----------



## Chrythes

Mendelssohn Octet performed by Emerson (I always want to add Lake and Palmer) Quartet.
This is one of the reasons why I doubt seeing myself as a composer, when such music was created by such a young mind, it amazes me but always lets down my self confidence.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen*--Symphony* *No*.*2*, *Op*.*16* {"*The* *Four* *Temperaments*"}performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein. The andante movement is most beautiful and very expressive: New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments": III. Andante malincolico.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39,* again featuring Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. I don't know why, but I didn't expect to enjoy Bernstein's readings of both these works as much as I did; in fact, I would now rank his interpretation of the Sibelius *First* *Symphony *as among my favorites of all the versions I've heard of this piece.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.15 in A, Op.141, *with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra*. *Despite its opening movement, which quotes the *William* *Tell* Overture numerous times and would thus lead the listener to expect {at least *this *listener} an overall "upbeat" piece, this is, by its end, an overwhelmingly dark and mordant work. The second movement basically fades away to nothing at the conclusion. It is almost as if the composer knew he was facing imminent death, and that this could well be his last work. At least that's the impression it left on me.


----------



## Vaneyes

Maybe Andrew Davis' recording peak, the Teldec Vaughan Williams cycle.

Listening now to Sym. 6, then 9, and then the also outstanding fillers.


----------



## Sid James

^^Do you find the ending of RVW's 9th to have a kind of Wagnerian grandeur? I certainly found it like that, a kind of burnished intensity. I have Boult's one on vinyl...


----------



## ProudSquire

String quartet No.12 in E♭ major, op. 127, by LVB. 

Love the Adagio and Scherzando the most.


----------



## kv466

Antonio Salieri - Flute and Oboe Concerto 
Kenneth Sillito conducts the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Aurele Nicolet, flute / Heinz Holliger, oboe


----------



## science




----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: String Quartet In Eb Major, JS 184*

Its quite interesting listening to these early works - This piece is quite cheery and light and theres nothing on the surface to indicate its a Sibelius work at all. Very nice though - I like it!.
This set is the only Chamber Music I own by Sibelius - I am interested in hearing his Piano Trios and Music for Violin and Piano at some stage in the future too


----------



## NightHawk

That's quite a recommendation!!! Thanks, Conor.



Conor71 said:


> No worries NightHawk - I think its the best Sibelius Cycle out of the 6 or so which I have heard (Berglund, Barbirolli, Blomstedt, Karajan, Segerstam, Rattle, Vanska) The tempi are perfectly judged in each piece with no eccentricities in interpretation. The sound of the Lahti SO is rich and smooth. The recorded sound is exemplary - one of the nicest sounding recordings in my collection
> 
> Now listening:
> 
> *Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 1 In A Major, Op. 20*


----------



## science

#1

Another long-neglected old friend.


----------



## NightHawk

Received this a couple of days ago and have listened to nothing else. The youthful Enescu sonata written in 1898 when the composer was 17 y/o is 'not in the standard repertoire for cello' and it should be - this recording is the first to be made. The first movement is a strikingly original 'large sonata-form in four thematically related movements'. The entire sonata steers clear of cliche and easy solutions. I highly recommend it.

The Villa-Lobos is a collection of solo works performed as a suite in this recording - they were arranged by the composer from his extensive investigation of Brazilian street music called 'Choros' and also from his 2nd Bachianas Brasilieras (numerous works pointing up V-L's perceived relationship between the music of J.S.Bach and Brazilian folk music). Wonderful works, exotic and lyrical.


----------



## science

The Brahms - one of my most beloved recordings.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 32a: Suite from Hamlet for small orchestra*

Artists
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Neeme Järvi




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...7TDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316355288&sr=8-1

Exciting and very merry work. Beautiful and varied. Good performances










*Shostakovich: Op. 30a: Suite from Golden Mountains for orchestra*

Artists
Belgian radio symphony orchestra
Jose serebrier




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322844449&sr=8-2-fkmr0


Is not particularly fond of this work. It seems a little too messy for me, is not easy to get in. But the sound and performance seems okay.










Shostakovich: Op. 22a: Suite from The Age of Gold for orchestra

Artists
Orchesta filarmonica della Biellorussia, Antonnello Gotta, Maurizio Barboro*




http://www.amazon.com/Dimitri-Shost...GV2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322844989&sr=8-1

I do not like this suite nothing special either. It's like nothing to take hold in. OK performance and sound.


----------



## tdc

J.S. Bach - Fantasia and Fugue in G minor BWV 542 Hans Fagius on organ.


----------



## tdc

Now onto J.S. Bach - Clavierubung III - Hans Fagius on Organ. 

I feel like I am starting to be able to more fully appreciate this epic work. Its like I am discovering a new facet to my favorite composer and its exciting as there is still so much to fully take in. Lately I listen to almost all Choral or Keyboard music when I turn to Bach. This work is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73*

Artists	
Sergey Antonov




http://www.allmusic.com/album/works-by-robert-schumann-w186962

Very good version of this lovely work. Excellent teamwork and good sound.










*Schumann: 3 Romances, for oboe and piano, Op.94*

Artists	
Todd Levy (clarinet) (Performer), Elena Abend (piano)




http://www.amazon.com/Todd-Levy-Pla...1KCE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319548428&sr=8-1

Not the best sound. It is somewhat "hidden". But a great version it is. A very romantic and melodious work.










*
Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, for cello and piano, Op.102*

Artists	
Martin Frost, Roland Pontinen




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Work...M8ZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319555336&sr=8-1

If you were to buy a recording in which this work are included, this one would be a good suggestion! Very good sound, and very sensitive and great empathy. The pieces are simply gorgeous! Balm for the soul.










*
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in Ab, for horn (or cello) and piano, Op.70*

Artists	
Ensemble Contrastes




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Fantasiestücke/dp/B0036EEBSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319300057&sr=8-1

Incredibly beautiful! Excellent version!


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.1, for string orchestra and piano*

Artists	
Jiri Starek (Conductor), SWR Radio Orchestra Kaiserslautern (Orchestra), Jenny Lin




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Concert...NVGG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1315567153&sr=8-7

This version opens up new dimensions of this work. Recent listening to another version (da Costa (Artist), Pantillon (Artist), Orchestre Symphonique Bienne (Artist)) I liked nothing Especially. But this is great! Excellent in all aspects. The performance creates an incredible depth and nerve in the work.










*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève*




http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Bloch-...9HXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565990&sr=8-2

Great concert this too, but the first is perhaps better. Excellent performances here too, and good sound. Bloch is an exciting composer!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Piano Trio No.3 in D-*

Artists	
Ilona Prunyi




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Piano...OPS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318599156&sr=8-1

Bervald is a composer who does not disappoint. He may not hear among the large, but the music is wonderfully romantic, melodic and captivating. This trio is very nice! The sound is not perfect, but the performance is very good.










*Berwald: Piano Trio No.4 in C*

Artists	
Kalman Drafi




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Piano...UCYW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1318599609&sr=8-4

Also a very nice work, Good performance and the sound is pretty good but not great.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've got this disc... and I like the Brahms... but my favorite Schumann's are George Szell and Gardiner and my favorite Brahms are Walter and Gardiner.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Dodecaplex said:


> Karajan's 1986 recording of Mozart's Requiem. Not as good as Herreweghe's (my favorite) or Bohm's (my 2nd favorite), but definitely somewhere up there.


Marriner's will always hold a special place in my heart... thank's to the fact that it was through Marriner's recording in _Amadeus_ that I first happened upon the _Requiem_. I like Herreweghe's as well... but also Gardiner's and the recent recording by Harry Christophers with the Handel and Haydn Society. Still... always great to come across a video of one of the great conductors or soloists performing an entire work.


----------



## Vaneyes

R. Strauss' Aus Italien, a few more winding roads than usual. I've been lost a few times. Good reading, playing, and sound.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just picked this one up from Amazon. A little over $15US for eight discs of music by Hildegard of Bingen performed by Sequentia. Marvelous performances. The only complaint is that there are absolutely no notes on the music included. Still an outstanding value.


----------



## Conor71

*Corelli: Concerto Grosso No. 9 In F Major, Op. 6/9*


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100 *

Artists	
Edmund Battersby
Zhou Qian




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Violin...NUOI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315128200&sr=8-1

I love this work, and here it is absolutely beautiful performed! Very good sound.










*Dvorák: B.79 op47 Bagatelles*

Artists	
Lowell Graham, National Chamber Players




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Serena...9L3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316417965&sr=8-1

Nice and melodic work. But the sound is certainly not very good. I have too skip this...










*Dvorák: B.92 op51 String Quartet No.10*

Artists	
Emerson String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Old-World-Eme...ELK8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316419785&sr=8-1

Not very exciting quartet, but nice to listen to, have only the sound beeing good. It has the potential to grow, but the sound here is too bad.


----------



## Oskaar

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I just picked this one up from Amazon. A little over $15US for eight discs of music by Hildegard of Bingen performed by Sequentia. Marvelous performances. The only complaint is that there are absolutely no notes on the music included. Still an outstanding value.


It is all on spotify, and I look forward to listen!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ^^Do you find the ending of RVW's 9th to have a kind of Wagnerian grandeur? I certainly found it like that, a kind of burnished intensity. I have Boult's one on vinyl...


I know of RVW's early strong Germanic influence, but I don't hear it here, Sid. I see 9 as progressive for the time, leaving Wagner behind. Some Russian influence, I hear.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"*

Doing some comparative listening (something I dont do very often!) with the 2 versions of Bruckner's 4th Symphony I own.


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> *Sibelius: String Quartet In Eb Major, JS 184*
> 
> Its quite interesting listening to these early works - This piece is quite cheery and light and theres nothing on the surface to indicate its a Sibelius work at all. Very nice though - I like it!.
> This set is the only Chamber Music I own by Sibelius - I am interested in hearing his Piano Trios and Music for Violin and Piano at some stage in the future too


Don't forget GG in your future Sibelius travels.


----------



## AlainB

Currently listening to the original (afaik) 'Bacchanale' by Camille Saint-Saens.






Listened to it because I heard the Three Tenors 1998 concert version of it by James Levine. In all honesty, I liked it more; it had slightly quicker rhythm and I like some instruments better on this one (I *highly* recommend listening to this one):


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {First Symphony}. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. The *First* *Symphony* also features E. Power Biggs, organ.


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to a for me new diamond:
Carl nielsen!

earlier:
-Aladdin Suite
-Clarinet Concerto
-Flute Concerto

now; symphony no 3. BBC scottish symphony orchestra...Vanska


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I know of RVW's early strong Germanic influence, but I don't hear it here, Sid. I see 9 as progressive for the time, leaving Wagner behind. Some Russian influence, I hear.


Okay, thanks. I didn't mean copying Wagner, just having that kind of triumphant flavour, kind of spiritual/mystical. I'll try to listen to it again sometime, it's been a while since I heard it a few months back. The back of the LP has a lecture given by the composer about this 9th symphony, it is very in-depth, but it goes a bit above my head, it has some technical details I don't quite get, not being a musician. But listening matters to me more, I guess...


----------



## Sid James

A relisten of many recent listens to the first two, *Schoenberg & Bernstein*, which are now firm favourites, and a relisten in ages of the *Henze* 3rd violin concerto, which I found more polished than the much earlier 1st VC on this disc, the 3rd has a filmic quality and also uses "exotic" instruments like castanets. The three movements are named for three characters in a Thomas Mann novel, but I don't care much about that, but it makes sense that it comes across as some kind of narrative playing out, it has a strong dramatic element for sure. Again, there are many cadenzas for the violinist, and many bursts of violence and colour from the orchestra...

*Schoenberg*
_Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4_ (version arr. by composer for string orch., 1917)
English Chamber Orch. / Daniel Barenboim
(on EMI 2 disc set)

*Bernstein*
_Sym. #1 "Jeremiah"_ (1942)
Christa Ludwig, mezzo soprano / Israel PO / Composer conducting
Recorded at Berlin Philharmonic hall, live, 1977
(DGG)

*H.W. Henze*
_Violin Concerto #3_ (1997)
Peter Sheppard Skaerved, vln. / Saarbrucken Radio SO / Christopher Lyndon-Gee
(Naxos)


----------



## Sid James

& also this disc of encores which is great for winding down after a busy week. There's even an Aussie composer on there, Arthur Benjamin, his famous _Jamaican Rumba _-

*Album - Isaac Stern presents Encores with orchestra*
Stern on violin / Columbia Symphony Orch. / Frank Brieff, Milton Katims, conductors
All works arranged by Arthur Harris
(Sony Classical)


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 53*


----------



## NightHawk

*Franz schreker - 1878-1934*










This is a seductive, bewitching album excellently performed by the BBC Philharmonic with Vassily Sinaisky. Richly romantic, and dramatic (literally), I was reminded of Korngold, and, occasionally R. Strauss in the lush and large orchestral settings, which often feature orchestra bells, harp, and occasional solo violin passages. In 'Ekkehard', Op. 12, the earliest work (1903), a pipe organ, first featured in a brief chorale style passage is used more effectively almost four minutes later under soft strings and flutes as a single, 32' contrabass pedal point giving the work a softly glowing spaciousness to the end. The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester has magnificent acoustics - a bit like the Concertgebouw. The liner notes are adequate.

I'm sure I latched onto this album because of a post re Schreker by someone on TC, so whoever you are, thank you!

Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, UK - construction begun in 1993


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, a 2/7/44 recording by Furtwangler. No other comments necessary.


----------



## edge

I'm new to the forum and rediscovering how much I like classical music. I'm on a 14 day trial of rdio and this was my first album. I'd seen it somewhere and I think it is wonderful.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Franz Berwald - Piano Trio No. 1

Bernt Lysell, violin
Ola Karlsson, cello and Stefan Lindgren, piano

Searched for Nielsen's (early) piano trio and this came up instead. I'm glad it did!


----------



## Conor71

*Terry Riley: In C*


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78*

Its been too long since I listened to this Disc - Outstanding Music and performance!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*5* *in* *E-Flat* *Major*, *Op*.*82*, featuring Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Douglas Bostock.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} *with Leonard Bernstein at the helm of the New York Philharmonic.
Alan Hovhaness--*Celestial Fantasy, Op.44, *performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.
I was struck how in certain parts of this beautiful piece it seems to echo--albeit faintly--some aspects of the *Thomas* *Tallis* *Fantasia* by Vaughan Williams, especially near its end:


----------



## opus55

Bach.. another great recording from Naxos









Raff.. having hard time focusing on what I'm hearing


----------



## Conor71

*Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2, Op. 132, "Mysterious Mountain"*

Listening to this classic recording


----------



## science

Back in this box for Medtner's 3rd, in honor of the Medtner thread that I'm about to wade through.


----------



## kv466

Joseph Wolfl - Piano Sonata no.3 in e / Jon Nakamatsu, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9*, Furtwangler, the March 1942 performance. As someone said, he threw this one right in the Fuhrer's face, drawing out the sections about the loving Father dwelling above the starry heavens and all men being brothers, then speeding up the ending to a degree it sounds like he's shaking Adolf and saying, "Don't you get it?"


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9*, Furtwangler, May 1, 1937. I'm listening to the last movement. This is different from 1942, more spiritual, less angry/frustrated. The sound is lousy, though.


----------



## kv466

^^

Don't know off the top of my head which one it was but I heard it not so long ago; the ending of the fourth mvt. was so slow and completely way off. Something tells me it was a 50's recording but I'm not sure. Either way, decent overall interpretation up until the very end when it fell very flat on its face.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.37 op9 String Quartet no 5*

Artists	
Prague String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-The-St...SGVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316361845&sr=8-1

Quite a nice quartet, very intense and energetic. Very melodic, but a bit choppy and disjointed, at least the first movement. The andante is very beautiful. Medium-good sound, but fairly good performance.










*Dvorák: B.57 op80 String Quartet No.8*

Artists	
The Kohon Quartet, The Dumka Trio & The Berkshire Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Chamber-Music/dp/B001JMW97U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316365969&sr=8-1

Very bad and squeaky sound. I have to skip this.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 50, Chansons et danses for wind instruments*

Artists	
National Chamber Players
Lowell Graham




http://www.amazon.com/Nonets-Septet...67/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1315759991&sr=8-10

Not the best sound, but the performance is very good, and I like the work quite well.










*
d'Indy: Op. 59, Violin Sonata in C*

Artists	
Doris Stevenson




http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-m...474U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754459&sr=8-2

Very nice and quiet sonata. Both the sound and the performance is a bit tame.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106, "Philosophic"*

Doing another comparative listening session from my small Bruckner collection


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens*--Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ*"} featuring organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Eugene Ormandy.
Jean Sibelius*--Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104*. Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Edda Erlendsd?r & Bryndis Halla GYLFADOTTIR




http://www.discogs.com/buy/CD/Edda-...-Kodaly-Martinu-Enescu-Janacek/223158-4827398

Smooth and brilliant work, very nice and rich emphaty in the performance.. Great interplay between piano and cello. Recommended for real! Looking forward to hearing the entire recording.










*Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Mihail Sarbu piano
james creitz viola




http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-...44IB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227488&sr=8-3


----------



## science

One of my new favorite works.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Elgar's cello concerto on the radio. Yuck. I don't know WHY I hate it, but I just can't tolerate it at all. Going to turn it off now and listen to a recording of Handel's Messiah


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> One of my new favorite works.


I need to check that out. The recording I have doesn't grab me like it needs to.


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> I need to check that out. The recording I have doesn't grab me like it needs to.


I can't recommend the Gardiner because I haven't heard others. You might ask some of the more knowledgeable people here about recordings.


----------



## starthrower

Alban Berg-Lulu









My first attempt at listening to an opera. I've just finished listening to Act 1, and I found
this music and performance to be highly captivating. The Alban Berg Collection box set on
DG is a great value, but if you're serious about this work, the separate 3 disc set has the
booklet you need. No texts with the budget box set.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Elgar's cello concerto on the radio. Yuck. I don't know WHY I hate it, but I just can't tolerate it at all...


I also feel it's a bit cliche, but a great work nonetheless. I've been lately re-getting into things like his string quartet and piano quintet. Less cliche, less ubiquitous, and the SQ really lets out his anger, frustration at what happened in the first world war, a whole generation was slaughtered, and he asks why, keeps asking why, and there's no answer, no resolution. The cello concerto on the other hand, to me gives an easy answer, he returns to the opening theme at the end, it has no mystery for me.



> ...Going to turn it off now and listen to a recording of Handel's Messiah


That's another one, I went to hear it live last year, it was great, but now I'm not going again to hear it now, the traditional "Messiah before Christmas." I'm kind of over it & over choral for the greater part. I go through phases, & my phase now is listening to old favourites, and keeping new discoveries to a minimum. J.S. Bach has been a big re-discovery, esp. his solo instrumental things...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

"The World is a book
and those who do not travel
read only one page."
-St. Augustine of Hippo 5th c.

For all the recent discussion of Herbert von Karajan, the conductor whose efforts I have been listening to the most recently is surely Jordi Savall.

Jordi Savall's _The Road to the Orient_, released in 2006, presented a musical portrait of Francisco Javier and his remarkable trip from Spain to Japan. During his own travels for research and preparation for this new set, Savall met a group of talented Japanese musicians who soon became friends and with whom he performed in many concerts around the world. Repackaged following the catastrophes in Japan, Savall's _Hispania & Japan: Dialogues_ is a specially priced album that features the most significant pieces from the musical dialogue between Spain and Japan. Alia Vox's deluxe packaging includes the usual comprehensive, richly illustrated and highly informative hardcover book plus a special bonus a miniature fold-out Japanese screen replica depicting the arrival of the first Europeans in Japan. Alia Vox is donating all profits from the sale of this set to the Japanese Red Cross.










Francisco Javier (Xavier) was born in 1506 in the Kingdom of Navarre. He was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary and a co-founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). He studied under St. Ignatius of Loyola and led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India, Japan, and Borneo. Javier was known for singing psalms, much to the fascination of the native people, as he strode about through the islands of Japan. People traveled far to see the distinguished Jesuit. In 1605, some 50 years after Javier's death, a publisher in Nagasaki brought out an edition of Javier's psalms and other religious songs in a text entitled, _Manuale ad Sacramenta_. These 19 songs, including the _Gloriosa Domina_ represent the first influx of Western music in Japan. While Christianity was officially banned in Japan in 1613, its practice (and the music) continued clandestinely in certain island communities near Nagasaki.

The music here presents the interweaving's of Eastern and Western traditions. The disc as a whole is held together by a series of improvisations upon the Shakuhachi flute of the well-known Gregorian Chant, _Gloriosa Domina_. The disc as a whole conveys a marriage of the spiritual musical traditions of the east and the West.


----------



## Conor71

*Handel: Concerto Grosso In G Major, Op. 6/1, HWV 319*


----------



## kv466

Frederick Delius - Legend 
Eric Fenby conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Ralph Holmes, violin


----------



## NightHawk

I have their complete Beethoven Quartet cycle and I've practically worn them out. There are complaints of their high velocity allegros and prestos, but more than speed comes through their playing. They are a magnificent quartet. My favorite quartet is The Borodin Quartet (and The Borodin Trio), I feel they bring more poetry to the table and they are very symphonic sounding. Their lineup has changed completely through the years, but I think they've managed to hand down a consistent tradition. But, back to Emerson - they disbanded back in the 90's sometime for a few years and I was bummed - and then they got back together again. Their Schubert Quintet in C major with Rostopovich playing the 2nd cello part is one of my favorite recordings.



Vaneyes said:


> Emerson providing a powerful, at times broody, conclusion to LvB SQs.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major, WAB 107, "Lyric"*

Another Bruckner double play


----------



## NightHawk

I ADDED A YOUTUBE CLIP OF MOVEMENT IV. INTERMEZZO - LENTO, BELOW.

As I love The Borodin Quartet I bought the Richter version mainly to compare with my other Borodin recording of the great Shostakovich G minor Quintet. They are, not surprisingly, quite different. The personnel between the two discs are completely different in this long running quartet. So, different ideas! In the Richter version, the staggering 4th movement _Intermezzo, lento_ is more acoustically rich - the 'walking cello pizzicatos' are plump and resonant - I think too, that the violin 'song' (then duo) above the cello is more ethereal in the Richter recording, but both are exquisite versions of this great lento (and entire quintet) written for all people who love deeply beautiful music. This quintet is such a masterwork. The liner notes point up the idea that the quintet 'is less dissonant and more tuneful in the same way that the 5th symphony is less dissonant and more tuneful than the 4th symphony and is similar in date to those works' (I paraphrase). The other version with Luba Edlina includes the wonderful Piano Trio No 2 in e minor, and with the Richter version, the 7th and 8th String Quartets are included (F# minor and C minor). I wouldn't part with either recording, and if you love Shostakovich you should own at least one of these, if only for the quintet.


















MOVEMENT IV. INTERMEZZO - LENTO


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> I also feel it's a bit cliche, but a great work nonetheless. I've been lately re-getting into things like his string quartet and piano quintet. Less cliche, less ubiquitous, and the SQ really lets out his anger, frustration at what happened in the first world war, a whole generation was slaughtered, and he asks why, keeps asking why, and there's no answer, no resolution. The cello concerto on the other hand, to me gives an easy answer, he returns to the opening theme at the end, it has no mystery for me.
> 
> That's another one, I went to hear it live last year, it was great, but now I'm not going again to hear it now, the traditional "Messiah before Christmas." I'm kind of over it & over choral for the greater part. I go through phases, & my phase now is listening to old favourites, and keeping new discoveries to a minimum. J.S. Bach has been a big re-discovery, esp. his solo instrumental things...


You live in Australia don't you? Did you hear the classic 100 top five concert? A disappointment in my opinion. You should have seen all the angry comments on twitter!


----------



## Vaneyes

Faure Violin Sonatas with Dumay & Collard.


----------



## kv466

Falla:
Danza del molinero
Danza ritual del fuego

Albeniz:
Malaguena
Castilla (Seguidillas)
Triana

Debussy:
Reflets dans l'eau
Poissons d'or
Clair de lune
Les collines d'Anacapri

Granados:
Andaluza
Quejas, o la maja y el ruisenor

Moszkowski:
Caprice espagnole

Mompou:
Cancion y Danza No.8

Ravel:
Jeux d'eau
Alborada del gracioso

Earl Wild piano


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} *performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Arnold Schoenberg--*Chamber Symphony No.1, Op.9b, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.
Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.2, Op.132 {"Mysterious Mountain"} , And God Created Great Whales, Op.229, No.1*. Both works are performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## Trout

*La pasión según San Marcos (St. Mark Passion) by Osvaldo Golijov*
Orquesta La Pasion / Maria Guinand
Schola Cantorum de Caracas
Cantoria Alberto Grau
Luciana Souza, soprano
Samia Ibrahim, soprano
Reynaldo Gonzalez Fernandez, baritone


----------



## NightHawk

I found a really fine performance of the Shostakovich Quintet in G minor, movement IV. Intermezzo - Lento, on Youtube and added it to my OP about that quintet. Just above, a few notches. 7 + minutes - the entire quintet can be heard on Youtube as well. Have a listen if you have time...you won't regret it!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor
Leon Fleisher
George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You live in Australia don't you? Did you hear the classic 100 top five concert? A disappointment in my opinion. You should have seen all the angry comments on twitter!


Yes, I'm in Down Under. I didn't listen to the Top 100 20th century, haven't been following it. I've had no time. Some of the past top 100s have been good in terms of the presenters talking in depth about the works being played. & also hearing some works that I've not heard before, not all of them end up being warhorses, but the closer you get down the list to the "No. 1" spot, if you're into c20th music, you will probably know most of these. Which is fine, some people don't, and it can be a tool to spread the word and demistify modern music. But generally I have little time for lists and canons, esp. when it comes to people making up their own canons and claiming it's everybody's canon. Reality is not like that, not in my neck of the woods anyway.

Anyway, good to have you on board, another Australian member here.

Feel free to private message me if you want to drop by for a less topic focussed chat...


----------



## Sid James

I got the *Qigang Chen *disc a few months back, now returning to it again. It is an interesting blend of East and West, with some avant-garde bits, some new age, and the lushness of Messiaen isn't far away either, he taught Mr. Chen in the 1980's, who was his last student. This work, _Iris devoilee_, is based on poetry about the eternal feminine & it does have a poetic feel. Interesting to hear the blending of traditional Chinese voices and instruments with European operatic and orchestral. It is about 45 minutes and the last movement, _Voluptueuse_, is the longest of these at 10 minutes, quite lyrical and poetic. This recording is under Maestro Tang, who studied under von Karajan, he did do a long stint here in Australia, here he was also an advocate of contemporary music, but also did some very good accounts of old music like Bruckner...

The *de Falla *and* Rossini *are favourites, these guys music I like quite a lot, esp. getting into Rossini again now after a long hiatus, some of his operas, even though I'm largely not an opera guy...

*Qigang Chen *(born 1951)
_Iris devoilee _(2001) (suite concertante for 3 female voices, 3 traditional Chinese instruments & grand orch.)
Wu Bixia, Ke Luwa, sopranos / Ma Shuai, voice of Beijing opera / Wang Nan, erhu / Li Jia, pipa / Chang Jing, zheng / Orchestre National de France / Muhai Tang, cond.
World premiere recording, live in concert
(Virgin Classics)

*M. de Falla*
_7 canciones populares espanolas (Seven Popular Spanish Songs)_
Arr. Miguel Llobet & Manuel Barrueco
Ann Monoyios, soprano / M. Barrueco, guitar
(EMI)

*Rossini*
_Overture to William Tell_
Plovdiv PO, Bulgaria / Rouslan Raichev, cond.
(AVM / Festival CD - The Best of Rossini)


----------



## jhar26




----------



## kv466

Henry Litolff - Concerto Symphonique no.4 in d minor, op.102
Neville Marriner conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra
Misha Dichter, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous choral/orchestral ode on the great Wordsworth poem, Intimations of Immortality. If you are an admirer of choral music (such as myself), art songs (ditto), or poetry (ditto once more) then this work most certainly will be of interest to you. As with Handel's oratorios there is something to be said of hearing a vocal work in you own native language where you might grasp how the composer chose to emphasize (or de-emphasize certain words of phrases from the text. I think especially of Haydn's Die Schopfung where I can grasp the German just enough to have had my hair stand on end the first time I heard the chorus sing:

"Und es war LICHT!!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Finzi, Imitations of Immortality*, by Hickox. I'm joining StlukesguildOhio's listening party. As he said, marvelous!


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.1 in Bb, Op.38 ('Spring')*

Artists	
Wolfgang Sawallisch (Conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...YUBL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319813801&sr=8-1

I really like the symphony. To be the first, it must be pretty successful. Very lovely and intense performed, but the sound is only average.


----------



## kv466

Antonin Dvorak - String Quartet no.12 "American" in f, op.96
Cypress String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-J-Sy...Y5P2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322835733&sr=8-2

A wonderful and adventurous symphony! Very picturesque, and full of nuances and moods. Very nice and sensitive version, and the sound is pretty good. Bass lines are well presented, and it is important for the whole.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho, Kalevi*

Work 
*Aho: Symphony No. 10*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/AHO-Symphony-...411U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323020698&sr=8-1

Aho's symphonies are (I have not listened to all) very interesting in form and content. The work also. They are located at an intersection point between the romantic and modern. Most modern but clearly romantic infuenses. Beautiful and sensitive performance, and the sound is pretty good.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Piano concerto no.3 in c minor
Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vanska
Yevgeny Sudbin, piano

(this was apparently played live by the MO last week and they played the broadcast on my local public radio station; I don't know this pianist but I want to now that I heard him do a work I know so well...he has excellent phrasing and a really good sense of how the piece should be played...also, a very good pianist technically)


----------



## Oskaar

*Alkan, Charles-Valentin*

Work 
*Alkan: Trio In G Minor, Op. 30*

Artists	
Alkan Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Alkan-Chamber-Music/dp/B000QQUBM0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315985491&sr=8-1

A delightful trio. Alkan must be explored further. Excellent version with very good sound. Beautiful and sensitive interplay between piano and strings.


----------



## edge

I have trouble searching rdio and now spotify to find albums referenced here and other places. The "NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection" suggests Tafemusik/Jeanne Lamon. I was looking for that when I came across this album. I'm still trying to figure out what I like, but I definitely like this.


----------



## kv466

Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for Violin, Two Oboes and Two Horns 
Adrian Chandler conducts La Serenissima
Adrian Chandler, violin
Gail Hennessy, oboe
Mark Radcliffe, oboe
Peter Whelan, bassoon
Gareth Deats, cello
Roger Montgomery, horn


----------



## Oskaar

*Anders Eliasson*

Work 
*Eliasson: Violin Concerto*

Artists	
Jari Valo, Soren Hermansson, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas




http://www.amazon.com/Eliasson-Conc...I882/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316863966&sr=8-1

Very exiting work. Brilliantly played, and good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hans Werner Henze: Musica da Camera*

What a lovely record from a very interresting composer! Great sound and performance.

Claudio Lugo, Ensemble Dissonanzen and Ciro Longobardi


----------



## opus55

Now I have a stretch of time to listen to a Mahler symphony without interruptions


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Wind Concertos*, by Reinhard Goebel. Musica Antiqua Koln does a very good job with these.


----------



## Vaneyes

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances, Isle of the Dead, with St. Petersburg PO/Jansons.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> Beethoven - Piano concerto no.3 in c minor
> Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vanska
> Yevgeny Sudbin, piano
> 
> (this was apparently played live by the MO last week and they played the broadcast on my local public radio station; I don't know this pianist but I want to now that I heard him do a work I know so well...he has excellent phrasing and a really good sense of how the piece should be played...also, a very good pianist technically)


I can recommend Sudbin's Scarlatti, Haydn, Scriabin, all on BIS.


----------



## Sid James

Topped off the weekend with this -

*Rossini*
_Mose in Egitto _(1819 Naples version)
Cast, chorus & orch. under baton of Antonio Fogliani
(Live recording in Germany)
(Naxos - 2 discs)

I've enjoyed this, I used to have it on tape, it's been great to hear it again in this newer recording.

Some great tunes here, esp. duets between various characters, accompanied by woodwinds, flutes, even harp. Some delicate and nuanced writing there.

The recitatives send my mind astray a bit, but the great tunes pull me back into focus!

Moses' invocation for God's help in Act III is just beyond words, heavenly that deep bass voice, and the resulting parting of the waves of the Red Sea is very colourful and dramatic.

I am really reconnecting with Rossini and aim to get more discs of his stuff before the year is out...


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just another compilation album


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Also been watching this Australian Brandenburg Orchestra concert. Countertenor Andreas Scholl sings Vivaldi.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## science

O dear Lord - all the money and time I've ever spent on music has been well spent because it led me to this. I am in love.


----------



## science

Boieldieu.


----------



## Vaneyes

I've sampled this new live (l'Arsenal de Metz) recordings release. After so much LvB accomplishment and promise for Francois-Frederic Guy on harmonia mundi and naive labels, this sizable Zig Zag offering of Sonatas (Vol.1, 3 CDs) is complete and utter failure to my ears. Lacklustre playing, that doesn't come close to many who have gone before, including himself. His different and interesting interps have no chance on this occasion.

The mission at Zig Zag for FFG seems to involve rushed recordings and releases. His previous double album of Liszt was canned in four days. Re LvB's 32 Sonatas, I thought I read ten days. I hope they wize up, or this man's recording career may be destined for the toilette.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> O dear Lord - all the money and time I've ever spent on music has been well spent because it led me to this. I am in love.


This rec is just genius, that's all. IMO it's much better than their Faure Piano Quartets. For those works, I lke Nash Ens.


----------



## Oskaar

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Listening to the work from this record. Fantastic!

Finzi : Intimations of Immortality










Philip Langridge/Liverpool Philharmonic Choir/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Richard Hickox


----------



## Oskaar

*20th Century Classics: Hans Werner Henze*

Wonderful record!





http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-...XXU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323115429&sr=8-1


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 42 In C Major, Op. 54/2, H 3/57*

Now playing Disc 14 from this 22 disc set!


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Jan Talich, Josef Hala




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Suk-Ja...0TXG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314823080&sr=8-4

Jeg elsker dette verket. det er absolutt en av mine favoritter! Dvorak bidro med noen herlige kammerverk! Jeg har nevnt the larghetto mange ganger.... Utrolig.

Denne fremføringen tror jeg er den beste jeg har hørt. Utrolig innlevelses rik fiolin, nydelig sensitivt piano....PERFEKT!










Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5

Artists	
The Zaslav Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Dvoraks-Viola...1OI3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315054809&sr=8-1

Fantastic little piece! Brilliantly performed, and the sound is quite good.










*Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100 *

Artists	
Vitezslav Cernoch (Artist, Performer), Michal Rezek




http://www.amazon.com/Bedrich-Smeta...IZ1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315128001&sr=8-1

Another favorite from Dvorak's chamber music. Wonderful romantic work. Excellent performance. The sound is average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

artister
Vladimir Ashkenazy
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti




http://www.amazon.com/Great-Piano-C...CLIH/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711394&sr=8-9

I must be in the right mood to listen to Bartok. But the rewards are great when I am first there.
This is a really great concert. Intense and adventurous. And with many lyrical as well as dramatic highlights. Performance is very good! Good and close interaction between piano and orchestra, and the sound is very good. Recommended!


----------



## Sid James

*Britten*
_Serenade for tenor, horn & strings, Op. 31_
Ian Bostridge, tenor / Radek Baborak, horn / Berlin Phil. / Simon Rattle
(EMI)

Warming up to this recording now, Bostridge seems less icy and distanced, I am enjoying his clarity more now.

*Bernstein*
_Fancy Free - Ballet _(1944)
Nashville Sym. / Andrew Mongrelia
(Naxos)

Not hard to get used to this recording of an old favourite, I used to have Lenny's own account, but this one is just as good, if a bit more focused on clarity and control, it seems now. This isn't a ballet really, more a symphony with a few themes running through it. Very eclectic, taking in modern classical & jazz, Latin American beats and even a bit of a waltz.

*Tchaikovsky*
_Souvenir de Florence in D minor, Op. 70 _(orchestral version arr. by composer)
Vienna Chamber Orch. / Philippe Entremont
(Naxos)

Overall a polished performance but the third movement, Allegretto moderato, based on folk material, has an element that is comparatively quite rough and ready. The finale gave me a bit of whimsy, it seems.

*Sammy Price & Lucky Thompson - Paris BLues* (Jazz in Paris series)
Lucky Thompson, tenor sax / Sammy Price, piano, vocals / jean-Pierre Sasson, guitar / Pierre Michelot, double bass / Gerard Pochonet, drums
Recorded July 6, 1957 at Pigalle Theatre, Paris
(Gitanes / Universal)

The two guys from different styles coming together, Thompson of the then new bebop generation and Price, a bit of a relic of the ragtime, boogie-woogie guys from before 1945. A happy kind of marriage, this, ragtime is kind of given a modern twist, and some of the tracks with Price's kind of raucous but nuanced vocals adds to the old meets new kind of charm.

*Rossini*
_Don Basile's Aria_ from _Barber of Seville_
Nikolai Ghiaurov, bass / Bulgarian Broadcasting SO / Kamen Goleminov
(AVM / Festival cd - The Best of Rossini)

Pure whimsy and delight and I aim to get a recording of this opera pretty soon, either in full or the highlights, I used to have a few recordings of it ages ago, but now I've got to get them again, Rossini is really reaching me nowadays...


----------



## jalex

*Boulez: Piano Sonata 2
Webern: Variations for Piano*










Boulez: after several attempted listens, 1st movement now makes a bit of sense though it's still a long way from enjoyable and everything after is still gibberish. It pushes the listener away in much the same way as some late works of Beethoven but I can't detect anything behind this cold exterior to enjoy. To me this is brutal and dry and nothing more. On the other hand, the Webern is lovely.


----------



## Sid James

^ I personally listen for dynamic contrasts in that kind of music, rather than any snatches of melody, which are few & far between, or highly fragmented. Or just take in the vibe naturally. I got Pollini's account first, that very disc. I usually don't get other recordings, I was quite happy with his recording, and the other works on that recital are superb. But Idil Biret on Naxos does all 3 boulez sonatas, and hers is a more fiery and full on high octane performance, very emotionally charged. It was recorded live for radio France and got a Diapason D'Or award. Not as polished as Pollini but I return to hers more often. & the other two sonatas are also very interesting, these are my favourite works by Boulez, although I'm no expert on him or anything, I've connected with these works gradually, they're pretty good...


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

Work 
*Bartok: Contrasts, for clarinet, violin, and piano, BB116*

Artists	
Eimer Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Khachaturian-...D0P2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313065520&sr=8-1

Very interesting work. I wish I were better at expressing emotions in music. The work has something special about it. The delightful little moments! And very varied in expression. Excellent clarinet! work and the recording is recommended indeed!










*Bartok: Piano Quintet, BB33*

Artists	
Jeno Jando




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Rhapso...1403/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313144039&sr=8-1

A lovely quintet! Bartok is less modern here and actually very romantic! The performance is very good, and the sound is fine.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. *The *5th *is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, whilst the *9th *features the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are conducted by Bernard Haitnik.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"} *with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Just back from work. 
@oskaar Thanks for Spotify links. Just started using it at home and work and I love it!

Beriot: Violin Concerto No.5










Dohnanyi: Violin Concerto No.1

Probably fourth time listening to this and it's growing on me


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bach's late masterwork on reed instruments: oboe, oboe d'amour, saxophone, clarinet, basset horn, bass clarinet, bassoon... absolutely wonderful!


----------



## Guest

oskaar said:


> *Béla Bartók*
> 
> *Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*
> 
> artister
> Vladimir Ashkenazy
> London Philharmonic Orchestra
> Sir Georg Solti
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Great-Piano-C...CLIH/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711394&sr=8-9
> 
> I must be in the right mood to listen to Bartok. But the rewards are great when I am first there.
> This is a really great concert. Intense and adventurous. And with many lyrical as well as dramatic highlights. Performance is very good! Good and close interaction between piano and orchestra, and the sound is very good. Recommended!


oskaar, Bartók's _Concerto for Orchestra_ is not a piano concerto.

Which of his piano concertos did you listen to?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morton Feldman, Rotko Chapel*. Hmm; it's a download, but I forgot to write down who the group is. Oh, well, the whole piece needs to be anonymous for the most part, anyway, it's so otherworldly, until the end, when the viola launches into its melody.

*Franz Schmidt, Variations on a Hussar's Song*, by Daniell Revenaugh and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

opus55 said:


> ...
> Dohnanyi: Violin Concerto No.1
> 
> Probably fourth time listening to this and it's growing on me


A favourite disc of mine there.

The first concerto is a bit like Brahms with a bit of added Hungarian spice, some gypsy like fiddling also.

The second concerto, written when he was about 70, has more modernistic aspects, I hear maybe he's learnt a bit from the younger guys, esp. in terms of colourful orchestration, maybe Stravinsky or Prokofiev. A remarkable achievement for someone not exactly a spring chicken, and showing his flexibility in developing his art, not just offering boring rehash which would have been easier.

I recently got his_ Variations on a Nursery Song_, with the same conductor on Naxos, along with two purely orchestral works. He's a very interesting composer for sure, glad you're enjoying his excellent and enjoyable music...


----------



## opus55

Sid James said:


> A favourite disc of mine there.
> 
> The first concerto is a bit like Brahms with a bit of added Hungarian spice, some gypsy like fiddling also.
> 
> The second concerto, written when he was about 70, has more modernistic aspects, I hear maybe he's learnt a bit from the younger guys, esp. in terms of colourful orchestration, maybe Stravinsky or Prokofiev. A remarkable achievement for someone not exactly a spring chicken, and showing his flexibility in developing his art, not just offering boring rehash which would have been easier.
> 
> I recently got his_ Variations on a Nursery Song_, with the same conductor on Naxos, along with two purely orchestral works. He's a very interesting composer for sure, glad you're enjoying his excellent and enjoyable music...


I was listening to Naxos podcast interview with JoAnn Falleta (pretty sure it was her) who was promoting Dohnanyi as an underrated composer. At first I didn't make out the name (I was driving) but whatever orchestral music she was introducing sounded very good. Towards the end of interview I heard the name and started looking up.

My first Dohnanyi recording is very satisfying. I may go onto symphonies or the Nursery Song next - definitely a composer to follow.


----------



## Sid James

^^Dohnanyi was also a great pianist of his age. I used to have on the Dutch Philips label, a cd of him playing his own music as well as Brahms, J. Strauss Jnr., Beethoven. I remember it fondly but I don't have it now. If you could find him playing things on piano, it's recommended too. This recording was made just before he died in New York, he went there to make these recordings in about 1960. Glad you discovered him, he is sometimes forgotten or given a miss, kind of overshadowed by Bartok and Kodaly a bit...


----------



## opus55

Falleta was explaining that Dohnanyi was passed up by his contemporaries who represented the ethnic musical trend at the time. He was following more or less a German musical tradition which wasn't the direction the music was progressing.


----------



## Sid James

^^I would agree and that's the baseline opinion. Dohnanyi's _Ruralia Hungarica_, pieces based on Hungarian folklore, are but a shadow of Kodaly's and Bartok's music of this type. In some ways, at his death in 1960, I think I read he was like the last Brahmsian, at least in terms of being a pianist-composer of that kind of "Late Romantic" mould. Rachmaninov could be said to be another one in some ways, but of course different in others. I'm no expert on Dohnanyi but he is an interesting composer & there is much more available now of him on CD than before. Naxos seems a good place to start. His chamber music is also beginning to be played live here, which is good. I think people forget this guy, although he emerged from the Budapest music academy same time as the other two guys, and came to lecture there eventually (& I think become director for a stretch). Political events made him move to Austria and eventually the USA. A bit like Zemlinsky I think his reputation is being rebooted in recent decades...


----------



## opus55

Some supposedly light music - Swan Lake. I think Tchaikovsky is a master of memorable melodies. Maybe I should even consider seeing the ballet performance.


----------



## science

Ok, I'm almost done with the Scarlatti project. Among the recordings that I have, my favorite is Scott Ross:










2nd favorite is Horowitz:










3rd is Pogorelich:










4th is Pinnock:










Ross's harpsichord sounds better than Pinnock's IMO, and so far I have liked his selections a little better. (Edit: I really like the aggression he plays with too.) I liked Horowitz's selections better than Pogorelich's as well. All four of them, as far as I can tell, play impeccably. And I love Scarlatti's sonatas.

Caveat lector, friends: if I did this again next week, the order would probably be different! (And Pinnock, in last place for now, isn't finished....)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## science

Clementi: Piano Concerto in C

I hear more than a little Mozart here. I would've guessed Mozart, if I hadn't know what was playing.


----------



## science

kv466 said:


>


Just recommended that to someone yesterday.She's going to see Emerson playing it and she wanted to hear it first.


----------



## kv466

Lou Harrison - Symphonic Strings Suite
Dennis Russell Davies conducts the American Composers Orchestra


----------



## science

Orchestral Suites #2 & #3


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16 and Symphony No.6, FS 116. *Both works feature Osmo Vanska conducting the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. I love the second movement of the *First* *Symphony*: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 7, FS 16: II. Andante


----------



## science

For Children.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

I've been really enjoying Bruckner lately and have spent the last couple of weekends listening to him - Theres just something otherworldly about his Music which I find appealing!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The best recording I have heard of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia para un Gentillhombre and Concierto Madrigal for two guitars.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Also,










Edo de Waart: brilliant conductor.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

kv466 said:


>


 Is the Grosse Fuge on it? In my opinion it is his best work.


----------



## Sid James

*Rossini*
_Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) _- highlights
Cast incl. Ugo Benelli, Teresa Berganza, Manuel Ausensi, Nicolai Ghiaurov / Orch. & chorus Rossini di Napoli / Silvio Varviso, cond.
Recorded in Naples, 1964
(Decca Eloquence)

A first listen to this recording that I used to have on tape many moons ago. Very enjoyable, I'm reconnecting with Rossini and other old favourites now. I think he can get a bit repetitive, the notes mention the "Rossini crescendo" which kind of became a cliche. Listen to too much of this kind of thing and it can become a bit of an earworm. Anyhow, this is basically a fun & whimsical work. Typically for Rossini, the overture here was rehash that had been used in two previous operas of his, but it eventually became published with this one. A young Teresa Berganza shines here & the rest of the cast is great, recorded in Rossini's home town of Naples, one may think that his ghost was at this recording session, he was there in spirit. Very enjoyable and totally different of course to his _opera seria_, _Mose in Egitto_ which I've also rediscovered lately...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Do you know Maometto II? This is the recording I've got (it was $9. Couldn't resist such a fantastic deal.)


----------



## Sid James

^^I am aiming to get other things on that excellent Naxos series, of which I got the abovementioned _Mose in Egitto_. It will take time, I absorb things slowly, I aim to take a long break from collecting CD's from January next year.

But good to have another fan of Rossini's work here, his music is very good and I enjoy it a lot, it's been a joy to get back to his music after all this time...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, En Saga*, by Vanska, Leaper, and Karajan.
























Then Vanska's rather cool interpretation of the *Sibelius violin concerto* (I'm used to Nathan Milstein's, which leans more toward the terrifying).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies 35 and 39*, Bruno Walter. Maybe not how Mozart should sound, but it's how he _can _sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

Chopin PCs 1 & 2, with Martha, Pogo, Claudio.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Clementi: Piano Concerto in C
> 
> I hear more than a little Mozart here. I would've guessed Mozart, if I hadn't know what was playing.


"Clementi plays well, as far as execution with the right hand goes. His greatest strength lies in his passages in 3rds. Apart from that, he has not a kreuzer's worth of taste or feeling - in short he is a mere mechanicus."

"Clementi is a charlatan, like all Italians. He marks a piece presto but plays only allegro."

- WAM


----------



## Vaneyes

Schumann cycle.


----------



## AlainB

Currently listening to the entire video of The Three Tenors (Placído, José, and Luciano) 1998 concert (or well, the very majority AFAIK).

Very beautiful ones featured such as Caruso, Nessun Dorma, Va Prononcer Ma Mort (La Juive), Intenditi Con Dio, etc.


----------



## kv466

and watching:

dvd 1 - Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts 1954-1977


----------



## Manxfeeder

The *Delius* CD by Sir Thomas Beecham who, to my ears, is the ideal Delius interpreter.

I don't know if anyone else appreciates it, but I'm glad that Glade chose Frederick Delius' Sleighride as the soundtrack for their commercials. It gives me a chance to point out to people that they really _do_ like classical music; they just might not know it yet.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms arr. Schoenberg*
_PIano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_ - orchestration done in 1937.
City of Birmingham SO / Simon Rattle
(from EMI double CD set)

A pretty fine performance of Brahms' "5th symphony," the sound is not exactly up to audiophile standard but I'm not fussy. Brahmsian restraint in orchestration is apparent in the first 3 movements, but in the final movement Schoenberg ramps it up a bit with some colourful percussion and brass. I wonder what old Johannes would have thought of that?...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> In the final movement Schoenberg ramps it up a bit with some colourful percussion and brass. I wonder what old Johannes would have thought of that?...


I'm listening to that now. Yeah, the last movement's orchestration definitely isn't Brahms. But I guess if anyone is qualified to take liberties with the master, Schoenberg is, having begun his career navigating through the "Brahms fog."


----------



## kv466

Hindemith - Complete sonatas for brass and piano


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Piano Quintet in e-flat, kv452
Alfred Brendel (Piano); Heinz Holliger(Oboe); Eduard Brunner (Clarinet); Hermann Baumann (Horn); Klaus Thunemann (Bassoon)

Been a long time since I last heard...so beautiful!


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> The *Delius* CD by Sir Thomas Beecham who, to my ears, is the ideal Delius interpreter.
> 
> I don't know if anyone else appreciates it, but I'm glad that Glade chose Frederick Delius' Sleighride as the soundtrack for their commercials. It gives me a chance to point out to people that they really _do_ like classical music; they just might not know it yet.


Tom Service yesterday at The Guardian had nice Delius things to say, and touted the new Chandos release with Little/Watkins/A.Davis. I'd get it if I didn't already have Little/Walfisch/Mackerras and Holmes/Handley in the same works. I don't hear sampling evidence of the Chandos improving upon them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/tomserviceblog/2011/dec/05/delius-string-concertos-recording


----------



## NightHawk

If you like Nathan Milstein, you might be interested in purchasing his complete *JSBach* *Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Sonata No.1 No.2 No.3 , Partita No.1 No.2 No.3)* All of the effort seems so much 'of a piece', and he makes the polyphony so naturally evident - he reminds me of Glenn Gould on the solo violin. Big, rich sound, indefatigable rhythm and energy, intonation beyond reproach.










Here is Milstein at 83 years of age, in his last public performance.








Manxfeeder said:


> *Sibelius, En Saga*, by Vanska, Leaper, and Karajan.
> 
> Then Vanska's rather cool interpretation of the *Sibelius violin concerto* (I'm used to Nathan Milstein's, which leans more toward the terrifying).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> Schumann cycle.


How is this one? The Schumann cycles that I find work the best for me are those by John Eliot Gardiner and George Szell.


----------



## science

Piano Quartet #2

Here is a work I have neglected.


----------



## kv466

Mozart - String trio in e-flat, kv563

Arthur Grumiaux, violin
Georges Janzer, viola
Eva Czake, cello

...again, so long since...so wonderful...


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> How is this one? The Schumann cycles that I find work the best for me are those by John Eliot Gardiner and George Szell.


Big, boisterous, but musical. Live performances. My favorites. Others for me would be Kubelik and Sawallisch.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> Mozart - String trio in e-flat, kv563
> 
> Arthur Grumiaux, violin
> Georges Janzer, viola
> Eva Czake, cello
> 
> ...again, so long since...so wonderful...


You're flippin' 'n eatin' these faster than my flapjacks!


----------



## NightHawk

I wish I could say, but I'm mighty interested in it. I have the splendid Gardiner cycle and I also have the 4th with von K and Vienna and it is really powerful.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> How is this one? The Schumann cycles that I find work the best for me are those by John Eliot Gardiner and George Szell.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. As well, the *First* *Symphony *features organist E. Power Biggs.


----------



## kv466

I'm on a Mozart feast and they're kinda short.

Mozart - Oboe Quartet in f, kv370
Ensemble Berlin
Christoph Hartmann-Oboe, Philipp Bohnen - Violine, Martin von der Nahmer - Viola, Clemens Weigel - Cello


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second listen to this. Some fun American Americana. Dougherty employs elements suggestive of jazz, American popular music and standards, Hollywood film scores, the bosa nova, Mexican music etc...

And then back to Bach:










Helmut Walcha is one of those "superhuman" figures of the arts: Walcha was blinded at age 19 after vaccination for smallpox. Despite his disability, he entered the Leipzig Conservatory and became an assistant at the Thomaskirche to Günther Ramin, who was professor of organ at the conservatory and cantor at St. Thomas' (The same churches in which Bach was employed). Walcha accepted a position in Frankfurt am Main at the Friedenskirche and remained in Frankfurt for the rest of his life. From 1933 to 1938 he taught at the Hoch Conservatory. Walcha recorded Bach's complete works twice, once in mono (1947-52), and again in stereo from 1956-71. This latter stereo cycle (released 10/09/2001), has been remastered, and repackaged in an economical collector's edition 12-CD box. This edition also contains the recording of his own conclusion of the last fugue of The Art of Fugue - previously unreleased.

Walcha also composed for the organ. He published four volumes of original chorale preludes (published by C. F. Peters and recorded in part by, for example, Renate Meierjürgen[1]) as well as arrangements for organ of orchestral works written by others.

Walcha's recordings of Bach are at once elegantly fluid and yet dramatic, never losing sight of the internal architectural structure or spirituality of the music. His recordings of Bach's organ oeuvre are rightfully admired... even revered by many... as Gould is for his performances of Bach's keyboard/piano works.


----------



## kv466

Popped on one of my favorite sonatas while thinking of what work I haven't heard in a while. I like some of the sonatas done by other pianists; this is definitely not one of them.

Mozart - Sonata no.18 "Trumpet" in D major, kv576 Glenn Gould, piano


Coming up next is kv360; gorgeous variations for piano and violin


----------



## kv466

Oh, man, I'm throwing an Oskaar here...come help me, buddy!

Mozart - Duo for viola and violin in g, kv423
- Duo for viola and violin in b-flat, kv424
- Sonata in b-flat, kv263
- Six preludes, kv404a

The Grumiaux Trio


----------



## agoukass




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105.* Both works feature Lorin Maazel conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,
Kalevi Aho--*Symphony No.1, *performedby the Lahti Symphony Orchestra led by Sakari Tepponen.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, *with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Iona Brown.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Franz Schubert - Winterreise

Mark Padmore, Tenor.
Paul Lewis, Piano.


----------



## Vaneyes

Dutilleux - Ainsi la nuit

Dusapin - Time Zones, Quatuor III

Arditti String Quartet


----------



## Air

In a hurry to finish my work right now, so i'll be brief, but here's what I've listened to thus far tonight -

*Schumann - Dichterliebe, Op. 48*
Is there anything in the world more gorgeous than "Im wunderschönen Monat Mai" sung by Wunderlich? Rhetorical question, by the way. 

*Schumann - Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck, from Grand Sonata No. 3*
It's lovely to hear this piece, one of the first in a series of many pieces dedicated to Clara. The 3rd Sonata is so powerful.

*Schumann - Kreisleriana, Op. 16*
Just got the Horowitz recording yesterday. Comparing back to back with my old fave, Cortot.

*Schumann - Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6*
The sections in this piece are even shorter than those in Carnaval and Papillons. Really an interesting thought process going on here. Especially the ending, which I've recently began to warm up to. The fireworks at the end of the penultimate piece seems to signify a grand closing to the work, but there is one minute more of quiet beauty. On closer listening to this part, I'm surprised to hear how much dissonance Schumann uses, and with what class! One thing I've learned a lot about Schumann lately, though, is that even in his early piano works - he bases their structure off of complex tonal relationships.

*Mozart - Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304*
Underrated Mozart work and my favorite of his violin sonatas. The first movement is pure pathos, such anger and contrast for his early works is impressive! Mozart is so classy too, and a great duo like Stern and Bronfman can bring out the best of both worlds. I like the ternary structure of the 2nd movement - the exotic sounding dances at the ends of the movement are well balanced by a lovely chorale-like melody in between.

*Schubert - Fantasia in F minor, D. 940*
Oh my goodness, gorgeous beyond words. This piece leaves me speechless, so I won't say any more. :lol:

*Schubert - Impromptus, D. 899*
I'm just going down my iTunes, and this happened to be the next work that I have by Schubert. Lucky me!

*Schubert - Allegretto in C minor, D. 915*
Amazing how much passion Schubert can pour into this 5-minute, largely unsung masterpiece. The intimacy reaches places that only late Schubert can, even more so than the Impromptus. Listen to this work if you haven't yet!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The Clarinet Concerto.










I'm going to see a performance of his only opera "What Next?" next year. Can't wait!


----------



## Air

*Scaramouche for two pianos - Darius Milhaud*
Coombs & Pizarro

It's nice to have some fun sometimes!


----------



## Sid James

^^It's good, I like the duo piano version of _Scaramouche_, the sax one is great as well & I think there's a clarinet one out there also...


----------



## Lisztian

Dvorak Symphony No. 9. Solti 
Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## science

I'm back for the Piano Quartet #3

Man, it's great to explore all that new stuff that I'd bought and not listened to, but coming back to the old favorites is uncannily like meeting dear old friends.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

A repeat of yesterday evenings listening, this time from a different Box-set


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: String Quintet In F Major, WAB 112*

Some more Bruckner..


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

So much Bruckner!


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt Faust Symphony, Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony. This is probably, after not liking it that much at first, my favourite work by Liszt. Bernie is superb.


----------



## NightHawk

Air said:


> In a hurry to finish my work right now, so i'll be brief, but here's what I've listened to thus far tonight -
> *Schubert - Fantasia in F minor, D. 940*
> Oh my goodness, gorgeous beyond words. This piece leaves me speechless, so I won't say any more. :lol:


Yes! I have the Fantasia Piano 4 hands - that melody! I have Lupu & Perahia with Mozart Sonata for 2 pianos in D. Couldn't agree more.


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> If you like Nathan Milstein, you might be interested in purchasing his complete *JSBach* *Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Sonata No.1 No.2 No.3 , Partita No.1 No.2 No.3)*


*

You bet, I have those! And that's quite a clip. At his age, he hadn't lost his technique or his inspiration.

In fact, I'm pulling out his Bach Sonatas.*


----------



## science

Miroirs


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Quartet Opus 130*, Vegh Quartet.


----------



## flylooper

As I type this my Ipod is playing Mahler's 4th. And I'm lovin' it (like McDonald's!!)


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

some guy said:


> oskaar, Bartók's _Concerto for Orchestra_ is not a piano concerto.
> 
> Which of his piano concertos did you listen to?


Glad you noticed... It is still BB 127, but piano concerto no 3. I have mixed a little in my database.


----------



## fartwriggler

First off, let me say how much fun it's been participating in Talk Classical forums-nothing but positive and intelligent responses-far removed from the kind of unpleasantness and indifference one gets as a matter of course on facebook andthe dreaded Youtube (Have you seen the kind of **** that goes on there!?!) Anyways, after long resistance I've finally given in to the charms of Bach's St.Matthew Passion-(Klemperer)
I always loved his keyboard music, but shrank in terror from his large scale works (i'm a committed chamber music fan) in this however, I have seen the light.... Oh, and whilst on a 'sacred' tip, I've become rather fond of this:


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.56 op26 Piano Trio No.2 *

Artists	
Trio Fontenay




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Pno-Trios/dp/B000OCZ7Y8/ref=cm_lmf_***_39_rsrssi0

Maybe not one of Dvorak's most exciting, but a fresh and melodic trio. Very energetic and well played, and the sound is pretty good.










*Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor*

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Rudolf Firkusny; Walter Susskind




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Comple...ZVWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320586940&sr=8-1

Very good concert, but perhaps without the big heights. Great playing, but perhaps a little tame and a tooth loose. The sound is not very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.522 Koncert pro violoncello a orchestr (Violoncello Concerto) No.2 in b-minor Op.104 *

Artists	
Othmar M.F. Mága
Nurnberger Symphoniker




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EEMP80/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315134780&sr=8-1

I look everywhere for this to be the big cello concerto. I do not think it is so very special. Quite nice, especially the second movement. Dvorak to me is best in chamber formate. But I have a lot to explore yet. Nice performance, but average sound.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The *7th* features the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th* is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92.* Both feature the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821*

Artists	
Peter-Lukas Graf & Konrad Ragossnig




http://www.amazon.com/Transcription...XY/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1314211520&sr=8-14

This is a transcription for flute and guitar. Very successful! The sonata is beautiful, and the performance here is very nice. Not quite top-notch sound..










*Schubert: Violin Sonata in A, Op.162, D.574*

Artists	
Silke Avenhaus




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Work...B460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314562934&sr=8-1

Absolutely gorgeous! Excellent performance! Silke Avenhaus really plays with great gusto! The sound is pretty good, but I think maybe the piano is a bit harsh.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, WAB 109, "Unfinished"*


----------



## DavidMahler




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## kv466

Lorenzo Zavateri - Concerto no.8 in b-flat
Gottfried von der Goltz conducts Freiburg Baroque Orchestra


----------



## Sid James

Lisztian said:


> Liszt Faust Symphony, Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony. This is probably, after not liking it that much at first, my favourite work by Liszt. Bernie is superb.


Liszt's Faust Symphony took a while to grow on me as well. His orchestration is different from what I'd heard before. The fact that it's so long is also a kind of drawback. But once I "got" it, I just went with it, it became natural. I've got Maestro Muti's recording with the Philadelphia Orch., on EMI.



oskaar said:


> *Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor*
> 
> Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Rudolf Firkusny; Walter Susskind
> 
> Very good concert, but perhaps without the big heights. Great playing, but perhaps a little tame and a tooth loose. The sound is not very good.


Well any shortfalls of that piano concerto are Dvorak's. He does get a bit bogged down in the first movement, and it is very long, some say a bit too long for the material. It's a bit like Beethoven or Brahms meets Czech folkishness, overall. Not his finest concerto by any means, but somehow it's my favourite. It's kind of flawed like a human. I have not heard Rudolf Firkusny's account but he must be very good, he was the master of that area of the repertoire, I have his Janacek on DGG, some music which you may also like to hear later on...


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## kv466

^^

I have to agree about the Dvorak concerto...the credits suggest it should be a fine recording...hmmm,...very curious to listen to now.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hans Werner Henze: Boulevard Solitude (Zwischenspiel) und weitere orchesterwerke*

Peter Ruzicka, NDR Symphony Orchestra (Hamburg) and NDR Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Hans-Werner-H...9GLC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1323293047&sr=8-6

Henze really impressed me, and I go for a new album!

*Ballet-Variationen*
Exciting work! Longing vague tones in one moment, and exploratory, and very interesting notes in the next. wonderful use of all the orchestra tools.

*Concertino, for piano, winds & percussion*
What a wonderful composer! A beautiful, kind of quiet work, at times. But also with great dramatic moments. 

*Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber, ballet*
The delightful little moments. The performance here is absolutely brilliant. Great nerve. Very varied, and quite adventurous little work!
*
Kammerkonzert, for piano, flute & strings*
Not quite good sounding piano, but a great atmospheric work. The violin is amazing!

*Sinfonische Zwischenspiele*
Exciting work, but perhaps no favorite. Do not give me that much compared to other works by Henze. But it can absolutely grow.


----------



## Sid James

Repeated listening and a first listen to the two *Bach cello suites*. The 2nd suite I found kind of very minimalistic and pared down, not the most exciting stuff, and the 4th was similar to my favourite so far in the set (his 3rd), it had more stuff going on, it was more "busy," more meat between the sandwich so to speak. Now I only have to hear the 5th, but I will hear the others repeatedly as well, these are proving more rewarding than I'd ever thought...

*Rossini*
_Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)_ - highlights
Cast incl. Ugo Benelli, Teresa Berganza, Manuel Ausensi, Nicolai Ghiaurov / Orch. & chorus Rossini di Napoli / Silvio Varviso, cond.
Recorded in Naples, 1964
(Decca Eloquence)

*William Bolcom*
_Cabaret Songs_ (arr. with orchestra by composer)
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano / BBC Sym. Orch. / David Robertson
(DGG)

*Britten*
_Serenade for tenor, horn & strings, Op. 31_
Ian Bostridge, tenor / Berlin Philh. / Simon Rattle
(EMI)

*Schoenberg*
_Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4 _(arr. for string orch. by composer, 1917)
English Chamber Orch. / Daniel Barenboim
(EMI)

*J.S. BAch*
_Cello Suite #2 in D minor, BWV1008
Cello Suite #4 in E-flat major, BWV1010_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC CLassics - 2 disc set - Bach The Cello Suites)


----------



## jalex

*Beethoven: Piano Sonatas #1, 2*










A strong reminder not to underestimate early Beethoven, these sonatas contain some truly brilliant music. The Largo of #2 in particular is outstanding. Love Schiff's take on them.

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata #29*









Beyond words.


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## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
Ussr State Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Yesipov




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322837752&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322837752&sr=1-1

Great sound, and a very good performance. The symphony is absolutely fantastic. But back to the performance ..... It must be experienced!


----------



## Oskaar

This is a nice new thread!
'
http://www.talkclassical.com/16689-feel-good-about-ourselves.html

Sounds like an ego chariching thread, but it is not. It is about talking good on people!


----------



## NightHawk

This is a recording I've had for many years. Perhaps it is because I heard it first, but this is my favorite Mahler 4th and Von Stade's _Lieder eines fahrenden gesellen_ is also my favorite performance of that equally wonderful work. Is that a Munch painting?

Just found this Bernstein recording - this is the 3rd movement, one of the most beautiful in all Mahler, I think.


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> ...
> ...Is that a Munch painting?


Certainly is. Those are probably my two favourite works by Mahler. I was able to hear them live this year as part of his anniversary. I think they are quite intimate works, in feel at least. His use of orchestra and writing for voice is superb as usual...


----------



## Oskaar

Very nice Munk-painting... Never seen it before


----------



## NightHawk

I found a lovely Bernstein recording of Mahler's 4th on Youtube and added to the post above - 3rd movement the _Ruhevoll_ - just a clip of the movement - the entire symphony is easily found on Youtube. Interesting to see the youngish Lenny conducting. I was gratified to hear he was voted 2nd greatest conductor by presently living conductors. I think Kleiber's (#1) limited outreach is too bad - Leonard Bernstein's impact on great music throughout the world was infinitely greater and more valuable to mankind.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Over the last week or so I picked up a slew of work by newer composers. I'm currently listening to this:










While Fuchs is far from being a radical avant garde composer, he offers a take on contemporary orchestral music that is clearly rooted in the American traditions of Copland, Barber, etc... and is immediately accessible... if not earth shattering. I quite enjoyed the other Naxos disc of his music and at Naxos prices one cannot lose out:










You can quite enjoy this music and still find a place for something far more innovative... such as Sofia Gubaidulina's take on the "Canticle to the Sun":


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## kv466

From, _Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts 1954-1977_

Sciabin - Preludes in e, op.33/1; c, op.33/3; e-flat, op.45/3; f, op.49/2; Désir Caresse dansée Feuillet d' album

Debussy - Premiére Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra

Schoenberg - Traumleben . Verlassen . Lockung . Der Wanderer; Pierrot lunaire nos. 1-7

Berg - Sonata for piano

Prokofiev - Visions fugitives: no2

R. Strauss - Ophelia Lieder nos. 1-3

Stravinsky - L'Histoire du soldat (excerpts)

Ravel - La Valse

(transcriptions, to my limited knowledge on these, Glenn Gould)


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## science

is the thing I have and am about to listen to, but it appears to be the same thing as


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Handel's Italian cantatas were secular vocal works written while he was employed by various Italian courts. The composer barely into his twenties, yet he was already quite likely the greatest composer in Europe. This songs of love are exquisite... elegant... sensual... fluid... transparent. They convey all that the Italians speak of as "sprezzatura". I cannot recommend these Glossa recordings highly enough.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Howard Hanson*--Symphony* *No*.*3*, *Op*.*33*, with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The *3rd* *movement* of this workhas an almost "Sibelian" {sic} feel to it, what with the percussive effects created by the muted tympani followed in quick succession by the crescendoing brass, strings and a piping flute. I found it to be quite remarkable: Gerard Schwarz - Symphony No. 3, Op. 33: III. Tempo scherzando.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor,Op.63 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *BothsymphoniesareperformedbytheBerlinerPhilharmonikerunderthe baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

*Bernard Herrmann*
_Echoes for String Quartet_ (1965)
Fine Arts Quartet
(from album, Four American Quartets, Naxos)

This is like a canonical/imitation thing that goes on for 20 minutes, heaps of changes along the way. A fascinating work, I think really excellent. Mahler comes to mind as do the atonalists, but in all this style is Herrmann's own, it is full of a kind of inner psychological drama/tension, much like his film scores, esp. for Hitchcock.

*Messiaen
*_Trios Melodies _(1930)
_Harawi - Songs of Love and Death _(1945)
Hetna Regitze Bruun, soprano / Kristoffer Hyldig, pno.
(Naxos)

This is pretty full on music, esp. Harawi. Messiaen in that transports the Tristan legend to Peru. There's onomatopoeia here and a rhythmic thrust in some songs, in others his classic "static" feel. These two young Danish musicians certainly give it all they've got, I like the gutsiness and full-on, no holds barred aspect here, this is a performance full of rawness and intensity. Just like I'd imagine the Andean landscape, it is rugged and craggy.

*Tchaikovsky*
_Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48_
Vienna Chamber Orch. / Philippe Entremont
(Naxos)

Had forgotten how good this was, it's been a while. Only remembered the famous waltz and Russian dance bit at the end, the rest was like new to me. Very uplifting music, just listen to that happy Russian dance at the end, it's all lightness. Unlike the Danish performance of the Messiaen above, this is not raw or rough at all, it is very refined and elegant, appropriate for the music, and typical of Entremont's light style.


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

^^ Interesting composer, *Gabrieli*, rarely gets a mention in these parts. ATtended last year a concert of some of his motets for brass, choir, organ (like that recording you're hearing) & it was mixed together with some of* Bruckner's* motets & topped off by *Bruckner's Mass in E minor* in the 2nd half of the show. Amazing to hear the influence go from one to the other, hundreds of years apart. I believe Bruckner was also influenced by *Schutz*. I think Wagner's influence on Bruckner was a bit overrated, his basis was firmly in the older musics, much before he met Wagner or heard his music...


----------



## hespdelk

This is an old personal favourite I hadn't listened to in some years.. love the concertos, love Michelangeli's performance of them.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This is actually a pretty good recording of Handel's Messiah. It uses the original instrumentation (strings, trumpets, timpani, choir, soloists and continuo) and the original numbers from the first performance.


----------



## science

Listened to this earlier tonight. Wonder if anyone has any good HIP performances to recommend?


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52*

Artists	
Northern Sinfonia Thomas Zehetmair




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...AKKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323013217&sr=8-1

I do not think the third Sibelius Symphony is as good as the first three. But still pretty great. First rate varies continuously between the magnificent others are more quiet and melodic, but also a bit stagnant. The third is healthier, but a bit chaotic. The symphony could grow, but first impressions are not very good.


----------



## jalex

*Purcell: Various*










Man this guy could write music. Not quite neglected but certainly not talked about enough considering his many fine works. To me his early death is one of music's greatest losses, along with the early deaths of Mozart and Schubert.


----------



## kv466

Joseph Wolfl - Piano Sonata no.2 in d-minor, op.33
Jon Nakamatsu, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 129: Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor*

Artists
David Oistrakh; Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra; Kyril Kondrashin




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...EE/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1316352605&sr=8-20

This concert is magical! Quivering troubled underlying moods, and magic, sparkling fiddle. Loveley small melodies and outstanding moments. An excellent version! The entire orchestra is intensively involved in creating the magical ambiance, and the interaction is very nice. Good sound.










*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra;Hilary Hahn;Marek Janowski




http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-V...LWQH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316160122&sr=8-1

Beautiful version, and great sound! I find the concerto not as magic as the second, but loveley melodies and beautiful images and moments, and just as great. Hilary Hahn plays fantastic! Very sensitive.


----------



## Vaneyes

A frequent listen since its c2003/4 release--Scriabin Complete Mazurkas with Le Van. A valued addition to Scriabin discography. Hey, never mind me, the name "Le Van" should be recommendation enough.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Konzerstuck In F Major For 4 Horns & Orchestra, Op. 86*

First listen to this work from this newly recieved set - Disc 3 
I had a listen to the Rhenish from this set last night - awesome performance!. As expected there is a lot of Orchestral clarity under JEG!.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105

Artists	
Kolja Blacher




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Viol...DYA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935170&sr=8-2

A delightful and very melodic, quite sentimental sonata. Very good and sensitively performed, with good interplay between piano and violin. Pretty good sound.










*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121*

Artists	
Jenny Abel
Roberto Szidon




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934960&sr=8-1

Excellent sound! It was certainly the first impression, but after a while it seems a bit metallic and "ballroom" like. Sonata is "merry sad" if it is possible to use such an expression. The performance is quite good, but I do not think the violin play is very good.










*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.3 in A-, WoO.27*

Artists	
Ara Malikian (Performer), Serouj Kradjian (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...Z3Z1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934873&sr=8-1

Very nice sonata. It has great qualities. It is unfortunately not as well represented on Spotify: four versions, compared with 20 of the first and 15 of the other. It may be this I will enjoy the best in the long run.


----------



## Oskaar

*Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette*

Seiji Ozawa
Boston Symphony Orchestra





Dont have much experience with Berlioz yet, but I had to listen to this since it was added to the alternative music project. Very nice and captivating, and lovely chorals.


----------



## Vaneyes

"More, please, sir."


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 38, "Spring"*

Continuing to listen to my new Schumann set - now playing Disc 1!


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61*

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice, Johannes Wildner




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...WX12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319891569&sr=8-1

Some say that Schumann was not as good orchestrator. It can happen, but I found this great symphony brilliantly orchestrated.! It has an incredible climax early in the first movement. Maybe the rest are a bit average, but I really like the symphony. but I can probably agree with those who say that Schumann is best in smaller format.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This is actually a pretty good recording of Handel's Messiah. It uses the original instrumentation (strings, trumpets, timpani, choir, soloists and continuo) and the original numbers from the first performance.
> ...


Yes, agreed, it's a good performance, I have the highlights disc of that recording. It approximates the first performance in Dublin, which was about as small as this. One voice to a part, I think. Quite pared down but big sound coming from the few musicians. I went to a live performance of_ Messiah _last year, but decided not to this year, I'm just not in a choral vibe at the moment. Maybe next time...


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
_Fidelio _- highlights from the opera
Cast incl. Birgit Nilsson / James McCracken / Kurt Bohme / Tom Krause / with Vienna State Opera Chorus & Vienna Phil. / Lorin Maazel
Recorded in 1964
(Decca Eloquence)

Just got this earlier in the week, the exact same recording I had ages ago on tape. A joy to hear again. The memories came flooding back. I esp. like the vigour of this music, the directness. In many ways, it's a journey from darkness to light, a bit like Beethoven's symphonies. The baddie Don Pizarro's aria in the first ACt, as well as the famous_ Prisoner's Chorus _are my favourite bits, but the whole disc was a joy to listen to, and this is a recording to treasure (again!).

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concerto #1 in E flat major, Op. 107
Cello Concerto #2 in G major, Op. 126_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) / Antoni Wit
(Naxos)

A return to this disc which I really got into a few months back. Both concertos have references to political leaders of the USSR. Both concertos were commissioned by "Slava" Rostropovich, who actually for a period taught the cellist on this disc, Maria Kliegel.

The first concerto, written in the late 1950's, quotes two of Stalin's favourite songs in the last movement. It's a whirlwind, but Shostakovich's motto DSCH theme becomes triumphant eventually. AS if he is saying "you Stalin are dead and buried, I Shostakovich, I'm alive." That's what conductor Mark Elder said of the Sym. #10 here last year, before performing it with Australian Youth ORch. The slow movement, with touches of celesta to lighten it up a bit, going into a fantasy world, and the 6 minute long cadenza, with a movement to itself, always brings tears to my eyes. Rostropovich said that the composer here was saying to the Soviet authorities, "what have you done to my country?"

The second concerto is more ambigious. At the end of the first movement, a cadenza for cello accompanied by all things by bass drum. But it somehow works, but quite quirky, like this concerto generally is. The second movement is based on a tune of an Odessa street song. Odessa being part of the Crimea, which Khruschev "gifted" back to the Ukraine, and also him going there on holiday, when he came back to Moscow, Brezhnev had taken over. This concerto was composed shortly after that, so I'm surmising it could be a reflection on Khruschev's demise? His being ousted by neo-Stalinist clique of Brezhnev? Dunno, just thinking out aloud here. The final movement quite unresolved for me, with a tambourine quite prominent in parts, and in one bit the cello sounds like a hurdy-gurdy. This is just wierd, but I like both these concertos, have listened to them many times. The first one basically tragic, the second kind of as whimsical as this guy got with "serious" symphonic music...


----------



## Vaneyes

Shostakovich 24 Preludes, op. 34, with Mustonen.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Edda Erlendsd?r & Bryndis Halla GYLFADOTTIR




http://www.discogs.com/buy/CD/Edda-...-Kodaly-Martinu-Enescu-Janacek/223158-4827398

Enescu has something elegant about him. The music creeps in ... not grandiose, not pretentious. Just lovely tones. Very nice version. And very good sound.










*Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Mihail Sarbu piano
james creitz viola




http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-...44IB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227488&sr=8-3

Not Especially good sound, but a very nice piece! Difficult to assess the performance since the sound is so bad.










*Enescu: Decet for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns in D, Op.14*

Artists	
Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra
Ion Baciu




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-String...9I3N/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228144&sr=8-2

Enescu is a composer who it is easy to love. Brilliant, easy laid back elegance. Nevertheless, the works exude a potent energy. Fine performances, one sound is average.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak*--Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World*"}, featuring Carlo Giulini conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Aaron Copland*--Billy* *the* *Kid*, *Appalachian** Spring and **Rodeo, *all performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## NightHawk

*Quiet City - Aaron Copland (1900-1990)*

Recent discussion of Aaron Copland made me want to hear this beautiful work featuring solo trumpet and English Horn with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (based in NYC, NY).






_In 1940, Copland wrote incidental music for the play Quiet City by Irwin Shaw. The next year he knitted some of it into a ten-minute piece composition designed to be performed independently of the play. The piece was premiered on January 28, 1941, by conductor Daniel Saidenberg and his Saidenberg Little Symphony in New York City._ Wikipedia.com


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Tacchino (Artist), Monte Carlo Po (Artist), Jordan




http://www.amazon.com/Addinsell-War...AXXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315301814&sr=8-2

Great work, excellent presented here. Wonderful good sounding piano. I am looking forward to exploring Franck further on.










*Franck: Psyché Suite*

Artists	
Noël Lee, Christian Ivaldi




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Poèmes...XVTS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302761&sr=8-2

Very hypnotic and magical notes from the piano. A great work to listen to. Very dreaming. Nice performance, but average sound.


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> Recent discussion of Aaron Copland made me want to hear this beautiful work featuring solo trumpet and English Horn with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (based in NYC, NY).
> ...


Thanks for that, enjoyed it. That Orpheus group is very good, they opened up Schoenberg's_ Transfigured Night _for me recently, their recording made me love it, whereas another recording made me think of it as boring. I think they're great & are the definiton, or one of them, of well played chamber music, esp. the newer things...


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Tacchino (Artist), Monte Carlo Po (Artist), Jordan




http://www.amazon.com/Addinsell-War...AXXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315301814&sr=8-2

Great work, excellent presented here. Wonderful good sounding piano. I am looking forward to exploring Franck further on.










*Franck: Psyché Suite*

Artists	
Noël Lee, Christian Ivaldi




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Poèmes...XVTS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315302761&sr=8-2

Very hypnotic and magical notes from the piano. A great work to listen to. Very dreaming. Nice performance, but average sound.


----------



## NightHawk

Hey Oskaar, thanks for posting the Enescu works. I have that cello sonata and really enjoy it. I also have a set of 'miniatures' for violin and piano called 'Impressions d'Enfance'. I think Enescu is a wonderful composer, quite original. I am glad to be collecting his music. His Romanian Rhapsodies (1 and 2) for orchestra are spellbinding in a more romantic, tone poem sort of way (if I remember correctly, I haven't heard them in a very long time, and need to replace them). You might check those out.


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> How is this one? The Schumann cycles that I find work the best for me are those by John Eliot Gardiner and George Szell.


Szell's cycle is great

Back from work. Over-worked yesterday so I couldn't be productive today..

J.S. Bach: Oboe D'amore Concerto in A Major, BWV 1055


----------



## NightHawk

Hey Sid James! I have that Orpheus recording of 'Transfigured Night' - they made that work come alive for me, too. I'm sure you know they play w/o conductor, rotate principal players and govern themselves democratically on all decision making. Amazing group. Best! nh



Sid James said:


> Thanks for that, enjoyed it. That Orpheus group is very good, they opened up Schoenberg's_ Transfigured Night _for me recently, their recording made me love it, whereas another recording made me think of it as boring. I think they're great & are the definiton, or one of them, of well played chamber music, esp. the newer things...


----------



## Oskaar

*Gabriel Fauré*

Work 
*Fauré: 3 Nocturnes, Op.33*

Artists	
Laurent Wagschal




http://www.amazon.com/Fauré-13-Nocturnes/dp/B001ZF6RK6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314118264&sr=8-2

Beautiful!


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> Hey Sid James! I have that Orpheus recording of 'Transfigured Night' - they made that work come alive for me. I'm sure you know they play w/o conductor, rotate principal players and govern themselves democratically on all decision making. Amazing group. Best! nh


Exactly the same impression of that recording with me. It is very nuanced and delicate, talks of finesse and knowing the vision of Schoenberg with that piece. I have also enjoyed Daniel Barenboim's one with the English Chamber orch. I remember an earlier recording of Beethoven's _Creatures of Prometheus _that also impressed me greatly. As I said, they really know what they're doing with the repertoire they're working with. You have some great ensembles in your country, no doubt they're one of the best of them...


----------



## graaf




----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Listened to this earlier tonight. Wonder if anyone has any good HIP performances to recommend?


Have you tried Robert King's recording of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Tonight, Malcolm Arnold's Symphony No. 5. Love the orchestration.










Then some Per Norgard. The infinity series . . . what a concept!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Kalevi Aho--*Symphony No.2,* with Osmo Vanska conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. I'm definitely warming to this guy; this work is in one movement and I liked its flow and development.
Arvo Part--*Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, *featuring the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. I found the *3rd* Symphony to be much more melodic and "traditional" {read easier for *me *to listen to} than his *2nd*. As with Aho, I am starting to find that I like certain aspects /parts of Part--no pun intended. In future, I intend to listen to both his *Cello* *Concerto* and his *Perpetuum* *Mobile*. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"} and Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"}. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Man, does HVK conduct fast, or what?


----------



## NightHawk

This is a great recording! I have it but with different art work, an earlier release I expect. The opening 'in ecclesias' shows off the 11 second echo in St. Mark's in magnificent _cori spezzati_. There are also string and broken consort cazoni by G.Gabrieli.



science said:


>


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphonies 1 and 7*, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky and the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestry on Melodiya. (Can't find a picture of this one.)

The first movement of the 7th reminds me of Beethoven's 6th. But I need to hear another recording of this; Rozhdestvensky's orchestra isn't in its best form here, especially in the 7th's finale.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I seem to listening to what sounds like John Cage's 4'33".


----------



## Klavierspieler

Grieg - Piano Sonata

Håvard Gimse.


----------



## kv466

Mozart - String Quintet no.1 in b-flat, kv174

Arthur Grumiaux, violin
Arpad Gérecz, violin
Georges Janzar, viola
Max Lesueur, viola
Eva Czako, cello


----------



## Guest

I've been on a Rachmaninov kick lately, and this is one of my favorite recordings of his piano concertos and Paganini Rhapsody. Wonderful stuff here!


----------



## Sonata

Dr. Mike: I just picked up that album from the libary! I just gave it one run through so far, but found a lot to like.

I'm currently listening to Shostakovich, Cello Concerto 1 in E flat major. Interesting moodiness. Not something I'd listen to on a regular basis, but when the mood is right, very cool stuff.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 4 In D Minor, Op. 120*

Listening to this short Symphony from my new Mad Bob set - This set contains 2 versions of this Symphony: An original with 4 movements and a revised with a 5th movement. Its a nice Symphony! Its taken me a while to get into Schumann's Symphonies but I like them a lot, the Rhenish has always been one of my favourite Symphonies with its giddy first movement.
I am really impressed by this set by Gardiner and am glad I bought it - it also contains the "Zwikau" Symphony, Concerto for 4 Horns and a further extra work, all of which are also good. I am quite proud of my small Schumann Collection now and will revisit it many times in the future


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 105*

Lovely!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 5: Symphony No. 1 in E major "Slavonian Symphony"*

Artists
José Serebrier
Royal scottish national orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symphony-Nos/dp/B002LCCSMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273199&sr=8-1

No favorite symphony of Glasunov, but I like it a little better than last time I listened. Very lovely and intense performance, but the sound is not great.


----------



## Vaneyes

Entrancing performances by Little & Lane (1991-95). Nicely recorded, too.


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"} *featuring organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Eugene Ormandy.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D Major and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. *Both works are performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Andre Previn.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Violin Sonata JV 7/7*

Artists	
Giselle Hillyer
Roger McVey




http://www.amazon.com/Sonatas-Image...4L00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320330852&sr=8-1

I did not like this sonata on first listening, but now I like it better and better. Very rich in moods and nuances. And here is the great performed. Very good sound!










*Janácek: String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" JW 7/13*

Artists
Smetana Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Strin...WNSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332831&sr=8-1

Intensive and very interesting and exiting. Very nice performance, good inter-play. And pretty good sound.










*Janácek: Srting Quartet No 1 JW 7/8*

Artists
Mikael Ericsson, Frantisek Maly and Jana Vlachova




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Strin...60D0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332968&sr=8-1

I'm not quite sure which of the two string quartets I like best. This is also fabulous expressive and exciting. Very intense and sensitive performance, and the sound is very good.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, WAB 101, "The Saucy Maid"*

I'm quite curious where this Symphony got it's nickname from, it never fails to make me smile!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy, S.123*

Artists	
Václav Neumann (Conductor), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Orchestra), Siegfried Stockigt




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Prelude...OBR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317643110&sr=8-1

Quite a nice piece, but not very special. The play is quite merry, but I do not think it is especially exciting. Great performance, however, and pretty good sound.










*Liszt: Malédiction, for piano and string orchestra, S.121*

Artists	
Sergiu Commissona
Vancouver s.o.
Jerome Löwentahl




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Works-P...JISI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317648857&sr=8-1

This is a piece that is easy to love! Playful and lively, but also intense and dramatic, and there are great melodies, and many fine moments. Performances are very good, and sound a little above average.


----------



## Lukecash12

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, WAB 101, "The Saucy Maid"*
> 
> I'm quite curious where this Symphony got it's nickname from, it never fails to make me smile!


I think it may have gotten it's nickname from a saucy maid...


----------



## Vaneyes

Lukecash12 said:


> I think it may have gotten it's nickname from a saucy maid...


Yes, IIRC, something to do with Bruckner's motel room while he was composing this work.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, WAB 102, "Symphony Of Pauses"*

I know where this one gets its nickname from at least!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Violin Sonata, K376

Celebrating weekend!















Bax: Winter Legends

.. in celebration of winter. It snowed in Chicago overnight.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988*

Bach, Goldbergs - nuff said!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The "problem" with Bach's cantatas is that among this endless numbering of works there is such an array of music... such a variety of orchestrations and instrumentations... such a range of emotions... such a variety of musical genre ranging from what are essentially miniature operas or grandiose oratorios to the most delicate chamber music... and simply so much music that is just so damn good that one could lose oneself in this oeuvre for years.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Sergei Prokofiev*--Dance* * Of The **Knights, *with Valery Gregiev conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in a stunning, riveting performance.
Antonin Dvorak*--Symphony* *No*.*6* *in D Major, Op.60, *featuring Erich Leinsdorf conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. I love this work's opening movement for the heroic and uplifting mood it establishes from the outset.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Alexander Gibson at the helm. I really like its andante movement, which with its swirling and eddying flutes reminds me of Nature and really serves to establish an idyllic type mood: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39: II. Andante ma non troppo lento.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.2 in B Major, Op.14 {"To October"}, *featuring the Goteborgs Symfoniker and Chorus led by Neeme Jarvi. Although I am usually an ardent supporter of Shostakovich, this piece somehow just left me emotionally flat, maybe because it includes a chorus {?}. Whatever the reason might be, it really did not move me at all.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16 and Symphony No.6, FS 116 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}. *Both works are performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska in rousing fashion.


----------



## NightHawk

I love those quintets!



kv466 said:


> Mozart - String Quintet no.1 in b-flat, kv174
> 
> Arthur Grumiaux, violin
> Arpad Gérecz, violin
> Georges Janzar, viola
> Max Lesueur, viola
> Eva Czako, cello


----------



## NightHawk

As often as I can, several times a week, I start my day with 2 or sometimes 3 of the sacred cantatas (1 disc) with coffee. I don't follow the translations, I just listen.








This is an inexpensive and good set - occasionally spectacular. Well worth the $150. A whole new world of Bach opened up for me.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> The "problem" with Bach's cantatas is that among this endless numbering of works there is such an array of music... such a variety of orchestrations and instrumentations... such a range of emotions... such a variety of musical genre ranging from what are essentially miniature operas or grandiose oratorios to the most delicate chamber music... and simply so much music that is just so damn good that one could lose oneself in this oeuvre for years.


----------



## NightHawk

Vaneyes said:


> Yes, IIRC, something to do with Bruckner's motel room while he was composing this work.


_Motel_? lol


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I was listening to this today. A REALLY good recording. Exquisite playing from Mr. Tognetti!


----------



## Sid James

Some repeated listening in the middle of darker serious works by friends Shostakovich & Britten, & started with some light music of Andre Rieu to kick off the weekend. Ended with Moses' prayer in Rossini's opera of the title, which ends with the parting of the Red Sea, & all done in 13 minutes flat! (the total length of this final act)...

*Album: Andre Rieu - You'll Never Walk Alone - Songs of Hope & Inspiration*
Guest soloists / Johann Strauss Orch. / Rieu
(Polydor / Universal)

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concerto #1_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish NRSO / Antoni Wit, cond.
(NAxos)

*Britten*
_Serenade of Tenor, Horn & Strings_
Ian Bostridge, tenor / Berlin PO / Simon Rattle, cond.
(EMI)

*Rossini*
_Mose in Egitto_ (1819, Naples version)
- _Act III_ (on disc 2)
Company under baton of Maestro Fogliani
(Naxos, double cd set)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm just about to put this in the CD player.


----------



## science

Not the whole thing, "just" the Orgelbüchlein, which is dang awesome.


----------



## opus55

Starting weekend morning with coffee and some baroque music

Vivaldi: Concertos for Two Violins















J.S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schutz, Weihnachtshistorie*. Simple and lovely.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony #3, Opus 55

Considering purchase.. this may become my only second complete Beethoven symphony cycle after Karajan '63


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 5*, Vanska.

I was reading Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, a vivid description of backpacking in the High Sierras, when Sibelius' 5th came on my playlist randomly. This music really fits the narrative, so I'm reading/listening intentionally this time.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Santiago Rodriguez




http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-G...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669586&sr=8-1-fkmr0

A virtuoso and dramatic concert. List can sometimes seem a little more than serious. I can think of and that it lacks a little warmth and humor. But there's a habituation Incredibly great is it when I first habitual.
The play and the whole performance here is good, although somewhat tame sound tame soundscape, makes the very big experience absent.
But the piano is nice and sencitive.










Work	
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
The London Symphony Orchestra, Sviatoslav Richter, Kyril Kondrashin




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Concert...0RNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317670264&sr=8-1

I like this concert better than the first. The delightful rolling moods, very fine moments.
Very good sound (but some hiss) and great performance.


----------



## Lukecash12

NightHawk said:


> As often as I can, several times a week, I start my day with 2 or sometimes 3 of the sacred cantatas (1 disc) with coffee. I don't follow the translations, I just listen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is an inexpensive and good set - occasionally spectacular. Well worth the $150. A whole new world of Bach opened up for me.


Here's something I thought you would like:






_Jesu, mein Freude_ is my favorite motet of Bach's, and I thought you might like his Motets in your cycle as well. They are maybe a little more accessible than his Cantatas, while serving as a similarly themed kaleidoscope.



> *German Text:
> 
> Jesu, meine Freude,
> Meines Herzens Weide,
> Jesu, meine Zier,
> Ach wie lang, ach lange
> Ist dem Herzen bange
> Und verlangt nach dir!
> Gottes Lamm, mein Bräutigam,
> Außer dir soll mir auf Erden
> Nichts sonst Liebers werden.
> 
> Es ist nun nichts
> Verdammliches an denen,
> die in Christo Jesu sind,
> die nicht nach dem Fleische wandeln,
> sondern nach dem Geist.
> (Romans 8, V. 1)
> 
> Unter deinem Schirmen
> Bin ich vor den Stürmen
> Aller Feinde frei.
> Laß den Satan wittern,
> Laß den Feind erbittern,
> Mir steht Jesus bei.
> Ob es itzt gleich kracht und blitzt,
> Ob gleich Sünd und Hölle schrecken:
> Jesus will mich decken.
> 
> English Translation:
> 
> Jesus, my joy,
> pasture of my heart,
> Jesus, my adornment
> ah how long, how long
> is my heart filled with anxiety
> and longing for you!
> Lamb of God, my bridegroom,
> apart from you on the earth
> there is nothing dearer to me.
> 
> There is therefore now no
> condemnation to them
> who are in Christ Jesus,
> who wander not after the flesh,
> but after the Spirit.
> (Romans 8, V. 1)
> 
> Beneath your protection
> I am free from the attacks
> of all my enemies.
> Let Satan track me down,
> let my enemy be exasperated --
> Jesus stands by me.
> Even if there is thunder and lightning,
> even if sin and hell spread terror
> Jesus will protect me.*


----------



## jalex

*Beethoven: Symphonies #1, 2*










It's easy to forget how good Beethoven's #2 is since the impression generally thrown around is that he didn't really get going until the Eroica. But my goodness it's a good symphony, if mostly lighter in character than the later ones. First movement especially is brilliant.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
George Solti




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315419097&sr=1-1

Still the only Mahler symphony I've cataloged. So I continue to listen to my 51 spotify versions, in search for the ultimate recording.
I become more and more fond of the symphony, and think it is wise to do as I do, and do not gape everywhere at once. Very good sound on this version, but the orchestra seems a bit unfocused once in a while.


----------



## jalex

oskaar said:


> *Gustav Mahler *
> 
> Work
> *Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*


I was also listening to this earlier today, to this version:










Boulez may be an odd choice for Mahler but the two I've heard (#1 and #7) were very impressive. This and Kubelik's are the versions I would most recommend. Bernstein's is probably the most popular though.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 2*, Leipziger Strichquartett with Christiane Oelze. Well done. One of these day's I'll have enough pennies for their recordings of Nos. 1 and 3.


----------



## Oskaar

I have Boulez, Kublik and Bernstein later to come. Looking forward!


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Le merle noir, for flute and piano, I/37*

Artists	
Paige Brook




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Quat...JMVA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317303575&sr=8-2

Excellent piece! Very atmospheric. Great version and great sound.










Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Frederic Dupuis & Planes 




http://www.cdmarket.eu/o-messiaen-quatuor-pour-la-fin-du-te/no/cdaudio/2362413

An absolutely first-class version of this captivating work. The sound is brilliant, and both strings, winds, and piano is very sensitive, and very well rehearsed. This creates an incredibly nerve! The best version I have heard so far. Absolutely recommended!


----------



## kv466

Alfred Schnittke - Suite in the Old Style 
Vladimir Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## Vaneyes

jalex said:


> I was also listening to this earlier today, to this version:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Boulez may be an odd choice for Mahler but the two I've heard (#1 and #7) were very impressive. This and Kubelik's are the versions I would most recommend. Bernstein's is probably the most popular though.


If you haven't, try DG Boulez Mahler 6 & 8. They're my favorites from that series.

Another 8 worth noting is LSO /Bernstein (Sony Classic, 1966), c2004 European reissue with excellent remastering.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Franz Liszt*
> 
> Work
> *Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*
> 
> Artists
> Santiago Rodriguez
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-G...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669586&sr=8-1-fkmr0


See if you can Spotify Santiago Rodriguez' Rachmaninov (Elan)--all three CDs are out of this world...my favorite solo Rachmaninov.


----------



## jalex

Vaneyes said:


> If you haven't, try DG Boulez Mahler 6 & 8. They're my favorites from that series.


I'll keep building a collection of his Mahler. I'm hoping he might be able to do something with the first movement of #2, which I've always found turgid in parts in other performances.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony #3, Opus 55
> 
> Considering purchase.. this may become my only second complete Beethoven symphony cycle after Karajan '63


Sample Chailly further if you can, and read the mixed reviews on that set.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> See if you can Spotify Santiago Rodriguez' Rachmaninov (Elan)--all three CDs are out of this world...my favorite solo Rachmaninov.


Yes, they are on spotify! To tired to listen now....Must sleeeep....


----------



## Sid James

Listened again to some of the things in yesterday's post, but also these two. This *Boccherini *work I was constantly listening to a month or so back when I got it. It's just such an enjoyable and imaginative piece, incorporating popular Spanish music of the time. As for the *Dizzy Gillespie *album, haven't heard it for ages, I esp. like the track _Fiesta Mojo_, an original composition by the trumpeter that runs on for 11 minutes, as in a jam session, and here the group joined by saxophonist Johnny Griffin who really takes a "star turn," this is just as upbeat as the ending of Boccherini's _Fandango_ quintet. Superb stuff, Gillespie doesn't hog the limelight for himself, this is treated as real chamber music of the jazz variety, as I like to see it...

*Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet #4 in D major, Fandango_
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Chari Saldana, castanets / Flinders Quartet
(ABC CLassics, from their "Fandango" album)

*Album: Dizzy Gillespie - The Giant* (Jazz in Paris Series)
Dizzy on trumpet / Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen, double bass / Kenny Drew, piano / Kenny Clarke, drums / Humberto Canto, tumbas / with guest Johnny Griffin on sax
Recorded in Paris, 1973
(Gitanes / Universal)


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony For Organ And Orchestra {Symphony No.1}.* Both works are performed by the NY Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. *Symphony No.1 *features E. Power Biggs as the organist.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Sample Chailly further if you can, and read the mixed reviews on that set.


I just hadn't realised how much Maestro Chailly had aged. Or that photo is pretty unforgiving. He definitely looks his 60 or so years alright. But other photos I've seen of him haven't been as close up as that. He doesn't seem to have that "baby face" look any more. But what do I expect, I suppose?...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, If you think the maestro looks bad at 60, you should see me {same age}. 
At least he still has a nice head of hair to him, which is far more than I can say for myself!


----------



## Sid James

^^Well I try not to judge people by their looks, which isn't always easy, but I was just shocked by how much that photo of Chailly revealed compared to other photos, which are like long shots of him conducting, etc. About the follically challenged - sorry to hear that, my man - I did a poll a while back about who is the "best" bald composer, there's been quite a lot of them - Hindemith, Lutoslawski, Henze to name three, so you're in good company there!!!...


----------



## samurai

Now if only I could compose! :lol:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A fine collection of brief dance movements. Not on the level of Gluck's operas, but lovely nonetheless... and brilliantly played by John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists.










One of Jordi Savall's finest explorations of a less-than-well-known body of music. The disc presents alternatively traditional classical Turkish music as collected by Dimitrie Cantemir's _"Le Livre de la Science de la Musique"_ with traditional folk music that would have been known to the Ottoman Turkish Empire of the period.










Not far from the music of the Ottoman Turks in Savall's collection in either time or space, the music of Palestrina is of another universe altogether in terms of mood. Following the sensuous, rollicking, at time raucous dances of the Middle-East, Palestrina's spiritual madrigals and motets are sedate and reserved.










A jump of less than 200 years brings us to Bach's towering _Art of Fugue_. This work which was dismissed by many after Bach as excessively dry and theoretical... to the point that even as late as the early 20th century one might find musicologists who dismissed the mere idea of even attempting to perform the work which should exist solely in abstract ideal form, is here given one of the finest performances I have ever heard by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XX. Savall employs an ensemble of viola da gamba and period wind instruments... such as were employed in a number of other major contrapuntal composition of the period by composers including Byrd, Dowland, Orlando Gibbons, Purcell, Samuel Scheidt, etc... Savall, as usual, avoids any hint of the dry musicologist's approach to HIP, but rather brings a great sense of muscularity, variety, and rhythmic flow to this work. Highly recommended!










Bach's greatest "rival"... rather peer, G.F. Handel never loses the light, elegant touch learned in Italy. Esther is one of Handel's most elegant... delicate... and intimate oratorios. Written for the Duke of Chandos, whose Palladian palace near the village of Edgware had not been completed in time for the first performance resulting in its premier in the intimate surroundings of a small church, St Lawrence, Whitchurch. The smaller chamber-like orchestration allows for the composer to focus upon a variety of orchestral or instrumental colors by adding or subtracting instruments or focusing upon one instrumental grouping and then another in a manner not unlike that employed by Bach in his cantatas. The marvelous aria, "Praise the lord with cheerful noise" is beautifully accompanied by a delicate harp that recalls Vivaldi's and Handel's own harp concertos. "O Jordan, Jordan, sacred Tide"... sung my Michael Chance is a really memorable rendition of what must be one of Handel's greatest arias.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.2 in G Minor, Op.34, *featuring Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. This is my first listen to Stenhammar, and I like him, as he is very definitely influenced by both Sibelius and Nielsen, but still manages to leave his own imprint on the music. It is really too bad that he lived long enough to write only two symphonies, although he does have other works as well.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"*


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> Sample Chailly further if you can, and read the mixed reviews on that set.


Sure. I only listened to No.3 today which felt pretty quick to me. I could hear so many more instruments clearly than Karajan '63 recording. I'll try few other symphonies tomorrow.

Now listening..

Schubert: Winterreise

Perfect music for such a chilly winter night.


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Sheherazade*

Playing my entire collection of Ravel (modest!) from my iPod - First up is this fine Song Cycle.
Classical Song/Lieder is usually not my thing but this one is pretty nice!


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Piano Concerto In G Major*

Continuing my Ravel listening session with this awesome work which is sensitively played here by Argerich - I think I will probably finish with Ravel though after this Disc of Piano Works and move onto something else!..


----------



## Air

Conor71 said:


> *Ravel: Piano Concerto In G Major*
> 
> Continuing my Ravel listening session with this awesome work which is sensitively played here by Argerich - I think I will probably finish with Ravel though after this Disc of Piano Works and move onto something else!..


I love this recording! But the Gaspard de la nuit that comes along with it is even better.

I'm enveloping myself in the sensuous sounds of Debussy's Arabesques, played by Bavouzet, right before I head off to sleep.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Once As I Remember*, Christmas music from the Renaissance to the present, by John Eliot Gardiner.

Gardiner's greatest talent is with vocal music, and the Monteverdi Choir traverses through classics like Palestrina's Alma Redemptoris Mater and carols like Es is ein Ros' entsprungen with depth when required and simplicity with called for. This is one of my favorite Christmas CDs.


----------



## opus55

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 3


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Vaneyes

Bartok to Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (Dorati); Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta (Dutoit).


----------



## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Hey, you know what I like!


----------



## NightHawk

As the years roll by, my 'favorite' Sibelius symphonies keep reordering themselves - the following is fairly accurate, especially with regard to the positions of 2 and 6: 
2, 1, 3, 5, 7, 4, 6, then:
5, 7, 2, 1, 3, 4, 6, then:
7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 6, now:
6, 7, 4, 5, 1, 3, 2....I'd say an almost complete 'Reversal of Fortune'. Of course, I listen to, and love them all. I read in some text somewhere, sometime that [the writer] felt strongly that 'the main symphonic tradition proceeds directly from Beethoven to Sibelius' (an accurate paraphrase). I don't agree with this, but I'm not sure I understand what he means - does that imply 'progressive' or 'dynamic progression'? ...i.e. the Romantic symphonists were not making advances on the genre? Sorry I can't be more specific as to what text this comes from...my habit of _getting into a cab and saying 'To the Library!...and Step on It!!!_'. (I wish I could take credit for that last statement, which has always made me laugh. It comes from the wonderful novel of 1995 INFINITE JEST by the then young and brilliant American writer, David Foster Wallace 1962-2008), which is most highly recommended. Apologies for my meandering post (most of which, should have been posted elsewhere _mea culpa_)



samurai said:


> On *Spotify*:
> 
> Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.2 in G Minor, Op.34, *featuring Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. This is my first listen to Stenhammar, and I like him, as he is very definitely influenced by both Sibelius and Nielsen, but still manages to leave his own imprint on the music. It is really too bad that he lived long enough to write only two symphonies, although he does have other works as well.
> Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## NightHawk

Unquestionably, the most important works listened to in my junior high and high school years - didn't understand s*** except the parts that I liked and those 'parts' just kept on growing. I got onto Bartok early (I guess?) in the 6th grade b/c the parents allowed me to join the BUY ONE GET 5 FREE Columbia Record Club and the Concerto For Orchestra was described in their catalogue quite tersely as 'brilliant showpiece for orchestra'. I can tell you that I was puzzled by some of the 'parts' of that for a few years, but by my junior year was branching out with Music for S,P,& C, and Piano Concertos 1 and 2.

FIRST EDIT: I just noticed it is the 'CONCERTO' for Two Pianos, percussion and orchestra. I used to own this transcription (by Bartok) of his own 'SONATA' for Two Pianos, perc, and orch, with the duo-pianists GOLD AND FIZDALE (Arthur Gold, Roger Fizdale). The transcription is almost like a completely different work and I love both versions. Will be ordering these albums today. (what resolutions?) 



Vaneyes said:


> Bartok to Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (Dorati); Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta (Dutoit).


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 035 Piano Trio No. 1 in E flat major*

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Chamber-Music/dp/B005989658/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768851&sr=8-8

This is a fantastis trio! Very melodic and romantic. Beautiful interplay between strings and piano in this version, and very good sound!


----------



## fartwriggler

Perhaps it's time someone started a 'current reading' thread-Here's a couple of my favourites over the last couple of months-


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 013 Three Intermezzi for clarinet & piano*

Artists	
Emma Johnson, Malcolm Martineau




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00595XWWY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315767360&sr=8-2

A bit "under the kettle-lid"- sound, but very nice performance, and I really like the pieces! Very intensive and melodious. 










Work 
*Stanford: Op 039 Sonata No. 2 in D minor for violoncello & piano*

Artists	
kant find out.




http://www.amazon.com/Cello-Master-Classics/dp/B004BDJDLE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315766960&sr=8-2

Pretty bad and flat sound, but a very enjoyable work, and the cello is very nice and emotional. Pitty about the bad sound.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Franz Schreker, Chamber Symphony*.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 22a: Suite from The Age of Gold for orchestra*

Artists
Jean Martinon (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Performer)




The Age of Gold Ballet Suite and Symphony No. 1

Shostkovich has some really interesting variations of tones and moods. When I'm in shape to listen to it, it's very rewarding, other times his music a little tiring. Now I'm in shape to listen to his music, and this work is both imaginative and fun. Especially the quiet and sensitive second movement fall into my taste. Beautiful and energetic performance, and very good sound!










Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 27a: Suite from The Bolt for orchestra*

Artists
Performers: Riccardo ChaillyComposers: Dmitry ShostakovichConductors: Riccardo Chailly




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...7TDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316354511&sr=8-1

Wonderful and Exiting suite! Quite dramatic and vibrant. Brilliant performed. It is a wonderful nerve. Pretty good sound.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I really enjoy Anne Sophie Mutter's playing. So I'm currently listening to the volume of Brahms Violin Sonatas.










Kevin


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: 2 Serenades for Violin and Orchestra, Op.69*

Artists	
Sakari Tapponen, Gothenburg-Aarhus Philharmonic, Douglas Bostock




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Over...Y9UE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320761723&sr=8-1

Very beautiful! Great pieces, Sibelius has a depth and intensity, a nerve, that few composers have, as I have found. The sound is not very good ... not bad, but it is something that seems harsh in between. The second serenade is my favorite among these two. Great performance.










Work 
*Sibelius: 2 Earnest Melodies, for violin and orchestra, Op.77*

Artists	
Folke Grasbeck and Bengt Forsberg




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Viol...DE9G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320763332&sr=8-2

Very beautiful, sensitive and colorful work. Cantique is a fabulous piece! Adventurous and melodious. And very intense.
Devotion is quieter, but also defame beautiful.
Performances are excellent, the interaction between piano and violin are very good. And the sound is fine.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kevin Pearson said:


> I really enjoy Anne Sophie Mutter's playing. So I'm currently listening to the volume of Brahms Violin Sonatas.


I just went through those the other day. She does a nice job with those.

Now I'm listening to Stravinsky's *Dumbarton Oaks* by Rudolph Barshai. It's a nice piece. But I'm hoping that one day Stravinsky's Neo-Classical period will really grab me.


----------



## jalex

^Does Symphony of Psalms count as neoclassical? I think it's one of the best things he wrote, along with the Requiem Canticles and ROS (and maybe The Rake's Progress, but I don't know it all and I haven't seen it).


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.4 in A-, Op.63*

Artists	
Adrian Leaper, Jean Sibelius and Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...13M6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323096413&sr=8-2

I did not particularly like Sibelius's Symphony no 3 at the first listening. This is also the first listening to no 4, and I really like! Pretty gloomy at times, but it's amazing variations in mood and emotions.
Very good and sensitive performance. The sound is pretty good.


----------



## Manxfeeder

jalex said:


> ^Does Symphony of Psalms count as neoclassical?


If it is, then I've found at least one of his neo pieces I'm crazy about.


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to this recording of *Fidelio* which I just got, I used to have it on tape ages ago, now it's great to have it on cd. Also the *Dizzy Gillespie *album, a lot of fun, one of the songs is opened up by a double bass solo from Pedersen which does have a strong tinge of Bach's cello suites, but it quickly moves into jazz mode. The* Andrea Bocelli *album is largely not very memorable, just okay easy listening, his duets with his guests here are the best tracks, imo. Then a listen after a long while of *Beethoven's* *Ghost trio,* this time I could hear a kind of theme moving and morphing throughout the whole work, the churchy middle movement from which it got it's name is quite unique in the piano trio literature, and the ending which is quite optimistic and rousing always gives me a boost...

*Beethoven*
_Fidelio_ - highlights from the opera
Cast incl. Birgit Nilsson, James McCracken, Kurt Bohme, Tom Krause / Vienna State Opera Chorus & Vienna Phil. / Lorin Maazel, cond. - recorded in 1964.
(Decca Eloquence)

*Album: Andrea Bocelli - romanza*
With guests Gerardina Trovato, Giorgia, John Miles, Sarah Brightman
(Philips)

*Album: Dizzy Gillespie - The Giant *(Jazz in Paris Series)
Dizzy on trumpet / Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen, double bass / Kenny Drew, piano / Kenny Clarke, drums / Humberto Canto, tumbas / with guest Johnny Griffin on sax
Recorded in Paris, 1973
(Gitanes / Universal)

*Beethoven*
_Piano Trio #5 in D, Op. 70 #1, Ghost_
Chung Trio
(from EMI 2 cd set)


----------



## NightHawk

Reviews of books mentioned by Fartwriggler:

Wondrous Strange
http://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771011177

Chopin's Funeral
http://http://www.enotes.com/chopins-funeral-salem/chopins-funeral


----------



## NightHawk

Yes, it is one of the major works of his Neo-Classic Period. Strictly speaking, any 20th c. composition that uses the titles 'Sonata', 'Concerto', 'Symphony' etc., are either neo-classic works (pay homage to the forms in some way, however slender) or the composers are being very easy about the naming of things.



Manxfeeder said:


> If it is, then I've found at least one of his neo pieces I'm crazy about.


----------



## jalex

NightHawk said:


> Yes, it is one of the major works of his Neo-Classic Period. Strictly speaking, any 20th c. composition that uses the titles 'Sonata', 'Concerto', 'Symphony' etc., are either neo-classic works (pay homage to the forms in some way, however slender) or the composers are being very easy about the naming of things.


Well the word 'symphony' in the title refers only to the literal meaning of 'sounding together' and not to the symphonic tradition. After all, it isn't anything like a traditional symphony.

I'm just sort of doubtful about how Classically influenced the piece is.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Märchenbilder, for viola and piano, Op.113*

Artists	
Tomter (Artist), Andsnes




http://www.amazon.com/Viola-Sonatas-Brahms/dp/B000024ZVO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319375818&sr=8-1

I do not really understand those who argue that Schumann is a bit second rate when I hear this. He hit something in me at least. This may not be Schumann at his best, but I like it.
The best performed. The sound is just great, but pretty good.










Work 
*Schumann: Märchenerzählungen, for clarinet, viola, and piano, Op.132*

Artists	
Stanley Drucker, Joseph Robingson, L. William Kuyper, Hecht & Shapiro




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...59MG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319457628&sr=8-1

I do not think this work is so good. I have some feeling of duty work. Performance is also a bit midway. The same with the sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

Guys and/or Gals, with respect, would you kindly consider PM'ing or using other threads for lengthy 
music discussions, or book recommendations. Re books, there are Music Books, Books you are Reading 
threads, maybe others. Thank you.

Now, to the subject at hand...


----------



## opus55

Brahms: String Sextet No.1, Op.18


----------



## agoukass




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I haven't been listening to anything else except for this lately. Don't know why.


----------



## science

BWV 1064 for 3 harpsichords.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Brahms: String Sextet No.1, Op.18


That one is on my Christmas list. I'm crossing my fingers that Santa has an Amazon account.

This morning, *Poulenc, Gloria and Motets*, by Stephen Layton and Polyphony.

This is very well done, from the jazzy Gloria to the more subdued but beautiful motets.


----------



## Oskaar

*Charles-Marie Widor*

Artists	
Janet Packer (Artist), Orin Grossman




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...W1IP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315740677&sr=8-1

Work 
*Widor: Cavatine*

Quiet and calm, and quite a nice piece, but nothing special. Sensitive and well played by both the violin and piano. Very good sound.

Work 
*Widor: Widor: op 50 Violin Sonata No.1*

Velvet soft, and beautiful sonata. 










Work 
*Widor: op 21 3 Pièces *

Artists	
Annegret Kuttner piano
Peter bruns cello




http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Marie...R87M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315741400&sr=8-1

Very beautiful and melodic pieces. Beautifully played by cello and violin.


----------



## starthrower

Poulenc-Concerto For Two Pianos, Organ Concerto


----------



## NightHawk

Recorded by Simon Rattle in 1992 in the much admired Hall in Birmingham, this symphony and the Barcarola per Grande Orchestra are great works by any standards.


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*American Piano Music*

Conlon Nancarrow (Composer), George Gershwin (Composer), Amy Beach (Composer), Scott Joplin (Composer), Aaron Copland (Composer), Morton Gould (Composer), Louis Moreau Gottschalk (Composer), Edward MacDowell (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Composer), Samuel Barber (Composer), John [1] Cage (Composer), Michel Legrand (Performer) | Format: Audio CD 




http://www.amazon.com/American-Pian...8DSZ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1315494398&sr=8-7


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartet No. 11*

Now listening to this Bartok-influenced Quartet which is in 1 movement


----------



## Vaneyes

Introspection has been a popular word at TC lately. The brunt of it to do with wallowing in seemingly dead-end depressive states. Don't despair Mom always said, "Things will look brighter tomorrow."

Yes indeed, introspection can be much more useful than in pity parties. It can serve as a meditative gathering force. Things to pos-i-tive-ly decide while one is away from the maddening crowd.

I feel no one catches this atmosphere better than the British in their chamber compositions, while the Scandinavian countries in similar light and darkness, seem to do it best in orchestral.

Currently being played, the dulcet, and occasionally not so, tones of Walton and Arnold SQs. They capture the necessary from serene to edgy, sometimes reaching an answer, sometimes not. Such is life...an almost neverending puzzle for those who choose to play.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.1, for string orchestra and piano*

Artists	
Ian Hobson
romanian radio chamber orch




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KBPZKU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315568060&sr=8-1

Right now I find this work quite boring. At least in the beginning. After 3:30 it gets more interresting. I did not find it boring a while ago.... Listening mood is ever changing! But it is a quite fine and sensitive performance. Sound is medium.










Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Barra (Artist), San Diego Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Concerti-Gros...1SGB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566334&sr=8-2

I like Conserto No. 2 much better. Very lyrical and lovely concert. And the version is excellent, both in performance and sound.


----------



## NightHawk

Please give a follow up opinion 



Conor71 said:


> *Maconchy: String Quartet No. 11*
> 
> Now listening to this Bartok-influenced Quartet which is in 1 movement


----------



## NightHawk

Recently acquired the Walton Viola Concerto and would certainly say he managed that large form well - a fine piece. I am interested in his music for the first time and so am glad to hear of this string quartet.



Vaneyes said:


> Introspection has been a popular word at TC lately. The brunt of it to do with wallowing in seemingly dead-end depressive states. Don't despair Mom always said, "Things will look brighter tomorrow."
> 
> Yes indeed, introspection can be much more useful than in pity parties. It can serve as a meditative gathering force. Things to pos-i-tive-ly decide while one is away from the maddening crowd.
> 
> I feel no one catches this atmosphere better than the British in their chamber compositions, while the Scandinavian countries in similar light and darkness, seem to do it best in orchestral.
> 
> Currently being played, the dulcet, and occasionally not so, tones of Walton and Arnold SQs. They capture the necessary from serene to edgy, sometimes reaching an answer, sometimes not. Such is life...an almost neverending puzzle for those who choose to play.


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> Recently acquired the Walton Viola Concerto and would certainly say he managed that large form well - a fine piece. I am interested in his music for the first time and so am glad to hear of this string quartet.


Enjoy your journey. Walton composed a wide array of items. I chose to stick to the harder core, one of which you just mentioned.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Scherzo fantasque, for piano and orchestra (or 2 pianos)*

Artists	
Jenny Lin




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Concert...NVGG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1315679009&sr=8-6

Not much to say about this piece. A little boring. A little bad sound, but fine performances from both pianist and orchestra.










Work 
*Bloch: Violin Concerto*

Artists
oleh krysa	
Sakari Oramo
malmö symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Violin-...5UT6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315681504&sr=8-2

Not very good sound, and the work is not anything special. Great performance!


----------



## clavichorder

One of the moodiest, most chromatic of Chopin mazurkas


----------



## clavichorder

And by the great Horowitz:


----------



## Vaneyes

Okay, I'm now ready for some intraspection.


----------



## Conor71

NightHawk said:


> Please give a follow up opinion


Its probably worth mentioning that the performances on this set of Maconchy's String Quartets are uniformly very good despite being divided between 3 Quartets. As I mentioned before, these works are all clearly influenced by Bartok with perhaps a bit more lyricism in the early quartets. If I have a criticism is that's the pieces dont develop very much in style throughout the cycle. Later works are often shorter or in 1 movement but essentially they are in a similar style to the early works


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 In Eb Major, Op. 82*


----------



## World Violist

This on Spotify:










My favorite recording of the Nowak version...not sure how it measures up to the amazing Dohnanyi Haas 8, but on its own terms this is a wonderful recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

I know all the psychological drama Shostakovich endured while in Mother Russia, but I can honestly 
say I listen to and enjoy his sounds without any preconceived notion about "where that came from".

Thankfully, I can do this with most composers. But then again, I swim in pretty calm waters most 
of the time. Not like those over on the non-classical genre thread (or something like that).

Borodin String Quartet now playing SQs 2, 3, 7, 8, 12.


----------



## Sid James

Started with Beethoven & ended with Weber -

*Beethoven*
_Sym. #3 in E flat, Op. 55 (Eroica)_
_Coriolan Overture, Op. 62_
London SO / Wyn Morris, cond.
(MCA Classics)

This is my favourite Beethoven symphony. High points for me are the funeral march, which for me says "every dog has his day," and the last movement, intertwining English and Hungarian tunes, from the countries that were fighting Napoleon at the time. The quiet ending to the_ Coriolan Overture _is always ominous and kind of makes me ask "what next?"

*Francesco Tristano - bachCage album*
Keyboard works by J.S. Bach & John Cage
Tristano on piano, some tracks with Moritz von Oswald (live electronics) & Rashad Becker (mix electronics)
(DGG)

An album that shows the more lyrical side of John Cage, esp. in the work _In A Landscape_. His _The Seasons _is more hard hitting and staccato in parts but also a stand out here. I'm getting more used to Tristano's Bach, now I'm hearing more Bach and less Tristano, it's more classical than jazzy, which is what I thought before. In the _Four Duets BWV. 802-5_, Tristano duos with himself thanks to the wonders of recording technology, and the final _French Suite _sounds as if he's playing underwater or something. An interesting album which kind of demistified these two composers for me, and one of my best buys of the year, it came out this year.

*Album: Bill Coleman - From boogie to funk *(Jazz in Paris series)
_All compositions by Bill Coleman_
Coleman on trumpet / Quentin Jackson, trombone / Budd Johnson, tenor sax / Patti Brown, pno. / Les Spann, guitar / Buddy Catlett, double bass / Joe Harris, drums
Recorded Paris, 1960
(Gitanes / Universal)

Not much boogie or funk here but plenty of bluesy vibes and a kind of modern jazz between swing and bebop. The notes say Coleman was a "classicist" and I can see what they mean by that. Also, it's recorded in a studio but done as if it's live, eg. announcing the solos in the longer tracks. Some great ensemble work here, my favourite track is _Afromotive in Blue _which is kind of like minimalism meets the blues.

*Weber*
_Sym. #2 in C major, J. 51_
Queensland PO / John Giorgiadis, cond.
(Naxos)

Pure whimsy here and this comes across as being like opera without the vocals. The first movement is longer than the other three put together, but I never noticed this "anomaly" until I read about it in a review. Weber only composed two symphonies, in the same year, but they are both gems (& both in C major & without any clarinets!)...


----------



## brianwalker

Just received my RE Zero IEMs in the mail today and decided to take Mahler's 9th (Karajan 1981) for a spin. The symphony sounds much better, especially the first movement which I judged as rather "ponderous" and "slow" in my first and second listen.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Yet again, I find myself listening to this.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony #3

New purchase, first listen.


----------



## edge

A search on rdio for Mozart violin concertos brought up this one. I haven't heard anything I didn't like yet but I'd be willing to hear about other recordings. Thanks.


----------



## opus55

edge said:


> A search on rdio for Mozart violin concertos brought up this one. I haven't heard anything I didn't like yet but I'd be willing to hear about other recordings. Thanks.


Mutter/Karajan is my favorite


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been listening to a broad array of music over the last day and an half.










Handel's Esther is an absolutely marvelous oratorio written to be performed under more intimate conditions than many of the composer's oratorios. As a result, Handel employs various chamber-like groupings of instruments in a manner not unlike Bach. The use of the delicate harp in the aria "Praise the Lord with Cheerful Noise" is especially delicious, but the work as a whole is laden with beautiful arias and choruses. The performance by The Sixteen with harry Christophers is brilliant as always.










After having been introduced to Hoffmeister by member HarpsichordConcerto I placed an immediate order for this disc while listening to it twice on Spotify. Sunday I listened again... this time to the actual disc. These clarinet quartets are absolutely delightful... worthy of being placed along-side Mozart. Highly Recommended!










I've always had a special love of the clarinet. The instrument conveys a sensuality reminiscent of chocolate, and considering what many composers have achieved with the instrument (Mozart, Brahms, Weber, Berg, Schumann, Copland, Stammitz, etc...) I am not alone in my love for this instrument. Indeed, while I am not a huge chamber-music buff, I do tend to be on the lookout for chamber works employing the clarinet. This collection of clarinet works by modern composers (Astor Piazolla, John Harbison, Gunter Schuller, Evan Ziporyn, etc...) is a lovely collection of chamber works featuring the clarinet. As in most instances, my response to chamber music is something that slowly evolves... something that demands several hearings. What I have heard surely suggests that the effort will be worth it.










I have been exploring _The Art of the Fugue_ trough several different recordings and in several different incarnations recently. This recording, by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XX may just be my favorite. As Bach composed the work without specifying a specific instrumentation or orchestration some critics have suggested the work was never even intended for performance, but solely as abstract theory to be experienced only through the score. Savall fully rejects this notion and elects to employ an instrumentation using viola da gamba and wind instruments in the manner of a number of other contrapuntal compositions of the Baroque, including works by Purcell, Orlando Gibbons, and William Byrd. The resulting work captures a liveliness without losing the sense of the internal structure. Again, Highly Recommended.










I gave this one a spin again. Weigl was a leading figure in the Viennese symphonic tradition following Mahler, Bruckner, etc... While close with Schoenberg, who spoke kindly of him, Weigl continued to explore the symphony within traditional tonality. The "Apocalyptic" Symphony begins with the structure growing slowly out of a cacophonous wall of chaos. The symphony evolves very much within the German symphonic tradition yet brings a unique voice that is very much worth exploration.










This is one of the most impressive discs I have come across recently. I have a number of other recordings of music by Michael Daugherty and greatly enjoyed them all, but put off buying this disc because of doubts about the idea of a symphony in homage to Superman. I should have bought this as soon as I came across it. The work is spectacular. The "symphony" is actually a suite of orchestral movements in homage of Superman and the ambiguities, paradoxes, and energies of this American myth.

The opening movement, entitled "Lex" employs police whistle, suggestive of the usual comic-book police chases involving Superman's arch-rival, Lex Luther. The music is sheer energy suggestive of the chase through the crowded city streets of Metropolis.

"Kryton" employs a dark churning glissandi and firebells creating a tonal painting of the apocalyptic last days of Kryton, the planet of Superman's birth.

"MXYZPTLK" is the mischievous imp from the 5th dimension that wreaks havoc throughout Metropolis. This movement is the scherzo of the work, bright and playful.

"Oh, Lois!" is composed with a tempo marked "faster than a speeding bullet". This rapid movement laden with various percussive elements suggests the rapid motion scenes of chases, screams, crashes, etc... of the comic-book tradition.

"Red Cape tango" the final movement of the symphony, is the most fascinating. Daugherty employs a dark tango to evoke the red-caped superhero's fight to the death with Doomsday as something akin to a death tango in the bullfight ring. The movement employs the melody of the same Dies Irae employed by Berlioz in his _Symphonie Fantastique_. The effect is quite fitting, as the work, according to the music critic of the London Times, is surely a worthy _Symphonie Fantastique_ of our times.

I absolutely loved this piece... yet in all honesty I found the second work, Deus Ex Machina, a three-movement suite for piano and orchestra no less enthralling. Deus Ex Machina or God in the Machine explores the great trains of the past. The first movement... laden with elements of atonality and cubistic fracture... was inspired by the Futurist trilogy, States of Mind by Umberto Boccioni. The second movement, Train of Tears, alludes to the "lonesome train on a lonesome track" with "seven coaches painted black" that carried Lincoln to his home for burial after his assassination. The beautiful comber movement is repeatedly pierced by the sound of the "Taps". The final movement... apocalyptic and elegiac... speaks of the final days of the great steam trains as captured in a series of photographs by O. Winston Link.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.4-6, *featuring the Emerson String Quartet.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Mutter/Karajan is my favorite


I would second this as Mutter is one of my favorites of all time. However, I also own a copy of Itzhak Perlman with James Levine and the Wiener Philharmonic that I think is superb. It's a two CD set of all five violin concertos.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> This is one of the most impressive discs I have come across recently. I have a number of other recordings of music by Michael Daugherty and greatly enjoyed them all, but put off buying this disc because of doubts about the idea of a symphony in homage to Superman. I should have bought this as soon as I came across it. The work is spectacular. The "symphony" is actually a suite of orchestral movements in homage of Superman and the ambiguities, paradoxes, and energies of this American myth.
> 
> The opening movement, entitled "Lex" employs police whistle, suggestive of the usual comic-book police chases involving Superman's arch-rival, Lex Luther. The music is sheer energy suggestive of the chase through the crowded city streets of Metropolis.
> 
> "Kryton" employs a dark churning glissandi and firebells creating a tonal painting of the apocalyptic last days of Kryton, the planet of Superman's birth.
> 
> "MXYZPTLK" is the mischievous imp from the 5th dimension that wreaks havoc throughout Metropolis. This movement is the scherzo of the work, bright and playful.
> 
> "Oh, Lois!" is composed with a tempo marked "faster than a speeding bullet". This rapid movement laden with various percussive elements suggests the rapid motion scenes of chases, screams, crashes, etc... of the comic-book tradition.
> 
> "Red Cape tango" the final movement of the symphony, is the most fascinating. Daugherty employs a dark tango to evoke the red-caped superhero's fight to the death with Doomsday as something akin to a death tango in the bullfight ring. The movement employs the melody of the same Dies Irae employed by Berlioz in his _Symphonie Fantastique_. The effect is quite fitting, as the work, according to the music critic of the London Times, is surely a worthy _Symphonie Fantastique_ of our times.
> 
> I absolutely loved this piece... yet in all honesty I found the second work, Deus Ex Machina, a three-movement suite for piano and orchestra no less enthralling. Deus Ex Machina or God in the Machine explores the great trains of the past. The first movement... laden with elements of atonality and cubistic fracture... was inspired by the Futurist trilogy, States of Mind by Umberto Boccioni. The second movement, Train of Tears, alludes to the "lonesome train on a lonesome track" with "seven coaches painted black" that carried Lincoln to his home for burial after his assassination. The beautiful comber movement is repeatedly pierced by the sound of the "Taps". The final movement... apocalyptic and elegiac... speaks of the final days of the great steam trains as captured in a series of photographs by O. Winston Link.


I also really love this work! I have known about it for some time but like you was hesitant to explore it because of the the subject but it really is a great symphony. I've only listened to it on Spotify but when I have a little extra cash I'll buy a CD copy for my library.

Kevin


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## kv466

From _Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts 1954-1977_

J.S. Bach - Violin Sonata no.4 in c minor, bwv1017

Webern - Phantasy for Violin and Piano

Beethoven - Violin Sonata no.10 in g, op.96

_Glenn Gould, piano / Yehudi Menuhin, violin_


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## Kevin Pearson

Currently enjoying this interesting work.

Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

edge said:


> A search on rdio for Mozart violin concertos brought up this one. I haven't heard anything I didn't like yet but I'd be willing to hear about other recordings. Thanks.


That's a good one, one of the best recents, along with (Kremer)ata Baltica. But, I'm still faithful to these...


----------



## science

Jando is underappreciated.


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## science

Just finished the Phantasy Quintet. Nothing by Vaughan Williams ever made such a good first impression on me!


----------



## science

Kevin Pearson said:


> I also really love this work! I have known about it for some time but like you was hesitant to explore it because of the the subject but it really is a great symphony. I've only listened to it on Spotify but when I have a little extra cash I'll buy a CD copy for my library.
> 
> Kevin


I too am a fan of this work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm _finally_ listening to something other than René Jacobs' recording of Mozart's Don G.

Here we go, Michael Nyman: MGV. The Piano Concerto isn't that great in my opinion.


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## science

I took my time with this, listening to a concerto or two about every 3 days. I fear that if I listen to them all at once they run together in my mind. But I think I did it wrong: next time I will listen to it all at once first, and then one at a time later.

Nevertheless, my first impression is that this music is OK. Whereas Vivaldi, whose concertos are very similar, is great. I really did enjoy it, and I have a disk of oboe concertos by Vivaldi and Albinoni that I also enjoy. But I think I'll give Vivaldi more of my time and Albinoni a touch less.

Caveat lector as always: my opinions often change considerably over time; first impressions are not very reliable and you should not put too much stock in them. I'm just chattering.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

And after listening to some Michael Nyman … I've gone back to this.


----------



## Sid James

One of my favourite operettas and one of the best Viennese ones. The plot is always the same, love triangles and masked identity, whatever, but it's the music that counts, and here it's just perfect. Some great tunes and very sophisticated handling of both the solo voices and orchestra. Not much choral stuff in this one, but the opening choir of Act II is well known & can become a bit of an earworm with too much exposure. This is an excellent recording, but I give credit for von Karajan for his account of about 1960 which was the first one I heard, but this one under Karl Bohm is equally good, but more light. The only drawback is that the sparkling overture is not on this disc, but all of the main highlights and then some are on it, which kind of makes up. & no intervening dialogue which I dislike anyway... 

*J. Strauss Jnr.*
_Die Fledermaus_ (highlights)
Cast incl. Gerhard Weachter, Gundula Janowitz, Wolfgang Windgassen / Vienna State Opera Chorus / Vienna PO / Karl Bohm, cond. (recorded about early 1970's)
(Decca Eloquence)


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## kv466

Liszt - Hungarian Fantasy in f-minor, s.123
Earl Wild and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Russell Stanger (1963)


----------



## NightHawk

After some consulting on TC I bought this album of Barber Songs and am very glad to report that the songs, the performances and the fidelity are superb. If you love Barber, and song you should consider this album. It is not expensive, I bought used for $7 + postage. The singers are in the flower of their art and all the works are considered to be very high in the catalogue of Barber's work. The great discovery is the Arroyo 'Andromache's Farewell' - beautiful, dramatic voice with brilliant orchestral score. Highest recommendation!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Artists	
Bengt-Ake Lundin




http://www.amazon.com/BERWALD-Compl...T6KJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318600694&sr=8-1

Work 
*Berwald: Duo Concertino in A-, for 2 violins*

Berwald is a composer, I love to listen to once in a while. It has unfortunately not been very often. He has a simplicity and gentleness in his music that appeals to me. Not very deep and serious, but still appealing. This plant is easy to like, apart from the first movement, which I think is a little boring.
Great performance and quite good sound.

Work 
*Berwald: Duo for Cello and Piano in Bb*

A delightful duo! Very varied in expression, but I find it very warm and romantic. Great cello, and nice interplay, cello-piano.


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## Art Rock

A very, VERY, underrated composer.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to the Adagietto of Mahler's 5th Symphony by Benjamin Zander, reminded of the story how Mahler couldn't get Alma's attention until he sent this piece to her - hearing its sense of longing for what can be - then watching Ekaterina Gordeeva skating to it alone after her husband's death - now hearing its sense of longing for what once was.


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## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Artists	
Ulf Björlin/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Overt...FZ1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318597382&sr=8-1

Work 
*Berwald: Violin Concerto in C#-, Op.2*
Violin: _Arve Tellefsen_

A great concert! Warm and wonderful to listen to. Very melodic and evocative. Performance is excellent, and sound pretty good.

Work 
*Berwald: Piano Concerto No.1 in D*
Piano: _Marian Migdal_

Really great piano concerto! Resilient and lightweight, yet full of energy and emotions. Excellent piano, and great interaction with the orchestra.


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## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Piano Concerto in D, Op.13*

Artists	
Leif Ove Andsnes
City of Birmingham symphony orchestra
Paavo Järvi




http://www.amazon.com/Concerto-Pian...6D0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317399836&sr=8-1

I'm not always in the mood to listen to Britten. I find his music quite demanding. But I'm in the mood, I find the music extremely exciting and rewarding.
This piano concerto is very exciting! Wonderfully dramatic and energetic, and many fine small moments.
Very good and sensitive piano. Very virtuosity, but also very innlevelsesrikt.Samspill with the orchestra is very good.
And the sound is very good.










Work 
*Britten: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.15*

Artists	
Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Osmo Vanska, Serguei Azizian, Giordano Bellincampi




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Walto...XDSY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317401641&sr=8-6

Quite challenging, but still a great concert. Very intense and wonderful performed, but the sound is only half way.


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## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Michael Roll (piano) The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Howard Shelley (conductor) 




http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/3401

I love this concert! Very good performance, but the piano sound is a bit harsh, and the sound is otherwise only average.










Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
Olli Mustonen (Conductor, Performer), Tapiola Sinfonietta (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...KES8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316784091&sr=8-1

The Emperor's great. but I prefer no. 4.
Great performance, and qite good sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

No. 1 from perhaps Blomstedt's recording pinnacle, the Nielsen Symphonies.


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## Art Rock

It seemed a good idea, but I cannot recommend this CD at all. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed earlier works by this combination (Garcia/Breiner), in these French standard pieces the guitar/orchestra combination does not work as well.


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## Oskaar

*Abril, Anton García*

Artists	
Antón García Abril - Gabriel Estarellas - Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid

Work 
*Abril: Concierto Mudéjar*

Beautiful work! Very Melodic and romantic. It is light, but still very compelling.
Very good version. The guitar and the band has good chemistry!

Work 
*Abril: Homenaje a Sor
*

Even more beautiful and romantic! Wonderful melodies. I love the guitar not so present, but more in the background. Often in guitar-orchestra settings, the guitar is to much dominent. 
Abril is a composer to check out!


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## Vaneyes

Scriabin Symphony 3 "Le Divin Poeme". I love Barenboim's interp., and OdP's playing. Listening, this could be Andre Kostelanetz & His Orchestra.

Meant as a supreme compliment, because I think this piece demands that kind of Big Hollywood arrangement, grandeur.

Some may not know, Kostelanetz studied piano at St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music before emigrating to America in 1922.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65,* featuring Vasily Petrenko leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


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## Oskaar

*Aho, Kalevi*

Work 
*Aho: Quintet for Bassoon and String Quartet*

Artists	
unknown... Can anyone tell? 




http://www.amazon.com/AHO-Oboe-Quin...5CHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315909108&sr=8-2

Very intense! Beautiful little moments! Aho is a composer I really like. This work contains a lot.

Very good version. And the sound is good.










Work 
*Aho: Quintet For Flute, Oboe, Violin, Viola And Cello*

Artists	
Sinfonia Lahti Chamber Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/AHO-Quintet-I...ZJWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315910258&sr=8-1

Not wery good sound. But quite exiting and interresting. work. There is some great moments...Pitty about the sound.( it is not to bad.)


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## NightHawk

Just brilliant! Thanks!



clavichorder said:


> And by the great Horowitz:


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho, Kalevi*

Work 
*Aho: Symphony No. 10*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/AHO-Symphony-...411U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323020698&sr=8-1

A wonderful and exciting symphony! Very intriguing. Recording and sound is not great.


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## NightHawk

Many thanks! I don't own any of Bach's motets, and am not sure I've heard any other than the _Jesu, Mein Freude_ you posted and I am listening to now. Beautiful, and rich recording of this music.



Lukecash12 said:


> Here's something I thought you would like:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Jesu, mein Freude_ is my favorite motet of Bach's, and I thought you might like his Motets in your cycle as well. They are maybe a little more accessible than his Cantatas, while serving as a similarly themed kaleidoscope.


----------



## Conor71

*Handel: Concerto Grosso In D Major, Op. 6/5, HWV 323*

Listening to some Handel from my collection of Baroque Music (mostly Bach) - It's always enjoyable listening to Music from this Era, I dont know why I dont have more of it!. These works are said to be among the pinnacles of Baroque Orchestral Music along with Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (a favourite of mine!).
Great Music and a great recording too


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Symphony No.6 ('after Delacroix'), W.190*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/ANTHEIL-Symph...NK2J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313421146&sr=8-1

A wonderful and exciting symphony! Very intriguing. Recording and sound is just not great, but pretty good ..


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Surprise - Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom, Schoenberg, Satie*
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano / Bolcom on piano (in Satie songs) / BBC SO / David Robertson, cond.
(DGG)

An album I recently got, and had not trouble warming to. All of these three sets are superb and delivered with great verve. Listening to the Schoenberg songs, it's not hard to imagine him penning an operetta or going the direction of Kurt Weill and doing musicals. There is whimsy here of course, but also a dark undertow, showing glimpses of the underbelly of everyday life. The last two Satie songs are here in orchestrated form, coming across as simple love songs that could have been sung by the likes of Edith Piaf.

*Beethoven*
_PIano Trio #4 in B flat, Op. 11_
Chung Trio
(EMI - on 2 cd set)

A bit of a warhorse, this, always gets played live here. Which is not bad, it's a fun work, and the middle slow movement has a bit of the gravitas of Beethoven's later _Archduke_ trio. Originally, this was a clarinet trio, then rearranged by the composer as a standard piano trio (the clarinet part rewritten for violin). The last movement is quite fun, a set of bouncy variations on a popular but now obscure opera tune of the time.

*Bernstein*
_On the Waterfront - Symphonic Suite from the film_ (1954)
Bournemouth SO / Marin Alsop, cond.
(Naxos)

This score was nominated for an Oscar, but the experience of working as part of the HOllywood film machine ultimately left a bitter taste in Bernstein's mouth. A lot of his original score ended up on the cutting room floor, but he took some of that, as well as key moments that actually made it into the film, and put it in this symphonic suite, a purely concert hall work. From the opening horn call imaging the docks with the New York skyline in the background, to the scene in the church when the windows are smashed, this snare drum giving unsettling and edgy rhythms, very minimalistic and kind of animalistic, & the love scene which is the essence of romanticism without too much schmaltz and much real emotion, to the ending where it all comes together, this is a masterful score if there ever was one...


----------



## Vaneyes

Relistening. I had a Schumann Piano Trios hole in my collection, until Gringolts, Kouzov, and Laul appeared. Detailed dedicated playing and warm acoustic from a St. Petersburg church. It's easily included in my favorite 2011 purchases.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 41*, by Karl Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic.

This must be a live recording, because the sound isn't the greatest, and the orchestra is ragged in the first movement. I'd probably appreciate the performance more if it weren't those two doing it, but since it's them, I'm expecting more.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Antonin Dvorak*--Symphony* *No*.*5 *in F Major, Op.76, featuring Mariss Jansons conducting the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra*.*
Joachim Raff--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.140*, performed by the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Urs Schneider.
Johan Halvorsen--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor {Fatum} and Symphony No.3 in C Major. *Both works are performed by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ole Ruud. I especially liked the *2nd* *Symphony's* second movement: Trondheim Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2 (Fatum) In D Minor, Romance: Andante Con Sentimenti.


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, Maestro Bohm sure doesn't look like a happy camper in that candid shot! Perhaps his mood rubbed off on the orchestra and adversely affected its performance?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just picked up this recent release; Alessandro Scarlatti's _Serenate a Filli_... two "serenades" or "cantatas"... brief works combining vocals and instrumental accompaniment. These serenades (or cantatas) are are brief narrative works telling the tales of Arcadian loves... essentially operas in miniature. Scarlatti's serenate are in many ways similar to the elegant Italian cantatas of Handel. Indeed, the same folks involved in this disc (Fabio Bonizzoni and La Risonanza on the GLOSSA label) are behind the series of recordings of Handel's cantatas. As with the Handel works, this music is performed and recorded exquisitely... and the packaging is ever elegant and tasteful. An all-around winner that I certain member HarpsichordConcerto will be picking up soon... but highly recommended for any lover of the Baroque.:tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: String Quartet in C minor


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> The last two Satie songs are here in orchestrated form, coming across as simple love songs that could have been sung by the likes of Edith Piaf.


What I admire about Satie is that, though he could write art songs, he could also write popular songs with the best of them.

Tonight, *Szymanowski, Stabat Mater*, by Rattle.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> What I admire about Satie is that, though he could write art songs, he could also write popular songs with the best of them...


Yes, there are only a few of Satie's songs on that cd, but they are in roughly two groups.

The ones with Bolcom accompanying on piano, the words or poetry is very surreal, eg. one about a bus loaded with concrete going through the streets of Paris like a juggernaut, laying to waste pedestrians and colliding with traffic, etc. I don't know much about this song, but the imagery is surreal, disturbing, whimsical at the same time, the way he puts it to music, etc.

Then the last two songs, with orchestra, are more simple love songs, as I said, chanteuses like Edith Piaf could have easily sung them, and maybe she did? But not on the recordings I have of her or other ladies of French popular song back then...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to this …_again_…


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to this …_again_…


You know after a while this begins to look like spam instead of genuine interest. I honestly don't see what you think is so special about this work. At least not enough to listen repeatedly for days on end.

Kevin


----------



## Klavierspieler

Berg: 

Piano Sonata
Alfred Brendel
Hmmm... Was expecting atonality and what do I find? Anyway, I quite enjoyed it.

String Quartet
The Schoenberg Quartet
Hmmm... Didn't like this one as much, kinda creepy.

Lyric Suite
The Galiwhatsit Quartet
I quite enjoyed these pieces. Interesting sounds.


----------



## opus55

Klavierspieler said:


> Berg:
> 
> Piano Sonata
> Alfred Brendel
> Hmmm... Was expecting atonality and what do I find? Anyway, I quite enjoyed it.


 I thought Brendel was a Mozart/Beethoven/Schubert kind of guy.

Can't go to bed until I finish this symphony.. problem with Mahler's works. Half way into Part III.

Mahler: Symphony No.9


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Quite a good recording. I love the Kammerkonzert. Actually I love Ligeti's music in general.


----------



## Sid James

^^That* Ligeti *recording, the whole series they did (I have two, I think) are great. Still respected across the board by musicians on the ground here around the traps who I've come across. Sound great, performance, everything superb. I have that one as well as the one with the_ Requiem_ & _Aventures_. One doesn't need more versions than these excellent ones to get a sound grasp of Ligeti's aesthetic, etc.

*
& klavierspieler *- Those Berg works are my favourites of him. PIty his output so small, but we have to be happy for what we have. It took me a while to "come round" to them though, but _Wozzeck_ "got" me straight away (at about your age!) & Brendel is respected as great player of c20th Viennese School music. His recordings, two of them I think, of the Schoenberg concerto still "benchmark," I have the 1950's one done under Maestro Gielen (who also pops up in that Wergo Ligeti series - small world!)...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Kalevi Aho*--Symphony* *No*.*3* *{"Sinfonia Concertante No.1*"} with Jaako Kuusisto conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. The last movement has a very uneasy, almost Shostakovich like edgy nervousness to it, making one think of impending doom in the way of tanks rolling into the street. Very unsettling. I also really like its 3rd movement:  Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia Concertante No. 1": III. Lento.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *featuring the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Petri Sakari. IMHO, this has to be one of the most gorgeous symphonies ever written, especially its yearningly expressive final movement.


----------



## science

Gershwin's Piano Concerto from this set. I know I used to own another recording of it, but I can't find it anymore.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roussel, Padmavati*, by Plasson. Then symphonies by *Clementi* with Francesco D'Avalos.


----------



## Vaneyes

Concert for the Prince of Poland (Venice, 1740), reproduced by AAM/Manze in 1996 at St. Jude-on-the-Hill, London.
A Vivaldi-collecting must.


----------



## Vaneyes

Handel to Handel, Suites for Keyboard. Masterful playing with interesting approaches. Queffelec's dynamics alert, while Jarrett's flatter line tends to hypnotize. Both are well recorded. These CDs complement, with only one repetition (HWV 433).


----------



## kv466

Schumann - Etudes Symphoniques op.13; Toccata in c, op.7; Fantasie in c, op.17
Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Adams, John*

Work 
*Adams: Phrygian Gates*

Artists	
Andrew Russo (Performer), James Ehnes (




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Ha...IFTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315825181&sr=8-1

In the Mostly two chamber music and orchestral works. It is Because I do not want to gape over too much at once. Solo piano is a world in itself. But I listen to an occasional piano work sometimes. This work is interesting and suggestive. Very nice playing, but only medium sound quality.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Ode to the End of the War, for winds, 8 harps, 4 pianos, brass, percussion and double basses, Op.105*

Artists	
Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmony




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FXJPZI/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937458&sr=8-12

This is Prokofiev at his best and most exciting! Incredible intense and colorful piece. And a pretty dark tone image, but a few small bright oasis in between.

Very good version, and the sound is very nice. Fine nerve!










Work 
*Prokofiev: Overture in Bb ('American'), for 17 instruments (or orchestra), Op.42*

Artists	
Alexander Korneev




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050FYHWM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937844&sr=8-15

Very nice and exciting overture. It's easy, lyrical and evocative, with many colorful small details.
I'm not really in terms tonal and atonal, but believe Prokofiev plays around with the atonal in between.
Great recording, pretty good sound, but somewhat jarring that can easily be heard in more peaceful areas.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34 bis*

Artists	
Vladimir Ashkenazy
keith puddy
gabrieli string quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...8QRW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313939267&sr=8-2

Excellent version of this captivating, mesmerizing overture. Very tight and rehearsed orchestra, creating a great nerve!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

Listening to the same Symphony as previously, this time with a different interpretation!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.7 in C#-, Op.131*

Artists
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...3Q/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1313839952&sr=8-10

A rather "classic" and the romantic symphony. Great variety of moods. Performances are excellent, but I'm not completely satisfied with the sound. But it is not bad. I really love this symphony! Well, the sound is quite good. I can not be to picky.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Holst--*The Planets, *featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"1917"}, *performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Evgeny Mravinsky.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 1*, Ashkenazy.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
Prokofiev: Symphony No.6 in Eb-, Op.111

Artists	
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...8QRW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313842435&sr=8-3

This symphony has a more modernistic touch than No. 7 I like both approaches. Very nice and springy symphony. The dramatic part in around 10 minutes in first movement is specially nice. followed by a calm lingering sequence. Beautiful! Performance and sound is absolutely brilliant!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166*

Artists	
Mithras Octet




http://www.amazon.com/Octet-F-Schubert/dp/B000005I8R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314616375&sr=8-1

This work is certainly to vacuous and boring to be so long. The essence of the work could and should be concentrated to 15 minutes or 20 It's almost as if you notice that musicians find it boring too. I love Schubert, but I am not impressed here. The sound is not very good either. I think I'll skip this one.


----------



## Vaneyes

Classical dessert just arrived...on first listen. David Geringas' cello has an attractive rich tone. His wife Tatjana is accompanying smartly--less is more. They're in the throes of Track 1, Epilogue from the ballet Peer Gynt. For my purposes, another of Schnittke's fractured fairytales. Musica nostalgia, too. Rock on.

Album order: Epilogue from the ballet Peer Gynt; Cello Sonata 2; Musica nostalgia; Cello Sonata 1.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Mass No. 1 In D Major, WAB 26*

Continuing the Brucknerthon with this recording of his beautiful Masses


----------



## jalex

*Berio: Sinfonia*










Brilliant auditory collage based on the third movement of Mahler's 2nd. One of the seminal works of the 1960s, and thoroughly enjoyable to boot.

*Schubert: Symphony #9*










I don't listen to this often, and when I do I sometimes feel the last movement to be too long, but today it was juuust fine  The second movement is exquisite.



oskaar said:


> Work
> *Schubert: Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166*
> 
> This work is certainly to vacuous and boring to be so long. The essence of the work could and should be concentrated to 15 minutes or 20 It's almost as if you notice that musicians find it boring too. I love Schubert, but I am not impressed here. The sound is not very good either. I think I'll skip this one.


 I love this piece...do give it another chance sometime later on.


----------



## Oskaar

jalex said:


> I love this piece...do give it another chance sometime later on.


I certainly will! Maybe I just was not in the mood.


----------



## Sid James

*Bernstein*
_On the Waterfront - Symphonic Suite from the Film _(1954)
Bournemouth SO / Marin Alsop, cond.
(Naxos)

*Beethoven*
_Piano Trio #1 in E flat Op. 1 #1_
Chung Trio
(EMI - from 2 cd set)

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Piano Concerto_
Anthony Fogg, pno. / Melbourne SO / Myer Fredman, cond.
(ABC Classics)

*Elgar*
_Pomp & Circumstance Marches 1 to 5, Op. 39_
London PO / Vernon Handley, cond.
(EMI)


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D.667, Op.posth.114 ('The Trout')*

Artists	
Kyoko Tabe




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VFGD84/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314031228&sr=8-30

I love this work. Not only the most famous Lullaby movement, but the entire work. Schubert at his best, and most seductive!
Performance here is very good. Beautiful interplay, and the sound is very nice.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Artists	
Thomas Demenga & Jörg Ewald Dähler Hansheinz Schneeberger




http://www.amazon.com/Franz-Schuber...UW64/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1314091775&sr=8-3

Work 
*Schubert: Piano Trio in Bb, D.28 ('Sonatensatz')*

The first thing that strikes me is the superb sound. The play itself is beautiful and very romantic and melodious. Performance is also very sensitive and nice, and the interaction is very good. Recommended for real!

*Work 
Schubert: Piano Trio No.1 in Bb, D.898, Op.99*

Fantastic wonderful trio! And with such a great recording it is a joy to listen to it!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 25*, Barry Wordsworth.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.17, K.453

Nice hair









next..

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29, FS 76 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, FS 97. *Both symphonies are performed by the National Symphony of Ireland under the guidance of Adrian Leaper. A special high point for me of the *4th* *Symphony *is its muscular and rousing final stanza: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, FS 76, "The Inextinguishable" : IV. Con Anima - Allegro.
Johan Svendsen--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.15. *Both works feature Maestro Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Alexander Gibson.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92*


----------



## NightHawk

*Henze - Royal Winter Suite I Gloucester*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Let's try again shall we? MSO Live: Tchaikovsky Complete Symphonies










Sorry, it's a little small. Hard to read the title.


----------



## science

Again from this box, now:

Volkmann: Konzertstücke for piano and orchestra, op. 42

I like this! Who's this Volkmann guy?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Interesting box set you have there. A lot of pieces I've never heard before!


----------



## science

Here I go again.

This is one of those works that goes from "What in the tar-freaking-nation is this nonsense?" to "Hey, this is actually really interesting" to "I really love this."


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Interesting box set you have there. A lot of pieces I've never heard before!


Yeah. Something like $50. I think it will pay for itself in terms of Hyperion "Romantic Piano Concerto" CDs that I don't buy bc I have the music in this box.


----------



## opus55

Bach in the very early morning


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Gershwin and Friends*

_- Songs, medleys of Gershwin, Porgy and Bess medley, etc._
Sarah Vaughan (vocals) & her jazz trio / Los Angeles PO / Michael Tilson-Thomas, piano & cond.

_- Rhapsody in Blue (original version)_
George Gershwin, piano roll / Columbia Jazz Band / Tilson-Thomas, cond.

Recorded live in concert, 1970's
(CBS Masterworks)

Great album. Ms. Vaughan had the vocal range, agility, flexibility of an opera singer. Added to that her improv skills and also that breathy voice & you have what is maybe a bit quirky now, but nothing but unique. I esp. like the _*Porgy and Bess medley*_, she really doesn't just sing the lyrics, this is a lived performance, not plastic. Funny, at the end of the concert, a guy calls out that he wants her hit _Perdido _as an encore, given that it's a Gershwin only concert she can't oblige, but she kind of pays a funny compliment to him, saying "you're an old fanboy!" 


*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Irkanda IV_
Leonard Dommett, violin solo / Melbourne SO / John Hopkins, cond. - recorded in 1967.
(ABC CLassics)

By contrast, this is a dark work, written at the time Sculthorpe's father died. It's basically a funeral-like lament, but in the middle it kind of changes tack and a kind of doom laden tango thing emerges, which gets more and more intense. This is an amazing performance, but the sound quality is not good (damaged master, I think). It has more than just historical value in that nothing else approaches it, except the late Stuart Challender's rendition done on a now out of print disc of about late 1980's. Sculthorpe here did not hold back, this isn't sugar coated in any way, and it's basically a gut wrenching piece, talking not only to his emotion at the time but the desolation and loneliness of the Australian bush. The harmonies of the Aboriginal wind instrument, the didgeridoo, seem to underly this piece, though there isn't one used in this piece as in some other Sculthorpe works...


----------



## kv466

Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
Neville Marriner conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra / Misha Dicter, piano

Been a long time...I've seen a lot of these being played recently but still haven't seen my 'go-to' version; as much as I love Earl Wild and Leonard Bernstein playing this, I almost always reach for this version I love so much:


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in Eb, Op.82 *

Artist

Maurice Abravanal, Utah Symphony




http://www.amazon.com/SIBELIUS-Comp...3DDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323259622&sr=8-1

I'm not quite sure if I like the symphony. But this is the first time listening so much can change. But I think it's a bit of a standstill. In a way it builds up to something that never comes. But I'll give the symphony a lot of chances!
Very good performance and great sound!


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*
*
Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in Eb, Op.82 *

Artist

Osmo Vänskä and Lahti Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...PJ/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1323259204&sr=8-21

I did not like the symphony on first listening. I do not think it was the recording there was something wrong with, it was actually just as good as this. It was more my ears and listen moode But I notice now that it is a work I can be truly happy in. It certainly required some listening , but I see great potential.

Vanska / Lahti cycle is very evenly good!


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105*

Artists	
Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U9RQE6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1318935074&sr=8-1

Very nice sonata. Very good performance, but the sound is a bit harsh, especially on the violin.










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121*

Artists	
Ara Malikian (Performer), Serouj Kradjian (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...Z3Z1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934873&sr=8-1

Lovely Sonata too. Wonderfully romantic and evocative. And the sound is much better here! Very good performance ... good interaction, and a very sensitive violin.










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.3 in A-, WoO.27*

Artists	
Jenny Abel
Roberto Szidon




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934960&sr=8-1

This sonata is far less available on Spotify. I do not know why, I like it really. It has a nerve that hit me. Pretty good version, games and interaction is very good, but the sound is a bit dim.


----------



## NightHawk

I own the Sibelius Symphonies in separate recordings by different orchestras, but have been thinking of getting this cycle. I remember hearing something by this orchestra and being totally surprised. Utah doesn't spring to mind when I think of a Sibelius cycle!  So, you think its worth the $?



oskaar said:


> *Jean Sibelius*
> 
> *Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in Eb, Op.82 *
> 
> Artist
> 
> Maurice Abravanal, Utah Symphony
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/SIBELIUS-Comp...3DDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323259622&sr=8-1
> 
> I'm not quite sure if I like the symphony. But this is the first time listening so much can change. But I think it's a bit of a standstill. In a way it builds up to something that never comes. But I'll give the symphony a lot of chances!
> Very good performance and great sound!


----------



## Vaneyes

D. Scarlatti Sonatas for Keyboard, with selections from Pletnev and Sudbin albums.


----------



## NightHawk

I have found, thorough the years, that projects involving Vladimir Ashkenazy are usually very, very fine. I listened to his playing of the first movement of the formidable Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto in G minor (the one with the 88 bar cadenza in the first movement). I then compared it with my recording with Vlad. Feltsman (B-) and a couple on Youtube and Vlad. Ashkenazy's was easily the finest. His sure-footed, clean technique, rhythm, phrasing, and pacing throughout the movement and especially making the catastrophic cadenza coherent are quite amazing.



oskaar said:


> *Sergey Prokofiev*
> 
> Work
> Prokofiev: Symphony No.6 in Eb-, Op.111
> 
> Artists
> Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> Vladimir Ashkenazy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...8QRW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313842435&sr=8-3
> 
> This symphony has a more modernistic touch than No. 7 I like both approaches. Very nice and springy symphony. The dramatic part in around 10 minutes in first movement is specially nice. followed by a calm lingering sequence. Beautiful! Performance and sound is absolutely brilliant!


----------



## Oskaar

NightHawk said:


> So, you think its worth the $?


I must relisten a bit to make sure if it is a good advice


----------



## Oskaar

Nighthawk.. Yes, I absolutely think the Utah cycle is worth the money! Brilliant sound, and I find the orchestra very dedicated. But you should ask Tapkira what he thinks to be sure. I am no expert.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Clemens Non Papa, Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis*, Tallis Scholars. This is the post-Josquin generation, so they liked a wall of sound. But Clemens doesn't overwhelm you with sound; he keeps his textures pretty clear as he plays with the cantus firmus.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Sibelius: Symphony No.4 in A-, Op.63

Artists	
Paavo Berglund and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...68Z4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323096295&sr=8-1

This is perhaps one of Sibelius's more "difficult" symphonies, but in contrast to the fifth so I fell for it immediately. I find it incredibly exciting.
Performance here is excellent. I think there are many good versions of Sibelius's symphonies there. Not only Vanska / Lahti.
Very good sound, and very sensitive play. Really great nerve through it all.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists

 Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker 




http://www.musicload.ch/leonard-ber...ymphonies-nos-1-2-5-7/musik/boxset/10993960_1

It's hard for me to rank Sibelius's symphonies so far. No. 6 and 7, I have not listened to yet. This is the symphony I've listened to most, and I find it eminently! It is quite easy to go in. wonderfully melodic, lyrical and dramatic.

This performance is very good. It is not perfect, neither the sound or performance, but very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
Ussr State Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Yesipov




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322837752&sr=1-1

The second symphony is more boring than the first. In any case, it is my impression now. But still very good. But I have a feeling that the later symphonies will grow larger than this with me, if I give them some time.
Very good performance! I often like Russian or Eastern European performances. It's like they have something extra to give! The sound is very good!


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52*

Artists	
Adrian Leaper, Jean Sibelius and Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...13M6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323013120&sr=8-2

Sibelius's symphonies all have different qualities. I did not like this as well on first listening. But the world! It's great! You must remember, Tapkira, it's all pretty new to me. I think I acquire my Sibelius pretty fast.

Not very good sound, but otherwise a great version.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Canticum Sacrum*, Gielen.

This is an austere piece, and even though the CD cover features Gielen with a "what have I gotten myself into" look, he provides a committed performance in a resonant acoustic, as it was intended.


----------



## NightHawk

Excellent! Now listen to this - it's not a video of the performance but at least it's not divided between two clips - if you want to see him play it, it's divided up on Youtube.

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor - first movement Andantino (complete) Vladimir Askenazy.








oskaar said:


> Nighthawk.. Yes, I absolutely think the Utah cycle is worth the money! Brilliant sound, and I find the orchestra very dedicated. But you should ask Tapkira what he thinks to be sure. I am no expert.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.1 in D-, Op.63*

Artists	
The West End Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Piano-Trios/dp/B000V977TW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292433&sr=8-1

Maybe not a great work. I think it's a bit boring actually. In any case now, but it may be because I've heard four symphonies of Sibelius in a row..., and need some time to adapt! The third movement is very beatiful though!

A little bad sound, especially from the piano. Otherwise ok performance, but not very good.










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.2 in F, Op.80*

Artists	
Eric Le Sage / Gordan Nikolitch / Paul Meyer / Christophe Coin




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...47SK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292542&sr=8-1

A truly wonderful and romantic trio! Very good performance. Violin and piano very well rehearsed, and especially the violin is very sensitive!










Work 
*Schumann: Piano Trio No.3 in G-, Op.110*

Artists	
*Ilya Gringolts, Peter Laul, Dmitry Kouzov*




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-The-...S7G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319292644&sr=8-1

Now I've Adapted, and can really appreciate these trios. I liked # 2 better, but this is certainly not bad. Very good and sensitive performance, and very good sound!


----------



## Sid James

Finished off the two cd's, the Sculthorpe disc & Beethoven piano trios set -

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_SUn Musics I-IV
Small Town_
Melbourne SO / John Hopkins (recorded 1976-7)
(ABC CLassics)

Sculthorpe's _*Sun Music *_pieces image the dry interior, the REd Centre. The layerings of the strings and glissandos give me an impression of the "haze" of heat, blurring as the heat rises up from the parched earth, and also the vastness of the landscape, where man is like the size of an ant. These were done in the 1960's, and Sculthorpe was using the same "texture" techniques as Penderecki at the same time, but they didn't know what eachother were doing. They kind of came to the same conclusions to innovate string techniques, but in the case of Sculthorpe this is an image of landscapes. This is not picture postcard stuff, nothing like eg. Ferde Grofe. There are elements of Asian music here as well as rhythms of Aboriginal tribal music. This is from Sculthorpe's earlier more experimental phase & it's my favourite work by him.

The other piece here,_ *Small Town*_, includes reminiscences on the bugle call of the_ Last Post_, which is played to commemorate our war dead here every year on Anzac Day. This comes across as an image of a small bush town on exactly that day, the bugle call and memories of the past coming back and wafting by. Aaron Copland was said to be an admirer of this piece, which along with _Irkanda IV _(also on this disc, listened to it before, in earlier post) forms part of his _The Fifth Continent _for narrator and orchestra, with words by D.H. Lawrence from his novel _Kangaroo_, written while he lived here.

*Beethoven*
_PIano Trio #7 in B flat Op. 97, Archduke_
Chung Trio
(EMI - from 2 cd set)

The king of piano trios, this has been called, and I agree with that statement. This is both grand and intimate. Many interesting bits, the high point are the theme and variations in the slow movement, then in the final movement he brings us back down to earth with a gentle lilting dance tune...


----------



## Oskaar

NightHawk said:


> Now listen to this - it's not a video of the performance but at least it's not divided between two clips - if you want to see him play it, it's divided up on Youtube.
> 
> Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor - first movement Andantino (complete) Vladimir Askenazy.


i love the concerto! I am pleasently surprised of the sound on the clip.


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt - Dante Symphony. Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic.

I have NEVER understood the criticism of this work. Maybe it's because Liszt was the first composer I really loved, and so all this 'bombast, and banality' doesn't affect me? I don't even notice it. I think it's a GREAT romantic symphony. I do think it is a shame that he, from Wagner's advice, didn't write a paradise movement, but then again I think the ending is so perfect in its short, quiet form that he/they may have been right after all.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.49 op77 String Quintet*

Artists	
Francesco Patracchi*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SIJOXQ/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316364042&sr=8-1

Wonderful sound! I tend to feel that the work is great when the sound is good. But in a way, it is natural since the nuances of the performance is better presented, and hence the work's qualities. But I have critical sence also! Hehe.
I find this vork very rewarding.Fine melodies, and very romantic. The work is really recommended. It is Dvorak`s chamber work at its best.
Excellent performance also. wonderful interaction, which creates a great nerve.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.79 op47 Bagatelles*

Artists	
Karel Untermüller, Miroslav Ambros




http://www.amazon.com/Miniatures-Tw...6RNO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316417868&sr=8-1

One of the finest chamber works by Dvorak. Nice to sit back and listen to this. Very nice version. Performance is excellent, very good cooperation and all instruments are very well balanced, and the totality that is created is very good. Great sound!










Work 
*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11 *

Artists	
Charles Mackerras (Conductor), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
pamela frank violin




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Suk-Mu...DLUQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314804052&sr=8-2

Another pearl! Excellent performance, but the sound is only average.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major, WAB 107, "Lyric"*


----------



## Clementine

The things I just finished listening to:

*John Adams: Violin Concerto*
A wonderful concerto, and currently my favorite work from the composer. The slow movement is beautiful, and the last movement a ton of fun. Highly recommended.

*Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata #2*
Very beautiful, especially the first movement.

*Bela Bartok: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion*
Not so beautiful, but also a lot of fun, especially the last movement. Bartok at his most dissonant. Very much in the same vein as his first two piano concertos, but better put together.

*Luciano Berio: Folk Songs*
Gorgeous stuff, and not what I was expecting! Highly recommend it to people who are skeptical about new music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor*

Prague Symphony Orchestra; Michael Ponti; Jindrich Rohan




http://www.amazon.com/Music-From-Pr..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320585745&sr=301-1

Beautiful concert! Very catchy, intense and dramatic. Performance is very good ... great orchestra, and fine piano. The sound of the piano is very good, but the orchestral sound is not very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Casella: Symphony No. 2*

Sun Hee You, Alfredo Casella, Francesco La Vecchia and Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma




http://www.amazon.com/Casella-Symph...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1323993975&sr=1-1

Very beautiful and dramatic symphony! Thanks to Tapkira for the advice. Very adventurous, and great variations.

The sound might have been better, but it is not bad. performance is excellent!


----------



## Lisztian

Just heard Kissin playing Prokofiev's second piano concerto...My jaw still has not left the floor!


----------



## kv466

Johann Neruda - Trumpet Concerto 
Hugh Wolff conducting the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Sergei Nakariakov, trumpet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Nicola Porpora was one of those giants of the Baroque era who virtually disappeared when the Baroque slipped into history. Others such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, etc... were eventually "rediscovered", yet Porpora's oeuvre remains largely to be unearthed by the current crop of musicians exploring the forgotten repertoire of the past. Karina Gauvin's delivery is exemplary... as is the performance of Il Complesso Barocco. The music is spectacular... in the sense that it presents a spectacle of virtuosity. I'm not certain that it grabs be as being among some of the better music of the Baroque opera repertoire. Porpora was of course one of the composers most known for his composition for the great castrati singers such as Farinelli and many of these arias are truly showcases of vocal fireworks... but continually pushing the limits of the "instrument" is not necessarily the route to artistic genius. Having said this much, there are arias which are far less laden with virtuoso histrionics and are far more expressive and dramatic. The final aria from this selection, _Si caro ti consola_, from the opera _Arianna_, is one of the finest examples.


----------



## Oskaar

Work	
*Liszt: Faust Symphony, S.108, R.425*

Artists	
Composed By - Franz Liszt
Conductor - Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics By - Goethe* (tracks: 4) 
Orchestra - New York Philharmonic* 
Tenor Vocals - Charles Bressler (tracks: 4) 
Chorus - Choral Art Society, The




http://www.discogs.com/Franz-Liszt-...rd-Bernstein-A-Faust-Symphony/release/2503149

Very nice work. Although it is quite long it is never boring. Liszt has so many colors to play on! The music is simple and complex at the same time.

Bernstein creates magic! Really good performance. The sound is just great, but pretty good.


----------



## Oskaar

Lisztian said:


> Just heard Kissin playing Prokofiev's second piano concerto...My jaw still has not left the floor!


Not heard kissin yet. But I love the concerto! I enjoyed Vladimir Krainev (piano) , Dmitri Kitajenko (cond) , Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> Excellent! Now listen to this - it's not a video of the performance but at least it's not divided between two clips - if you want to see him play it, it's divided up on Youtube.
> 
> Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor - first movement Andantino (complete) Vladimir Askenazy.


This set's been often recommended over the decades, but I differ. I don't like the interps or the recorded sound. Regarding the former, there's too much plodding--urgency, drama is lacking. Regarding the latter, the piano sounds clunky, the orchestra is pretty well non-descript.


----------



## science

#4


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.9
Boulez / Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The 9th has always been my least favorite Mahler symphony but I still listen occasionally. Just got Boulez one.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## science

Still working on this box. There is a lot of good music here. Some of it surprisingly conventional, it seems to me, for Bartok.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Symphony No.2
David Zinman, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> ...
> Still working on this box. There is a lot of good music here. Some of it surprisingly conventional, it seems to me, for Bartok.


Bartok comes across as like the most "conventional" of the modernists of his period, as I kind of see (or hear) it.

Eg. him being one of the major guys to bring back Bach's techniques, eg. counterpoint esp., & the old forms like canons, etc. Of course others did this, in that "neo-classical" craze. But for him this was not just a fad, it was deeply embedded in his whole philosophy, aesthetics, of music, etc.

I went to a concert here a few years back. Part of the first half was Bartok's _Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta_. The jurassic conservatives sat through that happily. It has what they want, eg. those counterpoint things, heaps of that, and big tunes, whatever. Second half was R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen, _which is a totally different kettle of fish, so to speak. Tonally more vague than the Bartok, probably, and then some. So up to a third of the concert hall was less, that much of the audience (the jurassics) gone, as we went back to our seats to enjoy that second half. This says loads. On that occassion, comparing those two works, the more "conservative" R. Strauss went beyond Bartok in terms of a kind of "modern" aesthetic, but this is just my analysis, take is as you will...


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *with organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Quiet City, *both performed by the NY Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Sid James said:


> I went to a concert here a few years back. Part of the first half was Bartok's _Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta_. The jurassic conservatives sat through that happily. It has what they want, eg. those counterpoint things, heaps of that, and big tunes, whatever. Second half was R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen, _which is a totally different kettle of fish, so to speak. Tonally more vague than the Bartok, probably, and then some. So up to a third of the concert hall was less, that much of the audience (the jurassics) gone, as we went back to our seats to enjoy that second half. This says loads. On that occassion, comparing those two works, the more "conservative" R. Strauss went beyond Bartok in terms of a kind of "modern" aesthetic, but this is just my analysis, take is as you will...


I don't understand why some people leave early. How much could you lose by staying for the rest of the program even if you don't really like it..


----------



## Sid James

opus55 said:


> I don't understand why some people leave early....


There are a variety of reasons, I made a thread about this before, but basically I think these people are cactus, they are simply fossils of the Jurassic era.

At a previous performance of _Metamorphosen_ over a decade ago, at the end of that piece, a guy next to me said to his wife "what was the point of that? That was like pointless." Well, you can guess what I think of his opinion for what it's worth (hint: zilch) but at least he had the integrity to sit through it, and not avoid it or even leave during the piece, as happened here this year, a mass exodus during a performance of Mahler's 9th. Just appalling, these people's attitudes are stuck not in 1911, but I think basically as I said, in the Jurassic era...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *Both are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *featuring John Eliot Gardiner conducting the English Baroque Soloists.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in G Major {"Military"}, *with the NY Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Fanfare For The Common Man, *again featuring Maestro Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> I don't understand why some people leave early. How much could you lose by staying for the rest of the program even if you don't really like it..


If the second half was anything by _Elgar_, I would definitely leave.


----------



## samurai

OUCH!!! Better not let Elgar's Ghost or Elgarian see that one! :lol:


----------



## opus55

For me to leave early, it would have to be something out of my control - like my nagging wife (why I prefer going alone on week nights) or bad diarrhea. I guess I don't care as long as they disappear during intermission.

Now listening to

Schumann: String Quartets
Fine Arts Quartet


----------



## opus55

This piece always makes me want to cry

Schumann: Waldszenen
Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang"*

One of the greatest String Quartets ever written!


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125, "Choral"*

One of my first loves in Classical Music - this never fails to impress..


----------



## violadude

opus55 said:


> For me to leave early, it would have to be something out of my control - like my nagging wife (why I prefer going alone on week nights) or bad diarrhea. I guess I don't care as long as they disappear during intermission.
> 
> Now listening to
> 
> Schumann: String Quartets
> Fine Arts Quartet


I have this recording as well


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> If the second half was anything by _Elgar_, I would definitely leave.


Jeeze that's pretty harsh. What is your beef with Elgar?


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quintet In C Major, Op. 29, "Storm"*

Continuing with my mini Beethoven Binge - now listening to one of B's lesser known works but a very fine one nonetheless! This is a vibrant work and heard here in an excellent performance. I would encourage anyone who enjoys Beethovens Chamber Music to aquire this great set!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> Jeeze that's pretty harsh. What is your beef with Elgar?


I have absolutely no idea why I hate Elgar. I just _cannot_ get through _any_ of his works comfortably (especially the Cello Concerto!)


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have absolutely no idea why I hate Elgar. I just _cannot_ get through _any_ of his works comfortably (especially the Cello Concerto!)


Wow, that's one of my favorite Cello Concertos.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> Wow, that's one of my favorite Cello Concertos.


Oh. Heheh. Interesting work that Cello Comcerto of his eh?


----------



## Sid James

^^ Benjamin Britten hated Elgar's music in his younger years, but as he mellowed & got to middle age, he ended up liking Elgar's stuff, even conducted it! So maybe a few decades later, you will change tack on Elgar. He definitely comes across, a lot of his stuff, as "old man's music," maybe for more mature, experienced people. But I mean that in the nicest possible way, both to yourself and Elgar lovers (of which I am one, for a number of his works at least, but the _Cello Concerto _isn't a favourite of mine for various reasons, but I don't hate it per se either)...


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen*
Song-cycles for soprano & piano:
- _Trois Melodies _(1930)
- _Harawi: Songs of Love & Death_ (1945)
Hetna Regitze Bruun, soprano / Kristoffer Hyldig, piano 
(Naxos)

This has become one of my favourite 20th century song cycles and definitely a favourite work by Messiaen. Like Beethoven, I can do no wrong with this guy's music.

An earlier review I did HERE, boy was I long-winded, but it just shows my enthusiasm and enjoyment of this music & also the great interpretation by these two young Danish musicians.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

News news news news news news news news news news news news has a has a has a has a kind of mystery, has a has a has a has a kind if mystery ...


----------



## NightHawk

Unexplored genre in my, otherwise, good library of Beethoven! Thanks for the tip - I love quintets, Mozart's are the best chamber music he wrote in my opine.



Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: String Quintet In C Major, Op. 29, "Storm"*
> 
> Continuing with my mini Beethoven Binge - now listening to one of B's lesser known works but a very fine one nonetheless! This is a vibrant work and heard here in an excellent performance. I would encourage anyone who enjoys Beethovens Chamber Music to aquire this great set!


----------



## NightHawk

I know the 'Alte giove' <sic> is probably the 'Pachelbel's Canon' of Porpora's output, but I do love it and wondered if there was an opera that you recommended? thanks!



StlukesguildOhio said:


> Nicola Porpora was one of those giants of the Baroque era who virtually disappeared when the Baroque slipped into history. Others such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, etc... were eventually "rediscovered", yet Porpora's oeuvre remains largely to be unearthed by the current crop of musicians exploring the forgotten repertoire of the past. Karina Gauvin's delivery is exemplary... as is the performance of Il Complesso Barocco. The music is spectacular... in the sense that it presents a spectacle of virtuosity. I'm not certain that it grabs be as being among some of the better music of the Baroque opera repertoire. Porpora was of course one of the composers most known for his composition for the great castrati singers such as Farinelli and many of these arias are truly showcases of vocal fireworks... but continually pushing the limits of the "instrument" is not necessarily the route to artistic genius. Having said this much, there are arias which are far less laden with virtuoso histrionics and are far more expressive and dramatic. The final aria from this selection, _Si caro ti consola_, from the opera _Arianna_, is one of the finest examples.


----------



## NightHawk

I received the Bartok Concerto for 2 Pianos yesterday with Argerich et al, and also her recording of the Prokofiev 1 and 3 - excellent recording both, but especially glad to hear the Concerto for 2 Pianos, percussion and orchestra. A very brilliant recording by Argerich, Zinman and the Concertgebouw. Thanks for the post! nh



Vaneyes said:


> Bartok to Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (Dorati); Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta (Dutoit).


----------



## NightHawk

I ordered 'used-like new' or 'used-good' for this outstanding ensemble and got all 9 volumes offered by Amazon. The Kodaly Quartet is a great ensemble with so much more to offer (IMO) than the Emerson (my only other essay of the quartets). I paid $0.01 for one volume + $2.98 - 9 volumes in all. With postage and same vendor for a number of the volumes I probably saved some money, but not much and that wasn't the point anyway. Just wanted these rich readings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I just _cannot_ get through _any_ of his works comfortably (especially the Cello Concerto!)


That brings back a memory of an Elgar concert where someone exhaled deeply and said, "Ugh, Elgar the Endless."

Today, *Sibelius' 5th symphony* by Vanska.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - Glagolitic Mass

Hmmm.... Dunno Orchestra
Karl Ancerl conducting.


----------



## NightHawk

Received in today's mail:


















couldn't enlarge image - concerto gross I, concerto for oboe and harp, concerto for piano and strings









ditto - Symphony No. 2 'st.florian'

Looking forward to the night!


----------



## opus55

violadude said:


> I have this recording as well


Do you find the first quartet first movement played too aggressive or harsh by Fine Arts? Educate a newbie 

Listening to

Janacek: String Quartets


----------



## Vaneyes

New BIS Sibelius sets coming from both Minnesota/Vanska and Lahti/Kamu. How much is overkill, I ask?

Listening to Kamu's live with Lahti excerpts, linked here...

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/sibelius-revisited


----------



## brianwalker

I'm not "getting" this symphony. The xylophones and quotations are noticeable, but for what purpose I am uncertain.










The fourth is fantastic. While it lacks the Brahmsian grandeur the Mozartean delicacy and dance are all there. This is probably the most under-recorded symphony I know.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> I don't understand why some people leave early. How much could you lose by staying for the rest of the program even if you don't really like it..


About twenty years ago, I attended a concert which included Bronfman playing Bartok PC 2. It was programmed last, allowing for audience depletion and booing. I enjoyed the performance, and I also enjoyed the audience reaction, pro and con. Bronfman feigned shock at the displeased. That was fun, and made the "pro-choicers" all the more vocal.


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> Unexplored genre in my, otherwise, good library of Beethoven! Thanks for the tip - I love quintets, Mozart's are the best chamber music he wrote in my opine.


Yes, I think Mozart has a special affinity with the quintets, including clarinet.

Spurred onward, to listen to Fehervari/Eder for String Quintets (my favorites K. 593, K. 614), and de Peyer/Melos for Clarinet Quintet.

For anyone interested, the latter's reissued on inexpensive EMI Seraphim, made even more so by Amazon Marketplace.


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Oh. Heheh. Interesting work that Cello Comcerto of his eh?


Interesting and beautiful to my ears.


----------



## opium




----------



## agoukass




----------



## Conor71

*Delius: Brigg Fair*

A rousing and beautiful work - don't know why I dont listen to this Composer more often!


----------



## jalex

*Mozart: Symphonies #29, #39
*

















*Mahler: Symphony #4*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The focus of my music collecting over the past few years has been upon the music of the Baroque followed by opera and Modern/Contemporary music. Every now and then I pick up something from outside of these areas... especially if they strike me as extraordinarily interesting... or an exceptional value.










I must admit that my grasp of the "Classical Era"... the period of Mozart, Gluck, and Haydn... is probably the least developed of any era... including Renaissance and Medieval music. I have made some few attempts at gaining a greater feel for this era recently with the purchase of Franz Anton Hoffmeister's clarinet quartets. As someone in love with the clarinet and the clarinet music of Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, Bruch, etc... I jumped upon these delicious bon-bons. A lovely collection of classical chamber music... and music that deserves to be recognized and heard alongside Mozart, Gluck, and Haydn.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 16 In D Major, K 451*

A bit of a change of pace from the Delius - This music is bright and lively and perfect for an early Saturday Morning here!.
Now listening to Disc 4 of this excellent set which has not disappointed me for sound or performance


----------



## jalex

*Mozart: String Quartet #15*










*Schubert: String Quartet #15*










*Shostakovich: String Quartet #15*










15 appears to be a good number for string quartets.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Philippe Jaroussky is one of the few singers whose efforts I follow "religiously"... to the point that I would almost purchase a disc of him singing the phone book. He is simply that good. This recording, which I finally got around to picking up, is an earlier effort by Jaroussky comprised of Italian Baroque music collected by Cardinal Mazzarino (aka Mazarin) and brought to France as part of his policy of the dissemination of Italian culture. (Jean-Baptiste de Lully [aka _Giovanni Battista Lulli_] the 'father' of French opera at the court of Louis XIV was another example of the importance of Italian culture upon the music of France).

The music is quite exquisite. I was especially struck by the piece, _Bienheureuse est une âme_ from _La pieuse alouette_, a collection of spiritual songs. This beautiful tune is accompanied by a Baroque horn or reed instrument suggestive of the sound of a saxophone. There are elements to the instrumental accompaniment of this tune almost suggestive of jazz... but this should not be surprising, as a number of Monteverdi's late madrigals bear elements equally suggestive of jazz. The collection of works on this disc as a whole range from secular dance-like numbers, to traditional choral compositions, organ solos, etc... Over all, Jaroussky's voice soars in crystalline clarity.

Highly recommended!


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Just finished last night a Ludwig Minkus (1826-1917) ballet, _La Bayadère_ (1877). The whole thing - music and production - was a thrill! And the Blu-ray experience just made it all crystal. If you like Romantic ballets and a sumptuous production this might be one to try.

The Royal Ballet & The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House under Valeriy Ovsyanikov, 2009 production.


----------



## Polednice

I was talking to someone about Requiems today, comparing such gems as the Mozart and Verdi (our conclusion on that discussion was that the Mozart obviously has moments of great sublimity, but the Verdi is stronger as a more consistent, immersive experience). Anyway, we got talking about some lesser known masses, and he recommended *Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle*. So, this evening, I have been listening to a Neville Marriner recording:










It features the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and also has the _Messa di Milano_ on it, though I haven't listened to that yet. The title is fitting with regards to 'Petite' - it is a work small in feeling and scope, though it has some great music in it. The opening Kyrie was particularly gripping, slightly reminiscent of the Mozart introitus with its playful winds. I need to give the rest of it proper attention, but it's certainly deserving of it and, of course, the recording is fantastic as you would expect from these musicians.


----------



## Sid James

Repeated listening to these, getting more out of them all the time.

Esp. *Sculthorpe*, I have realised why he was innovating same things as eg. Penderecki at the same time - in terms of new ways of notation, string/brass writing (eg. the glissandos), etc. - as they were both influenced by John Cage. So were Lutoslawski & Hovhaness in their own ways. Cage also was interested in Asian philosophy & music, which definitely rubbed off on Sculthorpe as well as Hovhaness.

In the_ Sun _pieces, Sculthorpe also uses amplified percussion, also what sounds like Aboriginal percussions, and writing for the orchestra making these electronic-like sounds.

_Irkanda IV _is part lament for Sculthorpe's dead father, and also an image of the Australian bush, a harsh environment, and incorporating this dark and doom laden tango, which gets more and more intense, it's a visceral experience. Sculthorpe said here he was contrasting the feel of our landscape, this old continent, with the sounds of music from Europe, the decadence of the old culture. I don't really care about that, but I like the contrast. Unfortunately this recording is not really good in terms of sound, but it's the best peformance I've heard of this work, & I don't usually like to use that value laden word, "best."

So I'm getting the big picture now a bit with Sculthorpe's stuff.

The *Gershwin concert *is great, *Sarah Vaughan's *voice is amazing, soaring high and coming down low, at one stage she sounds very much like the sax accompanying her.

As for the *Bernstein* _Jeremiah _symphony, it's become my favourite work by him now, but I also love all else I've heard by him, basically...

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Sun Musics I-IV +
Irkanda IV *_
Melbourne SO
+ John Hopkins, cond.
* Leonard Dommett, violin / Myer Fredman, cond.
(ABC CLassics)

*Gershwin*
_Porgy and Bess_ medley: Overture / Summertime / It aint necessarily so / I loves you Porgy
Sarah Vaughan (vocals) and her jazz trio / Los Angeles PO / Michael Tilson-Thomas, piano & cond.
(from album: _Gershwin and Friends_, on CBS Masterworks)

*Bernstein*
_Sym. #1, Jeremiah_
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-sop. / Israel PO / composer conducting (recorded in Berlin, late 1970's)
(DGG)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Damn!!!

"Gloria!" indeed.


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm listening to Joyce, er Sergei Babayan. Just kidding, Sergei. For those that don't know, Babayan's Scarlatti (c1995) was involuntarily included aka lifted for Joyce Hatto's Vols. 2 & 3 recs.

Good playing. Is it Horowitz? No. Does it belong? Absolutely, a nice addition for the addiction. Crystal-clear sound. Smartly miked.

My first listen to a Piano Classics reissue. A simply-attractive product that comes in at a good price. The CD's coloring on the printed side makes sense--half ivory, half black. Notes are adequate, except that recording information is absent.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> "Gloria!" indeed.


How did I miss this one? I'm halfway through on Spotify. I've been looking for a good recording of this piece. This might be the one.


----------



## samurai

Alan Hovhaness--*Symphony No.4, Op.165, Symphony No.20, Op.223 {"Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain"} and Symphony No.53, Op.377 {"Star Dawn"}. *All three symphonies feature the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra led by Keith Brion.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works are performed by the New york Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opium said:


>


Are they all related or something?


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Are they all related or something?


yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_Shostakovich


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto*


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Piano Sextet, Op.110 and Piano Quartet No.1, Op.1

The sextet was scored for one violin, two violas, a cello, a double bass and piano. The piano quartet was written when Mendelssohn was thirteen.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 In E Minor, Op. 95, B 178, "From The New World"*

Just finished listening to Dvorak's 6th and In Natures Realm Overture from this excellent set and mighty good they were too! - now onto more familiar territory.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Symphony no. 7 fourth movement.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

And ... It finished. Now onto No. 8!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*James MacMillan, Seven Last Words from the Cross.* Not exactly Christmas music.


----------



## Art Rock

Continuing my exploration of the symphonic works of Myaskovsky. Only 3 more CD's to go.


----------



## kv466




----------



## NightHawk

Which are your favorites so far? unless you had rather wait until finished. I'm listening to same.



Art Rock said:


> Continuing my exploration of the symphonic works of Myaskovsky. Only 3 more CD's to go.


----------



## NightHawk

Tuckwell and Marriner/& Academy - great collaboration!!!



kv466 said:


>


----------



## kv466

Franz Anton Hoffmeister - Viola Concerto in d
Markand Thakar conducts the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra
Victoria Chiang, viola


----------



## kv466

Felix Mendelssohn - String Symphony no.2 in d
Ross Pople conducts the London Festival Orchestra


----------



## jalex

*Beethoven: Mass in C*


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E-, Op.39*

Artists	
San Francisco Symphony (Artist), Herbert Blomstedt




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...Q1EA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317125738&sr=8-1

No Especially good version. The sound is only half way, and I do not think the orchestra submit the spark and the nerve that lies in the work. It seems flat. But the symphony is the first class.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving this one a second listen before shelving it. Quite exquisite.


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Symphony no.27 in e-flat, kv184
Christopher Hogwood and The Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## clavichorder

What's with the Myaskovsky fascination on this forum? Can anyone recommend a Myaskovsky work to me? I've listened to a few and I find myself interested, but not blown away.


----------



## kv466

clavichorder said:


> What's with the Myaskovsky fascination on this forum? Can anyone recommend a Myaskovsky work to me? I've listened to a few and I find myself interested, but not blown away.


I've got the Myaskovsky violin concerto in d-minor by Vadim Repin and I can highly recommend that recording of a sublimely 'different' piece of music, for me. I bought this when I was exploring the Tchai violin concerto and different interpretations and this was a wonderful 'new' work I wasn't familiar with and ended up liking more than the famous D major concerto by the Russian master; at least played by Vadim, that is. This is one of the few works of his I am familiar with.

I'm sure, or at least I would hope, that Martin can give you a bunch.


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Simple Symphony, Op.4*

Artists	
Ucla Wind Ensemble/Orchestra Da Camera Di Roma




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZWAVG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317394327&sr=8-1

I like this work! Maybe some "easy listening" Britten, but I like it really. The second movement, "Sentimental saraband" Is very beautiful!
The performance is great, great nerve, but the sound is not top notch.










*Work 
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op.20*

Artists	
Neville Marriner, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-B-Sin...32WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317395239&sr=8-1

Exciting and atmospheric work! Again, good and sensitive performance, but not very good sound.


----------



## kv466

Ok, so I'm watching and listening to:


Martha Argerich and Gautier Capuçon play Chopin's Introduction and Polonaise Brillante in C major, Op. 3

I've more than likely only ever heard this piece on a best of or compilation cd and I have to say that the playing is beautiful from both the piano and cello. It really does bother me, however,...(sorry, Jhar)...that nine minutes of music can't simply be absorbed by a master (!!). I mean,...this really bothers me as it does anytime I see anyone reading music instead of having it down in their heads before playing it in front of an audience. Nonetheless, a beautiful rendition of a piece I intend to explore more fully.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2
Rudolf Serkin
George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Septet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello & double-bass in Bb, "Grand"*

Artists	
Berlin Philharmonic Octet*




http://www.amazon.com/Kreutzer-C-Se...XAS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318602608&sr=8-1

Absolutely beautiful work! There are some harmonies and details of the first movement is totally amazing! Excellent performance and very good sound!










Work 
*Berwald: Piano Trio No.2 in F-*

Artists	
Ilona Prunyi




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Piano...OPS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318599156&sr=8-1

Quite nice trio, but not very special. Average sound, and a bit flat and uninspired performance.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F, Op.24
Ingrid Haebler & Henryk Szeryng


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

clavichorder-What's with the Myaskovsky fascination on this forum? Can anyone recommend a Myaskovsky work to me? I've listened to a few and I find myself interested, but not blown away.

Member Martin (pen-name Mayakovsky) and a couple other fans/fanatics pushed so much for Mayakovsky that I picked up a couple of recordings myself. martin insisted I pick of the Svetlanov box set, but I'm not about to jump into an unknown quite to such an extent.

Personally, the disc that really sold me on Mayakovsky was this:










Both the symphony and the cello concerto were quite strong... darkly Russian... late Romanticism. This disc certainly convinced me to explore Mayakovsky to a further extent... in spite of the fact that Russian Romanticism is not my abiding passion.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12 In F Major, Op. 96, B 179, " American"*

Dvorak's String Quartet Cycle is wonderful!


----------



## kv466

The Complete Mozart Piano Sonatas
Christoph Eschenbach


----------



## opus55

Penderecki: Clarinet Quartet










Mendelssohn: Piano Quartet No.1


----------



## NightHawk

I own both volumes of this collaboration between the Polish virtuoso Henryk Szeryng and Salzburger pianist Ingrid Haebler. It is a marriage made in heaven and it is highly prized by violinists and pianists alike for its superb balance and interplay between the performers. Szeryng's playing is by turns direct, strong and luminous. Haebler, no less an artist, will draw you into the sonata as a collaborative effort of equal proportion by her wonderful phrasing, and ability to make every nuance of the line finely etched. Each of the 10 sonatas is a full measure of Beethoven's attention to this genre. You will surely want to get volume II.












opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F, Op.24
> Ingrid Haebler & Henryk Szeryng


----------



## NightHawk

At the moment have taken an intermission from my three new and wonderful Schnittke cds to listen to what the postman dropped off today:










Henze's words: _"Old forms, like classical ideals of beauty, seem to me no longer attainable, but they still may be seen in the distance; they stimulate memory, like dreams, but the path to them is filled with the great darkness of our age; this path to them is the most difficult and impossible. It seems to me the only folly worth living for."_


----------



## NightHawk

I haven't regretted buying the Svetlanov boxed set at all, as I have more than my share of the 'hunter-gatherer' genetic disposition, and Myaskovsky is masterful in many of the works. But I can't say that I'd recommend you buy it, esp given what you implied about your own tastes re the conservative, modern romantic style he works in. I like the symphonies #27 and #23, particularly. However, I listen to the piano sonatas more than the symphonies and pianist Murray McLachlan recorded all of them, beautifully.

Note: the liner notes of the Svetlanov boxed set are filled with errors regarding what work you are listening to and what movement. You can find a review on Amazon that does a pretty good job of correcting these errors. I made a lot of corrections!!

Edit: I do enjoy very much the violin concerto.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> clavichorder-What's with the Myaskovsky fascination on this forum? Can anyone recommend a Myaskovsky work to me? I've listened to a few and I find myself interested, but not blown away.
> 
> Member Martin (pen-name Mayakovsky) and a couple other fans/fanatics pushed so much for Mayakovsky that I picked up a couple of recordings myself. martin insisted I pick of the Svetlanov box set, but I'm not about to jump into an unknown quite to such an extent.
> 
> Personally, the disc that really sold me on Mayakovsky was this:
> 
> Both the symphony and the cello concerto were quite strong... darkly Russian... late Romanticism. This disc certainly convinced me to explore Mayakovsky to a further extent... in spite of the fact that Russian Romanticism is not my abiding passion.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 In C Major, Op. 59/3, "Rasumovsky No. 3"*


----------



## Sid James

*Widor*
_Collection of movements from symphonies for solo organ, etc._
Robert Delcamp, organ
(Naxos)

At 80 minutes, this is as good as a collection of various bits and pieces of Widor's organ symphonies as you'll get.

I esp. like the slow & lyrical movements, they have a lot of things going on under the surface, a lot of layering.

A highlight is two movements from a work called _Bach's Memento_, an organ transcription of pieces from the Anna Magdalena notebook. Widor did a lot ot revive the fortunes of J.S. Bach in terms of his organ music.

The more brash and bombastic loud movements are not exactly what I'm in the mood for now, but they're a lot of fun. Esp. the famous _Toccata_ from the sym.#5. It's as if Lurch from the Addam's Family was at the organ console or something in this cobweb filled Gothic castle or something. That famous bit doesn't really relate to the two other movements of that symphony. Here it's in three movements, but there are other versions that are like 5 movements. Widor was most obsessive compulsive reviser, like Bruckner, so there is little consistency as to which is the go-to version for organists to play, apparently. I haven't heard the 5 movement version of this work, only this 3 movement one, and so it sounds as if the famous finale doesn't relate much to what goes on earlier. But anyway.

All in all a good collection and not a bad way to spend 80 minutes, really, esp. on a weekend as now...


----------



## opus55

NightHawk said:


> I own both volumes of this collaboration between the Polish virtuoso Henryk Szeryng and Salzburger pianist Ingrid Haebler. It is a marriage made in heaven and it is highly prized by violinists and pianists alike for its superb balance and interplay between the performers. Szeryng's playing is by turns direct, strong and luminous. Haebler, no less an artist, will draw you into the sonata as a collaborative effort of equal proportion by her wonderful phrasing, and ability to make every nuance of the line finely etched. Each of the 10 sonatas is a full measure of Beethoven's attention to this genre. You will surely want to get volume II.


Yes. I have both volumes! I got Vol I this year as a part of building my basic library. I had Vol II for almost ten years while I wasn't listening to classical much. I enjoy Szeryng/Haebler more than Kremer/Argerich.

Now listening to..

Mahler 1


----------



## jalex

*Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas #1, 2
*


----------



## edge

I have been listening off/on to this all afternoon.










I loved this at first but I think I got bored after about the first 6 or 7 songs.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt. Already one of my favorite symphonies, this interpretation by Blomstedt and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra simply blew away all the other renditions I've heard of this work to date. The timbre and acuity of each section achieved by this group under Blomstedt was the most beautifully nuanced and expressive I've ever heard; each note is a clarion call of meaning and insistence, without any "muddying" or "blurring over" by other instruments. This performance was as crystal clear in its execution as any of the icebergs or fjords it manages to conjure up in the listener's mind. Bravo!
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. This work--which I never heard before--is most definitely going on my "to listen again" list.
Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*3* *in* *C* *Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82. *Both works feature the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons. The more I listen to this most lyrical of composers, the more he becomes amongst my favorites, and the less I can wait for my box set of his complete symphonic cycle done by Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic to arrive from *Amazon*!


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, *all performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Maestro Bernstein. As well, the *First* *Symphony *features organist E. Power Biggs.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Modern jazz. I'm listening to The Escaltors' album "Wrapped in Plastic" as I write sketches for my sixth symphony. The music on the album was written by my primary school music teacher and trombonist Kynan Robinson.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"*

First listen of this newly recieved recording - first impressions are very good as it sounds powerful and detailed!


----------



## clavichorder

Rigel!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Kynan Robinson: En Rusk "1000 Wide"*

Here's the guy:









Here's the guy playing his trombone:









And here's his _other_ band (called En Rusk) playing in the album "1000 Wide:"









I think I like this one better than "Wrapped in Plastic."


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Te Deum In C Major, WAB 45*

Another first listen from this newly arrived Disc.


----------



## jalex

*Rihm: String Quartet #3*






An extremely powerful work in three short movements. Alternates between brutally violent and unbearably melancholic. Recommended.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Once As I Remember*, Christmas pieces conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## NightHawk

I bought the Eschenbach Mozart back last spring and they are incredible!!! I'm sure you know that was a product of his having won the International Mozart Competition (a good number of years ago). Great minds run in similar veins! haha. Happy Holidays.



kv466 said:


> The Complete Mozart Piano Sonatas
> Christoph Eschenbach


----------



## NightHawk

Great String Quartet and Great String Quartet (the Berg Bunch) - the Op. 59 in C major is flat-out amazing - I particularly love the 2nd (slow) movement - but, that 'show fugue' at the end is fairly breath-taking! Incidentally, No. 1 in F and No. 2 in e minor in this Op. 59 are of equal eloquence, verve and even grandeur, but you probably know that, already. 



Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 In C Major, Op. 59/3, "Rasumovsky No. 3"*


----------



## NightHawk

*Countertenors Jaroussky et al*

I have Jaroussky in the Handel Opera 'Faramondo' and am quite amazed at the natural sound and perfect legato that he makes. Also in the cast is Max Emanuel Cencic, whose album of Handel Arias I own. I wonder what you think of him? I like his incisive rhythm and think his phrasing is excellent. And, finally in this line of vocal fach I own a wonderful Handel album by Andreas Scholl, who is (I assume he is still singing), my favorite.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> Philippe Jaroussky is one of the few singers whose efforts I follow "religiously"... to the point that I would almost purchase a disc of him singing the phone book. He is simply that good. This recording, which I finally got around to picking up, is an earlier effort by Jaroussky comprised of Italian Baroque music collected by Cardinal Mazzarino (aka Mazarin) and brought to France as part of his policy of the dissemination of Italian culture. (Jean-Baptiste de Lully [aka _Giovanni Battista Lulli_] the 'father' of French opera at the court of Louis XIV was another example of the importance of Italian culture upon the music of France).
> 
> The music is quite exquisite. I was especially struck by the piece, _Bienheureuse est une âme_ from _La pieuse alouette_, a collection of spiritual songs. This beautiful tune is accompanied by a Baroque horn or reed instrument suggestive of the sound of a saxophone. There are elements to the instrumental accompaniment of this tune almost suggestive of jazz... but this should not be surprising, as a number of Monteverdi's late madrigals bear elements equally suggestive of jazz. The collection of works on this disc as a whole range from secular dance-like numbers, to traditional choral compositions, organ solos, etc... Over all, Jaroussky's voice soars in crystalline clarity.
> 
> Highly recommended!


----------



## NightHawk

My favorite Bruckner along with the 4th.



Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*


----------



## NightHawk

sigh. another expenditure. i really like this and listened to other of the movements. thanks 

EDIT: The score looks like manuscript! I likes it a lot. There is something so sterile about the look of music produced by the music writing program Finale, Sibelius and others. I know they are highly useful tools and I know we'll never go back, but I so wish that music schools required a semester in the Scriptorium!!! I think composers write differently according to their tools/materials etc. Yes, I do have a MacBP but still love my Gateway Notebook, yes I do have four working computers/laptops, yes I do have an iPhone and yes, I txt ...but I'm holding out - I do not have an iPad (yet). 



jalex said:


> *Rihm: String Quartet #3*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An extremely powerful work in three short movements. Alternates between brutally violent and unbearably melancholic. Recommended.


----------



## NightHawk

George Enescu: Octet Op. 7; Quintet Op. 29 - Gidon Kremer, _et al_ artists


----------



## agoukass




----------



## opus55

Bach: Toccatas and Fugues


----------



## jalex

*Strauss: Till Eulengspiegels lustige Streiche*










*Berlioz: Symphonie Funebre et Triomphal*










A much maligned work, this symphony, but I can't see why really. Maybe not as good as SF or _Harold_ but still plenty to admire here.


----------



## Vaneyes

Ms. Tsu and select players from the Slovak Phil. (aka Razumovsky Sinfonia) play out of their skins on this Korngold/Goldmark album (1995), not to forget the superb directing of Yu Long. Yup, you heard it right, Yu Long--current MD for China Phil. and Guangzhou SO. He was 31 when he conducted this gem for Naxos.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Started with* Bach, Harpsichord Concertos II*I on Naxos. I skeptically got it for $2 used, but like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, it isn't such a bad little recording after all.










On to Harnoncourt's recording of *Beethoven's 9th*, trying to figure out if I want to put out .69 per track on Amazon for the download.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: String Octet


----------



## starthrower

Hans Werner Henze-Symphony No. 7


----------



## Vaneyes

clavichorder said:


> What's with the Myaskovsky fascination on this forum? Can anyone recommend a Myaskovsky work to me? I've listened to a few and I find myself interested, but not blown away.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I was so tied up yesterday... from early morning until past midnight... that I din't do much listening to anything at all. Today I thought I'd listen to a little something in belated honor of Beethoven's birthday: Piano concertos no.s 3,4,&5.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> ...
> Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. This work--which I never heard before--is most definitely going on my "to listen again" list....


The_ Little Russian _is my favourite Tchaikovsky symphony. Like how he takes a few ideas through the work and the upbeat, optimistic ending. Always gives me a boost. Great stuff and good on many levels, eg. the virtuoso aspect. Glad you've come around to hearing it, his first three symphonies tend to be kind of compared unfavourably to nos. 4-6 by some people, but I'm not one of them, esp. with regards to this one.



NightHawk said:


> Great String Quartet and Great String Quartet (the Berg Bunch) - the Op. 59 in C major is flat-out amazing - I particularly love the 2nd (slow) movement - but, that 'show fugue' at the end is fairly breath-taking! ...


Yes, _Razumovsky #3_ presages for me things that would come later for Beethoven, esp. in terms of the late string quartets. The finale you talk of comes across to me as almost a kind of compressed look forward to the _Grosse Fuge_. There is also a bit in the scherzo I think, the plucking of the cello, which is basically like jazz. He did some interesting things in his chamber music, always rewarding, and my favourite aspect of Beethoven's output is his chamber, undoubtedly...


----------



## opus55

Some soothing guitar solo music after vigorous finale of string octet


----------



## jalex

*Haydn: String Quartets Op. 77 Nos. 1&2*










Overshadowed by Op 76, but the man hadn't lost it.

*Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
*


----------



## Sid James

*Ahmet Adnan Saygun* (1907-91)
Solo piano works
- _From Anatolia, OP. 25_ (1945)
- _12 Preludes on Aksak Rhythms, Op. 45_ (1967)
- _Inci's Book, Op. 10_ (1934)
- _10 Sketches on Aksak Rhythms, Op. 58_ (1976)
- _Sonatina, Op. 15_ (1938)
Zeynep Ucbasaran, piano
(Naxos)

First listen in a long while to this. One can clearly hear French influences, esp. in the works of the 1930's. Saygun studied in Paris, one of his teachers was the Francophone Vincent D'Indy. The works from 1945 & after reflect more modernist tendencies, esp. of BArtok, whom Saygun hosted while he was in Turkey studying the folk music. The trademark of Saygun's mature style is these "limping rhythms" which are with odd beats and accents, time signatures, etc. This pianist's style comes across as kind of rough to me at times, but I think that must be due to the exotic music, well exotic to my ears in any case.

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Irkanda IV_
Leonard Dommett, violin / Melbourne SO / John Hopkins, cond.
(ABC CLassics)

REally getting into this work, before dismissed this recording due to it's poor sound quality, but sound quality or audiophilia isn't everything. This is a very intense and bleak kind of journey, imaging the composer's grief at his father's death at the time and also the quite harsh and unforgiving Australian landscape. Sculthorpe basically provided an alternative to the English pastoralist cliches that had kind of been transplanted here, not really reflecting the reality of our landscape, climate, culture, etc. There is a hint to music of other cultures, the tango, but it is very intense and dark, it kind of becomes Australian.

*C-M. Widor*
_Slow movements from symphonies for solo organ 4 & 5, Symphonie Gothique, Trois Nouvelles Pieces, BAch's Memento_
Robert Delcamp, organ
(from Naxos - Widor Organ favourites album)

I enjoyed this album in full on the weekend so returned to it before the close of the weekend just to listen to the lyrical movements. I like the layering here and how Widor uses the colours sounding like woodwinds (oboes esp., i think he must have liked them, they get the juicy solos, or many of them here), also trumpets, brass, etc. He really treated the organ as a de facto orchestra, it's very colourful and deep...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> The_ Little Russian _is my favourite Tchaikovsky symphony. Like how he takes a few ideas through the work and the upbeat, optimistic ending. Always gives me a boost. Great stuff and good on many levels, eg. the virtuoso aspect. Glad you've come around to hearing it, his first three symphonies tend to be kind of compared unfavourably to nos. 4-6 by some people, but I'm not one of them, esp. with regards to this one.


I'm glad you shared that. I've always like the Little Russian and felt like mabye there was something lacking in my judgment because I do.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons*
I'd only heard this once in concert before, and then of course bits and pieces in popular media. I didn't expect it to like it so much! It seems like such a departure from his other concertos, no wonder it's played so frequently. The Summer Storm is a lot of fun, and the whole Winter concerto is eerily beautiful.

*Joseph Haydn: String Quartet #61 "Fifths"*
Probably the most famous of his string quartets, I got acquainted with this one fairly late in the game. My expectations were not let down. The quartet is beautiful and emotive throughout, and probably my favorite Haydn work thus far, which is saying something.

*Bedrich Smetana: Z českých luhů a hájů*
The fourth piece from Ma Vlast, this is probably my favorite next to The Moldau (which seems to far outshine his other nationalistic contributions). Still, it's beautiful and a lot of fun.

*Samuel Barber: Dover Beach*
This is a wonderful early work by Barber. The harmonies and textures recall Vaughan Williams _Tallis Fantasia_, but with the added vocal line, Barber makes it his own. A lovely short, beautiful piece.

*John Adams: Grand Pianola Music *
I'd heard good things about this piece, and my expectations weren't let down. The work is completely tonal, and sounds more like a modern film score then a piece of classical music, which I guess is an accomplishment because it was written in 1981, long before film scores started sounding like this does. The ending is apparently supposed to be ironic, and I think Adams had that intention while writing it, but there's something transcendent about the last movement that makes it sound sincerely triumphant. Oddly enough it's the two preceding movements that sound more kitsch and banal to me, and while easy on the ears, I found myself waiting for the payoff at the end.


----------



## Lisztian

A Liszt recital with Leslie Howard playing, on youtube, called 'late pieces, album leaves and rarities.' Looking at the program there aren't really any of my favourite late pieces or rarities, but it's very interesting.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sandrine Piau's latest collection is quite ecclectic:

* 3 songs my Richard Strauss
* 3 songs by Gabrile Faure
* 4 songs by Felix Mendelssohn
* 3 songs by Ernst Chausson
* A short collection of 5 songs setting Christian Morganstern's _Gallows Songs_ by the contemporary composer Vincent Bouchot
* 4 songs by Francis Poulenc
* 3 songs by Benjamin Britten (including the seasonally appropriate setting of the carol, _I Wonder as I Wander_

The songs by Strauss are surprisingly delicate... almost "Impressionistic"... and sensuously beautiful. Faure continues even further in this direction... exquisite. Surprisingly, Mendelssohn's songs are the most dramatic or the entire recital and the least inherently beautiful. Chausson returns us to the exquisite French melodies... and then we come on Vincent Bouchot, a contemporary French musicologist and composer, who sets Christian Morganstern (the German "nonsense" poet ala Lewis Caroll and Edward Lear) into songs that are at once child-like, quirky, caustic, and offbeat. Poulenc offers a sort of ballance between the clever and unexpected and the French tradition of elegance and sensuality. The Britten selections merge perfectly into the mix ending with the marvelous _I Wonder as I Wander_. Piau is ever brilliant... sensitive to the intention of the composer. Dramatic when needed and sensitive and lushly sensual when that is called for. This is a brilliant addition to her previous collection:










Currently listening to:










As always, John Eliot Gardiner and his crew (the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir are brilliant. I suspect part of the energy... the muscularity... the tension... is wrought by the approach to the recording of the whole of Bach's cantatas within a single year... placing a pressure upon the performers not unlike that faced by Bach's original performers. This also lends something thrilling to these performances that I prefer to the absolute perfection of Suzuki's recordings... as much as I admire them. The music, as with many of Bach's cantatas, has an incredible range of moods and colors achieved through the employment of a variety of instrumental groupings. This particular disc includes the concerto for flute, harpsichord, and violin BWV 1044 as "filler" for a set featuring the cantatas for the Second Sunday after Trinity. THis "filler" is itself an exquisite work.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6
Neeme Jarvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Mass No. 1 In D Major, WAB 26*

I am playing through my entire Bruckner collection over the next couple of days.
Have already played the String Quintet/String Quartet and now listening to the Masses. Next up some more Sacred Music.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Liszt - Piano Sonata

Martha Argerich


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back, Suzuki's CPE Bach Cello Concerti, Harnoncourt's Haydn "Military".


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
Berlioz: Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), H.68, Op.16

Artists	
Yuri Bashmet & Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Symph...MO8Y/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1324300757&sr=8-5

This is a very nice work. I have just started to explore Berlioz, and I think he seems very exciting.
Here he combines the sensitive and lyrical, and dramatic orchestral.
I have no other version to compare with for the time being, but find the performance is very good here. The sound is not very good, not very bad.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Violin Concerto*

Artists	
Franti?ek Novotný, Tomá? Netopil, Serguei Milstein, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PK1PM4/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315681375&sr=8-1

Sometimes I like this concert very well, sometimes not. I must be in the mood to enjoy it. I am now, and the experience is amazing!
It helps of course that the performance is amazing and the sound is pretty good.
Wonderfully intense and sensitive violin!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.2 in D ('Sinfonie Capricieuse')*

Artists	
Jena philharmonic orchestra David Montgomery




http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-1-4-Berwald/dp/B000005IB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318420086&sr=8-1

A little stagnant, and not a very exciting work. In any case, I do not think so now. But the symphony can grow. Edit: It is tremendously better listening as time goes. Maybe I had to adapt from earlier listening!.
Great performance and very good sound!


----------



## brianwalker

Refreshing. Never thought the organ and the trumpet would make such a delectable combination. Firm recommendations.


----------



## jalex

*Ibert: Divertissement, Escales*










Pair of delightful works from this rarely mentioned French composer. Divertissement is a bizarre and humorous suite in six short movements, employing police whistle amongst other things. Escales isa none-too-subtle portrayal of three exotic locations, thoroughly enjoyable (and with castanets!). The stylistic strangeness of the pieces reflects well Ibert's compositional philosophy that 'all systems are equally valid'.


----------



## Oskaar

*Isaac Albéniz*

Work 
Albéniz: Suite española No.1, Op.47, B.7

Artists	
Enrique Bátiz (Conductor), State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Albéniz-Iberi...30UN/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313400998&sr=8-3

Fantastic work, and brilliant performance, with very good sound!










Work 
*Albéniz: Mallorca (Barcarola), Op.202*

Artists	
Petar Jankovic




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V8KMRC/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313396879&sr=8-1

Some hiss in the background, and the guitar sound is not very good. But great played!










Work 
*Albéniz: Navarra in Ab, B.49 (completed by Sévérac)*

Artists	
Baselga
http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Music-6-Albeniz/dp/B00365QSMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313398356&sr=8-1

I have not really started the exploration of solo piano yet. There is also a world in itself.
But Albinez and solo piano is amazing!
This is a wonderful piece!
The piano is a touch harsh, but otherwise the sound and performance is very good.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*

I'm not sure why but I'm finding it impossible to fatigue on Bruckner the last couple of weeks - Must have listened to his Romantic Symphony 5 Times yesterday!. I had my iPod playing a Bruckner Playlist while I slept and had the Adagio from this Symphony as the soundtrack to a dream, pretty cool!


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schubert - Symphony No. 9 in C Major

Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

LvB VC and Triple Concerto, with 16 year-old Mutter (1979).


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Symphony No. 2, Op. 19*

Berlin Symphony Orchestra; Roland Keller; Siegfried Kohler




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FA3NIA/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312483282&sr=8-6

Very nice, atmospheric, and evocative symphony! Glorious moments and nuances. But it does not feel like a symphony! More a piano concerto, perhaps, or a symphonic poem.
Very good version, great interaction ... a very fine nerve and good sound.










*Barber:Cello Concerto, in A-, Op.22*

Wendy Warner
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...8USE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312488899&sr=8-1

An amazing concert, where I feel like I'm flying in a helicopter and explore the earth's beautiful landscapes! Very exciting and atmospheric variations and small moments.
Performances are excellent, very sensitive and committed orchestra, and Wendy Warner plays the cello like a god! Not in terms of virtuosity, but in terms of empathy and engagement.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000058USE/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

Hélène Grimaud
The London Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Piano-...S5YS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711164&sr=8-1

Bartok can be both difficult and challenging.
This work is not very challenging, but energetic and varied. Great moods!
Nice version, very beautiful and expressive piano, and a balanced and sensitive orchestra! Very good sound!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Mass No. 2 In E Minor, WAB 27*

I think this is my favourite of Bruckners Masses - the opening to this piece is very beautiful


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Ode to the End of the War, for winds, 8 harps, 4 pianos, brass, percussion and double basses, Op.105*

Artists	
Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), Russian National Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...V3SU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937151&sr=8-1

A bit pompous and "military" Prokofive, but still a pretty great piece.
And again .. when the number of performances and sound are great, and all the qualities of the work comes out .. then I like the most! Excellent version!










Work 
*Prokofiev: Overture in Bb ('American'), for 17 instruments (or orchestra), Op.42*

Artists	
Alexander Korneev




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050FYHWM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313937844&sr=8-15

A little messy piece. I do not think this is something special. Grating background.










Work 
*Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34 bis*

Artists	
New York Ensemble of the Philharmonic Scholarship Win
Dimitri Mitropoulos




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Serena...5VMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313939059&sr=8-1

Bad sound, but a nice overtoure!


----------



## opus55

Mr. Levine impresses me with no.6 as well.

Mahler: Symphony No. 6
James Levine, London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.1 in D, D.82*

Artists	
Performers: Staatskapelle DresdenComposers: Franz SchubertConductors: Sir Colin Davis




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Symp...YWMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314183273&sr=8-1

I like this symphony! It may seem a little clumsy and unfinished, but it has many qualities.
Great version. Very good orchestra, and quite a nice sound!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

For those who underestimate Haydn's piano concertos, it is somewhat enlightening to look at the pianists who have taken to recording this body of work... in spite of the lack of virtuoso fireworks: András Schiff, Marc-André Hamelin, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Leif Ove Andsnes, Sviatoslav Richter, Emanuel Ax, Alfred Brendel, Glenn Gould, Jenö Jandó, Alain Planès, etc...


----------



## Oskaar

*Louis Spohr*

Work 
*Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.2 in Eb, Op.57*

Artists	
London Sinfonietta, David Atherton, Antony Pay




http://www.amazon.com/Spohr-Clarine...GUFM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313486719&sr=8-3

I like Spohr. Sometimes! A very nice and entertaining concert.
Excellent clarinet, and a strong orchestra to follow up.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Andre Rieu - And the Waltz goes on*
Andre Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra
(Polydor / Universal)

First listen to this album. This is Rieu's latest one, and it's an album of all non-Strauss waltzes.

My favourite was the title track, written by actor Anthony Hopkins when he was 19 years old (or young!). Mr. Hopkins has dabbled in composing all his life. This is quite a dark waltz, with a happier feel in the middle section. Quite an emotional piece of music, full of nostalgia and longing. Some great bits for baritone sax and accordion in there, it sounds more new than old in that way.

The song _Dreaming of New Zealand _was written by Mr. Rieu earlier this year as a response to those devastating earthquakes there. It is dedicated to the victims, here there's both an instrumental version as well as a vocal one with NZ singer Hayley Westenra. It does have those typical "kiwi" harmonies & vibe, and lyrics are both in English and New Zealand Maori.

There are some rare waltzes here from yesteryear, as well as better known ones. Eg. things by Benatzky, Stolz, Schrammel interspersed with evergreens like _Singing in the Rain, We'll Meet Again _&_ Are You Lonesome Tonight_. I was surprised to learn in Mr. Rieu's notes that the waltz entered the popular culture with these kinds of tunes (the last one originally sung by none other than Elvis Presley!). It's certainly come a long way from it's courtly origins, which was the minuet.

The playing and recording is a bit too polished I thought, if that's a criticism. I find Rieu's live recordings a bit more natural, this one was a studio recording. But as the album kept playing to the end, by the end I was accustomed to this.

All round some good stuff here and a good one for those into easy listening &/or waltz musics, with a good number of rarities thrown in, as usual with Andre...


----------



## Vaneyes

Pamela Frank with Ma & Ax, in a charged performance of the Chopin Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano, Op. 8. I've always found this early piece better than the more-performed-though-infrequently-performed Cello Sonata, which Ma & Ax also do here nicely. The Op. 3 "Polonaise brillante" contrasting fillers could've been omitted.

Followed by a Fou Ts'ong Chopin assortment. Majestically played.


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Mass No. 2 In E Minor, WAB 27*
> 
> I think this is my favourite of Bruckners Masses - the opening to this piece is very beautiful


You're "going to church" a lot lately.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> For those who underestimate Haydn's piano concertos, it is somewhat enlightening to look at the pianists who have taken to recording this body of work... in spite of the lack of virtuoso fireworks: András Schiff, Marc-André Hamelin, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Leif Ove Andsnes, Sviatoslav Richter, Emanuel Ax, Alfred Brendel, Glenn Gould, Jenö Jandó, Alain Planès, etc...


I agree, and you meant sonatas.


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Variations on a Theme by Salieri 
John Ogdon, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> Ludwig van Beethoven - Variations on a Theme by Salieri
> John Ogdon, piano


You get a "Like" for informing me, because I didn't know such a piece existed, either by Salieri or LvB.

I shall now sample it somewhere. Warning: If I don't like, you get the "Like" unliked...in the spirit of Xmas of course.


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> You get a "Like" for informing me, because I didn't know such a piece existed, either by Salieri or LvB.
> 
> I shall now sample it somewhere. Warning: If I don't like, you get the "Like" unliked...in the spirit of Xmas of course.


Oh, man!, and I had just reached my 'like's quota for the day! Well, alls I can do is hope you likey. They are on Salieri's Air 'La stessa, la stessissima', WoO73, in case that helps you find. I've heard them a few times only myself but they are always great to listen to; still don't have them deeply stamped in me head yet, though.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.2, Op.16, FS 29 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *featuring Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 {"Haffner"}, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Miraculous Mandari*n, complete ballet score, Dorati and the Detroit Symphony.

This recording is much better as far as energy than Marin Alsup's more recent version. I need to compare it to Ivan Fischer's, but so far I really like this one.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D Major and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis.* Both works feature Andre Previn conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.
Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid and Fanfare for the Common Man. *All works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.

Yes, my delivery from *Amazon* arrived today, and I have been enjoying it ever so much! :trp:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, Op.59 no.2
Takacs Quartet


----------



## Lisztian

Listening to this again.



My favourite (unfortunately incomplete) Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No.8
Bernard Haitink: Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony* *No*.*2* *in* *D* *Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52. *Both works feature Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. So far, I am really very happy and impressed with Maazel's reading of these works, as he really seems to make Sibelius' music come alive with his vibrant interpretations. He seems to have a definite affinity for this composer,which definitely comes across in his interpretations!


----------



## jalex

*Bach: Schubler Chorales*






Listening to these on Youtube, great music but the choice of organ stops irritates me a bit. I put in a request for Bach organ works recommendations in the Recordings forum, does anyone here have any they'd like to share?


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.17


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I was listening to the only recording of any Mahler I own earlier today. I'm surprised I don't have anything else but this vinyl record!


----------



## kv466

Franz Anton Hoffmeister - Clarinet Quartet in E-flat 
Vlach Quartet Prague; Dieter Klocker, clarinet


----------



## Conor71

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I was listening to the only recording of any Mahler I own earlier today. I'm surprised I don't have anything else but this vinyl record!


Good recording though! 

Now listening:
*Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 In D Minor, WAB 100, "Die Nullte"*


----------



## Sid James

Bit of a contrast this time, between *Janacek's* avoidance of most conventions in writing the mighty _Glagolitic Mass,_ one of his masterworks, and *Takemitsu's* fitting into the mould of film music, a very sophisticated European-style work, three movements culled from various film scores he wrote. The concluding waltz is kind of spectral, as if the ghosts of Johann Strauss II had come out of the woodwork or something and flowed through the pen of this composer who is better known to classical listeners as the representative of Japanese music in the 20th century. The central funeral music is more in tune with modernists like Bartok, coming here to the film world and back to the concert hall...

*Janacek* -_ Glagolitic Mass_
Vocal soloists with Bavarian chorus & orch. under baton of Rafael Kubelik
(DGG)

*Takemitsu* -_ Three Film Scores for String Orch._
Strings of Bournemouth orch. under Marin Alsop
(Naxos)


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I was listening to the only recording of any Mahler I own earlier today. I'm surprised I don't have anything else but this vinyl record!


That just sounds interesting as an album! How did it sound like? The quality etc. Curious.


----------



## opus55

Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No.2
Gil Shaham
Lawrence Foster, London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Chicago & Solti '72.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op.15*

Artists	
President's Own United States Marine Band, The
Philip Franke




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Hector-...65NS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324295693&sr=8-2

Quite grand and nice.. Not something I'll listen to often. It is too heavy for that. Great performance, but the sound is not very good.


----------



## Vaneyes

The Trout.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9*, Toscanini. A driven performance - nobody fell asleep playing this one - yet he manages to keep the soul in the slow movement.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.3 in C ('Sinfonie Singulière')*

Artists	
Okko Kamu (Conductor), Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Symph...143P/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318429071&sr=8-3

Quite nice and playful symphony. But no great work in my opinion. Performance and sound is average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mily Balakirev*

Balakirev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor

Jungran Kim Khwarg piano
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Dong Hyock Hyun




http://www.amazon.com/Taktakishvili...5G4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312397116&sr=8-1

Sometimes I return to this concert, and the only version I found on Spotify. I find it both restful and refreshing! And very little presentious. Beautiful version, and pretty good sound.










*
Balakirev: Korol' Lir (King Lear): Overture: King Lear: Overture*

Singapore Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQPIY6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312398668&sr=8-1

Nothing special at this overture. It captivates not very much.. Ok version, but nothing more.









Hoey Choo


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin*, complete ballet.

This is like the Rite of Spring, but it's set in a city. Still, they both basically involve sacrificing a young girl.

I've played Ivan Fischer's newer recording back to back with the older recording of Dorati and the Detroit Symphony. So far, I like them both, though Dorati emphasizes the organ passages in the beginning and toward the end, giving it a Phantom of the Opera sound.


----------



## jalex

*Smetana, Bartok, Janacek: String Quartets #1*


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Essay No.1 for Orchestra, Op.12*

Yoel Levi & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Music-Of-Samuel-Barber/dp/B001AUIA42/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312568268&sr=8-4

Beautiful and dramatic and somewhat gloomy piece. Medium version.










*Barber: Essay No.2 for Orchestra, Op.17*

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Knoxvi...9ZF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312570985&sr=8-1

I find this essay a lot more exciting than the first! Great performance and very good sound.










A little bit chaotic. At the moment I find the second essay absolute best. But the sound and performance is good.

*Barber: Essay No.3 for Orchestra, Op.47*

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Slatkin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Another go at *Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin*, this time by Dorati and the Chicago Symphony.

This is mono but with Mercury Living Presence, which amps up the audio to simulate something that isn't there, so it's a funny sound that takes getting used to. The performance itself is great. I'll probably stick around for the rest of the CD.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Dance Suite (Táncszvit), BB86a, Sz.77*

Andras Schiff




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032D43CS/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312880748&sr=8-4










*Bartok: Divertimento for String Orchestra, BB118*

New Berlin Chamber OrchestraConductor: Martin Fischer-Dieskau, Christian Grube




http://www.amazon.com/Concert-Lidic...16IW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1312883638&sr=8-6

Very good sound on this version. And very well played! The work is varied and exciting, but no Bartok favorite with me. But it may grow!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, WAB 102, "Symphony Of Pauses"*

About half-way through my Bruckner playlist - I think its going to take me all week to get through it as I plan to spin some non-classical Music as well. Should be a good week!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

oskaar said:


> *Samuel Barber*
> 
> *Barber: Essay No.1 for Orchestra, Op.12*
> 
> Yoel Levi & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Music-Of-Samuel-Barber/dp/B001AUIA42/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312568268&sr=8-4
> 
> Beautiful and dramatic and somewhat gloomy piece. Medium version.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Barber: Essay No.2 for Orchestra, Op.17*
> 
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra
> Marin Alsop
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Knoxvi...9ZF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312570985&sr=8-1
> 
> I find this essay a lot more exciting than the first! Great performance and very good sound.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A little bit chaotic. At the moment I find the second essay absolute best. But the sound and performance is good.
> 
> *Barber: Essay No.3 for Orchestra, Op.47*
> 
> Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
> Slatkin


I have that NAXOS recording of Samuel Barber although I never listen to it. Is it any good?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Inter natos mulierum K72
A charming choral work from Mozart's youth.

Mozart: Misericordias K222
A darker fugal choral work in comparison. One of my favourite works by Mozart.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have that NAXOS recording of Samuel Barber although I never listen to it. Is it any good?


I'm sure Oskaar will chime in, but to my ears, though I'm not a big fan of Marin Alsup, that's my favorite recording of Knoxville. I like the singer's way with the piece, though at times it's hard to make out the words she's singing.

I'm listening to Boulez's recording of *Bartok's The Wooden Prince* on Spotify - at least the tracks they let them play. I can get Alsup's version cheap at a used CD store, but I'm thinking Boulez is probably the all-around better recording, and I'd probably end up disappointed with Ms. Alsup and end up with Boulez anyway.


----------



## Vaneyes

Continuing Brahms. Ballades (4) with Sokolov, where more is more, and German Requiem with Herreweghe, where less is more.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105.* All 3 symphonies are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schubert - String Quartet No. 14 "Der Tod und das Mädchen"

Takacs Quartet


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have that NAXOS recording of Samuel Barber although I never listen to it. Is it any good?


I second Manx's opinion of that cd above. It is good, imo, I also enjoyed Knoxville. There is a rare piece for organ and orchestra on it as well, which I remember to be interesting (Samurai may be interested in this as well, as he's listening to Copland's sym. with organ?), and the obligatory essays for orch. which are as terse thematic arguments as you'll get with BArber.

But basically best to dig it out and listen for yourself, that's the best way to make up your own mind about music, etc...


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms*
_String Sextets_ -
_#1 in B flat major, Op. 18_ (1860)
_#2 in G major, Op. 36 "Agathe"_ (1864)
Stuttgart Soloists, on Naxos label.

Two of Brahms' favourite chamber works for me here. First listen to this recording.

The first one is a favourite, very Romantic but with his usual eye on clarity of structure and not too complex ways of expression, etc. A kind of Romantic Classicism but much more, imo. The middle two movements give strong Hungarian vibe, mirroring Brahms' fascination with this culture which was then seen as exotic by those on his side of the fence, so to speak.

The second one named for a girlfriend or something like that, apparently it includes her name in it in code. Brahms wasn't the first or last to do this. This 2nd sextet comes of as more kind of complex and "Baroque." A lot of twists and turns here, perhaps more turgid reflecting this love affair, maybe a bit darker as well. The counterpoint of the finale is pretty vigorous and amazing.

But there's always light at the end of the tunnel with Brahms, or at least a fair hint of it. The last movements of these always give me a big boost.

As for the performance, I liked it, but it will take some getting used to, of course it's different than the earlier ones I'd heard. Their playing very clear and crisp, esp. apparent to me in the fast scherzos. All round pretty good, I'm a happy chappie with this for sure...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mady Mesplé... a sadly forgotten French soprano of real ability. Currently listening to disc 1: Léo Delibes, Jules Massenet, Ambroise Thomas, Edouard Lalo, Jacques Offenbach, Rossini and Donizetti. A beautiful singer... and her chosen repertoire includes much goes beyond the usual focus of many soprano recitals (Puccini, Mozart, Verdi, etc...)


----------



## jalex

*Schumann: Frauenliebe und Leben, Various Lieder*


----------



## opus55

Bach: Piano Concerto in D Major, BWV 1054










Schumann: Papillons, Op.2
Marc-André Hamelin


----------



## agoukass




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring Claudio Abbado conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.1 {2003 version}, *with the Belgium National Orchestra conducted by Max Pommer.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Thomas Beecham.
Philip Glass--*Glassworks {Expanded Edition, 2003}, *performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16, *with the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra led by Okko Kamu. A very rousing and inspired performance!


----------



## science

Raff: Ode to Spring

This is simply a masterpiece of romanticism.










Everything I have ever said has been a lie but Biber's violin sonata #3 is the dang truth.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach, cantatas, from Volume 6 of Ton Koopman's complete cantatas set.


----------



## Polednice

Further to my post here about starting to listen to Rossini's _Petite Messe Solennelle_, I've really fallen in love with it over the past few days and have been listening to it a great deal. Its Kyrie is tender and reminiscent of Mozart as I said earlier; it's Gloria is magnificently glorious (reminds me a little of Dvorak's, this one!); and particularly in movements such as the Domine Deus, it has an operatic charm which you'd expect with Rossini, but it's not an overbearing operatic extreme like Verdi in his _Requiem_.

I think this, the Qui tollis, is particularly beautiful. This is from the Neville Marriner recording which I have been listening to:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10*, Paavo Jarvi. A well-done, committed performance, continually bringing out little details to keep my attention.


----------



## Vaneyes

Winter Dreams, Little Russian, Polish, with Philharmonia/Muti (1975/77).


----------



## Oskaar

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have that NAXOS recording of Samuel Barber although I never listen to it. Is it any good?


I find sound and performance quite good.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 11*

I dont listen to this set a whole lot which is a shame as most of the Music is really good - This first Disc has the 1st Symphony and various Overtures including the great "Fingals Cave".


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, The Nutcraker*, complete ballet, by Leonard Slatkin.

'Tis the season.


----------



## clavichorder

Giving Medtner's Night Wind Sonata and Sonata Triad another listen. I'm in an epic kind of mood, so the Night Wind is very suitable.


----------



## Polednice

Vaneyes said:


>


Best Water Goblin there is!  Prefer Colin Davis for the symphony though.


----------



## Vaneyes

Chausson Piano Trio with Hoffman/Graffin/Devoyon. Then Delius Violin Sonatas with Barantschik (3), Graham (1 & 2), Margalit.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Artists	
Yekaterina Saranleva
Valery Gergiev, Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg, Alexander Toradze




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Fiv...69CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313590627&sr=8-1

Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Fantastic and epic concert! Performance varies I think. Magic and well rehearsed in one moment, sloppy and without nerve in the next. The sound is about average.

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.16*

Not as epic and melodic so it førsteg, but this concert has other qualities. Very lyrical! Great colors and moments, and here I think the performance is better. Nice and sensitive piano, and orchestra follows up fine.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: The Water Goblin, Op. 107*

I think I'll listen to that Dvorak Symphonic Poem as well and then some of his overtures!


----------



## Vaneyes

Polednice said:


> Best Water Goblin there is!  Prefer Colin Davis for the symphony though.


Sir CD's was my starter until Harnoncourt's. Both fine performances, as is VPO/Kertesz.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Symphony No.8 in B-, D.759 ('Unfinished')*

Artists	
St Petersburg Sym Orch (Artist), Lande




http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-8-9-Schubert/dp/B005910E1U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315491937&sr=8-1

Very nice symphony. It has some of the most beautiful melody lines I can think of so far in my exploration of classical music.
Very good version, nice tight and rehearsed orchestra. Shades and nerve communicated very well! Very good sound too!


----------



## Oskaar

*Keiko abe*

Album
*Marimba d' Amore*

Artists	
Bacanu, Bogdan




http://www.amazon.com/Marimba-d-Amore/dp/B000R01L3S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1315812811&sr=8-6

It is wonderful to listen to something else and then. I have listened to pray before, in small portions, and it seems he makes is highly exciting. Marimba is a wonderful instrument!
Excellent sound and performance is sensitive and very good. Recommended for real!









1. Variations on Japanese Children's Songs
2. Piacer d'amor for Solo Marimba 
3. Memories of the Seashore 
4. Ancient Vase 
5. Alone - for Solo Marimba 
6. Little Windows 
7. Wind Sketch 
8. Wind in the Bamboo Grove 
9. Itsuki Fantasy for Six Mallets 
10. Kazak Lullaby for Solo Marimba 6
11. Marimba d'amore


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Symphony*, Herbert von Karajan, following it up with Boulez's account of the *Variations for Orchestra*.


----------



## jalex

*Mozart: Flute Quartets #1, 2*









*Schumann: Piano Quartet*


----------



## Oskaar

*Achron, Joseph*

Work 
*Achron: Capricen for violin and piano*

Artists	
Violin Ingolf Turban (Performer), Piano Jascha Nemtsov (Performer)*




http://www.amazon.com/À-Capriccio-J...8G2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315815201&sr=8-1

No favorite works, but quite nice to listen to anyway. Brilliant interplay between violin and piano, and pretty good sound.










Work 
*Achron: Epitaph to the Memory of Alexander Scriabin, Op. 24*

Artists	
American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein




http://www.amazon.com/Achron-Epitap...W9DS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315815677&sr=8-3

More dramatically Acron. Not very exciting. Nice sound and performance.


----------



## Klavierspieler

jalex said:


>


@jalex:

What do you think of that version? I've been thinking of getting it.


----------



## jalex

Klavierspieler said:


> @jalex:
> 
> What do you think of that version? I've been thinking of getting it.


Fantastic. General opinion seems to agree with mine as well since it has 12 out of 12 five star reviews on Amazon UK and US.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Vaneyes

This is one cool album, just look at that ice field.


----------



## Sid James

Repeated listen to the others, but first time listening to this recording of the Stravinsky work, which I will talk about -

*Stravinsky*
_Symphony in Three Movements _(1942-45)
Philharmonia Orch. / Robert Craft, cond.
(Naxos)

This has been a favourite work by Stravinsky for me for a while.

From the distance of the USA, he was witnessing the war going on in Europe, shown on the cinema newsreels. In the last year of the war, Stravinsky was tracing on a map with pencil, Robert Craft says in his notes, the lines of the American and Russian troops as they closed in on the Nazis, liberating town after town en route to Berlin. The final movement reflects this esp., not only with it's marching rhythms but with it's unpredictability, for me reflecting the same quality of modern warfare. Of course, Stravinsky's disgust of the Nazis and their oppression is palpable.

The only rest between two movements of quite violent force is the middle movement, which comes across as having a kind of homely American vibe, but there is some tension underneath the surface (Bartok's "night Music" movements in his piano concertos come strongly to mind, this is like a rest or retreat, but you know that it won't last for long, uncertainty is at the back of your mind). Until the final big chord comes at the very end of the work, you are like up in the air, much like the feeling of both the soldiers and civilians, thinking when would the war end? Would it be victory or defeat?

Stravinsky toyed with the idea of calling this a _Victory Symphony _but in the end chose a more objective title, but behind that lurks one of his most subjective works, one that strongly speaks to his frame of mind at a crucial point in history, his lived history & that of countless others, that is...

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concerto #1 in E flat major, Op. 107_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish NRSO (Katowice) / Antoni Wit, cond.
(Naxos)

*Brahms*
_String Sextet #1 in B flat major, Op. 18 _(1860)
Stuttgart Soloists
(Naxos)

From *Album: Andre Rieu - And the Waltz Goes On...*
_And the Waltz Goes On.._.(Anthony Hopkins)
_Dreaming of New Zealand _(A. Rieu) - instrumental version & also vocal version, with Hayley Westenra, vocalist
_Blue Tango _(Leroy ANderson)
_Are YOu Lonesome Tonight _(Lou Handman, music / Roy Turk, lyrics)
- All items arranged by A. Rieu
Andre Rieu and his JOhann Strauss Orch.
(Polydor / Universal)

Funny how that with the song dedicated to the earthquake victims of New Zealand, the instrumental version for me is a stronger piece musically speaking than the vocal version. I don't think that the added vocalist adds anything to the piece, at least not in a really significant way. It stands on it's own two feet already just with instrumentals. But this time, the vocal version made me cry, so maybe my heart got in the way of my head, for once!!!...


----------



## Air

First listen. Ever.










I've got my text and translation in front of me. I'm set and ready to go.


----------



## samurai

Pyotor Tchaikovsky*--Symphony* *No*.*6* *in* *B* *Minor*, *Op*.*74** {"Pathetique**"}, *with the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid and Fanfare for the Common Man, *all featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the NY Philharmonic.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the guidance of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No.10
Evgeny Mravinsky, Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra

Second movement is just massive and turbulent. I only wish the sound quality was better.


----------



## jalex

Air said:


> First listen. Ever.


How was it?


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No.7

I heard this symphony more than few times before but it sounds totally different tonight. I never realized Bruckner symphony is so calm; I'm getting a vision of many hills and valleys in highlands.


----------



## science

jalex said:


> Fantastic. General opinion seems to agree with mine as well since it has 12 out of 12 five star reviews on Amazon UK and US.


I agree with that too. I do have a few other recordings of the Piano Quintet and to me, this one stands up to all of them.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Toccata, Adagio & Fugue, BWV 564










Liszt: Mazeppa










I'll fall asleep listening to these piano pieces.

Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54*, featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Camille Saint-Saens*--Symphony* * No.3 in C Minor, Op.**78 {"Organ"}, *performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under the baton of Lorin Maazel in a truly vibrant performance.
Joachim Raff--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.140, *withUrsSchneiderconductingtheSlovakStatePhilharmonicOrchestra*.* I found its second movement to be especially expressive: Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice - Symphony No. 2 In C Major, Op. 140: II. Andante con moto.


----------



## poconoron

Mozart's K563 Divertimento, one of his finest works.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

poconoron said:


> Mozart's K563 Divertimento, one of his finest works.


I must agree with you on that. Nice line up of instrumentalists in that recording you have there.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No.7
> 
> I never realized Bruckner symphony is so calm; I'm getting a vision of many hills and valleys in highlands.


That's a pretty good description of it.

Today, *Shostakovich, Symphony No. 15*, Vassily Sinaisky and the BBC Phil.


----------



## clavichorder

This is the sappiest Medtner, I've ever heard, @ 54, the sappy melody starts. I love it for some reason.


----------



## Vaneyes

CD3 - En vacances (1911). Ciccolini continues his sublime interpretations of Severac's picture postcards.


----------



## Vaneyes

With love from Saint Petersbourg, Sokolov playing Scriabin Sonatas 3 & 9, Prokofiev Sonata 8, and Rachmaninov Prelude 4, Op. 23.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 19 In D Minor, D 958*

Just finished listening to Kleiber's Unfinished Symphony - now listening to the first Disc in this set of the late Piano Sonatas.
First listen of this performance!


----------



## Air

jalex said:


> [Re: St. Matthew Passion] How was it?


No surprise, but I love it!

I'm not very familiar with the oratorio form - so it took awhile getting used to, halfway between an opera and a choral work with no recitatives. No doubt Bach utilizes each ensemble perfectly; the way each small part works into the entire passion is a miracle. The work seems to incorporate a lot of ideas from Bach's other works; for example, I was surprised to hear a good portion of "Ich habe genug" (one of my favorite cantatas, period) in the alto aria "Erbame dich". Both are excellent, though the latter seems a lot more devoid of hope (more chromatic, descending chords), which makes sense in the context of the passion. The contrapuntal work also seems to yield (more so in St. Matthew Passion than say, Mass in B minor) to an ever-present dramatic, almost romantically dramatic sentiment, which I find utterly engrossing. The chorus sections are mostly hymns; "morales" that link the passion story to our own lives and make it even more relevant for us. It's very effective in my opinion; it connects the listener with the passion, rather than isolates it from them - as dry scripture-reading can often do.

I'm only halfway through the work though, and there's still a lot of good things to come. I am assured.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1*

Artists	
Vertavo String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...4D8W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324214164&sr=8-1

Beautiful, dramatic, lyrical, and much more in depth in it compared to many other string quartets that may seem superficial. Great version, with great nerve and good-sensitive interaction, but I wish the sound was a notch better. But it is quite good.










Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2*

Artists	
Verdi Quartet




http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516FQWXQloL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Beautiful quartet also. Maybe a little more romantic and subdued than the first. Especially the violin (s) are great here.
Good version, and pretty good sound.


----------



## kv466

George Frideric Handel - Organ Concerto no.12 in b-flat, hwv311
Yehudi Menuhin and the Menuhin Festival Orchestra
Simon Preston, organ


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'une artiste, Op.14*

Artists	
Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal
Charles Dutoit
http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Symph...61DK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324307258&sr=8-2

I have learned to appreciate Berlioz based on what little I've heard of him. He is very versatile and adventurous. This is a very nice work, but I like "Harold en Italie" even better.
Very nice version. Great orchestra, which manages to convey very much. Very resilient and energetic! Very good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Piano Concerto No.1 in D*

Artists	
Okko Kamu (Conductor), Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Symph...143P/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318597239&sr=8-3

Berwald at its best! Truly a great concert. His symphonies are not as great, or harder to like, from what I've heard so far, but this concert has many qualities.
Excellent performance, playful yet sensitive piano, and orchestra is also very good. Nice sound minus ...


----------



## poconoron

Listening to 3 Haydn symphonies, #96,102,103. Delightful performances on this disc - I especially enjoy #103 "Drum Roll" & #96 "Miracle".


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Piano Concerto in D, Op.13*

Artists	
Robert Leonardy
Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concert...5I5P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317399629&sr=8-1

Pretty exciting concert. I have a somewhat ambivalent relationship with Britten, but there are mood dependent I think. He has a lot of exciting music
Very nice performance, the sound is slightly above average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Artists	
Sakari Oramo
malmø symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Violin-...5UT6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317034641&sr=8-1

Work 
*Bloch: Poems of the Sea*

Bloch has some really fine work, and this is one of those. A creative explosion!
Nice performance, but the sound could have been better.

*Bloch: Suite symphonique*

Also a very nice work. Very lyric and it ha's quite nice melodies. Very optimistic feel of it!


----------



## Alberich

Beethoven Symphony No. 3 Eroica. I always thought it was somewhat underrated.


----------



## jalex

*Berlioz: Lelio*










A good work, if you are willing to allow for the somewhat dated 'monodrama' format.

*Beethoven: Symphony #5*


----------



## Trout

Alberich said:


> Beethoven Symphony No. 3 Eroica. I always thought it was somewhat underrated.


Might I ask what performance it was?


----------



## Oskaar

Alberich said:


> Beethoven Symphony No. 3 Eroica. I always thought it was somewhat underrated.


I have problems wit bethovens symphonies.... Eroica is the least troublrfull so far... I like it very much!. My problemes with the rest..... It all might change with listening and getting Beethovens genious under my skin. But I am not there yet.


----------



## kv466

Johann Hummel - Grand Concerto for Bassoon in f
Neville Marriner with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Klaus Thunemann, bassoon


----------



## Alberich

Trout said:


> Might I ask what performance it was?


Bernstein. It's one of the first results on Youtube.


----------



## BradPiano

Philip Wesley - The Approaching Night

I'm on my classical station on Pandora and this just so happened to be on  It's not that bad, actually.


----------



## Sid James

Some repeated listening.

Having listened to this recording a few times now, I can hear a couple of the themes going through *Stravinsky's* _Symphony in Three Movements_. The last movement, a kind of broken fugue, is like a showdown between these two strands, the piano prominent in the first movement coming back in the third. As for _Dumbarton Oaks_, loved the prominent part for double bass in that.

Then the *Brahms sextets*, really great chamber music, with a good dash of Hungarian spice.

Then some of the more *obscure waltzes *on *Andre Rieu's disc *I got this week, not a Strauss in sight on this disc, which is interesting. Mr. Schrammel was the composer of the _Schrammel musik _that was played in the cafes and taverns in Beethoven's and Schubert's times in Vienna, the early c19th, and these found their way into their music, esp. solo piano and chamber (eg. they are noticeable in Schubert's late sonatas conor listed earlier, those dance tunes are in there to lighten up the more serious and introspective vibe overall...& btw, conor, I have listened to that Pollini set, I enjoyed it a lot)...

*Stravinsky*
_Symphony in Three Movements _(1942-45) *
_Concerto in E flat, Dumbarton Oaks_ (1938) +
* Orch. of St. Luke's
+ Philharmonia Orch.
Robert Craft, cond.
(Naxos)

*Brahms*
_String Sextet #1 in B flat major, Op. 18 (1860)
String Sextet #2 in G major, Op. 36, "Agathe"_ (1864)
Stuttgart Soloists
(Naxos)

from *album: Andre Rieu - And the Waltz Goes On...*
_Wien wird bei Nacht erst schön_ (R. Stolz/W. Sterk)
_Vienna Forever_ (J. Schrammel)
_Ich muß wieder einmal in Grinzing sein _(R. Benatzky) 
_Tanze mit mir in den Morgen_ (K. Gotz/K. Hertha)
_La petite Valse _(J. Heyne/J. Remo, van Aleda)
_You Can't be True, Dear _(H. Otten/G. Ebeler, H. Cotten)
_Red Are The Roses_ (R. Jonet, F. Michael/M. Jourdan)
Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orch. (all arrangements by A. Rieu)
(Polydor / Universal)

This will be my final post on this thread until about mid-January. Taking a break from here, but I do aim to keep up my blog sporadically throughout this time.

This is my favourite thread. People here are great and down to earth. Always interesting to read about what you're listening to. Look forward to contributing again after my break. In the meantime, I will try to come back now and again and check what you're all getting up to here, but overall I aim to spend less time in front of the computer in the next few weeks, chill out, have a break while it lasts. So bye to all for now, but I will be back soon...


----------



## kv466

Niels Gade - Symphony no.2 in e, op.10
Neeme Jarvi conducts Stockholm Sinfonietta


----------



## jalex

kv466 said:


> Niels Gade - Symphony no.2 in e, op.10
> Neeme Jarvi conducts Stockholm Sinfonietta


I listened to this a few weeks ago. What d'ya think of it?


----------



## kv466

I'm on the scherzo just now and while I didn't love the andante, this is sounding pretty sweet...I liked the first movement and have good hopes for the Finale...just getting into Gade recently and exploring his symphonies the last couple of days. As a whole, I like what I hear.


----------



## Klavierspieler

*Piano Trio No. 2*










Amazon MP3 ftw.


----------



## clavichorder

A really succinct and awesome Etude Tableau, not as often heard.


----------



## kv466

Sibelius - Piano Quintet in g minor


----------



## Trout

Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1


----------



## jalex

*Beethoven: String Quartet #15*










(I know it's the wrong cover, but the Amazon picture for Volume II is microscopic.)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just put on some easy listening music to wind down to at the end of the day. Currently on Gubaidulina's fourth string quartet.


----------



## Lisztian

I love Liszt's transciption Isolde's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde more than the opera version, and that is saying something! o.o But then again the piano has always been my favourite means of expression.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 In A Major, Op. 47, "Kreutzer"*


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 In A Major, Op. 47, "Kreutzer"*


Wow how young was Maestro Ashkenazy there? I hardly recognise him!


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> I have problems wit bethovens symphonies....


Wow, it takes courage to admit something like that! 

I'm pumped; I stumbled on James Conlon's recording of the complete choral works of *Alexander von Zemlinsky* yesterday for $2.45. Now I finally have all his Psalm settings, so whatever else they threw in is gravy. So that's on the player today.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This is a very lovely and wonderful recording. Superbly performed and emotionally moving. Unfortunately this is all I can find by this unknown composer on Spotify:















Kevin


----------



## starthrower

These are some very warm sounding late 60s/early 70s recordings. 
My first Beethoven quartets purchase.


----------



## kv466

Thanks for the inspiration, Conor!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Wooden Prince*, by Marin Alsop.

Halfway through it, the recording has great sound. I can hear parts for tenor, alto, and baritone saxophones; that's a pleasant surprise. So far, this isn't as intense as the Miraculous Mandarin, but still, it's no less interesting.


----------



## kv466

Jacques Offenbach - Grand Cello Concerto "Concerto militaire"
Marc Minkowski and the Musicians of the Louvre
Jerome Pernoo, cello


----------



## clavichorder

Giving the 6th symphony another listen.


----------



## clavichorder

Listened to Bax's 6th now. I need to give it some more attention.


----------



## clavichorder

Already listened this morning, but on crappy speakers, still, I'm giving it another try, since it has that curious double fugue.


----------



## Manxfeeder

clavichorder said:


> Listened to Bax's 6th now. I need to give it some more attention.


I usually say that when I've heard a symphony by Bax.

Thanks to the folks at Talk Classical, I've found my ultimate recording of Brahms' sextets. And thanks to Santa for an early visit.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*

Artists 

Kammerorchester Basel / Giovanni Antonini 




http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-antonini-beethoven5and6-0410.shtml

I still think not this symphony are especially exciting, but I like it better than the last time I listened to it, and it is a good sign. There are certainly some gaps that must be opened slowly but surely, in having the full benefit of Beethoven. I see greatness, but can not quite grasp it yet.
The performance is quite fine, but the sound is not the best


----------



## clavichorder

I would like to use this thread to show a thematic connection between Medtner and Schumann:

@ 3:14 one of Medtner's secondary themes comes to a gentle prominence





and the famous Carnaval, the big intro





Hope Klavierspieler sees this.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> *
> Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')
> 
> I still think not this symphony are especially exciting, but I like it better than the last time I listened to it, and it is a good sign.
> *


*

The interesting thing about the 6th is its imitation of nature. The motifs don't so much develop, but they germinate and throw off phrases organically. And like in nature, there is repetition but not monotony. He is not writing about nature; he his writing like nature.*


----------



## poconoron

Mozart's Idomeneo:

This one's gonna take awhile............. I haven't really "immersed" myself yet in this opera, but here's where I start.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Clifford Curzon, Rafael Kubelik, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks




http://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-van-Be...E2/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1317048705&sr=8-15

Fantastic and very pleasant concert!
Performances are very good, but it is probably an older recording, so the sound is not very good. The piano is pretty harsh ..


----------



## Trout

I shall also jump on the bandwagon.

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4










Edit: 1000th post


----------



## kv466




----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 61*

Some more Beethoven - one of the first Beethoven works I heard in it's entirety. I still like it!


----------



## opus55

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks to the folks at Talk Classical, I've found my ultimate recording of Brahms' sextets. And thanks to Santa for an early visit.


I got the same recording several months ago but wasn't until recently that I started enjoying the sextet.


----------



## jalex

*Mahler: Symphony #5*










I think this symphony, along with #1, #6 and #9, was one of Mahler's unqualified successes in symphonic writing. And what a success.

Looks like I missed the Beethoven concerto party  Wouldn't be right to put one on now.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hold up the bandwagon so I can get on!

*Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3* by Murray Perahia.

I think what Glenn Gould is to KV466, Murray Perahia is to the Manx.


----------



## kv466

^^

I'll have to apologize about all the times I've put poor Perahia down; I do like him a lot, though...I grew up listening to his Beethoven and feel that aside from my favorite, he along with Axe and Arrau play some of the finest Beethoven around! And Murray does do some of my favorite of Ludwig van's sonatas including the Pathetique which I love from Glenn but Murray just gets that first movement so good.


----------



## opus55

Fauré: Piano Trio in D minor, Op.120
Jean-Philippe Collard, Augustin Dumay, Frédéric Lodéon


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> ^^
> 
> I'll have to apologize about all the times I've put poor Perahia down; I do like him a lot, though...


Really? I hadn't noticed. But as they say, chacun à son goût. Lately I've been feeling a need to listen to more of Glenn Gould because of your interest in him. (But rats, his Sibelius isn't on Spotify.)


----------



## Vaneyes

GG's French, then English Suites.


----------



## kv466

Wow! A Beethoven day and a Glenn Gould day all wrapped into one? It is either Christmas time or I'm beginning to hallucinate but I think I'm beginning to feel the love! 

Come one, come all! He's not as bad as you've heard. He's actually the best there ever was! 

Ho ho ho. 


Think I'm gonna finish off the Beethoven concerti and then move on to Bach's.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Ludvig van Beethoven*
> 
> Work
> *Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*
> 
> I still think not this symphony are especially exciting, but I like it better than the last time I listened to it, and it is a good sign. There are certainly some gaps that must be opened slowly but surely, in having the full benefit of Beethoven. I see greatness, but can not quite grasp it yet.
> The performance is quite fine, but the sound is not the best


oskaar, try Bruno Walter (Sony) LvB Sym. 6, if Spotify has it. Failing Walter, then Harnoncourt (Teldec, Elatus). Good luck.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Piano Concertos no.1, 2 and 5


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 In In D Minor, K 466*

After this it's Beethoven PC #3 from the same Disc


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Sonatine in E Major, Op. 67, No. 2*, Glenn Gould.

Yeah, kv, feel the love!

This is a YouTube video kv466 helped me chase down. He has an icy touch which works well with Sibelius, but what's interesting is, according to the description, different sections of the piece use different microphone placements, so they are uniquely highlighted.


----------



## Vaneyes

Keep 'em comin'.


----------



## kv466

Manxfeeder said:


> *Sibelius, Sonatine in E Major, Op. 67, No. 2*, Glenn Gould.
> 
> Yeah, kv, feel the love!
> 
> This is a YouTube video kv466 helped me chase down. He has an icy touch which works well with Sibelius, but what's interesting is, according to the description, different sections of the piece use different microphone placements, so they are uniquely highlighted.


That's Glenn...a freak in the studio...I would've liked to have been his engineer.


----------



## Vaneyes

FG's Pathetique.


----------



## opus55

OK. I'll jump on the Gould bandwagon for today I only have two Gould recordings.
I like how the first variation starts in a very upbeat fashion by Gould. I'm more of Perahia fan though


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> OK. I'll jump on the Gould bandwagon for today I only have two Gould recordings.
> I like how the first variation starts in a very upbeat fashion by Gould. I'm more of Perahia fan though


The only thing GG and MP have in common, is Sony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Sonata No. 8* (Pathetique), Glenn Gould.

This is different. Once the intro is over, strap in; there's no stopping to smell the roses. The second movement is not a space of repose but of a beating pulse waiting until the finale, which emphasizes the piece's ebb and flow.

Maybe I'm hearing more of Gould than Beethoven here, but there's room in the arts for things like that.


----------



## Vaneyes

Gelber's Moonlight, then Emperor. Seatbelt, airbags, at the ready.


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> The only thing GG and MP have in common, is Sony.


:lol: excellent point


----------



## kv466

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Sonata No. 8* (Pathetique), Glenn Gould.
> 
> This is different. Once the intro is over, strap in; there's no stopping to smell the roses. The second movement is not a space of repose but of a beating pulse waiting until the finale, which emphasizes the piece's ebb and flow.
> 
> Maybe I'm hearing more of Gould than Beethoven here, but there's room in the arts for things like that.


That movement, Mr. Feeder, is among my favorite of his interpretations...think of Beethoven himself...that is exactly what I feel he would be feeling when playing this; whether or not the actual playing would be the same, I feel Glenn captures it for what it truly was written. The andante(?) is splendid and with a quick but not too fast tempo and then the third movement comes and again does what no other interpretation had done before or has done since...it can be called many thing, but it can't be called bad. Not by anyone who really plays music at least.


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## Vaneyes




----------



## Clementine

Just listened to:

*W.A. Mozart: Symphony #34 (1780)*
This is a wonderful symphony, and a clear bridge between the older less mature ones, to the last five that are to come. The mood isn't dissimilar to his _Symphony No. 41_, and like this symphony, it's in the finale where he really shines. Beautiful, fun, and festive music throughout.

*Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe (1840)*
It's taken me awhile to get to this song cycle, after knowing Schubert's _Winterreise_ and _Schoenemullerin_ for quite some time. This is in the same vein, though not unoriginal. The piano is much more involved (perhaps a little too involved, it sometimes felt like a piano miniature cycle than a song cycle), and the way he chooses and sets the text makes you think a little more. Overall I was not let down as the music is beautiful and thought provoking throughout, though when compared Schubert's work it does leave a little to be desired. Still, a masterpiece, and I'm glad to finally check it off my list.

*Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata #3 (1887)*
This is probably the best of the Grieg violin sonatas. Much more memorable and cohesive than the first two, though it can be a little schmaltzy at times, and I find that the piano part is much less interesting. A solid work nonetheless.

*Maurice Ravel: String Quartet (1904)*
I've had trouble with this quartet before fully delving into it, mostly because of my love for the Debussy and how this just seems like a knockoff. Certainly it was modeled after the earlier quartet, and after listening to it many times I'm still not convinced that he has anything new to offer. Regardless, it's enjoyable music, but if you haven't heard the Debussy I'd highly recommend that over this.

*Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto (1959)*
I've always been annoyed by those that say the cello needs more repertoire for the symphony hall- there is plenty out there, especially from the 20th century. The problem is cellists continue to champion the same pieces: Dvorak and Elgar. Shostakovich lies in the next tier, and admittedly it doesn't have anything on the aforementioned works. The concerto is a decent work, but I got the impression that Shostakovich might have been on autopilot with this one; it seems to be modeled somewhat after the Violin Concerto, but with much less interesting harmonies and melodies (or rather, more of the same). Like most Shostakovich, the slow movement is the highlight.

*Thomas Ades: Piano Quintet (2001)*
This is a wonderful quintet, on par with those of Brahms and Shostakovich, who also wrote piano quintets at about the same time in their career. The piece was surprisingly easy to grasp. A tonal piano part is usually evident, while the string distort it in some way. Two sweet and innocent themes go through a whole series of harmonic and rhythmic transformations that yield it considerably less charming by the end, though just as enchanting. I'm still not sure what the work is about (usually some biographical context is needed for that), but I have a sneaking suspicion it deals with falling out of love, or some sort of disillusionment that is ultimately resolved.


----------



## BradPiano

Just listened to *Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade"*... a classic 










1st Movement
2nd Movement
3rd Movement
4th Movement

Right-Click any of these to save to your computer or simply click on them to listen within your browser.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## agoukass




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## opus55

Time to listen to spotify links I saved from Oskaar's postings  This is my favorite TC thread where I discover new works and composers.

Nielsen: Piano Trio No.1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

agoukass said:


>


I can't tell you how much I love CPE Bach's string symphonies!


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> there's room in the arts for things like that.


Hear, hear!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Carl Vine: Symphony no. 1 "MicroSymphony"


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52. *Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both symphonies have Mstislav Rostropovich leading the Orchestre National de France.
Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid and Appalchian Spring, *both performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Toccata & Fugue, "Dorian", BWV 538








I have to say "Dorian" is my second favorite organ piece by Bach after the D minor Toccata BWV 565.

Mahler: Symphony No.6
Boulez, Wiener Philharmoniker









when the first movement ends, I will switch to Levine's for comparison


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte, K 588*

Just giving this a cursory listen pretty much but its still enjoyable - some nice arias in this one!.


----------



## tdc

Clementine said:


> *Maurice Ravel: String Quartet (1904)*
> I've had trouble with this quartet before fully delving into it, mostly because of my love for the Debussy and how this just seems like a knockoff. Certainly it was modeled after the earlier quartet, and after listening to it many times I'm still not convinced that he has anything new to offer. Regardless, it's enjoyable music, but if you haven't heard the Debussy I'd highly recommend that over this.


This to me is as ridiculous as suggesting Debussy's Quartet had nothing much new to offer over Grieg's (as Debussy modeled his Quartet on that by Grieg - it was also highly influenced by Cesar Franck).

"_In recent times the Debussy and Ravel Quartets have often been bracketed together, but they have little in common except their genre and the fact they continue the emancipation of the viola begun by Mozart a century earlier...in truth, during the decade between the two premieres, the art of playing string instruments underwent a revolution_."

_Tully Potter_, EMI Classics

While there are similarities between the Debussy and Ravel SQ's, the over-all feel in the works are as different as night and day. Take Ravel's famous second movement in his Quartet as an example nearly twice as long as the second movement in Debussy's. Scarcely have I heard such focused and refined genius as in that second movement of Ravel's SQ.

The theme development in the two works also differs significantly as pointed out by Kai Christiansen:

"_Debussy uses a single theme that constantly transforms across all four movements. In this sense, he is primarily fascinated with continuous variation, an evolution of ever-changing sensations. Ravel employs multiple themes, the two main themes of the first movement and one from the second. The themes recur with less variation, their essential natures intact, functioning much like themes in a single sonata to give his quartet a strong sense of order as a large-scale process of integration and balance... Ravel's tendency for neo-classical craftsmanship contrasts with Debussy's more impressionistic freedom_."

http://www.earsense.org/blog/?p=19

However I would argue the Ravel SQ ended up sounding like one of his most natural and spontaneous works, yet if Ravel really had nothing new to offer after Debussy to listeners, its surprising how his Quartet has gone on to become "_one of the most widely performed chamber music works in the classical repertoire_," with Debussy himself commenting on the work "_In the name of the gods of music and in my own, do not touch a single note you have written in your Quartet_."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_(Ravel)

Personally I'd highly recommend _both_ Quartets, as masterpieces in their own right.


----------



## opus55

This box set means something special to me - these are the recordings that pulled me back into classical music two years ago. Took me ten years to begin to understand these quartets :lol:

Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, Op.130 & Grand Fugue, Op. 132


----------



## clavichorder

Rene Clemencic playing De Cabezon on the clavichord.

I believe this is vocal music arranged for the clavichord, but I'm not certain. Clemencic plays slowly but with nuance. Good polyphony but perhaps it looses a lot of the power it had with vocal timbres on the clavichord, it feels like I have to meditate or zone into the subconscious zone with this music in order to really get something deep out of it. Otherwise, the music seems often simple and straightforward, yet sometimes weird. I have less of an affinity for it than I do Elizebethan virginal music.










Concerto Koln performing Rigel Symphonies, the Symphony in F Major

Rigel is an amazing orchestrator of the classical era, and the way he bumps around and scraps his phrases together, it all seems very french and unique. His symphony in F major starts of rather Mozartian, with the typical Rigel bumpiness. The second movement has a lot of pizzicatto, and the finale is almost a Gigue, an allegro. Very fun music. Concerto Koln really brings Rigel to life.










Saint Saens 5th piano concerto(Egyptian) performed by Thibaudet- there is a tremendous amount to appreciate and admire in this piece, it has very colorful orchestration, colorful piano writing galore, and the two are almost perfectly balanced and mixed with each other. The piece is so ripe with intelligent and colorful effects, I find it bizarre that Ravel despised Saint Saens. It is certainly a late romantic work, the first movement has a great shape to it, the second movement has a great epic sweep to it and the melodic lines that give the concerto its nickname, as well as these strange harmonies used on the piano in more delicate parts, and the finale is the most romantic part of the piece I found. I find the my listening with experience with this piece more cerebral than with the 2nd and 4th concertos, but there is something tickly and Saint Saens about it that is hard to resist nonetheless. It just doesn't have any of the terrifically romantic themes of some of Saint Saens' best, but in other ways, structurally and orchestrally, its better than his best, perhaps his masterpiece. So I'm a bit divided on this work.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5

I have recordings of no.5 by Pollini, Kempff, Fleisher, Perahia but feel that my favorite is still out there to be found some day. 2nd movement has one of the most sentimental passages of piano concertos that I know (very little).


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, "Resurrection"*


----------



## opus55

^^ interested in hearing Solti's interpretation of Mahler 2. I think I heard Solti's Mahler 7 last year which I liked but seemed so different from Chailly that I own. After second listen, I liked Solti's 7 as much as Chailly's.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Conor71

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade, Op. 35*

First listen of this new recording - great version!, glad I got this one


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> ^^ interested in hearing Solti's interpretation of Mahler 2. I think I heard Solti's Mahler 7 last year which I liked but seemed so different from Chailly that I own. After second listen, I liked Solti's 7 as much as Chailly's.


Its a great version opus  - I had only heard the recording once before prior to today and I was very impressed!.
I pretty much judge this work by how well the 3rd movement and climax are handled and this version is right up there with the best I've heard (probably Rattle's first effort!)
Solti's 7th is a good one too!.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to some lieder on this 3CD set on the Harmonia Mundi label.

"Er ist gekommen" by Clara Schumann.


----------



## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to some lieder on this 3CD set on the Harmonia Mundi label.
> 
> "Er ist gekommen" by Clara Schumann.


Is that supposed to be a portrait of Clara?

Currently listening to Vieuxtemps no.4


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Is that supposed to be a portrait of Clara?


No that's the cd cover. My avatar and profile pics are portraits of her.


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## kv466




----------



## violadude

kv466 said:


>


Wow, how old is Kissin in that photo on the CD cover?


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## kv466

Don't know exactly but I think he was around fifteen...strangely enough, among many other versions I love of my own namesake, this is my favorite overall...I recently got the reissue cd but this was the original I got in the mid-90's when it came out. Highly recommended performance of both concertos and the Rondo.


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## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Took me ten years to begin to understand these quartets :lol:


Then it was 10 years well spent!

I'm listening to Glenn Gould's live recording of Beethoven's* Hammerklavier* sonata. Last night I played the slow movement to my wife. She commented how much she was liking it, so I began explaining the two themes, how he varies them, and then I ended up talking about it relates to us in our stage of life. Beethoven, especially late Beethoven, tended to write music which does that to me; it goes beyond music and into the fabric of life.


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## kv466

Rachmaninov - 4 Piano Concertos and A Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini 
Earl Wild conducts his piano and Jascha Horenstein conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Rachmaninov - 4 Piano Concertos and A Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
> Earl Wild conducts his piano and Jascha Horenstein conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


Can it be? Horenstein finally in high-definition? Oh, no, I'm being tempted by yet another Rachmaninov cycle.


----------



## kv466

Manxfeeder said:


> Can it be? Horenstein finally in high-definition? Oh, no, I'm being tempted by yet another Rachmaninov cycle.


Just put it this way. As much as I love anything by the Canadian master, I love the man with the white hair just as much. Oh, if you've not invested time into this cycle then you are only doing a disservice to yourself...please do give them a listen as they are, to me, the only recordings of these works that not only give you exactly what the composer wanted to convey but the tempos and the virtuosity are so distinct that it is impossible to dismiss. Still yet to hear a better interpretation of these five masterful pieces.


----------



## clavichorder

Jean Phillipe Rameau-La Temple De La Gloire Suite-Nicholas McGregan Philharmonia Baroque

My first dip into this work. This is a suite from one of his operas evidently. My first impression is that it is a fascinatingly loose and free contrast to much of the orchestral music of the German Baroque I've heard. There's almost something romantic in it, moves in very interesting ways harmonically and rhythmically. Melancholy and a little silly, charmingly pompous, flutter a great and varied selection of different shorts. Colorful orchestration, probably the most imaginative of the Baroque era along with some Bach cantatas I've heard. Clever gigues and other baroque forms, he really doesn't move the way you expect one to move and sustains interesting counterpoint all the while(not intensive like Bach, but very interesting nonetheless), and he is from an early period than most of the composers I like who I describe as doing this, WF Bach, Rigel, CPE Bach, Telemann; I find Rameau even more adventuresome and free in this way than any of these composers so perhaps I'll need to be revising my favorites. I love it! This is my first in depth experience with Rameau's Orchestral works in a long time and I am freshly impressed and entertained. Great experience for early morning Christmas eve, I would have loved this as a child too.


----------



## clavichorder

Martinu Cello Concerto- Johannes Moser on Cello, German Radio Orchestra.

The Cello part to the first movement sounds extremely difficult! This movement had a very upfront characteristic about it, one thing I've noticed about a lot of Martinu, is that he starts off immediately and quickly become very busy. In that characteristic, he reminds me of Hindemith, though Martinu is pretty tonal whereas Hindemith is somewhat atonal. The slow movement seemed particularly deep and moving, with a cool cello cadenza and an overall nice structure and theme development to it. The last movement has some wacky atonal sounds in its theme and cello writing. For a Cello Concerto, this piece reminds me an awful lot of a violin concerto, just something about it. It was definitely a good piece. I stand by my Hindemith comparison, there is something classical yes modern about this work. _Not sure_ he is as brilliant as Prokofiev of Hindemith, but this is one of the better works I've heard of his, definitely worth hearing.


----------



## starthrower

Another great Luto edition from Naxos. I had heard the Preludes, and Double Concerto
on the Philips Essential CD, so I decided to pick up the Naxos recording. But the Philips
is a great 2 disc starter set if you don't have any Lutoslawski in your collection.










BTW, some of the other pieces in this Naxos set are first rate including Chain No.1;
Grave, a short work for cello and string orchestra, and a fine set of 8 songs.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: last quartets


----------



## jalex

opus55 said:


> Mahler: Symphony No.6
> Boulez, Wiener Philharmoniker


Any good? I've been taken by Boulez's Mahler so far.


----------



## opus55

jalex said:


> Any good? I've been taken by Boulez's Mahler so far.


I'm very happy with Boulez's Mahler 6 recording but only heard two other recordings to compare - Inbal and Levine. The first two movements are the reasons I like the 6th. I'd say Boulez's marching sections in 6th are not a very aggressive one and rather more lyrical. Levine's march is definitely more forceful as well as faster tempo. I hardly ever listen to Inbal's, I don't know why.

I'd recommend this recording because it has great sound and well balanced interpretation through all movements. The orchestra sings beautifully. Not recommended if you really want intense, gruesome marching like Barbirolli's 6th (heard my brother's CD long time ago).

Also have Boulez's Mahler 5th but I prefer Karajan there. I'm still a big fan of Boulez so I recently got Mahler 9 (haven't really listened enough) and would like to get 7th as well.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## brianwalker

I cannot stress how this disc is important to me. Knappertsbusch is arguably the greatest Wagnerian to have ever walked the earth, with Furtwangler being a possible competitor, but both conductors did not live into the golden age of studio recording and thus the world was robbed and had to settle for compromises such as Solti's Decca recordings, recordings I turn to again and again not because of his phrasing but because of Decca's legendary engineers and Solti's artistic decision to balance the sound in favor of the orchestra, rendering the Opera a concerto where the singers are just another instrument, and not in many recordings where the orchestra is a mere accompaniment, as if this was a Schubert Song Cycle. This disc is on the top of my desert island disc, with Richter's Well Tempered Clavier, Anne-Sophie Mutter/Karajan's Brahm's violin Concerto, Takac's Opus 76 and Argerich's studio Gaspard/Sonatine/Valse Sentimental not far behind.

2What would I give for Knappertsbusch to have been born 20 years later; if only he recorded the Ring with Decca and not Solti, we would surely have a definitive cycle, and not the synthetic ring cycles that most veteran Wagnerites recommend.

This recording is barely over an hour long, and consists of only 6 "bleeding chunks". The Prologue to Gotterdammerung, Siegfried's Funeral March, Kundrys Erzählung from Parsifal, Leb wohl from Die Walkure, and the Prelude and Liebestod of Tristan.

One of the most difficult part of conducting Wagner is the task of keeping the orchestra and singers in sync and making sure one doesn't overpower the other. Beyond that the immeasurably complex orchestration requires numerous artistic discretions*, and Knappertsbusch makes all the right ones. In the beginning of Leb wohl for example, Knappertsbusch's version easily beats Karajan and Solti's. At the very beginning of leb Wohl you have three main three lines, the strings, brass no 1 and brass no 2. Now Karajan balances all three lines so that brass no 1 has very little prominence, despite the fact that brass no 2 and the strings are playing the same melodies. Knappertsbusch gives more weight to brass no 1 and delivers, my God, one of the most glorious orchestral climaxes in all of music. Solti's is even worse; he conducts the opening as if he had a bus to catch; like Knappertbusch he suppresses Brass no 2, but this maybe just poor playing on the part of brass no 1, which I'm guessing is solo (?). If anyone could tell me which instruments they are that'd be great. I could go on about how great this piece is, but I've merely covered the first 20 seconds.

This is probably the best Tristan prelude I've ever heard, and I've listened to dozens. Recently I watched "Melancholia" (terrible, avoid it like the plague), and experienced for the first time what it means to have a piece of music "ruined" for you. For days I could not listen to Tristan without recalling the dreary, sepulchre visage of the eminently overrated Kirsten Dunst. I quit Solti's Tristan halfway into Act I because it became unbearable. Only with Knappertsbusch's Tristan could I forget those repellent associations.

I haven't closely compared his Funeral March to too many other versions yet, but it is just as good as Solti's and better than Karajan's.

I've just obtained his two most famous Parsifal recordings.

*Verdict: Buy, buy now if you haven't already!*










I'm not usually a fan of mono recordings of orchestral music (or any music for that matter) because the conducting would have to be out of this world to justify the poor sound you're getting. This recording of Schubert's ninth is worth it. For mono its sound is excellent and far better than the often unlistenable 40s recordings. Many complain that the length of Schubert's 9th exceeds its capacity, but Furtwangler makes you forget all of that. For me the race isn't even close. Furtwangler blows Karajan (EMI or DG) and Bohm (DG) out of the water.

*Verdict: Probably available on the internet  somewhere since it's Furtwangler and DG. *

* Barenboim in interview: "This is also another reason why this wonderful concert idea, 'faithfulness to the text', is absolutely not true. It doesn't exist. If you play a symphony you don't here anything, unless you understand the reason. It's not a question of changing; in other words the choice for a conductor or a musician is not, "Do I faithfully reproduce what is printed, or do I change it?" This is not the right question; it is certainly not the right choice. The right question, in my view, is, "What does it mean by that?" It says crescendo, how do I make this crescendo audible? I must make sure that the heavyweights - the brass, and timpani, the percussion - start their crescendo later, when the weaker instruments have already made the crescendo. *When you see the second bar of the famous Prelude to Tristan and Isolde, with the famous Tristan chord, if all the instruments make the diminuendo at the same time, you lose the line. Therefore the oboe, which is the instrument that continues, has to make a diminuendo later. Now, if you talk, strictly speaking, about faithfulness to the text, this does not happen, *because then you wouldn't hear it. All these aspects fascinated me with Mahler."


----------



## Conor71

*Borodin: Symphony No. 2 In B Minor*

Good morning and Merry Christmas to everybody!


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248*

Its time for my Christmas listening duty! - This is an awesome performance of this work


----------



## clavichorder

Glazunov's 1st Piano Concerto

I found this concerto very pleasant to listen to and it was quite Russian in the first movement and in some of the variations. Sometimes a tragic sound, other times a pastoral and even keel sound that I usually associate with Glazunov, with a melancholy bent to it. The piece was nice and had some tragic and grandiose themes, but my overall impression is that it was a bit stately for my tastes. I think I've been forcing myself to process music too quickly lately, I can sense in myself and the piece that the deeper emotional impacts of the piece are partly lost on me at this time, but this is definitely a work that I will again listen to. The theme and variations pattern of the second movement is neat, some of the variations are starkly contrasting. I get the impression that Glazunov might be a bit of a Russian Dvorak? Has he ever been coined this before? The comparison seems apt at the moment.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 18*, by Glenn Gould on Spotify. This is my first exposure to this piece, so I can't comment very knowledgeably on the interpretation, although I do find it interesting.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Preludes*


----------



## Conor71

*Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 8 In D Minor*


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105.* All works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.
Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid and Fanfare for the Common Man, *all featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 In Bb Major, D 960*

Ok, this is my last listen and then its off to join the family for Christmas - Happy holidays everyone!


----------



## science




----------



## jalex

*Bach: Brandenburg Concerti #4-6*










Happy Christmas


----------



## science

Continuing a very lovely evening of French song!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to a great Christmas present which will last long after the other presents have been eaten, spent, or gone out of style.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Christmas Oratorio*, Gardiner, the first cantata, before heading out to church.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## clavichorder

A Christmas Present that I will be talking about


----------



## clavichorder

Its always a wonderful feeling when you discover a new romantic work worth obsessing over.

*Saint Saens 5th Piano Concerto(Egyptian)* is really a great piece. I reviewed it before, and now I believe I've warmed up to it. I think I'll want to listen to this one again and agaiin.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 In Bb Major, Op. 83*

I'm planning to add a bit more Brahms to my listening diet over the next couple of months as I have neglected him a bit over the last year or so.
To this end I have ordered some nice historical recordings of his Symphonies and Requiem which I am looking forward to and will listen to selections from my Brahms collection throughout this week - first up is this this nice set of the Piano Concertos


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 51/1*


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek* - _Glagolitic Mass_ with Rafael Kubelik at the helm (DGG)

*Bernstein* - _Sym. #3 "Kaddish,"_ with Jon Axelrod conducting Lucerne Orch., Samuel Pisar, narration. (Nimbus)

*Britten *- _The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra_, with Royal PO under Antal Dorati, Sean Connery narrating (Belart)


----------



## clavichorder

*Medtner's 1st Piano Concerto*
This is one of those works that seems to get better with each listen, but is overwhelming on the first and baffles for a while as you get adjusted. What a piece of work!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have the overture from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite stuck in my head.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bernstein conducting "Le Sacre du Printemps" with the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## starthrower

Mitsuko Uchida discussing the Schoenberg piano concerto.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor*

Listening to Haitink's superb Mahler 3 - Mahler is not always an easy listen for me but today he is hitting the spot!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

starthrower said:


> Mitsuko Uchida discussing the Schoenberg piano concerto.


The Schoenberg piano concerto sounds a bit jazzy.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really have enjoyed Arensky's Piano Quintet and also these trios. Great stuff!


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Prelude & Fugue In F Minor, BWV 534*

Listening to the 2nd disc of this box-set - various Preludes and Fugues


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Ooh! I've always loved Bach's organ music!


----------



## Conor71

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^Ooh! I've always loved Bach's organ music!


Its awesome stuff for sure!  - I just have this set which is (mostly) his complete works and its one of my favourite recordings of Classical Music!


----------



## science




----------



## science

Conor71 said:


> Its awesome stuff for sure!  - I just have this set which is (mostly) his complete works and its one of my favourite recordings of Classical Music!


I haven't heard that one so I can't compare, but I got a complete Bach organ works set by Preston on DG that I like very much - it was fairly cheap, so if anyone's on a budget...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Fratres for Violin and Piano


----------



## agoukass




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

agoukass said:


>


Wow I never knew the MSO recorded anything for Naxos. I should find that recording. Do you know when it was made?


----------



## agoukass

It was released in 1997.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Thanks. I will look it up.


----------



## Sid James

Xmas was a bit of a fizzer. Not as much going on as I thought around my "circle." Did the usual things though. But no overeating this time, which is probably a good thing. But had to have fruit mince pies & chocolate. What would this time of year be without them?

So, back here at least to briefly report some recent listening, everything except the Stravinsky symphony being repeated listening.

This Stravinsky work came across as being like Beethoven mixed with c20th neo-classicism, and it was surprisingly light given the difficult circumstances it was composed in (Stravinsky at the time recovering in a Swiss hospital from tubercolosis). The quiet ending was quite a surprise, as were many other things in there, not predictable at all, although solidly based on tradition, but updating it to modern times...

*Stravinsky*
_Symphony in C_ (1940)
Philharmonia Orch. / Robert Craft
(Naxos)

*Schubert*
_PIano Trio #1 in B flat, D.898
Sonatensatz, D.28 (Trio Sonata Movement)
Notturno in E flat, D.897_
Jean-Philippe Collard, pno. / Augustin Dumay, vln. / Frederic Lodeon, cello
(on EMI 2 cd set)

*Album: Andre Rieu - You'll Never Walk Alone, Songs of Hope & Inspiration*
_Light & popular classics, show tunes, opera arias, movie themes, etc._
Andre Rieu (direction, arrangements) & his Johann Strauss Orch. with guests
(Polydor/Universal)

*Peter Sculthorpe*
-_Irkanda IV_
Leonard Dommett, vln. / Melbourne SO / Myer Fredman
(ABC CLassics)

- _From Kakadu
- Into the Dreaming
- Djilile _(arr. Wingfield)
Aleksandr Tsiboulski, guitar
(From Naxos - recital of Aussie guitar music by Mr. Tsiboulski)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^One of my friends at school played "Stele" by Houghton (I think it was Houghton. Was it Houghton?) earlier this year. It's on that recording but I haven't heard Alexander Tsiboulski play it.

P.S. Join group


----------



## Lisztian

Listening to this again.



A few of things that caught my attention this time...

1. I actually liked the first polonaise for the first time ever. Still don't think it's a great piece, but it's alright.
2. I also like the Bercuese a lot, I didn't in the past.
3. Liszt's second Ballade is THE most underrated piano work on this site. The more I listen to it, the more remarkable it is. As much as I love Chopin's fourth Ballade (my favourite, and IMO Chopin's greatest work), I like this one better...and think it is as great a work. It didn't even get put in the top 200 piano works! What a travesty. I've seen it said a few times that this work is typical 'vulgar, bombastic Liszt,' but I just don't understand. It is an utterly beautiful, dramatic, glorious work. It is written in the same key as the sonata, and uses the same kind of masterful thematic transformation - it was written around the same time as the sonata. I will put up the same video I did last time so that others can try for themselves...Hopefully people can listen with an unprejudiced ear and realise how great a work it truly is, although I admit it may not be the easiest work to understand, and some of the writing is very Lisztian and may be offputting for some. But to me, I have no doubt it is one of the greatest solo piano works of the Romantic era.


----------



## Sid James

^ Yes, I too am an admirer of that 2nd Ballade by Liszt, esp. in how he uses repetition and some quite odd harmonies there for his time, reminding me of jazz or bluesy piano. Of course, a good deal of flashiness and stuff like that which puts some listeners off sometimes, but he doesn't go overboard with those in this work as far as I can tell...


----------



## Lisztian

Sid James said:


> ^ Yes, I too am an admirer of that 2nd Ballade by Liszt, esp. in how he uses repetition and some quite odd harmonies there for his time, reminding me of jazz or bluesy piano. Of course, a good deal of flashiness and stuff like that which puts some listeners off sometimes, but he doesn't go overboard with those in this work as far as I can tell...


Glad someone agrees with me  The stormy chromatic broken octaves and the climax at the end could be off-putting for some, but to me it is just brilliant, affecting piano writing. And the climax...When the theme from the start gets magically transformed into that glorious, sublime theme in a completely different mood...it's just masterful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra*, Simon Rattle.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2*, Earl Wild and Jascha Horenstein.

*Grieg Piano Concerto* with Emil Gilels and Eugen Jochum.

*Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata*, Artur Schnabel.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Domenico Scarletti, Te Deum*, Cleobury.

An old tradition is to perform the Te Deum at the end of the year as a gesture of thanksgiving, so I'm listening to Scarlatti's, plus the rest of the CD.

There is a nice sense of space in this recording, reflecting the polychoral nature of these pieces, written in the old style but spiced with more modern harmonies. A boychoir is employed here. Maybe their voices aren't always spot-on, but the resonant acoustic helps hide such things.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Delightful Christmas music, nothing hard going but just simple Classical moods. Good music to play when the kids are opening the presents, and when aunt Doris is sipping her cup of tea over Christmas with the family. _Czech Christmas Mass_, music by Jakub Jan Ryba (1765-1815), a composer whom I never know of before. Played by Capella Regina Musicalis (on period instruments).


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36*


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> oskaar, try Bruno Walter (Sony) LvB Sym. 6, if Spotify has it. Failing Walter, then Harnoncourt (Teldec, Elatus). Good luck.


Walter with Colombia symph orch. Very good!


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1*

I have the day off today so I'm going to listen to the WTC in its entirety from Kirkpatrick's sets - these are unique in being performed on a Clavichord which has quite a nice tone in these recordings.
The Book 1 set suffers a bit from a poor recording but its still an excellent performance and will be an enjoyable listen.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*

Artists

Bruno Walter Columbia Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Vol...2ZOQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321017016&sr=8-2

I like the symphony better and better! Great version, but the sound is average. A little hiss in the background that sounds in more quiet areas.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Phantasy Quartet in F-, for oboe and string trio, Op.2*

Artists	
Gordon Hunt




http://www.amazon.com/Bax-Bliss-Qui...M49Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317575563&sr=8-1

Very exciting and imaginative work! Brilliant performed, and very good sound.










Work 
*Britten: Piano Concerto in D, Op.13*

Artists	
Benjamin Britten, Sviatoslav Richter, English Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Conducts-Vol-4/dp/B0017LWUM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324930832&sr=8-1

Very exciting concert! Playful and exuberant use of the orchestra, and piano / orchestra combination.
Very good sound, and the performance conveys a wealth of detail and mood. Very good!


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), H.68, Op.16*

Artists	
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra
Sylvain Cambreling




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042NF2OU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1324300577&sr=8-1

Great work, but a bit tame version. Sound is average.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major, BWV 1007*

Finished listening to Book 1 of the WTC and now listening to the first Disc in this excellent set of Bach's Cello Suites.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Quartet in E flat, Op. 47


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Schumann: Piano Quartet in E flat, Op. 47


One of my most played recordings in my collection! I just love this version!

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> One of my most played recordings in my collection! I just love this version!
> 
> Kevin


I'm glad to see another member likes it. I just picked it up used couple hours ago. You can't go wrong with Beaux Arts Trio!

Playing newly purchased discs..

Haydn: Piano Trio No.43 in C major









No.45?! Haydn sure wrote many many works.. sounds light and bright so far. Must be the old style piano.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550, *featuring James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
 *Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100*. Both works again feature Maestro Bernstein leading the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works feature the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein. The *First Symphony *also features organist E. Power biggs.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2*, Gardiner.

I haven't paid much attention to this symphony, so I spent the afternoon marking up the score, then listening to Gardiner's version.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Berg - Violin Concerto

Yehudi Menuhin
Pierre Boulez
BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Manxfeeder said:


> *Brahms, Symphony No. 2*, Gardiner.
> 
> I haven't paid much attention to this symphony, so I spent the afternoon marking up the score, then listening to Gardiner's version.


@ Manxfeeder, Is this played on "period instruments"? What did you think of Gardiner's reading? I have Herbert von Karajan's version of this {along with all of Brahm's other 3 symphonies} with the Berliner Philharmoniker and enjoyed his interpretations very much. Maybe I should check out some Gardiner/Brahms on *Spotify* as well?


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2*


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, Is this played on "period instruments"? What did you think of Gardiner's reading? I have Herbert von Karajan's version of this {along with all of Brahm's other 3 symphonies} with the Berliner Philharmoniker and enjoyed his interpretations very much. Maybe I should check out some Gardiner/Brahms on *Spotify* as well?


My understanding is, it represents an orchestra from Brahms' period, with gut strings and all. One deviation is, he uses natural horns; Gardiner feels Brahms preferred his horns valve-less, though in his time it probably wasn't so.

I was favorably impressed with this recording. In the past, Gardiner's weakness has been that he hasn't allowed much "soul" in favor of a more scholarly, historical approach. Here, he isn't afraid to deviate at times, as in the first movement, slowing slightly before the second theme begins, which isn't in the score but is a nice effect. The second movement is also sufficiently weighty. Gardiner divides the strings, which does make a difference in certain passages. The horn blends well but is allowed to stick out when appropriate - I'm thinking of a passage in the first movement where it sounds like he's on the back of a horse at full cry.

Overall, I think he presents well both aspects of this piece, its spring-like joy and its dark shadows.


----------



## jalex

*Bach: Partita for Solo Flute; Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin*


----------



## NightHawk

Though I posted this on Solo and Chamber I thought I would add it here as it is such intimate, entrancing music!


----------



## Vaneyes

ABM - Ravel "G"


----------



## NightHawk

Glad you are finding more interest in the Beethoven Symphonies, Oskaar. The Sixth and Seventh are my favorites (but I love them all!). 

Ludvig van Beethoven

OP from Oskaar	'I am liking the symphonies better and better'	
Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')


----------



## NightHawk

Great performance of the Ravel by Michelangeli - first time I have ever seen him 'live' so to speak. Thanks!

(and the great Celibadache with London to boot! - what a dream team!)



Vaneyes said:


> ABM - Ravel "G"


----------



## opus55

First time listening to this famous work! I think I'm very close to having all the well known works by Brahms.

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115


----------



## Sid James

Got through this in full in the past few days -


----------



## Sid James

& also -

*Boccherini *- _Guitar Quintet # 4 "Fandango"_ - with Karin Schaupp, guitar & Flinders Quartet (ABC CLassics)

*Puccini *- _Messa di Gloria, Salve Regina, Cristanemi_ - various artists with Martin Elmquist at the helm (Classico records)

*Janacek* - _Taras Bulba: Cossack Rhapsody_ - Cleveland Orch. under Christopher von Dohnanyi (Decca Eloquence)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> Got through this in full in the past few days]


I need to do that myself.


----------



## Clementine

Just Listened to:

*Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in C RV 185 "La Stravaganza #7" (1713)*
A very charming, bubbly violin concerto. Vivaldi alternates between slow movements with sweeping harmonic gestures, and fast movements full of counterpoint. Really fun work, if a little too short.

*Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Minor RV 249 "La Stravaganza #8 (1713)*
A little less to my liking then the previous one, as it tends to wander a bit and doesn't seem to know where it's going. But there are some great moments of intensity followed by reflection in the first two movements. The last movement foreshadows Bach in the shaping of it's theme (very spiky & motivic).

*Joseph Haydn: String Quartet #62 in C "Emperor" (1797)*
This is a wonderful quartet from a composer in his prime. It's interesting stylistically, as the outer movements are very folksy with rowdy dance like elements, and the inner movements are very elegant: a beautiful (and recognizable) theme and variations, followed by a fairly straightforward minuet and trio. This leaves the structure a little disjointed, but overall it's quality music.

*Bedrich Smetana: Tabor, Blanik (1880)*
These form the last two movements of _Ma Vlast_, though they are really a piece within themselves (as they were intended); the two connecting movements form a half hour sweeping epic. There are some wonderful spine-tingling moments in the middle section of _Tabor_, and the ending of _Blanik_ is very nice. It can ramble a bit though, and indulges in the 'gushing romantic' side of things a little too much for my taste. Having now listened to all of _Ma Vlast_, I think it's safe to say that _The Moldau_ deserves all the attention it gets, and leaves the other poems in the dust.

*Claude Debussy: Pour le Piano (1901)*
_Pour le Piano_ is a small gem written between larger _Nocturnes_ and _Pelleas et Melisande_. The first movement seems to foreshadow Gershwin in it's showmanship, with its quick runs and glissandi. The second movement is taken from an earlier piano work _Images_, and is perhaps better suited for that piece (which is very underrated, and definitely worth checking out). The highlight though is the last movement, which includes all of Debussy's hallmarks: luscious harmonic progressions, sweeping melody, and a dreamlike quality.

*Samuel Barber: Three Songs, Op. 10 (1937)*
Barber's output is split pretty evenly between the broad gestures of his orchestral music and the intimacy of his songs and piano pieces. These three songs deal with love affairs and contain the harmonic richness and lyricism typical of Barber. They get considerably less easy on the ears as they progress (and the affair falls apart). Overall, very well written and engaging music.

P.S. I apologize for using the word 'sweeping' three times. For my next post I'll consult a thesaurus.


----------



## opus55

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater
Raff: Symphony No.11

















Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D.780
Bach, J.C: Viola Concerto in C minor


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106, "Philosophic"*


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.1 in F Major, *with Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.8 {"The Journey"}*, featuring the Lahti Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.I especially liked its haunting and lyrical 3rd Movement: Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 8, "The Journey": III. Tranquillo. Much of this work, most notably in the Final Movement, reminded me a lot of Sibelius, what with its use of swirling strings and "layered" {for lack of a better descriptor} French Horns.
Philip Glass--*Glassworks, *performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble with Michael Riesman.


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106, "Philosophic"*


I didn't even know no.6 had a nickname.

Now listening to..

Lalo: Symphonie espagnole


----------



## science

De Staat.

All I can say is, this is... different.

I'll need to listen it to it more before I can elaborate.


----------



## Clementine

science said:


> De Staat.
> 
> All I can say is, this is... different.
> 
> I'll need to listen it to it more before I can elaborate.


I've only heard bits and pieces, but everyone I've talked to who knows this piece has given it extremely high praise (including composer Gunther Schuller). I plan on getting to know it soon... give it a few more listens, and let me know what you think!


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No.7










My favorite symphonic scherzo. I've been neglicting Dvorak symphonies for almost half year. There's never a dull moment in no.7.


----------



## kv466

Bach - Keyboard concerto no.1 in d-minor, bwv1052; no.5 in f-minor, bwv1056
Simone Dinnerstein and Kammerorchester Staatskapelle Berlin


----------



## Lisztian

I'm usually not Horowitz's biggest fan, but I really like him in Scriabin. This disc is a great sampler of Scriabin's piano music, containing the Piano Sonatas 9 and 10, a selection of Etudes, Poemes, 2 Feuillet d'albums, and the Vers la flamme. Terrific piano music played very well.


----------



## Conor71

*Hovhaness: Cello Concerto , Op. 27*

I don't think I could get into Hovhaness music in a big way but this is a nice piece - this Disc and the Reiner Disc of Mysterious Mountain are all I will ever own by him I think.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Hovhaness: Cello Concerto , Op. 27*
> 
> I don't think I could get into Hovhaness music in a big way but this is a nice piece - this Disc and the Reiner Disc of Mysterious Mountain are all I will ever own by him I think.


Come to think of it, having only two CDs of his, I guess I feel the same way.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oak*s, Barshai. *Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements*, En Shao.


----------



## jalex

*Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Harold en Italie*










I've loved SF for a while, but I am more and more impressed by Harold each time I listen to it. Fresh harmonic writing, compelling and original melodies, rhythmically intricate and thoroughly enjoyable.


----------



## Conor71

*Rautavaara: Symphony No. 7, "Angel Of Light"*


----------



## Klavierspieler

John Ireland:

"Phantasy" Trio No. 1 in A-minor
Holywell Ensemble

Fantasy Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Clarinet: Emma Johnson
Piano: Malcolm Martineau


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1*

Artists	
Verdi Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...OWUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324214073&sr=8-1

Very nice quartet, especially the second movement is very lyrical, romantic and sensitive.
Pretty good version, play and interaction is quite good, but especially the violin sound is a bit dry and harsh.










Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2*

Artists	
Vertavo String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...4D8W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324220755&sr=8-1

I think I like this quartet better than the first. Great harmonies, smooth and colorful.
The performance here are also very good, but the sound is only average.


----------



## Vaneyes

Honegger Pastorale d'Été, followed by Britten Cello Suites.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Evocations, suite (or 2 pianos)*

Artists	
Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra, David Amos




http://www.amazon.com/Dello-Joio-N-...F1H8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317033890&sr=8-1

Very exciting work. The beginning is a little boring, but after a while it builds up, and it is really a great listening! The dramatic parts is outstanding!
Very nice version!. Good orchestra where the nuances are nicely presented. Good sound!










Work 
*Bloch: Symphony for Trombone (or Cello) and Orchestra*

Artists	
christian lindberg
Swedish Radio Orchestra
Leif Segerstam




http://www.amazon.com/Trombone-Odys...16HT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565432&sr=8-1

Trombone is a wonderful instrument, and this work is very nice to show off the trombone qualities. Wonderful harmonies, and a very rich work on harmonies and moods.
Very nice performance, and fairly good sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> Great performance of the Ravel by Michelangeli - first time I have ever seen him 'live' so to speak. Thanks!
> 
> (and the great Celibadache with London to boot! - what a dream team!)


Celi goes weird in the second movement--8:35 to 8:48. A wide range of emotion--smile and rolling of eyes, followed by stern admonishment.

And upon conclusion, credit ABM for finally suggesting to Celi that the orchestra be acknowledged.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.4 in Eb ('Sinfonie Naïve')*

Artists	
Okko Kamu (Conductor), Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Symph...143P/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318429071&sr=8-3

No major symphony. But it is quite enjoyable listening.
Good performance .... the sound is medium


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*2* *in* *D* *Major, ** Op**.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52. *Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 6 in F major, K. 43*

Artists
Neville Marriner and Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...01PD/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324997804&sr=8-3

I like Mozart and I like the symphony! Playful, and with great harmonies. It's Mozart, and particularly exciting is it not, but great!
Nice version with great sound!










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.5 in Bb, K.22*

Artists
Hans Graf*
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...KPTQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320074488&sr=8-1

I can not listen to Mozart for a long time, because then it becomes boring. but in proper doses is it fine fine. And from a child it is eminent!
Very good sound! And fine performance.










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No.4 In D, K.19*

Artists	
Erich Leinsdorf, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Essential/dp/B005TUAZ7Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1320073105&sr=8-4

Very good sound, and a charming little symphony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Alto Rhapsody*, Gardiner.

The main reason I wanted this CD is for the Alto Rhapsody. I have a friend who reminds me of this lonely wanderer needing prayer and needing to see all the hands reaching out to him.

Nathalie Stultzmann takes this beast of a solo (with all those vocal leaps) and sings it effortlessly, like she isn't just singing it but experiencing it.


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Dieter Goldmann




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...3NM4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315301689&sr=8-5

I love this work!
But unfortunately, the sound here is not especially good. Very harsh piano. But great playing!










Work 
*Franck: Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), symphonic poem, M.44*

Artists	
royal philharmonic raymond leppard
http://www.eyespygifts.com/looking-.../Franck orchestral works raymond leppard.aspx

Fantastic work!
Great playing ... it's an amazing nerve!
Good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Georg Solti (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315419097&sr=1-4

Mahler's Symphony No. 1. I have not got any longer But the symphony is amazing!
Very good performance, but average + sound.


----------



## opus55

Enjoyed No. 7 so much last night, I'm continuing Dvorak appreciation night 2

Dvorak: Symphony No.8


----------



## Vaneyes

I find this Berio Piano Works rec to be an excellent companion for my previous listen, the Sequenzas.


----------



## Sid James

*Max Bruch*
_Violin Concerto #1 in G minor, Op. 26
Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46_
Arthur Grumiaux, vln. / New Philharmonia Orch. / Heinz Wallberg
(Philips Eloquence)

*"Cabaret" original soundtrack*
Music by John Kander / Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Cast incl. Joel Grey & Liza Minelli
(EMI)

*Elliott Carter*
_String Quartet #1_ (1951)
Pacifica Quartet
(Naxos)

*Ross Edwards*
_Blackwattle Caprices
Guitar Dances_
Aleksandr Tsiboulski, guitar
(from Naxos disc, _Australian Guitar Music_, recital by Mr. Tsiboulski)


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No.6










Only second listen. I picked No.6 because it's short :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Debussy dos a dos.


----------



## opus55

I think I found a different side of Shostakovich in his Symphony No.6 - it wasn't as cold as his other symphonies that I'm familiar with. Also listened to Six Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, Op.143a as a bonus - has great potential to add to my favorite orchestrated vocal works. Should remember to listen again soon.

Prokofiev: Symphony No.7









So many great russian symphonies..


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141, *featuring the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Kyril Kondrashin.
Edvard Grieg--*Symphony in C Minor, EG 119, *with Noriko Ogawa conducting the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. I'm not sure at this point if Grieg and Carl Nielsen were contemporaries or not, but I thought I heard a lot of Nielsen's influence in both dynamics and orchestration of the opening and last movements of this wonderful symphony. If I am to find out later on Wikipedia that Grieg in fact lived before Nielsen, then I of course shall have to reverse who actually influenced whom. :scold:
Anyway, its final movement *here: *Edvard Grieg - Symphony In C Minor, EG 119: IV. Finale.


----------



## Sid James

*Elliott Carter*
_String Quartet #5_ (1995)
Pacifica Quartet
(Naxos)


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Impromptus D.899 & D.935 (a few "oh, I know this!" moments)
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Prokofiev: Symphony No.2


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 In Bb Minor, Op. 23*

Just finished the Rachmaninov on this awesome Disc, now moving on to the Tchaikovsky.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Abraham Lincoln Portraits*, Nashville Symphony, Slatkin.

This is a well-recorded collection of pieces about Abraham Lincoln, from Charles Ives to Aaron Copland.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 126: Cello Concerto No. 2 in G major*

Artists
Noras, A and Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Rasilainen, Ari




http://mp3.platekompaniet.no/site/web3/view.ftl?page=product&productId=201657

A rather dark and gloomy concert, but I think it is magical. Very strong and beautiful moments, shades, moods and colors.
Excellent performance and very good sound! Recommended.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 20: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major*

Artists	
Royal Philharmonic orchestra
Ashkenazy	




http://www.allmusic.com/album/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-3-12-w238713

Fantastic Symphony! The delightful musical landscapes, and great excitement. Things happen quickly, and the symphony is full of rapid changes in mood and atmosphere.
Very nice performance, and good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in Eb, Op.82 *

Artist

Lorin Maazel
Pittsburg symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Lorin-Maazel-...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323259450&sr=8-1-fkmr0

A great symphony, but some of the glow is missing in this recording. The sound is not especially good, and I do not think performances are so good either. Somewhat tame and hesitating.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73*

Artists	
Christopher O'Riley, Rolf Schulte




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-R-Fa...0LMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319468920&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319555251&sr=8-1

Incredibly beautiful! Fine recording. But the violin is somewhat dry and harsh. But play and interactive play is very good.










Work 
*Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in Ab, for horn (or cello) and piano, Op.70*

Artists	
Rivka Golani
Bernadene Blaha




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Fairies/dp/B002WZQH0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319299890&sr=8-1










Work 
*Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, for cello and piano, Op.102*

Artists	
Jenny Abel, Roberto Szidon




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319555251&sr=8-1

Melodic and beautiful pieces, but none Schumann favorite.
A little messy performances and medium sound.


----------



## jalex

*Schoenberg: String Quartet in D Major (unnumbered)*










Well, that was unexpected. Apparently this composition prompted Eduard Hanslick to comment: 'It seems to me that a new Mozart is growing up in Vienna'. Who'd have thunk it?

*Berg: Lyric Suite*

(Same box-set)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Aaron Copland, Billy the Kid*.


----------



## Manxfeeder

jalex said:


> Well, that was unexpected. Apparently this composition prompted Eduard Hanslick to comment: 'It seems to me that a new Mozart is growing up in Vienna'. Who'd have thunk it?


The decision whether to purchase that box set has been tormenting me for a long time. Are you happy with it so far?


----------



## jalex

Manxfeeder said:


> The decision whether to purchase that box set has been tormenting me for a long time. Are you happy with it so far?


Yes, extremely happy. I don't feel the need to own another copy of anything in that set except for the Webern Quartet by the Juillards (nothing wrong with the LaSalle's version; it's a personal thing - I knew it by the Juillards first) and the Schoenberg #2, in which I prefer a soprano with a more tightly controlled vibrato. Other than that, it's all very good


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms - Piano Quintet with Fleisher/ESQ, then Pogo.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 2*, Norrington. Nicely played, but I think I prefer Gardiner's version.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony** No.1 in E **Minor Op.29 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both feature the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## opus55

Gliére: Symphony No.2
Bantock: Celtic Symphony

















Just bought these used for less than US$2.00 each. Listening to Gliére now and the middle two movements are delightful. Never even heard of the name Bantock but the cover art (and price) was convincing I'm guessing Sir Bantock is British so I have certain expectations but I'll find out shortly after Gliére Symphony.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.31 in D, K.297 {"Paris"} and Symphony No.34 in C, K.338. *Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner conducting the English Baroque Soloists.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50, FS 97, *performed by the Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Jensen.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms*
_String Sextet #1 in B flat major, Op. 18_
Stuttgart Soloists
(Naxos)

*Carter*
_String Quartet #4_ (1986)
Pacifica Quartet
(Naxos)

*Beethoven*
_String Quartet in C Sharp Minor, Op. 131_
LaSalle Quartet
(Brilliant Classics)


----------



## Sid James

Have also been enjoying this lately. One of my best buys of the year. Esp. enjoyed the Sculthorpe piece, which captures this composers orchestral sounds in the one instrument, which I find pretty amazing. But all the pieces are good. A good cd for guitar fans or just as an introduction to the music of some of the finest living Aussie composers. The guitarist here is of Ukrainian origin but grew up in Australia. His playing comes across to me as very good and the recorded sound is great as well. As a whole, these works image the bright and sunny atmosphere of our continent, although there's a lot of stylistic and technical variety (etc.) in this recital as well...


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106, "Philosophic"*

Been listening to this one a fair bit recently - great Symphony!


----------



## jhar26

All very pleasant, melodic, charming and Mozart-like although without rivalling Wolfie's genius of course. But especially No.4 is a real winner. One of the best piano concertos I've heard from one of Mozart's contemporaries....


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 6 in F major, K. 43*

Artists
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...U0Q4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325165091&sr=8-1

I love these early symphonies. They show both a childlike playfulness, and an incredible maturity in terms of how old Mozart was. The work is quite varied and wonderful melodic.
Great performance and quite good sound










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 7 in D major, K. 45*

Artists
Alessandro Arigoni Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...VQKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325166779&sr=8-1

Also a great symphony, but I like number 6 better.
I think the performance is a bit flabby and one dimensional. And the sound is average.










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 8 in D major, K. 48*

Artists
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Roger Norrington




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-W-Symp...B5J6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325168481&sr=8-1

The work is easy to love!
Performance is very good, sensitive, nuanced, and the interaction is very good.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*

Artists	
John Moryl*




http://www.amazon.com/The-Magnificent-Flute/dp/B0015OCAO4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226453&sr=8-1

Very beautiful work.
Excellent version with amazing flute play The piano is perhaps a little too far back.










Work 
*Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Maxim Rysanov
Evelyn Chang




http://www.amazon.com/Rysanov-plays...KYOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227364&sr=8-1

Enescu is a wizard when it comes to fragile sensitive emotions! Beautiful! Performances are excellent, the sound is quite good.










Work 
*Enescu: Impressions d'enfance, for violin and piano in D, Op.28*

Artists	
Azoitei Remus violin
Eduard Stan piano




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Comple...X1FW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228978&sr=8-2

Wonderful work!
Until recognition is very sensitive and nuanced. Very good sound "!










Work 
*Enescu: Impromptu concertant, for violin and piano in Gb*

Artists	
Yair Kless, Violin / Shoshana Rudiakov, Piano




http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Enesc...CQWW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315229243&sr=8-2

Beautiful piece. Beautiful performed, and great sound!


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Symphony No.2 in A, Op.17*

Artists	
George Enescu State Philharmonic Orchestra
Horia Andreescu




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Sympho...SGYU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315219785&sr=8-1

Messy and disjointed start to the symphony. It gets better. Much better. But I think probably Enescu is better in other formats. I can not quite catch it.
Performance is good, but the sound is average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

*Work 
Messiaen : Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano, I/10*

Artists	
Gidon Kremer
Martha Argerlich




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Janace...E4DO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325176725&sr=8-2

Loveley and Lyrical interplay between piano and violin. Wonderful little work.
Very good sound, perhaps a thought harsch piano










Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Le Dizes (Artist), Damiens (Artist), Aimard (Artist), Strauch




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Quat...7FIN/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317307358&sr=8-3

A really great work!
Performances are very good. Magic nerve. But the sound is only average.


----------



## NightHawk

I listened to 1st and 6th at 4am this morning when I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep  - Von K. with Berlin.



samurai said:


> Jean Sibelius*--Symphony** No.1 in E **Minor Op.29 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both feature the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Never even heard of the name Bantock but the cover art (and price) was convincing I'm guessing Sir Bantock is British so I have certain expectations but I'll find out shortly after Gliére Symphony.


I have a pleasant memory of the Celtic Symphony. I was driving with my teenage daughter, who at the time was into country and alternative rock music. The last movement of the Celtic Symphony came on the radio, and she was blown away. That was her first classical purchase.

I'm putting it on now and reliving the memory.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Itzhak Perlman (Performer), Samuel Sanders




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Concer...F1L9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314822855&sr=8-1

This work is one of my favorites! Light and elegant, and very melodious and romantic. The larghetto is fantastic!
Beautifully and sensitively played by Perlman.
The recording is almost perfect, just a litle minus to the sound.










Work 
*Dvorák: B.193 String Quartet No. 14 in Ab major*

Artists	
Vanbrugh Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-String...3XBZ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320583761&sr=8-2

Quite nice work. No Dvorak favorite, but pretty good.
Performances are very energetic. Very good! The sound is good too


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: d'Indy: Op. 91, Suite for flute, string trio, and harp (1927)*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Very nice and colorful works. D'Indy at its best!
Fine and sensitive performance, and good sound.










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 096, String Quartet No. 3 in D flat*

Artists	
New Budapest String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/INDY-Piano-Qu...4632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315757837&sr=8-1

Another great work by D'Indy. Very melodic and ingratiating.
The sound is not very good, but the performance is ok.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Oskaar

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op. The Lord is my Shepherd*

Artists	
The Choir of St. Paul's Rock Creek Parish
Graham Elliott-conductor
Neil Weston




http://www.amazon.com/So-Come-Him-P...YRSM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316507919&sr=8-2

Light and beautiful choral work. The sound is average.










Work 
*Stanford: Op.038 Three Latin Motets*

Artists	
Conductors: Christopher Robinson
choir of st johns college, cambridge




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Anth...NJ12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316507282&sr=8-1










Work 
*Stanford: Op 133 Piano quartet No. 2*

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio
David adams, viola





http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Chamber-Music/dp/B005989658/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768851&sr=8-8

Beautiful work! Stanford has made some pearls
Excellent performances, wonderful nerve and great interaction.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518JSjReLbL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


----------



## opus55

Today is the beginning of my five day vacation! YEAH!

Listening to some Spotify links -

Nielsen: Symphony No.1














Mozart: Violin Sonata, K.376
I like the balance of volume between violin and piano in this recording.














Bax: Symphony No.1
Definitely need to get Bax recordings next year. Almost everything I heard of him sound great to me so far.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 77: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor*

Artists
Composer 
Dmitri Shostakovich




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Shos...YG1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316160000&sr=8-1

Schostakovich is wonderful to listen to when I'm in the mood for it.
This concert has a magical approach. Superb atmospheric!
The performance conveys excellent small and large moments.
Very good sound! Recommended!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 In G Major, K 216*

The Violin Concertos are amongst my favourite works by Mozart - this old-school performance is great!


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.47*

Tasmin Little/Vernon Handley




http://www.amazon.com/Tasmin-Little...5WKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320775288&sr=8-1

Very rewarding concerto! Fine performance.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5187UV9ZwFL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


----------



## opus55

Found another Herreweghe recording that sounds fantastic on Spotify

*Bach, J.S: Masses BWV 233-235*
Barbara Schlick, again, produces painfully beautiful voice (almost equal her performance in the other Herreweghe recording of Bach Magnificat). I'm becoming a big fan of Schlick!


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 In E Minor, Op. 59/2, "Rasumovsky No. 2"*


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Symphony no.4 in b-flat, op.60
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Walter Weller


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2*, Horenstein and Wild. Wonderful!
*
Mahler, Symphony No. 9*, Horenstein and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. These guys are giving it all they've got, but still, I wish he had a better orchestra.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoy listening to Krommer. His music is airy, light and inventive, and sometimes that's just what I need!










Kevin


----------



## Crudblud

Listening through Tippett's symphonies again (mix of Davis and Solti). His 3rd is just incredible.

Also been making a start on Celibidache's Bruckner recordings. I don't know how someone could stretch the 8th to nearly 1hr 50m, but I'm looking forward to finding out.


----------



## Sid James

*J.S.Bach*
_Cello Suites -
#3 in C major BWV1009
#4 in E flat major BWV1010_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC CLassics)

*Elliott Carter*
_String Quartet #2_ (1959)
Pacifica Quartet
(Naxos)

*Michael Tippett*
_String Quartets -
#1 in A major_ (1934-35, rev. 1943)
_#2 in F sharp major_ (1941-42)
The Tippett Quartet
(Naxos)


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.103, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## brianwalker

Wrote my first amazon review! That's how much I loved this recording. 48 hour delay, so posting it here.

As a corpus, Hadyn's String Quartets constitute one of the most underrated body of work in the history of music, second in my mind only to Bach's Cantatas. For even the most arduous Classical Music fan, Haydn's Quartets present a challenge; there are simply too many of them, and not every single one is a masterpiece. Selection is a problem, and box sets aren't the friendliest things in the world. Not as ostentatious in its daring as Beethoven's Late Quartets nor wearing tragedy on its sleeves as does Schubert's last quartets, Haydn's Quartets represent the peak of Classicism, a way of life terribly out of fashion these days. In his quartets storm and stress are at a minimum, and instead the listener will find the magnificent expression of beauty, grace, elegance, nobility, and above all joy. The tenderness, the happy introspection, the calm inherent in creation, all these rare elements, so few of which are to be found today, are here.

The Takacs' recording of these works are simply the best on the market. Don't be fooled by the by the swath of five star reviews for the Kodaly or the Aeolian. Sure, if you're an adamant about a complete set those are among the best choices available, but why not pick and choose the best individual performances? A side by side comparison of their performances of the Opus 76, 77, and 103 evinces the Takacs' predominance in these pieces. They are simply incomparable in their judicious tempo and virtuosity, not to mention the warm, vibrant sound provided by Decca. The only real competitors are from the preeminent Emerson and Alban Berg Quartets, who have also recorded selections of Haydn's Quartets. The Emerson Quartet have only recorded, with regards to the works recorded here, only Opus 77, no. 1, not yet Opus 77. no2 nor Opus 103. The only hoary cliche about the Emerson Quartet, like most hoary cliches, is true; their playing is fine and with virtuoso flair, rising above the Kodaly and Aeolian but far too mechanical to be definitive. The Alban Berg Quartet takes the opposite approach, to a better but not ideal result; they over-emotionalize the music, and try to make Haydn a romantic; the soft sections are too soft, and the climaxes too loud. However, they play with feeling and verve, and their recording of Opus 77, no.1 and 2, is for a me a clear second choice.

Neither the Emerson nor the Alban Berg have recorded Opus 103, Haydn's last, and ultimately incomplete, String Quartet, a fragment of two movements. Here the Takacs really shine. Unlike the Aeolian, which takes a consistent, straightforward, Solti-like approach to playing, the Takacs adjusts their tempo and temperament to match and accentuate the temperament inherent in the work itself; in Opus 103 there is an undercurrent of melancholy and uncertainty beneath the appearance of order; here Haydn prefigures the chamber music of Brahms.

This recording is especially recommended, along with the Takacs' recording of Opus 76, Hadyn's masterwork and what I consider his magnum opus Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76 [Germany]. For anyone who subscribes to the view of Haydn as that influential but otherwise boring composer famous for that Cello Concerto, these recordings are guaranteed to change your perspective.

Edit: Nvm, they're pretty quick apparently.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1K1GR...e=UTF8&ASIN=B0007UXXOS&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Symphony no.2 in d, op.36
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Walter Weller


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I finally got around to picking up my first Boccherini disc since I purchased the required Guitar Qunitets some time ago. Some rather lovely music. I must look further at Boccherini.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Absolutely love Reinhold Gliere. Especially his three symphonies. Wondrous and melodious! I can't imagine anyone not liking them. Currently listening to his first before bedtime.










Kevin


----------



## Klavierspieler

John Dowland - Lute Music

Nigel North, lute.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Quintet in E flat, Op.44


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this disc of *modern Russian guitar music* again after a few months. Quite enjoyable stuff.

Review from earlier, HERE.


----------



## opus55

Berg: Violin Concerto


----------



## Conor71

Crudblud said:


> Listening through Tippett's symphonies again (mix of Davis and Solti). His 3rd is just incredible.
> 
> Also been making a start on Celibidache's Bruckner recordings. I don't know how someone could stretch the 8th to nearly 1hr 50m, but I'm looking forward to finding out.


I ordered Celibidache's Bruckner set a couple of weeks ago but havent recieved it yet! - I would love to know what you think about it, especially the 8th!


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.191 Koncert pro violoncello a orchestr (Violoncello Concerto) No.2 in b-minor Op.104*

Artists	
Paul Tortelier/London Symphony Orchestra/André Previn




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Cello-...DF0A/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1315134581&sr=8-7

It is a great work, but I'm not so thrilled that so many others are here for this concert. I think it is little dymamic and exciting, at least the first movement. Second movement is best.
Nice version, but somewhat closed sound


----------



## Oskaar

*Vincent d'Indy*

Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 59, Violin Sonata in C*

Artists	
Alexis Galpérine, François Kerdoncuff, Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-dIndy...PQKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315755393&sr=8-1

Too bad that the sound is not quite top of this wonderful work, which is also very well performed.










Work 
*d'Indy: Op. 81, Piano Quintet in G minor (1924)*

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg




http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-DIndy...92X0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315754778&sr=8-1

Also a beautiful work of d'Indy. It's a shame there are so few recordings of him on spotify. I like to compare versions.
Excellent performance, and the sound is above average


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 9 in C major, K. 73/75a*

Artists
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...DNXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325237953&sr=8-1

I really like these early symphonies!
Great performance and very good sound ... a bit much "ball room" sound perhaps.










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 10 in G major, K. 74*

Artists
Giuseppe Menarelli, Orchestra Sinfonica Dell'Arte




http://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Amad...KJNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325239114&sr=8-1

Very good sound, and eccelent recording! The symphony is very charming.










Work 
mozart: Symphony No. 11 in D major, K. 84/73q

Artists
Ilmar Lapinsch Russian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...S6AU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325240327&sr=8-2

This work I do not like so well. It lacks imagination and creativity that was in the No. 10
Great performance, but not too good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Impressions d'enfance, for violin and piano in D, Op.28*

Artists	
Mihaela Martin (Performer), Roland Pöntinen




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Impres...0P6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315228853&sr=8-1

Fantastic good sound on this work! The composition is very exciting and tension rising, and it is very well played!










Work 
*Enescu: Légende, for trumpet and piano*

Artists	
Zenziper, Arkadi, piano • Guttler, Ludwig, trumpet




http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=743219

Piano and trumpet can not I find often. It sounds a little strange, and may not be the best combination.
But the work is beautiful and sensitive, the performance is fine, but the sound is only average.










Work 
*Enescu: String Quartet No.1 in Eb, Op.22, No.1*

Artists	
Quatuor Ad Libitum




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-String...VROD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315231797&sr=8-1

Some string quartets can be very boring. This is certainly not boring! Colorful, nuanced and melodic.
Great performance and very good sound!


----------



## Crudblud

*Little Sergiu in Big Bad Brucknerland, Chapter 1: Symphony No. 3*

Thought I might as well post my thoughts on the Celibidache Bruckner cycle here, as I go through them. These are by no means going to be structured reviews or "serious" criticism, just thoughts.

Having listened to Celibidache's take on Bruckner's 3rd for the second time now, I think I get it. The first time around it seemed fine, nothing spectacular, but fine, a little sluggish in parts. Upon the second listen, it became clear to me that the picture of a Zen sand garden on the front of the EMI disc (a theme that pervades the whole EMI set, we'll have to see how well it holds up with the others) was wholly appropriate, at least in the case of the third. It isn't "Zen" in the sense of emotionally reserved coolness that became chiefly associated with the phrase in western culture, but in the meditative quality of the performance. The phrasing is broad, but never too broad, just enough to make the music seem bigger without really changing it too much. Unlike some people I've heard talk about Celibidache, "glacial" is not a word I would use to describe this, it's longer than any other Bruckner 3 I can think of, stretching the 55 or 57 minutes of a Skrowaczewski or Karajan (respectively) to around an hour and five minutes. Not a major difference in timing, but it has certainly given me a different perspective on the piece.

Highly recommended.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Georges Pludermacher (Artist, Performer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Moshe Atzmon (Conductor), Bretagne Orchestra (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-van-Be...YWIA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317048224&sr=8-2

Nice performance, and quite good sound. I love this concerto!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Hammerklavier Sonata*, Charles Rosen.

Charles Rosen may be a bit cooler than others, but he knows what he's trying to accomplish. The first two movements are quick but not overly rushed, because he wants the weight to lie on the third movement.


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: String Quartet No.1 in D, Op.25*

Artists	
Maggini Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Strin...RB5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317577928&sr=8-1

Gruesome start to this quartet, but the continuation is very good. It is an intense and quite challenging work. I especially like the 4.th movement. I like Britton in small portions.
Excellent performance, excellent teamwork and good presentation of nerve. The sound is good.










Work 
*Britten: String Quartet No.2 in C, Op.36*

Artists	
The Jupiter String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010WIC5M/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317578480&sr=8-1

Also an Exiting and endearing quartet.
Great performance and sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: ouverture des Francs-Juges, *

Artists	
Strasbourg Phil Orch and Lombard




http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Sym-F...V2ME/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324397473&sr=8-3

Wonderful piece! Dramatic and sensitive. Berlioz is a master in combining the lyrical with the dramatic.
Very good performance ... pretty good sound.










Work 
*Berlioz: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op.15*

Artists	
The London Symphony Orchestra
Sir colin Davis
John Alldis Choir




http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Requiem-etc/dp/B000VGRUUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324295386&sr=8-1

Great work. But I found the performance somewhat tame. The sound is not very good.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Unfortunately, Górecki is known almost exclusively for his 3rd Symphony. He did compose a number of other marvelous works as well... as brilliant as the 3rd is. The Beatus Vir and Second Symphony magnificently performed here by Antoni Wit are both worthy of serious attention )as are his string quartets). Górecki, feeling trapped between the conservative limitations proscribed by the Soviet Communists and the Western Avant Garde extremists who initially embraced his early work but who (in his eyes) insisted upon continual formal experimentation for the sake of experimentation initiated a shift in style with these works. He consciously sought to engage a larger audience without sacrificing his aesthetic standards. The music was intentionally public... openly challenging Communist control and its atheistic, anti-religion position at a period in which the Catholic Church represented a serious challenge to the Communist control in Poland. Ironically, while Górecki was taken to task by Western critics as having "sold out" and "taken the safe route" he was in reality taking a heroic stance in facing very real dangers completely unknown to the Western academic safe in their university enclaves.

The style of music Górecki developed became known (often derisively) as Holy Minimalism. Like the Minimalism of American composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Adams, etc...) Górecki's music returns to a music largely based upon traditional tonality. The simplicity or Minimalism of this music is often rooted in older musical forms such as medieval chants and the tolling of bells. I personally found both of these works highly effective... strikingly emotional... and deeply evocative of a sense of spirituality. I would strongly recommend this recording to anyone already fond of Górecki's _3rd Symphony_.


----------



## Vaneyes

In honor of Kabalevsky's birthday, his Cello Concerti with Tarasova/Dudarova, and Violin Concerto with Mordkovitch/Jarvi.


----------



## Conor71

*Reger: String Quartet No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 54/1*

The works in this set are not without their charms but it's taking me a while to warm to them!
I dont really have any other works like these in my collection so maybe there is an element of unfamiliarity here?
I think these works sound a bit haunted - there is a lot of tension in them!
Sound and performance are very good - overall I am glad I added these Quartets to my collection


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1*

Artists	
Tokyo String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Comple...BC5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324213964&sr=8-1

Brahms is a composer I have to listen a little to get the hang of. But the rewards are great! Great quartet. There is a cello theme that gives me associations to some crime series.The second movement is very beautiful.
Beautiful and sensitive performance, and fairly good sound.










Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2*

Artists	
Mandelring Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Brah...FMAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324220435&sr=8-1

Of these two are the first my favorite. But this is great too, there are some nice quiet moments.
Performance is very nice. Excellent interaction, and great nerve. The sound is good.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Hector Berlioz*
> 
> Work
> *Berlioz: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op.15*
> 
> Artists
> The London Symphony Orchestra
> Sir colin Davis
> John Alldis Choir
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Requiem-etc/dp/B000VGRUUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324295386&sr=8-1
> 
> Great work. But I found the performance somewhat tame. The sound is not very good.


I must respectfully disagree. I find it a great performance (London, 1969), and have no qualms about the sound on my Philips 50 CDs, which have the same remastering as The Originals CDs. I have read that earlier releases/reissues had some issues.

Two additional comments about the sound. The original Philips engineers chose simple miking instead of spot-miking, to accentuate soundstage. Not uncommon technique in that era--other examples, Decca, Mercury Presence, RCA Livng Sound.

Secondly, I find this technique and older sound are usually presented better with floorstanding speakers' than earphones.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> Secondly, I find this technique and older sound are usually presented better with floorstanding speakers' than earphones.


That may be the case. I am mostly using earphones..and my comments is in the moment, often impulsive. But it is a fact that I found this version tame. But we all have different ears, and different parameters.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked up this disc a year ago but for whatever reason never got around to playing it over the holiday season... when its seemed most relevant. I finally got around to it this year. _The Fantasia on Christmas Carols_ is just one of Vaughan-Williams' marvelous settings of folk and choral music... in this instance a setting of 4 well-known Christmas carols. _Hodie: A Christmas Cantata_, however, is the centerpiece of this disc. This work, written when Vaughan-Williams was into his eighties, shows no sign of waning energies. The piece was dedicated to fellow British composer, Herbert Howells, known especially for his choral work. The work is distinctly English... building upon the English traditions of choral music and anthems... as well as elements that are suggestive of music for the grandest of films... such as _The Ten Commandments_ or_ Lawrence of Arabia_. The music also reveals the various aspects of Vaughan-Williams' own work... with elements of the pastoral and the dynamic anthems and lush orchestration.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.1, for string orchestra and piano*

Artists	
Francis Grier/Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner




http://www.amazon.com/Concerto-Stri...SSQE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566852&sr=8-1










Work 
*Bloch: Scherzo fantasque, for piano and orchestra (or 2 pianos)*

Artists	
Jenny Lin




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Concert...NVGG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1315679009&sr=8-6

Great work! And very good sound.


----------



## Klavierspieler

John Dowland - Semper Dowland Semper Dolens

Paul O'Dette, lute.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mozart Violin Sonatas with Zimmermann & Lonquich. Two of their five volumes c1987/90. Delightful, invigorating.

Too bad Encore didn't reissue all. OOP EMI boxes at Amazon Marketplace. Brilliant Classics licensing department, pay heed!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"*

Prompted by the Wagner thread!


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*W.A. Mozart: Symphony #35 "Haffner" (1783)*
Originally intended to be a serenade, Mozart turned this work into symphony after realizing how fond he was of the material. The first of the 'last five symphonies' are often clumped together and glorified, and this work is certainly his best _so far_ in the genre, though in my opinion the 'last three' are the ones truly in a league of their own. This symphony is filled with wonderful melodies and inventive orchestration, though it all goes by rather fast; only the slow movement seems to be completely fleshed out. The work is reminiscent of Beethoven's _Symphony No. 1_ in the same key, with its timpani rolls in the last movement, and bouncy character throughout.

*Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata #1 (1879)*
Written in the same year has the composer's _Violin Concerto_, this is Brahms' first publication in the genre. Per usual the work is very romantic and sentimental in nature. This piece can probably be written off as one of the 'pining for Clara Schumann' entries, and while it has little new to offer in feeling, it still holds its own with the quality of material presented. The contour of the sonata is particularly lovely. It starts with a broad, melodic first movement, followed by an anguished slow movement, and then the third movement, which starts off rather agitated- as if someone is pacing, waiting for something to happen- before seamlessly blossoming back into the romantic goo that started it all.

*Arnold Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 2 (1940)*
Schoenberg's _Chamber Symphony No. 2_ is interesting in that the first movement was written before his 'discovery' of atonality, and the last movement written well into his life. However, Schoenberg chose to write the entire piece tonally, if very chromatic. The first movement is eerie and beautiful, followed by an aggravated faster movement that goes on for some time before falling back into the eeriness that began it. There is a wonderful sense of parallelism between Schoenberg's changing style and the changing world. The first movement, written so long ago, is very nostalgic and reminiscent of _Transfigured Night_, while the second movement, written just as WWII had begun and Schoenberg had fled to the United States, captures the horrifying change his life and the world had taken. The music is very beautiful and evocative. My only concern is that he spins out the motifs in the second movement a little past their worth. I imagine it was challenging having to develop his music back into a tonal framework, and I wonder if writing the second movement in 12 tone would have been easier, and more appropriate (though perhaps he didn't want to associate a shift to 12 tone with a shift to Nazi Germany).

*Elliot Carter: Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello, and Harpsichord (1953)*
This is an engaging work by a composer in his prime, and one who had just made his great exploration in changing meters the year before. This piece has little to do with changing tempos though, and is more concerned with the sounds and coloration of the harpsichord. Completely atonal, I found this to be one of the more accessible works in the medium. The harmonies, the voicing, the structure, it's all very clear- and quite satisfying! The work begins in a bustle, before dying down and becoming very sparse, and then rising up in a bustle again by the end. The first three instruments are pitted against the harpsichord, and there's a fantastic moment in the second movement where they are bouncing off each other, seemingly trying to avoid the harpsichord.


----------



## NightHawk

Sorry to report that these performances by the Romanian Radio and Television Orchestra and Chorus with Iosif Conta are really poor - do not buy this recording.  Getting the Dorati w London for these not very deep, but colorful 'folk song/dance tone poems'.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Einojuhani Rautavaara*--Symphony** No.2**, *performed by the Tapiola Sinfonietta under the baton of Jean-Jacques Kantorow.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, *with the Cleveland Orchestra led by Erich Leinsdorf.
 *Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 {"Bells of Zlonice"}, *featuring Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Einojuhani Rautavaara*--Symphony** No.2**, *performed by the Tapiola Sinfonietta under the baton of Jean-Jacques Kantorow.
> Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, *with the Cleveland Orchestra led by Erich Leinsdorf.
> *Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 {"Bells of Zlonice"}, *featuring Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.


What do you think of Rautavaara, Samurai?


----------



## starthrower

I heard some Rautavaara for the first time today. A movement from his piano concerto no. 1. I like it! Would like to hear more.


----------



## Sid James

A relisten after a month or so to this great set of solo guitar works by a master of the genre, in it's entirety of just over 80 minutes. An earlier brief gloss on it HERE...


----------



## samurai

@ Violadude, So far, I like his *8th* Symphony better than the *2nd*, but I intend to give some of his others--as yet unheard by me--a chance. I must say that I still prefer Nielsen and Sibelius over him at this juncture, primarily because they always seem to remain "melodic" no matter how much dissonance or atonality {no, please let's not start that argument again!}, they might sprinkle into their thematic development. In this regard, I found much of Rautavaara's *2nd *hard to follow at times, but there is enough--for me, at least--in some of his other symphonies that I really do enjoy.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.1


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Probably one of the very finest performances of these instrumental selections from Wagner's Ring. George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra just shine in this performance. It truly deserved to be in CBS Records "Great Performances" series.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. *The *5th* is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The *9th *features the London Philharmonic Orchestra; both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both works are performed by the New york Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. E. Power Biggs is the featured organist in the *First* *Symphony*.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Great Mass in C minor, K.427


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> @ Violadude, So far, I like his *8th* Symphony better than the *2nd*, but I intend to give some of his others--as yet unheard by me--a chance. I must say that I still prefer Nielsen and Sibelius over him at this juncture, primarily because they always seem to remain "melodic" no matter how much dissonance or atonality {no, please let's not start that argument again!}, they might sprinkle into their thematic development. In this regard, I found much of Rautavaara's *2nd *hard to follow at times, but there is enough--for me, at least--in some of his other symphonies that I really do enjoy.


Nice. I asked because I'm not sure how I feel about him. Sometimes he seems really boring, unsubstantial and unorganized to me and other times he strikes me as very beautiful and pleasing.

If you don't mind, I suggest his 3rd symphony next. That's his most thematically interesting work and it is still melodic as you like it. Also, based on what you've told me, stay away from his 4th symphony unless you want the experience of listening to all of them.


----------



## Lisztian

Decca, The Best of Rachmaninoff.

Assorted works, assorted performers. Love Rachmaninoff's music, no doubt in my mind he was a great composer.

Disc includes...

Piano Concerto 3, first movement - Alicia de Larrocha, piano. London Symphony Orchestra with Andre Previn conducting.
Isle of the Dead - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting.
Prelude in C Sharp Minor - Ilana Vered, piano.
Symphony No. 2. Third movement. London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult conducting.
Prelude Op. 32. No's 2, 8, 9, 12. Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano.
Piano Concerto No. 2. 2nd Movement, Ilana Vered, piano. New Philharmonia Orchestra, Andrew Davis conducting.


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 10 in G major, K. 74*

Artists
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...DNXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325237953&sr=8-1

This symphony is boring I think.
But it's great playing. The sound is average










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 11 in D major, K. 84/73q*

Artists
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Eduardo Marturet Emmy Verhey




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Violin...LH9G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325239982&sr=8-4

Much more colorful and engaging symphony. No great work, but enjoyable listening.
A little weak and uncommitted forward, and the sound is not very good. It is very dry.










*Work 
mozart: Symphony No. 12 in G major, K. 110/75b*

Artists
Ilmar Lapinsch Sinfonieta Slovaka Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...RT7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325329689&sr=8-1

A great symphony. Many beautiful colors and shades, but particularly exciting is it not. But Mozart's simple music, at first glance, can also be explored in depth. What genius!










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 13 in F major, K. 112*

Artists
Bernard Wahl Orchestre de Chambre de Versailles




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Divert...O8MU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325331463&sr=8-1

Lovely exuberant and great symphony!
Very good sound and great performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Sir Charles Mackerras (Conductor), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Orchestra)




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...r_1_13?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315418941&sr=1-13

The first sensitive, quiet part of the first movement is somewhat vague and too cautiously performed. Nerve is absent.
Performance is far better in the stronger sections. The powerful second movement is great!
The sound is medium + But I'm really fond of the symphony!


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot and orchestra, I/29*

Artists	
Yvonne Loriod (Artist), Jeanne Loriod
R.T.F. National Orchestra
http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Tura...VTK3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317312081&sr=8-1

Very exciting work! An abundance of moods, shades and variations.
Excellent performance, but the sound seems a bit closed.


----------



## NightHawk

*ENESCU - String Octet Op. 7 & Piano Quintet Op. 29*

On the other hand (re my review of Enescu Romanian Rhapsodies Op. 11 _et al_, of yesterday), I am very glad to say that this recording is very fine. Gidon Kremer adds lustre to any project and this is his group, the Kremerata Baltica, playing two works by Enescu which are throughly engaging and difficult to categorize. I would say read the first review on Amazon, which is quite detailed. My estimation is a 4++ recommendation (out of 5) - really indispensable for lovers of chamber music who like to find lesser known works of quality.

Amazon Review:

http://www.amazon.com/George-Enescu...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Enescu - Octet Op. 7, Piano Quintet Op. 29 - Gidon Kremer - Kremerata Baltica


----------



## NightHawk

Really like Messiaen - will be reviewing an album of violin sonatas that includes his Variations for Violin and Piano as soon as I can listen. Gidon Kremer with Martha Argerich (!)



oskaar said:


> *Olivier Messiaen*
> 
> Work
> *Messiaen : Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot and orchestra, I/29*
> 
> Artists
> Yvonne Loriod (Artist), Jeanne Loriod
> R.T.F. National Orchestra
> http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Tura...VTK3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317312081&sr=8-1
> 
> Very exciting work! An abundance of moods, shades and variations.
> Excellent performance, but the sound seems a bit closed.


----------



## NightHawk

*Bartok, bernstein - bravo - from the vaults.*

I owned, on separate LPs the two piano concertos performed by Philippe Entremont (5*) and the Concerto for Two Pianos & Percussion with pianists Robert Fizdale and Arthur Gold, years ago and recently found this all Bartok cd release of same with extra works on an extra disc. _If I could twist everyone's arm to buy this recording I would_. I paid $15 for the two discs (used very good), and my rose colored hearing aids didn't fail me. The works I mentioned (and the only ones I have listened to so far) are fantastic. The Piano Concerto No. 2 (one of the finest 20th century piano concertos along with the Prokofiev 2nd and terrifically difficult) is worth the price - Entremont plays the toccata-like work with great brilliance and power - but also, the Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra is (to these ears) without peer - repeat _without peer_. Compare this recording of the Concerto for Two Pianos with the Argerich/Freire version and I think you will find that there is no comparison. This is due to the formidable talents of Gold and Fizdale, the (almost) unfailing leadership of LBernstein and a well and lovingly rehearsed orchestra. The recording has some sound 'ambience' and very welcome it is as compared to the Argerich where the orchestra sounds dry and underrehearsed. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Bartók: Piano Concertos No. 2 & No. 3 / Concerto for Two Pianos & Percussion / Violin Concerto No. 2 / Rhapsodies No. 1 & No. 2


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46*

Artists	
Kerstin Aberg
gothenburg symphony orchestra
Okko Kamu




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Variat...YPSA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315301506&sr=8-2

Magic work!
Very good sound, and pianort is very sensitive and nuanced. Very good version!










Work 
*Franck: Symphony in D-, M.48*

Artists	
Sofia Symphony Orchestra
Vassil Kazandjiev




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AC5FFE/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315242973&sr=8-8

Fine symphony. Light and airy. It is reminiscent of Dvorak's symphonies.
Very good performance, but the sound is only average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
Yekaterina Saranleva
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NB6XCY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313590358&sr=8-1

This must be the best version of this concert I've heard so far. Phenomenal sound, and great piano. And the orchestra comes up fine.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Sextet No. 1*, Raphael Ensemble.


----------



## kv466

From _Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts 1954-1977_

Sweelinck - Fantasia in d
J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations
Webern - Variations for Piano
Beethoven - Sonata no.30 in e

w/ Yehudi Menuhin

J.S. Bach - Sonata no.4 in c-minor
Webern - Phantasy for Violin and Piano
Beethoven - Sonata no.10 in g


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Piano Trio No.1 in Bb, D.898, Op.99*

Artists	
Trio Italiano




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Pian...1Q8C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314176177&sr=8-4

Very nice trio! And this is a brilliant performance. Great interplay between piano and strings. And nuances and colors of the work is very good highlighted. The sound is very good.










Work 
*Schubert: Piano Trio No.2 in Eb, D.929, Op.100*

Artists	
Trio Dali / Amandine Savary / Vineta Sareika / Christian-Pierre La Marca




http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Trio...CWXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314176384&sr=8-1

No. 1 is better in my opinion, but this is great listening. Good performance and quite good sound.


----------



## NightHawk

THE _GROSSE FUGE_ IS MAGNIFICENT!

Even more winning and persuasive (only if you listen on earphones late at night) than the Kodaly Q.'s version.


----------



## brianwalker

ASTRID VARNAY IS THE BEST BRUNNHILDE EVER!!!!!!! Well, on record anyways.


----------



## Vaneyes

Honoring Moeran's birthday, by listening to his Symphony in G minor, and String Quartets.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work	
*Liszt: Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo, S.96*

Artists	
Herbert von Karajan (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Orchest...9CMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318187542&sr=8-1

I'm not always in the mood to Liszt and his orchestral works. But when I'm in the mood, so it's kind of a musical world in its own.! Now I'm in the mood, and I find this piece absolutely fantastic!
Slow rolling shifts in moods farger.Liszt has a huge concentration of intermediary urge in his orchestral works.
Very good version, nerve mediated brilliant ... And pretty good sound.










Work 
*Liszt: Hungaria, S.103, R.420*

Artists	
Gábor Gabos, Hungarian State Orchestra, András Kórodi, Gyula Németh, János Ferencsik




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-C..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317987476&sr=301-1

Liszt is in away so intense in expression That I get tired if I listen to long. But he is a composer I really want to enjoy the future! He has a tremendous depth in his works.
Not quite top-notch sound, but good performance.


----------



## brianwalker

brianwalker said:


> I cannot stress how this disc is important to me. Knappertsbusch is arguably the greatest Wagnerian to have ever walked the earth, with Furtwangler being a possible competitor, but both conductors did not live into the golden age of studio recording and thus the world was robbed and had to settle for compromises such as Solti's Decca recordings, recordings I turn to again and again not because of his phrasing but because of Decca's legendary engineers and Solti's artistic decision to balance the sound in favor of the orchestra, rendering the Opera a concerto where the singers are just another instrument, and not in many recordings where the orchestra is a mere accompaniment, as if this was a Schubert Song Cycle. This disc is on the top of my desert island disc, with Richter's Well Tempered Clavier, Anne-Sophie Mutter/Karajan's Brahm's violin Concerto, Takac's Opus 76 and Argerich's studio Gaspard/Sonatine/Valse Sentimental not far behind.
> 
> 2What would I give for Knappertsbusch to have been born 20 years later; if only he recorded the Ring with Decca and not Solti, we would surely have a definitive cycle, and not the synthetic ring cycles that most veteran Wagnerites recommend.
> 
> This recording is barely over an hour long, and consists of only 6 "bleeding chunks". The Prologue to Gotterdammerung, Siegfried's Funeral March, Kundrys Erzählung from Parsifal, Leb wohl from Die Walkure, and the Prelude and Liebestod of Tristan.
> 
> One of the most difficult part of conducting Wagner is the task of keeping the orchestra and singers in sync and making sure one doesn't overpower the other. Beyond that the immeasurably complex orchestration requires numerous artistic discretions*, and Knappertsbusch makes all the right ones. In the beginning of Leb wohl for example, Knappertsbusch's version easily beats Karajan and Solti's. At the very beginning of leb Wohl you have three main three lines, the strings, brass no 1 and brass no 2. Now Karajan balances all three lines so that brass no 1 has very little prominence, despite the fact that brass no 2 and the strings are playing the same melodies. Knappertsbusch gives more weight to brass no 1 and delivers, my God, one of the most glorious orchestral climaxes in all of music. Solti's is even worse; he conducts the opening as if he had a bus to catch; like Knappertbusch he suppresses Brass no 2, but this maybe just poor playing on the part of brass no 1, which I'm guessing is solo (?). If anyone could tell me which instruments they are that'd be great. I could go on about how great this piece is, but I've merely covered the first 20 seconds.
> 
> This is probably the best Tristan prelude I've ever heard, and I've listened to dozens. Recently I watched "Melancholia" (terrible, avoid it like the plague), and experienced for the first time what it means to have a piece of music "ruined" for you. For days I could not listen to Tristan without recalling the dreary, sepulchre visage of the eminently overrated Kirsten Dunst. I quit Solti's Tristan halfway into Act I because it became unbearable. Only with Knappertsbusch's Tristan could I forget those repellent associations.
> 
> I haven't closely compared his Funeral March to too many other versions yet, but it is just as good as Solti's and better than Karajan's.
> 
> I've just obtained his two most famous Parsifal recordings.
> 
> *Verdict: Buy, buy now if you haven't already!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not usually a fan of mono recordings of orchestral music (or any music for that matter) because the conducting would have to be out of this world to justify the poor sound you're getting. This recording of Schubert's ninth is worth it. For mono its sound is excellent and far better than the often unlistenable 40s recordings. Many complain that the length of Schubert's 9th exceeds its capacity, but Furtwangler makes you forget all of that. For me the race isn't even close. Furtwangler blows Karajan (EMI or DG) and Bohm (DG) out of the water.
> 
> *Verdict: Probably available on the internet  somewhere since it's Furtwangler and DG. *
> 
> * Barenboim in interview: "This is also another reason why this wonderful concert idea, 'faithfulness to the text', is absolutely not true. It doesn't exist. If you play a symphony you don't here anything, unless you understand the reason. It's not a question of changing; in other words the choice for a conductor or a musician is not, "Do I faithfully reproduce what is printed, or do I change it?" This is not the right question; it is certainly not the right choice. The right question, in my view, is, "What does it mean by that?" It says crescendo, how do I make this crescendo audible? I must make sure that the heavyweights - the brass, and timpani, the percussion - start their crescendo later, when the weaker instruments have already made the crescendo. *When you see the second bar of the famous Prelude to Tristan and Isolde, with the famous Tristan chord, if all the instruments make the diminuendo at the same time, you lose the line. Therefore the oboe, which is the instrument that continues, has to make a diminuendo later. Now, if you talk, strictly speaking, about faithfulness to the text, this does not happen, *because then you wouldn't hear it. All these aspects fascinated me with Mahler."


I found the Leb Wohl on youtube.






Listen to this and tell me with a straight face that this isn't the best Leb Wohl you've ever heard.


----------



## Vaneyes

Horenstein's spectacular Mahler 3 opens patiently. Patience is the key to this interpretation...each movement building assuredly...culminating with apocalyptic finale.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Rudolf Kerer




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-Concertos/dp/B003EO73F4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669471&sr=8-1

This is an amazing piano concerto! Liszt has struck a nerve in me.
Very good performance and pretty good sound.










Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
Richard Frank, Szeged Symphony Orchestra and Robert Hart Baker




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Years-C...WNG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669381&sr=8-1

Perhaps an even more brilliant concert than No. 1 Extremely colorful and intense.
Nice performance, but a little sloppy, and not always so well rehearsed.
Medium sound.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde


----------



## Oskaar

In honor of the new year I will listen to, and post some of my 10`s. Uncommented. They all have top scores in my privat rating...performance,sound,work, and overall


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6*

Roger Vignoles
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Jukka-Pekka Saraste




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Concer...2SRV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312622559&sr=8-2


----------



## Oskaar

*Adams, John*

Work 
*Adams: Chamber Symphony*

Artists	
John Adams/London Sinfonietta




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Ha...IFTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315825181&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludwig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.3 in C, Op.2, No.3*

Artists	
Emil Gilels




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-29-...12YO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1313444857&sr=8-4


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Septet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello & double-bass in Bb, "Grand"*

Artists	
Berlin Philharmonic Octet*




http://www.amazon.com/Kreutzer-C-Se...XAS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318602608&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Barra (Artist), San Diego Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Concerti-Gros...1SGB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566334&sr=8-2


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Susane Stanzeleit, Julian Jacobson, Dvorak




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Music-...IQL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314824004&sr=8-1

IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518VaNMcWZL._SL500_AA280_.jpg[/IMG]


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I haven't listened to these in a while. Quite marvelous.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## Manxfeeder

Massive head cold, all plans for the night scrapped, so I'm in bed trying to figure out *Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements*.


----------



## kv466

Just came into possession of this wonderful cycle as a gift from my sister given to her as a perfectly sealed and never before played cycle. Wow,...I couldn't believe that first I had never heard it and second that it was and is so amazing and that it is so highly regarded...so much, that the going rate is pretty ridiculous...but that makes me more the happier for having acquired it gratis.

So far,...with a few exceptions, I have love every sound that was recorded. Still deciding whether or not there are any favorites here...runners up so far are the 2 and the 4.


----------



## Lisztian




----------



## Manxfeeder

I stumbled on this on Spotify: Contemporary Music for Soprano and Cello,with Dorothy Dorow and Aage Kvalbein. Wow, this guy can play cello; he's her only accompaniment.


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Just came into possession of this wonderful cycle as a gift from my sister given to her as a perfectly sealed and never before played cycle.


I'm listening to his recording of the 10th.

Have you seen what some enterprising soul wants for a new copy of this on Amazon? 549.80! (I think it's hilarious he couldn't bring himself to round it up to $550.)


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106, "Philosophic"*

It's been 2012 for a couple of hours here! - happy new year everybody!


----------



## science




----------



## Crudblud

Rued Langgaard's Music of the Spheres (Sfærenes musik), as conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde














Trying to make purchase decision between Böhm and Karajan recordings. I'm leaning toward Böhm but maybe Karajan recording has better sound quality ('72 vs '66).


----------



## Sid James

An enjoyable first listen to this newly purchased Andre Rieu disc, likewise a welcome relisten after a few months to the Lhoyer guitar duos disc -


----------



## Sid James

& also these -

*Dvorak *-_ Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 22_
Leipzig PO / Wolfgang Muller
(Apollo classics cd)

*Album: Max Roach - Parisian Sketches (Jazz in Paris series)*
Roach on drums / T. Turrentine, trumpet / J. Priester, trombone / S. Turrentine, tenor sax / B. Boswell, double bass
Recorded Paris, 1960
(Gitanes/universal)


----------



## Crudblud

Bohuslav Martinu - Symphony No. 1, H. 289 (Thomson)

First time listening to Martinu, pretty good so far, largely tonal but in an unusual way.


----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Symphony no.6 in f, op.68 'Pastoral'
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Walter Weller


----------



## kv466

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to his recording of the 10th.
> 
> Have you seen what some enterprising soul wants for a new copy of this on Amazon? 549.80! (I think it's hilarious he couldn't bring himself to round it up to $550.)


Yeah, I couldn't believe it...a welcome gift indeed.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It's New Year's Eve and we're getting blitzed with some good British beer and some good American music:




























Then maybe some British Rock n Blues:










:devil:


----------



## Crudblud

Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rubinstein)
Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Brendel)


----------



## Conor71

*Bax: Nothern Ballad No. 1*

Have'nt listened to this in a while! - not sure why as it's pretty cool music


----------



## Ravellian

This set has single-handedly made me excited about the Haydn sonatas. This is an ultra-authentic version of the keyboard works with seven (!) keyboards used: all clavichords, harpsichords, and fortepianos from Haydn's time. The acoustics are made to replicate the rooms of Esterhaza and Haydn's study exactly.

The performer is also excellent. He performs these sonatas different from how most pianists do it.. He takes all the repeats, and adds improvisation/ornamentation during the repeats, giving new life especially to the minuets. I wish more performers would use more improvisation in their performance of classical and baroque repertoire.


----------



## Crudblud

That sounds delightful, Ravellian. Shame I don't have a blu-ray player.


----------



## opus55

Still one more hour left in 2011 here.

Beethoven: Symphony No.9

Entire Chailly Beethoven cycle on Spotify:


----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios


----------



## science




----------



## jalex

*Berlioz: Beatrice et Benedict Overture; Romeo et Juliette*


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 In A Major, Op. 141*


----------



## Sid James

*Michael Tippett*
_String Quartets_, Vol. 1 -
_No.1 in A major _(1934-5, rev.1943)
_No.2 in F sharp major_ (1941-2)
_No.4 _(1977-78)
The Tippett Quartet (on Naxos)

Just getting into these more deeply, after owning them for a couple of years.

Tippett's string quartets come off as linked to many things important to him, not the least the landscapes of his spiritual home & birthplace, Suffolk. Also, his compositional hero, Beethoven. Then there's the sprightly dance rhythms of old courtly England and the choral harmonies of Renaissance chruch music. Also, some 20th century writers in this medium as well, eg. Vaughan Williams, Bartok, Hindemith to name three. But far from being a grab-bag of everything and saying nothing, Tippett's musical voice comes strongly through these works.

The slow movements esp. of his first two quartets here grabbed me most with those. That of the first quartet captured those choral harmonies and the polyphony so well, it was like choral sounds coming from the strings, the fading out sounding like a male bass voice but it was the cello. The second quartet's slow movement came across as having a night time feel, a fair dose of eeriness and tension there.

The fourth quartet is in four connected movements, very fragmentary. Bits of ideas float around, eg. the dance vibes as well as something similar to Beethoven. Then in the last movement all is revealed, he puts the jigsaw together to be that powerful theme from Beethoven's _Grosse Fuge_, which Tippett quotes and elaborates upon in this final movement.

I like this disc and I aim to listen to the other volume with the other two quartets - #'s 3 & 5 - very soon...


----------



## Oskaar

I will continue my posting of the best of the best of classical performances that I discovered in 2011.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.173 Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5*

Artists	
The Zaslav Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Dvoraks-Viola...1OI3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315054809&sr=8-1










*Work 
Dvorák: B.183 Sonatina in G-major Op.100 *

Artists	
Edmund Battersby
Zhou Qian




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Violin...NUOI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315128200&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludwig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.8 in C-, Op.13 ('Pathétique')*

Artists	
Rudolf Buchbinder




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pno-Sonatas/dp/B004Q8FTDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313932556&sr=8-2


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Evocations, suite (or 2 pianos)*

Artists	
Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra, David Amos




http://www.amazon.com/Dello-Joio-N-...F1H8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317033890&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.192 String Quartet No. 13 in G major*

Artists	
Pacifica Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A7L086/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1320573234&sr=8-1










Work 
*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11 *

Artists	
Edmund Battersby, Zhou Qian




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5C8O8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314804511&sr=8-1


----------



## NightHawk

'Used' on Amazon the single disc is still $14, but definitely worth it. The 1990 recording show both artists, Kremer and Argerich at the height of their powers. Great album!


----------



## NightHawk

I think Jon Vickers and Helga Dernesch make a better Tristan und Isolde...in the studio, anyway.



opus55 said:


> Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trying to make purchase decision between Böhm and Karajan recordings. I'm leaning toward Böhm but maybe Karajan recording has better sound quality ('72 vs '66).


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.38 Romance in f-minor Andante con moto Op.11 *

Artists	
Charles Mackerras (Conductor), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
pamela frank violin




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Suk-Mu...DLUQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314804052&sr=8-2










Work 
*Dvorák: B.79 op47 Bagatelles*

Artists	
Karel Untermüller, Miroslav Ambros




http://www.amazon.com/Miniatures-Tw...6RNO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316417868&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák
*
Work 
*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Alfred Holecek (Performer), Jan Panenka
josef suk




http://www.amazon.com/Smetana-Dvorá...7GL4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314823721&sr=8-2










*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Jan Talich, Josef Hala




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Suk-Ja...0TXG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314823080&sr=8-4


----------



## kv466

Telemann - Concerto for Viola in g among others


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Rebecca Rust
David Apter




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Cello-...9IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227092&sr=8-1










Work 
*Enescu: String Quartet No.1 in Eb, Op.22, No.1*

Artists	
Quatuor Ad Libitum




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-String...VROD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315231797&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting the new year with Bach's New Year's Cantata BWV 190, *Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied*.


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
Vera Tsu
Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra
Long Yu




http://www.amazon.com/Korngold-Gold...T8CO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736448&sr=8-2


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
Gurzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker, James Conlon




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026DC598/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736305&sr=8-3


----------



## Crudblud

Britten - Cello Suite No. 3 (Performer is listed as Rozhdestvensky, but unless I'm missing something that can't be right)
Bax - Symphony No. 1 (Handley)

First time listening to Bax, very nice so far!


----------



## Conor71

*Wagner: Overtures & Preludes*

Disc 1 of this 2-Disc set - currently listening to Tannhauser Overture.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: String Quartet No 1 JW 7/8*

Artists
Weilerstein Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Weilerstein-T...S8K6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320333067&sr=8-1










Work 
*Janácek: String Quartet No 1 JW 7/8*

Artists
Mikael Ericsson, Frantisek Maly and Jana Vlachova




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Strin...60D0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332968&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" JW 7/13*

Artists
Mikael Ericsson, Frantisek Maly and Jana Vlachova




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Strin...60D0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332968&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Des Canyons aux étoiles, for piano and orchestra, I/51*

Artists	
Yvonne Lorid




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Box-...ACWO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317309887&sr=8-1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Giving this one a second hearing after last evening. I had already begun on my New Year's Eve British beer binge and can't honestly say I remember much of this disc.:lol:


----------



## Oskaar

StlukesguildOhio said:


> my New Year's Eve British beer binge


I cant imagine a better way to end the year, and welcome the new!


----------



## Crudblud

Bruckner - Mass No. 3 (Celibidache)

Will have to listen to this one again. I'm not a huge fan of Bruckner's masses, but this time around I'm obviously just not in the mood for it.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian", 1879 Version}, *with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra led by Neeme Jarvi.
Bela Bartok--*Concerto for Orchestra, *performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.
Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.3, *featuring the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the guidance of Hannu Lintu.


----------



## poconoron

Haydn's #92 "Oxford" is a gem of a little symphony!


----------



## Conor71

*Wagner: Overtures & Preludes*

Now on Disc 2 of 2 - listening to Parsifal: Prelude to Act 3


----------



## PrismProject

Norfolk Rhapsody No 1 - Vaughan Williams. I only discovered this recently after listening to him for 20 years!


----------



## Crudblud

Schoenberg - Pelleas und Melisande (Karajan)


----------



## jalex

*Berlioz: Beatrice et Benedict
*
Listening to the good quality streaming audio from http://www.operatoday.com/content/2009/10/berlioz_beatric.php. Stumbled across this during a bit of internet searching after listening to the overture yesterday. Listened to the first act so far, and it's really very good. Look forward to Act II


----------



## Oskaar

jalex said:


> *Berlioz: Beatrice et Benedict*


*
I prelistened a little bit. Very good! And fine sound. But Itunes is a hell of a struggle for my ten years old computer....*


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10*

Artists	
André Previn (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Vladimir Ashkenazy




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Fiv...41LA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313591070&sr=8-1


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 8, Toscanini.

If Beethoven's 8th symphony reflects the composer "unbuttoned," Toscanini buttons him back up. It's a driven performance, but the orchestra plays with a great deal of precision.


----------



## Crudblud

Dvorak - Romance, Op. 11 (Leinsdorf/Perlman)
Stravinsky - Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa ad CD annum (Stravinsky)


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 8 In C Major, K 246, "Lutzow"*


----------



## poconoron

Haydn symphonies 93, 99, 100 "Military" by Slatkin and 
Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Crudblud said:


> Stravinsky - Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa ad CD annum (Stravinsky)


I've been meaning to hear that one. I'm listening to Herreweghe's recording on Spotify.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I really enjoy this album. Especially the Johan Kvandal violin concerto. Miss Ragin Wenk-Wolf does a superb job playing it. I don't know how many recordings of Kvandal's music are available but this recording makes me want to research him some more. His concerto is modern and yet quite melodic.


----------



## Chrythes

Brahms' 4 symphony conducted by Solti.
I've been thinking to get the box set, as it's a great recording for a great price. 
But dammit, I hate the third movement. It comes after 2 contemplative and elegant movements, it entirely disrupts the calm, maybe even tragic mood that's been set from the beginning. It seems to be totally out of place, and in this context it becomes childish and obnoxious (when if it was a part of a different symphony or stand alone piece I probably would like it). At least the last movement compensates.


----------



## Oskaar

Kevin Pearson said:


> I really enjoy this album. Especially the Johan Kvandal violin concerto.


I was curious, and fond it on spotify. I agree, the kvandal concerto is very good!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Exquisite! Barbara Hendricks' voice was light and silvery... yet with a tinge of a deeper sensuality... perfectly suited to much of the French repertoire. For whatever reason EMI has been dumping these two-disc sets by Hendricks and subsequently Amazon Marketplace dealers have been offering them for ridiculous prices. I could not resist picking up the following:










$7










$8










$6










$6.50










$5.50... And from what I heard from the samples available on Amazon these Christmas carols and beloved songs from childhood are marvelously performed.

A belated Christmas gift to myself. I've been very good.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## neoshredder

*Mozart-The Complete Symphonies* I am loving Symphony number 5 right now as I am listening to the first cd.


----------



## Crudblud

Manxfeeder said:


> I've been meaning to hear that one. I'm listening to Herreweghe's recording on Spotify.


Eh, it's okay. That's my reaction to Stravinsky in general these days, not sure why.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Crudblud said:


> Eh, it's okay. That's my reaction to Stravinsky in general these days, not sure why.


Funny you should mention that. My special project this year is to figure out what it is about Stravinsky - particularly his middle period - that doesn't grab me.

Tonight, Poulenc's *Quatre Motets Pour un Temps de Penitence*.

Poulenc's sacred music has a sound all its own, and Stephen Layton's choir do a great job of bringing it out.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 In A Major, K 331, "Alla Turca"*


----------



## science

Orchestral Suite #1.


----------



## poconoron

Enjoying Dvorak # 7 right now.


----------



## Conor71

*Debussy: Preludes, Book 1, L 117*


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to* Dvorak's "Dumky" trio*, delightful piece, contrasting slow contemplative sections with energetic ones. Must be hard to play with all those tempo & mood changes. Then the* Telemann *piece, which images 18th century life - bell chimes, musical clock of Hamburg, a fusillade of canons, a swan, a "concert" of croaking frogs and crowing ravens, a valley with it's echoes, this work has it all! Then a listen to * Peter Sculthorpe's *tribute to his dead father, quite a dark work, imaging the desolate Australain bush, with a demented macabre tango at it's centre...

*Dvorak* - _Piano Trio in E minor Op.90, Dumky_
Rosamunde Trio (alto label)

*Telemann*
_Overture in F major_
AMerican Horn Quartet / Sinfonia Varsovia / Dariusz Wisniewski
(Naxos)

*Sculthorpe*
_Irkanda IV_
Donald Hazelwood, vln. / Sydney SO / Stuart Challender (ABC Classics)


----------



## jalex

*Haydn: String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1; Beethoven String Quartet #12 Op. 127*

From my usual CDs (Haydn/Amadeus Quartet, Beethoven/Quartetto Italiano)


----------



## Sid James

A relisten after many weeks to *The Musical Offering*, in which I enjoy esp. the central trio sonata written for Frederick the Great to play (the flute part).

Then, another piece by* Peter Sculthorpe*, here imaging a coastal mangrove. Here, the composer didn't use woodwinds or harps, in order to avoid the usual impressionist and pastoral cliches. Instead, he throws in celesta and other rich percussion, but doesn't do overkill with them, just uses them as highlights. Overall, this comes across as quite a dark work and spot-on in imaging it's subject. I've visited a mangrove, and they streched as far as the eye could see. Me and my party were like dots in a vast landscape. This is what Sculthorpe brings to life in this music. He incorporates Japanese melodies and Aboriginal rhythms, I could clearly hear the latter. A central section vividly images birds played on the high registers of the violins, these short glissando "chirps." That's the only bright spot here, otherwise it comes across to me as quite bleak. Even though a stong chord is sustained at the end by the brass, the instruments which began the piece, I still feel up in the air, not much "resolution." This work is in layerings and contrasting sections, it has nothing to do with sonata form, etc. Sculthorpe's model in structure was Varese. An amazing disc which I'm revisiting now slowly, having reconnected with the man's music now through his guitar musics...

*J.S. Bach*
_The Musical Offering BWV1079_
Davitt Moroney, harpsichord / Janet See, fl. / John Holloway, vln. / Jaap ter LInded, cello / Martha Cook, hpschd.
(harmonia mundi, white reissue label)

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Mangrove_ (1979)
Sydney Symphony Orch. / Stuart Challender, cond.
(ABC CLassics)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nice easy listening *atonal* music of the 21st century by Hugues Dufourt on the *hardcore* contemporary music label Kairos! Yeah!


----------



## science




----------



## Lenfer

Listening to this via *Spotify* (thanks *Polednice* =]) it's really quite a nice CD future purchase worthy.


----------



## science

Don't let my listening to this one tempt you to get it unless you have the recording by David Hill and the Choir of Westminster Cathedral on Hyperion.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Piano concerto no.3 in c-minor, op.37


----------



## Oskaar

album	
*Danse lente*

Composers

*Andriessen, Hendrik • Dresden, Sem • Ibert, Jacques • Jongen, Joseph • Mouquet, Jules • Saint-Saens, Camille	*

Aiolos Duo, Mathias Von Brenndorff, Maria Stange 




http://www.amazon.com/Danse-lente/dp/B000URWZZQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325520933&sr=8-2

Beautiful quiet album with great performances from both the flute and harp. Especially beautiful is the Saint-Saens: Fantasie


----------



## Vaneyes

In tribute to TC's Australian members and their Fritz Kreisler, sampling Homage to Fritz Kreisler.










http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4779942?utm_source=News-2012-01-02&utm_medium=email#listen


----------



## Conor71

*Palestrina: Missa Benedictus Es*


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*String Poetic*

Composer 
*Higdon, Harrison, Adams, Ruggles*

Artists
Reiko Uchida, Jennifer Koh




http://www.amazon.com/String-Poetic...2FMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320076604&sr=8-1

Sparkling good and sensitive performance of Uchida, and several exciting works!


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
*Adam, Adolphe*

Work 
*Adam: Giselle*

Artists	
Herbert von Karajan and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Giselle-Adolphe/dp/B000E6EGWS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325531078&sr=8-2

A wonderful ballet in the best Viennese Classicism style. I could easily go tired of such music, but the quality of this work is so good that I endure. It is very varied, some acts are less "wiener".
Karajan has a good grip on it all, and the sound is pretty good.


----------



## starthrower

Just cracked open my new Villa-Lobos set. Playing disc one of the Choros.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Gloria and Exultate Deo*, by Stephen Layton and Polyphony. Interesting choral writing.

More French music, this time by Ralph Vaughan Williams, his *String Quartet No. 1.* .


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8*


----------



## Crudblud

starthrower said:


> Just cracked open my new Villa-Lobos set. Playing disc one of the Choros.


Well now there's a coincidence, I just picked that one up from the library!

Anyway...

Verdi - Un ballo in maschera (Leinsdorf)


----------



## Oskaar

album	
*Adio España: Romances, Villancicos & Improvisations from Spain, Circa 1500*

Composers 
*Anonymous • Encina, Juan del • Fuenllana, Miguel de • Guerrero, Pedro • Mudarra, Alonso • Ortiz, Diego • Pisador, Diego • Torre, Francisco de la • Traditional*

Artists	
Baltimore Consort




http://www.amazon.com/Adio-España-R...LA0C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325535217&sr=8-1

I have listened too little to rennessance music, but this gives me a taste! Beautifully sung. great sound, and in all a great recording!


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53*


----------



## kv466

nos. 1 - 17


----------



## starthrower

Per Norgard-Violin Concerto "Helle Nacht" Copenhagen Philharmonic/Anton Kontra-violin


----------



## Oskaar

*Adams, John*

Work 
*Adams: elegie*

Artists	
Orchestra of St. Luke's




http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Co...5J0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315819813&sr=8-1

Enchanting and evocative piece!
Very well performed, and nice sound.










Work 
*Adams: El Dorado*

Artists	
Orchestra: Hallé, London SinfoniettaConductor: Kent Nagano, John AdamsComposer: John [Composer] Adams, Ferruccio Busoni, Franz Liszt




http://www.amazon.com/Dorado-Black-...5J3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315822506&sr=8-1

Quite nice work. Not an Adam's favorite, though.
A little weak and uncommitted performance. Medium sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aho, Kalevi*

Work 
*Aho: Flute Concerto*

Artists	
Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
sharon bezaly




http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Spell-Kalevi-Aho/dp/B000A1ILOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315913921&sr=8-1

The work begins very calm and fragile, and perhaps a little flat. But gradually builds up fine moods and colors. Beautiful and exciting work.
Pretty good sound, and the performance is fine.


----------



## starthrower

Per Norgard-Concerto in due tempi (for piano and orchestra)
- Danish Natl Radio Symphony/Leif Segerstam


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## kv466

Mozart Complete Piano Sonatas






_yes, that is four hours, not minutes..._


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Chrythes

The Quintet! Discovering Brahms' Chamber Music is joy.


----------



## Crudblud

Brian - Symphony No. 1 'Gothic' (Lenard)

Yes, it's the big one. I hear Sorabji (no surprises here) wrote a symphony with an approximate duration of 280 minutes, but it hasn't been recorded yet so it doesn't count!


----------



## Trout




----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Mozart Complete Piano Sonatas


I don't have four hours, but the minutes I have available are interesting. He gives it a fortepiano sound without that head-cold sound a real fortepiano has. (I hope I didn't step on any toes by saying that.)

I just finished *Berg's Violin Concerto*. I'm pumped; finally, after all this time, it clicked!


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphonies 1 & 2


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Mozart - Adagio and Fugue in c-minor, kv546

The Canadian String Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> Mozart Complete Piano Sonatas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _yes, that is four hours, not minutes..._


More, please sir.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Crudblud

Richter Plays Scriabin, 1972 recital in Warsaw.


----------



## Lenfer

I love this.


----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Bach Concertos


----------



## science

Well that was interesting.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> In tribute to TC's Australian members and their Fritz Kreisler, sampling Homage to Fritz Kreisler.
> 
> ...


Of course, you mean Austrian. Man, that's the oldest joke in the book! :lol:...


----------



## kv466

All the things that held him at the top of my list of pianists when I was a kid come true and I can only find myself wondering why I hadn't sat through this entire set before! I find myself wanting trois more, which sadly he didn't record. Ok, so I'm not about to say that his Bach is fine by me but everything I've ever loved him play comes alive here and I will certainly say that this enters my top ten Etudes, instantly.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> Well that was interesting.


Glad you took time to listen to it!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

If you have not discovered the music of Ferdinand Ries then I would like to commend him to your listening pleasure. His piano solo material is just wonderful and, in my opinion, as fun to listen to as his teacher.... Beethoven. I also love his symphonies. At the moment I am listening to this:










Kevin


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Glad you took time to listen to it!


Seriously dude?

Anyway:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Finished with the Ries and so I thought I would end my day with some Shubert. The 1st symphony to be exact as performed by Staatskapelle Dresden with Sir Colin Davis conducting. One of the finest versions I have heard. In fact I commend the box set of the complete symphonies to anyone who has not yet acquired one.










Kevin


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25*

I think these works are some of my favourite works by Brahms - I really like the performances in this set as well as they are all excellent.
I'm hanging out to recieve my set of Brahms Symphonies by Jochum - hopefully another week or so to go!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^^^Ooh nice line up of musicians there. That'll be a good recording!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25*
> 
> I think these works are some of my favourite works by Brahms


So that's what the cover looks like! I once bought a CD of Brahms Sonatas for Cello and Piano with Ma and Ax, but it turns out the Piano Quartets CD was inside. Imagine my disappointment .

I'm also giving it a spin on my CD player.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.108/96 Violin Concerto in A minor*

Artists
Akiko Suwanai
Budapest symphony orchestra
Ivan Fischer




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Violin...Q7SW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322924894&sr=8-1

I am very fond of violin concertos, and Dvorak's, I like very much, although it may not be among the largest.
Beautiful is it, and very romantic and evocative.
Here is the very nice presented. both soloist and orchestra.


----------



## NightHawk

Found this randomly on Youtube this morning with coffee.





Songs of a Knight Errant, Op. 28, for two violins, viola, cello and harp (1929)

A chamber work by Russian Jewish composer Mikhail Gnesin (1883-1957), the son of a rabbi who came from a prominent musical family. His own compositions were influenced by a wide variety of sources - from the traditional forms of his teachers Rimsky-Korsakov and Lyadov to Jewish folk music, Medieval songs and the experiments of the Russian Futurist school of composers.

Moscow Soloist Ensemble
Violin: Edward Iatsoun, Anna Zlozcovskaya
Viola: Stanislav Koriakin
Cello: Dimitri Surikov
Harp: Svetlana Paramonova

And this:

Mikhail Gnesin - Requiem Op. 11 for Piano Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

Handel Cti. Grossi, Op. 3, with English Baroque Soloists/JEG.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
Michael Houstoun
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Lyndon-Gee




http://www.amazon.com/Rachmaninov-S...ORRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316343146&sr=8-1

pretty nice concert, but I'm not too excited. I simply not like the first movement. A little too much piano technique, and too little overall concert. The second movement is much nicer! It is indeed an andante, and they're often lyrical and beautiful. But I have heard many allegro which is great too, and this (first movement) is not, in my opinion. I am not very fond of the last allegro either ... But things can change.


----------



## Lenfer

​*Jacqueline du Pré* - Falla: Canciones Populares Españolas - Jota

(I'm still having trouble sorting out my box sets so I apologise for any inaccuracies)


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 129: Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor*

Artists
Moscow Philharmonic Society & Kyril Kondrashin




http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/52934449-kyril-kondrashin-orchestra-of-the-moscow

I have to be in a special mood for Shostakovich, and today I am obviously not in the right mood....


----------



## kv466

Antonio Vivaldi - L'Estro Armonico: Concerto no.8 for 2 Violins 
Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra
David Oistrakh, violin / Isaac Stern, violin


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Op.11*

Artists	
Oramo and City of Birmingham Orch




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symphonies/dp/B0000SYABW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322842106&sr=8-1

The first movement is the better known... but I find it quite one dimentional. The second opens up for much more! Imasingly lyric! Very nice and intense nerve. The third is quite nice, but not Sibelius at his best
Very nice performance, but not the best sound.










Work 
*Sibelius: 2 Serenades for Violin and Orchestra, Op.69*

Artists	
Christian Tetzlaff/Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Work...XIN2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320761519&sr=8-1

Almost painfully beautiful! This serenades show the true genious of Sibelius!
Fantasticly played, and the sound is quite well. Highly recommended!


----------



## Vaneyes

Elgar Symphonies 1, 2, 3 (Completed by Anthony Payne), with Halle/Judd, LPO/Handley, BBCSO/Andrew Davis.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
South German Philharmonic Orchestra & Alfred Scholz




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322837665&sr=1-1

I eventually like this symphony very well.
But there is something fundamentally wrong with the sound. It can be spotify. It is choppy and strange. I think I'll skip this one.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
Slovenian Symphony Orchestra & Anton Nanut




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322837574&sr=1-1

Here is at least the sound audible. But not a good sound ...
I also think the performance is otherwise a bit average.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: 3 Romances, for oboe and piano, Op.94*

Artists	
Stefan Vladar
Clemens Hagen




http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Selec...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319548197&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Here it is volin and piano. Very loveley! Very romantic work! Medium sound, but a quite good perfomance!










*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op.44*

Artists	
Fitzwilliam String Quartet, Richard Burnett (Fortepiano)




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S9NDIU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1319111744&sr=8-1

Nice quartet, but maybe not a Schumann favorite of mine. But that can have connection with that the fact that the sound here is lousy! Then it is difficalt to appreciate the performance also.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## kv466

^^

I see you're back with Martha...let me tell you,...thanks to you I like her a whole lot more and I admit there are certain pieces she excels at...and, well...sometimes but these are the older performances when she is quite young,...she can be super, duper lovely to look at...that being said,...she's still yet to dazzle me and place herself as the queen master of any work aside from some Prokofiev which I admire of hers very much...still, I others just as good...still working on that Sergei.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.1 in Bb, Op.38 ('Spring')*

Artists	
Karol Stryja (Artist, Conductor), Robert Schumann (Composer), Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symp...1KN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319813701&sr=8-1

This must be a very good symphony to be the first! Very easy to be fond of. Not very complex but straight forward and simple, with great melodies and lyrical moods.
The performance is good .. maybe the orchestra could have been even more engaged. The sound is average.


----------



## Crudblud

Scriabin - Preludes, Op. 11 (Gieseking)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, Psalms 23 and 83*. Lovely and dramatic.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## kv466

Found this funny comparison clip on the tube...this is for you, Manx. It's Murray and Glenn highlighting some of the sweeter moments of the c-minor Mozart klavier concerto, kv491...anyone who knows me knows who gets my vote but Mr. P put up a fine effort; especially in the final movement.






remember, this video is void of cadenzas...if it had compared the two, the would have been no need to even put them together as one of clearly the far superior pianist.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61*

Artists	
Sakari Oramo
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sym-No-1-2/dp/B002A9OJ6A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319812502&sr=8-2

A great symphony! It has a moment in the first movement is totally awesome. Unfortunately, not so well reproduced here.
Otherwise, a good performance, and slightly above average sound.


----------



## Crudblud

Langgaard - Symphony No. 1 (Dausgaard)


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Found this funny comparison clip on the tube...this is for you, Manx. It's Murray and Glenn highlighting some of the sweeter moments of the c-minor Mozart klavier concerto, kv491.


How nice! It's interesting reading the YouTube comments; both pianists have very strong adherents.


----------



## kv466

Manxfeeder said:


> How nice! It's interesting reading the YouTube comments; both pianists have very strong adherents.


They do, indeed,...I told you how I like my Murray and his Beethoven and there is nothing more like LvB in Mozart than kv491...both do a fabulous job and interpretation.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Orpheus, S.98*

Artists	
Orchester Wiener Akademie (Artist), Haselbock




http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Weimar-...WJZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318087814&sr=8-1

Really a fine, and fine simple piece to be Lizst.
Very good performance, but not very good sound..










Work 
*Liszt: Les Préludes, S.97*

Artists	
*Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Simonov*




http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Sicilia...0MR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318083953&sr=8-1

I'm really in the mood Liszt! His symphonic poems have so many layers! This is really great! List is very compact! Much passion squeesed into a limited frame...Some may feel that some air is lacking. I love it, but i could not listen to him for hours...
Very good performance, live such, but still very good sound.
Excellent performance! Russians rarely fail.










Franz Liszt

Work	
Liszt: Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo, S.96

Artists	
Hungarian national philharmonic orchestra
Jeno Jando




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QBKWKW/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1318181877&sr=8-5

Absolutely gorgeous and exciting piece. Brilliant performed, and the sound is remarkably good!


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 5: Symphony No. 1 in E major "Slavonian Symphony"*

Artists
Bbc National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...YORM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1321272920&sr=8-3

Nice, but not great symphony .*Edit: It is a superb symphony*! But both performance and sound is very good!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've been listening to pieces from Frank Zappa's "The Yellow Shark" recently on YouTube. I need to get this album.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Sid James

*Sculthorpe*
_Earth Cry
Irkanda IV*
Small Town**
Kakadu
Mangrove_
*Donald Hazlewood, vln. solo
**Guy Henderson, oboe solo
Sydney SO / Stuart Challender
(ABC CLassics)

*Mozart*
_Piano Quartets
*in E flat major K493
*in G minor K478_
The Mozartean Players - S. Lubin, fortepiano / S. Ritchie, vln. / M. Lutzke, cello / D. Miller, vla. (period instruments)
(Classical Express label - harmonia mundi reissue)

*Gershwin* - _Catfish Row _(arr. Donald Hunsberger)*
*Copland* - _Lincoln Portrait_ (arr. W. Beeler for wind ens.) (comp. 1942)**
*Jo Ella Todd, sop. / Derrick Fox, baritone
**Alvin Chea, narrator
Univ. Of Missouri Wind Ens. / Thomas O'Neal
(Naxos)


----------



## Crudblud

Scriabin - Sonatas 1-4 (Lettberg)


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 16: Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp minor "To the Memory of Liszt"*

Artists
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Fedoseyev




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-The-...UW10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273361&sr=8-2

A masterpiece! Brilliant sound and performance! Another 10


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt - De Profundis for Piano and Orchestra. Stephen Mayer, piano.
London Symphony Orchestra, Tamàs Vàsàry.

De Profundis is Liszt's longest work for piano and orchestra, at around 34 minutes long. It was written in 1834, and left unfinished. The piano part was pretty much finished, but the orchestration was still in draft form. It was discovered in 1992 and some minor finishing touches were made to make complete performance possible. Being written in 1834, when Liszt was firmly in his virtuoso years and had not yet developed into anything close to the composer we know today, it is a flawed work. However that does mean it isn't remarkable and a very good one. It is a very remarkable and striking work for 1834, and stunningly original. Not a masterpiece, nor close to one, but a very fascinating work and one that I like quite a bit. A lot of the material would later be distilled into the remarkable solo piano piece Pensee des morts.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Gloria*. Okay, true, it's influenced by Stravinsky, but if Igor wrote with this much joie de vivre, I wouldn't be having the problem with him that I'm having.


----------



## Vaneyes

Pohjola's Daughter, NYPO/Bernstein (1964)


----------



## Vaneyes

Philadelphia/Muti's "Rite", with EMI ART 2001 remastering--significant improvement.

Brilliant Classics licensed these recordings, but with which remastering, I don't know.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Crudblud

Alkan - Preludes, Op. 31 (Mustonen)


----------



## science




----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Byrd, Mass for Four Voices*, Hilliard Ensemble.

Written for private church services when Catholicism was outlawed, here is a recording of four voices, maybe voices in the wilderness. When there are times I feel pressure to conform to fit in with "the group" (whatever box it is society wants me in at the time), I'm reminded of the quiet dignity expressed herein of one man following his own conscience.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Claude Debussy: Masques (1904)*
This is a fun little piece for solo piano in a simple binary form. Very entertaining work filled with virtuosic writing and thumping harmonies.

*Claude Debussy: L'isle joyeuse (1904)*
Another short piece for solo piano. _L'isle joyeuse_ is mature Debussy at his most accessible. Beautiful and memorable melodies fill the five minutes, with lush and sometimes conventional harmonies.

*Claude Debussy: ...D'un cahier d'esquisses (1904)*
This piano work foreshadows _La Mer_, in that the sketches that form this work entered into his orchestral masterpiece. Incredibly evocative, innovative and gorgeous, this is a wonderful gem unlike anything that had been written at the time.

*Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G (1932)*
I'd heard good things about this work before listening to it. It's taken me awhile to warm up to Ravel. _Daphnis and Chloe_ helped me a little, but it was really _L'enfant et sortileges_ that won me over. Now with this piece, Ravel has firmly become a composer that I like. My initial problem with him was that he seemed too impersonal. I still think he is rather impersonal, but I now think that's just part of his personality.. if that makes sense. His music seems to hide behind a sheen of glossy colors and imitation, with the _Piano Concerto_ being no exception. Here he draws upon jazz, and more specifically, Gershwin. The first movement is a lot of fun, but nothing more then that. The second movement is the heart of the piece, where Ravel rises above experimental dabbling to say something personal. There is a sense of perfection, as if each and every note has been labored over. The last movement is brief, recalling _Daphnis_ but fusing it with jazz. Overall a terrific work, and I'm looking forward to hearing his left handed concerto.

*Samuel Barber: Third Essay for Orchestra (1978)*
Written in the final year of Barber's life, this must be one of the last truly romantic pieces written by a notable composer. The work contrasts dense percussiveness with a would-be lush theme that's orchestrated sparsely. And sparseness seems to be the name of the game here. The melodies are strong and powerful, but without much support it's as if romantiscm is saying it's final goodbye. Towards the end, the theme makes its final statement, but this time with lush accompaniment- before being interrupted by the pounding of drums. The work can border on sounding kitsch, for its Wagnerian sentimantility, and the fact that the percussive parts sound an awful lot like the score to _Lawrence of Arabia_. But when listened to in the right light- as a work of nostalgia by a great composer fading away- it can be quite moving.

*John Adams: Chamber Symphony (1993)*
This piece took me a few listens to really get a handle on. All three movements are incredibly dense with a lot going on, but once you pick apart the voices it becomes much more discernible. The work is considered to be a turning point in Adams' career; a piece that drops any pretense of minimalism and absorbs a variety of American styles- blues, jazz, rock- you name it. The end result is a blender full of sounds that are just there for the ride. What Adams' seems to be saying is: this is what I can do, now I just need to figure what I want to say. The work doesn't have any clear message, it's simply a collage of sounds. The listener is meant to enjoy themselves, but not necessarily be moved. That said, it's an awfully wonderful mix of sounds, and really is a character piece more than anything- a depiction of Adams himself. Only Adams can say 'lets embrace all styles, even the mainstream ones!' and still sound pretentious. But that's what makes this work wonderful. It's so honest, well written, and full of energy that it's difficult not to love. The symphony is starting point, a stepping stone before the _Violin Concerto_, which uses use the same language, but has an actual story. Even as a stepping stone though, this is a masterpiece.


----------



## kv466

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no.6 in b-flat, kv238
Franz Vorraber and the Leipzig Chamber Orchestra conducted by Morten Schuldt-Jensen

_uno delato extraordinario! _ Honestly seemed like I was hearing this for the first time...what a sweet and wonderful way of expressing the orchestra and the piano, so tender and magnificent and so perfectly played.


----------



## Crudblud

Alkan - Symphony for solo piano (Hamelin)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to Andreas Scholl's performances of Baroque operatic arias written for of performed by Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) one of the great castrati of the era and a peer of the famous Farinelli. The arias are by Handel, Tomaso Albinoni, Antonio Lotti, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Nicola Porpora... all, with the exception of Handel, woefully forgotten but currently undergoing a revival along with the operas of Vivaldi. Who knows how the lists of the 50 greatest opera composers or 100 greatest operas will look in another twenty years when Lully, Rameau, Vivaldi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Hasse, J.C. Bach, etc... have all been recorded by top-notch performers as we have with Handel. Until then, these recitals by Scholl, Jaroussky, Simone Kermes, etc... offer a magnificent view of a rich body of music. As always Scholl is magnificent... perhaps the greatest living countertenor... in spite of Jaroussky's facile fluidity.










_De Vitae Fugacitate_ is a collection of laments, cantatas, and arias from Baroque Germany... of the generation (or two) before Bach and before the music in the Scholl disc above. Two of the composers are well-known enough to aficionados of the Baroque: Heinrich Schütz and Dietrich Buxtehude. The other composers are less-well-known: Adam Krieger, Johann Schien, Johann Kindermann, and Christian Geist. The music involved was all influenced by the developments in vocal/instrumental music in Italy. Schütz studied with Giovanni Gabrielli in Venice and was profoundly impressed by the ability of Gabrielli to compose such splendid motets in spite of his access to limited numbers of singers and instrumentalists. Schütz took what he had gleaned home to Germany where he would influence the other two "great 'S's'" of the early German Baroque: Johann Schein and Samuel Scheidt. J.S. Bach undoubtedly learned from his predecessors with regard to composing for a limited number of singers and instrumentalists and employed this ability in his larger compositions such as the St. Matthew Passion so that the work displayed a variety of small instrumental and vocal groupings in a chamber music-like manner achieving a variety of musical colors.

Johann Kindermann also studied in Italy... either under Monteverdi or Cavalli. His work included here, _La Affettuosa_ is essentially a sonata for three viols in which one viol essentially takes the line of the absent vocalist in a cantata or motet without word.

The most important composer here, of course, is Buxtehude... quite likely the greatest composer active in Germany prior to J.S. Bach. The two works chosen by Buxtehude illustrate opposing aspects of the _viola da gamba_. In Jubilate Domino the viol plays a joyful virtuoso _obbligato_ in accompaniment of the solo singer. Klaglied was composed upon the death of the composer's father and illustrates the warmer, mournful sound of the viol in suggesting death.

All in all, a fascinating collection that illuminates the transmission of musical ideas from Italy to Germany establishing the environment and the musical ideas that would allow for the later developments of J.S. Bach, Handel, Telemann, etc... As with every GLOSSA disc I have come upon, the recording, the performance, and the packaging are all elegant and top notch. The countertenor Claudia Cavina may be less-well-known than Scholl or Jaroussky, but he is clearly of the same class as a vocalist.


----------



## Crudblud

Nancarrow - String Quartet No. 1 (Arditti SQ)


----------



## Lenfer

I want this album but becuase I tend to spend more than I should I limit myself to having five things in the post at the one time.

For the health of my bank balance as well as our postman. It's kind of embarrassing when they have to bring your mail to you twice a day (in a van). So I will just have to wait... 

Damn you *Talk Classical*!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^What Ligeti is on there?


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland*--Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid and Fanfare for the Common Man*, all performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^What Ligeti is on there?


I can't sleep and I'm really tired so I couldn't be bothered typing it sorry. I took this from *iTunes* you can sample it there for free if you have it installed. 

​


----------



## science




----------



## agoukass




----------



## Lisztian

agoukass said:


>


What do you think of those Rachmaninoff piano works? They are pretty much the only works in his piano oeuvre I haven't heard. I don't hear much about them either.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## agoukass

The performances are rather and unidiomatic. I suggest Michael Ponti's on Vox, if you can find them.

The pieces themselves are mostly juvenilia. The Op. 10 "Humoresque" was a staple of Horowitz's repertoire for years and he recorded it several times as did Rachmaninoff.


----------



## science

Uaxuctum: The Legend of the Mayan City which they themselves destroyed for religious reasons


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat major, D929, Op.100


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony In F Minor, WAB 99, "Study Symphony"*

Giving this new arrival a first listen - yes, very good! Not as epic as some of Bruckner's later works but a pleasant work for sure.
The performance is pretty laid back!. Like my other Bruckner recordings I will end up listening to this a fair bit I think


----------



## opus55

^^ added to my amazon wishlist

Schumann: Piano Trio No.2 in F, Op.80


----------



## science

Been chipping away at this for some time. It's growing on me.


----------



## starthrower

Happy 70th Birthday, John McLaughlin! born Jan 4th 1942


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Jurowski Honegger, and Barenboim Liszt. I won't be pulling the trigger for either.
The Liszt work is the more interesting, and I'll be pursuing them elsewhere.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

starthrower said:


> Happy 70th Birthday, John McLaughlin! born Jan 4th 1942


This is one of my favorite albums of all time and also one of my favorite guitarists. His output and creativity never seems to end. I think McLaughlin recorded another concerto but I've never been able to find a copy and so I don't know if it's as good as this one.

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto No, 15*, by Murray Perahia, the guy who opened up Mozart to me.


----------



## starthrower

Kevin Pearson said:


> This is one of my favorite albums of all time and also one of my favorite guitarists. His output and creativity never seems to end. I think McLaughlin recorded another concerto but I've never been able to find a copy and so I don't know if it's as good as this one.
> 
> Kevin


I played this one today because I couldn't find my copy of his more recent Thieves And Poets CD. Anyway, I hadn't listened to Mediterranean Concerto for years, but I really enjoyed it!


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 3 In D Minor*

Disc 2 of this 3 Disc set


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov *

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 33: Symphony No. 3 in D major*

Artists
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Fedoseyev




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-The-...UW10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273361&sr=8-2

Another great symphony by Glazunov! I may have said the oposite before, but now I notice some shivering and harsh tendenses in the soundscape in this cycle.. But exelent performance!










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 48: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major*

Artists
Alexander Anissimov and Moscow State Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...7N5V/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1321273600&sr=8-6

Beautiful and more lyrical symphony.
Beautiful performed, and clear and good, but some "closed" sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

Lisztian said:


> What do you think of those Rachmaninoff piano works? They are pretty much the only works in his piano oeuvre I haven't heard. I don't hear much about them either.


I like them. As you likely know, they are young compositions (age 14 - 19), that are unfortunately often excerpted. Of these, Morceaux de salon appears most often in whole, and of recs available for it, I like Mikhail Voskresensky.

If I may digress...if you haven't, please pursue Santiago Rodriguez for solo Rachmaninov. From early Rachmaninov, Rodriguez recorded Three Nocturnes and Morceaux de fantaisie.


----------



## Oskaar

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
*Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28*

Artists	
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Artist), André Previn (Artist), Itzhak Perlman (Artist)




http://www.amazon.com/Itzhak-Perlma...2RP6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315735772&sr=8-1

Performances are excellent, Perlman is playing heavenly, but the sound is not very good. But I think this is an example of music you have to listen to, even if the sound is not that good


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Pohadka JW 7/5*

Artists	
Gilbert Kalish Joel Krosnick




http://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Janác...7T0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320328339&sr=8-1

Very delicate and evocative work.
Presentation are nice and subtle. The interplay between piano and strings is very good, and the sound is excellent.










Work 
*Janácek: Srting Quartet No 1 JW 7/8*

Artists
Smetana Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Strin...WNSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332831&sr=8-1

Excellent performance and sound of this fine quartet!










Work 
*Janácek: String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" JW 7/13*

Artists
Skampa Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Strin...NU9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332763&sr=8-1

The second string quartet is also excellent!
Unbelievably great nerve in this performance. Interplay is great, and sounds very good.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listened to Reich's Variations last night and fell asleep. :scold:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Villa-Lobos, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1*.

Kenneth Schermerhorn's last recording with the Nashville Symphony.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Richard Frank, Szeged Symphony Orchestra and Robert Hart Baker




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Years-C...WNG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669381&sr=8-1

Piano sound is not very good ... But it's great playing. The orchestra sounds better. Despite the bad piano sound is a great nerve in the performance.










Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
Rudolf Kerer




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-Concertos/dp/B003EO73F4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669471&sr=8-1

I love this concerto to, but the sound is not very good.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Anton Rubenstein* (1829-1894), one of the greatest piano virtuosos of all time! Piano sonatas performed by Leslie Howard (2 CDs).


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Chamber Symphony No. 2*, nicely done by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sibelius Symphonies, the cycle: No. 1 - BPO/HvK (1981); No. 2 - Philharmonia/HvK (1960); No. 3 - Oslo/Jansons (1994); No. 4 - BPO/HvK (1976); No. 5 - Philharmonia/HvK (1960); No. 6 - BPO/HvK (1980); No. 7 - RPO/Beecham (1955).


----------



## kv466




----------



## Sid James

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Kakadu_
Sydney Sym. Orch. / Stuart Challender, cond.
(ABC CLassics, on _Sculthorpe - Earth Cry_ album)

I'm really getting into Sculthorpe's music now.

This work comes from the late 1980's, when Sculthorpe was returning more to melody and tonality. It is a portrait of the Kakadu National Park in Northern Australia.

It starts off with drumming which is like the clapping of rain on a rooftop. During the wet season in the North, it often rains so hard that it's like a solid sheet of water coming down. Stand in that for a second and you're soaked to the bone.

Then Sculthorpe's classic bird sounds, a flock of birds coming to a lake in a clearing to drink and cavort. The centre of this work is an Aboriginal melody Sculthorpe heard on an old recording made in early 20th century. It's like the ghosts of the Aborigines are there, but physically they have gone, the culture disappeared from there. There is sadness and tragedy here, the strings sound distant and quiet, as if far away in memory and time.

To end, the piece returns to the drumming, and in the end another related Aboriginal melody, but kind of lush, epic and filmic. As if you're flying in a plane above the ancient forested landscape, you are going back home from there, or flying away like in a flock of birds.

An amazing work, and I like how Sculthorpe combined melody and rhythms in this.

& you can't get a better interpreter of Aussie music than the late Maestro Challender, he was a legend...


----------



## science

This comes in the "Lumières" box.


----------



## Crudblud

Wagner - Overtures / Orchestral Works (Walter)

First recording of the Siegfried-Idyll I've heard that hasn't almost made me fall asleep.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Chamber* *Symphony* *Op*.*83a* {*based* *on* *SQ # 4} and Chamber Symphony 110a {based on SQ # 8}. *Both works feature Uri Mayer conducting the Israel Sinfonietta.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D Major and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. *Both works feature the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Andre Previn.


----------



## science

My sense of irony forced me to listen to Korngold.

And now it has driven me to Grieg:










My god this is beautiful music. I hate everyone (well, almost), but this music aches with beauty.


----------



## opus55

I've devoted more time on Schumann and Brahms last year. Lots of Schubert played during first of week of the new year.

Schubert: Symphony No.3, D.200









Chopin: Impromptus Nos 1-4 (Op.29,36.51,66)


----------



## science

Oh, that Grieg was great. My indulgence in poor taste continues, first with the 1812. I think the most horrible recording I have of it must be this one:










I know that none of you will admit to liking this after your 18th birthday, so for the sake of all of us just getting along I'll just go ahead and pretend to have been nauseous as I listened to it. I don't think I'm allowed to say what happened to me when those cannons went off, but Freud would've been fascinated.

Then I listened to the Nutcracker Suite.










And Adagio for Strings.










I'm with you fellas. Don't know how anyone can stand to listen to this. I have the honor of saying that I only enjoyed the boring parts.

Continuing in this vein, I now turn to the passé crap by Brahms: no emotion at all in his music, it's like listening to a computer search for massive prime numbers - and by a conductor that only a truly classless lowbrow fool could like (unfortunately, I don't have the more recent recording, which would probably be in even poorer taste, but I can only do the best that I can do):










(I don't know, would a PC choice like Robert Shaw have been more bland?)

Heeeeeeaaaaay yeah!

If I live through this sugar rush, I'll probably go for Bizet's Carmen Suites next.


----------



## Crudblud

Hey, I like the 1812 overture!

Anyway:

Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 4
Berlioz - Harold en Italie
Liszt - Mephisto Waltz No. 1

Koussevitzky/Boston SO


----------



## science

Crudblud said:


> Hey, I like the 1812 overture!


Well, who knows, maybe it will be the next big thing among the beautiful people. You might be on the cutting edge of a trend, riding a wave that will be huge.


----------



## Crudblud

Yes, I am especially known locally for being the trend setter among the peoples of my nation. Speaking of which, I might have to bring that garish shoe in your avatar in to fashion here.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Joachim Raff--*Symphony No.4 in G Minor, Op.167 and Symphony No.11 in A Minor, Op.214 {"Der Winter"}.* Both symphonies are performed by the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Urs Schneider. 
I found the *11th* *Symphony* to be very evocative and lyrical, especially its expressive, almost waltz-like 3rd Movement: Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice - Symphony No. 11 In A Minor, Op. 214, "Der Winter": III. Am Camin: Larghetto. 
For me, the final movement evoked a mood of the winter gradually giving way to spring, with the piping flutes sounding very much like birds breaking into their first songs for the new season.


----------



## science

Crudblud said:


> Yes, I am especially known locally for being the trend setter among the peoples of my nation. Speaking of which, I might have to bring that garish shoe in your avatar in to fashion here.


I have a matching tuxedo, bow tie and fedora. I wear them when I go out in my lime green Ferrari.


----------



## Crudblud

Now that's some serious style.


----------



## science

The ladies scream when they see me coming. I'm like the Beatles.

I rock the street blasting my Brahms, and the little people know I'm one of them.


----------



## Crudblud

I'm fighting very hard to resist the urge to do some juvenile wordplay right now.


----------



## science

That's what she said, Crudblood. Don't hold back.

Incidentally my wife came home, and she has a very strict "No Requiems" rule, so I took out other garbage:








.


----------



## science

Continuing the trend. Anything that got on Bugs Bunny is horrible.


----------



## Sid James

^^Mozart's serenata notturna is one of the most innovative works of his time. He splits the orchestra up into four distinct groups. Stockhausen, Gruppen for three orchestras or Carter's symphony for three orchestras come to mind there. No, Mozart did not only write "pretty" music, it's not the be all and end all, only if one has a superficial understanding of what he did. Similar thing goes for many of what are now "classical pops," there's always more than meets the eye (or ear?) with these things...


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> ^^Mozart's serenata notturna is one of the most innovative works of his time. He splits the orchestra up into four distinct groups. Stockhausen, Gruppen for three orchestras or Carter's symphony for three orchestras come to mind there. No, Mozart did not only write "pretty" music, it's not the be all and end all, only if one has a superficial understanding of what he did. Similar thing goes for many of what are now "classical pops," there's always more than meets the eye (or ear?) with these things...


Yeah, yeah. But in the end, wink nudge, we know better. Look at those guys in the Walmart clothes bobbing their heads to the tune. Now let us raise our noses about ten more degrees.

I heard someone saying their favorite symphony was Beethoven's 9th. Cluck. It's a shame, I say and I know you'll agree, that more of their kind don't appreciate the 8th.


----------



## science

(Don't take me seriously, friend. I'm on a mad tear.)

I'm pretty sure this is in sufficiently bad taste to suit me:


----------



## Sid James

^^Actually, just remembered, I've got that very recording of Mozart's Eine kleine & the serenata with Maestro Bohm but on vinyl! But I've got them on cd with Willi Boskovsky at the helm, I may well listen to it now that you've reminded me...


----------



## science

To really get in the mood, I suggest listening to it while wearing high-top Nike sneakers. I'm sure that you, like me, generally listen to music in the nude so as to better focus, but I've found that a pair of name-brand high-top sneakers and maybe even a Cassio watch really do help to bring out the inner plebeianity of the pops repertoire.

(Edit: My wife is here, so I'm going to have to stop being mean before I get in trouble.)


----------



## science

Wife is napping so I can resume slumming:










I also crave Chef Boyardee.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Listen to Ligeti's Requiem if you have it.


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^Listen to Ligeti's Requiem if you have it.


I am not that cool. My loserhood manifests itself again. I have only the Lux Aeterna, every outcast's Ligeti work of choice.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> I am not that cool. My loserhood manifests itself again. I have only the Lux Aeterna, every outcast's Ligeti work of choice.


Doyou have "Artikulation?"


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Doyou have "Artikulation?"


No, but Sutherland is sufficient for now. Next I think I'll attack either some Biber or some Bach. Probably Bach, because I have time, but Biber is what I really want.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Biber's "Battalia" is some good stuff. Listen to that. The second movement is the best. Raunchy stuff!  Reminds me of stuff Ives has come up with.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

*ahle	*

album
*Ahle: Neu-gepflanzte Thüringische Lust-Garten*

Artists
Stephan Schreckenberger, Johann Rudolf Ahle, Masaaki Suzuki and Midori Suzuki




http://www.amazon.com/Ahle-Neu-gepf...16OP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325769817&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

*Aho, Hiljaisuus	*

Album
*AHO: Symphony No. 1 / Hiljaisuus / Violin Concerto*

Artists
Artists	
Sakari Tepponen, Kalevi Aho, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska, Manfred Grasbeck




http://www.amazon.com/AHO-Symphony-...0ICG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325770282&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

*Albeniz	*

Album
*Albeniz, I.: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 6*

Artists	
Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Pilar Bayona, Lu Jia, Miguel Baselga, Enrique Granados, Isaac Albeniz




http://www.amazon.com/Albeniz-I-Pia...2MZO/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1313399390&sr=8-6


----------



## Oskaar

Album
*Air and graces*

Performers: Traditional, Handel, Johann Helmich Roman, Francesco Geminiani, John Stanley, Dan Laurin, Anonymous, Hanneke Van Proosdij, Tanya Tomkins, William Skeen, David Tayler




http://www.amazon.com/Baroque-Music...TMZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325774641&sr=8-1


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

*Adam	*

Album
*Le Corsaire*

Artists	
Richard Bonynge and English Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Le-Corsaire/dp/B003Z6480O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325780062&sr=8-2

Everything is fantastic here!


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back...


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> To really get in the mood, I suggest listening to it while wearing high-top Nike sneakers. I'm sure that you, like me, generally listen to music in the nude so as to better focus, but I've found that a pair of name-brand high-top sneakers and maybe even a Cassio watch really do help to bring out the inner plebeianity of the pops repertoire.
> 
> (Edit: My wife is here, so I'm going to have to stop being mean before I get in trouble.)


New Balance or Mizuno for me, and atleast partially clothed.

Chef Boyardee is never on the menu.

That's enough tiny talk. Back to listening.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*

Concentrating on this Symphony the last couple of days - this Symphnony has one of Bruckners finest Adagios I think


----------



## Vaneyes

My favorite Beaux Arts recording.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer	
*
Bartok*

Album
*Bartók: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Nos. 1 & 2*

Artists	
Isaac Stern - Yefim Bronfman




http://www.amazon.com/Sonata-Violin...697G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325783172&sr=8-1

This recording is so brilliant that I wat it cut in stone.. Or thrown in clay. Really recommended!


----------



## Art Rock

Surprisingly good elegant piano concertos from a Portuguese composer in classical style.


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB127*

Artists

Géza Anda
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ferenc Fricsay




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Concer...1GPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711012&sr=8-1

I become more and more fond of this concert.
But first and foremost is the Géza Anda and his amazing piano playing that impresses. In addition, everything seems very well orchestrated and put together.
The sound is great!










*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

Artists

Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Milan Horvat




http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Concer...NTC6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1312707766&sr=8-3

The sound and recording is not at all good compared with the former.... I dont find the work as good eather, for the moment.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante in E-, for cello and orchestra, Op.125*

Artists	
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Mstislav Rostropovich




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sin...7SVE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313762991&sr=8-3

A little hiss in the quiet parts, but it is quickly forgotten. The sound is excellent otherwise. Rostopovich is playing very well, but I have heard him better. Great orchestra. The play is very exciting and engaging. Romantic and dramatic in a great variety


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Symphony No.4 in C, Op.112*

Artists	
Valery Gergiev (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Com...GJM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313838408&sr=8-1

Fine symphony!
Maybe a little tame performance ... Pretty good sound.


----------



## kv466

So I found a couple of discs a friend of mine bought in the early 90's and I guess he left them here or something but they were in, of all discs, the Immortal Beloved soundtrack...anyway, I remembered them the second I saw them. He had bought a Claudio Arrau cycle of Beethoven concertos right around the time I had bought my Gould cycle...I remember liking the fourth and fifth by the Chilean master very much. It turns out this disc had some extras and one of them was a favorite, the 32 Variations in C minor. Oh, boy...I still don't know how I sat through that...I mean, there were some moments of greatness but that was mainly Beethoven being played by a guy who truly possesses some serious skill...then, I went to the g major concerto and could only get about halfway through the first movement before changing discs to what I'm hearing now...I guess some things I just can't hear by anyone else unless it is live or a first time listen which I am willing to give anyone. 

With all its hiss and imperfection of recording, I'll take Leonard Bernstein and The New York Phiharmonic with Glenn any day...such care, such absolute perfection and execution of passages. I'm at the 1st mvt. cadenza right now and whenever I hear this by anyone else it just sounds clumsy; as if they don't know how to read it correctly. The few that do understand it right simply can not play it right. We are only human afterall.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto no.4 in G, op.58


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Octets for Winds in F, D.72*

Artists	
German Wind Soloists




http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Wind...9IOH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314617776&sr=8-1

Not the best sound, and the work is a bit static, and "oldfasioned" A bit boring..










Work 
*Schubert: Rondo for Violin and Piano in B-, D. 895, Op.70 ('Rondeau brillant')*

Artists	
Oleg Maisenberg




http://www.amazon.com/Duo-Recital-S...NU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1314619716&sr=8-11

This is a very beatiful work! Quite fine performance and pretty good sound










Work 
*Schubert: Variations on 'Trockne Blumen' for Flute and Piano, D.802, Op.posth.160*

Artists	
Bezaly (Artist), Brautigam




http://www.amazon.com/Masterworks-F...G0PE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314621473&sr=8-2

nice pieces, but not very exciting. Great sound and great performance


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Tennstedt)


----------



## Sid James

Guys, I made a mistake. It's Mozart's _Serenade #8 'Notturno' _that's for four orchestras, not his _Serenata Notturna_. Got the disc out last night for a spin. Great stuff. In the _'Notturno' _work, he uses two orchestras at the front, with weaving and counterpoint, and there are two at the back, ghosting and echoing the two front groups. Kind of made me think of some 20th century composers, eg. like Varese using an off-stage band in _Ameriques_, and Steve Reich with his tapes having similar "ghosting" effects. So Mozart as the Modernist? & also _ Ein Musikalisches Spass_, it ends on the "wrong" note, I can definitely hear that. Boskovsky's performance comes across as light, fresh, airy, not a hint of old-school stodginess in sight. Great stuff all round. Thanks to *science *for reminding me yesterday...

*Mozart*
_Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525
Serenata Notturna, K239
Serenade #8 for four orchestras, K286 "Notturno"
Ein Musikalisches Spass, K522_
Vienna Mozart Ensemble / Willi Boskovsky
(Award cd, publ. 1993)


----------



## kv466

Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no.3 in c, Op. 26
Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic w/ Martha Argerich, piano


----------



## opus55

Berg: Violin Concerto


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, *all featuring Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52. *Both symphonies are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the guidance of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating ABM and Pollini birthdays, by listening to LvB PC3, and Schoenberg Suite for Piano.


----------



## Crudblud

Picked up that Maazel Sibelius set earlier, I wasn't sure if it was VPO or the Pittsburgh SO that someone had rec'd so I hedged my bets and went for the Vienna.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - String Quartet no.63 in b-flat "Sunrise", op.76
Alban Berg Quartet


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1
Gliere: The Red Poppy Ballet Suite (Macal reminds me of the actor, Christopher Walken)
Sibelius: Symphony No.1


----------



## samurai

@ Crudblud, I just purchsead the same Sibelius Cycle and have been quite satisfied with Maazel's and the VPO's interpretations. I hope that you will enjoy them as well!


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* - 
_String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130
Grosse Fuge, Op. 133_ (original finale to Op. 130)
LaSalle Quartet
(Brilliant Classics)


----------



## starthrower

I'm listening to the world's wackiest symphony!


----------



## samurai

@ Science, That von Karajan reading of the 10th is supposed to be the "gold standard" for that work. What do you think?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Alexander Borodin*--Symphony* * No.2 in B **Minor, Op.5, *featuring Stephen Gunzenhauser leading the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. What an utterly delightful and energetic work this turns out to be; I think I shall have to further explore all three of Borodin's symphonic output, albeit the last symphony was unfinished and completed by Glazunov.
Arvo Part--*Cello Concerto {"Pro Et Contra"} and Perpetuum Mobile. *Both works feature the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and cellist Frans Helmerson led by Neeme Jarvi.
John Corigliano--*Symphony No.1 {"Of Rage and Remembrance"}, *performed by the National Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Leonard Slatkin. Overall, I found this to be a very troubling--in a good way {sic}--work. Its third movement is especially haunting and doleful, while the final movement has an eerie, quasi dream-like feel to it, almost as if someone is waking up--or at least desperately trying to-- from a horrible nightmare about war and destruction. Very chilling indeed!


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## science

samurai said:


> @ Science, That von Karajan reading of the 10th is supposed to be the "gold standard" for that work. What do you think?


Actually, I think Karajan recorded it twice and I think I've got the wrong one! Mine is from 1966 and the famous one is from 1981. So I can't tell about that one, but I like the one I have well enough that I doubt I'll ever buy the other.

I also have one conducted by Rostropovich, that I haven't heard in at least a couple years.


----------



## Lisztian

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

One of the most jaw-dropping disks i've heard in a long time. Kissin is perfect in both the Transcendental Etudes and the first Mephisto Waltz, imbueing sensitive musicality with the fire that these pieces require - Kissin gets it perfect IMO.

The second disc is mainly work based on others work, and mainly transcriptions. I enjoyed every second of it, except did not like Kissin's rushed interpretation of the Die Forelle transcription, but other than that these are two remarkable discs, that to me confirm the oft-criticized Kissin as a terrific Liszt pianist.

Discs indlude...

Disc 1

Mephisto Waltz No. 1.
Transcendental Etudes 5, 8, 10, 11, 12: The more I hear the Transcendental Etudes, the more I love them. To me, the last 3 reach heights that are not encountered elsewhere in the solo piano miniature/extended miniature repertoire - these are jaw-dropping, passionate, beautiful works, and Kissin plays them perfectly. Of these Etudes he plays, Kissin is probably my new favourite interpreter, and maybe same with the Mephisto Waltz.
La Leggierezza.
Waldesrauschen.

Disc 2

Liebestraum No. 3.
Rhapsodie Espagnole.
Liebeslied.
Standchen.
Das Wandern
Wohin?
Aufenthalt.
Die Forelle.
Erlkonig.
Soiree de Vienne No. 6.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Kronos quartet now! You have excellent taste, L'enfer! :clap:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Musica Callada, Frederico Mompou*, played by the composer.

He plays with metrical freedom, which I suppose is inherent in this music (Music of Silence); he wants you to be in the moment, not so much listening to the start-to-finish progress of each piece. I'm used to Herbert Henck's outstanding recording, so I'm having to readjust my ears.


----------



## Guest

Danny Devito ??? Roald Dahl ??? Classical music ???

Oooohhh yeaahhh....










Devito is hilarious, the other voices are great, and the orchestration is excellent. Move over Peter.


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^Kronos quartet now! You have excellent taste, L'enfer! :clap:


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## Conor71

*Bartok: Four Orchestral Pieces, Op. 12*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


>


What is "V & V" by Giya Kancheli like?


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 7: Serenade No. 1 in A major for orchestra	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 11: Serenade No. 2 in F major for small orchestra*

Artists
Horia Andreescu, Alexander Glazunov and Romanian State Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/GLAZUNOV-Orch...45SV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325764129&sr=8-2

Two beautiful serenades! Beautiful and colorful performed with great gusto. The sound is very good.










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 7: Serenade No. 1 in A major for orchestra*

*Work 
Glazunov: Op. 11: Serenade No. 2 in F major for small orchestra*

Artists
The London Symphony Orchestra
Yondani Butt




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...RQFS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325764251&sr=8-2

Not very good sound, and absolutely not as good performance as Romanian State Orchestra










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 12: Poème Lyrique in D-flat major for orchestra*

Artists
Ussr State Symphony Orchestra & Dimitri Swetlano




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Poèm...BC84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325764919&sr=8-1

Slow and dreamy. A little boring. The performance and sound is flat and uninspired. Steer clear of the recording!










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 13: Stenka Razin, symphonic poem in B minor*

Artists
Ansermet and Suisse Romande Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Conce...E4M5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325765588&sr=8-1

Very exciting and dramatic, and somewhat gloomy start. But also some nice lyrical colorful moments. Later it becomes a litle boring...
Performance is nuanced and evocative. The sound works better in lows than in high tones. Generally not so great sound ...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart Piano Sonatas in C major, C Minor, and A major*, by Peter Katin. Well played.


----------



## ProudSquire

Haydn string quartet Op.76-6 in E-flat. First time listening to it and I was rather impressed by how beautiful it sounds.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Violin Sonata JV 7/7*

Artists	
Catherine Ordronneau, Kai Gleusteen




http://www.amazon.com/Dmitri-Shosta...3WCJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320330772&sr=8-1

A delightful and quite groundbreaking sonata I think, in relation to when the work was written. (1914). It is tonal, but quite modern, yet melodic and lyrical. I do not know enough to comment on the depth, but I like it really!
Very nice presentation. Both the violin and piano is well in the sound and the sound is pretty good.










Work 
*Janácek: idyll JW 6/3 *

Artists
Ross Pople and London Festival Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Idyll...5I80/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322488208&sr=8-2

Idyll is a much more idyllic and romantic works. But very nice! Fine melodies, and very evocative.
Performances may be missing a little spark. It's nicely. The sound is good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Hamlet, S.104, R.421*

Artists	
Michael Halász (Conductor), New Zealand Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Symphon...=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1317987154&sr=1-3-catcorr

I love Liszt's symphonic poems, too, although it is not among the best.
Pretty good performance, but slightly flat ... Medium sound.










Work 
*Liszt: Festklänge (I and II), S.101*

Artists	
Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
Michel Plasson




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-F-Symph...S406/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317896656&sr=8-1

Very fun, easy and engaging piece! Liszt is not as heavy here as he can be (it is the the title),
Fine performances, and the sound is pretty good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Orchestra: Boston Symphony OrchestraConductor: Ozawa

platelink	
Mahler: Symphony 1




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315418814&sr=1-5

Pretty good version, but there is something missing .... Can not quite put my finger on it. It is VERY good in dramatic sequences, but in more slow parts, the engagement seem to die out... The sound is pretty good.


----------



## Conor71

*Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 1*

Feeling like some Bartok today, not sure why! - Bartok's Piano Concertos are great works. After these I will listen to the Violin Concertos I think!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling. These live 2008 - 2010 Vienna performances were released much earlier on DVD. I never saw them. But now that I can hear them, I have to say this Thielemann cycle is *boring*.

Detail is there. Decent sound is there (except for some coughing and podium movement). Good playing is there. But OMG, the interpretations are slow as mo - las- ses. Stay away, unless you want serene LvB.


----------



## NightHawk

Just listening around on Youtube and found this wonderful Bartok 3rd Piano Concerto live at the BBC Proms 2011, with pianist Andras Schiff - there is a wonderful surprise encore. Here is the full 3rd movement of the concerto plus the encore. Hope you enjoy.


----------



## Sid James

*Bloch*
_Voice in the Wilderness - for cello obbligato and orch_.
Janos Starker, cello / Israel PO / Zubin Mehta
(Decca Eloquence)

*Tippett*
_String Quartet No.1 in A major _(1934-5, rev.1943)
The Tippett Quartet
(Naxos)

*Stravinsky*
_Symphony in Three Movements_
PHilharmonia Orch. / Robert Craft
(Naxos)

*Beethoven*
_String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127_
LaSalle Quartet
(Brilliant Classics)


----------



## Crudblud

Penderecki - Symphony No. 7 (Wit)


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> Just listening around on Youtube and found this wonderful Bartok 3rd Piano Concerto live at the BBC Proms 2011, with pianist Andras Schiff - there is a wonderful surprise encore. Here is the full 3rd movement of the concerto plus the encore. Hope you enjoy.


Oh dear, Andras has let himself go. I like that old saying, instead of, "You look like hell."


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Bruch and Scriabin birthdays with Lin's Bruch Violin Concerto 1, and Sudbin's Scriabin Piano Sonatas 2, 5, 9.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Bruch's first violin concerto makes me feel stressed and angry. I was pacing up and down my room, angrily muttering terrible things under my breath, when it was playing on the radio.


----------



## Sid James

^^ I actually like Bruch's VC#1 as well as some of his other things, esp. Scottish Fantasy. But I like them if they're played low on the schmaltz. Eg. I've got Arthur Grumiaux doing them both and he's straight and simple, not too sugary. I think this is not light music, it's "serious" classical music, it has to be done that way for me to get something out of it, not just easy listening (which I like, but this isn't that to me, it's different).

Funny how just about nobody else knows his other VC's, I wonder what they're like. If I've heard them on air, it was not within living memory...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon Concertos*.

Some old-school Mozart with Karl Bohm. I'll save the gut-stringed violins for another day.


----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^Bruch's first violin concerto makes me feel stressed and angry. I was pacing up and down my room, angrily muttering terrible things under my breath, when it was playing on the radio.


Any other works do that? What "button" is being pushed?


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ^^ I actually like Bruch's VC#1 as well as some of his other things, esp. Scottish Fantasy. But I like them if they're played low on the schmaltz. Eg. I've got Arthur Grumiaux doing them both and he's straight and simple, not too sugary. I think this is not light music, it's "serious" classical music, it has to be done that way for me to get something out of it, not just easy listening (which I like, but this isn't that to me, it's different).
> 
> Funny how just about nobody else knows his other VC's, I wonder what they're like. If I've heard them on air, it was not within living memory...


I agree about this work's schmaltz capability, and that was the primary consideration in choosing Lin/Slatkin's relatively low schmaltz reading.


----------



## Sid James

^^Yes I think the low-schmaltz way of playing things like Bruch's vc#1 is the "newer" way. I remember hearing Jascha Heifetz do it and he was more schmaltzy, imo. But that can be okay if the listener is in that mood, receptive to that, etc. But it's really the old way, and it's harder for us now to connect with that way, which is basically like the pre-1945 approach. Interesting for historical value as well, hear the contrast between what was and what is, etc...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ^^Yes I think the low-schmaltz way of playing things like Bruch's vc#1 is the "newer" way. I remember hearing Jascha Heifetz do it and he was more schmaltzy, imo. But that can be okay if the listener is in that mood, receptive to that, etc. But it's really the old way, and it's harder for us now to connect with that way, which is basically like the pre-1945 approach. Interesting for historical value as well, hear the contrast between what was and what is, etc...


I vividly remember the schmaltziest music ever. Live Vivaldi in St. Mark's Square. And the horrendous prices those up-close evening listeners had to pay for their table....

Unfortunately, the SMS acoustic is such, that we on the other side were easily "blessed" with it, too.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vaneyes said:


> Any other works do that? What "button" is being pushed?


Everything I've heard by Elgar does that too. And Khatchaturian. And Barber.


----------



## opus55

^^ sorry but it's funny.

Sibelius: Symphony No.7 1st movement. Sounded boring so I skipped to next disc 









Janacek: Violin Sonata









Liszt: Sonata in B minor


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, No.22-26


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartet No. 9*

Its not more Bartok but it may as well be! - Now playing Disc 3 of 3 from this excellent set.
Mistry Quartet do the honours on this Disc - excellent performance!


----------



## Crudblud

Huber - _Erniedrigt - Geknechtet - Verlassen - Verachtet_ (Bamert)


----------



## science

I'm in an empty presentation room, borrowing the speaker system here. I think I need to get myself a presentation room.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, BWV 1052*

I don't know what other people do when they listen to this music but I always marvel at the skill which was involved in creating such a complex and beautiful work - anyway.. performance and sound are top notch!.
This is a great recording - all of Pinnock's Bach is well crafted and worth hearing imo


----------



## chrislowski




----------



## Chrythes

Finally arrived! And I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping for for the original version of op.8, as it's a shame that Brahms decided to cut the repeats of the first and second movements in the revised version (which is performed here). Nonetheless, it's beautiful music beautifully played.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I was up way to early to stand in line at a store opening for a cash gift card, but Bartok's Wooden Prince was nice company; it starts with a huge sunrise.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.9








Mozart: Symphony No.40


----------



## Lenfer

*Kronos Quartet - Górecki: String Quartet No. 3*​


----------



## kv466

Handel - Suites for Harpsichord nos. 1-4, hwv 426-429


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.2 in C- ('Resurrection')*

Artists	
Pierre Boulez and Vienna Philharmonic




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...LVZ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1325964183&sr=8-3

It is the first time I listen to the symphony, and I love it absolutely. I have to become better acquainted with it to appreciate it bether.
When it comes to performance, so I do not have much to compare with, but it works ok. Maybe a little uneven. The sound is very good.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. *7, Rozhdestvensky.

I'm seeing if I need to complement this with Fedoseyev's cycle, because Fedoseyev's complete cycle is going for $5 on Amazon, and Fedoseyev is slightly easier to spell.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Le merle noir, for flute and piano, I/37*

Artists	
Gunilla von Bahr, Dag Achatz




http://www.amazon.com/Poulenc-Sonat...IGWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317303464&sr=8-1

Wonderful flute play! Nice sound.










Work 
*Messiaen : Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano, I/10*

Artists	
Luben Yordanoff, Albert Tetard, Daniel Barenboim, Claude Desurmont, Gidon Kremer, et al.




http://www.amazon.co.uk/Messiaen-Qu...=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1317305670&sr=1-9

Fine!










Work 
*Messiaen : Quatuor pour la fin du temps*

Artists	
Myung-Whun Chung




http://www.amazon.com/Olivier-Messi...TL2R/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317307255&sr=8-3

Brilliant vesjon of this captivating work.


----------



## Crudblud

Penderecki - Symphony No. 1 (Wit)

Comically jaunty and mechanical, it sounds like the sound effects you'd hear in a mad professor's laboratory in a cartoon or old sci-fi flick. I like it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> *Kronos Quartet - Górecki: String Quartet No. 3*​


I suppose one might describe Górecki as a "one hit wonder" because of the popularity of his symphony no. 3. I suppose as his third string quartet was composed in the 90s I'm guessing it could be described as being in his "minimalist period?" I haven't heard anything by Górecki apart from his third symphony, but his earlier modernist style looks interesting.


----------



## Crudblud

Mozart - Violin Concerto No. 1 (Kremer)


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Nocturnes*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^why bother just recording the complete piano works by Chopin when with another three or four pieces included, it would be his complete works?


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^why bother just recording the complete piano works by Chopin when with another three or four pieces included, it would be his complete works?


Budget? .........


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> Budget? .........


Maybe ..........


----------



## Crudblud

Orchestras are expensive and cumbersome, so I'm told.

Also:

Franck - Symphony in D minor
Dvorak - Symphony No. 9

Mengelberg/Concertgebouw


----------



## Crudblud

Got interrupted, and I'm in a fairly good mood so listening to the Dvorak again.


----------



## starthrower

A fantastic recording of three innovative orchestral works by the Danish composer.
I'm very impressed by violinist Rebecca Hirsch's playing on the daring and difficult
2nd violin concerto, Borderlines.


----------



## Sid James

*Peter Sculthorpe *-

_Irkanda IV_ (with Leonard Dommett, solo vln.)
_Small Town_
Melbourne SO / John Hopkins, cond.

_Kakadu
Mangrove_
Sydney SO / Stuart Challender, cond.

(both on ABC CLassics)


----------



## Conor71

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^why bother just recording the complete piano works by Chopin when with another three or four pieces included, it would be his complete works?


Not sure but Chopins other works (I admit theres not many of them like you say) include Lied and Chamber Music so they would have had to hire extra musicians for the sessions?.
Also I may be wrong, but I think most people are interested in Chopin's Piano repertoire as compared to his other stuff - I am anyways!


----------



## Conor71

Thread duty:

*Chopin: Nocturne No. 21 In C Minor (Op. Posth.)*
*Bruckner: Smyphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"*

Now listening to the final Nocturne on the 2 Discs which comprise these works. Next up - Bruckner Symphony No. 3 performed by Jochum and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## science

Just #15


----------



## NightHawk

*5 Bagatelles by Carl Vine* - performed by 9 y/o UK prodigy *Benjamin Grovesnor*. Very beautiful music and music making. Mr. Grovesnor is 19 now and is fulfilling his early promise. Look for his Liszt 1st Concerto at the BBC Proms on youtube, at 19 y/o.


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> *Maconchy: String Quartet No. 9*
> 
> Its not more Bartok but it may as well be! - Now playing Disc 3 of 3 from this excellent set.
> Mistry Quartet do the honours on this Disc - excellent performance!


The Maconchy quartets are so dissonant and brutal sounding, it's almost hard to believe that this is the lady that wrote them.


----------



## Conor71

violadude said:


> The Machoncy quartets are so dissonant and brutal sounding, it's almost hard to believe that this is the lady that wrote them.


:lol: Yes, they are some harsh works at times!

Now listening:

*Grieg: Peer Gynt, Op. 23*

Havent listened to this in ages! - one of my favourites when I started listening to Classical 4 years ago


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> :lol: Yes, they are some harsh works at times!


She was a pretty hardcore old lady :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Thanks to starthrower, continuing with Rebecca Hirsch.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 56, "Scottish"*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Rodrigo: Concierto Madrigal


----------



## Guest

Digesting today's new purchases, including this one:










This music strikes me as the best parts of Villa-Lobos, then magnified. Definitely good for lifting your spirits on a rainy day.


----------



## Conor71

Conor71 said:


> *Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 56, "Scottish"*


Encore!


----------



## Sid James

Now listening to* Carl Vine's *bagatelles posted above,* thank you NightHawk*, I'm enjoying this music. Quite a bit of mystery here, quite filmic...


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich*
_Cheryomushki - operetta _(1958)
Cast & orch. of Pimlico Opera / Wasfi Kani, cond.
Cd premiere, English version by David Pountney & re-orchestration for small orch. by Gerard McBurney, studio recording, 1995.
(BBC music cd)

This is a mix of things, traditional operetta worlds of Vienna and France are not far away, a bit of cabaret & jazz vibe, heaps of Russian folk and popular song (eg. the use of balalaika in the ballet sequence) and also quotes from Shostakovich's own things (eg. a famous polka from some orchestral work is given a treatment with vocals).

This took post-Stalin Russia by storm, people wanted to forget the bad times and have some fun. The leader then, Premier Khrushchev, I think had a hand in commissioning the film which was drawn from it later in the 1960's. This was basically Shostakovich's equivalent of Bernstein's _WEst Side Story_, hugely popular during his lifetime.

The story is the usual agit-prop, some shady dealings by a corrupt party guy who is in charge of running a housing estate in Moscow of the title. Anyway, all ends well, when the "heroic comrade tenants unite to try and restore perfection to this post-Stalinist paradise" as the conductor's notes say.

All in all a lot of fun, a bit of hamming it up and a fair deal of what could be called rehash (or just very eclectic?), it shows this the most serious and deep of composers could let his hair down when called to do that...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^I've never seen Shostakovich smile before, and now that I have, I hope not to see him do it again.


----------



## Sid James

^^Yes that is a wierd photo, taken at a party or function I think, it's kind of a "happy snap," probably done spontaneously, not posed, the cameraman probably asked him to say "smile and say cheese" and Shosty obviously obliged!...


----------



## Rizzley

New member, first try! Youre talking about Shostakovich and i was just lissening to that brill slow movement of one of his piano concertos. Anyway, hello to everyone.


----------



## Rizzley

oh and whie im at it, can someone explain why his jazz suite is called his jazz suite when it aint jazz?


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 In A Major, Op. 141*


----------



## Vaneyes

In memory of the late great Weissenberg.


----------



## Conor71

Rizzley said:


> oh and whie im at it, can someone explain why his jazz suite is called his jazz suite when it aint jazz?


They're inspired by Jazz rather than being actual Jazz music maybe? - just a guess!. Welcome to the forum!


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 8*

Listening to Disc 1 of this 2 Disc set which contains the 2 Piano Trios and the Piano Quintet - I think these are probably my favourite works by Shostakovich so nice to have them on 1 Disc to be played easily!.


----------



## Rizzley

Just been googling up about the Jazz suite. Apparently some apparatchik in the politburo thought classical composers should be writing more jazz music for some reason - and this is what the boy Shosty came up with!


----------



## Oskaar

*Benjamin Britten*

Work 
*Britten: Phantasy Quartet in F-, for oboe and string trio, Op.2*

Artists	
George Caird (oboe)




http://www.amazon.com/An-English-Renaissance/dp/B0012XOBCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317575458&sr=8-1

Very fine and atmosphaeric piece. Beautiful performed, and the sound is very good.










Work 
*Britten: Temporal Variations for Oboe and Piano*

Artists	
Rolf Koenen, Hansjorg Schellenberger




http://www.amazon.com/Britten-Music-with-Oboe/dp/B003VFSLK2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1317580658&sr=8-5

Small nice and coulorfull moments. Medium sound.










Work 
*Britten: Suite in C, for harp, Op.83*

Artists	
Claudia Antonelli




http://www.amazon.com/Harp-Festival/dp/B000R02E02/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317580068&sr=8-2












Work 
*Britten: Prelude and Fugue, for 18 strings, Op.29*

Artists	
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Norman Del Mar




http://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-Britten/dp/B0056H0QOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317576192&sr=8-1


----------



## Vaneyes

For Bob Schumann's birthday, Demidenko playing Piano Sonatas 1 & 3...then Berezovsky, with Piano Sonata 2.


----------



## Manxfeeder

It must be Shostakovich day around TC. Concidentally, I'm listening to *Symphony No. 11*, by Kondrashin.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Piano concerto no. 21 played by Géza Anda and the Camerata Academia of the Salzburg Mozarteum.


----------



## Sid James

Getting more into my cd's of* Sculthorpe *and *Penderecki,* in that kind of vibe now for some reason, and also continuing with* Bach's solo cello suites *-

*Sculthorpe*
_The Fifth Continent for speaker and orch._ (text by D.H. Lawrence, from the novel _Kangaroo_)*
_Little Suite for string orch._
_Port ARthur: In Memoriam for orch._ - both versions, with trumpet & also oboe
_Djilile for small orch._
* The composer narrating
Various instrumental soloists / Tasmanian SO / David Porcelijn, cond.
(ABC Classics)

*J.S. Bach*
_Cello Suite #4 in E flat major, BWV1010_
Michael Goldschlager, cello
(ABC CLassics)

*Penderecki:*

_Divertimento for solo cello_ (1994)
Arto Noras, cello
(Naxos)

_Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima_
_Emanationen (Emanations) for two string orchs._
_Partita for harpsichord & orch._ (with Felicja Blumenthal, hpschd.)
_Anaklasis for strings & percussions _(with London SO)
_Fonogrammi for orch._
Polish National Radio SO / composer conducting
(from EMI 2 cd set)


----------



## starthrower

Kalevi Aho-Clarinet Concerto


----------



## starthrower

Another marvelous Finnish clarinet concerto I'm listening to tonight.
This one might even be a tad more amazing than the Aho concerto!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 1, Winter Daydreams*. Of course, at this point in the year, winter isn't what I'm daydreaming about.


----------



## Sid James

*Peter Sculthorpe*
_Lament for solo cello & orch.*
Night-Song for string orch._
* Sue-Ellen Paulsen, cello
Tasmanian SO / David Porcelijn, cond.
(ABC CLassics)

Here, Sculthorpe employs those trademark glissandos which underpin these pieces which sound quite lyrical. The work _*Night-Song *_was originally a pop song Sculthorpe wrote in 1970 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Cook's landing here. It was originally performed at a symphonic pops concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under John Hopkins with the singer Jeannie Lewis. It's title was "The Stars Turn," referring to how Cook came this way to the Pacific to chart some star or other. The string orchestra version of the song is quite flowing, melodic and has a very filmic feel. It goes to show what I think, that there can be very little distance between popular culture and so-called "high art"...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> *Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 1, Winter Daydreams*. Of course, at this point in the year, winter isn't what I'm daydreaming about.


But winter is currently what _I'm_ daydreaming about.


----------



## Guest

^ Some people are living their lives upside down.

Before: Klang der Welt - Brasil










Not my favorite - too dissonant for my simple tastes.

Now:










The trumpet and the organ make a surprisingly good pairing.


----------



## science




----------



## Guest

^^ See what can happen when your heels are too high !?

Janacek Violin Sonata










Quite lovely, and not what I would have expected.

Despite having listened to them fairly recently - grrrr!


----------



## Guest

More violin sonatas:


----------



## science




----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 6, W 399*


----------



## Sid James

*Sculthorpe*
_Piano Concerto_
Anthony Fogg, pno. / Melbourne SO / Myer Fredman, cond.
(ABC Classics)

Pretty dark work, this, no walk in the park, written at a hard time in the composer's life. But it's not all doom and gloom, the piano writing, which sounds much like Balinese gamelan, has a radiant & timeless quality. This is the premiere recording and the sound quality is pretty good (it's about 30 years old). The work blends more experimental sounds with melody paring it down to just two instruments - eg. in some parts, the piano is accompanied by the cello - and there is also a kind of filmic vibe here as well...


----------



## Sid James

*Album: In Dulci Jublio - Christmas choral music*
Choir of Gonville & Caius College, CAmbridge
Geoffrey Webber, director
Annie Lydford, Nick Lee, organ
(BBC music cd, with Dec. 2011 issue)

First listen to this cd I got as xmas pressie.

A mix of traditional, old and new carols for the xmas season.

Favourites were -

_Dormi, Jesu!_ by *Anton Webern *- Lasted just a minute, but quite interesting how he got a lot out of just a single soprano voice and clarinet. Kind of minimalistic and quirky. Didn't know he ever wrote a carol.

_Make we joy now in this fest_ by* William Walton *- His classic jerky rhythms and flowing romantic melodies. This carol is written in both Latin and English, the verses alternating.

_What child is this? _by *Thomas Hewitt Jones *- Interesting work from a young UK composer in his twenties. Quite dark and pared down, with a sense of romantic emotions.

_O magnum mysterium_ by *Giovannin GAbrieli *- Great stuff, reminded me of the "cloud" feel of Palestrina.

_Es ist ein Ros entsprungen _by* Michael Praetorius *(arr. Jan Sandstrom) - This sounded quite modern, despite Praetorius being a composer of Renaissance (I think?), but of course the new arrangement may have been part of that.

_Stille Nacht! (Silent Night!) _by *Franz Gruber *(arr. Geoffrey Webber) - This is a favourite traditional carol of mine, one of the best carol tunes ever written.

Overall, a great disc, and I think this was a lovely present to get!...


----------



## Crudblud

Brian - Symphony No. 3 (Friend)


----------



## science

#2










Also #2. Maybe I'll get on a #2 kick.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.3 in D-, WAB103 ('Wagner')*

Artists	
Wiener Philharmoniker, Anton Bruckner and Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...9KIV/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1326045096&sr=8-7

The first time I listen to Bruckner, and I'm impressed! I understand that the later symphonies, perhaps even better, but I have only preliminary categorized the first 4.
But this is really great. I think the performance is good, but the sound could have been better.


----------



## Crudblud

Hovhaness - Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 'Mysterious Mountain' (Schwarz)
Hovhaness - Symphony No. 6, Op. 173 'Celestial Gate' (Werthen)


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1*

Artists	
Simi string quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Com...4KTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324213834&sr=8-1

I have associations with some detective series when I hear this. Perhaps it is used, maybe it only remind .. Very nice quartet, and this the performance is very good. The sound is also great!










Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2*

Artists	
Tokyo String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Comple...BC5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324220534&sr=8-1

Beautiful quartet, performed excellent, but the sound is average.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Yup, still listening to it.  Besides listening to just individual tracks, I listen to its entirety too.


----------



## NightHawk

I just finished listening to this most wonderful short opera (in one sitting! 2 discs each less than an hour) . It is impossible to turn off if you like lush romantic scoring, and melodies fashioned into solo, duo, and ensemble writing that flow one to another in a seamless rush of beautiful music. I also own the Von Karajan recording of this opera where the Hansel and Gretel use more 'character' type voices - I prefer this one as a 'musical feast' for the ears. Humperdinck was a copyist for Wagner, but he wisely steered clear of some heavily freighted Schopenhauerian fairy tale. The cast of both versions is world class, but the one pictured below is the one I recommend joyfully! 










Wikipedia:The opera premiered in Weimar on 23 December 1893, under the baton of Richard Strauss, who called it "a masterpiece of the highest quality... all of it original, new, and so authentically German." With its highly original synthesis of Wagnerian techniques and traditional German folk songs, Hänsel und Gretel was an instant and overwhelming success.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.1, for string orchestra and piano*

Artists	
Charles Dobler, Brixi Chamber Orchestra Praha, Christoph Meister & Jost Meier




http://www.amazon.com/Bloch-Meier-V...2M72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566708&sr=8-1

Very bad sound, I think on this actual presentation ... But the performance is good!










Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Barra (Artist), San Diego Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Concerti-Gros...1SGB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566334&sr=8-2

Better sound ... Nice work, but a little flat performance ...


----------



## starthrower

Per Norgard-Symphony No.6






I guess I don't need to purchase anymore CDs with all of this free music up at YouTube.
But being old fashioned, I'm going to pick up the Chandos disc.


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 12 in G major, K. 110/75b*

Artists
Alessandro Arigoni and Torino Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana




http://www.amazon.com/46-Symphonies-Mozart/dp/B00005QK7A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325329518&sr=8-4

Also a very entertaining symphony! Great performance, but average sound.










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 13 in F major, K. 112*

Artists
Ilmar Lapinsch Sinfonieta Slovaka Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...RT7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325329689&sr=8-1


Mozart is not a favorite composer ... But his genius is indeed indisputable, and he is lovely to listen to sometimes. Great symphony!










Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 11 in D major, K. 84/73q*

Artists
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...16NY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325240100&sr=8-1

I love it, but it is not so much vice to say about it.... Fine performance and quite good sound...


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Andrew Davis (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra), Yundi Li (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Liszt-...61ZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669092&sr=8-1

Absolutely beautiful piano concerto! At the same level as Grieg's. Unfortunately .. the sound is average, but Li is playing very well.


----------



## starthrower

William Schuman-Symphony No. 4


----------



## Oskaar

*Work 
Janácek: Violin Sonata JV 7/7*

Artists	
James Ehnes
Eduard Laurel




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Janáce...P1E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320330647&sr=8-1

I love this work! The performance is great, the sound in general also, but it became some harsch in louder parties.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaneyes said:


> For Bob Schumann's birthday, Demidenko playing Piano Sonatas 1 & 3...then Berezovsky, with Piano Sonata 2.


Errrr... Is in June.


----------



## Oskaar

Klavierspieler said:


> Errrr... Is in June.


 neverteless! Scumann is worth celebrating every day!


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68*

Listening to this newly arrived set - the performances are great!, easily the best I have heard of these works.
Sound is pretty good too for a mono recording - no hiss and plenty of orchestral detail


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

*Work 
Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Isaac Stern;Robert McDonald




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Quarte...F32U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314822733&sr=8-1

I have a love for this work .. Anyone else? Great performance .. And good sound ..


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 In D Minor, WAB 100, "Die Nullte"*

Having a first listen to this newly arrived Disc which I bought mainly for the Helgoland work. The Die Nullte Symphony is a work I enjoy too - good performance here!


----------



## NightHawk

I only know 'Mysterious Mountain' but highly prize the Dorati recording I have which includes the Lt. Kije Suite of Prokofiev. Glad to see other Hovhaness recommended - his output is rather daunting when deciding on a purchase!



Crudblud said:


> Hovhaness - Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 'Mysterious Mountain' (Schwarz)
> Hovhaness - Symphony No. 6, Op. 173 'Celestial Gate' (Werthen)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, String Quartets No. 14 and 1*5, then *Henry Cowell, Homage to Iran*.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I don't know how many members use MediciTV but if you do not you are missing a great resource of live classical music. Currently I am watching and listening to Evgeny Kissin with Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic performing a fabulous version of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor. Just wonderful!! Here is the link:

http://www.medici.tv/#!/evgeny-kissin-sir-simon-rattle-berliner-philharmoniker-silvesterkonzert-2011-2012

Kevin


----------



## Sid James

A listen to these after a while, with the Berlioz it's been ages.

I noticed, this time, some really original and wierd counterpoint in_* Harold In Italy*_, esp. in the last movement. Like Baroque on acid or something.

Then *Elgar's Piano Quintet, *the slow movement moved me to tears this time. He doesn't hold back on the anger either, in the middle of that movement, there are some very loud and harsh chords, a big climax, just letting it all out. It's his reflection on how the young "Worcester lads" of his community went to fight the first world war and never came back. This, as is the accompanying_ String Quartet in E minor_, is a heartfelt elegy to them. Both works were premiered in London in 1919 to lukewarm reception and quite a bit of criticism. I think people did not want music to tell them the truth of the war. They wanted to be entertained, not reminded of their inner grief. I can kind of understand that in a way. This last movement of this quintet is on the surface happy & resolved, but I kind of felt that maybe it's a bit forced, similar to what Shostakovich did in some of his works, but of course in a different context...

*Berlioz*
_Harold in Italy_
Daniel Benyamini, viola / Israel Phil. / Zubin Mehta
(Decca Eloquence)

*Elgar*
_Piano Quintet in A minor, Op.84_
Peter Donohoe, piano with Maggini String Quartet
(Naxos)


----------



## Sid James

& also got through this, my favourite musical -


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> & also got through this, my favourite musical -


Well, what do you know? The things you learn around here!

Tonight, *Glazunov, Symphony No. 2*, by Fedoseyev.


----------



## Guest

I'm going back through some of my earliest classical purchases (shows what a newbie I am):










Four concertos following the fast-slow-fast pattern. Pleasant enough but hard for me personally to get excited about.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I love _Cabaret_, myself. How could I not considering my love of German Expressionism in film, painting, literature, and music?

Right now, however, I'm listening at the polar opposite of the spectrum:










I picked this up with the entire slew of EMI "two-fer" sets by Hendricks that were simply being dumped. The others include songs by Ravel, Faure, Chausson, Debussy, Copland, Barber, Richard Strauss, Massenet, Gounod, etc... This disc, however, couples a marvelous collection of Christmas songs with tunes from Disney. If Andre is listening to a musical rooted in German Expressionism, I'm listening to a recital far closer to _The Sound of Music._ Some might dismiss it all as schmaltz... but it's damn good schmaltz... well performed... and in the right mood it can truly take you back to your childhood.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm going back through some of my earliest classical purchases (shows what a newbie I am):

Indeed!:lol:


----------



## Guest

This was my very first classical CD purchase (in this century at least), purchased Sept 16, 2009.










The Julia Fischer album was my 10th purchase, nine days later, on Sept 25th, 2009. It's been all uphill ever since!


----------



## Sid James

*Elena Kats-Chernin* (b. 1957)
_Piano Concerto #2_ (2002)
Ian Munro, pno. / Tasmanian SO / Ola Rudner, cond.
(ABC Classics)

Science's "#2's" thread reminded me of this, so listened to it. A work here played by Ian Munro, one of our finest pianists, who it was written for. Like his style, it is melodic, nuanced and lyrical on the whole. An interesting mix of minimalism, big romantic-sounding tunes, the blues, cabaret, Chopin, this work packs a lot in.

The composer's mother was ill when she was writing this, so that's why there's Chopin in it, a quote of one of his waltzes. Chopin was a favourite composer of Kats-Chernin's mother, she used to play his music to her when she was a child. But the slow movement comes across to me as more blues than Chopin, even with a bit of Gershwin with the writing for the trombones.

I like the eclecticism of this work. This is my favourite work on this disc, the other two works don't grab me half ast much - the suite from the ballet _Wild Swans _and a tone poem called _Mythic_...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10, *featuring Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.
Alexander Borodin--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major and Symphony No.3 in A Minor{ unfinished}. *Both works are performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony orchestra under the baton of Stephen Gunzenhauser.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France led by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both symphonies are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well now I'm listening somewhere quite removed from the Disney tunes:










Gould made a concerted effort at recording a sizable body of lieder... something of which I have been long unaware. Among the composers whose lieder he recorded are Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, and Ernst Krének. Gould's sessions with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf were famously cut short. Gould had long always admired Schwarzkopf and he wanted to record many lieder with her, including Schoenberg's, Hindemith's, etc. Unfortunately, Gould also wanted to control the aesthetic realization of any such collaboration. He was able to do so with most lesser vocalists, but Schwarzkopf was not to be outdone. She was already a great and respected soloist, and she found GG's eccentric vision for realization far too unusual. Indeed, she took offense at GG's playing of the songs. So, after a few cuts, the session was called off short after having only recorded Strauss' 3 _Ophelia Lieder_. He "padded out" that particular disc with Strauss' _Enoch Arden_, a narrative drama for piano and narrator after Tennyson, which he recorded with the actor, Claude Rains.

Gould, however, did have more successful partnerships with singers. This two-disc set explores the song cycle, Marienleben of Hindemith, a setting of Rilke's poems, a couple songs by Strauss and Krének, as well as a second realization of Strauss' _Ophelia Lieder_. Hindemith's gorgeously long, arching melodic vocal lines are perfectly puncuated by Gould's secco playing. Gould and soprano Roxolana Roslak were perfectly matched artists in the realization of Hindemith's exquisite song cycle, and complimented each other admirably. Rumor has it that Gould had an amorous liason with Roxolana Roslak at the time, and the featured cover photo the two could easily be construed as being of lovers: there is a strangely intimate and erotic ambiance to the photo... and to the performance as a whole.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.6
Piston: Violin Concertos No.s 1 and 2
Pergolesi: Salve Regina in F minor and Salve Regina in A minor


----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> I don't know how many members use MediciTV but if you do not you are missing a great resource of live classical music. Currently I am watching and listening to Evgeny Kissin with Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic performing a fabulous version of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor. Just wonderful!! Here is the link:
> 
> http://www.medici.tv/#!/evgeny-kissin-sir-simon-rattle-berliner-philharmoniker-silvesterkonzert-2011-2012
> 
> Kevin


Wow, bunch of thanks!

Currently listening..

Haydn: Piano Trios Nos.45 and 42


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have to admit that am not much of an opera listener but this album of Puccini arias by Angela Gheorghiu is just wonderful. She has such a beautiful voice and very suited to Puccini.










Kevin


----------



## opus55

I'm not much of an opera fan either but I do enjoy other vocal works. I *want* to like opera though.

Schubert: Masses Nos. 2 and 4


----------



## Crudblud

Kevin Pearson said:


>


Absolutely loved her in Tosca!

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe (Dutoit)


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"*

My first listen from this newly arrived box-set which I have been anticipating greatly! - First impressions are very good! This is actually my least favourite Bruckner Symphony, which is'nt really saying much as I still really like it!.
I have to say the Sound Quality is amazing - I was a bit unsure about it being a Live recording but there hasnt been too much coughing so far so nothing to worry about.
I will be listening to this set all this week I think


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I think I will be listening to this continually every day for two and a half weeks ... again ...


----------



## Lenfer

*Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica - Silencio: Pärt, Glass & Martynov*​
Most of my "latest purchases" are still in the post but this arrived this morning. Best new purchase I've made in a long time, great CD.


----------



## Oskaar

*Olivier Messiaen*

Work 
*Messiaen : Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot and orchestra, I/29*

Artists	
André Previn (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Michel Béroff (Performer), Yvonne Loriod (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Messiaen-Tura...AP5C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317311573&sr=8-1

What a wonderful work! A whirlwind of sounds and colors. Excellent version, and very good sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating the late great Jean Martinon's birthday, with Roussel's Le Festin de l'araignee.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Well now I'm listening somewhere quite removed from the Disney tunes:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gould made a concerted effort at recording a sizable body of lieder... something of which I have been long unaware. Among the composers whose lieder he recorded are Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, and Ernst Krének. Gould's sessions with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf were famously cut short. Gould had long always admired Schwarzkopf and he wanted to record many lieder with her, including Schoenberg's, Hindemith's, etc. Unfortunately, Gould also wanted to control the aesthetic realization of any such collaboration. He was able to do so with most lesser vocalists, but Schwarzkopf was not to be outdone. She was already a great and respected soloist, and she found GG's eccentric vision for realization far too unusual. Indeed, she took offense at GG's playing of the songs. So, after a few cuts, the session was called off short after having only recorded Strauss' 3 _Ophelia Lieder_. He "padded out" that particular disc with Strauss' _Enoch Arden_, a narrative drama for piano and narrator after Tennyson, which he recorded with the actor, Claude Rains.
> 
> Gould, however, did have more successful partnerships with singers. This two-disc set explores the song cycle, Marienleben of Hindemith, a setting of Rilke's poems, a couple songs by Strauss and Krének, as well as a second realization of Strauss' _Ophelia Lieder_. Hindemith's gorgeously long, arching melodic vocal lines are perfectly puncuated by Gould's secco playing. Gould and soprano Roxolana Roslak were perfectly matched artists in the realization of Hindemith's exquisite song cycle, and complimented each other admirably. Rumor has it that Gould had an amorous liason with Roxolana Roslak at the time, and the featured cover photo the two could easily be construed as being of lovers: there is a strangely intimate and erotic ambiance to the photo... and to the performance as a whole.


GG, the Renaissance Man in that photo. Another of GG's "conquests", Cornelia Foss...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> & also got through this, my favourite musical -


I thought Liza was going to conquer the world after that performance, but it was not to be. She was too fragile and made poor decisions...like her mother.


----------



## Vaneyes

Klavierspieler said:


> Errrr... Is in June.


Thank-you for correcting, Klavierspieler. A bad source, *AND* my first mistake for 2012.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Celebrating the late great Jean Martinon's birthday, with Roussel's Le Festin de l'araignee.


Is it really? I'll have to lift a glass of herb tea in his honor and imbibe in his Debussy.


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - La Valse (Martinon)

Like I need an excuse to listen to his gorgeous Ravel recordings.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Mazeppa, S.100*

Artists	
Herbert von Karajan (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Orchest...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318084743&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Wonderful sound and great performance. The piece is perhaps the tone poem I like best .. But it varies.










Work 
*Liszt: Orpheus, S.98*

Artists	
Michael Halasz, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Symphon...QT58/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1318087726&sr=8-6

Not very good sound, but the performances are quite good. Orpheus is not my favorite poem, but it is quite nice. Very slow and romantic.


----------



## jhar26




----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work	
*Liszt: Faust Symphony, S.108, R.425*

Artists	
Riccardo Muti/Westminster Choir College/Philadelphia Orchestra/Gösta Winbergh




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-A-Faust...1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317817303&sr=8-3-fkmr0

Excellent work! The sound is less good ... A little tame and hesitant performance, too. But it sparkles at some moments. Well, the impression improwes during listening!


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm eating the whole thing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*

Artists

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 
Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Beet...MF5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321016656&sr=8-1

I'm really starting to like the symphony. Wonderful performance, and the sound is slightly above average.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Philadelphia/Muti Scriabin Symphony 1.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58*

Artists	
Olli Mustonen (Conductor, Performer), Tapiola Sinfonietta




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...KES8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317048104&sr=8-1

Very good version of this excellent concert. Magical great interplay between piano and orchestra. Quite a nice sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Piano Trio in Eb, Op.1, No.1*

Artists	
Vienna Piano Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pia...3SMY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326222350&sr=8-3

A beautiful and romantic trio. But not very exciting ...There are some great moments, especially in second movement, but I find it quite uneven.. Great performance and great sound.










Work 
*Beethoven: Piano Trio in G, Op.1, No.2*

Artists	
Jean Paul Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-L-v...NTQ6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326225776&sr=8-3

I like this better than the first. It is more diverse, and sensitive. Fine performances and good sound.


----------



## kv466

I'd forgotten how beautifully Mr. Ax play these concertos.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I thought Liza was going to conquer the world after that performance, but it was not to be. She was too fragile and made poor decisions...like her mother.


I don't know much about what she did after _Cabaret_, same with Joel Grey who was also great in that film, playing _The Master of Ceremonies_...


----------



## Sid James

*R. Strauss*
_Metamorphosen_
Staatskapelle Dresden / Giuseppe Sinopoli, cond. 
(DGG Eloquence, 2 cd set)

*Boccherini *
_Guitar Quintet in E minor, G.451 _
Zoltan Tokos, guitar / Danubius Quartet 
(Naxos)

*Sculthorpe *
_Lament for cello & string orch. 
Little Suite for string orch. 
Night-Song for string orch._
Sue-Ellen Paulsen, cello / Tasmanian SO / David Porcelijn
(ABC CLassics)

*Tippett*
- _Concerto for Double String Orch._ 
Moscow CO & Bath Festival Orch. / Rudolf Barshai
(EMI)
- _String Quartet #1 in A major_ 
The Tippett Quartet 
(Naxos)

*Elliott Carter *
_String Quartet #3_ (1971)
Pacifica Quartet
(Naxos)

Rounding off my survey of* Carter's* quartets, with the 3rd, which is the hardest to take. He splits the quartet up into two duos, which are doing completely different things. Very fragmented & I don't know what quite to make of it. _*Metamorphosen*_ is the only work by* R. Strauss *that really grabs me deeply. In contrast, I've liked basically everything I've heard by *Sculthorpe* & *Boccherini.* & the endings of these two *Tippett *pieces are dancy and with unbridled joy - a bagpipe tune comes from nowhere in the concerto, and in the quartet it's an Elizabethan dance tune. The last minute or so really gives me a boost...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - Capriccio "Defiance"

Conducted by Boulez.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, FS 16 and Symphony No.6, FS 116 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}. *Both works are performed by the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Schwonwandt.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQS Nos.4-6, *featuring the Emerson String Quartet. For some reason, on this listening the Emersons sounded very cold and anemic, with no passion. I shall have to listen to the Rubio and Borodin Quartets on Spotify to ascertain if there any appreciable differences in their performances of these same works.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## kv466

Gem I pulled out of my Chandos collection.


----------



## Manxfeeder

]*Debussy, Jeux*, by Jean Martinon, the conductor who opened me up to Debussy.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quintets No. 1, KV.174 and No. 4, KV406/516b
Haydn: String Quartets No. 29 in G Major, Op.33, No.5 and No.30 in E Flat Major, Op.33, No.2


----------



## opus55

Piston: Symphony No.2










Bruckner: Symphony No.9


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I don't know much about what she did after _Cabaret_, same with Joel Grey who was also great in that film, playing _The Master of Ceremonies_...


Heeeere's Joel!






And watch for Liza...


----------



## Sid James

I listened to a composition by now departed pianist *Alexis Weissenberg*.

His _Sonata in a State of Jazz _on youtube, played by Marc-Andre Hamelin.

Groovy work, reminds me of Gershwin but a bit more contemporary feel. Didn't know he composed...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have veered away from Don Giovanni.

Alice Mary Smith: Symphony no. 2 in A minor


----------



## Crudblud

Langgaard - In tenebras exteriores, BVN 334


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

I've made pretty good headway in this new set and am now even on my 3rd listen of this epic Symphony!
Overall this is a great set and one which I will be returning to a lot I think - some of the performances (like the 8th I'm listening to now) are easily the best I have heard of those works!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have discovered Louise Farrenc. Listened to all three of her symphonies earlier today.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Khachaturian Piano Sonata played by Emil Gilels :


----------



## neoshredder

Taking a break from Mozart. Listening to this. 
*Arcangelo Corelli - 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6*


----------



## Sid James

*John Cage*
_Credo in Us for percussions, piano, turntables & radio
Imaginary Landscape #1 for percussion, piano, turntable
Concert for piano & orchestra with solo for voice 1 & solo for voice 2 (all played simultaneously)
Rozart mix for chamber group_
- Ensemble Musica Negativa / Rainer Riehn
_Suite for Toy Piano
Music for Carillon_
- Gentle Fire group
(EMI)

My favourite works are the first two, which are earlier works, and have more elements of traditional notation (but also elements of chance). There is some type of focus with these works, they are not just random sounds.

_*Credo in Us* _is a great work, some whimsy there and I like how he subverts tradition but in a fun way. There's a "dialogue" between the pianist and radio player, and a cadenza for piano which is honky-tonk music. This is one of my favourite works of the mid 20th century.

_*Imaginary Landscape #1*_ is a wierd and imaginative work. Again, it's like a dialogue between the turntables and acoustic instruments. Quite innovative for around 1939!

The other works here are not to my taste overall, they're too random. It's good though that he experimented in this way. Eg. the _*Piano Concert*_ was a seminal work that would influence guys like Lutoslawski. But listening to it is not very gratifying for me and a bit tedious after a few minutes.

Overall though, a good compilation. The sound of these recordings done in the 1970's is great and at just under 70 minutes this disc is jam packed and good value...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

neoshredder said:


> Taking a break from Mozart. Listening to this.
> *Arcangelo Corelli - 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6*


That's an outstanding version of the complete set. Hope you enjoy it.


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki*
_Sextet for clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello & piano
Clarinet Quartet
Three Miniatures for clarinet & piano
Prelude for solo clarinet
Divertimento for solo cello_
- Various artists
(Naxos)

A great collection of chamber music by Penderecki.

My favourite works are the last three. Short and sweet, so to speak.

The two main works that get star billing on the cover are modern but have kind of "Romantic" feel, in terms of fleshing out things more, they are longer and it seems that in the _Sextet_ Penderecki uses the group much like a mini orchestra. Eg. his use of the horn makes me think of guys like Bruckner...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Sid James said:


> *Penderecki*
> _Sextet for clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello & piano
> Clarinet Quartet
> Three Miniatures for clarinet & piano
> Prelude for solo clarinet
> Divertimento for solo cello_
> - Various artists
> (Naxos)
> 
> A great collection of chamber music by Penderecki.
> 
> My favourite works are the last three. Short and sweet, so to speak.
> 
> The two main works that get star billing on the cover are modern but have kind of "Romantic" feel, in terms of fleshing out things more, they are longer and it seems that in the _Sextet_ Penderecki uses the group much like a mini orchestra. Eg. his use of the horn makes me think of guys like Bruckner...


I have that CD. The sextet is my favourite.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> *John Cage*
> _Credo in Us for percussions, piano, turntables & radio
> Imaginary Landscape #1 for percussion, piano, turntable
> Concert for piano & orchestra with solo for voice 1 & solo for voice 2 (all played simultaneously)
> Rozart mix for chamber group_
> - Ensemble Musica Negativa / Rainer Riehn
> _Suite for Toy Piano
> Music for Carillon_
> - Gentle Fire group
> (EMI)
> 
> My favourite works are the first two, which are earlier works, and have more elements of traditional notation (but also elements of chance). There is some type of focus with these works, they are not just random sounds.
> 
> _*Credo in Us* _is a great work, some whimsy there and I like how he subverts tradition but in a fun way. There's a "dialogue" between the pianist and radio player, and a cadenza for piano which is honky-tonk music. This is one of my favourite works of the mid 20th century.
> 
> _*Imaginary Landscape #1*_ is a wierd and imaginative work. Again, it's like a dialogue between the turntables and acoustic instruments. Quite innovative for around 1939!
> 
> The other works here are not to my taste overall, they're too random. It's good though that he experimented in this way. Eg. the _*Piano Concert*_ was a seminal work that would influence guys like Lutoslawski. But listening to it is not very gratifying for me and a bit tedious after a few minutes.
> 
> Overall though, a good compilation. The sound of these recordings done in the 1970's is great and at just under 70 minutes this disc is jam packed and good value...


You are not a conservative listener. Well done Sid James! :clap:


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 107: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major*

Artists
Noras, A and Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Rasilainen, Ari




http://mp3.platekompaniet.no/site/web3/view.ftl?page=product&productId=201657

I really like this concert when I'm in the mood. It is very energetic and intense.
Brilliant performed, and great sound.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Gabriel Pierné : Cydalise et le chèvre-pied


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
Florian Uhlig, Peter Leiner, Jiri Starek, South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...96VA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316342811&sr=8-2

No favorite concert currently, but things are constantly changing. Fabulous great piano playing, and nice sound.










Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Jörg Faerber (Conductor), Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra (Heilbronn) (Orchestra), Martha Argerich




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...1GLS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100290&sr=8-2

I like this one bether than the second concerto. Argerich plays pretty well, but I've heard better versions. She plays very well tknisk, but I think it lacks a little when it comes to passion and empathy.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: 2 Earnest Melodies, for violin and orchestra, Op.77
*
Artists	
Folke Grasbeck
Torleif Thedéen




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Comp...16OL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320763220&sr=8-1

Beautiful pieces! It's a nice version, good interaction between the cello (in this case) and piano.










Work 
*Sibelius: 2 Serenades for Violin and Orchestra, Op.69*

Artists	
Vladimir Ashkenazy (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra of London
Boris Belkin




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...CLIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320761260&sr=8-1

Great and lengtend, lyrical and colorful serenades. The sound is perhaps not the best (but not bad), but the performance is very good.










Work 
*Sibelius: Suite for Violin and String Orchestra, Op.117*

Artists	
Christian Tetzlaff/Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Work...XIN2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320761519&sr=8-1

Captivating and great music! Wonderful violin! Pretty good sound.










Work 
*Sibelius: Suite mignonne, for 2 flutes and strings, Op.98a*

Artists	
Per-Olof Gillblad
Jan-Olav Wedin




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040S0LK2/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1320764367&sr=8-1

A little background hiss, and quite a dry sound. Fine performed, but no favorite piece.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

Work 
*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.47*

Stephanie Gonley
Adrian Leaper




http://music.qq.com/portal_v2/static/album/86/album_42286.html

This concert is I just want more and more love in. I think it was a little boring in the beginning. It has something a little childlike charm of itself, while it is very lyrical, colorful and romantic.
Nice of performances! The variations between the sensitive and dramitiske communicated very well. The sound is medium ... The strong and dramatic is well projected, but the more fragile parts is quite week. Then the violin is also quite hidden


----------



## starthrower

Henze - No. 9 A seven movement choral symphony with texts based on the novel The Seventh Cross by Anna Seghers. An ambitious, episodic, often violent work dedicated to the heroes and martyrs of German anti-fascism. Ingo Metzmacher leads the Berlin Philharmonic in this live recording.

Thanks to Oskaar for turning me on to this great CD.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Piano Concerto in A-, Op.54 *

Artists	
Martha Argerich/Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana/Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Pian...T7SG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326294108&sr=8-1

Again, I think Argerich fail to impress .. The orchestra is good, but I have a feeling that they are trying to pull off a motor (Argerich) that never starts properly. Pretty good sound.


----------



## Art Rock




----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Symphony No.1 in Bb, Op.38 ('Spring')*

Artists	
Sakari Oramo
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sym-No-1-2/dp/B002A9OJ6A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319812502&sr=8-2

Fantastic Symphony! Very dense and wonderful orchestra. The sound is also pretty good.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil*

Work 
*Antheil: Concert (Concerto), for chamber orchestra, W.170*

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Balle...NCYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313418175&sr=8-3

Long time since I listened at Antheil .. Nice re-listen! He is very exciting! Great performance and great sound!










George Antheil

Work 
*Antheil: McKonkey's Ferry (Washington at Trenton); A Concert Overture*

Artists	
Theodore Kuchar (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine




http://www.amazon.com/ANTHEIL-Symph...NK2J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313421146&sr=8-1

Exciting, but a little flat of performances .... is of course along with the sound that is not quite good ..










Work 
*Antheil: Sonata No.2 for Violin, Piano and Drums*

Artists	
Mark Fewer, John Novacek




http://www.amazon.com/Antheil-Sonat...OCW2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313419543&sr=8-3

Beautiful and exciting music. Antheil's modern, but he incorporates a lot of romantic moods in his music.
Nice performance, but the sound is medium.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mily Balakirev*

*Balakirev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Jungran Kim Khwarg piano
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Dong Hyock Hyun




http://www.amazon.com/Taktakishvili...5G4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312397116&sr=8-1

This concert is great! Very romantic and lyrical. Melodic, and very well balanced. A pleasure to listen to.
Performance is excellent, but the sound is unfortunately only medium.


----------



## Vaneyes

Richter, Angelich, back-to-back. Selections from Rachmaninov Etudes-tableaux, Opp. 33, 39.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Robert Alexander Schumann*
> 
> Work
> *Schumann: Piano Concerto in A-, Op.54 *
> 
> Artists
> Martha Argerich/Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana/Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Pian...T7SG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326294108&sr=8-1
> 
> Again, I think Argerich fail to impress .. The orchestra is good, but I have a feeling that they are trying to pull off a motor (Argerich) that never starts properly. Pretty good sound.


A superb CD.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> I like this one bether than the second concerto. Argerich plays pretty well, but I've heard better versions. She plays very well tknisk, but I think it lacks a little when it comes to passion and empathy.[/COLOR]


Good album, though I prefer her EMI Haydn concerto, which is the best I've heard. I currently have it on the tarmac, preparing for take-off.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> A superb CD.


Then we agree to disagree!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I listened to a composition by now departed pianist *Alexis Weissenberg*.
> 
> His _Sonata in a State of Jazz _on youtube, played by Marc-Andre Hamelin.
> 
> Groovy work, reminds me of Gershwin but a bit more contemporary feel. Didn't know he composed...


I really like the Gulda works on that CD.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mily Balakirev*

*Balakirev: Symphony No. 1 in C major*

Russian Symphony Orchestra
Igor Golovschin




http://www.amazon.com/Balakirev-Sym...13YI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312389722&sr=8-1

Balakirev has really made great music! It's a shame I can not find more on spotify.
This symphony is both exciting and beautiful. Great melodies and colors, fine nerve. The andante movement is gorgeous! The same with the largo.
Very nice performance, but the sound is medium++.










*Balakirev: Symphony No. 2 in D minor*

Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television
Yevgeny Svetlanov




http://www.amazon.com/Balakirev-Sym...C0J2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1312395410&sr=8-7

Symphony No. 2 is also very nice! Very energic! Very good sound, and nice of performances.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 ('Pastoral')*

Artists

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 
Bernard Haitink




http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Beet...MF5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321016656&sr=8-1

Excellent performance. The sound might have been better.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - "Zdenka" Variations, Op. 1

Rudolf Firkušný


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, all eight symphonies*, by Fedoseyev and some by Rozhdestvensky.

I like Fedosevey's recordings in general, but the fifth symphony has distorted sound.


----------



## Oskaar

Fedoseyev has absolutely the best scores in my diary.... But have you tried Osaka?


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludvig van Beethoven*

Work 
*Beethoven: Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor")*

Artists	
Royal philharmonic orchestra
michael Roll 
howard Shelley




http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concert...RD74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316783842&sr=8-2

This I think is the best version of this amazing concert I've heard so far. Michael Roll plays with incredible passion and enthusiasm.
Excellent sound! Recommended warmest.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Mass No. 3 In F Minor, WAB 28*

Almost listened to all of this set now already! - Just the 7th Symphony (A favourite of mine) and Te Deum to listen to now + will give the 6th another spin today at work.
The version of the mass here is great too - I like Bruckners sacred music as well as his Symphonies.
Whats struck me most about this set is that despite the length of some of the Symphonies nothing sounds distorted! - The 8th in particular is really epic but doesnt sound unnatural or like its going to fall apart at the reduced tempo!
Overall this is a great set and one which I am very glad to have added to my collection


----------



## Clementine

*Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in F, RV 284 "La Stravaganza #9" (1713)*
A charming little work that is very folksy. Very rhythmic and propelling throughout, with a particularly wonderful last movement.

*Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in C Minor RV 196 "La Stravaganza #10" (1713)*
This concerto is a little more substantial then the former. Organ is used as continuo, giving it a sacred feeling. The first movement is very scattered, and ends abruptly before going into a very beautiful and reflective second movement that drops the organ. Then it jumps back into a dance with the third movement, ending a little to quickly to be entirely resolved.

*W.A. Mozart: Symphony #36 "Linz" (1783)*
The second symphony written in 1783 is similar to it's brother "The Haffner." A little less spirited and a little more calculated, this symphony provides a slightly more substantial effort then the first. There is more cohesiveness, though the actual musical material is a bit less inspired. Overall a good symphony, and a stepping stone to his greater efforts down the road.

*Joseph Haydn: String Quartet #63 "Sunrise" (1797)*
The third quartet of the Op. 77 is just as wonderful as the first two. The beginning opens very cheerily, with beautiful melodies and interplay between instruments. The second movement, though still in major, has a tragic undertone of sorts and at times reaches a Mozartean sense of grace and fragility. The minuet and trio seems to offer some comfort and optimism, with the last movement providing a brilliant and brisk finish.

*Georges Bizet: Carmen (1875)* 
My knowledge of opera is very stunted compared to instrumental works, and with less then 10 under my belt, the appearance of Carmen was inevitable. While it is undoubtedly a masterpiece, I do think it's a little overrated considering it's the most performed opera in the world. Without ever having seen or heard it in it's entirety I was already jaded by some of its themes on the first listen (such as the Habanera). Luckily, there is a wealth of material here that is downright beautiful and inspired- the children's chorus, the closing scene of Act I, and the Chanson- the latter being my favorite moment. Overall the music is very sensual and well written, and after several listens I thought the music sustained itself fairly well over the course of two and half hours (though the first hour contains considerably stronger material). I thought the final scene was particularly well done, up until the very end when out of nowhere Bizet pulls out the harmonic motif from _Tristan und Isolde_ in the most painfully obvious manner. There were also times that reminded me a little too much of _Rigolleto._ Still, a fantastic opera from a composer who died much too soon.

*Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata #2 (1886)*
This is one of Brahms' weaker efforts, though even a less inspired effort from Brahms still produces gorgeous music. The entire piece is pretty much one long slow movement, and has very little to say without much drama, but mostly provides an unchallenged cheeriness that is found in only a few of his works (the first Sextet comes to mind). Oddly enough, the most engaging movement is the second movement, which is also the least original. Brahms' seems to be ripping straight from Grieg's _Violin Sonata #2_- the second movement of it no less! Although it must be admitted that Brahms' handling of the material is much finer.

*John Adams: Naive and Sentimental Music (1999)*
This took me quite a few listens to wrap my head around. At first I thought it was merely well written, but without much to say. It was the title that threw me off. This music is not naive, and only a little bit sentimental. In fact it's probably one of Adams most serious and transcendent works, and it comes as no surprise that he would be hired to commemorate the victims of 9/11 three years later. Like most of Adams' works, everything is leading to the final movement. There very few catchy riffs, guilty pleasure harmonic progressions, or humor typical of Adams. The piece builds slowly with trepidation, spinning itself into a larger and larger web. The first serious bit of drama occurs in the middle movement, with everything left unresolved until the finale. The music seems to be in anticipation of the new century, reflecting on the past, and looking towards the future with reserve, and restrained hope. It's a very defiant work, self aware work (again, not naive at all), and one of Adams' greatest achievements.


----------



## AndyS

Currently listening to Puccini's Tosca - conducted by Mehta and starring Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo and Sherril Milnes. Enjoying it so far, it's my first Tosca (going to see it in June), but, although I'm not familiar with it, does seem to be very pacily conducted, if marvellously sung

Listened to Turandot as conducted by Molinari-Predelli and starring Birgit Nilsson and Franco Colleri. Love Turandot as an opera, and I love Nilsson, but I did find myself preferring slightly the one starring Sutherland and Pavarotti (also conducted by Mehta)


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber:Cello Concerto, in A-, Op.22*

Wendy Warner
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...8USE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312488899&sr=8-1

A little flat performance .. The work seems a bit boring in this version. But it is a beautiful work!










*Barber: Violin Concerto, Op.14*

Itzhak Perlman/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E4S5IA/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1312560812&sr=8-3

Beautiful work ... Nice performance. A bit flat sound.


----------



## Chrythes

Thank you peejay for recommending it on the Piano Trios thread, truly beautiful works!


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Sid James

Continuing to explore this *R. Straus*s 2 cd set. I enjoyed the bits from _Capriccio_ and_ Salome _this time around, more than before. Then some *cabaret songs *by* William Bolcom *and* Erik Satie *to cleanse my palate so to speak -

*R. Strauss*
_Sextet from Capriccio_
- Suttgart CO / Karl Munchinger
_Symphonic Fantasy: Die Frau Ohne Schatten, op. 65
Love Scene - Feuersnot
Dance of the Seven Veils - Salome_
- Staatskapelle Dresden / Giuseppe Sinopoli
(DGG Eloquence)

*From album: Surprise*
_Cabaret songs of Bolcom and Satie_
Measha Brueggergosman, sop. / Bolcom on piano, in Satie / BBC SO / David Robertson
(DGG)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Farrenc: Symphony no. 3 in G minor. She is definitely the greatest symphonist of the romantic era. Not even Dvorák or Mahler or Bruckner can compare to this symphony here:


----------



## Eviticus

Best piano adaptations i've heard.

The time starts and end sets for each piece: 1st piece: March 0:00 to 2:00 2nd piece: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy 2:02 to 3:48 3rd piece: Trepak Dance 3:49 to 5:01 4th piece: In the Christmas Tree 5:03 to 9:00 5th piece: Chinese﻿ Dance (Tea) 9:02 to 10:10 6th piece: Pas De deux: Intrada (the best! must watch until here okay!!) 10:12 to 15:15


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Guess who wrote this:


----------



## Guest

Rolling old-school tonight:


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.101 in D Major {"The Clock"} and Symphony No.104 in D Major "London"}. *Both works faeture Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}.* Both works feature Herbert Blomstedt leading the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

In tribute to the stage retirement of Thomas Quasthoff.


----------



## violadude

Vaneyes said:


> In tribute to the stage retirement of Thomas Quasthoff.


He has a great and big voice for such a little guy!


----------



## edge

Listened to this while at the gym today.










I'd rather my wife didn't know...


----------



## science

Mikrokosmos. These are a mystery to me.


----------



## Guest

Wow! This Concert for Violin Piano and String Quartet is one heck of a ride!










Chausson may be a minor composer (and even worse bicyclist!) but this piece is certainly not minor!


----------



## Guest

Whew! That Chausson piece has a better plot than most thrillers.

But now it's time for some FUN:










After listening to a string of great works, I start to wonder why do we even bother with music that is less than great?


----------



## Sid James

*From album: Surprise*
*Schoenberg* - _Cabaret songs (Brettl-lieder), _orchestrated by Patrick Davin & composer
Measha Brueggergosman, sop. / BBC SO / David Robertson
(DGG)

*Beethoven* 
_String Quartet in F Op. 135_
LaSalle Quartet
(Brilliant Classics)


----------



## Guest

Listened again to Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole:










To me this seems really derivative - much better to listen to Sarasate directly.

Now listening to more violin and piano music:










Very nice tone over a wider range of composers.


----------



## Sid James

BPS said:


> Listened again to Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole:
> 
> ...
> To me this seems really derivative - much better to listen to Sarasate directly.
> 
> ....


Well Lalo wrote_ Symphonie Espagnole _for Sarasate to play, if my memory is correct!? That may well explain the similarity and other things of course, eg. them being contemporaries, etc...


----------



## Sid James

*David Fanshawe*
_*African Sanctus *- for taped African music, operatic soprano, light soprano, choir, piano, AFrican/rock/classical percussions, rock band, hammond organ
*Saalams* - for taped songs of Arabian gulf pearl divers, 11 singers, piano, cantor_
Harold Lester, Valerie Hill, David Fanshawe & others
(Philips)

Two travelogues, one of AFrica, the other of the Arabian gulf countries. These were composed around the 1970's, when many composers where going back to melody and tunefulness, and interested in non-European cultures.

Of these two, I prefer the_ African Sanctus_, which overall has a life affirming upbeat vibe.

The shorter coupling, _Salaams_, is much more darker and experminental. Eg. sounds of warfare are in there, kind of talking to the conflicts rattling the region today as well.

I suppose there's an element of naivety here, the belief back then that all religions and all cultures can unite as one if they tried. But I think it's a good thing to aspire to still, amongst the cynicism we encounter daily in this very hardened world...


----------



## Crudblud

Widor - Organ Symphonies 5 & 6 (Latry)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

John Adams: Nixon in China. Fantastic opera. I wish I could see it performed in Australia if Opera Australia manage to do it one day.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work *
Bruckner: Symphony No.0, in D-, WAB100 ('Die Nullte')*

Artists	
Ussr Ministry Of Culture Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...A8F0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326019943&sr=8-2

I am starting to love Bruckner. The litle I have heard from his symphonies (nr 3 and this one) is very promising. Great performance and quite good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.1 in C-, WAB101*

Artists	
Claudio Abbado, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra 




http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...12YU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1326026808&sr=8-5

I liked the 0th symphony better than this, but this is also great. Very lyrical and romantic.
Pretty good performance, but perhaps a little limp. It sparkles not. At least in periodes.Pretty good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.2 in C-, WAB102*

Artists	
Eugen Jochum, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...YXOX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326020267&sr=8-1

Also a great symphony, but still no 0 my favorite.
Not the best imaginable performed, and the sound is a bit flat. It is a little lifeless.


----------



## Guest

First this:










Then this:


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.3 in D-, WAB103 ('Wagner')*

Artists	
Ussr Ministry Of Culture Symphony Orchestra 




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037KZ63Q/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1326044937&sr=8-1

There's something about the Russians ... Spark and nerve in abundance .., great symphony!


----------



## Lenfer

*Wendy Sutter - Philip Glass: Songs and Poems for Solo Cello*​


----------



## science

Back to this set and I had a surprise: Roussel's piano concerto. A bit Stravinsky-esque. Or something.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.4 in Eb, WAB104 ('Romantic')*

Artists	
Russian State Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckne...OLM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326373647&sr=8-1

Very layd back ... a Symphony that allows for reflection .. Brilliant performed! Sound a little below par ..


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), H.68, Op.16*

Artists	
Sinfonie Orchester des Sudwestfunks Baden-Baden
Jan Latham-Koenig
Ulrich Koch




http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Harol...2ZRE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1324300292&sr=8-5

After Brucner Berlioz seems a bit boring ... But I have to be reset.
Quite a nice version. Good sound,.


----------



## Guest

Oskaar - This is one of my favorite symphonies, but I bet the version matters a lot. The one I love is Collin Davis/LSO - he makes the second movement sound really unusual.

In general, how do you decide which versions to listen to? Do you use something like arkivmusic or prestoclassical to find the versions with the best reviews? I think you are a bit courageous to listen to anything and everything. Not that reviews tell the whole story, but they seem a good guide for beginners.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'une artiste, Op.14*

Artists	
Zubin Mehta and New York Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Berlioz/dp/B002MHG3XW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324312323&sr=8-3

Great version.


----------



## Oskaar

BPS said:


> Oskaar - This is one of my favorite symphonies, but I bet the version matters a lot. The one I love is Collin Davis/LSO - he makes the second movement sound really unusual.
> 
> In general, how do you decide which versions to listen to? Do you use something like arkivmusic or prestoclassical to find the versions with the best reviews? I think you are a bit courageous to listen to anything and everything. Not that reviews tell the whole story, but they seem a good guide for beginners.


I am discovering, and then I listen to good, and less god versions. I categorize a work with everything I can find on spotify, and start listening from the list. I mostly dont follow rewiews, I will like to make my own opinions. But I use recommodatians from ex arkivmusic to find good rekords.

I find a joy in listening to different versions, and I have a listening diary (efficient diary, it is free) where i make rankings.


----------



## Vaneyes

At 103, each day is a bonus for Elliott Carter...and his listeners.

Back to back. Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras; String Quartets 1 & 2.


----------



## Oskaar

BPS said:


> Oskaar - This is one of my favorite symphonies


I love harold in italy too! But after Bruckners fireworks it was..different. I had to adapt.


----------



## Crudblud

*Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 / Leonore Overture No. 3
Wagner - Preludes to Acts I and III of Meistersinger*
Karajan/Staatskapelle Berlin/Concertgebouw


----------



## Oskaar

*Gabriel Fauré*

Work 
*Fauré: violin sonata op 13*

Artists	
Michael Bellavance




http://www.amazon.com/Pan-Saint-Saë...UQBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326392495&sr=8-1

Beautiful! This version is for flute and piano..Sound could perhaps have been bether.. It is a bit distant.










Work 
*Fauré: Impromptu, Op.86*

Artists	
Andrea Vigh




http://www.amazon.com/Harp-Recital-...UENY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326387245&sr=8-1

Harp can be great, but also incredibly boring .. Here it is boring.I skip..










*Fauré: Une châtelaine en sa tour, Op. 110*

Artists	
Nicanor Zabaleta




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015T2L2U/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1326387628&sr=8-2


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52*

Artists	
Rattle and Birmingham Symphony




http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-2-3-Sibelius/dp/B00000DO9U/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1323013026&sr=8-8

I've Bruckner symphonies in mind .. And then falls Sibelius's a bit through. but it is probably because I listened to five Bruckner symphonies in a row ..

Great performance. Medium sound.


----------



## Conor71

^^Glad youre enjoying the Bruckner oskaar he is a great composer!


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45*

Great performance in good mono sound - Maria Stader is an excellent soloist!


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No.4 in A-, Op.63*

Artists	
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Pietari Inkinen




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...MF80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323096181&sr=8-1

This symphony is perhaps a favorite, in line with No. 1
Very good sound, and a fine nerve. Recommended!


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105*

Artists	
Jenny Abel
Roberto Szidon




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934960&sr=8-1

Beautiful work, and a very nice performance. But the sound seems very distant.










Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121
*
Artists	
Antoine Tamestit
Eric le Sage




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...E3QS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934647&sr=8-1

Nice sonata. Very good performance, interplay between piano and violin is very nice. Not the best sound.


----------



## Sid James

A listen to one of my favourite song-cycles, _*Pierrot*_, and also the *Webern concerto *coupled with it, which is a palindrome (who said music isn't mathematics, it is in this case!). Jane Manning's singing is kind of acidic and very dark, a great version from the 1970's.

Then continuing this *R. Strauss set*. The _Rosenkavalier_ waltzes, the first set, came across as having a tune similar to _Young at Heart,_ sung by Frank Sinatra. Wierd that. & the tone poem had this whimsical clarinet bit that was much like a similar thing in the film score of _The Maltese Falcon_, starring Bogey & Bacall. Popular culture has absorbed R. Strauss and maybe that's why I find a lot of his stuff kind of cliched, not a fault of his, but still...

*Schoenberg* - _Pierrot Lunaire_*;* Webern *-_ Concerto Op. 24_
* Jane Manning, speech-song / Nash Ensemble / Simon Rattle
(Chandos)

*R. Strauss*
_Der Rosenkavalier - first and second suites of waltzes
Till Eulenspiegels lustige streiche, op. 28 _
Royal Concertgebouw orch. / Eugen Jochum 
(DGG, 2 cd's)

















& to wind down a bit, 
*Rodrigo's* _Concierto de Aranjuez_
John Zaradin, guitar / Philomusica Of London / Guy Barbier, cond.
(EMI)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> A listen to one of my favourite song-cycles, _*Pierrot*_, and also the *Webern concerto *coupled with it, which is a palindrome (who said music isn't mathematics, it is in this case!). Jane Manning's singing is kind acidic and very dark, a great version from the 1970's.
> 
> Then continuing this *R. Strauss set*. The _Rosenkavalier_ waltzes, the first set, came across as having a tune similar to _Young at Heart,_ sung by Frank Sinatra. Wierd that. & the tone poem had this whimsical clarinet bit that was much like a similar thing in the film score of _The Maltese Falcon_, starring Bogey & Bacall. Popular culture has absorbed R. Strauss and maybe that's why I find a lot of his stuff kind of cliched, not a fault of his, but still...
> 
> *Schoenberg* - _Pierrot Lunaire_*;* Webern *-_ Concerto Op. 24_
> * Jane Manning, speech-song / Nash Ensemble / Simon Rattle
> (Chandos)
> 
> *R. Strauss*
> _Der Rosenkavalier - first and second suites of waltzes
> Till Eulenspiegels lustige streiche, op. 28 _
> Royal Concertgebouw orch. / Eugen Jochum
> (DGG, 2 cd's)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> & to wind down a bit,
> *Rodrigo's* _Concierto de Aranjuez_
> John Zaradin, guitar / Philomusica Of London / Guy Barbier, cond.
> (EMI)


"Pierrot Lunaire" is my favourite piece by Schoenberg.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Divertimento in E flat, KV.563










Good playing. I wish Divertimento recording had little more reverb.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> Fedoseyev has absolutely the best scores in my diary.... But have you tried Osaka?


Is Otaka on Spotify? I can't seem to locate it.

Today, another go at Glazunov by Fedoseyev, then a comparison to Serebrier's recording of the 8th. I don't know if it's intentional; Fedoseyev plays the second movement of the 8th not with a sense of dread but of resignation. It's either that or the orchestra missed their morning coffee. But so far I prefer Serebrier's recording.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> "Pierrot Lunaire" is my favourite piece by Schoenberg.


I like it also. I don't know if it's my favorite - I think the Five Pieces are at the top of the heap for me - but it's still up there. Have you read the Cambridge Music Handbook on this work by Jonathan Dunsby? I've received some helpful insights from it.


----------



## Guest

@Manxfeeder - don't know if you like MP3 downloads or not, but the complete Glazunov symphonies by Otaka is selling now for $7 bucks on amazon and $6 bucks on iTunes. Obviously that's cheap!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Witold Lutoslawski--*Symphonies* *# 1 and 2, *both performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Witold Lutoslawski.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 4 in D Major, Op.83 and SQ # 10 in A-Flat Major, Op.118. *Bothperformed by the Rubio Quartet*.*
* Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring Evgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Viktoria Postnikova's birthday with the Schnittke Concerto for Piano and Strings.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto










Verdi: String Quartet


----------



## starthrower

Ralph Towner-Diary

Towner's 1973 solo classic for ECM. Some truly exquisite playing on classical & 12 string guitars, and piano.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Trio in C minor, Op.9 No.3
Boccherini: String Quintet in E Major, G.275
Ravel: La Valse (impressive!)


----------



## starthrower

Heilige Scheisse! This is some great stuff!


----------



## neoshredder

Loved the Corelli concertos. Now listening to 
*Georg Philipp Telemann - Tafelmusik*


----------



## science

opus55 said:


> Mozart: Divertimento in E flat, KV.563
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good playing. I wish Divertimento recording had little more reverb.


I just listened to about half of this today too. My wife liked it.


----------



## clavichorder

neoshredder said:


> Loved the Corelli concertos. Now listening to
> *Georg Philipp Telemann - Tafelmusik*


I like the overture suite from Tafflemusik in B flat, definitely watch out for that one.


----------



## science

Back to this set for Weber's #2 and this time it's what I expected.

I should mention, btw, that this is one of the great piano concertos. Had Beethoven written it, it would be universally known and loved.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major, WAB 107, "Lyric"*

Back to back Lyric Symphonies


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder said:


> Is Otaka on Spotify? I can't seem to locate it.


 He is.. but I have premium.

Well, I did not get any results for glazunov otaka eather.

But I have categorised it so I have the links. Searching for names can sometimes be difficult. Search for works! With opus, then both opx and op x.


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> ...
> 
> Back to this set for Weber's #2 and this time it's what I expected.
> 
> I should mention, btw, that this is one of the great piano concertos. Had Beethoven written it, it would be universally known and loved.


Yes, I'm a fan of WEber's piano concertos, as well as his delightful bassoon concertos. The clarinet works - concertos and quintet - are good as well. An interesting composer who is getting played a bit more here, these works are popping up in various places live, which is good. They are excellent as you suggest and are of the highest quality.

Check out his two symphonies. A bit like opera without words. Quite whimsical and fun. Easy listening compared to Beethoven but I've always loved them. Totally unique.

& of course, his overtures to his operas are great as well...


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.2 in C- ('Resurrection')*

Artists	
Gilbert Kaplan, Nadja Michael and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...0U/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1325963848&sr=8-12

Magic symphony, but it is heavy and long. Must be at particular mood to listen.
Great version with good sound.


----------



## Crudblud

Wagner - Rienzi overture / Tannhäuser overture (Klemperer)
Schumann - Piano Concerto (Harnoncourt/Argerich) / Violin Concerto (Harnoncourt/Kremer)


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
*Glazunov: Symphony No.8 in Eb, Op.83*

Artists
Bbc National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...EY1W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321275260&sr=8-2

Very good performance. The sound may not be the best.


----------



## Manxfeeder

BPS said:


> @Manxfeeder - don't know if you like MP3 downloads or not, but the complete Glazunov symphonies by Otaka is selling now for $7 bucks on amazon and $6 bucks on iTunes. Obviously that's cheap!


I saw that! I threw the dice and asked some TC members, and I decided on Fedoseyev's cycle, which is going for $5. They have some interesting deals going on there until January 31st.


----------



## Oskaar

Fedoseyev's cycle is definitively best!

Otaka and Fedosojev is both very well performed. But the sound is bether on Fedosojev.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> He is.. but I have premium.


Thanks for the links. I guess you have to search BBC National Orchestra of Wales for it to come up.


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder

Did you see the spotify links to Otakas Glasunov sycle? Scroll back if you did not.

hehe you did.


----------



## Oskaar

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the links. I guess you have to search BBC National Orchestra of Wales for it to come up.


Searching with to many words are not a good idea on spotify. Only bbc maby. In this case where there are not to many recordings, searching for only glazunov symphony is a good idea. Sometimes a violin work for ex is on a record where a pianist is the big name... It can be tricky to search on spotify. It is not like on google where combining words and phrases give the best and most spesific result. And remember.. if you search for number... opus or others.. use both opx and op x. In mozarts case there are four... kx. k x. kvx, and kv x.


----------



## Crudblud

Berg / Webern orchestral works (Kegel)


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1*

Artists	
Quatuor Ebene




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...H3XG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324213735&sr=8-1

Light and fine quartet that I become more and more fond of Excellent play and interaction, wery charmfully playd. And great sound. The third movement is absolutely stunning!










Work 
*Brahms : String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2*

Artists	
Ludwig Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...USHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324220357&sr=8-2

Very beautiful and romantic quartet. Performance is very good, and sound good, but not as good as Ebene.










Work 
*Brahms : Op. 78, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major*

Artists	
Pinchas Zukerman & Daniel Barenboim




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Violin...9CMP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326458215&sr=8-1

Wonderful violin play! Zukerman has an empathy that is fabulous. Barenboim at the piano accompanies fine, but maybe the piano is a little too far behind in the soundstage. Excellent sound.


----------



## starthrower

oskaar said:


> *Gustav Mahler *
> 
> Work
> *Mahler : Symphony No.2 in C- ('Resurrection')*
> 
> Artists
> Gilbert Kaplan, Nadja Michael and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...0U/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1325963848&sr=8-12
> 
> Magic symphony, but it is heavy and long. Must be at particular mood to listen.
> Great version with good sound.


There's quite a bit of controversy surrounding this recording and its conductor. I wasn't aware that Kaplan is an amateur conductor who also happens to be a very wealthy business man with an obsession for Mahler's 2nd symphony. Seems there are a lot of love/hate opinions about this CD.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), H.68, Op.16*

Artists	
Yoav Talmi (Conductor), San Diego Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Rivka Golani (Performer), Igor Gruppman




http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Harol...143E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324299199&sr=8-1

A wonderful work! Very nice presentation. The violin is magical! The sound is a bit distant.


----------



## Oskaar

How can you be an amateur conducter when you are allowed to conduct wiener philharmoniker? Just curious.
But very interresting information.


----------



## Oskaar

starthrower said:


> There's quite a bit of controversy surrounding this recording and its conductor. I wasn't aware that Kaplan is an amateur conductor who also happens to be a very wealthy business man with an obsession for Mahler's 2nd symphony. Seems there are a lot of love/hate opinions about this CD.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Kaplan


----------



## starthrower

oskaar said:


> How can you be an amateur conducter when you are allowed to conduct wiener philharmoniker? Just curious.
> But very interresting information.


Money can buy you a lot of things, except respect from the musicians. Kaplan is in fact an amateur, and from what I've read he is incapable of conducting any other piece but Mahler's second.


----------



## starthrower

Gustav Holst-The Planets

I dug out my old Laserlight cheapo edition of this work. I recently read a review siting this as one of the better recordings. Who knew?


----------



## Crudblud

starthrower said:


> Money can buy you a lot of things, except respect from the musicians. Kaplan is in fact an amateur, and from what I've read he is incapable of conducting any other piece but Mahler's second.


Supposedly he has some sort of god complex regarding his ability to conduct the second, that his interpretation is perfect or something like that. Someone I used to talk to called it an insult to Mahler and to all conductors who ever played the second. I don't know if he does it differently to the norm, I've never listened to his performances, but I was taken aback to hear someone attack a recording with such venom.


----------



## Oskaar

I dont think I will listen to that performance again with pleasure..Curiosity maybe. I hate such things. But cant avoid to smile a bit over money, obsession and stupidity.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ernest Bloch*

Work 
*Bloch: Concertino for Flute, Viola and Strings*

Artists	
Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève*




http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Bloch-...9HXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315565990&sr=8-2

I have a good listening diary, where I can go back to the performances I really appreciate! I do not explore all the time.  And when I lean back in the chair, then I play the best I have found. But it is not on "currently listening" I have consentraition problems, and forget what I play...(have no laptop)...
This amazing piece of Bloch deserves appreciation. Excellent performance and great sound!










Work 
*Bloch: Concerto grosso No.2, for string quartet and string orchestra*

Artists	
Barra (Artist), San Diego Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Concerti-Gros...1SGB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315566334&sr=8-2

I do not think I had been able to find this recording if I had not explored that much. And it would be a great loss! Absolutely brilliant performances by the best of the two concert grosso.










Work 
*Bloch: Evocations, suite (or 2 pianos)*

Artists	
Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra, David Amos




http://www.amazon.com/Dello-Joio-N-...F1H8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317033890&sr=8-1

Very colorful and exciting work! Excellent version, with a magical core. Good sound.










Work 
*Bloch: Proclamation, for trumpet and orchestra (or piano)*

Artists	
jouko harjanne




http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001F4XH3W/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316524291&sr=8-4

Another Bloch favourite. Beautiful! Fantastic emotional thrumpet. Great sound.


----------



## starthrower

Crudblud said:


> Supposedly he has some sort of god complex regarding his ability to conduct the second, that his interpretation is perfect or something like that. Someone I used to talk to called it an insult to Mahler and to all conductors who ever played the second. I don't know if he does it differently to the norm, I've never listened to his performances, but I was taken aback to hear someone attack a recording with such venom.


I'm not attacking the recording, just stating some facts. As I mentioned, many fans love it. It's some pertinent information especially if this is the only recording someone owns of Mahler's 2nd. They might want to seek out another recording by a professional conductor who has a better command of the score.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.0, in D-, WAB100 ('Die Nullte')*

Artists	
Neville Marriner
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...E71U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326019858&sr=8-1

[My favorite symphony at the moment! It is exuberant, energetic and delightfully melodic, but also lyrical and romantic. I think the performance is quite good. Not the greatest. The sound is also medium. It is live, and I bet the concert was a good experience./COLOR]


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best*

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Piano Concerto No.1 in D*

Artists	
Ulf Björlin/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Overt...FZ1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318597382&sr=8-1

Back to the best. (I use a kind word when I'm not exploring, but returns to the recordings that I have given good marks). A very nice and entertaining concert. Excellent performance and good sound.Slightly hiss, but I can live with that.










Work 
*Berwald: Duo for Violin and Piano in D-*

Artists	
Bengt-Ake Lundin




http://www.amazon.com/BERWALD-Compl...T6KJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318600694&sr=8-1

Very beautiful and melodic work. Maybe you should start here if you want to explore Berwald. Excellent performance and great sound. Maybe some "hidden" piano










Work 
*Berwald: Septet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello & double-bass in Bb, "Grand"*

Artists	
Berlin Philharmonic Octet*




http://www.amazon.com/Kreutzer-C-Se...XAS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318602608&sr=8-1

This work is absolutely beautiful and has some truly magical moments! Very nice frenføring. Teamwork and individual performances are very good. Absolutely top-notch sound.










Work 
*Berwald: Violin Concerto in C#-, Op.2*

Artists	
Ulf Björlin/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Overt...FZ1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318597382&sr=8-1

Amazing violin concerto, and probably overlooked. This version is amazing. Amazing violin of Ulf Bjorlin. Not technically perfect, but full of charm and empathy. great sound










Work 
*Berwald: Duo for Cello and Piano in Bb*

Artists	
Bengt-Ake Lundin




http://www.amazon.com/BERWALD-Compl...T6KJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318600694&sr=8-1

Brilliant duo, and very well played. These works in this post is my best experiences with Berwald. Have to explore the symphonies further, but my impression is that they ar not that good.


----------



## AndyS

Strauss' Elektra conducted by Solti. Listened through a couple of times, but this is the first time listened properly with the big headphones and the libretto

Very dramatic stuff, Nilsson is tremendous


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling. Platti never had it so good...meaning the stellar playing of Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber:Cello Concerto, in A-, Op.22*

Steven Isserlis
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Violin...NY1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312487751&sr=8-1

Very intriguing work. Am I in the right mood, this is one of the best I can listen to. Excellent performance. Not the best sound.










*Barber: Violin Concerto, Op.14*

Isaac Stern
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein




http://www.amazon.com/Barber-Adagio...XL/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1312555941&sr=8-14

I am very fond of Stern, and I think he plays enchanting here. This is no favorite Concert. I know it is one of Barber's most famous, but I think it is just too cute, one dimentional, and not very interresting. For the moment. The more dramatic parts dont catch me.. I have the same feeling for adagio for strings.










*Barberiano Concerto, Op.38*

Stephen Prutsman
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...GO4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312550557&sr=8-1

Piano Concerto is far more exciting than the violin concerto. Really a great work. Very nicely played ... great piano and great sound.


----------



## Chrythes

Can't get enough of these quartets, even after hearing them for the 20th time!










By the way, I really envy you oskaar. I know you are fairly new to classical music as well as I, but you seem to listen to so much more diverse music than me! I guess I'm just one of these guys that need to feel comfortable with new pieces before moving on, and it takes quite a lot of time.


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, Symphony No. 2, Otaka.

Thanks again to Oskaar for the Spotify links :tiphat:.


----------



## Sid James

Decided to listen to this great Stravinsky set again after a while now, bit by bit -

*Stravinsky*
_Septet for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet, bassoon, horn _(1952)
This was among Stravinsky's first works using the serial technique. It comes across as very contrapuntal and with very Baroque feel. Hard to tell apart from his earlier neo-classical works, which were still modern tonal. Schoenberg had died the year before, some say Stravinsky went serial after that, being a bit daunted by the inventor of the technique. I don't really think it's important, it's good that he changed. He bought together the modern tonal and serial technique in his late works. He kind of neutralised and ended the so-called "turf wars" between serialists and the rest. In the last two movements here, Stravinsky uses the technique flexibly, there are tone rows of 16 notes, not the conventional 12.

_Concertino for 12 instruments _(original work for string quartet of 1920, this arrangement done in 1952)
This comes across as being a completely different work to the original string quartet version. More orchestral feel here, of course more instruments & more colour. Almost symphonic in scope. Interesting stuff.

_Pastorale_ (composed 1907, this arrangment for violin and four wind instruments, 1933)
This is quite song-like and no wonder, the original version had a vocal part, for soprano. An odd combination as well, the solo violin and an "orchestra" of winds. Stravinsky was nothing but ingenious & creative.

_Ragtime_ (1918)
Composed at the end of the first world war, this may have been triggered by the American soldiers coming to end the war in Europe, bringing with them their ragtimes. Or maybe Stravinsky knew the music of Scott Joplin or even Charles Ives, who incorporated these tunes. Stravinsky said his aim was to bring in this modern dance to the chamber realm, just as composers of the past did with the minuets, waltzes, polkas, etc. Funnily enough, in a few years the ragtime would be ancient history, and Joplin neglected until well after 1945. The "roaring twenties" would bring with it a new craze, the _Charleston_. This is a very colourful and rhythmically bouncy work, interesting use here of the East European traditional instrument, often found in their folk ensembles and gypsy bands, the cimbalom.

All items played by members of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players
(DGG ELoquence, 2cd set)


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Double Bass Sonata

Daniele Roccato, double bass
Marco Tezza, piano

I think I've found my new favorite for the 20th c. era.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}. *Both works are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Herbert Blomstedt.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies feature George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## starthrower

*Barberiano Concerto, Op.38*

Piano Concerto is far more exciting than the violin concerto. Really a great work. Very nicely played ... great piano and great sound.









[/QUOTE]

I've always felt that Barber's piano concerto doesn't get enough attention. I first heard it performed live by the Syracuse Symphony with John Browning on piano and it stuck in my head after I left the concert hall. I couldn't shake it, so I had to go out and by a recording.


----------



## Sid James

Finished listening to this set, which I spread over the last few nights. I left this work to last, it's the longest at 40 minutes -

*R. Strauss*
_Don Quixote, Op. 35_
Tibor de Machula, cello / Klaas Boon, viola / Theo Olof, violin / Royal Concertgebouw Orch. / Bernard Haitink
(DGG Eloquence - 2 cd set)

I enjoyed this more than last time, which was about a year back.

Some great writing for the orchestra, the scene of the Don fighting the windmills - with use of wind machines for added effects - was pretty spectacular.

After that, about the second half, came across as more interesting to me.

Strauss' use of the solo strings as "characters" is a bit like Berlioz doing the same in _Harold in Italy_. In Don Quixote, the title character in his various mental states is "played" by the cello and violin. His long suffering sidekick, Sancho Panza, is the viola. Not credited is the love interest of the story, Dulcinea, who is mainly represented by an oboe.

The cello got a real juicy cadenza towards the end, & the coda had this fade-out effect - a chord resolving the work - of the cello and winds. Great ending, I thought, serene.

I have never read the novel but remember watching the series in Spanish on TV with Fernando REy in the title role.

This music captured the whimsicality and also that kind of delusion of how the Don thought he was going on an adventure and saving the world, yet he was really doing pathetic things like fighting windmills, stuff like that. But somehow in this old man there is the essence of humanity, maybe an aspect of the folly in all our lives?


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79*

Listening to this song cycle (?) from Haitink's Shostakovich Symphonies box-set - stuff like this is'nt normally my cup of tea but it's Shostakovich so its got my attention!


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - 'Cello Sonata

Ludwig Hoelscher, 'cello
Hans Richter-Haaser, piano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Currently working my way through Vagn Holmboe's complete symphonies. These are very engaging and make for an interesting listening experience. The music is modern but still tonal in nature. He uses a lot of percussion but in sometimes startling and unusual ways. I think anyone who likes Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Nielsen, Sibelius etc. would probably enjoy these.















Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Witold Lutoslawski--*Concerto for Orchestra, *featuring the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Antoni Wit.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Revisiting two works that were the most memorable from earlier this week

Ravel: La Valse
Hindemith: Trauermusik


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, "Resurrection"*

The sound is a bit low in this recording but otherwise it is an excellent performance!


----------



## Crudblud

starthrower said:


> I'm not attacking the recording, just stating some facts. As I mentioned, many fans love it. It's some pertinent information especially if this is the only recording someone owns of Mahler's 2nd. They might want to seek out another recording by a professional conductor who has a better command of the score.


I never suggested you were attacking it, just adding some information I gathered on the subject to the discussion.


----------



## opus55

Tartini: Violin Concertos (to be honest, kind of boring..)
Mozart: Violin Sonatas (two instruments nicely balanced. Like this disc a lot)


----------



## hespdelk

Such sparkling cheerful works, so much brilliance in the writing. It had been too long since I had heard these pieces.

Strong performances overall, though not my favourite for the overtures.. though Chailly is something of a Rossini specialist, his recordings of complete operas from the 90s are some of the best ever done.


----------



## Lisztian




----------



## Crudblud

Scriabin - Piano Works, Vol. 1 (Fergus-Thompson)


----------



## Il_Penseroso

It's the first time for me ... I'm quite tempted to find another recordings of this wonderful work !


----------



## Oskaar

*Hector Berlioz*

Work 
*Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'une artiste, Op.14*

Artists	
Wiener Philharmoniker & Valery Gergiev




http://www.amazon.com/Berlioz-Symph...KNJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326546383&sr=8-1

This work grows at my ... Almost on par with Harold in Italy.
The renditions are very nice and energetic. Excellent nerve.
Nice sound.


----------



## Lenfer

*Benjamin Hudson - Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel [Hybrid SACD]*​


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best*

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.106 Violin Sonata in F-major Op.57 *

Artists	
Jack Liebeck (Artist), Katya Apekisheva (Artist), Dvorak (Composer), Garry Walker (Conductor), Royal Scottish National Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Violin...A2LO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314819781&sr=8-1










*Dvorák: B.120 op Quartet movement*

Artists	
Tuma (Artist), Nejtek (Artist), Panocha Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Miniat...6BR1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316420086&sr=8-1










*Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75 *

Artists	
Vita Cernoch




http://www.amazon.com/Bedrich-Smeta...5IN4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314825122&sr=8-4


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Leopold Dvorák*

Work 
*Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor*

Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic;Justus Frantz




http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-C..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320585630&sr=301-1

I love this piano concerto! Excellent performances. Everything is very well balanced. Great piano, and a great orchestra. Very good sound. This performance is really recommended!










*Dvorák: B.108/96 Violin Concerto in A minor*

Artists
Daniel Barenboim, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Itzhak Perlman




http://www.amazon.com/Dvorák-Concer...F1L9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322924790&sr=8-1

Beautiful violin concerto! I love the instrument, but it seems violin concertos are often a little sentimental. This has something of it, but also much more.
Excellent performances by both violin and orchestra, but the sound is not great. Probably an older recording. But this the performance is so good that I can tolerate a little less good sound.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Piano Sonata No. 3

André Previn


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best*

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Aubade in C, for violin, viola and cello*

Artists	
Lendvai String Trio




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050K2EKO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315225949&sr=8-1

Wonderful, and very optimistic little piece!










*Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pöntinen




http://www.amazon.com/Café-lait-Sha...YJCH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226604&sr=8-1

Absolutely gorgeous!










*Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Rebecca Rust
David Apter




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Cello-...9IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227092&sr=8-1

This is a work that grows. No great work maybe, but very exciting. It explodes at times in a whirlwind of moods and nuances. Quite differently, and open a picture in 3D. Very good performance and sound!


----------



## Lenfer

*David Zinman, Dawn Upshaw & London Sinfonietta - Górecki: Symphony #3*​


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3 , Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and* *Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}.* Both are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Symphony No.3 for piano, chorus and orchestra in C, Op.21*

Artists	
Florentin Mihaescu
Cluj-Napoca Philharmonic Choir
Ion Baciu




http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-Sympho...SH0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315220037&sr=8-1

Enescu is a composer really worth noticing. I am very fond of chamber music, and the intense intimacy that is there. But symphonies of the great kind is landscapes and a musical world in a completely different way.
This is a great symphony! A little bad sound ...But it is a very energic and good performance, so I really enjoy it despice of the sound.










*Enescu: Symphony No.2 in A, Op.17*

Artists	
Foster/Sokolov




http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Enescu-20th-Century-Classics/dp/B006660TS0

A lot easier than Symphony No. 3, but I must probably say that I like # 3 better. but it is great!
Excellent performance and sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gabriel Fauré*

Work 
*Fauré: violin sonata op 108*

Artists	
John Blakely Krzysztof Smietana




http://www.amazon.com/Fauré-Violin-Sonatas/dp/B002Q6SFUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326402574&sr=8-1

This is a brilliant work! The combination of the romantic and the more exploratory is very good. Excellent nerve!
Very nice version, and the sound is good.










*Fauré: violin sonata op 13*

Artists	
Zhou Qian




http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Fantas...SUM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326401599&sr=8-1

fabulous! Truly a great sonata. Dreamy and romantic.
Piano sound is not very good. Otherwise a very nice of performances.


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best.*

*Karl Goldmark*

Work 
Goldmark: Piano Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 30

Goldmark: Piano Quintet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 54

Artists	
Oliver Triendl




http://www.amazon.com/Karl-Goldmark...D264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315736962&sr=8-1

Two absolutely great quintets! Known to me through this one recording, but it is a good recording. Performance is very good, and sound is quite good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Glazunov	*

Work 
Glazunov: Op. 12: Poème Lyrique in D-flat major for orchestra

Artists
Konstantine Krimets, Moscow Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Krem...SSTS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325764787&sr=8-1

Quite a nice piece. very romantic and endearing. The more I listen, the more I love it! Performance is very good, but the sound is average.










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 13: Stenka Razin, symphonic poem in B minor*

Artists
The London Symphony Orchestra 
Yondani Butt




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...RQFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325765408&sr=8-1

Glazunov's great is his symphonies, but perhaps more tentative in his other orchestral works. But this piece definitely has it's charm! The renditions are very nice. The sound is average.










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 14: Two Pieces for orchestra*

Artists
Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Sere...BGEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325766025&sr=8-1

Sound is not good..irritating interruptions.. Avoid this one.










Work 
*Glazunov: Op. 14: Two Pieces for orchestra*

Artists
Romanian State Orchestra
Horia Andreescu




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Orch...PK26/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325765895&sr=8-2

Very nice pieces,well performed, but the sound is not very good.










*Glazunov: Op. 18: Mazurka in G major for orchestra*

Artists
Tadaaki Otaka, Bbc National Orchestra Of Wales




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...IRVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325847188&sr=8-1

No favorite .. Pretty boring.










*Glazunov: Op. 19: The Forest, fantasy in C-sharp minor for orchestra*

Artists
Alexander Anissimov and Moscow State Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Symp...SSJ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325847487&sr=8-1

Much more exciting than the boring Mazurka. But still somewhat stagnant. Performances have a lot and say, and Anissimov is not the best of symphonies, in any case.. but the work is fine, and the performance is not bad.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor*


----------



## NightHawk

HOLY SMOKES, FOLKS. THESE ARE INCREDIBLE RECORDINGS OF INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. 5*****'s.


----------



## NightHawk

You are so lucky to have heard the legendary John Browning live, and I agree with your comments about the piano concerto - also Barber's Piano Sonata. Back to Browning - he recorded with Boston, back in the early 70's or late 60's all the Prokofiev Concerti and I have never heard the equal. I can't get it out of my head and to my knowledge the cycle has not been re-released on CD. Pity!



starthrower said:


> *Barberiano Concerto, Op.38*
> 
> Piano Concerto is far more exciting than the violin concerto. Really a great work. Very nicely played ... great piano and great sound.


I've always felt that Barber's piano concerto doesn't get enough attention. I first heard it performed live by the Syracuse Symphony with John Browning on piano and it stuck in my head after I left the concert hall. I couldn't shake it, so I had to go out and by a recording.[/QUOTE]


----------



## Vaneyes

Sibelius works for string quartet, Tempera Quartet (BIS, Vols. 2 & 3).

















2004/05 recordings, Lanna Church Sweden.


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
Janácek: Pohadka JW 7/5

Artists	
Bohuslav Pavlas
Hana Dvorakova




http://www.amazon.com/Berühmte-Werk...65MM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320328235&sr=8-2

It is the first version of this great work in which the introduction, which is quite important, played velvet soft. This is an absolutely brilliant version! Wonderful sound. Recommended warmely!










*Janácek: Youth JW 7/10*

Artists	
Sebastian Bell
Martin Gatt
Michael Harris
Antony Pay




http://www.amazon.com/Janácek-Sinfo...OGHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320412464&sr=8-1

Enchanting works! Janacek is a wonderful composer. Excellent sound, perhaps a little harsh tones in between .. But the performance is excellent.


----------



## NightHawk

If you like ELEKTRA, This recording of Strauss Scenes (also Salome) is the stuff of dreams. Inge Borkh is superb, not to mention the Chicago Symphony with Fritz Reiner!!!



AndyS said:


> Strauss' Elektra conducted by Solti. Listened through a couple of times, but this is the first time listened properly with the big headphones and the libretto
> 
> Very dramatic stuff, Nilsson is tremendous


----------



## Oskaar

*Nightime music.*

I am going to bed, but I am sort of tired, but not tired....Then I must que up some great music.....

I chose these:

All are 10 out of 10 overall(concidering performance, work, and sound.

Barber:Cello Concerto, in A-, Op.22
Wendy Warner
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop

Barberiano Concerto, Op.38

Stephen Prutsman
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Marin Alsop

Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58

Artists	
Olli Mustonen (Conductor, Performer), Tapiola Sinfonietta

Berwald: Piano Concerto No.1 in D

Artists	
Ulf Björlin/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Bloch: Concertino for Flute, Viola and Strings

Artists	
Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève*

Brahms : Op. 78, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major

Artists	
Pinchas Zukerman & Daniel Barenboim

Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1

Artists	
Quatuor Ebene

Dvorák: B.150 Romantické kusy (Romantic Pieces) Op.75

Artists	
Vita Cernoch

Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor

Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic;Justus Frantz

I thimk it is enough to sleep in to...


----------



## science

I think this is from the 50 year anniversary DHM box.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 5 In C# Minor*

Continuing to listen through this excellent set of Mahler Symphonies - just finished No. 4 and now moving on to No. 5


----------



## starthrower

NightHawk said:


> You are so lucky to have heard the legendary John Browning live, and I agree with your comments about the piano concerto - also Barber's Piano Sonata. Back to Browning - he recorded with Boston, back in the early 70's or late 60's all the Prokofiev Concerti and I have never heard the equal. I can't get it out of my head and to my knowledge the cycle has not been re-released on CD. Pity!


I only recently acquired Browning's recording of the Barber concerto. After hearing it live about 15 years ago, I bought a Vox collection of Barber/Hanson recordings with the piano concerto by another soloist. It's actually a pretty nice 2-CD set that retails for five bucks. http://www.amazon.com/Music-Samuel-Barber/dp/B000001K3Y

Interestingly enough I heard a rebroadcast of the concert I attended on the local classical station earlier this year.


----------



## science

A new purchase.


----------



## Guest

Catching up with my new purchases.

I can now say with some confidence that this Sinfonietta:









sounds better than this one:









I'm less keen about the Glagolitic Mass, but its okay.


----------



## kv466

Wow! Nice to see all the John Browning love...I honestly didn't know much about him and now feel very lucky myself at having seen him twice; the first time in the second row right in front of him and watching his every nuance. It was at a Saturday after concert on Miami Beach with the New World Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas and it was the first time I see an orchestra all come out in jeans and t's and sneakers including Browning. I went not knowing who this magnificent pianist was rather to see one of my favorite concertos at the time, the Tchaikovsky no.1. I was already an Earl Wild fan and was watching JB under a microscope and he did not disappoint in any way. As I recall, every moment of the concerto was an absolute delight; orchestra and pianist. I have a few other recordings of his but I think I'll pull out the disc I have of his playing the very concerto that introduced me to him...it also has the violin concerto which is actually my favorite version of it by Friedman. The disc I have has a different cover but it is the same recording.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Samuel Barber--*Piano Concerto, Op.38, *with pianist Stephen Prutsman and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra led by Marin Alsop. I especially liked its elegaic 2nd Movement: Stephen Prutsman - Piano Concerto, Op. 38: II. Canzone: Moderato.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat major, Op.4, *performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ivan Anguelov.


----------



## Conor71

*Brian: Symphony No. 1, "The Gothic"*

Listening to this newly arrived recording for the first time - I like it!, very cool 8)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Philip Glass: Company


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Wow! Nice to see all the John Browning love...I honestly didn't know much about him and now feel very lucky myself at having seen him twice.


I was able to see him once on the Ravel G Major Concerto. As they played the last note, the conductor immediately turned to him, and as the pianist looked up, the conductor gave an energetic gesture of affirmation, as though they both recognized something special just happened.

This morning, *Glazunov's 4th symphony* by Rozhdestvensky. As Rimsky-Korsakov exclaimed, "How wonderfully, nobly and expressively it sounds."


----------



## NightHawk

This morning listening to Edmund Rubbra symphonies (there are 11) - a recently acquired box set excellently performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the baton of Richard Hickox, and a great addition to my symphony cycle collection and recommended by a TC regular. I had never heard Rubbra's music and am enjoying very much his distinctly tonal, yet highly original style. These are very listenable works, moody, dramatic, and ones that engage the ear consistently. He brings Sibelius to mind, not that he is 'channeling' S, but in the way he manages large tonal areas that are textural rather than melodically driven. His use of repetition and manner of transition are extremely noteworthy, but like S, he is no minimalist. I remember a comment by the American composer John (Nixon in China) Adams... "I often don't know where I am"... when listening to certain passages of Sibelius - it was in praise of being temporarily lost within the formal structure of a particular movement. This thought rings out the same way for me in Rubbra's symphonies. Not cheap at $65 new for a 5-disc set, but I don't regret a single penny of it.


----------



## starthrower

Interesting! I'd never heard of Rubbra.


----------



## NightHawk

Sym No 1, III - Lento





Sym No. 2, II - Scherzo: vivace


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoš Janácek*

Work 
*Janácek: Violin Sonata JV 7/7*

Artists	
Matthew Trusler
Martin Roscoe




http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Recita...3C66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320330557&sr=8-1

Great playing, but some hidden sound.










*
Janácek: Srting Quartet No 1 JW 7/8*

Artists
Skampa Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Strin...NU9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320332763&sr=8-1

Intense and captivating quartet. Not the best performance but quite good sound.










Janácek: String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" JW 7/13

Artists
Petersen quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Berg-Quartet-..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320414431&sr=301-1

Performance and sound is medium here to


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Malédiction, for piano and string orchestra, S.121*

Artists	
Sergiu Commissona
Vancouver s.o.
Jerome Löwentahl




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Works-P...JISI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317648857&sr=8-1

Beautiful and very interesting piece. Very romantic. I become more and more fond of Lizt and his musical language. Great played, but the sound is not good.










*Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy, S.123*

Artists	
Ussr State Symphony Orchestra
Vladimir Verbitsky




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Les-Pre...AQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1317642943&sr=8-16

Medium sound, and no good version










*Liszt: Totentanz (Dance of Death), S.126, R.457*

Artists	
Seiji Ozawa (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Krystian Zimerman (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-C...1G9B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669678&sr=8-1

Brilliant sound and prformance!


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124*

Artists	
Orchestre symphonique de Radio-Télé Luxembourg, France Clidat, Pierre Cao




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Concert...J7CO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317668990&sr=8-2

A fantastic concert! No good performance. The sound is not great.










*Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A, S.125*

Artists	
Rudolf Kerer




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Piano-Concertos/dp/B003EO73F4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317669471&sr=8-1

I'm bad with listening today
. Steer clear!


----------



## Guest

I've been jumping around a lot today:

Earlier:








Is it just me, or do I detect a bit of Wagner here?

Just finished Cello Sonata #2:








Some day I'll be able to say which Cello Sonata is my favorite - this one will certainly be in the running.

Now playing:








This piano music just does something to me -- really magical. And I'm no big fan of piano music. Also, by the way, it's hard to understand how Liszt got a bad reputation with piano music this good. Maybe some of his stuff is crass, but certainly not this.

Started the day with:








More acerbic than romantic, but very good.

Lots of other odds and ends today:
Ravel - Scheherazade / Naxos
Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March / Naxos
Reicha - Wind Quintet Op. 91/1 / Naxos
etc.


----------



## Guest

First: Borodin Cello Sonata (1860)









I'm gonna stick my neck out and declare that Borodin was the first truly talented Russian composer -- maybe Alyabiev should get some credit for his "Salaviei"; but Glinka was mediocre; Balakirev wrote his Grand Fantaisie at 15 and proceeded to go downhill; and Rubinstein was more hit-or-miss.

Next: Pejacevic Piano Trio (1912)









For those who keep track of such things, Dora Pejacevic is another wonderful but neglected female composer. Croatian -- died in childbirth at 38.


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


>


Interesting how they used a painting by Mendelssohn as a cover for a Liszt album.


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> Work
> *Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'une artiste, Op.14*
> 
> ...
> ... Almost on par with Harold in Italy.
> ...


You're not the first to prefer_ Harold in Italy _to _Symphonie Fantastique_. If that's what you mean. Some people do like "the sequeL" more than "the original." But I don't think I have a strong preference between them, they're so different...


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to *Bernstein's ballet Dybbuk*, from the Naxos disc below.

An interesting work, it's in three sections. The first one more or less an introduction, the second a set of variations, and the third has the most interesting bits as regards the plot.

This has quite a bit of atonality, the notes say, but overall it has Bernstein's usual focus on strong thematic unity and a good deal of melody. He could have called it a symphony if he'd wanted to - it lasts around 45 minutes.

The story involves an exorcism of a dybbuk, which in Jewish folklore is like a spirit that posesses people. The portrait of the demon in the last part is quite rhythmic, involving a very agile cello solo, sounds near impossible to play.

There are also two male singers in this, but they don't get many parts. They sing melodies based on Hebrew chants. That kind of vibe does go through this music quite a bit.

Overall, pretty enjoyable and an interesting contrast to the other ballet here, the quite popular _Fancy Free_, which I've known for yonks...


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> A first listen to *Bernstein's ballet Dybbuk*, from the Naxos disc below.
> 
> An interesting work, it's in three sections. The first one more or less an introduction, the second a set of variations, and the third has the most interesting bits as regards the plot.
> 
> This has quite a bit of atonality, the notes say, but overall it has Bernstein's usual focus on strong thematic unity and a good deal of melody. He could have called it a symphony if he'd wanted to - it lasts around 45 minutes.
> 
> The story involves an exorcism of a dybbuk, which in Jewish folklore is like a spirit that posesses people. The portrait of the demon in the last part is quite rhythmic, involving a very agile cello solo, sounds near impossible to play.
> 
> There are also two male singers in this, but they don't get many parts. They sing melodies based on Hebrew chants. That kind of vibe does go through this music quite a bit.
> 
> Overall, pretty enjoyable and an interesting contrast to the other ballet here, the quite popular _Fancy Free_, which I've known for yonks...


Do you know if Dybbuk is similar at all to his 3rd symphony? Sounds like it might occupy a similar soundworld.


----------



## Sid James

violadude said:


> Do you know if Dybbuk is similar at all to his 3rd symphony? Sounds like it might occupy a similar soundworld.


Yes it was composed not long after the 3rd (Kaddish) symphony. Similar style, yes, but nowhere as near as much vocal parts in Dybbuk. AS I said, the two singer guys get very little of the limelight. It's like 95 per cent or so orchestral. All up I enjoyed it (listened twice) and I think it's possibly one of the man's finest works...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Dvorák: Symphony no. 5






They didn't repeat the exposition in the first movement. :scold:


----------



## science

Handel Variations.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}. *Both works are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, *featuring Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: String Quartet in C minor, Op.51, No.1 arranged for four hands piano
Raff: Symphony No.8 "Frühlingsklänge"


----------



## starthrower

Donald Erb-Symphony Of Overtures


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Also listening to Donald Erb: Symphony Of Overtures


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Piano sonata in d, kv284; sonata in c, kv309; sonata in d, kv311
Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Anton Bruckner*

Work 
*Bruckner: Symphony No.1 in C-, WAB101*

Artists	
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckne...LNFO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326026626&sr=8-1

Wonderful symphony! Very good performance, but average sound.










*Bruckner: Symphony No.2 in C-, WAB102*

Artists	
Conductors: Thomas Dausgaard
Swedish Chamber Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AC0TR8/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1326035111&sr=8-1

Other listening to this symphony, and I like it much better now. Good, but not exceptional performance. A little flat, both in sound and performance. but not bad.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Symphony in B-flat for Band

North Texas Wind Symphony


----------



## AndyS

Beethoven's Missa Solemnis conducted by Klemperer


----------



## AndyS

NightHawk said:


> If you like ELEKTRA, This recording of Strauss Scenes (also Salome) is the stuff of dreams. Inge Borkh is superb, not to mention the Chicago Symphony with Fritz Reiner!!!


Thanks. I've heard of Inge but not actually heard her singing - was actually going to check out her recording of Elektra with Bohm, as I'm led to believe she's one of the best interpreters of it on record. But I may seek out that instead


----------



## Oskaar

Album

*A. sibertin blanc 40ème anniversaire de l'orgue de la cathédrale de lisbonne*

*Max reger : passacaille 
Manuel rodrigues coelho 
Antonio correa braga : bataille 6ème ton 
Juan cabanilles : tiento
Carlos seixas : sonate en do mineur 
Francisco xavier baptista : allegro comodo con variazioni 
sibertin blanc : suite portugaise *

Artist:

Antoine Sibertin Blanc




http://www.amazon.com/sibertin-anni...GWNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326731035&sr=8-1

I have listened to little to organ music. This is a quite fine recording. Not the absoluyely best sound though.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

Nicolas Flagello, *The Passion of Martin Luther King*.

A well-written neo-romatic tribute to MLK, interspersing Catholic liturgy with excerpts from his speeches, in a committed performance by James DePriest, whose involvement in the piece was such that he was even instrumental in convincing the composer to change the ending.


----------



## Crudblud

Test driving potential new external sound card. I haven't bought it yet, my friend lent it to me.

Messiaen - L'ascension (Latry)
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe (Monteux)


----------



## opus55

Getting my sweet dose of Mozart piano concerto

MOzart: Piano Concertos No.21, K.467 and No.27, K.595


----------



## starthrower

Going through my Sallinen CPO box. Some very fine music!


----------



## Crudblud

Sonatas Kk 78, 97, 105, 120, 124, 125, 128, 137, 140, 143 & 150 (Ross)

Just picked a few out from the Ross box set at random.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : Op. 78, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major*

Artists	
Kristin Merscher




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Cello-...13VU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326729953&sr=8-3

Sonata is absolutely beautiful, and the performance is very nice! Great interplay between violin and piano. The sound is not the best.










*Brahms : String Quartet No.1 in C-, Op.51, No.1*

Artists	
Ludwig Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...USHI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324213202&sr=8-3

I keep being assigned to one or another dark crime series from the early 1900s when I hear the beginning of this quartet ... hehe .. But it is a perfectly lovely quartet! Very good version, and the sound is excellent.










*
Brahms : String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2*

Artists	
Guarneri Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...JNDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324220248&sr=8-1

Very good sound! And beautiful performance.


----------



## Eviticus

Mir ist so wunderbar - Fidelio

I'm no connoisseur of opera by any stretch... but i know what i like.


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best*

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.1 in G- ('Sérieuse')*

Artists	
Herbert Blomstedt (Artist), San Francisco Symphony




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Symph...E54X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318419965&sr=8-1

I really appreciate the symphony! Very nice of performances, and pretty good sound.


----------



## Crudblud

Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 1
Schumann - Symphonic Études
Chopin - Grand valse brillante
Grieg - Ballade

Rubinstein


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2*, by Vladmir Ashkenazy and Andre Previn.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Here's some "lush" music here... especially Berg's richly orchestrated songs.


----------



## AndyS

Tennstedt's live Mahler's 5th. At least I think it's live, it's the one included in EMIs Mahler boxset


----------



## Crudblud

With the LSO?


----------



## AndyS

LPO (it is live, I just checked)


----------



## Vaneyes

The late great de Larrocha brought back to life with Albeniz Rapsodia espanola, Iberia, and Navarra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work 
*Liszt: Die Ideale*

Artists	
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Michael Halasz




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQQT58/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1317895859&sr=8-1

Quite messy performance. I really like the work, but I dont find this performance very good. It is like the orchestra dont know what to do with the music, and then perform very uneven. The sound is not very good, but not bad.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images
/I/51mf9g45G1L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

*
Liszt: Hunnenschlacht, S.105*

Artists	
Hermann Scherchen (Conductor), Vienna State Opera Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Hungari...RIH3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317988313&sr=8-1

Very bad sound. Something must be wrong digitally.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bernstein, The Age of Anxiety*, his musical depiction of W.H. Auden's poem about "children afraid of the night, who have never been happy or good."

This is my only recording, but the sound is outstanding, and I can't fault the performance.


----------



## kv466




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bach: Violin Partita no. 2


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

*Barber: Serenade for String Quartet (or string orchestra), Op.1*

Endellion String Quartet




http://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Barber...SQS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312626085&sr=8-1

Barber is not as mysterious as he can be in this work. But he is wonderfully evocative and melodic! A wonderful work!
Excellent performance. Unequalled interaction. And nice sound. Recommended for real!










*Barber: String Quartet in B, Op.11*

Nancy Bean




http://www.amazon.com/Philadelphia-...Z74C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312643700&sr=8-1

Barber is more modern here. The piece has a phenomenal energy and nerve, which is projected very great of performers. Adagio for strings originate from here ... Nice sound.


----------



## starthrower

kv466 said:


>


Them girls is great! I think one of them is married to John McLaughlin. I loved those records they did together in the early 80s.


----------



## kv466

^^

I had the pleasure of seeing them live once and they are, indeed!


----------



## opus55

Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Suite No.2
Shostakovich: Symphony No.4


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hildegard of Bingen, *A Feather on the Breath of God*.

That abbess sure could wend her way around a mode.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*4* *in* *A* *Minor*, *Op*.*63*, with Lorin Maazel leading the Vienna Philharmonic.
Aaron Copland*--Symphony* *No*.*3* *and* *Symphony* *for* *Organ* *and* *Orchestra**{Symphony No.1}. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic and organist E. Power Biggs under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## samurai

@ Opus55, What do you think of the Haitnik Shostakovich cycle? Would you recommend its purchase to someone who likes Shostakovich and is in the market to buy his complete symphonies?


----------



## Vaneyes

starthrower said:


> Them girls is great! I think one of them is married to John McLaughlin. I loved those records they did together in the early 80s.


Katia's his former wife. Mahavishnu's remarried. Don't know if Katia has.

Marielle is married to conductor Bychkov.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This recording has nee the recipient of some rather mixed reviews, with Abbado accused of being overly fussy and Renée Fleming's finale faulted with sounding overly mannered in an attempt to portray the character of an innocent child... although almost all reviews are unanimous in their praise for Fleming and Abbado's performance of the Alban Berg _Sieben Frühe Lieder_ which were the reason behind my purchasing this disc. Admittedly, I am not a Mahlerian to the point of being able to compare this performance of his 4th to several others. I have recordings of the 4th by Bernstein (with Reri Grist) and Reiner (with the great Lisa della Casa)... both of which I am more than satisfied with.

Honestly, I cannot fault this performance. The Berlin Philharmonic is transcendent... able to cut through and hold together the passages of the greatest chaos while illuminating the exquisite third movement with a crystalline clarity. As a sworn admirer of Renée Fleming I must admit that my bias is such that it would surely take a stupendous failing on her part for me to turn against her. having said as much, I will also admit that singers can and are indeed miscast on occasion. Fleming's voice is full, rich, sensuous, and "womanly". She is not the first singer I'd think of for a role like Cio-Cio San, Susanna from Le Nozze di Figaro, or other more "girlish" roles. The fourth movement sets the text of _Das himmlische Leben_ from _Des Knaben Wunderhorn_ as a child's narrative voiced by a soprano... presenting a sunny, naive vision of Heaven yet a vision laden with its darker elements: the child makes it clear that the heavenly feast takes place at the expense of animals, including a sacrificed lamb. Fleming is not the first singer I would have thought of for this role. Della Casa may have been the best... capturing a child-like innocence and yet not abandoning the serious overtones and slipping into something comic that would have completely undermined Mahler's intentions. I don't get the notion that Fleming comes off as some pursed lipped brat, at one of the worst reviews suggested. I do agree that there is a sense that she is holding back or attempting to hide a voice too big for the role. But then I wonder whether the composer were not to blame in part... expecting a soprano to play the role of a choirboy. Nevertheless, this is all really splitting hairs. Fleming performs admirably and one cannot imagine a choirboy or a lesser "girlish" singer handling the more lyrical and rich passages anywhere near as well.

As for Alban Berg's _Sieben Frühe Lieder_. For whatever reason... in spite of my own admitted passion for song and assuredly for orchestral songs... I only recently became aware of these exquisite works. Listening to these works almost leads me to a greater level of dislike for Schoenberg. Like Adorno, I'm led to wonder just what Berg might have achieved as a tonal composer. These early songs already suggest the richness of Strauss' finer works honed with a more "lyrical"... almost "impressionist" sensibility. Fleming's performance is absolutely delicious... perhaps less heroic but more "vulnerable" than Jessye Norman's equally stunning rendition.


----------



## opus55

@ samurai - It is generally satisfying therefore would recommend it. Sound is great and the performance is good to excellent - two important factors for me to start enjoying a cycle of works by a composer I'm not very familiar with. For most of the symphonies, this is my first recording/listen. I'm terrible at explaining what I hear so bear with me 

I have two other recordings I can compare. Bernstein's 1 & 7 (DG): I like the invasion theme in Bernstein's 7th recording better as it seems more dramatic. I do not know, however, if it is an important aspect of the symphony or whether it is how DSCH intended it. Mravinsky 10th (Erato): even with audience coughing and dry sound, his performance is just brutal to a point it's scary; Mravinsky's performance somehow does not leave any doubt that this is how DSCH intended!

From these comparisons, Haitink's complete cycle probably can be considered great but perhaps "middle of the road". The latter aspect I think makes this set a great choice as the first DSCH cycle to own.

Currently listening

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No.2


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bach: Concerto for violin and oboe BWV 1060


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> @ samurai - It is generally satisfying therefore would recommend it. Sound is great and the performance is good to excellent - two important factors for me to start enjoying a cycle of works by a composer I'm not very familiar with. For most of the symphonies, this is my first recording/listen. I'm terrible at explaining what I hear so bear with me
> 
> I have two other recordings I can compare. Bernstein's 1 & 7 (DG): I like the invasion theme in Bernstein's 7th recording better as it seems more dramatic. I do not know, however, if it is an important aspect of the symphony or whether it is how DSCH intended it. Mravinsky 10th (Erato): even with audience coughing and dry sound, his performance is just brutal to a point it's scary; Mravinsky's performance somehow does not leave any doubt that this is how DSCH intended!
> 
> From these comparisons, Haitink's complete cycle probably can be considered great but perhaps "middle of the road". The latter aspect I think makes this set a great choice as the first DSCH cycle to own.


opus55, I think you're onto something with that review. I needed someone else for 7 & 10, also...finally choosing Jarvi and HvK respectively. And Rozhdestvensky for 4, Bychkov for 11, Ormandy for 15.

I don't have high demands for 1, 2, 3, 13, 14, my least favorite, but I thought Haitink did them exceptionally well.

His supreme gifts for me were 5, 6, 8, 9, 12.

Overall, for evenness and sound, the set's a leader.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Claudio Abbado conducting Verdi's Requiem:


----------



## opus55

@ Vaneyes - my review sounds somewhat unenthusiastic about Haitink cycle but it is truely a great set. Even for 7th and 10th for which I prefer others, Haitink is very very close to being just as great. I'd love to try Karajan's 10th. For 5th, neither Haitink or Rostropovich (Teldec) did it for me. What are other options for 5th?

Listening to

Bruckner: Symphony No.9


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> @ Vaneyes - my review sounds somewhat unenthusiastic about Haitink cycle but it is truely a great set. Even for 7th and 10th for which I prefer others, Haitink is very very close to being just as great. I'd love to try Karajan's 10th. For 5th, neither Haitink or Rostropovich (Teldec) did it for me. What are other options for 5th?


----------



## Sid James

*Chicago - The musical*
Fred Ebb, lyricist / John Kander, music & book / Bob Fosse, book
Cast leads - Ruthie Henshall, Ute Lemper, Henry Goodman, Nigel Planer / Orch. conducted by Gareth Valentine / Recorded London, 1998.
(RCA / BMG)

First listen to this, from the same team who bought us_ Cabaret_.

Apart from_ All that Jazz_, that has gotten a life of it's own as a jazz standard, the rest was largely new to me.

Overall this is a pretty dark musical, focused on the underbelly of life in Chicago in the 1920's. YOu know, the gangsters, the femme fatales, the organised crime, etc.

A lot of it is set in a women's prison, full of women who bumped off their husbands or boyfriends for various reasons.

Two of the women, the two female leads here, conspire to get out and make it big time in showbiz.

This they do, with a fair deal of corruption, and this musical is a critique of corruption in American society.

The songs are quite full on, the lyrics full of cynicism and not holding back on sarcasm and a kind of black humour.

Not my cup of tea really, but I can't fault it, at least they're not sugar coating reality. Compared to this, _Cabaret_ is easier to take, the "bad guys" in that are the Nazis of 1930's Berlin, in _Chicago_, I don't see any character as particularly bad or good. They're all in between, in the shadows, ambigious.

Anyway, this was my first impressions of this recording, overall it was good to hear...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Takemitsu, *From me flows what you call Time*.


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen*
_Springtime in Funen (Fynsk Forar), Op. 42 _(soprano, tenor, bass, children's choir, choir, orch.)(1921)
_Suite from Aladdin for orch. _(1919/1926)
_Three Motets, Op. 55 for a capella choir_ (1929)
- Soloists / Univ. Choir "Little Muko" / Odense SO / Tamas Veto, cond.
(Regis)

A listen to this after quite a while

_*Springtime in Funen *_is a fun piece, reflecting on the composer's childhood on the island. Although his family was poor, his memories growing up there were good. I like the song of the blind musician sung by the bass, he sings of playing his clarinet, and then the children rush in, the boy soloist singing deliberately off key (or sound to be that). Another favourite part is the description of the orchards in the spring, the three vocalists singing, very lyrical and poetic.

The _*Aladdin Suite *_is very exotic. I esp. like the market scene, which much like Ives, had four different melodies playing at once in layerings. Very modern, and it also reminded me of Khatchaturian quite a bit. I'm not sure how Nielsen came to write music that sounds like that of the Middle East, how he knew that style in the early 20th century. I doubt he'd have travelled that far, for example.

The final work shows how much Nielsen had travelled stylistically in about a decade. It is one of his final works. These *Three Motets*, sung in Latin, show Nielsen moving towards a more pared down and dissonant, stark style. The notes say he studied the scores of Palestrina as he was writing this work.

All in all, an hour well spent, this album is a joy...


----------



## Guest

Milos!









I was reluctant to get this because it seems so, dunno, pretty boy. But after sampling I decided to take the plunge and I'm glad I did.

Classical guitar is very pleasant from time to time, almost no matter who plays it. Beyond that, I would recommend this because:
1) The sound is perfect
2) Clearly Milos has technique to burn. 
3) Milos has a wonderful style - he seems very patient with the music
4) The selections are reasonably diverse and fresh.

The net result is not exactly relaxing - more like mesmerizing.


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

@Opus55, Thanks so much for your input on the Haitnik cycle; I have him doing Shostakovich's *5th* and *9th* *Symphonies.* I would recommend Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for the 5th; also, I believe Bernstein might have done this with the New York Philharmonic, but I'll have to look on Spotify to make sure. But I do definitely think you'd enjoy Petrenko and his reading of this work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

BPS said:


> Milos!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was reluctant to get this because it seems so, dunno, pretty boy. But after sampling I decided to take the plunge and I'm glad I did.
> 
> Classical guitar is very pleasant from time to time, almost no matter who plays it. Beyond that, I would recommend this because:
> 1) The sound is perfect
> 2) Clearly Milos has technique to burn.
> 3) Milos has a wonderful style - he seems very patient with the music
> 4) The selections are reasonably diverse and fresh.
> 
> The net result is not exactly relaxing - more like mesmerizing.


That CD has made me want to learn Domeniconi's "Koyunbaba."


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> *Chicago - The musical*
> Fred Ebb, lyricist / John Kander, music & book / Bob Fosse, book
> Cast leads - Ruthie Henshall, Ute Lemper, Henry Goodman, Nigel Planer / Orch. conducted by Gareth Valentine / Recorded London, 1998.
> (RCA / BMG)
> 
> First listen to this, from the same team who bought us_ Cabaret_.
> 
> Apart from_ All that Jazz_, that has gotten a life of it's own as a jazz standard, the rest was largely new to me.
> 
> Overall this is a pretty dark musical, focused on the underbelly of life in Chicago in the 1920's. YOu know, the gangsters, the femme fatales, the organised crime, etc.
> 
> A lot of it is set in a women's prison, full of women who bumped off their husbands or boyfriends for various reasons.
> 
> Two of the women, the two female leads here, conspire to get out and make it big time in showbiz.
> 
> This they do, with a fair deal of corruption, and this musical is a critique of corruption in American society.
> 
> The songs are quite full on, the lyrics full of cynicism and not holding back on sarcasm and a kind of black humour.
> 
> Not my cup of tea really, but I can't fault it, at least they're not sugar coating reality. Compared to this, _Cabaret_ is easier to take, the "bad guys" in that are the Nazis of 1930's Berlin, in _Chicago_, I don't see any character as particularly bad or good. They're all in between, in the shadows, ambigious.
> 
> Anyway, this was my first impressions of this recording, overall it was good to hear...


I saw two stage productions of Chicago in the '80's. Great fun. My favorite was the low-budget with perfect casting consisting of pros and amateurs. You have to see these things, more than hear them. Phantom, Cats, and Annie were good, too.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Robert Schumann: Overture, Scherzo, and Finale (1841)*
A fun little work that begs visual accompaniment. Only the finale really holds its own. Very Beethoven-esque and very crisp orchestration, rejecting the claims that Schumann's orchestration was lacking.

*Bedrich Smetana: Piano Trio (1855)*
This is one of Smetana's finest works, greater even then his two string quartets. At first I was a little put off, as it seemed the cello was always either in unison with the violin, or doubling the bass of the piano. However, upon further listen I realized the violin was doubling the treble just as much, and I began to view it not as 3 instruments having a conversation, but as three instruments working together. That isn't to say there isn't any discussion, but much of the material, especially at it's most critical points are the instruments playing extensions of each other. The work itself is filled with wonderful melodies and moments of extreme drama that only the mid romantics can give. It's a youthful work, and a little more germanic that his later works, though there are some Czech folk like elements, particularly in the last movement. The trio has no slow movement, and at a half hour breezes by quite quickly.

*Claude Debussy: Preludes, Book 1 (1910)*
This set of works is one which I've long heard held in great esteem. Being familiar with much of Debussy's earlier piano works, this seems more like a compendium of what he could do with the piano. Textures, both sparse and glittering are abundant, as well as rich harmonies and a rhythmic freedom. The famous _Sunken Cathedral_ must be the most beautiful of the set. I've heard these compared to Chopin's preludes, but I really think they're more like his etudes, as there is no clear story linking movement to movement.

*Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in D for Left Hand (1932)*
Following in the footsteps of Korngold, Prokofiev, and Janacek, Ravel seems up to the task of writing for the same instrumentation. In one large movement, this concerto is much more cohesive then his other, though I find the material to be a bit less attractive, and a little unrewarding in its development. Even still, the piece has a great amount of character and moments of sheer beauty, especially towards the end.

*Samuel Barber: Mélodies Passagères (1952)*
Now it's Barber following in the steps of Ravel, as these songs seem like they could have come straight from his opera. The material here is very attractive, and much more sparse then the usual Barber. Like _Excursions_ and his _Piano Sonata_, this song cycle showcases the composers versatility more then anything.

*Terry Riley: In C (1964)*
Another work I'd heard a lot about beforehand. I'm not sure if I quite get it, and I have a feeling that in order to understand I either have to have lived through the 60's, or abuse some substances while listening. From the perspective of a sober 20 something though, it's easy to hear that this is a landmark work filled with interesting ideas. There's a lot going on and it's easy to get lost (which I suppose is the idea). I also feel like my reaction would be drastically different depending on which recording I was listening to. Either way a very cool piece, and the start of some refreshing and engaging ideas down the road.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I saw two stage productions of Chicago in the '80's. Great fun. My favorite was the low-budget with perfect casting consisting of pros and amateurs...


Sounds good.



> ...You have to see these things, more than hear them...


I agree, I will look out for the movie, I think Richard Gere is in it, I'll try to get my hands on that given a chance.



> ...
> Phantom, Cats, and Annie were good, too.


I like Phantom but don't know the other two much outside their big numbers. These are all quite popular in this country...


----------



## Sid James

Clementine said:


> ...
> *Samuel Barber: Mélodies Passagères (1952)*
> Now it's Barber following in the steps of Ravel, as these songs seem like they could have come straight from his opera. The material here is very attractive, and much more sparse then the usual Barber. Like _Excursions_ and his *Piano Sonata*, this song cycle showcases the composers versatility more then anything. ...


I know Barber wrote that in Paris, but I'd not thought of similarities with Ravel until you mentioned them. Agreed, it's a masterwork. He was a master at sensitively setting and illustrating the text. The images of nature combined with the man's emotions could not be better done, imo. I also like the other two works you mention, for solo piano. But I think you're right re the Ravel comparison in a way, Barber was the most European sounding of his American contemporaries. The only "Americana" piece of work coming from him I can think of is_ Knoxville Summer of 1915_, another great piece of artsong that's worth hearing if you haven't yet...


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen*--Symphony** No.**5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice*"}. Both works feature Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Clementine

Sid James said:


> The only "Americana" piece of work coming from him I can think of is_ Knoxville Summer of 1915_, another great piece of artsong that's worth hearing if you haven't yet...


Yep, it's one of my favorites! Just have to listen to Hermit Songs and then I'll be familiar with all his songs.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I think any Sibelius fans would really enjoy Hugo Alfven. His music is just full of melody and beautiful lushness. His complete symphonies are available as a box set. Neeme Jarvi and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Here is the spotify link:















Kevin


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*
*
Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in Eb, Op.82 *

Artist

New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...2E/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1323259296&sr=8-13

I have not heard so much of the symphony, and on first listening, I loved it. But now I think it's great, dynamic and adventurous.
Performance is great, but the sound is not quite on top.










*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
Adrian Leaper, Jean Sibelius and Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322837451&sr=1-1

Wonderful version and great sound! The symphony I like better and better.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Henry DuMont, *Motets pour la Chapelle de Lous XIV*.

Sacred music in the French Baroque is fun to hear, very melodic, with interesting orchestration, and each section moves into the next without interruption, so as different textures move in and out, the piece has a kaleidoscopic effect.


----------



## kmhrm

Richter's recording of lizst's concertos and the piano sonata/fantasie in B-minor.










I have only listened to the second concerto, that was immensly powerful and dreamlike. It destroys the stereotype of Lizst as a technical showman.

The sonata in B-minor was just intelligent.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Märchenbilder, for viola and piano, Op.113*

Artists	
Jenny Abel, Roberto Szidon




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...GRE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319375721&sr=8-1

beautiful! Great interaction and nice sound.










*Schumann: Märchenerzählungen, for clarinet, viola, and piano, Op.132*

Artists	
Stanley Drucker, Joseph Robingson, L. William Kuyper, Hecht & Shapiro




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...59MG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319457628&sr=8-1

The clarinet is beautiful. Otherwise it's all a bit flat and tame. Nice work.










*Schumann: Andante and Variations for 2 pianos, 2 cellos and horn (original version of Op.46)*

Artists	
Tobias Koch




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Pian...B0/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1319374031&sr=8-14

A bit distant sound. Not the most exciting of Schumann. And performance is uninspired.










*Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in Ab, for horn (or cello) and piano, Op.70*

Artists	
Rivka Golani
Bernadene Blaha




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Fairies/dp/B002WZQH0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319299890&sr=8-1

Beautiful violin. This is a great work, and good sound and excellent performance make it a joy to listen to.










*
Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, for cello and piano, Op.102*

Artists	
Antoine Tamestit 
Eric le Sage




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Klav...E3QS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319555168&sr=8-1

Quite funny and beautiful pieces. Brilliant performed, and the sound is very good. The sound balance and interplay is very good.










*Schumann: 3 Romances, for oboe and piano, Op.94*

Artists	
Christopher O'Riley, Rolf Schulte




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-R-Fa...0LMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319548113&sr=8-1

Some crackling violin, but otherwise good sound. Beautiful pieces!










*Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73*

Artists	
Hansjorg Schellenberger (Artist), Rolf Koenen




http://www.amazon.com/Clara-Robert-...HI1Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1319468849&sr=8-4

Nicely performed. And quite good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*César Franck*

Work 
*Franck: Les Djinns, symphonic poem for piano and orchestra, M.45*

Artists	
Bertrand Chamayou (Artist), Olivier Latry (Artist), Cesar Franck (Composer), Stephane Deneve (Conductor), Royal Scottish National Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Franck-...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315238151&sr=1-1

Great energetic work. Very rich in shades, colors and great moments. Excellent performance and quite good sound.










*Franck: Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), symphonic poem, M.44*

Artists	
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Charles Münch




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Sympho...K9GK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315235921&sr=8-1

The sound is not great. but the play is beautiful and entertaining. Very energetic. Francks music is very good in using the whole orchestra. Great performance.










*Franck: Les Eolides, symphonic poem, M.43*

Artists	
Noël Lee, Christian Ivaldi




http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Poèmes...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315238890&sr=1-1

Great played, but the play is not very exciting. Medium-good sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gabriel Fauré*

Work 
*Fauré: violin sonata op 13*

Artists	
Silke Avenhaus




http://www.amazon.com/French-Violin...VDNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326399186&sr=8-1

Very nice interpretation of a great work. Pretty good sound, but not very good.










*Fauré: violin sonata op 108*

Artists	
Pascal Devoyon




http://www.amazon.com/Fauré-Violin-...140A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326402384&sr=8-1

I think this sonata is the best of these two. Wonderful melodic, energetic and captivating
Excellent performance here, lovely interplay between piano and violin. Nice sound!


----------



## Oskaar

*Béla Bartók*
*
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, BB123, Sz.116*

Philadelphia Orchestra
Christoph Eschenbach




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Concer...0JXC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312707588&sr=8-2

Exciting Bartok! Performance is very good, and performers brings a great nerve and tension. It is in the middle of romantism and exploring modernism of the time.
Quite a nice sound.










*Bartok: Bartok: Piano Concerto No.3 in E, BB127, Sz.119 (completed by Tibor Serly)*

Géza Anda
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ferenc Fricsay




http://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Concer...1GPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312711012&sr=8-1

A fairly quiet and lyrical piano concerto. But a good example of the quiet and lyricism to convey a strong impression!
Very nice and sensitive piano playing. Pretty good sound.


----------



## kv466




----------



## AndyS

Mahler's Das Lied von Der Erde by Klemperer and the Philharmonia/New Phiharmonia with Christa Ludwig & Fritz Wunderlich

Love it. Wunderlich is immense and Ludwig is the $h!t (again - has she ever put a foot wrong?)


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.19*

Artists	
Igor Oistrakh
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NB6XCY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313769617&sr=8-14

Violin Concerts can be a bit too sweet and boring. Then it is good to have a composer like Prokofiev who are never never boring! In my opinion. A great concert! Excellent performance ... not polished, very raw indeed, but it suits the concert perfectly. Good sound.










*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.63*

Artists	
Bruno Zwicker
Philharmonia Slavonica
Henry Adolph




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NCSSGM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1313775697&sr=8-1

Very good sound and performance! There are a lot to love with this concerto, but I am specially found of the "Andante assai". Great sound.


----------



## kv466

Sibelius - Symphony no.4 in a minor, op.63; no. 5 in e-flat, op.82
Leonard Bernstein and The New York Philharmonic


----------



## MrPlayerismus

George Antheil

Symphony No.3 ''American''

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor:Hugh Wolff

What can I say about this Symphony?Especially the first movement is pretty mind-blowing.This composer certainly needs more recognition.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Peter Schubert*

Work 
*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1*

Artists	
Patrick Gallois / Jörg Demus / Verena Krause / Zeger Vandersteene




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R00WDI/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314266990&sr=8-2

The sound is not Especially good, but performance is otherwise fine and nuanced. The work is great!










*Schubert: Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2*

Artists	
Reto Bieri - Gérard Wyss*




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AKH7PK/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1314267411&sr=8-1

Brilliant sound. very melodic and ingratiating sonata. Here is the clarinet instead of violin. Becoming!
Very nice performance.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: MGV


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best, Enescu*

*George Enescu*

Work 
*Enescu: Aubade in C, for violin, viola and cello*

Artists	
Lendvai String Trio




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050K2EKO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1315225949&sr=8-1

Very entertaining litle piece. Dance Beat ... do not ask me what, but great melodic.
Wonderful sound and very nice of performances.










*Enescu: Cantabile and Presto, for flute and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pöntinen




http://www.amazon.com/Café-lait-Sha...YJCH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315226604&sr=8-1

very beatiful pieces!










*
Enescu: Cello Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.26, No.1*

Artists	
Rebecca Rust
David Apter




http://www.amazon.com/ENESCU-Cello-...9IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227092&sr=8-1

Heavenly!










*
Enescu: Concert Piece, for viola and piano*

Artists	
Roland Pontinen piano
Nobuko Imai viola




http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Came-Down-Walk/dp/B0000016OX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315227644&sr=8-1

great!


----------



## Crudblud

Grimaud playing Bach's first piano concerto. Well, I guess it would have been for harpsichord originally. I love harpsichords. If Hélène Grimaud played the harpsichord she'd be the sexiest woman alive.






Eh, it's okay.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Symphonietta in E major

Werner Andreas Albert
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Prokofiev String Quartets 1 & 2 with Russian String Quartet, followed by Prokofiev Violin Sonatas 1 & 2 with Mullova/Anderszewski(1)/Canino(2).

Everyone (well almost) knows the consistent quality of Mullova and Anderszewski. The real surprise here, which I've had several years now, is the Russian String Quartet. Warm, detailed treatment. Moscow rec., 1996.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, *Concerto for Saxophone*, Jose Serebrier.

It's funny; I play saxophone, love the instrument, and spent some time in classical saxophone training, but I don't like the sound of a classical saxophone. Nevertheless, this is a nice addition to my Glazunov week. I appreciate Jose Serebrier's championing this composer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An interesting disc that explores Schoenberg's evolution as a composer. The first 6 songs (Op.1 & Op. 2) are as richly sensuous and romantic as the lieder of the same period by Mahler and Strauss. Of course this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with _Verklärte Nacht, Pelleas und Melisande,_ and _Gurre-Lieder_. Listening to these I find myself thinking similar thoughts to those raised while listening to Berg'a songs: what might have been had Schoenberg not headed down that path of atonality? Would Picasso have been as great an artist if he had stayed within the tradition suggested in his early works:










and not headed down the path of Cubism?










The question is surely a difficult one. Picasso the Cubist was certainly far more important to the historical development of art... but Picasso the painter of the Blue and Rose Period masterworks, such as the _Family of Saltimbanques_ (above) was already a master... an artist of no less talent than the Picasso of the Cubist period.

Schoenberg, for whatever reason, needed to push ahead... challenging the traditional notions of tonality. These later works are certainly far more important within the narrative of Modern music... but are they inherently "better"... or are the early works inherently "inferior"... immature?

I'll leave that for the individual to decide. In actuality, the Op. 2 and surely the 
_Verklärte Nacht, Pelleas und Melisande,_ and _Gurre-Lieder_ are all pushing the limits of tonality beyond anything before. To be perfectly honest, however, I have never been able to warm up to Schoenberg... in spite of continued efforts. I find even his early, more traditionally "tonal" works to be overly lumpen, bombastic... crude. Berg's lieder... whether tonal or atonal... are far more elegant and lyrical to my ear. The performances cannot be faulted... certainly not Gould who was more than passionate about Schoenberg... but I am simply left thinking, "interesting experiment... but do I really enjoy it? do I want to hear it again soon?" and I cannot say that I do.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, *Piano Concerto No. 1.*

This is interesting; the second and last movement is a theme and variations.


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


>


The son! Thanks for the recommendation.

Listening to Haitink's version again (may only be my second listening) and will listen to Rostropovich later this week. I really wish I had a nicer audio system.

Shostakovich: Symphony No.5


----------



## Guest

Sonia Wieder-Atherton : Chants Juifs










An amazing album - definitely in my top ten. This is not concert hall music - this is back alley music, dripping with atmosphere.


----------



## Sid James

BPS said:


> Sonia Wieder-Atherton : Chants Juifs
> 
> ...


She is very good, I haven't heard that one, but I've got her Monteverdi & Scelsi album, which I like when I'm in the mood for dark kind of "deep" music. I like the way she paired these two composers centuries apart & it comes off as being logical, although maybe on paper it would sound too outlandish to "work" - but for me, it kind of does...


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No.9
Ives: Symphony No.2


----------



## Guest

A couple more from the edges of classical music:









This one may be over the edge:









Both are very enjoyable.


----------



## Guest

Some chamber music from Catoire to put me to sleep (in a good way):










and


----------



## Sid James

*Arthur Bliss *- _Clarinet Quintet_ 
David Campbell, clarinet / Maggini Quartet 
(Naxos)

A long time since I listened to this. & I hear more nuance now, more dark undertones. I became very emotional. This was written as a memorial to Bliss' brother who, like him, fought in World War I. But his brother Kennard (who played clarinet) did not survive it. The opening of this piece, a clarinet solo, would probably only fail to touch the hardest of hearts. There are many shadows in this work, quite a deep sadness, even though the ending is not too sad. I'm amazed how I've connected with it now, although I liked it before, but moreso now.


----------



## Sid James

*Weber *- _Clarinet Concerto #1 in F minor, Op. 73_
FAbio di Casola, clarinet / St Petersburg Chamber Orch. / Juri Gilbo
(Sony)

A long time between drinks with this as well. This is basically opera without words. A part with the horns accompanying the clarinet could have come straight out of an opera, even Wagner's, who was influenced by Weber. Some very agile and expressive playing from this clarinnetist and very able accompaniment from the Russian players. Wonderful stuff.


----------



## Vaneyes

Bartok Violin Sonata 2 with Mutter/Orkis, then Bartok Etudes for Piano, Op. 18 with Boffard.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Violin Concerto*.


----------



## Vaneyes

Boulez orchestral, then solo piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler *

Work 
*Mahler : Symphony No.1 in D ('Titan')*

Artists	
Yuri Simonov (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...r_1_57?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315417944&sr=1-57

Quite a nice version, but it is not sparkling. Medium sound.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 1*, Fedoseyev.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, WAB 105, "Tragic"*

Still listening to a lot of Bruckner this week! - will be mixing it up a bit later and including some chamber music as well, probably from my box-sets of Dvorak and Haydn's String Quartets


----------



## furelise

Lately I have been listening to Monteverdi, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Liszt*

Work	
*Liszt: Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne ('Bergsymphonie'), S.95, R.412*

Artists	
Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra 
Michel Plasson




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-F-Symph...S406/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317831800&sr=8-1

I have played this poem little, but it is really great! Very dramatic and intense, as Liszt is ... Great performance and very good sound.










*Liszt: Mazeppa, S.100*

Artists	
Wiener philharmoniker
Giuseppe Sinopoli No.2




http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Prelude...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318084630&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Fantastic poem! Very well performed, and good sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Josef Labor*

Work	
*Labor: Quintet for clarinet, violin, viola, cello & piano in D, Op.11*

Artists	
Orion Ensemble




http://www.amazon.com/Rabl-Labor-Ch...PHH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326919028&sr=8-1

Unknown composer, but I love to explore. This quintet is quite pleasant to listen to. Quite a nice sound, but the piano is a bit harsh.










*Labor: Theme and Variations, Op. 10: *

Artists	
Gregory Miller (horn); Ernest Barretta (piano)




http://www.amazon.com/Solos-Horn-Pl...I1LE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326920583&sr=8-1


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Alexander Borodin--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, *featuring Stephen Gunzenhauser conducting the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

*Arthur Bliss*
_String Quartet #2 _(1950)
_Clarinet Quintet _(1932)
David Campbell, clarinet / Maggini Quartet
(Naxos)

Another listen to the poignant_ Clarinet Quintet _& a listen after ages to the_ String Quartet #2_. This came later and is more fragmented and less kind of Romantic. But there are still some great melodies in here, and other traditional things like counterpoint. Bliss thought it was his finest chamber work until that time. I like the _Clarinet Quintet _more, but this string quartet is a good coupling for sure.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: Chasing Sheep Is Best Left To Shepherds (from "The Draughtsman's Contract")


----------



## Crudblud

Ives - Holidays Symphony / Three Places in New England (Ormandy)


----------



## kv466

Haydn - Symphony no.94 in g, 'Surprise'
Antal Dorati conducts Philharmonia Hungarica


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony* * No.**11 in G Minor, Op. 103 {"The Year 1905"},* featuring Mstislav Rostropovich leading the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky*
_Octet for Winds_ (1920)
_Septet_ (1952)

*Berg*
_Adagio_ from _Chamber Concerto _(arrangement for violin, clarinet, piano - attributed to the composer)

Boston Symphony Chamber Players
(DGG, double disc set below)

Getting through this set, bit by bit.

*Stravinsky's* *Octet* is quite a bouncy and fun work, with a theme and variations at it's core and a finale with Latin American rhythms. This was amongst his first "neo-classical" works.

His _*Septet *_was his first work to use the serial technique. It is, like the _Octet_, built around traditional forms, eg. a gigue and passacaglia. He doesn't do the traditional thing though, the last two movements have a 16 and not a 12 note row. But the music itself has these quick rhythmic changes that are typical of Stravinsky.

Then a listen to this bit of *Berg's* _*Chamber Concerto*_, here arranged for a trio formation. The feel of the waltz was never far away here as is a nocturnal kind of vibe. Pretty dark but not disturbing, it just "is" itself, not anything else. It's an arrangment that goes for clarity, a pared down rather than heavy "romantic" feel, it is going towards the new rather than the old...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Viola Sonata Op. 11 No. 4

Kim Kaskashian, viola
Robert Levin, piano


----------



## violadude

Klavierspieler said:


> Hindemith - Viola Sonata Op. 11 No. 4
> 
> Kim Kaskashian, viola
> Robert Levin, piano


I have that set.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major, WAB 107, "Lyric"*


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to this, here I'm posting a recent "review" I did on this thread earlier. Overall, it's a dark work, esp. the Exorcism bit, starting with double basses, bassoons, bass clarinets, with the evil spirit rising up and coming out at the top, the music getting higher and higher. The ending is not happy, with the infernal dance theme coming back. A bit like a modern Berlioz dance, quite witchy. The girl is exorcised, the spirit leaves her, but she doesn't get her man in the end. But I like this work, parts of it are pretty pared down and sparse for Bernstein, a bit filmic too, not stereotypical at all (as if one can put him in a box?)...

A first listen to *Bernstein's ballet Dybbuk*, from the Naxos disc below.

An interesting work, it's in three sections. The first one more or less an introduction, the second a set of variations, and the third has the most interesting bits as regards the plot.

This has quite a bit of atonality, the notes say, but overall it has Bernstein's usual focus on strong thematic unity and a good deal of melody. He could have called it a symphony if he'd wanted to - it lasts around 45 minutes.

The story involves an exorcism of a dybbuk, which in Jewish folklore is like a spirit that posesses people. The portrait of the demon in the last part is quite rhythmic, involving a very agile cello solo, sounds near impossible to play.

There are also two male singers in this, but they don't get many parts. They sing melodies based on Hebrew chants. That kind of vibe does go through this music quite a bit.

Overall, pretty enjoyable and an interesting contrast to the other ballet here, the quite popular _Fancy Free_, which I've known for yonks...


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergey Prokofiev*

Work 
*Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (ballet) Op.64*

Artists	
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Simonov




http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Rom...B3TG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313582464&sr=8-3

Excellent version!


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms *

Work 
*Brahms : Op. 100, Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major*

Artists	
Ryu Goto




http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Recita...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326976189&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Wonderful romantic! Great violin play and interaction, but not quite good sound.










*Brahms : Op. 78, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major*

Artists	
Yegor Dyachkov / Jean Saulnier




http://www.amazon.com/Sonatas-Cello...XCCW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326971960&sr=8-1

Truly a beautiful version. Very emotionaly played, and very evocative. Great interaction and nice sound.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Berwald*

Work 
*Berwald: Symphony No.1 in G- ('Sérieuse')*

Artists	
Okko Kamu (Conductor), Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Symph...143O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318419828&sr=8-1

I like this Berwald Symphony! Simple and catchy. Nice performance, but not as good sound.










*Berwald: Symphony No.2 in D ('Sinfonie Capricieuse')*

Artists	
Ulf Björlin/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Overt...FZ1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318419381&sr=8-1

The first symphony is better .. This is just too variable in quality. However, performance and sound is better here.


----------



## Oskaar

*William Babell*

record
*With Proper Graces Babell: Oboe Sonatas*

Artist
Karla Schröter, concert royal, köln




http://www.amazon.com/Proper-Graces...Q4OK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326983163&sr=8-1

Beautiful baroque. I love the oboe in baroque music. Very good sound!


----------



## NightHawk

Have been laundering my ears with a lot of a cappella listening. Here are a few favorites by very fine ensembles:


----------



## kv466




----------



## Klavierspieler

violadude said:


> I have that set.


I'm actually listening on Youtube.


----------



## Oskaar

album
*Polish String Quartets: Penderecki, Lason, Bacewicz*

Artist
Penderecki String Quartet




http://www.allmusic.com/album/polish-string-quartets-w1619

Krzysztof Penderecki Der unterbrochene Gedanke (The Broken Thought)
Aleksander Lason String quartet No 2 
Krzysztof Penderecki String Quartet No. 2 
Krzysztof Penderecki String Quartet No. 1 
Grazyna Bacewicz String Quartet No. 3

I love this album! String Quartet gets new dimensions! Sparkling performance, and very nice sound.


----------



## Lenfer

*Hélène Grimaud - Credo*​


----------



## Oskaar

album
*
Bach, Händel: Harfenmusik [Germany]*

Artist
Zabaleta (Artist), Kuentz (Artist), English Chamber Orchestra (Artist), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Georg Friedric Handel (Composer), Paul Kuentz (Conductor) 




http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Händel-H...DF2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326992621&sr=8-1

I have tried to find more info about tracks and works, nut it is difficult. Harp music in such setting is very nice! I sometimes have problems with harp from more modern composers. But here it is so structured, so the instrument comes to it full rights. Unstructured harp is very new age...meditation music, and dont suit me well.
Fine performance and sound.


----------



## Conor71

*Alfven: Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 7*


----------



## Oskaar

*Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach*

album

*Bach, C.P.E.: Cello Concertos, Wq. 170-172*

Artist
Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Richard Studt, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Tim Hugh




http://www.amazon.com/Bach-C-P-Cell...U80U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326996626&sr=8-3

Very fine album! Brilliantly performed, and good sound. Naxos really have some good albums, maybe not the most known orchestras and performers, but often good.


----------



## Conor71

*Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 13*


----------



## kv466

As a result of the recent thread questioning my boy, Ludwig, I put on:










Septet in e-flat, op.20


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Crudblud

Martinu - Complete Music for Violin and Orchestra, Vol. 1 (Hogwood / Matoušek)


----------



## Oskaar

record
*Bacewicz: Violin Sonata No. 4 - Beach: Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 34*

Artist
Duo Pontremoli




http://www.amazon.com/Bacewicz-Viol...4T84/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326987071&sr=8-3

Fantastic album! Bacewicz sonata is really great. Beach sonata too. A little more boring and conventional, perhaps, but great


----------



## Crudblud

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 (Bernstein)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 1*, by Kondrashin, then Bernstein.


----------



## Crudblud

Sibelius - Symphony No. 1 (Maazel)


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No.3


----------



## kv466

Rachmaninov - Piano concerto no.1 in f-sharp minor, op.1
Earl Wild with Jascha Horenstein conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## neoshredder

The best of Haydn. (Naxos)


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky*
_ The Soldier's Tale_ *
Text - C.F. Ramuz, English translation - Michael Flanders, Kitty Black

*Schoenberg* 
_Chamber Symphony #1_ 
(arranged by Anton Webern for violin, flute, clarinet, cello, piano)

* Sir John Gielgud, narrator / Tom Courtenay, speaker: the soldier / Ron Moody, speaker: the devil
Boston Symphony Chamber Players
(DGG, 2 cd set)

Finishing off this set, which I listened to this week, bit by bit.

*Stravinsky's* *Soldier's Tale *is a kind of morality story, similar to _Faust_ in some ways. I really like the narration here & it has to be good, as about half of the work is dialogue, the other half music (mixed up & alternating, of course). Some great playing here, I esp. like the three popular dances - the tango, ragtime and waltz - that came towards the end. It would be great to hear this work live, it is a substantial work, lasting an hour.

Then the *Schoenberg*, a bit harder to chew on, but a good contrast. This is a bit like a stream of consciousness, quite psychological, contrasting moods and rhythms, etc. Webern's arrangement comes out as being one of clarity and directness. I can't compare it to the original, I have it but it's been a long time, however this is for 5 instruments, that's for 15 (I think?). So of course, Webern's is smaller scale and kind of leaner, but he does get the max out of this smaller group.


----------



## ohesperides

Einojuhani Rautavaara's Angel of Dusk concerto and Pelimannit for string quartet.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.3
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, nos. 8-11


----------



## violadude

Klavierspieler said:


> I'm actually listening on Youtube.


do you like it?


----------



## rojo

Malcolm Arnold - Tam O'Shanter Overture

The New Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson.


----------



## Conor71

*Bellini: Norma*

A rare Opera listen!


----------



## Crudblud

opus55 said:


> Mahler: Symphony No.3


Strange, you'd think the choral symphonies would be right up his alley, him being a prominent opera conductor and all.


----------



## science

Back to this box, which I haven't quite polished off yet, for Reinecke's piano concerto #1.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nyman: The Piano Concerto


----------



## Chrythes

I rarely find modern music enjoyable, but these sonatas are pretty cool -


----------



## Klavierspieler

violadude said:


> do you like it?


Yep. I'm thinking about actually buying a set.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Violin Concerto in A Minor*, by Jose Serebrier.

I've been through this one three times this week, and it hasn't clicked yet. Maybe this some tumblers will fall into place.


----------



## Vaneyes

It's funny how some days you wake up and the third or fourth thought is about what goes into the CD player first. Sometimes there's a clear answer. Other times, not so clear. Today was easy. After the necessary synapses, Mozart Symphonies 24 to 41 magically appeared.

Spinning back to back to back to back, Marriner Nos. 24 - 34, and HvK Nos. 35 - 41.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphonies No. 21 In A Major, K 134*

I'll join you with the Mozart Symphonies Vaneyes - perfect for an early morning listen!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hey, I'll join in the Mozart fun with . . . oops, Spotify pulled up the Firebird. Well, that's nice too.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart as well. Starting on 24. Not sure I will get to 41. But it will be fun. Really enjoying Symphony 25 first movement.


----------



## Oskaar

*Wolfgang Amadeus mozart*

Work 
*mozart: Symphony No. 11 in D major, K. 84/73q*

Artists
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Eduardo Marturet Emmy Verhey




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Violin...LH9G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325239982&sr=8-4










*mozart: Symphony No. 12 in G major, K. 110/75b*

Artists
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf




http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...UA8W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325329353&sr=8-1









*mozart: Symphony No. 13 in F major, K. 112*

Artists
Alessandro Arigoni and Torino Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana




http://www.amazon.com/46-Symphonies-Mozart/dp/B00005QK7A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325329518&sr=8-4


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Concerto for Orchestra

Neeme Järvi
Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Back to the best, Stanford*

*Charles Villiers Stanford*

Work 
*Stanford: Op 080 Clarinet Concerto in A minor*

Artists	
Emma Johnson, Malcolm Martineau




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00595XWWY/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1316968033&sr=8-1










*Stanford: Op.028 symphony No. 3 in F minor, "Irish"*

Artists	
Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Norman Del Mar




http://www.amazon.com/British-Compo...Z74C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316505814&sr=8-1










*Stanford: Op. 073 Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, *

Artists	
Pirasti Trio




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Pian...30VK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768656&sr=8-1










*Stanford: Op 133 Piano quartet No. 2*

Artists	
Gould Piano Trio
David adams, viola




http://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Chamber-Music/dp/B005989658/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315768851&sr=8-8


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

Work 
*Shostakovich: Op. 102: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major*

Artists
John Ogdon/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Lawrence Foster




http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-...ARQI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316342650&sr=8-2

This concert really starting to grow on me. I did not liked it from the beginning, but it's really some exciting nuances and facets! The second movement is one of the most beautiful movements I have heard from any piano concert.
This is an excellent version. Piano, an also orchestra is very dedicated and sensitive. The sound is also good if I turn up the volume a bit.










*Shostakovich: Op. 35: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor*

Artists
Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Jörg Faerber (Conductor), Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra (Heilbronn) (Orchestra), Martha Argerich




http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...1GLS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316100290&sr=8-2

I am not often impressed by Argerich. I am not impressed here eather. It is like another day on work. She lacks empathy in her playing! The same impressian that I have of yo yo Ma on cello. Clever, but that is all.
Otherwise, the performance and sound is ok.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36

I actually havent listened to this set a whole lot since I bought it last year so intending to remedy that this week - Certainly on the first Disc the 2 early Symphonies are very well rendered with beautiful, clear Orchestral sound and propulsive tempos, the performances are great!








*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling the new Rafal Blechacz album. I don't hear anything approaching Jacobs and others for Debussy, nor Anderszewski for Szymanowski, so no trigger-pull here.


----------



## hespdelk

Despite the fact that Prokofiev has long been a favourite with me, I've never much cared for his works for piano (both concertos and sonatas), which I am sure must almost seem a contradiction in terms to many!

Having listend to this disc a couple of times this past week I find myself warming up to them for the first time... I may have to dig out my complete set of sonatas that has been gathering dust lo these many years now for a more thorough exploration.. :lol:

This is a fine recording of the pieces, though I don't know if I would recommend it - mostly because I am not familiar enough with any alternates to say, but I do get the impression that the works could do with a bit more energy in places though.


----------



## science

So I know that the Romanian lady is unpopular here (and for good reason in some ways) but to me she succeeds in this recording.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Maazel/Wagner: The Ring without words.

Been watching this performance by the Berlin Philharmonic and I'm lovin' it!


----------



## chrislowski




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Max Bruch, Moses*.

I'm reading the Book of Exodus, and this is making a nice soundtrack.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - String Quartet in F minor, Op. 10

The Danish Quartet


----------



## AndyS

Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia, with the brilliant Montserrat Caballé in the title role (conducted by Jonel Perlea and also starring Alfredo Krauss and Shirley Verrett)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Georg Muffat, Concerto VII*.

I haven't paid much attention to these - they are for strings only and somewhat subdued - until today it dawned on me, his background is with Lully's 24 Violins du Roy in France and Corelli in Italy; that explains its sound. It's funny how when little things come together, bigger things open up.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Symphony No. 9*, Gardiner.

This is a long piece, but this recording brings out the colors in the accompaniment behind the melodies.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jean Sibelius*

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43*

Artists	
Sir Colin Davis
London Symphony orchestra




http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-2-6-Sibelius/dp/B000003FXH/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1322837274&sr=8-4

Not a brilliant version, but quite good.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 22*


----------



## NightHawk

Back to Schnittke! Received the 7th Symphony (1994, commission by Masur and the NYPhil) and Cello Concerto today. According to the liner notes (as I listen) and perhaps because of his failing health, 'the symphonies from #6 through #9 are shorter and more spare'. No. 7 is only 23 minutes long. I think they are also less 'referential', or at least what references there may be I am missing. The work contains more small group playing within the orchestra. Also, according to the liner notes, the premiere of the 6th (also in in New York) was walked out on by more than half the audience. I was surprised to read that, which sounds more like something that would happen in Jackson, TN rather than NYC (!) In any case, Symphony No. 7 is, in my deeply biased opinion, totally absorbing music, surprising music, and always strange and wonderful music. Highly recommended.

The Cello Concerto No. 1 was written in 1985 after S's first serious stroke. The notes say that he had much of it completed before becoming ill, and then after returning home had to start over '_from scratch_' as all his previous ideas about the sketches were lost to him. It is 40 minutes long, extremely intense and '_expressionistic_'. Cellist - Alexander Ivashkin - Also highly recommended.

Both works are with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra with Valery Polyansky.


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Alexander Schumann*

Work 
*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105*

Artists	
Ara Malikian (Performer), Serouj Kradjian (Performer)




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...Z3Z1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934873&sr=8-1

This is an absolutely brilliant version of this great sonata! Excellent sound and very good play and interactions. Ara Malikian plays like this performanc was the goal of her life! Very recommended!










Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121

Artists	
Maria Egelhof, Mathias Weber




http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Sona...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318934565&sr=8-1-fkmr0

I like the first sonata better, but this is also great. Compared with Ara Malikian this is a bit tame. Not bad but not good either. The sound is a bit remote, so it all gets a little flat.










*Schumann: Violin Sonata No.3 in A-, WoO.27*

Artists	
Joachim, Bargiel, Hammer




http://www.amazon.com/Circle-Robert...G19K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327180052&sr=8-2

Pretty great sonata, but it can not compare with the first. I like the violin .... very full of empathy. Piano sound is a little off. The sound is otherwise average.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Symphony no. 1:






I have never heard any Schnittke before. I plan to listen to all of his symphonies in the next few days.


----------



## NightHawk

Excellent! Even if you're not bowled over by Schnittke as I obviously am, I will be very interested to know your opinions.



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schnittke: Symphony no. 1:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have never heard any Schnittke before. I plan to listen to all of his symphonies in the next few days.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

NightHawk said:


> Excellent! Even if you're not bowled over by Schnittke as I obviously am, I will be very interested to know your opinions.


So far I'm really enjoying it!


----------



## Crudblud

Schnittke's first symphony was a mind blowing experience for me.


----------



## Vaneyes

Takacs Qt. in concert - Haydn Op. 64, No. 5. Enjoy!

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Takacs_Quartet_Haydn_Britten_Schubert_5e_biennale_des_quatuors_a_cordes_cite_de_la_musique/


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Symphony No. 9 In C Major, D 944, "Great"*

One of only a few historical recordings in my collection - like this one a lot! great performance and nice clean mono sound!


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - La Valse (Dutoit)

I tend to listen to La Valse quite a lot, the reason (other than it being a great piece of music) is that I'm constantly searching for this recording I heard a long time ago, I wasn't savvy at the time so didn't think to find out who the conductor was. One day I lost it, and of course had no luck in finding it again. Since then I guess it's become sort of a mission, although I'm much more relaxed about it these days. Now I spend most of my time worrying about various things which are fabricated by my own warped image of reality, if I could get back to that gorgeous recording maybe I wouldn't be such an idiot.

Pointless and rather silly anecdote: I used to put it on repeat, load up the original Call of Duty (there was a time before the series catered to 12-year-olds with a penchant for shouting in to low quality headset microphones) and play multiplayer on the night time Berlin map. There was something very romantic about running around shooting people in the middle of the night to that dreamlike music.

Now listening to the Karajan recording with the Orchestre de Paris. It isn't this one either.


----------



## opus55

Crudblud said:


> Pointless and rather silly anecdote: I used to put it on repeat, load up the original Call of Duty (there was a time before the series catered to 12-year-olds with a penchant for shouting in to low quality headset microphones) and play multiplayer on the night time Berlin map. There was something very romantic about running around shooting people in the middle of the night to that dreamlike music.


La Valse is currently my favorite Ravel piece. I think I know exactly what you mean by playing COD at night with that music on.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just finished Schnittke's symphony no. 1.

Now onto No. 2:


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - Piano Concertos (Boulez/Aimard)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just finished Schnittke's symphony no. 2.

Now time for no. 3


----------



## Crudblud

Dallapiccola - Variazioni per Orchestra (Noseda)


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> La Valse is currently my favorite Ravel piece. I think I know exactly what you mean by playing COD at night with that music on.


Ravel denied any WW1 connection to La Valse, but we can pretend there was subconscious influence, so that the COD accompaniment on this occasion makes for a better story. Lock and load!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Synphony no. 4


----------



## Sid James

*Richard Mills *(born 1949)
_Bamaga Diptych _(1988)
_Tenebrae_ (1992)
Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
(ABC Classics, from 2 cd set)

Just got this set and gave these two works on it a few listens.

Very interesting music here from one of our major composers and conductors in Australia, *Richard Mills.*

_*Bamaga Diptych *_is a reflection on the coming of the wet season in the isolated Far North Queensland township of Bamaga. Mills captures the lushness of this area as well as the vast, epic qualities of Australia. Very vivid orchestral writing here, this guy has full command of the modern orchestra. A particularly vivid moment is towards the end, when in a barrage of percussion, Mills captured the rain which falls down like a sheet when the dry season breaks and the long awaited wet season begins. Mills was a Queenslander by birth, and grew up there.

In contrast, _*Tenebrae*_ is quite subdued and builds up layer by layer, getting more and more intense. It was written in memory of a friend and colleague, one of our great conductors Stuart Challender who died of AIDS in 1991. Mills gives fragments of the theme which is only revealed in this angry climax towards the end, hammered out on the drums with violins and brass blaring. It is the traditional plainchant from the Catholic church, _pange lingua_, used by many composers from ancient times, as part of the Good Friday service (hence the work's Latin title alluding to that). Mills doesn't hold back on his emotion, and probably anger at his God, asking "why?" The theme, now united after the catharsis and let out of crying, is played lyrically by a solo violin, then the work finishes and fades out into nothingness, the double basses and timpani going down to pianissimo. This is a tour de force as well, it bought me to tears on the third listen or so, I am familiar with the late Maestro Challender's work and remember vividly seeing him conduct live in concert. The man was an Australian legend, and Mills pays great tribute to his friend and fellow musician (Mills was the first person Challender told when he contracted AIDS). Apart from the climax, the percussions are used more sparingly here, and with more nuance, eg. at the start a celesta plays along with the orchestra, giving an othewordly feel.

A thing to note is that Mills started off as a percussionist, which kind of explains some of those qualities in his music. I am looking forward to hearing the other two works on this album soon too, the title work _Pages From A Secret Journal,_ and the _Symphony of Nocturnes..._


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Symphony no. 5/Concerto Grosso no. 4


----------



## science

I'm in the mood (ironic, defensive, angry) to flaunt my bad taste again:


----------



## NightHawk

Schnittke Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, 1986 - Natalia Gutman, cellist (complete - three separate movements on one 42 min., track)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Symphony no. 6


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of the series of EMI "twofers" that they were recently dumping on Amazon. Hendricks was an especially fine and versatile singer... able to sing opera, French melodies, German lieder, American art songs, blues, gospel and spirituals, and even Christmas carols and Disney songs and sing them in a manner that is believable and moving. She was especially fine within the repertoire of the French song... which is where I focused in snatching up her discs. This two disc set consists solely of Debussy's melodies on disc one, while disc two is an homage to Jennie Tourel, a mezzo-soprano and Hendrick's teacher at Julliard. The selections include songs by Rossini, Liszt, Debussy (again), Dvorak, and Rachmaninoff... all favorites of Tourel. The performances of Debussy were especially fine... sensitive... delicate... fully capturing the Impressionistic tone and coloring.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *All three symphonies feature Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}.* Both works are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Symphony no. 7


----------



## science

The Dvorak. Haven't heard this in at least 5 months, but it's a favorite.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: The Seasons


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by the favorite duo thread, which for me is Cello & Piano.


----------



## neoshredder

The best of Shostakovich (Naxos)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've had enough Schnittke for one day. I will listen to symphonies 8, 9, and 0 another day. Right now I need some Michael Nyman:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.11
Ginastera: Danzas argentinas


----------



## violadude

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.11
> Ginastera: Danzas argentinas


What do you think of that Kempff set of Beethoven sonatas, Opus55? I have it and sometimes I really like it and sometimes I really don't. Maybe it just depends on the sonata. Do you ever feel like his 16th note runs are kind of sloppy?


----------



## science

A pair of Allegri's Miserere:

















This deserves to be a more popular work, IMO.


----------



## opus55

violadude said:


> What do you think of that Kempff set of Beethoven sonatas, Opus55? I have it and sometimes I really like it and sometimes I really don't. Maybe it just depends on the sonata. Do you ever feel like his 16th note runs are kind of sloppy?


I would tend to agree. My other Beethoven sonatas recordings are by Andras Schiff (ECM). I like listening to Schiff in the morning and Kempff at night. Schiff seems to hit every note so clearly with well controlled dynamics. Kempff on the other hand sounds more relaxing - perhaps sloppy at times.. I do sometimes have hard time hearing every note on Kempff's fast passages.

I have very limited listening experience so please enlighten me if I'm missing some important points.


----------



## science

Just starting this box. Now on F. Couperin's 6e ordre of Pièces de clavecin. Wonderful.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## NightHawk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> So far I'm really enjoying it!


Glad to hear you are enjoying Sym No. 1. Suggest Concerto Grosso No. 1 w Gidon Kremer, violin - YouTube version is very, very good, and there's a lot of his work there.


----------



## NightHawk

I heard Rostropovich perform the Dvorak live with Houston Symphony many years ago...A fantastic performance. Then he came back and played an unaccompanied Sarabande from one of the suites...after long held last note you could have heard a pin drop in Jones Hall for a full 10 seconds and then pandemonium. Wonderful!



science said:


> The Dvorak. Haven't heard this in at least 5 months, but it's a favorite.


----------



## science

My first impression of this is that it is terrible. I'm going to have to listen to Abbado's recording to purify my mind's musical machinery.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Henri Dutilleux's 96th birthday...


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68*

wonderful performance!


----------



## Klavierspieler

opus55 said:


> I would tend to agree. My other Beethoven sonatas recordings are by Andras Schiff (ECM). I like listening to Schiff in the morning and Kempff at night. Schiff seems to hit every note so clearly with well controlled dynamics. Kempff on the other hand sounds more relaxing - perhaps sloppy at times.. I do sometimes have hard time hearing every note on Kempff's fast passages.
> 
> I have very limited listening experience so please enlighten me if I'm missing some important points.


Kempff and Schiff are my two favorites for Beethoven. Schiff wins for me, though.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Leos Janacek - Glagolitic Mass

Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## Sid James

*Album: In this hid clearing...-Music for wind band *(all arrangments of existing pieces, except Stamp which is an original composition)
Music by* Gordon Jacob*; new work (title track) by *Jack Stamp *(b. 1954); *Copland's* _Lincoln Portrait_*; J.S. Bach arr.* Percy Grainger*; Trad. (_Country Gardens_) arr. *Sousa*;* Gershwin's *_Catfish Row_**
*Alvin Chea, narrator
**Jo Ella Todd, sop. / Derrick Fox, baritone
Univ. of Missouri Wind Ens. / Thomas O'Neal
(Naxos)

A great concert, recorded live.

Starting with the Jacob work, which had this mysterious slow movement and a bouncy and whimsical finale. The new work by Stamp had this soulful trumpet solo. Copland's_ Lincoln Portrait _has been a favourite of mine, and I like this performance a lot. Then two tid-bits by Grainger and Sousa, great stuff. To finish, the Gershwin suite, effectively a medley from _Porgy and Bess_, the famous songs are here, as well as things like the _Fugue_ and_ Hurricane _music, showing his more experimental side. The singers here sounded a bit recessed and not as clear as would have been ideal, but this is not a major complaint. All round, a fun disc...


----------



## Vaneyes

Klavierspieler said:


> Kempff and Schiff are my two favorites for Beethoven. Schiff wins for me, though.


FWIW I think Kempff's is the more consistent of the two. I bought Schiff as singles, eventually thinking that as a set it was uneven in playing. Less so for sound. I kept Vols. III, IV, VI, which I feel are exceptional.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaneyes said:


> FWIW I think Kempff's is the more consistent of the two. I bought Schiff as singles, eventually thinking that as a set it was uneven in playing. Less so for sound. I kept Vols. III, IV, VI, which I feel are exceptional.


Hmmm... I've never noticed this myself. Oh, well.


----------



## Lukecash12

Klavierspieler said:


> Leos Janacek - Glagolitic Mass
> 
> Wiener Philharmoniker


It's been too long since I've heard the Glagolitic Mass. Right now I'm listening to his string quartets.


----------



## Crudblud

Zelenka - Responsoria pro hebdomada sancta, ZWV 55 (Stryncl)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Das Rheingold
Wotan: Siegmund Nimsgern
Donner: Hans-Jurgen Drewitz
Froh: Maldwyn Davies
Loge: Manfred Jung
Mime: Peter Haage
Alberich: Hermann Becht
Fasolt: Dieter Schweikhardt
Fafner: Manfred Schenk
Fricka: Doris Soffel
Freia: Anita Soldh
Erda: Anne Gjevang
Woglinde: Agnes-Adele Habereder
Wellgunde: Diana Montague
Flosshilde: Brigitta Svenden
Sir Georg Solti
Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiel
Festspielhaus, Bayreuth, 25/7/1983






I doubt whether this was legally uploaded to YouTube.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *Album: In this hid clearing...-Music for wind band *


*

I'm reminded of this comment by Raymond Bisha: "If the musical world has an optimist, it might well be the wind band. Bands sprang up as a way to express community, solidarity, and hope."

Tonight, Glazunov's Symphony No. 7. Something that hits me as I listen to his symphonies is the way he varies his orchestral effects. I imagine I'm looking at a wall where colors go up and down various areas of the spectrum. So far he's the only one who does that to me.








*


----------



## Sid James

*Richard Mills* (b.1949)
_Bamaga Diptych_ (1988)
_Tenebrae_ (1992)
_Pages from a Secret Journal_ (2002)
- Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
(ABC CLassics, 2 cd set, Richard Mills orchestral works)

Another listen to the first two works, which I reviewed earlier, and a first listen to _*Pages from a Secret Journal*_.

This is a very colourful work, very rich and layered. An orchestral showpiece of sorts. Not always my kind of thing, but I think I'll warm to this more in time. It's a kind of stream of consciousness work in seven sections, the block like structure of some early 20th century composers would have obviously been a model (esp. Debussy's _Jeux_). The notes say there is a theme going through the whole thing, but in various guises. I did not hear it but it's early days yet for me with this work.

All up, this first disc of the set has been great, I enjoyed it a lot. Looking forward to the second disc soon, with the _Symphony of Nocturnes_...


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm reminded of this comment by Raymond Bisha: "If the musical world has an optimist, it might well be the wind band. Bands sprang up as a way to express community, solidarity, and hope."
> ...


Yes, they do bring the community together. There are still some wind bands left here - eg. the police bands have made some albums which have sold well, also gave a cut of the proceeds to charities - but they have much of less profile than they did say before 1945.

Judging from the Naxos series which have recorded quite a lot of wind bands over there your way in the USA, it appears that over there wind band playing is in a fair state of health, or at least better than here, but of course there are things like your population being far bigger than ours, factors such as that which may have helped to preserve the tradition more...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> Judging from the Naxos series which have recorded quite a lot of wind bands over there your way in the USA, it appears that over there wind band playing is in a fair state of health, or at least better than here, but of course there are things like your population being far bigger than ours, factors such as that which may have helped to preserve the tradition more...


We have a wind band up the road in the county seat, and I keep meaning to join it. My church also has a band, which I get a lot of good out of. It seems like every kid nowadays is learning keyboards or guitar, but at least in Tennessee performing arts are a requirement for graduation, so we still have a supply of wind players coming from our schools.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just came in the mail. Going to listen to it right away!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Im loving this! Up to bar 120 something of the overture now.


----------



## science

#32

Another old favorite that I haven't listened to for at least 5 months.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just done Act I of Rene Jacobs' spectacular recording of "Die Zauberflöte." Will listen to the rest after a few minutes here.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just finished listening to this entire opera:










I love Papageno's Austrian accent!


----------



## science




----------



## violadude

Lately, for the past couple days, I have been listening to Gorecki's 3 string quartets. I think a lot of people will find these pieces boring, especially #3 which has 4 out of 5 slow movements, only one fast movement and it comes off more moderate than fast. I used to think they were boring too when I first bought them a couple years ago, but now i think they are marvelous.

The first, titled "Already it is Dusk" has the most "earthy" quality of the 3 quartets. It is in one movement in an ABA format. The A sections consist of a very quiet and ghostly hymn. It's a dissonant and I would say noticeably Slavic hymn (you wouldn't hear something like this at Mass) but even so it sounds very prayerful, it seems to be quietly asking for deliverance. This hymn is rudely interrupted many times by several grating and dissonant chords. The B section consists of a propulsive, dissonant, very earthy and highly rhythmic folk song section, reminding one strongly of Bartok.

The Second Quartet is titled "Quasi Una fantasia." The title is true to the piece, none of the movements adhere to traditional structures or forms, but there are thematic threads throughout the movement vaguely holding it together. This is the most "minimalist" (or what people think of minimalism anyway, the repetitive kind) of the quartets. In the first movement, the cello plays one note, in crotchets, throughout the entirety of the 8 minute movement. Over this plodding accompaniment, the viola (joined by the violins about 3/4ths into the movement) plays a deceptively simple, yet intricate melody. Near the end there is new thematic material, but the cello never stops playing that one note. It's interesting too to listen to how many harmonies are set against that note, how many harmonic contexts it is played in. One thing incredible about Gorecki's music is that it very often takes you to the edge, to the threshold of listening, before giving relief from the tension. The second movement of this quartet is a perfect example of that. This movement consists of the first violin weaving out many simple folksy fragmented melodies over the accompaniment of a brutal, incessant, stubborn chord pounded out over and over again in the other strings (and yes, it is the same chord the whole time). This stubborn chord builds incredible, almost exhausting tension, and just when you think you can't take it anymore the quartet drops to silence, then out of the silence comes two very slow, long, quiet hymn-like chords that resemble a cadence. These two chords would seem like no big deal in any other context, but after the incredible amount of tension built previously by the pounding chords in the lower strings, these two simple chords sound like the most glorious sigh of relief in the world, like a small island of solace amongst chaos. After these two chords, the rest of the movement goes back to being what it was, it turns out it truly was a very small island of solace. The third movement returns to the plodding. Except instead of one plodding note on the cello, there is a plodding major chord from the viola and cello, which happens to contain the plodding note from the first movement. Over this major chord is an agonizing bitonal duet in the two violins. This is a strange juxtaposition between the perfect and radiant major chord below and the grating bitonal "aria" above. It's somehow very beautiful to me though, like two people crying out their desire to join the "other world" of that perfect triad below. It feels so close yet so far away. The 4th movement returns to the propulsive rhythmic world of the 2nd movement, but this time not nearly as stubborn or incessant, the chords actually change in this movement. There is still just as much tension built up, he inserts those beautiful chords from the 2nd movement and finally the movement dissolves and returns to the mood of the opening.

Will post about the 3rd later...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling the recent ABC 2CD release of Wang's Elgar (w. SydneySO/Ashkenazy). Sounds like it could be a massive performance.

Sadly, it's coupled with what promises to be a forgettable The Dream of Gerontius, and more importantly, a $30+ price tag.

Too bad. Maybe Wang will record another. I wonder if he's still under contract to DG? There is a YT Wang Elgar, but the sound is only fair to good.


----------



## science




----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Muzio Clementi's birthday with...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - String Quartets

The Gabrieli Quartet


----------



## Eviticus

Borodin - 'Prince Igor' - Polovtsian dances

Why??! Because i bloomin' love them thats why- so there's no point asking myself again!

(orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov/A.Glazunov).

:tiphat:


----------



## Kryten

I've been getting through Bruch's symphonies (Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Kurt Masur) - just hitting them one at a time. Bit of a gamble when I bought it as, admittedly, I'd never even heard of him - gamble's paying off now, though


----------



## starthrower

Listening to this Aho CD on the Naxos site. Sounds really good!


----------



## NightHawk

This is the 2nd Complete Beethoven Cycle of Brendel's Three (3) complete accounts. Recorded in the 70's it routinely gets the best reviews of the three. I have been listening around the set, and the playing is impeccable, and the tone 'plummy' but sometimes there's just not enough grit to suit me, and some of the tempos (allegros) are just too slow i.e. Op. 57 'Appassionata' - the last movement sounds 'cautious' from the get go. Sviatoslav Richter's famous recording of the Op. 57 is, though flabbergasting, I think too fast. My favorite set that I own is the Claude Frank. Still, Brendel is a very great artist, and some of the sonatas are arresting in their poise and overall plan - Op. 81a, 'Les Adieux' in Eb, one of my favorites, and the Op. 79 in G are both, very, very beautifully played.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Michael Rische's three CPE Bach Keyboard Concertos with modern piano. Finally! Though I have slight nitpicks, I'm going to pull the trigger on this CD. With the rarity of modern piano for these, beggars can't be choosers.

The pros, nice playing (Excuse the word 'nice'. Sometimes that's all that's needed. Sidenote: I have almost weaned myself off 'wonderful'), clear, well-balanced sound.

Nitpicks. The Leipzig CO overdoes its period technique, which matches up less well with Rische's full-bore modern style. I have to wonder how GG and Horowitz would've handled this "wonderful" opportunity.

Miking is a little close, but as I suspect so far, never overbearing.

Following this sampling with GG's CPE Bach Sonata in A minor.


----------



## Itullian

Barenboim's DG Beethoven cycle. great-----see my review in recorded music.


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> Barenboim's DG Beethoven cycle. great-----see my review in recorded music.


Please accept my half-apology for unliking. I had DB's LvB Symphonies with Staats. Berlin on my brain, but those of course were on Teldec (Warner).


----------



## Itullian

Vaneyes said:


> Please accept my half-apology for unliking. I had DB's LvB Symphonies with Staats. Berlin on my brain, but those of course were on Teldec (Warner).


oops sorry these are the piano sonatas, not syms.

did you like the syms?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.7, *featuring the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. I really enjoyed this symphony, and intend to sample more of this composer's output. Thanks, KP for your suggestions! {I also intend to listen to Sallinen and Holmboe}.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Evgeny Svetlanov.


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify*:
> 
> Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.7, *featuring the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. I really enjoyed this symphony, and intend to sample more of this composer's output. Thanks, KP for your suggestions! {I also intend to listen to Sallinen and Holmboe}.


Holmboe is a great composer. Whoever recommended him to you, I definitely second it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> oops sorry these are the piano sonatas, not syms.
> 
> did you like the syms?


I did, as well as his Schumann set.


----------



## opus55

Klavierspieler said:


> Kempff and Schiff are my two favorites for Beethoven. Schiff wins for me, though.





Vaneyes said:


> FWIW I think Kempff's is the more consistent of the two. I bought Schiff as singles, eventually thinking that as a set it was uneven in playing. Less so for sound. I kept Vols. III, IV, VI, which I feel are exceptional.


I wish I had more volumes by Schiff. I have only VI on CD, others in digital format (which I don't play often). As a newbie, sound quality makes a big difference to me. I listen to Kempff more because I got used to him first 

Currently listening to:

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique


----------



## starthrower

Zappa-Sinister Footwear Ballet, Berkeley Symphony/Kent Nagano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

starthrower said:


> Zappa-Sinister Footwear Ballet, Berkeley Symphony/Kent Nagano


Now that's what I call *good music!*


----------



## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^

It's nice to finally hear the 1st movt. I've been listening to the rock ensemble versions of the 2nd & 3rd movts for years. This live premiere recording most likely contained many mistakes, and there was no budget for further rehearsals or a studio recording.


----------



## opus55

Stravinsky: Apollo


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Robert de Visée was the leading French composer for the theorbo, an instrument which had be developed in Italy to play accompaniment to the lute. In some instances it supplanted the lute and took on the lead role. Robert de Visée was the chief exponent of compositions for the theorbo:




























The instrument has a fuller more resonant and lower sound than the common lute thanks to the extra strings. Almost anyone who is a fan of Baroque lute music, be it by J.S. Bach, Sylvius Weiss, or John Dowland, will sure like this performance of music for the theorbo by Robert de Visée. The selections include works for solo theorbo, as well as pieces in which the instrument is accompanied by traverso, viol, and violin. Like all of the recordings I have sampled from Zig Zag Territories, this one is marvelously produced in terms of performers, sound quality, and packaging. My only reservation would be to note that the performance is very much close-miked in an effort to capture the resonating sounds of the strings. At times this can result in your hearing the breathing of the performer. Initially, this was slightly distracting... but just as Glenn Gould's "singing and humming" is forgiven in light of the rest of his performance, so this distraction quickly faded and I found myself enjoying this disc very much.

:tiphat:


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D RV204 "La Stravaganza" (1713)*
The last few in this set really are a wonder. The first movement is full of joy and alternates between simple bouncy melodies and heart-throbbing harmonic sequences- the climax is some of Vivaldi's best music. The slow movement doesn't fail to disappoint either, with a strummed guitar, tremolo's in the bass, and harpsichord counterpoint provide a silky texture while the violin sings an aria from above. The only let down is the finale, which seems to go on autopilot and channel a little of "Spring." Overall though, a wonderful concerto and proof that Vivaldi didn't write the same thing over and over.

*Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G RV298 "La Stravaganza" (1713)*
The final entry in the set is also impressive. Here the highlight is the slow movement which reminds me of waves crashing on the beach. Very beautiful and evocative. He also treats us with a rare extended finale (the last movement is the longest), leading to a satisfying finish.

*W.A. Mozart: Symphony #38 (1787)*
This is a fantastic symphony, mostly thanks to its first movement. Mozart sounds almost Beethovenian here; there is such warmth and electricity throughout. Although the bulk of the movement is comprised of exposition and recapitulation (the development, though by far the best section is less then 3 minutes long in a 14 min movement), the ideas are so attractive and wonderful that I didn't mind in the slightest. The slow movement is just as wonderful, with its slow unfolding of ideas that lead to tragedy and then resolve. Only the finale doesn't quite live up to the expectations set.

*W.A. Mozart: Symphony #39 (1788)*
This symphony is the reverse, as the finale is one of the finest Mozart penned. The minuet and trio also has a grace and lyricism not always found in his minuets (unlike Haydn, Mozart seems to do it out of obligation rather than satisfaction). The first movement is also quite stirring, though I found the slow movement to be one of his lesser efforts. Overall a wonderful but fairly different work- while his 1st and 2nd movements are usually his strengths, here the situations is reversed.

*Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata #3 (1888)*
This is my favorite of the three sonatas. It's less conventional than the first, and more dramatic than the second. Each of the four movements contains extremely attractive material and is all handled immaculately. My only complaint is that the inner movements contain the strongest material, but he does the least with them, preferring to go into more depth in the outer movements. The mood here is grim, but with none of the youthfulness of the Piano Quintet, and none of the nostalgia of the Clarinet Quintet. Instead it's a moody flight of contemplation and acceptance. Overall an excellent work, and one of my favorites in the genre (behind only the "Kreutzer" and Schumann's 2nd).

*Bela Bartok: Cantata Profana (1934)*
I'd never heard of this piece before listening to it, which is a shame because it's a wonderful work. To my ears it sounds like Delius meets Faure, though I suppose it is distinctly Bartok. The first movement is the most folk like, while the second movement takes an eerie tragic tone. Everything is peacefully resolved in the finale, with glowing harmonies after much dissonance. The work ends just as it begins, with a creeping scale played by the strings.

*Samuel Barber: Summer Music (1956)*
This has been on my 'things to listen to' for quite awhile. The woodwind quintet is provides less warmth then some of Barber's works (though perhaps I had been expecting warmth since it shares a word with _Knoxville: Summer Of 1915_). Like most Barber though, it is very lyrical and filled with beautiful passages (though here it alternates with a little rougher and confused section). Though it is quite contemplative, after 12 minutes I felt engaged but not really satisfied. I'm still not sure if Barber was trying to say something, or merely paint a picture. The material implied the former, the way it developed, the latter.

*Louis Andriessen: De Staat (1976)*
Another work I've heard a lot about was Andriessen's _De Staat_ which is noted for using minimalist techniques in a more dissonant and dare I say European setting. Certain sections of the work are quite profound, especially when there's a sudden shift in instrumentation (a particularly moving moment occurs about 7 minutes in, after just hearing brass and woodwinds, suddenly the whole ensemble, including voices, jumps in). I felt the first half built up nicely but the ending didn't reach the heights attained before. I have a feeling though that like _The Rite of Spring_, I'll find myself coming back to this work in a few months and enjoying it much more. Even still, a cool and mostly engaging experience. Also, after just having listened to Adams' _Naive and Sentimental Music_ it was interesting to hear where he stole his ending from.


----------



## Vaneyes

Another glorious CD that fell through the collecting cracks. Didn't know it existed 'til recently.

Recording Engineer Simon Eadon, Producer Andrew Keener, Henry Wood Hall 2002. Szymanowski Twenty Mazurkas, Op. 50, Valse Romantique, Four Polish Dances, Two Mazurkas, Op. 62. Coloring by Hamelin.










Eadon & Keener bios -

http://www.abbasrecords.com/personnel.htm


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> I wish I had more volumes by Schiff. I have only VI on CD, others in digital format (which I don't play often). As a newbie, sound quality makes a big difference to me. I listen to Kempff more because I got used to him first


Hear all you can of Schiff, and many others. Wasn't dissing, it's just that I'm a singles, not a sets guy, and too, if I kept everything I'd have to live outside.

Sound quality is important. It has been for every era. Too bad Kempff wasn't afforded better, but we can say that for many DG artists...a tired refrain.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> On *Spotify*:
> 
> Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.7, *featuring the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. I really enjoyed this symphony, and intend to sample more of this composer's output. Thanks, KP for your suggestions! {I also intend to listen to Sallinen and Holmboe}.


You're VERY welcome!  Glad you enjoyed it!

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2 of this set... a selection of songs by Rossini, Liszt, Debussy, Dvorak, and Rachmaninoff in homage of Jennie Tourel, Mezzo Soprano and Hendrick's teacher and mentor at Julliard. A lovely collection. The French songs by Liszt were a special surprise. I've only come across a few of Liszt's songs over the years but these suggest that I should delve deeper.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This album of Fanny Mendelssohn's (the sister of Felix) piano music is really beautiful. I highly recommend it! Her piano sonata in G is especially wonderful.










Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kevin Pearson said:


> This album of Fanny Mendelssohn's (the sister of Felix) piano music is really beautiful. I highly recommend it! Her piano sonata in G is especially wonderful.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


One of my favourite piano sonatas!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I stupidly put off purchasing this disc for quite some time due to repeated negative comments made by certain self-proclaimed experts on contemporary music. This disc contains three works by Joan Tower (b. 1938) a composer who was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in Composition, has been inducted in the National Academy of Arts and Letters and the Academy of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. She has also been recognized by an all-Tower performance at Carnegie Hall. Tower spent her childhood living in Bolivia, to which she attributes a fondness for percussion.

This disc includes three compositions, Made in America, Tambor, and Concerto for Orchestra. Made in America was commissioned by the Ford Made in America group. This group consists of 65 smaller budget American orchestras spearheaded by the American Symphony Orchestra League and Meet the Composer and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ford Motor Company. Tower was aware that the work she was to compose would be played by orchestras of various abilities, and thus avoided writing passages that were overly challenging upon the performers. At the same time, she recognized that the work was to be played across the nation, and thus she needed to appeal to the rural as well as the urban audience. The central theme of the work is based upon the United States' "unofficial national anthem," America the Beautiful. The work caught me off guard... beginning in a manner that suggested the sort of late Romanticism embraced by earlier composers such as Virgil Thomson and even Samuel Barber... it rapidly developed into something far more strident... with elements of angst... angularity... energy, percussion, and near dissonance.

Tambor is even more laden with percussion of various "colors" rooted as it is in Tower's experiences of South America. The Concerto for Orchestra is a form that dates back to the 17th century, but Tower's more immediate source of inspiration was Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Like Bartok's Concerto, Tower's work is quite energetic and features various clusters and groupings of instruments acting as soloists against the orchestra as a whole.

This disc was quite enjoyable. The performance by Leonard Slatkin with the Nashville Symphony gave no hint of not being the work of one of the more major orchestras. While Tower's work may not be overly innovative or likely to cause a major shift within the narrative of classical music as a whole, it is quite marvelous in its own right... within the tradition of classical music as Tower inherited it... and I would very much recommend it to anyone seeking out examples of less esoteric or avant garde and more accessible works of contemporary orchestral music.

:tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...Tower was aware that the work she was to compose would be played by orchestras of various abilities, and thus avoided writing passages that were overly challenging upon the performers. At the same time, she recognized that the work was to be played across the nation, and thus she needed to appeal to the rural as well as the urban audience...


Sounds like she's inspired by Hindemith's theory/practice of _ Gebrauchsmusik _(Music for use) & also with what Copland did, bringing the then latest techniques (eg. tone clusters, dissonance, new ways of orchestrating, etc.) to the "common man" in USA and across the world (neither guys where parochial, I think)...


----------



## opus55

@StlukesguildOhio 
I had previewed her Naxos recordings but never listened to them in full. Thanks to your nice introduction of the lady composer, I'll remember to get her recording soon.


----------



## Sid James

*Kodaly* - _Hary Janos Suite_
John Leach, cimbalom / Berlin Radio SO / Ferenc Fricsay, cond.
(DGG)

*Gershwin *- _Porgy & Bess, a symphonic picture _(arr. Robert Russell Bennett)
London SO / Andre Previn
(from EMI disc - _Barber Adagio and other American favourites_)


----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Still haven't gotten tired of standard repertoire.. I don't mind the hiss in this recording at all, in fact, I enjoy it because it gives me sense of time and space (don't ask me what it means)

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4


----------



## Guest

This one has been neglected in my collection for a while, but listening now, I find it really, really good.










Sort of like polished-up Beethoven!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As a long-time William Blake fan(atic) I had to jump on this disc. I already have the following:




























The composer, Will Ayton, was born in China in 1948 to missionary parents and educated in Taiwan and the United States. He spent his adolescence in Pennsylvania and eventually took a doctorate Boston University. He teaches music and culture at Roger Williams College in Rhode Island. Ayton is also a player of the viol and as such his suite, _A Reliquary for William Blake_, is composed for viols and soprano. The music has elements both new and old. The sound of the viols is of course immediately suggestive of Baroque-era music, and there are aspects of this music that remind me of Elizabethan miniatures... the songs of Dowland and Campion (a couple of whose songs are included in settings for viols by Ayton). At the same time there are elements that suggest Minimalism (at times), an Anglo-American Romanticism rooted in folk songs, the songs of Copland, Barber, Ned Rorem, and Jake Heggie... and in other instances, something almost Asian. The work as a whole is very fluid... moving from sung settings of Blake's poems to spoken passages taken from his prose floated over the music... to purely instrumental passages. Ayton's work lacks William Bolcom's stylistic variety and audacity... yet at the same time, as a whole it may be more pleasing overall and successful... lacking some of Bolcom's true flops in attempting to set Blake to reggae.

The disc is fleshed out with instrumental (viol) settings from a suite entitled _Four Songs from the British Isles_, settings of two songs from Thomas Campion, another brief instrumental suite in 3 movements entitled, _Incantations_, a _Fantasia on a Theme of Henry Purcell_, and two more song settings.

The performance by A Consort of Viols and the mezzo-soprano Alexandra Montano is nothing short of first rate... as is the sound quality. This is perhaps not "essential" music. It is doubtful Ayton will garner more than a footnote in the narrative of music history... yet the music is quite pleasurable and I would certainly recommend it to anyone fond of Baroque viol music (looking at music of the Baroque viol through glasses colored by the sensibility of the twentieth century leads to some interesting moments), "Art Song" in the English language, and most assuredly to anyone enamored of William Blake. I suspect I will be listening to this disc quite a bit more often than I do to any number of other discs featuring the work of more innovative and _avant garde_ composers.


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## opus55

Listening to lesser known work by a well known composer.. couldn't remember the main theme of first movement so I must listen to it. This duo set is interesting because I seem to like it gradually more and more over a period of at least one decade now. It makes me want to get the volume 2 of Markevitch Tchaikovsky recordings.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.2


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I have to admit that I find Tower's music a little like "soundtrack" music but that doesn't make it bad. I do enjoy the album and would be interested in hearing more of her work.

Kevin


----------



## science

Yesterday I realized how many old favorites I haven't heard in a long time, and today I'm going to indulge in them. That means lots of the big name composers performed by the titans of early stereo on labels like DG.










Rachmaninov.










#8










Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste.


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to the *Philip Glass *piece, a very fine arrangement of his first violin concerto for soprano sax, and also a listen after many moons to this "greatest hits" album of *Andrew Lloyd Webber's *music -

*Philip Glass*
_Violin Concerto #1_, arranged for soprano saxophone by Amy Dickson, with permission from the composer
Amy Dickson, soprano sax / Royal PO / Mikel Toms, cond.
(Sony)

*Album: The Premiere Collection, The best of Andrew Lloyd Webber *- the original recordings
(Polydor)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Frank Zappa: The Adventures of Greggery Peccary


----------



## science




----------



## Guest

@Science - I can't remember if you use iTunes or not, but if you do I figured out a clever trick recently which you might enjoy. You set up an automatic playlist to contain all your classical music, then limit it to (say) 500 or 1000 items, selected by least recently played. And voila - you have a playlist of all the music in your collection that has been neglected. When you're looking for something to play, it's a good place to go for ideas.

Thread duty:


----------



## science

BPS said:


> @Science - I can't remember if you use iTunes or not, but if you do I figured out a clever trick recently which you might enjoy. You set up an automatic playlist to contain all your classical music, then limit it to (say) 500 or 1000 items, selected by least recently played. And voila - you have a playlist of all the music in your collection that has been neglected. When you're looking for something to play, it's a good place to go for ideas.


I spent the last hour or so setting up a playlist like that. In time it could become my main playlist.

For the next month or two, however, I'll still be getting a lot of things from 0 to 1 on my play count, because I've only been using this hard drive since August (when I switched to Mac, after an unfortunately violent encounter with probably the last PC I'll ever own).


----------



## Crudblud

Moritz Moszkowski - Piano Concerto in E major, Op. 59 (Maksymiuk / Lane)
Schumann - Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6 (Demus)


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony* *No*.*5* *in* *E-Flat* *Major*, *Op*.*82*, *Symphony* *No*.*6* *in* *D* *Minor*, *Op*.*104* *and* *Symphony* *No*.*7* *in* *C* *Major*, *Op*.*105*.All three symphonies feature Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}. *Both works are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme


----------



## Vaneyes

Nobilissima Visione Suite, from CD 2.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Damn! Dead at 26... and yet his Stabat Mater has already rejected the conventions of the Baroque for a greater clarity... simplicity... and transparency... to such an extent that it is already closer to Mozart than it is to Bach and Handel... who both still have another 14 years to live. This is surely one of those instances that makes you wonder what "might have been"?


----------



## Vaneyes

This CD's been with me a long time. All is good, but my favorite moments are in Britten's Four Sea Interludes, namely the third movement, "Moonlight".










Storm Scene by Edwin Hayes.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551{"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies feature George Szell leading the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Symphony No.7


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte.










My sixth listen of my favourite interpretation of Mozart's last opera. I love the performance of the overture in particular!


----------



## NightHawk

It is a great set - the only symphony that disappoints me is the 5th and I suppose that is because of Kleiber's Jurassic Park version. The set has great color and you will hear things you never heard before (I predict). I'm not throwing out my modern orchestra recordings, tho! 



Conor71 said:


> *Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36
> 
> I actually havent listened to this set a whole lot since I bought it last year so intending to remedy that this week - Certainly on the first Disc the 2 early Symphonies are very well rendered with beautiful, clear Orchestral sound and propulsive tempos, the performances are great!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This version of the Stenhammar symphonies 1 & 2 are really quite excellent. Neeme Jarvi & the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra really do a fine job. These are simply a couple of the best symphonies I have heard and I really love them.










Kevin


----------



## Sid James

*Richard Mills* (b.1949)
_Bamaga Diptych_ (1988)
_Tenebrae _(1992)
_Pages from a Secret Journal_ (2002)
- Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
(Cd 1 from ABC CLassics, 2 cd set, Richard Mills orchestral works)

Another listen to this disc from this set which I've been listening to since I got last week. Great stuff all round.

I'm beginning to hear the common things between these three works, eg. recognise elements of *Richard Mills'* style.

It is quite eclectic and hard to put in a neat box, & I like that kind of thing if it's done well, as it is here.

The first work, _*Bamaga Diptych*_, is a colourful representation of the wet season breaking the dry season in Far North Queensland. The climax is a shower of rain towards the end, given by the percussion, and followed by a kind of modern fugue that is very vigorous and kind of groovy.

The second work by contrast,_* Tenebrae*_, is quite solemn and serious. A tribute to a friend of the composer, the conductor Stuart Challender who passed away of AIDS before this was written. Based on the plainchant_ pange lingua_, it builds up in layers and fragments to a powerful and angry climax, followed by a beautiful violin solo that gives the "theme" in full, unbroken. Then the work ends, fading out into nothingness, like a person's spirit does in death.

The final work on this first disc, _*Pages from a Secret JOurnal,*_ has an autobiographical element. After listening to this a few times, I hear a theme appearing in this, in a long oboe solo against a shimmering orchestral backdrop. It's in seven sections, like seven pages from the composer's journal. Like Elgar's _Enigma Variations,_ the exact contents of this musical journal is as the title says, a secret known only by the composer.

All up this first disc is superb and I look forward to hearing the second disc, which has the _Symphony of Nocturnes_, appropriate for a composer who much admires Debussy...


----------



## Kevin Pearson

The more I listen to Nicolas Medtner the more I really enjoy him. His piano sonata in F minor Op. 5 is really a masterpiece in my opinion. It has some really memorable melodies. I have not heard all of his piano work but I plan on trying to collect what is available.










Kevin


----------



## Crudblud

Okay, so not really listening, but I just watched Salome for the first time. It's the 1974 film version with Teresa Stratas and Bernd Weikl, conducted by Karl Böhm. With it being a film version it is of course lip synced, this was noticeable in parts but in no way detracted from the fantastic music or the intensity of the acting.

And my god, what a voice on Stratas.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

On to more solo piano and this time it is Charles-Valentin Alkan's concerto for solo piano. Absolutely incredible virtuosity as performed by Marc- Andre Hamelin. Medtner fans would enjoy this one I believe.










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Okay, so not really listening, but I just watched Salome for the first time. It's the 1974 film version with Teresa Stratas and Bernd Weikl, conducted by Karl Böhm. With it being a film version it is of course lip synced, this was noticeable in parts but in no way detracted from the fantastic music or the intensity of the acting.

And my god, what a voice on Stratas.

Stratas absolutely owns that role on film. Birgit Nilsson's recording with Solti is stunning... but she comes off as almost comic in the video recordings. Stratas has the unstable... unhinged... insane aspects of Salome down pat. You feel you are watching a descent into absolute madness. Hair-raising!


----------



## Crudblud

Yes! I'm not sure what this says about me, but I almost found myself falling in love with her. The final scene with Jochanaan's severed head is so macabre yet so beautiful at the same time.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky's *_Three Movements from Petrushka_, played by the late, great Alexis Weissenberg on piano (on youtube). A while since I'd listened to this, over a year probably. Quite quirky in some ways, Weissenberg definitely put his own stamp on this piece, his interpretation is nothing if not unique...


----------



## science

I bet y'all thought I was bluffing. Heck no. Listen to them horns. Maybe when Schoenberg talked about how much good music there was still to be written in the key of C major, this is what he had in mind.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> I bet y'all thought I was bluffing. Heck no. Listen to them horns. Maybe when Schoenberg talked about how much good music there was still to be written in the key of C major, this is what he had in mind.


Argh. I can't believe you! I'm sure Schoenberg was talking about Terry Riley's "In C" when he said that.


----------



## Crudblud

C... comb... moustache comb... Schoenberg was CLEARLY referring to how much good music there was still to be written by a lone keyboard warrior and his spectacular moustache. I'm tired, go somewhere, I'm fresh out of that because I just had to clean George Washington's teeth.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Crudblud said:


> C... comb... moustache comb... Schoenberg was CLEARLY referring to how much good music there was still to be written by a lone keyboard warrior and his spectacular moustache. I'm tired, go somewhere, I'm fresh out of that because I just had to clean George Washington's teeth.


He was referring to "In C." It's a fact.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: String Quartet No. 7 In D Major, D 94*

Schubert's early quartets dont match the genius of his later efforts but they are still a pleasant listen - now listening to Disc 3 of this excellent set of complete quartets


----------



## Sid James

*Richard Mills *(b.1949)
_Symphony of Nocturnes _(2008)
- Geoff Lierser, theremin - in second movement / Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
(Cd 2 from ABC CLassics, 2 cd set, Richard Mills orchestral works)

A first listen to the final work on this set, the *Symphony of Nocturnes*. This was firstly in the form of a ballet and soon after transformed into this symphony.

This is an interesting work. Certain ideas seem to keep returning on pairs of instruments. One phrase was on two violins (I think?) and another on two piccolos. The four movements had titles from a number of things, based on things from pictures of nature to astral travel.

The most gripping part for me was the second movement, part of the title being _Night Creatures_. I think these may well have been bunyips, the mythical creatures of Aboriginal (native Australian) mythology and folklore. The theremin in this piece sounded like the voice of some wierd animal, it was kind of organic and not mechanical as I thought it would be. It sang it's wierd song, and the rhythms of the orchestra did remind me of tribal rhythms, the "drone" of the brass coming across as much like the Aboriginal wind instrument, the didgeridoo.

I did feel some connection to the voice or style of Debussy, a composer who Mills likes a lot, but it was not done in a literal way (eg. no quotes of Debussy, etc.). The vibe of this piece was quite filmic as well, epic in parts, but also quite contemporary sounding.

I like this 2 disc set, all the works on it are superb, I will return to it often, and it was worth it's weight in gold, basically. REcommended to all, both our international and Aussie members...


----------



## NightHawk

Another favorite, Sonata No. 31 in Ab, Op. 110. No lack of authority here - Brendel's playing of the late sonatas is up there with the greats.


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> He was referring to "In C." It's a fact.


Lest you're serious (and lest anyone be misled) Schoenberg died more than a decade before Riley wrote In C.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mozart with Maria Joao Pires.


----------



## Kryten

Okay, it's only a magazine cover disc but:

(a) It's Schubert's 9th. If it's as recommended as you say it is - it'll be good anyway.
(b) It was only a pound, with 100% of that going to a local charity.
(c) It's not Jedward.
http://www.talkclassical.com/12443-tc-150-most-recommended.html


----------



## Conor71

*Brian: Symphony No. 1, "The Gothic"*

Having another listen to this epic Symphony - I quite enjoyed my first listen to this a couple of weeks ago!


----------



## Vaneyes

Mozart with The Great Gulda.


----------



## AndyS

Wagner's Lohengrin conducted by Solti

Never spent much time with this opera before, it certainly contains some of Wagner's more pretty and serene moments. Or at least this version does


----------



## opus55

Bach: English Suites Nos 3 & 6
Schubert: Impromptus


----------



## mmsbls

Menotti's violin concerto.










I had heard this work awhile ago, and based on an old post I reread, I apparently did not enjoy the work. I just thought of trying it again because I think Menotti's piano concerto is wonderful. The whole work is actually lovely. Menotti is a neo-Romantic composer who recently died (2007). All three movements have wonderfully gorgeous sections. I'm a bit amazed that I reacted in a lukewarm way before.


----------



## AmbiguousFigures

Ernest Chausson - Concert in D for Piano, Violin and String Quartet










It's really unfortunate that he didn't compose more than he did. He is probably one of the best late romantic composers that I can think of, and this concert is particularly devastating.


----------



## neoshredder

Albinoni - The Complete Concertos performed by I Musici


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70. *The* 5th *featurestheConcertgebouwOrchestra*, *whilst* t*h*e 9th *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra; both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid and Fanfare for the Common Man.* All these works have Maestro Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Sid James

*Barber* 
- _Adagio for strings_*
*Bernstein *
- _Candide Overture* 
- On the Town - Three Dance Episodes_**

*London SO / Andre Previn
**Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin

(both from EMI cd, _Barber ADagio and other American favourites_)


----------



## Sid James

*John Tavener*
_The Protecting Veil - first movement_ (arr. A. Dickson)
*Michael Nyman*
_Where the Bee Dances
_
Amy Dickson, soprano saxophone / Royal PO / Mikel Toms
(SOny)

First listen. I esp. enjoyed the saxophone version of the* Tavener* piece, I liked how the Byzantine chant on which it's based, that melody, was given with great clarity and simplicity at the end. Also, I liked how the *Nyman* work ended quite suddenly, leaving me kind of hanging up in the air. It could have gone on forever like many of these minimalist things, but Nyman ended it surprisingly abrubtly, and interesting trick, he kind of threw a spanner into the works in that...


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back...

Schnittke: Piano Sonatas 1 - 3, Improvisation and Fugue. Igor Tchetuev plays Fazioli grand piano No. 2280912 .

Berio: Cinque veriazioni, Rounds, Six Encores, Sequenza IV, Petite Suite, Sonata. Francesco Tristano Schlime plays Yamaha CF III S 5894400.

Maybe atonal now requires something other than a Steinway. Just wondering about a possible trend. Developing.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 In Eb Major, Op. 12*

Performed by the Sharon Quartet from this set of Mendelssohn's complete Chamber Music:


----------



## opium




----------



## Crudblud

Couperin - First Order in G minor for harpsichord (Ross)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Witold Lutoslawski--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 4. *Both works feature Antoni Wit conducting the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Aulis Sallinen--*Symphony No.4, Op.49, *performed by the Malmo Symphony Orchestra led by James DePREIST and *Symphony No.1, Op.24, *with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paavo Pohjola.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87*


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> ...
> 
> Maybe atonal now requires something other than a Steinway. Just wondering about a possible trend. Developing.
> 
> ...


Maybe just playing around with acoustic instruments too. I have Schlimme's BachCage album. I think it's done on normal steinway, just manipulated electronically (mixing, overdubbing) and also with heaps of microphones. The Cage pieces are more "artificially" done than the Bach pieces, which overall are quite natural/normal, except for a flourish at the end of a piece, the pianist performing duets with himself (overdubbing) and the final bit from one of the French Suites done to sound as if he's playing underwater.

I quite like the album, which has opened me up a bit to both composer's keyboard works. He apparently plays these kinds of things as well as techno mixes when he's doing a live show. Interesting stuff...


----------



## AlexD

Brahms Violin Concerto with Isabele Faust & Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Very enjoyable.


----------



## Crudblud

Grieg - In Autumn, Op. 11 (N. Järvi)

Very excited, recently picked up this DG box set of Grieg's complete orchestral works by Järvi and the Gothenburg SO.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> *John Tavener*
> _The Protecting Veil - first movement_ (arr. A. Dickson)
> *Michael Nyman*
> _Where the Bee Dances
> _
> Amy Dickson, soprano saxophone / Royal PO / Mikel Toms
> (SOny)
> 
> First listen. I esp. enjoyed the saxophone version of the* Tavener* piece, I liked how the Byzantine chant on which it's based, that melody, was given with great clarity and simplicity at the end. Also, I liked how the *Nyman* work ended quite suddenly, leaving me kind of hanging up in the air. It could have gone on forever like many of these minimalist things, but Nyman ended it surprisingly abrubtly, and interesting trick, he kind of threw a spanner into the works in that...


I never really enjoyed that version of Glass' violin concerto no. 1. I think it's better suited to the original instrument it was written for.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Celebrating Mozart's birthday with a bit of Mozart:


----------



## opus55

Korngold: Violin Concerto
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto Nos.1 & 2


----------



## violadude

science said:


>


Look! It's Art Rock!


----------



## science

Everyone here owes me an apology.










I've been on this site for at least a year, and none of you have told me how awesome Franck's cello sonata is.

Well, though I ought to hold a grudge, I won't. I'm above that.

This is a wonderful cello sonata. Look out Brahms cello sonatas. Franck is coming for you.


----------



## science

AmbiguousFigures said:


> Ernest Chausson - Concert in D for Piano, Violin and String Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's really unfortunate that he didn't compose more than he did. He is probably one of the best late romantic composers that I can think of, and this concert is particularly devastating.


Yes, I love that work. Anyone who likes romantic chamber music should hear it at some point.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

science said:


> Everyone here owes me an apology.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been on this site for at least a year, and none of you have told me how awesome Franck's cello sonata is.
> 
> Well, though I ought to hold a grudge, I won't. I'm above that.
> 
> This is a wonderful cello sonata. Look out Brahms cello sonatas. Franck is coming for you.


I apologize! I didn't know you would like Franck!  Have you heard his Piano Quintet in F Minor? It's very emotional and intense but I really enjoy it. Especially this version:






The other four movements are on YouTube as well.

Kevin


----------



## science

Just heard the Brahms, haven't heard the Schubert yet. But I love this version. My first one was Hans Hotter, and that is still a great option because it comes with a searing "Ich habe genug." But I'm not sure which is my first choice for the 4 Serious Songs.


----------



## science

Kevin Pearson said:


> I apologize! I didn't know you would like Franck!  Have you heard his Piano Quintet in F Minor? It's very emotional and intense but I really enjoy it. Especially this version:
> 
> The other four movements are on YouTube as well.
> 
> Kevin


I have heard it. Is that the Naxos version? That's the one I have.

I have to listen to it again because it didn't strike me the first time. Thanks for the heads up!

Edit: Done! The first movement feels a lot like the cello sonata, maybe the 2nd as well. The third is more exciting. Thanks for reminding me of this.


----------



## Chrythes

Yes! What a great symphony the 9th is. Beautiful melodies and themes following each other and a great Scherzo movement!


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Everyone here owes me an apology.
> 
> I've been on this site for at least a year, and none of you have told me how awesome Franck's cello sonata is.


Oops. Sorry. I have that disk. Oh, well, now you know.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *John Tavener*
> _The Protecting Veil - first movement_ (arr. A. Dickson)
> *Michael Nyman*
> _Where the Bee Dances
> _
> Amy Dickson, soprano saxophone / Royal PO / Mikel Toms


I need to check that out when I get home.


----------



## Vaneyes

Prokofiev Piano Sonatas - Bronfman 2, 3, 5, 9, then Richter with 4 & 6.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 1 In C Minor Op. 4*

I listened to some solo Piano music yesterday after spending the last few weeks listening to mainly Orchestral stuff and it did my spirit good so repeating the experience today.
Im not so familiar with the first Piano Sonata as I am with the last 2 but its still an interesting work - This set of Chopin's complete Piano Works is great and Magaloff's playing leaves nothing to be desired, definetely one of my best purchases of last year!.


----------



## Vaneyes

Prokofiev Piano Sonatas - Pogorelich playing No. 6, and then Argerich with No. 7. Did Martha puff the magic dragon just before this cover-shot?


----------



## Crudblud

Pfitzner - Piano Trios (Robert Schumann Trio)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> Everyone here owes me an apology.


Science, I'm sorry.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Horn concerto no. 1 in D major.


----------



## neoshredder

Famous Classical Trumpet Concertos by I Musici


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Science, I'm sorry.


Thanks man.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I never really enjoyed that version of Glass' violin concerto no. 1. I think it's better suited to the original instrument it was written for.


I think it's pretty good. She had to really develop her circular breathing technique. She didn't change much in her arrangement, she tried to think of playing the sax like a violin, if that makes sense. The notes talk about this in some detail.

But I think the work that appealed to me most on the album is the Tavener, another arrangement by Amy Dickson for sax, of _The Protecting Veil_, originally for cello & orch. I'm not the biggest fan of "Holy MInimalism" but this arrangment really works for me in some unknown ways...


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to this, really enjoying this set, got through 3 of the 4 works in this listen, really connected with his music since getting this recording last week -

*Richard Mills *(b.1949)
_Symphony of Nocturnes _(2008)
_Bamaga Diptych_ (1988)
_Tenebrae_ (1992)
- Geoff Lierser, theremin - in second movement of symphony only / Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
(From ABC CLassics, 2 cd set, Richard Mills orchestral works)


----------



## Sid James

Also, some _Americana_; really like the vividly bought out gun battle towards the end of _Billy the Kid_, as well as the saloon scene which comes early in the piece...

*Copland* -_ Billy the Kid _
Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin

*Gershwin *- _Porgy & Bess - A Symphonic Picture _(arr. Robert Russell Bennett) 
London SO / Andre Previn

(From EMI cd - _Barber ADagio & other American favourites_)


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Kubelík)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to disc two of this 7-disc, 250th anniversary set: _Missa solemnis in d-minor_. Again... quite a marvelous work. It is little wonder that Beethoven so admired Cherubini. He proves to me that there is quite likely a great deal of music from the "classical era" beyond Mozart, Haydn, Gluck, and early Beethoven. It is intriguing that the "claasical era" is quite often the era most open to criticism (lacking emotion, too beautiful) and yet how many critical of the period have really made any attempt at delving deeper? I accuse myself of this as well.


----------



## Vaneyes

Prokofiev Piano Sonatas. GG's No. 7, then 8s with Richter and Sokolov.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Another listen to this, really enjoying this set, got through 3 of the 4 works in this listen, really connected with his music since getting this recording last week -
> 
> *Richard Mills *(b.1949)
> _Symphony of Nocturnes _(2008)
> _Bamaga Diptych_ (1988)
> _Tenebrae_ (1992)
> - Geoff Lierser, theremin - in second movement of symphony only / Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
> (From ABC CLassics, 2 cd set, Richard Mills orchestral works)


29 seconds of Tenebrae wasn't bad.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Margaret and Mozart: The first interview by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in over 200 years!










ABC Classic fm presenter Margaret Throsby interviews Mozart. A parody on the morning interviews on ABC Classic fm. CD includes guest appearances by Joseph Haydn, Hector Berlioz, George Gershwin, Joseph Leutgeb and Anton Sadler. Includes a performance of "I'm Gonna Be Big" from Mozart's autobiographical musical "Mozart: the Musical" written in 2004 performed by Mozart, Anton Stadler, Joseph Leutgeb and George Gerwshwin. Haliarious CD! :lol::lol::lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Crudblud said:


> Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Kubelík)


'59 or '70? I really like the '59.


----------



## opus55

Nielsen: Symphony No.4
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> 29 seconds of Tenebrae wasn't bad.
> 
> ...


What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying, exactly? Did you only get to hear 29 seconds of it on a website or something? Or could you only stand 29 seconds cos you don't like it?...


----------



## Crudblud

Vaneyes said:


> '59 or '70? I really like the '59.


'70. I didn't know there was another Kubelik recording, but then I'm not really a fan of Das Lied.

anyway...

Dvorak - Symphony No. 6 (Kubelik)


----------



## Klavierspieler

Robert Schumann - Violin Concerto, WoO 23

Yehudi Menuhin
Sir John Barbirolli
New York Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Crudblud

Hovhaness - Symphony No. 60, Op. 396 'To the Appalachian Mountains' (Schwarz)
Hovhaness - Khorhoort Nahadagats (Jordania)


----------



## science

D&tM.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

To continue the celebrations of Mozart's 256th:


----------



## Rapide




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Henk Badings--*Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.7 {"Louisville Symphony"}. *Both works feature David Porecijn conducting the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra. I found the adagio movement of the *7th* to be very haunting and melodic, with the composer quite effectively using all the "colors" on his symphonic palette to create an overall atmospheric mood: Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony No. 7, "Louisville Symphony": III. Adagio.
Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.1, Op.4, *performed by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra led by Owain Arwel Hughes. I especially liked the dramatic effect created by the fact that the 2nd movement {andante} segues right into the last movement {allergo energico} with no pause whatsoever; the theme continues, and is taken up in turns by different sections of the orchestra. I found this to be a very exciting and interesting technique.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, *featuring Josef Krips conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. From beginning to end, a masterpiece!


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify*:
> 
> Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.1, Op.4, *performed by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra led by Owain Arwel Hughes. I especially liked the dramatic effect created by the fact that the 2nd movement {andante} segues right into the last movement {allergo energico} with no pause whatsoever; the theme continues, and is taken up in turns by different sections of the orchestra. I found this to be a very exciting and interesting technique.


Excellent  you started on Holmboe. Did you think that the second movement sounded Chinese or Oriental to you? It always sounded like that to me.


----------



## samurai

Violadude, It did have a somewhat oriental feel to it, but my initial reaction--especially to its opening with the bells or triangle {?}-was that it brought to mind Alan Hovhaness.


----------



## Crudblud

Hovhaness - Symphony No. 3, Op. 148 (Jordania)
Hovhaness - Khrimian Hairig (Schwarz)
Hovhaness - Guitar Concerto (Leisner)


----------



## hespdelk

I approached this recording with skepticism, for some reason I wasn't expecting much - but I had heard good things and was curious. I'm glad that I did - some top notch playing. Wigglesworth emerges as a great Shostakovich conductor.. some of the best renditions of these two works I have heard, and the 12th is one of the more neglected symphonies of the cycle. This competes with the Bernstein recording of the 9th which has long been my favourite - though it is a fairly different approach to the work in my view. Excellent clear and powerful sound throughout as well. Now I must add the rest of this cycle to my list of things to explore..


----------



## science

The Brahms.

I have often been accused of having Brahms as my favorite composer, and I can see why since I do love some of his works more than any others of their kind (the piano trio #1, the piano quartets, string sextet #2, the violin sonatas, the cello sonatas, the German Requiem; also, the symphonies #1 and #4 and the piano concerto #1 are up there among my favorites).

But the violin concerto is a work that I just don't get. It's pretty good, to me, but not great.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

No. 7 outshines all of them.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying, exactly? Did you only get to hear 29 seconds of it on a website or something? Or could you only stand 29 seconds cos you don't like it?...


Yes, to the former. I was rationed 29 seconds at Amazon.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Yes, to the former. I was rationed 29 seconds at Amazon.


Oh, gotcha.

29 seconds is not exactly generous for an 18 minute work. I don't know where to look for previews other than amazon. I tried the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra site as well as ABC shop online, but I couldn't find any previews of this Richard Mills disc.

I can't help you much, maybe other Aussie members here can - esp. _ComposerOfAvantGarde_, this repertoire is his specialty...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Oh, gotcha.
> 
> 29 seconds is not exactly generous for an 18 minute work. I don't know where to look for previews other than amazon. I tried the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra site as well as ABC shop online, but I couldn't find any previews of this Richard Mills disc.
> 
> I can't help you much, maybe other Aussie members here can - esp. _ComposerOfAvantGarde_, this repertoire is his specialty...


I don't actually know much of Richard Mills. I've heard some works on that CD on the radio and greatly enjoyed them but I haven't got much knowledge of his output in general.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm getting tired of listening to so many symphonies! Maybe next I'll listen to "Le Nozze di Figaro."


----------



## Crudblud

Harold Brown - Four Symphonic Movements
Harold Brown - Two Experiments for flute, clarinet and bassoon
Brian - Symphony No. 8 (Groves)

Harold Brown was some obscure American composer whose music I apparently downloaded and forgot about, unless it just appeared magically on my hard drive. It sounds like someone recorded it off an old vinyl on to an old cassette, and I have no idea who's playing. It looks like soon his works may be recorded again; I noticed a conductor is raising funds online to put together rehearsals and possibly a few recording sessions.

Edit: Now I remember! He was the grandfather of an American friend of mine, I got this music personally from him. I'm a moron.

The fourth movement is a MIDI version! Awesome.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I don't actually know much of Richard Mills. I've heard some works on that CD on the radio and greatly enjoyed them but I haven't got much knowledge of his output in general.


I was thinking more along the lines that you might know some good websites to sample contemporary Aussie classical music. Not necessarily Richard Mills in general. If you do know, good idea to contact Vaneyes by PM, maybe...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> I was thinking more along the lines that you might know some good websites to sample contemporary Aussie classical music. Not necessarily Richard Mills in general. If you do know, good idea to contact Vaneyes by PM, maybe...


Well, I don't really know any...


----------



## Crudblud

This is shaping up to be a mystery worthy of Columbo.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Well, I don't really know any...





Crudblud said:


> This is shaping up to be a mystery worthy of Columbo.


Well it's a pity, it seems there's not a huge amount of Aussie music, or even much of an amount, for listeners to sample online.

There's not much of our music on youtube either, but there are some good things there, more things are being put on, so it probably will get better.

It's a pity cos Aussie composers are great, and the world deserved to know about them through the online media...


----------



## Xaltotun

For some time, I've listened to Francois Couperin's "Lecons de Tenebres" almost every day. Moving, contemplative, expressive... what a masterpiece.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Well it's a pity, it seems there's not a huge amount of Aussie music, or even much of an amount, for listeners to sample online.
> 
> There's not much of our music on youtube either, but there are some good things there, more things are being put on, so it probably will get better.
> 
> It's a pity cos Aussie composers are great, and the world deserved to know about them through the online media...


You can sample some compositions by the greatest Australian composer of all time at his website.


----------



## NightHawk

These guys play a set of contemporary instruments made by Francis Kuttner in Cremona, Italy where he trained. Made as a memorial to his sister the Ellen M. Egger Quartet of Instruments are extraordinary. The two violins were modeled on a 1705 Strad 'P' design, the viola from a personal design of Kutter's, and the cello based on a 1709 'B' form Strad. You notice the rich, sonorous quality of the instruments right away, very deep and well matched. The labels state they were made in 1987. The Alexander Quartet's cycle of the Beethoven is a very fine performance throughout. Highly recommended.


----------



## opus55

science said:


> The Brahms.
> ...
> But the violin concerto is a work that I just don't get. It's pretty good, to me, but not great.


That's hard to believe.  Brahms has been one of my top 3 favorites composers for few years now but I'm still not all that familiar with his Piano Concerto No.2. I'm beginning to think that it doesn't appeal to me, maybe because it sounds too heavy.

Listened to these on the way to work.. (yes, I have a long commute)

Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2
Beethoven: Symphony No.6


----------



## science

One of the very best CDs I have.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 61*

Planning to listen to all of my recordings of Beethoven's Violin Concerto today (I have 4) - first up these 2 with Kyung-Wha Chung and Itzhak Perlman as soloists:


----------



## Vaneyes




----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You can sample some compositions by the greatest Australian composer of all time at his website.


"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vaneyes said:


> "You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaneyes said:


>


I don't generally like Gould's interpretations but his Hindemith is amazing!


----------



## opus55

Bax: orchestral works


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Niels Marthinsen--Symphony No.2{*"Snapshot Symphony"}, *featuring Christian Lindberg conducting the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

Bartok Mikrokosmos. Though "progressive pieces for piano" will never grow on me, they can be a nice change of pace.

Bookshelf or floorstanding speakers is my preferred delivery for them. I find headphones enable more torture than enjoyment. I give them breathing room, a section at a time.

Georges Solchony was recorded in Paris 'tween '73 and '75. Re-remastered in 2009 to fine result.


----------



## Crudblud

Medtner - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 50 (Demidenko)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: Concerto for two violins in A minor RV522.
My favourite recording of Le Quattro Stagioni that _isn't_ played on period instruments
Concerto for two violins in D major RV511


----------



## Crudblud

Krenek - Der Diktator (Janowski)


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Violin Sonata in A Major
Bruckner: Mass No.3


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Nocturnes*

Disc 1 - First 13 numbered Nocturnes


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: Concerto for two violins in A major RV519
Violin concerto in A minor RV356
Concerto for two violins in C major RV507
Violin sonata no. 2 in D minor RV12
Concerto for violin and oboe in B flat major RV548
Violin concerto in D major RV230
Concerto for two violins and 'cello in G minor RV578


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* - _Preludes, books 1 & 2_
Hans Henkemans, piano (Mono recording, early 1950's)
(Philips Eloquence)

This pianist brings out the whimsy and intensity of these pieces & many other aspects. My introduction to these works was Walter Gieseking, who focussed more on colour, their various shadings, etc. I think Henkemans is more kind of down to earth. He was a Dutch pianist whose specialty was Debussy and modern Dutch composers. I think this must be his only cd in print now. The sound is quite good for the time, I have enjoyed this recording many times since getting it a few years back.

No need to introduce the preludes themselves, but there are many "in jokes" in these. Eg. there are difinitely hints of Spanish vibes in No. 9 of book 1, "La Serenade Interrompue" and also a bit of ragtime in No. 12, "Minstrels." I was surprised by the odd harmonies and dark dissonant sounds of No. 2 from book 2, "Feuilles Mortes." A lot of great pieces here, which weren't necessarily meant to be heard in the one sitting, but I often listen to them like that...


----------



## rojo

Arthur Bliss - A Colour Symphony

Charles Groves, Royal Philharmonic

I'm wondering if maybe I should have posted this in the 1,111 thread. When I got to the third movement, blue, there were 1,111 views, and it was uploaded by bartje11.


----------



## Crudblud

Wagner - Orchestral Music from the Ring (Szell)

The sound is gorgeous, but this is the most mellow Wagner I've ever heard; it's like Szell's on tranquillisers or something. I'm not complaining, it's a different take on Wagner to what I'm used to and that makes a nice change.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Mazurka Nos. 2-4
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater

















Chopin pieces serve as intermission between two choral works by Bruckner and Pergolesi. I first found countertenor voice strange but am slowly getting mesmerized..


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.2, Op.15 and Sinfonia In Memoriam.* Both works feature Owain Arwel Hughes leading the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Holmboe's use of orchestration--especially in the first movement of his *Second* *Symphony*--is very reminiscent of Nielsen and its serving to create a driving and intense mood. In the last movement of the *Memoriam* *Symphony, *he also--like Nielsen in his *5th* *Symphony*--makes great use of the timpani and snare drum to underscore the overarching theme. I intend to listen to all of his symphonies, as so far I have been quite impressed.
Henk Badings--*Symphony No.12 {"Symphonic Sound Figures"}, *with the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra led by David Porcelijn.
Niels Gade--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.5, *performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. Try this for arousing and upbeat finale: Neeme Järvi - Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 5, "Paa Sjolunds fagre sletter": IV. Finale: Molto allegro ma con fuoco.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

My wife and I just finished watching Tosca this evening as performed by Fiorenza Cedolins (Tosca), Marcelo Alvarez (Mario), Ruggerio Raimondi (Sacrpia), with Daniel Oren and the Orchestra and Chorus of the Arena di Verona. I bought it from Amazon when I bought La Traviata with Angela Gheorghiu on Blu Ray. La Traviata was only $9.99 and Tosca was $8.49. Both are very good but we especially enjoyed this production of Tosca. The set was huge and quite amazing and I sure am glad I bought the Blu-Ray because DVD could not do the details of the production any justice. I'd probably give this around 4 out of 5 stars. And you sure can't beat the price!










Kevin


----------



## clavichorder

This is a very fun piece, I may have to reassess my thoughts on Myaskovsky


----------



## Crudblud

Villa-Lobos - Complete Choros / Bachianas Brasilieras Disc 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm going to give this CD another chance.










Currently on Schumann's first symphony op. 38 "Spring." The music's pretty mediocre.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My brain kinda switched off from the Schumann.

So.....

*Ligeti time! *


----------



## clavichorder

I'm sorry Medtner, but Prokofiev's 8th may just be the most stunning sonata for piano every written, maybe it isn't as well constructed as your works, certainly isn't as _formidable_ as The Night Wind, but it has so much fun.


----------



## clavichorder

My mind has been blown by this recording of Prokofiev's 3rd piano sonata


----------



## Klavierspieler

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm going to give this CD another chance.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Currently on Schumann's first symphony op. 38 "Spring." The music's pretty mediocre.


No! No! You don't start with the First Symphony (which is rather mediocre (though I still like it)), you start with the Second!


----------



## starthrower

John McLaughlin-Thieves And Poets


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Klavierspieler said:


> No! No! You don't start with the First Symphony (which is rather mediocre (though I still like it)), you start with the Second!


I'll listen to the second today then.


----------



## opus55

Pergolesi: Salve Regina in A minor
Gliere: Symphony No.2


----------



## Crudblud

Milhaud - Symphony No. 1, Op. 210 (Francis)


----------



## Itullian

Tristan-Kleiber, Meistersinger live-Varviso


----------



## thetrout

Both Amadeus Quartet…



















Brendel…


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Artur Rubinstein's 126th birthday, playing Brahms Piano Quartets 1 & 3.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Joseph Haydn: String Quartet #66 (1799)*
One of Haydn's last pieces, this is also one of his very best. The first movement is simply perfection, highlighting the composers greatest qualities: a sunny disposition, clear contrapuntal lines, extraordinary writing for the instruments, and amazing development filled with surprises. The movement also foreshadows the first movement of Schubert's _Trout Quintet_, with its rhythmic accompaniment that bursts into triplets frantically underneath the melody. The slow movement is one his most beautiful creations, with the last two movements finishing the work with wit and charm.

*Robert Schumann: Manfred (1852)*
Another piece that destroys the notion of 'Schumann the Poor Orchestrator.' This overture is very Beethovinian in nature, with its stormy themes and moments of triumph. It's a wonderful work on par with _Egmont_ and _Hebrides_, and really should be played more often.

*Edvard Grieg: Lyric Pieces, Op. 43 (1886)*
This is my first encounter with Grieg's _Lyric Pieces_. In this volume, the theme seems to be 'small creatures with big ideas.' Miniatures like _Butterfly_ and _Little Bird_ start the suite off with a sense of insignificance. The penultimate _Erotikon_ is the longest and most reflective of the series, leading into a finale that simply blossoms with joy.

*Claude Debussy: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (1890)*
Debussy disowned this work and it was never heard in his lifetime. Only after he died was it added to the catalogue. Which really is a shame as it is the highlight of his early career, culminating his piano miniatures into a work of joy, triumph and panache. In fact the concerto is right up there with Grieg's, Mozart's, and Chopin's early works in the genre (perhaps a little higher!). Its sensuality, orchestration, and dreamlike quality make it easy to identify as Debussy, however early the work may be. Still, this is clearly a Debussy that has yet to mature, as it is very romantic in nature and contains a number of cymbal crashes that would probably make the composer flush if he heard it today. The slow movement is the highlight, and is absolutely gorgeous. The finale is quite engaging as well, using motifs from his _Tarantelle Styrienne_.

*Bela Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle (1918)*
_Bluebeard's Castle_ started a trend of hour long dramatic operas that would continue through the 20th century with works like _L'enfant et les Sortileges_, _Wozzeck, _ and _Turn of the Screw._ It's easy to hear why composers would be attracted to this form, as the piece works almost like symphonic opera, with tightly knitted themes and motifs. And as it is, _Bluebeard's Castle_ is astonishingly cohesive, not to mention well orchestrated, beautiful, and engaging. Harmonically, the form is almost like a palindrome, with a slow building of tensions that gets released midway through the opera in a scene of frightening tonality, and then reverses and becomes as murky as it started. The finale is quite moving, but the highlight of the work is the 'Door 5' scene, where after so much tension, Bartok finally unleashes the orchestra in mad glory, organ and all.

*Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms #6 (1970)*
This work for piano and electronics won the Pulitzer in 1971, probably because of its first note, which starts out acoustically and then is seamlessly transformed into an electronic sound. In this short work, the electronics seem to be waging war against the piano, battering it every which way until it finally dies down. I don't usually take to electronic pieces as much, but there is something charmingly violent about this work that drew me to it. The harmonic language, while atonal, is very clear and concise, and the imagery it evokes is quite vivid.


----------



## Crudblud

Milhaud - Saudades do Brasil

Conducted by the composer himself, in gloriously restored sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

clavichorder said:


> My mind has been blown by this recording of Prokofiev's 3rd piano sonata


But Chiu loses his way...at a minute and a half longer than Martha.


----------



## Crudblud

Grieg - Old Norwegian Melody with Variations (N. Järvi)
Carter - String Quartet No. 1 (Pacifica SQ)


----------



## Sid James

Crudblud said:


> ...Carter - String Quartet No. 1 (Pacifica SQ)


My favourite Carter work, and one of my favourite SQ's of all time, esp. the 20th century. Love how he takes that fragmentary theme from the cello solo in the opening on a journey, along the way mirroring the vast untamed American landscape. It was written in the Arizona desert, the slow movement having this eeriness of that kind of space at night. The finale, a theme and variations, bringing back the "theme" esp. on the violins, he makes it sound song like and almost Schubertian in some ways.

I love this work, and that's the recording I have, with the Pacifica String Quartet on Naxos...


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.5 in E minor
Bruckner: Symphony No.7


----------



## science

The Enescu. What a brilliant, neglected composer. Maybe I should make a thread: "Enescu is the most underrated composer on talkclassical." I won't do that, because I'm part of the problem too....


----------



## eorrific

Still on track 4. Souzay is excellent, although this CD gives the greatest urge to listen to Ravel's French Airs instead. Maybe it's just the Ravel-obsessed period I'm in.


----------



## science

Hummel: Piano Concertino in G, op. 73


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Elliott Carter: Symphonia sum fluxae pretium spei


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nice guitar duet music played by Slava and Leonard Grigoryan to wind down to at 9:39 pm.


----------



## science

Trout.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti:* Lux Aeterna


----------



## science

Very nice.










Been way too long since I listened to this. So sweet.


----------



## violadude

The third Gorecki string quartet is quite a journey, if you are in the mood for it. It is called "Songs are sung." The title comes from the last words of a poem that the composer based the music on. The last line says "when people die, they sing songs." The first movement, is constantly building up and up and up. The whole thing is practically one big long buildup to a climax. After that there is a relatively brief recap. of the main themes. This movement is constantly searching, constantly longing for something. Musically, the melody hardly ever resolves with the harmonies, which is what gives the movement a searching feeling overall.

If the first movement sounds searching, longing, the second movement sounds just downright sad. Whoever was searching must not have found what they were looking for. Among the sadness are glimmers of hope that always fall back into despair. It's a very long and depressing movement.

The third movement does something similar to the second movement of the second string quartet, reviewed by myself in another post in this thread, where he builds tension using repeated figures over and over and just when you feel that you cannot take it anymore, he releases the tension. In this movement, the tension release takes the form of 4 gorgeous hymn-like phrases (2 repeated phrases) one of which I believe is a quotation from Szymanowski's 1st string quartet. After this brief interlude the movement resumes as it was like the second movement of the second quartet. This is the only fast movement in the quartet.

The fourth movement begins with the same hymn-like interlude that appeared in the middle of the third movement, followed by quotes from the main part of the movement. After the dust left over from the 3rd movement settles, a nostalgic melody appears over a plodding quarter note accompaniment in the low strings. This is very reminiscent of the 3rd movement of the second quartet. Also like that movement, this one uses bitonality between the two violins. However, unlike the movement from the 2nd quartet, this isn't a completely bitonal duet between the two violins, but rather the music slips in and out of bitonality. I find this a bit more effective, more realistic, since pain is usually not constant in real life either. The middle of this movement consists of a quote from the 2nd movement and the rest of the movement focuses on the nostalgic melody.

The 5th and final movement begins with an angular and dissonant theme on the cello. Most of the movement is concerned with the very minimalist development of these notes. The movement as a whole has a very lost and wandering feeling about it. But the main theme does build up to a slowly reached climax and then settles. Just as the theme concludes on a final sounding cadence, the beginning of the first movement sounds, verbatim, as if the entire quartet just started over. This does not come off as trite and cliche as one may be tempted to think, but quite refreshing and coming just at the right spot. After this first movement quotation the dissonant/angular cello theme is heard once again and that theme gets another chance to come to a final cadence without the first movement interrupting, which it does! On a major chord even. This quartet gives me the strong feeling of a long emotional and spiritual journey. It takes lots of patience to listen to, but it is a great piece if you have that.


----------



## NightHawk

Change Of Mind: I mentioned that I had acquired this album last week, I think, but after listening to the entire 6 tone poems in a single sitting, I really cannot recommend the performance, orchestra or conductor. In fact, I am not that much enamored of Smetana. The Moldau is the set piece, and the best played on the album. All the others have their moments, but there are intonation and precision problems, and the conductor can't dance - which, is what all these works have in common...folk dances that thread their way through the tone poems. Dvorak is the great Czech/Bohemian composer, no doubt about it.


----------



## science

I think this is my favorite requiem since Brahms', and my favorite work of Hindemith's.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This album by Gregg Nestor is worth a listen if you enjoy classical guitar. I especially love the Tedesco Guitar Quintet Op. 143 and the arrangement for chamber ensemble of Ravel's "Le tombeau de Couperin". Nestor is a fine guitarist and enjoyable to listen to.

Mediterranean Impressions: Chamber Music with Guitar


----------



## rojo

Poulenc - Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor

Caught part of this on the radio. Lovely. Will investigate this piece and more stuff by Poulenc. I really dig a lot of his works, it seems. I think the announcer said that it was Poulenc actually playing, too.

Also caught a bit of Ravel - Alborada del Gracioso


----------



## tdc

Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 9 - Kremer/Argerich. I forgot how incredible this work was - mind blowing really. Maybe I just needed to hear this version. Argerich looks so darn gorgeous in this video imo...


----------



## NightHawk

A great American work and composer! This was the first work of a new 'public be damned' epiphany Carter had experienced. I believe the work won the Prix de Rome in the year it was published.



Sid James said:


> My favourite Carter work, and one of my favourite SQ's of all time, esp. the 20th century. Love how he takes that fragmentary theme from the cello solo in the opening on a journey, along the way mirroring the vast untamed American landscape. It was written in the Arizona desert, the slow movement having this eeriness of that kind of space at night. The finale, a theme and variations, bringing back the "theme" esp. on the violins, he makes it sound song like and almost Schubertian in some ways.
> 
> I love this work, and that's the recording I have, with the Pacifica String Quartet on Naxos...


----------



## science

I love this.


----------



## NightHawk

Thanks for putting up the clip of these two artists in what appears to be their early maturity. Argerich has always been damned and praised for her 'exactemente' execution, and fast tempos. Lately too, for a 'lack of 'heart' someone said. I have not always disagreed with some of these criticisms, yet reserved a healthy respect based solely on the merits (IMHO) of her Rachmaninoff 3rd 'live' with Chailly and her Carnegie Hall debut. I think her collaborative playing in this clip shows her great talent without question. She and Kremer (fantastic) have collaborated often in Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and in modern works, and I think it is there that we may find her 'heart'.



tdc said:


> Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 9 - Kremer/Argerich. I forgot how incredible this work was - mind blowing really. Maybe I just needed to hear this version. Argerich looks so darn gorgeous in this video imo...


----------



## Itullian

science said:


> I love this.


great opera


----------



## Itullian

Hansel and Gretel, Runnicles/Larmore. wonderful


----------



## NightHawk

I bought this with Sutherland years ago simply because of the famous soprano/mezzo duo in the first act and fell in love with the entire work.



science said:


> I love this.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 54*


----------



## Guest

Music for love:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Itullian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


wow, your stuff sounds great. are you well known?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Itullian said:


> wow, your stuff sounds great. are you well known?


My CD collection???


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> A great American work and composer! This was the first work of a new 'public be damned' epiphany Carter had experienced...


Yes, when he wrote it, Carter thought it would never be performed, or unlikely to be performed. Eg. for reasons it's very difficult to play and also the rhythms he created in that work were like nothing before in the string quartet medium...



> ...I believe the work won the Prix de Rome in the year it was published.


Maybe it did, I don't remember coming across that, but in the notes of the Naxos disc it does say this work - _String Quartet #1_ - won a prize in Liege, Belgium...


----------



## Sid James

*Richard Mills* (b.1949)
_Symphony of Nocturnes _(2008)
- Geoff Lierser, theremin - in second movement / Melbourne SO / The composer conducting
(Cd 2 from ABC CLassics, 2 cd set, Richard Mills orchestral works)

Another listen to this work which I'm really warming to.

Esp. the second and third movements (the symphony is in four movements).

The second movement's title refers to _Night Creatures _which make me think of the bunyip, a beast of Aboriginal mythology. There is some very vigorous rhythms and counterpoint here, and floating through this is the theremin, which sounds more like the voice of an animal rather than an electronic instrument. It's more quirky than scary, this comes across to me as a creature of the night that's just there, not threatening you, but you know it's just hanging around, maybe in the night at a campfire out in the Australian bush.

The title of the third movement refers to astral travel of two lover's souls. This is represented by two violins that intertwine and kind of float as if in space.

The whole work has sensitive and really interesting writing for percussion, the composer was originally a percussionist....


----------



## Itullian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My CD collection???


the stuff on A taste of my compositions.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Itullian said:


> the stuff on A taste of my compositions.


Oh. Haha, thanks! No I'm not well known. Not yet anyway!


----------



## starthrower

Sallinen-Symphony No. 6/Cello Concerto










I'm really enjoying this one. Both works are superb!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Vivaldi: Concerto for two violins in A minor RV522.
> My favourite recording of Le Quattro Stagioni that _isn't_ played on period instruments
> Concerto for two violins in D major RV511


Listening to this again. Although the metal strings sometimes get on my nerves.


----------



## Itullian

Boito Mefistofele


----------



## starthrower

I wonder if classical music would be more popular if many of the musicians dressed in rock n roll attire like Nigel Kennedy?


----------



## Crudblud

Liberace was popular because he dressed like Elton John on a heroin fuelled bender. Fact.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

starthrower said:


> I wonder if classical music would be more popular if many of the musicians dressed in rock n roll attire like Nigel Kennedy?


It's the second reason why I hate Andre Rieu. The way he dresses for album covers. I've never seen him in concert and I wonder how on earth he got to be so popular. It's also the second reason why I like Nigel Kennedy. The way he dresses. Mr. Kennedy's violin playing really is remarkable on those Vivaldi CDs he's done with the Berlin Phil.


----------



## starthrower

I don't know anything about Andre Rieu, but somebody should clue him in about that hairstyle. The 80s are long gone!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Itullian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Oh. Haha, thanks! No I'm not well known. Not yet anyway!


maybe Naxos would record you.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Itullian said:


> maybe Naxos would record you.


That would be nice. Maybe Deutsche Grammophon too if I'm lucky!


----------



## science




----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> It's the second reason why I hate Andre Rieu. The way he dresses for album covers. I've never seen him in concert and I wonder how on earth he got to be so popular. It's also the second reason why I like Nigel Kennedy. The way he dresses. Mr. Kennedy's violin playing really is remarkable on those Vivaldi CDs he's done with the Berlin Phil.


Here we go again, seems to happen on a regular basis on this forum, elevate your idol and correspondingly put another guy down the toilet, whether it's a relevant comparison or not.

False dichotomy.

BTW, I enjoy the music of both Mr. Rieu and Mr. Kennedy, irrespective of their image or "branding"...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> BTW, I enjoy the music of both Mr. Rieu and Mr. Kennedy, irrespective of their image or "branding"...


.......


----------



## opus55

Bax: Morning Song, "Maytime in Sussex"
Fantasia for violin & piano in C major ('Sei mir gegrüsst!'), D. 934 (Op. posth. 159)


----------



## science




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


>


How many recordings of that do you have?


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> How many recordings of that do you have?


5: Klemperer, Karajan (the less famous one), Shaw, Celibidache, Koch.










The Vivaldi. Came in the "Lumières" box.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schumann: Symphony no. 2 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.










Must agree with Klavierspieler, this symphony is very good. I think I'm getting into this Robert Schumann business.


----------



## Itullian

i never tire of Schumann.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to the* Boccherini cello concertos *disc, which I got late last year.

I think what Weber and Boccherini have in common is strong emphasis on melody as opposed to counterpoint.

*Weber's concertos *come across as operas without words, they are delightful, the orchestration very simple & straightforward but exquisite.

I enjoyed the Boccherini concertos, all four on this disc. He wrote a total of about 12, as far as we know.

I really liked the cello technique here, written by an "insider," the composer being an accomplished cellist himself.

There were these arabesques that flowed like water, echo-like effects & multiple voicings (similar to J.S. Bach's cello suites) played by the cello throughout these concertos.

The vigorous and earthy rondo finale of #5 and the woodwinds which sounded like bird calls in the finale of #7 were quite memorable to me on this first listen.

The cadenzas were good, they were written by a modern-day scholar.

Tim Hugh played quite delicately and Anthony Halstead's conducting came across as really good in the more vigorous parts. They were ably backed by these Scottish players.

All up a great disc, but usually I don't listen to a whole 75 minute long disc, but this time I wanted to get through it in one go. It was great...

*Weber*
_Piano Concerto #2 in E flat major, Op. 32 _(Akiko Sagara, pno. / Hamburg SO / Gunter Neidlinger)
_Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 75 _(Georg Zuckermann, bassoon / Wurttemburg CO / Jorg Faerber)
(ZYX classics cd)

*Boccherini*
_Cello Concertos -
#5 in E flat major, G.474
#6 in A major, G.475
#7 in D major, G.476
#8 in D major, G.478_
All Cadenzas by John Marlow Rhys
Tim Hugh, cello / Scottish CO / Anthony Halstead, cond.
(Naxos - Cello Concertos Vol. 2)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schumann: Symphony no. 2 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Must agree with Klavierspieler, this symphony is very good. I think I'm getting into this Robert Schumann business.


Now on no. 4


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schumann: Symphony no. 2 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Must agree with Klavierspieler, this symphony is very good. I think I'm getting into this Robert Schumann business.


Now the overture to Genoveva.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schumann: Symphony no. 2 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Must agree with Klavierspieler, this symphony is very good. I think I'm getting into this Robert Schumann business.


Now Symphony no. 1


----------



## Polyphemus

Currently listening to Jochum's Bruckner 7 with the Dresden Staatskapelle. Not the most sonically beautiful but the finest interpretation. I hasten to add that this is a personal opinion.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schumann: Symphony no. 2 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Must agree with Klavierspieler, this symphony is very good. I think I'm getting into this Robert Schumann business.


Symphony no. 3 this time _without_ a score. That makes this the first time I have not read it with the score.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schumann: Symphony no. 2 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Must agree with Klavierspieler, this symphony is very good. I think I'm getting into this Robert Schumann business.


Manfred overture.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling "Vivaldi: Sacred works for soprano & concertos" with Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano) and Florilegium. Channel Classics release date, Feb. 27, '12.

Concerto for Strings in D minor RV 129 'Madrigalesco'; Laudate pueri, RV601; Concerto Il Gran Mogul for flute, strings & continuo in D minor, RV431a; Nulla in mundo pax sincera, motet for soprano, strings & continuo, RV 630; Concerto for Violin & Cello in B flat minor, RV 547.

I'm a sucker for Venetian masks on CD covers.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Here we go again, seems to happen on a regular basis on this forum, elevate your idol and correspondingly put another guy down the toilet, whether it's a relevant comparison or not....


I hope this isn't a growing TC tumor, that has been seen over the years on various lesser sites. If so, we must operate immediately.

- Doc Van


----------



## science

This is fun. The "Revue de cuisine" is a must-hear.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Went to a concert yesterday.

*On the way there:*

Janacek:

Suite for string orchestra
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

Mládi for Wind Sextet
Dunno performers

Cappricio "Defiance" for piano left-hand and chamber ensemble
Paul Crossley

*Concert Program:*

Saratoga Chamber Orchestra

Tschaikowsky:
Cossack Dance from Mazeppa

Prokofiev:
Violin Concerto No. 2
Lara Lewison, soloist

_Intermission_

Rachmaninov:
Vocalise, Op. Whatever

Rimsky-Korsakov:
Capriccio Espagnole

*On the way back:*

Janacek:

Concertino for piano and chamber orchestra
Paul Crossley
London Chamber Orchestra

Sinfonietta
Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## starthrower

Sallinen-Symphony No.2/Horn Concerto


----------



## Itullian

Wozzeck / Abbado


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Klavierspieler said:


> Went to a concert yesterday.
> 
> *On the way there:*
> 
> Janacek:
> 
> Suite for string orchestra
> Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
> 
> Mládi for Wind Sextet
> Dunno performers
> 
> Cappricio "Defiance" for piano left-hand and chamber ensemble
> Paul Crossley
> 
> *Concert Program:*
> 
> Saratoga Chamber Orchestra
> 
> Tschaikowsky:
> Cossack Dance from Mazeppa
> 
> Prokofiev:
> Violin Concerto No. 2
> Lara Lewison, soloist
> 
> _Intermission_
> 
> Rachmaninov:
> Vocalise, Op. Whatever
> 
> Rimsky-Korsakov:
> Capriccio Espagnole
> 
> *On the way back:*
> 
> Janacek:
> 
> Concertino for piano and chamber orchestra
> Paul Crossley
> London Chamber Orchestra
> 
> Sinfonietta
> Wiener Philharmoniker


Nice concert program. Particularly the Capriccio Espagnole.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

2 hours 37 minutes and 10 seconds of Schumann conducted by Zubin Mehta.


----------



## opus55

Rawsthorne: Symphonic Studies; Cello Concerto; Oboe Concerto
Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 in D minor "Nullte"
Schubert: Fantasia for Piano in F minor, four hands


----------



## Sid James

A light boost with* Weber's *first piano concerto, then going more into the depths, with *Kodaly's* _Psalmus Hungaricus_, less a religious work and more a protest against political oppression and tyranny, a very emotionally charged & quite angry piece...

*Weber* - _Piano Concerto #1 in C major, Op. 11 _
Maria Littauer, pno. / Hamburg SO / Siegfried Kohler, cond.
(ZYX classics cd)

*Kodaly *-_ Psalmus Hungaricus _
Ernest Haefliger, tenor / Three Berlin choirs - the cathedral, chamber & children's / Radio SO of Berlin / Ferenc Fricsay, cond. (Mono recording, 1955)
(DGG cd)


----------



## Vaneyes

Sibelius early works (age 20 - 24) for string quartet. A dash of Baroque, a splash of Classical, and a dollop of Romantic, make up this very entertaining BIS Vol. 1 (of a trilogy) with Tempera Qt.


----------



## Itullian

Parsifal,act 3, Knappertsbusch '62, stereo one.


----------



## NightHawk

Hey Sid, here is what I found in a book on Elliot Carter - you have to read down a bit, it mentions the Liege Prize, but then in 1954 (quartet written in 1953) he did win the Prix de Rome... I think it was for the quartet...could be for a aggregate of works, he was living in Rome at the time. Best. nh

http://books.google.com/books?id=vqJNVKuul94C&lpg=PA51&ots=1C8MBoiSjT&dq=elliott%20carter%2C%20prix%20de%20rome&pg=PA51#v=onepage&q=elliott%20carter,%20prix%20de%20rome&f=true



Sid James said:


> Yes, when he wrote it, Carter thought it would never be performed, or unlikely to be performed. Eg. for reasons it's very difficult to play and also the rhythms he created in that work were like nothing before in the string quartet medium...
> 
> Maybe it did, I don't remember coming across that, but in the notes of the Naxos disc it does say this work - _String Quartet #1_ - won a prize in Liege, Belgium...


----------



## science

Also from the Lumières box.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Truly a magnificent work! A Russian choral masterpiece... and sung absolutely stunningly by the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Bach Choir. The Grechaninov _Passion Week_ is a setting of thirteen pieces with texts in Church Slavonic meant to be sung individually over the period of Passion Week, the days leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The music itself is generally slow, meditative, soothing or consoling and almost trance-like. I am reminded of Faure's _Requiem_ in the manner in which this work avoids the extremes of passion (in spite of the title) and instead suggests a resignation or acceptance and solace. The choral tone is so very much more subtle or balanced than is sometimes heard from Russian choruses noted for their deep basses . The work is entirely choral, but there are occasional soprano, tenor and baritone solos which consist mostly of chants sung against the main body of massed sound. The sound is so rich and sensuous that it took some time for it to resonate that the entire work was sung _a cappella_.


----------



## Crudblud

Wagner - Symphonic Syntheses by Stokowski (Serebrier)


----------



## Crudblud

Berg - The Alban Berg Collection (DGG) Disc 1
_Drei Orchesterstücke, Op. 6_ / _Drei Stücke aus der Lyrischen Suite für Streichorchester_ (Abbado)
_Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel'_ (Levine / Mutter)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This was the first record I ever bought (about three years ago). Just finished listening to it again.


----------



## Itullian

Siegfried / Boulez


----------



## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 1 In Eb Major*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Features selections from various song cycles as well as individual songs by various 19th century to early 20th century composers.


Schumann: _Frauenliebe in Leben_ op. 42
Schumann: _Mignon_ op. 79,29
Schumann: Lieder op. 90
Dvorák: selections from _Pisne_ op. 2
Dvorák: _Cigánske melodie_ op. 55


----------



## Itullian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schumann: _Frauenliebe in Leben_ op. 42
> Schumann: _Mignon_ op. 79,29
> Schumann: Lieder op. 90
> Dvorák: selections from _Pisne_ op. 2
> Dvorák: _Cigánske melodie_ op. 55


Schumann, YES.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Forgot to mention:
Schumann: _Der Sandmann_ op. 79,13


----------



## Sid James

*Weber*
_Clarinet Concertos -
#1 in F minor, Op. 73
#2 in E flat major, Op. 74_
Fabio di Casola, clarinet / Russian CO / Juri Gilbo
(Sony)

These works are a joy to listen to, as is usual with Weber's instrumental music, it's like opera without words. Esp. memorable are the slow movements - particularly of the 2nd one -which really are so soulful, to die for & plumb the depths - & also the dancy final movements which really give me a big boost. Some great virtuoso playing here, these were among the best concertos for the instrument to be written since Mozart's.

*Richard Mills* (b. 1949)
_Bamaga Diptych_ (1988)
_Pages from a secret journal _(2002)
Melbourne SO / composer conducting
(ABC classics, from 2 cd set)

REally enjoying this set from Aussie composer* Richard Mills*. His works have a lot of colour, a firm nod to traditional elements like melody and counterpoint, and also themes which are worked on thoroughly and come and go.

_BAmaga Diptych_ is a work imaging the lush rainforests of Far North Queensland, the coming of the wet season. _Pages from a Secret Journal _is in seven sections based on related themes, a strong one comes up not far out from the start, a romantic melody on an oboe backed by the strings.

Both works have a filmic and epic quality and like many composers of the past, he pulls out various instruments for solos and duos, and there is also this layering of various instruments and sections of the orchestra which is very sophisticated. In a word, an orchestral tour de force with a strong contemporary feel...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Features selections from various song cycles as well as individual songs by various 19th century to early 20th century composers.


Beethoven: _An die Hoffnung_ op. 94
Beethoven: Six lieder op. 48
Schubert: _Über Wildemann_ D884
Schubert: _Nachstück_ D672
Schubert: _Totengräbers Heimwehe_ D842
Schubert: _Der Zwerg_ D771
Schubert: _Der Wanderer an den Mond_ D870
Schubert: _Sehnsucht_ D879
Schubert: _Meeres Stille_ D216
Korngold: _Vier Lieder des Abscheids_ op. 14


----------



## science




----------



## Crudblud

Glazunov - Symphonies No. 1 & 5 (N. Jarvi)


----------



## science

Getting the Tchaikovsky over with. The Hahn will be after my wife goes to bed.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Urania reissue of NYPO/Bernstein 1958 to1960 recs, including the great 1958 "Rite".

View attachment 2881


----------



## Itullian

Lohengrin, act 2, Solti


----------



## Vaneyes

Freddy Kempf (Yamaha) plays Rachmaninov (BIS CD 1042) - Piano Sonata No. 2

View attachment 2884


----------



## Klavierspieler

Bartok - 44 Duos for two Violins

Itzhak Perlman
Pinchas Zukerman


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius*--Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three symphonies feature Lorin Maazel leading the Vienna Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4 , Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}. *Both works are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Vaneyes

Honoring Franz Peter Schubert's birthday with "Tragic" from...

View attachment 2890


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hendrick's voice is light and silvery... a bit removed from the sensuous, heroic lushness that one normally associates with Richard Strauss (think Renee Fleming and Jessye Norman). Then again... Lisa della Casa was able to master this oeuvre and Barabara Hendrick's has a voice not unlike hers. She brings a light fluidity more common to French melodies than to Strauss... and the result is quite pleasurable. Perhaps not the final say on this oeuvre... but one I would not be without.


----------



## opus55

Paganini: 24 Caprices, Op.1









Hmm.. something changed on TC


----------



## Vaneyes

Size matters.


----------



## Sid James

*K.A. Hartmann*
_Piano Sonata "27 April 1945"_
Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano
(Naxos cd - 20th century piano sonatas)

*Hartmann's* seminal sonata, pondering the horrors of WW2, speaks to the liberation which was to come - the war ended before he finished this work. Hartmann wrote two versions of the final movement, both are on this recording.

The opening cryptically quotes the start of Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_, which may or may not be connected to the final movement in it's first incarnation, which quotes a popular Russian song (as well as an American one), speaking to the armies which were then liberating Europe. _The Rite of Spring_ fragment does come back briefly in that final movement.

The scherzo (2nd movt.) has this jazzy feel. The pivotal funeral march (3rd movt.) quotes the four note motto theme from Beethoven's 5th symphony, at one stage this theme rings out like a peal of bells. The bells return briefly in the second version of the final movement, which ends with a demanding toccata. This is quite jazzy and a bit aggressive and in your face, with this growling bass.

This is clearly a very unique work, & quite an intense journey. Hartmann wrote the sonata after seeing a long line of prisoners from a nearby concentration camp being marched somewhere by their German captors just before the liberation. Their fate is unknown, and this work is like a memorial to them...


----------



## opus55

Happy Birthday to Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 - 19 November 1828)

Schubert: Symphony No.5 in Bb Major


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Oh no I forgot Schubert's birthday!!! (but I did actually listen to some of his lieder yesterday and look at a few recordings of his symphonies on amazon. So I didn't _fully_ forget )


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Stabat Mater
Violin Concerto in B-flat
Salve Regina

Absolutely beautiful!


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Some chamber music by Carl Maria von Weber.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Vivaldi II*
Nigel Kennedy and members of the Berlin Phil playing solo concerti, concerti grossi and sonatas by Vivaldi


----------



## Itullian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Vivaldi II*
> Nigel Kennedy and members of the Berlin Phil playing solo concerti, concerti grossi and sonatas by Vivaldi
> View attachment 2893


Kennedy can play.


----------



## Crudblud

Buxtehude - Harpsichord Works (Mortensen)

Some people do not like the sound of the harpsichord. I will never understand those people.


----------



## Itullian

i have Scott Ross's complete Scarlatti sonata set on harpsichord. love it. like 500 sonatas. listen to a disc at a time.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Just back from California, where I found Vol. 1 of Glenn Gould's Beethoven cycle at a thrift store. I'm finally getting to listen to it.


----------



## Crudblud

Itullian said:


> i have Scott Ross's complete Scarlatti sonata set on harpsichord. love it. like 500 sonatas. listen to a disc at a time.


Absolutely love that set.


----------



## Crudblud

Milhaud - Symphony No. 2, Op. 247 (Francis)


----------



## Crudblud

Louis Couperin - Complete Harpsichord Works (Egarr) Disc 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Rossini: Maometto Secondo


----------



## Lukecash12

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This was the first record I ever bought (about three years ago). Just finished listening to it again.


I really love Trevor Pinnock.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lukecash12 said:


> I really love Trevor Pinnock.


Yeah Trevor Pinnock is great. I agree.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Features selections from various song cycles as well as individual songs by various 19th century to early 20th century composers.


Schubert: selections from _Die Schöne Müllerin_ D795
Robert Schumann: selections from _Dichterliebe_ op. 48
Clara Schumann: _Er ist gekommen_
Clara Schumann: _Das ist ein Tag, der klingen mag_
Clara Schumann: _Sie lieutenant sich beide_


----------



## Sid James

*From the album "Fandango" on ABC Classics*
Featuring Karin Schaupp, guitar with the Flinders String Quartet

*Maximo Diego PUjol* (b. 1957)
_Tangata de Agosto_

*Phillip Houghton* (b. 1954)
_In Amber_ (comp. 1982, rev. 2008)

First listen to these pieces, I have enjoyed the other works on the album by Haydn & esp. the title work by Boccherini.

*PUjol*, the notes say, is one of Argentina's most popular contemporary composers, but he's hardly known outside his country. This piece is reminiscent of Piazzolla, it combines the tango with the sounds of contemporary classical music. Some quite flamboyant writing for the ensemble here, and I esp. liked the rather melancholic and sad slow movement.

Then over to Aussie *Houghton*, one of our finest composers for guitar. This work is in three movements, the title refers to those prehistoric insects trapped in amber. There are elements of landscape in this very imaginative work, I esp. liked the final movement which is an ostinato that made me think of the rhythms and melodies of the music of the Australian Aboriginal peoples, the native people of this country. It is titled _Initiation_ and towards the end there is this amazing unexpected sound that is exactly like that of the Aboriginal wind instrument, the didgeridoo, made by the players (not electronic) and it fades out rather mysteriously...


----------



## kv466

Tchaikovsky - Sérénade mélancolique in b minor, op.26


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to my other California thrift store purchase, Glenn Gould playing Brahms' Ballades and Rhapsodies.









That place had some interesting CDs. Too bad I ran out of money. The store takes its money and feeds the homeless, so this time my wife didn't look askance as I brought home yet another CD purchase.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm finally able to hear Amy Dickson's version of Glass' Violin Concerto. I haven't heard the original, but coming to this as a saxophone player, I appreciate her flawless circular breathing and general musicality. It's holding my attention, which Glass' music doesn't always do for me.


----------



## Klavierspieler

William Byrd - Complete Keyboard Works

Davitt Moroney, harpsichord


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to Amy Dickson's Smile. All-around, I'm not as happy with it as with what I've heard from her Glass/Taverner CD; her phrasing on this disc isn't as polished as I would like. However, I love her tone on the alto saxophone. Most classical saxophonists have a dark sound; hers is bright. Her transitions into the altissimo register are smooth and unnoticeable, which isn't as easy on a saxophone as other instruments. Also, her vibrato is restrained, which is also positive.

She's picking up attention from her looks - Armani is even loaning her gowns - but I trust that she'll age well as a performer.


----------



## Itullian

the dreaded Lulu / Boulez


----------



## Chrythes

Schubert is truly wonderful! I've been getting into his music lately and it's so captivating! Especially his melodies.


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Henk Badings--*Symphony No.3, *performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under the guidance of David Porcelijn. I liked this symphony the best so far compared to the other three or four I've heard so far by Badings. Overall, it is far more melodious and thematically developed, and its adagio movement is simply gorgeous! 



.


----------



## AndyS

Maria Callas - the first EMI studio recital

I got the complete Callas studio recordings today... not heard much of Callas to be honest, just the opportunity to pick up the box for just over £50 and thought it presented good value for money more than anything else. Truth be told I've never been sure what all the fuss is about (yes I know it would seem odd for me to go and get her complete recordings if this is the case).

And while she doesn't have the most beautiful or pleasing voice I've heard... there is definitely something about her and I can start to see why there's such a fuss. That first recital was wonderful


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.10 {"The Four Temperaments"}. *Both works are rousingly performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies feature George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to a recent purchase/arrival of three of CPE Bach's fifty-three Keyboard Cti. 
No surprises in hearing the real thing after sampling, with playing and sound being uniformly good. 
My only quibble is the listening adjustment X2 required, due to program order. Putting the solo concerto (Wq. 121/1) between the two with orchestra, instead of at the end. Chronologically, this would've been a better choice, too.

View attachment 2908


----------



## Vaneyes

I noticed *more than one* Current Listening contributor were gone at the same time. Let's not let *that* happen again, people. Oskaar's still AWOL.

View attachment 2909


----------



## Manxfeeder

Brahms, Sextet No. 2.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Isaac Stern presents encores with orchestra *(Sony Classical)
Stern on violin / Columbia SO / Milton Katims (Conductor), Frank Brieff (Conductor), rec. 1963, 1972, New York.
All works arranged by Arthur Harris.

*Album: Fandango*
Works for guitar and string quartet by *Pujol, Boccherini, Haydn and Houghton*
Karin Schaupp on guitar with the Flinders String Quartet (based in Melbourne)
Live recording, Melbourne, 2011 (ABC CLassics)

Another listen after a long while to the encores album and a listen straight through of the guitar concert.

I esp. liked the arrangements on the Isaac Stern album that were appropriate for the atmosphere of the pieces. Brahms' _Hungarian Dance #5_ had a cimbalom in it, Aussie Arthur Benjamin's _Jamaican Rumba _had Latin American percussions, and Gershwin's _Bess, You is my woman now _had Porgy and Bess represented by the violin and cello. Great stuff all round, great light music.

The _Fandango _album was interesting to hear in one go, I will shortly review the piece by Aussie Phillip Houghton on the Australian Composer's Thread on this forum...


----------



## neoshredder

My whole Bach collection (about 500 songs) in random order. Of course I won't get through it all.


----------



## Vaneyes

This is an old friend. I like the Halle of the 60's. Boy, do they ever play for the great man, Glorious John. This is not my favorite Sibelius 1, but each time I bring it out I'm floored with its lean reading. Say what you mean, mean what you say, and be done.
Again, what playing.

View attachment 2911


----------



## Itullian

JB was truly a great conductor.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The third time's the charm! The first time I listened to this disc of Boccherini I ended up falling asleep... due in no part to the music. I am struck by the gallant manner of Boccherini's chamber works that in some way build upon the classical models... and in other ways suggest the earlier Baroque tradition. For better or worse, one gets the feeling that the earlier composers Pergolesi, J.C. Bach, and Christoph Willibald Gluck were all closer to Mozart and the classical ideal than was Boccherini. Of course this may be due to the composer's employment in Spain where dance rhythms and Spanish music influenced his works. I will also admit that my judgment is based upon a limited exposure to his work, and that I will need to delve deeper into his work.

I am especially fascinated with this anecdote from his career:

_In 1761 Boccherini went to Madrid, where he was employed by Infante Luis Antonio of Spain, younger brother of King Charles III. There he flourished under royal patronage, until one day when the King expressed his disapproval at a passage in a new trio, and ordered Boccherini to change it. The composer, no doubt irritated with this intrusion into his art, doubled the passage instead, leading to his immediate dismissal. Then he accompanied Don Luis to Arenas de San Pedro, a little town at the Gredos mountains; there and in the closest town of Candeleda, Boccherini wrote many of his most brilliant works._

I am most certainly interested in exploring some of these later works.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel. And here I thought I was depressed until listening to the* 4th. YIKES! *


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A belated nod to Schubert's birthday. I love the packaging (the cover photos) on this cycle of releases by Grigory Sokolov... and Sokolov is marvelous playing Schubert.


----------



## opus55

Where's *oskaar* with bunch of Spotify links!!

Harris: Symphony No.7


----------



## Itullian

Goldbergs, Hewitt

wish i knew how to post pictures.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Vaneyes said:


> This is an old friend. I like the Halle of the 60's. Boy, do they ever play for the great man, Glorious John. This is not my favorite Sibelius 1, but each time I bring it out I'm floored with its lean reading. Say what you mean, mean what you say, and be done.
> Again, what playing.
> 
> View attachment 2911


The "lean" playing may be the sonic limitations of the recording process of the times and probably does not realistically present the actual performance.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Itullian said:


> Goldbergs, Hewitt
> 
> wish i knew how to post pictures.


It's not so hard....Find the recording you are listening to on Amazon. Then rightclick on the cover image. You will see a choice of "copy image url". Click that. Then open the thread where you want to post your picture. In the reply box you will notice several icons. Mouse over them and you will see what they are for. On the far right is the "quote" icon, then the video icon and then the "image" icon. That's the one you want. Click that and a window pops up where you paste in the url you just copied. The easiest way to do this is to click into the are where the url goes and hold down the CTRL button on your keyboard and tap the letter "v". That will paste it in and hit OK. You can also rightclick where the url goes in the box and cursor down to "paste". Either way will work. Try it...it's NOT that difficult. My friend's three year old can do it and so can you!!!

Kevin


----------



## Itullian

Kevin Pearson said:


> It's not so hard....Find the recording you are listening to on Amazon. Then rightclick on the cover image. You will see a choice of "copy image url". Click that. Then open the thread where you want to post your picture. In the reply box you will notice several icons. Mouse over them and you will see what they are for. On the far right is the "quote" icon, then the video icon and then the "image" icon. That's the one you want. Click that and a window pops up where you paste in the url you just copied. The easiest way to do this is to click into the are where the url goes and hold down the CTRL button on your keyboard and tap the letter "v". That will paste it in and hit OK. You can also rightclick where the url goes in the box and cursor down to "paste". Either way will work. Try it...it's NOT that difficult. My friend's three year old can do it and so can you!!!
> 
> Kevin


sorry, just can't do it. when i go to paste, there's nothing there.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Itullian said:


> sorry, don't see an image icon


How can you not? You reply don't you? That reply box has little images just above it where you can change font styles, bold your text, underline text, change the size etc. etc. I do not believe it possible to reply to this board without seeing those icons above the reply box.

Kevin


----------



## Itullian

Kevin Pearson said:


> How can you not? You reply don't you? That reply box has little images just above it where you can change font styles, bold your text, underline text, change the size etc. etc. I do not believe it possible to reply to this board without seeing those icons above the reply box.
> 
> Kevin


saw it, still won't work. i hit copy, but when go to paste nothing there.


----------



## kv466

Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no.45 in f-sharp minor, "Farewell" 
Christopher Warren-Green conducts the London Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Itullian

kv466 said:


> Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony no.45 in f-sharp minor, "Farewell"
> Christopher Warren-Green conducts the London Chamber Orchestra


great sense of humor Haydn had. what an idea.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.3, Op.25 {"Sinfonia Rustica"}, *performed by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra led by Owain Arwel Hughes.
Niels Gade--*Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.15. *Both works feature Neeme Jarvi conducting the Stockholm Sinfonietta.


----------



## violadude

Wow! 1,000 pages!


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.3, Op.25 {"Sinfonia Rustica"}, *performed by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra led by Owain Arwel Hughes.




What did you think of this one?


----------



## opus55

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D


----------



## samurai

@ Violadude, I must say that although I liked this symphony by Holmboe, I liked the first 2 better. I intend to listen to all 13 of them {assuming, of course, their availability on *Spotify*}. How do you rate his third?


----------



## opus55

Never really got familiar these 20th century violin concertos.

Prokofiev: Violin Concertos


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> @ Violadude, I must say that although I liked this symphony by Holmboe, I liked the first 2 better. I intend to listen to all 13 of them {assuming, of course, their availability on *Spotify*}. How do you rate his third?


Personally, I rate his third above the 1st, but below the second. However, I rate the first 4 all below 5 onwards, which is where the cycle really gets great IMO.


----------



## starthrower

Hans Werner Henze-Symphony No. 10


----------



## Itullian

Peer Gynt, incidental music, Paavo Jarvi

great recording


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Here's something I haven't listened to in a while:


----------



## science

Does this work?

Huh.

Anyway, I just listened to Ma Mere l'Oye (Mother Goose). I liked it.

(Though there are a few other ballets I like and would recommend more highly, and for that....)

Now I will listen to:










And the fact that a lot of you are going to condescend to me for enjoying it is actually enabling a greater enjoyment. I get beautiful music _and_ that wonderful feeling of ironic counter-arrogance.


----------



## Rmac58

I enjoy both Part and Chopin.


----------



## science

Rmac58 said:


> I enjoy both Part and Chopin.


Me too. Lots of great music there to love.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, L'Enfant Prodigue*. Early Debussy, full of exoticisms, and I like to hear singing in French.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> The "lean" playing may be the sonic limitations of the recording process of the times and probably does not realistically present the actual performance.
> 
> Kevin


Thanks, I recognized the sound deficiencies on this CD the first time I played it. I never got around to getting a newly remastered copy, since it's only an occasional play item.

My "lean" comment referred to my interpretation of Barbirolli's reading, not the playing. Some may hold a different opinion about *that*, and that's fine.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> How can you not? You reply don't you? That reply box has little images just above it where you can change font styles, bold your text, underline text, change the size etc. etc. I do not believe it possible to reply to this board without seeing those icons above the reply box.
> 
> Kevin


I was having that trouble, also. I had to refresh two or three times for the icon selection to kick in. It seems to be okay today. I can see everything in this thread's Quick Reply box.

P.S. Well, now I can't, so I guess the functionality comes and goes.


----------



## Taneyev

Listen to now: Daniel Leo Simpson's "viola profonda" string quartet.


----------



## Conor71

*Porter (Q): String Quartet No. 1 In E Minor*

Having a first listen to this set of String Quartets which arrived recently - Sounds interesting so far although it is a much darker compared to the Haydn quartets I was listening to previously!
Thanks very much to violadude for recommending this Composers work to me :tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

Itullian if you want to post images first get the URL of the image you want to add and then paste it between the text







- hopefully that should work for you


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 46 In F Minor, Op. 55/2, H 3/61, "Razor"*

The Quincy Porter Quartets were great - I will definetely re-listen to them soon 
Back onto Haydn again:


----------



## NightHawk

Several years ago, this superb boxed set was going for almost $300.00. I got it for less than $200 last summer - Amazon presently has some 'new' listings for as low as $145. If you like Haydn this is too great a deal to pass up. His genius is recognizable from the first symphony, and Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungarica has left an immortal document. The orchestra is not HIP, but is a smaller group (correct me if I'm wrong). It sparkles. The only finer recordings I've heard are single discs from Frans Bruggen and some ultra-unbelievable Dutch group.

(This is no jewel-box rig - it is a handsome, sturdy box with each disc (60, I think) in its own sleeve).


----------



## NightHawk

Actually, I just took delivery on a recording of (blush) CARMINA BURANA coupled with (giggle) BOLER0... yes Ravel and Orff in bed together. Here is the strange album:









IT IS HORRIBLE FROM THE FIRST CLAP OF FATE IN THE ORFF TO THE LAST EXHAUSTED CRASH IN THE BOLERO. RUN AND HIDE.



science said:


> View attachment 2923
> 
> 
> Does this work?
> 
> Huh.
> 
> Anyway, I just listened to Ma Mere l'Oye (Mother Goose). I liked it.
> 
> (Though there are a few other ballets I like and would recommend more highly, and for that....)
> 
> Now I will listen to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the fact that a lot of you are going to condescend to me for enjoying it is actually enabling a greater enjoyment. I get beautiful music _and_ that wonderful feeling of ironic counter-arrogance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Saxophone Concerto*.


----------



## violadude

Conor71 said:


> *Porter (Q): String Quartet No. 1 In E Minor*
> 
> Having a first listen to this set of String Quartets which arrived recently - Sounds interesting so far although it is a much darker compared to the Haydn quartets I was listening to previously!
> Thanks very much to violadude for recommending this Composers work to me :tiphat:


Interesting you mention the contrast to Haydn. I think quartets 2-7 sound very Haydnesque but not 1, 8 or 9.


----------



## Sid James

*Barry Conyngham *(b. 1944)
_Vast_
Graeme Jennings, violin / Duncan Fikkers, cello / Paul McMillan, viola / Lance Bartholomeusz, double bass
Australian Youth Orch. / John Hopkins, cond.
(ABC CLassics)

A first listen to this disc, which contains the one work called *Vast* which is 67 minutes long, split up into four sections which make a portrait in sound of Australia:_ The Sea, The Coast, The Centre _&_ The Cities_.

Being a concerto fan,_ The Centre _grabbed me the most, it is a series of mini-concertos for various string instruments.

Conyngham studied with Peter Sculthorpe here and in Japan with Toru Takemitsu, I suppose like them, his music images landscapes, real or imagined (or both). Messiaen also comes to mind a bit here, but this work is less experimental than others I've heard by Conyngham.

_Vast _was originally done as a ballet in 1988, as part of the 200th anniversary (Bicentennial) of white settlement in Australia. It was later made into the purely concert work heard on this disc. This recording was made in 1990.

The work starts in the depths of the ocean and ends with a movement titled_ Towards Stars_, imaging the skyscrapers in our cities. This last part was very interesting, with this movement up and up, the rhythm being kind of static but the dynamics getting louder, or going up and up at the same time, as if you're in a lift going to the top floor of a skyscraper. It kind of reminded me of minimalism and also the shimmering quality of the three composers I mentioned above.

I will listen again to this disc and return to the Australian composers thread on this forum for a more in-depth review...


----------



## Vaneyes

Barbirolli back to back. Mostly morose English string music, followed by his scintillating Mahler 6 with New Philharmonia, and for those interested, this issue has the Scherzo - Andante order.

View attachment 2933
View attachment 2934


----------



## Sid James

*Kodaly*
_Dances of Marosszek
Dances of Galanta_
Radio SO of Berlin / Ferenc Fricsay, cond.
(DGG)

Finishing off this disc, which I listened to bit by bit. These dances begin kind of darkly and end triumphantly. It may well speak to the political situation of the time of Hungary, between the wars, when these were written. Kodaly was quite a political composer, but not many seem to know this. They box him in as some watered down Bartok or something which is ridiculous. Kodaly's _Peacock Variations _was banned by the dictatorship in power at the time, because the text of the Hungarian folksong speaks to a peacock - a flightless bird - being able to fly, a fable for Hungarian democracy. Anyway, apart from that, these dances are great to listen to, the usual mixture of emotional melodies with modern techniques that I admire with Kodaly's music...


----------



## Vaneyes

Anyone needing Peacock Variations and Summer Evening, supplementing the Fricsay Kodaly CD, I recommend Joo. Up next in my listening, thanks to Sid's nudge.

View attachment 2935


----------



## opus55

Bach: Masses, BWV 233-236


----------



## Manxfeeder

Following the trend, *Kodaly's Peacock Variations*. I haven't paid much attention to this piece, so thanks to Sid and Vaneyes for putting the bug in my ear.


----------



## hespdelk

Just got this last week and finally had time to listen.. wonderful performance of the requiem all round, excellent sound quality as well. I personally gained some new insights to the work through this interpretation.

Some critics have preferred Muti's earlier recording from the 70s, unfortunately I cannot comment as I haven't heard that version in years. There have also been criticisms of the soloists, but I found their contributions well nuanced and emotive.

Of the recordings of this work from the last 20 or 30 years, I would recommend it.

I look forward to more recordings from the Muti / Chicago collaboration!


----------



## NightHawk

A new album by Anonymous IV singing chants and polyphony from the Las Huelgas Codex ca. 1300. Great music for 5:30 a.m. 23 albums in 25 years, some contemporary, some commissions but, by far, their greatest contribution is the painstaking recreation of ancient music. I also have ORIGIN OF FIRE, music of Hildegard von Bingen, and the chants and polyphony from the Codex Calixtinus.

The following youtube clip is not from the new album, but an album entitled 'On Yoolis Night'. It is a motet with two simultaneous but different texts: Prolis externe genitor/Psallat mater gracie. Sounds like they're using the Rhythmic Modes so I'd guess ca. 1300 give or take.


----------



## Crudblud

Strauss - Im Abendrot (Masur/Norman)
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 (Bernstein)
Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 (Celibidache)


----------



## AndyS

Mozart - die Zauberflote

Klemperer conducting with Lucia Popp, Gundula Janowitz, Nicholai Gedda et al


----------



## Crudblud

Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 2 (Sokoloff)

A very rare occurrence for me.


----------



## kv466

Nikolai Luganski 'playing' Rachmaninov's Variations on a Theme of Chopin (very painful)


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*


----------



## Crudblud

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 (Pletnev)

Possibly the catchiest symphony ever. Well, right now it is.


----------



## karenpat

I've been listened a lot to Jonas Kaufmann lately actually... Went through my iTunes playlist and rediscovered a lot of stuff.


----------



## Itullian

Rosenkavalier, Solti


----------



## Vaneyes

Brendel Haydn Piano Sonatas Hob. XVI: 20 & 49, rec. 1979.

View attachment 2948


----------



## Itullian

Vaneyes said:


> Brendel Haydn Piano Sonatas Hob. XVI: 20 & 49, rec. 1979.
> 
> View attachment 2948


Brendel's Haydn is first rate. beautiful
i have all he did.
i also have the Mccabe cycle on Decca. really beautifully done.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kodaly, *Missa Brevis*, then Bartok, *The Wooden Prince*.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahler 6 with VPO/Boulez should be on every Mahlerian shortlist.
View attachment 2951


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Respighi, Ancient Airs and Dance*s, Suites Nos. 1 through 3.

These pastiches are nice. I'm not listening close enough to tell if they're good or bad musically; all I care about right now is, they're 
pleasant to hear.


----------



## opus55

Listened to Ipod throughout the day.

JS Bach: Masses
JS Bach: Partitas for solo violin
JC Bach: Concerto in C minor
Bruch: Romance in F for Viola & Orchestra; Violin Concerto
Bax: Violin Concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Since the introduction of CDs I feel that the art of listening to Long Playing records has been lost. That's why I listen to my LPs as much as I can.


----------



## Sid James

A very rewarding first listen to this disc of* Percy Grainger's piano music*. Mainly arrangements of folk songs, but also some original works of his. I did a detailed review here on the http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post266850 thread. Take a look. I also have the other volume (Vol. 1) waiting in the wings for a first listen...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Sinfonia Sacra"} and Symphony No.5, Op.35.* Both are performed by the Aarhus Symphony under the baton of Owain Arwel Hughes.
Henk Badings--*Symphony No.10 and Symphony No.14, *both featuring David Porcelijn conducting the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}. *Both symphonies are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Since the introduction of CDs I feel that the art of listening to Long Playing records has been lost. That's why I listen to my LPs as much as I can.


Let me get this straight... you're a 14-year old who actually knows something about the art of listening to LPs. Hell the CD is twice as old as you are... unless you're **-ing us all (which is quite likely) considering your taste in music.


----------



## Itullian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Since the introduction of CDs I feel that the art of listening to Long Playing records has been lost. That's why I listen to my LPs as much as I can.


I had that album, loved it. best Rossini i ever heard.........


----------



## Vaneyes

Honoring Mendelssohn's birthday with...

View attachment 2967


----------



## opus55

Ligeti: String Quartet No.1
Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces, Op.6
Haydn: Piano Trio No.44 in E major
Alfven: Symphony No.4


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Let me get this straight... you're a 14-year old who actually knows something about the art of listening to LPs. Hell the CD is twice as old as you are... unless you're **-ing us all (which is quite likely) considering your taste in music.


Haha, no I _am_ 14.


----------



## Conor71

*Porter (Q): In Monasterio*

Listening to the first Disc of this recently arrived set for about the 3rd time - I like the music a lot though its difficult for me to describe as I dont have any reference points other than its modern and tonal!. Its all pretty lyrical and beautiful though


----------



## Conor71

*Debussy: String Quartet In G Minor, Op. 10*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Two pieces in Hugues Dufourt's Tiepolo Cycle, on the Kairos new music label. Must get more CDs on that label. They seem to be quite good.


----------



## Crudblud

Sibelius & Lindberg violin concertos (Orama/Batiashvili)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Slava Grigoryan's first solo recording. 16 years old at the time.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Michael Daugherty, Deus ex Machina*.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphony No. 100*. I like what Sir Thomas Beecham does to this.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian}, *featuring Antoni Wit leading the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.6 and Symphony No.7,* both rendered by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Owain Arwel Hughes.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1*, by Leonhardt and his 1976 Dream Team.


----------



## poconoron

Don Giovanni, Colin Davis


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Slava Grigoryan's first solo recording. 16 years old at the time.
> 
> ...


Great guitarist, esp. in solo and chamber mode. Got a few of his cd's, his one of tangos - a lot of Piazzolla on that - as well as one he did with the Sapphire guitar quartet, which includes another excellent guitarist of ours, Karin Schaupp. His two brothers are musos as well, you probably know this, one of them I think a pianist, the other one a violinist...



samurai said:


> ...
> 
> [/B]Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian}, *featuring Antoni Wit leading the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra...


My favourite of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, but I think I've told you before. But all of his symphonies are great, they tick many boxes for me in terms of enjoyment & what I value in music - emotional expression, innovation, craftsmanship, knowing the traditions, uniqueness, the whole lot...


----------



## Sid James

*Andrew Lloyd Webber *- _Phantom of the Opera _(highlights)
Lyrics by Charles Hart
Cast incl. Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton / Orch. conducted by Michael Reed
(Polydor)


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, Yes, *"Little Russian" *has become one of my favorites as well.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies feature George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52.* Both works are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Philip

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Haha, no I _am_ 14.


NOT true until you post a picture of yourself holding a handwritten note saying "Philip is my favourite TC member"


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Philip said:


> NOT true until you post a picture of yourself holding a handwritten note saying "Philip is my favourite TC member"


 .........


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Philip said:


> NOT true until you post a picture of yourself holding a handwritten note saying "Philip is my favourite TC member"


You want a picture? You want a picture? I'll give you a picture. HERE'S a picture!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: Gloria
Taverner Consort and Players, Andrew Parrott.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: In Furore.
Patricia Ciofi, soprano. 
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: Stabat Mater
David Daniels, Countertenor
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Niels Gade--*Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.20 and Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.25. *Both works are performed by the Stockholm Sinifonietta under the baton of Neeme Jarvi. The* 5th *features Roland Pontinen on piano.


----------



## Itullian

Morton Feldman, piano and string quartet.

right now on kusc.org


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No.6
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Piazzola: Tango Suite, performed by Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.


----------



## Crudblud

Chopin - Mazurkas, Op. 6 & 7 (Rubinstein)
Berg - DG Alban Berg Collection Disc 2


----------



## starthrower

I listened to nos.1-3 for the first time this morning. These works have made a big impression on first listening. They're filled with emotional depth and maturity, clarity of vision, and diversity of structure. Hartmann studied with Webern and learned the value of discipline, and the importance of every note.

Only the second 20th century German composer I've listened to since Henze, I find Hartmann's music much easier to follow and absorb. It's not nearly as busy and complicated as some of Henze's symphonies. It's just beautiful music!


----------



## Crudblud

Ginastera - Piano Quintet, Op. 29 (Bingham SQ / Portugheis)


----------



## opus55

Today is the celebration of American excess and capitalism called Superbowl Sunday!

Mozart: String Trios and Duos
Mahler: Symphony No.6


----------



## Crudblud

Tchiakovsky - Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (Pletnev)


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 50 In Bb Major, Op. 64/3, H 3/67*


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 In A Major, Op. 30/1*

Inspired by the Beethoven Chamber Music thread thought I'd give this a spin - outstanding!


----------



## Crudblud

Glazunov - Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp major, Op. 16 / Concert Waltz No. 1 (N. Järvi)


----------



## poconoron

Brahms complete symphonies by Solti


----------



## Itullian

samples on Amazon................


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach, Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, before the Super Bowl.


----------



## clavichorder

Here is something right up my alley, just shared with me that I thought I'd share here:


----------



## Vaneyes

Mendelssohn Cello Sonatas 1 & 2 with Meneses & Wyss (Avie).

View attachment 3013


----------



## Sid James

First listen to three works from this recently bought disc of Aussie composer *Nigel Westlake* -

*Nigel Westlake *- album of chamber music (Tall Poppies label)
_The Hinchinbrook Riffs _(2003) - Craig Ogden, guitar
_Kalabash_ (2004) - Synergy Percussion
_Piano Sonata _(1997) - Michael Kieran Harvey, piano

_*The Hinchinbrook Riffs *_is a journey back to the composer's childhood, when he spent time with his father in the coastal area around Hinchinbrook Island, off North Queensland. It's a work for guitar with 600 millisecond (about half a second) digital delay. It gives the rippling feel of water, it has this "organic" repetition. The delay, as it's so short, is very subtle, and I only got a hint of it upon the second listen to this work.

_*Kalabash*_ similarly works with repetition, this time inspired by West African percussion instruments, from which the piece takes it's title. This is largely also a fairly laid back piece, there is intricate layering and rhythmic changes from the four players on two marimbas.

The final work I listened to, the *Piano Sonata,* grabbed me the most. It's a pretty intense work, the 15 minute span in a number of movements that go without a break. The middle part is quiet and mysterious and the final part is just out of this world. It has this animal intensity like I sometimes find in the music of Xenakis, but not in that style exactly. These different rhythms seem to collide, they seem to have more to do with rock music than classical - Westlake was trained as a clarinetist, but he worked as an arranger and writer for rock bands during his younger years as well. This is just an amazing work, and nothing like the more "populist" minimalist works that are inspired by rock music. The influence here is not superficial but taking from rock things like those sudden changes in rhythm, tone, emotion, etc. It floored me and I listened a few times more...










& also two other Aussies I've been listening to lately, on repeat - 

*Phillip Houghton*
_In Amber _(composed 1982, revised 2008)
Karin Schaupp, guitar / Flinders Quartet
(ABC Classics)

*Richard Mills*
_Bamaga Diptych_ (1988)
Melbourne SO / composer conducting
(ABC CLassics)


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sundays I often spend listening to an opera (or two) or some grand orchestral and choral works... but today I've been spending most of the time relaxing and attempting to recuperate from too much tequila the night before. Listening to some lovely Schubert chamber music:


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Discussing about Honegger music in his guestbook thread, reminds me of this wonderful recording, which is always in my favorites list :


----------



## Vaneyes

Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 (unedited) with LSO/Rozhdestvensky.

View attachment 3030


----------



## kv466

W.A. Mozart - Serenade for Orchestra no.6 in D kv239, Serenata Notturna
Sir Neville Marriner & The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## opus55

Can't go wrong with Mozart in the morning.

Mozart: Piano Concertos, Nos. 21 & 27


----------



## Crudblud

*Bartók*
The Wooden Prince (Kórodi) 
The Miraculous Mandarin (Sándor)
Magyar nepdalok for piano and violin (Szûcs/Tusa)
Kossuth (Lehel)

*Schoenberg*
Pelleas und Melisande (Karajan)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphony No. 22*, "The Philosopher." This is my first encounter with Dorati's recording. I wish I had $150 for the complete set, but my wife spent three days in the hospital, so I'm helping her surgeon pay for his copy.


----------



## Itullian

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Symphony No. 22*, "The Philosopher." This is my first encounter with Dorati's recording. I wish I had $150 for the complete set, but my wife spent three days in the hospital, so I'm helping her surgeon pay for his copy.
> 
> View attachment 3035


best set ever..........


----------



## Chrythes

I don't listen much to piano solo pieces, but I think my first listening to Alkan has changed it!
Beautiful music - extremely virtuosic but beautiful nonetheless.

Thank you clavichorder for that link you posted here last page.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.8, Op.56 {"Sinfonia Boreale"} and Symphony No.9, Op.95, *both featuring Owain Arwel Hughes and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Itullian

Meistersinger, Solti 1.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Revelling in Ravel. (Sorry for the pun.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roger Davidson, Missa Universalis I*. Here is a mass whose libretto has "all references to strictly Christian dogma removed." Mostly static, in a resonant acoustic, it reminds me of Rachmaninov's religious works but in a more contemporary harmonic setting.


----------



## poconoron

Le Nozze Di Figaro, by Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Charles Mackerras. Excellent rendition.


----------



## Jupiter

Working my way through this box:









The Danel Quartet do an admirable job


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2
Arrau/Concertgebouw/Haitink


----------



## kv466

Still looking for the perfect Prokofiev.


----------



## opus55

Listening to Handel recording that I've abandoned for at least a decade. Very nice so far.

Handel: Water Music


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still listening to string quartets... in this instance it's Beethoven by the inimitable Busch quartet. Their sound... as old as these recordings are... is so rich... and they are plumb the depths of the emotion in this music unlike nearly anyone else I have heard.


----------



## science




----------



## Vaneyes

Schumann Symphonies, VPO/LB.

View attachment 3053


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.8, Op.56 {"Sinfonia Boreale"} and Symphony No.9, Op.95, *both featuring Owain Arwel Hughes and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.


How are you liking his later symphonies?


----------



## clavichorder

Chrythes said:


> I don't listen much to piano solo pieces, but I think my first listening to Alkan has changed it!
> Beautiful music - extremely virtuosic but beautiful nonetheless.
> 
> Thank you clavichorder for that link you posted here last page.
> 
> View attachment 3040


Those minor key etudes are the ****!


----------



## science

1st time... it's certainly _long_!

I like the choral parts.


----------



## clavichorder

Need I say more?


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## violadude

clavichorder said:


> View attachment 3057
> 
> 
> Need I say more?


Yes...you do need to say more.


----------



## Sid James

Nigel Westlake (b. 1958)
_String Quartet #2_ (2006)
Goldner String Quartet
(Tall Poppies - from_ The Hinchinbrook Riffs _album of music by Westlake)

First listen to this work, as I'm going through this album bit by bit.

This is not a walk in the park, but it does have aspects of melody. Eg. the slow movement has a flowing quality, and a sense of mystery and anticipation of things to come. What comes is the final movement's hazy introduction - much like the opening of Beethoven's 9th symphony - and this erupts into a very busy and intense scherzo, an unusual way to end a string quartet.

Images of nature came to my mind, this is a bit like looking into someone else's memories or stream of consciousness.

That intro to the final movement has "quasi improvisational" aspects to it, as does a largely improvised viola solo in the first movement, which has a fleeting quality - on one listen I heard it, the other it totally passed me by.

There is also a brightness and directness here that is common in a number of Australian composers I've listened to over the years.

Now the only work I have left on this album is Westlake's _Piano Trio_, no doubt that will be great.

So far, my favourite work on this album is the earliest one from the late 1990's, his _Piano Sonata_. Amazingly visceral impact that had on me, but this string quartet was great as well, but different somewhat...


----------



## science

I'm starting to enjoy Bruckner a bit more.


----------



## clavichorder

violadude said:


> Yes...you do need to say more.


Hahaha, I figured I would have to. Well, I listened to the whole thing. Its actually not hard to listen to, I kind of just floated off on it, Glass changes it up in this piece quite a bit, the rhythms and the dynamics, though the end of the 3rd movement drags a little and it feels like he's playing a joke on you, since he just starts up again. I was in a mood to kind of enjoy it. I don't know, he seems to know what he's doing when it comes to harmony and such, maybe there's something to the guy. Its kind of fun, I think. I liked the finale the best.

Structurally, he doesn't seem too much simpler than John Adams in this piece, and the beginning is kind of dissonant, but his orchestration is very basic.


----------



## kv466

Schumann - Piano Concerto in a-minor, op.54
Riccardo Chailly conducts Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Martha Argerich, piano


some phrasing I don't like very much but some is perhaps the best


----------



## Vaneyes

D. Scarlatti (1685 - 1757) Sonatas for Keyboard with Alexandre Tharaud, performed on Yamaha CFIIIS no. 6.232.800. This album is dedicated to the memory of Clara Haskil.

View attachment 3066


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Sonata for cello and piano in A, op.69
Leonard Rose and Glenn Gould


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"*


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 52 In Eb Major, Op. 64/6, H 3/64*

Disc 17 of this 22 Disc set


----------



## Crudblud

Stockhausen - Luzifers Abschied


----------



## Vaneyes

Put the pasta on, it's *Michelangeli & Giulini* for LvB PCs 1 & 3.

View attachment 3068


----------



## poconoron

Rossini overtures:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the tag "21st Century Classical" on last.fm.


----------



## AndyS

Gotterdamerung - conducted by Bohm live at Bayreuth. Currently Brunhilde/Waltraute scene with Nilson and Modl, awesome


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to most of this album of music by Australian* Nigel Westlake*. His _String Quartet #2, The Hinchinbrook Riffs_ for guitar with digital delay, _Kalabash_ for percussion & the _Piano Sonata_. The only work I have to go is his_ PIano Trio_, and after listening to that I will review the whole album on the Australian composers thread...


----------



## Sid James

First listen to this recording of Rach 3 with Australian David Helfgott tickling the ivories. I listened to it twice, I enjoyed this performance, though it does have it's quirks. I think Helfgott's playing is best in the lyrical sections, quite poetic and kind of flowing, watery. I got very emotional at the coda, with the coming of an optimistic march rounding off the work, it talks to triumph over adversity for me.

*Rachmaninov*
_Piano Concerto #3 in D minor, Op. 30_
David Helfgott, piano / Copenhagen PO / Milan Horvat, cond. - Recorded live in the Tivoli, Copenhagen in 1995.
(BMG / RCA Victor)


----------



## poconoron

Haydn - The Seasons conducted by John Gardiner


----------



## clavichorder

Joseph Martin Kraus string quartets!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, *Mass in C*. Then *Zemlinsky, Psalms*.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to hear the Mass in C.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Continuing my sacred mood with Orlando Lassus' Missa Surge Propera.


----------



## science




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Stressful week... so I've been avoiding the full-scale symphonic (and certainly the electronic noise crud). These are quite lovely. Not the most avant-garde of his work.


----------



## starthrower

Honegger-Symphonies 3 & 4, Pacific 231


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still more Scriabin... by the inimitable Sofronitsky.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

I have Maria Lettberg on 8 CDs playing all of Scriabin piano works (on Capriccio label). It's interesting how Scriabin changes from tonal Romanticism if I could put it that way, to 12-tonal style as one listens to all the pieces. I must say I prefer the former of the two and he must have been quite talented at it.


----------



## violadude

Listening to Malipiero's string quartets. They are fairly difficult to decipher. All 8 are in one movement (kind of peculiar for this time period...even most of Schoenberg's string quartets are in the classic 4). From what I can decipher, they all present themes and then develop them constantly in various episodic sections. The trouble I am having is being able to tell if there are tons of themes to keep track of (thats what it sounds like to me at the moment) or just a few themes and I am hearing some of the transformations as different themes. Anyway, just started listening today. Will post about them in detail later when I have had more experience with them.


----------



## Sid James

Finished listening to this disc, yesterday it was Rach 3, this time the solo piano works making up the second half of the album.

All four of these* preludes *are famous, but I don't remember hearing the first one here before, which had this Debussy-like rippling water effect. The one in C Sharp minor is my favourite, those bells tolling, it depicts one of the great fires that destroyed most of Moscow sometime in history before Rachmaninov's time.

The *second sonata *was also interesting, a work with three movements going without a break, the ending was very vigorous and pretty full-on for the time.

I don't agree with people who say Rachmaninov was a conservative, or even worse, a glorified imitator of Tchaikovsky or Liszt. He was unique and an innovator equal to Scriabin in terms of piano technique...

*Rachmaninov*
_Four preludes -
- in G minor, Op. 32 #5
- in C sharp minor, Op. 3 #2
- in G sharp minor, Op. 32 #12
- in G minor, Op. 23 #5_

_Piano Sonata#2 in B flat minor, Op. 36_

David Helfgott, pno.
(RCA Victor / BMG CLassics)


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Our Land in Harmony - for Victorian Bushfire Relief* (2009)
ABC Classics (2 cd set)

*I listened to cd 1* of this collection to mark the third anniversary of the Victorian bushfires of 2009, one of the worst natural disasters this country has known. These recordings where made live and "donated" for free by the performers involved to make this commemoration possible.

The most memorable pieces on this disc for me where -

_Rain Dream _by *Joseph Twist *(with Sydney Children's Choir)
- A very evocative piece with Aboriginal rhythms and at the climax, taped sounds of rain coming down, the song being about a child from Australia's Central DEsert country experiencing rain for the first time. Amazing work for a composer aged only thirty now.

_Anthem for Australia _by *Peter Sculthorpe *(with Sydney Brass Band)
- A virtuoso piece for wind band, it gave me a sense of the laconic and dry humour of Aussies, even in the face of the worst tragedies. Some really tricky passages here handled with great ease and care with some of the best brass players of this country.

_Piano Trio in E minor, OP. 67 _by *Shostakovich *(played by TriOz)
- A very emotionally charged piece, incorporating a Russian Jewish tune, in memory of the dead of the HOlocaust. This was the only really dark and depressing piece on this first disc. I got very emotional.

_Waves 09 _by *Timothy Constable *(played by Synergy Percussion)
- An interesting piece, indeed it had a watery, wavy feel. Kind of minimalist, or most likely post minimalist. There was repetition galore, but it was varied interestingly. Again, a virtuoso work, played by our finest percussion ensemble dedicated to contemporary music.

There were also works on this first disc by *Michael Bojesen, Tylman Susato & G.F. Handel.*

A great disc and I plan to listen to the second disc soon...


----------



## clavichorder

I have only sampled movements of the late Beethoven quartets. Now I'm ready to experience them full length, starting with C sharp minor.


----------



## clavichorder

And now listening to Bartok's 2nd string quartet.


----------



## clavichorder

Wow, I used to think the Bartok quartets were incomprehensible, but that 2nd quartet sounds awesome! They used to not even sound like Bartok to me, more like noise, but perhaps the 2nd quartet is an exception? I'll have to look into that.


----------



## Crudblud

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 (Celibidache)


----------



## Vaneyes

My favorite rec of this R-K warhorse.

View attachment 3090


----------



## kv466

A gem I had enough prescience to buy over the counter when it first came out,...one of the many recordings I'm happy to be the owner of...wish I had them doing the entire run.


----------



## Crudblud

D. Scarlatti - Sinfonia in C major / Sinfonia in G minor / Sinfonia in A minor (Biondi)

Some of his lesser known works here, gorgeous sound and delightful use of harspichord and guitar. His general upbeat style and relative wildness for his time are just as present here as they are in the harpsichord works.

A. Scarlatti - Sei Concerti in sette parti (Biondi)

Listening now to the mainstay of that disc, while I digest me right British bangers 'n' mash.


----------



## smoledman

Currently listening to Sibelius symphonies.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 7, W 435*


----------



## violadude

clavichorder said:


> Wow, I used to think the Bartok quartets were incomprehensible, but that 2nd quartet sounds awesome! They used to not even sound like Bartok to me, more like noise, but perhaps the 2nd quartet is an exception? I'll have to look into that.


The 1st and 2nd quartets are a bit more tame than the later ones. But I think your enjoyment of the 2nd has something to do with musical growth as well.


----------



## Crudblud

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 (Bernstein)


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Five Variants on "Dives and Lazarus" by Vaughan-Williams for String Orchestra and harp. Very lovely, slightly impressionistic, very folk-styled too.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}.* Both works feature Herbert Blomstedt and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}. *Both symphonies are performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner. After just one listening, I find the "period" instruments to be more effective in their renditions of the* 5th* and *6th*, as opposed to the* 7th *and *8th;* somehow, they sound "fuller" and more forceful in their renditions of the former as compared to the latter.


----------



## Sid James

A relisten to *Nigel Westlake's *_PIano Sonata_, which had this visceral "gut" impact on me the first time I heard it last week. This whole disc has been superb.

Also, *Shostakovich's* pretty draining and depressing _Piano Trio #2,_ publicly dedicated to a dear friend who died at the time, the musicologist Ivan Sollertinsky, but privately, also a memorial to the dead of the Holocaust. The final movement is based on a Jewish dance tune, and as the violin climbs higher and higher in singing this sad and angry song, the tears came to my eyes. First time listening to this recording of the Shostakovich, btw...

*Shostakovich* 
_Piano Trio #2 in E minor, Op. 67_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto label)

*Nigel Westlake* (b. 1958)
_Piano sonata_ (1997)
Michael Kieran Harvey, pno.
(Tall Poppies)


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Posthorn Serenade, KV 320


----------



## Itullian

Dvorak string quartet no. 13, Paval Haas Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Quite honestly, the string quartet has never been one of my favorite musical forms. While I do have the major quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, Shostakovitch, and Bartok... as well as a few Russian composers, the genre tends to be among the ones I am least likely to play... and even less likely to pick up recordings of by further composers. Having admitted this much, there are moments when I am in the mood... quite often in the dead of winter... late at night... like right now. Currently I'm exploring the second disc of this three disc set by the Busch quartet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A relisten to Nigel Westlake's PIano Sonata, which had this visceral "gut" impact on me the first time I heard it last week. This whole disc has been superb.

Andre... perhaps when Spotify makes its way to Australia we'll be able to sample some of these composers from "down under" that you've been promoting.


----------



## Clementine

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in D Op. 6/1 (1714)*
Corelli comes to an uneven start in the first of his Concerto Grossi. This concerto is divided into no less than 7 movements, which occasionally have trouble transitioning into each other. Still, there's wonderful moments abound, particularly the more substantial 'Largo' towards the end.

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in F Op. 6/2 (1714)*
The material in this concerto is considerably more attractive, though it runs into similar structural problems. It's only four movements, but the first movement alone might as well be three for all the abrupt tempo changes. Pleasant and attractive music to be sure, though something tells me I'll be listening to more Vivaldi and Handel late in life.

*Bedřich Smetana: Wallenstein's Camp (1859)*
This is a wonderful and underrated little tone poem by Smetana. The single movement is any bit as good as a single movement from Ma Vlast (except Die Moldau), and often times more rousing. It starts with a bang and ends with a bang, providing the listener with two 'big tunes' along the way. Fanfares and vivid imagery leave no doubt that this work is telling a story.

*Edvard Grieg: String Quartet in G Minor (1878)*
This quartet contains some of Grieg's most attractive material, though unfortunately he seems to be at a bit of a loss on how to handle it. Each of the four movements is quite lengthy, and there are a few false endings in the final movement. The quartet almost suffers from 'too much of a good thing.' There are so many wonderful moments of passion, beauty, devilishness, and heroism, moving from one idea to the next that it results in jading the listener fairly quickly. Even still this is an excellent quartet, and I imagine would be a lot of fun to hear live.

*Maurice Ravel: L'enfant et les Sortilèges (1925)*
This must be my favorite Ravel work so far, and I had the privilege of seeing it last week. Collete's story of a child's surroundings coming to life unleash Ravels craziest side. Without too much actual plot or character development, Ravel gets to let go of his more emotive side and instead focus on what he does best: orchestration. That isn't to say that there aren't any touching moments. The Princess scene is particularly moving, even though we only hear her story for less than five minutes. And of course the ending, with all of creatures the boy has wronged, singing forgiveness, is quite beautiful. My favorite moments include the aforementioned 'Princess Scene' with its luscious harmonies and propulsive orchestration, and the 'Fire Scene' which ends in a moment eerie gooeyness (if that makes sense.. and if it doesn't go listen to it). Overall, a masterpiece and one of my favorite operas.

*Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Sonata #1 (1946)*
This is a work that took me a few listens to crack. Probably because I was listening while walkingv outdoors and had difficulty hearing the slow movements the first couple times around, and these turned out to be the highlight. The 1st and 3rd movements contain some of Prokofiev's most beautiful material. Prokofiev describes it as 'ghosts whispering in the graveyard' and that's exactly what it sounds like. Written shortly after WWII, the entire piece is eerie and aggravated. Here dissonance is treated with disgust, and consonance with immense warmth and care. Its only downfall is the finale, which I feel falls short compared to the first three movements. I think it would work just fine with 3 movements actually, but Prokofiev prefers to bookend it, which to me sounds unnecessary. Still, a fantastic piece and one of my favorites by the composer (and in the genre).

*Luciano Berio: Eindrücke (1974)*
This is a short atonal orchestral work. In 10 minutes the piece flies by, though perhaps out of sheer repetition. A long weaving melody that never ceases is played, while march like rhythms stir underneath, independently from each other, and never matching up. The piece forms a kind of dreamlike state where you never feel like you quite know where you are, and ends abruptly (much like a dream). A nifty piece, though I'm not sure how often I'll return to it.


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.10, Op.105*, featuring Owain Arwel hughes conducting the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.
Niels Gade--*Symphony No.6 in G Minor, Op.32 and Symphony No.7 in F Major, Op.45, *both performed by the Stockholm Sinifonietta under the guidance of Neeme Jarvi. Wonderful andante movement from the *6th*: Neeme Järvi - Symphony No. 6 in G minor, Op. 32: II. Andante sostenuto.


----------



## Sid James

*Carl Vine* (b. 1954)
- _Mythologia
- Three settings of Sappho _& also the _Olympic Anthem_
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir / Jonathon Welch, director / The composer giving accompaniment with electronically sampled/manipulated sounds on his computer
(Tall Poppies)

A relisten after many months to this disc of Carl Vine's _*Mythologia*_, which was originally a ballet performed during the Sydney Olympics arts festival in 2000.

It is sung in (Ancient?) Greek and English, with texts from guys like HOmer, Euripides, etc. & it tells a number of stories weaving around the character Heracles, the god who founded the Olympics.

Although this work has electronics involved, don't be scared! Vine here uses his computer to conjure what an orchestra from Ancient Greek times may have sounded like, there are many wind, percussion and plucked sounds, sampled from "real" instruments, then changed to sound different on the computer. The result is pretty amazing, one thing that struck me was a kind of horn that sounds at the same time like some animal's voice, it's kind of mysterious and atmospheric. Speaking of which, I can hear in this a very filmic feel, which is no wonder, Vine has composed music for a number of films.

The most striking part from me was the rape of Callisto by Zeus, who initially disguised himself as her lover, ARtemis. He only reveals his true identity at the moment of her climax, and then the music goes from love music to full on percussive and animalistic music describing the rape. This music sounds quite melodic but it's no walk in the park if you read between the lines.

The_ Bacchanalia _is also quite memorable, shades of many of my favourite 20th century choral works there, but pretty unique at the same time.

The accompanying _*Sappho songs *_& _*OLympic Anthem *_are like the thematic material which relates to the bigger work on the disc, so it's a good coupling, a good way to fill out the time (which at 72 minutes is pretty generous, I think).

I quite enjoyed this disc and I especially like how he uses electronics in a kind of unexpected way, like an orchestra, not like an electronic piece literally...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

That sounds like a very interesting recording above, Sid James. One might think the story could be associated with Baroque opera or something ancient, far from the 21st century. Might give it a go some stage. I need to warm up a lot this year with Vine's music in "anticipation" of his piano concerto #2 later this year. (I'm not actually concerned about electronic instruments per se, it's what composers do with them that matters, as with any instrument or "thing" used to produce music).

Edit: Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir. I never knew we had one.


----------



## starthrower

Society For New Music-Serendipity

A collection of contemporary chamber music including some works I've heard live by
Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, and Marc Mellits. Recorded here at Syracuse University.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Boccherini, Cello Concerto No. 5.

He sure puts the cello through its paces, with nice interaction with the ensemble.


----------



## kv466

Concert Étude No. 2 in F Minor 'La Leggierezza' 
('79)Concert Étude No. 3 in D Flat Major 'Un Sospiro' 
('79)Harmonies poétiques et religueses(S173/R14)

Funerailles 
('73) Études d'Execution Transcendate

Paysage (Étude No. 3) 
Ricordanza (Étude No. 9)

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in E Flat Major 
('73)Années de Pèlerinage Deuxième Année, Italie

Sonetto 47 del Petrarca 
Sonetto 123 del Petrarca 
('73)

Valse Oubliée No.1 
Mephisto Polka 
Grandes Études de Paganini
('73)

La Capricciosa No. 2 in E flat major 
La Chasse No. 5 in E flat major 
La Campanella No. 3 G sharp minor 
('83)


----------



## NightHawk

This box set containing the complete string quartets (5) and the 100 Year Anniversary disc (containing numerous chamber works ranging from 1984 - 2005 for various string and wind instruments e.g. 'Dialogues for Piano and 18 Instruments', also 'Mosaic for solo harp and 7 instruments) has totally absorbed my listening for the past three days. The Pacifica Quartet is very fine - their warm, rhapsodic playing of the quartets has rendered them surpassingly eloquent and endlessly fascinating. To me, Carter's tones never seem 'generated' (by a row or schematic of some sort), but rather carefully chosen. The three disc set costs $21 bucks (new) on Amazon (search: 'Carter - complete quartet cycle, 100 Year Anniversary Disc') and is a great bargain in my opinion.


----------



## violadude

I am currently sampling Alkan's Esquisse Op. 36 on youtube....wow...what a goofball. Some of them literally had me lol'ing.

Especially this one:


----------



## Vesteralen

This is the only performance of this opera I've listened to. Old, kind of "tubby" sound, but I love the live performance with all the applause (and yelling) at the end of the big arias.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Recently, I've been making some forays into the realm of the "classical era" beyond Haydn, Mozart, and early Beethoven. I absolutely loved Hoffmeister's clarinet quartets. The sonatas for flute and piano are quite enjoyable as well. Rococo bon-bons, certainly... but sometimes one is in the mood for bon-bons and Hoffmeister is quite masterful as providing what is desired.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Mustonen's Scriabin, to be released late February. An automatic buy.

Glorious sounds emanate as Olli plays Fazioli F278.

View attachment 3103


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. *1, Oistrakh. No further description necessary.


----------



## opus55

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Playing around on Spotify this afternoon. I gave this a listen:










I am a long admirer of the Historically Informed approach to older music... and of Jordi Savall in particular. His recordings of Bach's Brandenburgs and the Art of Fugue and numerous others were eye-opening. His Water Music/Royal Fireworks Music brought to life again a body of music by Handel I had not taken seriously for years. Having said that much, I have mixed feelings about this recording of Mozart's Requiem. Where Savall's recordings of the Brandenburg's or Handel'a Water Music/Royal Fireworks Music could surely suffice as a sole interpretation in any collection, I don't think such is true in this instance. Indeed, there are any number of other recordings that I would nominate as a first choice over Savall, including:




























... even Karajan's "old school" interpretation.

Savall places the timpani, winds, and horns right up front... resulting in something of Mozart meets rock n roll. Initially, this results in a highly exciting sound. My first thought upon hearing the opening movement was "Damn!" Unfortunately, the "loss" of the strings results is a loss of a good deal of the subtlety and well as the fire of the Requiem. My overall impression thought is that Savall offers an intriguing interpretation... but I'll stick with Marriner, Gardiner, Herreweghe, etc...

The next disc I listened to this afternoon was:










I have had mixed feelings concerning Tavener as a composer. Some works have left me indifferent... or worse. Others I have found pleasing enough, if not overly "original". Yet again there are those works (I think especially of the hypnotic _Shûnya_) I have found especially powerful. This disc, undoubtedly, proves the value of a top-notch performance. Harry Christopher's and the Sixteen could almost make the phone book sound stellar and spirit-enhancing. They do an absolute stunning job with this collection of Tavener's featuring the Ikon of Light, two settings from William Blake's _Songs of Innocence and Experience_ (_The Lamb_ and _The Tyger_), and several other short choral compositions. The only qualm I have is with the inclusion of Tavener's settting of the semi-well-known Christmas carol, Today the Virgin. It isn't the piece itself, but rather the context... which seems so out of place immediately after the Ikon of Light... and at less than 3 minutes it could be done without. Still... overall, a great disc.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still toying about on Spotify... in spite of the fact that I have some 50... if not 100 discs I have yet to listen to. Anyway... I decided to stay in the choral mode... and to stick with Harry Christophers and the Sixteen. Anyone unfamiliar with this group really needs to give them a listen. Their performances of "Early Music" are absolutely stunning... and their performances of Bach, Mozart, and especially Handel may even be better.










This disc is a collection of late 19th and 20th century choral music featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Tchesnokov, Kalinnikov, Arvo Part, John Tavener, and James MacMillan. All of the composers, with the exception of MacMillan, have been profoundly impacted by the music of the Eastern Orthodox and/or Russian Orthodox choral tradition. There is a common stress upon the lower register or bass vocalists and a simple chant-like structure. MacMillan, a staunchly conservative Scottish Catholic, nevertheless fully fits within this selection. I cannot recommend this disc highly enough for anyone certain that there is no Modern/Contemporary music (and especially choral music) of real "beauty"... in the most traditional sense. No music could be more beautiful and more consoling.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

The Sixteen and Harry Christophers are top-notch. Music of Handel feature as their most recorded single composer. For folks who might be interested in a bargain box-set, I can recommend this.


----------



## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> That sounds like a very interesting recording above, Sid James...I need to warm up a lot this year with Vine's music in "anticipation" of his piano concerto #2 later this year...


I put my reply here on Australian composer's thread. Thanks for your response...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Faisant Regret*z, The Clerks' Group.

Josquin takes a four-note motive and plays with it imaginatively throughout this mass setting. The Clerks' Group sings this with a recording space with little resonance, so details are easy to pick out. I wish they would sing this less straightforward and with a little more expression, but oh, well, you can't have everything.


----------



## poconoron

Interesting pairing of Mozart and Schubert on this disc............ works for me - thoroughly enjoyable!


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60. *Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner leading the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely marvelous disc. One can hear both the Italian roots in Boccherini's music as well as the Spanish influences in this brilliantly performed disc! Certainly a "must have" disc for any Boccherini collection.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> The Sixteen and Harry Christophers are top-notch. Music of Handel feature as their most recorded single composer. For folks who might be interested in a bargain box-set, I can recommend this.


This would be a tempting disc... if I didn't have almost everything on it already.


----------



## brianwalker

Probably the best Tristan prelude I've ever heard.

Incidentally, it's the longest Tristan I've ever heard (12 minutes).


----------



## poconoron

Suppe Overtures - Light Cavalry always enjoyable.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.15 in A, Op.141, *performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.
Niels Gade--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor, Op.47, *featuring Neeme Jarvi conducting the Stockholm Sinifonietta.


----------



## science

The violin concerto - so beautiful, poignant. And no one needs better sound than this.


----------



## Sid James

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 3098
> 
> 
> This box set containing the complete string quartets (5) and the 100 Year Anniversary disc (containing numerous chamber works ranging from 1984 - 2005 for various string and wind instruments e.g. 'Dialogues for Piano and 18 Instruments', also 'Mosaic for solo harp and 7 instruments) has totally absorbed my listening for the past three days. The Pacifica Quartet is very fine - their warm, rhapsodic playing of the quartets has rendered them surpassingly eloquent and endlessly fascinating. To me, Carter's tones never seem 'generated' (by a row or schematic of some sort), but rather carefully chosen. The three disc set costs $21 bucks (new) on Amazon (search: 'Carter - complete quartet cycle, 100 Year Anniversary Disc') and is a great bargain in my opinion.


I've got those discs separately. I esp. like the first disc with string quartets 1 & 5, and the mixed chamber disc with _Mosaics_ & _Dialogues_. The DVD with that is great, esp. for the interview with Mr. Carter. I do listen to them regularly, esp. the SQ's 1 & 5, the #1 easily being amongst my favourite quartets of c20th. Took me a while to warm up to it but now I connect with it more deeply than some others which many people would say should be more accessible. Horses for courses, as they say.

Good that they've boxed them now, even cheaper, no excuse for a "chamber nut," esp. one into c20th repertoire, not to grab it...


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to* Nigel Westlake's Piano Trio*, completing my traversal of this fine disc after getting it recently. This is a work with an underlying jazzy feel, that isn't hard to detect if you know/like jazz. I like it how Westlake doesn't do jazz rehash, but he's composing classical music but learning & applying things from jazz, eg. in terms of melody, rhythm, colour. WEstlake here integrates jazz into his own style just as (say) Piazzolla did, his vision is very unique (& a joy to hear). Now I will soon review the whole cd in depth on the Australian Composer's thread I set up on this forum...

*Nigel WEstlake* (b. 1958)
_PIano Trio_ (2003)
Macquarie Trio of Australia - Kathryn Selby, pno. / Michael Goldschlager, cello / Nicholas Milton, vln.
(Tall Poppies)


----------



## Crudblud

The Wiener Philharmoniker Neujahrskonzert 2011.

I don't know the German for "haters gonna hate", but if I did I'd be saying that instead.

Haßer werden haßen, perhaps?


----------



## Sid James

Also, darker territory with Shostakovich, these have in common a Jewish theme which pops up in the last movement of the *Piano Trio #2* and in one of the internal movements of the* 8th quartet*, it's like the dance of the devil or the dance of death. Through a glass darkly...
*
Shostakovich -*

_Piano Trio #2 in E minor, Op. 67_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague
(alto)

_String Quartet #8 in C minor, Op. 110a_ (arr. R. Barshai for string orch.)
Dalgat Ensemble, St. Petersburg / Roland Melia
(Naxos)


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"*


----------



## NightHawk

I have the same recording and feel much as you do about the Clerks Group...somehow 'thin' sounding, I also feel the same about the ensemble Clement Janequin. Original instruments are one thing, but a valid original vocal style is, I think, more subjective. Whatever the voices do should be resonant and beautiful (not talking about vibrato)...just my preference. The Choir of Westminster is a good one and two other favorites; Paul McCreesh and The Hillier Theater of Voices.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Josquin, Missa Faisant Regret*z, The Clerks' Group.
> 
> Josquin takes a four-note motive and plays with it imaginatively throughout this mass setting. The Clerks' Group sings this with a recording space with little resonance, so details are easy to pick out. I wish they would sing this less straightforward and with a little more expression, but oh, well, you can't have everything.
> 
> View attachment 3107


----------



## neoshredder

Just listened to Vivaldi's L'estro Armonico by Trevor Pinnock in its entirety.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"*


I picked up this Bruckner box-set over the Christmas sales last year. I also listened to the _Romantic_ symphony first out of preference. For about US$40 including freight, I think it is good value. All 11 symphonies (1 to 9, "0" and "00").


----------



## Conor71

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> I picked up this Bruckner box-set over the Christmas sales last year. I also listened to the _Romantic_ symphony first out of preference. For about US$40 including freight, I think it is good value. All 11 symphonies (1 to 9, "0" and "00").


That looks like a nice set and must be the only one out there to include the Study Symphony as well! - I have 3 Bruckner Cycles (Chailly, Jochum and Celibidache) but theres always room for another in future and I will definetely keep this one in mind, cheers HC!


----------



## Crudblud

Skrowaczewski's cycle has the study symphony too. It's really quite good, considering it isn't generally represented along with his other works.


----------



## Conor71

*Britten: String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25*

A fine work - I like Brittens String Quartets a lot!.


----------



## Conor71

Crudblud said:


> Skrowaczewski's cycle has the study symphony too. It's really quite good, considering it isn't generally represented along with his other works.


Nice I didnt realise there was another Cycle which included that work as well - I have heard good things about Skrowaczewski's Bruckner on another forum!.
I like the Study Symphony as well - I have the Tintner version on Naxos


----------



## Eviticus

Franz Liszt - Ballade No. 1 "Le chant du croise" S.170






I can't believe i hadn't heard this before!

Thanks for the recommendation Lisztian.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Concerto No. 15*, Murray Perahia. Nice weekend wind-down music.


----------



## opus55

I was also listening to Perahia


----------



## kv466

Coming on here without listening yet...gonna jump on the Perahia wagon!

Was given this recently and has proven to be a great gift.


----------



## Sid James

This album of music by *Nigel Westlake *again, fully reviewed on the Australian composers thread HERE...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schubert/Brahms: Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, An Schwager Kronos.

I got this CD for the Alto Rhapsody and the 2nd symphony, but I'm finally getting around to the Schubert.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No.12
Poulenc: Les Soirees de Nazelles


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 In D Major, Op. 44/1
Bartok Quartet - Brilliant Classics*

Now listening to Disc 3 of this 10 Disc set of Mendelssohn's Complete Chamber Music.
Good performance and sound


----------



## Crudblud

Adolphus Hailstork - Symphonies 2 & 3 (Lockington)

How's that for a name?


----------



## Crudblud

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 (Bernstein)
Tippett - Symphony No. 4 (Solti)


----------



## chopianist

At the moment, I find myself increasingly obsessed and enchanted with anything by Ravel, Jeux d'Eau and Gaspard de la Nuit in particular. I'm writing a paper for school on the latter and have probably listened to it in its entirety five times a day for the past two weeks. It's stunning.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have been really enjoying the symphonies of Nino Rota. He's probably most famous for his film scores, which include Romeo and Juliet and also The Godfather among his credits but he also wrote three symphonies, a couple of piano concertos and some chamber music. A most prolific composer actually. I highly recommend his symphonies.

















Kevin


----------



## Lisztian

Eviticus said:


> Franz Liszt - Ballade No. 1 "Le chant du croise" S.170
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't believe i hadn't heard this before!
> 
> Thanks for the recommendation Lisztian.


You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. It is a lovely, neglected piece...especially when the main themes return near the end...simply magical. However, the second Ballade is a far superior piece which I put up with ANY of Chopin's. However if I thought you may not like the first Ballade, the second I have even stronger feelings about there  But still, you just might.


----------



## Crudblud

Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue / Cuban Overture / Catfish Row / An American in Paris (Levine)


----------



## Eviticus

Possibly my favourite operatic piece ever! And it was wrote just for a film (Hannibal).

For those that aren't necessarily are 'in to' Opera...


----------



## Manxfeeder

I was wondering what to listen to today, and Clavichorder mentioned *Glazunov's Piano Concerto No. 1* as a favorite 20th Century concerto. So here's to a nice morning in Tennessee with snow, coffee, and Glazunov.


----------



## poconoron

Supreme beauty:


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Symphony No.2


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 5*.

View attachment 3151


----------



## kv466

Mendelssohn - Violin concerto in e-minor, op.64
Michael Tilson Thomas and The San Francisco Symphony
Itzhak Perlman, violin


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.7


----------



## AndyS

Furtwangler - Die Walkure (RAI version)


----------



## clavichorder

science said:


> The violin concerto - so beautiful, poignant. And no one needs better sound than this.[/QUOTE]
> 
> I agree. I just discovered the Shostakovich violin concerto op 99. God that Scherzo is so exhilerating!


----------



## clavichorder

neoshredder said:


> Just listened to Vivaldi's L'estro Armonico by Trevor Pinnock in its entirety.


That's awesome! I love L'estro Armonico.


----------



## clavichorder

violadude said:


> I am currently sampling Alkan's Esquisse Op. 36 on youtube....wow...what a goofball. Some of them literally had me lol'ing.


Alkan is hilarious! The funniest 19th century composer by far...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I am really enjoying the rich old sound of Adolf Busch... here he is with Rudolph Serkin playing Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahm's sonatas.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Michael Starke Radio (artists similar to Michael Starke) on Last.fm.


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83
PIano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84 _*
Maggini Quartet with *Peter Donohoe on piano
(Naxos)

Very emotional and intimate chamber music here. Quite an angry and unsettled vibe in the _*String Quartet *_and a more whimsical undertow in the _*Piano Quintet*_, which starts off on a plainchant theme - which sounds like the famous _Dies Irae _one - that pops up throught the work, going from a Spanish vibe in the first movement to a kind of banal and rousing tune in the final movement, which may have come from the popular music halls of the time (both works premiered in 1919 at the Wigmore Hall in London to an audience response which was lukewarm at best)...


----------



## Vaneyes

Quality playing by many in this 3CD box.

View attachment 3156


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> Quality playing by many in this 3CD box.
> 
> View attachment 3156


Roussel's symphonic efforts rather bored me. How do the chamber works compare?


----------



## Conor71

*DeRore: Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem*


----------



## kv466

Schubert - 6 Moments Musicaux d780, op.94
Claudio Arrau, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Spiky, yet lyrical Modernism. As the AllMusic site states: _The title of this album has a double meaning; Henze wrote many of these works as gifts to, or in honor of friends, and Ensemble Recherche created the CD as an homage to the composer, whose chamber music is not especially well represented on discs. Eleven out of twelve of these works are recorded here for the first time, and many have never been published. (It says something about a composer's productivity when he has written over 70 chamber works, and chamber music is considered a very minor part of his output.)_

There's something quite stark about this music that seems perfectly suited to the weather: 15-degrees f. and 6+ inches of new-fallen snow.


----------



## ZombieBeethoven

I confessed an aversion to lieder in another thread. Perhaps this will help me get beyond that.


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Cello Concerto*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

from Amazon.com:

"His work has great beauty...The separate pieces amount to one big work of a lifetime, such as we so much want to write: unbegun, unended, unending. Whatever is missing has to be imagined. It's all there"

-Wolgang Rihm

The present recording followed on from Rosamunde's performances in their Munich concert series "From the Quartet Book". In a CD booklet note, Yoffe writes that the contribution of the Hilliard Ensemble, "whose versions of Machaut, Palestrina or Lassus have for years been my yardstick for the art of singing, surpassed everything I could have hoped for..."

"Song of Songs" was produced by Manfred Eicher in St Gerold in November 2009, just a few months after the Hilliard's recording of "Officium Novum". The monastery has also been the site of Rosamunde recordings including the Mansurian quartets, as well as many other ECM albums of both composed and improvised music.

Boris Yoffe is a Russian-born, Israeli composer. Yoffe graduated from its Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in 1989. The following year he emigrated to Israel, and began his studies at the Tel Aviv Music Academy in 1990. In 1997 he moved to Germany to study, initially, with Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe. Prodigiously prolific, Yoffe has been writing quartets almost daily since 1995, most of them around a page in length, lasting a little over a minute. By now his Book of Quartets is a compendium of several thousand pages. Critics have called the collected Book of Quartets a work without end... a composition as a diary... an unfolding poetic meditation. As his teacher Wolfgamng Rihm has admitted, the Book of Quartets is one of those epic creations of a lifetime: unbegun, unended, unending... a musical equivalent of Whitman's _Leaves of Grass_, Baudelaire's _Fleurs du Mal_... or perhaps the best analogy would be with Edmond Jabès' _The Book of Questions_. The pieces on this recording were selected, by the players and by the composer, from the approximately eight hundred he has written during the last three or four years. Among them are other single-page compositions from a related, interpenetrating project in which the quartet's four parts become eight with the addition of four singers, their voices matching the instruments in range as they sing phrases from the Song of Songs. The Psalms from which texts are employed in the current disc include:

I sought him but I found him not

My own vineyard I did not keep

I sleep, but my heart waketh

My head is filled with dew, my locks with drops of the night

My soul went forth when he spoke

The music is rather stark... minimalistic... yet unworldly. I would highly recommend this disc for anyone intrigued with Modern/Contemporary music and art song. The only equivalent I can think of is that of Othmar Schoek's songs set to a string quartet and a few contemporary songs I have come across on various discs. This is certainly one of those discoveries that I suspect I will be returning to again and again.

The performance, as should be expected of the first-ever collaborative effort of the Rosamunde Quartet and the Hilliard Ensemble is top notch.


----------



## opus55

Arnold: Symphony No.9


----------



## poconoron

Mozart, Beethoven back-to-back.............what could be better?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

poconoron said:


> Mozart, Beethoven back-to-back.............what could be better?
> 
> View attachment 3161


Hmmm.....Beethoven and Sibelius? :devil:


----------



## opus55

Arnold 9th sounded so boring that I regretted the purchase. Oh well, it's only my first listen and hopefully my opinion will change after subsequent hearing.

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream


----------



## violadude

opus55 said:


> Arnold 9th sounded so boring that I regretted the purchase. Oh well, it's only my first listen and hopefully my opinion will change after subsequent hearing.
> 
> Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream
> 
> View attachment 3162


Hopefully your experience with Arnold's 9th wont chase you away from his other symphonies. The others aren't as boring. But yes...I agree that the 9th is quite repetitive...


----------



## opus55

@violadude Even the included note mentions that the symphony's original commisioner BBC Manchester and his publisher were taken aback upon seeing the score. I guess I should've started with his earlier symphonies 

My wife just made fun of me playing wedding march.

Beethoven: Violin Concerto









Bax: Winter Legends
Brahms: Violin Concerto, Szeryng/Haitink/Concertgebouw


----------



## Conor71

*Josquin: Missa L'Homme Arme Super Voces Musicales*

As part of my new plan to listen to more Early Music I am listening to this excellent 2 Disc set from my small collection of works.
Now playing Disc 2 which features Missa based on the chanson L'Homme Arme. This is beautiful and relaxing music to listen to!


----------



## Sid James

Some minimalist music that I find good for relaxing and just enjoying the moment with, rather than focussing too much on "traditional" things like thematic development, etc. I esp. like Reich's busy & bright counterpoint with it's subtle changes & this hazy & also nuanced string sound of Glass' works, both have very distinct and unique musical voices...

*Steve Reich*
_Vermont Counterpoint_ (a)
_Eight Lines_ (b)
_New York Counterpoint_ (c)
_Four Organs_ (d)

*Philip Glass*
_Facades _(e)
_Company_ (e)

a. Ransom Wilson, clarinet
b. Solisti New York / Ransom Wilson, flutes, alto flutes, percussion
c. Alain Damiens, clarinet / Franck Rossi, sound projection
d. Michael Tilson Thomas, organs
e. London CO / Christopher Warren-Green

(EMI cd)


----------



## science

Well, that appears to be stuck there. Anyone know how to get rid of it?


----------



## violadude

I have put my Ipod on shuffle and am listening to whatever pops up there:

First was Weinberg's 8th string quartet
then Kakadu by Peter Sculthorpe
then Beethoven's 15 piano sonata "Pastoral" (movement 1)
Then Penderecki's violin sonata #2 (movement 3)
then Boring machine disturbs sleep by Mogwai (oops, thats not classical!)
then Prelude in D-flat by Shostakovich (from the 24 preludes and fugues)
then Bhakti for chamber ensemble and electronics by Jonathan Harvey (movement 9)
and now Martinu's 3rd string quartet (movement 3)


Shuffle is fun......


----------



## zdic




----------



## Manxfeeder

Following Conor71's lead, I've put on Josquin's *Missa Pange Lingua*.

De Labyrintho's recording isn't as rushed as the Tallis Scholars' and recorded with more resonance. It's strange that the track listings don't identify this as the Missa Pange Lingua, but that's what it is.


----------



## Polednice

Fortunately and unfortunately, Spotify has been a piece of crap, so I'm having to rethink my music library. The short story is that I subscribed to it for mobile access to any music I like, but the mobile application is a piece of ****. This may be good for me though, as my listening was a little lazy - because the catalogue is so big, I'd just pick anything, dump it into a playlist, and then listen to whatever. Now, I'm having to look at all the playlists I made, and listen to them properly to see which ones I might actually want to spend money on.

This is an expensive set (at least for a student), but I'm impressed:










Peter Takacs cycle of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas. Indeed, they have been done to death, and it feels like there's little point in diving into new recordings. I don't even listen to much Beethoven nowadays anyway, so why? Well, because Takacs is the _first_ man to give me the Waldstein I wanted. The second, lyrical theme in the first movement is taken at the same pace as the opening, rather than much slower as most pianists do in an attempt to draw out the sentimentality. Here, the lyricism isn't weakened because of the greater speed - in fact, it tugs at your heart even more (as I always knew it would!).

I was impressed with the playing throughout the rest of the piece as well - it's one of those recordings that, even if you don't like every second, makes you see a piece from a new angle. I'm particularly fond of the fact that he remains quite rhythmically and tempo-rally conservative, but has a degree of personal dynamic variation I haven't heard in others which is very appealing. I haven't listened to many of the others yet - just the Tempest and the Hunt, two of my other favourites, which are both stellar!


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Roussel's symphonic efforts rather bored me. How do the chamber works compare?


There are some Roussel symphonies recs that bore me, too.

Overall, I find Roussel to be an attractive extension of Debussy, Ravel, Faure, with distinct voice throughout. He's probably closer to Ravel in masterly treatment of winds and brass.

I'm a keen admirer of Roussel orchestral and chamber. Give the Eschenbach symphonic cycle a try, if you haven't. Re singles, Martinon (2), Bernstein (3), Verrot (4).

FYI Musicweb's review of the chamber music. I think you'll find them approachable, with new things to offer.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Aug07/Roussel_8413.htm


----------



## poconoron

A rare treat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Polednice said:


> Fortunately and unfortunately, Spotify has been a piece of crap, so I'm having to rethink my music library. The short story is that I subscribed to it for mobile access to any music I like, but the mobile application is a piece of ****. This may be good for me though, as my listening was a little lazy - because the catalogue is so big, I'd just pick anything, dump it into a playlist, and then listen to whatever. Now, I'm having to look at all the playlists I made, and listen to them properly to see which ones I might actually want to spend money on.
> 
> This is an expensive set (at least for a student), but I'm impressed:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Peter Takacs cycle of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas. Indeed, they have been done to death, and it feels like there's little point in diving into new recordings. I don't even listen to much Beethoven nowadays anyway, so why? Well, because Takacs is the _first_ man to give me the Waldstein I wanted. The second, lyrical theme in the first movement is taken at the same pace as the opening, rather than much slower as most pianists do in an attempt to draw out the sentimentality. Here, the lyricism isn't weakened because of the greater speed - in fact, it tugs at your heart even more (as I always knew it would!).
> 
> I was impressed with the playing throughout the rest of the piece as well - it's one of those recordings that, even if you don't like every second, makes you see a piece from a new angle. I'm particularly fond of the fact that he remains quite rhythmically and tempo-rally conservative, but has a degree of personal dynamic variation I haven't heard in others which is very appealing. I haven't listened to many of the others yet - just the Tempest and the Hunt, two of my other favourites, which are both stellar!


Living less than 30 minutes away from Oberlin College where Takács teaches I have heard a good many of these on the classical radio station here while in the car (about the only place I listen to the radio). The set certainly does sound quite good... from what I've heard. Of course when it comes down to it, a body of music this central to Western music history has been recorded endless times and their are any number of marvelous recordings... not many of which you could objectively prove is better than another. It all comes down to personal preferences. I like what I have heard by Gilels, Rubinstein, Brendel, Perahia, Solomon, and Kempff... and have so-so feelings about Barrenboim and Ashkenazy. As as student you can't go wrong spending your money on a set that will give you years of listening pleasure. Of all the regrets with regard to purchases I made, they have almost always been regretted purchases of a piece of music that had just caught my attention... a momentary novelty, if you will. I have no regrets concerning any of the purchases I made of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven , or Brahms.


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## StlukesguildOhio

poconoron said:


> A rare treat:
> 
> View attachment 3174


Not that "rare":

I quite love these interpretations myself:




























There are also recital discs by Elina Garanca, Magdalena Kozená, Cecelia Bartoli and any number of others performing selections from these lovely works. Mozart was simply a mastr of vocal music. His operas and opera arias and choral works are of another realm from all but his finest instrumental works: the piano concertos (the obvious exception), symphonies, clarinet quintet and concert, late string quartets, etc...


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## Crudblud

Takemitsu - Songs (Visse/Couturier)

Really weird, sounds like Takemitsu doing jazz club singer ballads. Made even more bizarre because the singer is a countertenor, it sounds like a man and a woman at the same time in a single voice. Pretty fantastic.


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## poconoron

StlukesguildOhio said:


> There are also recital discs by Elina Garanca, Magdalena Kozená, Cecelia Bartoli and any number of others performing selections from these lovely works. Mozart was simply a master of vocal music. His operas and opera arias and choral works are of another realm from all but his finest instrumental works: the piano concertos (the obvious exception), symphonies, clarinet quintet and concert, late string quartets, etc...


Agreed........... which do you consider the finest of the sets you presented?


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## Sid James

violadude said:


> ...then Kakadu by Peter Sculthorpe
> ...


One of my favourite works by him. He's the one that got me started with exploring Aussie music. Another one is the late Richard Meale. Sculthorpe said at a kind of pre-concert talk I attended once he gave that he's an optimist. But in _Kakadu_ I sense sadness at the loss of Aboriginal culture. The central section, with that traditional Aboriginal song from the Kakadu region, comes across to me as a kind of lament for a culture that was damaged a lot by white colonialism.

Another thing is that he and Meale were amongst the first Aussie composers to reach out and embrace our own Aboriginal culture as well as that of Asia and the Pacific, eg. our region. They rejected European cliches, but they were still influenced by composers of the old world of modern times, eg. they were both influenced by Messiaen (but didn't care for the three B's, all that stuff). With works like _Kakadu _though, in the 1980's, Sculthorpe did come back to embrace some aspects of tradition, but I wouldn't call him conservative (some people here still think his music is noise, but I doubt they would have heard his music from roughly the 1980's onwards, when he made this change). Anyway...


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## Sid James

A listen to highlights from* Beethoven's*_* Fidelio*_, conducted by Lorin Maazel, a classic account from early 1960's, on the Decca Eloquence label...


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## Eviticus

Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor - amongst my favourite quartets.


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## Vaneyes

A belated "Happy Birthday" listening of Firkusny, who would've been 100 on February 11.

View attachment 3177


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## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1*. The Nashville Symphony performed this last night, and a friend of mine was there, telling me all about it today. So I'm vicariously at the concert. Jonathan Bliss was the pianist, but today I'll have to settle with Emil Gilels .

And congrats to the Nashville Symphony's conductor for his Grammy award!


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## kv466

Mily Balakirev - Fantasy on Glinka's' A Life for the Tsar'
Earl Wild, piano


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## poconoron

Brahms, Dvorak dances


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## Cnote11

In classical today I listened to George Crumb's "Black Angels", Schonberg's "Pierrot Lumiere", and Stockhausen's "Stimmung", three of my favorite pieces that get spins quite frequently.


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## Chrythes

Myaskovsky - the 4th String Quartet. 
Traditionally, being Russian music, it's quite intense and dense at times, but has got plenty of room for beautiful themes and melodies. Enjoyable listening.


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## Conor71

I started a new job at work which is unsupervised so I had the opportunity to listen to a lot of Music today! - I was in the mood for String Quartets and listened to selections from the following sets throughout the day:
































Also listened to the first Disc from this excellent set:










It looks like I will be doing this job for a couple of months at least so I should be able to get a lot of listening done which will make the time pass quicker and will also be a lot of fun!
As I havent been buying as many recordings the last few months I am starting to get to know a lot of the box sets I have bought over the last few years pretty well - its a good feeling!


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## neoshredder

Nice job. Just heard Avner Dorman's Mandolin Concerto on youtube. Wiill listen to him more. Very interesting sound.


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## Polednice

Next up is a little bit of Albeniz. His piano music has been released in a number of volumes by Miguel Baselga, but I've been listening in particular to the _Suite Espanola_.










I'm a newcomer to Albeniz, so I don't know how Baselga compares to other pianists, but it's a good label, nice sound, and I did do a little fishing around beforehand and came to the conclusion that Baselga plays with the vivaciousness needed for these works. Of course, the piece is a collection of depictions of and reflections on the musical styles around Spain, featuring: Granada, Cataluna, Sevilla, Cadiz, Asturias, Aragon, Castilla and Cuba.

I'm not sure, but I imagine Asturias is the most famous movement, having been adapted for other instruments (as evidenced by guitar hotty Milos Karadaglic's recent DG recording of it). Baselga particularly excels at maintaining the perfect tempo for the relentless semi-quavers, constantly driving the piece forward without rushing - it has both melodic energy, and the kind of relaxed nature you expect of the Spanish! If you're a pianist, you might want to get the music too - it's great fun to play.

The other movements are all individually beautiful in their own right, and, as little digestible distillations of different kinds of music, I've found this suite easier to get into than _Iberia_, but still very rewarding. I think my favourite movement is Sevilla - those opening descending chords herald the most uplifting light-heartedness; you can almost feel the Spanish sun.


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## Sid James

*Gershwin* -_ Porgy & Bess _(arr. I. Jullien)
Ivan Jullien, trumpet solo, and directing his orchestra / Eddy Louiss, organ solo & co-leader
Recorded Paris, 1971
(Gitanes / Universal)

Quite a good arrangement, quite a bit of lyricism in this & funky, jazzy beats as well. Typical seventies stuff in many ways, some really great brass writing. Great organ and trumpet solos, they come together, as if they represent the characters of Porgy and Bess, in the quite melancholy last track, _Clara, don't you be downhearted_...


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## science

Listened to this today. Phenomenal. May become my favorite 20th century opera.


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## Vaneyes

Leipzig/Chailly Mahler 2.


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## opus55

Conor71 said:


> I started a new job at work which is unsupervised so I had the opportunity to listen to a lot of Music today! - I was in the mood for String Quartets and listened to selections from the following sets throughout the day:
> --snip--
> It looks like I will be doing this job for a couple of months at least so I should be able to get a lot of listening done which will make the time pass quicker and will also be a lot of fun!
> As I havent been buying as many recordings the last few months I am starting to get to know a lot of the box sets I have bought over the last few years pretty well - its a good feeling!


Congratulations on your new job. My job also allows me to listen to music which is like the greatest benefit I can ask for. I find certain period/genre easier to enjoy while working - classical period music like Beethoven and Mozart. It's usually difficult to enjoy music fully as I focus too much (?) on work.

I'm sick today so I'm currently listening without any distraction..

Gade: Octet in F major, Op.17


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## Vaneyes

Sampling the Doric/Chandos continuance of Korngold chamber. Piano Quintet and Sextet have been recorded before, ASV, Hyperion, etc. This instance is well-played and recorded, but I still don't hear anything to attract me to these works.

View attachment 3189


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## opus55

Mozart: String Quartet No.17, K.458 "Hunt"
Schubert: String Quartet No.14, D.810 "Death and Maiden"


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## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> And congrats to the Nashville Symphony's conductor for his Grammy award!


American composer Joseph Schwantner's 7th Grammy.

http://www.examiner.com/arts-in-nas...antner-recording?cid=PROD-redesign-right-next


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## starthrower

Villa-Lobos-Bachianas Brasileiras No.1


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## Vaneyes

Compulsory listening. The little band with a big heart.

LvB Eroica with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/Paavo Jarvi.






LvB Symphony 4 with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/Paavo Jarvi.






LvB Symphony 5 with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/Paavo Jarvi.


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## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> American composer Joseph Schwantner's 7th Grammy.


Wow, seven? That's quite an accomplishment. Of course, the Gugenheim Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize aren't chicken feed, either.

Anyhow, I'm listening to his tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., *New Morning for the World*.


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## opus55

Ravel: Concerto for the Left Hand
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra. Amazing sound quality for a 1955 recording


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## Conor71

opus55 said:


> Congratulations on your new job. My job also allows me to listen to music which is like the greatest benefit I can ask for. I find certain period/genre easier to enjoy while working - classical period music like Beethoven and Mozart. It's usually difficult to enjoy music fully as I focus too much (?) on work.
> 
> I'm sick today so I'm currently listening without any distraction..
> 
> Gade: Octet in F major, Op.17
> 
> View attachment 3188


Yes Classical Music really hits the spot when you are working I find - I enjoyed the Mozart the most yesterday!. Today I will try and include some Beethoven as well, probably some of his Chamber Music!


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## Conor71

*Cherubini: String Quartet No. 5 In F Major*

Now listening to Disc 3 of this 3 Disc set - I have played this music many times since recieving the set a couple of months ago as I like it so much!


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## opus55

Conor71 said:


> Yes Classical Music really hits the spot when you are working I find - I enjoyed the Mozart the most yesterday!. Today I will try and include some Beethoven as well, probably some of his Chamber Music!


Also work-friendly: Bach, Haydn, some Brahms. Yes, Beethoven quartets and symphonies increase productivity for me.
Not work-friendly: Shostakovich, Mahler, Prokofiev and other 20th century stuff

Listened to music all day long while sick at home..

Ruggles: Sun-treader
Franck: Symphonic Variations
Mozart: Violin Sonata No.9 in F Major, K.377


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## Eviticus

opus55 said:


> Mozart: String Quartet No.17, K.458 "Hunt"
> Schubert: String Quartet No.14, D.810 "Death and Maiden"
> 
> View attachment 3191
> View attachment 3192


May have to dig my Mozart Quartets out. Of the Haydn 6 - the first one "Spring" was always a favourite for it's contrapuntal finale.


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## Sid James

*Mozart*
_String Quartet #17, K.458 "Hunt"_
Chilingirian String Quartet
(Regis)

*Hovhaness*
_Symphony #2, Mysterious Mountain_
Seattle SO / Gerard Schwarz, cond.
(Delos, from Hovhaness Collection Vol. 2)

Like these works as they give me an optmistic boost. Esp. like the gorgeous slow movement of Mozart's _Hunt_ quartet, & also it's quite vigorous & joyful finale & the brilliant double fugue in Hovhaness' _Mysterious Mountain _symphony never fails to please (& amaze!) me...


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## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^
I've never listened to Hovhaness, but I read an interview and he seemed like a pretty cool guy. He didn't like to look to the past, and he was fed up with all the attention for And God Created the Whales. He said something like, "for chrissakes, I've got a lot of other music". LOL!!!


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## Sid James

starthrower said:


> ^^^^^^^^^^^
> I've never listened to Hovhaness, but I read an interview and he seemed like a pretty cool guy. He didn't like to look to the past, and he was fed up with all the attention for And God Created the Whales. He said something like, "for chrissakes, I've got a lot of other music". LOL!!!


Yes, a friend seeing a photo of Hovhaness in one of the cd notes said he did look pretty relaxed and calm. He does come across that way, if you mean "cool" that way.

He did value the past greatly, but he was not stuck in it or copying it literally. He was a great writer of fugues, a master of them. Also, the Romantic aspects of music of before, eg. the power of nature, are apparent with him too. He also incorporated some of the latest techniques of mid 20th century, eg. of John Cage (who was a friend and admirer of Hovhaness' music, he called it "inner singing"). Like Lutoslawski, Hovhaness incorporated the innovations of Cage into his music in a more controlled way.

Other influences were music of Armenia, which is where his father came from, and also South East Asia, eg. Japanese drumming is clearly present in his _Sym.#50 "Mount St. Helens"_ and Balinese gamelan in his _String Quartet #2_. He was a composer of many sides and aspects & I often like returning to listen to his music.

It's a sad thing that not many people here in Australia know his music, it has potential for wide appeal, I'd think...


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## Manxfeeder

*Mehul, Symphony No. 1*.


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## Jupiter

I was listening to this box set last night. Of all the thousands of cds I own, I believe the cds here have the best sound of any - clear, crisp, fantastic detail. Beautiful.


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## violadude

starthrower said:


> ^^^^^^^^^^^
> I've never listened to Hovhaness, but I read an interview and he seemed like a pretty cool guy. He didn't like to look to the past, and he was fed up with all the attention for And God Created the Whales. He said something like, "for chrissakes, I've got a lot of other music". LOL!!!


Sounds like Beethoven's reaction to Moonlight sonata.


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## StlukesguildOhio

poconoron said:


> Agreed........... which do you consider the finest of the sets you presented?


I wouldn't be able to choose. Each singer has such a different voice. I greatly enjoy all of them.


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## StlukesguildOhio

A magnificent performance of a marvelous body of music by a composer who really ought to be better known... or better appreciated. All too often it seems as if Gluck is simply the name of a historical personage recognized as instrumental in the transition of opera from Handel and the Baroque to Mozart. What is often ignored is that he achieved this as a result of some damn good music.











Any fan of Mozart... or Handel... or opera in general... should seriously explore the works of Gluck.

Currently I'm listening to another under-appreciated repertoire:










Strauss was one of the greatest song-writers of the 20th century... perhaps the last great master of the traditional German lieder. Unfortunately his efforts in this genre... with the exception of the famous _Last Four Songs_ are often forgotten... dwarfed by his more famous achievements in the realm of opera and orchestral music. These really should be heard more often:


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## clavichorder

I just bought the complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos of Alexander Tcherepnin played by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and I'm having a lot of fun with them!


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## starthrower

I've been listening to some pieces from this obscure 1980 album on YouTube.
Carl Ruggles-Buffalo Philharmonic/Tilson Thomas

Sun-Treader, Organum


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## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88. *The *7th *features the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th* is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to this:










This disc is comprised of a selection of lieder by Slovenian composers including Anton Lajovic, Alojzij Geržinic, Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, Josip Pavcic, Benjamin Ipavec, etc... Bernarda Fink has recorded many marvelous discs of Bach, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, etc... but I find this disc and an earlier collection of Argentinian lieder/songs...










... to be the most marvelous. On both of these discs, Bernarda performs with her brother, Marcos Fink. The siblings were born in Argentina of Slovenian parents and raised around singing and singers. The performances on both discs are top-notch... undoubtedly fueled by the singers' personal connection with a body of music that is deserving a greater recognition.

_*Slovenija!*_ presents a collection of lieder performed in the traditional manner of a single vocalist accompanied on piano Anthony Spiri). By alternating between Bernarda's mezzo-soprano and Marco's bass-baritone the recital avoids the possibility of becoming too repetitive. But then there's also a great variety to the songs as well. As part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire many of these lieder are rooted in the Austro-German lieder tradition of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, etc... with Slovenian folk music overtones. At the same time... many of the composers turn to the shimmering, Impressionistic elements of French melodies. Undoubtedly, this is due to the fact that many of the composers lived well into the 20th century when French culture and arts had become dominant... yet there is probably also an element of rejecting the dominant/ruling Austro-German culture. Whatever the inspiration, this disc is a marvelous collection of song and singing that can be enjoyed by any and all.


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## Sid James

A listen to *Mozart's* _Dissonance _quartet, the opening being dark and vague, & I love that boost he gives as it totally changes mood & becomes optimistic. In contrast, I do like *Duparc's* songs but listen to them comparatively rarely, these are quite dark & depressing. The usual themes of love found and lost...

*Mozart*
_String Quartet #19 in C Major, KV. 465, Dissonance_
Chilingirian String Quartet
(Regis label)

*Henri Duparc* - _7 songs_ (orchestrated by Ernest Chausson)
_Phidylé 
L'Invitation au voyage
La vie antérieure _(Baudelaire)
_Le Manoir de Rosemonde
Testament _(Silvestre) 
_Au pays où se fait la guerre _(Gautier) 
_Chanson triste _(Lahor) 
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano / Orchestre Symphonique de l'Opéra National, Bruxelles / Sir John Pritchard, cond.
(EMI)


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## StlukesguildOhio

I do like Duparc's songs but listen to them comparatively rarely, these are quite dark & depressing. The usual themes of love found and lost...

But they've got nothing in the "dark and depressing" category on Schubert's _Winterreise_.


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## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I do like Duparc's songs but listen to them comparatively rarely, these are quite dark & depressing. The usual themes of love found and lost...
> 
> But they've got nothing in the "dark and depressing" category on Schubert's _Winterreise_.


You're right. I do acknowledge that these works that plumb the depths are masterpieces, but I rarely listen to them. I am more for composers that give some light at the end of the tunnel. Or ambiguity, from which the listener can take it as he hears it - positive, negative, or in-between. But works that leave me in the depths - eg. Shostakovich's _Piano Trio #2_ which I have been listening to lately - I try to limit my listenings as they are so intense, they cut very deep, too deep for my liking.

But I do enjoy Duparc and it is a shame that he did not publish a great deal. However, along with Saint-Saens and Romain Bussine, he set up the Societe Nationale to promote French music, so his legacy goes beyond his small output...


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## science

#9


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## clavichorder

@ Sid James and Starthrower,

There must be some telepathy going on in this forum, because I am listening to Mysterious Mountain by Alan Hovhaness right now and I listened to Mount Saint Helens earlier today for the first time since hearing it live a year ago. 

I heard so many interesting things last year, and all I have to say for myself is that I was very stuck up and daft to be so critical that year, I could have really enjoyed myself.  The Hovhaness really ain't that bad! He's got some good formal skills and his unique mood is worth paying attention to.


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## Sid James

^^Yeah, Hovhaness is pretty good, the trick is not to do overkill with him. That Delos 2 disc set I posted above, which has both those symphonies, as well as other things in other genres - eg. two of his string quartets, one of his symphonies for wind orchestra, a few works for string orchestra, a tone poem (_Meditation on Orpheus_, interesting work), & _And God Created Great Whales _which has the taped whale song, one of them at normal speed, the other two at slower speeds (creating this wierd "counterpoint") - is a very good selection in itself...


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## clavichorder

Thomas Ades Violin Concerto at the moment. At this point, its the only 21st century piece in my library...


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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Niels Gade--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor, Op.47, *performed by the Stockholm Sinifonietta under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.. Beautiful andantino section: Neeme Järvi - Symphony No. 8 in B minor, Op. 47: III. Andantino.
Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.11, Op.144, *featuring Owain Arwel Hughes conducting the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.


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## Conor71

*Byrd: Mass For Four Voices*

This is one of the most beautiful Discs in my collection I think - the Oxford Camerata are superb here!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've been listening to my entire Arvo Pärt collection in the past few days.


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## violadude

clavichorder said:


> I just bought the complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos of Alexander Tcherepnin played by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and I'm having a lot of fun with them!


I want that one.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I am listening my one and only Michael Nyman CD.










Best British composer since Purcell. Adès and Britten come in equal third and Byrd fourth.


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## Kevin Pearson

clavichorder said:


> Thomas Ades Violin Concerto at the moment. At this point, its the only 21st century piece in my library...


I find listening to this piece kind of like watching a B horror film.. Interesting but not all that much fun. Even my cat complains. 

Kevin


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## Vaneyes

JSB Partitas with GG.

View attachment 3213


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## Vaneyes

Thanks to Sid for the nudge. :tiphat: I've said it before, and "I'll say it again," Hovhaness Symphony No. 50 (Mount St. Helens) is the greatest symphonic work since Shostakovich. 

View attachment 3214


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## Conor71

*Porter (Q): String Quartets*

Planning to listen to both Discs of this set again today at work followed by some early music :


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## kv466




----------



## Eviticus

kv466 said:


>


Oo how do you rate his oboe concerto?


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## kv466

I think it's excellent...one of my favorites since before high school and it still is wonderful to listen to...I've been hearing the Bach and Mozart winds a lot more lately so I thought I'd pull out some Vivaldi. I'm speaking strictly as a fan and I don't play the oboe but I love it.


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## Eviticus

kv466 said:


> I think it's excellent...one of my favorites since before high school and it still is wonderful to listen to...I've been hearing the Bach and Mozart winds a lot more lately so I thought I'd pull out some Vivaldi. I'm speaking strictly as a fan and I don't play the oboe but I love it.


The Oboe is my favourite wind instrument and its much thanks to Mozart (notably Oboe concerto and Gran Partita serenade) for this. Richard Strauss did a good oboe concerto too. I'll check out Vivaldi's


----------



## Sid James

A first listen to disc 1 of this newly acquired 2 cd set of music by electroacoustic composer *Tristram Cary*. He had a background in radio, television and film. His pieces come across to me as visual, environmental, atmospheric. One piece has a sci-fi theme, another an Irish one, another a portrait of a railway yard in the days of steam. There are also some purely abstract or "formal" pieces. My full review of this first cd of the set is HERE at Australian composers thread...


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## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 2. *


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36. *Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner leading the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.


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## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartets, Op. 54, Nos. 1 through 3.*


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## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still exploring Strauss' lieder which, with the exception of the justly famous Four Last Songs, are unjustly known far less than they deserve. Listening to these absolutely exquisite orchestral songs beautifully realized by Diana Damrau I seriously doubt that there has been a single song writer within the classical realm to rival Strauss since. These songs throb with a lush sensuality and a late Romantic gushing forth of emotion that cannot help but move all but the most hardened cynic.


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## Vaneyes

Happy Birthday to Renee Fleming.

View attachment 3222


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## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes- Happy Birthday to Renee Fleming.

Another reason to be listening to Richard Strauss. Fleming is certainly the unrivaled Strauss singer of our time.

**************

Returning to Strauss (did I ever leave?):










As an avowed Straussian... one who would place Strauss just behind Mozart and Wagner in his personal pantheon of opera composers, and who holds the composer as the greatest of the 20th century... someone who has at least 8 or 9 versions of _The Last Four Songs_ and more discs by the composer than by any other composer since Brahms... it is not common for me to come upon something by the composer... outside of a minor work... that I am unfamiliar with.

However I must admit that this disc represents an entire repertoire by Strauss of which I was fully unaware. The _Deutsche Motette_ Op.62 of 1913 is a terrifyingly complex twenty part setting of a Friedrich Rückert poem. Lasting nearly nineteen minutes of hugely taxing unaccompanied writing - spanning a full four octave compass. It is quite likely that one of the main reasons for its relative neglect is that only the very finest and bravest choruses can tackle it.

The two other longer works included here (clocking in at nearly 12 minutes each) are _Der Abend_ and _Hymne_. The two works make up the _Zwei Gesänge_ Op.34 of 1897. By date of composition they sit between _Also Sprach Zarathustra_ Op.30 and _Don Quixote_ Op.36. _Der Abend_ is to a text by Schiller and the narrative follows the sun-god Phoebus as his fiery chariot sinks into the sea and he abandons himself to the arms of Tethys the sea-goddess. This text gives Strauss, master of the orchestral tone poem, a wide range of opportunity for word-painting from the gently lapping sea, the radiance of the setting sun to the ultimate calm of night. _Hymne_ is another setting of a Friedrich Rückert poem... this one based upon the passage in _Genesis_ where Jacob laments the loss of his favourite son Joseph sold to the Ishmaelites. Enshrined in the poem is the message of hope: "Sorrow no more." Both of the _Zwei Gesänge_ are far less complex than the _Deutsche Motette_... but exceedingly beautiful.

The last work included, _Traumlicht_ Op.123 No.2. is another Rückert setting and reflects the wider problems Strauss was having at the time of its composition - 1935 - getting his opera _Die schweigsame Frau_ staged due to the perceived 'jewishness' of the librettist Stephan Zweig. There is a direct linkage between Strauss's current experience and the message of the poem - "let not the powers of darkness be victorious over the inner light".

Some critics have suggested that Accentus, a French choir, would do better in employing some deeper male voices ala German and Eastern European orchestras... and this criticism is not without merit. Accentus does not have a fully-filled out lower-register... still this is a matter of personal preference. Another criticism I have come across in reading up on this disc is that the text is not clear. Then again... I find this is not a major issue in a majority of choral music... especially when the music washes over you with such lush beauty.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vagn Holmboe--*Symphony No.12, Op.175 and Symphony No.13, Op.192, *both performed by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Owain Arwel hughes.


----------



## Conor71

Listened to the following recordings at work today: I've really been enjoying my Early Music the last few days and have taken steps to broaden my collection of works - theres something about Early Music which resonates strongly with me!. I listened to some String Quartets today too - the Quincy Porter set is growing on me and the Mozart set is a bit of a favourite and has recieved many plays!. Im finishing up todays listening with the Shostakovich preludes and fugues - these are really beautiful I think and are responsible for getting me into Piano Music in general


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti*: Piano Concerto










Wow!!! This is the best piano concerto I have ever heard in my entire life!!!


----------



## Art Rock

This is the sixth version I acquired of this masterpiece, still my favourite Mahler symphony, and my second favourite symphony of all time.


----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Symphony no.1 in c, op.21
Christopher Hogwood and The Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 2, W 100*

I think this is my favourite String Quartet cycle, even edging out Beethoven's. It does'nt hurt that the recorded sound and performances are just about perfect on this release! - I will listen to several Discs from it today I think


----------



## Vaneyes

Tipo, then Babayan Scarlatti.

View attachment 3224
View attachment 3225


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## Conor71

*Palestrina: Missa Asumpta Est Maria*

I bought this Disc a couple of years ago and it has recieved many plays without getting stale - beautiful music


----------



## ksargent

Nice sounding recording from the early 70's - fine performances and a bargain price!


----------



## science

Wow, I love this. I didn't go into it with low expectations or anything, but it blew me away.


----------



## Sid James

Art Rock said:


> ...This is the sixth version I acquired of this masterpiece, still my favourite Mahler symphony, and my second favourite symphony of all time.


The 4th is my favourite Mahler symphony as well. Atypical for him, it gives me a sense of optimism and naivete overall. But the slow movement did verge on bringing me to tears when I heard the whole work live last year. I also like how this is his most thematically tight symphony, the reason being that the concluding song was written some time before he started work on the whole symphony - so he had that theme in his head all along. It was a different way of writing a symphony for him, I think. Sometimes less typical works by a composer appeal to me more than his more typical or "key" works...


----------



## Sid James

A wrap up of the* French songs *disc and a return to my favourite pieces on disc 1 of the *Tristram Cary *set. Of the former, I reall enjoyed the* Ravel *- esp. the short middle song_ La flûte enchantée _- and of the latter, I like the visual, kind of filmic quality, of these pioneering electroacoustic works...

*From album: Kiri Te Kanawa - French songs and arias*
*Ravel *- _Shéhérazade_ 
*G. Charpentier* - _Louise: Depuis le jour (Act III)_ *
*Debussy* - _L' Enfant prodigue: Récit et Air de Lia: L'année en vain cahsse l'année ... Azaël! Azaël!_ *
*Berlioz* - _La Damnation de Faust Op. 24: D'amour l'ardente flamme _ *
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
Orchestre Symphonique de l'Opéra National, Bruxelles / Sir John Pritchard 
* Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Jeffrey Tate
(EMI)

*From album: Tristram Cary - Soundings, electroacoustic works 1955-1996*
(from disc 1, analogue works, 1955-1978)
_Continuum
Suite - Leviathan '99
Suite - The Children of Lir
Narcissus
Steam Music_
(Tall Poppies label)
My review of this disc at Australian composers thread HERE


----------



## Sid James

& also two favourites, amazing playing here of the London players under a young Maestro Abbado. The string, woodwind, brass, percussion - basically the whole orchestra - is so flexible to the demands of Prokofiev's music. I'd not listened to this for ages, almost forgot how great it was. If anyone knows of this being issued on cd, please let me know, much appreciated...

*Prokofiev*
_Sym.#1 in D, Op. 25 "Classical" _(1917)
_Sym.#3 in C minor, Op. 44_ (1928)
London SO / Claudio Abbado
(Award tape)


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## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Gaudeamus*, De Labyrintho.

This is a young Italian ensemble, interpreting this mass with sensitivity and a sense of drama with two to a part, which makes the parts not only easy to follow but a pleasure to hear.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


> *Palestrina: Missa Asumpta Est Maria*
> 
> I bought this Disc a couple of years ago and it has recieved many plays without getting stale - beautiful music


Damn!! The Tallis Scholars are performing tonight at Oberlin College... a mere 30-minute drive from here. Unfortunately the wife needed the car this evening and won't be back in time. I'm so fried from work, anyhow, that I'd probably fall asleep half way through the Carlo Gesualdo's _Tenebrae Responsories_. Accckkk!!! Gesualdo!!! Perhaps my favorite Renaissance composer! I can't believe I missed this one!!!


----------



## Vaneyes

From what I hear on this new Honegger arrival, I wish Lausanne CO & Lopez-Cobos (1990) had completed the cycle. To anyone looking to supplement their Honegger, look no further. I use the word "perfect" sparingly, and this is. Producer: Steve Barnett; Balance Engineer: Mike Hatch.

View attachment 3233


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## Dowd

I like the Grumiaux/Crossley versions a bit better but I do enjoy the warmth of this playing, even if the balance favors the violin.

Arthur Grumiaux/Robert Veyron Lacroix
Schubert
Sonatinas & Duo for Violin and Piano


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## StlukesguildOhio

Well... I missed out on the Tallis Scholars... but the evening is not a lost cause. The wife had bought some marvelous T-bone steaks for Valentine's Day not knowing I had already planned on taking her out to a restaurant for the evening... so we cooked these up tonight... on the barbecue grill... even though its still snowing out. WE had these with baked yams, a salad, some incredible chocolate-covered strawberries from our local chocolatier, Malley's, and a slew of great beers: Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, Young's Double Chocolate Stout (went perfect with the chocolate strawberries), a banana bread beer (sounds weird... but tastes great) and a Chimay Ale. We're now quaffing these to the sounds of the real American "classics":



















That Brubeck cover is a "classic" in its own rite!


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.7


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies feature the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Damn!! The Tallis Scholars are performing tonight at Oberlin College... a mere 30-minute drive from here. Unfortunately the wife needed the car this evening and won't be back in time. I'm so fried from work, anyhow, that I'd probably fall asleep half way through the Carlo Gesualdo's _Tenebrae Responsories_. Accckkk!!! Gesualdo!!! Perhaps my favorite Renaissance composer! I can't believe I missed this one!!!


Wow that would have been an awesome concert - I love the Tallis Scholars!. Sorry you missed out on it though it sounds like you had a pretty fine night in!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I am listening my one and only Michael Nyman CD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best British composer since Purcell. Adès and Britten come in equal third and Byrd fourth.


This one again. Fantastic stuff here.


----------



## science




----------



## NightHawk

Despite ComposerOAGMusic  placing Byrd's music 4th on the list of Brit composers, I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the complete Catholic and Anglican choral music of Byrd by The Tallis Singers. 

In the meantime I have been comparing Alfred Brendel's Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle with Claude Frank's cycle - Frank has come in first easily so far but I'm not up to the last 5 sonatas. I think Brendel plays 'importantly' and Frank plays naturally. The Sonata #25 in G, is a stunning small sonata in Frank's hands - Brendel makes it lugubrious and uninteresting.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Having bought Gardiner's massive Bach cantata and sacred works set a while ago, I'm currently working my through the entire thing. So far, the only thing I dislike about it is that it doesn't include BWV 131, which is one of my absolute favorite Bach cantatas (for that one, I love Harnoncourt's recording).















And I'm also becoming more and more interested in the 'slow' interpretations of some of Bach's works. Specifically, the ultra slow Klemperer recording of the St. Matthew Passion, which is really starting to grow on me now that I'm finally paying attention to it. It is much more contemplative and religious, to such an extent that it fully brings out the majestic and devotional quality of the work. I'm in love with it.


----------



## Conor71

*Hildegard Of Bingen: Sacred Music*


----------



## poconoron

Haydn London Symphonies:


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Damn!! The Tallis Scholars are performing tonight at Oberlin College... a mere 30-minute drive from here.


That happened to me last year. They came to Nashville, but, go figure, that night my trial went late and I had to sit at the courthouse until 8:30 waiting for the jury to come to a verdict. But I had a friend who went and told me in great detail what all I missed. I'm not sure if that helped or hurt.

Anyway, I had a frustrating day today, but it could have been worse if I hadn't started it with Furtwangler's spiritual take on Beethoven's 9th from 1937.


----------



## AndyS

Das Lied von der Erde - Klemperer. Listening to this again. Wonderful singing by both leads, a shame Wunderlichs life was cut so short


----------



## Sid James

*Cezary Skubiszewski *(born 1949)
_Black and White - film score _(2002)
Victorian PO / Daryl McKenzie, cond. / with chamber group comprising flutes, bass clarinet, marimba, orchestral percussion, didgeridoo, double bass, guitars, harp, oboe, autoharp, electronic percussion, the composer on piano / taped elements (eg. Aboriginal chant)
(ABC CLassics)

A first couple of listens to this soundtrack by an Australian composer. The story is a courtroom drama about an Aboriginal man called Max Stuart, wrongfully convicted of murder, back in 1959. A score which combines many things, I esp. liked the chamber-like feel of most of the tracks, with solos showing skilfull writing for many instruments. Also, interesting use of percussion - both "real" and electronic - and also aspects of Abroginal music with the didgeridoo and also chant/song. All up, I thought this was great.

My review HERE at Australian composers thread.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Sonata No.1










I love the Finale. Fantasy in C next.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


> *Hildegard Of Bingen: Sacred Music*


That was one of my first recordings of "Early Music"... and it remains a favorite today.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm giving a third listen to this marvelous cycle of Berg's songs by Jessye Norman before the disc goes into the racks. Again I cannot help but feel that Berg's meeting with Schoenberg was something of a tragedy when I consider what might have been had Berg not jumped upon the atonal bandwagon. These songs are absolutely exquisite.


----------



## kv466

Schumann - Etudes Syphoniques, op.13
Earl Wild, piano


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...Again I cannot help but feel that Berg's meeting with Schoenberg was something of a tragedy when I consider what might have been had Berg not jumped upon the atonal bandwagon...


Well, Berg went to Schoenberg to learn the latest techniques then, and he got what he paid for. I don't think it's a tragedy. Berg was certainly not a carbon copy of Schoenberg, none of his pupils were. Schoenberg was a pretty flexible, non-dogmatic & supportive teacher as far as I can tell. Eg. he praised many of Berg's works, from the _String Quartet Op. 3_ to _Wozzeck_ and beyond.

I have not heard, or don't remember hearing, Berg's juvenelia, so I can't comment on those works. All I can say is that_ Wozzeck_ was the first "atonal" work I heard in my teens, and from the first moment on, it was like a new beginning for me, opening up that repertoire and beyond. I don't feel any deficiency or any "shame" in those works, if that's what you mean by it being tragic he went into atonality.

In any case, we have Zemlinsky as an example of someone who knew Schoenberg's innovations, actually taught Schoenberg for a while, revolved around the same circles. Zemlinsky is closest to what Berg may have been without direct teaching from Schoenberg. Zemlinsky did some amazing things without going totally "out there" as the 20th century Viennese school. It actually took me longer to warm to him than Berg, but now I like them both equally...


----------



## jalex

*Berg: String Quartet; Lyric Suite
*









I must say that I agree with Sid. Berg seems to have done just fine without tonality.


----------



## Sid James

jalex said:


> *Berg: String Quartet..
> 
> I must say that I agree with Sid. Berg seems to have done just fine without tonality.*


*

I think he's special because he absorbed the new techniques but made them entirely his own.

It's interesting, I was at a performance of that very string quartet a while ago, & a woman in the audience behind me said to her friend after it was finished "that was not tonal, but so romantic & emotional." It may well have been the first time she had heard that work. In any case, I think that the best composers using these techniques have potential to reach out and connect with our emotions very directly, no matter what our level of experience with "atonal" or other types of less traditional musics...*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> I think he's special because he absorbed the new techniques but made them entirely his own.
> 
> It's interesting, I was at a performance of that very string quartet a while ago, & a woman in the audience behind me said to her friend after it was finished "that was not tonal, but so romantic & emotional." It may well have been the first time she had heard that work. In any case, I think that the best composers using these techniques have potential to reach out and connect with our emotions very directly, no matter what our level of experience with "atonal" or other types of less traditional musics...


The composers of the Second Viennese School probably would have thought of themselves as being extreme modernists when they were writing atonal music. But when we look back and analyse their music now, it seems that they were a continuation of the romantic era that decided to fight against tonality. To me it seems that really the only never seen before aspect of their music was the atonality, klangfarbenmelodie and sprechstimme (and probably also slightly more complicated rhythms). When I listen to the msuic carefully I can pick up a continuation of romanticism and can sometimes imagine that this is what Chopin for example might sound like if he went atonal.

So because of that I wouldn't be surprised if someone who had never heard (for example) Berg's Lyric Suite could really connect with the piece in the same way they can connect to music by Chopin who's much can also be very emotional.


----------



## Sid James

^^I agree with the gist of what you're saying. They all knew traditions and techniques of the past. They were all firmly grounded in things going back to the Baroque. & also up with many things of their time, including light and popular musics (eg. waltzes & cabaret, etc.). Like the composers who I enjoy the most, they were of their time yet were informed by their knowledge of the past. Schoenberg's famous quote of "I am a conservative who was forced to be radical" speaks to this fact. 

The pushing of tonality had happened for ages, I mean listen to GEsualdo for one, but also late Beethoven and Liszt or Berlioz & of course Wagner. There were other composers going towards or making their own breakthroughs into "atonality" around Schoenberg's time. Yet Schoenberg is the fall guy for whatever reason.

In his final years, Schoenberg received some award in the USA, and in his acceptance speech, did not shy away from expressing his resignation & probably bitterness as well, at the various critics who pulled him down, and seemed to enjoy doing so, right throughout his career (for whatever reason). He said, I think if I remember, that he was like some guy thrown into a big pot of boiling water, he had to fight for what he thought to be the right way for him, for his right to express himself the way he wanted, etc.

It all boils down to ideology and dogma, also politics and various agendas clouding people's appreciation of the music at hand...


----------



## Conor71

Listened to the following stuff at work today:








































The Harpsichord music was especially good to work to as the instrument itself is particularly colourful and industrious to me! I regretted not being able to give the Josquin and Byrd Discs a bit more attention as I was quite busy at the time - I think I will re-listen to them I am home as they are especially beautiful


----------



## tdc

Conor71 said:


> *Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 2, W 100*
> 
> I think this is my favourite String Quartet cycle, even edging out Beethoven's. It does'nt hurt that the recorded sound and performances are just about perfect on this release! - I will listen to several Discs from it today I think


Great suggestion! Just checked out the 5th and 9th SQ and am really loving these so far, looking forward to checking out the rest of these works...


----------



## danechang

1937 does record clear


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## Conor71

tdc said:


> Great suggestion! Just checked out the 5th and 9th SQ and am really loving these so far, looking forward to checking out the rest of these works...


Yes, the Villa-Lobos Quartets are really wonderful I think  - glad you decided to check them out and are enjoying them!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I am listening my one and only Michael Nyman CD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best British composer since Purcell. Adès and Britten come in equal third and Byrd fourth.


Have to agree that this is some great music. Love the piano concerto. So full of emotion and texture. It's just wonderful!

Kevin


----------



## clavichorder

E.J. Moeran, Violin Concerto.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 5*.


----------



## Vaneyes

Giuseppe Tartini (1692 - 1770)

View attachment 3269


----------



## Cnote11

Gérard Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques


----------



## poconoron

Bernstein conducting (not my favorite Mozart conductor), but nice spirited performances.


----------



## Conor71

*Josquin: Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi*


----------



## Cnote11

Krzysztof Penderecki


----------



## Manxfeeder

Cnote11 said:


> Gérard Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques


I've been listening to Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, but I'm interrupting it to hear this one. I'm not as familiar with Grisey as I should be.


----------



## Dowd

Love, love, love this one. Coupled with the Wallfisch/Raglan Baroque Players recording on Helios, it makes a great afternoon of violin concertos.



Vaneyes said:


> Giuseppe Tartini (1692 - 1770)
> 
> View attachment 3269


----------



## AndyS

Been watching a performance of Mahler's 10th and Das Lied von der Erde conducted by Abbado and featuring jonas Kaufmann and Anne Sofie von Otter as the vocalists - very very good but they're not Wunderlich and Ludwig. Still, very nice to see it live. Kaufmann is especially great, his voice is HUGE

After its finished I've got a heap of stuff waiting to be listened to but I reckon I might have a go of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique conducted by Sir Colin Davis which I just received today


----------



## Vaneyes

For Corelli's birthday...

View attachment 3274


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Gérard Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques


Ah yes, spectralism!  I can't remember the last time I listened to _those_ wacky French compsers!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vaneyes said:


> For Corelli's birthday...
> 
> View attachment 3274


Corelli: Master of the concerto grosso, but the most astounding composer of all time when it comes to suspensions!


----------



## clavichorder

Janacek's Sinfonietta. What a masterpiece. I've been digging colorful orchestrations and quirky musical expressions and this is just the kind of thing that fits the bill.


----------



## clavichorder

Symphonie Litugique by Honegger again-Mariss Jansons, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra: another 20th century orchestral masterpiece of near Janacek Sinfonietta stature, in my opinion. All the movements are wonderful. The finale's theme gets stuck in my head!


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 In F Major, Op. 59/1, "Rasumovsky No. 1"*


----------



## Sid James

Revisiting more Australian music - the Aussie composers really stand out on the bushfires virtual concert disc. Love the Aboriginal rhythms in the *Joseph Twist *piece, the optimism in face of adversity in the *Peter Sculthorpe *piece, and the way nature is imaged in the *Timothy Constable *percussion piece. Have also been enjoying the objectivity of *Tristram Cary's *electroacoustic music, in terms of me the listener being the in the driver's seat, I can use my imagination freely when listening to this music, it is very visual and filmic...

_Rain Dream_ by* Joseph Twist *(with Sydney Children's Choir)
_Anthem for Australia_ by *Peter Sculthorpe *(with Sydney Brass Band)
_Waves 09_ by *Timothy Constable *(played by Synergy Percussion)

From album: _Our Land in Harmony - for Victorian Bushfire Relief _(2009), 2 cd set on ABC Classics
Earlier review HERE.

*Tristram Cary* (1925-2008)
_Continuum
Suite - Leviathan '99
Suite - The children of Lir
Narcissus
Steam Music_
(Tall Poppies label, 2 cd set of Cary's music)
My review on Australian composers thread HERE.


----------



## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ah yes, spectralism!  I can't remember the last time I listened to _those_ wacky French compsers!


It really is such an interesting approach I feel. I love anything that makes its main concern exploring timbral structures. I need to explore spectralism farther than I have previously. It reminds me of Minimalism in a way, which I enjoy immensely. Although, I find myself listening to mainly Serialist compositions these days.


----------



## Manxfeeder

clavichorder said:


> Symphonie Litugique by Honegger again-Mariss Jansons, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra: another 20th century orchestral masterpiece of near Janacek Sinfonietta stature, in my opinion. All the movements are wonderful. The finale's theme gets stuck in my head!


I'm listening to the last movement. Melody sticking in my head . . . now.


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## clavichorder

Havergal Brian, Symphony #17; 
I liked the orchestration and conciseness, but no themes really jumped out at me.

Busoni, Turandot Suite
I very thoroughly enjoyed this piece, very colorful, light, and unique, and I enjoyed the themes as I heard them.

Myaskovsky Symphony 15

It was like a Russian Havergal Brian Symphony, a bit longer, cool orchestration, themes don't jump out so much, but I did enjoy the 2nd and 3rd movement very much overall. I actually got cut off in my listening at the finale, so I'll have to begin where I left off later.

Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto is really really catchy and moving.


----------



## Guest

clavichorder said:


> Janacek's Sinfonietta. What a masterpiece. I've been digging colorful orchestrations and quirky musical expressions and this is just the kind of thing that fits the bill.


Couldn't agree more; this piece made Janacek one of my favorite composers. I've been listening to Taras Bulba a lot lately, it also has some great orchestration.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Huilunsoittaja

This is absolutely lovely. New favorite composer, who's not Russian (woah!).


----------



## jalex

*Beethoven: String Quartets #1, 2, 3
*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Huilunsoittaja said:


> This is absolutely lovely. New favorite composer, who's not Russian (woah!).


I love Raff. I think he was one of the greatest composers to ever live and yet so little known.

Kevin


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## opus55

Mozart Violin Sonatas


----------



## AndyS

Aida by Solti, Price, Vickers et al

It's very 'Solti', although I like it... May go for the Karajan/Tebaldi one for another reading though


----------



## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> This is absolutely lovely. New favorite composer, who's not Russian (woah!).


Woah is right! Are you saying it's your new favorite non-Russian composer or your new favorite composer, and he's not Russian?


----------



## kv466




----------



## NightHawk

Still waiting for my William Byrd choral music, but got up to a gray, chilly morning and put this on the player:









This remarkable 2-disc album presents troped chants and polyphony (organa) of the 11th century and also a selection from the Office of the New Year at the cathedral Le Puy-en Levey ranging from 12th-16th centuries. The Ensemble Gilles Binchois, never better than here, uses separate (not separated) female and male choirs for various parts of the playlist giving a welcome contrast. The counter-tenors do not strike me, at all, as nasal...so another plus. Medieval French Polyphony was the most sophisticated music in Europe in its day and this album is strikingly beautiful.


----------



## clavichorder

Robert Starer, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra.

Its a piece that I found on this CD-http://www.allmusic.com/album/robert-starer-cello-concerto-richard-wernick-viola-concerto-richard-wilson-piano-concerto-w57422

And now, the Richard Wernick Violin Concerto on the same CD.


----------



## starthrower

Charles Ives-Symphony No.2 Bernstein/NY Pilharmonic


----------



## opus55

Janacek: Sinfonietta


----------



## AndyS

Regine Crespin's recording of Berlioz, Ravel, Debussy and Poulenc songs


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mendelsson, String Quartet No. 1, Quatuor Ysaye.


----------



## Sid James

*Sarasate *- _Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25_
Itzhak Perlman, vln. / Royal PO / Lawrence Foster, cond.
(from EMI cd, Itzhak Perlman - virtuoso violin)

*Lalo* -_ Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21_
Ruggiero Ricci, vln. / Bochumer SO / Matthias Kutzsch, cond.
(Pilz cd)

*Nigel Westlake *(b. 1958)
- _Kalabash_ (2004) with Synergy Percussion
- _Piano Sonata _(1997) with Michael Kieran Harvey, pno.
(from ABC Classics, Nigel Westlake - Hinchinbrook Riffs album)

*Holst *- _The Planets _(incl. _Pluto, The Renewer _- composed by Colin Matthews)
Royal Scottish NO / David Lloyd-Jones, cond.
(Naxos)


----------



## Cnote11

I really, really want to listen to Janacek. I love Dvorak and also folk implementation into classical. I'm going to give him a go very soon.

I was listening to this. I've never listened to an Opera in Spanish before. Hell, I don't listen to many Spanish composers period. That really needs to change.










I also picked this up and will be listening to it a lot surely.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Buxtehude's Organ Works played by Rainer Oster.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon in my studio painting. Under these circumstances I tend to listen mostly to old favorites that I am well acquainted with. Among these today:




























Now I'm listening to another old favorite:


----------



## Vaneyes

Eyes Wide Shut soundtrack featuring Dominic Harlan playing Ligeti Musica Ricercata II (Mesto, Rigido E Cerimoniale) and Liszt Nuages Gris.

View attachment 3299


----------



## Llyranor

This is my recent obsession:









I've briefly explored their Vivaldi discs, and they are amazing. I'm terribly impressed by the chamber concertos, and the Four Seasons are very exciting (I realized my previous versions were just by-the-book romantic interpretations, which may be why I never liked them _this _much before). I've just ordered some other Vivaldi CD's from them, hehehe (another set of chamber concertos, as well as the rest of Opus8).

Presently giving a listen to their Brandenburg Concerti. We shall see.

EDIT: Why do I have these thumbnails???


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Antonio Vivaldi: Gloria (1715)*
Vivaldi's choral work is very different from his concertos, and much more reminiscent of Bach's work in the genre. There are few wild and quick harmonic shifts here, and instead an abundance of counterpoint. The work starts off simply, the trumpets bouncing back and forth before the harmonies are filled in a heavenly moment (pardon the pun). The piece seldom reaches Bach or Mozart levels of drama, aiming to please rather than say anything too profound. Still, this is a wonderful work from an often abused composer, filled with entertaining tunes and engaging counterpoint.

*W.A. Mozart: String Quartet #15 in D Minor (1783)*
I'm just now filling in a neglected gap in the music of Mozart, one of my favorite composers. This quartet is the only mature one he wrote in a minor key, though the music rarely gets to dramatic. The octave drop in the first movement foreshadows Haydn's work in the same key, and after an unsettling first movement, the tone of the work gets decidedly lighter. The drama briefly heightens in the minuet, before resolving into a devilishly fun theme and variations. Mozart never fails to please.

*Robert Schumann: Theme and Variations on the Name "Abegg" (1830)*
Schumann's Op. 1 was written when he was just 20, around my age (and I'm a composer!), so this made for an interesting listening experience. The theme is pleasant and lovely, and continues this way throughout, getting lovelier and lusher as the bars go by. Nothing really profound or inspiring is said here, but instead takes the listener on a charming excursion.

*Bedrich Smetana: Richard III (1858)*
_Richard III_ is a continuation of my exploration of Smetana's Tone Poems (of which I have a CD). Besides _Ma Vlast_ this is probably my favorite yet. Memorable themes, and powerful orchestral moments abound, the work is clearly inspired by Wagner, though I was more reminded of Tchaikovsky, who would not enter the music scene for another decade. Overall an engaging little work that packs a punch.

*Sergei Prokofiev: Toccata in D Minor (1916)*
This is another early piano work, and it's easy to tell who was more rebellious in youth. The toccata sizzles and sparks in a devilish melody with tritone undercurrents. It lasts 4 minutes, but it feels more like 2, the way it engages the listener. It starts unassuming, climaxes, and ends just as it began.

*George Crumb: Black Angels (1970)*
My first exposure to Crumb, I had heard of this piece before, but it hadn't been venerated to the extent that I had unreasonably high expectations. Either way, I needn't have worried. This is hands down one of my favorite pieces, and one of the most moving and transcendent works I've yet encountered. The work is avant-garde, contains an inordinate amount of extended technique, and is mostly atonal, but from the very first listen it grabbed me and held my attention. I don't think anything so ugly has ever been so accessible. The piece begins in terror, coming in waves, before requiring the members of the string quartet to vocalize some parts. From there it turns into an array of sounds, disrupted by the occasional crash and bang. The second movement begins quoting the slow movement of Schubert's _String Quartet #14_, but is played more off the bow and in a much eerier manner. Terror and agony ensue, and at the climax everything suddenly stops, the most beautiful moment ensuing. A modal tune that sounds ancient and Celtic to my ears plays, as the violin buzzes overhead. Reflection follows, with warm but distant harmonies playing, before we're reminded of the terror we've momentarily run from. The work ends trailing off in the distance. Apparently this was written in response to the Vietnam War, though I think any tragedy would fit the bill. Much like _Adagio for Strings_ this is a work for all occasions, detached from the composer and rooted in shared human culture. A masterpiece that I couldn't recommend enough.


----------



## brianwalker

*The Kleiber hype is right. *

I got the recording to jeer at it, having listened to 6 different versions of the Brahms 2 and finding it unsatisfactory.

Kleiber swept me away.

I haven't found anything this perfect since hearing Knappertsbusch's Lebh Wohl.

That is all.

Why didn't Kleiber record a Ring cycle? Sigh.

Get it folks. I guarantee that it will be the best Brahms 2 you've ever heard.


----------



## Cnote11

I wish I could like Clementines post a million time over for heaping so much praise on Black Angels. It really is a fantastic piece.


----------



## AlexD

Beethoven's 9th Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique (1992)


----------



## Dowd

I dusted this one off again. Sonatas are my favorite form but I've just not been able to get into the set by Delius... but every so often I give 'em a spin and see if anything's changed.

Soloists of the LSO
Delius
Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3


----------



## starthrower

Disc One: Melodien, Chamber Concerto, Piano Concerto, Mysteries Of The Macabre


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Fantasy in C major, Op.posth. 159, D.934










Sun feels so nice that I opened the window little bit to get some fresh air into my room.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This BIS version of Sibelius: Piano Quintets and Melodramas is really quite wonderful and well worth a listen. I really love Sibelius' Piano Quintet, for 2 violins, viola, cello & piano in G minor, JS 159. This version is well performed and exciting to listen to. I especially love the fourth movement.









Kevin


----------



## Chrythes

Kevin Pearson said:


> This BIS version of Sibelius: Piano Quintets and Melodramas is really quite wonderful and well worth a listen. I really love Sibelius' Piano Quintet, for 2 violins, viola, cello & piano in G minor, JS 159. This version is well performed and exciting to listen to. I especially love the fourth movement.
> 
> View attachment 3309
> 
> 
> Kevin


Came here to post the same album 
The Piano Quintet is indeed a very nice work.


----------



## jalex

brianwalker said:


> Get it folks. I guarantee that it will be the best Brahms 2 you've ever heard.


Better than Klemperer?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Chrythes said:


> Came here to post the same album
> The Piano Quintet is indeed a very nice work.


How interesting!

This has been a fine afternoon for listening to music and my wife even stayed and sat through most of it. After the Sibelius I played her Adolf Lindblad's symphonies 1 &2.









Next we moved on to some more modern music with Michael Nyman's piano concerto:









Followed by Alfredo Casella's first symphony. A simply wonderful piece! It's like listeing to opera without the singing. Just gorgeous and lush melodies abounding!









Then we finished with what is probably one of the most beautiful albums of piano music anyone could ever own ... Fanny Mendelssohn: Piano Music! Wonderfully and masterfully played by Beatrice Rauchs.









A fine afternoon indeed! 

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Harmoniemesse*.


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev*

_Piano Concerto #5 in G major, Op. 55 *
Sonata for piano #8 in B flat major
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: #3, #6, #9_
- Sviatoslav Richter, piano / *Warsaw National PO / Witold Rowicki
(DGG)

_Symphony #2 in D minor, Op. 40_
- London SO / Valery Gergiev
(Philips)

A listen to these after a long while.

I love the _*Piano Concerto #5*_, it's such a visual work, very quirky and whimsical. The pivotal _Toccata_, though short, sounds near to unplayable. The _*Sonata #8*_ has many interesting moments, I take the first movement according to my mood, it can be kind of relaxing, almost pastoral, or kind of dark, or near to being that. The finale is helter skelter, incorporating a Soviet pioneer's song that speaks to irony and sarcasm, the composer having many troubles with the regime. The three encores are amazing to hear, such nimble playing.

The _*Symphony #2*_ is also interesting, some kind of mechanical repetitive vibes mixed with Prokofiev's luscious lyricism, I esp. loved a recurring oboe solo in the second (and final) movement...


----------



## Sid James

*Holst*
_The Mystic Trumpeter, Op. 18 - scena for soprano & orch., words: Walt Whitman _(ed. Colin Matthews & Imogen Holst)
Claire Rutter, sop. / Royal Scottish NO / David-Lloyd Jones
(Naxos)

*Weber*
_Konzertstuck in F minor, J282 (Op. 79)_
Nikolai Demidenko, pno. / Scottish CO / Charles Mackerras
(Hyperion)

A return to these as well.

The* Holst *is much like Wagner, but more optimistic at the end. The trumpeter of the title alludes to that invisible force that guides our lives, whatever it is, whatever we think it is. This work may well be more of historical interest, in terms of hearing Holst's development, than purely musical, but I think it's a good work.

I was amazed by the fireworks of the pianist in the *Weber*, esp. towards the end, these massive runs up and down the keyboard. This is the definition of a virtuoso work. Amazing stuff to hear for sure. I love Weber's music to the max...


----------



## starthrower

Conlon Nancarrow- String Quartet No.3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another day spent in the studio with a selection of old favorites:


----------



## clavichorder

Schnittke Symphony 3. Why am I hearing all these themes that sound like they could be classical and romantic? They aren't written by Schnittke are they? Also, I don't understand how composers initials are used.

But its an interesting experience.


----------



## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Schnittke liked to quote classical themes in his pieces. Sometimes it's pretty hilarious the way he quotes a familiar romantic theme accompanied by crashing dissonance. Try the concerto for piano and strings or the 1st symphony.
Concerto Grosso No.2 is another great one!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Variations


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No.1










Haven't heard Sibelius for more than a month..


----------



## violadude

clavichorder said:


> View attachment 3318
> 
> 
> Schnittke Symphony 3. Why am I hearing all these themes that sound like they could be classical and romantic? They aren't written by Schnittke are they? Also, I don't understand how composers initials are used.
> 
> But its an interesting experience.


:clap: congratulations on hearing Schnittke and finding it interesting! That is indeed the first step.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}. *Both are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both symphonies feature Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## clavichorder

Hummel Piano Concerto in A minor. Its a very nice romantic transition piece, and I love the piano virtuosity. Makes the heart dance with its gentle yet memorable themes and piano riffs.


----------



## robert

Lutoslawski

Symphony 3 4 

Salonen

great stuff. At the moment I favor 4. But 3 is right behind....


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, *both featuring the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Guest

Been on a big Janacek kick lately. Discovered this little gem called Pohadka, for cello and piano.


----------



## violadude

I have been listening to Ernst Toch's symphonies lately. Just got done with the 1st. The first movement has some very mysterious but not necessarily dark writing, contrasted by some quick writing that builds to a great climax. The 2nd movement is a quick movement that has a funny theme that is played very dryly with lots of weird counterpoint. It's quite amusing. The slow movement is similar to the first, lots of mysterious writing, with quick sections, this also builds to a good climax. Then the last movement is in a fast tempo, but is quite stately and grand. Lots of powerful writing. The ending builds up to a very dissonant tone cluster, and then suddenly switches humorously right to a major chord, and what follows is a hilariously overblown ending.


----------



## Crudblud

Enescu - Symphony No. 1 / Overture on Popular Romanian Themes / Study Symphony No. 4 (Andreescu)

A new composer to me, interested to see how this pans out.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Rimsky-Korsakov--*Sheherazade, Symphonic Suite for Orchestra, Op.35,* featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## poconoron

Two of my favorite Mozartians are in this set - Colin Davis conducting and Margaret Haebler on piano. Wonderful!


----------



## Taneyev

Max von Schilling's string quartet and quintet. Wiener quintet.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Janacek - Sinfonietta

Wiener Philharmoniker
Dunno Conductor

Sibelius - Symphony No. 1

Philharmonia Orchestra
Ashkenazy


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Violin Concerto










Working on filling big gaps in my collection. I'm listening to this concerto for the first time and it is superb!


----------



## Dowd

Vibrant playing, and I like the way they handle the many, varied transitions.

Augustin Dumay • Maria João Pires
Grieg
Violin Sonatas


----------



## Sid James

A return to some old favourites -

*Prokofiev*
_Violin Concerto #1 in D major, Op. 19
Love for Three Oranges: Suite, Op. 33a_ *
Boris Belkin, violin / London SO / Kiril Kondrashin / *Walter Weller
(Decca Eloquence)

I love the dreamy, head in clouds quality of this concerto, and the visual aspect of the suite, esp. the card game where the cards come to life and are dancing around and the famous wrong-note march.

*Walton*
_Cello Concerto _(1956)
Pieter Wispelwey, cello / Sydney SO / Jeffrey Tate - recorded live at Sydney Opera House in 2007
(Onyx label)

One of Walton's finest creations, the melody at the start is to die for, then this pivotal second movement which Walton called "explosive," and the final movement a set of variations, with many bits semi-improvised by the cellist.

*Prokofiev*
_Sym. #1 in D major, Op. 25 "Classical"_
London SO / Valery Gergiev
(Philips)

A warhorse but here treated with real gutso, esp. the final movement which has real vigour and bounce.

*Schoenberg*
_Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4_ (Transfigured Night, version for string orch.)
English CO / Daniel Barenboim
(EMI)

One of my favourite Schoenberg pieces so far, esp. in terms of it's poetic quality and those nuanced and delicate layerings of the strings...


----------



## Sid James

Also, the *Sarasate* works on this disc, played by a young *Itzhak Perlman* who was on fire here, in his twenties. Amazing virtuosity and colours, with a strong vocal element, these being arrangements of songs of one type or another. I love the emotion, passion and drama. These pieces are known and loved all over Europe...

*Sarasate*
(all items with Itzhak Perlman, violin)

_Carmen Fantasy, Op.25_
- with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Lawrence Foster

_Habanera Op. 21 No. 2 
Playera, Op.23 
Spanish Dance, Op. 26, No. 8 
Malaguena, Op.21 No 1 
Caprice basque, Op.24 
Romanza andaluza, Op.22
Zapateado, Op.23 _
- with Samuel Sanders, piano

_Zigeunerweisen, Op.20 (Gypsy Airs)_
- with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / André Previn


----------



## starthrower

Sid James said:


> A return to some old favourites -
> 
> *Schoenberg*
> _Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4_ (Transfigured Night, version for string orch.)
> English CO / Daniel Barenboim
> (EMI)
> 
> One of my favourite Schoenberg pieces so far, esp. in terms of it's poetic quality and those nuanced and delicate layerings of the strings...


I would like to hear that version. I have the Von Karajan orchestral version, and a sextet version on EMI, but I'm not crazy about either one. The Von Karajan is a little to thick and lush, and the sextet performance sounds uninspired and very sluggish.


----------



## Sid James

starthrower said:


> I would like to hear that version. I have the Von Karajan orchestral version, and a sextet version on EMI, but I'm not crazy about either one. The Von Karajan is a little to thick and lush, and the sextet performance sounds uninspired and very sluggish.


Barenboim's one is not what I'd call orthodox or conventional, but I think it's more modern approach than von Karajan's which I find as you say too thick and lacking nuance required for this work.

Barenboim's is good, but I really came to love this work through the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's recording of this on Deutsche Grammophon. It may be out of print now?

Another recording conducted by Pierre Boulez is on youtube, I have heard it a while back, and I remember it as being very good. HERE is the link to that.

BTW, I don't remember hearing the sextet version, can't really comment on that...


----------



## starthrower

Yeah, maybe a chamber orchestra arrangement is what I need to hear? I can't remember who is on the sextet version I have? I like everything else on the EMI set with the exception of that performance. I have a Sony Schoenberg/Boulez disc with the 5 pieces for orchestra, but I don't care for Boulez's smooth approach. I like the EMI version by Simon Rattle.

I'll check my library for the Orpheus DG recording, thanks!


----------



## Vaneyes

Piano Classics will be reissuing the late Joseph Villa Scriabin (2CD, 1986/89) in March. A must-buy.

In the meantime, I'm currently listening to Piano Sonata 7, courtesy of YT. Suggestion, if the volume is jacked to the top. Half-way is nicer.






View attachment 3334


Contents of the reissue:


 
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, Op. 23
Poème in F sharp major, Op. 32 No. 1
Piano Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, Op. 30
Feuillet d'album, Op. 45 No. 1
Piano Sonata No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 53
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 25 No. 3
Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 64 'White Mass'
8 Etudes, Op. 42
Ten Mazurkas, Op. 3
Two Pieces, Op. 57
2 Pieces for Piano, Op. 59
Albumblatt, Op. 58
2 Poems for Piano, Op. 63
Poèmes, Op. 69 Nos. 1 & 2
Deux poèmes Op. 71


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> Yeah, maybe a chamber orchestra arrangement is what I need to hear? I can't remember who is on the sextet version I have?


If you get a chance to hunt down the Hollywood Quartet's recording (augmented by two other players), that's the one that Schoenberg himself approved after hearing them play it in the non-air-conditioned heat of his Brentwood home, afterward offering them donuts and scotch.

Today, David Diamond's 3rd symphony and Beethoven's Mass in C.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ....BTW, I don't remember hearing the sextet version, can't really comment on that...


Sextet for Sid.


----------



## robert

Lutoslawski (Volume one)
Lacrimosa
Symphony No. 1
Concerto for Orchestra
Funeral Music

Lacrimosa Polish Radio National S.O. Lutoslawski
Symphony No. 1 Polish Radio National S.O. Krenz
Funeral Music National Philharmonic Orch. in Warsaw Rowicki


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Fantasy in C, dedicated to Franz Liszt in 1839


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Sonata in B minor, dedicated to Robert Schumann in 1853


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2*. I'm used to Karajan's version, but I like the lightness which Gardiner brings to this.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No.5


----------



## robert

He wrote many great symphonies and string quartets....I have them all.......



violadude said:


> View attachment 3323
> 
> 
> I have been listening to Ernst Toch's symphonies lately. Just got done with the 1st. The first movement has some very mysterious but not necessarily dark writing, contrasted by some quick writing that builds to a great climax. The 2nd movement is a quick movement that has a funny theme that is played very dryly with lots of weird counterpoint. It's quite amusing. The slow movement is similar to the first, lots of mysterious writing, with quick sections, this also builds to a good climax. Then the last movement is in a fast tempo, but is quite stately and grand. Lots of powerful writing. The ending builds up to a very dissonant tone cluster, and then suddenly switches humorously right to a major chord, and what follows is a hilariously overblown ending.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt. These are simply magnificent works, with all the drive and emotional range one could wish/hope for in any piece of music! I'm also really starting to like his *Symphony No.5. * If I may mix metaphors here, his works are "singing" to my soul {assuming I have one, of course}. :devil:


----------



## clavichorder

*John Field Piano Concerto no. 7 in C minor. *

Apparently this concerto inspired a diverse assortment of great composers, from Chopin, to Grieg to Rachmaninoff. What I get out of it is a tremendous fund of unpredictability, really interesting passage work, and a very light and uplifting mood. Really, all the Field concertos are like that, even this minor key one. You don't really know where your going but its always fun!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent a short afternoon in the studio painting and listening still yet again to some favorites:




























Disc 3: _Ordo Virtutum I_










Disc 4: Chopin: _Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 'Marche funèbre' etc..._


----------



## Sid James

From more relaxing territory, but by no means lightweight, with *Boccherini*; to an old favourite from *Brahms* through the lens of *Schoenberg*, a brilliant orchestraton some dubbed Brahms' "5th symphony;" & to finish, music that is definitely of the moment and never looks back,* Stockhausen's*_ Klavierstuck_, which I'm only rarely in the mood for, this time it was a rewarding listen...

*Boccherini*
_Quintet for strings in E major, G.275_
Danubius String Quartet with Gyorgy Eder, cello
(Naxos)

*Brahms orch. Schoenberg*
_Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_
City of Birmingham SO / Simon Rattle
(EMI)

*Stockhausen*
_Klavierstuck XI/1-4_ (1956)
David Tudor, piano
(EI/Cherry Red Records - from album:_ New Directions in Music_)


----------



## Crudblud

Bartók - The Miraculous Mandarin (Boulez)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I want to listen to some more of my Australian repertoire.


----------



## Oliver

Chopin - Concerto No. 1 in E minor


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I want to listen to some more of my Australian repertoire.


I have that CD. Love it! That piano concerto is so eerily beautiful.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> I have that CD. Love it! That piano concerto is so eerily beautiful.


_Memento Mori_ is my favourite on that recording.


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> _Memento Mori_ is my favourite on that recording.


Is that the one with the Dies Irae quote?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> Is that the one with the Dies Irae quote?


Yes it is.


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Yes it is.


Nice. I really like that one too.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I want to listen to some more of my Australian repertoire.


William Barton (Earth Cry) is an incredible didgeridoo player. Saw him perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra last Saturday. Played (and sung) a work he collaborated on with the composer Matthew Hindson called "Kalkadunga." William Barton himself is a descendant of the Kalkadunga people.


----------



## kv466

Menotti - Piano Concerto


----------



## NightHawk

A long time since I listened to this 'live' recording of the Mahler 9th from 1979 - it was Bernstein's only appearance with the Berlin Philharmonic and it is among the very best recordings of this great work. Bernstein's identification, not only with Mahler but this, his favorite Mahler symphony, and his spontaneity on the podium are palpable even on CD.


----------



## robert

Robert Simpson
Symphony No. 10
Handley

Allan Pettersson
Symphony No. 14
Comissiona


----------



## clavichorder

robert said:


> Robert Simpson
> Symphony No. 10
> Handley
> 
> Allan Pettersson
> Symphony No. 14
> Comissiona


You like a lot of composers that I'm just discovering!


----------



## kv466

Haydn: Sonata No.50 in D, Hob.XVI:37
Mozart: Variations on a theme by Gluck, kv455; Sonata No. 12 in F, kv332
Clementi: Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40, No. 3 
Buxtehude: Suite in D Minor, buxwv233


----------



## Vaneyes

Chopin PCs 1 & 2 with Argerich, Pogorelich, Abbado.

View attachment 3363
View attachment 3364


----------



## kv466

Reynaldo Hahn - Le Rossignol Eperdu - 53 poemes pour piano


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev*
_Violin Concerto #2 in G minor, Op. 63_
Boris Belkin, vln. / London PO / Rudolf Barshai
(Decca Eloquence)

*Debussy*
_Images for piano
Pagodes from Estampes
Reverie
La fille aux cheveux de lin*
Les collines d'anacapri_*
Dieter Goldman, piano
*Pavica Gvozdic, piano
(Onyx cd)

*Webern*
_Six pieces, Op. 6_ (1909, rev. 1928)
Ulster Orch. / Takuo Yuasa
(Naxos)


----------



## Sid James

& another listen to this great disc, my earlier comments on it HERE.

*Prokofiev*
_Piano Concerto #5 in G major, Op. 55 *
Sonata for piano #8 in B flat major
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: #3, #6, #9_
Sviatoslav Richter, piano / *Warsaw National PO / Witold Rowicki
(DGG)


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

If you are interested in more late Classical symphonies, try these by *Frederic Ernest Fesca* (1789-1826). He wrote only three symphonies, that I think are nearly as fine as late Haydn and early Beethoven. There are several reviews at Amazon that you can read, all pointing favourbaly to these forgotten gems.


----------



## kv466




----------



## robert

BERIO
Sinfonia
Eindrucke
New Swingle Singers
Orchestre National de France
Boulez


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zelenka, Missa Dei Patris*.

This is a mass in the galant style, sometimes even bubbly, closer to Vivaldi than Bach, broken into sections like Bach's Mass in B minor.


----------



## clavichorder

Allan Petterson: Symphony 10


----------



## violadude

clavichorder said:


> Allan Petterson: Symphony 10


How are you liking those?


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Symphony No. 9*.

This is a recording by Wilhelm Furtwangler from 1942. Shucks, I didn't know the piece could sound like that!


----------



## clavichorder

violadude said:


> How are you liking those?


10 is a mean sounding thing. But I like the continuity of it, the unbroken movements, and I'm starting to pick up on his ideas.


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Brahms: Six Piano Pieces, Op.118; Four Piano Pieces, Op.119


----------



## violadude

clavichorder said:


> 10 is a mean sounding thing. But I like the continuity of it, the unbroken movements, and *I'm starting to pick up on his ideas*.


It's pretty tough huh? With so many layers of stuff going on.


----------



## clavichorder

violadude said:


> It's pretty tough huh? With so many layers of stuff going on.


It is tough. But there is something compelling about him, he's never bland even on the surface. Consider me intrigued.

I've been really feeling a fondness for Martinu's Cello Concerto. So I'm listening to it now.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Chrythes

Debussy, the flute and the harp are quite the companions.


----------



## Conor71

*Porter (Q): String Quartet No. 3*

I pressed shuffle on my iPod which I don't normally do and this set came up first so I decided to listen to the entire first Disc!  This set is a recent aquisition and is easy to appreciate!


----------



## Conor71

*Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua*

The last couple of weeks I have been getting back into Early Music in a big way - I am currently awaiting 3 Box-sets and about 6 Discs of Early Music to build up my collection of works!. In the meantime I have a few old Discs which i have been re-listening to heavily. This double Disc of Masses by Josquin is a real treat!. Currently playing the first Disc which features the beautiful Missa Pange Lingua


----------



## Crudblud

Babbitt - Occasional Variations

Sounds like something I made on my old Yamaha keyboard once.

Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (Levine)
Ravel - La Valse (Martinon)
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloé Suites / Ma Mere l'oye / Valses nobles et sentimentales (Skrowaczewski)


----------



## kv466




----------



## AlexD

Mahler 9th Carlo Maria Giullini & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1977) but subesequently remastered.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*, Klaus Tennstedt.


----------



## kv466




----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4*, Inbal.

As Monty Python said, "And now for something completely different." It's not the 4th we all know and love.


----------



## poconoron

Mozart's K464 and K465 string quartets:


----------



## Sid James

*Carl Vine* - _Piano Sonata #2_ (1997)
Michael Kieran Harvey, piano
(on Tall Poppies album: _Carl Vine - Chamber Music Vol. 2_)

First listen to this work, I aim to listen to this jam-packed disc bit by bit.

*Carl Vine *is one of our leading Australian composers, and this work is played by one of our finest pianists, Michael Kieran Harvey, who commissioned it.

This piano sonata is in two movements, each comprising of two distinct parts.

The first movement opens with this kind of romantic, yearning melody, but the style is undoubtedly modern (eg. the flexible sense of rhythm). The second part of this movement has a dreamy and Oriental (pentatonic) feel, it reminds me of hearing distant bells. It is quiet and calm, compared to the busy first part. It also gave me the vibes of church music.

The second movement opens with a feel of improvisation and thus, jazz. There is this rumbling bass from one hand contrasted with a melody that brings to mind bird song on another. The contrast in rhythm and tone between these is interesting. It's almost like a conversation between the bass and treble sounds. The second part, coming towards the end, brings back the romantic sounding melody of the first movement, but more intensely like waves crashing on the shore.

This was an interesting work, very well suited to Michael Kieran Harvey's intense playing style, imo...


----------



## Sid James

Also a first listen to some works on disc 2 of Tall Poppies set, of *Tristram Cary's *electroacoustic music.

_*Black, White & Rose for Marimba, Gongs, Woodblocks & Tape *_(1991) - with Ryszard Pusz, percussions

This work was like a concerto for percussion and electronics. It has these lush and luxurious textures, a kind of soundscape which the listener can imagine and lose himself.

The percussion part is virtuoso, but often it's hard to tell whether it's him "really" playing or the electronics shadowing and ghosting him.

Balinese gamelan inevitably comes to mind with the marimba, and the electronic accompaniment often manipulated the percussion instruments' sounds to sound like things like bells or trickling water.

The title refers to the black and white notes of the keyboard and 'Rose' "is the beautiful rosewood of the marimba," the composer says in his notes.

_*Three Clockpieces - Computer Music in Stereo *_(1983/96)

This computer generated music had twelve voices, but it didn't sound as crowded as I thought it would. My ears got a bit used to the microtonal sounds, they were not as harsh as in some of these kinds of works. The two outer movements were faster, while the inner movement was slower and more gentle.

_*The Impossible Piano (Homage to Conlon Nacarrow) for Sequencer & Sampled Piano *_(7 excerpts: _Counterpoints 4, 5, 6; Power Bounces 1, 4; Cross-Accents 1, 5_) (1994)

This was a bit like Bach meets Bartok on speed. An element of quirkyness and zanyness too. The melodic material here is derived from the letters of Conlon Nancarrow's name, he being the composer of similarly unplayable studies for keyboard on now ancient technology of piano rolls. The last piece, _Cross-Accents 5_, was a lot of fun, with this rushing music punctuated by notes of the sequence which had this hypnotic effect. In some of these pieces, the counterpoint kind of bunched up and crowded in on itself, thus forming tone clusters which is not what I'd expected from this thing that could have been like Bach's _WTC_ in a former life. Interesting stuff...


----------



## clavichorder

Bad joke: 4'33" at the public library, because I forgot to bring my headphones. More like 4:33, why does this have to take so long?


----------



## Vaneyes

Giuseppe Di Stefano Neapolitan songs. I've always disliked the poor drawing used for this front cover, but the music more than makes up for it. For Vol. 2, they wisely chose a photograph.

View attachment 3390


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Turina chamber music with Nash Ensemble, a Mar/Apr Hyperion release. Seductive...I may have to pull the trigger.

View attachment 3391


Info:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67889


----------



## Dowd

An absolutely lovely version of Op. 38. I think Op. 99 would be just as wonderful, unfortunately both digital downloads from iTunes and Amazon were filled with glitches which leaves me wondering if the original recording is messed up. Anybody have this?

Two Sonatas for Piano and Cello
Brahms
Nancy Green / Frederick Moyer


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Anyone who doubts Haydn should listen to his choral works. I'd quite possibly take the _Creation_ over the magnificent truncated torso of Mozart's _Requiem_... at the very least the works are of near equal brilliance. The rest of Haydn's choral oeuvre is in no way inferior to Mozart's efforts (and far larger) or anyone else's for that matter.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op.76
Bax: Saga Fragment

















Hmm ended up with a thumbnail..


----------



## poconoron

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Anyone who doubts Haydn should listen to his choral works. I'd quite possibly take the [I]Creation[/I] over the magnificent truncated torso of Mozart's [I]Requiem[/I]... at the very least the works are of near equal brilliance. The rest of Haydn's choral oeuvre is in no way inferior to Mozart's efforts (and far larger) or anyone else's for that matter.[/QUOTE]
> 
> Agreed........Haydn was an absolute Giant of Music.


----------



## poconoron

I have also listened to The Seasons which I love as well:


----------



## clavichorder

Went through Arnold Bax symphony 6 again. Its always interesting, and I pick out more and more cool stuff, but I still don't just love it. May never, but I don't mind listening to it every once in a while at all.


----------



## Sid James

clavichorder said:


> Went through Arnold Bax symphony 6 again. Its always interesting, and I pick out more and more cool stuff, but I still don't just love it. May never, but I don't mind listening to it every once in a while at all.


I really connected with his _Sym.#7_ & _TIntagel_ last year, but haven't as yet followed it up with many other works (I've got his_ Sym.#6_ in that same Naxos series). I've also heard his piano sonatas on THIS disc and remember them as interesting, a bit like a modern version of Liszt's _Sonata in B minor_, there was BAx's signature Celtic feel in those as well.

HERE is one of my posts on the 7th symphony at the Arnold Bax thread on this forum.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Saffire - The Australian Guitar Quartet - "Nostalgica"*
(ABC CLassics)
Tangos by *Juan Martin, Astor Piazzolla, Roland Dyens*
*Bartok's* _Romanian Folk Dances_
Songs from _The Riverdance Show_ by *Bill Whelan *& also Celtic traditional songs
*Nigel Westlake's* _Six Fish _(World premiere recording)
*Deep Purple's* _Highway Star_
- Arrangements by members of the quartet: Antony Field, Slava Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp, Gareth Koch.

A listen to this after quite a while.

Some fabulous guitar playing here as well as excellent arrangements (the Westlake work being the only one here originally written for guitar quartet).

All the tracks were great but I really enjoyed the Bartok and Westlake pieces.

*Bartok's* _Romanian Folk Dances _really suited the bright sound of guitars and received extra clarity with only four instruments playing, but losing none of it's richness or complexity. & a lot of fun as well!

& the *Westlake* work, each of the six movements portrayed a of type of fish, had the odd combination of two classical guitars, plus a steel string guitar and resonator guitar. So this gave a range of sounds, from high to low, and there was a watery feel here, the music also capturing the movements of these fish. My favourite was the _Leafy Sea Dragon_, which was slow moving as these creatures are.

All up a great album, a review on musicweb site HERE.


----------



## Vaneyes

I've been off Bax for years, but occasionally, it's nice to sample the BBCPO/Handley Bax box. There are even bits of chatter about the works on CD 5.

View attachment 3395


----------



## Vaneyes

For Handel's birthday, Suites for Keyboard with Anne Queffelec.

View attachment 3397


----------



## Conor71

*Rachmaninov: Vespers, Op. 37*

I was blown away by this piece the first time I heard it and I still think its incredibly beautiful!


----------



## Conor71

*Orff: Carmina Burana*

This one has been unplayed since I got my new iPod last year - Its a great piece, really enjoying it at the moment! This is one of the first pieces of Classical Music I bought due to it's association with the movie Excalibur!.


----------



## NightHawk

This morning with coffee. (I have the disc version w LP pic on left - on R is a mystery)


----------



## Vaneyes

Maderna orchestral with Sinopoli, then chamber with Arditti Quartet.

View attachment 3415
View attachment 3416


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Newly-discovered Brahms piano piece Albumblatt, written at age 20, and performed here by Andras Schiff.






Info:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16542190


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Nelson Mass*.


----------



## kv466

Adalbert Gyrowetz - Symphony in D, op.12, no.1
Matthias Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players


----------



## AlexD

_Mahler 9th Carlo Maria Giullini & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1977)_

The double disc also includes Schubert's 8th - and it is a very good rendition of that too. Good stuff.

I'm watching Handel's Julius Ceaser on Blu-ray tonight by Teatro Primo(?) - lovefilm's label has obscured all the infor on the disc!


----------



## Oliver




----------



## clavichorder

Khachaturian Violin Concerto. Sometimes you've got to have a little fun! I'm really fond of this piece.


----------



## Sid James

*Raymond Hanson* (1913-1976)
Complete music for violin & piano -
_Sonata Op 5_ (1939)
_Three Fancies_ (1946)
_Seascape_ (1953)
_Idyll, Op 2_ (1938)
_An Etching _(1969)
_Legende _(1946)
_Portrait of Australia Op 46_

Susan Collins, violin / David Miller, piano
(Tall Poppies)

First listen to this disc I just got.

*Raymond Hanson* was an Australian composer who was part of the generation which matured during the 1930's and '40's. His music has a strong element of emotional expressiveness, a neo-romantic feel and some tonal ambiguity. He admired modern composers of his time like Shostakovich and Hindemith, and similar to them he valued tradition, combining it with some of the then newer technical innovations.

I quite enjoyed this disc, the music is very listenable and appealed to me right away.

I esp. enjoyed the _*Three Fancies*_, esp. the last one which is titled _Of a fugue that wishes it could waltz_. The title says it all, it's a combination of fugue and waltz, it passed me by a bit on the first listen, but the second time I heard the humour.

The* Idyll *also leapt out at me quite a bit. Like many of these works, it started off with a kind of melancholy, dark, yearning melody - with this wonderful flowing legato from the violin and ripples echoing it from the piano - and after a central kind of minimalistic ostinato bit, turned more and more towards the lighter and optimistic side.

_*An Etching*_, the latest work on this disc, bought to mind bird calls. This work has patterns that are similar to some calls of Australian birds, but the notes say it could be coincidental, we're not sure. Same goes with what Messiaen was doing in this area, we are not sure if Hanson knew of that.

The final work, originally written for a film and transcribed here, _*Portrait of Australia*_ funnily enough gave me quite a European feel in some way. Maybe a feel of nostalgia for "the old country," Great Britain, but the feel here could well have been Continental European as well.

The other works were interesting as well, eg. the_ Sonata,_ which has a similar narrative of darkness to light.

Violinist Susan Collins did her doctoral thesis on Hanson's music, she unearthed a number of these scores from archives here, they have not seen the light of day for decades (some not published). Her rapport on this recording with the pianist David Miller is great to hear, they both come across as having this muscular and robust style, but still with much naunce and delicacy.

This disc is a rare treat from a composer who did make an impact beyond writing music, Hanson taught a number of our luminaries from the younger generation then, eg. Peter Sculthorpe, Richard Meale and jazz musician Don Burrows...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro*.


----------



## Zauberberg

Pretty addicted to Sibelius' fifth symphony. What a joy.


----------



## robert

Mahler

Symphony 1

Gielen


----------



## Pestouille

May her soul rest in peace...


----------



## NightHawk

,
Vayeyes sharing of the early work by Brahms, the _Albumblatt_ for solo piano, reminded me of this recent acquisition. These recordings (2 disc set) are from Fleisher's 'wonder' years before he lost much of the use of his right hand to focal dystonia (I think that's the term). The two concertos are everything they should be and much, much more, but the big surprise for me is the solo piano work which I did not know - _Variations and a Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24_. Terrifically difficult (and wonderful), no wonder few play it, but Fleisher is more than equal to the task. The Concerto No. 1 has become my favorite recording of that work, and the Concerto No. 2 is now a toss up between Fleisher, Richter and Istomin. This is a dream set for Brahms lovers.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No.3










I guess I never over-listen a particular work which lets me enjoy popular works for a long time.


----------



## clavichorder

opus55 said:


> I guess I never over-listen a particular work which lets me enjoy popular works for a long time.


Variety is a good motto to have. The works I over-listened to from periods of obsession, take a while for me to become fresh again.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No.3


How freaky; I've been listening to Karajan's 3rd from the '70s cycle. I'm following it up with Toscanini's recording from 1939. Hearing Karajan, then Toscanini on the same piece isn't over-listening; they make the same piece sound different.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've recently become a Mendelssohn obsessive. (as well as a *Ligeti* fanatic)

Violin concerto op. 64 is the best violin concerto ever composed.


----------



## Vaneyes

In tribute to fallen classical soldier Tony Duggan. I'm listening to a conductor Tony felt a great deal for, and the composer goes without saying.

View attachment 3436


----------



## kv466

Thanks to new member, Realdealblues, I pulled out this gem that is among my favorites:


----------



## Vaneyes

I've had my *eyes* on Lettberg's almost complete Scriabin box for a while. I finally sampled (no small undertaking in itself). The Preludes, Poemes, Pieces, which take up 4 CDs of this 8 CD/1 DVD box, I found exceptional.

Sonatas, Etudes, Mazurkas, were disappointments most of the time. The Sonatas were the worst, seeming like run-throughs with not enough detail. The piano also acted badly in those, with excessive reverb.

I won't be biting, but at its reasonable Amazon Marketplace pricing, it's a set worth considering for many Scriabin enthusiasts--perhaps completists and newbies for the most part.

View attachment 3437


----------



## kv466




----------



## robert

Mahler

Symphony 7

Gielen


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt, Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. Mark Salman.

The Weinen, Klagen, Sorgan, Zagen variations are an enormous outpouring of grief. They were written in the aftermath of the deaths of Liszt's daughter Blandine and son Daniel. This work holds tremendous emotional power-- you can hear at various points the piano weeping in downward minor seconds, and an absolutely overwhelming emotional climax of rage and questioning of God. Liszt writes a miraculous moment then as a fragile ray of grace and light breaks through, and a theme of a Bach cantata is used to form the coda (translated roughly as "What God does is well done"). It's a stunning piece. One that took me a long time to even consider worth listening to. Now I see it as one of the most profound works in the solo piano repertoire, and one of the masterpieces in Liszt's output that challenges the B Minor Sonata. (It didn't even make the honourable mentions on the top 200 solo piano works! Good grief).


----------



## robert

Kabelac

Mystery Of Time

Ancerl
Czech Phil.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Hindemith - Kammermusik No. 2

Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Yuri Nikolayevsky, conductor
Orchestra of the Soloists of the Moscow State Conservatory

I'm really not in the mood for this kind of stuff, I'm gonna go back to Schumann for now.


----------



## poconoron

The sweeping Brahms Requiem:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lisztian said:


> Liszt, Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. Mark Salman.


I had a period of intense emotional crisis sometime ago, and that was one of the pieces which got me through it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today's listening.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Presto passionato WoO 5

Sokolov


----------



## Pestouille

Relaxing near fireplace, with Richter playing Chopin & Liszt


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to Australian composer* Raymond Hanson's *music for violin and piano, my review from yesterday HERE. A very enjoyable disc, I'm getting more out of it upon each listen...


----------



## brianwalker

Marcia e balllabile - Karajan Vienna

Dat Vienna brass.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I can only hope that Weinberg's oeuvre continues to be lavished with such attention as it is currently receiving. His opera, The Passenger, dealing directly with Auschwitz was recently staged in London to positive reviews and is awaiting a debut in New York (a Blu-Ray disc already exists), numerous other recordings have recently been made of his concertos, symphonies, choral and chamber works. I picked up the Chandos disc of his concertos last year (which I quite liked) and now I have the Chandos recording of his Symphonies 1 & 7. First of all... as might be expected, the Chandos sound is exquisite as is the playing by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. These symphonies, written in 1942 and 1964 are clearly Modern works... slipping in an out of traditional tonality there are elements that recall Shostakovitch (none of his worst) and aspects that recall Prokofiev... especially a sense of satire. At the same time, there are aspects that hearken back to the lush romanticism of Tchaikovsky. This is especially true of the gorgeous second movement of Symphony 1. Not long ago the question of the continued validity of the Symphony was raised. With some 19 traditionally structured symphonies, several chamber symphonies, and a Symphony "Kaddish" dating from a few years before his death in 1996, I suspect Weinberg is one that should be given a closer look. From what I have heard so far, it as as if a composer not far behind Shostakovitch had labored in relative obscurity under the Soviets.


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 46*

Getting to grips with this newly arrived Cycle of string quartets - sounds pretty interesting so far!


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Finished these 4 CDs of the complete solo piano music of Glazunov played by Stephen Coombs. Not a repertoire that gets much mention, unfortunately. These were "genuine" piano pieces that were pianistic in idiom. Many of them were relatively short pieces and quite lyrical. For those who enjoy the solo piano pieces of Robert Schumann, you might also enjoy these.

Op. 2: Suite on the Theme "S-A-C-H-A" for Piano (1883) 
Op. 22: Two Pieces for Piano (1889) 
Op. 23: Waltzes on the name S-A-B-E-L-A for piano (1890) 
Op. 25: Preludium and Two Mazurkas for piano (1888) 
Op. 31: Three Études for piano (1891) 
Op. 36: Small Waltz in D major for piano (1892) 
Op. 37: Nocturne in D-flat major for piano (1889) 
Op. 41: Large Concert Waltz in E-flat major for piano (1893) 
Op. 42: Three Miniatures for piano (1893) 
Op. 43: Salon Waltz in C major for piano (1893) 
Op. 49: Three Pieces for piano (1894) 
Op. 54: Two Impromptus for piano (1895) 
Op. 62: Prelude and Fugue in D minor, for piano (1899) 
Op. 72: Theme and Variations in F-sharp minor for piano (1900) 
Op. 74: Piano Sonata No. 1 in B-flat minor (1901) 
Op. 75: Piano Sonata No. 2 in E minor (1901) 
Op. 101: Four Preludes and Fugues for piano (1918-1923) 
Op. 103: Idylle in F-sharp major for piano (1926) 
Op. 104: Fantasy in F minor for two pianos (1919-1920)

On cheapy budget label Helios (i.e. Hyperion's budget label).


----------



## Lisztian

Manxfeeder said:


> I had a period of intense emotional crisis sometime ago, and that was one of the pieces which got me through it.


I'm going through a period of intense emotional crisis right now...and the piece is certainly helping me!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8*.

This is Furtwangler's performance from 1944. This is literally riveting; his interpretation makes it difficult to think of anything else while it's playing.


----------



## kv466

_Gotta get familiar with this piece! Gonna go see The Academy play it in a couple months.
_

Bruch - Violin concerto no.1 in g-minor, op.26
Yehudi Menuhin with Walter Susskind conducting The Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach, Goldberg Variations.

This is Zenph's re-recording of Glenn Gould's 1954 interpretation. I'm used to the original mono; this is taking some getting used to, though it's essentially the same performance.


----------



## robert

Lutoslawski

Volume Two
Venetian Games
Trois Poemes D'Henri Michaux
Symphony No. 2

Volume Five
Symphony No. 3
Chain 1 2 3


----------



## Sid James

robert said:


> Lutoslawski
> ...Trois Poemes D'Henri Michaux
> ..Symphony No. 3
> ...


I really like Lutoslawski's choral music & song-cycles. They are among the best of the last century. I'm still warming up to his symphonies. He's a composer I listen to when I want more kind of dark & deep (sometimes disturbing, but often image-laden) music...


----------



## Sid James

*Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintets (Vol. 3)
- in C major, G.453 'La Ritirata di Madrid' *
- in E minor, G.451 *
Quintet for Strings in E major, G.275 _+
Danubius String Quartet / with *Zoltan Tokos, guitar / with +Gyorgy Eder, cello
(Naxos)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon once again in my painting studio... working rapidly toward the completion of my latest painting. I had the following music playing by way of inspiration:





































It's telling how people react differently to various genre of classical music. My one older studio mate who is admittedly a bit of a moron (he knows next to nothing about music or literature but would constantly have you believe he knows everything) started yelling out "Arrgh! Opera! I can't stand opera! Who do you think you are, some aristocrat playing opera?!"

On the other hand, every liked the Weinberg symphonies. They are unabashedly beautiful... yet with a tart Modernist edge to them.

Putting on the Beethoven quartets, the "moron" again began to yell, "Arrrgh! Torture Music! Turn it off." While my other studio mate, a younger Chinese-American, responded, "What the hell are you talking about. These are some of Beethoven's finest works."

Finally it was time for Schoenberg. Again the "moron" needed to keep yelling out "Accck! Torture music! Put the Beethoven back on!" Of course the Verklarte Nacht is one of Schoenberg's most accessible works... it pushes the limits of traditional tonality... but doesn't yet do away with it. I found that the original sextet score (here realized by the Julliard Quartet with the assistance of Walter Trampler and Yo Yo Ma) draws attention to Schoenberg's roots in Brahms... as opposed to the later lush orchestral scoring (performed by Karajan among others) that are closer to Wagner. Andre might be quite interested in this performance. I will add that personally I actually liked the second work, the later Trio Op. 45 to be actually more interesting and enjoyable in its own way... something I have not been able to say often about Schoenberg... in spite of repeated efforts (I must now have 12 or 15 discs featuring Schoenberg's music).


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 5, Op. 66*

Now tackling Disc 2 of this newly arrived set - Disc 1 was lacking in highlights despite repeated listenings but I seem to be faring a bit better with this second Disc. These are not bad works, there is just a lot less drama than I am used to.
So far, so good!


----------



## Vaneyes

I ate the whole thing.

View attachment 3469


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> _Gotta get familiar with this piece! Gonna go see The Academy play it in a couple months.
> _
> 
> Bruch - Violin concerto no.1 in g-minor, op.26
> Yehudi Menuhin with Walter Susskind conducting The Philharmonia Orchestra


Walter Susskind was the first conductor I saw in concert. Not a bad start.

A pic of GG and Walter...

View attachment 3470


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Double Concerto
Szeryng/Starker/Haitink/Concertgebouw Orchestra









Not sure why I haven't listened to the double concerto much but it sounds really good.

Then listened to some more concertos.

















and some piano music..


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Brahms piano concertos are certainly a pair of works I need to come to terms with... listen to... a bit more... especially when they are performed as brilliantly as in this performance by Leon Fleisher with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.










While I may treasure my recordings of these lovely arias performed by Gundula Janowitz and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf more... Natalie Dessay's delivery of these bon-bons with her silvery, crystal-clear soprano is exquisite.


----------



## clavichorder

Hovhaness Symphony 50, Mt. St. Helens. I kind of enjoy it!


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> I ate the whole thing.


Just what is your fascination with eating music?!!!

Wow,...Walter was your first, eh?...jealous, immediately...he and Glenn only created the best Mozart 24 ever! I wish I had hung out with you earlier in life.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morales, Magnificat*. Lovely and elegant, not overdone. That's the kind of thing Sunday mornings are for.


----------



## kv466

Francois-Joseph Gossec - Symphony no.3 in D, "Pastorella", op.5
Matthias Bamert conducting The London Mozart Players


----------



## NightHawk

*Leonard bernstein - the symphony edition*

This boxed set of approximately 90 symphonies is unremastered, but I don't care at all; the sound is great. I flashed the plastic for this (got it new for $98) because of my great love of Leonard Bernstein and his long connection to the New York Philharmonic. The physical box is a disappointment as it is a large, awkward square affair with the cds in their sleeves 'stacked' in trays which is not comparable to being able to flip through the discs as you would a Rolodex (common w most box sets of this size = 60 cds). Still, the cd sleeves themselves are excellent - very substantial weight, each having the complete info of where and when the contents of the particular disc were recorded on the reverse. This information is not included in the large booklet, though the guest artists/ensembles that are used with the NYPhil are listed there (i.e. vocal soloists, boys choirs, a few recordings w other orchestras etc). Each disc sleeve has a different picture of Lenny on the front, all in B&W, most are candid shots in rehearsal, some are studio, some are highly posed, but then that was Lenny. So far, I have listened to the 1959 recording of the Shostakovich 5th (which I have been trying to find as a single CD for years - my memory of it was accurate for the most part), the Beethoven 1st and 3rd (I like John Eliot-Gardiner's HIP version better, still, these are cleanly played even with the large ensemble), and the Mahler 1st, which is glorious. I'm hanging up the plastic for a long while, but am very happy to have this huge set, which I recommend as indispensable if you are a great fan of LB and NYP. Rounding up the cost to $100 for the set, each disc costs a mere $1.66. Note the complete cycles in the list below.









Contents:

Beethoven: Symphonies 1-9 (Complete)
Berlioz: Symphony Fantastic
Bernstein: Symphonies 1-3 (Complete)
Bizet: Symphony in C
Blitzstein: The Airborne Symphony
Brahms: Symphonies 1-4 (Complete)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Copland: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, Sym No. 3
Dvorak: Symphonies 7, 8, and 9
Franck: Symphony in D Minor
Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony
Harris: Symphony No.3
Haydn: Symphonies 82-88; 93-104
Hindemith: Symphony in E-Flat
Ives: Symphonies 2 and 3
Liszt: Faust Symphony
Mahler: Symphonies 1-9 (Complete)
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 3, 4, and 5
Mozart: Symphonies 35, 36, 39, 40, and 41
Nielsen: Symphonies 2, 3, 4, and 5
Prokofiev: Symphonies 1 and 5
St. Saens: Symphony No. 3
Schubert: Symphonies 5, 8, and 9
Schumann: Symphonies 1-4 (Complete)
Schuman: Symphonies 3, 5, and 8
Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Shostakovich: Symphonies 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 14
Sibelius: Symphonies 1-7 (Complete)
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 1-6 (Complete)
Thompson: Symphony No. 2
Vaughan-Williams: Symphony No. 4


----------



## opus55

Smetana: Ma Vlast










I should look for another recording of this great master piece.


----------



## kv466

opus55 said:


> Smetana: Ma Vlast
> 
> I should look for another recording of this great master piece.


This is the one I've had for a while...pretty darned excellent on both:


----------



## opus55

kv466 said:


> This is the one I've had for a while...pretty darned excellent on both:


Found SACD remaster on amazon.com. I'll listen to the samples.

Now listening to:

Richard Strauss: Metamorphsen


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## Vaneyes

Saint-Saens PCs 2 & 5, Franck Symphonic Variations, with Thibaudet/Dutoit.

View attachment 3484


----------



## kv466




----------



## Dowd

I've been on a Karl Leister kick this weekend. I like this 2-CD set though I prefer the Op. 115 version better with Leister and Leipziger Streichquartett on MDG. Still, a nice way to spend the past couple of hours.

Karl Leister [clarinet] • Brandis Quartet
Brahms
Clarinet Quintet/Trio/Sonatas [Brilliant Classics]


----------



## Pestouille

Must be an Englishman to play French music like this... Prelude, chorale & Fugue wooww!


----------



## poconoron

Horowitz playing Scarlatti, Clementi, Chopin, etc. ................ very nice.


----------



## kv466




----------



## rojo

Poulenc - Toccata from Trois Pieces (for piano)
played by Horowitz


----------



## Vaneyes

Paris concert, 2.23.12.

*Ludwig van Beethoven*
_Les Créatures de Prométhée (Ouverture)_
_Concerto pour piano n°2 en si bémol majeur, op.19_ 
*Maurice Ravel*
_Daphnis et Chloé ballet intégral_
Orchestre de Paris, Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris, Riccardo Chailly (direction), Maria João Pires (piano)

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Ric...oao_Pires_Orchestre_de_Paris_Ravel_Beethoven/


----------



## Chrythes

Listening to Boris Berezovsky playing Medtner. 
March of The Paladin is really cool.


----------



## clavichorder

Chrythes said:


> Listening to Boris Berezovsky playing Medtner.
> March of The Paladin is really cool.


Pretty soon, you might be digging that odd Campanella as well, are you watching the youtube video?


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev*
_Violin Concerto #1 in D major, Op. 19*
Love for Three Oranges: Suite, Op. 33A_**
London PO / *with Boris Belkin, violin & Kirill Kondrashin, cond. / **with Walter Weller, cond.
(Decca Eloquence)

*Hindemith* - _Funf Stucke, Op. 44 #4_ (for string orch.)
*Prokofiev* -_ Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 _(arr. for string orch. by Barshai)
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner
(Decca Eloquence - from _Music for Strings _album)

*Holst *- _St. Paul's Suite, Op.29 #2_
*Warlock *- _Capriol Suite_
*Delius* - _Two Acquarelles _(arr. for string orch. by Fenby)
Bournemouth Sinfonietta / Richard Studt, director
(Naxos - from _English String music _album)


----------



## Sid James

*Arthur Benjamin*
_Jamaican Rumba_ (arr. William Primrose)
_Violin Sonatina _(1924)
_Three Pieces for violin & piano: 
Humoresque
Arabesque (The Muted Pavane)
Carnavalesque (Valse)_ (1924)
John Harding, violin / Ian Munro, piano
(Tall Poppies - from album _Jamaican Rumba: Arthur Benjamin chamber music Vol.2_)

A partial listen to this album I just got, chamber music of *Arthur Benjamin *(1893-1960). This Australian born composer spent most of his professional life in the UK, from his student years onwards.

The polish of these works immediately reminded me of Ravel, a composer who Benjamin admired a great deal.

His famous _*Jamaican Rumba *_was written after he visited the islands of the Caribbean and heard the music there. This is quite a happy and joyful piece, I'd guess that the kinds of polyrhythms used by other composers of the early 20th century - eg. Milhaud - are there, it gave me the same feeling.

The other work I immediately liked in this selection was the _*Carnavalesque*_, which fused a ghostly waltz with a more rough dance and in the middle of all that, a tango, that could have been written by Piazzolla (who was born around the time this was composed).

All of the works on this over 70 minute long disc are short and sweet, and I plan to listen to it in full over the next few days...


----------



## poconoron

Tchaikovsky various:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams, A Sea Symphony*.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Dichterliebe

Fischer-Dieskau
Gerald Moore


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My third listen in nearly as many days... but my first chance to listen to the works carefully. As usual, John Eliot Gardiner's English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir deliver a lean, muscular sound and yet can provide the greatest delicate nuances when needed. _Et in carnnatus est_ from the _Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida_ or "Heiligmesse" is especially lovely. The _Agnus Dei_ is equally beautiful... and provides something of a a calm before the explosive and driving _Dona Nobis Pacem_. The Missa in tempore belli (Mas in Time of War) or "Paukenmesse" is one of Haydn's finest choral works. The drum rolls referred to in the German nickname ("Paukenmesse" or Drum Mass) allude to the sounds of the French army under Napoleon massing not too distant from Haydn. This mass is far more dynamic and assertive than the Heligmesse. The Qui tollis is especially brilliant and innovative beginning as a duet between the cello and bass soloist it grows powerfully in intensity to a marvelously emotional climax that underscores the anguish of the text.

Highly recommended.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major Op.52. *Both works feature Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Vaneyes

GG playing with Mozart Piano Sonatas.

View attachment 3510


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Michael Gielen, Variations for String Quartet*.

This is the companion piece to a mostly Webern CD. I've had the CD since 1991, and finally, today I heard Gielen's Variations all the way through without stopping. I'm glad I got that over with.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, Violin Concerto*.

I don't know what happened; this piece used to baffle me, but one day a couple months ago it clicked. Now I really like it. I'm glad there's still hope for me.


----------



## AndyS

Die walkure - Furtwangler and the RAI


----------



## Crudblud

Strauss - Horn Concertos 1 & 2 / Oboe Concerio / Duett-Concertino (Kempe)


----------



## clavichorder

Martinu, Symphony 1.

This is a revealing performance I think, it gives me a sense that this really can be a very beautiful symphony without being such a challenge to its listeners





This performance of Medtner's 2nt concerto does similar things to Jaarvi's rendition of Martinu for Medtner


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Mantovani Orchestra - 36 Golden Strings *(disc 1 of 2)

Some easy listening to start off, I listened to the first disc of this two disc set. Some quite polished and slick playing here, some great solos on many instruments from those of the orchestra to more "exotic" ones like accordion and harmonica, and even some Baroque style counterpoint in the arrangements (but kind of neo-classical and light). I'd guess this is the "new" Mantovani Orchestra of today, Mantovani died about 30 years ago, but "his" orchestra still continues, bearing his name. It's the same, I think, with the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands, they are still going (with new members) decades after those guys are gone...


----------



## Crudblud

Erdmann - Symphony No. 1 (Yinon)


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Soweto String Quartet - Renaissance*
_Traditional and contemporary South African music, arranged for string quartet by Grahame Beggs & members of the quartet _(some tracks with added instruments & backing vocals)
The SSQ - Sandile Khemese, principal violin / Thami Khemese, violin II / Makhosini Mnguni, viola / Reuben Khemese, cello
(BMG label)


A return to this album after a long while.

All up this album has an upbeat and optimistic feel, but the song that grabbed me the most is quite sad, I got very emotional. *Weeping* was written in the mid 1980's by a white South African called Dan Heymann, who had been conscripted into the South African Army. It's a parable of the suffering and oppression of black South Africans during the Apartheid regime. It's about a man who builds a barrier around his house to keep out a supposed monster. But the song reveals that the supposed monster "wasn't roaring, it was weeping." So it was not a threat, it was a victim. Lead vocalist on this track, Vusi Mahlasela gives a powerful performance...


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *Album: Mantovani Orchestra - 36 Golden Strings *(disc 1 of 2)
> 
> [/COLOR]


I probably shouldn't mention it around such august company as inhabit these parts, but I like Mantovani's arrangements.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> I probably shouldn't mention it around such august company as inhabit these parts, but I like Mantovani's arrangements.


I do too, but literally speaking the double album above may well not be Mantovani's arragnements. Well, I'm not sure, it's a budget release with little info on that. I know Ronald Binge, composer of the _Elizabethan Serenade_, was Mantovani's arranger around the 1960's and produced that signature "cascading strings" sound.

Judging from the sound quality of this recording, it is not of 1960's but of say the last 10-20 years. So as I said, it's the "new" Mantovani Orchestra. I don't know if they have a kind of "authentic" approach, wanting to reproduce his sound of the 1960's. Sure, the "cascading strings" are here, all over the place. Anyway, I'm not fully enlightened here, but main thing is that I enjoyed it. No shame in that, my friend!...


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No.1










Just got it this afternoon..


----------



## Vaneyes

A new arrival from a recent order, Mirare Scriabin Sonatas 4, 5, 8, 9 and various Poemes, with Andrei Korobeinikov.

View attachment 3532

Play order:

Piano Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, Op. 30
Deux poèmes, Op. 32
Piano Sonata No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 53
Poèmes, Op. 69 Nos. 1 & 2
Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 66
Deux poèmes Op. 71
Piano Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 'Black Mass'
Vers la flamme, Op. 72


----------



## Pestouille

Brendel alone with Bach


----------



## kv466

William Herschel - Symphony no.8 in c-minor
Matthias Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

On the recommendations of a number of members here, I picked up this disc:










I'm already well-acquainted with the work through recordings by Frederica von Stade, Kiri Te Kanawa, Dawn Upshaw, and Véronique Gens (perhaps my personal favorite). Netania Davrath, however, was recommended as something unique... and indeed she is. Her light soprano adapted to the Auvergne dialect reminds me in some way of Rita Streich. I only had time to listen to the first of the discs... and not even the whole of that... and so I will be returning to this recording a few more times over the next few days.










This disc is quite lovely: a selection of arias from German Baroque cantatas. The composers are predecessors, peers, and heirs of J.S. Bach. Scholl is of course magnificent... in all probability the finest countertenor recording today.










I have long had a fondness for the clarinet... and some of the finest music by Mozart, Weber, Brahms, Debussy, Bruch, Krommer, Spohr, etc... were composed for clarinet. Karl Andreas Goepfert was a younger follower of Mozart. His clarinet concertos, while never rising to the sublime heights of Mozart at his finest, are in no way out their league placed along side much of Mozart's of Haydn's oeuvre.


----------



## brianwalker

*Götterdämmerung: Siegfrieds Tod und Trauermarsch
NY 03.01.1952
*

Toscanini lives up to his legendary reputation in this recording. This is the second best Siegfried's Funeral March I've ever heard (out of Solti, Karajan, Szell, Furtwangler, Bohm, Keilberth, Krauss) . Everything is precise, transparent, (never vulgar), yet at the same time the fortissimos are earth shattering.

Favorite Funeral March?


----------



## Klavierspieler

Benjamin Britten:

Nocturnal after John Dowland
Jonathan Edwards

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011


----------



## opus55

Bach: Mass BWV 233










Beethoven: Violin Sonatas


----------



## clavichorder

I REALLY dig this symphony no. 4 stuff by Alexander Tcherepnin.


----------



## ProudSquire

Brahms, Piano Quintet in c minor, Op 60.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36. *Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.


----------



## Vaneyes

For happy birthdays (Feb. 27) to Kremer & Zimmermann, two of the very best fiddlers.

View attachment 3537
View attachment 3538

View attachment 3539


View attachment 3537


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti* piano concerto


----------



## science

Some of my recent listening:









Mussorgsky/Ravel.









#13









I suspect that cover is inspired by the scene in _Immortal Beloved_ where he looks up at the stars.


























I love this.


----------



## Vaneyes

Takemitsu with Izumi Tateno (1996). Some may not know, in 2002 just as he had completed a recital,Tateno suffered a severe stroke affecting the right side of his body. After extensive rehab, he was able to continue his career, playing only left-handed. A similar story for Leon Fleisher, sans stroke.

Which leads me to my TC trouble last night. Due to IT ignorance, I ran into a "storm". Eventually my only option was to leave behind my mess and make a virtual escape. My apologies for the blight on many of my posts. Irreversible, I'm told. Unfortunate. Usually it's the art work that takes top-billing in my posts.

View attachment 3549


----------



## science

Enjoyed that so much I'll post some more. This is from yesterday.

















A great disk from Keyrouz. One of my desert island selections.

The "gypsy" music is really good too. The first time I've heard it, but I'll come back to it many times.

















I haven't appreciated the Wigmore disk yet, though it's growing on me. Maybe I've heard it three times.

It was my second listen to Baroli's disk, and I liked it much better than I remember liking it.

















Another winner from Biber, now maybe my 2nd favorite Baroque composer.

As for the Emerson SQ's disk, wonderful music. I want to hear more Borodin when I get around to it.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Thunders

Das Rheingold by Solti.


----------



## poconoron

Mozart violin sonatas, BBC Music recording. Well done, live recording:


----------



## Sid James

*Ennio Morricone* - _The Mission, original soundtrack from the film _(1986)
Music composed, orchestrated & conducted by Ennio Morricone
(Virgin Music)

*Bernstein* - _On the Waterfront, symphonic suite from the film _(1954)
Bournemouth SO / Marin Alsop
(Naxos)

The* Bernstein *score is a favourite, and this was a welcome return to the *Morricone *score, laden with religious style choral music taught by the missionaries of the story, and also South American native instruments like panpipes and percussions. One of the tunes, _Gabriel's Oboe_, has become a hit in it's own right, I'd dare say many oboeists out there play it just as they play other older things...


----------



## Sid James

*ARthur Benjamin* (1893-1960)
_Cello Sonatina _(1939)
David Pereira, cello / Ian Munro, piano
(from album on Tall Poppies label - Arthur Benjamin chamber music, vol. 2)

First few listens to this quite charming work, originally written for a 13 year old Canadian cellist called Lorne Munroe, who would later become principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The first movement, marked _preamble_, reminded me of English composers like Elgar, with a fair hint of melancholy and soaring emotional melodies. The second movement, a minuet, was more lighthearted and had a bit of French polish, a la Ravel. The final movement is a lively march that came across as being hopeful and optimistic, with these strong rhythms from the pianist. This 12 minute work captured many moods and had a nostalgic feel overall...


----------



## Sid James

*Tristram Cary* (1925-2008)
Cd 2 from 2 disc set of his electroacoustic music, 1955-1996 on Tall Poppies label

This was a first listen to the rest of the pieces on the second cd of the set, devoted to Cary's music for/with computers, composed 1979-1996.

Cary was a UK based composer, working in film, television and radio, but also as a pioneer of the emerging electoracoustic music after 1945. He is best known as the composer of the music for the TV series_ Dr Who._ He came to lecture here in Australia in the 1970's and settled here in the following decade.

I reviewed some of the other works on this 2nd disc HERE.

The works I liked this time around where -

_*Nonet - Computer Music for Four Tracks (Stereo Reduction for CD)*_ (1979)
- This was like a nonet, but not for acoustic instruments, it was purely electronic. This work had some amazing sounds, some microtonal, but not too uncomfortable. It was like a soundscape of sounds impossible to produce on real instruments, but some sounds did sound to me to be similar to brass and percussions. The composer said in the notes "the nine voices each have nine entries at nine different speeds, and all voices run for most of the time, which produces a continuously changing texture." This music builds up by accretion, layer by layer. The score of this work is on the cd cover below.

_*Sine City II - Computer Music in Stereo *_(1979/96)
- This is a subtle work, with sounds from medium to low (no high pitched sounds). It comes across as being like a cloud or fine fog, hazy and changing slowly, much like Ligeti's_ Atmospheres_.


----------



## Crudblud

Strauss - Burleske / Parergon zur Sinfonia Domestica / Panathenaënzug (Kempe)


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Violin Concerto


----------



## poconoron

Mozart Wind Concertos (2 CD set)- Bassoon, Clarinet, Oboe, Flute, Horn.............. I defy anyone to sustain a bad or sour mood while listening to these babies:


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second spin on this one (or at least of disc one) and this time I got all the way through. Netania Davrath is quite special... but I think I prefer the elegance of Veronique Gens. On the other hand... it could simply be that I was merely impatient to get at this disc which just arrived:










As I mentioned over on a thread related to Haydn's choral works, I eventually plan to pick up an HIP or period recording of this work. The set I have my eye set on is that by William Christie... however when I looked at it the other day I discovered that it was currently priced somewhere around $35 US. The John Eliot Gardiner set was not much cheaper. But as I browsed through the recordings of _The Creation_ on Amazon I came upon the recording by Herbert von Karajan with Gundula Janowitz and Walter Berry made immediately after the legendary recording of _The Creation_... priced at a little over $3 US... and I immediately pounced. Good thing... I see that currently the cheapest new recording is going for almost $80 US!! At the same time... this set was going for about $7 US... so I could not resist grabbing it as well. Years ago when I first was shopping for a _Seasons_, this set was nearly $30, the Karajan was out of print, and the Christie and Gardiner recordings hadn't even been made. I ended up going with Marriner, who was the cheapest... and beside, I loved his Haydn symphonies.

This recording, however, is something else. The soloists are great. The orchestra has the grandeur and power that one would expect of Beethoven... and considering that this is one of Haydn's later works, perhaps this is not out of place. The choir, however... they are hair-raising. My first thought on hearing this was *"Damn!!!"*

_The Seasons_ may not be as great of a work as _The Creation_... but you would never know it from Bohm's recording. Bohm is at times criticized for his overly slow or labored approach that can undermine drive of a work. This, however, is as muscular as it gets: Haydn on steroids. Forget the effete puff in a white wig and his elegant Rococo manners... this is Haydn meets Beethoven's muscularity... Haydn meets rock-n-roll! If Haydn had written a few more of these it might be his name, and not Mozart's, that we think of along side Bach and Beethoven.

Highly recommended.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart Scena and Rondo K.505

First time hearing this work, and what a beauty it is. Absolutely loving it. :angel:


----------



## kv466




----------



## Chrythes

It's happy.


----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 3571
Celebrating Delius and Rossini birthdays with two old friends.

View attachment 3570


----------



## poconoron

TheProudSquire said:


> Mozart Scena and Rondo K.505
> 
> First time hearing this work, and what a beauty it is. Absolutely loving it. :angel:


Absolutely right.......... Mozart's concert arias are an often neglected part of his superb output. Highly recommended.


----------



## Vaneyes

A 2.25.12 Mahler 2 with Tilling/Fink/BPO/Westminster Symphonic Choir/Rattle/Miller, from Carnegie Hall.

(Forewarned) This link may or may not work.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/147286478/the-berlin-philharmonic-at-carnegie-hall


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listened to this for Rossini's birthday (yesterday 29th of February)


----------



## Klavierspieler

Britten - Six Metamorphoses after Ovid

Janet Craxton, oboe


----------



## Crudblud

Strauss - Till Eulenspiegel / Don Juan / Ein Heldenleben (Kempe)

Yes, even more Strauss.


----------



## opus55

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras










I love what I'm hearing so far!


----------



## Pestouille

Sviatoslav Richter
Scriabine
Sonata 2........


----------



## Sid James

*Arthur Benjamin*
_Viola Sonata _(1947)*
_Tombeau de Ravel _(1958)**
Ian Munro, piano with *Esther van Stralen, viola & **Peter Jenkin, clarinet
(Tall Poppies)

First couple of listens to these two works.

The _*Viola Sonata *_was written for William Primrose. It mines all the colours of this varied instrument, starting off with a dark and kind of brooding _Elegy_ and then after a cadenza segueing into the final movement, marked _Waltz-Toccata_. The waltz starts off dark or ambigious at least, and reaches a more optimistic climax, then the toccata, which has some very vigorious rhythms, going back to the composer's interest in Carribean music. I like how this piece told the classic darkness to light story, but not in a cliched way, plenty of surprises and twists here.

The _*Tombeau de Ravel *_is a tribute to one of Benjamin's favourite composers. In between an introduction and conclusion, there are six waltzes of varying mood and rhythm. It is more easy listening and less intense than the_ Viola Sonata_, and I enjoyed it. This was originally written for clarinettist Gervase de Peyer.


----------



## Sid James

*Rossini*
_Barber of Seville (highlights)_
Cast incl. Teresa Berganza, Nicolai Ghiaurov & others / Orchestra e coro Rossini di Napoli / Silvio Varviso
(Decca Eloquence)

Then celebrating *Rossini's birthday *with a comic opera that seems to be everyone's favourite, and this a favourite recording of mine which I had ages ago on tape. Last year I got this cd reissue and I have listened to it many times since, it brings back the memories...


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Futuremuzik*
Music composed, arranged, conducted by Peter Thomas
(Stamp / Caroline records)

First listen to this as well, I got it last year.

This is basically 1960's style television and film music. The classic cliches of that, eg. hammond organ, bass guitar, saxophones, high-high singing girls, wierd special effects, stuff like that. Kind of cheesy psychedelic? A lot of fun, and composer* Peter Thomas *(born 1925) was also an experimenter in electroacoustic music, even inventing a theremin like instrument called _ThoWiephon_, which is now in a museum! Says a lot of that era, & although this album is called music of the future, it's really like a travel down memory lane to the past. But it's a lot of fun all round, and well played & mixed, etc...


----------



## Crudblud

Segerstam - Symphony No. 212

I'm also laughing at an irate guy in the comment section who says that it isn't music because it doesn't have melody and rhythm.


----------



## NightHawk

Working my way through my recent Bernstein/NYPhil Symphony Edition. Today have listened to Sibelius 1 and 6 and they are very, very fine. B's reading of the 6th is a benchmark recording, I'd wager.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## poconoron

Brahms, Dvorak Hungarian and Slavonik dances:


----------



## clavichorder

Havergal Brian, Symphony no. 17


----------



## opus55

Crudblud said:


> Segerstam - Symphony No. 212
> 
> I'm also laughing at an irate guy in the comment section who says that it isn't music because it doesn't have melody and rhythm.


I thought No. 212 was a typo and it's not. According to Wikipedia, he had 253 symphonies!?


----------



## poconoron

JS Bach greatest hits:


----------



## agoukass

Brahms: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2
Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata

Maria de la Pau Tortelier, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Doing my part for Rossini's birthday:










The opening movement... the _Stabat Mater_ is quite beautiful... just what one would expect of this image of the weeping mother at the foot of the cross. The second movement, _Cuius Animam_, an aria for tenor, could easily have been a jaunty aria sung by Don Giovanni or Figaro bragging of his conquests in love as opposed to continuing the image of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross. The duet which follows is equally theatrical... operatic in style. I quite love the music... but cannot help but feel that the text and music don't quite gel... that Rossini doesn't really get the idea of tragedy. I must wonder what the Catholic Church originally made of this.


----------



## Sid James

^^I think Rossini called that work, and a number of other late works he did (after his retirement from writing operas at about age 35), "the sins of my old age." From what you say, it seems like he was "sinning" in not being conventional with the Latin text. Bear in mind that Haydn was reproached for this as well, eg. for setting the _Agnus dei _in one of his masses in a bright and optimistic way, not the usual darker tone it's usually given. With these composers liturgical works - eg. Rossini, PUccini, Verdi - I tend to see their liturgical works as operas in everything but name (& text, too). They saw the text in these cases as malleable. Sometimes they got the allusions/meanings behind the text spot on, with others they went out on a bit of a limb. I esp. love Puccini's _Agnus dei _from his early_ Messa di Gloria_, which is similarly joyful to that Haydn...


----------



## Vaneyes

Right on, Sid. Re Verdi Requiem, this could be Exhibit A. Listen to Maestro at about 3:15, shouting.


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## opus55

After almost two hours of Villa-Lobos (excellent) I returned to some European standards.

Brahms: Symphony No.4
Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3
Mendelssohn, Piano Trio No.1


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## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov--*Capriccio Espagnol, Op.34, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Bernstein.


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## Vaneyes

Nudged by a mention of Mozart arias, followed by R. Strauss songs. Christine & Claudio doing the honors, with BPO.

View attachment 3591


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## neoshredder

Again listening to Famous Classical Trumpet Concertos. The Hummel Trumpet Concerto is amazing. Hertel's Trumpet Concerto is really good as well. Might be the best classical cd I ever bought.


----------



## Guest

opus55 said:


> After almost two hours of Villa-Lobos (excellent) I returned to some European standards.
> 
> Brahms: Symphony No.4
> Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3
> Mendelssohn, Piano Trio No.1


Couldn't have picked better recordings either, especially in regards to the Brahms and Mendelssohn symphonies.


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## Thunders

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Thank you so much for this one ! Absolutely beautiful.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Crudblud said:


> Segerstam - Symphony No. 212
> 
> I'm also laughing at an irate guy in the comment section who says that it isn't music because it doesn't have melody and rhythm.


That is one great symphony. If that guy posted that comment here, I can't imaging how many replies he would get explaining how wrong that person is.


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## NightHawk

Have now listened to the complete cycle of Sibelius Symphonies from LBernstein and NYP - listening to the 1st again, and have to say it is magnificent, esp first movement from clarinet solo to the top of the arc of that colossal theme. Lenny clearly had a magnificent intuition into the works of the Great Finn as he also did with Mahler, I believe. Certainly not the only vision, but one of the truly great ones. 

No. 1 Avery Fisher at Lincoln Center 1967 recording, No. 2 Avery Fisher Hall 1966, No. 3 Avery Fisher 1965, No. 4 Avery Fisher Hall 1966, No. 5 Manhattan Center 1961, No. 6 Avery Fischer 1967. (The sound is fantastic, btw)


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## Kevin Pearson

Listening to a wonderful recording of the Grieg string quartets (arr. for string orchestra), which also includes an arrangement of Nordheim's Rendezvous by the Oslo Camerata. I'm not a huge fan of transcriptions usually but this album is delightful. It's a top notch performance and a top notch recording, which makes me laugh when I think of this thread:

Does Naxos really suck?

I don't know what that original poster had purchased or heard from Naxos but it certainly does not match my experience. Anyway here is the cover:









Kevin


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## science




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## Vaneyes

Ravel orchestral works with Dutoit, then HvK.

View attachment 3598
View attachment 3599


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## clavichorder

Dutilleux Sympony 2 "Le Double".

Phenomenal piece, I can't get enough of it.


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## Pestouille

You said Fux? Fux you said?


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## Klavierspieler

Britten - Lachrymae

Gor Hovhannisyan, viola
Hsin-Bei Lee, piano


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## clavichorder

There's something that makes me very sad sometimes, when I listen to Medtner's music. He had such an independent spirit, but you can tell that the world was wearing at that will. This piece seems to epitomize this for me.


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## Vaneyes

Two Keith Jarrett CDs, back to back. Handel Suites for Keyboard, followed by something modern with La Scala Parts 1 & 2.

View attachment 3602
View attachment 3603


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## Vaneyes

Pestouille said:


> View attachment 3600
> 
> You said Fux? Fux you said?


And let's not forget retailer Fcuk. The last Fcuk I was in was at Sydney Harbour.


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## Sid James

clavichorder said:


> Dutilleux Sympony 2 "Le Double".
> 
> Phenomenal piece, I can't get enough of it.


Yes, it's interesting, I like how he forms this kind of smaller band grouped around a harpsichord contrasting it with the orchestra. It's as if the harpsichord was left on the concert hall stage from the night before doing a Baroque gig, and stayed to join the fray of this modern symphony. I remember that various solos where pulled out of the orchestra in this, esp. string solos and trumpet solos were great, if I recall correctly. I'll have to give it a spin soon. I am about to review a piece by Aussie composer Neil Currie who used the same concerto grosso like small band in his trombone concerto which I'm about to review now...


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## clavichorder

Sid James said:


> Yes, it's interesting, I like how he forms this kind of smaller band grouped around a harpsichord contrasting it with the orchestra. It's as if the harpsichord was left on the concert hall stage from the night before doing a Baroque gig, and stayed to join the fray of this modern symphony.


I love how he integrates it as an orchestral texture, I want to do that in my own symphony some day, if I ever write one, it works so well!


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## Sid James

*Neil Currie* (born 1955)
_Tumbling Strain_ (1990-91)
Warwick Tyrrell, trombone / Adelaide SO / Patrick Thomas, cond.
(ABC Classics - _Trombone Concertos _album)

A first few listens to this work on an album I got just now.

*Neil Currie *is a Canadian-born composer working in Australia. He studied with Peter Sculthorpe. This work was written for the trombonist on this recording, Warwick Tyrrell, while Currie was composer in residence for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. The title refers to how in Australian Aboriginal chant, the voices go "tumbling" from high to low.

The defacto concerto is in ten episodes that go without a break. The trombone soloist is surrounded by a mini band of other wind players - oboe, bassoon, alto sax, trumpet and another trombone. Throughout the work, the soloist's instrument blends with these instruments, sometimes they are hard to distinguish from one another.

The work started off sounding kind of European, with counterpoint between the trombonist and strings. Then the other parts of the orchestra joined in. This modern counterpoint, esp. the flute writing, reminded me of bits of Bartok's_ Concerto for Orchestra. _Towards the middle of the work, the rhythms of Aboriginal music came to the fore, with clapsticks used to keep time. In the seventh episode, _Meno mosso_, the trombonist played a sad Aboriginal lament. The following episode, _A tempo,_ was the cadenza, here the soloist imitated the drone of the didgeridoo, with growls and vocalisations. This lead to a fast and vigorous conclusion, which bought Aboriginal tribal dancing and ritual, a corroboree, to mind.

I enjoyed this work and look forward to hearing the other works on this disc, bit by bit...


----------



## Klavierspieler

Britten - Cello Suite No. 2

Mstislav Rostropovich


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev*

_Peter and the Wolf_
Sir Ralph Richardson, narrator / London SO / Malcolm Sargent
(Belart/Decca - from album: _Children's Classics_)

_Sym.#5 in B flat, Op. 100_
City of Birmingham SO / Simon Rattle
(EMI)

*Webern*
_Passacaglia, Op. 1_ (1908)
_Five Movements for Strings, Op. 5_ (1909, rev. 1929)
_Six Pieces, Op. 6_ (1909, rev. 1928)
Ulster Orch. / Takuo Yuasa
(NAxos)


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## kv466




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## poconoron

Beethoven and Brendel.........superb.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked up the third volume of the Busch Quartet performing Beethoven's quartets on the classical Dutton label. The quartet plays no.s 7 & 12. These recordings are one rare example in which a recording of this age (1942 and 1936) would be my first pick for this repertoire... if the whole of the quartets were available. As I noted earlier, chamber music... and especially string quartets (trios, quintets, etc...) are not among my favorite musical forms... but these recordings of Beethoven's quartets are surely awakening a greater degree of interest.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Local boys (George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra) make good. Some marvelous playing by Fleisher... whose career was tragically cut short when he lost the use of his right hand, due to a condition that was eventually diagnosed as focal dystonia. Fleisher commenced performing and recording the left-handed repertoire as well as teaching while searching for a cure for his condition. In the early 21st century, Fleisher regained the use of his right hand through a combination of Rolfing and botox injections.

This recording is most certainly deserving of being placed on CBS roster of "Great Performances". It showcases both Fleisher and Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra at their finest. Recently I have been listening to Fleisher/Szell's recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos... and their performance of Barhms' concertos which have once again awakened a real interest in Brahms in spite of my sworn allegiance to Wagner and his heir, Richard Strauss.:lol:

Highly recommended!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Sonata in C, KV.545










Simple but beautiful


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Joseph Haydn: Symphony #11 (1760)*
Written when Haydn was just 28, prior to him living with the Esterházy family, it's remarkable how mature Haydn sounded even in his youth. And even while the young composer was living in poverty, his sunny disposition and charm are present as always. Unusually the four movement work opens with an expansive slow movement, the highlight of the symphony. Haydn achieves a Mozart like sense of grace, writing at his finest and warmest. Modeled after an aria, the violins sing high above a fragile accompaniment, forming some of the composers most beautiful music. Highly recommended, if only for the first movement.

*Robert Schumann: Piano Trio #1 (1847)*
Had I known this piece two days ago, I most certainly would have included it in my nominations for the "Top Piano Chamber Works" thread. Schumann retains a refreshing level of quality throughout all the movements here, though it really is the finale where it soars. A moment in the first movement where the violin plays the melody quietly and sul ponticello, backed by a tinkling piano, is also worth mentioning- especially with the payoff that follows. The scherzo is absolutely delightful, and while I've always been a little turned off by Schumann's 'march' mode, here it works wonderfully. Again, the finale is the highlight; Schumann gets close to perfection here. A beautiful pastoral theme brimming with energy starts up, and Schumann always finds a way to bring it back with even more zeal. I have a feeling this is a work I'll be returning whenever I'm down, as its done wonders to my spirit so far.

*Bedřich Smetana: Hakon Jarl (1861)*
This tone poem is probably Smetana's finest next to _Má vlast_. Less reminiscent of Wagner, and more foreshadowing Tchaikovsky, Smetana displays an usual amount of sensitivity and reflection in this work. Big themes and throbbing romantic melodies are still a given, but this is a work clearly written by a mature composer.

*Claude Debussy: Cello Sonata (1917)*
This work is the shortest of his three late sonatas, and it is its structure I have the most problem with. The first movement, marked prelude, is the longest. The jaunty middle _animé_ is cleverly written, followed by an invigorating finale. But the finale never really pays off, or the previous movements never really explain what they're about- either way I'm left feeling a little empty handed. Still, this is a fun piece which seems to be toying with all the different modes and scales Debussy had at his disposal. Pentatonic and octatonic are sure to pop up, but his use of western harmony, or more so western melody, was what interested me. The main theme almost sounds like a folk song, and it's quite something to hear this collage of cultures.

*Witold Lutosławski: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1988)*
My first exposure to Lutosławski, the _Concerto for Piano and Orchestra_ was written when the composer was 75, so I was thrown into a entirely mature sound world. I'd read that this work was more lighthearted than his other stuff, which kind of scares me, as this wasn't particularly cheery. It opens gently enough, until the piano comes in bitingly. A game of cat and mouse ensues, and the two sections continue in a scherzo like fashion. In the third movement things take a turn for the tragic, and after a lyrical moment (that recalls Bartok's _Piano Concerto #3)_, the orchestra wails in anguish. From there the tempo of the scherzo returns, but this time everything is frantic, dark, and frightened. The piece is brilliantly orchestrated, and I was struck by how transparent all the parts where (and apparently some of it is semi-improvised). The language is clear, and accessible to my ear, though perhaps not to others. I'm very fond of it as it is, but I have a feeling this is a piece that after some time apart, I'll come to love.

*Pierre Boulez: Anthèmes (1991)*
A short character piece for solo violin, here Boulez explores all the sonorities and techniques that one could possibly do in 9 minutes. But this is far from an exploration, and perhaps closer to an exercise for the veteran composer. Although atonal, the work is remarkably accessible (and for Boulez!). It really is a character piece, filled with wit, eccentricity, and austerity- probably an apt description of the composer. Overall engaging, and worth a listen.


----------



## Sid James

Clementine said:


> ...
> 
> *Witold Lutosławski: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1988)*
> My first exposure to Lutosławski, the _Concerto for Piano and Orchestra_ was written when the composer was 75, so I was thrown into a entirely mature sound world. I'd read that this work was more lighthearted than his other stuff, which kind of scares me, as this wasn't particularly cheery. It opens gently enough, until the piano comes in bitingly. A game of cat and mouse ensues, and the two sections continue in a scherzo like fashion. In the third movement things take a turn for the tragic, and after a lyrical moment (that recalls Bartok's _Piano Concerto #3)_, the orchestra wails in anguish. From there the tempo of the scherzo returns, but this time everything is frantic, dark, and frightened....


The first time I heard this work, it was on radio, and the announcer similarly said it's a light work. WEll listening to it that time I thought, like you, it's on the whole dark. But I don't find it depressing. His _Cello Concerto_ is darker still, but I like it more, eg. because of that "arch" he goes on from the cellist playing a single note, kind of stuck in a rut, it starts and ends like that. Anyway, this is all subjective, what matters is that these were some of the finest concerti of after 1945.

He also did a concerto for oboeist Heinz Holliger which is lighter than both the other two. It's a double concerto for oboe and harp, the harpist was Holliger's wife.



> ...The piece is brilliantly orchestrated, and I was struck by how transparent all the parts where (and apparently some of it is semi-improvised). The language is clear, and accessible to my ear, though perhaps not to others. I'm very fond of it as it is, but I have a feeling this is a piece that after some time apart, I'll come to love.


I agree with those observations. He was a great orchestrator and very accessible without giving in to the usual romantic or impressionist or other cliches. He was unique and pretty much his own man...


----------



## Miaou

*Faure*
Papillon
Dolly suite

*Schumann*
Carnaval (arr. for orchestra)
Piano Concerto in A minor
Piano Concerto in D minor (the finished bit of course)

*Prokofiev*
Peter and the Wolf


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven's best symphony (no. 3) along with my favourite (no. 4)


----------



## clavichorder

Ligeti Violin Concerto. First time, listening in progress. It sounds like him that's for sure, I kind of like it.


----------



## violadude

clavichorder said:


> Ligeti Violin Concerto. First time, listening in progress. It sounds like him that's for sure, I kind of like it.


One of my favorite violin concertos. Did you get to the second movement yet? There is a really really creepy passage for ocarinas in that movement.


----------



## Sid James

A listen in full to this album of *Arthur Benjamin's* chamber music. I made an in-depth review plus a short blurb about his life HERE at Australian composers thread.


----------



## neoshredder

I listened to Debussy for Daydreaming. Very dreamy cd. I get the same feeling from 70's/early 80's Ambient music as well as Pink Floyd. Recommended.


----------



## Klavierspieler

violadude said:


> One of my favorite violin concertos. Did you get to the second movement yet? There is a really really creepy passage for *ocarinas* in that movement.


You just made me want to listen to that.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by Clementine's listening of a Schumann Piano Trio.

Gringolts, Kouzov, Laul with all...

View attachment 3610


----------



## Guest

Some new stuff I heard on Pandora:

*Peter Warlock*:
_The Curlew
Serenade for String Orchestra
Capriol Suite_

Gotta love that English pastoral sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 3613
A majestic representation by Gavrilov, a pianist we don't hear enough about these days.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Jeff N said:


> Some new stuff I heard on Pandora:
> 
> *Peter Warlock*:
> _The Curlew
> Serenade for String Orchestra
> Capriol Suite_
> 
> Gotta love that English pastoral sound.


I thought Philip Heseltine wrote those pieces...


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## kv466




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## tgtr0660

Currently starting to cover Riccardo Chailly's new Beethoven symphonies cycle with the Gewandhausorchester. His previous Bach albums with the same forces left me uncertain of what to think of his project: the Weihnachtsoratorium was quite good, but the St Matthew Passion was too light and quick for my taste. So far, Beethoven's 1st has impressed me very positively, and now my hopes are high for the remainder of the set.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to Piano Concertos 24 & 25 I just cannot help but wonder where Mozart might have taken music had he another 20 years. Already he seems to be heading into the real that suggests the direction taken by Beethoven. The late operas, piano concertos, and final symphonies suggest a composer rejecting the accepted traditions of the Rococo and heading toward Romanticism. Damn! What might he have done with a grand piano!


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## Sid James

Getting into some string music. A good album, some rare works. First listen to this cd.

I esp. liked the *Karl Jenkins *piece, it came across as Baroque kind of rhythms and tunes meeting modern dynamics, quite invigorating.

*Brian Barret's*_ Slick Chick_ I'd guess is named after starlets of Hollywood of the 1930's - maybe Mae West? - it is very much like a soundtrack to that era, and part of it very similar to _When I wish upon a star _sung by Judy Garland.

* Parry's *work came across as a bit like Grieg's_ Holberg Suite_, but English.

All round this disc is okay, but playing is not as slick as I'm used to, this is a school orchestra made up of musicians under age 18. Glad though that they stayed away from just warhorses & including a good deal of contemporary music...

*Album: Bellus & Lyrae - The Nova Youth Orchestra*
*Karl Jenkins *- _Allegretto from the "Palladio" Concerto Grosso for String Orch._
*John Rutter *- _Suite for Strings_
*Mendelssohn*
_Sinfonia #10 in B minor (Adagio e Allegro)
Concerto in D minor for violin and string orch. (first movement - Allegro Molto)+_
*Miloslav Penicka *-_ Excerpts from Dance Suite _(1998)
*Brian Barrett *- _"Slick Chick" for string orch._
*Parry *- _Excerpts from An English Suite for string orch._
*Albinoni* - _Oboe Concerto Op. 9 #2_*

+Kieran Ledwidge, vln.
*Rixon Thomas, oboe
Nova Youth ORchestra / Martin Smith & Philippa Jackson, conductors
(Self published, 1999)


----------



## Sid James

& also in my more usual territory, the Modern Viennese School, a listen after a long time to the vinyl LP of *Schoenberg's* music, while Jane Manning's quite acerbic account of_ Pierrot Lunaire _has become a firm favourite & I'm getting my head around* Webern's *music more now, also connecting with the atmospheres he created, very subtle...

*Schoenberg*
_The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15 (15 poems of Stefan George)_ (1907-8)
- Colette Herzog, voice / Jacqueline Bonneau, piano
_Five Pieces for Orch., Op. 16 _(1909)
- Cologne Gurzenich SO / Gunter Wand
(Musidisc vinyl LP, France, c.1960's)

*Schoenberg*
_Pierrot Lunaire_ (words - Albert Giraud) (1911-12)*
*Webern*
_Concerto, Op. 24_
*Jane Manning, speech-song
Nash Ensemble / Simon Rattle
(Chandos)

*Webern*
_Five PIeces, Op. 10_ (1911-13)
_Symphony, Op. 30_ (1928)
_Variations, Op. 30_ (1940)
Ulster Orch. / Takuo Yuasa
(Naxos)


----------



## Sid James

& Australian *Neil Currie's *trombone concerto _Tumbling Strain_, a contemporary work that fuses things like modern counterpoint and the rhythms and melodies of Aboriginal music. My review of this work, with full details of performers, HERE.


----------



## Pestouille

A Scriabin evening with:

Melnikov:








Sofronitsky:







Le poème de l'extase followed by Le Divin Poème








Le Divin Poème followed by Le poème de l'extase








And to finish that wonderful evening, the unforgettable Richter plays Beethoven 'Tempest' & 'The Hunt', just fabulous....


----------



## poconoron

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listening to Piano Concertos 24 & 25 I just cannot help but wonder where Mozart might have taken music had he another 20 years. Already he seems to be heading into the real that suggests the direction taken by Beethoven. The late operas, piano concertos, and final symphonies suggest a composer rejecting the accepted traditions of the Rococo and heading toward Romanticism. Damn! What might he have done with a grand piano!


I absolutely agree...................


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## opus55

Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen; Carmen Fantasy
Scriabin: Symphony No.2
Schubert: Sonata in B flat, D.960


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> I'm getting my head around* Webern's *music more now, also connecting with the atmospheres he created, very subtle...


:tiphat: I hope eventually Webern does for you what he does for me.

Yesterday was exhausting, and I'm not wanting to even move today, so I'm putting on some Bach cantatas to get the adrenalin pumping. 
*
Cantata BWV 80, Ein Feste Burg*, and *Cantata BWV 61, Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland*









Leusink's forces do very well on this disc.


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## kv466




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## kv466




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## Cnote11

Obviously not the whole thing, seeing as it is 29 disc... but I am currently enjoying the Piano Works, at this very moment the Petite Suite.


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## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.3










Trying to listen to this long symphony without interruptions


----------



## clavichorder

Very prolific and interesting Rococco composer, Molter.


----------



## Pestouille

Celibidache at his best, 7th Zen before being a bit too zen...


----------



## Dowd

It's taken me a little while to warm up to these, but what a nice collection of sonatas! And a great lineup with Manze, Egarr, and ter Linden.

Manze [violin] • Egarr [harpsichord] • ter Linden [viola da gamba]
Rebel
Violin Sonatas


----------



## Sid James

*Faure *- _Requiem, Op. 48 (Chamber version)_
Soloists with Oxford Camerata & Schola Cantorum under Jeremy Summerley
(Naxos)

*Webern*
_Five Movements for string orch., Op. 5 (arr. of string quartet)_
_Six Pieces for orch., Op. 6 (version for large orch.)_
Ulster Orch. / Takuo Yuasa
(Naxos)

*Rossini*
_The Barber of Seville_ - _Figaro's aria, Rosina's aria & Don Basilio's aria from Act I_.
Teresa Berganza, Nicolai Ghiaurov, etc. with Orch. Rossini di Napoli under Silvio Varviso
(Decca Eloquence)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Thanks to St. Luke's enthusiasm for "*Winter Daydreams", *upon furher listening, I have found that it--like the "*Little Russian"*--has now become one of my favorite Tchaikovsky symphonies.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Claudio Abbado. This work also has greatly risen in my liking the more that I have listened to it.


----------



## tgtr0660

Yesterday I listened to Chailly's Beethoven 2nd. Again, impressive. The energy and vitality of the playing is second to none and the tempos and dynamics selected by the maestro really make this work come to live (not that it was dead with other conductors either). When listening to Leonora N. 3 overture in the same disc my first problem withthis set arrived. The epic, triumphant closing of this masterpiece wasn't in the same league of other versions. Maybe Chailly's approach is better (in my taste) for the lighter, faster works, but let's see...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Modest Mussorgsky--*Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain,* performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## clavichorder

^^^^^^
Samurai, you love your Nielsen. I'm just getting into him, he seems a very fine composer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon is the studio painting... and listening to the following:




























I'll have to thank Andre/Sid for calling attention to Lutoslawski. He is someone I haven't explored nearly enough... but from what I have heard I think I like him more than Penderecki.

Haydn's _Seven Last Words of Christ_ in its choral rendition has an interesting history. The work was initially composed for a ranking clergyman of Cadiz, Spain. It was written to serve as a musical illumination and/or interlude between Biblical readings on the Passion of Christ. As such, each of the seven movements were to be slow... meditative... and tragic. Haydn admitted that composing such a work without boring the listener proved to be a challenge. The completed work was scored for full orchestra. The work quickly became one of Haydn's most popular, and the composer went on the score a version for string quartet and to approve a version for keyboard transcribed by another composer.

In August, 1795, Haydn visited the Bavarian town of Passau on the Danube. There he attended a performance of his _Seven Last Words_ scored as a cantata for voices and choir by the Kapellmeister, Joseph Friebert. Haydn was quite taken by the performance and obtained a copy of the score. He set about to score his own choral version asking the Baron von Swieten to revise the text. The Baron von Swieten also organized the first performance of Haydn's version in Vienna in 1796. Two years later, in the same setting, Haydn's masterpiece _The Creation_ would also have its premier.

Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini is given a magnificently spirited performance by Leon Fleisher with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. I am struck by passages that play with the boundaries of traditional tonality, and others that shimmer and undulate like the most delicate passages of Debussy.


----------



## neoshredder

Just listened to C.P.E Bach Symphonies 1-5. It's like a combination of Telemann and early Mozart. Great stuff.


----------



## samurai

clavichorder said:


> ^^^^^^
> Samurai, you love your Nielsen. I'm just getting into him, he seems a very fine composer.


@CC, Yeah, You're absolutely right about that; I just seem to have this need to listen to at least a couple of his symphonies every day, at least for now. I was really impressed with Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic's readings of his *2nd *and *4th Symphonies . *As compared to the Blomstedt Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra Nielsen cycle I recently purchased, the former seems more regal and expressive--at least in regard to these 2 works--perhaps because they were taken at a slower pace than the Blomstedti nterpretations. I will listen again tomorrow to the Blomstedt interpretations to determine if my opinion is still the same.


----------



## Conor71

*Anonymous: Altissonis Aptatis*

I've been listening to quite a lot of early music this week as my recent orders have almost finished arriving from the US. Currently listening to Disc 2 of this interesting and beautiful set which features some medieval music. I must admit that I thought this Box would be mainly a capella music but its a bit more varied than that!.
Anyways, I like this music a lot - there is something pure and soothing about it and its easy to listen to!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just finished listening to some *good* British music. "Adam Zero" is now my favourite ballet score of all time.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Now for some utterly remarkable American music:


----------



## starthrower

Recommended by Sid James


----------



## kv466




----------



## poconoron

I love the "Light Cavalry" overture!


----------



## Cnote11




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## kv466




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## Cnote11

Listening to this










with this lined-up


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## Conor71

*Haydn: Piano Trios No. 12 In F Minor, H 15/F1*

Now listening to my daily double of Haydn - Disc 3 of this set of the Piano Trios followed by Disc 15 of the String Quartets box-set. Great music which always puts a smile on my face!


----------



## Sid James

*Zemlinsky*
_Six Songs, Op. 13_ (words - M. Maeterlinck)*
_Symphonic Songs, Op. 20 _(words - African-American poets)**
*Violeta Urmana, mezzo-sop.
**Michael Volle, baritone
Gurzenich Orch., Cologne / James Conlon
(EMI)

*Prokofiev*
_Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67_
Beatrice Lillie, narrator / London SO / Skitch Henderson
(Decca Eloquence)

*Britten*
_The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a theme by H. Purcell)_
Sean Connery, narrator / Royal PO / Antal Dorati
(Belart / Decca reissue)

*Tristram Cary*
_Nonet - Computer Music in Four Tracks (Stereo reduction for CD)_ (1979)
_Sine City II - Computer Music in Stereo _(1979/96)
_Three Clockpieces - Computer Music in Stereo _(1983/96)
(from Tall Poppies 2 cd set - Tristram Cary, Soundings, electroacoustic music 1955-1996 - my full review HERE at Australian composers thread)


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## kv466

Some of the most strange and beautiful horn work.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Following Starthrower's lead . . .


----------



## Chrythes

Currently listening to the Two Canzonas with Dances and the Piano Quintet is next. 
It's really different from the solo piano Medtner I've heard so far. It's a lot more lyrical and not as dense as his op.38 or 39.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Symphony No. 9 In C Major, D 944, "Great"*

One of only a couple of mono discs I own - this one sounds great I think!


----------



## Pestouille

Some Shostakovich to start the evening:















Some Brahms for enlightment after the darkness:















And after Emil, Emil...


----------



## Sid James

starthrower said:


> Recommended by Sid James


I hope you enjoy it (Manxfeeder as well!). It's the recording that got me connected and enthusiastic with Schoenberg's music after about a decade of stagnation in that area. After _Transfigured Night_, I got into_ Pierrot Lunaire _again, then the _Violin Concerto_ played by Hilary Hahn, also the _Five Pieces for orch_., _Moses und Aron_, etc. & his arrangments of Brahms and J. Strauss II. Schoenberg's still a work in progress for me, but I've enjoyed this journey, and that Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recording was like the spark plug that got my engine running. Their playing is modern, nuanced, delicate, colourful, finely crafted, I can go on...


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## teej

Listening to the complete solo piano music of Poulenc, played by Eric Parkin. All in all, some very acceptable interpretations of some fine piano music. Worth a listen!


----------



## starthrower

Sid James said:


> I hope you enjoy it (Manxfeeder as well!). It's the recording that got me connected and enthusiastic with Schoenberg's music after about a decade of stagnation in that area. After _Transfigured Night_, I got into_ Pierrot Lunaire _again, then the _Violin Concerto_ played by Hilary Hahn, also the _Five Pieces for orch_., _Moses und Aron_, etc. & his arrangments of Brahms and J. Strauss II. Schoenberg's still a work in progress for me, but I've enjoyed this journey, and that Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recording was like the spark plug that got my engine running. Their playing is modern, nuanced, delicate, colourful, finely crafted, I can go on...


Yes, I like it. Thanks! Verklarte Nacht is beautiful. Schoenberg was such a romantic! I like the chamber symphonies too.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}. *Both works feature the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


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## tgtr0660

Having listened to Beethoven's 3rd under Chailly with the Gewandhaus, I'm starting to see what the future symphonies will sound like. He's terrific in fast movements, he's excellent at clarity of texture and the orchestra's playing is really amazing (as is the recording), he gets dynamic contrats quite right, but with tempos, he almost has only two: fast, and faster. The Eroica is a good example: great first movement, awkward, displeasing (for me) second (no funeral march to be found but a semi-joyous movement), a quick scherzo and a last movement that suddenly became a presto. I'm sure this approach will do wonders in the 8th, maybe in my least favorite, the 4th, but I dread the 9th. Let's see...


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## Conor71

*Ockeghem: Requiem*


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## NightHawk

I have owned this very recording for years...from when the Orpheus was young - it is a fantastic performance and I have listened to it many times.



Manxfeeder said:


> Following Starthrower's lead . . .
> 
> View attachment 3648


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## NightHawk

I know the _Missa Prolationum_ well. Nothing more complicated rhythmically was written again until the 20th century yet the mass is beautiful and gives little sense of the difficulty. Give a listen to Josquin's in memoriam motet to Ockeghem when Ockeghem died...'_Deploration sur la mort Johannes Ockeghem' _...beautiful+


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## NightHawk

The Quartet in a minor Op. 86 was Myaskovsky's last work, I believe, and it is truly beautiful; neo-classic/romantic with no sign of 'Soviet-ness' about it. This recording is by the great Taneiev Quartet.

Don't know how I managed to double this post! sorry!


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## NightHawk

View attachment 3659


The Quartet in a minor Op. 86 was Myaskovsky's last work, I believe, and it is truly beautiful; neo-classic/romantic with no sign of 'Soviet-ness' about it. This recording is by the great Taneiev Quartet.


----------



## Vaneyes

One of ABM's very best, followed by Herreweghe and the Brahms Requiem with 
a more intimate setting than most, which I've come to prefer.

View attachment 3660
View attachment 3661


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## Vaneyes

clavichorder said:


> ^^^^^^
> Samurai, you love your Nielsen. I'm just getting into him, he seems a very fine composer.


And BBC Building a Library reconfirmed this month, that the SF/Blomstedt 4th is First Choice.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4609882?utm_source=News-2012-03-05&utm_medium=email


----------



## Vaneyes

Spurred onward by neoshredder, now listening to CPE Bach Symphonies, convincingly-conducted by Hartmut Haenchen.

I've enjoyed these recordings for many years. For those interested, these two CDs are now inexpensively available as a double offering on the Phoenix label.

View attachment 3662
View attachment 3663


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## Cygnenoir

I have just found a new favourite. Steve Reich! Just looove "Music for 18 musicians", "The Desert Music" and "The Four Sections"!


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## tgtr0660

Ok I heard Chailly's Beethoven's 4th. As expected, better (as a performance) than the 3rd because it lends itself far better to his italianate, faster, lighter style. Again, if there are two things to really commend on this set, is the recording and the AMAZING playing by the Gewandhaus. I've never posted a picture of the set.


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## kv466




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## Taneyev

York Bowen's viola concerto. The most beautiful I ever heard.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Hammerklavier Sonata*.

I woke up today wanting to get hammered. Beethoven-style, I mean. I like Rudolph Serkin's icy interpretation of the adagio.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of the late Richard Hickox's (1948 - 2008) birthday, listening to Arnold Symphonies 3 & 4, then Martinu Double Concerto.

View attachment 3667
View attachment 3668


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## kv466

Great disc btw, Starthrower...just listening now.


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## Sid James

*Zemlinsky*
_Waldgesprach _(words - J. von Eichendorff)*
_Maiblumen bluhten uberall_ (words - R. Dehmel)*
_Two songs for baritone and Orch._ (orchestrated by Anthony Beaumont) (words - Eichendorff & anonymous)**
*Soile Isokoski, soprano
**Andreas Schmidt, baritone
Gurzenich Orch., Cologne / James Conlon
(EMI)

*Stravinsky*
_Symphony in C _(1940)
Philharmonia Orch. / Robert Craft
(Naxos)

*Zemlinsky*
_Sinfonietta, Op. 23 _(1934)
New Zealand SO / James Judd
(Naxos)

*Tristram Cary*
_Black, White and Rose for Marimba, Gongs, Woodblocks and tape _(1991)*
_The Impossible Piano (Homage to Conlon Nancarrow) for sequencer and sampled piano (7 excerpts) _(1994)
* with Ryszard Pusz, percussions
(on Tall Poppies set - my review on Australian composers thread of this disc HERE)


----------



## Sid James

*Buxtehude* - _Organ works
Prelude, Fugue & Chaconne in C major, BuxWV 137
Preludes and Fugues BuxWV 139-142, 145, 146, 149
Ciaconas in C minor, BuxWV 159 & in E minor, BuxWV 160
Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV 161_
Helmut Walcha, Arp Schnitger Organ, Cappel (Saxony)
(Archiv Produktion)

I like this organ music, quite relaxing and intimate for the king of instruments. Something about this recording grabs me and it's special. I have tended to connect with Buxtehude in organ music, as well as the French guys. I am in an organ vibe at the moment and plan to listen to my organ recordings bit by bit.


----------



## Dowd

I love doing this every once in awhile... alternating the Grumiaux sonatas with the Podger partitas.

Arthur Grumiaux [violin]
Bach
Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Rachel Podger [violin]
Bach
Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 5.*


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerto in C major, RV.425; Concerto in G minor, RV.439 (arranged for guitar by Romero)










Pepe Romero / I Musici


----------



## Sid James

*F. Couperin*
_Messe pour les couvents (Mass for the convents)_ (1690)
Gillian Weir, organ of Prediger-Kirche, Zurich
(Disc 2 of double cd set on Decca Eloquence label)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid James said:


> *F. Couperin*
> _Messe pour les couvents (Mass for the convents)_ (1690)
> Gillian Weir, organ of Prediger-Kirche, Zurich
> (Disc 2 of double cd set on Decca Eloquence label)


I've been looking at that disc for some time... in spite of the fact that it can only be had as an import here. Let me know what you think.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Piano Concertos 24 and 25.

Yes again!

You got a problem with that?


----------



## opus55

Schubert: 3 Impromptus, D.946
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 6
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op.45


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}. *Both symphonies are performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## tgtr0660

Continuing with Chailly's Beethoven cycle, I'm listening to what's certainly the weakest disc yet. It started promisingly enough with a brilliant rendition of the Coriolan overture. But the 5th is, for my taste, disappointing. The first movement feels rushed, devoid of that deep sensation of volcanic energy replaced by sheer rhythm and speed; the second also feels rushed and lacks weight; the third (you've guessed it: rushed), lacking the excitement in its buildup to the (in this case) non-epic fourth. Chailly's obsession with faster tempos (like Toscanini decades ago, though with somewhat more balance) killed parts of this symphony. The perfect playing can't compensate. 
The 6th is actually worse. The fast-faster view that seems to inform this set doesn't really help this music which needs more peace, more deep analysis, more time for extracting all its soul. Even if this metronome markings are Beethoen's, I still preder the readings of the classic germanic conductors like Karajan or Furtwangler much better, they seem to be able to bring the Bonn's master's music even more to the fore, they make even more of it, evidencing its perfection. Predictably, the last movements of the Pastoral were stronger. 

I have higher hopes for the 7th (rhythm seems to be Chailly's passion) and the 8th (it just seems a good fit). I dread the 9th, I hope I'm wrong.


----------



## Conor71

*Agricola: Salve Regina*

I listened to Discs Nos. 3-5 of this set today at work - the first Disc was some more medieval music. I have'nt had much exposure to this type of music before getting the boxset, having only 1 Disc of Hildegard Of Bingen. I like it and its growing on me I think.
Disc 4 was probably the best Disc of the day and I repeated it 3 times for full effect - this Disc was multi-part choral music with Tallis Spem In Alium kicking off proceedings.
The last Disc I listened to was works by Alexander Agricola, a new composer to me - again I repeated the Disc 3 times to try and take it all in. I enjoyed my day spent listening to this set very much. Tomorrow I will work my way through another 3 or 4 Discs from the set all of them unheard  .


----------



## violadude

Listening to this American composer's piano sonatas. Vincent Persichetti wrote in a lot of different styles throughout his life and these are clearly documented in the piano 12 sonatas he wrote.

#1 is in a 12 tone German Expressionist style. I avoid the word serial here since it is not serial in the strictest sense of the term. Even though it is twelve tone, it is written more in the style of someone like Schoenberg rather than Boulez. The first movement is a pretty clear cut sonata form with very recognizable themes, actually surprisingly recognizable for a 12 tone piece. The second movement is very lyrical as well despite being atonal. The beautiful second movement runs right into the third movement, which is a very short vivace (under two minutes) with lots of up and down scales, which acts as an intermezzo before the last movement, which is a pretty great Passicaglia movement and a great way to end this great sonata.

#2 is more in the vague tonal style of Hindemith or someone similar. I am just listening to this one as I type actually. It is a lot lighter than the first, which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but I don't think I like it as much as the 1st sonata. It has yet to be decided for sure. The first movement is a pleasant little mini sonata form with light, lackadaisical themes. The second movement is actually really pretty, probably my favorite movement so far. The third movement is another very brief (again under 2 minutes) scherzo-like movement, just like the third movement was in the first sonata. The fourth movement has a similar lightness, but the rhythms and harmonic drive are very interesting in this one. It also a middle section of sudden isolated soft beauty amongst the crashing and pounding. It ends on an interesting chord that I would say is not very characteristic of the piece as a whole.

One thing that makes this composer difficult and fun at the same time is that in the fast movements, he has a definite sense of forward motion and an almost motor-like rhythmic drive. Therefore, thematic material goes by very fast and is often buried in scales and crashing rhythmic chords. Interesting composer. I will definitely be reporting in for more as I listen to the other sonatas.


----------



## Taneyev

Hermann Scherchen, string quartet op.1 (a little of Mahler+Reger+Bruckner)
NRK piano trio: Oistrakh trio
Rodrigo violin concerto (Ferras)


----------



## mensch

Currently listening to Radu Lupu's recordings of Schumann's Humoresken, Kinderszenen and Kreisleriana.

I've also just finished listening to the complete works of Chopin by Garrick Ohlsson, which has become my favourite complete edition of his works so far (sadly, it isn't on the cheap side, € 155,- even for a digital download). Contemplative performances and great attention to detail. The unconventional tempo of the Scherzi works really well, for example.


----------



## Chrythes

Sibelius - Violin Concerto. A much more exciting and interesting recording than Hahn's.


----------



## NightHawk

Excellent essay of the Symphonies of Beethoven by John Eliot Gardiner - I have it and listen to it most often of the several I have.



samurai said:


> Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}. *Both symphonies are performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## NightHawk

mensch said:


> View attachment 3683
> 
> 
> Currently listening to Radu Lupu's recordings of Schumann's Humoresken, Kinderszenen and Kreisleriana.
> 
> I've also just finished listening to the complete works of Chopin by Garrick Ohlsson, which has become my favourite complete edition of his works so far (sadly, it isn't on the cheap side, € 155,- even for a digital download). Contemplative performances and great attention to detail. The unconventional tempo of the Scherzi works really well, for example.
> 
> View attachment 3684


Radu Lupu is a stupendous artist in his self-limiting arena of mostly Germanic literature through Brahms. I have his 10 disc set called 'the Decca Years' that represent his career beginning shortly after winning the first (I think) Van Cliburn Competition. His Schubert is particularly wonderful.


----------



## mensch

NightHawk said:


> Radu Lupu is a stupendous artist in his self-limiting arena of mostly Germanic literature through Brahms. I have his 10 disc set called 'the Decca Years' and represent his career beginning shortly after winning the first (I think) Van Cliburn Competition. His Schubert is particularly wonderful.


He is, isn't he! I have the same Decca set which includes pieces of Schubert, Brahms and Schumann and I must say each of the performances has replaced my previous versions of the respective pieces.

He's coming to Antwerp in late March and unfortunately I can't attend. His selection of pieces for that recital is interesting though, Schubert (of course), but also César Franck and Clause Debussy.

On topic then. Currently listening to Beethoven's String Quartets in F minor, Op. 95 and E flat major, Op. 127 by the Endellion String Quartet.


----------



## mphtrilogy

my first post...
currently listening to Barber's Adagio for Strings by Leonard Bernstein...
wow


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating composer Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908) and conductor Kirill Kondrashin (1914 - 1981) birthdays, with these recordings back to back.

CSO/Reiner Scheherazade (rec. 1960), and Argerich/Bavarian RSO/Kondrashin Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 1
(rec. 1980).

View attachment 3692
View attachment 3693


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## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

mphtrilogy said:


> my first post...
> currently listening to Barber's Adagio for Strings by Leonard Bernstein...
> wow


Good choice for a first post!


----------



## Manxfeeder

The piano music of Conlon Nancarrow and George Antheil, then Edgard Varese's Deserts.


----------



## Vaneyes

Visiting England (1974-76), then France (1971-73), with GG.

View attachment 3697
View attachment 3698


----------



## kv466




----------



## Sid James

*F. Couperin* - _Messe pour les paroisses (Mass for the parishes)_ (1690)
Gillian Weir, organ of Prediger-Kirche, Zurich
(Cd 1 of double disc set, on Decca Eloquence label)

This mass for the parishes is based on plainchant tunes, the other one on this set - composed for the convents - is based on free chant, it's more like a fantasia with tunes made up by the composer.

In this _*Mass for the Parishes *_I esp. liked track 12, _Dialogue sur la voix humaines_, in which the organ's woodwind registers where used to great effect, it had this dancy vibe. Also, track 18, the_ Benedictus_, very deep and emotional. But all of the 21 movements are interesting and quite varied, although this work is nothing if not homogenous, it hangs together very well.










*Album: French Organ Music*
*Guilmant* - _Grand Choeur; Cantilene-Pastorale, Op. 19_
*Vierne* - _Berceuse; Epitapth; Stele pour un enfant defunt_
*Charpentier* - _Te Deum (fanfare)_
*Langlais *- _Trois Meditations_
*Malangreau *- _Suite Mariale_
*Boellmann* - _Suite Gothique_
*Widor* - _Toccata from Sym.#5_
*Bonnet* - _Romance_
Simon Lindley, organ of Leeds Parish Church, UK
(Naxos)

Of this varied collection, my favourite is *Jean Langlais *set of three pieces, composed in the 1960's. Out of this vague kind of haze emerge three tunes from plainchant, a carol and a hymn tune respectively, the three movements dedicated to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In the final piece, at the end a fugue by J.S.Bach comes to the fore, it sounds decidedly modern though, and the key of E flat rounds off the work giving it resoultion. A fascinating work fusing old and new, and I hope to get the full cd of Langlais on Naxos sometime in future. *Vierne* is another composer who is worth exploring in more depth judging from his three works here, they go very deep and are very lyrical, and he uses the simplest of devices to maximum effect.


----------



## Cnote11




----------



## kv466




----------



## Cnote11

That intrigues me. I definitely want to get my hands on that.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both symphonies feature Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Toscanini performs some great "bleeding chunks" from _Siegfried_ and _Götterdämmerung_ with Lauritz Melchior and Helen Traubel... all recorded in 1941 with the exception of the excerpt from _Siegfried_ which dates from 1951. The sound quality is pretty good although not near Solti's or Karajan's. I believe another member pointed out that your preferences with regard to Wagner often have to do with whether you place the orchestra or the vocalists first. The older recordings with Melchior and Flagstad and Windgassen and Varnay have not been surpassed in terms of singing... but the later recordings with Solti and Karajan strike me as far richer in terms of the clarity of the orchestra (as one might expect given the later technology). Still this is certainly a recording I can see myself returning to again and again.










These guys may just convert me into a real admirer of the string quartet. Seriously I don't dislike the string quartet... but I usually need to be in the mood for it. I listen far more to nearly any form of vocal music, orchestral music, symphonies, concertos, tone poems, chamber music featuring other instruments such as the piano, clarinet, oboe, etc... or even solo instrumental music than I do to string quartets, trios, quintets, etc...


----------



## kv466

Just acquired this and I like it much better than my Bernstein, so far.


----------



## Guest

went to a recital tonight at my university, featuring a trio of oboe, horn, and piano. there were several pieces by composers i'd never heard of, but one familiar name was York Bowen. they played his Ballade (op. 130, i believe) and it was simply gorgeous. i've listened to a few things by him before, but this piece has inspired me to hear more.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3










This complete piano concerto set fails to inspire me. My only other set is Krainev which is more convincing. I could use a recommendation here..

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde










Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras, Nos 7-9










Finally got to the last disc of this wonderful Villa-Lobos set


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *again with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## tgtr0660

Continuing my experience with Chailly's Beethoven cycle, now it was the turn of two symphonies I expected to fit the conductor. Alas, I was only partially right. The album started with a mundane Egmont overture (how the mighty have fallen, such an overture in such an irrelevant reading) followed by the 7th. Allegretto aside, this is definitely the best out of Chailly's 9 (9th yet to be heard), fantastic rhythmic propulsion, and as always, perfect playing. I have to commend the fact that he always takes exposition repeats (with his speed, the lack of repeats would make these symphonies last as long as a Vivaldi concerto ). The allegretto, well, more of a weird dance to rather sombre music, not to my taste, but surprisingly decent. 

The 8th is another story. This symphony (my favorite even-numbered one) is fast and not really drmatic but Chailly here really overdoes it. He even indulges in mannerisms that were't present in other symphonies. The work just blazes through as a total inconsequential piece of background music, and the fourth movement is just impossibly fast. Of course, in Beethoven's time no orchestra could have played at this speed, but that doesn't mean it was a good idea to try it! 

One more to go... Sorry for using Current Listening to post comments on recordings, but I can't help it with this rather awkward experience with Chailly's cycle...


----------



## violadude

tgtr0660 said:


> One more to go... Sorry for using Current Listening to post comments on recordings, but I can't help it with this rather awkward experience with Chailly's cycle...


That's what the currently listening thread is all about. Go ahead and post about the quality of performances to your hearts content.


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## kv466

Gershwin - An American in Paris 
Michael Tilson Thomas with the New York Philharmonic


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 11*. Maybe there are better recordings of this, but as of right now, I'm very happy with Kondrashin.









Then the redoubtable Glenn Gould on piano and vocals .


----------



## kv466

Oh, man, I love those Odyssey releases and hate that I lost a bunch to a breakup but it wasn't worth (yes it was!) going back to ask for them. Luckily, that very one is right here next to me. Piano and vocals, eh? Hahaha.


----------



## Vaneyes

Ravel Daphnis et Chloe avec RFPO/Chung. Tres bien.

View attachment 3704


And a happy birthday to Maurice.


----------



## Vesteralen

I remember fussing through a performance of Bartok's MM back in the early 70s when I was a newbie to classical music and hated anything that wasn't completely tonal. Kind of makes me laugh now. This was what I thought was "radical"?


----------



## Vesteralen

Just started this one again. Part of my chronological-listening project. Contains a good bit of spoken-word poetry along with period instrumentals and regular tenor-voice singing.


----------



## AndyS

Regine Crespin's recording of Les Nuits D'Ete and other French songs. Her interpretation of Debussy's Trois chansons de Bilitis is particularly stunning

Big fan of Ms Crespin - anything else anyone can recommend with her? I have her Solti and Karajan Walkures and Solti's Rosenkavalier


----------



## Sid James

Jeff N said:


> went to a recital tonight at my university, featuring a trio of oboe, horn, and piano. there were several pieces by composers i'd never heard of, but one familiar name was York Bowen. they played his Ballade (op. 130, i believe) and it was simply gorgeous. i've listened to a few things by him before, but this piece has inspired me to hear more.


I heard Bowen's viola concerto and quite liked it. Many recordings of his music have come out in recent years. He was bigger than his contemporary Arnold Bax in his day, but now Bax is better known (well, at least has one "hit" in _Tintagel_).



kv466 said:


>


Love WEber's symphonies. Quite underrated & hardly known. I love them, as I do his concertos & the_ Clarinet Quintet_, they are like opera without words. They are also not too dark and quite optimistic, which is my kind of music overall. I have those 2 symphonies on Naxos with Australian performers (Qld phil.). Funny thing about Sym.#2, the first movement is longer than the other 3 movements combined, but I didn't notice that at first. Loved these for years, and his concert hall music is getting played a bit around here. His opera overtures are great as well.



opus55 said:


> ...
> Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras, Nos 7-9
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally got to the last disc of this wonderful Villa-Lobos set


That's the set I bought after hearing his guitar concerto, still a favourite. I esp. like BAchianas Brasileiras #3, virtually a piano concerto. The last movement, a lively toccata named "the woodpecker," is kind of quirky, birdsong meeting Bach, but you get a lot of that in his music. It also reminds me in bits of Rachmaninov, another favourite. Numbers 7 & 8 I found to be the most complex of the set of 9, concertos for orchestra in all but name. The final one for strings only, gets my vote as a chamber music fan. Such variety in this set, as well as the rest of Villa's great music.


----------



## tgtr0660

Manxfeeder said:


> *Shostakovich, Symphony No. 11*. Maybe there are better recordings of this, but as of right now, I'm very happy with Kondrashin.
> 
> View attachment 3701


Oh man I so love Melodiya recordings. They might not have been the better sounding ones but nothing beats Russian music, and especially Soviet-era music, recorded by masters like Kondrashin in Melodiya.


----------



## Sid James

*Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_Caprichos 1-12_ (disc 1) from _24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Naxos, 2 cd's)

*D. Scarlatti*
_Sonatas for organ 
in D major Kk288 Allegro; 
in G major Kk328 Andante comodo; 
in C minor Kk254 Andante; 
in D major Kk287 Andante allegro; 
in C major Kk255 Allegro_
Francis Grier, organ of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
(Hyperion helios)

*Shostakovich*
_Cello Concerto #1 in E flat major, Op. 107_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Polish National Radio SO / Antoni Wit
(Naxos)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

For International Women's Day (8th of March)

Farrenc: Symphony no. 3 in G minor op. 36


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Russian Guitar Music played by Artyom Dervoed *(Naxos)
*V. Biktashev* - _Orpheus - poem _(world premiere recording)
*S. Orekhov *- _Troika Variations_
*S. Rudnev *- _The Old Lime Tree_
*N. Koshkin *- _The Prince's Toys - suite_

REviewed a while back on http://www.talkclassical.com/5014-classical-guitar-3.html#post216434 thread.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## opus55

Starting my evening with one of my first classical CD's

Brahms: Violin Concerto


----------



## opus55

Sid James said:


> That's the set I bought after hearing his guitar concerto, still a favourite. I esp. like BAchianas Brasileiras #3, virtually a piano concerto. The last movement, a lively toccata named "the woodpecker," is kind of quirky, birdsong meeting Bach, but you get a lot of that in his music. It also reminds me in bits of Rachmaninov, another favourite. Numbers 7 & 8 I found to be the most complex of the set of 9, concertos for orchestra in all but name. The final one for strings only, gets my vote as a chamber music fan. Such variety in this set, as well as the rest of Villa's great music.


I don't remember the "woodpecker" part - I might've stepped out of the room or dozed off for a moment. I'll listen for it the next time I play disc 1. I enjoyed most of the nine works but especially Nos. 1,2,3 then Nos. 7 and 8. If I just happened to hear some of them on radio before I got these, I would've had hard time guessing the composer and period.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Karl Amadeus Hartmann is one of those Modernist composers, along with Witold Lutosławski, Henri Dutilleux, Othmar Schoeck, Mieczyslaw Weinberg, and Leos Janacek (among others) that (for whatever reason) I haven't really explored in any real depth... in spite of the fact that I have quite liked the music I have purchased and/or heard by them. In the case of Hartmann, I have had his _Concerto Funebre_ for quite a few years and quite admired the piece... but for some reason (quite likely my focus upon fleshing out my Baroque and late Modernist/Contemporary music collection). This music is quite strong. Hartmann clearly carried on in the German symphonic tradition to a great extent. One can hear echoes of Mahler and the sensuality and lush orchestration of late Romanticism... but there are also elements of the Expressionism of the Second Viennese School as well as that of early Stravinsky. I even sense some influences of contemporary French music... the shimmering atmospherics of Impressionism and the elements drawn from popular dance and even jazz.


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.


Thanks for the nudge...my favorite Dvorak 7th. Playing it again, sam.

View attachment 3717


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent Paris concert--LvB Egmont Overture, Triple Concerto, Symphony No. 6, with R&G Capucon/Braley/COE/Haitink.

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Ber...interpretent_le_Triple_Concerto_de_Beethoven/


----------



## tgtr0660

Well I finally concluded Chailly's Beethoven cycle with, obviously, the 9th. The cd starts with a decent Zur Namensfeier overture and a unusually quick King Stephan overture. 

Then the symphony of them all starts and Chailly didn't let me down: he almost managed to ruin it completely, were it not for the impossibly superb music. The first movement, the one where the engire drama is layed out, couldn't be more lackluster in Chailly's hands. Where was the conflict? Where was the cataclysmic forces in struggle? Lost in a sea of mannerisms and speed that seems to be there only for its own sake. The second movement is this album's best, but tragedy strikes soon: the beauty of the slow movement is trivialized, made irrelevant. Music that can really melt anybody with its poignancy is turned into a bland reading of notes on paper "for authenticity" I guess. Thus Chailly totally gives up on being an artist and becomes a mere worker, hired to tell an orchestra to read the notes and play them at this sacred metronome markings. The fourth movement is slightly better though the march section almost falls into ridicule. It picks up by the end but by then the damage has been done and long ago. 

All in all a rather weak cycle with some good moments but one that I will be leaving in the shelf. Give me Szell, Kleiber, Karajan, Klemperer, Solti, Bohm. Oh tomorrow I'll have the chance to exorcise this symphony and this experience when I listen to Furtwangler's celebrated Luzern version, which will probably sound a million times worse (most recordings sound worse than this perfect Chailly one), and will feature lesser playing (today's Gewandhaus is a terrific orchestra) but will more than likely have tons of musicality and a real artist at the helm.


----------



## violadude

tgtr0660 said:


> Well I finally concluded Chailly's Beethoven cycle with, obviously, the 9th. The cd starts with a decent Zur Namensfeier overture and a unusually quick King Stephan overture.
> 
> Then the symphony of them all starts and Chailly didn't let me down: he almost managed to ruin it completely, were it not for the impossibly superb music. The first movement, the one where the engire drama is layed out, couldn't be more lackluster in Chailly's hands. Where was the conflict? Where was the cataclysmic forces in struggle? Lost in a sea of mannerisms and speed that seems to be there only for its own sake. The second movement is this album's best, but tragedy strikes soon: the beauty of the slow movement is trivialized, made irrelevant. Music that can really melt anybody with its poignancy is turned into a bland reading of notes on paper "for authenticity" I guess. Thus Chailly totally gives up on being an artist and becomes a mere worker, hired to tell an orchestra to read the notes and play them at this sacred metronome markings. The fourth movement is slightly better though the march section almost falls into ridicule. It picks up by the end but by then the damage has been done and long ago.
> 
> All in all a rather weak cycle with some good moments but one that I will be leaving in the shelf. Give me Szell, Kleiber, Karajan, Klemperer, Solti, Bohm. Oh tomorrow I'll have the chance to exorcise this symphony and this experience when I listen to Furtwangler's celebrated Luzern version, which will probably sound a million times worse (most recordings sound worse than this perfect Chailly one), and will feature lesser playing (today's Gewandhaus is a terrific orchestra) but will more than likely have tons of musicality and a real artist at the helm.


Whatever you heard couldn't possibly be as bad as this....


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> Whatever you heard couldn't possibly be as bad as this....


That tempo should be illegal and the performance banned. There is absolutely no musicality in the playing and it just drags on for an impossible amount of time. Who the hell does that conductor think he is telling that cheap orchestra to play like that?!?!? Must be some kind of joke.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Here we go. This HIP is infinitely better.


----------



## Taneyev

Ravel's SQ first world recording, International String Quartet, 1927
Shosta. first violin concerto, Oistrakh-Mitropoulos live
Alexander Taneyev's SQ 3.


----------



## mensch

Beethoven's Bagatelles for piano solo, as performed by Alfred Brendel.


----------



## kv466

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> That tempo should be illegal and the performance banned.


Oh, so you don't know the story behind this performance? Well, the orchestra was apparently all very nervous as this was to be their first performance. So the directore, in his infinite wisdom, decided to pass out ludes and well, there rest is history. Sadly it wasn't their last performance.

Really, though, this is something I will never understand. Not even one musician in the orchestra stepped up and said, "This is ****** up!! What the heck is wrong with you? Have you never heard this symphony? Then how could you possibly want us to play it this way?!". Alas, no one cried out these pleas and well,...we all know the rest.


----------



## kv466

Forgot to listen to something but now, inspired by new member Mensch, I shall play some LvB:


----------



## Cnote11




----------



## Lenfer

Cnote11 said:


>


I was thinking of buying this just yesterday. What would you say *Cnote* purchase worthy?


----------



## Cnote11

I really enjoy the set and listen to it quite often. However, some people have distinct problems with her piano playing, so it really depends on where you fall upon that spectrum. I think it is worthwhile for you to check out the criticisms in the reviews here: http://www.amazon.com/s?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=music&field-artist=Alice Sara Ott

It will help to see which camp you fall into, although most negative reviews seem to be on her other releases that don't feature her playing Listz, as it is probably what she does best. Some complaints are that she takes liberties in her interpretation and doesn't follow straight from the book. In my opinion, it isn't too expensive and I think she's a fine player and worth the purchase. I have a few of her discs and enjoy them all immensely. She's young and not on par with the masters of the last century, but if you've ever listened to any of the new young crop or any Deutsche Grammophon pianists recently then you should know what to expect, as I think she's one of the finer ones. I've heard better recordings of pieces she has done but in themselves I find them very worthwhile.

You can always preview her playing here as well as the Amazon clips:


----------



## tgtr0660

violadude said:


> Whatever you heard couldn't possibly be as bad as this....


Oh no!  What the hell was that about? Obviously, one important difference is that the Gewandhaus is an incredible orchestra, and that Chailly, for all his love of quick tempo, doesn't seem to want to bore the audience. That clip is just unbelievable. I've never heard something so horrendous. Don't get me wrong, I don't love many of Chailly's decisions but I could never say it's an incompetent reading or that his orchestra sounds like a gathering of neighborhood amateur musicians as this one. It's just not much to my taste.


----------



## tgtr0660

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Here we go. This HIP is infinitely better.


Definitely a good HIP performance, but for my Ludwig, give me HMP (historically misinformed performance)


----------



## tgtr0660

Finally,


----------



## Miaou

Brahms' 3rd Symphony, again and again.


----------



## Conor71

*Jenkins: Suite No. 4 In C Major For 2 Trebles, Bass & Organ*

Now listening to Disc 1 from this newly arrived set for the second time


----------



## Chrythes

It's mya


----------



## kv466




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6 by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am listening to Bruckner's 3rd symphony, the one he dedicated to Wagner, by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It looks like there is a long and enjoyable night before me. It's nice I don't have to go to work tomorrow...


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## kv466

Interesting rendition of Bach's most famous Toccata & Fugue, indeed:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 1* for a stormy morning.









*Puccini, La Boheme*.

I don't know what it is about this recording, but, speaking for someone who is not particularly drawn to opera, I like it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


> *Jenkins: Suite No. 4 In C Major For 2 Trebles, Bass & Organ*
> 
> Now listening to Disc 1 from this newly arrived set for the second time


Damn! I have got to pick up that set! I ordered it once, and the order was canceled as the dealer was out of stock. I ordered it a second time and the order was canceled due to me having changed credit cards when my wallet was stolen. and I forgot to inform Amazon of the new card. Is it worth a third attempt?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second listen to disc one of this set: Symphonies 7 & 8.


----------



## kv466

Still searching for the Schumann and kinda on a Muti kick.


----------



## Sid James

*Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_Caprichos 13-24_ (disc 2) from _24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar
(Naxos, 2 cd's)

An old favourite, a key work by this composer from the 1960's, bringing together his signature neo-classicism with newer techniques then, incl. his own more relaxed brand of serialism in one of the caprichos. Virtuosic and intimate, also quite visual, illustrating Goya's etchings, but overall not as dark as those are, it's not a literal join the dots cliched illustration by any means.


*Franck*
_Choral #2 in B minor
Pastorale in E major, Op. 19
Piece Heroique in B minor
Prelude, Fugue & Variation in B minor, Op. 18
Cantabile in B major_
Jan Vladimir Michalko, organ
(Point Classics)

I enjoyed esp. the last 3 works, all of them on this cd have slow movement markings, but a lot of variation within that. I think writing more nuanced and intimate music like this & doing it well, marks out a composer who knows what he's doing at a very high level, basically. It's not easy to sustain attention in only slow movements, but Franck did it for me. His freer treatment of counterpoint and form reminded me strongly of guys like Liszt. The _Prelude, Fugue & Variation _was esp. seamless, the four movements a continuous flow of low level energy, not much of a hint of the old straitjacketed cliches of organ repertoire here, methinks.

*Durufle*
_Scherzo, Op. 2
Prelude et fugue sure le nom A.L.A.I.N., Op. 7_
Eric Lebrun, organ
(Naxos)

Durufle's pieces take off where Franck left off in a way. A kind of hazy tonality here but quite well defined melody, just more of a modern style, of course. Again, the prelude and fugue work here impresses me most, a tribute to Jehan Alain, a fellow composer, killed fighting the Germans in WW2. In the prelude, Durufle quotes from Alain's famous_ Litanies_, and the second is a more optimistic and very freely flowing fugue. Amazing colours here which the recording captures quite well.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.19 in F, K.459

Didn't sound as exhilarating as before..









Dvorak: Piano Concerto

I'm enjoying this concerto better on my second listen.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Нели ти реков






A Macedonian folk song. Although it is arguably not _classical_ music I'm planning on using the melody in my "9 Macedionian Folk Songs" for string quartet and percussion.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

*Damn!!!*

This just arrived this week. Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos with Hilde Zadek, Rita Streich, Sena Jurinac, etc... conducted by Joseph Keilberth with the *W*est*d*eutschen *R*undfunks Köln Orchestra (WDR) recorded in 1954. The sound for this era is actually quite stupendous and both the soloists and conductor of great historical and artistic merit.

Best of all... the prices on these Historical WDR recordings are ridiculous. I immediately rushed to pick up the following:










While Fidelio has never been my favorite opera, how could I possibly loose at $5 US for a recordings with Birgit Nilssen, Hans Hopf, and Gottlob Frick in his greatest role. This exciting performance was conducted by Erich Kleiber just weeks before his death.










Niccolai Gedda and Hermann Prey with Keilberth performing Gluck!










Von Weber masterpiece performed by Elizabeth Grümmer, Rita Streich, etc... with Erich Kleiber again.










How could I possibly pass up Strauss' masterpiece performed by Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, Hans Hotter and Richard Kraus?

Returning to _Ariadne auf Naxos_, this work is a marvelous slapstick comedy... an opera about opera and the theater... with the libretto by the brilliant librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera was first performed (in its original form) in 1912, a few short years after the Expressionistic tragedies, _Salome_ (1905) and _Elektra_ (1909). In the original form, the audience was presented only with a brief hybrid: an opera that combined a serious classical story with a comedy performed by a commedia dell'arte group. Not only was the result confusing, but impractical, at barely 30-minutes the work still demanded both an orchestra and opera singers as well as a troupe of comic actors. in 1916 Strauss expanded the work with a prologue that essentially "explains" the bizarre serious/comic opera: "Ariadne auf Naxos", a tragic opera, the first work of a young composer is to be performed at the home of the wealthiest man in Vienna. The music master in informed that a comic play and a fireworks display will immediately follow the performance of the opera. The music masters protests, but informs that he who pays has the ultimate say. The composer is fascinated with the beautiful, young Zerbinetta, leader of the comic troupe of actors, but is outraged when he learns that a comic play will follow his opera. While he is raging, the steward of the wealthy man again arrives and announces that for the sake of expediency, both the tragic opera and the comic play are to be staged at the same time. The composer is aghast, but Zerbinetta is able to seductively talk him into seeing it from another perspective. The opera takes the tale of "Ariadne and Theseus" in which the daughter of the King of Minos aids Theseus (the Athenian enemy of Minos) with whom she has fallen in love, in killing the Minotaur. She then elopes with Theseus who abandons her on the island of Naxos where in despair, she commits suicide. This tragedy is mutated into a farce when Zerbinetta and her four companions from the burlesque group enter and attempt to cheer Ariadne by singing and dancing. In a sustained and dazzling piece of coloratura singing, "Großmächtige Prinzessin" / "high and mighty princess" (the most well-known aria of the opera) Zerbinetta insists that the simplest way to get over a broken heart is to find another man. In a comic interlude, each of the clowns pursues Zerbinetta.

_Ariadne auf Naxos_ proves a striking contrast to Strauss' other operas. As opposed to his usual penchant for lush, rich, and grandiose orchestration, _Ariadne auf Naxos_ is performed by a stripped-down, chamber orchestra of some 35 instruments and piano. It and clearly illustrates the fact that Strauss had the ability to write striking passages of chamber music... and yet at the same time never abandon his signature sensuality.


----------



## Cnote11

Many thanks go out to *kv466*.for turning me onto this wonderful collection.


----------



## violadude

Currently listening to my own piece, Hyperbole for string quartet that I finished just today for a competition. 

Whats that? You want to listen to it too? Well you can!  in the Today's composers section of the forum! 

A little bit of shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone...lol


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## ZombieBeethoven

Enjoying the music without bothering with subtitles and plot!


----------



## mensch

Just finished listening to Henri Dutilleux's "Tout un monde lointain", the dazzling cello concerto he wrote for Mstislav Rostropovich.















Right now I'm listening to Bach's "Musikalisches Opfer" for the first time, Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations are the performers.


----------



## NightHawk

Saw Der Rosenkavalier in Vienna - I never bother with subtitles or plot - I just think of the voices as instruments and all as pure music. The soprano trio before the final duo ripped the top of the Staatsoper right off. I had never seen fine opera in a great house - I was stunned, and still am.



ZombieBeethoven said:


> View attachment 3759
> 
> Enjoying the music without bothering with subtitles and plot!


----------



## NightHawk

Luca Marenzio's 9th Book of Madrigals are the summa of his work. For 5 and 6 voices these were written for professionals and not your general late Renaissance Frottola Singing Group on Thursdays after pot-luck ("not that there's anything wrong with that"...Seinfeld).

They are filled with chromatic harmonies, chordal and contrapuntal sections, and the sensitive text painting associated with madrigal writing. Easily, the most daring musical genre at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries until opera found its groove.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

With all the lean and so efficient LvB symphonies floating around, it's nice to get back to Big Beethoven.

Here's an exceptional performance of the 7th. Jansons conducting the Bavarian RSO. When the cello and double bass dig in...priceless.


----------



## kv466




----------



## tgtr0660

Continuing with my Beethoven week:









By the way, 1954's Furtwangler's Beethoven 9th was quite the opposite of Chailly (of course). Oh how I would like to hear that same performance with the perfect recording sound of Chailly's cycle...


----------



## Cnote11

I think I'll listen to Torelli again


----------



## Vaneyes

K. 310, K. 333, K. 545, with Pires (rec. 1989).

View attachment 3765


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Samuel Barber's birthday, playing Piano Sonata with Hamelin.

View attachment 3768


----------



## Taneyev

Today, Brahm's third violin sonata comparative versions;

Milstein-Horowitz
Paul Kochanski-Rubinstein
Boris and Julia Goldstein


----------



## kv466

Thanks, Van, for always keeping us in touch with the b-days!


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Damn! I have got to pick up that set! I ordered it once, and the order was canceled as the dealer was out of stock. I ordered it a second time and the order was canceled due to me having changed credit cards when my wallet was stolen. and I forgot to inform Amazon of the new card. Is it worth a third attempt?


Yes mate I think this set is definetely worth making another attempt for!  - the music is wonderful and its very well priced for a 5 Disc set, I say go for it!.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Villa-Lobos, Bachianas Brasileiras*.

There are Villa-Lobos experts who say there are better recordings, but from my chair, this one sounds pretty good. Except I'm not letting go just yet of Victoria De Los Angeles in No. 5.


----------



## Sid James

kv466 said:


> Thanks, Van, for always keeping us in touch with the b-days!


Agreed, gets me in a kind of vibe to listen to these great composers, but sometimes any excuse will do!


----------



## Sid James

*F. Couperin*
_Messe pour les couvents (Mass for the Convents) _(1690)
Gillian Weir, organ of Prediger-Kirche, Zurich (Switz.)
(Eloquence, disc 2 of double cd set)

The organist here, Gillian Weir says that Couperin_ le grande _was the greatest of the composers working at the French courts of his time. It's hard not to agree, esp. as his two organ masses, masterpieces - by any definition of the word - were published when he was in his early twenties.

This comes across as very subtle and nuanced music, using the king of instruments to maximum effect, but with the simplest of means. Some dancy vibes throughout and also many medidative and lyrical sections. Although made of 21 tracks, many of these flow into eachother without a break, so there is little or no chopping and changing.

Recommended all round (there's also a more recent recording of these two works on a 2 cd set on Naxos, for those interested).


----------



## Sid James

*Durufle*
_Organ music:
Fugue on the theme of the Carillon at Soissons Cathedral, Op. 12
Prelude, Adagio and Chorale Variations on the theme of the "Veni Creator," Op. 4*
Scherzo, Op. 2
Prelude and Fugue on the name "Alain," Op. 7
Introit for the Feast of the Epiphany*
Prelude on the Introit for the Feast of the Epiphany
Suite, Op. 5_
Edward Theodore, organ at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne (Australia)
* Gregorian chant sections sung by Schola of St. Patrick's Cathedral / John Mallinson, direction
(move records cd, 1992)

Some great music here, played by an Australian organist who actually studied under the composer.

These are all works that fuse the old, eg. Gregorian chant (sections of which are included here, sung as part of church service, here recorded live) and the more modern techniqes - eg. the dynamic and rhythmic changes typical of* Durufle's organ music*.

Durufle's tribute to Jehan Alain is one I always find very moving, but the *Suite* is also great - moving from a dark and rather tragic _Prelude_ to a central _Sicilenne_ where the lighter vibes of Ravel come to mind, and concluding as was traditional with a _Toccata_, but one which has plenty of twists and turns before it reaches it's final destination, which is a strong tonal resolution or chord/key of some kind, as in all these works.

The acoustic is quite reverberant, this is one of the largest churches in Australia. Great stuff all round from this Aussie label, which is based in Melbourne.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Das Orgel-Buchlein*

Disc 8 of this set - havent played any of this fantastic music in a while!


----------



## Sid James

^^A connection, though there are many in the organ world, *Conor.* Marie-Claire Alain, who you are listening to playing Bach, was sister of Jehan Alain. On the cd I just listened to, Durufle payed tribute to Jehan Alain, who died fighting the Germans in WW2. His sister, Marie-Claire, kept his legacy going, and was one of the best interpreters of his music.


----------



## NightHawk

Glorious performance! Thanks!



Vaneyes said:


> With all the lean and so efficient LvB symphonies floating around, it's nice to get back to Big Beethoven.
> 
> Here's an exceptional performance of the 7th. Jansons conducting the Bavarian RSO. When the cello and double bass dig in...priceless.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin, Preludes* by Grigory Sokolov, the one who opened me up to Chopin.


----------



## poconoron

My 2 favorite composers.............. bar none:


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to recent GG arrivals. Mozart Piano Sonatas (Vol.1), then Brahms Ballades, Rhapsodies, Intermezzi.

View attachment 3777
View attachment 3778


CD318 vignette..."And handle that chair with care!"


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36. *Both works feature the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Conor71

*Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen*


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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## kv466

Van,...are you and I siblings in another life...or perhaps, this one! Lovely post.

_If only everyone else understood..._


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## kv466




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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

First listen. I'm not too familiar with Glass' symphonies as I am with his operas, so I bought this. Previously I have heard no. 4 and no. 8 on the radio and I thought they were quite interesting, less repetitive as his 60s, 70s and 80s work. I'm really enjoying symphony no. 3 for 19 string players (10 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos and 2 double basses) at the moment. The third movement is very reminiscent of his "Company" for string orchestra.


----------



## neoshredder

Haven't looked into his Symphonies. Thought his Violin Concertos cd was too repetitive though. Koyaanisqatsy seemed a little less repetitive.


----------



## Conor71

Sid James said:


> ^^A connection, though there are many in the organ world, *Conor.* Marie-Claire Alain, who you are listening to playing Bach, was sister of Jehan Alain. On the cd I just listened to, Durufle payed tribute to Jehan Alain, who died fighting the Germans in WW2. His sister, Marie-Claire, kept his legacy going, and was one of the best interpreters of his music.


Nice story Sid, cheers for that 

now listening:

*Gombert: Magnificat Secundi Toni*

Now listening to Disc 10 of this recently arrived set - this box has given me the best listens this week and is a real treasure trove of great music and performances!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Another one I bought today. The ACO is definitely the world's best chamber orchestra!


----------



## Lukecash12

Some poorly done attempt at a Delphic hymn to Apollo.






It wasn't exactly what I was thinking it would be.


----------



## Taneyev

Yesterday I begun to listen to comparative versions I've of Brahm's third violin sonata. I decide it's a good idea to complete that with all the rest of the recordings I've of that piece I'm fan of. So, this weekend I'll listen to those:

Perlman-Barenboim
Zimbalist-Harry Kaufman
Ricci-Katchen
Kulenkampff-Georg Solti
Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin
Gerhard Taschner-Gieseking
Szigeti-Egon Petri
Igor and Natalia Oistrakh
And my all time favorite: David Oistrakh-Yampolski


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> _If only everyone else understood..._


Well, just keep preaching, bro!


----------



## Taneyev

I've found 5 more I've forgotten (!!)

Kiriil Troussov-Alexandra Troussova
Sergey Khachatryan-Lusine Khachatryan
Ferras-Barbizet
Oistrakh-Richter
Heifetz-Kapell
So, I've 17 versions. Too much!


----------



## NightHawk

Yeah, I have a version of that and it was disappointing - probably the best and most convincing piece I have ever heard is the Epitaph of Seikilos from the 1st century C.E. The song, carved on a tombstone, and _notated_, has been transcribed and most musicologists now believe they have interpreted the melody and rhythmic dimensions of the monophonic piece accurately. It is only a minute or less in length, but it has the feel of authenticity about it. Search Amazon by the song's name and you'll get a surprising number of hits. Here is one:








Epitafios Tou Seikilou - Epitaph Of Seikilos
Aulites | Format: MP3 Download
From the Album Music Of Ancient Greece & Music Of Greek Antiquity
Be the first to review this item | Like (0)
Price:	$0.99
Original Release Date: May 2, 2011
Format - Music: MP3



Lukecash12 said:


> Some poorly done attempt at a Delphic hymn to Apollo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It wasn't exactly what I was thinking it would be.


----------



## NightHawk

I have a live recording of that sonata along with the 1st and 2nd sonatas with Perlman and Barenboim in live concert - beautiful sonatas beautifully performed.



Odnoposoff said:


> Yesterday I begun to listen to comparative versions I've of Brahm's third violin sonata. I decide it's a good idea to complete that with all the rest of the recordings I've of that piece I'm fan of. So, this weekend I'll listen to those:
> 
> Perlman-Barenboim
> Zimbalist-Harry Kaufman
> Ricci-Katchen
> Kulenkampff-Georg Solti
> Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin
> Gerhard Taschner-Gieseking
> Szigeti-Egon Petri
> Igor and Natalia Oistrakh
> And my all time favorite: David Oistrakh-Yampolski


----------



## Cnote11




----------



## Cnote11




----------



## kv466




----------



## Chrythes

Peteris Vasks - Piano Trio. 
I like it. It starts in a rough manner, but the further it goes the more harmonic and more "pleasant" it becomes.









And I'm hoping I'll be able to attend the Chamber Music Concert next week and hear it live, along with Arensky's first Piano Trio and Jurgis Juozapaitis' Piano Trio.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Today it's Bruckner's 7th symphony. I know I have to get up early tomorrow so I can't afford to spend the whole night listening again. But I just cannot leave it. The andante brings tears to my eyes and the scherzo is freaking EPIC!!!


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*W.A. Mozart: String Quartet #17 "The Hunt" (1783)
*The nickname of this quartet is deceptive, giving it expectations of excitement. Instead the quartet is decidedly relaxed, with Mozart at his most lyrical and beautiful. Each movement is a joy to listen to, with material so attractive that a lack of drama isn't an issue. The slow movement is especially gorgeous, with its sprawling melodies and veiled melancholy.

*Bedřich Smetana: The Fisherman (1869)
*This is a brief tone poem, featuring glass harmonica. Lush strings quietly rustle out harmonies as a lazy melody forms overhead. Really pretty music, though I wish it was longer.

*Bedřich Smetana: The Peasant Woman (1879)
*Another short orchestral work, this one borders on 'light classical.' The melody is extremely catchy, and has yet to drive me insane, so I think I can write this one off as a positive experience.

*Bedřich Smetana: Prague Carnival (1883)
*Written at the end of his life, Smetana originally intended this to be a symphonic suite but was too ill to finish it. The piece, more like an overture, cycles through many ideas one after another, seemingly directionless (not unlike his second string quartet). Still, filled with attractive ideas and certainly not unenjoyable.

*Edvard Grieg: Cello Sonata (1883)
*This expansive sonata is one of Grieg's longest works. Grieg's sound world is distinctive as ever with its Norwegian folk tune flair. The writing for this piece is a little awkward at times; he seems to be slimming the piano part down so as not to overpower the cello, but the effect is a little underwhelming. And instead of interacting with the piano the cello frequently resorts ferocious accompaniment, which sounds cool but isn't as satisfying. Per usual Grieg gets a little lost in form, with a finale that's much too long. Still, there are lots of great moments and hummable melodies. The slow movement is quite pretty, and the sonata as a whole very impassioned.

*Maurice Ravel: Concert Rhapsodie for Violin and Orchestra "Tzigane" (1924)
*Ravel never fails to surprise me with his versatility, and in _Tzigane_ he effectively provides gypsy like inflections. The work is sensual, sassy, and engaging, all wrapped up in a exceptionally orchestrated package. A very fun piece.

*Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony #5 (1937)
*I heard this piece twice in concert before getting to know it. Originally I was put off by its close relationship to Mahler, with the second movement scherzo, and the final movements theme that begins like the finale of Mahler 1. But after a few listens, and really getting to know the history, it has quickly become one of my favorite works by the composer. While the piece is tonal and much more accessible then his other works, it's still distinctly Shostakovich. The symphony seems to be build in character and find itself as it progresses. The third movement is especially poignant, and the scherzo and finale a lot of fun, but in an oddly profound sort of way. I don't think a works credibility has ever owed so much to its history, as Shostakovich quite literally wrote this work with a gun to his head (or a potential gun to his head rather). As for whether the ending is a mockery or a victory, I think it works either way, and why can't it be both? Personally, I think he was mocking Stalin, but the piece is never the less filled with optimism, the finale being no exception. Overall a really wonderful work, and a highlight in symphonic literature.

*Luciano Berio: Sinfonia (1969)
*This is a truly remarkable work, and should be heard by anyone wishing to hear milestones in classical music. The piece is like a onion, with a surface of frenzied atonality in the first and last movements. Peel back a layer (the 2nd and 4th movements), and you have eerie, evocative, but meditative music. The second movement has some notoriety for its dedication to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. The middle movement- the core of the piece- is what brings this work to life. A collage of sounds, quotations, and dialogue take the listener on a journey; the method of transportation: the scherzo from Mahler's second symphony. The symphony scuttles along in the background, as other instruments interrupt, as well as the 8 vocalists the piece calls for, some of which help narrate what's going on. It's really no good trying to explain this movement, you're better off just listening to it. At the very least one should find it interesting, and at most, mind blowing.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Symphony no. 2


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## Sid James

Clementine said:


> Just finished listening to:
> 
> *W.A. Mozart: String Quartet #17 "The Hunt" (1783)
> *The nickname of this quartet is deceptive, giving it expectations of excitement. Instead the quartet is decidedly relaxed, with Mozart at his most lyrical and beautiful. Each movement is a joy to listen to, with material so attractive that a lack of drama isn't an issue. The slow movement is especially gorgeous, with its sprawling melodies and veiled melancholy...


I love the twists and turns in Mozart's music, esp. his string quartets. I love that one, also the _Dissonance_. I have his _Hoffmeister_ quartets unopened, so on the backburner. You are right, the slow movements are just to die for (hope people don't take this too literally!).



> ....
> *Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony #5 (1937)
> *... I don't think a works credibility has ever owed so much to its history, as Shostakovich quite literally wrote this work with a gun to his head (or a potential gun to his head rather). As for whether the ending is a mockery or a victory, I think it works either way, and why can't it be both? Personally, I think he was mocking Stalin, but the piece is never the less filled with optimism, the finale being no exception. Overall a really wonderful work, and a highlight in symphonic literature.
> 
> ...


It took me a while to get used to that too. I found it too Stalinistic at first, too kind of aggro. I had to "get" the subtext, as in a number of his works.

But I also heard it live, and the conductor explained how the last movement can be played two ways. The Europeans play it slower, so it comes across as kind of sinister and lugubrious (is that the word? I'm thinking of Liszt's very dark_ La Lugubre Gondola _pieces, his premonition of Wagner's death). Anwyay, the other way was how the Americans tend to do it, how Bernstein did it when he went to Moscow. Quickly, lively, optimistic. Both ways were demonstrated at the concert, before they played the whole thing. The difference made sense to me re cd's I'd heard of it, Maazel did it the American way, Jaarvi the Euro way. Both can be argued as valid.

& you're right re the gun to Shosty's head. The conductor said that too, the last movement is that YOU HAVE TO BE HAPPY AND LOVE DEAR STALIN EVEN THOUGH WE'RE BEATING YOU WITH A STICK. Eg. forced happiness, fake. At that concert, the conductor did it the Euro way.


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## Sid James

A birthday tribute to* Samuel Barber*, who I'm also putting his gorgeous _Summer Music for wind quintet _on my weekly blog on this forum, soon.

_Adagio for strings, Op. 11
Medea's Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23A_
- Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin

_Nocturne (Homage to John Field), Op.33
Souvenirs (arr. from Op. 28)_
- Israela Margalit, piano

(from EMI 2 cd set - Barber instrumental, orchestral, chamber music)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to some Viennese bon-bons today... and seriously I can't help but enjoy these... quite often more than some of the "heavier" and "serious" music of the day. I wouldn't trade Wagner for Lehar or Korngold... but neither would I wish to be without "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz", "Meine Lippen, sie kussen so heiss", or "Marietta's Lied".


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## StlukesguildOhio

Oops Dup.


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## Cnote11

I really love this. I feel like I haven't really explored the brass side of classical as much as the other forms. Time to change that. I'm about to peruse the Top 100 Wind and Brass list here on TC.


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## Lukecash12

NightHawk said:


> Yeah, I have a version of that and it was disappointing - probably the best and most convincing piece I have ever heard is the Epitaph of Seikilos from the 1st century C.E. The song, carved on a tombstone, and _notated_, has been transcribed and most musicologists now believe they have interpreted the melody and rhythmic dimensions of the monophonic piece accurately. It is only a minute or less in length, but it has the feel of authenticity about it. Search Amazon by the song's name and you'll get a surprising number of hits. Here is one:
> 
> View attachment 3793
> 
> Epitafios Tou Seikilou - Epitaph Of Seikilos
> Aulites | Format: MP3 Download
> From the Album Music Of Ancient Greece & Music Of Greek Antiquity
> Be the first to review this item | Like (0)
> Price:	$0.99
> Original Release Date: May 2, 2011
> Format - Music: MP3


Thanks. On occasion, I like to hear some music from the older civilizations I'm always reading about.


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## NightHawk

For the past week I've had 'Vanessa' in the car cdplayer and have worked my way to the third act. It is the Metropolitan with Mitropolous <sic>, Steber, and Gedda _et al_. A very beautiful performance of this somewhat neglected opera.



Sid James said:


> A birthday tribute to* Samuel Barber*, who I'm also putting his gorgeous _Summer Music for wind quintet _on my weekly blog on this forum, soon.
> 
> _Adagio for strings, Op. 11
> Medea's Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23A_
> - Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin
> 
> _Nocturne (Homage to John Field), Op.33
> Souvenirs (arr. from Op. 28)_
> - Israela Margalit, piano
> 
> (from EMI 2 cd set - Barber instrumental, orchestral, chamber music)


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. * Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.5 in E, Op.64,* both performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


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## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No.2


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## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.4 {"Heroes"}. *Both works feature the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra led by Marin Alsop.


----------



## neoshredder

Just listened to Chopin Sonata #3 Largo


----------



## AndyS

Karajans Tod und Verklarung, Metamorposen and Vier Letzte Lieder this morning. Getting near the end of Metamorphosen currently, great stuff


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## NightHawk

This morning: From the Bernstein/NYPhil Symphony Edition, *Schumann Sym No. 3, in Eb 'Rhenish'* to be followed by the *4th Symphony in d minor (revised version).*


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## kv466




----------



## science

I'll do some catching up. Lately I've listened to...










Prokofiev: Piano Sonata #8. I think it's my favorite Prokofiev piano sonata. This is the only recording of it I've heard.










#7.

About six months ago I discarded an older pair of headphones I used to use, Sennheiser (I forget the number), in favor of a pair by Sony. But I figured I'd give the old pair another go just for kicks, and man, they really didn't deliver on this.










The Schumann. A work that I still don't appreciate. Without a doubt I need to try a different recording; I've probably heard this one three dozen times.










#3. I failed to appreciate this one until now. Maybe my favorite Dvorak piano trio now. But on the level of Brahms 1 or Beethoven 5 "Ghost"? Unquestionably not.










Wonderful. Absolutely so. Instantly one of my 5 favorite Kronos Q albums.










Clavier-Ubung III.

Great organ music. It is very hard for me to understand why this is so much less popular than the Well-Tempered Clavier. I don't mean historically important, I mean popular. Perhaps just because people like the piano (on which they presumably usually hear WTC played) better than the organ?

Anyway, big fan of C-U III.


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## NightHawk

I recently bought the Rubinstein set of all the Mazurkas - what a delicious treat that is, and this is going to be my next addition, The Nocturnes. I admire greatly all of the various genres of Chopin's solo piano music, but these two - Mazurkas and Nocturnes are my favorites!



kv466 said:


>


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No.3










Seems somewhat pointless, wandering around.. not a very effective way to start a morning. I should play a Mozart piece as I usually do in the morning.


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## Manxfeeder

*Orlando Gibbons*.


----------



## Taneyev

Today:
Some of Godowski's-Chopin etudes (Hamelin)
Saint-Saëns first violin sonata (Heifetz-Bay)
Borodin's first SQ (Borodin)
Grieg's second violin sonata (Oistrakh)


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## Manxfeeder

*Kodaly, Missa Brevis*.


----------



## Cnote11

More Trumpet concertos for me. Not enough trumpet in them!


----------



## starthrower

On loan from the library for a second time.


----------



## Cnote11

Philip Glass' Akhnaten


----------



## AndyS

Furtwangler's Gotterdamerung - listening to Modls immolation scene just now, first time I've listened


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## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works feature Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This again. I think I prefer no. 3 to no. 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Enescu, Symphonies 1 and 3*.


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## kv466

Before Murray, Emanuel, Earl, Glenn, Evgeny, Artur and many others, this was my girl:


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## Cnote11

Red ex. Wish I could see what it was, kv. On another note, I am very thrilled with the amount of Glass in this thread in the last few days!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Krzysztof Penderecki--*Threnody To The Victims Of Hiroshima, *featuring the composer conducting the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra.
Philip Glass--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28 and Symphony No.3 *{really getting to like this one}, both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *with Maurice Abravanel leading the Utah Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Cnote11

Impeccable, as usual!  I think that thread is raising Philip's profile here on the forum.


----------



## science

Just a baby step or two off the beaten path:


----------



## science

Cnote11 said:


> More Trumpet concertos for me. Not enough trumpet in them!


Edit!: Naxos has a very nice disk called "Czech _Horn_ Concertos." Well worth $10.

My bad! Not trumpet - horn. There is no definition of fool that does not include me.


----------



## Sid James

> ...#3. I failed to appreciate this one until now. Maybe my favorite Dvorak piano trio now. But on the level of Brahms 1 or Beethoven 5 "Ghost"? Unquestionably not.


Glad you like it but I disagree about that, eg. it's not on the level of the two B's, if you mean Dvorak's F minor trio. I find it very emotional, and sophisticated how he takes a couple of ideas right through it, also some "back to Bach" Baroque element there (counterpoint wise). He composed it in a difficult time in his life, eg. his mother had just died. It has a dark vibe, tragic but not entirely depressing, still gives me hope. The coda, which Czech flavoured song, comes across as a lullaby soothing his grief, and always makes me tearful, it's an emotional release. I have the Rosamunde trio's (of Prague) recording on alto label, coupled with the _Dumky trio_ (his 4th and final, I think). Brahms was also Dvorak's model, as you'd know. I think they're all great, basically.


----------



## Cnote11

Thank you dearly, science, for the recommendation. I can't seem to find it however! I did find a Swedish one though, which caught my eyes. I really feel like I ignore Scandavania when it comes to Classical far too often. Any idea where I could find this Czech one?


----------



## Lenfer

kv466 said:


>


*Glen Gould * always looked dare I say it "bad-***".  I feel so *American* :lol:


----------



## Sid James

*M. de Falla*
_Suite populaire espagnole _(arr. Kochanski) 
Itzhak Perlman, violin / Samuel Sanders, pno.
(EMI - from Virtuoso Violin album)
_7 popular Spanish songs _(arr. Miguel Llobet / additional arrangements by M. Barrueco)
Ann Monoyios, soprano / Manuel Barrueco, guitar
(EMI -from album of de Falla & Granados guitar music)

*Barber* 
_Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
School for Scandal Overture, Op. 5
Violin Concerto, Op. 14*
Essay for orch., Op. 12
Second Essay for orch., Op. 17
Medea's Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23A_
Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin, cond. / *Elmar Oliveira, violin

_Canzone for flute & piano, Op.38A**
Excursions, Op. 20_
Israela Margalit, pno. / **Jeanne Baxtresser, flute

(all from EMI double Barber album)

*Durufle* 
_Scherzo, Op. 2
Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'A.L.A.I.N., Op. 7_ 
Eric Lebrun, organ
(Naxos)


----------



## science

Cnote11 said:


> Thank you dearly, science, for the recommendation. I can't seem to find it however! I did find a Swedish one though, which caught my eyes. I really feel like I ignore Scandavania when it comes to Classical far too often. Any idea where I could find this Czech one?


Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. It's _horn_ concertos.

Still, an interesting thing it is. Early classical stuff.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Sonata for Bassoon and Cello in Bb, K.292*






Lovely piece of music. :tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## science

La Mer. Such a lovely work.










#2. The very best of Brahms' chamber works without piano.










Adams. Lots of fun.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Glass' Violin concerto no. 1


----------



## Lenfer

^

Love that CD. 












*Jacqueline du Pré* - *Monn* - *Concerto pour violoncelle : 2. Adagio *​


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> ^
> 
> Love that CD.


If you like that, I would recommend that you get this fabulous CD that I've been listening to a lot recently. Less repetitive than the pieces on the CD above but his orchestration skills are _superb!_


----------



## Conor71

*Fayrfax: Magnificat ("Regale")*

Spending a nice relaxing evening, after a busy day, listening to some beautiful Early Music. First up was Disc 11 of the Secret Labyrinth box-set which featured music by Manchicourt. Currently playing is the first Disc of a box which arrived last week - I am listening to this one for the second time. Its predictably very beautiful and I am going to savour this box-set and work my way through the Discs very slowly. Last before bed I will play another newly arrived Disc for a first listen. I love Tallis Scholars so I think this one should be pretty sublime also!


----------



## Lenfer

*Conor71* I'm not familiar with any of the music mentioned or the CDs but I enjoyed your description, You reminded me of the "Night Time" presenters on classical radio stations back home, fond memoires.


----------



## Conor71

Lenfer said:


> *Conor71* I'm not familiar with any of the music mentioned or the CDs but I enjoyed your description, You reminded me of the "Night Time" presenters on classical radio stations back home, fond memoires.


Haha thanks!


----------



## kv466

Still on my Dubravka kick! I appreciate her more than ever. Such perfect tone on the piano and such an impeccable way of executing works that I am completely familiar with. Not the most virtuoso-like player but dare I say (like Lenfer said Gould's a bad ***, which I agree) that, to me, she was better and sweeter sounding than many big names including Uchida, de la Rocha and many other fine female pianists that have made a bigger career for themselves out of music.

Meanwhile, I'm sure Tomsic was also making a good living and recording some lovely piano.

Thank you for being among the very first to inspire me to love the piano.


----------



## NightHawk

Love Dubravka Tomsic! I have only one Bach Recital album which I had to buy used b/c it is out of print. Wow! What a player, and especially of Bach, it seems. I found out she has often been one of the judges for the Van Cliburn Competition.



kv466 said:


> Still on my Dubravka kick! I appreciate her more than ever. Such perfect tone on the piano and such an impeccable way of executing works that I am completely familiar with. Not the most virtuoso-like player but dare I say (like Lenfer said Gould's a bad ***, which I agree) that, to me, she was better and sweeter sounding than many big names including Uchida, de la Rocha and many other fine female pianists that have made a bigger career for themselves out of music.
> 
> Meanwhile, I'm sure Tomsic was also making a good living and recording some lovely piano.
> 
> Thank you for being among the very first to inspire me to love the piano.


----------



## NightHawk

My morning listening today is the freebie that comes with the BBC Music Magazine (Vol. 20 No. 5) and it is a new recording of Debussy's work (oratorio?) _The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian_. The work uses a Narrator and the original work, premiered 100 years ago, was 5 hours long (!) - it was not a musical success at its first performance (it used dance, art, music, theater, and was inspired by Wagner's concept of the _Gesamptkunstwerk_). It was adapted by Debussy from Gabriele D'Annunzio's mystery play. That it was an untheatrical <sic> work proved to be a barrier to repeat performances, but portions have been performed infrequently. Through the work of Michael T. Thomas and Pierre Boulez (working separately and at differing times) the work has been (apparently) significantly reduced in its spoken word, but all the music is intact. The final result, after 100 years of various tinkerings, is a 73 minute work for Narrator, Chorus and Orchestra in Five Tableaux. The music, called 'some of Debussy's most powerful writing' is very beautiful and seems very much of the world of 'Pelleas and Melisande'.*

BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Thierry Fischer, conductor. Irene Jacob, Narrator - Soprano - Elizabeth Atherton, Mezzo-sopranos - Jennifer Johnson and Tove Dahlberg.

*Notes taken from the BBC liner notes


----------



## kv466




----------



## tgtr0660

Good but not the best versions of these sonatas


----------



## Igneous01

Schnittke's Viola Concerto, played by Yuri Bashmet


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting the morning with Samuel Barber.


----------



## NightHawk

These are great albums you have posted. Last night driving home from dinner out I finished listening to Barber's opera _VANESSA_, if you like opera it is a 'must have' though its impression becomes greater throughout the three acts, and especially in the very fine performance/recording by Mitropoulos, Steber and Gedda with the Metropolitan Opera - made in the 60's, I imagine. (it's in the car



Manxfeeder said:


> Starting the morning with Samuel Barber.
> 
> View attachment 3810
> View attachment 3811
> View attachment 3812


----------



## Conor71

*Lawes (W): Consort Sett A 5 In C Minor*

Now listening to Disc 3 of this 5 Disc set for a first listen..


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 5 In G Major, Op. 1/4, H 3/4*

I decided not to wait to begin my second traversal of this box. This reminds me how much I love even Haydn's early quartets - good stuff!.


----------



## Cnote11

science said:


> Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. It's _horn_ concertos.
> 
> Still, an interesting thing it is. Early classical stuff.


Horn still sounds fascinating to me, if not more so! Thanks for the recommendation. Might send me on a whole different path of exploration.


----------



## kv466

Always been one of my absolute favorite conductors; quickly becoming my #1.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival of a good find. Maria Garzon's Elgar piano music, recorded in 1998 and originally released in 1999 by ASV.

The CD's main is Elgar's 1899 arrangement of Enigma Variations, followed by ten smaller but equally enchanting pieces written between 1884 and 1932. The last appropriately named "Adieu".

Garzon's playing convincingly says less is more. As does the balance engineering by Brian B. Culverhouse.

For those interested, it was wisely reissued last month by Heritage. Also, it remains available on ASV at Amazon Marketplace.

View attachment 3815


----------



## Vaneyes

Upon tgtr0660's Fliter mention, this Minneapolis Airport "Fliter Freebie".


----------



## Dowd

This is my favorite versions of the piano trios. The clarinet trio is a delight as well. The horn trio is a bit of a disappointment as the balance is skewed a bit as Stirling's horn is blunted in spots.

Florestan Trio • Stephen Stirling [horn] • Richard Hosford [clarinet]
Brahms
Complete Piano Trios, Clarinet Trio, Horn Trio
Hyperion


----------



## Vaneyes

Contributing to the Dubravka Tomsic love-in.

View attachment 3818


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Clemens non Papa, Missa Pastores*.

I don't know why church officials got so exercised about polyphony being so complex that you couldn't understand the words. I mean, really, in the Ordinary of the mass the words are always the same, right? But the music, wow. I'll take a little unintelligibilty for a lot of beauty.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Contained herein, Glorious John's 1956 "Enigma", with Halle O.

View attachment 3821


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No.2


----------



## Sid James

There must be synchronicity in this world? I listened to *Brahms *sextets and one piano trio last night, not knowing some of you guys would too. Also *Barber*, forgot almost how great a composer he was, have been enjoying his music since last week, thanks to *Vaneye's* telling us it's his birthday.

Re *Dubravka Tomsic *I also like her, had that Bach album ages ago in fact, & I might still have a recording of her (I think Brahms' concerto #1?) but I'll have to check.

Of this listening set, I esp. enjoyed* Stravinsky's *_Symphony in Three Movements_. The last movement, moving from the Nazi fanfares and goose-stepping march, to a kind of falling apart and mellowing of that vibe, which suggests their defeat, and then popping up towards the end, a fugue, introduced by the brass, then moving to the piano and harp (an odd combo?), finally the strings enter with this vigorous and intense Latin American kind of counterpoint, unreal. Finally a big boost, the brass and drums sounding like the bells that rang when liberation finally came. It's as near a piece of program music and autobiographical as Igor's music became, he usually being a writer of more abstract music, seeking detachment and not direct involvement of his emotions/impressions as here. Simply an amazing and unique work, imo (& the other two movements no less great!).

*Brahms*
_ String Sextets - # 1 in B flat major, Op. 18; #2 in G major, Op. 36 'Agathe'_
Stuttgart Soloists (Naxos)
_Piano Trio #3 in C minor, OP.101_
Vienna Piano Trio (Naxos)

*Barber*
_Cello Sonata, Op. 6_ - Alan Stepansky, vc./ Israela Margalit, pno.
_Third Essay for orch., Op.47 _-Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin
(EMI)
_Violin Concerto, Op. 14 _
Itzhak Perlman, vln. / Boston SO / Seiji Ozawa (EMI)

*Stravinsky*
_ Symphony in Three Movements_ (1942-45) 
Philharmonia Orch./ Robert Craft (Naxos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ockeghem, Missa Cuiusvis Toni.

Ensemble Musica Nova gives an ethereal, spacious account with a good male/female voice blend. There's just enough resonance in the recording space to give the appropriate acoustic sound without muddling the voices.


----------



## poconoron

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Another one I bought today. The ACO is definitely the world's best chamber orchestra!


The Mozart violin concertos are wonderful.............. all the more so by a 19 year old (at the time) composer!!


----------



## science

That represents Kremer's recording of Enescu's piano quintet, which I am listening to now.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Rostropovich's birthday.

View attachment 3826


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

On a Kv466 nudge, bringing out the heavy artillery.

View attachment 3827


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *both performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}. *Both symphonies feature Douglas Bostock leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been on an opera kick recently. This is one of my all-time favorites... well actually that's true of any of Mozart's mature operas... still, this is an absolutely fabulous production and recording (Ivan Fischer). The sets and costumes are beautiful, believable, and appropriate to the work at hand. The performers are both marvelous actors and singers, while the music itself is performed in a muscular manner that suggests Fischer (known especially for Dvorak, Bartok and other East-European composers) has learned quite a bit from the HIP movement.

Highly... Highly recommended!!!


----------



## Conor71

*Sheryngham: Ah, Gentle Jesu*

Playing Disc 2 of the Eton Choirbook Box-set - Sublime! :angel:


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Sheryngham: Ah, Gentle Jesu*
> 
> Playing Disc 2 of the Eton Choirbook Box-set - Sublime! :angel:


There was a time I wasn't going to purchase any more classical CDs, and it was right at the time that CD popped up in the bargain bin. That's the one that got away. 

This morning, *J.S. Bach, O Jesu Christ, Meins Lebens Licht*.

This is a lovely, peaceful piece. It's the only reason I've kept this CD. The other performances on this CD are disappointing by Gardiner's standards. I think he realized the recording space was too resonant, and he had to reduce speeds to keep it from turning into mush, so it doesn't have the drive of other recordings of these pieces. (They're supposed to be performed outdoors anyway, so what's with the echo chamber?)


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## kv466

Not nearly as good as with Leonard but great just the same.


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## Taneyev

Today I'll listen to famous solists that had their own string quartets ensambles:

Kreisler quartet on his SQ
Schneiderhann quartet on LvB op.131
Primrose quartet on Smetana first
Oistrakh quartet on Brahm's op.51/1


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## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Father & Son & Cousin Bach, D. Scarlatti, with GG and gloves.

View attachment 3832


----------



## Manxfeeder

*The Crown of Thorns, Eton Choirbook, Vol. 2*.

I like the spacing of the sopranos (or whatever they called them then - superius?) above the choir; it gives the impression of the listener being suspended between heaven and earth. Later English polyphony would become more florid; this is more of a spare texture. Singers in this music have to be spot-on, because they are so exposed.

Harry Christophers' ensemble does this music justice. Maybe a boy choir would be more historical, but it wouldn't be as effortless.


----------



## kv466




----------



## poconoron

Some great early Mozart sacred music along with Ave verum corpus which was composed in 1791 - the last year of his life.


----------



## realdealblues

I haven't dug this one out in probably a year. Still one of the best recordings of Mahler's 5th...Rudolf Barshai & The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
View attachment 3836


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## MrPlayerismus

Currently listening to Ornstein's masterpiece.His Piano Quintet.I am listening to the Hamelin one on youtube.Pretty awesome quality and flawless performance of a very hard piece.


----------



## Sid James

*Jean Langlais* (1907-91)
_Suite Medievale _(1947)
Bruno Mathieu, organ 
(Naxos)

This work is based on Gregorian chant, but sounds quite modern. It's for use in a mass setting (the low mass) and was written after the composer studied de Machaut's _Messe de Notre-Dame _(1365), and *Langlais* was actually organist at that very cathedral. The short and grand_ prelude _leads to three inner movements that are tranquil, meditative and lyrical. The final movement, _acclamations_, is the longest at 7 minutes, and brings together in this kind of weaving and layering, a number of Gregorian chants. A very impressive piece overall, and I really like Langlais' way of blending old and new and making it interesting and rewarding for the listener. Some very nuanced sounds here, the modern French organs are the best in the world for this repertoire written exactly for them, by composers like Langlais and Messiaen, Widor, Durufle, etc. whose music I'm exploring now.

Also a return to other more usual things -

*Thelonius Monk*
_Justice_ played by Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers (from 1958 concert at Olympia, Paris)
_Criss Cross _played by Le Jazz Groupe de Paris under Andre Hodeir (his arrangment, recorded 1956)
(both on Gitanes / Universal - Jazz in Paris series)

*J.S. Bach* 
_Partita #2 for solo violin in D minor, BWV1004_
Ruggiero Ricci, vln.
(Decca Eloquence)

*Schoenberg *
_Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4_ 
English CO / Daniel Barenboim
(EMI)

*Carter* 
_Violin concerto _
Ole Bohn, vln. / London Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen (EMI)


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to a recent Schnittke arrival (rec. 1992, Blackheath Concert Hall, London). Piano Trio (world premiere recording); Piano Sonata No 2, Quasi Una Sonata, with Lubotsky/Irina Schnittke/Rostropovich/ECO.

A nice pic of Alfred seated, with the players. Re survivors, Irina's now in her 70's, and Mark, 80.

View attachment 3837


----------



## kv466




----------



## Lenfer

*Artur Rubinstein - Barcarolle for piano in F sharp major, Op. 60, CT. 6* from an "early recordings" CD.

Does anyone know where the "*Last Thing You Ate*" thread went? I'm hungry and in need of inspiration. It's not showing up in the search. >_<


----------



## kv466

Lenfer said:


> *Artur Rubinstein - Barcarolle for piano in F sharp major, Op. 60, CT. 6* from an "early recordings" CD.
> 
> Does anyone know where the "*Last Thing You Ate*" thread went? I'm hungry and in need of inspiration. It's not showing up in the search. >_<


I don't know! I just had some excellent braised beef ravioli and wanted to share. I'll look.


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## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}. *Both symphonies are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


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## kv466




----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No.2










Andante is beautiful..


----------



## realdealblues

Dvorak String Quartet #14
View attachment 3840


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## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Joly Braga Santos--*Symphony No.1, Op.8 and Symphony No.5, Op.39. *Both quite expressive works are beautifully performed by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alvaro Cassuto.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 1: Symphonic Variations
Symphony no. 1
Musique funèbre
Symphony no. 2

It's hard to believe that Lutoslawski's teacher, Witold Maliszewski could say of the _Symphonic Variations_, "For me your work is simply ugly"!? The Symphonic Variations is actually an exquisite work, orchestrated with the greatest sensitivity to instrumental "colors" and revealing ethereal elements worthy of Ravel and Debussy.

The _Symphony no. 1_ is classically structured... and yet it's "soundscape" is clearly Modernist with ominous elements of dissonance and dark and/or fiery dance rhythms that suggest Stravinsky and Prokofiev.

_Musique funèbre_ was dedicated to the memory of Bartòk. It was Lutoslawski's first exploration of Schoenberg's 12-tone technique. Lutoslawski wrote of the work, "This is my first word spoken in a language new to me, but it is certainly not my last one." Regardless of this expressed sentiment, Lutoslawski soon abandoned Schoenberg's ideas, deciding that he was after something quite different.

_Symphony no. 2_ is organized into 2 movements... which would become a favored form that became increasingly popular with the composer. The work is dramatic... volcanic, even, with a dynamic build-up of energy.


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## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.2


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## clavichorder

This is quite the ear worm.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> *Artur Rubinstein - Barcarolle for piano in F sharp major, Op. 60, CT. 6* from an "early recordings" CD.
> 
> Does anyone know where the "*Last Thing You Ate*" thread went? I'm hungry and in need of inspiration. It's not showing up in the search. >_<


Over the last few days I've been thinking of reviving that thread, but I didn't know it was gone until now.


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## Taneyev

Arrangements and transcriptions:

Kodaly: Bach's Chromatic Phantasy for solo viola (Atar Arad)
Jules Herman's (French flutist, 19Th.century) the complete Paganini's 24 for solo flute. Bonita Boyd flute (a selecion of some 10 for today)
Grace Castagnetta's arrangement of Gershwin's concerto in F for solo piano. Norman Krieger.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Johann Strauss I birthday with the playing of Radetzky March, performed by VPO/HvK.

View attachment 3849


----------



## Vaneyes

"Trout" with Hagens, Posch, and Schiff.

View attachment 3852


----------



## Vaneyes

Chopin Nocturnes. Many times they're overplayed. Barenboim's seem just right to me.

A 1981 digital recording, that's hard to believe. This staggeringly beautiful sound is given to us by Balance Engineer Karl-August Naegler...maybe the best sound man DG ever had. His long list of credits as balance engineer and producer is astonishing.

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/karl-august-naegler-q42148/credits/all

View attachment 3855


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Violin Concerto*. One last reminder of winter before the blooms take over.


----------



## realdealblues

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
View attachment 3859

Rudolph Kempe & The Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 8 In E Major, Op. 2/2, H 3/8*

Now listening to Disc 3 - early quartets!


----------



## AndyS

Klemperer conducting Brahms' 4th (and before that the Alto Rhapsody, sung beautifully by one of my favourites, Christa Ludwig). Never listened to Brahms before other than his Deutsche Requiem, really enjoy it


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Josef Haydn--*Symphony No.101 in D Major {"The Clock"} and Symphony No.103 in E-Flat Major {"The Drum Roll"}, *both featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Jane Glover.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Clavicorder's earworm posting earlier today got me wanting to hear *Bach's St. John Passion*.


----------



## Sid James

*Carter*
_Three Occasions for Orchestra
Concerto for Orchestra_
London Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen
(EMI)

A bit of a breakthrough with the *Concerto for Orchestra*, after three years of owning this cd. Before it sounded random but this time I heard what was happening, or a lot more than before at least.

I could hear how different parts of the orchestra where having this conversation with one another. Eg. the strings, the brass, the percussion and also the piano with the harp. Many instruments had solos, either longer or brief and fleeting.

This work is in 6 sections, and intro and coda framing 4 movements, all going with no break. The second movement, _Presto volando_ seemed to have this intensity, a kind of visceral emotion, a let out of steam. The following_ maestoso _had the drums come prominently, but the intensity kind of wound down a bit, ready for the finale which is more full-on.

As for the _*Three Occasions for Orchestra*_, it's a great work, but the middle movement called _Rememberance_ has a mournful feel, a trombone solo that's like at a funeral, not particularly uplifting for me (written in memory of a friend and colleague of the conductor here, and also the composer).


----------



## Sid James

Also got into some *organ music *-

*Reger*
_Fantasia and Fugue on the name of B-A-C-H, Op. 46 _(1900)
Hans-Jurgen Kaiser, organ 
(Naxos - Reger organ works, vol. 3)

*Langlais* 
_Suite Medievale _(1947)
Bruno Mathieu, organ 
(Naxos)

*Durufle* 
_Prelude and fugue on the name "Alain," Op. 7
Suite, Op. 5_ 
Edward Theodore, organ 
(move digital cd)


----------



## NightHawk

This is spectacular - Gluck definitely lived by his aesthetic philosophy of opera reform. The direct benefactor of the 'reform' was the music itself; gorgeous classic restraint, but without loss of beauty. John Eliot Gardiner, Von Otter and Van Dam, Opera de Lyon _et al_. 5*****


----------



## poconoron

Mozart Clarinet Quintet and Kegelstatt Trio........... absolutely delightful!


----------



## poconoron

Now on to Bach's massive Mass in B Minor............ a work I much favor over Beethoven's Missa Solemnis........... although I generally listen to Beethoven overall more so than Bach.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Joly Braga Santos--*Symphony No.3, Op.15 and Symphony No.4, Op.16. *Both works are performed by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sao Carlos. I found the *Third Symphony's *poignant *second movement *to be especially moving and evocative: Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 3, Op. 15: Lento.
Edit: Only the *Third Symphony* is performed by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra; the *Fourth Symphony *features the National Symphony of Ireland led by Alvaro Cassuto. Sorry!


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Piano Trios Nos 1 & 2










Very enjoyable music. The first movement of No.2 had some interesting piano parts.

Mozart: Symphony No.36










Seems to go well with a hot "summer" night. We suddenly have summer weather this week in Chicago


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Have really been enjoying this recording the last few days. It's the Smetana Trio performing Dvorak's trio for piano, violin and cello in B flat major Op. 2B. A true masterpiece of chamber music just wonderfully and powerfully performed.. It also includes Fibich's Trio in F minor and Martinu's piano trio number 2, which are also well done and certainly worth listening to several times as I have done this week.









Presently I am listening to this fabulous recording of Julius Röntgen's symphony number 18. It's really great that CPO records has been releasing much of his work in recent years as he was a wonderful composer and very fun to listen to. He has great melodies and his music often takes unexpected turns. I highly recommend trying him if you have not already.









Kevin


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## opus55

Raff: Symphony No.9 "Im Sommer"










Here's another CPO recording


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## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel. Somehow, certain aspects of Joly Braga Santos' thematic developments and use of color in his *Third and Fourth Symphonies *{especially the latter} reminded me of Sibelius, especially his *Fifth.*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Raff: Symphony No.9 "Im Sommer"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's another CPO recording


I really love Raff's symphonies. I think he is truly a master symphonist and sadly mostly unknown. You rarely ever hear of his works being performed by any orchestras live, which is a shame because the public should hear his music more and bring him out of obscurity. Unfortunately orchestras need to fill their houses where they play and so they mostly stick to the well known material. In my previous post I mention Rontgen and I have never heard of his music being performed live anywhere. I hope it is but if so I have never heard or read about it.

And speaking of CPO recordings I would say that if they have their name on it you almost can't go wrong. In fact I can't think of a single CPO record I didn't like.

Kevin


----------



## ProudSquire

I Like his interpretation very much.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - 32 Variations in c-minor, woO80
Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano


----------



## violadude

Vers Un Symphonie Fleuve III by Wolfgang Rihm, this was my first time listening to this piece. It was fantastically dramatic with lots of colorful orchestration. The whole piece seemed to be one huge buildup. It starts off with just sparse and widely spaced chords and thats it. Then it just keeps building and building and adding more and more instruments and parts until there is a huge dramatic orgy of sound. It was a pretty cool piece. Wolfgang Rihm has gotta be one of my favorite slightly less than contemporary composers.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms*
_Piano Trio #3 in C minor, Op. 101_ 
Vienna Piano Trio (Naxos)
_String Sextet #2 in G major, Op. 36 'Agathe' _
Stuttgart Soloists (Naxos)

*Dussek, Hindemith, Tailleferre* - _Sonatas for solo harp_ 
Isabelle Moretti, harp (Harmonia Mundi)

*J. S. Bach *
_Sonata for solo violin #1 in G minor, BWV1001 _
Ruggiero Ricci, vln. (Decca Eloquence)

& in praise of Rostropovich's birthday, as noted by Vaneyes earlier this week -

*Miaskovsky* 
_Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 66_ 
Mstislav Rostropovich, vc. / Philharmonia Orch. / Malcolm Sargent (EMI)


----------



## Sid James

& more* organ music *-

*Reger*
_ Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, Op. 135b _(1916)
Hans-Jurgen Kaiser, org. (Naxos)

*Buxtehude* 
_Chorale Variation "Vater unser im Himmelreich" BuxWV 207
Prelude & Fugue in A minor Bux WV 153_ 
Jacques Van Oortmerssen, org. (Denon)


----------



## Taneyev

Khatchaturian's complete Gayaneh, Djansug Kakhidze and URSS Radio and TV large S.O., 1976 (Love this ballet!)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Chopin: Ballade no. 1
Vladimir Horowitz recording


----------



## Lenfer

Vaneyes said:


> Chopin Nocturnes. Many times they're overplayed. Barenboim's seem just right to me.
> 
> A 1981 digital recording, that's hard to believe. This staggeringly beautiful sound is given to us by Balance Engineer Karl-August Naegler...maybe the best sound man DG ever had. His long list of credits as balance engineer and producer is astonishing.
> 
> http://www.allmusic.com/artist/karl-august-naegler-q42148/credits/all
> 
> View attachment 3855


Interesting I shall investigate further thanks *Van*. 

Stole I mean "borrowed" this CD...










*Kronos Quartet* - *Black Angels*​


----------



## kv466




----------



## NightHawk

Listening now, for the third time through, to Monteverdi's Madrigals Book 1 (1590) performed by The Consort of Musicke. Published when Monteverdi was 22 years old, these are Prima Prattica (Stile Antico) in style and in 5 parts. The Rooney Consort (male and female voices) is a real find for me and these works are very beautiful. I ordered Book 5 just minutes ago (also by the Rooney group), which are the first madrigals M. wrote in the Seconda Prattica or Stile Moderno (tonal). Highly recommended, though I got the last one by this group - the jewel box was crushed (as described by seller) but the glorious disc and liner notes are totally intact w/o a scratch. Paid pennies for it! 

Sorry no pic available.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Mass in C*, then *Glass, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 2*.

As far as Glass, I prefer the 3rd symphony. The 2nd hasn't clicked with me yet.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Mass in C*, then *Glass, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 2*.
> 
> As far as Glass, I prefer the 3rd symphony. The 2nd hasn't clicked with me yet.
> 
> View attachment 3869


I think there could be good reason for that.....the 2nd is just simply and truthfully not as good. It's not that it's bad as I enjoy both but the 3rd is much better musically.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Here is another piece that is sadly neglected in the repertoire and it's Alexander Glazunov's piano concerto No. 1. This version played exquisitely by Severin von Eckardstein is a delight to listen to. His playing of the piece is very passionate. I don't know if this piece is great as the Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky concertos in the Russian tradition but it is close.

The 5th symphony as performed here is not the best performance. I think the version performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the baton of José Serebrier is my preferred listening experience. For those interested I will add the pic of it as well although technically it's not my current listening.

















Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back, MacGregor, then Babayan Scarlatti Sonatas for Keyboard. Delightful playing, well recorded.

View attachment 3872
View attachment 3873


----------



## tgtr0660

In the last three days:

A good version of this rather minor work by the master: (yes, in NAXOS) 








A rather ignored big choral work that is no match for the Missa Solemnis but that deserves more attention (first version I've ever heard): 








A fantastic version of the 6th, the best I've heard probably. No comparison to Chailly's dreadful one. Now, Chailly's 4th was actually better. The 4th comes out a little too static in this recording. But the 6th is almost perfect:









Tonight I'll have my first encounter with Fidelio. I have Klempeper's much acclaimed version too, but I've decided to start with this one and leave that one for last. I used to like Abbado but his recent Mozart disc was rather bland and lifeless. Let's see...


----------



## kv466

Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini 
David Zinman conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Horacio Gutierrez, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another Viennese bon-bon... as I stay fixated for the moment upon trying to work my way through the uncounted opera recordings that have lingered for far too long in my "too be listened to soon" stacks.


----------



## kv466

Carl Maria von Weber - Konzertstuck, op.79
Larry Newland conducts the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra
Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Cantata No. 170*.

I first heard Alfred Deller's version, then Leonhardt's later version. Not to dismiss Alfred Deller, but it's obvious that even by the time of Leonhardt, counter-tenors had made a significant improvement.


----------



## violadude

violadude said:


> View attachment 3867
> 
> 
> Vers Un Symphonie Fleuve III by Wolfgang Rihm, this was my first time listening to this piece. It was fantastically dramatic with lots of colorful orchestration. The whole piece seemed to be one huge buildup. It starts off with just sparse and widely spaced chords and thats it. Then it just keeps building and building and adding more and more instruments and parts until there is a huge dramatic orgy of sound. It was a pretty cool piece. Wolfgang Rihm has gotta be one of my favorite slightly less than contemporary composers.


Found this piece on youtube if anyone is interested in hearing it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Another DG thematic promo. I'd be afraid to play "Chopsticks" on this piano, it looks so good.

I do not like this Yuja hairstyle. Anyway, she gives us 44 seconds of loving. Small price to pay.


----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> And speaking of CPO recordings I would say that if they have their name on it you almost can't go wrong. In fact I can't think of a single CPO record I didn't like.
> 
> Kevin


And what about those artwork on the covers! I'm ready to pull the trigger on several CPO chamber recordings in next couple weeks.

Currently listening..

Schubert: Violin Sonata in A major, D.574


----------



## Sid James

*Rachmaninov* 
_Vocalise Op. 34 #14_ 
Mstislav Rostropovich, vc. / Alexander Dedyukhin, pno. (EMI)

*Rubbra* 
_Violin Concerto, Op. 103 _(1959)
Krysia Ostostowicz, vln. / Ulster Orch. / Takuo Yuasa (Naxos)

*Reger* 
_Organ Pieces Op. 59, Nos. 1-6: Praeludium, Pastorale, Intermezzo, Kanon, Toccata in D minor, Fugue in D major _
Hans-Jurgen Kaiser, org. (Naxos - Reger organ works, vol. 3)

*Hindemith* 
_Sonatas for solo violin Op.31 Nos. 1 & 2 _
*Prokofiev* 
_Sonata for solo violin Op. 115_
* Stravinsky*
_ Elegie_ 
Ruggiero Ricci, vln. (Decca Eloquence)


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## kv466

Rachmaninov - Prelude in c#-minor op.3, no.2
Jan Lisiecki, piano


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## neoshredder

Just listened to Corelli's first 6 Concertos of Trevor Pinnock. Highlights for me include Concerto 1 in D mvt. 2-3 and Concerto 4 in D mvt. 1.


----------



## kv466




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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Julius Rontgen--*Symphony No.18 in A Major, *featuring the North German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra led by David Porcelijn.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein


----------



## Vaneyes

Brutal consumption...over 6 hours of Mahler 9. It's a buffet. Eat what you like.


----------



## science

Beethoven.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> Beethoven.


That must be an _amazing_ recording. That triple concerto do my favourite piece by Beethoven.


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> That must be an _amazing_ recording. That triple concerto do my favourite piece by Beethoven.


I heard another recording of it once, but I have forgotten it....

The Oistrakh / Rostropovich / Richter / Karajan combo is just absolutely beyond my poor ability to judge. I just enjoy it.


----------



## Lenfer

*Hélène Grimaud* - *Chopin / Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas*​
My *Boyfriend* and I are going to the *International Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival* in *April*. I've seen her preform live before it's always an enjoyable experience I can't wait.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've been rediscovering Chopin. I don't think I've listened to Chopin properly for about a year and a half.

Ballade no. 2


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## Lenfer

I saw *Zimerman* play a few years ago it was a great night. I don't have anything of his on CD though you may just have inspired me to pick something up.


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## Conor71

*Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 In C Major, H 7b/1*

Just finished listening to a Cello Concerto by Monn and now listening to the Cello Concerto's of Haydn and Boccherini from this classic set!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

As a viola player and composer I detest this concerto. *CHOPIN CANNOT WRITE FOR ORCHESTRA. EVEN IF HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.* But I'll listen to it again anyway in order to become more familiar with the works of Chopin so I can talk more easily with my pianist friends.

Piano: Krystian Zimerman
Baton: Carlo Maria Giulini
Tortured slaves being forced to play such hopelessly orchestrated music: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.










(But as a *pianist* I love this concerto! )


----------



## mensch

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> As a viola player and composer I detest this concerto. *CHOPIN CANNOT WRITE FOR ORCHESTRA. EVEN IF HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.* But I'll listen to it again anyway in order to become more familiar with the works of Chopin so I can talk more easily with my pianist friends.


I can relate. The piano concertos are my least favourite Chopin works as well. The piano parts are brilliant but he rarely achieves a nice interplay between orchestra and solo instrument. They're works from his early days and there was a planned third concerto ("Allegro de concert", published in 1841, was to be a movement in it). It would be interesting to hear how a mature Chopin would have treated an orchestra.

What do you think of his Cello Sonata, though, one of his rare works for an instrument other than the piano?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

mensch said:


> I can relate. The piano concertos are my least favourite Chopin works as well. The piano parts are brilliant but he rarely achieves a nice interplay between orchestra and solo instrument. They're works from his early days and there was a planned third concerto ("Allegro de concert", published in 1841, was to be a movement in it). It would be interesting to hear how a mature Chopin would have treated an orchestra.
> 
> What do you think of his Cello Sonata, though, one of his rare works for an instrument other than the piano?


I am unfamiliar with the cello sonata, but do have knowledge of its existence.


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## violadude

I have no ******* idea why the quality is so bad!  I'll have to figure out a way to fix that sometime.






Pieces talked about include:

Sippal, Dobbal, Nadihegeduvel by Gyorgy Ligeti
Symphony 5 (version II) by Rued Langgaard
String Quartet 3 by Elliot Carter
Symphony 7 by Eduard Tubin
Trio Sonata 9 by Henry Purcell
String Symphony 7 by Felix Mendelssohn


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Chopin: Piano Concerto no. 2. A few of my friends at school are playing this. One recommended I listen to the recording I'm including in this post.

Piano: Dang Thai Son
Baton: Franz Brüggen
Tortured slaves: Orchestra of the 18th Century


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## NightHawk

- Abbado, Vienna, (1992)

Got up at 4 a.m to a long, soaking tropical rain storm, put this work on and was caught up in it immediately - I have not listened to it in a couple of years despite the fact that it even more beautiful than Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe (IMHO). It is truly a great work, endlessly fascinating - the singing style is syllabic and I don't miss the action stopping arias one bit. Given a private piano performance in 1901 and then premiered at the Opera Comique in 1902 (though it is no comedy, but more a 'Tragedie lyrique'), this work is perhaps the earliest herald of the 20th century, easily as unique and iconoclastic as 'Salome' or 'Le Sacre du printemps'.


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## Lisztian

Lenfer said:


> I saw *Zimerman* play a few years ago it was a great night. I don't have anything of his on CD though you may just have inspired me to pick something up.


Zimerman is a GREAT pianist. Also one of the most enigmatic, but most of what he plays is brilliant (if not too perfect at times - he is an EXTREME perfectionist). Pretty much every recording I have from him is one of my favourites for whatever work it is.


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## Manxfeeder

violadude said:


> I have no ******* idea why the quality is so bad!  I'll have to figure out a way to fix that sometime.


So that's you! How fun.


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## violadude

Manxfeeder said:


> So that's you! How fun.


Yes, that is me. If you go to the thread, "the violadude show" you can see me in better quality.


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## Taneyev

Today:

Dvorak's violin concerto, Milstein-Dorati
Schumann's Kreisleriana:Horowitz
Arkady Fillipenko's SQ Nº1


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## Vaneyes

Sampling Honegger Violin Sonatas (complete) on Naxos. These writings range from early (H. 3) to late (H.143). To tell the truth, I can't hear much development throughout. Nothing risky here...almost English pastoral effect with recurrent grey themes. Playing and sound are good.

View attachment 3889


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## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> That must be an _amazing_ recording. That triple concerto do my favourite piece by Beethoven.


I prefer HvK's DG recording of this with "the kids" Mutter, Ma, Zeltser. I thought innocence over experience brought more fresh qualities to the work. I could be wrong. I'd be interested in hearing further comments about these two recordings compared.


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## Lenfer

*Arthur Rubinstein* - *Chopin: The Mazurkas*​


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## neoshredder

Finished up Corelli's Concerti Grossi. The 3rd and 6th movement of Christmas Concerto are by far the most memorable on the second cd. Onto Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Will see which I like more.


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## kv466

Prokofiev - Symphony no.5 in b-flat, op.100


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## NightHawk

I love Corelli - his, unique for the time, all instrumental BOW is cool: 48 trio sonatas, 12 violin sonatas and 12 concerti grossi. Six published sets are authentically attributed to Corelli, and the Opus Six is a great labor of love. He was, I have learned, the first composer to write only tonal (non-modal) music. I also have the Handel you mention - Handel doesn't get the respect he deserves, and neither does Corelli, so I was glad to see your post...in fact, I think I'll just throw some Corelli on the player right now!



neoshredder said:


> Finished up Corelli's Concerti Grossi. The 3rd and 6th movement of Christmas Concerto are by far the most memorable on the second cd. Onto Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Will see which I like more.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Piano Concerto No. 1*.

There was a shout-out on this piece yesterday - I forgot by whom - but I'm checking it out. The Naxos recording is the first one that popped up on Spotify.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart: 40/41









Bernstein's choice of tempo for the first movement of the fortieth was somewhat slow, but other than that, I really liked his interpretation of these pieces, especially the finale of the Jupiter:clap:.


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## Taneyev

science said:


> I heard another recording of it once, but I have forgotten it....
> 
> The Oistrakh / Rostropovich / Richter / Karajan combo is just absolutely beyond my poor ability to judge. I just enjoy it.


I've this, but also an old, rare and totally OOP recording by Oistrakh-Oborin-Knushevitsky, with Alexander Orlov and Radio Moscow Orch. (1947) Sound is awful, but those 3 were incredible.


----------



## Taneyev

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I am unfamiliar with the cello sonata, but do have knowledge of its existence.


Look for a Mercury Living Presence by Janos Starker. Had Chopin's sonata and also his Polonaise Brillante (plus other things). The version is just great.!


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## neoshredder

Decided to listen to Schnittke's Concerto Grosso 1 by Kremer instead of listening all the way through Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6.


----------



## Sid James

*Jehan Alain* (1911-1940)
_Organ works, vol. 1_ (on Naxos label)
Eric Lebrun, organ

Alain unfortunately died at only 29 years of age, defending France against the Germans in 1940. Some say he was another Messiaen in the making. I think this album is amazing, his style like many French organ composers going way back is based around Gregorian chant, mixing it with new developments. His artistic motto was to "be brief," he did not like superficial effects or unnecesary clutter and upholstery, just say it like it is, short and sweet. He was taught in Paris Conservatoire by Dukas and Dupre among other greats.

He was exposed to the sounds of Asia with the Colonial Exhibition which visited Paris in 1932. His _*Two Dances on Agni Yavashita *_has this Asian pentatonic feel, the first dance like a slower version of the second dance.

Many will know his_ *LItanies*_, a piece which fuses chant and the clickety clack of his daily train journey into Paris from the suburbs. Ancient music meets the industrial age here, and this atypically is a showpiece for the instrument, like a modern child of Widor's famous _Toccata_.

An amazing piece here, prefiguring minimalism, is the_ *Monodie*_, which packs a lot into under 2 minutes. This, like a number of these works, the organ gives out sounds I'm not used to, almost electronic, from another dimension. It is different and maybe wierd but I'd say with subsequent developments in music, pretty accessible.

The longest piece here is the _*Suite, Op. 48*_ from 1936, for which Alain won a prize from the French organ society. There are various moods and colours here, many ideas in the intro & variations part in the first movement, then a more lively but elegant _scherzo_, and a concluding _choral_ which has elements of grandeur, but not over the top.

All up a great disc, and there's also a volume 2 available for those interested.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 99, D 898*


----------



## Sid James

*Widor*
_Organ Symphony #2 in D, Op. 13 #2 _(1876)
Joseph Nolan, organ (ASV label)

*Widor *was a big guy in the "back to Bach" movement, and certainly this work shows his mastery of counterpoint. Not typically for Widor though, he gives a liturgical title to one of the movements - the fourth movement,_ Salve Regina _(an _Allegro_) - which is one of his better known movements. I like the lyrical and quieter movements in this symphony the most, there are six movements in all, capped off by the obligatory fireworks and spectacular virtuosity in another _Allegro_.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tauber was the operetta singer _par excellence_ of the 20s and 30s. In spite of the age of these recordings (1928-1933) the vocal sound is quite clear and even the orchestra... perhaps a bit dusty... comes through clear considering the age. Of course it may be due to the smaller chamber orchestras employed in the classic operettas... or it may be due to the excellent sound engineering of Dutton. I am seriously considering a larger box set of Tauber performances.


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## StlukesguildOhio

_Missa Solemnis in E
Antifona sul canto fermo 8. tona
Nemo gaudet_

Disc 3 of this set. Some marvelous, muscular choral music. Cherubini should be more known if only for his choral music... and the opera _Medea_.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

A double CD volume 1 set _The Circle of Robert Schumann_, featuring music by Schumann, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), Clara Schumann and Woldermar Bargiel (1828-1897). Played by Gudrun Schaumann, violin (A. Stradivari, 1731) and Christoph Hammer, fortepiano (Streicher, Vienna 1836). Samples at Amazon if you are curious.


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Birthday to Christa Ludwig. Listening to Kindertotenlieder and Ruckert-Lieder.

View attachment 3899


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## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Tauber was the operetta singer _par excellence_ of the 20s and 30s. In spite of the age of these recordings (1928-1933) the vocal sound is quite clear and even the orchestra... perhaps a bit dusty... comes through clear considering the age. Of course it may be due to the smaller chamber orchestras employed in the classic operettas... or it may be due to the excellent sound engineering of Dutton. I am seriously considering a larger box set of Tauber performances.


I don't know how this guy has slipped under my radar. My wife and I love operettas and collect a lot of music from the 20s, 30s and 40 because we are big fans of classic films. I checked him out on IMDB and he appeared in at least a dozen films and surprisingly none of them have I seen. So, now I'm going to have to put some feelers out and see if any of my classic movie friends have copies of any of his films. I found a LOT of his stuff on Spotify and really enjoy him. He's as fun to listen to as Caruso, or Mario Lanza, or Nelson Eddy. Speaking of Nelson Eddy his co-star in eight films, Jeannette MacDonald was quite a little lark too and a joy to watch her sing. You could tell she really loved it. Anyway, I digress. Thanks for bringing Tauber to our notice.

Kevin


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## Conor71

*Prokofieviano Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55*

Richter plays Prokofiev - great disc! I got this one after seeing it posted by Sid


----------



## rojo

Poulenc - Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet, Op. 100

Danish National Symphony Orchestra Wind Quintet

Continuing with my foray into the works of Poulenc. I'm already well acquainted with a few of them. Less familiar with this one, I had heard it a long time ago. Happy to hear it again.


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## kv466

Jean Sibelius - Karelia Suite 
Pietari Inkinen conducting the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Tone Poems

En Saga, Op.9
Spring Song, Op.16


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64*

Decided to stick with Prokofiev and now listening to this Ballet which I have only listened to a couple of times before .


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## kv466

César Franck - Symphony in d-minor
Semyon Bychkov and the Paris Orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've been listening to all of my current guitar repertoire.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Chopin Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" *











Love variations 2-4 :}. :tiphat:


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## ProudSquire

*Mozart Andante from Piano Sonata No 16 C major K 545 Mitsuko Uchida*


----------



## Badinerie

New puppy woke me up at quarter past six this morning So Im having a Vaughan Williams session. Right now its Variations on a theme by Thomas Tallis. An old Argos lp with Iona Brown involved. Painfully beautiful!


----------



## Mordred

Webers 1st symphony with a Nicaraguan cigar and some Aussie port. Perfect Saturday afternoon!


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 12, Op. 116*

Getting to grips with this set again and now listening to Disc 4 - not the most inviting of music so far!. Its not hard to listen to these pieces but the mood is consistently very oppressive and anxious!. There are little islands of calm and beauty within each Quartet which make it worthwhile listening though..


----------



## Lenfer

*Artur Rubinstein - Chopin: 19 Nocturnes*​


----------



## Taneyev

Lalo's Namouna ballet suites

Lalo's cello concerto, Maurice Marechal-Philippe Gaubert and Paris SO (1932). Fantastic!

Shostakovich SQ 3:Julian Sitkovetsky with Rudolph Barshai and others. Very rare historical recording.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Krystian Zimerman is definitely one of my favourite pianists. Here he is playing Chopin's Ballade no. 3:


----------



## Lisztian

^He's my favourite in all the Chopin Ballades. Also the Chopin and Liszt concerti (and Totentanz), up there with the Debussy preludes, Liszt Sonata, and with other assorted pieces. I have to get his Brahms CD's...

Here he is with my favourite recording of one of my favourite piano pieces, Liszt's La Lugubre Gondola II.


----------



## NightHawk

These recordings from '63 & '64, respectively, contain the versions of the Bernstein Sym No. 3 'Kaddish' and the Bizet Symphony in C on my Bernstein Symphony Cycle set. 'Kaddish' with its fervent narration by Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montenegro, is a striking work though not something I will listen to often - I'm not much on 'voice-overs' which is how the narration comes off - the music is a tour de force for the orchestra, but fragmented by the program and ultimately frustrating to me.

The Bizet is, on the other hand, joyous and beautifully played (the 2nd movement entrancing, as always, if the oboist is any good, and Harold Gomberg is very good).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Listening to Met Opera on radio, where they are broadcasting Mussorgsky's Kovanshchina. Wonderful stuff. That prelude gets me every time, with those bell chimes...


----------



## kv466




----------



## Cnote11

Wow, that has a lot of likes. I've read about her recently and I think I should check that release out.

Currently listening to:










Henryk Górecki's Third


----------



## Cnote11

Pierrot Lunaire. I'm going to get another recording of this work very soon. Maybe the Boulez one.


----------



## Conor71

*Davy: In Honore Summae Matris*

Now listening to the last Disc of this box for a first listen - this is a wonderful set and has given me some really good listens this week


----------



## opus55

Bach: Cello Suites


----------



## Conor71

*Purcell: 9 Fantazias, Z 735-43*

The Eton Chooirbook Disc finished already and now listening to the last Disc of another box-set for a first listen..


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## Cnote11

Conor71 said:


> *Davy: In Honore Summae Matris*
> 
> Now listening to the last Disc of this box for a first listen - this is a wonderful set and has given me some really good listens this week


Could you tell me more about this? It looks like something that may fill an appetite I've been having lately.


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## NightHawk

House cleaning day - I've listened to a lot of music, Brahms, Bizet, Monteverdi, Mozart Piano Sonatas, and now Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 2 and the Viola Concerto w Rozhdestvensky conducting. This recording of these works is the only one I know, but it is passionate and gripping and mystical. I would say that it is a great disc for an introduction to Schnittke's music, or hmmm, maybe the Concerto Grosso No. 1 (Gidon Kremer) would be better.


----------



## Conor71

Cnote11 said:


> Could you tell me more about this? It looks like something that may fill an appetite I've been having lately.


Sure Cnote11  - this is a 5 Disc set of Early Music from late 15th/early 16th England and the pieces on each Disc feature polyphony with fabulous sonority and a soaring top line.
The Sixteen perform superbly, with little or no vibrato, a clarity of line and a sonorous blend which are ideal.
(I borrowed the words of Amazon reviewer Sid Nuncius here who said it much better than I ever could and who knows a bit about Early Music!)
Its a pretty wonderful collection - each Disc features a mixture of different Composers and the content is similar on each Disc.
There is also a great Disc from the Eton Choirbook from the Tallis Scholars which is very good too athough there would be some duplication of material if you bought this one too:










I bought this set because I love polyphony and wanted to increase my collection of Early music - this set is recommended! :tiphat:


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## Sid James

Some of my favourite pieces have been listened to above. Bizet's _Symphony in C_ & Bernstein's _Kaddish symphony_. Also, Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire_. The Bach cello suites too, 3 & 4 are my favourites. & also CoAg with guitar music, great lineup there, esp. like our own Philip Houghton, who captures Australian landscape and vibe so perfectly in his music.

Anyway, this is what I have been getting into. Another listen to the *Jehan Alain disc, his organ music *is not what one would expect from that instrument. Very modern sounds - more like a synthesiser than an organ at times - and including many things, from Gregorian chant vibes, to Asian, a kind of minimalism, just so unique. The _Scherzo _movement from the _Suite _kind of gave me this vortex or spiral feel, it kind of draws the listener in. More info on Alain which I did earlier HERE.

Also some *Irish, Celtic musics for St. Pat's day*.

*Jehan Alain* (1911-1940)
_Organ works, vol. 1_ 
Eric Lebrun, organ
(on Naxos label)

*Celtic trad.* (arr. Koch) - _She moved through the fair _& _The Salley Gardens_
*Bill Whelan *(arr. Field) - _Riverdance _&_ American Wake _from_ Riverdance The Show_
From album: _Nostalgica_ by Saffire, The Australian Guitar Quartet - Antony Field, Slava Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp, Gareth Koch on guitars
(ABC Classics cd)


----------



## Vaneyes

Scriabin Piano Sonatas with Marc-Andre Hamelin.

View attachment 3904


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## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still trying to work my way through the dozens of operatic recordings I've purchased and yet had time to listen to. This is the second recording I've listened to in this series of historic recordings of Köln Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester. This particular recording dates from 1956. The sound, considering the age, is not merely good... but rather stunning. The orchestra is conducted by Joseph Keilberth with soloist including Nicolai Gedda, Hermann Prey, and Hilde Zadek.

The more I have heard by Glück, the more impressed I am. Sadly, to many he is little more than a name... the transitional figure from the Baroque opera to that of Mozart. But Glück really needs to be heard for the quality of his music. I had long wondered about the assertion that Wagner had been influenced by Glück... after all, most of the operas that I have heard by the composer have been beautiful... lyrical... anything but Wagnerian. Yet Iphigenie auf Naxos is something different... muscular and explosively dramatic musical theater.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in C Minor, Op. 6/3 (1714)*
This is probably my favorite of the set so far. The writing here is more transparent, evocative, and memorable. Corelli seems to combine the best of both worlds, with his counterpoint on par with Bach, and his harmonic shifts foreshadowing Vivaldi. A really beautiful work.

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in Bb Major, Op. 6/5 (1714)*
Another well written concerto, this one is more spirited and cheerful. The interplay between the soloists and tutti isn't quite as pronounced, with the orchestra mostly reiterating ideas. Still, an enjoyable listen.

*Robert Schumann: Piano Trio #2 (1847)*
While not as cohesive as the first trio, this is nonetheless a marvelous work, gorgeous and passionate. The first movement so rhythmic and raucous, sounds more like a finale; in fact I've been wondering if the piece would work better if the movements were reversed. The awkwardly proportioned theme combined with the propulsive quality makes this an original and memorable experience. Schumann takes bits of the theme, puts it through wonderful harmonic detours, all the while piling on more musical material. The slow movement is one of his most beautiful creations. Its restrained nature and sublime harmonies and part writing provide one of his most heartfelt movements. Schumann continues with the idea of restraint in the third movement, a melancholy dance with passionate outbursts of yearning. The finale is where the piece falls short (quite the opposite of the first trio). Schumann has built so much tension, with the wild opener and the subsequent restraint. A piano driven contrapuntal movement attempts to provide closure, but leaves the listener wanting more.

*Bedřich Smetana: Grand Overture in D Major (1849)*
This timpani driven overture is a lot of fun, with two hummable melodies supporting its rowdy rhythmic drive. Nicely written, and accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, though perhaps nothing more.

*Bedřich Smetana: March for the Shakespeare Festival (1858)*
Written for what I presume was a Shakespeare festival, Smetana seems intent on pulling out every cliche. Fanfares begin the short excursion, followed of course by a march, and ending with all too familiar chord progressions.

*Claude Debussy: Preludes, Book 2 (1913)*
Debussy's second set of preludes works much better as unit than _Book 1_. While the first set may contain some standout movements like _Sunken Cathedral_, here each prelude seems integral in supporting its successor; often times the mood of a prelude will change towards the end, and then continue the statement in the following movement. There is also much more of an arc in emotion; the first few preludes start out mysteriously, gain momentum, and after some reflection come to a true finale. This makes for a much more cohesive and enjoyable experience, and when I lost electricity for 54 hours this week, listening to these in the dark provided me with a transcendent way to pass time. My favorites are the seductive _La Puerta Del Vino_, and the heavenly _Canope_.

*Thomas Adès: Five Eliot Landscapes (1990)*
Adès wrote these songs for soprano and piano when he was only 17 years old. For his age they show remarkable maturity and creativity. The songs are atonal while still containing moments of lush beauty. An abundance of techniques are used (including a Messiaen-esque bird chirp), though he mostly opts for a more Second Viennese School way of phrasing (ala Schoenberg or Berg), dipping into Britten when things get more tonal. Adès has the soprano mostly use her highest register, gliding above a usually more aggressive piano part. A piece that's still looking for a voice, but seems to be having a good time doing it.


----------



## clavichorder

Hummel Piano Concerto in A minor played by Stephen Hough. I really have gotten to love this piece.


----------



## Cnote11

Conor71 said:


> Sure Cnote11  - this is a 5 Disc set of Early Music from late 15th/early 16th England and the pieces on each Disc feature polyphony with fabulous sonority and a soaring top line.
> The Sixteen perform superbly, with little or no vibrato, a clarity of line and a sonorous blend which are ideal.
> (I borrowed the words of Amazon reviewer Sid Nuncius here who said it much better than I ever could and who knows a bit about Early Music!)
> Its a pretty wonderful collection - each Disc features a mixture of different Composers and the content is similar on each Disc.
> There is also a great Disc from the Eton Choirbook from the Tallis Scholars which is very good too athough there would be some duplication of material if you bought this one too:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I bought this set because I love polyphony and wanted to increase my collection of Early music - this set is recommended! :tiphat:


Thanks! I think I'll have to get both. I certainly don't mind repetition as I just splurged on four new versions of Pierrot Lunaire tonight. I've recently been expanding my Early music collection as well and have seen a large spike in my interest in polyphony in the last few months. I love this thread for the sole reason that I get to come across so many things that really peak my interest. All the box sets you post seem very well-picked and intriguing. Off to secure these as well as that Czech Horn Concertos disc that was recommended to me by *science*.


----------



## Sid James

Clementine said:


> ...
> ...
> *Claude Debussy: Preludes, Book 2 (1913)*
> Debussy's second set of preludes works much better as unit than _Book 1_. While the first set may contain some standout movements like _Sunken Cathedral_, here each prelude seems integral in supporting its successor; often times the mood of a prelude will change towards the end, and then continue the statement in the following movement. There is also much more of an arc in emotion; the first few preludes start out mysteriously, gain momentum, and after some reflection come to a true finale. This makes for a much more cohesive and enjoyable experience, and when I lost electricity for 54 hours this week, listening to these in the dark provided me with a transcendent way to pass time. My favorites are the seductive _La Puerta Del Vino_, and the heavenly _Canope_. ....


Thanks, enjoyed your write up, the whole thing.

Re *Debussy's preludes*, you may know this, that he said he was fine with pianists playing them as one unit or as seperate pieces. I think his compositional process was to compose a piece, then name it. In the case of the 2nd book of preludes, he didn't want to name it, but his publisher wanted names attached. So Debussy did that, some time after the fact of composing them. Which is wierd, as I associate_ Feux d'artifice_, the last prelude of book 2, to be so much like fireworks (nothing else?), also how that feint echo of the _Marsellaise_ in the last minute or less, like wind chimes (pentatonic?), appropriate as the national anthem and fireworks kind of go together. I think there's strength in the argument of calling him a symbolist not an impressionist but in any case these labels mean next to nothing to me. Interesting though how rich in meaning these preludes are, eg. with quotes from brahms to stravinsky and many other things that I could only hear after reading about them being there - and then even just faintly, "only just." The preludes are my favourite work of his by far, although other things like _Jeux_ are up there for me too.


----------



## Cnote11

Giving this a go at the moment


----------



## NightHawk

to StLukesguildOhio:

I too am very keen on Gluck's operas and the _Iphigenie auf Taris_ that you posted is very tempting, though I own the John Eliot Gardiner version - I love Nicolai Gedda's voice and characterizations. I have his Magic Flute and Vanessa, plus an album of Russian song - all superb.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartets, Op.18










Now I have all the quartets by Beethoven


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have the Gardiner recording as well... and probably wouldn't have picked up this one had it not been that I have been so impressed with the other recordings in this series and even more impressed with the price.

As for the Gedda _Die Zauberflöte_... I assume you mean this one:










Is there any version that's better? Lucia Popp in unmatched as Queen of the Night... and Gedda never sang better... rivaling even the great Fritz Wunderlich.

By the way... there is a _Zauberflöte_ recording in this series with Keilberth conducting:










Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss are my three operatic gods by whom I pick up multiple recordings or nearly every major opera.


----------



## Lisztian

A playlist of Debussy's complete piano works.






Perfect soundtrack as I escape from the world for a few hours.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked this up a month or two ago, but only now am I getting around to giving it the close listen it deserves.

Anna! Forgive me!!!:lol:


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No.3










Muti's performance is impressive in this set. I thank him for a great introduction to Scriabin's symphonic works.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I picked this up a month or two ago, but only now am I getting around to giving it the close listen it deserves.
> 
> Anna! Forgive me!!!:lol:


I just recently discovered Anna Netrebko myself. She is a fabulous talent. What a voice! and not bad looking either.

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Berlioz: symphonie funèbre et triomphale










I guess I never listened to this before even though it's been few months since I got the duo set. Sounds very heavy.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony For Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}. *Both symphonies feature the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. As well, the *First Symphony *has as its featured player organist E. Power Biggs.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Donizetti: La Fille du Regiment






Marie - Natalie Dessay
Tonio - Juan Diego Florez
Sulplice - Alessandro Corbelli
La Maquise - Felicity Palmer
Hortensius - Donald Maxwell
Caporale - Bryan Secombe
Un Paysan - Luke Price
La Duchesse - Dawn French
Conductor - Bruno Campanella
Orchestra - Covent Garden
Chorus - Covent Garden


----------



## ProudSquire

*J. S. Bach, Suite No. 4, Prelude​*





:clap:​


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner* 
_Prelude, Fugue & Postlude _(1846-61)
_Prelude in C major _(1884)
Mark Quarmby, organ
(SUMS cd)

The first work here more conventional, a study piece. Despite being one of the best organists of his time, *Bruckner* wrote little for the instrument. The _*Prelude in C*_ from 1884 is amazing and prefigures things coming around 1900 - eg. heavy chromaticism of REger - but only 2 minutes. Organists, it says in the notes, just wish he wrote more of this stuff. Amazing all the same, packed in a short space of time.

*Jean Langlais *(1907-1991)
_Suite Medievale_ (1947)
Bruno Mathieu, organ
(Naxos)

This, a low (or short type of) mass, has grand outer movements flanking three meditative and lyrical ones. The *final movement*, _*Acclamations*_ is an amazing web of polyphony of tunes of Gregorian chant. But not cliched or just copying the old styles, this is modern & unique. Big wow factor here and I aim to listen to the other longer work on this disc.


----------



## Lenfer

*Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano*​


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> *Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano*​


Which is your favourite étude?


----------



## Lenfer

^

Mhmm off the top of my head I'd say *Der Zauberlehrling*.

*Edit:*

Or maybe * L'escalier Du Diable*.


----------



## Taneyev

Federico Elizalde's violin concerto: Ferras. (A beautiful piece on an extraordinary perfomance)

Haydn's one of the op.76 SQ by the original Hungarian Budapest (before the Russian invation)

Domenico Scarlatti's selection of sonatas: Maria Tipo (marvellous!)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor






Lucia - Beverly Sills
Edgardo - Jose Carreras
Enrico - Pablo Elvira
Raimondo - Maurizio Mazzieri
Arturo - David Griffith
Alisa - Diane Curry
Normanno - Joaquin Romaguera
Conductor - Luigi Martelli
Orchestra - New York City Opera
Chorus - New York City Opera


----------



## science

#9


----------



## Lenfer

*Glenn Gould* - *Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817* (on loan from my boyfriends CD collection)​
I'm in dire need of a new more comfortable chair.  Suggestions?


----------



## science

Lenfer said:


> I'm in dire need of a new more comfortable chair.  Suggestions?


Google "Queen Nzinga." Then talk to your boyfriend.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> *Glenn Gould* - *Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817* (on loan from my boyfriends CD collection)​
> I'm in dire need of a new more comfortable chair.  Suggestions?


Try this:


----------



## rojo

^ Looks comfy. 

Listening to Pollini playing Debussy - L'Isle Joyeuse.


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Try this:


Thanks *CoAG* but I've seen this chair before.










He doesn't look that comfy.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> Thanks *CoAG* but I've seen this chair before.


It's Glenn Gould's chair.


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray led by Eugene Ormandy.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok*
_Sonata for solo violin, Sz.117_ 
Ruggiero Ricci, violin - on Decca Eloquence

This work moves, or seems to move, from a very complex first movement -_ Tempo di ciaccona _- to the final movement - _Presto _- where you finally get a really big, juicy and hearty Hungarian tune. In between, an intense and high octane _Fuga_, followed by a _Melodia (Adagio) _reminiscent of *Bartok's* night music movements from his piano concertos. Some amazing playing here, and on this set, from a very young Ruggiero Ricci.

*Widor*

_Organ Sym. #1 in C minor, Op. 13 #1 _(1876) 
Joseph Nolan on organ, ASV label


Another composer, but earlier, going on the back to Bach route. But like Bartok, *Widor* is not simply Bach rehash, he's his own man. I really like the expressive and contemplative slow movements here. The work originally ended with the 5th movement, the relatively well known _March Pontificale, _but being the incessant reviser he was, Widor later added two more movements. They don't necessarily add in substance to the work, but I'm not complaining, they're pretty good. Anyway, that fifth movement mixes pretension and a kind of down to earth feel, the middle part comes across as banal and almost like fairground music, contrasting with the processional type outer parts. The "real" finale, the seventh movement marked _Allegro _ends with the organ imitating blazing trumpets, pretty amazing to hear (& this recording captures the resonance very well).


----------



## Cnote11

From Boléro to beyond. I've made light of the piece throughout my life, but it is a fine listen. I may just skip ahead to Daphnis Et Chloé when it is finished.

Edit: Scratch that. I'm going to continue into Rapsodie Espagnole first.


----------



## opus55

Barktok: Orchestral works


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28. *Both works feature Marin Alsop conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: The Arp Schnitger organ of St. Cosmae church in Stade *(Germany)
_Music by composers of the "North German organ school" _- *Scheidemann, Buxtehude, Weckmann, Bruhns, Lubeck*
Jacques van Oortmerssen, organ (Denon cd)

These guys are linked back, and linked to eachother. Eg. Scheidemann studied with Sweenlick, and another one of them studied under Praetorius. I want to get music by those two as well, eventually.

What I enjoyed most is *Buxtehude's* _Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BuxWV153_, the last minute had this amazing virtuosity (but in the Baroque sense of course, kind of restrained and not as flamboyant as later).

Another great track was* Bruhns' *_Chorale Fantasia "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland," _which was very much song like and quite light.

I also liked *Lubeck's* _Praeambulum_, he was a composer who actually played on the organ in this recording, which had an interesting history (eg. some pipes being taken and melted down for various wars). The organ was dismantled and fully restored in 1975, exactly 300 years after it had originally been built.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this still funny performance by *Victor Borge *on the weekend (on vinyl). Hilarious stuff, nothing was sacred to this guy - he takes a dig at the cliches in everything from Mozart to Liszt & even invented his new form of _phonetic punctuation._ More details on my blog on this forum, as well as other things I got into.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5










Romantic he was


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've been listening to Nyman's "Bird Anthem" over and over for hours. True bliss.


----------



## AndyS

Abbado conducting Verdi's Macbeth. Shirley Verrett is captivating


----------



## Taneyev

Today I'm on a Tchaikovsky's mood:

Violin concerto: Oistrakh-Gauk (1939). His very first recording
Grand sonate. Richter
Trio op.50, first movement only: Igumnov-Oistrakh-Knushevitsky, from the 40s. Extremely rare recording.


----------



## Lenfer

*Hélène Grimaud* - *Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 And Works For Piano*​


----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 3915


Samplings. Mahler 5 with PittsburghSO/Honeck, and Bruckner 9 with StuttgartRSO/Norrington.

Honeck, a fomer violist with the VPO, is a centrist with Mahler interpretation, and all indications are for this being a winning performance. Pittsburgh playing is assured, though I suspect some spontaneity in transition and attack could be an issue. Sound buffs will enjoy this SACD/Hybrid. The soundstage is large and believable. You are there.

Bruckner 9. Norrington's Stuttgart ensemble is okay. Recorded sound is good. What's missing is a good interpretation. This one fails to ignite. Stay away from this turkey. Not cooked.

View attachment 3914


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Max Reger's birthday, Marc-Andre Hamelin playing...

View attachment 3918


----------



## tgtr0660

Vaneyes said:


> View attachment 3915
> 
> 
> Bruckner 9. Norrington's Stuttgart ensemble is okay. Recorded sound is good. What's missing is a good interpretation. This one fails to ignite. Stay away from this turkey. Not cooked.


Norrington is a destroyer of post-baroque music....

Anyway, Abbado's Fidelio is quite good, though I haven't heard another version to offer a comparison. The opera itself though for me is not totally brilliant.

Yesterday listened to: (yes, again in Naxos, and quite a good version again)









Today's music will be surely fantastic, and fantastically played:


----------



## kv466

Rachmaninov - Piano concerto no.1 in f#-minor, op.1
Earl Wild with Jascha Horenstein and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Lenfer

*Alice Sara Ott* - *Chopin: Waltzes* ​


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

A little Lully.


----------



## Manxfeeder

A bunch of Bruckner.


----------



## NightHawk

Hamelin is a most wonderful pianist, possessed of a 'formidable technique' (quote from somewhere, I can't remember).



Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of Max Reger's birthday, Marc-Andre Hamelin playing...
> 
> View attachment 3918


----------



## NightHawk

Klemperer's 'Fidelio' is pretty amazing, though I agree...it is a work that Beethoven himself was never satisfied with despite many fine moments - the quartet in Act 1 'Mir ist so wunderbar', comes to mind.








tgtr0660 said:


> Norrington is a destroyer of post-baroque music....
> 
> Anyway, Abbado's Fidelio is quite good, though I haven't heard another version to offer a comparison. The opera itself though for me is not totally brilliant.
> 
> Yesterday listened to: (yes, again in Naxos, and quite a good version again)
> 
> View attachment 3919
> 
> 
> Today's music will be surely fantastic, and fantastically played:
> 
> View attachment 3920


----------



## NightHawk

That chair - I wonder who has it? edit: oh, well, Canada has it, to be sure!



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Try this:


----------



## Vaneyes

Rachmaninov, the Santiago Rodriguez solo trilogy.

Piano Sonata No. 1; Préludes, Op. 32 
Preludes, Op. 23; Corelli Variations; Nocturnes; Song Without Words
Piano Sonata No. 2; Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3; Chopin Variations

View attachment 3928
View attachment 3929
View attachment 3930


----------



## Lenfer

*Martha Argerich* - *The Collection 3*: *Chamber Ensembles*​
It's doubtful I'll get to the end of the current CD *Martha* makes me sleepy (in a good way).


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk, The Chair is normally on view at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa). Occasionally, it is loaned to exhibitions. Paris had it in 2007.

GG's father made it for him. He sat 14 inches above the floor, allowing the keys to be pulled down as he played.

View attachment 3931


http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/glenngould/028010-1050.02-e.html


----------



## Lenfer

Vaneyes said:


> NightHawk, The Chair is normally on view at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa). Occasionally, it is loaned to exhibitions. Paris had it in 2007.
> 
> GG's father made it for him. He sat 14 inches above the floor, allowing the keys to be pulled down as he played.
> 
> View attachment 3931
> 
> 
> http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/glenngould/028010-1050.02-e.html


Still doesn't look comfy though.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*SQS # 1-5, *performed by the Kronos Quartet.
Alexander Tcherepnin--*Symphoy No.1, Op.42 and Symphony No.2, Op.77 , *featuring the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Lan Shui.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 5 in B flat major D485 - Andante con moto​*





I seem to never tire of this absolute beauty.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Piano Trio No. 30 In A Major, H 15/18*

Haydn back to back play - Disc 6 of the Beaux Arts Trio set for a first listen followed by Disc 05 of the Angeles Quartet set: Op. 9 & Op. 17 Quartets.


----------



## Taneyev

Edwin Kallstenius son.cello&piano
Nancy Dahlberg SQ op.14
Dvorak Humoresques for piano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This is one of the finest versions of Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto I have ever heard. Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony are fabulous as always but the real highlight is Martin Fröst. His playing is unbelievable. I'm not really familiar with the Aho concerto on this recording but I found it a fascinating piece. Some very unusual sounds are made by the clarinet which I have not heard before. I think this has to be a benchmark recording for me by which all other versions will have to stand up to now.









Kevin


----------



## Lenfer

*Nicola Benedetti* - *Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1*​


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kevin Pearson said:


> This is one of the finest versions of Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto I have ever heard.


Thanks for the heads-up! I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## violadude

Lenfer said:


> *Nicola Benedetti* - *Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1*​


I have never heard that violinist play but I have always thought she had a weird sneer on all her CD covers that made her look not so nice.


----------



## tdc

A fantastic piece of chamber music I wish I had known about during our last chamber list...Khachaturian's Trio for Piano, Violin and Clarinet.


----------



## neoshredder

Neo-Baroque at its best.


----------



## Lenfer

violadude said:


> I have never heard that violinist play but I have always thought she had a weird sneer on all her CD covers that made her look not so nice.


Shes not the best looking girl. I've seen her live a few times at different events never her on her own she does have the most oddly shaped nose hence the funny look. She is a good violinist on a par with most violinists in her age group I'd say. I like her CDs as you can buy the cheaply.


----------



## Vaneyes

JS Bach works for violin. Ehnes solo, then Hope concerti.

View attachment 3942
View attachment 3943


----------



## NightHawk

What a great story and pic, Vaneyes, and thanks! I've watched many films of GG and that chair, that allowed him to lean in at about shoulder level with the keyboard, is always there. I had no idea his father made it for him and it adds greatly to the celebration of GG's life and music.



Vaneyes said:


> NightHawk, The Chair is normally on view at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa). Occasionally, it is loaned to exhibitions. Paris had it in 2007.
> 
> GG's father made it for him. He sat 14 inches above the floor, allowing the keys to be pulled down as he played.
> 
> View attachment 3931
> 
> 
> http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/glenngould/028010-1050.02-e.html


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 21 In Eb Major, Op. 17/3, H 3/27*


----------



## Dowd

Vaneyes said:


> JS Bach works for violin. Ehnes solo, then Hope concerti.


I recently discovered Ehnes through his recordings of Bach's Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, which are remarkable. I just bought Podger's Solos/Partitas, so it might be awhile before I buy another set... but Ehnes will be at the top of the list.


----------



## Manxfeeder

neoshredder said:


> Neo-Baroque at its best.


Now that's what I call Neo-Baroque!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius Symphony No. 5*, the version recorded by Vanska.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Debussy Children's Corner off of Rise of the Masters.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D Major and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, *both performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Andre Previn.


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Birthday to Rachmaninov and Richter.

View attachment 3947


----------



## Dowd

Earlier today, Kevin Pearson mentioned Martin Fröst. I have his Brahms Clarinet Sonatas. Wonderful. I've always most enjoyed Karl Leister's recordings but these Fröst recordings are quickly catching up.

Martin Fröst [clarinet] • Roland Pöntinen [piano] • Asa Thedéen [violin]
Brahms
Clarinet Sonatas & Trio
BIS


----------



## NightHawk

The Walden Chamber Players perform the Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp at Iowa State University. Marianne Gedigian, flute; Christof Huebner, viola; Franziska Huhn, harp.

From Wikipedia.com: The Sonata for flute, viola and harp (French: Sonate pour flûte, alto, et harpe), L. 137, was written by Claude Debussy in 1915.

According to Léon Vallas (1929, cited in Walker, 1988), Debussy initially planned this as a piece for flute, oboe and harp. He subsequently decided that the viola's timbre would be a better combination for the flute than the oboe's, so he changed the instrumentation to flute, viola and harp.

Movements

Pastorale - Lento, dolce rubato
Interlude - Tempo di Minuetto
Finale - Allegro moderato ma risoluto

The Youtube Clip is an unbroken performance of the entire work!


----------



## poconoron

Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C..........great stuff!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the heads-up! I'm listening on Spotify.


You're welcome! What's your opinion?

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Dowd said:


> View attachment 3948
> 
> 
> Earlier today, Kevin Pearson mentioned Martin Fröst. I have his Brahms Clarinet Sonatas. Wonderful. I've always most enjoyed Karl Leister's recordings but these Fröst recordings are quickly catching up.
> 
> Martin Fröts [clarinet] • Roland Pöntinen [piano] • Asa Thedéen [violin]
> Brahms
> Clarinet Sonatas & Trio
> BIS


I intend on getting into more Martin Fröst and this is next on my list. Thanks!

Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've listened to this disc several times on Spotify, but finally got around to purchasing it. I first "stumbled" upon Netrebko when I picked up her Russian Album:










I was seeking out something of a repertoire that was less familiar (at that time) but it was her sultry, sensual voice that immediately seduced me. Netrebko has been very good at knowing which repertoire she is best suited to, and of course she is never finer than when singing in her native Russian... as with these marvelous "romances" of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

I am absolutely in love with this song:


----------



## opus55

MacDowell: Piano Concertos










I've lost interest in piano concertos in general. I much prefer piano in solo or chamber ensemble now.

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto


----------



## Cnote11

This really has become one of my favorite things to listen to.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Nikolai Myaskovsky--*Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.18 and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.28. *Both works feature the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Edward Downes.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ #4 in D Major, Op.83, SQ#6 in G Major, Op.101 and SQ#10 in A-Flat Major, Op.118. *All three are performed by the Rubio Quartet.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Johann Karl Krumpholz - Harp Concerto in B flat major - I. Allegro moderato*






*Franz Xaver Mozart -- Piano Quartet in G minor Op. 1 -- I. Allegro vivace*






*Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart - Polonaise mélancolique*






:clap:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

For Bach's birthday:


----------



## NightHawk

Also today, March 21, 1826, Beethoven's String Quartet Opus 130, No. 13 in Bb was premiered in Vienna!


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> For Bach's birthday:


Putting another candle on Bach's birthday cake:


----------



## NightHawk

Have to have this - I love Perahia's playing.


Manxfeeder said:


> Putting another candle on Bach's birthday cake:
> 
> View attachment 3955


----------



## Lenfer

*Bertrand Chamayou* - *Liszt: Années de Pèlerinage*​


----------



## Taneyev

Transcriptions again:

Bach cello suite 1 transcribed to solo violin

Elgar cello concerto transcribed to viola and orch.

Bach cello suite 6 on solo viola.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of JS Bach and Bruno Maderna birthdays. Pinnock, then Sinopoli, at the helms of these recordings.

View attachment 3957
View attachment 3958


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Impressionism music in random order. Includes Debussy's Rise of the Masters, Debussy for Daydreaming
Erik Satie's Crystal Dreams, Piano Works
The Best of Ravel
The Best of Faure


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Mussorgsky and Paul Kletzki birthdays. Karajan with "Pictures", then Kletzki conducting Mathis der Maler.

View attachment 3960
View attachment 3961


----------



## clavichorder

*Walton Viola Concerto*

What a catchy lil' tune in the finale! Very fresh stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> Also today, March 21, 1826, Beethoven's String Quartet Opus 130, No. 13 in Bb was premiered in Vienna!


Well, then, it's time to call together the Vegh Quartet.

Here's an interesting quote from Wiki: When the work was first performed, the audience demanded encores of only two of the middle movements of the quartet. Beethoven, enraged, was reported to have growled, "And why didn't they encore the Fugue? That alone should have been repeated! Cattle!"

Maybe so, but the Cavatina is very cool also.


----------



## Cnote11

I felt it was time to break out the fifth symphony today.










Daphnis Et Chloé. One of my favorites.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 inD major, Op.36. *Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2 , Op.16* {"The Four Temperaments"}, both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Vaneyes

Haydn String Quartets, Op. 33, with Coull Quartet.

Nice pic of Esterhazy Palace, where Haydn worked most of thirty years.

View attachment 3966


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Violin Concerto


----------



## kv466




----------



## Cnote11

opus55 said:


> Brahms: Violin Concerto


I recently got the album of her playing Ives. Can't way to hear it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 3*.

Actually, I only have time for the last movement, but Bernstein really makes it last.


----------



## violadude

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mahler, Symphony No. 3*.
> 
> Actually, I only have time for the last movement, but Bernstein really makes it last.
> 
> View attachment 3967


I have the DVDs of Bernstein conducting all of Mahler's symphonies and if the tempo is the same in this recording as in that recording then I'm not sure I like how slow he takes it. I think its a good concept since the movement is supposed to be about eternal and transcendent love...but I think sometimes the phrase just gets completely lost if you take it _that_ slow.


----------



## Vaneyes

LvB Piano Sonatas, Opp. 2, 10, 13, with Pollini. Recording: Munich, Herkulessaal (2002/06).

View attachment 3968
View attachment 3969


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Slavonic Dances


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Manfred Symphony in B Minor, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"} and Voyevoda, Op.3. *Both works feature the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra helmed by Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## ProudSquire

Ludwig van Beethoven - 6 Bagatelles Op. 126 - 4. Presto in B minor
Ludwig van Beethoven - 6 Bagatelles Op. 126 - 5. Quasi allegretto in G major

The g major one sounds really pleasant, I'm enjoying it quite a bit.


----------



## AndyS

Fritz Wunderluch singing Die schone Mullerin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Really into Tognetti at the moment.


----------



## Dimboukas

Musica Antiqua Koln: Brandenburg Concertos nos. 2 & 5. No. 2 is very fast!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

violadude said:


> I have the DVDs of Bernstein conducting all of Mahler's symphonies and if the tempo is the same in this recording as in that recording then I'm not sure I like how slow he takes it. I think its a good concept since the movement is supposed to be about eternal and transcendent love...but I think sometimes the phrase just gets completely lost if you take it _that_ slow.


I'd have to agree with you.


----------



## Taneyev

Respighi string quartet D major

Paganini "Barucabá" variations. Ricci

Camillo Schumann Cello son.Nº1


----------



## NightHawk

Bach - Cantatas BWV 93, 94 and 95

to be followed by:

Shostakovich and his Contemporaries, Vol. I (Shost - SQ's 5-8 and Miaskovsky SQ #13)


----------



## tgtr0660

Oh the Bernstein NYP recording of the 2nd and the 7th was so good after all...

Anyway, on Tuesday, a good if somewhat un-passionate reading of these two magnificent works:









Yesterday, after the bad-tasting Chailly version, a superb 9th that misses perfection only for the slightly brash recording. Lenny as always dependable:









For today, dwelling into Schubert with two piano works (the companion pieces by different composers will be listened to later):


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

violadude said:


> I have the DVDs of Bernstein conducting all of Mahler's symphonies and if the tempo is the same in this recording as in that recording then I'm not sure I like how slow he takes it. I think its a good concept since the movement is supposed to be about eternal and transcendent love...but I think sometimes the phrase just gets completely lost if you take it _that_ slow.


Mixed reviews for the 1971/76 DVDs. I haven't seen completely...only snippets here and there. The interpretations seem to resemble the 1980's DG recordings. Some of the latter, I find excruciatingly slow. Oddly, for Sony and DG, he takes the 6th intro quite briskly--too fast for my liking. Same for the 70's DVD, I wonder?

For those interested, some linked descriptions and comments for Bernstein recorded Mahler 60's through 80's. Some interesting comments regarding preferences. Of course, many more incites and opinions are available via Googling.

http://www.classicalcdreview.com/MCDVD34.html

http://culturecatch.com/music/leonard-bernstein-gustav-mahler-complete-symphonies

http://www.mahlerreviews.com/mahler_box_bernstein_various_sony_carnegie.html

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2009/Sept09/Mahler_Bernstein_88697453692.htm


----------



## Badinerie

kv466 said:


>


Holy mother of god!

Anyhoo...

Listening to This....and im gone!


----------



## Vaneyes

A good compilation of British chamber, presented by Coull Quartet.

View attachment 3982


----------



## Cnote11

Brilliant: The Jazz Album, Dmitri Shostakovich


----------



## kv466




----------



## Lenfer

*Bertrand Chamayou* - *Liszt: Années de Pèlerinage*​


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Mstislav Rostropovich and the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Dowd

This is my only recording of Mozart's Violin Sonatas. I do quite enjoy it but wonder if there are other great recordings out there. Their Sonata in E Flat Major (K. 302) is lively and tight.

David Breitman [piano] • Jean-Francois Rivest [violin]
Mozart
Complete Sonatas for Fortepiano and Violin
Analekta


----------



## Lenfer

kv466 said:


>


Funky album art for a classical disc.  (it's cool to say funky right?)


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.9










I'll go to bed after this symphony


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I've never listened to the Schnittke violin concertos before. Certainly interesting stuff but it may take me a few listens to determine if I like them or not.

















Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.1 and Symphony No.2 in G Minor, Op.34. *Both works feature Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Charles Ives--*Symphony No.2, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Cnote11

I'm becoming redundant with the one above. I just can't seem to go long without listening to it. Torelli's trumpet concertos.









Gesualdo's complete sacred music

I have this lined up next:








Monteverdi's Vespro della beata vergine 1610


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Aleazk* is forcing me to listen to his recent string quartet thing he wrote. So I'm going to go listen to that now.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Orchestral Works*

I decided to spend the day listening to all the Orchestral Works by Brahms in my collection - This gave me a chance to have a first listen to a newly arrived set of Klemperer conducting the Symphonies: I was really impressed by these Discs and found them very imposing. I think I will end up listening to them quite a bit!. Next I listened to Gilels and Jochum's classic recording of the Piano Concertos and am now following that up with Oistrakh's outstanding version of the Violin Concerto. Finally I will listen to the Double Concerto.


----------



## emiellucifuge




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Conor71 said:


> *Brahms: Orchestral Works*
> 
> I decided to spend the day listening to all the Orchestral Works by Brahms in my collection - This gave me a chance to have a first listen to a newly arrived set of Klemperer conducting the Symphonies: I was really impressed by these Discs and found them very imposing. I think I will end up listening to them quite a bit!. Next I listened to Gilels and Jochum's classic recording of the Piano Concertos and am now following that up with Oistrakh's outstanding version of the Violin Concerto. Finally I will listen to the Double Concerto.


I think that's a bit _too_ much Brahms.


----------



## Conor71

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I think that's a bit _too_ much Brahms.


Im listening to some Jazz now so perhaps it was!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I would say that this 1955 performance would be a pretty good recording of Mozart's greatest opera if they didn't edit out several numbers from acts 3 and 4. 2 CDs for this opera is not enough IMO.


----------



## Taneyev

York Bowen Phantasy quintet clarinet and strings

Yrjo Kilpinen celo sonata

Ludomir Rozycki violin concerto

Riccardo Zandonai SQ G major


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I think that's a bit _too_ much Brahms.


There's so such thing as too much Brahms! More like not enough Brahms!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Jeff N said:


> There's no such thing as too much Brahms! More like not enough Brahms!


Pfffft. Yeah right. *Ligeti* is so much better. :lol: But Brahms _is_ good.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

You guys are hilarious but we all know that Nielsen reigns! 

However, I'm not listening to Nielsen at the moment but I am really enjoying Valery Gergiev conducting Borodin's symphonies numbers 1 & 2. with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. The performance is well paced and quite dynamic. Really enjoy this version.


----------



## NightHawk

I had Listener's Block this morning, so I reached into the Bernstein Symphony Collection and pulled out a real plum = Mahler 1 (!) recorded in 1966 in Avery Fisher Hall.

I think the album pictured below is the cycle from which the Symphony Edition took the 'Titan', but am not entirely sure. It doesn't sound perhaps as unleashed and magnificent as I have heard from Bernstein and other conductors, but it is a very well-rehearsed version - the New York Phil sounds great.


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich: Works 1965-1995

Currently listening to Different Trains and after that Electric Counterpoint, then Music for 18 Musicians after that.

The third movement of Different Trains is just mind-blowingly brilliant! As is the entirety of the other pieces, plus Music for 18 Musicians makes me get up and dance.


----------



## tgtr0660

After listening to a good but slightly dry Schubert "Wanderer Fantasie" performed by Pollini and a absolutely magnificent Fantasia for Four Hands played by Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia, time to jump again into my preferred form for non-baroque music: the symphony. I've never heard this maestro (one of my favorites if not my favorite) conducting Schubert but let's see, he has almost never failed me:


----------



## AndyS

Newly arrived Hotter and Moore performing Winterreise









Hotter is probably my favourite Wotan (even with that wobble in his voice on the Solti recording, I feel it adds to the part), and I've only really heard him singing Wagner - it's very different hearing hiim with only a piano accompanying him


----------



## Vaneyes

LvB Overtures with ClevelandO/Szell (recs. '63 - '67). This is a 1997 reissue, and affords noticeable sound improvement. Sony did some excellent work in the '90's with Szell, Walter, Bernstein remasterings.

View attachment 3995


----------



## Vaneyes

Lenfer said:


> Funky album art for a classical disc.  (it's cool to say funky right?)


Yes, you timed it right. It was in, then out, then back in again. The clock's forever ticking, though.


----------



## Cnote11

Charles Ives' Violin Sonatas


----------



## kv466




----------



## Praeludium

Gesualdo. This man was a pure genius.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Symphonies by Danish composer *Niels Wilhelm Gade* (1817-1890), a composer whose music I don't know much of.


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No.2










Unfamiliar symphony by familiar composer


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## kv466




----------



## PetrB

The transliterated radio wave emissions from the Jupiter - oddly tonal, electro-ambient sounding. So much for the 'organic' argument of our scale systems, just intonation, tonality, or any or all of man's music 

This is 'organic' and 'cosmic' music - and just one sort. Different bodies emit very different sorts of sounds.


----------



## PetrB

AndyS said:


> Newly arrived Hotter and Moore performing Winterreise
> 
> View attachment 3994
> 
> 
> Hotter is probably my favourite Wotan (even with that wobble in his voice on the Solti recording, I feel it adds to the part), and I've only really heard him singing Wagner - it's very different hearing hiim with only a piano accompanying him


This is the most remarkable and 'personal' sounding delivery of this song cycle I've ever heard: 
It gives the listener the feeling one person is in your living room, confidentially 'talking just to you.' 
That is, actually, the ideal of Lied delivery. 
Utterly remarkable, profoundly moving, and I'd say an indispensable must-have to any fan of the cycle, the two famous sets by Fischer Diskau, of course, as well other great recordings,


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nyman: Musique à Grande Vitesse


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. I have to say that I find Bernstein's readings of both to be far more emotionally nuanced and expressive than those of Mstislav Rostropovich conducting these same pieces; in comparision, the latter sounds very wooden and stultified. Of course, the Rostropovich Prokofiev Cycle is the one I just so happen to own!


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D.759 {Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major, D.944{"The Great"}. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Kevin Pearson

kv466 said:


>


That's quite an album cover. I love her expression! I feel that way about some pieces.

Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


>


A very private moment, I'd say.


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Gaspard De La Nuit*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I find myself putting this on for some reason


----------



## humanbean

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. I have to say that I find Bernstein's readings of both to be far more emotionally nuanced and expressive than those of Mstislav Rostropovich conducting these same pieces; in comparision, the latter sounds very wooden and stultified. Of course, the Rostropovich Prokofiev Cycle is the one I just so happen to own!


Regarding the 1st symphony, I've heard Bernstein, Rostropovich and Abbado. I certainly agree with you on Rostro's, however I do like the reverb of the flutes on the 4th movement for some reason. Anyway, I absolutely love the Abbado performance in comparison to Bernstein. It's far more exciting, and the recording quality is top notch. The dynamics pack quite a punch. I recommend checking it out (should be on Spotify.) Just sample the first few seconds of the first movement and you'll see what I mean.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

No. 3


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58, B 155*

Continuing to listen to the wonderful Argerich box-set - Have listened to Discs 1, 3 and 5 and now playing Disc 2 which is all music by Chopin


----------



## Badinerie

Early morning here so im chilling out with this one...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Badinerie said:


> Early morning here so im chilling out with this one...
> 
> View attachment 4005


I _love_ the Mendelssohn concerto, but whenever I hear the Bruch I always feel really stressed and start pacing up and down muttering stuff under my breath. 

But still, the Mendelssohn is _fantastic!!!_


----------



## MrCello

on my itunes,

Mahler Second Symphony by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I find myself putting this on for some reason


This again. This time no. 5 with a score.


----------



## AndyS

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This again. This time no. 5 with a score.


is it cliched to say that there's a reason this is the definitive recording of it?


----------



## kv466




----------



## NightHawk

The most ferocious 5th I know - only his father's recording is as good, or surpasses, but the sound quality is pretty bad.



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This again. This time no. 5 with a score.


----------



## teej

*Scarlatti - Soyeon Lee (Naxos)*

Listening to the Naxos series of Scarlatti keyboard sonatas. A mixture of average, good, and some fine interpretations. Recording quality sometimes not the best. In any event, I find myself listening to the performances by Soyeon Lee again and again, despite the poor recording quality. For example, take a listen to the K496 (2nd track). She plays it beautifully and with such simplicity and authority. Wonderful playing! Recommend the entire disc 

[SUP][/SUP]
View attachment 02 keyboard sonata in e major k~1.mp3


----------



## kv466




----------



## emiellucifuge




----------



## emiellucifuge

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> No. 3


I have the same recording, its pretty awesome.


----------



## Vesteralen

Of the three LPs Giulini made with the Chicago Symphony in 1969, this is my favorite. I just pulled it out today to give it another listen.

(This was in the days before he started to conduct everything in 3 speeds - slow, slower and slowest.)


----------



## kv466

...it don't matter what it's played on, rather, who is playing it...


----------



## NightHawk

These are stunning operas and performances, a Baroque Opera Seria, _Castor and Pollux_, from Rameau considered to be his greatest achievement, and then Tommaso Traetta's classical _Antigona_, which uses a _fortepiano_ for _secco recitativo_ - Traetta is a contemporary of Gluck's (younger but died almost a decade before G). The choruses are important in both operas, but are especially beautiful in the third act of _Antigona_. Both are quite original in figurations and contrasts of texture and melodic beauty. The Traetta begins in scene one with a tenor duo. Traetta shares a lot with Gluck - though Italian he was among the first (along with Gluck) to mix Italian, French and German elements in his operatic works. Also, both Gluck and Traetta were well acquainted with the French _Tragedies Lyriques _, Gluck in Paris (for a time) and Traetta in Palma where everything French was the rage b/c the Duke's wife was French. I listened to both operas yesterday afternoon and didn't even break a sweat. I am very happy about both purchases.

edit: Les Arts Florissants w William Christie (Rameau) and Les Talens Lyriques w Christophe Rousset (Traetta) could not be better, in my opinion.


----------



## LudwigNAV

A fine start to this Saturday afternoon!


----------



## kv466




----------



## Crudblud

Harry Partch - The Bewitched, with a spoken introduction by the composer (from the Enclosure 5 compilation)


----------



## kv466

One of my favorite pianists, one of my favorite pieces. Perhaps my second favorite version.


----------



## Cnote11

Johann Strauss' Waltzes








Rapsodie Espagnole et Le tombeau de Couperin (Orchestral version)


----------



## Manxfeeder

I just got back from my wife's grandfather's funeral, a great man who lived to be 95. One of many remarkable things about him is, his father fought in America's Civil War (that's not a typo!). He was quite a link to the past.

Anyway, the adagio from Beethoven's 9th is perfect for reflection right now.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


>


I'm checking that one out on Spotify. I noticed one reviewer said, "The time has come for Morton Feldman's name to be better known, or at least to be breathed in the same sentence as John Cage's." I agree.


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians










Erik Satie - Orchestral Works


----------



## Vaneyes

Haydn Piano Sonatas with Schiff.

View attachment 4019
View attachment 4020


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to the Erik Satie set again. This guy doesn't get enough love.


----------



## Chrythes

My first exposure to Burkcner. His 4th symphony. I love the theme of the first movement, but it seems that every movement could have been a bit shorter. Many pauses/transitions/developments so it lacks a flow. It just feels too long.
I don't know, maybe I should listen again.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon working in my studio and listening to the following:



















After getting my fix of Bach I jumped to Wagner... some "great bleeding chunks":










And then on to some new music on a recent release on Naxos. I was quite impressed with the music I have already heard by Joseph Schwantner, and this disc in no way disappoints. Some exciting and accessible (yet in now way outdated or reactionary) music that many seeking examples of modern or contemporary music that is not "hard on the ear" will find quite enjoyable.










I see that another turned to _Parzifal_ today... For whatever reason I also felt the need to hear this magnificent work again as well. I absolutely love Karajan's recording. It was one of the first complete operas I ever heard... having taken the box set of LPs out of the library back while I was still a high-school student.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Sonatas, Preludes*

Listening to a spot of Chopin this morning - First up a shuffle of the Piano Sonatas from Nikita Magaloff's Chopin Set followed up by (another shuffle of) the Preludes from Martha Argerich's DG Box-set, Volume 1 :angel:


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the guidance of John Eliot Gardiner.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## tdc

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite symphonies... appreciating this composer more and more with repeated listens.


----------



## Conor71

*Verdi: Aida*

A rare Opera listen! - This is a cool piece but I'm finding it a bit hard to concentrate on at the moment







I think I will try to listen to this at work later in the week too


----------



## AndyS

currently Klemperer's recording of Mahler 2

already listened to this this morning:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Chrythes said:


> My first exposure to Burkcner. His 4th symphony. It just feels too long.
> I don't know, maybe I should listen again.


I do know; you should.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some sacred music by Vivaldi.


----------



## kv466

^^ love that disc!


----------



## Vaneyes

Liszt Etudes d'execution transcendante with Berezovsky.

View attachment 4029


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Returning again to _Parsifal_. Exquisite.


----------



## Taneyev

Yrjo Kilpinen: cello sonata

Jorgen Jerslid: Phantasy harp. flute, clarinet and cello.

Dvorak; string quintet op.1


----------



## kv466

Thank bog for buying 'unnecessary' things sometimes! I really never immersed myself in these discs and am now having a wonderful time listening. Claudio really did play some exquisite Bach although I never think about him as even ever playing it.


----------



## Cnote11

I have a great love of ballet. Swan Lake is a great one in my eyes.










I've had a copy of this for awhile but never listened. I love listening to the pipa any chance I get.


----------



## Cnote11

Put this on my mp3 player so I can enjoy Beethoven's Ninth as I take a walk.


----------



## Sonata

Bach's Mass in B Minor, for the first time ever. It's from the Big Bach Set mentioned by another poster in the recent purchases section.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three symphonies feature Maurice Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Croft, Te Deum*.

Fanfare magazine said, "This will fill a Croft slot on the shelf very satisfactorily." And every shelf needs a Croft slot, right?


----------



## tgtr0660

Cnote11 said:


> Put this on my mp3 player so I can enjoy Beethoven's Ninth as I take a walk.


This is probably the best all-around set of the symphonies. There might exist better individual performances of some of them but as a set this is second to none.


----------



## Cnote11

tgtr0660 said:


> This is probably the best all-around set of the symphonies. There might exist better individual performances of some of them but as a set this is second to none.


Yes, I agree with this. I've heard other individual performances that were lovely, but this is what I recommend since you get high quality as an entire set, and great consistency as well. It makes it convenient and cheaper. Well worth it, definitely.


----------



## samurai

You guys just made my up my mind for me: I'm going to purchase the HVK'S Beethoven Cycle over the Luyten's.


----------



## Cnote11

Well now, if I had known people's buying decisions were riding on my words. I am confident in the Karajan sets though when it comes to Beethoven.


----------



## samurai

@ CNote, I implicitly trust your judgement, and I have no doubt that I shall thoroughly enjoy the HVK Cycle. I already have the HIP Beethoven Cycle as done by John Eliot Gardiner; although I like most of the renditions, I find that I miss some of the "power" which can be produced by more modern instruments, especially in regard to the* Fifth *and *Seventh Symphonies* of LVB. I have individual performances of these done by Kleiber and Bernstein, and I can really hear the difference between these and the HIP performance. The former--at least for me--have a much fuller and richer sound.


----------



## Cnote11

I've enjoyed many Gardiner works, namely Bach's Mass in B Minor, but I haven't heard his Beethoven. Bernstein does indeed do a good Beethoven. Bernstein is my fiancee's favorite conductor so I'm stuck listening to a lot of sets of him conducting, which I'm not about to complain about. I think the power in the Karajan set will please you, it IS Karajan after all, and there has been a lot of praise over the rendition of the 7th.

Speaking of Bernstein, I recently got a Milhaud set conducted by him which I am excited to crack open. I think I may do that now.










La Creation du Monde, Le Boeuf sur le toit, and Saudades do Brasil


----------



## Sid James

My weekend's listening, some of my impressions I put on my blog (scroll down).

*Album: Moody Blues - Sur la mer*
Justin Hayward, guitars, keyboards, vocals; John Lodge, bass, keyboards, vocals; Graeme Edge, acoustic drums; Patrick Moraz, keyboards (compositions by Hayward & Lodge)
(Polygram, 1988)

*Britten*
_The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Variations & Fugue on a theme by Purcell)_
Sean Connery, narrator / Royal PO / Antal Dorati
(Belart / Decca - _Children's Classics _album)

*J.S. Bach *
_Chaconne_ from _Partita for solo violin #2 in D minor, BWV1004_ 
Ruggiero Ricci, vln. 
(Decca Eloquence)

*Sarasate*
- _Habanera, Op. 21 #2 *
- Playera, Op. 23
- Spanish Dance, Op. 26 #8
- Malaguena, Op. 21 #1 *
- Caprice Basque, Op. 24 *
- Romanza Andaluza, Op. 22
- Zapataedo, Op. 23_
* Arr. by Francescatti
Itzhak Perlman, vln. / Samuel Sanders, pno.
(EMI)

*de Falla*
_7 canciones populares espanolas (7 popular Spanish songs) _
- arr. by Miguel Llobet & Manuel Barrueco
Ann Monoyios, soprano / Manuel Barrueco, guitar
(EMI)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After being simply stunned... overwhelmed... and drained by the experience of Wagner's Parsifal I left off listening to anything for the rest of the afternoon... until now. Just how do you follow that...?

And then the obvious struck me... can there be any music that is more life-affirming:










Piano Concertos 17 & 20

You can almost hear the little man in the powdered wig strait out of _Amadeus_ rolling with laughter...










... and yet the most exquisite beauty and profound melancholy...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Charles Ives--*The Unanswered Question for Trumpet, Flute Quartet and Strings, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. My only complaint about this beautiful piece is that is so damn short! :scold:


----------



## Cnote11

I must say my Milhaud disc is the remaster that actually features all 12 of the Saudades that are conducted by Milhaud himself. The original only had a selection of 4 done by Bernstein, which are still included on this album. Fantastic stuff and great flirtation with Jazz. The vibe reminds me of the larger classically inspired jazz bands (sextets, octets, nonets) that were getting together to record a la Birth of the Cool.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *both performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Currently listening to Ernest Bloch. This recording is exceptionally well performed and each piece is unique. Bloch is a modern composer who I find most of his music is quite accessible and often moving and beautiful. His orchestration work is especially good. My favorite work on here is the Jewish Poems but the Suite Hebraique is also wonderful to listen to. Highly recommended.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

That sounds quite interesting, Kevin. I will have to check that out.

I'm back to Satie, again. Great collection. Worth the price of admission for Gymnopedie No. 3 for orchestra alone.


----------



## Cnote11

Gorecki's third will take me into sleep


----------



## samurai

@ KP and CNote, Thanks to you guys I'll be checking me out some Bloch, Goryecki and Milhaud--as well as Satie--on *Spotify *very soon! Gorecki I listened to awhile ago, but I want to listen to him again. Thanks so much for mentioning these composers! :tiphat:


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E-flat and No. 41 in C major. Conducted by, Christopher Hogwood.

It was a good afternoon.


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Zyklus*

I listened to some Ambient Music/Noise Art earlier in the day and enjoyed the experience so I thought I'd break out this Disc for a spin - its not hard to like the pieces on this Disc


----------



## Lisztian

Returning to Liszt's piano music today - after a week more or less dedicated to the music of Debussy and Chopin.

I listened to a fair bit, mainly obscure works and also the Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, which is perhaps my favourite cycle of piano works by him and thus, anyone (except Beethoven's Sonatas).

The piece that astonished me most, as usual, was Pensée des morts. Its continued neglect is shocking to me. It always gets overshadowed by the famous Funerailles and to a lesser extent Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, which are both masterpieces (especially Benediction). However, i've considered Pensee to be the best piece in the set (I'm a compulsive ranker of things. I also consider it perhaps Liszt's 3rd greatest solo piano work, behind the Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen variations and the Sonata) for awhile now and i'm glad to find that someone agrees with me.

Perhaps the most highly esteemed recording of the piece is by Phillip Thompson, who in his notes wrote...

"If the Bénédiction de Dieu causes us temporarily to surrender our rationality to its ecstasy, the Pensée des Morts is an ascent into sheer madness. I do not know what to say about this piece. It is so profoundly moving that feel I have never actually performed it; I have simply been on stage and allowed it to lead me as it will, with no effort on my part. The ineffable beauty of the G major theme cannot help but induce the experience of transcendence. I consider this work to be both the core of the set, and one of the most powerful arguments ever made for the ability of music to communicate things that cannot otherwise be expressed."

Amen, Phillip. Minus the playing bit - unfortunately double notes of all sorts give me fits.

Unfortunately, i'm not too fond of his recording. Leslie Howard is my reliable recording...But i'm still trying to find that perfect ONE. Today I listened to a very interesting one by François-Frédéric Guy. It's almost painfully slow half the time (which certainly has its benefits) and he drags this typically 13-15 minute piece to over 17 minutes....I'm not sure what I think of it yet, but he certainly does have an interesting musical argument.

Here's the performance...


----------



## Vesteralen

*Harold Shapero - Symphony for Classical Orchestra / Stravinksy - Symphony of Psalms (Bernstein NYPO)*

This boxed set of Bernstein recordings groups works according to an alphabetical listing of composer's last names. However, in this case, there actually was a connection between Shapero, an American composer who started out as a swing-era band musician and later went into serious music studies, and Stravinsky. According to what I read, there is more of a Copland influence than a Stravinsky influence in his actual work, but Stravinsky liked and encouraged him. Shapero was still alive when the Wikipedia article on him was written in 2011, and was still composing. This is the first time I ever heard of him. The piece is very accessible, but I'd have to get to know it a bit better before I could give a personal opinion - not that anyone would really care.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vesteralen said:


> I'd have to get to know it a bit better before I could give a personal opinion - not that anyone would really care.


Oh, there are those of us who do care!


----------



## AndyS

Mendelssohn's 3rd


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> @ KP and CNote, Thanks to you guys I'll be checking me out some Bloch, Goryecki and Milhaud--as well as Satie--on *Spotify *very soon! Gorecki I listened to awhile ago, but I want to listen to him again. Thanks so much for mentioning these composers! :tiphat:


Glad to be of help! 

Kevin


----------



## Vesteralen

and









In preparing my own CD of Schumann music in Opus # order, I drew Op. 1, 2 & 4 from the EMI set, and Op 3 from the van Buskirk disc. I could have gotten all four from the latter, but I really am more used to and comfortable with the modern piano rather than the fortepiano, in spite of the supposed "veracity" of the sound. Hearing it in the Paganini studies (Op 3) is worthwhile, though.

I'm always amazed by the Op 2 "Papillions" - for such an early work, it has all the earmarks of the fully developed Schumann compositional style.


----------



## kv466

Carl Maria von Weber - Bassoon Concerto 
Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Klaus Thunemann, bassoon


----------



## Vaneyes

FYI Gubaidulina String Quartets (complete) with Stamic Quartet is released today in the UK. Sampling, Stamic (an old school Czech quartet) tone is too warm for my liking in this music. You need something approaching "stark raving mad". For instance, if your cat or dog soon leave the room, that's usually a good sign.

View attachment 4052


Here's a nice performance of String Quartet 2 (my favorite Gubaidulina SQ), performed by Royal String Quartet at a 2007 Polish music festival. Tip, to listen more comfortably, set the YT sound to about two-thirds.


----------



## tgtr0660

After a good Solti-Schubert semi-cycle, where the least effective was the 8th, time for Schumann. First I'll listen to the Schumann track on this cd:









Then my 5th version of this magnificent concerto, I hope it's as good as I've read (plus Waldszenen which can never hurt):


----------



## Vesteralen

I can't find a picture of the individual sleeve for *Symphonies 1 & 2* from the boxed set of *George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra Beethoven Symphonies*, but that's what I'm listening to now. This is another CD set of something I owned long ago on LP.

Szell was, by all reports, a rather unpleasant individual, and a lot of his music-making seems to lack warmth. Surprisingly, though, there seems to be a certain amount of humor in his Haydn and Beethoven, and if you like your traditional classical orchestra sound to be lean and athletic - you can't do much better than this.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 5*. Kleiber, of course.


----------



## Vaneyes

Shostakovich 10 Preludes from 24 Preludes for Piano, Op. 34 (arranged for Violin and Piano by Dmitri Tziganov), then Viola Sonata, with Rachlin & Golan.

View attachment 4057


----------



## Vesteralen

This one was up on this thread not too long ago, but I'm relistening to my copy today. Outside of the DVD of "The Four Seasons", this is my earliest Julia Fischer recording. (I didn't buy the Bach solo works set, because I already had Hilary Hahn doing most of them, and solo violin isn't real thrilling for me.)

Anyway, this disc is pretty enjoyable. I've always liked it - first for the Khatchaturian, and later for the Prokofiev. I don't know if Ms Fischer is the greatest violinist alive, but collecting her CDs is a lot more fun than collecting Joshua Bell's.....


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 4059
> 
> 
> This one was up on this thread not too long ago, but I'm relistening to my copy today. Outside of the DVD of "The Four Seasons", this is my earliest Julia Fischer recording. (I didn't buy the Bach solo works set, because I already had Hilary Hahn doing most of them, and solo violin isn't real thrilling for me.)
> 
> Anyway, this disc is pretty enjoyable. I've always liked it - first for the Khatchaturian, and later for the Prokofiev. I don't know if Ms Fischer is the greatest violinist alive, but collecting her CDs is a lot more fun than collecting Joshua Bell's.....


I haven't heard it, but I gave it a like for the King of Concertos, Khachaturian.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


>


The German Album? Is that the best they could do? Like withheld.


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> The German Album? Is that the best they could do? Like withheld.


Shhhh. It's my boy Rene trying to get me into Wagner...now go and help me in the Gould thread!


----------



## Art Rock

Czerny's nocturnes - time-wise after Field but before Chopin. Love them. Great play as well by Isabelle Oehmichen.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15*


----------



## Cnote11

In honor of Boulez's day of birth I put on this beauty!

Le marteau sans maître


----------



## Cnote11

More Boulez. His three piano sonatas.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Ernest Bloch--*Symphony in C-Sharp Minor, *performed by the Malmo Symphony Orchestra led by Lev Markiz.


----------



## neoshredder

Ravel's Orchestral Works by Martinon. Harder to get into than I thought but working on it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 5*.

This is a performance from 2/7/44, called by one reviewer "earth-shattering." Furtwangler is always interesting.


----------



## Vesteralen

Love the symphony (as all the Alwyn symphonies). Not as thrilled with the companion piece on this disc. It was okay.

Now on to the piano concertos!


----------



## Cnote11

Isang Yun's Espace I for Cello and Piano. Fantastic stuff and many thanks go out to violadude for the recommendation.


----------



## Vaneyes

Stravinsky "Rite" and VC, in celebration of Pierre Boulez and Kyung Wha Chung birthdays.

View attachment 4067
View attachment 4068


----------



## kv466

Chopin - Piano concerto no.2 in f-minor, op.21
Lionel Bringuier conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Nelson Freire, piano


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *both featuring the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Cnote11

Oh, well, why not? I just felt the sudden urge for some unknown reason to bust out this again and listen to Symphony No. 5. This is without a doubt one of the greatest pieces of music ever produced.


----------



## Vaneyes

Just a few notes of something or another.


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to the Black Angels bit. One of my favorite pieces. Heartachingly beautiful. I can't help but envision so much going on while listening to this and reminiscing on the very tangible things these sounds remind me of. In that way, I'm not only able to envision a scene but also feel it, as both interacting with tangible objects and heightened inner-body states and emotions reacting to atmospheric and tangible stimuli.


----------



## Dowd

Choosing my top Vivaldi recording is tough but this one is right there... energetic and crisp, this is a nice collection of 6 concertos. Poking around on Amazon it appears this may be out of print?! I hope not.

Christophe Coin [violoncello] • Il Giardino Armonico
Vivaldi
Il Proteo: Double and Triple Concertos
Teldec


----------



## kv466

^ One of the best!


----------



## Cnote11

Nico Muhly - I Drink The Air Before Me


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous bit of Baroque music brilliantly performed by Bernarda Fink, Veronique Gens and others under the baton of Marc Minkowski. Minkowski, along with William Christie is one of those most responsible for a revival of French Baroque music. I found the music especially enthralling. Much of the music is of a lighter, more open, and Italianate "texture" than the work of German composers of the period... yet there are elements that are clearly French. I was quite thrilled with some of the more muscular, choral passages of this work. My only complaint... no libretto.


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata in F sharp minor, D.570/571
Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata in A minor D.845

:clap:


----------



## tgtr0660

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A marvelous bit of Baroque music brilliantly performed by Bernarda Fink, Veronique Gens and others under the baton of Marc Minkowski. Minkowski, along with William Christie is one of those most responsible for a revival of French Baroque music. I found the music especially enthralling. Much of the music is of a lighter, more open, and Italianate "texture" than the work of German composers of the period... yet there are elements that are clearly French. I was quite thrilled with some of the more muscular, choral passages of this work. My only complaint... no libretto.


I have the record and I can agree with every thing you said, including the critique for the lack of libretto.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Erik Satie--*Gymnopedie Nos. 1, 2 and 3, *all performed by pianist Reinbert de Leeuw.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both works feature the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Cnote11

I'm listening to George Crumb's Black Angels again. The soothing sounds of this piece will relax me for bed.  After this I think I'll put on some Peter Broderick and


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Tierkreis*

Spent today listening to the Beethoven set in its entirety and now listening to the second Disc of my Stockhausen set - I like the Beethoven very much and think it's a great set of performances. Next I will listen to the first Disc of the Ligeti Project to finish off the day


----------



## Vesteralen

Hard to concentrate on this one while I was working, but it seemed very Samuel Barber-ish (which is good in my book). I'll probably have more to say on this one later.


----------



## Taneyev

Today I like to listen to historical recordings on violin; a selection of short pieces by Grigoras Dinicu, Ginette Neveu and the 10 only pieces left by the extraordinary Josef Hassid.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Franck, Symphony in D Minor*.

This is, at least to my ears, a compelling interpretation by Sir Adrian Boult. The sound is pretty good, with a little distortion in the loud passages.


----------



## Vesteralen

Manxfeeder said:


> *Franck, Symphony in D Minor*.
> 
> This is, at least to my ears, a compelling interpretation by Sir Adrian Boult. The sound is pretty good, with a little distortion in the loud passages.
> 
> View attachment 4079


What's the Schumann on this set?


----------



## Vesteralen

I liked this disc. It's one of my favorite early music CDs. When the first track started, I thought I was listening to a kind of free-jazz piece. It took me about twenty seconds to get oriented. The Jean Vaillant selection, "Par maintes foys" is a highlight.

This ensemble features a mezzo, a tenor and a countertenor. I'm not much for countertenors, as a rule, but this one was listenable. The mezzo almost fooled me once. I thought I could always tell within a few seconds if I was listening to a mezzo or a countertenor, but on Track 5 it took me almost a minute to be sure. (Is it the enharmonics that make the difference?)


----------



## clavichorder

*Going back to Brahms*

I have a fresh appreciation for the complexity of Brahms. I think my ears have gotten more tuned to the subtleties of counterpoint and orchestral textures and less typical modulations in my 20th century listening, particularly with the 2nd Viennese guys and Bartok. I listened to his 3rd this morning and was struck fresh at how moving it was. To me, it used to be very interesting but somewhat stiff and dark, like my intellect was intrigued and my emotions enjoyed playing on the edge of it, but hadn't really accepted it. Well, I experienced a far fuller emotional acceptance of the richest of Brahmsian sounds this morning! The most modern thing about Brahms is his phrase lengths and how his combines them. It used to be really difficult for me to fully accept this emotionally, though I got to understand it pretty well.


----------



## Vesteralen

clavichorder said:


> I have a fresh appreciation for the complexity of Brahms. I think my ears have gotten more tuned to the subtleties of counterpoint and orchestral textures and less typical modulations in my 20th century listening, particularly with the 2nd Viennese guys and Bartok. I listened to his 3rd this morning and was struck fresh at how moving it was. To me, it used to be very interesting but somewhat stiff and dark, like my intellect was intrigued and my emotions enjoyed playing on the edge of it, but hadn't really accepted it. Well, I experienced a far fuller emotional acceptance of the richest of Brahmsian sounds this morning! The most modern thing about Brahms is his phrase lengths and how his combines them. It used to be really difficult for me to fully accept this emotionally, though I got to understand it pretty well.


I like everything about the third. The last of the four movements to really register with me was the second. I used to mentally disengage with it in my haste to get to the third movement (a movement that truly deserves the word "unique"). But, lately, I don't mind lingering over it. I wish I could grasp all the subtle thematic connections in Brahms' music. When I heard a lecture on the second piano concerto, I was astounded at how much I could miss in a work a thought I knew and loved well.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vesteralen said:


> What's the Schumann on this set?


The Fourth Symphony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vesteralen said:


> I wish I could grasp all the subtle thematic connections in Brahms' music.


It's funny, my knee-jerk response to something by Brahms which I haven't heard before is to avoid it, though I actually dearly love most of what I've heard. I think that's for the reason you stated: there are so many interconnections, I realize I'm not going to hear all of them in a piece unless I spend a day or two with a score and a couple commentaries, which I don't have a lot of time for, so I'm left with a feeling of futility. I know I should just relax and stop worrying about it.

Anyway, I've lived enough with Beethoven's symphonies that that groundwork has already been done and I can listen without such worries, so today it's his seventh symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to Lenny's Fidelio highlights (DG, 1978). A delightful occasional listen. LvB & LB didn't do much opera, but they both clicked here.

View attachment 4082


For those interested, a DVD is available.

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/artist/product-quotes?PRODUCT_NR=0734159&ART_ID=BERLE


----------



## Vesteralen

Trumpet music is hard to listen to at work. That sound carries and penetrates so well, that you really have to turn the volume down. So, Ms Balsom, I will give you my undivided attention when I'm driving some day.


----------



## AndyS

Solti's Gotterdammerung


----------



## Vaneyes

Schumann Piano Quintet with Pressler/ESQ.

View attachment 4087


----------



## Vesteralen

An often-played CD. Overall, this is probably my favorite version of these works - fast, but not break-neck.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2.*

This is one of the many pieces by Brahms that I've been able to study to the degree that I can listen now and pick up its subtleties. Gardiner does a great job with it, at least as far as my ears are carrying me, especially with his use of natural horns.


----------



## Vaneyes

Still my favorite Bruckner 4, Jochum and the BPO, rec. 1965.

Bruckner's structure is one thing...playing it quite another. The constant reconciliation of power and finesse.:angel:

View attachment 4091


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Darius Milhaud's piano concertos on a 2 CD set. A composer whose music I don't know very much of considering how prolific he was.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 In Eb Major, Op. 73, "Emperor"*

Listening to the final Disc of this set again


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms Piano Quartets Opp. 25 & 60, with Guarneri Qt. and Rubinstein (rec. 1967). AR was 80, and would live another 15 years. One of the great recordings, still well-positioned in the catalogue. Recording Engineer: Richard Gardner. Producer: Max Wilcox.

View attachment 4094


----------



## Vaneyes

All of it.

View attachment 4096


"This nut's a genius."

- George Szell


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> All of it.
> 
> View attachment 4096


Hey, I've got that one. I'll join you.


----------



## jhar26

"Living Toys." First time I listened to music from this composer.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.11, *both performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.
Arthur Honegger--*Symphony No.3 {"Liturgique"}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Vaneyes

jhar26 said:


> View attachment 4104
> 
> 
> "Living Toys." First time I listened to music from this composer.


Howz it going? I seem to have a block against anything British since Rawsthorne, Britten, Walton, Arnold.


----------



## Vaneyes

Supplementing kv466's The German Album, with (Sid James may like this, too)....no trigger-pulling, just sampling...

View attachment 4107


----------



## Cnote11

Bartok Complete Edition Disc 23 Piano Works


----------



## Sid James

Some listening of the last few days, mainly on lighter side -

*Milhaud* - _Ox on the Roof; Creation du Monde / Genesis; Saudades do Brasil_ (recordings cond. by Bernstein & the composer, on _EMI_ label)

_Saxophone Concertos_ of *Milhaud, Ibert, Debussy, Glazunov* (played by Sohre Rahbari, on _Naxos_ label)

_Cabaret Songs_ by *William Bolcom, Schoenberg & Satie *(sung by Measha Brueggergosman (soprano), on _DGG_ label)

*Poulenc's* _Gloria _(conducted by Jesus Lopez Cobos on _Eloquence_ label)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.1 and Symphony No.2, Op.9 {"Antar"}, *both featuring the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra led by Andrei Anichanov.
Alfred Schnittke--*Concerto Grosso 4, "Symphony No.5", *performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Chrythes

Mozart for the morning!


----------



## Cnote11

I took an excursion into the classical related project featuring the principal viola -- an instrument I for one love dearly -- player of the Berlin Philharmonic called Mico Nonet. Lovely "neo-classical ambient" music.

Now I'm turning on this:









Thomas Adès' Living Toys as inspired by jhar26.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Having a go at the string quartets by Fritz Kreisler and Efrem Zimbalist (the father of the actor on the old TV show called The FBI). The Kreisler is really very good and I enjoyed it immensely. The Zimbalist is a more sober and serious quartet. Especially the second movement but I also enjoyed hearing it and will likely give this another go around soon.

And if you have never checked out any of the recordings of the Fine Arts Quartet you should do so as they are really very very good. I have never heard a bad recording of theirs. They convey the depth of feeling and excitement that so many quartet pieces require to sustain your interest.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

To celebrate the swift victory of Pulcinella in the Classical Project thread, I will turn on this set and skip to the Pulcinella suite in its honor!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Another fine recording (no pun intended) by the Fine Arts Quartet. This time Hugo Wolf's Quartet in D Minor. Known mostly for his lieder it's unfortunate that he did not write more instrumental music. His quartet shows just how fine of a composer he was. I wish he had attempted the symphony but alas all we have is this wonderful quartet and a couple of other pieces.










Kevin


----------



## clavichorder

*The deal with Elliot Carter*

I don't know what it is. I can't decide whether I like his music or not. The first string quartet is much more doable for me than his 3rd string quartet. I still haven't totally gotten into the whole 1st, and only just now have I gotten a handle on the fact that each instrument seems to be doing a totally different thing, but there appears to be more cohesion in the 1st, whereas the 3rd is all over the place! I think I'd have to be in a certain mood to pick things out of the 3rd. The fact that the 1st starts with a cello solo probably helps it tremendously. I will persist with Carter because he is so fascinating. But I got discouraged briefly when I played him for my mom, who said rightly despite her minimal interest in classical music "every instrument is doing its own thing!" I was impressed at her discernment with that comment. When I was first approaching Carter, I found Bartok difficult, and thought Carter was no more so. How blind I was! Bartok is really engaging to my mind, I'm right with him, whereas Carter often teeters on the edge of baffling me and will jump right off!

Ha! I just opened up the 3rd again, and now I'm starting to pick out more of a mood. Interesting. We'll see if Elliot Carter withstands a little test of time for me.


----------



## Taneyev

More historicals (if you think I'm a little maniac on historicals, you'r right)

Paganini's selection of caprices, Ricci (1947/48), first complete recording as written.

Schumann's piano quintet:Hortense Donath and Kolisch quartet, 1937

Kabalevsky's 2th.piano sonata, Horowitz, 1947


----------



## Vesteralen

I used to belong to a record club whose prices were so cheap they folded. You had to make a list of choices and they would ship you one each month. Once when I was having a hard time finding anything I really wanted, I ordered this. It's kind of pleasant - sort of pop music of the 1890s, I guess. Nothing to jump up and down about, but pretty decent to play while working.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 4112
> 
> 
> I used to belong to a record club whose prices were so cheap they folded. You had to make a list of choices and they would ship you one each month. Once when I was having a hard time finding anything I really wanted, I ordered this. It's kind of pleasant - sort of pop music of the 1890s, I guess. Nothing to jump up and down about, but pretty decent to play while working.


Friml wrote some lovely melodies. He was a composer of operrettas and musicals. His most famous being The Firefly, The Vagabond King and Rose Marie. All three of which were adapted to films in the 1930s with Jeannette MacDonald in the lead female role. Her voice and personality were very suited for these kind of roles.

Currently listening to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Very fine album. Lovely melodies from one of Britain's finest composers.










Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I*.

I just saw 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould and started Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould. One complaint I have about them is, many times they are talking as his music plays in the background, which is very distracting. GG doesn't play background music.

Anyway, I had to take a break to hear the real thing without voiceovers.


----------



## Vesteralen

I never would have believed I could put on a Bartok disc and totally tune out between Track 2 and Track 5. I heard the first movement of #1 and the last movement of #2. The rest of it was a blur. I must be working too hard.


----------



## Vesteralen

On principle, I object to anthologies like this. But, since I play music all day at work, they actually work very well for me. This is a nice mix of instrumentals with a bit of vocal music slipped in. If you can stand solo movements out of context, it's kind of enjoyable. I've loosened up on it myself.


----------



## Vaneyes

Faure Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, with Dumay & Collard.

View attachment 4122


----------



## Vesteralen

I'm going to give you all a break. I have no picture for this one:

BBC Music Magazine monthly disc: *BACH: Goldberg Variations, Freddy Kempff*

I have a really hard time concentrating for extended periods on music like this. The mind just wants to drift. As background music (oh..sacrilege!) I can take it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Recently filled one of those rare gaps in my Mozart collection:










The "Haffner" was a rather early work in Mozart's oeuvre (The composer was but 22) yet it is still a striking piece.


----------



## Crudblud

Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 (Walter) [1958]


----------



## Vesteralen

Starting through the box again. Five more words make ten.


----------



## Vaneyes

Ligeti and Norgard Violin Concerti, plus the latter's Sonata, with Astrand/DanishNRSO/Dausgaard. Essential listening for tightropers.

View attachment 4125


----------



## clavichorder

Field's second piano concerto is just so beautiful, the ideas are really unpredictable and the piano passagework gets really interesting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphonies 99 through 103*.

Lively, yes. Historically uninformed performances, yes. Lots of fun to hear, absolutely.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Symphonies 99 through 103*.
> 
> Lively, yes. Historically uninformed performances, yes. Lots of fun to hear, absolutely.
> 
> View attachment 4127


I've been wanting to pick up a copy of these for ages.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart - Abendempfindung, K.523

Very beautiful.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Henry Purcell - Dido and Aeneas off my Baroque Masterpieces box set.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Speaking of historically "uninformed"...










I've been listening to Mozart's _La Clemenza di Tito_ c. 1955 conducted by Joseph Keilberth. This is a true odd-ball among Mozart's oeuvre. It was the last opera Mozart began, although he completed it and premiered it before _The Magic Flute_. It was commissioned to honor the coronation of Leopold II after the death of his brother, Joseph II, as King of Bohemia. The deadline for completion was so short that Salieri turned it down, and Mozart was ultimately offered double his usual sum. Unable to find a new libretto on such short notice, he turned to the text by Metastasio that had been set numerous times by other composers. The theme, the clemency or benevolence of Titus was seen as ideal for the occasion.

_La Clemenza di Tito_ was written as an _opera seria_, it broke from the usual model (and the original libretto) in eliminating the _da capo_ arias and adding ensemble scenes and large modern arias.
The recitatives were originally "farmed out" and set to music... quite likely by Mozart's "pupil", Franz Xaver Süssmayr (who traveled with Mozart and his wife, Constanze, to Prague, for the coronation as well as the premier of _La Clemenza di Tito_, and _The Magic Flute_, as well as a performance of _Don Giovanni_.. The arias, duets, etc... were all set by Mozart and include some of his most marvelous music. His scoring for clarinets is especially delicious. The premier was a flop with the wife of Leopold supposedly making an off the cuff comment about typical German swinishness, yet Mozart would live long enough to hear of reports of the popularity and success of both _La Clemenza._.. and _Die Zauberflöte_.

_La Clemenza di Tito_ faded rapidly from view following Mozart's death... much like his other great late opera, _Cosi fan tutte_. Where _Cosi..._ was berated by Beethoven and Wagner as an immoral waste of Mozart's divine talent, _La Clemenza di Tito_ was criticized for the excessive use of recitatives. The thrilling overture is immediately follwed by a three minute narrative recitative. The classical theatrical form, in which most of the action takes place off stage and is conveyed by the narrator is also strange for an opera by Mozart... or any composer after Mozart. Nevertheless, the opera was "rediscovered" and "rehabilitated" in the mid-20th century and today it is recognized as ranking among Mozart's greatest achievements. While it may not stand up in comparison to _Don Giovanni_ or _Die Zauberflöte_, in all likelihood, it would be recognized as a major achievement by any other composer. In 2011 and 2012 (up to the present) there have been 89 performances of _La Clemenza_...

This recording, conducted by Joseph Keilberth with the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchestera recorded in 1955 is true "old school" Mozart... the orchestra of full-blooded Beethovian scale... and yet the recitatives have been stripped down... translated into German, Süssmayr's musical accompaniments are dispensed with the result sounding something closer to the "Singspiel" model of _Die Zauberflöte_. It is hard to tell whether this approach... eliminating all but Mozart's music... or retaining the whole of the original score is the better approach. The elimination of Süssmayr's settings of the recitatives speeds things along and does away with everything that isn't by Mozart himself... yet at a cost of a flow in the drama which Gluck and Mozart had worked so hard to establish in opera. Rene Jacobs, makes an argument for retaining the entire recitatives as originally written. As opposed to mere narration, Jacob's singers employ decorative and expressive ornamentation and well-crafted declamation to plumb the emotional depths of Metastasio's elegant poetry. John Eliot Gardiner takes a middle road... cutting more than a few minutes from the recitatives and pushing the drama.

Whichever route you take, this is an important opera by Mozart that certainly deserves to be heard... and discussed more than it is.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Alfred Schnittke--*Symphony No.3, *performed by the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra led by Eri Klas.
Arthur Honegger--*Symphony No.2 {"Symphonie Pour Cordes"}, *featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Charles Munch.


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar:* 
_Pomp & Circumstance Marches 1 to 5, Op. 39
Sea Pictures, Op. 37*_ 
*Bernadette Greevy, contralto / London PO / Vernon Handley (EMI)

*Richard Mills:* _Symphony of Nocturnes _ 
Melbourne SO / Richard Mills (ABC Classics)

*Percy Grainger:* _Irish Tune from the County Derry (Danny Boy) ; Handel in the Strand ; Spoon River ; Country Gardens ; In a Nutshell (suite for piano) ; Shepherd's Hey_
Leslie Howard, pno. (ABC Classics Eloquence)

*Nielsen: *_Three Motets, Op. 55 (for a capella choir)_ 
University Choir 'Little Muko' / Mogens Woldike, director (Regis)

*Milhaud:* _Scaramouche_ ;* Ibert:* _Concertino da camera _
Sohre Rahbari, saxophone / Belgian Radio & TV Orch. / Alexander Rahbari (Naxos)

*Ravel:* _Trois Poemes de Stephane Mallarme_ 
Janet Baker, mezzo-sop. / Melos Ens. / Bernard Keeffe, dir. (Decca)


----------



## Cnote11

Writing a paper on conformity in Nazi Germany, turn on










Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Olivier Messiaen. The booklet has a lot of information in it but it is all in German.


----------



## Cnote11

I thought this would be fitting as well as I closed out my essay










Gorecki's third. Again? Yes, I can never tired of it.


----------



## Cnote11

Espace I by Isang Yun again.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Arthur Honegger--*Pacific 231, *featuring the American Symphony Orchestra led by Leon Botstein.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *both performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under the baton of Adrian Leaper.


----------



## agoukass

Medtner: Piano Works, Vol. 1
Geoffrey Tozer, piano


----------



## science

from the box


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> *Percy Grainger:* _Irish Tune from the County Derry (Danny Boy) ; Handel in the Strand ; Spoon River ; Country Gardens ; In a Nutshell (suite for piano) ; Shepherd's Hey_
> Leslie Howard, pno. (ABC Classics Eloquence)


I just listened to a lot of that last night, from the "Mercury Living Presence" record. I don't remember the performers.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: English Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806*

Listening to some beautiful music by Bach this afternoon - first up the Flute Sonatas and now playing the English Suites.


----------



## Conor71

science said:


> from the box


Did you enjoy this music Science? - I just finished that box a few days ago and want to listen to it again as I thought it was pretty great


----------



## science

Conor71 said:


> Did you enjoy this music Science? - I just finished that box a few days ago and want to listen to it again as I thought it was pretty great


Yes, I did. It was the first time I heard it, but it won't be the last.

Just now I'm listening to Grumiaux play Mozart's 5th violin concerto.


----------



## Taneyev

Alf Hurum violin sonata 2
Antonio Savasta; piano quintet
Leo Orstein: Hebraic Fantasy violin and piano
Bach(?) Tocatta&fugue 565 transcribed to solo violin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin Etudes.*

"So intimate, this Chopin . . ." T.S. Eliot


----------



## kv466




----------



## BachStravinsky

I'm listening to Walton's 1st symphony at the moment.


----------



## NightHawk

Listened to Act 1 last night and am finishing complete work this morning. It is a wonderful, completely absorbing recording by Kubelik _et al_. Highly recommended (though others are preferred by different reviewers, see Amazon for 14 reviews). I can imagine collecting several versions. It is my favorite Wagner.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I can imagine collecting several versions.

With the passage of time I have come to collect multiple interpretations of a good many composers and works... although I would say that these are still limited to my absolute favorites. Parsifal is certainly one opera that I can imagine wanting in multiple versions... indeed, I just recently ordered Knappertsbusch' recording to accompany my beloved Herbert von Karajan recording. Kleiber is always a conductor worthy of exploration.


----------



## Vaneyes

Franck Symphony in D minor, with PhiladelphiaO/Muti. ChicagoSO/Muti will be playing this April 19 in Moscow. It should be spectacular.

View attachment 4135


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 1 ("Winter Dreams") was probably the first extended or broad romantic composition that grabbed me. My exposure to classical music up to that point had been mostly via the shorter melodic or thematic developments of Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and Mozart. While I have several Russian recordings of Tchaikovsky including Valery Gergiev and Yevgeny Mravinsky, I still greatly admire Karajan's version which avoids the excesses and imposes a solidity upon these works that can get overly mushy or sentimental in the wrong hands.










Right now I'm listening to this recent purchase:










I didn't even know Haydn wrote any songs of any importance. Certainly I knew Mozart and Beethoven wrote songs... lieder... before Schubert raised the art form to an entirely new level, so I might have suspected Haydn would have partaken of a ditty or two... but who would have know? A good many of these are quite exquisite... and with Elly Ameling and Jörg Demus for virtually little more than a song... how can you lose?

Brilliant Classics is rapidly becoming one of my favorites record labels. Among marvelous purchases I have made I would include:










Faure's songs sung by Ameling and Souzay? What more could you want... but a bargain-basement price as well!


----------



## tgtr0660

I just finished listening to this absolutely fantastic cd. It contains the glorious (criminally underrated) Violin Concerto (in a fantastic version), the excellent Fantasy in C, and a violin adaptation of the Cello Concerto by the composer himself (which I have to recognize, I like better than the original cello version):









Tonight and tomorrow, Schumann's symphony cycle in my fifth complete version. The Bernstein left me slightly disappointed, the Kubelik and Dohnanyi are very good and the Harnoncourt is decent. But I always trust my old Hungarian to give me great readings of romantic music:


----------



## Vaneyes

tgtr0660 said:


> I just finished listening to this absolutely fantastic cd. It contains the glorious (criminally underrated) Violin Concerto (in a fantastic version), the excellent Fantasy in C, and a violin adaptation of the Cello Concerto by the composer himself (which I have to recognize, I like better than the original cello version):
> 
> View attachment 4137
> 
> 
> Tonight and tomorrow, Schumann's symphony cycle in my fifth complete version. The Bernstein left me slightly disappointed, the Kubelik and Dohnanyi are very good and the Harnoncourt is decent. But I always trust my old Hungarian to give me great readings of romantic music:
> 
> View attachment 4138


I haven't heard the violin arr. for clo. cto. I liked the Violin Concerto and the Cello Concerto from the first times I heard them, but didn't like the recordings. It took me a while to find and settle down with Kremer/Muti and Rostropovich/Bernstein.

Re Bernstein Schumann Symphonies, I like the DG, and don't like the Sony.


----------



## Vaneyes

Lalo Cello Concerto with Han-Na Chang/Santa Cecilia/Pappano, and Symphonie Espagnole with Tasmin Little/RSNO/Handley.

View attachment 4139
View attachment 4140


----------



## Oliver

Love this piece. Heard it at a concert last month.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, and 6*.

With Murray Perahia. As KC and the Sunshine Band say, "That's the way, uh-uh uh-uh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh."


----------



## Manxfeeder

GeneralOJB said:


> Love this piece. Heard it at a concert last month.


Thanks for the introduction to _The Bard_. It's so short but so Sibelius.


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg* _Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 _
Christine Schafer, speech-song / Ens. Intercontemporain / Pierre Boulez (DGG)

*J.S. Bach* _The Musical Offering, BWV1079 _
Davitt Moroney (harpsichord) with his group (Harmonia Mundi white label)

*Gerswhin* _Rhapsody in Blue ; An American in Paris ; That Certain Feeling ; Three Preludes for piano _
The composer on piano with various accompanists
*Artie Shaw *_Concerto for Clarinet _
Artie Shaw & his orch.
*Bath *_Cornish Rhapsody _
Harriet Cohen, pno. / London SO / Hubert Bath
(all from _The Ultimate Nostalgia Collection Vol. 2_ on Naxos Nostalgia label)

Selections from a compilation of recent Australian music (first listen to this) -
*Robert Davidson *_Well may we say 'God save the Queen' _played by Topology
*Roger Dean*_ Sonic Instabilities _played by austraLYSIS
*Sunwrae Ensemble* _The Machine _played by the Sunwrae Ensemble
*Mark Isaacs* _Will-o'-the-wisp _played by Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band
*Gerard Crewson* _Second Tutti _played by Splinter Orchestra
*Peter McNamara *_The German Hills _played by Ensemble Offspring

Of these, I enjoyed the *Sunwrae Ensemble *piece the most, full of sunshine and warmth, speaking to images of the Australian continent. It had interesting use of dynamics and repetition. But it's title, _The Machine_, does not relate to it in my impression, apart from the elements of repetition. It bought to me images of nature & it was played on piano with string accompaniment. The other work I enjoyed was by jazzman *Mark Isaacs*, one of our finest in that realm. The others were more experimental works. I will return to this compilation bit by bit.



science said:


> I just listened to a lot of that last night, from the "Mercury Living Presence" record. I don't remember the performers.


I am enjoying *Grainger's *music now, I think he was much more than just an arranger that some people make him out to be. Eg. the suite for piano on that Leslie Howard recording, called _In a Nutshell_, has some dynamics and harmonies that would have been new for the time (early 20th cent.), similar to Debussy or Ives. I eventually want to get his work for orchestra called _The Warriors_, it's also on Eloquence (Gardiner conducting), apprently it's amazing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Cnote11

Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire








Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold

Planning on listening to the entire Ring Cycle


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *All three symphonies are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Guest

Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, for a music history project. Quite an extraordinary piece from arguably the greatest 20th century composer next to Stravinsky.


----------



## Taneyev

Johanes Paul Thilman String quartet 2

Simon Jurovsky cello concerto

Jean Francaix wind quintet 1


----------



## Badinerie

Picked this LP up in a Charity Shop this morning for 50p! very clean, very-very nice..


----------



## Vesteralen

Typical Szell - clean execution, excellent pacing, never ponderous, perhaps a bit lacking in warmth. Szell's Cleveland Orchestra recordings were the closest we had to HIP back in the 50's-60's. He could make a traditional orchestra sound brilliant and light.


----------



## Vesteralen

The Violin Concertos of Mozart have never really made an impact on me. But, it's Julia Fischer....


----------



## superhorn

I've been taking advantage of the nifty interloan system of the Westchester, New York libraries, where you can go to the website of your local library and search for anything in any library in the county, and reserve it online.
They bring it to your library to pick up. 
Some of the CDs I've borrowed recently are : Giulini's complete DG recordings with the Chicago symphony,including symphonies by Dvorak,Schubert,Mahler, Pictures at an Exhibition etc.
Mahler 4 with Herbert Kegel and the Leipzig R.S.O., Beethoven piano sonatas played by Richard Goode, 
Madama Butterly (original version) on Naxos , Ariadne Auf Naxos in English from Chancos, Peter Grimes on EMI with Haitink conducting , Tosca with Scotto,Domingo and Levine conducting, 
complete Sibelius symphonies with Osmo Vanska and the Lahti symphony on BIS, including the original version of the 5th symphony, Don Giovanni on Philips with Colin Davis conducting, Walkure with Barenboim/Bayreuth,
Bruckner symphonies conducted by Barenboim,Solti, Wand, Rattle, Ormandy, Mahler symphonies with Rattle, 
Tennstedt, etc, Der Rosenkavalier, live concert performance form Naples, conducted by George Pretre,
Verdi Forza del Destino with Price, Tucker, and Merrill with Schippers conducting on RCA, 
Verdi's Macbeth on Philips with Sinopoli, and much more in the last few months or so.
DVDs I've borrowed include the Amsterdam Ring with Hartmut Haenchen conducting ,
Handel's Rodelinda from Glyndebourne with Christie conducting , Tristan& Isolde from Barcelona ,
Schubert's Fierrabras from the Zurich opera, Fliegende Hollander from the Savonlinna festival in Finland with Segerstam conducting . 
I'm in luck ! Great way to catch up on a lot of CDs and DVDs I've been wanting to hear and see.


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to both suites - Stravinsky's Histoire du Soldat and Pulcinella


----------



## Conor71

*Glazunov: String Quartet No. 3 In G Major, Op. 26, "Slavonic"*


----------



## Cnote11

Meredith Monk's Turtle Dreams


----------



## kv466

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 4159
> 
> 
> The Violin Concertos of Mozart have never really made an impact on me. But, it's Julia Fischer....


_I can believe that...I swear, aside from the loveliness I sometimes like these and the Bach better than Grumiaux's...then I listen to Arthur again and think, "daing, well she's still darned good anyway". Definitely my favorite living violinist. _

Beethoven - Sonata no.23 in f-minor, op.57
Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok* _Music for strings, percussion & celesta, Sz. 106 ; Piano Concerto #3, Sz. 119 _*
* Julius Katchen, pno. / Suisse Romande Orch. / Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence, on 2 cd set)

Continuing first listen to compilation of *recent Australian music*. My favourite here was the work by *Page*, for saxophone quartet with electronic elements. The acoustic part was jazzy, groovy and maybe kind of post-minimalist, while this was interspersed by recordings of things like glass shattering, which gave this wierd counterpoint to the whole thing. Visceral but fun. The work by *Simmons* had a fair bit of whimsy as well.

*Adam Simmons *_5:27am _performed by the composer on piccolo
*Rosalind Page *_Echymosses_ performed by Continuum Sax
*Annie Hsieh *_Diaflection_ performed by Chronology Arts

_Harp sonatas_ by *C.P.E. Bach & Casella *played by Isabelle Moretti, harp (Harmonia Mundi white label)

*Claudio Merulo *(1533-1604)
_Toccata seconda del 1 tono _(1598)
_Kyrie & Gloria _from _Missa Apostolorum _(1568) *
Frederic Munoz, organ / *Gregorian chant sung by Grupo Vocal Gregor, Dante Andreo, director (Naxos - cd 1 of 2 cd set)


----------



## Mordred

Beethoven's King Stephen Op. 117

It is hard to find much info on this. I think it is awesome. If any of you out there know of anything similar I would love to know about it. This was a gift and the first CD that got me into classical music, so if anyone has ideas on similar listening please let me know. Thankyou


----------



## neoshredder

Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Gloria; Sextuor; Concerto for 2 Pianos; Piano Concerto; Sonata for 2 Pianos; Concert Champetre by Francis Poulenc, Charles Dutoit, Sergiu Comissiona, Jesús López-Cobos and Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (1997)


----------



## Cnote11

Beautiful as usual.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After spending the last 3 years or so rapidly exploring unknown composers from the Baroque, Classical Era, Romanticism, Modernism, and the Contemporary era I am almost overwhelmed with the attempt of trying to absorb so much new information... so much new music... and I consider how long it took to first absorb and really appreciate Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Brahms, etc... and so I'm recently getting back focusing on those composers I consider to be the "core essentials". In some cases this means exploring multiple variations of the same repertoire... but in other instances it means listening again to the old favorites.










Whether Gould is mannered or not (at times) his manner is damn good.


----------



## opus55

Spohr: Piano Trio Op.119; Piano Quintet Op.130










Liszt: Les Preludes


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88. *The* 7th *features the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *8th *is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Maestro Giulini.


----------



## pierrot

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 by Otto Klemperer


----------



## opus55

Janacek: Suite for String Orchestra
Dvorak: Symphony No.6
Bach: English Suites
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 28 & 30


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.4: Conducted by Leonard Bernstein: Soloist Krystian Zimerman.

I've never realized how extraordinary the second movement of this marvelous concerto is, until today. I believe I'll be revisiting it a lot these coming weeks. With that said, I still prefer the third movement. :{

Mozart - Piano Sonata K.330: Krystian Zimerman.

Zimerman's touch is magical. This sonata sounds completely different under his care, he does such a wonderful job playing it.:tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 15, Op. 135*

Continuing to make slow progress through this bleak but beautiful String Quartet cycle - now playing Disc 5 of 7.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileira No. 1, W 246*


----------



## NightHawk

*Last night:*








Simply wonderful singing.

*This morning:*








This is an astringent reading, even for Gould.

*Tonight*:








Yes, again.


----------



## Taneyev

Nicolai Rakov's violin concerto 1 (Igor Oistrakh-Rakov).

Paganini-Brahms variations. Cziffra.

Robert Volkmann's cello concerto.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

One of the best orchestras in the world!


----------



## LudwigNAV

Waking up this morning to some of Mozart's early piano sonatas. Really exquisite playing in this set.


----------



## Dowd

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> One of the best orchestras in the world!


Agreed. Looking forward to their upcoming Grieg release.


----------



## misterjones

Repeated listenings, inspired by a post elsewhere. I can't tell whether I'm trying to convince myself to like it, or that I like it and can't get enough of it.


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1 et 3 for Orchestra as well as Parade and Cinq grimaces pour "Le songe d'une nuit d'été" et La Piccadilly. La Belle Excentrique, Relache, En Habit de Cheval, et Gnossienne No. 3.


----------



## Lisztian

Various Ligeti and Schubert tonight...Interesting combination, eh.


----------



## Dimboukas

Carmina Burana by Eugen Jochum: one of the best recordings!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

misterjones said:


> Repeated listenings, inspired by a post elsewhere. I can't tell whether I'm trying to convince myself to like it, or that I like it and can't get enough of it.
> 
> View attachment 4177


How can you not like Quasthoff and Schubert?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm continuing to dig through my old favorites. Bach was someone that clicked with me immediately when I first came upon him. I believe my very first classical disc was of Bach's Brandenburg's with the Wurtemburg Chamber Orchestra. Or course I had been raised in the Lutheran Church and the hymns of Bach and his various organ works were part of every Sunday. My mother also sang soprano in the church choir and so I glommed onto Bach's choral works immediately.










The only Bach work that I had trouble with was the _Goldberg Variations_... and this was not the fault of the work itself, but rather of the fact that my initial exposure to this work was through an absolutely strident... and painfully garish harpsichord recording of the work I had purchased for next to nothing... on some cheapo label. A copy of Gould's 1955 recording of this work completely changed everything. This is a rare live recording of the Goldberg Variations from Salzburg with a couple Three Part Inventions recorded in Moscow.










After a goodly amount of Bach (but never too much) I'm moving on to Mozart... in these classic recordings by George Szell and the hometown boys, the Cleveland Orchestra.










Dirt cheap... with the most boring cover... but the performance is never boring.


----------



## neoshredder

Currently Listening to Debussy's Orchestral Works by Martinon in Brilliant Classics 4 cd set. Was listening to Vivaldi's Concertos by Trevor Pinnock earlier. Basically my favorite 2 composers now.


----------



## Cnote11

More Satie, but his piano works


----------



## neoshredder

Satie is enjoyable as well. A little more comedic than Debussy. The comedy part I could do without tbh. I have that cd to of Satie btw.


----------



## Cnote11

There may be some "comedy" within some of his compositions but there are a fair amount which are very serious. I also have a lovely album of his compositions being played by music box.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> There may be some "comedy" within some of his compositions but there are a fair amount which are very serious. I also have a lovely album of his compositions being played by music box.


His ballet "Relâche" is wonderfully comic/surreal/weird.


----------



## Oliver




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Ned Rorem--*Symphonies Nos. 3, 1 and 2, *all featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra led by Jose Serebrier.


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to Satie's piano works (Disc one) .... for the third time today. I should probably move on to disc two.


----------



## Sid James

*Claudio Merulo* (1533-1604)
_Credo cardinalum, Sanctus, Agnus __dei _from _Missa Apostolorum _(1568)
_Magnificat del secondo tono_
Frederic Munoz, organ / Gregorian chant sung by Grupo Vocal Gregor, Dante Andreo, director (Naxos - cd 2 of 2 cd set)

*Merulo* fits in between the two giants of Venetian music, Gabrieli and Monteverdi. This being an organ mass, the instrument is at the fore, interspersed with and kind of responding to the guys singing traditional plain chant (as in a real church service of the time). The organ part is simple and has delicate counterpoint, it has a certain vocal/singing quality, and I need not explain Gregorian chant. Overall, very spiritual and contemplative music here.

*Ravel* 
_String Quartet in F major_
Melos Quartet (DGG)

Hard to believe this work had the conservatives up in arms when it was premiered in early 1900's (around 1903, I think?), but of course to certain hard heads of the Paris Conservatoire, this would have been beyond the pail. *Ravel *does not adhere to the structures like sonata form in an academic way, and neither does he pull back on quite vigorous rhythms and dissonances. In the scherzo movement, Ravel even splits the quartet into two duos, a thing unusual at the time, done over half a century later by Elliott Carter. Some quartets play this too kind of smoothed over and refined, but that's not the case here, it is played with a good amount of vigour and stridency (but not without nuance).

*Nielsen* 
_Springtime in Funen (Fynsk Forar), Op. 42 (soprano, tenor, bass, children's choir, choir, orch.)_ (1921)
Soloists / Univ. Choir "Little Muko" / Odense SO / Tamas Veto, cond. (Regis)

Basically this work, reflecting on *Nielsen's* childhood on the island of Funen, radiates sunshine, joy and the innocence of childhood. Gives me a boost every time, and has a fair bit of humour - but also depth and reflective moments (eg. life is short, talking of the old people in the village) - as well.


----------



## NightHawk

I have the Eschenbach set - it was made shortly after he won the International Mozart Competition - I agree! the playing is magnificent.



LudwigNAV said:


> View attachment 4176
> 
> 
> Waking up this morning to some of Mozart's early piano sonatas. Really exquisite playing in this set.


----------



## NightHawk

StlukesguildOhio said:


> After a goodly amount of Bach (but never too much) I'm moving on to Mozart... in these classic recordings by George Szell and the hometown boys, the Cleveland Orchestra.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dirt cheap... with the most boring cover... but the performance is never boring.


I think the Cleveland Orchestra is one of the most distinguished orchestras in the world, maintaining its personality in a world of jet-setting conductors who seldom stuck around long enough to do anything distinctive. I have many Szell recordings and my next favorite in this stunning line of conductors is Christoph von Dohnanyi.

1918-1933 Nikolai Sokoloff
1933-1943 Artur Rodziński
1943-1944 Erich Leinsdorf
1946-1970 George Szell
1970-1972 Pierre Boulez 
1972-1982 Lorin Maazel
1984-2002 Christoph von Dohnányi
2002-present Franz Welser-Möst


----------



## Cnote11

Now listening to the second disc of the Satie Piano Works.


----------



## Chrythes

The whole thing, and not only suite.2 as so many like to add it to other recordings.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back to Bach... and back to Gould:


----------



## Crudblud

Chrythes said:


> The whole thing, and not only suite.2 as so many like to add it to other recordings.
> View attachment 4184


Munch is good, but have you heard Monteux's recording?


----------



## Cnote11

Living Toys


----------



## Cnote11

Chrythes said:


> The whole thing, and not only suite.2 as so many like to add it to other recordings.
> View attachment 4184


The complete way is the only way to go with this one.

I myself am now listening to this ballet. It is a frequent listen for me. The first act especially is very powerful. I can never shake the first time I heard the opening few minutes, as it really left a deep impact as I was swept up in the moment. It was a very intense experience!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Living Toys


Absolutely AMAZING piece of music! :clap:


----------



## ProudSquire

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TheProudSquire said:


> Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor.


Absolutely AMAZING piece of music! :clap:


----------



## AndyS

Sir Adrian Boults recording of the Planet Suite

I was brought up on the Karajan digital recording, the tempi are very different


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to an old fave...The Symphonic fragments from Die Liebe der Danae is on now...Nice!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Rise of the Masters. It's time I don't judge music by the era and rather by the Composer. As a Vivaldi fan, it isn't a far stretch to like Tchaikovsky imo.


----------



## science

Completely different.


----------



## Taneyev

Popper cello concerto 3

PIT string sextet (Kogan-Gilels-Barshai-Talalian-Knushevitsky-Rostropovich) Incredible !!!

Selection on Chabrier pieces by Marcelle Meyer. IMHO, best version available.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've recently discovered Masaaki Suzuki's Bach Collegium Japan. Today I've been watching their AMAZING performance of St. John's Passion on YouTube. I don't think _any_ HIP orchestra/ensemble can beat these guys when it comes to JS Bach!

Here's the first fourteen and a half minutes:


----------



## Guest

The Pavel Haas Quartet is coming to Ann Arbor soon, and since I'm interested in seeing them I figured I'd look up who the heck Pavel Haas is/was. Turns out he's a Janacek disciple, Janacek being one of my favorite composers, and he wrote few works but many of them could be considered masterworks. Haas was interred at a concentration near the outset of WWII, and he eventually died in Auschwitz. He wrote his Sinfonia shortly before his arrest.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1 and Cello Concerto No. 1*.

No comments necessary.


----------



## NightHawk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I've recently discovered Masaaki Suzuki's Bach Collegium Japan. Today I've been watching their AMAZING performance of St. John's Passion on YouTube. I don't think _any_ HIP orchestra/ensemble can beat these guys when it comes to JS Bach! Here's the first fourteen and a half minutes:


This group is, as you say, AMAZING. I ordered the St. John's Passion some months ago and was sent St. Matt's instead (which, I already owned). I haven't reordered. I hope I can find this with the Bach Collegium Japan. Thanks, I'll be listening to the rest of it on Youtube.

edit: just ordered the DVD of the Suzuki/Bach/St. John's - not available in CD, but the reviews, after lauding the performance, exclaimed over the appropriate and not invasive filming of the project. I am confident the DVD version is the same as the Youtube clips. Very happy


----------



## Taneyev

Manxfeeder said:


> *Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1 and Cello Concerto No. 1*.
> 
> No comments necessary.
> 
> View attachment 4186


Only this; the day before, both played the concerto live, and was recorded. Only published on the complete 10 CD box of historicals recordings of the NYPO, totally OOP. I've the concerto on trade with a friend.


----------



## Cnote11

Penderecki!


----------



## Cnote11

Finishing up Das Rheingold so I can move onto Die Walkure.


----------



## opus55

Captivated by Rawsthorne's Oboe Concerto, I followed up with purchase of this Bach oboe conconertos set. Its woody, nasal tone is curious and hypnotizing. The orchestral accompaniment is excellent as well.


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt - Christus. Helmuth Rilling.

To say this huge work has grown on me would be a massive understatement. It took me awhile to get there, but now it's perhaps my favourite work by him. It contains everything there is to love about Liszt - the extrovertedly beautific passages (March of the Three Magi, Foundation of the Church, The Entry into Jerusalem), the impressionistic scene painting (in the Pastoral Music at the Manger and never as vivid and remarkable (especially for the mid sixties!) as in The Miracle), the introverted side to Liszt (The Lord's prayer, Beatitudes, Tristis Anima Mea) and of course the absolutely transcendental Stabat Mater Dolorosa. The only downside to this work is the fact that the orchestral introduction and Stabat Mater Specicosa MIGHT be a tad overlong. That being said, the more I listen, the less I think that's true.

I honestly don't think any other single work surpasses this one, both in terms of the music as it stands and also the considerable innovations it presented. Of course, when most people think of the best choral music they think of the Baroque and Renaissance eras - but I much prefer the Romantic era, and 'Christus' is one of the absolute pinnacles of that era.

Rilling is superb - probably my favourite recording of the work. Where most others who have recorded it have let it drag on far too long (around 3 and a half hours), Rilling clocks in at around 2 hours 40 - which is great for the work. The Stabat Mater Dolorosa and especially O filii et filiae perhaps suffer a little bit from this, but overall I consider it the best recording out there.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> *Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1 and Cello Concerto No. 1*.
> 
> No comments necessary.
> 
> View attachment 4186


I've got this one on order. Had to get it and a few other Slava recordings after watching the BBC video on Rostropovich:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lisztian said:


> Liszt - Christus. Helmuth Rilling.


Thanks for your impressions. I think it's a great piece. I like how he writes for voices.

This weekend, one of my friends saw the Nashville Symphony perform Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and he was so impressed, he got a lot of his friends to see it the next day, then he went again Saturday. I was busy, so I missed out. But in my circle of non-classical friends, a Rachmaninov revival just broke out.

I'm vicariously sharing the experience with Ashkenazy and Previn.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to disc 2 of Gould's recording of Bach's English Suites.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finishing up Das Rheingold so I can move onto Die Walkure.

By whom?


----------



## science

science said:


> from the box


I'm doing this again. It's very pretty, fairly inventive. Good melodies, pleasant simple counterpoint.


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. So hypnotizing.


----------



## Cnote11

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Finishing up Das Rheingold so I can move onto Die Walkure.
> 
> By whom?


The cycle that I have is conducted by Solti.


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* _String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 _
Melos Quartet (DGG)

*Nielsen *_Suite from Aladdin _
Odense SO / Tamas Veto (Regis)

*Bartok*_ Romanian Folk Dances for orch., Sz. 68 _
Suisse Romande Orch. / Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

*Bernard Herrmann* _Echoes for string quartet _(1965) 
Fine Arts Quartet (Naxos)


----------



## Cnote11

I read the Qigang Chen album I was thinking about buying is on Spotify, so I downloaded Spotify and am using it for the first time.


----------



## NightHawk

4:16 minutes. Check it out.


----------



## science

from the box


----------



## Lisztian




----------



## kv466

Bach - Toccata and Fugue in d-minor, bwv565
Don Dorsey, synthesizer


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Getting home from dinner out I gave these lovely "Mozartian" clarinet quartets by Krommer another spin. Surely anyone enamored of Mozart's and Weber's clarinet works will be interested in these.










Speaking of Weber... Carl Maria von Weber (not to be confused with Anton WeberN)... I'm giving a first listen to his Gothic masterpiece:










I first heard this opera a good many years ago... but just finally picked up a copy recently... and now I'm thinking of grabbing hold of a second (if not a third) recording. This recording is by Erich Kleiber, father of Carlos Kleiber... who also recorded a classic version of this opera. Indeed, there are a number of highly regarded versions of this seminal opera:

*Erich Kleiber* recorded the version that I am currently listening to with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra and soloists including Elizabeth Grümmer, Rita Streich (one of my favorites among the older singers), Hans Hopf, Kurt Bohm, etc...

*Wilhelm Furtwangler* recorded this opera with the same soloists as Erich Kleiber

*Carlos Kleiber* recorded the opera in 1973 with the Dresden Staatskapelle and soloists Gundula Janowitz and Peter Schreier

*Joseph Keilberth* records the opera in 1958 with the Berlin Philharmonic.

For a historic recording (1955) the sound on this recording is consistently excellent. Even so, I'll probably pick up another copy of this opera as I currently seem to have an obsession with German opera... from Handel to Gluck to Mozart to Wagner to Strauss. Quite likely I'll go with Keilberth... but then again Carlos Kleiber always has something interesting to offer... and in this instance, his is the newest of the great versions... and includes the full libretto.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Concertos


----------



## Guest

Neeme Jarvi returned to Detroit this weekend to perform Brahms's Piano Concerto no. 1 in d minor with Helene Grimaud, so being in the neighborhood I quickly seized upon some tickets. It was a once-in-a-lifetime concert, and Jarvi delivered as always by playing a Concerto for Piano AND Orchestra instead of a Concerto for Piano WITH Orchestra; Brahms clearly wanted the former. Grimaud also gave a unique and unorthodox performance as usual, but there was nothing to dislike about it. She played it almost as if it was Bach fugue, by voicing all the lines almost equally. Again, this did not bother me. It was a fantastic concert that gave me chills.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Well Tempered Clavier


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major Op.93, *both featuring Josef Krips conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Abbado.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart -- Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat major KV 449*






Love this concerto, what a joy it is.


----------



## Badinerie

A bit of Ludwig in the morning.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 In A Major, Op. 90, "Italian"*

Back to back Mendelssohn plays - First up is Disc 4 of the excellent Abaddo set of Symphonies and Overtures which features Symphonies 4 and 5. Next up I will play Disc 03 from the Complete Chamber Music Box - this Disc features the Viola Sonata, Clarinet Sonata and String Quartet No. 3.


----------



## Taneyev

Grieg Ballade: Godowsky

Miaskovsky violin concerto:Oistrakh

Saint-Saëns: string quartet 1

Paul Ben-Haim solo violin sonata: Francescatti (!)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Been listening to the Bach Collegium Japan playing St. John Passion directed by Masaaki Suzuki over and over on YouTube.


----------



## kv466

Vaclav Pichl - Symphony in d, 'Diana'
Matthias Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players


----------



## Vaneyes

A new release, Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances, and Stravinsky Symphony in 3 Movements, with LSO/Gergiev from a 2009 Barbican concert.

From my perspective, sampling in stereo, this hybrid sounds like a winner. Detail is rapturous. Timpani well emphasized in both works. Recommended. Handy as filler or supplement.:tiphat:

View attachment 4191


----------



## Vaneyes

Haydn String Quartets, Op. 76, with Tokyo SQ.

View attachment 4193


----------



## kv466

My brother just picked these up for me on a trip and I'm loving it!


----------



## Vaneyes

Skrow, apart from his MDs and many fine recordings, he's one of the best guest conductors to walk the face of the earth. He can whip the most downtrodden regional orchestra into fighting trim in one rehearsal.

General Skrow!


----------



## pasido

Schubert Piano Sonata in E Major D. 459


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Great 48!!!


----------



## Cnote11

kv466 said:


> My brother just picked these up for me on a trip and I'm loving it!


You have one nice brother!

I listened to the Erik Satie Orchestral and Piano works again last night. I'm giving them another go now. I can never get enough of Satie.


----------



## kv466

^^

It was used in some street fair or other...thank goodness for some people not wanting to use cd's anymore...they are all in perfect condition and probably only ever used to be ripped into a pc. Just when I thought I'd heard the Ludwig van symphony cycle enough this year, I get pulled back in!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My favourite sacred cantata: Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland BWV62






Really want to get the Bach Collegium Japan recording of this.


----------



## NightHawk

Interested to know if you like the way GG plays the Prelude No. 2 in C minor...? (should be disc 1/track 3)



StlukesguildOhio said:


> The Great 48!!!


----------



## NightHawk

kv466 said:


> ^^
> 
> It was used in some street fair or other...thank goodness for some people not wanting to use cd's anymore...they are all in perfect condition and probably only ever used to be ripped into a pc. Just when I thought I'd heard the Ludwig van symphony cycle enough this year, I get pulled back in!


Even though he is (for me) the most compelling of all composers, I am sometimes reluctant to put yet another Beethoven work in the player...yet, if I am not in a distracted mood, he always pulls me in... The Piano Sonatas, Piano Trios, and the String Quartets are especially magnetic. You got a handsome deal there kv - I have three symphony cycles and lust for more. cheers!

edit: also the Violin and Cello Sonatas!


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok* _Two Portraits (Op. 5), Sz. 37 _
Suisse Romande Orch. / Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

*Claudio Merulo *(1533-1604) _Missa Apostolorum _(1568)* ;_ Toccata seconda del 1 tono ; Magnificat del secondo tono_* 
Frederic Munoz, organ / *Gregorian chant sung by Grupo Vocal Gregor with Dante Andreo directing (Naxos - 2 cd's)

*Ligeti*_ Chamber Concerto for 13 instrumentalists _(1969-70) 
Ensemble "de reihe" Wien / Friedrich Cerha (Wergo)

*Beethoven* _Violin Sonatas - #5 in F major, Op. 24 'Spring,' & #9 in A major, Op. 47 'Kreutzer' _
Itzhak Perlman, vln. / Vladimir Ashkenazy, pno. (Decca)


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three symphonies are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Joseph Martin Kraus, "the Swedish Mozart". Talented but died young (1756-1792).


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Charles Ives--*Symphony No.3 {"The Camp Meeting"}, *featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the guidance of Maestro Bernstein.


----------



## Cnote11

Debussy's Orchestral Works conducted by Pierre Boulez








Erik Satie's piano works.... again


----------



## Praeludium

Thierry Machuel, a french contemporary composer. I love it !


----------



## kv466




----------



## Chrythes

Intense pieces, especially the first sonata. The second is a bit too similar as whole and it clearly follows the end of the first one, so it gets a bit tiring after a while.


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to some Satie and Bartok piano works on repeat


----------



## Vaneyes

Vivaldi Cello Concerti, RV 418, 424, with Maisky/Orpheus CO, followed by Double Concerti RV 509, 511, 514, 516, 523, 524, with Mullova/Carmignola/Venice Baroque Orchestra/Marcon.

View attachment 4207
View attachment 4208


----------



## robert

George Tsontakis

Heartsounds

Man of Sorrow


----------



## Cnote11

Living Toys. I feel like I'm beginning to repeat myself a lot lately


----------



## Cnote11

DIE WALKURE! Can anything be more epic than the last act of Das Rheingold? We shall find out!


----------



## ksargent

Great rendition of a classic work


----------



## Conor71

*Jenkins: Fantasy A 4 No. 5 In F Major*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this box-set


----------



## Vaneyes

Ligeti Cello Concerto, Piano Concerto, Chamber Concerto for 13 Instrumentalists, with Perenyi/Wiget/Ensemble Modern/Eotvos. Recorded in Hungary and Austria, 1990/92.

View attachment 4211


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, The Seven Last Words*.

I have the orchestral and vocal versions, but the one that grabs me the most is by the Lindsay String Quartet. The liner notes are also outstanding, written by Bishop John V. Taylor.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*James MacMillan, Seven Last Words from the Cross*.

This is an intense, energetic recording, well done, and not to be played in the background.


----------



## opus55

kv466 said:


> ...thank goodness for some people not wanting to use cd's anymore...they are all in perfect condition and probably only ever used to be ripped into a pc


I love buying used CDs - it's usually cheaper than buying mp3's. In the end though, I don't think I'm saving money; I just buy more CDs 

Getting tired of listening to mostly chamber music during past month. Time to listen to symphonies..

Mahler: Symphony No.7


----------



## Sid James

*Nigel Westlake *_Piano Sonata _(1997) 
Michael Kieran Harvey, pno. (Tall Poppies)

*Bartok *_Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 _
Suisse Romande Orch. / Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

*Jehan Alain* _Organ Works Vol. 1 - incl. Litanies, Variations sur un theme de Clement Jannequin, Deux Danses a Agni Yavishta, Suite, etc. _
Eric Lebrun, organ (Naxos)

*Eduard Tubin* (1905-82) _Sym.#4 'Sinfonia lirica' _(1943/1978) 
Musikelskabet Harmonien, Bergen / Neeme Jarvi (BIS)


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Lukecash12

Our friend clavichorder recently prompted me to listen to Field's nocturnes and piano concerto, with his thread about composers named "john".


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Hector Berlioz--*Symphonie Fantastique, Op.14, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3, *featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.


----------



## Conor71

*Liszt: Piano Sonata In B Minor, S 178
Chopin: Nocturnes*

Some Piano Music - first up Brendels version of the B Minor Sonata followed up by a shuffle of the Nocturnes: Disc 1.


----------



## Chrythes

Great concertos, especially Weinberg's.


----------



## Taneyev

Bruckner string quartet.

Bliss violin concerto (Campoli-Bliss)

Liszt sonata (Barer)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

K


opus55 said:


> I love buying used CDs - it's usually cheaper than buying mp3's. In the end though, I don't think I'm saving money; I just buy more CDs
> 
> Getting tired of listening to mostly chamber music during past month. Time to listen to symphonies..
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No.7


Yes! Number seven is the best!


----------



## kv466

It's a Martucci morning for me. I forget how much I love this!

Momento musicale op.57, no.3 right now but it is the last piece on the disc so moving on to the symphonies after that. It's been a while and I have a long and nothing-to-do morning so,...yeah.

















Never compared these to any recordings but these and they are beauties.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Pergolesi, Stabat Mater*.









Then Part III of Lizst's Christus, the passion and resurrection.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Pierre Monteux and his 137th birthday.

Rite of Spring recorded with Boston SO in 1951, 38 years after he premiered it in Paris.

View attachment 4224


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. Luke Passion*.

I hesitate to attribute this to Bach, but at least we know he fiddled with parts of it and thought enough of it to perform it, so that's good enough for me. I'm disappointed Brilliant didn't include the text, but after hearing other passions, I mostly get the drift.


----------



## tgtr0660

Last few days, first, a decent disc of Berlioz' overtures. Can't help but think some are just not brilliant music:









Then an outstanding, maybe the best, version of the glorious Fantastique:









Last night this legendary recording, perfectly played, though the sound shows its age:









Tonight I'll listen for the first time this work by Mendelssohn:


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms PCs 1 & 2, with Douglas/LSO/Skrowaczewski (rec. 1988), and Kovacevich/LSO/Davis (rec. 1980).

View attachment 4231
View attachment 4232


----------



## Conor71

*Liszt: Piano Sonata In B Minor, S 178*

Listening to Brendels version of the B Minor Sonata again and then I will listen to Argerich's version - this is becoming one of my favourite works for Piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. Mark Passion*.

The fun thing about this is, there are parts recycled from other works, so among the new pieces something familiar will pop up.


----------



## jhar26

Awesome.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Conor71

*Liszt: Consolations*

First up a shuffle of this this excellent Disc of Liszt from Barenboim followed by a shuffle of the Nocturnes: Disc 2


----------



## kv466

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata for piano no.27 in e-minor, op.90
Jenő Jandó, piano


----------



## Cnote11

Takemitsu's Garden Rain










Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire










Karlheinz Stockhausen's Stimmung










Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Cnote11 said:


> Takemitsu's Garden Rain
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Karlheinz Stockhausen's Stimmung
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto


The Tchaikovsky throws a real curve into that collection of music, eh?


----------



## violadude

Cnote11 said:


> Takemitsu's Garden Rain
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Karlheinz Stockhausen's Stimmung
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto


What do you think of Stimmung? I love all the shifting and transforming rhythm in that piece.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finished listening to the last of these (disc 4). After a tiring day at work (and still fighting off a cold) I ended up falling asleep shortly after putting this disc in the player the other day.

As I stated earlier I'm continuing to delve deep into the core repertoire of old favorites and old masters after having spent the last three years or so purchasing so much new music (and music new to me) that my head as begun to spin. In this instance I picked up a new recording of Mozart's late string quartets... which I haven't heard in years.


----------



## Cnote11

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The Tchaikovsky throws a real curve into that collection of music, eh?


Aha, I suppose it does! Despite my love for contemporary stuff, Tchaikovsky is easily one of my favorite composers. The first concerto is absolutely brilliant and the very first section of the first movement is one of the most beautiful things ever composed.


----------



## Cnote11

violadude said:


> What do you think of Stimmung? I love all the shifting and transforming rhythm in that piece.


Stimmung is one of my most played and most cherished pieces I own. I'm still wanting to get my hands on the older copy, but I also have the singcircle one, and I much prefer the Theatre of Voices one. It is certainly unique, as I don't feel enough people are utilizing the concept. I have another disc of an Asian ensemble doing something similar, but you don't get this kind of stuff out west very often. Overtone singing doesn't seem to be popular around the world period. When I came back to post here it was actually because of Stimmung and me wanting to hear similar pieces. No one ever replied to that thread. I've always been interested in pieces where singers sing off of a drone tone, so when I discovered Stimmung I was quite delighted. I'd like to say that Stimmung opened up a whole new world for me and got me more interested in choral music/polyphony. Another interesting thing about the piece is that a lot of it is up to the singers themselves, which makes each performance a unique spectacle. If I ever get the chance to see it performed I would jump all over the opportunity. The gradual rhythmic transformation is very compelling and keeps me listening everytime.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*C.E.F. Weyse, Easter Cantata*.

This is kind of a rarity, but it's a tuneful, jubliant piece and a nice break from the Passion week pieces I've been listening to.


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to the Musique funèbre portion and perhaps more, but perhaps not. We will see.


----------



## NightHawk

Vaneyes said:


> Brahms PCs 1 & 2, with Douglas/LSO/Skrowaczewski (rec. 1988), and Kovacevich/LSO/Davis (rec. 1980).]


The Kovacevich Brahms 2 is _very_ interesting to me - I have his recording of the _Diabelli Variations_ which blew me out of the living room.


----------



## NightHawk

Conor71 said:


> *Liszt: Piano Sonata In B Minor, S 178*
> 
> Listening to Brendels version of the B Minor Sonata again and then I will listen to Argerich's version - this is becoming one of my favourite works for Piano


Bolet's B minor Sonata of Liszt is a tremendous reading. This entire album is worth every cent. *****'s
(couldn't get a larger pic of the contents to work - it is a two-disc set, the Sonata in b minor is on the 2nd disc)


----------



## Cnote11

A set to be proud of. Steve Reich's Works 1965-1995. Listening to Music for 18 Musicians and then Electric Counterpoint


----------



## violadude

Cnote11 said:


> Stimmung is one of my most played and most cherished pieces I own. I'm still wanting to get my hands on the older copy, but I also have the singcircle one, and I much prefer the Theatre of Voices one. It is certainly unique, as I don't feel enough people are utilizing the concept. I have another disc of an Asian ensemble doing something similar, but you don't get this kind of stuff out west very often. Overtone singing doesn't seem to be popular around the world period. When I came back to post here it was actually because of Stimmung and me wanting to hear similar pieces. No one ever replied to that thread. I've always been interested in pieces where singers sing off of a drone tone, so when I discovered Stimmung I was quite delighted. I'd like to say that Stimmung opened up a whole new world for me and got me more interested in choral music/polyphony. Another interesting thing about the piece is that a lot of it is up to the singers themselves, which makes each performance a unique spectacle. If I ever get the chance to see it performed I would jump all over the opportunity. The gradual rhythmic transformation is very compelling and keeps me listening everytime.


I have the singcircle one. What are your critiques of it?


----------



## Cnote11

violadude said:


> I have the singcircle one. What are your critiques of it?


There aren't any major critiques. Essentially, I just prefer the vocalists of Theatre of Voice better, as well as their interpretation. I find the delivery and rhythmic flow -- as I said the order is up to each ensemble -- to be better and a major part for me is actually the production on the album. They recorded it in a large hall which gives it a nice quality, and furthermore is produced with the intent to further the "surrounding" feeling. I've read that others prefer the Singcircle vocalists and that just comes down to preference. The production is the real winner for me and seems to be universally praised as well.

To add to this thread: I'm currently listening to Steve Reich's Three Movements pour Orchestra and Electric Counterpoint again.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Cnote11 said:


> A set to be proud of. Steve Reich's Works 1965-1995. Listening to Music for 18 Musicians and then Electric Counterpoint


I´m listening to Music for 18 Musicians right now too. One of my favourites.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

And after that some early Glass minimalism. Music in Contrary Motion, Two Pages, Music in Fifths, Music in similar motion.


----------



## Cnote11

Wow, welcome to the forum! I'm excited to have you here with those types of favorites!


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Thanks Cnote. Actually I´ve been reading for a while and the fact that you and a couple others were talking about the modern stuff too (like in your modern classical music project) made me register.

I´m from germany, and most german classical forums are very limited in their approach. It´s mostly baroque to romantic period. My interests are mostly renaissance polyphony, baroque (fugues being a favourite, thus my username, the c-sharp minor fugue), and then everything from the 2nd vienesse school on (right now mostly post 2nd WW though).


----------



## Cnote11

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity here. I had similar reasons to you for beginning to post on this forum. I signed up two years ago but didn't really start posting until a few weeks agog. You yourself have great diversity in your taste, and why not? There is too much great music out there to limit yourself to a single period. I guess you were around for the pro-modern vs anti-modern war that happened a few weeks ago then?  I'm glad it didn't scare you off.


----------



## Sid James

*Addinsell *_Warsaw Concerto _- Louis Kenter, pno. / London SO / Muir Mathieson
*Williams*_ The Dream of Olwen _- Arthur Dulay, pno. / Charles Williams & his Concert Orch.
*Rozsa *_Spellbound Concerto _- Queen's Hall Light Orch. / Charles Williams
*Gershwin* _Concerto in F_ - Roy Bargy, pno. / Paul Whiteman & his Concert Orch.
(from _The Ultimate Nostalgia Collection Vol. 2_ on Naxos Nostalgia label - original recordings)

*Album: bachCage by Francesco Tristano*
_Keyboard works by J.S. Bach & John Cage _- Tristano on piano with Moritz von Oswald, live electronics & Rashad Becker, mix electronics (DGG)

*Gubaidulina* _Sieben Worte (Seven Words) for cello, bayan & strings_
Maria Kliegel, cello / Elsbeth Moser, bayan (Russian button accordion) / Camerata Transsylvanica / Gyorgy Selmeczi (Naxos)


----------



## violadude

eighthundredfortynine said:


> Thanks Cnote. Actually I´ve been reading for a while and the fact that you and a couple others were talking about the modern stuff too (like in your modern classical music project) made me register.
> 
> I´m from germany, and most german classical forums are very limited in their approach. It´s mostly baroque to romantic period. My interests are mostly renaissance polyphony, baroque (fugues being a favourite, thus my username, the c-sharp minor fugue), and then everything from the 2nd vienesse school on (right now mostly post 2nd WW though).


That sounds like my tastes, except for the stuff in between Baroque and the 2nd Viennese School as well. I guess you could say I am one of the forums "everyman" haha


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## Cnote11

I'm right there with you, violadude. You can even extend that outside of classical, for both of us!


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## eighthundredfortynine

Cnote11 said:


> Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity here. I had similar reasons to you for beginning to post on this forum. I signed up two years ago but didn't really start posting until a few weeks agog. You yourself have great diversity in your taste, and why not? There is too much great music out there to limit yourself to a single period. I guess you were around for the pro-modern vs anti-modern war that happened a few weeks ago then?  I'm glad it didn't scare you off.


No it didn´t scare me off. I´ve heard much worse on german boards. I kind of "understand" the anti-modern people. I was like them when I started listening to classical music again (after a break of about 10 years from my teens on). I actually got back into it with Wagner, Bruckner and the likes. I hated twelvetone or baroque music. Then I dicovered Beethoven, and his later works especially. The fugues led me to Bach and everything Baroque, which led me to polyphonic singing of the Rennaisance. This and Bachs structure and "minimalism" (it´s hard for me to find the right words here in english) led me to modern minimalism and to the structures of twelvetone music. It was a journey and a continuous growth as a listener that brought me to a point where I´m able to appreciate all kinds of classical music. Some people might not want to take that journey, some might not be able to, but that´s fine with me, as long as they don´t tell me that all of the modern stuff is rubbish. I think everyone should listen to what he likes, I´ll never try to convince someone that or why he should like/dislike a certain piece of music. This approach doesn´t work anyways.

After that long offtopic something ontopic: Now listening to Early Glass Keyboard music in the reading by Steffen Schleiermacher from 2000. He gives those pieces so much power. I like his reading better then the original 60´s reading by Glass.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

violadude said:


> That sounds like my tastes, except for the stuff in between Baroque and the 2nd Viennese School as well. I guess you could say I am one of the forums "everyman" haha


Oh I´m listening to that "in between" stuff as well. I love some of the late Beethoven for example. Or alot of Brahms. These are just not my favourite periods.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Piano Works! My day is never complete anymore without them.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Debussy: La Mer, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Nocturnes.
London Symphony Orchestra and the Ambrosian Singers conducted by André Previn.


----------



## Taneyev

Bach-Godowsky: solo violin sonata 1 arranged and adapted by that crazy Lithuanian. Carlo Grante piano.

Franz Clement: violin concerto D Major.

Dohnanyi: string quartet 3 (the Hollywood SQ)


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich* _Piano Trio #2 in E minor, Op. 67_ 
Rosamunde Trio, Prague (alto)

*Bartok *_Dance Suite, Sz. 77_ 
Suisse Romande Orch. / Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

*Allegri* _Miserere Mei_ 
Pro Cantione Antiqua / Mark Brown (alto)

*Charles Wood* _St Mark Passion _
Soloists / Jonathan Vaughn, organ / The Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge / Daniel Hyde (Naxos)
- An in-depth review of this from last year HERE. Forgot I wrote so much, too much probably!

*Durufle* _4 Motets on Gregorian Themes, Op. 10 ; Our Father (Notre Pere), Op. 14_ 
Ens. Vocal Michel Piquemal / Michel Piquemal (Naxos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Biber, Missa Christi Resurgentis*.

Gigantic Easter music but tastefully done.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Miaou

and I can't find the recording!


----------



## Taneyev

Look for Szering's, Kulenkampf's (first recording) or young Menuhin's.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I've got a list of honey-do's today, so these are queued up in my iPod:

*Creston: Symphony No. 3, Three Mysteries*, and *Buxtehude, Membra Jesu Nostri*.

So much Easter music; so little time.


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## tgtr0660

I really loved the simple and utterly beautiful Songs without Words, full of contrasts and that ease at making music that only geniuses like Mendelssohn could have. Today, more of the composer:


----------



## Vaneyes

For HvK's birthday.

View attachment 4256


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## Vaneyes

In celebration of Roussel's birthday, Symphonies 1 - 4, with Eschenbach, Martinon, Bernstein conducting.

View attachment 4259
View attachment 4260
View attachment 4261


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## AndyS

Karajan and Tebaldi's Aida


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## neoshredder

All the Concertos I have in my collection. Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Brahms I've heard so far.


----------



## NightHawk

First album from Elly Ameling that I have ever owned or heard - better late than never. She (and Demus) are splendid in this song recital of Schubert and Schumann. Her phrasing, tone, intonation and style more than match the many accolades, honors, awards, and competition wins she accumulated over a truly impressive career.

Here is the lead track on the album - (divided between two clips, it begins w long clarinet/piano intro).





 Part 1





 Part II


----------



## kv466




----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am listening to Bruckner's *Helgoland*, performed by the Berlin Philarmonical with Barenboim conducting.


----------



## Chrythes

Schubert SQ Nos 13-15.









Those String Quartets are beautiful, but Per Norgard's works for the harp are just cool.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Cnote11

Giuseppe Torelli's Trumpet Concertos! Good for studying.

Edit: Good? I meant great! Except for the part where it is distracting me from my studies.


----------



## Sonata

Wow....great day for listening to new music. I've covered Dvorak and Cherubini Requiems and Schumann's piano concerto. All wonderful! Charpentier had some pleasant moments as well.


----------



## Conor71

*Wagner: Siegfried Idyll*

Playing this Disc in celebration of Herbie's Birthday  - I really admire Karajan's Strauss, this is a great recording!.


----------



## kv466

Wow,...I wish I could go back and hear Schumann's piano concerto for the first time!

In honor of that:


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## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Wagner: Siegfried Idyll*
> 
> Playing this Disc in celebration of Herbie's Birthday


Today's his birthday? Maybe I can squeeze in his Schoenberg/Webern CD before the day is done.

Right now, *Symphony No. 2 by Paul Creston*, a well-done piece, described by one person as a sunny American La Valse.


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 In C# Minor, Op. 39*

I seem to be receptive to Piano Music at the moment so listening to a bit of Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven the last few days.
I really like this box-set of performances from Martha Argerich and have added it to my iPod again to relisten 
Now playing Disc 1 which is Argerich's Debut Recital for DG:


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> Today's his birthday? Maybe I can squeeze in his Schoenberg/Webern CD before the day is done.
> 
> Right now, *Symphony No. 2 by Paul Creston*, a well-done piece, described by one person as a sunny American La Valse.
> 
> View attachment 4268


That Schoenberg/Webern Disc is wonderful! - I will have to give that one a replay soon too


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## opus55

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras, Nos.4-6










Been in buying frenzy and need to get more enjoyment out of the recent purchases.


----------



## Cnote11

Listened to Listz's Transcendental Études and Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto. Delightful as usual.


----------



## kv466

Conor71 said:


> *Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 In C# Minor, Op. 39*


Ahhh, one of my favorite pieces of Chopin!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Great bleeding chunks of Wagner sans singing. I know... I know... as an avowed Wagnerian I should be ashamed of such an abomination...... but then I'd like to play Wagner in the studio while painting... and I can't exactly listen to the vocals then.










This is my first hearing of Strauss' _Die Frau ohne Schatten_. Old Almaviva swore that the opera was a masterpiece... maybe Strauss finest work... and Alma certainly knew his operas. I had picked up Karajan's live recording last year, but Alma convinced me that that particular version had been edited in such a manner to make the convoluted libretto even more confusing... as fine as the performance was, so I finally opted for Bohm's live recording with Birgit Nilsson, Leonie Rysanek, James King, and Walter Berry. First I'll listen to the entire opera after only glancing over the synopsis. I'll give a second listen later this week during which I'll follow along with the libretto.

From what I am hearing alone, the music is lush and dramatic and absolutely thrilling. Its hard to believe that this is a live recording... it has such depth and clarity of sound. The voices are clear and strong... but do not leave the orchestra buried as they do in many live recordings.


----------



## Lisztian

kv466 said:


> Ahhh, one of my favorite piece of Chopin!


Me too. Everyone gravitates toward the second scherzo, but the third is my favourite - and is certainly among my very favourite pieces by him.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28 and Symphony No.4 {"Heroes"}, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.


----------



## Sid James

Got into a stack of *vinyls *-

*Milhaud* _Cello Concertos 1 & 2_ (1935, 1945) ;_ Elegy for cello & piano_ (1945) 
Stanislav Apolin, c. / Josef Hala, pno. (in _Elegy_) / Brno State PO / Jiri Waldhans (Supraphon)

*Album: Erzsebet Hazy - songs from operetta* 
_Songs by J. Strauss II, Kalman, Lehar, Paul Abraham, Bernstein_ 
Erzsebet Hazy, soprano with various orchestras/conductors (Qualiton)

*J.S. Bach* _The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 (Part 2)_ 
Heinz Markus Gottsche, organ / Kurpfalzische Ch. Orch. / Wolfgang Hofmann (ORYX)

*Album: Sir Adrian Boult introduces the instruments of the orchestra* 
_Featuring members of the London Philharmonic Orch._ (EMI / MFP)

*Copland *
_Concerto for clarinet & string orch., with harp & piano_ (1948) (soloist - Benny Goodman, cl.)
_Old American Songs for baritone & orch., sets I & II_ (1950/52) (soloist - William Warfield)
Columbia SO / Aaron Copland (CBS)


----------



## Cnote11

Lisztian said:


> Me too. Everyone gravitates toward the second scherzo, but the third is my favourite - and is certainly among my very favourites by him.


I'm going to take a listen. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm currently listening to this:










Gorecki's Third


----------



## Chrythes

The last movement is just... Grand.


----------



## Taneyev

Reinhold Gliere. Love that man:

Harp concerto

String sextet op.11

String octet op.5

Unfinished violin concerto (Boris Goldstein)


----------



## kv466

Hummel - Grand Serenade no.1, op.63
Consortium Classicum


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Piano Concerto In G Major*

First up Ravel's awesome Piano Concerto, then I will play Rachmaninov's 4th from the same Disc followed up by the Martha Argerich Disc of Tchaikovsky's PC No. 1 which is a favourite in my collection.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. Matthew Passion*.

Klemperer's version is too slow, has too many instruments, too much vibrato; it has a lot of things "wrong," but nevertheless, it's still "right."


----------



## NightHawk

Anna Moffo is a long, long time favorite singer. These folk songs of the Auverge, sung in Occitan, are beautifully orchestrated (which Stokowski probably tinkered with - he tinkered with everything, just as Ormandy did). It appears that there are about 28 songs, but Moffo's recording is a selection of seven.








Thanks to CoAG I now own the DVD of this super extraordinary recording by the Bach Collegium Japan of the beautiful Passion According to St John, and it arrived today, Good Friday - I'm watching/listening as I make this post.

Later edit: from Wikipedia: During the first winter that Bach was responsible for church music at the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig and the St. Nicholas Church, he composed the St John Passion for the Good Friday Vespers service of 1724.








My fifth recording of Das Lied von der Erde. It is live from 1960, so many will not care for the sonic quality, but Forrester is too great a voice not to have her wonderful 6th movement, _Der Abschied_. Having listened to analog for so long growing up, I am not in the least disappointed. BWalter has a special touch with this work, and tenor Richard Lewis is adequate. I was fortunate to hear Forrester live in the late 60's singing with the Bach Aria Group - her voice was easily the most memorable in a remarkable company of singers. Harold Bloom on oboe and Julius Baker on flute were no slouches, either!


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Complete Orchestral Works


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Complete Piano Works!


----------



## neoshredder

Rameau's Orchestral Suites!


----------



## Badinerie

Having a touch of the old Debussy String quartet....Ravel next. Accompanied by Marston's pedegree (Hic!)


----------



## Cnote11

Bela Bartok's Petite Suite on repeat.


----------



## Dowd

Of the three volumes of Leclair's violin concertos performed by Standage and the Collegium, this is by far my favorite. Worth a listen if you get the chance.

Simon Standage [violin] • Collegium Musicum 90
Leclair
Violin Concertos, Vol. 3
Chandos


----------



## Vaneyes

Frequent listens, Melos Quartet playing Schubert String Quartets 12 - 15.

View attachment 4286
View attachment 4287


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


> *Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 In C# Minor, Op. 39*
> 
> I seem to be receptive to Piano Music at the moment so listening to a bit of Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven the last few days.
> I really like this box-set of performances from Martha Argerich and have added it to my iPod again to relisten
> Now playing Disc 1 which is Argerich's Debut Recital for DG:


Thanks for posting. I've never seen that cover on the left.


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's piano works again... addictive. I've been putting off work this entire week for Satie... but it is worth it in my opinion.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 In D Major, Op. 44/1*

Performers: Bartok Quartet


----------



## Cnote11

I want that Mendelssohn...

I am listening to the following:

Liszt: 12 Études d'exécution transcendante


----------



## Cnote11

Sviatoslav Richter's The Sofia Recital.


----------



## Cnote11

More Bartok and currently Vivaldi's Trumpet Concerto in A Flat Major. I sort of want to play Richter's rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition again after this!


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.17 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## Dodecaplex

I swear to God I jerked off to this CD!


----------



## neoshredder

Dodecaplex said:


> I swear to God I jerked off to this CD!
> 
> View attachment 4288


That's more than I wanted to know.


----------



## Clementine

Right now my current listening includes new music from the 6 different concerts I'm involved with (currently 3 down, 3 to go), hence why I haven't posted recently. I'm afraid I'll have to forgo the usual format (which shall return shortly!), and instead talk about just one work which has been occupying my time.

*Alban Berg: Wozzeck (1925)*
Berg's _Wozzeck_ has often been described as one of the most powerful operas of the 20th century. And while his music is easier to grasp then Schoenberg and Webern, it's still a marvel that this 12 tone work is the most performed opera of the 20th century if you take away Puccini and Strauss. The opera was a success upon its premiere, and received over 150 performances during Berg's short life.

_Wozzeck_ is one of those rare cases where the libretto equals the music, and both are outstanding. I won't get into the story much because there's quite a good film version of the opera on youtube, and I don't want to give anything away. The one thing that's worth mentioning though is how the story parallels Berg's life. Berg died in poverty after his wife tried to operate on him when they couldn't afford a doctor. And if _Wozzeck_ doesn't speak of the horrors of poverty, this does. Another interesting thing to note is that like the titular character, Berg had an illegitimate child of his own whom he didn't pay much attention to. The saddest (and certainly most sympathetic character) is the boy, and I like to think a lot of the pain in the music was inspired by Berg's own child.

Musically the work is dense, terrifying, and beautiful. The opera is 12 tone, but not necessarily atonal. In fact the very first bit of music written for the opera comes towards the end, and is in the key of d minor. While the music is consistently wonderful, I found the scenes with Marie especially poignant (the lullaby, end of Act 1, and of course the end). Despite inhabiting an entirely progressive sound world, Berg pays homage to past masters. Each scene is written with a structure in mind, such as sonata form or a passacaglia, and the use of leitmotifs make this a thoroughly compact and structurally sound work. Overall an absolute masterpiece, and my favorite opera so far (beating out _Tristan und Isolde_ and _Le Nozze di Figaro_). Highly recommended, and this film version here is probably the best way to get acquainted with it:


----------



## Dodecaplex

neoshredder said:


> That's more than I wanted to know.


Believe me, it's a masterpiece! Buy it and you'll experience the magic that is Christine's voice.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony Nos.2 & 10


----------



## Badinerie

Found an old Decca LXT (5294) in my collection Louis Spohr Octet in E major. Really cheery allegretto at the end. Marcel Poot octet on t'other side weird coupling but very cool vinyl! cant find the cover anywhere. Oh hang on, doh!


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt - Die Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth.


----------



## Moira

Lisztian said:


> Liszt - Die Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth.
> ]


I didn't know this music at all. Thank you for sharing it.


----------



## Taneyev

Ottmar Gerster; String quartet 2.

Wilhelm Stenhammar: violin sonata.

Boris Arapov: cello sonata (Shafran).

Alexander Shaverzashvili: violin concerto.

All very well known and popular works, isn't they?


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Piano Works... never gets old. Perfect for these lovely spring days. (Or anytime for that matter)


----------



## Chrythes

Just realized what beautiful works the 4th and 5th Beethoven's Piano Concertos are.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

This:






And before that was this:


----------



## PetrB

This luscious piece by Jonathan Harvey ~ Tranquil Abiding (1998)


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Yesterday I listened to the great Taverner Consort version of this. Now an older Kuijken recording on youtube:


----------



## Cnote11

This again. Pictures at an Exhibition


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Die Walküre


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

And now one of my favourite readings of the respective preludes/fugues (especially a-flat major):


----------



## Operadowney

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition!


----------



## Cnote11

Operadowney said:


> Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition!


Woo! Amazing piece. I should probably pick up the orchestrated version sometime. Ravel's preferably.


----------



## Cnote11

HAPPY EASTER!, on my time zone at least. I'm bringing it in with Maurice Ravel's piano works.


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> HAPPY EASTER!, on my time zone at least. I'm bringing it in with Maurice Ravel's piano works.


I got that cd as well. Need to listen to it more. Was hard to get into. I found Satie easier to get into.


----------



## violadude

Cnote11 said:


> HAPPY EASTER!, on my time zone at least. I'm bringing it in with Maurice Ravel's piano works.


I too have this recording and listen to it frequently. I adore miroirs and the Sonatine.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevich.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, *featuring Mstislav Rostropovich and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"},* both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Cnote11

You should give it another shot, neoshredder. Ravel is one of my absolute favorites. Ravel is much more complex and "dense", if you will, than Satie. Satie is indeed very accessible, but brilliant nevertheless.


----------



## Cnote11

I have a question for neoshredder. If you have the Aldo Ciccolini Satie set and the Pascal Rogé Ravel set, which Debussy set do you have? I have the 5 volume box set of complete works by Aldo Ciccolini. Curious to which one you have.


----------



## Cnote11

violadude said:


> I too have this recording and listen to it frequently. I adore miroirs and the Sonatine.


The sonatine is just absolutely goooorrrrgeous. I just finished Miroirs, which is quite the vigorous piece, and am following it up with Sonatine, which is a nice wind down. If neoshedder listens again I recommend him to start out with sonatine because it seems like something he'd enjoy above the rest of the works. Ooo, Le Tombeau de Couperin is just as amazing. Ah, what the hell, the entirety of his compositions are.


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> I have a question for neoshredder. If you have the Aldo Ciccolini Satie set and the Pascal Rogé Ravel set, which Debussy set do you have? I have the 5 volume box set of complete works by Aldo Ciccolini. Curious to which one you have.


I got Debussy for Daydreaming first. NIce demo set. Than I got Rise of the Masters.


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> I got Debussy for Daydreaming first. NIce demo set. Than I got Rise of the Masters.


Mozart for Meditation! What interesting discs. I've seen those "Rise of the Masters" discs around. How is the recording quality and how would you rate the performances and selection?


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> Mozart for Meditation! What interesting discs. I've seen those "Rise of the Masters" discs around. How is the recording quality and how would you rate the performances and selection?


Very good but not top notch. If you want the best, than don't get Rise of the Masters. I'm not picky enough to notice the differences. Maybe that will change over time. I did get Debussy's Orchestral Works as I thought there wasn't enough of them on Rise of the Masters.


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> Very good but not top notch. If you want the best, than don't get Rise of the Masters. I'm not picky enough to notice the differences. Maybe that will change over time. I did get Debussy's Orchestral Works as I thought there wasn't enough of them on Rise of the Masters.


I'm not too, too picky myself, honestly. I love Naxos discs after all  I am willing to sacrifice some quality of performance for variety and price at times, especially on composers I don't really care to collect the finer and complete works. What Orchestral Works of Debussy's do you have?

The other Debussy discs I have are:


----------



## neoshredder

I got the 4 disc set from Martinon. Label is Brilliant Classics. The one with the beautiful cover on it.


----------



## Cnote11

Oui?

I'm going to look into this one, as well as this one by Pascal










Ay, too much Debussy on my hands.


----------



## Cnote11

Currently listening to the Abbado version of Daphnis Et Chloe.


----------



## Cnote11

Valses nobles et sentimentales by London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado.


----------



## Itullian

Meistersinger, Sawallisch, the great opera.


----------



## Badinerie

One of my all time fave's


----------



## Taneyev

Otar Taktakishvili violin concerto 1. Unknown and unplayed, one of the most beautiful I ever heard.

Arkady Fillipenko string quartet 4

Joseph Wieniawski's huge violin sonata. He was Henrik's brother, pianist virtuoso and composer. Henrik never wrote a complete sonata, but he did it. And he had a powerful, long and romantic piano concerto.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Waking up Easter morning to Telemann's rousing cantata *Death is Swallowed Up in Victory.*









Then Bach's* Easter Oratorio*.


----------



## Zauberberg




----------



## NightHawk

This morning's pick. Johann Pachelbel was born in 1653 in Nuremburg - 32 years before JSBach. These Easter Cantatas are written in such a way as to be both glorious and joyful and yet with clearly comprehensible texts. They are models of restraint despite the appropriate use of trumpets, timpani, strings and continuo. Bach was, I have read, something of a fan of Pachelbel's music. Hearing these, it is easy to understand why.


----------



## Dowd

NightHawk's morning pick put me in the mood for some Pachelbel. I really adore this set.









London Baroque
Pachelbel
Canon and Gigue • Chamber Works
Harmonia Mundi


----------



## NightHawk

*SCHUTZ - SINFONIA SACRAE 1629 Concerto Palatino*







(just click for a quick pic of album, it publishes and shows, but then falls back to the link after refreshing). (?)

Born 100 years before Bach (1585) Schutz is a neglected genius. One of the Germans who, as a young man, went south to study in Venice. And what a teacher he found - no less than Giovanni Gabrieli with whom he studied for four years. This collection of 20 motets published as Symphoniae Sacrae I (1629) was 'clearly a homage to Gabrieli'. One aspect of these gorgeous works is the ratio of singers to instruments - 6 voices/16 instruments, and the effect is very intimate, but highly varied in color and texture.

The group Concerto Palatino is among the finest ensembles of early music that I have heard. Beautiful playing of the old instruments, great intonation and the voices equally fine. The balance is terrific and the ambience of the Dutch church* used for the recording is very warm, but not 'boomy' like a cathedral.

*Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Kerk, Haarlem.


----------



## tgtr0660

Dowd said:


> NightHawk's morning pick put me in the mood for some Pachelbel. I really adore this set.
> 
> View attachment 4311
> 
> 
> London Baroque
> Pachelbel
> Canon and Gigue • Chamber Works
> Harmonia Mundi


I also have this cd. It's really good and somewhat helps to erase the idea of Pachelbel as a "one work composer".


----------



## tdc

I'm currently listening to Gorecki's Symphony no. 3. I don't get the fuss over this work...by no means does it sound like bad music to me, but I don't hear it as sounding much different than a fairly basic film score piece -no surprises here, nothing innovative or out of the ordinary - just a pretty sounding piece of music...On par with an average John Williams or Michael Nyman film score piece.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beautiful performances! Perhaps it does not surpass Barbirolli with Janet Baker... but this is one of the most exquisite recordings by Boulez... and of course Quasthoff and von Otter are fabulous... but so is Violetta Urmana... the Lithuanian soprano who sings the 5 Ruckert Lieder exquisitely.


----------



## AndyS

Furtwangler's live Walkure

Thrilling ride of he valkyries


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Piano Works










Also features one by Bach and Giovanni Zamboni


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving this marvelous collection of Slovenian songs sung by Bernarda and Marcos Fink a second listen before I put it away on the shelves.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Operadowney

Winterreise by Fischer-Dieskau with Reutter at the piano!


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28 In A Major, Op. 101*

Continuing my re-visit of Barenboim's first set of Complete Beethoven Sonatas and now listening to Disc 09 which has PS No. 28 and the Hammerklavier on it. After this I will listen to Magaloff's Chopin set Disc 06 which features Mazurkas Nos. 1-29.


----------



## Cnote11

Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals


----------



## Cnote11

Bringing Easter to a close with the Easter Oratorio from the above Bach set.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70.* The* 5th *is performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The *7th *features the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich's Electric Couterpoint


----------



## Cnote11

I listened to that Bach Oratorio three times. I left it on repeat until Easter officially passed. Now after Electric Counterpoint I am listening to Different Trains by Steve Reich. There is something about his music that moves me, and I mean that literally as in moves me physically.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos Nos. 19, 20, 21, 23, 24 
2 Concert Rondos.


----------



## science

Stabat Mater.

I've listened to this at least five or six times before, but never enjoyed it as much as I am this time. It really is a beautiful work.

My problem may have been that on some level I was measuring it against Szymanowski's Stabat Mater, to which nothing can compare (IMO).

I think I will get Shaw's recording of Dvorak's Stabat Mater someday, and maybe it will move me more than Kubelik's has. But given my experience today, maybe I just need to give Kubelik more time.


----------



## Lisztian

science said:


> My problem may have been that on some level I was measuring it against Szymanowski's Stabat Mater, to which nothing can compare (IMO).


Liszt's is better  (albeit completely different, being a single movement as part of a large work).


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart - Don Giovanni -Là ci darem la mano*






Love this rendition. ​


----------



## Sonata

Brahm's first string sextet. I'm working my way through the Brilliant Classics "Complete Brahms Chamber Music Box" that my husband bought me for Christmas. I may listen to the second sextet over my lunch break. Or else a Mozart piano concerto. I've got a set of #20-27 (the cream of the crop if the TC keyboard concerto list is accurate!)


----------



## Taneyev

Historical string quartets ensambles:


Kolisch SQ:Schubert 15
Pro-Arte SQ: Faure
Lener SQ:Brahms 3
Wiener Konzerthaus SQ: Franz Schmidt


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 3*.

Other than the third movement, John Eliot Gardiner isn't clicking with me on this one.


----------



## Barelytenor

Faure, Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45. Marvelous piece!


----------



## kv466

Brahms - Variations on a theme by Paganini, op.35 (Books I & II)
Earl Wild, piano


----------



## tgtr0660

Harnoncourt's Sommernachtstraum by Mendelssohn was OK but Ozawa's is better. Now, diving head-on into Liszt's ocean of music. We start with piano music:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer, Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faun*, and whatever else is on Disk 1 of Jean Martinon's Debussy set on Brilliant Classical. I could listen to him conduct Debussy all day.


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## poconoron

Great summary of a Mozart opera which is highly under-rated in my opinion.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> Speaking of historically "uninformed"...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been listening to Mozart's _La Clemenza di Tito_ c. 1955 conducted by Joseph Keilberth. This is a true odd-ball among Mozart's oeuvre. It was the last opera Mozart began, although he completed it and premiered it before _The Magic Flute_. It was commissioned to honor the coronation of Leopold II after the death of his brother, Joseph II, as King of Bohemia. The deadline for completion was so short that Salieri turned it down, and Mozart was ultimately offered double his usual sum. Unable to find a new libretto on such short notice, he turned to the text by Metastasio that had been set numerous times by other composers. The theme, the clemency or benevolence of Titus was seen as ideal for the occasion.
> 
> _La Clemenza di Tito_ was written as an _opera seria_, it broke from the usual model (and the original libretto) in eliminating the _da capo_ arias and adding ensemble scenes and large modern arias.
> The recitatives were originally "farmed out" and set to music... quite likely by Mozart's "pupil", Franz Xaver Süssmayr (who traveled with Mozart and his wife, Constanze, to Prague, for the coronation as well as the premier of _La Clemenza di Tito_, and _The Magic Flute_, as well as a performance of _Don Giovanni_.. The arias, duets, etc... were all set by Mozart and include some of his most marvelous music. His scoring for clarinets is especially delicious. The premier was a flop with the wife of Leopold supposedly making an off the cuff comment about typical German swinishness, yet Mozart would live long enough to hear of reports of the popularity and success of both _La Clemenza._.. and _Die Zauberflöte_.
> 
> _La Clemenza di Tito_ faded rapidly from view following Mozart's death... much like his other great late opera, _Cosi fan tutte_. Where _Cosi..._ was berated by Beethoven and Wagner as an immoral waste of Mozart's divine talent, _La Clemenza di Tito_ was criticized for the excessive use of recitatives. The thrilling overture is immediately follwed by a three minute narrative recitative. The classical theatrical form, in which most of the action takes place off stage and is conveyed by the narrator is also strange for an opera by Mozart... or any composer after Mozart. Nevertheless, the opera was "rediscovered" and "rehabilitated" in the mid-20th century and today it is recognized as ranking among Mozart's greatest achievements. While it may not stand up in comparison to _Don Giovanni_ or _Die Zauberflöte_, in all likelihood, it would be recognized as a major achievement by any other composer. In 2011 and 2012 (up to the present) there have been 89 performances of _La Clemenza_...
> 
> This recording, conducted by Joseph Keilberth with the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchestera recorded in 1955 is true "old school" Mozart... the orchestra of full-blooded Beethovian scale... and yet the recitatives have been stripped down... translated into German, Süssmayr's musical accompaniments are dispensed with the result sounding something closer to the "Singspiel" model of _Die Zauberflöte_. It is hard to tell whether this approach... eliminating all but Mozart's music... or retaining the whole of the original score is the better approach. The elimination of Süssmayr's settings of the recitatives speeds things along and does away with everything that isn't by Mozart himself... yet at a cost of a flow in the drama which Gluck and Mozart had worked so hard to establish in opera. Rene Jacobs, makes an argument for retaining the entire recitatives as originally written. As opposed to mere narration, Jacob's singers employ decorative and expressive ornamentation and well-crafted declamation to plumb the emotional depths of Metastasio's elegant poetry. John Eliot Gardiner takes a middle road... cutting more than a few minutes from the recitatives and pushing the drama.
> 
> Whichever route you take, this is an important opera by Mozart that certainly deserves to be heard... and discussed more than it is.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Steve Reich--*Different Trains/Electric Counterpoint, *performed by the Kronos Quartet and Pat Metheny.


----------



## Sid James

Some of last weekend's listening, to read my impressions, go to my blog HERE (pls. scroll down) -

*Tommy Emmanuel* - _Can't get enough _album
(Capitol, 1996)

*Dvorak *_Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81_
Rudolf Buchbinder, piano with the Alban Berg Quaret (EMI)

*Milhaud *_Service Sacre - Sabbath Morning Service _(1947), _with additional prayers for Friday evening _(1947-50)
Yaron Windmueller, baritone / Rabbi Rodney Marriner, reader / Prague Philharmonic Choir / Czech PO / Gerard Schwarz (Naxos)

*William Bolcom *_Cabaret Songs _(text, poems of Arnold Weinstein)
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano / BBC SO / David Robertson (DGG)


----------



## opus55

Liszt: organ works










Bach: Goldberg Variations


----------



## Cnote11

Igor Stravinsky - Histoire du Soldat et Pulcinella


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Terry Riley--*In C, *performed by the Bang On A Can All-Stars {sic}.


----------



## Cnote11

Dear Samurai, you have such beautiful taste in music.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Klavierspieler

Gesualdo - O Vos Omnes

The Cambridge Singers
John Rutter


----------



## NightHawk

Alexandre Tharaud, 18 D.Scarlatti Sonatas (performed on piano)

I wish I could say I was knocked out with Tharaud's playing, but I can't. I feel a drifting of the rhythm occasionally that is not an intended rubato or musical expression...it seems to be an unsteady sense of forward motion. He will play well for a bit, and then it feels as though he hits a spot of 'slick ice' and the gyroscope has to make some adjustments. Also, he seems at times to be treating the piano as harpsichord...to which I say, well, then play them on the harpsichord. ***stars


----------



## Cnote11

I definitely agree on the bit about the harpsichord. I prefer music intended to be played on the harpsichord to actually be played on the harpsichord, although I suppose it is interesting otherwise.










Valses nobles et sentimentales, Jeux d'eau, et Miroirs.


----------



## samurai

Cnote11 said:


> Dear Samurai, you have such beautiful taste in music.


@ CNote, Thanks for that; I'll try anything at least once before I summarily dismiss it as "unlistenable" or not "real classical music", etc., etc. I'd like to think of myself as an open-minded and ecletic listener. I owe a lot of this to our fellow member and friend Sid James, who has really broadened my horizons vis a vis music with his informative posts and listening suggestions. Thanks, Sid. :cheers:


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## Cnote11

I've similarly picked up a few discs from Sid James, as well as plenty of other members, through this thread (and the non-classical one). It is lovely that Sid takes the time to detail his listening and he's been very hands-on helpful in helping me purchase a disc or two as well.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Cnote11

Currently listening to a recording a friend made and gave to me prior to me going on break. It includes a Bach Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 1, a selection of Brahm's Waltzes for Piano, Meditation from the Opera Thais by Jules Massenet, and Schon Rosmarin by Fritz Kreisler out of his Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen set. She's currently studying to major in music, obviously in piano.


----------



## sparsity

Albeniz, Iberia


----------



## kv466

Time to sleep...want to listen to this in the morning, too...been a while after it was overplayed when I first got it...love these pieces.


----------



## tgtr0660

^And the original piano pieces are even better.


----------



## Sonata

allegri, miserere mei. On my brand new IPad!


----------



## Sid James

Thanks for both your compliments,* samurai *and* cnote11*.:tiphat:

Always good to read what you're both listening to as well. I have less time now to do in-depth reviews, but if you see me post anything that you want me to elaborate on, throw me a PM. I guarantee I will get back to you in good time. This applies to anyone else here, of course.

But I am still doing my weekly blog where I do reviews of sorts.

Anyway, I used the long weekend here, in part, to get into more* vinyls *-

*Album: Spring Song - Nancy Weir (piano)*
_Short pieces by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Mompou & Sinding _(Spotlight Classics)

*Album: Concerto - Saint-Preux*
_Concerto pour une voix ; Concerto pour piano ; etc_.
All music composed & conducted by Saint-Preux (on piano) (AZ)

*Album: Duo Piano Recital - PIerre Luboshutz & Genia Nemenoff, pianists*
*Mozart* - _Sonata for two pianos in D major_, K 448 ; *Chopin *- _Rondo for two pianos in C major, Op. 73 _; *Luboshutz* - _The Bat, a fantasy from J. Strauss' Die Fledermaus _(Everest)

*Khatchaturian *- _Gayne, ballet suite _
London SO / Anatole Fistoulari (World Record Club)

...to be continued in next few days...


----------



## Sonata

Faure's Requiem. Truly a beautiful piece of music.


----------



## science

Chamber Symphony #1: A romantic, dramatic work, that should appeal to fans of R. Strauss or Mahler.


----------



## Lukecash12

Giving Liszt's B minor sonata another whirl as I fall asleep, because I saw it mentioned here. I don't listen to it all that often, and to spice things up even more I've got some sacred music by Liszt set up to play next. His sacred music, what with all of it's drawn out monochords, seemed a good choice to fall asleep, no offense to the maestro.


----------



## science




----------



## kv466

Rustic Wedding Symphony in e-flat, op.26


----------



## Taneyev

Goldmark!? Excelent idea:

Violin concerto (Milstein)
String quartet op.8
Piano trio 2 op.33
String quintet op.9


----------



## Lisztian

Lukecash12 said:


> Giving Liszt's B minor sonata another whirl as I fall asleep, because I saw it mentioned here. I don't listen to it all that often, and to spice things up even more I've got some sacred music by Liszt set up to play next. His sacred music, what with all of it's drawn out monochords, seemed a good choice to fall asleep, no offense to the maestro.


Which sacred works?


----------



## Art Rock

Fascinating contemporary music by Evan Ziporyn - first time I hear his work. Well worth exploring.


----------



## Vaneyes

Chopin recitals with Argerich, then Ts'ong.

View attachment 4342
View attachment 4343


----------



## kv466

Yup, I gone and done it again...another piano concerto cycle!!










And it's good.


----------



## Moira

Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances played by Katia Labeque. She really is a lovely pianist. So much texture here.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart - Così fan tutte - "È amore un ladroncello"






:tiphat:


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevich.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


> Rustic Wedding Symphony in e-flat, op.26


I'm going to have to get around to hearing that eventually. It must have been quite popular earlier; I have its score in an old book called Famous Symphonies in Full Score.

Today, Vaughan Williams, *A Sea Symphony*. I didn't think much of it on first hearing, but it's sounding much better the second time around.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back, Tharaud Scarlatti and Mustonen Scriabin. Both delectable in performance and sound.

View attachment 4347
View attachment 4348


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm going to have to get around to hearing that eventually. It must have been quite popular earlier; I have its score in an old book called Famous Symphonies in Full Score.
> 
> Today, Vaughan Williams, *A Sea Symphony*. I didn't think much of it on first hearing, but it's sounding much better the second time around.
> 
> View attachment 4346


Nos. 1, 2, 7, 8 remain uncracked nuts for me.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Prokofiev Piano Sonatas 2, 3, 5, 9, in celebration of Yefim Bronfman's 54th birthday.

View attachment 4350


----------



## Pizzicato

Haydn's Overture to The Creation.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Concerto No.11


----------



## kv466

Celebrating like Van.


----------



## Lukecash12

Lisztian said:


> Which sacred works?


It was a requiem mass.


----------



## Lisztian

Lukecash12 said:


> It was a requiem mass.


Good piece - but you're right in saying it would be ideal to fall asleep to.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Mass No. 5*.

Helmuth Rilling and his forces (James Taylor is listed as the tenor; I'm sure it's not THE James Taylor) provide an energetic interpretation.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No.6









Harris: Symphony No.9


----------



## Sid James

Got into more *vinyls* -

*Album: Switched on Bach*
_Walter Carlos on the moog synthesizer_ (CBS)

*Album: Basie Meets Bond - Count Basie & his orch*.
_Themes from James Bond films by John Barry, Monty Norman, Lionel Bart_ (United Artists)

*Peter Sculthorpe* - _Tabuh Tabuhan for percussion & wind quintet _(1968)
*Nigel Butterley* - _Variations for wind quintet, piano & recorded piano_ (1967)
The New Sydney Wind Quintet / Barry Heywood, Albert Setty, percussions / Joyce Hutchinson, pno. (Philips)


----------



## Cnote11

Bach Prelude and Fugues, Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 1, and Erik Satie piano works.


----------



## Sonata

Lisztian said:


> Good piece - but you're right in saying it would be ideal to fall asleep to.


I might have to check it out then... I like the more tranquil requiems myself.


----------



## opus55

Various works from Brendel's Schubert recordings


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93,* both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 inG Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both featuring Herbert Blomstedt and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another day in the studio painting... and I finished the latest painting while listening to these:


----------



## samurai

And here I thought I was the only one around here with ecletic tastes in music! :cheers:


----------



## Lisztian

Sonata said:


> I might have to check it out then... I like the more tranquil requiems myself.


I wouldn't say it's 'tranquil,' although that adjective is applicable of course. It's more just quiet, slow-moving, intimate, devotional (which is more or less what tranquil means in a sense, haha, but it didn't sound right for the piece, to me). None of the themes are that memorable. It's kinda an odd piece, really - quite different than most of his choral music and perhaps more interesting rather than loveable, although i'm starting to really like it after finding it a tad boring at first.


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quartet No.17 "Hunt"










I wish the recording had better sound quality..


----------



## Cnote11

Le sacre du printemps


----------



## Taneyev

Festival Albert Sammons, greatest British violinist:

Elgar violin concerto (with Henry Wood, 1929)
Ireland volin sonata 2 (with Ireland, 1930)
Delius violin sonata 3 (with Kathleen Long, 1944)


----------



## science

#1

It must have been at least a year since I listened to Mahler 1 - as I listened to it, I kept feeling like I was hearing something that I'd forgotten.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Elgar, Violin Concerto.*

Hilary Hahn plays this in a very lovely manner. I'm used to more passion, but as it is, it's pretty.


----------



## Guest

I cycle between orchestral works and chamber works - currently my passion is for chamber music, and Mozart has had a more prominent place in my listening lately. When I first began my exploration of classical music in earnest, a friend of mine on another forum (completely unrelated to classical music) questioned my thinking that Mozart was rather simplistic. He said an instructor of his during college made the comment that we start and end with Mozart - essentially, Mozart possesses something that appeals to the beginners in terms of listening to classical music, as well as to those who have spent a great deal of time with him. There is both superficial and profound beauty in his music. I am finally coming around to that realization. His string quartets have been neglected for far too long by me, and so I mean to rectify that.


----------



## peeyaj

Symphony Time!

Symphony no. 5 - Franz Schubert

Symphony no. 3 - Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony no. 9 "Great" - Franz Schubert


----------



## kv466




----------



## Badinerie

I crashed out in the bedroom this afternoon with this 1980's cd. Wonderful.


----------



## tgtr0660

Hearing the fantastic version of these works by Cziffra, the best without a doubt, full of sparkle and gypsy energy:


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> An instructor of his during college made the comment that we start and end with Mozart - essentially, Mozart possesses something that appeals to the beginners in terms of listening to classical music, as well as to those who have spent a great deal of time with him. There is both superficial and profound beauty in his music. I am finally coming around to that realization.


One day I hope to come to that realization. I haven't found Mozart to be essential to my experience in the way I feel about Beethoven or Bruckner, and it bothers me. I mean, Mahler died with his name on his lips. I must be missing something.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Alberto Ginastera's birthday.

View attachment 4360


----------



## Badinerie

Manxfeeder said:


> I mean, Mahler died with his name on his lips.


What? like.."Stop playing that f***ing Mozart"


----------



## Manxfeeder

Badinerie said:


> What? like.."Stop playing that f***ing Mozart"


Well, it was just, "Mozart." But it might have been the beginning of a sentence that got cut short; you never know.


----------



## NightHawk

very good remark from your friend's instructor, and I may agree, though I hope I'm far from the end...and you, as well.

Anyway, to put on your list if you don't know them: his string quintets (considered critically as his finest chamber music for strings, I believe - they are wonderful, but I haven't listened carefully to all the quartets yet, either).



DrMike said:


> View attachment 4356
> 
> I cycle between orchestral works and chamber works - currently my passion is for chamber music, and Mozart has had a more prominent place in my listening lately. When I first began my exploration of classical music in earnest, a friend of mine on another forum (completely unrelated to classical music) questioned my thinking that Mozart was rather simplistic. He said an instructor of his during college made the comment that we start and end with Mozart - essentially, Mozart possesses something that appeals to the beginners in terms of listening to classical music, as well as to those who have spent a great deal of time with him. There is both superficial and profound beauty in his music. I am finally coming around to that realization. His string quartets have been neglected for far too long by me, and so I mean to rectify that.


----------



## NightHawk

hahahahahaaaa!



Badinerie said:


> What? like.."Stop playing that f***ing Mozart"


----------



## kv466




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I think part of the problem that some have with Mozart is that they don't grasp the notion that artists can have very different goals and that if we are to compare two greatly differing artists we cannot fairly make such a comparison by using the aims and goals of one of the artists as the standard by which the measure the other. Mozart is often criticized (in contrast to later Romantic and Post-Romantic composers) as being "lightweight". This judgment is based upon what? He fails to employ a minor key often? His music is joyful as opposed to tragic? He doesn't employ great dramatic dynamic contrasts?

As a painter I find myself thinking of an analogy in painting. Goya was a brilliant painter and print-maker. He was a master of shadows and black. His paintings frequently speak of tragedy and the darker side of human nature:














































*****


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Matisse is an artist of a whole other order. His paintings involve a deceptive simplicity... the result of honing an image down to the bare essentials. Rather than focusing upon black and shadows and tragedy and war, Matisse's paintings focus upon domesticity, decoration, eroticism, nature, and "beauty":














































If we compare Matisse to Goya using the standards and values of Goya's painting as the measure of ideal to which Matisse is expected to rise to, then Matisse fails miserably. But the same works in reverse... if Goya were compared to Matisse according to the elements that are key to Matisse' work, then Goya comes off rather worse for the wear: he's a poor colorist, his paintings are overworked, he's not nearly as formally daring, etc...

The same holds true when comparing Mozart to Beethoven or Mahler. If we assume that Mozart is "lightweight" in comparison to Beethoven, might we not reverse the comparison a suggest that Beethoven sounds leaden and overwrought in comparison to Mozart? Mozart is not Beethoven or Mahler... and that is not a failing. Beethoven and Mahler are no Mozart. When I listen to Mozart I'm not expecting him to be something other than what he is... and what he is is the very best and the most innovative that came out of the "classical" era.

Rant over... I'm starting to sound like Sid.


----------



## kv466

^^ Haha! I know you two love each other. 

You're pretty much right on, St. Luke, although I'll never truly understand the notion. Afterall, my favorite is Beethoven yet I love Mozart with a passion I can not explain. One thing that should also be mentioned is that when these lightweight criticisms are being made, I'd bet that more than half of them are coming from folks who have never sat through every single work Mozart ever wrote and certainly not multiple versions of each of them. I can fit an entire 80 minute cd (yes, audio _not_ mp3!...shh, I'm old school) chock full of Amadeus not only in the minor key but full of torment and anguish and tension or whatever it is that makes a composer not lightweight.

Current listening:

Vivaldi - Concerto for Violin, Two Oboes and Two Horns 
Adrian Chandler conducts La Serenissima

Adrian Chandler, violin
Gail Hennessy, oboe
Mark Radcliffe, oboe
Peter Whelan, bassoon
Gareth Deats, cello
Roger Montgomery, horn


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now that my rant is over, I'll return to the _raison d'etre_ of this thread:










Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord and Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord... played on piano. I'm actually quite impressed with these. I initially avoided this recording and opted for the recording with Arthur Grumiaux, Christiane Jaccottet and Philippe Mermoud for the violin Sonatas and the Jordi Savall/Ton Koopman set for the Viola da Gamba Sonatas. Gould is such a notoriously "quirky" pianist... the Thelonius Monk of classical music... that I could not imagine him working successfully with another performer.

Gould became co-director of the Stratford Festival along with violinist, Oscar Shumsky and cellist, Leonard Rose. Rose was the principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra and considered by many the greatest American cellist of the era. The three participated in various chamber work performances at the festival until Gould resigned in 1964 and then retired from live performances altogether. The two later recorded 3 of Bach's sonatas for Cello da Gamba in 1974 as part of Colombia Records' planned recording of the whole of Bach's keyboard oeuvre with Gould. The following year Gould recorded the violin sonatas with the young Bolivian violinist, Jamie Laredo. Had Shumsky been a Colombia recording artist, Gould might have chosen to work with him, but as it was, he was well aware and appreciative of Laredo's efforts as a violinist, and after the recording session, made plans for future recordings with Laredo which fell through due to Gould's health.

What I especially admire in this set is that never is there the least sense that the keyboard has been reduced to a mere accompaniment... a continuo against which the violin or cello takes the lead. Rather, what we get is a true duet... in spite of Gould's reputation as a performer impossible to work with.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vivaldi!! There's another one dismissed far too often as lightweight... or a mere one-hit-wonder (The Four Seasons). When I first started listening to classical music Handel was placed in the same category with the _Water Music, Royal Fireworks_, and_ Messiah_ being about the whole of his known oeuvre. Vivaldi is now undergoing a period of re-evaluation and rediscovery not unlike that which Handel has already benefited from.


----------



## kv466

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Now that my rant is over, I'll return to the _raison d'etre_ of this thread:
> 
> What I especially admire in this set is that never is there the least sense that the keyboard has been reduced to a mere accompaniment... a continuo against which the violin or cello takes the lead. Rather, what we get is a true duet... in spite of Gould's reputation as a performer impossible to work with.


That was all on the money...for me, one of the most gorgeous piano and violin duets ever laid down...I have always liked these better than his collaborations with Menuhin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I think part of the problem that some have with Mozart is that they don't grasp the notion that artists can have very different goals and that if we are to compare two greatly differing artists we cannot fairly make such a comparison by using the aims and goals of one of the artists as the standard by which the measure the other.


Thanks for your illustrations. I can see your point.

Of course, my problem isn't so much that I don't understand Mozart; he just doesn't grab me. I used to be indifferent toward him, then spent a year trying to conquer that. Now I understand where he's coming from and have found many pieces that I really love. But he's not one of those je ne sais quoi artists as far as I'm concerned. What I mean is, there are some composers and artists I connect with and I don't know why, so I study them to find out why. Mark Rothko is one of those, also Arnold Schoenberg. Then there are some who don't click, like Stravinsky, and I end up studying them to find out why not.

But either way, I at least get educated.


----------



## Guest

NightHawk said:


> very good remark from your friend's instructor, and I may agree, though I hope I'm far from the end...and you, as well.
> 
> Anyway, to put on your list if you don't know them: his string quintets (considered critically as his finest chamber music for strings, I believe - they are wonderful, but I haven't listened carefully to all the quartets yet, either).


Interestingly enough, his string quintets were some of the earliest examples of chamber music that I ever purchased, off of my friend's recommendation. His later piano concertos as well. I had always kind of liked Mozart, but then I discovered more of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, that I started getting this crazy notion that Mozart was just fluff. I am glad that I have learned the error of my ways, and have had a bit of a renaissance with classical composers, so that Haydn and Mozart are now in my top 5 favorite composers, along with Bach, Beethoven, and Mahler.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Quintets in B Flat and C Major*.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a very recent UK release. Oh, Danny Boy, what have you done?! After one of the finest Bruckner 7s with Chicago, and a nice one with Berlin, you release this feeble thing.  No balls in the Scherzo, but it was game-over long before that.

View attachment 4364


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Quintets in B Flat and C Major*.
> 
> View attachment 4363


The Eder with Fehervari (Vols. 1 - 3) are not to be missed. Brilliant!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling a very recent UK release. Oh, Danny Boy, what have you done?! After one of the finest Bruckner 7s with Chicago, and a nice one with Berlin, you release this feeble thing.


Thanks for the heads-up!


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> That was all on the money...for me, one of the most gorgeous piano and violin duets ever laid down...I have always liked these better than his collaborations with Menuhin.


However, I can't think why the others were so shy about vocalising with GG. Harder for a fiddler, understood, but occasional hums would've sufficed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> The Eder with Fehervari (Vols. 1 - 3) are not to be missed. Brilliant!


Then it's on to Volume 2!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Alfred Schnittke radio on last.fm. Starting to appreciate the randomness of modern music. Lots of surprises. Not too many are as angry as Schnittke surprisingly of the artist played.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Of course, my problem isn't so much that I don't understand Mozart; he just doesn't grab me. I used to be indifferent toward him, then spent a year trying to conquer that. Now I understand where he's coming from and have found many pieces that I really love. But he's not one of those je ne sais quoi artists as far as I'm concerned. What I mean is, there are some composers and artists I connect with and I don't know why, so I study them to find out why. Mark Rothko is one of those, also Arnold Schoenberg. Then there are some who don't click, like Stravinsky, and I end up studying them to find out why not. 

I think this is true of many of us. I cannot "click" with Schoenberg for all I have tried. I don't even much like the _Verklarte Nacht_. Berg, however, I quite enjoy any number of works by. Stravinsky is another I find I'm ambivalent concerning. I love the early ballets culminating in the _Rite of Spring_ but I find his later work far too chameleon-like... and too cool... aloof... dispassionate. Give me Richard Strauss, Shostakovitch or Bartok any day. With Schoenberg and Stravinsky it isn't that I dislike the entire era or genre in which they are working, where I suspect many who dismiss Mozart have little grasp of the entire classical era. I will even go so far as to say that its perfectly fine to dislike an entire era or style or genre, just as there are those who cannot abide opera or lieder or chamber music or Minimalism. But there is a difference between saying "I dislike Mozart or Minimalism" and dismissing Mozart and Minimalism as lightweight.

But either way, I at least get educated.

I agree with this... but then I'm passionately interested in hearing a broad range of music. I listen to everything from the earliest chants to contemporary music... and this includes a wide array of music beyond the scope of what is traditionally defined as "classical music". But I understand that others are more interested in focusing on a single era or a single genre... and that's well and fine. I'll admit that I am far more well-versed in the music of the Baroque than I am of music of the "Classical" era or of the Middle-Ages... as much as I love specific composers from either. I think the problem with disliking this or that composer comes with assuming that your personal opinion is the same as fact: Mozart seems "lightweight" to me, thus he must be "lightweight". I many instances this comes from a lack of experience... but then again, I have something like 12 or 15 discs of music by Schoenberg... (more than some people who love him) and I still don't really like him. I can appreciate his efforts on an intellectual level... but I just never find myself thinking, "This is really quite nice."


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Eder with Fehervari (Vols. 1 - 3) are not to be missed. Brilliant!

I'll need to look into these. I have most of the Naxos Kodaly Quartet's brilliant recordings of Haydn's quartets but never really heard much one way or the other concerning the Naxos Mozart recordings.


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Piano Works.


----------



## kv466

This is for you, Oskaar...hope you're well wherever you are!


----------



## NightHawk

Three times in a row today, I listened to the long build up through the famous soprano trio ("Hob' mir's gelobt") in the last act, followed by the last scene duo between Oktavian and Sophie. Man, after the trio reaches that ultimate climactic event (E major?) and then the 'after glow' of the tender duo, I feel like having a cigarette...and I don't smoke.

5*****'s


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While almost every classical music lover knows Strauss Four Last Songs, these were but a small glimpse (however exquisite) into a genre that the composer explored in depth over the course of his entire career. Strauss might quite well be called the last great composer of the traditional German lieder. During his lifetime Strauss was considered the greatest composer of the first half of the 20th century, and his music had a profound influence on the development of 20th-century music. There were few 20th-century composers who compared with Strauss in terms of orchestral imagination, and no composer since Wagner made a more significant contribution to the history of opera. A performer of such insight as the pianist Glenn Gould described Strauss in 1962 as "the greatest musical figure who has lived in this century." Ironically, while Strauss is often compared to his great predecessor, Richard Wagner (and with good reason), he showed little of Wagner's famous ego, "I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer." The more I have explored Strauss... from his ecstatic orchestral works to his operas to his lieder... the more I have found myself of the same mind as Gould. IMO there was no greater composer in the 20th century.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 4367
> 
> 
> Three times in a row today, I listened to the long build up through the famous soprano trio ("Hob' mir's gelobt") in the last act, followed by the last scene duo between Oktavian and Sophie. Man, after the trio reaches that ultimate climactic event (E major?) and then the 'after glow' of the tender duo, I feel like having a cigarette...and I don't smoke.
> 
> 5*****'s


One of my favorite operas. I have 4 different recordings and 3 different DVDs.

Oddly enough I only have one CD recording of Salome (my favorite opera by Strauss), and one DVD... but then again Nillson/Solti own this role... as Theresa Stratas owns the video/film version.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both featuring the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John ELiot Gardiner.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## science

Bruckner 8, which I enjoyed more that I've ever enjoyed it before.

Next:










Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex.


----------



## Sid James

Been getting into piano repertoire lately -

*Beethoven *_Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique'_
*Bartok* _Piano Sonata _(1926)
*Chopin* _Piano_ _Sonata in B minor, Op. 58_ 
Kathryn Selby, pno. (ABC Classic FM)


----------



## ProudSquire

Back to piano concertos for a bit!

Ravel - Piano concerto in G Major

Brahms - Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat Major


----------



## Chrythes

Franck Violin Sonata in A major.









Oh, and Enescu Violin Sonata No.3. What a cool work.


----------



## Taneyev

Today I'm un the mood of young masters on their prime:

Selection of the very first pieces by Menuhin with Persinger (1928/29)

Selection of the first Heifetz's USA recordings (1917/24)

Selection of some Paganini's caprices by young Ricci (1947/48), first complete recording as writen (there was an early recording by Oskar Reiss (Ossy Renardy) in 1940, but with an absurd piano accompaniement).


----------



## Pizzicato

Dvorak Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From The New World"


----------



## Lisztian

In Liszt's output, the genre i've always been ambivalent and even sometimes critical of is his piano and orchestra works. That being said, listening to Cziffra's recording of the second tonight has been a great experience. This has always been my favourite of his piano and orchestra works, and now I realise I really love it. Funny that one of my least favourite Lisztians brought this little epiphany on me. I think it's a romantic masterpiece. Absolutely gorgeous, thrilling, extremely innovative in its form and I disagree with the criticism of the third 'movement,' basically saying that 'movement' let the concerto down. I tend to agree with the musicologist Robert Winter who called that particular section "a masterstroke that demonstrates the full emotional range of thematic transformation." 

What I particularly liked about this performance was that the orchestra was much more prominent than i'm used to hearing, and it really gave the piece an edge - a feeling of complete satisfaction that has been missing for me in the past with his piano and orchestra works.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Badinerie

Pizzicato said:


> Dvorak Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From The New World"


Ee...I remmember it when it was his fifth!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Quintets in D and E flat*.


----------



## Sonata

samurai said:


> And here I thought I was the only one around here with ecletic tastes in music! :cheers:


Indeed not. I love all sorts of music. ) I love digging into unexplored genres.


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I think part of the problem that some have with Mozart is that they don't grasp the notion that artists can have very different goals and that if we are to compare two greatly differing artists we cannot fairly make such a comparison by using the aims and goals of one of the artists as the standard by which the measure the other. Mozart is often criticized (in contrast to later Romantic and Post-Romantic composers) as being "lightweight". This judgment is based upon what? He fails to employ a minor key often? His music is joyful as opposed to tragic? He doesn't employ great dramatic dynamic contrasts?


This is a good point. I felt the same way about Mozart initially, but I found that my OWN mood effects what I'll want to listen to. I do sometimes find his music to be too "bouncy" for what I feel like listening to. But I found several of his works that I've really enjoyed....specifically the flute concertos and piano concertos. And I think he's good "first thing in the morning" music for me, helps my fuzzy, tired brain get a jump start.


----------



## samurai

Sonata said:


> Indeed not. I love all sorts of music. ) I love digging into unexplored genres.


@ Sonata. As I was only being "tongue in cheek" when I made that post, I should have used this smilie :lol: instead of the one I actually did. My bad!


----------



## Ellyll

Qunihico Hashimoto - Symphony No. 1 in D Major


----------



## neoshredder

3 Haydn String Quartets off of Essential Haydn from Amazon MP3's.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 In D Minor, Op. 104*

Now playing Symphony No. 6 from Vanska's fine set and will follow this up with Symphony No. 7 and Tapiola from the same Disc.


----------



## Vaneyes

Just in time for the 100th anniversary! Robin Gibbs' Titanic Requiem, performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Four tracks from, are provided at The Guardian. The first with a Russkie sort of appeal, gave promise. But things quickly go downhill, when Mr. Gibbs starts warbling. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/audio/2012/apr/11/robin-gibb-titanic-requiem


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> Just in time for the 100th anniversary! Robin Gibbs' Titanic Requiem, performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
> 
> Four tracks from, are provided at The Guardian. The first with a Russkie sort of appeal, gave promise. But things quickly go downhill, when Mr. Gibbs starts warbling.
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/audio/2012/apr/11/robin-gibb-titanic-requiem


Haha! That reminds me of my Titanic cd you were the only one to respond about and didn't like...shame on you!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, American Quartet*.









Then *Shostakovich, Symphony No. 6*.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: String Quartet In Eb Major, JS 184*


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 51/1*

Playing Disc 1 of this set.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin* Sonatas 4, 5, 8, 9, Deux Poemes, Opp. 32, 69, 71, Vers la flamme, with *Andrei Korobeinikov*.

View attachment 4379


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Death and the Maiden Quartet*.

The Lindsays do a great job on this one, especially the second movement.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> Haha! That reminds me of my Titanic cd you were the only one to respond about and didn't like...shame on you!


I'm sorry, I don't recall. What post numbers were those?


----------



## Vaneyes

Scriabin: Late Piano Pieces with Paul Crossley

View attachment 4381


Quatre Morceaux, Op. 51
Trois Morceaux, Op. 52
Deux Morceaux, Op. 57
Feuillet d' album, Op. 58
Deux Pieces, Op. 59
Poème-Nocturne, Op. 61
Duex Poemes, Op. 63
Deux Preludes, Op. 67 
Deux Poèmes, Op. 69 
Deux poèmes Op. 71
Vers la flamme, Op. 72
Deux Danses Op. 73
Cinq Preludes, Op. 74


----------



## opus55

Schumann: trios


----------



## Sid James

*David Fanshawe's* _African Sanctus_.

HERE is my earlier review of it.

I esp. like the Kyrie movement, which combines the muezzin's call to prayer from the top of a Cairo mosque with Fanshawe's own choral kyrie. I also like The Lord's Prayer section, a very simple melody, yet so emotional.


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> I'm sorry, I don't recall. What post numbers were those?


Silly goose,...it was one of my first threads...this one.

Wow,...I was just listening to it and I still can't figure out what you meant but I respected your opinion then and I still do now. Only 1 star review I read talked about electric organ? Anyway,...it's linked to a special time for me so I'll always like it anyway but I think the sound of the quartets and piano are very authentic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Arrived yesterday:










Been listening to it non stop.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> Silly goose,...it was one of my first threads...this one.
> 
> Wow,...I was just listening to it and I still can't figure out what you meant but I respected your opinion then and I still do now. Only 1 star review I read talked about electric organ? Anyway,...it's linked to a special time for me so I'll always like it anyway but I think the sound of the quartets and piano are very authentic.


Thank you, now I remember. I'll be nice, and not add anything more.

Except that I was consistent re Titanic recs. Both were sunk.


----------



## Guest

Listening to the Vaughan Williams Piano Concerto and considering it for competition in the fall. Great piece that nobody knows (Bartok was a big fan of it).


----------



## Vaneyes

For kv466, The Great Gulda.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Quartet No. 8, No. 59, Opus 2 *.


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## Cnote11

DIE WALKURE!


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No.6 Mvmt I


----------



## NightHawk

Archangelo Corelli is one of my heroes as he was the first composer to abandon modality altogether and write fully tonal works, and also the first composer to write only instrumental music. The 6 sonatas da chiesas of opus 5 (1700) show a man of taste, refinement, and run the gamut from joyful to plaintive. 5*****'s


----------



## Taneyev

Heifetz's rarities:

Julius Conus concerto

Turina piano trio 1 with Pennario and Piatigorsky

Walton concerto with Eugene Goossens


----------



## tgtr0660

Recently heard this fantastic disc:









Last night this good but rather forgettable one, with great moments mixed with moments were Lang Lang seemed to be just reading the notes adding zero interpretation:









Today, Solti and Liszt, should be just fine, plus Lopez Cobos:


----------



## Guest

Listening to Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus, preparing to write a paper on it. The piece is really really cool, and Rautavaara is my favorite living composer, but I wonder if the piece would suffice on its own without the taped bird sounds...not that I don't like the bird sounds, I'm just curious.


----------



## Badinerie

Just Listened to Borodin's Symphony no 1 from BBC Radio 3 broadcast. Very good it is too!


----------



## neoshredder




----------



## Cnote11

Igor Stravinsky's Feu d'artiface et La baiser de la fee


----------



## Cnote11

This again, but the singcircle version this time.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra*, and *Berg, Lyric Suite*, and *Webern, Passacaglia*.









Then Erik Satie for orchestra. This version of Socrate isn't the greatest interpretation, but Messe des Pauvres is very intense.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies feature the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Vaneyes

Frequent listens, Gastinel & Guy LvB Cello Sonatas. Sound engineer (2002/04), Pierre-Antoine Signoret.

View attachment 4397
View attachment 4398


----------



## NightHawk

In today's mail = OMG - not an expression I am particularly comfortable with, nor it with me, but really this selection of D.Scarlatti's harpsichord sonatas played on piano by Ivo Pogorelich leave me (I can hear the laughter)...speechless. So I add this from Wikipedia:

_Pogorelić won the Casagrande Competition in Terni, Italy in 1978 and the Montreal International Musical Competition in 1980. However he became famous for the prize he didn't win. In 1980 he entered the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and was eliminated in the third round. One of the adjudicators, *Martha Argerich*, proclaimed him a "genius" and resigned from the jury in protest._


----------



## Cnote11

My hat is off to you, Manxfeeder. That is one brilliant listening session.


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 3 / Kindertotenlieder (Maazel)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Number 3 BWV1068


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano concerto and Violin concerto










Listened to two concertos late last night.

Bruckner: Symphony No.9










Bruckner symphonies are tough nut to crack for me. I'm familiar with 3,8,9 but still short of appreciating them in depth.


----------



## Vaneyes

Gilels & LvB.

View attachment 4401


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to: 
*
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet #19 "Dissonance" (1785)*
Probably the most popular of Mozart's string quartets, this work is certainly my favorite of his quartets I've encountered so far. There is a certain lightness in this piece, that when contrasted with a frequent crossover into minor sections, makes it one of the most emotionally moving of his works. Which is odd because it seems so delicate, whereas quartets like the _"The Hunt"_ or the _D Minor_ are so much weightier on the surface, but don't have quite the same impact as this one. All of the movements are roughly equal in quality, though I'll give a special shout out to the _Minuet and Trio_, a form that has the most potential for tediousness is here perhaps the most beautiful and impassioned movement. The finale is wonderful as well, presenting three themes, each more gorgeous than the next, and expanding upon all of them. The coda also recalls the coda of the first movement, giving it a sense of unity.

*Frédéric Chopin: Ballade #2 in F (1839)*
At long last, this the final ballade I've gotten around to. While the other three are sprawling works, this one seems more compact. A sweet and innocent theme opens the work before launching into ferocious intensity; these two moods are juxtaposed throughout, with both using the same rhythm to connect the two. Really beautiful and brilliantly written little work.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony #2 "Little Russian" (1873)*
I'm also going back and listening to the Tchaikovsky symphonies I haven't gotten around to (three will be next and last). Besides #5, which is one of the few pieces I dislike, this is probably my least favorite of the bunch, though it isn't without merit. Like the first symphony, the opening movement, while not devoid of a memorable theme, doesn't jam it down the listeners throat, which is a refreshing change of pace for Tchaikovsky. Instead it's fragmented in a lot of transitioning passages whose purpose seems more to enjoy the sound of the orchestra, which I quite like. A delicate slow movement follows, and a really fun scherzo, which barely seems to be able to contain itself in its classical form. Tchaikovsky's finales are generally a hit or miss with me, and I'm afraid this one is a miss, with its constant bombast. Still, a fun youthful work. 
*
Elliot Carter: Sonata for Cello and Piano (1948)*
I suppose its a stroke of good luck Carter is into his 103rd year, because this sonata, written at the age of 40 is apparently his first mature work. This is also the earliest Carter work I've encountered, and I have to say, while this is quite good, he does seem to improve with age. The sonata is a constant argument between cello and piano, with the cello being the more sympathetic character. One signature of Carter's music is to give individual instruments a certain identity. It's especially apparent here, though unfortunately it seems a little confining. While the work is well written and impassioned throughout, it very rarely blossoms into moments of true brilliance (well _maybe_ at the very end). A solid piece, that with no immediate flaws still leaves a little more to be desired. 
*
Thomas Adès: Catch (1991)*
This is a short chamber work written by Adès at the age of 20. Even at such a young age the opening of the piece foreshadows his _Piano Quintet_, an entirely mature work. The piece focuses on three other instruments trying to "catch" the clarinet which they succeed in doing at the end. It's remarkable how accessible his work sounds, yet is in an entirely modern idiom. Though what's more remarkable is how well written it is, and at such a young age. This is nothing profound, but a really entertaining piece. 
*
Thomas Adès: Darknesse Visible (1992)*
A little more profound is his _Darknesse Visible_. This solo piano work uses a John Dowland tune as the basis for its material. Adès craftily changes the accompaniment into something much more eerie and atmospheric, while still retaining the overall gesture of the original. A really cool work that's best when listened to with the lights out.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Don Giovanni, K 527*

I've had this recording for almost a year and only getting around to listening to it now - like it so far!. Love Mozart's other Da Ponte Operas as well and have listened to them a fair bit - I don't know why I havent listened to this one sooner!


----------



## Mesa

opus55 said:


> Schumann: Piano concerto and Violin concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listened to two concertos late last night.


I was just about to post that i discovered Schumann's Violin Concerto yesterday and listened to it four or five times since! The story surrounding it is enthralling.

Also, 
Dietrich, Brahms and Schumann - F-A-E Sonata. Love Dietrich's section, shame he has never really been well known. 
Shostakovich's Suite for Variety Orchestra. (Yes, yes, the waltz from Eyes Wide Shut got me in to it.)









A handful of gems and a more than pleasant piano transcription of the L'Arlesienne suites.

And this monumental recording of Swan Lake that has somehow passed by me until now:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still on Spring Break and so I've been spending my afternoons painting and listening to music. Today the selected fare included:




























Virtually an all Russian festival so far. The Mercury recording of the 1812 Overture dating from 1958 has yet to be surpassed... an absolutely stunning recording!










I ended the afternoon painting session with Bruckner. Another brilliant recording!!










Now I'm listening to the second disc of this set. As I mentioned earlier, I had no reason to doubt that Haydn had written songs along with the rest of his immense oeuvre... but I never had heard the least mention of them. Coming across this recording with Elly Ameling and Jorg Demus I realized that I could not lose... and indeed there are some real gems here. Perhaps Haydn was no Schubert when it came the lieder... but who was? Again... there are simply some real gems here... and the rest ain't half-bad... and the performances are top notch.


----------



## opus55

Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Chung and Lupu










Just received this in the mail today. I will read liner notes while listening.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I listened to this one in the studio the other day... and was quite impressed. But admittedly that is not the prime site for me to properly listen to a new (to me) recording or work of music for the obvious reason that my attention is upon my art work. It's for that reason that I usually listen to old favorites there. Anyway... I'm now giving this disc a greatly deserved close listen. After watching the BBC documentary on Rostropovich that member lenfer posted, I found the need to properly flesh out my collection of Rostropovich a bit more. I was quite struck by his performance (with Benjamin Britten) of the Schubert sonata... and indeed... in this recording there can be little doubt as to the magnificence of this work.










Beyond this disc I also have the following live recording of Bach's cello suites on order:










I was never struck by the sound of Rostropovitch' more famous recording of the suites, and always preferred Pierre Fournier, Janos Starker, Paul Tortelier, and even Yo Yo Ma's. But this live recording... from what I have been able to hear in samples... is something else altogether and I quite look forward to it.


----------



## opus55

Listening to my early collections. I have several of those "greatest" "favorite" CDs before I got serious with classical music. My wife (then my girl friend) bought most of them but I bought some too 

I can only find this one online:


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Zyklus*

Finished Don Giovanni - very good!. Now for something different! - Disc 1 of the Stockhausen followed up by Disc 3 of the Ligeti Project which has the Cello & Violin Concertos on it.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have not investigated if this is a "complete" collection of Debussy's orchestral works but I think it might be. In any case it is an extremely good box set. The music has a lot of variety and some very beautiful melodies. The performances and sound quality are above average.










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A good ol' muscular "old school" interpretation of a slew of Mozart's finest symphonies. Böhm was virtually as well-respected as a master of Mozart (He was one of the first to record the whole of Mozart's symphonies.) as he was of the music of his friend, Richard Strauss.


----------



## opus55

Fauré: 3 Romances Sans Paroles


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I really enjoy this album. It's extremely interesting and often times surprising. Sofia Gubaidulina is a very gifted modern composer and one worthy or the attention of anyone interested in modern music. I especially really enjoy the Piano Quintet on this album.










Kevin


----------



## kv466




----------



## Conor71

*Feldman: String Quartet No. 1*

I'm not sure if listening to this piece will just turn into a feat of endurance or not but I will be interested to see if I get anything out of it this time!. After the Feldman I will play the Reich/Adams Disc which I know is a good one


----------



## Badinerie

StlukesguildOhio has just reminded me I have those on LP so Im starting with the "Haffner"


----------



## Manxfeeder

Arianna Huffington commented in the Huffington Post that when she dies, she wants The Magic Flute playing. I'm listening to see if I can hear the Grim Reaper. It seems to be more of an affirmation of life, but maybe she sees the ordeal at the end as the path to transcendence. Or maybe she just likes listening to Mozart.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos










Saturday morning with Mozart is the best way to start weekend


----------



## Dowd

kv466 said:


>


Hmmm... What do you think of this? I grew up on Trespass, Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, etc.


----------



## Taneyev

Alexander Comitas (Holland, 1957, real name Eduard de Boer). String quartet 1 op.21

Eduard Franck, violin concerto D major op.57

Glazunov:Theme and variations for piano op.72


----------



## Dowd

Still haven't decided how much I like the pairing of Hewitt and Beethoven, but there's a lot to like here. The pacing is quite nice. Müller-Schott's cello comes off a bit too robust and echo-ey (to my ears) on op. 5/1, but overall I like this recording enough to venture into Vol. 2.

Angela Hewitt [piano] • Daniel Müller-Schott [cello]
Beethoven
Cello Sonatas, Vol. 1
Hyperion


----------



## Pizzicato

Antonio Vivaldi - Kyrie Eleison in G minor [RV 587]


----------



## pasido

Bruckner 9


----------



## pasido

Brahms lieder


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 2*.

This is a great recording of a remarkable piece. In the last movement, Christiane Oelze takes you through the three stages of ecstacy.


----------



## Cnote11

Richter's rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition


----------



## Vaneyes

For Pletnev's birthday, his Scriabin Sonatas 4 & 10, 24 Preludes, Op. 11, etc.

View attachment 4418


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Listening to my early collections. I have several of those "greatest" "favorite" CDs before I got serious with classical music. My wife (then my girl friend) bought most of them but I bought some too
> 
> I can only find this one online:


You're saying you have a mistress....

Just kidding.


----------



## Chrythes

I was a bit hesitant about Mahler since it's hard for me to remain concentrated for over an hour in one thing, but I was glad I did try his 2nd Symphony. It's my first exposure to Mahler, and it's a very pleasant and enjoyable one. 
Beautiful music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Respighi, Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 3*.


----------



## Pizzicato

Gustav Holst - Jupiter The Bringer of Jollity


----------



## Conor71

*Penderecki: Fonogrammi*

Finished listening to the Xenakis and now listening to Disc 1 of the Penderecki set - I especially like the Xenakis piece Metastasis


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36. *Both symphonies feature the London Symphony Orchestra led by Josef Krips.


----------



## Conor71

*Antill: An Outback Adventure*

Some contemporary Australian Music - first up the pieces An Outback Adventure and Corroboree by Antill followed up by the Koehne Disc


----------



## PetrB

James Booker's piano version of 'On the Sunny Side of the Street; one kind of perfection, everything 'just right' and perfectly in place:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Conor71 said:


> *Antill: An Outback Adventure*
> 
> Some contemporary Australian Music - first up the pieces An Outback Adventure and Corroboree by Antill followed up by the Koehne Disc


I hope Kohne didn't write _real_ elevator music!


----------



## Taneyev

Cnote11 said:


> Richter's rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition


Which one? I've two. One in Moscow and another famous live in Sofia.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well... I'm just back from another day spent in my painting studio. I spent most of the time cleaning up the space and sitting back trying to clear my thoughts with regard to starting the next painting. There is always something of a down-period after spending a couple months (or more) on a single piece... living with it day after day... when you finally come to the end. On the positive side... it allows me to sit back and listen to some music a bit closer than I usually can in the studio:










Faure is one of my absolute favorites. I have loved his Requiem since I first heard it many years ago. I love his songs... and certainly his exquisite chamber works. A marvelous disc.










A stylistic shift... going back to the Baroque. There is a link with Faure, however. Couperin was spoken of as the Chopin of the Baroque and was beloved by many late 19th century French composers (including, obviously, Ravel). There is something to this. The music has an elegant, "pianistic" quality that does not seem a great leap from Faure.










OK... now this was a stylistic shift. I gave a listen to disc 1 from this set: Symphonies 1 & 5. Mendelssohn has never been a composer I have delved into much... and while he's no Beethoven, Schubert, or Brahms, his music is certainly worthy of deeper exploration.



















I now have some 7 or 8 versions of _Das Lied von der Erde_... perhaps only with Schubert's _Winterreise_ and Strauss _Last Four Songs_ do I have more recordings of a single song cycle... or work in general, for that matter. _Das Lied von der Erde_ is one of my absolute favorite works of music. Bruno Walter... the close friend of the composer who premiered the work shortly after Mahler's death... certainly produced several of the finest recordings... especially considering the heart-wrenching performance of Kathleen Ferrier singing these songs acknowledging our own mortality while her imminent demise from Cancer hung over her. Yet the performances of Maureen Forrester and Richard Lewis... live with Walter... and in the studio with Reiner... are not far behind Ferrier's.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: String Quartets


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven's Symphonies performed by Andre Cluytens and Orchestre Philharmonique de Berlin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, *performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Klaus Tennstedt.


----------



## Operadowney

*Brandenburg Concerti*








Listening to the first three Brandenburg Concerti!


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie*

Now playing Messiaens Turangalila-Smphonie followed up by Disc 4 of the Liget Project which contains the Hamburg Concerto and the Requiem


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Following Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_, I thought I'd give another listen to that other brilliant 20th century composer of orchestral lieder.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 4*.


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 17, Op. 152, "Mattinata"*

Now listening to Disc 6 of the Holmboe SQ cycle and will follow this up with Disc 3 of the Rautavaara Set which has Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 on it.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the guidance of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Fantasie in C
Busoni: Fantasia Contrappuntistica


----------



## Conor71

*Part: Summa*

Listening to a compilation of Arvo Part Music (different cover than pictured) followed up by the Tavener Disc


----------



## PetrB

Georg Friedrich Haas' "Hyperion" -- stunningly strong and powerfully beautiful music....


----------



## Badinerie

Mozart symphony no 40 Bohm DG lp I must say I preferred yesterdays no 39 though.


----------



## orpharis




----------



## Taneyev

Oistrakh's chamber rarities:

Babadszanian piano trio; Babadszanian, Oistrakh,Knushevitsky.

Schumann piano trio 1 op.63; Oistrakh, Oborin, Knushevitsky

Brahms clarinet quintet: Vladimir Sorokin clar.,Oistrakh and Pyotr Bondarenko violins, Mikhail Terian viola and Knyshevitsky cello.


----------



## AndyS

Brahms no. 4 by Kleiber

Addicted to this just now


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Thomas Weelkes, Anthems.*

Nice music for a Sunday morning.


----------



## opus55

Listened to some string quartets last night and this morning.

Beethoven: String Quartets Op.18, Nos.3 and 4
Haydn: String Quartets Op.33, Nos. 1,2 and 5

















I have two single discs of the Naxos/Kodaly Haydn SQ. I might just pull the trigger on the box set...


----------



## Vaneyes

Followup on Titanic Requiem. Its composer Robin Gibb is fighting for his life in hospital (pneumonia). Wishing him well.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/14/showbiz/robin-gibb-coma/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

The album is released today. For those interested, sampling is available at Amazon UK.

View attachment 4433


----------



## Vaneyes

Stravinsky Danses Concertantes with LACO/Marriner. Happy Birthday to Sir Neville (b. 1924).

View attachment 4436


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Johann Friedrich Fasch* (1688 - 1758) birthday celebration, sampling some of his chamber music.

View attachment 4440


----------



## Crudblud

Beethoven - Diabelli Variations (Brendel)
Ravel - Piano Concerto in G (Martinon)


----------



## Sonata

Conor71 said:


> *Part: Summa*
> 
> Listening to a compilation of Arvo Part Music (different cover than pictured) followed up by the Tavener Disc


 Whtat's your take on Tavener's work? Is there a specific one you recommend?


----------



## Conor71

Sonata said:


> Whtat's your take on Tavener's work? Is there a specific one you recommend?


I find the Protecting Veil to be a beautiful and meditative piece - it is one of my favourite pieces of Contemporary Music 
I really like the recording by Isserlis and it is well priced so if you are interested go for it I say! - I also used to own the Naxos recording of the Protecting Veil too and that was a good performance, though the couplings on that Disc are'nt quite as interesting I think.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Piano Quartet No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 1*

Listening to Mendelssohn's 1st Opus - very good!


----------



## NightHawk

Posted C&P maybe 10 days ago, but have been listening to it frequently along with other contemporary composers (D. Scarlatti, J.S Bach, and the old guy in the bunch, Arcangelo Corelli). The Rameau is becoming a single artistic urge, rather than a long sequence of parts that may or may not have much continuity. I don't feel the temptation to click forward to the next interesting 'number'. The entire work is interesting, and more than that, beautiful. I think one reason is that Rameau's recitatives are expressive and seem to be as much a part of the fabric as any of the arias, choruses etc. Becoming bewitched by French Baroque Opera (and Baroque Opera in general), as has occurred slowly over the last two years, is a development in my own listening adventures that I would not have predicted.


----------



## PetrB

Riveting, beautiful: Morton Feldman ~ String Trio


----------



## Crudblud

Tippett - A Child of Our Time


----------



## Cnote11

Philip Glass... perfect for essay writing.


----------



## Dimboukas

opus55 said:


> Schumann: Piano concerto and Violin concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listened to two concertos late last night.
> 
> Bruckner: Symphony No.9
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bruckner symphonies are tough nut to crack for me. I'm familiar with 3,8,9 but still short of appreciating them in depth.


I will understand you if you say tomorrow that you do not like Schumann's Violin Concerto; it is this Kremer-Harnoncourt recording. But know! it is not the best of its kind...


----------



## Chrythes

^^
Good idea. I should put on Glass when I need a nice background without too much stuff going on!

On Wednesday I'm going to a Chamber Music Concert. They are going to play Brahm's Clarinet Quintet, Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Theme and Dvorak's Piano Quintet op.81.
I'm not very familiar with Dvorak's work, but I remember not liking it very much. So I'm giving it a second shot now, but so far it doesn't really impress me for some reason.


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - Orchestral Works (Dutoit)

The whole thing!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finally got around to disc 2 of this set: Symphonies 39, 40, & 41. Am I the only one to wonder... considering the dissonance Mozart employs in the opening of the 39th, in String Quartet 19, and in _Don Giovanni_ how far Mozart might have pushed the limits of traditional tonality had he lived another 10 or 20 years?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.15, Op.141, *featuring Valery Gergiev and the Marinsky Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor {"Linz Version", 1866}, *featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Cnote11

More Philip


----------



## opus55

Dimboukas said:


> I will understand you if you say tomorrow that you do not like Schumann's Violin Concerto; it is this Kremer-Harnoncourt recording. But know! it is not the best of its kind...


My impression of Kremer is "decent" here, the only recording of Schumann vioin concerto I have. I certainly believe there are better recordings out there. I'd appreciate recommendations.

I've been listening throughtout the day, starting with Sir Neville Marriner recordings (his birthday) -

















Listened to Alfven and Raff symphonies. Alfven is very enjoyable while Raff.. umm I don't find it too interesting still. I might try his piano trios instead.


----------



## Cnote11

More Philip... opera this time


----------



## science

For a long time this was my only Don Giovanni on CD, but if you're in the market you should probably start with Giuliani on EMI, and then Jacobs.

But I am enjoying my return to this one, and it might be a case of the first one that you hear setting your ideals.


----------



## Conor71

science said:


> For a long time this was my only Don Giovanni on CD, but if you're in the market you should probably start with Giuliani on EMI, and then Jacobs.
> 
> But I am enjoying my return to this one, and it might be a case of the first one that you hear setting your ideals.


I just listened to that one on the weekend for the first time - very good!


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: String Quintet No. 2 In Bb Major, Op. 87*

Now on Disc 08 of the Mendelssohn Box and listening to the String Quintets for the second time today. Next I will play Disc 2 of the Barenboim/Stern set which has some wonderful chamber music for Piano & Violin


----------



## Conor71

*Locke: Suite No. 1 In 4 Parts In D Major*

Disc 4 of this recently arrived set


----------



## Pizzicato

*Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B Minor*


----------



## Badinerie

Mozart Concert Arias. Jan Jonasova Lp Heavenly stuff "Mia Speranza Adorata" is on now....sigh!
Natalie Dessay is supposed to do this well . I'll have to investigate.


----------



## Dimboukas

opus55 said:


> My impression of Kremer is "decent" here, the only recording of Schumann vioin concerto I have. I certainly believe there are better recordings out there. I'd appreciate recommendations.


It is not Kremer. It is Harnoncourt and his strange tempos. In my opinion, the best recording is with Thomas Zehetmair, Philharmonia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I started out with *Erik Satie Works for Piano* by France Clidat. At least I started; this is by far the worse Satie recording I've encountered. She plays it like Chopin or Liszt - lots of rubato, even on the grace notes! She should have read the liner notes, which speak of Satie's "simplicity of expression."









Next, a well-done recording of the Firebird by Pierre Boulez. The Nashville Ballet is putting this on with the Rite of Spring; I'm wondering if I should venture out for it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling one item from 2012 BBC Music Magazine awards. Ravel Piano Concerti, Debussy Fantaisie for Piano & Orchestra, Massenet Valse folle, Toccata, 2 Pieces, 2 Impromptus, with Bavouzet on a 76 minute Chandos CD.

The distinct highlight for me is the Massenet. I wish Chandos and Bavouzet had had more faith in only Massenet, and expanding him. Packing Debussy and Ravel on the same disc detracts from IMO. Massenet deserves/needs the focus. The others don't.

View attachment 4504


----------



## Vaneyes

Dimboukas said:


> It is not Kremer. It is Harnoncourt and his strange tempos. In my opinion, the best recording is with Thomas Zehetmair, Philharmonia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach.


Re Schumann VC, I've tried both and others, enjoyably settling with Kremer/Philharmonia O./Muti (EMI, 1982).


----------



## Pizzicato

*Felix Mendelssohn - The Hebrides Overture in B Minor 'Fingal's Cave'*


----------



## Taneyev

My homage to teen Menuhin, the greatest violinist of his time at this youth:

Bruch first with Landon Ronald, 1931

Pizzetti violin sonata with Hephzibah 1938

Lalo with Enescu, 1933


----------



## tgtr0660

Great Solti Faust Symphony. Today I'll continue with the Dante Symphony under Lopez-Cobos and then:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 2*.


----------



## science

I do like this.


----------



## NightHawk

Marin Marais (1656-1728) - _Premier Livre_ (1686) Suites, I, II, IV

These Baroque dance suites for _basse de viole_ (gamba family), _Theorbe_ (long-necked lute), and _Clavecin_ (harpsichord, basically), in various groupings from solo basse viole to works for all three mentioned, are just great. They are (principally b/c of the basse de viole) extremely earthy, brusque, scratchy, mournful and altogether wonderful. 

note: all liner notes are in French only.

Late edit:_Much viol music predates the adoption of equal temperament tuning by musicians. The movable nature of the tied-on frets permits the viol player to make adjustments to the tempering of the instrument, and some players and consorts adopt meantone temperaments, which are arguably more suited to Renaissance music. Several fretting schemes involve frets that are spaced unevenly to produce "better-sounding" chords in a limited number of keys. In some of these schemes, the two strands of gut that form the fret are separated so that the player can finger a slightly sharper or flatter version of a note (for example G sharp vs. A flat) to suit different circumstances._ Wikipedia


----------



## Mesa

Pizzicato said:


> *Felix Mendelssohn - The Hebrides Overture in B Minor 'Fingal's Cave'*


Hopefully going to see the cave in the summer. I'll have one up on old Felix though, i have a smartphone app to write down melodies 

Aaaand...


----------



## Sonata




----------



## Vaneyes

Schumann Humoreske, Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, with Radu Lupu.

View attachment 4508


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> I do like this.


Another Little Penguin? Why so?


----------



## Vaneyes

Bruckner 1, conducted by Sawallisch (Orfeo, rec. 1984).

View attachment 4509


----------



## science

The Dvorak.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> I do like this.


I'm not familiar with Rebelo. I'm listening to sound clips on Amazon; Spotify doesn't have it, unfortunately.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, The Firebird*.

Stravinsky sure knew his way around an orchestra - or at least Rimsky-Korsakov's way around an orchestra. He produces some wonderful sounds here.


----------



## Cnote11

Gorecki's Third. One of my favorites... I think I'll have to put on Firebird soon because of this thread.


----------



## Badinerie

Sneaky listen. While the missus watches telly....Im over the hills and far away...


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms Piano Quartet No. 2, with the Capucons, Causse, and Angelich.

View attachment 4515


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Parsifal. The listening I've done on the Easter weekend was by far not enough. This is addictive stuff.


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich's Different Trains and Electric Counterpart


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now this is the work of a living composer that I can recommend without reservation. In no way does it languish it the past... and yet I find it wholly accessible. It is richly scored... one might almost say exotic at times. There are elements of Impressionism and those who built upon Impressionism (Messiaen, Takemitsu, Tristan Murail). The works wanders between pushing the boundaries of traditional tonality and returning home to a strong sense of melody.


----------



## Cnote11

I had the hardest time figuring out where StlukesguildOhio's post went. Silly of me to think that Couchie would be listening to anything but Wagner.


----------



## Dowd

When I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for, I can always count on Karl Leister. A beautiful coupling of two well known clarinet quintets. I prefer this recording even to the more widely heralded Emerson String Quartet.

Karl Leister [clarinet] • Berlin Soloists
Brahms/Mozart
Clarinet Quintets
Apex


----------



## violadude

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Now this is the work of a living composer that I can recommend without reservation. In no way does it languish it the past... and yet I find it wholly accessible. It is richly scored... one might almost say exotic at times. There are elements of Impressionism and those who built upon Impressionism (Messiaen, Takemitsu, Tristan Murail). The works wanders between pushing the boundaries of traditional tonality and returning home to a strong sense of melody.


You need to change your avatar back. I almost thought for a moment this was couchie's post and that the universe might implode any minute.


----------



## Sid James

*Godowsky *_Symphonic Metamorphosis on Die Fledermaus_ (operetta by J. Strauss II)
Mark-Andre Hamelin on piano - on youtube


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now here is a collection of lieder that deserve to be much better known. Kienzl was known both for his efforts as a composer and as a writer. His various volumes of his journals offer first-hand recollections of Brahms, Wagner, Wolf, Smetana, Johann Strauss, Verdi, and many others. While Kienzl was clearly of the Romantic tradition, his critical writings and performances of Mahler, Bruckner, and Busoni show a man open to the latest musical directions. Kienzl was himself above all a composer for the voice. He composed a half-dozen operas that were truly popular across Europe. His best known opera, _Der Evangelimann_ (The Evangelist or The Gospel-man) had garnered some 3500 performances by 1935... and remains popular in Germany. His songs, while never achieving the fame of his operas, retain an audience in German-speaking nations today. Kienzl had impeccable taste in choosing the literary/poetic sources of his songs, setting texts by poets such as Goethe, Eichendorff, Heine, Lenau, etc... The resulting lieder are absolutely exquisite. Few of the songs suggest the sort of narrative drama of Wolf, but rather suggest Schubert at his more introspective. There is even something of the nocturne about many of these songs. This is of course my first hearing of Kienzl and I might admit to a degree of enthusiasm due to something new. On the other hand, I have a vast library of lieder, chanson, melodies, romances, and art songs of all forms and I must say that in light of this experience with the genre I find this collection to be absolutely essential.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Federico Mompou's (1893 - 1987) birthday, the composer playing (rec. 1974).

View attachment 4520


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op..92, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber.


----------



## clavichorder

The second best classical era composer of keyboard concertos


----------



## clavichorder

And more hardcore Sturm and Drang


----------



## Badinerie

Trying to listen to this quietly before the girls get up for school...


----------



## science

Schoenberg for people who think they won't like Schoenberg.

The Gurrelieder are really great; I can't imagine any fans of the orchestral songs of Mahler or Strauss not enjoying them.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Earlier today:










Now:


----------



## opus55

Elgar: Cello Concerto










Went to bed at 9pm and woke up at 2am  Great time to listen before going to work.


----------



## Moira

Getting ready to go out to see a fourth performance of Giselle, so I will be listening to Adophe Adam in ninety minutes time. I usually see a ballet several times to catch all the casts. This season I will be seeing it eight times, which means that I get to know the music reasonably well (and it was familiar to start with). I NEVER listen to ballet music outside of the ballet theatre if I can help it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Elgar: Cello Concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Went to bed at 9pm and woke up at 2am  Great time to listen before going to work.


Turn it off please. You're killing me.


----------



## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Turn it off please. You're killing me.


I'm listening at low volume. Go back to bed :lol:


----------



## PetrB

Manxfeeder said:


> I started out with *Erik Satie Works for Piano* by France Clidat. At least I started; this is by far the worse Satie recording I've encountered. She plays it like Chopin or Liszt - lots of rubato, even on the grace notes! She should have read the liner notes, which speak of Satie's "simplicity of expression."
> 
> View attachment 4501
> 
> 
> Next, a well-done recording of the Firebird by Pierre Boulez. The Nashville Ballet is putting this on with the Rite of Spring; I'm wondering if I should venture out for it.
> 
> View attachment 4502


IF the full set is still available, Aldo Ciccolini did a landmark recording of all of Satie's piano works [including double-tracking the Troid pieces en forme du Poire] - He pretty much owns them, in spite of later fine enough recordings by Pascal Roge, or the wonrderfully eccentric and slow takes by Reinbert de Leeuw.


----------



## PetrB

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 4452
> 
> 
> Posted C&P maybe 10 days ago, but have been listening to it frequently along with other contemporary composers (D. Scarlatti, J.S Bach, and the old guy in the bunch, Arcangelo Corelli). The Rameau is becoming a single artistic urge, rather than a long sequence of parts that may or may not have much continuity. I don't feel the temptation to click forward to the next interesting 'number'. The entire work is interesting, and more than that, beautiful. I think one reason is that Rameau's recitatives are expressive and seem to be as much a part of the fabric as any of the arias, choruses etc. Becoming bewitched by French Baroque Opera (and Baroque Opera in general), as has occurred slowly over the last two years, is a development in my own listening adventures that I would not have predicted.


Rameau ~ La Guirlande, a one-act really, for soprano and tenor, stunningly beautiful. And, of course, all of Les Indes Galantes.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Turn it off please. You're killing me.


You'll listen to Glass but not Elgar? You got strange taste in music.


----------



## NightHawk

Daneman and Petibon's voices have an amazing chemistry and no less than William Christie plays the harpsichord along with a gambist. _Lecons de tenebraes_ = 'Lessons of Darkness', refers to a service where readings from Jeremiah and the Psalms are accompanied by a gradual extinguishing of 15 candles until the congregation and church are plunged into darkness. The services are perfumed at Matins and Lauds on the last three days before Easter morning - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Highly recommended. 5*****'s

edit: other composers of _'Tenebraes'_ include Thomas Tallis, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Lassus, and Carlo Gesualdo. _Leçons de ténèbres_ were a particular French sub-genre of this music with other similar settings being composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Francois Couperin, Michel Delalande and others.


----------



## NightHawk

PetrB said:


> Rameau ~ La Guirlande, a one-act really, for soprano and tenor, stunningly beautiful. And, of course, all of Les Indes Galantes.


Thanks for the recommendation, PetrB, much appreciated as I don't really trust most of the 'reviews' on Amazon - I will be getting both these works, I'm sure - I've seen and read about _Les Indes Galantes_, which I thought was just a ballet, but find it is an _opera ballet_. After your description, however, the one-act _La Guirlande_ is first on the list. best, nh


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> IF the full set is still available, Aldo Ciccolini did a landmark recording of all of Satie's piano works [including double-tracking the Troid pieces en forme du Poire] - He pretty much owns them, in spite of later fine enough recordings by Pascal Roge, or the wonrderfully eccentric and slow takes by Reinbert de Leeuw.


I'd have to agree with you. Ciccolini is at his best in the post-Gymnopedie pieces; he knows when to slide in and out of humor. Although I'd give de Leeuw the edge on the pieces from his Rose + Croix period.

I have his recordings both on CD and vinyl, and to my ears, the vinyl is preferable; EMI's remastering doesn't do his piano any favors.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Holst, The Planets*, then *Smetana, Ma Vlast* is in the queue.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Schoenberg for people who think they won't like Schoenberg.
> 
> The Gurrelieder are really great; I can't imagine any fans of the orchestral songs of Mahler or Strauss not enjoying them.


That's a true statement. I never listened to Schoenberg until a couple years ago, when I ran into a lawyer who said he was a fan. After seeing my eyebrows spontaneously raise at his proclamation, he suggested I listen to Gurrelieder. That started a series of discoveries that makes me now the one who makes others' eyebrows spontaneously raise.


----------



## NightHawk

PetrB said:


> Rameau ~ La Guirlande, a one-act really, for soprano and tenor, stunningly beautiful. And, of course, all of Les Indes Galantes.


Thanks for the recommendation, PetrB, much appreciated as I don't really trust most of the 'reviews' on Amazon - I will be getting both these works, I'm sure - I've seen and read about _Les Indes Galantes_, which I thought was just a ballet, but find it is an _opera ballet_. After your description, however, the one-act _La Guirlande_ is first on the list. best, nh


----------



## science

So there are haters of Bruch's first violin concerto. I have nothing polite to say to them, and plenty of impolite things to say.

But to the lovers or would-be lovers, even though this recording does not have the fame or glory of Heifetz or Mutter, let me suggest this recording. It is the one that I have preferred over the years, though I will listen to those two tonight as well, just to make sure once again.

Edit: Having done so, I can say that Mutter just about ties with Rosand, but curiously in the final movement this time I preferred the Heifetz. Someday I will have to do this again. Wonderful piece of music, though 3 times in a row is the limit!

Now the Romance in A minor...


----------



## Moira

Holst's Planets. A direct result of another thread. BBC Philharmonic conducted by Yan Pacal Tortelier with The Manchester Boys Choir.

Chandos Records if anyone wants a thread tie.


----------



## Taneyev

Boris Tchaikovsky violin concerto F major (Viktor Pikaizen)

Felix Draesecke, quintet for 2 violins, viola, violotta and cello

Jörg Demus, sonata poetique for cello and piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Grieg Lyric Pieces with Gilels.

View attachment 4529


----------



## Chrythes

As far as I know these versions are different from most of the other recordings, since the only instruments here are the organ and the Chorus. 
Both Requiems are beautiful, absurdly intimate and pure. The sound is extremely clear and the Chorus and the organ are very well balanced.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Piatigorsky and Schnabel birthdays, while sampling their LvB Cello Sonata No. 2 (HMV, rec. 1934).

View attachment 4531


A 1938 review for the original recording...

http://tinyurl.com/7fzny3n


----------



## Taneyev

I suggest you try the complete cello sonatas by Schnabel with Fournier ( in the 40s.). For those works, IMO Pierre was better than Gregor.


----------



## science




----------



## Manxfeeder

Schoenberg's whodunit, *Erwartung. *


----------



## Manxfeeder

PeterB put the bug in my ear to pull out Aldo Cicccolini's first recording of Satie pieces. Great stuff.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Requiem À La Memoire De Louis XVI In C Minor Disc 4 from this set:










A magnificent piece... and a marvelous set fully worth its price. Cherubini was no one-hit-wonder.


----------



## Sonata

That is a beautiful Requiem indeed!


----------



## AndyS

Christa Ludwig singing Debussy's Chanson de Bilitis

I'm a great fan of Ludwig, but I can't see past Regine Crespin's performance of these songs


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A magnificent piece... and a marvelous set fully worth its price. Cherubini was no one-hit-wonder.


How did I miss this one? On to Spotify!

UPDATE: Oh, this is the one Beethoven wanted at his funeral. The recording I own is lousy. I'm going to have to start saving up my pennies for this one.


----------



## Pizzicato

*Franz Joseph Haydn - Oboe Concerto*


----------



## Vaneyes

Gubaidulina String Quartets 1 - 3, String Trio, performed by Danish Quartet. Essential listening for tightropers.

View attachment 4535


----------



## Vaneyes

Odnoposoff said:


> I suggest you try the complete cello sonatas by Schnabel with Fournier ( in the 40s.). For those works, IMO Pierre was better than Gregor.


Thanks for the suggestion. I was simply sampling for respect, and of course, the convenience of having them playing together on their birthday.

For the LvB Cello Sonatas (complete), I've settled on Gastinel & Guy (naive).


----------



## PetrB

neoshredder said:


> You'll listen to Glass but not Elgar? You got strange taste in music.


I find both really of-putting, add another circle, another subset to the stats lists


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms Piano Pieces, Opp. 116 - 119. It remains my favorite Helene Grimaud album, recorded at age 26.

View attachment 4536


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, Lyric Suite*.

I'm listening to an old recording by the LaSalle quartet. They play this in a dry acoustic, placed close to the microphones, so the details pop out. To my ears, this is a compelling interpretation.


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Requiem À La Memoire De Louis XVI In C Minor Disc 4 from this set:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A magnificent piece... and a marvelous set fully worth its price. Cherubini was no one-hit-wonder.


Really tempted for an impulse buy here! Only 20 bucks from one amazon dealer.....but I just can't.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Really tempted for an impulse buy here! Only 20 bucks from one amazon dealer.....but I just can't.


I hear you! I'm having a battle with the frugal angel on on shoulder and the indulgent devil on the other.

Tonight,* Schoenberg's Erwartung* with Dorothy Dorow singing. She's my favorite interpreter of this so far - not too operatic.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Erik Satie, Parade*.

The orchestration of this has been called half Rimsky, half dance-hall. Jean Cocteau told the story of at the first rehearsal, the orchestra objected to its ballroom-like sound. A flautist stood and said to the composer, "Mr. Satie, you seem to think I'm stupid," to which Satie replied, "No, I don't think you're stupid. But I could be wrong."

Anyway, it's fun to hear.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now I am really liking these songs by Lutoslawski so far. They employ as much... if not more dissonance or atonality than Schoenberg... and yet for whatever reason, I find they resonate with me more than most of what I have listened to by Schoenberg.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Requiem À La Memoire De Louis XVI In C Minor Disc 4 from this set:










A magnificent piece... and a marvelous set fully worth its price. Cherubini was no one-hit-wonder.



Sonata said:


> Really tempted for an impulse buy here! Only 20 bucks from one amazon dealer.....but I just can't.


I picked the set up for even less than that... I believe around $15 US.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Starting my day here in Germany with Ligetis Requiem.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both featuring Igor Markevich conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Ellyll

Speaking of Bernstein..


----------



## opus55

Pizzicato said:


> *Franz Joseph Haydn - Oboe Concerto*


I must look for Haydn's oboe concerto!


----------



## neoshredder

Messiaen : Des canyons aux étoiles I'm impressed. Might buy it. I'm always interested in landscapes.


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Tierkreis*

Listening to Disc 2 of the Stockhausen 2-fer and then I will listen to Disc 5 of the Ligeti Project.


----------



## Taneyev

Balakireff piano sonata 2: Ketner

Dvorak volin concerto: Oistrakh-Karel Ancerl

Lalo cello concerto: Maurice Marechal


----------



## peeyaj

Chamber music time!!!

String Quintet in C - Franz Schubert

Piano Trio "Dumky" - Antonin Dvorak

Octet for Strings - Mendelssohn

Arpeggione Sonata - Franz Schubert


----------



## kv466

Symphony no.14 in D


----------



## Conor71

*Penderecki: Threnody To The Victims Of Hiroshima*

Listening to Disc 1 of this 2-fer. I like this set a lot though on my first few listens it's a bit samey - perhaps the individual pieces will reveal themselves a bit more on subsequent listens


----------



## tgtr0660

Last night this interesting but not brilliant work, it needs many more listens:









Tonight, I'll finally hear this oratorio for the first time:


----------



## Pizzicato

*Handel - HWV 292 Organ Concerto in F *


----------



## Conor71

*Riley: In C*

In celebration of it's recent elevation in the Classical Music Project


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Jean Sibelius, Symphony # 1.


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to some Bliss right now... The Theme and Cadenza for violin and orchestra was one of my earliest 20th century.
music discoveries. Its mono and a bit crackly but I play the LP more than the Cd version


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44, *both performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevich.


----------



## Vaneyes

RVW and Delius PCs, with Lane/RLPO/Handley.

View attachment 4546


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Faure orchestral works. The Dolly Suite is like my 3-year-old granddaughter: utterly delightful.


----------



## kv466

Gabriel Faure - Dolly Suite 
Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields


----------



## Sonata

Checking out Handel's "Messiah" for the first time.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> Checking out Handel's "Messiah" for the first time.


Which recording?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis.*

Adrian Boult is conducting this release on Naxos. I can't find a picture of it. This is obviously an old recording, but the sound is hindering my appreciation of this. Both these pieces really need modern recording techniques to really shine.


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Which recording?


Solti. I'm not sure of the other details.... It's loaded on my iPod


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Etudes-tableaux, Opp. 33 & 39, with *Angelich*, followed by Preludes 1, 2, 5, 6, Op. 23, Prelude 12, Op. 32, Etudes-tableaux 3, 5, Op. 39, Moments musicaux 3 - 6, Op. 16, Elegie 1, Op. 3, with *Gavrilov*.

View attachment 4549
View attachment 4550


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major (Martinon)

For approximately the 7th time this week. Yowza!


----------



## opus55

Bizet: Symphony in C










Listening to this symphony for the first time in my life


----------



## Crudblud

Berg - Sieben frühe Lieder / Neun stücke aus der zweites Buch der Jugendlieder / Schließe mir die Augen beide (Madžar/Banse)
Schoenberg - Brettl-Lieder (Levine/Norman)
Berg - Sieben frühe Lieder, orchestral ver. (Abbado/von Otter) / Altenberg Lieder (Abbado/Banse)

Lieder fest! Maybe I should add some Webern, too?


----------



## martijn

Bach - mass in B minor
Beethoven - String quartet C# minor
Mozart - Le Nozze di figaro

Ok, now let's wait and see.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to La Mer by Debussy. Trying to memorize all the parts to it. It is incredibly dense. 4th time listening to it. I have it on repeat.


----------



## opus55

Berg: Chamber Concerto
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12


----------



## science

This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've heard these. One of many, many things I've bought in the past 2 or 3 years and haven't had time to get back to.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *featuring the New York Philharmonic helmed by Leonard Bernstein.
Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *once again performed by the New York Philharmonic under Maestro Bernstein's baton.


----------



## PetrB

Barber ~ Leontyne Price, Thomas Schippers, "Knoxville, Summer of 1915"


----------



## Moira

There was another thread where there was a discussion on the levels of listening from active concentration through to background music. Right now I have the local classical music station on in the background. They tend to play a mix of relatively short pieces and extracts from pieces. This morning they have had an enjoyable mix which has included some violin and piano favourites.


----------



## Crudblud

Bruckner - Symphony No. 5 (Karajan)


----------



## Lisztian

Over the next few days i'll be listening to Beethoven's Piano Sonatas, Op. 53 on, Daniel Barenboim performing. Also works from the various TC lists, and recorded stuff from the radio.


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Bolero*

Listening to a compilation set of Orchestral Works by French composers - as you would expect the performances are all great!


----------



## Crudblud

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130 (Alban Berg SQ)

Complete with the Große Fugue! Actually, I should say it's more a hybrid between the original and second versions, it features the Große Fugue as the sixth, but adds the finale of the second version as the seventh and final movement.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Crudblud said:


> Beethoven - String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130 (Alban Berg SQ)
> 
> Complete with the Große Fugue! Actually, I should say it's more a hybrid between the original and second versions, it features the Große Fugue as the sixth, but adds the finale of the second version as the seventh and final movement.


Has to be the best version of no. 13 _and_ Große Fuge I've ever come across. ABQ are the best when it comes to Beethoven SQs.


----------



## Crudblud

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Has to be the best version of no. 13 _and_ Große Fuge I've ever come across. ABQ are the best when it comes to Beethoven SQs.


I got their full set from the library, so that's good to know!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The best interpretation in the world of the best string quartet movement in the world which also happens to be the best fugue in the world played by the best string quartet in the world (other than Kronos Quartet):






Best Beethoven you can find on YouTube!


----------



## Crudblud

^I never really got in to Kronos much, but maybe it was unfair of me to dismiss them on their Berg and Webern alone.

Also: Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1 (Rozhdestvensky / Kremer)


----------



## Chrythes

Yeah they are great, but sometimes they sound a bit too rough and muddy!
I happen to listen to Beethoven SQ Nos.13 just played by Takacs Quartet. I really like their tone, but sometimes they seem to take too much liberty with certain moments.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Chrythes said:


> Yeah they are great, but sometimes they sound a bit too rough and muddy!


Exactly the way I like it!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tchaikovsky symphony no. 6. 
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Oleg Caetani.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Tchaikovsky symphony no. 6.
> Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Oleg Caetani.


Now I listen to nos. 2 and 3.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling this future release, Volume 3 of Hamelin Haydn Piano Sonatas. I've pulled the trigger.

View attachment 4554


Hyperion release info:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67882


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> Listening to La Mer by Debussy. Trying to memorize all the parts to it. It is incredibly dense. 4th time listening to it. I have it on repeat.


You're a nut, you know that.


----------



## neoshredder

Done with La Mer. Onto the Best of Shostakovich. This guy doesn't get enough attention. I like him almost as much as Dvorak and Tchaikovsky. Maybe more. Though this is the best of him.


----------



## Vaneyes

Richard Strauss: Aus Italien, Don Juan, with BPO/Muti (rec. 1989).

Great affinity here. It's a shame this collaboration didn't do more of this composer.

View attachment 4556


----------



## kv466

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no.2 in g-minor, op. 16
Vassily Sinaisky conducts Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai
Yefim Bronfman, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling this K. 427, with happy birthdays to Natalie Dessay and Veronique Gens, in mind.

View attachment 4557


View attachment 4558
View attachment 4559


----------



## Taneyev

Sergei Taneyev: suite for violin and orch.Oistrakh-Eliasberg

Miaskovsky: cello sonata 2

Enescu: Rumanian raphsody 1 on piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Occasionally, when the brain needs a reset, this set of Berio Sequenzas can be a useful tool. :tiphat:

View attachment 4563


----------



## NightHawk

Reading and listening to these this morning. I have the original hardback published in English in 1979, given to me recently by a friend. Solomon Volkov is the 'brilliant young musicologist' who recorded these memories and observations some four years before the composer's death in 1975. Engaging from the first page, here is one interesting observation:

_I appreciate Glazunov's greatness, but how can I make others understand it? Especially the young. The young students pass the bust of Glazunov in the Leningrad Conservatory every day, and they don't even turn their heads - I've watched._ p.30


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Occasionally, when the brain needs a reset, this set of Berio Sequenzas can be a useful tool. :tiphat:


I'll join you! I haven't pulled these out in a long time.


----------



## PetrB

Moira said:


> There was another thread where there was a discussion on the levels of listening from active concentration through to background music. Right now I have the local classical music station on in the background. They tend to play a mix of relatively short pieces and extracts from pieces. This morning they have had an enjoyable mix which has included some violin and piano favourites.


Online, streaming, free, live and access to archive programs, WFMT.com --Simply one of the best, and other than a one hour a.m. rush hour slot, where they play single movements and shorter pieces, WFMT tends to play Complete Works without interruption!


----------



## Conor71

*Philip Glass: Glassworks*


----------



## Pizzicato

*Gossec - Symphony "Pastorella" in D Major*


----------



## clavichorder

Here is a fantastic performance of this wonderful set of symphonies, ALL OF THEM, on youtube. Possibly for a limited time. Just thought I'd share, for those of you who haven't heard them. The G Major one on the offset is a very fine piece, but I'm particularly fond of the A major and B minor string symphonies.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphonies Nos. 101 through 104*.

In my little listening corner, when it comes to these Haydn symphonies, Beecham's the man. EMI did a great job remastering these; though they were recorded in 1958 and 1959, you can't tell they're that old.


----------



## PetrB

clavichorder said:


> Here is a fantastic performance of this wonderful set of symphonies, ALL OF THEM, on youtube. Possibly for a limited time. Just thought I'd share, for those of you who haven't heard them. The G Major one on the offset is a very fine piece, but I'm particularly fond of the A major and B minor string symphonies.


These are delightful - thanks for the link.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Marvelous disc!!


----------



## Cnote11

Erik Satie's Piano Works I did listen to last night and this morning

Now currently listening to Maurice Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit


----------



## Crudblud

Messiaen - Catalogue d'oiseaux Book I (Muraro)

I like the recording, although Roger has this weird noise he makes sometimes that sounds like "zhyum".

Edit:

Dvořák - Symphony No. 8 (Kertész)


----------



## opus55

Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Cnote11

Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi. Finally got my tickets today to see him play some of his piano compositions and some new material next month.


----------



## neoshredder

There should be a 9 hour time period between posts about Current Listening. No offense Cnote11. We all know you love Satie. Right now I'm listening to nothing. It's right up there with Cage's 4'33.


----------



## Cnote11

No offense neoshredder, but I haven't posted in this thread for nearly four days.

And the fact that my post wasn't even about Satie... come on now


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoying listening to Tony Banks' (yes...the former Genesis band member) latest classical work called Six Pieces For Orchestra. Some really beautiful melodies here and worth a listen by those who like modern classical music without dissonance. The Third piece has some incredible violin playing by Charlie Siem. I also enjoyed his previous release called Seven - A Suite For Orchestra but I think this new work shows some real growth by Banks as a composer.










Also, earlier I listened to a stunningly beautiful album of Strauss lieder with Diana Damrau. Her voice is just simply glorious! Now I'll have to check out her other albums soon!










Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:
*John Adams--*Short Ride in a Fast Machine * 
Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3
*Both works are performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> No offense neoshredder, but I haven't posted in this thread for nearly four days.
> 
> And the fact that my post wasn't even about Satie... come on now


 You win. My last post was too critical. It's funny I criticize you for the same reason you criticized me. Mentioning a name too much. Satie/Tangerine Dream.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening now to Michael Torke again. I am really enjoying this album the more I listen to it but still after several listens now my favorite piece remains the first piece called An American Abroad. It really has some great melody moments that keeps your attention through the entire piece. The other works on the album are also very good but not on the same level as An American Abroad in my opinion.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> You win. My last post was too critical. It's funny I criticize you for the same reason you criticized me. Mentioning a name too much. Satie/Tangerine Dream.


I never criticized you for that! I told you it was only a joke  I honestly would not care if you went around relating every post you made to Tangerine Dream.


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> I never criticized you for that! I told you it was only a joke  I honestly would not care if you went around relating every post you made to Tangerine Dream.


Yeah and the joke was on me. But seriously Stratosfear is worth a listen. But Tangerine Dream got too prolific and their later stuff is not for everyone. I hardly listen to Tangerine Dream these days btw. I'm more of a Classical Music listener than ever.


----------



## clavichorder

So lush! I enjoy this one a lot.


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> Yeah and the joke was on me. But seriously Stratosfear is worth a listen. But Tangerine Dream got too prolific and their later stuff is not for everyone. I hardly listen to Tangerine Dream these days btw. I'm more of a Classical Music listener than ever.


Well I happen to like Tangerine Dream  At least their earlier stuff. Never heard any of the later stuff. Quite the large discography.


----------



## peeyaj

*Piano concerto time!!*

Piano Concerto in A minor - Edvard Grieg

Piano Concerto in A minor - Robert Schumann

Piano Concerto no. 21 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wanderer Fantasy transcribed for piano and orchestra - Franz Liszt/Franz Schubert

The first two was played by the incomparable, Claudio Arrau. The Mozart, played by Murray Perahia. The last by Jeno Jando.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach's Symphonies/Cello Concerto. Great cd btw.


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Adventures, Nouvelle Adventures*

Now playing Disc 5 of the Ligeti Project again - this is the hardest Disc to listen to out of this set but it's also the funniest so I do like it!. I will follow up the Ligeti with Disc 15 from the Secret Labyrinth Box which features sacred works by Rebelo.


----------



## Sonata

Selecting from this box set for the first time, the Horn Trio. The performance is by the Nash Ensemble. I'm just on the first movement, but so far it's wonderful.


----------



## Sonata

peeyaj said:


> *Piano concerto time!!*
> 
> Piano Concerto in A minor - Edvard Grieg
> 
> Piano Concerto in A minor - Robert Schumann
> 
> Piano Concerto no. 21 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
> 
> Wanderer Fantasy transcribed for piano and orchestra - Franz Liszt/Franz Schubert
> 
> The first two was played by the incomparable, Claudio Arrau. The Mozart, played by Murray Perahia. The last by Jeno Jando.


Excellent lineup!


----------



## Badinerie

Wagner strangely enough...an old Decca Lp (LXT 2644) Paul Schoeffler singing "Wotans Farewell and Magic Fire music" I think the lp is fairly knackered but what a lovely Bass Baritone!


----------



## Sonata

Same boxed set, now onto the Piano Trio #1


----------



## AndyS

Ahhh Tebaldi


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Atmospheres*.

I'm loving the sounds here. It reminds me in a sense of Schoenberg's Farben from his Five Pieces for Orchestra, so it's a good frame of reference, though more is going on in this piece.

Then on to the Sonata for Solo Cello. Listening to this, I'm getting images of the Cellist of Sarajevo.


----------



## tgtr0660

Today, back to Schumann for a day (two actually):


----------



## neoshredder

Put all my String Quartets together through Itunes to my Ipod. Right now listening to Haydn's String Quartet. Got Beethoven, Debussy, Boccherini, Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky coming up. The only one I got the full cycle right now is Beethoven but will get the Dvorak full cycle coming soon in the mail. My next full cycle will be probably my favorite. Haydn!


----------



## kv466

Here we go, Science!


----------



## Pizzicato




----------



## Vaneyes

Playing "Harold" for JEG's birthday.

View attachment 4573


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 1 In C Major, Op. 49*

Making my way through this Cycle again which is my second favourite after Villa-Lobos - now playing Disc 1.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3 In F Major, Op. 73*

Listening to this 2 Disc set in its entirety which includes a lot of Shostakovich's best Chamber Music. On the first Disc are the 3rd and 7th SQ's and the Cello Sonata while on Disc 2 (my favourite of the set) there is the 2 Piano Trios and the awesome Piano Quintet


----------



## neoshredder

Getting into Modern a little. Listening to Toru Takemitsu - Orchestral Works


----------



## Pizzicato

*Bach - BWV 578 "Little" Fugue in G Minor*


----------



## PetrB

Kevin Pearson said:


> Really enjoying listening to Tony Banks' (yes...the former Genesis band member) latest classical work called Six Pieces For Orchestra. Some really beautiful melodies here and worth a listen by those who like modern classical music without dissonance.


Uh, there is not one piece of music made up of other than one note or one note in unison that does not have "dissonance."

And... Here's another amazing voice, Nathalie Stutzman, Contralto, conducting and singing a Haendel aria: Cara Sposa, a display of astonishing musicianship


----------



## kv466




----------



## PetrB

*Nathalie Stuzman, astonishing musicianship*

Nathalie Stutzman, conducting and singing the Haendel aria, Cara Sposa. Astonishingly good


----------



## Vaneyes

Ravel Piano Concerti with the late great de Larrocha.

View attachment 4575


----------



## Guest

About to go to a concert featuring Brahms's Nanie and Schicksalslied, two grossly under-performed pieces. Brahms's large choral works are simply beautiful and masterful, I wish they were played more often.


----------



## neoshredder

In the mood for comforting music. I know not many Albinoni fans on here. I love it though.


----------



## Taneyev

Alexander Taneyev string quartet 1

Carnaval op.9.Godowsky

Selection of pieces by Vasa Prihoda.


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Melodien*

Listening to Disc 1 of the Ligeti Project set and will follow this up with the Xenakis Disc


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36, *both featuring John Eliot Gardiner leading the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Toccata & Fugue In D Minor, BWV 565*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this great set


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My second favourite symphony:






Try and guess what my all time favourite is?


----------



## Guest

Tonight I'm listening to Helene Grimaud playing "Piano" Concerto in D Minor by BAch. This was actually the Sinfonia to the "Magnificat" when I last heard it, performed in the Musikverein with Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus. These days it seems to be played as a separate 'concerto'. Grimaud's account (of this 1st movement) is fabulous and you can hear all the textures inside the piece. Bach is the godhead!!


----------



## NightHawk

http://www.amazon.com/Lully-Complet...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1335011527&sr=1-1

Pic is an invalid type, so just a link.

Anyway, these _Grand Motets_ by Jean-Baptiste Lully affairs are large works for Louis XIV and the court of Versailles. They include double choir, full orchestra with a large complement of plucked instruments as continuo. They use many choruses and vocal ensembles of great beauty plus arias and recitative, and generally flow directly from one section to another. They are much in the style of opera of the time, their texts are, however, mostly taken from the Psalms and other scripture. Lully is masterful, and I highly recommend these if you enjoy French Baroque music from this period. (Each of the three volumes may be bought separately).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Hildegard of Bingen, A Feather on the Breath of God*.

One nice thing about using Webinars for Continuing Education points is, when they take a lunch break, I can kick back and throw on some nice music.


----------



## sheffmark

Really enjoyed listening to this!


----------



## violadude

I just found one of those crazy gems written by a baroque era composer that has moments that sound waaayy ahead of its time.


----------



## Cnote11

If that piece were written today, violadude, it wouldn't be worth listening to.










Listening to Songs by Ravel.


----------



## Cnote11

Dutoit version of Daphnis et Chloe.


----------



## TheBamf

Fratres by Arvo Pärt


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TheBamf said:


> Fratres by Arvo Pärt


Which version? My favourite is the one for violin and piano.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Cello Suites are among my absolute favorite works... ever since I first came upon them in performance by Yo Yo Ma. Beside the first recording of the suites by Ma, I have recordings of the suites by Pierre Fournier, Janos Starker, and Paul Tortelier... and I have heard the recordings by Casals and Rostropovich on more than one occasion. For whatever reason... part of it, I think is due to the tonality of the venue in which the recording was made... I have (until now) never been keen on Rostropovich' version of the suites. After having watched this documentary on Rostropovich recently...:






... I found myself wanting to give Rostropovich another listen. Browsing through Amazon... I stumbled upon this live recording made at the Prague Spring music festival. Rostropovich had a special relationship with Prague. It was the first city outside of the Soviet Union that he had visited. It was in Prague that Rostropovich met the brilliant Russian singer, Galina Vishnevskaya and married her 3 days later... without even having heard her sing a single note. Rostropovich appeared at the Prague Spring festival 7 times, but refused to perform there again following the Soviet crackdown in 1968 as a result of the period of liberalization known (ironically) as The Prague Spring. He did not return until 1991 after the final member of the Soviet occupational force had left Czechoslovakia. This recording was made in 1955... at his third appearance at the Prague Spring festival. The recording clearly shows its age and the fact that the performance was live... and yet the cello sounds rich and closely miked... and yet there is also a sense of the space of the hall... and the performance is stunning... all the more-so considering the cellist was but 27 years old.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> I just found one of those crazy gems written by a baroque era composer that has moments that sound waaayy ahead of its time.


Haha, I love the drunken soldiers movement! I played the viola 2 part in a performance of this last year. It is so much fun to play!


----------



## Cnote11

TheBamf said:


> Fratres by Arvo Pärt


Well, we know someone is crying right now.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Well, we know someone is crying right now.


I cried when I listened to that for the first time.


----------



## TheBamf

Cnote11 said:


> Well, we know someone is crying right now.


You can't fault me, it is healthy to be acquainted with your emotions.

Are you a fan of the soundtrack, the movie, the character or the lot of it? I am referring to your Spirited Away avatar: )


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Chamber Symphony 1, Gurrelieder, Verklarte Nacht, with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/ACO Mbrs./Chailly.

View attachment 4585


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams, Dona Nobis Pacem*.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Toccatas*

Now playing Disc 1 of Goulds Toccatas set then will play Goulds Inventions & Sinfonias Disc followed up by Disc 2 of the Toccatas


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works feature Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, * both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Duh... I posted my comments about this disc of Rostropovich performing Bach's cello suites live... but forgot to add the image of the disc in question:










As I'm still listening to this set... I'll post the image now.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 In F Major, BWV 1046*

Neville Marriner & ASMF play Bach - one of my first Classical purchases and probably my first box-set of anything. Wonderful set! I will try to listen to it in its entirety today. I will also attempt to listen to the rest of Richters Bach organ Works set.
Now playing Disc 1 of the Marriner set and will follow this up with Disc 2 of the Richter


----------



## opus55

Schmidt: Symphony No. 4
Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 11

















I think I'll be listening to Schmidt often.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*J.S. Bach--*Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F, BWV 1046 and Brandenburg Concerto No.2 in F, BWV 1047, *both featuring The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields led by Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Toccata & Fugue In F Major, BWV 540*

I have'nt listened to any Bach in ages until yesterday - a bit of an oversight as he is supposed to be my favourite Composer!. I've had fun re-arranging the Bach collection on my iPod today and re-listening to my Glenn Gould recordings, they really are something else!. Now playing Disc 3 of the Richter Organ works set and then will play the final Disc in the Marriner set. After this I may play some more Beethoven Piano Sonatas .


----------



## Taneyev

More historical rarities:

Sarasate Carmen Fantasy: Oistrakh

Ravel string quartet. International quartet, first recording, 1923

Schumann piano trio 3: Gilels-Kogan-Rostropovich


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Chandos Anthem No. 10, The Lord Is My Light*.

Handel sure knew how to write for choruses; everything is so clear. And having texts sung in English is a bonus for those of us who are monolingual.









StLukes inspired me to start the Rostropovich documentary. I'm interrupting it to hear his recording of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1.


----------



## Cnote11

Shostakovich - The Jazz Album


----------



## kv466

Mozart - Piano Concerto no.10 in e-flat, kv365
English Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim, piano
Georg Solti, piano


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Working my way through the 10-CD set *Mengelberg*- _Maestro Apassionato_.

I picked this up used at a place in Princeton, at a cost of c. $2.00/disc.
It was one of my better uses of a "Jackson*."

(*since here in America, it's Andrew Jackson's face that's on a $20 bill, a "Jackson" refers to that amount...)


----------



## TheComposer

Debussy's La Mer


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Seems like a nice morning for something relaxing.










Kevin


----------



## sheffmark

I'm currently listening to this!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some of Prokofiev's most beautiful music for orchestra.


----------



## Moira

Telemann. A mixed bag on a cheap CD I got early on when I started collecting.


----------



## Cnote11

Rameau's Pièces de clavecin en concerts, numbers 1 & 4


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## Cnote11

TheBamf said:


>


Listening to John Cage I see.

Edit: The picture finally showed up. Before it was just a small strip of blank whiteness... Peer Gynt! One of my favorites <3


----------



## Cnote11

I've been listening to that Ravel's Songs album non-stop since yesterday. Also listened to this:









A small collection of Debussy's songs

I also decided to listen to Rameau's third piece in that series, and perhaps the fifth as well. Might finish it off with the second; who knows!

Edit: Yes, yes. I did listen to 3 and 5. Now about to listen to 2.


----------



## Vaneyes

Albéniz: Iberia; Granados: Goyescas, with de Larrocha.
View attachment 4597


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm slowly working my way through an embarrassingly tall couple of stacks of opera recordings that I have yet to listen to. Today's opera of choice is this recording of Strauss' _Elektra_ for the simple reason that I must have 6 or so Strauss operas in these stacks... and 2 versions of _Elektra_.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Working my way through the 10-CD set *Mengelberg*- _Maestro Apassionato_.
> 
> I picked this up used at a place in Princeton, at a cost of c. $2.00/disc.


Lucky dog! I've gotten away from visiting my used CD store since it moved six miles away further, but you're reminding me of the goodies I'm probably missing.


----------



## clavichorder

Recordings of two of CPE's top notch solo keyboard sonata sets as well as some miscellaneous ones can be found on this website. http://www.mp3classicalmusic.net/Composers/bachcpe.htm

The performance is satisfactory to give you a good sense of the content of the sonatas. More pianists should play these. Prussian and particularly the Wurttemburg are masterful sets, but a favorite of mine that is non existent as a piano repertoire set is the "Sonatas with Varied Reprises" set. Too bad I haven't found those yet.


----------



## NightHawk

*Jean-Baptiste Lully - Armide - Les Arts Florissants - DVD*









This is a superlative work, and performance by _Les Arts Florissants_. The opera and music become more and more beautiful as the story of Armide, the sorceress unfolds. Stephanie d'Oustrac in the title role is probably without equal as Armide - not only is she beautiful to look at, her full, rich soprano (a Spinto, perhaps) is, frankly, perfect. An exhausting role that she carries magnificently in her small frame.

The production begins and ends in modern dress - present day tourists touring Versailles running about, and then through a wonderful stroke of inspiration all are converted back to 17th century France. Though the costumes are a monochromatic silver (instead of Versailles blue) - Armide's costuming, from the better racks of Victoria's Secret, is by contrast a brilliant vermilion/red - the effect is mesmerizing. Also, the silver sets and costumes react well with the lighting and so the overall production is brilliant and great to see.

William Christie is a genius, and his baby, _Les Arts Florissants_, is a world treasure.

Highy recommended: 5 *****'s


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslawski, Cello Concerto*.

Written for Rostropovich when Slava was under attack by the Soviet authorities, his is a moving recording.


----------



## Cnote11

Oh yay, wonderful Manxfeeder. I have that album and it is great stuff.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

More of my favourite composer of the Classical period. This time the harpsichord concerto in C minor (which really should be played on fortepiano IMO)


----------



## clavichorder

CPE Bach, the avant garde of the classical-baroque transition. He was badass. Over 100 Harpsichord Concertos. I like that one in C Minor, but there is another one in that same key that is among his best pieces.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Can never get enough of this incredible symphony.


----------



## clavichorder

^^^^
Agreed. Possibly his best piece.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## clavichorder

We're on a roll Coag! These symphonies with all the winds are all from the 1770s. The F major one is also very nice. The second best after the D major one you posted above is probably the G major one. I would put Three of the string symphonies in league and possibly above the F major and E flat major symphony. 

With the Berlin symphonies, you can still really enjoy yourself especially with a good performance, and he outdoes pretty much any of his contemporaries, but in all honesty they mostly don't hold up to the raw awesomeness of the string symphonies and the later four.

I only know those symphonies.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## clavichorder

Coag, do you know these?
Adagio and Fugue Sinfonia




Sinfonia and D



And part of the F major sinfonia





His older brother, less prolific, less influential, and less polished, but arguably more ingenious. Very concentrated and bumpy sound. He's winking at you from my avatar.


----------



## clavichorder

Some of these recordings you've found on youtube are better than the one's I have. I thank you for giving me an opportunity to hear them fresh.


----------



## clavichorder

A very intense period performance of one of the best Berlin Symphonies






And here it is! Here is my second favorite of the later symphonies in G major, fantastic performance


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

clavichorder said:


> Coag, do you know these?
> Adagio and Fugue Sinfonia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sinfonia and D
> 
> 
> 
> And part of the F major sinfonia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> His older brother, less prolific, less influential, and less polished, but arguably more ingenious. Very concentrated and bumpy sound. He's winking at you from my avatar.


I have heard of WF Bach but never listened to his music. Thanks for the YouTube videos!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Along with Glen Gould (by whom I have a great slew of recordings) member kv4666 has repeatedly championed the pianist Earl Wild. Admittedly, I have, until now, never heard the least thing by him. I picked up this one on recommendations from a number of sources (here and elsewhere):










Having just popped it into the CD player 15 minutes ago all I can say is... Jesus Christ!!! Where has this guy been? How is it that I haven't stumbled upon him earlier? All I can figure is that the guy never recorded for one of the major classical labels (DG, EMI, Decca, Angel, Dutton, Mercury, Colombia, Sony, etc...) but rather for the rather small label, Ivory Classics.

I will definitely need to explore other recordings by Wild.


----------



## Cnote11

And they say Stockhausen isn't better than Mozart.


----------



## opus55

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## ProudSquire

Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor 'Farewell'


----------



## kv466

Johann Fasch - Quartet for 2 Oboes and 2 Bassoons in d-minor
Ingo Goritzki/Burkhard Glaetzner, oboes
Thomas Reinhardt/Lutz Klepel, bassoons


----------



## TheComposer

John Cage's 4'33" would you consider that 'listening' to something?


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Chorale Settings*

Listening to Disc 13 of this excellent set then I will listen to Disc 12 of the same set which has the Kirnberger Chorales on it


----------



## Chrythes

The horror is strong with this one.


----------



## presto

Gatti (1740-1817)

Three delightful Classical concertos, in period-instrument performances, made live in Mantua and Milan. The scores have been dusted off and freshly edited, and reveal a musical voice not circumscribed by time or place: he adjusted to the new, more complex, post-Classical style led by Hummel in the decades after Mozart's death, as the Piano Concerto shows.


----------



## Taneyev

Gyula David , viola concerto

Radamés Gnattali, harp and string orch. concerto

Hubay, Fantasie Tziganesque op.4 for violin and piano.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rachmaninov, 2nd Piano Concerto.

After reading Stlukes' previous post, I'm listening to this on Spotify, performed by Earl Wild and Jasha Horenstein.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating the birthday of Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857 - 1919) with...


----------



## tgtr0660

Getting to know JS Bach's predecessor in Leipzig:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Stockhausen, Piano Music.

I don't now _exactly _what he's doing here; this is my first exposure to these pieces. But on first hearing, they are accessible and sound to me as if Webern had just left the room. (And that's meant as a sincere compliment.)


----------



## Itullian

Schiff Plays Johann Sebastion Bach on youtube

some of the best Bach playing i've heard


----------



## Conor71

*Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition*

Listening to this cool Disc of Russian Orchestral Music


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Cnote11

Best piece EVER ^^ (not quite, but close) Pierrot Lunaire <3


----------



## opus55

Debussy: La Mer / Rhapsodie pour orchestre et clarinette principale / Danses pour harpe et orchestre
Mendehlssohn: Overture "The Hebrides" ("Fingal's Cave")

















Listening to overture while deciding to what to play next


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And they say Stockhausen isn't better than Mozart.

"They" would be right.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc two of this fabulous recording. I actually picked this set up for the simple reason that only recently I realized I didn't have all of Rachmaninoff's concertos. I have the brilliant performances by Van Cliburn with Kondrashin of the 2nd and 3rd, but the complete set I had of Ashkenazy was stolen some years ago and I just never got around to replacing it... although I thought I had. These performances, to my mind, are far more thrilling than Ashkenazy's IMO.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back to my recent fixation with Rostropovich... not that Oistrakh was chopped liver.


----------



## kv466

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Disc two of this fabulous recording. I actually picked this set up for the simple reason that only recently I realized I didn't have all of Rachmaninoff's concertos. I have the brilliant performances by Van Cliburn with Kondrashin of the 2nd and 3rd, but the complete set I had of Ashkenazy was stolen some years ago and I just never got around to replacing it... although I thought I had. These performances, to my mind, are far more thrilling than Ashkenazy's IMO.


In my opinion, too! You have picked yourself up the finest Rachmaninov Piano Concerto set I can imagine and this is most certainly one of the ones I have explored beyond thoroughly. I'm even more happy that you are appreciating it for what it is!


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


Hah, I just listened to Gruppen also, and Zyklus and Gesang der Jünglinge. All after seeing a great documentation about the world premiere of "Sonntag aus Licht" on german TV earlier. Now I switched to Xenakis and some of his powerfull works. Right now listening to Dämmerschein. Such a dense and heavy piece. I love it.


----------



## Cnote11

I went to like CoAG's Gruppen post, but then I remembered that Dodecaplex forbid me from liking anything.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Thank you. You warm my heart with an abundance of joy and hope. I truly mean it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> I went to like CoAG's Gruppen post, but then I remembered that Dodecaplex forbid me from liking anything.


_Why?????????_


----------



## Cnote11

Have...to fight...like reflexes.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

And now to finish my long day some of Mario Davidovskys Sychronisms.


----------



## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> _Why?????????_


You obviously missed the fetish thread. Dodecaplex has a number fetish. My likes given is currently at 1111, which really does it for him (as well as being completely phallic).


----------



## violadude

eighthundredfortynine said:


> Hah, I just listened to Gruppen also, and Zyklus and Gesang der Jünglinge. All after seeing a great documentation about the world premiere of "Sonntag aus Licht" on german TV earlier. Now I switched to Xenakis and some of his powerfull works. Right now listening to Dämmerschein. Such a dense and heavy piece. I love it.


Your post made me want to listen to this "Dammerschein" piece. Listening to it now. My god, Xenakis created absolutely *incredible* sound worlds.


----------



## Cnote11

I like that post, violadude.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> You obviously missed the fetish thread. Dodecaplex has a number fetish. My likes given is currently at 1111, which really does it for him (as well as being completely phallic).


Well go unlike something else and like my post so your "likes given" remains the same.


----------



## Cnote11

That isn't honorable.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> That isn't honorable.


So?.......


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *So?*.......


The answer to everything in life.


----------



## TheComposer

Richard Strauss - Eine Alpensinfonie - Karajan
The first CD ever!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, *featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Bernard Haitnik.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Smetana: Mà Vlast
Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt conducted by Eliahu Inbal










I haven't listened to this CD in years.


----------



## TheComposer

Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 5 - Bernard Haitink - royal concertgebouw orchestra


----------



## peeyaj

*Violin Concerto time!!*

Max Bruch - Violin Concerto in G minor

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major

Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor

Robert Schumann - Violin Concerto

Bruch's is my personal favorite. It's so lyrical, delicate and passionate at the same time! The third movement of Sibelius is superior to any violin concerto movement in 20th century. It's all out war.. I love Tchaikovsky' violin concerto, more than the overplayed piano concerto.. It's energetic and full of sweet melodies.. I adore the third movement! It's like racing with horses. 

The Bruch and Sibelius was played by my favorite contemporary violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, while the Tchaikovsky by Yehuda Menuhin.

I am still warming up with the Schumann. I felt it has so *little and too much tension* in its orchestration. The violin sounds like a piano transcription to me. I am hoping that I would get it this time!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

peeyaj said:


> *Violin Concerto time!!*
> 
> Max Bruch - Violin Concerto in G minor
> 
> Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major
> 
> Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor
> 
> Robert Schumann - Violin Concerto
> 
> Bruch's is my personal favorite. It's so lyrical, delicate and passionate at the same time! The third movement of Sibelius is superior to any violin concerto movement in 20th century. It's all out war.. I love Tchaikovsky' violin concerto, more than the overplayed piano concerto.. It's energetic and full of sweet melodies.. I adore the third movement! It's like racing with horses.
> 
> The Bruch and Sibelius was played by my favorite contemporary violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, while the Tchaikovsky by Yehuda Menuhin.
> 
> I am still warming up with the Schumann. I felt it has so *little and too much tension* in its orchestration. The violin sounds like a piano transcription to me. I am hoping that I would get it this time!


Bruch's violin concerto no. 1 makes me feel stressed and angry.

Currently listening to "Examen" from Donnerstag aus Licht by Stockhausen.


----------



## Taneyev

Today, unfinished unknown/forgotten works:

Prokofiev's solo cello sonata.

Tchaikovsky's flute concerto

Grieg's second string quartet.

Lekeu: string quartet.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling this Mahler (Eloquentia CD), with Sara Mingardo and Musici Aurei, conducted by Luigi Piovano. Arrangements by Riehm and Schoenberg of Kindertotenlieder and Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen. Also, Mahler Quartettsatz, and Busoni Berceuse élégiaque.

I wanted to like this program, but 'twas not to be. I found Mingardo's voice grating, and this was enhanced further by close miking. Musici Aurei's awkward accompaniment makes this production a total miss.

View attachment 4616


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

LvB Eroica with VSOO/Scherchen (rec. 1958). A powerful reading, quickly dispatched. There's a good remastering on a later OOP Universal reissue.

View attachment 4618


----------



## Moira

I've mentioned before that I'm attending a lot of performances of Giselle which the South African Ballet Theatre/Mzansi Productions are producing in Johannesburg. This means I'm listening to the Adolphe Adam music for Giselle a lot. I was struck today with how very, very beautiful the viola piece in Act 2 is and how much the viola sounds like a cello in the former's lower register and the latter's upper one.


----------



## kv466

Mendelssohn - Concerto for violin in e-minor, op.64
Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker w/Anne-Sophie Mutter


----------



## Vaneyes

This Berlioz Requiem is one of the few choral/orchestral monos (live rec. 1959), that I don't find myself screaming for stereo.

Lovingly remastering for BBC Legends, a genuine classic.

View attachment 4619


----------



## kv466




----------



## Badinerie

Listening to Rigeletto 33CX Gobbi - Di - Stefano - Callas. Lovely old Mono pressing.


----------



## TheBamf

Alina by Arvo Pärt


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphony 1, with BPO/*HvK* (rec. 1981, EMI ART remastering 2001).

View attachment 4622


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Selected items from Etude-tableaux, Opp. 33, 39 and Preludes, Opp. 23, 32; Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3. Performed by *Demidenko*, an essential CD for desert island or Siberia.

View attachment 4624


----------



## Vaneyes

Anu Tali in rehearsal.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving yet a second listen to this fabulous disc:










After that? I'll be moving on to some songs performed by Gérard Souzay, the supple, rich baritone who was the French answer to Dietrich Fischer Dieskau. This 4 disc set focuses upon French melodies. I'll be playing disc 3 which is mostly Ravel.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak Violin Concerto.* Joseph Suk on violin with Karel Ancerl directing.









Then Stravinsky's *L'Histoire Du Soldat.* I've said around these parts that Stravinsky doesn't grab me, but that's not really true. This is one of my favorite pieces, as well as the Symphony of Psalms and The Firebird and others if I'd think about it. I guess I should say not all Stravinsky grabs me.

Bruckner consistently grabs me. Right now I'm caught up in the *5th Symphony*'s embrace.


----------



## Taneyev

Shosta's was the first studio recording, but not the first recording. The day before, Oistrakh and Mitropoulos played this concerto live, and it was recorded. It's published, but only as part of a 10 CD box with the historical recordings of the NYPHO. And I have it. A friend traded it with me (only the concerto). It's as good or better that the studio's


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint and Different Trains.


----------



## Sonata

Dvorak Requiem.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have long been a fan of orchestral songs. The genre includes some of my absolute favorite works: Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_, Richard Strauss' _Four Last Songs_ (among other works in this genre), Berlioz's _Nuits d'Ete_, Chausson's _Poème de l'amour et de la mer_, Peter Lieberson's _Neruda Songs_, Joseph Marx _Orchestral Songs_, Othmar Schoeck's _Notturno_, etc... I only wish Schubert had written works in the genre.

Recently, I stumbled upon the following:










The composers include Sir C. Hubert H. Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford, Ivor Gurney, and Gerald Finzi. These works are unquestionably English (for better or worse). There are elements that clearly suggest English choral music (a genre not unknown to these composers). Indeed, these works are far removed from delicate Impressionistic French melodies of the time or the German lieder. Rather I sense elements that suggest the oratorios of Elgar or the Sea Symphony of Vaughan-Williams.


----------



## kv466




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: And Do They Do





















My five year old sister is obsessed.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Starting my day with Rzewskis "The people united will never be defeated". Hamelin 1999 on Hyperion.

Edit: Hm I think I don´t really like it. Going for a classic instead: Beethoven Op. 106. Brautigam BIS.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43, *featuring the NHK Symphony Orchestra led by Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.15, Op.141, *performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Ashkenazy.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nigel Westlake: Hinchinbrook Riffs
Slava Grigoryan, guitar and digital delay






I want to play this. It's my favourite piece for guitar at the moment.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Sonata For Violin & Harpsichord No. 6 In G Major, BWV 1019*

Disc 1 of the Podger/Pinnock followed by Disc 3 of the Marriner/ASMF


----------



## Chrythes

Extraordinary playing by Bream. Very warm, expressive and joyful music. Those hot slow days...


----------



## Badinerie

I only have time this morning for a one disc Bruckner's eighth,:lol: so this is the one.


----------



## peeyaj

*Winterreise* by Franz Schubert sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with accompaniment of Jörge Demus.


----------



## TheComposer

A rarely heard work by R. Strauss.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7*.

I'm comparing Jochum's DG recording with the later EMI version. I have the DG cycle, and I'm wondering if I really need the Musical Heritage Society remastering of the later cycle.


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## Manxfeeder

TheBamf said:


>


The Nashville Ballet is performing that with The Firebird this weekend. Unfortunately, I'm booked up all weekend, so I'll miss it.  So I'm having my own performance in my head.


----------



## Vaneyes

Myaskovsky Piano Sonatas 1 - 6, etc. with Murray McLachlan.

View attachment 4649
View attachment 4650


----------



## Vaneyes

Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87, with Scherbakov.

View attachment 4651


----------



## kv466

Ernst von Dohnanyi - Variations on a Nursery Song, Op.25 / Capriccio in F minor
Christoph von Dohnanyi conducts the New Philharmonia Orchestra
Earl Wild al piano


----------



## Taneyev

Gyula David: viola concerto.

Busoni: violin sonata "No 0"

Faure: piano quartet 1, Gilels-Kogan-Rostropovich.


----------



## kv466

Franz Krommer - Dual clarinet concerto in e-flat, op.35
Kenneth Sillito conducts the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sabine Meyer / Julian Bliss, clarinets


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Piano Trio*, then *Haydn, The Seasons*.

I'm not taking well to the Beaux Arts Trio's recording; the first movement is played with a brittle feel (if that makes sense). But then again, I'm used to the Trio Wanderer's version. When it comes to The Seasons, vocal music is John Eliot Gardiner's forte, and he makes the most of this cheerful celebration of nature.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ruggles,* Sun Treader* and other works.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Frederic Mompou, Piano Music, Volume 2*.

Mompou wrote slight but lovely piano music. The performances here are nicely done but don't match Stephen Hough or Herbert Henck.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While adding a good bit to my collection of recordings by Rostropovich I thought to pick up this one as well... after all, both Starker and the cello have been long-term favorites.


----------



## Cnote11

Bunch of random Debussy pieces.


----------



## opus55

No.1 concertos from Prokofiev and Shostakovich by Vengerov and Rostropovich


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Gustav Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (1905)*
This is the first Mahler work I've gotten familiar with that wasn't a symphony (of which I'm familiar with all). At 25 minutes in length and no real bombast, this is a refreshing change of pace, and because of this I recommend the work to anyone that has previously disregarded Mahler for those reasons. The song cycle, which sings of the death of children, is expressive, masterfully written, and often times transcendent. Each movement is as beautiful as the next, filled with lush orchestration, and soaring melodic lines. It's difficult to pick out specific highlights because the entire thing is just so good. If you're in the mood for subdued melancholy at its most gorgeous, check this out.

*Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1963)*
This short work is a standard piece for clarinetists, along side the Brahms and Saint-Saens. Also like the Brahms and Saint-Saens, the work was written at the end of the composers life, and in a conservative idiom for the time. The sonata can best be described as expertly written, but without anything too profound to say. The second movement is particularly beautiful, in its restrained but flowing melodic lines. The finale is a lot of fun as well, though perhaps a little short. Overall a fun, acrobatic, and smartly written piece.

*Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (1976)*
One of the masterworks of the late 20th century, I saved Reich's _Music for 18 Musicians_ for last in my quest to get acquainted with the big minimalist pieces (_In C, De Staat, Grand Pianola Music_). This is probably my favorite of the bunch. At about an hour in length the piece is divided into several sections, each involving different members of the 18, with many switching instruments throughout. The work has a certain ebb and flow to it, and if the constantly changing timbres aren't enough, certainly the well built climaxes of each section can provide heaps of enjoyment for the listener. This is a piece best heard live, as you won't get the same kind of warmth and vibrancy as you would on a recording. Hearing it live is like being wrapped in a warm blanket and falling into the most comfortable sleep. And once it's over you don't know if you've been out hours, or just mere minutes. A transcendent and just really cool piece.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finally pulled this one out of the stack:










I picked it up earlier this year when I was going through an obsession with Anne-Sophie Mutter:



















And how could you not love this woman? Sh'es not only a brilliant violinist, but she's also brought attention to violin repertoire long ignored... 20th century and living contemporary composers (Henryk Wieniawski, Gabriel Fauré, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm, Sebastian Currier, Jean Sibelius, Erich Korngold, Henri Dutilleux, Bela Bartok, Sofia Gubaidulina, etc...). At the same time, she's no slouch with the core traditional repertoire... nor is she half bad looking.


----------



## Dowd

After both kv466 and cnote11 went through listening bouts with this earlier this year, I decided to pick up this set. It'll certainly put a little pep in your step.

Thomas Hammes [trumpet] • European Chamber Soloists [Nicol Matt]
Torelli
Trumpet Concertos
Brilliant Classics


----------



## neoshredder

Dowd said:


> View attachment 4665
> 
> 
> After both kv466 and cnote11 went through listening bouts with this earlier this year, I decided to pick up this set. It'll certainly put a little pep in your step.
> 
> Thomas Hammes [trumpet] • European Chamber Soloists [Nicol Matt]
> Torelli
> Trumpet Concertos
> Brilliant Classics


This one seems to get much higher ratings. I plan to get this one soon.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Recently I've been fleshing out my collection of Mahler. I've long had every symphony by him, but in many cases I had but a single recording of these. As Mahler's grown in my esteem I've found myself wanting to explore alternative recordings... especially of my favorite symphonies.

In this instance the recording is of a live performance by Bruno Walter with the Vienna Phiharmonic performing in Vienna in 1938. This particular recording has great historical worth. It was Bruno Walter who gave this symphony its first performance a year after Mahler's death. This performance was the swansong of the Vienna Philharmonic under their great conductor, Walter. A few weeks after this recording, Walter showed up as a bewildered refugee in Paris. A few weeks after that the Germans annexed Austria and there was no chance of hearing Mahler performed by the Vienna Philharmonic until the end of the war.

The sound on this recording is surprisingly good considering both the date of the recording and the fact that it was recorded live. Of course Dutton was famous for the quality of its recordings. While the sound can be a bit "sharp" at times, there is a real sense of depth to the orchestra... something quite rare in orchestral recordings prior to the 1950s. The performance itself is edgy, tense, and laden with emotion.

I would not choose this recording as my sole recording of the 9th... but it is a fabulous musical document.


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> This one seems to get much higher ratings. I plan to get this one soon.


Doesn't look to be complete though! Interesting though... wouldn't mind hearing more takes on it. The only set really is lovely, though.


----------



## poconoron

Mozart Divertimento K334:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: 
String Quartet, Op.18, No.3
32 Variations for Piano in C minor, WoO 80


----------



## Sonata

The third movement of Mahler's first symphony. I like it a lot! Pity that I should save the last movement for tomorrow sinceit's getting late though.


----------



## Cnote11

LUIGI NONONONO! LUCIANO!!! OHAHOAHOAHOAHAH!!!! random text random text random text


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> LUIGI NONONONO! LUCIANO!!! OHAHOAHOAHOAHAH!!!! random text random text random text


I'm not that much of a fan of Luigi Nono.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Valery Gergiev.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, WAB 106, *performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under the wand {ut:} of Gunter Wand.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: And Do They Do
Michael Nyman Band directed by Michael Nyman.


----------



## samurai

Sonata said:


> The third movement of Mahler's first symphony. I like it a lot! Pity that I should save the last movement for tomorrow sinceit's getting late though.


Yeah, the *"Titan" *and his *6th Symphony *I have found to be the most accessible so far in my trying to listen and appreciate Mahler. That third movement cited by you has the "frere jacques" motif, doesn't it? {Please excuse my poor spelling!}.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Faure.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: MGV, The Piano Concerto


----------



## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm not that much of a fan of Luigi Nono.


I apologize for your defect.


----------



## neoshredder

Pavane is an amazing sound. Puts me in a happy place.


----------



## Cnote11

Piano or orchestral?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> I apologize for your defect.


Do you like Michael Nyman?


----------



## neoshredder

Orchestral.


----------



## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do you like Michael Nyman?


When he's not making terrible film scores, yes.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> When he's not making terrible film scores, yes.


The only terrible film scores I know by him are Gattaca, Wonderland and The Piano.


----------



## Cnote11

The Piano was actually what I had in mind :lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> The Piano was actually what I had in mind :lol:


Waaaay too overrated. His best film score is The Draughstsman's Contract.


----------



## Cnote11

I was thinking about getting the soundtrack for _The End of the Affair_. Would this be a good idea?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> I was thinking about getting the soundtrack for _The End of the Affair_. Would this be a good idea?


I'd have to listen to it and tell you if it's any crap.


----------



## neoshredder

There needs to be a random chat thread for conversations like these. But I guess this is as close as you get to being one.


----------



## Cnote11

Please get to it and soon, thank you. In the meantime I'll look into The Draghstsman's Contracf


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> I was thinking about getting the soundtrack for _The End of the Affair_. Would this be a good idea?


Unless you're extremely depressed, don't get it. Just sampled some if it on Amazon.


----------



## Cnote11

That sounds PERFECT! I sampled it a bit myself but thought I would defer to your expert opinion. Now I know that I must have it.


----------



## neoshredder

The key is always go the opposite of what ComposerofAvantGarde says.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Please get to it and soon, thank you. In the meantime I'll look into The Draughstsman's Contract


If you want that one, get the more recently recorded version. It's called "Composer's Cut Series volume 1: The Draughstsman's Contract." Its better than than the 1982 recording and it's about five minutes longer as well.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> The key is always go the opposite of what ComposerofAvantGarde says.


Not always the case.


----------



## neoshredder

Get the 1982 version.


----------



## Cnote11

So mysterious how the Fs keep turning into Ts... Thanks for the advice though. What exactly makes it better aside from the extra length?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Get the 1982 version.


40 minutes of old slow version versus 45 minutes of new improved faster version with better sound?

Listen to the different recordings of "An Eye for Optical Theory." The 1982 version _SUCKS._


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> The key is always go the opposite of what ComposerofAvantGarde says.


I honestly hope this shouldn't be the case. I've sought advice from him nearly everyday this past week.


----------



## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> 40 minutes of old slow version versus 45 minutes of new improved faster version with better sound?
> 
> Listen to the different recordings of "An Eye for Optical Theory." The 1982 version _SUCKS._


Why would they change the speed of the composition? That sounds rather odd. Perhaps I would like to hear both versions. You sound like you quite anything slow and _depressing_


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*An Eye for Optical Theory from The Draughstsman's Contract*

Old sluggish version from the 1982 recording:






Awesome fast version performed at the BBC Proms:


----------



## Cnote11

Perhaps neoshredder is right...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Perhaps neoshredder is right...


How on earth did you come to that conclusion?!?!


----------



## Cnote11

Oh Gardy, Gardy, Gardy. I think both versions have their charms! Perhaps I'll take a stab at both versions!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Oh Gardy, Gardy, Gardy. I think both versions have their charms! Perhaps I'll take a stab at both versions!


You do that. I suppose I prefer the new version because one of my little sisters always tells me to play that version and I'm more accustomed to hearing it.


----------



## Cnote11

I see hyperactivity runs in the family


----------



## Pizzicato

*J.S Bach Inventions #7 - #12*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

More Michael Nyman


----------



## Taneyev

NRK: piano trio. Oistrakh trio.

Vissarion Shebalin: string quartet 3

Kabalevsky: cello concerto 1. Shafran.


----------



## peeyaj

*Marche Militaire no. 3 for Piano Four Hands* by Franz Schubert

F*antaise in F minor for Piano Four Hands* by Franz Schubert

Does any of you have any suggestions for piano four hands? It seems that Schubert is the only prolific composer of this genre.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *An Eye for Optical Theory from The Draughstsman's Contract*


Just my observations on first hearing:

To my ears, as far as detail, the first version is better. The second one is too fast to grasp the subtleties of the rhythmic shifts easily, unless you're already familiar with the piece.

Having said that, the second version is more fun to watch. The baritone sax is getting a real workout; the two soprano saxes manage to keep in tune; and the violinist on the right looks like she's hanging on for dear life.


----------



## kv466

Paul Dukas - Villanelle for Horn and Orchestra 
Kurt Masur conducts the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Hermann Baumann, horn


----------



## Pizzicato




----------



## kv466

Giovanni Punto - Horn Concerto no.11


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 1*.

Jochum does a great job with this one.


----------



## Vaneyes

"Pilgrim, there is no pathway, there is only travelling itself."
- Anon


----------



## tgtr0660

Time for opera. In the last couple of days I've been hearing this terrific version of this masterpiece:









Tonight, time for some Bel Canto:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6*.

I was thinking of adding the remastered Musical Heritage Society recordings of Jochum's EMI cycle, but I ended up giving the money to someone who needed it more than me, and I'm happy with my DG set anyway.


----------



## joen_cph

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 6*.
> 
> I was thinking of adding the remastered Musical Heritage Society recordings of Jochum's EMI cycle, but I ended up giving the money to someone who needed it more than me, and I'm happy with my DG set anyway.
> 
> View attachment 4688


I find the DGs better. They are a bit more temperamental, as for instance in the 8th or 9th symphonies ...

Am listening to








It´s good set and overall better than Ponti´s, but sometimes lacks real mystery and magic, some supplementary recordings are necessary ...


----------



## Dodecaplex

More Winterreise with Christine.


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Gesang Der Juenglinge*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this compilation of Electronic Music which I recieved yesterday - pretty cool so far!. The set features compositions by well known composers such as Cage, Stockhausen and Xenakis as well as many I havent heard of so it should be an interesting listen!. Next up I will play Disc 2 of the Ligeti set which also arrived yesterday - Ligeti can do no wrong in my opinion so Im expecting to enjoy this one too!


----------



## Manxfeeder

joen_cph said:


> I find the DGs better. They are a bit more temperamental, as for instance in the 8th or 9th symphonies ...


Thanks. That's reassuring.

I'm starting* Creston's Symphony No. 2*. One reviewer noted Creston's orchestration as "harsh dramatic coloring." It is colorful.


----------



## kv466

_and so i guess this is how you double post..._


----------



## kv466




----------



## SimonH

Love it


----------



## TheBamf

SimonH said:


> View attachment 4692
> 
> Love it


I have only heard the 1999 release, have you heard this release? And if so: which do you prefer?

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/arvo_part/alina/ is the one I am refering to.


----------



## Lenfer

kv466 said:


> _and so i guess this is how you double post..._


You double post with class *KV* others should learn from you.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 6*.
> 
> I was thinking of adding the remastered Musical Heritage Society recordings of Jochum's EMI cycle, but I ended up giving the money to someone who needed it more than me, and I'm happy with my DG set anyway.
> 
> View attachment 4688


I agree with joen_cph that you have the better set, though you might like to pick up a EMI single of the 9th, a blistering performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. A heart-rending performance by New Stockholm CO/Csaba.

The celli dig deep.

View attachment 4694


----------



## kv466




----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Arvo Pärt - Berliner Messe - Paul Hillier, Theatre of Voices


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Spiegel Im Spiegel, Fur Alina*.

Perfect music for listening to the rain. Especially when I'm not driving in it.

Raymond Tuttle called this recording "A great opportunity to listen… but also a great vulnerability. There's something touching about that." I'm reminded of Brene Brown's lecture on TED about the power of vulnerability; it's uncomfortable, but that's where creativity originates.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Manxfeeder said:


> *Arvo Part, Spiegel Im Spiegel, Fur Alina*.
> 
> Perfect music for listening to the rain. Especially when I'm not driving in it.
> 
> Raymond Tuttle called this recording "A great opportunity to listen… but also a great vulnerability. There's something touching about that." I'm reminded of Brene Brown's lecture on TED about the power of vulnerability; it's uncomfortable, but that's where creativity originates.
> 
> View attachment 4696


haha wow, so was this just coincidence or did my earlier post inspire you to listen to some Pärt? That´s a recording from the ECM series right? I have some of those but not the "spiegel im spiegel" one. allready had 2 other versions of that.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

There is some beautiful music among these... but one can easily see how Mozart did not approach the symphony as seriously as Haydn until his final works.


----------



## clavichorder

Alexander Tcherepnin's 4th piano concerto's 1st movement





Its very oriental, and otherwise typical of his style, using odd and idiosyncratic scales and harmonic progression as usual.


----------



## mitchflorida

If you haven't heard this recently, drop everything and listen to the first Sinfonetta. Janacek is sort of like Bruckner, but perhaps better in terms of percussion.


----------



## clavichorder

Janacek, a brilliant and truly one of a kind mind.


----------



## opus55

Britten: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94
Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 "Quartetto serioso"


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *once again featuring Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

If you guys have never heard the Symphony in F Sharp Minor by Dora Pejacevic you really should check it out! She is brilliant! The third movement is simply one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard but I really enjoy the whole symphony.










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well... as long as I was playing Mozart I thought I might as well return to Bach... and Glenn Gould:










After yesterday's historic recording of Mahler's 9th by Bruno Walter I thought I'd give Bernstein's another spin:










Lenny looks uncannily like Karajan on the cover of this disc with the Berlin Philharmonic. With the DG graphics and the German name of the "Berliner Philharmoniker" I do a double take every time. :lol:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Now listening to another virtually unknown composer...August Klughardt. The violin concerto on this recording is amazing. Anyone who enjoys great music from the Classical or Romantic era should give this one a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.










Kevin


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## Badinerie

A little Beethoven in the afternoon


----------



## Taneyev

Smetana SQ 2: Smetana quartet.

Hendel-Brahms: Katchen

Nicolai Rakov: v.c.2. Oleg Kagan


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kevin Pearson said:


> If you guys have never heard the Symphony in F Sharp Minor by Dora Pejacevic you really should check it out! She is brilliant! The third movement is simply one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard but I really enjoy the whole symphony.


Your wish is my command! I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## Manxfeeder

eighthundredfortynine said:


> haha wow, so was this just coincidence or did my earlier post inspire you to listen to some Pärt?


Inspired, of course!


----------



## clavichorder

Abel, Sinfonia's op 7.


----------



## Sonata

Started the day off with Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". Then a Haydn piano sonata and Corelli's first concerto...some nice relaxing yet invigorating music to ease me into the day. 

I suspect I'll be posting back periodically. The bosses are out of the office today, so I can play my music all day long when I'm at my desk. A nice treat.


----------



## Vaneyes

Birthday plays for Guido Cantelli, Igor Oistrakh, and Louis Lortie.

Ravel Jeux d'eau, Mozart Sinfonia concertante, Schubert "Unfinished".

View attachment 4705
View attachment 4706
View attachment 4708


----------



## Sonata

samurai said:


> Yeah, the *"Titan" *and his *6th Symphony *I have found to be the most accessible so far in my trying to listen and appreciate Mahler. That third movement cited by you has the "frere jacques" motif, doesn't it? {Please excuse my poor spelling!}.


I believe so, but I'm not the best person to ask...I'm a relative newbie, and not good with remembering motifs on a first listen


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> I believe so, but I'm not the best person to ask...I'm a relative newbie, and not good with remembering motifs on a first listen


If I could just pop in here trying to be helpful, the third movement of Mahler's 1st is the one with Frere Jacques. Of course, technically, it's Bruder Martin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> I agree with joen_cph that you have the better set, though you might like to pick up a EMI single of the 9th, a blistering performance.


I'm listening to the EMI version of the 9th. Fortunately, it's on Spotify.

Interesting performance. The second movement is particularly creepy. I had a nightmare last night about being locked in a room with people trying to kill me ; and the second movement is bringing back that feeling.


----------



## TheComposer

Now here's a good recording of Nielsen's symphonies:


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## Manxfeeder

On a recommendation from Vaneyes, *Poulenc's Concerto for two Pianos*.


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## tgtr0660

^Now that's quite a good recording... :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Georgy Catoire's birthday, sampling the Marc-Andre Hamelin CD. Beautifully played and recorded. Light fare in the vein of French impressionism. If you are occasionally in need of some downtime from mind-altering works, this is for you. Along with Mompou and Severac, of course.

View attachment 4712


----------



## mitchflorida

If you ever want to put a smile on your face, you can listen to Grand Canyon Suite conducted by Dorati. Lovely recording, very clean sound.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Germaine Taillefere, Chamber and Piano Music*.

This is my first exposure to her music. She has the harmonic vocabulary of Les Six but is not as puckish.


----------



## kv466




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Juditha Triumphans of this set. Dang Vivaldi had some melodic ideas on this. Even Organ playing.


----------



## SimonH

eighthundredfortynine said:


> Arvo Pärt - Berliner Messe - Paul Hillier, Theatre of Voices





TheBamf said:


> I have only heard the 1999 release, have you heard this release? And if so: which do you prefer?
> 
> http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/arvo_part/alina/ is the one I am refering to.


I've only heard this one version so far. But I'm so in love with this piece I will seek out other recordings.


----------



## Conor71

*Badings: Evolutionen Ballet Music*

Listening to Disc 2 of this Electronic Music set - Im not sure if I would classify a lot of whats on offer here as Music but its cool stuff nonetheless. I guess I just like electronic sounds!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Badings: Evolutionen Ballet Music*


That looks interesting!

I'm excited to have discovered Martin Jones' recording of the music of *Frederico Mompou, *four whole CDs of his music. He has a nice way with this music, not too forceful. For example, I really like Herbert Henck's recording of Musica Callada, but Martin Jones keeps away from loud/soft contrasts between pieces, which can be jarring in Henck's recording, and Martin plays more bell-like, which reflects Mompou's love of bells.


----------



## Sonata

Grieg Piano concerto


----------



## Pizzicato

*J.S. Bach - The Well Tempered Clavier Book 1*


----------



## Cnote11

The Debussy album again.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Forbidden Planets*, electronic music.

So far, my favorite track is John Cage's Imaginary Landscape. It sounds like electronic noises over a prepared piano. And Ligeti's Artikulation is funny. Of course, Varese's Poem Electronique has always been a favorite. And I should give a shout-out to Stockhausen's Gesange, because it was so difficult to piece all those sounds together coherently back in the Stone Age, and also a Klaatu barada nikto to Bernard Hermann's soundtrack to The Day the Earth Stood Still, which stands up well.

Just an observation; in the few pieces I've heard by Xenakis, he's introduced a frequency which is so high it hurts my ears. I wish he wouldn't do that.


----------



## NightHawk

HAYDN PIANO SONATAS, VOL 1 - JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET
http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Piano-S...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1335562942&sr=1-2

I will be getting the other volumes of this cycle. Bavouzet's Haydn is world class. Highly recommended. 5*****'s


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> *Forbidden Planets*, electronic music.
> 
> So far, my favorite track is John Cage's Imaginary Landscape. It sounds like electronic noises over a prepared piano. And Ligeti's Artikulation is funny. Of course, Varese's Poem Electronique has always been a favorite. And I should give a shout-out to Stockhausen's Gesange, because it was so difficult to piece all those sounds together coherently back in the Stone Age, and also a Klaatu barada nikto to Bernard Hermann's soundtrack to The Day the Earth Stood Still, which stands up well.
> 
> Just an observation; in the few pieces I've heard by Xenakis, he's introduced a frequency which is so high it hurts my ears. I wish he wouldn't do that.
> 
> View attachment 4718


I think the Imaginary Landscape is my favourite piece off the compilation as well! - I was quite suprised as I had never heard any Cage before


----------



## Badinerie

The only Cage I have is this LP. I do enjoy it though...









This one too. Im playing it and you should see the look on my wife's face right now...one of utter dismay and disapproval! :lol:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## TheBamf




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: MGV


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major {"The Great"}, *both featuring George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Exploring more little known music. I love discovering new and interesting recordings. This album of Azerbaijani piano concertos is really cool. I love the Arabian feel of the music. Some incredible piano playing as well.










Kevin


----------



## kv466

Lennox Berkeley - Serenade for Strings 
Richard Hickox conducts the BBC Welsh National Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Conor71

*Faure: Piano Quintet No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 89*

Listening to Disc 1 of this beautiful set


----------



## Mordred

Getting all sappy to Handel - Acis and Galatea


----------



## Taneyev

Paganini "Barucabá" variations. Ricci solo violin.

Grieg Ballade for piano. Godowski

NRK string sextet.


----------



## NightHawk

Rameau - _Les Indes Galantes_ - William Christie and _Les Arts Florissants_

I'm slowly collecting all of Christie and his _Florissant's_ recordings and the 'Les Indes Galates' is as I expect with Christie, superbly conceived and executed, but it is not the great work that Rameau's _Castor and Pollux_ is. It is a novel work with passages of great beauty, esp in the choruses, and in the second act.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Frederico Mompou Piano Work*s, Martin Jones.

I'm listening to the Canziones Y Danzas. I'll give Stephen Hough the edge on these for his dynamism. Martin Jones plays each piece similarly as far as dynamics, so there is a danger of a sense of sameness, with one piece running into the other, if the whole disc is listened to without a break, and these pieces are better than that. Individually heard, though, his playing is skillful and nuanced.


----------



## clavichorder

NightHawk said:


> Rameau - _Les Indes Galantes_ - William Christie and _Les Arts Florissants_
> .


I love that piece!


----------



## opus55

Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto in D


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Concerto in A major for two violins and Concerto in D Major for four violins.*









*Sibelius, Kullervo*.

I just saw a documentary on JRR Toklein, and my jaw dropped when I discovered he was fascinated with the Kalevala, and he even based the Elvish language on Finnish. So I'm looking forward to hearing the chorus in the last movement.

This is my only recording of the Kullervo, but I'm guessing there are better ones out there.


----------



## Badinerie

Mordred said:


> Getting all sappy to Handel - Acis and Galatea
> 
> View attachment 4722


Love that...I have this version.


----------



## NightHawk

Manxfeeder said:


> * re S. Hough
> I'm listening to the Canziones Y Danzas. I'll give Stephen Hough the edge on these for his dynamism. Martin Jones plays each piece similarly as far as dynamics, so there is a danger of a sense of sameness, with one piece running into the other, if the whole disc is listened to without a break, and these pieces are better than that. Individually heard, though, his playing is skillful and nuanced. *


*

Stephen Hough may have the widest dynamic control of anyone playing - at least, as far as I have heard. I have a beautiful Chopin recital album of his that is quite remarkable in that way. This one:







CHOPIN: LATE MASTERPIECES, Stephen Hough*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mompou, Variations on a Theme of Chopin*.

I like the way Mompou's music sounds, so his reworking of Chopin's A major Prelude puts an interesting spin on an old familiar piece.

View attachment 4735


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> Stephen Hough may have the widest dynamic control of anyone playing - at least, as far as I have heard. I have a beautiful Chopin recital album of his that is quite remarkable in that way.


Rats; it's not on Spotify. I'm listening to his renditions of Chopin on his Piano Album.

View attachment 4736


----------



## Pizzicato

*Mozart Symphony No. 1 in E Flat Major - Molto Allegro*


----------



## Guest

In trying to figure out a program for my senior recital (well in advance), I sat myself down and listened to the last Schubert sonatas for the first time. What heavenly length...I'm thinking about maybe doing just the first movement of the Bb Major sonata, D. 960, since it alone is 20 minutes long. Great piece, though, especially played by Sokolov. I'm also listening to his Couperin, which I'll also probably play at my recital along with Brahms's Op. 118.


----------



## NightHawk

I vote for the C# minor movement of the D.960 with that unexpected and oh so beautiful slip into C major...oh, I don't get to vote, well, nice programing, anyway. 



Jeff N said:


> In trying to figure out a program for my senior recital (well in advance), I sat myself down and listened to the last Schubert sonatas for the first time. What heavenly length...I'm thinking about maybe doing just the first movement of the Bb Major sonata, D. 960, since it alone is 20 minutes long. Great piece, though, especially played by Sokolov. I'm also listening to his Couperin, which I'll also probably play at my recital along with Brahms's Op. 118.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ginastera*: Variaciones concertantes, for chamber orchestra; Piano Concerto No.1; Piano Sonata No.1; String Quartets 1 & 2.

View attachment 4737
View attachment 4738


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> *Ginastera*: Variaciones concertantes, for chamber orchestra; Piano Concerto No.1; Piano Sonata No.1; String Quartets 1 & 2.
> 
> View attachment 4737
> View attachment 4738


It seems like Ginatera is enjoying quite the resurgence lately, at least in these parts. I'm playing his Danzas Argentinas, and a whole host of other pianists at my school are playing Ginastera works as well. There was even a Ginastera festival in Ann Arbor last year I believe. Great composer.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Jeff N said:


> It seems like Ginatera is enjoying quite the resurgence lately, at least in these parts. I'm playing his Danzas Argentinas, and a whole host of other pianists at my school are playing Ginastera works as well. There was even a Ginastera festival in Ann Arbor last year I believe. Great composer.


The world could use more Ginastera. He was a great composer and almost anything he wrote is a real treat!

Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

Gorecki No. 3


----------



## Conor71

*Babbitt: 3 Compositions*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this Electronic Music compilation (Volume 2) and will follow this up with Disc 1 of the Ligeti Project


----------



## Cnote11

Claude Debussy and Bela Bartok piano works


----------



## Cnote11

Songs by Ravel, especially the le Chanson écossaise <3 

Now just switched to "Come Out" by Steve Reich. After this it will be "It's Gonna Rain"


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Dora Pejacevic--*Symphony in F-Sharp Minor, Op.41, *featuring Ari Rasilainen leading the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D.944 {"The Great"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the guidance of George Szell.


----------



## Cnote11

Steve Reich's WTC 9/11. After that his Mallet Quartet and Dance Patterns as well.

Edit: This is actually my first time listening to these works since this only came out 7 months ago. Absolutely beautiful... think I'll have this one on a lot. WTC 9/11 is similar in concept to Different Trains, so I figured I'd like it. Didn't expect it to be this good, however. Really is fabulous. This Mallet Quartet has the Reich thumbprint all over it as well. Great stuff.


----------



## Cnote11

Michael Nyman's The End of the Affair


----------



## Conor71

*Stravinsky: Petrouchka*

Piano Music: Now listening to the Pollini Disc and will follow this up with the Mozart


----------



## kv466




----------



## SimonH

Ideal sunday morning stuff.


----------



## ProudSquire

Brahms Symphony No.4 in E minor.

Love the third movement, was humming it all day long. :}


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 In D Minor, K 466*


----------



## Mordred

Verdi's Requiem LIVE in Perth. Great Sunday afternoon!


----------



## cwarchc

Elgar cello concerto in e minor by Jacueline Du Pre.
Sublime


----------



## Taneyev

Liszt Mephisto 2, 3 and 4. Leslie Howard.

Paganini second v.c. Menuhin-Fistoulari

David Popper string quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lou Harrison, Mass to Saint Anthony*.

The vocal melodies are chant-like with violins, cellos, harp, and a trumpet weaving melodies around them for variety.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonH said:


> Ideal sunday morning stuff.


I'd join you, but I don't have that CD . I'm putting on *Arvo Part's Te Deum* instead with a cup of hot rooibos tea. That's what Sunday mornings are all about!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Frederico Mompou, Musica Callada.*

I'm interested in Martin Jones' four-CD Mompou set, but I don't want to spend the money for it, so I'm going through Herbert Henck's recording to see if I can talk myself out of it.

Plus, it's lovely, serene, spiritual music.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Manxfeeder said:


> *Frederico Mompou, Musica Callada.*
> 
> I'm interested in Martin Jones' four-CD Mompou set, but I don't want to spend the money for it, so I'm going through Herbert Henck's recording to see if I can talk myself out of it.
> 
> Plus, it's lovely, serene, spiritual music.
> 
> View attachment 4754


You can at least listen to it on Spotify and see if you really want it. Here is the link:

spotify:album:5gaHvWzpJWzei9NklZMUzf

Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Sir Thomas Beecham's birthday, Sibelius Symphony 7.

View attachment 4755


----------



## opus55

Sonatas for violin and piano


----------



## Badinerie

Czech please!

Otmar Macha's Night and Hope on right now. Good CD.


----------



## SimonH

I'd never heard of Berwald before I started reading this forum, but the #3 is now one of my most favourites. So thanks to whoever turned me on to it, back then...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous recording with Sir Charles Mackerras conducting soloists including Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Ian Bostridge, and the sorely missed Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Certainly this would be considered a major opera by nearly any other composer... if it did not stand in the shadows of _Le nozze di Figaro_, _Don Giovanni_, _Cosi fan tutte_, and _Die Zauberflöte_. Mozart was but 25 when he composed _Idomeneo_. The opera builds upon the clarity and classicism of Gluck, whose work Mozart had become acquainted with in Paris. Mozart had access to the virtuoso Munich Orchestra and as such made prodigious use of the winds... especially Mozart's favorite clarinet. From the French opera (and perhaps Handel), Mozart also made dramatic use of the chorus. All of this is wrought with Mozart's unrivaled naturalism and mastery of melody.


----------



## SimonH

And to finish the day, my future wife....

(thankfully my current wife doesn't visit this forum!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of Sir Thomas Beecham's birthday, Sibelius Symphony 7.


I'll pull up a party hat and join the festivities.


----------



## mitchflorida

This is a very welcome collection of some of Sibelius' popular tone-poems, nearly all inspired by the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. Ashkenazy is a well-versed Sibelian who has recorded a very fine cycle of Sibelius symphonies for Decca, albeit with a warmer, sunnier flavour. Finlandia (1899) and the Karelia Suite (1893) benefit greatly from these warm orchestral colours. The former boasts a smashing timpanist, richly precise brass and sensitive dynamics, while the recording creates a beautiful sound picture with satisfying balance, showing the strings in impressive detail -- listen too for the tuba and triangle, and even the bass drum roll during the "Finlandia Hymn" is audible.


----------



## Cnote11

Satie - Orchestral and Piano Works


----------



## NightHawk

Rameau, Couperin, Charpentier, and Lully have recently given my heavily Austro/Germanic CD collection quite a shock, I'm glad to say.



clavichorder said:


> I love that piece!


----------



## opus55

Dohnányi: Symphony No. 1
Handel: Organ Concertos Op. 4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Rameau, Couperin, Charpentier, and Lully have recently given my heavily Austro/Germanic CD collection quite a shock, I'm glad to say. 

Yes... Initially I held the image of the French Baroque as a sort of effete Baroque-lite. When I first started delving into the Baroque in some greater depth I ended up avoiding the Italians for some reason (perhaps they seemed too obvious) and dug deep into the Germans and the French. It is intriguing how each national tradition is so unique. As a started in on the French (Rameau, Couperin, Lully, Modeville, Marin Marais, Charpentier, Delalande, the Gaultier Family (lute) and François Rebel (certainly check him out... especially _Les Elémens_).


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both featuring Lorin Maazel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## Cnote11

Listening to some good ol' Ravel. Valses nobles et sentimentales et Jeux d'eau


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have not ever listened to this violinist before but Gabriela Demeterova plays very sweetly. This is an album full of lovely short violin showcases. Perfect for early morning or late at night. I will definitely check out some more of her albums. She has a couple of albums of Carl Stamitz music and I really like his compostions.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

After Carnival of the Animals I'm going to listen to the 9th disc of this set










Disc 9 has Sonata 32 and Op. 119 Eleven Bagatelles and Op. 126 Six Bagatelles


----------



## neoshredder

Listening 99 Essential Haydn.


----------



## Cnote11

Switched my mind to this collection of Beethoven Bagatelles.


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 9 in C major ('The Great') D. 944.


----------



## samurai

TheProudSquire said:


> Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 9 in C major ('The Great') D. 944.


By which conductor and orchestra?


----------



## ProudSquire

samurai said:


> By which conductor and orchestra?


The only copy I have is by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, wouldn't mind some other recommendations though. :]


----------



## TheComposer

Tcherepnin symphony no. 1:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Well, come to find out that Gabriela Demeterova is not only an excellent violinist but she is one of the few who also expertly plays viola as well. Interestingly enough she plays both violin and viola on this album and sometimes in the same piece. Very good recording of some fine Carl Stamitz by the way.










Kevin


----------



## TheComposer

TheProudSquire said:


> The only copy I have is by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, wouldn't mind some other recommendations though. :]


I would suggest listening to Josef Krips with the Berlin Phil or concertgebouw orchestra. Krips has some good authority over the Schubert ninth.


----------



## ProudSquire

Thanks. I'll check them out for certain.

Edit:
I just wanted to add that, the Scherzo section is pure awesomeness. I think I'm going to be listening to this symphony for a while. :}


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Franz Schubert- Symphony no. 9

The only copy I have is by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, wouldn't mind some other recommendations though.

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Leonard Bernstein and New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Gunter Wand and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Charles Mackerras and Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Not that George Szell is any slouch... but certainly with a major work such as Schubert's 9th you will eventually want to hear alternative interpretations. Furtwängler's especially is iconic.


----------



## ProudSquire

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Franz Schubert- Symphony no. 9
> 
> The only copy I have is by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, wouldn't mind some other recommendations though.
> 
> Wilhelm Furtwängler and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> Leonard Bernstein and New York Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> Gunter Wand and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> Charles Mackerras and Scottish Chamber Orchestra
> 
> Not that George Szell is any slouch... but certainly with a major work such as Schubert's 9th you will eventually want to hear alternative interpretations. Furtwängler's especially is iconic.


Much obliged. :]


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Currently listening to my favourite symphony. I bet no one will guess what it is.


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Currently listening to my favourite symphony. I bet no one will guess what it is.


Mozart 7? ........


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> Mozart 7? ........


WRONG. And it's not Beethoven 4 or CPE Bach D major Hamburg Wq183,1 either.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Resphigi - The Fountains of Rome (performers unknown).
Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnole (performers unknown).
Schumann - Noveletten (Kotaro Fukuma).
Beethoven - Piano Sonata Op. 90 (Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## mitchflorida

opus55 said:


> Dohnányi: Symphony No. 1


I wasn't familiar with Dohnanyi before . . I prefer his Symphony No. 2 . Very impressive.


----------



## Badinerie

Little bit of heaven this morning as thr missus took the bairn to school...


----------



## Taneyev

Sophie Eckhardt-Gramatte: concerto for solo violin

Hisatada Otaka: cello concerto.

Faure: Piano quartet 1: Gilels-Kogan-Barshai-Rostropovich. Absolutely marvellous, the piece and the playing.


----------



## Zauberberg




----------



## TheBamf

^I had not heard that version of the piano/violin before.


----------



## tgtr0660

L'Elisir d'amore was terrific, now I'm enjoying this more dramatic work by Donizetti:


----------



## Arsakes

Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 4


----------



## Vaneyes

*Carter*: A Symphony of Three Orchestras with NYPO/*Boulez*, String Quartets 1 - 5 with *Pacifica Qt*.

View attachment 4782
View attachment 4783
View attachment 4784


----------



## opus55

mitchflorida said:


> I wasn't familiar with Dohnanyi before . . I prefer his Symphony No. 2 . Very impressive.
> 
> View attachment 4777


The Chandos disc is among hundreds of recordings on my wish list. I'm glad you like his second symphony.

I learned of the composer through a NPR radio program then a Naxos recordings of his violin concertos (highly recommended). The Telarc disc I got recently, I haven't decided whether I like or not. Sounded great when I was listening to it on iPod while doing yard work but when I re-played the CD later in the same afternoon, I couldn't focus on it. His violin concertos also took me several listens before I could really appreciate them.

I look forward to hearing the No.2 in the near future.

Currently listening to KBS 1FM "Chamber music at night". It's a "real time" podcast streaming service from South Korea. It serves as a great background music when I work.


----------



## Arsakes

Dvorak - Piano Quintet No.1: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo (Op.5)

Another fine piano work by Dvorak.


----------



## Vaneyes

An odd coupling featuring good performances and sound. Ma/Stern/CSO/Abbado for *Brahms* Double Concerto, and Stern/P.Serkin/LSO members/Abbado for *Berg* Chamber Concerto for Piano and Violin with 13 Wind Instruments.

View attachment 4789


----------



## robert

BOULEZ
Ritual in Memoriam Maderna
Eclat
Multiple

BOULEZ
BBC S.O.


----------



## SimonH

I'm only just getting 'into' Glass, so at the risk of sounding like a noob:

The Light is enjoyable with some interesting stuff going on, but on first listen Heroes isn't doing it for me. I'll give it further tries though.


----------



## NightHawk

reply to StLukes:

Thanks for the composer list, I have a small number of extraordinary works by all except Delalande, Gaultier _et al_, and Francois Rebel, though I have heard that movement from _Les Elemens_.

The striking thing to me about the musical style that Lully largely created in his _tragedie lyriques_ is that it is one of monumentality and a highly stylized approach to making a distinctively French opera - and also that it works to such great effect. The importance of the French language is indispensable in this music, and also the strictness of the formal structure(s). I now also have Christie's DVD of Lully's _ATYS_ and have found it to be a beautiful production and a music that certainly "rivals Handel" for a true sonic majesty. I understand the temporary move away from 17th century Italian opera that you experienced _where the aria is the aim of almost every scene_. By contrast, the seriousness of the French style, making recitative (and the choruses) beautiful and highly affecting, is all the more astonishing when the simple _Air_ may or may not be present in a large and psychologically complex scene.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Started the day with *Frantisek Brixi's Missa Integra. * It's fun to listen to. The ritornello in the beginning of the Gloria has earworm written all over it. 








Now listening to *Alban Berg's Lyric Suite and 3 Pieces for Orchestra. * After several failed attempts over the years, I'm finally getting into his music and appreciating it. It's about time!


----------



## opus55

Holst: Orchestral works
Elgar: Symphony No. 2


----------



## cwarchc

Just finishing an epic Wagner fest
I've just bought this and had to listen after work:
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg
Weiner Philharmoniker and Knappertsbusch


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Nighthawk... I was also somewhat surprised when I began to explore the "effete" music of the French Baroque not only by the importance of the ballet or dance, but also by the fact that the French had little or no use for the castrato, preferring the female singers. Castratos were all the rage in Italy and England... although Handel it seems wasn't overly fond of them, but did employ them in order to remain competitive in the market. The Germans were also not thrilled with the castratos. The more conservative courts, such as that where Bach was employed, followed antiquated Church law that didn't allow women in the choir, and so they employed young choir-boys. I came across a letter somewhere in which Bach expressed his envy for the top-notch choirs, orchestras, and soloists of Dresden and his desire to employ female soloists.

Today a slew of Mahler discs arrived. For some time I have had several different alternative recordings of most of Mahler's song-cycles. In the case of Das Lied von der Erde I must have some 8 or 9 versions. In the case of his symphonies I have only had one quality recording of each. As I have begun to dig deeper into his work, I have come to feel that is not quite enough... and so I picked up a pile of alternative recordings of all the symphonies... especially those that are my favorites. Right now I'm listening to this:










Leinsdorf's performances of Mahler, in comparison to Bernstein's and Solti's, in closer to Bruno Walter's (Mahler's assistant) and even Karajan's restraint, downplaying the frenzied hand-wringing and teeth gnashing. The sound on this recording is absolutely spectacular.


----------



## opus55

Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoying the Moeran String Quartets and Trio on this disc. Played with a lot of passion by Maggini Quartet. You can always tell when a string quartet really "feels" the music because they can convey the emotion of a piece without you even seeing them play.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

Debbusy's Piano Works played by Aldo Ciccolini Discs 3 and 5 

Deux Arabesques, Suite bergamasque, et autre assorti oeuvres pour piano


----------



## clavichorder

Martinu Concerto Grosso no. 1
Medtner Piano Concerto no. 2
Tcherepnin Piano Concerto no. 6


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I'll never understand why Zdenek Fibich is not better known. His symphonies are some of my very favorites and everytime I come back to them I can't help wondering why he's not? His music has lush melodies and rousing marches with pastoral features throughout. I just love him!










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to my favourite symphony yet again. L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet (1963 DECCA recording)

Earlier today I was listening on YouTube a radio broadcast from the 80s of a performance of the same symphony played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Op. 101, Op. 109. (Daniel Barenboim).
Brahms - 8 pieces Op. 76. (performer unknown).


----------



## Badinerie

Got an old Turnabout lp on...Bartok Cantanta Profane. Very dark stuff!

The 'B' side is really good too!


----------



## Taneyev

Cesar Cui: Kaleidoscope, 24 short pieces for violin&piano.

Friedrich Kuhlau; string quartet op.122.

Selection of paraphrasis and arrangements by Cziffra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 9*.

The sound, even remastered, isn't that great. But Horenstein manages to highlight the overall structure of the piece to where every important theme manages to surface.


----------



## Chrythes

It's the young Sibelius, and that's how the Piano Quitnet sounds like! 
It reminds me a little bit of Debussy's Piano Trio, youthful with each movement having a fairly catchy theme/melody.


----------



## NightHawk

Hans Werner Henze - Symphonies 3, 4 and 5. Needed to clear the air of harpsichord bunnies.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Robert Schumann: Symphony #1 (1841)*
Schumann's orchestral works seem to get a bad rep, and on this forum members seem overenthusiastic about them to compensate, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. I needn't have worried. This symphony is a joy to listen to all the way through. The piece was written immediately after Schumann discovered Clara was pregnant, and is one of those works that just makes the listener feel good. Schumann owes a lot in style to Beethoven, though his distinct romantic sound shines through here. The orchestration is lush, themes catchy, and climaxes satisfying. Looking forward to hearing the next three!

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: String Quartet #2 (1874)*
This is the first chamber work by Tchaikovsky I've ever heard, and again I was pleasantly surprised. Tchaikovsky makes no effort to alter his symphonic style, and so instead the listener is treated with a massive sound from the four players. This is also the sole detriment of the work, as the violin often carries the melody, with the lower voices chugging along in harmony and counterpoint, much like his symphonic writing. However, what it lacks in idiomatic chamber writing it makes up for in sheer beauty. I always forget just how good a melodist Tchaikovsky is until I explore something new of his. It is the melodies that really drive the narrative of the piece, and each one is more stunning then the next. What I particularly like about this work though is how Tchaikovsky balances emotion. Usually Tchaikovsky overindulges, but here there is plenty of contrast, from the folksy outer movements, to the yearning scherzo, and sublime slow movement. Really great piece, and one of the high points of the late 19th century for the string quartet.

*Thomas Adès: Still Sorrowing (1993)*
This is a short solo work for prepared piano. Only the middle register has been prepared, with blu-tack placed over the strings. The work goes through a series of downward motions, ultimately being hindered and interrupted by what sounds almost like cello pizzacati when it reaches the middle register. Towards the end of the piece the blu-tack is removed, and for the first time we hear the 'normal' range of the piano, gently playing gloomy chords. It's as if the pianist has spent the entire time ripping away at the prepared sound to get to reach some sense of resolve, only to find itself 'still sorrowing.' Pretty cool piece and affecting piece.


----------



## SimonH

That Greig knew how to write a tune you'd be humming all day...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*

This is Knappertsbusch's Munich recording from 1959. The high volumes are distorted, and the sound isn't great, but he sure was a poetic conductor. Furtwangler can sometimes wrench the tempos around jarringly; he does the same thing but more easily.









*Ockeghem, Missa De Plus en Plus*, Orlando Consort.

To my ears, this is how Ockeghem should sound. Unfortunately, Spotify leaves out four tracks, and I'm too lazy to hunt for my copy.


----------



## mitchflorida

I've just listened to 8 of the top recorded versions of La Mer. This is the best because of the emotional attachment of Dutoit and the excellent sound quality. If you have this in your collection, please listen to it sometime. If you don't, this would be a good time to make plans to add it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

mitchflorida said:


> I've just listened to 8 of the top recorded versions of La Mer. This is the best because of the emotional attachment of Dutoit and the excellent sound quality.


I'm starting to listen now on Spotify. I like what Dutoit did with the Images/Nocturnes; I'm looking forward to this one.


----------



## robert

Saariaho
D'Om Le Vrai Sens for Clarinet and Orchestra
Kari Krikku
Oramo
Finnish Radio S.O.

Love this.....


----------



## NightHawk

Manxfeeder:
*Ockeghem, Missa De Plus en Plus*, Orlando Consort.

To my ears, this is how Ockeghem should sound. Unfortunately, Spotify leaves out four tracks, and I'm too lazy to hunt for my copy.

View attachment 4805


NightHawk:

I have the Orlando Consort album you posted of the _Missa De Plus en Plus _by Ockeghem. I thought the same thing when I first heard the group do this work, or sort of, more at 'this is sorta funky'.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Three Suites for Cello Solo with Pieter Wispelwey.

View attachment 4807


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Walter Susskind's birthday, sampling he and GG in a "woundrous strange" Mozart K. 491.

View attachment 4808


----------



## Polednice

After a recommendation by NPR, I'm listening to the debut album of the 21-year-old Behzod Abduraimov:










Many people have been raving about him as having precocious technical and emotional mastery, and my first listen to the Liszt/Horowitz transcription of the Saint-Saens Danse Macabre certainly suggested that this is a man with astounding talent to look out for. I'm looking forward to listening to the Prokofiev 6.


----------



## Polednice

For those without quick access to Spotify et. al., here's his impressive playing:


----------



## mitchflorida

My favorite Liszt pianist is Arthur Rubinstein. It will be a while before this young man will be in his league. It takes a certain amount of years and maturity. I did like Murray Perahia when he was a young whippersnapper.


----------



## Cnote11

Listened to Disc 5 of Debussy's solo piano works, then Disc 1 of Erik Satie's Solo Piano Works

Now currently listening to this:










Préludes Deuxième Livre


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three symphonies feature the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}.* Both works are performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Polednice

mitchflorida said:


> My favorite Liszt pianist is Arthur Rubinstein. It will be a while before this young man will be in his league. It takes a certain amount of years and maturity. I did like Murray Perahia when he was a young whippersnapper.


Good job I have no interest in Liszt's music then!


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos 12 and 13 - thank him for writing so many symphonies. These still sound fresh to my ears.
Rorem: Symphony No. 3 - exploring new music


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second listen to Leinsdorf's Mahler:










Well... actually this time I'm giving a listen to his performance of the _First Symphony_ after playing the immense _Third_ last night.


----------



## NightHawk

BRAHMS - PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN D MINOR, OP. 15 - HELENE GRIMAUD, PIANIST. SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg - Conductor, Michael Gielen (complete work: 53+ minutes)


----------



## Cnote11

Sviatoslav Richter performing Pictures at an Exhibition, Schubert's 6 Moments musicaux for piano No. 1, Impromptu Op. 90 No. 2 and 4, Chopin's Etude No. 3 Tristesse, Listz's Valse oubliee for piano No.1 and No. 2, and 12 Etudes d'Execution transcendante No. 5 and No. 11.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Walter Piston--*Symphonies Nos.2 and 6, *both featuring Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Janacek*: Violin Concerto with Christiane Edinger.

View attachment 4811


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really fine recording of Sergei Lyapunov's Transcendental Études by Louis Kentner. Transcendental rightly describes them as they are quite mystical in a way. These were dedicated to Liszt and were meant to be a follow up and completion of Liszt's Transcendental Études, using the 12 keys Liszt did not use. One etude per key. The performance is top notch and worth a listen even if there is a little background noise in this old Turnabout recording.










Kevin


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Rachmaninoff - Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Howard Shelley).
Beethoven - Piano Sonata Op. 106 (Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## opus55

Puccini: Madama Butterfly










I'm not into operas but I give it a listen once in a while..


----------



## Kevin Pearson

After all that virtuoso piano playing I decided to move on to something symphonic. This album comprising Louis Spohr's 7th and 8th symphonies is a real treat. Spohr had a real talent for melody and writing catchy orchestral pieces. The 7th is especially fun as he moves back and forth from a chamber orchestra to a full orchestra and the contrast is really cool.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Dvorak Symphony 7


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart: Symphony No.31 "Paris" in D KV-297

Performed: by the Freiburger Barockorchester
Directed: by Gottfried von der Goltz


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to my favourite symphony yet again. L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet (1963 DECCA recording)
> 
> Earlier today I was listening on YouTube a radio broadcast from the 80s of a performance of the same symphony played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim.












And


----------



## Sid James

*Walton* - _Orb & Sceptre_ ; *Bax* - _Coronation March, 1953_ ;* Bliss* - _Welcome the Queen_
Classic recordings, under conductors Adrian Boult, Malcolm Sargent, Arthur Bliss 
(Decca Eloquence cd - coupled with other works by Walton, incl._ Facade_)

I'm not really a royalist, but I like these royal pieces, esp. in terms of their optimism and straightforward format. First you get a rousing tune (they all start with fanfares), then a more stately and lyrical middle bit - suggesting the monarch moving slowly down the aisle of the massive cathedral like Westminster Abbey - then rounding off with a vigorous ending. A joy to hear these recordings, remastered and sounding great.


----------



## Badinerie

Lollypops in the morning...great fun this one.


----------



## mitchflorida

I was listening earlier to some Liszt but found that many of the recordings are from an older era and the sound is not up to date.

Try this, it sounds bright and clean. Very nice performance


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## tgtr0660

^Spectacular.

Yesterday and today, more Bel Canto:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Lutoslawski*: Symphonies 3 & 4, with CSO/Barenboim, and Polish RSO/Wit.

View attachment 4821
View attachment 4822


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin des Prez, Missa Gaudeamus*.

A beautiful, sensitive interpretation.


----------



## Guest

Been indulging in Faure the past couple of days, especially the chamber music. Anyone who hasn't heard the A major Violin Sonata or C minor Piano Quartet must do so.


----------



## Arsakes

The pic is a little big! ..

Currently Armenian Rhapsody

I like Eastern Europe composers and Slavic themes.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dutilleux*: Symphony 1 with Lyon NO/*Baudo*, and Ainsi la nuit with *Arditti* Qt.

View attachment 4829
View attachment 4830


----------



## SimonH

The first track always gets my blood racing. I would love to see it done live. (Ideally in one of the many fine churches in Venice!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Anyone who hasn't heard the A major Violin Sonata or C minor Piano Quartet must do so.
> 
> View attachment 4825


I haven't, so I'm heeding your adjuration!


----------



## cwarchc

My first Mahler, came today from Amazon only £1.78 delivered
Symphony no 5
Chicago Symphony & Sir Georg Solti
I've tried to attach the image, first time?


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 17 In F Major, Op. 17/2, H 3/26*

I have been making fairly rapid progress through this newly arrived box-set this week and next up I will play Disc 08 for a second listen. Very pleased with this box so far and I think it will become a favourite!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jeff N said:


> Anyone who hasn't heard the A major Violin Sonata or C minor Piano Quartet must do so.


The quartet was so enjoyable, it's on to the A Major Violin Sonata. How did I miss these?


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this
whoo hoo - getting the hang of these images


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Sid James

*Walton* -_ As You Like It _& _Hamlet_ (adaptations of film scores by Christopher Palmer)
RTE Concert Orch., Dublin / Andrew Penny, cond. / with Michael Sheen, narrator in _Hamlet_ (Naxos cd)

*Walton's Hamlet *is a favourite of mine, but very dark. The music compliments the film perfectly in mood, a lot of the scenes are indoors in the castle, it's a closed kind of claustrophobic world I get here. Even outdoors, you have that kind of oppressive Nordic landscape. & even the scene between young lovers Hamlet and Ophelia is melancholic rather than sweet or whatever. The ghost scene is my favourite, the music depicting this whispy apparition that is basically about the tragedy to come. As usual with Shakesperean tragedies, everyone dies at the end. The cor anglais solo in Ophelia's death scene brings back the vibe of Hamlet's famous soliloquy _To be or not to be_, and it's been fulfilled, she is dead, they all die. I rarely listen to this but when I do, it's intense. The coupling, music to the comedy_* As You Like It*_, is perfect as it's a good light contrast to the doom and gloom of _Hamlet_.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In spite of being a great lover of Schubert I have never got around to picking up his entire symphonic cycle (until now). Of course I have had multiple versions of his various great symphonies... but now I finally settled upon Karajan. None of the other alternatives for the complete cycle sold me. I've never heard much about Karajan as a conductor of Schubert (unlike Beethoven, Bruckner, and even Tchaikovsky)... but honestly, I've never heard great talk of anyone else as the great conductor of the whole of Schubert. I already have the great Furtwangler 9th, Bernstein's 8 & 9, Carlos Kleiber 3 & 8, Mackerras' 8 & 9, and Sir Thomas Beecham's 3, 5 & 6... and what I have heard in sampling Karajan was solid enough. Now listening, I find these performances of Schubert's less-well-known early symphonies pleasant enough. If I were to have any complaint, it would be to suggest that these early works might benefit by being played as if they were closer in style or manner to Haydn than the weight of late Beethoven. In that sense, Karajan's performance is like many "old school" recordings of Haydn, Mozart, etc... with a large Romantic orchestra. I might eventually come around to picking up this:










Which is currently out of print... which would leave me missing only Schubert's 4th.


----------



## mitchflorida

This album is great, from start to finish. If you liked Stravinsky, you will love Hindemith.
The Miraculous Mandarin is one of Bartok's more interesting and fun pieces.


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> *Haydn: String Quartet No. 17 In F Major, Op. 17/2, H 3/26*
> 
> I have been making fairly rapid progress through this newly arrived box-set this week and next up I will play Disc 08 for a second listen. Very pleased with this box so far and I think it will become a favourite!


I want that box set so badly..

Currently listening to:

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 {"Bells of Zlonice"} and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4. *Both works feature Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This debut album by Adam Levin and William Kruth, also known as *Duo Sonidos*, is not only brilliant but it is amazing and fresh! The combination of guitar and violin works together quite well. The album is never boring in any respect. I would be willing to say that once you hear this album you would want to add it to your most frequently played list. If you have Spotify check it out and if you don't check it out. You won't regret it.










Kevin


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> The quartet was so enjoyable, it's on to the A Major Violin Sonata. How did I miss these?
> 
> View attachment 4835


Glad you enjoyed! I know, outside of France, Faure just doesn't get much exposure. It's a shame, because he really should be considered one of the great composers of the late 19th-early 20th centuries.


----------



## Cnote11

More Debussy and Satie... what is new there?









This again and










This Poulenc disc


----------



## Cnote11

Goodnight everyone


----------



## Vaneyes

http://www.ardmediathek.de/ard/servlet/content/3517136?documentId=10353344

May 1, 2012 - Spanish Riding School, Vienna

Capuçon/BPO/Dudamel

Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
Haydn: Cello Concerto 1
Beethoven: Symphony 5


----------



## Badinerie

Trying to listen to this old thing again. It has everything I should like...buuuuuut...It aint dooin it!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Goodnight everyone


I can't believe you actually got that.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Reich's Variations:










I CAN'T BELEIVE THAT HE IS PROBABLY WITHIN AN 8 KILOMETRE RADIUS OF WHERE I LIVE RIGHT NOW!!!!


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Liszt - Reminiscences de Don Juan (Earl Wild).
Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Op. 110, Op. 111 (Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonata 3, *Prokofiev*: Piano Sonata 7, with *GG*.

View attachment 4845


----------



## Vaneyes

Badinerie said:


> Trying to listen to this old thing again. It has everything I should like...buuuuuut...It aint dooin it!
> 
> View attachment 4844


I agree. Muti's Schumann with the VPO (Philips Duo) is considerably better, though it's a harder find and a pricier consideration.


----------



## Badinerie

Ta...I might have a look for that!

Is this it?


----------



## Moira

I'm feeling very frazzled at the moment. Listening to Hildegard von Bingen O Vis Aeternitatis sung by Schola der Benediktinerinneenabtei St Hildegard, Eibingen (her own nunnery which I visited in her centenary year, 1998). Hopefully I will be able unwind without unravelling.


----------



## robert

Magnus Lindberg
Orchestral Music
4 disc box set (ESSENTIAL LINDBERG)
Tendenza, Kraft, Kinetics, Marea
Joy, Corrente, Corrente II, Coyote Blues
Arena, Arena 2, Feria, Gran Duo
Chorale, Concerto For Orchestra, Sculpture

UP NEXT
BRUNO MADERNA


----------



## Vaneyes

Badinerie said:


> Ta...I might have a look for that!
> 
> Is this it?
> 
> View attachment 4848


Yes, that's the original release for VPO/Muti 1 & 4. Understandably, there was also a 2 & 3 single. Then came Philips Duo (2CDs , 1 - 4).

Good news. Newton Classics has licensed and reissued VPO/Muti Schumann 1 - 4.

View attachment 4850


----------



## Vaneyes

*Boulez*: Sur Incises, Rituel in memoriam Maderna, Three Piano Sonatas, with *Boulez*, *Robertson*, *Jumppanen*.

View attachment 4851
View attachment 4852
View attachment 4853


----------



## SimonH

Picked this up for dead cheap, so gave it a listen today. Not bad, not bad...


----------



## cwarchc

Having a piano evening tonight
Starting with this


----------



## AndyS

Tosca conducted by Mehta, with Price, Domingo and Milnes

I know that this version isn't held in that high regard, but of the 4 Toscas I own (this, both Callas Toscas and the Tebaldi one), this is the on I like best... There's something unsubtle and under produced about it that I feel suits this particular opera. I'm looking to add the earlier Price Tosca and maybe the Nilsson one to my collection at a later date


----------



## sheffmark

I love this!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still exploring alternative performances of Mahler's symphonies. The 2nd is quite possibly my favorite... and this one absolutely tears it up. A real stunner!


----------



## PetrB

Marc-Anthony Turnage ~ "Chicago Remains"
BBC proms, 2008; Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitinck, conducting.
Really nice piece... starts @ 2'10''


----------



## Dimboukas

Haha! I am sure you recognize it!


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I can't believe you actually got that.


I did and I quite like it in fact. What is soooo hard to believe?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13, *both performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra of London under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen*

_Symphony # 5_ *
_Violin Concerto _**

Danish Radio SO
* Rafael Kubelik, cond.
** Arve Tellefsen, vln. / Herbert Blomstedt, cond.

Have been listening to this first disc of this twofer. I like the way the symphony is almost like a percussion concerto & also the violin concerto's folkish aspects. Interesting rhythms in both works, I'd guess influenced by guys like Stravinsky? Looking forward to hearing the second disc in due course.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mahler's 2nd is one of those works that leaves me drained... needing to sit for a while in silence at it's conclusion... and this is especially true of this absolutely stunning recording.

Shortly thereafter I popped this into the CD player:










Yet in comparison to the Mahler Shostakovitch seems to anti-climactic that I'll certainly need to give it another listen... under other circumstances.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major. *Both works feature the Utah Symphony led by Mautice Abravanel.


----------



## Cnote11

Omg, new avatar. Didn't expect that.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Jagshemash, Cnote.

I like you. Do you like me?


----------



## Cnote11

Nyman's Draughtman's Contract

Both the original and the Composer's Cut Series Edition.


----------



## Cnote11

Dodecaplex said:


> Jagshemash, Cnote.
> 
> I like you. Do you like me?


Co slychac, Dodie. I am quite fond.


----------



## Arsakes

Schubert Symphony No.10 and I like it more than his 9th.


----------



## SimonH

I stumbled upon a youtube clip of Björk interviewing Arvo Pärt. Björk has an (unsurprisingly) unorthodox interviewing style. Pärt seemed quite charmed by her.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart symphony No.36 'Linz'
Wiener Philharmoniker, Carlos Kleiber.

Exquisite. :}


----------



## PetrB

Lully: Cadmus et Hermione; Chaconne, act I

A filmed staged performance, the music is, ah, Wonderful, the stage, ballet and singers all...





Five minutes and fifty-five seconds of sweet charm. Problem is, now I want the complete version of this performance 

Enjoy, and thumb this honey up.


----------



## Badinerie

Im gloss painting all my bedroom doors so I need something to distract me...
Paging Mr Barbirolli, Mr John Barbirolli .this should do it!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Reformation Symphony.*

I know it has its faults, but I really like this piece, especially the way Loren Maazel conducts it. He tightens up the flabby transition into the second theme in the last movement so that it actually works.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Dodecaplex said:


> Jagshemash, Cnote.
> 
> I like you. Do you like me?


Cnote listens to Nyman. I like Cnote.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ooh I love "Concierto Madrigal" played by these bros:


----------



## mitchflorida

A rather obscure album by Janos Starker, with excellent sound. Just fantastic cello playing with a very good symphony behind him. Good morning music.


----------



## Badinerie

Job done for today. All doors glossed, thoroughly vexed from Mahler. ( Dunno why, I always seem to be vexed at the end of a Mahler Symphony) Chilling with a cuppa tea and this....Eeee!


----------



## Taneyev

Starker! good idea:

Kodaly: solo cello sonata

Lalo: cello concerto

And a selection of Popper virtuoso pieces


----------



## tgtr0660

Bellini's I Capuleti e I Montecchi was wonderful, though at a point uneven. Tonight, before I jump into French grand opera, music of the times:


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Honegger* Symphonies 3 & 5, Pacific 231, with Danish NRSO/Jarvi (Chandos, rec.1992).

Well-interpreted and played. And, it's a delight to hear all the music. That's not always the case for this composer's meagre recording count...many from the dark ages.

More Honegger, please, sirs.

View attachment 4881


----------



## Vaneyes

Badinerie said:


> Im gloss painting all my bedroom doors so I need something to distract me...
> Paging Mr Barbirolli, Mr John Barbirolli .this should do it!
> 
> View attachment 4874


Please...Sir John, or Glorious John.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Erich Korngold, Die Tote Stadt.*


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Op. 53, Op. 57, Op. 101, Op. 106, Op. 110 (Emil Gilels).


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*John Adams, The Dharma at Big Sur.*

I opened the paper and found out Terry Riley is premiering a concerto for Tracy Silverman with the Nashville Symphony this weekend. And here I am, short on cash. Oh, well, on to Spotify with Mr. Silverman playing with John Adams.


----------



## SimonH

A curious compilation of various composers, conductors etc. But it only cost me a quid. The headliner, the 1812, is probably the weakest performance on the disc. Everything else sounds much brighter.


----------



## cwarchc

Isserlis is one of my favourite cellists


----------



## Cnote11

Beethoven's Bagatelles again


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass No. 1*.

I'm used to Jochum's recording, which is more spacious and spiritual. Gardiner takes it at a faster clip, which is taking some getting used to. However, the rhythmic shift in the choir's entrance in this recording reveals the influence of Mozart's Requiem more than I've heard in other recordings.


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this now
An amazing performance and a sad loss


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.5 in F Major, B.54, *performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons, and *Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, *featuring Sir Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the guidance of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Cnote11 said:


> Co slychac, Dodie. I am quite fond.


Chenquieh, chenquieh.

I like woman. Do you like woman?


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Die Gluckliche Hand.
Berg, Der Wein
Webern, Five Pieces for Orchestra and Cantata No. 1*

I finally was able to hear the Schoenberg and the Berg. I'm more familiar with the Webern pieces. Michael Gielen plays them in a more "clinical" style which loses some of the lyricism but emphasizes the structure.


----------



## Badinerie

Vaneyes said:


> Please...Sir John, or Glorious John.


I agree Glorious he be! but In my twisted head John Barbirolli always sounds like.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still another disc in my recent exploration/celebration of the brilliant Russian cellist:










I have never before thought anything much of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations... but following this performance (live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1964) I am in love.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius's 5th by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Guitar Concerto no. 1 in A major op. 30


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"Pastoral"} and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kees Bakels.
The use by Williams of the "wordless vocal" in his *Third Symphony *is very reminiscent of Karl Nielsen's employing the same device in *his* *Third Symphony {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}* as well. Both are very haunting and moving within the contexts of their overall respective symphonies.


----------



## Cnote11

After listening to the Beethoven complete Bagatelles twice more...










Listening to this now. A portion of Beethoven's complete piano works


----------



## Cnote11

Dodecaplex said:


> Chenquieh, chenquieh.
> 
> I like woman. Do you like woman?


I like my woman, but I'm not overtly fond of others.

What is with your botched Polish?


----------



## Cnote11

I'm now comparing my five recordings of Pierrot Lunaire by good ol' Arnold Schönberg

Also listening to Erwartung by Arnold.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in B Major, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart piano concerto No.20 in D Minor.


----------



## cwarchc

Try this one with Isserlis, its available vey cheap on Amazon marketplace, and it's very good










StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still another disc in my recent exploration/celebration of the brilliant Russian cellist:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have never before thought anything much of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations... but following this performance (live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1964) I am in love.


----------



## Badinerie

Villa Lobos Suite from Little Magdalena with Bachianas brasileiras No. 5 and a few others. 
Perfect for a sunny Saturday morning. I actually had to photograph the cover though...


----------



## SimonH

Trying this live recording of Rite Of Spring, Stéphane Denève conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Stravinsky hasn't 'clicked' with me yet, but I keep trying him now and then.


----------



## Taneyev

Hubay: 6 pieces op.121 for violin&piano.

Bottesini: grand quintet for 2 volins, viola, cello and bass. (one of the most happy works i know)

Paul Juon: Trio miniatures for piano, clarinet and cello.


----------



## Arsakes

Schumann - Piano Quintet (op. 44)

Shostakovitch - Sonata for Cello & Piano (op. 40)


----------



## Dodecaplex

Cnote11 said:


> What is with your botched Polish?


Is nice!

Przhy okazhi, avatar gives me funny feeling in my khrum. Is avatar woman?


----------



## cwarchc

We're starting the weekend with this









Who knows where we will end up, a voyage of sound


----------



## Manxfeeder

Cnote11 said:


> I'm now comparing my five recordings of Pierrot Lunaire by good ol' Arnold Schönberg
> 
> Also listening to Erwartung by Arnold.


Sounds like my kind of day!

Although this morning I'm starting Cinco de Mayo with some Mompou. Okay, he's not Mexican, but he spoke Spanish .


----------



## kv466




----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this,


----------



## Badinerie

ooh Snap! almost....


----------



## Turangalîla

Mendelssohn String Octet and Symphony No. 4 ("Italian")—the first movement is brilliant! Mendelssohn is very much underrated.


----------



## Badinerie

I concur ! hence the like


----------



## cwarchc

And now this









Surprisingly good, with performances by Rostropovich & Mischa Maisky


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I can't believe I don't listen to this more often!


----------



## PetrB

Rameau ~ Pygmalion. Remarkable Rameau, wonderful performance,_ the recording sadly now O.O.P._

Pygmalion 1/2: 




Pygmalion 2/2:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Spent the afternoon in my studio working of the drawing stage of my next painting. Unfortunately, I didn't get much done of any value. I did, however, get to listen to the following:










Disc 1- Faure


----------



## Chrythes

Been listening to Debussy piano works. Very diverse music, but with it's own almost constant atmosphere.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Checking out this version now:


----------



## Vaneyes

LvB: Piano Sonatas 22 - 26, with Schiff (ECM Vol. VI, rec.2006).

View attachment 4915


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yevgeni Mravinsky. Quite passionate indeed!
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *both featuring the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.
John Adams--*The Dharma At Big Sur, *featuring the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Tracy Silverman on electric violin.


----------



## Cnote11

Debussy goes well with studying for finals


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^So does *Ligeti's* Piano Concerto


----------



## Cnote11

I'm sure it does! As does THIS, which I currently just turned on


----------



## Dodecaplex




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three symphonies are performed in a resounding manner by the New York Philharmonic under the sway of Maestro Bernstein.


----------



## PetrB

Stephen Albert ~ Cello Concerto 
Yo-Yo Ma, 'Cello: Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman


----------



## PetrB

at four after midnight, it seemed appropriate:

Diego Minciacchi ~ Ritual for the New Morning (1993)


----------



## Badinerie

Nice sunday morning playing and old favorite Ravel.


----------



## SimonH

Some sunday morning listening. Lovely throughout, but Miserere Mei towers over the other compositions.


----------



## cwarchc

Seemed like a good start to Sunday morning


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Faure's _Messe Basse_ is a gorgeous little work. I sung it in a choir earlier this year.


----------



## Badinerie

Mozart Don Giovanni Conducted by Karl "Bohm-Chka-Bohm-Bohm"


----------



## Arsakes

Telemann - Viola Concerto

Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto No. 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Arsakes said:


> Telemann - Viola Concerto
> 
> Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto No. 1


I remember when I learnt the Telemann viola concerto. Fun piece.


----------



## mitchflorida

This is the best recorded version of the old Rheingold Beer Jingle, "My Beer is Rheingold". Good treatment of rousing waltzes


----------



## Manxfeeder

cwarchc said:


> Seemed like a good start to Sunday morning


That does sound good. I'm listening to the Messe Basse.


----------



## Taneyev

Tchaikovsky string sextet: Leonid&Elizabeth Kogan, Barshai&Talalian, Knushevitsky&Rostropovich.

Brahms clarinet quintet: Reginald Kell and the Busch Q.

Saint-Saëns : unfinished violin concerto Nº4. Ricci.


----------



## SimonH

Spent a few pleasant hours with this. Ah, Danielle.....


----------



## cwarchc

Back to some more music after a couple of hours.
Feel like a bit of opera, I haven't got much to choose from yet.
But I do have this one


----------



## StevenOBrien

Any love for this recording? (The soundtrack to Joseph Losey's 1979 Don Giovanni film)


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet #21 in D (1789)*
One of the last string quartets Mozart wrote, this one has a more relaxed and pastoral feel then those in the "Haydn" set. Each movement is quite pretty and easy on the ears, but I got the sense at certain points Mozart was just going through the motions on this one. However, any faults the first three movements might have, the finale more then makes up for. A lyrical melody drives the narrative of the piece, constantly transforming the entire way through. Here the interplay between the strings is more pronounced, and feels much more like a four way conversation. Overall a really wonderful and beautiful work.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet (1872)*
Tchaikovsky rewrote this piece several times before deciding on a draft he liked (which is the version we hear today). Two big ideas make up the work, a more aggressive theme, and a love theme (the latter of which has seeped into popular culture). It's a well written overture and does what it needs to, but I found some of it a little heavy handed, particular with the amount of cymbal crashes. Subtlety hasn't always been Tchaikovsky's strong suit.

*Claude Debussy: La Boîte À Joujoux (1913)*
This is a ballet written after _Jeux_ and a chance for Debussy to relax a little and just have fun with the music. He actually only wrote a four hand-two piano version, and had another composer orchestrate it in the style of Debussy. Musically the piece is very lyrical, more so then usual of Debussy, and has hints of jazz like elements (the main motif is actually note for note a motif found in Gershwin's _American in Paris_, written a decade later). The orchestration doesn't achieve the same level of grace that Debussy might have penned; brassier, and more percussion heavy, it's is probably the worst aspect of an otherwise fun little piece.

*Arnold Schoenberg: Violin Concerto (1940)*
Written immediately following Schoenberg's migration to the United States, his _Violin Concerto_ presumably tells of the anguish in leaving a home that no longer wanted him. The work is entirely atonal and written in the usual confines Schoenberg set upon himself. That said, there isn't anything to suggest that the piece isn't romantic. Lyrical and passionate throughout, the violin begins with prominence and is slowly overcome by the orchestra as it progresses. The writing here is top notch, forcing the violin to perform a number of formidable maneuvers, as it battles its way through thick and spiky orchestral counterpoint. Every aspect of this work is truly inspired, the material, story, orchestration, and written by a composer clearly in his prime. This has to be one of my favorite violin concertos (second only to Beethoven perhaps), and I couldn't recommend it enough. It's a tough nut to crack, made considerably easier by reading along with the score, but the payoff is well worth the effort.

*Milton Babbitt: 3 Compositions for Piano (1947)*
 One of Babbitt's earliest works, this is also one of the earliest examples of total serialization. A short little work, it leaves the impression of being emotional yet very calculated. The middle movement forms the core of the piece, meandering about carelessly, interrupted by more vicious statements as it continues, giving the impression that two things are happening at once (a common theme throughout the piece).

*Samuel Barber: Hermit Songs (1953)*
Though Barber wrote many songs,_ Hermit Songs_ is his only substantial cycle. Like Schoenberg, this is clearly written by a very mature composer who knows exactly what he's doing. The writing is breathtaking, transparent, its intentions clear. Barber is somehow able to inject both passion and humor and form a cohesive work. Songs like _The Heavenly Banquet_, and _Promiscuity_, are clearly tongue and cheek, while songs like _The Desire for Hermitage_ are more emotive, with a tinge of melancholy. For me the highlight of the work is _The Monk and the Cat_ which manages to be both playful and poignant. An easy feat for the text, but to match that musically must have been challenging. Another thing I particularly like about this work is how the piano and voice interact. Neither instrument is more prominent, and each rebound off each other in a very playful but respectful manner that greatly contributes to the tone of work. Overall a beautiful and entertaining cycle, Barber at his best.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Liszt - Psalm XIII, Missa solemnis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran, Hungarian Coronation Mass. These are three of Liszt's choral masterpieces. I've actually started to consider the Missa solemnis to perhaps be the greatest work Liszt wrote in the 50s that doesn't use a piano - yes, above both symphonies, all the tone poems, the Ad Nos Fantasy and Fugue, etc.

Here's the Credo.


----------



## Badinerie

Watched the Gheorghiu Terfel Kaufmann Tosca that the BBC broadcast in December. Terfel was Outstanding...Freeview Recorders are a wonderfull thing!


----------



## opus55

Berg: Violin Concerto


----------



## TheBamf

Schubert's 8th Symphony.

For the 19th time since I bought it Wednesday.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Cantata No. 169.*

Nice sinfonia at the beginning, borrowed from a keyboard concerto.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## cwarchc

I'm now listening to Hayden Cello Concertos with Isserlis on Grooveshark


----------



## AndyS

Badinerie said:


> Watched the Gheorghiu Terfel Kaufmann Tosca that the BBC broadcast in December. Terfel was Outstanding...Freeview Recorders are a wonderfull thing!
> 
> View attachment 4930


I started watching this on iplayer on my iPad on the last day it was available. But as it was the Christmas period, I was a bit 'tired' and fell asleep... By the time I woke up it was off iplayer, I was so annoyed as I'd watched the documentary first and was really in the mood for it as much as I dislike Gheorghiu


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon... or part of it... again in the studio painting... well actually I'm in the drawing stage of what will become a painting. I gave the following a listen:










A truly great recording of some of the earliest polyphony.










This is about the 4th time I've listened to these marvelous performances by Rostropovich since the disc arrived in the mail last week.










Some great "bleeding chunks" of Wagner for my studio mate... who is hooked on Romanticism. If it isn't laden with Sturm und Drang and lots of bombast he's certain it's lightweight music. Of course I'd prefer to have put on the entire _Tristan und Isolde_ or _Götterdämmerung_... but he's not into opera.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now listening... for the second time in a row... to this marvelous recording of David Oistrakh:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in Eb, Op. 74
Holst: Hammersmith


----------



## Sid James

Some of the weekend's listening -

*Schumann* _Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44 _
Philippe Entremont, piano & the Alban Berg Quartet (EMI)

A first listen to this work. I quite enjoyed it.

*Tchaikovsky* _Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50_
*Shostakovich *_Piano Trio #2 in E minor, Op. 67 _
Rosamunde Trio, Prague (alto label cd)

Two quite dark works here, dedicated to the memory of musical colleagues of these two great Russian composers. The first one to composer Nikolay Rubinstein, friend to Tchaikovsky, and the second one to Ivan Sollertinsky, a musicologist friend of Shostakovich. They are both very emotional, esp. the final movements. The Tchaikovsky trio is closed by a sombre funeral march, like watching the funeral cortege go into the distance. The Shostakovich trio ends in a Jewish wedding tune turning ugly, from a pretty dance tune to an terrifying dance of death. These guys don't hold back on their grief, and Shostakovich's mind was also on the victims of the Holocaust, the Russian soldiers liberating the camps in 1944 when he wrote it.


















& also listened to an Elton John album, details of that on my blog.



Chrythes said:


> Been listening to Debussy piano works. Very diverse music, but with it's own almost constant atmosphere.
> 
> View attachment 4914


That's a favourite recording of mine, it really got me going with Debussy's piano music. Great collection, imo.



> ...
> *Arnold Schoenberg: Violin Concerto (1940)*
> ...This has to be one of my favorite violin concertos ...


& mine too. From that era, I like many of them which I've heard (esp. Hindemith's), but Schoenberg's has special appeal. Hilary Hahn's recording of the work opened this composer up to me a great deal, it took a while, but it happened.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## neoshredder




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Guitar concerto no. 1 in A major op. 30






This isn't a great video, but it's the only one I can find on YouTube of the original version for full orchestra. The sound quality is terrible, the playing isn't the most amazing and the guitarist's RH is a pain to watch. All the others just seem to be the shortened version for guitar and strings that is recorded too often. I really want to get Giuliani's complete guitar concertos played on period instruments on the Brilliant Classics label. I sampled it on Amazon earlier today and even though it doesn't seem to be the best of the best when it comes to the Giuliani concertos it is at least the most authentic when it comes to instruments and orchestration.










^I want to get this.


----------



## cwarchc

Starting with another of my, very limited, collection of opera


----------



## TheBamf

Mahler's 5th is a great piece.
It is very epic and ambitious but the recording I have (the one displayed) sometimes disastify me by layering stuff to much, that is to say that the piece does not feel as if it working together as a whole at some points?. Is this a weakness of Valery Gergiev in the given recording or is Mahler very much like this?

This is by no means an expert conclusion, I really do adore this work and I hope for Leonard Bernstein's version (played by the Vienna Philharmonic) to be even better than this.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Bavouzet's first volume of LvB, Piano Sonatas 1 - 10 (Chandos, 3 CDs).

For LvB, I was wondering if Bavouzet would be too light on the keyboard. He is, IMO, so this will be given a miss.

View attachment 4934


----------



## tgtr0660

Grand Opera:


----------



## Sonata

Starting some ballet exploration with the complete Swan Lake.


----------



## Taneyev

Selection of Shostakovich p&f by him on piano.

Taneyev piano trio: Oistrakh trio.


----------



## opus55

Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 1
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 95, 99, 104

















I started with Romantic and Late Romantic symphonies but these days I'm drawn into Classical and Modern era symphonies more.


----------



## Chrythes

Continuing with Mahler. This is truly _awesome _ music. The theme of the first movement, the calmness of the second, the playfulness of the third and fourth, the joy of the fifth and everything wrapped with beauty!
When I'm in a mood for a symphony it's always Mahler these days.


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"} and The Wasps, *both featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kees Bakels.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120*. Both works have Sir Adrian Boult leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op.27 Nos. 1 & 2
Barber: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Cnote11

Richter's *beautiful* rendition of "Pictures at an Exhibition".


----------



## neoshredder

Mendelssohn's 5th Symphony off of 99 Most Essential Mendelssohn.


----------



## Cnote11

Richter playing Schubert, Chopin, and Listz.


----------



## Taneyev

Cnote11 said:


> Richter's *beautiful* rendition of "Pictures at an Exhibition".


Which one?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving this one another listen:










Tauber was one of the finest and most successful of Austrian singers before WWI. He performed in operas including _Die Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, The Bartered Bride, Tosca, Mignon, Faust, Carmen, Die Fledermaus,_ as well as in contemporary works such as Erich Korngold's _Die tote Stadt_, Wilhelm Kienzl's _Der Evangelimann_, and Richard Strauss's _Ariadne auf Naxos_. Tauber acquired a reputation as a remarkably quick study: he learned Gounod's _Faust_ in 48 hours, Bacchus in Richard Strauss's _Ariadne auf Naxos_ in an afternoon so that people soon began to call him "the SOS Tenor". During the 1920s he began making the first of over seven hundred grammophone records, mainly for the Odeon Records label.

In 1920 Tauber began his long-term relationship with Franz Lehar. He first performed _Zigeunerliebe_ (Gypsy Love) in Linz and Berlin. Tauber had a great love of "light music" as a result of his mother who had often supported the family by singing soubrette roles in various regional theaters. Tauber met with Lehar in 1922 and convinced him to sing the lead role in his new operetta, _Frasquita_. Tauber performed in a good number of successful Lehar operettas for years. By 1930 Lehar's operettas enjoyed over 500 productions in Germany and Austria alone of which _Das land des Lächelns_ with the classic _Dein ist mein ganzes Herz_ (made famous by Tauber) accounted for some 200 productions. This success was followed by _Giuditta_ with the famous _Meine Lippen ,sie kussen so heiss_... which has recently become a signature tune of Anna Netrebko. Tauber's partnership with Lehar lasted as late as 1946 and a radio concert broadcast two years before Tauber's death. Of course this partnership suffered a long period of separation following the _Anschluss_. Tauber fled Austria for England and the Nazi's rescinded his citizenship. The wealth he had amassed through successful performances and recordings was lost in Austria, and Tauber was forced to make a number of English recordings as well as tour the UK and the US in order to make a living.

Tauber was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in 1947 and died the following year... barely three months after his final performance on September 27, 1947 at the Royal Opera House in London. The role was that of Don Ottavio in _Don Giovanni_, not a large part but with two difficult arias that demand good breath control to bring off well. Those in the audience say that he sang wonderfully and to loud applause. Live excerpts of these two arias from this performance survive, and they reveal a tone of undiminished focus and steadiness... His career ended as it began - with Mozart.


----------



## Cnote11

Odnoposoff said:


> Which one?












Sofia Recital 1958


----------



## Sonata

Delibes' Lakme, with Joan Sutherland.


----------



## teej

*Milhaud String Quartet No. 1 (Petersen Quartett)*

View attachment Milhaud String Quartet No.I - 1st movement - Rhythmique.mp3


I have mentioned this in a previous post...but this time I decided to upload the first minute or so from the 1st movement. I cannot stop listening to this beautiful and moving piece of music (beautifully played too). 
Please give it a listen, and if you like it you will probably want to aquire the entire piece to add to your collecion!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2: Symphony 3 "Polish", Marche Slav, Capriccio Italien

Karajan's readings of Tchaikovsky's symphonies remain among the finest. The excesses of Tchaikovsky almost call out for a degree of German precision and the well-polished Berlin Philharmonic. Having said that... in spite of Karajan's reputation you can absolutely feel the joy in these two great showpieces.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 27 Nos. 1 & 2


----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

Chopin - Complete Waltzes, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (Stephen Hough).


----------



## Sid James

Returning to some favourites, old and new - 

*William Bolcom* - _Cabaret Songs _
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano / BBC Symphony Orch. / David Robertson (from DGG - _Surprise_ album)

*R. Strauss* - _Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings _
Berlin PO / Herbert von Karajan (DGG)

*Stravinsky* - _Symphony in Three Movements _
Philharmonia Orch. / Robert Craft (Naxos)

I will say a bit about this -

*Schnittke* - _Piano Quintet_
Irina Schnittke, pno. / Mark Lubotsky, vln. / Dimity Hall, vln. / Irina Morozova, viola / Julian Smiles, cello (Naxos, recorded at Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, Queensland, 1999)

A powerful work, musing on the death of two people close to Schnittke - his mother and Shostakovich - & containing reminiscences of the waltz music of Vienna, the scene of Schnittke's education as a young music student. The work goes through many phases, from grotesque to outright disturbing and ended by a repetitive passage on the piano quoting the hymn of thanksgiving after the storm in Beethoven's_ Pastoral _symphony. It's kind of consoling but disturbing at the same time, like one of those old wind-up music boxes that plays the same tune over and over. A masterpiece of the modern chamber repertoire. The musicians comprise Schnittke's widow, Irina, playing the kind of minimalistic piano part, and Mark Lubotsky for whom the composer wrote a number of his key works featuring the violin, and three Australians who are members of the Goldner String Quartet, one of our finest chamber groups.


----------



## Badinerie

Ljuba Welitsch singing Eugene Onegin in German!?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Concierto Madrigal. Most amazing work for two guitars and orchestra EVER!


----------



## PetrB

Frank Martin ~ Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## TheBamf

Dmitri Shostakovich's 10th Symphony.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Clementi - Piano Sonata Op. 40 No. 2 (Nikolai Demidenko).
Liszt - Deux Polonaises, Ballade No. 1, Ballade No. 2, Berceuse (first version), Piano Sonata (Stephen Hough).


----------



## Taneyev

Elgar violin concerto (Heifetz)

Alf Hurum string quartet

Saint-Saëns left hand etudes


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Guitar Concerto no. 3 in F op. 70 on *period instruments!*  An amazing recording of an utterly remarkable concerto.


----------



## Badinerie

Dvorak String Quartet in F 'American' - Gabrieli SQ (Classics for Pleasure CFP 40041)









Very nice too...


----------



## Arsakes

Schumann:

Piano Concerto in A minor
Symphony No. 1, Op. 38 'Spring'


----------



## emiellucifuge

Dvorak's Scherzo Cappicioso by the BBC Symphony under Jiri Belohlavek.

This may just be Dvorak's most perfect orchestral work. Just a flawless little gem.
And the performance aint too shabby.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mompou, Musica Callada.*

I'm listening to Jenny Lin's version of this. The acoustic isn't too resonant, and she plays very well, but there's something about this I'm not sold on. I think it's the way she releases her sustain pedal too early at times, which becomes really noticeable in these pieces in particular. Whatever it is, I'm not feeling the sense of spiritual solitude inherent in these pieces the way I want to; it's more a cold brittleness.


----------



## Vaneyes

Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture, with Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana/Stokowski (1969, LS was 87). As was normal, the conductor's "quiet ending" for this piece is performed.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by Manxfeeder, Mompou Mompou (4 CDs, rec. 1974).

View attachment 4965


----------



## AndyS

On the operatic extracts of Wagner disc. Sounding glorious for a 62 year old woman


----------



## SimonH

Chilling after work is quite pleasant with this.


----------



## AndyS

AndyS said:


> View attachment 4966
> 
> 
> On the operatic extracts of Wagner disc. Sounding glorious for a 62 year old woman


Skipped onto the Schubert and Brahms disc. Sublime


----------



## cwarchc

Just listened to this, never heard him before









moving onto this, another new purchase

I cant find an image?
It's Berlioz Cycle, Sir Colin Davis - Highlights on Philips


----------



## DeepR

I can't get enough of this one, I think I like it even more than the original piano version.


----------



## cwarchc

Last one for the evening
You can't have enough Elgar


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Alan Gilbert.
Samuel Barber--*Symphony No.1, Op.9 and Symphony No.2, Op.19, *both performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## mitchflorida

cwarchc said:


> Just listened to this, never heard him before
> 
> View attachment 4968


Was it any good? Why are you posting about him for?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still exploring a number of alternative recordings of Mahler's symphonies. This is indeed a splendid recording... and the sound quality it unmatched... yet having come to Mahler's 5th through Barbirolli's classic recording that absolutely caresses the music I'll need to come to terms with Abbado's interpretation. As this is one of my favorite of Mahler's works, I also have Bernstein's and Walter's interpretations waiting in the wings.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"}, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, WAB 105, *performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4










The ending is spooky......


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Chopin's nocturnes have long been among my favorite works of music for piano... or anything else for that matter. Rubinstein's classic recording may certainly be the touchstone for this repertoire, but surely there is room for others. Absolutely thrilled with Wild's performances of Rachmaninoff's concertos, I picked up this set (2 discs). It is indeed a fine recording... although weaned on Rubinstein I somewhat doubt they will become a replacement for what essentially is the voice of Chopin for me. Of course such is the danger of knowing a repertoire through a single recording... any and all alternatives initially seem "wrong". I am considering Moravec's recordings of the nocturnes as well.


----------



## samurai

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still exploring a number of alternative recordings of Mahler's symphonies. This is indeed a splendid recording... and the sound quality it unmatched... yet having come to Mahler's 5th through Barbirolli's classic recording that absolutely caresses the music I'll need to come to terms with Abbado's interpretation. As this is one of my favorite of Mahler's works, I also have Bernstein's and Walter's interpretations waiting in the wings.


@SLG, I've listened to the Bernstein rendition of this work, and I believe you'll enjoy his interpretation of it very much.


----------



## Sid James

opus55 said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4
> 
> ...
> The ending is spooky......


I like that lack of resolution at the end, he just leaves you up in the air after all that mundane hoopla with march tunes and so on which sounds over the top. The middle movement, like this wierd perpetuum mobile wedged between these two mammoths is just bizarre. You probably know the story behind this work. Supressed in the wake of Stalin's show trials and all that in the mid 1930's, it surfaced & was first performed in the 1960's. The two piano reduction survived and was reorchestrated by the composer. Times had changed, it was received well then, but under Stalin it would not have gained any brownie points (quite the oppostie?), I'd guess. Tonal ambiguity meant_ formalism,_ Stalin's label for and excuse to supress any music he didn't like.


----------



## Badinerie

Bach Violin Sonata no1 in G minor. One of the most beautiful and sensual sonata's of all. Wish there an appropriate emoticon for that!..


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

cwarchc said:


> Last one for the evening
> You can't have enough Elgar
> View attachment 4976


One bar of Elgar is already waaay too much Elgar. 

Currently listening to Giuliani's guitar concerto no. 3 op. 70 again.


----------



## neoshredder

Currently listening to Kaija Saariaho radio on last.fm. Some very interesting sounds to say the least. For the good or bad, this music is unique.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Liszt - Hungarian Coronation Mass. 

I love this work. I don't know much about its background but I believe it was more a occasional work that anything else. It's very simple, vocal lines clear and concise, backed up beautifully by the (also fairly simple) orchestral writing - and perhaps a little bit theatrical overall when you consider how simple it is. It is also mainly a optimistic and joyful work throughout (minus some bits here and there, like in the Agnus Dei) and is overall fairly light-hearted. All that being said, the qualities mentioned are part of why I like it so much. Clear, beautiful choral music. I particularly love the Benedictus and Sanctus (which are both fairly high-flying, the Benedictus being particularly glorious) and the Offertorium, which is gorgeous. It also features a plainchant Credo. I think that the ending is a bit of an anti-climax - or maybe I just don't understand it yet. Overall, while not up there with another recent discovery of mine (the Gran Mass, which is a masterpiece), the Hungarian Coronation Mass is quickly growing on me and becoming one of my favourite choral works that he wrote.


----------



## Badinerie

I jumped in the Bath this morning ( No its not my birthday!) put radio three on and there was a Choral version of "Apres midi de la faune" Very cool ! I'll Have to source a copy.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Badinerie said:


> I jumped in the Bath this morning ( No its not my birthday!) put radio three on and there was a Choral version of *"Apres midi de la faune"* Very cool ! I'll Have to source a copy.


Your grammar is atrocious.


----------



## Taneyev

Leo Weiner violin sonata 1

A selection of Horowitz's rolls (1925/32)

Mendelssohn E minor violin concerto, Campoli-Boult.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Your grammar is atrocious.


Funny...I don't recall good grammar as a prerequisite on the site when I joined. Apparently being a good composer isn't either! :devil:

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Badinerie said:


> I jumped in the Bath this morning ( No its not my birthday!) put radio three on and there was a Choral version of "Apres midi de la faune" Very cool ! I'll Have to source a copy.


Weird! Did they put words to it, or was the chorus just humming?


----------



## Badinerie

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Your grammar is atrocious.


Me Grammar died in 1962....and your right she was!

NB l'après-midi d'un faune....is what he was whinging about


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune*.

Because I already had the piece stuck in my head . . .


----------



## Badinerie

Ahhgggrr! Its worse than that!.... it was Faure's Pavane Whata Mistaka to make!


----------



## mitchflorida

I listened to this mainly for A Lark Ascending by Pinchas Zukerman. By far the best recording of that work!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Badinerie said:


> Ahhgggrr! Its worse than that!.... it was Faure's Pavane Whata Mistaka to make!


Oh, that 'splains it.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Arsakes

Haydn - Symphony No. 95,96,97,98,99.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

Inspired by Van Eyes, Mompou playing Mompou. In this case, Musica Callada.

He has a curious habit of letting his left hand come in slightly before the right hand. I guess that's how they did it in the old school.


----------



## cwarchc

The title of the thread is "Current Listening" It's what I was listening too?
The other answer is: Yes, I thought it was good. I will certainly investigate more of his recordings
I'm open to all new, to me, experiences.



cwarchc said:


> Just listened to this, never heard him before
> 
> View attachment 4968
> 
> 
> moving onto this, another new purchase
> 
> I cant find an image?
> It's Berlioz Cycle, Sir Colin Davis - Highlights on Philips


----------



## cwarchc

Sorry CoAG,
BUT 
You can't have too much Elgar, only too little


----------



## cwarchc

We're now back onto Satie

The man was DIFFERENT, which is fantastic


----------



## kv466




----------



## Polednice

kv466 said:


>


Huh. I've never seen a picture of Marriner before. For some reason, I assumed he'd look like Roger Norrington. Nope.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Polednice said:


> Huh. I've never seen a picture of Marriner before. For some reason, I assumed he'd look like Roger Norrington. Nope.


And if you see the Academy St. Martin in the Fields, Roger Marriner now looks like Joshua Bell .

I'm currently listening to Alkan's Esquisses.


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## cwarchc

Last one of the day
I'm either too tired, or too much whisky?
to find an image
Holst 
The Planets
BBC Philarmonic with Pascal Tortelier
It seems pretty good to me
Can you suggest a better version?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4, *performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"} and Symphony No.6 in A Major, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Riccardo Muti.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Not on the level of one of Mozart's finest operas (but what is?) yet it isn't half-bad. I haven't heard it in years and I think what surprises me is that it is written in the manner of a German Sing-Spiel... with musical numbers between spoken dialog... ala _Die Zauberflote_. In a way this is perplexing considering the fact that Beethoven was such a symphonic master that you would expect something closer to a through-written opera... or at least something akin to Gluck or Mozart without the breaks in the music.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...
> Not on the level of one of Mozart's finest operas (but what is?) yet it isn't half-bad. I haven't heard it in years and I think what surprises me is that it is written in the manner of a German Sing-Spiel... with musical numbers between spoken dialog... ala _Die Zauberflote_. In a way this is perplexing considering the fact that Beethoven was such a symphonic master that you would expect something closer to a through-written opera... or at least something akin to Gluck or Mozart without the breaks in the music.


I think _Fidelio_ does have themes going through it, to my ears it does. I think he actually takes off in some way where Mozart left off with _Don Giovanni_, eg. it's an opera about ordinary people and also quite political, talking to the revolutionary times, the Enlightenment, etc._ Fidelio _is a favourite of mine, even though I'm not a big opera fan, however I do click with a good number of operas since Beethoven.


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak *- _Piano trio in F minor, Op. 65 _
Rosamunde Trio, Prague (from alto label cd)

*Ca**rl Vine* 
- _Sonata for flute and piano _(1992) Geoffrey Collins, fl. / David Miller, pno.
- _String Quartet #3_ (1994) The Tall Poppies Quartet
(from Tall Poppies label cd - Carl Vine Chamber music vol. 2)

First listen to these two works of Australian *Carl Vine*. I enjoyed them, the flute sonata had a very virtuoso ending, with rhythms that reminded me of jazz. Earlier there was a slightly Asian feel in the opening movement. The string quartet had two outer very rhythmic and vigorours movements sandwiching a quite lush inner slow movement, I really enjoyed the work of the cellist, very lyrical and beautiful.

As for the *Dvorak,* heard this last year (incl. live in concert), parts of it I'd kind of forgotten. Quite a dark work, written when he was going through financial setbacks and his mother had died. In the slow movement, the appearance of a Baroque sounding dotted rhythm always gets me emotional, as does the lullaby like song before the coda. But it's not too grief stricken, it's consoling overall.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Shostakovich's String Quartets performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Cinderella


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Maestro Giulini's birthday, Bruckner Symphony 2.

View attachment 4988


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still exploring a number of alternative recordings of Mahler's symphonies. This is indeed a splendid recording... and the sound quality it unmatched... yet having come to Mahler's 5th through Barbirolli's classic recording that absolutely caresses the music I'll need to come to terms with Abbado's interpretation. As this is one of my favorite of Mahler's works, I also have Bernstein's and Walter's interpretations waiting in the wings.


If you have the opportunity, try the BPO/Abbado Mahler 5, also on DG. He improves upon the earlier Chicago.

My favorites--Shipway's is the supreme ***-kicker, while still maintaining good music (bonus HD sound on RPO label). Lenny's DG, runner-up. BPO/Abbado DG, third.

Crazy 'n curious recs: Scherchen's drastic cuts; Solti's out of control brass in 70's Chicago.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Early polyphony... masterfully sung.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My favorites--Shipway's is the supreme ***-kicker, while still maintaining good music (bonus HD sound on RPO label). Lenny's DG, runner-up. BPO/Abbado DG, third.

Crazy 'n curious recs: Scherchen's drastic cuts; Solti's out of control brass in 70's Chicago.

I'll certainly need to pick up Shipway's recording. How can you lose at less than $4 US? I'll also be getting Lenny's recording as well as Walter's as part of a box set of Walter/Mahler.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both featuring Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Taneyev

Today it should be Sascha Glazunov:

Sax quartet.

String quintet.

Violin concerto (Oistrakh)


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TheBamf said:


>


I love that piece. Steve Reich himself plus 17 played that in Melbourne recently. I can't believe I didn't go see it.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Maxim Shostakovich's birthday, Shostakovich Cello Concerti with Schiff.

View attachment 4991


----------



## kv466




----------



## cwarchc

I'm currently on this
There's something strangely appealing about it
I have NO other pieces of their work
However?!?!?!?!?!?


----------



## Arsakes

since yesterday:

Bruckner Symphony No. 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Beethoven Symphony No. 1,2,3,4,5

It was a glorious day!


----------



## Chrythes

Thank you stulkesguild for mentioning it a while ago, great music.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt. The more I listen to these works, the more beautiful they become, and the more my admiration for Nielsen as a composer grows.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker. I have of late really become very fond of the *4th Symphony* by LVB, due to its drive and surging qualities of the themes.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D.485 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D.589, *both featuring the Stockholm Sinfonietta led by Neeme Jarvi.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Ludwig Van Beethoven...Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, [/B]...I have of late really become very fond of the *4th Symphony* by LVB, due to its drive and surging qualities of the themes.


*Beethoven's 4th symphony* is kind of hard for me, in terms of being a throw back (of sorts) to earlier Classical Era, wedged between two more Romantic, forward looking symphonies (the 3rd, Eroica, is my favourite). A lot goes on in the 4th, he treats his themes in such a flexible, malleable way (big words!). But it's not exactly like the 1st and 2nd symphonies, whose debts to the earlier era are more apparent. In a word, the 4th is very _different_. I don't fully get it but I enjoy it, heard it live with our own Australian Chamber Orch. a few years ago. That's when I listened to it constantly, leading up to that concert (a friends' cd, I think it was Herbert Kegel at the helm of an East German orch., Capriccio label, coupled with the 9th on 2 cd's)...


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak*
_Nos. 1,2,3,11 from 12 Cypresses for string quartet, B152_ / Australian String Quartet (ABC CLassics)
_Piano Trio #4 in E minor, Op. 90 'Dumky'_ / Rosamunde Trio, Prague (alto label)

*Carl Vine*
_Five Bagatelles_ (1994) / Ian Munro, pno.
_Piano Sonata #2 _(1997) / Michael Kieran Harvey, pno.
(Tall Poppies label - from_ Carl Vine Chamber Music Vol. 2_)

A first listen to the _Bagatelles_, and returning to the sonata after many months. They both have pentatonic (Asian) feel, also rhythms of rock, the spontaneity of jazz, and Debussy and Messiaen come to mind as well. The _*Bagatelles*_ were commissioned by the Australian National AIDS trust. It's a memorial type of work, but not too dark, more ambigious and the final movement _Threnody _is more contemplative than angsty. The _*second piano sonata *_has this drive and full on quality, Vine is not afraid to make big Romantic gestures at start and finish, but in between it is very modern and quite contemporary in feel.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 5.*, Benjamin Zander. It was interesting listening to it while walking to work; the muffled sounds of the city seemed to complement the ambient noises Mahler puts in his music.
*
Schoenberg, Chamber Symphony No. 1*, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. They present an energetic performance. This recording always brings back memories. Once while listening to this in the rain, my car spun out on a four-lane freeway and I was T-boned by a semi. Fortunately, I walked away from it; otherwise, it would have been the last thing I heard before meeting my maker, and I'd be approaching the Great White Throne hoping He likes Schoenberg.

Ending the day with *Obrecht's Missa Sum tuaam praesidium* by Capella de la Torre, an all-male group with instruments doubling the cantus firmus. This recording beats the Clerk's Group for authenticity and overall musicality, though I'm too cheap to buy it. Thank goodness for Spotify. I'm sure this will group will at least get .0036 euros for my listening effort.


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, To buttress your well-taken point about the Mahler *5th Symphony *fitting in nicely with the city and its noises, one of the movements from this work was indeed used in the movie version of Thomas Mann's *A Death In Venice,* starring Dirk Bogarde. I believe it was this one: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor: Part III: IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam - 2008 Remastered.


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, To buttress your well-taken point about the Mahler *5th Symphony *fitting in nicely with the city and its noises, one of the movements from this work was indeed used in the movie version of Thomas Mann's *A Death In Venice,* starring Dirk Bogarde. I believe it was this one: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor: Part III: IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam - 2008 Remastered.


Thanks for the reference!


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, Your excellent point in your post reminded me of the linkage, so I have you to thank as well! :cheers:


----------



## Sid James

I always think of sadness with Mahler's _Adagietto_, but I think it's there in the first place, not just due to the movie. But I saw an art video in a gallery a while back, it had that as a soundtrack to time-motion filming, flowers opening slowly. Seemed perfect for that too. Funny how a musical love letter written for Alma by Mahler can have so many meanings, in relation to film/visual things.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous recital drawn from the Codex Las Huelgas, a collection of motets, laments, plainchants and sacred songs compiled by a convents of aristocratic Castillian women who (in spite of the strict rules against Cistercian nuns singing polyphony) sang some of the most beautiful and demanding music of the era (c. 1300).


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Symphony No. 3
Prokofiev: Cinderella - Act 3 (continuation from last night)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## mitchflorida

cwarchc said:


> Last one of the day
> I'm either too tired, or too much whisky?
> to find an image
> Holst
> The Planets
> BBC Philarmonic with Pascal Tortelier
> It seems pretty good to me
> Can you suggest a better version?


I think this gets very high marks. Give it an audition.


----------



## Clementine

My apologies for the long post. I'm on vacation, and didn't realize _just_ how much music I've been listening to (all this and a Messiaen opera which I'll report on later). Anyways,

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in F, Op. 6/6 (1690)*
One of the more substantial in the set, this concerto begins tentatively before bouncing into a typical Corelli frenzy. A largo forms the core of the work in a melancholy reflection, before happily skipping into two fast movements.

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in D, Op. 6/7 (1690)*
By contrast, this is one of the least substantial of the concerti. There's little melancholy here, simply joyful and warm writing from start to finish.

*Robert Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze (1837)*
With the _Fantasie_ and _Carnaval_ behind me, I delved into these miniatures with enthusiasm, though a little caution, since the latter two seemed to be his most praised works. Instead I was exceptionally pleased to discover this to be my favorite of his piano pieces so far, and one of my favorite Schumann works. Like _Carnaval_, this features characters of Schumann's own creation, Eusebius, and Florestan. Unlike Carnaval, which is a grand sprawling work, _Davidsbündlertänze_ is a tightly knit and intimate piece, and yet longer and more moving. The two characters, which essentially form the two sides of Schumann's creative conscious, intertwine with each other, reflecting on all matters of music and love. The same themes run throughout the 18 miniatures, culminating in the transcendently beautiful penultimate movement. Highly recommended (and I don't normally suggest recordings, but Mitsuko Uchida provides an incredible interpretation).

*Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873)*
This seems to be a precursor to Brahms' _Symphony #1_, and a bit of a trial run. Though it pays homage to past composers, particularly Haydn, the writing is very Brahmsian. Warm and lush writing drench this piece, which is very sunny throughout (much like Haydn). While most of the content is pleasant and beautiful enough, the piece rarely reaches the level of inspiration of his symphonies. I also found the structure to be a bit puzzling; the entire work seemed to come and go very quickly without much of a statement. Still, mediocre Brahms is better then most things.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave (1876)*
Tchaikovsky uses two folk songs for the basis of his thematic material here, and puts both of them into a loose theme and variations. This piece was written on commission in the same manner as _1812 Overture_, and it's pretty clear Tchaikovsky is just going through the motions. The work is more of a showpiece at how skillfully he handles the orchestra and the themes presented.

*Béla Bartók: String Quartet #4 (1929)*
I came to this quartet after already being familiar with all of the others except six. This is the most consistently praised one, so I had high expectations. I found that I had to abandon those expectations, for this quartet was a whole other ball game. While the mood of the other quartets can generally be described as dark and moody, there's moments of tenderness in each of them. If I had to describe this quartet, I suppose the phrase I would use would be dark humor. The music is violent, sometimes mocking, ironic, cold, and altogether not very nice. It seems to revel in its own ingenious discovery of timbres, techniques, and structures. The quartet uses everything: folk tunes, chromatiscm, whole tone scale, octatonic scale, you name it. The piece is an animal of its own, unable to be classified. The middle slow movement is the closest it comes to being human, but just as it reaches consonance, it diverges into a mockingly unsatisfying conclusion. A pizzicato movement quietly enters the music back into its unforgiving state, before jumping into a head thumping finale. I have a feeling this will grow on me more as time passes, but as it stands I think it's my favorite piece by the composer, and one of my favorite works in the genre. If you're in the mood for something violent, check this out.

*Thomas Adès: Under Hamelin Hill (1992)*
This is a short work for organ, and can be played by multiple players (I'm a little confused as to how exactly it works). Two things seem to be going on at once for the first two movements- steady arpeggiations, and jolting interruptions. The headache gets worse as it continues, before arriving at a state of blissful simplicity in the finale. A nice little work from a young composer.

*Thomas Adès: Life Story (1993)*
Sung in the style of Billie Holiday, the voice here is accompanied by two bass clarinets and and a string bass, and set to text by Tennessee Williams. The music is cold but humorous, and snarkily grumbles along in increasingly more provocative ways. Entertaining enough, but not something I'll be returning to anytime soon.

*Thomas Adès: Traced Overhead (1996)*
This piece for solo piano begins atmospherically, with constant descending motions. It continues like this for sometime with a state of uncertainty, becoming more confident at the arrival of a simple, but beautiful minor chord. Still, interruptions are made here and there, until the very end of the piece when it moves into lovely consonant figuration across the piano. The harmonies are lush, gorgeous, and ancient sounding, and Adès produces a real gem of a piece.

*Elliot Carter: Dialogues (2004)*
The music here is just as the title describes, a conversation. This time it's between piano and orchestra, with the two seemingly having an actual discussion, sometimes thoughtful, most of the time bickering. Typical of Carter, each instruments provides its own individual voice, and this is made easier by an orchestra of only 18 people. The strings provide sweet tension, the bass and brass violently interjecting, as the piano thumps its way through a monster of score. Short and to the point, this is a work written by a composer who, at 96, clearly knows what he's doing. Not much is said, but it's more about how he's saying it.


----------



## kv466




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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Grand Overture


----------



## AndyS

something to start the day


----------



## Badinerie

I have no idea why...buuuuut!


----------



## Taneyev

Otar Taktakishvili: concertino violin&orch. Oistrakh.

Liszt First year pilgrim: Cziffra.


----------



## AndyS

after going on the other week about how the Mehta/Price/Domingo set was my favourite, I've been listening to this heaps in the car:









And it's quickly taking its place as my favourite version. I'm not a huge fan of Callas (although neither am I a detractor either, I'm fairly objective), but she is in tremendous form here, very exciting, and none of the wobble prevalent in her later set


----------



## Cnote11

Liszt: 12 Études d'exécution transcendante


----------



## cwarchc

Starting the evening with this one


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## cwarchc

Next


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the guidance of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A marvelous recital drawn from the Codex Las Huelgas


I've been listening to *Gloria Coates, Symphony No. 15*. But my wife is in the next room, and to spare her, I'm following your lead and listening to this one.


----------



## Cnote11

Boulez's Piano Sonatas


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak* _String Quartet #12 in F major, Op. 96 _(B179) 
Australian String Quartet (ABC classics)

*Nielsen *_Violin Concerto, Op. 33 _
Arve Tellefsen, vln. / Danish Radio SO / Herbert Blomstedt (EMI)

*Carl Vine *
_String Quartet #3_ (1994) Tall Poppies Quartet
_ Inner World for cello & electronics _(1994) David Pereira, cello 
_Sonata for flute and piano _(1992) Geoffrey Collins, fl. / David Miller, pno. 
(Tall Poppies)

Re Australian composer* Carl Vine*, I am warming to his music, very eclectic blend of pentatonic (Asian) vibes, colourful timbre reminiscent of the French composers, rock, jazz, a kind of Romantic lyricism, virtuosity, and a fair amount of sheer drive and energy which seems unique.


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## opus55

Stravinsky: Concerto in D for String Orchestra










Listening to this for the third time today


----------



## Vaneyes

Solo Schumann with Lupu, then Demidenko.

View attachment 5015
View attachment 5016


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


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## StlukesguildOhio

OK... not exactly "classical"... but according to whose definition...?

After an evening of Mexican food and tequila... which always brings flash-backs of my years immediately after art school living in New York... and a number of black-outs from slugging back bottles of Two-Worm tequila... I can't exactly listen to Faure or Haydn now can I? No doubt they'll sound far better to my throbbing head tomorrow. (Thank God for on-line spell-check!!!)

"Rape, murder; It's just a shot away, It's just a shot away,"


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## neoshredder

Taking a break from Shostakovich Quartets though far from done with listening to those. Listening to Beethoven's Sonatas.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Guitar Concerto no. 1 op. 30


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## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15
Mozart: arias

















Trying to get more familiar with operas


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The best way to really understand Mozart's operas is to go see performances of them. Die Zauberflöte is a good one to start you off even if you just get a recording of it with the libretto.


----------



## neoshredder

Or watch Amadeus.


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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D.759 {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major, D.944 {"Great"}. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


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## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> The best way to really understand Mozart's operas is to go see performances of them. Die Zauberflöte is a good one to start you off even if you just get a recording of it with the libretto.





neoshredder said:


> Or watch Amadeus.


I went to see Don Giovanni many years ago when I wasn't very serious about classical music. I didn't really know if performance was good but I was bored. Maybe I should go again or.. would watching opera DVD of Netrebko help?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> I went to see Don Giovanni many years ago when I wasn't very serious about classical music. I didn't really know if performance was good but I was bored. Maybe I should go again or.. would watching opera DVD of Netrebko help?


DVDs are also great. I can highly recommend this one of Le Nozze di Figaro if you're thinking of getting one:










The characters are hilarious! :lol:

As for Don Giovanni, I don't know of any DVD recordings but the CD recording conducted by René Jacobs is the best one I've heard. Whenever you can, go see a live performance.


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## Cnote11

Beethoven Bagatelles and then I'm going to choose which sonata to throw on. I'm taking suggestions!


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## neoshredder

#8 Though it is overplayed. I love the second movement.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Beethoven Bagatelles and then I'm going to choose which sonata to throw on. I'm taking suggestions!


Waldstein!!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> #8 Though it is overplayed. I love the second movement.


I had to analyse the last movement for school last year. Now I hate it.


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## Cnote11

I chose Waldstein, simply because I'm lazy and it was the easier recording for me to put on of the two suggested.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> I chose Waldstein, simply because I'm lazy and it was the easier recording for me to put on of the two suggested.


Or because you like me more than neoshredder?


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## Cnote11

Probably not... I honestly have no idea where my no. 8 is. 

It is when I listen to Beethoven that I always am hit with how important listening to different interpretations of pieces is. There are some pieces that are my favorites, but some versions by other pianists leave me flat.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> *Probably not...* I honestly have no idea where my no. 8 is.
> 
> It is when I listen to Beethoven that I always am hit with how important listening to different interpretations of pieces is. There are some pieces that are my favorites, but some versions by other pianists leave me flat.


WHAT?! You prefer Neoshredder to me , eh?! :scold:


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## Cnote11

:lol: I mean, probably _not the reason_. I do prefer neoshredder to everyone though...

I also tacked on Andante favori, WoO 57 to the end of Waldstein. Perhaps it should go in the middle... I've never actually listened to it like that.


----------



## Taneyev

Schubert Death and the maiden quartet. Original Budapest, 1928

Mendelssohn piano quartet: Arthur Balsam and members of the Guilet quartet

LvB 7th.son.violin and piano. Walter Schneiderhann, 1951 (Walter was older brother of Wolfgang)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, Psalms 13, 23, and 83. *


----------



## Badinerie

John Adams Death of Klinghoffer is on Radio 3. (6pm till 9pm) Sounds mad!
I was watching Ben Hur on channel 5 but its full of white dude's!


----------



## DeepR

I learned this piece 2 years ago. Still the most difficult thing I can play. All because of Richter (and Scriabin, of course).


----------



## DeepR




----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this one, afer some classic Robert Calvert


----------



## Badinerie

Hawkwind do AeroSpace age on their new cd....

Meanwhile I gave up on John adams and am listening to Janacek's Sinfonietta LSO Abbadon


----------



## DeepR

repeat, repeat, repeat
whenever I listen to this I play it like 10 times in a row


----------



## SimonH

I seem to be on a bit of an Elgar kick at the moment.


----------



## Cnote11

A lot of Debussy Piano pieces and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Moira

All the versions of Massenet's Thais that I can find. What I am not sure about is why?


----------



## cwarchc

Just watched this









Very moving


----------



## Cnote11

Ryuichi Sakamoto's soundtrack to the movie Silk.


----------



## Taneyev

Sakamoto y guarda auto.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> Ryuichi Sakamoto's soundtrack to the movie Silk.


What does that sound like?


----------



## Cnote11

Eh... I'm a big Sakamoto fan but I don't think this was too great. It was recommended to me by Argus. He told me it had an Erik Satie vibe. Sakamoto is very influenced by him and Debussy, after all. I found it to be a bit more on the New Agey side than I expected. Still, some nice moments. I may revisit it some time in the future. Some lovely reverberation on some of the tracks. Basically split between simple piano pieces and more orchestrated film bits. I kind of zoned out here and there, I must admit. Not really indicative of his music at all, in my opinion.



















Going to listen to this one later

For now, I'm listening to the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 once again.


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## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## Sid James

A quite enjoyable disc, bringing back many memories of watching some of these films when they first came out in the cinemas. This is a compilation of recordings done by composer *John Williams *over the last 20 years, mostly parts of film scores but also a few purely concert hall works.

Like composers in the mid 20th century - Bartok, Stravinsky, Hindemith come to mind - John Williams mines the history of classical music for inspiration, from Baroque until today. I think a trademark of his style is a unique kind of string sound, quite lush and rich but also coming across as quite modern.

Many favourites on this disc, even from the first few listens. The _Shark Cage Fugue _from_ Jaws _was not very scary without the visuals, but still a great piece of orchestral writing. _Going to School_, a bit of_ Memoirs of a Geisha _with Yo Yo Ma as cello soloist really had an Asian vibe, him dueting with Asian instruments. The theme from _Schindler's List_, so emotionally played by Itzhak Perlman on violin, bought many a tear to my eye. & the _Throne Room scene and finale _from _Star Wars _had an Elgarian swagger.

All in all pretty good, but it's hard to pick a few of the 15 tracks, all are great.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120 {revised version, 1851}. *Both works feature George Szell leading the Cleveland Orchestra.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70*, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pierre Monteux.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *again featuring the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Maestro Szell.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

For some reason I can't get enough of Angela Gheorghiu lately. I wish more of her operas were available on Blu-Ray. I might have to bite the bullet and order the DVDs. Anyway, I love her Puccini and have listened to these three albums lately:




























There may be better opera singers out there but since discovering her I prefer listening to her for the moment.

Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

Some Schubert lieder


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart - Fantasia in F Minor for 2 Mechanical Organs, K.608

Superb piece of music. :clap:


----------



## Badinerie

Nice morning The girls are having a lay-in, so Im having some of this LP before I start preparing Sunday dinner.









Arg! Help....I found the LP cover but cant delete the cd one on the bottom!

Ok i did see it...Doh...!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Borrowed from the library along with a few other CDs that I plan to listen to shortly:










The first opera written and produced in Australia reconstructed in this recording by the composer's great-great-great-grandson Sir Charles Mackerras and conducted by the composer's great-great-great-great-grandson Alexander Briger.

Music reminds me of Donizetti.

I'll put it on iTunes so I can have a permanent (though not exactly legal) copy .


----------



## Taneyev

Today I wake up with ballet music on mind. Let's listen to complete Sleeping Beauty by Dorati, a fantastic version.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Another one I borrowed from the library:










Consists of Bartók: String Quaret no. 4
*Ligeti* (OMG OMG OMG!!!!!): String Quartet no. 1
Kurtág: 12 Microludes for String Quartet op. 13

Brilliant. Love Hungarian composers. Especially *Ligeti!*


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Another one I borrowed from the library:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Consists of Bartók: String Quaret no. 4
> *Ligeti* (OMG OMG OMG!!!!!): String Quartet no. 1
> Kurtág: 12 Microludes for String Quartet op. 13
> 
> Brilliant. Love Hungarian composers. Especially *Ligeti!*


I have that CD. But I like more the version of Ligeti's first string quartet from the "clear or cloudy" set.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> I have that CD. But I like more the version of Ligeti's first string quartet from the "clear or cloudy" set.


Alright. I'll have a go at this version for now though. I will eventually get _Clear or Cloudy!_


----------



## mitchflorida

Wow. You have never heard the Double Concerto before if you haven't heard this version.
No ifs, ands, or buts. Sparkling performance combined with excellent sound.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^I have a feeling that that isn't an HIP.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Another set of CDs from the library:










Listening to nos. 1 and 2.


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: The Lark Ascending, in celebration of Tasmin Little's birthday.

View attachment 5033


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> OK... not exactly "classical"... but according to whose definition...?
> 
> After an evening of Mexican food and tequila... which always brings flash-backs of my years immediately after art school living in New York... and a number of black-outs from slugging back bottles of Two-Worm tequila... I can't exactly listen to Faure or Haydn now can I? No doubt they'll sound far better to my throbbing head tomorrow. (Thank God for on-line spell-check!!!)
> 
> "Rape, murder; It's just a shot away, It's just a shot away,"


The Devil's music.:devil:


----------



## Badinerie

Classic stones yeah! but.....


----------



## cwarchc

Spent an hour or so on Youtube searching out different interpretations on Satie.
I particularily enjoyed this piece






And this one drew me into the music


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kudos to *Hildegard von Bingen*! On May 10 Pope Benedict ordered her to be inscribed "in the catalogue of saints." Apparently she has had a big influence on him.


----------



## Manxfeeder

cwarchc said:


> Spent an hour or so on Youtube searching out different interpretations on Satie.
> I particularily enjoyed this piece . . . and this one drew me into the music


I'm always up for Satie. These are two interpretations which speak to the actuality of what Satie was thinking.


----------



## Hausmusik

This particular recording gets mixed reviews from listeners (one objects to the thick vibrato) but I think I'm in love. These quartets stand IMO in the company of the Ravel, Debussy and Bartok quartets.


----------



## Sid James

Hausmusik said:


> ...
> 
> This particular recording gets mixed reviews from listeners (one objects to the thick vibrato) but I think I'm in love. These quartets stand IMO in the company of the Ravel, Debussy and Bartok quartets.


I've got that Szymanowski/Stravinsky recording and I like the music; the Goldner String Quartet is one of Australia's finest. Just wish they did more on budget labels, a lot of their stuff - incl. their acclaimed performance of all of Peter Sculthorpe's string quartets to date - are on the full price Aussie Tall Poppies label (a great label, but they're not cheap!).


----------



## AlainB

Currently listening to Sherrill Milnes & Emil Ivanov, singing Verdi's _Si, pel ciel_ from Otello.

Absolutely love this duet.

P.S.: Anyone here who also thinks that Emil looks quite like José Carreras from certain angles and facial expression-wise?


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak* - _String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major Op. 51 (B. 92) _
Australian String Quartet (ABC CLassics)

*Carlos Chavez* - _Symphony #1 'Sinfonia de Antigona'_ & _Symphony #4 'Sinfonia Romantica'_
London SO / Eduardo Mata, cond. (VoxBox, 2 cd set, Chavez complete symphonies)

*John Williams - 80th Birthday Tribute Album*
Guests incl. Yo Yo Ma, cello & Itzhak Perlman, vln. / various orchestras conducted by the composer (Sony)


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Gustav Holst: The Planets (1918)
*After three years of listening to classical music there are still a number of pieces in the standard repertoire that I haven't gotten around to hearing; this week I'm attempting to address that. The first thing that struck me about _The Planets_ was how much it sounded like film scores of the 70s and 80s, mostly thanks to John Williams. At its best, Holst is able to capture a grandeur and mystique never before heard, in movements like _Venus_ and _Saturn_. Yet he sometimes reverts to a pastoral cheeriness that reminds me considerably more of England, then uncharted planets. Overall I found this to be an exceptionally orchestrated work, filled with memorable themes and moments of great beauty.

*Sergei Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini (1934)
*What struck me as most interesting about this piece was the form, and how much it reminded me of Bartok's string quartets, which are a direct contemporary. Like Bartok, Rachmaninov employs a sort of 5 part arch form, with fast outer sections, lyrical inner sections, and a romping core. Rachmaninov essentially creates 3 independent themes (including the Paganini original), and spins them out every which way. Written towards the end of his life, I felt he'd gotten a better handle on the orchestra at this point, and as a whole the work seems much more concise and mature. Still, this isn't anything immensely heartfelt, rather a fun piece that's meant to be entertaining. It succeeds with flying colors.

*Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring (1944)
*It's difficult to tell what tunes are original and what are folk in Copland's _Appalachian Spring_. _Simple Gifts_ is the most obvious quote, but I caught snippets of melodies I recognized from _Lincoln's Portrait_, and was unsure if these were folk tunes, or if he was merely reusing material. Either way, this is a wonderfully effective work that really captures (or perhaps created) the American spirit. The title comes from a poem, and was apparently not named until after the composition's completion, yet I cannot think of a more appropriate heading. The word 'spring' in particular literally strikes a chord with Copland's music. Here 'spring' means a small body of water in the mountains, and for me that conjures up images of purity and freshness. Copland's music is incredibly consonant (or pure), but he achieved a new and fresh sound by simply messing with conventional inversions. It was such a simple idea, but completely effective as evidenced by this work. Beautiful, heartwarming, and invigorating, this is surely one of the great American masterpieces.

Fun fact: this was premiered the same year as Bartok's _Concerto for Orchestra_, Prokofiev's _Symphony #5_, Shostakovich's _Piano Trio #2_, and Vaughan William's _Oboe Concerto_. A bad year for the world, but an excellent year for music.

*Thomas Adès: The Lover in Winter (1989)
*A short work for singer and piano, this song cycle evokes sounds of ancient music while still retaining a modern feel. At under 5 minutes, not much is to be said about; as typical of a younger Adès (here 18), he doesn't provide much contrast between movements.

*Thomas Adès: Fool's Rhymes (1992)
*This is another very short song, this time for choir, and a little bit more effective. Sparse orchestral textures and extended technique also add interest to this work, and you can tell Adès is really coming into his own here. Still, a bit structurally unsound.

*Thomas Adès: Fayrfax Carol (1997)
*Another short work, this time for a cappella choir and written by a considerably more mature composer, this is an extremely effective piece. It alternates between more robust and harmonically unstable sections, and a reiterations of a very beautiful a lyrical statement. My only wish is that it were longer!

*Thomas Adès: Brahms (2000)
*While I don't agree with the sentiment of the piece (that Brahms is cold and too logical), I can't deny that this a cool little work. Like Brahms, the orchestration is very dense, and what's more it spins out Brahmsian motifs. Everything seems collide towards the end, and what's meant to sound logical and calculated ends up becoming chaotic, as the solo baritone moans the word "Brahms" over an orchestra falling apart.


----------



## opus55

Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Arnold: Symphony No. 9

















Spent most of Sunday afternoon working on my car. My body is tired so I'm not sure how long I can listen without falling asleep.


----------



## Cnote11

Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring Igor Markevich conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Cnote11




----------



## Praeludium

I'll begin to listen to "Nocturnes".
Nobody is at home, I have the sheet in .pdf from IMSLP, the CD is in my hifi system.



edit : loved it


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nos. 3 and 4


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Another one I borrowed from the library:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Consists of Bartók: String Quaret no. 4
> *Ligeti* (OMG OMG OMG!!!!!): String Quartet no. 1
> Kurtág: 12 Microludes for String Quartet op. 13
> 
> Brilliant. Love Hungarian composers. Especially *Ligeti!*


Listening to this again for obvious reasons.


----------



## Badinerie

Praeludium said:


> View attachment 5039
> 
> 
> I'll begin to listen to "Nocturnes".
> Nobody is at home, I have the sheet in .pdf from IMSLP, the CD is in my hifi system.
> 
> 
> 
> edit : loved it


Must be a good set to have. 
The design of the box isnt up to much though. Looks like a brand of Feminine Hygene Product!


----------



## Hausmusik

Stephen Hough, Schubert, Piano Sonata #21 in B Flat, D.960


----------



## Arsakes

Mostly Handel's works:
Oboe Concerto 1,2,3
Harp Concerto
Water music and Fireworks


----------



## Taneyev

More historical rarities:

Nielsen violin concerto: Emil Telmanyi, 1947, first recording

Brahms piano quintet op.34: Clara Haskil and Winterthur SQ, 1948

Bach cello&piano sonata in G. John Barbirolli on cello.


----------



## cwarchc

Starting off in eastern europe.
I like the quality of this "cheap" recording


----------



## Praeludium

Badinerie said:


> Must be a good set to have.
> The design of the box isnt up to much though. Looks like a brand of Feminine Hygene Product!


Haha I hadn't thought of that, I found it quite cool, quite sober.
It's definitely a good set to have. It includes pieces for orchestra by Debussy as well as many transcriptions, by Ravel and Jarrell amongst others.


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this
I know Kennedy isn't everybodies favourite, but I feel that on this one his style fits well and Rattle suits this brilliantly


----------



## NightHawk

An earlier post today referencing M's String 5tets got me wanting to hear them as it has been a while. The six quintets (plus the Divertimento in Eb K.563) extend from K.174 to K.614 - K.515, 516, 593 and 614 were written between 1787-1791 and are considered to be among his very great late works. They are beautifully performed by the Grumiaux Trio +2 in this recording from 1967 and 1974.


----------



## opus55

Loeffler: Music for Four Stringed Instruments; String Quartet in A minor
Schifrin: Hommage a Ravel

















American classics


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*, then string quartets by Debussy and Ravel.

I had a strange experience listening to this. I had a fleeting thought at hearing a particularly inspired passage, "I'm not worthy." Technically, I'm not, because he was writing his music for God. But it's nice I get to listen in.

The Debussy liner notes had an interesting observation, that Debussy was closer to Art Nouveau and the Symbolists than the Impressionists. The things you learn . . .


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to more of Shostakovich's String Quartets. The 8th brings chills. I love it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Violin Concerto, in celebration of Otto Klemperer's birthday.

View attachment 5054


----------



## Sid James

*Carl Vine* _String Quartet #3_ (1994) 
Tall Poppies Quartet (Tall Poppies cd)

*Miklos Rozsa* _Hungarian Serenade, Op. 25 _(comp. 1930's, rev. 1945) 
Budapest Concert Orch., MAV / Mariusz Smolij (Naxos)

*Carlos Chavez *_Sinfonia India (Symphony #2)_ 
London SO / Eduardo Mata (VoxBox, 2 cd set, Chavez complete symphonies)



Manxfeeder said:


> ...
> The Debussy liner notes had an interesting observation, that Debussy was closer to Art Nouveau and the Symbolists than the Impressionists. The things you learn . . .


Well I see Debussy as being a symbolist rather than impressionist (or maybe both, depending on the work in question). In his two sets of preludes for piano (24 in all), there are so many quotations and references to music of other contemporary composers, for example & things like ragtime and pentatonic scales. He also wrote these before naming them. He didn't want to assign visual names to the second set, but his publisher convinced him to do that (rather than for example just numbering them, and that's it). There is so many layers of meaning in his music, and it's not just visual or like a Monet painting or whatever that people widely think. Then there's connections to poets of his time and all that. It's fascinating.


----------



## Cnote11

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Been on repeat lately.


One of Debussy's main influences was the symbolist painters. He was also inspired by the likes of J. M. W. Turner, wishing to capture such atmosphere.


----------



## Hausmusik

Beethoven's third piano concerto with six very different cadenzas by Beethoven. Brahms, Alkan, the soloist, and others. Mix and match! A clever idea for a recording and extremely enjoyable. The performance is really excellent on its own terms, too.


----------



## Cnote11

One of the neat thing about Debussy was his wanting to be exposed to various types of music from the East and West. He didn't merely take this and use it in his music, but uniquely made it into his own aesthetic. Everything fit into his own little view of what he wanted to do. He was very unique in that way of incorporating influences. It makes a lot of his pieces different enough, even if they were composed in a similar manner. It is what makes Debussy's music worthwhile.


----------



## Sid James

Cnote11 said:


> One of the neat thing about Debussy was his wanting to be exposed to various types of music from the East and West...


Yes, the Paris Universal Exhibition, in late 1880's - bought gamelan there. Hearing that type of music made me realise how well Debussy & others incorporated it into their music. Another one was Leopold Godowsky, his _Java Suite _for piano is amazing. I'd guess Debussy kind of kicked this trend off in a big way, but others like Godowsky followed (& after 1945, many Australian composers - eg. Meale and Sculthorpe - where influenced by gamelan too) -


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just completed some marvelously performed Schubert:










Currently listening to Bernstein's performance of Mahler's 3rd:


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

In the last 2-3 hours, I've listened to more Russians rarities me in one sitting than in a long long time. It's continuing as I type.

From bottom up, what I've been listening to, bits and pieces. Some are well known, some aren't.

Concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra, Op. 82: II. Allegro (Joan Sutherland, London Symphony Orchestra)
Gliere, Reinhold - 5:03

The "gayne" Ballet: Lyrical Duet (2005 Remastered) (Khachaturian)
Loris Tjeknavorian - 5:05

Suite de Concert, Op. 28: I. Praeludium. Grave (David Oistrakh, Philharmonia Orchestra)
Taneyev, Sergei - 7:16

Etude Op.2 No.1 (Prokofiev)
Freddy Kempf - 2:29

Piano Concert No. 4 in D minor, Op. 70: III. Allegro (Marc-Andre Hamelin, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)
Rubinstein, Anton - 8:58

Raphael, Op. 37: Introduction, "Overture" (Arensky)
Marina Domashenko - 5:37

Pictures At An Exhibition (Orchestration By Ravel): X. La Grande Porte De Kiev (The Great Gate Of Kiev)
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra - 5:46

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 50: III. Divertimento - Allegro risoluto e molto vivace (Nikolai Demidenko, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)
Medtner, Nikolai - 11:09

Suite No. Op.43 In Modo Populari, III.Vivace (Cui)
USSR State Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Gauk - 1:43

Tahiti Trot, Op. 16
Shostakovich, Dmitri - 3:33

Pas De Caractere, Op. 68 (Glazunov)
Unknown - 2:17

The Flight Of The Tuba Bee
Unknown - 1:22

Piano Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major: III. Allegro risoluto (Malcolm Binns, English Northern Philharmonia)
Balakirev, Mili - 8:54

Polonaise For Orchestra in C Major, Op.49: "In Memory Of Pushkin" (Liadov)
USSR State Symphony Orchestra - 6:04

The Cedar and the Palm, symphonic picture for orchestra (Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi)
Kalinnikov, Vasily - 12:34

Scherzo Fantastique
Igor Stravinsky - 13:46

'Lieutenant Kije' Symphonic Suite, Op. 60: Troika
Prokofiev, Sergei - 3:06

Ballet Suite No. 4 (ed. Lev Atovmyan): Waltz (The Song of Gr
Dmitri Shostakovich - 3:30


You can give Turntable and the people there who contributed to this list all the credit!


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F major, Op.93. *Both works feature John Eliot Gardiner leading the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.


----------



## opus55

Spohr: Piano Trio, Op. 119
Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14


----------



## clavichorder

This is a really beautiful and funny song! I am singing it, though I am a baritone so it has to be transposed down a third.


----------



## clavichorder

This was my other choice, I like it a lot as well.


----------



## Dodecaplex

Purcell looks like Newton, I just noticed.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Enjoyed listening to Cecilia Bartoli's beautiful mezzo soprano voice! This compilation CD is comprised of some of her best material and a good starting place for listeners not too familiar with her.










Next I'm moving on to this interesting and varied recording of more obscure Nielsen orchestral pieces. I got thinking about how much I love Nielsen, as he is one of my most favorite composers, but sadly I have neglected him lately with so much other music to enjoy. This is my meager attempt to rectify that! 










Kevin


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## StlukesguildOhio

Haydn initially composed the Seven Last Words in 1786 for a canon of Cadiz as a purely orchestral work to accompany church services during the Passion Week. He later reworked the composition for string quartet, which proved a highly successful commercial endeavor... beyond being among his finest chamber works. In 1795, on his way back from his second stay in England, Haydn was treated in Passau, Bavaria, to a choral setting of the work by the Kappellmeister, Joseph Friebert. He was quite pleased with the performance, but wrote, "I think I could have handled the vocal parts better..." He asked Friebert for a copy of his version, and once back in Vienna set about transforming the work into his own choral version. Initially he used Friebert's work as a model... but as the composition evolved, he moved further and further away and toward his own original vision... resulting in one of his strongest choral works.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28*, both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.


----------



## clavichorder

Now if only I can find a Martinu a capella vocal piece that sounds this good and isn't just for female voices


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Came in the mail today!!!










Later tonight I will listen to some more Schubert symphonies and orchestral works by Richard Mills.


----------



## Badinerie

Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit ; Joaquin Achucarro. RCA Red Seal lp 
One of my most treasured LP's for sentimental reasons. Its not in great condition but I love every second of it! Completely dry recording sigh! Plus it has Some nice Debussy Preludes on t'other side along with La Plus Que Lent
No image available Im afraid.


----------



## Sid James

Badinerie said:


> ...
> No image available Im afraid.


What a disgrace! _Image is everything!_ :lol:...


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Henze, Symphony No. 7*
This didn't really retain my interest. I'll give it another try some other time.


----------



## kv466

Haydn - String Quartet no.30 in e-flat, op.33 'The Joke'
Emerson String Quartet


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Heitor Villa-Lobos, String Quartet #5.*
This is my first time listening to any of VL's quartets. This one is terrific. Long-lined, bluesy melodies blended with spiky modernist harmonics and bowing techniques (sul ponticello, etc.). Imagine Dvorak's quartets and Bartok's quartets had a baby. I like.
Unfortunately, I am listening on Spotify, where a Kentucky Fried Chicken ad keeps popping up between movements.


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## kv466

For those who just don't understand; and prolly never will!


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## Hausmusik

*Heitor Villa-Lobos, String Quartet #2.*


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## Taneyev

Historicals again. I'm afraid I'm becoming a little maniac.

Elgar string quartet. The Stratton quartet, 1933.

Schumann piano quintet. Hortense Donath and the Kolisch quartet. 1937.

Malipiero. Cello concerto. Enrico Mainardi-van Beinum. 1941.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Haydn, Piano Sonata #53 in e, H 16/34 *
Alfred Brendel
1984
Magnificent. I don't know why Brendel has a reputation for being a cold and dull pianist. It's not true. This is a positively sparkling, life-affirming performance.


----------



## kv466

Hausmusik said:


> *Haydn, Piano Sonata #53 in e, H 16/34 *
> Alfred Brendel
> 1984
> Magnificent. I don't know why Brendel has a reputation for being a cold and dull pianist. It's not true. This is a positively sparkling, life-affirming performance.


I drove through Europe with this tape!! Hmmmm,...maybe that rep is for his Beethoven, which I am a fan of anyway, but this album is superb and among my all-time favorites! His Mozart and Haydn are simply magnificent!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Images*.

Impressionist, Symbolist, Art Nouveauist, or whatever, it's pretty .


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray led by Maestro Ormandy.
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic with organist E. Power Biggs *{First Symphony} *under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## cwarchc

Seeing as I've only just got this one, thought I'd give it another listen


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to disc 2: Brahms sonatas. Christian Ferras, the great French violinist, was the favorite of that most German conductor, Herbert von Karajan, and recorded the concertos of Brahms, Beethoven, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and Bach with Karajan on DG. He was also well known for an array of recordings of chamber music with his long-time accompanist, Pierre Barbizet. Many counted him among the five greatest violinists of the 20th century alongside David Oistrakh, Isaac Stern, Zino Francescatti, and Yehudi Menuhin. Struggling with inner demons, depression and alcoholism, Ferras retired from public performance at the height of his success and accepted a position at the Paris Conservatoire. His reputation declined to such an extent that by the 1980's two influential texts upon the great violinists failed to even mention him. Following an unexpected return to public performances in 1982, Ferras' demons got the better of him and he committed suicide at age 49. Sadly, Ferras' catalog of recordings in print is quite limited (as to an even greater extent is Francescatti's) for the music here surely leaves the listener wanting more.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

kv466 said:


> For those who just don't understand; and prolly never will!


kv466... have you ever looked into this set?:










It contains not only the 1955 and 1981 recordings of the Goldbergs, but also an hour-long interview with Gould in which he discusses the Goldbergs and his recordings.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Magnificent. I don't know why Brendel has a reputation for being a cold and dull pianist. It's not true. This is a positively sparkling, life-affirming performance.

My favorite performance by Brendel is that of his recording of Schubert's _Impromptus_. There was a period in which I was listening to these more than any other recording of piano music.


----------



## brianwalker

My Amazon Review


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Piano Concerto 1, with Argerich/Flanders SO/Rabinovitch. A live 2005 performance.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After a break planting strawberries and wildflowers... a belated Mother's day gift to the wife... I sat down to this:










Berlioz is truly beginning to grow upon me. I hope the berries and wildflowers grow as well.:lol:


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franx Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D.82 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D.125, *both featuring the South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Hans Zendner.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

*Carlos Chavez* _Sym.#5 for string orch._ 
London SO / Eduardo Mata (VoxBox)

This work is in neo-classical style, counterpoint is the focus. The rhythms are quite modern though. The end of the work, the last movement, is a bit like Baroque on acid, it leaves you hanging for the last chord a bit, but the resolution does come. It was not an easy work for me to get into, as Chavez uses the more restrained string colours of his two idols, Beethoven and Brahms.

*Leopold Godowsky*
_Selections from:
- Triaktomeron, 30 moods and scenes in triple meter
- Walzermasken*
- Java Suite
- Schubert transcriptions
- Baroque Transcriptions & settings - Lully, Rameau
- Piano music for four hands - misc. II**
- Piano Sonata in E minor (4th movt.)_
Konstantin Scherbakov, pno., except *Ilona Prunyi, pno. and **Joseph Banowetz & Alton Chung Ming Chan, duo pianists 
(Naxos, cd 1 from 3 cd set, _Easy Listening Piano Classics - Godowsky_)

A composer I've been getting into with this excellent set. I really like the short, under 2 minute, _Chattering Monkeys at the Sacred Lake of Wendit _from the_ Java Suite_. *Godowsky* manages to approximate the sound and multiples voices of gamelan on the one instrument. Amazing to hear, such an experience. _Triaktomeron_ is also interesting, a set of mood pictures encompassing many styles and mixing them up - in one _scene_, tango and ragtime come together in quite a quirky blend.

*Peggy Glanville Hicks *_Three Gymnopedies_ - a
*John Carmichael *_Concerto Folklorico for piano & string orch._ - b
*Ronald Hamner*_ Blue Hills Rhapsody _- c
*Michael Hurst* _Swagman's Promenade_ - d
a - Sydney SO / Myer Fredman
b - Composer on pno. / West Australian SO / David Measham
c - Queensland SO / composer cond.
d - W.A. SO / Measham
(from ABC Classics 2 cd set, _Swagman's Promenade - Australian Light Classics_)

Some Australian music here. Especially enjoy the *Glanville Hicks* work, showing influence of Vaughan Williams and having this chamber like quality, pastoral but with some kind of brooding and dark undertones. The *Carmichael *concerto reflects his experiences of Spain, great tunes here lifted from Spanish folk music and dances. It's rhythms reminded me of de Falla and the neo-classical quality and romantic tunefulness of Rodrigo.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A mix of some rather obscure music/composers, Sid/Andre


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120. *Both works feature Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Hausmusik

StLuke---I don't have either of Brendel's impromptus & will have to rectify that. Which of these is the one you liked so much--the analog or digital set? Thanks!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoyed this "lively" version of Beethoven's 8th. Played a little faster than I am used to but quite fun.










Then moved on to Sally Beamish " The Imagined Sound Of Sun On Stone". Nothing like Beethoven at all but fun in its own way.










I should mention that the title piece on this album is really a saxophone concerto.

Kevin


----------



## brianwalker

Might as well.










In the stereo era two Tristan recordings have dominated the market, Bohm at Bayreuth and the Karajan EMI studio. The Solti has been neglected, and for good reason too, while the Kleiber remain's a connoisseur item. The Bohm is famous for Nilsson and the relative strength of the supporting cast while the Karajan for Vickers; in virtuosity of cast the Bohm set is unbeatable but Bohm was one of the worst Wagner conductors of the post-war era; his busy mannered style ran slipshod over Wagner's score so that the notion of "unending melody" was the last thing that you'd think when listening to his performance. Only those unfamiliar with Knappertsbusch, Furtwangler, and Kubelik would call Bohm great; his conducting at Bayreuth so pedestrian and absent-minded he made Solti look sensitive.

As for Karajan, too much figurative ink has been spilled on numerous Amazon reviews and elsewhere; his reputation for "beautifying" the score by brutalizing you is notorious, and all of his vices - or virtues, if you're a fan - are on display in his EMI recording.

The singers are more than adequate; contra Sante Fe Listener, Jerusalem and Meier are more than capable of "singing their parts" - of course, if your definition of "sing their parts" means "sing as well as the best performances are record" then no, they "can't" sing their parts, but neither can Nilsson, who even at her prime was no match for Flagstad at her's. Vickers would too, have to be admonished for not being able to sing his part as he is no Melchiors.

If a virtuoso sing-off isn't your main criterion for merits of a recording, then this recording is an easy first choice. The sound is incredible, warm, spacious, crisp - better than the Solti Ring; sound quality is of paramount important for a great recording of Tristan, as Wagner buried melodies deep into the score and without those auxiliaries melodies the opera can really drag - and far better, miles ahead of the Bohm and Karajan. The former was adequate for a live recording at the time but the playing was far from what one would call fireworks; the engineering problems of the latter is well known and a quick glance at the Amazon reviews confirms what's salient to any listener with a decent sound system. An addition vice is Karajan's calculated manipulation of the sound to maximize smoothness; the brass are muted unless they're isolated and can't disturb the strings and the singers. Carlos Kleiber resented the stereotype of the "mature" Karajan as smooth and said that such a greater conductor should have his works judged on an individual basis - I've done him that honor, but in this case the stereotype is perfect.

Barenboim takes a view of the score as a unity instead of disparate joints to be worked with. Against Bohm's autopilot conducting and Karajan's distorted view of the score as a collection of arias and isolated virtuoso orchestration Barenboim incorporates the singers into the orchestration. Like Knappertsbusch his tempo is variable - when the music needs to slow down so that all the instrumentation comes through Barenboim slows things down, but he isn't afraid to speed things up when the occasion calls for it - you'll hear details in the score you've never heard before if your only exposure to this opera has been various mono and studio recordings.

There are too many examples to count but a prominent display of Barenboim's Knappertsbusch like conducting is his careful rendition of the Prelude to Act III - around the three minute mark, from the sweep of the strings a horn breaks through - in Karajan's recording the horn is barely audible and sounds like a flute while in the Bohm it's not audible at all.

All things considered, this recording of Tristan und Isolde is a clear first choice. The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic is gorgeous as always and Teldec captures them in all their glory.

If you can, get the Bohm and the Karajan too - Nilsson and Vickers are brilliant, their conductors much less so. If you care little for the score and conceive of the work as a virtuoso singing competition get the Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, this is the fieriest pair of lovers you'll ever hear and the Liebestod is unrivaled.


----------



## kv466

Hausmusik said:


> StLuke---I don't have either of Brendel's impromptus & will have to rectify that. Which of these is the one you liked so much--the analog or digital set? Thanks!


I know you asked St.Luke but I have these both...the Phillips since I was a kid and the Decca only recently...while I'm not a huge fan of DDD or cleaning up raw sound, this one is done quite nicely and maybe even sounds better...Brendel plays these pieces beautifully and there are a lot more pieces on the Decca so,...your choice but if you were asking about the quality of sound, both are great depending on what you like. I like analog but even this digital was done nicely.

Hope this helps.

Current listening:


----------



## Taneyev

It's time to return to the essentials, the famous and very well known:

Joachim: violin concerto Nº1 op.3

Prosper von Eechaute: string quartet Nº1 op.8

Otar Taktakishvili: flute concerto.


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> 
> Joachim: violin concerto Nº1 op.3
> 
> ...


Not that well known, unfortunately. Liked *Joachim*, have a tape of his _Violin Concerto in the Hungarian style_, Elmar Oliviera playing it, but it's out of print now, can't get it on cd. Also had on that tape his concert overtures to_ Hamlet_ and _Henry V. _Brahmsian for sure but very memorable, he was a great tunesmith...


----------



## Badinerie

Im in a mood!


----------



## Taneyev

Sid James said:


> Not that well known, unfortunately. Liked *Joachim*, have a tape of his _Violin Concerto in the Hungarian style_, Elmar Oliviera playing it, but it's out of print now, can't get it on cd. Also had on that tape his concert overtures to_ Hamlet_ and _Henry V. _Brahmsian for sure but very memorable, he was a great tunesmith...


Try Joachim 3 plus Brahms by Rachel Barton-Pine on Cedille label. Probably still on stock. Very good versions.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Piano Concerto 4, with Berman/ACO/Jarvi.

View attachment 5077


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *The Great Gulda's* birthday, the entirety of this *Mozart* CD.

View attachment 5078


----------



## Hausmusik

L'Archibudelli, Mozart Clarinet Quintet


----------



## alexc

http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/beethoven-complete-piano-sonatas/id525810495
Only $9.99 for all of the Beethoven piano sonatas! It's a new recording played by HJ Lim, released by EMI Classics

Here's a video of her as well (there's a bunch more on YouTube):


----------



## cwarchc

You'll have to look in the non-classical section for mine tonight


----------



## NightHawk

I'm posting this link here, because I think it will interest many of the members who frequent this Thread. If you admire Bach, and Glenn Gould, then this bio of Rosalyn Tureck will interest you (if you've not read it, already). I have none of her recordings (and she had a wide repertory), but will definitely be purchasing some.

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Tureck-Rosalyn.htm


----------



## TheBamf

Listening to Tchaikovsky's 4th, 5th and 6th symphonies. The fourth was great, I am inclined to like it better than the 6th but I am reluctant as of now.

Does anyone have a favorite recording of these symphonies? The ones I have are all conducted by Herbert Von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmonic.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Requiem.*


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}. *Both symphonies feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevich.


----------



## Sid James

More* Leopold Godowsky*, the second cd of the 3 cd Naxos set. Especially like the _*Airs of the Eighteenth Century*_, like a homage to Haydn and Mozart, with a fair deal of things like vibes of salon music and modern harmonies and rhythms thrown in. Also, the two pieces from the _*Java Suite *_- _Boro Budur in the Moonlight _& _The Ruined Water Castle at Djokja _- which reminded me of the jazz pianist Bill Evans, funnily enough. Also, the transcription of Schubert's _*Die Forelle (The Trout), *_so much packed in to 2 minutes. This has been great, one of my best buys in the piano area.

_- Menuet #1 in E minor
- Airs of the Eighteenth Century
- 2 Waltz Poems
& selections from:
- Twilight Thoughts
- 4 Poems
- Java Suite
- 3 Pieces Op. 14
- 3 Pieces Op. 12
- 3 Pieces Op. 15
- 5 Miniatures
- Schubert Song Transcriptions_
Konstantin Scherbakov, pno. 
(from Naxos set:_ Easy-Listening Piano Classics - Godowsky_)


----------



## Taneyev

Now you should get his etudes on Chopin's etudes, by Hamelin. Half for left hand. Easy stuff. In 5 years an average pianist will have it learned. On another 5, he could even play them.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hausmusik said:


> StLuke---I don't have either of Brendel's impromptus & will have to rectify that. Which of these is the one you liked so much--the analog or digital set? Thanks!


I believe the recordings of the Impromptus are the same... taken from the early/mid-1970s (and obviously analog... remastered for digital... both labels read ADD). The advantage of the second set, as kv466 stated, is that there are more works included on the two disc set.


----------



## Hausmusik

Schubert, Piano Trio #1, Op. 99
Immerseel / Beths / Bylsma

St. Luke's, thanks for your reply. I am pretty positive that the two-fer is analog and the other is DDD.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Completing this one that I started last night... then it's on to something completely different:










Brahms quartets and quintet.


----------



## Sid James

^^ Big favs of mine too, all of those works of Berlioz & Brahms, massive favourites.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

St. Luke's, thanks for your reply. I am pretty positive that the two-fer is analog and the other is DDD.

I have both discs and you are right. The single disc recording dates from 1988 and is DDD. It is actually this recording that I was raised on. I haven't even listened to the Impromptus on this disc as I only purchased the set for the Moments Musicaux (disc 2) which was cheaper as part of this set than separate. Hmm... I'll need to make a comparison of the two performances. I also have Wilhelm Kempff's.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Big favs of mine too, all of those works of Berlioz & Brahms, massive favourites.

Now, now, Andre... If you can love something as bombastic... and "Germanic"... as Berlioz' _Damnation of Faust_ there's still hope for you. One day you will be an acolyte of The Ring!!!










Coming down-under soon!










:lol:


----------



## Sid James

^^Actually that's news to me. Seriously. I thought it was only in Adelaide next year. Didn't know Melbourne as well.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Jukka-Pekka Saraste.


----------



## opus55

Martha Argerich
Schubert: String Quintet in C major

















Listened to Argerich playing Chopin, Schumann, Bach all day long. I'm back to "better to buy box sets than single CDs" mode.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart - Masonic Funeral Music in C Minor K.477


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky* _Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50_ 
Rosamunde Trio, Prague (alto label)

Very emotional work, which I've been enjoying in the last few weeks. It's a long work, pushing 50 minutes, so took me some time to absorb.* Tchaikovsky *never thought he'd write a piano trio, he didn't think the three instruments went well together. But it seems the death of musical colleague and friend Nikolay Rubinstein changed his mind, he wrote this in his memory.

The first movement is a full development of a sad folk-like Russian melody. The second movement is a set of variations on (I think) an original theme. Each one is beautifully crafted, going through many influences, from the song vibe of Schubert, to Baroque counterpoint, and it starts with a piano solo that sounds very much like Mozart in his lyrical moods.

The final variation is grand and optimistic, but then Tchaikovsky returns to the grief of the first movement, and at the very end is a funeral march, bringing the image of a cortege moving past you into the distance. It's as if he can't accept that his friend is gone forever, he's gone on that final journey to death. It's a very moving moment, and totally different to how I expected it to end.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> ^^Actually that's news to me. Seriously. I thought it was only in Adelaide next year. Didn't know Melbourne as well.


What are you living under a rock or something??? I've known about the Melbourne production (conducted by Richard Mills) since 2010!

Currently listening to:


----------



## Hausmusik

Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Natalia Gutman, Martha Argerich

Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Nobuko Imai, Martha Argerich

Schumann's chamber music is hit-or-miss for me--not to pull my punches, I often find his chamber compositions thematically and rhythmically disjointed, musically aimless, and occasionally irritating--but this program is all aces. This is not the best performance of the piano quintet I have heard--it is afflicted by the lookatmeitis I usually find when Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky get together--but the three lesser-known works are beautifully performed.


----------



## Badinerie

Talk of The Planets reminded me I had this version. On CD too Digitally remastered already! (Not as nice as the real lp though heh!)


----------



## Arsakes

Haydn:
Symphony No 31 'Hornsignal'
Symphony No.44 'Trauersymphonie'
Symphony No.45 'Abschiedssymphonie'


----------



## Taneyev

Smetana SQ 2. Smetana quartet.

Joan Manen violin "concierto español". Mark Kaplan.

Selection of Grieg lyric pieces. Gieseking.


----------



## Vaneyes

Chamber music.

In concert, cellists of the BPO playing familiar and not so familiar tunes. It's a long concert, well over two hours. You may like to bookmark it for later viewings, for it's a most rewarding journey. Enjoy.:tiphat:

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/12_violoncellistes_orchestre_philharmonique_berlin/

Artists -

Ludwig Quandt - Nikolaus Römisch - Dietmar Schwalke - Richard Duven - Christoph Igelbrink - Olaf Maninger - Martin Menking - Knut Weber - Rachel Helleur - Stephan Koncz - David Riniker - Solène Kermarrec - Martin Löhr

Program -

Julius Klengel : Hymnus
Jean Françaix : Aubade
Astor Piazzolla : Angel Trilogy
Gabriel Fauré : Pavane, Op 50 
Vincent Scotto: Sous les ponts de Paris
Michel Legrand : Une Femme est une femme
Hans Hupfeld : As Time goes by
Manuel de Falla : Psyché
Claude Debussy : Romance, Les Cloches
Maurice Ravel : Vocalise-Étude
Ennio Morricone : The Man with the Harmonica
J. Tiziol, D. Ellington : Caravan


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Britten, War Requiem.*

In the past, I haven't connected with this piece, but I actually sat through all of this recording.









Then *Vivaldi's Four Seasons* by Forma Antiqua, a quirky performance of this warhorse.


----------



## cwarchc

Starting with a cd I've had for years


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this, from a charity shop for a £1


----------



## NightHawk

The Les Arts Florissants recording of the Mozart Requiem is on my Want List. Do you like the performance? They're beginning to stray away from the French Baroque, which is very interesting to me.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Requiem.*
> 
> View attachment 5083


----------



## cwarchc

Last one for today


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> The Les Arts Florissants recording of the Mozart Requiem is on my Want List. Do you like the performance? They're beginning to stray away from the French Baroque, which is very interesting to me.


I have this recording and Colin Davis' and one by Karajan (yuck!), and it's the best of the three on my shelf. I haven't heard enough of the other recordings to make a definitive statement, though.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*William Walton--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2, *both featuring the English Northern Philharmonia Orchestra led by Paul Daniel.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Onto disc 2 of this set: String Quartet Op. 67 and Piano Quintet Op. 34


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> What are you living under a rock or something??? I've known about the Melbourne production (conducted by Richard Mills) since 2010!


I'm no Wagnerite or even near to that, so I haven't been looking hard. Chamber music is my real passion. But I have been getting into some modern opera. Unfortunately I find it hard to separate Wagner's ideologies from his music. My bad probably, but I'll just leave it at that.



Hausmusik said:


> ...This is not the best performance of the piano quintet I have heard--it is afflicted by the lookatmeitis I usually find when Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky get together--but the three lesser-known works are beautifully performed.


I agree, Argerich and Maisky have been hit-and-miss for me. I have heard a c.2001 recording of Brahms' _Piano Quartet #1 _with Argerich, and also Maisky with Gidon Kremer and Yuri Bashmet. They played it the wrong way, like a concerto not a chamber work. Argerich's piano was like on steroids & the strings kind of wrong as well. But her recording, done c.1970's with Stephen B. Kovacevich of Bartok's _Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion _has gelled with me strongly. She doesn't need to hold back on that, it's very full on, suiting her style I think. As for Maisky, his BAch cello suites I found their phrasing to be too imprecise for my taste. With the wigs you need clear and crisp phrasing, the other things like tempo I'm not that fussy with. But his work in concerto formats I've found to be okay.


----------



## Sid James

*Ennio Morricone* _The Mission (film score)_ 
London PO / London Voices / Composer conducting (Virgin)

_Gabriel's Oboe_, the main theme of this score, is well known as an encore for oboists. But it's much more than that, with choral bits reminiscent of the singing of the Christian missionaries and also chants of the native Latin American peoples, as well as things like their panpipes. Also, modern techniques like glissandos and things sounding quite minimalist and atonal. Like the best film scores, *Morricone* takes a number of themes in this on a journey, it has a unified symphonic quality.

*Miklos Rozsa* _Viola Concerto, Op. 37 _(1979) 
Gilad Karni, viola / Budapest Concert Orch., MAV / Mariusz Smolij (Naxos)

I enjoyed this right away when I got it a few years ago. Reminiscent of *Rozsa's *film music as well as Bartok's more fragmented folkish vibes and also a neoromantic feel. The second movement has rhythmic propulstion imaginatively started by a Chinese woodblock, while I love how an oboe brings back the theme from the beginning in the final movement, dueting with the violist in a gentle and lyrical passage, ingenious examples of thematic transformation at work there.

*Arthur Benjamin*
- _Overture to an Italian Comedy*
- Cotillon Suite_**
Sydney SO
*Joseph Post ; **Patrick Thomas, conductors 
(from ABC Classics, double cd set, _Swagman's Promenade - Australian Light Classics_)

Two light pieces here, from an *Australian composer *who lived most of his life in the UK. An admirer of Ravel, R. Strauss, Brahms & Stravinsky, they all informed his eclectic style which is on the whole tuneful and light.


----------



## PetrB

Monteverdi ~ Orfeo (Jordi Savall, et alia - COMPLETE)





Shweet...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Benjamin Britten--*Sinfonia da Requiem, *featuring Sir Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

Finished this set, the final disc of the 3 cd's of *Leopold Godowsky's *piano music -

_Piano Music for 4 hands - Suite #1*
Piano Sonata #3 in A minor - III. Aria: Andante - Molto espressivo e cantabile (transcription of J.S. Bach's Sonata for solo violin, BWV1003)
3 Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of J. Strauss II: #3 Wine, Women and Song_
& selections from:
_Piano Music for 4 hands - Misc. III*
Triakontameron, 30 moods and scenes in triple measure
Baroque Transcriptions & Settings - Corelli, Schobert, Rameau, Dandrieu_

Konstantin Scherbakov, piano
*Joseph Banowetz & Alton Chung Ming Chan, duo pianists
(from Naxos set: _Easy-Listening Piano Classics - Godowsky_)

I especially enjoyed the* transcription *of the _pastorale_ from *Corelli's Christmas Concerto *which was remarkable in terms of expressing the sound of an orchestra with a single piano. The piece by *Dandrieu*, a composer I had never heard before, was also rhythmic and bouncy in an interesting way. The *symphonic metamorphoses *on _*Wine, Women and Song *_was fun to hear but sounded like a terror to play. Liszt's concepts of thematic transformation, his virtuosity and his tonal adventurousness definitely influenced Godowsky a lot here.


----------



## Badinerie

Borodin Symphony no 2 on a recently purchased double cd.


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki* _Symphony #1_ 
Polish National RSO / Antoni Wit 





*Saint-Saens *_Cello Concerto #1 in A minor, Op. 33 _
Christine Walevska, cello / Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo / Eliahu Inbal


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## neoshredder

After listening to Penderecki's Symphony 1 on youtube, I'm listening to Bach's Concertos by Trevor Pinnock. Great boxed set.


----------



## SimonH

Not my favourite bit of Elgar, but I was quite into it today for some reason. Even the narration, which usually bothers me, was holding my attention.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^I *HATE* Elgar.


----------



## DeepR




----------



## DeepR




----------



## Taneyev

That affirmation needs an antidote. So I choose Elgar:

Violin sonata: Sammons-Murdoch, 1935.

String quartet:Stratton quartet, 1933.

5 etudes caracteristiques for solo violin. Marat Bisengaliev,violin.


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to the first Opera Lp I ever bought, and still a fave.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Started out with *Bruckner's 8th Symphony.* by Furtwangler on Music & Arts. Wow.

Now I'm on to *Glazunov's 1st Symphony.*


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony Nos. 93 and 95


----------



## clavichorder

Sid James said:


> *Saint-Saens *_Cello Concerto #1 in A minor, Op. 33 _
> Christine Walevska, cello / Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo / Eliahu Inbal


Hows the Cello Concerto?


----------



## Taneyev

First Saint-Saëns cello concerto it's a lovely and very popular piece that every cellist has on his repertory. But IMO, the second is much better.


----------



## kv466

input...need input


----------



## Sonata

Disc 1.
I think it's fairly safe to say that I've become a Mahlerrite! And to think I still have about ten discs of unexplored material in this box.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Gould Trio
Mendelssohn, Piano Trio #2 in C minor, Op. 66*

This is one of the gems of the Naxos catalog IMO. I don't know of a better recording of these two works, and that includes the Florestan Trio.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Schumann, The Violin Sonatas*
*Ulf Wallin, Roland Pontinent*

A totally riveting performance of music I didn't really care about before. Makes you sit up and pay attention.


----------



## cwarchc

A great start to the weekend


----------



## Taneyev

Hausmusik said:


> View attachment 5117
> 
> *Gould Trio
> Mendelssohn, Piano Trio #2 in C minor, Op. 66*
> 
> This is one of the gems of the Naxos catalog IMO. I don't know of a better recording of these two works, and that includes the Florestan Trio.


I suggest for the first, Rubinstein-Heifetz-Piatigorsky, and for the second, Istomin-Stern-Rose.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}. *Both works are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto something a bit more complex


----------



## tdc

This fantastic work, I wasn't previously familiar with _ Elegiaco_ composed and here conducted by the great composer and musician Leo Brouwer. Performed by one of my favorite guitarists - Ricardo Cobo.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

tdc said:


> This fantastic work, I wasn't previously familiar with _ Elegiaco_ composed and here conducted by the great composer and musician Leo Brouwer. Performed by one of my favorite guitarists - Ricardo Cobo.


I must listen to this too.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Schubert, Winterreise
*Christian Gerhaher with Gerold Huber


----------



## kv466




----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^I *HATE* Elgar.


Your _relationship_ with Edward is the same as mine with Richard.



clavichorder said:


> Hows the Cello Concerto?


It was only my first listen & I was doing other things so can't give you anything in depth. But I noted it's lyricism and delicacy of orchestral accompaniment. I have not heard the second one as yet. I aim to listen to more of Saint-Saens' music in coming months.


----------



## Sid James

*Percy Grainger *_Piano Music Vol. 2_ 
Leslie Howard, pno. (Eloquence)

Great album, an older mini review of mine HERE.

*Carlos Chavez *_Symphony #3_ 
London SO / Eduardo Mata (Vox)

An interesting work, starting and ending with a fanfare from the brass and a fragmentary tune on high winds (piccolo, I think?). Quite a lot going on here, this is one of the harder symphonies by Chavez for me to 'get.' His thematic development is said to be organic and like a mosaic, just as tight as by his models Beethoven and Brahms. *Chavez* was I think the best known composer to come out of Mexico in the 20th century.

*Album: Barbara chante Barbara *(a.k.a. Monique Serf) 
_All songs by Barbara _who sings vocals and plays piano with various small groups, incl. Elek Bacsik, electric guitar ; Pierre Nicolas, bass ; Freddy Balta, accordion ; Bernard Villet, bugle, etc. (Philips vinyl, mono recording)

*Barbara* was one of the younger generation of French chanson singers coming after 1945. Her voice sounds maybe classical trained, quite refined, but very expressive. At first, I did not hear much difference between these songs, but now I can hear differences in atmosphere, rhythm and accompaniment, also in some ways melody. Some great musicians playing with her here, incl. the Hungarian guitarist *Elek Bacsik*, who injects a bit of a light gypsy vibe in _Gare de Lyon_.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Mozart, Symphony #40 in G Minor
J. E. Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists
*
My favorite performance of this symphony; tempi in each movement exactly as I like them; sadly it is out of print; needs to be released with better cover art soon. Maybe Philips could put out a two-fer of this and the 38-39 disc in their DUO series.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some truly marvelous music here. I truly don't understand the Tchaikovsky hatred some exhibit.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Vaneyes

R.I.P. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. :angel:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/a...eskau-german-baritone-dies-at-86.html?_r=1&hp

View attachment 5129


----------



## AndyS

Caballe, Verrett and Kraus, awesome


----------



## Moira

Ligeti String Quartets Nos 1 and 2 with the Parker Quartet. Naxos.


----------



## Taneyev

Do you know those guys?

Evgeny Golubev: cello concerto op.41

Krassimir Kyurkchyski: string quartet

Germaine Tailleferre: harp sonata.


----------



## Hausmusik

In honor of his passing, listening to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing a lot of Schubert on YouTube.

Now, *Fischer-Dieskau, Schubert, Der Wanderer, D.493.*


----------



## Hausmusik

*Fischer-Dieskau, Schubert, Erlkonig.*

Some of these videos are quite well done, with images from Caspar David Freidrich etc.


----------



## Hausmusik

One more, which will keep me busy for a while.

*Schubert, Winterreise, D.911. Fischer-Dieskau with Gerald Moore. 
*


----------



## Hausmusik

*Tout un monde lontain. . .*for cello & orchestra
Truls Mork

*L'Arbre des songes *for violin & orchestra
Renaud Capuchon

Myung-Whun Chung
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven
String Trios Op. 9
Kandinsky String Trio

*This is great, overlooked music.


----------



## opus55

Hausmusik said:


> *Beethoven
> String Trios Op. 9
> Kandinsky String Trio
> 
> *This is great, overlooked music.


I totally agree.

Currently listening to -

Haydn: Symphony No. 92 "Oxford"


----------



## mitchflorida

Very amazing clarinet player.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *all performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Lorin Maazel.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, *both featuring the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat, Op.97 {"Rhenish"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by James Levine.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Igor Markevitch.


----------



## clavichorder

After all these months of Medtner fanaticism, I'm finally discovering the beauty of his songs.


----------



## opus55

Moret: En rêve
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Giuliani's Complete Guitar Concertos. This cd. Sounds really good.


----------



## Arsakes

Beethoven: 
Symphony No. 3,5,6
Piano concerto 2,3

Dvorak: Piano Trio 1,2,3,4


----------



## cwarchc

Starting with this set, I've had it for years


----------



## Taneyev

And what about those guys?

Simon Jurowsky:cello concerto.

Johannes Paul Thilman:String quartet Nº2

Dudar Khakhanov:violin concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've had JS Bach going in my head all day. Now I'm going to listen to the magnificent St. John Passion performed by the Bach Collegium Japan. No performance of Bach's choral music will ever beat the BCJ.


----------



## Chrythes

Quite a diverse CD. From Bach to Pintscher, with a fair portion of French impressionism - all works for violin and cello.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Schnittke, Concerto Grosso No. 1*


----------



## Klavierspieler

Went to a concert last night:

Tavener:
Hymn to the Mother of God
Angels
Song for Athene

Franz Biebl:
Ave Maria

Holst:
Ave Maria

Tallis:
Spem in Alium

Schütz:
Cantate Domino

Bernard Hughes:
I Sing of Love

Tartini:
Stabat Mater

A. Gabrieli:
Magnificat

G. Gabrieli:
Exultet jam angelice

Julian Anderson:
Beautiful Valley of Eden

Christine Donkin:
Magnificat

Seattle Pro Musica
Seattle Girls' Choir Prime Voci
Northwest Girlchoir Ensemble
St. James Cathedral Jubilate!


----------



## Hausmusik

*String Qt. #3, Op. 73*
Atrium String Quartet

*Cello Sonata, Op. 40*
Heinrich Schiff


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first hearing of Berlioz' _Romeo et Juliette_ as well as Janet Baker's performance of one of my absolute favorite among song cycles, _Les Nuits d'été_, with John Barbirolli.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet #22 (1790)*
The second of the "Prussian" quartets, I found this to be one of Mozart's strongest efforts in the genre. Per usual, this is bursting at the seams with material, but Mozart keeps it more compact, clocking in at around 20 minutes. With a more pastoral and symphonic feel, each movement is absolutely gorgeous, and I especially like that the quality seems to improve as it progresses. The finale has to be one of the best he's ever penned, taking the primary theme to new heights, and ending the work on a sudden, simple, unassuming stop.

*Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #2 (1845)*
Mendelssohn seems to be at his best when writing chamber music, and while the sad fate is that at age 16 the _Octet_ remains the peak of his output, this piano trio is a satisfying entry late into his career. I got the sense that his is a piece of music about music. With grand Beethovenian gestures, Mendelssohn defiantly writes in a more conservative harmonic idiom, while simultaneously taking on the romantic passion of his contemporaries. Each movement is finely crafted, with an especially beautiful andante. Structurally tight, but wildly emotive, this trio makes for a worthy precursor to Brahms.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony #3 (1875)*
This is last of Tchaikovsky symphonies I've gotten around to listening to, and I believe it's the least performed. At this point in my listening I was a little wary (I don't care for 5, and 2 is a bit tiresome), but found myself pleasantly surprised. With 5 movements and 50 minutes of music, I was expecting something fairly weighty, but like his _Serenade for Strings_, and _Rococo Variations_, Tchaikovsky seems to be channeling his inner Mozart. Even the bombastic first movement uses the famous lick from Mozart's _Symphony #39_. While the outer movements are a romp, the core of the piece provides the listener with delicacy and elegance rarely heard by the composer. While no masterpiece, this is ultimately an engaging and relieving change of pace.

*Claude Debussy: Fêtes Galantes, Set 2 (1904)*
With Debussy, delicacy and elegance was all I was expecting, and here my wishes came true. Debussy famously labored over all his works, and really took his time in finding the right notes. With his songs, I get the impression that this was even more true, as he had a very literal guideline follow. At only 8 minutes in length, each note does indeed seem to be entirely thought out. Every phrase is breathtaking, leading the listener into a different sound world at each turn. My only wish is that it was longer!

*Olivier Messiaen: St François D'Assise (1983)*
Messiaen spent 8 years writing his only opera, which is more like an oratorio. The work is a summation of his career, and a labor of love to the God he so idolized. While I'm not religious myself, it's hard not be moved by the work's sheer beauty and grand scale. At four hours, Messiaen deals with the length with constant reiterations and developments of just a few motifs. The piece is percussion heavy, as well as making use of bird song, as the vocal lines take a backseat to the orchestra. And while the orchestration is quite nice, it's when the singers enter that the music takes off. The part of the angel is especially beautiful, as well as D'Assise's meeting of Jesus. My main complaint is the length- no matter how compact or beautiful, 4 hours is a lot to demand of a listener. Messiaen also uses a lot of stock gestures, and doesn't much branch out from what he's done before, which is fine for the casual listener, but coming into this with prior knowledge to his works, it comes as a bit of a disappointment. Overall a fantastic opera, and a wonderful statement from a composer in his final years.

*Thomas Adès: O Thou Who Didst with Pitfall and Wit (1994)*
A short choral work from a composer still finding his voice, this piece is a more dissonant and thickly textured then his other compositions. I can't really remember much else about it, which probably says enough about the work considering I listened to it 7 or 8 times.

*Thomas Adès: January Writ (2000)*
For organ and chorus, this is a little bit more rewarding of a piece. The writing is more spacious and beautiful, but still overall didn't leave me with too much of an impact.


----------



## Hausmusik

One of Schubert's final works, the *Mass in E-Flat Major, D.950.*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mahler's 5th Symphony by Bernstein. Not getting as many likes as I used to.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* 
_String Quartets:
- in A minor, Op. 132
- in F major, H.34_ (transcription of _Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 14 #1_) 
Kodaly Quartet (Naxos)

A favourite quartet of mine, the mighty _Op. 132_, followed by a light after dinner mint. My favourite part of_ Op. 132 _is the final movement, the kind of struggling theme from the first movement is transformed into a wonderfully uplifting songlike melody with some dancy rhythms underneath.

*Schnittke* 
_Fuga for solo violin_ (1953)
_Kingende Buchstaben for solo cello_ (1988)
_Stille Musik for violin & cello_ (late 1970's)
_String Trio_ (1985)
Mark Lubotsky, vln. / Theodore Kuchar, viola / Alexander Ivashkin, cello (Naxos - recorded in Australian Festival Of Chamber Music at Townsville, Queensland, 1999)

Then to the darker world of *Schnittke*. The solo violin work is kind of neo-Baroque, Bach being the obvious model. The solo cello work is from Schnittke's later, mature, phase. Some interesting effects here, the coda goes high as whalesong, quite haunting. _*Stille Musik *_has the two instruments coming together at time, at other times departing (in terms of pitch and dynamics, etc.). It is a study of contrasts, but the mood overall is dark.

The final piece, the *String Trio*, pays homage to the city of Vienna and all it's ghosts and skeletons in the closet. It was commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of Alban Berg's birth and the 50th of his death. The song _Happy Birthday To You_ goes through the whole work, interspersed with the vibe of Berg's music as well as quotations from one of Mahler's landlers and from (I think?) Schubert's _String Quintet in C_. It's quite a tortured work and very spooky and disturbing. Most likely reflecting on the composer's younger years as a student in the city, but maybe as a Russian of German speaking heritage, and a Jew, Schnittke was also thinking of things like the _Anschluss_, the Nazi invasion of Austria, in 1938? Dunno exactly, but this birthday aint sound too _happy_ to me.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D.200 and Symphony No.4 in C Major, D.417 {"Tragic"}, *both performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Badinerie

For the third time this morning...Dvorak's wonderful string quartet if F.
Its getting straight into my head...no waiting.


----------



## Badinerie

For the third time this morning...Dvorak's wonderful string quartet if F.
Its getting straight into my head...no waiting.


----------



## Taneyev

Bach: the 3 sonatas for solo violin. Szeryng, first recording, 1965.

Rachmaninoff cello sonata, Edmund Kurtz-Kapell.1947


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I've had JS Bach going in my head all day. Now I'm going to listen to the magnificent St. John Passion performed by the Bach Collegium Japan. No performance of Bach's choral music will ever beat the BCJ.


This again. I tell you, the first ten minutes of this is the most beautifully dissonant music I have ever heard in my life. And this performance is the best I have seen and heard out of any performance of Bach's choral works.

Really fantastic! I'm surprised that the BCJ isn't more famous.


----------



## Badinerie

Nobody about....Bruch violin concerto full pelt! Gibson SNO Maurice Hasson CFP 1976 lp crackles be damned!!!


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This again. I tell you, the first ten minutes of this is the most beautifully dissonant music I have ever heard in my life. And this performance is the best I have seen and heard out of any performance of Bach's choral works.
> 
> Really fantastic! I'm surprised that the BCJ isn't more famous.


I think Masaaki Suzuki and BCJ are actually fairly famous. Not among the general public, surely, but his traversal of Bach's cantatas gets no small amount of praise around these parts, and in every review I have read on them, whether it is on Classicstoday.com or Music Web International.

When initially getting into Bach's cantatas, I was collecting them haphazardly - some Koopman, some Harnoncourt, some Herreweghe, some Gardiner. Then I discovered Suzuki and BCJ, and fell in love, and have committed to this cycle. I have a LONG way to go - I am maybe 10% of the way into the collection - but loving it all. From time to time, I will have a cantata day.

Anyways - for my own listening pleasure today, I am enjoying the performance skills of Davitt Moroney, and his traversal of Byrd's solo keyboard works:


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Waltzes Op. 18, 34, 42, 64, 69, 70
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 5156


View attachment 5157


Sampling three late May releases.

BIS continues this Shostakovich cycle admirably, with smart packaging of Symphonies 1 - 3 on a 81-minute hybrid CD. Fine playing and supreme recorded sound. Wigglesworth's interps opt for detail and subtlety, and are most successful in this regard. A touch more drama may've been warranted on 2 & 3, but I suppose that largely depends on listener prefs.

Chandos Rachmaninov with XiayinWang. I remembered this pianist from Naxos Scriabin. I thought on that occasion she could be a little hard on the keys, and often lacked required color and transparency. Unfortunately, this is also the case here, not helped with close miking.

Naxos Penderecki series continues with Warsaw Phil and Wit. Maestro's genius is once again on display. I won't say anything more, other than this release is essential listening for tightropers. Buy, buy, buy!

View attachment 5155


----------



## kv466

^^ 

I actually really like this disc, Van! Hmmm,...I agree with you but I guess I was introduced to her playing with a bias; she recorded an all Earl Wild cd and you know anyone who does that gets a  from me. I'm confident she'll grow and I'll continue to get her stuff.


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> View attachment 5156
> 
> 
> View attachment 5157
> 
> 
> Sampling three late May releases.
> 
> BIS continues this Shostakovich cycle admirably, with smart packaging of Symphonies 1 - 3 on a 81-minute hybrid CD. Fine playing and supreme recorded sound. Wigglesworth's interps opt for detail and subtlety, and are most successful in this regard. A touch more drama may've been warranted on 2 & 3, but I suppose that largely depends on listener prefs.
> 
> Chandos Rachmaninov with XiayinWang. I remembered this pianist from Naxos Scriabin. I thought on that occasion she could be a little hard on the keys, and often lacked required color and transparency. Unfortunately, this is also the case here, not helped with close miking.
> 
> Naxos Penderecki series continues with Warsaw Phil and Wit. Maestro's genius is once again on display. I won't say anything more, other than this release is essential listening for tightropers. Buy, buy, buy!
> 
> View attachment 5155


Regarding Rachmaninov, I like Howard Shelley's recordings of his solo piano works on Hyperion. The piano sound can - to me - be a bit on the muted side, but they are good recordings that I currently have in my rotation to listen to.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

To my mind Franz Berwald is one of the least appreciated composers of the 19th century. Much of his music may not have been innovative but it is creative and inventive. I think Berwald is one of those composers who grow on you with familiarity. His symphonies must be listened to several times and each time is rewarding. His piano and violin concertos are also very fine works. I own this album on LP but I found it on Spotify remastered by EMI. If you have Spotify check it out and see for yourself what a great composer Berwald was. Here is the Spotify link:

spotify:album:5XdN3x1zNntEYOyZsldD8Q










Kevin


----------



## kv466

Alfred Schnittke - Suite in the Old Style


----------



## Hausmusik

Today's listening so far:



























*
And now:*


----------



## cwarchc

For some reason I keep coming back to the religious pieces?
Don't know why, it's not part of my belief system, perhaps I just like them


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## ProudSquire

Once more I return to my beloved quartet!

Mozart - String quartet in A major K.464
Haydn - String Quartet in D Minor Opus 76, No. 2

Performed by Quator Mosaiques


----------



## samurai

@ KP, Thanks, Kevin; I intend to check out Berwald on *Spotify* a little later.


----------



## Sid James

*Colin Brumby* 
_Paean* ; Festival Overture on Australian Themes** ; Scena for cor anglais and strings_***
*Sydney SO / Patrick Thomas
**West Australian SO / Richard Mills
***Barry Davis, cor anglais / Strings of Queensland SO / Richard Mills
(from ABC Classics, 2 cd set - _Swagman's Promenade: Australian Light classics_)

My favourite work here I remember listening to in my teens, the _*Scena for cor anglais and strings*_. It's basically opera without words, *Brumby* treating the solo instrument like the human voice. It ranges in mood from pastoral feel to more vigorous rhythms reminiscent of Stravinsky.

*Carlos Chavez *_Symphony #6_ 
London SO / Eduardo Mata (VoxBox - 2 cds, _Chavez complete symphonies_)

Reminiscent of Brahms' 4th symphony, *Chavez's own final symphony *is not afraid to make big statements. From the sweeping and quite epic melody at the beginning to the _passacaglia_ at the end, which is a great example of blending old and new. Like other 20th century composers - eg. Britten, Stravinsky and Hindemith - Chavez was interested in integrating old forms into a modern context.

*Album: Andre Rieu Live in Sydney, 2009 *
Rieu, conducting/arrangements with his Johann Strauss Orch. & guests
(Universal Classics, 2 cds)

A fun album, *Rieu* as host is convivial, but watch out for the corny jokes! Highlights are a tribute to *Michael Jackson *in only weeks after his death, soprano Carmen Monarcha sings_ The Earth Song_, penned by the king of pop. Also, local radio _shock jock _of sorts, *Alan Jones *has a cameo appearance singing _I am Australian_, and it ain't half bad. Despite not singing much before this concert, he can hold a note, and although a bit wooden, his performance is okay to my ears (better than I could manage, anyway). Thrown in with that the usual mix of waltzes, some opera arias, lights classics, evergreens and some Aussie tunes.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Ligeti, String Quartet #2
Parker Quartet*
On Spotify: György Ligeti - Ligeti, G.: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 / Andante and Allegretto

Based on a rec. from Sid James in an old post I happened upon in the Ligeti thread. I know both quartets but have not heard this recording before.

Plan on checking out that Berwald set later on, Kevin Pearson.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Is CPE Bach one of the more interesting sons of the elder Bach to listen to? His style is often jovial and fun. Never too serious it seems. I really enjoy this particular CD recorded by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (just about anything they record is worth a listen in my opinion). This CD contains his first five symphonies and three cello concertos. His cello concertos are probably the real highlight here but I love listening to his symphonies as well. He was a real innovator for his time.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Berwald--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor and Symphony No.2 in D Major, *both performed by the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Okko Kamu.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Finished with the CPE Bach and now onto something more serious but very engaging. Leevi Madetoja is one of my very favorite symphonic composers. He was a student of Sibelius and even though there may be some Sibelius influence he really has his own voice and style. All three of his symphonies are fabulous works and full of musical phrasings and melodies that carry you along with his music. Unfortunately Spotify does not have his symphonies so I have to pull out my CDS. You can obtain this set used on Amazon for less than $10.00! It's a steal!!!










Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Well...one final CD before bed and it's George Whitefield Chadwick's 3rd symphony. Why this symphony is never played in concert halls is beyond me. It's truly an American masterpiece! In fact I have never even heard it on the radio. I own a copy because I bought the first two at a local used bookstore for hardly anything and having enjoyed them I bought this CD from Amazon. I forget how much I love it until I hear it again. Worth a purchase to add to any collection in my opinion. It's paired with some nice Barber pieces but I only have time for the symphony tonight.










Kevin


----------



## ProudSquire

Sleep seems to have fled from my eyes, so I'm up listening to these beauties. 

Rachmaninoff Prelude in G major, Opus 32 no. 5

Chopin Étude Op. 25, No. 1


----------



## Badinerie

Du Pre playing Haydn and Boccerini. Y'all know the lp cover!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphony No. 35 In D Major, K 385, "Haffner"*

Listening to the second Disc of this newly arrived set - sounds lovely, very pleased with it!


----------



## Badinerie

A touch of the old Debussy's


----------



## Arsakes

Rachmaninov: 
Symphony No. 1,2,3
Piano Concerto 1,2 (I know someone doesn't like the 2nd here!)
Symphonic Dances


----------



## Taneyev

Selection of Chabrier's piano pieces by Marcelle Meyer.

Selection of Scarlatti sonatas by great lovely Maria Tipo.

Franck piano works by Yvonne Lefébure

(homage to female pianist for the past)


----------



## Hausmusik

*Mozart, Piano Concertos #9 and 8
M. Uchida, J. Tate: English Chamber Orchestra*


----------



## Hausmusik

*Next up, in honor of Richard Wagner's birthday:*










*Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony #3 "Scottish" and Hebrides Overture*
5 Symphonies, 7 Overtures
Claudio Abbado: London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Starting the morning off with another unknown composer, Helmer Alexandersson. Not much is known about Helmer outside of his studying music in Stockholm. Very few of his compositions seem to be published. As promising as he seemed as a composer in 1919 when the 2nd symphony was premiered he went on to die in poverty in 1927 at only 41 years of age. Really too bad because anyone who listen to the Overture piece and his 2nd symphony on this disc can see he had really good talent as a symphonist. He also wrote some film music for silent films but outside of that we have nothing to go on. I don't even think his first symphony (which I would love hear) is available. This good stuff though!










Kevin


----------



## Hausmusik

*More Mendelssohn in honor of Wagner's birthday*










*Chamber Music for Strings
Hausmusik*

On Spotify: 




"...Richard Wagner['s] pamphlet "Judaism in Music," published in 1850, identified Mendelssohn as one of a number of insectoid Jewish entities who had infested the body of German art. . .[Yet]Wagner revered Mendelssohn in his youth, and behind the anti-Semitic bile lay an abiding, if grudging, admiration. In later years, Wagner played the overtures at the piano and sang melodies from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to his children. Mendelssohn even haunted Wagner's sleep; one night Wagner dreamed that his older colleague had addressed him with du-the intimate second-person pronoun. "Parsifal," Wagner's final work, pays homage to Mendelssohn on more than one page of the score."

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/02/23/090223crmu_music_ross#ixzz1vbefd3fS


----------



## Hausmusik

Next up: Berwald, Piano Concerto and Symphony #3, per Kevin's rec.


----------



## Guest

As a memorial to the late, great Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, I am listening to one of my absolute favorite works of his - Schubert's great Lieder cycle Die Winterreise! Fischer-Dieskau was incredibly prolific - Lieder, opera, oratorios, masses. And he was an incredible force wherever he applied himself. But I enjoy him most in these intimate Lieder of Schubert's, where it is just him accompanied by a single piano.


----------



## Guest

Hausmusik said:


> *More Mendelssohn in honor of Wagner's birthday*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Chamber Music for Strings
> Hausmusik*
> 
> On Spotify:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "...Richard Wagner['s] pamphlet "Judaism in Music," published in 1850, identified Mendelssohn as one of a number of insectoid Jewish entities who had infested the body of German art. . .[Yet]Wagner revered Mendelssohn in his youth, and behind the anti-Semitic bile lay an abiding, if grudging, admiration. In later years, Wagner played the overtures at the piano and sang melodies from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to his children. Mendelssohn even haunted Wagner's sleep; one night Wagner dreamed that his older colleague had addressed him with du-the intimate second-person pronoun. "Parsifal," Wagner's final work, pays homage to Mendelssohn on more than one page of the score."
> 
> Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/02/23/090223crmu_music_ross#ixzz1vbefd3fS


I love Mendelssohn's Octet. And considering how young he was when he wrote it, it is all the more impressive. A great work from a composer that perhaps is a little more underrated than he deserves.


----------



## NightHawk

They're famous with me - after your OP some weeks ago I bought the St. John DVD and have watched/listened to it in one sitting at least three times, and the first 10 minutes are stunning, but so is the entire work! If you search Suzuki on Amazon, he has a multitude of 5* reviews, many for his harpsichord recordings, but other Baroque ensemble work, as well.



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This again. I tell you, the first ten minutes of this is the most beautifully dissonant music I have ever heard in my life. And this performance is the best I have seen and heard out of any performance of Bach's choral works.
> 
> Really fantastic! I'm surprised that the BCJ isn't more famous.


----------



## Arsakes

Hausmusik said:


> *Mozart, Piano Concertos #9 and 8
> M. Uchida, J. Tate: English Chamber Orchestra*


I remember her from Mezzo Channel, and she was playing one of Mozart piano concertos, emotionally ..


----------



## kv466

Arsakes said:


> I remember her from Mezzo Channel, and she was playing one of Mozart piano concertos, *emotionally* ..


I like the way you put that,...sometimes a bit too 'emotionally' for my liking.


----------



## Klavierspieler

In honor of Herr Fischer Dieskau:

Robert Schumann
Dichterliebe
Liederkreis Op. 39
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Georg Tintner's birthday (1917 - 1999), sampling his compositions.

View attachment 5172


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Georg Tintner's birthday (1917 - 1999)


He's one worth honoring, at least in my corner of the world, because his recordings introduced me to Anton Bruckner.

Now I'm listening to Sibelius' 5th Symphony, the first version, recorded by Vanska. It's familiar but different enough that it's like looking in one of those funhouse mirrors.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Sonata for piano in a-flat, op.110
Glenn Gould al piano


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works feature the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## cwarchc

1st one for the evening 








Then it will be a move south for this


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36, *both featuring John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.


----------



## kv466




----------



## MrCello

*Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio No. 1*

I've realized I'm not huge fans of Haydn's, Mozart's, Beethoven's, or Schubert's trios for some reason. I feel like they are just boring. Beethoven isn't too bad though. Definitely don't like Schubert's though, and everyone holds them on such a high pedestal. I wonder what I'm missing?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

MrCello said:


> *Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio No. 1*
> 
> I've realized I'm not huge fans of Haydn's, Mozart's, Beethoven's, or Schubert's trios for some reason. I feel like they are just boring. Beethoven isn't too bad though. Definitely don't like Schubert's though, and everyone holds them on such a high pedestal. I wonder what I'm missing?


Ears to hear?  Just kidding! Not everyone likes the same thing in music or listens for the same reason but I am kind of surprised because listing those you do would probably place you in a small minority.

Kevin


----------



## Taneyev

Tchaikovsky Trio Nº1?. I didn't know that he had other trios!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Odnoposoff said:


> Tchaikovsky Trio Nº1?. I didn't know that he had other trios!


He didn't but I suppose referring to it as No. 1 would not necessarily be wrong but could imply there might be a second, third etc. Too bad there was not though!

Kevin


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Andrew Manze; The Academy of Ancient Music
Bach: Violin Concerti*


----------



## Taneyev

Maybe he confuse with Sergei or Dimitri?


----------



## Hausmusik

Interrupting Bach to listen to this:

*Bruckner, Symphony# 9
Completed Version
Fourth Movement
Simon Rattle: Berlin Phil*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Creston, Symphony No. 2*, then* Diamond, Symphony No. 4*.


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak*
_String Quartets
#12 in F major, Op. 96 (B179) 'American'
#10 in E-flat major, Op. 51 (B92)
4 Cypresses (Nos. 1-3, 11) for string quartet, B152_ 
Australian String Quartet (ABC CLassics, discovery label)

Esp. liked the open air feel of the slow movement of the _American_ quartet, and the _Dumky_ movement of the Op. 51. Radiant and sunny music overall. The _Cypresses_ are a good bonus after dinner mint, these were arranged from songs and retain a song-like feel.

*Album: Philip Glass - Solo PIano* 
_Metamorphosis Nos. 1-5 ; Mad Rush ; Witchita Sutra Vortex_ 
The composer on piano (CBS)

These works put me in a trance. When I first got this a few years ago, I thought *Glass'* piano playing was kind of rough around the edges and unpolished. Well, it certainly is, I've realised that since hearing a more recent recording by our own Sally Whitwell on radio, who is more polished and refined. But Glass is not a pianist, so he can get away with things like rubato. I'm happy with just owning this though, it puts me in a bit of a relaxed state of mind.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hausmusik said:


> Interrupting Bach to listen to this:
> 
> *Bruckner, Symphony# 9
> Completed Version
> Fourth Movement
> Simon Rattle: Berlin Phil*


Hey, it's on Spotify! I'm listening now.


----------



## Turangalîla

I love Schumann, and I love Argerich.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Robert de Visée- _Suites pour Théorbe_










Some lovely French Baroque music for the theorbo.



















The lute and the theorbo were quite popular in France and the Netherlands (as well as Italy) before the keyboard supplanted them.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hausmusik said:


> Interrupting Bach to listen to this:
> 
> *Bruckner, Symphony# 9
> Completed Version
> Fourth Movement
> Simon Rattle: Berlin Phil*


I am outraged!!! Outraged I say!!! You are never to interrupt Bach for another composer... certainly not Bruckner. This is like interrupting Shakespeare for reruns of the Teletubbies. :lol:


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> You are never to interrupt Bach for another composer... certainly not Bruckner.




Pay no attention to the man behind the marble mask; there's always time for Bruckner's last will and testament :angel:!

However, at the present I'm listening to Karajan's take on Beethoven's 5th from his '80s cycle. Some love it, some hate it. Personally, I really like the way he makes his orchestra sound; it reminds me of the smooth sensation of melted chocolate.


----------



## kv466

Just got home from watching The Heat destroy The Pacers and I picked this to listen to...been a while.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Rued Langgaard--*Symphony No.4 {"Fall of the Leaves"}, Symphony No.5 {Version 1 }, BVN 191 and Symphony No.5 {Version 2}, BVN 216, *all featuring the Danish National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. Somehow, since this composer id Danish, I had been expecting to hear strains of Nielsen in these works. However, except for the use of some loud timpani in one of the movements {I believe from Symphony No.4, but I'm not sure}, he was more reminiscent to my ears of Sibelius, with his use of the strings and French horns to evoke more Nature-like effects and moods.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


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## opus55

Brahms: Waltzes and Hungarian Dances
Handel: Suite Nos. 2,3,5, Chaconne in G


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## Guest

opus55 said:


> Brahms: Waltzes and Hungarian Dances
> Handel: Suite Nos. 2,3,5, Chaconne in G


Stay away from Idil Biret if at all possible


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## samurai

@ Jeff N, Why do you advise this?


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## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> He didn't but I suppose referring to it as No. 1 would not necessarily be wrong but could imply there might be a second, third etc. Too bad there was not though!
> 
> Kevin


And one was one too many. We have Madame Nadezhda von Meck to thank for this bloated uninteresting piece, not really Tchaikovsky.


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## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> And one was one too many. We have Madame Nadezhda von Meck to thank for this bloated uninteresting piece, not really Tchaikovsky.


Well I'm a fan of Tchaikovsky's _Piano Trio_, I think it's a great work in the genre, I've been listening to it a lot lately... but as the saying goes _different folks, different strokes._


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Well I'm a fan of Tchaikovsky's _Piano Trio_, I think it's a great work in the genre, I've been listening to it a lot lately... but as the saying goes _different folks, different strokes._


Indeed. Sextet (Souvenir de Florence), I do like. Lukewarm for the SQs.


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## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3










I didn't think I could listen to the entire symphony on a week night but I did. Now that's an achievement! (it's now 12:30AM )


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## Badinerie

Romantic Overtures lp. Some Cherubini on now. 'Anacreon'


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## neoshredder

Just listened to Schubert's 5th Symphony on youtube.


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## Badinerie

Now....A nice bit of organ in the morgen.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to my favourite Bach cantata:


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## Taneyev

Balakireff: piano sonata Nº2. Louis Ketner

Selection of pieces by Grigoras Dinicu, violin and piano (from a very old LP).

Dinicu was an extraordinary virtuoso, trained as "classical". Flesh's pupil, concertino of the Bucarest S.O. Every violinist that have made recordings did it with his "Hora Stacatto", Heifetz's arrangement. But if you listen to Dinicu playing it, you will learn what is real Romanian style, and maybe think as I do, that Heifetz's was academic and faked.


----------



## ProudSquire

Arthur Rubinstein and the London Symphony Orchestra

Grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor
Chopin Piano Concerto in E Minor
Saint Saëns Piano Concerto in G Minor


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## Guest

Today is a Bach cantata day, courtesy of Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan. Currently, I am listening to Volume 3. I have a total of 11 volumes (1-4, 12, 26, 34, 38, 42, 46, 49). I am listening to them in order. I started out purchasing random ones (hence volumes 12, 26, 34, 38, 42, and 46). Then I decided to start at the beginning. When Volume 49 came out, I bought it to have the most recent. Who knows when I will ever have a complete set!


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## Hausmusik

*Belcea Quartet
Brahms, String Quartet #1 in C minor and String Quintet #2 in G Major*
One of my favorite chamber recordings.
Note the Caspar David Friedrich painting---Friedrich seems to be the default painter for cover art for Romantic chamber music these days!


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## Guest

Hausmusik said:


> *Belcea Quartet
> Brahms, String Quartet #1 in C minor and String Quartet #2 in G Major*
> One of my favorite chamber recordings.
> Note the Caspar David Friedrich painting---Friedrich seems to be the default painter for cover art for Romantic chamber music these days!


I haven't connected with Brahms' string quartets as much as I have with those of other composers, or even as much as some of his other chamber works. I have these quartets recorded by the Takacs Quartet on Hyperion, whom I generally enjoy greatly in their other recordings of Beethoven, Schubert, and Haydn.


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## Hausmusik

Dr. Mike,
I like Takacs's Decca recordings--their Beethoven and Schubert--but very much dislike their Hyperion recordings, which to my ear are shrill, strident, noisy, and insensitive. I don't get the praise that has been heaped on them.

The best recording of the Brahms quartets I know is the one by the Tokyo Quartet early in its career:










It's also super cheap and throws in two Schubert quartets. Worth considering!

My favorite of Brahms' quartets is #2 in A Minor, but the #1 in C Minor is a close second. These are among my favorite pieces of music. I actually don't much care for the other quartet, Op. 67, though.


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## kv466

_*In Honor of Robert Moog's 78th Birthday~*_


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## Guest

Hausmusik said:


> Dr. Mike,
> I like Takacs's Decca recordings--their Beethoven and Schubert--but very much dislike their Hyperion recordings, which to my ear are shrill, strident, noisy, and insensitive. I don't get the praise that has been heaped on them.
> 
> The best recording of the Brahms quartets I know is the one by the Tokyo Quartet early in its career:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's also super cheap and throws in two Schubert quartets. Worth considering!
> 
> My favorite of Brahms' quartets is #2 in A Minor, but the #1 in C Minor is a close second. These are among my favorite pieces of music. I actually don't much care for the other quartet, Op. 67, though.


Really? I have been quite happy with all the recordings of theirs that I have heard (except for Bartok, but I think it is more that I didn't connect with the music, not a problem with the recording).

Still, I am always open to other recommendations of recordings for works, and will definitely look into the Tokyo String Quartet. I like Brahms enough that I am willing to not give up on these works. Incidentally, my absolute favorite work of his is his Piano Trio No.1. I have a recording on Decca (I believe) with Suk, Katchen, and Starker that I love, as well as a recording on Philips by the Beaux Arts Trio. The Suk recording has a slight edge, but I enjoy them both.


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## Hausmusik

Dr. Mike,

Yes, really!  My two favorite Takacs recordings are of the Schubert Quartet #15 + Notturno for Piano Trio (Decca) and the middle Beethoven Quartets (also Decca). These are wonderful.

On the debit side, I very much do not like their performance of the Brahms SQ #2 and Piano Quintet (on Hyperion)---both are unremittingly aggressive, missing much of the lyricism of these two works, especially the quartet. I also dislike thier Schubert "Death and the Maiden on Hyperion, which has the same failings as their Brahms. They especially don't handle well the moment toward the end of the first movement of the D&TM where everything drops to a hush before the explosive coda. They just don't pull back enough on dynamics or tempo, so they lose the opportunity to create real drama through contrasts. They are altogether too straight-ahead in that performance. I didn't listen to their "Rosamunde" quartet enough to form an impression before I resold it.

I like the Brahms PT#1 as well though I like the Op. 51 quartets even better. My favorites are Mullova-Schiff-Previn and Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson.


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## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to my favourite Bach cantata:


Loved the beginning of that cantata. Thanks for sharing.


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## Arsakes

Saint-Saëns Piano concertos : E,C,F,D,G! 
Plus his brilliant Symphony No. 3

Schubert:
Symphony No. 1,2,10, String Quintet, Rondo, Rosamunde Overture


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: Piano Music with Hamelin, then Anderszewski.

View attachment 5203
View attachment 5204


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## Vaneyes

*Turina: *Piano Music, in celebration of Alicia de Larrocha's (1923 - 2009) birthday. :angel:

View attachment 5205


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## cwarchc

A nice easy selection, perhaps a little slow, but good sound quality
Ok if you're not wanting to delve too deep, a good introduction


----------



## Vesteralen

View attachment olly-wilson-sinfonia-john-harbison-symphony-no-1.jpg


The Harbison has been one of my favorite symphonies for almost 30 years.


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## Vaneyes

*Martin*: Orchestral Music with ACO/*Chailly* (rec. 1991/94), then LPO/*Bamert* (rec. 1993).

Both CDs successfully capture this composer's loveable quirkiness. Helped by excellent sound engineering.

View attachment 5210
View attachment 5211


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## cwarchc

I suppose it was inevitable


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## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both superbly and crisply performed by the Utah Symphony under the wand of Maurice Abravanel.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch.


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## AndyS

Have replaced the Callas/de Sabatta Tosca in my car with this - an opera I'm not familiar with but have been really enjoying getting to know


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## Kevin Pearson

Ole Olsen was a Norwegian composer who would have been a contemporary of Sibelius. I don't know if he knew Sibelius but he has some resemblances but maybe more like Dvorak. Anyway, his music is worth a listen. It's nothing groundbreaking but is nice and he has a good sense of orchestration. His symphony No.1 is especially nice but you don't hear many trombone concertos and that may be what sets this disc apart.










Kevin


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## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> Selection of pieces by Grigoras Dinicu, violin and piano (from a very old LP)...
> 
> Dinicu was an extraordinary virtuoso, trained as "classical". Flesh's pupil, concertino of the Bucarest S.O. Every violinist that have made recordings did it with his "Hora Stacatto", Heifetz's arrangement. But if you listen to Dinicu playing it, you will learn what is real Romanian style, and maybe think as I do, that Heifetz's was academic and faked.


That recording sounds to be a gem. Of course I know _Hora Stacatto_, it's a very popular lightish classical or kind of encore piece, I can remember hearing arrangements of it & also played by gypsy band, but I haven't heard Dinicu himself perform it.


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## Vaneyes

Pogo (rec. 1981/2).

View attachment 5226


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## Sid James

*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar (Naxos, 2 cd's)

A relisten to this after many months, this has become a favourite. Not as dark as Goya's etchings, though - which are all included in the cd booklet, a boon for art lovers & with notes below explaining how the music relates to the images. The prevailing style is neo-classicism, with many old forms serving as structures (eg. chaconnes, gavottes, gigues, etc.), but there is also incorporation of other things (like serialism in one of the pieces). It's also very tuneful. The etching on the cd cover, _The Sleep of reason produces monsters _(_Capricho #18_) is translated into a lyrical and sad piece, it is not so much as birds physically attacking the artist but as a sense of getting over a nightmare, it's like residual sadness, not in the depths of sadness. Anyhow, this sounds hard to play - all those multiple voicings and counterpoint - but it is not flashy or flamboyant, it's quite elegant music, and to the point. But in the final _Capricho_, when the initial theme comes back, it's very optimistic and uplifting, as if the nightmares have been dispelled. A great album all round, I could go on about this for ages.

An older review of mine HERE.


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## opus55

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat, Op. 12
Haydn: Symphony No. 96


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## Taneyev

Sid James said:


> That recording sounds to be a gem. Of course I know _Hora Stacatto_, it's a very popular lightish classical or kind of encore piece, I can remember hearing arrangements of it & also played by gypsy band, but I haven't heard Dinicu himself perform it.


Try to find a Symposium 1218 called "Zigeunerweisen". Short pieces by Dinicu, Heifetz, Elman, Seidel and Myron Polyakin, including Hora Stacatto by Dinicu. One of the most extraordinary violin CDs from past century, that every violin fan must have.


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## neoshredder

Listening to 21 bach cd's through the Baroque Masterpieces Collection in random order. I think of it as an all Bach radio station which they should have one btw. Yeah I guess I won't remember the names but the enjoyment is what counts.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

DrMike said:


> Today is a Bach cantata day, courtesy of Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan. Currently, I am listening to Volume 3. I have a total of 11 volumes (1-4, 12, 26, 34, 38, 42, 46, 49). I am listening to them in order. I started out purchasing random ones (hence volumes 12, 26, 34, 38, 42, and 46). Then I decided to start at the beginning. When Volume 49 came out, I bought it to have the most recent. Who knows when I will ever have a complete set!


And you didn't buy vol. 28


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## pasido

I don't know if this is allowed in this thread, but just finished a Mozart and Bruckner marathon, rewarding it with a little Velvet Underground


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## opus55

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1
Mahler: Symphony No. 6


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


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## samurai

pasido said:


> I don't know if this is allowed in this thread, but just finished a Mozart and Bruckner marathon, rewarding it with a little Velvet Underground
> View attachment 5228


You go, guy!


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## Kevin Pearson

Another fun discovery of the only two symphonies of the German composer Norbert Burgmuller. Sadly Norbert only lived to 26 years old. He died of drowning while experiencing an epileptic seizure. He didn't complete the last movement of his second symphony and apparently it was finished by Robert Schumann. Anyone who enjoys Shubert and Schumann should enjoy these two symphonies. Too bad he didn't live long enough to give us more as these are real gems!










Kevin


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## samurai

Kevin Pearson said:


> Another fun discovery of the only two symphonies of the German composer Norbert Burgmuller. Sadly Norbert only lived to 26 years old. He died of drowning while experiencing an epileptic seizure. He didn't complete the last movement of his second symphony and apparently it was finished by Robert Schumann. Anyone who enjoys Shubert and Schumann should enjoy these two symphonies. Too bad he didn't live long enough to give us more as these are real gems!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


@ KP, Now, along with Olsen, I shall have to check this guy out on Spotify. You are truly an endless resource for discovering new or unknown composers and sharing them with your fellow members, and I wish to heartily thank you for this! :cheers:


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## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> @ KP, Now, along with Olsen, I shall have to check this guy out on Spotify. You are truly an endless resource for discovering new or unknown composers and sharing them with your fellow members, and I wish to heartily thank you for this! :cheers:


You're very welcome!  As I stated in another thread I am somewhat of an evangelist to get the word out about some of these lesser known or unsung composers and works. Too many treasures lie buried in obscurity in my opinion.

Kevin


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## Sid James

*Mozart* _Clarinet_ _Quintet in A major, K581 'Stadler Quintet'_ (1789)
*Brahms* _Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115_ (1891)
Vladimir Riha, clarinet with members of the Smetana Quartet 
(Supraphon Archiv cd, historic recordings)

These are regularly played in recital here, and it's always a joy to hear them. I like the elegance of the *Mozart* quintet, and the soulfulness and that classic autumnal quality of the Brahms. The _Adagio_ of the *Brahms* quintet is the emotional core of the work, in his signature _Hungarianism_ type mode, and the notes say it was encored no less than three times at the first performance. These are favourites for me now but it took me a while to enjoy them as much as I do now.


----------



## SimonH

Spent last night at the inaugural concert of the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra.

Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra (movements)
Elgar Introduction and Allegro for Strings
Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings
John Adams Shaking and Trembling

Never heard the Adams piece before and I rather liked it. Must find a recorded version.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonH said:


> Spent last night at the inaugural concert of the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra.
> 
> Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
> Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra (movements)
> Elgar Introduction and Allegro for Strings
> Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings
> John Adams Shaking and Trembling
> 
> Never heard the Adams piece before and I rather liked it. Must find a recorded version.


This is the recording I have and would recommend.


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## kv466




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## neoshredder




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## kv466

Yes, I sometimes enjoy self-torture and I always gotta find ways to remind myself...


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## Arsakes

Wagner - Götterdammerung Overtures


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## Taneyev

A little of Spanish flavour:

Joan Manen: violin "concierto español". Mark Kaplan

Turina: string quartet op.4 "de la guitarra" Sine nomine quartet.

Albeniz: first book of Iberia. de la Rocha


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## Vesteralen

Old favorites, here. Always love when this disc comes up on my playlist.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet #23 (1790)*
The last of the quartets, Mozart wrote this during a relatively dry year, with the 22nd quartet and D Major quintet being the only other major works. There seems to be a sense of writers block in this particular work. While Mozart usually is very generous in the amount of material he works with, here he takes a leaf of Haydn's book, and works only with short motifs. But he seems to be making a point of showing how repetitive and stuck he is, spinning out the motifs long past their worth (the opening bars showcase this, going on several phrases longer then expected). The second movement follows the pattern with a sort of chaccone that never departs to far from its original statement. Both the minuet and trio contain similar material, going in the vein of its repetitive nature. The finale recalls the first movement, using a short spiraling figure that drives the entire movement. Mozart seems to be attempting to rid himself of the spiraling figure which literally plays the entire duration of the movement, either in melody or accompaniment. He spins some truly remarkable music out of it, and at the end finally accepts its presence. This must be the most unique of the quartets, and is one of my favorites.

*Robert Schumann: Symphony #4 (1841)*
Fourth in number but second in composition, this symphony contains all the grandeur of the first, and twice the fire. Still very much in homage to Beethoven, Schumann severs ties with the past with an entirely original structure. Instead of waiting the entire course of the symphony to go from major to minor, Schumann does it in one movement. Which begs the question: _what are the last 3 movements for? _ They seem to almost be telling the story in flashback. The slow movement quotes the first movements introduction. The scherzo builds tension, resulting in a finale that uses the same materials as the first movement but develops them in a different way. While highly innovative, I'm still unconvinced of the structures effectiveness, but overall a wonderful work that's a joy to hear.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: String Quartet #3 (1876)*
After being pleasantly surprised by the second quartet, I had high hopes for this one. While an engaging work, at 40 minutes the piece stretches itself past its worth. The first movement in is over 15 minutes, and while the introduction is lovely, the bulk of the movement contains the least interesting material in the quartet. In contrast, the shortest movement, the scherzo, contains the most interesting material. The slow movement is quite beautiful and haunting at times, though a little too weighty for my ears, but the finale wraps things up nicely. Overall, not a bad piece at all and worth a few listens, but I'll stick to the second quartet when I get a craving for Tchaikovsky's chamber music.

*Claude Debussy: Petite Pièce (1910)*
Both this and the _Première Rhapsodie_, were written for the clarinetists of the Paris Conservatoire, for their final examinations. This piece is just as the title suggests: petite. The music is nice enough, but not much really happens.

*Claude Debussy: Première Rhapsodie (1910)*
A little more substantial, this rhapsodie has been transcribed for orchestral accompaniment as well, though I listened to the piano version. Again, the music is pretty enough, and goes on long enough just to get the listener relaxed and intrigued, but it still feels like Debussy is just going through the motions.

*Claude Debussy: Syrinx (1913)*
The last of his works for solo woodwinds, this flute piece is actually a solo, without piano accompaniment. It is thought to be the first major work in the medium since J.S. Bach's partitas, and sparked an interest in the genre, with works like Varese's _Density 21.5_. And all that from a piece 2 minutes long. Oddly enough, while shorter then the _Première Rhapsodie_, this had more of an effect on me. The piece is sultry, teasing the listener with its length, and overall very well written.

*Samuel Barber: Prayers of Kierkegaard (1954)*
The last of the Barber in my collection I've gotten around to listening to, I ended my journey with him on a high note. Though almost unheard of, _Prayers of Kierkegaard_ requires the largest amount of forces Barber wrote for, which the exception of his opera _Antony and Cleopatra_. Yet at just 17 minutes in length, it's a lot of weight in small amount of time. One of the things I really like is his use of polytonality. He'll put the choir in one key, and then have the orchestra intervene in another. Some of his harmonic shifts are reminiscent of Debussy and Vaughan Williams when they're feeling modal, but this is still distinctly Barber. The soprano solo in particular is absolutely gorgeous, as well as the seamless transition into the chorus. A short volatile work, if you're a fan of the composer check this out.

*Thomas Adès: America (1999)*
This is also the last of the Adès I possess. I have three CDs with his music:_ Life Story, America_, and the _Piano Quintet_, of which I got after no recommendation or research. I probably approached his music in the worst way possible- _Life Story_ and _America_ contain mostly short student works- but even still I'm eager to discover more. The _Piano Quintet_ is wonderful, and _America_ sealed the deal. For orchestra, chorus, and soprano solo, the singer reads text from a Mayan prophecy of the coming westerners, which is oddly foreboding of 9/11. The worst aspect of this piece is probably the handling of the message, which comes off as a little preachy coming from an Englishman. The best part is the rest of it. Orchestration is fantastic, harmonies lush and beautiful, and overall a very haunting and gorgeous work. My favorite of his so far is still the _Piano Quintet_, which is far more personal, but I'm looking forward to some summer listening of his other works, _Living Toys, Asyla, Violin Concerto, The Tempest_ and _Tevot_ in particular (your cue to share thoughts on these/give other suggestions).


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## SimonH

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This is the recording I have and would recommend.


Thanks COAG, I'll get that one!


----------



## Arsakes

Handel organ concertos 

Mussorgsky - Pictures At An Exhibition

I recognized two pieces which I know for 8 years, but didn't their names or composer: 'The Hut On Hen's Legs' and 'The Great Gate at Kiev'
I could almost shed tears for the second one...

And 

Night On A Bare Mountain.


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## Kevin Pearson

OK...it's time to get Franck  and I'm not referring to Cesar! I'm talking about another sadly neglected composer Eduard Franck (1817-1893). Franck's melodies are quite beautiful and full of feeling in the German Romantic tradition. Franck was a concert pianist and a teacher and was a student of Mendelssohn at one time. He is best known ("known" is too strong a word here) for his exceptionally fine chamber music but he also wrote a couple of wonderful violin concertos, a piano concerto and even a couple of symphonies. These two recordings contain his violin concertos and symphonies:

spotify:album:3yMTINFy2O5ZnRCoUTmy8o










spotify:album:5Ga1VT5ByKs8ah51ErKNIT










Kevin


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## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely afternoon music.


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## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.

This recording has been called theatric. I think it's a good description.


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## Taneyev

Kevin Pearson said:


> OK...it's time to get Franck  and I'm not referring to Cesar! I'm talking about another sadly neglected composer Eduard Franck (1817-1893). Franck's melodies are quite beautiful and full of feeling in the German Romantic tradition. Franck was a concert pianist and a teacher and was a student of Mendelssohn at one time. He is best known ("known" is too strong a word here) for his exceptionally fine chamber music but he also wrote a couple of wonderful violin concertos, a piano concerto and even a couple of symphonies. These two recordings contain his violin concertos and symphonies:
> 
> spotify:album:3yMTINFy2O5ZnRCoUTmy8o
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> spotify:album:5Ga1VT5ByKs8ah51ErKNIT
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Yes, I know Eduard and share your concepts about him. Have his 2 v.c., 3 string quartets, string sextet and a piano quintet. All fine, romantic pieces very well written.


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## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 2


----------



## mitchflorida

Braunfels, Mozart, Baird


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bach, Cantatas 46, 88, and 43.

Suzuki and his group are outstanding in these. Especially notable is the organ work on BWV 146.


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both featuring the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three symphonie are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the stick of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Hausmusik

Chloe Hanslip (misentered as "Handslip" at Amazon, in case you want to find this)
*Bruch, Violin Concerto #1 in G Minor*


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## Sid James

*Elliott Carter* _String Quartets Nos. 1_ (1951) _& 5_ (1995) 
Pacifica Quartet (Naxos)

These are amongst my favourite string quartets of the 20th century, esp. the first one.

In that *first quartet*,* Carter *takes a kind of tone-row theme on a journey through the whole work. It's first played by the cello sounding very craggy and jagged, like mountains in America. This music brings to mind images of nature, eg. the _Adagio_ is like night time in a desert, you are alone in the silence and coolness, not surprisingly Carter was in a town in the Arizona desert when he wrote this. The work has three _real_ movements interspersed by two_ interludes_. The_ interludes _look back a bit and also forward, giving glimspes of how the music will unfold later. The 39 minute work all goes without a break. The final movement,_ Variations_, has a song-like & almost Schubertian quality.

The *fifth quartet *is Carter's final one to date, and he said he would do no more. Again, a series of_ interludes _go between several movements. Also, there is an intro and finale movement. So, 12 tracks in all, again going with no pauses in between. This is only about 20 minutes, and each track is on average 2 minutes. It's a bit like the first quartet squashed down, pared right down. It has a certain lightness and less weightiness, Carter said it was like a divertimento of old times.

Amazing stuff, to hear the playing here, sounds very difficult. & it won a _Grammy Award _to boot! I think if you want just one Carter cd, this has to be it! Or at least as a start, I'd say.










*Tchaikovksy* _Sym.#2 in C minor, 'Little Russian' _
L'orchestre de la Societe des concerts du Conservatoire de Paris / Georg Solti (Decca)

This is quite a pumped performance, but it wasn't easy in the making. The French players where not used to the authoritarian style of Maestro Solti. But professional musicians often deliver the goods even under very trying circumstances, and they certainly did here. This is my favourite symphony by *Tchaikovsky*. In the notes, Solti said he went for clarity and restraint in this 1956 recording. It certainly comes through, esp. the kind of neo-Baroque counterpoint mixed with flowing Russian melodies. He doesn't put on emotion with a trowel, and I like that with composers like Tchaikovsky and Mahler. The last movement, kind of fugal, gives me a huge boost every time.


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, Really enjoyed your comments on *"Little Russian". *For me, I never fail to get a kick out of its second movement, which starts off so quietly with the low timpani and then really starts to build in dynamics. Wonderful effect and mood creator!


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both featuring the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> @ Sid, Really enjoyed your comments on *"Little Russian". *For me, I never fail to get a kick out of its second movement, which starts off so quietly with the low timpani and then really starts to build in dynamics. Wonderful effect and mood creator!


Yes, that movement as well as the rest, it has this swing to it. This forward perpetual motion. High octane, and I'm amazed, was when I first hear this ages ago, how could Tchaikovsky get this down on the page? I always saw him as not only emotional but also intellectual. A combination of two things that I think made him great. I think there were few like that, and guys like Charlie Parker in jazz are similar imo. Not a whimsical comparison, it's what comes to mind, these guys just were able to get out /express what others maybe couldn't or found very hard. Or maybe were too inhibited to? Dunno, but yes, a great symphony the _Little Russian_ is for sure.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well since Wagner's birthday just passed... and since I need to start working my way through the 100+ opera recordings in my "yet to be listened to" box... I thought I'd start right at the top:










It appears on of the negative aspects of Wagner's birthday is that all the dealers have jacked up the prices of the Ring again. Last week the Solti set was running in the mid-$80s-mid $90s range and the always expensive Keilberth set was running about $115. Today the Solti set is about $125 and the Keilberth set is nearly $170!!!


----------



## neoshredder

I'm surprised how many great pieces are on this cd. I guess a lot of these are orchestrated works originally designed for piano. Sounds amazing.


----------



## opus55

Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Ole Olsen--*Trombone Concerto in F Major, Op.48 and Symphony No.1 in G Major, Op.5, *both featuring the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra and Christian Lindberg.
Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Julian Armstrong.
Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *again featuring the LSO, but this time they are led by Cesare Cantieri.


----------



## karenpat

For some reason I like this a lot better than David Fray's recording.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *again featuring the LSO, but this time they are led by Cesare Cantieri.


I've actually got that one on cd. On the _Point Classics_ budget label (now defunct, I think, but you can still get them here secondhand). Not a bad account, I think, but maybe a bit too smooth for my liking. What did you think? I've also got Maestro Cantieri doing Bizet's _L'arlesienne_ & _Carmen_ suites, now with those I think his approach 'works' more for me, maybe he gives it a touch of _French polish_?


----------



## Taneyev

Talking about French polish:

Ravel selection of piano works. Robert Casadesus (plus a rare Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure for volin and piano with Francescatti).

Alberic Magnard: string quartet.

Lalo: son.volin and piano. Henry Temianka


----------



## Vesteralen

Not 100% engaging, but pretty enjoyable nonetheless.


----------



## Hausmusik

*John Eliot Gardiner: Orch. Rev. & Rom.
Brahms: Symphony #4 in E minor*

I just love Gardiner:ORR in Beethoven and their Schumann cycle is excellent as well. But this cycle, which I eagerly collected as it was coming out, has been a miss for me. It lacks power where it needs it, especially in the final movements of 3 and 4. Giving it another shot this morning, same reaction.


----------



## Hausmusik

opus55 said:


> Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10


Opus55,
I sold this recording years ago when downsizing my collection. I had too many Ravel/Debussy SQ's. Now early Tokyo Qt. is my favorite quartet, and I regret letting go of the OOP recording. Alas!


----------



## Polyphemus

Currently I find it difficult to listen to anything but Bruckner. Its not a mid-life crisis (i'm way past that). Its just so awe inspiring


----------



## Vaneyes

Walton with Sir Rattle, then Sir Szell, presented by Sir Eyes.

I'm in a "Sir" mood at the moment, knighting everyone. And I know it's appropriate to use the first given name, but I find the whole thing amusing, so I don't usually take heed. I do make the effort for a few, such as Sir Glorious John.

View attachment 5254

View attachment 5253


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## Arsakes

samurai said:


> On *Spotify*:
> 
> Ole Olsen--*Trombone Concerto in F Major, Op.48 and Symphony No.1 in G Major, Op.5, *both featuring the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra and Christian Lindberg.
> Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Julian Armstrong.
> Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *again featuring the LSO, but this time they are led by Cesare Cantieri.


I haven't recognized yet which one is Scottish and which is Italian. I have the version with Solti as conductor and it seems both symphonies are actually one? enlighten me please!

It's been a little too frustrating for me listening to 5 Dvorak's String quartets (1,8,9,10,12)!

Well, I'm now listening to Balakirev's symphony No.1.


----------



## PetrB

SimonH said:


> Spent last night at the inaugural concert of the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra.
> 
> Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
> Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra (movements)
> Elgar Introduction and Allegro for Strings
> Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings
> John Adams Shaking and Trembling
> 
> Never heard the Adams piece before and I rather liked it. Must find a recorded version.


I'd recommend rather the recording of the string orchestra version as conducted by the composer: - the full work, "Shaker Loops," in four contiguous movements, is on this CD, along with the also very nice Violin Concerto
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=10BA08222ARD4AVG3KNT

or the premiere version for seven strings, on New Albion
http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Sh...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1337976874&sr=1-2

ADD: Adams is a composer / conductor who very much knows the sound he wants, and gets it out of the ensembles he conducts. The DeWaart recordings are good, but 'balance of parts' and what is prominent in the texture is often different: If there is an option between Adams conducting his own work or another, I've found the Adams conducted recordings - when available, almost always the most satisfying. A most dramatic example would be to compare the numerous recordings of "Grand Pianola Music" conducted by others to the one done by Adams.
(The one exception I've found is with the recording of "Fearful Symmetries' - I prefer the recording conducted by René Bosc....)


----------



## Hausmusik

*Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor
Isaac Stern; Eugene Ormandy: The Philadelphia Orchestra*

Marvelous performance, though the recording is marred by a couple of very audible "splices"; this is very much a studio creation.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach Cantatas Nos. 149, 145, and 174.*


----------



## Conor71

*Nono: Coma Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz*

Playing this recently arrived recording for the first time - sounds interesting so far


----------



## samurai

Igor Stravinsky--*Petrouchka
*Modest Mussorgsky--*Pictures At An Exhibition
*Both suites feature the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras.

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, I have not really listened to that many performances/readings of this particular symphony for comparision purposes,but to my ears, Maestro Cantieri gave a good accounting of himself. Of course, it didn't hurt any that he had the LSO to conduct. :lol:


----------



## Conor71

*Boulez: Sur Incises*

The Nono was cool, I will listen to it again soon! - I will play some more contemporary Classical now. First up this Boulez Disc which recently arrived for a first listen followed up by Disc 2 of The Ligeti Project Set (a favourite box of mine for the last few months!). After these I will play the Stockhausen/Kurtag Disc for a second listen - this is an interesting one which I quite enjoyed when I played it a few weeks ago .


----------



## samurai

@ Arsakes, I am not all that familiar with the output of Mendelssohn, so all I go by is how the symphonies are listed on Spotify etc., etc. To your point--I think--neither symphony sounds to me to be more "Scottish" or "Italian" than the other, so I'm not really sure why he named them as such. I shall try to do a little more research on the subject and attempt to come up with a more satisfactory answer for both of us. In the meantime, maybe one of our brother/sister members who might have some more in-depth knowledge of Mendelssohn would be able to help us out on this matter?  Good question by the way, and I thank you for posing it! :cheers:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


> *Boulez: Sur Incises*
> 
> The Nono was cool, I will listen to it again soon! - I will play some more contemporary Classical now. First up this Boulez Disc which recently arrived for a first listen followed up by Disc 2 of The Ligeti Project Set (a favourite box of mine for the last few months!). After these I will play the Stockhausen/Kurtag Disc for a second listen - this is an interesting one which I quite enjoyed when I played it a few weeks ago .


How could you do this to yourself... and on a Friday afternoon?


----------



## Conor71

StlukesguildOhio said:


> How could you do this to yourself... and on a Friday afternoon?


Haha - Its early on Saturday morning here, I am feeling awake now thats for sure!


----------



## PetrB

Maybe I've posted this before, but am now listening to:
Morton Feldman ~ For Bunita Marcus -- solo piano, one hour, seventeen minutes. Fantastic.


----------



## opus55

Hausmusik said:


> Opus55,
> I sold this recording years ago when downsizing my collection. I had too many Ravel/Debussy SQ's. Now early Tokyo Qt. is my favorite quartet, and I regret letting go of the OOP recording. Alas!


It could be my weird taste but I like Tokyo SQ better than many other famous SQ ensembles. I especially like their Beethoven SQ (RCA cycle).

I listened to more Prokofiev today. His first symphony is colorful and exhilarating.

Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Conor71

*Dufay: Missa L'Homme Arme*

The listening session of contemporary Classical was fun and I especially enjoyed the Boulez!. Now for some Early Music - first up I am playing this lovely Disc of Dufay followed up by a Disc of Missa by the Tallis Scholars


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.5 in D, Op.107 {"Reformation"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Cesare Cantieri.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat major, D.485 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D.589, *both performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta under the stick of Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Kevin Pearson

Now here is some lovely lovely music by the Swedish Romantic composer Johan Andreas Hallen. Apparently he was mostly known as a composer of operas and I am assuming that some of the music on this disc is from his operas. A little Wagner like but I think his melodies are sweeter and nostalgic than Wagner. Here is the Spotify link for those who want to check him out:

spotify:album:4J2mUuY6EdzhqIxBdquYGB










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to cd 2 (Cello Concertos) by CPE Bach


----------



## Praeludium

I'm falling in love !


----------



## Taneyev

Great works last I got:

Dohnanyi:concertino for harp and chamber orchestra.

Lyapunov: violin concerto. Yulian Sitkovetsky (!)

Glazunov: Idyll for french horn and string quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

Starting the day with *Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2.*

I'm halfway through the first movement, and something is missing here. Maybe it's the digital sound that's taking out the spark which should be there. I hope it picks up later.

Update: The Chicago brass rescues the last movement. If I were to hear this again, I'd just skip to movement 4.









Now I'm listening to *Mahler's 9th Symphony *by Bruno Walter, an upload from Bigshot.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Dvorak, Symphony #1*
First time listening to this work.


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## opus55

Listening to Naxos Music Library -

Shostakovich: Moskva, Cheryomushki (Moscow, Cheryomushki) Suite, Op. 105 (arr. C.M. Griguoli for 3 pianos)
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4. *

Haitink isn't so much spiritual as technical, but it's fun to hear, especially the third movement, with all the details exposed.









Sorry for the two extra pictures. I don't know how to delete them.


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## cwarchc

I'm back to my new boxset


----------



## Arsakes

For today I listened to many great pieces.

Modest Mussorgsky: Symphonic Synthesis of Boris Godunov
Dvorak: String Quartet No.14, Violin Sonata and Sonatina
Beriot: Violin Concerto No.2,3,5
Sibelius: Moderato & Allegro Appassionato for String Quartet in C-Sharp Minor, JS 131



Hausmusik said:


> *Dvorak, Symphony #1*
> First time listening to this work.


Very underrated Symphony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to La Serinnisima's take on Vivaldi. Well-played and recorded, not overly quirky like Fabio Biondi.


----------



## pierrot

First time with this Parsifal.


----------



## cwarchc

pierrot said:


> First time with this Parsifal.
> 
> View attachment 5275


I have this as well.
I like his presentation


----------



## cwarchc

Having a rest from my new Du Pre


----------



## mitchflorida

I don't know anyone who doesn't love this album.


----------



## cwarchc

Last one for today


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109, B 197*


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 7 In D Minor, Op. 70, B 141*

Following on from the set of Tone Poems (which was so good I played it twice!) now listening to Disc 5 of this set of Dvorak's Symphonies which contains Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon painting in my studio and listening to the following:























































continued...

*****


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## StlukesguildOhio

Götterdämmerung


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the stick of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## opus55

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 1










Very romantic.


----------



## Turangalîla

WOW! Pogorelich's touch is golden!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Symphonies 25, 28,29, 31


----------



## Taneyev

NRK: quintet piano and winds. Members of the Vienna octet.

Barber: string quartet op.11, Borodin quartet (with Dubinsky and Alexandrov on violins)

Turina: sonata "San Luca de Barrameda" A.de la Rocha.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Cabaret Songs.*

Wow, this doesn't sound like vinegary Arnie at all.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Arnold*: Violin Sonatas, Viola Sonata, Duo for 2 Cellos, 5 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Piano Trio with *Nash Ensemble*, then Symphonies 7 & 8 with *RPO/Handley*.

View attachment 5286
View attachment 5287


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Passacaglia.* Joen_cph mentioned this recording in another topic. I have this earlier Boulez Webern box set but don't listen to it very much; many tracks are too "clinical" for my tastes. But he nails the Passacaglia.

Then Webern's *String Quartet (1905)* Written when he was still hovering on the edge of tonality, it's been described as his Transfigured Night.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47, *performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Bernard Haitnik.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Haitnik.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36, *both featuring John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Revoutionnaire et Romantique.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A third listen to this set... and I'm completely sold on Rachmaninoff and Earl Wild.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic and Leonard bernstein.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Minor, D.944 {"The Great"}, *both performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Sid James

Some of the weekend's listening, I just put it on my blog on this forum; also listened to an album by *Joan Armatrading* (details of that on the blog, since it isn't classical). But the classical ones were these -










*Rimsky Koraskov* _Scheherazade_
* Glinka *_Russlan & Ludmila Overture _
London SO / Irvine Arditti, violin / Loris Tjeknavorian, cond. 
(Varese Sarabande)

I especially enjoyed _The Young Prince and the Young Princess _(third movement of_ Scheharazade_). *Glinka's* overture was a virtuoso showpiece for orchestra, it remains his greatest hit. A good recording and a rare treat. Maestro Tjeknavorian excelled in Russian repertoire.









*J.S. Bach *_The Musical Offering BWV 1079 _
Davitt Moroney (harpsichord, leader) ; Janet See, fl. ; John Halloway, vln. ; Jaap ter Linden, cello ; Martha Cook, harpsichord (Harmonia Mundi white label)

My favourite part of this work, dedicated to and played by Frederick the Great, is the central trio sonata. It comes across as easy listening. Either side is some of the most complex counterpoint* Bach *wrote, blending and bringing together his own theme and one written by Frederick. An amazing work, almost an hour long, it has many points of interest.










*Berg* _Violin Concerto 'To the memory of an Angel' _(1935) 
Isaac Stern, violin / New York PO / Leonard Bernstein (Sony Classics)

A very emotional work, and I think you all know its story. Its a kind of requiem to a young friend of the composer, Manon Gropius, who died of polio at 18. Like many of *Berg's* works, this has strong autobiographical element, with Viennese waltzes and the vibe of _Wozzeck_ never far away. He comes out at the end with a chorale from _Cantata #60 _by J.S. Bach, it provides a kind of consolation for his grief and the tragedy, capped off by a long note played on the G string of the violin, floating above the orchestra _tuning down_, just as at the beginning it had _tuned up_. 










*John Williams - 80th birthday tribute album*
Some tracks from this great compilation of the master of film music to finish.
- Dartmoor, 1912 from _War Horse_
- Going to School from _Memoirs of a Geisha _(with Yo-Yo Ma, cello)
-_ The Mission Theme (Theme for NBC Nightly News)_
- Theme from _Schindler's List _(with Itzhak Perlman, violin)
Various Orchestras conducted by the composer (Sony Classics)


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

A lovely collection of 7 CDs of Stravinsky's complete ballet music and symphonies (for the price of one or two full priced CDs). Shared under the batons of Ashkenazy, Chailly and Dutoit. I already have several pieces but it comes with a few bits and pieces I don't have/never heard before.

Hearing them together makes me think Stravinsky was one of the finest masters of 12-tone and blending of 12-tone with tonal.


----------



## Arsakes

Sid James said:


> Some of the weekend's listening, I just put it on my blog on this forum; also listened to an album by *Joan Armatrading* (details of that on the blog, since it isn't classical). But the classical ones were these -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Rimsky Koraskov* _Scheherazade_
> * Glinka *_Russlan & Ludmila Overture _
> London SO / Irvine Arditti, violin / Loris Tjeknavorian, cond.
> (Varese Sarabande)
> 
> I especially enjoyed _The Young Prince and the Young Princess _(third movement of_ Scheharazade_). *Glinka's* overture was a virtuoso showpiece for orchestra, it remains his greatest hit. A good recording and a rare treat. Maestro Tjeknavorian excelled in Russian repertoire.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *J.S. Bach *_The Musical Offering BWV 1079 _
> Davitt Moroney (harpsichord, leader) ; Janet See, fl. ; John Halloway, vln. ; Jaap ter Linden, cello ; Martha Cook, harpsichord (Harmonia Mundi white label)
> 
> My favourite part of this work, dedicated to and played by Frederick the Great, is the central trio sonata. It comes across as easy listening. Either side is some of the most complex counterpoint* Bach *wrote, blending and bringing together his own theme and one written by Frederick. An amazing work, almost an hour long, it has many points of interest.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *John Williams - 80th birthday tribute album*
> Some tracks from this great compilation of the master of film music to finish.
> - Dartmoor, 1912 from _War Horse_
> - Going to School from _Memoirs of a Geisha _(with Yo-Yo Ma, cello)
> -_ The Mission Theme (Theme for NBC Nightly News)_
> - Theme from _Schindler's List _(with Itzhak Perlman, violin)
> Various Orchestras conducted by the composer (Sony Classics)


Great Music specially Glinka.

And John Williams is my most favorite composer who is still alive 

Listened to..
Johannes Brahms: 
- Serenade No. 1
- Violin Concerto
- String Quartet no. 1

Elgar - Cockaigne


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Birthday celebrations with the hardest cello concerto ever written:


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Beethoven - Piano Sonata Op. 10 No. 3 (Sviatoslav Richter).
Chopin - Nocturnes Op. 37, Op. 48, Op. 55, Op. 62, Op. 72 No. 1 (Maurizio Pollini).


----------



## Chrythes

Found out about him by searching a random melody on IMSLP. Both pieces are solid romantic works, quite accessible and very positive.


----------



## Sid James

Arsakes said:


> Great Music specially Glinka....


Love that overture, I will eventually get to the opera itself, since I think it's kind of a fantasy/comic opera, which is up my alley, I like lighter opera like that, drama/tragedy is less my cup of tea (well, much less regularly at least).



> And John Williams is my most favorite composer who is still alive ...


I also like him and I enjoyed this album, 80 minutes of great music.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky* _Violin Concerto in D_ Jennifer Frautschi / Philharmonia / Robert Craft (Naxos)

*Tippett* _Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli _ Yehudi Menuhin / Robert Masters - violins / Derek Simpson, cello / Bath Festival Orchestra / Sir Michael Tippett (EMI)

Both works here influenced by J.S. BAch, Stravinksy's by the Baroque masters' violin concertos, and Tippett's begins with a quote from one of Corelli's concerto grossi, and ends with a theme that Bach based on that piece, and then he brings them together with his own ideas. Both classics of the neo-classical style in the mid 20th century.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Over and over. Never get bored of this amazing piece of music!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians.*

StlukesguildOhio mentioned this in the Second Viennese topic, and it struck me that I'd never heard it before. I'm halfway through my first listening. This is very interesting, certainly not background music. One tiny complaint; I don't like the way he uses his female vocalist. Her voice reminds me of an animal crying.

I'm going to have to listen to the second half another time; my wife just entered the room complaining .


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Messiaen Turangalila with Aimard/Kim/BPO/Nagano (Teldec). May of this year, BBC Building a Library named this their new First Choice.

I don't. I give top dog status to Salonen, though I wouldn't argue about prefs for Chailly or Chung.

View attachment 5307


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Paris Symphonies


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Taneyev

Pancho Vladigerov: violin concerto Nº2.

Mendelssohn octet: Smetana&Janacek quartets.

Bartok; duos for violins: Andre Gertler&Josef Suk.


----------



## opus55

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto
Glazunov: The Seasons


----------



## cwarchc

Back onto my Du Pre boxset, I'm onto disc 3 & 4
not sure where I'll go next tonight


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Pergolesi's Stabat Mater from the Baroque Masterpieces box set.


----------



## cwarchc

Decided on a bit of Mozart


----------



## Vaneyes

*Albinoni: *12 Concerti a Cinque, Op. 5, with I Musici.

View attachment 5310


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this, there maybe a theme here?


----------



## NightHawk

New recording of these six remarkable works Op. 33 - (2011). Sound is crisp and the effortless energy and elegance are just wonderful. Essential if you collect string quartets like me 









And this famous set of six SQs was inspired by the Haydn Op. 33. The recording is reputedly also famous - from 1953, but now digitally perked up. Going to check out No. 1 in G k.387 now...........and yes! the sound is resonant, and clean as a whistle. Both acquisitions are a real bargain!


----------



## Sid James

*C. Ph. E. Bach *_Concertos for harpsichord and strings Wq 31 in C minor & Wq 33 in F major _
Alexander Catterino, hpschd. / Slovak CO / Bohdan Warchal (Point Classics)

*Shostakovich* _Sym. #10 in E minor, Op. 93 _
Austrian Radio SO (ORF) / Milan Horvat (Point Classics)

Revisited these two after ages.

The *C.P.E. Bach *comes across as more easy listening than his father, and the slow movements reminded me of Mozart, that lyricism, delicate melody and kind of pathos.

The *Shostakovich* is an old favourite, the opening movement a requiem for the dark days that had passed with the death of STalin, that happened when this was written around 1953. The second movement apparently a portrait of the dictator, the third slow movement with a kind of tone row melody played on French horn, spelling out in musical notes the name of a young woman who emotionally supported the composer in his darkest days, and the finale always comes across to me as deliberately fake - happy on the surface, but deep down kind of ambivalent. Milan Horvat directs this with less bravado or bombast as some others I've heard, he's more restrained, and took me a while to like it and change my first impression of this recording, I don't see it as undercooked anymore, just natural and direct.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141, *both featuring the Mariinsky Orchestra led by Valery Gergiev.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Clementine

This weeks listening comprises of pieces that have been persistently recommended to me. Usually I like to balance my listening with something recommended, something by a composer I'm discovering, something by a living composer, and a lighter piece. But with the recommendations piling up, I decided to take to a bunch at one go, which as expected, was an overwhelming experience.

Just listened to:

*Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Sonata #60 in C (1794)*
One of the more frequently played sonatas, this is also one of the most refined and substantial that the composer wrote. 'Delightful' is probably the best word to describe the first movement, with its quick turns of phrases that are quirky one moment, and beautiful the next. The other two movements follow in a similar vein. While not quite at the level of Mozart's best in the genre, this is still an admirable entry. Now I just have to find a better recording (I got stuck with Lang Lang, who seems unable to keep a steady tempo).

*Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio in A Minor (1915)*
It always takes me a few listens before I can really get into a piece by Ravel. Not because I'm adverse to his language, but because it takes awhile for me distinguish how his music differs from Debussy. And Ravel is such a wild card for me, incorporating a lot of different styles throughout his career, that I never know what to expect. His _Piano Trio_ has to be his most overtly emotional work that I've encountered by him. He really goes to extremes between the most delicate phrases, and really letting the performers rip into their instruments. Per usual, the music is expertly written with some wonderful effects. But it's the passion that makes the piece, filled with energy, and an absolutely gorgeous slow movement. One of my favorite pieces by the composer, and perhaps my favorite work in the genre.

*Leoš Janáček: Sinfonietta (1926)*
For whatever reason I haven't fully delved into Janáček, despite his _String Quartet #2_ being one of my all time favorites. After listening to his _Sinfonietta_, I've only been given more incentive to do so. Written for a massive orchestra (with 25 brass players!), _Sinfonietta_ really packs a punch. Janáček does wonders with his unique way of writing for instruments, and a motto of 'give them arpeggios no matter how difficult.' The middle movement in particular has some astonishing writing. I haven't looked at the score but what it sounds like is a horn arpeggiating higher and higher, creating this throbbing, blistering sound that's absolutely unbelievable. Not only that, but the wonderful effects complement wonderful music. _Má vlast_ has long been the mascot of Czech nationalism, but given the chance, I think _Sinfonietta_ could easily usurp it. There's a certain pastoral quality about the piece that projects images of mountains, valleys, and adventure in the wilderness. So far as I know there is no program to the work, which allows the mind to wander and really react to the sounds of the symphony. A masterpiece, and recommended to all (this isn't difficult music!).

*Igor Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms (1930)*
Written during Stravinsky's neo-classical period, _Symphony of Psalms_ recalls the counterpoint of Bach, and harmonies from long before that. Like most of his works, there's a very raw quality about the music, but Stravinsky also loosens up a bit and reveals some seldom heard grace and beauty. I also found the piece to be more personal then his earlier ballets, less flashy, and overall more poignant. It doesn't carry quite same level of inspiration as _Le sacre du printemps_, or _Petrushka_, but it's a marvelous work nonetheless. My only complaint is the ending, whose sudden C major cadence is spoiled, in that Stravinsky already did it in the beginning of the movement. For me that made it much more predictable, and much less effective.

*Alban Berg: Violin Concerto (1936)*
The 1930's brought a slew of violin concertos from seemingly all the greatest composers of the day: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Berg, Bartók, Barber, Britten, and Schoenberg all wrote in the genre within years of each other, many of them creating their finest works. For me, Berg stands above the rest, in both the decade and in the genre as a whole. Written in memory of the death of Alma Mahler's daughter, Berg's _Violin Concerto_ seems like a direct descendant of Mahler himself. At the front of the music we have a tone-row, though not one bound to atonality. Viennese waltzes, Bach chorales, and traditional songs loom in the background, sinking themselves into the music. Everything about this work seems to herald its Germanic roots. Berg even handles the orchestra much as Wagner did. This is not soloist pitted against orchestra, or even a conversation. Every instrument works together to express a common theme- a true 'gesamtkunstwerk.' One thing I particularly like is how fluidly Berg switches between atonality, polytonality, and tonality. Though the movements are cast in sonata form, everything seems to flow so naturally, and the main motif- the open strings of the violin- emphasize this. Dark, powerful, and downright gorgeous, I can't recommend this enough. It joins the rank of about 20 or so pieces that I consider flawless; and I've listened to _a lot_ of music.

*Béla Bartók: Divertimento for Strings (1940)*
This piece acts as a sort of bridge between the raw dissonance of his earlier music, to his more accessible later works. After hearing his string quartets, it came as no surprise that the writing for this work is very dense and intricate; and with 50 strings instead of 4, Bartók takes advantage of the numbers and creates some wild textures. The work is almost like a concerto grosso, alternating between solos and orchestra. The first movement starts off dance like, getting more crazed as it progresses, while the slow movement is an excellent example of his 'night music' with its creeping harmonies. But it's the finale that leaves the most impact, with its glowing melodies and lush accompaniment. Sometimes it's a little difficult to distinguish all of the voices, and I have a feeling this a work that would greatly benefit from hearing it live. But all the same a wonderful piece, and a chance to hear the lighter, more humorous side of an otherwise dark composer.


----------



## Sid James

^^Some of my favourite pieces there *Clementine *- talking of the Ravel, the Janacek, Berg and Bartok works. You're right re the Ravel piano trio, many people do say it's their favourite work in the genre. I have heard the Bartok _Divertimento_ live and it does have this visceral force, esp. if they include the foot stomping in one of the parts - I think the last movement - I think it's optional in the score, and on a recording it doesn't have that sudden impact. I enjoyed your reviews, I do always.


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## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Water Music by Trevor Pinnock.


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## Vaneyes

*CPE Bach*: Piano Concerti (Wq 23, Wq 31, Wq 112/Piano solo), with Rische/Leipzig CO/Shuldt-Jensen.

View attachment 5316


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> *C. Ph. E. Bach *_Concertos for harpsichord and strings Wq 31 in C minor & Wq 33 in F major _
> Alexander Catterino, hpschd. / Slovak CO / Bohdan Warchal (Point Classics)
> 
> *Shostakovich* _Sym. #10 in E minor, Op. 93 _
> Austrian Radio SO (ORF) / Milan Horvat (Point Classics)
> 
> Revisited these two after ages.
> 
> The *C.P.E. Bach *comes across as more easy listening than his father, and the slow movements reminded me of Mozart, that lyricism, delicate melody and kind of pathos.
> 
> The *Shostakovich* is an old favourite, the opening movement a requiem for the dark days that had passed with the death of STalin, that happened when this was written around 1953. The second movement apparently a portrait of the dictator, the third slow movement with a kind of tone row melody played on French horn, spelling out in musical notes the name of a young woman who emotionally supported the composer in his darkest days, and the finale always comes across to me as deliberately fake - happy on the surface, but deep down kind of ambivalent. Milan Horvat directs this with less bravado or bombast as some others I've heard, he's more restrained, and took me a while to like it and change my first impression of this recording, I don't see it as undercooked anymore, just natural and direct.


CPE Bach, father of the symphony as we now know it? Not a far stretch, I think.

Horvat has decent Mahler on inexpensive labels, if you get the chance.


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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 1 in C Major, Op.49, SQ # 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op.142 and SQ # 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op.144. *All three string quartets are perfomed by the Rubio Quartet.


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## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Bach - Toccata in D Minor BWV 913 (Sviatoslav Richter).
Liszt - Piano Sonata, Nuages Gris, La Notte, La Lugubre Gondola II, Funerailles (Krystian Zimerman).


----------



## Chrythes

Mahler Syomphony No.5. It's weird how a few months ago I could barely sit through a symphony, let alone Mahler's. Now it's almost as natural as it could be.


----------



## Taneyev

Brahms 15 Hungarian dances transcribed for solo piano. Cziffra

Brahms-Joachim. Hungarian dances. Aaron Rosand


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## Hausmusik




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## Vesteralen

Library disc.

The Saint-Saens was new to me. I enjoyed it, though I was a little more excited by the last movements than by the first.

The Franck is probably my favorite Violin Sonata - nicely played, though I don't see the need to rush out and replace the one I have with this version.

The Ravel has always been a take-it-or-leave-it kind of piece for me.


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## Taneyev

What of Saint-Saëns ?


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## Vesteralen

Odnoposoff said:


> What of Saint-Saëns ?


Violin Sonata #1 Op 75


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## Taneyev

If you want to be "excited" by SS first sonata, you should get the recording of Heifetz-Bay. IMO one of the best recordings Jascha ever did.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Currently what I'm listening to:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Anton Webern, Five Movements for String Quartet.*

Boulez does well with this, providing a fluid, warm performance. Although I still prefer this in a string quartet.


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## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 84
Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 37 and Op. 48


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## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Pelleas et Mellisande. *

Just the first act. But I still don't hear the violet-grey chords Messaien heard.


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## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. *Both works feature the Orchestre National de France led by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Vasily Petreno.


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## Sid James

*Bizet*
_L'Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2 
Carmen Suites Nos. 1 & 2_
(all orchestrations by Ernest Guiraud, except _L'Arlesienne Suite #1_, which is by the composer)
London Festival Orch. / Cesare Cantieri (Point Classics)

Some of my favourite orchestral suites here. Great melodies and orchestrations. With the orchestration, Guiraud did the old trick of making the vocal parts into solo instruments - eg. from violin, to oboe, to various brass - and it works a treat. This account comes across as restrained and not too over the top, which is another thing I tend to like.


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## opus55

Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1

















Prokofiev: Cinderella


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## Arsakes

Listened to all Bruckner's Symphony no. 3 ~ 6. I can say than Each one is better than the previous one.

Currently Mendelssohn's Piano Trios 1, 2.


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## tdc

Symphony No. 6

I've been listening to his symphonies a lot lately - mostly 4, 5, 6 and 8.


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## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in F, Op. 6/9 (1690)*
The last four Corelli's _Concerti Grosso_ differ from its predecessors in that the movements are all cast in dance forms. There's less spaciousness then the previous works and more formality. While this is a nice enough work, Corelli doesn't really hit his stride until the next work.

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in C, Op. 6/10 (1690)*
Perhaps my favorite of the set so far, this work seems to foreshadow Vivaldi more then the others. While Corelli usually relies upon harmonic movement via suspensions, this work bounces between harmonies the entire way long. The melodies and motifs are also a little more inspired, and overall there just seems to be a skip in his step.

*Robert Schumann: Symphony #2 (1846)*
With only the third symphony left, this second symphony which is _actually_ his third, takes the number one spot for me (confusing enough sentence?). Like his other works in the genre, this is very Beethovinian, and Schumann goes another step and throws in some quotes by him as well. But Schumann seems to be branching out just a little- the harmonies are more varied, and overall the work is more motivic and less melodic. The slow movement is beautiful, the scherzo a ton of fun (especially the coda), and the first movement broad, expansive and expressive- much like the first movement of the _Piano Concerto_, written in the same year. But I felt the finale failed to form a conclusion, and didn't leave me entirely convinced of the structure. Each movement is wonderful on its own, but as a cohesive whole its intentions are a little unclear. I also found it to drag in quality as it went on- but the first two movements are so good that perhaps I'm being unreasonable.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Tempest (1873)*
Much in the same vein as _Romeo and Juliet_, the tempest is another 20 minute tone poem inspired by the work of Shakespeare. Tchaikovsky soars to new heights with the orchestration, really making the orchestra swell during the storm sequence. As if through a mist, a brass choral begins the work, with the strings sweeping around it. He pits the choral with a love theme, though not _as_ memorable as that in _Romeo and Juliet_ is still very beautiful. There's less banality here, less endless transitions, and more of just sinking into the music. A really lovely tone poem.

*Elliott Carter: String Quartet #1 (1953)*
Perhaps the most difficult work I've so far encountered, Carter's 40 minutes of relentless atonality took 4 readings with the score, and a few more after that before I could get a handle on the piece. Though in his 40s when written, this is the first fully mature work by the composer. Into it he pulls every trick out of his sleeve and dares to try something new; it's a summation of the composer's talents. The work begins with a beautiful cello cadenza and ends with one in the violin. But in between that is chaos. The first movement usually has all four voices acting individually of each other. Throughout the piece he slowly pairs instruments together; the slow movement, which offers relative beauty, has the violins as one force and the cello and viola as another. In the third movement things diverge more frequently, but more often then not the string quartet comes together as a whole, playing in unison. One thing I noticed was that even though the textures are highly original, he hardly uses any extended technique- in fact pizzicato might be the most adventurous thing. Though the music is quite dissonant throughout, it isn't ugly in the way Bartók's quartets are meant to be. Every note contributes to the drama, and at its core this is a piece filled with passion and longing. The way the voices interact with each other, ganging up on certain instruments or completely ignoring them, gives the feeling of isolation and rejection. I'm not sure what Mr. Carter was going through while he wrote this, but I have feeling he might have been lonely. If you're willing to put in the effort, it's an astounding work.

*György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata (1953)*
This summer I'm making it a goal to listen to all the Ligeti in my collection (so far I'm only familiar with _Aventures_, and now this). One of his earlier works, this doesn't contain much of the avant-garde influence that would permeate his later works. Instead Bartók seems to be the main inspiration. The piece is a set of piano miniatures that are uniquely structured. The first movement uses only 2 notes, the second movement adds a note, the third another etc. And so it takes us from simple consonance, to dense harmonies by the end of the piece. Though the piece sounds difficult to play at parts, this isn't flashy music. It's all very transparent, very thought out, and most importantly, a lot of fun. It occasionally touches upon heavier subjects, (where it sounds much like Bartók's 'night music') but in the end it's a piece of refined technique forcing itself not to become _too_ enthusiastic.

*Otar Taktakishvilli: Sonata for Flute and Piano (1966)*
Quite the opposite, the music of Georgian composer Taktakishvilli is bursting to the seams with unabashed romantiscm. Though a couple of modernistic flares pop up here and there, this work would hardly be considered revolutionary had it been written 80 years prior. What it lacks in originality though, it makes up for in expressiveness and total control of both instrumentation and structure. Though Taktakishvilli was a prolific composer, he is most known for this sonata, which has entered the standard repertoire amongst flutists. It comes as no wonder why; the piece is joyful, songlike throughout, and just sounds like a blast to play. It may suffer after repeated listenings, as the material isn't all that interesting, but it's still a wonderful little work from a composer who clearly knows what he's doing.

_Up next!
Brahms: Piano Quartet #1, Carter: Boston Concerto, Chopin: Nocturnes Op. 9, Ligeti: Cello Concerto, Schumann: Symphony #3, Vaughan Williams: Concerto for 2 Pianos_


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## Taneyev

Taktakishvili first violin concerto. Yes, is totally romantic and you can call it oldfashioned, but it's also one of the most beautiful concertos I know (and I know more than 50).

Kreisler SQ, Kreisler quartet.

Wilhelmj, his arrangement of the first movement of Paganini's v.c.op.6. Old Ricci recording.


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## Hausmusik

One of "The World's Finest Recordings"? Not to my ears. Dull performances of both concertos.


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## Vaneyes

D. Scarlatti: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Weissenberg (rec. 1985), then JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, with GG (rec. 1981).

View attachment 5358
View attachment 5359


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## kv466




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## cwarchc

A slightly different version, great rendition


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## kv466




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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 10 in A-Flat Major, Op.118, SQ # 11 in F Minor, Op.122 and SQ # 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op.138. *All three works are performed by the Eder Quartet.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein.


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## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.
Dmitri Shostakovich-- *SQ # 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op.108, SQ # 8 in C Minor, Op.110, SQ # 9 in E-Flat Major, Op.117 and SQ #10 in A-Flat Major, Op.118.* All four works feature the Emerson String Quartet.


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## AndyS

going to see it in November, getting ready


----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

Schubert - Piano Sonata D.784 (Sviatoslav Richter).

This is becoming one of my favourite piano sonatas.


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## Vaneyes

*FJ Haydn*: Symphonies 6 - 8, Divertimento Fragment/Variations on a Minuet in E-flat Major, with St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble (rec. 2000).

View attachment 5366


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## cwarchc

Now onto this


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## kv466

Rubinstein - Piano concerto no.4 in d-minor, op.70


----------



## Dimboukas

Dvořák's Piano Concerto









Until recently I didn't know it exists! It is good, somewhat different, a little more modern, especially its third part.


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach* _The Musical Offering BWV 1079 _
Davitt Moroney (harpsichord, leader) ; Janet See, fl. ; John Halloway, vln. ; Jaap ter Linden, cello ; Martha Cook, harpsichord (Harmonia Mundi white label)

Another listen to this, among many. I can now hear how* Bach's *own theme and also the theme composed by the dedicatee of this work, Frederick the Great of Prussia, go right through this work. I am noticing esp. Bach's one pop up all over the place, even in the trio sonata, which I didn't notice before. Bach's one starts the work, it is like a solemn tone row thing, and Frederick's one is in the second movement, it's more dancy and sweet. They come together in the final fugue, which is only about 2 minutes, but the two harpsichords sound kind of trippy and almost electronic. Amazing work, and one of the pinnacles of Bach's music.


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## Vaneyes

Playing one of my Certified Perfect Recordings, BAT's Haydn Trios 28 - 31.

View attachment 5372


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## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: The Magic Flute (Highlights), with Peters, Wunderlich, DF-D/BPO/Bohm (rec. 1964).

View attachment 5373


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## StlukesguildOhio

I have always loved the rich, soulful sound of the clarinet and the cello... and as such I have gone out of my way to seek out works featuring these instruments... even by less-well-known composers. I picked up this Goepfert disc with this in mind... but also in an effort to build a greater collection of the "classical era" beyond Mozart, Haydn and early Beethoven. While nothing here rises to the level of Mozart at his most sublime, still this music stands comfortably alongside a great majority of Mozart's and Haydn's music.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> Playing one of my Certified Perfect Recordings, BAT's Haydn Trios 28 - 31.
> 
> View attachment 5372


I was going to say, "Haydn wrote trios?! I must get my hand on these. And then I looked on my shelf to discover I already have these. Duh!

Somehow I just haven't gotten around to playing this disc in quite some time.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> *Mozart*: The Magic Flute (Highlights), with Peters, Wunderlich, DF-D/BPO/Bohm (rec. 1964).
> 
> View attachment 5373


"Highlights of the Magic Flute??!! Surely there is no such thing.


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## clavichorder




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## opus55

Prokofiev: Cinderella, Act III
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5


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## StlukesguildOhio

I can't say I enjoyed this disc overly much. The sound of the glass armonica here is simply too shrill and really the music after a while starts to sound like the most irritating Christmas music. I quite like the sound of the glass armonica during Donizetti's "mad scene" from Luccia di Lammermoor... it commonly lends it an unearthly effect... but that scene is also one of the most demanding and the singer here is simply not up to it. I really bought the disc primarily for Mozart's k. 617 which is a beautiful and sadly unknown piece... but I think I'll go back and pick up this Jean-Pierre Rampal recording...










which employs a celesta... which seems far more suited to the music... lending it at once an unearthly yet child-like sound.


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## kv466

^^ Nice! I was listening to some Mozart glass just a couple of days ago.


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## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto Nos. 1 and 2


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## Hausmusik

Kurt Weill, Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra Op. 12 (1924)


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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein leading the New York Philharmonic.


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## Taneyev

David&Igor.In the name of the father, the son and the violin spirit:

Spohr:dueto C major.
Haydnuo B flat
Prokofiev: sonata for 2 violins.


----------



## Arsakes

Sibelius: En Saga

Dvorak:
Symphony 6,7 - 6 Piano Pieces


----------



## cwarchc

Satie by Ciccolini, as recommended by PetrB
I can't find an image.
Thanks for the suggestion, I'm enjoying it:tiphat:
Whoo hoo, I've just noticed I'm a hundred


----------



## Conor71

*Falla: El Sombrero De Tres Picos, G 53*

Now playing the De Falla and after this I will play the Tchaikovsky Disc - pretty awesome sound on the first recording!


----------



## DeepR

Richter.. piano god.
There's just no point for any pianist to record this piece ever again.


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## opus55

Schumann: Introduction and Allegro appassionato, Op. 92 and Waldszenen


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## Vaneyes

*FJ Haydn*: Piano Sonatas (Vol. III), with Hamelin & Steinway (rec. 2011, Henry Wood Hall, London). A new arrival and continuation of a project begun in 2005. A welcome addition. May there be more.:tiphat:

View attachment 5398


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## Vaneyes

DeepR said:


> Richter.. piano god.
> There's just no point for any pianist to record this piece ever again.


Whew! Thankfully, Rodriguez made it in time.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> *FJ Haydn*: Piano Sonatas (Vol. III), with Hamelin & Steinway (rec. 2011, Henry Wood Hall, London). A new arrival and continuation of a project begun in 2005. A welcome addition. May there be more.:tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 5398


I'll have to pick this one up. I have Hamelin's first two volumes of Haydn sonatas.


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## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...Prokofiev: sonata for 2 violins.


An amazing work, imo. Quite intense in parts. I first heard it on the documentary series_ Classical Destinations _(the second series, it was made for television). I read that Prokofiev was a bit critical of this work. Don't remember exactly why. But I like how he does this kind of modern counterpoint and how the colours of the two violins are contrasted so effectively. I've never heard that recording but I did hear it on Supraphon label played by members of the Pavel Haas Quartet. I can't praise this work enough, it is underperformed and not well known, along with Prokofiev's other chamber works - eg. the two string quartets - which seem overshadowed by his other things for larger forces.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Brahms from a man who was most well-known for his performances of Chopin... but whose first true love was Brahms.


----------



## Sid James

Starting with two old favourites, Kander & Ebb's musical _*Cabaret*_, and speaking to the same kind of vibe but in the classical realm, *Schoenberg's* _Pierrot Lunaire_, sung in a very full on way by Jane Manning. Then to finish up, music of *Russian Romantic composers *with the London Symphony Orch. under Maestro Solti. I listened on this cd to *Glinka's* _Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture_, *Mussorgsky's*_ Khovanschchina Prelude _and _Night on the Bare Mountain_ (both orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov) and *Borodin's* _Overture_ and _Polovtsian Dances _from _Prince Igor _(orchestrated by Glazunov and R-K respectively). The _Dances_ also featured the London Sym. Chorus.


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## Taneyev

About the 2 Prokofiev quartets, I recommend the recording of the Sequoia quartet , from the 80s. Half Japanese (the 2 violins). IMO, just fantastic. But probably OOP.


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Starting with two old favourites, Kander & Ebb's musical _*Cabaret....*_


Thanks for jogging 40 year-old memories, Sid. One of cinema's finest.

The magnificent Joel Grey...


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three symphonies are performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for jogging 40 year-old memories, Sid. One of cinema's finest.
> 
> The magnificent Joel Grey...
> ...


Yes, he was magnificent, they all were in that. One of the few musicals where every song is just great, pivotal to the story and so well integrated as a whole. I bet many theorists have anlaysed this to death. But basically it's just great music, telling a powerful and human story. My favourite scene is with the young German Hitler Youth singing_ Tommorrow Belongs To Me_. The scene in the beer garden, the only outdoor scene with music in the whole movie. When I first saw the movie, the camera focussed only on the boy's face, I thought what a beautiful song. Then as the camera panned back to reveal his uniform and swastika, it hit me. & as it went on, the people in the cafe standing up, joining the singing and saluting, I realised this was not a song of beauty, but of ugliness and barbarism. It's those kinds of double edged sword things that really make this musical so great.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Petrouchka*.

This features a nice blow-by-blow commentary CD also.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andre/Sid... I think that one of the reasons I've worked at Schoenberg well beyond the degree of effort I'd give any other composer that didn't resonate with me after a number of attempts, is that considering my love of German Expressionism I should honestly love him. After all... I was so enamored of the German Expressionists in college that I wrote my Honors thesis on the German Expressionist print-makers:



















Max Beckmann remains among my absolute favorite painters:




























There are any number of German Expressionist writers I admire: Franz Kafka, Hermann Hesse, Frank Wedekind, Georg Trakl, Bertolt Brecht.

continued...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And of course there are the great German Expressionist films:

_The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari_:










_Metropolis:_










_M_:










_Nosferatu:_










_The Man Who Laughs:_










And of course there's some marvelous music. The operas of Korngold, Schreker, Berg... and certainly Richard Strauss' _Salome_ and _Elektra_ as well as Brecht/Weill's _Three Penny Opera_. Indeed, I am quite fond of Weill's cabaret music (as well as the film, _Cabaret_) but Schoenberg has never clicked with me.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 {"Stalingrad"}, *featuring the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Mariss Jansons.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 2 in A Major, Op.60, SQ # 8 in C Minor, Op.110 and SQ # 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op.138. *All three works are performed by the Rubio Quartet.


----------



## clavichorder

Clavichords!


----------



## Sonata

Mozart's first 4 piano sonatas, played by Mitsu Uchida.


----------



## clavichorder




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## clavichorder




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## clavichorder




----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

Chopin - Preludes Op. 28, Ballades Op. 38, Op. 52, Fantaisie Op. 49 (Jorge Bolet).
Debussy - Deux Arabesques (Aldo Ciccolini).

The fourth ballade never fails to move me. It's his masterpiece in my eyes, for sure.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor
Bax: Winter Legends


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Overture In F Major, Op. 67*

Now playing Disc 3 of the set of Orchestral Works which also has the Manfred Symphony on it. Next up I will play Disc 1 of the Concerto set which features Piano Concerto No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 3 which I have'nt listened to very much!.
These are both great sets and contain a lot of beautiful music - I will see if I can listen to them in their entirety this weekend


----------



## Chrythes

Hindemith - First SQ. Very enjoyable work, but from the fragments I heard of his later work the next quartets are probably going to be a bit different.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just watched Act I. Will finish off tomorrow night.










After watching it again I think it has become one of my favourite operas of all time. Probably one of my favourite pieces of music too.


----------



## Taneyev

My homage to a IMO great and underrated piano trio: Oborin, Oistrakh and Knushevitsky:

Chopin op.8
Schumann Nº1 op.63
Hummel Nº2 op.22


----------



## cwarchc

The start of the, long in the UK, weekends listening
Not a bad compliation, but played by a master


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Corelli's Trio Sonatas Op. 1 off of Corelli Complete Edition


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Birthday to Richard Goode (b. 1943). Playing his LvB Piano Sonatas, op. 31.

View attachment 5406


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 In F Major, BWV 1046*

A bit of baroque music for me this morning - first up Disc 1 of the Bach set followed by Disc 1 of the Handel. After this I may listen to some of Mozart's Piano Concertos.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven violin sonatas in A minor and F major from "Beethoven Explored" a freebie download from the classical shop.net. First time listening to these and I really enjoy them!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Once again I'm led to think that perhaps my earlier assessment of Schoenberg was correct... and he was indeed the most destructive influence in the history of Western music (well... after Rap). Listening to Webern's early lieder I cannot help but think how exquisite they are... merging elements that are Impressionistic with others that recall the German lieder tradition. The resulting works strike me as almost fragile... like a sculpture composed of glass or ice. This is true even of the earliest works which begin to push the limitations of traditional tonality. In many ways these are the most expressive... the tension created by the shattering of expectations. I think, for example of Ravel's _La Valse_ or many of Prokofiev's works in which the traditional "beauty" is stretched and pushed until it seems like beauty gone... wrong... twisted... sick.

Listening to this disc I find myself wondering what might have been had Webern not been pushed by Schoenberg toward an abandonment of tonality... and eventually an embrace of the alternative structure of serialism.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven *
_Sym.#6 in F major, Op. 68 'Pastoral' ; 
Fantasy in C minor for piano, Chorus & orch., Op. 80 ; 
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Op. 112_ 
Maurizio Pollini, pno. / Vienna State Opera Chorus / Vocal soloists / Vienna PO / Claudio Abbado (DGG)

Great album, and a lot of music packed into about one hour. I esp. like the_* Fantasy*_, a work bridging many genres, from piano concerto, to choral, to even chamber in the way the orchestra divides and plays in different groups (eg. there was a bit where string quartet played), also operatic/vocal, symphonic and so on. Quite an innovative, hybrid type work, hard to put in a box, and I like that sort of thing. The opening cadenza speaks to *Beethoven's* knowledge and appreciation for J.S. Bach, and the tune at the end of the work is quite reminiscent of something coming later, the choral finale of the Sym.#9.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ....
> Once again I'm led to think that perhaps my earlier assessment of Schoenberg was correct... and he was indeed the most destructive influence in the history of Western music (well... after Rap). ....


Not really destructive, he was just opening things up for further exploration. Composers such as not only Webern and Berg, but many others, incl. Stravinksy, Walton and Ravel certainly thought this. I have detailed that in my opening post to a thread I created around this sort of topic, of lineages and influences in classical music across time.

http://www.talkclassical.com/18902-lineages-classical-music.html


----------



## Petwhac

Berio: Folk Songs.

Attractive, colourful.


----------



## Sid James

Putting on some pieces by *Albert Ketelbey*, played by the London Promenade Orchestra under Alexander Faris. Some great light listening & a trip around the world, from England (of course) to China, Egypt, Persia and beyond.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76 Nos 2, 6, 3


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Voyewoda, Op. 78*

Listening to Disc 1 of this set - really beautiful music!: R & J Overture, Francesca Da Rimini, Voyewoda and The Tempest. I think I will play it again when it's finished!.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Just watched Act I. Will finish off tomorrow night.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After watching it again I think it has become one of my favourite operas of all time. Probably one of my favourite pieces of music too.


Just watched the whole thing.

OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING.

Nearly as good as *Ligeti!*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beautiful music.


----------



## Taneyev

Brahms double: Heifetz-Feuermann-Ormandy (1939)

Debusy violin sonata: Rene Benedetti-Magda Tagliaferro

Arthur Benjamin: Elegy,Walz and Toccata for viola and piano: Primrose-Vladimir Sokoloff (1945)


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Ballet Suites


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 9










I'm glad that I didn't sell this recording last year (that's how much I used to hate it). After listening to couple other interpretations, Karajan's live version seems much clearer now... Perhaps I just never understood the 9th well enough. Of Mahler's symphonies, I find the 9th the most challenging to enjoy.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave, Op. 31*

Listening to the second Disc of this set which features Symphony No. 3 and a couple of other pieces. I dont really know Tchaikovsky's 2nd and 3rd Symphonies very well so trying to get better aquainted with them - I will replay this Disc when it is finished and listen to the Symphony again.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 In Bb Minor, Op. 23*

Now playing Disc 1 and will follow this up with Disc 2 of this set - these Discs contain the works for Piano and Orchestra.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## PetrB

Guillaume Connesson ~ Techno Parade; flute, clarinet and piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I had my studio mate over this afternoon. He lived in New York in the early 1960s and was able to see any number of the classic jazz performers in the classic clubs such as the Bluenote. We spent the afternoon listening to Miles on Spotify:




























This one included a session introduced by Duke Ellington featuring Connie Kay (from MJQ), Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, and Thelonius Monk (among others!)



















Now I'm listening to this:










This is a recent bargain re-release of the classic recording featuring Boris Christoff, Constantin Chekkerlisky, Todor Todorov, and Renii Pemkova. There is no printed libretto, but a third CD that includes the libretto in pdf. format... which I find I quite enjoy... allowing for easy enlargement of the print, and ease of following along with the music. And there is some marvelous music here: choruses and arias for deer male voices predominant.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 4 in D Major, Op.83, SQ # 6 in G Major, Op.101 and SQ # 10 in A-Flat Major, Op.118. *All three works are performed by the Rubio Quartet.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"} and The Wasps, *both featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra led by Kees Bakels.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} *both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *all performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Sonata

Continuing on with my Mozart piano sonatas, into the third disc. I sprinkled a couple of other piano sonatas in between, just for the contrast. One each from Chopin, Schubert and Beethoven.


----------



## Vesteralen

Watched the "discovering" commentary on Symphony #7 today. Not 100% convinced by everything said, but it did add quite a bit to my enjoyment of the actual performance.


----------



## Vesteralen

Started to watch this DVD today. Got about halfway through the First Act (I have a hard time staying with an opera). Amazing how many Baroque and Classical operas use the "Orlando Furioso" text as a starting place. Not too many since 1800, though.

Anyway, there were a couple of lovely arias in the part I saw.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been "sampling" various Russian operas on Spotify:


----------



## Tero

I don't actually know. I have not memorized the CD yet. But Neeme Järvi/Gothenburg outfit.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3
Honegger: Symphony No. 2 for String Orchestra
Creston: Symphony No. 2
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 1 from this.


----------



## Badinerie

A nice VW LP


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Symphony 1 from this.


Great recording. Love it.


----------



## Polyphemus

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Great recording. Love it.


Entire series superb, though the sound on No 2 seem a little recessed and I have tried a few copies.


----------



## Chrythes

The whole thing. The Violin Sonata and the pieces for Violin are very lively pieces, melodic and enjoyable. 
But the Piano Quintet is a bit different. It's on the same page as the Violin pieces, but I guess that on a larger scale I'm starting to see what always bothered me with Impressionist music - it's sometimes too expressive, and it becomes tiring very quickly.
All the liveliness, which sometimes is rather dramatic (Franck's Piano Quintet), loudness and playfulness have their charm, but over the long run I just find it annoying.

Edit: Ok, maybe I was listening to too much impressionism during the few last days, so it's not surprising I might get tired of it.


----------



## Taneyev

Marco Anzoletti:Var.s/ Brahm's theme for violin and piano.

Hovhaness: cello concerto. Starker.

Lydia Auster: concertino for violin and orchestra


----------



## Tero

Klami: Cobblers on the heath overture. Oramo.

I almost never get through the whole CD.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20*

Good morning!  - I have been re-visiting Tchaikovsky the last few days: First up I will play the Karajan Disc of the Ballet Suites again followed by Disc 2 of both the Symphonic Poems set and the complete Concertos set. After this I will listen to some modern classical and non-classical music for the rest of the day. Its a public holiday here today so plenty of time to listen to good music!.


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## opus55

Taught my son how to ride bicycle today so my listening started late.

Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 arranged for four hands piano


----------



## Chrythes

So some guy mentioned a Lithuanian composer in one of the topics and since I need to be familiar with my ethnic composers I checked one of the works that's available on Spotify. Bronius Kutavičius - Last Pagan Rites.

Vocal music, it's in a way repetitive and minimal, but not like Glass. It's somewhat tonal with occasional dissonance. The text is in Lithuanian and I'd guess that it deals with what the title suggests - the last days of the Pagans in archaic Lithuania. I couldn't figure out the lyrics of the first two movements since I believe it's sang in a Žemaičių dialect which I don't understand (it actually quite resembles Latvian), but in the first movement words like "sun" "grass" and "grasshopper" can be heard and are repeated throughout the mvnt. It's only appropriate since the theme here is Paganism.

The second movement is a celebration of a hill called Medvėgalis. It's the biggest mound in the Žemaitijos region, and once there was a castle there which was eventually burned by the Crusaders (even though the Pagans defended it for almost two decades). The third movement starts with a voice that sings "Do not cross my sister, do not cross my brother, do not cross my father, do not cross mother. Oh you snake, do not cross my house, do not cross my sun, do not cross my grain, do not cross my God". And it's repeated throughout the movement. The word "Kirsk" is usually used to describe a blow, but it also means to cross. "Nekirsk mano kelio" - don't cross my road. Which makes this song a subtle resistance to the crusaders and Christianity as a whole (The snake).

The fourth movement is the celebration of the oak. The tree of Lithuania - Ąžuolas. 
Anyway, I recommend this to anyone who wants to get familiar with Baltic-Lithuanian music. It's contemporary, but it's quite accessible and beautiful.


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this, really starting to like it very much









That's after we had this









First though, I had to have my fix of Satie

Cant find an image, but its by Ciccolini, and its fantastic


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2... some lovely music for a Sunday afternoon. Earlier in the day I was listening to some waltzes of another sort altogether:


----------



## obwan

Brahms Symphony #2 in D, Op 73. 

I have always heard Brahms was really deep, so I never made an effort to go out of my way to listen to him. 

What do I think? Well I went out of my way to log back on and write about it didn't I?

This is incredible. Its like Mahler only not boring. 

Its the most beautiful symphony I can recall hearing, ever.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas with Richter (3, 4, 27), then Feltsman (30 - 32).

View attachment 5438
View attachment 5439


----------



## Sid James

Some of this weekend's listening.










First,* Elliot Goldenthal's* score for *Interview with the Vampire*. Interesting soundtrack, with solos from many instruments, all of it based on a choral hymn sung in Latin at the start,_ Libera Me._ Not too cliched, a trap which these things can easily fall into, overall pretty good except an action sequence which was the usual thing.










Then, a listen to Christine Shaefer's account of *Schoenberg's* _Pierrot Lunaire _under Pierre Boulez. Less acidic and cabaret like than my favourite version by Jane Manning and Simon Rattle. This one is more refined and more classical. Great digital sound. Also, the _Ode to Napoleon_, sung by baritone David Pittman Jennings, which is deliberately angry and ugly, a condemnation of tyranny if there ever was one. Like Beethoven's_ Eroica,_ and R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen,_ it ends in the key of E-flat. The short _Heart's Foliage_ sung by Schaefer is interesting for inclusion of the harmonium, celesta and harp as accompanists, which give an otherwordly effect.










Then *Merulo's* organ mass for the apostles, which is basically good chill out music. The organ parts are interspersed with Gregorian chant. This over 90 minute mass, on 2 cd's, starts with a _Toccata_ solely for organ and the mass proper follows, crowned by a_ Magnificat._ The emphasis is on simplicity and spirituality.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm always on the look out for lieder... and especially orchestral songs, and so I recently picked up this disc.
Pfitzer's is a rather sad story. Born in 1869, Pfitzer was a late/post-Romantic composer and avowed anti-modernist. Pfitzer was seen as one of the most promising German opera composers, along with Richard Strauss and Erich Korngold. Pfitzner's first opera, _Der arme Heinrich_, was performed in 1895. His _magnum opus_ was _Palestrina_, which premiered in 1917 under the baton of Bruno Walter. (On the day before he died, Walter dictated his last letter, which ended "Despite all the dark experiences of today I am still confident that _Palestrina_ will remain. The work has all the elements of immortality".) In 1924 Pfitzer composed his violin concerto, which at that time was considered the most important addition to the violin concerto repertoire since the first concerto of Max Bruch. Among Pfitzer's students were Ture Rangström, Otto Klemperer, Czesław Marek, Charles Münch, and Carl Orff.

In spite of Pfitzer's successes, he had an innate inability to get on with others led him to a life of continual struggle... in his professional and private life. In spite of the obvious Wagnerian elements of his music, Pfitzer was personally despised by Cosima Wagner, in part because he sought notice and recognition from such "anti-Wagnerian" composers as Max Bruch and Johannes Brahms. While Pfitzer was respected by contemporaries such as Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss, neither man cared much for Pfitzner's innately acerbic manner (and Alma Mahler reciprocated his adoration with contempt). The great German writer, Thomas Mann praised _Palestrina_ in a short essay published in October 1917, and he co-founded the Hans Pfitzner Association for German Music in 1918. Tensions with Mann, however, developed and the two severed relations by 1926. From the mid 1920's, Pfitzner's music increasingly fell in the shadow of Richard Strauss

He was almost 40 when he finally was appointed to the modestly prestigious post of opera director and head of the conservatory in Straßburg in 1908. A decade later, in the aftermath of WWI, France annexed Alsace (and with it Straßburg) and Pfitzner lost his livelihood and was left destitute at age 50. His wife died not long after and his son came down with meningitis and was committed to institutionalized medical care.

These experiences led to a bitterness and pessimism. the hard knocks he experienced hardened several difficult traits in Pfitzner's personality: an elitism believing he was entitled to sinecures for his contributions to German art and for the hard work of his youth, notorious social awkwardness and a lack of tact, a sincere belief that his music was under-recognized and under-appreciated with a tendency for his sympathizers to form cults around him, a patronizing style with his publishers, and a feeling that he had been personally slighted by Germany's enemies.

Pfitzer wrote several anti-modernist essays, including "Danger of Futurists" directed at Busoni. Early on he embraced the ideas of the Nazis... but rapidly grew disillusioned with them. In return, they found the "elitist old master's often morose music" to be "little propaganda worthy." Pfitzer was further ostracized by the Nazis due to his continued friendship with Bruno Walter as well as his refusal to provide incidental music to Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ that could be used in place of the famous score by Felix Mendelssohn, which was unacceptable to the Nazis because of his Jewish background. Pfitzner maintained that Mendelssohn's original was far better than anything he himself could offer as a substitute.

Central to the Nazi treatment was a meeting between Pfitzner and Hitler during a hospital as early as 1923, not quite at Pfitzner's own doing. Pfitzner was recovering from a gall bladder operation, when a mutual friend, Anton Drexler, arranged a visit. Hitler, unsurprisingly, did most of the talking, and Pfitzner dared to contradict him regarding homosexual and anti-Semitic thinker Otto Weininger, causing Hitler to leave in a huff. Unbeknownst to Pfitzner, Hitler communicated to Nazi cultural-architect Paul Rosenberg that he wanted "nothing further to do with this Jewish rabbi."

Pfitzner still believed, however, that Hitler was sympathetic to him. Due to Hitler's edict, however, the composer was passed over in favor of party hacks for positions as opera Director in Düsseldorf and the generalintendant of the municipal opera in Berlin in spite of receiving hints from authorities that both positions were being held for him.

Pfitzner managed to gain a stable conducting contract from the Munich opera in 1928, but he ran into demeaning treatment from Hans Knappertsbusch. In 1934, he was forced into retirement and lost his positions as opera conductor, stage director, and academy professor. He was also given an absurdly low pension of only a few hundred marks a month, he was rejected as conductor at a Nazi party rally in 1934, when Pfitzner learned for the first time that Hitler thought the composer to be half Jewish - insinuated by Bayreuth Festival director and Hitler confidante Winifred Wagner. Pfitzner was forced to prove his racial purity.

His efforts on behalf of his childhood journalist friend, Paul Cossman, a "self-loathing" non-practicing Jew who was incarcerated in 1933 further served to distance him from the Nazis. His petitions to help Cossman probably caused the composer to be summoned and investigated by Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich (son of the heldentenor who had premiered Pfitzner's first opera). It is likely his petitions contributed to Cossman's release in 1934 (he was eventually re-arrested in 1942 and died of dysentery in Theresienstadt).

His home having been destroyed in the war and his membership in the Munich Academy of Music having been revoked for his speaking out against Nazism, Pfitzner was left mentally ill and homeless, but after the war he was denazified, a pension was established, performance bans were lifted, and a residence was procured at an old people's home in Salzburg, Austria, where he died. Wilhelm Furtwängler conducted a performance of Pfitzner's Symphony in C major, at the Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the summer of 1949, just after the composer's death. Following long neglect, Pfitzner's music began to reappear in opera houses and concert halls, as well as recording studios.

excerpted/edited from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Pfitzner

This recording of Pfitzer's Orchestral Lieder is particularly attractive. Performed by Hans Christoph Begemann in a rich and powerful baritone, these works remind the listener of the orchestral lieder of Richard Strauss and Mahler... even if they do not rise to the height of Mahler or Strauss at their finest. The songs are richly operatic... declamatory... quite removed from Schubert's simpler almost folk-song-like melodies, and closer to Hugo Wolf's lieder as miniature operas.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2

Orchestre National De La Radiodiffusion Française
André Cluytens, conductor
Dmitry Shostakovich, piano

Shostakovich was right: this work has no redeeming artistic merits.


----------



## Conor71

*Boulez: Sur Incises*

Playing a recently arrived Disc for a second listen - I like this one quite a bit!. After this I will play another relatively new Disc of music by Ligeti - I will play the first Disc with the String Quartets from this set.


----------



## Sid James

Great easy listening album called _Pieces_, with *Julian Lloyd Webber* *on cello* accompanied by the London Symphony Orch. under Mike Batt, who also did the arrangements. Mostly movie themes with a smattering of hit tunes and light classical pieces. My favourites where the uplifting _Up Where We Belong_, and I also liked the gentle waltz that was the _Theme from the Yellow Book._ But the best one was the _Cavatina (Theme from the Deer Hunter) _which had the cello accompanied by the strings with prominent place for harp and french horn. Just such a golden colour, and very emotional. I will return to this again, it's worth it, but overall not a very uplifting album, quite pensive and reflective. It was done in 1985 and is on the Polydor label.


----------



## chrislowski

Maxwell Davies 5th Symphony


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Taneyev

Ysaye: string trio "Le Londres" op.35.

Kara Karaev: string quartet.

Babadjanian: violin concerto. Kogan


----------



## opus55

Opening music for Monday morning -

Chopin: Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise Op. 22 and.. Scherzo No. 2, Op. 31


----------



## chrislowski

Disc 2, Missa De Beata Virgine, Motets A La Vierge


----------



## Sonata

Checking out Debussey's La Mer before going back to my solo piano survey.


----------



## Sonata

And now onto a lovely album of Chopin waltzes.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Cello Sonata Nos. 1-3


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1, "Metamorphoses Nocturnes"*

Repeating yesterdays fun listening session - Disc 1 of the EMI set which features the inventive String Quartets followed up by Disc 2 of the Ligeti Project which has Lontano and Atmospheres on it


----------



## cwarchc

It's the only Klemperer I've got, but it's a good one


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60. *Both works feature the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Arsakes

Beethoven: 
- Piano concerto 2,3
- Egmont
- Wellington's victory Marchese

Saint Säens: Piano concertos and related works


----------



## clavichorder

Now this! This is possibly my favorite solo piece by Bach I've yet heard


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphony No. 29 In A Minor, K 201*

Ah Mozart!


----------



## Taneyev

Grechaninov: String quartet Nº4. Moyzes Q.

Bloch: violin concerto. Szigeti-Munch (1939)

Gershwin/Grace Castagnetta: arrangement for solo piano of Concerto in F . Norman Krieger.


----------



## Lisztian

A simply astonishing recording of one of Liszt's late masterpieces, Aux cypres de la Villa d'Este I. There's a humorous anecdote where some of Liszt's students were talking to the great man about how when he died, never again would anyone truly hear his piano compositions, as he was the only one who could play them in a way that did justice to them. The aging man smiled at his students and basically agreed with them. Every now and then you hear a performance that makes you think...that maybe this is something like how Liszt would have played the work. This is one of those performances.


----------



## Lenfer

If only this worked with SS speakers


----------



## Taneyev

Did you try the Gestapo ones?


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5










I intentionally avoid listening to this recording too often.


----------



## Sid James

A listen to one of my favourite requiems, this one by *Stanford*, with the fillers on this 2 cd set being excerpts from a forgotten opera of his, _The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan _(mainly orchestral bits, but there is also one song). Stanford I think can stand well above other academic composers of his day because he absorbed influences - esp. Mendelssohn's - within his own unique style, which was a high point of the British choral tradition. The sounds he garners from the choir are unique, his writing for the vocal soloists reflects the influence of Italian opera, and he uses the orchestra to underpin with much restraint and clarity his sensitive setting of the Latin text. The work is framed by a gentle horn call, the notes of which also pops up during the over 80 minute work. This is not a hellfire and brimstone requiem, the overal vibe is lyrical and reflective. My favourite part is the _Lacrimosa_, the music so perfectly imaging that valley of tears from which no soul will return.


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Birthday Martha Argerich.:tiphat:

View attachment 5451


----------



## science

Today so far:


----------



## opus55

Bach, C.P.E.: Hamburg Symphonies Nos. 1-3


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scotish"}, Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"} and Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.107 {"Reformation"}. *All three works feature the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## clavichorder

My favorite pianist playing perhaps the best Beethoven sonata.


----------



## science




----------



## Turangalîla

I LOOOVE Messiaen! The Berlin Phil is brilliant!


----------



## Arsakes

Mendelssohn: String Quartet 3,4,6

R.Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder (Very impressive. It has the sorrow of Post WW2 Germany in it)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Bach, C.P.E.: Hamburg Symphonies Nos. 1-3


Are those the six orchestral Hamburg Symphonies or the six string symphonies which I think were also written with Hamburg in the title?


----------



## clavichorder

I'll have to watch out for recordings of Medtner by Stephen Beus! I like him as much as I like Berezovsky! He picked great pieces to play too!


----------



## Taneyev

Dvorak: piano quartet op.87. Prague trio + Jan Talich viola.

Marius Casadesus: "Adelaide" violin concerto. Menuhin-Monteux (1934)

Balakireff: Islamey. Horowitz.


----------



## Badinerie

Its either this or Lynyrd Skynyrds live double at the moment. I must be coming down with something!


----------



## Vaneyes

Playing *Mahler *DLVDE, in celebration of Klaus Tennstedt's (1926 - 1998) birthday--"Happy Birthday, Klaus!"

View attachment 5457


----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Are those the six orchestral Hamburg Symphonies or the six string symphonies which I think were also written with Hamburg in the title?


Wq. 182 - strings.


----------



## MusikCritique

Saw a documentary on Silvestrov--infectious melodies, and looks like he's had quite musical transformation over the last decade.

Currently listening to a few "crossover" composers. Neal Facciuto was an interesting find. Looks like he's got Bruno conducting.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas 2, 5, 9, etc., with Sudbin (rec. 2006).

Essential for Scriabin followers. Sudbin is patient, and digs deep. 

View attachment 5458


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9 (1833)*
While Chopin wrote nocturnes close in number to that of his preludes and etudes, these are divided into pieces of 2 or 3, and not into large sets. As it is, even the three miniatures that form this opus number don't form much of a dramatic statement. But they are expertly written, and unabashedly beautiful. Wonderful little pieces, I look forward to discovering the rest.

*Robert Schumann: Symphony #3 (1851)*
Schumann's _Symphony #3_ is a departure from his other works in the genre. While the first movement is very much in the same vein as its predecessors with its Beethovinian grandeur, the other movements make use of folk tunes, which is very unlike Schumann. I found the use of them to be underwhelming. The part I like most about Schumann is his harmonic complexity, and the sort of intuitiveness and organic quality it creates. I felt the folk tunes stifled this, and while they are all very pretty and nice, it just wasn't the Schumann I was used to. The work borders on light classical, and while some parts are thoroughly enjoyable (such as the first and slow movement), this is probably the Schumann symphony I'll be coming back to the least.

*Johannes Brahms: Piano Quartet #1 (1861)*
Much like Schumann's _Piano Quintet_, the idea Brahms seems to be toying with is tension, and how to prolong it until the very end. The first movement acts as a prelude, going back and forth between more moody and lyrical sections. The second movement, typically a scherzo for Brahms, but here an intermezzo, is restrained, but passionate and lyrical. And while Brahms slow movements are usually more sedated, here the tension rises from the preceding movement. The music builds in energy, spewing some of the composers most beautiful work, before leading into perhaps the most energetic thing he wrote- the finale. The music goes back and forth between three themes, each wild, frenetic, melodic, and filled with sumptuous chord progressions. While Brahms was pretty consistent in style throughout his life, the energy and fire found in this work is perhaps something only available in his more youthful pieces, like this and his _Piano Concerto #1_. Overall a fantastic piece, and the best I've encountered in the genre so far; it's no wonder Schoenberg wanted to orchestrate it.

*Ralph Vaughan Williams: Concerto for Two Pianos (1933, arr. 1946)*
Originally written with one piano in mind, the more often played arrangement was created due to the technical difficulties of the first. Thus there isn't much interaction between the two soloist, and in fact most times it sounds as if one pianist is playing, with perhaps an extra arm or two. While hints of Vaughan William's pastoral mood permeates the piece, this is really a work bursting with romanticism. The first movement works with constantly rising figures, which in turn leads into the a slow movement that peaks this rising movement. The slow movement is one of those achingly beautiful pieces common of romantic concertos, tip toeing a fine line of becoming too schmalzy. In contrast, the last movement is darker, filled with counterpoint, and highlights a descending figure, pulling down everything the previous movements have worked for. While the melodrama doesn't completely suit Vaughan Williams, it is a refreshing change of pace, and overall a very pretty and lovely work.

*György Ligeti: Cello Concerto (1967)*
Though Ligeti never wrote electronic music (or at least any with seriousness), the _Cello Concerto_ is one of those pieces that replicates it sound. Oddly enough, the beginning sounds not unlike the soundtrack to the _Dark Knight_ and I was half expecting there to be an outburst of electric guitar. The first movement builds up slowly, adding more voices, flickering between beautiful and downright eerie. The second movement continues in a similar vein, but breaks the tension, with honks and screeches from all over the orchestra. While not very substantial, the piece is filled with character, humor, and tension, working more as little vignette then a profound statement.

*Elliott Carter: Boston Concerto (2003)*
Written with his wife and a poem in mind, the _Boston Concerto_ is a little bit lighter fare then most of this other work. The orchestra takes turns pattering (representing rain), and taking breaks to diverge into more lyrical and introspective statements. The concerto is brief, and ends as unassuming as it begins, but provides some wonderful orchestration, and moments of poignancy.

_Up next!
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande, Ligeti: Clocks and Clouds, Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #3, Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Schoenberg: Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment, Schumann: String Quartet #1, Zwilich: Fantasy for Harpsichord_


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Maxim Shostakovich.
Kurt Atterberg--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.10 {"West Coast Pictures"}, *featuring the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sixten Ehrling.
Kurt Atterberg--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, Op.31 {"Dollar Symphony"}, *with Junichi Hirokami conducting the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Miraculous Mandarin.*

Lousy story; great music.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## crmoorhead

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Liszt: Faust Symphony
Rachmaninov: Vespers
Mozart: Horn Concertos
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this recording of *Brahms'* _*Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor Op.60 *_played by the Domus group. This is quite a dark work, started when the composer's friend Robert Schumann was going through his final illness, and finished 20 years later in the 1870's. It is quite expressive and emotional, the third (slow) movement said to be a portrait of Clara Schumann, and encapsulating Brahms' feelings for her. The final movement is a fragmented Hungarian dance, and it is not resolved in the conventional way. The work ends in C minor as it began, not in C major as was convention. This did not go down well with some critics, and of course their usual arguments that Brahms wrote _against_ the piano (eg. too symphonically) would also have been trotted out. But it just shows that Brahms was a very emotional man, and indeed he was near suicidal when he started this work in the 1850's, maybe it took him like 20 years to deal with his complex emotions and get them down on the page. The result is a masterpiece (& I don't use that word lightly).


----------



## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Are those the six orchestral Hamburg Symphonies or the six string symphonies which I think were also written with Hamburg in the title?


They are six string symphonies, Wq. 182. I just started discovering C.P.E. Bach's work so I'm going by the liner notes - he composed ten symphonies in Hamburg. The first six were written for string orchestra (Wq. 182) and later four more for larger ensemble including two oboes, two horns and bassoon. The later set of four is Wq. 183.

According to the liner note, the first six are generally known as the "Hamburg" symphonies.

Listened to the Hamburg symphonies (or sinfonias) once more today. I like the compactness of these early symphonies.

Then listened to Haydn's symphonies.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, B.9 {"The Bells of Zlonice"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13, B.41, *both featuring the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Ivan Anguelov.


----------



## NightHawk

These trios are wonderful music, wonderfully performed. The remastered sound from 1976 is impeccable. 5*****'s


----------



## violadude

Haven't been posting as much. Been preoccupied with other activities such as searching for a job, and "finding myself."

Anyway, currently listening to Gorecki's 3rd symphony. It's an absolute beauty, but only when you find yourself in the perfect concentrating mood. For example, that 15 minute buildup in the first movement is absolutely amazing, but it doesn't mean much if you are spaced out most of the time. I love the first entrance of the voice in this movement too. It's so perfectly placed I think. The 2nd movement is my favorite of the three I think. The chords at the beginning seem to be grasping at a different world. I think the mood of this movement is the most ambiguous and at the same time the most achingly beautiful. The 3rd movement is great because even though it is repetitive, having a constant quarter note "beat" going on throughout the whole thing, it still works really well. Again, I have to be in the right mood. But when I am I hardly notice the repetitiveness at all. Maybe because the pure beauty of the movement (and the piece as a whole) gives a good distraction for the fact that it is repetitive.


----------



## Taneyev

Selection of Heifetz's first USA recordings from 1917.

Cesar Franck piano quintet: Cortot & International quartet, 1927

Rachmaninoff third p.c.; Kapell-Ernest Mc.Milland and Toronto SO, 1948.


----------



## science

Sorry about the size - I couldn't find a nice square one at a smaller size.

This is from the anniversary box set.


----------



## Arabella

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9, D Minor, Op. 125: I Allegro Maestoso.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Per Norgard, Symphony No. 2.*, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.

*Then Buxtehude, Membra Jesu Nostri.*


----------



## science

This is fun stuff!

And now an old favorite:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Tone Poems with Ormandy, Bernstein, then Piano Works with GG.

View attachment 5472
View attachment 5473


----------



## Arsakes

Haydn - Symphony No. 14, 22, 30, 31, 34 (are beautiful)

Hovhaness - Symphony No.6 'Celestial Gate' (is very deep and soulful)

Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 and 9 (are epic)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*, then *LvB*, in celebration of George Szell and Neeme Jarvi birthdays.

View attachment 5476
View attachment 5477


----------



## Lenfer

*Great Conductors of the 20th Century*: *Sir Adrian Boult* [Original Recording Remastered]​


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

This is an excellent recoridng of Smetana's _Má Vlast_ if you are interested.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *featuring the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Ivan Anguelov.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D.759 {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major , D.944 {"The Great"}, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic and Maestro Bernstein.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.10 in F-Sharp Major, *performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under the abton of Leonard Slatkin.


----------



## AlainB

Listening to the extremely moving aria _È la solita storia del pastore_, sung by Luciano. IMHO, he projected emotion the best in this aria along with Alfredo Kraus.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Concertos for 2, 3 Pianos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 38.*

Barry Wordsworth gives a spirited performance, not necessarily HIP but lively nevertheless. I was considering Marriner's set on Phillips that I found at a used CD store, but I think this Naxos set sounds good enough for me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Starting to work my way through some 100+ opera recordings that I have yet to listen to.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Medtner - Piano Concerto No. 2

Composer at the piano.
Issay Dobrowen conducting.

Now why haven't I listened to this piece before? This is bloody amazing!


----------



## Sonata

This is one of my two favorite albums from my admittedly small collection of lieder.


----------



## Taneyev

Festival Brahms chamber on historicals:

Violin sonata 2: Heifetz-Bay, 1936

Viola sonata 2: Primrose-Gerald Moore, 1937

Cello sonata 1: Emanuel Feuermann-Theo van der Pas, 1934.


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn symphonies right now: Scottish, Italian, and Reformation.


----------



## Arabella

Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, in F Major, op. 68: V, in Allegretto


----------



## Sonata

Arabella said:


> Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, in F Major, op. 68: V, in Allegretto


The sixth is a good one.


----------



## Arabella




----------



## Guest

In my opinion the greatest recording of all time:


----------



## Hausmusik

*Brahms, Opus 51 String Quartets in C Minor and A Minor*
Magnificent performances of two of the greatest string quartets ever.

An excursus: I've never understood why professional critics have decided that it is somehow a matter of objective fact that the Opus 51 quartets are among Brahms's least successful chamber works. I don't get it at all. It seems to me somewhere along the line some critic expressed a genuine lack of enthusiasm for them, and that view became canonized as "fact" and mindlessly repeated by lazy zombie critics.

Take this review, for instance: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=205986. Jens F. Larsen irrationally cites Hugo Wolf completely out of context (he was condemning one of Brahms's _symphonies _for not being _programmatic _in character, not the quartets for lack of musical inspiration, as Larsen misleadingly lets the reader infer), in support of his vaguely expressed dislike of the Op. 51.

I'm happy to agree with Schoenberg that the Op. 51 quartets are amazingly perfect in form. I also think they are irresistibly fun to listen to and completely emotionally involving. Saw the 51/2 in concert two years ago and it swept me away.


----------



## Vesteralen

Beautiful music, but it seems as if you could start with any track at random and it would sound so much like every other track that you wouldn't know where you were.

If I were interested in purchasing this for my collection, I would probably go the I-Tunes route and just buy a track or two.


----------



## Hausmusik

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5495
> 
> 
> Beautiful music, but it seems as if you could start with any track at random and it would sound so much like every other track that you wouldn't know where you were.


I was listening to some Anonymous 4 this morning and having much the same thought! Beautiful though to be sure, as you say.


----------



## Arsakes

Lots of Haydn Symphonies between No. 50 and No. 92 'Oxford'


----------



## Vesteralen

Some quintessential Mendelssohn here in great performances. Much as I love him, it's hard not to let him become background music when I'm occupied with other matters. I hate to think of Mendelssohn as classical Muzak, but somehow I always end up with that.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Quartet No. 4.*

A vigorous performance of a great piece.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

OK... Joan Sutherland wasn't "half-bad". But I'm still a Maria Callas groupie.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beautiful music, but it seems as if you could start with any track at random and it would sound so much like every other track that you wouldn't know where you were.

If I were interested in purchasing this for my collection, I would probably go the I-Tunes route and just buy a track or two.

Surely that can be said of all music... until the individual digs deep through continued exposure. It's no less valid to suggest that all Beethoven's sonatas/quartets, all of jazz, all country music, all disco, all opera, all Indian ragas, all 19th century symphonies, all Mozart or Haydn sound the same than it is to suggest that all of Vivaldi's concertos, or all of the Baroque, or all Medieval music sounds the same.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## cwarchc

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> This is an excellent recoridng of Smetana's _Má Vlast_ if you are interested.


I have the same copy, and find it excellent


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Berg remains far and away my favorite of the so-called "Second Viennese School". By and large he strikes me as the most lyrical... the most poetic. Currently I'm listening to his violin concerto which is one of the few 12-tone works to be regularly performed in concert halls... and for good reason. The work is richly lyrical and contains strong tonal elements. For all of the influence of Schoenberg (not always for the best in my opinion) it is Mahler who hangs over this work... especially in the waltz-like rhythms... but also on a personal level, in the form of Berg's dedication ("to the memory of an angel") to Manon Gropius, the young daughter of Alma Mahler by her second husband, Walter Gropius, the architect.


----------



## cwarchc

I'm back on my Du Pre box, cd no 5 at the moment, only 12 more to go


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This is one of my two favorite albums from my admittedly small collection of lieder.

How "small" is "small"?


----------



## Sonata

Three by Scubert (Schwannesang, winterreise, and a compilation) I have not listened to winterreise yet however. 
A compilation of French chansons sung by Elly Ameling. Eichendorff Liederkreis by Schumann. 
4 last songs by Strauss

Oh, and I have all of Mahler. I love what I have heard, but have not worked through all of his yet so I forgot to include him in my initial mental inventory.


----------



## NightHawk

Jeff N said:


> In my opinion the greatest recording of all time:


It is a very fine recording, but I think the last movement, an orchestral chaconne, at the important e minor flute solo is too fast.


----------



## NightHawk

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Berg remains far and away my favorite of the so-called "Second Viennese School". By and large he strikes me as the most lyrical... the most poetic. Currently I'm listening to his violin concerto which is one of the few 12-tone works to be regularly performed in concert halls... and for good reason. The work is richly lyrical and contains strong tonal elements. For all of the influence of Schoenberg (not always for the best in my opinion) it is Mahler who hangs over this work... especially in the waltz-like rhythms... but also on a personal level, in the form of Berg's dedication ("to the memory of an angel") to Manon Gropius, the young daughter of Alma Mahler by her second husband, Walter Gropius, the architect.


Berg adds a snippet of an actual folk song, I forget exactly where, maybe one that a child would sing - I think he showed the text in the original score, not as 'to be sung' but just to identify it, perhaps.


----------



## NightHawk

Vaneyes said:


> *Shostakovich*, then *LvB*, in celebration of George Szell and Neeme Jarvi birthdays.
> 
> View attachment 5476
> View attachment 5477


Leon Fleischer is one of my all time favorite pianists. His Brahms 1 and 2 (but esp 1) are tremendous. Just listened to him yesterday.


----------



## Ravndal

I just discovered Blumenfeld, and his Etude in e minor (OP. 44 No. 3) I didnt find on youtube, but it is on spotify if anyone is interested


----------



## Lenfer

cwarchc said:


> I'm back on my Du Pre box, cd no 5 at the moment, only 12 more to go
> 
> View attachment 5509


Your *du Pré* boxed set cover is different from mine! 








Annoyed  but pleased your listening to *du Pré* bravo!


----------



## Vesteralen

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Beautiful music, but it seems as if you could start with any track at random and it would sound so much like every other track that you wouldn't know where you were.
> 
> If I were interested in purchasing this for my collection, I would probably go the I-Tunes route and just buy a track or two.
> 
> Surely that can be said of all music... until the individual digs deep through continued exposure. It's no less valid to suggest that all Beethoven's sonatas/quartets, all of jazz, all country music, all disco, all opera, all Indian ragas, all 19th century symphonies, all Mozart or Haydn sound the same than it is to suggest that all of Vivaldi's concertos, or all of the Baroque, or all Medieval music sounds the same.


I actually thought that as I wrote my post, to tell the truth. BTW, I love early music, and I don't think it all sounds the same. I just had a particularly notable case of it with this CD. Landini's compositions do have a certain "sameness" about them, and when each track is sung with the same quartet of voices (great as they are) it adds to that sameness. Some early music CDs I've heard benefit from having different combinations of voices and instruments from track to track.


----------



## Sid James

Jerry Goldsmith's suite from the original 'Planet of the Apes' film. It's been years since I'd heard this. One of the best atonal-type scores from the 1960's. The jabbing piano rhythms & glissandos on brass & strings remind me of some works by Schoenberg - esp. his _Worship of the Golden Calf _sequence from _Moses und Aron _- and also Penderecki, Messiaen and Barber (his _Medea's Dance of Vengeance _comes to mind strongly). Amazing synthesis of modern techniques in film music.


----------



## science

This might be my new favorite Mahler symphony, which is quite a development. Many years ago, for many years, my only Mahler recording was Solti's Mahler 1 & 2. So I got well acquainted with those two symphonies, but not the rest of Mahler. It is only about two years ago that I got Das Lied von der Erde, and only in the past year or so that I got the Bernstein complete set on DG. But none of Mahler's works except 1 & 2 had really got me, until this one.

(This is from the EMI Mahler anniversary box.)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*William Schuman--*Symphony No.6
*Walter Piston*--Symphony No.4
*Both works feature the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Eugene Ormandy.

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10, B.34 and Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, B.112, *both performed by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra under the wand of Stephen Gunzenhauser.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D.200, *featuring The Knights, conducted by Eric Jacobsen.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Violin Sonatas


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I actually thought that as I wrote my post, to tell the truth. BTW, I love early music, and I don't think it all sounds the same. I just had a particularly notable case of it with this CD. Landini's compositions do have a certain "sameness" about them, and when each track is sung with the same quartet of voices (great as they are) it adds to that sameness. Some early music CDs I've heard benefit from having different combinations of voices and instruments from track to track.

Oh... I'm not criticizing. I think the music of any musical genre or style initially "sounds the same". In a sense this "sameness" is what critics grab onto in establishing the key elements of this or that style. I remember my wife felt that jazz all sounded the same... an aimless wall of horns. But now she quite enjoys it. I think I felt somewhat the same of Romantic symphonies. The melodic elements and the structures are so broad in comparison with the Baroque or the Classical era... rather like the sprawling poems of Walt Whitman in contrast to the clearly defined structure of a Shakespearean sonnet... I was initially left baffled... feeling like I was simply awash in vast wall of sound. Without a doubt, Renaissance and Medieval music can be just as challenging to grasp as Modern and Contemporary music.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent release, a recent arrival. *Penderecki*: Fonogrammi, Horn Concerto, Partita, The Awakening of Jacob, Anaklasis, De natura sonoris, with WarsawPO/Wit et al.

A thriller. Essential listening for tightropers, and destined to be one of 2012's top CDs.

View attachment 5513


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This might be my new favorite Mahler symphony, which is quite a development. Many years ago, for many years, my only Mahler recording was Solti's Mahler 1 & 2. So I got well acquainted with those two symphonies, but not the rest of Mahler. It is only about two years ago that I got Das Lied von der Erde, and only in the past year or so that I got the Bernstein complete set on DG. But none of Mahler's works except 1 & 2 had really got me, until this one.

This has been out of print for some time... although available at an inflated price... but now I see that EMI has re-released this recording as one of its bargain "two-fers" and so I jumped on it... being a huge admirer of Barbirolli's recordings of Mahler's 5th and 9th.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 In F Minor, WAB 99, "Study Symphony"*


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Fantasia in F minor, K.608
Holst: Hammersmith


----------



## Taneyev

More historical chamber Brahms:

Piano trio 1: Rubinstein-Heifetz-Feuermann, 1941

Violin sonata 3: Rubinstein-Paul Kochanski, 1932

Horn trio: Aubray Brain-Adolf Busch-Serkin, 1933

Kochanski was a violinist and arranger (famous his de Falla seven Spanish songs for violin and piano), but this sonata was his only major recording. He left besides some short pieces published on a vinyl totally OOP and unfindable for decades.


----------



## Sonata

Schubert Winterreise, with Brendel and Dieskau


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Helgoland, WAB 71*

You can really hear the Wagner in this one I think!


----------



## Arsakes

Currently No.2


----------



## Ravndal




----------



## Manxfeeder

Following the lead of Science and Stlukesguildohio, *Mahler's 6th Symphony *by Sir John Barbirolli.


----------



## Lenfer

*Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
ASIN: B006M51FJ2*

Trying to decide if I should purchase this or not would welcome your opinions. ​


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lenfer said:


> *Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
> *
> 
> Trying to decide if I should purchase this or not would welcome your opinions.


I originally posted yes, but I noticed this is a new recording. I only have his previous one, so I'll change my vote to I don't know.

UPDATE: I just heard most of the new recording on Spotify. The new one has a more spacious sound, because it's in a bigger hall, but to my ears, the venue tends to swallow the choir. The deal-breaker for me is the fifth movement, _Ihr Habt Nun Traurigkeit_, which is my favorite piece in the work. The soloist is supposed to be speaking comfort from her state of celestial bliss, but the soloist has a slight shrillness to her voice and doesn't sound seraphic and effortless. Probably that's the fault of a live recording.

I'm equally disappointed by the Schutz selections. They sing it as if Brahms were conducting. In 1996 Gardiner put out a CD titled _Jubilate Deo _, which has an outstanding version of Schutz's _Wie Lieblich sind diene Wohnungen_. If you were able to compare the two, you would understand what I'm saying.

I've read reviews extolling the new version. But for my ears, I'm sticking with the older version. Just my two cents.


----------



## Lenfer

Thanks *Manx* I've listened to bits on *Amazon* *US* and from what I can tell there is nothing wrong with it but without I'm picky. Would you mind linking me to the recording you had in mind? I do not mind if you PM or post it here, thanks again.

*L'enfer*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> *Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
> ASIN: B006M51FJ2*
> 
> Trying to decide if I should purchase this or not would welcome your opinions. ​


Don't get it. Buy some Wagner instead.


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Don Giovanni, K 527*

Been listening to this great opera for a second time the last couple of hours and now on Disc 3, Act 2 - Its a really great recording I think. The performances are all animated with great singing and playing from the orchestra - the sound is pretty fine for an early stereo recording too!


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Don't get it. Buy some Wagner instead.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


>


Don't forget, I'm a *Ligeti* fanatic going through a Wagner phase. If you want some awesome 19th century music, buy some Wagner.


----------



## Lenfer

I only posted that to tease you, I did not think you had abandoned *Ligeti*. I have yet to go through a *Wagner* phase. I do not dislike *Wagner* on purpose I just find most of his work cliché? I have always preferred *Brahms* perhaps because of my *Mother*...

If I find something of *Wagner's* I enjoy I will tell you till then I will be firmly in the no thanks camp. Still I hope you enjoy your phase while it lasts after all it could be worse you could have chosen *Lang Lang*. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Trios 12, 25, 27, 28, with KLR Trio (rec. 1991).

View attachment 5522


----------



## DeepR

Listening to some Henselt etudes.


----------



## DeepR

I really like this one:


----------



## Vaneyes

Lenfer, re Brahms Requiem, I suggest Herreweghe for intimate, and HvK for larger soundstage.

View attachment 5525
View attachment 5526


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> I only posted that to tease you, I did not think you had abandoned *Ligeti*. I have yet to go through a *Wagner* phase. I do not dislike *Wagner* on purpose I just find most of his work cliché? I have always preferred *Brahms* perhaps because of my *Mother*...
> 
> If I find something of *Wagner's* I enjoy I will tell you till then I will be firmly in the no thanks camp. Still I hope you enjoy your phase while it lasts after all it could be worse you could have chosen *Lang Lang*. :tiphat:


CLICHÉ?!?! There's nothing _cliché_ about Wagner. I can't see him being predictable or overusing musical ideas.


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> CLICHÉ?!?! There's nothing _cliché_ about Wagner. I can't see him being predictable or overusing musical ideas.


When I was at school the master of music used to go on and on about *Wagner*. I think in my mind I have a parody of *Wagner* that may not be true of *Wagner* and his work but it's hard to shake that mental block I have.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## Manxfeeder

Lenfer said:


> Thanks *Manx* I've listened to bits on *Amazon* *US* and from what I can tell there is nothing wrong with it but without I'm picky. Would you mind linking me to the recording you had in mind? I do not mind if you PM or post it here, thanks again.


This is the one I have. I had a few other recordings before that but ended my search about eight years ago with this one. The details are crystal-clear. Having said that, I haven't heard Herreweghe's recording, so I don't know how that is.

Also, I've updated my response to Message 18550 now that I've heard most of the new recording, if anyone is interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Ein-deutsches-Requiem-Op-45/dp/B00000413E


----------



## Lenfer

Manxfeeder said:


> I originally posted yes, but I noticed this is a new recording. I only have his previous one, so I'll change my vote to I don't know.
> 
> UPDATE: I just heard most of the new recording on Spotify. The new one has a more spacious sound, because it's in a bigger hall, but to my ears, the venue tends to swallow the choir. The deal-breaker for me is the fifth movement, _Ihr Habt Nun Traurigkeit_, which is my favorite piece in the work. The soloist is supposed to be speaking comfort from her state of celestial bliss, but the soloist has a slight shrillness to her voice and doesn't sound seraphic and effortless. Probably that's the fault of a live recording.
> 
> I'm equally disappointed by the Schutz selections. They sing it as if Brahms were conducting. In 1996 Gardiner put out a CD titled _Jubilate Deo _, which has an outstanding version of Schutz's _Wie Lieblich sind diene Wohnungen_. If you were able to compare the two, you would understand what I'm saying.
> 
> I've read reviews extolling the new version. But for my ears, I'm sticking with the older version. Just my two cents.


Thanks *Manx* your critique seems to be fair and I will take it into account if I should decide to order.

Sadly I don't have *Spotify* as I can't stand *Facebook*. I did not have a pre-existing account before the tie-in with *Facebook* I would be forced to setup a *Facebook* account in order to use *Spotify*.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Lenfer said:


> Thanks *Manx* your critique seems to be fair and I will take it into account if I should decide to order.
> 
> Sadly I don't have *Spotify* as I can't stand *Facebook*. I did not have a pre-existing account before the tie-in with *Facebook* I would be forced to setup a *Facebook* account in order to use *Spotify*.


I'm pretty sure there is a way to have a Spotify account without having a Facebook account. This has come up before.

*EDIT* - _OK I am wrong but you can create a dummy Facebook account and set it to private and not share any information and get access to Spotify that way. Yes...it is a little inconvenience but really that is all it is....an inconvenience but one well worth in my opinion._

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: String Quartet No. 2
Schumann: String Quartet No. 3


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*The Hebrides Overture {"Fingal's Cave"}, Op.26,* *Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op. 56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {Italian"}, *all performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"}, *again featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Maestro Karajan.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Lenfer said:


>


I appreciate you posting this title. I decided to check it out on Spotify and really enjoyed all the pieces on the album.

Kevin


----------



## Arabella

Requiem in D minor K626, Sequenz: Tuba mirum


----------



## Arsakes

Schumann - Romanzen und Balladen op.45


----------



## Taneyev

Last (for a while) Brahm's chamber on historicals:

String quartet 3: Lener SQ. 1933

Clarinet trio: Reginald Kell-Louis Ketner-Anthony Pini. 1941

Piano quartet 2:Serkin&Busch quartet. 1832.


----------



## leomarillier

Wolf-Ferrari's violin concerto, Strauss's Rosenkavalier (Karajan), magical as always... I guess I'll finish with Winterreise (Goerne/Brendel), Schoenberg's 1rst Chamber Symphony (Chailly), and Varèse's Déserts (Chailly as well)


----------



## violadude

I love this very beautiful song by Samuel Barber. Unfortunately, I could not find a video of it on youtube with high quality sound, but this is a good enough performance.


----------



## Hausmusik

Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto #2 in D Minor
Rudolf Serkin, Eugene Ormandy: Columbia Symphony Orchestra (wasn't this the _nom de guerre_ for the Los Angeles Philharmonic?)


----------



## Sonata

Mahler: Das Liede Von Erde with Christa Ludwig and Franz Wunderlich. After that, either Mahler 2 or Bach cantatas, cannot decide yet.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Satie* - Sports et Divertissements (Aldo Ciccolini).
*Tan Dun* - Eight Memories in Watercolour. *Ravel* - Jeux d'eau. *Hadjidakis* - Conversation with Sergei Prokofiev. *Prokofiev* - Sarcasms. *Janacek* - On an Overgrown Path Book 1 1-5. *Villa-Lobos * - Choros No. 5. *Barber* - Excursion No. 1. *Vine* - Red Blues (Anna Goldsworthy).


----------



## Lenfer

Kevin Pearson said:


> I appreciate you posting this title. I decided to check it out on Spotify and really enjoyed all the pieces on the album.
> 
> Kevin


Thank you, since I bought that CD it has been issued on SACD and sounds even better. Re:*Facebook* I tired the fake account but since I'd prefer to subscribe to *Spotify*, I'd feel uncomfortable having my details linked to an email that was not in use in case they should need to contact me etc.

I also dislike like the fact *Spotify* felt the need to get into bed with *Facebook* in the first place. They could have easily made it an optional tie in. I dislike *Facebook* and would not even if it benefited me want to become one of their users. The whole company is dubious share price over-hyped in the media only to loose a third of it's value in 2 days not something I want to support.

I apologies for the tirade everyone... 










​


----------



## NightHawk

I have, and listen often to the Das Lied you have with Ludwig/Wunderlich and Klemperer. Tremendous reading.



Sonata said:


> Mahler: Das Liede Von Erde with Christa Ludwig and Franz Wunderlich. After that, either Mahler 2 or Bach cantatas, cannot decide yet.


----------



## clavichorder

I'm just starting to work on learning this suite!


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## mitchflorida

Has anyone heard of this pianist? Incredible album.


----------



## Ravndal

The 1 movement from Tchaikovsky's 5 Symphony. So emotional! This must be my favourite piece


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Sokolov, then Grimaud.

View attachment 5537
View attachment 5538


----------



## Lenfer

​


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Last night I watched Tristan und Isolde (Siegried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier etc. conduced by Daniel Barenboim)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Now listening to:



Richard Wagner said:


> The apotheosis of the dance


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120.* All three works feature Herbert von Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Klavierspieler

samurai said:


> Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120.* All three works feature Herbert von Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


*Yeeeeaaaah!!!!*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Back to listening to symphonic music again. I'm working through the complete symphonies of Asger Hamerik (1843 - 1923). I think I have a proclivity toward Danish composers because I have yet to find one I did not like. Hamerik wrote seven wonderful symphonies that are certainly worth a listen if you enjoy late romantic music. These are not as good as Nielson but enjoyable none-the-less. I hear similarities to Schumann in parts. The music can be quite dramatic. It seems that Hamerik studied under Neil Gades and also Berlioz. Even though he was born in Denmark he spent 27 years in the United States during the peak of his composing life. The sound quality and the orchestral performance on these recordings is very good.










Kevin


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Last night I watched Tristan und Isolde (Siegried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier etc. conduced by Daniel Barenboim)


I like this very much even if it is *Wagner*.


----------



## Arsakes

Smetana - Ma Vlast (in 6 pieces)


----------



## Taneyev

Sigo los ocultos senderos que solo los muy valientes y atrevidos osan transitar:

Haro Stepanian: String quartet Nº3 (he was top Armenian composer before Khatchaturian)

Josef Otto af Sillen: violin concerto E minor (Swedish, 1859/951)

Igmar Alderete Acosta: "Cuarteto de colores" for strings (Cuban, 1969)


----------



## Vesteralen

Slight reassessment of the Landini disc by Anonymous 4. I found it a much more interesting disc after three or four listenings - especially when heard in a more relaxed setting than driving in the car.

Slight reassessment also of the Mendelssohn Quartets with the Pacifica Quartet. A number of these are actually intriguing, especially in the scherzo and finale movements where Mendelssohn always seemed to excel.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Kevin Pearson

This morning I'm listening to the first symphony by anther Danish composer Hakon Børresen (1876-1954). Børresen is another Dane who composes quite dramatic work. This symphony was composed at the turn of the last century in 1900 in a late romantic style. It is very nice piece but a little like Mendelssohn with a twist of Wagner and Sibelius thrown in.










Kevin


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> Back to listening to symphonic music again. I'm working through the complete symphonies of Asger Hamerik (1843 - 1923). I think I have a proclivity toward Danish composers because I have yet to find one I did not like. Hamerik wrote seven wonderful symphonies that are certainly worth a listen if you enjoy late romantic music. These are not as good as Nielson but enjoyable none-the-less. I hear similarities to Schumann in parts. The music can be quite dramatic. It seems that Hamerik studied under Neil Gades and also Berlioz. Even though he was born in Denmark he spent 27 years in the United States during the peak of his composing life. The sound quality and the orchestral performance on these recordings is very good.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


I've had success following your foot steps in discovering lesser known works and today is no exception. Third movement into the first symphony.. so far a beautiful symphony that is played well, recorded well. I thought I heard resemblence to Alfven at one point in the first movement.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Trio Sonatas, with London Baroque.

View attachment 5547


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Ginastera* - _Danzas Argentinas_ Op. 2 (Martha Argerich).
*Rachmaninoff/Horowitz* - _Piano Sonata_ No. 2, Op. 36 (Vladimir Horowitz).
*Rachmaninoff* - _Etudes Tableaux_ Op. 33 (No's 2, 5), Op. 39 (No's 5, 9), _Moment Musical_ Op. 16 No. 3 (Vladimir Horowitz).
*Liszt* - _Consolation_ No. 2 (Vladimir Horowitz). 
*Liszt/Horowitz* - _Hungarian Rhapsody_ No. 19, _Vallee d'Obermann_, _Scherzo and March_ (Vladimir Horowitz).


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> I've had success following your foot steps in discovering lesser known works and today is no exception. Third movement into the first symphony.. so far a beautiful symphony that is played well, recorded well. I thought I heard resemblence to Alfven at one point in the first movement.


I'm really glad to know that my discoveries are being appreciated by others. I really love itwhen I find composers like Hoameric. You're right in that there is some similarity to Alven


----------



## opus55

Listening to Spotify all day -

Beethoven: Piano Trio in B flat, Op. 97 "Archduke"














Glazunov: piano works


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 41 and Clarinet Concerto.*

I think Beecham misses on the 41st symphony, though I probably need to hear it again. The clarinet concerto is much, much better, very relaxed, with effortless playing by the clarinet.


----------



## Arsakes

Haydn - Symphonies No. 93 - 104.

Finally I listened to most of his symphonies again


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Falla, Nights in the Gardens of Spain.*

This is my first encounter with this piece. It's lovely and impressionistic in the sense of evoking an atmosphere, kind of like a Spanish La Mer. This recording is very nice, but there is so much sound color involved with the piece, I wonder if there is a more up-to-date recording sonic-wise.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Tomas Luis de Victoria.

Jorida Savall does a nice job with this by the standards of the early '90s, but I think it's wearing thin with time; it's not too expressive.


----------



## Taneyev

Jordi would tell you "mas Jorida será tu mama!"


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Kevin Pearson said:


> I'm really glad to know that my discoveries are being appreciated by others. I really love itwhen I find composers like Hoameric. You're right in that there is some similarity to Alven


Yikes!  I see I need some work on using my new smart phone to reply to threads here. That should have read as Hamerik not Hoameric. Guess I'll wait until I get home from now on. :tiphat:

Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D.417 {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra led by George Szell.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D.485, *featuring the Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Bruno Walter.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the stick of George Szell.


----------



## samurai

Klavierspieler said:


> *Yeeeeaaaah!!!!*


I take it that you like Robert Schumann, then? :lol:


----------



## Sid James

mitchflorida said:


> Has anyone heard of this pianist? Incredible album.
> 
> View attachment 5536


I have got a 3 cd set with mostly Konstantin Scherbakov playing, on Naxos, of various works by *Godowsky* he recorded on Marco Polo in that series. The _Airs of the Eighteenth Century _I remember as good, kind of going off Classical Era. I esp. like _Triaktomeron, _the _Java Suite_, his Schubert transcriptions and symphonic metamorpheses on pieces by Johann Strauss II. Godowsky was such an innovator, but somehow he went into relative obscurity after his death. But he's been revived in some ways recently, also look out for recordings done by Marc-Andre Hamelin. An interesting composer, admired by many pianists of his day, incl. Rachmaninov and Busoni.


----------



## Sid James

This weekend's listening was mainly easy listening, with two great French composers in the spotlight.










First up, *Francois Couperin's *_*Messe pour les couvents (Mass for the Convents), *_performed by Gillian Weir on organ. This work is made up fully of tunes by the composer and not based on plain-chant (Gregorian chant) like the other mass on this set. It is intricate and nuanced, avoiding virtuosity or big statements. The counterpoint is less involved than in say German composers of the time, and there is not much footwork on the pedals.










After that, most of a disc devoted to music for cello and orchestra by *Saint-Saens*, played by cellist Maria Kliegel. His _*Cello Concerto #1 in A minor, Op. 33*_ is scored for cello and chamber orchestra, going off classical models. Like Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens does away with orchestral introductions, he gets straight into the action. The work is made up of three movements going without a break, and the middle movement is virtually a minuet, although its marked _allegretto con moto_. The work carries two main themes, a more dramatic one and a lyrical one, through the whole piece - similar to Liszt's piano concertos.

After that, the _*Suite for cello and orchestra, Op. 16*_. This work goes back to the Baroque, with movements titled _sarabande, gavotte _and so on. Elegance and refinement is the focus throughout, not any flashy virtuosity. It reminds me of J.S. Bach's solo cello suites quite a bit, but those where yet to be rediscovered. The work ends in a lively Italian _tarantella_, bringing to mind Rossini.

Following that, two encore-type works, the _*Allegro appassionato in B minor, Op. 43 *_and the most famous cello encore of them all, _*The Swan *_from _Carnival of the Animals_. The arrangement of the latter is by Paul Vidal (1863-1931) and played by a small group consisting of the cello soloist accompanied by harp and strings. I will return to this disc for the _Cello Concerto #2_ next weekend.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Paganini's awesomeness:






Paganini, Giuliani, Sor and Carulli were _the _guitarist composers of their time.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker)













Mahler: Symphony No. 6


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^I would have 'liked' these if I wasn't going through a Wagner phase.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Still working my way through the Hamerik. This is only my second listen through of this set but I am enjoying it far more than I did on my first listen and am really getting into Hamerik. I think this set will be moving to my most favorites pile. As mentioned before his music is very dramatic. It's kind of like listening to opera without words in some ways. I don't really know how best to describe them. Another interesting thing about his symphonies is that he titled them all. They are as follows:

1 - Poetique
2 - Tragique
3 - Lyrique
4 - Majestuese
5 - Serieuse
6 - Spirituelle
7 - Choral

The titles do seem to represent the motifs behind the drama. Another composer who used similar titles is the Swedish Composer Franz Berwald (also another little known but very good composer). Berwald lived more in the early romantic era where Hamerik is solidly in the late but he has echoes back to early romanticism and even classical period. I especially hear echoes of Beethoven but other pieces remind of Mendelssohn and even Brahms and Wagner.

So far my favorite is the 5th symphony. What's really weird is while my wife and I were listening to this at the same moment we turned to each other and said that sounds like Batman. So I wonder if Elfman borrowed from Hamerik? Hmm....










For those of you who have Spotify and are adventurous why not click this link:

spotify:album:13EoNGHdFKWg5PfuAlQ3r7

Kevin


----------



## Sid James

Over the long weekend, I heard this soundtrack from the film _*Elizabeth - The Golden Age*_, composed by *A.R. Rahman *and* Craig Armstrong*. Interesting soundtrack, with a mixture of Middle Eastern vibes and Old Christian church music, I guess sourced from Elizabethan times. The two composers have worked in Bollywood and Hollywood respectively. All up a good blend of East and West here, but as usual I'm not a fan of music to action sequences in movies, they all sound the same to me. But anyway, overall a good score.












ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^I would have 'liked' these if I wasn't going through a Wagner phase.


Maybe you can 'like' them if you think of Wagner as Mahler's _daddy_ . Well, strictly musically speaking, anyway (even though the latter was a much better composer than the former! :lol: ).


----------



## Klavierspieler

Medtner - Sonata Triad

Maria Yudina


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

After listening to the Borodin symphony No. 1 for the listening club thread I decided to move on to another Russian composer ... Nikolai Medtner and his Piano Concerto No. 1. I really love Medtner's piano works as they are so satisfying to listen to. It's like having a really good quality steak and something I can enjoy sinking my teeth into. This particular recording is with the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra with Geoffrey Douglas Madge on piano. Madge is really really good and I think I prefer this recording over the Konstantin Scherbakov on Naxos with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. It's pure bliss from beginning to end!










Kevin


----------



## Taneyev

Bartok: For the Children, complete series. Deszo Ranki

Bartok; violin concerto 2. Menuhin-Furtwangler.

Bartok: piano quintet.


----------



## Vesteralen

The second symphony strives to be more majestic than the first. Almost sprawling.

Ballet music to The Prodigal Son is very direct and accessible.









Don't know what to think of this one yet. Rodrigo-like, for sure. (At least the Concerto is. After that, we get more the jazz-influenced style of music I would have expected.)


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Beethoven* - _Six Variations_, Op. 34 (Sviatoslav Richter).
*Bach* - _Toccata_, BWV 911 (Martha Argerich).
*Scarlatti* - _Sonata_, K.159 (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli).
*Haydn* - _Piano Sonata_, H.XVI No. 37 (Christoph Eschenbach).
*Mozart* - _Rondo_, K.511 (Mitsuko Uchida).
*Schubert* - _Impromptu_ No. 2, D.899 (Richter).
*Schubert* - _Moment Musicaux_ No. 2, D.780 (Andras Schiff).
*Chopin* - _Ballade_ No. 1, Op. 23 (Michelangeli).
*Liszt* - _La Campanella_ (Jorge Bolet).
*Schumann* - _Romance_, Op. 28 No. 2 (Claudio Arrau).
*Mendelssohn* - _Spinning Song_, Op. 67 No. 4 (Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5565
> 
> 
> The second symphony strives to be more majestic than the first. Almost sprawling.
> 
> Ballet music to The Prodigal Son is very direct and accessible.
> 
> View attachment 5566
> 
> 
> Don't know what to think of this one yet. Rodrigo-like, for sure. (At least the Concerto is. After that, we get more the jazz-influenced style of music I would have expected.)


I love the McLaughlin! It's probably my most played guitar concerto in my collection. Now I admit my admiration and love of John McLaughlin extends all the way back to the early 70s when I owned all the Mahavishnu orchestra records and saw him live at that time. So, I may be predisposed to liking it but even if I didn't know who he was and heard this for the first time I think I would still enjoy it. As for the other pieces I think they are nice and I always enjoy listening to Katia Labeque on piano.

The Alfven is a very nice work and worth a listen for sure.

Kevin


----------



## Vesteralen

Kevin Pearson said:


> I love the McLaughlin! It's probably my most played guitar concerto in my collection. Now I admit my admiration and love of John McLaughlin extends all the way back to the early 70s when I owned all the Mahavishnu orchestra records and saw him live at that time. So, I may be predisposed to liking it but even if I didn't know who he was and heard this for the first time I think I would still enjoy it. As for the other pieces I think they are nice and I always enjoy listening to Katia Labeque on piano.
> 
> The Alfven is a very nice work and worth a listen for sure.
> 
> Kevin


Thanks. I will definitely find a time and place to listen to the Concerto when I can concentrate more. (Listening at work is always a hit-or-miss proposition.)

Like you, I love the Scandinavian composers. I think the body of work they produced does not get near the attention it deserves. (For a short time, I used the same avatar you use, btw.  )


----------



## Vesteralen

I actually am listening to discs with Suites 3 & 6 and Suites 4 & 7 back to back. I was completely unaware of these orchestral presentations of Massenet. I'm enjoying them, though I have to admit, I was sort of predisposed to enjoying them based on articles on Massenet I was recently reading.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Ravndal

Been listening to the soundtrack from "Downton Abbey". Great series, and great music. I think it's music from John Lunn(?) not sure. Good anyways though.


----------



## Sonata

Bach Cantata #56, too lazy to see which recording I have at the moment.


----------



## Badinerie

Big McLaughlin fan way back!

After a bit of culture shock Ive just finished listening to and enjoying this...


----------



## Vesteralen

Library copy. Very brisk pace in the "Spring", but beautifully played. I'm convinced.


----------



## Vesteralen

I've been toying with the idea of getting the Delius EMI boxed set, but in the meantime....


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Manuel de Falla.*

I like the way this CD sounds; all the pieces are well-done.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Victoria, Requiem.*

This is a beautiful, serene recording. If you have the Tallis Scholars' recording, though, I don't think there's enough difference between the two to warrant an additional purchase.


----------



## NightHawk

I don't like every recording I have of Pollini - but, this recording from 1987 of the Late Sonatas of Schubert is very, very beautiful, esp the posthumous D. 960 in Bb. Highly recommended! 5*****'s


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Striggio, Mass Ecco si Beata Giorno.*

This is a 40-part mass which is like Tallis' Spem in Alium, only it's a lot longer.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Sonata

Manxfeeder said:


> *Striggio, Mass Ecco si Beata Giorno.*
> 
> This is a 40-part mass which is like Tallis' Spem in Alium, only it's a lot longer.
> 
> View attachment 5589


How do you like this one? I have it amazon wish listed for future consideration


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finally got around to listening to Borodin's 1st symphony per the listening club.










This recording on BIS is as usual with that label, particularly fine. I had intended to listen to the version with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Orchestra... but there was a glitch with Spotify and it wouldn't play the first movement. After finding this version I almost tempted to buy it right away. Where other Russian composers have taken some time for me to warm up to, I find this hasn't been so with Borodin. I immediately fell in love with his opera _Prince Igor_ and picked up a copy.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Finally got around to listening to Borodin's 1st symphony per the listening club.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This recording on BIS is as usual with that label, particularly fine. I had intended to listen to the version with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Orchestra... but there was a glitch with Spotify and it wouldn't play the first movement. After finding this version I almost tempted to buy it right away. Where other Russian composers have taken some time for me to warm up to, I find this hasn't been so with Borodin. I immediately fell in love with his opera _Prince Igor_ and picked up a copy.


Yea...there is some glitch. I just tried it and track one won't play but the rest just fine.

Kevin


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## clavichorder

Amazing!


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Chrythes

Sometimes it's very primal, even tribal in a way. The different rhythms, melodies and sounds create the illusion of several different instruments. It's interesting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> How do you like this one? I have it amazon wish listed for future consideration


Well . . . I think the Striggio would be better in surround sound. You really have to listen closely to get the effect of the various choirs. Otherwise, there isn't a lot of contrast in the movements of the mass; it's more subtle differences. I might warm up to it with repeated listenings, but right now, I think Tallis' Spem in Alium is a more cogent rendition of the same basic idea. The other vocal pieces on the CD are quite nice, though.


----------



## Hausmusik

Listening to the *Bruckner E minor mass* for the second time tonight. It's marvelous. Also, the liner notes are perhaps the most enthusiastic I've ever read. Exclamation points abound. You can tell this guy LOVES this piece.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*George Antheil--*Symphony No.4 and Symphony No.6, *both featuring the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## Sid James

*Zemlinsky's* *Sinfonietta, Op. 23* (comp. 1934), comes across as a mini Mahler symphony. The outer movements are marked lively, and they really are, the rhythms of Stravinsky would have been an influence. The inner slow movement, marked _Ballade_, does have that epic quality, and the middle of it is a peak, much angst and tragedy, with a cymbal clash or two (reminding me of that kind of moment in Bruckner's S_ym.#7_, but the Zemlinsky is more tragic, less ambiguous). Like Hindemith, Zemlinsky uses ostinatos - these repetitive patterns - very effectively.


----------



## Arsakes

Khachaturian - Gayane / Spartacus Ballets


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Violin Concertos. So far listened to Mendelssohn's and Tchaikovsky concertos. Love this genre.


----------



## clavichorder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Violin Concertos. So far listened to Mendelssohn's and Tchaikovsky concertos. Love this genre.


I bet you would like the more modern Britten and Shostakovich violin concertos in due time as well!


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Enescu string quartets #1 (1920) and #2 (1951).


----------



## Ravndal

Bruckner: Symphony 9 

Saw the Adagio from this piece in Oslo earlier this year, it was incredible


----------



## Taneyev

Today, Prokofieff:

Piano sonata 7: Horowitz

Unfinished solo cello sonata

Oberture on Hebrew Themes op.34: Prokofieff piano, A.Volodin clarinet and Beethoven quartet (1937)


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Lenfer

*Steven Isserlis* - *Fauré: Complete Works for Cello*​


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Partitas, Preludes & Fugues, with GG.

View attachment 5592


----------



## Vesteralen

Not sure why.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: *Horowitz*, two albums of assorted galactic material.

View attachment 5594
View attachment 5595


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8, with VPO/Chung (rec. 1999).

View attachment 5603


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony No. 2 Resurrection, with Coertse/West/VACC/VSOO/Scherchen (rec. 1958). :angel:

View attachment 5604


----------



## Vesteralen

Yet another "Spring".. After listening to the first and second movements, I'm liking it even better than Gardiner's. The tempi seem a little less forced to me.

Added after listening to scherzo: very interesting approach to slowed-down trios. This conductor is able to make the slower tempi work by playing the melody parts legato and letting the accompanying strings pulse. Much better than the flaccid Bernstein trios.

Finale a tad slow, as well - but very rhythmic and genial.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to disc one: _Kashchei the Immortal_. A brief operatic fairy tale (a little over an hour). One of R-K's most innovative... pointing the way toward Prokofiev and Stravinsky's operas and ballets. The 5-opera set of performances by Valery Gergiev is an incredible value (some of the operas cost as much as this entire set individually). The only negative is the lack of libretto... but these are largely available online. Of course Decca could have included the librettos in a .pdf format on a single extra disc for next to nothing... as EMI does.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Badinerie

Wow! this one is gorgeous What a lovely voice...


----------



## Sid James

*Zemlinsky's The Mermaid *(fp. 1903, in the same concert as Schoenberg's _Pelleas & Melisande_) is a very filmic and lush score, with quite rigorous but free treatment of themes. One of the tunes and indeed the vibe of the piece reminds me of Tchaikovsky (his 5th symphony esp.). It quickly fell out of the repertoire after a few early performances, one movement of the score being left in Europe, the other two taken to the USA (I guess by Zemlinsky when he fled like a lot of them when the Nazis made their lives difficult if not impossible). But the scores where reunited in the 1980's and performed again. Now it's the second most popular symphonic work by Zemlinsky after his _Lyric Symphony_. If I had been told it was a Hollywood film score composed in the mid 20th century, I would not have blinked. That's how it comes across, although it's not too schmaltzy or cheesy for comfort. & a big contrast to the _Sinfonietta_ on this disc, coming from the 1930's, that's more modernistic.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to:










Symphony no. 2 "Hymn of Praise"

OK... I may just need to reevaluate my opinion of Mendelssohn based upon this work. A brilliant choral symphony... in every way worthy of comparison with one of Mahler's great choral symphonies. I am surprised that this symphony isn't spoken of more often vs the more famous "Scottish" and "Italian".


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5605
> 
> 
> Yet another "Spring".. After listening to the first and second movements, I'm liking it even better than Gardiner's. The tempi seem a little less forced to me.
> 
> Added after listening to scherzo: very interesting approach to slowed-down trios. This conductor is able to make the slower tempi work by playing the melody parts legato and letting the accompanying strings pulse. Much better than the flaccid Bernstein trios.
> 
> Finale a tad slow, as well - but very rhythmic and genial.


Gardiner's recordings are the first to have made it clear that Schumann was indeed a great composer... and not a duffer when it came to orchestration, as is often suggested. Now I think that I love George Szell's performances with the Cleveland Orchestra even more. Szell was passionately in love with Schumann... and this shows through in the intensity, yet clarity, of his performances. You sense that Szell has no doubt that Schumann's symphonies are in every way equal to those of Schubert, Brahms, or even Beethoven.


----------



## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ...
> Symphony no. 2 "Hymn of Praise"
> 
> OK... I may just need to reevaluate my opinion of Mendelssohn based upon this work. A brilliant choral symphony... in every way worthy of comparison with one of Mahler's great choral symphonies. I am surprised that this symphony isn't spoken of more often vs the more famous "Scottish" and "Italian".


I agree it's an excellent work, I heard it on radio once, I had just tuned in, and throughout about an hour I was trying to work out the composer. I thought it was Berlioz, but obviously it's not in French but German. Interesting work, it was performed here recently, but I missed out. I don't know the reason why it's overshadowed by those other symphonies, maybe it's the length of the work in comparison to his other symphonies, or it's more Romantic aspects - eg. integrating choral, thus drawing the usual comparison with Beethoven; but an interesting bit of history is that it was composed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's printing press.


----------



## samurai

@ Stlukes, What is your overall opinion of Karajan's Mendelssohn Cycle? I have been contemplating its purchase. Is he as strong in his readings of the other symphonies as he is vis a vis the *2nd?*


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Alexandr Borodin--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major and Symphony No.2 in B Minor, *both performed by the Malmo Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Junichi Hirokami.
Malcolm Arnold--*Symphony No.1, Op.22 , Symphony No.2, Op.40, *both featuring the National Symphony of Ireland led by Andrew Penny.
Malcolm Arnold--*Symphony No.3, Op.63, *featuring the composer himself at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Guitar Concertos


----------



## Sonata

Debussey's "Nocturnes" very beautiful!


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Currently listening to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Symphony no. 2 "Hymn of Praise"
> 
> OK... I may just need to reevaluate my opinion of Mendelssohn based upon this work. A brilliant choral symphony... in every way worthy of comparison with one of Mahler's great choral symphonies. I am surprised that this symphony isn't spoken of more often vs the more famous "Scottish" and "Italian".


Awesome! This is the only symphony of his that I have not heard, and I tend to rectify that soon.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9
Liszt: Soirees de Vienne


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Wagner's Orchestral Music by Otto Klemperer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing on with Mendelssohn:










Disc 3: Symphony no. 3 "Scottish" and Symphony no. 4 "Italian"

Stlukes, What is your overall opinion of Karajan's Mendelssohn Cycle?

Well... I listened to no.s 1 and 5 "Reformation" some weeks back and they struck me as quite muscular. It always comes down to what aspects or elements you prefer to be emphasized in a particular composer. Karajan is always great with music that emphasizes muscularity (ie. Beethoven... and his Beethoven cycle remains one of the finest)... but he also surprises again and again. He's marvelous with the lyrical Viennese elements of Johann Strauss (especially his classic _Fledermaus_ recording), his _Rosenkavalier_ by Richard Strauss... and even the Tchaikovsky and Schubert cycles. On the other hand, he's not as great with Mahler as one might have expected him to be.

The Mendelssohn set is solid all of the way through. If one were to fault it at all it might be to suggest that the Berlin Philharmonic and Karajan are too polished and perfect... and perhaps too powerful to fully convey Mendelssohn's lighter... more "Italianate" elements. But again this comes down to personal taste. Karajan's is undoubtedly one of the finest "traditional" or "old school interpretations" of Mendelssohn and it suggests that Karajan in no way doubts the "greatness" of Mendelssohn as a symphonic composer. I would love an HIP alternative... (not "instead of" Karajan but "as well as")... ideally with an orchestra pared-down to the actual scope and scale employed by Mendelssohn, but so far there is only Gardiner's recordings of Symphonies 3 & 4. Walter Weller's recordings (on Chandos) are noted for their spontaneity... and of course Bernstein brings this in spades to his recording of the Violin Concerto and Symphony 4 "Italian"... but honestly I think Karajan's recordings may be the best there is currently available of the entire cycle.


----------



## samurai

@ Stlukes, Thanks so much for your--as always--thoughtful insights. I intend to pull the trigger on this bad boy next month based on your assessments.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Boyce, The Eight Symphonies.*

I picked this up for .25 at a used CD store. These Baroque symphonies are well-done and fun to hear. The recording, however, sounds like the microphones were in the last row of the theatre.


----------



## clavichorder

Manxfeeder said:


> *Boyce, The Eight Symphonies.*
> ]
> View attachment 5615


Too bad about the recording, these are some of the most lovely baroque pieces I know.


----------



## opus55

R. Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

*Schumann* - _Humoreske_, Op. 20 (Sviatoslav Richter).


----------



## Taneyev

Return to essentials: LvB:

Violin sonata 8: Rachmaninoff-Kreisler.

Piano sonata 23: Horowitz.

String quartet 7: Fine Arts.


----------



## Mordred

All of Schuberts symphonies over and over: Zubin Mehta and the Israel philharmonic vols 1 and 2. Awesome!


----------



## Vesteralen

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5605
> 
> 
> Yet another "Spring".. After listening to the first and second movements, I'm liking it even better than Gardiner's. The tempi seem a little less forced to me.
> 
> Added after listening to scherzo: very interesting approach to slowed-down trios. This conductor is able to make the slower tempi work by playing the melody parts legato and letting the accompanying strings pulse. Much better than the flaccid Bernstein trios.
> 
> Finale a tad slow, as well - but very rhythmic and genial.


Quoting myself here, because I just wanted to add that I finished listening to this disc this morning, and I love it.

Two additional highlights I wanted to mention:

1) My favorite Romantic era overture - Schumann's Genoveva - gets a brilliant reading here.

2) The most engaging reading of the "Zwickau" symphony I've heard yet.

But, there is nothing disappointing on this disc. I have simply got to get a copy of this.


----------



## Arsakes

Jean Sibelius: Piano Trio (D major), Piano Quintet (G minor)


----------



## Vesteralen

View attachment 5619


I'm not a big fan of Bernstein's Haydn, but these three are among his best. Slow tempi in the minuets of these works actually work in an odd sort of way on their own terms. But, the leaner sounds of Szell, or several later HIP recordings are still more to my liking.


----------



## science




----------



## mitchflorida

Lots of interesting arrangements of the most popular songs from that period. Makes them sound new again.


----------



## clavichorder

This is one of my favorite baroque shorts of all time!


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Piano Trio No. 3 In Bb Major, K 502*

Listening to Disc 1 of this set again - this music is probably not among Mozart's best but it is a pleasant listen nonetheless. The performance here from the Beaux Arts Trio is good I think.


----------



## DeepR

Vaneyes said:


> *Scriabin*: *Horowitz*, two albums of assorted galactic material.
> 
> View attachment 5594
> View attachment 5595


love these to death

speaking of Scriabin I'm studying Op. 11 No. 24 at the moment and its driving me nuts but I will persevere!


----------



## AndyS

This is my first baroque experience (I don't care much for it generally), I bought this for Flagstad. And she sounds great here

Actually, I'm very impressed with the sound quality


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quintet No. 1 In Bb Major, K 174*

Some more pleasing Chamber Music from Mozart - now playing Disc 2 of this set


----------



## science

AndyS said:


> View attachment 5628
> 
> 
> This is my first baroque experience (I don't care much for it generally), I bought this for Flagstad. And she sounds great here
> 
> Actually, I'm very impressed with the sound quality


I love Purcell. Hopefully he'll snag you and you'll start liking the period's music better.


----------



## Manxfeeder

mitchflorida said:


> Lots of interesting arrangements of the most popular songs from that period. Makes them sound new again.


I had that one years ago. It was a nice introduction for me to that era.

I'm listening to Boyce's eight symphonies, conducted by Trevor Pinnock. This one is superior in every way to Boughton's recording.


----------



## cwarchc

I'm back on my Du Pre
cd no 7 Beethoven. You really can tell it was a live recording (coughs, moving chairs etc)
BUT the sound is superb. Great quality and what emotion she put in. 
A great talent.
I've got some Isserlis and Rostropovich, need to get some more cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

It just hit me, I've never heard anything by Jacqueline Du Pre. I'm listening to this on Spotify.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

AndyS said:


> View attachment 5628
> 
> 
> This is my first baroque experience (I don't care much for it generally), I bought this for Flagstad. And she sounds great here
> 
> Actually, I'm very impressed with the sound quality


I first bought the "classic" recording with Janet Baker:










I generally love Baker... but I hated her vibrato and her forced pomposity given to the voice of the Queen. I disliked the performance so much that initially I thought it must be Purcell. Then I picked this HIP recording up on the recommendation of a member at another music forum who was a real specialist in Baroque and early music... and I absolutely loved it. I am still tempted to give Flagstad and Schwarzkopf a chance.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Discs 5 & 6: _The Maid of Pskov_. This opera is not one of R-K's usual exotic Russian fairy tales... but rather a tragedy set in the Russian court. The opera was R-K's first... written at the time when he was living with Mussorgsky, who was then composing his opera, Boris Godunov. Both R-K's and Mussorgsky's ambition and enthusiasm outstripped their technical abilities and some 20 years later R-K would edit and re-orchestrate both _The Maid of Pskov_ as well as _Boris Godunov_.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to this on Spotify (I have a copy of his opera _Der gewaltige Hahnrei_). This is some really interesting music. Goldschmidt studied in the masterclass under the composer Franz Schreker. Among his fellow students was Ernst Krenek. He assisted Erich Kleiber with the preparation of the premier of Berg's opera, _Wozzeck_. His first success was the performance of his Passacaglia for Orchestra, op. 4 which won the Mendelssohn Prize and greatly impressed Kleiber who included it in concerts.

Goldschmidt soon turned to opera. His first operatic composition being _Le Cocu magnifique_ based upon the controversial play by Crommelynck. The opera premiered in 1932 to the enthusiastic response of both the audience and press. The work was slated for performance at the State Opera, Berlin during the 1932/33 season... until the Nazis took control and Goldschmidt's opera was cancelled and he was removed from his position as conductor due to his being Jewish. His career in ruins, Goldschmidt emigrated to England.

In England, the composer was free from prosecution, but there were few opportunities for employment. He ended up joining the BBC overseas services. After the war, he was invited to join the reformed Glyndebourne Opera where he conducted performances of Macbeth. His 1951 opera, _Beatrice Cenci_, based upon the play by Shelley, won the opera prize at the Festival of Britain, but was not performed publicly until 1988.

His last opera, _Der gewaltige Hahnerei (The Magnificent Cuckold)_ was performed in Berlin in December, 1992, just a week shy of the composer's 90th birthday. After the performance by the Berlin Philharmonic, the composer stood before the cheering audience, having at last come home.

Goldschmidt's music builds upon the Viennese tradition of Mahler, Strauss, and Zemlinsky but brings to these elements of the tonal experiments of the Second Viennese School, the rhythmic innovations of Stravinsky, the music of the cabaret, jazz, and folk music.

He is certainly a composer worthy of exploration and further recognition.


----------



## Arsakes

The pic is not a good scan.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*"The Hebrides" Overture {"Fingal's Cave}, Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {Italian"}. *All three works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Moira

Some Haydn Symphonies. They just happened to be on the radio when I got up unusually early this morning, and that set me off listening to my own recordings.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And some more late Viennese Post-Romanticism:










Franz Schreker was one of the leading figures of Austro-German music at the turn of the century. He founded the Vienna Philharmonic Chorus which he conducted until 1920: among its many premières were Zemlinsky's _Psalm XXIII_ and Schoenberg's _Gurre-Lieder_. Schreker's fame and influence were at their peak during the early years of the Weimar Republic when he was the most performed living opera composer after Richard Strauss. Along with Strauss and Korngold, Schreker was seen as the future of German opera. Among his operatic successes were _Der ferne Klang (The Distant Sound), Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin, Die Gezeichneten (The Brannded One), Der Schatzgräber (The Treasure Hunter)_.










In March 1920 he was appointed director of the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and between 1920 and 1932 he gave extensive musical tuition Berthold Goldschmidt, Jascha Horenstein, Ernst Krenek, Stefan Wolpe numbering among his students. Political developments and the spread of anti-Semitism heralded the end of Schreker's career. Right-wing demonstrations marred the première of _Der Schmied von Gent_ and National Socialist pressure forced the cancellation of the scheduled Freiburg première of _Christophorus_ in 1933 (the work was finally performed there in 1978). Finally, in June 1932, Schreker lost his position as Director of the Musikhochschule in Berlin and, the following year, also his post as professor of composition at the Akademie der Künste. In his lifetime he went from being hailed as the future of German opera to being considered irrelevant as a composer and marginalized as an educator. After suffering from a stroke in December 1933, he died in Berlin on March 21, 1934, two days before his 56th birthday.

After decades in obscurity, Schreker has begun to enjoy a considerable revival in reputation in the German-speaking world and in the United States. In 2005 the Salzburg Festival mounted a major production of _Die Gezeichneten_, conducted by Kent Nagano, and the Jewish Museum in Vienna presented an exhibition devoted to his life and work. New productions of _Der ferne Klang_ have been staged at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and the Zurich Opera in 2010, as well as in smaller opera houses in Germany. Irrelohe was performed at the Volksoper in Vienna in 2004 and again at the Bonn Opera in November 2010.

In spring 2010 _Die Gezeichneten_ had its American premiere at the Los Angeles Opera, while _Der ferne Klang_ enjoyed its first staged American performance at the Bard Summerscape Festival.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schreker


----------



## Taneyev

King David rarities:

Otar Taktakishvili; concertino for violin and orch. Composer conducting

Moises Vainberg: Moldovian Raphsody op.47.Vainberg at the piano.

Lalo; S.E.: with Kondrashin and State of URSS SO (1948)


----------



## Arsakes

Hovhaness:
- Symphony No. 20 "Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain" 
- Symphony No. 22 'City of Light'
- Concerto No. 7, Op. 116

They're some of his best.


----------



## Sonata

Alkan's Sonatine, opus 61. Performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A twisted eroticism was a common thread throughout the whole of German Expressionism. In literature we have _Lulu, Steppenwolf, A Death in Venice_, etc... In art we have the paintings of Klimt, Schiele, Beckmann, Dix, and Grosz. And in music we have Strauss' _Salome_, Berg's _Lulu_, Korngold's _Die tote Stadt_... and Goldschmidt's _Der gewaltige Hahnrei_ (The Magnificent Cuckold).

Goldschmidt... whose biography I briefly outlined above... built upon the post-Romantic tradition of Bruckner, Mahler, Zemlinsky, and Richard Strauss... but he brought to this elements of atonality gleaned from Schoenberg & Co., rhythmic aspects taken from Stravinsky, as well as suggestions of cabaret and jazz.

This heady mix results in a unsteady Expressionism... perfect for conveying the unsteady personality of the opera's main character Bruno. Bruno is married to the beautiful and voluptuous Stella. Although Stella is wholly in love with Bruno, he doubts her fidelity and pushes her in various ways to test her... including forcing her to expose her breasts to Stella's cousin, Petrus. Bruno eventually hits upon the idea that he will no longer doubt Stella if he knows for certain that she has indeed cheated on him, thus he talks Stella into having sex with Petrus. The attempt to cure Bruno's jealousy fails and he slips further into madness until at last Stella announces that she shall run off with the oxherd who had once tried to rape her... as long as he will swear to remain true.


----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

*Debussy* - _Images_, Book 1. _Children's corner_, 1-3 (Jorg Demus).


----------



## cwarchc

I love this interpretation, I know it's not to everyones taste, but I like his "feel" of the piece


----------



## Hausmusik

One of my desert-island recordings. One day people will be talking about the Belceas the way they talk about Tokyo and Takacs and Alban Berg (whose cellist is featured here in the Quintet).


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, WAB 107 {1885 version, edited by L.Nowak}, *featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Bernard Haitnik.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Cello Sonata No. 2, W 103*

To celebrate my recent Villa-Lobos purchase (a box of the Complete Symphonies) Im playing this beautiful Disc


----------



## Hausmusik

D. 960 before, now D.958. This is probably my favorite Pollini recording. I often don't much respond to his performances, but this is a huge exception.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

cwarchc said:


> View attachment 5641
> 
> 
> I love this interpretation, I know it's not to everyones taste, but I like his "feel" of the piece


Bernstein's _Rite of Spring_ is among the finest.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Summertime.... and the living is easy....

Or at least I have more time to catch up on my listening and work my way through that box of 100+ operas that I have yet to listen to. Today it's this marvelous recording of Handel's Ariodante with Joyce DiDonato.


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both featuring the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchesta under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


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## Arsakes

Saint Saëns - Violin Concerto No. 2 and 3
and
Ippolitov Ivanov - Caucasian Sketches


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## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39*

Quite a brisk reading of this Symphony compared to others I've heard - it works very well though!.
Excellent sound - easily the best Sibelius Symphony Cycle in my collection.


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## Conor71

*Sibelius: The Tempest (Suites), Op. 109*

Continuing with Sibelius for the rest of the night - next I will play Disc 2 of the Tone Poems set


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## DeepR

Kissin is simply one of the greatest pianists alive today.


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## Mordred

Mahlers 9th LIVE with the queensland symphony orchestra. Exquisite


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## Sonata

Conor71 said:


> *Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39*
> 
> Quite a brisk reading of this Symphony compared to others I've heard - it works very well though!.
> Excellent sound - easily the best Sibelius Symphony Cycle in my collection.


Is it really? It's available digitally on amazon with several other works. Just 8 bucks. I might have to go forit.


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## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Is it really? It's available digitally on amazon with several other works. Just 8 bucks. I might have to go forit.


I'd say, definitely go for it!


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## opus55

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier










Shostakovich: Jazz Suites


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## Sonata

Mahler's 3rd symphony, for the first time


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## Arsakes

Sibelius: 
- Malinconia, Op.20
- Four Pieces, Op.78


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## NightHawk

really agree whole heartedly - I have not heard many Rite recordings that compare favorably with Bernstein's. I do like Antal Dorati's very much, however.











StlukesguildOhio said:


> Bernstein's _Rite of Spring_ is among the finest.


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## NightHawk

This is the only recording I have of Schreker and it is very beautiful.











StlukesguildOhio said:


> And some more late Viennese Post-Romanticism:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Franz Schreker was one of the leading figures of Austro-German music at the turn of the century.


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## NightHawk

Was fortunate to hear the Beaux Arts Trio in Carnegie Hall in summer mid-90's - they performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the New York Phil when Lincoln Center (Avery Fisher Hall) was given over to the Mostly Mozart Festival. Their recording of Beethoven's Archduke Trio Op. 97 is splendid!!

BIG EDIT, BIG OOPS: Ha ha, Mozart's the topic not Beethoven. Sorry I got derailed with my own agenda re the Beaux Arts guys, oh well, Mozart wrote great trios, too!



Conor71 said:


> *Mozart: Piano Trio No. 3 In Bb Major, K 502*
> 
> Listening to Disc 1 of this set again - this music is probably not among Mozart's best but it is a pleasant listen nonetheless. The performance here from the Beaux Arts Trio is good I think.


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## NightHawk

Recommend: Dorati's Complete Haydn cycle, AND any Haydn conducted by the great recorder artist and conductor Frans Bruggen!!!!











Vesteralen said:


> I'm not a big fan of Bernstein's Haydn, but these three are among his best. Slow tempi in the minuets of these works actually work in an odd sort of way on their own terms. But, the leaner sounds of Szell, or several later HIP recordings are still more to my liking.


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## kv466




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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*William Boyce--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Symphony No.2 in A Major, Symphony No.3 in C Major and Symphony No.4 in F Major. *All four symphonies feature the English Concert and Trevor Pinnock.
Arthur Bliss--*A Colour Symphony, *featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Charles Groves.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major, WAB 104 {"Romantic"}, *performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Klaus Tennstedt.


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## Taneyev

More Oistrakh's rarities:

Tartini: son."The abandoned Dido" With Frida Bauer.

Mozart: v.c.Nº5. With Kondrashin and State URSS O, (1947)

Mednter: sonata "epique". with Alexander Goldenweiser (1949)


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## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 5, the first version.* Then Kleiber's recording of *Brahms' 4th.
*


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## Conor71

Sonata said:


> Is it really? It's available digitally on amazon with several other works. Just 8 bucks. I might have to go forit.


Its a great set Sonata - I think the Amzon download comes with some other stuff as well (Violin Concerto maybe?) if you are interested


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## Conor71

NightHawk said:


> Was fortunate to hear the Beaux Arts Trio in Carnegie Hall in summer mid-90's - they performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the New York Phil when Lincoln Center (Avery Fisher Hall) was given over to the Mostly Mozart Festival. Their recording of Beethoven's Archduke Trio Op. 97 is splendid!!
> 
> BIG EDIT, BIG OOPS: Ha ha, Mozart's the topic not Beethoven. Sorry I got derailed with my own agenda re the Beaux Arts guys, oh well, Mozart wrote great trios, too!


Yes, Im a big BAT fan too and have quite a few of their recordings - I agree their Archduke is a good one. You are very lucky to have seen them Live


----------



## chuttt

Re-listened to my collection of Chopin No. 1 and then listened to this for the first time...









... and went into deep thinking. I know it got rave reviews but my feeling's mixed right now. I'll probably write a review on amazon...


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## Conor71

*Sibelius: Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49*

Now listening to Disc 2 of the Tone Poems box-set again and will follow this up with Disc 2 of the Symphony set (Symphonies 2 & 3)


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## neoshredder

Listening to Geminiani's Concerti Grossi on this recording.


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## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by th Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Lorin Maazel.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *both featuring the Berlier Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


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## Conor71

*Messiaen: Couleurs De La Cite Celeste*

I purchased this box about a year ago and have only listened to half of the Discs so far - I admit the Solo Piano Music and Song Cycles were a bit much for me the last time I tried listening to them!.
With a bit more modern Classical listening under my belt I will make another attempt at finishing the box - I will start this time with Disc 13 which features Orchestral music


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## StlukesguildOhio

kv466... I know you're a big Earl Wild fan. Do you have this? If so... what do you think?










I love Reynaldo Hahn's songs... or mélodie... but have found little else by him... until I stumbled on this at Amazon.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Now here's another composer who either wrote far too little... or far to little of what he did write has found its way onto recordings. Either way... there's some lovely music here. Indeed, I suspect that just as I need to fill out my collection of 19th century Russian composers, I should also be looking more closely at the French composers of the same period... especially considering how much I love Debussy, Faure, Ravel, Koechlin, Massenet, etc...


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## Conor71

*Messiaen: Catalogue D'Oiseaux, Septieme Livre - Le Traquet Rieur*

Now playing Disc 12 of this set - it starts out with these challenging pieces for Solo Piano and then progresses to some Orchestral Music I think. The Music's not too bad actually so far!


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## Arsakes

Antonio Vivaldi - Several Oboe Concertos


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## Conor71

*Faure: La Bonne Chanson, Op. 61*

Could'nt stay with the Messiaen - his solo Piano Music is too hard for me to digest right now!.
Now playing Disc 3 from this excellent set of Chamber Music by Faure.


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## Kevin Pearson

Trying something a little different tonight. Just listened to the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. From the very first opening notes Rachmaninov comes to mind and indeed through the whole work. I'm not in love with this recording though because the orchestra seems too far back in the mix. The piano playing though is superb. I wish Spotify had another version but this is the only one I could locate.










Now onto Vagn Holmboe's Piano Concerto No. 1, OP 17 for piano, strings and timpani. Holmboe's music grows on you but you have to be prepared to accept the contrasts of lovely melodies and dissonance. This piano concerto begins very quietly and the piano doesn't even have a overwhelming role like the Stanford does. It has some rather dark and haunting melodies, which is maybe to be expected considering the trouble brewing in Europe in 1939. Anyway, I'll listen carefully and pack it off to bed after.










Kevin


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## opus55

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book I










Quiet rainy night..


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## ProudSquire

Some late quartets.

Quartet in A minor, Op. 132
Quartet in F major, Op. 135


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## Kevin Pearson

TheProudSquire said:


> Some late quartets.
> 
> Quartet in A minor, Op. 132
> Quartet in F major, Op. 135


Good thing we all know you meant Beethoven! 

Kevin


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## Sonata

Ravel- Daphne et Chloe. My first time listening to any of his music actually.


----------



## science

Mahler: Symphony #4 - Horenstein 
Beethoven: String Quartet #16, Tokyo SQ
Mahler: Symphony #5 - Tennstedt 
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde - Klemperer
Brahms: Piano Trio #1 - Katchen, Suk, Starker


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## chrislowski

Conor71 said:


> *Messiaen: Catalogue D'Oiseaux, Septieme Livre - Le Traquet Rieur*
> 
> Now playing Disc 12 of this set - it starts out with these challenging pieces for Solo Piano and then progresses to some Orchestral Music I think. The Music's not too bad actually so far!


The music's not too bad?? Messiaen was one of the greatest composer's of the 20th century, his music is amazing!









Got this for the Dutilleux mostly as I love his orchestral and piano works but I'm not familiar with his string quartet "Ainsi la nuit". The whole cd is very good so far!


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## Arsakes

Liszt: Totantanz / Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Flat Major


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## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book I
> 
> Quiet rainy night..


Bach's solo pieces go well with the rain. Once I had to drive home on a country road in the dark in the rain, but Bach's cello suites made it memorable.


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## Taneyev

Today I want to listen to great unknown/forgotten Russian violinists: Boris Goldstein, Arkady Futer, Igor Politkovsky and Albert Markov.


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## chrislowski

This is an excellent disc.


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## opus55

Manxfeeder said:


> Bach's solo pieces go well with the rain. Once I had to drive home on a country road in the dark in the rain, but Bach's cello suites made it memorable.


They seem to draw me into an endless thought. I should try Bach when driving at night.

Mozart piano sonatas, on the other hand, remind me of my childhood memories - when life was simple, sunny and just beautiful (it seems now in my memory )

Currently daydreaming with:


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## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

*Johannes Brahms* - _Capriccio_, Op. 76, No. 2 (Stephen Kovacevich). _Intermezzo_, Op. 118, No. 2 (Radu Lupu).
*Anton Rubinstein* - _Melody_, Op. 3, No. 1 (Shura Cherkassky).
*Louis Moreau Gottschalk* - _Souvenir de Porto Rico, Marche des Gibaros_ (Ivan Davis).
*Camille Saint-Saëns* - _Etude en forme de Valse_, Op. 52, No. 6 (Magda Tagliaferro).
*Alexander Scriabin* - _Verse la flamme_, Op. 72 (Sviatoslav Richter).
*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - _Prelude_, Op. 23, No. 2 (Vladimir Ashkenazy). _Prelude_, Op. 32, No. 10 (Lazar Berman).
*Isaac Albéniz* - _Navarra_ (Alicia de Larrocha).
*Claude Debussy* - _Prelude_, Book 1, No. 8: _La fille aux cheveux de lin_ (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli). _L'Isle Joyeuse_ (Alexis Weissenberg).
*Béla Bartók* - _Roumanian Folk Dances_, BB 68, Sz.56 (Zoltán Kocsis).
*Arnold Schoenberg* - _Bewegte Achtel_, Op. 11, No. 3 (Mitsuko Uchida).


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## Kevin Pearson

Starting this morning with Louis Spohr's (1784 - 1859) 1st and 5th symphones. Sometimes when I listen to Spohr I wonder if he would have been more enduring and well known if there had never been a Beethoven. I have always found his symphonies, concertos and chamber music a delight to listen to. He was very well known during his lifetime but fell into obscurity by the 20th century, with the exception of very few pieces. Thankfully much of his music has been recorded and released for us to enjoy.










Kevin


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## StlukesguildOhio

Even those of us with a sizable collection of recorded music... and my collection now numbers some 3000 CDs... still find that there are glaring omissions or gaps. For whatever reason, I never saw fit to pick up anything by Carl Nielsen... until now. I've heard a few of his symphonies in passing... on Spotify and elsewhere... and a collection of his symphonies has been on my Amazon "wish list" for years... but I never got around to actually picking these up. Last week I stumbled upon these two box sets:



















And I thought, "What the hell?" The orchestral set contains all 6 symphonies as well as his orchestral suites along with 2 DVDs presenting filmed live performances of all 6 symphonies by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. The second set contains 6 discs of Nielsen's chamber music and solo instrumental music. All the performances were highly rated by various classical periodicals and yet are near dirt cheap considering the number of discs.

Right now I'm listening to disc 1 from the Orchestral Music box set (Symphony 3 "Sinfonia Espansiva" and Symphony 2 "The Four Temperments") and I must admit I am quite impressed. In one way its sad that I have only now come to discover Nielsen. On the other hand... it's great to know that there will always be great music that I have yet to discover.

:tiphat:


----------



## Arsakes

*Ippolitov Ivanov* - Turkish Marsh, Turkish Fragments
*Glinka* - Jota Aragonesa, Kamarinskaya, Valse Fantasie
*Boccherini* - Quintet for guitar & strings No. 4, Cello Concerto No, 9


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## StlukesguildOhio

The Nielsen was great... but I'm giving him a break and heading back to Rimsky-Korsakov. I've picked up a slew of music by him recently... including the box set of his operas... in order to fill the real absence of anything by R-K in my collection... beyond a couple versions of _Scheherazade_. I had a slew of recordings of Rimsky-Korsakov's music in either LP or cassette-tape format back when I was still in high-school and enamored of R-K, Tchaikovsky, and the Russians in general. I even sat about reading _War and Peace_ and _The Brothers Karamazov_ and some of Chekhov's plays then... but for whatever reason I never got about to picking up much of Rimsky-Korsakov in CD format... until now.

This set... marvelously performed by Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony... known for their stellar performances of music beyond the standard repertoire... is all gleaned from R-K's operas: _The Snow Maiden, Sadko, Mlada,_ and _Le Coq d'or_.


----------



## mitchflorida

There are about 100+ recordings of this work by Berlioz. This one is the best, with exquisite sound. If you haven't heard this version, you haven't heard Symphonie Fantastique.


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## samurai

@ StLukes, The Nielsen *2nd and 3rd Symphonies* are truly awesome, especially the 3rd with its haunting "wordless choral". I also really enjoy his* 1st and 4th {"The Inextinguishable"}.* Anway, great choices on your part and continue to enjoy!


----------



## Sid James

Have been listening this 2 cd set with music played by the* Melos Ensemble of London*:

CD 1:
*Beethoven *Septet in E flat, Op. 20
*Mendelssohn *Octet in E flat, Op. 20

CD 2:
*Beethoven *Octet in E flat, Op. 103 
*Schubert *Octet in F, D803

These are all very enjoyable, and one can hear influences between these composers. Eg. the young Mendelssohn's octet does have that busy kind of neo-Baroque counterpoint found in Beethoven's string quartets. I'm amazed by not only the high technical level of this work by such a young composer, but also its emotional depth (esp. in the slow movement). The Schubert and Beethoven works do have bits reminiscent of esp. Mozart, esp. in their writing for clarinet. & the opening of Schubert's octet, as well as the start of the final movement, does have quite a bit of the darkness of his Unfinished symphony. But on the whole it is not a dark work. These were popular works in the 19th century, and Beethoven's septet was more popular than his symphonies during his lifetime (which he was none too happy about, actually). The late opus number of his octet is explained by the fact that he composed it in his early period but it was actually published in 1830, a few years after his death. This work actually inspired Schubert's octet.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back to the Nielsen set:










Disc 2: Symphony 4 "The Inextinguishable" and Symphony 5


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## Sonata

An album of choral pieces by Schubert, conducted by Gardiner.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo in D for Piano and Orchestra (1782)*
Written as an alternate ending to one of his concerti, this is Mozart running through the motions, albeit in an enjoyable manner. The reoccurring theme is probably the least memorable part of the piece, whereas it's in the development where he really shines, as he twists and turns through various harmonies. Pleasant enough, but there are better things out there.

*Robert Schumann: String Quartet #1 (1842)*
It took me a few listens to get adjusted to this quartet, as Schumann's style seems to alter slightly in every genre. The work has an academic feel to it, perhaps because it's more rigid in structure and form then his piano works. However, there is a deep emotional core here, though it really takes until the end of the piece to find it. The quartet gets better as it progresses, starting off quite nice, and finishing with a breathtaking finale. A simple descending scale travels through a series of harmonies, before settling on a surprisingly rustic tune that finishes the piece. Though no masterpiece, this is still a wonderful quartet.

*Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Cappricio Espagnol (1887)*
I played this piece many years ago, but never really sat down and listened to it. Per usual, the orchestration is wonderfully flashy, and Rimsky-Korsakov provides the listener with a myriad of catchy tunes. The work gets more crazed as it progresses, bigger and more brilliant. I found the reiterations of the opening theme to be a little distracting and unnecessary, but overall a fantastic piece that accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: entertain and delight.

*Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #3 (1909)*
While the second concerto is the more popular, the third seems to be the more esteemed, and it's easy to hear why. While it's predecessor might be catchier and more gorgeous, it's the structure and cohesiveness that really gives this work an edge. Cast in three movements, it might as well be one, as all the material stems from the opening melody. It's really remarkable what he does with it, and ever the showman, Rachmaninov always makes a point of revealing exactly how the themes are related. The orchestration is also finer, more delicate, more intricate. The piano acts as its own orchestra, not really battling or even conversing with the players, but coming and going as it pleases. Though the first movement might be the highlight, this concerto is attractive throughout, engaging, beautiful, masterfully written, and certainly one of the best in the genre.

*Arnold Schoenberg: Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment (1949)*
Like Brahms, Schoenberg is a composer that can be counted on for consistency. Written towards the end of his life, the _Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment_ was named such, due to violin part being written in its entirety before the piano part was even conceived. Oddly enough, the piano offers a lot of interesting material, but it is the violin that takes the spotlight. Like his earlier _Violin Concerto_ this work is dark and brooding, though a little more introspective. There are more moments of calm and reflection, beauty too- and not just by Schoenberg standards. Overall a short but volatile work that should definitely be performed more often.

*György Ligeti: Clocks and Clouds (1973)*
After listening to _Aventures, Musica Ricercata_, and his _Cello Concerto_, respectively, I seem to be approaching Ligeti's music in a steady incline of pleasure, _Clocks and Clouds_ now being my favorite of the bunch. As the title suggests, this music hinges a lot on timing, and it owes quite a bit to the minimalists of the day. Like his _Cello Concerto_, this work is atmospheric, but also extremely approachable. Weaving in and out of an assortment of wild textures, made all the more potent by a 12 voice women's chorus, there's a hypnotic quality about the piece. Listening in the dark with my eyes closed, I didn't know whether an hour had gone by, or five minutes (12 minutes it turned out). It's quite easy to lose yourself in it, and it's entirely enjoyable to do so.

*Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Fantasy for Harpsichord (1983)*
This short fantasy, written by the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in composition, is more of a character piece than anything. The harpsichord stamps out scheming harmonies, mockingly reiterating them to the point of annoyance, before trailing off as if it had all been for nothing. While entertaining and charming, this probably isn't something I'll be returning to.

...also Borodin's _Symphony #1_, but I'll keep my comments in the _Listening Club_ thread.

_Up Next!
Adès: Gefriolsae Me, Carter: String Quartet #2, Chopin: Nocturnes Op. 15, Corelli: Concerto Grosso Op. 6/11, Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande, Lutosławski: String Quartet, Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor_


----------



## kv466

StlukesguildOhio said:


> kv466... I know you're a big Earl Wild fan. Do you have this? If so... what do you think?


My question is: What to _you_ think?! Aside from his extreme virtuosity, what I love most about Earl is his wide repertoire. I honestly didn't get it first time around but it has become a jewel to me. I hope you continue to expose yourself to The Romantic Master as he rarely if never missed. A true piano master, Earl played everything he approached with such a deep understanding of the inner workings of the pieces. Glad to hear you're listening to him, buddy!


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## opus55

Poulenc:
Les Soirees de Nazelles
Three Novelettes
Trois mouvements perpetuels










Bach: Partita No. 3, BWV 1006


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ <3 Hilary Hahn!

Now winding down with an overplayed concerto recorded with a not so overplayed concerto and some brilliant music from Britten's "Gloriana" played by the best guitarist in the world.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde




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## ComposerOfAvantGarde




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## ComposerOfAvantGarde




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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Had enough of Julian Bream now.

On to Wagner:


----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

The first half of Horowitz' comeback recital, 'live and unedited.'

*Bach/Busoni* - _Toccata, Adagio And Fugue_, BWV 564.
*Schumann* - _Fantasy_, Op. 17.
*Scriabin* - _Piano Sonata_ No. 9, Op. 68. _Poeme_, Op. 32, No. 1.

Will listen to the second half (and the bonus tracks) today.


----------



## DmitriShostabrovich

Currently listening to No. 7, 1st movement.


----------



## Taneyev

OP 1:

Dvorak; String quintet.

Hermann Scherchen: string quartet.

Karen Khatchaturian: son.violin&piano.


----------



## Sonata

Just listened to *Tchaikovsky's 1st symphony* this morning. First listen in two years....when I first bought this set, I wasn't listening to classical music regularly. I didn't really enjoy any of the symphonies all that much, except a couple movements here or there. Listening this morning, I don't know why I didn't like this one. But I like it now! I'll be giving it another listen in a couple of days.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*

I'm not connecting with Sir Simon Rattle here. It seems like he's fussing over details; I'm not impacted by the overall piece. Then Furtwangler's 7th and 5th from World War II, on Music & Arts. (I can't find a picture of this one.)


----------



## DmitriShostabrovich

On to some Grieg! Starting with the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner.


----------



## Vesteralen

I was unfamiliar with this composer until now. Listening to Sym #1 - seems like an intriguing blend of Sibelius & Nielsen. Right up my alley.


----------



## Vesteralen

DmitriShostabrovich said:


> View attachment 5660
> 
> 
> Currently listening to No. 7, 1st movement.


When I moved a couple of years ago, I tried to downsize my CD collection. I got rid of all my multiple-Dvorak-symphony recordings and held on to this set.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues














First listen.. so far they sound very dissonant and difficult to enjoy. I may also try Keith Jarrett.


----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 5663
View attachment 5664
View attachment 5665
View attachment 5666


*Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 (Nos. 1 - 12), with Guildhall String Ensemble (rec. 1987).

*JS Bach*: Brandenburg Concertos (Nos. 1 - 6), with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (rec. 1987/88).


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> I'm not connecting with Sir Simon Rattle here. It seems like he's fussing over details; I'm not impacted by the overall piece. Then Furtwangler's 7th and 5th from World War II, on Music & Arts. (I can't find a picture of this one.)
> 
> View attachment 5661


*"Fussing over details," *a good description for too many of his recs. He's obviously hearing stuff, I don't.


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## Manxfeeder

*Nielsen, Symphonies 3 and 5.*

Myung-Whun Chung, huh? This is my first exposure to him. He does a great job on the 3rd. I can't comment on the 5th yet, because I'm just starting it. However, it's interesting in the first movement, form 1:56 to 2:13, there's the theme to Star Wars. It's probably just a coincidence, of course.


----------



## Chrythes

The third quartet. I'm trying to explore Bartok, and so far I'm still quite straggling, especially with his string quartets.
They are very interesting, and the sounds he manages to produce at times are very absorbing (especially the Third SQ), but I can't say I enjoy them that much. I will keep trying though, as I sense that the ending might be similar to the experience I had with Shostakovich's string quartets - from repulsiveness to a certain beauty.


----------



## Hausmusik

Quatuor Turner
Beethoven, Quartets #9 (Raz 3) and #10 (Harp)
Period performance.
Some of my favorite music, glorious performances, stunning sonics. A definite winner (but currently in out-of-print, overpriced mode).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Act 2 from this:










Will listen to Act 3 later. Must tell Couchie what I think of it.

EDIT: Nah I'll listen to Act 3 now and then tell Couchie what I think of it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling two new releases. Wish I had something good to report. LAPO/Salonen's album says *Shostakovich*, but it doesn't sound like to me. More depression, aggression, please. What a front-cover. For a moment, I thought they might be taking a poke at Dudamel. Then remembered, both are DG artists.

The Skride/Fischer album caught my eyes for the *Frank Martin* Violin Concerto. This is a terrific piece that is seldom performed. Sadly, this rendition is a far cry from the fine Kling version on First Edition. And I could easily suggest suiters for the remainder. This Orfeo's a programming hodge-podge, not giving Stravinsky, Honegger, or Martin their proper due. I can't fathom many 20/21 enthusiasts giving this CD much consideration.

Two misses. Steer clear. :tiphat:

View attachment 5673
View attachment 5674


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## Manxfeeder

Chrythes said:


> I will keep trying though, as I sense that the ending might be similar to the experience I had with Shostakovich's string quartets - from repulsiveness to a certain beauty.


I'd encourage you in the effort; it may not be pretty, but beauty is in there.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> ...
> I'm not connecting with Sir Simon Rattle here. It seems like he's fussing over details...


Yes, I've found that with him, namely his recording on EMI of Ravel's _Daphnis et Chloe_. But I've enjoyed his recordings of things like Prokofiev, Schoenberg and Messiaen. Also British composers like Turnage and Ades. I don't think I've heard his Beethoven. Maybe the 'hard core' Modernists are more Maestro Rattle's strong point?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, String Quartet in C-Sharp Minor.*

Uh-oh. When I first heard the Busch Quartet's recording several years ago, I though it was marvelous. Now I'm hearing it again, and I don't hold it in the same regard. It's well done, but there are others which I get more from now. (And I know I posted the incorrect CD cover, but you get the idea.)


----------



## Sid James

Some easy listening to start, first *J. Strauss' *_Die Fledermaus_, one of the best Viennese operettas, under the direction of Maestro Bohm (with Gundula Janowitz as Rosalinde). Very light and bubbly interpretation here. Then, some songs and short pieces by *Astor Piazzolla *with the Versus Ensemble of Argentina, incl. the suite from his operetta _Maria de Buenos Aires_, a firm favourite. The narration in Spanish is done by Horacio Ferrer, who wrote its libretto and the words to many songs of Piazzolla, and was his collaborator for many years. 

















Then, after the recent discussion on this forum about* Stravinsky*, his _Rite of Spring _and_ Petrouchka _ballets as well as the _Four Etudes for Orchestra_. Antal Dorati conducted the Minneapolis and London symphony orchestras on this Mercury/Philips cd.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Elgar*: Enigma Variations (for solo piano). An astonishing performance by Maria Garzon, produced and engineered by Brian B. Culverhouse (1998).

View attachment 5676


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by Manxfeeder, two more Chung on the runway. Messiaen L'ascension, then Dvorak Symphony 8.

View attachment 5677
View attachment 5678


----------



## Vaneyes

In the queue for Sid, Barenboim and buddies playing Piazzolla, Gardel, Ginastera, Salgan.

Tangos among friends.

View attachment 5679


----------



## AlainB

Listening to Bach's _Bist du bei mir_, sung by this wonderful German baritone named Klaus Mertens.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Again.


----------



## Turangalîla

Wow, this is absolutely amazing! The effects, staging, costumes, and lighting are spellbinding. Not to mention the interpretation is top-notch (especially Moses).


----------



## opus55

Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid... that is a serious line-up of vocalists there. It seems more suitable to Richard Strauss... if not Wagner... as opposed to Johann Strauss.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Hausmusik

*Dvorak, String Quartet #5 in F Minor
Panocha Quartet*

I'm going to explore the early quartets today.


----------



## Arsakes

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 15 in A minor
Dvorak: - String Quartet No. 8 in E minor
- Piano Quartet in E flat major Op.87


----------



## Taneyev

Italians (underrated and forgotten except operists and Paganini).

Giuseppe Martucci (1856/909): Piano trio C major op.59

Respighi: String quartet D major (1907)

Marco Anzoletti (1866/929): Var.for violin&piano on a Brahm's theme


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Violin Concerto

Yehudi Menuhin
Sir John Barbirolli
New York Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Konzertstück für vier Hörner

Gavin Edwards
Susan Dent
Robert Maskell
Roger Montgomery

John Eliot Gardiner
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique


----------



## Ravndal

Bruckner: Symphony 1


----------



## Quartetfore

Koechlin quartet op57. Post Ravel in texture and quite austere, it is a work that I think need several hearings to appreciate it
Odnoposff, If you enjoy the Respighi and Martucci works (I do very much), you might look in the two Piano Quintets and String Quartet of Sgambati. The are late 19th century, and of course influenced by Brahms. Martucci did compose a Piano Quintet in 1878, I don`t think it is up to the level of the first of his Piano Trios. In my humble opinion, the single quartet of Verdi is the best of all the Chamber Music composed by Italians.


----------



## ProudSquire

Currently watching/listening to Valentina Lisitsa's recital, live at the Royal Albert Hall. 

She is truly a superb pianist. :tiphat:


----------



## Taneyev

Quartetfore said:


> Koechlin quartet op57. Post Ravel in texture and quite austere, it is a work that I think need several hearings to appreciate it
> Odnoposff, If you enjoy the Respighi and Martucci works (I do very much), you might look in the two Piano Quintets and String Quartet of Sgambati. The are late 19th century, and of course influenced by Brahms. Martucci did compose a Piano Quintet in 1878, I don`t think it is up to the level of the first of his Piano Trios. In my humble opinion, the single quartet of Verdi is the best of all the Chamber Music composed by Italians.


Have Martucci piano quintet, and also have Sgambati's. But can't agree with your last opinion. To me, best Italian chamber works are the 6 extraordinary quartets and quintet of Cherubini. And after him, the quartets of Bazzini. Nor forgeting the dozens of unknown Paganini's works.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rossini Overtures.*

These are a lot of fun. Marriner produces some lively interpretations.


----------



## ProudSquire

Robert Schumann Piano concerto in A Minor, Op.54

Very enjoyable. :}


----------



## Chrythes

Medtner, Piano Quintet. For some reason I see it as very honest piece. As usual with Medtner (at least from the Milne box I listened to) it has its melodies and themes that are quite memorable and pleasant.


----------



## Klavierspieler

TheProudSquire said:


> Robert Schumann Piano concerto in A Minor, Op.54
> 
> Very enjoyable. :}


What pianist?


----------



## ProudSquire

Another new piece for me. Yay! 

Carl Maria von Weber - Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73

It sounds really pleasant and I'm enjoying it very much.


----------



## ProudSquire

Klavierspieler said:


> What pianist?


Marian Lapsansky


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I must never _not_ listen to it.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 37, 48, 55, 62










One of the recordings that I should've purchased years ago.


----------



## Sid James

A disc of *Astor Piazzolla's tangos and dances*, arranged for piano trio by Quentin Grant and Jose Bragato. I really like the combination of old and new in these pieces. Also how they're very autobiographical, eg. _Goodbye Paris _and _River Seine _connected to the city where Piazzolla studied under Nadia Boulanger; _Windy _which is named after & a kind of portrait of his dog; _Farewell Papa_, composed when his father died (Piazzolla said this was his best work bar none) & also the political undercurrents in _Revolutionary_ and _Libertango_, Argentina being under a military dictatorship at the time. When he moved to Italy, the Italians took him as one of their own. There's so much emotion in his music, so much melody, and he doesn't avoid some very pounding rhythms and modernistic sounds, reminiscent of his other teacher, Alberto Ginastera. He's great in smaller forms, but _The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires _proves he could do a fully integrated and very satisfying, longer work. The players here are from the now defunct *Macquarie Trio of Sydney *- Nicholas Milton on violin, Michael Goldschlager on cello, and Kathryn Selby on piano.


----------



## Quartetfore

The Quartets of Antonio Bazzini have been on my "buy list"for a while, but have never seemed to get around to them. I have spent tne last year with French Quartets of the era just after the Ravel Quartet. By that I mean the works of Bonnal, Ropartz, Durosoir, Faure and Koechlin.
For An interesting article about the Quartets of Bazzini go to cobettassociation.org/chamber-music-journal. You will find the article in the index, and just click back issues.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Brigg Fair, In a Summer Garden, with Halle O./Barbirolli; Violin 
Concerto, with Holmes/RPO/Handley; Double Concerto, Cello Concerto, with 
Little/Wallfisch/RLPO/Mackerras.

View attachment 5690
View attachment 5691
View attachment 5692


----------



## science

Some recent listening:

















(Of the latter, I've only listened to the Rückert Lieder.)


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6










Love the orchestral color of Russian composers.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to The Nash Ensemble and their recordings of Borodin's unfinished string sextet, Glazunov's string quintet op.39 and Arensky's string quartet no. 2 in A minor. I thought all three pieces are exceptional pieces of chamber music at it's finest. They are all interesting to listen to and keep your attention all the way through. The Nash Ensemble is always fun to listen to. I have never heard a bad recording by them yet.










Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I must never _not_ listen to it.


Listening to this again. Just to let you know (and so I don't post it _all the time_ in this thread) I'll be listening to this at least once every day for a long period of time. Probably at least a year.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to this again. Just to let you know (and so I don't post it _all the time_ in this thread) I'll be listening to this at least once every day for a long period of time. Probably at least a year.


See ya next year then! :tiphat: 

Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kevin Pearson said:


> See ya next year then! :tiphat:
> 
> Kevin


I'll try to listen to other music each day as well.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'll try to listen to other music each day as well.


In that case we'll see you tomorrow! :tiphat: Nighty night!

Kevin


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'll try to listen to other music each day as well.


Well, Wagner admired Bizet's_ Carmen._ Maybe you can get into that too? Unless you're too highbrow (just joking!). Dunno what Richard would have thought of Ligeti though. Maybe we can do a seance, raise his spirit, talk to it and find out? :lol:


----------



## Arsakes

Glazunov - String Quintet (Op. 39) / Violin Concerto (Op. 82)

Both are very lovely


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Well, Wagner admired Bizet's_ Carmen._ Maybe you can get into that too? Unless you're too highbrow (just joking!). Dunno what Richard would have thought of Ligeti though. Maybe we can do a seance, raise his spirit, talk to it and find out? :lol:


The only French operas I have heard and enjoyed were by Rameau. Although I _can_ tolerate _La Fille du Régiment._


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103, "Year 1905"*

Now playing Disc 07 of this set which was my introduction to the Shostakovich Symphonies - great music and performance!


----------



## Arsakes

Saint-Saëns:
- Cello Concerto No. 1 Op. 33
- Symphony No. 3


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Arsakes said:


> Saint-Saëns:
> - Cello Concerto No. 1 Op. 33
> - Symphony No. 3


Which recording of the symphony?


----------



## Arsakes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Which recording of the symphony?


Gunzenhauser (Naxos)


----------



## Quartetfore

If you like Russian "romantic" Chamber music, the Arensky Quartet Op35 is one to have.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Haydn Variations.*

I'm listening to Bernstein on Spotify. There's something about the sound of this that I don't like. There's a tubbiness to this recording, if that's a word. It could be Spotify that's causing it.


----------



## Taneyev

Spaniards.

Gaspar Cassado: piano trio.

Tomás Bretón; string quartet.

Granados: son.violin&piano.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roy Harris, Symphony No. 3.*

I pretty much like what Marin Alsop's done with this. She has a good sense of pacing, and details pop up all over. However, at the passage beginning at 11:59 the problem I usually have with her conducting rises: she isn't aggressive enough. It's too nice and smoothed over.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roy Harris, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Haydn Variations, Symphony No. 1*

I listened to Bernstein and was disappointed, then Karajan, but I didn't make it to the first variation. Poor Furtwangler had some guy in the first row coughing up a lung, and it was too distracting. Then I stumbled on Bruno Walter. Wow! From where I'm sitting, this is how the piece should sound.

Now I'm listening to Brahms' 1st.


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to some Karajan. The Tchaikovsky is a bit ponderous but great all the same. And the Eroica is wonderfull.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

kv466 said:


>


Wow, "The" Rene Leibowitz, student of Webern himself! I wasn't aware of this one. I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## maestro267

Arnold Bax's Symphony No. 2. David Lloyd Jones conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Really starting to get into Bax's music now, especially the 7 symphonies. No. 2 is definitely the most dissonant of the works. At the climaxes of both the 2nd and 3rd movements, Bax enhances the bass by adding organ pedals to his already luxurious scoring.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Anton Webern, Quartet, Opus 22*.

I really like the saxophone playing in this one.









Then Machaut's *Notre Dame Mass.*


----------



## Sonata

Started off the morning with Beethoven violin sonatas, before listening to some non-classical. Then Mahler 3, before returning to chamber music for piano and strings. I hope to cover piano trios by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, and Faure today.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No 4.*

I'm listening to Furtwangler on Spotify. I'm not used to his interventional approach in Brahms. I'm going to have to hear this a couple times.


----------



## Quartetfore

Robert Schumann Quartet #2. Not the best of his three, but still enjoyable.


----------



## Sid James

*A double disc set of Astor Piazzolla's music.* No details except that all tracks are performed by him. The first disc is like in the 1970's fusion genre, a live recording, with things like hammond organ, synths and electric guitars backing Piazzolla on bandoneon, the Argentinian button accordion. The second disc is acoustic, with violin, piano, guitar and double bass. Its more like chamber music. On both discs, flute features prominently, it was a favourite instrument of Piazzolla. I enjoyed all of the over 20 tracks, a mix of tangos and slow ballade type pieces. Most of the _Four Seasons of Buenos Aires _and _Maria de Buenos Aires Suite _where here, but spread across the two discs. I love the combination of tango with jazz, Baroque counterpoint and modern classical techniques. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring Maurice Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *once more featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## PetrB

Tristan Murail ~ Les Sept Paroles


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12










Listening to the symphony two nights in a row.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Davidsbundlertanze, Piano Sonata No.2, Toccata Op.7, with Berezovsky, then *Enescu* Symphonies 1 - 3, with Lyon and Monte Carlo Orchestras conducted by Lawrence Foster.

View attachment 5712
View attachment 5713


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich:

Ballet Suite No. 2
Symphony No. 5


----------



## PetrB

Alberto Ginastera: Concerto per archi, Op.33


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Manxfeeder said:


> *Brahms, Symphony No 4.*
> 
> I'm listening to Furtwangler on Spotify. I'm not used to his interventional approach in Brahms. I'm going to have to hear this a couple times.


Then try Eugen Jochum, you'd probably like it more than Furtwängler.


----------



## science

Just started, and already I like it more than the Hungarian Quartet's recording.


----------



## Sid James

Started off with some easy listening, ended with some heavy stuff (the review of Messiaen I copied from an earlier one on this thread - a bit lazy to do a new one, LOL!).










Some music for flute and guitar from the Americas, played by Virginia Taylor on flute and Timothy Kain on guitar. I liked all these works, but my favourite are the two repertoire staples here,* Piazzolla's* _Histoire du Tango_ and *Beaser's* _Mountain Songs._ The latter is full of American folklore from the Appalachian Mountains, songs which our American members would undoubtedly know. Then onto a set of pieces with a darker hue,* Leisner's* _Dances in the Madhouse_, based on etchings of American artist George Bellows. Then Brazilian *Machado's* _Musiques Populaires Brésiliennes_, which reminded me of Stan Getz's bossa albums with the Gilbertos, and to round off another Brazilian, *Correa,* his _André de Sapato Novo_ (Andre's new shoes), a short encore type piece. All up a great way to spend an hour.










This is pretty full on music, esp. *Harawi.* *Messiaen* in that transports the Tristan legend to Peru. There's onomatopoeia here and a rhythmic thrust in some songs, in others his classic "static" feel. These two young Danish musicians certainly give it all they've got, I like the gutsiness and full-on, no holds barred aspect here, this is a performance full of rawness and intensity. Just like I'd imagine the Andean landscape, it is rugged and craggy.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^^^^Tim Kain was my teacher's teacher.


----------



## Sid James

^^Well I'm not surprised, since Oz is such a small place in terms of population, many musicians are like that, they all know eachother, or like you, it's like 6 degrees - or 2 degrees? - of separation.


----------



## science

The piece titled _Schubert-Quintet (Unfinished)_ is interesting. All kinds of people would like it.


----------



## Taneyev

Teen Menuhin:

Bach; solo sonata Nº3 (1929)

Lekeu: violin sonata with Hephzibah (1938)

Chaussonoeme. With Enescu and Paris SO (1933)


----------



## Vesteralen

This was my first Alfven disc. I seem to forget between listenings just how much I love it. It actually may be my fovorite CD in my entire collection. "The Legend of the Skerries" needs to be much better known. And the Third Symphony is his best, IMO.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Hermann Scherchen's (1891 - 1966) birthday, with his *Mozart* Requiem (rec. 1958).

View attachment 5727


----------



## Quartetfore

Mendelssohn Quartet Op13 -Leipzig String Quartet. 
Beautiful music, Beautifully played and recorded. I think that the Op12 and 13 might make a good entry point for those who are just starting to "get into" the genre.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Franck*: Piano Quintet with Levinas/Ludwig Qt., then *Korngold*: Violin Concerto with Tsu/Long.

View attachment 5728
View attachment 5729


----------



## Vesteralen

My only remaining Balsom CD (besides the one from BBC magazine that duplicates two on this disc)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Il_Penseroso said:


> Then try Eugen Jochum, you'd probably like it more than Furtwängler.


I just finished Kleiber's recording. Now it's on to Eugen!


----------



## maestro267

Last night:

*Shostakovich*: String Quartet No. 12 in D flat major
Éder Quartet

Today:

*Tchaikovsky*: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major
Donohoe (piano), Bournemouth SO/Barshai


----------



## Taneyev

Vaneyes said:


> *Franck*: Piano Quintet with Levinas/Ludwig Qt., then *Korngold*: Violin Concerto with Tsu/Long.
> 
> View attachment 5728
> View attachment 5729


You can find better versions than those. (more expensive,probably)


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Arsakes

Leo Delibes - Sylvia / Copplia


----------



## Badinerie

Oo I'll have to get that one out the music room. I haven't listened to it in ages. I have this lp.


----------



## Sid James

*Ginastera's two piano concertos on Naxos. *Have been listening to a lot of music by his student Piazzolla lately, so gave this a whirl. The* first concerto* has this phrase going through it, but it took me a while to 'hear' it happening. It begins with a dramatic cadenza for the pianist, and goes from there. The finale is an amazing_ toccata_ in which the pianist and orchestra go head to head in battle. Sounds near impossible to play - cos it is! - and gives this visceral 'gut' feeling. The *second concerto* is more complex and harder to grasp, but a highlight is the second movement for left hand only. These are two of the most important piano concertos post-Bartok and worth hearing for the virtuosity alone. They'll knock you out of your seat!

& HERE is an earlier review I did, of the first concerto (links to it on youtube, this exact recording).


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Années de Pèlerinage from this:


----------



## TheBamf

Franz Schubert's 3rd and 8th symphony.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^^^Love no. 3! Underrated IMO.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 43*

Im planning on listening to this excellent box-set over the next few days and also re-visiting DSCH's Chamber and Piano Music.
Currently playing Disc 3 - after this I will listen to the 5th and 9th Symphonies on the following Disc.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Violin Sonata, Op. 134*

Change of plans! - decided to listen to this Disc before continuing with the Haitink Box. This one has good performances of these gloomy works and I dont even mind it being a live recording so much!


----------



## Taneyev

Begin on chamber, alphabetical order:

Achron: 11 caprices on Paganini's caprices, for violin&piano

Afanasiev: "Volga" string quartet

Arensky: piano quintet


----------



## presto

Been enjoying this a lot, the recording is getting on a bit now but the music is beautiful but sadly underrated.


----------



## Sonata

Arsakes said:


> Leo Delibes - Sylvia / Copplia


I like Lakme, and with a recent interest in ballet music, these have been on my radar. What's your consensus?


----------



## Sonata

I started my morning with *Haydn Piano Sonatas*. To me, great music to start a work day with. I'm not a morning person and this kind of gently eases me out of the morning "blahs" and makes me ready to face the day. I personally enjoy his piano sonatas, concerti, divertimenti more than the more popular symphonies and string quartets of his.


----------



## Vesteralen

I forget what magazine I was reading that recommended this pianist. Debussy's piano music has always been very hit-or-miss for me, with a lot more misses than hits. I'm not familiar enough with most of the pieces on this disc to say what I thought of the performances.


----------



## Quartetfore

Bernhard Molique Quartet Op 18 #1, recorded by the Mannheim string Quartet. This is an early Romantic work (1834). Not a 'great' work by any means, but nice to hear once in a while. Molique may be new to some, he was active up to the 1860`s as a highly regarded Violinist and knew all the greats of his time.
the Mannheim Quartet has made a practice of recording composers that are no longer played in our time, for example Raff. Burgmuller and Volkmann.


----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating Alois Luigi Tomasini's (1741 - 1808) birthday, with a sampling of string trios.

View attachment 5747


----------



## kv466




----------



## Vaneyes

Odnoposoff said:


> You can find better versions than those. (more expensive,probably)


Thank you for your comment re the Naxos Franck Piano Quintet (Levinas/Ludwig) and Korngold VC (Tsu/Long). These remain old recorded friends to me, and I've listened to many recs. for these works. But, if you can recommend something in stereo, I'll be glad to relisten or listen anew, as the case may be.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sokolov Schubert D. 894, D. 960.

View attachment 5748


----------



## Arsakes

Sonata said:


> I like Lakme, and with a recent interest in ballet music, these have been on my radar. What's your consensus?


I don't like Operas in general, I listened to its overture and two movements after it and it looked like a good opera.

Now.. 
Berwald: - Symphony Capricieuse
- Symphony in E flat


----------



## Vaneyes

*Weber*: Grand duo concertant; *Hindemith*: Violin Sonata (the first one); *Schnittke*: Quasi una Sonata, with Kremer & Gavrilov (rec. Bavaria Studios, Munich, 1979).

View attachment 5749


----------



## Vesteralen

Accessible music from 1992-93, the symphony ending with a 23 minute Lento movement


----------



## Klavierspieler

Vaneyes said:


> *Hindemith*: Violin Sonata;


Which one?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht.*

I've had this disc for a while but never listened to this version of Verklarte Nacht until today. Wow! To my ears, the Artemis Quartet plus 2 are outstanding. I'd have to do a side-by-side comparison, but I think they even beat the Hollywood Quartet.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 8*

Now playing Disc 2 of this 2-fer - after the Piano Trio No. 1 I will listen to the 2nd Piano Trio and Piano Quintet


----------



## Taneyev

Vaneyes said:


> Thank you for your comment re the Naxos Franck Piano Quintet (Levinas/Ludwig) and Korngold VC (Tsu/Long). These remain old recorded friends to me, and I've listened to many recs. for these works. But, if you can recommend something in stereo, I'll be glad to relisten or listen anew, as the case may be.


My friend, you should know me at this time, and understand that new stereo super hi-fi recordings aren't my predilection. As an old "archeologist" I can recommend you 2 great recordings, but if you look for only recent stereo ones, just forget it. OK, there you are:

Franck: Alfred Cortot and International SQ (1927)
Korngold: Heifetz-Efrem Kurtz and NYPO live (1947)

I bet you wasn't borne yet at those dates.

Sorry if you take this as a joke, but I assure you that are great versions.


----------



## Lenfer

*Alexander Ivashkin* - *Symphony No. 27, Cello Concerto*

*ASIN*: B00006JK98

As recommended by *Myaskovsky2002*​


----------



## Vaneyes

Odnoposoff said:


> My friend, you should know me at this time, and understand that new stereo super hi-fi recordings aren't my predilection. As an old "archeologist" I can recommend you 2 great recordings, but if you look for only recent stereo ones, just forget it. OK, there you are:
> 
> Franck: Alfred Cortot and International SQ (1927)
> Korngold: Heifetz-Efrem Kurtz and NYPO live (1947)
> 
> I bet you wasn't borne yet at those dates.
> 
> Sorry if you take this as a joke, but I assure you that are great versions.


I was present on earth during the latter suggested recording. No matter, this Boomer quickly appreciated the advent of stereo, which if I'm not mistaken, began its journey in the 1930's, though reservedly. Some musicians feared that improved sound would keep people from attending live performance. Soon they came to their senses, and thankfully, artistry didn't stop with mono.

Crappy recordings make want me to hear better. On good recordings *and* in the concert hall.

There's another factor at-large in this type of discussion, and that is interpretation. I often prefer fresher, with something new to say.

Thanks anyway.


----------



## Vaneyes

Klavierspieler said:


> Which one?


The first one.


----------



## Taneyev

About Franck, I just remember I've another great recording, better IMO than Cortot's, and it's Victor Aller & Hollywood SQ (1952). Not stereo, but really great. I can put it on ice for 10' and I'll have a fresher version.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk, Op. 29*


----------



## Vaneyes

Janacek: Piano Works with Firkusny et al, then Mahler: Symphony 4 with Roschmann/MahlerCO/Harding.

I haven't read a Janacek bio. I've suspected he used his Piano Works as private time for relaxation--compositional chances to withdraw from the sterner stuff. Lyrical versus abstract. It's the latter that make him in my estimation, the father of modern classical music. But it's the versatility that makes him one of the finest overall.

Harding builds M4 nicely, more detailed and intimate than most. Subsequent attacks are some of the strongest in this work's recordings. Essential.

View attachment 5757
View attachment 5758


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## Vaneyes

Odnoposoff said:


> About Franck, I just remember I've another great recording, better IMO than Cortot's, and it's Victor Aller & Hollywood SQ (1952). Not stereo, but really great. I can put it on ice for 10' and I'll have a fresher version.


What? Greater than the previous great? Caution may be needed with your "greats".


----------



## Taneyev

Well, both versions are excelent. Cortot's poetical and supple, Aller's more precise and accentuate. The sound of course much better.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin* manifestations, performed by Amoyel, then Mustonen.

View attachment 5759
View attachment 5760


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## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 6: Symphony no. 4 "The Romantic": The symphony and the recording which first really sold me on Bruckner.


----------



## Arsakes

Shostakovitch: 
- Trio for Violin, Cello & Piano No.2 (Op.67)
Schumann:
- Overture: Die Braut von Messina (Op. 100)


----------



## opus55

Still trying to get more acquated with operas. There has to be one opera that hooks me in.

Sampling these on Spotify, not committed to listening in entirety


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> Still trying to get more acquated with operas. There has to be one opera that hooks me in.
> 
> Sampling these on Spotify, not committed to listening in entirety


Have you tried Carmen mate? - it's a good one plus you probably already know a lot of the music in it


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm finally listening to something _other_ than Wagner's _Trsitan und Isolde._ His symphony in C major. A lot of people have dubbed Brahms' first as "Beethoven's tenth" but I think that _this_ symphony is definitely more along the lines of Beethoven. A real Beethovenian symphony this is. I've only heard it once before a few years ago and I quite enjoyed it. An underrated symphony quite remarkably written by a nineteen year old!


----------



## Taneyev

Still the A:

Alabiev Alexander: string quartet 2

Antheil George: string quartet 2

Aulin Tor; son.violin&piano


----------



## clavichorder

Farewell Symphony(45). This is such an ingenious symphony, the 1st movement is amazingly tight thematically.


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> Have you tried Carmen mate? - it's a good one plus you probably already know a lot of the music in it


I heard highlights before but not the whole thing.

Now listening to Carmen:


----------



## maestro267

*Maxwell Davies*: Symphony No. 1
BBC Philharmonic/Peter Maxwell Davies


----------



## Arsakes

Schumann: Symphony No. 3 and 4

R.V.Williams: Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus


----------



## mitchflorida

Sibelius Symphony 2 and Neeme Jarvi

In fact, anything by Sibelius and Jarvi


----------



## NightHawk

Heard a live performance (in mid 80's) of this work by a NY group that did a great job, but they weren't famous and still aren't, so far as I know. In any case, the work made such an impression that I have never been without a recording of it since that time. I finally ordered the score from Dover very recently, and it always amazes me how often a work looks so simplistic on the page and yet, is very powerful and in this case, very profound. This unorthodox instrumentation 2,1,2 is a big part of the richness. Having the extra cello to anchor the lowest notes, it leaves the first cello free to soar through its tremendous range (using all four clefs!) and of course, a quintet allows for so many variants of doublings. This work has been called 'the greatest piece of chamber music ever written' by more than one critic - which brings to mind the Beethoven Quartets Opp. 130 and 131, particularly, and lends a whole lot of weight to the comment. Many might disagree - I personally don't bother to quantify it beyond the fact that it is beautiful in every aspect, and was a life changing musical experience for me. Schubert, who is much appreciated by TC, was a great genius, and though The Trout Quintet is more popular in some ways, it is an example of his early maturity - this posthumously published (he never heard it) C major Quintet D. 956 is the work of a genius working at the top of his Art. Highly, highly recommended - many good recordings out there, btw. This is one:


----------



## Sonata

Corelli concerti grossi 5&6, then Alwyn's Lyra Angelica for the first time.


----------



## NightHawk

I am a fan of Janacek though I'm not very familiar with many of his works. The Mahler Fourth Symphony, however, is a work I listen to often. It is my favorite Mahler Symphony, the first movement alone is so lightly beautiful and is a relief from the titanic first movements of his other symphonies, _which I do love_ - but it is the theme and variations of the third movement, the 'Ruhevoll', which gets me way down deep. The symphony is performed by Szell and Cleveland *****, and the Songs of the Wayfarer with Von Stade is with the London Phil., (on same Essential Classics album) and it is maybe my favorite recording of that work, though Janet Baker's is really, really fine, as well).











Vaneyes said:


> Janacek: Piano Works with Firkusny et al, then Mahler: Symphony 4 with Roschmann/MahlerCO/Harding.
> 
> I haven't read a Janacek bio. I've suspected he used his Piano Works as private time for relaxation--compositional chances to withdraw from the sterner stuff. Lyrical versus abstract. It's the latter that make him in my estimation, the father of modern classical music. But it's the versatility that makes him one of the finest overall.
> 
> Harding builds M4 nicely, more data
> i
> led and intimate than most. Subsequent attacks are some of the strongest in this work's recordings. Essential.
> 
> View attachment 5757
> View attachment 5758


----------



## NightHawk

The problem with most opera (I didn't say 'all') is that you have to listen through a lotta 'yada yada' to get to the next cogent passage of music, whether it be aria, ensemble, chorus or interlude. I don't really like Verdi all that much except for 'Otello' and 'Falstaff' (heresy, I know), La Triviata leaves me cold. The Delibes has the wonderful Soprano/Mezzo duo in the first act, but the rest, only a spot here and there that are really good. This amplifies Gluck and Mozart's achievement (and also Wagner in some works) in being able to wrestle the ungainly requirements of a plot and action into strong 'formal' statements, so that the entire scene, act or work sounds 'of a piece' and not like a schizophrenic English Ballad Opera. Just my op. 



opus55 said:


> Still trying to get more acquated with operas. There has to be one opera that hooks me in.
> 
> Sampling these on Spotify, not committed to listening in entirety


----------



## NightHawk

Many have problems with Callas' _Carmen_, I'm not one of them. I find it to be rich, eccentric and electrifying. Callas had lost her top notes by this time, and lost no time mourning the fact. She took this mezzo role, and in keeping with her way of working, used only a formidable study of the score's indications to create her anti-heroine. I think the result is fantastic.

On the other hand, a more elegant, yet consummately beautiful recording is with Rise Stevens in the title role, and Jan Peerce as Don Jose.











opus55 said:


> I heard highlights before but not the whole thing.
> 
> Now listening to Carmen:


----------



## Ravndal

liszt - hungarian rhapsy no2 horowitz arr.

played by lang lang


----------



## Taneyev

Why Lang and not Horowitz?.


----------



## opus55

NightHawk said:


> The problem with most opera (I didn't say 'all') is that you have to listen through a lotta 'yada yada' to get to the next cogent passage of music, whether it be aria, ensemble, chorus or interlude. ...


That is precisely my problem with many operas that I've tried. I don't care much about the story or lyrics in any music. For vocal music, I prefer church music, orchestral songs and lieders.

Now listening to:

Handel: Water Music
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht.*

This is my second listen to Artems Quartet. I'm still very impressed. They play it like it is: a late-romantic tone poem, very passionately, but without muddying the leading ideas as they move over the accompaniment.


----------



## clavichorder

Telemann Ouvertures. This one I'm listening to is particularly entertaining and quirky, lots of musical jokes.

Anyway, I've decided this: the music of Telemann gives me this lovely impression of seeing a short and entertaining play in a small and intimate theater.


----------



## beeh

Please Check out this piece i have been scoring

__
https://soundcloud.com/tommyb52%2Famour-avec-conceptual


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas with Bavouzet (Vol. 3), then String Quartets, Opp. 54 & 74 with Endellion Qt.

View attachment 5770
View attachment 5771


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky's first symphony again


----------



## Conor71

*Bizet: Carmen*

Now listening to this great Opera - excellent performance!. After this I will listen to Shostakovich for the rest of the day starting with Symphony No. 15 and then possibly moving on to the 7th and 13th.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Keyboard Suites, 2 and 3
Weber: Clarinet Quintet


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem* (Klemperer)
Very great indeed


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

NightHawk- The problem with most opera (I didn't say 'all') is that you have to listen through a lotta 'yada yada' to get to the next cogent passage of music, whether it be aria, ensemble, chorus or interlude. I don't really like Verdi all that much except for 'Otello' and 'Falstaff' (heresy, I know), La Triviata leaves me cold. The Delibes has the wonderful Soprano/Mezzo duo in the first act, but the rest, only a spot here and there that are really good.

The "problem" with opera is that it is not "pure music" but rather a form of musical theater. Like string quartets, or lieder, or Renaissance madrigals... or "classical music" in general, it demands a degree of effort on the part of the audience to be fully appreciated. As theater, the best way to first come to an appreciation of opera is to attend a number of operas in person. The second-best option is to watch a quality video/film version of an opera. I first came to opera through the classic Zeffirelli film of _La Traviata_, with Placido Domingo and Theresa Stratas. This experience immediately aroused my further interest. Shortly thereafter I attended a live performance of _Aida_. To this day I vividly remember the scene of the grandiose march in which gifts were presented to the Egyptian Pharaoh. As the peak of this march two tigers were brought across the stage and I thought, "My God! What more can they possibly do?!" And then suddenly two elephants were brought forth just as the music reached a crescendo and the stage light were increased to such a degree that the entire scene seemed to rush forth in an almost visionary manner. From that time forth, I was completely seduced by this art form.

Opera can be appreciated solely in terms of the music. Considering that I have over 100 opera recordings that I have yet to have listened to, stored neatly in a box that I am slowly working through... I will estimate that I have anywhere between 200 and 300 opera recordings on CD. But of course I am an opera fanatic... and have always been a fanatic of vocal music over every other genre. Still the experience of opera as a total art form is an experience on a different level altogether, and a quality production makes it clear just how opera is much more than a collection of catchy tunes here and there.

Seriously, make every attempt to experience an opera in real life. Perhaps start with something immediately accessible such as Mozart's _Magic Flute, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni, or Le nozze di Figaro_; Verdi's _La Traviata_, or _Aida_, Puccini's _Madame Butterfly_ or _La Boheme_, Bizet's _Carmen_, Rossini's _Barber of Seville_ or _Cinderella_; Donizetti's _Lucia di Lammermoor_ or _L'elisir d'amore_, Bellini's _I Capuleti e i Montecchi_ or _La sonnambula_; Humperdick's _Hansel and Gretel_; Johann Strauss' _Die Fledermaus_; Richard Strauss' _Salome_; Gluck's _Orfeo et Euridice_; Offenbach's _Orphée aux enfers_ or _The Tales of Hoffmann_, etc... Wagner is a composer you may wish to wait on... so that later you can truly appreciate how revolutionary he really was. If you can't attend any of these... look for performances of these on DVD... or even on Netflix or YouTube.

:tiphat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent much of today in my studio working on my latest painting. While working I listened to the following:














































Later this evening I gave a second listen to the Saint-Saens disc and then this:










I've been avoiding opera in the studio in order not to irritate my old curmudgeon of a studio mate... but screw him. He's been playing this disc of Gershwin piano works so much that I've come to hate it, so tomorrow I think it's Wagner or Strauss... or perhaps that new disc of _Wozzeck_ that just arrived.


----------



## Arsakes

Duke Ellington? I thought he composed Jazz!

Listening to J. Strauss II: 
- Erinnerung an Covent Garden - waltz, Op.329
- Overture to the operetta 'The Gypsy Baron' (Der Zigeunerbaron)


----------



## Taneyev

Beginning the B, most famous letter from composers:

Bach: cello suites 4 to 6 transcribed to solo violin. Bernard Chevalier violin.

Sven Erick Bäck (1919/94). String quartet 2. Berwald quartet.

Woldemar Bargiel (1828/97).Piano trio Nº 3 op.37. Trio Parnassus.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Odnoposoff said:


> Beginning the B, most famous letter from composers:
> 
> Bach: cello suites 4 to 6 transcribed to solo violin. Bernard Chevalier violin.
> 
> Sven Erick Bäck (1919/94). String quartet 2. Berwald quartet.
> 
> Woldemar Bargiel (1828/97).Piano trio Nº 3 op.37. Trio Parnassus.


I have some suggestions for composers starting with *L *that I can recommend.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 4.*

Gardiner produces a sprightly, fleet of foot version, but not without musicality. Maybe it lacks the gravitas of the older conductors, but it is interesting, clear, and well-recorded.


----------



## Ravndal

Odnoposoff said:


> Why Lang and not Horowitz?.


Because i bought the "Lang Lang, Liszt Now" documentary. After i saw that movie, i began to love the way lang plays liszt


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Duke Ellington? I thought he composed Jazz!

The difference between jazz and Ravel or Debussy or even Schubert is no greater than the difference between those same composers and a Renaissance madrigal or Medieval plainchant. "Classical music" is not a genre or style (it's made up of an endless array of genre and styles) but rather a value judgment... not unlike the terms "Old Masters" used in referring to art, or "the Classics" or "Classic Literature" when referring to writing. Ultimately the music of any genre or style which survives for generations and continues to resonate with an audience are the "classics". There is no logical reason that we can think of George Gershwin's "Summertime" (which is clearly a jazz "standard") as "classical music" because it was written as part of an opera, while Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" should be imagined as something less.


----------



## Taneyev

I've just begin with the alphabet. Let me some time!.


----------



## Taneyev

Ravndal said:


> Because i bought the "Lang Lang, Liszt Now" documentary. After i saw that movie, i began to love the way lang plays liszt


I believe you will love more the way Horowitz plays Horowitz.


----------



## Sonata

Scarlatti keyboard sonatas. Pleasant ear candy while I study.


----------



## Arsakes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Duke Ellington? I thought he composed Jazz!
> 
> The difference between jazz and Ravel or Debussy or even Schubert is no greater than the difference between those same composers and a Renaissance madrigal or Medieval plainchant. "Classical music" is not a genre or style (it's made up of an endless array of genre and styles) but rather a value judgment... not unlike the terms "Old Masters" used in referring to art, or "the Classics" or "Classic Literature" when referring to writing. Ultimately the music of any genre or style which survives for generations and continues to resonate with an audience are the "classics". There is no logical reason that we can think of George Gershwin's "Summertime" (which is clearly a jazz "standard") as "classical music" because it was written as part of an opera, while Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" should be imagined as something less.


Yeah, differences between those are small..
And I'm a fan of Ellington and Silver myself.


----------



## Arsakes

Currently and before..
Haydn:
Symphony No.53 'L'Imperiale'
Symphony No.55 'Der Schulmeister'
Symphony No.60 'Il Distratto' (very fantastic one)


----------



## maestro267

*Maxwell Davies*: Mavis in Las Vegas
BBC Philharmonic/Maxwell Davies

*MacMillan*: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
Currie (percussion)/Ulster Orchestra/Yuasa


----------



## Vaneyes

*Saint-Saens*: Piano Concerti 2 & 5 with Thibaudet/SRO/Dutoit, then Violin Concerto 3 with Kantorow/Tapiola Sinf./Bakels.

View attachment 5787
View attachment 5788


----------



## luismsoaresmartins

Amazing!


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Pierre Fournier's (1906 - 1986) birthday, sampling Don Quixote recorded with BPO/Karajan (rec. 1965).

View attachment 5794


----------



## Sid James

Some of the weekend's listening. Starting off with a *George Benson* album (details of that, plus all the rest in duplicate, on my blog on this forum).










Then, a cd of *Offenbach overtures *with von Karajan conducting. These all have similar format, of an introduction, followed by various solos from the orchestra, and eventually getting to a big orchestral tutti at the end, with the obligatory can-can. The most famous one is _Orpheus in the Underworld_. Quite a lot of fun, and the cd was topped off by the more lyrical _Barcarolle_ from Offenbach's only opera, _The Tales of Hoffmann_.










Then, continuing with French music, some concertos by *Saint-Saens*, whose music does have a fair bit of the whimsy of Offenbach.

Firsly, his *two cello concertos*, played by Maria Kliegel. The first concerto looks back to the Classical Era, and the middle movement is in the form of a minuet (but not marked as such). The second concerto is in the Romantic tradition, more virtuoso and emotionally expressive. Both are very thematically unfied and use chamber orchestra accompaniment, so they are quite intimate.










Then,* two of his piano concertos *from this Decca Eloquence set. Like the cello concertos, these are thematically very unified, showing strong influence of Liszt in that way, but also others like Beethoven, Weber and Chopin.

The *Piano Concerto #2 *is a warhorse, starting off with a Bachian cadenza, with a whimsical scherzo in the middle movement, and a dance-like finale.

The _*Piano Concerto #5 'Egyptian' *_reads like a travel diary of the composer, the middle movement having a tune based on a song he heard in Cairo sung by boatmen on the Nile, and also a fascinating one minute sequence in which the piano copies the sounds of gamelan, accompanied by strings and a bass clarinet. What an ear for capturing these exotic sounds Saint-Saens had!

The second concerto was played by Bella Davidovich and the fifth was played by Magda Tagliaferro.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 1: Symphony 3 "Sinfonia Espansiva" and Symphony 2 "The Four Temperments"

I'm quite sold on Nielsen. I will surely be delving further into his music... starting quite likely with vol. 2 of "The Masterworks":










I began the day painting in my studio with Pergolesi's marvelous _Stabat Mater_:










His untimely death was surely one of the greatest losses in classical music. _The Stabat Mater_ is of a "simplicity" and clarity that suggest Mozart more than the Baroque... in spite of the fact that the year of his death (1736) is 14 years before the death of J.S. Bach, 20 years before the birth of Mozart, and Haydn was but 4 years old.










Some truly magnificent performances of Wagner with Deborah Voigt, Natalie Dessay, Placido Domingo, and Antonio Pappano conducting the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This is Wagner performed/recorded under ideal modern recording conditions (and beautifully... intensely performed) so that it truly reveals the magnificence of his orchestration. The singers are not bad either. Indeed... I was so impressed with the passages from _Tristan und Isolde_ that this complete performance with Pappano and Domingo has become my 4th recording of this masterpiece:


----------



## Sonata

Cantata 82, my favorite of the very few cantatas I know (the others being #199 on the same disc, as well as #158, #56, 147, #80, and #140)


----------



## opus55

Bartok: String Quartets
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade


----------



## Arsakes

Balakirev: - Overture On Three Russian Themes
- Symphonic Poem «Russia»
- Overture On A Spanish March Theme


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations










Listened to the first disc played on Graf fortepiano last night and now I'm listening to the second disc containing the modern piano version. I must say that I like the modern piano much better.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Nikolai Medtner* - _Piano Sonata_, Op. 22 (Emil Gilels).

*Vladmir Horowitz*:

*Frédéric Chopin* - _Mazurka_, Op. 30, No. 4. _Etudes_, Op. 10, No's 5, 8. _Ballade_, No. 1, Op. 23.
*Claude Debussy* - _Children's Corner_, No. 3: _Serenade for the Doll_.
*Moritz Moszkowski* - _Etudes_, Op. 72, No's 6, 11.
*Robert Schumann* - _Kinderszenen_, Op. 15 (Complete).
*Franz Liszt* - _Années de pèlerinage; Première année: Suisse_, No. 4: _Au bord d'une source_.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: English Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806*

Listened to some Bach today - this morning I played Klemperers Mass In B Minor twice. A good old-school interpretation! I really like the soloists and choir in this version. Now I am playing Disc 1 of this excellent set of the English Suites - this is a nice interpretation played on a Harpsichord. I prefer Bach's keyboard works played on the Harpsichord in general but I do like some versions on Piano as well (thinking of Glenn Gould and Richter here!).


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Toccata & Fugue In D Minor, BWV 565*

The English suites Disc finished (and very sweet it was!) and now I am listening to Disc 1 of this Organ works set - I really like this one. The versions of BWV 565 & 582 in this box are awesome - now listening to the Fugue of BWV 565, Bach doesnt get any better than this!


----------



## MaestroViolinist

I have actually been listening to a Master Class on Beethoven's Romance in G major. The person giving the master class is Zakhar Bron. It is great! (Both the piece and the master class  )


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major 'Trout'

Thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Taneyev

B continue:

BARTOS Jan Zdenek: concerto da camara for viola and orchestra.

BERNSTEIN Charles Harold; "Alanal" string quartet. Los Angeles SQ

BLISS Sir Arthur.Son.for viola and piano, Emanuel Vardi.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling two new releases.

Here's a candidate for "nice" LvB--Dudamel's Eroica with Simon Bolivar SO. No drama, no attacks, no nothing. Give it a pass. I could go on a rant about many of DG's releases the past few years, but I'll restrain myself.

View attachment 5798


Over the years, I've liked more than a fair amount of Francois-Frederic Guy's output. In particular, his LvB Cello Sonatas with Gastinel.

These LvB Piano Sonatas have largely disappointed. Volume 2 will be the heart 'n soul of his Zig Zag series, with a heaping-helping of LvB's big guns. Sadly, Guy comes across as placid, laid back, most of the time. This temperament is not new to Guy. He's had bouts of placidness throughout his recording career. On the commendation side for this 3-CD set, Opp. 54, 78, 79 stand out. The focus displayed in these should've been evident throughout. Thusly, this series is doomed for top-shelf consideration.

View attachment 5797


----------



## Vaneyes

TheProudSquire said:


> Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major 'Trout'
> 
> Thoroughly enjoyed it.


Who filleted this one?


----------



## Vesteralen

Ives has never been my favorite, but I sort of like this.


----------



## Taneyev

Try Fournier-Schnabel.


----------



## opus55

Streaming WFMT, Chicago based classical FM radio channel, on my notebook while working. I think I just missed Nielsen's Flute Concerto which I've been wanting to hear.

Ibert: Escales, Previn with LAPO
Next Ravel: Sonatine, Leon Fleisher


----------



## Klavierspieler

Medtner - Violin Sonata No. 3 "Epica"

Oistrach/Goldenweiser

I love this piece.


----------



## Vesteralen

Odnoposoff said:


> Try Fournier-Schnabel.


Thanks, but I'm not sure I like it that much that I need to hear another version (even if it *is* superior).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Piano Quintets with Domus; Piano Quartets with Nash; Piano Trio with Florestan.

Largely sunny day music. Many colors. Of course, under the skin of a composer a Maytag often churns. Listen for undercurrents.

View attachment 5801
View attachment 5802
View attachment 5803


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in Bb, Op. 6/11 (1690)*
Corelli's set of Concerti Grosso seem to get better with age. I'm not sure how spaced apart these were written (I don't think anyone knows), but there seems to be more maturity here. The slow movements are more beautiful, the dances more elegant. I had my reservations about the set in the beginning, but these are turning out to be a wonderful bunch of pieces.

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 15 (1833)*
Chopin's second set of nocturnes appear to be less lyrical and more absorbed in figuration than his earlier efforts. Each nocturne has the distinction of starting out calm, before diverging into a stormier middle section. Chopin (or perhaps it's the pianist), also has the remarkable ability to sound both lightweight, and profound. Overall, beautiful works.

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor (1882)*
I don't know why my expectations were low for this piece. Whenever it's mentioned, it's mentioned with praise, but it is after all a work seldom discussed. However, having lower expectations turned out to be a blessing, as I was completely blown away by this trio. This is hands down my favorite piece by the composer, and perhaps my favorite work in the genre. Yes, it's big, flashy, and melodramatic, but there's also a tenderness and naivete at its heart. Everything about the work also seems to be unique; for one thing it's a piece for piano and strings, a combination Tchaikovsky rarely wrote in. It's also cast in two large 20 minute movements, the first in sonata form, the second a theme and variations. While most piano trios require the piano to ease back to let the other voices sing, here the piano is loud, booming, enveloping the other instruments in its sound as they struggle to get out. But my favorite aspect of the piece is the perfect combination of Tchaikovsky's melodramatic side, and his channeling of Mozart (ala _Serenade for Strings_, and _Rococo Variations_). The work can go from blazingly lyrical, to complex counterpoint in a second, reach incredible highs, to devastating lows in a heartbeat. A really wonderful piece, and highly recommended.

*Claude Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande (1902)*
This is the last of the Debussy in my collection, and while the phrase 'saving the best for last' might be a stretch, it's a small stretch. Debussy takes after Wagner, giving the orchestra all the emotional importance, and leaving the voices to merely dictate in tune. Bizarrely, the plot moves pretty slowly, yet it all takes place over a few months, and a lot happens. But even the plot takes a backseat to the music, which is just heavenly. It all gets better as it progresses too, and I didn't think it could get much better then the closing of Act IV, and then I heard the opening of Act V. One of the things I liked, and like about Debussy in general, is that he holds off on bombast, creating as much tension as possible, as heard in the two title characters declaration of love. The work is also very cohesive, using the same motifs throughout, though not really developing them, so much as putting them in different contexts. In the end, a beautiful work, and one of my favorite operas so far.

*Elliott Carter: String Quartet #2 (1960)*
Twice as short as the first quartet, this piece still packs a punch, and perhaps has a little more to offer. Divided into many sections but cast as one movement, the players are instructed to sit as far apart from each other as possible, so as to give the impression that they're each playing different pieces. Over the 25 minute duration, the instruments slowly come together, but not before creating as much tension as possible. Each instrument is given a 'cadenza' though the violin is the only one to truly play unaccompanied, towards the end of the quartet. A heart breaking adagio, followed by a riveting allegro offers one of Carter's most satisfying conclusions. Though perhaps more cohesive, and containing more varied and attractive material, this doesn't quite reach the level of profundity that the first quartet achieves. Still, an admirable entry in the genre.

*Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet (1964)*
One of the first examples of aleatoric music, each player is given an entirely individual part, and given loose guidelines on the duration that their notes should be played. As a result, every performance is entirely unique. However, this also creates an issue with recordings, as of course the improvisatory quality is ruined upon a second listen. While I probably can't fully get a handle on the work until hearing it live, I was still very taken with this quartet. Though entirely acoustic, many of the techniques used foreshadow Crumb's _Black Angels_, and the mood itself evokes images of devastation, followed by a calm. Also like _Black Angels_, this is a work that you really have to be in the mood for, but when you are it's terribly effective. Overall a wonderful piece, but not for the faint of heart.

*Thomas Adès: Gefriolsae Me (1990)*
Thomas Adès wrote a slew of short choral works in the 90's, this being one of the earliest. At just three minutes, this is still quite a moving work. It creepily builds up to a climax at the middle of the piece, and at once gives the impression of being both atmospheric and lyrical. A cool little work from a composer still searching for his voice.


----------



## Vesteralen

Always a pleasure not to have to sit through recitative.

The music may be a bit underwhelming, but if you're in the mood for it...


----------



## Taneyev

Hoffmann wrote a just beautiful quintet for harp and strings. Really lovely.


----------



## Arsakes

For today...
Beethoven:
- Symphony No. 2, 3, 4
- Violin Concerto in D

Dvorak: Symphony No. 6

Mendelsohn: 
- Ruy Blas
- Violin Concerto


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## NightHawk

Today:

*Beethoven Symphonies No. 1 in C major 0p. 21*, and *No. 3 in Eb Op. 55 'Heroique' *
New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein.
Both recorded at the Manhattan Center in 1964.

These readings are, to play on Vaneyes' word (see Dudamel/Beethoven 3rd above), _passable_. They are accurate representations of the score by a fine orchestra and a talented conductor. The phrasing is what one might expect and the orchestra sounds surprisingly light on its feet, i.e. the Beethoven gets through unscathed.

Still looking for the most nearly perfect cycle recorded no earlier than 1960. Aside from Bernstein's cycle, I have vKarajan's 1972 cycle and John Eliot Gardiner's HIP cycle from the 90's and both are very good. What I want is a complete cycle that is more in the direction of Carlos Kleiber's recording of the 5th Symphony - illegally inspired throughout.


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## ProudSquire

Vaneyes said:


> Who filleted this one?


Oh, I couldn't possibly know, but I think you should consult Curzon and the members of the Amadeus quartet about it.


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## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Erwartung.*

Rattle's is suitably emotional and powerful. I still prefer Dorothy Dorow, but this is probably all-around (i.e., sound, orchestral playing) a superior recording.


----------



## clavichorder

I'm currently learning "The Queen's Alman." I love William Byrd so much, he's a new favorite.


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## clavichorder

And Purcell, another new favorite, his music really inspires me.


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## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: ASZ with BPO/HvK (rec. 1983). Reiner and Haitink have nice ways with this work, *also*.

A much-maligned piece since the 60's, thanks to acid heads and Stanley Kubrick.

View attachment 5807


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## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> Today:
> 
> *Beethoven Symphonies No. 1 in C major 0p. 21*, and *No. 3 in Eb Op. 55 'Heroique' *
> New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein.
> Both recorded at the Manhattan Center in 1964.
> 
> These readings are, to play on Vaneyes' word (see Dudamel/Beethoven 3rd above), _passable_. They are accurate representations of the score by a fine orchestra and a talented conductor. The phrasing is what one might expect and the orchestra sounds surprisingly light on its feet, i.e. the Beethoven gets through unscathed.
> 
> Still looking for the most nearly perfect cycle recorded no earlier than 1960. Aside from Bernstein's cycle, I have vKarajan's 1972 cycle and John Eliot Gardiner's HIP cycle from the 90's and both are very good. What I want is a complete cycle that is more in the direction of Carlos Kleiber's recording of the 5th Symphony - illegally inspired throughout.


Since the 80's, things got progressively leaner for LvB Symphonies, so Szell (Nos. 3 & 7, late 50's), HvK, Solti are the best bets for big-boned, 60's to 80's.

Szell in rehearsal with Cleveland.






Of recents, Paavo Jarvi & DKB I'm most impressed with. Good energy.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to (or should say, 'just finished writing' as I'm just about caught up with my posts!):

*Robert Schumann: Adagio and Allegro (1849)*
Schumann wrote a few short pieces for cello and piano between 1849-1851, each of them with merit. However, I found this one to be the least substantial. The music is passionate and pretty enough, but I would recommend _Fünf Stücke Im Volkston_, or _Märchenbilder_, for anyone interested in Schumann's efforts in the genre.

*Luciano Berio: Coro (1977)*
_Coro _is a large scale oratorio/song cycle, written for 40 vocal soloists, each paired with an instrument (plus an additional quartet, bringing a total force of 84 musicians). I was unable to find the text, let alone a translation of the work, but it turned out not to be entirely necessary. An hour long, with no stops (or even rests, I don't think), this was a lot to digest, and I'm having trouble figuring out where to begin in explaining it. For the most part, the vocalists sing folk tunes, or folk inspired tunes, while the instruments accompany in serialist evoking ways. Thus attractive, melodic material, is pitted against more angular, harsh accompaniment. Every musician is required to use extended technique, in a manner that recalls Berio's own _Sequenzas_. That, with wonderful combination of textures Berio creates from the ensemble, seems to be a mesh of his _Sequenzas_, _Folk Songs_, and _Sinfonia_; aspects all of his most notable works, forming into perhaps his greatest achievement. While listening, the best word I could think to describe this work was _bloody_. And sure enough, when I finally chanced upon a program I discovered this was piece was written with a coup in Chile in mind, and that one of the primary lines of text is "come and see blood in the streets." This is hauntingly powerful work, on par with Britten's _War Requiem_. It is at once beautiful, and terrifying, enchanting, and disturbing. If you have an open mind and an aptitude for new music, I strongly recommend this.

*John Adams: Tromba Lontana (1986)*
Famous for being a fanfare that barely rises above a mezzo-piano, _Tromba Lontana_, requires two offstage trumpeters to serenade the orchestra, as it slowly envelopes the soloists. Attractive enough material, it comes and goes too quickly to leave much of an impression.

*John Adams: The Chairman Dances (1986)*
I've never been particularly enchanted by Adams' earlier works, that is pre-_Chamber Symphony_, with the exception of _Grand Pianola Music_. Still, there is something charming about this work. Written as a warm up exercise for _Nixon in China, The Chairman Dances_ depicts Chairman Mao and his wife gate-crashing a presidential party and dancing for the guests. Reichian minimalism meets Hollywood cinema music, churning out some of Adams' most memorable material. While far from greatest effort, this is still a gem of a work.

*Thomas Adès: The Origin of the Harp (1994)*
Written in response to a painting, _The Origin of the Harp_, which actually doesn't feature a harp, is very picturesque indeed. Containing ten instrumentalists, on an assortment of woodwinds, strings, and malleted percussion, each note seems like the swish of a paintbrush. While there are some truly beautiful moments, this early work doesn't leave much of an impression.

*Thomas Adès: Sonata Da Caccia (1994)*
For harpsichord, oboe, and horn (all baroque period instruments), Adès uses the instrumentation for a sonata Debussy had intended on writing before his death, and takes inspiration from the suites of Couperin. This neo-baroque work is extremely accessible, and a lot of fun too. Ironically, while it was clearly meant in homage to French music, Adès' stretching of the baroque horn's valveless limits ends up recalling Britten's _Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings_, giving the work a distinctly English feel.


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## kv466




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## StlukesguildOhio

Spent the afternoon in the studio driving my studio mate nuts with my insane shifts in musical gears.

I started with Wagner...










... moved on to a little B.B. King...










... Johnny Cash...










... Iris Dement...










... and then back to Romanticism at its finest:










Now I'm listening to this:










Coming to this page as I listen to this music... and seeing the Schoenberg disc posted at the top of the page... my first thought is "Screw Schoenberg! Such a "serious" pedantic boring old f***! Now _this_ is music that is truly "out there"." _Divertissement_ sounds like Stravinsky went insane and hit the Parisian strip clubs with Kurt Weill, Fats Waller, and Spike Jones. _Escales_, on the other hand, paints an image of a sun-drenched French Mediterranean port seen through the rose-colored lenses of a grandiose Hollywood musical... complete with a Tunisian seductress engaged in a "dance of the seven veils" and a visit to old Valencia with its Gypsies and canastas. Truly irreverent and fun music that I cannot recommend enough. The perfect antidote for too much Wagner, Brahms, Mahler... and certainly Schoenberg.


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## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8










I had a long intermission (dinner) between movements I and II :lol:


----------



## Sid James

*Liszt*
_Hungarian Rhapsodies 
#1 in C Sharp Minor
#3 in B flat major
#6 in D flat major
Mephisto Waltz #1
Rakoczy March_
- London Festival Orch. (Rhapsodies 1, 3) ; Nuremberg SO (Rhapsody 6) ; Pavica Gvodzic, pno. (_Mephisto Waltz_) ; Philharmonia Slavonica (_Rakoczy March_) ; all orchestras cond. by Alfred Scholz (Point Classics cd)

It's been a while since I've heard this last. The rhapsodies sound as fresh as ever, and the beginning of the _Mephisto Waltz _sounded quite modern to my ears. But after that, there were so many notes in this work, I wonder what the guy who said that about Mozart would have thought of* Liszt*? Its one of Liszt's most difficult works to play, apparently.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Corelli's Violin Sonatas Op. 5


----------



## ProudSquire

Listening to Mozart's twenty second piano concerto.

Soloist: Ayako Uehara
Conductor: Fabio Luisi
Orchestra: Wiener Symphoniker

One of my favorites, I don't think I'll ever tire of it, well, maybe not anytime soon anyway.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - _Piano Concerti_, No. 2, Op. 18 (Rachmaninoff/Leopold Stowkowski/Philadelphia Orchestra), No. 3, Op. 30 (Rachmaninoff/Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra).
*Frédéric Chopin* - _Ballade_, No. 2, Op. 38 (Krystian Zimerman).


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Works for SQ by Dvořák played by Vlach Quartet Prague, which I have been collecting their gradual release of the complete Dvořák SQ. This one has the song cycle _Cypresses_ set for SQ.


----------



## Taneyev

Still on B:

BLOCH: Suite Hebraique for violin&piano 

BOTTESINI: string quartet op.4 Nº2. Elisa quartet 

BRUCH: Septet for woods and strings (1849, 11 years old)


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## NightHawk

This morning, now:

*Beethoven Variations for Piano Trio Op. 44* - Ashkenazy, Perlman, Harrell. vol 2 of the complete Pna Trios.

Written in the year he moved to Vienna, 1792, but not published until 1804, these variations are new to me and certainly point toward the importance of variations in his career (21 sets, total) culminating in the Eroica Variations and the daunting 33 Variations on a Theme by Diabelli for piano solo. They are based on a theme from an opera by the older Carl Dittersdorf and are a nice inclusion to this collection of B's work in the genre.

The performers are all great solo artists and make good chamber music, but, in my opinion do not play as well together as professional trios such as The Beaux Arts Trio (now retired), or the Borodin. The two most admired piano trios, 'the Ghost' Op. 70 and 'the Archduke' Op. 97 are lacking in depth of performance as compared to The Beaux Arts. Still, both volumes are a bargain and are most certainly worthy to be collected.


----------



## Vesteralen

Snare drum ending to Symphony No 3 mildly reminiscent of Nielsen's 5th.









Very enjoyable music - beginning my survey of New World Records.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Claudio Abbado's (b. 1933) birthday, playing *Stravinsky*'s Jeu de cartes.

View attachment 5810


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## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: String Quartets with Tempera Qt (rec. 2004). A delightful three-volume journey, written 1885 - 1922.

View attachment 5811
View attachment 5812
View attachment 5813


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## Quartetfore

Norbert Burgmuller Quartet #2 op7. Avery enjoyable mid 19th century work. Burgmuller (1810-36) was very well regarded by both Schumann and Mendelssohn, and died in a drowning at a spa in Aachen Germany.


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## Vesteralen

Salinen seems to have gone through a Nielsen/Sibelius Multitonal period, then to a slightly more experimental period, then back to a style even more accessible than his earliest work if the Sixth Symphony is any indication.

Overall, though, a very interesting composer. Glad I got this set out.


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## maestro267

*Parry*: Symphony No. 5 in B minor (Symphonic Fantasia 1912)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bamert


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## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Selected Preludes and Etudes. *Scriabin*: Selected Preludes and Etudes, Impromptu 2, Op. 12, Sonata 3, with Sofronitsky (rec. 1946 - 1951).

View attachment 5815


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## Quartetfore

Vaneyes, I have a recording of th Op4 quartet played by the "Young Danish Quartet", very nice work and very well played. Do you know the Berwald Quartets? In the first movement of Sibelius work there seems to be a quote from a Berwald Quartet--I think that it is from the second Berwald work. I wonder if Sibelius had heard the Berwald quartet at one time or another.
In the program note for the Berwald quartets, there is a claim that they are the equal of Mendelssohn. I don`t think so at all.


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## Vaneyes

*Holst*: The Perfect Fool, Egdon Heath, with LSO/Previn, then The Planets with ASO/Levi.

A link for those who would like to explore other compositions...

http://www.gustavholst.info/compositions/

View attachment 5816
View attachment 5817


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## Vaneyes

Quartetfore said:


> Vaneyes, I have a recording of th Op4 quartet played by the "Young Danish Quartet", very nice work and very well played. Do you know the Berwald Quartets? In the first movement of Sibelius work there seems to be a quote from a Berwald Quartet--I think that it is from the second Berwald work. I wonder if Sibelius had heard the Berwald quartet at one time or another.
> In the program note for the Berwald quartets, there is a claim that they are the equal of Mendelssohn. I don`t think so at all.


Thanks for your post, Quartetfore. I've spent quite a bit of time with the Berwald Symphonies, three or four conductors...but almost none with his chamber music. I dabbled and didn't hear enough to interest me further. I eventually had heard enough of the Symphonies, also.

I didn't know of Berwald/Sibelius connection, but I wouldn't be surprised. Nor would I for other later borrowings.


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## kv466




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## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Valses nobles et sentimentales, with Pogo. Then, Jeux d' eau with Crossley.

View attachment 5818
View attachment 5819


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## maestro267

*Berlioz*: Requiem
London Philharmonic Choir/Symphony Chorus/Symphony Orchestra/Colin Davis (on Radio 3)


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## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Chandos Anthems, then Solomon.*


----------



## Sid James

Orchestral versions of some *Piazzolla* tangos and songs, as well as his _Concerto for Bandoneon and Orchestra _(the bandoneon is the Argentinian button accordion). That work had two outer more sprightly movements encasing a soulful inner slow movement. I enjoyed this disc but I much prefer Piazzolla's music in smaller scale, eg. chamber, format. Daniel Binelli was on bandoneon in the concerto, and the cd featured the Orquesta Estable del Teatro Colon of Argentina with Jose Carli conducting. The arrangements where by Carli and Jose Bragato, that for the concerto was by the composer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Works for SQ by Dvořák played by Vlach Quartet Prague, which I have been collecting their gradual release of the complete Dvořák SQ. This one has the song cycle _Cypresses_ set for SQ.


I'm currently toying with possibilities for a complete cycle of the Dvorak Quartets. I recently picked up a recording of the Guarneri Quartet doing the late quartets on Newton...










... and already have the Amadeus Quarter recording of the same late quartets. How do you like the Vlach?


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## opus55

Mozart: Adante and Variations for Four Hands in G Major, K. 501
Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 No. 5 and 6


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## Arsakes

Dvorak: Symphony No. 5

Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini

Nielsen: Symphony No. 5


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## StlukesguildOhio

This afternoon (OK... technically yesterday afternoon) I listened to the following:




























My belligerent old studio mate kept yelling out during Ibert's _Divertissements_, "What the hell is this?! Bugs Bunny?! Turn it off!!" Funny that something 100 years old could continue to shock and offend. Of course he's one of those tied-in-the-wool Romantics who imagines that the only art of any merit is that which exhibits "sturm und drang"... tragedy. The irreverent wit and mocking satire of Ibert was too much for him to take.

More to his taste was the second selection including Strauss _Ein Heldenleben_ and Mahler's _Symphony no. 6_. I absolutely loved the Mahler... but to be honest I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around this symphony. The Andante is exquisite... but much of the rest has not grabbed yet to the same extent as Mahler's other symphonies.

I then popped in the Strauss operetta, _The Gypsy Baron_... but I must admit I didn't get far. On the floor beneath my studio a couple morons started blasting hip-hop. I ended in calling the landlord, but if the situation repeats itself, I suspect the "Walking Tall" solution with a Louisville Slugger may be in order.:devil:

Returning home I continued with Ibert... listening to disc 2. Nothing else as outrageous as the _Divertissements_, but some truly lovely music still.

I finished the evening with disc 1 from this set:










Again, I'm not a big string quartet fan... but these are quite marvelous... and richly played/recorded.


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## opus55

Elgar: Cockaigne Overture










I'm in mood for more music but too bad I have to go to bed.


----------



## Badinerie

A touch of the old Ravel. Daphnis et Chloé. Ansermet Decca SPA 230.
Cant find a decent cover pic!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Currently listening to Aramis singing "Der Hölle Rache"


----------



## aleazk

The second Cd.









78 minutes of micropolyphony 

I turn off the lights...


----------



## Mordred

Love a Bit of old school. Brahms 4th. Does anyone else out there find the triangle a touch irritating though??


----------



## Taneyev

Still B (last)

BOWEN Yorkhantasy quintet, clarinet&strings.

BRITTEN: String quartet D major (1931, "quartet Nº0")

BUSONI: violin sonata Nº2


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mordred said:


> View attachment 5826
> 
> Brahms 4th. Does anyone else out there find the triangle a touch irritating though??


I can't believe you said that! Okay, yeah, I do. 

I'm following Stluke's lead and listening to Ibert's Divertissement, then the music of Carl Ruggles.


----------



## science

Highlights of the last two days:










A recent purchase. I went in with low expectations, like this: Chopin? Songs? _Chopin?_

Well, very pleasant surprise. Everything about this disk was good. Why didn't Chopin compose more songs?










Recently I decided, I'm such a big fan of Jarrett the jazz musician, why don't I give his classical stuff another chance?

Jarrett was ok; Petri and Handel knocked me out. One of my new favorite disks, I believe.










I had Drury's version, which I very happily recommend because it includes a recording of the original song that the variations are based on. But I'm becoming somewhat passionate about Hamelin, so when I saw this in the shop...

Hamelin plays it at least as well as Drury, of course, but I need to listen to them together to make better comparisons. But what a fine work this is! I loved it before, and whether it was Hamelin's playing or just hearing it again, I found even more to love this time, and - if you haven't heard it already, and you're at all open to the classical music of our times, give this masterpiece a shot. Super-imaginative variations, ridiculous virtuosity, fun, beauty, a range of mood, everything you could want.










I believe this is Kronos Q's first album. The Sculthorpe is, for me, the highlight, but the famous Hendrix transcription is a pleasure.










I love Scarlatti, and surely anyone would. I'm partial to him on harpsichord, but I could never fault Horowitz at all, and if I understand correctly we owe him a debt of gratitude for popularizing (as things go) Scarlatti. Anyway, lovely music.










With no special effort, I'm winding up with a regular bevy of Mahler 2s. Didn't listen to this very closely, but it pleased me enough of course. I might comment more after a close listening.


----------



## Quartetfore

Vaneyes, My mistake, its the Carl Nielsen #3 op14 Quartet that has the Berwald quote. Of course this makes more sense than the Sibelius Op4. I did play the Sibelius work today, I like it even though it sort of falls off in the last movement.


----------



## Vesteralen

Reminding me why I like JC Bach.


----------



## NightHawk

The Lupu/Perahia collaboration is fantastic. Another great collaboration they made is: Mozart Sonata for 2 Pianos in D Major, K. 448 and Schubert: Fantasia for Piano, 4 Hands in F Minor, D 940- both Mozart and Schubert are wonderful, but the Schubert will mesmerize.



opus55 said:


> Mozart: Adante and Variations for Four Hands in G Major, K. 501
> Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 No. 5 and 6


----------



## NightHawk

Don't forget, there are two JCBachs - Johann Christian and Johann Christoph, both sons of JSBach. If I haven't gotten my Christians and Christophs mixed up, Johann Christian was known as 'the London Bach' and was the most influential composer on Mozart's early piano concerto development. I believe 4 or so piano sonatas of Johann Christian were orchestrated as concertos by Mozart as his very first forays into the genre.



Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5840
> 
> 
> Reminding me why I like JC Bach.


----------



## NightHawk

The Schumann/Brahms Triangle? Hmm, frustrating, maybe. I don't really know enough about that particular situation to know if it's irritating. If I've missed your point entirely, I won't be surprised.



Mordred said:


> View attachment 5826
> 
> Love a Bit of old school. Brahms 4th. Does anyone else out there find the triangle a touch irritating though??


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> The Schumann/Brahms Triangle? Hmm, frustrating, maybe. I don't really know enough about that particular situation to know if it's irritating. If I've missed your point entirely, I won't be surprised.


It's in the third movement, and it pops up a couple times just to add color. But it's not part of Brahms' usual orchestral bag of tricks, so it's always stood out to me obtrusively.

Anyway, I'm going through Gardiner's recording of *Brahms' 4th.* I really like this. He plays fast, but when called for, he's not afraid to slow down or to be expressive. His Schutz selections, on the other hand, are a disappointment. For these, he slows them down - more so than his previous recording of his works. So he's ended up with Brahms sounding more lively than Schutz!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Machaut, Motets and Music from the Ivrea Codex*

This is part Machaut, part anonymous. It's music full of harmonic twists - if you can call Ars Nova music harmonic; it's more linear - and subtle rhythmic shifts. The Clerks' Group always sounds better with one to a part, and they sound great on this one.


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## opus55

NightHawk said:


> The Lupu/Perahia collaboration is fantastic. Another great collaboration they made is: Mozart Sonata for 2 Pianos in D Major, K. 448 and Schubert: Fantasia for Piano, 4 Hands in F Minor, D 940- both Mozart and Schubert are wonderful, but the Schubert will mesmerize.


And I do have that other recording! I haven't yet carefully listened to Schubert one though.

Currently listening to..

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> BRITTEN: String quartet D major (1931, "quartet Nº0")
> 
> ...


I didn't know that Britten had a SQ #'0' - I learn a lot from your posts.



science said:


> ...
> I believe this is Kronos Q's first album. The Sculthorpe is, for me, the highlight, but the famous Hendrix transcription is a pleasure.
> 
> ...


That was the recording that put Sculthorpe on the international music map, esp. his string quartets. Last time I've checked, he's written as much of them as Beethoven (18). He has written much else in chamber music besides, other works I'd recommend are _Tabuh Tabuhan_ a work with percussions, reminiscent of gamelan music, and also _Songs of Sea and Sky_ for flute and piano, a very atmospheric imaging of our coastal areas.


----------



## Sid James

A disc of *Bernstein* conducting his own music. I immediately clicked with the _*Sym.#1 'Jeremiah' *_on this cd, esp. the lamentations of the prophet sung by mezzo Christa Ludwig in the final movement. It is both tragic and uplifting at the same time. The _*Chichester Psalms *_is noted for its exhuberance, esp. the middle movement sung by boy treble, lyrical and beautiful. It is Bernstein's most tonal score, centred around the key of B flat major. As for the _*Sym.#2 'Age of Anxiety,'* _I'm just getting used to it. It has bits reminiscent of Ravel and of course jazz, but many of the tunes could have easily come from one of Bernstein's musicals. Lukas Foss plays the piano brilliantly in this work. This concert was played by the Israel Philharmonic and recorded in Berlin Philharmonic Hall in 1977. The Vienna Boy's Choir also features in the _Chichester Psalms_. Great stuff all round.


----------



## Taneyev

Sid, I called Britten SQ D major from 1931 "Nº0" so as to differenciate it from the one known as "Nº1", also in D major op.25, composed 10 years later, in 1941. It was an early work. Britten was 18 in 1931. That work is very little known.


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> That was the recording that put Sculthorpe on the international music map, esp. his string quartets. Last time I've checked, he's written as much of them as Beethoven (18). He has written much else in chamber music besides, other works I'd recommend are _Tabuh Tabuhan_ a work with percussions, reminiscent of gamelan music, and also _Songs of Sea and Sky_ for flute and piano, a very atmospheric imaging of our coastal areas.


Thank you.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sicilian songs with Roberto Alagna, then Muti and film music (Rota). 

View attachment 5845
View attachment 5846


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

*Johann Christoph Bach* was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach's great uncle, hence he was Johann Sebastian's first cousin once removed. He was also the uncle of Maria Barbara Bach, J.S. Bach's first wife. He is not to be confused with Johann Sebastian's Bach's son, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (J.C.F. Bach as opposed to Johann Christian [J.C.] Bach... the so-called "London Bach" and the most magnificent opera composer of all the junior Bachs)


----------



## Arsakes

What a great day it was ...

Brahms: 
- Serenade No.1 in D major, Op.11
- Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
- Piano Concerto No. 1,2
- Piano Sonata No. 2

Korsakov:
- Symphony No. 1 in E minor Op. 1
- Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 32 
- Russian Easter Overture for orchestra, Op. 36
- Mlada, opera-ballet
- Scheherazade, symphonic suite, Op. 35 (Festival at Baghdad The Sea)

Sibelius:
- King Christian II Suite
- Karelia Overture
- Night-ride and Sunrise
- En Saga


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Sonata in C Major, K.545
Schubert: Fantasia for Piano, Four Hands in F minor, D.940


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mauro Giuliani* - Introduction - Theme with Variations and Polonaise, Op. 65. Theme with Varia.

First time hearing a work by this composer, and I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderful his music really is. I look forward to hearing more works from him.


----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

*Claude Debussy* - _Children's Corner_, No's 4-6. _Suite Bergamasque_ (Jörg Demus). _Pour le Piano_. _L'isle Joyeuse_. _Masques_ (Tamás Vásáry).


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Max Bruch Concerto no. 1. Lovely! Only listened to the first movement, well trying to, the internet is slow.  

Just listened to the second movement, it's got to be my favourite!


----------



## Taneyev

Bruch's first is one of the most popular, better known and most played violin concertos. There are probably more than a hundred recordings. Every violinist have it in his repertory. But it's reserved. It's a very beautiful piece.


----------



## Taneyev

Beginning with C:

CARWITHEN Doreen (1922). String quartet 1. 

CASADESUS Robert: Sonata Nº2 for violin&piano.

CASSADO Gaspar: Sonata on old Spanish style for cello&piano.


----------



## Vesteralen

Odnoposoff said:


> Beginning with C:
> 
> CARWITHEN Doreen (1922). String quartet 1.
> 
> CASADESUS Robert: Sonata Nº2 for violin&piano.
> 
> CASSADO Gaspar: Sonata on old Spanish style for cello&piano.


Is this a listening project of yours? One work by each composer alphabetically? Sounds like something I would do.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Odnoposoff said:


> Beginning with C:
> 
> CARWITHEN Doreen (1922). String quartet 1.
> 
> CASADESUS Robert: Sonata Nº2 for violin&piano.
> 
> CASSADO Gaspar: Sonata on old Spanish style for cello&piano.


Where is Carter? There must some error in that post! You can't just dismiss his music like that.


----------



## Manxfeeder

MaestroViolinist said:


> Max Bruch Concerto no. 1. Lovely! Only listened to the first movement, well trying to, the internet is slow.  Just listened to the second movement, it's got to be my favourite!


I'll follow your lead with Heifetz.


----------



## NightHawk

Well, I did miss the point entirely, haha. Getting easier all the time 



Manxfeeder said:


> It's in the third movement, and it pops up a couple times just to add color. But it's not part of Brahms' usual orchestral bag of tricks, so it's always stood out to me obtrusively.
> 
> Anyway, I'm going through Gardiner's recording of *Brahms' 4th.* I really like this. He plays fast, but when called for, he's not afraid to slow down or to be expressive. His Schutz selections, on the other hand, are a disappointment. For these, he slows them down - more so than his previous recording of his works. So he's ended up with Brahms sounding more lively than Schutz!
> 
> View attachment 5841


----------



## Taneyev

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Where is Carter? There must some error in that post! You can't just dismiss his music like that.


Sorry mon ami, but I'm a sort of "derriere Garde". Don't like Carter, nor Ligety nor any one of those guys.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Karl Hartmann, Concerto Funebre and Symphony No. 4.*.

This is a well-done performance of two pieces of dark moods.









*Henze, Il Sentimenti di CPE Bach.*

This is a lovely piece and a welcome relief from the darkness of the Hartmann pieces.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Piano Trio.*

I'm stressed, dog-tired, and kind of on edge. This is just what I'm needing.


----------



## Quartetfore

Bonnal Quartet #1. Beautiful music, and I think one of the very best French Quartets composed after Ravel.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some appropriate "topical" music for the tropical weather today... 100-degrees+


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schutz, Psalms, Motets, Concertos.*

Compared to Gardiner's Schutz selections on his Brahms symphonies, discs, _this _is how it's done.


----------



## Vesteralen

Good stuff. Horn Concerto is cool.


----------



## Vesteralen

No printable image :

*GERMAINE TAILLEFERRE - Kammermusik 1892-1903*

One of Les Six....new experience for me


----------



## Taneyev

Yes, she's very little known. Have only her string quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Horn Concertos.*

Dennis Brain, of course. Not many could show up to a recording session and, instead of music, props up a motoring magazine on his stand.

Then on to Szymanowski's 4th symphony. You can't fool me; it's more like a piano concerto.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2.*

Earl Wild, of course.


----------



## Quartetfore

Many years ago I saw Tebaldi at the Met in Manon Lescaut, the tenor was Richard Tucker, with out a doubt a great experience.


----------



## NightHawk

Exxxcellent! Schutz b. 100 years before JSBach is a major composer in the German line - from Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:_
(born Oct. 8, 1585, Kstritz, Saxony died Nov. 6, 1672, Dresden) German composer. An innkeeper's son, he was heard singing by a nobleman staying at the inn, who underwrote his education; in 1608 he entered the University of Marburg to study law, but in 1609 he began to study music with Giovanni Gabrieli in Venice. The elector of Saxony in Dresden borrowed Schutz for a few months in 1614, then refused to let him return. As kapellmeister in Dresden from 1619, he published his first collection of sacred music, Psalms of David (1619). In 1628 he traveled to Italy, where Claudio Monteverdi acquainted him with new musical developments, and he adopted aspects of the Italian style in his *great Symphoniae sacrae (1629)* for chorus and instruments; he later published a second and third collection of Symphoniae sacrae (1647, 1650)._

The Symphoniae sacrae (1629) are very beautiful and the Concerto Palatino is perhaps the finest early music group I've ever heard:











Manxfeeder said:


> *Schutz, Psalms, Motets, Concertos.*
> 
> Compared to Gardiner's Schutz selections on his Brahms symphonies, discs, _this _is how it's done.
> 
> View attachment 5852


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Saint-Saëns complete symphonies - five of them. There appears to be very few complete symphonies including the two unpublished ones. The earliest symphony was written by the fifteen year old, demonstrating his gift for lyricism. These are the benchmark recordings made in the 1970s and have been released several times on CD on different covers and labels. Now budget label _Brilliant Classics_ has just re-released them for the price of a ham & tomato sandwich.

Orchestre National de l'ORTF under Jean Martinon.










Example of its earlier cover under EMI.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16, with LSO/Dorati, then Suite, Op. 29, Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4 (String Sextet), 3 Pieces for Chamber Orchestra, with EIC/Boulez.

View attachment 5865
View attachment 5866


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Manxfeeder said:


> I'll follow your lead with Heifetz.
> 
> View attachment 5847


I was listening to Itzhak Perlman on youtube.


----------



## Taneyev

Best recording of Bruch's first is to me, Igor Oistrakh with papa conducting.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vivaldi - Concert for the Prince of Poland by Andrew Manze


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Odnoposoff said:


> Best recording of Bruch's first is to me, Igor Oistrakh with papa conducting.


Never heard that one, but I do like Igor Oistrakh.


----------



## Sid James

First, *Liszt's 2 piano concertos *as well as _*Totentanz*_ and _*Hungarian Fantasy*_, with scorching virtuosity from *Georges Cziffra*, who must have left a smokin' keyboard in his wake when he did this!









Then a return after ages, maybe 2 years, to *Bartok's string quartets *played by the *Alban Berg Quartet*. I listened to the *3rd and 6th quartets*. The finale of the 3rd had this amazing modern counterpoint, of a type I associate with Ives and Carter. This explosion of ideas. By contrast, the ending of the 6th took me by surprise, it ended with a slow movement. I connected with these works more than before, and aim to listen to them all bit by bit.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Manxfeeder

Odnoposoff said:


> Best recording of Bruch's first is to me, Igor Oistrakh with papa conducting.


Is this the one? I'm listening now.


----------



## millionrainbows

The Smithsonian Chamber Players, with Verklarte Nacht & First Chamber Symphony. Includes a DVD with lots of extras: touring the Schoenberg Institute, etc. Well worth the price of admission.
http://amzn.com/B002JP9HYY
Plus, Eduard Steuermann's Piano Trio reduction of Verklärte Nacht:
http://amzn.com/B0000245ZT

Both are achingly beautiful.


----------



## Sonata

I had a long drive for a certification exam Monday, and here was my playlist:

Started off with some morning Mozart: Piano sonata 1, and 1/2 of a Marriage of Figaro highlights disc. Then an album of non classical, (Progressive metal) and finished the drive with Mendelssohn's 2nd symphony. The drive home I started with some blues, Mahler's massive 3rd symphony, then polished off Figaro.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still coming to terms with Nielsen. Currently listening (again) to disc 3: Symphony no. 1 & Symphony no. 6 ("Sinfonia simplice"):



















One could only wish that all classical composers were so well presented. These recordings are first-rate and the presentation is top-notch as well. Each of the 6 discs (2 of which are DVDs of the Danish Symphony Orchestra performing the 6 symphonies) is housed within a sleeve with its own tasteful, minimal photograph perfectly suited to the music, and these are all housed, along with an informational booklet, in a sturdy box. I far prefer such packaging to the usual plastic "jewel-cases" that are ever prone to slipping and breaking (sometimes in the mail before they even arrive). The second volume of the Nielsen "masterworks" set is packaged in an equally fine manner:










Perhaps I am getting spoiled as a result of all the recent purchases I have made of operas and box sets that seem so much better in their presentation than other discs. Perhaps its simply that classical music has not long been known for the quality of it's presentation. Jazz, Pop, Rock... and even Country music often seems better presented:


----------



## Arsakes

Liszt:
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, 5, 12
- Mazzepa
- Mephisto Waltz
- Tasso
- Orpheus
- Promtheus


----------



## Badinerie

I havnt Been posting here much lately as Ive been listening listening to mostly rock music. But after yesterdays storm and floods its a sunny morning and felt the need for Beethoven's 6th Symphony. On CD as well.


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Some appropriate "topical" music for the tropical weather today... 100-degrees+


It feels like Florida here too. Chicago's official Thursday temp was 101 (38.3 in Celsius). I fell asleep on the couch after dinner and woke up at 2AM (Friday). It's still close to 80 degrees.

C.P.E. Bach: Hamburg Sinfonias Nos. 1-6, Wq. 182
Faure: Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My $200 package came in the mail today! Listening to these right now:


----------



## Chrythes

My second experience with Das Lied von der Erde. I guess I didn't like it the first time because I had difficulties enjoying vocal music, this time it's truly beautiful. I also assume that those short, even seemingly random passages have an Eastern flavour to them for a reason (since the lyrics are taken from Chinese poems)?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Some awesomeness


----------



## Taneyev

More on C:

CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: quintet for guitar and strings

CATALANI Alfredo: String quartet in A

CONSTANTINESCU Paul: concert for string quintet


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Disc 1: Cello sonata, 6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet, String Quartet no. 1, 10 Pieces for Wind Quintet, String Quartet no. 2.


----------



## NightHawk

The Sixth Quartet of Bartok is my absolute favorite...followed closely by No. 2 and No. 4 (in that order), but I love them all. I also love the Berg Quartet. I have them doing the Beethoven Quartet Op. 130 and on another disc, the Opus 131 - very, very fine quartet!!

I'm going to look into that _smokin' keyboard guy _- know the name, but own none of his recordings. 



Sid James said:


> First, *Liszt's 2 piano concertos *as well as _*Totentanz*_ and _*Hungarian Fantasy*_, with scorching virtuosity from *Georges Cziffra*, who must have left a smokin' keyboard in his wake when he did this!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then a return after ages, maybe 2 years, to *Bartok's string quartets *played by the *Alban Berg Quartet*. I listened to the *3rd and 6th quartets*. The finale of the 3rd had this amazing modern counterpoint, of a type I associate with Ives and Carter. This explosion of ideas. By contrast, the ending of the 6th took me by surprise, it ended with a slow movement. I connected with these works more than before, and aim to listen to them all bit by bit.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> The Smithsonian Chamber Players, with Verklarte Nacht & First Chamber Symphony. Includes a DVD with lots of extras: touring the Schoenberg Institute, etc. Well worth the price of admission.


Cool! I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## NightHawk

Yes, exactly (re Chinese poetry). I recently bought the Dover Score to DLVDErde and I love the great work even more. Every time I listen w score I hear things not heard before, or how he achieved certain effects. I have several recordings, but my favorite is the one you posted above with Klemperer, Ludwig and Wunderlich - amazing/profound from start to finish.

Other good recordings feature Jessye Norman w Jon Vickers, and Janet Baker with James King.



Chrythes said:


> My second experience with Das Lied von der Erde. I guess I didn't like it the first time because I had difficulties enjoying vocal music, this time it's truly beautiful. I also assume that those short, even seemingly random passages have an Eastern flavour to them for a reason (since the lyrics are taken from Chinese poems)?
> 
> View attachment 5869


----------



## Vesteralen

Obtained this disc from library after seeing ad for his music in LISTEN magazine. Don't want to minimize, but the more modern symphonic music I hear, the more it all starts to sound alike. I like it, but individual composer's styles are not really readily apparent.

I would be very hard pressed to identify most modern composers I've heard if you were to play me a random sampling from a work I hadn't heard yet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Back to my Tristan und Isolde addiction.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schutz, Cantiones/Symphoniae Sacrae.*

Getting my Schutz on, first with the London Symphony Players , then Matteo Messori. Lastly, Frieder Bernius.


----------



## Vesteralen

The Symphony #4 (1919) is the first of Alfven's symphonies that is not immediately accessible. It has a number of soloists, including violin, cello, English Horn - who are credited on the disc - along with soprano and tenor vocalise parts (in nature not unlike RVW's Third).

This is one I'll have to listen to in a less distracted setting in order to determine my feelings about it.


----------



## Vesteralen

Heard about this from somebody here, but I got it out from my library as part of my Gerard Schwarz listening project.


----------



## AndyS

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Back to my Tristan und Isolde addiction.


The Furtwangler has been keeping me company on my commute to work recently









Took delivery of this today. Never heard any Massenet, currently got on Esclarmonde. So far not what I was expecting, but really really enjoying it


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Birthdays to Kubelik and Mutter.

View attachment 5883
View attachment 5884


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> I had a long drive for a certification exam Monday, and here was my playlist:
> 
> Started off with some morning Mozart: Piano sonata 1, and 1/2 of a Marriage of Figaro highlights disc. Then an album of non classical, (Progressive metal) and finished the drive with Mendelssohn's 2nd symphony. The drive home I started with some blues, Mahler's massive 3rd symphony, then polished off Figaro.


Were you certified? Hope you get well soon, Sonata.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Receiving the ABQ baton from Sid, then concerti with Boulez et al.

View attachment 5886
View attachment 5885


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> *Bartok*: Receiving the ABQ baton from Sid, then concerti with Boulez et al.
> 
> View attachment 5886
> View attachment 5885


Then I follow you with another Boulez recording.


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloe*

Now playing Disc 7 of 8 from this set - This is only the second time I've heard this lovely work in its entirety (though I have heard the Suite No. 2 many times).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Chamber Music.

View attachment 5888
View attachment 5889


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

From my big Barenboim conducts Wagner box: Tannhäuser
Elisabeth: Jane Eaglen
Venus: Waltraud Meier
Hermann: René Pape
Tannhäuser: Peter Seiffert
Wolfram: Thomas Hampson
Staatskapelle Berlin

EDIT: wtf Dresden version?

EDIT2: No wait, there's some Paris in this too.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Max Bruch's second concerto. I think I prefer this to his first. I got Yehudi Menuhin playing it! 

Kol Nidrei.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jumped on the bandwagon here and picked up Antoni Wit's recording of Smetana's _Ma Vlast_.


----------



## millionrainbows

A great box set...







Also, haven't heard this since 1971, on LP. I forgot how good it was. I was a lad of 18...


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: quintet for guitar and strings
> 
> ...


Love that work, and that composer in general. One composer who kept going with neo-classicism after 1945, but managed to keep it sounding fresh. I like how in that work he uses the same combo as his musical idol, Boccherini. But its not rehash, it really has character of its own. My fav work by Castelnuovo-Tedesco so far though is his '24 Caprichos de Goya' for solo guitar. Amazing stuff, so visual, melodic, well crafted.



NightHawk said:


> The Sixth Quartet of Bartok is my absolute favorite...followed closely by No. 2 and No. 4 (in that order), but I love them all. I also love the Berg Quartet. I have them doing the Beethoven Quartet Op. 130 and on another disc, the Opus 131 - very, very fine quartet!!


Yes, I like that Beethoven disc (got it), but its taken me longer to get used to ABQ's Bartok set (but now enjoying it), also their Janacek 2 string quartets cd was kind of more 'modernistic' than other ones I'd heard, but I got used to it in time. I like their no frills, kind of 'straight' interpretation, they really don't mess around with the scores, they play it basically as it is. One player here told me after a concert the ABQ is the one he studied before playing modern string quartets in concert. Their recordings are 'reference material' for musos, and I hear that simplicity in their playing (but at first, it can be quite sparse and emotionally restrained).



> ...
> I'm going to look into that _smokin' keyboard guy _- know the name, but own none of his recordings.


Cziffra was great, esp. his Liszt. Quite bravura but he can be more poetic and sensitive when he needs to. An interesting man too, who went from poverty to stardom, with political imprisonment in between. I just listened to another disc which I will report on here now. I only have that Liszt concertos album and the one I just heard, Grieg and Rachmaninov concertos, both done under the baton of his son Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr. Unfortunately his son died in a house fire and after that, the elder Cziffra became depressed and rarely played.



Vaneyes said:


> *Rawsthorne*: Chamber Music.
> 
> ...


I've got the SQ's disc you posted, I quite like that 'ambigious' tonality of Rawsthorne, and his playing around with structure, which is similar in many ways to BArtok.


----------



## Sid James

A listen to the whole second disc of *Bartok string quartets *set with Alban Berg Quartet. So, the* third and sixth quartets *again, as well as the *fifth quartet*. These are quite dark works overall, but there are glimpses of warmth and even humour. In the fifth quartet, the middle pivotal movement 'scherzo alla Bulgarese' lets down the tension quite a bit with this rustic dance, but the trio in the middle of it is more ambigious.

Then more of pianist *Georges Cziffra*, who gave equal measures of poetry as bravura, in *Grieg's concerto *as well as *Rachmaninov's 2nd *one.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Lieder Ohne Worte*

Disc 1 of this 2 Disc set - Lieder Ohne Worte Nos. 1-4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

From my big Barenboim conducts Wagner box:

Some time back I came upon this set at a bargain basement price (new), but passed on it as I've never been overly keen on Barenboim. I've since ordered both _Parsifal_ and _Tristan und Isolde_. I don't plan on jumping on Barenboim's Ring just yet... not at least until I can pick up other recordings by Kielberth etc...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I had planned on listening to my copy of this quartet by the Busch Quartet... but that disc is currently in "deep storage" in one of a series of file folder boxes that are currently housing the huge number of discs I have that no longer have room on my shelves. I must build some new shelves this summer!

Nevertheless, my box set of Beethoven's complete string quartets by the Budapest Quartet arrived yesterday...










...and so I finally have the opportunity to listen to this piece closely. I should say that I quite like the sound of the Budapest Quartet. As I've stated multiple times before, I'm not a huge fan of the string quartet as a musical genre. I lean far more toward vocal music, solo instrumental, orchestral, and other chamber music combinations. Still, I have always felt that there must be something of an ideal balance in both the playing and the acoustics when recording a string quartet, or it becomes tiresome and grating rather quickly. In this sense, I feel the same way with regard to recordings of the solo harpsichord (many of which I find insufferable). Having said all this... again I will say that I quite like the sound of the Budapest Quartet.

Along with the Beethoven Quartets box set, I picked up around 5 discs of Haydn quartets on Naxos played by the Kodaly Quartet to complete my collection of Haydn's major quartets. Undoubtedly Beethoven's creations are a creature of an altogether different order... fine as Haydn's quartets are. Just as Beethoven took the piano sonata to unimaginable heights of personal expression and made this simple form almost orchestral in nature... so too one recognizes that Beethoven's quartets bring something wholly new and profoundly personal to the genre.

I was greatly struck by the beginning of the first movement. This and second swept me up into the work in a rhythmic manner. The third movement... the Heiliger Dankgesang... this is something altogether different and unexpected. From the very beginning I was grabbed by the neck and shaken. This movement held onto me like the most profound passages of Bach's cello sonatas. There is something of the depth of feeling of the finest hymns to this movement which held me enthralled... in spite of what be an excessive length for a slow movement in lesser hands. The fourth movement... a simple little dance-like movement... is shocking... almost irreverent... but in it's way, a perfect anecdote to the preceding movement... and like Mozart... it has its moments of shadow. The final movement, as might be expected, is more optimistic... energetic... even joyful.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this work... and the experience of listening closely to a work that I might not always choose to listen to with such attention.


----------



## Sonata

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5876
> 
> 
> The Symphony #4 (1919) is the first of Alfven's symphonies that is not immediately accessible. It has a number of soloists, including violin, cello, English Horn - who are credited on the disc - along with soprano and tenor vocalise parts (in nature not unlike RVW's Third).
> 
> This is one I'll have to listen to in a less distracted setting in order to determine my feelings about it.


Even though you said it wasn't accessible, I am actually intrigued and want to check it out based on your description.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14
Mozart: Symphonies No. 40 and 41


----------



## Conor71

*Puccini: La Boheme*

I had a purge of my iPod today to make room for some new purchases and have deleted some barely listened to Operas - this is a genre I had a lot of enthusiasm for a couple of years ago but it has since waned a fair bit!. This is one of a handful of Operas I kept as I really like it and it is a bit of an all-star recording. I will devote my listening time to my remaining Operas in future rather than bother with the ones Im not so keen on!. :angel:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

From my big Wagner box: Das Rheingold

Wotan: John Tomlinson
Donner: Bodo Brinkmann
Froh: Kurt Schreibmayer
Fricka: Linda Finnie
Freia: Eva Johansson
Erda: Brgitta Svenden
Alberich: Günter von Kannen
Mime: Helmut Pampuch
Fasolt: Matthias Hölle
Fafnet: Philip Kang
Woglinde: Hilde Leidland
Wellgunde: Anette Küttenbaum
Fosshilde: Jane Turnet
Orchester der Bayreuther Festspielhaus conducted by Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Taneyev

Still the C:

CARREÑO Teresa. string quartet.

CLARKE Rebecca: short woks for viola&piano

CATOIRE Georgy: piano trio


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Disc 3: Aventures, Nouvelles Aventures, Cello Concerto, Chamber Concerto, Mysteries of the Macabre (version for trumpet and piano arranged by Elgar Hovarth), Double Concerto for Flute and Oboe.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Back to my Tristan und Isolde addiction. This time from my Barenboim Wagner box set.


----------



## maestro267

*MacMillan*: Tryst
Ulster Orchestra/Yuasa


----------



## Iforgotmypassword

I've fallen in love with this piece and this pianist in the same instant. Perfect.


----------



## powerbooks

So far this morning:

Columbia LP records box Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky (Went through Firebird and Spring);







(For some reason I felt his interpretation is on the light-weighted site.)

CBS Masterworks , GLENN GOULD, The Little Bach Book;







(Did not realize all the selections are from other releases, but the cover is cute.)

Currently on: Strauss Der Zigeuner Baron:







(Really not as humorous as I hoped.)

$1 each from local consignment store Friday afternoon.


----------



## NightHawk

I too, like the Budapest SQ. They play in a style no longer in fashion - lyrical and warm as opposed to muscular and 'cut'. I deeply admire the feeling in the Budapest's playing (I only have the Mozart 'Haydn' Quartets, but will be acquiring other). I also have a great fondness for the Kodaly and own their complete Beethoven Cycle. Their playing and interpretation is more in the Budapest camp. The Emerson are a supernova quartet, virtuoso, huge and symphonic sounding and also quite perfect - just right for a convincing reading of the Bartok cycle IMO, but some of their Beethoven cycle is too fast or lacking in warmth for my taste. The Op. 130 'Cavatina' eludes them, I think. The Borodin Quartet, Alexander Quartet, the Guarneri, and the Berg are other favorite SQ's.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> I had planned on listening to my copy of this quartet by the Busch Quartet... but that disc is currently in "deep storage" in one of a series of file folder boxes that are currently housing the huge number of discs I have that no longer have room on my shelves. I must build some new shelves this summer!
> 
> Nevertheless, my box set of Beethoven's complete string quartets by the Budapest Quartet arrived yesterday...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...and so I finally have the opportunity to listen to this piece closely. I should say that I quite like the sound of the Budapest Quartet. As I've stated multiple times before, I'm not a huge fan of the string quartet as a musical genre. I lean far more toward vocal music, solo instrumental, orchestral, and other chamber music combinations. Still, I have always felt that there must be something of an ideal balance in both the playing and the acoustics when recording a string quartet, or it becomes tiresome and grating rather quickly. In this sense, I feel the same way with regard to recordings of the solo harpsichord (many of which I find insufferable). Having said all this... again I will say that I quite like the sound of the Budapest Quartet.
> 
> Along with the Beethoven Quartets box set, I picked up around 5 discs of Haydn quartets on Naxos played by the Kodaly Quartet to complete my collection of Haydn's major quartets. Undoubtedly Beethoven's creations are a creature of an altogether different order... fine as Haydn's quartets are. Just as Beethoven took the piano sonata to unimaginable heights of personal expression and made this simple form almost orchestral in nature... so too one recognizes that Beethoven's quartets bring something wholly new and profoundly personal to the genre.
> 
> I was greatly struck by the beginning of the first movement. This and second swept me up into the work in a rhythmic manner. The third movement... the Heiliger Dankgesang... this is something altogether different and unexpected. From the very beginning I was grabbed by the neck and shaken. This movement held onto me like the most profound passages of Bach's cello sonatas. There is something of the depth of feeling of the finest hymns to this movement which held me enthralled... in spite of what be an excessive length for a slow movement in lesser hands. The fourth movement... a simple little dance-like movement... is shocking... almost irreverent... but in it's way, a perfect anecdote to the preceding movement... and like Mozart... it has its moments of shadow. The final movement, as might be expected, is more optimistic... energetic... even joyful.
> 
> Overall I greatly enjoyed this work... and the experience of listening closely to a work that I might not always choose to listen to with such attention.


----------



## maestro267

*Vaughan Williams*: Sinfonia antartica
RLPO/Handley


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## millionrainbows

I've finally completed my Schoenberg/Robert Craft series on KOCH. I realize these are all on NAXOS now, but I like the cover art on the KOCH series much more. Now, it's the septets: Serenade and the Septet-Suite of 1926.


----------



## millionrainbows

I also have this Budapest SQ box on Sony. Excellent! These are their 1960's recordings, and the sound is warm and analog, a great mastering job. I also recommend the Mozart/Robert Casadesus on the same Sony Masters series. I also have the James Levine/Schubert symphonies.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 In D Minor, Op. 31/2, "The Tempest"*

Now playing Disc 07 of this great set - I may play one of the Discs of the late sonatas later in the day


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6
Bach: Violin Concertos


----------



## Arsakes

Last day:

Nielsen: Symphony No. 1, 2, 4 

Berwald:
- Piano Concerto in D
- Violin Concerto in C sharp minor
- Symphony Singulière in C

Hovhaness: 
- Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 17
- Concerto for Harp & String Orchestra, Op. 267
- Symphony No. 20 "Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain"
- Symphony No. 3
- Concerto No. 8 for Orchestra
- Symphony No. 6 "Celestial Gate"


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## NightHawk

This is my first acquisition of a HIP recording which uses the _Fortepiano_. I was unaware when I ordered it that this was the case and my disappointment upon receiving it was acute. I listened, skeptically, for about 30 seconds and then put the disc in the short stack of real stinkers I have bought over the past two years. That was about two weeks ago. Tonight I listened to the entire recording and though I would prefer the modern piano, I must say that I removed the disc from the stinker stack. The period keyboard instrument's color and lightness grew on me more and more as I listened. Also, these are amazing works of great harmonic audacity and the playing is robust, bright and altogether deserving of the accolades that moved me to purchase it in the first place. I'm doubting that I will buy much from the _Fortepiano_ bin, but I was too quick to judge these fine musicians who play these trios brilliantly. Highly recommended.


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## AlainB

Just came across Sebben Crudele performed by a wonderful woman (student I'm assuming). Not sure in what key this was sung, but I'll soon figure out. XD


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 5981
> 
> 
> This is my first acquisition of a HIP recording which uses the _Fortepiano_. I was unaware when I ordered it that this was the case and my disappointment upon receiving it was acute. I listened, skeptically, for about 30 seconds and then put the disc in the short stack of real stinkers I have bought over the past two years. That was about two weeks ago. Tonight I listened to the entire recording and though I would prefer the modern piano, I must say that I removed the disc from the stinker stack. These are amazing works of great harmonic audacity and the playing is robust, bright and altogether deserving of its accolades. I'm doubting that I will buy much from the _Fortepiano_ bin, but I was too quick to judge these fine musicians who play these trios works brilliantly.


I think Haydn's piano trios are actually much better with fortepiano as the balance and the sound is just improved so much and is a lot nicer to listen to than on a big grand piano that drowns out the strings. Since a lot of the time the violin and the cello might double each hand of the piano, it actually makes a lot more sense when performing them on intruments of the time that they were composed.


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## StlukesguildOhio

From "old school" playing (the Budapest Quartet)... and I agree that the terms "warm" and "lyrical" suits their playing perfect as opposed to the icy perfection of the Emerson Quartet. Anyway... from the "old school" playing of the Budapest, I move to the "old school" singing of Erich Kunz.










Kunz' magnificent baritone cuts through... even on the oldest recordings. Like the Budapest Quartet he brings an element of warmth and lyricism... whether singing Mozart, Wagner... or the operettas of Strauss... that is absolutely thrilling. I seriously think that it is a similar "warmth" and "lyricism" that makes Fritz Wunderlich the incomparable tenor. From hearing this recording I began to look around Amazon for more performances by Kunz. I have all the Strauss operettas, as well as Lehar's Merry Widow. I came upon these at ridiculously low prices at picked up both of them (making who knows how many recordings now of these brilliant Mozart operas:lol



















And the Cosi fan tutte features the delicious and aristocratic Lisa della Casa as well!


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## opus55

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet















1


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## Conor71

*Mozart: Don Giovanni, K 527*

Speaking of Mozart's Operas Im listening to one today  - I have only listened to this Opera a couple of times before but it has the same ingredients as Mozart's other Da-Ponte Operas so I think I should come to love it given time!
I've not seen this performance mentioned much before although it has some positive reviews on Amazon - I think its pretty good and I have liked Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Maria Stader in other repertoire so it did'nt seem like too much of a risk to buy this one!.


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## Fugue

Today...

Sibelius Symphony No.1 - Osmo Vanska, Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Siegfrieds Funeral Music - Mehta, New York Philharmonic
Yes - Close to the Edge

Jon Anderson said that Sibelius was a big influence on his writing.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to so much *Ligeti* tonight. Can't be bothered posting it all here. I'll do it tomorrow.


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## Taneyev

C end_

CATALANI Alfredo: string quartet

CATHARINUS Eilin: string quartet

COMITAS Alexander: string quartet 1.


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## Guest

It has been the Summer of Faure for me. Love it all; the barcarolles, nocturnes, impromptus, preludes, sonatas, quartets, quintets, songs. Anyone who hasn't explored this composer needs to put on a good pair of headphones and crank out the 3rd barcarolle, 3rd impromptu, 1st violin sonata, and Clair de Lune. The subtlety of chromatic inflection and nuance of virtuosic flourish will impress.


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## Conor71

*Mozart: Die Zauberflote, K 620*

Nearing the end of this seminal Mozart work - great performance! After this I will listen to Disc 2 of the Violin Concerto set.


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## PetrB

Fulvio Caldini ~ Bestiale, Op. 83. (2000) 
Oh, Lol, what a fun sound assemblage!!!


----------



## PetrB

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to so much *Ligeti* tonight. Can't be bothered posting it all here. I'll do it tomorrow.


What a shocking surprise and change of pace from your usual listening habits


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## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> Were you certified? Hope you get well soon, Sonata.


Why thank you! I don't have my results yet but I am optimistic.


----------



## Sonata

Recently bought this, as a recommendation by St. Luke'sGuild in the lieder forum:










Intruiging stuff!


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## opus55

Bériot: Duo Concertants, Op. 57


----------



## ProudSquire

Tchaikovsky symphony NO.5 in E Minor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

PetrB said:


> What a shocking surprise and change of pace from your usual listening habits


I know, right? It was actually the first night that I went _without_ Tristan und Isolde!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Since I've only got the same pieces in circulation again (Le Grand Macabre and all the music on Clear or Cloudy) I will only post here if I'm listening to somehting different so I don't post the same things over and over.


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## myaskovsky2002

It depends.

Martin


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

myaskovsky2002 said:


> It depends.
> 
> Martin


And you're just posting the same thing in every thread.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> And you're just posting the same thing in every thread.


It depends.

Martin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to so much Ligeti tonight. Can't be bothered posting it all here. I'll do it tomorrow.

It's too hot here to engage in such self abuse... but I guess it's Winter there in Australia.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Conor71 said:


> *Mozart: Don Giovanni, K 527*
> 
> Speaking of Mozart's Operas Im listening to one today  - I have only listened to this Opera a couple of times before but it has the same ingredients as Mozart's other Da-Ponte Operas so I think I should come to love it given time!
> I've not seen this performance mentioned much before although it has some positive reviews on Amazon - I think its pretty good and I have liked Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Maria Stader in other repertoire so it did'nt seem like too much of a risk to buy this one!.


Yes... Fischer-Dieskau, Maria Stader... as well as Irmgard Seefried and Sena Jurinac... some solid singers there. It couldn't hurt to pick up another _Don Giovanni_ now would it?


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## StlukesguildOhio

opus55 said:


> Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
> Brahms: Clarinet Quintet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1


I personally like Karajan's _Verklarte Nacht_ with the full orchestral score... which reveals the aspects of Schoenberg that clearly place him in the late Romantic tradition of Wagner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss... but coming across this recording for string quartet just this past year, I can now clearly hear how indebted he also was to Brahms.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Jeff N said:


> It has been the Summer of Faure for me. Love it all; the barcarolles, nocturnes, impromptus, preludes, sonatas, quartets, quintets, songs. Anyone who hasn't explored this composer needs to put on a good pair of headphones and crank out the 3rd barcarolle, 3rd impromptu, 1st violin sonata, and Clair de Lune. The subtlety of chromatic inflection and nuance of virtuosic flourish will impress.


Indeed!!..


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## StlukesguildOhio

This is such a fun and marvelous recording that I'm giving it a second listen. Right now I'm listening to Kunz' delicious performance of "Der Volgelfänger bin ich ja!" from _Die Zauberflöte_.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listening to so much Ligeti tonight. Can't be bothered posting it all here. I'll do it tomorrow.
> 
> It's too hot here to engage in such self abuse... but I guess it's Winter there in Australia.


It stimulates my.......senses.


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## millionrainbows

This is a live recording, and there is enough ambience to make it interesting, but not overdone. "Amériques" is especially well-performed. The Schönberg piece is Pelleas und Melisande.


----------



## Sid James

First listen in a long while to *Bruckner's 6th symphony*, one of my favourites of his cycle. This work makes me think of gold, maybe a golden sunset. Its tone is majestic overall and more optimistic than dark. The slow movement has both lightness and depth. The last two movements are perhaps less 'meaty' compared to the first two, but as usual in the final movement Bruckner brings many ideas from the whole work together which is always a thrill to hear. *Horst Stein conducted the Vienna Philharmonic* in this recording, coupled with two short *Weber overtures *as 'encores.' This performance of the Bruckner was one of nuance and restraint, not one of the 'on steroids' interpretations which are not to my taste.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This is still another volume of the slew of Haydn quartets I picked up recently to fill in the gaps in my collection of his major quartets. As usual, these are performed by the Kodaly Quartet and released on Naxos. In spite of Naxos reputation as a budget label, these recordings are first-rate... arguably the best available of Haydn's quartets... and the recordings that really first turned me onto Haydn.

The Op. 71 (along with the Op. 74) quartets are known as the Apponyi Quartets. They were dedicated to Count Anton Georg Apponyi who was a member of the circle headed by Baron von Swieten which promoted interest in the music of J.S. Bach and G,F. Handel. It was Apponyi who years later invited Beethoven to first try his hand at the string quartet. 
The Op. 71 were first performed in London in 1794 by the German-born violinist, Johann Peter Salomon. It was Salomon who first brought Haydn to London and had made similar attempts to induce Mozart an English tour. It has been suggested that the Apponyi Quartets have a different... perhaps more theatrical nature than Haydn's other quartets (as well as Mozart's and Beethoven's) because of their having been intended for a larger public audience. Be that as it may, I found these quartets quite enjoyable. The Adagio (cantabile) of the No. 2 was especially beautiful while the Menuetto movements are lyrical and elegant. In some ways, I found these quartets more immediately engaging (accessible) than many by Beethoven. As usual, the Kodaly Quartet performs with a warmth and lyricism that is sometimes missing from more contemporary quartets... but what do I know? I'm surely no quartet expert.:lol:


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I personally like Karajan's _Verklarte Nacht_ with the full orchestral score... which reveals the aspects of Schoenberg that clearly place him in the late Romantic tradition of Wagner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss... but coming across this recording for string quartet just this past year, I can now clearly hear how indebted he also was to Brahms.


The string sextet is the first and only recording I have. I'd be interested in Karajan's orchestral version.

Listening to

Sibelius 5
Bizet Symphony in C
Mozart VC 4
























Argh.. don't want to go to bed. Past 1AM.


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## Taneyev

Starting with CH:

CHADWICK George: string quartet 1

CHAVEZ Carlos: works for percussion

CHERUBINI Luigi: string quintet


----------



## maestro267

*Beethoven*: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
Perahia/Concertgebouw Orchestra/Haitink


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new BIS hybrid release of some of *Edouard Lalo's* less-heard works, with Kantorow/Volondat/Tapiola Sinfonietta/Bakels.

You may remember Kantorow/Bakels for the successful Saint-Saens. Pierre-Alain Volaondat is added here for the Piano Concerto.

Good performances, excellent sound (SACD untested). An important release for Lalo afficionados, and a useful stepping stone for the uninitiated.

View attachment 5991


----------



## Vaneyes

JS Bach with ESQ, then some Brahms with GG.

View attachment 5993
View attachment 5992


----------



## Sonata

I've been working my way through this one again, focusing on the ones I'm less familiar with (ie. skipping all of the Puccini as well as the Figaro bits)


----------



## maestro267

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 3 in D major
BBC Philharmonic/Noseda

I love this work! In fact, I think Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies are at least as good as the last 4 (including Manfred), and should be programmed more often in the concert hall.


----------



## opus55

maestro267 said:


> In fact, I think Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies are at least as good as the last 4 (including Manfred), and should be programmed more often in the concert hall.


I can agree with that.

Bax: Violin Concerto
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3


----------



## Vaneyes

Four of my favorite Piano Trios, back to back. *Brahms* 1 & 2, with Trio Fontenay, and *Rachmaninov* 1 & 2, with Borodin Trio.

View attachment 5994
View attachment 5995


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## maestro267

And Bax is another composer who should be heard more often.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

Wand plays this as is, not too interventional, maybe not perfect, but still sensitively.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Emerson Quartet
Bartok
String Quartet #5, Sz. 102*


----------



## science

Hausmusik, do you have the Takacs Quartet's recording of Bartok's SQs? I'm just curious, not implying that you should - just wondering if you've been able to compare it to the Emerson's recording.


----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Pokorny: Horn Concerto in D
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Sid James

First listen to *John Cage's sonatas and interludes for prepared piano*, played by Australian pianist-composer Nigel Butterley. I enjoyed it, some of the sounds being quite similar to Asian gamelan, quite percussive but on the whole gentle & delicate & I was surprised to hear some 'tunes' in there as well.


----------



## Hausmusik

science said:


> Hausmusik, do you have the Takacs Quartet's recording of Bartok's SQs? I'm just curious, not implying that you should - just wondering if you've been able to compare it to the Emerson's recording.


Science, I do not. I have the cycles by the Novak and Emerson, have streamed the Belcea (whom I love in everything), and have individual quartets by the Rubin, Alban Berg and Arcanto Quartets. There is a brilliant negative customer review of the Emerson cycle on Amazon that states in part:



> I've tried really really hard to like these flawless, magnificently engineered performances but they whip through my head like so much [expletive deleted] through a goose. The quartet looks great, probably smells great too, and they play in magnificent venues, in front of people who also look and smell great. Among them are reviewers in fresh underwear, with Blackberrys. I doubt the Emerson ever played this music in a garage, or in a basement, or in a shabby apartment, or maybe even in a bunker with an air-raid going on overhead--which are the situations near all European composers experienced during the last century, when all this music was written.
> 
> The precision and refinement in these performances does an A-1 job of simulating terror, or strangeness, or melancholy, but this is the terror of briefly losing control of one's Infinity on an icy road outside Dartmouth, the strangeness of accidentally walking into the tattoo and piercing shop when you were headed for Starbucks, the melancholy of being on vacation and missing your purebred Weimaraner. These are feelings most modern concert-hall folks and most of the better-known reviewers can readily identify with. They are intense and completely valid. They have nothing to do with Bartok.
> 
> Full review. . .


I think this reviewer is pretty astute. However, I also think he is making unrealistic and unreasonable demands for a fetishized "purity" and raw "authenticity." I rather enjoy Bartok played with a certain restrained, modernist precision. (Not that their disengaged, either.) What disqualifies the Emersons for me as interpreters of Mozart, Schubert and Mendelssohn makes them great in this repertoire. I'd say this is one of the most satisfactory Emerson recordings I've heard, possibly _the _most satisfactory.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Bartok: Music For Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz. 106
Fritz Reiner: Chicago S.O.*


----------



## powerbooks

Sid James said:


> First listen to *John Cage's sonatas and interludes for prepared piano*, played by Australian pianist-composer Nigel Butterley. I enjoyed it, some of the sounds being quite similar to Asian gamelan, quite percussive but on the whole gentle & delicate & I was surprised to hear some 'tunes' in there as well.


This is more exciting, especially at 2'57":


----------



## science

Hausmusik said:


> Science, I do not. I have the cycles by the Novak and Emerson, have streamed the Belcea (whom I love in everything), and have individual quartets by the Rubin, Alban Berg and Arcanto Quartets. There is a brilliant negative customer review of the Emerson cycle on Amazon that states in part:
> 
> I think this reviewer is pretty astute. However, I also think he is making unrealistic and unreasonable demands for a fetishized "purity" and "authenticity." I rather enjoy Bartok played with a certain restrained, modernist precision. (Not that their disengaged, either.) What disqualifies the Emersons for me as interpreters of Mozart and Mendelssohn makes them great in this repertoire. I'd say this is one of the most satisfactory Emerson recordings I've heard, possibly _the _most satisfactory.


That's interesting, thank you. I've never heard anything by the Emerson that I didn't like, though for cultural reasons I usually go with "the titans of early stereo." But I had the Hungarian SQ and the works never clicked for me. The first time I heard Takacs I loved them. I shouldn't say this without giving the Hungarian another chance, but it seemed like the Takacs was at once more romantic and much more aggressive. I think I have one of Bartok's quartets by the Kronos Q, but I don't remember.


----------



## NightHawk

I have the same 'Magic Flute' and it is splendid. The DVD of Ingmar Bergman's filmed version in Swedish (!) is also splendid.



Conor71 said:


> *Mozart: Die Zauberflote, K 620*
> 
> Nearing the end of this seminal Mozart work - great performance! After this I will listen to Disc 2 of the Violin Concerto set.


----------



## Chrythes

This is great!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Chrythes said:


> This is great!
> 
> View attachment 6005


I like it. It's Bach... and it's Richter... but it's not my ideal for Bach. A bit too "Romantic" for my tastes... but still I would not be without it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sonata said:


> I've been working my way through this one again, focusing on the ones I'm less familiar with (ie. skipping all of the Puccini as well as the Figaro bits)


Why would you skip Puccini... let alone Figaro!!!??


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


>


Fabulous disc!!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon painting in my studio. Among my listening pleasures were:










Just a couple days late for Essa-Pekka Salonen's birthday (June 30)... but perfectly on time for the tropical weather we're currently having.










Symphony no. 7... perhaps my favorite by Bruckner










Erich Kunz is getting to be an obsession... but his performances of Mozart and Viennese operettas was perfectly suited to a hot and humid afternoon.

Returning home I decided to begin working my way through the endless opera recordings I have... and have yet to listen to. Considering that I've picked up three of Johann Strauss II operettas recently (_The Gypsy Baron, Weiner Blut_, and _A Night in Venice_), there's probably no better place to begin. Elizabeth Schwarzkopf (and her future husband, the producer Walter Legge, were at the center of all of these recordings... as well as Karajan's classic recording of Strauss _Die Fledermaus_ and Lehar's _The Merry Widow_. They were ably assisted by singers such as Erich Kunz (again), Niccolai Gedda, Rita Streich, etc... These recordings are all joyful... sparkle like Champagne... and capture a Vienna that no longer was... at least not at that time... just a few short years after the war.

Today I decided to listen specifically to this disc (or set of discs):










Schwarzkopf was at her absolute prime... and looked absolutely ravishing... and sang even better. Kunz and Gedda both sing with a warmth and lyricism that is the very definition of "sprezzatura". The operettas themselves are delicious bon-bons... tales of convoluted love and mistaken identity worthy of Mozart or Rossini... all set to the delightful... delectable... sugar-coated music of Strauss. No... no heavy tragedy or or intellectual rigor here... but rather perfect music for a Midsummer's afternoon... sitting back with a couple good Belgian beers... or perhaps a bottle of Lambrusco.


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Why would you skip Puccini... let alone Figaro!!!??


merely because I already know them and like them  I listened to my Figaro highlights album twice this week. I need to get to the other 50 or 60 songs I don't know so well.


----------



## crmoorhead

Forming a small obsession with this:






From Haydn's Missa in Tempore Belli, "Paukenmesse"


----------



## opus55

Schumann:

Kreisleriana, Op. 16
Fantasia, Op. 17
Papillons, Op. 2
Fantasiestücke, Op. 12
Carnaval, Op. 9


----------



## millionrainbows

I've always liked Robert Craft's Schoenberg, ever since the Columbia Masterworks boxes. These are recorded well, and dig that trippy Gustav Klimt artwork. Is she on opium, absinthe, or a little of both? These Schoenberg works have an icy, objective feel about them, yet a feeling of something very large and terrifying, like a large monument or edifice. I get the same feeling from his Violin & Piano Concertos.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1
Schumann: Symphony No. 3


----------



## science

#7


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today from my Barenboim Wagner box: Die Walküre and Parsifal

Then *Ligeti's* Le Grande Macabre

And now Tristan und Isolde (from the Barenboim Wagner box again)


----------



## Sonata

Rangstrom's third symphony.


----------



## Arsakes

Sir Arthur Somervell - Violin Concerto in G minor

Ives: - Symphony no. 2 (It is superb!)
- Central Park in the Dark (I didn't like it.)


----------



## Taneyev

Final CH:

CHAUSON Ernest: Poeme, arrangement for violin, piano and strings,

CHOPIN: piano trio.

CHRISTOSKOV Petar: selection from 24 Bulgarian caprices for solo violin.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Sergei Prokofiev* - _Piano Concerti_: No. 2, Op. 16. No. 3, Op. 26 (Evgeny Kissin/Vladimir Ashkenazy/Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ives, Holiday Symphony, * *Diamond, Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano.
* *Rochberg, Symphony No. 5.*
Ramping up for the Fourth of July with some American composers.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## science

What I did today:

































All very, very good, old favorites. I recommend the Janacek, Grieg, and Machaut most highly.


----------



## millionrainbows

The radio, KMFA 89.7 Austin. "FM" stands for "free music."


----------



## millionrainbows

Yeah, Manxfeeder, those are excellent choices for 4th of July listening. I'm going to get out my Copland Second with Yoel Levy (Telarc). It's where the "Fanfare" came from, and this recording (bass drum explosions) is fantastic! Also, gotta hear Ives' "Holidays Symphony." My fave is Bernstein, then Tilson-Thomas.


----------



## Vaneyes

Following science, and in celebration of *Leos Janacek's* (1854 - 1928) birthday.

View attachment 6017


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Barber, Adagio for Strings, Philip Glass, Symphony No. 2, Terry Riley, In C, Laurie Anderson, O Superman*

More Americana. I like the Kronos version of the _Adagio_, because it isn't overly sentimental. I looked up _O Superman_ on Spotify for old time's sake. When it first hit the airwaves, it was huge; Time magazine even wrote about it, but I don't think it's aged very well.


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chadwick, Symphonic Sketches. Still, Afro-American Symphony.*


----------



## maestro267

*Bax*: Symphony No. 4
RSNO/Lloyd-Jones

This has become a real favourite of mine in recent times. Bax's use of orchestral colours to depict the sea is incredible. I'd say his orchestration (in general, not just this work) is comparable to Ravel, but with a bit more "punch". He makes use of a large orchestra, including 6 horns, 2 tubas, organ and a large percussion battery.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81, with Nash Ensemble (rec. 1988).

View attachment 6029


----------



## Manxfeeder

maestro267 said:


> *Bax*: Symphony No. 4
> RSNO/Lloyd-Jones


I'm interrupting my American composer listening to hear that one. I associate Bax with the Fourth of July, because I discovered his music during that week one year. I listened to one symphony a day until I got through them all, which is a very good way to hear them.


----------



## NightHawk

Still working my non-chronological way through the Haydn Symphonies, Quartets and Piano Trios (have all the symphonies, and a very healthy sampling of the other two genres). I am also about 200 pages into the most generally respected work on Haydn: H.C. Robbins Landon's five volume _Haydn - Chronicle and Works_ - lovingly written _and_ scholarly to the nth degree!

This is in the mails now, also the score - other than 'The Creation Oratorio' my first Haydn vocal work.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three symphonies feature the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel. I must say, that--at least with these three works--I find Abravanel's readings to be more sweeping and majestic than those of Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic {my other Sibelius box-set complete cycle}; he really seems to draw out, capture and sustain every last note and nuance from what is some very scenic and moody Sibelius here. Looking at the respective timings for each conductor for each similiar work, it appears that--on balance--Maestro Abravanel had much slower readings as opposed to Maestro Maazel. I'm utterly convinced that he "gets" Sibelius.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"} and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## maestro267

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm interrupting my American composer listening to hear that one. I associate Bax with the Fourth of July, because I discovered his music during that week one year. I listened to one symphony a day until I got through them all, which is a very good way to hear them.


Interesting. I listened to the symphonies across a weekend a few years ago during a period of illness. I've warmed to the even-numbered symphonies more so than the odd-numbered works, for some reason.

Changing the subject, I plan to devise a programme of American music tomorrow. No idea what exactly it will comprise of yet, I'll see how I feel tomorrow.


----------



## Manxfeeder

maestro267 said:


> Changing the subject, I plan to devise a programme of American music tomorrow. No idea what exactly it will comprise of yet, I'll see how I feel tomorrow.


It's amazing how varied American music is stylistically. The default "American" composers may be Copland, Ives, and the minimalists, but there's a ton of music out there, ranging from hyper-conservative to outright nuts. It will be interesting to see what you come up with.


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to *John Cage's sonatas and interludes for prepared piano*, played by Nigel Butterley. The second listen was quite different to the first one the day before. Funny how I listened to American music by default to mark 4th of July, I wasn't thinking about that!

Then *Bartok's string quartets 3, 5 & 6 *played by the Alban Berg Quartet. I have been listening to this 2nd disc of the 'twofer' set for about a week. I am getting more out of each listen. I now like them basically all equally and can hear the differences between them. One of my favourite movements is the 'scherzo alla Bulgarese,' the central 'pivot' in the 5th quartet. It is on the whole a light break amidst a work of darker shades, like a black & white photo. My journey will continue with the first disc later when I'm ready, there's no rush...


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Sonata

There's some wonderful music here. Instantly enjoyable, which I can't always say for opera. I think I'm starting to get the "hype" about Mozart


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4









Sawallisch, Vienna Symphony Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Schuller: Piano Trio
Piston: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to some very nice piano sonatas by Carl Czerny (1791-1857). Martin Jones recorded three volumes of Czerny's piano sonatas. I'm not sure if that would be complete if you own all three but probably is. In any case I really like Czerny's piano works. They are melodious, inventive and simply wonderful. Currently listening to volume 2.










Kevin

*EDIT - Apparently there was supposed to be a 4th volume but it appears it has not been released. Too bad as these are really good!*


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 4, Op. 63*

I deleted the Holmboe SQ set from my iPod a couple of weeks ago convinced I was'nt going to get any more out of it but I decided to give it another shot today! - Now listening to Disc 1. Its actually pretty good Music and I do like it, its just not very colourful I think. I will persist though, its not like I have anything better to do!  After the Holmboe I will listen to Disc 3 of the newly-arrived Villa-Lobos set - really enjoying this one so far!


----------



## Arsakes

Schumann: 
- Kreisleriana

Glazunov: 
- Oriental Rhapsody
- Chopiniana, Op.46
- Triumphal March
- Ballade, Op. 78
- Overture No.1,2 on Three Greek Themes


----------



## emiellucifuge

Love it! Post-wagnerian, but still unmistakeably Dvorak. Colourful, melodic and Czech,


----------



## science

Going way back, way back to my early days as a listener of classical music - 2004 or so. Way back! Can anyone remember the ketchup lady's husband who was running for president? Forget his name. Looked like a moose. Way back! And way back then I was almost completely unfamiliar with this multifarious tradition of music that we all love.

Tonight I'm reliving those good old days, with some of the fundamental recordings in my collection.

















For a long time these were among my favorite recordings, though I'm unaware of either having been recorded by musicians on speed. But I was naive then, and now I would demand performance enhancement. HIPPIs. I bought both of these by pure luck: the OAE was on sale cheap and I'd heard of the Brandenburgs so I thought, what the heck?

I think it might've been the Penguin Guide that hyped up Ashkenazy's Mozart concertos for me. And why didn't I buy the whole set? I'll tell you why: youthful stupidity. No more of that! These days I'd get lashed before I'd buy something like this rather than the complete set. Live and learn, live and learn.

















These were not part of my early listening experiences, though they ought to have been. Back then I had trouble getting solid advice about what I should hear. You'd think this kind of thing would be all over the internet. You'd think wrong. Anyway, being poor, I didn't have internet in my house until about 2006. So I got these in about 2009 or so.

















I had the good fortune of acquiring these fairly early in my exploration, perhaps around 2006 or 2007. The Penguin Guide hyped them up well enough.

Gonna get nostalgic tonight folks. I'm thinking strawberry margaritas, browsing ex-girlfriends' pics on Facebook [edit: omigod, do NOT do this if you are 35 or older - people, um, _change_ - and also, to the young'uns, marry for love my friends, because beauty vanishes like a faint star at dawn], maybe I'll even boil up some ramen noodles for old times' sake.


----------



## Taneyev

Today's D day:

DAHLBERG Nancy, string quartet

DE CASTILLON Alexis. son.violin&piano

DOHNANYI Erno; piano quintet 1


----------



## Hausmusik

*Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orch.
Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat, K.450*

Just acquired this, my first complete set of the Mozart PC's. So far this is turning into one of my most satisfying purchases ever.


----------



## opus55

science said:


> maybe I'll even boil up some ramen noodles for old times' sake.


Maruchan instant noodles? :lol:

Ives: Three Places in New England










Celebrating 4th of July

It's another hot day in Chicago and New England's weather forecast doesn't look much better


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bax, Symphony No. 7.*

Bax for the Fourth of July? Of course! I just found out from Sid James that this is dedicated to the people of America. So as one of the people of America, I'll just respond: Gee, thanks!


----------



## Fugue

Today...

It's had a few mentions and I can see why...








Also...

Swan of Tuonela - Sibelius
Bagatelle - Andrew York
Time - Hans Zimmer


----------



## Sonata

emiellucifuge said:


> View attachment 6038
> 
> 
> Love it! Post-wagnerian, but still unmistakeably Dvorak. Colourful, melodic and Czech,


Great one!


----------



## millionrainbows

opus55, that's a very good version of "Three Places."


----------



## millionrainbows

Happy 4th of July, everyone! One of my favorite American composers, Schuller also conducted the short Ives pieces on Columbia Masterworks, originally titled "Calcium Light Night." It's still available, paired with a Bernstein-conducted symphony:
http://amzn.com/B000AARL1Q


----------



## opus55

Copland: Appalachian Spring
and Songs, Vol. 8 on Naxos (can't find cover art)


----------



## NightHawk

Have to have that Bartok cycle with the Berg Quartet - I really love their playing and have them mostly in singles of various Beethoven Quartets. Also, Cage's Music for Toy Piano is quite beautiful (though it has been years since I heard the small set of pieces) - maybe you know it. Cheers and Happy July 4th, Sid!



Sid James said:


> Another listen to *John Cage's sonatas and interludes for prepared piano*, played by Nigel Butterley. The second listen was quite different to the first one the day before. Funny how I listened to American music by default to mark 4th of July, I wasn't thinking about that!
> 
> Then *Bartok's string quartets 3, 5 & 6 *played by the Alban Berg Quartet. I have been listening to this 2nd disc of the 'twofer' set for about a week. I am getting more out of each listen. I now like them basically all equally and can hear the differences between them. One of my favourite movements is the 'scherzo alla Bulgarese,' the central 'pivot' in the 5th quartet. It is on the whole a light break amidst a work of darker shades, like a black & white photo. My journey will continue with the first disc later when I'm ready, there's no rush...


----------



## NightHawk

Murray Perahia and Rada Lupu are great favorites of mine, and 'among the very finest pianists of their generation'. If you don't know this recording I recommend it highly - Perahia and Lupu's playing of these two gorgeous works is surreal - their phrasing and back and forth balance between primary and secondary material is perfect, but it is the tone, and the colors (esp in the Schubert) that make this recording unmatched in these works (IMO). This is one of my prize recordings.








Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D major K. 448, & Schubert Fantasia for Piano 4 hands in F minor D.940



Hausmusik said:


> Just acquired this, my first complete set of the Mozart PC's. So far this is turning into one of my most satisfying purchases ever.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 7.*

Dvorak's tribute to the New World. Or _a_ new world; the themes don't necessarily reflect America so much as folk music in general.


----------



## NightHawk

Ok, I'm going to put 'Papa Haydn' away for a day and get with the 4th of July: I have lined up for immediate listening:

1) *Aaron Copland* - Symphony No. 3 and Quiet City for Trumpet, English Horn and Orchestra - Bernstein, NYPhil.
2) *Samuel Barber* - Knoxville: Summer 1915, Dover Beach, Hermit Songs, and Andromache's Farewell. Steber, F-Diskau, Price, and Martina Arroyo
3) *Elliott Carter* - The complete String Quartets - Pacifica Quartet

Oh yes, and Happy July 4th to all who celebrate it!


----------



## opus55

Hausmusik said:


> *Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orch.
> Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat, K.450*
> 
> Just acquired this, my first complete set of the Mozart PC's. So far this is turning into one of my most satisfying purchases ever.


I'm a Perahia fan. I started buying his Mozart PC's in single discs but might still end up buying the box set. They're that good.

Now listening to..

Beethoven: Violin Concerto









Spotify is a great place to listen to alternate performances of familiar works. I will never be able to afford to buy every version available.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*A Portrait of Charles Ives.*

This is a collection of Ives' music, from melodic and sentimental to just plain nuts. This is the album that spurred my wife to buy me headphones for my birthday. (Yeah, they're on my head now.)


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole*

Did'nt get around to listening to this set last night (fell asleep!) - Now playing Disc 5 which features Bolero, Ma Mere L'Oye Suite and Rapsodie Espagnole, great recording!. After this I will re-listen to Disc 3 of the Villa-Lobos Set which contains Symphonies Nos. 3 & 9.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Schumann, New England Triptych; Charles Ives, Variations on America*


----------



## Sonata

Continuing my Mozart immersion with Magic Flute highlights and the flute quartets.


----------



## samurai

Manxfeeder said:


> *Dvorak, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> Dvorak's tribute to the New World. Or _a_ new world; the themes don't necessarily reflect America so much as folk music in general.
> 
> View attachment 6074


Hi, Manxfeeder and Happy July 4th! I was just wondering if it is *Dvorak's 9th--rather than his 7th Symphony*, which is lovely as well--which is in fact the *Symphony From The New World? *In either case, a very well-crafted piece of work and quite enjoyable!


----------



## Sonata

samurai said:


> Hi, Manxfeeder and Happy July 4th! I was just wondering if it is *Dvorak's 9th--rather than his 7th Symphony*, which is lovely as well--which is in fact the *Symphony From The New World? *In either case, a very well-crafted piece of work and quite enjoyable!


Indeed, both are great symphonies!


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> Hi, Manxfeeder and Happy July 4th! I was just wondering if it is *Dvorak's 9th--rather than his 7th Symphony*, which is lovely as well--which is in fact the *Symphony From The New World? *In either case, a very well-crafted piece of work and quite enjoyable!


You're right. Sorry for the confusion; it was the wrong CD cover, and I typed in the wrong number. It was the New World Symphony. You guys are on top of things!

I shouldn't listen to this stuff until I'm sufficiently awake.


----------



## Quartetfore

Two short works fo flute and string quartet composed by the American Arthur Foote. Not great music by any means, but a nice way to spend twenty minutes or so.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> Dvorak's tribute to the New World. Or _a_ new world; the themes don't necessarily reflect America so much as folk music in general.


African-American spirituals that don't relate to America so much?


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bax, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> Bax for the Fourth of July? Of course! I just found out from Sid James that this is dedicated to the people of America. So as one of the people of America, I'll just respond: Gee, thanks!
> 
> View attachment 6043


Thanks Mr. Bax indeed.

Well, that info is in the liner notes of that very Naxos disc, which is the recording of Bax's 7th I've got. I like this work, esp. for its optimism. The coda is like a friendly wave goodbye from the composer, who I think meant this as his final symphony. The middle movement makes me think of being near the Thames at night, with sounds of the city and bells in the background. The first movement mixes many moods in a quite dramatic and contrasting way. Its interesting how when this was composed in 1939, war was inevitable. But Bax I think was an optimist, his symphony speaks to his humanity in those dark days.

Anyway, rather than wax lyrical I'll have to listen to it in coming days. I don't know exactly why he dedicated it to the AMerican people, I can't remember.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> African-American spirituals that don't relate to America so much?


I'm not sure it was a spiritual; it just was _like_ a spiritual. But my point is, that style of music isn't necessarily American so much as it is folk-inflected. The rhythms in the first movement are as Czech as they are Afro-American.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Wooden Prince.*

It may not be Fourth of July music, but I've given my patriotic band concert, braving wind and a short rain and fixing a sax on the fly that suddenly stopped working, and it's time to unwind.

I love the opening music of this one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm spending the 4th of July as I should... a big t-bone on the grill followed by 5 or 6 good English beers:










followed by this absolutely magnificent brew that must be drunk with a moist slice of chocolate fudge cake:










... all followed up by some great English music:



















Far better than Messiaen, Schoenberg... or Ligeti for that matter.:devil:

Thank God for online spell check.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Perhaps I'll do the patriotic thing and play some American music next:


----------



## opus55

Nielsen: Symphony No. 1


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major and Symphony No.2 in E Minor and C Major {sic}, *both performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the stick of David Lloyd-Jones.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Nielsen: Symphony No. 1


That's one of my favorite Nielsen Symphonies, along with *Nos. 3 and 4*; I also happen to have that particular cycle with Blomstedt and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra you have pictured. I fully intend to revisit the *First *tomorrow, either with Blomstedt on that cd, or with Bernstein on *Spotify*. Thanks for reminding me!


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> That's one of my favorite Nielsen Symphonies, along with *Nos. 3 and 4*; I also happen to have that particular cycle with Blomstedt and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra you have pictured. I fully intend to revisit the *First *tomorrow, either with Blomstedt on that cd, or with Bernstein on *Spotify*. Thanks for reminding me!


First ever listening to Nielsen's 1st and enjoyed it much. The recording I've had is Blomstedt with San Francisco Symphony - Nos 4 and 5. I'll listen to Blomstedt/Danish Radio's 4 and 5 to compare.

Herzogenberg: Violin Sonata No. 3















I just love CPO as a record label. The music production, its catalog of less famous composers, art work, etc. Sometime I think it's the CPO's production rather than the music that I admire.


----------



## opus55

Piston: Symphony No. 2
Rorem: Symphony No. 2


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm not sure it was a spiritual; it just was _like_ a spiritual. But my point is, that style of music isn't necessarily American so much as it is folk-inflected. The rhythms in the first movement are as Czech as they are Afro-American.


But Dvorák did use several African-American tunes in that symphony, for example "swing low" was the basis of the third subject in the exposition of the first movement.


----------



## TheWimp

Execution of Stepan Razin - Shostakovich...for the 10th time in the last month


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart piano concerto 19 in F major


----------



## Arsakes

Beethoven:
- Symphony No. 3,5,6,7

Grieg:
- Piano Concerto

Brahms: 
- Violin Concerto


----------



## Taneyev

D 2:

DEL CAMPO Conrado: string quartet Nº13

DEMUS Jeorg. cello sonata

DVORAK; Terzeto for 2 violins and viola


----------



## Praeludium

Czerny, and it's truly amazing !

Ouverture caractéristique et brillante op54






I love it !


----------



## Fugue

Today...









Everyone should have this in their collection.
No.2 Oriental is sublime.

Also...
Sibelius - String Quartet in D minor 'Voces Intimae'


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> But Dvorák did use several African-American tunes in that symphony, for example "swing low" was the basis of the third subject in the exposition of the first movement.


I think I can agree with the term "the basis." But at the Berlin premiere of this symphony, when a reviewer suggested he used American melodies, Dvorak replied, "Leave out all that nonsense about my having made use of original American national melodies. I have only composed in the spirit of such American national melodies."

Anyway, another go this morning at *Bartok's Wooden Prince.*


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *George Rochberg's* (1918 - 2005) birthday, sampling Transcendental Variations, then Partita-Variations.

View attachment 6096
View attachment 6097


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Nielsen, Symphony No. 1*


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar*: Violin Concerto in B minor
Kennedy/LPO/Handley


----------



## science

Let me confess I originally bought the Biber album largely because of the cover - but not entirely. I'd already ecstatically enjoyed Manze's recording of Biber's _Missa Christae resugentis_, so there was that. Having loved the MCR, then being delighted by this as well, Biber shot right up in my estimation. Subsequent discoveries (Locatelli, Schutz, Zelenka) have helped me regain some perspective, but still, I do love this Biber guy's music. (This is your cue for Justin Bieber jokes. I know you can't help it. No, please don't.)

The Rachmaninoff preludes, I've never enjoyed very much until tonight. I need to put more effort into this guy.


----------



## Noak

Amazed at the beauty of the Sonata No.2 for Piano & Cello. Amazing.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Robert Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24 (1840)*
Literally translating to _Song Cycle_, Schumann wrote two of these moderately substantial works, this being the earlier one. While not as moving as _Dichterliebe_, this Liederkreis is still filled with beauty, and the usual Schubertian angst. Highlights for me included the gorgeous slow movement, and the oddly chipper finale. Unfortunately the song cycle suffers from a few duds, _Warte, Warte, Wilder Schiffman_, is anything but pretty, and the penultimate song seems rather unnecessary. But on the whole, excellent setting of text, and a very fine cycle.

*Felix Mendelssohn: Variations Sérieuses (1842)*
I heard this live about a year ago at Juilliard, and it didn't leave much of an impression on me. So when my piano teacher suggested I learn it (after professing that I only wanted to learn 'good' pieces), I wasn't that thrilled at the prospect. However, revisiting the work and sitting down with it has really changed my perspective. The work simultaneously acts as both an etude and concert piece, is wonderfully structured, and contains some quality writing for piano. I had never really thought of Mendelssohn as much of a piano composer, but this set of variations has certainly proven me wrong. I especially like the slow variation, just before the storm at the end. While no masterpiece, this is a wonderful addition to the repertoire.

*Johannes Brahms: Tragic Overture (1880)*
Brahms' _Tragic Overture_ follows much in the same vein as his _Symphony #1_, which in turn takes after Beethoven. It's difficult not to enjoy Brahms in his heroic mood, and he really brings it out here. Though not the catchiest of melodies, it was the harmonies that grabbed me. I also felt the orchestration was particularly good (and for Brahms!), as it created quite a stormy texture. While not his most profound piece, for a stand alone overture, it's pretty darn good.

*György Ligeti: Etudes, Book 1 (1985)*
Ligeti wrote three books of etudes, each meant as a study for contemporary performance. Ligeti's influence from Bartók is apparent, though these are highly original pieces. Still, after 30 years, you can still tell this is the same composer that wrote the _Musica Ricercata_. While the harmonies aren't exactly easy on the ears, the music's jubilance and carefree attitude make the pieces accessible. While they don't seem programmatic, the etudes do get more serious and introspective as they progress. Each etude is endlessly fascinating, so it's difficult to pick a favorite, though I do really love _Fanfares_, and the way it slowly builds until the end. Overall, very fun and provocative pieces. Looking forward to _Book 2_!

*John Adams: Harmonielehre (1985)*
John Adams' describes _Harmonielehre_, as a combination of minimalism and romanticism. And while I love both genres, for me this is a combination of two most least interesting styles. However, Adams' proves that so long as you have the compositional skills and a sincerity of gesture, the manner in which you express yourself shouldn't matter too much. A massive piece, this seems to be more serious and solemn then most of the composers output. Endless romantic themes spew out, while the pattering of minimalist rhythms and harmonies trail them. After almost an hour music, some of the harmonies do get a little predictable, which doesn't help the works stern nature (unlike Grand Pianola Music, which is more tongue in cheek). Still, a nice effort, and a taste of much greater things to come, like Naive and Sentimental Music.

*John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986)*
John Adams has compared this work to Rachmaninov's _C Sharp Minor Etude_, in that it's his most performed work, and the piece that made him popular with concert audiences. I also get the impression, that like the Rachmaninov etude, it's a piece that shouldn't be his most popular. While nice enough, this is Adams going through the motions. Brilliant orchestration, cool syncopation, and some harmonic indulgence. A nice enough work, and I'm sure a blast to hear in concert, I don't think I'll be returning to the recording much.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Hassler, Missa Super Dixit Maria*

Nicely done, in a resonant environment but not to the extent you lose detail.


----------



## Taneyev

Morigan said:


> Mendelssohn's String Octet, my favourite, alongside with the obvious Violin Concerto. This recording is by the Medici and Alberni Quartet, it's an old rip I got from someone... I'm looking for a better recording of the Octet. Any suggestions?


Smetana&Janaczek quartets. Heifetz&co.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.
Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan*.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphonies 1, 2, and 4.*

I only intended to listen to No. 4, but Glazunov's symphonies are so much fun to hear, I just kept going.


----------



## crmoorhead

Bach: Magnificat in D
Haydn: Nelson Mass
Bizet: Symphony in C
Korngold: Film Music from The Sea Hawk, Prince and the Pauper, Privite Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Captain Blood
Berlioz: Overture to Beatrice et Benedict


----------



## TheBamf




----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## AlainB

Just found this *amazing* performance of Tchakovsky's "Nutcracker Suite op no.71a", using a glass harp. Simply great!

[video=youtube;QdoTdG_VNV4#t=0m14s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdoTdG_VNV4#t=0m14s[/video]


----------



## Rapide

Some fine Lalo.


----------



## science

Rapide said:


> Some fine Lalo.


I love that disk. Very good stuff.


----------



## opus55

Karlowicz:

Violin Concerto, Op. 8
"Rebirth" Symphony, Op. 7


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Complete violin concertos by Saint-Saëns on a lovely set of 2 CDs, not just limited to the three concertos but includes many other single movements: op.132, 37, 83, 62, 28, 122, 45 etc. Re-released by budget label Brilliant Classics.

Ulf Hoelscher (violin)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Shostakovich: Symphony no. 7. NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini recorded 1942.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Major*

I just recieved the Mahler 9th in the post yesterday and am listening to it for a second time - its very good! At least as good as the live 9th which I also have. Next up I will listen to the 10th Symphony which I am coming to admire greatly - its especially good in its completed version here.


----------



## science




----------



## Taneyev

More D:

DUNHILL Thomas; son for violin&piano.

DIEREN Bermard von: string quartet 6

DVORAK: Bagatelles for armonium and string trio


----------



## science




----------



## Hausmusik

One of the best first symphonies ever.

Shostakovich
Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10
Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Orchestra


----------



## Sonata

Brahms' Horn trio on the way to work. The opening movement is excellent. Still getting to know the other three movements.


----------



## Sonata

Water Goblin and Golden Spinning Wheel


----------



## science

#3


----------



## Hausmusik

*Lutosławski
*
Concerto For Orchestra
Witold Rowicki: S.O. of the Nat'l Philharmonic, Warsaw

Paganini Variations for Two Pianos
Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire


----------



## Sonata

Continuing with Brahms chamber music. I quite like it, but I find that have to be in the right mood for it. Even his more upbeat movements have a "heaviness" to them, if that makes any sense. And I'm in the mood now, so I'm continuing with his Piano Quartet #1. I've listened through everything in the box at least once, but except for the cello sonatas and clarinet sonatas, I don't know them very well. So I'm slowing down and picking a couple pieces at a time to really get familiar with before I move on to the next.


----------



## Hausmusik

Sonata, this Brahms box is one of the gems of my collection. The Nash's Horn Trio & Piano Quintet, the Tokyo's Op. 51 Quartets, and the K-L-R Trio's Piano Trios are highlights for me, but there is so much good stuff here. I was disappointed by the Alberni's sextets (I don't like the Alberni in general) and I have been unable to find a truly ideal performance of the sextets.


----------



## Taneyev

Suggestions:

Sextet 1 op.18: Prades Festival, Menuhin, Casals & co., 1955

No.2 op.36. Budapest SQ+Alfred Hobday second viola and Anthony Pini second cello. (1936)


----------



## Sonata

I love all of the clarinet pieces, and the opening movement of the first piano quartet is pretty unique to me too.


----------



## Conor71

*Holmboe: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 46*

Good morning all  - starting the day with Disc 1 of this String Quartet box.


----------



## cwarchc

I'm working my way through this.
A wonderful acquistion. I'm really enjoying it


----------



## crmoorhead

cwarchc said:


> I'm working my way through this.
> A wonderful acquistion. I'm really enjoying it
> 
> View attachment 6110


I saw this and have been tempted to buy it, especially since it is my birthday on Mon.


----------



## cwarchc

crmoorhead said:


> I saw this and have been tempted to buy it, especially since it is my birthday on Mon.


Do it, it's a gem of a bargain.
I paid £16.25 for mine, it's gone up a bit to £29.76, but still a bargain for 30 cds.


----------



## crmoorhead

cwarchc said:


> Do it, it's a gem of a bargain.
> I paid £16.25 for mine, it's gone up a bit to £29.76, but still a bargain for 30 cds.


Wow, what a bargain you got! I was going to buy it at around £30, but £16.25 is seriously impressive! Love a bargain!


----------



## science

I have the Lumieres box and am glad I did - the operas and the Handel oratorio pay for the box. A lot of pleasant music I might never have heard otherwise.


----------



## Conor71

*Elgar: Symphony No. 1 In Ab Major, Op. 55*

Got this box out of retirement today to listen to it in its entirety. Now playing Disc 1 which features the Symphony No. 1 and 3 of the Pomp & Circumstance marches


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Sid James

*Edgard Varese's Ameriques *as vast and varied as the Americas itself - played by 150 piece orchestra, incl. an offstage band! - and also other works, incl. an important work for percussion of the 20th century, _*Ionisation*_. In that, he 'proved' you can do an effective piece for percussion instruments only, with focus on rhythm, not melody. On this Naxos cd, Christopher Lyndon-Gee conducts various Polish groups.


----------



## science

samurai said:


> Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
> Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Lorin Maazel.


How do you like those Schumann symphonies? They've never caught me...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> How do you like those Schumann symphonies? They've never caught me...


I like nos. 2 and 4. They _kinda_ suck but the other two are worse.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Decided to dig into my LP collection tonight and pulled out the Prokofieff Violin Concerto No. 1 performed by Erick Friedman and the Piano Concerto No. 5 performed by Lorin Hollander. Why this recording does not seem to be available on CD is beyond me because it is one of the finest performances of both pieces I have heard. They performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf. Leinsdorf was a huge proponent of Prokofieff's music in Boston as was his predecessor Charles Munch and before him Serge Koussevitzky. So Boston has a long association of performing Prokofieff. If you collect LPs and run across a copy do not hesitate to purchase it. You will enjoy it immensely.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

science said:


> How do you like those Schumann symphonies? They've never caught me...


Well, it's taken me a little while to "get into" this composer, as I can't really claim that he is one of my "go to" guys such as Nielsen, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky or Beethoven.
However--I think, that as with Mahler--I do hear a lot in his melodic ideas which I like, especially in his* Fourth*, to which I am currently listening. I also like his *First Symphony {"Spring"}. *Again--as with Schubert--of whom I intend to buy a complete cycle with Bohm fairly soon--I am trying to give Schumann a real chance and not outright dismissing him from my listening universe after simply three or four listens. Now Bruckner, that's a whole other story with me, although I am still trying to "get" him on some level. Oh well, we shall see--or hear--what is to be.


----------



## samurai

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I like nos. 2 and 4. They _kinda_ suck but the other two are worse.


@ COAG, They might be a little boring at times, but suck? You really don't like his "*Spring" or "Rhenish" Symphonies *at all? I have found that I have grown to like his work the more times I listen to it, whereas the first time I heard these symphonies they left no real impression on me.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Roussel* Symphonies (Janowski) and Piano Music (Torquati). I may bite on the piano CD, a new Brilliant Classics (2CDs) release. Exclusive? I didn't find a previous release of it.

The Janowski is a new reissue from Newton Classics (2CDs), originally issued by RCA in 1996. Not enticing, compared to what I already have.

View attachment 6113
View attachment 6114


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> @ COAG, They might be a little boring at times, but suck? You really don't like his "*Spring" or "Rhenish" Symphonies *at all? I have found that I have grown to like his wor the more times I listen to it, whereas the first time I heard these symphonies they left no real impression on me.


I have to say that I was not a huge fan of Schumann's symphonies when I first started listening to them years ago but now I would call them anything BUT boring. Over the years they have endeared themselves to me. I do especially love the *Rhenish* symphony. In fact that's what I'll pull out next!

Kevin


----------



## samurai

@ KP, I know exactly what you mean; when my father--who loves Schumann--loaned me his Schumann cycle, I listened to all four symphonies and came away singularly unaffected--either positively or neagtively--by any of them. He just left me with sort of a "neutral" feeling. I even at one point confused him with both Schubert and William Schuman! However, upon further listening on *Spotify*, I gradually "came around" to seeing--oops, I mean hearing--a lot of beauty and interesting melodic developments in thses symphonies {after all, he wrote only four} and decided to buy the Karajan/BP Cycle from Amazon. To date, I have not regretted this purchase in the slightest. I am currently also trying to listen to more Schubert and Mendelssohn, and then decide whether I like them enough to purchase box sets of their complete cycles as well. *Spotify *has truly been an important tool/resource in this regard.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

samurai said:


> @ COAG, They might be a little boring at times, but suck? You really don't like his "*Spring" or "Rhenish" Symphonies *at all? I have found that I have grown to like his work the more times I listen to it, whereas the first time I heard these symphonies they left no real impression on me.


I have analysed the Rhenish symphony so many times to hate it. The Spring symphony I have listened to time and time again and I never understood why Schumann wrote it.


----------



## samurai

Okay then, to each his own.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> @ KP, I know exactly what you mean; when my father--who loves Schumann--loaned me his Schumann cycle, I listened to all four symphonies and came away singularly unaffected--either positively or neagtively--by any of them. He just left me with sort of a "neutral" feeling. I even at one point confused him with both Schubert and William Schuman! However, upon further listening on *Spotify*, I gradually "came around" to seeing--oops, I mean hearing--a lot of beauty and interesting melodic developments in thses symphonies {after all, he wrote only four} and decided to buy the Karajan/BP Cycle from Amazon. To date, I have not regretted this purchase in the slightest. I am currently also trying to listen to more Schubert and Mendelssohn, and then decide whether I like them enough to purchase box sets of their complete cycles as well. *Spotify *has truly been an important tool/resource in this regard.


I have not heard the Karajan version as I really like the version I own of the 3rd. It's full of passion and beauty of magnificence. Perhaps analysing everything is a real hinderance to true enjoyment of just letting the music carry you along? I don't know but being overly analytical sometimes hinders you from "seeing the forest for the trees". The version I own is with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with Carlo MariaGiulini conducting. It's really a very fine recording and I've never seen a need to replace it. Although it did scare me tonight when it would not play in my CD player but I got it to work in my PCs DVDROM. Thankfully!










Kevin


----------



## samurai

@ Kevin, I'm glad you were able to eventually make it work; I really feel it is a lovely symphony indeed.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> @ Kevin, I'm glad you were able to eventually make it work; I really feel it is a lovely symphony indeed.


Yea me too as I really enjoyed listening to it again. Wish I could listen some more but alas I must work in the morning. I'll be back tomorrow evening for more thrills and spills!

Kevin


----------



## Sid James

Kevin Pearson said:


> Decided to dig into my LP collection tonight and pulled out the Prokofieff Violin Concerto No. 1 performed by Erick Friedman and the Piano Concerto No. 5 performed by Lorin Hollander...under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf. Leinsdorf was a huge proponent of Prokofieff's music in Boston ...


I also have a vinyl of Leinsdorf conducting Prokofiev, _Lieutenant Kije _(which, I think is rare to include sung parts for baritone which are usually left out). Its coupled with Kodaly's _Hary Janos Suite_. I didn't know he had special regard for Prokofiev, but it makes sense, esp. since he recorded a lot of 'new' or at least 'newer' (20th cent.) music back in the days. Great conductor, I agree. A pro who didn't reach 'superstardom,' but his legacy lives on - I'd kind of compare him to Antal Dorati in terms of what we're both talking about.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening and really enjoying the thrill of Bach's Organ Works.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: The Water Goblin, Op. 107, B 195*

Listening to this set of Dvorak Tone Poems with Berliner Philharmoniker and Le Rat - great music and no complaints with the performance!
After the Dvorak set I will play Koechlins the Jungle Book performed by David Zinman


----------



## science

Supposedly a classic disk of Gregorian Chant. I don't know that firsthand and personal, but that's what I've been told... by mmsbls maybe. Someone on this sight. Maybe Conor71?

And, hey, Tartini. _Tartini_. I don't know, I just don't understand how anyone can not be charmed by Baroque music. Give me a basso continuo, a strong beat, and a catchy little dancing melody, and leave me alone for a few hours! (Now Tartini is Tartini, and Biber is great too, and you can't gainsay old Zelenka, but if you want to fall right smack in love with the Baroque violin, your man is Locatelli.)

















Kremer is "essential" according to most people, and I think I read that Vasks wrote it for him, but IMO almost all of us would be fine with the Storgards. Anyway, unless you just hate everything younger than Frank Sinatra, this is a fine and interesting work. Very restrained, with a sort of inner intensity. I don't know Scandinavian classical music at all so I can't place it in that tradition, but it reminds me a bit of the "sacred minimalists" like Part, Gorecki, and so on. Not that it is minimalist, but it is certainly spare.


----------



## Conor71

science said:


> Supposedly a classic disk of Gregorian Chant. I don't know that firsthand and personal, but that's what I've been told... by mmsbls maybe. Someone on this sight. Maybe Conor71?


Dont think it was me mate - looks like a nice Disc though


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## science

Nice. Maybe a first choice for the Mendelssohn?

Edit: And also for the Debussy and Liszt?


----------



## cwarchc

You can't have enough Elgar in your life.



Conor71 said:


> *Elgar: Symphony No. 1 In Ab Major, Op. 55*
> 
> Got this box out of retirement today to listen to it in its entirety. Now playing Disc 1 which features the Symphony No. 1 and 3 of the Pomp & Circumstance marches


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

cwarchc said:


> You can't have enough Elgar in your life.


I can't disagree more.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Taneyev

Final D:

DOBRZYNSKY Ignazy: String quintet Nº1

DUKAS PAUL. Variations, interlude and final for violin&piano

DVORAK: piano quintet Nº1


----------



## millionrainbows

science said:


> Supposedly a classic disk of Gregorian Chant. I don't know that firsthand and personal, but that's what I've been told... by mmsbls maybe. Someone on this sight. Maybe Conor71?


science: I've got this disc (picked it up used), and while I keep it as a curiosity, the recording and performance are only so-so. It should be known that of the 17 tracks, only tracks 2, 7, 10, 13, 15, and 16 are _solo_ chant, or _acapella._ The rest has organ accompaniment (!), with chord changes. For me, this defeats the experience of listening to chant. The organ accompaniment "tonal-izes" the chant, making it sound more like songs.

I like listening to chant because of its tonal ambiguity: "what key is this in, or is it in a key at all?" In fact, early chant is _not_ tonal; it was created by juxtaposing hexachords, in a very systematic way. Harmony and chord function (tonality) did not start developing until later.

For some truly transcendent chant, check out this one:








http://amzn.com/B0000061LX

Track 2 has Sequentia singing Hildegard von Bingen: O Jerusalem (sequence to St. Rupert), and is 10:20 of pure ecstasy, beginning with Church bells ringing. It's in a flat-seven 'mixolydian' mode, and verges on the psychedelic.

Also, Sequentia sings 'Anon: Alma Redemptoris Mater (Marian Antiphon 10th cent.)' which is very nice also.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

I like Klaus Tennestedt's take on this, playing broadly, occasionally pausing to highlight a detail without losing the overall flow.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> For some truly transcendent chant, check out this one:
> 
> View attachment 6117
> 
> http://amzn.com/B0000061LX
> 
> Track 2 has Sequentia singing Hildegard von Bingen: O Jerusalem (sequence to St. Rupert), and is 10:20 of pure ecstasy, beginning with Church bells ringing. It's in a flat-seven 'mixolydian' mode, and verges on the psychedelic.


Thanks for the heads-up! I'm listening now. They have an energetic, free sound, and the drone is nice and not overpowering; it gives a sense of timelessness and abandonment to the divine.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> _*Ionisation*_. In that, he 'proved' you can do an effective piece for percussion instruments only, with focus on rhythm, not melody.




That's an amazing piece, and to me it's a little humorous, because he wrote a piece in sonata form for non-melodic instruments.


----------



## clavichorder

From the greatest Pre-Bach, Post Monteverdi composer of the Baroque!


----------



## NightHawk

- This is a splendid recording of what is, perhaps, Haydn's greatest work in the genre; the key, 'D minor', makes me wonder if Mozart knew the work before he began his 'Requiem'. There are moments that remind me... This mass is not a Requiem, however, and the nickname 'Lord Nelson' is quite contemporaneous of its time when Napoleon suffered a defeat in Egypt at the hands of Lord Nelson. The actual name _Missa in Augustiis_ translates somewhat as 'Mass in troubled times'. The work, though occasionally dramatic and dark, is shot through with Haydn's irrepressible sense of optimism and hope, which proved to be well-founded.

_The siege of Vienna of 10-13 May 1809 saw the Austrian capital fall to Napoleon for the second time in four years after a very short attempt to defend the city.The fall of Vienna didn't bring Napoleon any nearer to victory. The main Austrian army was still intact, and he was faced with the problem of crossing the un-bridged Danube. Napoleon's first serious attempt to cross the river ended with his first serious battlefield defeat, at Aspern-Essling (21-22 May 1809), and even the successful crossing, at Wagram on 5-6 July, didn't produce the sort of crushing victory that he was looking for._ From this site:

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_vienna_1809.html


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 27 (1835)*
These two nocturnes, the _C# Minor_, and _Db Major_, contain two of Chopin's more popular works in the genre. Indeed these are a step up form his earlier works, and a rather large step at that. More contained and lyrical, in less then 10 minutes the pair takes the listener through a tour de force of emotion and beauty. These are extremely well crafted, and not at all superficial. I've never been a huge fan of Chopin, though I am a sucker for the etudes and preludes, but now these nocturnes seem to be getting the better of me. For such a short span, piano music doesn't get much better than this (except for perhaps his _Fourth Ballade_).

*Robert Schumann: Fünf Stücke Im Volkston (1849)*
Schumann wrote a number of works for solo instrument and piano during the end of his life. This set of movements for cello and piano were meant to appeal to the masses. Catchy tunes, glittering writing, and not too much drama. Yet for all their superficiality, there is something very charming about this suite. Schumann gets flak for some of his writing in the last couple of years, but there is a confidence in form and intention that I think shows more maturity.

*Robert Schumann: Märchenbilder (1851)*
Another piece for solo and piano, this was originally written for viola, though I have a recording with cello. Both work fine I'm sure, as the instruments share the same strings, just an octave apart. Translating to _Fairy Tale Pictures_, there is still a lightness about this work, but I found the material here even more attractive, more beautiful. The middle and final movements are particularly heart wrenching, with the slow finale foreshadowing the great slow movement of his _Violin Sonata #2_. Overall a wonderful work.

*Maurice Ravel: Introduction and Allegro (1907)*
This has been recommended to me for quite some time, and it was easy to see why. Early Ravel is in full swing Debussy-impressionist mode, but the material here is original, very fine tuned, and very pretty. The combination is a unique one, and it's amazing all of the unique textures and sounds he's able to get, especially out of the harp. This is one of those pieces that make you smile throughout. There's little drama, just pure bliss and beauty.

*Arnold Schoenberg: Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte (1944)*
On the other hand, late Schoenberg seems to be following his own path more than any others. With a slight diversion back into tonality, _Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte_ combines the best of both worlds, creating dissonant twelve tone music that indulges itself rather frequently (the work ends on an ironically placed major chord). Written for vocalist and piano quintet, the instruments are in safe hands for a diversity of sound. The entire work is bitter and ironic, the title suggesting as much. The singer, which is more like a narrator, goes through quite a lengthy amount of stanzas- gone are any formal structures, this is 16 minutes of straight prose. While not exactly profound or transcendent, this is a splendidly written, thoroughly moving work, and a testament to the consistency of Schoenberg's music.

*Thomas Adès: Arcadiana (1994)*
Completely unintentionally I seem to have selected works that all have fairly loose structures. Out of all the pieces though, this is the only one that puzzled me. Written for string quartet, and one of the composer's first major works, _Arcadiana_ takes the listener on several vignettes, all of theme parodying or giving homage to other composers, from Mozart, to Stravinsky, to Elgar. The writing is fantastic, and there are a lot of wonderful moments, such as the entirely disturbing tango, and tongue in cheek- yet still moving- hymn at the end. And while the piece seems to be taking me on some sort of journey into a world of distorted visions from the past, I'm not exactly sure where I ended up. Still, a really great piece, and one that foreshadows greater things to come.


----------



## Sonata

I am loving this one! First listen.


----------



## Conor71

cwarchc said:


> You can't have enough Elgar in your life.


Aye, wonderful composer - I listened to the final Disc in the Davis set with Music-Makers on it about 3 times!.
Im not sure why I retired that box but it will be seeing active duty a lot in future I think - really loved listening to it again


----------



## AlainB

Listening to Paganini's Caprice no.24, performed by A. Markov. Stunning!


----------



## Conor71

Sonata said:


> I am loving this one! First listen.


Im playing that piece too! 

*Ravel: Scheherezade - Overture*


----------



## Sonata

Lots of Ravel. Just started listening to him two weeks ago and I'm really digging him!!!

Bolero: I really liked the jazzy feel to it (strange since I'm not really into jazz) However, I felt that there wasn't enough variation in the rhythm. It could have ended around eight or ten minutes and I would have been satisfied. 

Piano Concerto for the left hand

Ma Mere L'Oye

Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte


----------



## Sonata

Conor how is that set? I might have to give it a look!


----------



## tdc

Sonata said:


> Bolero: I really liked the jazzy feel to it (strange since I'm not really into jazz) However, I felt that there wasn't enough variation in the rhythm. It could have ended around eight or ten minutes and I would have been satisfied.


Bolero is a musical joke. Ravel himself called it a piece for orchestra without any music. The funny thing about it is this light piece not to be taken too seriously has become one of his most popular pieces.


----------



## Sonata

Yeah, it's interesting how the creator of a piece doesn't even like it, yet it becomes popular with their fans. I remember a band I used to go see in college said they couldn't stand one of the songs that was always requested it...and it wasn't because they were just sick of it, but never really cared for it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> L
> Bolero: I really liked the jazzy feel to it (strange since I'm not really into jazz) However, I felt that there wasn't enough variation in the rhythm. It could have ended around eight or ten minutes and I would have been satisfied.


Think of it as a theme and variations, but the variations are in the instrumental color. That makes it a unique take on an old form. Shostakovich does the same type thing in what should be the development the first movement of his 7th symphony.

I just got back from a great afternoon at Barnes and Noble's cafe drinking tea and listening to Schoenberg.


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"} and Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}. The Second *is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *Third *is done by the New Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Taneyev

Something similar happens to Rachmaninoff. He were sick and tired to be requested everytime to play his damn arch-famous prelude.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Symphony 1, a fierce reading by HvK (rec. 1971) that works for me. One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording).

View attachment 6132


----------



## mitchflorida

Oscar Levant was a personal friend of George Gershwin and is considered his finest intepreter.
Originally released on 78 rpm records, the sound is good, not great. But the performance is peerless.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Messiah










I fell asleep and woke up again. I was just tired.


----------



## Conor71

Sonata said:


> Conor how is that set? I might have to give it a look!


Its a great set mate - I would definetely recommend it! 
The version I have is out of print but it is about to be re-released in August I think at a great price if you are interested:

















link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Debussy-Ravel-Orchestral-Jean-Martinon/dp/B008DK3Q96/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1341714950&sr=1-4


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64*


----------



## Sonata

Oohhh, nice one Conor. We must be on the same wavelength today.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some really nice pieces on this but I mainly wanted to listen to Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 after listening to No. 1 last night. This performance was from the 1988 Brazilian Festival. Superb performances throughout.










Kevin


----------



## starthrower




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bach: St. John Passion. Bach Collegium Japan directed by Masaaki Suzuki.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


> Supposedly a classic disk of Gregorian Chant. I don't know that firsthand and personal, but that's what I've been told... by mmsbls maybe. Someone on this sight. Maybe Conor71?


It was probably me. I remember posting this as a suggestion to someone asking about Gregorian Chant.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3


----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> It was probably me. I remember posting this as a suggestion to someone asking about Gregorian Chant.


Well, thank you!

What did you think of million rainbows's comments?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoyed hearing the Prokofiev 2nd Violin Concerto again. It has some really wonderful moments. At the time it was written it was probably considered pretty avant garde and modern but there are some very approachable melodies in both his violin concertos. I do think his music is not for everyone but I sure enjoy him.

Moved on to Danish composer Hakon Borresen (1876-1954) and a recording of his violin concerto and first symphony. I really enjoy Borresen but as most of you know I am fond of Nordic music in general. Borresen is not well known but I enjoy his music. It requires some close listening as his compositions don't have many melodies that just come up and grab your heart strings but upon closer listens you can find many things to enjoy and some very nice orchestrations. Obviously he was influenced by his teacher Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) who is a very fine Norwegian composer, and also by Tchaikovsky. There are also hints of Jean Sibelius, Johan Halvorsen, and even Carl Nielsen. I think he is worth a listen.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


> Well, thank you!
> 
> What did you think of million rainbows's comments?


I'm no expert on the practice of medieval music performance, although I have read of debates among various clergy at the time concerning the use of instruments to accompany ecclesiastic music. The organ, as used here, it should be stated, is quite subdued... but I suppose if one were a plainchant purist it might be problematic. Personally I quite enjoy this disc... and certainly find it far more true to the probable performance style of the era than many more contemporary recordings that verge on "New Age" music for meditation. I will note that if you stick absolutely to the purist mindset you will miss out on the marvelous performances of the Anonymous 4, Montserrat Figueras, and Soeur Marie Keyrouz performing music that was in most caseds peformed solely my male singers.

I do agree that the music of Hildegard of Bingen (not strictly Gregorian Chant either) as performed by Sequentia is a "must have" for the Medieval music fan. I would skip million rainbow's suggested disc, however, and go straight to this:










It contains 8 discs of Hildegard's music as performed by Sequentia for virtually the price of a single disc. Sequentia has a number of other lovely discs of Medieval music as well. Once you get to Perotin and Leonin and polyphony, the Hilliard Ensemble is one of the best to look to. Gothic Voices are another group to look to... highly recommended by many of the Medievalists that I have come across at other forums that were less focused on Romanticism.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A fascinating disc following the various mutations of a tune over the centuries. It might sound like it could get boring fast... but just as Bach can keep interest in his variations, so the variations of this tune... and the great variety of instrumentation... keeps you riveted. I'm listening on Spotify... unfortunately the disc is out of print.


----------



## science




----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm no expert on the practice of medieval music performance, although I have read of debates among various clergy at the time concerning the use of instruments to accompany ecclesiastic music. The organ, as used here, it should be stated, is quite subdued... but I suppose if one were a plainchant purist it might be problematic. Personally I quite enjoy this disc... and certainly find it far more true to the probable performance style of the era than many more contemporary recordings that verge on "New Age" music for meditation. I will note that if you stick absolutely to the purist mindset you will miss out on the marvelous performances of the Anonymous 4, Montserrat Figueras, and Soeur Marie Keyrouz performing music that was in most caseds peformed solely my male singers.
> 
> I do agree that the music of Hildegard of Bingen (not strictly Gregorian Chant either) as performed by Sequentia is a "must have" for the Medieval music fan. I would skip million rainbow's suggested disc, however, and go straight to this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It contains 8 discs of Hildegard's music as performed by Sequentia for virtually the price of a single disc. Sequentia has a number of other lovely discs of Medieval music as well. Once you get to Perotin and Leonin and polyphony, the Hilliard Ensemble is one of the best to look to. Gothic Voices are another group to look to... highly recommended by many of the Medievalists that I have come across *at other forums that were less focused on Romanticism.*


Ok, thank you. I'll look into that. I have many of the others you recommended, all that you mentioned with any specification (such as the Hillard's "Perotin" disk) and of course many more, including Sequentia's disk of Hildegard's "O Jerusalem" (the particular work that MR recommended).

The bold is a good example of why we don't have more diversity here. Until we can be respectful of different tastes, we probably shouldn't bemoan homogeneity. It's so depressing to constantly be told how inferior we are. I'd be surprised if 30% of my listening is Romantic (and a pretty good bit of it is Baroque), but essentially because perhaps that much of it is, I have to endure comments like this. _Unceasingly._


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'd be surprised if 5% of my listening is non-Wagner Romantic.


----------



## neoshredder

Yeah the Romantic Era intrigues me the least. But I do like some Tchaikvosky, Dvorak, Grieg, and some of Beethoven (if you consider him Romantic).


----------



## science

I've been on a French Romanticism kick lately - lots of Fauré especially, but also Canteloube, Saint-Saëns, Lalo, Delibes, Dukas, Mompou, and of course Debussy and Ravel.

I'm still fairly weak in most areas of music, huge gigantic glaring gaps all over the place. Late Medieval and early Renaissance are my biggest problems, I'd guess. If I have a strength relative to my sense of most fans of classical music, I'd say it's Baroque rather than Romanticism - but the truth is, I do not experience myself as having even mediocre knowledge in any era of music. I'm somewhat ashamed of myself, but the fact is that I came to music relatively late in life and haven't had time to learn much more than I have.

When you consider that I've hardly heard anything by Wolf, Auber, Berwald, Lortzing, Nicolai, Gottschalk, Goldmark, Wieniawski, Chabrier, Boito, Massenet, Widor, Sarasate, Duparc, D'Indy, Liadov, Arensky - it's hard for me to say that I've listened to too much Romantic music. _Wolf. Massenet._ I don't think I have such massive, vicious gaps in my Baroque listening, though to be sure there are still some pretty gigantic gaps - Cavalli, Pachelbel, Marais, A Scarlatti, Geminiani, Fasch, and Hasse, for instance.

Anyway, the important point is that even were Romantic 100% of the music that I enjoy, that would be _ok_. I'm sure there are people here with such single-minded devotion to one period or to one genre or something, and it's ok.


----------



## cwarchc

Bruch, Kol Nidrei played by Maisky and the St Petersburg Phil


----------



## Conor71

.............


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole*

Listening to this box much of the afternoon focussing on the last 5 Discs which feature the Orchestral Music of Ravel. Pretty wonderful set - I bought this one about 3 years ago according to Amazon but have barely listened to it before this week.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

This version of Mozart's A Musical Joke: 




Best thing I've heard in ages. :lol:


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Does Scottish Fiddle music count as classical? Probably not, but I'm listening to a CD of Strathspeys and Reels.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1701-1775), 9 symphonies. Accademia d'Arcadia (on period instruments). GBS was a prolific composers, composing as many as 70 known symphonies. This is the third double CD instalment from budget label Brilliant Classics. He had a brother of the same initials, also a composer, Giuseppe Baldassare Sammartini (1695-1750).


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto Mahler No 5 with the Chicago Symphony under Barenboim


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> Something similar happens to Rachmaninoff. He were sick and tired to be requested everytime to play his damn arch-famous prelude.


Yeah but as you probably know, Rach kicked himself for selling that prelude (I think the one in C Sharp minor?) for a trifling amount for a one off payment. But the publisher made millions out of it, Rach could have become a millionare if he'd opted for royalties.

...but composers aren't always good businessmen. Or they can't predict what will strike a chord with the public and what won't. Same thing happened with Sibelius & his Valse Triste. He could have not needed the special pension he got from the Finnish government. & same with the original Three Tenors concert in Rome, 1990. One of the biggest selling classical records. BUt Pav, Domingo and Carreras had no idea it'd be huge. They opted for a one off payment over royalties, and have been kicking themselves ever since! Well, except Luciano of course, who's no longer with us.

Best thing is to form your own record label like many in the pop/rock industry. Be your own publisher. But that's got pitfalls as well (eg. the aftermath of 'The Beatles' breakup, decades of lawsuits and legal wrangles).

Anyway, I was long winded as usual, but what you said of Rach, and the comments about Bolero, bought this all up.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Best thing is to form your own record label like many in the pop/rock industry. Be your own publisher.


And have your own band. I'm surprised Michael Nyman is only widely known for his film music for The Piano. He's got his own band, his own record label etc. but music like "And Do They Do" and "After Extra Time" is surprisingly little known.


----------



## Taneyev

Hey Sid; to do good business they should have consulted the other Luciano, the lucky one. He always did good business.

Beginning with E:

ECKHARD-GRAMATTE, Sophie; concerto for solo violin.

EECHAUTE Prosper van. string quartet Nº1.

ENESCU: string octet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti:* Le Grand Macabre. I have listened to it every day for a week. I think I am becoming quite addicted to it.


----------



## science

Enescu 1 & 2.

The Mozart "Great" Mass is one of my favorite works. Very pretty.


----------



## NightHawk

Johann Baptist Vanhal 1739-1813 - Bohemian - 7 years younger than JHaydn - _Sturm und Drang_ effects in his minor key symphonies (he wrote 70 or so, I believe). These works are delightful, elegant, surprising and original. A first rate composer, not a Franz Joseph Haydn, but a very confident 'voice' in the music of the times.


----------



## science

St. Luke's Guild Ohio recommended this to me, and it is certainly very interesting. Reminds me a bit of some of the songs on Agnes Baltsa's album _Songs My Country Taught Me_.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> And have your own band. I'm surprised Michael Nyman is only widely known for his film music for The Piano. He's got his own band, his own record label etc. but music like "And Do They Do" and "After Extra Time" is surprisingly little known.


But much if not most of Michael Nyman's music is not generally accessible enough to be "popular". I like Nyman myself and enjoy a lot of the things he does but I would not say he has popular appeal. You have to remember that your own taste is quite off the beaten path and it would be pretty hard to judge what could be or should be better known. I don't say that in a belittling way but just as a matter of experience based on observation and human nature in general. When I was younger I used to get so frustrated that musicians, bands, composers I loved were not more well known but then whenever one did they always commerialzed and ruined what was special about them. Their popular appeal was usually the result of a sell out and the decline of their unique creativity. Not that they might not have done anything good after but never anything as good as before. Popularity is not necessarily a good thing in my opinion and I hope for Michael Nyman's sake he never gets there. That he has just enough of a fan base to keep going but never sells his soul to the money gods.

Kevin


----------



## science

science said:


> St. Luke's Guild Ohio recommended this to me, and it is certainly very interesting. Reminds me a bit of some of the songs on Agnes Baltsa's album _Songs My Country Taught Me_.



















Having just listened to Baltsa's disk, I take back that comment. There is something similar in in the voices of Maneli and Baltsa, but actually not all that much. Maneli reminds me more of Yannatou, though Yannatou is crazy and I didn't hear that in Maneli. Have to give her credit though, heck of a disk. Great gratitude to SLGO for the recommendation.

Now I'll listening to Buxtehude. What a great work Membra Jesu Nostri is! Ought to be as well known as Charpentier's Te Deum.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Decided to listen to Hakon Borresen's other two symphonies this morning. Great stuff! He should be better known among classical music fans but alas....










Kevin


----------



## millionrainbows

I found one of these in a bargain bin, liked it, and had a hard time locating the second one, but finally did, also at a low price. I had never heard of Merlet before, but read that he is a respected teacher in France. These are available as a 2-CD set also, but I like the cover art on these separates.
"Gaspard de la nuit" never fails to amaze me, with its mood-setting, contemplative sound, and the repeat of that one note over and over, like a constant reminder of our mortality, and that time is passing. "Miroirs" is also a good piece. I used to lump Ravel in with Debussy, but now realize they are quite different.


----------



## Lisztian

One of the most underrated cycles of piano music.


----------



## Taneyev

Kevin Pearson said:


> Decided to listen to Hakon Borresen's other two symphonies this morning. Great stuff! He should be better known among classical music fans but alas....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Have his string quartet Nº2 and string sextet. Fine works.


----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Nørgard: String Quartet No. 7
Schumann: Symphony No. 1, Gardiner conducting Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique


----------



## Sonata

Mahler's 3rd


----------



## Sonata

It's funny how slowly I'm going through Mahler's boxed set, considering how much I've loved what I've heard so far. He's probably my favorite composer, at least right now. But it's almost like I want to slowly savor his music and draw out the discovery.


----------



## maestro267

*Brahms*: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Blomstedt


----------



## opus55

Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice


----------



## GeorgeT




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^^^^^:lol:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

Well done.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> And have your own band. I'm surprised Michael Nyman is only widely known for his film music for The Piano. He's got his own band, his own record label etc. but music like "And Do They Do" and "After Extra Time" is surprisingly little known.


I have 'After Extra Time' as well as some other film scores of Nyman, eg. 'Carrington,' and I have only listened to bits so far. Have been meaning to get to them, they're on the backburner. I like 'The Piano Concerto' though, and also things like he did for Greenaway, eg. 'Prospero's Books.' I like him quite a bit, I think he's good, I just don't listen to that sort of thing that often.



Kevin Pearson said:


> But much if not most of Michael Nyman's music is not generally accessible enough to be "popular"...


I think Nyman's soundtrak to the film 'The Piano' sold well, and he also arranged a spin off concert hall work 'The Piano Concerto' out of it. I don't find him less accessible than the USA minimalists, whom he predated a bit, by some years. He is different though, and I think his film scores are very good.



Sonata said:


> It's funny how slowly I'm going through Mahler's boxed set, considering how much I've loved what I've heard so far. He's probably my favorite composer, at least right now. But it's almost like I want to slowly savor his music and draw out the discovery.


I am also getting into Mahler's symphonies now and I agree, I like to take it slowly. Listened to his 5th several times last week. I can now hear the thematic connections between the movements, a thing which kind of passed me by before (but its been ages, like 10 or more years!). I am planning to acquire all of his symphonies within say a year, and give them slow/considered listening. It was sparked off by live performances here of his music last year as part of his anniversary year.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Maybe it's works like this that classical purists don't like so much:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


>


Look who's back! You here to stay?


----------



## crmoorhead

A special treat!









Messiaen: Des Canyons aux Etoiles


----------



## myaskovsky2002

opus55 said:


> Pokorny: Horn Concerto in D
> Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2


Oh, I think I know these works... In a movie, in a Danielle Steel novel... Du déjà vu et déjà trop entendu. Des sentiers battus! Mmm...mmm...



Martin, thoughtful


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Oh, I think I know these works... In a movie, in a Danielle Steel novel... Du déjà vu et déjà trop entendu. Des sentiers battus! Mmm...mmm...
> 
> 
> 
> Martin, thoughtful


I guess you don't like them?


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Maybe it's works like this that classical purists don't like so much:


Apparently, Carmina Burana was an inspiration for many video games and for this guy too. Not very original then.

Martin, disapp.


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: Symphony "Mathis der Maler"

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12


----------



## Sid James

This was the weekend's classical listening, along with an album by *Billy Joel*, which I put on my blog on this forum (along with the rest below).










A relisten to some favourite tracks from this Naxos album of music by *Edgard Varese*. *Ameriques *is a work imaging the American continent for a massive 150 piece orchestra, incl. an offstage band. It is an intense work which includes these amazing sounds you won't hear anywhere else, incl. blown bird calling devices, sirens and Varese's trademark 'lion's roar' played on bass drum.

Then, the zany _*Tuning Up*_, which goes off the sounds of an orchestra tuning, mixing them with quotes from Beethoven's 7th symphony to 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' to _Ameriques_.

Finally, a work purely for percussion, *Ionisation* - with which Varese proved that a composer could produce an engaging piece for percussion alone, using rhythm alone and not having to rely on melody. It is an atmospheric and kind of disturbing piece, with many rhythmic shifts, and you can imagine it as anything from the sounds of a city to warfare (with again, the sirens, and march-like rhythms).

This cd had members of the Polish National Radio Orch. with Christopher Lyndon-Gee at the helm.










Next, *Brahms Clarinet Quintet*, a cornerstone of chamber repertoire and one his late masterpieces. This is a very emotionally expressive work with an overall Hungarian feel. The theme at the very start, which is not in any defined key interestingly enough, is the basis of the whole work. The blending and contrast between the strings and clarinet is so autumnal and uniquely Brahmsian. In this performance from 1965, Vladimir Riha played clarinet with members of the Smetana Quartet of Prague (Supraphon label).










Next up, continuing this set of *Saint-Saens'* piano concertos.

His _*Piano Concerto #1*_ is, as usual a mix of things, held together by the idea emerging at the start played on four horns. Schumann and Wagner come to mind, as does Beethoven in this noble first movement. The second movement is quite dark and goes as deep as Saint-Saens can get - which is never too deep - and the final movement has the obligatory Neopolitan song vibe capped off by a triumphant return of the initial horn call theme.

There's even more whimsy and tongue massively in cheek in the _*Wedding Cake for piano and strings*_, composed for the wedding of a friend of Saint-Saens. It sounds much like Chopin with lots of 'French polish' - maybe too much. Basically, it is like a slice of wedding cake, not much substance but a very tasty sweet on a happy occassion!

The concerto was played by Pascal Roge, and the_ Wedding Cake_ by Daniel Chorzempa (a rare recording of him with his 'pianist' hat on, usually he's recorded as an organist).


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I guess you don't like them?


It depends

Martin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

myaskovsky2002 said:


> It depends
> 
> Martin


You're not starting this again.

AND OF COURSE, IT DEPENDS.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You're not starting this again.
> 
> AND OF COURSE, IT DEPENDS.


Instead... I'm becoming nice... I will answer your former question. You guess absolutely right. I hate cheezy stuff, this concerto Rach,no.2) just makes me very very very SICK! Paniemaiesh? Understood? Comprendes? Tu comprends?

Martin, calm........ ...... Zzz........zzzz


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Instead... I'm becoming nice... I will answer your former question. You guess absolutely right. I hate cheezy stuff, this concerto Rach,no.2) just makes me very very very SICK! Paniemaiesh? Understood? Comprendes? Tu comprends?
> 
> Martin, calm........ ...... Zzz........zzzz


Listen to some *Ligeti*


----------



## opus55

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Instead... I'm becoming nice... I will answer your former question. You guess absolutely right. I hate cheezy stuff, this concerto Rach,no.2) just makes me very very very SICK! Paniemaiesh? Understood? Comprendes? Tu comprends?
> 
> Martin, calm........ ...... Zzz........zzzz


Rach 2 cheezy? Yes. Myaskovsky2002 hates it. I got it. I sometimes want cheezy music. :lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Rach 2 cheezy? Yes. Myaskovsky2002 hates it. I got it. I sometimes want cheezy music. :lol:


Thread idea. Must create.


----------



## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Thread idea. Must create.


Umm. Sure there is no such thread? I'm too lazy to search threads.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Umm. Sure there is no such thread? I'm too lazy to search threads.


Too late. :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Dvorak:

Czech Suite
American Suite










I've never heard these orchestral suites before. They're very enjoyable.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listen to some *Ligeti*


Don't forget I am a moron, I don't get what you say. Ligeti... Who's Ligeti? A politician....? If you want to see my little collection maybe you will find "some" Ligeti Maybe. Unless he is not a musician... I hope he is one... Gyorgy Sandor?

Www3.bell.net/svp1

Martino Morone


----------



## myaskovsky2002

opus55 said:


> Rach 2 cheezy? Yes. Myaskovsky2002 hates it. I got it. I sometimes want cheezy music. :lol:


I guess i have never felt as bad as to be in the mood for cheezy music

Martin,snob


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 109 - 111, with Feltsman, then *Schubert* String Quintet, D956, with Haimovitz/Miro Qt.

View attachment 6149
View attachment 6150


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Thread idea. Must create.


I had created this thread once. It was called cheezy or corny music, I don't remember well. Like many threads, it "died" soon.
People are fickle. Everything has to be FUNNY. People like to have FUN.... More than anything else. We can just have fun here or be banned if we speak about something more...substantial... LOL. Otherwise, people think your thread is simply boring.

I have seen many many boring threads lately, with huge stupid lists. The worst operas, etc... The most handsome tenors... Girly stuff.... I like women, I just don't like their mind. Shhhhh....don't tell anybody...

Martin


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Mmm... Today while training I listened to der Fliegende Holander... Not for cardio, I did my legs, weights. 650 pounds, quite heavy.

Martin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Mmm... Today while training I listened to der Fliegende Holander... Not for cardio, I did my legs, weights. 650 pounds, quite heavy.
> 
> Martin


Which recording?


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Yes! yeah! I found something!

http://www.talkclassical.com/20184-cheesy-music.html

Posted with my Ipad 6.

Martin


----------



## Sonata

Trying out my new Sibelius with Symphony 1. Not bad...it didn't make a deep impact with me at one listen, but it is fairly enjoyable.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under the lead of Sir Adrian Boult.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *all featuring the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I am not a huge fan of French expressionist composers but occasionally I get in the mood for something less demanding and thus I usually turn to Debussy. This recording of La Mer, Images, Nocturnes etc. by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra is pretty good but I think I enjoy Karajan's La Mer more.










Earlier I listened to Sibelius Symphony No. 3. by Osmo Vanska and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. I never tire of Sibelius!










and also Andreas Hallén's Gustaf Wasas Saga. This just has such incredibly beautiful melodies. I wish there was more Hallén available but I have only found a couple CDs.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## science

Well that was... interesting...

And now, back to normal music:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Another Dutch composer for me before bedtime. Louis Glass (1864-1936) is another very good Dutch composer. Four volumes of his symphonies have been recorded on the Danacord label. Glass was a student of Niel Gades as was my favorite Carl Nielsen. According to Wikipedia he was influenced by Cesar Frank and also Anton Bruckner. I do hear the Bruckner influence for sure. I think if you have enjoyed the Nordic and Scandinavian finds I post about then I think you would also enjoy these. This recording contains both the first and fifth symphonies.










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Ma Mere L'Oye*

I really enjoyed listening to this yesterday so i will listen to it again today - its very beautiful and elegant like much of Ravels music. After the Ravel I will resume listening to my newly arrived Villa-Lobos set - really enjoying this one so far!. Its not like me to listen to Composers off the beaten track but I have come to really appreciate this Guys voice.


----------



## Taneyev

More E:

EISLER Hanns: string quartet op.75

ENGLUND Einar. piano quintet

ESHPAI Andrey: son.1 violin&piano


----------



## joen_cph

Kevin Pearson said:


> Another Dutch composer for me before bedtime. Louis Glass (1864-1936) is another very good Dutch composer. Four volumes of his symphonies have been recorded on the Danacord label. Glass was a student of Niel Gades as was my favorite Carl Nielsen. According to Wikipedia he was influenced by Cesar Frank and also Anton Bruckner. I do hear the Bruckner influence for sure. I think if you have enjoyed the Nordic and Scandinavian finds I post about then I think you would also enjoy these. This recording contains both the first and fifth symphonies.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


He is a Danish, not a Dutch composer, born in Copenhagen, albeit rather internationally orientated, as you say. Guess it was a slip ?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

joen_cph said:


> He is a Danish, not a Dutch composer, born in Copenhagen, albeit rather internationally orientated, as you say. Guess it was a slip ?


Ack! My mistake!! You are correct. He is Danish being from Denmark and not Dutch. The music is good anyway no matter where he came from. 

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Well that was... interesting...
> 
> And now, back to normal music:


Wow, something that makes John Cage sound normal has got to be really out there. I'm listening now. I'm guessing my wife is going to enter the room at any time and request that I put on my headphones.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release, *Mahler*: Symphony 9 with Bavarian RSO/Haitink (rec. 2011, live). Playing is okay, sound is good, but the interpretation is lame. This is not competitive with what's been in the marketplace for many years, including some of Haitink's own. Give it a miss.

View attachment 6154


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, something that makes John Cage sound normal has got to be really out there. I'm listening now. I'm guessing my wife is going to enter the room at any time and request that I put on my headphones.


What'd you think, man?

I loved it! I can't say I understood it... but hey, banging drums and wailing. Can't go wrong there.

Compared to Cardew, Cage ASLSP is pretty normal. Just play a chord, wait a minute, play another chord, wait a minute. Aside from the silence, it's just normal, very meditative music. The only way not to like it is to get bored waiting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> What'd you think, man?
> 
> I loved it! I can't say I understood it... but hey, banging drums and wailing. Can't go wrong there.


I think I'm like you; I'm attracted to weird things, and this is definitely weird.

As they say, now for something completely different:


----------



## jani

I decided to spend this evening by listening to Bachs well tempered clavier book (the first one) from beginning to end for the first time.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Ottorino Respighi's* (1879 - 1936) birthday, Roman Trilogy with OSM/Dutoit, then Church Windows and Brazilian Impressions with Philharmonia O./Simon.

View attachment 6159
View attachment 6160


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Boccherini String Quintets.*

Fabio Biondi's group is entertaining, as usual. It's not quite as quirky as his Vivaldi but still manages some surprises.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 4, W 153, "Victory"*

Now playing Disc 4 of this 7 Disc set - this contains Symphonies Nos. 4 & 12


----------



## Jared

simply beautiful...


----------



## myaskovsky2002

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Which recording?


Reading my booklet: Caline Diyon, Garry Belafuente... No.. Let me put my glasses on:

George London, Leonie Rysanek, Giorgio Tozzi, Karl Liebi - Covent Garden - Antal Dorati

As Santa Claus said: HO HO HO

Martin


----------



## maestro267

*Liszt*: A Faust Symphony
Wiener Philharmoniker/Muti

...for the Listening Club.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

maestro267 said:


> *Liszt*: A Faust Symphony
> Wiener Philharmoniker/Muti
> 
> ...for the Listening Club.


Awesome!

Martin


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Today, in my car... Carmen...in Russian. It is a wonderful mp3 cd that contents 24 European operas sung in Russian by known Russian singers.

Martin, weirdo


----------



## cwarchc

Just finished this one









Starting on this one









It's odd, I'm not religious but love he texts and mass


----------



## Sonata

maestro267 said:


> *Liszt*: A Faust Symphony
> Wiener Philharmoniker/Muti
> 
> ...for the Listening Club.


Yeah, I need to get on that one in the next day or so!


----------



## myaskovsky2002

I knew it! I gess reading the name of this thread. As I supposed so, it became a monologue. Each of us, exposes what he/she is listening to. No comments. I commented once or twice.

Martin


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55*


----------



## Sonata

myaskovsky2002 said:


> I knew it! I gess reading the name of this thread. As I supposed so, it became a monologue. Each of us, exposes what he/she is listening to. No comments. I commented once or twice.
> 
> Martin


Actually....quite a few little discussions here and there.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Sonata said:


> Actually....quite a few little discussions here and there.


Indeed, quite a few. This is normal. When you don't share a passion...and when you share it as I probably do, I give a little Like here and there.

Martin, disapp.


----------



## Jared

I'm on a bit of a Renaissance kick at the moment... this is my first disk containing the music of William Mundy, and I must say it's layered with some rather beautiful harmonies, courtesy of The Sixteen..


----------



## cwarchc

Keeping the religious tone.
This is beautiful?


----------



## Taneyev

Well, nobody cares a damn thing about my alphabet listening sistem. Still a long way to Z.


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Slavonic Dances, Op. 72
Saint-Saens: Havanaise for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 83


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Quartet No. 4*

I'm getting more familiar with this piece. Schoenberg does some interesting things with the row which aren't apparent to the ear but keeps the piece moving. Plus he has some nice string effects and canons.


----------



## Sonata

cwarchc said:


> View attachment 6165
> 
> 
> Keeping the religious tone.
> This is beautiful?


Yep, I love Faure's Requiem. My second favorite after Brahms.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Odnoposoff said:


> Well, nobody cares a damn thing about my alphabet listening sistem. Still a long way to Z.


I wouldn't say that; I think it's a clever way of listening.

Currently I'm listening to *Jorgen Bentzon's Raccontis*.

Bentzon was a pupil of Carl Nielsen. His Raccontis feature a technique he invented called character polyphony.


----------



## opus55

myaskovsky2002 said:


> I knew it! I gess reading the name of this thread. As I supposed so, it became a monologue. Each of us, exposes what he/she is listening to. No comments. I commented once or twice.
> 
> Martin





Odnoposoff said:


> Well, nobody cares a damn thing about my alphabet listening sistem. Still a long way to Z.


I do care what everyone listens to. Believe it or not, this has become my favorite thread. See what others listen to and simply post what I listen to. Occasional comments or long posts are bonus!

Just listened to..

Haydn: Piano Concertos, Nos. 4, 3, 11


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, *both featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Boult.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> Well, nobody cares a damn thing about my alphabet listening sistem. Still a long way to Z.


I enjoy your posts here, esp. repertoire I don't know (even from famous composers). You don't have to do it alphabetically, I liked your posts before you did that, maybe just keep posting whatever you like, whatever you want to listen to (regardless of the 'ABC's').


----------



## Sid James

As 'promised' last week, a listen to *Bax's Symphony #7,* as it was dedicated to the American people. This work, although composed when war was inevitable in 1939, is on the whole not dark but kind of epic and uplifting, even. There are many moods and ideas here, and its taken me a while to hear links between the three movements. The middle movement, with a part where the whole orchestra plays 12 notes going down the scale of the octave, comes across as much like the sounds of a city at night, maybe near the Thames River in London. The last minute of the symphony is magical, a friendly wave goodbye, this gentle idea passed from flute to woodwinds, with gentle harp and string accompaniment. This is a work full of humanity.

So too the tone poem _*Tintagel*_, also infused with that trademark 'Celtic' feel. Its not only a portrait of the castle of Tintagel off the Cornish coast, but also of Bax's happiness with his soulmate, his piano student Harriet Cohen, but there's tinges of sadness maybe for what was happening in Ireland at the time, the crushing of the Easter Rising in Dublin, in which a number of Irish friends of Bax where killed. He was English but had strong connections to Ireland and Scotland.

In this Naxos recording, David Lloyd-Jones conducts the Royal Scottish National Orch. The sound is very vivid.


----------



## powerbooks

Trying to finish the listening club assignment for this week.

Liszt: Faust Symphony. Let's all take an hour break from other music and concentrate on this one.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3










Finally purchased an alternate recording of my favorite Sibelius symphony. Compared to Jarvi/Gothenburg recording, Davis/Boston 1976 seems more solemn and subdued, at least that is my first impression. I'll see which one wins the test of repeated listening.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally purchased an alternate recording of my favorite Sibelius symphony. Compared to Jarvi/Gothenburg recording, Davis/Boston 1976 seems more solemn and subdued, at least that is my first impression. I'll see which one wins the test of repeated listening.


I'd be willing to bet your Jarvi will win out. I'm not a big fan of Davis on Sibelius. My favorite version has to be the Vanska with the Lahti but I also enjoy my Alexander Gibson with the Royal Scottish Orchestra very much.

Kevin


----------



## Guest

opus55 said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally purchased an alternate recording of my favorite Sibelius symphony. Compared to Jarvi/Gothenburg recording, Davis/Boston 1976 seems more solemn and subdued, at least that is my first impression. I'll see which one wins the test of repeated listening.


Have you tried Rattle/Birmingham? It's my personal favorite Sibelius cycle. But Jarvi is a close second, can almost never go wrong with the old maestro.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I pulled out some old favorites today...




























It is quite interesting to compare the ornamented Baroque vocal style of Handel in contrast to Mozart's more stripped-down "classical" style. Almost the whole of Mozart's choral oeuvre was composed for his employer at Salzburg, the Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo, whose conservative tastes demanded that the text be clearly understood... thus limiting the use of more complex polyphonic writing. It's somewhat telling that Mozart wrote only a few choral works after Salzburg, the _Great Mass in C-Minor_, the _Ave verum corpus_ composed for Anton Stoll, a friend of both Mozart and Joseph Haydn, and the _Requiem_, and only the _Ave verum corpus_ was wholly completed. Considering that Mozart's choral music accounts for some of his finest efforts... in spite of the relatively early stage in his career that most of it was composed (Mozart was but 17 when he wrote the exquisite Exsultate, jubilate K. 165) one wishes that he had been pushed to compose more choral works. His vocal works... including his concert arias, the operas, and the sacred choral works account for his strongest work.










The Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) is quite possibly my absolute favorite instrumental work by Bach... an absolutely hypnotic and overwhelming piece.


----------



## science

Not essentials, but interesting. Essential is Pergolesi's _Stabat Mater_, Zelenka's trio sonatas. Actually Zelenka's choral music is excellent. If you know your Bach and Handel and Vivaldi, off the top of my head your next stops might be Schutz, Buxtehude, and Zelenka.


----------



## opus55

Jeff N said:


> Have you tried Rattle/Birmingham? It's my personal favorite Sibelius cycle. But Jarvi is a close second, can almost never go wrong with the old maestro.


I only sampled bits and pieces of Rattle recordings. He and Vanska are among my wish list for Sibelius cycles. I've been very happy with the Jarvi set.

Mozart: Sonata for Two Pianos, K. 448
Brahms: Fantasien, Op. 116

















Wind down with piano music in order to go to bed; it's past midnight.


----------



## Conor71

*Corelli: Concerto Grosso No. 3 In C Major, Op. 6/3*

Listening to a couple of Discs tonight from my collection of Baroque music (mostly Bach!) - I can see why some listeners enjoy the Baroque so much, its pretty feelgood Music!. After this i will listen to some Jazz, I have a feeling it would contrast quite nicely with the Baroque


----------



## Taneyev

F....

FARRENC Louise: piano quintet Nº1.

FERENCZY Otto; string quartet.

FIBICH Zdenek: quintet for piano,violin,cello,clarinet and horn.


----------



## crmoorhead

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) is quite possibly my absolute favorite instrumental work by Bach... an absolutely hypnotic and overwhelming piece.


Possibly my favourite piece by any composer!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 7.*

Claudio Abbado with the Berlin Phil.







[


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mahler, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> Claudio Abbado with the Berlin Phil.
> 
> View attachment 6177
> [


a magnificent recording, and one of my favourite '7s'...


----------



## Jared

science said:


> Not essentials, but interesting. Essential is Pergolesi's _Stabat Mater_, Zelenka's trio sonatas. Actually Zelenka's choral music is excellent. If you know your Bach and Handel and Vivaldi, off the top of my head your next stops might be Schutz, Buxtehude, and Zelenka.


Not essentials maybe science, but your tastes are beyond reproach... 

along with Schutz, Buxtehude & Zelenka, I would like to add choral works by Biber, Charpentier, both Scarlattis as well as of course, the wonderful Purcell... some truly delightful music to enjoy from this period; recommendations can be given..


----------



## science

Jared said:


> Not essentials maybe science, but your tastes are beyond reproach...
> 
> along with Schutz, Buxtehude & Zelenka, I would like to add choral works by Biber, Charpentier, both Scarlattis as well as of course, the wonderful Purcell... some truly delightful music to enjoy from this period; recommendations can be given..


Yes, I certainly wouldn't want to leave off Biber (all of his music, choral music might even be his weakest point) or Charpentier. I only know a tiny random bit of A. Scarlatti, and almost only the keyboard works of D. Scarlatti, so I couldn't have mentioned them, but I'm glad you did!

While we're sharing Baroque favorites, let me mention Locatelli! L'Arte del Violino is the only work I know, but it's wonderful.


----------



## Jared

science said:


> Yes, I certainly wouldn't want to leave off Biber (all of his music, choral music might even be his weakest point) or Charpentier. I only know a tiny random bit of A. Scarlatti, and almost only the keyboard works of D. Scarlatti, so I couldn't have mentioned them, but I'm glad you did!
> 
> While we're sharing Baroque favorites, let me mention Locatelli! L'Arte del Violino is the only work I know, but it's wonderful.


Locatelli is a composer I own nothing by, sadly... must do better in the future!

The choral works of Domenico Scarlatti actually surprised me, The Sixteen have created a disk which does him proud:


----------



## jani

Today its turn for Bachs 2nd WTCB.
And tomorrow i will listen all Mozart Piano sonatas (if i can find them from YT).
And day after tomorrow i will listen all Beethoven Piano sonatas (if i can find them from YT).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: String Quartets 1 & 2, then Cello Sonatas 1 & 2.

View attachment 6185
View attachment 6186


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti/Beethoven*, by Jeremy Denk.

It's a strange pairing, Beethoven's Op. 111 with Ligeti's Etudes. Nevertheless, Mr. Denk is a strong proponent of both. His Ligeti is both propulsive and reflective as the need arises. The Beethoven is played somewhat Romantically, in that he is not afraid to briefly pause for reflection at an interesting place.

I'm glad it's not me playing this. I don't think I have enough fingers.


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky symphony 4. It really hasn't done anything for me. I enjoy 1 & 3, 2 has a wonderful opening then up and down moments. But this one leaves me flat. I will check out an alternate version from the library.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia Antartica"} and Symphony No.8 in D Minor, *both performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Sir Adrian Boult. The *Seventh *also features soprano Norma Burrowes and the London Philharmonic Choir.


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich's score to Odna (Alone), *one of the first Russian films to have recorded sound. I've not seen the film, but it is about a young female Russian teacher going from Leningrad to the middle of nowhere - the Altai area bordering Mongolia - to teach children of farmers, so the scene is set for a clash between the Soviet idea of 'progress' and the local's 'outdated' values of tradition and so on.

The music itself is eclectic, held together by a tune played on barrell organ and also full orchestra, much reminiscent of the fairground atmosphere of Stravinsky's _Petrouchka_. There are also things like Eurasian throat (overtone)singing and the early electronic instrument, the theremin, is used to great effect in a snow storm scene where the young teacher almost perishes. She is miraculously rescued by the Soviet government and taken back home by plane, to music that is reminiscent of the brassy, percussive and kind of militaristic feel to come in Shosty's 5th symphony. This is probably not his finest film score, but not a bad way to spend 80 minutes of your time.

In this, the world premiere recording, there are parts sung by soprano, mezzo and tenor (& choir), with the Frankfurt Radio Sym. Orch. under Mark Fitz-Gerald, who did the reconstruction of this score (which was previously lost).


----------



## Lenfer

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ligeti/Beethoven*, by Jeremy Denk.
> 
> It's a strange pairing, Beethoven's Op. 111 with Ligeti's Etudes. Nevertheless, Mr. Denk is a strong proponent of both. His Ligeti is both propulsive and reflective as the need arises. The Beethoven is played somewhat Romantically, in that he is not afraid to briefly pause for reflection at an interesting place.
> 
> I'm glad it's not me playing this. I don't think I have enough fingers.
> 
> View attachment 6188


That album looks delicious! Thank you *Manx* for posting this. :tiphat:










*Górecki's Mmiserere* ~ *Chicago Symphony Chorus*

Currently looking for more recordings of this and would appreciate your assistance (I've found two unsure about quality).​


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55, *again with the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Maestro Karajan.


----------



## science

Only listened to the Mendelssohn. The latter disk includes Telemann's Oboe Sonata. Rebel's Elemens is the highlight.

















Beethoven 1 & 4.

The Messiaen is a work I'd essentially forgotten until Sid James mentioned it recently. How nice this is.


----------



## Sonata

Lots of Mendelssohn tonight! I like it 

I'm listening to his violin concertos tonight. If I have time, I'll get in one of his cantatas or a piano trio as well.


----------



## kv466




----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Handel: Keyboard Suites, Nos. 5-8


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rzewski*: The People United Will Never Be Defeated! with Frederic Rzewski (rec. live with a heavenly Steinway in Miami, 2007). My favorite version of this marathon piece.

"The People United Will Never Be Defeated! is like porridge. It's gotta be just right. Not too harsh. Not too soft. Achieving dramatic element not through hammering. Hamelin, Drury, Takahashi all fail via heavyhandedness. Oppens is on the right track, but ultimately falls short with weak projections at key junctures.

One can enjoy all of Frederic's performance at YT. Recorded sound is way above average. Some of the effect he achieves is quite astonishing. I do hope Kv. 466 was able to attend this concert five years ago. It's memorable.


----------



## Conor71

*Berwald: Symphony No. 3 In C Major, "Sinfonie Singuliere"*

Playing this newly arrived Disc for the first time - midway through the first Symphony in the set which is No. 3. This Composer is new to me. First impressions are good and the music is'nt hard to like - It seems influenced by Mendelssohn and Mozart and those guys, pretty sunny and upbeat!. I will listen to Disc 1 of the Berwald then I will listen to Disc 5 of my Villa-Lobos set, also for a first listen.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Henze: Symphony no. 7


----------



## Taneyev

More F...

FLEISCHMANN Aloys. piano quintet.

FOERSTER Josef B, sonata quasi fantasia for violin&piano

FRANCK Edward. String quartet Nº1


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## science




----------



## science

Odnoposoff said:


> More F...
> 
> FLEISCHMANN Aloys. piano quintet.
> 
> FOERSTER Josef B, sonata quasi fantasia for violin&piano
> 
> FRANCK Edward. String quartet Nº1


That is well off the beaten path!


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Henze: Symphony no. 7


This is new to me! I will have to look into this further, thanks *AG*.


----------



## science

Tonight's listening - in honor of the medieval music thread.


----------



## Jared

science said:


> Tonight's listening - in honor of the medieval music thread.


andthe Tallis Scholars too! Some really lovely music there indeed, Science... 

I'm still on my Haydn SQ traversal, courtesy of the Aeolians (Decca).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Michael Nyman, Time Will Pronounce.*


----------



## Renaissance

I'm currently keeping Verdelot's Ultimi Miei Sospiri on repeat.


----------



## Taneyev

science said:


> That is well off the beaten path!


I've several hundred well off the beaten path. Specialist on rarities 19th/mid 20th.centuries. Just wait and see.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Sid James said:


> *Shostakovich's score to Odna (Alone), *one of the first Russian films to have recorded sound. I've not seen the film, but it is about a young female Russian teacher going from Leningrad to the middle of nowhere - the Altai area bordering Mongolia - to teach children of farmers, so the scene is set for a clash between the Soviet idea of 'progress' and the local's 'outdated' values of tradition and so on.
> 
> The music itself is eclectic, held together by a tune played on barrell organ and also full orchestra, much reminiscent of the fairground atmosphere of Stravinsky's _Petrouchka_. There are also things like Eurasian throat (overtone)singing and the early electronic instrument, the theremin, is used to great effect in a snow storm scene where the young teacher almost perishes. She is miraculously rescued by the Soviet government and taken back home by plane, to music that is reminiscent of the brassy, percussive and kind of militaristic feel to come in Shosty's 5th symphony. This is probably not his finest film score, but not a bad way to spend 80 minutes of your time.
> 
> In this, the world premiere recording, there are parts sung by soprano, mezzo and tenor (& choir), with the Frankfurt Radio Sym. Orch. under Mark Fitz-Gerald, who did the reconstruction of this score (which was previously lost).


I don't like this piece very much. Notice that Shostakovich made a lot of money and friends making music
for movies, even Stalin respected him because of that. Shostakovich became international for this kind of music and Stalin had no choice but to accept his music... We are far from the *mess instead of music of Lady Macbeth..*.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/mar/26/classicalmusicandopera.russia

Martin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*John Cage, Melodies and Harmonies.*

These are small, melodic pieces, in the manner of his prepared piano pieces, nicely recorded. The acoustic may be a little dry for the violin, but it does give it a sense of delicacy.


----------



## science

Skipping from Gombert about as much time as separates us from Schubert -


----------



## NightHawk

This recording shows Levine and the Vienna Phil in fine form and the Mozart No. 40 and 41 are full of the right kind of energy. Clean, and light off-the-string playing and a rich sonority to boot. Mozart wrote in one of his letters of an orchestra he would prefer and the dimensions were something like 15 first violins, 15 seconds, 8 violas, 6 cellos and 6-8 basses (!) with winds doubled (!!) 
I made the numbers up, but I remember thinking 'these are modern orchestra' numbers. I'm sure he didn't get the orchestra of his dreams, but this recording would have made his day.


----------



## Renaissance

Palestrina - Missa Viri Galilaei performed by La Chapelle Royale & Ensemble Organum. 
Lesser-known than Missa Papae Marcelli, but equally good, in my opinion.


----------



## Jared

this hasn't been far from the top of the pile since I bought it... this is its 4th play-through now, and it gets better each time.


----------



## Conor71

Jared said:


> andthe Tallis Scholars too! Some really lovely music there indeed, Science...
> 
> I'm still on my Haydn SQ traversal, courtesy of the Aeolians (Decca).


How are you enjoying the Haydn SQs so far Jared? - I have that set too and like it


----------



## Jared

Conor71 said:


> How are you enjoying the Haydn SQs so far Jared? - I have that set too and like it


Hi Conor, Am I right in thinking you were/are on GMG? Unfortunately it was a forum which I struggled to get on with (my fault I'm sure, not theirs) so I didn't stay for long, but seem to remember we had some friendly exchanges on there for a while?

Over the past 12 months or so, I've really been on a Haydn kick... Piano Trios, Masses, Piano Sonatas, Sturm & Drang Symphs and now (finally!) the SQs. I just love Haydn tbh and can get lost in him for days, and the overall quality of that boxset is superb. Its marvellous to be able to journey through the development of the SQ (in its very infancy as a form during his early ones of course) right through to pillars of Classicism.... a thoroughly rewarding traversal.


----------



## Conor71

Hi Jared, thanks for your thoughts on the Haydn SQ's, you are on a great journey for sure!.
I am also a member of GMG and have talked to you there a few times and am a member of CMG too (though I havent posted there) - I enjoy Renaissance music too and like your taste and have bought a few Discs based on your recommendations 
Best wishes - Conor


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 31 and 34


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Lenfer

Keyboard Sonata in D major, BWV963
Keyboard Sonata in C major, BWV966
Keyboard Sonata in D Minor, BWV964
Capriccio in E major, BWV993
Duets Nos. 1-4, BWV802-805
English Suite No. 1 in A major, BWV806
English Suite No. 3 in G minor, BWV808
English Suite No. 4 in F major, BWV809
English Suite No. 6 in D minor, BWV811
French Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV813
French Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV815
Toccata in D minor, BWV913
Fantasia in C minor, BWV906​


----------



## opus55

Bach: Cello Suites, No. 4


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> Bach: Cello Suites, No. 4


a desert island recording for me, Opus...


----------



## Lenfer

Jared said:


> a desert island recording for me, Opus...


I've always wanted to start a desert island disc thread but I'm not sure how many people would post.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Taneyev

Jared said:


> a desert island recording for me, Opus...


Original LP box of this, first edition, on a mint or very good condition (box and booklet included), is worth hundreds on Ebay. If close, of course more. (Why somebody would pay hundreds for a piece he can get on CD for 
maybe 50, is something I'll never understand)


----------



## Jared

Lenfer said:


> I've always wanted to start a desert island disc thread but I'm not sure how many people would post.


How about asking people to strip their collection down to their 25 most indispensible works, followed by their favourite recording of each work. It's a very interesting exercise which really gets people thinking; I've seen it done elsewhere quite successfully. You'd have to be strict on what defines a 'work' however... Beethoven Symph No.3 'Eroica' would of course count, but Set of Beethoven Symphonies wouldn't. Then again, it would be cruel to only allow poeple to have one Book of the WTC without the other... 

anyway, this is your idea, so have a little think and run with it! Just decide what you'd like to get out of it and shape it accordingly.. should be a great thread!

I think the idea is that the results can provide a great initial resource for newbies building up a collection. If for instance I as a newbie saw you listening to music which I also enjoyed, I could go to the completed list of 25 you had made, and gain inspiration from your choices... just a thought...


----------



## NightHawk

I agree, I have the very same recording of the Isaac - I love the Tallis Scholars, so much. Would recommend by TS:









The mass is based on a much lauded motet by Josquin (Isaac's great contemporary!) of the same name _Praeter rerum seriem_ - the recording begins with Josquin's motet and is followed by the De Rore mass, which is very, very beautiful.



Jared said:


> this hasn't been far from the top of the pile since I bought it... this is its 4th play-through now, and it gets better each time.


----------



## NightHawk

I am also happily lost in a Haydn maze and thought I'd mention his great biographer H.C.Robbins Landon whose Five (5) volume, hardback set, _Haydn - Chronicle and Works_ is for sale on ebay (or was) for $600 - I'm about half way through the first volume, lots of musical examples, and the footnotes take on a life of their own, so I was actually tempted to buy the set...but, then I came to my senses and will just content myself with the library copy I have access to.



Jared said:


> Over the past 12 months or so, I've really been on a Haydn kick... Piano Trios, Masses, Piano Sonatas, Sturm & Drang Symphs and now (finally!) the SQs. I just love Haydn tbh and can get lost in him for days, and the overall quality of that boxset is superb. Its marvellous to be able to journey through the development of the SQ (in its very infancy as a form during his early ones of course) right through to pillars of Classicism.... a thoroughly rewarding traversal.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> This is new to me! I will have to look into this further, thanks *AG*.


I'm actually not all that familiar with the music of Henze. I've been looking at recordings of his symphonies and guitar music.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen!, BWV 51














When it comes to Bach's vocal works, I've been a fan of Herreweghe. I'm trying Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan for the first time.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Bach: Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen!, BWV 51
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When it comes to Bach's vocal works, I've been a fan of Herreweghe. I'm trying Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan for the first time.


BCJ are the _best_ when it comes to Bach. Amazing stuff. Incredible recordings.

Currently listening to Liszt's Faust Symphony for the listening club. It is rather difficult to listen to because I've been so used to atonality.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Gombert*


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the guiding hand of Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Sid James

*J. Strauss II's operetta *_*Jabuka (The Apple Festival)* _has some great tunes and is quite different from things like his _Die Fledermaus_.

_*Jabuka*_ has a distinctly 'Slavonic' flavour, reflecting the composer's love of Smetana's _BArtered Bride_, and its also thematically very tight, a number of themes coursing right through the operetta. The orchestration is very lush and there is a lot of great choral and ensemble writing. Acts I and II are capped off by over 15 minute tracks which bring the whole cast together in an almost Wagnerian synthesis of the melodies that came before. So its quite sophisticated, but more importantly a joy to hear. The 2nd disc is rounded off by a handful of dance arrangments of tunes from _Jabuka_, one big waltz by the composer but the others by composers of his time up to today.

On this world premiere recording, Christian Pollack conducts the cast, choir and orchestra, made up of Czech and Austrian musicians.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti:* Le Grand Macabre (original version in German). Brilliant opera. I have listened to it every day since I got it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 2*

This is Abranavel's recording. I'm wondering if I want to purchase Amazon's mp3 special of all his Mahler recordings for 99 cents.

There are bigger-sounding versions, but this has a crispness to it.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Basson Concero in A minor, RV 497





Vaughan Williams: Oboe Concerto


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time*. I've been meaning to listen to this again for a while. Need to be in the right mood. Its a favourite chamber work of mine, and it was one of the things that got me into more contemporary musics.

No need for an introduction to this work, the music itself and the story behind it speaks for itself in a very powerful way. Suffice to say that over the years I have come to hear the themes Messiaen takes through the work, its a very thematically unified/tight work. No wonder, as two big influences for him at this time where J.S. Bach and Webern. The two eulogy movements are the twin cores of this work for me, but there is much else besides, incl. the sonic 'rainbow' played by piano in the 7th movement, the bouncy _intermezzo_ (4th movement) and the cadenza for solo clarinet which 'sings' bird song in the 3rd movement, the _Abyss of the Birds_.

In this recording, Reinbert de Leeuw plays piano, with Vera Beths, violin ; George Pieterson, clarinet & Anner Bijlsma, cello. On Australian Eloquence / Philips label, now out of print. A kind of spacy reading, emphasising the spiritual & kind of cosmic side of this work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras


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## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3


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## neoshredder

Listening to Palestrina's Masses and Motets.


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## StlukesguildOhio

BCJ are the best when it comes to Bach.

Ummm... no. "Great?" Definitely. "One of the best?" Certainly. _The Best_... no... and you may realize that when you come to listen to a bit more Bach than Ligeti.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StlukesguildOhio said:


> BCJ are the best when it comes to Bach.
> 
> Ummm... no. "Great?" Definitely. "One of the best?" Certainly. _The Best_... no... and you may realize that when you come to listen to a bit more Bach than Ligeti.




.

.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I picked up Barenboim's _Parsifal_ for next to nothing.










It showcases some great singers... but I far away prefer Karajan's and Knappertsbusch' recordings.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Barenboim's _Parsifal_ is superb.


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## Kevin Pearson

Out of respect for Composerofavantgarde I am listening to Ligeti's works for string quartet's Vol. 1. I like his quartet's much more than his trios and I think they would make good pieces to use in horror films like Psycho. Since I am not much of a fan of horror films it may be part of the reason I see Ligeti as disturbing because it does really remind me of horror films score music.

Why am I listening to this before I go to bed?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^I gave you a "like" for listening to it, not for your opinion of it.


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## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^I gave you a "like" for listening to it, not for your opinion of it.


If I could give me a like for listening to it I would too! You have to be brave to enter these muddy waters! :devil:

Kevin


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## neoshredder

Kevin Pearson said:


> If I could give me a like for listening to it I would too! You have to be brave to enter these muddy waters! :devil:
> 
> Kevin


It's more like flying in a blue dream.


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## Sid James

Ligeti's string quartets is another thing I've been planning to listen to again. I have the Naxos recording but haven't listend to it for ages.

One thing about Ligeti is I like his 'trademark' look, esp. that shock of white hair. But I went to a concert of his music, and in the program was a photo of him when young, and he looked TOTALLY different! It was a black & white photo, he had dark hair, glasses and (if I remember it correctly?) a moustache! I couldn't believe it was him. It was a close up of him conducting. I had to check twice that the caption said it was him!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Ligeti's string quartets is another thing I've been planning to listen to again. I have the Naxos recording but haven't listend to it for ages.
> 
> One thing about Ligeti is I like his 'trademark' look, esp. that shock of white hair. But I went to a concert of his music, and in the program was a photo of him when young, and he looked TOTALLY different! It was a black & white photo, he had dark hair, glasses and (if I remember it correctly?) a moustache! I couldn't believe it was him. It was a close up of him conducting. I had to check twice that the caption said it was him!


Could you post a picture here?


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## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Could you post a picture here?


I'll have to look among my old programs. I periodically cull them but I have a feeling I kept that one as the photo is rare. I did a 'on the fly' internet (google) search and couldn't find it. But I will have a look amongst my old programs and see if I've still got it. If so I will endeavour to post it.


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## neoshredder

Taking a break from the mass. Listening to Ligeti's Project II in the Dark. Trying to visualize places far away in space.


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## neoshredder

Done with Ligeti. Was a short cd. Onto Monteverdi


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## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Dawn In A Tropical Forest*

Playing this newly arrived Disc for a first listen - after this I will play some of this composers Symphonies as well


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## crmoorhead

This week's current/upcoming listening:

Weber: Piano Concerto No. 1
Schumann: Missa Sacra
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1
Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 53
Barber: Vanessa
Berg: String Quartet
Bach: Concerto for Harpsichord and 2 Recorders, 

Trying to get through a backlog of less frequently listened/unlistened material ATM.


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## Renaissance

I am stuck into sacred music. Love Arvo Part.


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## ProudSquire

Ligeti's Atmosphères because of a certain someone! COAG!!!

Not sure what I listened to, but it was definitely different than what i'm usually accustomed to. I believe I'll leave it at that! :}


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## Renaissance

Great performance


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## Lenfer

*Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge* ~ *Grigory Sokolov*​


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## Taneyev

Still F...

"FRYDAYS". collective 16 short pieces for string quartet by Russian composers, one each (NRK, Glazunov, Lyadov,Borodin, Sokolov...) Dante quartet

FERGUSON Howard. Octet string and winds, Griller quartet&co, first recording

FRANCK Cesar. String quartet. Pro-Arte quartet


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I don't understand. No BRIAN FERNEYHOUGH?!


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## Taneyev

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I don't understand. No BRIAN FERNEYHOUGH?!


F...Ferneyhough


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Odnoposoff said:


> F...Ferneyhough


Check this out:






OCH! SOLO FLUTE NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD!


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## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Check this out:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> OCH! SOLO FLUTE NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD!


Reminds me of this...


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## Renaissance




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## Lenfer




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## Renaissance




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## Lisztian




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## NightHawk

I do not own this recording, but our library has it and I listened to it a couple of years ago. It was my first hearing of the orchestra with Abravanel and I was knocked out - no, not as immense, but it has the right spirit. I do own his Sibelius cycle with Utah and the comment would be similar - very Sibelian, just not the big lushness we have come to expect from Concertgebouw, Vienna, Berlin, etc.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Mahler, Symphony No. 2*
> 
> This is Abranavel's recording. I'm wondering if I want to purchase Amazon's mp3 special of all his Mahler recordings for 99 cents.
> 
> There are bigger-sounding versions, but this has a crispness to it.
> 
> View attachment 6209


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## Sonata

Started watching this last night on YouTube:










The only downside is that I didn't read a full synopsis ahead of time (though I DO know the general story idea behind it). Once the overture was over I realized there were no subtitles. I was too lazy to look up another production, and this one has very good reviews. So I'll fly blind this first time. Definitely some good music here.


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## Renaissance




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## NightHawk

Rafael Kubelik's _Parsifal_ is also very beautiful. RK seems to understand the phrasing and pacing better than anyone I've heard, though I've not heard the acclaimed Knappertsbusch.











StlukesguildOhio said:


> I picked up Barenboim's _Parsifal_ for next to nothing.
> 
> It showcases some great singers... but I far away prefer Karajan's and Knappertsbusch' recordings.


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## NightHawk

First thing this morning pure joy: Symphonies #87 in A major, #88 in G major, and #89 in F major. Dorati makes them sparkle.


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## Renaissance




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## Jared

NightHawk said:


> First thing this morning pure joy: Symphonies #87 in A major, #88 in G major, and #89 in F major. Dorati makes them sparkle.


Wonderful way to wake up, Nighthawk!

Have you ever heard these?



















delightfully crisp and sprightly interpretations, especially the Paris set...


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## Jared

and now for a bit of Taverner....

along with the Eton Choirbook, this body of 6CDs on Helios of the works of John Taverner recorded mid '80s to mid '90s, will be one of The Sixteen's most enduring legacies... if you are into Renaissance Music, then these inexpensive, re-issued disks are an absolute must.


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## NightHawk

Hi Jared, No, I haven't heard those recordings - I have heard of *La Petite Bande* but *Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment* is completely new to me and I'll be checking both out for sure. The 18th century is my favorite musical period (including all of Beethoven)*. I do have Franz Bruggen with a Dutch group performing three of the 'Paris' symphonies and they are superlative in all ways - HIP and 'crisp' to borrow your word. Another group that plays Haydn very well is The Hanover Band - their 'Surprise' No. 94 is fantastic and the tonic chord blast in the slow movement variations is so over the top that even Haydn might be 'surprised' lol - but it is in tune and rhythmically very precise - I love it! Do you know the Piano Trios? Superb music, which I had never heard at all until recently. Beaux Arts are great with these. Thanks for the recommendations!!! Cheers! nh

*but I listen all over the map.



Jared said:


> Wonderful way to wake up, Nighthawk!
> 
> Have you ever heard these?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> delightfully crisp and sprightly interpretations, especially the Paris set...


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## Jared

NightHawk said:


> Hi Jared, No, I haven't heard those recordings - I have heard of *La Petite Bande* but *Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment* is completely new to me and I'll be checking both out for sure. The 18th century is my favorite musical period (including all of Beethoven). I do have Franz Bruggen with a Dutch group performing three of the 'Paris' symphonies and they are superlative in all ways - HIP and 'crisp' to borrow your word. Another group that plays Haydn very well is The Hanover Band - their 'Surprise' No. 94 is fantastic and the tonic chord blast in the slow movement variations is so over the top that even Haydn might be 'surprised' lol - but it is in tune and rhythmically very precise - I love it! Do you know the Piano Trios? Superb music, which I had never heard at all until recently. Beaux Arts are great with these. Thanks for the recommendations!!! Cheers! nh


The Paris set above is very highly regarded indeed; lots of 'Rosettes' in various guides! The Hanover Band are consistently good too... shame they re-issued them all individually and in Jewel cases... pricey to collect and take up a hell of a lot of room on the shelf! You'd never believe it was the same 'man' whoi had sung the top notes in this famous recording of Allegri's Miserere, would you?










anyway yes, the Piano trios by the Beaux are the 'must have' set here... so pleased you like them!


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## Jared

Incidentally NightHawk, if you like Bruggen & Beethoven, then try to track this set down when you can:










it is my favourite HIP version...


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## Renaissance




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## Renaissance




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## Lisztian

Got a few hours to spare - not that tired, but don't really feel like doing anything. I haven't listened to much Liszt lately, so i'll spend the next few hours lying here listening to lengthy, recital-esque youtube videos of his piano music.


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## Jared

NightHawk said:


> Would recommend by TS:
> 
> View attachment 6206
> 
> 
> The mass is based on a much lauded motet by Josquin (Isaac's great contemporary!) of the same name _Praeter rerum seriem_ - the recording begins with Josquin's motet and is followed by the De Rore mass, which is very, very beautiful.


The only disk of De Rore I own is nevertheless a very beautiful one:


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## samurai

Jared said:


> Incidentally NightHawk, if you like Bruggen & Beethoven, then try to track this set down when you can:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it is my favourite HIP version...


Hi Jared. I was just wondering if you are familiar with the HIP complete Beethoven Cycle done by John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre revolutionnaire et Romantique. If you are, how would you rate this as compared to the Bruggen?


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## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {" A London Symphony" } and Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}. *The *Second* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *Third *features the New Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73 and Symphony No.3 in E Minor, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Jared

samurai said:


> Hi Jared. I was just wondering if you are familiar with the HIP complete Beethoven Cycle done by John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre revolutionnaire et Romantique. If you are, how would you rate this as compared to the Bruggen?


I'm afraid I'm not familiar with it, however it is well enough liked. Indeed, Gramophone calls it: 'A superb, carefully condsidered and very theatrical cyle: this is LvB straight off the stage'. I do know that it is very sprightly indeed, almost reaching Toscanini's speeds (!?) and I must admit, I like mine a little more nuanced.


----------



## Jared

samurai said:


> Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {" A London Symphony" } and Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}. *The *Second* is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the *Third *features the New Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.




Wonderful... I love Boult's reading of both those Symphs...


----------



## AndyS

Flagstads Decca recording of the Wesendonk lieder


----------



## Manxfeeder

Looks like COAG has got us on a Ligeti kick. Today I listened to this:


----------



## Sid James

*Ligeti's string quartets played by the Parker Quartet on Naxos label*.

These are quite disturbing, high octane and kind of psychopathic. Very fragmented but I did hear bits of a theme coming back at the end of the* first quartet*. In that, there's a waltz that's just crazy, it goes from 4/4 time to these rhythms that would not be out of place in rock or metal. & at the heart of the *second quartet *is this mechanical movement that is like machines in a factory going totally haywire, berserk. Its this dark humour, laughing in the face of death, that is maybe more disturbing than the sounds Ligeti garners from the strings - which at times, sound electronic (eg. these drones and siren-like sounds).

To finish, a innocuous string quartet fragment from 1950 (the _*Andante and Allegretto*_), composed during the Stalinist period in Hungary. You wouldn't think it's 1950, more like 1900 or something. Tuneful, folkish and 'nice,' it is nothing more than an after dinner mint for the two quartets, which are 'the real deal' as far as this great cd is concerned.












crmoorhead said:


> This week's current/upcoming listening:....
> Trying to get through a backlog of less frequently listened/unlistened material ATM.


That's what I've been doing, going back to things I haven't heard in ages, it's been a joy. Actually, Shosty's 1st symphony is on the agenda for me as well.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Currently going through all of *Ligeti's* concertos. Listened to his Cello Concerto and Chamber Concerto so far.


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## Manxfeeder

*Shostokavich, Symphony No. 7.*

I don't know what it is about Kondrashin, but his recordings of Shostakovich sound right to me; the sound isn't the greatest, but they play like they mean it.


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## StlukesguildOhio

NightHawk said:


> First thing this morning pure joy: Symphonies #87 in A major, #88 in G major, and #89 in F major. Dorati makes them sparkle.
> 
> View attachment 6212


I took this to my studio this afternoon... but unfortunately didn't get around to playing anything from it.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I took this to my studio this afternoon... but unfortunately didn't get around to playing anything from it.


You must at _least_ listen to no. 52. I used to love that one when I could stand tonality. :tiphat:


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## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Currently going through all of *Ligeti's* concertos. Listened to his Cello Concerto and Chamber Concerto so far.


Do you plan to listen to all the concertos in one sit? (or at least that is what I understood).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> Do you plan to listen to all the concertos in one sit? (or at least that is what I understood).


Nah I listened to the three concerti from his middle period and now I'm off to bathe myself in the wondrous sounds of Le Grand Macabre.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon listening to an interesting array of music:










An interesting survey of the music of the Mediterranean from the Medieval period and the cross-fertilization between East and West... Islamic and Christian traditions.










I had to pick up this recording of Gesualdo's 5th book of Madrigals by the Hilliard Ensemble... after their stellar recording of Gesualdo's _Tenebrae_. They did not disappoint.

Now this was something altogether different:










Milhaud employs elements of jazz, South American music, and the Parisian cabarets with a sense of wit, irony, and playfulness. I was struck by the manner in which the "serious" slow opening of _La Création du Monde_ suggests the opening of Bach's _St. Matthew Passion_... and then he heads off into an altogether different direction. I have been quite enamored recently of all this playful, turn of the century, French music. I'm going to have to dig deeper into Milhaud.

And then... once again another direction altogether different (indeed, one suspects a good deal of the French music from Milhaud's era involved a direct rebellion and ironic commentary upon the "seriousness" and grandeur of Wagner. 
Nevertheless... I don't see Wagner or Milhaud (or his ilk) as an "either/or" choice. I can enjoy both. Right now I'm finally getting to the great last act of _Parsifal_:


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## StlukesguildOhio

You must at least listen to no. 52. I used to love that one when I could stand tonality. 

Oh, I've played the whole set before... and individual discs any number of times. I just didn't have time to listen to anything from this set today.


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## aleazk

I love this cd.


----------



## millionrainbows

This is rather ominous. No wonder Berlioz used it in his witchcraft-extravaganza (Symphony Fantastique) and then Wendy Carlos in "The Shining." For more of that, get "Lost Scores." Meanwhile, back at the cathedral, there's a quite impressive section here in which bass voices are used, in harmony. Ominous sounding.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I may not be a huge fan of Ligeti but I am a huge fan of one of his students...Michael Daugherty! Daugherty has written some wonderful stuff like his Metropolis Symphony and the pieces on this album which are Route 66, Ghost Ranch, Sunset Strip, and Time Machine. But since it's tonal it must not be any good! :devil:










Kevin


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## samurai

@ Jared, Yes I agree; he seems to have a real feel for and sense of this composer.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Moving on to another one of Ligeti's students who I find interesting and that is Roberto Sierra. I really enjoy his album Three Sinfonias and also his Concertos album. This album of trios is a little dark but I find it very interesting to listen to. Both Sierra and Daugherty are American composers and I think the "American" sound comes through in much of their music. Like the inheritors of Copeland, Bernstein and Gershwin's legacies.










Kevin


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## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Kevin Pearson

On to another American composer...David Maslanka and his Symphony No. 4 from the album Rising by the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Don't be fooled by the fact this symphony is recorded by a university because it is a really fine recording. In fact every piece on the album is good but I wanted to listen to the Maslanka before bed. Check it out if you can because it is a wonderful American symphony.










Kevin


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## Jared

Sonata said:


> Started watching this last night on YouTube:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The only downside is that I didn't read a full synopsis ahead of time (though I DO know the general story idea behind it). Once the overture was over I realized there were no subtitles. I was too lazy to look up another production, and this one has very good reviews. So I'll fly blind this first time. Definitely some good music here.


A couple of years ago, I did an Open University course entitled 'From Enlightenment to Romanticism', for which that was the set film for the 2 weeks we did on Don Giovanni... needless to say I had to watch it through twice and take notes! It is still recognised as a very good version..


----------



## Jared

Renaissance said:


>


some times, one of the very finest performances of a work happen to be among the cheapest... this is the case with Spem in Alium which, in this version joined with the magnificent Salve Intermerata, is an ideal purchase for those wishing to introduce themselves to the work of Tallis without having to 'splash out the cash'...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tallis-Spem...2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342163451&sr=1-2-fkmr0


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I took this to my studio this afternoon... but unfortunately didn't get around to playing anything from it.


I like the fact that you managed to get it to your studio, not the fact that you didn't get to play anything!! 

How do you like Pinnock? His orchestral work often divides opinion, because some people find his readings a little too taut of expression, stripped down and austere.. someone I remember unkindly called it 'his knitting needle technique'. I personally am a great fan (and feels his style pays dividends here), but fully understand that these might not be the only interpretations one would wish to own.


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I spent the afternoon listening to an interesting array of music:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An interesting survey of the music of the Mediterranean from the Medieval period and the cross-fertilization between East and West... Islamic and Christian traditions.


I think we need a detailed write-up for the Medieval thread...


----------



## Jared

millionrainbows said:


> This is rather ominous. No wonder Berlioz used it in his witchcraft-extravaganza (Symphony Fantastique) and then Wendy Carlos in "The Shining." For more of that, get "Lost Scores." Meanwhile, back at the cathedral, there's a quite impressive section here in which bass voices are used, in harmony. Ominous sounding.
> 
> View attachment 6223


I just have the one disk from that set:










I have occasionally wondered whether I should purchase the whole shebang, but don't know whether I need 15 disks of it...


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 1 In D Major, Op. 43*

I had hoped to be listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphonies conducted by Jansons this weekend but it was not to be! (it was due to arrive yesterday) I am consoling myself tonight with some more Orchestral Tchaikovsky first from this newly arrived set of the Orchestral Suites - have'nt heard this Music before so I am hoping its a good. After the Dorati set I will play Disc 1 of the Symphonic Poems.


----------



## Renaissance

Jared said:


> some times, one of the very finest performances of a work happen to be among the cheapest... this is the case with Spem in Alium which, in this version joined with the magnificent Salve Intermerata, is an ideal purchase for those wishing to introduce themselves to the work of Tallis without having to 'splash out the cash'...
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tallis-Spem...2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342163451&sr=1-2-fkmr0


Yes, I know that version, it is my favorite too but I was just trying another one.  Everything performed by Oxford Camerata and Ensemble Organum easily become my favorite version of that work. Clement Janequin Ensemble is very fine too, another golden standard group for Renaissance music. Speaking of Janequin Ensemble, I really love the treatment those guy give to Josquin's Missa Pange Lingua.


----------



## Jared

Conor71 said:


> I had hoped to be listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphonies conducted by Jansons this weekend but it was not to be!


Conor, that's an excellent purchase my friend and will be very well worth the wait... Jansons struck gold with that set...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I will listen to *Ligeti's* requiem tonight.


----------



## Jared

Renaissance said:


> Yes, I know that version, it is my favorite too but I was just trying another one.  Everything performed by Oxford Camerata and Ensemble Organum easily become my favorite version of that work. Clement Janequin Ensemble is very fine too, another golden standard group for Renaissance music. Speaking of Janequin Ensemble, I really love the treatment those guy give to Josquin's Missa Pange Lingua.
> 
> View attachment 6227


I had a feeling you were too knowledgeable not to have known about the disk... I guess my comment was a more generalised one for anyone wishing to dip their toes in these waters... the Josquin disk above seems interesting; I only have the famous TS version of that work, I'm afraid.


----------



## Renaissance

Pure eerie sound ! Highly recommended for all heavenly music fans.


----------



## Taneyev

F...last:

FRAZZI Vitto: string quartet.

FRYKOLF Herold. sonata "a la legenda" for violin&piano.

FURTWANGLER: son.Nº2 violin&piano.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

You haven't told me your thoughts on Ferneyhough.


----------



## Renaissance

Great work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to *Ligeti's* Violin Concerto right now.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^Bartók's fourth quartet is an astounding work.


----------



## Renaissance

Yes, it is.  Especially this final movement, pure craziness.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Renaissance said:


> Yes, it is.  Especially this final movement, pure craziness.


Almost as good as *Ligeti's* 1st.


----------



## Renaissance

Almost - the *key* word 






Bartok had a kind of weird sense of humor when he named this piece "Wedding Song". Maybe his marriage*s* weren't too happy


----------



## science

Some piano music. Very different styles of course, all delightful. (I only listened to Mozart's sonatas 1-4.)

Hough's Mompou is great but of course Larrocha's Decca recordings of Albeniz and Granados are a higher priority. Hough also has a great disk called "The Spanish Album" that a lot of people might like.

















It's a good day.


----------



## Jared

science said:


> It's a good day.


a good day indeed!!

my last two (and rather contrasting) listens...



















Isokoski is unsurprisingly thrilling in these Sibelian songs...


----------



## Renaissance

El Cant De La Sibil - La Catalunya - Jordi Savall/Hesperion XXI. 
I am having a good time.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Quartet No. 4.*

I'm really getting into this the more I hear it. It's interesting both motivically and sonically. According to Kolisch, whose quartet premiered it, "This piece is a downright hit."


----------



## cwarchc

Having an Elgar evening, just finished with "Sea pictures" I can't get the image to load? Then onto this piece


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Diamond, Symphony No. 3. Bach, Art of Fugue.*


----------



## neoshredder

Back to tonality. Sorry ComposerofAvantGarde. I can only take so much atonality. Great selections here.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D Major and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, *both featuring the London Philharmonic and Sir Adrian Boult.
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Easy, easy listening. Complete piano music of Debussy, for the price of under one.


----------



## Sonata

Back to watching *Don Giovanni* tonight on YouTube. Unfortunately I've only been able to get in half an hour at a stretch....but maybe I can finish it during my son's nap tomorrow if I'm not too tired myself.

But what great music!! I'm halfway through and I don't think there has been a recitative in over twenty minutes! Just beautiful melody. It's a winner!


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No. 7










Weekend opener with one of my favorite symphonic scherzos.


----------



## Sid James

Another listen of many recently to *Bartok's string quartets 3, 5 & 6 *played by the Alban Berg Quartet. I am hearing more 'consonance amongst the dissonance' in these works. Two years ago when I got this set, I was confused by this music and did not connect with it. Now I am, and also hearing things like emotion, structure and thematic links/unity. Eg. the 5th quartet has two slow movements interrupted by a scherzo, like suddenly changing the subject of a conversation then coming back to it.

Along with that, some more whimsical works, *Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments *(dedicated to Debussy) and his *Octet for winds*, which he based on tunes he'd heard in a dream; the dance with Latin rhythms in it that ends it is always kind of refreshing. Edo de Waart conducted the Netherlands Wind Ensemble on this Philips cd.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Back to Michael Daugherty again tonight and his Metropolis Symphony. I really like this symphony a whole lot and think it's one of the cooler modern symphonies. The other piece on here Deus Ex Machina is also a great piece.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

More comfort music. Debussy.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'll listen to some French music today seeing that it's July 14.

Right now: _L'Afrique d'après Tiepolo_ and _L'Asie d'après Tiepolo_ from Hugues Dufourt's Tiepolo cycle. Music performed by ensemble recherche.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> More comfort music. Debussy.


How did they manage a colour photograph of Dvorak and what it is doing with music by *Debussy????*


----------



## Conor71

*Mascagni: Cavelleria Rusticana*

I've been listening to Bach keyboard music all morning so I felt like complimenting that with something really lush and beautiful - This Opera is a real good one I think


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> How did they manage a colour photograph of Dvorak and what it is doing with music by *Debussy????*


Yeah the cover is pretty cheesy. The music is what counts. It sounds great to my ears.


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> How did they manage a colour photograph of Dvorak and what it is doing with music by *Debussy????*


How did they get a color photograph of _*ME*_ and what is it doing on an album cover of music by anybody?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> How did they get a color photograph of _*ME*_ and what is it doing on an album cover of music by anybody?


Is your name actually Karlheinz Stockhausen and are you referencing The Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?


----------



## opus55

Alfven: Symphony No. 4


----------



## neoshredder

Enjoyed Debussy but was in need of some harpsichord. Decided to listen to Rameau.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

French music for July 14 eh? French music is awesome.  I'll listen to some spectral music tonight.


----------



## neoshredder

Messiaen might fit your taste.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Actually nah, stuff spectralism. GO BOULEZ PIANO SONATAS _ATONAL SCREEEEEEEAM_


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Messiaen might fit your taste.


ONDES MARTENOT FOR THE WIN but nah, Messiaen is a good composer just maybe after Boulez.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ONDES MARTENOT FOR THE WIN but nah, Messiaen is a good composer just maybe after Boulez.


Reallly? Surprised there. Des Canyons Aux Etoiles... is quite interesting imo. It sounds atonal to me. Made in 1974.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Reallly? Surprised there. Des Canyons Aux Etoiles... is quite interesting imo. It sounds atonal to me. Made in 1974.


Yeah Messiaen did atonal. He also did tonal. All his works are very colourful but at the moment I'm in the mood for Boulez's piano sonata no. 2. 

Thanks for the recommendation by the way. :tiphat:


----------



## Taneyev

Now G 1:

GERSTER Ottmar: string quartet Nº2

GLAZUNOV: five early pieces for string quartet

GLIERE: "Idyl" for French horn and string quartet


----------



## Jared

with very fine performances of all three chamber pieces, especially from Anthony Pay in the Clarinet Quintet, I put this CD well and truly into the 'why on earth have I not got around to purchasing this disk until now??' category...


----------



## Renaissance

John Tavener - Funeral Canticle


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Jared

cwarchc said:


> Having an Elgar evening, just finished with "Sea pictures" I can't get the image to load? Then onto this piece


Was it Barbirolli & Baker's Sea Pictures?? 

It reminds me of the lovely day in May 2009 when I visited Elgar's birth place museum near Worcester, and that particular recording was playing when I walked in through his front door...


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> Dvorak: Symphony No. 7
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Weekend opener with one of my favorite symphonic scherzos.


a wonderful, wonderful set Opus... do you also have Kertesz' Dvorak Requiem? It's an absolute must and for me, the very pinnacle of Kertesz' conducting output...


----------



## Jared




----------



## science




----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Jared

science said:


>


Not heard that version science, but you will know from the Desert Island thread that it is a work I hold very dear... practically the very pinnacle of Renaissance writing... :tiphat:


----------



## Jared

Renaissance said:


>


and indeed the hallowed halls of 'Talk Classical' emmanate with the most beautiful sounds, this afternoon...


----------



## Renaissance

One of the few operas I like.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## joen_cph

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Easy, easy listening. Complete piano music of Debussy, for the price of under one.


That´s actually a great recording, isn´t it ?









Bach: "Kunst der Fuge", arranged for string orchestra by Artur Winograd (2LP)
Very emotional reading of the work. Sound is somewhat of a problem here though; recorded in 1950, but sounds like 1940 ...


----------



## opus55

Jared said:


> a wonderful, wonderful set Opus... do you also have Kertesz' Dvorak Requiem? It's an absolute must and for me, the very pinnacle of Kertesz' conducting output...


I've never heard of Dvorak's Requiem in my life! I'll look for Kertesz's recording.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 15










Did Brendel record all of Mozart's Piano Concertos?


----------



## joen_cph

Yes, except 1-4, as far as I remember.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Renaissance

All-time favorite.


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> I've never heard of Dvorak's Requiem in my life! I'll look for Kertesz's recording.
> 
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 15
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Did Brendel record all of Mozart's Piano Concertos?












His Requiem is magnificent... his Mass in D is simply beautiful... an absolute must-have disk imho.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Pian...=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342294866&sr=1-5

^^ just been re-issued.


----------



## jttoft

I'm currently listening to:

Mozart: Symphony No. 41
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock

I may just have to buy this set!


----------



## Jared

jttoft said:


> I'm currently listening to:
> 
> Mozart: Symphony No. 41
> The English Concert
> Trevor Pinnock
> 
> I may just have to buy this set!


I have rarely seen it this cheap:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...rt+pinnock&sprefix=mozart+pinnock,popular,264


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Is this Mozart?






Martin, ignorant


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Variations on a Rococo Theme with Wallfisch/Simon; *Chopin*: Four Scherzi with Demidenko; *Liszt*: Piano Concerto 2 with Zimerman/Ozawa.

View attachment 6253
View attachment 6254
View attachment 6255


----------



## cwarchc

Jared said:


> Was it Barbirolli & Baker's Sea Pictures??
> 
> It reminds me of the lovely day in May 2009 when I visited Elgar's birth place museum near Worcester, and that particular recording was playing when I walked in through his front door...


It was Mackerras and Della Jones, a good interpretation IMHO


----------



## Lenfer

The *Monteverdi Choir* with *John Eliot Gardiner* ~ *Bach: Motets* 
*AISN*: B007NUP6GS​
Trying to make up my mind whether or not to purchase this? I've been told good things, read good reviews but for some reason can't take the plunge.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> The *Monteverdi Choir* with *John Eliot Gardiner* ~ *Bach: Motets*
> *AISN*: B007NUP6GS​
> Trying to make up my mind whether or not to purchase this? I've been told good things, read good reviews but for some reason can't take the plunge.


Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan have their own recording of motets on BIS. I would suggest that one first.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to Le Grand Macabre. Again. Just like every day for the last few weeks.


----------



## Lenfer

Thanks *A.G.* this? Now you've made it harder may have to listen to both, thanks. 

You know if they are a set of CDs I will have to buy them ALL yes?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> Thanks *A.G.* this? Now you've made it harder may have to listen to both, thanks.
> 
> You know if they are a set of CDs I will have to buy them ALL yes?


Actually, this. The buy the cantatas as well if you want. They are all issued individually (although I think there are still boxes with thirty or so cantatas each) and I believe they are up to volume 50.

Here's a promotional video from BIS for the motet CD:


----------



## jttoft

Jared said:


> I have rarely seen it this cheap:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...rt+pinnock&sprefix=mozart+pinnock,popular,264


- Yes, £20 is very cheap (although that is from Canada, so import duties should be kept in mind).
From what I've heard on YouTube, I have been very impressed with these recordings, and I don't yet own a complete Mozart Symphonies set...

I actually had my heart set on Géza Anda's complete Mozart Piano Concertos as my next major music purchase, but this Pinnock set is tempting.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan have their own recording of motets on BIS. I would suggest that one first.

I wouldn't. And guess which one of us is the Bach fanatic and which one is the Ligeti adherent?

Seriously, If you are set to explore Bach's vocal works I would listen to the variety of quality performances out there and make up you mind as to which you like best. Suzuki is certainly one of the finest... his sound quality... a crystalline clarity is unmatched... but his are not the most emotional rendering... nor does he employ the finest singers... especially on the older discs. When it comes to the Brandenburg Concertos, Jordi Savall tears him up. The main contemporary rivals of Suzuki are John Eliot Gardiner and Philippe Herreweghe. These discs by Herreweghe are an incredible bargain... 3 discs per volume for the price of one... or less...










And these were very expensive single discs when originally released... and among the finest. Andreas Scholl! Need I say more?

Gardiner, however, may be the best introduction to Bach:










If you can find this set for a reasonable price anywhere... jump on it. 22 discs including the St. Matthew and St. John Passions, the Christmas Oratorio, the Magnificat, the Mass in B-Minor, and 10 discs of Bach's finest cantatas... all among the finest recordings/performances available. gardiner's strength in in a greater muscularity and emotional quality... especially in the "live" recordings of his complete oratorios set:










Don't get me wrong... Suzuki's recordings are easily among the finest. Several years ago the cantatas (up to that point) were released in bargain box sets...










... which I stupidly missed out on. I have bought a good number of the individual recordings since...










... but until recently these were top dollar (not that Gardiner's set is inexpensive by any means).

My advise, again, would be to pick up a couple discs of the cantatas by each of these conductors... and perhaps explore some other possibilities as well... and then decide for yourself... before taking the word of a pre-pubescent Ligeti fanatic... or a middle-aged Bach acolyte/Wagnerian.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat major, D.898


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Spent the afternoon listening to a broad array of music. Started with a pair of jazz classics:



















Then moved on to some Haydn Sturm und Drang:










Disc 6: Symphonies 45, 47 & 50

Then on to some Medieval Arab-Andalusian music... music from the period of the Islamic control of Spain:










Finally I moved on to this disc:










The disc contains performances of two French ballets from the 1920s that were composed as a collaborative project... each composer taking one or two movements. The composers include Ravel, Pierre-Octave Ferroud, jacques Ibert, Alexis Roland-Manuel, Marcel Delannoy, Albert Roussel, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Florent Schmitt, Germaine Tailleferre, and Arthur Honegger.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra and *Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Carlo Giulini.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both featuring the New Philharmonia Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the guiding hand of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## science

With my niece, who seems to be enjoying it fairly well, to my surprise.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595


----------



## science




----------



## Jared

Lenfer said:


> Trying to make up my mind whether or not to purchase this? I've been told good things, read good reviews but for some reason can't take the plunge.


Lenfer, it is presently BBC Music Mag's Choral recording of the month, with a review on their site along with an audio-clip for you to hear. It has been very well received.

http://www.classical-music.com/monthly-choice/js-bach

From my own experience, another version I'd draw your attention to is the excellent Jacobs set on HM:










However most versions these days have full adult choirs... the classic version with only choirboys (a slightly more refined sound) is the Kammler, which is quite inexpensive these days:


----------



## Jared

jttoft said:


> I actually had my heart set on Géza Anda's complete Mozart Piano Concertos as my next major music purchase, but this Pinnock set is tempting.


Anda is good, but slightly staid and an incomplete set... if you're on a budget, Barenboim/ ECO/ EMI, if you've got the cash to splash, then Perahia/ ECO/ Sony.. both are top notch imho..


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> My advise, again, would be to pick up a couple discs of the cantatas by each of these conductors... and perhaps explore some other possibilities as well... and then decide for yourself... before taking the word of a pre-pubescent Ligeti fanatic... or a middle-aged Bach acolyte/Wagnerian.


Superb post....


----------



## Jared

this morning's deliberations:


----------



## science




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ As a guitarist, that's one CD that I actually _need._


----------



## science

My wife has gone out, so I take advantage of her absence:










When she returns, back to Barrios.


----------



## Taneyev

G 2:

GLINKA; string quartet Nº 1.

GNESIN Mikhail, Requiem for piano quartet

GOLDMARK: string quintet.


----------



## Sonata

Up to Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony. On just the first movement now, but it may be my favorite of his so far.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Trying out tonal music again. 

Stravinsky: Petrushka and Le Sacre du Printemps. Cleveland Orchestra, Boulez. Petrushka is easily my favourite of the three Russian ballets from Steavinsky's early period.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Up to Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony. On just the first movement now, but it may be my favorite of his so far.


Tchaikovsky's Symphs (esp 4-6) are really easy to appreciate and the melodies stay with you for a long time... which version are you listening to? My favourites are Pletnev & Jansons...


----------



## Sonata

I intend to check out Petruschka next time I get into the mood for ballet music.


----------



## noisms

Ralph Kirshbaum's "Bach - 6 Cello Suites". Gorgeous.


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> Tchaikovsky's Symphs (esp 4-6) are really easy to appreciate and the melodies stay with you for a long time... which version are you listening to? My favourites are Pletnev & Jansons...


Just a cheapie version from 99 Essential Tchiakovsky masterpieces. It's the Utah Symphony back when I first delved into classical, I bought this set.


----------



## beetzart

Some Vivaldi concertos. Lovely!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

It's been a while since I have listened to my beloved Carl Nielsen. I have been exploring so much other music lately I have been neglecting him. So, to remedy that I'm going to work through his six symphonies again. I really enjoy Bryden Thomson's versions recorded on Chandos with the Royal Scottish Orchestra.




























Kevin


----------



## jttoft

Jared said:


> Anda is good, but slightly staid and an incomplete set... if you're on a budget, Barenboim/ ECO/ EMI, if you've got the cash to splash, then Perahia/ ECO/ Sony.. both are top notch imho..


- Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "slightly staid", but from what I've heard Anda's set has more passion and energy than any of the other sets I've heard.
I have listened to previews from both the Perahia set and the Barenboim set previously, but I just listened to a full movement (No. 21 first movement) of the Perahia set on YouTube. I'm sorry to say that it sounds rather unimpressive to me, and the sound of Perahia's piano annoyed me - it sounds hollow somehow. I much prefer the natural sound of Anda's playing.
As for the Barenboim set, a few previews on iTunes were enough for me to decide that I didn't like his playing - it seems unnecessarily eccentric.

I have been doing a fair bit of research on which set to get, and Anda's is the one that sounds most satisfying to me.
Another highly praised recording is the one by Uchida and the ECO. While the playing is good, to me it is too delicate and lacks passion.
The set that rivals Anda's the most is, I feel, Alfred Brendel with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## Jared

^^ I guess like all things, it's down to personal taste... the EMI Barenboim, Perahia and the Curzon late concertos, all co-incidentally with the ECO are exactly the way I like my Mozart PC's... refined, elegant and perhaps a little fragile.


----------



## science




----------



## Jared

^^ you can have all the 'likes' you want for listening to tECB, science...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

However most versions these days have full adult choirs... the classic version with only choirboys (a slightly more refined sound) is the Kammler...

Admittedly I prefer the sound of the adult female voice to choirboys... although countertenors are interesting as well... especially with our current crop of singers... a virtual Renaissance or "golden age" of countertenors including Philippe Jaroussky, Michael Chance, Robin Blaze, Andreas Scholl, David Daniels, Brian Asawa, Rene Jacobs, Bejun Mehta, etc...

Bach himself is known to have longed to be able to employ female singers. There is an anecdote concerning Bach having some trouble from the clergy at Köthen, where Bach served as the Kapellmeister, as the result of his having allowed
his future wife, the young and highly gifted soprano Anna Magdalena Wilcke, into the choir stalls where women were forbidden. I've come across a letter in the past in which Bach expressed envy of the composer, Johann Adolph Hasse, due to both the polished abilities of his musicians at the court in Dresden, as well as his access to talented female sopranos.

One disc I do particularly admire that employs choirboys is this recording of Handel's 1751 version of the Messiah in which he used choirboys for both the choruses and arias... building on the English choral traditions going back to Purcell, Tallis, Byrd, etc...










The CD... on Naxos... is also a bargain.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


>


I've got to pick up the rest of the Sixteen's recordings of the Eton Choir Book. I've only got about 2 or 3 of the discs at present.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now this was absolutely delicious... and oh so fun!










An absolutely irreverent retelling of the _Orpheus and Euridice_ tale complete with parodies of Gluck's famous opera, an absurd "seduction" scene in which Zeus takes the form of a fly. As Jules Noriac wrote in the review in _Le Figaro_, the day after the premier:

"_Unheard of,
Splendid,
Outrageous,
Graceful,
Charming,
Witty,
Amusing,
Successful,
Perfect, 
Melodius.

If despite all that you are not entranced by Orphée, you have only yourself to blame..._"

All I might add to Noriac's list is the word "naughty"... for the work is surely a bit "naughty"... sexy... is the manner of _fin de siecle_ Paris. I will most certainly be picking up Minkowski's other performances of Offenbach's operettas:



















Sid James! Considering your liking for Johann Strauss you should seriously consider Offenbach... the man without whom there would be no Strauss... or Lehar... And the man who absolutely pissed off Wagner.


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Bach himself is known to have longed to be able to employ female singers. There is an anecdote concerning Bach having some trouble from the clergy at Köthen, where Bach served as the Kapellmeister, as the result of his having allowed
> his future wife, the young and highly gifted soprano Anna Magdalena Wilcke, into the choir stalls where women were forbidden. I've come across a letter in the past in which Bach expressed envy of the composer, Johann Adolph Hasse, due to both the polished abilities of his musicians at the court in Dresden, as well as his access to talented female sopranos.


Yes, I have also heard that story, but once again you have provided an interesting and insightful post. Personally, I would also prefer a Bach Motet CD with female singers, but I feel that from a historical perspective, it is quite important to have a selection of certain repertoire sung by a boys choir, and I feel that Kammler is a particularly well recorded example.


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> An absolutely irreverent retelling of the _Orpheus and Euridice_ tale complete with parodies of Gluck's famous opera, an absurd "seduction" scene in which Zeus takes the form of a fly.


I'll see your Orpheus and raise you an Orpheus:










a modern day Orpheus with superb stage set...


----------



## Renaissance

This a highly stylized version of L'Orfeo by Savall/Hesperion XXI. Actually, everything that Savall has put on the stage is very stylish.


----------



## millionrainbows

This is my favorite Purcell music. I first heard it back in 1972 on a Vanguard LP, with only the string suites, as in the cream-colored CD (going used for way too high online). The purple 2-CD set, gotten new from Berkshire for a great low price, is apparently another incarnation, but this set includes on CD 1 the three-part Fantasias, conducted by Harnoncourt for viols. Like Bach's 'Art of Fugue,' these fantasias do not specify instruments. Written when Purcell was a teenager, these are nice; just archaic enough to be interesting, with odd voice-leadings and chord changes in places, but beautiful all the way. From querying the Gracenotes CD database for the names of the tracks, I deduced that this is also from a "Purcell Edition IV." Anybody have a picture of that one?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm sticking with the French for the time being... an Natalie Dessay... who I am really beginning to warm up to:


----------



## millionrainbows

I highly recommend this, even if opera is not your thing. Bizarre!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 20, with Mosaiques Qt.

View attachment 6277


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## Renaissance

millionrainbows said:


> I highly recommend this, even if opera is not your thing. Bizarre!


Thank you.  I guess you were talking to me... I haven't tried yet any of Rameau's opera, but given your recommendation I think it is a good point to get started. I know I said I am not a fan of opera, but I try to get familiarized with, maybe I missed some points.


----------



## Jared

millionrainbows said:


> I highly recommend this, even if opera is not your thing. Bizarre!


absolutely top stuff! I have over time come to the conclusion that Handel is just as good on CD as in visual form, but Rameau just has to be seen.. only at the court of Louis XV could this be considered sane...


----------



## Jared

Renaissance said:


> Thank you.  I guess you were talking to me... I haven't tried yet any of Rameau's opera, but given your recommendation I think it is a good point to get started. I know I said I am not a fan of opera, but I try to get familiarized with, maybe I missed some points.


If someone was interested in being introduced to opera as a medium with little background knowledge, I think I'd recommend La Traviata. Only try Rameau if you have a keen sense of the absurd, stretching out over 3 1/2 gloriously convoluted hours..


----------



## Renaissance

I know La Traviata, I am not completely outsider regarding opera, I know few famous operas, and some lesser-famous too. But thank you anyway !


----------



## Dorian

Schumann Symphonies : the Mahler edition


----------



## Jared

Dorian said:


> Schumann Symphonies : the Mahler edition


Chailly? Yes, I kind of enjoy them..


----------



## Jared

simply stunning album.... rush out and buy it y'all...


----------



## cwarchc

All this talk about Stravinsky, made me spin this one
I like the emotion he puts into the performance


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> simply stunning album.... rush out and buy it y'all...


No! You can't make me . But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to wishlist it on Amazon to checkout later


----------



## Sonata

Ravel's piano concerto in G


----------



## opus55

Listened while riding bicycle all afternoon.

Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D.780
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

















Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony For Organ and Orchestra {First Symphony}. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the stick of Leonard Bernstein. The* First *also features organist E. Power Biggs.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92, *both works again featuring the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Sonata

Earlier today finished up Tchaikovsky's wonderful 5th. I played Ravel's Piano concerto in G while cooking dinner. 

Now I'm listening to Mozart's 24th piano concerto, played on fortepiano with Malcolm Bilson, the English Baroque Soloists and John Eliot Gardner. A great concerto. I've heard it before, but the first movement is really impacting me for the first time. I'll definitely be getting this one in a version with modern piano as well.

If I'm not too tired, I'll try to check out the opening of Mozart's "Magic Flute" on YouTube. More likely though, I'll close out the night with a Beethoven violin sonata.


----------



## Sid James

*Two of Brahms' piano trios*, the 3rd and final one and one that was published/unearthed decades after his death, the one in A major. I esp. like the 3rd trio for its conciseness of length, and that amazing presto movement, that seems to anticipte minimalism in some ways. The A major trio is thought to be much earlier (from 1850's), it is roughly double the length of the 3rd trio and kind of symphonic in scope. This performance is by the Vienna Piano Trio and on the Naxos label.


----------



## Cnote11

Only the best music for my ears 

Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta and Glagolitic Mass


----------



## Lenfer

*Brahms: Ballades, Op. 10; Sonata No. 3, Op. 5* ~ *Grigory Sokolov*

Going to copy *Sid* and listen to some *Brahms* before my bath, see you anon. :tiphat:​


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## Cnote11

What a lovely cover


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## StlukesguildOhio

I've long had Maria Callas' _Lucia di Lammermoor_ but have come to admire the opera to such an extent that I wished to explore a few alternative performances. I ended up picking up Joan Sutherland's youthful recording with Robert Merill and Cesare Siepi...










and Natalie Dessay's performances of Verdi's French version of the opera, Lucie de Lammermoor...










I am really coming around to a greater admiration for both of these singers. I've long been aware of Sutherland's reputation... and even owned this classic recital:










... but she never really clicked with me. I have been far more enamored of Maria Callas.

Nevertheless... I sat down today and listened to Sutherland's Lucia... and it is certainly a damn fine performance. If I had any complaint... it would be with the use (quite standard) of the flute as opposed to the glass harmonica for the great "mad scene". The glass harmonica, it seems to me, simply lends such an air of the the unearthly to the scene that is perfectly suited to it.


----------



## Cnote11

I think you should have gotten this one










It is nearly twice better than the one you bought


----------



## opus55

Schoenberg: Transfigured Night
Schubert: 3 Klavierstuke, D. 946


----------



## clavichorder

Such a beautiful madrigal by Orlando Gibbons.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Joseph Moog*

*Alexander Scriabin* - _Piano Sonata_, No. 5, Op. 53. _Mazurka_, Op. 40, No. 2.
*Franz Liszt* - _Sonetti del Petrarca_, No's 104, 123 (S.161/5, 6).
*Liszt/Sigismond Thalberg/Johann Peter Pixis/Henri Herz/Carl Czerny/Frédéric Chopin* - _Hexaméron, Morceau de concert_, S.392.
*Frédéric Chopin* - _Nocturne_, Op. 15, No. 2.
*York Bowen* - _Prelude_, Op. 102, No. 7.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Marc-André Hamelin*

*Paul Dukas* - _Piano Sonata_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Lang Lang/Daniel Barenboim/Chicago Symphony Orchestra*

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky* - _Piano Concerto_, No. 1, Op. 23 
*Felix Mendelssohn* - _Piano Concerto_, No. 1, Op. 25


----------



## neoshredder

More Corelli with Pinnock.


----------



## maestro267

*Khachaturian*: Violin Concerto
Leonid Kogan (violin)/Boston SO/Monteux

*Walton*: Cello Concerto
Lynn Harrell (cello)/CBSO/Rattle


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart Divertimento (Trio) in E-flat major for Violin,Viola, and Cello, K. 563
Performed by the Grumiaux Trio

The Andante has now become my favorite movement after numerous listens to this wonder of a work. /claps 

Edit: 
Mozart Violin Sonata A major, K. 526
To round off the day, which oddly enough ends at 7 in the morning for me. :[


----------



## Vesteralen

I suppose, considering the date of composition, the String Quartet that opens this disc could be considered a bit of an anachronism - very Schubertian - but accepted on its own terms (which is something most of us seem prone not to do) - it's lovely music.


----------



## Taneyev

G 3:

GNATALI Radamés: "popular" string quartet.

GOLDENWEISSER Alexander: piano trio op.32 (Gilels-Kogan-Slava)

GOLUBEV Evgeni: string quartet Nº10.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Cnote11 said:


> I think you should have gotten this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is nearly twice better than the one you bought


Gergiev! Yes I can imagine!

Today I listened to Stravinsky's Petrushka and Le Sacre du Printemps, Cleveland Orchestra/Boulez. Trying desperately to enjoy tonality, but I can't get into any music earlier than this stuff.

*Ligeti's* Le Grand Macabre (AGAIN). I have listened to it probably at least 75 times in the last month. Can't get enough of it.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Taneyev

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Gergiev! Yes I can imagine!
> 
> Today I listened to Stravinsky's Petrushka and Le Sacre du Printemps, Cleveland Orchestra/Boulez. Trying desperately to enjoy tonality, but I can't get into any music earlier than this stuff.
> 
> I'm afraid your illness is incurable. But probably a strong psichiatric terapy can help you to mitigate your mania.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 5. Sampling another tribute release for the late Yakov Kreizberg. Attentive opening by the Monte Carlo Phil, with good trumpet and drumroll. Beyond that, safe playing in a centrist interpretation. I enjoyed the detail, and intimacy reflected by the miking. Overall, this goes on the stack of many 5s with similar qualities.

View attachment 6291


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## Sonata

Isn't Wagner tonal though?


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## clavichorder

Orlando Gibbons for viols, some wonderful dissonances in this one


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Earlier today finished up Tchaikovsky's wonderful 5th. I played Ravel's Piano concerto in G while cooking dinner.
> 
> Now I'm listening to Mozart's 24th piano concerto, played on fortepiano with Malcolm Bilson, the English Baroque Soloists and John Eliot Gardner. A great concerto. I've heard it before, but the first movement is really impacting me for the first time. I'll definitely be getting this one in a version with modern piano as well.
> 
> If I'm not too tired, I'll try to check out the opening of Mozart's "Magic Flute" on YouTube. More likely though, I'll close out the night with a Beethoven violin sonata.


Sonata... we all just LOVE your enthusiasm... you're one of our favourite posters..


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Cnote11 said:


> I think you should have gotten this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is nearly twice better than the one you bought


I quite like Gergiev. He's done some fabulous things with the Russian repertoire... especially a good many operas that have been far too long ignored. On the other hand I'm somewhat doubtful of the assessment of this particular recordings. Neither the reviews on Amazon or those from Gramophone Magazine, Arkive, or many other sources are particularly positive concerning this recording... let alone in comparison with the classic Callas and Sutherland recordings.

The Dessay/Alagna French version of the Lucie de lammermoor seems to have received far more positive reviews from BBC, Arkiv, Amazon and other sources, although no one suggests that either Dessay recording is about to replace the Sutherland or Callas recordings as the authoritative or benchmark recording any time soon. I purchased the latter disc because I was interested in hearing the French version of the opera with a solid French cast such as represented by Dessay and Alagna. Perhaps I'll give the Gergiev a listen on Spotify, but I doubt I need still another Lucia.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Talk of Telemann has motivated me to listen to these cantatas again:










Some marvelous Baroque cantatas for the baritone.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, with Feltsman/LSO/MTT; Symphonies 1 & 5, with BPO/HvK.

View attachment 6292
View attachment 6293


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso, Op. 6/12 (1690)*
The last of the set, this concerto is consistent in quality with these later works. Beautiful throughout, and a little more substantial than the others, this is a fitting close to a wonderful body of pieces.

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 32 (1837)*
Just as I was with the previous two, I'm quite taken with this set of nocturnes as well. The tone is lighter and more reflective, less melodramatic than the Op. 27. The mood of the first is a little more sad and meek, like a guy whose just been dumped by his girl, while the second acts as a sort of pick me up. With all its stark contrasts, unexpected diversions, yet ability to remain cohesive and direct in its message, the second nocturne is certainly the highlight. Overall, fantastic pieces.

*Johannes Brahms: Piano Quartet #2 (1861)*
Written in the same year as the first quartet, the _A major_ is sort of the like the oft forgotten sibling. And while the first quartet is probably the superior work (in just about every way), this work is bursting with passion, warmth, and lyricism, at a symphonic level. At 50 minutes, this is a massive work, and yet it doesn't seem to be trying to say anything profound. It merely basks in its beauty, acting more as a general tribute to love and music. Each movement is absolutely gorgeous, and while it could probably do with some cuts, this is a highly enjoyable early work from one of the great masters.

*Aaron Copland: Piano Variations (1931)*
Another early work (actually all of the following pieces are), this is written in Copland's more western influenced avant-garde style. While the variations seem very calculated and put together, Copland actually wrote each of them separately, and then rearranged them into a fitting order. The piece seems to be another tribute to music, exploring all of its facets, and how from simple, even unattractive material, one can derive great beauty and passion from it. There aren't a lot of contrasts between the variations (the entire piece can be divided into two movements), it instead builds upon its previous material, getting more complex as it progresses. While never becoming too ambitious, the piece is still very engaging and sincere.

*Henri Dutilleux: Sonatine (1942)*
Written for students of the Paris Conservatory as an exam piece, this sonata for flute and piano is not reminiscent of the later work of Dutilleux, and instead sounds more like Poulenc. In one movement and two sections, the piece starts out mysteriously, before becoming more pronounced, frantic, and expressive. It utilizes an array of techniques for the flute, including extensive double tonguing. While nice enough, and very well written, the flute is used a little too conventionally for my liking, and it ends up sounding more like an assignment than a work of art.

*Thomas Adès: Living Toys (1994)*
Often cited as the composers breakthrough piece, and performed around the world, _Living Toys_ also shares the name of the album it was on. Perhaps there was too much hype surrounding it for me, but I found myself very let down by this piece. The work is in response to a Spanish quote, whose simplified message is: children dream bigger than adults. The piece is a series of connected vignettes, each taking us to a place the child dreams of going- a bull fight, outer space, battle etc. The music is very flashy and imaginative, especially in terms of orchestration, and the _Aurochs_ movement is quite entertaining. One of the most common complaints of new music, is that it's "riddled in academia," and whenever I read this I roll my eyes, simply because it's said so often. But here is a rare instance where I think the phrase really suits the piece. It was after all written for a portfolio for the composers final exam. The music is very thought out, perfected even, and this is where it runs into problems with interpreting the quote. Its missing a certain naivete, innocence, and sense of wonder that one would expect when channeling the feelings of a child. The imagination is there, but its got no heart.


----------



## Jared

^^ really great post Clementine, thank you very much!


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## jani




----------



## Renaissance




----------



## kv466

@ Sonata

Give this one a try as you're just getting into it.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

(definitely not the best version of this piece)

Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Cello

(from http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/22872.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about)
Maurice Ravel openly admired Debussy for his musical achievements, but refused to accept accusations of imitating his work. The desire for tonal and harmonic gradation is one of many similarities, which have been drawn between the work of the two men. Upon Debussy's death in 1918, Ravel became widely recognized as France's leading composer and was even offered the Légion d'Honneur in 1920, but being a man who considered popularity an offense, he publicly refused the decoration. Between 1920-1924 he wrote works which gave homage to his predecessors including his Sonata for Violin and Cello, which he dedicated to Debussy's memory.

The work was a continuation of Ravel's interest in counterpoint, and he considered it a turning point, stating that in the piece "the music is stripped down to the bone. The allure of harmony is rejected and increasingly there is a return of emphasis on melody." The music was not only stripped of harmony, but Ravel stripped the traditional sonata down to merely two instruments. In doing so, difficulties arose as Ravel sought to solve the problem of balancing parts by eliminating them. This bold move was based upon Debussy's notion of "depouillement" (economy of means) and was of interest to Satie, Stravinsky, and the postwar generations of composers.

Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello was written following a period of physical and emotional recovery from the turbulence of the war, his own bout of dysentery, and the death of his mother. Similar to his Piano Trio and String Quartet Ravel employed a cyclical structure in his sonata. With a focus on coherent and reasoned development of form, the work contains four movements, which are marked in the following order: allegro, très vif (a scherzo), lent, and vif, avec entrain. The work is built upon two main themes, both of which are stated in the first 50 bars of the opening allegro movement. The first is an alternation of the minor and major triads and it is heard in its entirety in the second movement, a bit in the third, and in the middle of the fourth. The second theme is the succession of consecutive sevenths and is the more common of the two, appearing in the beginning of the second and third movements and in a climactic moment in the middle of the finale. The two methods Ravel used to continuously reintroduce the two themes throughout the work were an alternation of a single motif between the two instruments and a separation of parts to maintain clear counterpoint. In the third movement, the concepts of the first two themes combine when minor and major sevenths alternate as did the minor and major thirds of the first movement. This compositional decision reinforces the success of Ravel's achievement to accurately develop the work. The Sonata for Violin and Cello was a piece of thoughtful detail which superbly demonstrated the potential of Debussy's notion while helping Ravel to continue to stand out among his contemporaries.


----------



## Sid James

^^Ravel's 'Sonata for violin and cello' is a favourite of mine, esp. as it seems atypical of him. Some pretty 'aggro' rhythms there. I heard a DGG label cd owned by a friend, with members of the Ensemble Wien Berlin playing that and other works by Ravel and Debussy (incl. Catherine Deneuve narrating the latter's 'Chansons Bilitis').



maestro267 said:


> *Khachaturian*: Violin Concerto
> Leonid Kogan (violin)/Boston SO/Monteux
> 
> *Walton*: Cello Concerto
> Lynn Harrell (cello)/CBSO/Rattle


I like both those works. The Khatchaturian is basically Soviet Schmaltz, last movement very earworm like. But heaps of fun.

As for Walton's cello concerto, it is vastly underrated compared to his other two, for violin and viola.

The cello concerto though may well be my favourite of his concertos. It has this maritime feel, reflecting maybe the Mediterranean climate off Naples where Walton moved after the war. I love how he uses serialism in his own unique way and makes it fresh and emphasises melody and emotion. The middle movement has this 'explosive' quality, the last movement in the manner of improvisation, a masterful set of variations. I have heard Pieter Wispelwey's version done with Sydney Symphony Orch. under Maestro Tate. The cellist actually talks about how the setting of that concert, Sydney Opera House concert hall, was perfect for this work, with its images suggesting light reflecting on the water. Like on an island, which is where Walton lived. Amazing work, glad you gave it a listen.


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## Taneyev

I love Khatchaturian volin concerto (and Armenian music in general). Have 6 great versions. But can't stand an absurd transcription for flute that Rampal recorded.


----------



## science




----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy The Kid and Fanfare For The Common Man, *all featuring the New York Philharmonic and Maestro Bernstein.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra and *Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra. Both are under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.


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## Sonata

Jared said:


> Sonata... we all just LOVE your enthusiasm... you're one of our favourite posters..


Hey thanks  I appreciate it. I'll explain that to my husband, and he'll understand that all my musical purchases have been a worthy investment! haha


----------



## Sonata

jani said:


>


I'll definitely check it out, thanks! And re: your sig, Sibelius and Mendelssohn are on my radar a lot now too...only sort of in reverse of you. Mendelssohn's one of my favorites and Sibelius is one I'm just recently delving into.


----------



## millionrainbows

Renaissance said:


> Thank you.  I guess you were talking to me... I haven't tried yet any of Rameau's opera, but given your recommendation I think it is a good point to get started. I know I said I am not a fan of opera, but I try to get familiarized with, maybe I missed some points.


I had to get something weird enough to draw me in. The first opera recording I ever bought was Wozzeck. When I saw the excerpt from Rameau's "Platee" on YouTube, I knew I had to have it. That aria she sings is like...heh, heh...absurd, that's the word. The strings are just beautiful all the way through, played in that old style, very French. This is what they call "comic opera." Very entertaining, yet weird enough that your friends won't laugh at you.


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm liking this the more I play it. It's a BIS hybrid SACD. At first, I played it in surround, but was surprised to like the stereo setting better. I mean, what do you do with a single fortepiano in 5-channel surround? You can't do panning tricks. So what they did was put the "hall ambience" in the rear, which is too ambient for an old Glenn Gould fan like me. So what I did is play the SACD stereo mix, analog outs, through my receiver's surround settings. This produced a high-res, more focussed, present, less reverberant, in-your-face experience. I like it.

The recording on this is good, but the actual instrument sounds fantastic, the best-sounding, most powerful pianoforte I've heard. Not to 'dis' Anthony Newman, whom I love, but Brautigam is giving him some close competition, and I do not say this lightly. Brautigam brings all the drama, dynamics, and facility I'm looking for in Beethoven. It's amazing how powerful this sounds, even compared to a modern piano; I actually am beginning to prefer Mozart & Beethoven played on pianofortes, being the Anthony Newman freak I've always been since the early 1970s.

This particular volume, no. 4, is the one I've started with, and it has the "Moonlight" sonata, which I love. I'm hooked, so now I've got to get the whole set.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Parkening Plays Vivaldi


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Stephen Hough/Andrew Litton/Dallas Symphony Orchestra*

*Sergei Rachmaninov* - _Piano Concerti_, No. 1, Op. 1; No. 4, Op. 40. _Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini_, Op. 43.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Sviatoslav Richter*

*César Franck* - _Prelude, Chorale and Fugue_.


----------



## ProudSquire

Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


Hi Opus,

I very much like Abbado's LvB, too. I'll tell you what is a surprisingly good '6' though:










Tennstedt's use of the orchestra to evoke the sounds of nature are a real joy...


----------



## Jared

TheProudSquire said:


> Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38


which version do you own? I love these two:


----------



## SimonNZ

Hello from New Zealand. This is my first post here. Currently listening to Sonata No.1 from the Kempff mono Beetheven box, which just arrived today. The Kempff stereo box was the source of the first Beethoven sonatas I heard - back when I was seventeen. I'm looking forward to playing one of these every evening (hopefully) for the next month.

(also arrived today: Campion lute songs on Naxos and Dawn Upshaw singing Debussy, Faure and Messiaen)


----------



## Jared

^^ very warm welcome Simon, and a great 1st box set to be listening to, upon arrival!


----------



## science

This is one of those works I've listened to half a dozen times without loving. But it is growing on me, slowly. I think my problem was that I thought of it as a requiem, and I have expectations for a requiem that it doesn't meet. I couldn't understand why someone might want this played at their funeral mass or mass in remembrance of them.

But thinking of it instead as a dramatization of the requiem mass, I am learning to like it much better.


----------



## jani




----------



## TheBamf




----------



## Jared

science said:


> This is one of those works I've listened to half a dozen times without loving. But it is growing on me, slowly. I think my problem was that I thought of it as a requiem, and I have expectations for a requiem that it doesn't meet. I couldn't understand why someone might want this played at their funeral mass or mass in remembrance of them.
> 
> But thinking of it instead as a dramatization of the requiem mass, I am learning to like it much better.


I agree Science, I don't find it an easy piece to love...


----------



## Jared

TheBamf said:


>


that's meant to be a really good disk...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I listened to: Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphony, *Ligeti's* Le Grand Macabre and now Ferneyhough's String Quartet no. 6.


----------



## Taneyev

G 4:

GOOSSENS Eugene: concertino for string octet.

GOUVY Theodore: son.violin&piano.

GURIDI Jesús. string quartet Nº1.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^You forgot Gerard Grisey. Don't you know spectral music????

It also shocked me that you have completely ignored Sofia Gubaidulina.


----------



## Taneyev

My dear maniac; I choose what I like, and you what you like. Don't mess with my tastes.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Odnoposoff said:


> My dear maniac; I choose what I like, and you what you like. Don't mess with my tastes.


I know that.  I just enjoy being annoying sometimes. :lol: Sorry if I am causing you great dismay, I'm just making some suggestions in my own light-hearted way that you don't have to take seriously. You might be surprised (I might be surprised, haha) if you enjoy some of the composers I suggest to you. Do you know much spectralism?


----------



## crmoorhead

This week's upcoming listening:

Respighi: Piano Concerto in A Minor
Monteverdi: Vespers
Glazunov: Symphony No. 4
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight"
Bellini: I Capuleti e Montecchi
Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time
Bach: English Suite No. 1

I have decided to allocate myself a listening pattern of a different piece every day according to the following:

Monday: Bach
Tuesday: A Concerto
Wednesday: A Choral Piece
Thursday: A Symphony/Orchestral work
Friday: A Keyboard/Piano work
Saturday: An Opera
Sunday: Chamber work

I am keeping a record for this and also trying to balance the different musical periods. Started doing this last week and it has worked quite well so far. It hasn't been limiting at all and I add all pieces to my MP3 player at the start of the week.


----------



## crmoorhead

science said:


> This is one of those works I've listened to half a dozen times without loving. But it is growing on me, slowly. I think my problem was that I thought of it as a requiem, and I have expectations for a requiem that it doesn't meet.


I agree, Verdi definitely takes a different approach to a Requiem. The operatic influence is very heavy, but I also learned to enjoy it.


----------



## Jared

crmoorhead said:


> This week's upcoming listening:
> 
> Respighi: Piano Concerto in A Minor
> Monteverdi: Vespers
> Glazunov: Symphony No. 4
> Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight"
> Bellini: I Capuleti e Montecchi
> Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time
> Bach: English Suite No. 1
> 
> I have decided to allocate myself a listening pattern of a different piece every day according to the following:
> 
> Monday: Bach
> Tuesday: A Concerto
> Wednesday: A Choral Piece
> Thursday: A Symphony/Orchestral work
> Friday: A Keyboard/Piano work
> Saturday: An Opera
> Sunday: Chamber work
> 
> I am keeping a record for this and also trying to balance the different musical periods. Started doing this last week and it has worked quite well so far. It hasn't been limiting at all and I add all pieces to my MP3 player at the start of the week.


Thanks for posting that, I must admit I do find viewing other people's listening programmes, rather interesting. Yours is certainly more varied and makes for a little more interest than mine, but I have always enjoyed breaking into a large chunk of themed work and immersing myself in it over a period of time. For instance, I am in the midst of traversing:

Charity Shop Mix - John Taverner - Haydn's Mid SQs - Mendelssohn Chamber & Choral - Berlioz Choral - Haydn Late SQs - Nielsen Orchestral..... and we'll see where we go from there...


----------



## science

This is one of those things in the "I've listened to this... maybe twice" pile.










These are perfect.


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## Manxfeeder

*Phlip Glass, Glassworks.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Honegger*:Symphony 5, with DanishNRSO/Jarvi. *Moeran*: String Quartets, with Maggini Qt.

View attachment 6300
View attachment 6301


----------



## Renaissance

Béla Bartók - String Quartets No.1-6/Takács Quartet. One of my favorite version, along with the Emerson's.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

You forgot Gerard Grisey. Don't you know spectral music????

It also shocked me that you have completely ignored Sofia Gubaidulina.

Actually, I quite like Grisey and Gubailulina... although I prefer Takemitsu, Murail, Giacinto Scelsi, and Kaija Saariaho within this tradition.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to some more Natalie Dessay:


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 66*

Now playing Disc 4 (Sleeping Beauty Prologue) - lovely Music


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Arvo Part: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten

This work is secular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantus_in_Memoriam_Benjamin_Britten


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland: The Populist--*Billy The Kid, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, *all featuring the SanFrancisco Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Biber's Rosary Sonatas - Eduard Melkus, violin


----------



## Sid James

Have been listening to this Naxos disc of late American composer* Benjamin Lees' **string quartets *1, 5 & 6 over the past couple of days.

As the blurb on the back says, Lees "delights in contrasts and surprises, enthralling the listener at every turn from the lyrical to the burlesque, the romantic to the brusque." He rubs things up against eachother that you'd never expect, and they even surprise me after several listens. His music comes across as a conversation for string quartet, or a series of them, and like real conversation, the subject or mood can change at the bat of an eyelid.

I love his writing for the cello. Whether it is gliding underneath the melody played by the others or providing some rhythm or melodic idea, his writing for this instrument is unique. Sometimes it is ambigious, sometimes sad or hopeful (or both), sometimes mechanical or even brutal in rhythmic interjections. Elliott Carter's quartets come to mind, esp. the conversational aspect and the sudden dynamic shifts, but Lees has more unbroken melody. Lees' favourite composers for this medium included Britten and Shostakovich.

This performance was by the Cypress String Quartet of California, USA.


----------



## science




----------



## ProudSquire

Apologies for a belated response. Unfortunately I don't own any set as of yet, but i'l take in confidence that the versions you own are terrific in their own right and purchase them. I saw them on Amazon and they were not terribly expensive.



Jared said:


> which version do you own? I love these two:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies Nos. 3, 6, and 9.*

The Toscanini recording is from October of 1939, and it's intense. I've heard orchestras which start together, but his orchestra cuts off together. It really works well in the Eroica.

Karajan's 6th is big; the storm is really big. I was surprised by the 9th; it all comes together.


----------



## Cnote11

Can't stop listening to Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta. Absolutely brilliant!


----------



## Cnote11

science said:


>


What's up with all the guitar music lately, science?


----------



## science

Cnote11 said:


> What's up with all the guitar music lately, science?


I don't know.

A year or two ago I read someone on a classical music forum saying that they couldn't stand classical guitar, so I decided to get a lot of it. And just now I'm getting around to a lot of it for the second or third time.

Besides what I've listened to lately, I have the Yepes box set DG put out a couple years ago, but I've only listened that that once.

Just now I'm lowbrowing it with Joshua Bell:










We country boys know how to have a good time.


----------



## Cnote11

French Suites


----------



## Cnote11

Philip Glass' Solo Piano. Probably wouldn't be a big favorite of many on this site.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D.485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D.759 {"Unfinished"}, *both performed by the New York Chamber Symphony under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Concerto










Haven't decided what to listen to next


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Sid James said:


> Have been listening to this Naxos disc of late American composer* Benjamin Lees' **string quartets *1, 5 & 6 over the past couple of days.
> 
> As the blurb on the back says, Lees "delights in contrasts and surprises, enthralling the listener at every turn from the lyrical to the burlesque, the romantic to the brusque." He rubs things up against eachother that you'd never expect, and they even surprise me after several listens. His music comes across as a conversation for string quartet, or a series of them, and like real conversation, the subject or mood can change at the bat of an eyelid.
> 
> I love his writing for the cello. Whether it is gliding underneath the melody played by the others or providing some rhythm or melodic idea, his writing for this instrument is unique. Sometimes it is ambigious, sometimes sad or hopeful (or both), sometimes mechanical or even brutal in rhythmic interjections. Elliott Carter's quartets come to mind, esp. the conversational aspect and the sudden dynamic shifts, but Lees has more unbroken melody. Lees' favourite composers for this medium included Britten and Shostakovich.
> 
> This performance was by the Cypress String Quartet of California, USA.


Sounds like it might be right up my alley! I'll give it a try. Thanks for your comments!

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Handel: Organ Concertos


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Philips motets - Winchester Cathedral Choir

Magnificent. I'm going to be hunting down any other albums WCC might have made around the same time.


----------



## AndyS

Just finished Variations on a Theme by Haydn and now the 1st is just starting


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 39 - Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Jared




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I listened to (trying desperately to get back into tonality):
Mozart: Symphony no. 41
Nyman: MGV
*Ligeti:* Le Grand Macabre

Someone at school (the infamous WolfAlphaX) tortured me with Rachmaninov's second piano concerto. It felt like my brain was being pulled out of my ears and made me writhe in agony.

Tonight I'll probably listen to another Ferneyhough string quartet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

crmoorhead said:


> I have decided to allocate myself a listening pattern of a different piece every day according to the following:
> 
> Monday: Bach
> Tuesday: A Concerto
> Wednesday: A Choral Piece
> Thursday: A Symphony/Orchestral work
> Friday: A Keyboard/Piano work
> Saturday: An Opera
> Sunday: Chamber work
> 
> I am keeping a record for this and also trying to balance the different musical periods. Started doing this last week and it has worked quite well so far. It hasn't been limiting at all and I add all pieces to my MP3 player at the start of the week.


Try:

Monday: St. John Passion
Tuesday: *Ligeti's* Cello Concerto
Wednesday: *Ligeti's* Nonsense Madrigals
Thursday: *Ligeti's* San Francisco Polyphony
Friday: *Ligeti's* Études for Piano, book 2
Saturday: *Ligeti's* Le Grand Macabre
Sunday: *Ligeti's* Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 1 In D Major, Op. 43*

Playing Disc 1 of this set which just arrived last week - I have had a chance to listen to it a couple of times already and am enjoying it. I'm pretty keen on Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Music this week - lucky he wrote quite a bit of it!. I am beginning to get a bit anxious about my Symphony Cycle by Jansons as it is now a week overdue - I hope it arrives soon!.


----------



## Conor71

Jared said:


>


Nice to see Mendelssohn getting a play, hes one of my favourite Composers - Those String Quintets are wonderful works. I think all his Chamber Music is pretty great


----------



## Jared

Conor71 said:


> Nice to see Mendelssohn getting a play, hes one of my favourite Composers - Those String Quintets are wonderful works. I think all his Chamber Music is pretty great


Yes, it's funny with Mendelssohn, he was one of the composers I first got into when I started listening to CM, and I bought up all his better known repertoire; all Orchestral, String Symphs, Elijah, Songs Without Words, String Quartets, Midsummer Night's Dream etc... but through pressure of many other competing demands on my listening time, got pushed down the list. It is only now that I'm getting an opportunity to pick up on some of his smaller chamber works, motets and Paulus... although some of them have sat in my Amazon wish-list for a couple of years!!!


----------



## Art Rock

Agree on the Mendelssohn remarks!

Continuing my quest for unknown composers: the 8 symphonies of Swiss composer *Hans Huber* (1852-1921).

Amazon link.


----------



## Taneyev

Final G:

GOUNOD: string quartet Nº2

GRETCHANINOFF: piano trio Nº1

GRIEG:andante con moto for piano, violin and cello.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Not even Górecki! Amazing how you dismiss all these fabulous composers! 

Just listened to Stockhausen's _Gruppen_ and now time for a Brian Ferneyhough string quartet. I think I'll listen to number 3 tonight.


----------



## AndyS

Listening to the first night of the proms on BBC iPlayer (will be going back to Brahms with his 2nd once this is finished)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Now I think I will listen to Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie.


----------



## Jared

AndyS said:


> Listening to the first night of the proms on BBC iPlayer (will be going back to Brahms with his 2nd once this is finished)


don't know about you Andy, but I didn't find it to be one of the most scintilating programmes...


----------



## AndyS

Jared said:


> don't know about you Andy, but I didn't find it to be one of the most scintilating programmes...


It was pleasant enough listening but yeah, would agree - the all-British theme was a bit meh


----------



## clavichorder

I'm finding myself very impressed with Cabezon.


----------



## science

Saw Midnight in Paris, put me in the mood for Edith Piaf, but that's done and now I figure maybe a little Belle Epoque music might help.


----------



## Taneyev

For reasons I can't really understand, her Decca vinyls are most wanted by collectors and got high prices on Ebay.


----------



## Klavierspieler

clavichorder said:


> I'm finding myself very impressed with Cabezon.


Glad to see another De Cabezon lover. 

Meanwhile, I've lately become enamored with Webern:


----------



## opus55

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 5 and 6
Bach: Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043


----------



## Jared

^^ lovely disks, Opus...


----------



## DeepR

Listen to that part at 1:52 for sheer brilliance. The same theme returns in a massive climax later.


----------



## Cnote11

The Tchaikovsky pieces.... and then










This disc with the seasons again + the rest


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Cnote11

Carnival des animaux


----------



## cwarchc

This came today
It's the 1939 recorded in Rome, very atmospheric
It's a bit on the fast side, but great a great performance


----------



## Cnote11

Daphnis et Chloe!


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: En Saga, Op. 9*

Now playing Disc 3 of this Trio


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio: Aaron Copland's Cuban Dance - Michael Tilson Thomas


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Sergey Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D.82 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D.125, *both performed by the Falioni Orchestra under the baton of Michael Halasz.


----------



## Sid James

*Chamber music of Stefan Wolpe on Naxos.* I esp. enjoyed the *'Piece for Oboe, Cello, Percussion and Piano,'* which had an improvisatory feel, much like some jazz. Wolpe's brand of 'atonal' music is quite laid back and down to earth. Its not angsty or disturbing. I can even imagine this as background music at a dinner party (well, if the guests like classical & jazz, etc.). The notes compare Wolpe's music to the mobiles of Alexander Calder, which I think makes sense. You move around them and they are not fixed, they keep moving and changing, so your perception changes too. At the end of that 'Piece' work, the oboe and piano sound as if they're tuning up (playing middle C) but then the other instruments join in and there is a dance with a decidedly Russian feel, and then the work ends quietly. This hour long selection of music was played by The Group for Contemporary Music, based in New York CIty.


----------



## kv466




----------



## EricABQ

The Evegeny Kissin version of Prokofiev Piano Concerto #2. 

I downloaded it from I-tunes and it sounds great. I like it quite a bit.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some great listening today.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.82 "The Bear" - Neville Marriner


----------



## science




----------



## Cnote11

Collection of Scarlatti keyboard sonatas. I do love the harpsichord <3


----------



## SimonNZ

Dowland, Purcell, Campion - Elin Manahan Thomas, soprano


----------



## millionrainbows

Really good Feldman, with very quiet, ominously intoning, wordless choir and vibraphone. Very dark & subdued, almost Eno-like in its ambience. Cats like it, and it is most similar to his "Rothko Chapel" music, so there is something secularly sacred going on here. Take your shoes off, have some hot tea.


----------



## millionrainbows

This is one of those *"Glenn Gould Golden Jubilee"* series of imports, yet super-cheap. Original cover art; mastering and sound are superb for such old analog-tape recordings. The Hindemith was good, too. Gould's playing works miracles with Krenek, Berg, and Schoenberg's 'atonal' music; heck, it sounds downright _beautiful_ when he plays it. Delicate, long filigrees of flawlessly-executed 12-note passages, delicate shadings, nothing sounds muddy or even dissonant; just _packed with meaning,_ as happened with anything Gould touched.


----------



## Cnote11

Looks like a Charles Mingus album. I want that...


----------



## Sid James

*Berg's piano sonata played by Glenn Gould,* from itywltmt's blog on this forum. Haven't heard this interpretation before. Comes across as less 'Romantic' than some others I've heard. I like the kind of 'stark' quality, which emphasises the counterpoint more. Amazing playing here.


----------



## opus55

Enescu: Symphony No. 3


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D.200 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D.417 {"Tragic"}, *both featuring the Stockholm Sinfonietta and Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Webern - Im Sommerwind

Quite an excellent piece. Makes me think that Webern would have had a place in the repertoire even had he not encountered Schoenberg.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Sid James said:


>




Sid - I really enjoyed the Benjamin Lee you recommended and so I'll check this out too. Thanks!

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

kv466 said:


>


My heart used to go pitter patter when I thought about the Labeque sisters! Oh to be young again! 

Kevin


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *featuring organist Michael Murray and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.


----------



## Sid James

Kevin Pearson said:


> Sid - I really enjoyed the Benjamin Lee you recommended and so I'll check this out too. Thanks!
> 
> Kevin


Glad to hear you enjoyed the Lees string quartets. The Wolpe one is less 'traditional' for want of a better word, or maybe 'more fragmented' is a better description. However, it is - as I said above - pretty laid back for 'atonal' music. Not much angst or big contrasts. Wolpe taught Morton Feldman, and I think there is at least superficial similarities between them, in terms of having a more 'natural' approach to the new techniques of their day. The piece involving oboe on that Naxos disc of Wolpe was quite appealing to me, at least after a few listens I heard what he did with the music, at first it sounds all the same, but after a while I noticed little things like the 'tuning' at the end which led to that Russian dance vibe.

Look out for more 'reviews' of mine on this thread, I plan to go through these types of things in my collection, relisten bit by bit in coming weeks.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Preludes - Cecile Ousset


----------



## Cnote11

Glenn Gould's piano versions of the French Suites


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Cello Concerto in C major


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven string quartet 18, no. 4 in C Minor 
Performed by: Quator Mosaiques

An excellent quartet, and actually it was the first string quartet that I listened to from big B's output a few years back. 

Edit:

Schubert String Quartet String Quartet No. 14 in D minor 'Death and the Maiden' to round off the night. 

Performed by: the Takacs Quartet


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti's* Le Grand Macabre. Later tonight I'll listen to some more Fermeyhough quartets on YouTube and maybe Stockhausen's _Gruppen_ again. I'm really getting into the music of Ferneyhough. Any recommended recordings?


----------



## Renaissance

Serial music from Arvo Pärt.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Carpenoctem

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5


----------



## Taneyev

H 1:

HANN Reinaldo; piano quintet.

HANSEL Peter: string quartet.

HAQUINIUS Algot: string quartet Nº1.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I guess you're just not up to Hovhaness yet since your going in strict alphabetical order.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've started to enjoy tonality again. 

Been listening to Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue, and now I'll listen to some Giuliani guitar concerti.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

I must admit, I'm not really digging this one so much. I have been WAY overexposed to the opening movement, that I cringed a bit when I heard it. No disrespect to Mozart, as he's my big music addiction lately....just not a fan on this one. The middle movements I think will grow on me with a few more listens, we'll see.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Sonata

Brahms: String Quintets. I only intended to listen to the first of the two, as I find it better to digest Brahms chamber music a little at a time. But I really like the opening of the second quintet, so I decided to run through them both.


----------



## science

Maybe my least favorite Piazzolla recording.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Renaissance

Started to dig into gregorian chants. *Anonymous 4* is by far my favorite group for this kind of music. And this is one of their best recordings, in my opinion (I only own 4 CD's of their music)


----------



## Sonata

The highlights version


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"
> 
> I must admit, I'm not really digging this one so much. I have been WAY overexposed to the opening movement, that I cringed a bit when I heard it. No disrespect to Mozart, as he's my big music addiction lately....just not a fan on this one. The middle movements I think will grow on me with a few more listens, we'll see.


Yeah, that's the trouble with popular pieces. The nice thing about its popularity is, the opening movement is still an excellent way to explain sonata form to a newbie.

This morning, Beethoven's 6th symphony. I've had a love-hate relationship with Gardiner's cycle: first I loved it, then I hated it; now I'm back to feeling the love.


----------



## Chrythes

For some reason these quartets sound delightful this evening.


----------



## Conor71

*Smetana - Ma Vlast*


----------



## Cnote11

Complete Keyboard Work of Domenico Scarlatti


----------



## Taneyev

Will you listen to all 555 one after the other? It could be a little tiresome.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Odnoposoff said:


> Will you listen to all 555 one after the other? It could be a little tiresome.


NEVER TIRESOME!!! Scarlatti is da boss at the hpschd.


----------



## SimonNZ

The Old Hall Manuscript - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## Lenfer

*Rafał Blechacz* ~ *Complete Chopin Preludes*​


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn choral cantata #8


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockegehem, Missa L'Homme Arme.*

(Can't find a picture.)

Capella Fidicinia uses a boychoir and an organ. It's different from what I'm used to.


----------



## EricABQ

Krystian Zimerman's recording of Beethovin's 2nd piano cncerto. 

This piece and a glass of Bourbon are a nice way to end a day.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Winter Words - Robert Tear, tenor


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn's* Symphonies 101 (Clock) and 103 (Drumroll) with Thomas Beecham conducting the Royal Philharmonic (EMI label). It's been a while since I've heard these works. I esp. enjoy the contrasts between dark and light in Haydn's music. He was a master of contrasts. The 'Scotch snap' in the minuet of the 'Drumroll' symphony has some amazing rhythmic changes for the time.

Then, something more dark, *Schoenberg's* 'Pierrot Lunaire' with Jane Manning doing speech-song and Simon Rattle conducting the Nash Ensemble. A favorite recording of a favorite work by Schoenberg, and of the 20th century in general. She brings out the rough as guts 'cabaret' and 'femme fatale' aspects of this masterwork brilliantly. This recording is on the Chandos label, coupled with *Webern's* quite brittle 'Concerto for 9 instruments.'



science said:


> Maybe my least favorite Piazzolla recording.


I haven't heard that specific recording, but I think that Piazzolla's music is best suited to smaller forms (eg. chamber), rather than orchestral. Do you think that's the reason why it's your least favourite?


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_(Schoenberg)
Arnold Schoenberg's Piano Concerto, Op. 42 (1942) consists of four interconnected movements: Andante (bars 1-175), Molto allegro (bars 176-263), Adagio (bars 264-329), and Giocoso (bars 330-492). It features use of the twelve-tone technique and only one tone row, though he does at points take some liberties with the permutation of the row. The opening melody of the concerto is thirty-nine bars long and presents all four modes of the tone row in the following order: basic set, inversion of retrograde, retrograde, and inversion. Both of the inversions are transposed.

The manuscript contains markings at the beginning of each of the four movements, suggesting an autobiographical connection between this work and the composer. The markings are "Life was so easy", "Suddenly hatred broke out", "A grave situation was created", and "But life goes on", each matched with a suitable expression in the music. These markings were not included in the final published version, as Schoenberg disapproved of this kind of fixed musical interpretation: they were to guide his composition of the work, and not to provide a programmatic reference for the listener.

Lou Harrison said, "One of the major joys ... is in the structure of the phrases. You know when you are hearing a theme, a building or answering phrase, a development or a coda. There is no swerving from the form-building nature of these classical phrases. The pleasure to be had from listening to them is the same that one has from hearing the large forms of Mozart. ... This is a feeling too seldom communicated in contemporary music, in much of which the most obvious formal considerations are not evident at all. ... The nature of his knowledge in this respect, perhaps more than anything else, places him in the position of torch-bearer to tradition in the vital and developing sense".

The composition is around 20 minutes long. Its first performance was given February 6, 1944 at NBC Orchestra's Radio City Habitat in New York City, by Leopold Stokowski and the NBC Symphony Orchestra, with Eduard Steuermann at the piano.


----------



## opus55

Walton: Symphony No. 1


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> I haven't heard that specific recording, but I think that Piazzolla's music is best suited to smaller forms (eg. chamber), rather than orchestral. Do you think that's the reason why it's your least favourite?


I don't know, I'll give it some thought.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Kronos Quartet Plays Philip Glass.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*William Walton--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis.
William Walton--*Symphony No.2, *again featuring the LSO, this time led by Andre Previn.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoyed this recording by the Petersen Quartet of Erwin Shulhoff's String Quartets No. 1 and 2. I think anyone who likes modern classical with touches of neoclassical, jazz and Czech influences would enjoy this album. It's quite enjoyable. The quartets are also available on a Naxos recording. I have not yet listened to the Naxos to compare what is the better performance but I probably will.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, *both performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## neoshredder

Bartok Violin Concerto no. 2


----------



## millionrainbows

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Now I think I will listen to Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie.


Hey COAG, which version? I was disappointed in the Myung-Whun Chung version on DG.


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm glad this has finally been re-released. It was a 2-LP on Columbia, released in 1980. Ruggles' music is very powerful, almost scary. I first heard his music on an old VOX LP in about 1970. I remember it had "Men and Mountains," "Angels," and "Lilacs." This new CD release is very good.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to Hans Rott's Symphony in E Major and now listening to Richard Wetz Symphony No. 1. Both of these symphonies are really nice works. Too bad Rott wrote only one. Wetz wrote three and anyone who enjoys Bruckner would likely enjoy his symphonies. Off to bed soon so this will end my listening for tonight. Sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day! Especially when I am really enjoying listening.



















Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to this amazing disc. CPE Bach is highly underrated.


----------



## SimonNZ

A Song For Francesca: Music In Italy 1330-1430 - Gothic Voices


----------



## neoshredder

Some of Vivaldi's best work imo. Sounds a little like CPE Bach imo after hearing them back to back but still has some of those Vivaldi characteristics. Just more moody.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ Looks delicious


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: Ma Mere L'Oye*

Disc 5 of this box - to celebrate its recent enshrinement in the Classical Music Project


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tonight I will listen to Giuliani's first and third guitar concerti and then *Ligeti's* _Le Grand Macabre._


----------



## Vesteralen

It's been a while since I've heard a disc from the library that made me feel I have to hurry out and buy a copy - but this is one. I'd heard the Octet many times before, but it gets a brilliant performance here. And the Sextet! Marvelous.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Carpenoctem

Best recording of Brahm's symphonies, Solti and Chicago Symphony Orchestra did a great job.


----------



## Taneyev

H 2:

HARTMANN Karl: solo violin sonata Nº1.

HASS Pavel: string quartet Nº2

HERZOGENBERG Heinrich von: string quintet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

No Henze?! Wow!


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

20th century Danish composer *Vagn Holmboe* (1909-1996), his complete symphonies; 13 of them plus one _Sinfonia in Memorium_. All these symphonies were tonal, if I am putting it correctly. Arresting orchestral colours. A "fringe" composer who probably deserves to be better known judging by these symphonies.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to Boccherini's Guitar Quintet in E minor, Introduction and Fandango arranged for guitar + harpsichord and finally Haydn's Guitar Quartet in E. Music played by Julian Bream and the Cremona String Quartet and George Malcolm on hpschd.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> 20th century Danish composer *Vagn Holmboe* (1909-1996), his complete symphonies; 13 of them plus one _Sinfonia in Memorium_. All these symphonies were tonal, if I am putting it correctly. Arresting orchestral colours. A "fringe" composer who probably deserves to be better known judging by these symphonies.


Holmboe is one of my very favorites and truly does deserve to be better known.

I have to get off to work but my dad sent me this orchestral flash mob this morning. What a treat to wake up to! Almost brought a tear to my eye.






Kevin


----------



## NightHawk

This morning:

David Diamond, Symphony No. 4 - The New York Philharmonic with LBernstein.









This work is modern-tonal, muscular and 'American' - at times it seems more a work for Wind Band (4th movement, particularly). It should be performed more often.


----------



## NightHawk

At noon, today:

Perhaps CoAG has shown this 3 minute scene from _Le Grande Macabre_ already.






I though this to be stunning both visually and musically, and I'm sure psychologically if the entire two-act opera is experienced.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Tonight I will listen to Giuliani's first and third guitar concerti and then *Ligeti's* _Le Grand Macabre._


Sounds like a delicious dinner.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Simon Rattle and John Eliot Gardiner's gifts to Percy Grainger.


----------



## Renaissance

I really need to get few recordings of his music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some nice concertos from Zelenka and Pisendel.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Deodat de Severac's* (1872 - 1921) birthday, his piano works with Ciccolini.

View attachment 6369


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Sounds like a delicious dinner.


I only eat Vivaldi.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony 99 - George Szell


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (with the actual ballet)

The orchestra is absolutely terrible, but I found the dancing amazing. I can definitely see why there was a riot at the premiere.


----------



## ProudSquire

Schubert Notturno in E-flat major, Op. 148 D. 897

It's so good. It's absolutely positively beautiful. I love you Schubert : :


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Julian Bream playing
Rodrigo's _Concierto de Aranjuez_ (with Melos Chamber Orchestra, Colin Davis)
Britten's Courtly Dances from _Gloriana_ (with Julian Bream Consort)
Vivaldi's Concerto for Lute and Strings RV93 (with Julian Bream Consort)

Liveliest recording I know of the Rodrigo. The Britten and Vivaldi work well on the same disc.


----------



## cwarchc

Had a pleasant evening in, listening to my new purchases









Followed by my £0.01p bargain.








really quite enjoyed this piece, never listened to Tavener before

and something a little different









A wonderful way to relax


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 6, W 447, "Montanhas Do Brasil*

Resuming my exploration of this new set - now playing Disc 5 of 7 which has Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 on it


----------



## NightHawk

I was moved to tears. Thank you.



Kevin Pearson said:


> Holmboe is one of my very favorites and truly does deserve to be better known.
> 
> I have to get off to work but my dad sent me this orchestral flash mob this morning. What a treat to wake up to! Almost brought a tear to my eye.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


----------



## Conor71

*Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 In E Minor, Op. 27*

Next up I will play this Disc which arrived a couple of weeks ago for a maiden listen (this performance not the work!)


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 and 9


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* - _String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10_
*Ravel* - _String Quartet in F major_
Played by the Melos Quartet (DGG label)

Two of my favourite string quartets, and among those that really got me into the genre. By all accounts, the *Ravel* was not well recieved at its premiere, it was too innovative for some more rigid conservative critics. He does all manner of things in the first movement with the sonata form, does what he wants with it, not what he should do, and in the second scherzo-like movement, splits the quartet up into two duos (a technique to be more rigorously explored by Elliott Carter over 50 years later!). But whatever their innovations, these are great string quartets to listen to, so well crafted and I hear new things in them every time I hear them.

*Martinu*
_Piano Concerto #5 in B-flat, H.366 ('Fantasia Concertante')*
Concerto for Two Pianos, H.292**_
*Ales Bilek, pno. / Prague SO / Jindrich Rohan, cond.
**Vera Lejskova & Vlastimil Lejsek, pianos / Brno State PO / Jiri Waldhans, cond.
(on Proarte/Supraphon label)

These works by *Martinu* bring together many things - eg. influences of Baroque, also modern piano techniques (probably eg. Bartok), and in the 5th concerto, some lush orchestral sounds and more melody, things that would not have been out of place in a HOllywood film score (he fled Europe and lived in California for a considerable period of time, I think). I esp. like the middle slow movements, that have some of the eerie night-time feel of Bartok's 'night musics' in his piano concertos. The middle movement of the 'Concerto for Two Pianos' starts with a Bachian cadenza that shows Martinu knew his 'Well Tempered Clavier' to great depth. These works are not what I'd call innovative, yet they're a good listen, and maybe even in some ways look forwards to the 'polystylism' of guys like Schnittke & perhaps the Minimalist movements of the 1960's (eg. Martinu's use of repetition, creating trance like atmosphere).


----------



## Ravndal

epic


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C major, Op.61, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.

Editor's Note: Sorry, duplicate post.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Martinu: Violin Concerto No. 2

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/456955.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
Bohuslav Martinu's 1943 Violin Concerto is an outstanding work that is perhaps less widely recognized than it deserves because of the remarkable outpouring of top-rate violin concertos by the world's great composers that occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. The work was once referred to simply as Martinu's Violin Concerto, but in the 1970s an earlier concerto, which Martinu wrote for Samuel Dushkin about 1933, came to light and was performed.

Martinu had undergone great changes in his life and art in the intervening ten years. When he wrote the first concerto, he had shifted away from his early interest in French Impressionism and adopted a polyphonic style inspired by the concertos of Bach and Corelli. German occupation of his Czech homeland followed capitulation of the Western powers in the illusory search for "peace in our time" that ended in general war in 1939. Martinu and his wife fled France at the last moment, ahead of the German conquerors.

Musically, toward the end of this period, Martinu returned to Impressionistic harmonies. But now he added an element of Romanticism, resulting in a potent and dynamic mix of melody, polyphony, and Martinu's outstanding rhythmic sense. Martinu became in the form of the symphony once he settled in America; he wrote his first symphony in 1942, at the age of 52. The great violinist Mischa Elman heard a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance of Martinu's powerful First Symphony and was so impressed that, on meeting the composer after the concert, he asked Martinu for a new concerto. Martinu asked Elman to play a recital program for him in order to learn the violinist's distinctive lyrical and assertive style. A generally quick worker, Martinu completed the concerto in just over two months' time, from February to April 1943, and Elman premiered it on December 31, 1943, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky conducting.

The concerto is a work nearly half an hour long, in the traditional three movements. The work begins in a decidedly non-traditional way, with an Andante introduction that is a kind of cross between a recitative accompanied by separated staccato orchestral chords and a cadenza. The main body of the first movement is marked Allegro. It was devised to display Elman's strong musical communication and lyricism. The tone of the movement is serious. (Martinu refers to its "grave character," which is perhaps too strong a description.) The theme of the Andante opening returns to conclude the movement. The middle movement is a smooth and lyrical Andante moderato with a calm, lyrical tone. It leads without pause to the finale, Poco Allegro. This movement is quick, lively, and dramatic, and ends with the tempo being kicked up to Allegro vivace for a conclusion in the nature of a fugal finale.

(These men should've been at war )


----------



## millionrainbows

An excellent 4-CD set of this disciple of Varése. A recent acquisition, I've barely had time to scratch the surface. Jolivet's music is like invocations of magic, rituals, ceremonial...very mysterious.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Christian Sinding is one of my favorite composers. Unfortunately so little of his music is available but if you have never heard Sinding then you are missing out on some of the most beautiful romantic music ever written in my opinion. This album of some of his piano music is wonderful. His sonata is just amazing to listen to and you have to wonder how anyone could even play it. At times it sounds like at least two separate pianos!

I also own an LP of some of his chamber music that was released by The Musical Heritage Society in 1979. It's one of my favorite records in my collection. Back in the day MHS was a great resource for good deals on quality recordings at budget prices. Plus they used to release many little known or unknown works and their sale prices could hardly be beat. They could help you build a quality library without spending a fortune. I don't know how good of deals they have these days.

Anyway, Christian Sinding is well worth a listen!



















Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Couperin's Fourth Book Of harpsichord Pieces - Christophe Rousset


----------



## Conor71

*Rossini: Overtures*

Listening to Disc 2 of the Rossini set (Sinfonia Al Convetello Overture currently playing) - after this I will play Disc 3 of the Nielsen set which contains Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok's String Quartets. Almost as good as Ligeti's.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to Bach's Lute Suite no. 3 BWV997 played by Julian Bream. Now I will go practise it on my guitar.


----------



## SimonNZ

Toddlertoddy said:


> Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (with the actual ballet)
> 
> The orchestra is absolutely terrible, but I found the dancing amazing. I can definitely see why there was a riot at the premiere.


That was fascinating. Thanks for posting it!


----------



## ProudSquire

Brahms String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67 

A Jovial quartet, which I find quite pleasing. :clap:


----------



## SimonNZ

Wolf, Duparc, Schubert, Brahms - Lotte Lehmann


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

A concert on YouTube


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 In E Major, Op. 14/1*

Now playing Disc 03 of this set which is one of my favourites in my collection


----------



## Taneyev

H 3:

HILL Alfred: string quartet 1.

HINDEMITH: string quartet 3 by the Amar-Hindemith quartet.

HOFFMANN E.T.A. quintet for harp and string quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

Toddlertoddy said:


> Martinu: Violin Concerto No. 2
> 
> Bohuslav Martinu's 1943 Violin Concerto is an outstanding work that is perhaps less widely recognized than it deserves because of the remarkable outpouring of top-rate violin concertos by the world's great composers that occurred in the 1930s and 1940s.


Thanks for the posting. I've had my recording sitting on my self gathering dust for the only reason that I'd actually forgotten I had it . I'm getting out the feather duster and putting it on the CD player.

(My CD is No. 4; I just couldn't find the right picture.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Masaaki Suzuki, harpsichord


----------



## NightHawk

This morning: Harold Shapero's _Symphony for Classical Orchestra_ (c. 1947) - now you gotta love this:

_In 1947, Stravinsky and Shapero met again, and Shapero showed Stravinsky the score of the Symphony for Classical Orchestra. After looking at the score of the Symphony, Stravinsky advised Shapero to become a conductor_. Wikipedia

:lol:


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony

A symphony overlooked by me because of other great symphonies. I planned on listening more but went to bed after my eyelids started feeling heavy.










Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2 and 1

I would usually listen to Bach or Mozart on Saturday morning but wanted to pay a close listen to Ligeti quartets. I use my precious morning time when I have my clear mind and fresh ears to listen to these.


----------



## Sonata

Ravel: Une Barque Sur L'Ocean. 

Mozart: Piano concerto 20 with forte piano

Beethoven: a couple of violin sonatas

Reiss: Violin sonata

Brahms: Cello sonata


----------



## kv466




----------



## Sonata

Victoria de Los Angeles recital album of Ravel, Debussy, and Duparc songs. Completely captivating.....I intended only to listen to Ravel's Scherezade for the first time I am going through the whole2 disc album.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Following the posting by one of our members of an audio file of this recording made from original 78s, I had to pick this up... especially considering the fact that it is probably my favorite Gluck opera (and the best?), it features the magnificent Kathleen Ferrier, and the recording is on the audiophile quality Dutton Labs. Marvelous sound quality... regardless of the 1947 date... especially of the vocals.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

kv466 said:


>


Interesting... do tell us more...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Kevin Pearson said:


> Christian Sinding is one of my favorite composers. Unfortunately so little of his music is available but if you have never heard Sinding then you are missing out on some of the most beautiful romantic music ever written in my opinion. This album of some of his piano music is wonderful. His sonata is just amazing to listen to and you have to wonder how anyone could even play it. At times it sounds like at least two separate pianos!
> 
> I also own an LP of some of his chamber music that was released by The Musical Heritage Society in 1979. It's one of my favorite records in my collection. Back in the day MHS was a great resource for good deals on quality recordings at budget prices. Plus they used to release many little known or unknown works and their sale prices could hardly be beat. They could help you build a quality library without spending a fortune. I don't know how good of deals they have these days.
> 
> Anyway, Christian Sinding is well worth a listen!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Amazon actually sells quite a few discs of Sinding's music. CPO offers a disc of his violin concertos and two of his symphonies;
Perlman plays the Suite in A-minor (which I have).










Naxos, Marco Polo and a few other labels offer various sonatas, trios, and other chamber works, songs, etc...

What do you recommend? I may be able to give a listen to some on Spotify.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bartok's String Quartets. Almost as good as Ligeti's.


In fact... BETTER!!!


----------



## SimonNZ

Troubadours - Clemencic Consort


----------



## neoshredder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> In fact... BETTER!!!


No one beats Ligeti. No one! 

Listening now to Scarlatti's Sonatas


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

No one beats Ligeti. No one!

Well someone should have.:devil:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Amazon actually sells quite a few discs of Sinding's music. CPO offers a disc of his violin concertos and two of his symphonies;
> Perlman plays the Suite in A-minor (which I have).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Naxos, Marco Polo and a few other labels offer various sonatas, trios, and other chamber works, songs, etc...
> 
> What do you recommend? I may be able to give a listen to some on Spotify.


Listen to what you can find on Spotify. That piano music album I posted is on there and worth a listen. I have Sinding's symphonies and violin concertos on order and I'll report on those when they arrive. I'm surprised that they're not on Spotify because CPO is well represented on there. If you look at the list of his compositions on Wikipedia and compare it to what is available you will understand my comment. There are more titles now than there ever has been but still few in comparison to how much he wrote. I have never heard a bad piece by Sinding. That's not to say there are none but I have not heard one yet.

Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Started off with this disc of some of Mozart's most lovely and delicate music.










The Adagio and Rondo for Glass Harmonica... played here to great effect on the celesta... is one of those endless gems from late in his career that one stumbles upon again and again.

Looks like an all Classical Era evening... so far. I've gone from Gluck... to Mozart...

to Beethoven:


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Bartok: Divertimento for strings

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/71350.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
This 1939 work marks the end of Bartok's European career. It was composed on commission from Paul Sacher, the pioneering conductor who commissioned so much fine music for his string orchestra in Basle, Switzerland. Bartok was then already planning to move to the United States to escape both the gathering war clouds of Europe and the Nazi sympathizing regime of his native Hungary. He had already sent his manuscripts and papers to London, but remained at home because of the terminal illness of his mother. While taking a break from all this he visited Sacher in Switzerland and while there composed this substantial (nearly 25 minute) work in 15 days. His mother died in December; Bartok finished up his personal affairs in Europe, giving his farewell Budapest appearance in October 1940. Meanwhile, the Divertimento had been successfully premiered in June in Basle.

Audiences were struck with a new clarity and classical approach in Bartok's music, as well as by his returning to a much clearer tonal feeling. This consolidated a trend which actually began a few years earlier. Longer, more attractive melodies (almost always in folk-character) reappear after a decade and a half in which Bartok's music was famous for its harsh sounds, uncompromisingly dissonant harmonies, and tight, motive-driven formal procedures. In this period it is easy to find (and hear) distinct tonality. The work's three movements, for instance, are in F Major, a modal scale based on D, and again in F. Bartok's use of solo strings against the large string group (particularly in the first movement) recalls the concerto grosso form.

The opening movement is a suave and gracefully dance-like "Allegro non troppo," full of attractive melodies, but also making highly intellectual use of canons, inversions, and other such devices. The Second movement is a remarkable example of Bartok's "Night Music, " including a frightening central section which seems to suggest some terror of the night. The third movement is even more playful than the first, a bit earthier, and somewhat faster. It even spoofs Bartok's tendency to drop into canons and fugues: what appears to be a full-fledged fugato section dissolves soon after it starts, the music laughs at itself, and comes to a whirling conclusion.


----------



## Ravndal

Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor Op. 31 No.2 "Tempest": III: Allegretto

Played by Stephen Kovacevich.

I like this piece. Dramatic.


----------



## Conor71

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 3, Op. 27, FS 60, "Sinfonia Espansiva"*

Now playing Disc 2 of this Trio which has Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 on it - after this I will play Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 on Disc 3.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Working my way through some of those 150+ unlistened-to opera recordings in my collection.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1
Handel: Water Music

















Never thought I'd like Handel


----------



## Head_case

Incredible work of the highest emotional intensity. I can't believe the complete cycle is taking so long to 
release outside of Poland :/


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart Concert Arias - Gundula Janowitz


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28 In A Major, Op. 101*

Now listening to Disc 09 of this box which contains Sonata No. 28 and one of my favourites, The Hammerklavier. After this I will listen to Disc 05 which contains the Pathetique, Moonlight and Appasionata Sonatas.


----------



## NightHawk

The sound and performance are fantastic in this venerable recording. Have to search it out. Thanks for posting!



Toddlertoddy said:


> Bartok: Divertimento for strings
> 
> http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/71350.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
> This 1939 work marks the end of Bartok's European career. It was composed on commission from Paul Sacher, the pioneering conductor who commissioned so much fine music for his string orchestra in Basle, Switzerland. Bartok was then already planning to move to the United States to escape both the gathering war clouds of Europe and the Nazi sympathizing regime of his native Hungary. He had already sent his manuscripts and papers to London, but remained at home because of the terminal illness of his mother. While taking a break from all this he visited Sacher in Switzerland and while there composed this substantial (nearly 25 minute) work in 15 days. His mother died in December; Bartok finished up his personal affairs in Europe, giving his farewell Budapest appearance in October 1940. Meanwhile, the Divertimento had been successfully premiered in June in Basle.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm currently listening to this disc of music by Johann Joseph Fux. I have heard his name bandied about for years... but never got around to exploring his music... not even at the height of my Baroque obsession a year or two ago. Yesterday I came upon his name again on the thread devoted to Zelenka. Hopping onto Spotify I found this and several other discs that absolutely captured me. This disc is especially lovely. I found myself thinking that the art work perfectly suited the contents. There is a "sweetness" and simplicity to the choral selections that suggest what Eric Whitacre or Morten Lauridsen strive for... but often fall short of. Perhaps this is due to Fux grasp of the complexities of Baroque musical form beneath the apparent simplicity. Whatever the case may be, I have this and two other Fux discs on order.


----------



## NightHawk

Kovacevich is one of the greats. If you like his playing of Beethoven, you should get his recording of the _Diabelli Variaions_, it is remarkable in every way, i.e. the tone, the technical facility, and the overall control of a massive work.



Ravndal said:


> Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor Op. 31 No.2 "Tempest": III: Allegretto
> 
> Played by Stephen Kovacevich.
> 
> I like this piece. Dramatic.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 5


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.
Sergey Prokofiev--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44 and Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131, *both featuring Theodore Kuchar conducting the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 57, "Fate"*

Now listening to Symphony No. 5 from Karajans wonderful 60's Beethoven Cycle - after this I will listen to Symphony No. 6 from the same Disc and then Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 from the following Disc.


----------



## opus55

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit


Man, that is one sweet Disc - enjoy!


----------



## Guest

Beethoven's 4th and 8th by Haitink and LSO.
Elbow's "Build a Rocket Boys"
Eno's "Another Day on Earth"
Sir Colin Davis' Haydn London Symphonies.

At least, that's what I've got in the car...at this precise moment, I'm not listening to anything!


----------



## science

Yesterday:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio: Dvorak's String Quartet No.12 "American" - Pavel Haas Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

also on the radio: Schumann's Piano Trio No.1 - Vienna Piano Trio


----------



## Taneyev

H 4:

HOLBROOKE Joseph; Symphonic quintet.

HOLST Gustav: winds quintet op.14

HOLTER Iver: string quartet Nº2.


----------



## science




----------



## Ravndal

NightHawk said:


> Kovacevich is one of the greats. If you like his playing of Beethoven, you should get his recording of the _Diabelli Variaions_, it is remarkable in every way, i.e. the tone, the technical facility, and the overall control of a massive work.


Thanks! Will check it out


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> Man, that is one sweet Disc - enjoy!


It came as part of Argerich Solo Recordings collection.

Dedicating my fresh ears to Beethoven's early string quartets on Sunday morning. The only recording of the early quartets - I usually own only one or two sets of everything since I haven't been collecting classical CDs for very long.


----------



## PetrB

Fulvio Caldini ~ Bestiale, Op. 83

ROOOWR!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Orlando Gibbons, Hosanna to the Son of David, etc.*

I started with Jeremy Summerly's recording on Naxos, but Richard Marlow's recording is much better.


----------



## NightHawk

Gotta have this recording - the Quintet Op. 29 with guest PZuckerman is a great inclusion along with the Six Quartets Op. 18, which gave Beethoven a remarkable debut in the quartet genre!



opus55 said:


> It came as part of Argerich Solo Recordings collection.
> 
> Dedicating my fresh ears to Beethoven's early string quartets on Sunday morning. The only recording of the early quartets - I usually own only one or two sets of everything since I haven't been collecting classical CDs for very long.


----------



## NightHawk

This morning:

Obrecht - _Missa Caput_ and _Salve Regin_a - Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly - a famously beautiful mass based on an earlier anonymous English _Missa Caput_.









Couperin - _Lecons de Tenebrae_ - Good Friday music, but appropriate after the Colorado tragedy. William Christie/Les Arts Florissants. This is a stunning recording, btw. Sopranos Daneman and Petibon have great vocal chemistry, and Couperin is at the height of his considerable powers in this perfect work of 'three lessons'.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.

I can never get tired of this bad boy, it's in my top 5 concertos of all time.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Started the morning of by listening to Julius Rontgen's (1855-1932) violin concertos. I really love these. They are just beautiful works that deserve a more prominent place in the concerto repertoire in my opinion. This recording is really well produced and the performance is top notch. If you like romantic violin concertos don't miss out on this one!










Kevin


----------



## mitchflorida

Are you tired of listening to Dvorak over and over? Try this composer.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

mitchflorida said:


> Are you tired of listening to Dvorak over and over? Try this composer.
> 
> View attachment 6408


I own this recording and enjoy it very much!

Kevin


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik (1787)
*As a former string player I've played the first two movements of this work more times then I cared to. But coming from a listeners perspective, and being able to sit down and hear all the movements rekindled an appreciation for the work. All though the writing isn't as complex or developed as his string quartets, Mozart is able to carry a lot of emotion on simple ideas. The first movement, perhaps the most famous piece of classical music, is wonderfully uplifting and fresh, regardless of its exposure. The less frequently heard slow movement is also quite gorgeous, and offers more diversity with its unexpected turns. The following movements, while not as memorable, offer a fitting close to this piece. While this recieves far more attention than more deserving works, this is still a fine addition to the composers oeuvre, and a lighter survey of his otherwise dense later works.

*Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke (1837)
*_Fantasiestücke_ is a set of eight piano miniatures, and another one of Schumann's exploration of his musical psyche, using _Florestan_ and _Eusebius_. Eusebius the introspective dreamer, and Florestan the passionate fireball. More self contained, and focused just on the two alter egos, the piece is very evenly divided, with the first four movements representing either Florestan or Eusebius separately, and the last four combining them in various ways. As expected, the last four are particularly brilliant and beautiful, _In Der Nacht_ being my favorite of the bunch. Passionate and entirely unique, the _Fantasiestücke_ doesn't quite reach the level of transcendence as heard in works like the _Fantasie in C_ or _Davidsbündlertänze_, but is a wonderful addition to his early piano works nonetheless.

*Claude Debussy: Danse Sacrée Et Profane (1905)
*The less known _Danse Sacrée Et Profane_ is the precursor to Ravel's I_ntroduction and Allegro_, both meant to show off the new and shortly lived chromatic harp. The harp writing is not nearly as brilliant as Ravel's, and seems to be no less active or advanced then it's use in other Debussy works. Instead Debussy seems to be running through the motions with this one, though even Debussy running through the motions creates some very beautiful, intricate, if unmemorable music.

*Ralph Vaughan Williams: Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" (1939)
*Almost thirty years after the _Tallis Fantasia_, Vaughan Williams seems to be trying to resurrect some of his music from the glory days, this time with the addition of harp. While more pastoral and charming than the _Fantasia_, and admittedly better structured (though not as free flowing), the _Five Variants_ seem to pull all the same stops as the T_allis Fantasia_ with few new ideas to be offered. Still, a beautiful, charming, and occasionally touching piece.

*Arvo Pärt: Für Alina (1976)
*My first exposure to Pärt, this was probably the worst place to start with him. I knew he was supposed to be simple, but this is excessively so. I understand the idea that he wants the music to be uncluttered and entirely clear and clairvoyant, but this is not an original or new idea at all, in fact it's centuries old, dating back past gregorian chant. While pretty enough, I found myself unconvinced that Pärt could really express all he wanted to through such simplified means. Of course this won't stop me from exploring more of his works. Time will tell.

*John Corigliano: Chiaroscuro (1997)
*Written for two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart, Chiaroscuro is as about as unsimplified as you can get. In fact, I encountered the opposite problem with this work. I don't know what measures Corigliano took to be sure he was getting the sound he wanted, but it doesn't sound as if he really experimented with what harmonies he could create, but instead only treated the out of tune piano as a dissonance, which was pretty disappointing. Divided into three movement, the introduction starts out reflective, and the piece slowly builds from there. A Bach choral is used in the finale, with a climax that reiterates it with intensity, while the other piano tries to tear it down. A cool idea on paper, but it ultimately sounded more contrived; the use of tonal quotations with dissonant interference is not a new one (think Berg's _Violin Concerto_, or Crumb's B_lack Angels_). But I feel like I'm berating this work more than actually like it. Really, it's an entertaining, fun, and unique piece, it just could have been so much more!


----------



## Praeludium

edit : Actually I've made a topic with this little post, since I expected responses.


----------



## opus55

Hans Pfitzner

Piano Quintet in C minor, Op.23
Sextet in G minor, Op. 55















The open field in the painting looks like a typical midwestern U.S. landscape.


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert Op. 90, D. 899: Impromptu No.2 In E Flat Major.

Played by Jena Jando. 

Very fun piece, which makes me smile everytime i hear it  Also very nicely played by Jena. Favourite version perhaps.


----------



## NightHawk

As it may have been intended, this [excerpted ?] work needs a large space and surround sound where I might find it engrossing as part of [ambient sound?] an '_installation bestiale_'.



PetrB said:


> Fulvio Caldini ~ Bestiale, Op. 83
> 
> ROOOWR!


----------



## SimonNZ

Praetorius' Terpsichore - Ricercare Ensemble

I don't know how or why it changed but for the last couple or years it has seemed as though I can't go a week without seeing or hearing some reference to Terpsichore or stumbling across a recording I haven't seen before.

This album makes me smile because at the height of my vinyl purchasing I used to collect among other things both the Reflexe series and anything labeled as "Grand Prix du Disque winner".


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening. I started with another *George Benson *album, which is on my blog on this forum (along with the other classical stuff below) -










Then, a tribute to* Jon Lord,* who died this week. He was co-founder of the legendary rock band Deep Purple, and an exponent of the fusion genre. Towards the end of his life he got back to his roots, making a number of purely classical albums.

_*To Notice Such Things *_is a suite for solo flute, piano and string orchestra, composed in 2009 in memory of a friend of the composer, John Mortimer. Mortimer was the author of the _Rumpole of the Bailey _novels, which lead to the televsion series with Aussie Leo McKern in the title role. This is a neo-classical work, reflecting Mortimer's love of J.S. Bach's music. It is overall a reflective and sad piece, but the pivotal _Stick Dance _is more lively and reminds me of a Scottish jig. The final movement _*Afterwards*_ is particularly poignant, and the disc also features a version of this piece for piano solo accompanying a narrator reading Thomas Hardy's poem reflecting on the gap left in our lives by those loved ones who have died.

The composer was on piano on this cd, with Cormac Henry on flute and the Royal Liverpool PO under Clark Rundell. Jeremy Irons read the poem _Afterwards_ by Hardy.










Then, continuing *Saint-Saens' *piano concerto cycle, this weekend it was the *Piano Concerto #3.* The first movement opens with a hazy introduction with horn, perhaps reflecting on how this was written when the composer was holidaying in the French Alps. This leads to a more agitated contrupuntal theme and many other explorations in mood and texture. Its one of the most impressive opening movements to his whole cycle, I think. The second movement has a more dark and emotional undertow, whilst in the final movement, Saint-Saens with a fair hint of humour, combines Baroque counterpoint with tunes reminiscent of ballet music.

The pianist was Pascal Roge, and the London PO was conducted by Charles Dutoit.










Beginning to explore *Bartok's *string quartet cycle in more depth now, I started with his *String Quartet #3. *It is his shortest SQ and in the church sonata format: slow-fast-slow- fast movement layout. Its also actually a compacted version of the sonata form, the recapitulation being the third movement (but it all goes without a break). Some trademark folkish vibes here, incl. imitation of the cimbalom by plucking of the strings. The short coda, where all the ideas come together at once, is just amazing to hear, and just as complex and 'out there' as what Ives did in his innovative works (& what Elliott Carter was to do later).

This peformance was by the Alban Berg Quartet.










Finally, *Beethoven's **piano sonatas Pastorale *(#15) and _*Tempest *_(#17). I had not heard these works in recent memory. I liked the vigorous counterpoint, but also the lyricism and delicacy in the slow movements. Some passages here full of vibrancy and colour, things I don't always strongly associate with Beethoven. The last movement of the_ Tempest_ sonata, displaying German dance-like vibes, grabbed me a lot.

The pianist here was Emil Gilels.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Looks like I'll work my way through a couple operas this weekend:










This one absolutely caught me off guard... quite pleasantly. Yesterday I listened to Verdi's Otello... which is almost unrelenting in its bombast... or raw emotion. Thaïs has so much more nuance... or shall we say variety. There are moments of unbridled emotion and extreme drama; moments of exquisite sensuality... and moments of the most touching poignancy. Of course having Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson doesn't hurt.

I first really came to Massenet with this marvelous collection by Richard Bonynge... who is arguably THE Massenet interpreter bar non.










As a visual person I could not pass up this disc with its exquisite packaging. I'm glad I didn't... the music is simply marvelous, and the accompanying booklet quite informative. I was struck by the fact that the English and French themselves greatly underrated Massenet who was in a sense, the French _bel canto_ composer... the master of beautiful singing. In spite of Wagner, the Germans... or rather the Austrians took to Massenet immediately as did the Italians... who have never underestimated the worth of a great melody. In spite of the French critics, composers such as Faure and Debussy acknowledged that they all owed much to Massenet... especially as the first composer to really convey the poetic nature of the French language in song... since Rameau. I have been drooling over this set for some time...










But I think I'll hold off for the time being... I already have Hérodiade, Cendrillon, two versions of Werther, Thaïs, Eve (Mysterium in 3 Parts), and of course Manon... the opera and the ballet. Before I get any more Massenet I seriously MUST get Berlioz' _Les Troyens_. Unfortunately the version that all the critics swear by is currently out of print and sells for $175 US+


----------



## Orpheus

This recent acquisition has kept my ears busy for most of the last week and will probably continue to be my main listening for a while yet, it's taking some time to work through with the attention it deserves. Then by the time I get to the end I have to start all over again.  I don't think there's a more comprehensive set of Dowland out there, and the quality is excellent. Worth having for the superbly performed songs alone; the complete consort and lute music is good too though and a nice addition to what I have already.

Unfortunately this set is a bit pricey (I snapped up a bargain set I saw recently, having been intending to get it for a while) but having listened to it pretty thoroughly now I would recommend it to anyone who loves Renaissance music, even at the full price.


----------



## SimonNZ

I was fortunate to pick up a secondhad (though seemingly unplayed) copy of that box a few months ago at bargain price - which means I no longer have to fear wearing ot my much loved vinyl copy of the Second Booke.

Glad to hear of someone enjoying it as much as I am.


----------



## starthrower

Hans Werner Henze-Symphony No. 10


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Contrary to what our friend Martin thought about Naxos this recording of the Sibelius symphonies is really very very good and probably one of my favorites. Listening to number 6 at the moment and if I have time before bed I'll do number 7 as well.










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Contrary to what our friend Martin thought about Naxos this recording of the Sibelius symphonies is really very very good and probably one of my favorites.

The Petrenko recordings of Shostakovitch are also very good:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Contrary to what our friend Martin thought about Naxos this recording of the Sibelius symphonies is really very very good and probably one of my favorites.
> 
> The Petrenko recordings of Shostakovitch are also very good:


Yes I agree with you! He is one of the best modern interpreters of Shostakovitch in my opinion.

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Julius Rontgen

Symphony No. 18 



Violin Concerto in A minor 




















The violin concerto is excellent!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StLukesGuildOhio asked about this recording the other day when I posted about Christian Sinding. All I can say is wow! What a great album by a top notch artist. The Korngold is wonderful and the Sinding is just so beautiful. The Goldmark is also a great piece. Gonna have to buy this one!

Here is the Spotify link for those who want to check it out:

spotify:album:41K2ruQ4lp6AVycXGrNemu


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Xenakis: Échange

I actually can't believe I found this on Youtube.

http://www.allmusic.com/composition/%C3change-for-bass-clarinet-13-musicians-mc0002659268
Though Iannis Xenakis has long worn the mantle of uncompromising iconoclast, the works from the later stages of his career have turned from exploring novel textures and densely wrought structures toward a more pared-down, even lyrical language. Échange (1989), one of a series of concertante works Xenakis wrote in the late 1980s, is the most popular of the composer's works that reflect this stage of his aesthetic development.

Échange features the bass clarinet as soloist; the accompanying body is a mixed ensemble of thirteen musicians. The work revels in the rich, dark tone of the bass clarinet. The opening features a long, low melody for the soloist that gradually draws in sustained tones from different instruments in the ensemble. As in traditional concerti, the piece unfolds though passages for the soloist, for the soloist in conjunction with the ensemble, and for the ensemble alone. The musical emphasis is decidedly on melody rather than on texture or virtuosity; nonetheless, there are dramatic moments, such as the long crescendos on sustained tones in the bass clarinet, or the surprising appearance of a major triad in the midst of a chordal passage in the ensemble. Rather uncharacteristically for Xenakis, the work contains a number of dance-like sections. The solo part, while not extraordinarily difficult, does require an enormous degree of control throughout the entire range of the instrument. It also includes its share of impressive moments, such as a passage in which the melody splits into two diverging voices that require the player to negotiate increasingly wide jumps while sustaining the continuity of the phrase.

That a number of players have taken up Échange seems to indicate a shift in Xenakis' orientation from the rarefied world of extremely capable, specialized players toward music of both richness and greater simplicity. Xenakis wrote Échange for Harry Sparnaay, who has emerged as the world's foremost bass clarinetist.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Julius Rontgen
> 
> Symphony No. 18
> 
> 
> 
> Violin Concerto in A minor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The violin concerto is excellent!


I have to agree about the violin concerto. I listened to it twice today! 

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Langgard: Symphonies Nos. 12 and 13















Another great discovery tonight after Rontgen. I'm considering the purchase of Langgard symphonies box set. I have high regards to labels like Naxos, CPO and DACAPO who bring out works of obscure composers.


----------



## SimonNZ

Janequin's Missa "La Bataille" - Ensemble Clement Janequin


----------



## Chrythes

The Bartok and Ravel Piano Concertos. Beautiful music!


----------



## AndyS

As part of the Massenet box

Absolutely love this, been listening to it a lot lately. I'd heard it was very Wagner-esque but I'm reminded more of Puccini


----------



## SimonNZ

Aaron Copland's Sonata - Leon Fleisher, piano


----------



## Taneyev

H 5:

HUBAY: Scenes de la czarda for violin&piano

HURUM Alf: string quartet

HUYBRECHT Albert: string trio


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Langgard: Symphonies Nos. 12 and 13
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another great discovery tonight after Rontgen. I'm considering the purchase of Langgard symphonies box set. I have high regards to labels like Naxos, CPO and DACAPO who bring out works of obscure composers.


I own the Langaard box set and I highly recommend it. Well worth owning in my opinion although it was a little pricey when I bought it a couple of years back. It was a member here who recommended it to me when I first joined as a matter of fact.

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Emerson Quartet.*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling L'Olimpiade, The Opera. A May Baroque/Classical release by naive, with front-cover taking advantage of expected London Olympics fervor. Long story short, this is not a memorable exhibit. Even with fine playing from Venice Baroque Orchestra, this concept embraces the schmaltz frequently served up in Piazza San Marco.

For those more interested, a linked review from Opera Today.
http://www.operatoday.com/content/2012/06/venice_baroque_.php

View attachment 6420


----------



## crmoorhead

This week's upcoming listening:

Monday (Bach): English Suite No. 1
Tuesday (Concerto): Violin Concerto (Bruch)
Wednesday (Choral): Mass of the Children (Rutter)
Thursday (Symphony): Symphony 104 (Haydn)
Friday (Keyboard/Piano): Le Tombeau de Couperin (Ravel)
Saturday (Opera): The Faery Queen (Purcell)
Sunday (Chamber): Piano Trio No. 1 (Saint-Saens)


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Bruckner* Symphony 8, with Netherlands RPO/van Zweden. This is a spectacular recording in all respects. Strings and percussion are often breathtaking. Brass melds well, never overwhelming, as oft is the case for *Bruckner* perfs. Winds connect beautifully.

A hybrid CD. This is one of those rare occasions that makes me want SACD. The only negative is the 2CD packaging, since TT is 79:28.

View attachment 6421


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Linley, The Song of Moses. *

Linley was one of the many promising composers who died too soon. If you like Handel's Israel in Egypt, you'll love this one also.









Then on to *Walton's Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## science




----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> Then on to *Walton's Symphony No. 1.*
> 
> View attachment 6424


I would've lost money betting that I was the only one here with that CD.


----------



## NightHawk

As I type:









In Act II, Sc 3, Orestes has a beautiful _'air'_, _Le calme rentre dans mon coeur_ ("Calm has returned to my heart"), which uses a most strikingly unique accompaniment figure (quite contrastively detached and even pointilistic as compared to the even, legato style of the voice) causing the first orchestra under Gluck when rehearsing this air for the first time to stop playing thinking something was wrong in the parts. Gluck is reported to have said, "Keep playing!!! He's just killed his mother and he's LYING!!!"). True or not, it is easy to imagine and the air/song and entire opera are beautifully realized in this John Eliot Gardiner performance.*****Highly recommended.


----------



## Jared

science said:


> I would've lost money betting that I was the only one here with that CD.


Indeed you would... I have every one since Vol 1:1, plus all the Proms disks and just about every Special Edition disk they have produced over the past 20 years. Even sadder still, I've actually catalogued them all...


----------



## Jared

crmoorhead said:


> This week's upcoming listening:
> 
> Monday (Bach): English Suite No. 1
> Tuesday (Concerto): Violin Concerto (Bruch)
> Wednesday (Choral): Mass of the Children (Rutter)
> Thursday (Symphony): Symphony 104 (Haydn)
> Friday (Keyboard/Piano): Le Tombeau de Couperin (Ravel)
> Saturday (Opera): The Faery Queen (Purcell)
> Sunday (Chamber): Piano Trio No. 1 (Saint-Saens)


Just wiondering, are you listening to a CD set of the Purcell, or have you purchased the spectacular Glyndebourne performance from 2009 on DVD/ Blu Ray? Co-incidentally, I went to see it last night, on the large screen at Malvern Winter Gardens... an incredible effort.


----------



## SimonNZ

Music From The Time Of Columbus - New London Consort, Philip Pickett


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Noncarrow, Lost Works, Last Works*


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Sir John Barbirolli with the Sinfonia of London (not LSO)

IMO, one of the best recordings of the Fantasia


----------



## Vaneyes

"That had some good things in it." -- GG (1959)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Due to her diminutive stature, Maggie Teyte was known as the "pocket prima donna". She was also known... especially... for her efforts singing French art songs or _mélodie_. Performances of such make up the majority of this disc: Ravel, Berlioz, Duparc, Monsigny, Dourlen, Offenbach, Debussy, etc...


----------



## crmoorhead

Jared said:


> Just wiondering, are you listening to a CD set of the Purcell, or have you purchased the spectacular Glyndebourne performance from 2009 on DVD/ Blu Ray? Co-incidentally, I went to see it last night, on the large screen at Malvern Winter Gardens... an incredible effort.


Just the CD. I loved Dido and Aeneas, so wanted to try out some more of Purcell's longer works. I just found out today that there was also a screening for that production near me - but it was yesterday evening and I missed it!  I do try to find a visual performance at some point, so I will bear the recommendation in mind.


----------



## Sid James

*Two organ works by Jean Langlais played by Bruno Mathieu on the Naxos label.*

The 20 minute _*Suite Medievale *_which opens the disc is a skillful synthesis of modern techniques with the vibes of Gregorian chant. This was composed in the 1940's. The final movement titled _Acclamations_ is very impressive, with all the stops pulled out so to speak, from trumpets to the rhythms of bells tolling.

The 45 minute _*Cinq Meditations sur l'Apocalypse *_(5 meditations on the Apocalypse) rounds off the disc. The first movement is very much like Gregorian chant, the rest of the work is more modernistic and even 'atonal.' But tradition is never too far away, and this work is very visual. In the final movement, Langlais depicts a swarm of locusts, the usual Biblical thing, in a way that is similar in some ways to the middle movement of Bartok's third piano concerto. This work has big dynamic contrasts, so maybe turn the volume down, this will rattle your speakers to high heaven! The _5 Meditations _where composed over a thirty year period and finished in the 1970's, it was composed not for any commission but as a kind of compendum of various organ techniques that Langlais had worked with and developed over that time. But it hangs together well, there is a very detailed synopsis of every movement, how it relates to the Biblical texts, written by the composer's wife Marie-Louise Langlais (included in the cd booklet).


----------



## crmoorhead

science said:


>


Might look up this one!

EDIT: I did. Too expensive! :O


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Due to her diminutive stature, Maggie Teyte was known as the "pocket prima donna". She was also known... especially... for her efforts singing French art songs or _mélodie_. Performances of such make up the majority of this disc: Ravel, Berlioz, Duparc, Monsigny, Dourlen, Offenbach, Debussy, etc...


Maggie Teyte! I've got a lovely 2cd selection of her recordings in the EMI References series, which I must dig out again. Does your edition have the etirety of Les Nuits D'Ete? Mine has tantalizingly and frustratingly only two parts. Or perhaps she never recorded it complete.

playing now:









The Cries Of London - Theatre Of Voices / Fretwork


----------



## Klavierspieler

John Dowland - Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares

Reinhard Goebel
Musica Antiqua Köln


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Maybe my favorite Baroque composer after Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. A fabulous collection and a fabulous performance by Andrew Manze.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann lieder - Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone, Imogen Cooper, piano


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Ireland: Fantasy-Sonata 
for clarinet and piano

clarinet: Emma Johnson
piano: Malcolm Martineau

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/177336.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
Composed in 1943 and first performed in February 1944, Ireland's Fantasy-Sonata for clarinet and piano was one of his last major works. The chamber music medium often displays the music of this conservative yet individualistic English composer to best advantage, and the Fantasy-Sonata, like much of Ireland's music, is both lyrical and densely concise. As was that of Benjamin Britten, Ireland's music was sometimes loaded with references intended for a small circle of friends; commentator Fiona Richards has identified links between the Fantasy-Sonata and the orchestral Satyricon overture of 1946, and has suggested that the work contains allusions to Ireland's attraction to younger men. ("I should like to call it 'The Song of Gito-the boy in the Satyricon-but, of course, I dare not," Ireland wrote in a letter. The Satyricon was a long comic poem from the court of the Roman emperor Nero that depicted a homosexual love triangle.) Clearer to the average listener, however, are the work's origins in the midst of World War II. Ireland was forced to flee the island of Jersey at the beginning of the war as German troops approached, abandoning a pastoral idyll that had often served to inspire him compositionally. The Fantasy-Sonata, about 15 minutes long, falls into three distinct sections corresponding roughly to the movements of a Classical sonata. The final section, rather than resolving musical questions, turns dark and pounding, with sharp, unsettling accents in the clarinet part; the music up to that point has been calm and reflective with Ireland's usual admirable mix of Brahmsian motivic concision and impressionistic scene-painting over long piano ostinatos. Ireland wrote the work for a specific clarinetist, Frederick Thurston, and the clarinet writing is idiomatic and attractive. It's a fine recital work that will give attendees something to chew on.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

















Listening to my new purchases after ripping them into my iTunes library.


----------



## science

crmoorhead said:


> Might look up this one!
> 
> EDIT: I did. Too expensive! :O


I agree. It's one of those that made me sick because I wanted really badly but I really badly didn't want to pay that much money for it. Hyperion has us and they know it. So in pain I finally did shell out the cash, and... It's nice to have. If I lose this one or something, I might look to Naxos next time.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven's String Quartets


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: My Home Overture, Op. 62*

Im going to spend the rest of the day listening to Orchestral Dvorak - First up I will play Disc 1 of this newly arrived set of the Symphonic Poems. After this I plan to play a couple of Discs of Ketesz Symphony Cycle - this is a set I really admire and its been too long since I last dipped into it!. I will try and listen to the Disc 2 of the Symphonic Poems set too as I really like these works and want to see how my new set compares with the 2 I already have of these (Rattle and Kubelik).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Guitar Concerti 1 and 3
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro
CPE Bach: Hamburg Symphony no. 1 Wq. 183/1


----------



## SimonNZ

Mady Mesple - "Melodies Francaises", disc one of the three disc set, which is entirely Reynaldo Hahn

which, although I've never seen a physical vinyl copy, must have originaly looked like this:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio: Philip Glass' Waters Of The Amazon - Uakti


----------



## AndyS

More Massenet - my first time listening to Werther, like it very much


----------



## Carpenoctem

Brahms - Hungarian Dances, I love them, they are always fun to listen to.


----------



## Taneyev

I 

IBERT Jacques: string quartet-

d'INDY Vincent: piano quintet.

IRELAND John: violin son.Nº1 (Albert Sammons)

IVES Charles: string quartet Nº1 (Juilliard)


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: piano concerto #22 on pianoforte. Gardiner, Bilson.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6440
> 
> 
> on the radio: Philip Glass' Waters Of The Amazon - Uakti


Desert Island.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann Piano Quintet In E Flat Major


----------



## Lenfer

*Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1* ~ *Martha Argerich* ​


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

Fixated on Handel operas...


----------



## Chrythes

Everything. Very fine romantic Russian chamber music.


----------



## Ravndal

Ravel - Jeaux d'eau

Played By Jon Chen


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7

















Enjoyed these symphonies on the train to work on a stormy morning.


----------



## Sonata

Mahler's massive third symphony. I'm still not crazy about the first movement, but I love the rest.


----------



## kv466

I was looking for that 'favorite pieces under 3 minutes' thread but couldn't find it!


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1

cello: Mstislav Rostropovich
piano: Rudolf Serkin

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/101440.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
Brahms' First Cello Sonata is a product of the same period (1862-1865) as the Piano Quintet, Op. 34, and is cut from much the same musical cloth-it is moody, powerful, and grandly structured. The opening movement (Allegro non troppo), with a long exposition repeat, takes up more than half the 25- to 30-minute playing time. Its long, elaborate opening theme establishes the nocturnal and introspective tone of the entire work. The second subject group expands the scope of the work by introducing a great, soaring theme in the minor between two calmer ones in the major. The development builds to a great climax in which it is the cello that accompanies the piano, reminding us that the work is titled Sonate für Klavier und Violoncello rather than the other way around. The coda somehow finds its way to a hard-won peace in the major. In this imposing movement, which obviates the need for a slow movement, might be found the origin of the great slow opening-movement structures of Mahler and Shostakovich. The second movement (Allegretto quasi Menuetto) is a wistful, melancholy minuet; its Trio is marked by the repeated halting and restarting of the music. The emotions that Brahms has held back up to now are unleashed in the closing Allegro, a powerful and passionate fugue that works its way into rondo form and closes, like the quintet, with a breathless coda.


----------



## Vaneyes

crmoorhead said:


> Might look up this one![Hyperion Saint-Saens w. Nash Ens.]
> 
> EDIT: I did. Too expensive! :O


But continue to watch for a price that agrees with you. It's exceptional.

As is this Nash compilation of Dvorak (Piano Quintet, Piano Trio/E minor) and Saint-Saens (Septet, Piano Trio/F major, 'Carnival'), which I listen to now.

View attachment 6451


----------



## NightHawk

My favorite recording of the Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 - the intensity and feeling are riveting.



Toddlertoddy said:


> Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1
> 
> cello: Mstislav Rostropovich
> piano: Rudolf Serkin
> 
> http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/101440.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
> Brahms' First Cello Sonata is a product of the same period (1862-1865) as the Piano Quintet, Op. 34, and is cut from much the same musical cloth-it is moody, powerful, and grandly structured. The opening movement (Allegro non troppo), with a long exposition repeat, takes up more than half the 25- to 30-minute playing time. Its long, elaborate opening theme establishes the nocturnal and introspective tone of the entire work. The second subject group expands the scope of the work by introducing a great, soaring theme in the minor between two calmer ones in the major. The development builds to a great climax in which it is the cello that accompanies the piano, reminding us that the work is titled Sonate für Klavier und Violoncello rather than the other way around. The coda somehow finds its way to a hard-won peace in the major. In this imposing movement, which obviates the need for a slow movement, might be found the origin of the great slow opening-movement structures of Mahler and Shostakovich. The second movement (Allegretto quasi Menuetto) is a wistful, melancholy minuet; its Trio is marked by the repeated halting and restarting of the music. The emotions that Brahms has held back up to now are unleashed in the closing Allegro, a powerful and passionate fugue that works its way into rondo form and closes, like the quintet, with a breathless coda.


----------



## NightHawk

I have Holzmair's _Schwanengesang_, and it is superb!



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6437
> 
> 
> Schumann lieder - Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone, Imogen Cooper, piano


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> My favorite recording of the Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 - the intensity and feeling are riveting.


absolutely.... I love that recording, too...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Violin Concertos.*


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Basson Concertos, RV 498, 503, 483


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Baroque Arias, Yoshikazu Mera*

I bought this from my neighbor's moving sale last year. I picked it up and asked, "Do you like classical music?" "I do." Go figure; I was living next door to a classical music fan and didn't find out until she moved away. Of course, she probably heard Ives blasting from my listening room and kept away.


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3


----------



## crmoorhead

opus55 said:


> Vivaldi: Basson Concertos, RV 498, 503, 483


You know, I don't think I have a single Bassoon Concerto in my collection.... :O


----------



## Vaneyes

Re Brahms Cello Sonatas, this is a recording that must get overlooked an awful lot. I normally would go to many cellists before Mork. And pianist Lagerspetz? I've never heard of.

Anyway, after years of owning more obvious selections, I decided I wanted more, more, more. I came across this.

Mork & Lagerspetz pull no punches, take no prisoners, and get freely banned from classical chat sites. If you have the chance, do listen.

View attachment 6467


----------



## opus55

crmoorhead said:


> You know, I don't think I have a single Bassoon Concerto in my collection.... :O


I don't own one either. I've been listening to Vivaldi's Bassoon Concertos on Naxos music library and Spotify. I forgot to provide Spotify link as I usually do when I'm listening online. I like the timbre of the instrument and the funny noise it makes (valves?).

Vivaldi Six Basson Concertos: 




Going through Munch collection I just got in mail today..

Schumann:

Manfred Overture
Symphony No. 1


----------



## Sonata

Chopin Nocturnes, with the sound of crickets outside in the background  Quite relaxing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Verdi arias - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hewitt is a master of Bach on piano... starting with her classic recording of the WTC. Here she applies the same sensitivity to the music of the Baroque keyboard to Rameau.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Monteverdi


----------



## neoshredder

Since I'm hungry, I decided to listen to Vivaldi's Late Violin Concertos again. RV 222's slow movement is amazing. Was made in 1737.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mauro Giuliani - Guitar Concerto No. 1 in A major
Mauro Giuliani - Guitar Concerto No. 2 in A major

Extremely pleasant works. Also, I happen to be quite fond of the the guitar instrument, so it's a good combo. :}


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphonic Poems*

First I will listen to the Symphonic poems set (which is very good!) and then I will start work on Jansons Tchaikovsky which arrived today after quite a long wait (it turns out it was lost in the post due to the address not showing properly) - I have been really looking forward to this one!. I will start with Disc 2 which features Symphony No. 3, not usually one of my favourites but we will see how it fares under Jansons.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TheProudSquire said:


> Mauro Giuliani - Guitar Concerto No. 1 in A major
> Mauro Giuliani - Guitar Concerto No. 2 in A major
> 
> Extremely pleasant works. Also, I happen to be quite fond of the the guitar instrument, so it's a good combo. :}


I hope you heard the original version of no. 1 for guitar and orchestra rather than the silly abridged version for guitar and strings.

Today I listened to: Giuliani's guitar concerti again, Berlioz's _Symphonie Fantastique_ and now Mozart's _Die Zauberflöte._


----------



## Ravndal

Bartok: Allegro Moderato, 7 Sketches, 15 hungarian peasant songs, 3 hungarian folksongs, 3 rondos on slovak folktunes.

played by jena jando


----------



## Sonata

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon film score. I don't know what the concensus is here on whether it's considered "classical" but I figured it fit better here than the non-classical listening post.


----------



## crmoorhead

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Monteverdi


I listened to this for the first time last week (also this recording) and was blown away! The Magnificat portion hasn't gripped me yet, but the rest of it is fascinating. I don't have much experience of music of this period and was surprised at how quickly it came to me. I'd say that this is already one of my favourite choral works. More Monteverdi and early music will certainly be on the cards in future.


----------



## Taneyev

J:

JACOB Gordon; quintet for harmonica and string quartet.

JANACEK: violin sonata (Oistrakh)

JENNER Gustav: string quartet Nº2.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Before: Kreisler's Itroduction and Allegro

Now: Nyman/Greenaway Revisited. Some of the best music by Michael Nyman for his band.


----------



## science

Anyone know whether avax is legit? I looked at it to see if I felt right about stealing their bandwidth, and it looks like they are something along the lines of Napster. If so, I look forward to stealing their bandwidth and will do so as often as possible.

Anyway, I'm about to sit myself down with Mr. Hough and see if I can learn a thing or two.


----------



## Sonata

Puccini's Suor Angelica. My favorite opera alongside Don Giovanni. Strange combo I know!


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Puccini's Suor Angelica. My favorite opera alongside Don Giovanni. Strange combo I know!


'fraid mine would be La Traviata alongside Eugene Onegin... fairly predictable, I know!


----------



## Sonata

I have both, and enjoy a few pieces of each although neither one has really clicked with me. But I bought them back when I was listening to opera strictly as music. I intend to rent or YouTube each of them in the coming year, so hopefully they'll do more for me after that!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm hungry. I think I'll go eat some Vivaldi concerti played by Nigel Kennedy. Still sizzling on the plate.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> I have both, and enjoy a few pieces of each although neither one has really clicked with me. But I bought them back when I was listening to opera strictly as music. I intend to rent or YouTube each of them in the coming year, so hopefully they'll do more for me after that!


I have recently started a small collection of Operas on Blu Ray... these are both great productions at really affordable prices:


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> Puccini's Suor Angelica. My favorite opera alongside Don Giovanni. Strange combo I know!


And now I'm onto the aria "Senza Mama" This song just tears me up inside...I literally have to fight to keep tears in check whenever I really listen to it. My son was just born when I discovered this opera, which is probaby why it affects me so deeply.


----------



## Sonata

I'm posting up a storm today I know. Rare free time to listen to lots of classical. Yay!

Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C Major, and cello concerto in A minor, from the "99 Essential Cello Masterpieces" on Amazon. I have just these two plus his Romeo and Juliet...really just starting to get to know his music, but I think I may grow to really like him.

Sibelius: Symphony #1. Again, a composer whom I've just started to really delve into more.


----------



## Bas

Bruckners 5th, cond. Sergiu Selibidache, perf. Municher Philharmoniker.

First time, cd-set arrived today, so far I like it


----------



## Manxfeeder

Two 20th century compositions: Barber's cello concerto and Medea and Glazunov's 7th symphony. (Yeah, the Glazunov just barely squeaked into it.)


----------



## kv466




----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Sibelius: Symphony #1. Again, a composer whom I've just started to really delve into more.


try his Violin Concerto before you move onto pastures new... it's really beautiful.


----------



## Sonata

Yes, I've heard a lot of good things about that concerto. I'm looking forward to it, and it is in my set.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 In D Major, Op. 29, "Polish"*

Listening to this new set for the first time (did'nt get around to it last night) - good performance, more exciting than Karajan's I think (my other set of Tchaikovsky Symphonies), the sound is very good too!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schulthorpe, Requiem.*

It reminds me of Faure's Requiem but with a didgeridoo.


----------



## kiliand

Isle of the Dead, a symphonic poem by Rachmaninov based on a likewise named painting by Arnold Böcklin. I'm both in love with the painting as I am with the music by the Rach the Great. Very late-romantic. A loveable piece with minor pinches of agony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart Dissonance Quartet*.


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: String Trios Op. 1, No's 7 & 8 (1681)*
My first time really sitting down with the _Trio Sonatas_, these 4-5 minute works are like little character pieces. Both of these were lovely, albeit forgettable. Each ended as inconspicuously as they begun, and while not much was said, it was more about how they said it.

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #22 (1773)*
With perhaps too much Mozart in my collection, I was initially going to ignore everything below a 200 Köchel number. But realizing that I fussed over works of less quality than pieces like the_ Symphony #25_, I decided to give him a break, and opt for less than 100. For a 17 year old, the piece is no easy accomplishment, and the music is enjoyable and engaging enough. Typical of early Mozart, I find his fascination with arpeggios to be a little obnoxious, but overall a nice little work.

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #23 (1773)*
With a little more meat on its bones, Mozart's 23rd symphony is still cast in a connected three movement overture form. The operatic slow movement gives the work something to be remembered by, with a very pretty aria by the oboe. Mozart seems to only get better with time, even if it is just a couple of weeks!

*Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony (1934)*
I played this in high school orchestra back in the day, before I really fell in love with classical music. Written when the composer was 20, and using tunes composed much earlier than that, this is a decidedly simple symphony, though not unenjoyable. The pizzicato movement is a lot of fun, although I'm not crazy about it's English folk like diversions. The same can be said for the finale, which starts out brisk and exciting and delves into less attractive material. Still, it's wonderfully written music, and real accomplishment for a composer of that age.

*Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony #5 (1945)*
Prokofiev is sometimes described as simple harmonically, while complex emotionally. I think this symphony holds true the phrase, and it took a few listens for me to make out what was going on. Written in midst of World War II, this is a decidedly light and chipper in mood, yet dense in orchestration. The second movement is one of those lovely Prokofiev toccatas, whose melodies move around several key signatures before ending. The highlight of the symphony, the movement gets more frantic as it goes, resulting in a wonderful polytonal dissonant conclusion. I found the slow movement to be the least convincing, not knowing whether it wanted to be heartfelt or ironic. I also initially had trouble with the finale. It's very teasing, filled with humorous repetitions and dissonances, and gives the impression of being both cheerful and crazed. I think in the end, Prokofiev is trying to say, _yes, it's a war, but that doesn't mean we can't be optimistic_. He disguises the glee in a false sense of irony. Where Shostakovich would have been outright ironic (and depressing), Prokofiev makes us do a double take. While it stumbles a little in it's message, this is ultimately a very satisfying, and remarkably charming work given its historical context.

*György Ligeti: Violin Concerto (1993)*
Written towards the end of his life, the _Violin Concerto_ incorporates a wide variety of styles- minimalism, post-romanticism, the avant-garde etc. It was also written a year before John Adams' own _Violin Concerto_, which does the same thing, and I found myself comparing the two works. Both feature an aria like slow movement, and tour de force of virtuosity in the final movement. The Adams' work takes itself seriously, but knows how to have fun. With the Ligeti, I had trouble telling if this was supposed to be a serious work, or if Ligeti was just having fun, and often times, I felt the piece wasn't sure either. The two slow movements are both very touching and gorgeous, though they are occasionally disrupted in mood by a gang of recorders. The cadenza is thrilling, but the ending (though not entirely unexpected for Ligeti), ends with a couple of comical honks. I suppose the concerto is midway between a passionate letter, and a character piece. Accessible, engaging, brilliantly written, and occasionally provocative, it might not be the best concerto of the 20th century, but it's a darn good one.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## Toddlertoddy

Bernstein: Serenade after Plato's "Symposium"

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/88732.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
Bernstein's own notes for the Serenade for violin and orchestra (1954) stress, a bit disingenuously, that the work has no "literal program," but was inspired by a re-reading of Symposium, Plato's celebrated dialogue on the nature of love. Still, the composer provides a detailed description of each movement "for the benefit of those interested in literary allusion." For the most part, Bernstein indeed eschews an obvious programmatic approach in his setting of the dialogue, resisting the temptation to translate into music Aristophanes' onset of hiccoughs or Apollodorus' delight in the rhythm of the syllables of Pausanias' name. (Or, for that matter, using a pausane-a trombone-to portray Pausanias.) As a result, some critics have argued that Bernstein's invocation of Plato's work constitutes little more than a sign of intellectual elitism, a remnant of the composer's years at Harvard. There is, however, more to the work's relationship to the Symposium: what the composer derives from Plato is a model for relating the parts of a large-scale work through a process of continuous variation.

In the Symposium, as in other Platonic dialogues, each successive speaker takes as a starting point the virtues or deficiencies of the previous speaker's remarks. In this way, new ideas are introduced while at the same time serving to refine, delimit, or expand upon earlier ideas. In Bernstein's Serenade, similarly, the intervals and contours of the opening theme reappear and are examined from new angles and in new contexts throughout the remainder of the work. There is also a second, hidden program embedded in the Serenade. Woven into the fabric are three complete movements from Bernstein's Anniversaries, short piano pieces the composer wrote throughout his life as birthday gifts or memorial tributes to intimates-a particularly appropriate "borrowing," perhaps, for a work about the power of love.

The Serenade's first movement, "Phaedrus; Pausanius" (Lento; Allegro), is cast as a slow fugato introduction followed by a sonata-allegro. Bernstein compares the movement to a "lyrical oration in praise of Eros" and an expression of "the duality of lover and the beloved." The second movement, "Aristophanes" (Allegro), assumes, in Bernstein's words, the role of "bedtime storyteller, invoking the fairy-tale mythology of love." "Eryximachus" (Presto), a brief fugato, echoes the work's contrapuntal opening. "Agathon" (Adagio), in three-part song form (ABA), "embraces all aspects of love's powers, charms, and functions." The final movement, "Socrates; Alcibiades" (Molto tenuto; Allegro molto vivace), begins with a slow reflection based on a section of the previous movement, giving way to a rondo marked by the festive high spirits of a bacchanalian celebration.

Serenade calls for an orchestra composed of strings, harp and percussion. The work was premiered at the 1954 Venice Festival with Isaac Stern as soloist and Bernstein as conductor, and was later choreographed, most notably as Jerome Robbins' ballet Serenade for Seven.


----------



## Morganist

Scherza Infida.

http://baroqueclassics.blogspot.co.uk/


----------



## Ravndal

Lenfer said:


>


Yes!! One of my all time favourite symphonies! Every mvt. is so deep, and brilliant. The 3 olden style pieces is also quite awesome.


----------



## Sid James

*Organ works of Jehan Alain played by Eric Lebrun on Naxos label.*

Alain's _*Litanies*_, which opens this cd, is his best known work. You will often encounter it at organ recitals or at the end of mass as an organ voluntary. The work imaginatively fuses Gregorian chant with the clickety-clack rhythm of the train that took Alain to work every day to the inner city of Paris.

Its a great work, but on the whole not typical of the rest of the cd. A lot of the music here is more low key and kind of quiet and not as propulsive. Alain's style was founded on many influences, from Gregorian chant, Renaissance music, to J.S. Bach and Beethoven, as well as non-Western (eg. East Asian and Indian) musics. There are some truly extraordinary sounds here of a type that I've never heard coming from the organ.

The works are on the whole short, but the concluding _*Suite*_ is the longest on the disc, three movements totalling about 15 minutes. The _Scherzo_ in that is like a gentle whirlpool drawing the listener in, I was kind of reminded of minimalism here. The concluding movement _Choral_ is more traditional, with the obligatory vibes of Gregorian chant and tolling of bells replicated by the organ.

Alain tragically died at age 29, defending France against Germany in the 'phoney war' of 1940. He did leave a good many works though, he was prolific in that short time, but had he lived, pundits predicted he would have been another French giant post-1945, like Messiaen.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Barber* and *Britten *orchestral for cello, with Ma/Zinman (rec. 1988).

View attachment 6478


----------



## Sonata

Continuing with a few more pieces from "99 Essential Cello Masterpieces" A little bit of Saint-Saens this time. His cello concerto 1 in A Minor.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the guidance of John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Sonata

Onto a few from my "repeat listening" playlist on my iPod. Basically where I take a few pieces I particularly enjoyed from works I've only heard once or twice and get to know those specific pieces better before relistening to the whole work.

On that list I am presently listening to the Offertorium from Dvorak's Requiem and I am quite blown away by the power and beauty. WOW.


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Hindemith

Symphonie "Mathis der Maler"
Trauermusik


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> On that list I am presently listening to the Offertorium from Dvorak's Requiem and I am quite blown away by the power and beauty. WOW.


if you can get to hear his Mass in D as well Sonata, you won't be disappointed:


----------



## Jared

Conor71 said:


> *Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 In D Major, Op. 29, "Polish"*
> 
> Listening to this new set for the first time (did'nt get around to it last night) - good performance, more exciting than Karajan's I think (my other set of Tchaikovsky Symphonies), the sound is very good too!


a uniformly very strong set, Conor...


----------



## SimonNZ

The Medieval Sephardic Heritage - Ensemble Florata


----------



## science




----------



## neoshredder

science said:


>


All this great music here. Especially Ligeti and Vivaldi. Vivaldi is the only music you can eat. Was it sizzling on the plate?


----------



## science

neoshredder said:


> All this great music here. Especially Ligeti and Vivaldi. Vivaldi is the only music you can eat. Was it sizzling on the plate?


I didn't eat it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Hindemith
> 
> Symphonie "Mathis der Maler"
> Trauermusik


Hindemith and I never had a particularly strong relationship in terms of our points of view of atonality, but I'm giving this a "like" because I have played Trauermusik before and even though I didn't like the music, I enjoyed playing it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Must go listen to _Tristan und Isolde_ conducted by Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Praeludium

Bach (cello suite 1) played on the banjo.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ Now I just gotta hear that!


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Nielsen lieder - Aksel Schiotz, tenor


----------



## Carpenoctem

Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus

Words cannot express how much I love this short piece of music.


----------



## Taneyev

K 1:

KALLSTENIUS Edwin; cello sonata.

KABALEVSKY: string quartet Nº2

KAMINSKI Heinrich: string quintet.


----------



## Morgante

Balakirev - Symphony N. 1
Shostakovich - Symphony N. 1


----------



## Manxfeeder

Carpenoctem said:


> Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus
> 
> Words cannot express how much I love this short piece of music.


Me too.

For all you lovers of 20th Century music, Gloria Coates took the Ave Verum and played it _backwards_ in her Homage to Mozart. It starts at 8 minutes. The melody comes back properly at 13:53.

If COAG is reading this, you might find it interesting: she manages to make Mozart sound atonal.


----------



## Sonata

*C.P.E. Bach: Cello Concerto in A Major*. I'm interested in investigating this composer more, as I know a few on here are big fans of his work. I have a limited amount of his material....so I'll listen to the little I have and put him on my future exploration list.


----------



## Sonata

Manxfeeder: that sounds fascinating. I'll have to get familliar with the original, then give this one a listen. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Guest

Debussy Nocturnes - Fetes


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Must go listen to Tristan und Isolde conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

No... you MUST go listen to _Tristan und Isolde_ conducted by Knappertsbusch or von Karajan or Carlos Kleiber or Furtwangler!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Jeux, Images.*


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> if you can get to hear his Mass in D as well Sonata, you won't be disappointed:


That very album is actually wishlisted on Amazon


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yesterday afternoon was a baroque fest:










I have a new favorite Boccherini disc! (Not that I had a great many up to this point:lol.










This, on the other hand, has been a favorite for some years now. I just pulled it off the shelves the other day and couldn't bear to put it back without hearing it again.










Another great disc from Jordi Savall... I must pick up more music by Marais.

This morning I'm going back even further than the Baroque. While the wife sleeps in I have Josquin on the stereo... a bargain repackaging of two of the Tallis Scholars' finest discs including their legendary recording of the Missa Pange Lingua and Missa Mi-mi which won the Gramophone Record of the Year Award for 1986 and remains the only Early Music disc ever to have done so.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> That very album is actually wishlisted on Amazon


It's an absolute must-have, Sonata...


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Yesterday afternoon was a baroque fest:


quite simply a magnificent collection of CDs...


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> It's an absolute must-have, Sonata...


Recommendations from you usually are Jared! I did go ahead with the Bruckner boxset. Though absolutely no more acquisitions in 2012. I'm looking forward to exploring all of my recent purchases. My first of three Mozart purchases (Vespers, one highly aclaimed by St. Luke's Guild) came in yesterday. Like new. And it was seriously in pristine condition.

On the Dvorak note, if you haven't checked out his Stabat Mater, you must (though I suspect you have already!)


----------



## Art Rock

Such an underrated composer!


----------



## Morgante

*Mozart
Symphonies N. 40 *and *N. 41*
_L. Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker_


----------



## Vaneyes

From opposite ends of collecting spectrum, *CPE Bach* and *Ligeti* cello concerti with Suzuki and Perenyi.

View attachment 6487
View attachment 6488


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Birthday to Alexis Weissenberg (1929 - 2012).

View attachment 6489
View attachment 6490


----------



## Morgante

*Puccini
Preludio sinfonico *and* Crisantemi*
_A. Pappano, London S. O._


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Hindemith and I never had a particularly strong relationship in terms of our points of view of atonality, but I'm giving this a "like" because I have played Trauermusik before and even though I didn't like the music, I enjoyed playing it.


Were you the solo violist?

Listened to Schubert's late sonatas while sleeping on the commuter train. I don't remember much about the music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak Requiem.*

I'm comparing Ancerl's with Kertesz's on Spotify. This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy and why I haven't settled on a version. But right now, I prefer Ancerl. Tomorrow it will probably change.


----------



## Guest

Morgante said:


> *Mozart
> Symphonies N. 40 *and *N. 41*
> _L. Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker_


Any good? I've just downloaded Abbado/Mozart Orchestra's Jupiter (having previously only heard The Wombles' version of the Minuetto! 



) but am looking for a CD version to buy.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back to Biber... disc 2:










Every time I Google "Biber"... or even look him up on Amazon... I'm asked "Did you mean _Bieber_?"


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Any good? I've just downloaded Abbado/Mozart Orchestra's Jupiter (having previously only heard The Wombles' version of the Minuetto! 



) but am looking for a CD version to buy.

This one!










And if not that one... then surely this:










The Szell recording is so cheap you can't afford not to own it. Minkowski's isn't far more expensive (a little over $7.50 US through Amazon Marketplace dealers) and it really rocks!!!:lol:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 41.*

I was listening to France Clidat butcher Satie on Spotify when I saw Stlukes' recommendation. My ears are thanking me.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Elgar - Cello Concerto, fantastic performance by Jacqueline Du Pre.


----------



## Morgante

*Liszt
Sonata après une lecture du Dante*

*Schumann
Fantasia Op. 17*
_Daniel Barenboim_


----------



## Chrythes

Norgard, Violin Concerto Nos.1.









Martinu, String Quartets No.4,5&7.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony 91 - Karl Bohm


----------



## presto

Wonderful stuff, and not just for the Recorder buffs!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D.200 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D.417, *both featuring the Stockholm Sinfonietta led by Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## crmoorhead

Manxfeeder said:


> *Dvorak Requiem.*


Dvorak's Requiem was one of the first choral works that I bought.


----------



## Vaneyes

"No, this one." 

View attachment 6505


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.
Berg, Lyric Suite 
Brahms, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Sonata

I listened to *Sibelius: Overture in E Major* followed by *Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate* both for the first time (Take THAT unlistened to pile!) I enjoyed both immensely. So much so that I'm contemplating going right back through and listening to each again. Or I may just move on to other Mozart and/or Sibelius pieces. Not that they have anything in common!


----------



## Sid James

The Naxos recording of *Schoenberg's opera Moses und Aron, *conducted by Roland Kluttig.

This is a very dark work, but sometimes I am in the mood to listen to it. The second act for me is the peak of this work, with the worshipping of the Golden Calf, the rape and sacrifice of the four virgins, and the return of Moses from the mount with the tablets of the law. The moment when he breaks the tabets in anger and frustration at what has gone on in his absence is full of drama, a release of tension. Although the opera is unfinished, this kind of provides a fitting end to the story. Some amazing choral writing here, as well as quite barbaric and percussive orchestral writing, I'm always amazed how ahead of his time Schoenberg was.

This was composed between 1928-1932, just before he left Europe for the USA. He never thought it would ever be staged, but it was about 7 years after his death. I think this work reflects a world gone mad, the pack mentality, the descent of civilisation into barbarism (which is what was going on in Europe, eg. the Nazis came to power in 1933). 










& as 'counterpoint' to the Schoenberg, a listen to *Debussy's Jeux*, discussed yesterday on this forum. This is among my favourite works by Debussy, I esp. like that lush melody coming towards the end played by the cellos, leading to a kind of light waltz. Its kind of a release after all the fragmentation of before. But it still ends ambiguously, going back to how it started quietly, more or less. This performance was by the Austrian Radio SO under Milan Horvat (Point Classics label).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Violin Concerto.*

I've got a few minutes to kill waiting for a cyber-town hall meeting to begin, so I'm polishing them off with Dvorak.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht
New York Philharmonic with Boulez


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> I listened to *Sibelius: Overture in E Major* followed by *Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate* both for the first time (Take THAT unlistened to pile!) I enjoyed both immensely. So much so that I'm contemplating going right back through and listening to each again. Or I may just move on to other Mozart and/or Sibelius pieces. Not that they have anything in common!


A gentle reminder regarding the extra royalties for relistens.


----------



## Vaneyes

Back to back, *Mahler* 3 & 4 with LSO/LPO/Horenstein et al.

View attachment 6510
View attachment 6511


----------



## millionrainbows

The original LP art. Listening to this is an island of sanity; all my ducks are in a row, and there are no human voices intruding. I can think. Perhaps this is a major reason I listen to classical; there are no vocals, and my mind can focus. Gould's touch never ceases to amaze me; so articulated, so detailed, so controlled.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Finally... a move away from the Baroque... and toward some fun and satirical comic opera ala Offenbach:


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony NO.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D.485 and Symphony NO.6 in C Minor, D.589, *both featuring Neeme Jarvi leading the Stockholm Sinfonietta.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Well...after my morning of jazz music (see the non-classical music I listened to thread) I listened to Nielsen's symphonies 3 and 4. The Oslo Vanska version. I like Vanska as a conductor. I think his readings are good and exciting but I think I prefer my Bryden Thomson versions more. Both are certainly good readings and I probably prefer the Thomson because that's what I have heard the most.










My exciting treat of the day is that my Christian Sinding symphonies arrived. Symphonies 1 and 2 are performed by the Radio Philharmonic Hannover des NDR with Thomas Dausgaard conducting. Sinding is one of my favorites and having these symphonies is a real treat and as good as I hoped they would be. It's unfortunate that Sinding is not widely known outside of Norway. I think that history might have been kinder to him as a composer if he had not been a Nazi sympathizer. Fortunately music can be and should be taken up on it's own worth. These two symphonies are very good. More dramatic than I was expecting but his love of Wagner is probably the contributing factor. I'm going to try and wait to listen to 3 and 4 but I also have his violin concertos coming.










Moving on with some Scriabin before bed. I really enjoy this set of Scriabin's solo piano works by Maria Lettberg. She is a really great pianist and I think is a fine interpreter of Scriabin. I'm going to listen to disc one and possibly two, which cover the ten sonatas.










Kevin


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: String Trios Op. 1, No's 9 & 10 (1681)*
I find the trio's to get better with number. These two (a G major and minor), are more spirited and cohesive. The G major is a charming little work, basing its melodies around fanfare like figures. The G minor is more substantial, achieving a greater sense of cohesion by making the same harmonic shifts in slow movements as the fast (at an obviously different rate). Beautiful and highly original pieces.

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #24 (1773)*
Mozart wrote a slew of symphonies in 1773, and like the others, this is well written, with attractive but forgettable material. Mozart's handling of the instruments and structure is formidable for someone of his age. But it's the spirit and passion that suggest great things to come.

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #26 (1773)*
More substantial and complete than the others, this one is a highlight of these early symphonies (perhaps even more so than the overplayed _Symphony #25_). Mozart's influence stems straight from Bach's sons, and the music is here is more refined, crisp, and articulate. The melodies and writing beautiful, a lovely little work by a composer still searching for his voice.

*Franz Schubert: Symphony #9 (1827)*
After three years of intensely listening to classical music it's amazing how one can avoid cornerstones of the repertoire for so long. But after delving into more obscure music, it's always refreshing to explore a piece you _know_ you'll like. Music about music is the name of the game here, and Schumann couldn't have said it better when he described it's "heavenly length." Treating trombones not just as an effect (something rather revolutionary for the time), this symphony has a distinctive sound, being led by classically written strings, and supported by a full blooded brass section. Though the music is seldom touching or tender, beauty radiates out of every note of this symphony. In fact I was amazed by how something so feisty and rambunctious could be so gorgeous. Though the finale doesn't quite live up to the transcendent quality of its predecessors, each movement is absolutely wonderful. Unlike most of Schubert's late works, which seem to have a depressing, yet determined conclusive quality about them (_Cello Quintet, String Quartets, Winterreise_), I found this work to suggest the start of something. This is one of the rare Schubert pieces that doesn't provide closure, but instead begs the composer to add more to the cycle. Well I guess we can't have it all. A joy from beginning to end.

*Antonin Dvořák: Piano Trio #4 (1891)*
While the _Piano Quintet_ only has one movement in the "Dumky" style, this idea forms the basis for the whole trio. Cast in an original 5 movements, Dvorák alternates between moments of folk like intensity, to sweetly singing music. The writing here is engaging, entertaining, beautiful, and memorable. Some of the ideas are a bit contrived, and one of the movements sounds like something straight out of Grieg's _String Quartet_. But this trio offers Czech infused music that paints brighter, if less provocative colors, than the _Piano Quintet_. Overall a wonderful piece, as to be expected with most of the composer's chamber music.

*Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)*
Another one of Pärt's earlier works in the new style, _Spiegel im Spiegel_ is remarkable in that it sounds like the background tinkling of most film scores. I'm not sure if film composers are consciously getting their ideas from him, or if Pärt was even the originator of this idea. And while pretty enough, I'm still not convinced of this overly simplistic style. I don't mind the quiet volume, tinkering away one note at a time. It's the use of only major and minor triads that bothers me, that makes me wonder if he really has anything new to say, using simple progressions heard a thousand times over.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Penderecki: Polymorphia

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/332194.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about

Like his famous work "Threnody", this 9-minute piece is also for multiple solo strings, in this case an ansemble of 48 stringed instruments. The piece, composed in 1961 in Dziwnowo, a town by the Baltic Sea, is another and early study in sonic timbres - in the first and last parts these are continuous sounds, one sound developing (morphing) into another, and in the middle part the sounds punctuate and are percussive. The opening sounds are in the deep bass, studies of wavefronts formed by clusters of tones. High pitch-sustains and sliding, snaky (up and down) glissandos in the middle ranges are added. This leads into the middle section built from quasi-random pizzicatos, and striking with the wood of the bow (col legno). The snaky (wide vibrato) sounds return, with the high pitches and the low basses participating (almost a retrograde of the first section); this develops into a massive tone cluster "alarm siren" sound. And the last minute is filled with chopping and stabbing bow attacks that gradually accumulate in all the registers. Suddenly, and shocking in this context (calling into question the relative categories of "consonance" and "dissonance"), a full C-major chord is sounded. End.

There are so many similarities between this and his Threnody. So many.


----------



## SimonNZ

Berg's Three Pieces For Orchestra - Hans Rosbaud


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartet No. 6*

Its been about a year since I bought this set so it due a re-visit. My first impressions of the Music were good - it all sounds a lot like Bartoks Quartets which I have come to appreciate. Now playing Disc 2 of these prickly works which has Quartets Nos. 5-8 on it played by the Bingham Quartet. The music is engaging and no complaints about the performance. With Music like this it always takes me a while to find my bearings so I will probably replay this Disc again when I have finished it


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani's guitar concerti for his birthday.


----------



## Lenfer

Kevin Pearson said:


> Kevin


I've thought about buying this many times how would you rate it 1 to 10?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> Were you the solo violist?


Yes. It is weird for me as a violist not to be that enthusiastic about Hindemith.


----------



## SimonNZ

Emma Calve, soprano - The Complete Known Issued Recordings

1902...The Habanera and Seguidilla from Carmen were recorded in 1902

It shouldn't continue to shock me - I've now got many reissues from the earliest days of recording, but somehow it always does


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

On the radio: world premiere of Nigel Westlake's _Sonata for Two Guitars._


----------



## Chrythes

Continuing with Martinu's String Quartets.
Finished this one - 
The second is much better, the first is a bit too long.









Not listening to -


----------



## science




----------



## Taneyev

K 2:

KARAYEV Kara: violin sonata-

KATTENBURG Dirk; "escapades" for 2 violins.

KHRENIKOV Tikhon: string quartet.

KIMBELL Michael: poeme for violin & harp.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Lenfer said:


> I've thought about buying this many times how would you rate it 1 to 10?


Lenfer I would rate the Lettberg at least a 9 and possibly a 10. It's an absolutely fabulous set but it is not a complete set because it is missing some of Scriabin's unnumbered pieces. However, the performances and sound quality are first rate. Amazon has the set for only $28.00 right now. If you really want one you might grab one while they still have them. Apparently Cappricio went out of business.

Kevin


----------



## Bas

I am listening Johan Sebastian Bach's Keybord Concerto BWV 1065. For four piano's or harspichords, _a edit of Vivaldi's Concerto for four violins and a string section (Vivaldi's piece is in B, opus 3 no. 10, if you are interested)
_

It is a recording by Alexandre Tharaud, on a modern piano (he played all the piano parts!) a cd on Virgin Classics.
A brilliant performance (though sometimes I'm more in the mood for older, authentic instruments)


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Enrique Granados*' (1867 - 1916) birthday, listening to Goyescas with Alicia de Larrocha.

View attachment 6522


----------



## Sonata




----------



## clavichorder

Arthur Sullivan was really a charming melodist and wind orchestrator. I saw Iolanthe live and was struck by how nice its music was. Much better than Ruddigore, which was my first exposure.


----------



## Hausmusik

clavichorder said:


> Arthur Sullivan was really a charming melodist and wind orchestrator. I saw Iolanthe live and was struck by how nice its music was.


Agree, clavichorder. Another great wind orchestrator was Mendelssohn, and I hear a lot of Mendelssohn's influence in _Iolanthe_,


----------



## Hausmusik

Ysaÿe: Chamber Music for Strings
Kryptos Quartet


----------



## Hausmusik

Chrythes said:


> Continuing with Martinu's String Quartets.


Crythes, I like Martinu's quartets very much. My favorite at the moment is #5. I enjoy the recording of 3, 4 and 5 by the Emperor String Quartet. I did not take to the Naxos recordings as much (due to sonics, I think).


----------



## Hausmusik

Clementine said:


> Just finished listening to. . .*Franz Schubert: Symphony #9 (1827)*. . .Unlike most of Schubert's late works, which seem to have a depressing, yet determined conclusive quality about them (_Cello Quintet, String Quartets, Winterreise_), I found this work to suggest the start of something. This is one of the rare Schubert pieces that doesn't provide closure, but instead begs the composer to add more to the cycle.


Clementine, wonderful post (as usual) and a wonderful playlist, too. One quick point about the 9th: in fact, it's not as late as once thought. It used to be thought of as one of the works of his final year or so, like the String Quintet (1828) and _Winterreise_ (1827), but it is now believed to have been mostly composed in 1825 and fully scored by 1826. That may explain why it is not inflected by the valedictory accents of Schubert's late masterpieces.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Art Rock

Only the Adagiettio. In general I am against playing bleeding chunks rather than the full works, but this movement is the one exception.


----------



## kv466




----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, *featuring the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## Sonata

Good to see all of this *Mahler* being played in the last two days 

I'm checking this one out for the first time:









*Twill by Twilight.*
I can appreciate the orchestration, but I'm not exactly enjoying it. Does that makes sense? I feel that I can come to enjoy it with a few more listens, but I have to be in the right mood for it. I have to be in the right mood for Debussy too, and I've read that Debussy was one of his influences, so not surprising.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Martinu, Symphony No. 1.*

Nice orchestral effects and rhythms.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Clementine said:


> *Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)*
> And while pretty enough, I'm still not convinced of this overly simplistic style. I don't mind the quiet volume, tinkering away one note at a time. It's the use of only major and minor triads that bothers me, that makes me wonder if he really has anything new to say, using simple progressions heard a thousand times over.


There's more to it than that. If there's a music library around, you might be interested in Paul Hiller's book Arvo Part.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Ballades and Rhapsodies.*

Nice. I find myself humming along with Mr. Gould.


----------



## Taneyev

Hausmusik said:


> Ysaÿe: Chamber Music for Strings
> Kryptos Quartet


Works? The 2 string trios, 2 violins and solo cello sonatas, the 6 solo violin sonatas?


----------



## Bas

Clementine said:


> Just finished listening to:
> 
> *Arcangelo Corelli: String Trios Op. 1, No's 9 & 10 (1681)*
> I find the trio's to get better with number. These two (a G major and minor), are more spirited and cohesive. The G major is a charming little work, basing its melodies around fanfare like figures. The G minor is more substantial, achieving a greater sense of cohesion by making the same harmonic shifts in slow movements as the fast (at an obviously different rate). Beautiful and highly original pieces.
> 
> *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #24 (1773)*
> Mozart wrote a slew of symphonies in 1773, and like the others, this is well written, with attractive but forgettable material. Mozart's handling of the instruments and structure is formidable for someone of his age. But it's the spirit and passion that suggest great things to come.
> 
> *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #26 (1773)*
> More substantial and complete than the others, this one is a highlight of these early symphonies (perhaps even more so than the overplayed _Symphony #25_). Mozart's influence stems straight from Bach's sons, and the music is here is more refined, crisp, and articulate. The melodies and writing beautiful, a lovely little work by a composer still searching for his voice.
> 
> *Franz Schubert: Symphony #9 (1827)*
> After three years of intensely listening to classical music it's amazing how one can avoid cornerstones of the repertoire for so long. But after delving into more obscure music, it's always refreshing to explore a piece you _know_ you'll like. Music about music is the name of the game here, and Schumann couldn't have said it better when he described it's "heavenly length." Treating trombones not just as an effect (something rather revolutionary for the time), this symphony has a distinctive sound, being led by classically written strings, and supported by a full blooded brass section. Though the music is seldom touching or tender, beauty radiates out of every note of this symphony. In fact I was amazed by how something so feisty and rambunctious could be so gorgeous. Though the finale doesn't quite live up to the transcendent quality of its predecessors, each movement is absolutely wonderful. Unlike most of Schubert's late works, which seem to have a depressing, yet determined conclusive quality about them (_Cello Quintet, String Quartets, Winterreise_), I found this work to suggest the start of something. This is one of the rare Schubert pieces that doesn't provide closure, but instead begs the composer to add more to the cycle. Well I guess we can't have it all. A joy from beginning to end.
> 
> *Antonin Dvořák: Piano Trio #4 (1891)*
> While the _Piano Quintet_ only has one movement in the "Dumky" style, this idea forms the basis for the whole trio. Cast in an original 5 movements, Dvorák alternates between moments of folk like intensity, to sweetly singing music. The writing here is engaging, entertaining, beautiful, and memorable. Some of the ideas are a bit contrived, and one of the movements sounds like something straight out of Grieg's _String Quartet_. But this trio offers Czech infused music that paints brighter, if less provocative colors, than the _Piano Quintet_. Overall a wonderful piece, as to be expected with most of the composer's chamber music.
> 
> *Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)*
> Another one of Pärt's earlier works in the new style, _Spiegel im Spiegel_ is remarkable in that it sounds like the background tinkling of most film scores. I'm not sure if film composers are consciously getting their ideas from him, or if Pärt was even the originator of this idea. And while pretty enough, I'm still not convinced of this overly simplistic style. I don't mind the quiet volume, tinkering away one note at a time. It's the use of only major and minor triads that bothers me, that makes me wonder if he really has anything new to say, using simple progressions heard a thousand times over.


Sounds like a playlist that I'd like to listen to! Maybe tomorrow I'll reproduce your whole list!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 169 - Karl Ristenpart


----------



## Ravndal

Bartok - Piano Sonata, BB 88: 1. Allegro Moderato

One of my favourite pieces at the moment.


----------



## EricABQ

i took advantage of Amazon's sale on the Rise of the Masters series and downloaded the Schumann set for $2. i'm currently making my way through that while enjoying a glass of Glenmorangie. A very relaxing way to start the weekend.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Messiaen: O sacrum convivium!

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/74949.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
This short communion motet for unaccompanied choir (or four soloists), though an early work, is pure Messiaen in its harmonic richness (F sharp major, yet progressing through unusual intervals) and its sense of gradual motion derived from plainchant. The phrasing is in very stretched-out patterns based on speech rhythms. It begins pianissimo and remains at low dynamic levels, except for a forte outburst on the words "et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur"; the motet then recedes back into quiet ecstasy. The text in English translation is: "O sacred feast/in which Christ is taken/the memory of his passion is renewed/the mind is filled with grace/and a promise of future glory is given us/Alleluia." The work is in Messiaen's "early style" but already has elements of his later developments, primarily in the open rhythm of its diatonically based, yet not easily classifiable, harmonies and its clear, transfixing modular constructions.

Very interesting harmonies.


----------



## Ravndal

Such a great version

except the incredible amount of coughing. authentic winter journey...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 41.*


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Carl Nielsen, six symphonies and three concertos


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"}, *both performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sebastian Lang-Lessing.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54 and Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year of 1917"}, *both featuring Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 2
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1










Still munching through Munch box


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6533
> 
> 
> Bach's Cantata 169 - Karl Ristenpart


Is that an old Nonesuch LP?! The first record (an LP) of Bach's cantatas (no.s 140 & 57) that I ever heard and owned was on Nonesuch.










I was forever seduced. The call and response between the lovers (the bride and the bridegroom) was almost erotic. I ended up finding this recording repackaged here:










The disc can be found on Spotify where I currently listening to the performance of _Wann kommst du, mein Heil?_ Exquisite old school Romantic Bach... recorded shortly after WWII. Great stuff!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Followed by Bach on Spotify:


----------



## Sonata

Listened to a bit of Richard Strauss, now some Cosi Fan Tutte.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Is that an old Nonesuch LP?! The first record (an LP) of Bach's cantatas (no.s 140 & 57) that I ever heard and owned was on Nonesuch.


Yes indeed. I've got a truly formidable collection of Bach Cantatas on vinyl, if I may brag for a second, including that one you mentioned - I'll dig that out tonight and give it another play.

Strange that I can't remember now what the first Cantata recording I heard was, though I'm going to guess it was a Karl Richter Archiv - I was a huge fan of his (and still am) after hearing his St Mathew Passion when I was 18 and quickly aquired as many of his albums as I could find.


----------



## Sonata

Finishing up the night with Mendelssohn's Choral cantatas #7 and 8


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20*

I've just been blissing out on Tchaikovsky all day today - now listening to Swan Lake, after this I will play Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 from my new Symphonies set


----------



## Clementine

Hausmusik said:


> One quick point about the 9th: in fact, it's not as late as once thought. It used to be thought of as one of the works of his final year or so, like the String Quintet (1828) and _Winterreise_ (1827), but it is now believed to have been mostly composed in 1825 and fully scored by 1826. That may explain why it is not inflected by the valedictory accents of Schubert's late masterpieces.


That's probably it. Though just as a clarification, the dates beside the piece refer to the year of the premiere (in this case suspected premiere). I figure most composers change and edit works when they first hear it in rehearsal, so the premiere date is the most accurate for a finished product.



Manxfeeder said:


> There's more to it than that. If there's a music library around, you might be interested in Paul Hiller's book Arvo Part.


Thanks, I'll be sure to check it out when I return to school. I wouldn't want to write off a composer after only hearing two pieces!


----------



## SimonNZ

French Chansons - Scholars Of London


----------



## Bas

Saturday morning, perfect for beautiful Lieder, ain't it?
I'm listening to Schubert's Winterreise (to my favourite Lied 'Die Post').

It is a performance by Mark Padmore (voice) and Paul Lewis (Piano)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I have listened to:
Giuliani's third guitar concerto
Tristan und Isolde conducted by Karl Böhm
Beethoven's 4th symphony
Bach's lute suite no. 3 played by Göran Söllscher on his 11 string guitar. 

Now I think I will listen to Wagner's Tannhäuser.


----------



## ProudSquire

Chopin Étude Op. 25, No. 1 in A-flat major 'Aeolian Harp' :}

On repeat until I manage to fall asleep, considering that it's only 44 minutes past 6 in the AM.


----------



## Taneyev

K 3:

KOESSLER Hans: string sextet-

KOCIAN Jaroslav: selection of violin pieces.

KODALY: his transcription of Bach Chromatic Fantasy for solo viola

KREISLER: string quartet (by Kreisler&co.)


----------



## Ravndal

Schönberg - Folk Songs

Stella Doufexis & Luciano Berio


----------



## Sonata

Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer.

I'm becoming to Mahler what Couchie is to Wagner, Polendice is to Brahms, and CoAG is to Ligetti and all other things atonal. :lol:


----------



## Hausmusik

Odnoposoff said:


> Works? The 2 string trios, 2 violins and solo cello sonatas, the 6 solo violin sonatas?


None of the above!

String Quintet in B Minor for 2 violins, 2 altos and cello à mon frère Théophile (1894)
String Quartet London
Andante in B Minor for 2 violins, 2 altos and cello (1893)
Paganini Variations for String Quartet

I have listened only to the Quintet so far.


----------



## Hausmusik

opus55, that Munch box is such a bargain I have been tempted more than once. Then again, I have recordings (by other conductors) of all the works inside. Should I bite?


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Is that an old Nonesuch LP?! The first record (an LP) of Bach's cantatas (no.s 140 & 57) that I ever heard and owned was on Nonesuch.
> 
> I was forever seduced. The call and response between the lovers (the bride and the bridegroom) was almost erotic. I ended up finding this recording repackaged here:
> 
> The disc can be found on Spotify where I currently listening to the performance of _Wann kommst du, mein Heil?_ Exquisite old school Romantic Bach... recorded shortly after WWII. Great stuff!


Wow, thanks for finding that! That was my first also.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Mikrokosmos with Solchany, then *Myaskovsky*: Piano Sonatas 1, 2, 3, 6, with McLachlan.

View attachment 6539
View attachment 6540


----------



## millionrainbows

I once jokingly referred to a non-existent album entitled _"Glenn Gould plays Chopin."_ Well, this recording of Gould on *Scriabin* is as close to that as I hope I'll ever get. This just does not work for Gould; his other late-Romantic interpretations, such as Berg's Op.1 Sonata, do succeed. He brings out lines I never knew existed, etc, but on this Scriabin, that process becomes a tangled harmonic meandering.

Part of the problem here is the piano itself: it seems to be the same modified Steinway, or possibly that old Chickering, that he had a technician make "flatter in action" and more harpsichord-like. The giveaway is that stuttering note, heard in some places in the Bach recordings. This piano just does not work here; I much prefer Horowitz banging it out on a full-bodied Steinway, with maximum dynamics. Some of the quieter parts, in mvt 3, work better, but overall, the result is a washed-out grey.

The Prokofiev on this disc works somewhat better; Gould brings out its rhythmic drive and wit; but even so, I prefer other Prokofiev interpreters, such as the old Gary Graffman recordings on RCA. Even Richter cannot totally satisfy me on Prokofiev; my standard is Barbara Nissman's complete cycle, which is very Romantic compared to others, but it works for me.

This is not a Gould recording I would rush out to buy, unless you're a hard-core Gould fan like me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second listen to Johann Joseph Fux:










I've tended to focus more upon vocal works of the Baroque composers (Bach and Biber excepted) but recently I've been exploring various instrumental works of the period more... although I have this one waiting in the wings:


----------



## DeepR

Listening to this composer for the first time. I like.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, String Quartet No. 5.*

The time signature of the 3rd movement's trio is interesting: 3+2+2+3/8 and 4+2+3/8.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Without a doubt, Mozart was one of the greatest composers for voice that ever lived. To his credit he composed at least 7 operas that are as good as any opera composed during the "Classical" period... and 4 that are as good as any opera composed ever, period. To this we would surely add his marvelous choral works: _Exsultate, jubilate_ (K. 165... an especially amazing work given his age), _Vesperae de Dominica_ (K. 321), _Kyrie in D minor_ (K. 341), _Ave verum corpus_ (K. 618), the Mass No. 15 in C major, "Coronation" (K. 317), and most importantly the Mass No. 17 in C minor, "Great" (K. 427) and the Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626).

But there is still another body of vocal compositions by Mozart that are rarely mentioned, and these are the so-called concert arias:










I have several discs or selections from these works:




























Any number of these pop up on various other singer recital discs (male and female).

What is particularly striking is that these arias... of such a range and variety... composed for any number of occasions... essentially add up to some 5 discs of music equal to another great Mozart opera... if not two! Certainly the finest of these arias (and there are few weak links in this chain) might stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest arias from his operas. Surely this is a repertoire by Mozart worthy of greater recognition... proof, perhaps that hidden gems exist even by the greatest (and most "overrated") composers.

Currently I'm listening to disc one which features performances by Kiri Te Kanawa and Edita Gruberova. I must admit that the aria which most captured my attention and and led me to the realization that my various discs of the Concert Arias were but a small selection of the entire oeuvre, was that of the bass aria, _Per questa bella mano_, K. 612:






The piece is not only achingly beautiful, but also notorious for its fiendishly difficult part for double bass. I believe it was on NPR that I came upon a music historian relating the fact that Mozart scored the part for double bass as difficult as he did as a sort of "revenge" upon a musician who had been flirting with the composer's wife Constanze.:lol:


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65, *featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko.
Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.


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## SimonNZ

Bach's Well Tempered Clavier - Sviatoslav Richter, piano


----------



## Head_case

Myaskovsky String Quartets - the Taneyev Quartet Cycle.

Now on string quartet no. IX. It's searching anxiety, exhausting corners and doubling back on its own tension is provoking relaxation through connection with this summer of discontent.

Friggin' Olympics. Life is paralysed until it's over :/

Oh well. Can't be too curmudgeonly. Welcome and hope all enjoy it. I'll enjoy my Myaskovsky instead of the box


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## opus55

Hausmusik said:


> opus55, that Munch box is such a bargain I have been tempted more than once. Then again, I have recordings (by other conductors) of all the works inside. Should I bite?


Based on my experience, I'd say "yes", assuming you do intend to own more than one or two recordings of each work. I didn't own many Munch recordings so it was an easy decision for me. There is no booklet in this box set - just to let you know. CDs are in card board sleeves with same cover art as the box. These are 50's stereo recordings and I even see mono in one disc. Sound is decent overall though.

I found most of the performances to be very satisfying; definitely raised my awareness of Munch's artistic achievements as a conductor. These will serve as excellent alternate recordings of the romantic symphonies/concertos for me. I think couple of symphonies have potential to be my favorite recordings over time. Personally, I didn't enjoy the concertos as much as the symphonies, perhaps due to the featured soloists.

Today's listening..

Enescu: Symphony No. 3
Tower: Made in America; Tambor; Concerto for Orchestra
Borodin: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2


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## Head_case

It's a classic recording - one of the best couplings of the two string pastoral string quartets.

Of the other outstanding versions, the 1989 Evian Prize Winners - the Quatuor Anton released a more nuanced intepretation however without the tonal sealing of the Borodin's. I haven't seen this in print ever since I picked the last copy up in one of Paris' FNAC. They had also covered the Glinka and Tchaikowsky string quartets - not sure what became of them.

The other classic (better recorded) interpretation is by the students of the Taneyev Quartet - the St Petersburg Quartet who advance on lyricism, but lose out the nuances of the Borodin's version. Still, why settle for one version, when you have plenty


----------



## opus55

Head_case said:


> It's a classic recording - one of the best couplings of the two string pastoral string quartets.
> 
> Of the other outstanding versions, the 1989 Evian Prize Winners - the Quatuor Anton released a more nuanced intepretation however without the tonal sealing of the Borodin's. I haven't seen this in print ever since I picked the last copy up in one of Paris' FNAC. They had also covered the Glinka and Tchaikowsky string quartets - not sure what became of them.
> 
> The other classic (better recorded) interpretation is by the students of the Taneyev Quartet - the St Petersburg Quartet who advance on lyricism, but lose out the nuances of the Borodin's version. Still, why settle for one version, when you have plenty


Although I'm not too familiar with the Russian quartets, I thought Borodin Quartet played them beautifully. I should explore Russian chamber music further with Arensky, Shostakovich and Taneyev next.

Resume Munching

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Head_case

If you're enjoying the Borodin No.s I & II, you will love the Russian and romantic idioms encapsulated within Borodin's D minor String Sextet; Glazunov's String Quartet No. III (The Slavonic), framed on either side by No.s II & IV, before his awful late direction towards 'internationalism'.

Gliere's String Quartet No. III is inventive and highly attractive. Glinka is perhaps too romantic for my taste, as is Tchaikowsky. There are elements of the latter's work which I find attractive, but not enough to enjoy outright.

As you move forward chronologically, Russian music takes a sharp deviation in the 21st century due to its political/cultural breakdown before its conversion to the Soviet state. Following just the string quartet form, it's striking how miles removed, the world of Borodin and the works of 'the Big Five' are, as the next generation breaks the mould. Taneyev, is more of a 'string quartet composer's quartet' - perhaps not so easy to appreciate as the lyrically beautiful Borodin two. Myaskovsky is unique in this respect; although he was writing string quartets until 1949, if you listen to No. XIII, you would be hard tasked to place it at 1949, and not 1909. His work is shorn of bitterness and anger, unlike Shostakovich who capitalises it.

That's why I'm listening to at the moment. This cycle:










On string quartet no. IV at the moment. The more I listen to this, the more I want to try and work out a transcription for solo flute.

You'd be hard pressed to find this cycle. It is tenderly and lovingly transferred. All other crappy copies of of the Taneyev cycle on single discs do not add up to form the sum of the cycle. The Aulos box set is unrivalled for the Taneyev recordings. The transfers are unequal from company to company, so unless you're getting vinyl LP originals of the Melodiya or Praga set, it's probably better to set for a 'safe' recording of the Shostakovich Cycle by a less 'fierce' interpreter.

The western market like sanitised Shostakovich (like the moderate interpreters - the Eder Quartet or the Emerson or the romantic readers - the original Fitzwilliam Quartet set). Everyone knows the Borodin original cycle is the one to get, if you can't stand the mono recordings by the Beethoven, and just settle for its incompleteness. Otherwise for me, its the St Petersburg Cycle which is great value for its accomplished set.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I continued on with disc 2 of Mozart's Concert Arias with Edita Gruberova and Teresa Berganza:










I'm now back in the Baroque with Johann Joseph Fux:


----------



## EricABQ

The arguments that have been going on here the last couple of days inspired me to go deeply mainstream with my listening this evening. So, i went with Joshua Bell's recording of The Four Seasons and followed that up with The 1812 Overture. I loved every second of it. Very invigorating.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another listen to the Nielsen set:


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Without a doubt, Mozart was one of the greatest composers for voice that ever lived. To his credit he composed at least 7 operas that are as good as any opera composed during the "Classical" period... and 4 that are as good as any opera composed ever, period. To this we would surely add his marvelous choral works: _Exsultate, jubilate_ (K. 165... an especially amazing work given his age), _Vesperae de Dominica_ (K. 321), _Kyrie in D minor_ (K. 341), _Ave verum corpus_ (K. 618), the Mass No. 15 in C major, "Coronation" (K. 317), and most importantly the Mass No. 17 in C minor, "Great" (K. 427) and the Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626).
> 
> But there is still another body of vocal compositions by Mozart that are rarely mentioned, and these are the so-called concert arias:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have several discs or selections from these works:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any number of these pop up on various other singer recital discs (male and female).
> 
> What is particularly striking is that these arias... of such a range and variety... composed for any number of occasions... essentially add up to some 5 discs of music equal to another great Mozart opera... if not two! Certainly the finest of these arias (and there are few weak links in this chain) might stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest arias from his operas. Surely this is a repertoire by Mozart worthy of greater recognition... proof, perhaps that hidden gems exist even by the greatest (and most "overrated") composers.
> 
> Currently I'm listening to disc one which features performances by Kiri Te Kanawa and Edita Gruberova. I must admit that the aria which most captured my attention and and led me to the realization that my various discs of the Concert Arias were but a small selection of the entire oeuvre, was that of the bass aria, _Per questa bella mano_, K. 612:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The piece is not only achingly beautiful, but also notorious for its fiendishly difficult part for double bass. I believe it was on NPR that I came upon a music historian relating the fact that Mozart scored the part for double bass as difficult as he did as a sort of "revenge" upon a musician who had been flirting with the composer's wife Constanze.:lol:


I'm really excited to read your take on these concert arias, and to read up that there are some great reviews for them. Perfect timing since I've been so into both Mozart and vocal music lately. Good finds between these sets and the Strauss lieder set I mentioned earlier. Awesome items for my wishlist!


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## science




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## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *all performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, *featuring the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein at its helm.


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36*

Now listening to Symphony No. 4 and after this I will listen to Symphony No. 3.


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## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 59 Nos. 1 and 2


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I think Berg's violin concerto is somehow much more "user friendly" than Schoenberg's example, for a novice like me when it comes to 12-tone.


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann's Cantata "Ino" - Gundula Janowitz, soprano


----------



## Conor71

*Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18*

I have my listening all planned out for the rest of this evening - Currently I am playing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring Sviatoslav Richter and then I will listen to the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 which follows on this Disc. After this I plan to listen to Disc 1 of the Symphonic Poems set which features the Romeo & Juliet Overture and other fine pieces then I will finish off by listening to Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique" from the Jansons set.


----------



## Art Rock

The more I hear of Havergal Brian, the more I am amazed that he is not better known.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven's Symphonies by Gardiner. Beethoven has never sounded so good.


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann's "Canary" Cantata - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone


----------



## cwarchc

I'm thinking I need a bit of southern europe today
Starting with this one, it was my first classical guitar piece, still one of my favourites
My wife's father was lucky enough to see him play live








I'll move onto this one after


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I listened to Giuliani's guitar concerti and sonata for violin and guitar op. 15
Beethoven's trio for flute bassoon and piano
Peter Sculthorpe's _Earth Cry, Memento Mori, Piano Concerto, From Oceania_ and _Kakadu._


----------



## ProudSquire

Another late night for moi, I think, perhaps, that it is time that I sought help, for I fear that I might be suffering from a severe case of insomnia or either that I'm a vampire and I just don't know it yet. Only time will tell. :{ 

Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 
Performed by Sarah Chang

I was wholly impressed. :tiphat:


----------



## Taneyev

K 4:

KOECHLIN Charles: string quartet Nº2.

KOOKONEN Joonas: piano quintet.

KORNGOLD: sonata violin&piano.

KUBELIK Jan: 10 pieces for violin&piano.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nyman's MGV.


----------



## Bas

Zelenka's Missa Votiva Zwv 18


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass No. 3.*

I don't think Celibidache hits it with this one. I kept drifting back mentally to Jochum's version.


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## kv466




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## EricABQ

I went for a long walk this morning and listened to Prokofiev piano concerto 2, Tchaikovsky's string quartet #1, Liszt's piano concerto #1, and some random Mendelssoh from a compilation.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Back again to Massenet. It was too late to hear it all last night.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Obukhov: Prieres


----------



## Bas

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Mass No. 3.*
> 
> I don't think Celibidache hits it with this one. I kept drifting back mentally to Jochum's version.
> 
> View attachment 6557


Do you have Celibidache's 5th Bruckner too? I was a little disapointed by the Mass, indeed, but liked the symphony (I have a box of Bruckner by Celibidache)


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## StlukesguildOhio

On the second hearing I'm following along closer with the libretto.

A truly marvelous and enchanting satire on the military and love (among other things).

Pif! Paf! Pouf! indeed!!!


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## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.71 - Christopher Hogwood


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## opus55

Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op.28
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat, Op.12


----------



## cwarchc

following on from this one.


----------



## SAKO

J.S.Bach Brandenburg Concerto no1 in F. Philharmonia Slavonia.


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to a spotify playlist called "Horowitz Plays Liszt".

4 hours of greatness.


----------



## EricABQ

Rachmaninoff's piano sonata #1 from an inexpensive compilation I downloaded from Amazon today. Santiago Rodriguez is the player. Enjoying it with a glass (o.k, a bottle) of Argentinian cab.


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## science




----------



## science

Bas said:


> Zelenka's Missa Votiva Zwv 18
> 
> View attachment 6556


Love, not like!


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## EricABQ

Now i've moved on to the Krystian Zimerman version of Beethoven's piano concerto #1. This piece will always be the piece for me that fully converted me. it might be my absolute favorite piece in my modest collection. I never get tired of this. 

Unfortunately i've emptied the Argentinian cab.


----------



## kv466




----------



## crmoorhead

This week's upcoming listening:

Monday (Bach): WTC I Preludes and Fugues 1-6
Tuesday (Concerto): Cello Concerto (Ligeti)
Wednesday (Choral): Dona Nobis Pacen (Vaughan-Williams)
Thurday (Symphony): Symphony No. 29 (Mozart)
Friday (Keyboard/Piano): Piano Sonata No. 1 (Scriabin)
Saturday (Opera): Tosca (Puccini)
Sunday (Chamber): Shaker Loops (Adams)

Plus the Listening Club work: Piano Sonata No. 16 (Beethoven)


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening, which I also put on my blog on this forum as usual -










Starting off this weekend with the chamber music of Australian composer *Carl Vine*. Although his passion is ballet/dance music, Vine has produced music in many other genres. These works display eclectic influences, from Asian musics, to classical, jazz and rock. Its on the whole quite melodic and emotional. For example, the opening _PIano Sonata #2 _on the cd, does have some of the gestures of Romantic piano sonatas of the 19th century, eg. an ending that brings all the ideas together with a big climax to finish. My favourite work here though is the _String Quartet #3_, which has a middle section where the cello sings this lyrical and lush melody.

This music was played by various Australian performers, the cd on the Tall Poppies label has these works:
- Piano Sonata #2 (Michael Kieran Harvey, pno.)
- Sonata for Flute and Piano (Geoffrey Collins, fl. / David Miller, pno.)
- String Quartet #3 (Tall Poppies Quartet)
- Five Bagatelles (Ian Munro, pno.)
- Inner World (David Pereira, cello)










Then an album of gypsy music called *An Hour in Heaven*, recorded live in the Jenolan Caves 'Cathedral Chamber' in Australia. Although these two musicians are classically trained, their playing aims to recreate the sponatneous and improvisational flavour of traditional gypsy playing as it once was. So it comes across as a bit less polished than the gypsy orchestras of today, but its deliberately like that. There were tunes from Hungary, Romania and Russia, and also Paganini's _Sonata for violin and guitar_.

_The Paganini Duo _playing this concert consist of Gustaw Szelski on violin and Georg Mertens on guitar and cello. One of the songs they played on the cd, _The Old Gypsy_, can be viewed HERE at youtube.










Then, finishing *Saint-Saens *superb cycle of piano concertos, this weekend it was the *fourth concerto*. Liszt called this work the best piano concerto since Beethoven. That's a pretty 'big call,' but when you listen to it you will easily know why. Its thematically very unified and very imaginatively scored, both the piano and orchestral parts. The work is in two movements and contrasts a number of ideas, one kind of supsenseful at the start, another one quite whimsical, and it all comes together at the end with a big tune reminiscent of French folk-song. This work was dedicated to Bizet, a fellow composer and friend of Saint-Saens, who had just died before it was written.

Michele Campanella was the pianist, with the Monte Carlo Opera Orch. under Aldo Ceccato.










To finish, continuing with *Bartok's string quartets,* this time it was the* fifth quartet*. This work is in the 5 movement 'arch' form, same as the later _Concerto for Orchestra_. The pivotal movement is a Bulgarian dance which is quite joyous, but the rest of the work is quite full on and even disturbing. The second and third movements are 'night music' pieces, and speak to disturbing thoughts in the dark of night. In the third movement, it comes to a head with this mechanical rhythm on the cello, culminating in a number of clusters that to me speak to the deteriorating political situation in Europe at the time (1930's). The final movement ends in a quite resolved way though, but with many twists and turns along the way.

This performance was by the Alban Berg Quartet.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dufay's Missa '"L'Homme Arme" - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


>


Where do you find the time to post on line... or anything else?!


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"}, *both performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sebastian Lang-Lessing...




Good to see you listening to / accessing Aussie recordings. That is a great Mendelssohn cycle. Remember hearing it on radio when it came out a few years back. Got a few awards here too. Good onya!



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> On the radio: world premiere of Nigel Westlake's _Sonata for Two Guitars._


Westlake is great. Missed that one, but I have his Hinchinbrook riffs album on Tall Poppies label. He's such a versatile composer. & not that old (in his 50's roughly). Got many years ahead of him to continue his great stuff. I like how he's influenced by things like rock - he started in rock then went to classical - but he incorporates it in a way that's kind of holistic/integral, not just an add-on or superficial. I can't praise him enough. Probably my favourite living Aussie composer that I know, apart from the much older Peter Sculthorpe.


----------



## Sonata

In the coming weeks, you'll probably see a lot of repeats on my playlists. That's because, as I mentioned elsewhere, I'm trying to really get familiar with my classical pieces (FINALLY) so I'll listen several times over the course of a month. So today:

*Mozart: Magic Flute highlights.* My third listen in the last two months. + one listen to the full opera and one full viewing on YouTube. I'll check out another version at my library sometime in the next month or so, and I think I'll be setting it aside for awhile after that as I explore other opera.
*Exultate Jubilante*

*Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, disc one*. The other piece of stage music that's been on heavy rotation for me lately. So far it's my favorite ballet.

*Brahms: String Quintet #1*.

*Chopin: Polonaises*. I've had a big Chopin compilation that's been languishing on my iPod for months, outside of the waltzes and nocturnes, so I'm working on rectifying that!

*Grieg: Norwegian Peasant Dances, and 2 Elegiac Melodies*

non- classical but solo piano: *David Nevue: Whisperings*. Very beautiful, relaxing music

And before bed, I'm thinking *Mendelssohn's 6th choral cantata*, as I work my way through his choral works box set.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

So far I'm really liking this. A balance between traditional tonality (and melody!) and elements of dissonance, interesting shifts in rhythm, sudden outburst coming in the middle of the quite, impressionistic passages, and interesting orchestral colors... especially employing percussion.


----------



## Sonata

Enjoyed *Mendelssohn's 6th cantata* so much this evening, that I decided to listen to the *4th and 5th* as well. My first few listens of this disc left me a little cool, but is has really started growing on me. I have to be in the right mood for this style of music.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor and Symphony NO.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, *both featuring the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Talking about choral composers on the Eric Whitacre thread led me to put this one on:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1





Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 2





Berg: Sieben frühe Lieder; 5 Orchesterlieder Nach Ansichtskartentexten Von Peter Altenberg




























These Berg lieders are beautiful at night


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Trio Sonata, Op. 1/11 (1681)*
One of the last of this early set, the _D Minor_ is as competent a work as any. Though mockingly short, the writing is splendid, melodies beautiful, and endings abrupt. If only they were a bit longer, I'd much prefer these to his _Concerti Grosso_.

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 37 (1840)*
The Opus 37 Nocturnes form a set of two in G minor. Melancholy in mood, while previous nocturnes unveiled a formula of having the first moody, and the second uplifting, this pair is unique in that the optimism doesn't occur until midway through the second nocturne. This makes the pair more cohesive, unified, and less of a call and response. Though the melodies and harmonies aren't _quite_ as ravishing as earlier efforts, it's still a fine work.

*John Corigliano: Gazebo Dances (1973)*
An early work by the now head of composition at the Juilliard School, _Gazebo Dances_ is a 20 minute piece for brass band. Stemming from the music of Copland and Stravinsky and whoever else John Williams was influenced by (as it sounds uncannily like him, though this is pre-Star Wars), this is a fun, accessible work. The orchestration is very transparent and well written, the melodies and licks memorable, and all around just what the title suggests. An entertaining piece, meant to entertain the audience, nothing more. It might not be the most creative or original work, but it accomplishes what it set out to do.

*Philip Glass: String Quartet #2 (1983)*
I've never been a huge fan of Philip Glass, and am more than a little dismissive of his instrumental works. While pleasing and original in their own right (though not necessarily in the context of Glass' oeuvre), they have so far failed to move me in any significant way. Recommendations are always appreciated of course. This quartet is nice enough, quaint, and deceptively simple. I like how the rhythms keep the listener on their toes, and the typically indulgent harmonies he uses do have their moments occasionally. While charming, at 7 minutes the work was much to brief to really affect me, but perhaps Glass is better in small doses.

*Krzysztof Penderecki: Cello Concerto #2 (1983)*
Besides studying the _Threnody_ in school, this is my first exposure to Penderecki off my own accord. While Penderecki was one of the leaders of avant-garde music in the 60's, he slowly developed into a more neo-romantic style as he aged, this cello concerto falling into that stylistic period. With a vast incorporation of both romantic and avant-garde techniques, it took me awhile to discern the character of the work- to find what made this a Penderecki composition. And in one half hour movement, it took a few listens to wrap my head around an otherwise accessible work. The piece is deadly serious, starting off ominously, and only getting more foreboding and pained as it moves on. The cello writing in particular is very idiomatic (almost too idiomatic), and the orchestration is very well done too. While it starts off slowly, the piece plunges the listener into a world of gloom and despair, and it's the violent middle section that's the most intriguing. A moment of transcendence is reached as all the strings glissando around natural harmonics (reminiscent of _The Firebird_), but it is also here that the piece loses me. The cello starts to form a more lyrical elegy, but it fades away, and after some more noise the work ends very abruptly. It's as if Penderecki took us on this massive journey, and then realized at the end he'd forgotten where he was going to take us. If there's one thing this piece is lacking (besides an ending), it's a message. With one, it might be one of the great concertos of the century, but without it, it's second rate material.

*György Ligeti: Etudes, Book 2 (1994)*
_Book 2_ is decidedly more gloomy than its predecessor, but also more structurally linked. Movements seem to alternate going in a downwards or upwards motion, using extreme registers, while the slow etudes rest more in the middle of the piano. Wickedly difficult, Ligeti seems less focused on timbre and more on harmony; the rhythms, while complex, are fairly straightforward. Unlike the first book, which is full of humor, this continuation is very somber, and unusually so it seems for the composer. Overall a wonderful and enchanting set, and I look forward to hearing how it's resolved in _Book 3_.


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Sid James

Clementine said:


> ...
> *Philip Glass: String Quartet #2 (1983)*
> ...While charming, at 7 minutes the work was much to brief to really affect me, but perhaps Glass is better in small doses.


I quite like that work, but agree its very short. Keep in mind it was culled from incidental music from a play, I think by Samuel Beckett, 'Company.' Kind of earworm stuff, great tunes, but burrows into my head if I listen to it too much. I think he's written 5 quartets in total though, I remember listening to some of the others on youtube and I liked them. Worth exploring further, I think. Glass is good but in small doses. Do overkill with him and I start getting a bit annoyed with him.



> ...
> *Krzysztof Penderecki: Cello Concerto #2 (1983)*
> ...The piece is deadly serious, starting off ominously, and only getting more foreboding and pained as it moves on. ... the piece plunges the listener into a world of gloom and despair, and it's the violent middle section that's the most intriguing. ...


What you wrote there is my 'truck' with Penderecki. He's always dark and gloomy. But I do like his music, on the whole. He has a unique style. But he's a bit like Gubaidulina, he is always dark. I feel like saying to the guy 'lighten up, life is not all depressing.' But that's just how he is, and Poland, Russia, East Europe, well I don't need to go to much into that, into these countries' tragic histories, so that might be a factor, most likely.

But works by him I really like are his Sym.#1, Aus Den Psalmen DAvids, Canticum Cantorum Salomonis, the first cello concerto and some of his 'modern tonal' things - like his chamber music, eg. there is a Naxos chamber cd I have - are quite good to dig out and listen to now and then.

...which reminds me, I've been meaning to listen to Ligeti's etudes which you also reviewed. Great pieces.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to that Sculthorpe CD with the piano concerto again.


----------



## ProudSquire

Felix Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian"
Herbert von Karajan
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Once more and this time around it occurred to me that I seem to prefer the first movement to the last, which I think, sounds the jolliest to my ear. Sorry F.M :}

Edit:

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83
Maurizio Pollini

I really enjoyed the third movement, a lot, and the fourth as well lol. :}


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Jonathan Dove's Flute Concerto "The Magic Flute Dances" - Emily Beynon, flute, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bramwell Tovey


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte conducted by René Jacobs.


----------



## Taneyev

K 5:

KUHLAU: string quartet op.122.

KLEIN Gideon: string quartet.

KIRCHNER Theodor: his transcription of Brahm's sextet 1 for piano trio.

KODALY: string quartet Nº2.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Havergal Brian, Symphony No. 20.*

Robert Simpson was a champion of his music. Once he commented to Brian's wife, "Keep him alive until the Gothic Symphony is performed in October (1966)." Brian entered the room and said, "I'm not going to die - I've just bought a new pair of trousers." That must be the secret to long life.


----------



## Sonata

*Mendelssohn: symphony #1* Got the first movement in on the drive to work, and I'll listen to the rest on my lunch hour.


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Berg: Sieben frühe Lieder; 5 Orchesterlieder Nach Ansichtskartentexten Von Peter Altenberg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These Berg lieders are beautiful at night


How do you like the Brendel interpretations of Beethoven's piano sonatas? I'm not going to get a set until probably next year, but in the meantime, I'm trying to get as much input as I can.


----------



## opus55

Sonata said:


> How do you like the Brendel interpretations of Beethoven's piano sonatas? I'm not going to get a set until probably next year, but in the meantime, I'm trying to get as much input as I can.


You might've seen that my reviews are not much in depth at all - this is due to my little experience in comparing recordings. I only listened to Brendel's no. 1. I may be completely wrong but Brendel's playing seems simple, in a positive way. He doesn't seem to get overly dramatic and I like it that way. I own Kempff cycle and I think Kempff sometimes sound boring after few months of owning the set. I will probably purchase Brendel set someday.

Currently listening to..

Mozart: Sonatas K.481, 526, 547 (disc 4)










I'm working from home so the music is serving as a background while I do time to time lean back to immerse myself in music. Sort of mini breaks throughout the work day.


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Bas

I just finished listening L. Van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, cond. by Frans Brüggen.







Beautiful of course: my favourite part of Beethovens Fifth is the third movement, depending on your record within the first two minutes. Brilliant!

And, inspired by the tone poems topic I'm currently listening to Janáček's Kreutzer Sonta and Intimate Letters. A cd I have by the Melos Quartet, a (re?)release on the Harmonia Mundi Label.









I love those pieces, they do express pain in its most pure form. Pure!


----------



## clavichorder

Orlando Gibbons Galliard, played by my teacher.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9










My current favorite recording of 9th is Fricsay's. I'm excited to hear Gardiner's performance finally in its entirety.


----------



## Arsakes

Today and yesterday..
Brahms: 
- Piano Concerto 1,2
- Piano Sonata 1
- Cello Sonata

Gershwin:
- Piano Concerto
- An American in Paris
- Rhapsody in Blue

Schumann:
- Manfred
- Drei Romanzen
- Vier Phantasiestücke

Dvorak:
- Piano Quartet in E / in D
- Piano Trio 1, 2

Glazunov: 
- Symphony 4


----------



## Arsakes

Doubled again 

This time, blame the forums ..


----------



## Lisztian

The last few days I have listened to...

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - _Bagatelles_ Op. 126 (Vladimir Ashkenazy). Complete _Piano Concerti_ (Ashkenazy/Georg Solti/Chicago Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> My current favorite recording of 9th is Fricsay's.


I'm not familiar with that one. I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## NightHawk

I think Kevin Pearson recommended to TC'ers the Michael Haydn Requiem (apologies if otherwise) - anyway, I ordered it and received it this morning - a double disc including the _Missa Sancte Ursulae_, and I am very happy with the works and the recording. Mozart did indeed file away in his ear MHaydn's remarkable score. According to the liner notes there are many correspondences between the two composers' Requiem Masses. MHaydn was well known and acclaimed in his position of Court Composer and _Konzertmeister_ at the Archducal Palace in Salzburg, and Mozart kept up a correspondence with the older man all of his life. Definitely adding MHaydn to my collecting projects. I really only knew the Trumpet Concerto, (which is brilliant!).


----------



## opus55

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm not familiar with that one. I'm listening on Spotify.


Don't blame me if you don't like it :lol:

Walton: Siesta
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 12-15


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some French Lute music:










France was the leading center for lute music... until Couperin and later composers began to employ the keyboard as their instrument of choice. The popularity of the lute can be attested to in numerous paintings of the period:














































Composers include Jacques Gallot, Robert de Visèe, Charles Mouton, François Couperin, and Ennemond Gaultier.


----------



## SAKO

As I type;

Tchaikovsky, Symphony no.3 in D Major, OP 29 'Polish'.

London Philharmonic/Mstislav Rostropovich.

A 1977 EMI recording on cassette.


----------



## NightHawk

A day for Requiems it seems (re post at 14:19 today) - I forgot to mention that I lately acquired the Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) Requiem in D Minor Z48, considered lost as late as 1988. The World Premiere Recording, which includes the _Miserere_ in C Minor, ZWV 57, is by The Ensemble Baroque, the Czech Chamber Choir with Roman Valek, conductor is very fine. Zelenka was the principal composer for the Court Church of Dresden, and his handling of voices (and instruments) is masterful.


----------



## opus55

Ligeti: Sonata for Viola





Beethoven: Piano Trio in B flat, Op. 97


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Musica da Camera a Napoli by Il Giardino Armonico.*

That's a mouthful. Nice chamber music from Sarri, the Scarlattis, Durante, and Mancini.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *all performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## SAKO

*Schumann. Symphony no.4 in D Minor. op120....a fairly decent budget recording by the Philharmonia Slavonica / Carlo Pantelli.

On the CD player, with the lights off and a few tealights burning, as I scour ebay and buy another half dozen towards my Haydn collection, and drink a 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from down under.

Bliss.*


----------



## Lenfer

Does no one drink real (*French*) wine anymore?  Just moi? :devil:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dutilleux*: Cello Concerto, with Rostropovich/Baudo, then Ainsi la nuit, with Arditti Qt. (with Malbec).

View attachment 6601
View attachment 6602


----------



## Vaneyes

SAKO said:


> *Schumann. Symphony no.4 in D Minor. op120....a fairly decent budget recording by the Philharmonia Slavonica / Carlo Pantelli.
> 
> On the CD player, with the lights off and a few tealights burning, as I scour ebay and buy another half dozen towards my Haydn collection, and drink a 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from down under.
> 
> Bliss.*


Wha? No English Claret?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The _Battalia à 10_ is simply just a fun piece rife with unexpected elements (dissonance, 8 songs layered on top of each other into a musical chaos, _col legno_ notes or notes played with the wooden back of the bow, etc... ) The more I hear of Biber, the more I like him.

This was followed by the far more "serious" _Requiem à 15 in Concerto_... a rather beautiful and moving piece.


----------



## Vaneyes

I don't like Justin Biber, but I'll give it a listen.


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## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No, 6, the Naxos recording.


----------



## science

Just some crap I've been listening to:

































Dinosaur crap and not far enough off the beaten track and it's practically cliche I'm really a fool not to hate such lousy butted pieces of crap. I ought to jump in front of a train for having such bad taste in music. But shoot, I'm too stupid to know better. I'm just an ignorant piece of crap who really ought to know my place and leave the art music to my betters.

Still, I can't help it because I sort of like that stuff a little.


----------



## Sid James

The Three Tenors Paris concert of 1998. Kind of takes me back, the 'fairytale' of the French winning the World Cup that year. I liked that even though I'm not a huge fan of the sport. Like the underdog. But this concert was very enjoyable to relive. The usual opera arias, as well as popular songs from yesteryear, songs from movies, Neopolitan songs and the like. Great atmosphere and the arrangements by Lalo Schifrin included use of things like accordion, castanets, tambourine where appropriate. The three guys where accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris under James Levine. RIP Luciano Pavorotti, you were a legend!



science said:


> ...
> 
> Dinosaur crap and not far enough off the beaten track and it's practically cliche...


Dunno if it's dinosaur material exactly (probably is?), but just having listened to 'Nessun Dorma' from PUccini's 'Turandot' I think I can safely say I am listening to EVEN MORE cliche stuff than you are. Everyone knows it and its like the anthem to neanderthal sport of World Cup. Nobody knows anything from 'Winterreise' (but the three tenors did sing Schubert's 'Serenade' at that Paris concert, but let's face it, its lowbrow junk, in a lowbrow arrangement from Lalo Schifrin). So YOU ARE HIGHBROW.

And I am the ONLY LOWBROW in the village.*

*Apologies to 'Little Britain.'


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> And I am the ONLY LOWBROW in the village.*


That's a great line.


----------



## SottoVoce

Piano music at it's finest, Glenn Gould's rendition of the Intermezzos will always be the gold standard of interpretation for me.


----------



## Sonata

*Takemitsu: A twill in Twilight

Mendelssohn: choral cantatas 1-3*

*Puccini: Turandot Highlights album with Sutherland, Pavorotti, Caballe*


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Stravinsky: Octet

Stravinsky's neo-Classical works in part reacted against what the composer perceived as ultra-romantic excesses in the music of German symphonic composers. However, these works must also be seen as a rejection of Stravinsky's own earlier stylistic thinking. The Octet was the first masterpiece in the composer's new style. Scored for flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets in A and C, and tenor and bass trombones, the Octet reflected Stravinsky's general reduction in instrumental forces during and after the First World War. Although the war and its dismal aftermath necessitated economical scoring, these events do not explain the composer's intriguing choice of instruments-he could have written for eight strings. It seems that Stravinsky was striving for an extreme (and un-Romantic) clarity of timbre and texture. As he explained in his 1924 article, "Some Ideas About my Octour [Octet]": "Wind instruments seem to me to be more apt to render a certain rigidity of the form I had in mind than other instruments-the stringed instruments, for example, which are less cold and more vague." Stravinsky further outlined his neo-Classical credo by stressing that the Octet "is not an 'emotive' work, but a musical composition based on elements which are sufficient in themselves." Accordingly, he chose classical forms commonly associated with absolute music: sonata form for the first movement, theme and variations (incorporating a fugue) for the second, and a rondo finale.

Stravinsky's application of sonata form in the first movement mostly involves surface features. A slow introduction gives way to a fanfare-like main theme, which in turn is followed by a development section featuring incessant running notes and fragments of the fanfare. The main theme then returns in full, but is performed only once, and the movement closes abruptly. A theme and five variations make up the second movement. The theme is octatonic, and does not point to any tonal center, although the harmonies under the theme strongly suggest D major. The first variation makes use of the first few notes of the Dies irae chant, immersed in flurries of running notes, and returns before the third and fifth variations. The second variation is march-like in character, the third a waltz, the fourth a can-can, and the last a fugue. Stravinsky closes the Octet with a true rondo, which opens with a constant pulsing accompaniment from one of the bassoons while the other plays the main theme. The ensuing episode opens with a brass outburst and trumpet melody, which eventually dissolves into a reappearance of the main theme. The second episode features the flute, while the final appearance of the main theme, re-orchestrated and rhythmically altered, closes the movement.

The work was dedicated secretly to Vera Soudeikine (born de Bosset), whom Stravinsky had met in 1920, and with whom he had fallen in love and eventually married. Stravinsky conducted the first performance of the piece on October 18, 1923, the first time the composer had introduced one of his own works.


----------



## millionrainbows

I like it; got it dirt-cheap from Berkshire. It sounds fantastic in SACD. Parts of it sound like the repeated notes of Berio's "Sequenzas" or Stockhausen's Klavierstücke XII; other parts sound like Boulezian serial-figures flitting by, played crisply and precisely; still other parts sound like Spectralism, with sustained harmonic effects. All in all, a very interesting and listenable sonata. There is a lot of space in this, which I like. No clutter, just precise statement after statement.


----------



## Sid James

kv466 said:


>


OMG! I last saw Mr. Zehetmair in the 1990's. He came out here to do a concert with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Anyway, my memory of the man is shattered. I'm sorry Thomas, I don't think you've aged well. You where already balding then strongly, but you had a good amount of brown frizzy hair, Krusty the Clown style. Very artistic/creative type look. Anyway, I think it would not make a difference if I hadn't known him. But now you look like an aged lawyer or something. Or our former Prime Minister John HOward (but even he looked better). Oh dear.

This is truly shocking ...


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra's version of Beethoven's Symphonies No. 2 and No. 7. The more I hear Vanska the more I like his recordings. He is a really great conductor and the readings of his Beethoven symphonies is really good. I have heard things in them I had not heard before on other recordings.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

@ KP, How would you rate Vanska against HVK and Bernstein, for example? I've heard some of his Sibelius cycle, and was very impressed with his readings. Have you heard different nuances under him being brought out from the Beethoven which you didn't perceive with other conductors?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> @ KP, How would you rate Vanska against HVK and Bernstein, for example? I've heard some of his Sibelius cycle, and was very impressed with his readings. Have you heard different nuances under him being brought out from the Beethoven which you didn't perceive with other conductors?


Indeed I have! I like and enjoy the Karajan and Bernstein versions immensely but there are some things in the Vanska versions in the brass and woodwinds especially that I had not noticed before. His tempos are also really good. Closer perhaps to Toscanini's versions in a modern recording (if that makes sense).

Kevin


----------



## kv466




----------



## Carpenoctem

Grieg and Schumann Piano Concertos, both are awesome, but Schumann did something magical with that piece so I like it a bit more.


----------



## crmoorhead

opus55 said:


> Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber


I should be getting this boxed set in the post in the next few days.


----------



## Taneyev

L 1:

LAVOYE Louis; sonata violin&piano.

LAJTHA Laszlo: string quartet 7.

LALO: cello sonata.

LANGEVIN Claude; string sextet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today:
Nyman: MGV (listened to it at least five times)
Carl Vine: Symphonies 1-3
and some YouTube videos of theorbo music by Robert de Visée. 
Tonight I think I'll listen to Tchaikovsky's first symphony.


----------



## Bas

Don't know his Requiem yet. I love Zelenka, will check it out soon, ty!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mompou, Impresiones Intimaes* - Martin Jones

*Morton Feldman - Music for Film*. If you want your Feldman in small bites, here's one place to start. His style works well in a film environment. _For Aaron Copland_ and _De Kooning_ sound the most like Feldman. The theme for Something Wild is haunting, though it was rejected from the movie; the director didn't think it sounded enough like a rape scene.

*Morton Feldman, String Quartet.* I like the sounds he gets here.


----------



## Sonata

I just watched the first 45 minutes of *Turandot* on YouTube (*conducted by Levine)
*
My *Bruckner symphony set, conducted by Gunter Wand* just arrived last night, so I'm going to check out *symphony #4*. It is my very first foray into Bruckner, aside from a single listen his Mass in E minor. Wish me luck!


----------



## Vesteralen

Got this at the library after hearing some of the talk on this forum. Wow. I was prepared to minimize the influence on Mahler's First till I got to the third movement. Amazing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I need to work my way through this box set. I've only listened to 2 of the discs so far. Right now I'm exploring the earliest works... disc 1. Beethoven was already quite the mature composer. Some lovely work in the classical style if not as experimental as the late quartets.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Lourie*:The Blackamoor of Peter the Great; Funeral Games In Honor of Chronos; with Eschenbach et al (rec. 1996)

View attachment 6620


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> My *Bruckner symphony set, conducted by Gunter Wand* just arrived last night, so I'm going to check out *symphony #4*. It is my very first foray into Bruckner, aside from a single listen his Mass in E minor. Wish me luck!


I wish you good listening!

I just got through Philip Glass' *Koyaanisqatsi.*

If you listen to PDQ Bach's _Einstein on the Fritz_ after hearing this CD's title track, you'll bust up laughing, then realize how much Peter Schickele admires Philip Glass' music.


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I need to work my way through this box set. I've only listened to 2 of the discs so far. Right now I'm exploring the earliest works... disc 1. Beethoven was already quite the mature composer. Some lovely work in the classical style if not as experimental as the late quartets.


great purchase.. 50 years on, that set remains one of the best complete sets of the SQs... I really believe that should give you great pleasure for many years to come..

for me:


----------



## NightHawk

Schumann - Piano Quartet Op. 47
Schumann - Piano Quintet Op. 44
Emerson String Quartet with Menahem Pressler, piano

The Beaux Arts' Menahem Pressler is wonderful, as always, and the Emerson does some nice things when they are playing at _mp_ or so - but, overall there is a lot of loud, dry playing.


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 6622
> 
> Schumann - Piano Quartet Op. 47
> Schumann - Piano Quintet Op. 44
> Emerson String Quartet with Menahem Pressler, piano


beautiful music Nighthawk, but let me intro you to one of my favorite disks...










with original instruments.. if you're in the market for another version, the colours they radiate here are positively sumptuous!!


----------



## Guest

Stravinsky's Three Greek Ballets. A birthday gift from my sister.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Also working my way through this set. Currently listening to _Ch'io mi scordi de te?_ K. 505. A unique concert aria in that it combines the orchestral accompaniment with the solo piano... so that it is almost like a Mozart piano concerto with vocals.


----------



## NightHawk

I got a phone call while writing my thoughts and TC timed out, then found your post before I could edit my OP. I appreciate the recommendation very much, I'm not happy with the Emerson's sometimes dry, heavy handedness (Pressler is wonderful, however). Anyway, thanks again, Jared. nh



Jared said:


> beautiful music Nighthawk, but let me intro you to one of my favorite disks...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> with original instruments.. if you're in the market for another version, the colours they radiate here are positively sumptuous!!


----------



## Vesteralen

Getting my light classical fix for the year.


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> I got a phone call while writing my thoughts and TC timed out, then found your post before I could edit my OP. I appreciate the recommendation very much, I'm not happy with the Emerson's sometimes dry, heavy handedness (Pressler is wonderful, however). Anyway, thanks again, Jared. nh


Schumann is indeed a delicate flower, both in chamber and orchestral in my opinion, and perhaps even more so than Brahms, some of his subtlety of tone-colouring and phrasing can get lost in more muscular versions... of the more traditional versions, I tend to go back to the Beaux:










but I must say, the Michelangelo really was like listening to these pieces for the first time; the unexpressible joy which radiates from the Quintet in particular really undermines our views of his singularly depressive nature.


----------



## Jared

I must confess, some of Mendelssohn's Motets are very lovely... it's a shame they aren't better known...


----------



## Bas

Tonight I feel less baroque then usual, which is rather uncommon: I qualify for the wig dinosaur quite well. I'm in a italian opera/mass mood:

We've started with Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle (orchestral), conducted by Chailly, with a wonderful tenor singing the beautiful Domine Deus, on Decca:









To proceed I've moved on to the Vespro della Beata Vergine of Monteverdi (ah, we are almost touching the Baroque again). Conducted by Jacobs, with countertenor Andreas Scholl, CD on Harmonia Mundi:









And I will probably listen to some Verdi in the late evening, but I've not decided what exactly. Any suggestions?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ives, Concord Sonata, with Herbert Henck then Mompou, Musica Callada with Jenny Lin.*


----------



## Taneyev

You should try to listen to the original Hungarian Budapest, before the Russian invation. They were really good,


----------



## SAKO

Discovered a box of old vinyl in the attic whilst looking for something unconnected.

Currently listening to; for the first time in 30 years, CYCLONE by TANGERINE DREAM.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *again featuring Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 8.*


----------



## Conor71

*Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis On Themes Of Carl Maria Von Weber*

Now playing Disc 1 of this set (which just arrived yesterday) for a first listen - sounds very good so far: the music is pleasing and accessible


----------



## SAKO

Normal service now resumed.

DOMENICO SCARLATTI: various keyboard sonatas, performed by IVO POGORELICH,on DG.

I never tire of this. A brilliant CD throughout; performance, recording, packaging.............sublime. Highly recommended.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - _Piano Concerto_ No. 2, Op. 18 (Andrei Gavrilov/Riccardo Muti/Philadelphia Orchestra). _Preludes_, Op. 23, No's 1, 2, 5, 6, Op. 32 No. 12. _Elegie_, Op. 3, No. 1. _Moments Musicaux_, Op. 16, No's 3, 4, 5, 6 (Gavrilov).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Frédéric Chopin* - _Scherzo_ No. 3, Op. 39 (Sviatoslav Richter).


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Berio: Sinfonia

Luciano Berio's Sinfonia (1968-1969) premiered in its initial four-movement version under the composer's direction in 1968; Berio later added the fifth movement as a summation. Dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, this work was commissioned on the occasion of the 125th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic. The vocal parts in Sinfonia were composed for the Swingle Singers, famous for their a cappella renditions of many instrumental classics. Sinfonia is the first of Berio's pieces to directly engage the ghosts of music history, exemplified by Gustav Mahler, whose Second Symphony Berio's appropriates. Sinfonia uses a large, relatively traditional orchestra, and the eight voices of the Swingle Singers. Berio's use of the Mahler Scherzo and other appropriated material (including music of Bach, Boulez, Berg, Stravinsky, Stockhausen, and many others), does not, as the composer makes it clear, amount to the technique of collage. For example, the Mahler movement forms the philosophical and structural armature for the third movement of Sinfonia, at least partly as a basis for commentary on music history in general. Specifically, the distinctive characteristics of the Scherzo serves as catalysts for the proliferation of musical references with similar traits. The depth and extent of interconnectivity among these references parallels Berio's use of Beckett's narrative The Unnameable and the threads spun off from that text. One can hear Beckett throughout the movement, just as one can hear Mahler-blurred or momentarily obliterated by other sounds, other meanings, but always returning.

The first movement of Sinfonia begins with a wash of sound from a tam tam followed by an open chord in the voices. The vocal texts come primarily from structural anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss' Le cru et le cuit (The Raw and the Cooked). The piano plays an especially prominent role in this movement. The second movement demonstrates a technique of harmonic construction common in Berio's work from this period onward. Clearly stated is the initial, whole-tone-based chord that only in retrospect seems to grow in complexity as the movement progresses. Berio modified the harmonic density of this work in order to bridge the first and third movements. Once again, Berio manages to tie together a purely musical process and an extramusical reference. The sung text consists of syllables of the phrase "O Martin Luther King," which, in addition to honoring the human rights leader, allows Berio to use every vowel sound as an individual sonic element. The building up of the semantic entity of the phrase via the basic cells of language mirrors the similar process of generating harmonic cohesion from a basic collection of notes. The fourth movement disperses the energy of the third movement. The sung text centers on the phrase "Rose de sang" (rose of blood), a transformation of the text found in the fourth movement of Mahler's Second Symphony. Berio became convinced of the necessity of the fifth movement only after Sinfonia's initial performances. The complex fifth movement acts as a commentary on the entire piece, much as the third movement "analyzed" the Mahler Scherzo. Sinfonia also contains an encyclopedic store of technical and philosophical approaches to the problems of late twentieth century music. Not only does Sinfonia function effectively as a way to approach the music of the past, but it also seems to illuminate the future.


----------



## Vaneyes

1981


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Piano Concerto 2, with Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec. 1987).

View attachment 6634


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## EricABQ

Chopin piano sonata 2. Played by Povilas Stravinsky.


----------



## EricABQ

I've now moved on to Evgeny Kissin Plays Liszt, and I've poured myself a glass of bourbon.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I just picked up this... some fun music and fun performances. I was especially interested in getting hold of Arturo Marquez' _Danzón no. 2_ which I quite enjoyed on hearing it on the radio here some weeks of months ago.


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## Hausmusik

Beethoven, Piano Sonatas #1 & 2
Alfred Brendel


----------



## Hausmusik

And a little bit earlier. . .









Chopin, Piano Sonata #2
Marc-Andre Hamelin


----------



## Hausmusik

And now, listening for the first time to an early Schubert four-hand piano fantasy in G Minor, D. 9. . .not the masterpiece that D.940 is, but tons of fun.


----------



## Sid James

*Music by Australian composer Richard Mills.* His* 'Tenebrae' *is an emotional tribute to a friend and colleague, the late conductor, Stuart Challender. It takes the traditional 'pange lingua' plainchant theme on a journey, from grief, to consolation, to anger and more. It is very dark so I don't always listen to it, but it does give a sense of emotional release. I also heard a less intense work, the *'Symphony of Nocturnes,'* which is an image of the Australian bush, real and imagined. The second movement, with the bunyip (a mythical creature) depicted humorously with a wailing theremin, is my favourite part. The thing about Mills' music is that it has very colourful use of percussion and strong rhythms, and that is because he started out as a percussionist.

For some of my earlier (more detailed) reviews of this cd, click the links below:
http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post263296
http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-3.html#post262038

The composer conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orch. in this performance.


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## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ives, Concord Sonata, with Herbert Henck...*


Manx, You might like this version of Ives' Concord.









Thread duty: Webern


----------



## Hausmusik




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## StlukesguildOhio

This ought to win me a "like" from Sid James:lol:










The "highlights" disc (also conducted by Pappano) with Domingo and Deborah Voigt was quite spectacular so I will have to see just how well Nina Stemme does in this instance.


----------



## Hausmusik

Schubert
Symphony #3
Bohm

To atone for running it down in another thread.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor and Symphony No.9 in D Major, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## samurai

@ Hausmusik, I've been contemplating buying that Schubert Cycle with Bohm. What do you think of it?


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## Hausmusik

samurai said:


> @ Hausmusik, I've been contemplating buying that Schubert Cycle with Bohm. What do you think of it?


Samurai, I spent a recent trip listening to the whole cycle twice (I ripped it all to a single mp3 CD for the ride) and I think it's superb. Very rarely, the tempi are a bit slower than I like (for instance the first mvmt of 5th---I prefer Mackerras/OAE here, though this has something to do with period instruments too) but the orchestra sounds sumptuous and Bohm's conducting is wonderfully alert and imaginative throughout. It is astonishing to me how convincing he is at conveying the joy of the lighter pieces (e.g. 5 and 6), the storm-and-stress of #4, and the depth and majesty of the great final masterpieces (8 and 9).

The only other complete cycle I (used to) own is the Colin Davis one; he was great in 1-6 but he didn't pull off the 8 and 9 for me: there he seemed dull and unimaginative, perhaps a bit intimidated even by other renditions of these works.

I think you can't go wrong with Bohm as your base cycle, but I'd also recommend supplementing it with the Mackerras/OAE twofer (a favorite of mine) for another perspective on 5, 8 (completed) and 9.


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## samurai

@ Hausmusik, Thanks so much for your analysis and recommendation. Am I given to understand that this Bohm Cycle is HIP informed, or were you referring to the Mackerras?


----------



## Hausmusik

samurai said:


> @ Hausmusik, Thanks so much for your analysis and recommendation. Am I given to understand that this Bohm Cycle is HIP informed, or were you referring to the Mackerras?


The Mackerras/OAE is the HIP one, and it's tops. This Bohm cycle is old school, but in a way I like.


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## samurai

@ Hausmuik, You have just gone a long way in helping me to decide whether to purchase the Bohm or Harnoncourt Schubert Cycles. It sounds as if I can't go wrong with the Bohm, then. Thanks again!


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## Hausmusik

You're welcome, Samurai. I have heard the Harnoncourt. It is good and in more recent sound than Bohm, but it's probably more expensive too. EDIT: Looks like they are about the same price. I prefer the Bohm. 

One other cycle I quite like but do not own is the new Marriner one with all ten (!) symphonies. You can stream it on Spotify.


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## Arsakes

Dvorak:
- Cypresses
- Seven Interludes
- Slavonic Dances 1,2 (Both in Orchestral and Piano duet)


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## Sid James

StlukesguildOhio said:


> This ought to win me a "like" from Sid James:lol:
> 
> ...


Well, nooooo.

But actually Domingo would get a half like. The man is a legend.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Berg: three pieces for orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 1


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## Sid James

A cd of* Brahms *on Philips/Eloquence label.
- Violin Concerto, with ARthur Grumiaux, vln.
- Academic Festival Overture
- Tragic Overture
- Alto Rhapsody, with Aafje Heynis (alto)
& COncertgebouw Orch. Amsterdam under Eduard van Beinum

A great lineup here, these works need no introduction, but if I have to pick a favourite, its the *'Tragic Overture.' *I've always loved it, it is dark but also speaks to consolation and hope. Brahms seems to be saying 'Don't worry, things will turn out alright in the end.'


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## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 10, W 511, "Amerindia"*

Now playing Disc 7 of this set (the final Disc) which features the Symphony No. 10 - this is a choral Symphony I think.


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## kiliand

Now listening to Bruckner's 8th Symphony. Currently as I'm writing this I'm at the 3rd movement. Beautiful, soft and tender, yet explosions of sound. Agony, yes, it hurts a little. Mentally. But it's also soothing. Quite weird this feeling. All I know is that this is one of the best things I've heard in a while.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to Beethoven's fourth symphony played by Le Chambre Philharmonique. Now I'll listen to Glass' second and third symphonies.


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## Nadia

I'm listening to Alkan's Funeral march on the death of a parrot.
What a sense of humour!


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## Nadia




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## Taneyev

L 2:

LAVRY Mark: 3 jewish dances for cello&piano.

LAZZARI Silvio: string quartet.

LE FLEM Paul; son.violin&piano.

LEKEU Guillomme; unfinished string quartet.


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## AndyS

Something for the afternoon


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## crmoorhead

Odnoposoff said:


> L 2:
> 
> LAVRY Mark: 3 jewish dances for cello&piano.
> 
> LAZZARI Silvio: string quartet.
> 
> LE FLEM Paul; son.violin&piano.
> 
> LEKEU Guillomme; unfinished string quartet.


Goodness me, I've not even heard of one of these composers. Back to the drawing board....


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## Hausmusik

Franz Schubert
Symphony #1, final movement
Karl Bohm: BPO


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## Hausmusik

Franz Schubert
Mass #3 in B-flat, D. 324
Bruno Weil: OAE


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## millionrainbows

I see that this is also available as a surround DVD; I'll have to consider that. This is very interesting listening; no knowledge of higher mathematics (or string theory-har-har-har) necessary. Xenakis gets every possible sound imaginable out of these boxes .


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## science

On the Katchen, I've only listened to op. 116-119 today.

Half of this is romanticism, but I promise that I do listen to a fair share of music from other periods as well.


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## opus55

Borodin: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2


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## Hausmusik

R. Schumann
Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op. 44
Emerson Quartet & M. Pressler


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## Taneyev

crmoorhead said:


> Goodness me, I've not even heard of one of these composers. Back to the drawing board....


You shouldn't worry my friend; mi speciality are composers very few have ever heard of. I don't have dozens of standard repertory pieces, but rarities on chamber, I've hundreds.


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## Hausmusik

Brahms, Piano Quartet #3, Op. 60
Domus


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## Morgante

*Rossini
Tancredi*
_Zedda Podles_


----------



## Vesteralen

Some of today's listens.


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## Morgante

*Bellini
Messa in la minore*
_Brizio, Prague
_
Beautiful!


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## Arsakes

Dvorak:
- Piano Trio 1,3

Schumann:
- Symphony No 1,2,3,4
- Piano Quartet and Quintet
- Violin Concerto
- String Quartet 1,2

Such a good day


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## StlukesguildOhio

A very operatic oratorio... to the point of blurring the line between the forms. Of course the same could be said of Handel's oratorios. There are elements... especially within the Italianate arias... that suggest the Baroque... but there is a far greater clarity... simplicity... and transparency to the music that is clearly of the "classical era" in manner. Giovanni Paisiello... with nearl 100 operas, 20 cantatas, 12 oratorios, well over 100 other sacred choral works... as well a handful of instrumental works is surely yet another composer ripe for re-discovery.


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## Hausmusik

Arsakes said:


> Schumann:
> - Piano Quartet and Quintet
> - Violin Concerto


Arsakes, I have listened to all three of these today as well. Cheers.


----------



## Ravndal

Prokofiev: Sarcasms op.17


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## opus55

Beethoven: 15 Piano Variations and Fugue in E flat, Op.35 "Eroica Variations"


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 1, W 114, "The Unexpected"*

Back to work on this Symphony set and starting with Disc 1.


----------



## Morgante




----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.105 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105,* all performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Hausmusik

Bach, Art of Fugue (on piano)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Quartets by Quatuor Mosaiques*, then *Mendelssohn's Paulus.*


----------



## Bas

Belgian contemporary composer Wim Mertens:






I have seen him once live, in Brugge, Belgium. Wonderful musician, with a very beautiful voice. He makes some 'different' music. I don't know if he can be called 'classical', but it certainly is far from pop music or anything else...

I'm quite curious what your opinions are. :tiphat:


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## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely music in the Impressionist tradition.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Zimmer*: Aurora






Related:

https://watertowermusic.moontoast.com/estore/embed/1336


----------



## millionrainbows

*Bojan Gorisek* is one of my favorite pianists. The Steinway, as in all the Audiophile Classics that I've heard is always close-miked, with plenty of low-end oomph, which only a Steinway can deliver in that distinctive way. This disc (from the box set) includes *Vexations,* here going on for 23 plus minutes. A strange 13-note melody opens the piece, which is then harmonized with various diminished, augmented, and flat-seven chords. The result is a harmonically ambiguous succession (not progression) of chords, which hang suspended and seem to lead to nowhere. The perception becomes trance-like, and has a calming effect which even house cats cannot protest. 
*Vexations* is part of the *"Pages mystiques" (Mystical Pages),* sketch-like harmonic studies in the line of Satie's religious works, such as the *Messe des pauvres (1895).* *John Cage* was responsible for its publication in 1949, and for its first performance (the "long" version of 840 repetitions, requiring 18 hours and tag-teams of pianists, earning a mention in the Guiness Book). Satie is an enigma.


----------



## Lenfer

Followed By,


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.1 in E Major, Op.5 {"Slavonian Symphony"}, Symphony No.2 in F-Sharp Minor {"In Memory Of Lizst"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.33. *All three works feature the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Vladimir Fedoseyev.


----------



## Sid James

Lenfer said:


> Followed By,


Glad you're enjoying Saint-Saens. I have been too. The cello concertos (on Naxos) and piano concertos, all five of them, on Aussie Eloquence (Roge is on that set too, playing Nos. 1 & 3). He has done a lot to promote these, he actually came out here in recent years to play the 5th, the 'Egyptian.' Love that one, its a favourite - like a travelogue going from France to Egypt to Asia and back again - but I love them all. I've covered them all on my weekend listening blog on this forum.



Hausmusik said:


> ...
> Brahms, Piano Quartet #3, Op. 60
> Domus


Love that work, I've got that set. Have heard the first cd - with that 3rd one and the first piano quartet. I'm yet to hear the other disc. I love the autobiographical aspect of #3, a homage to Schumann, he started it when Schumann was getting ill and in decline, but Brahms did not come back to finish it until about 20 years later. Very dark and he pulls no punches to show his emotion. He even went against convention, ending in C minor, not in C major, and this bought a few criticisms from hard core conservatives at the time.



science said:


> ...
> Half of this is romanticism, but I promise that I do listen to a fair share of music from other periods as well.


Yeah but you got to go FORWARD. So forget the wigs and beards, Brahms is an old fuddy duddy.

So this is your to listen to list for future:

Baldies - Schoenberg, Prokofiev, Hindemith, Sibelius
White hairs (in their older years, so ONLY their late works will do) - Bartok, Ligeti, Varese
Scientific glasses - Stravinsky, Messiaen, Copland (who is also a baldy, but I put him in this category, and there ain't notin you can do bout it!).

ENJOY and REPORT BACK here...or else...


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## Sid James

*Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe *and* Bolero*. I love the 'Daybreak' bit in _Daphnis_, not only like what it depicts in terms of nature, but basically orgasmic. As for _Bolero_, its known Ravel was very critical of it, but I like to hear it from time to time. Certainly when its played well, as here, it works a treat.

This performance was by the City of Birmingham Sym. Chorus & Orch. under Simon Rattle.


----------



## Lenfer

Thanks *Sid*, I've been in the that kind of mood since I got your message. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you feeling glum at the moment but I will do when I'm a tad more chipper.


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## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 4-6


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> ENJOY and REPORT BACK here...or else...


Will do!

If I have the house to myself this afternoon, that's my exclusive listening. But if my wife comes home... she doesn't have a lot of tolerance for anything as modern as Debussy, and I'd rather not start a work than have her demand in the middle that I change it to something else, so I have to get pretty conservative around her, strictly limited to "classical music" from the mid-Renaissance to mid-Romanticism, jazz before about 1970, and pop without too much bass or strong rhythm. So I have to get in that avant-garde jazz and modernist music when she's gone. Or I have to use my headphones.


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> Will do! ...


Excellent!



> ...
> ... But if my wife comes home... she doesn't have a lot of tolerance for anything as modern as Debussy...so I have to get pretty conservative around her, strictly limited to "classical music" from the mid-Renaissance to mid-Romanticism, jazz before about 1970, and pop without too much bass or strong rhythm. So I have to get in that avant-garde jazz and modernist music when she's gone...


Sounds like someone I know as well. It is a family member but I don't live with this person. I once put on Elliott Carter's music. The response: "Turn off that ****!" But this person is more 'progressive' than your other half sounds to be. Eg. Debussy, Ravel and some other things are fine with this person. If it has some melody and not too in your face, it's fine. But some of Stockhausen's more spacy electronic music - eg. Spirals I & II, Wache, Japan - went down okay. I think that type of thing sounds more ambient and chill out, despite ocassional dissonances/disturbances. But ironically, not Philip Glass (although the response was not as 'emphatically negative' as that to Carter's stuff).

Everyone has their limits. I think you know mine. & reading anecdotes/opinions of the 'great' composers, man, they had their limits, don't you worry. Some would call Carter "****," definitely. But others would not. That's life, it varies for individuals.

I think its hard in your situation, but taking any opportunity you can for listening sans headphones is the way to go.


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> Excellent!
> 
> Sounds like someone I know as well. It is a family member but I don't live with this person. I once put on Elliott Carter's music. The response: "Turn off that ****!" But this person is more 'progressive' than your other half sounds to be. Eg. Debussy, Ravel and some other things are fine with this person. If it has some melody and not too in your face, it's fine. But some of Stockhausen's more spacy electronic music - eg. Spirals I & II, Wache, Japan - went down okay. I think that type of thing sounds more ambient and chill out, despite ocassional dissonances/disturbances. But ironically, not Philip Glass (although the response was not as 'emphatically negative' as that to Carter's stuff).
> 
> Everyone has their limits. I think you know mine. & reading anecdotes/opinions of the 'great' composers, man, they had their limits, don't you worry. Some would call Carter "****," definitely. But others would not. That's life, it varies for individuals.
> 
> I think its hard in your situation, but taking any opportunity you can for listening sans headphones is the way to go.


The point about composers not appreciating each other's (others'?) music is good. I need to think about that.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - _Piano Concerto_ No. 3, Op. 30. _Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini_, Op. 43 (Andrei Gavrilov/Riccardo Muti/Philadelphia Orchestra). _Etudes Tableaux_, Op. 39, No's 3, 5 (Gavrilov).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Pierre Boulez* - _Piano Sonata_ No. 2 (Maurizio Pollini).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Here's Duo 19:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dan McKay (my guitar teacher) on right and Antony Field (my guitar assessor and head of classical guitar at Melbourne University) on left.
> 
> Music on the CD consists of 20th, 21st century repertoire including _Brolga_ by Phillip Houghton, _Zamorra_ by Terry Riley, _Songs form the Forest_ and _Hinchinbrook Riffs_ by Nigel Westlake among others. Dan and Antony both play guitars made by Greg Smallman whether you like it or not. :devil:


^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This.


----------



## Taneyev

L 3:

LEVITIN Yuri: string quartet Nº9.

LEVY Alexis Roland Manuel: string trio.

LEVY Ernest; quintet with bass.

LEVY Frank Ezra: suite for solo viola.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Odnoposoff said:


> L 3:
> 
> LEVITIN Yuri: string quartet Nº9.
> 
> LEVY Alexis Roland Manuel: string trio.
> 
> LEVY Ernest; quintet with bass.
> 
> LEVY Frank Ezra: suite for solo viola.


Soon you will be up to composers with last names beginning with LI. Would you like some recommendations?


----------



## opus55

Bach

Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 4-6
English Suites Nos. 1 and 6


----------



## Taneyev

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Soon you will be up to composers with last names beginning with LI. Would you like some recommendations?


Yes, Bo LINDE.

BTW: do you ever gess that there were so many Levitic composers around?


----------



## opus55

Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time


----------



## SAKO

J S BACH

The Well Tempered Clavier I & II: Selection.

Wilhelm Kempff

My 1980 German issued Deutsche Grammophon 12" vinyl. Doesn't appear to be easily available on CD. A shame. Worth tracking down.


----------



## Chrythes

Vytautas Barkauskas - Jeux.
Decided to listen as much as I can to Lithuanian composers.









The violin part is (at least to my ears) masterfully written, and is very dominant throughout the whole piece. On the other hand the orchestration is a bit poor, it usually appears as sudden, strong bits (I guess it was the intention) so it lacks some volume, but still, it's an interesting and enjoyable contemporary piece.

"Vytautas Barkauskas, one of the most prolific Lithuanian composers, belongs to the same generation as Alfred Schnittke, Sofija Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli or Arvo Pärt. In the early 60-ies the composer was one of the first in Lithuania to experiment with serial and aleatoric composition, collage and other technics. In the 70-ies the composer moved towards more intuitive composition, aiming at the natural beauty of sound, writing more chamber and intimate compositions with "silent culminations" (Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra). "I do not restrict myself to any single composition system, but am constantly searching for a natural synthesis of styles. I want to write expressive, emotional and effective music", Vytautas Barkauskas says.".


----------



## Taneyev

Then, you should listen to Leopold Godowsky.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Will do!
> 
> If I have the house to myself this afternoon, that's my exclusive listening. But if my wife comes home... she doesn't have a lot of tolerance for anything as modern as Debussy, and I'd rather not start a work than have her demand in the middle that I change it to something else, so I have to get pretty conservative around her, strictly limited to "classical music" from the mid-Renaissance to mid-Romanticism, jazz before about 1970, and pop without too much bass or strong rhythm. So I have to get in that avant-garde jazz and modernist music when she's gone. Or I have to use my headphones.


She can have a sewing room, and you can have a listening room.


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy - La Mer

This is actually really good

Time to hear "Jeux" for the first time


----------



## Hausmusik

Listening to Schubert's early String Quartet in G Minor, D.173
Alban Berg Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Messiaen*: Quatuor Pour Fin Du Temps, with Trio Fontenay/Brunner (rec. 1991).

This work's been out of my collection for years. I thought I'd revisit. After auditioning several, I'm favoring this rec. for tone, cohesiveness, and warmth of recorded sound.

Stark, austere, overbearing instrument(s), were some things I didn't want this time around.

View attachment 6680


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another work by Giovanni Paisiello. This time a legitimate opera. Too bad Spotify doesn't include the libretto. This opera was composed during Paisiello's stay in Russia and it became one of Catherine the Great's favorites. One can see why... it is a fun,,, bubbling... scintillating opera. One cannot help but see the roots of Mozart's operas... especially _Le nozze di Figaro_... in this work.


----------



## Morgante

​
*Bellini
La sonnambula*

_Bonynge, Sutherland, Maggio Fiorentino_


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The recent attention given to the Classical Era has piqued my interest in experiencing more of the period with which I am perhaps most woefully ignorant. Sabine Meyer is marvelous, as always... as are Krommer and Spohr. Meyer was the soloist who led to Herbert von Karajan's conflict with the Berlin Philharmonic as the orchestra, which had long been a male-only institution, bristled at Karajan's choice for the open clarinet position. Meyer's reputation as a soloist, and her numerous brilliant recordings go toward suggesting the old maestro was right.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *again featuring Maestro Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## NightHawk

The Arditti Quartet, long associated with modern music, are stunning in this recording of Berio's four, one movement, String Quartets. The quartet, _notturno_, track 1 - 25:00, is a great work among great works, in my opinion. From the impressive liner notes re _notturno_ (1993):

_...an atmosphere of extreme expressive concentration in which sound is born of silence ('pppp quasi senza suono) - almost soundless and returns there ('sparire' - disappearing)._

Fantastically difficult, "only five quartets have ever recorded the work", The Berg Quartet being one along with the Arditti. It shimmers and whispers and is never anything but gorgeous (yes, _gorgeous_), and fascinating listening. I've not heard the other three quartets yet, because I can't get past _notturno_! (the other three: _glosse_, 1997 - _sincronie_, 1963-64 - and _Quartuor No. 1_, 1956.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Moving on the recommendation of member Rinaldino, I am giving a first listen to this:










I agree that there is much to admire in these works... and the performances by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra are quite strong... powerful even. Kraus is indeed someone to explore in greater depth.


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune

Berliner Phil.

amazing piece


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been plugging the names of various classical musician little-known to myself into Spotify to see just what would pop up. I made such an attempt with the name Johann Friedrich Agricola. Agricola, after all, had studied under J.S. Bach and later Johann Joachim Quantz before gaining an appointment as court composer to Frederick the Great. Unfortunately, very little came up by Agricola... or at least by Johann Friedrich Agricola. When I simply plugged the name Agricola into the site, I ended up hitting on Alexander Agricola... a far earlier composer (c. 1445 - 15 August 1506) by whom I have a couple of discs. The first disc on Spotify, however, was this:










Seeing the name of one of my favorite "Early Music" ensembles, Fretwork, and one of my favorite singers, the countertenor, Michael Chance, I had to give this a listen.

Some rather interesting work... instrumental pieces with folk music-like drones and sudden unexpected elements of shifting tonalities. The instrumental pieces are offset by the exquisitely beautiful chansons beautifully sung by Michael Chance... as well as the first recordings of 2 of the expert in Agricola's music, Fabrice Fitch's "agricologies"... pieces inspired by Agricola's work which retain a Renaissance framework... yet push even further the elements of dissonance and shifting tonalities. Quite an intriguing disc.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, saxophone concerto, conducted by Jose Serebrier.


----------



## Sid James

*La Cage Aux Folles: The Broadway Musical (1983 Original Broadway Cast) *
Music & lyrics by Jerry Herman ; book by Harvey Fierstein
Cast incl. Gene Barry as Georges & George Hearn as Albin.

A great musical about outsiders basically giving the message of the title of one of the songs 'I am what I am.' Its about making a stand for who you are, in this case a drag queen having a relationship to a bisexual married man, whose son is about to marry into a political family which will have none of this stuff. Well after a lot of farce and some pretty deep and soulful moments - provided by the rich and expressive voice of Gene Barry - all is right in the end. This musical reminds me in some ways of my favourite musical - Kander/Ebb's 'Cabaret' - but its less dark. The signature song 'Le Cage aux Folles' for the whole company sums up the anything-goes atmosphere of the little club at St. Tropez. 'Song of the Sand' and 'Look Over There' could have easily been hit ballads in the 1960's. Then there's 'Masculinity,' a sending up of every stereotyped 'manly' thing in the book, from John Wayne to Rasputin (didn't really think the latter was that manly, just 'mystical,' but anyway). _La Cage Aux Folles _opened August 21 1983 at the Palace Theatre, New York City.


----------



## millionrainbows

I like this label, this series, these artists, the discs themselves (gold), and the prices ($7.99). Russian artists, excellent recordings (if you like close-miked pianos without a lot of ambient 'room' sound). This disc has 4 different pianists. Unusual; a complete Beethoven sonata cycle as a "collective" effort. Stalin would be proud. All of the playing is top-notch. The catalog features a complete Tchaikovsky symphony series, and several lesser-known operas, as well as a historical Concertgebouw series of (mono) historical recordings, some Shumann piano, some obscure Grieg, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Russian tone poems, and more.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ligeti's String Quartet No. 2 played by the Arditti String Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

*Jose Carreras' tribute to the great Mario Lanza*, a tenor who inspired him at a young age & also* Richard Mills' **orchestral music,* the very atmospheric picture of Far North Queensland that is the _Bamaga Diptych _and also another work thats similarly colourful but partly autobiographical, _Pages from A Secret Journal_.

Earlier reviews of the Mills cd here:
http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post263296
http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-3.html#post262038
& of the Carreras cd here:
http://www.talkclassical.com/1005-current-listening-566.html#post167785


----------



## kv466




----------



## opus55

Weber: Clarinet Quintet


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach's Hamburg Concertos.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to the Sibelius symphonies 4 & 5 by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Sibelius never fails to move me even though I have heard all of them many many times. I especially love the 5th. It reaches to my heart and carries me along.










Now listening through the complete solo concertos of Mendelssohn. Just beautiful creations in my opinion!










Kevin


----------



## Chrythes

Odnoposoff said:


> Then, you should listen to Leopold Godowsky.


But he's not Lithuanian, he's a Polish-Jew that happened to be born in Lithuania.


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Broadwood Heritage" - Malcolm Binns, various fortepianos


----------



## Crudblud

Carter - String Quartet No. 2 (Composers SQ)
Buxtehude - Te Deum Laudamus, BuxWV 218 (Walter Kraft)
Milhaud - Sonata for Flute, Clarinet, Oboe and Piano (Nicolet/Holliger/Brunner/Maisenberg)
Nancarrow - String Quartet No. 1 (Arditti SQ)
Nielsen - Wind Quintet, FS 100 (Melos Ensemble)
Martinu - La Jolla, H. 328
Zimmermann - Monologe (Grau/Schumacher)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have decided that I must sit down and go through every Haydn symphony. Tonight I will listen to nos. A and B and then decide if I should go in chronological order from there.


----------



## Crudblud

^I got in to the 30s before I just couldn't take it anymore. Good luck.


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have decided that I must sit down and go through every Haydn symphony. Tonight I will listen to nos. A and B and then decide if I should go in chronological order from there.


Speaking as a massive Haydn fan - as someone whos first love with classical music was a Haydn symphony - I strongly advise you, if you must make a chore-like project of it, to do it in _reverse_ chronological order.

But really my advise would be to not make a chore of it.


----------



## Rinaldino

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have decided that I must sit down and go through every Haydn symphony. Tonight I will listen to nos. A and B and then decide if I should go in chronological order from there.


I think chronological order may be a wise choice. Everyone I know who has accomplished the task has done it that way.

Anyway I'm currently listening to Arriaga's String Quartet n. 3 in E-flat major.


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> ...
> 
> But really my advise would be to not make a chore of it.


A symphony a day keeps the doctor away. Wait that's apples not symphonies. Or cookies since Haydn's symphonies are all cookie cutter and the same (joking! gotta love ol' papa Haydn)...


----------



## SimonNZ

"Robin And Marion: Secular Music ca. 1300" - Early Music Quartet


----------



## Taneyev

L 4:

LINDE Bo: sonata violin&piano.

LINDEGREN Johann: string quartet.

LIPINSKI Karol: string trio.

LITOLF Henry: piano trio.


----------



## belfastboy

Spanisches Liederspiel - Erste Begegnun Schumann, Robert,


----------



## Vesteralen

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have decided that I must sit down and go through every Haydn symphony. Tonight I will listen to nos. A and B and then decide if I should go in chronological order from there.


I've done it twice. One CD a day should do it in about two months. It was no chore for me. Love Haydn. And, though there are definitely some lesser works here, I found stuff to really like in all periods of his output. Be warned, the 10's, 20's and 30's, though containing the occasional gem, are probably the hardest to get through. You've got to stick with it till you get to the 40's at least.

Side note: actual chronological order, as opposed to number order, is a tricky business. I've never been able to find a really definitive list (one that contains no question marks). I found it easier just to stick to number order.


----------



## belfastboy

Irish Opera 'The Children of Lir' (very loudly)! by Patrick Cassidy

Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Act 2: Arie: Der Hölle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen (Königin)	Lucia Popp, Otto Klemperer & Philharmonia Orchestra	

Schumann: Dichterliebe - Ich Grolle Nicht Gerald Finley, Julius Drake	

Bazzini: La Ronde Des Lutins, Op. 25	Chloë Hanslip, Caspar Frantz


----------



## belfastboy

Scottish Fantasy - Introduction: Grave, Adagio Cantabile	

Franck: Piece heroique in B minor (from 3 Pieces for organ) Colin Walsh


----------



## Taneyev

Chrythes said:


> But he's not Lithuanian, he's a Polish-Jew that happened to be born in Lithuania.


Well, to Argentine legal sistem, a person has the nationality of the country where he was borne. So, if he did it in Lithuania, he was a Lithuanian. You can always adopt a different one in another country, and you'll have what is called nationality by adoption, but you never loose your original one. So, Kreisler will be always an Austrian, Perlman an Israeli, Szeryng a Polish...


----------



## NightHawk

*Joan Tower's* _Night Fields_ (1994) for String Quartet is much closer to the motivic, even melodic and tonal quartets of Bela Bartok (though with less dissonance), than the works of Luciano Berio [re my post yesterday]. This work is pensive and cinematic. The formal structure is clearly apparent, so one knows or has a sense of where they are throughout the work. The Muir String Quartet reminds me of the Guarneri SQ in this work with their beautiful sound concept and fine ensemble playing.

_Snow Dreams_ (1983) for Guitar and Flute (Carol Wincenc, fl, Sharon Isbin, gtr) is even more dreamy and conventional than Night Fields. It is a striking concert piece, maintaining its modern, yet audience-accessible harmonies and formal structure.

_Tres Lent_ in memoriam Olivier Messaien (1994) for piano and cello (Emilianov, cello - Tower, piano). Appropriately reflective, and elegiac, this work is my favorite work on this very listenable disc, which is great introductory music for anyone skeptical of what the term 'modern' can encompass and still be modern.

Other works on the disc: _Black Topaz_ (winds and percussion) and _Stepping Stones_ (two pianos).


----------



## Vesteralen

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 6692
> 
> 
> *Joan Tower's* _Night Fields_


Now, this is one I have to listen to.


----------



## Vesteralen

Pretty vicious opening movement. Like anything else, you get used to it after a while. But, it's impressive.

Also, I've been giving Telemann a chance. I've listened to the first three volumes of the CPO Wind Concertos series. Nothing I would buy, but a bit more interesting than I'd found this composer in the past.


----------



## belfastboy

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet In A, K 581 - Allegro The Nash Ensemble


----------



## Remixdj

*Clair de Lune - Claude Debussy*

Listening to perhaps the most comprehensive collection of Debussy's Clair de Lune imaginable....
Great little site with legal free downloads - bonus!

http://www.remixdj.co.uk/clair-de-lune/claude-debussy


----------



## belfastboy

Wieniawski / Polonaise de concert in D major Matthew Trusler (violin)

Chopin: Nocturne #2 In E Flat, Op. 9/2 Peter Schmalfuss

Mozart: Orgelstuck (Fantasia) in F minor, K 608 Steven Cleobury

String Quartet No. 2 in D major Borodin

Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 - Erbarme Dich Yo-Yo Ma,

Allegri giocoso, ma non troppo vivace London Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos / Igor Oistrakh (violin) Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 - cfm


----------



## Taneyev

belfastboy said:


> String Quartet No. 2 in D major


Borodin???


----------



## belfastboy

oops...sorry yes Borodin!


----------



## belfastboy

Somewhere Only We Know	City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra	Songs Without Words	Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin & Richard Hughes	I nearly draw tears listening to this...


----------



## Vesteralen

belfastboy said:


> Allegri giocoso, ma non troppo vivace	London Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos / Igor Oistrakh (violin)	Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 - cfm


You certainly get around, belfastboy. Spotifying by any chance?


----------



## belfastboy

I rather like this!!


----------



## belfastboy

Vesteralen said:


> You certainly get around, belfastboy. Spotifying by any chance?


Just constant surfing!


----------



## Rinaldino

Now:







Later :


----------



## NightHawk

This Turkish composer, Ahmed Saygun - I have never heard of him or his music. I read his very interesting Wiki entry and so he is on my list!



Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 6693
> 
> 
> Pretty vicious opening movement. Like anything else, you get used to it after a while. But, it's impressive.


----------



## belfastboy

Magnificat Mendelssohn, Felix

Piano Concerto In F, 'Egyptian' - Molto Allegro Saint-Saens, Camille


----------



## NightHawk

Korngold's ballet 'The Snowman' was a sensation in Vienna at its premiere and garnered a command performance for the Emperor Franz Josef - Korngold was 11 y/o at the time... His beautiful, R.Straussian opera _Die Tote Stadt_ was performed when he was 23 and was a worldwide sensation. It is still in the repertory of many opera houses.

This album of the early String Sextet in D, Op. 10 (1914-15) and the late String Quartet No. 3, in D, Op. 34 (1945) is no less beautiful. I think it a 'must have' for those who love chamber music for strings.


----------



## millionrainbows

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have decided that I must sit down and go through every Haydn symphony. Tonight I will listen to nos. A and B and then decide if I should go in chronological order from there.


Highlights:

Slow mvt, Oxford
#60 middle of finale
#90 False endings
"Farewell"
#82 end-bagpipes

"I have decided to join the Air Force."


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Of course I know the Piano Concerto no. 1 forward and backwards... and regardless of what anyone else might think... or whether it makes me look cool or not... I still love it. Nevertheless, SidJames brought up Tchaikovsky's other piano concertos and I realized that as much as I love the great Russian I'd never really listened to these... except perhaps in passing. Thus I picked up this cheap disc... not a bad purchase if one realizes that not only do you get all three Tchaikovsky concertos but also Prokofiev's 5th and Bartok's 2nd... performed by Gilels and Richter no less. I've never been big on Maazel (not the greatest conductor the Cleveland Orchestra ever had) but he's not bad... and the soloists are quite a bit better than that.

Anyway... I must say I am greatly enjoying this purchase which broadens my collection of great works by Tchaikovsky.

:tiphat:


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov* day:
- Symphony # 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 9


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Keyboard Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826*

Getting into Bach keyboard music played on the piano the last couple of days! - First up I am playing the Disc 1 of the Partitas set by Andras Schiff.


----------



## Ramako

Haydn op. 64 quartets. Medici quartet.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Domenico Mazzocchi* (1592-1662), _La Catena d'Adone_, pastoral opera (1626). This was an early opera, a generation after Monteverdi's but where one can already hear the beginnings of the recitative-aria format. (Note that Monteverdi's later surviving operas were probably from the early 1640s).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_catena_d'Adone


----------



## belfastboy

Francesco Geminiani Concerti Grossi Op 2 N 1-6,Op 3 N 1-4


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Violin Sonata No. 2 In A Major, BWV 1015*

Now playing this set which is some of the most favoured music in my collection.


----------



## belfastboy

Wagner ~ Tannhäuser Overture (with a cold glass of vino blanc).....awwww......


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Piano Sonatas 48-52 - Andreas Staier, fortepiano


----------



## opus55

Gilse: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Concertos 1 - 4, with Janis, Ashkenazy, Argerich, Michelangeli.

View attachment 6703
View attachment 6704
View attachment 6705
View attachment 6706


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Sonata's* happy week, playing D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas, with Tharaud.

View attachment 6707


----------



## Vaneyes

Kick-started by Composer Guestbook.

View attachment 6710


----------



## SimonNZ

Johannes Ciconia virelais, ballate and madrigals - Thomas Binkley


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both featuring the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Inventions & Sinfonias*

In a Bach kind of mood today - currently I am listening to Goulds recording of the Inventions & Sinfonias and after this I will play Nathan Milsteins Partitas & Sonatas for Solo Violin :angel:


----------



## Sid James

*Beniamino Gigli 'recital' *- collection of arias by Italian masters of opera. He's my favourite tenor of old times. I esp. like the arias from _Pagliacci_ - 'Vesti la giubba' is a classic - he was simply born for that role (& he's in costume for that on the cd cover, funnily enough). These recordings are from before 1945 and some great orchestras and conductors accompany Gigli, incl. a young John Barbirolli at the helm of the Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Carl Stamitz's 4 Symphonies played by the London Mozart Players.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Joseph Martin Kraus--*Symphony in E-Flat Major, VB 144, Symphony in C Major, VB 139 and Symphony in C Minor, VB 142. *All three works feature the Swedish Chamber Orchestra led by Petter Sundkvist.


----------



## NightHawk

This is beautiful, beautiful music. This is where Michael Haydn got his idea for the _Introitus_ of his C minor Requiem - the Pergolesi _Stabat Mater_ also begins with a very similar walking bass line and then high above, these wonderful suspensions between the great German counter-tenor Andreas Scholl and American Soprano, Barbara Bonney. Christophe Rousset leads the group _Les Talens Lyriques_, and I believe he was a member of William Christie's _Les Arts Florissants_ before stepping out to head his own very fine early music ensemble. Pergolesi's _Stabat Mater_ was apparently a much admired work from its premiere (1736). Some small recompense for dying at 26 years of age, one year before Michael Haydn was born in 1737. Highly recommended*****


----------



## Lenfer

Good series of recordings impressed but not ecstatic. Also listened to *Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem* and some *Stravinsky* the *Stravinsky* was a big mistake at this time in the morning.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 82 "Ich Habe Genug" - Hermann Prey / Kurt Thomas


----------



## millionrainbows

Another of the GG Jubilee Edition. With cover art as the original LP releases had, the discs are also exactly as released, this one clocking in at a mere 34:31. I like it that way; I feel like 80 minutes is too long.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Tallis' Lamentations Of Jeremiah - Pro Cantione Antiqua, London


----------



## Arsakes

Handel - some Organ Concertos

Berwald - some Symphonies (in D, E and C)


----------



## ProudSquire

A new composer and a new piece of work to listen to! 

Erik Satie Gnossienne No. 1 and Gnossienne No. 2
Performed by Håkon Austbø

Love it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Symphony No.5 "Reformation" - Lorin Maazel


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Watched an Opera Australia production of _Lakmé_ on the internet. The costumes and set designs were very elaborate, the singing was good, the orchestra was mediocre and the acting was abysmal.

Earlier today I listened to Debussy's _La Mer_ and now I'll go listen to some more Haydn symphonies.


----------



## Taneyev

L 5:

LOURIE Arthur: violin&viola duo.

LYAPUNOV Sergey: piano sextet.

LYATOSHINSKY Boris: sonata violin&piano.

LOEWE Karl: string quartet Nº1.

LOKSHIN Alexander: quintet clarinet&strings.


----------



## Morgante

*Rossini
Armida*
_Scimone, I Solisti Veneti_


----------



## Carpenoctem

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No.2

A magical piece, you can feel the Russian sadness, emotion and nostalgia in this concerto, also the performance is wonderful.


----------



## belfastboy

"Goodbye world, goodbye land, unfriendly land.﻿ My sufferings, my fierce, in cloud I will hide. And you, my Ukraine, unlucky widow, I will fly to you from cloud, for a talk. For a conversation, a quiet-sad, for an anvice; At midnight I'll be falling as a rich dew."

Valentin Silvestrov - Requiem for Larissa: IV. Largo


----------



## Head_case

Odnoposoff said:


> L 5:
> 
> LOURIE Arthur: violin&viola duo.
> 
> LYAPUNOV Sergey: piano sextet.
> 
> LYATOSHINSKY Boris: sonata violin&piano.
> 
> LOEWE Karl: string quartet Nº1.
> 
> LOKSHIN Alexander: quintet clarinet&strings.


Tell us more about the Karl Loewe string quartet please


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphony No. 101, The Clock.*

Gotta love Beecham.


----------



## Head_case

Listening to the Swiss-American Ernest Bloch string quartets. My version is by the Griller & the Fine Arts Quartet on LP.

I'm trying to listen to the Galatea on line but it doesn't have the depth on the computer speakers:










Interesting new recording I've not yet got:


----------



## Crudblud

Varèse - Amériques / Tuning Up (Chailly)
Boulez - Polyphonie X (Rosbaud)


----------



## pasido

Maslanka Symphony No. 4


----------



## EricABQ

I went for a long walk this morning and got through Beethoven's piano concerto 5, Mendelssohn's piano concerto 2, Schubert's symphony 8, and some Grieg from a compilation.


----------



## opus55

Onslow: Piano Trio No. 1 in A, Op. 3, No. 1


----------



## Taneyev

Head_case said:


> Tell us more about the Karl Loewe string quartet please


Have 2, op.24 Nº 1&2 by the Hallensia quartet. Lovely, romantic works, very well written, and almost totally unknown and unplayed. Look for CANTATE label, 2001. Maybe OOP.


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## cwarchc

Listened to the LvB piano sonatas for the listening club.
Not really doing it for me, but I'll have another listen next week.
I've moved onto my latest buys









I've listened a couple of times in the car on the way to work. However I sat down and really listened earlier.
I've got to say I like it.

I've moved onto another new one, came today









Just started it, never heard it before, so I'm ready with a cuppa and the headphones.


----------



## Manxfeeder

cwarchc said:


> I've moved onto another new one, came today
> 
> View attachment 6735
> 
> 
> Just started it, never heard it before, so I'm ready with a cuppa and the headphones.


I had that one. I let a friend borrow it. He thought it was a gift. Now I'm without it. Let me know if it's worth a repurchase.

Now I'm listening to the suite from Janacek's *Makropulos Affair*. I'm not a big fan of operas, so I'm glad this music was pulled out and repackaged; otherwise, I'd probably never have encountered it.

Then some French saxophone music. I like this player's sound. Particularly interesting to me is the _Tableaux de Provence,_ since that was my college audition piece a million years ago. He does some nice things with it.


----------



## Guest

PetrB said:


> Fulvio Caldini ~ Bestiale, Op. 83
> 
> ROOOWR!


My cat liked this one (I think).


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Sonata's* happy week, playing D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas, with Tharaud.
> 
> View attachment 6707


how nice! and good choice


----------



## opus55

Bach: Mass in B minor










Finally secured a time slot in my day to listen to this without interruption.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *again featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden and Herbert Blomstedt.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}, *featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *again featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Maestro Bohm.


----------



## Crudblud

PetrB said:


> Fulvio Caldini ~ Bestiale, Op. 83
> 
> ROOOWR!


Wow, reminds me of Zappa's Jazz From Hell record.


----------



## SimonNZ

Froberger works for harpsichord - Kenneth Gilbert


----------



## SimonNZ

opus55 said:


> Bach: Mass in B minor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally secured a time slot in my day to listen to this without interruption.


The recording I most admire of the composition I most admire.


----------



## opus55

SimonNZ said:


> The recording I most admire of the composition I most admire.


And I admire Herreweghe.

This is a giant work by a giant composer which will take me a while to digest; I love it already though. Herreweghe has not disappointed me so far. I got interrupted several times listening to it - including a power disruption caused by thunder storm


----------



## belfastboy

Judy garland: 'the man that got away' from 'a star is born.' a closer view.


----------



## EricABQ

Listening to Chopn's Barcarole played by Roland Pontinen while drinking some cheap Pinot.


----------



## Ravndal

Tonight it's all about "Manfred" Symphony by Tchaikovsky.

Going to enjoy this for the first time.


----------



## kv466




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Following member, Harpsichord Concerto's suggestions for HIP recordings of Telemann's instrumental work on CPO records, I picked up this and a few others. I have a good slew of Telemann already... but until now had been focused upon his vocal music (cantatas, oratorios, motets, masses, etc..)










These are indeed exquisite chamber works of the period... exquisitely performed. Absolutely delicious.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing with Telemann and the truly wonderful Elizabeth Wallfisch:


----------



## SimonNZ

Rossini's Peches de Vieillesse (selections) - Luciano Sgrizzi, piano


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Following member, Harpsichord Concerto's suggestions for HIP recordings of Telemann's instrumental work on CPO records, I picked up this and a few others. I have a good slew of Telemann already... but until now had been focused upon his vocal music (cantatas, oratorios, motets, masses, etc..)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These are indeed exquisite chamber works of the period... exquisitely performed. Absolutely delicious.


Hadta double-take that yellow cover.


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Continuing with Telemann and the truly wonderful Elizabeth Wallfisch:


Wallfisch has her own ensemble? I have to hear that.



Vaneyes said:


> Hadta double-take that yellow cover.


That was a really big yellow cover 

Double-take on Bach Mass in B minor / Herreweghe / Collegium Vocale. I rarely listen to the same thing twice in a row but this one has to be replayed.


----------



## Conor71

*Bax: November Woods*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hadta double-take that yellow cover.

Blinding, ain't it?:lol:


----------



## Guest

Imagine a time when you were perfectly happy and content, with not a care in the world. This is the music for that mood. If I could marry this music I would.

Highest recommendation for anyone who likes Magnard, Lekeu, and other off-the-beaten-path late French Romantic music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe de Vitry motets - Capella Antiqua Of Munich


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Sacred Cantatas from the Baroque Mastpiece Box Set.


----------



## Guest

National anthems, Chopin's Nocturne in E flat, op 9 no. 2, rubbish modern operas...I can't keep up!


----------



## ProudSquire

Today I listened to Cosi Fan Tutte and nothing else. :[


----------



## Conor71

*Wagner: Overtures & Preludes*

A rare listen to Wagner - this is pretty much all I own by him, like it though!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Haydn: symphonies nos. 2 and 3.

Now, _Götterdämmerung._


----------



## Taneyev

M 1:

MAC MILLAN Ernest; string quartet.

MALIPIERO: 4 pieces for violin&piano.

MAGNARD: cello sonata.

MAIER Amanda: sonata violin&piano.


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening, which I'm putting on my blog on this forum too. Got into some vinyls which I haven't heard for ages.
*
1. George Shearing Quintet: Shearing on Stage! live album on Capitol label*
_Shearing on piano/leader with Percy Brice, dr. ; Al Mckibbon, bass ; Emil Richards, vibes ; Jean Thielemanns, guitar & harmonica ; Armando Perazo, Latin percussions_
This is jazz, but I put it here to give you the full 'playlist.' This was done at Claremont College in California in about the 1960's. The English pianist Shearing was an innovator of post 1945 jazz, esp. in terms of being among the first to use Latin rhythms and things like odd rhythms and key changes. But his music is very listenable and basically easy to listen to. I really liked the Randy Weston composition_ Little Niles_, which Shearing joked was "like a civilised Thelonius Monk." It was a swinging waltz. I really liked Shearing's down to earth sense of humour when he introduced the pieces. 

*2. DEbussy: La Mer ; Prelude to the AFternoon of a Faun ; Jeux - on Columbia label*
_New Philharmonia ORch. under Pierre Boulez_
I really connected with _La Mer_, a work that I've had 'issues' with in the past. I heard the thematic connections more this time. The ending, _Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea_, makes me think I'm at sea rocking quite violently in a ship. Also amazing is _Jeux, _my favourite orchestral work by Debussy, here done with quite a strong dark undertow I thought, bringing out the psychological aspects of the music.

*3. Brahms: String Sextet #1 in B flat, Op. 18*
_Principals of the London Philharmonic Orch. _(EMI, publ. 1975)
One of my favourite works by Brahms, and he wrote it when he was only 27. His lifelong friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, consulted him on the string writing. Clearly audible in the second and third movements is a strong Hungarian flavour, which was Joachim's homeland. This performance was quite vigorous I thought, compared to others I'd heard.

*4. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35*
_David Oistrakh, vln. / Philadelphia Orch. / Eugene Ormandy _(CBS label)
Although this concerto is in the same key as Brahms' one from about the same time, they don't have much else in common. Tchaikovsky's concerto is more song-like and has these long sinuous lines for the soloist as well as pyrotechnical virtuoso fireworks in the famous finale. This performance was among the first David Oistrakh recorded in America, and its still a 'benchmark' interpretation after about 50 years. Just amazing synthesis here of emotional expression as well as technical brilliance. Listening to this after so long time was an adventure of sorts, and a treat.


----------



## Ravndal

Just started enjoying La Mer aswell  Now it's almost constantly on repeat.


----------



## Taneyev

Oistrakh's recorded Tch.half a dozen times, and played it live probably a hundred. I heard him live in Buenos Aires in the 50s. But his very first recording of the piece was with Alexander Gauk and the Radio of the URSS S.O. in 1938.
As to Ormandy, he was famous conducting violinists. You should remember that he begun as one, as a Hubay's pupil. There are even a few recordings of Ormandy playing the violin.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Fibich's String Quartet No.2 - Panocha Quartet


----------



## science

Hasn't been very long since I listened to these, but I was in the mood again last night.

































You can't tell from the cover, but the Ansermet disk includes Glazunov's The Seasons, which is what I listened to. Of the Elgar, I listened only to the Serenade and "In the South (Alassio)," not the symphonies.


----------



## Ravndal

Elgar - Enigma Variations


----------



## Crudblud

Hindemith - Trio for Heckelphone, Viola and Piano


----------



## Jared

Conor71 said:


> *Wagner: Overtures & Preludes*
> 
> A rare listen to Wagner - this is pretty much all I own by him, like it though!


yes, that's pretty much all I'd want to own, too...


----------



## Arsakes

Boccherini:
- Cello Concerto No.9
- Symphony in B flat major / in C major

Chopin:
- Piano Concerto in E minor Op.11

Bruckner:
- Symphony No.3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second listen to this marvelous disc.


----------



## NightHawk

Brahms, String Quartet No.2 in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2 & Schumann SQ No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1

Janacek, String Quartets No. 1 ('Kreutzer') & No. 2 ('Intimate Letters')


----------



## neoshredder

LIstening to Symphony 5 from Schnittke from this.


----------



## Sonata

introducing my baby girl to Richard Strauss, 4 last songs. Sung by Renee Fleming.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Anton Webern* by the LaSalle Quartet, then *Mozart's 20th Piano Concerto.*


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Schumann: Kreisleriana


----------



## Conor71

Jared said:


> yes, that's pretty much all I'd want to own, too...


I've got Tristan & Isolde as well (forgot about that!) and used to own the Ring too but I pretty much just stick with the Orchestral highlights now


----------



## Conor71

*Verdi: Rigoletto*


----------



## Sonata

Conor71 said:


> I've got Tristan & Isolde as well (forgot about that!) and used to own the Ring too but I pretty much just stick with the Orchestral highlights now


I have the "Ring Without Words" and that's a great album. I got in on a lark because so many people raved about Wagner here, that I figured I was missing something. Turns out I prefer his orchestral only stuff.


----------



## Ravndal

Listening trough the "songs without words" cycle by mendelssohn

played by daniel barenboim. i like the peter nagy versions better, but he havent recorded the whole cycle.

can someone recommend me a better musician for these pieces? never liked barenboim


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Ravndal

Vaughan Williams - The Lark Acending


----------



## EricABQ

Tchaikovsky's symphony 4 with a bottle of cheap Italian red. 

I've had this recording for awhile but this is th first listen.


----------



## belfastboy

Monti Csardas


----------



## samurai

EricABQ said:


> Tchaikovsky's symphony 4 with a bottle of cheap Italian red.
> 
> I've had this recording for awhile but this is th first listen.


The real question is, though, for how long have you had the vino?


----------



## karstenbay

Schubert: Unfinished


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravndal said:


> Listening trough the "songs without words" cycle by mendelssohn
> 
> played by daniel barenboim. i like the peter nagy versions better, but he havent recorded the whole cycle.
> 
> can someone recommend me a better musician for these pieces? never liked barenboim


Unhesitatingly: Daniel Adni on EMI. And Adni's Complete Grieg Lyric Pieces is equally essential.


----------



## EricABQ

samurai said:


> The real question is, though, for how long have you had the vino?


About 90 minutes before I opened it.

It didn't quite last that long after opening.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3
Schubert: Schwanengesang


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This disc has some lovely music... brilliantly performed with the cleanest sound imaginable... but the complete set is at least 18 volumes (That's currently the highest number I've seen on Amazon). Now it would be nice if BIS had someone who is experienced in the music of the era and in CPE Bach's music especially select perhaps 2 or 3 discs worth of the finest... best examples of these works. I really cannot imagine anyone outside of a specialist picking all of these up.

HarpsichordConcerto... this is your turf... any ideas concerning this set?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another one of those "boring" and "formulaic" Classical-Era composers.


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Boult.
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Boult.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Utah Symphony and Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## Arsakes

Beethoven:
- Symphony # 4,5
- Egmont Overture
- Piano Concerto # 2,4,5
- Romance for the Violin # 1,2


----------



## samurai

EricABQ said:


> About 90 minutes before I opened it.
> 
> It didn't quite last that long after opening.


Good on you; I hope you enjoyed it, along with the music, of course. :devil:


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi "Virtuoso" Madrigals - Jurgen Jurgens


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CD 1 of Beethoven's String Quartets. I plan to go through all of them.


----------



## Lenfer

Fresh from the bathroom feeling rather moody think I'm going to sit and brood with my coffee. :tiphat:


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> I have the "Ring Without Words" and that's a great album. I got in on a lark because so many people raved about Wagner here, that I figured I was missing something. Turns out I prefer his orchestral only stuff.


Too many Teutonic horned helmets and immolation scenes for my tastes... I'm not massively into opera, but I much prefer a bit of Verdi, myself....


----------



## Lenfer

Lenfer said:


> Fresh from the bathroom feeling rather moody think I'm going to sit and brood with my coffee. :tiphat:


I meant from the bath! Damn time limit on editing posts.


----------



## belfastboy

Alas, Belfast gay pride is over *sighs*........

Massenet: Le Cid - Pleurez, Mes Yeux Maria Callas; Georges Prêtre: Orchestre National De L'ORTF

Maurice Ravel - Pavane for Dead Princess


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Alas, Belfast gay pride is over *sighs*.


that must be a character-building experience, in a place with such a strong Catholic community...

continuing my Haydn SQ traversals... which have been going on for nearly 2 months now!










*op.74/3, 76/1, 76/2 & 103.*


----------



## Taneyev

M 2:

MARTINU: Duo violin&cello.

MARTUCCI Giuseppe: piano trio.

MARX Joseph: string quartet Nº2.

MAUERSBERGER Rudolph: piano trio.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I have listened to
*Ligeti:* Big Turtle Fanfare from South China Sea, 3 Pieces for 2 Pianos, Piano Concerto
Piazzolla: Fuga y Misterio (both the original version and Gidon Kremer's version)

Now
Pärt: Fratres for Violin and Piano, Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, Fratres for Celli, Tabula Rasa.


----------



## belfastboy

Yeah, and as a Roman Catholic I even attended a pride 'church service'....an all inclusive service...way to go me! Fecking fantastic experience. Loved it


----------



## Morgante




----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Yeah, and as a Roman Catholic I even attended a pride 'church service'....an all inclusive service...way to go me! Fecking fantastic experience. Loved it


well Good for you... a united and socially inclusive Northern Ireland is something which practically EVERYONE in Britain longs to see... you have my respect! :tiphat:


----------



## Lenfer

belfastboy said:


> Yeah, and as a Roman Catholic I even attended a pride 'church service'....an all inclusive service...way to go me! Fecking fantastic experience. Loved it


I normally go to the self catering gay pride marches much more fun!  Glad you enjoyed it I'm not *British* but from what I know of *Belfast* from the *UK* news you wouldn't think that sort of thing happened there glad this is not the case.


----------



## belfastboy

Jared said:


> well Good for you... a united and socially inclusive Northern Ireland is something which practically EVERYONE in Britain longs to see... you have my respect! :tiphat:


How kind thank you..........................


----------



## belfastboy

Lenfer said:


> I normally go to the self catering gay pride marches much more fun!  Glad you enjoyed it I'm not *British* but from what I know of *Belfast* from the *UK* news you wouldn't think that sort of thing happened there glad this is not the case.


Oh yes Pride in Belfast is an annual event......has been for some time....not accepted by all u understand namely the christian fundamentalists - but there you go.


----------



## belfastboy

"My Mother was always far too busy putting the boiled chicken through the deflavouriser to have ever considered committing suicide". Woody Allen, Stardust Memories (1980).

Big big fan....excellent quote - great books and movies! 

I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland. (Woody Allen)


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland. (Woody Allen)


yes, that's a wonderful quote isn't it... I should have remembered it, when I posted my Wagner line on the previous page...

anyway:

"I'm not religious either. Both of my folks were Episcopalians."

:lol:


----------



## belfastboy

Bazzini: La Ronde Des Lutins, Op. 25	Chloë Hanslip, Caspar Frantz	

Years Of Pilgrimage, Third Year - Les Jeux D'eau À La Ville d'Este	Liszt Franz	

Harold In Italy - March Of The Pilgrims Singing The Evening Prayer Berlioz, Hector


----------



## belfastboy

Schumann: Dichterliebe - Ich Grolle Nicht	Gerald Finley, Julius Drake


----------



## belfastboy

Schindler's List Violin Theme by Ann Fontanella


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Schumann: Dichterliebe - Ich Grolle Nicht	Gerald Finley, Julius Drake


a beautiful work, bb. I have the Bostridge & Drake version. I don't know whether you're in the market for another disk of Schumann lieder, but this disk by Mezzo Bernarda Fink is sumptuous:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schumann-Ma...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344259725&sr=1-1


----------



## belfastboy

Beautiful - thank-you @Jared ......this 'reply with quote' appears to be misbehaving!


----------



## Jared

^^ I wonder whether it has anything to do with the size of the thread? My experience (such as it is) is that these threads start to play up after about these many pages, and they have to lock it up and start again...


----------



## belfastboy

Robert Schumann: Abends am Strand


----------



## Jared

on this forum, I don't find myself 'blinded by science' more a case of being inspired by 'Science' in my choice of music:










beautiful performances of these Magnificats, from my favourite choral society..


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Heinrich Isaac, Missa pro Maximiliano.*


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> *Heinrich Isaac, Missa pro Maximiliano.*
> 
> View attachment 6759


an interesting looking disk, mf. I recently introduced myself to Isaac's music, which I find very beautiful...










beautifully extended, multi layered polyphony which reminds me a little of Obrecht:










the Obrecht, primarily because of its length and its seeming lack of variation, takes a little more acclimatisation I would suggest, but the dividends are surely there. Both these recordings, made in a church not far from here, benefit from incredible acoustics.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Clarinet Concerto.*

I'm renewing my acquaintance with Mozart after seeing BBC's documentary, _The Genius of Mozart. _


----------



## Jared

and now for something rather different...

*Symph No.1/ The Isle of the Dead.*


----------



## NightHawk

This album of quartets recorded in 1990, is a winning argument for Second Viennese School descendants. The Julliard String Quartet plays these demanding works with great conviction, and also with warmth and cogency. The String Quartet of Stefan Wolpe (1902-72) in two movements (1969), I. Quarter = 92 and II. Quarter = 44 is very fine. Wolpe, born in Berlin, studied with Webern briefly before immigrating to Palestine and finally to New York City. From the liner notes: _Wolpe sought a discontinuum, in which traditionally-conceived opposites would be juxtaposed. The resulting art possesses an almost improvisatory spontaneity, what Wolpe called a mixture of "surprise and enigma, magic and shock, intelligence and abandon"._ I find the description by the composer completely accurate and I was absorbed fully while listening and wished I had the score.

The Sessions Quartet No. 2 and Babbitt Quartet No. 4 extend from Sessions' 'proto-serialism' (in this particular work), to the 'total' or 'integral' serialism of Babbitt (who studied with Sessions in 1935). The Sessions is in five movements with a great linear and legato significance placed on the three large, slow movements (I, III, and V) = somber and lyrical. The Babbitt is pointillistic, 'light-fingered', humorous and the most engaging work I have heard of his (admittedly, I've not heard many, and they were electronic).

In sum, if you listen to Second Viennese School works at all, this fine recording of these three later extensions, modifications and in Babbitt's case, intensifications of the 12-tone technique should be a great acquisition for your collection.

Oh, and this album did not ruin my day, quite the contrary, but on to some Robert Schumann


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos, K.467 and K.503


----------



## belfastboy

Elijah - Es Ist Genug, So Nimm Nun, Herr, Meine Seele Mendelssohn, Felix 

I just cannot live without this tune.......

Lift Up Your Heads D Minter(countertenor) R Covey-Crump(tenor) Baroque & Early Music Humfrey 

Volume turned to 100% -


----------



## Manxfeeder

belfastboy said:


> Elijah - Es Ist Genug, So Nimm Nun, Herr, Meine Seele	Mendelssohn, Felix
> 
> I just cannot live without this tune.......


Me too. But it tends to hit me between the eyes; it makes me reflect on if I've ever made someone feel like that. I hope not.

Anyway, I'm listening to *Mozart's Mass in C minor. *


----------



## NightHawk

Received today and recommended to me by TC member JARED, this premiere HIP recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet in Eb and Piano Quartet in Eb, Opp. 44 and 47, respectively, is smashing. It totally eclipses (to borrow a phrase) the joyless Emerson recording with Menahem Pressler that I also own. Some HIP haters might just be convinced by this brilliant performance - (no criticism implied or intended). I love the great Eb Piano Quintet and this is absolutely my favorite recording (so far).


----------



## Crudblud

Nikos Skalkottas - 32 Piano Pieces (Samaltanos)

Fantastic. Why isn't this guy up there with the big 2nd Viennese School names?


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> Me too. But it tends to hit me between the eyes; it makes me reflect on if I've ever made someone feel like that. I hope not.
> 
> Anyway, I'm listening to *Mozart's Mass in C minor. *
> 
> View attachment 6763


a beautiful work and a favourite recording of mine. if you're interested in another great recording with HIP styled forces and great soloists (I'm a bit of a Sarah Connolly fan):


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 6762
> 
> 
> Received today and recommended to me by TC member JARED, this premiere HIP recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet in Eb and Piano Quartet in Eb, Opp. 44 and 47, respectively, is smashing. It totally eclipses (to borrow a phrase) the joyless Emerson recording with Menahem Pressler that I also own. Some HIP haters might just be convinced by this brilliant performance - (no criticism implied). I love the great Eb Piano Quintet and this is absolutely my favorite recording (so far).


So very, very pleased you like it, my friend...


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Elijah - Es Ist Genug, So Nimm Nun, Herr, Meine Seele	Mendelssohn, Felix
> 
> I just cannot live without this tune.......


If you want to hear a fairly 'high octane' Elijah with brisk tempos and more than its fair share of fire and brimstone:










when you're done, please remember to move on to his other, lesser known Oratorio which I have been giving an outing to recently. Paulus might not have quite as many 'memorable tunes' but it's still a very powerful work.


----------



## belfastboy

Verdi: Sempre libera, from La Traviata

How terribly camp! LOL Love it!


----------



## belfastboy

@Jared - very kind of you...Merci!


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Verdi: Sempre libera, from La Traviata
> 
> How terribly camp! LOL Love it!


La Trav remains my favourite opera. Can you imagine how shocking it would have been to audiences at its premiere in 1853, when a young man of moderate fortune attempts to redeem a consumptive prostitute and introduce her to respectable society? One of the glorious things about Opera is that it was a medium which could always challenge social values a little further than the printed word.

Do you have a Blu Ray player bb?

If you do, then an extremely fine version has been released at a knockdown price in an attempt to introduce opera on BR to a wider audience. For a fiver, this is an absolute must:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Traviata-Gi...ef=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1344275804&sr=1-3


----------



## belfastboy

Luigi Boccherini - Menuet, from String Quintet No. 5 in E. 

LOL - I should start a 'Oh, how classically camp'! Thread!


----------



## belfastboy

@Jared - I shall acquire said piece! Cheers!


----------



## belfastboy

Puccini: In Quelle Trine Morbide from Manon Lescaut


----------



## Chrythes

Schnittke - Cello Sonata.

What a fascinating work! 
Listened to this live performance -


----------



## belfastboy

Gounod: Ballet Music, from Faust.......Energy!!!


----------



## belfastboy

@Jared - I first came across this piece (Elijah - Es Ist Genug, So Nimm Nun, Herr, Meine Seele Mendelssohn, Felix) a few years back going through some heavy mental head aching situations. I cried every time I listened to it.....the meaning was so very real at the time, In an odd way very helpful....


----------



## Jared

^^ Elijah is a very fine oratorio, which has stood the test of time. 

If it's a genre which is new to you, then Haydn's Creation and Elijah would for me, be the places to start...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jared said:


> a beautiful work and a favourite recording of mine. if you're interested in another great recording with HIP styled forces and great soloists (I'm a bit of a Sarah Connolly fan):


Cool! I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> Cool! I'm listening on Spotify.


I'll be interested to know what you think.. 

Rachmaninov: The Bells op.35
Taneyev: John of Damascus op.1
Pletnev/ Russian National Orch.


----------



## Sonata

Grieg. 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces. Really good stuff!


----------



## Cheyenne

View attachment baroque-oboe.jpg

Bach's BWV 1053 Oboe concerto specifically, adapted from a Harpsichord concerto.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas with Hamelin (Vol. 3); *Clementi*iano Sonatas with Demidenko; *Mozart*: Piano Sonatas with Gavrilov.

View attachment 6765
View attachment 6766
View attachment 6767


----------



## SAKO

HAYDN

Symphony No.68 In B Flat Major, to be followed by Symphony No.93 In D Major (then better watch some TV with the good lady).

Nikolaus Harnoncourt with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Not only one of my favourite Hadyn pieces, but the 68th is one of my all time favourite symphonies. A fine performance and wonderfully rich recording from this recently acquired 5 CD boxset.


----------



## Ramako

Vaneyes said:


> *Haydn*: Piano Sonatas with Hamelin (Vol. 3);
> 
> I have some of the Haydn sonatas played by him - they are great!


----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

*Maurice Ravel* - _Menuet_ from _Le tombeau de Couperin_ (Jean-Yves Thibaudet).
*George Gershwin* - _Variations on I got Rhythm_ (Werner Haas/Edo de Waart/Orchestre National de l'Opera de Monte-Carlo).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Sacred Works.*

I'm too lazy to grab something from my collection, so I'm listening on Spotify. It's a decent recording of excerpts, not necessarily something I would pay for.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jared said:


> I'll be interested to know what you think..


McCreesh sure has some stellar women on board; Domine Deus is fun. So far I'm still overall leaning toward Gardiner. Maybe it's just familiarity.


----------



## EricABQ

Mendelssohn string quintet no. 1 while finishing off a bottle of cheap Malbec. :cheers:


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russsian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature the London Symphony Orchestra led by Igor Markevitch.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back in the studio today... listening to the following...










This disc has a few interesting numbers. Scelsi can even get the flute to sound like some ancient Himalayan drone... crossed with Japanese Shakuhachi flute.

Still I actually prefer Scelsi's work on this disc:










Then a jump back in time...










Some of the things that Biber does... his chaotic layering of multiple tunes and his use of dissonance... are shocking for the day... but I think that is what is lost with atonal music... the ability to employ dissonance as a shocking, disturbing, expressive element.










Some true Sturm und Drang music. I read up a good bit on Kraus. He was truly a composer with the potential to rival Beethoven. Haydn deemed him one of the greatest geniuses he had ever encountered. In spite of an early death at 36 he composed a good many symphonies, piano works, choral works, and operas. If the works on this disc are any measure, what he composed was truly first rate. At the same time he wrote, acted in the role of kapellmeister, conducted, and virtually established the Swedish Opera.

Currently listening to this a second time:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Anton Webern:

Concerto, Opus 24. Then Concerto, Opus 24. Then Concerto, Opus 24. Yeah, I like it.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4


----------



## millionrainbows

I've finally figured out the best time to listen to harpsichord: in the morning, to wake up. It's the opposite effect of nocturnes.
It's rare that I keep a disc out, and keep going back to it, but this Anthony Newman is doing it for me. Very forward-sounding recording on a superb instrument. This has more low-end than most, and Newman shows it off well, with plenty of flash, and total mastery, the kind that sets you at ease. This is also out on Columbia with a different cover, same recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Exploring some more Joseph Kraus on Spotify. Damn good.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Toddlertoddy

Debussy: Danses sacree et profane

In 1904 Pleyel, the famous Parisian firm of instrument manufacturers, approached Debussy with a commission for a new test piece for chromatic harp, intended for use in the diploma examinations at the Brussels Conservatoire. Pleyel had introduced and patented the chromatic harp in 1897. Unlike the conventional concert harp, which is tuned according to the notes of the diatonic major scale, and has seven foot pedals, each of which corresponds to a single scale degree and its chromatic alterations (i.e. natural, sharp, and flat), Pleyel's instrument had no pedals. Instead, a separate string was provided for each chromatic note throughout its range.

Debussy's response to Pleyel's request was to compose his Danse sacrée et danse profane, which eventually took a place among the best-known and most frequently performed works for harp in the concert repertory. The harp parts are surprisingly conventional, and actually not especially difficult to play, though the exotic, coruscating passagework and rich chordal effects might suggest otherwise.

Almost from the outset, Danse sacrée et danse profane was played more often on the conventional orchestral harp, since the chromatic harp was soon abandoned, mostly because of its unwieldy size and the inordinate amount of time required to tune it before every performance.

According to the conductor Ernest Ansermet, the main theme of the first section was inspired by a piano piece by the Portuguese composer Francisco de Lacerda. This has not been proven, however, and it seems more probable that Debussy, with due regard for the antiquity of the harp (one of the oldest instruments in existence), based this slow, modally inflected piece on what he imagined Greco-Roman music must have been like. Another likely source of inspiration may well have been the antique flavor of Erik Satie's Gymnopédies for piano, which Debussy greatly admired, and two of which he orchestrated.

The second part is much faster, and takes the form of a waltz in the key of D major. Still, the music is filled with harmonic contradictions, particularly evident in the use of such "primitive" effects as the lowering of the seventh scale degree.


----------



## DeepR




----------



## belfastboy

Elijah - Es Ist Genug, So Nimm Nun, Herr, Meine Seele Mendelssohn, Felix


I heart-fully apologize - I've added before, but I sleep and wake to Elijah.....such a good friend over the past years.... I have wept buckets over this within the year - and not ashamed of it...the meaning is so powerful, so exact. I'm talking personally. I cried yesterday evening listing to this - but thats good.....if classical music did no move me due to it's meaning, I'd reject it....totally!


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> McCreesh sure has some stellar women on board; Domine Deus is fun. So far I'm still overall leaning toward Gardiner. Maybe it's just familiarity.


that's absolutely fine... the Gardiner is practically flawless... I have to admit, I am a bit of a McCreesh fanboy... love his brisk, energetic tempos and his intelligent programming of works.


----------



## Jared

EricABQ said:


> Mendelssohn string quintet no. 1 while finishing off a bottle of cheap Malbec. :cheers:


not so sure about the cheap Malbec, but have been giving the Mendelssohn SQuintets some airplay myself recently... courtesy of the Mendelssohn String Quartet & Robert Mann on BIS... lively and energetic performances which are nevertheless also robust. which version have you been playing?


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34


This possibly remains my favourite piece of chamber music...


----------



## Jared

Oboe Concerto, Horn Concerto No.2


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today, Adams' _The Chairman Dances,_ Haydn's fourth and fifth symphonies.


----------



## belfastboy

It is enough!
Therefore, Lord, take my spirit
from here to the spirits of Zion;
undo the ties , that gradually are tearing me apart;
set free this mind
that yearns for its God,
that daily laments and nightly weeps:
It is enough!

There is enough
of the misery that crushes me!
Adam’s greed for the apple, the poison of sin
have all but smothered me;
nothing good dwells in me.
What miserably separates me from God,
what each day marks me out as polluted
- of this there is enough

There is enough
of the cross that almost
breaks my back;
how heavy, o God, how hard is this burden!
Many nights I soak
my hard bed with my tears.
How long, how long must I yearn?
When is it enough?

It is enough
only when my Jesus wills.
He indeed knows my heart;
I wait for him and meanwhile keep calm,
until by him all the sorrow
that gnaws away at my sickly breast
is put aside and he says to me:
It is enough!

It is enough,
Lord, when it is pleasing to you,
then grant me release.
May my Jesus come!
Now good night, o world.
I am going to heaven’s house,
I go confidently from here with joy;
my dismal sorrow remains down below.
It is enough


----------



## belfastboy

Gigout: Toccata in B minor (from 10 Pieces for organ)	Colin Walsh


----------



## belfastboy

Franck: Piece heroique in B minor (from 3 Pieces for organ)	Colin Walsh


----------



## Jared

Four Last Songs
Capriccio (excerpts)
Metamorphosen


----------



## Ramako

Hadyn op.20, Buchberger quartet


----------



## belfastboy

Prelude To Act 1 (from La Traviata) Giuseppe Verdi

Brahms: German Requiem, op.45 Brahms

Wieniawski / Polonaise de concert in D major Matthew Trusler (violin)

Chopin: Nocturne #2 In E Flat, Op. 9/2 Peter Schmalfuss


----------



## Ramako

Actually this op. 20 stuff is really good - sounds better than the last time I listened to them. I should get a recording where they do the repeats.


----------



## beetzart

CPE Bach Sinfonia in E minor Wq 178 H 653

Absolutely divine!


----------



## belfastboy

Elijah - Es Ist Genug, So Nimm Nun, Herr, Meine Seele Mendelssohn, Felix 

This has become my one a day, do I need a Psychiatrist even counseling!? I'm fecking obsessed!! I have to read the translations as I listen to it....worried!

Ramírez: Misa Criolla - Kyrie José Carreras: El Grupo Huancaro, Bilbao Choral Society, Laredo Choral Salve 

I so totally get the urge to go to Mass and praise God with this tune!! Save me someone!

I awoke this morning and seriously thought I had taken an overnight 'stroke'....my eyes were swollen (like hamburger baps) my focus was limited to the ceiling and I felt like 10 men had beat into me with spades...fortunately I had no paralysis .....I have been entertaining a local cat and she was slinking her way around my sofa and brushing herself against my arms etc....so maybe thats it...downed a few antihistamines and hoping some classical music will cure. I think I'll hide away from the world today....the elephant man look is not a favored look much these days (no offense John Merrick).....oh, the shame! LOL

Think I need 250mgs of Hollins

Hollins - Concert Overture in C Minor Wayne Marshall


----------



## Taneyev

M 3:

MAY Frederick: string quartet.

MEDTNER: piano quintet.

MELARTIN Erkii: string quartet Nº2.

MELCER Henryk: violin sonata.


----------



## Mordred

For about the tenth time this week. Schumanns Piano Concerto. Colin Davis. BBC Symphony. 
Two points: 1st. How long has this been going on.
2nd. How could he have only written one of these!
Wow! Newbie giddy stage in Classical is fun!


----------



## Sonata

belfastboy said:


> Brahms: German Requiem, op.45	Brahms


I love this work!

I myself am listening to Mozart's 6th piano sonata. One of my many listening projects is listening through all of these in Mitsuko Uchida's set.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Been listening to a real gem! This is an album of two chamber compositions by Ethel Smyth. Smyth was an exceptionally talented composer and a leader of early women's rights. She was a friend of Clara Schumann and Grieg and of her mentor Johannes Brahms. This album has her Trio for piano, violin and cello in D minor and also her Sonata for violin and piano in A minor Op.7. Both pieces are just simply beautiful and full of color. They bear some influence of Brahms but that's not a bad thing. Unfortunately even though she was pretty well known in the early 1900s today she is almost unknown. Very few recordings exist of her music but thankfully some do.










Also listened to some of Bach's organ works masterfully performed by Kevin Bowyer. I think he recorded around 17 volumes of Bach's organ music. Really cool stuff!










Kevin


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Lang Lang*

*Lü Wencheng* - _Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake_.
*Franz Liszt* - _Liebesträume_, S.541, No. 3. _Sonetto 104 Del Petrarca_, S.161, No. 5.
*David Foster* - _Io Ci Saro_ (with Andrea Bocelli).
*Ludwig van Beethoven* - _Sonata for piano four hands_, Op. 6 (Lang/Christoph Eschenbach).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Joseph Haydn* - _Piano Sonata_, Hob. XVI, No. 20 (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## tahnak

An interpretation of Geschichten Aus Der Wienerwald by Johann Strauss II that takes all the repeats and is not hurried.


----------



## belfastboy

Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 in c minor, Op.78 "Organ" (Prêtre/Duruflé) I. Poco adagio (2/2)

Luciano Pavarotti - Vesti la giubba ('Il Pagliacci')

Schubert Piano Trio No. 2. - Istomin-Stern-Rose - II. Andante con moto


----------



## Arsakes

Listening to them while playing an old game:

Ippolitov-Ivanov:
- Caucasian Sketches Suite 1,2
- Turkish Fragments and March

Glinka:
- Jota Aragonesa & Summernight in Madrid
- Kamarinskaya
- Valse-Fantasie

Mussorgsky:
- Pictures at an Exhibition
- Night on a bare Mountain

Dvorak:
- Symphony #2

Brahms:
- Symphony #1


----------



## crmoorhead

This week's listening:

Monday (Bach): Orchestral Suite No. 1
Tuesday (Concerto): Violin Concerto in D (Beethoven) 
Wednesday (Choral): Requiem (Faure)
Thursday (Symphony): Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)
Friday (Keyboard/Piano Works): Livre de Clavecin, 1st Ordre (Couperin)
Saturday (Opera): Aida (Verdi)
Sunday (Chamber): Sur Incises (Boulez)

Plus listening club: A Colour Symphony (Bliss)


----------



## Crudblud

Honegger - Symphony No. 5 in D major, H.202 'Di tre re' (Dutoit)


----------



## Lenfer

This is superb I fear I may have over looked *Schnittke*. I will have to do some digging later. :tiphat:


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto




----------



## Conor71

*Berwald: Symphony No. 3 In C Major, "Sinfonie Singuliere*

Listening to some new music - first I will play Disc 1 of the Berwald set which features Symphonies 3 & 2 and a couple of Overures. Next I will play Disc 3 of the newly arrived Atterberg set for a first listen - this Disc contains the Symphonies No. 3 , "West Coast Pictures" and No. 6, "Dollar Symphony" (the only work in this set I have heard of before).


----------



## opus55

Schubert
Piano Sonatas Nos. 13 and 14
Impromptus, D.899, Nos. 2 and 4


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Xenakis's Complete String Quartets. Wild stuff!


----------



## Sonata

My last listen for a little while of *Mendelssohn's choral cantatas*. I've absorbed the disc fully, and in accordance with my listening plans, will move onto another disc in my Mendelssohn sacred music collection soon, or perhaps another composer (Haydn's Nelson Mass maybe).

But for now, some other *Mendelssohn* music. *Die Schone Melusine overture* for the first time (I rather enjoyed it), and now his *Piano trio #2 with Ax, Perlman, and Yo yo Ma*.


----------



## Jared

^^ Haydn's Nelson Mass is absolutely gorgeous... great choice!!


----------



## Guest

The Faure biography I'm reading has on several occasions spoke very highly of his Verlaine-inspired song cycle, _La bonne chanson_, and I realized that I hadn't yet heard it. Now that I have, I see that it is deserving of the praise I've been reading about. Quite possibly my favorite song cycle.


----------



## Lenfer

*Satie: Piano Works* ~ *Klára Körmendi*​


----------



## Manxfeeder

Continuing my Mozart survey.


----------



## Crudblud

Franck - Prelude, Chorale and Fugue (Rubinstein)
Martinu - Violin Sonata in D minor, H.152 (Matousek/Adamec)
Alkan - Sonatine, Op. 61 (Smith)
Buxtehude - Preludes and Fugues BuxWV 139, 148 & 150 (Kraft)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Works for Violin and Piano, with Laredo & Brown (rec. 1989).

View attachment 6787


----------



## kv466




----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Vivaldi's Gloria - Renaldo Alessandrini


----------



## belfastboy

Harold In Italy - March Of The Pilgrims Singing The Evening Pra Berlioz, Hector


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've long loved J.S. Bach's _Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin_ as well as Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber's various violin sonatas... perhaps none more than the _Rosary (or Mystery) Sonatas_. As such I decided to look into some of Bach's predecessors in the solo violin genre and picked up Johann Paul von Westhoff's _Sonates pour Violin & Basse continue_, which I am currently listening to...










(Some great stuff)

...and I have on order Johann Jakob Walther's _Hortulus Chelicus Mainz (Suite for Violin and Basso continuo)_...










...and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer's _Violin Sonatas_ (with Andrew Manze!)










... and Francesco Maria Veracini's _Violin Sonatas_ (with John Holloway and Jaap ter Linden!)










... as well as Jean-Marie Leclair's _Violin Sonatas:_










Some weeks back I picked up Johann Joseph Fux' _Partite a 3_... although these are closer to concerti grossi or violin concertos than they are to sonatas for solo violin or violin and continuo.


----------



## neoshredder

Trying to find some Brhams I like. Listening to this.


----------



## millionrainbows

Both of these guys look like they could use a shave...I like Gergiev's "rough and ready" look, and I was won over by his musicality when I heard his Prokofiev. Russians playing Russian music, it sounds like a winning combination to me. I was in the mood for some good fiddle playing after hearing a concerto on the radio (KMFA 89.5), so I got this out.

Gergiev's Prokofiev is stunning. The detail, the meaning, like I never heard it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've had this recording for probably two years... and never listened to it. Actually I thought I had listened to it, but clearly not... as it was still in the plastic wrap. My confusion is no doubt due to the fact that I have several other recordings of _Orfeo ed Euridice_ (which I have listened to) and several other recordings of Gluck operas by Gardiner (that I have also listened to). Finally... I am greatly enjoying this muscular HIP reading of my favorite Gluck opera.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 6790
> 
> 
> Both of these guys look like they could use a shave...I like Gergiev's "rough and ready" look, and I was won over by his musicality when I heard his Prokofiev. Russians playing Russian music, it sounds like a winning combination to me. I was in the mood for some good fiddle playing after hearing a concerto on the radio (KMFA 89.5), so I got this out.
> 
> Gergiev's Prokofiev is stunning. The detail, the meaning, like I never heard it.
> 
> View attachment 6791


I love Gergiev as well... although our former member and self-proclaimed Russian expert Martin/Mayaskovsky hated him. I'm glad to get some feedback on his Prokofiev symphonies. I was greatly impressed with his recordings of Prokofiev's operas and thought his _Romeo and Juliet_ kicked ***. Beyond Prokofiev his Tchaikovsky is a revelation... a balls to the wind _Nutcracker_ and final three symphonies.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

kv466 said:


>


How are these? Rossini was quite the master of melody and his finest overtures are virtually small symphonies (especially _William Tell_).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6788
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Vivaldi's Gloria - Renaldo Alessandrini


This is one of the best covers from a series with some of the absolute worst... or at least some of the stupidest cover art... and yet some of the finest recordings available of Vivaldi.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden and Maestro Blomstedt.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker with Herbert von Karajan at its helm.


----------



## millionrainbows

StlukesguildOhio said:


> This is one of the best covers from a series with some of the absolute worst... or at least some of the stupidest cover art... and yet some of the finest recordings available of Vivaldi.


You're right, StlukesguildOhio, that is ridiculous cover art. I will check this one out, however. Concerning Gergiev, I'm just now starting to explore the Tchaikovsky symphonies, so I will keep him in mind. There's only six of them, right? That sounds do-able in this economy.

Speaking of Prokofiev, these are really good:





















These are out-of-print, but were re-released as a 3-CD set on the Pierian label, unless that one's out of print too.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

This, but not on CD (from my vinyl archive):


----------



## crmoorhead

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I love Gergiev as well... although our former member and self-proclaimed Russian expert Martin/Mayaskovsky hated him. I'm glad to get some feedback on his Prokofiev symphonies. I was greatly impressed with his recordings of Prokofiev's operas and thought his _Romeo and Juliet_ kicked ***. Beyond Prokofiev his Tchaikovsky is a revelation... a balls to the wind _Nutcracker_ and final three symphonies.


I also love Gergiev - there is a great video on YouTube of him conducting the Polovtsian Dances.  Also, was Martin banned?


----------



## belfastboy

Ave Maria - Bach/Gounod (violin & harp)


----------



## crmoorhead

Also this:









Getting the following later in the week, although prob won't get a chance to listen to it for a while:


----------



## Morgante

Bach, Cantata BWV 80.

_*Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott*_






​


----------



## belfastboy

Erik Satie "Trois Gymnopédies"


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.23 "Appassionata" - Rudolf Serkin (1936)

Such a strange selection for this set (even by the eccentric standards of the series): two recordings from the mid thirties and four from the mid eighties. Anyone who didnt know better might think Serkin was in a coma for half a century. And the four from the eighties are all Mozart Concertos with Abbado.


----------



## belfastboy

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73

Bach's Cello Suite No. 6 - Gavotte and Gigue (Rostropovich)

Rostropovich Bach Cello Suite No. 3 Prelude

Beethoven: Piano Trio No 7 "Archduke" (Rubinstein, Heifetz, Feuermann)

Dvorak: Cello concerto, 2nd movement

Mischa Maisky, Edward Elgar Cello concerto in E minor Op.85


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Haydn Variations - Claudio Abbado


----------



## SAKO

JOSEPH HAYDN

Hob.XVIII:11. Concerto for piano & orchestra in D major / Demus
Hob.VIIa:1. Concerto for violin & orchestra in C major / Zukerman
Hob.VIIe:1. Concerto for trumpet & orchestra in E flat major / Thibaud
Hob.VIIb:1. Concerto for cello & orchestra in C major / Fournier

Deutsche Grammophon CD 457 904-2.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today: Nyman's MGV, Haydn's symphony no. 6. Will listen to the 7th and 8th symphonies now.


----------



## belfastboy

César Franck: Violin Sonata (1/2) - Arthur Grumiaux & István Hajdu

Robert Schumann: Fantasy Piece Op. 73, No. 1


----------



## Morgante

Wagner. Wagner.


----------



## Taneyev

M 4:

MENDELSSOHN: sonata for viola&piano.

MIASKOVSKY: cello sonata Nº2.

MILHAUD: suite for clarinet, violin&piano.

MIGOT George: string trio.

MIRZOYAN Edward: string quartet.


----------



## Jared

neoshredder said:


> Trying to find some Brahms I like.


I've been desperately trying for some years now, to find some Brahms I don't like... I think the nearest I've ever come to are his Hungarian Dances, but unfortunately, I still quite like them, albeit in small doses...


----------



## Jared

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 6790


One of my favourite versions of the Tchaikovsky VC actually. If you're after another relatively recently outing with an interesting pairing which I also think is top notch (BBC Music Mag 5 stars if I recall):


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73


just a tip bb, could you tell us who the artists/ conductor/ orchestra/ label is when you post? or better still, post the cover image? this will tell us a lot more about what you are listening to. I have Brendel, Pollini, Kempff and Aimard performing this repertoire. Do you like it?


----------



## Lenfer

*Counterpoint* ~ *Joanna MacGregor*

I have to thank *Manxfeeder* for the recommendation this is very good indeed. :tiphat:​


----------



## science

Of the Suk, only the Asrael symphony, and of the Dvorak, #9 only.

















Of the Ligeti, only the Musica ricercata, which I personally enjoy more than the etudes.

Of the Bliss, only the Color Symphony, in honor of the listening club.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Coronation Mass*, etc.


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Coronation Mass*, etc.
> 
> View attachment 6808


oh, a lovely reading, Manx! the other one I return to often is:


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Of the Bliss, only the Color Symphony, in honor of the listening club.


That reminds me, I haven't heard *Adam Zero* yet, but I've always thought that was a cool name for a ballet. I'll try to squeeze that in today.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jared said:


> oh, a lovely reading, Manx! the other one I return to often is:


I'll have to look that one up. I'm a Kirkby fan.


----------



## beetzart

Handel Suite in D minor HWV 428


----------



## NightHawk

From Thomas Ades three act opera _The Tempest_ (2004)

The youtube clips above are Clip 1) a short sung dialogue/recitative between _Ariel_ the sprite-like creature and her master _Prospero_ the rightful Duke of Milan (who is also a magician), which sets up a difficult 'aria' by Ariel, to say the least - and Clip 2) Ariel's second 'aria' '_Five Fathoms Deep_' (i.e. Shakespeare: _Full fathom five, thy father lies_) from the first act. Ariel's songs are shockingly difficult, but Prospero's style in the dialogue is more in keeping with the opera overall - which, is quite beautiful and grateful listening. It uses a large orchestra which is employed full force and in various chamber groupings. I couldn't find any clips that were full orchestra, but it is very richly used. It reminds me of Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber, with some ties to Berg though without the density in the counterpoint. The work is quite successful, having been added to the repertoire of several important houses since it was written (2004); it comes to the Met in a new production this season, 2012-13.


----------



## Bas

On youtube - but very soon probably in the 'purchases' thread: 

Beethovens Grosse Fugue


----------



## cwarchc

started off today with this









Then had a bit of Classic fm (here in the uk) on the drive home from work

Just chilling out with this

I can't find an image?
but it's Aldo Ciccolini playing Satie
(I can't think of anything more chilling?)


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral Symphony"}, *featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Karl Bohm
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in in B Major, D 485, *again featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Maestro Bohm.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.61, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sonata

*Bruckner's 4th symphony "Romantic", conducted by Guntar Ward*. My toddler really seems to dig the third movement. He was sitting in his chair during dinner time bopping his head to the beat, and even waving his hands in the air. My mini-conducter. I prefer the second movement so far, but the third is good too. The first hasn't really clicked yet, but this is only my second listen. On the whole, it is a very enjoyable symphony. It doesn't hit me between the eyes, but really only *Mahler's symphonies* and a couple of *Dvorak's* have done so for me. ETAA: Oh, and the *first three movements of Beethoven's 9th*. It takes me awhile to absorb a full symphony. But overall, *thank you Jared* for the recommendation of this box set!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Haydn's ninth symphony. I will try and listen to as many of Haydn's symphonies as possible today.


----------



## EricABQ

Yundi Li: Liszt Piano Recital. 

I'm deeply in a piano music rut but I'm not going to fight it, I'll just let it run it's course.


----------



## Crudblud

Paul Dukas - Piano Sonata in E-flat minor (Hamelin)


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer
Brahms: Symphony No. 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Haydn's tenth and eleventh symohonies. Now onto Nyman's MGV.


----------



## millionrainbows

Jared said:


> One of my favourite versions of the Tchaikovsky VC actually. If you're after another relatively recently outing with an interesting pairing which I also think is top notch (BBC Music Mag 5 stars if I recall):


Thanks for the recommendation, Jared. I like Perlman, and was lucky enough to see him in about 1974 at Bass Hall at UT Austin, after waiting on a cancellation ticket. Got third row seats. This was before he got really famous, and my friend was astounded when Perlman came onstage with crutches. He then proceeded to blow us away! Neither he, nor I , will ever forget that.


----------



## Sonata

*Brahms first cello sonata

Debussy's Suite Bergamesque*


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Jan Van Gilse--*Symphony No.1 in F Major and Symphony No.2 in E-Flat Major,* both performed by the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Porcelijn.
Carl Stamitz--*Symphony in A Major and Symphony in G Major, *both featuring the Chicago Cameratta led by Michael Strauss.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Earlier today I listened to an album of Joan Tower's early works... Silver Ladders / Island Prelude for Oboe and String Quartets / Island Rhythms / Music for Cello and Orchestra / Sequoia. I have to say Silver Ladders is really fabulous! She is an excellent contemporary composer and well worth a listen. She uses a lot of percussion and rhythm changes. I'll certainly look for more of her compositions.










Then I traversed back in time to Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, the sister of Felix. The CD is volume one of her piano works recorded by CPO. The pieces on the album, with the exception of the last track are named after the months of the Christian calendar. I can't say they represent the months assigned to the pieces but they are all quite beautiful to listen to.










Currently listening to a very nice version of Mozart piano concertos no. 11, 12 & 13 performed by Andrea Bacchetti.The sound quality of this recording is fabulous and Baccetti is an excellent pianist.










After this I intend to listen to another Andrea Boccetti album of Cherubini's piano sonatas. And then off to bed!


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Stravinsky: Scherzo fantastique, Op. 4
Boulez with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra

It is one of those unfortunate circumstances of musical commercialism that, in order to help sell Igor Stravinsky's Scherzo fantastique for orchestra, Op. 3, his publisher prefaced the work with a programmatic description that, to this day, is widely considered to have actually been Stravinsky's inspiration to compose the piece. In reality, the Scherzo fantastique is a 12- to 15-minute work of pure music that Stravinsky composed between June 1907 and March 1908 during the final days of his apprenticeship to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. The work occupies an important place in the composer's output for a couple of reasons. It is, to be fair, probably his earliest composition to really bear the unmistakable mark of a consummate craftsman. Perhaps more significantly, it was at a 1909 performance of the work that young Stravinsky first came to the attention of impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the man whose Ballet Russe carried the three theater works that thrust Stravinsky into the musical limelight (The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring) on its shoulders. It is worth noting that Stravinsky, who in later life came to disdain most everything he did before The Firebird, was never ashamed of the Scherzo fantastique.

It was a certain similarity between parts of the Scherzo fantastique and Rimsky-Korsakov's famous Flight of the Bumblebee that led to the Scherzo being used as the music for a 1917 ballet, Les Abeilles (The Bees), quite against the wishes of the composer. To make matters worse, Stravinsky's publisher concocted a program that describes the work as a kind of musical portrait of a day in the life of a beehive. As the program (still to be found at the head of the score) goes, the first part of the Scherzo portrays the buzzing and incessant, workman-like activity of the bees, the slower middle section introduces the queen bee and the rituals of her mating, and the final section shows how, after all is said and done, the life and business of the hive continues unabated. The superimposition of any program at all is ultimately useless, as the work is far better understood as the large-scale fast-slow-fast musical form that it is.

The work begins with a gesture for muted solo trumpet that is strikingly similar to the gesture that opens the Preludium of 1937, after which the essential body of the Scherzo-brightly chromatic triple-meter figurations in the strings and woodwinds-stakes its claim. A little viola solo paves the way for the slower middle section, which features a quietly voluptuous melody that the flute (with oboe countermelody) sings against a gentle horn background. A crescendo builds as the strings take over this new music, only to dissolve away into the kind of rolling cello section accompaniment that Rimsky-Korsakov loved so much. After a rich series of unresolved pedal points that finally make their way to G major, the pace heats up. But this is no immediate reprise of the opening section, listeners have to wait until the clarinet ushers the solo trumpet of the opening back in for that. Before that can happen, the violins take off with wicked ponticello tremolandos and the woodwinds burst into a radiant kaleidoscope of sound. After the reprise, a series of leaping woodwind figures prepare a final cascade of overlapping chromatic gestures and rising arpeggios that, in turn, make way for a final cadence to B major.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio - Suk Trio


----------



## neoshredder

Tchaikovsky String Quartets 2 and 3


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> But overall, *thank you Jared* for the recommendation of this box set!


Thank you, Sonata. Bruckner isn't as immediate as Mahler, possibly because of all the false crescendos, but will grow on you over a period of time. His music is simply wonderful in my view.


----------



## Ramako

Haydn Baryton Trios. They keep the ears working.

EDIT: That is, they provide some background music - not that they are challenging listening or anything


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio - Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler's 5th symphony *with the London SO under Rudolf Schwarz. My first listen to this interpretation.


----------



## neoshredder

Enjoyed Tchaikovsky's Quartet. Now Listening to Poulenc's Works.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Lisztian

Yesterday I listened to...

*Frédéric Chopin*.

_Nocturne_, Op. 27, No. 2. _Piano Concerto_, No. 2, Op. 21, Mvt. 2. _Prelude_, Op. 28, No. 4 (Garrick Ohlsson).
_Ballade_, No.1, Op. 23. _Piano Sonata_, No. 3, Op. 58, Mvt. 2 (Cécile Ousset).
_Berceuse_, Op. 57 (Daniel Barenboim).
_Fantaisie-Impromptu_, Op. posth. 66 (Augustin Anlevas).
_Allegro de Concert_, Op. 46 (Claudio Arrau).
_Etude_, Op. 10, No. 4 (Andrei Gavrilov).
_Piano Sonata_, No. 1, Op. 4, Mvt. 4 (Leif Ove Andsnes).
_Introduction, Theme and Variations_, B. 12a (Benjamin Grosvenor/Anna Tilbrook).
_Grande polonaise brillante_, Op. 22 (Alexis Weissenberg/Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire/Stanisław Skrowaczewski).


----------



## Sonata

*Debussy: Nocturnes with the LSO, conducted by Andre Previn
Preludes Book One, Noriko Ogowa

Bruch: Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra, with the SWR symphony orchestra, conducted by Martin Ostertag.*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This afternoon: *Ligeti's* Chamber Concerto, cello concerto and double concerto; Nyman's MGV.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mendelssohn's String Symphony No.6 - London Festival Orchestra, Ross Pople


----------



## Taneyev

M 5:

MOERAN Ernest: string quartet.

MOODY James: quintet harmonica & strings.

MOSZKOWSKI Moritz: suite for 2 violins&piano

MOZART: Prel.&fuges on Bach from string trio.


----------



## EricABQ

Starting my day with Beethoven's Piano Sonata #31 played by HJ Lim.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms' second cello sonata


----------



## NightHawk

I have this same Mahler 4th recording that you have, Opus 55, and I think Szell's interpretation is easily the most beautiful and 'Austrian' I have ever heard - not to mention the great American mezzo Frederika von Stade's performance of the _Lieder eines fahrenden gesellen_. I found it years ago in a bargain bin at Hastings for almost nothing, and thought 'you're a lucky man'. I love the Essential Classics division of Sony - where I've found a good number of historic recordings including Oistrahk's recording of the Sibelius Concerto for violin along with Zino Francescatti's unforgettable version of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. (Nice Edvard Munch early painting on the cover, to boot!  )



opus55 said:


> Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer
> Brahms: Symphony No. 1


----------



## belfastboy

Very, reflective I think


----------



## NightHawk

This morning:

The ever fresh and indispensable Haydn SQ's Op. 33 by one of my very favorite SQ's, the Borodin, to be followed by a third listening to 6 Quartets of Luigi Cherubini (1742-1842) - Beethoven's favorite living composer after himself  and what quartets! They are extremely enjoyable, tuneful with considerable virtuosity sounding nothing like a Austro-Germanic string quartet. This boxed set is by the Melos Quartet (1976, great sound!) and they are a very fine ensemble. Really happy to add these to my SQ collection.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## peeyaj

*Der Winterabend D.938 *

setting by Franz Schubert to the words of Karl von Leitner

sung by: Ian Bostridge with the accompaniment of Julius Drake








> If things had worked out better for the doomed lover of Schubert's Winterreise, he might have wound up like the singer of his Der Winterabend (The Winter Evening) (D. 938), from January 1828: sitting quietly in the winter moonlit musing on love's happiness. That love's happiness was lost long ago for the singer adds a sad poignancy but not grief-filled sorrow to the singer's predicament. *Indeed, Der Winterabend is one of Schubert's most deeply moving fusions of joy and sorrow; in the views of most performers, listeners, and critics, it is one of his greatest songs.
> *


----------



## Jared

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6826
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Mendelssohn's String Symphony No.6 - London Festival Orchestra, Ross Pople


I also have that set Simon... it's a very enjoyable rendition; shame it doesn't include No.13.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Marriage of Figaro.*


----------



## Jared

Symphonic Dances/ The Bells


----------



## beetzart

Gradus ad Parnassum 1-100.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Evgeny Kissin*

*Franz Schubert/Franz Liszt* - _Auf dem Wasser zu singen_, S.558, No. 2. _Der Müller und der Bach_, S. 565, No. 2. _Ständchen_, S. 558, No. 9. _Gretchen am Spinnrade_, S. 558, No. 8. _Erlkönig_, S. 558, No. 4. _Die Forelle_, S. 564.
*Schubert* - _'Wanderer' Fantasy_, D. 760.
*Johannes Brahms* - _Fantasias_, Op. 116.
*Liszt* - _Hungarian Rhapsody_, S. 244, No. 12.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Isaac Albéniz* - _Suite española_, Op. 47 (Performer unknown).


----------



## Bas

Symphony no. 9 'The Great' Franz Schubert, cond. By Nicolas Harnoncourt, part of his full cycle with the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on Warner Classics:









_I have a recording of this symphony by Bernstein (with the same orchestra), should compare those two one time. (I don't know which of the two I prefer, right now. I bought the Bernstein - single cd with only this one and Schubert's fifth - before I bought the full cycle of Harnoncourt. _

Cello Concerto of Michael Haydn and a Cello Concerto by Carl Philippe Emanuelle Bach played by Jan Vogler:









_Especially the Michael Haydn Concerto is a delight to listen to. (Concerto in B flat)_

That wil be it, in the weekend I'll have to have a very careful and intense listening of James MacMillan's Seven last words. I have listened it three times now, and my appreciation is growing.


----------



## SAKO

I'm having a VIVALDI afternoon.

These two CDs by Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra are simply masterpieces. Of all my Vivaldi recordings, these are the finest bar none.

If I recommended them any higher you might think me on Carmignola's payroll. :lol:


----------



## belfastboy

Need a daily fix of the very crashing pipes - like a little white pill...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Marriage of Figaro.*
> 
> View attachment 6831


I have that on DVD. Best version ever!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 38.*

Battle of the batons: Karajan v. Pinnock. (I can't find a picture of Karajan's but it looks kind of like this.) I'm going with Pinnock on this one.


----------



## Crudblud

Hanns Eisler - Pictures from the Guide to War (Trexler)
Vivaldi - Le Quattro Stagioni (Karajan)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to Haydn's symphonies nos. 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. I must say no. 13 is awesome.


----------



## SimonNZ

Machaut's "Ma Fin Est Mon Commencement" - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## Crudblud

Hanns Eisler - Kammerkantaten 1-9 (Pommer)


----------



## opus55

NightHawk said:


> I have this same Mahler 4th recording that you have, Opus 55, and I think Szell's interpretation is easily the most beautiful and 'Austrian' I have ever heard - not to mention the great American mezzo Frederika von Stade's performance of the Lieder eines fahrenden gesellen. I found it years ago in a bargain bin at Hastings for almost nothing, and thought 'you're a lucky man'. I love the Essential Classics division of Sony - where I've found a good number of historic recordings including Oistrahk's recording of the Sibelius Concerto for violin along with Zino Francescatti's unforgettable version of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. (Nice Edvard Munch early painting on the cover, to boot! )


I don't have many others in my collection to compare but Szell is so far my favorite Mahler 4. Essential Classics line has some fine recordings of the old American orchestras, Cleveland/Szell and Philadelphia/Ormandy. I also have the disc you mention with Oistrakh and Francescatti, another great set!

Raff: Symphony No. 11


----------



## EricABQ

Hameln's recordings of the Liszt Paganinni studies.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor, *featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Mariss Jansons.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listen:


----------



## Crudblud

^
"This video has been removed by the user.
Sorry about that."


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Crudblud said:


> ^
> "This video has been removed by the user.
> Sorry about that."


Oh. Well I must have been the last one on earth to hear Beethoven's almighty _Große Fuge_ in reverse mode. Now I'm listening to Haydn's trumpet concerto conducted by Stockhausen.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart's Flute Concerto K313 conducted by Stockhausen.


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> I
> 
> Raff: Symphony No. 11


How do you like Raff? I heard someone on a different classical site compare him to Mendelssohn, who I enjoy greatly. Would you agree with this comparison?


----------



## Sonata

Today I listened again to *Bruckner #4*. I also listened to *Brahms String Quintet #1, Haydn's Nelson Mass* conducted by Trevor Pinnock, and *Ravel's Valses Nobles et Sentimentales for piano* with Pascal Rogue.


----------



## Crudblud

Gian Francesco Malipiero - Symphony No. 1 (Almeida)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I devoted most of my listening time today to chamber music. I started off with some lovely piano works by Anatol Lyadov.










Then I listened to Vol 1 of Mozart's Complete Quintets. Really love the string quintets especially.










Moved on to Bruch String Quartets. These are really wonderful!










Followed that with something a little more courtly. Telemann's Paris Quartets.










And then finished with a rare twice through listen of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas No. 5 (Spring) and 9 (Kreutzer). Isn't the first movement of number 5 just one of the most lovely melodies ever penned by human hands? I just want to listen to it again and again it moves me so much.










I haven't decided what to listen to before bed. I might just call it a day because the Beethoven is just so hard to follow up!

Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Biber's _Battalia_ and _Requiem_


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I don't know how I forgot to include this but after the Lyadov I had listened to the Beaux Arts Trio recording of Wolfgang Korngold's and his mentor Alexander von Zemlinsky's Piano Trios. Simply great recording and one worthy of anyone's collection. It's really hard to believe that Korngold was only 12 years old when he wrote this. I mean really? 12 years old? Wow!










And I decided to listen to one more recording before bed and it happens to be Hubert Parry's Piano Trio in E Minor and his Piano Quartet in A Flat Major. I don't mean to offend any Brits on the board but Parry's music is quiet emotional and full of great lyricism. Far more Brahms than Elgar in style that's for sure. Great stuff but not stuffy!










Kevin


----------



## belfastboy

Just needed after a very restless night - and thinking of (yawns) a meeting at 10am (yawns) again, - but hey, it's Friday!

Turlough Carolan(Irish name Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin, 1670 - March 25, 1738): was a blind, itinerant early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer. Harpers in the old Irish tradition were still living as late as 1792, as ten, including Arthur O'Neill, Patrick Quin and Denis O'Hampsey, showed up at the Belfast Harp Festival, but there is no proof of any of these being composers. Some of Carolan's own compositions show influence from the style of continental classical music, whereas others such as Carolan's Farewell to Music reflect a much older style of "Gaelic Harping".


----------



## SimonNZ

"Troubadour Songs And Medieval Lyrics" - Paul Hillier

which includes a very impressive Lament Of David by Peter Abelard


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

belfastboy said:


> Just needed after a very restless night - and thinking of (yawns) a meeting at 10am (yawns) again, - but hey, it's Friday!
> 
> Turlough Carolan(Irish name Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin, 1670 - March 25, 1738): was a blind, itinerant early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer. Harpers in the old Irish tradition were still living as late as 1792, as ten, including Arthur O'Neill, Patrick Quin and Denis O'Hampsey, showed up at the Belfast Harp Festival, but there is no proof of any of these being composers. Some of Carolan's own compositions show influence from the style of continental classical music, whereas others such as Carolan's Farewell to Music reflect a much older style of "Gaelic Harping".


I keep on forgetting how much I love his music. I don't think I've heard any of his stuff this year!

Just listened to Zelenka's Reqiuem in d minor ZWV 48


----------



## neoshredder

Wasn't sure which to listen to between Corelli and Xenakis. Decided to go with Corelli.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Wasn't sure which to listen to between Corelli and Xenakis. Decided to go with Corelli.


That was the wrong choice, Neoshredder. In that situation _always_ go for the *Ligeti.*

Just listened to Messiaen's _Turangalîla-Symphonie._


----------



## neoshredder

I thought it was when in doubt, go for Corelli.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Weelkes' "Ninth Service and Anthems" - Stephen Darlington


----------



## Taneyev

N 1:

NAPRAVIK Eduard: son.violin&piano.

NASIDZE Sulkhan: string quartet 5 "con sordino"

NEDBAL Oskar: son.violin&piano.

NIELSEN Ludolf: string quartet.


----------



## Ravndal

Michael Nyman - The Heart Asks Pleasure first

The memories  One of the first pieces i tried to learn at the piano. Didn't go too well


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6848
> 
> 
> Thomas Weelkes' "Ninth Service and Anthems" - Stephen Darlington


That looks interesting. I'm listening now.


----------



## luismsoaresmartins

My first Wagner! Enjoying it, but still not falling in love with it 
Maybe I should try a DVD performance of the Ring, to get acquainted with the plot... Which one is recomended? Barenboim?


----------



## Ravndal

Philip Glass - Dance III


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravel's orchestral works by Jean Martinon.


----------



## belfastboy

*While roller painting the walls and about to begin the glossy wood-work (dreaming of a cold glass of pinot)!
And it's boiling hot here! Let the week-end roll!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Franz Schreker*.

This is beautiful, evocative music.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66*

Good morning all!  - more Orchestral Bliss planned for todays listening. First up I will listen to Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty again in its entirety from my new box of Ballet Music. After this I may listen to Tchaikovsky's 5th and 6th from the brilliant Jansons set or I may go with some first listens from my new box of Atterberg's Symphonies, anyway I will see where my mood takes me!


----------



## Sonata

Getting in a symphonic metal kick today, so not as much classical so far as I planned. Nevertheless, I did check out some obscure Mozart, as this arrived in the mail yesterday:


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

belfastboy said:


> If we had no faults of our own, we would not take so much pleasure in noticing those of others.
> Francois de La Rochefoucauld


Great quote!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons. Although I am still finding Bruckner rather "hard to digest", I am having a little easier time with this particular symphony, particularly its last 2 movements, which are quite melodious and somehow more "accessible" to me than some of his other works. Overall, I find this symphony to be very enjoyable and listenable.


----------



## Crudblud

Luigi Cherubini - Sei Sonate per Pianoforte (Giammarco)

My first exposure to Cherubini, so far I am thoroughly unimpressed. I'm going to assume that the piano was not his forte (ba-dum-tsh!) and hope that his choral works are more satisfying.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Crudblud said:


> Luigi Cherubini - Sei Sonate per Pianoforte (Giammarco)
> 
> My first exposure to Cherubini, so far I am thoroughly unimpressed. I'm going to assume that the piano was not his forte (ba-dum-tsh!) and hope that his choral works are more satisfying.


His choral works are more satisfying.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

luismsoaresmartins said:


> View attachment 6849
> 
> 
> My first Wagner! Enjoying it, but still not falling in love with it
> Maybe I should try a DVD performance of the Ring, to get acquainted with the plot... Which one is recomended? Barenboim?


Boulez apparently.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Kevin Pearson

Crudblud said:


> Luigi Cherubini - Sei Sonate per Pianoforte (Giammarco)
> 
> My first exposure to Cherubini, so far I am thoroughly unimpressed. I'm going to assume that the piano was not his forte (ba-dum-tsh!) and hope that his choral works are more satisfying.


I really enjoy his string quartets. You might give those a try.

Kevin


----------



## Crudblud

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Boulez apparently.


I'd certainly recommend Boulez. Not least of all because Donald McIntyre is an absolutely stellar Wotan, and the way he and Heinz Zednik play off eachother in Das Rheingold (Zednik as Loge), and in Siegfried (Zednik as Mime) is just brilliant. Siegfried and Brünnhilde as a couple is the weak link for me, but I haven't found their romance particularly engrossing in any production, it just seems rather silly. Yes, that's what seems silly in a world with lecherous dwarves who turn in to frogs.

@Kevin: Thanks, I'll look in to those.


----------



## NightHawk

The two Charles Ives quartets, No. 1 (1896, 21 y/o), and No. 2 (1907-1913) are the reason to own this 1992 recording by The Emerson Quartet. They show the immense talent of Ives' early years at Yale, and his understanding of romantic language and formal characteristics. The work uses a good number of hymn tunes.

The second, though much more dissonant and filled with 'pop tune fragments et al', is still in touch with romanticism having a program illustrating the bond between four men who "converse, discuss, argue, fight, shake hands, shut up - then walk up the mountain the mountain side to view the firmament".

The Barber Quartet from 1936, is hamstrung somewhat by the long-standing string orchestra arrangement of the 2nd movement, Adagio (for Strings). It is interesting to note that it is a very young work, completed when he was 26 y/o and studying in Europe.

The Emerson plays these pieces like a second skin and the two Ives quartets, particularly, are perfectly suited for their gifts.


----------



## cwarchc

Ending the evening with this one
Quite a peacful requiem.









Also tried this as well









before that it was


----------



## belfastboy

First piece I learned to play well........memories....good times / hard times!


----------



## crmoorhead

And there was LIIIGHT!


----------



## Manxfeeder

crmoorhead said:


> And there was LIIIGHT!


Yeah, one of the great moments in music!

I have $5 to spend at Barnes and Noble and am listening to this to see if it will be the one I trade for Abe Lincoln:


----------



## Ravndal

belfastboy said:


> First piece I learned to play well........memories....good times / hard times!


impressive, if you played it well


----------



## NightHawk

I have Bernstein's fourth in two recordings (the latter one from the early 90's, I think, using a boy soprano), the other is with the NYPhil in the 60's. So, not much to compare Szell's with, but IMO Szell's surpasses Bernstein's (who is celebrated for his Mahler).



opus55 said:


> I don't have many others in my collection to compare but Szell is so far my favorite Mahler 4. Essential Classics line has some fine recordings of the old American orchestras, Cleveland/Szell and Philadelphia/Ormandy. I also have the disc you mention with Oistrakh and Francescatti, another great set!


----------



## belfastboy

Ravndal said:


> impressive, if you played it well


I would attempt to play it, or insult it if I did not play it well!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, WAB 109, "Unfinished"*

Now playing the Bruckner 9 from Chailly's excellent set - after this I will listen to Bohms recording of the 8th.


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - Valses nobles et sentimentales (Martinon)

Soothing. That Cherubini almost drove me bonkers.


----------



## Crudblud

Stockhausen - Kreuzspiel (Ives Ensemble)

Kind of interesting to hear Stockhausen with a steady beat.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Crudblud said:


> Stockhausen - Kreuzspiel (Ives Ensemble)
> 
> Kind of interesting to hear Stockhausen with a steady beat.


I don't know why it strikes me funny that of these two, _Cherubini _ is the one that drives you bonkers. But that's what I love about TalkClassical; you guys have wonderful ears! (Of course, I think Kreuzspiel is cool.)

I'm listening to Szell's Mozart 40. Maybe I'll walk away from Barnes and Noble with this one.


----------



## Crudblud

Sibelius - Symphony No. 4 (Maazel)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I think I will go listen to the BCJ play St. John Passion.


----------



## belfastboy

well it is currently listening!


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, I have that cd by Szell and the Cleveland and would highly recommend it, especially if you like Mozart!


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto




----------



## Toddlertoddy

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 4
Borodin String Quartet

Like the Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67 (1944), the String Quartet No. 4 features thematic elements of Jewish inspiration. But in the postwar era and until Stalin's death in 1953, Shostakovich had become well aware he could not display any obvious sympathies with Jews and Jewish culture in his compositions and thus withheld the work from performance until after the tyrant's passing.

The first movement, marked Allegretto, begins with the viola and cello playing a drone while the violins present the main theme, with Jewish folk music figurations. The music quickly reaches an intense, ecstatic climax, and for the rest of this brief movement (typically less than four minutes' duration), the mood remains subdued. A second theme is heard, followed by a brief development, reprise, and coda, but all these sections have a deliberate sense of anticlimax in their generally dark character. The second movement (Andantino) presents a melancholy waltz, first played by the violin, then by the cello. The music intensifies as the theme is developed in the middle section, but the calmer, somewhat foreboding mood of the opening returns in the closing pages.

The third movement is a muted Scherzo (Allegretto), launched by a driving ostinato from the viola and second violin, over which the cello, then first violin play a sinister melody. A second theme provides contrast in its brighter, livelier character, but cannot dispel the generally anxious, dark mood in this four-minute panel. The finale, despite its Allegretto marking, starts slowly with a sustained viola note held from the Scherzo, over which is presented a somber melody. Soon, however, a theme of decidedly Jewish flavor is presented over a pizzicato rhythm. A second lively theme, also evidently of Jewish inspiration, is heard and both are then developed. The colorful, infectiously rhythmic, and generally bright mood prevails until the sober reappearance of the opening theme, after which the mood turns darker and the music slowly fades, the quartet pessimistically ending.


----------



## belfastboy

And why not!


----------



## Crudblud

Xenakis - XAS (Ensemble ST-X)
Xenakis - Tracées (Tamayo)


----------



## pasido

Greensleeves


----------



## millionrainbows

Glenn Gould has always fascinated me. Instead of a piano bench, he used that ridiculous low-slung creaking chair; he had piano technicians radically change the action on his pianos; he liked an old 1930's Chickering piano; he liked recording, hated concertising and the road; his favorite recording venue was not a stately cathedral, but the auditorium of an Eaton's Department Store in Canada; and looking at the cover portrait of this album, I am reminded of his enigmatic character...the crescent shape of his jaw line has him resembling the man in the moon.









This disc is a collection of odds and ends which never made it to release for one reason or another. Some of the best pieces here were intended for a second "Italian" Bach album, never finished, and are the last Bach Gould ever recorded (May 4, 1980); as the liner notes say, "..thus lending the failure of this recording a certain air of tragedy."

While this collection may be a "failure" in the sense that it was left unfinished, make no mistake about it, this is some of the best playing I have _ever_ heard from Gould. The Fugue in B minor on a theme by Albinoni (recorded in May 1979) is profound. His trills are perfect, the mastery is dazzling...and recorded in Eaton's Auditorium.

There are a few earlier recordings included from 1959-1968-1971, "Italian" pieces which would have been included in the finished album, so this is a well-thought-out collection; almost like hearing the finished project, had Gould not passed on October 4, 1982. I wish I had been "on" to this album years ago.

I kind of gave up on Gould back when he recorded his newer Goldbergs; they were too slow in the opening, and lost their momentum for me. That was a big mistake on my part, as these recordings prove. He was even better towards the end.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of the great Modernist works... with one of the great Modernist paintings adorning the cover! (Matisse' _Music_)


----------



## Crudblud

^Are you referring to the Concerto, Mandarin or both?

Bizet - Symphony in C major (Bernstein)
Chávez - Sinfonia India (Bernstein)


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, I have that cd by Szell and the Cleveland and would highly recommend it, especially if you like Mozart!


Thanks for the recommendation. That's the one I got.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Robert Haas Edition}, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony NO.13 in D Major and Symphony No.36 in E-Flat Major, *both performed by the Cologne Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Helmut Muller-Bruhl.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Giya Kancheli's* birthday (b. 1935), In l'istesso tempo (for piano quartet), with Bridge Ensemble.

View attachment 6868


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Are you referring to the Concerto, Mandarin or both?

Well... currently I'm listening to the _Miraculous Mandarin_... but I listened to both.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 17, Bilson/Gardiner recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A truly marvelous disc! The music all comes from a single Renaissance document called _Cancionero de Montecassino_ which is believed to contain works composed between 1430 and 1480. Somehow the document has survived down through the centuries. From his home base in Naples, Alfons V attracted musicians and composers from across what was then the "known world." The _Cancionero de Montecassino_ presents a collected overview of the music of Alfons' court. There is a broad array of styles, instrumentation, and languages. Some of the music is purely instrumental, while other works are vocal... employing a varying number of voices.


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## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 17, Bilson/Gardiner recording.


The irony of this post and the thread you just made. haha


----------



## neoshredder

Time for me to listen to some Mozart Symphonies played by Trevor Pinnock.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 17, Bilson/Gardiner recording.


You are betraying the cause of Modernism!...but if you want a work written by Mozart written by Elliott Carter listen to K.286. I think Mozart did not die in 1791...he's still ALIVE...he's ELLIOTT!

My proof is here:
http://www.talkclassical.com/1005-current-listening-938.html#post255674


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to a Ferruccio Busoni CD of chamber music. The first piece is titled as a piano concerto but it's not in the sense that I am used to because there is no orchestra. It's more like a piano and string quartet. Really nice piece and somewhat like Beethoven. There's also a couple of suites and a divertimento. I enjoyed the whole album immensely.










I'm sticking with Busoni for tonight with his string quartets No. 1 and No. 2.










Kevin


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons. Although I am still finding Bruckner rather "hard to digest", I am having a little easier time with this particular symphony, particularly its last 2 movements, which are quite melodious and somehow more "accessible" to me than some of his other works. Overall, I find this symphony to be very enjoyable and listenable.


Yeah well I have been revisiting Bruckner & Mahler too lately. Re Bruckner's 4th its the one I hear the central 'theme' (or main theme) in most clearly, it goes through the whole work. Its the horn call at the beginning. The fourth movement masterfully brings it all together and in the very last minute the theme returns, kind of like a boomerang. This symphony, like a number of his others, brings to my mind images and even colours. Especially the colour green, and of course the Alpine valleys and lakes. Its a great work and if you get the chance to hear Bruckner live, its worth it, really is.


----------



## opus55

Sonata said:


> How do you like Raff? I heard someone on a different classical site compare him to Mendelssohn, who I enjoy greatly. Would you agree with this comparison?


Not really. Maybe I can relate next time since you mentioned it. To be honest, I'm not too impressed with Raff's "four season" symphonies. It seems pointless and characterless; none of them really "moved" me.



Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to Szell's Mozart 40. Maybe I'll walk away from Barnes and Noble with this one.


Lucky you.. there is not one store left near me where I can shop for classical music except for used book store.

Listening to -

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Beautiful, beautiful music. And I even like the art cover.


----------



## Arsakes

Schumann:
- Requiem fur Mignon
- Nachtlied
- Symphony in G minor ''Zwickau''
- Overture ''Julius Caesar'' Op.128


----------



## science

It's easy to miss the Sciarrino. It's like midnight a cemetery for music, all we hear is the ghostly wisps of sound. And it is a bit spooky, but beautiful and spiritual as well. Not for everyone. This is not background music - it'll be over and you'll think, "Did I hear anything?"

King Arthur has been my favorite work by Purcell, but this time…. Maybe I've just overdosed on Baroque music lately.

















I really love the Dufay.

















The Hungarian "Gypsy" music is fun, folksy, dancey stuff. I got this originally because I thought it might help me appreciate guys like Bartok and Enescu better, and so far it hasn't but I haven't been trying very hard. Even if it never helps, I enjoy this music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Guerrero's Missa de la Batalla Escoutez - James O'Donnell


----------



## Conor71

*Atterberg: Symphony No. 4 In G Minor, Op. 14, "Sinfonia Piccola"*

Now playing Disc 1 of the Atterberg set for a first listen - sounds good so far, the music is pretty easy to like.
Next I will listen to the Disc of Saint-Saens Orchestral works.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listneing to Haydn's 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th symphonies.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Johann Wilhelm Hässler* (1747-1822), keyboard music played by Michele Benuzzi on a 1773 Robert Falkener (London)harpsichord. Hässler met Mozart in Dresden in 1789 and they had a contest at the house of the Russian Ambassador. We have a report of the event by Mozart himself in a letter to his wife (in a rather defensive tone).


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listneing to Haydn's 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th symphonies.


Keep going. You are on your way to listening to all of them.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Keep going. You are on your way to listening to all of them.


Although entirely out of order so far :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Late String Quartets from Beethoven.


----------



## Conor71

*Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher*

Listening to this work for Viola & Orchestra for the first time - Disc 2 of the Trio set.


----------



## Taneyev

N 2:

NIELSEN Carl: his solo violin pieces.

NICOLAIEV Alexander: string quartet 3-

NICOLAIEV Leonid: son.violin&piano.

NYSTEDT Knut: string quartet 2


----------



## Carpenoctem

Beethoven Missa Solemnis. I haven't listened to this magical piece for a very long time, I like this recording, but if you want to get the real deal I recommend getting Klempere's recording. It's really the best you can get.

Here's the artwork:


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> View attachment 6874
> 
> 
> Beethoven Missa Solemnis. I haven't listened to this magical piece for a very long time, I like this recording, but if you want to get the real deal I recommend getting Klempere's recording. It's really the best you can get.
> 
> Here's the artwork:
> 
> View attachment 6875


I agree with you and I don't. Klemperer's version is really very fine, if you want it to sound Late Romantic, with an overblown, overly rich texture, played and sung by forces which LvB would hardly have recognised. Mostly, I really don't like this style of interpretation, but Klemperer's is wonderful if you take away any pretence to authenticity... otherwise, Gardiner's is still about the best there is.


----------



## millionrainbows

Another one of the Glenn Gould Jubilee Edition, with original content and LP cover art. Recorded in 1966-1967 (wasn't that the "Summer of Love?"), but not released until 1970, the cover graphics (psychedelic, huh?) are evidence of the times; they had to do *something* to sell Beethoven to hippies like me.

Gould was good on variations (ha ha), and he really "bangs it out" on this one. Not as interesting as his Bach, but definitely something to wake you up after your Boone's Farm Apple Wine and reefer hangover.

Dig it: Beethoven is beautiful, man, beautiful!


----------



## EricABQ

During this morning's hike I listened to Alkan's Concerto For Solo Piano played by Hamelin.

After that, I needed a change of pace so I listened to Tom Waits' _The Black Rider_. This is a studio recording he did of songs he wrote for a play of the same name (the play was based on Der Freishutz [I got that from wiki]). It's a fantastic album and I highly recommend it to anyone.


----------



## science

EricABQ said:


> During this morning's hike I listened to Alkan's Concerto For Solo Piano played by Hamelin.
> 
> After that, I needed a change of pace so I listened to Tom Waits' _The Black Rider_. This is a studio recording he did of songs he wrote for a play of the same name (the play was based on Der Freishutz [I got that from wiki]). It's a fantastic album and I highly recommend it to anyone.


Tom Waits impresses the heck out of me. And so of course do Alkan and Hamelin!


----------



## NightHawk

Messiaen's _Quartour pour la fin du Temps_ - the Ensemble William Boeykens (Belgian) - sublime.


----------



## Art Rock

Disappointing - and that does not happen often with Anne-Sofie von Otter. Even though she has shown before that she can tackle lighter classical music (Weill songs in Speak low) and crossover smoothly into pop songs (For the stars with Elvis Costello), her take on ABBA songs does not do it for me. At all.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Jared said:


> I agree with you and I don't. Klemperer's version is really very fine, if you want it to sound Late Romantic, with an overblown, overly rich texture, played and sung by forces which LvB would hardly have recognised. Mostly, I really don't like this style of interpretation, but Klemperer's is wonderful if you take away any pretence to authenticity... otherwise, Gardiner's is still about the best there is.


Both are great, I have Gardiner and my friend has Klemperer's recording so I've listened to them both. The thing is, in Gardiner's recording Kyrie and Gloria are not as good as Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. But overall I like it a lot. I agree with you, Klemperer is a bit pretentious and overblown, but I did like it a bit more. But overall, you can't lose with either one, both are brilliant.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Art Rock said:


> Her take on ABBA songs does not do it for me. At all.


I've just listened to a few tracks. Personally, I'm disappointed she didn't do Dancing Queen; that would have been one for the ages.

Now I'm listening to *Mozart's Symphonies Nos. 40 and 41. *

I reallly like what George Szell does with these.


----------



## millionrainbows

I have Vincent Persichetti's book as well. Between him and Howard Hanson, we have two of America's greatest harmonic thinkers.
These twelve piano sonatas (six of them world-premiere recordings) are very sensitively and ably played by Geoffrey Burleson. His technique is very good, and he seems to understand this music, and conveys this to me.
Persichetti's sonata cycle spans the years 1939-1982. Although harmonically complex, his music is relatively straightforward rhythmically, which can be a plus or a minus, depending on how you see it. For me, the positive is that his music has a forward drive and thrust which propels us forward with it; this also allows me to concentrate on the harmonic aspects of what's taking place. It also gives the music a melodic character which holds together through all sorts of harmonic permutations. Compared to the disjointed and irrational rhythms of Serialism, this music is phrase-like and speech-like, giving it an old-school feel.
But that's not a bad thing: this is "harmonic" music. It's not 12-tone or Serial, but it still is adventurous. Like conventional tonality, harmonic music shares certain key aspects with tonality: chord function is gone, but there is still a harmonic hierarchy. 
Harmonic hierarchy is based on the "stacking" of notes, and the hierarchy is preserved throughout the octaves, so that "tonal inversion" is still intact. This means that any grouping of notes retains its hierarchical relation within the chromatic circle, and note-identity is preserved: C-C#-F-A is still that sonority, even under inversion, so F-A-C-C# is its equivalent; the pitch-identities are retained.
With the serial procedure of inversion, the original C-C#-F-A would become a literal inversion, becoming C-B-G-Eb, a different sonority to our ears altogether, and different set of pitches altogether.

By the time we get to the Sonata No. 10, composed in 1955, things have gotten gnarly, but still the same basic harmonic unity underlies it. The Eleventh Sonata (1965) is a departure, fitting-in with post-war ideas of composition, but still has Persichetti's personality, and vestiges of his "harmonic" sound, but his most dissonant piece by far. The rhythmic thrust is still there in places, but not as clear-cut as earlier. More disjointed departures, more strange sonorities, a more detached objective use of the total range of the piano as a "sound-source" rather than a "voice." Very listenable, still. Persichetti's "desire to communicate" is still intact.
The final sonata, No. 12 (1982), is opaque and mysterious. It uses what Persichetti called his "mirror technique" which he showed earlier in a set of instructional etude-exercises. Each hand "mirrors" the other. The result is block-like sonorities and counterpoint excursions which still delight the ear, as well as the brain.

Persichetti's music can be approached in other ways, too: his string quartets are killer.


----------



## belfastboy

Richard Wagner - LOHENGRIN - Bayreuth 2011


----------



## belfastboy

*Has a little snigger to himself* LOL


----------



## Sonata

*Mendelssohn:*
1st orchestral symphony (Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra):








1st string symphony









Debussy: Suite Bergamasque









Various opera highlights from this:









And now, Bruckner's 4th:


----------



## Carpenoctem

^ Great stuff.


----------



## Crudblud

Weber - Overtures (Suitner)


----------



## EricABQ

I have both the 99 Mendelssohn and the Debussy set. They are both incredible values.


----------



## Sonata

Carpenoctem said:


> ^ Great stuff.


thank you


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy* and *Bartok* Etudes with Boffard, then *Bartok* Fourteen Bagatelles, Sonatina, with Kocsis.

View attachment 6897
View attachment 6898


----------



## Crudblud

Händel - Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 No. 1-4 (Busch)

Courtesy of bigshot.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently playing around on Spotify looking up 20th century composers with whom I'm unfamiliar, I stumbled upon Ernst Toch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Toch

Some interesting music here.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Complete Piano Trios - disc 1










Not too fond of the fortepiano sound but I think I'm starting to like it.


----------



## Ravndal

chopin sonata no.3 B minor

Played by Kissin. I don't know if i like kissin yet... he's a bit rough


----------



## belfastboy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 I. Moderato (Rubinstein)


----------



## crmoorhead

Aida, specifically this version:









I have a recent Met production recorded from Sky Arts that I watched earlier in the week. Might be able to squeeze in one other version that I downloaded from YouTube this weekend.


----------



## belfastboy

God I so love this...this is my death-bed tune!!


----------



## starthrower

Schnittke-Concerto Grosso No. 6/Symphony No. 8 on Chandos
Schnittke-Cello Concerto No. 1 on Naxos


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 In Bb Major, D 960*

A double serving of romantic Piano Music - first up I will listen to the Schubert followed by Richters Schumann.


----------



## millionrainbows

I would think, given the overtly harmonic nature of Persichetti's music, that it would be more popular. It is lush with harmony, a strange chemistry of moving sounds. This serves as a nice respite from traditional tonal 'harmonic' music.

The Symphony No. 5 is for string orchestra, and it sounds very rich and full. It gets 'angular' in places, but always calms back down. Riccardo Muti does an excellent job. The pianist Robert Taub has done Milton Babbitt's piano music, as well as a complete Beethoven sonata cycle on Vox, which I also have. This guy knows modern music. He has a book out on the Beethoven.


----------



## EricABQ

science said:


> Tom Waits impresses the heck out of me. And so of course do Alkan and Hamelin!


Have you listned to The Black Rider? I think that one in particular would appeal to classical music fans.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ockeghem's Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis) - Pro Cantione Antiqua, London


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}, *performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again featuring Maestro Bohm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.2, *both featuring Marin Alsop leading the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7, *performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Okko Kamu.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *once again with the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Okko Kamu.


----------



## EricABQ

Shostakovich string quartet #15 from a chamber music compilation I downloaded some time ago but had never really listened to.

I don't know if I like this, but I haven't turned it off yet.


----------



## science

Britten's War Requiem has grown on me to the point that I can no longer imagine what I was feeling before, when I didn't enjoy it much.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80*

Now playing Disc 3 of the Brahms set which contains Overtures, the Alto Rhapsody and Symphony No.4. After this I will listen to more Brahms from the Amadeus Quartets Chamber Music box.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wagner's _Tristan und Isolde,_ Böhm in the morning and Barenboim in the afternoon.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ignaz Friedman: The Complete Solo Recordings 1923-1936

currently disc two (of four), which is mostly Chopin Mazurkas


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Stravinsky: Concerto for Two Pianos

After completing his Piano Concerto (1923 - 24), Stravinsky wanted to further explore the capabilities of the piano as a solo instrument, and so conceived his Concerto for two solo pianos. This rather individual designation was the result of practical considerations: Stravinsky wanted to write a soloistic work that could be performed in cities where no orchestra was in residence, and further, one that he could play with his son Soulima, a skilled musician in his own right.

The composer began work on the Concerto in 1931, but, after completing the first movement, found himself unable to clearly form the sonic picture of two pianos playing simultaneously. To solve this problem, in his words, he "asked the Pleyel company to build me a double piano, in the form of a small box of two tightly wedged triangles." This invention proved useful, and Stravinsky completed the Concerto in 1934 and 1935.

As one might expect, the relationship of the two pianos is more ambiguous than the "concerto" designation implies. The Pleyel piano apparently stimulated Stravinsky's imagination, as he exploits the gamut of possibilities of two pianos working in tandem. The instruments are often used in a solo-and-accompaniment relationship, but at times they work together-or even at odds-in developing material. Both sonata-allegro and ternary forms influence the shape the first movement, which has two sections with two distinct subjects that surround a middle section marked by a Baroque lyricism. The movement's primary character is expressed in its Con moto marking; fast, witty, and delightful. Like the first movement, the Nocturne has a steady pulse, but its main concern is the graceful development of its lovely melody. Still, Stravinsky stretches the performers' capabilities with heavy ornamentation that requires special attention to retain its delicacy. Stravinsky switched the third and fourth movements after they were composed, so the "Quattro variazioni" third movement actually refers to a theme that has not yet been stated. These strongly contrasted variations pave the way for the fourth movement, whose prelude-fugue-prelude-fugue structure recalls the final movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110. After a forbidding prelude, the fugue subject-immediately recognizable as the basis for the preceding variations-enters in one piano, posed against a sixteenth-note texture in the other. Further reflecting the influence of Beethoven's sonata, the subject in the second fugue is an inversion of the first fugue's subject.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Still Prokofiev...and again from my Vinyl archive:










1972 English version of the Cantata, but the best I think.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

A Nonesuch Grammy award-nominated CD, a series of songs composed by Armenian first major composer Komitas (Gomidas) Vardapet:


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening, which I'm also putting on my blog on this forum.

*Debussy*
_La Mer ; Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun ; Danses sacre et profane for harp & strings_
Saint Louis SO / Leonard Slatkin, cond. with Frances Tietov, harp (Telarc)

Continuing with Debussy as last weekend, another interpretation of the first two works and also the _Danses Sacre et profane_, which is quite light and airy, very chamber like & incorporating the Ancient Greek modes. Combined with that in a simple way is the feel of French popular song of the time.

*Debussy*
_Preludes, books I & II_
Hans Henkemans, pno. (Eloquence)

These are my favourite works by Debussy. They incorporate many things, from modal and pentatonic scales, the influence of gamelan and also quotes from everything from the British national anthem, to Debussy's own music and American song and ragtimes. I can go on about these, my favourites are _The Engulfed CAthedral _and _Fireworks_. I like how Debussy simply lets tonality kind of hang around and does not resolve things by the end of each piece. Its also about many kind of ephemeral things like memory and images in our minds, and symbols. This recording was by a Dutch pianist and made in the early 1950's (mono) but it sounds pretty good. I think he bought out the humour of some of these pieces, and those quirky rhythms as well.

*Edouard Lalo*
_Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21_
Ruggiero Ricci, vln. / Bochumer SO / Matthias Kuntzsch, cond. (PILZ)

To remember the passing of a great violinist,* Ruggiero Ricci,* it was this work, which is more a suite for violin and orchestra than a symphony. Its full of warm Spanish melodies and also vibes of gypsy music. The concluding movement has some pyrotechnics for the violinist which is a thrill to hear, Ricci makes it sound so effortless.

*Selections from album: Nina Simone, Jazz Masters 17* (on Verve)

To conclude, the unique voice and playing of *Nina Simone.* Hard to categorise, she combined everything from jazz to classical to blues and beyond. Some of these songs are very autobiographical and also political, as she was involved in the black civil rights movement in the 1960's. Trained at Julliard as a pianist, she can't help but sneak in things like a Bachian cadenza here and there, and her vocal range was considerable. However, many of these songs show her bitterness with American politics and 'the system,' and she eventually went into self-exile, settling in France for two decades, but making a comeback of sorts in the mid 1980's. A phenomenal artist of her time of any genre.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3
Bartok: String Quartet No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> *Edouard Lalo*
> _Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21_
> Ruggiero Ricci, vln. / Bochumer SO / Matthias Kuntzsch, cond. (PILZ)
> 
> To remember the passing of a great violinist,* Ruggiero Ricci,* it was this work, which is more a suite for violin and orchestra than a symphony. Its full of warm Spanish melodies and also vibes of gypsy music. The concluding movement has some pyrotechnics for the violinist which is a thrill to hear, Ricci makes it sound so effortless.


Ruggiero Ricci died?! Ah damn that's sad. I mean he wasn't young, but damn thats sad.

I've just gone and dug out the recording that first made me sit up and realise I needed to find as many recordings as I could by this violinist:









Sarasate's Carmen Fantasie - Ruggiero Ricci, violin

and maybe one of his Beethoven Concerto recordings later


----------



## science

I was worried that my last "current listening" post was too romantic (we've been criticized for that...) so I made amends:










Which was a lot of fun. The highlight for me is, "The male is basically an anymale." But in general, it's good fun.

Then I went almost romantic again, with Stravinsky:










Also good fun.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wagner's _Parsifal._ It looks like I might not be listening to any Haydn symphonies today. Oh well.


----------



## science

More amending:










The études this time. Did the Musica ricercata the other day.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> More amending:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The études this time. Did the Musica ricercata the other day.


Excellent listening choice, sir! Do you have a favourite étude?


----------



## Jared

I am now on my final traversal (at least for the time being) of Haydn's magnificent late SQs (op.55 onwards). The journey started when I was bought this set by my father for my birthday at the end of May; each disk now having had at least 6 listens. I think when you are able to afford the time to concentrate on such a body of work in it's entirety, trying to give it your undivided attention, then of course it pays dividends. It is very interesting to be able to identify with the structure of his sonatas together with the developing complexity of each piece, which would later be taken to a new level by Beethoven... after all, without Haydn it's difficult to imagine that there would have been any LvB SQs of the quality he was able to construct. Far from the image of a tradesman 'knocking out' another chamber work to order for the Esterhazy household, these pieces really do show the work of a creative genius.


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Excellent listening choice, sir! Do you have a favourite étude?


No. I never thought of that.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> And now, Bruckner's 4th:


how are you getting along with your Bruckner, Sonata?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> No. I never thought of that.


Correct answer! Well done! :tiphat:


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> Not too fond of the fortepiano sound but I think I'm starting to like it.


agreed. nothing wrong with having a pianoforte set of anything, but it should never replace the sound of a grand in one's music collection...


----------



## Jared

Ravndal said:


> chopin sonata no.3 B minor
> 
> Played by Kissin. I don't know if i like kissin yet... he's a bit rough


yes, he is a bit rough and I can take him or leave him, frankly...

try this one...










Fliter, a student of Argerich, is a talented Argentine pianist with a feel for Chopin, and you can get the disk for a bargain price here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chopin-Pian...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344764305&sr=1-2


----------



## Jared

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6903
> 
> 
> Ockeghem's Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis) - Pro Cantione Antiqua, London


Hi Simon,

I love the music you're listening to... that fine disk was the very first Early Music CD I purchased, and still gets quite a few listens. Needly to say, my EM collection (as well as my Josquin & Ockeghem) collections have grown since!!


----------



## Jared

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> It looks like I might not be listening to any Haydn symphonies today. Oh well.


A day without a Haydn Symphony is a day which never achieved it's true potential...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Jared said:


> A day without a Haydn Symphony is a day which never achieved it's true potential...


Aha, but I have listened to _Tristan und Isolde_ *twice.* The amount of great music there is equal to about 49762153074826973 Haydn symphonies. 

(Couchie get off my TC account)


----------



## Jared

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Aha, but I have listened to _Tristan und Isolde_ *twice.* The amount of great music there is equal to about 49762153074826973 Haydn symphonies.


I've come to the conclusion that you can't put an old head on young shoulders...


----------



## ProudSquire

W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 31 "Paris" in D major
Conductor - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Wiener Philharmoniker






Superb performance.


----------



## Jared

TheProudSquire said:


> W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 31 "Paris" in D major
> Conductor - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
> Wiener Philharmoniker
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Superb performance.


have you heard the MacKerras? wonderful...


----------



## ProudSquire

Jared said:


> have you heard the MacKerras? wonderful...


Afraid not, but I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for pointing it my way, I'm always on the hunt for different interpretations.


----------



## belfastboy

I just totally totally love G&S....especially on a 'don't take it so serious' Sunday.......G&S are so under rated !!

"I'm called little buttercup".......lol


----------



## science

More atonement:










You know, this really is beautiful music. It's so sad that we can't just listen to it.


----------



## Jared

TheProudSquire said:


> Afraid not, but I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for pointing it my way, I'm always on the hunt for different interpretations.


Its companion disk:










won multiple awards, including the BBC Classical Music disk of the year, 2010.


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> I just totally totally love G&S....especially on a 'don't take it so serious' Sunday.......G&S are so under rated !!


let's face it my friend, you can't get any 'camper'... can you??

incidentally, have you ever seen this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Topsy-Turvy...=sr_1_13?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1344768890&sr=1-13

I think you'd REALLY love it.... and it's about £3 inc P&P!


----------



## belfastboy

@*Jared*

Oh I've seen that sweetie!!!! Thanks any how!!! x


----------



## ProudSquire

Jared said:


> Its companion disk:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> won multiple awards, including the BBC Classical Music disk of the year, 2010.


Cool. I'll check that one also. :]


----------



## Carpenoctem

Since Jared is recommending some great recordings here, I'll also join the discussion and recommend this fabulous recording of Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor:









This is one of the best recordings I have.

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Montag...&sr=8-1&keywords=mozart+great+mass+in+c+minor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> More atonement:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You know, this really is beautiful music. It's so sad that we can't just listen to it.


Who says you can't? I just listen to everything that I want to just listen to.


----------



## SAKO

Haydn: The 'Sturm und Drang' Symphonies, arrived yesterday.

Last night listened to Symphony 35, 38, 39 & 59.

So damned good I put it on again this morning.:devil:


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> @*Jared*
> 
> Oh I've seen that sweetie!!!! Thanks any how!!! x


I thought you might have done, but it was worth mentioning...


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> Since Jared is recommending some great recordings here, I'll also join the discussion and recommend this fabulous recording of Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor:
> 
> View attachment 6909
> 
> 
> This is one of the best recordings I have.
> 
> Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Montag...&sr=8-1&keywords=mozart+great+mass+in+c+minor


It's a superb recording, indeed and gets a lot of listens at chez Butcher...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SAKO said:


> Haydn: The 'Sturm und Drang' Symphonies, arrived yesterday.
> 
> Last night listened to Symphony 35, 38, 39 & 59.
> 
> So damned good I put it on again this morning.:devil:
> 
> View attachment 6910


No. 52 is my favourite Haydn symphony of all time. Have you heard that one yet? If not, listen to it next and tell me what you think of the last movement.


----------



## Jared

SAKO said:


> Haydn: The 'Sturm und Drang' Symphonies, arrived yesterday.
> 
> Last night listened to Symphony 35, 38, 39 & 59.
> 
> So damned good I put it on again this morning.:devil:
> 
> View attachment 6910


agreed wholeheartedly.... stripped down, sprightly and radiant in their tone colours...


----------



## Arsakes

Berwald - Symphony Sérieuse in G minor

Dvorak: 
- Stabat Mater
- Symphony No.1


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Who says you can't? I just listen to everything that I want to just listen to.


Four thirty-three, man. Four thirty-three.


----------



## Taneyev

N 3:

NORDHEIM Arne: string quartet.

NOSZKOWSY Zygmundt: string quartet.

NOVAK Viteslav: Sonata violin&piano and piano trio "quasi una ballata"


----------



## Jared

'La Stravaganza' from this set:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> Four thirty-three, man. Four thirty-three.


That's a great song, man.


----------



## peeyaj

Bach - *The Well Tempered Clavier*

played by Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> That's a great song, man.


I don't know, man. I can't hit those high notes.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SAKO

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> No. 52 is my favourite Haydn symphony of all time. Have you heard that one yet? If not, listen to it next and tell me what you think of the last movement.


I have heard and enjoyed No. 52 in the past, will shortly get around to listening to it on this recording. Will let you know.

I have many favourites, and they often change with constant relistenings. At the moment I harbour a soft spot for number 68, which I suppose sits somewhere between the Sturm und Drang and the Parisian symphonies. The finale is Haydn blatantly in a good mood and having fun.


----------



## science




----------



## SAKO

Jared said:


> agreed wholeheartedly.... stripped down, sprightly and radiant in their tone colours...


Most definitely. 18th century music as it's supposed to sound, like an Olympic athlete, sharp to the core, and not turned into a great lump of lard fed on Macdonalds.


----------



## Jared

SAKO said:


> Most definitely. 18th century music as it's supposed to sound, like an Olympic athlete, sharp to the core, and not turned into a great lump of lard fed on Macdonalds.


I tell you the worst album I've ever heard:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albinoni-Ad...=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344776143&sr=1-4

If you want to hear baroque bonbons turned into a Brucknerian mush, then please be my guest...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Jared said:


> I tell you the worst album I've ever heard:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albinoni-Ad...=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344776143&sr=1-4
> 
> If you want to hear baroque bonbons turned into a Brucknerian mush, then please be my guest...


Ha, I was sampling that on amazon only yesterday just out of curiousity. I can't believe people get away with playing that music like that!


----------



## Jared

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ha, I was sampling that on amazon only yesterday just out of curiousity. I can't believe people get away with playing that music like that!


the thing is, before HIP, that was the way music from the Baroque & Classical eras were interpreted... it would be wholly unrecogniseable to the composers concerned, mind.


----------



## SAKO

Jared said:


> I tell you the worst album I've ever heard:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albinoni-Ad...=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344776143&sr=1-4
> 
> If you want to hear baroque bonbons turned into a Brucknerian mush, then please be my guest...


There doesn't appear to be any samples on that page, if that's the right link.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SAKO said:


> There doesn't appear to be any samples on that page, if that's the right link.


I think I was on amazon.com. May have been a bit different.


----------



## science

I still like to hear it that way myself, now and then.

It may not be a very close connection to the era of the composition, but it is a connection to the early and middle twentieth centuries. You've got to imagine the folks listening to the radio in the wake of WWII, through the fifties and sixties. It's nice to hear what Bach might've been to Bach, but sometimes it's also nice to hear what Bach was to Thomas Mann, Stefan Zweig, or Heinrich Böll, and the less famous people of their time.

I feel really strongly about this, not in an evangelical way (ie I don't need anyone to agree with me) but in a personal, private way. In Amos Oz's beautiful, unforgettable work _A Tale of Love and Darkness_, the mother listens to the LPs, and I loved that mother, and simply really wanted to hear what she heard. At that moment, who cares whether it's right or perfect or anything - just to connect a little with that person and her time.

But I definitely also appreciate the HIPPI performances, because it's nice to hear what the music might've sounded like for its original creators, if their musicians had been as talented and trained as modern ones!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

Barnes & Noble is having a sale on these for $5, which is ridiculously cheap, and I have a gift card. I'm trying to decide between this, 2 and 5, or 3 and 8.


----------



## NightHawk

I ordered a CD of 'The Last Four Piano Trios of Haydn' and it is with fortepiano but not advertised as such. I was quite disappointed, but I've listened to them several times now and I'm beginning to really appreciate it, just as you mention. Same with the Schumann Piano Quintet Op. 47 that JARED recommended, it is also a HIP recording with fortepiano and it is beautiful - great color and atmosphere, and also plenty of energy. I'm not going HIP exclusively, by any means, but I am very pleasantly surprised. 



opus55 said:


> Haydn: Complete Piano Trios - disc 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not too fond of the fortepiano sound but I think I'm starting to like it.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> Barnes & Noble is having a sale on these for $5, which is ridiculously cheap, and I have a gift card. I'm trying to decide between this, 2 and 5, or 3 and 8.
> 
> View attachment 6914


I think his 6th symphony is underrated, it's a great piece of music.


----------



## opus55

Tartini: Violin Concertos Op. 1, Nos 12 and 1
Vivaldi: Four Seasons. Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Violin. Festival Strings Lucerne, Rudolf Baumgartner. Archive Produktion/Resonance










I'm playing dad's old LP of Four Seasons which I cannot find the image of.


----------



## millionrainbows

belfastboy said:


> I just totally totally love G&S....especially on a 'don't take it so serious' Sunday.......G&S are so under rated !!
> 
> "I'm called little buttercup".......lol











I'm not sure to what degree this is related, but here it is. I heard this on the radio and liked it, the track "The Lake of the Woods."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphony No. 92.*

I'm still obsessing over where to go with old Szell recordings. I have to say, it's a pleasant obsession.


----------



## science

Well, I've been playing around about anti-romanticism, but the truth is that my wife is out of town and I've seized the day to get a lot of that modern music that she doesn't like listened to.

















Of the Shostakovich, only the cello concerto. One of my favorite works.

Of the Barber, only the piano concerto. A work that hasn't grown on me yet.

















On the Bell disk, only the Walton. It was my 2nd time hearing that work, which I find myself really liking. Will hear it more. The Goodman disk is wonderful.

















Bernstein, Symphony #2. A work that used to be one of my favorites.

And Monteverdi's Vespers to wind down the evening.


----------



## Taneyev

IMO. you waste the oportunity to listen to one of the best violin concertos of past century, on an absolutely extraordinary version.


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> how are you getting along with your Bruckner, Sonata?


Quite nicely. I've still only listened to the fourth....with a toddler and a newborn, the only time I have for concentrated listening is naptime (if they coincide!) and about forty minutes after bedtime. In light of that, I have not moved past that single symphony yet.
But it really clicked for me yesterday!! The second movement is just gorgeous. I've done listening both to the full symphony, and seperating the movements to get the full picture. The fourth I don't know AS well as the others, so I'll listen to that movement alone today. But it's really a beautiful symphony and I think it was a good one to start for me.


----------



## Sonata

SAKO said:


> Haydn: The 'Sturm und Drang' Symphonies, arrived yesterday.
> 
> Last night listened to Symphony 35, 38, 39 & 59.
> 
> So damned good I put it on again this morning.:devil:
> 
> View attachment 6910


I need to give the Sturm and Drang symphonies a try at some point. I enjoy Haydn, but ironically the works he was the most well known for haven't done as much for me as his concertos or piano sonatas. I borrowed a set of the London symphonies from the library (Richard Hickox and the Collegium Musicum) and I wasn't a fan. However, in general I've found that I appreciate romantic and modern symphonies more than classical era anyway.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Quite nicely. I've still only listened to the fourth....with a toddler and a newborn, the only time I have for concentrated listening is naptime (if they coincide!) and about forty minutes after bedtime. In light of that, I have not moved past that single symphony yet.
> But it really clicked for me yesterday!! The second movement is just gorgeous. I've done listening both to the full symphony, and seperating the movements to get the full picture. The fourth I don't know AS well as the others, so I'll listen to that movement alone today. But it's really a beautiful symphony and I think it was a good one to start for me.


excellent stuff, that's really good to hear! :tiphat:


----------



## Ramako

Carpenoctem said:


> I think his 6th symphony is underrated, it's a great piece of music.


Um, it's one of the best known pieces of music in the repertoire?


----------



## Ramako

Sonata said:


> I need to give the Sturm and Drang symphonies a try at some point.


Definitely do. Definitely do. Definitely do.


----------



## science

Odnoposoff said:


> IMO. you waste the oportunity to listen to one of the best violin concertos of past century, on an absolutely extraordinary version.


I assume you mean the Barber. Don't worry, my friend, I will get to all of it!


----------



## Carpenoctem

Ramako said:


> Um, it's one of the best known pieces of music in the repertoire?


If you compare it with his other symphonies, this one is far from the spotlight.

3,5,7,9 are the most popular ones, this one isn't if you compare it with them.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Relaxing with the complete Robert Schumann symphonies.










Kevin


----------



## belfastboy

Cos it's that *yawns* Sunday night feeling Zzzzzzzzz


----------



## Taneyev

Of couse I mean Shostakovich!


----------



## Sonata

More *Mendelssohn* today:

Sonata in F Major for Violin and Piano









String Symphony #2









*Haydn*: Nelson Mass









Some miscellaneous *Grieg*:









And on the lighter side, in the background this morning: *Classics for Relaxation* compilation


----------



## science

Odnoposoff said:


> Of couse I mean Shostakovich!


Ah, yeah, I'd already listened to that a couple weeks ago.


----------



## kv466

Beethoven - Choral Fantasy in c-minor, op.80
David Zinman conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra w/ The Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Peter Serkin, piano


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> *Haydn*: Nelson Mass


superb recording... some time in the future, if you wish to extend your enjoyment of Haydn's Masses, then this is Hickox's crowning glory:










but it is a little pricey, so like I said, for the future... but please do bear it in mind, along with his CDs of the complete Hummel Masses... I could listen to them all day long.


----------



## Sonata

I'll definitely keep that in mind, once I've worked through my Mendelssohn choral boxed set, and my Mozart 5 Masses 2 disc set  (nevermind all the Requiems!)

Next on my boxed set docket for sure though will be either Strauss orchestral works or Beethoven piano sonatas.


----------



## Crudblud

Suk - Asrael (Kubelík)


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Next on my boxed set docket for sure though will be either Strauss orchestral works or Beethoven piano sonatas.


If you don't have any Strauss Orchestral works yet, then the Kempe really should be the way to go:










practically everything you need in one reasonably priced box set, played to the very highest standard. The LvB is a far more open field; I love Barenboim and Brendel here:



















both of which come in at a good price, but there are a good number of high quality sets, most notably Wilhelm Kempff.


----------



## Sonata

I know Glass isn't very popular on here, and this is the only work of his I've heard. Nevertheless, I enjoy most of the music on this sampler, and in the future intend to try more of his music, specifically the solo piano works. I like the haunting quality of this set:










Dipping into some chamber music this afternoon: 
Brahms' first piano quartet









and on the lighter side, Haydn's piano trio 43. First listen and I'm really enjoying it! More Haydn piano trios in the future, for sure.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 38, "Spring"*

Today I will be concentrating on these 2 sets which I bought earlier in the year (but have'nt listened to much).


----------



## Crudblud

Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major, Hob. VIIe:1 (Pinnock)


----------



## Jared

Crudblud said:


> Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major, Hob. VIIe:1 (Pinnock)


I know this one came up recently, but that's a lovely HIP recording.....


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies Nos. 35 and 40.*

I _really_ like what George Szell does with the 40th.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci, Adrian Boult


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Gielen)


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Ruggiero Ricci died?! Ah damn that's sad. I mean he wasn't young, but damn thats sad.
> 
> ...


I only found out on this forum, thanks to Odnoposoff who made this thread:
http://www.talkclassical.com/20676-ricci-rip.html



Sonata said:


> ...
> And on the lighter side, in the background this morning: *Classics for Relaxation* compilation


Well you might have some 'highbrows' not happy with that! Music is not for relaxation! It has to be profound and Germanic!



millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 6915
> 
> 
> I'm not sure to what degree this is related, but here it is. I heard this on the radio and liked it, the track "The Lake of the Woods."


I remember watching that movie on tv ages ago. Gregory Peck really hammed it up. I remember it as a comedy type movie, but I don't remember the music (but I have heard a bit of Robert Farnon's other stuff, got some on cd, I think on 'Naxos Nostalgia' label).


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach *-_ Cello Suite #3_ played by Michael Goldschlager (ABC CLassics)
- My favourite cello suite by Bach, along with the 4th.

*Rodrigo* - _Concierto como un divertimento_, with Julian Lloyd Webber on cello & London PO under Jesus Lopez Cobos (Sony)
- A very emotional work, the middle movement a nocturne type piece, speaking of lullabies and love at night, the final movement changes/reprises the main theme from earlier on, and it bought tears to my eyes, it spoke to me of the same things as the slow movement of the guitar concerto 'Aranjuez' - of Spain's struggle for freedom. It may or may not have been related (this cello concerto was composed in the early 1980's) but it made me think of that. Here it was played by Julian Lloyd Webber, who commissioned the work, and I think its a great cello concerto of more recent times.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's String Quartet No.77 "Emperor" - Koeckert Quartet (DG 10")


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Guest

Time to revisit Busoni's Piano Concerto:









If my memory serves me, this thing is at times ridiculously excessive and overall great fun. Right now I'm just three minutes into it -- not over the top yet! But I've got my seatbelt on just in case.

Edit: at four minutes, I think Liberace just came on stage!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Ballades.*


----------



## millionrainbows

John Cage's work can be divided into four phases. Phase one (1934-38), the early piano works which show him coming to terms with the twelve-note technique of his teacher Arnold Schoenberg:

http://amzn.com/B000PHWDGC

Phase two (1939-42), dedicated mainly to percussion ensemble;

Phase three (1943-1948), prepared piano; and

Phase four (1951-present), which ushered in the use of chance.

The Music of Changes is from 1951, and uses the 64 hexagrams from the I-Ching Book of Changes as its compositional basis. Anyone who has thrown the I-Ching knows that this can be done two ways, by yarrow-sticks or by tossing coins. The hexagrams are built-up line-by-line, either solid or dashed, determined by a 50/50 "heads or tails" procedure.

This piano music sounds Boulezian in places, not unlike serial music, but with more space and breathing room (that's right...just breathe...). It includes sound and noise effects, like muted strings and banging on the piano frame to create weird resonances with the sustain pedal down. It's interesting, yet calming.

Although Cage composed the music using chance procedures, it was notated precisely, and the pianist has to play it exactly as scored.

I find this mixture of randomness, coupled with total control, to be very pleasing. This idea appeals to something in me, even beyond the actual sound. It must be...cerebral rapture! The traditionalists will never know what they're missing. Oh, Ghod, here comes another wave of rapture...


----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius' Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci, Oivin Fjelstad


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I picked up yet another of Elizabeth Wallfisch' performances of Telemann's violin concertos... as recommended by member Harpsichord Concerto. Up until recently, my focus with Telemann has been upon his vocal music (cantatas, etc...) as well as his works for flute and recorder. These are quite fine pieces. I can't see the complaint as to how "boring" Telemann is. Even Phil G. Goulding in his book _The 50 Greatest Composers and their 1000 Greatest Works_, suggested that he only placed Telemann and Gluck on his list because of their historical importance. The more I have listened to both composers, the more I can understand just why they were so important in their time: they wrote more than their fair share of some damn good music.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: The Seasons
Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. 34 and 35


----------



## Guest

Well outside my comfort zone:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This morning I listened to all four of Robert Schumann's symphonies and tonight I'm listening to a fine recording of his violin concerto in D minor. It also has his violin sonata No. 1 in A minor and his Romance. I don't know if I'll have time for anything else tonight.










Kevin


----------



## kv466




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Great Singers Of The Berlin State Opera"

I was expecting this to be hit-and-miss, instead its superb from start to finish


----------



## Sonata

CPE Bach cello concerto

Brahms piano quartet 1

Ravel piano works 

Debussy etudes


----------



## science

This wraps up one of my projects over the past 2-3 days, re-listening to the Fretwork box of "English Music for Viols." A collection of lovely little gems, and a good deal.

Some of the amazon.com reviews complain that they only got four of the CDs rather than all five; I don't really know about that of course, but I got all five, and I really could imagine someone failing to figure out how to manipulate the jewel case and find all five. They're tucked in there pretty cleverly.

And now I will commune with Hemingway and the boys in _A Farewell to Arms_:


----------



## Sonata

Taking "advantage" of some insomnia to listen to *Beethoven's fourth piano concerto* with Rubenstein. I'm liking it so far.

Editing five minutes later: I'm more than "liking." This is very, very good indeed. This may be what gets me past "dabbling" in my Beethoven music.


----------



## Sonata

*Mozart: Coronation mass*, King's College Choir and Stephen Cleobury

Followed by some *Chopin* Mazurkas


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schubert's fourth and fifth symphonies and now _Parsifal_ again.


----------



## belfastboy

Someone tell me what to listen to?


----------



## belfastboy

Noël And Toccata From "Ten Byazantine Sketches" Tracey, Ian	

God I love the dominance of this - it just takes over. The quiet whispering start, then the strong toccata, like two different forces competing for sound. How could you not love pipe organ? This piece gives two different feelings....one introvert and one extrovert. Thank God for music!


----------



## peeyaj

The second movement of *Schubert's Great C major symphony..*
by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell


----------



## belfastboy

OH MY GOD - I totally dig / love this!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Piano Trio No.2 - Morganstern Trio


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Taneyev

O 1:

OFFENBACH: suite Nº1 for 2 celli.

ONSLOW George: string quintet.

ORSTEIN Leo: string quartet Nº2


----------



## PlaySalieri

After a dose of Ligeti yesterday I crawled back into the womb with Mozart's 31st symphony conducted by Mackerras with the Prague chamber orchestra. Haven't heard it for a while but boy does it sound good.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Symphony No.2 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt


----------



## NightHawk

At this hour of the morning there are few composers I can listen to...Bach is one. *The Musical Offering* is a great cumulative work, gathering emotional content as it makes its way to the 6-part Ricercare, which ends the work 50 minutes or so, later.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## NightHawk

Great boxed set, Harnoncourt's Schubert is so fine.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6940
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Schubert's Symphony No.2 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt


----------



## NightHawk

I can relate! I often 'launder' my ears and mind with Mozart after a romantic or modern binge. 



stomanek said:


> After a dose of Ligeti yesterday I crawled back into the womb with Mozart's 31st symphony conducted by Mackerras with the Prague chamber orchestra. Haven't heard it for a while but boy does it sound good.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Paul van Dyk's For An Angel is a trance tune and this is that same tracks performed live with an Symphony Orchestra, I like it a lot.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tristan und Isolde. I think I may be going through another Wagner phase.


----------



## PlaySalieri

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Tristan und Isolde. I think I may be going through another Wagner phase.


Listen from the beginning - don't cheat and go to the last 10 minutes.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

stomanek said:


> Listen from the beginning - don't cheat and go to the last 10 minutes.


You mean only the prelude and Liebestod? No thanks I listen to the whole thing all the way through.


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> At this hour of the morning there are few composers I can listen to...Bach is one. *The Musical Offering* is a great cumulative work, gathering emotional content as it makes its way to the 6-part Ricercare, which ends the work 50 minutes or so, later.
> 
> View attachment 6941


Hi Nighthawk,

Now that is a recording that has been sat in my Amazon box for some time. I am familiar with the Musical Offering, but have never had the guts to delve into the Art Of The Fugue, because I hear it's a real headscrambler! I have heard that recordinbg is a very good one... am I right in thinking that it's performed by chamber orchestra? Do you have any recordings by a chamber group or piano/ harpsichord? I'd be most interested in your views.

cheers, buddy.

Jared


----------



## Jared

it's a very long time since I got out the Tchaikovsky Symphonies and played with them... this rereleased set has given me just that impetus, however:


----------



## Ravndal

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody no.2

Played by Earl Wild.

Worst interpretation so far of this piece. Just painful! Sounds like he has no idea of what he is doing.


----------



## PlaySalieri

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You mean only the prelude and Liebestod? No thanks I listen to the whole thing all the way through.


What - from start to finish at one sitting?
you are on this forum 24/7 so you must be sitting listening and typing


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I can relate! I often 'launder' my ears and mind with Mozart after a romantic or modern binge.

I usually go back to Bach to cleanse my palette and be refreshed... not that I don't listen to Mozart (and Beethoven, Schubert, Handel, Haydn...) on a frequent basis.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now that is a recording that has been sat in my Amazon box for some time. I am familiar with the Musical Offering, but have never had the guts to delve into the Art Of The Fugue, because I hear it's a real headscrambler! I have heard that recordinbg is a very good one... am I right in thinking that it's performed by chamber orchestra? Do you have any recordings by a chamber group or piano/ harpsichord? I'd be most interested in your views.

The Art of Fugue was never orchestrated. The score doesn't stipulate what instruments it is to be played upon. The Marriner version is quite nice... and indeed it is scored for a chamber orchestra... or actually Marriner employs a variety of instruments and orchestrations across the work. I have quite a few other recordings of the work among which are:










-Performed as a string quartet



















-Performed on organ... Gould's recording is of excerpts and not complete.










-Performed on Baroque strings










-Performed on oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet (basset horn), saxophone (mostly soprano), and bassoon.










-Performed on a variety of recorders

...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My current favorite recording of the _Art of Fugue_ is by Jordi Savall and his group Hesperion XX:










This group performs the work on a variety of period instruments

For piano Grigory Sokolov's recording is quite good:










While on harpsichord you have Gustav Leonhardt's old Vanguard recording:










I must admit that I am not overly enamored of the harpsichord... at least in many recordings... as a solo instrument for lengthy periods of time. member Harpsichord Concerto will probably be up-to-date on some more recent harpsichord recordings of the _AoF._


----------



## Jared

^^ thanks for taking the trouble with those posts.... that really has been most helpful.


----------



## kv466

Ravndal said:


> Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody no.2
> 
> Played by Earl Wild.
> 
> Worst interpretation so far of this piece. Just painful! Sounds like he has no idea of what he is doing.


Hmmm,...considering Mr. Wild's virtuosity was comparable to that of Liszt's and taking into account the vision he has demonstrated for every piece he has ever tackled,...I suggest you think that over. I am wildly curious as to who _does_ have an 'idea' how to play it. For me, it is the perfection and ease of playing that attracts me to a pianist...I would love to know who does it for you.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Franz Liszt* - _Piano Concerti_ No. 1, S. 124, No. 2, S. 125 (Claudio Arrau/Sir Colin Davis/London Symphony Orchestra). _Trois études de concert_, S. 144 (Arrau).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*John Cage* - _Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano_ (Boris Berman).


----------



## Arsakes

Brahms:
- Serenade #1
- Piano Concerto #1
- Variations on the Haydn Theme

Sibelius: 
- Pohjola's Daughter 
- Vapautettu Kuningatar, Op.48


----------



## Ravndal

kv466 said:


> Hmmm,...considering Mr. Wild's virtuosity was comparable to that of Liszt's and taking into account the vision he has demonstrated for every piece he has ever tackled,...I suggest you think that over. I am wildly curious as to who _does_ have an 'idea' how to play it. For me, it is the perfection and ease of playing that attracts me to a pianist...I would love to know who does it for you.


Earl Wild is undoubtedly a great pianist. And his recordings of Chopin is extremely good.

I just did not like the way he interpreted hungarian rhapsody. I mean, that piece got a lot of power, and it needs to be played with a lot of power, like the interpretation from horrowitz or lang. I didnt like how the tempo just went up an down all the time. Mostly he played way too slow, and suddenly right tempo, then way to slow again.

hard to explain, hehe. I simply didn't like it. The intro was good though.


----------



## belfastboy

_WHAT?_ I'm a complicated character! I possess an extremely varied and extensive taste in music....


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release, *Mahler*: Symphony 1, with Budapest Festival Orchestra/Ivan Fischer. I'm normally a fan of this collaboration, but for Mahler, they're out of their depth. This recording woefully lacks accents and attacks.

SACD'ers might want to inspect this hybrid rec. For others, Muti (EMI, 1984), Solti (Decca, 1983), Bernstein (DG, 1987)

View attachment 6942


----------



## Jared

^^ sounds a bit like the Lorin Maazel set with the Wiener...


----------



## kv466

Ravndal said:


> Earl Wild is undoubtedly a great pianist. And his recordings of Chopin is extremely good.
> 
> I just did not like the way he interpreted hungarian rhapsody. I mean, that piece got a lot of power, and it needs to be played with a lot of power, like the interpretation from horrowitz or lang. I didnt like how the tempo just went up an down all the time. Mostly he played way too slow, and suddenly right tempo, then way to slow again.
> 
> hard to explain, hehe. I simply didn't like it. The intro was good though.


Fair enough!


----------



## Vaneyes

Jared said:


> ^^ sounds a bit like the Lorin Maazel set with the Wiener...


Yes, we should all remember, "There's Pa Szell, and then there's Maazel."


----------



## Jared

Vaneyes said:


> Yes, we should all remember, "There's Pa Szell, and then there's Maazel."


not heard that one before... :lol:

I'm sure he's a very competent conductor, it's just the way he makes an orchestra as stellar as the Wiener sound so relatively bland an unimaginative in repertoire which they have the forces to deliver on and which should be second nature to them...


----------



## Crudblud

I like Maazel's Sibelius cycle, his Mahler is pretty bad though. As much as I love the 3rd symphony, I don't need to listen to the finale for 30 minutes.

Currently: Georgy Catoire - Piano Works (Hamelin)


----------



## Sonata

Started my morning with some solo piano music. I listened to *Alkan's* Sonatine Op. 61 played by Hamelin. I followed that up with the rest of my *Chopin* Mazurkas.


----------



## Rapide




----------



## Jared

Crudblud said:


> I like Maazel's Sibelius cycle, his Mahler is pretty bad though. As much as I love the 3rd symphony, I don't need to listen to the finale for 30 minutes.


he also has a good reputation as a good conductor of opera...










...this is exceptionally fine...


----------



## Sonata

*Beethoven piano concerto #4*


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Violin Concerto










Listening to Internet radio


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> *Beethoven piano concerto #4*


who is performing for you, Sonata?


----------



## Carpenoctem

opus55 said:


> Brahms: Violin Concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to Internet radio


Brahms' Violin Concerto is so damn good!


----------



## Sonata

Arthur Rubenstein, with Erich Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> Brahms' Violin Concerto is so damn good!


oh yes, it really, really is...

for me, the Brahms and Beethoven VCs tower over all others in stature...

I don't know whether you have heard these versions, but both are scintillating:


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Arthur Rubenstein, with Erich Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


thank you Sweetie... I'm sure it's excellent.

and, although I think the 5th is structurally the greatest, the 4th is probably my fave..


----------



## Carpenoctem

Jared said:


> oh yes, it really, really is...
> 
> for me, the Brahms and Beethoven VCs tower over all others in stature...
> 
> I don't know whether you have heard these versions, but both are scintillating:


Thank you for your suggestions, I actually haven't heard them, I have a rather ****** version at home (I actually forgot where I got it from), so I'll most definitely check this out!


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> Thank you for your suggestions, I actually haven't heard them, I have a rather ****** version at home (I actually forgot where I got it from), so I'll most definitely check this out!


well, Chailly & Abbado speak for themselves, and both come coupled with the Double... certainly two of the standout versions released in the last couple of years and are slightly different; the Repin is a little more full-bodied in its attack, while the Shaham a little more nuanced with *slightly* slower tempos and mellower sound, but both are tremendous imho.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## belfastboy

Because I'm in *that* kinda mood :-(


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden led by Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589 *once again with Maesteo Blomstedt leading the Staatskapelle Dresden.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the wand of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Guest

Some middle baroque music:









Compared to the Machaut, sounds like a raucous bar band.


----------



## cwarchc

Just dipping my toe back into this excellent box set 
Just listened to disc 7 now on 8









Had this one on this morning in the car on the way to work


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 1 with CSO/Solti (rec.1983), then DLVDE with LPO/Tennstedt et al (rec.1982-84).

View attachment 6947
View attachment 6948


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Love the cover on the Tennstedt... but I REALLY do not need another Das Lied von der Erde.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart, Symphony No. 40, George Szell.
Mahler, Symphony No. 5, Benjamin Zander
Creston, Symphonies 2 and 3, Kuchar
Bruckner, Symphony No. 4, Tennstedt
Beethoven, Symphony No. 6, Szell


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An afternoon of pastoral English (OK... English, Irish, and English/Australian) music:


----------



## Crudblud

Scelsi - The Orchestral Works 1 (Izquierdo)

Indescribable brilliance.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's Symphonies.


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Love the cover on the Tennstedt... but I REALLY do not need another Das Lied von der Erde.


How many versions do you have St. Lukes?


----------



## Vaneyes

_*Delius*: Orchestral Works, with Sirs John and Thomas.

View attachment 6951
View attachment 6952
_


----------



## Sonata

Delius is definitely on my "composers to check out list" down the line. Hopefully I'll get to him in the next year or so.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Love the cover on the Tennstedt... but I REALLY do not need another Das Lied von der Erde.


You may, because Klaus captures the darkness better than many, if not most.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Delius is definitely on my "composers to check out list" down the line. Hopefully I'll get to him in the next year or so.


Pronto, I say, because your newborn would love Delius. I know, that's dirty pool.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Delius is definitely on my "composers to check out list" down the line. Hopefully I'll get to him in the next year or so.


Personally, I would recommend the Beacham recording to start with. He really gets the composer.


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's Troisieme Recueil de Chants played by Hamelin. 

This kind of music is pretty much exactly what I like. 

Enjoying it with a couple of glasses of Zin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc melodies - Felicity Lott, Graham Johnson


----------



## belfastboy

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6953
> 
> 
> Poulenc melodies - Felicity Lott, Graham Johnson


I'm having a side helping of that! Lovely...


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach's* solo cello suites 1 & 3 played by Michael Goldschlager (on ABC Classics label)
- I am going through the whole cycle bit by bit again. Mr. Goldschlager hails from the USA but he's lived and worked in Australia for decades. He has specialised in chamber music, previously being a member of the Macquarie Trio of Sydney. It was his dream to record these works, pinnacles of the solo cello genre, and since its release last year this set has been received well overall, from what I have come across. What I like is the clear phrasing and the way he brings out the illusion of many voices from the one instrument. Pretty amazing stuff.


----------



## Guest

Finally getting around to listening to a recommendation I received here about six months ago....









This is a rare double dip for me -- I already have the Eiji Oue version on Reference Recordings.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid... I know you've been checking out Australian composers and performers. Today I happened to be playing this disc:










... when I noticed the name of the cellist: Rapahel Wallfisch. I couldn't help but wonder if he was related to the great violinist, Elizabeth Wallfisch, a specialist in the Baroque repertoire. Looking up his name on Wiki I found that indeed the two are husband and wife, and that he is a London-born cellist who was born into a family of distinguished musicians, including his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who is one of the last known surviving members of the Girl orchestra of Auschwitz. His wife, Elizabeth Wallfisch, has worked frequently with the Baroque specialist, Andrew Manze, and become a leading violinist in the field herself. She is also Australian and may be a performer worth looking into.

:tiphat:


----------



## Sonata

EricABQ said:


> Alkan's Troisieme Recueil de Chants played by Hamelin.
> 
> This kind of music is pretty much exactly what I like.
> 
> Enjoying it with a couple of glasses of Zin.


Have a glass for me. I am really ready for a nice glass of wine. But my little one eats pretty much every hour on the hour, so no alcohol for a little while longer!


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> Pronto, I say, because your newborn would love Delius. I know, that's dirty pool.


lol, it is indeed! I'll check him out on YouTube. If I like what I hear, then when my spending freeze is over, I'll snap up the disc that Manxfeeder suggested.


----------



## Crudblud

Domenico Scarlatti - O qual meco, o Nicé (Boccaccio)

I don't know how many people are aware of D. Scarlatti's cantatas, though I suspect HarpsichordConcerto and StlukesguildOhio are probably familiar with them. When I first found them I was surprised to discover that he had written something other than the harpsichord sonatas. Anyway the Ensemble Seicento Italiano's HIP sound is very vivid and really quite folk-ish in tone with very earthy strings and drums, although that may be Scarlatti's writing more than the ensemble itself.


----------



## Sonata

More Brahms chamber music tonight.


----------



## Crudblud

Varèse - Density 21.5 / Octandre / Ionisation / Offrandes / Hyperprisme (Chailly)
Scelsi - Hurqualia (Izquierdo)
Chopin - Mazurkas, Op. 6 & 7 (François)


----------



## SimonNZ

Paganini's Caprices - Ruggiero Ricci

(two lps with that cover, 12 works apiece)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I'm trying to work through some of the unopened titles in my collection and I came across a CD that has turned out to be a real gem. It's from the Marco Polo Chinese Music Series. The main featured piece is a violin concerto called Hung Hu by A Ke Jian. The piece is just amazingly beautiful! As are the other five tracks. I have had this disc from a $2.99 sale from Naxos for over two years ago. I never knew what I had (shame on me!). This will get lots of play by me in the future.










Kevin


----------



## NightHawk

Hey Jared! in the 2fer-disc pictured I have the Musical Offering as a single, but it is Neville M. and the Academy, and I very much suspect exactly the same recording as mine. It is not exactly HIP, the strings sound doubled in the Ricercar at the end, but it is gorgeous, and I do recommend it. My Art of Fugue, however, is with the Canadian Brass, and is not as easy to listen to over the long haul, though it does end with the 'fragment' where the horn line just ascends alone into silence. It is moving. Someday I'll get the SQ and the pipe organ versions. You can find schematics of TAOFugue on-line that 'show the math', so to speak - the patterns and relationships. Very 'head scrambling' I'd say for sure. This MO is tops, though.  NightHawk



Jared said:


> Hi Nighthawk,
> 
> Now that is a recording that has been sat in my Amazon box for some time. I am familiar with the Musical Offering, but have never had the guts to delve into the Art Of The Fugue, because I hear it's a real headscrambler! I have heard that recordinbg is a very good one... am I right in thinking that it's performed by chamber orchestra? Do you have any recordings by a chamber group or piano/ harpsichord? I'd be most interested in your views.
> 
> cheers, buddy.
> 
> Jared


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

StlukesguildOhio- Love the cover on the Tennstedt... but I REALLY do not need another Das Lied von der Erde.

How many versions do you have St. Lukes?

Too many... or not enough:














































...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

_Das Lied von der Erde_ is one of my absolute favorite works of the last century. I think I only have more recordings of Strauss _Four Last Songs_ among 20th century works. I probably will eventually pick up this recording:










and this:










... but not too many more.


----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Sid... I know you've been checking out Australian composers and performers. Today I happened to be playing this disc:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... when I noticed the name of the cellist: Rapahel Wallfisch. I couldn't help but wonder if he was related to the great violinist, Elizabeth Wallfisch, a specialist in the Baroque repertoire. Looking up his name on Wiki I found that indeed the two are husband and wife, and that he is a London-born cellist who was born into a family of distinguished musicians, including his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who is one of the last known surviving members of the Girl orchestra of Auschwitz. His wife, Elizabeth Wallfisch, has worked frequently with the Baroque specialist, Andrew Manze, and become a leading violinist in the field herself. She is also Australian and may be a performer worth looking into.
> 
> :tiphat:


You might PM him this, as I'm sure he'd be interested but I'm not sure he'll check this thread.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6960
> 
> 
> Paganini's Caprices - Ruggiero Ricci
> 
> (two lps with that cover, 12 works apiece)


Now that's a classic '50s graphic cover!


----------



## SimonNZ

Leonin: "Magister Leoninus Volume One" - Red Byrd

I really dont like that cover, especially for such a wonderful album (and ditto for volume two)


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Now that's a classic '50s graphic cover!


Heh, yeah. Luckily the LXT series got past that pretty quickly and proceded to produce some of the best lp covers ever, in my opinion


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6961
> 
> 
> Leonin: "Magister Leoninus Volume One" - Red Byrd
> 
> I really dont like that cover, especially for such a wonderful album (and ditto for volume two)


I don't know. The image is so vague... so lost in the shadows that I must admit that it drew my attention... but yes, certainly it could have been far better. Too much of that Romantic notion of the Middle Ages as the "dark ages"... devoid of color... which is pure B*S:


----------



## belfastboy

Because it's 07.03am and awaiting my caffeine injection! *Yawns, scratches head*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the 20th Century Composers Playlist I created off of Itunes from all the CD's I own. List includes
-Schoenberg
-Stravinsky
-Shostakovich
-Prokofiev
-Hindemith
-Walton
-Respighi
-Poulenc
-Hovhaness
-Martinu
-Bartok
-Messiaen
-Schnittke
-Ligeti
-Xenakis


----------



## Jared

Vaneyes said:


> *Mahler*: Symphony 1 with CSO/Solti (rec.1983)


now, there's a man who knew how to deliver a Titan!


----------



## Jared

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Schubert's Symphonies.


a really great set for 1-6 in fact one of the best, however 8 is a bit lightweight and 9 is the most underpowered I've ever heard! for me, the forces need to be greater than Bruggen's in these later symphonies...

although his Beethoven set is very fine.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Delius is definitely on my "composers to check out list" down the line. Hopefully I'll get to him in the next year or so.


Delius is a very difficult composer to pull off and certainly not to everyone's taste... if you were ever to dabble, the Beecham disk in Vaneyes' post is arguably the finest ever recorded of his orchestral works, and would be where I'd recommend you started.


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> Personally, I would recommend the Beacham recording to start with. He really gets the composer.


ditto!!! :lol:

great minds think alike, Manx!!


----------



## neoshredder

Jared said:


> a really great set for 1-6 in fact one of the best, however 8 is a bit lightweight and 9 is the most underpowered I've ever heard! for me, the forces need to be greater than Bruggen's in these later symphonies...
> 
> although his Beethoven set is very fine.


Which do you prefer for Symphony 9?


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> More Brahms chamber music tonight.


beautifully reflective pieces, written near the end of his life.... if you venture on another recording, this one is a must-have:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Clar...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344929936&sr=1-1

it's the finest I've ever heard... :tiphat:


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> Hey Jared! in the 2fer-disc pictured I have the Musical Offering as a single, but it is Neville M. and the Academy, and I very much suspect exactly the same recording as mine. It is not exactly HIP, the strings sound doubled in the Ricercar at the end, but it is gorgeous, and I do recommend it. My Art of Fugue, however, is with the Canadian Brass, and is not as easy to listen to over the long haul, though it does end with the 'fragment' where the horn line just ascends alone into silence. It is moving. Someday I'll get the SQ and the pipe organ versions. You can find schematics of TAOFugue on-line that 'show the math', so to speak - the patterns and relationships. Very 'head scrambling' I'd say for sure. This MO is tops, though.  NightHawk


Thanks my friend, all comments in this regard are useful. As I say, further exploration into this and some of Bach's work for solo instrument are on the cards and in the Amazon basket, probably for the autumn.


----------



## Jared

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Probably still my favourite.... especially given the poignancy of the situation (Ferrier was dying when she sang this...)


----------



## Jared

neoshredder said:


> Which do you prefer for Symphony 9?


personally, there are two performances with the SD which I really rate... the Sinopoli has always been my favourite by a short head:



















the Szell and Solti versions are also very fine and both very cheap...


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski piano works - Dennis Lee


----------



## Jared

I am just embarking on another Berlioz (Sacred & Secular) choral works kick.... these should take up a large part of my time over the next couple of weeks:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Listening to the 20th Century Composers Playlist I created off of Itunes from all the CD's I own. List includes
> -Schoenberg
> -Stravinsky
> -Shostakovich
> -Prokofiev
> -Hindemith
> -Walton
> -Respighi
> -Poulenc
> -Hovhaness
> -Martinu
> -Bartok
> -Messiaen
> -Schnittke
> -Ligeti
> -Xenakis


Great list! Have a look at some Brett Dean.


----------



## SimonNZ

Victoria's Missa Dum Complerentur - James O'Donnell

working my way through a monster shipment of Hyperion / Helios which arrived today (with more in a couple of days)


----------



## Jared

^^ simon, there is nothing at all wrong with a monster shipment of Hyperion CDs or indeed Victoria!! Enjoy!!

meanwhile:










beautifully meditative, for Berlioz


----------



## Taneyev

P 1: Today and tomorrow dedicated full to mi admired master Paganini:

Selection of caprices by Ricci (first complete recording as written, 1947)

String quartet Nº2 (normal one, 2 violins, viola and cello)

3 duos for violin&cello.

Selection of caprices on solo flute transcription (Bonita Boyd).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

_Tristan und Isolde._ It's annoying that whenever I go through a Wagner phase I listen to that one opera over and over.


----------



## SimonNZ

Odnoposoff said:


> Selection of caprices by Ricci (first complete recording as written, 1947)
> 
> .


Is that the one he made for Vox (reissued as a Turnabout)? I don't have that one.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Dvorak : Cello Concerto


----------



## Taneyev

No my friend. The VOX recording was made in 1975. The first, as far as I know was published only on the CD I've. Between those two, he recorded all for EMI in the 50s. I've the 3 versions. And there were at least one more, after the Vox one.


----------



## belfastboy

Just love it....


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> View attachment 6969
> 
> 
> Dvorak : Cello Concerto


a classic recording of some beautiful music... that disk should be in everyone's collection...


----------



## Carpenoctem

Jared said:


> a classic recording of some beautiful music... that disk should be in everyone's collection...


I agree, it's beautiful, before that I've listened to Schumann's Piano concerto 3 times in a row, it's probably the most magical concerto I've ever heard, I have this recording:


----------



## SimonNZ

Odnoposoff said:


> No my friend. The VOX recording was made in 1975. The first, as far as I know was published only on the CD I've. Between those two, he recorded all for EMI in the 50s. I've the 3 versions. And there were at least one more, after the Vox one.


Ah! Thanks for the info - I suspected I had my wires crossed. i'll keep an eye out for that cd (and the '75 Vox)


----------



## EricABQ

During this morning's workout I listened to Mendelssohn's String Symphony #9 played by Amsterdam Sinfonietta from Amazon's 99 Most Essential Mendelssohn collection.

It was my first listen to this symphony and I immediately liked it.


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> I agree, it's beautiful, before that I've listened to Schumann's Piano concerto 3 times in a row, it's probably the most magical concerto I've ever heard, I have this recording:
> 
> View attachment 6973


great stuff... yes, I have Andsnes, Perahia & Vogt's versions


----------



## Jared

EricABQ said:


> During this morning's workout I listened to Mendelssohn's String Symphony #9 played by Amsterdam Sinfonietta from Amazon's 99 Most Essential Mendelssohn collection.
> 
> It was my first listen to this symphony and I immediately liked it.


yes, they are very accessible and all written whilst he was still a teenager...


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Still Prokofiev, Prokofiev, Prokofiev ! and again my vinyl archive !


----------



## belfastboy

_The Princess explains that Angelica's sister is to be married and that Angelica must sign a document renouncing her claim to her inheritance. Angelica replies that she has repented for her sin, but there is one thing she cannot offer in sacrifice to the Virgin - she cannot forget the memory of her illegitimate son who was taken from her seven years ago. The Princess refuses to speak, but finally informs Sister Angelica that her son died of fever two years ago. Sister Angelica, devastated, signs the document and collapses in tears. The Princess leaves.
_
_
Sister Angelica is seized by a heavenly vision - she believes she hears her son calling for her to meet him in paradise. She makes herself a poison and drinks it, but realizes that in committing suicide, she has committed a mortal sin and has damned herself to eternal separation from her son. She begs the Virgin Mary for mercy and, as she dies, she sees a miracle: the Virgin Mary appears, along with Sister Angelica's son, who runs to embrace her._

*Reaches for second tissue*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Il_Penseroso said:


> Still Prokofiev, Prokofiev, Prokofiev ! and again my vinyl archive !


Image didn't quite work, but I'll "like" since it's Prokofiev.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Image didn't quite work, but I'll "like" since it's Prokofiev.


Image edited, found one in amazon, I love the cover.


----------



## Ravndal

Mahler Symphony 9

Simon Rattle


----------



## Kevin Pearson

If you could have a hybrid of Wagner and Prokofiev what would it sound like? I think maybe George Templeton Strong's Symphony No. 2!










Kevin


----------



## Arsakes

Sant-Saens: 
All Piano Concertos and Violin Concertos


----------



## Carpenoctem

Arsakes said:


> Sant-Saens:
> All Piano Concertos and Violin Concertos


His Cello Concerto is also great.


----------



## Taneyev

Carpenoctem said:


> His Cello Concerto is also great.


Which one? Suppose you mean the first. But I prefer the second. Much better IMHO.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Odnoposoff said:


> Which one? Suppose you mean the first. But I prefer the second. Much better IMHO.


Actually, I prefer the first one a bit more, I have the Rostopovich recording and I really like it.


----------



## Arsakes

Carpenoctem said:


> His Cello Concerto is also great.


I have only the No. 1 in A minor. It's very energetic.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Yeah, it's great, I think he's a bit underrated, he made some solid music.


----------



## PlaySalieri

I listened to:

JC Bach sy in G minor
Hagg overture
CPE Bach symphony 
Clementi overture
Louise Farrenc - Ouverture No.1 i
Louise Farrenc - sy 3 mvt 1

The Bach sy in G minor is my pick of that bunch. But the only thing I would recommend:






That's the best Mozart 29 I have ever heard. Amazing detail - timing - energy.


----------



## NightHawk

I've never heard any Fleisher that I wasn't amazed by. His Brahms double disc with the concerti and the 'Handel' Variations is magnificent. I will be purchasing the Grieg/Schumann!



Carpenoctem said:


> I agree, it's beautiful, before that I've listened to Schumann's Piano concerto 3 times in a row, it's probably the most magical concerto I've ever heard, I have this recording:
> 
> View attachment 6973


----------



## Carpenoctem

Both performances are great, I also recommend Previn with London Symphony Orchestra:









http://www.amazon.com/Grieg-Schumann-Piano-Concertos-Previn/dp/B00004C8TC


----------



## belfastboy

That score....is like a machine gun pointing at you between the eyes.....You just wanna rub your hands on your thighs and say, "Gimme your best shot, punk'!


----------



## NightHawk

Mendelssohn Piano Trios No. 1, in D Minor, Op. 49 and No. 2, in C Minor, Op. 66 
Schumann Piano Trios No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 66 and No. 2 in F Major, Op. 83
Florestan Trio - highly recommended*****


----------



## SAKO

Pietro Locatelli

12 Concerti Grossi, op 1.

The Raglan Baroque Players.


----------



## Jared

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 6978
> View attachment 6979
> 
> 
> Mendelssohn Piano Trios No. 1, in D Minor, Op. 49 and No. 2, in C Minor, Op. 66
> Schumann Piano Trios No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 66 and No. 2 in F Major, Op. 83
> Florestan Trio - highly recommended*****


the Florestans are very high quality... you have a good ear, Nighthawk...


----------



## belfastboy

I suddenly have a resurgence of love for Chopin...


----------



## Crudblud

Beethoven - Symphony No. 1 (Gardiner)

Doing this set one Beethoven symphony a day seems reasonable.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Prelude In C Major, BWV 943*

Since last night I've been listening to all Bach - currently playing Disc 15 of the Organ Works box and after this I will listen to Disc 2 of the Toccatas set.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven's 4th piano concerto for the third time in 3 days 

And now I'm diving into Missa Solemnis for the first time: Otto Klemperer with the New Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> And now I'm diving into Missa Solemnis for the first time: Otto Klemperer with the New Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus


a sublime performance of one of the very pinnacles of the Sacred Choral Repertoire... Sonata. if you find you love it, I'll give you a suggestion for an HIP version you can buy at a later date, to compare against the Klemperer... both are magnificent but utterly different in approach.


----------



## Sonata

Is it the Gardiner version? I was doing some reading and read some high remarks on the HIP Gardiner.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Is it the Gardiner version? I was doing some reading and read some high remarks on the HIP Gardiner.


yes. it's fantastic.


----------



## belfastboy

I have, *clears throat*, *takes a deep breath* - fallen in love...............with Wagner. Sweet Lord above and the little donkey, I can't stop playing Gotterdammerung.....my pc is in the kitchen, today right, I even cleaned my oven and hob inside and out, so I could just listen to it over and over! Parsifal!! OMG......






Oh the sweet little tune in between the madness of the screeching of B.Nilsson (and I love it)....it's just so brill!


----------



## ProudSquire

First I listened to Brahms' second piano concerto and then my Don Giovanni DvD arrived in the mail, so I watched it. Excellent day so far!









I was really impressed by this production. The acting and singing were superb, and the music couldn't have been better. Everything flowed together like it's suppose to, maybe. lol


----------



## SAKO

In a choral mood this evening.

Mozart's Requiem

Vivaldi's Gloria

Handel's Cantatas


Followed by an old favourite;


Luigi Boccherini.

Cello Concertos.

Performed by Anner Bylsma with the Concerto Amsterdam in 1965.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Carpenoctem said:


> I think his 6th symphony is underrated, it's a great piece of music.


I finally decided to get *Szell's Beethoven's 6th*.

I understand the underrated concept; Beethoven is doing something unusual here: he's not writing _about_ nature but writing _like_ nature. The first movement has repetition which is not monotonous; harmonic change is slow; each piece of the theme throws off germinating ideas. Bar 16 has a phrase that repeats 16 times; measure 150 has a phrase which repeats 12 times. In other words, it has minimalist characteristics. Needless to say, I'm really enjoying this.


----------



## crmoorhead

Although I am behind on last week's scheduled listening, here is this week's planned listening:

Monday (Bach): Prelude and Fugue in E Flat (Organ)
Tuesday (Concerto): Piano COncerto No. 2 (Liszt)
Wednesday (Choral): Cantata Profana (Bartok)
Thursday (Symphony): Symphony No. 5 (Schubert)
Friday (Keyboard/Piano): Songs without Words Book 1 (Mendelssohn)
Saturday (Opera): Akhnaten (Glass)
Sunday (Chamber): String Quartet No. 16 (Beethoven)

Plus this week's listening club: Keyboard Concerto No. 1 (Bach)


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc "Secular Choral Music" - New London Chamber Choir


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, *
featuring Bernard Haitnik leading the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70, * performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Haitnik.


----------



## belfastboy

I'm sorry but i'm still with Wagner - is it just me or was Birgit Nilsson just made for this part!


----------



## belfastboy

Cos it's night..and ....and..well....it's night here..okay!


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Crudblud

Rameau - Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin in A minor, RCT 4 (Ross)


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Weber's Six Sonatas For Violin And Piano - Ruggiero Ricci, Carlo Bussotti


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*

I'm comparing the first movements from Toscaninni's 1939 recording and Furtwangler's 1944 BPO recording. They're both great and very different.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jared said:


> personally, there are two performances with the SD which I really rate... the Sinopoli has always been my favourite by a short head:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the Szell and Solti versions are also very fine and both very cheap...


Personally I prefer Furtwängler's 9th (although I agree that Szell's is very fine)










I also like Szell, Bohm, and Karajan, and I'd be interested in hearing what Gardiner does with Schubert considering how much I like his Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms.

As for the 8th, I like Bohm, Bernstein, Szell, and Kleiber Jr.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Today's listening included:










A marvelous singer performing some marvelous songs... by Faure, Debussy, and Poulenc.










I haven't listened to Liszt for some time. He is truly someone I need to pay more attention to. Berlioz and Wagner are both clearly in his debt.










Some lovely music by a Polish Romantic who died too young in a freak accident (avalanche) while skiing.

Currently listening to:


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> a sublime performance of one of the very pinnacles of the Sacred Choral Repertoire... Sonata. if you find you love it, I'll give you a suggestion for an HIP version you can buy at a later date, to compare against the Klemperer... both are magnificent but utterly different in approach.


There are some wonderful pieces in this choral work. The middle section I did not particularly enjoy. It was a more boistrous and busy for my preferences. Of course this was the first time I've listened all the way through so that part may grow on me. Is the Gardiner a little more stripped down? Because I could really go for that then. The last three sections were gorgeous though.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Carl Czerny* - Symphony No. 6 in G Minor

Conducted by Grezegorz Nowak with the SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70*, both featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7* and *Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}*, both performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Osmo Vanska.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto

I never really liked Ligeti. I still don't.


----------



## Sonata

Ravel piano music: Pascal Roge


----------



## neoshredder

The Orchestral Music section on this forum needs more activity. Listened to Beethoven's Symphony 4 and listening now to Schubert's Early Symphonies. Sounds like Haydn.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ockeghem's Requiem - Marcel Peres


----------



## ProudSquire

Hummel Piano Concerto 5 in A-Flat OP. 113 
Howard Shelley
London Mozart Players









Hummel's melodies are delicious, especially in this concerto. :}


----------



## Ramako

Toddlertoddy said:


> Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto
> 
> I never really liked Ligeti. I still don't.


I could like this. Massive facepalm, but some of this makes me think of Star Trek (sorry).


----------



## MaestroViolinist

belfastboy said:


>


That was great! But all that glissandi was starting to make me seasick. 

This is also a great recording of it: 



 I love what's going on with the double bass player and Vergerov, it's funny to watch.


----------



## Taneyev

P 2: a little more Paganini...but maybe you didn't know it:

Barucabá, 60 variations for solo violin on a popular Portuges song (Ricci)

Variazioni sulla Carmagnola for violin&guitar.

Il cor piu non mi sento, for 2 violins and cello.

Divertimenti Carnavaleschi, for 2 violins and cello.


----------



## EricABQ

This morning it was Tchaikovsky's symphony #5 from the Rise of the Masters set. Played by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

I'm listening to symphonies this week. It has been a neglected art form for me recently.


----------



## SimonNZ

Victoria's Missa Vidi Speciosam - David Hill


----------



## Ravndal

I just got my rubinstein plays chopin 10box collection. Enjoying a lot of it, except Prelude in E Minor. Way to fast and rough. Imo that piece should be played slowly and with compassion. This just seemed rushed.


----------



## Arsakes

Mozart:
- Selection (Some Piano Sonatas, Symphony pieces, Opera pieces etc.)
- Serenade No.1

Beethoven: 
- Wind Octet (op.103)
- Egmont Overture
- Leonore Overture No.2
- 'Eroica'


----------



## SAKO

*Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C Major.*

Sitting in the car, eating lunch, watching the rain come down.


----------



## Jared

TheProudSquire said:


> Hummel's melodies are delicious, especially in this concerto. :}


I couldn't agree with you more... LvB had a very great respect for his work. I'll give you a tip on a CD I find absolutely delightful:










I'm not kidding, the melodies on this are so delightfully infectious, you just want to play it over again and again.


----------



## Jared

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 6996
> 
> 
> Ockeghem's Requiem - Marcel Peres


beautiful music, Simon...


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I also like Szell, Bohm, and Karajan, and I'd be interested in hearing what Gardiner does with Schubert considering how much I like his Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms.


With Gardiner, you'll be aware of all the colors in the orchestration, which I think are very important to how you perceive the piece overall.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Das Rheingold.


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> With Gardiner, you'll be aware of all the colors in the orchestration, which I think are very important to how you perceive the piece overall.


Amen to that, my friend...


----------



## EricABQ

On the way into work this morning I heard Liszt's Liebestraum #3 played on the harp. It was very enjoyable. Unfortunately I didn't catch the performer's name, so I will have to search around and see if I can find a recording.

Edit: Found it. It's from an album called Music For Solo Harp by Elizabeth Haiden. I may purchase it as I have no harp music in my colleciton at all.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before heading off to work I enjoyed this Borodin Quartet album. Really wonderfully played. Especially the Miaskovsky String Quartet No. 13. The fourth movement of the 13th is fantastic. Near the end of the movement Miaskovsky quotes another work I am familiar with but can't quite place it. If anyone knows please what it is please post. The Borodin is a standard and really a beautiful string quartet.










Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Trying out some solo jazz piano right now, then I'll seque into *Beethoven's Appasionata*, a rented library copy with pianist Carol Rosenberger.


----------



## Sonata

EricABQ said:


> This morning it was Tchaikovsky's symphony #5 from the Rise of the Masters set. Played by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
> 
> I'm listening to symphonies this week. It has been a neglected art form for me recently.


His 5th might be my favorite of his symphonies. They all need a few more listens before I'm sure.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> His 5th might be my favorite of his symphonies. They all need a few more listens before I'm sure.


his 5th is also my favourite, Sonata... you have a very good ear..


----------



## Sonata

Thank you


----------



## EricABQ

Sonata said:


> His 5th might be my favorite of his symphonies. They all need a few more listens before I'm sure.


I enjoyed listening to it. I was hearing it while working out, and in that context it may not have been the best choice. I will haveto listen to it again in a better setting.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Be careful when listening to Beethoven's symphonies. 

I was once addicted to them, and because of that got bored with his symphonies. 

Luckily I am not anymore, I just don't listen to them so often as I used to.


----------



## belfastboy

I feel like a child on Christmas morning when I hear this - total excitement!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

I'm listening to both Norrington and Gardiner.

My biggest complaint with these is, Norrington and Gardiner take the first movement at a very fast tempo. It sounds like the stream is a torrent, and the birds are squealing for help. If Furtwangler's conception of this piece was "today thou shalt be with me in paradise," theirs is paradise after global warming hits. And the third movement is less about drunken country dancers and more like whirling dervishes. But the HIP versions shine in the storm, especially Gardiner; his engineers know how to make the sound come alive.


----------



## Sonata

Looks like I'm not the only one with Beethoven heavy on the playlist today!


----------



## PlaySalieri

First non mainstream piece from the classical period I listened from start to finish all 3 movements and I think it is good.


----------



## Renaissance

A duck "talking" to a goose.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

And now to Dvorak.He's been a top 6 or 7 composer for me and I've neglected him for a few months. I'm listening to his piano concerto.


----------



## belfastboy

Bedrich, old fellow, you are under rated....I believe in you, I do.


----------



## belfastboy

It's pouring with rain outside. I'm gonna settle my bones down and chill out, oops - Someone knocking on the door* oh it's you Mr. Smetana, oh do come in. Ladies and Gentlemen (and kids) I leave you. We have things to discuss! Now Sir, about your father land......


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

Bruno Walter conducting. Wow, this is _beautiful._


----------



## kv466




----------



## Guest




----------



## belfastboy

And watching......*sighs*


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Trying out some solo jazz piano right now, then I'll seque into *Beethoven's Appasionata*, a rented library copy with pianist Carol Rosenberger.


Sonata, you're going to have some musically very well adjusted babies...


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> Be careful when listening to Beethoven's symphonies.
> 
> I was once addicted to them, and because of that got bored with his symphonies.
> 
> Luckily I am not anymore, I just don't listen to them so often as I used to.


I think that's a very good point... things can become a little overplayed, to the point where you end up putting them back on the shelf for a long time.... even something as magnificent as the LvB symphs!


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> I'm listening to both Norrington and Gardiner.
> 
> My biggest complaint with these is, Norrington and Gardiner take the first movement at a very fast tempo. It sounds like the stream is a torrent, and the birds are squealing for help. If Furtwangler's conception of this piece was "today thou shalt be with me in paradise," theirs is paradise after global warming hits. And the third movement is less about drunken country dancers and more like whirling dervishes. But the HIP versions shine in the storm, especially Gardiner; his engineers know how to make the sound come alive.
> 
> View attachment 7015
> View attachment 7016


these are interesting comments, Manx. I have never been a great fan of Norrington and HIP performances in general can whip through these symphonies, in Toscanini-esque speeds. My favourite HIP set is one sadly now oop, but snap it up when you see it:










whilst my favourite '6' actually comes from a surprising source... Tennstedt really nails the sounds of nature and landscape in this version, like no other imho, and its very cheap to pick up:


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.
> 
> And now to Dvorak.He's been a top 6 or 7 composer for me and I've neglected him for a few months. I'm listening to his piano concerto.


Did you ever get round to playing that Dvorak Requiem, Sonata?


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Bedrich, old fellow, you are under rated....I believe in you, I do.


bb, you really need to treat yourself to a full round of this music... I don't think you can do any better than the magnificent recording from Kubelik & the Czech Phil, at the special concert, after the Berlin Wall came down... you can feel the rush of water from the river Elbe, flowing down the Sudeten mountains!


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> And watching......*sighs*


I think you need to get yourself down to the Belfast Arts cinema with season for some live screenings of the Met's opera productions... take your partner and a couple of handkerchieves...


----------



## Jared

I don't think anyone can deny that Charles Munch really mastered this piece of music... this is a gloriuosly emotive recording.


----------



## belfastboy

Jared said:


> bb, you really need to treat yourself to a full round of this music... I don't think you can do any better than the magnificent recording from Kubelik & the Czech Phil, at the special concert, after the Berlin Wall came down... you can feel the rush of water from the river Elbe, flowing down the Sudeten mountains!


Cheers for that!


----------



## belfastboy

Jared said:


> I think you need to get yourself down to the Belfast Arts cinema with season for some live screenings of the Met's opera productions... take your partner and a couple of handkerchieves...


You won't believe I have been looking up The Met, opera.ie etc for any opera's! Of course the Met is amazing, the line up is wonderful, and I never thought of The arts Cinema, D'oh! Gonna check....God I can be so blond sometimes!


----------



## ProudSquire

Jared said:


> I couldn't agree with you more... LvB had a very great respect for his work. I'll give you a tip on a CD I find absolutely delightful:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not kidding, the melodies on this are so delightfully infectious, you just want to play it over again and again.


Much obliged. I'll sure to add that to my collection, as soon as I earn some money. :}


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> You won't believe I have been looking up The Met, opera.ie etc for any opera's! Of course the Met is amazing, the line up is wonderful, and I never thought of The arts Cinema, D'oh! Gonna check....God I can be so blond sometimes!


well, this is the page from the Hereford Courtyard Theatre, where I'll be going this autumn:

http://www.courtyard.org.uk/whatson/livescreenings/

the programme should be the same everywhere...


----------



## Jared

TheProudSquire said:


> Much obliged. I'll sure to add that to my collection, as soon as I earn some money. :}


that's what I like to hear! it actually astounds me that those serenades are not better known or regularly performed... I guess the combination of instruments is an unusual one, but it's partly that which makes it so delectable.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, 6th Symphony.*
*
George Szell*. I really like how the details pop out.
*
Wilhelm Furtwangler*, March 1944. I'm probably missing something, but to my ears, his Furtwanglering doesn't work well here - speeding up the sunrise after the storm makes it sound perfunctory.

*Toscanini, *1952. This is a true 20th Century interpretation: less a bucolic walk and more like a drive through the country. It sounds motor-like; the strings sound like pistons pumping, and the rain sounds like drops on a windshield, and after the rain,it sounds like driving and splashing through puddles. It's an interesting effect.

*Karajan*, 1970s. He brings an elegant, flowing interpretation. Nice storm also.

So far my favorites are Walter, then Szell, with a special mention to Toscanini for making it sound like a motoring trip.


----------



## PlaySalieri

After being impressed with Hummel's pc no 3 in b minor - I listened to one of his piano trios.

Then I listened to my favourite Mozart violin sonata - though not too happy with this performance - I usually like Oistrakh but I don't think he does this sonata justice. I was hoping to find Mutter playing it on youtube - I found her doing kv481 but not this one.


----------



## belfastboy

Jared said:


> well, this is the page from the Hereford Courtyard Theatre, where I'll be going this autumn:
> 
> http://www.courtyard.org.uk/whatson/livescreenings/
> 
> the programme should be the same everywhere...


yeah I see the screenings in England etc. but nothing here - :-(


----------



## PlaySalieri

After stepping into the unkown with Clemnti, Hummel and others - my old favourites are sucking me back in - I just watched this:






I feel like I have walked out of a fish and chip shop and into a haute cuisine restaurant.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies 2 and 5.*


----------



## EricABQ

While grinding out 30 minutes on the elliptical I listened to Konstantin Sherbakov's performance of Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th (not the whole thing in only :30 of course.) The 2nd movement is certainly spectacular as a solo piano piece. I think I will purchase the full set he has of all the symphonies.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*

George Szell conducting. This is one of my first 9ths, and it's still at the top of my favorites.


----------



## belfastboy

I totally love how SS uses the instruments to depict his animals - it's so real......he's under rated!


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony


----------



## SAKO

Had a shufty through my vintage vinyl collection, and pulled out this one;

BRAHMS . DOUBLE CONCERTO IN A MINOR . OP 102
&
BEETHOVEN . TRIPLE CONCERTO IN CMINOR , OP 56

David Oistrakh / Pierre Fournier / Sviatoslav Knushevitzky / Sir Malcolm Sargent

EMI 1959.


----------



## belfastboy

God I'm in love


----------



## SimonNZ

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci, Malcolm Sargent


----------



## belfastboy

Cornelius: The Three Kings (Gerald Finley)


----------



## Taneyev

SAKO said:


> Had a shufty through my vintage vinyl collection, and pulled out this one;
> 
> BRAHMS . DOUBLE CONCERTO IN A MINOR . OP 102
> &
> BEETHOVEN . TRIPLE CONCERTO IN CMINOR , OP 56
> 
> David Oistrakh / Pierre Fournier / Sviatoslav Knushevitzky / Sir Malcolm Sargent
> 
> EMI 1959.


Do you like King David? There are other options:

Brahms doble: Oistrakh-Knushevitsky-Eliasberg-Orch.Radio Leningrad, 1948.

LvB triple: Oistrakh-Knushevitsky-Oborin-Alexander Orlov-Orch.Rado Moscow, 1947


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Today's listening:


----------



## Sonata

*Brahms Piano Quartet #1*, from the Brilliant Chamber Works boxed set. The opening few minutes are awesome!


----------



## Sonata

belfastboy said:


> You won't believe I have been looking up The Met, opera.ie etc for any opera's! Of course the Met is amazing, the line up is wonderful, and I never thought of The arts Cinema, D'oh! Gonna check....God I can be so blond sometimes!


That's awesome. I wish I had access to live opera where I'm at. We have a performing arts school that's pretty highly acclaimed about forty minutes away with opportunities to see live theater and music, but no opera


----------



## EricABQ

Hamelin's recordings of the Liszt Paganini studies.


----------



## Sonata

Jared said:


> Sonata, you're going to have some musically very well adjusted babies...


I hope so . My boy Lucas already likes to bang away at a little toy guitar and "sings" (pretty much gibberish!). And our newborn girl has very long fingers....good for piano!


----------



## SimonNZ

Le Chansonnier Cordiforme - The Consort Of Musicke


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## samurai

On* Spotify*:

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}* *and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, 
*both performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with Osmo Vanska at its helm.


----------



## NightHawk

Xenakis, Orchestral Works - Orchestra Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Arturo Tamayo.

Unexpectedly received this in today's mail and listened to all 5 discs while working at home. It was intense, but it took my mind completely off painting all the base boards! A consistently fine performance by the OP du Lux. I only wish there were more notes about the works in the insert. So, am relaxing now listening to Schnittke's _Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra_ (1979). One of my very favorite works of A.S.


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: Konzertmusik
Brahms: Symphony No. 3


----------



## science

The recently to-do about Mozart persuaded me - ever an incorrigible contrarian - to revisit the unfortunate man's symphonies, and to do so on modern instruments and without regard to historical performance practice. And of course, I enjoyed it so immensely that I turned to Bach with equal disregard for all that is good and proper.

















This is the second time in only a few weeks that I've listened to the Dowland Lachrimae disk. I've enjoyed it immoderately. I wonder what musicological considerations have led to it not being more well-known?

And Janacek. How I love Janacek. I don't really appreciate Haas's quartets, and haven't listened to them this time around yet. Will get to them within the next few days. But Janacek. How I love Janacek.

















A couple of immensely famous old classics that I hadn't listened to in many months.


----------



## neoshredder

So much good works on the last few posts.  I listened to Beethoven's 5th and the first movement of his 6th. The last movement of number 5 is brilliant. And we all know how great the first movement of Symphony 6 is.


----------



## drpraetorus

Catulli Carmina. A favorite of mine


----------



## SimonNZ

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci, Jean Fournet


----------



## belfastboy

LOL - "I polished up the handle of the big front door"....


----------



## ProudSquire

*Brahms *Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83

*P* - Emil Gilels 
*C* - Eugen Jochum 
*O* - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Music by one of the greatest of all composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. _Deutsche Tänze _K509, 536/567, 571, 586 played by Tafelmusik (on period instruments) under Bruno Weil. Dance music these were, but quite operatic in idiom in many passages. Indeed, all these works featured in this recording were composed between 1786 and 1789, which saw _Figaro_ and _Don Giovanni_, amongst many other masterpieces that grace our ears to this day. Thank goodness for Mozart and his music.


----------



## Arsakes

Bach: Concerto BWV 1052

Mussorgsky:
- Symphonic Synthesis of Borus Godunov
- Night On A Bare Mountain

Balakirev:
- Overture On Three Russian Themes
- King Lear - Overture

Korsakov:
- Symphony # 1,3 (finally start liking the 3rd symphony)
- Russian Easter Overture for orchestra
- Capriccio espagnol for orchestra


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky* - _Piano Concerto_ No. 1, Op. 23 (Evgeny Kissin/Herbert von Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker).
*Johann Sebastian Bach/Wilhelm Kempff* - Siciliana, Transcription from Sonata BWV 1031 (Kissin).
*Ludwig van Beethoven* - _Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra_, Op. 80 (Kissin/Berliner Philharmoniker/Claudio Abbado/RIAS Kammerchor/Marcus Creed).
*Christoph Willibald Gluck/Giovanni Sgambati* - _Melody: Dance of the Blessed Spirits_, Transcription from Orphée et Eurydice (Kissin).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Johannes Brahms* - _Piano Sonata_ No. 1, Op. 1 (Peter Rösel).


----------



## Taneyev

P 3:

PAQUE Desiree: string quartet Nº2

PARRY Sir Hubert: son.violin&piano.

PEJACEVIC Dora: son.cello&piano.

PERGAMENT Moses: string quartet Nº1.


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's Symphony #3 played by Stockholm Sinfonietta.


----------



## NightHawk

The great thing about those symphonies is that if the performance is very good I am totally absorbed as if I barely knew the works! The 6th, 2nd movement '_am Bach_ (I think, that's right....'by a brook') is mesmerizing for me, but really the entire symphony is.



neoshredder said:


> So much good works on the last few posts.  I listened to Beethoven's 5th and the first movement of his 6th. The last movement of number 5 is brilliant. And we all know how great the first movement of Symphony 6 is.


----------



## Vesteralen

Much more interersting than I thought it would be.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Listening on youtube, because I don't have any recording of it :/


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, *Piano Sonata, Opus 28, Pastoral.*

Yesterday I heard seven versions of the Pastoral symphony, then I went for a walk around my neighborhood, which is built among an oak forest with a lake down the street. Wow, that was a great experience.

This morning, Brendel playing the Pastoral. I used to have another performance by Brendel which was better, but this is all I could find.


----------



## Ramako

Haydn, symphony 39, played by Adam Fischer - I have the recording but here it is on Youtube






Fantastic piece of music! Not my favourite of the _Sturm und Drang_, but then, that doesn't say very much for me


----------



## campy

At the moment: Chausson, Symphony in B flat op. 20. Charles Dutoit & _l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal._


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5.*

This is a compelling performance from Simon Rattle.


----------



## Vesteralen

One of the most tuneful operas I've encountered (not that I've encountered that many  )


----------



## opus55

Lyapunov: 12 Etudes D' Execution Transcendante, Op. 11


----------



## Ravndal

Bizet - Variations on a Theme from "Carmen"

played by Horowitz


----------



## belfastboy

As I tip-toe into the evening..........


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: PCs 14, 23, 25, with Moravec/Czech CO/PO/Vlach, then String Quartets 22 & 23, with Kocian Qt.

View attachment 7084
View attachment 7085


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> Bruno Walter conducting. Wow, this is _beautiful._
> 
> View attachment 7038


One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Rec.).


----------



## Vaneyes

Toddlertoddy said:


> Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto
> 
> I never really liked Ligeti. I still don't.


I suspect one morning you will wake up loving Ligeti...due in no small part to COAG voodoo.

Judging from the number of TC transformations, I'd say the tactic also works for Schnittke and Berio. Less so for Nono.


----------



## Sonata

I listened to Beethoven's 4th piano concerto for the one millionth time this week )
Now I'm onto Mozart's first flute concerto, and plan to followup with Dvorak's piano concerto and Beethoven's appasionata.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> I listened to Beethoven's 4th piano concerto for the one millionth time this week )
> Now I'm onto Mozart's first flute concerto, and plan to followup with Dvorak's piano concerto and Beethoven's appasionata.


For the LvB Sonata, if you have the opportunities, try Gulda, also Gould.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Sonata said:


> I listened to Beethoven's 4th piano concerto for the one millionth time this week )
> Now I'm onto Mozart's first flute concerto, and plan to followup with Dvorak's piano concerto and Beethoven's appasionata.


That's some quality music right there.

I'm currently listening to Mozart's piano concerto's from this two recordings:

















They are so easy to listen to, but if you try to study them, you'll actually realize that they are quite complex.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

With the exception of the two pieces on the first album my listening today so far has been Johann Nepomuk Hummel. What kind of a middle name is Nepomuk? Anyway, I started with this lovely album:










Then listened to some of his piano trios.










And presently listening to a couple of his piano concertos as performed by Hae-Won Chang and the Budapest Chamber Orchestra. Chang is quite a good pianist and this Naxos recording is worth the few dollars to own a copy.










Kevin


----------



## Ravndal

Gaspard De La Nuit

Argerich


----------



## SAKO

Having a vinyl only day:

*MOZART*

Symphonien Nr. 25
Symphonien Nr. 26
Symphonien Nr. 27

Karl Bohm with the Berliner Philharmoniker 
on DG.

&

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Wilhelm Bruckner with the Nord Deutsche Philharmonia 
on Pye Golden Guinea.

and on the B side of the above.

*BACH*

Brandenberg Concerto No.3 in G
'Air' from Suite No. 3 in D.

& on another import 12"

*CHAUSSON*

Concert for violin, piano & quatuor a cordes, Op. 21

Pasquier / Pennetier / Daugariel / Simonot / Pasquier / Pidoux
on Harmonia Mundi.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Waldstein Sonata.

I love the first movement. It makes me smile  I'm not a big fan of the third movement though, i feel it is a bit long. Remember i saw this played live by leif ove andsnes. boring as hell.

This version is by Kovacevich though. Much better =)


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin Preludes*, Grigory Sokolov. This is the recording that finally got me through to Chopin.

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 2*, George Szell.

*Mozart, Symphony No. 40*, George Szell. Great stuff.
*
John Field, Nocturnes.*, Joanna Leach. She plays these on authentic instruments. I'm not a big fan of authentic pianos.


----------



## Ravndal

Manxfeeder said:


> *Chopin Preludes*, Grigory Sokolov. This is the recording that finally got me through to Chopin.
> 
> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 2*, George Szell.
> 
> *Mozart, Symphony No. 40*, George Szell. Great stuff.
> *
> John Field, Nocturnes.*, Joanna Leach. She plays these on authentic instruments. *I'm not a big fan of authentic pianos.*


I googled it. Some kind of software?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Going in for some Late Romantic Germanic for the afternoon by listening to Richard Wetz's three symphonies and violin concerto. Very Bruckner like but really fine symphonies.





































Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravndal said:


> I googled it. Some kind of software?


I don't know about that. Apparently this was her passion.

http://www.divine-art.com/AS/leach.htm


----------



## Ravndal

Manxfeeder said:


> I don't know about that. Apparently this was her passion.
> 
> http://www.divine-art.com/AS/leach.htm


Okey. i wasnt sure what you ment with "authentic piano", so i googled it, and this came up http://www.synthogy.com/products/uprightpianos.html

Ive seen several modern day 'componists' playing and improvising with that software.

thank god you didnt listen to software recordings, haha.


----------



## PlaySalieri

Some of you people have the time to listen to half a dozen symphonies a day?

I listened to Mozart sy 33 - strikes me that this is really Mozart's last symphony in the Italian type style of many of his early symphonies. It's quite odd that after K300 he is still looking back if you consider that sy 25,29 and 31 really look more forward.
Still - I think no 33 is a charming work. I have the Mackerras on Telarc - with harpsichord continuo.


----------



## EricABQ

Beethoven's 4th piano sonata played by HJ Lim.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Digging out some discs I haven't heard in a while.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy

Have gone back to my love


----------



## Kevin Pearson

stomanek said:


> Some of you people have the time to listen to half a dozen symphonies a day?


Not normally I don't but Thursdays I am usually off work and my wife is at work. So, I relax by playing my music. Anything wrong with that? 

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

stomanek said:


> Some of you people have the time to listen to half a dozen symphonies a day?


I don't always, but part of the time I get to work at home, some of which doesn't require heavy concentration, so classical keeps me awake and sane.


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to Beethoven's 6th Symphony and Sibelius's 1st Symphony.


----------



## Crudblud

Schulhoff - Complete String Quartets (Kocian SQ)


----------



## neoshredder

Decided to take a break from the long symphonies and going with my favorite Vivaldi set.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The marvelous Elizabeth Wallfisch playing the hell out of these Baroque violin sonatas.

Following up on Kevin Pearson's suggestion, I'm listening to Richard Wetz on Spotify:










I must say that so far I am quite impressed.:tiphat:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Digging into my LP collection again and came up with a recording of Glinka pieces. Overtures and other short orchestral pieces. Anyone think that Glinka seemed like a Russian Rossinni? I really enjoy this album and have given a spin every few years. For a VOX recording from 1958 it is pretty good. The Bamburg Symphony does a fine job with these pieces.










Kevin


----------



## clavichorder

An awesome classic performance of one of the most modern pieces Medtner wrote.





\

And too bad Horowitz didn't record more Medtner




Contemporary pianist Stephen Beus, plays this jolly Medtner piece wonderfully, Medtner in his romantic infused neoclassical mode.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Dipping again into the LP collection and pulled out a copy of Luigi Boccerini's String Quintets OP.29.

Boccherini was a prolific composer and wrote over a hundred string quintets as well as over a hundred sting quartets and a lot of other chamber music. OP. 29 consist of six of his string quintets. I wish this recording was available on CD because I would probably upgrade.










Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Only listened to the first three quintets of Boccherini. I'll finish the album tomorrow and listen to disc two. Before bed I decided to put on Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor Op. 28 and the Morceaux de Salon, Op. 10. I know Rachy doesn't get a lot of love but I sure enjoy him. I think all the bull about his pretentiousness and showyness is a bunch of hooey! The man created some beautiful and richly tuneful works. I'd like to see the negative critics compose anything near the quality of work he did let alone even be able to play him!










Kevin


----------



## Guest

Some wonderfully mellow lieder - from Slovenia - with Bernarda Fink and her brother. Night night.


----------



## Lisztian

Today I listened to...

*Frédéric Chopin* - _Nocturne_, Op. posth. (C# Minor) (Mikhail Pletnev). _Étude_, Op. 10, No. 3, Fantaisie-impromptu, Op. 66 (Stanislav Bunin). _Waltz_, Op. 64, No. 1 (John Ogdon). _Polonaise_, Op. 53 (Martha Argerich).
*Franz Liszt* - _Grandes études de Paganini_, S.141, No. 3 ('La Campanella') (André Watts).
*Ludwig van Beethoven* - _Piano Sonata_, Op. 27, No. 2 ('Moonlight'), Mvt 1 (Pletnev). _Für Elise_, WoO 59 (Jean-Bernard Pommier).
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - _Piano Sonata_, K331, Mvt 3 ('Rondo alla turca') (Moura Lympany). _Rondo_ K485 (Bunin).
*Claude Debussy* - _Prelude_, Premier livre, No. 8 ('La Fille aux cheveux de lin') (Lympany). _Arabesque_, No. 1 (Aldo Ciccolini).
*Franz Schubert* - _Moments Musicaux_, D780, No. 3 (Stephen Kovacevich).
*Michael Nyman* - _The heart asks pleasure first_, from The Piano (Nyman).
*Johann Sebastian Bach/Myra Hess* - _Jesu, Joy of Man'd Desiring_, from Cantata BWV 147 (Alexis Weissenberg).
*Felix Mendelssohn* - _Frühlingslied_, Op. 62, No. 6 (Pommier).
*Maurice Ravel* - _Pavane pour une infante défunte_ (Cécile Ousset).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Béla Bartók* - _Romanian Folk Dances_, Sz. 56 (Bartók).


----------



## SimonNZ

Pierre Van Maldere symphonies - Les Solistes de Liege


----------



## science

Great masterpieces, all.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Ysaye - Six Sonatas for Solo Violin recorded by Ruggiero Ricci


----------



## SimonNZ

MaestroViolinist said:


> Ysaye - Six Sonatas for Solo Violin recorded by Ruggiero Ricci


I was playing that very album earlier today









but right now its this:









Dufay motets - Huelgas-Ensemble


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Wieniawski's Violin Concerto in D minor. Learning it right now, listening to as many different recordings as possible.


----------



## Ravndal

nothing is better than hear the actual composer play his own pieces


----------



## Arsakes

Dvorak :
- 7 Interludes
- Symphony No.7
- Cypresses
- American Suite
- Czech Suite

Haydn:
- Symphony No.96 & 97


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.9 - Herbert von Karajan (1977)


----------



## Taneyev

P 4:

PEROSI Lorenzo: string quartet.

PESSINA Paolo: var.op.25 on a Paganini's theme for violin&piano

PETTERSSEN Alan: sonatas 1&2 for 2 violins.

PFITZNER Hans. string quartet Nº1.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Michael Haydn String Quintets - L'Archibudelli


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Ravndal

^

why cant they hire an human, instead of that robot.


----------



## Vesteralen

Great reviews for these live performances. And, of course, I root for the hometown orchestra.


----------



## Sonata

Don Giovanni


----------



## Taneyev

MaestroViolinist said:


> Wieniawski's Violin Concerto in D minor. Learning it right now, listening to as many different recordings as possible.


If you didn't listen to young Igor Oistrakh's recording, you should right now.


----------



## Taneyev

MaestroViolinist said:


> Ysaye - Six Sonatas for Solo Violin recorded by Ruggiero Ricci


Best complete recording I know ( unknown and forgotten) was Yuval Yaron's.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Messiaen*: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps, avec Brunner/Trio Fontenay, then *Berio* Piano Works, with Schlime.

View attachment 7100
View attachment 7101


----------



## Vesteralen

One of those inexplicable things...I've liked everything I've heard by Geminiani, and I can't tell you why.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *LvB* "Tempest" with Gelber. Sublime.

View attachment 7103


----------



## Saudade




----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6










"Pastoral" is my favorite Beethoven symphony these days.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Following up on Kevin Pearson's suggestion, I'm listening to Richard Wetz on Spotify:










I must say that so far I am quite impressed.:tiphat:

After having listened to the whole disc I should say that I am most certainly adding this to the top of my "wish list". Reading up on the reviews it seems that the third symphony is considered by many to have been his strongest.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still listening to this 2-disc set of Baroque violin sonatas by Tartini performed beautifully by Elizabeth Wallfisch.

I have this lined up for next:










Perhaps I should insert something else between in order to avoid unfair comparisons. This just arrived in the mail...










Hmmm...


----------



## Vesteralen

Somewhat unconvincing Verdi. The modern piece is, well, modern. Listening to Ein Heldeleben now. Not bad, but this was never my favorite Strauss tone poem.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Vesteralen

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 5.*
> 
> View attachment 7107


The only time my wife deliberately fed my CD habit was when she surprised me with the boxed set of Szell- Beethoven CDs with the original jacket reproductions. She knew I always regretted selling my LPs.


----------



## belfastboy

For some reason this tune makes me smile and laugh a little. It's so jolly!

Ice cream van theme!


----------



## belfastboy

and a bit of this on the side......
4:42 onwards! Lovely little trilling! Amazing!


----------



## Vesteralen

Need to hear this a few more times to comment on it. Surprised to find it was choral.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vesteralen said:


> The only time my wife deliberately fed my CD habit was when she surprised me with the boxed set of Szell- Beethoven CDs with the original jacket reproductions. She knew I always regretted selling my LPs.


That's funny - my wife doesn't feed my habit, either. But she gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card, and they're selling these for $4.99, so she's partly responsible. But I'm really enjoying these; I keep driving back there for more of them.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## DeepR

Ravndal said:


> ^
> 
> why cant they hire an human, instead of that robot.


Silly comment. Kissin is fantastic.


----------



## belfastboy

The name of the guy playing Mario?? Anyone?


----------



## Corvus

I am listening to Beethoven's 6th as I work at my computer. It is part of a boxed set with Riccardo Chailly and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. (My favorites so far are the 3rd and the 6th)


----------



## chrislowski

Earlier:









Just started:


----------



## SAKO

Mozart: The Symphonies Box set.

Pinnock / English Concert.

Disc 7.

Symphony No. 24
Symphony No. 25
Symphony No. 30
Symphony No. 31


There are only three types of people in the world; 
those who love Mozart and know it;
those who love him but just don't realize it yet, and,
those locked in padded rooms with a fixation for shiny things.

...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Following SAKO's Mozart trend, *Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 through 6.*


----------



## Ravndal

DeepR said:


> Silly comment. Kissin is fantastic.


Kissin is a robot. He got no expression. the only thing he have done his whole life is playing piano, he is touring around with his mother and professor. He cant even have a normal conversation. No life experience whatsoever, and he is supposed to be an artist? a musician who expresses "feelings"? I'm sorry. I do not agree with you. I prefer intelligent musicians.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Odnoposoff said:


> If you didn't listen to young Igor Oistrakh's recording, you should right now.


I already have.


----------



## Ravndal

Gaspard De La Nuit

Played by Sigurd Slåttebrekk. This is the best recording i have ever heard of this piece. Breath taking.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Die Zauberflöte.


----------



## EricABQ

Relaxing with some Italian red and listening to various Rach etudes played by Nikolai Lugansky.


----------



## NightHawk

There is no 'remastering' indication for this acclaimed performance recorded live in Dallas in 1958 - and, when the overture began I practically recoiled from the harshness. However, I stuck it out until the vocals began, and talk about a transformation!!! The voices are recorded excellently, and it just gets better and better (including the orchestra). The young Jon Vickers is unbelievable, as is Teresa Berganza...and Callas is in her most superb voice, easily equaling her _Tosca_ with Di Stefano in 1956, in my opinion. Callas was renown for this role, and I can certainly hear why - she really brings across the concept of what opera was originally - a _Dramma per musica_. Her pitch is rock steady, the tone, dark and focused and no flapping in the vibrato above the staff. Callas' musicality and acting through the vocal technique is thrilling to hear. I have not one scintilla of regret over this purchase - and Cherubini was definitely in touch with his Muse when he penned this work. Highly recommended***** (if you aren't allergic to pre-digital - and I mean no criticism by that remark).

note: there is no libretto or notes.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Gustav Leonhardt (third recording, 1976)

though I don't actually have that vinyl album anymore, I now have it as disc 3 of this box:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Fantasien, Op. 116; 3 Intermezzi, Op. 117; Klavierstucke, Op. 118; Klavierstucke Op. 119, with Nicholas Angelich.

View attachment 7120


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Violin Concerto


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, *both performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64, *featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in a truly rousing and uplifting performance conducted by Vasily Petrenko.
Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.1 in D Minor, Op.13, *with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the guidance of Mariss Jansons.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

In honor of the punk rock group being sentenced in Russia today for two years for protesting President Putin I am going in for something different than my usual fair. Freedom of speech obviously has a long way to go in Russian and things look like they have not changed much since the days of Shostakovich.

So, I'm listening to an album of Chamber music by Shostakovich. Like much of his music this album is dark and brooding but really really interesting. Hardly a dull moment and a good variety too but my favorite is the first work called Two Pieces For String Octet Op. 1 No. 1. Really cool work with lots of twists and turns. You have no idea where this music is taking you and when it's finished you want to listen again. The Piano Quintet OP. 57 is also really good. It has some fun and almost humorous moments that kind of take you by surprise. This performance by the Brodsky Quartet is really good. They really bring a lot of feeling to the pieces and the production quality is first rate. I'm really tempted to buy their complete Shostakovich quartets box set. They really are THAT good!










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041
Arensky: Piano Concerto


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to Beethoven's 7th Symphony. It went over my head. Need another listen. Now listening to Sibelius's 2nd Symphony.


----------



## NightHawk

Looks like Ben Heppner, but I could be soooo wrong.



belfastboy said:


> The name of the guy playing Mario?? Anyone?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

NightHawk said:


> Looks like Ben Heppner, but I could be soooo wrong.


No the tenor playing Mario in that version is Jonas Kaufmann. I really enjoy that production. I have a recording of it.

Kevin


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: French Suites*

This week I have been listening to mostly Bach - I ordered a lot (almost all I think) of Glenn Gould's Bach performances a couple of weeks ago and now it is starting to arrive  Today I have been concentrating on Bach's Keyboard works - I am quite proud of my collection of this part of Bach's Music. At the moment I am playing Disc 2 of Glenn Goulds French Suites set and after this I will play Disc 3 of the WTC set which features P & F's Nos. 1-12 of Book 2.


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 4
Schmidt: Variations on a Hussar's Song


----------



## SottoVoce

I honestly don't think there's anything more delicious in the world than the Brandenburg Concertos. Pure joy for joy's sake.


----------



## belfastboy

Kevin Pearson said:


> No the tenor playing Mario in that version is Jonas Kaufmann. I really enjoy that production. I have a recording of it.
> 
> Kevin


Excellent thanks very much! I like him for two reasons, one is his singing! Grateful.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Cnote11

Carmina Burana










Sinfonietta and Glagolitic Mass


----------



## SimonNZ

Khachaturian's Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci, Anatole Fistoulari


----------



## DeepR

Ravndal said:


> Kissin is a robot. He got no expression. the only thing he have done his whole life is playing piano, he is touring around with his mother and professor. He cant even have a normal conversation. No life experience whatsoever, and he is supposed to be an artist? a musician who expresses "feelings"? I'm sorry. I do not agree with you. I prefer intelligent musicians.


If you mean by robot that he is uncannily good and precise, then I have to agree. You seem to be judging the person and not his playing. Personally I think his lifestyle doesn't say anything about his ability to play expressively. The most introverted hermit can have the most vivid imagination and express emotions, dreams and desires when playing music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3 - Evgeny Kissin, Claudio Abbado

another bizzarely chosen selection in this series - this one is two discs made up of only Liszt and Prokofiev

I suppose it is, ultimately, telling that people (or critics) no longer talk about this once important survey-series


----------



## cwarchc

Really spooky this, but I was watching this version at the time of your post



belfastboy said:


> The name of the guy playing Mario?? Anyone?


----------



## belfastboy

cwarchc said:


> Really spooky this, but I was watching this version at the time of your post


Even spookier - I knew you were!!


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Ravndal

DeepR said:


> If you mean by robot that he is uncannily good and precise, then I have to agree. You seem to be judging the person and not his playing. Personally I think his lifestyle doesn't say anything about his ability to play expressively. The most introverted hermit can have the most vivid imagination and express emotions, dreams and desires when playing music.


I don't get why you can write that after all the things i said. doesnt make sense. he doesnt play with feelings, because he doesnt have any feelings. the only thing he knows is the piano. he have never experienced anything else. His lifestyle is *everything* when it comes to music. You can't expect someone to be an artist, without any life experience.


----------



## Taneyev

P 5:

PIERNE Gabriel: son.flute&piano

PIJPER Willehm: string quartet Nº4

PIPKOV Lubomir: son.violin&piano.

PISTON Walter: string quartet Nº1.


----------



## cwarchc

I'm blaming CoAG for this, 
I've spent 2 hours on Grooveshark listening to Ligeti, several different pieces.
I'm going to have to have a look at Amazon now to buy some


----------



## Kevin Pearson

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 7124
> 
> 
> Khachaturian's Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci, Anatole Fistoulari


Boy Simon you sure have a lot Ruggiero Ricci in your collection! You hardly ever hear his name anymore. Another great was Jascha Heifetz. He hasn't quite disappeared into obscurity like Ricci but rarely mentioned.

Listening to Ricci's Danzas Espanola before work! I love it!!










Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kevin Pearson said:


> This performance by the Brodsky Quartet is really good. They really bring a lot of feeling to the pieces and the production quality is first rate. I'm really tempted to buy their complete Shostakovich quartets box set. They really are THAT good!


That was my first set of Shostakovich quartets. I haven't listened to it in a long time, and I've, since then, bought the Borodin and Fitzwilliam cycles. I don't know what that means; it's either a red flag for you or I need to hear them again for my sake because I missed something.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 40.*

Energetic, tense, well-recorded. I don't think it's going to knock Szell's recording off the top of the heap, but I still like it.


----------



## Taneyev

Kevin Pearson said:


> Boy Simon you sure have a lot Ruggiero Ricci in your collection! You hardly ever hear his name anymore. Another great was Jascha Heifetz. He hasn't quite disappeared into obscurity like Ricci but rarely mentioned.
> 
> Listening to Ricci's Danzas Espanola before work! I love it!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Persinger was a violinist, a good accompanist pianist, and first teacher of Ricci and Menuhin. This Sarasate's is still after more than 50 years, one of the best ever done; young Ricci in his prime, and he certainly feels Spaniard music.


----------



## NightHawk

I'm stunned at the makeup job - doesn't resemble Kaufmann at all, but I'm sure you are correct!



Kevin Pearson said:


> No the tenor playing Mario in that version is Jonas Kaufmann. I really enjoy that production. I have a recording of it.
> 
> Kevin


----------



## DeepR

Ravndal said:


> I don't get why you can write that after all the things i said. doesnt make sense. he doesnt play with feelings, because he doesnt have any feelings. the only thing he knows is the piano. he have never experienced anything else. His lifestyle is *everything* when it comes to music. You can't expect someone to be an artist, without any life experience.


Fine, then we agree to disagree. I think you are making some assumptions there. I also noticed he appears a little autistic in interviews, but that doesn't mean he has no feelings or the ability to express feelings through his playing. I think what's going on inside the mind of the artist is the most important. He lives for the music and he channels the music with a lot of passion, without drawing all the attention to himself like Lang Lang.


----------



## Ravndal

But i got to ask.. A guy who never does anything else than playing piano, never experienced love etc. (im not making assumptions.) What kind of feelings does he have that us normal people can relate to?

Intelligent pianists got a story to tell, they got something deeper in their interpretations. Just listen to Gould, Lipatti, Horowitz, Francois, Gulda, Rubinstein, Godowsky, Rachmaninov, Josef Lhevin

or if you prefer the living: Lupu, Zimmermann, Perreia, Leonskaja, Slåttebrekk, Steen-Nökleberg, Pogorelich, Crossley, Argerich

These are people with a greater understanding. They are not just a virtuos like kissin, they are so much more than that. They actually play a wrong note now and then, they got flaws, they are human.

I think this article is very spot on http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2002/sep/05/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures

And worth to mention: i liked kissin before, when i started listening to piano music.


----------



## joen_cph

The best Kissin I know are the rather early recording of a few mazurkas and, primarily, the likewise early recording of Schumann´s Symphonic Etudes




 (not 100% sure it´s the early one, but good anyway)
I don´t think any of them are in empty bravura style, on the contrary Kissin can have a tendency to suppress himself through seriousness and become a bit boring. But not there.


----------



## NightHawk

While I agree with you in many ways, regarding the value of a varied experience in live, love, loss, joy, travel etc., I have to say that I also believe that some people can never leave their homes and experience more about life simply through books, their own thought processes, meditations, and what art teaches them than we can imagine. Kissin is not a recluse and travels extensively to perform and also to recite, in public gatherings, his own poetry in Yiddish, which he began teaching himself as a teenager (and he has recorded his Yiddish poetry). I watched a documentary about him recently, on Netflix maybe, and I did not get any sense of shyness or awkwardness from his interaction with the other people in the film. He was warm, funny, spontaneous, and obviously very intelligent. Part of the documentary was an involved conversation/interview he had in Israel with a renowned speaker of Yiddish and Kissin more than held his own. He is not my favorite pianist but he is a genuine artist who communicates dramatically with his greater audience - though maybe not with the connoisseurs. I don't mean to argue this, but I just wanted to give my impressions of him from the documentary. Here is a link to his poetry CD and some clips of him reciting. Best. nh

http://www.kissin.dk/poetry.html (copy and paste into browser if link fails)



Ravndal said:


> But i got to ask.. A guy who never does anything else than playing piano, never experienced love etc. (im not making assumptions.) What kind of feelings does he have that us normal people can relate to?
> 
> Intelligent pianists got a story to tell, they got something deeper in their interpretations. Just listen to Gould, Lipatti, Horowitz, Francois, Gulda, Rubinstein, Godowsky, Rachmaninov, Josef Lhevin
> 
> or if you prefer the living: Lupu, Zimmermann, Perreia, Leonskaja, Slåttebrekk, Steen-Nökleberg, Pogorelich, Crossley, Argerich
> 
> These are people with a greater understanding. They are not just a virtuos like kissin, they are so much more than that. They actually play a wrong note now and then, they got flaws, they are human.
> 
> I think this article is very spot on http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2002/sep/05/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures
> 
> And worth to mention: i liked kissin before, when i started listening to piano music.


----------



## Ravndal

Maybe. But i wouldnt call them 'real' feelings. He has some idea about how things are, trough literature etc. And don't you think it's a reason he still travels around with his piano teacher? so she can show him how to 'fake' feelings? just what i think.. and the clips i have seen of kissin on youtube, tells me otherwise


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 5.*

Furtwangler, BPO, June 1943, on Music & Arts.


----------



## Taneyev

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 5.*
> 
> Furtwangler, BPO, June 1943, on Music & Arts.


Under the protection and help of Adolf and Hermann.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Soundtrack from the movie Amadeus:









Currently listening to Le Nozze Di Figaro, 4th Act : Tutti Contenti


----------



## Ravndal

Carpenoctem said:


> Soundtrack from the movie Amadeus:
> 
> View attachment 7140
> 
> 
> Currently listening to Le Nozze Di Figaro, 4th Act : Tutti Contenti


Is that a movie you would recommend? Is it fictional?

Just a bit curious 

OT:

Been listening to Danse Macabre a lot lately.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Ravndal said:


> Is that a movie you would recommend? Is it fictional?
> 
> Just a bit curious


Great movie, I have the Director's Cut.

It isn't 100% true, there actually was no rivalry between Mozart and Salieri but the acting is outstanding.

The music is marvelous, and so is the cast.

It's in my top 5 movies of all time, it won 8 Oscars in 1984.

I'm highly recommending it, you should see it, there is a certain scene in the movie, the acting was so wonderful it almost made my cry, and I never cry lol.


----------



## Ravndal

Thanks for quick reply. Will check it out asap. I don't like Mozart though.. But I'm trying =)


----------



## Carpenoctem

Ravndal said:


> Thanks for quick reply. Will check it out asap. I don't like Mozart though.. But I'm trying =)


No problem.

Nah, it doesn't matter if you love Mozart, the movie itself is outstanding , it is for anyone, not only classical music lovers


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravndal said:


> Is that a movie you would recommend? Is it fictional?
> 
> Just a bit curious


Really, the movie is told through the eyes of an aged Salieri, riddled with guilt, recollecting Mozart. In that sense, it's not meant to be history so much as it's the story of someone's life, somewhat exaggerated, as told through another's eyes. If you think of it that way, the movie is fun.

This description of Mozart's music is one of my favorite moments - he's not exaggerating here, just spot on. (If you've ever seen How I Met Your Mother, the character Marshall recreated this scene describing the perfect hamburger.)


----------



## SAKO

*Music of the Italian Renaissance *

_for Voice, Lutes, Viola da mano, Cittern and Renaissance Guitar,_

Shirley Rumsey (Performer)

Jacques Arcadelt (Composer), Filippo Azzaiolo (Composer), Francesco Milano (Composer), Marchetto Cara (Composer).









Not my usual, but one of 70+ CD's recently given to me of Renaissance and Medieval music (some of which is an acquired taste).

This however is simply beautiful.......forget wasting your cash on commercial 'chill out' albums.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Manxfeeder said:


> Really, the movie is told through the eyes of an aged Salieri, riddled with guilt, recollecting Mozart. In that sense, it's not meant to be history so much as it's the story of someone's life, somewhat exaggerated, as told through another's eyes. But this description of Mozart's music is one of my favorite moments - no exaggeration, spot on. (If you've ever seen How I Met Your Mother, the character Marshall recreated this scene describing the perfect hamburger.)


Don't spoil it for him!


----------



## DeepR

Ravndal said:


> Maybe. But i wouldnt call them 'real' feelings. He has some idea about how things are, trough literature etc. And don't you think it's a reason he still travels around with his piano teacher? so she can show him how to 'fake' feelings? just what i think.. and the clips i have seen of kissin on youtube, tells me otherwise


I know and like more than half of the pianists you menioned. "Real feelings" from Kissin or not, life experiene or not, in the end what matters is if he can play the music convincingly enough so the listener can connect to the music emotionally. I have to say his playing often works for me.


----------



## Ravndal

Manxfeeder said:


> Really, the movie is told through the eyes of an aged Salieri, riddled with guilt, recollecting Mozart. In that sense, it's not meant to be history so much as it's the story of someone's life, somewhat exaggerated, as told through another's eyes. If you think of it that way, the movie is fun.
> 
> This description of Mozart's music is one of my favorite moments - he's not exaggerating here, just spot on. (If you've ever seen How I Met Your Mother, the character Marshall recreated this scene describing the perfect hamburger.)


Oh yeah, i remember that from HIMYM, lol. Didn't know it was taken from there! Thanks for the input! i will try to watch it tomorrow


----------



## Ravndal

DeepR said:


> I know and like more than half of the pianists you menioned. "Real feelings" from Kissin or not, life experiene or not, in the end what matters is if he can play the music convincingly enough so the listener can connect to the music emotionally. I have to say his playing often works for me.


Yes, well. You are free to listen to whatever recordings you want to  But i will take some liberty here, to recommend you to check out the grieg PC played by Radu Lupu.


----------



## EricABQ

I listened to Tchaikovsky's Manfred (Moscow Radio Symnphony Orchestra). I have to admit, this didn't make much of an impression on me. I tend to like Tchaikovsky, but I found this to be somewhat dull.


----------



## Ravndal

EricABQ said:


> I listened to Tchaikovsky's Manfred (Moscow Radio Symnphony Orchestra). I have to admit, this didn't make much of an impression on me. I tend to like Tchaikovsky, but I found this to be somewhat dull.


Yes, i agree. I don't find it as grand and romantic as some of his other orchestral works.


----------



## Taneyev

The best programatic symphony ever written, and one of the best of Tchaikovsky's works.


----------



## belfastboy

Awwwwww.........Zzzzzzzzz.....


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.2 in E Minor*, *Op.27 and Symphony No.3 in A Major, Op.44,* both featuring the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Mariss Jansons.


----------



## EricABQ

Liszt's sonata in B minor played by Brendel.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Obrecht, Missa Sancto Donatiano.*

Beautifully sung. But I wish there were more blood flowing through their veins.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## cwarchc

Following on from Tosca yesterday
I'm just finished this one






I'm having an opera weekend.


----------



## Ravndal

cwarchc said:


> Following on from Tosca yesterday
> I'm just finished this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm having an opera weekend.


Would you recommend it?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

NightHawk said:


> I'm stunned at the makeup job - doesn't resemble Kaufmann at all, but I'm sure you are correct!


 Oh it's Kaufmann alright check the 1:50 second point.

Kevin


----------



## Crudblud

Holmboe - Symphony No. 4 (Hughes)

My first time listening to Holmboe.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kevin Pearson said:


> Boy Simon you sure have a lot Ruggiero Ricci in your collection! You hardly ever hear his name anymore. Another great was Jascha Heifetz. He hasn't quite disappeared into obscurity like Ricci but rarely mentioned.
> 
> Listening to Ricci's Danzas Espanola before work! I love it!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


And theres been a few I haven't posted and a few more still to be played. Of course the one I realy want to play now is one I don't have, in fact have never seen in front of me in any format - Beethoven Sonatas with Frederich Gulda:









It was briefly available in a Gulda box in the Original Masters series, but thats gone now as well:









Has anyone heard it?


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Violin Sonata 2, Berceuse, Romance, Morceau de Lecture a Vue, with Dumay & Collard (rec. 1976-78).

View attachment 7165


----------



## cwarchc

Ravndal said:


> Would you recommend it?


It's ok not as good a production, or quality as the Tosca, but it wasn't wasted time.
But I'm a novice at opera, and it had subtitles, which meant I could follow the story


----------



## Crudblud

Holmboe - Symphony No. 5, Op. 35 (Hughes)


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert lieder - Rita Streich, Erik Werba


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Manxfeeder said:


> That was my first set of Shostakovich quartets. I haven't listened to it in a long time, and I've, since then, bought the Borodin and Fitzwilliam cycles. I don't know what that means; it's either a red flag for you or I need to hear them again for my sake because I missed something.


Well it might be that the Chamber Music album I listened to being a more recent recording and different members, showcases their talents more. The Fitzwilliam is available on Spotify so I may listen to it in entirety before making a decision. I know a reviewer on Amazon said that the Brodsky is the one he would want if he could only have one. For what that's worth.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

belfastboy said:


>


That was interesting but I still prefer the orchestral version.

Kevin


----------



## belfastboy

Kevin Pearson said:


> That was interesting but I still prefer the orchestral version.
> 
> Kevin


I know I know......but i'm in love with the pipes man.....


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy

Moved onto - why? Cos - what a piece.....and what a soprano.. should be aired more....that trill is amazin!!!


----------



## Chrythes

Mendlssohn String Octet.
I guess I have some problems with Emerson String Quartet, they sound too dry for Janacek as well.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This afternoon's listening included:










I have a whole slew of recordings of the Art of Fugue, but honestly this is the only version I have performed on piano... and quite lovely it is at that.










Weinberg is really growing on me. He is surely underrated.



















All I can say is... Damn!!!


----------



## Carpenoctem

^Would you recommend that recording of Beethoven's 9th symphony? I'm looking for some nice recordings of his symphonies.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Les Nuits D'Ete - Suzanne Danco


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Fugue In G Major, BWV 576*

Im going to spend the day listening to Bach keyboard works again - I will be listening to these 3 sets  :


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

How typical of me.


----------



## Guest

Hard to imagine this music sounding better:


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 55 - Ian Bostridge, Fabio Biondi


----------



## neoshredder

BPS said:


> Hard to imagine this music sounding better:


Or looking better.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both works feature the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## science

Romantic duties:

















I need to get me a Kreisler recording in modern sound.

































Elgar's Symphony #1.


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto

Stravinsky composed the Violin Concerto (1931) at the instigation of his friend Willy Strecker, head of the music publishing house of Schotts Söhne in Mainz. Strecker and the young Russian-American violinist Samuel Dushkin approached the composer about the possibility of writing a concerto for Dushkin. Stravinsky, himself a pianist, hesitated, realizing that although he had featured the violin prominently in works like L'histoire du soldat (1918), it was an altogether different matter to write an extended solo work for the instrument.

Stravinsky consulted Paul Hindemith, whom he knew to be a superb string player, and asked him if he thought his lack of knowledge of violin technique would be obvious in the work. Stravinsky later noted: "Not only did he allay my doubts, but he went further and told me that it would be a very good thing, as it would make me avoid a routine technique, and would give rise to ideas which would not be suggested by the familiar movement of the fingers." Additionally, "Willy Strecker allayed my doubts by assuring me that Dushkin would place himself entirely at my disposal in order to furnish any technical details which I might require. Under such conditions the plan was very alluring."

Stravinsky then began a close collaboration with Dushkin on the solo part. Dushkin's memoirs reveal that he was quite an active partner in this endeavor. When asked about working with the young virtuoso, Stravinsky said: "When I show Sam a new passage, he is deeply moved, very excited-then a few days later he asks me to make changes." Of course, the ultimate creative decisions rested with the composer. For example, when Dushkin argued for the retention of a particularly virtuosic passage, Stravinsky said: "You remind me of a salesman at the Galeries Lafayette. You say, 'Isn't this brilliant, isn't this exquisite, look at the beautiful colours, everybody's wearing it.' I say, 'Yes, it is brilliant, it is beautiful, everyone is wearing it-I don't want it.'"

Dushkin recalled the genesis of the sonority-a wide-spanning D - E - A chord-which begins each movement of the concerto: "During the winter [1930-1931], I saw Stravinsky in Paris quite often. One day when we were lunching in a restaurant, Stravinsky took out a piece of paper and wrote down this chord and asked me if it could be played. I had never seen a chord with such an enormous stretch, from the E to the top A, and I said 'No'. Stravinsky said sadly 'What a pity.' After I got home, I tried it, and, to my astonishment, I found that in that register, the stretch of the 11th was relatively easy to play, and the sound fascinated me. I telephoned Stravinsky at once to tell him that it could be done. When the concerto was finished, more than six months later, I understood his disappointment when I first said 'No'. This chord, in a different dress, begins each of the four movements. Stravinsky himself calls it his 'passport' to that concerto."

Although Stravinsky insisted that his Violin Concerto was not modeled after those of Mozart, Beethoven, or Brahms, he did acknowledge that "the subtitles of my concerto-Toccata, Aria, Capriccio-may suggest Bach, and so, in a superficial way, might the musical substance. I am very fond of the Bach Concerto for Two Violins, as the duet of the soloist with a violin from the orchestra in the last movement of my own concerto may show." The premiere of the concerto took place on October 23, 1931, in Berlin, with Dushkin as soloist and Stravinsky conducting the Berlin Rundfunk Orchestra.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beautiful music to finish Saturday evening.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Having a Tchaikovsky afternoon. Just listened to the violin concerto played by Jascha Heifetz and the Chicago Symphony and now Serenade for Strings by the strings of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 55 - Gustav Leonhardt


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Having a Tchaikovsky afternoon. Just listened to the violin concerto played by Jascha Heifetz and the Chicago Symphony and now Serenade for Strings by the strings of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


Probably my favorite Romantic Composer. At least up there with Sibelius and Schubert (if you call him Romantic).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Probably my favorite Romantic Composer. At least up there with Sibelius and Schubert (if you call him Romantic).


I like him too. I'd rank him up with Farrenc as a romantic era composer.


----------



## neoshredder

Decided to listen to Tchaikovsky's String Quartets 2 and 3.


----------



## Jared

Carpenoctem said:


> ^Would you recommend that recording of Beethoven's 9th symphony? I'm looking for some nice recordings of his symphonies.


Many people rave about Toscanini's Beethoven...

I don't.

if you don't own this disk, then I'd highly recommend it as one of the finest traditional renderings available:


----------



## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Having a Tchaikovsky afternoon. Just listened to the violin concerto played by Jascha Heifetz and the Chicago Symphony and now Serenade for Strings by the strings of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


Ah, you're listening to some good music for once. 

I've been listening to Bach, Mozart and Handel all afternoon, various pieces, couldn't be bothered to list them.


----------



## neoshredder

Is that worthy of a like? That first sentence annoys me.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

neoshredder said:


> Is that worthy of a like? That first sentence annoys me.


No, it's not worthy of a like, but you should like it anyway.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tchaikovsky's second and third symphonies played by the Melbourne Symphony Ochestra conducted by Oleg Caetani.


----------



## Crudblud

Brahms - Symphony No. 1 (Gardiner)

I keep coming back to Brahms in the hope I will find it enjoyable, I'm starting to think it's an exercise in futility.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto - Myung-Whun Chung


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Brahms Symphony no. 2. Me like.


----------



## Taneyev

P 6:

PIZZETTI Ildebrando: string quartet Nº2.

PODESVA Jaromir: son.violin&piano.

POPPER David: string quartet.

POPOV Todor: string quartet Nº2.


----------



## SAKO

A rare Sunday at home, so plan to keep the hifi warm today with a goodly dose of the Baroque.

DIETRICH BUXTEHUDE

Sonata in G major
Sonata in B flat major
Sonata in C major

JOHANN PACHELBEL

Suite in G major
Suite in E minor
Aria in A major
Canon & Gigue in D major

Musica Antiqua Koln / Rienhard Goebel on Archiv 1980.


A lovely old CD, which appears sadly to be no longer available. These superbly performed works feel very 'modern' for their age; more 1730's than 1680's. Herr Bach was almost certainly 'inspired' by Canon & Gigue in D major. Nudge nudge, wink wink.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Cello Concerto - Emanuel Feuermann, Malcolm Sargent (1935)


----------



## Ravndal

Sibelius - Kullervo


----------



## Ramako

Crudblud said:


> Brahms - Symphony No. 1 (Gardiner)
> 
> I keep coming back to Brahms in the hope I will find it enjoyable, I'm starting to think it's an exercise in futility.


I lack your perseverance.


----------



## Carpenoctem

MaestroViolinist said:


> Brahms Symphony no. 2. Me like.


Same here, I've listened to it a couple of hours ago.


----------



## Ramako

Ockeghem (who is new to me) is rapidly rising into my list of favoured composers. Still, 5 or so hours to go of this collection


----------



## millionrainbows

This is the first in the Beethoven sonata cycle on Audiophile Classics, by a stable of different Russian pianists whom I think most listeners are unfamiliar with. The Russian Piano School is renowned for the quality of pianists it produces, and some of the pianists in this series studied with Tatiana Nikolayeva, to whom Shostakovich devoted his Preludes & Fugues. Most all of them seem to have studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Igor Urjash plays sonatas 1 & 2, and all I can tell you about him is that he's got formidable technique, yet delivers with restraint on these early Mozart-inspired sonatas. His scale work is absolutely flawless! (like the ubiquitous "string of pearls" analogy). Like most new, unfamiliar, good interpretations, I'm hearing things here that I've never noticed before: certain passages take on new meaning and intelligibility, interesting new cadential treatments, etc.

I get the feeling that Sergey Uryvayev is the odd duck here, on Sonata No. 3, which is known for its chameleon-like ability to sound totally different in the hands of different players. There are abrupt dynamic changes, and the whole thing begins to sound more like a fantasy. Interesting, but I don't know if it's in my top 10.

All in all, this Russian APC series is very good, especially for 7.99 per gold disc, and the engineering & mastering are superb.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Proper progressive trance/breaks.


----------



## NightHawk

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) - String Quartets Op. 2

Boccherini's 6 quartets Op. 2, as played by the Sonare Quartet, are 'bold, elegant' and reveal the cello to great melodic effect (his personal instrument), as opposed to merely holding down the bass line. Extremely prolific (almost 600 works survive, 125 of which are string quartets), he was trained by his double-bass playing father and was able to study further with renown cellists of his day. He debuted as a composer playing his own works on cello at 13 y/o, and he is roundly credited for inventing the String Quintet using two cellos instead of two violas - this is the instrumentation that Schubert used in his great, posthumous Quintet in C major D.956. Definitely will be acquiring more of this sophisticated, melodious music.

Very fine liner notes giving bio and discussion of the featured quartets are included.


----------



## SAKO

*Martin Souter plays the 1740 Tschudi harpsichord at Kew Palace.
*
HANDEL -Suite in D minor
ARNE - Sonata no1 in F major
JC BACH - Sonata in D major
CHILCOT - Suite in E minor
MOZART - K2, K4, K5
ARNE - Sonata no2 in E minor

Isis Records 1995

*PASTORALES: FRENCH COURT & PEASANT MUSIC 1650 - 1750
*
Folies Bergeres

Quad Records 1994.


----------



## Jared

Crudblud said:


> Brahms - Symphony No. 1 (Gardiner)
> 
> I keep coming back to Brahms in the hope I will find it enjoyable, I'm starting to think it's an exercise in futility.


that, is EXACTLY how I feel about Debussy... it becomes an excerise in sheer futility putting it on, because I'm likely to get more enjoyment out of Lady Gaga...


----------



## Jared

Ramako said:


> View attachment 7190
> 
> 
> Ockeghem (who is new to me) is rapidly rising into my list of favoured composers. Still, 5 or so hours to go of this collection


and if you like Josquin, Isaac & Obrecht, he is likely to rise still further...


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Enescu's* (1891 - 1955) birthday, Octet, Quintet, with Kremer et al, then Piano Works albums with Borac.

View attachment 7201
View attachment 7202
View attachment 7203


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 5*; *Obrecht, Missa Sub Tuum Praesidium*

Beethoven: First Gardiner, then Toscanini. Though Gardiner has better sound, I found that I was paying more attention to Toscanini.

I'm listening to the Obrecht with headphones. The Clerks' Group may not sing with a spacious feel, but they do bring out the details which need to be emphasized, and the female voices, while not historically accurate, bring added color to help differentiate the parts.


----------



## Vaneyes

Carpenoctem said:


> ^Would you recommend that recording of Beethoven's 9th symphony? I'm looking for some nice recordings of his symphonies.


If I may, re LvB, the HvK '63 #3, Walter '58 #'s 4 & 6, Kleiber '74/'76 #'s 5 & 7, Solti '72 #9 are indispensable. 
And these particular reissues have recaptured their sounds beautifully.

View attachment 7207
View attachment 7208
View attachment 7209
View attachment 7210


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I recently "discovered" Maureen Forrester through her marvelous performances with Bruno Walter and Fritz Reiner on Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_. She's also on Walter's recording of Mahler's second. I decided to pick this up because of the singers (including not only Forrester but also Irmgard Seefried, Ernst Haeflinger, and Fischer-Dieskau) as well as the conductor, Ferenc Fricsay, whose work has impressed me in a number of recordings. Fricsay had a tough life. He made his first appearance as a conductor at age 15, substituting for his father at the podium of the Young Musicians Orchestra of Budapest. In 1930, at the age of 16, he succeeded his father as conductor of the Young Musicians Orchestra. From 1933 to 1943, he was music director of the Szeged Philharmonic Orchestra (Szeged is the third largest city in Hungary); he also served as director of its military band from 1933. In 1942, he was court-martialed by the government of Miklós Horthy for wanting to employ Jewish musicians, and for having "Jewish blood" himself. When the Nazis occupied Hungary in 1944, the chief editor of the Szeged daily newspaper warned Fricsay that the Gestapo planned to arrest him; he and his wife and three children avoided this fate by going underground in Budapest. In 1945, secret emissaries offered him the co-directorship of the Metropolitan Orchestra of Budapest (later Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra ); he also became principal conductor of the Budapest Opera. He conducted opera at the Vienna Volksoper and at the Salzburg Festival in the late 1940s, including world premieres in Salzburg of operas by Gottfried von Einem ( "Danton's Tod" in 1947) and by Frank Martin ("Zaubertrank" in 1948). The enthusiastic reception of Fricsay's work on this international stage led to his being appointed Chief Conductor of the Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra and General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, from 1949-1952. From this period on he conducted major symphonies around the world making numerous recordings. Unfortunately, he succumbed to stomach cancer and died in 1963 at the age of only 48.

Definitely a top-notch 9th. I prefer it to Toscanini's... of course the Berlin Philharmonic was recording just three after after Furtwangler's death and Karajan had only just taken the helm so this was one well-oiled machine... certainly superior to Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra... regardless of Toscanini and the slew of brilliant conductors:
Pierre Monteux, Ernest Ansermet, Erich Kleiber, Erich Leinsdorf, Charles Munch, Fritz Reiner, George Szell, Bruno Walter, young Lorin Maazel, and Leopold Stokowski. Of course Fricsay's recording also benefits from some 5 years of further developments in the realm of recording technology.


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 7186
> 
> 
> Bach's Cantata 55 - Gustav Leonhardt


Do you have the complete set? These were the old classics that really introduced me to Bach's vocal works... well that and the classic Ristenpart recordings:


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Guest

neoshredder said:


> Or looking better.


Forget about her. She's married and has two kids. Anyway, she stopped calling me so often after she heard about me and Alice Sara Ott.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jared said:


> Many people rave about Toscanini's Beethoven...
> 
> I don't.
> 
> if you don't own this disk, then I'd highly recommend it as one of the finest traditional renderings available:


Great... but I find it a bit ragged... especially in the singing. But then again this is a historic recording of an even of great historic import: the re-opening of the Bayreuth festival after WWII in 1951. I find the Ferenc recording I just posted above far better played (and certainly it has the advantage in terms of sound quality over a 1951 live recording). I think the 1954 Furtwangler is better played...










... yet my first choice still goes with Karajan 1962:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Oh... and the Kleiber 5th of Beethoven is almost universally agreed upon:










For the 3rd I like Herbert von Karajan (1962), George Szell, Leonard Bernstein, Erich Kleiber (Carlos Kleiber's father)... but my favorite is the muscular Gardiner reading:


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 5
Schumann: Piano Trios, Nos. 1 and 2

















The Florestan Trio is probably my second favorite trio after Beaux Arts Trio for Romantic period.


----------



## SAKO

The last Baroque for today.

*The Music of the King's Consort*
directed by Robert King.

A selection of songs and short pieces from the baroque period.

Hyperion CD.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still another disc of German Baroque violin music predating J.S. Bach. Walther was one of two outstanding virtuoso performers and composers for the violin (along with Johann Westhoff) who lived and worked in the great German cultural capital of the time, Dresden. _The Hortulus chelicus uni violino duobus, tribus et quatuor subinde chordis simul sonantibus_ (Little garden of the lyre for solo violin, frequently playing 2, 3, & 4 strings at the same time) is a collection of suites for violin accompanied by violin-cello, organ/clavichord, and theorbo. I quite enjoy this disc... a good deal more than the Westhoff disc... although Westhoff's work is quite good and worth hearing. I think that because Walther's work is slower... and less similar to the usual Baroque violin sonatas/concertos... it's more open to hearing the interplay between the various instruments.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SAKO

Something a bit softer before the hifi goes off for the evening.

*BRAHMS*

String Quartet in C minor part 1 Op. 51
String Quartet in A minor part 2 Op. 51

Gabrieli String Quartet
Chandos 12" vinyl.

*BEETHOVEN*

Violin concert in D, Op 61

Concertgebouw Orchestra / Arthur Grumiaux, violin / Colin Davies, conductor.

Philips 12" vinyl.


----------



## Vaneyes

LvB: Piano Sonatas 22 - 26, with Schiff (rec. 2006).

View attachment 7218


----------



## Ravndal

Still trying to love Mozart.

Listening to Piano Concerto no.23

- Horowitz


----------



## joen_cph

*Janacek String Quartets* / _Janacek Quartet_ / Crossroads LP, licensed from Supraphon.

A rather literal play-though if compared to especially the extremely expressive _Hagen Quartet _recording, which remains my favourite. The 2nd Quartet is perhaps a bit more invoved.
This was one of the first recordings of these works and got the Grand Prix du Disque back then. But the Medici Quartet (EMI) and Travnicek Quartet (opus label) are also more interesting, IMO.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

joen_cph said:


> View attachment 7219
> 
> 
> Janacek String Quartets / Janacek Quartet / Crossroads LP, licensed from Supraphon.
> 
> A rather literal play-though if compared to especially the extremely expressive Hagen Quartet recording, which remains my favourite. The 2nd Quartet is perhaps a bit more invoved.
> This was one of the first recordings of these works and got the Grand Prix du Disque back then. But the Medici Quartet (EMI) and Travnicek Quartet (opus label) are also more interesting, IMO.


I like the Guarneri String Quartet and also the Julliard String Quartet versions. Have you heard those? If so how do they compare to the Hagen?

Kevin


----------



## Ravndal

Gaspard De La Nuit

Played by Sigurd Slåttebrekk.

cant get enough of this


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Michael Torke, Two.*

This is take on the biblical Proverbs, reminiscent of Aaron Copland.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Do you have the complete set? These were the old classics that really introduced me to Bach's vocal works... well that and the classic Ristenpart recordings:


Many years ago I picked up cheap the first twenty-something boxes of the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt cycle, so I've got around the first hundred cantatas complete. Since then I've had the opportunity to find the remaining stray boxes here and there, but the fact is I've never really loved those recordings. I adore Leonhardt and in recent times I've found my way to Harnoncourt and seen the light, but even now when I compare recordings of specific cantatas (and I've got a truly ridiculous number) its never the case that I like the L or H recording best, however fascinating theirs may be.


----------



## SimonNZ

Boccherini Guitar Quintets - Zoltan Tokos, Danubius String Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Fascinating disc. This music by Lully was composed for the so-called French Band of Twenty-Four Violins... essentially the first "permanent" standing orchestra. Prior to Louis XIV's orchestra, instrumental ensembles were largely at random... employing whatever instruments were available at a given time and place. With this permanent orchestra Lully was able to compose with a clear foreknowledge of always having the same instruments available. In spite of this, Lully's works reveal an incredible diversity of instrumental colors... employing instruments in a variety of combinations. In this way his music reminds me of Bach's large choral works in which Bach rarely employs the whole of his available orchestral forces, but rather infuses the works with a great variety by employing various combinations of instruments over the course of the work as a whole. Jordi Savall's performances of the Baroque reanimate these works with a certain earthy muscularity and avoid the false, frilly, effete interpretations that made me despise the French Baroque for years.


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Kubelík)

Picked up a bunch of recordings of this one, doing one of those bloody twit things.


----------



## Cnote11

Bartok's 44 Duos for Violin










Satie's Orchestral Works










Reich's WTC 9/11, Mallet Quartet, Dance Patterns










Stravinsky's Histoire du Soldat and Pulcinella Suites


----------



## opus55

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light"


----------



## neoshredder

If CPE Bach was the king of 'Sturm und Drang' than Carl Stamitz could be considered the king of rococo. Though young Mozart would give him a challenge, Mozart went away from that style in his later years. Listening to this great cd.


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Recorded Violin: The History Of The Violin On Record, Volume 2"

currently disc two (of three) which includes an example from another of my favorite violinists: Alfredo Campoli


----------



## Sonata

First chance I've really had to listen to music all day. I chose a bit of Ravel piano music before bed, played by Pascal Roge


----------



## Guest

Time to head south again:










This was my first major purchase - highly rated performances of Bachianas Brasileiras, Choros, plus all works for solo guitar. For seven top rated CDs, the 320 kbps download is still quite reasonably priced on classics online com. Recommended.

After starting with this, a lot of other composers seemed very bland to me.

This should take a few days.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Time to spend some quality time with my favorite again...Carl Nielsen and a fine recording of his four string quartets, string quintet and wind quintet. This recording is compiled from three different sessions in 1974, 1977 and 1979. The string quartets are performed by the Carl Nielsen String Quartet and joined by Borge Moretensen on 2nd viola for the string quintet. The wind quintet is performed by the Vestjysk Chamber Ensemble. This recording really sounds fresh for being from the late 70s. The performances are top notch and I have never seen a need to own another version. I highly recommend this CD set.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944 {"The Great"}*. Both performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell's baton.


----------



## joen_cph

Kevin Pearson said:


> I like the Guarneri String Quartet and also the Julliard String Quartet versions. Have you heard those? If so how do they compare to the Hagen?
> 
> Kevin


No, I haven´t heard the others. But the Hagen4 seems very unusual !

I had a colleague who half-jokingly said, that as regards the Czech recordings, one needs to own the Smetana Quartets with the Janacek Quartet ensemble, and vice versa ... it seems that he was maybe right. That was before the release of the Hagen though.


----------



## Cnote11

Sonata said:


> First chance I've really had to listen to music all day. I chose a bit of Ravel piano music before bed, played by Pascal Roge


I have this one! Lovely indeed.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Symphonies starting with 25.


----------



## joen_cph

*Brahms Trio op.8* & *Schubert Trio op.99*;

_Rubinstein, Heifetz, Feuermann Trio_. RCA mono LP (French edition 630.778a, different cover)
All three eminent musicians - and Rubinstein from his best, early period.

The Schubert starts with a refreshingly quick tempo, if compared to most recordings nowadays.


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Trio Sonatas - Marie-Claire Alain

another desert island disc


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Beethoven Symphony No. 6 Piano Transcription


----------



## ProudSquire

Listened to Mendelssohn's 4th symphony, again. It's really beautiful and it's starting to grow on me, especially the first movement. I'm not particularly fond of the second and third movements, and I'm very partial towards the finale. I think with a few more listens I'll start to appreciate them a bit more.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Second listening/viewing. How very enjoyable, both the music and the production.


----------



## SAKO

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Mozart's Symphonies starting with 25.


I've just purchased this box set myself. So far have only listened to 40 & 41. Superb. I do enjoy Pinnock's HIP's.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Sibelius Symphony no. 2 - I must comment, the second movement is awesome!


----------



## EricABQ

This morning I am listening to Brahm's Sonata in D Minor For Violin and Piano played by Nils Erik Sparf and Elizabeth Westenholz.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Hovhaness' Garden Of Adonis - Yolanda Kondonassis, harp


----------



## Taneyev

P 7:

PORTER Quincy; string quartet Nº3.

POULENC Francis: sonata violin&piano.

PROKOFIEFF: the 2 string quartets and unfinished solo cello sonata.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before heading off to work I'm enjoying the Alban Berg Quartet playing Beethoven's String Quartets No. 12 &16.










Kevin


----------



## belfastboy

Grand Opera House, Belfast....March 8th 2013!! Booked! Along with :






Excited! You bet!


----------



## Vesteralen

The First is my favorite. (I should have thought of this on the thread on codas.)

This is my first time to hear the Sixth.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Concerto for 3 Violins, BWV 1064
Arnold: Symphony No. 9

















I complained how boring Arnold's 9 was, the first time I listened to it. Replayed this morning after few months and it seems ok. Playing it as a background music may have helped. The third listen may start to reveal its big picture to me.


----------



## Jared

belfastboy said:


> Excited! You bet!


there is a classic recording of D&A with Janet Baker for not a lot of cash... should be in everyone's collection:










if you wish to treat yourself, this is also sumptuous:


----------



## belfastboy

Jared said:


> there is a classic recording of D&A with Janet Baker for not a lot of cash... should be in everyone's collection:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> if you wish to treat yourself, this is also sumptuous:


Excellent! Noted - thanks.


----------



## Sonata

Digging into my *Brahms Complete Chamber Music box by Brilliant* again today. This time I listened to both *String Quintets*, played by The Brandis Quartet along with Brett Dean playing the second viola. I am now listening to the *first Clarinet Sonata*, with Karl Leister on the clarinet and Ference Bognar on the piano. I find I really like chamber music that uses the clarinet or horn.

And onto something different from my usual: *Shostakovich cello concerto*. This is from "99 Cello Masterpieces" I like it more than the first time I heard it, I don't think I was ready for something as heavy as Shostakovich last time around.


----------



## SAKO

The PARIS SYMPHONIES 82 - 87 by HAYDN.

Adam Fischer.

Just to prove to myself my vote in the Mozart/Haydn poll was correct.

It was. Haydn was DEFINITELY the best symphony composer of the 18c,and I love these recordings. I hope my neighbour likes them too. :devil:


----------



## cwarchc

On Grooveshark:
Vengerov playing 
Shostakovich violin concerto 1


----------



## Jared

Spectacular production...

Sublime music...

but Mozart and Da Ponte must have been on something mind enhancing to have written this stuff....


----------



## SAKO

Just slotted onto the gramophone, yet again, my old 12" vinyl of BEETHOVEN'S VIOLIN CONCERT IN D. Op 61.

Arthur Grimaux on violin, Colin Davies conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Jared

SAKO said:


> Just slotted onto the gramophone, yet again, my old 12" vinyl of BEETHOVEN'S VIOLIN CONCERT IN D. Op 61.
> 
> Arthur Grimaux on violin, Colin Davies conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra.


there have been many really exciting versions of the LvB VC released over the past few years, but that is a recording I keep going back to...


----------



## Carpenoctem

Jared said:


> Spectacular production...
> 
> Sublime music...
> 
> but Mozart and Da Ponte must have been on something mind enhancing to have written this stuff....


It's beyond magical.

I'm currently listening to Bach's Cello Suites on youtube.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor

Radu Lupu + LSO


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Ravel: Tzigane
Sarah Chang with the Berlin Philharmonic

While a good part of Ravel's energies during the period 1920-1925 were spent on the opera L'Enfant et les sortilèges, the composer did find time to produce a handful of smaller-scale works, most notably the Sonata for violin and cello (1920-1922) and Tzigane, a virtuosic, gypsy-inflected vehicle for solo violin and piano. Though Ravel did not complete Tzigane until spring 1924, the idea of composing such a work came to him many years earlier, on the occasion of his introduction to the enormously gifted Hungarian violinist Jelly d'Aranyi. D'Aranyi had given a private London performance of the Sonata for violin and cello in the early 1920s, and after the concert had so impressed Ravel with her stock of gypsy tunes and bravura technique that he kept her playing until the sun rose the following day. By April 22, 1924, Tzigane was ready, and a few days later, it was premiered in London by d'Aranyi and pianist Henri Gil-Marchex. (True to form, Ravel continued to tinker with the piece for several weeks after the first performance.) During the summer of the same year Ravel made an orchestral version of the piano part; he also allowed for the substitution of the piano by a luthéal (a piano with a sound-modifying mechanism placed on its soundboard). Neither of these incarnations, however, entirely captures the nuances of the original.

Tzigane opens with an extended solo for the violin (Lento, quasi cadenza), buried in the middle of which is a theme characterized by a dotted-rhythm, falling-fifth figure which serves as the melodic meat for much of the work. The piano (or harp, in the orchestra version) enters with its own chromatic mini-cadenza as the soloist's fiery technical gestures and robust double stops subside into flickering double tremolos and a pair of unaccompanied trills that usher in the main body of the piece. The remainder of Tzigane is worked out in a clearly sectional manner. After a restatement of the falling-fifth idea by the violin, the piano produces its own little theme, a staccato tune that makes thorough use of the typically "gypsy" interval of an augmented second. Some time later, a bombastic Grandioso breaks in. After a brief pause, the violin resumes in sixteenth note perpetual motion, colored by such features as Paganini-like left-hand pizzicato. The musical line accelerates and decelerates time and again until it finally achieves unstoppable momentum. The work comes to an end with three incisive chords (marked pizzicato, but often played with the bow).


----------



## SimonNZ

Hummel's Piano Quintet - Schubert Ensemble Of London


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Scriabin: Piano Works (selected Opp. 11 to 72, and one posth.), with Feltsman (rec. 2011). For Scriabin addicts, an easy buy.
Liner notes -

http://www.feltsman.com/index.php?page=notes&liner=notes-scriabin

View attachment 7276


----------



## Vaneyes

TheProudSquire said:


> Listened to Mendelssohn's 4th symphony, again. It's really beautiful and it's starting to grow on me, especially the first movement. I'm not particularly fond of the second and third movements, and I'm very partial towards the finale. I think with a few more listens I'll start to appreciate them a bit more.


Performance seed?


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, **George **Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* both featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Leonard Bernstein at its helm.

*Edit: The Mahler 5th *is in fact performed by the Vienna Philharmonic led by Maestro Bernstein.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

One of my latest loves!


----------



## SimonNZ

"Castle Of Fair Welcome: Courtly Songs Of The Later Fifteenth Century" - Gothic Voices


----------



## Sonata

Earlier today: Dvorak piano concerto, Brahms second clarinet concerto, Weber clarinet concertina, Mahler 2 (just the first two movements(

Now: Ravel songs from the wonderful Victoria De Los Angeles EMI recordings of the century two disc set.


----------



## eonbird

Listening to Liszt's La Campanella.


----------



## NightHawk

The pic is from the vinyl LP - I have the same complete Mazurkas but on 3 discs. Rubinstein plays these highly varied dances with great elegance.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Biber's Violin Sonatas. Amazing playing by Manze.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Images - Pascal Roge


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

there is a classic recording of D&A with Janet Baker for not a lot of cash... should be in everyone's collection:










I love Janet Baker... but for some reason this recording just did not resonate at all with me. At first I assumed it must be Purcell... but then I picked up this HIP recording... and I loved it!!!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Ooh! I really love this album! A more mature and experienced Elina! Stunningly beautiful and I'm not talking about her looks but she's not hard on the eyes that's for sure! 










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My studio-mate won't be in all week and so I can play whatever I want without his ranting about how he could "do without all the singing!" Today I gave a first listen to this 1955 recording of _Cosi fan tutte_:










The recordings features Karl Böhm conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker with a brilliant ensemble of singers, including Lisa della Casa, Christa Ludwig, Erich Kunz, Anton Dermota, and many more. While this may not be my first choice, it most certainly is a wonderful performance.

*****

On a related note... as I was looking for the cover art for this disc, I stumbled upon this incredible bargain:










This box set includes 4 classic recordings of Mozart's greatest operas:




























and the Karl Böhm _Cosi fan tutte_ (above). It is currently selling for $15 through Amazon Marketplace dealers, and if I did not already own all 4 (I have a 4 or more recordings of all of these 4 great operas by Mozart) I'd be jumping on this deal. Just a heads up to anyone interested.


----------



## Guest

@ToddlerToddy - nice post re Tzigane. I had an orchestral version, but you inspired me to pick up a second version for violin and piano (Ibragimova and Tiberghien - just the one track, didn't need the others).

@SLG - I like that HIP D&A too - but I haven't listened to it in ages. Soon...

Now listening to:


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the wand of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring Maestro Blomstedt leading the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Other listening today:










and...










The second disc, featuring Gidon Kremer... who I have grown to admire not only for his brilliant playing... but also his willingness... passion... (like Mutter and Hahn) to explore less familiar repertoire... presents two works: The Russian Seasons by Leonid Desyatnikov (b. 1955) and "The Seasons" Digest by Alexander Raskatov (b. 1953).

_Desyatnikov takes authentic recordings and text from the collection called Traditional Music from the Russian Lake District and sets them as four 'concertos' each with three 'movements' in a form similar to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. His scoring is similar too (string orchestra and solo violin) but Desyatnikov also adds a solo female voice for some numbers since his 'seasons' are different to Vivaldi's. They explore human experiences (love, separation, death and commemoration, for example) while following the quarterly rituals of the Orthodox Church. The twelve numbers all contain allusions to other composers - those who like musical challenges can amuse themselves by spotting the influences from Steve Reich, Dufay, Berg, Bach, Stravinsky and Pärt which are sprinkled liberally throughout. Desyatnikov has his own style however, and this music is often folksy but it is also wry, tender, tuneful, ironic and harmonically interesting at every turn.

Raskatov's The Seasons Digest is a different kind of work though concerned with the same preoccupations as Desyatnikov's. It is a re-working of Tchaikovsky's piano cycle The Seasons op37a for a string orchestra, violin solo, percussion and prepared piano in a 'digest' form which distills the Tchaikovsky tradition nicely, but debunks it soundly too. To do this, opulent string melody is interrupted by the prepared piano and reinterpreted by percussion. Musicians are instructed to 'roam freely beyond the boundaries of their own parts' so that string players play percussion instruments sometimes. There are crops of not quite right 'modern' harmonies. Everyone whispers the 'Requiem Aeternam' in the movement for March and sings during the 'peasant minimalism' of July._

-from Music Web International


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Another nice recording by Elina. I think I like Habanera more but I need to listen to them both again.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Regnart's Missa Super Oeniades Nymphae - Cinquecento


----------



## drpraetorus

Just finished the Overture to The Gadfly. Now i'm listening to Grizabela the Glamor Cat. LLoyd Weber of course.


----------



## Crudblud

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 (Gardiner)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius first 3 Symphonies before calling it a night. Great stuff.


----------



## Taneyev

R 1:

RACHMANINOFF: second piano trio (Svetlanov,Kogan,Luzanov) and cello son. (Slava&Dieduchin)

RAFF: string octet.

RATHAUS Karol.son.violin&piano.

RAVEL string quartet, International S.Q:, first world recording


----------



## NightHawk

Up early this a.m. listening to another of the few I can listen to at this hour: Haydn String Six Quartets Op. 20. Written in 1772 when Haydn would have been 40 y/o and this is where they were first heard:







_Esterhaza_, where Haydn was the Kapellmeister (finally) to Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy.

These works are more dense and brooding than almost any other work of Haydn. Written amid the theatrical movement we know as _'Sturm und Drang'_, these works contain all the elements of that movement. Two of the six quartets are in minor keys, #3 in G minor and #5 in F minor, as would be expected. The Quatour Mosaiques, formed in 1985 in Vienna, use period instruments, which sound dark and rich but with no loss of clarity. Highly recommended*****


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> Up early this a.m. listening to another of the few I can listen to at this hour:


Me too, but it wasn't by choice. Oh, well, *Busnois' Missa O Crux Lignum* is a nice way to start it, anyway.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Arsakes

Mahler: Symphony #3
Dvorak: Symphony #5
Korsakov: Symphony #1 and #3


----------



## Crudblud

Boulez - Le Marteau sans maître (Boulez, 2005)


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> Me too, but it wasn't by choice. Oh, well, *Busnois' Missa O Crux Lignum* is a nice way to start it, anyway.
> 
> View attachment 7294


Good morning, boys (Manx & Nighthawk)... :tiphat:

Busnois is someone whose music I haven't dipped into yet, although I'm quite fond of the Orlandos, so may give it a go in due course... meanwhile, I have been copntinuing my Berlioz traversal (quite a long time since I've given him much airplay, so he deserves it):


----------



## Jared

actually my music has been uncharacteristically French today... it's my day off and this morning, I wallowed unashamedly in this erotically charged, dramatic version of the classic from Covent Garden. Antonacci is absolutely smouldering.... :devil:


----------



## science




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Jared

^^ bb, you really, really ought to start yourself off a little collection of Opera DVDs and recordings, as it is obviously the genre which interests you most. I think they can help you far more over in the Opera section of this forum than we can here, but I'm always happy to give you a pointer or two from my rather more limited understanding of the genre.

if you are wanting to learn a little more about the synopsis to each opera as well as something about the composers, then this book is invaluable:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Ope...=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345560132&sr=1-7


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Symphony no. 1 by Arensky, just the last mvmt. though.

Holy Cow! Good as any other composer! I like the 2nd symphony even more though.


----------



## belfastboy

Jared said:


> ^^ bb, you really, really ought to start yourself off a little collection of Opera DVDs and recordings, as it is obviously the genre which interests you most. I think they can help you far more over in the Opera section of this forum than we can here, but I'm always happy to give you a pointer or two from my rather more limited understanding of the genre.
> 
> if you are wanting to learn a little more about the synopsis to each opera as well as something about the composers, then this book is invaluable:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Ope...=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345560132&sr=1-7


LOl -Thanks. Am working my way through a good book at the moment. I do post this in the Opera section, but since this is called "currently listening to" I feel obliged to post here! I have begun a little opera collection on youTube and highlighted a few that I am gonna purchase. I've already booked tickets for Wagner and Poulenc playing here at home next year....


----------



## Jared

^^ good for you... I hope you enjoy your exciting journey!


----------



## crmoorhead

The first opera in the John Eliot Gardner Mozart Operas boxed set:









Will also be checking out the Levine production starring Pavarotti sometime later in the week.


----------



## belfastboy

Simply because suddenly the clear blue sky was turned into a dark threatening mass, and the heavens have just opened, sending forth hail-stones like golf balls accompanied by eye piercing lightening and clashing thunder!!!! Orff, came into my head!


----------



## Jared

after what might actually amount to an 18 month absence... 

my thoughts turn once more to Nielsen's orchestral works... 

Symphs 1 & 2...


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Have to go in late today to help with the annual inventory and so decided to listen to more Elina first thing this morning. Really nice album of Mozart arias. It's nice to have something so wonderful to listen to before having to face the reality of this hard, cold, and often cruel world we live in.










Kevin


----------



## eonbird

Just listening to the third movement of Saint Saen's Violin Concerto No.3. I have a feeling my morning will (again) be spent listening to music.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

eonbird said:


> Just listening to the third movement of Saint Saen's Violin Concerto No.3. I have a feeling my morning will (again) be spent listening to music.


Life is hard! :lol:

Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Cello Concerti, with Maisky/Orpheus CO; *JS Bach*: Cello Sonatas, with Maisky/Argerich.

View attachment 7301


----------



## Sonata

Romeo and Juliet, by Prokofiev. I am completely enamored with this wonderful music. I look forward to obtaining more Prokofiev down the line.


----------



## Sonata

crmoorhead said:


> The first opera in the John Eliot Gardner Mozart Operas boxed set:
> 
> View attachment 7297
> 
> 
> Will also be checking out the Levine production starring Pavarotti sometime later in the week.


How are you liking this one? I was going to give it a go last week, but I'm afraid I burned myself out on Mozart a bit last month. Still going to pick it up within the year though, I think.


----------



## EricABQ

As I was driving to lunch 95.5 FM was playing Beethoven's piano concerto #3 (the first movement.) That was nice.


----------



## Vesteralen

One thing about surveying a single label - it forces you to listen to things you'd probably never think to listen to otherwise - like this contemporary of Beethoven.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Cosi fan tutte (highlights), with Jacobs et al.

View attachment 7308


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> *Mozart*: Cosi fan tutte (highlights), with Jacobs et al.
> 
> View attachment 7308


This too is on my wish list  I've heard great things about the Jacobs' renditions.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> This too is on my wish list  I've heard great things about the Jacobs' renditions.


Indeed, most tasteful. Keen attention to diction.

View attachment 7309


----------



## SAKO

*Telemann: Three Darmstadt Overtures
*

G minor TWV 55 G4
C major TWV 55 C6
D major TWV 55 D15

Cologne Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninoff* - *Symphony #2 in E minor*


----------



## violadude

Been listening to Rubbra's symphonies lately. Up to #3. Will post more about them later.


----------



## SAKO

Gentler now as it gets late.

*SCHUBERT*

The Trout Quintet in A major.

Sonata D821 in A minor.

On an old RCA Classics CD, but quite a warm performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Piano Sonatas 4 & 5 with McLachlan, then Symphony 6 with Gothenburg SO/Jarvi.

View attachment 7314
View attachment 7315


----------



## EricABQ

Since I enjoyed listening to a snippet of Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto on the radio at lunch, I listened to the whole thing doing my cardio this afternoon. From this set:


----------



## jttoft

*Mozart: Clarinet Concerto*
Alfred Prinz, Wiener Philharmoniker & Karl Böhm

Absolutely sublime, and a wonderful set of Mozart Wind Concerti as well! A shame it's available only in Germany...


----------



## Ravndal

Louis Andriessen - De Staat

I wish the forum had an 'heart' emoticon i could use to describe this piece. Instead i will use this:


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Spirits Of England And France: Music For Court And Church From The Later Middle Ages" - Gothic Voices


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 6, Jochum.
Beethoven, Symphony No. 7, Karajan ('70s)
Beethoven, Symphony No. 2, Szell
Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra, Karajan
Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 2, Leipzig Quartet
Brahms, Symphony No. 4, Kleiber
Bruckner, Symphony No. 1, Jochum
Beethoven, String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3, Lindsay Quartet

All outstanding recordings. :tiphat:


----------



## Ravndal

Definitely going to check out those Bruckner recordings, thank you very much


----------



## Vaneyes

*Franck*: Piano Music, with Hough.

View attachment 7320


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Bruckner, Symphony No. 6, Jochum.
> Beethoven, Symphony No. 7, Karajan ('70s)
> Beethoven, Symphony No. 2, Szell
> Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra, Karajan
> Schoenberg, String Quartet No. 2, Leipzig Quartet
> Brahms, Symphony No. 4, Kleiber
> Bruckner, Symphony No. 1, Jochum
> Beethoven, String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3, Lindsay Quartet
> 
> All outstanding recordings. :tiphat:


No supper for you tonight.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Debussy: string quartet played by the Budapest Quartet from '58


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the afternoon with a pair of 2-disc sets:










This set features a number of Boccherini's symphonies, including "La casa del Diavolo"; the _Stabat Mater_, and the Quintet G. 328. The symphonies are all quite nice... but the Stabat Mater and the quintet are something truly special. The _Stabat Mater_ is scored for a small chamber orchestra and solo vocalist. The work is quite beautiful... and uniquely intimate in comparison with Rossini's or Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. The quintet is equally striking... enough to motivate me to explore more of Boccherini's chamber works.










I have a good number of recordings by Yehudi Menuhin including the Bach violin concertos... but I just picked this set up for next to nothing... and it is worth far more than what I paid. Menuhin was still a teenager when he recorded this set... and yet they are played with such assurance and feeling. An excellent addition to Kremer, Szeryng, Grumiaux, and Milstein. The only other recordings I can imagine wanting are those of Heifitz and Rachel Podger. But not now.


----------



## SimonNZ

I just pulled out that Boccherini Stabat Mater recording to play later, which I've got in this box (but without the Symphonies and Quintet):









but right now its this:









"The Study Of Love: French Songs And Motets Of The Fourteenth Century" - Gothic Voices


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major and Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Trios, Nos 1 and 5
Mahler: Symphony No. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Etudes - Pascal Roge


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Debussy: string quartet played by the Budapest Quartet from '58


I listened to Debussy's string quartet as well today


----------



## Cnote11

Toru Takemitsu - Quotation of Dream


----------



## SimonNZ

just finished playing the Ensemble 415 Boccherini Stabat Mater

a bit of a shock earlier: the disc from the Harmonia Mundi Sacred Music box this is on begins with the Rene Jacobs recording of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, which turned out to be one of the worst performances I've heard from a major artist in quite some time. Particularly painful was the singing of boy soprano Sebastian Henning. Yet when I went looking for reviews it seems its generaly liked. Am I missing something?






The bit from 1:46-1:50 makes my skin crawl


----------



## Guest

Listening to PC #5:










In the past I have been floored by this recording of PC#4, but somewhat indifferent to PC#5. Tonight I'm just digging' #5. Strange.

In Sudbin's own words (boldface mine):

How to avoid attracting criticism, hate-mail and having eggs thrown at you? Stay away from recording Beethoven concertos for a start, I was often told.

Since I try not to read reviews and I quite like eggs, I am doing it anyway. In reality, recording this Beethoven cycle is a dream come true for me for many reasons. One of them was that I finally had to face the challenge of overcoming my 'love-hate' relationship with the composer which I had since childhood. It is easy to be afraid of Beethoven. Very afraid. Not only because of the huge legacy of wonderful recordings of the concertos already in existence, but also because from the first day of playing the piano, with Beethoven's music traditions and customs are usually being drilled into one's skull, which are to be observed and religiously followed whatever they are. Nothing wrong with that….at first. In fact deeply rooted respect (though not necessarily fear) for the composer is the necessary seed from which any individuality and original thought later springs to life I believe. Yet 'true authenticity' I feel is often to be found in some of the more 'unusual' performances. But don't just take my word for it: for example, think of some of the old, historical recordings of the great personalities of the past, such as Moiseiwitsch, Hofmann, Kempff, Fischer etc. There, we discover that Beethoven was in fact fallible and human, with many traits that I feel have become less pronounced in some of the more contemporary recordings and that I long felt needed much more emphasis. The *intimacy and delicate lyricism* of the (in my opinion completely wrongly nicknamed) "Emperor" is so important and all too easy to overlook, given the many runs and at times heavy textures; yet by being less direct and less obviously 'grand', it confers on the piece much greater authority.

The Fourth has always been one of my favourite piano concertos. There are only few other pieces by Beethoven where one can find quite so much wit as in the closing movement, and the opening movement contains some of the most affectionate and loving moments. The opening phrase is possibly the most challenging beginning of any piano concerto, and was the source of many discussions between Osmo & me. Which brings me to the other reason why I am particularly excited about this project: I have long searched for a partner and orchestra with whom I can easily communicate and develop my ideas. With the Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vanska as the team, I couldn't have wished for better partners.

text copyright: Yevgeny Sudbin (from www.yevgenysudbin.com)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some pleasant schmaltz for the end of the evening... played by a couple of stellar soloists. One thing I admire about Menuhin is his willingness to explore a diversity of repertoire... going beyond the expected (even recording with Ravi Shankar). This is a characteristic I find in many of the performers, singers, and soloists I most admire.


----------



## drpraetorus

Gilbert and Sullivan, Patience


----------



## Arsakes

*Copland:*
*- Billy the Kid
- Four Dance Episodes from 'Rodeo'*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Partitas No.2 and 3 - Hilary Hahn


----------



## SimonNZ

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2

and selected Rachmaninoff Preludes

and Scriabin Etudes

- Sviotislav Richter, piano


----------



## EricABQ

Moonlight sonata:


----------



## Ravndal

Wow. That is incredibly cool!


----------



## Taneyev

R 2:

RACHMANINOFF: second piano trio, Oborin-Oistrakh-Knushevitsky.

RAWSTHORNE Alan: string quartet Nº2.

REGER: string sextet and clarinet quintet.

REINECKE Carl: cello sonata Nº1.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

EricABQ said:


> Moonlight sonata:


That is totally awesome! Showed my grandmother it and she said, "Put it in the rubbish!" :lol:


----------



## EricABQ

Ravndal said:


> Wow. That is incredibly cool!


Yeah, I've listened to it three times this morning.

That guy seems to know his way around a guitar a little bit.


----------



## campy

Beethoven's Ninth, by Jos van Immerseel & the Anima Eterna ensemble.

I borrowed this set from the library. It's my first time really listening to period instrument Beethoven. So far (after hearing #s 1,2,4,5, 6 and 8) I'm enjoying it, but I won't be throwing out the modern orchestra sets!


----------



## Crudblud

Hindemith - Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 38 (Albert)

Hindemith really isn't all that tonal, I don't get why everyone thinks he is.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Concertos Nos. 22 and 26.*

Definitely tonal.


----------



## SAKO

Pinnock's recording of Haydn's 'Sturm and Drang' is on yet again.

Symphonies 35, 38 & 39, playing through the computer as I sit at my desk wishing away the day.


----------



## Ravndal

Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue

Played by Freddy Kempf.

Very fun piece!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Shostakovich's Symphony 1.


----------



## Sonata

*Dvorak: Slavonic Dances*. I have been neglecting Dvorak for about five or six months. In that time, he had slipped from top 5 of my favorite composers to about 7 or 8. Within a week of listening to him again, I think he's pretty assuredly back in my top 5  Looking forward to listening to that Stabat Mater again, once I've had a couple more go-arounds with my current choral pieces (Missa Solemnis and Haydn's Nelson Mass).


----------



## Sonata

Odnoposoff said:


> R 2:
> 
> RACHMANINOFF: second piano trio, Oborin-Oistrakh-Knushevitsky.
> 
> RAWSTHORNE Alan: string quartet Nº2.
> 
> REGER: string sextet and clarinet quintet.
> 
> REINECKE Carl: cello sonata Nº1.


I may consider hopping onto the alphabetical listening program in awhile


----------



## Ravndal

Been listening to Bruckner's 9th Symphony today. For the 100000 time. Truly one of the best symphonies ever written imo.


----------



## Ravndal

My idol..


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann:*
- Symphony No.1,2,3,4
- Piano Quartet and Quintet
- Die Braut von Messina Overture

*Schubert:*
- Piano Trio in E flat


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ravndal said:


> Been listening to Bruckner's 9th Symphony today. For the 100000 time. Truly one of the best symphonies ever written imo.


I won't argue with that.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 4 with Price/LPO/Horenstein, then Piano Quartet with Kremerata Musica.

View attachment 7350
View attachment 7351


----------



## Ravndal

Haha. I love how he leaves the piano, at the end of the piece..


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Fantasiestucke, Op. 12, with Argerich (rec. 1978), then Etudes Symphoniques with Richter (rec. 1971).

View attachment 7352
View attachment 7353


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Violin Concerto.*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This interpretation of the _Stabat Mater_ is a world away from that by Boccherini which I played yesterday. Boccherini's work is deeply personal... intimate... heartfelt... scored for a solo vocalist (soprano) and small chamber ensemble. Rossini's _Stabat Mater_ is clearly operatic... but what else would one expect of Rossini? Writing on his Petit messe solennelle, Rossini pondered, "Dear God, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Is this sacred music which I have written... or music of the Devil. I was born for _opera buffa_ as you know..." Rossini might just as well have been speaking of the Stabat Mater. I am immediately struck at how "operatic" the second movement is:






The piece is fabulous... but seemingly suggests a swaggering character laden with braggadocio from an opera by Rossini (or Verdi). But the lyrics?

_Her soul sighing
anguished and grieving
was pierced by a sword.

O, how sad and afflicted
was that blessed mother
of the Only-begotten,

who mourned and grieved
and trembled when she saw
the sufferings of her glorious son._

A bit of a disconnect between the music and the text? :lol:


----------



## DeepR

Ravndal said:


> My idol..


Same, except when he plays Beethoven and Chopin Ballades.
Horowitz playing Scriabin = the summit of piano.


----------



## Ravndal

DeepR said:


> same, except when he plays Beethoven and Chopin Ballades


I go to stephen kovachevic for beethoven, and rubinstein for chopin. normally ^^


----------



## Sonata

Durufle Requiem


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Piano Quartets with Angelich et al, then String Quartets with ESQ.

View attachment 7355
View attachment 7356


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> *Mahler*: Symphony 4 with Price/LPO/Horenstein


We must be on the same page. I'm listening to Horenstein, this time conducting Bruckner's 8th with the Vienna Symphony. He does very well with this one, so much so that I forgot it's mono. The adagio in particular is outstanding.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> We must be on the same page. I'm listening to Horenstein, this time conducting Bruckner's 8th with the Vienna Symphony. He does very well with this one, so much so that I forgot it's mono. The adagio in particular is outstanding.
> 
> View attachment 7357


You forgot it's mono? Well, sometimes we have to make do.

If you have a chance, give a listen to JH's Bruckner 5 (BBC Legends, rec. 1971).


----------



## cwarchc

This in the car on the way to work

spent the evening listening to Inuit throat singing on Youtube.
I'm struggling to find any recorded verions of it
I'm captivated by the sounds





This group fuse throat singing with dub-step, but their music appears to be only available in Canada.


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Vadim Salmanov's 'new' recordings of his complete string quartets.










This is the first volume, with string quartets No. I-III.

Actually, I've already got the complete cycle minus the Vth. It's splendid music. Recently reviewed too - this has impressed one critic:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/July12/Salmanov_Quartets_NFPMA99102.htm



> 'I am attached to music that speaks to you and does not just manipulate your sophistication. The point is not only to say something unheard of before but to say it in a language of emotion. Music can be a mirror of ourselves. It offers us the opportunity for reflection', so wrote violinist Gidon Kremer and I think that very succinctly sums up the music on this disc. For that matter it also sums up the kind of music that I find most satisfying: music that doesn't try to jolly me along but that makes me think.


Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.c...almanov_Quartets_NFPMA99102.htm#ixzz24JcbYo61


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vieuxtemps, Violin Concertos Nos. 2 and 3.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> If you have a chance, give a listen to JH's Bruckner 5 (BBC Legends, rec. 1971).


I'm interrupting Vieuxtemps' 3d violin concerto and hopping onto this one.


----------



## NightHawk

If the marvelous animals represented in the caverns of Lascaux, France, Altamira, Spain and Chauvet, France came suddenly to life, they could make for a great trumpeting, bellowing, roaring companion piece to Iannis Xenakis' monumental, and devastating _Jonchaies_, Music for 109 Musicians (1977).


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This disc, featuring Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica includes music by Sibelius, Arvo Pärt, Raminta Šerkšnyté, Robert Schumann, Michael Nyman, Franz Schubert, Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, Shostakovitch, Lera Auerbach, Piazzolla, Georgs Pelecis, and Alfred Schnittke. Kremer illuminates the thoughts behind the musical selection with the following (from the liner notes):

_"Out of the depths I cry to you." Countless poets and musicians have used these timeless words from Psalm 130. I feel they are especially urgent in our time, when the world is afflicted with greed, corruption, and false prophets...

In today's world, oil is ... used to sustain tyrannical regimes, be it in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Myanmar, or Russia. Despite painting themselves as advocates of democracy, their rulers engage in Soviet-style suppression of free speech, the show trials, and presumption of guilt. In these Orwellian states everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others. Drunk on oil, the worshipers of the golden calf seek to silence the opposition and build wall between peoples and states. Contrary to that, we, the worshipers of Art, believe it is our duty to build bridges and to stand up in support of those who are trying to build a more democratic society, those who are fighting for transparency and truth. Therefore, I would like to dedicate De Profundis to all those who refuse to be silenced, who understand that the real freedom is within us.

Yet my intention is not to make De Profundis a political statement, for politics represents only the surface of things, while the artists featured on this record affirm a deep-rooted personal expression that can resonate with anyone. For music, unlike authoritarian rulers, speaks with an outstretched hand, not with a clenched fist...

So, "out of the depths", these artists cry out for a better world, one that is not dominated by the superficiality of sales figures, ratings, self-promotion, and "small talk."...

Each of the twelve pieces selected for this album sends its own individual message to the listener... one that my colleagues and I have tried to illuminate. Now it is up to you, dear listener, to fuel your soul. _


----------



## Hausmusik

*Strauss, Four Last Songs
*Lucia Popp; Klaus Tennstedt: London Philharmonic Orchestra

It has been three or four years since I listened to this. Much, much too long.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Klavierspieler

Schumann - Märchenerzälungen

Michael Collins, clarinet
Stephen Isserlis, cello
Stephen Hough, piano

I've only been using Spotify for half and hour and I already love it.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## NightHawk

I also have Lucia Popp (1939-1993) singing the Four Last Songs in this recording:









She was also a great 'Susanna' in _Le Nozze di Figaro_, and 'Queen of the Night' in _Die Zauberflöte_. She left us too soon.



Hausmusik said:


> *Strauss, Four Last Songs
> *Lucia Popp; Klaus Tennstedt: London Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> It has been three or four years since I listened to this. Much, much too long.


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> Iannis Xenakis' monumental, and devastating _Jonchaies_, Music for 109 Musicians (1977).


Wow, there are a lot of interesting things you-all have been listening to, from Inuit throat-singing [I've never heard women doing that] to a De Profundis compilation.

I'm diving into the Xenakis. The cave paintings are a great introduction. Someone said a good storyteller takes you from the here and now to the there and then. You've enabled me to start off with a good frame of reference.


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm starting on this one.


----------



## millionrainbows

These are 2 and 3 of the Audiophile Classics Beethoven Sonata cycle. Valery Vishnevsky really stands out on the Pathétique. Always in control, never sloppy, fully articulated. Also, Tatyana Zagorovskaya, a piano professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, is really good. She is very unadorned in her photo, with no makeup, as if to say "I came here to play the piano, not look cute!" She really bangs out the finale of the Ab sonata, Op.26, which is a favorite of mine, being a theme and variations form.


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Desprez's Missa Pange Lingua - James O'Donnell


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm starting on this one.

Let me know what you think.

I've moved on to something a bit less... bracing... more calming for late evening. The songs of Francesco Landini... a compatriot of Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Cimabue, and Giotto.


----------



## Sonata

Earlier: Clara Schumann and Scubert lieder.

Now: Brahms first cello sonata with Yo Yo Ma and Emmanuel Ax. Tomorrow morning I'll listen to it again, this time the Brilliant Box version.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6
Janacek: Capriccio

















For now, I decide that I don't like Gardiner's Beethoven 6. I prefer Karajan, Bohm, Abbado..


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}. *Both are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the wand of Herbert von Karajan.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"}* *and* *Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120*, once again featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by HvK.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 6
> Janacek: Capriccio
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For now, I decide that I don't like Gardiner's Beethoven 6. I prefer Karajan, Bohm, Abbado..


@ Opus, Is this because of it being an HIP performance and/or Gardiner's conducting as compared to the other conductors mentioned by you? Is it only the *Pastoral* you dislike in this cycle, or are there others?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Having another go at the Asger Hamerik symphony set. I am really beginning to enjoy these symphonies the more I listen to them. Really great stuff!










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 by the old maestro










@samurai: so far I like 3 and 5 from Gardiner cycle. On the other hand, 6 and 9, I don't like. I recently acquired Gardiner box set and it's stirring up my pre-established tastes in Beethoven symphonies. I'm most unwilling to depart from my beloved Bohm's Pastoral. I found that I like Abbado's 6th (Wiener) as well, perhaps due to his slow tempo and traditional approach. I supposed it is HIP style that I do not like and it seems to really clash with my favorite Bohm's grand/majestic style. However, Gardiner's 3rd struck me as revolutionary and I accepted it as a great interpretation as soon as I heard it.

I'm listening to Bohm's 6th again and this one truly is beautiful. HIP and traditional will have to co-exist in my play list.


----------



## science




----------



## Kevin Pearson

Will return to the Hamerik tomorrow but before bed I am listening to this wonderful luxuriant CD of Danish Romantic Cello Concertos. The Emil Hartmann and Siegfried Salomon Concertos are especially fun.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Just listened to Mahler's 1st. I need Vivaldi Concertos to eat after that. It really tested my patience.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Dreamland: Contemporary Choral Riches From The Hyperion Catalogue"


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Cello Suite #3


----------



## Arsakes

*Bruckner:*
- Symphony #9

*Dvorak:*
- Husitska Overture Op.67
- In Nature's Realm Overture Op.91
- Waltzes Op.54


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Telemann's Paris Quartets.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gaspard Le Roux works for harpsichord duo - Lisa Crawford and Mitzi Meyerson


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Victoria motets - Carlos Mena, countertenor


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Franz Schmidt's Variations On A Theme By Beethoven - North German Radio Phil., Eiji Oue


----------



## EricABQ

Some Mendelssohn this morning.


----------



## Taneyev

R 3:

RESPIGHI: selection of pieces for violin&piano

RHEINBERGER Josef: sring quartet Nº1.

REUTER Fritz: son.violin&piano.

REVUELTAS Silvestre: the 4 short string quartets.


----------



## NightHawk

I own this same recording - the _et incarnatus est_ is one of my favorite 'moments' in all music and I think the entire work is a very great work of art.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 7380
> 
> 
> Josquin Desprez's Missa Pange Lingua - James O'Donnell


----------



## Vesteralen

Just started to listen to this set:









this is my initial reaction to Elgar conducting his own First Symphony. I listened to half of it on my way home from work in the car yesterday, and the other half on the way to work this morning, so this is car-listening, not sitting-in-a-dark-room-with-headphones listening.

Overall, I was surprised by two things - 1) the sound was a little better than I had anticipated; 2) Elgar wasn't a bit stodgy in his conducting of this piece.

Two drawbacks: 1) I could not get a good audio balance. In order to really hear the softer parts well, I had to set the volume control at a point where the louder parts were sometimes very unpleasant to the ears. In an older recording like this, it seems that the more forceful passages lose all their bottom and depth and become shrill, treble-rich and even tinny. 2) Either Elgar's conducting or the techincal competency of the orchestra came into question in some of the faster parts of the opening and closing movements. I found that in certain places I had to go on sheer memory to fill in passages that seemed to be glossed over. The trombone playing in the final couple minutes of the finale seemed especially flaccid.

Good points - 1)This was a very dynamic reading of the score. As I said, nothing stodgy about it. (I only wish the recording, the conducting, or the execution in the more flexible-tempoed parts of the first movement were up to modern standards. I liked the choices, but not always the sound.) 2) The middle movements - particularly the slow movement. This was fantastic! The most heartfelt reading I've heard. I wouldn't want to be without it.


----------



## SimonNZ

NightHawk said:


> I own this same recording - the _et incarnatus est_ is one of my favorite 'moments' in all music and the entire work is a very great work of art.


I just went back and found that moment - in the very centre of the Credo - and I'm grateful that you drew my attention to it because that realy is quite special.


----------



## emiellucifuge

Inspired by the Dvorak Vs Tchaikovsky thread:


----------



## campy

Symphonic Dances, op. 45 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (Rachmaninov?). The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit on a London CD.


----------



## Morgante

*Tchaikovskij
Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom*
_Russian Chamber Choir of New York, Kachanov_

This sacred music is heaven.









*Wagner
The Operas Vol. 2, Disc 5 Ouvertures from Das Liebesverbot, Parsifal, Rienzi, Die Meistersingers von Nurnberg and Tannhauser*
_Nurnberger Symphoniker, National Sinfonie Orchester Olsztyn_

The ouverture of Rienzi is Rossini.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Ernst Krenek's* (1900 - 1991) birthday, String Quartets 5 & 8, with Thouvenel SQ., then Piano Sonata 3, with GG.

View attachment 7407
View attachment 7408


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Goldberg Variations


----------



## Arsakes

*Wagner:*
- Overture from Tannhäuser
- Der Fliegende Holländer Prelude
- Trisdan & Isolde - liebestod
- Lohengrin - Prelude
- Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Götterdämmerung
- Siegfried's funeral march from Götterdämmerung

*Glazunov:*
- Symphony # 3,4,5

*Beethoven:*
- Symphony # 4


----------



## science

emiellucifuge said:


> Inspired by the Dvorak Vs Tchaikovsky thread:
> 
> View attachment 7389


Me too! Just now!


----------



## SAKO

Off work today, and dedicated my listening pleasure to;

*BEETHOVEN*

My new new 14 CD boxset of Nikolaus Harnoncourt & the Chamber Orchestra of Europe arrived.

Superb.

So far have listened to

SYMPHONY NO 6 (Utterly brilliant, a can add no more)

SYMPHONY NO 8 (the first time I've heard this one, and not at all bad; a 7.5 out of 10? Need to listen again)

and two of the piano concertos played by Pierr-Laurent Ainard

PIANO CONCERTO N0 4

PIANO CONCERTO N0 5 (even after 25+ years a favourite, still not bored with this one)









and now I'm listening to

EARLY STRING QUARTETS 1 - 6

Beautifully performed by the Juilliard String Quartet and (brilliantly) recorded live in the Library of Congress, Washington.

Available on a rare and costly CD it appears (£23), this is my much loved 'as new' 1983 CBS Masterworks boxed set of three 12" vinyl albums and booklet in a clam-shell box. Probably worth a small fortune now, but it would be a waste not to take it out and play it now and again!

If anybody clued up on classic vinyl knows if this is a rarity I'd love to know. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphony 2, with Philharmonia/HvK (rec. 1960), followed by Symphony 3 with Oslo PO/Jansons (rec. 1994).

View attachment 7421
View attachment 7422


----------



## cwarchc

I've just got this (I'm blaming CoAG)







I'm on the first disc.
I've got to say. I LIKE it


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

I have a $3.00 credit for an mp3 download at Amazon, so I'm either going to use it for this or be adventurous and get Michael Gielen's Xanakis Orchestral Works. I hate making decisions.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Look at bottom right corner.
:tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> I have a $3.00 credit for an mp3 download at Amazon, so I'm either going to use it for this or be adventurous and get Michael Gielen's Xanakis Orchestral Works. I hate making decisions.
> 
> View attachment 7424


Opt for Bruno's mahvellous 6.


----------



## Vaneyes

Huilunsoittaja said:


> View attachment 7425
> 
> 
> Look at bottom right corner.
> :tiphat:


Saul Goodman's fair trading?


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Vaneyes said:


> Saul Goodman's fair trading?


:lol: He was a troll, and so was his friend Sygma. They were just saying a bunch of nonsense, so we eventually knocked them out of the room. I warned Saul that he was going to go public. 

That's what Turntable looks like, by the way. I shared some Gliere.


----------



## Ravndal

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Listening to Piano sonata 17 by beethoven, III movement - allegretto. And the recording is so brutally annoying. Sounds like people snoring and wiping their noses. ****.

Check it out 




This is the worst.


----------



## NightHawk

Another recording that I own b/c of recommendations by TC members - I love Mravinsky's great focus and intensity in these three great symphonies. The performances revived a long dormant love of Tchaikovsky!



emiellucifuge said:


> Inspired by the Dvorak Vs Tchaikovsky thread:
> 
> View attachment 7389


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Ravndal said:


> GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Listening to Piano sonata 17 by beethoven, III movement - allegretto. And the recording is so brutally annoying. Sounds like people snoring and wiping their noses. ****.
> 
> Check it out
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the worst.


I agree it is awful. It makes me wonder if that is the recording or a compression issue? There are better versions out there on Spotify to listen to.

Kevin


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Opt for Bruno's mahvellous 6.


I'm leaning that way. Xenakis is interesting, especially Metastaesis and Jonchaies, but I'm not sure I'd want to imbibe this in large doses. Also, his pieces are hard to spell . I'm listening to Gielen's recording now.


----------



## Ravndal

Kevin Pearson said:


> I agree it is awful. It makes me wonder if that is the recording or a compression issue? There are better versions out there on Spotify to listen to.
> 
> Kevin


Yea, it is.. I'm just tired today, getting worked up about nothing. I'm just lazy, and i keep forgetting that it is a bad version, and should replace it.


----------



## Bas

I just finished listening the beautiful opera Dido & Aeneas by Purcell (somewhere on youtube, I've ordered a cd, but it has not arrived yet). What a great music, moves me truly to tears!

And I'm currently listening to one of my favourite pipe organ pieces: Fantasia in F minor by Mozart, on youtube too. I wonder if any of you have any recommendations on a good cd recording, because this is really brilliant:






(There is also a piano transcription for four hands 



 that I quite like too.)


----------



## EricABQ

Some Chopin. He makes it sound bluesy:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms String Sextets.*

This is the way I think they should sound. Sorry for the Xenakis; it attached itself and won't let go.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I've been spending time with Debussy this afternoon also but with this version of the complete orchestral works.










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

How is that Debussy boxed set? Beside Martinon I have Boulez' and Dutoit's performances of Debussy's orchestral works. The Orchestre (and Opera) National De Lyon has made some marvelous recordings:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently exploring more French music... albeit French Baroque music:


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## NightHawk

@DeepR

Youtube: MAHLER 2ND - Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel - BBC PROMS

I listened to and watched the entire performance. Magnificent. Thanks for finding and posting.


----------



## clavichorder

Medtner's first opus is quite incredible, harmonically unique:
Here is op 1 no. 1


----------



## opus55

Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080










First time listening to this work


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I can only imagine what Amelita Galli-Curci would have sounded like under more ideal recording conditions.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> How is that Debussy boxed set? Beside Martinon I have Boulez' and Dutoit's performances of Debussy's orchestral works. The Orchestre (and Opera) National De Lyon has made some marvelous recordings:


Well, as you know there are some who do not have very high opinion of Naxos recordings and in comparing the Matinion version I would say that this box set is a little better. I like their readings and the production is bright and clean. I have not heard the Dutoit version in a while but I recall really enjoying those and I might have to do a comparison. The problem is the set has so much music to get through I don't know when I would get a chance to do that. Third party dealers on Amazon have this 9 disc set for only $32.00 and I think that's a real steal for anyone interested in Debussy's orchestral works.

Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify*:

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor,* performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's String Quartets Op. 20. Great stuff.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Well Tempered Clavier #14


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well, as you know there are some who do not have very high opinion of Naxos recordings... 

That wouldn't be me. I must have 12 or so Naxos discs of Haydn's string quartets alone, several of Petrenlo's Shostakovitch recordings, a slew of recordings by Antoni Wit... all told at least 100 discs.

...in comparing the Matinion version I would say that this box set is a little better. I like their readings and the production is bright and clean.

Good to hear. Naxos has been turning out a number of brilliant box sets recently: Haydn's quartets, the Robert Craft/Stravinsky set, the box sets of Penderecki, Arvo Part, etc...

I have not heard the Dutoit version in a while but I recall really enjoying those and I might have to do a comparison. The problem is the set has so much music to get through I don't know when I would get a chance to do that. Third party dealers on Amazon have this 9 disc set for only $32.00 and I think that's a real steal for anyone interested in Debussy's orchestral works.

I'm interested in the fact that this set contains the complete orchestral music. Debussy's oeuvre... compared to composers like Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms is rather limited in scale... but I get the sense that each work is carefully considered and worthy of hearing... where I don't necessarily want every last thing by Haydn or Mozart.


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Koechlin melodies - Claudette Leblanc, soprano, Boaz Sharon, piano


----------



## Crudblud

Takemitsu - Winter / Marginalia / Gitimalya (Iwaki)


----------



## Taneyev

R 4:

RIES Ferdinand: trio piano,clarinet and cello.

NRK: piano trio (Oistrakh's trio) and string sextet.

RIVIER Jean; sonatina violin&cello.

RODE Pierre: selection from 24 solo violin caprices (Oskar Shumsky)


----------



## Arsakes

* Shostakovitch:* Symphony #15 (Haitink)


----------



## EricABQ

Konstantin Scherbakov playing Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th. I think the second movement of this as a solo piano piece might be my favorite 15 minutes of music ever.


----------



## Vesteralen

I've had this one for a while, but this is my first time to listen.


----------



## Hausmusik

Backofen: Quintet for Bassett Horn and Strings in F, Op. 9
Backofen: Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in Bb, Op. 15
Mozart: Quintet for Bassett Clarinet and Strings in A, K.581


----------



## Hausmusik

Rebel
Les Elemens
Musica Antiqua Köln


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm interested in the fact that this set contains the complete orchestral music. Debussy's oeuvre... compared to composers like Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms is rather limited in scale... but I get the sense that each work is carefully considered and worthy of hearing... where I don't necessarily want every last thing by Haydn or Mozart.


One thing I have to tell you about the set is that it does contain all of Debussy's orchestral works but also orchestral transcriptions of his works by some of his contemporaries on the last few discs. Here is a complete list at Naxos for you to check out what and who transcribed.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.509002

Kevin


----------



## Mordred

Wagners das rheingold LIVE with the hamburg philharmonic in Brisbane!


----------



## Jared

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 7439
> 
> 
> I've had this one for a while, but this is my first time to listen.


it's meant to be absolutely wonderful... please let us know what you think...


----------



## Vesteralen

Jared said:


> it's meant to be absolutely wonderful... please let us know what you think...


Unfortunately, working while listening isn't always the best way to assess something. It sounded great, but I actually didn't respond to it as much as their previous discs with music by Haas and Janacek.

I'll be trying it again several times in the next few weeks.


----------



## Vesteralen

First time listening to this one (after many times through the first 6). As expected...great.


----------



## campy

Piano Concerto #18 in B-flat by Mozart (K. 456), with Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Ravndal

Beethoven PC no1 - Glenn Gould


----------



## science

Saw the Landini here a few times recently, so I listened to it tonight. Nice.

I like Honegger a lot. I listened to all the works on the disk, which is not something I usually do with this kind of thing. But that Symphony #3 just hooks a person.

















About my third or fourth time with the Villa-Lobos, and I hadn't appreciated it before. This time I did, you betcha.

I like Varèse a lot too, dang right. Like Guns 'N Roses would say, it's such fun.

















I'm not sure whether this set of listening counts as modern or late romantic, so I may still be (I've forgotten the exact words) "so focused on the romantic era." But my sweet goodness, with music this fine, just let me focus!


----------



## Vesteralen

I listened to that Landini disc several times recently. I had it out from the library. It just missed my "wish list" (with a nod to Lenfer).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, with English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner (rec. 1980), then* JS Bach*: Orchestral Suites with English Concert/Pinnock (rec.1993-94).

View attachment 7456
View attachment 7457


----------



## Sonata

Somehow ended up in an opera groove again. Thought I burned myself on Mozart for awhile, but some other posters got me wanting to hear Magic Flute again. Just finished this:










Yesterday I listened to this; as many of you know my personal favorite opera (Belfastboy, I'm looking at you!)










And I sampled this:


----------



## clavichorder

Listening to the best concerto of the 20th century, in my opinion.


----------



## SAKO

A worthy CD of soft and delicate Baroque from two lesser known 17th century composers.

*Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
*Sonates
*Georg Muffat
*Sonates

London Baroque / Charles Bedlam

Harmonia Mundi CD


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sonata said:


> Somehow ended up in an opera groove again. Thought I burned myself on Mozart for awhile, but some other posters got me wanting to hear Magic Flute again. Just finished this:


I just picked up that Magic Flute myself. I've yet to have time to listen to it. Perhaps this weekend.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Kevin Pearson said:


> One thing I have to tell you about the set is that it does contain all of Debussy's orchestral works but also orchestral transcriptions of his works by some of his contemporaries on the last few discs. Here is a complete list at Naxos for you to check out what and who transcribed.
> 
> http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.509002
> 
> Kevin


Ah... that explains a lot. I wondered why my "complete" orchestral music collections numbered 4 discs... while this was 9. The majority of those works scored for orchestra by others appear to have been part of Debussy's works for solo piano. That means that I pretty much have everything by him except for a few chamber works and likely a few songs.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Ah... that explains a lot. I wondered why my "complete" orchestral music collections numbered 4 discs... while this was 9. The majority of those works scored for orchestra by others appear to have been part of Debussy's works for solo piano. That means that I pretty much have everything by him except for a few chamber works and likely a few songs.


I do want to say that all the transcriptions sound like Debussy orchestrated them. I have really enjoyed listening to them and I still think at $32.00 it's a bargain even if you were only interested only in the pieces orchestrated by Debussy himself. I think it's one of Naxos's better releases.

Kevin


----------



## kv466




----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I just picked up that Magic Flute myself. I've yet to have time to listen to it. Perhaps this weekend.


I like it a lot. I'm so new to classical though; especially opera that I couldn't begin to actually evaluate objectively. I will say I've heard about five "Queen of the Night" between this, two opera compilations, video perfomance, and one Flute highlight album, and this one was my favorite version.


----------



## Sonata

I moved onto chamber music:









#43









#1 and 2









String quintet #1

Now I'm finishing up this: 









This will transition me back into some vocal music. I'm not sure which; either some more choral music, or some lieder.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second listen in a week. Great stuff... and great performance.


----------



## Sonata

EricABQ said:


> Konstantin Scherbakov playing Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th. I think the second movement of this as a solo piano piece might be my favorite 15 minutes of music ever.


Nice! These transcriptions are actually on my wishlist.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Razumovsky Quartet, Opus 59, No. 1.

This is the Lindsay's second cycle of the quartets. It is not as fiery as their first go-round, but the intonation is better, and the goofs in the beginning of their first recording aren't there.


----------



## SAKO

BEETHOVEN
The two romances for violin and orchestra. Op. 40 & Op. 50

MOZART
Rondo in C major K.373
Adagio in E major K.261

SCHUBERT
Rondo in A major D.438

Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields with Neville Marriner....violin by Josef Suk.

vintage 12" vinyl, EMI records, 1971.

..


----------



## cwarchc

Listening to this on the way to work, it's the only LvB I have, however it's seems to be a good interpretation (unless you tell me otherwise?) nicely recorded and good SQ









Then back onto the 2nd cd of this
I've got to admit, I'm really enjoying this?


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Desprez's Missa Pange Lingua - The Tallis Scholars


----------



## SAKO

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 7470
> 
> 
> Josquin Desprez's Missa Pange Lingua - The Tallis Scholars


I'm sure I have a copy of this in the large collection of pre-Baroque I acquired recently, but haven't listened to it yet. Must dig it out.


----------



## Sonata

I listened to an album of Schubert lieder, sung by Elly Ameling, accompanied by Dalton Baldwin on piano. As well as the Eichendorff Liederkriess off the Schumann 100 Classical Masterpieces. I moved on to a handful of Lyric Pieces from the Grieg 100 Classical Masterpieces.

Then I moved onto choral works: Mendelssohn's Psalm 42 from my Brilliant Box of his sacred music. Absolutely beautiful. Ditto for the piece that followed: Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate. The latter was from the album with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SAKO

No, not quite. I have a Naxos copy of Josquin: Missa L'homme Arme [CD] Jeremy Summerly / Oxford Camerata.

Playing as I type, and very beautiful. Just the thing before bed. I really must dive into my Renaissance/Medieval collection more often.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

_Le Grand Macabre_


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first hearing of this opera. A stunning psychological/psycho-sexual drama and the music perfectly suited. The performance is ever bit worthy of the opera.

Sticking with psycho-sexual dramas I thought I'd give a first listen to this recording of the greatest of all operatic psycho-sexual dramas:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani guitar concerti.


----------



## Ondine

Kanon Pokajanen by Arvo Pärt


----------



## Manxfeeder

*De Profundus.*

The pieces are reflective, some sober, but overall with a spiritual feel which doesn't descend into the morose. It's interesting to listen to them on Spotify; having the works interrupted randomly with Spotify's inane commercials highlights the point of this compilation, of deep calling to deep. The performances are well-played. Even Schumann's fugue, which could be pedantic, instead flows gracefully.

Besides being something with appeal for a seasoned listener, this would also be a good disc to introduce to someone willing to dip into the classical genre.


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Giuliani guitar concerti.


I need to get on with sampling some classical guitar. That's one area where I am lacking so far


----------



## Conor71

*Bliss: A Colour Symphony*

I've been listening to Bach's keyboard works all week and today I am listening to some new arrivals to my collection. First up is this Disc of Orchestral Works by Arthur Bliss, a new composer to me. Currently Im on the 4th Movement - the music is accessible and easy to like so far. Next up on the same Disc is the ballet Adam Zero, I will listen to this and then try to listen to something else new


----------



## Sonata

*Mahler* was the only one of my top 5 composers that I haven't listened to yet today....so I'm remedying that. I'm doing something a little different, I who has not tended to listen through multiple recordings in the past. I have 3 versions of the *"Resurrection" symphony by Mahler*. my first one *Gilbert Kaplan*. Then the version in my complete works box, which is *Otto Klemperer*. Then the version with the Utah Symphony Orchestra and *Maurice Abravanal* that I picked up in the Big Mahler Box download for just a buck.

I'm listening through some of the first movement from all three versions. I THINK I like Kaplan's best. Parts of Klemperers are just a touch too blaring compared to Kaplan's.....though no doubt some would prefer the more intense drama of this one. Mind you I'm referring to just the first movement so far, and just a couple listens.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

_Die Walküre_


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 5














Shopping for a Schubert symphony cycle - any recommendations? I like Harnoncourt so far.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Seriously, avoid a Schubert cycle... until you explore the following:














































After that? Sir Neville Mariner captures the grace of Schubert well... while the recordings above are among the best available for the specific works.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 2, with Berlin Staats./Suitner (rec. 1983).

View attachment 7482


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Seriously, avoid a Schubert cycle... until you explore the following:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that? Sir Neville Mariner captures the grace of Schubert well... while the recordings above are among the best available for the specific works.


Listening to Sir Beecham's Schubert 5 now - adding it to my wish list.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden and Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden led by Maestro Blomstedt.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Biondi's version of the Four Seasons. Such an amazing work made even better by Biondi.


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Symphony No. 8 In B Minor, D 759, "Unfinished"*

Some timely talk of Schubert as I just recieved this Disc a couple of days ago and will play it now for a first listen


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Kevin Pearson

This has to be one of the most magnificent, beautiful, and sublime pieces of music ever written! Listening to this and thinking of the recent anti-Mozart thread makes me want to weep for the poor souls who speak derogatorily of his music. They obviously do not have a clue! 










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 1














Got tired of listening to Schubert 5 from four different recordings. I like Harnoncourt and Beecham so far. Should try Walter's Schubert recording too!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

My last piece for the night is Beethoven's 6th symphony from this very fine RCA Living Stereo recording of Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony. Considering this recording is from 1955 I think it holds it's own against any modern recordings. The performance and sound quality are top notch. There is the expected tape hiss but it's minimal. The orchestral presence on the album is great! The sound is rich, deep and clean.










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 4










I happened to be listening to another 'Living Stereo' recording. It's really hard to believe the quality of recording from mid- to late-50s to be this good.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 4
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I happened to be listening to another 'Living Stereo' recording. It's really hard to believe the quality of recording from mid- to late-50s to be this good.


I agree with you! Not only the sound quality but the performances on the Living Stereo series in general are fantastic!

Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Back to Debussy. This great cover. :lol: But the song selections are great. That's what matters. Plus so much music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Desprez's Missa Pange Lingua - Ensemble Clement Janequin

I'm actually playing this as part of the HM Sacred Music box, and just discovered that they've chosen to remove the interspersed chant by Marcel Peres from the original album and present it as just the familiar five-movement work.

Which on this occasion is fine by me, but might be a trick for someone replacing a loved album with this box


----------



## Arsakes

*Grieg:*
- Piano Concerto
- Norwegian Dances Op.35
- Humoresque Op.6 & 19


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bach's Orchestral suites: English Concert/Pinnock's earlier recording.


----------



## Arsakes

Dozens of *Haydn*'s symphonies.

*Schubert*'s Symphony #6


----------



## campy

Schumann's Symphony #2 in C, op. 61 by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Bas

Arsakes said:


> Dozens of *Haydn*'s symphonies.
> 
> *Schubert*'s Symphony #6


Schubert's Little symphony is very great indeed. I like most of Schubert's symphonies more then Beethoven's. Which performance are you listening to?


----------



## Arsakes

Bas said:


> Schubert's Little symphony is very great indeed. I like most of Schubert's symphonies more then Beethoven's. Which performance are you listening to?


Marriner's. I just realized he is an excellent conductor.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler 7 Bernstein


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Desprez's Missa Pange Lingua - Pro Musica Antiqua, Safford Cape

I played this yesterday and was a little shocked. I was going to write that much as I love the Archiv "yellows", and think that a great many more should be rescued from the dustbin of history, that this one was telling of older fashions, lacks the benefit of modern research etc, etc...

Listening today I'm struck by the small number of singers used - it must be near identical to the Tallis Scholars, who use only eight. And while a roughness of texture results from very individual voices that make no attempt to blend into a velvety smoothness , it now seems that that only makes easier to follow each part

But if you're wanting "pretty" - well that aint what they're going for


----------



## Taneyev

R 5:

RODRIGO: sonata "pimpante" for violin&piano.

ROCHBERG George: string quartet Nº3.

ROGER Kurt: son.op.44 for violin&piano.

ROLLA Alessandro: selection of duos for violin&viola.


----------



## millionrainbows

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Here's something I haven't listened to in a while:
> 
> View attachment 2917


This one is available in SACD. Talk about detail! It is quite beautiful music for being in that genre, and has some interesting harmonic ideas.


----------



## millionrainbows

Sid James mentioned conductor/industrialist/patron Paul Sacher over there in the Bartók thread. This set was my introduction to him. Do you know of any recordings with him that are noteworthy?


----------



## EricABQ

A fairly long hike this morning and I listened to a good variety of things:

Shostakovich Concerto For Piano, Trumpet, and Strings
Bach Brandenburg Concertos 3 and 5
Beethoven Piano Concerto 5
And I finished off the walk with some random Liszt from a compilation.

Long walk and lots of music.


----------



## cjvinthechair

IF anyone actually reads each other's posts on this thread - I know, far too many to keep up with - put in a plug for what I have on as I write:
'Vedem' oratorio by American composer Lori Laitman, part of the Music of Remembrance series on Naxos, based of the writings of youngsters in the Terezin concentration camp. A 'new' project to me, but heartily recommended !


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*: Piano trio in B flat, D 898

*Schumann*: Symphony #1

*Brahms*: 
- Piano Concerto # 1 & 2
- Piano trio # 1 & 2


----------



## jani

This really brightened up my day!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

I finally decided to use my Amazon credit to download Walter's recording. As has been said, "Mahvellous."


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## opus55

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> I finally decided to use my Amazon credit to download Walter's recording. As has been said, "Mahvellous."
> 
> View attachment 7509


Excellent choice. Lately my interest on Walter has been growing after hearing his Brahms symphonies.

Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 2
Gorecki: Three Pieces in the Old Style


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Gotterdammerung










Trying to get into operas by listening to highlights.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 4 from Schubert. Was listening to Dvorak's New World Symphony earlier.


----------



## SAKO

Handel

Water Music, the complete Suites.

HIP recording, The English Concert with Trevor Pinnock.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

_Tristan und Isolde_ Böhm 1966


----------



## crmoorhead

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> _Tristan und Isolde_ Böhm 1966


Pretty jealous! 

I am listening to Sur Incises from this:









And loving it!


----------



## NightHawk

These concertos are wonderful. I plan to get Christian Tetzlaff's recording of the Violin Concerto when one is released - in performance he uses Ligeti's original version, which was called 'perfect' by the composer in a personal note to Tetzlaff in 1999: (PROFILES: _String Theorist: Christian Tetzlaff rethinks how a violin should sound_ by Jeremy Eichler - New Yorker Magazine, Aug 27, 2012 issue, which I just received and is on news stands now, I believe). Highly recommended*****


----------



## EricABQ

I can't claim to be any kind of Legeti fan, but I find myself watching this video a few times a week:


----------



## SimonNZ

Guerrero's Missa Congratulamini Mihi - The Cardinall's Misick


----------



## NightHawk

This 'brightened up my' evening considerably and I listened to PART 2, as well, of course. I did not notice the odd few frames during the first part of the Recapitulation where it seemed I could see 'through' the lower part of the keyboard. I had to go back and pause the picture - strange. Even stranger is I wish I had four arms/hands! 



jani said:


> This really brightened up my day!


----------



## EricABQ

I'm listening to Carmen Piazzini's set of complete Mozart Piano Concertos (#5 at the moment.)

I think Mozart is growing on me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to this on the way to work, it's the only LvB I have, however it's seems to be a good interpretation (unless you tell me otherwise?) nicely recorded and good SQ

View attachment 7462


Krips' Beethoven is more than solid. I have the tin cigar-box edition of this set which I picked up around Christmas for about $5.










I ended up buying a copy for myself and several as gifts. One wishes that the recordings were afforded a top-notch remastering by a major label as Krips is a solid conductor. His recording of Mozart's Don Giovanni was second to none.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I put off purchasing Corelli's violin sonatas for quite some time... perhaps because they were so obvious, while there were so many other violin sonatas of the era by composers that I had barely heard of... if at all. But I finally got around to picking them up... performed by Andrew Manze:










And all I can say is that I was incredibly stupid for having waited this long. These works are fully worthy of their reputation.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: 4 Ballades, Op. 10
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.19 in F, K.459


----------



## Guest

opus55 said:


> Brahms: 4 Ballades, Op. 10
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No.19 in F, K.459


The fourth ballade gets me every time...Brahms' most beautiful early piano piece and one of his most beautiful period.


----------



## neoshredder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I put off purchasing Corelli's violin sonatas for quite some time... perhaps because they were so obvious, while there were so many other violin sonatas of the era by composers that I had barely heard of... if at all. But I finally got around to picking them up... performed by Andrew Manze:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And all I can say is that I was incredibly stupid for having waited this long. These works are fully worthy of their reputation.


The price is holding me back. You can get the whole Corelli Works at the same price.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: _Gloria_ RV589, Taverner Choir and Players/Andrew Parrot
Vivaldi: _In Furore_ RV626 and _Stabat Mater_ RV621, Patrizia Ciofi and David Daniels with Europa Galante/Fabio Biondi


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach's Hamburg Sinfonias. No idea why he isn't more popular.


----------



## SimonNZ

Morales' Missa Queramus Cum Pastoribus - James O'Donnell


----------



## SAKO

*Vivaldi: Four Seasons* 
Giuliano Carmignola.

In the car this morning.

I am ADDICTED to this recording. I have many hundreds of Cd's and vinyl, even a few old cassettes, but they are simply cannabis. This is crack cocaine.

Love it. Will play it until it melts, and then buy another.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to *Ligeti's* _Atmosphères, Volumnia_ and _Lux Aeterna._


----------



## cwarchc

Currently got the BBC iPlayer running with Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic playing Shostakovich Symphony No. 10

Just a quick update.....This is very good....If you like Shostakovich, and can get access the website?...I would recommend it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Yummy


----------



## Taneyev

R 6:

ROPARTZ Joseph-Guy: son.violin&piano Nº2

ROSEMBERG Hilding: string quartet Nº1.

ROSNER Arbold: duo for violas.

ROTA Nino; son.viola&piano.


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 8 (Horenstein) [1959]


----------



## campy

Mozart: G minor Symphony K. 550 (Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs)


----------



## millionrainbows

Ah, the Renaissance, with its rise of Humanism and the emergence of individual artists. Petrarch's sonnets, frivolous drinking songs, masses, motets, madrigals, poetry, love, Greeks, tone painting, chromaticism, drama, virtuoso singers, jealously-guarded musical harems, sweet dissonances: it's all here.


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius:*
- Symphony # 3 & 7
- Tulen Synty, Op.32
- Vapautettu Kuningatar, Op.48
- Rakastava, Op.14
- Pelléas Mélisande, Op.46


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bernstein*: Candide Overture; *Gershwin*: An American in Paris, with NYPO/Bernstein. A belated Happy Birthday to Lenny (August 25, 1918 - 1990).

View attachment 7548


----------



## Crudblud

Brian - Symphony No. 8 (Mackerras)


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 7502
> 
> 
> Sid James mentioned conductor/industrialist/patron Paul Sacher over there in the Bartók thread. This set was my introduction to him. Do you know of any recordings with him that are noteworthy?


Enjoy....

View attachment 7549


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to this on Spotify... again... I absolutely must get around to picking up a copy. Absolutely brilliant!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mendelssohn*: Symphonies 3 & 4, then *R. Strauss*: Eine Alpensinfonie, with SFSO/Blomstedt (rec. 1991, 1988).

View attachment 7551
View attachment 7552


----------



## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> Enjoy....
> 
> View attachment 7549











Thanks, Vaneyes. As you can see, music makes you smile & keeps us young.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Itzhak Perlman and Vladimir Ashkenazy's complete Beethoven violin sonatas. Doesn't get better than this for a Sunday morning!










Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Yesterday I started a listening project. I created a set of keyboard concertos in chronological order by composer in my collection, and I'm listening to them in order, just one concerto each. Yesterday, I covered *Bach (Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052)* for piano rather than harpsichord) *Mozart (Piano Concerto #20)* and *Beethoven (Piano Concerto #4)*

I also listened to some solo piano music: *Schumann's Kinderszenen*, and *Lyric Pieces from books 5 and 9, by Grieg*. I think I'm really going to become a big Grieg fan.


----------



## opus55

Watched Beethoven symphony no. 1 and concerto no. 1 videos starring Karajan and Barenboim as directors early in the morning.

Listening to these while taking care of my fish tank..

Beethoven: Variations on Mozart and Handel themes for cello and piano, Op. 66, WoO 46, WoO 45
Franck: Violin Sonata


----------



## hocket

neoshredder said:


> The price is holding me back. You can get the whole Corelli Works at the same price.


Don't make the same mistake you described making with Op.6's Concerto Grossos. The Manze is the one to get -you won't regret it, whereas you'll eventually be kicking yourself if you get something else.


----------



## Crudblud

Berlioz - La damnation de Faust (Colin Davis)

I'm determined to find at least one Berlioz work I enjoy.


----------



## Jared

Crudblud said:


> Berlioz - La damnation de Faust (Colin Davis)
> 
> I'm determined to find at least one Berlioz work I enjoy.


hey, have you tried this one, yet?










bombastic and over the top? really needs to be heard to be believed...


----------



## Jared

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 7554
> 
> 
> Thanks, Vaneyes. As you can see, music makes you smile & keeps us young.


I would respectfully suggest that ASM is making them smile and keeping them young...


----------



## Jared

back on the Nielsen, this time it's his lovely Hymnus Amoris op.12


----------



## Crudblud

Jared said:


> hey, have you tried this one, yet?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bombastic and over the top? really needs to be heard to be believed...


I haven't, but am pleased to say that I will be checking out more recordings of this in the future.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Siegfried highlights










"Let's get to know opera" session II. For the record, I never hated opera; I just lacked enthusiasm for the genre.


----------



## Jared

Crudblud said:


> I haven't, but am pleased to say that I will be checking out more recordings of this in the future.


I think that's still the only recording of his MS... don't think anyone else has a choir large enough... 

loud? it's just a full-on wall of sound in places... makes the Verdi Requiem sound like Brahm's lullaby... :lol:


----------



## Jared

opus55 said:


> Wagner: Siegfried highlights


Now, there's an interesting title... didn't realise there was any 'best' of the Ring...


----------



## millionrainbows

Jared said:


> I would respectfully suggest that ASM is making them smile and keeping them young...


ASM...Is that available through Canadian pharmacies?


----------



## NightHawk

Just wait until you get to No. 9 in Eb, K.271 'Jeunehomme' (the female virtuoso it was written for) - unless you are listening to them out of order and already know it. A great concerto!!!


----------



## millionrainbows

Takemitsu uses what I call a "Boulezian" instrumentation here, which is plucked strings (harp), bowed strings, percussion, and flute. Once again, modernism is associated with an Eastern sensibility.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Hugely underestimated - & perfect to wind down on a Sunday night:Lorenzo Perosi - La Passione de Cristo seconde San Marco.

One of a number of his beautiful choral works, some certainly available on YT.


----------



## Sonata

Started with Mendelssohn's Psalm 42 before moving onto my piano concerto project. Today, the concertos on the agenda were Mendelssohn's Concerto in A Minor with string orchestra, Chopin's first piano concerto, and Schumann's piano concerto. I only got through the first two so far though. We'll be having company in twenty minutes and I wanted to be able to listen to the Schumann in one shot. I may listen to it tonight, if not I'll do that tomorrow.

I must say that this is a highly enjoyable listening project! I love piano concertos.


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> Started with Mendelssohn's Psalm 42 before moving onto my piano concerto project. Today, the concertos on the agenda were Mendelssohn's Concerto in A Minor with string orchestra, Chopin's first piano concerto, and Schumann's piano concerto. I only got through the first two so far though. We'll be having company in twenty minutes and I wanted to be able to listen to the Schumann in one shot. I may listen to it tonight, if not I'll do that tomorrow.
> 
> I must say that this is a highly enjoyable listening project! I love piano concertos.


you need to start getting your 'company' to listen to your concertos with you, Sonata...

either that or trade-up with your 'company'...


----------



## Sonata

lol. Actually, they would probably enjoy it. They are music lovers to the best of my recollection (my husband's aunt and uncle). They're coming to meet our new baby. I certainly can throw it on in the background, but with the visiting I don't know how much my mind will be on the music. Guess I can listen twice then!


----------



## Jared

Sonata said:


> lol. Actually, they would probably enjoy it. They are music lovers to the best of my recollection (my husband's aunt and uncle). They're coming to meet our new baby. I certainly can throw it on in the background, but with the visiting I don't know how much my mind will be on the music. Guess I can listen twice then!


I hope you have a lovely day with them, Sonata... :tiphat:


----------



## Sonata

Thanks! We sure will, they're nice people.


----------



## Crudblud

Jared said:


> I think that's still the only recording of his MS... don't think anyone else has a choir large enough...
> 
> loud? it's just a full-on wall of sound in places... makes the Verdi Requiem sound like Brahm's lullaby... :lol:


Oh, my mistake, thought It was another Faust! I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more Berlioz choral works.

Currently: Cherubini - Missa Solemnis (Jenkins)

Light years ahead of his ghastly piano sonatas.


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 1 (Scherchen) [1955]


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> E Lately my interest on Walter has been growing after hearing his Brahms symphonies.


Yeah. I've been on a Szell kick, but now I'm listening to Walter's recording of Brahms' 1st symphony. Hmm, the 1st is only $3.56 as an Amazon download. Then Berlioz's Messe Solennelle.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, with Pressler/ESQ (rec. 1993), then String Quartets 1 - 3, with Auryn Quartet (rec. 2000).

View attachment 7567
View attachment 7568


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Steinberg/Fischer-Dieskau)


----------



## Ondine

Dvorak for Two,


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2










First Mahler recording I bought and loved. At the time of this purchase (1999?), Borders store had well stocked classical music department. I never researched anything before picking up recordings back then.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Slowly working my way through this set:










Currently listening to John Holloway and group perform jean-Marie Leclair:


----------



## Guest

In general, I'm having great fun listening to works from my supposed Top 100, deciding whether or not they are truly worthy, as well as starting to compile ideas for the 101-200 range.

Listening to this lovely little charmer now:









Definitely a strong candidate.

Sometimes I think the piano virtuosi - Chopin, Liszt, etc - got all the attention, while the violin virtuosi - Paganini, Sarasate, etc - got thrown under the bus.

I find there's something deeply satisfying about a well-played violin with just a modest accompaniment.


----------



## starthrower

Vancouver New Music Ensemble-Music From Canada and Japan


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: Symphnia Serena
Schubert: Piano Sonata in C minor, D. 958


----------



## Sid James

Some of the weekend's listening -

*Brahms* _Violin Concerto_
Ricardo Odnoposoff, vln. / Frankfurt Opera Orch. under Carl Bamberger (on vinyl)

*Bartok* _String Quartet #1_
Alban Berg Quartet (EMI)

*Mozart* _The 2 Piano Quartets_
Mozartean Players (of USA) (Harmonia Mundi)

*Richard Addinsell *_Warsaw Concerto_
Louis Kentner, pno. with London SO under Muir Mathieson 
& also Hubert Bath's_ Cornish Rhapsody,_ Miklos Rozsa's _Spellbound Concerto _& Charles Williams' _Dream of Olwen_ (Historic recordings, Naxos Nostalgia cd)

Also some other things which I'll put here next time. . .


----------



## drpraetorus

Widor sym#3


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36* *and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60*. Both feature the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7* *and Symphony No.2, Op.36 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Shostakovich's Symphony 4.


----------



## SimonNZ

Shostakovich's From Jewish Folk Poetry - Bernard Haitink


----------



## Jared




----------



## Avengeil

Antonio Salieri La Folia di Spagna 26 Variations (Philarmonia Orchestra Pietro Spada)


----------



## campy

Bruckner, Symphony No. 5 in B-flat. The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Christoph von Dohnányi.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

A different type of _Water Music_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams Folksong Arrangements - Robert Tear, tenor, Philip Ledger, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*: 
- Symphony # 3,4
- Serenade # 1


----------



## Crudblud

Händel - Water Music (Pinnock)


----------



## Taneyev

S 1: (I could go on on R, but I tired)

SAINT-SAËNS: piano trio 1 (Gilels-Kogan-Slava).

SALMANOV Vadim: string quartet Nº2 (Taneyev Q.)

SARASATE: selection of pieces (Tianwa Yang, short and ugly, but extraordinary violinist)

SAMMONS Albert: selection of his pieces for violin&piano.


----------



## Jared




----------



## Guest

Apparently this woman never needs to breathe:


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trio Hob. XV: 40, 41, 8, 9, 10










Nice to listen to in the morning.


----------



## Guest

Next up:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: String Sextets, String Quintets, with Raphael Ensemble, and Violin Sonatas with Osotowicz & Tomes.

View attachment 7579
View attachment 7581
View attachment 7582


----------



## Jared

BPS said:


> Apparently this woman never needs to breathe:


strikes me as a bit fishy... 










Maskarade/ Saga Drom/ Pan & Syrinx


----------



## Jared

Vaneyes said:


> *Brahms*: String Sextets, String Quintets, with Raphael Ensemble, and Violin Sonatas with Osotowicz & Tomes.
> 
> View attachment 7579
> View attachment 7581
> View attachment 7582


uniformly fabulous versions of delightful chamber music, Vaneyes... :tiphat:


----------



## Crudblud

Ligeti - Clear or Cloudy: Disc 1


----------



## Hausmusik

*Bach
Art of Fugue
Fretwork*


----------



## Ravndal

Vivaldi

Concert in D Minor


----------



## belfastboy

*Heaven*









:d:d


----------



## Ravndal

Arvo Pärt - Magnificat

It's actually a little to sad for me now.. but it's one of the best pieces ever written imo, so a bit hard to stop.


----------



## SAKO

*BRAHMS

SYMPHONY NO.3*

WIENER PHILHARMONIC: JAMES LEVINE

I love the first movement of this symphony, one of the finest symphonic movements of the 19th century, and I'm happy to listen to it as an individual piece; but the other three parts are much weaker.


----------



## Chrythes

Mahler - Symphony No.6

My fourth Mahler symphony. Beautiful work, but it sounds a bit familiar... 









Schubert - Arpeggione Sonata. What a wonderful piece!









Sako - Maybe you should try a different conductor, Solti's version might be a bit better.


----------



## opus55

Chrythes said:


> Mahler - Symphony No.6
> 
> My fourth Mahler symphony. Beautiful work, but it sounds a bit familiar...
> 
> View attachment 7594


The military march opening is my favorite of all Mahler symphonies.

Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28


----------



## Crudblud

Webern - Op. 5, 6 & 10 (Kegel)


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}*, featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485,* once again performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Maestro Bohm.


----------



## violadude

Been listening to the symphonies of British composer Edmund Rubbra for the past couple weeks. I'll give an overview of them and my thoughts now. A few words about his style in general. Edmund Rubbra lived from 1901-1986. Like many (most?) British composers of the 20th century, he stuck with conventional tonality, slightly modified to fit a modern sensibility. For the most part, these modifications to conventional tonality are very mild, much like those of Vaughn-Williams or Sibelius, not nearly as spiky as the wacky tonalities of Prokofiev or Shostakovich. However, unlike many of his fellow British symphonists, such as Arnold Bax or William Alwyn, he did not adopt a flashy or wild orchestration style. In almost all his symphonies, the orchestration is rather conventional and some have even described it as dull or drab. His orchestration, in my opinion, can be very very beautiful in a conventional sense; but there is nothing ear grabbing a la Rimsky- Korsokov. As a trade off to conventional orchestration though, we get plenty of meat so to speak. Every one of these symphonies are very filling and have tons of content. There are almost no passages in any of them that seem superficial, meaningless, or noodely.

Rubbra almost never worked within a conventional format. Instead of writing in sonata form, rondo form or anything else like that, most of the time he just makes it up as he goes along. Often he will present a theme and spend the entire rest of the movement solely on the development and transformation of that theme. In this way, he is much like late Sibelius (in fact, his writing style becomes more and more like Sibelius as he gets older, his last two symphonies being very close in spirit to Sibelius' 7th). Besides theme transformation, his other great strength is counterpoint. He had a very keen sense for counterpoint and the type found in his symphonies is often very Back-like, following a sort of inherent logic that comes across as flawless. He is also a great melodist, many of the melodies in this cycle are very memorable. His roots to the UK really come out in his love for jig rhythms (6/8 or 9/8 type rhythms) as those type appear in almost all his symphonies. Well, without further ado, I will talk about the symphonies individually.

Symphony #1- This symphony starts out very tumultuous and chaotic. While strings have a compelling "slashing" rhythm that jumps around multiple octaves, the brass play the thematic cell of this movement (which is related to the string's crazy theme going on) and the woodwinds comment with their own exotic sounding up and down scale. The rest of the movement is about taking the string and the brass theme (the brass theme being dominant) and transforming and developing them. They pass through the movement in many guises, in every instrument group, all with an energetic drive that never lets up, even in the more quiet parts. This movement is actually about as "modernistic" (in the usual sense) as Rubbra got. It's ironic that it is actually the earliest movement in the entire cycle. The second movement starts out completely different, with a fun and very attractive dance tune in 4/4, passing through the oboe to the bassoon and then the flute. Everything is very pleasant, but soon we find ourselves back in the crazy mood of the first movement as the dance tune get violently jerked around the orchestra, through many different keys that change extremely abruptly. There is a swift dotted rhythm that gets some prominence as the movement progresses as well. This dotted rhythm strongly suggests an enthusiastic "hurrah!" By the end of the movement the innocent dance theme has turned into a harrowing brass choir in 3/4. The last movement, which is about the length of the last two movements combined, has the mood of a funeral dirge. It starts out with very beautiful orchestration, a solo cello (or double bass, I can't quite tell) in a very high register partaking in a duet with a solo viola, accompanied by very ghostly sounding horns. The melody instruments play a theme made up of double dotted rhythms, a theme that permeates the rest of the movement. In fact, the first of several climaxes are built up using almost entirely this double dotted theme. Another theme emerges from the double dotted theme, about a minute or so before the first climax, this one will play an important part in the movement as well. After the first big climax, which was all about the double dotted theme, we get a very ethereal passage in the high register of the violins and the middle-low brass. Other instruments soon join with this melody, while other smaller themes grow out of it. Rubbra seems to be building a complex web of thematic material in this movement that all sort of relates to each other. After a while, the themes start to join together in a spectacular show of Rubbra's counterpoint abilities. New themes still emerge and combine with older themes, while many of the themes are even played at the same time in diminution or augmentation. This all builds to an incredible second climax. When it dies down, all that is left are the low strings playing the second theme that came up before the 1st climax, which actually ends up being the start of a quiet and very ghostly fugue in the strings (he just doesn't stop!). Eventually, the rest of the orchestra joins this fugue. As the fugue goes on, it basically desolves into another counterpoint orgy including many of the previous themes and this builds to yet another amazing climax that ends the movement!

This was a very, very impressive start to the cycle. In this symphony, Rubbra wields his sense of driving momentum and theme transformation in the first movement, his gift for melody in the second and a harrowing and powerful ability with counterpoint and climax building in the third. And lucky for you guys, it's all on youtube! So I will post it. I do feel like this post is getting a bit long, so I will continue this review in another post.














To be continued...


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Piano Sonatas, Scherzo, etc
Scarlatti: Piano Sonatas
Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances, Op. 72































Solo piano goes surprising well with cycling. I got to enjoy Chopin and Scarlatti with landscape of Great Plains of America in the background.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Long day, great listening:

Brahms, Symphony No. 4 - Carlos Kleiber

Brahms, Symphony No. 1 - Gardiner

Norgard, Concerto in Due Tempi

Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto - Blomstedt

Berg, Lyric Suite - Karajan

Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 23, Serkin

Schubert, Symphony No. 8, Bruggen

Beethoven, Symphony No. 3, Szell


----------



## EricABQ

Beethoven's piano sonatas nos. 15 & 16 from the HJ Lim set.

I'm in the process of listening all the way through in numerical order.


----------



## EricABQ

I've moved on to Schubert's Impromtus played by Alfred Brendel.

Great compositions, great performance, great recording.


----------



## Crudblud

Wolf - Prometheus: Orchesterlieder (Nagano)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jared said:


> hey, have you tried this one, yet?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bombastic and over the top? really needs to be heard to be believed...


I've got to pick up a copy of this. I've been on a Berlioz discovery lately.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> A different type of _Water Music_.


So what do you think of that one, HC? I've had this one for some time:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Finished the Beethoven Violin Sonatas last night and this evening I'm working my way through his Piano Trios. Most of these are performed by Wilhelm Kempff, Henryk Szeryng, and Pierre Fournier but there are a couple of other trios like Beaux Arts in the set.










Kevin


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jared said:


>


Charles Munch... Hmmm...?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

BPS said:


> Next up:
> 
> View attachment 7580


So how do you like this recording? It's currently selling for only $7 US for a 2 disc set.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

violadude said:


> View attachment 7605
> 
> 
> Been listening to the symphonies of British composer Edmund Rubbra for the past couple weeks...


He's one composer I've been meaning to explore for ages... but just have never gotten 'round to it. I have a good amount of late 19th/20th century music by British composers (Delius, Elgar, Vaughan-Williams, Bax, Bantock, Cyril Scott, Moeran, Bainton, Walton, etc...) but for whatever reason, something else always looked more appetizing and I jumped over Rubbra. I really need to rectify this.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Great music. Brimming with joy... and in a magnificent performance!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.92. *All three works feature the Lahti Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.


----------



## crmoorhead

The 2nd English Suite from this:









I need to pay more attention to the format of these suites....


----------



## Guest

@STL - re My Mexican Soul.

The sound is excellent. Some very good works are included - a guitar concerto from Ponce, Danzon #2, Sensemaya, and a very pleasant Concerto for Improvised Piano. Other earlier works are maybe a bit light and fluffy but do reflect a different musical idiom. Some of the tracks near the end get a bit too modern for my tastes, but tastes of course vary.

Overall I would say it is interesting, and a good survey of 20th century Mexican classical. I enjoy listening to it. But it's not the kind of disc I'd fall in love with. But maybe it would grow on me more if I listened to it repeatedly.


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloé (Monteux)


----------



## neoshredder

Didn't like that Recording of Bach. Now listening to Mozart's Violin Sonatas.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Pearlman and the Boston Baroque are usually quite good. Their recording of Monteverdi's Vespers is still my favorite. Can't say I've heard his Brandenburg, though. My favorites are by Suzuki and Savall. What didn't you like about it?


----------



## neoshredder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Pearlman and the Boston Baroque are usually quite good. Their recording of Monteverdi's Vespers is still my favorite. Can't say I've heard his Brandenburg, though. My favorites are by Suzuki and Savall. What didn't you like about it?


It was played too fast. I think some of the beauty was lost because of it.


----------



## drpraetorus

"Evening Shade" an American shaped note hymn. Quite beautiful but very not Bach.


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*: Raymonda (Complete Ballet)


----------



## drpraetorus

This is an organ performance


----------



## ProudSquire

Hummel's Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor
Mozart string quartet No. 18 in A major


----------



## drpraetorus

Here is a pro group singing Evening Shade






This is more in the tradition of S



acred Harp singing.

These are often called fuguing tunes.


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki *- _Sym.#3_ & _Flourescences for orch_.
Polish National Radio SO under Antoni Wit
(Naxos)

I enjoyed _Flourescences_ more than the symphony, esp. the use of sirens and what sounded to be an old fashioned typewriter.

*Gershwin* - _Porgy and Bess_
Cast incl. William Warfield (Porgy), Leontyne Price (Bess) with RCA Victor Orch. under Skitch Henderson
(RCA)

Ironic how at the end, Porgy sings that he's on his way (to New York, where Bess goes with her new boyfriend) but obviously he's not going to get there, he's not going to get out of that southern ghetto. Gershwin seems to be making some cynical comment on the 'American Dream' - eg. that for some people it will remain exactly that, a dream and not reality. Added to this how its such an upbeat song with Negro spiritual vibes, but the message it gives me is not a happy one, but one of defeat.


----------



## SAKO

_Sako - Maybe you should try a different conductor, Solti's version might be a bit better._

Happy to do that Chrythes, I realise how different pieces can sound under different hands. I recently started a thread asking about the best Brahms performances, as my Brahms collection is limited (I'm predominately an 18th century man). This Levine recording perhaps lacks a bit of delicacy, but I shall try others.


----------



## SAKO

neoshredder said:


> Didn't like that Recording of Bach. Now listening to Mozart's Violin Sonatas.


I think the entire Classical Music section of my local Charity shop comprises of CDs and vinyl donated by me, cast off because I bought them and didn't like them.

I recently picked up a compilation disc containing amongst others, a recording of The Four Seasons. Listening to it in the car, it was so bad I had to pull over and bury it at the side of the road with a stake through its heart.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie, live from the BBC Proms

Joanna MacGregor, piano, Cynthia Millar, ondes Martenot, National Youth Orch of Great Britain, Vasily Petrenko


----------



## Taneyev

S 2:

SAVASTA Antonio: piano quintet.

SCHERCHEN Hermann: string quartet op.1

SCHILLINGS Max von: string quintet.

SCHUBERT: string trio D.581


----------



## EricABQ

Rachmaninoff piano concerto #3.


----------



## campy

Copland: Appalachian Spring suite. (Bernstein Century on Sony)


----------



## Hausmusik

*Mozart
String Quartet #3 in C Major, K. 515
String Quintet #4 in g minor, K. 516
Hausmusik*


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SAKO

My box set of Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw's recording of Schubert's complete symphonies has just arrived.

That's tonight sorted!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Concerti for Two Violins, with Mullova/Carmignola/Venice Baroque O./Marcon, then* Handel*: Suites for Keyboard, with Queffelec.

View attachment 7618
View attachment 7619


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> The (M6) military march opening is my favorite of all Mahler symphonies.


Very effective. Do you have a tempo you prefer for this?

Some maestros take it too fast for my liking (Bernstein, for instance, on his Sony and DG recs).

My "porridge thermometer" says Boulez (DG) and Barbirolli (EMI) get it just right.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 8.*

George Szell plays with springy rhythms and orchestral precision. This may not reflect Beethoven's "unbuttoned" intentions, but I'm enjoying his take on it.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Cantata BWV 147 on youtube. Powerful music.


----------



## Vaneyes

*CPE Bach*: Cello Concertos with Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan, then Piano Concertos with Rische/Leipzig CO/Jensen.

View attachment 7621
View attachment 7622


----------



## Klavierspieler




----------



## Ondine

Telemann Violin Concertos,









with Iona Brown.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 38. *


----------



## crmoorhead

Haydn's Second Cello Concerto. Excellent stuff!






Also Durufle's Requiem. A very haunting work.


----------



## opus55

SAKO said:


> I think the entire Classical Music section of my local Charity shop comprises of CDs and vinyl donated by me, cast off because I bought them and didn't like them.
> 
> I recently picked up a compilation disc containing amongst others, a recording of The Four Seasons. Listening to it in the car, it was so bad I had to pull over and bury it at the side of the road with a stake through its heart.


Funny. I have quite a few that I'd like to get rid of but I'll probably sell it to used book dealer.



SAKO said:


> My box set of Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw's recording of Schubert's complete symphonies has just arrived.
> 
> That's tonight sorted!


So how is it overall? I considered buying it.



Vaneyes said:


> Very effective. Do you have a tempo you prefer for this?
> 
> Some maestros take it too fast for my liking (Bernstein, for instance, on his Sony and DG recs).
> 
> My "porridge thermometer" says Boulez (DG) and Barbirolli (EMI) get it just right.


Barbirolli's version almost sounds like a stretched cassette tape. I guess it brings out a sense urgency and brutality of the opening march even more. I'm saying it's good but somewhat overly dramatic. I prefer moderately slow Boulez.

Brahms: Symphony No. 4


----------



## Sid James

Some vinyls -

*Beethoven *_Scottish & Irish Songs_
Accademia Monteverdiana under Denis Stevens

These song arrangements where commissioned by a wealthy Scotsman, George Thomson (he also got Haydn doing some). Its 'bread and butter' music, and wierd how *Beethoven* was not given the lyrics to the songs he'd set. I don't know any of these except the famous _Auld Lang Syne _(sung at New Year's Eve), which was totally different to how I know this song. These songs are for soprano, tenor and baritone with violin, cello and piano accompaniment, sometimes together but usually the singers sang seperately.

*J. S. Bach* _Brandenburg Conc. #5 ; Air on the G string ; Prelude #2 in C minor (WTC, Bk. 1)_
Jacques Loussier, arranger, pianist, conductor with his jazz trio and the Royal P.O.

I originally found this so-so but this time quite enjoyed it. It kind of came together for me, it was relaxing but also stimulating. A lot of Loussier's stuff is on youtube if people want to check it out.

*Handel* _Water Music Suite _;
* Purcell *_Airs and Dances_ (arr. Bliss for string orch.) ;
* Bliss *_Checkmate Ballet Suite_
The Sinfonia of London under Sir Arthur Bliss

I esp. enjoyed the two Baroque composers here, but the work by Bliss was interesting too.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104* *and Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105*, both performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra with Osmo Vanska at its helm.


----------



## NightHawk

Morton Feldman - _rothko chapel_ and _why patterns?_

The California EAR Unit.

Really quite arrestingly beautiful - both works. *****Highly recommended


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. XV/13,142,39










Working on disc 5 of 10. So far, all of his piano trios sound light hearted which is nice but sort of lacking energy.


----------



## NightHawk

I *love* the Haydn Piano Trios! Just became acquainted with some of them this summer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1 - Ruggiero Ricci, Pierino Gamba


----------



## Toddlertoddy

Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## Arsakes

@Sid James. As your unique style is black and dark green I change myself to black and dark blue 

*Dvorak*: Cello Concerto in B minor

*Liszt*: Piano Concertos in A major & E flat major

*Korsakov*: 
- Russian Easter Overture for orchestra
- Scheherazade, symphonic suite


----------



## drpraetorus

La Bannanier by Gottschalk


----------



## SimonNZ

Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini - Leon Fleisher, George Szell


----------



## neoshredder

The site is kind of quiet lately. No CoAG. Listening to orchestral works of Sibelius.


----------



## ProudSquire

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35


----------



## SAKO

A good evening.

*SCHUBERT*

SYMPHONY NO.1
SYMPHONY NO.4
Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

*BRAHMS*

SYMPHONY NO.4
Carlos Kleiber & Vienna Philharmonic

VIOLIN SONATAS 1, 2 & 3
Daniel Barenboim & Itzhak Perlman

*BEETHOVEN*

SYMPHONY NO.5
Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## SAKO

opus55 said:


> Funny. I have quite a few that I'd like to get rid of but I'll probably sell it to used book dealer.
> 
> So how is it overall? I considered buying it.
> 
> A quarter of the way through and so far, Opus55, superb. Very pleased. Will keep you posted.


----------



## SimonNZ

Toru Takemitsu's "Ran" soundtrack

Inspired by Gustav Mahler (as per Kurosawa's wishes) and containing direct quotes from Das Lied Von Der Erde, which curiously make it a Japanese take on a German take on a Chinese work


----------



## Taneyev

S 3:

SCHMITT Florent. son.violin&piano.

SCHMIDT Franz: first quintet left hand piano and strings.

SCHNABEL: solo violin sonata.

SCHOECK Othmar: string quartet.


----------



## campy

*Manuel Ponce*: _Concierto del sur_, played by Segovia with the Symphony of the Air & Enrique Jordá.


----------



## Vesteralen

Never heard of this guy before, but I like this disc. 20th century chamber music that is more upbeat than dystopic. Nice.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Piano Pieces with Grimaud, then *Dvorak* Symphony 5, with Oslo PO/Jansons.

View attachment 7655
View attachment 7656


----------



## Sonata

Right now I am listening to *Mendelssohn's piano trio in D Minor*.
Earlier I covered my latest batch of piano concertos in my listening project: *Schumann, Tchaikovsky #1, and Liszt #1*.

Last night: *Haydn Piano trio #43, #44. Chopin Ballades and Adante Spianato for piano and orchestra*, and the first two movements of *Bruckner's 1st symphony* (conducted by Gunter Wand)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Berio, Sequenzas for soprano and alto saxophones.

I appreciate these pieces, being a saxophone player - they put them through the paces. As music, I'm still equivocal.


----------



## Crudblud

Webern - Complete Music (Craft): LP 1

Perhaps it should've been called "Complete Numbered Works", as aside from the orchestration of Bach's Ricercar from the Musikalisches Opfer and the Klavierquintett there aren't any works without opus numbers. A nice feature is that the pieces are ordered by opus number, so you follow Webern's development as it were. Being used to more recent Webern recordings (this set was released in 1957) it's interesting to hear this less polished mono recording in which the orchestral works almost have a chamber music quality to them despite using the complete forces requested, there are also details that I get from this "chamber" sound that I miss even in my beloved Kegel recordings.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Barcarolles, Nocturnes, etc., with Collard (rec. 1970 - 1983).

View attachment 7660
View attachment 7661


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> *Faure*: Barcarolles, Nocturnes, etc., with Collard (rec. 1970 - 1983).
> 
> View attachment 7660
> View attachment 7661


yes yes yes yes yes! I still can't get enough of Faure, I've been obsessed with his piano music all summer.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

I was listening to this on my iPod, caught up in imagining the sounds of the streams and birds, when suddenly I stopped and realized I was really in an alley in 90-degree heat. Music sure can transport you to another place.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I haven't listened to Beethoven's lieder in quite some time. The song-cycle, _An die Ferne geliebte_ is truly marvelous. The first known liederkreis... certainly inspired by the examples of poets who had published collections of poems as a single unified cycle for many years. Schubert builds upon this concept... but takes the lieder far further than Beethoven seems to begun to imagine... indeed, one might argue that he does for the lowly lieder what Beethoven did for the piano sonata. Schubert's musical accompaniment quite powerfully reinforces... illuminates the text... rather than simply setting it to a musical accompaniment.

Interestingly Beethoven sets a number of Italian poems... but looking at the songs by Mozart and Haydn (yes... Haydn wrote a good body of songs) I see that they also composed a number of songs in Italian... and that Saturday evening salons featuring the latest songs by Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini were no less common than the well known Schubertiades.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> *CPE Bach*: Cello Concertos with Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan, then Piano Concertos with Rische/Leipzig CO/Jensen.
> 
> View attachment 7621
> View attachment 7622


I really must pick up some more CPE Bach. I have virtually nothing by him.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's Sturm und Drang CD 1.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Karel Husa, Music for Prague, 1968.*

Karel Husa's name used to strike fear in my heart in my high school band, probably because I knew this piece was deadly serious. But this is a much better piece on the other side of the music stand.


----------



## tdc

I have been listening to this and various other works by Brahms over the last little while...I've had my problems reaching a full appreciation of Brahms in the past, somehow his music just wasn't speaking to me. Its speaking to me a lot more lately for some reason. This work is truly a masterpiece.


----------



## cwarchc

Still working my way through this









Onto cd no4.

Then I listened to the Bax symphony for the "Listening Club"


----------



## Vaneyes

Some days are so right for the Kennedy & Handley *Elgar*. Like a long walk going nowhere.

View attachment 7677


----------



## Crudblud

Carter - Triple Duo (The Fires of London)


----------



## cwarchc

Vaneyes said:


> Some days are so right for the Kennedy & Handley *Elgar*. Like a long walk going nowhere.
> 
> View attachment 7677


Got to admit this is one of my favourite Elgar's


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 8.*

Listening to Beethoven's 8th again. I'm getting my money's worth out of these Szell Beethoven recordings.


----------



## Crudblud

Carter - Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord / String Quartet No. 2


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Life's Dance, Dance Rhapsody No. 1, North Country Sketches, Eventyr--Once upon a time, A Song of Summer, with RLPO/Groves (EMI Studio, rec. 1971-74).

View attachment 7681


----------



## crmoorhead

cwarchc said:


> Still working my way through this
> 
> Then I listened to the Bax symphony for the "Listening Club"


Further than I have got into the Ligeti boxed set. Very fascinating music, but it takes a while to digest.  I was listening to "Aventures" last week.

I am also listening to the Bax this evening just before bedtime and will continue listening tomorrow.


----------



## Taneyev

cwarchc said:


> Got to admit this is one of my favourite Elgar's


Really? Do you know Heifetz's and Sammon's ?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.7 {"Angel of Light"} and Symphony No.8 {"The Journey"}*, both performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Max Pommer.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas 4 & 5, with Korobeinikov (rec. 2008).

View attachment 7683


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have the classic Herbert von Karajan "reading" of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter, and David Oistrakh. I was looking for another recording of the Choral Fantasy so that I could trade in this disc:










I've never been a Barenboim fan... and I already have the concertos by Gardiner, Parahia, Kempff, Gilels, and Fleischer...

Thus I picked up this disc:










... and I ended up getting a great performance of the _Choral Fantasy_ with Brendel and the London Philharmonic... as well as another brilliant recording of the Triple Concerto with Claudio Arrau, Henryck Szeryng, and Janos Starker!


----------



## Crudblud

Teodori Anzellotti - Push Pull

Works for accordion by Salvatore Sciarrino, Rolf Riehm, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Vinko Globokar and Toshio Hosokawa.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I have the classic Herbert von Karajan "reading" of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter, and David Oistrakh. I was looking for another recording of the Choral Fantasy so that I could trade in this disc:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've never been a Barenboim fan... and I already have the concertos by Gardiner, Parahia, Kempff, Gilels, and Fleischer...
> 
> Thus I picked up this disc:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... and I ended up getting a great performance of the _Choral Fantasy_ with Brendel and the London Philharmonic... as well as another brilliant recording of the Triple Concerto with Claudio Arrau, Henryck Szeryng, and Janos Starker!


Re HvK LvB Triples, I prefer the Mutter/Ma/Zeltser (DG). Haven't heard your most recent acquisition, probably because I avoid Inbal.

I've given Choral Fantasy several tries, including that Brendel. No stickie, yet.


----------



## Ondine

Bruch's Violin Concerto,


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *All are performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.


----------



## opus55

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> I was listening to this on my iPod, caught up in imagining the sounds of the streams and birds, when suddenly I stopped and realized I was really in an alley in 90-degree heat. Music sure can transport you to another place.
> 
> View attachment 7669


I'm jealous. It's been a while since I've travelled in time/space listening to music.

Early in the morning I was very impressed by exciting performance of CPE Bach's symphony

CPE Bach: Sinfonia in B minor, Wq. 182/5, H. 661










I also listened to some tracks of Telemann Overtures featuring violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch. I don't like Telemann *yet*. I'm looking to get more Wallfisch recordings.

Now listening to Mahler 3














I probably won't last the first movement - I'm tired


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Harpsichord Concerto in D major


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some really great stuff here! Kuhlau is an interesting figure because he's kind of hard to classify. He fits into the Classical era but many of his works are quite in the Romantic vein. These piano quintets are more Beethovian than Mozartian and yet you hear elements of both. I've always enjoyed his chamber works especially his compositions for flute but these piano quintets are some of his best work no doubt!










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> I'm jealous. It's been a while since I've travelled in time/space listening to music.
> 
> Early in the morning I was very impressed by exciting performance of CPE Bach's symphony
> 
> CPE Bach: Sinfonia in B minor, Wq. 182/5, H. 661
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also listened to some tracks of Telemann Overtures featuring violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch. I don't like Telemann *yet*. I'm looking to get more Wallfisch recordings.
> 
> Now listening to Mahler 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I probably won't last the first movement - I'm tired


CPE Bach is very underrated. Very enjoyable music. Not your typical Classical Era sound.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
- String Quintet in E flat major
- String Quartet No.13 in G major


----------



## SimonNZ

"Parloe e Querele d'Amore" Madrigals For Two Voices - Ensemble Barcarole


----------



## Sid James

More vinyls -

*Khatchaturian* _Gayaneh ballet highlights_
London SO under Anatole Fistoulari

*Sibelius* _Pelleas & Melisande ; The Oceanides ; Sym. #7_
Royal PO under Sir Thomas Beecham

*Cabaret songs from the jazz age *(album)
*Songs of Schoenberg, Satie, Poulenc, Oscar Straus, Weill, Roussell, Gershwin, Eisler*
Margaret Field, soprano ; David Miller, pno.

Enjoyed them all. A note re the Sibelius one, it was a live concert recorded to celebrate the composer's 90th birthday, and at this time Maestro Beecham received an award from the Finnish government for his services to promoting Sibelius' music. There's a photo on the back of the cover with him being congratulated at the concert by Finnish officials. I think those who like Grieg's _Peer Gynt _will most likely enjoy *Sibelius' Pelleas & Melisande*, some parts are quite similar, esp. the death scene with that big swelling of massed strings, and outpouring of grief and a release of emotion in a work that generally speaks to atmosphere rather than pure emotion.


----------



## SAKO

neoshredder said:


> CPE Bach is very underrated. Very enjoyable music. Not your typical Classical Era sound.


I heartily agree. CPE appears to have been caught on a tightrope; a rather elegant tightrope, between the Baroque and Classical, neither one nor the other. The Hamburg Sinfonias are a prime example of this, a musical dead end that works nonetheless.

But a very good composer and sadly underrated as you say. The Naxos CD of the Sinfonias is an excellent recording I can recommend.


----------



## SAKO

This arrived yesterday and is an interesting and enjoyable HIP recording on original instruments;

*Schubert's Trout Quintet* by the Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Ensemble.

The last quarter of the CD contains a selection of Schubert's songs; not everybody's cup of tea, but beautifully performed and oddly enjoyable.

The new price is rather costly, but I bought through Amazon Marketplace for much less I'm happy to say.









http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00000E4YV/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Nicholas Maw* (1935-2009), _Sophie's Choice_ (2002)


----------



## Taneyev

S 4:

SCHULMAN Alan: them and var.for viola&piano.

SCHUMANN Camillo: cello sonata Nº1.

SCHUMANN Robert: piano trio Nº1 (Gilels-Kogan-Slava)

SCHUMAN William: string quartet Nº3.


----------



## SimonNZ

Troubador songs by Bernard de Ventadour - Beatus


----------



## crmoorhead

neoshredder said:


> CPE Bach is very underrated. Very enjoyable music. Not your typical Classical Era sound.


I have been eying up that disc for purchase in the next week or so. I haven't heard any of the music of the other Bachs yet.


----------



## crmoorhead

Two versions of Mahler's fifth. Might also put on my Haitink LP version if I have time.















The one in the boxed set is by the LPO under Klaus Tennstedt.


----------



## Vesteralen

Listened to this one again today and was suddenly struck by how two of the themes in the first movement reminded me of other melodies, namely the Dizzy Gillespie/Charlie Parker bop classis "Salt Peanuts" and the Broadway melody "We Need a Little Christmas". 









Really liking these Antheil discs.
Speaking of things soundig like other things, I was noticing how much the end of the McKonkey's Ferry Overture reminded me of Vaughan Williams Fourth - 1st movement.


----------



## campy

*Schumann*: 4th symphony (NY Phil/Bernstein)


----------



## Jared

Die schone Mullerin...


----------



## Crudblud

Corelli - Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 No. 1, 2 & 3 (I Musici)

I've heard some very negative comments about this group, personally I don't see what the problem is.


----------



## neoshredder

Crudblud said:


> Corelli - Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 No. 1, 2 & 3 (I Musici)
> 
> I've heard some very negative comments about this group, personally I don't see what the problem is.


Old recording with modern instruments. Also played at a slower tempo usually.


----------



## Crudblud

neoshredder said:


> Old recording with modern instruments. Also played at a slower tempo usually.


It had been built up to seem like some hideous abomination of baroque music, but I think it sounds just fine.


----------



## science

The first one is Elgar's Symphony #2.


----------



## Ondine

science said:


>




Keith Jarrett is just gorgeous!


----------



## Crudblud

Webern - Complete Music (Craft): LP 2

Covering Op. 9-20


----------



## Ramako

I realised I haven't actually listened to all Haydn's symphonies, so I'm going through them all now numerically. I'm up to 3. It's good fun


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas with Pletnev, then Xiao-Mei.

View attachment 7702
View attachment 7703


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Apparitions and Atmospheres*

This is Leon Botstein with the American Symphony. The cover is the same, just with a different name. It's only $1.78 on Amazon.

Then *Elgar's Violin Concerto.* Kennedy's recording is what brought the piece to life for me.


----------



## SAKO

Ramako said:


> I realised I haven't actually listened to all Haydn's symphonies, so I'm going through them all now numerically. I'm up to 3. It's good fun


You should be done by Easter. :lol:


----------



## Jared

Manxfeeder said:


> *Elgar's Violin Concerto.* Kennedy's recording is what brought the piece to life for me.


agree wholeheartedly, especially with Tod conducting...

I'm not a massive Nige fan, but his Elgar and Walton recordings are indispensible...


----------



## SAKO

*Baroque Orchestral Works: Pachelbel: Canon & Gigue; etc.
*
Pinnock and The English Concert.

Johann Pachelbel, Henry Purcell, Tomaso Albinoni, Frederick Handel, Joseph Haydn.

Another superb CD bought for a few pounds through Amazon marketplace, performed exceptionally as one expects from Pinnock and the English Concert.

I'm tempted to take a look at more from Pachelbel and Albonini, neither of whom I'm largely acquainted with.


----------



## Vesteralen

The Persichetti and the Diamond I get.

Babbitt's is a bit beyond me yet. Sounds like one of those "pops and clicks" spectaculars at this point. I can deal with it if I'm picturing an avant-garde movie or something, but as just pure music for listening - not yet.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphonies 1 & 2, with CSO/Solti (rec. 1989-90), then *Roussel*: Complete Chamber Music, with Schonberg Quartet et al (rec. 1994).

View attachment 7716
View attachment 7717


----------



## cwarchc

Odnoposoff said:


> Really? Do you know Heifetz's and Sammon's ?


No I haven't
I'm still very much a new boy, so there's a lot I have not had the pleasure to hear yet
I'll have a search around and have a listen, I'm rather partial to Elgar.
Thanks

I've found it YT and enjoying it now.
Not sure about the sound quality (but that maybe the copy that's been uploaded)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8*

I'm starting with the adagio. Tennestedt lets it breathe. It's probably a little too slow if it's your first introduction to the piece, but if you've heard it a few times, it's interesting.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
- String Quartet # 14 in A flat major
- Violin Sonata and Sonatina 

*C.A. De Beriot*:
- Violin Concerto # 1,2,3,5


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Symphony #1 in C (Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, String Quartets Nos. 9 and 7.*


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's concerto for solo piano played by Hamelin.


----------



## Guest

Some really great stuff by a nearly forgotten contemporary of Beethoven...









I recommend this disc to anyone who likes LvB's Piano Concertos. I bet many people would like K's concertos more. At a minimum, these concertos are of the same high quality but sound fresher.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Fricsay and Verdi make for one Rock-n-Roll Requiem!:lol:


----------



## Guest

EricABQ - that album definitely deserves a picture of the cover (in all its gory detail):

View attachment 7730


----------



## EricABQ

BPS said:


> EricABQ - that album definitely deserves a picture of the cover (in all its gory detail):
> 
> View attachment 7730


It is an awesome cover, but there seems to be an error with your image. Maybe ts just me that's not seeing it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Hummel sonatas - Susan Alexander-Max, fortepiano


----------



## drpraetorus

oddly enough, Pink Floyd. However, Brunhildes Immolation is up in a couple minutes.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Cello Suite No. 5.*

A friend's husband just passed away suddenly, and I'm trying to process it. Bach has a way of helping me work through my feelings.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Etudes, Op. 10
Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Orthodox Chant - Paul Hillier


----------



## SAKO

Last night I listened to SCHUMANN'S Symphony No.1.

David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.

Superb. Not a HIP recording, but fresh and vibrant, wholly suited to one of my all time favourite symphonies, and at a budget price.


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Oceanides - Vassily Sinaisky


----------



## Sid James

*The Swingle Singers Jazz Sebastian Bach album*

Great album, it shows *Bach* can swing. Its actually quite minimal and pared down (with only drumkit, double bass and sometimes piano to provide a rhythm section accompaniment to the voices). Some of the pieces have quite different vibe here, eg. the _Air on the G string_ came across as kind of ghostly, but not creepy, just a bit otherwordly. There was even a canon here that received its world premiere recording on this disc. The notes say that they left the integrity of the scores untouched, just changed the 'voices' from instrumental to vocal, basically. The quote by Faure when he said people should not treat BAch's music with "excessive reverence" and stifle it and make it boring is on the back cover also, I really like this quote, Faure was a modern thinker! & I actually prefer this to Bach's choral music, but these works where originally instrumental (eg. pieces from the _Art of Fugue_ and_ WTC_ abound on this recording).

Here is one of the pieces on the album, which Glenn Gould said he liked:


----------



## Taneyev

S 5:

SCHWARZ-SCHILLING, Reinhardt: string trio.

SCOTT Cyril: string quartet Nº2.

SGAMBATTI Giovanni: piano quintet.

SHEBALIN Vissarion: piano trio.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


*

I absolutely adore the Swingle Singers, and while all the albums from their first ten years (with the original lineup) are a treat that debut is something quite special*


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.3 - Martha Argerich, Ricardo Chailly (live)

not to be confused with the famous studio recording by this team


----------



## Morgante

*Giovanni Battista Sammartini*

_Cantate sacre: Della Passione di Gesù Cristo e L'addolorata Divina Madre_

Masterwork!


----------



## campy

Beethoven: _Eroica _Symphony. (Paavo Järvi/Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen)


----------



## Manxfeeder

SAKO said:


> Last night I listened to SCHUMANN'S Symphony No.1.
> 
> David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
> 
> View attachment 7740


I'll join you! I actually have an autographed CD from the conductor himself. Unfortunately, there's no story there; I bought it on Ebay, and the signature came with it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*

After Barnes & Noble's sale, I've ended up with all of Szell's Beethoven symphonies but this one. It doesn't look like they sell this one separately, so I'm listening on Spotify. So far, it isn't distinctive enough to make me chase it down.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rochberg, Symphony No. 5.*

I'm wanting to get more into Rochberg's music, so I'm listening from a recommendation from joen_cph. This is twelve-tone? It's very accessible, if stormy.


----------



## NightHawk

*@Morgante* - Very glad to see this post on sacred vocal music of Sammartini. I have been interested in acquiring some of his works for a while, yet still I only have a symphony (sinfonia) in F major, which if memory serves, has four movements - a surprising Germanesque touch in this early classical composer. It is really more a trio sonata/dance suite and is graceful, and simple in structure, but carries a master's touch.



Morgante said:


> View attachment 7747
> 
> 
> *Giovanni Battista Sammartini*
> 
> _Cantate sacre: Della Passione di Gesù Cristo e L'addolorata Divina Madre_
> 
> Masterwork!


----------



## NightHawk

*@Manxfeeder* - Rochberg's _Slow Fires of Autumn_ for flute and harp is a remarkably original and beautiful work.









My 1000th post 

note: well, it _was_ my 1000th post, but now it shows 1001; pin tumblers must be loose.


----------



## NightHawk

Listening to Schnittke's _In Memoriam _, the 1978 orchestral version of the _Piano Quintet _1972) and _Viola Concerto_ (1985). There is a consistency of atmosphere about the recording as a whole that is very satisfying. These two are master works in my view; passionate and rhapsodic in numerous passages, however, being Schnittke, there are great contrasts, as well. The first movement of _In Memoriam_ is both awe-some in the truest sense of the word and, ultimately, tragic. The Viola Concerto should be often performed in public (I don't know if it is or not), it is a masterpiece no less than _In Mem_. It too, is quite mournful, and elegiac. *****Highly Recommended.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 5, with RPO/Shipway (rec 1996). I have two favorite M5 recordings. This one, and Lenny's DG (rec. 1987). Shipway accomplishes the impossible here. He out-Lenny's Lenny for sheer terror, as required.

One of RPO's finest outings, in pristine sound. A CPR (Certified Perfect Recording). This particular reissue is 32-bit remastered. For those interested, a hybrid is available, reissued in 2011.

View attachment 7752


----------



## Vaneyes

campy said:


> Beethoven: _Eroica _Symphony. (Paavo Järvi/Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen)


Bravo! Their entire cycle is magisterial. A limited edition box of LPs has been released. I'm waiting for the CDs box. I'm rarely a box-buyer.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to more of my 20th Century Collection Playlist I setup for myself. This century has probably the most variety compared to any other century.


----------



## Ramako

Tchaikovksy's violin concerto (mov 1 atm).

This is the first time I have enjoyed this piece - it is really clicking for me. This is exciting


----------



## cwarchc

Menuhin playing Szymanowski Notturno e Tarantella, Op. 28

Followed by Rattle and the Birmingham SO playing Szymanowski Litany to the Virgin Mary Op. 59 

Getting back to my roots?


----------



## Taneyev

Ramako said:


> Tchaikovksy's violin concerto (mov 1 atm).
> 
> This is the first time I have enjoyed this piece - it is really clicking for me. This is exciting


Be careful with that piece. Once it got you, it won't let you go. It can chase you for the rest of your life.


----------



## Taneyev

cwarchc said:


> Menuhin playing Szymanowski Notturno e Tarantella, Op. 28
> 
> Followed by Rattle and the Birmingham SO playing Szymanowski Litany to the Virgin Mary Op. 59
> 
> Getting back to my roots?


Now you should listen to Wieniawsky (both brothers).


----------



## cwarchc

Odnoposoff said:


> Now you should listen to Wieniawsky (both brothers).


Thanks
I'm doing it as I type, another composer added to my wishlist


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 9 (Maderna)


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 8. Szell

Beethoven, Symphony No. 8. Gardiner

Beethoven, Symphony No. 8. Norrington

Clemens non Papa, Missa Pastores. Tallis Scholars

As they used to say on Sesame Street, one of these things is not like the other.


----------



## neoshredder

Just checked out a lot of Violin Concertos at the library. Listening to Paganini's Violin Concerto at the moment.


----------



## Ondine

I love this recording.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Just checked out a lot of Violin Concertos at the library. Listening to Paganini's Violin Concerto at the moment.


Have you listened to his fifth? I love the fifth.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Currently listening to *Ligeti's* _Aventures_ and _Nouvelles Aventures_ and before that _Le Grand Macabre._


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Have you listened to his fifth? I love the fifth.


Haven't heard it. Only heard his 24 Caprices until now. I'll look it up on youtube.


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Bach's Violin Concertos. It's been a good day for music.


----------



## millionrainbows

This is the ninth volume of Audiphile Classics' gold disc Beethoven sonata cycle, this time featuring Galina Sandovskaya (b. 1969) playing the "Hammerklavier." (continued after gumbo)
We familiars all know what a nut to crack the Hammerklavier is. Perhaps is was the deafness, and the writing became more orchestral, less piano-friendly. I'm blown away by the unassuming Galina's handling of this formidable technical challenge. From the splashy, distracted opening, to the strange, short scherzo, we wander off into a rambling 30-minute introspection, with several abrupt modulations (and not simple V of V stuff). This is revealed to me in this recording. Great sound, great artists in this series.


----------



## Sid James

*Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice - Jesus Christ Superstar* (EMI)

In Lloyd Webber's rock opera, Jesus himself is largely put in the background, and the other characters - esp. Judas, but aslo Mary Magdalene, King Herod and Pontius Pilate - are put in the foreground (as well as the Roman oppression of the Jews). So its the story of the passion, but seen from the viewpoint of others (kind of post-modern?). Anyway, some great songs here and use of a leitmotif system throughout to bind it all together. One of my favourite songs is little known, _Pilate's Dream_, in which Pilate wakes up from a nightmare where he foresees that he has to condemn an innocent man to death. Its only about 2 minutes long but pretty powerful. When Jesus does finally get a song,_ I Only Want to Say_, he's about to be killed, its on the Mount of Olives. He asks God "Why should I die?" Its quite human, Jesus is shown to be like an ordinary person experiencing extraordinary things.

*William Bolcom, Satie, Schoenberg - Cabaret Songs *(Surprise album)
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano / BBC SO / David Robertson, cond. (DG)

I love this album. I also love the cabaret genre for its irreverence and taking every opportunity to make a comment on all the absurdities of life, and also bring in things like political issues. *Bolcom's* songs are about a bunch of outsiders - from a former Mafia guy, to a drag queen, to a composer (!) and so on - while *Schoenberg's *set covers many issues, from how out of touch the Austrian emperor was (his crown is symbolically blown away by a strong gust of wind), to making fun of Victorian morals - and *Satie's* songs have this surreal quality, esp. _L'Omnibus automobile_, which has a bus going through the streets of Paris mowing down people like a juggernaut, an obvious symbol of the futility of the First World War. This Canadian soprano is amazing, she says in the notes she aimed to sing each composer's music totally differently, suited to their style and aesthetic, and I think she achieved this aim to a high level.


----------



## Crudblud

Halffter - Paráfrasis (Halffter/Rostropovich)


----------



## ArthurBrain

Evocative stuff....


----------



## aleazk

Trying to finish Nono's 'La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura', but it's too long!, 50 minutes.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 5 In C# Minor*

I've been listening to a lot of Mahler the last few days - now playing the 5th Symphony and after this I will listen to Symphony No. 3.


----------



## Crudblud

Nancarrow - Piece No. 2 for small orchestra (Metzmacher)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

With all the talk and discussions around J.C. and C.P.E. Bach, I had to give this a listen. Emma Kirkby is wonderful... as usual. Right now I'm listening to this recording:










From a rare 1956 recording on vinyl... again on Spotify


----------



## ArthurBrain

A beguiling movement from Messiaen's 'Eclairs'. So rich in harmony....


----------



## Crudblud

Maderna - Piano Concerto (Gorli/Arciuli)


----------



## ArthurBrain

Lutoslawski with the Paganini variation for pianos. Invigorating....


----------



## ArthurBrain

From Britten's 'Variations On A Theme By Frank Bridge'. Highly emotive and powerful IMO....


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still exploring the Bach family... this time Carl Phillip Emanuel's Cello Concertos played by Truls Mork:










Again... on Spotify.


----------



## Conor71

*Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 78, "Organ"*

Next I will play this newly arrived Disc for a first listen - I own a couple of different versions of the Saint-Saens Symphony but this will be the first version of the famous Dukas piece I have owned. After the new Disc I will play Disc 1 of the Scriabin set which is also a fairly new arrival. I have listened to all of the Scriabin set already but I have'nt memorized it yet - my first impressions of the music were good but I think it will take me a while to get to know it so I may play it a few times today for starters


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> Now listening to Bach's Violin Concertos. It's been a good day for music.


^ Love Wallfisch

Schumann

Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Waldszenen, Op. 82


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*: Symphony #3

From Naxos Collection. very adorable symphony


----------



## jani

Thanks for Kevin.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> From a rare 1956 recording on vinyl... again on Spotify


Jennifer Vyvyan! I love her recordings, but they're very hard to find and I've never seen or heard of that one before.

I just went and dug out this 10'' of Mozart concert arias I was lucky enough to find a few months ago for another listen:


----------



## jani

Starting a day with a Beethoven symphony = great day


----------



## SimonNZ

Old Roman Chant - Marcel Peres


----------



## campy

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 85 (Artur Balsam/Winterthur Symphony/Otto Ackermann)


----------



## SimonNZ

25 songs from Hugo Wolf's Italienisches Liederbusch - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore (1960)


----------



## Taneyev

S 6:

SIBELIUS: Theme and variations for solo cello.

SIMONSEN Rudolph: quintet clarinet and strings.

SIMPSON Robert: string quartet Nº8.

SIMPSON Daniel Leo: string quartet "viola profonda"

SIVORI Camillo; selection of short pieces for violin&piano.


----------



## SimonNZ

Odnoposoff said:


> S 6:
> 
> SIBELIUS: Theme and variations for solo cello.
> 
> SIMONSEN Rudolph: quintet clarinet and strings.
> 
> SIMPSON Robert: string quartet Nº8.
> 
> SIMPSON Daniel Leo: string quartet "viola profonda"
> 
> SIVORI Camillo; selection of short pieces for violin&piano.


I know you've probably said it before and I'm sorry to make you repeat yourself, but how are you choosing the works you play on the alphabetical composer list?


----------



## ProudSquire

Elgar - Salut d’Amour, Op. 12


----------



## Taneyev

SimonNZ said:


> I know you've probably said it before and I'm sorry to make you repeat yourself, but how are you choosing the works you play on the alphabetical composer list?


Easy, have an alphabetical list of my chamber works, by names of composers. When I finish it, I'll began with Brahm's chamber on historical recordings.


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1
Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## drpraetorus

shostakovich string quartet 9


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Stravinsky: Firebird - piano transcription


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Symphony 2, with VPO/Bernstein.

View attachment 7780


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms String Sextet No. 1.*

Wonderful all 'round.









Followed by Rochberg's Slow Fires of Autumn.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Schubert: Symphony No.5 and Beethoven Symphony No.6

Both are wonderful, with beautiful melodies.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Various orchestral works by Bach played by melodicas on YouTube.


----------



## ArthurBrain




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to this magnificent recording with Manze on Violin. Hogwood conducting.


----------



## ArthurBrain




----------



## neoshredder

Here's a great Concerto off that Albinoni cd.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

neoshredder said:


> Listening to this magnificent recording with Manze on Violin. Hogwood conducting.


I've been meaning to pick up that recording for quite some time. In fact... I could almost swear that I did order it. 

Today's listening... so far... included:




























And I'm still working my way through this:


----------



## Hausmusik

*Haydn
Missa In Augustiis ("Nelson Mass") 
Neville Marriner: Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden*


----------



## NightHawk

*****Highly Recommended.


----------



## NightHawk

@Manxfeeder - so - did you care for Rochberg's _Slow Fires of Autumn_? Don't pull any punches, I've got thick skin


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## ArthurBrain

Not surprised that this has blown organs up before....


----------



## ArthurBrain

One of my favourite concertos of any instrument.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm giving this set (2 discs) a second spin. The symphonies are quite fine... joyful and energetic... but it is the intimate _Stabat Mater_ scored for small chamber group and the Quintet that are brilliant.


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> @Manxfeeder - so - did you care for Rochberg's _Slow Fires of Autumn_? Don't pull any punches, I've got thick skin


Youtube only has the first half, but from what I've heard, I think it's very interesting. It has an Oriental feel to it, but, to its credit, it doesn't use the pentatonic scale; what makes it feel non-Western is its spareness and sense of space. Though it doesn't sound easy, I think it would be fun to play once mastered because of the way it floats through solo spaces and in its interactions with the harp.

Now I'm listening to *Roger Sessions' Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7.*

This is not easy music, but he has a lovely way of orchestrating which keeps me hanging in.


----------



## Crudblud

Nancarrow - Studies for Player Piano (Wergo): Disc 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez (Julian Bream and the Melos Chamber Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis)
Britten: Courtly Dances from _Gloriana_ (Julian Bream and the Julian Bream Consort)
Vivaldi: Lute Concerto RV93 (Julian Bream and the Julian Bream Consort)


----------



## ArthurBrain

Ear bending stuff by Ives. May sound gorgeous or cacophonous depending


----------



## neoshredder

Just got the Corelli cd in the mail today. Llstening to it now. Awesome as expected.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Haunting....


----------



## ArthurBrain

Crudblud said:


> Nancarrow - Studies for Player Piano (Wergo): Disc 1


Hadn't heard these pieces in years, interesting for sure. Study 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've never bought into the notion that only Tchaikovsky's last 3 symphonies were of any merit. The Symphony no. 1 "Winter Dreams" was perhaps the work that first led me to appreciate not only Tchaikovsky... but Romanticism as a whole. I've never been big on Lorin Maazel... but I do have two fine recordings by him... this one of Tchaikovsky's _Symphony no. 2_ _"The Little Russian"_ and Rimsky-Korsakov's _Symphony no. 2 "Antar"_... and his recording of Prokofiev's _Cinderella_ with the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## violadude




----------



## Arsakes

*Elgar*:
- Cello Concerto
- Pomp & Circumstances
- Serenade for string orchestra
- Froissart
- Cockaigne
- Symphony No.1 in A flat major


----------



## jani

Steve vai's composition called middle of every where, its suppose to be very dissonant etc... ( according his words, i am listening it for the first time now)
The music starts at 06:00
http://radio.omroep.nl/ug/13521965/?silverlight
The whole recording is 3h long so it may have several works, i don't know if its the first piece but i am gonna listen the whole recording anyway.


----------



## neoshredder

Too much Baroque today. I'm craving 20th Century music now. Good to have a balance of Eras to choose from. We're in the golden age of versatility for Classical Music.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor {"Unfinished"}* *and Symphony NO.9 in C Major, D 944 {"The Great"}*, both featuring the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening Bruch's Symphony 1 on youtube.


----------



## Jared

^^ Interesting.... I feel Bruch's symphonies aren't recorded often enough. I have two sets, the Masur and the Conlon... on balance I slightly prefer the latter, although I can't help feeling I wished someone like Abbado or Chailly could have tackled these works..


----------



## SimonNZ

The Hugo Wolf Society: The 1931-1938 Recordings


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## SAKO

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


If blessed with the company of a six foot tall redhead by the name of Karen Gillan, I would not be running in the direction the Doctor appears to be. :devil:


----------



## SAKO

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO 5.
SHUMANN SYMPHONY NO 1.

Spine, shivers, down the, etc.


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert: Death And The Maiden

Not a big fan of chamber, but this is of course very nice..


----------



## SAKO

Ravndal said:


> Schubert: Death And The Maiden
> 
> Not a big fan of chamber, but this is of course very nice..


I'm a lover of Schubert, and yet Death and the Maiden, despite me owning 2 different recordings of it, has never really gripped me the way I feel it ought. Perhaps I'm missing something. I'll have to concentrate on it more.


----------



## Ravndal

That is weird. I don't like the first movement though, but the other 3 movements is very good. Should focus on them


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Villa-Lobos: Études and Suite Populaire Brésilienne played by Julian Bream.


----------



## peeyaj

I don't care about Rachmaninoff!! His overt sentimentality puts me off. But hearing his Piano Concerto no. 2 played by Richter made me appreciate his music! Heavenly..


----------



## peeyaj

Ravndal said:


> Schubert: Death And The Maiden
> 
> Not a big fan of chamber, but this is of course very nice..


I love Death and the Maiden. Certainly one of the greatest string quartets ever written and in my shortlist of the greatest chamber music. It is Schubert's ultimate masterpiece on the genre. You must listen to his String Quartet no. 15, which is more intense and personal to the Death and the Maiden. I have the Busch quartet recording of this masterful works.



SAKO said:


> I'm a lover of Schubert, and yet Death and the Maiden, despite me owning 2 different recordings of it, has never really gripped me the way I feel it ought. Perhaps I'm missing something. I'll have to concentrate on it more.


You must listen to the original Lied on which the song was named. You will appreciate how Schubert integrate the song to the quartet.






This wiki article also is very helpful. There are audio snippets there, which is very helpful to the listening experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No._14_(Schubert)

Also, my favorite recording of this work. Listen to this.


----------



## Taneyev

I know that I should go on with my loved "S". but it's time to left her and move on. So..

T 1:

TAILLEFERRE Germaine: string quartet.

TAKHTAKISHVILI Otar: flute sonata.

TANEYEV Alexander: string quartet 2.

TANEYEV Sergei: string quintets op.14&16.


----------



## RonP

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K622 and Oboe Concerto in C Major, K314, performed by the Academy of Ancient Music.


----------



## campy

Laurence Bitensky: _Fearsome Critters _(U.S. Marine Band/Col. M. Colburn)


----------



## SAKO

peeyaj said:


> I love Death and the Maiden. Certainly one of the greatest string quartets ever written and in my shortlist of the greatest chamber music. It is Schubert's ultimate masterpiece on the genre. You must listen to his String Quartet no. 15, which is more intense and personal to the Death and the Maiden. I have the Busch quartet recording of this masterful works.
> 
> You must listen to the original Lied on which the song was named. You will appreciate how Schubert integrate the song to the quartet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This wiki article also is very helpful. There are audio snippets there, which is very helpful to the listening experience.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No._14_(Schubert)
> 
> Also, my favorite recording of this work. Listen to this.


You must listen to the original Lied on which the song was named. You will appreciate how Schubert integrate the song to the quartet.

That's certainly a finer performance than both of my recordings. Will have to re-evaluate.


----------



## NightHawk

*@Vanyeyes* - re Beethoven Symphony Cycle _Paavo Järvi/Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen_

On my list - but so expensive - the Hybrid SACD's - no experience; read up on them, no real conclusion. What do the audiophiles of TC have to say about the format?


----------



## millionrainbows

Listening to John Bull (c. 1562-1628) played on organs, harpsichord, virginal, and clavichord.

The virginal sounds pretty good, like a smaller harpsichord, but the poor little clavichord struggles to be heard, sounding to me like polyphonic banjos.

The tunings are all mean-tone variants, so there's plenty of archaic spice, except for the final organ tracks, which are in a well-tempered tuning, after Arnold Schlick (1512).

I'm also reading through a used Grove book I picked up yesterday, for more info on these instruments.





















"The Bull in field by force doth raygne, but Bull by skill good will doth gayne."


----------



## NightHawk

@Manxfeeder re _Slow Fires_ - yes, it definitely has something of a Zen 'state of mind' about it. I had forgotten all about it until I read your OP, I have it on a neglected LP from the 80's I imagine, somewhere.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 7793
> 
> 
> The Hugo Wolf Society: The 1931-1938 Recordings


That looks intriguing. Wolf's lieder?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 2.*

I'm listening to Norrington today; lively, with a nice sense of the overall line (meaning phrases aren't chopped into bit-sized pieces).


----------



## millionrainbows

StlukesguildOhio said:


> That looks intriguing. Wolf's lieder?


http://amzn.com/B000009OQC


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Takemitsu's Orchestral Works.


----------



## neoshredder

Some Locatelli for me now. I got some great cd's but decided to go with this one. Don't know why.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Haydn
Opus 76 Quartets
Quatuor Mosaiques*

Simply perfection.


----------



## Ravndal

peeyaj said:


> I love Death and the Maiden. Certainly one of the greatest string quartets ever written and in my shortlist of the greatest chamber music. It is Schubert's ultimate masterpiece on the genre. You must listen to his String Quartet no. 15, which is more intense and personal to the Death and the Maiden. I have the Busch quartet recording of this masterful works.
> 
> You must listen to the original Lied on which the song was named. You will appreciate how Schubert integrate the song to the quartet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This wiki article also is very helpful. There are audio snippets there, which is very helpful to the listening experience.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No._14_(Schubert)
> 
> Also, my favorite recording of this work. Listen to this.


will have to check it out. thank you


----------



## SAKO

*BRUCKNER*

SYMPHONY NO. 5

Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Sir Georg Solti

in its original Decca 2 x 12" vinyl box set.


----------



## Crudblud

Nancarrow / Antheil Piano Works (Henck)


Edit: It was a bit rubbish.


----------



## EricABQ

I'll be listening to Mozart's piano concerto #11 while doing some grilling.

I'm working my way through Carmen Piazzini's complete set of the concertos. I'm so far very happy with the purchase.


----------



## Sid James

peeyaj said:


> I love Death and the Maiden. Certainly one of the greatest string quartets ever written and in my shortlist of the greatest chamber music. It is Schubert's ultimate masterpiece on the genre. You must listen to his String Quartet no. 15, which is more intense and personal to the Death and the Maiden. I have the Busch quartet recording of this masterful works.


Yeah the 15th SQ of Schubert is like that, I agree. If Ravndal is more inclined towards 20th century music, it might be more to his/her taste. It is wierd in that its kind of psychopathic in the first two movements, but the last two movements are not as intense. Its got this split personality. I too have that historic Busch Quartet recording (coupled with the 14th SQ). But a good stereo recording is by the Brandis Quartet, I had it on tape, and I think its been reissued on a budget label: http://www.allmusic.com/album/schubert-the-great-string-quartets-mw0001860576. In the 15th quartet, Schubert was (like Beethoven) pioneering string techniques that really would not come to the fore and be more fully understood until the early 20th century. They were THAT ahead of their time, these great innovators.


----------



## Sid James

Weekend listening -

*Copland *
_Concerto for clarinet with string orch. (with harp & piano)* 
Old American Songs (sets 1 & 2)**_
* Benny Goodman, cl. / ** William Warfield, baritone / Columbia SO under the composer (vinyl)

The clarinet concerto starts with a dark tune much reminiscent of the start of Mahler's 9th symphony, going on to a cadenza for clarinet reminding me of jazz but also bird-song, and topped off by a sprightly and rhythmic final movement in which the piano gets going. The songs are great too, and both these soloists where the guys who did the premieres of these works in the late 1940's and early '50's.

*Stravinsky* _Firebird Sute_
Danish National Orch of the State Radio under Erik Tuxon (vinyl)

I especially like the 'infernal dance' bit, it has this rhythmic power. Been ages since I'd heard this.

*Mary Poppins (the musical)*
Music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (with additional music & lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe)
Australian cast recording, live in Sydney 2011

A great musical to finish, with hit songs such as _A Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds, Chim Chim Cher-ee_ and (of course!) _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious_.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> That looks intriguing. Wolf's lieder?


Yes, Wolf's lieder, some of the earliest recordings, originally a subscription-only delux-packaged limited edition in conjunction with HMV. The recordings are still highly regarded, despite being in an older style which is less pretty - though often more clearly articulated - than modern singers would attempt. Worth finding also for the massive booklet that comes with the 6-lp box (and presumably also with the cd box) which includes an invaluable Graham Johnson-like song by song commentary, and also has long essays on aspects of Wolf's lieder by the likes of Ernest Newmann.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Sinding's 'Rustle Of Spring'....evocative memories with this piece.


----------



## neoshredder

I need to get more into Modern again. Glad I found this at the library. Listening to it right now. The Rihm choice is obviously a lot more modern sounding.


----------



## ArthurBrain

The Sacrificial dance/finale to Stravinsky's 'Rite Of Spring' with Salonen conducting, and with obvious passion. Brilliant performance of the work overall IMO though youtube - in its 'wisdom' - won't allow it anymore....


----------



## peeyaj

Sid James said:


> Yeah the 15th SQ of Schubert is like that, I agree. If Ravndal is more inclined towards 20th century music, it might be more to his/her taste. It is wierd in that its kind of psychopathic in the first two movements, but the last two movements are not as intense. Its got this split personality. I too have that historic Busch Quartet recording (coupled with the 14th SQ). But a good stereo recording is by the Brandis Quartet, I had it on tape, and I think its been reissued on a budget label: http://www.allmusic.com/album/schubert-the-great-string-quartets-mw0001860576. In the 15th quartet, Schubert was (like Beethoven) pioneering string techniques that really would not come to the fore and be more fully understood until the early 20th century. They were THAT ahead of their time, these great innovators.


The fourth movement!!!! It changes from *G major to G minor* almost like as fast as you can turn on/off a light bulb. Crazy modulations!!


----------



## Ondine

neoshredder said:


> I need to get more into Modern again. Glad I found this at the library. Listening to it right now. The Rihm choice is obviously a lot more modern sounding.


I like Sophie too Neo, but -in risk of being wrong- seems she have been quite controversial and not of general taste. But what really matters is her attitude on stage.


----------



## Ondine

I know it is not classical. Hope this do not matters for the place where it should be posted.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Hauntingly abstract from Feldman....


----------



## ArthurBrain

Sublime ethereal music from Ligeti. Once I've heard this I want to hear Neptune from Holst's Planets suite....and vice versa....


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3 , Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}* *and Symphony No.4*,* Op.29* *{"The Inextinguishable"}, *both featuring the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## SimonNZ

RonP said:


> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K622 and Oboe Concerto in C Major, K314, performed by the Academy of Ancient Music.


That's one of the great recordings for having the listener hear an over-familiar work as if for the first time.


----------



## neoshredder

Mozart - Violin Sonatas CD 3.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

^You have excellent tastes neoshredder.


----------



## neoshredder

MaestroViolinist said:


> ^You have excellent tastes neoshredder.


So do you obviously.


----------



## Arsakes

*R.V.Williams*:
- Fantasia on a theme
- Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus
- The Lark Ascending
- The Wasps, Aristophanic Suite Overture
- Phantasy Quintet
- String Quartet # 1 & 2
- Six Studies in English Folk Song
- Symphony # 2 in G major ('A London Symphony')

Dvorak:
- Symphony # 2,3,4 & 5


----------



## SimonNZ

"O Cieco Mondo: The Italian Lauda 1400-1700" - Huelgas Ensemble


----------



## SimonNZ

"In The Streets And Theatres Of London: Elizabrthan Ballads And Theatre Music" - The Musicians Of Swanne Alley

I think this is the first time I've heard sung the version of Packingtons Pound with lyrics by Ben Jonson


----------



## Arsakes

*Berwald*:
Symphony Singulière in C
Symphony Sérieuse in G minor
Serious and Joyful Fancies
Piano Concerto
Violin Concerto in C sharp minor


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Hummel's Piano Concerto in A minor - Stephen Hough


----------



## Taneyev

T 2:
TANSMAN Alexander: string quartet Nº4.
TCHAIKOVSKY Boris: piano trio.
TCHAIKOVSKY Pyotr: String sextet (Kogan-Gilels-Barshai-Slava & co.)
THILMANN Johannes: string quartet Nº2.
TOLDRA Eduardo; seis sonetos violin&piano.


----------



## campy

*Dvořák*: G minor piano trio (op. 26) Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## jani

I can't stop listening to this recording


----------



## millionrainbows

This is the 7th disc in the Audiophile Classics Beethoven sonata cycle, 10 gold discs in all, 7.99 each. Excellent recordings and superb performances.

The sonatas 19 & 20 are really more like 2-movement sonatinas, and are considered the easiest way in for beginners. The trick for experienced players is to keep the simplicity and make them effective, which Igor Lebedev (nice bow-tie and curls) does admirably. His technique is impeccable. Butted-up next to these is the No. 21, the "Waldstein," which appears to be a continuation of the simplicity, but gets technically involved very quickly, with super-long, florid runs of scales, which Lebedev pulls off with perfect ease. A pleasure to listen to. He also does something with the sustain pedal in one part that sounds transcendent. This, I believe, is my favorite Beethoven sonata, at the moment anyway.

The last selection here is Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54, which in some circles is considered to be a lesser sonata, or even a failure. It does certainly not fail here, in the hands of Dmitri Efimov. He does some things here with octaves and dynamics that are very exciting. Damn, these Russians are good!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Apollon Musagete.*

After hearing Apollon Musagete, someone asked Stravinsky if he composed it with Greece in his mind. "No," he replied. "I had strings in mind."

Dutoit takes a cool piece and adds tinges of warmth to keep a nice flow.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ArthurBrain said:


> Hauntingly abstract from Feldman....


Cool! I just finished Apollon musagete, so now I'm jumping into *Coptic Light.*


----------



## Carpenoctem

Mozart : String Quartets

Currently listening to "Haydn Quartets" and they are so damn good.


----------



## millionrainbows

jani said:


> I can't stop listening to this recording


I tell you what, I love those Russian musicians. I almost always prefer to hear Russian violinists! Maxim Vengerov is fantastic in this concerto. It's in my cart as of now. Thanx jani!


----------



## NightHawk

from Wikipedia.com

_Schoenberg had made a return to tonal writing upon his move to America and, though the Violin Concerto (1936) uses twelve-tone technique, its neoclassical form demanded a mimesis of tonal melody, and hence a renunciation of the motivic technique used in his earlier work in favour of a thematic structure (Rosen 1996, 101). The basic row of the concerto is:
A-B♭-E♭-B-E-F♯-C-C♯-G-A♭-D-F _

Excellent recording - Kubelik with Szeryng, Bredel, and Zeitlin (Berlin and Bavarian Radio Orchestras).


----------



## Morgante

Symphony N. 67 by Haydn. [Fischer]
Lives the classicism!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Orchestral and Chamber, with Craft, Sherry, et al.

View attachment 7832
View attachment 7833


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> That's one of the great recordings for having the listener hear an over-familiar work as if for the first time.
> 
> View attachment 7818


This Hogwood's one of my CPRs.


----------



## Hausmusik

* 1000: A Mass for the End of Time
Anonymous 4 *


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> Some Locatelli for me now. I got some great cd's but decided to go with this one. Don't know why.


Maybe because his birthday was near?


----------



## Vaneyes

SAKO said:


> BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO 5.
> SHUMANN SYMPHONY NO 1.
> 
> Spine, shivers, down the, etc.


A few aches and pains here, but I took some Ibuprofen, so I'll be alright.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Stravinsky, Elegy for JFK - Stravinsky
Stravinsky, In Memoriam, Dylan Thomas - Boulez
Stravinsky, The Dove Descending - Stravinsky 

I like the Dylan Thomas and T.S. Eliot works, mainly because I like their poetry, and he does interesting things with them. The Elegy is too spare for my tastes, at least as of now.


----------



## SAKO

*Tomaso Albinoni*

Sonata for flute op6. no. 7
Sonata for flute op.4 no.2
Sonata for oboe op.6 no.2


----------



## Guest

The Albeniz rhapsody...









I don't want this music to end. But wait... I'll just turn on auto-repeat... he he.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven
String Quartet #16 in F, Op. 135
Tokyo String Quartet*


----------



## Crudblud

Bartók - Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 (Doráti)


----------



## Crudblud

Bartók - String Quartets 1, 2 and 3 (Tátrai SQ)


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti's piano etude 'Fem':






I'm trying to play this on the piano, is really hard!. I want to play it by memory, but it's curious, the difficult part is not the 'muscular memory', instead, I make mistakes because, aurally, is really hard to memorize the incredibly asymmetrical rhythmic and melodic pattern.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Petrushka, Agon, Fireworks.*

I'm going through my Stravinsky CDs trying to talk myself out of getting the Complete Works of Stravinsky. I know it's only $33, but the CD stack in my office is getting so high, it would qualify me for an episode on Hoarders.


----------



## aleazk

Bartok, piano concerto No.2, second movement. That string section kills me!


----------



## campy

Schubert: "Little C Major" symphony. [Les Musiciens du Louvre/Minkowski]









Lovin' this set so far!


----------



## ArthurBrain

Schnittke: Faust Cantata


----------



## Guest

ArthurBrain said:


> Schnittke: Faust Cantata


Thanks for the link. Boy, did this man have issues! Not exactly pretty, is it?


----------



## ArthurBrain

MacLeod said:


> Thanks for the link. Boy, did this man have issues! Not exactly pretty, is it?


Well, Schnittke dealed with a lot of turbulence in his life, both physically and emotionally and that's reflected in some of his music. That said I think this piece has a lot of lyricism in it, and he's one of those composers that make the tonal passages striking as well.

I would say his 'prettiest' work is probably the 'Choir Concerto'. Pretty much tonal throughout as I recall....and which I'll probably listen to next as it's been a while...


----------



## Ravndal

Listening trough Chopin Nocturnes played by Rubinstein


----------



## ArthurBrain




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Symphony No. 5.*

I'm listening to Minkowski. He has produced some lovely playing here. But my heart still belongs to Beacham.


----------



## campy

Smetana: *Má Vlast* (Czech Phil/Kubelik-Prague Spring 1990)


----------



## Praeludium

Toshio Hosokawa, Serenade for guitar, played by Giacomo Fiore :


----------



## crmoorhead

*Ligeti'*s Piano Concerto from the Ligeti Project box set. Listening to a program on BBC3 Discovering Music examining this work. Very interesting so far! 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00gqql2


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Britten's Violin Concerto.


----------



## millionrainbows

The Book of Abbeyozzud (an invented word) is a planned series of twenty-eight pieces comprised of works for the guitar, either solo or in combinations with other instruments. All the pieces have Spanish titles and are indebted to the great Spanish traditions and to those traditions upon which Spanish music owes its heritage.

David Tanenbaum plays fine nylon-string guitar here, and there is a lot of great violin playing from Tracy Silverman. It sounds improvisatory, but is all through-composed, so hats off to the players here for making it sound so natural.

This is actually a good way to really get into Terry Riley's head as a composer, because it shows how he thinks about rhythm and melodic lines, themes, and harmony. A thoroughly enjoyable and accessible album for anyone who likes Spanish music, the guitar, and the violin.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto #1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Leon Fleisher; George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Well-Tempered Clavier on piano.


----------



## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* - _Piano Concertos 1 & 2_
Peter Katin, piano with the London SO under Anthony Collins (vinyl)
An earlier review of mine HERE

*Lerner & Loewe* -* My Fair Lady *(musical)
Original film recording, cast incl. Marni Nixon (singing Audrey Hepburn's role as Eliza Dolittle) & also REx Harrison and Stanley Holloway
Conducting & musical supervision by Andre Previn.

A favourite musical of mine, I esp. like Stanley Holloway's songs _With a Little Bit of Luck _and _Get me to the church on time_. He's a lovable rogue.


----------



## opus55

Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Brahms: Violin Concerto


----------



## tdc

This piece of music cuts right to my soul like few pieces can. Thank you Schnittke, you genius, for expressing so adequately and succinctly such things that I cannot express through words.


----------



## Sonata

Haven't really posted in days due to having company over the long holiday weekend!!

Right now: *Mahler's 2nd symphony*. Otto Klemperer conducting. Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus

Earlier over the last couple days: *Chopin's ballads, barcarolle, berceuse, and some of his preludes.* 
*Corelli's first concerto grossi*. And for my piano concerto listening project, *Tchaikovsky #1, Liszt #1, Schumann* and *Dvorak*


----------



## millionrainbows

tdc said:


> This piece of music cuts right to my soul like few pieces can. Thank you Schnittke, you genius, for expressing so adequately and succinctly such things that I cannot express through words.


(at 8:00) Things like you want to kill your mother with a butcher knife? Just joking. It does get rather psycho at that point.


----------



## ProudSquire

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Wiener Philharmoniker Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan


----------



## peeyaj

It's Mozart's time. Being obsessed with his piano concerti these past few days.

*Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor* - in my humble opinion, the most exquisite and perfect piano concerto ever written

*Piano Concerto no.21 in C Major*

both played by Murray Perahia











Later listening:

*Piano Concerto in A minor* by Edvard Grieg

played by Claudio Arrau










This is my ultimate recording of my favorite piano concerto in Romantic era. Grieg kicks Brahms and Schumann's *** in this recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Un Frisson Francais: A Century Of French Song" - Susan Graham, mezzo, Malcolm Martineau, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Sebastian Knupfer choral works - The King's Consort


----------



## science

Kancheli's "Lament" is for Luigi Nono, a composer that I'd argue deserves a little more fame than he has.

The Messiaen cover art used to be my avatar here, back when I had less fear of the moderators!

















The Ysaye is a disappointment to me. Personally, I'd say, stick with Bach, Paganini, Biber…


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 7849
> 
> 
> Sebastian Knupfer choral works - The King's Consort


What can you tell me about that disk?


----------



## SimonNZ

I can tell you that it's perfectly recorded and perfectly performed, as one now expects from The Kings Consort, and while being in the "Bachs Contemporaries" series I don't hear any of the deep theological and philosophical understasnding that comes with Bach (on the evidence of this selection at least), but this is still music making of great skill and charm, well above average in all respects. I wouldn't say you needed to rush to buy it or that it should be in every collection, but if you found yourself owning one you'd certainly enjoy it and think it money well spent. Knupfer - another Thomaskantor in Liepzig - is spoken of in his obituarty, according to the booklet, as "delighting even the saddest hearts", and that certainly comes across.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Taverner's Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas - Stephen Darlington


----------



## Taneyev

T 3:

TSINTSADZE Sulkhan: string quartet Nº6.
TUBIN Edward: alto sax sonata.
TURINA Joaquín: sonata española violin&piano.
TURNBULL Percy: son.violin&piano.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Yesterday: various YouTube videos of music by Eric Coates, *Ligeti's* _Requiem_
Today: Nigel Westlake's _Antarctica Suite_ arranged from the film score, *Ligeti's* _Three Pieces for Two Pianos_ and both string quartets. 
Now: *Ligeti's* _Requiem_ yet again.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Legendy
Violin Concero
Cello Concerto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_(Dvořák)


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Vaneyes

Celebrating *Anton Bruckner's* (1824 - 1896) birthday, with recs of his nine symphonies.

1. Bavarian RSO/Sawallisch (Orfeo, rec. 1984)
2. VSO/Giulini (Testament, rec. 1974)
3. BPO/Barenboim (Teldec, rec. 1995)
4. BPO/Jochum (DG, rec. 1965)
5. BBCSO/Horenstein (rec. 1971)
6. DSO Berlin/Nagano (naive, rec. 2005)
7. VPO/HvK (DG, 1989)
8. BPO/Jochum (DG, rec. 1964)
9. Dresden/Jochum (EMI, rec. 1978)

View attachment 7855
View attachment 7856
View attachment 7857
View attachment 7858
View attachment 7859


----------



## Vaneyes

Bruckner listening continued (Symphonies 6 - 9).

Correcting first post by adding Sawallisch Symphony 1 cover, not 9.

View attachment 7865


View attachment 7860
View attachment 7861
View attachment 7862
View attachment 7863


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Haven't really posted in days due to having company over the long holiday weekend!!....
> 
> 
> 
> Don't let that happen again.
Click to expand...


----------



## ProudSquire

Today I listened to:
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13
Karajan - Berliner Philharmoniker

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

Very cool stuff!


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> Sonata said:
> 
> 
> 
> Haven't really posted in days due to having company over the long holiday weekend!!....
> 
> 
> 
> Don't let that happen again.
> 
> 
> 
> No worries. I sacrificed 45 minutes of sleep so I could finish my Mahler symphony last night
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


----------



## Sonata

Brahms 2nd piano concerto. Ashkenazy, with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Bernard Haitink. Tremendous. My first listen, but I see why it was ranked the list as one of the best piano concertos.

Also, Schumann's Kinderszenen. One of my preferred solo piano works by him. The pianist is Dag Achatz, from Schumann: 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces.


----------



## Vaneyes

TheProudSquire said:


> Today I listened to:
> Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13
> Karajan - Berliner Philharmoniker
> 
> Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
> New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
> 
> Very cool stuff!


The T4's a sizzler, if it's the '58 rec. :tiphat:


----------



## Guest

It is certainly true what Alfred Cortot said of Faure's Sixth Nocturne, that "there are few pages in all music comparable to these." One of the most hauntingly, achingly beautiful pieces in the entire piano literature. I recently started sight reading it, and it is not easy (like every other Faure piece I've played).


----------



## Klavierspieler

Sonata said:


> Schumann: 100 *Supreme* Classical Masterpieces.


Quite right.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ligeti's Concertos


----------



## Sonata

Jeff N said:


> It is certainly true what Alfred Cortot said of Faure's Sixth Nocturne, that "there are few pages in all music comparable to these." One of the most hauntingly, achingly beautiful pieces in the entire piano literature. I recently started sight reading it, and it is not easy (like every other Faure piece I've played).


I have my eye on Faure. I really like his Requiem, and I'm quite enthusiastic to explore him more. I've heard good things about his nocturnes.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*David Diamond, The Enormous Room.*

This is based on ee cumings' book by the same name. I just found it on Project Gutenberg, so it will be interesting, having heard the music about it first, then read the book.


----------



## Sonata

Bach's sonata for flute and harpsichord in B Minor. After this I will traverse Mahler 2 again  This time my version from the Mahler Big Box with the Utah Symphony.


----------



## Crudblud

Varèse - Tuning Up (Chailly)
Messiaen - Joie du sang des etoiles (Wit)
Wellesz - Symphony No. 1 (Rabl)

Looking forward to hearing Wellesz for the first time, especially after I had such trouble finding this box on CPO.


----------



## cwarchc

This came in the post today.
Another penny bargain from Amazon
3 more on their way


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes pointed out it's Bruckner's birthday. Thanks for the heads-up! I wish I had time for all his symphonies today. But thinking I'd probably find him spending his birthday in the courts of the Lord, I'm listening one of my favorite works of all time, his* E Minor Mass.*

Frieder Bernius does a great job with this one - weighty, reverent, and with little vibrato so that all the lines stand out equally.


----------



## Crudblud

Nancarrow - Studies for Player Piano (Wergo): Disc 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 57 "Selig ist der Mann" - Helmuth Rilling


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Alfred Schnittke Radio on last.fm. A station based on what other listeners tend to prefer when they listen to a certain Composer/Artist/Band.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 57 - Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## crmoorhead

Some of this:


----------



## neoshredder

crmoorhead said:


> Some of this:
> 
> View attachment 7877


One of Bach's best works imo.


----------



## Crudblud

Brian Fenelly - Tesserae IV for bass trombone (David Bobroff)

From a bass trombone recital in Reykjavik in 1998, may be the only time it has been performed, but I can't say for certain.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Various micropolyphonic works from *Ligeti's* middle period including _Lontano, Melodien, Volumnia, Requiem_ and his cello concerto.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Duets with the Spanish Guitar* (vinyl)
Laurindo Almeida, guitar / Salli Terri, contralto / Martin Ruderman, flute

Some relaxing listening with* Almeida*, a master of the guitar from Brazil. Equally comfortable in classical, jazz and folk, he's mainly known by guitarists, it seems (and admired by them across the board). On this album he's joined by these two guests for a recital of instrumental and vocal pieces. Composers include Villa-Lobos, Faure, Ravel, Gossec and Chopin, but my favourites are the Brazilian folk songs arranged by modern composers of that country (including Almeida himself). This was recorded in the late 1950's.

*Peter Sculthorpe* - _Tabuh Tabuhan for percussion & wind quintet _(1968)
*Nigel Butterley* - _Variations for wind quintet, piano & recorded piano_ (1967)
The New Sydney Wind Quintet / Barry Heywood, Albert Setty, percussions / Joyce Hutchinson, pno. (Philips vinyl)

Two chamber works from the late 1960's by two of Australia's major post-1945 composers. *Butterley's* music draws from serialism and incorporates tape technology. *Sculthorpe's* draws from Balinese gamelan and builds on that his innovations in sonority, such as glissandos and also incorporating chance elements of John Cage. These came across as quite dark works overall, the Sculthorpe reminded me both of the Australian outback - that feeling of loneliness in a vast open space - and also Asian music, the start and finish with a stroke of the gong came across as like in religious rituals.


----------



## Sonata

Listening to Sibelius 5: Vanksa and the Lahti Orchestra. This is for the listening club . My set includes both versions of symphony 5, so if I have time and inclination this week, I may try them both.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart: The Last Four Quartets - The Julliard Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Overall... a powerful performance of _Don Giovanni_... although I still find Krips cannot be beaten for the great climactic scene.










I gave this marvelous disc a second listen before I put it up on the shelf.










I'm still working my way through this one... I'm finally up to the early mature works... marvelous!


----------



## Sonata

Brahms String Sextet #1.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Giuliani: Guitar concerto no. 2


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra, Von Karajan.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: symphonies 1 and 2, Tasmanian Symphony orchestra conducted by David Porcelijn. Very brisk, very lively performance.


----------



## Arsakes

*Bach*:
Brandenburg Concertos
Motets (BWV 225-230)

*Schumann*:
Overture to Genoveva Op.81
Concert Allegro with Introduction in D minor Op.134


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Arsakes said:


> *Bach*:
> Brandenburg Concertos
> Motets (BWV 225-230)


Which recordings?


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Beethoven: symphonies 1 and 2, Tasmanian Symphony orchestra conducted by David Porcelijn. Very brisk, very lively performance.


The TSO sounds ok? Thats good to know - I'm seriously considering a move to Hobart in the nearish future.

playing now:









Byzantine Chant - Sister Marie Keyrouz


----------



## Arsakes

Karl Richter, I think. I have these MP3s for a long time and their CD isn't accessible right now..


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Arsakes said:


> Karl Richter, I think. I have these MP3s for a long time and their CD isn't accessible right now..


Ohhhh.... I don't like Karl Richer's Bach.


----------



## ProudSquire

Saint-Saëns - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.2 in G minor, Op. 22
Philadelphia Orchestra - Eugen Ormandy
Philippe Entremont as the soloist

(*_*) >>>>>> (o|-|o) lol

I liked it quite a bit.


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius' Symphony No.5 - Colin Davis


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to side 2 on this great cd. Some beautiful music here.


----------



## SAKO

neoshredder said:


> Listening to side 2 on this great cd. Some beautiful music here.


I've had this CD in my Amazon 'save for later' basket for some time, but I've yet to press the buy button. Is it worth adding it to my collection?

I only have 2 Albinoni CD's, both compilations of his work, and feel I need to expand my collection, having enjoyed most of what I've heard.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Lamentations Of The Renaissance" - Huelgas Ensemble


----------



## SAKO

Last night before bed I spent an hour or so with *HAYDN*.

SYMPHONY NO. 45
SYMPHONY NO. 47
SYMPHONY NO. 50

From the Sturm und Drang CD by Pinnock and the English Concert.

This morning travelling to work in the car;

*SCARLATTI*

Sonatas

Played by Ivo Pogorelich.


----------



## neoshredder

SAKO said:


> I've had this CD in my Amazon 'save for later' basket for some time, but I've yet to press the buy button. Is it worth adding it to my collection?
> 
> I only have 2 Albinoni CD's, both compilations of his work, and feel I need to expand my collection, having enjoyed most of what I've heard.
> 
> View attachment 7894
> View attachment 7895


It's the one to get if you like Albinoni. Op. 9 are his most famous works other than the Adagio which he didn't even write. On period instruments and Manze on Violin.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tristan und Isolde Böhm 1966 tonight.


----------



## SAKO

neoshredder said:


> It's the one to get if you like Albinoni. Op. 9 are his most famous works other than the Adagio which he didn't even write. On period instruments and Manze on Violin.


At least we know he didn't write the Adagio, beautiful though it is.

I wonder just how many pieces out there, from centuries and composers long gone, were never composed by whom we suppose. Not deliberately to mislead, as with the Adagio, but mistakes by well-meaning scholars adding, adapting, adopting or simply confusing works in amidst a muddle too long gone to untangle.

Just as famous artists would have a student complete a work, or writers were subjected to the meddling of an editor, it would come as no surprise if Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and others, were to raise an eyebrow at a work as we know it today, and say, "did I really write that?"

In German or Italian of course.


----------



## Ramako

SAKO said:


> At least we know he didn't write the Adagio, beautiful though it is.
> 
> I wonder just how many pieces out there, from centuries and composers long gone, were never composed by whom we suppose. Not deliberately to mislead, as with the Adagio, but mistakes by well-meaning scholars adding, adapting, adopting or simply confusing works in amidst a muddle too long gone to untangle.
> 
> Just as famous artists would have a student complete a work, or writers were subjected to the meddling of an editor, it would come as no surprise if Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and others, were to raise an eyebrow at a work as we know it today, and say, "did I really write that?"
> 
> In German or Italian of course.


Josquin's works are a nightmare to sort out.


----------



## SAKO

Ramako said:


> Josquin's works are a nightmare to sort out.


Yes, I read that on Wikipedia when I was looking him up. I 'inherited' a large collection of Medieval and Renaissance CDs I'm very, very slowly sorting through, including some by Josquin.

But even more recently than his lifetime it can be difficult to credit a work to its owner. Years ago when I was studying and collecting 18th and 19th century English literature, it's astonishing how much was published anonymously, to which no author can be assigned, or which unscrupulous writers claim to have written when clearly they did not. Music I can imagine is even worse, especially from the 18th century and earlier.


----------



## EricABQ

Liszt's concertos 1 and 2 from Zimerman's _The Liszt Recordings_ album.


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius*:
Symphony # 3 & 5
Violin Concerto


----------



## Taneyev

T 4:

THOMPSON Randall: string quartet Nº1.
TOCH Ernest: piano quintet. (Toch and Kaufman quartet, 1941)
TURNBULL Percy; son.violin&piano.
TYBERG Marcel: piano trio.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto


----------



## Vesteralen

My library has such a wide selection. I've been checking out every CPO recording in their collection for a while now, and I'm still only on the first page of three.

I love doing this because it introduces me to so many composers and so much music I'd otherwise miss -like this delightful disc from Louise Farrenc.


----------



## Vesteralen

Both a little outside my comfort zone, but I'm getting some of it. Though, what my co-workers in the next room are thinking, I can't say.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's 99 Essential on my Ipod speakers.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB *Piano Concertos: 1 & 3 with Michelangeli/Giulini; 2 with Argerich; 4 with Fleisher/Szell; 5 with Gelber/Leitner.

View attachment 7906
View attachment 7907
View attachment 7908
View attachment 7909


----------



## opus55

Bach, C.P.E: Sinfonia in C major, Wq. 182/3, H. 659
Borodin: String Quartet No. 2

















CPE Bach has become my new favorite music for morning commute


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schreker, Der Frene Klang.*

Schreker gets some interesting sounds from his forces.


----------



## Renaissance

I've just found him, and I am very happy with that. Anyway, Cyril turned out to be a real freak guy.


----------



## emiellucifuge

Tomorrow evening Im going to see a production of Schreker's opera, Der Schatzgraber. Im not really familiar with Schreker at all, but for the past week Ive been exploring another opera - Die Gezeichneten via this recording. Im very excited, its very original and fantastic music.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling HJ Lim's *LvB* Piano Sonatas. A disappointment. The playing is off the tracks. The recorded sound, tinny. The thematic progression beginning with Hammerklavier, not a good idea. All in all, one weird production that didn't need release. How dare she step into GG's territory!

View attachment 7915


----------



## NightHawk

So, I liked (rather) Morton Feldman's _Rothko Chapel_ and _Why Questions?_, as I posted several days ago. This work by Feldman







_For Samuel Beckett_,

at 43:17 is a great gift for your enemies (if you should have any). I listened to all of it, and it got some interesting toward the end as it sort of comes unglued. Not recommended*


----------



## NightHawk

@SAKO

*SCARLATTI*

Sonatas

Played by Ivo Pogorelich.

View attachment 7898


I have this wonderful recording by Pogorelich. I heard that after his wife passed away he began to play in a very bizarre fashion and is not recording or concertizing. If true, what a shame. His playing of these Scarlatti's is really so fine.


----------



## cwarchc

This one on the commute to and from work








More of my Amazon bargains arrived today
I've just listened to this one. I'm really enjoying Antoni Wit's interpretations 








I'm on this now, my first Schubert


----------



## Sonata

Rachmaninov Piano concerto 2

Steven Hough, Andrew Litton, Dallas symphony Orchestra


----------



## Avengeil

Bartok 2nd violin sonata


----------



## Sonata

Lully: Divertissesments de Versailles; Great Operatic Scenes.
With William Christie and Les Arts Florissants.

My first exposure to French baroque opera. The first time I listened it was not my cup of tea. Right now I am completely exhausted and trying to get more alert; I decided something less familiar to my usual tastes would stimulate my brain. Interesting so far, jury is still out.


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> at 43:17 is a great gift for your enemies (if should have any). I listened to all of it, and it got some interesting toward the end as it sort of comes unglued. Not recommended*


Thanks for the heads-up!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Albinoni* Op. 5, *Vivaldi* Op. 11, with I Musici. *Vivaldi* Op. 3 with Europa Galante.

View attachment 7922
View attachment 7923
View attachment 7924


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still working my way through this great box set of Mozart's complete piano concertos... a perfect alternative to the Gardiner HIP set. I'm finally up to the great mature concertos as there is some absolutely exquisite music here. After this??? Well this one just came in the mail so I might give it a spin...


----------



## Crudblud

Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major (Martinon)

Still the best interpreter of Ravel's orchestral works, I feel, although I find his Daphnis surprisingly lacklustre.


----------



## EricABQ

Debussy preludes played by Noriko Ogawa.


----------



## Ramako

Sibelius symphony 5, because of the listening club

I will be listening to it again with more care. I liked it this time (2nd) round a lot.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Following Bach's Mass in B-minor (a beautiful recording by Philippe Herreweghe...










... it was on to some Stravinsky... who I haven't listened to in quite some time:










I have long struggled to really come to terms... or rather really enjoy Stravinsky... beyond the early ballets (_The Rite_, etc...)... but I must say that this work is quite a plus in his favor. The opera, in spite of its French title, is sung in French... to a libretto based on a fairy-tale by Hans Christian Andersen. There are passages of simply beautiful singing by the Nightingale (Natalie Dessay), elements suggestive of Russian folk music, suggestions of Asian music, explosive Modernist percussion and dissonance, and such a colorful use of the orchestra.


----------



## Sonata

I'm on a stringed chamber ensemble kick tonight. I'll be listening to a couple of *Mendelssohn's early string symphonies* in a moment here. Right now I'm just finishing my second listen through of *Brahms string quintets* today alone. Very satisfying works now that I've gotten to know them. Pure string ensembles tend to take longer for me to break into than chamber works with piano or other instrument accompaniment. But I really enjoy these ones....except for a minute or so near the very end of String Quintet #2, there's a small bit that sounds a tad cartoonish. However, it's not enough to detract too much.

I believe I am getting myself onto a Brahms kick as of late. And I have to say this is a first. He is the only one of my Top 5 that I haven't had a binge on previously....but I might just be getting there. A relisten of his Piano Concerto #2 and fantastic German Requiem may be in the cards this week.



Crudblud said:


> Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major (Martinon)


I'm set to listen to that tomorrow!


----------



## opus55

This summer has been too hot and too long.. I need cooler weather so I can enjoy music better.

Weber: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 34
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Crudblud

Scriabin - 24 Preludes, Op. 11 (Lettberg)

Maria Lettberg's complete Scriabin set is something that's been on my "to listen" pile for some time, though I have poked around with it a little in the past and I think it should definitely be a keeper.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I first really came upon Jacques Ibert a short time ago through this EMI collection... although I have known of his 4 Chansons de Don Quichotte from a collection of French mélodies performed by José Van Dam...










I was immediately enthralled with his use of orchestration, his audacious and even irreverent quotation, and his "eclectic" style... shifting from elements suggestive of Impressionism to Hollywood to jazz to cartoons. By studio mate... a sworn Neo-Romantic tragedian was absolutely outraged... and kept yelling "What the hell is this?! ****-ing Bugs Bunny?!" You gotta love any music that can still outrage.:lol:

Unfortunately, Ibert was not the most prolific composer... and so beyond the EMI set the only disc I've found that struck me as worthy of picking up was this irreverent take on the Perseus and Andromeda narrative:










Then I stumbled upon this collection of Ibert's mélodies on Spotify. The music is quite beautiful... simple and evocative as the songs of Debussy and Faure. The songs for male voice are performed by Franck Ferrari, who I had never heard of... but looking him up I discovered that he is a French baritone well established with the Paris Opera. Catherine Dune, soprano, also seems to be a regular upon the French operatic stage, and in the recording studio for the French label, Maguelone. The pianist, Dalton Baldwin, I know from a number of recordings... including as accompanist to the great French singer, Gerard Souzay. The performances are quite good... so much so that I have placed this disc on my "Want List"... unfortunately, it's out of print... and so I'm left with saving it on Spotify.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This summer has been too hot and too long.. I need cooler weather so I can enjoy music better.

You just need an air conditioner.:lol:


----------



## drpraetorus

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Sei Sonate, M.S. 27, Op. 3










One of my early purchases when I was in college. I hear a lot more now even in these simple pieces.


----------



## Sonata

Concluding my "string ensemble" evening with Debussy's string quartet in G Minor. Strange: I often have some difficulty with Debussy's piano works, and I generally love piano music. As I mentioned, string ensemble music isn't always an easy win for me either, yet I liked this string quartet right from the start. This version is done by the Travnicek Quartet, from Debussy: 100 Classical Masterpieces.


----------



## Crudblud

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies 1-9 (Cziffra)


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}, *performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Sir Adrian Boult.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"},*once again featuring Maestro Boult, this time leading the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

SAKO said:


> At least we know he didn't write the Adagio, beautiful though it is.
> 
> I wonder just how many pieces out there, from centuries and composers long gone, were never composed by whom we suppose. Not deliberately to mislead, as with the Adagio, but mistakes by well-meaning scholars adding, adapting, adopting or simply confusing works in amidst a muddle too long gone to untangle.
> 
> Just as famous artists would have a student complete a work, or writers were subjected to the meddling of an editor, it would come as no surprise if Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and others, were to raise an eyebrow at a work as we know it today, and say, "did I really write that?"
> 
> In German or Italian of course.


There where many like that, the Albinoni 'Adagio for strings' is just one of them. I heard a radio program dealing with this a while back, they featured about a dozen works of this type. Either wrongly attributed or bits and pieces of manuscripts cobbled together to make a work, or as in the Albinoni case, basing a work on a wafer of a tune from the composer (sometimes allegedly).

Other examples I remember from that program is a Mozart piano trio which was on the whole almost definitely not by Mozart (and its now officialy only attributed to him) and also things by Haydn that have been subsequently found not to be by him (but by others like Hoffmeister and Salomon, Haydn's manager, in effect, who was an accomplished musician). & of course the famous hoaxes of Fritz Kreisler writing various Baroque violin concertos - eg. by Vivaldi - which after a few years he revealed was a lie (what if it had gone to him in the grave? how long would it have taken to discover that ruse?).

Then there's stuff like the first 5 of Mozart's piano concertos, the orchestration of those was done by another person.

Fascinating area this, it kind of deflates that whole thing that such things have to be done by the golden touch of genius or some ******** like that.


----------



## aleazk

Ravel: _Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé_ and _Chansons madécasses_ (Boulez).


----------



## Sid James

*Sigmund Romberg* - _The Desert Song _(lyrics by Hammerstein II & Harbach) vinyl on Decca label

I think this was okay, but it comes across as more like operetta than a musical. Of course, its kind of transitional between the two, coming after WW1. *Sigmund Romberg *was a European pianist who did a tour of USA and ended up staying there to become one of the best composers of musicals. Some lovely music here.

*Bernstein* - _West Side Story _(lyrics by Sondheim)
Film soundtrack, Marni Nixon (uncredited, singing Maria, played by Natalie Wood), orch. under Johnny Green (Columbia label)

A long time since I'd heard this. I just love how *Bernstein* incorporated things like serialism into the 12-note _Cool Fugue_, and also the obvious influence of Berg's _Wozzeck_ (which also influenced Gershwin's _Porgy and Bess_). With that modern edge, you get soaring 'Romantic' songs like_ Maria _and _Tonight_. Great tunes, jazz and Latin rhythms, but also quite biting social commentary on juvenile delinquency and the migrant experience. I'm surprised that this was allowed by the censors in 1960's America, it was still quite conservative compared to today. The last song, _Somewhere _is always so moving, Tony is dying in Maria's arms, yet they sing about the future and a place somewhere for them to love eachother, but obviously it aint going to happen in reality, its a dream only. Heartbreaking, this is.


----------



## science




----------



## samurai

@ Science, I have the same Beethoven Cycle with HVK and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Which symphonies did you listen to tonight? What do you think of this cycle? I also have the John Eliot Gardiner Beethoven HIP Cycle, and have enjoyed both of them very much.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## science

samurai said:


> @ Science, I have the same Beethoven Cycle with HVK and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Which symphonies did you listen to tonight? What do you think of this cycle? I also have the John Eliot Gardiner Beethoven HIP Cycle, and have enjoyed both of them very much.


Hey, nice to see you again.

I listened to 1, 4, and 9.

I also have the Gardiner, and it's good too. Both good. Very close... right now I think I prefer Karajan by a bit. But when I listen to Gardiner, I think I prefer his. I have Zinman as well, and a few odds and ends (Kleiber 5 and 7 of course, Bohm 6, Furtwangler and Herreweghe 9).

I don't often judge recordings carefully, and haven't tried to do so with the Beethoven symphonies. The only thing I can say with conviction is that Kleiber 7 is the best 7 I've heard. I think his 5 might be the best I've heard to, but Karajan puts up a good fight there. (I love that Karajan/BPO sound. Not everyone is a fan of it, but I am.)

I think Karajan 4 is the best 4 I've heard, but I just listened to it last night and I haven't heard the others in more than a year, so I'd better not state that too confidently. With 3 and 9, maybe Gardiner would be my favorite. I don't know. I don't listen to Beethoven's symphonies very much! I'll make that a project over the next week or two and see what I come up with.

Edit: I just did Gardiner 5, which I hadn't heard in over a year. During the first three movements I though I would be coming here to say it's as good as Karajan or Kleiber. But that fourth movement, Kleiber has something, some excitement and joy that Gardiner doesn't have. I'll listen more closely to try to hear more specifically how that happens (I don't really endorse these emotion-only descriptions, there must be something more concrete that leads to that emotional experience).

How about you?


----------



## SimonNZ

"Songs from the Crimson Book of Montserrat" - Alla Francesca


----------



## Arsakes

No.3 is probably his best and No.9 is a very good one with only one movement.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

would you believe it: Sibelius' Symphony No.5 - Auckland Philharmonia, Radoslaw Szulc 

(live from the Auckland Town Hall)


----------



## SAKO

NightHawk said:


> @SAKO
> 
> *SCARLATTI*
> 
> Sonatas
> 
> Played by Ivo Pogorelich.
> 
> View attachment 7898
> 
> 
> I have this wonderful recording by Pogorelich. I heard that after his wife passed away he began to play in a very bizarre fashion and is not recording or concertizing. If true, what a shame. His playing of these Scarlatti's is really so fine.


That's very sad to hear. He is a fine pianist. I don't believe his playing of Scarlatti has much historical credibility, being too '19th century' perhaps, but he makes it his own by his wonderful performance.

I've just ordered his performance of Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1, with the LSO and Claudio Abbado on DG . I'm not a great Tchaikovsky fan, but it should be worth it just to listen to Pogorelich.


----------



## peeyaj

The weirdest thing I have ever watched this day. COAG won't forgive me for this saying that.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

the Brahms PC1 / Sibelius Sym5 concert ended early, so they're filling in time with a Haydn Piano Trio by The Florestan Trio


----------



## SAKO

opus55 said:


> This summer has been too hot and too long.. I need cooler weather so I can enjoy music better.




Summer? Oh yes, I vaguely remember them. I think I saw one in Spain once.

You should be over this side of the Big Pond opus55. You'll have all the cool weather you'll ever need. It outnumbers all Classical repertoire by a hundred to one. :lol::lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## emiellucifuge

Am I alone in thinking the first movement is one of Mahler's best?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

emiellucifuge said:


> Am I alone in thinking the first movement is one of Mahler's best?


Nope cos I think so too.

Listening to Wagner's Symphony in C.


----------



## Ramako

Lugebat David Absalon - from the famed composer Anonymous. It's from an excellent album of Josquin motets









http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002OXUHGS/ref=oh_d__o04_details_o04__i00


----------



## Taneyev

V 1:

VAINBERG: string quartet Nº7.
VALBORG AULIN Laura; string quartet Nº1.
VASILENKO Sergei: oriental raphsody clarinet&piano.
VAUGHAM WILLIAMS: string quartet.


----------



## Ramako

CPE symphonies, they're pretty good


----------



## SimonNZ

Ramako said:


> View attachment 7933


That album has been on my wishlist for some time now - along with about thirty other sets in the Veritas series.

Playing now, on the radio:









Louise Ferrenc's Sextet in C minor - Linos Ensemble


----------



## campy

Beethoven: "Emperor" piano concerto (Rudolf Serkin/Leonard Bernstein)


----------



## SAKO

*BRAHMS*

24 VARIATIONS AND FUGUE on the Theme of Handel, Op. 24.

Played by ORRETT RHODEN

on 12" vinyl.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some jazz-based orchestral-piano music:

*Bernstein, The Age of Anxiety*, Marc-Andre Hamelin with the Ulster Orchestra. Kind of a symphony/piano concerto, jazz-inflected.

*Bolcom, Piano Concerto*, same forces. Cheeky, Ives-influenced.

*Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major*, Skrowaczewski.

You can't have jazz-based orchestral-piano music without Gershwin popping up, so I'm capping it off with Michael Tilson-Thomas conducting the 1924 version of *Rhapsody in Blue*, whose clarinet intro was described by a BBC commentator as having the impact on Europe of a woman entering a bar in a form-fitting red dress.


----------



## Manxfeeder

More cheeky jazz-inflected music:

*Antheil*, various piano pieces. This guy was nuts when he was younger.









Then on to the 1927 Carnegie Hall version of *Ballet Mechanique*, if my wife's not in the room.


----------



## SAKO

*BEETHOVEN*

SYMPHONY NO.5

Andre Cluytens conducts the Berlin Philharmonic.

on vintage 12" vinyl.

A wonderful, rich old recording with a fine tempo, without the usual slushiness of the period. I see these Cluytens/Berlin Phil recordings are now available on CD. Very tempted; however, I know the CD sound is better, but I do love the tactile nature of vinyl against a CD.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: "Frank Bridge Variations", then String Quartets 1 - 3.

View attachment 7941
View attachment 7942
View attachment 7943


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 8.*


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Joan Tower's* (b. 1938) birthday, sampling her Cello Concerto with Harrell/Slatkin.

View attachment 7947


----------



## clavichorder

Ramako said:


> CPE symphonies, they're pretty good
> 
> View attachment 7934


Number 1 and 4 are the best, with the 5th symphony on the disc being one of the best from the string symphony set. I recommend the string symphonies as well.


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*:
Raymonda (Ballet)
The King of the Jews

I listened to both twice today!


----------



## Morgante

Listened today:

Mozart - Piano concerto N. 19
Sibelius - Symphony N. 1
J. S. Bach - Magnificat and cello suites N. 1, 3 and 5
*Beethoven - Symphony N. 6*
Mendelssohn - Organ sonatas N. 1 and 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies 35 and 39.*, then *Louise Farrenc, Clarinet Trio.*


----------



## NightHawk

Listening for the second time in two days to the last of three Morton Feldman discs I bought. The first I liked, the second I did not like, and the third, the _Piano and String Quartet_ at 79:33 with the Kronos Quartet and pianist Aki Takahashi is all that I hoped for from Feldman: s l o w, glowing, quiet, prismatic, haunting. Highly recommended*****


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> Listening for the second time in two days to the last of three Morton Feldman discs I bought. The first I liked, the second I did not like, and the third, the _Piano and String Quartet_ at 79:33 with the Kronos Quartet and pianist Aki Takahashi is all that I hoped for from Feldman: s l o w, glowing, quiet, prismatic, haunting. Highly recommended*****


I just finished *Arvo Part's Litany*. Now I'm jumping on your Feldman recommendation of the *Piano and String Quartet*. Thanks!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Enjoying a delicious performance of some Viennese Bon-Bons by Lehar.


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg* _Piano Concerto, Op. 42 _(1942) ; _Violin Concerto, Op. 36 _(1936)
Alfred Brendel, pno. / Wolfgang Marschner, vln. / So of Southwest German Radio, Baden-Baden under Michael Gielen (Vox, vinyl)

I love the layering in the _*Piano Concerto *_and also how this performance of the _*Violin Concerto *_is slower than what I'm accustomed to (Hilary Hahn's one). Maybe less intense and emotionally charged, but kind of emphasising clarity and I really heard the fragmentary 'theme' come and go. So its maybe more Classicist than Romantic? Interesting too how the opus numbers match the years, given Arnie's obsession with numbers, I wouldn't be surprised if them corresponding was deliberate.


----------



## crmoorhead

Despite the composer's self-criticism, I am rather enjoying *Shostakovich's Second Symphony* recorded by Haitink and the LSO. Also listening to some early music in the guise of this:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This set is a steal... and some absolutely marvelous performances. I've long had the Fleischer/Szell recording of Beethoven's 3rd and 4th Piano Concertos:










and the great recording of Brahms' piano concertos:










and the Beethoven Piano Concert no. 5/Triple Concerto:










But I thought, what the hell?! For the price of a single disc you can get all of these... as well as the Fleischer/Szell recordings of Beethoven's first 2 Piano Concertos... which I am currently listening to. perhaps I'll give the recording of the 5th away... another Christmas Gift:lol:...

******

While looking for the cover art for these on Amazon, I stumbled on this and immediately dumped it into the "Top of the List" file in my "Wish List":










Gould and Karajan... in the same room at the same time???!! I must get this. I also picked up Gould's recording of Beethoven's 5th with Leopold Stokowski. I have to hear both of these pairings.


----------



## Ondine

StlukesguildOhio said:


> and the Beethoven Piano Concert no. 5/Triple Concerto:


Simple, the triple concert is not from this world.


----------



## Crudblud

Hartmann - Symphony No. 2


----------



## Ondine

Jubilantly!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Simply gorgeous music. For whatever reason I find that _Sleeping Beauty_ resonates with me more than _Swan Lake_.


----------



## drpraetorus

HMS Pinafore


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia Antartica"} and Symphony No.8* *in D Minor,* both performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult. The* 7th* also features the London Philharmonic Choir.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6










It was a long day for me - 15 hours total outside the house. I hope to listen to other sonatas on the disc but I doubt I can stay awake that long.


----------



## NightHawk

And I need to get some of Part's music - hope you will be glad about the Feldman Piano and String Quartet!



Manxfeeder said:


> I just finished *Arvo Part's Litany*. Now I'm jumping on your Feldman recommendation of the *Piano and String Quartet*. Thanks!


----------



## drpraetorus

Tournament Galop, Gottschalk


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music For The Lion-Hearted King" - Gothic Voices

"The best record I have ever reviewed", said the original Gramophone reviewer


----------



## clavichorder

Iolanthe Overture by Arthur Sullivan.


----------



## drpraetorus

Flying Dutchman act 3, Furtwangler


----------



## clavichorder

John Field-Piano Concerto 7 in C minor.

This is one of my favorite piano concertos of all time. It has that formal freedom the could only work for a musical mind as spontaneous as Field's(a very rare thing); a gigantic 1st movement nearly 20 min. I usually just listen to the 1st movement. Its a world unto itself. Tchaikovsky, Grieg and other later composers who were good students of melody and classical restraint in romanticism greatly admired this work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Is that the Bamert or Guidarni recording of the Field Concerto?

playing now:









Froberger Harpsichord Suites - Christophe Rousset


----------



## clavichorder

The Italian one.

Ooh, Froberger!


----------



## Crudblud

Satie - Relâche (Abravanel)


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Ives' Psalms - Marcus Creed


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius*: Symphony # 1 & 6

*Giuseppe Tartini*: Sonata in g minor op.21 no.10 "Didone abbandonata"


----------



## Chrythes

Mahler - Symphony No.3.
I remember hearing it a while ago and not liking it for some reason. This time it captivated me. It's so diverse in its different moods, from being powerful and intense to joyful and somewhat childish (Mvmt. 5). Overall, it's an outstanding work of music.


----------



## campy

William Schuman: _New England Triptych _(US Air Force Heritage of America Band/Monroe)


----------



## Taneyev

V 2:

VIERNE Louis: son.violin&piano.
VILLA-LOBOS: string quartet Nº2.
VIÑAO Ezequiel. String quartet "Siroco dust"
VLADIGUEROV Pancho: son.Nº1 violin&piano.


----------



## Vesteralen

Braunfels happens to be one of the more obscure composers whose music I've actually had the opportunity to hear in concert. This is a fine disc of some gorgeous music. I recommend it. (Of course, I recommend a lot of stuff,so _caveat emptor_..)


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat, D.960 and 3 Klavierstucke, D946










I fell asleep on the morning commute train. When someone woke me up the entire train was empty. I had to first search for my glasses that I dropped then starting speed walking to barely catch the bus to work.

Nevertheless, the D.960 was a perfect choice for rainy morning.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Brahms and Mozart's Clarinet Quintets









I really can't tell which one I like more, both pieces are so lovely, full of emotion and grace.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Hausmusik

*Felix Mendelssohn
Concerto for Piano and Strings in a, MWV 02
Kristian Bezuidenhout; Gottfried von der Goltz: Freiburger Barockorchester
*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Corelli.


----------



## Sonata

I finished "round one" of my piano concerto listening project. Ravel's piano concerto for the left hand, Rachmaninoff's 2nd, and Grieg's concerto. Very enjoyable listening project! I have my "second round" already set up as a playlist. Fairly shorter this time through, as Dvorak, Grieg, and Schumann all only have one apiece, and I do not own a copy of Tchaikovsky's second. Still, there are a number of composers represented for the second round. I may start this today, or not. Whenever I'm moved to. 

I had a second listen through of Sibelius' #5 yesterday for the Listening Club, and I hope to get a third listen through in today..but only if I have quiet time to focus on the music.


----------



## Sonata

Carpenoctem said:


> Brahms and Mozart's Clarinet Quintets
> 
> View attachment 7975
> 
> 
> I really can't tell which one I like more, both pieces are so lovely, full of emotion and grace.


Excellent listening! Actually, from Mendelssohn concertos, to Mahler's 3rd, and Corelli, lots of thumbs up over the last two pages of this post


----------



## Arsakes

*Prokofiev*: Romeo and Juliet

*Smetana*:
String Quartet # 1 & 2
Festive Symphony in E
Festive Overture in C
Festive Overture in D, Op.4
Shakespeare Festival March Op.20


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven
Symphony #7 in A, Op. 92
Carlos Kleiber: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra*


----------



## Sonata

Yesterday: Suor Angelica again, and Brahms String Quintets. My last listen of the latter for awhile, and no slight on the music, as I've listened to it three days in a row!

Right now: Beethoven Missa Solemnis highlights. Sometimes, if there's a work that I have a hard time wrapping my whole head around, I'll pull out a few favorite tracks from the piece. I'll listen to those favorites a couple times through, and it helps gain familiarity so I can appreciate the whole work more. This is still the Otto Klemperer version, though I want to check my library for the Gardiner performance


----------



## ArthurBrain

A quite sinister take on a carol by Schnittke....


----------



## ArthurBrain

Typically haunting and atmospheric stuff from Ives, a visionary of his time....


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Chamber Music, with Rogeri Trio, Maggini Qt., et al.

View attachment 7981
View attachment 7982


----------



## Sonata

Death and The Maiden Quartet by Schubert. Performed by the Amadeus Quartet.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music At The Court Of Mannheim" - Nikolaus Harnoncourt

though I don't have it with this latest cover, but I simply cannot find the cover I've got as no.82 in the Warner Basic Edition series - the ones that look like this:


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 and 1
Szymanowski: Violin Concerto Nos. 1 and 2

















Replaying recent purchases


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morton Feldman*:
*Why Patterns? * There are patterns here, but you can't really hear them until you read something like Steven Johnson's essay on the piece.

Then various shorter pieces from another CD.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Right now: Beethoven Missa Solemnis highlights. Sometimes, if there's a work that I have a hard time wrapping my whole head around, I'll pull out a few favorite tracks from the piece. I'll listen to those favorites a couple times through, and it helps gain familiarity so I can appreciate the whole work more. This is still the Otto Klemperer version, though I want to check my library for the Gardiner performance


I hated the Missa Solemnis the first three times I heard it. The fourth time clicked. Now I think it's amazing. I really like what Gardiner did with it also.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tristan und Isolde again. I think I'll choose something else to listen to now. Heard Tristan enough this week.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Ivor Darreg with a nice microtonal composition....nice if you like microtonality anyway....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the best of Faure.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I gave a listen to Beethoven's Piano Concertos nos. 3 & 4 while working in the studio today. Then... since I was unable to listen to the entire ballet last night... and since I found it just so delicious... I gave this a second spin:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: Symphony no. 3 with the score.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

ArthurBrain said:


> A quite sinister take on a carol by Schnittke....


I simply had to listen to this video to see what the logic was behind all those nudes (William-Adolphe Bouguereau) and Schniktke and _Silent Night_... not as if we need any reason for nudes.

The piece is indeed a bit on the macabre side. I have thought for some time now that one of the weaknesses of atonal music is that it loses the expressive potential of the sudden contrast of dissonance.


----------



## NightHawk

That Josquin album also has the _Missa Hercule Dux Ferrariae_, which uses a technique called _Soggetto Cavato_, which you are probably familiar with, but here's a link anyway -(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soggetto_cavato)- it is a wonderful Mass along with the motets. The Kyrie, especially.



SimonNZ said:


> That album has been on my wishlist for some time now - along with about thirty other sets in the Veritas series.
> 
> Playing now, on the radio:
> 
> View attachment 7935
> 
> 
> Louise Ferrenc's Sextet in C minor - Linos Ensemble


----------



## Sonata

The sole movement from Mahler's Piano Quartet, his only published chamber work. Perhaps there are all sorts of objective criticisms that can be had, I don't know. What I do know is that I think this is a beautiful piece and I like it very much. I wouldn't mind if he had more chamber works....but certainly not at the expense of his wonderful symphonies and lieder.


----------



## ArthurBrain

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I simply had to listen to this video to see what the logic was behind all those nudes (William-Adolphe Bouguereau) and Schniktke and _Silent Night_... not as if we need any reason for nudes.
> 
> The piece is indeed a bit on the macabre side. I have thought for some time now that one of the weaknesses of atonal music is that it loses the expressive potential of the sudden contrast of dissonance.


Strangely enough the video itself doesn't start with the pic above so not sure why that happened, probably youtube.....it goes through an array of artworks but ah well....

I think where it comes to harmony and dissonance it all depends on the effect aimed for anyway. With this piece it's the obvious 'jarring' effect on the standard melody (though I like it). Then again, in some of Schnittke's works the unexpected introduction of consonance can have an equally surprising effect (I'm thinking of the piano quintet). With a lot of atonality, spectral music etc the aim isn't to _have_ such although it doesn't mean there isn't any the less of an expressive range within the fields.


----------



## Conor71

*Alfven: Symphony No. 5 In A Minor, Op. 54*

Now listening to the Alfven Symphony No. 5 - its quite an epic work!. Some of it is beautiful and some of it sounds quite cheesy, overall I quite like it. Next I will listen to the Alfven Symphony No. 4. I have listened to this work quite a few times and know that its a good one. I am in an Orchestral mood again today so later I will listen to Disc 1 of the Atterberg Symphony box


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the wand of Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again featuring Maestro Bohm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. XV/16,15,17










Haydn trios disc 6 of 10. I love box sets!


----------



## ArthurBrain

Love the video still to this. There is something _slightly_ spacey about this interlude in Prokofiev's 'Romeo & Juliet'....


----------



## Crudblud

Webern - Complete Works (Craft): LP 3


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}* *and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60*, both featuring John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. XV/16,15,17
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haydn trios disc 6 of 10. I love box sets!


I am developing a slight addiction to them myself. Prior to getting into classical music, I had transitioned to mostly downloades. But I've moved back into CD collecting lately (though I still download also). And there's something highly satisfying about boxed sets if they are of good quality.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Peeyaj's recommendation


----------



## neoshredder

Rise of the Masters - Chopin Great cover.


----------



## violadude

A minimalist composer that no one seems to talk about ever, Julius Eastman. This is a really powerful composition.


----------



## Sid James

Sonata said:


> The sole movement from Mahler's Piano Quartet, his only published chamber work. Perhaps there are all sorts of objective criticisms that can be had, I don't know. What I do know is that I think this is a beautiful piece and I like it very much. I wouldn't mind if he had more chamber works....but certainly not at the expense of his wonderful symphonies and lieder.


Well I recently got a recording of that work. I see it as the 'missing link' between Mahler and Brahms. Its a pity Mahler destroyed the rest. I mean there are plenty of links to Bruckner and of course Wagner, Beethoven too. But re Brahms, he did have at least some influence on Mahler, as this work shows (but I find it kind of more 'free' than Brahms, but its hard to tell without hearing the rest of the work). I have it on a 'twofer' coupled with Brahms' 3 piano quartets, played by the Domus group of UK. Its also being played often in chamber concerts, I suppose its the only thing that can be played, I don't know if there are more like this by Mahler (juvinelia?)._ Das Klagende Lied_ is another Mahler work from his formative years.


----------



## Ondine

Mozart's Wind Serenades


----------



## Ondine

violadude said:


> A minimalist composer that no one seems to talk about ever, Julius Eastman. This is a really powerful composition.


-Gorgeous!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> A minimalist composer that no one seems to talk about ever, Julius Eastman. This is a really powerful composition.


I had to check that out. It is awesome! 

Now I will listen to JS Bach's Sonatas for Violin and Keyboard.


----------



## violadude

Omg. I...love...Meredith Monk. This piece is so groovin!!


----------



## Sonata

Gorecki's third symphony. Christine Brewer, soprano. Atlanta symphony orchestra with Donald Runnicles conducting. Words can't express how moving this symphony is to me.

Followed by the middle movement; adante, from Mendelssohn's first string quintent. And now off to bed. I've stayed up way too late listening to music and talking to you fine people.


----------



## Arsakes

*Telemann*:
Suite for Recorder
Concerto for two Horns 
Concerto for Viola

*Saint-Saëns*: Piano Concerto No.3 in E flat


----------



## Crudblud

Satie - Works for Piano (Thibaudet): Disc 1

Interesting to compare with Ciccolini's set.


----------



## jdk

Can't stop listening to this piece. Translates to "Days of Anger". Very dark, yet brilliant.


----------



## Crudblud

jdk said:


> Can't stop listening to this piece. Translates to "Days of Anger". Very dark, yet brilliant.


I thought it meant "dance of death", or something to that effect.


----------



## jdk

So I heard anyway - Wouldn't be surprised if "dance of death" is the correct term.


----------



## SimonNZ

ArthurBrain said:


> Love the video still to this. There is something _slightly_ spacey about this interlude in Prokofiev's 'Romeo & Juliet'....


Thats a very familiar looking island they're flying over. I think if you look very very closely at the bottom left corner you can see me walking to the record shop on my lunch break.


----------



## violadude

Crudblud said:


> I thought it meant "dance of death", or something to that effect.


It does. Toten=of death, Tanze=Dance. I believe.


----------



## SimonNZ

NightHawk said:


> That Josquin album also has the _Missa Hercule Dux Ferrariae_, which uses a technique called _Soggetto Cavato_, which you are probably familiar with, but here's a link anyway -(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soggetto_cavato)- it is a wonderful Mass along with the motets. The Kyrie, especially.


I wasn't aware of that - thanks.

I've just been listening to the Hilliard recording of that Mass on Youtube.

Recognising a Cantus Firmus, and appreciating how a composer manipulates it is something I dearly wish to be much more knowledgeable about


----------



## drpraetorus

Gottschalk, Marche Solenelle


----------



## Lisztian

jdk said:


> Can't stop listening to this piece. Translates to "Days of Anger". Very dark, yet brilliant.


I listened to this today too. Except the piano/orchestra version. This is a piece of Liszt's, along with the Norma and Dante Fantasies, that I haven't had much patience for for awhile, but today I greatly enjoyed listening to Jorge Bolet play all three. Bolet is basically the epitome of the anti-virtuoso, fully musical, approach to Liszt's music - and that's probably why he's my favourite Liszt pianist. His musicianship is very rarely surpassed and he's made me rethink many Liszt works like the aforementioned three (although his Dante Sonata is as full blooded as any).


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint-Saëns*' day:
Piano Concerto # 1,2,4 & 5 (L'Egyptien)
Africa Fantasie Piano & Orchestra
Rapsodie d'Auvergne Piano & Orchestra
Violin Concerto # 1,2 & 3


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven's first two symphonies.


----------



## Taneyev

W 1:

WALTER Bruno: son.violin&piano.
WALTON: string quartet.
WEIGL Karl: String quartet Nº3.
WEINER Leo; son.Nº2 violin&piano.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti:* _Le Grand Macabre_


----------



## hocket

Ramako said:


> Lugebat David Absalon - from the famed composer Anonymous. It's from an excellent album of Josquin motets
> 
> View attachment 7933


Superb record, but Lugebat David Absalon has subsequently been securely attributed to Nicolas Gombert. Indeed it's his signature piece of music, with elements of it reused in a number of his other works (the awesome eight voice Credo for instance). For me, this is the definitive recording of it though.

I presume it was included on the Hilliard's album because it was once attributed to Josquin (similarly at least three of the tracks on their album of Josquin's motets have since been shown to be by others).

http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Lugebat_David_Absalon_%28Nicolas_Gombert%29


----------



## campy

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4, op. 43 (Philadelphia Orch./Myung-Whun Chung)


----------



## opus55

Sonata said:


> I am developing a slight addiction to them myself. Prior to getting into classical music, I had transitioned to mostly downloades. But I've moved back into CD collecting lately (though I still download also). And there's something highly satisfying about boxed sets if they are of good quality.


Getting box set is like buying someone else's collection. It's usually packaged nicely and compact. Musically, box sets help me follow a specific performer, conductor, composer in more depth. The only downside is that I still have to get other "best" recordings to supplement box sets.

I always try to buy used CDs and they are usually cheaper than digital downloads for classical music. There is also sentimental value which only gets greater over time with physical mediums like LPs and CDs. I'm planning for 30-40 years from now, I will be going through these discs in my study and cherishing these recordings.

Shostakovich: Ballet Suites Nos. 1 and 3
Mendelssohn: Piano Quartet No. 1


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Recognising a Cantus Firmus, and appreciating how a composer manipulates it is something I dearly wish to be much more knowledgeable about


Then you have some good listening ahead! If I could suggest starting with masses based on L'Homme Arme. The melody is easy to recognize, especially its opening line - it's almost exactly "We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - and all the masters have played with it.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Clarinet trio and first piano trio.


----------



## techniquest

> There is also sentimental value which only gets greater over time with physical mediums like LPs and CDs. I'm planning for 30-40 years from now, I will be going through these discs in my study and cherishing these recordings.


Which is exactly what I do now (except I don't have a study). So hang on to those cherished recordings - there aren't many things that can last a lifetime, but a carefully looked-after vinyl or CD recording will 
Meanwhile, I was listening to Shostakovich 12 this morning, and now I have Verdi's requiem on the turntable.


----------



## NightHawk

Beethoven: Symphonies No. 2 and No. 6 'Pastoral'

Noting some remarks between Vaneyes and another TC member regarding Jarvi's Beethoven cycle I ordered this pairing and am falling in love all over again. Always ready for another great Beethoven cycle, and this sampling indicates great things in store. Jarvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen are wonderful. Highly Recommended!*****


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko, op. 5 Tone Poem. Gotta keep filling in my knowledge gaps of Russian music!


----------



## Arsakes

*Mendelssohn*: String Quartet No.1 & 2

*Schubert*:
Symphony # 8,9 & 10
Symphonic Fragments in D (D615 & D708A)
String Quintet In C


----------



## hocket

Magnifique!


----------



## EricABQ

I'm going to watch college football on the t.v and listen to this video on my Ipad:


----------



## millionrainbows

I've gone straight.


----------



## Sonata

EricABQ said:


> I'm going to watch college football on the t.v and listen to this video on my Ipad:


interesting combo


----------



## jdk

Lisztian said:


> I listened to this today too. Except the piano/orchestra version. This is a piece of Liszt's, along with the Norma and Dante Fantasies, that I haven't had much patience for for awhile, but today I greatly enjoyed listening to Jorge Bolet play all three. Bolet is basically the epitome of the anti-virtuoso, fully musical, approach to Liszt's music - and that's probably why he's my favourite Liszt pianist. His musicianship is very rarely surpassed and he's made me rethink many Liszt works like the aforementioned three (although his Dante Sonata is as full blooded as any).
> 
> Thanks for those videos, enjoying them thoroughly.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the wand of Herbert von Karajan.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in C Major, Op.88, *featuring Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again with the Staatskapelle Dresden led by Maestro Blomstedt.


----------



## EricABQ

Sonata said:


> interesting combo


Yeah, it didnt really work. I had to turn off the music and just watch the game.


----------



## SimonNZ

Manxfeeder said:


> Then you have some good listening ahead! If I could suggest starting with masses based on L'Homme Arme. The melody is easy to recognize, especially its opening line - it's almost exactly "We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - and all the masters have played with it.


Oh, but the problem isn't that I'm not familiar with the music - I've heard a very great amount over the last two decades. The problem is recognising what elements of the tune have been used and how they have been manipulated to form the foundation of the new work.Its by no means as simple as just following a melody, or for my ears at least.


----------



## campy

EricABQ said:


> Yeah, it didnt really work. I had to turn off the music and just watch the game.


I can't imagine watching TV sports with*out* classical music on. 

Now listening to Leoš Janáček's _Taras Bulba. _(Brno Phil./Hrůša)


----------



## crmoorhead

Something different!









This arrived in the post earlier in the week - the outer CD case proudly states 'Made in West Germany'!


----------



## SimonNZ

"Bella Donna: The Medieval Woman" - Sinfonye

Opening with Martin Codax's Cantigas D'Amigo", a superb album - I'll be hunting down the other discs by this group as quickly as possible


----------



## violadude

This piece gets me high.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mendelssohn: Symphony no. 4 and A Midsummer Night's Dream.


----------



## hocket

Selva Morale e Spirituale; the moral and spiritual forest. Ensemble Elyma


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I may be finally warming to Stravinsky beyond the great early ballets. This is a marvelous collection of shorter pieces ranging from chamber works, to works for solo instrument, to symphonic and even choral pieces.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Oh, but the problem isn't that I'm not familiar with the music - I've heard a very great amount over the last two decades. The problem is recognising what elements of the tune have been used and how they have been manipulated to form the foundation of the new work.Its by no means as simple as just following a melody, or for my ears at least.


Oops! Sorry for the misunderstanding.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A powerful "old school" rendering of the great Mass in B-minor. Maria Stader, Ernst Haefliger, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performing Bach's choral masterwork as a great wall of music that washes over you.

My first version of the _Mass in B-Minor_ was Klemperer's classic "old school" rendering with with Nicolai Gedda, Janet Baker, and Hermann Prey.










Since that time I have picked up two HIP recordings... that of Philippe Herreweghe:










and John Eliot Gardiner:










Both of these recordings are far less massed in their sound... offering greater clarity or transparency. Herreweghe's recording strikes me as conveying a classical balance where Gardiner's is more muscular and emotional... and dare I say it... Romantic?

I admire all of these recordings... and as a Bach fanatic "had" to have them all. I thought these four would satisfy... but I see at least two more recordings that I have my eye on:

Marc Minkowski's:










Minkowski is known for his energetic interpretations of the Baroque repertoire... and studied Bach under Herreweghe...

And Masaaki Suzuki with the immaculate Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra:










A bit pricey... but who needs to eat?


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43*, featuring the American Symphony Orchestra led by Leon Botstein.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54,* performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yevgeni Mravinsky.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


As beautiful as Herreweghe's first recording from 1988 is, his second from 1996 really captures lightning in a bottle, and remains my favorite recording of the work.









And, as always, nothing but love for Karl Richter.

And free-associating a little to observe that I have the photo from the Minkowski cover on my copy of Andre Gide's The Vatican Cellars


----------



## ArthurBrain

Still has to be one of the most dramatic pieces of orchestral music written....Holst's 'Mars' from the 'Planets Suite' with the BSO and Steinberg conducting.


----------



## Ondine

Abiding in the timeless dimension of Beethoven's Triple Concerto:

Arrau, Szeryng & Starker,

Eliahu Inbal,

New Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Crudblud

Hovhaness - Prelude and quadruple fugue, Op. 128 (Werthen) / Concerto No. 8, Op. 117 (Amos) / Symphony No. 22, Op. 236 (Hovhaness)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65,* featuring the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Yevgeni Mravinsky.


----------



## Conor71

*Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57*

Currently listening to Disc 2 of the Nielsen set which features the Flute and Clarinet Concertos and a couple of Tone Poems, all interesting works!. Next I will play Disc 3 of the Atterberg set - I listened to Discs 1 & 2 of this box again this morning. I think I am growing to really like this one


----------



## Sid James

*Bernstein's* _On the Waterfront_ film music, the _Chichester Psalms_ and _Three Dances_ from _On The Town_ (Vocal soloists with Bournemouth So and choir under Marin Alsop on Naxos label)

Lenny did not have a good time working in Hollywood, much of his score for _*On the Waterfront*_ did not make it to the film (literally hit the cutting room floor). So he included a lot of the culled bits in this suite. It really packs a punch, reminiscent of Mahler and Berg, from the very rhythmic bits imaging the rough and tumble of New York's dockyards, to the gentle love scene between Marlon Brando and Eve Marie Saint, which has got to be one of the best 'love musics' in film music writing.

The _*Chichester Psalms*_ was commissioned by the Dean of that cathedral in the UK, and has a beautiful boy treble solo speaking to peace for the world, in between more vigorous movements which have these agile rhythms, reminiscent of Latin American music a la _West Side Story_.

As for the dance music from _*On the Town*_, it is a concert work fashioned from the musical of that name, the film about three sailors having R & R in New York starred Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Its quite jazzy and groovy, but the middle movement 'lonesome town' has a distinctly quiet night time feel.


----------



## Conor71

*Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words*

Listening to Disc 2 of this set - very beautiful!


----------



## ArthurBrain

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43*, featuring the American Symphony Orchestra led by Leon Botstein.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54,* performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yevgeni Mravinsky.


After seeing this I was drawn to the one that I loved while younger but had no real idea as to what it represented. Shostakovich's 7th "Leningrad" symphony. The famous 'march' sequence from the first movement is still devastating, even if this isn't my most preferred version of the movement.


----------



## drpraetorus

Handel, Israel in Egypt


----------



## SimonNZ

"Nova Cantica: Latin Songs Of The High Middle Ages" - Dominique Vellard, Emmanuel Bonnardot


----------



## Conor71

*Nielsen: Helios Overture, Op. 17*

Listening to Disc 1 of the Nielsen set now which Features the Violin Concerto and various Overtures/Tone Poems - another really fine recording.
After this I will listen to some more neglected Discs from my collection and will play Disc 5 of the Mendelssohn box (Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5) and the Alladin Suite also by Nielsen. The second Nielsen Disc has some cross-over with the first but I'm happy to listen to the repeated works again.


----------



## Lisztian




----------



## jani

I need my monthly dose of modernism


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^
And yet YOU DON'T LISTEN TO *LIGETI?!?!* :scold:


----------



## jani

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^
> And yet YOU DON'T LISTEN TO *LIGETI?!?!* :scold:


I am not familiar with modern composers i just saw that piece on my recommend videos and decided to give it a listen and i loved it.
Could you recommend some pieces by him?


----------



## SimonNZ

Alkan's Concerto For Solo Piano - John Ogdon


----------



## aleazk

jani said:


> I am not familiar with modern composers i just saw that piece on my recommend videos and decided to give it a listen and i loved it.
> Could you recommend some pieces by him?


You can check the list of Ligeti's compositions (with the corresponding youtube video) in my blog. I recommend the classics: Atmospheres, Lux Aeterna (try this one first), Requiem, Piano Etudes, Non sense Madrigals.


----------



## aleazk

Vivaldi's violin concertos!. . By Biondi and Europa Galante. It has elapsed a lot of time since the last time I heard them.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

jani said:


> I am not familiar with modern composers i just saw that piece on my recommend videos and decided to give it a listen and i loved it.
> Could you recommend some pieces by him?


Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet, Both string quartets, Chamber Concerto, Cello Concerto, San Francisco Polyphony, Reqiuem, Mysteries of the Macabre, Études, Three Pieces for Two Pianos, Piano Concerto. As Aleazk said, check out his blog.

Currently listening to BBC Radio 3. Somehting by Bruch just played.

EDIT: it was Kol Nidrei. Marvellous piece.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ooh I like BBC Radio 3. They're playing Siegfried Idyll conducted by Solti.


----------



## Avengeil

Max Bruch Kol Nidrei played by yuri bashmet

I adore yuri's tone and his sense and rubato but I don't believe I can stand the pianist in Kol Nidrei...


----------



## campy

*Dvořák*: Symphony #8, op. 88 (Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra/Anton Nanut)


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ooh I like BBC Radio 3. They're playing Siegfried Idyll conducted by Solti.


lol, now I'm listening to BBC Radio 3!. (just for curiosity, not for the Wagner ut.


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## MaestroViolinist

Now this:





And this:





(Must be cello night)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Then MaestroViolinist will listen to this:


----------



## Taneyev

W 2:

WEILL Kurt: string quartet.
WIENIAWSKI: all his duets for violins
WIENIAWSKI Josef: son.cello&piano
WIREN Dag: string quartet Nº3.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Then MaestroViolinist will listen to this:


Are you sure I will listen to that? I shall try, but no guarantees.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Bruckner
Symphony #5
Daniel Barenboim: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra*


----------



## opus55

Debussy: Beau Soir
Gorecki: Three Pieces in the Old Style


----------



## Carpenoctem

Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 'Pathetique (I haven't listened to it for a long time)









This recording is just wow, and the music is so beautiful and sad, he died 9 days after it's first performance.


----------



## Sonata

1)Last night a second listen of *Gorecki's symphony 3*. It bears extra listening because it is so beautiful. This was the rendition with Dawn Upshaw and London Sinfonietta, conducted by David Zinman. I couldn't tell a large difference between the two versions to be honest. Perhaps this is something that will change the longer I listen to classical music, or perhaps as much as I love music, my brain is just not that intuitive for the nuances. No matter.

2)A second listen through of *Brahms clarinet trio* this morning. I'm hooked on the man's music lately.

3) Another album I listened to today is perhaps not true classical, but classically influenced so I'll put it here. *Tori Amos: Night of Hunters.* This is an album that was comissioned by Deautsche Grammaphone. Variations on different classical pieces form the basis of the album, with Tori's own original lyrics in a concept album. Her daughter duets with her on a couple of the songs, which in my opinion although a sweet idea, an artistic mistake. Those songs are weaker for it, though still good. Fortunately it's a minority of the songs. Otherwise I absolutely love this album and heartily recommend it. I don't know if highbrows or purists would go for it, but it's a great piece of work to me.

And on to some baroque:

4) *Vivaldi's Concerto #7*

5) *Corelli cocertos #1-6*


----------



## opus55

Bach: selections from Sonatas and Partitas
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 "Spring"
Brahms: Violin Concerto














Listening to some random selections from "Icon: Nathan Milstein - Aristocrat of the Violin" to consider for purchase. I had Tchaikovsky and Brahms recording by Milstein (Seraphim CD) and he stirs up my emotions like no other.


----------



## Hausmusik

Listening to Harmonia Mundi's Autumn Sampler on Spotify. The new Schubert CDs from Casals and Arcanto Quartets sound (from the extracts here) like they are not to be missed.


----------



## Arsakes

*Nielsen*: Symphony No.3 'Sinfonia Espansiva' 

*Schumann*:
Overture Scherzo and Finale Op.52
Overture '' Julius Caesar'' Op.128
Konzertstuck in F Op.86
Concert Allegro with Introduction in D minor Op.134
Das Paradies und die Peri Op.50
Manfred Op.115
:angel:

Currently:
His String Quartet No.1, then No.2 and 3.


----------



## opus55

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras Nos. 7 and 8
Avison: Concerto in B flat, Op. 3, No. 4 




















Just found another great Naxos artist: The Avison Ensemble. They just sound awesome in this performance even though I've never heard of them or Avison before.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Haydn
Opus 33 Quartets
Cuarteto Casals*


----------



## campy

*Mahler*: Adagio from Symphony #10 (NY Phil./Bernstein)


----------



## kv466

No.4


----------



## SAKO

BRUCH

VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.1

Jascha Heifetz with the New Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent.

Recorded 1962.


----------



## Sonata

Sibelius #5 for listening club. Third time is a charm! This performance really hooked me on the symphony I think.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Villa-Lobos


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87*

Listening to some Shostakovich this morning - first I am playing Disc 1 of the Jarrett set which features Preludes & Fugues Nos. 1-12. This is a lovely Disc. I also have Tatiana Nikolaieva in these works but I prefer this recording which has great sound. Next I will play the Disc of Sonatas for Violin and Viola. This is a new Disc (just arrived last week) and I am playing it for a first listen


----------



## Avengeil

Mozart piano concerto No. 20 on fortepiano






At some moments it attracts to be a big extent at others my mind simply drifts away...


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovitch, The Gadfly soundtrack


----------



## SimonNZ

Lully Pieces de Symphonie - Raymond Leppard


----------



## drpraetorus

Gounod, Sanctus


----------



## Hausmusik

*Brahms
Piano Concerto #2 in Bb, Op. 83
Leon Fleisher; George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra
*

In the middle of the third movement just now and I don't ever want it to end.


----------



## crmoorhead

Various choral works by Purcell.


----------



## Taneyev

SAKO said:


> BRUCH
> 
> VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.1
> 
> Jascha Heifetz with the New Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent.
> 
> Recorded 1962.
> 
> View attachment 8053


Better IMO: Heifetz-Sargent-London SO, 1951.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The brilliant countertenor, Andreas Scholl performs a selection of works by Henry Purcell.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93 and Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141. *Both works feature the Moscow Philharmonic Society Symphony Orchestra led by Kyril Kondrashin.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Huilunsoittaja

starthrower said:


>


Flute solos eh? Interesting.


----------



## starthrower

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's a beautiful disc. I like everything on it!


----------



## opus55

Bach: Concertos for 2 hapsichords and strings, BWV 1060, 1061
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol
Bach: Mass in B minor


----------



## opus55

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The brilliant countertenor, Andreas Scholl performs a selection of works by Henry Purcell.


I have to say his singing is otherworldly.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sid James

More or less relaxing listening this time -

*Album: Andre Rieu '...and the Waltz goes on'*
Rieu (leader, violin, arrangements) with Johann Strauss Orch. (polydor/universal)

A bit of schmaltz here and also covering the waltz, but its an album with a twist, there's not a waltz by any of the Strausses in sight. But Rieu's mission here is to play some rarer ones, and many of these I've not heard (popular during the pre-1945 era). So there's composers like Schrammel, Stolz, Leroy Andersen, Benatzky and other lesser known guys. My favourite tracks are *the title track *composed by film actor* Anthony Hopkins*, who's been composing and into music since his childhood (it would have been an alterternative career path to acting). Its a dark waltz, with Nordic and Russian feel, and a bravado gypsy violin solo by Rieu to finish off. The other one I like and find very moving is _*Dreaming of New Zealand*_, in instrumental and vocal versions (sung by Hayley Westenra in English and New Zealand Maori language). Its a sad an lyrical waltz, making me think back to early 2011 when the earthquake hit Aukland, it was just so devastating.

*Mozart: Clarinet Concerto* ; Violin Concerto in D major, Kv.218** ; Horn Concerto #2****
*Joze Ostranc, cl. / *** Kamil Sreter, horn / Mozart Festival Orch. under Alberto lizzio
**Eugene Schaeffer, vln. / Orch. du Festival Belgique under Pierre Narrato (ZYX classic cd)

A listen to these works after ages, and the first listen in memory to the whole album. The slow movements with that sublime feel grab me a lot, as do the more vigorous and joyful finales.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, "Trout"
Mozart: arias from opera


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}*. Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Dettingen Te Deum - Simon Preston


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Delicious!


----------



## Crudblud

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Flute solos eh? Interesting.


I would say Takemitsu has written some of the most interesting flute parts in the whole of the 20th century. He uses timbre like no other.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dufay: Masses, Motets and Hymns - Capella Antiqua Munchen, Konrad Ruhland


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann*: Piano concerto in A minor


----------



## clavichorder

Whatever is playing on TTFM.

http://turntable.fm/classical_of_any_kind


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Smetana: Ma Vlást, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt / Eliahu Inbal.


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's Mythes - Kaja Danczowska, Christian Zimerman


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Debussy's Preludes, Book Two - Jacques Rouvier, piano


----------



## Taneyev

W 3:

WALTON: piano quartet.
WOLF Hugo: string quartet.
WOLF-FERRARI Ermanno; piano quintet.
WORDSWORTH William: string quartet Nº6.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: String Quartet Nos. 14 and 13


----------



## crmoorhead

Stravinsky's Mass and Bach's Magnificat:


----------



## campy

Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole (Stern/Phila. Orch./Ormandy)


----------



## kv466

Getting to the really early stuff,...wow, I hadn't even played a LL disc in a loooong time!


----------



## Hausmusik

*Brahms
Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
Nathan Milstein; Anatole Fistoulari: Philharmonia Orchestra*

My all-time favorite performance of the Brahms concerto on a super-budget CD. The performance of the Tchaik concerto with which it is paired is not as superb, but it is certainly a very good makeweight.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Mass No. 2










It's not even 11am but I'm so hungry. Let's see if this music can help me fight my earthly desire.


----------



## Avengeil

Haydn symphonies 89 91 92 Karl Bohm Vienna philarmonic

Albinion Oboe concerto in d minor 




Salieri chamber concerto for oboe and string quartet 




Beethoven Op 3 and Op 9 No 1









Sibelius two serenades for violin and orchestra op. 69

and a now andras schiff on bach's french suites

Up to now I am really enjoying the beethoven set, really nice intrepetations that fit in with my studying of op. 18 
And I also can give my thumbs up to albinioni, he always motivates me in beautiful ways...


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Toccatas with GG, then *Debussy*: Preludes - Books I & II, with Paul Jacobs.

View attachment 8074
View attachment 8075


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 1. Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## SAKO

*BEETHOVEN*

PIANO CONCERT NO.2, op.19

CHORAL FANTASIA op.80

Daniel Barenboim / Otto Klemperer / New Philharmonic Orchestra.

*TCHAIKOVSKY*

PIANO CONCERTO NO.1

Ivo Pogorelich / Claudio Abbado / London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## campy

Shostakovich: "Leningrad" Symphony (Chicago Sym./Bernstein)


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Don Quixote, with Rostropovich/BPO/HvK (rec. 1975); Sinfonia Domestica, Parergon, with Tonhalle O./Zinman (rec. 2002); Le bourgeois gentilhomme, Tanzsuite, with COE/Leinsdorf (rec. 1987).

View attachment 8079
View attachment 8080
View attachment 8081


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vivaldi with Biondi and Europa Galante.


----------



## samurai

campy said:


> Shostakovich: "Leningrad" Symphony (Chicago Sym./Bernstein)


An excellent rendition; great choice!


----------



## cwarchc

This on the commute, followed by Classic fm on the radio


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## AndyS

Flagstad singing Brahms' Vier Ernste Gesange. Certainly up there with some of my favourite recordings


----------



## EricABQ

Mozart piano concerto 22 while drinking a glass of Bourbon and watching the final of the U.S Open.


----------



## Sid James

*Walton's* _Facade_ with orchestral works by Walton, Bax, Bliss (Eloquence) & *Mozart's* _Salzburg Symphonies (Divertimenti K.136-138) _& _Divertimento K. 205 _(Naxos)

A common thing here is that whimsical quality in_ Facade _and the _K. 205_. I really like the narration of Dame Edith Sitwell, she wrote the text to _Facade_ and she really gets those rhythms and onomatopeia down so well. I've always liked the counterpoint in the _Salzburg Symphonies_, esp. _K.136_. The finale is quite vigorous, but has this classical clarity and lightness, turning away from the comparative heaviness of the Baroque.


----------



## hocket




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It was a day for "light"... melody-laden opera/operettas:










Richard Tauber was a singer of incredible natural fluidity... perfectly suited for Viennese operettas... which is what he was most known for. I have the marvelous Dutton recording of his songs/arias from Lehár. This disc featured less well-known composers of Viennese operettas (beyond Strauss, Lehár, Flotow, and Lortzing) including Oscar Straus, Robert Stolz, Emmerich kalman, Paul Abraham, and Jaromir Weinberger.

*****










I played this... in the Jeffrey Tate recording... last night...










...and was so blown away I had to play it again. I've actually owned Karajan's recording of _Hänsel und Gretel_ for at least 5+ years... but for whatever reason never got around to listening to it. A huge loss on my part. For an opera often described as a folk opera/fairy-tale opera/children's opera, _Hänsel und Gretel_ could not boast of a greater pedigree. The tale upon which the opera was based was first collected and given serious literary consideration by the Brothers Grimm. The tale was related to the brothers by a certain young girl by the name of Dörtchen Wild... who would become Mrs. Wilhelm Grimm.

Engelbert Humperdinck was a precocious protégé of Richard Wagner who had spent time at the "master's" side dutifully copying _Parsifal_. It was his sister, Adelheid Wette, who requested that Humperdinck set to music her children's play of _Hänsel und Gretel_. She was so delighted with the result, that she insisted her brother expand his efforts... and compose an entire opera. Humperdinck was not immediately thrilled with the request... after all, as a sworn Wagnerian, he took a lofty view of the operatic calling. What would Wagner think!? And what chance did such an undertaking have in competition with those upstart Italian operas with all their sex and violence passed off as social commentary?

Humperdinck's sister prevailed... luckily for us... and the opera was composed and set for production at the same theater in Weimar where Wagner's _Lohengrin_ had premiered. The Kapellmeister who accepted the opera was none other than Richard Strauss. Sensing the importance of the event, Strauss engaged the distinguished conductor of the Munich Opera, Hermann Levi (Wagner's favorite) to conduct the premier. When the singer employed to perform Gretel took ill, the premier was postponed for a week... and Levi was no longer available... so Strauss conducted the opera himself.

_Hänsel und Gretel_ is almost a magical achievement in its seeming simplicity... its child-like joy... its folk-like melodies... and its spontaneity... in spite of the sophistication of the work: the mature, adult sub-texts, the sensuality and complexity of the orchestration... built heavily upon Wagner's _Lohengrin_ and _Parsifal_ with its spiritually uplifting moments of grace and benediction. Even the melodies that resonate with the honest simplicity of true folk music are largely Humperdinck's originals... masterful pastiches.

The work not only impressed Richard Strauss, it proved a smash hit. In London crowds flocked to Daily's Theater for the biggest show of the Christmas season, 1884. Gustav Mahler, then head of the Hamburg Opera, proclaimed _Hänsel und Gretel_ to be a "masterpiece". _Hänsel und Gretel_ holds the distinction of having been the first opera performed in its entirety on the radio in Europe (on the BBC) in 1923, and in the United States in 1931. In spite of the popularity of the work, for whatever reason it was never recorded before WWII... and after the war there was some hesitation in performing a piece in which the Witch puts children in an oven coming fresh upon the memories of Auschwitz.

Thus this performance by Herbert von Karajan, recorded in 1953, became the first recorded version of _Hänsel und Gretel_... and arguably the best. Karajan, in many ways, was ideally suited to the task... his great-grandfather, Theodor von Karajan had been a close friend of the Brothers Grimm. The cast was ideal... including Elisabeth Grümmer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Joseph Metternich. In spite of Karajan's reputation as a task-master and perfectionist, he avoided spending much time in rehearsals, responding and delighting in the opera's spontaneous nature. The overture comes from the test run-through during which Karajan kept the tape recorder running having learned this tip from Thomas Beecham.

The entire experience can only be described as "delicious".

Interestingly enough... there was one sour note to it all. Following the release of this recording, Wieland Wagner sent a letter to the producer Walter Legge exclaiming dismay that his old friend could have been involved in recording such a "mediocre, second rate" opera... and employing such masterful performers and performing it so well. Karajan and Legge both laughed off the comment and accepted it as the finest endorsement.






*****

Following on the heels of _Hänsel und Gretel_ seemed difficult. Surely any "heavy" or "serious" work would come of as leaden and pretentious in contrast. Thus I continued in the same vein... listening to the second operetta of this disc... the classic, _Die lustige Witwe_ (The Merry Widow) by Franz Lehár. There are two other fine recordings of this opera that I have... the famous version conducted by Lovro Von Maticic, and the relatively recent performance by John Eliot Gardiner. This recording, conducted by Otto Ackermann, was part of a series of recordings made by EMI after the war of classic German operettas. Many employ the same singers... as did the later Von Maticic performance. All of them are truly special.

Ackermann's _Die lustige Witwe_... indeed of all of his operetta recordings... are special in that he and his magnificent crew of singers... Elisabeth Schwarzkopgf, Nicolai Gedda, Erich Kunz, Emmy Loose, and Otakar Kraus... grew up with and loved this music... and after the horrors of the war it undoubtedly represented the best of a German/Austrian culture tainted by the Nazis.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven
String Quartet Opus 130 + Grosse Fuge
Emerson String Quartet*


----------



## millionrainbows

These are the best-recorded Shostakovich preludes by Tatiana Nikolayeva. They are clear and present.

The later one on Hyperion (or Musical Heritage), with a grey cover picturing a rearing horse,
is recorded much more distantly, as if you are sitting in the very back of a large, empty auditorium. Avoid that one.


----------



## starthrower

Schnittke-Symphony No. 7 on BIS label.

I've read some negative reviews about this interpretation. Is it really that bad?
Is the Chandos recording superior? It's a very interesting piece. 

His symphony No. 4 is also very unusual. A dark, beautiful, mystical work.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Hoiby was a child prodigy. He studied under Darius Milhaud. As a student he was influenced by a variety of composers, particularly personalities in the twentieth century avant garde, including the Pro Arte String Quartet led by Rudolf Kolisch, brother-in-law of Arnold Schoenberg. During his youth, Hoiby played with Harry Partch's Dadaist ensembles. Following his studies at Mills College, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music where he was mentored in music composition by Gian Carlo Menotti, who introduced Hoiby to opera, and involved him in the Broadway productions of _The Consul_ and _The Saint of Bleecker Street_. Though at first he intended to pursue a career as a concert pianist, he eventually became more interested in composing. As a composer, Hoiby was best known for his vocal works: opera, choral music, and songs. Soprano Leontyne Price introduced many of his best known songs and arias to the public. His songs are known for being inspired by music from many time periods and cultures. He championed a lush and Neo-Romantic lyricism during a time when such compositions were deemed old fashioned and irrelevant to the musical _avant-garde_ of classical music.

Some absolutely lush passages here... even if the work isn't overly daring of innovative.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a listen to some of the works on my Amazon "Wish List" on Spotify. A great tool for sampling certain recordings... a deciding whether they are really worth buying... or are rather something I'll rarely if ever play again. It's also a great tool for discovering new music/recordings.

So far this is quite a lovely disc.


----------



## BeethoFan

Richard Strauss:

*Also Sprach Zarathustra*, Klaus Tennstedt and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Live performance, 1984.

I love the opening of the Von den Hinterweltlern.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor,* both featuring the New Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Thea Musgrave (b. 1928) was born in Edinburgh and studied at the University of Edinburgh and in Paris as a pupil of Nadia Boulanger. She attended the Tanglewood Festival in 1958 and studied with Aaron Copland. In 1970 she became Guest Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a position which confirmed her increasing involvement with the musical life of the United States, where she has lived since 1972. She has taught as a distinguished professor at City University of New York, Queens College. She has received the Koussevitsky Award as well as two Guggenheim Fellowships.


----------



## Vaneyes

starthrower said:


> Schnittke-Symphony No. 7 on BIS label.
> 
> I've read some negative reviews about this interpretation. Is it really that bad?
> Is the Chandos recording superior? It's a very interesting piece.
> 
> His symphony No. 4 is also very unusual. A dark, beautiful, mystical work.


I prefer BIS 6 by a considerable margin, primarily for brass and timpani. Overall, for better-balanced instruments within a more pleasing soundstage.

By less margin, I prefer Chandos 7. Again, less so for its brass. Summing up, don't feel bad about your recording.

Sidenote: BIS had a good thing going for the first five symphonies (#'s 2 & 3, my favorites). Stockholm Phil., I feel, is a good Schnittke band. Hear it, too, with Rozhdestvensky for #8 on Chandos (My preference over Chandos' Polyansky and BIS' Jia).


----------



## graaf




----------



## SimonNZ

David Munrow was a fascinating character who made many fascinating recordings. Its strange that there still hasn't been a serious study of him, or wider interest.

Playing now:









Delius' Requiem - Meredith Davies


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Earlier today:
Nyman: And Do They Do
*Ligeti:* Le Grand Macabre
Boccherini: Quintet no. 1 for Guitar and Strings

Now:
Mozart: Don Giovanni conducted by René Jacobs.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Ten Blake Songs - Ian Partridge


----------



## Taneyev

Y. this letter has to be dedicate only to one great guy: Eugene Ysaye:

Solo violin sonatas 5&6: Yuval Yaron.
Two violins sonata.
Solo cello sonata.
String trio "Le Londres"


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Ligeti:* Étude book 2 no. 13, Sonata for solo cello, String Quartets, Bagtelles for wind quintet, Ten pieces for wind quintet.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy melodies - Christopher Maltman, Malcolm Martineau


----------



## Morgante

Mozart - Piano concerto N. 26

*Ravel - La Valse*


----------



## campy

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E major (Danish Radio Sym./Kurt Sanderling)


----------



## NightHawk

(No pic ) at daybreak this morning listened to Neeme Jarvi (Paavo and Kristian's dad) and the Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra perform the Sibelius 3rd Symphony, C Major, Op. 52, and the Suite from Kuningas Kristian II, Op. 27. I greatly love this recording - owned it for years but haven't listened in a good while - the orchestra is fantastic, wonderful, heroic and Jarvi's phrasing and pacing equally so. Lovers of Sibelius might want to consider this album. The sonics are superb. Highly recommended***** cheers!

http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...1-4&keywords=Neeme+Jarvi,+Sibelius+Symphonies


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven
String Quartets Opp. 130, 133 and 135
Juilliard String Quartet*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I will listen to Julian Bream and some string quartet play Bocherrini's Quintet for Guitar and Strings no. 1 again.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: London Symphonies, with ACO/Harnoncourt (rec. 1987-92).

View attachment 8125
View attachment 8126
View attachment 8127


----------



## Ramako

Just listened to Haydn symphonies 46 & 47

Now listening to Schoenberg's five orchestral pieces - not exactly my cup of tea but there you go.


----------



## Hausmusik

Great renditions, Vaneyes!


----------



## Hausmusik

*Bruckner
Symphony #4
Gunter Wand: Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra *


----------



## AndyS

The last/'bonus' disc on the Solti/Strauss box, currently Dame Kiri singing 4 Last Songs

She's someone I've been resistant to (admittedly because of all her horrendous 80s style album covers, which unreasonably makes me think that it's going to be all rubbish sounding and synthy, which obviously wouldn't be the case), but actually she has a lovely lovely voice


----------



## crmoorhead

Loving *Glazunov's Fifth Symphony* recorded by the BBC National Orch. of Wales. Lots of character to this one!  The Fourth Symphony I found to be pleasant, but didn't grab me in the way this one has.


----------



## Renaissance

Amazing.


----------



## campy

Hovhaness: _Mysterious Mountain _(Chicago SO/Reiner)


----------



## cwarchc

This was this mornings in the car









Now I'm on this one


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Carmelite Vespers.*

This is a very energetic reconstruction of a Vespers service. It's been too long since I've indulged in Handel.


----------



## Morgante

Elgar - Symphony N. 1
Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ouverture Die Hebriden, Ouverture Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt.


----------



## Ramako

I just watched Fidelio for the first time on a DVD I bought a few days ago









As I suspected, the cliche that this is a 'bad' work by Beethoven is utter nonsense. It is a fine opera, even if it isn't the best.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Ramako said:


> I just watched Fidelio for the first time on a DVD I bought a few days ago
> 
> View attachment 8132
> 
> 
> As I suspected, the cliche that this is a 'bad' work by Beethoven is utter nonsense. It is a fine opera, even if it isn't the best.


I never actually watched it tbh, would you recommend this DVD? Should I get it?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> *Handel, Carmelite Vespers.*
> 
> This is a very energetic reconstruction of a Vespers service. It's been too long since I've indulged in Handel.
> 
> View attachment 8131


Check out the Vivaldi's Vespers... also reconstructed (from various sources... but all by Vivaldi):


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ramako said:


> I just watched Fidelio for the first time on a DVD I bought a few days ago
> 
> View attachment 8132
> 
> 
> As I suspected, the cliche that this is a 'bad' work by Beethoven is utter nonsense. It is a fine opera, even if it isn't the best.


No... Fidelio is actually quite good. It simply isn't on the level of Mozart's or Wagner's or Verdi's... in other words it isn't on the usual level that one expects of Beethoven.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

John Cage's Cartridge Music - Johnathan Faralli

Cage is, in fact, "Composer Of The Week" on the radio


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

AndyS said:


> The last/'bonus' disc on the Solti/Strauss box, currently Dame Kiri singing 4 Last Songs
> 
> She's someone I've been resistant to (admittedly because of all her horrendous 80s style album covers, which unreasonably makes me think that it's going to be all rubbish sounding and synthy, which obviously wouldn't be the case), but actually she has a lovely lovely voice


Yeah... she came onto the scene right at the height of the 80s "big hair" thing... and the cover art of many of her solo discs suffers for it. This one isn't bad... and a very nice compilation:










She was a good singer... but not of the level that lead me to purchase many of her solo recital discs. In most of the performances I have by her she is simply one among the ensemble performing a given work:


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Check out the Vivaldi's Vespers... also reconstructed (from various sources... but all by Vivaldi):


How did I miss that one? I'm listening on Spotify. Thanks!


----------



## Ramako

Carpenoctem said:


> I never actually watched it tbh, would you recommend this DVD? Should I get it?


Yes I would recommend it, not as a masterpiece, but as a very good piece of music (or opera, whatever). I seemed a good performance of the work, available for £9.99 off Amazon here in the uk.

It is more Mozartian than any other work of Beethoven I can think of. Personally I enjoyed it more than Cosi or the Magic Flute, but was not at all on the same level as Don Giovanni or Figaro. I am not a big opera expert. Some of it seemed long-winded, and the Beethoven-ness of the ideals (particularly the 'brother among brothers' bit at the end) is quite amusing, but the climax is exciting and none of it was boring.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> She was a good singer... but not of the level that lead me to purchase many of her solo recital discs. In most of the performances I have by her she is simply one among the ensemble performing a given work:


I haven't heard much from her because a friend said of her singing, "There's no there there." Is that an accurate assessment?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Last time I listened to this (just a few days ago) on Spotify. Today the disc arrived and so I'm listening to that. Still a marvelous piece... but in comparison to the lovely melodies of yesterday's _Hänsel und Gretel_ and Franz Lehár it sounds quite strident.:lol:










I'll have to play _Oedipus Rex_ as well this time. I'm not at all familiar with that piece.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Ramako said:


> Yes I would recommend it, not as a masterpiece, but as a very good piece of music (or opera, whatever). I seemed a good performance of the work, available for £9.99 off Amazon here in the uk.
> 
> It is more Mozartian than any other work of Beethoven I can think of. Personally I enjoyed it more than Cosi or the Magic Flute, but was not at all on the same level as Don Giovanni or Figaro. I am not a big opera expert. Some of it seemed long-winded, and the Beethoven-ness of the ideals (particularly the 'brother among brothers' bit at the end) is quite amusing, but the climax is exciting and none of it was boring.


Okay, thank you Ramako!

I've listened to it, but haven't really seen it live/on a dvd.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Piano Sonatas D537, D664, with Uchida; *Chopin*: Waltzes with Tharaud; *Debussy*: Images, Images Series I & II, Estampes with Jacobs.

View attachment 8138
View attachment 8139
View attachment 8140


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I haven't heard much from her because a friend said of her singing, "There's no there there." Is that an accurate assessment?

I think she was good... but not outstanding. And she never really ventured outside of a well-trod repertoire where there are always far more worthy choices. I can't remember ever making a single purchase... outside of that one collection pictured above... based on her name: "Ooh! Kiri's on this one! I must have it" But I can name any number of other singers (Callas, Sutherland, Popp, Lisa della Casa, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl, Magdalena Kozena... even Anna Netrebko) whose participation on a given release is a major selling point for me... due to their ability, intelligence, and even their choice of repertoire.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Pelleas And Melisande - Ernest Ansermet


----------



## Zauberberg




----------



## starthrower

Schnittke-Symphony No. 2

Hmm? This is the first Schnittke work I really don't care for.


----------



## millionrainbows

I've liked her singing ever since I heard this collection. There's a beautiful "Ave Maria" on here. Also, "I Feel Pretty" is a classic.


----------



## NightHawk

I love this album and was unaware of the album you posted with such a list of great singers singing Concert Arias of Mozart. Janowitz's voice is superb in this recording, clear and radiant. I have just begun to collect her recordings which started with this...











StlukesguildOhio said:


> re: Mozart Concert Arias


----------



## Sonata

Philip Glass- Solo Piano. My first listen of one of my purchases last month. My initial impression is good, moody but melodic. Good nighttime music. I'm always looking for new solo piano music for my husband and I to listen to at night and this fits the bill well. I'm interested in getting the piano transcription of his "Dracula" score down the line.


----------



## opus55

NightHawk said:


> (No pic ) at daybreak this morning listened to Neeme Jarvi (Paavo and Kristian's dad) and the Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra perform the Sibelius 3rd Symphony, C Major, Op. 52, and the Suite from Kuningas Kristian II, Op. 27. I greatly love this recording - owned it for years but haven't listened in a good while - the orchestra is fantastic, wonderful, heroic and Jarvi's phrasing and pacing equally so. Lovers of Sibelius might want to consider this album. The sonics are superb. Highly recommended***** cheers!
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...1-4&keywords=Neeme+Jarvi,+Sibelius+Symphonies


I don't know how many times Jarvi recorded Sibelius 3 with Gothenburg but I have it on DG box set; it is truly an exhilarating performance. I don't know if I would've liked the 3rd as much if it weren't for Jarvi's. 3rd is my favorite Sibelius symphony.

Currently listening..

Barber: Cello Concerto


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 3: The "Emperor Concerto" and Mozart's PC 25


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8141
> 
> 
> Debussy's Pelleas And Melisande - Ernest Ansermet


Ooh! I had to pick that one up. I have Boulez' _Pelleas and Melisande_... but I cannot get into his interpretation of Debussy as a proto-Modernist.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Quintet in E flat


----------



## Sid James

Two film soundtracks:

*Latcho Drom* (dir. Tony Gatlif, 1994) has *music of the gypsy diaspora*, starting in Rajasthan (India) and going on a musical journey through the Middle East to East Europe, France and Spain. Some amazing sounds here, many similarities but also differences across a cultural tradition that crosses many geographical divides.

*Tango* (dir. Carlos Saura, 1998) has music in the _neuvo tango _style mainly by* Lalo Schifrin*, but also guys like Astor Piazzolla (no prizes for guessing that!).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some interesting work... although I certainly prefer Debussy's _Etudes_. I'd probably listen to Ligeti a bit more often if the Teen Ligeti Fan Club hadn't so obsessed over him as to turn anyone the other way.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both works feature the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52,* performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of Neeme Jarvi, in what I consider to be a truly stirring and magnificent rendition.

p.s. Thanks to Opus55 for reminding me how much I like both this symphony and Jarvi's handling of it!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 104 "Du Hirte Israel, Hore!" - Andre Vandernoot

I got excited at the record shop thinking this was one I didn't have, but it turns out I've got the original Vanguard already


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 9


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' Holiday Symphony - Leonard Bernstein


----------



## Sonata

*Mahler*: Das Klagende Lied, movement I
*Sibelius*: Valse Triste, Symphony 5 (my last listen for awhile as I move on to other music in my library to get to know better. Still, a good symphony that will receive more listening in the future)
*Debussy*: Petite Suite, Dances for Harp and Strings, Syrinx for solo flute


----------



## Sonata

Sid James said:


> Two film soundtracks:
> 
> *Latcho Drom* (dir. Tony Gatlif, 1994) has *music of the gypsy diaspora*, starting in Rajasthan (India) and going on a musical journey through the Middle East to East Europe, France and Spain. Some amazing sounds here, many similarities but also differences across a cultural tradition that crosses many geographical divides.




Interesting! I'm going to have to wishlist for sampling later...I'm always on the lookout for unique music


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some interesting Romanticism outside of the mainstream composers.


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss, Overture to Die Fledermaus


----------



## SimonNZ

"German Cantatas" - Philippe Herreweghe

A drab cover and seemingly second-tier repertoire, but this stands alongside the best of Herreweghe's recordings


----------



## Sid James

Sonata said:


> Interesting! I'm going to have to wishlist for sampling later...I'm always on the lookout for unique music


Well I especially enjoyed (& recommend to anyone who's interested) _Latcho Drom_. Esp. the tracks from Romania, the now kind of 'cult' legendary band _Taraf de Haidouks_. They came here but I missed them. But the 8 minute long track on this album, its just got these amazing sounds. Same goes with all the rest of the soundtrack, its really a fascinating musical journey across gypsy cultures. & relevant to classical a bit too - Romanian classical composer Enescu, his famous _Romanian Rhapsody #1_ has strong parallels with the Romanian tracks on the album (eg. those unique Eastern sounding string sounds). But like most more 'authentic' gypsy music, there's singing involved in most cases. & its not a dead art either, one track from Slovakia is named _Auschwitz_ (gypsies where taken there) and in another one from Romania, the guy sings of the late dictator Ceausescu being a 'criminal.' The Schifrin 'Tango' album is good too, but if you know Astor Piazzolla's music, it won't sound much new to you.


----------



## SimonNZ

I haven't heard those two as soundtracks, but remember enjoying both films when they originally came out. I seem to remember Latcho Drom having a geographical narrative - following the gypsy music country by country from east to west with the diaspora. (edit: oh wait - you said already that in your original post)

And Carlos Saura, who made Tango, also made and interesting take on Carmen with flamenco, and an equally interesting take on El Amor Brujo..


----------



## Arsakes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8148
> 
> 
> Bach's Cantata 104 "Du Hirte Israel, Hore!" - Andre Vandernoot


It reminds me of Teutonic Order!


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Eclogues
Ballade
Bagatelles
Serenade in D minor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Earlier today: Orchestral intros and stuff by Wagner conducted by Karajan. 
Now: Der Fliegende Holländer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Sonata For Violin And Piano - Zino Francescatti, Arthur Balsam


----------



## Morgante

Liszt - _Via Crucis_


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor, "Resurrection"*

Im listening to Mahler this afternoon too  - just finished listening to HVK's M6 and now I am nearing the end of Klemperers M2. After this I will play Abbado's M7 with the CSO.


----------



## Renaissance

It just raised my interest


----------



## Taneyev

Z:

ZANDONAI Riccardo: string quartet.
ZEISL Eric: piano trio.
ZERVOS Yorgos; string quartet.
ZIMBALIST Efrem Sr. sonata violin&piano.

OK, That's it. Finish with the alphabet. Hope you found some little known/forgotten names.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Adams: Nixon in China.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven
String Quartet #14 in c#, Op. 131
Kodály Quartet*


----------



## Morgante

Bramhs - Symphony N. 2 (Karajan, Berliner)


----------



## crmoorhead

Watching a recording from Sky Arts 2 of a rather interesting group of ladies performing Vivaldi's Gloria RV 589. Here is a trailer on YouTube of some excerpts.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8155
> 
> 
> Ravel's Sonata For Violin And Piano - Zino Francescatti, Arthur Balsam


So few of Zino Francescatti's recordings are in print. I looked him up some time ago when surveying a number of the older classic violinists (Heifitz, Oistrakh, Menuhin, etc...)


----------



## Taneyev

There are several on YouTube. Including some real rarities with Casadesus. I got 10 CDs.by him.


----------



## opus55

Barber: Medea Suite, Op. 23
Bach: Sonata for Violin #3, BWV 1005


----------



## campy

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Philadelphia Orch./Muti)


----------



## Renaissance

"Tournai" Mass.


----------



## jani




----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Symphony 1, from a March 14, 2012 concert at Salle Pleyel, Paris. Radio France PO is conducted by the brilliant Myung-Whun Chung.

Link provided, for those interested. *Brahms* 1 begins at 39:30.

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/L_O...a_Republique_populaire_democratique_de_Coree/


----------



## Vaneyes

campy said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Philadelphia Orch./Muti)
> 
> View attachment 8161


My favorite M1. For anyone as enthused, I recommend the EMI Japan 24bit remastering for. The original recording is good, but the reissue provides added clarity, from the delicate opening to the bone-crushing finale.


----------



## Vaneyes

starthrower said:


> Schnittke-Symphony No. 2
> 
> Hmm? This is the first Schnittke work I really don't care for.


I love the BIS recording of.

View attachment 8164


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I haven't heard much from her because a friend said of her singing, "There's no there there." Is that an accurate assessment?
> 
> I think she was good... but not outstanding. And she never really ventured outside of a well-trod repertoire where there are always far more worthy choices. I can't remember ever making a single purchase... outside of that one collection pictured above... based on her name: "Ooh! Kiri's on this one! I must have it" But I can name any number of other singers (Callas, Sutherland, Popp, Lisa della Casa, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl, Magdalena Kozena... even Anna Netrebko) whose participation on a given release is a major selling point for me... due to their ability, intelligence, and even their choice of repertoire.


I'll go out on a limb, and give an "outstanding" to this Kiri rec.

View attachment 8166


View attachment 8167


----------



## Renaissance

If Bach's music _almost_ persuades you to be a Christian, Franck's will surely convert you ! Beware !


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8


----------



## Arsakes

*Barber*:
Symphony #1
Violin Concerto
Capricorn Concerto

I think I don't care for his first symphony much...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sweelinck, Cantiones Sacrae*, *Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 2, Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*

I used to really like Spering's version of the 2nd symphony, but the choir isn't recorded very well; it gets lost behind the orchestra. I'm looking for another. I don't like Abaddo, so now I'm sampling Ulrika Stomstedt.

I had a two-hour drive home from work, so I took the back roads. All those hills and dramatic valley vistas lent themselves to a soundtrack by Bruckner.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) & Christa Ludwig (mezzo)
Wiener Philharmoniker & Wiener Staatsopernchor, Zubin Mehta


----------



## SAKO

*BEETHOVEN*

SYMPHONY NO. 8 in F

Andre Cluytens / Berlin Philharmonic

PIANO CONCERT NO. 3

Maurizio Pollini / Karl Bohm / Vienna Philharmonic

VIOLIN CONCERTO in D

Arthur Grimiaux / Colin Davis / Concertgebouw Amsterdam

SYMPHONY NO. 6

Rudolph Kempe /Munich Philharmonic

All on 12" vinyl.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, with Mustonen, Sudbin, and Melnikov.

View attachment 8181
View attachment 8182
View attachment 8183


----------



## AndyS

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I haven't heard much from her because a friend said of her singing, "There's no there there." Is that an accurate assessment?
> 
> I think she was good... but not outstanding. And she never really ventured outside of a well-trod repertoire where there are always far more worthy choices. I can't remember ever making a single purchase... outside of that one collection pictured above... based on her name: "Ooh! Kiri's on this one! I must have it" But I can name any number of other singers (Callas, Sutherland, Popp, Lisa della Casa, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl, Magdalena Kozena... even Anna Netrebko) whose participation on a given release is a major selling point for me... due to their ability, intelligence, and even their choice of repertoire.


From that recording, I'd say there was a definite quality there. It's a very radiant voice. But as you say, looking at her career she wasn't adventurous in her choice of roles, and I could imagine over the course of an opera she could maybe edge towards bland (I see she sang Tosca but it's not a role I can imagine)

Today been listening to Chopin - the Nocturnes by Pires, the Preludes by Blechacz, and away to listen to the Piano Concertos by Zimmerman

Also (and this is maybe not the right place for this) but am going to see the SSO soon and they are including Tchaikovskys Pathetique in their programme. I'm not familiar with any of his work really, can anyone recommend a decent recording?


----------



## SAKO

*HAYDN*

SYMPHONY NO. 45 in F sharp minor 'Farewell'.
SYMPHONY NO. 31 in D major 'Hornsignal'.
SYMPHONY NO. 19 in D major.

Leslie Jones conducting the Little Orchestra of London.

A rare 'nearly HIP' recording from the early 60's........highly regarded at the time by Gramaphone, still sounds superb, but alas utterly neglected. Better than the more recent Pinnock recordings IMHO.

Apparently they recorded a fair chunk of Haydn. I'm trying to track down any others I can find. Not easy.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## Ramako

Just finished watching _Das Rheingold_. Can't find the picture for it.

I enjoyed it. This is probably the official beginning of a reevaluation of my opinion of Wagner.

Now I am back to getting through my Adam Fischer Haydn symphony cycle.


----------



## starthrower

Vaneyes said:


> I love the BIS recording of.
> 
> View attachment 8164


That's the one I have. I did hear some stuff in the last movement that I liked. 
I'll come back to it again. A lot of music to absorb in this work.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
Brahms: Symphony No. 1

















My favorite thing to do after work - listening to CDs that came in the mail


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 4: Brahms PC no. 1 and Variation and Fugue on a Theme by Handel


----------



## NightHawk

I'll wager this is a fine recording. Francescatti was a supernatural player in my opinion - his Beethoven Concerto in D Major with Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra is the benchmark recording of that great work (in my opinion).



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8155
> 
> 
> Ravel's Sonata For Violin And Piano - Zino Francescatti, Arthur Balsam


----------



## samurai

Claude Debussy--*La Mer
*Modest Mussorgsky--*Pictures at an Exhibition
*Maurice Ravel--*Bolero

*All three works are artfully performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## BeethoFan

Bartok is perhaps most famous for The Shining's usage of the 3rd movement of his Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. I stumbled upon Mikrokosmos, and i'm very glad i did. A 6-volume series of thought-provoking bagatelles (even though the substantial stuff doesn't begin until volume 3 or 4.).

Pieces that stood out the most for me were Vol 4, 110 (And the Sounds Clash and Clang...), Vol 5, 138(Bagpipe Music), and the best one, which he saved for last, vol 6, 153 (Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm VI). Listening to 153 made me feel as if I was traveling through outer space, a very fun listen. I'll definitely be browsing through more of Bartok's music


----------



## drpraetorus

G&S Patience.


----------



## Sid James

AndyS said:


> From that recording, I'd say there was a definite quality there. It's a very radiant voice. But as you say, looking at her career she wasn't adventurous in her choice of roles, and I could imagine over the course of an opera she could maybe edge towards bland (I see she sang Tosca but it's not a role I can imagine)


Kiri did do Lenny's operatic 'take' on _West Side Story _(with Jose Carreras). That was one of her big moments, I'd say. I think she went well in things like the Canteloube songs too (she did them under Jeffrey Tate). I like how she did crossover, she was pulled down by the highbrows for wearing an '80's style jacket and hairdo on the cover she did with Nelson Riddle, I mean where are these people's minds? In like 1850 or something? Anyway, she's not got the range of a coloratura or anything, but she did add to the recorded legacy I think. At least she's not only doing 'archeological' work, which is fine, but any list of that work does not make what they do 'better' to what she did. Its just different, that's all.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Lully's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme off of Baroque's Masterpieces set I got. For some reason I tolerate the voice more in the Baroque Era compared to later Eras.


----------



## Arsakes

*B.Britten*:

Simple Simphony
Cello Symphony


----------



## Ramako

Schubert quartet movement, numbered 12


----------



## SimonNZ

NightHawk said:


> I'll wager this is a fine recording. Francescatti was a supernatural player in my opinion - his Beethoven Concerto in D Major with Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra is the benchmark recording of that great work (in my opinion).


Interestingly it was hearing a Francescatti recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto many years ago that made me grab every lp I found of his in the record bins ever since - though it was the album with Eugene Ormandy from 1952 rather than the Bruno Walter from 1962.

I've got maybe a dozen of his lps so far but only one on cd, which is playing now:









Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.5 "Spring" - Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Piano Sonata D960 - Imogen Cooper


----------



## Taneyev

Beggining with string concertos on historical versions:

Tchaikovsky: D.Oistrakh-Alexander Gauk-URSS Radio orchestra,1938 (his first recording of the work).
Lyapunov: Yulian Sitkovetsky.Sergei Gorchakov-URSS Radio orchestra, 1948.
Bloch: Szigety-Mengelberg-Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orch. 1939.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Arnold Schoenberg's* birthday (1874 - 1951), Dorati orchestral, Boulez chamber, and Pollini solo piano.

View attachment 8196
View attachment 8197
View attachment 8198


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## campy

*Liszt*: _Héroïde Funèbre _(BBC/Noseda)


----------



## Vaneyes

starthrower said:


> That's the one I have. I did hear some stuff in the last movement that I liked.
> I'll come back to it again. A lot of music to absorb in this work.


Be patient with it, it's not normal abnormal Schnittke. *chuckle*

My take on the three Schnittke Symphony 2 "St. Florian" aka "Invisible Mass" recs I'm familiar with. I think the BIS and Chandos catch the essence of the work the best. That is, making it as "invisible" as possible. Thus, at times, listener patience is called on. Maybe more so on the BIS, where the sound is a shade more recessed and quieter. My BIS preferences are subtle (performance styles, the seamlessness of vocal and orchestral, the aforementioned recessment, with slightly wider soundstage). The recording qualities of BIS (1994) and Chandos (1996) are excellent.

Rozhdestvensky (1982, various labels), who actually commissioned the work, does not capture the "invisibility". It's considerably faster, louder, and recorded closely. I find the recording grating in most respects.

Hope these perceptions can help some.


----------



## kv466

Happy Birthday, Clara!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## campy

Smatana: _Má Vlast _(Milwaukee SO/Macal)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Arnold Schoenberg's* birthday (1874 - 1951)


I'll join the celebration. Can I bring Sir Simon Rattle?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Violin Concerto.*

This version isn't as "nice" as Hilary Hahn's.


----------



## Renaissance

Again, almighty Franck.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Violin Concerti with Hope/COE, then Cello Sonatas with Quintana & Frisch.

View attachment 8208
View attachment 8209


----------



## Taneyev

Manxfeeder said:


> *Schoenberg, Violin Concerto.*
> 
> This version isn't as "nice" as Hilary Hahn's.
> 
> View attachment 8207


No "nice", ice.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

John Dowland- In Darkness Let me Dwell: The Hilliard Ensemble's John Potter and colleagues here offer a fascinating interpretation of John Dowland's Music that is both intriguing and deeply moving. The ensemble employ traditional instruments (lute, viol, double-bass) and vocals with the addition of clarinet or saxophone. Perhaps not the first choice for a historically accurate Dowland... but the results remind me of this Monteverdi disc:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Kiri did do Lenny's operatic 'take' on West Side Story (with Jose Carreras). That was one of her big moments, I'd say. 

Yes. I quite like that disc... and posted in earlier:










I think she went well in things like the Canteloube songs too (she did them under Jeffrey Tate).

I enjoyed that recording as well... I just think that Fredericka von Stade, Netania Davrath, and Véronique Gens "own" that work:




























I like how she did crossover, she was pulled down by the highbrows for wearing an '80's style jacket and hairdo on the cover she did with Nelson Riddle, I mean where are these people's minds?

I'm not big on crossovers. They are rarely overly successful. I don't see them as harming an artist's reputation, however. Most of the finest singers that I know have made crossover albums... or simply albums that are less than their usual standard. I judge the artist on his or her finest works... not on the number of failures... which are ultimately irrelevant.

At least she's not only doing 'archeological' work, which is fine, but any list of that work does not make what they do 'better' to what she did. Its just different, that's all.

A performer who brings a repertoire to the audience that is new... or rarely recorded... and offers up a top-notch recording of such is certainly of far more interest than a performer who sticks with the tried and true and does not bring something really new... or something that surpasses the many alternatives. You have argued as much in connection with Hillary Hahn and conductors who explored music beyond the core repertoire.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 2










I guess I was busy at work today - never got to listen to anything until I came home.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Solomon.*

So far I prefer McCreesh to Gardiner.

[For some reason, I can't load the picture. Imagine a large silver CD case with "Solomon" written on it.]


----------



## SAKO

*TCHAIKOVSKY*

Violin Concerto in D

Arthur Grumiaux / New Philharmonia / Jan Krenz

*BACH*

Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major.

Fernando Germani on the organ of the Royal Festival Hall.

Both on vintage 12" vinyl.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Nikolai Andreevich Roslavets (Никола́й Андре́евич Ро́славец) 1881-1944

Roslavets was a convinced modernist and cosmopolitan thinker; his music was officially suppressed from 1930 onward. Roslavets' compositions were published in Russian Futurist journals, and futurist artists designed some covers for his music. After 1917 the composer became one of the most prominent public figures of "leftist art" in Russia, together with Kazimir Malevich and Tatlin. Deeply influenced by the later works of Alexander Scriabin and his mystic chord, Roslavets' quest for a personal language led to his propounding a "new system of sound organisation" based on "synthetic chords" that contain both the horizontal and vertical sound-material for a work (a concept close to that of Schoenberg's twelve-tone serialism). Roslavets was sometimes referred to as "the Russian Schoenberg." Though the "new system of sound organisation" regulates the whole twelve-tone chromatic scale, most of Roslavets' "synthetic chords" consist of six to nine tones. In the 1920s Roslavets developed his system, expanding it to encompass counterpoint, rhythm, and musical form while elaborating new principles of teaching. In Roslavets' earlier romances and chamber instrumental compositions those sets were already elaborated side by side with expanded tonality and free atonality. After the Bolshevik revolution, Roslavets made an important contribution to the "revolutionary propaganda in music" in such compositions as the cantata _October_ and numerous songs. However, his symphonic poem _Komsomoliya_ demonstrates an extraordinary mastership, a very complex and highly modern compositional technique, far from the simplification typical for "propaganda works".

Roslavets fought for professionalism, the best in Russian, Western classical and New Music; criticizing vulgar identifications of music with ideology. He wrote the first Russian article about Arnold Schoenberg. This led to him being harshly attacked. Roslavets was accused of being a "counter-revolutionary" and "bourgeois" artist, "alien to the proletariat", as well as "formalist", a "class enemy", a "Trotskyist", "saboteur"; etc... Punitive measures against him had been planned in 1938, and the former "proletarian musicians" had already spread disinformation about him; however Roslavets suffered a severe stroke in 1939 and was a disabled until his death following a second stroke in 1944. After Roslavets's death his apartment was ransacked by a group of former "Proletarian Musicians" who confiscated many manuscripts. Roslavets's widow succeeded in hiding many manuscripts.

Personally I quite enjoy these chamber works. They are very contemplative. I find myself thinking more of Debussy than Schoenberg.:tiphat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

These CPO recordings of Telemann's music... including the violin concertos with Elizabeth Wallfisch... have helped to raise my estimation of Telemann's instrumental music greatly.


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky* _Piano Concerto #1_* ; _Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy Overture)_**
*Dubravka Tomsic, pno. & Philharmonia Slavonica under Anton Nanut 
**New Philharmonia Orch. of London under Lawrence Siegel (Point Classics)

*Russian Orchestral Music album *(Point Classics)
*Tchaikovsky *_Suite #4 'Mozartiana'_
South German PO under Hans Zantinelli
plus *Rimsky-Korsakov *_Capriccio Espagnole _; *Mussorgsky* _Night at the Bald Mountain _;* Borodin *_Polovtsian Dances_ (various orchestras & conductors)

Esp. enjoyed _*Romeo and Juliet *_after ages of not hearing it. Not only a work about the tragedy of the play but also having much to do with Tchaikovsky's similarly doomed love affair with his 15 year old pupil Eduard Zak, who later committed suicide (this I have just researched and found out about). It was Tchaikovsky's first work to make an impact and make his name. When I hear the cymbal clashes symbolising the conflicts of the play, I can't help but think of the similarly sounding sword fights in Janacek's _Taras Bulba_, he was deeply influenced by Tchaikovsky.

Also, _*Mozartiana*_, a homage to Tchaikovsky's favourite composer. In the third movement I heard more than a suggestion of the tune of Mozart's motet _Ave Verum Corpus_, which coincidentally has been on my mind lately. The motet is a sublime piece, and still used at funerals today. The crowning glory of _Mozartiana _though is the last movement, a theme and variations that goes for almost 15 minutes.

So that's a wierd musical 'lineage' isn't it, from Mozart through Tchaikovsky to Janacek? Who would have thought?


----------



## kv466

I don't like Ravel. I don't like Alicia. This, however, is simply marvelous. Love it.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3










Christopher Hogwood, fortepiano in this recording? I just noticed it now :lol:


----------



## samurai

Claude Debussy--*La Mer
*Modest Mussorgsky*--Pictures at an Exhibition
*Maurice Ravel--*Bolero
*All three works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61. *Both symphonies once again feature Maestro Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90, *both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the stick of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## ProudSquire

Johannes Brahms - Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden


----------



## Myrrhman

Andrzej Panufnik - Song to the Virgin Mary for String Sextet 
On youtube. My guitar teacher gave me a book about the Polish composers in the 20th century. Catharsis, suffering, relieve are words that come to my mind.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> I don't like Ravel. I don't like Alicia. This, however, is simply marvelous. Love it.


If you have the opportunity, give AdL's Decca a listen (reissued on Australia Eloquence).

View attachment 8220


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5










Admirer of Brahms was no less of a symphonist himself.


----------



## BeethoFan

_W.A. Mozart_, *Piano Concerto No. 27 *, Jeno Jando with Andras Ligeti and the Concentus Hungaricus.

So far, my second favorite of Mozart's Piano Concerto's.


----------



## AndyS

Massenet's Don Quichotte (from the Massenet Edition box)


----------



## SimonNZ

Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No.1 - Alexis Weissenberg


----------



## belfastboy

I keep going back to this .......it's like my morning tune!


----------



## Taneyev

Old violin concerti recordings:

GLAZUNOV: Heifetz-Barbirolli-L.Ph.O., 1934

LvB: Kreisler-Barbirolli-L.Ph.O., 1936

BRAHMS: Ossy Renardy (Oskar Reiss)-Munch-Concertgebouw O. 1948


----------



## NightHawk

Heard Weissenberg live many years ago. The exact program I can't remember except for opening with one of the six Bach Partitas, a set of Chopin pieces, maybe some Debussy or Ravel, and finishing with Schumann's _Etudes Symphoniques_. It was a spell-binding performance, however...that I do remember that.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8223
> 
> 
> Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No.1 - Alexis Weissenberg


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Carpenoctem

Bach's Mass in B minor









I listen to this masterpiece once a month. Sadly I only have Gardiner with The English Baroque Soloists (that doesn't mean that I don't like this recording, it's great).

I hope I'll get Richter soon.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Franck*: Violin Sonata in A major, with Kremer & Maisenberg (rec. 1980), then the transcribed Cello Sonata with Isserlis & Devoyon (rec. 1989). I enjoy them equally.

View attachment 8226
View attachment 8227


----------



## Vaneyes

belfastboy said:


> I keep going back to this .......it's like my morning tune!


That pic, sorry...can't help but think of an inflatable doll. Not that I've had experience with.


----------



## Taneyev

But the string quartet is IMO much more important and deep work that the great sonata. One of the top quartets of the 19Th.century.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Arsakes

*Berwald*:
The Queen of Golconda - Overture
Play of the Elves
Piano Concerto in D
Violin Concerto in C sharp minor
Symphonies Singulière & Sérieuse

*Dvořák*:
Stabat Mater
Requiem


----------



## Taneyev

Renaissance said:


>


David Oistrakh
Igor Oistrakh
Heifetz
Menuhin
Milstein
Francescatti
Kulemkampf
Szygeti
Polyakin
Goldberg
Schneiderhann


----------



## campy

Debussy: _La mer _(Phila. Orch./Ormandy)


----------



## Renaissance

Amazing accomplishment for a 12-year boy  The influence of Beethoven is very obvious.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As usual, Dmitri H. is marvelous... this time singing the "Romances" or Russian "art songs" of Rachmaninoff. Most of these are settings of poems by leading Russian poets: Aleksy Tolstoy, Anton Checkov, Mikhail Lermontov, Ivan Bunin, etc...

I followed this with:










Thomas Baltzar (c. 1630 - July 24, 1663) was born in Lübeck to a musical family. He became known as "the Swede" due to his having been employed at Germany's embassy in Sweden where he may have come in contact with English musicians and made the decision to move to England... where he remained for the rest of his life.

Baltzar was much valued as a musician for his virtuosity. Following one outstanding performance, one John Wilson, a professor of music at the University of Oxford, bowed at Baltzar's feet after the performance... reportedly to check to see whether he were not cloven-hoofed... ie. the veritable Devil himself. Already... even before Tartini and Paganini... the violin had been claimed as the Devil's chosen instrument.

Baltzar composed all of unaccompanied violin music in this recording a full century before J.S. Bach. Following the opening Prelude, the movements are all based upon dance forms, not unlike Bach's cello suites. Baltzar brought two innovations to his music. The last four pieces from this recording employ _scordatura_ or an unusual tuning of the strings... the first known example outside of Italy. Biber would make great use of this technique. His second innovation is the composition of polyphonic music for the solo violin.

I have long been fascinated with Baroque violin sonatas and suites... especially those unaccompanied works that establish the tradition that Bach would eventually raise to such an unprecedented level. The music on this disc is a particularly fine example of the genre... and well performed. If I have any complaints... it is directed at the brevity of the disc clocking in at a mere 35 minutes. Unfortunately, that is the whole of Baltzar's known works for solo violin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5.*


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Te Deum.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: String Sextet, with Chang et al; Piano Quintet, "Dumky" Piano Trio, with Nash Ensemble; String Quartets, Opp. 96, 106, with Stamitz Qt.

View attachment 8234
View attachment 8235
View attachment 8236


----------



## SAKO

*BEETHOVEN *

SYMPHONY NO.5

Berlin Philharmonic / Andre Cluytens.

SYMPHONY NO.3

London Symphony Orchestra / Josef Krips

*MENDELSSOHN*

SYMPHONY NO.3

New Philharmonia Orchestra / Riccardo Muti.

All on 12" vinyl.


----------



## starthrower

Disc 5 Metastaseis/Pithoprakta/ST48/Achrorripsis/Syrmos/Hiketides


----------



## SAKO

*MOZART*

EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK

*BACH*

BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO.3.

Both by the Nord Deutsche Philharmonic / Wilhelm Bruckner-Ruggerberg.

Early 1960's PYE recording on 12" vinyl.


----------



## ProudSquire

Lately I've been listening to a lot of Brahms..... Which is quite good, I think. :]

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 - Borika van den Booren
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 - Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5


----------



## MaestroViolinist

(Again)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As I promised a few days ago... I had to pick up this very French interpretation of Debussy's _Pelleas et Melisande_ by Ernest Ansermet. This is more the Debussy as I imagine him than the proto-Modernist put forth by Pierre Boulez.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.27
*Jean Sibelius--Symphony No.7 in C major, Op.105

Both of the above symphonies are performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Okko Kamu.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"}* *and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120*. Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan


----------



## NightHawk

*@Odnoposoff*

A very *fine* collection of the Beethoven 9th Violin Sonata! and I heartily recommend you check out the great Polish virtuoso Henrik Szeryng with Salzburg phenomenon, pianist Ingrid Haebler - they recorded both the Beethoven and the Mozart complete sonata cycles - a collaboration of immense depth.





















Vol.II (can't find larger image)

David Oistrakh
Igor Oistrakh
Heifetz
Menuhin
Milstein
Francescatti
Kulemkampf
Szygeti
Polyakin
Goldberg
Schneiderhann[/QUOTE]


----------



## NightHawk

Disc 2 is my favorite on the moment - the _Jonchaies_ translated as 'strewn branches' (track one) is called 'the cornerstone of Xenakis' art' on this site:

http://www.iannis-xenakis.org/xen/read/listen.html

The entire collection is stunning, I think.



starthrower said:


> Disc 5 Metastaseis/Pithoprakta/ST48/Achrorripsis/Syrmos/Hiketides


----------



## opus55

I love Szeryng / Haebler Beethoven and would like to get their Mozart recording as well.

Dvorak: Requiem










Dvorak Requiem, premier in my house tonight! A perfect companion to my Kertesz's complete Dvorak symphonies.


----------



## violadude

Some super awesome Medieval song by Guillaume De Machaut I've been listening to for a couple days. I love it!


----------



## Sonata

Handel: Water Music. Trevor Pinnock

Arvo Part: Da Pacem


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This is really a wonderful recording of both of these symphonies of Sibelius. The tempos are a little faster than some recordings but I think this is typical of Karajan and also what made so many of his recordings exciting to listen to. The sound quality is fabulous and the production quality is first rate.










Kevin


----------



## drpraetorus

Gotterdammerung, Met TV broadcast.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios, Hob.XV 18-20










Now disc 7 of 10.


----------



## violadude

This beautiful piece by Sculthorpe, with a familiar guest speaker in it


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvořák*'s Symphony # 1,3,7 & 9


----------



## opus55

Stravinsky: Firebird transcribed for piano


----------



## science

Haven't checked in for a long time. Here we go!

















I just finished that Mozart box for the first time. If you're interested in Mozart's violin sonatas, it looks like a good choice to me. I shopped around, and that's the one I wanted, and I'm satisfied. (I already had Schroeder.)

































I really love these last two, and perhaps especially the Pletnev disks.


----------



## AndyS

Herbie's recording of Eine Alpinsinfonie


----------



## SimonNZ

Dufay's Missa Se La Face Ay Pale - David Munrow


----------



## SimonNZ

violadude said:


> Some super awesome Medieval song by Guillaume De Machaut I've been listening to for a couple days. I love it!


That was completely ******* brilliant. Do you know if they've made any records? ( I couldn't see any after a quick look)

edit: heh, naughty words gets censored regardless of context - i had no idea


----------



## MaestroViolinist

And:


----------



## Taneyev

Next oldies:

WALTON violin concerto, Heifetz-Goosens-Cincinnati SO, 1941.

STRAVINSKY violin concerto: Samuel Dushkin-Stravinsky-Lamoreux O.,1935 (first recording)

WALTON viola concerto: Primrose-Walton-Philarmonia O.,1946-


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto 
Nigel Westlake's Songs from the Forest


----------



## Hausmusik

*Juan Garcia de Salazar
Complete Vespers of Our Lady
Capilla Penaflorida*


----------



## Hausmusik

science, that is one great playlist you've got there!


----------



## Hausmusik

*Domenico Cimarosa
Requiem
Kirk Trevor: Lucnica Chorus, Capella Istropolitana*


----------



## SAKO

*'WOLFIE'*

SYMPHONY NO. 36

SYMPHONY NO. 38

Sir Charles Mackerras conducting the London Philharmonic.

SYMPHONY NO. 25

SYMPHONY NO. 26

SYMPHONY NO. 27

Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin Philharmonic.

VIOLIN CONCERT NO.3

David Oistrakh with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

All on vintage 12" VINYL.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Litany.*

If you start this at the break of dawn, it coincides with the sunrise. I actually did that once. Not today, though.


----------



## science

Hausmusik said:


> science, that is one great playlist you've got there!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Domenico Cimarosa
> Requiem
> Kirk Trevor: Lucnica Chorus, Capella Istropolitana*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Juan Garcia de Salazar
> Complete Vespers of Our Lady
> Capilla Penaflorida*


That's a pretty good one yourself, old friend.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Debussy - Fantaisie for piano & orchestra, L. 73

and after that Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major









Massenet's piece is also nice.


----------



## Renaissance

Beethoven's Clarinet Trio in B-flat Major, Op.11.


----------



## SAKO

*BACH*

SONATAS FOR FLUTE AND HARPSICHORD.
BWV. 1030
BWV. 1032
BWV. 1034
BWV. 1035

Milan Munclinger / Josef Hala / Frantisek Slama


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## Hausmusik

*Johannes Brahms
String Quartet in C Minor, Opus 51 No. 1
Piano Quintet in F Minor, Opus 34
Arcanto Quartett
*

One of my favorite Brahms chamber music recordings. I only have it in a low bitrate download from eMusic back in the day. I'd love to pick up a hard copy but HM CD's are priced way too high relative to their downloads. They'd get more business from me if they tried to compete with Hyperion's midprice line.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 7, with BPO/Abbado (rec. 2001), then CSO/Solti (rec. 1971).

View attachment 8247
View attachment 8248


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Wooden Prince.*

There's probably a story here, but I'm just really enjoying the music itself.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

This is awesome, listen to a bit of this soundtrack below:


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Ludwig van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic under the wand of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## campy

Balakirev: Symphony #1 (Philharmonia/Svetlanov)


----------



## Arsakes

*Hovhaness*:
Concerto for Harp & String Orchestra, Op. 267
"The Garden of Adonis" Suite for Flute and Harp, Op. 245
Sonata for Harp, Op. 127
Symphony No. 3, op. 148

*Sibelius*:
Piano Trio in D Major 'Korpo'
Piano Quintet in G Minor
La Pompeuse Marche D'Asis
Sonata in F Major, JS 178
Sonatina in E Major, Op.80
Four Pieces, Op.78
Malinconia, Op.20


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, The Four Seasons*, and whatever else is on this disk.

I'm more of a Biondi fan with Vivaldi, but Carmignola is nothing to shake a stick at, either.


----------



## Renaissance

Who said that Beethoven wasn't a great master of lied ?


----------



## Hausmusik

*Schubert, String Quartet #15 in G, D. 887
Casals Quartet*

I have been listening to this on and off for five days now and am convinced it is one of the finest performances of the D. 887 on disc. (And I believe I've heard nearly all of them.) It is also recorded in gorgeous sound.

[My other favorite recordings of this tricky-to-pull-off masterpiece: *Italiano, Tokyo (80s), Takacs (on Decca), *and* Belcea. *I rate Busch highly, too, if you can tolerate mono. Those I do not much care for include Emerson, Guarneri, Melos, Verdi, Yo-Yo Ma & friends, Kodaly, Hungarian, Lindsays. . .]


----------



## Renaissance

I certainly need to spend more time on Scarlatti's sonatas. This one is amazing.


----------



## Ondine

Renaissance said:


> I certainly need to spend more time on Scarlatti's sonatas. This one is amazing.


Just excellent, Renaissance!


----------



## campy

Messiaen: _Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine _(BSO/Ozawa)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grieg, Peer Gynt and Holberg Suite.*

The Holberg Suite is a great - uh, what is it, a pastiche? Anyway, it's something written in an older style but with some modernisms snuck in.


----------



## techniquest

Earlier this evening I was listening to Mahler 7 (Gran Canaria Philharmonic / Leaper on Arte Nova); but now I'm listening to 'Der Symphonische Ring'. What fun!


----------



## jani

:lol::lol::lol:


----------



## hocket




----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Keith Jarrett, harpsichord


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Frank Martin's* (1890 - 1974) birthday, Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, with ACO/Chailly (rec. 1991).

View attachment 8259


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

hocket said:


> View attachment 8253
> View attachment 8254
> 
> 
> View attachment 8255
> View attachment 8256


The whole of these? The Monteverdi _Ottavo Libro dei Madrigali_ is 3 discs alone.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Frank Martin's* (1890 - 1974) birthday, Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, with ACO/Chailly (rec. 1991).
> 
> View attachment 8259


What a coincidence... I just put in an order for Martin's _Le vin herbé_ and the _Messe pour double choeur_.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Bolero.*

This is the LSO with Louis Fremaux. The engineering is very wide dynamically - you have to turn up the volume to hear the beginning and turn it down at the climax, but it makes you feel like you're standing next to the conductor.









Then *Herbert Howells' Magnificat.* It's written for a resonant cathedral, so the voices have a nice interplay with the reverberance of St. Paul's.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Symphony #2. Krips with the London Symphony Orchestra
Missa Solemnis 
Appasionata


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4
Dvorak: Mass in D


----------



## Turangalîla




----------



## opus55

Bax: Cello Concerto










Cello conerto performed by Raphael Wallfisch who is husband of Elizabeth Wallfisch, the baroque violist.


----------



## drpraetorus

Watching Dr. Who


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}* *and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93*, both performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Enescu: Symphony No. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

"Original Masters: The Singles"

A 2cd sampler of 45rpm singles (both a-sides and b-sides) from DG's heyday, with a couple of Archiv singles as well

According to the booklet they released an unbelievable 1,200 different singles. So much for the idea of collecting them all.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 105*

Listening to some Sibelius today - always one of my favourite Composers 
After I have listened to the Vanska set I will listen to the String Quartet box.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Best of Berlioz


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.9 - Leopold Stokowski (1967)


----------



## hocket

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The whole of these? The Monteverdi _Ottavo Libro dei Madrigali_ is 3 discs alone.


Ha! Actually I only listened to the first disc (and it was the day before). I don't usually treat this thread as if it were a Twitter feed and things I post on it are rarely what I'm listening to 'right now' (indeed I don't 'multitask' well so I generally don't listen to music when doing something else). I just post up things I've been listening to that I've listened to recently that I think are worth a mention, and fairly haphazadly. For instance, the Josquin I listened to bits of both yesterday morning and the evening before, the Schutz the day before that. The Rosenmuller I listened to most of yesterday along with parts of all these as well:



























All of which are really good, but posting up so many records by one composer seemed a bit boring and, much as I like to be defiant of convention and the public, I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable posting up that I spent a fair chunk of yesterday listening exclusively to a composer with his predelictions and personal history, no matter how delightful his music is.

In any event the Parduch and the Parnassi Musici were the ones that I particularly enjoyed yesterday and I chose the latter because their performance of the instrumental pieces is so striking and memorable.


----------



## SAKO

Manxfeeder said:


> *Vivaldi, The Four Seasons*, and whatever else is on this disk.
> 
> I'm more of a Biondi fan with Vivaldi, but Carmignola is nothing to shake a stick at, either.
> 
> View attachment 8250


The best Four Seasons there is, HUGELY recommended.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Spohr's Symphony No.1 - Howard Griffiths


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Mozart's Divertimenti and trios and duets


----------



## Arsakes

*Mozart*'s Violin Concerto No.2 & 3


----------



## techniquest

All of a sudden I find myself listening to another Mahler 7! This time it's Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra under Anton Nanut from the Movieplay SA box set, and it's a really good recording!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert Impromptus - Alain Planes


----------



## Taneyev

More oldies:

GOLDMARK violin concerto: Milstein-Walter-NYPh.O, live, 1953.

KABALEVSKY cello conc.Nº1: Daniil Shafran-Kabalevsky live, 1952

BARTOK violin concerto Nº2: Szekely-Mengelberg-Concertgebouw O, first recording 1939


----------



## NightHawk

A Deutsche Grammaphon 3-disc (inexpensive) set of Tone Poems (complete?) of Jean Sibelius with Neeme Jarvi and the Goteburg Symphony Orchestra - contents: Karelia suite, Luonnotar, Andante Festivo, The Oceanides, King Christian II, Finlandia, Pohjola's Daughter, Night Ride and Sunrise, Four Legends from _Kalevala_ (Lemminkainen and the Island Maidens, The Swan of Tuonela, Lemminkainen in Tuonela, Lenninkainen's Return), En Saga, Spring song, Four excerpts form the incidental music to Arvid Jarnefelt's drama _Kuolema_, Valse Triste, Scene with Cranes, Canzonetta, Valse Romantique, The Bard, and Tapiola.

These readings by Jarvi and the Goteburg band are resplendent and magical. The Swan of Tuonela is performed a bit faster than I like, but I have multiple recordings of the great work and so am very fussy about it. It is a minor and personal nitpick. Highly Recommended*****


----------



## Arsakes

*Mozart*: 
Serenade No.6
Violin Concerto No.4
Deutscher Tanze (No.1-4)

*Tchaikovski*:
Symphony No.5


----------



## Crudblud

John Cage - Works for Percussion, Vol. 5 (Amadinda)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A good... very good sacred work by our man, Beethoven.










John Cooper (c. 1570 - 1626)... the English composer, viol player and lutenist changed his name to Giovanni Coprario after a visit to Italy... although there is no evidence he had been to the country. It is possible that Coprario, who was among the most elegant of courtiers who so modeled himself upon Baldasare Castiglione's _Il cortegiano_ (The Book of the Courtier) took the Italian name in emulation of the Renaissance culture he so admired.

This disc contains three collections of sings/aires: _Songs of Mourning_, a setting of the poems of the Thomas Campion, _The Masques of Squires_, which provides a more joyful break before returning to the theme of death with _Funeral Teares_... a setting of an anonymous cycle of poetry of mourning.

There is something truly exquisite... and almost fragile about these musical meditations upon death and the struggle against despair.


----------



## campy

Mahler: "Resurrection" Symphony (LSO/Kaplan)


----------



## Carpenoctem

Wow, very good music on this page.

I'm listening to Mozart's Serenade for winds "Gran Partita".









Charless Mackerras with Orchestra of St. Luke's.

I highly recommend it, it's the best recording of this piece I've ever heard.


----------



## Sonata

Last night: Mendelssohn's Clarinet Sonata #1, as well as Psalms 95 and 98.
Then Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna.

Right now: Brahms Piano Trio #2


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Listening here and there to some movements from Shostakovich's Suite on Finnish Themes, set for small orchestra. It's very lovely actually, and some of the movements have a soprano soloist singing the folk tunes.

Oh, and to add on, tenor too, sometimes tenor and soprano going back and forth between verses.


----------



## BeethoFan

_W.A Mozart_, *Concerto For Flute and Harp*, Jaime Martin with Neville Marriner and the Orquestra De Cadaqués

_Carl Maria Von Weber_, *The Ruler of The Spirits Overture*, Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Renaissance

Time for quieting my mind down.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Interesting. Certainly not my first choice... but I will surely need to listen to this one again. Hmmm...










A marvelous collection of French songs by Poulenc, Satie, Debussy, Honegger, Ravel, and Messiaen.


----------



## NightHawk

Agreed!! it is a fantastic recording - I have worn out the jewel box (oh, how I hate them) at least twice - there is a recording, been around for some time, by a Dutch group that I have only heard but I do believe it was even better, if memory serves - I will see if I search out the name of the group - it is a work that makes one want several recordings.



Carpenoctem said:


> Wow, very good music on this page.
> 
> I'm listening to Mozart's Serenade for winds "Gran Partita".
> 
> View attachment 8274
> 
> 
> Charless Mackerras with Orchestra of St. Luke's.
> 
> I highly recommend it, it's the best recording of this piece I've ever heard.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing with French song there is this classic recording by the inimitable Gérard Souzay performing Chausson's exquisite and sensual orchestral song suite: _Poème de l'amour et de la mer_ as well as a dozen of Henri Duparc's finest songs.


----------



## Carpenoctem

NightHawk said:


> Agreed!! it is a fantastic recording - I have worn out the jewel box (oh, how I hate them) at least twice - there is a recording, been around for some time, by a Dutch group that I have only heard but I do believe it was even better, if memory serves - I will see if I search out the name of the group - it is a work that makes one want several recordings.


Yeah, please tell me if you find it. I have listened to many recordings of this piece and this is the only one that made me addicted in the first listen!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Violin Sonata in G, K.301


----------



## Turangalîla

Albrecht Mayer is a GOD! :angel:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well... in spite of the "Austro-Germanic" hegemony it seems like an all French day for me... with a very Francophone performance of Debussy:










I must admit that some of these Decca Eloquence series releases have rather ridiculous cover art. This one in particular looks a little too much like Disney's _Little Mermaid_... but the music and performances are all top notch... and at bargain prices. I picked up all 3 of the releases of Ernest Ansermet's performances of Debussy... including _Pelleas et Melisande_... 6 discs in all... for around $15 US.


----------



## Sonata

Spring and Summer from Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Piano Trio #2 and Clarinet Trio from Brahms

The slower middle movements from Chopin's two piano concertos. I'm enjoying quite a lot of Chopin lately.


----------



## opus55

Barber: Violin Concerto
Korngold: Violin Concerto
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9


----------



## Sid James

Weekend listening.

First, the Broadway musical _La Cage aux Folles _(_The Bird Cage_, later made into a film) -

Older review of mine here










Then, some 'Spanish' music, but not all by Spaniards. Esp. liked _Capriccio Espagnol _with all those solos, the rhythmic propulsion of de Falla's pieces, and the jazzy way the_ Bolero _was played on this interpretation.

*Chabrier *- Espana*; *de Falla *- The Three-Cornered Hat ; Interlude & Dance from 'La Vida Breve' ; Ritual Fire Dance from 'El Amor Brujo' ; *Massenet* - Le Cid ;* Rimsky-Korsakov *- Capriccio Espagnol*;* Ravel *- Bolero*

Czech-Slovak RSO under Keith Clark (except de Falla works cond. by Kenneth Jean)
*Royal PO under Adrian Leaper 
(Naxos album)










& to finish, works by Kodaly under a conductor who studied with him, Ferenc Fricsay. I especially like the anger and full on emotion of _Psalmus Hungaricus_, written as a protest by Kodaly against the post-WW1 regime who took his job away at the Budapest academy of music. The voice of the prophet crying out in the wilderness had strong connections to what was going on in his life then, as it did with the oppression of the Hungarian people (& this was not the first or last government Kodaly would lock horns with).

Older review of mine here


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Anyone know the secret of this work? If not, just listen to discover it.


----------



## NightHawk

I remember the person who played it for me, so I will do my best. (if I find it I will compare it and see if my memory is as good as I hope it is! - will let you know in any case). best, cheers.



Carpenoctem said:


> Yeah, please tell me if you find it. I have listened to many recordings of this piece and this is the only one that made me addicted in the first listen!


----------



## Klavierspieler

Huilunsoittaja said:


> anyone know the secret of this work? If not, just listen to discover it.  :d


No! No! No! Auuughhhh!


----------



## drpraetorus

Worthy is the Lamb, Amen. Handel Messiah. Andrew Davis Toronto Symphony.


----------



## Ondine

Renaissance said:


>


Wow! 'no words to express the feelings', sorry.

:angel:


----------



## drpraetorus

PDQ Bach "The Seasonings"


----------



## Turangalîla

huilunsoittaja said:


> anyone know the secret of this work? If not, just listen to discover it.  :d


nokia!!!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor {"Resurrection"}. *I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one movement work, as I had thought going in--from its title--that there would be a choral component to this work,with which I can always do without {I make an exception for Nielsen's short "vocal w/o words" in his *"Sinfonia Espansiva"}*. A truly beautiful, moving symphony, wonderfully delivered by Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Cesar Franck--*Symphony in D Minor*
Georges Bizet--*Symphony No.1 in C Major

*As well, the last two symphonies again feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Arsakes

*F.J.Haydn*:
Symphony No.53 'L'Imperiale'
Symphony No.55 'Der Schulmeister'
Symphony No.59 'Feuersinfonie'
Symphony No.60 'Il Distratto'

*Balakirev*:
Symphony No.1 & 2


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## PetrB

Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - [fourth link; Winter 1-3]
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons


----------



## Renaissance

Listening to Buxtehude's Cantata "Membra Jesu Nostri" performed by The Sixteens. :angel:
















Ondine said:


> Wow! 'no words to express the feelings', sorry.
> 
> :angel:


Instrumental pieces from the late Renaissance are so mind-blowing.  They sound like coming from another world. Unfortunately I spend hard times trying to find some 

These are for you, hope you'll like them


----------



## hocket

^That Dowland is fantastic, the ensemble sounds great. I've been looking for a decent recorder consort for ages; this looks like exactly what I'm after.



> Unfortunately I spend hard times trying to find some


Maybe this'll help:






and the galliard to it:


----------



## Renaissance

I was familiar only with some of Gibbons' vocal music but these are amazing ! Thank you very much ! :tiphat:


----------



## MaestroViolinist

I suppose you could say I'm listening to 4'33" because at the moment I'm listening to nothing.  

(Pointless post...)


----------



## Crudblud

Scarlatti - Vivi felice (Anzellotti)

Selected sonatas performed on accordion. Anzellotti always provides an interesting alternative to the trodden path, and his take on the Goldberg Variations is the only Bach recording I count among my favourites.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Hummel's Piano Trio No.1 - Voces Intimae


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Not very interesting music. About as exciting as the name of the string quartet group performing it, _The Smith Quartet_. Two CDs, which probably could have been released on one CD: [47.49 + 40.50].


----------



## Taneyev

REGER violin concerto: Georg Kulenkampf-van Oterloo-Concertgebow O.,1944 (first recording?)

LALO cello concerto:Maurice Marechal-Philippe Gaubert-Paris SO, 1932 (great version!!)

MOZART: violin concerto Nº 5: Oistrakh-Kondrashin, State URSS O.,1947 (this is an absolutely fantastic version, much better IMO than any he recorded after).


----------



## Ramako

Some beautiful Victoria.


----------



## Vaneyes

Samplings of two new hybrid releases (stereo layer).* Tchaikovsky*: Symphonies 1 - 3, with LSO/Gergiev. Detailed playing. Relaxed tempi for the most part, heating up in 3. Worth considering, if a set of these works is needed. Happily, LSO Live continues their attentiveness to good sound recording. 'Twasn't always the case.

*Bruckner*: Symphony 3, with Suisse Romande/Janowski. One for the ages. Best I've heard in this cycle. This is a fine recording in every respect. Buy, buy, buy.

View attachment 8284
View attachment 8285


----------



## jani




----------



## clavichorder

Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony 40, conducted by Adam Fischer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Even Beethoven has his underrated works. There are few available recordings of this fine sacred work:










I'm giving this new disc a second spin before shelving it.


----------



## science

Ramako said:


> Some beautiful Victoria.
> 
> View attachment 8283


For posts like this, there should be a "love" button. "Like" is not enough.


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*:
Serenade No.1
Overture No.1 & 2 on Three Greek Themes
Triumphal March, Op.40
Chopiniana, Op.46
Oriental Rhapsody, Op. 29
Violin Concerto in A minor
Piano Concerto No.1 & 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> *Bruckner*: Symphony 3, with Suisse Romande/Janowski. One for the ages. Best I've heard in this cycle. This is a fine recording in every respect. Buy, buy, buy.


Wow, that's what I call a recommendation. I'm listening on Spotify.

Earlier, I was listening to Beethoven's 9th by Karajan.


----------



## campy

Mozart: Symphony #39 (Freiburger Barockorchester/Jacobs)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening Beethoven's Piano Sonatas in his middle period.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Arsakes said:


> *Glazunov*:
> Serenade No.1
> Overture No.1 & 2 on Three Greek Themes
> Triumphal March, Op.40
> Chopiniana, Op.46
> Oriental Rhapsody, Op. 29
> Violin Concerto in A minor
> Piano Concerto No.1 & 2


Very interesting mix! Who are some of the performers?


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Pelleas et Melisande Suite, with BPO/Abbado, then Suite bergamasque with Paul Crossley.

View attachment 8298
View attachment 8299


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

_The Violin Concerto_, _Symphonies of Wind Instruments_, and the brief cantata for male chorus, _Zvezdolikly_ all have wonderful moments... but the _Rite of Spring_ is still overwhelming!


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> LALO cello concerto:Maurice Marechal-Philippe Gaubert-Paris SO, 1932 (great version!!)
> 
> ...


I quite like that work. I know on another forum I was on, people rubbished it, called it 'weak' etc. But I think its very accomplished, esp. in how Lalo uses a larger than usual orchestra yet it never smothers the delicate sounds of the cello. Its interesting (you probably know it) that one of the main tunes of the last movement is the same as one by Sarasate, I think his _Habanera_. I'd guess its by neither of these guys, its a Spanish (or Cuban?) 'traditional' tune, yet another example of that type of thing getting into classical music.

The recording I have is with Julian Lloyd Webber on cello and the cd also includes two other excellent concertos, by Rodrigo and Delius. This cellist has gone out of his way to champion these types of less played/known works, and these are the same level as other better known concertos, I mean Elgar was a big admirer of the Delius concerto.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The stellar crew of John Holloway, Jaap ter Linden, and Lars Ulrik Mortensen perform the French Baroque violin sonatas of Jean-Marie Leclair:










After the vocal works the violin sonatas are fast becoming my favorite Baroque genre.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6*. Then *Handel's Solomon.*


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Hector Berlioz--*Symphonie Fantastique, Op.14, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the lead of Leonard Bernstein.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony NO.1 in C Major, Op.68*, once again featuring Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## millionrainbows

Another on in the Glenn Gould Jubilee Edition. Woo-eee, this is transcendent. I wish you could hear it with me, in this sacred moment.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After finally hearing Engelbert Humperdinck's _Hänsel und Gretel_ (in the classic Karajan recording) and having immediately fallen in love with the work it was obvious that I'd have to pick up a couple of other recordings of the work. This set was especially appealing:










The cast is absolutely stellar: Anna Moffo as Hänsel, Helen Donath as Gretel, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as the father, Christa Ludwig as the witch, Arleen Augér as the Sandmännchen and Lucia Popp as the Taumännchen. Christa Ludwig as the Knusperhexe (Witch) is especially fabulous cackling and smacking her lips... ready to eat those children right up. The conducting is energetic... taken more briskly than Karajan's version... while there is a certain intimacy to the sound... as if you were right in the room with the performers.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto










I prefer recordings from her younger years, somewhat understated style.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovitch, The Gadfly


----------



## opus55

Gorecki: Symphony No. 3










Too bad that I have to go to bed after only first movement


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Israel In Egypt - Frederic Waldman


----------



## SimonNZ

"Rita Streich Sings Folksongs And Lullabies"

Might I be right in thinking this is one of the least known of all the reissues in the Originals series? Such a shame because its one I've been loving for years and would never be without

At any rate its in every way a beautiful album that deserves to be at least as well loved as the best of Streich's stunning discography


----------



## Renaissance

Dvorak - Cello Concerto (Yo-Yo/ NYPO)


----------



## Taneyev

BRUCH violin concerto Nº1: Menuhin-Landon Ronald&London SO, 1931 (he was 15).

LALO SE: Francescatti-Cluytens&Columbia SO, 1945.

BRAHMS violin conc: Neveu-Schmidt-Isserstedt&Norddeutschen Rundfunks O, live 5-3-48


----------



## Arsakes

*Robert Schumann*:

Romanzen und Balladen Op.45
Dichterliebe Op.48
Requiem fur Mignon Op.98
Nachtlied Op.108
Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major
Symphony No.3 'Rhenish'
Symphony No.4


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Violin Concerto - Johanna Martzy, Paul Kletzki


----------



## Morgante

Rossini - Petite Messe Solennelle


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: String Quartets. 18 & 19 with Smetana Qt., then 22 & 23 with Kocian Qt.

View attachment 8319
View attachment 8320


----------



## Vaneyes

A snip of a new* Vivaldi* release, with Europa Galante/Biondi et al.


----------



## Arsakes

*A.Dvořák*:
String Quartet # 1,8,9,10,11

*C.A.d.Beriot*:
Violin Concerto # 1,2 & 3


----------



## Renaissance

Nothing like this in the whole world.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Piano Trios 1 - 3, with Gringolts, Kouzov, Laul, then Piano Sonatas 1 & 3, with Demidenko.

View attachment 8322
View attachment 8323


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Faure, Requiem*

Today I had to drive the back roads to a job way out in the country. Faure's Requiem is a nice autumnal work for pastoral drives and watching leaves begin to turn.


----------



## campy

*R. Strauss*: Duet-Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon with Strings and Harp (BSO/Ozawa)


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure melodies - Sanford Sylvan, baritone, David Breitman, piano


----------



## crmoorhead

Bruckner's Mass No. 1 in D from this:









Wow! Just blown away by this in all its excess.  I think I may be obsessed with this for quite some time.... and I haven't even listened to the other masses yet!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Piano Concertos from John Field.


----------



## Manxfeeder

crmoorhead said:


> Wow! Just blown away by this in all its excess.  I think I may be obsessed with this for quite some time.... and I haven't even listened to the other masses yet!


What a great obsession! Jochum does a great job with these. Although I would also recommend that you hear a recording of the e minor mass without vibrato, like Bernius, so that the vocal lines don't get obscured.


----------



## crmoorhead

Manxfeeder said:


> What a great obsession! Jochum does a great job with these. Although I would also recommend that you hear a recording of the e minor mass without vibrato, like Bernius, so that the vocal lines don't get obscured.


Thanks for the recommendation!


----------



## opus55

Borodin: Symphony No. 2


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Maybe not the best thing to listen to whilst doing a test, but too bad too sad.


----------



## Ondine

Lighting candles at home, with Mozart's...

Litanies, Vespers & Shorter Scared Works


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely Bel canto singing by the mezzo-soprano, Elīna Garanča.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8316
> 
> 
> "Rita Streich Sings Folksongs And Lullabies"
> 
> Might I be right in thinking this is one of the least known of all the reissues in the Originals series? Such a shame because its one I've been loving for years and would never be without
> 
> At any rate its in every way a beautiful album that deserves to be at least as well loved as the best of Streich's stunning discography


Yes... Streich's name rarely comes up... but she was an absolutely exquisite song-bird. I've loved that disc myself for a good many years.


----------



## NightHawk

Listened to the 2nd movement, the 'Arietta' from the Op. 111 in C Minor this evening, which is also the last movement of this work and among the very last compositions of Beethoven. The movement is in C major and the sonata is not 'unfinished' at two movements C Minor/C Major, it is perfectly balanced as it is. This recording is my favorite of the 5 that I have. Highly recommended*****








Beethoven 3rd and 8th Symphonies - Jarvi-Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.

Got this in the mail today, another installment of the complete cycle by P.Jarvi, and it is conceptually 'of a piece' with the 2nd and 6th, which I received first - I think it is the most satisfying Beethoven cycle (so far) that I own or have ever heard (but i have five more yet to go). The great horn section entrance in the trio of the 'Eroica' Scherzo is pure youthful braggadocio. Another mention that should be made is that the hall in Bremen has absolutely crystalline acoustic properties. And lastly, the 'little F major' 8th is exultant!!! Highly recommended*****


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"}** and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61*, both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}
*Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485

*Both of the latter two symphonies are performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Karl Bohm.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Triple Concerto - Claudio Arrau, Henryk Szeryng, Janos Starker, Eliahu Inbal


----------



## Kevin Pearson

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Piano Concertos from John Field.


I love this album. I have all the volumes in the series. John Field is way underrated in my opinion. I've never heard anything by him that I didn't immediately like.

Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives String Quartet No.2 - Concord String Quartet

written for Real Manly Men, apparently...I'm tempted to print out the full quote from his notebooks from the back of the lp


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Triple Concerto - David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Knushevitzky, Lev Oborin, Malcolm Sargent


----------



## Sid James

Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> 
> BRAHMS violin conc: Neveu-Schmidt-Isserstedt&Norddeutschen Rundfunks O, live 5-3-48


Ginette Neveu's interpretation of the Brahms_ Violin Concerto_ is the best I've ever heard. In terms of making this work 'hang together' so well and be very cohesive. Not easy with that massive first movement especially. I heard it years back on radio and was basically floored. What a tragedy her premature death was (of a plane crash, I believe). Violinists even today, many of them see her account of this work as 'benchmark.'


----------



## Arsakes

*Franz Liszt*:
Die Ideale
Heride Funerbe
Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe
Harmonies poétiques No.7
Hungarian Rhapsody No.6


----------



## Lisztian

Arsakes said:


> *Franz Liszt*:
> Die Ideale


I listened to this today too. It's a work that took me ages to get and this was the first time I did get it, rather than thinking it discursive. Deeply moved me - so profoundly human! The two other tone poems you listened to are among my favourite orchestral works by Liszt, too. Who were the performers?


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Arsakes

Lisztian said:


> I listened to this today too. It's a work that took me ages to get and this was the first time I did get it, rather than thinking it discursive. Deeply moved me - so profoundly human! The two other tone poems you listened to are among my favourite orchestral works by Liszt, too. Who were the performers?


I didn't get it, it was long and I didn't focus on the music at that moment.

Most of my Liszt music is conducted by Karajan or Ivan Fischer, like the above music I listened to.


----------



## Arsakes

*Mozart*'s Piano Concerto No.21,23,24 & 26


----------



## Taneyev

TCHAIKOVSKY violin concerto: Erica Morini-Desire Defaw-Chicago SO, 1945.

ELGAR violin concerto: Albert Sammons-Sir Henry Wood-New Queen Hall O.,1929.

BERG violin concerto: Louis Krasner-Anton Webern-BBC O, 1936 (first recording)


----------



## joen_cph

*Prokofiev: 1st Violin Concerto*
- Stern/Mitropoulos (cbs-sony LP stereo)
- Stern/Ormandy (cbs-sony LP stereo)
- Chung/Previn (Decca LP stereo)
- Shaham/Previn (DG CD)
- D.Oistrakh/"Prokofiev" (or Kondrashin or Gauk?)(Everest mono LP)

They are all good; the Stern/Mitropoulos has a "wow"-factor, but demonstratively avoids a lyrical ending to the work, which is a bit disturbing. Shaham adds a lot of impressive "singing" to the solo voice, an interesting issue. Whether Prokofiev is the conductor on the Everest LP is debated, most people think that it is in fact Kondrashin or perhaps Gauk ( http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/davidoistrakh/message/2167 ). It has poor sound and some very energetic, if a times a bit sketchy, playing.

*Bartok: String Quartet 1 + 2*
- Nowak4 (Philips LP)
- Takacs4 (Hungaroton LP)

Nowak´s 1+2 are considered the best in their set. I haven´t heard Takacs yet, and am much too unacquainted with the Bartok quartet cycle, which I intend to explore in the next days, the remaining quartets played by the Takacs too as well as by the Juillard4, their first recorded set. These are the only recordings I have got ...


----------



## Taneyev

It wasn't Prokofieff with Oistrakh, but Kondrashin. Mistake (or selling lie) from the label.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Ginette Neveu's interpretation of the Brahms_ Violin Concerto_ is the best I've ever heard. In terms of making this work 'hang together' so well and be very cohesive. Not easy with that massive first movement especially. I heard it years back on radio and was basically floored. What a tragedy her premature death was (of a plane crash, I believe). Violinists even today, many of them see her account of this work as 'benchmark.'


R.I.P. Ginette Neveu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginette_Neveu


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8335
> 
> 
> Ives String Quartet No.2 - Concord String Quartet
> 
> written for Real Manly Men, apparently...I'm tempted to print out the full quote from his notebooks from the back of the lp


WARNING: This music may be injurious to sissies.


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## science

Recently -

















I need to give the London Symphony a few more listens. Not many symphonies after 1890 really get me. I'm looking to change that...

















The Bax/Delius/Ireland is a lovely collection of work.

Janacek - two of my favorite string quartets. It's possible that I like the Pavel Haas Quartet's recordings even more.

















Love the Brahms quartets. My favorite Brahms chamber music begins with Piano Trio #1, continues to Violin Sonata #1, then the cello sonatas, and then the piano quartets. I came late to the piano quartets, though. The piano quintet is intellectually more interesting, but to me at least, not as beautiful.

The cello concerti there is a recording from before people thought of being authentic, and I think that's the right way to do that particular arrangement of Boccherini. Whether it's the right thing for Haydn or not, it sounds good.


----------



## Sonata

Wall to wall Haydn so far today

First listened to his Cello Concertos #1-2, along with a few small highlights off a classical compilation.
Then I covered string quartets #66-67 by Quator Mosaiques.
Now I'm onto piano sonatas: in E Flat, G, C-Sharp, C, and B Flat.

Now I'm debating if I want to continue the Haydn survey with (divertimenti, piano trios or Nelson Mass) or if I should move on to something else.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

String quartets by Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996). The box was cheap. Mildly interesting here and there, but not over the moon; occasionally dull.


----------



## clavichorder

John Field Piano Concerto 2!


----------



## SAKO

*VAN B.*

SYMPHONY NO. 1

SYMPHONY NO.8

OTTO KLEMPERER / PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

1958 recording/1970 re-issue; original 12" vinyl.


----------



## cwarchc

Not had much time today
Put this on to calm the mood


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Les annees de pelerinage, Harmonies poetiques et religieuses, 2 Legendes, Consolations, Paraphrases d' operas, with Ciccolini (recs. 1961 - 1982).

View attachment 8342
View attachment 8343


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

Norrington uses a modern orchestra with HIP techniques. It's nicely done and probably his best Bruckner recording, but I'm not sure it's going to push Jochum off my shelf for the first-place spot.


----------



## campy

Chopin: Concerto #1 (Ax/Mackerras)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some sadly underrated Berlioz. The piece was first performed in 1825 and again in 1827... and then it was almost wholly forgotten until this "world premier recording" in 1993... that is sadly out of print. There appear to be no other recordings of the work of any merit. In spite of this... the product of the 20-year old Berlioz is a bombastic masterwork in the vein of Verdi's _Requiem_. Explosive!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> String quartets by Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996). The box was cheap. Mildly interesting here and there, but not over the moon; occasionally dull.


Well... if you want to avoid "dull" just give this Berlioz a listen.


----------



## millionrainbows

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 - Fugue #6 In D Minor, BWV 875. I talk in one of my blogs about the "chromatic-fifths" connection. Well, you can hear it here. There's a descending chromatic line which appears, unadorned, in the beginning; it's easy to spot. Next time you hear it, Bach harmonizes it as a series of I-Vs. This type of stairstep progression is why jazz players like Bach.

Now, this is the reason music is so wonderful; if you can hear with your ears what I'm referring to, then you have recognized and intuitively grasped a musical concept, even without having any theoretical knowledge. That's the joy of music, and why I get tired of hearing complaints from insecure listeners about "all this high-falootin' theory." If you can hear it, you have understood it already, so stop whining.


----------



## NightHawk

(2 discs) - Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande - Julius Katchen, Piano

Am listening to The Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and am not believing how fine this recording from 1954 is!!! Ansermet makes the work glow, and on earphones I feel like I'm right inside the orchestra. A double disc set which also includes: The Concerto for Orchestra, Dance Suite, Two Portraits, Romanian Folk Dances, and the Piano Concerto No. 3. The Eloquence Label is a great repository of Ansermet and the L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande. _Merci, StLukes!_


----------



## Sonata

Went for Bach for the evening. Listened to the first few pieces of the Mass in B Minor. Now I have some of his keyboard concertos (piano) on.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 - Fugue #6 In D Minor, BWV 875. I talk in one of my blogs about the "chromatic-fifths" connection. Well, you can hear it here. There's a descending chromatic line which appears, unadorned, in the beginning; it's easy to spot. Next time you hear it, Bach harmonizes it as a series of I-Vs. This type of stairstep progression is why jazz players like Bach.


I see what you're talking about. Thanks!

Now I'm listening to Stravinsky's *L'Histoire du Solda*t - the piece that introduced me to Stravinsky and still one of my favorites by him - and *Ragtime*. Well, he calls it ragtime. I think Erik Satie was better at writing actual ragtime pieces.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> R.I.P. Ginette Neveu
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginette_Neveu


Thanks for that link. An interesting connection is a favourite singer of mine, Edith Piaf, saying this (her quote in that article) "I would have traveled thousands of miles to hear the great Ginette Neveu...."



NightHawk said:


> View attachment 8347
> 
> (2 discs) - Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande - Julius Katchen, Piano
> 
> Am listening to The Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and am not believing how fine this recording from 1954 is!!! Ansermet makes the work glow, and on earphones I feel like I'm right inside the orchestra. A double disc set which also includes: The Concerto for Orchestra, Dance Suite, Two Portraits, Romanian Folk Dances, and the Piano Concerto No. 3. The Eloquence Label is a great repository of Ansermet and the L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande. _Merci, StLukes!_


I've got that too, as well as some others of that 'Ansermet Decca Legacy' series on Eloquence. I quite like his style, its quite restrained and to the point. In the UK they loved Ansermet, while in France, they hated him (said he was too cold). But I like how he basically had the approach of sticking to the score and not mucking around with it, no bullsh!t. He also knew/had met guys like Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartok and so on (that generation) so he's coming from the perspective of that generation which first experienced all that great music. The second cd of the set is my favourite - Music for SPC & the 3rd PC. The first disc I have listened to less, but on that I really remember enjoying the 'short and sweet' _Romanian Folk Dances_.


----------



## opus55

Holst: Invocation for Cello and Orchestra
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8


----------



## Sid James

*Walton's *early _*Piano Quartet *_- which comes across as being like Ravel with a kind of English flavour, esp. in the vigorous bits - and a mature work from the 1940's, the _*String Quartet in A minor*_. This was one of the first string quartets I really connected with. Walton here incorporated atonality and serialism into his unique melodic style. His main influences in this would have been Prokofiev and the Viennese atonalists, but that kind of contrast between a bittersweet 'romantic' feeling and spiky bits with modern counterpoint is all his own.

Then, Australian composer *Nigel Westlake's Hinchinbrook Riffs album *of chamber music, which I reviewed at http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post269071 thread.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Bela Bartok--*Concerto for Orchestra*, featuring the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra led by Adam Fischer.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## NightHawk

Yes! The Music for Strings _et al_ and the Piano Concerto are very fine and I like your description of Ansermet's interpretative approach. The older I get the more I think less is more (might as well, lol). Nice to have the extra inside info re the UK and France, not surprising, really. 



Sid James said:


> Thanks for that link. An interesting connection is a favourite singer of mine, Edith Piaf, saying this (her quote in that article) "I would have traveled thousands of miles to hear the great Ginette Neveu...."
> 
> I've got that too, as well as some others of that 'Ansermet Decca Legacy' series on Eloquence. I quite like his style, its quite restrained and to the point. In the UK they loved Ansermet, while in France, they hated him (said he was too cold). But I like how he basically had the approach of sticking to the score and not mucking around with it, no bullsh!t. He also knew/had met guys like Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartok and so on (that generation) so he's coming from the perspective of that generation which first experienced all that great music. The second cd of the set is my favourite - Music for SPC & the 3rd PC. The first disc I have listened to less, but on that I really remember enjoying the 'short and sweet' _Romanian Folk Dances_.


----------



## opus55

Janacek: Suite for String Orchestra
Liszt: Les Preludes


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After the "Austro-Germanic Hegemony" I have a real penchant for the French... probably as great as many others hold for the Russians. I've picked up an entire slew of these Ansermet Eloquence recordings or French music: all three 2-disc sets of Debussy, the same of Ravel, the Lalo/Chabrier set and a couple of others. I have the Rimsky-Korsakov recordings on my radar... and I'll probably end up picking up the Faure disc as well.


----------



## Guest

opus55 said:


> Janacek: Suite for String Orchestra
> Liszt: Les Preludes


Hands down the best recording of Janacek's Sinfonietta, a true masterpiece.


----------



## opus55

Jeff N said:


> Hands down the best recording of Janacek's Sinfonietta, a true masterpiece.


My favorites from this double decca are Sinfonietta and Suite for String Orchestra.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 14 and 26


----------



## drpraetorus

Tchaikovsy 4th Sym. Solti/Chicago


----------



## brianwalker

*If you are a Bruckner fan, get this CD. *


----------



## opus55

Beriot: Duos concertants, No. 2, Op. 57










Playing this for my wife. I burn CDs for her to play while she drives. This is one of her favorite violin pieces.


----------



## drpraetorus

Gabrielli, Canzonas


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Piano Sonata D958 - Richard Goode


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Violin Concerto - Arthur Grumiaux, Ernest Bour


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Serenade For Tenor, Horn And Strings - Peter Pears, Eugene Goossens


----------



## Arsakes

Last night...
*Mendelssohn*:
Ruy Blas Overture
The Hebrides Overture
Violin Concerto in E minor
Piano Trio No.1 & 2
A Midsummer Night's Dream

After listening enough times I prefer Ruy Blas to The Hebrides.

Today...
*Schubert*'s Symphony No.1 & 2

Schubert's Symphony No.2 is the most enjoyable from his ten symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arsakes said:


> After listening enough times I prefer Ruy Blas to The Hebrides.


Oh my! Now this I have to hear!


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Taneyev

MOZART (?) violin concerto Nº6: Jacques Thibaud-Sargent-studio orchestra, 2-23-1927-

DVORAK cello concerto op.104: Feuermann-Leon Barzin-National orchestral Association, 1940.

TCHAIKOVSKY violin concerto; Milstein-Frederick Stock-Chicago SO, 1940.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Solomon.*


----------



## Carpenoctem

Beethoven: Symphonies No. 3, No.5, No.7









Wonderful playing, excellent 7th, but I don't like the sound quality.


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Mengelberg) [1939]

Most bizarre tempi I've heard in this piece yet.


----------



## Vaneyes

*FJ Haydn*: Last 3 String Quartets with L'archibudelli, then Piano Sonatas with GG.

View attachment 8357
View attachment 8358


----------



## SAKO

*JOHANNES CHRISTIAN BACH*

SINFONIAS 2, 4, 6. 
OP.18

*GEORG PHILIP TELEMANN*

DON QUICHOTTE SUITE

Karl Munchinger conducting the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.
1975. Decca 12" vinyl.


----------



## SAKO

*VAN B.*

SYMPHONY NO.3 'EROICA'

Andre Cluytens conducting the Berlin Philharmonic.

1960. 12" vinyl.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*:
Symphony No.63 'La Roxelane', 
No.64 'Tempora Mutantur'
No.69 'Laudon'
No.73 'La Chasse'
No.80 (in D minor)
No.81
No.82 'L'Ours'
No.83 (in G minor) 'La Poule' 
No.85 'La Reine'
No.88


Listening to all these great symphonies didn't take much time while doing my works.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73* *and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98*. Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture - Thomas Beecham


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8361
> 
> 
> Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture - Thomas Beecham


I've been looking to find Beecham's other recordings of Schubert's symphonies beyond this classic recording of 3, 5 & 6:










Beecham captures the Viennese elegance... the Mozartian "classicism" of Schubert's earlier symphonies. This disc has been out of print for years:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely collection of songs/arias/madrigals from the Italian Baroque. Many of the composers included are less than every-day-names: Filippo Vitali, Sigismondo D'India, Giulio Caccini, Luis de Briçeño, Biagio Marini, Giovanni Paolo Foscarini, etc... The performance is warm and sensuous... as one would expect from Magdalena Kozena. She is supported by Private Musicke, a Baroque chamber ensemble that infuse the music with the appropriate intimacy and improvisation.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I listened to this one again this morning... and I'm still blown away. A stellar piece... and a stellar recording:










I listened to this one again... at least twice all the way through... a marvelous exploration of the _bel cato_ repertoire for mezzo soprano:


----------



## Sid James

*Rossini's Barber of Seville *
(previous comments on it here) 
. . .also an album of* Australian guitar music *
(some info by me at this post).



















Odnoposoff said:


> ...
> DVORAK cello concerto op.104: Feuermann-Leon Barzin-National orchestral Association, 1940.
> 
> ...


Great interpretation! I used to have that on a Philips cd (coupled with a searing account Bloch's 'Schelomo'). I think Feuermann just emotionally 'lived' that work to the max at that concert.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.


----------



## Lisztian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I listened to this one again this morning... and I'm still blown away. A stellar piece... and a stellar recording


Really shows Berlioz at his most original. Written in 1824! At 20!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Orchestral Suites - Jordi Savall


----------



## drpraetorus

Welsh folk music


----------



## SimonNZ

The 8cd Jordi Savall "Spanish Secular Music 1200-1700" box, which turns out to be eight Hesperion XX albums recorded between '76 and '86, each with a disc to themselves, even if the album was less than fifty minutes (which is the way I would prefer it).

Playing disc one which is Troubadour Songs, and would elsewhere look like this:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Earlier today: *Ligeti's* Chamber Concerto, Ramifications, Le Grand Macabre.


----------



## presto

I switched on the radio just in time to hear Beethoven’s complete ballet “The creatures of Prometheus.”
Though I’ve heard of it, this is the first time I’ve actually listened to it.
What a wonderful work! Cant understand why it isn’t better known.


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Taneyev

LALO S.E.: Oistrakh-Kondrashin-state URSS O., 1948.

ELGAR violin concerto: Campoli-Boult-London Ph.O.,1954.

BACH two violins concerto: Szygeti-Flesch-Walter Goehr, 1937


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Crudblud

Szymanowski - Stabat Mater, Op. 53


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven Symphony #2: London Symphony Orchestra and Josef Krips


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hummel.


----------



## Renaissance

Beethoven - Complete Cello Sonatas (Heinrich Schiff/Till Fellner)


----------



## NightHawk

Last few days Jarvi/Bremen Beethoven Symphonies 1, 5 and 9. Last ones, the 4th and 7th, are on their way from Germany, no less, and for only $27.80 total (new).


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Cello Sonatas with Gastinel & Guy, then Piano Sonatas 4 & 28, with Sokolov.

View attachment 8378
View attachment 8379
View attachment 8380


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Clarinet Quintet with de Peyer/Melos Ens., then Piano Pieces, Opp. 116 - 119, with Angelich.

View attachment 8382
View attachment 8383


----------



## Renaissance

This should be more famous


----------



## Arsakes

*Shostakovich*: 
Sonata for Cello & Piano Op.40
Piano Trio No.2 Op.67
String Quartet No.8 & 9
The Fall of Berlin

*Dvorak*:
Piano Quintet No.1 & 2
Piano Trio No.1


----------



## Renaissance

*Beethoven:* String Quartet Op.127 & 135 (Guarneri Quartet)


----------



## cwarchc

Starting the evening with this one


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 5










Some dark music for rainy day


----------



## AndyS

Karajans Walkure


----------



## Ramako

opus55 said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 5
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some dark music for rainy day


But was it sunny for the fifth movement


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi's RV626 and then Mozart's KV626


----------



## opus55

Ramako said:


> But was it sunny for the fifth movement


I know


----------



## SimonNZ

Disc two of the Jordi Savall box, which is the "Libre Vermell de Montserrat" album


----------



## cwarchc

Following on from the Respighi








One of my latest Amazon pieces
followed by









Last one for today


----------



## NightHawk

How I LOVE Respighi's 'Roman' tone poems and thanks for the reminder! I have them on LP with Philadelphia and Ormandy (but no turntable, anymore , so need to look for a remastering, or more recent recording. I do remember that Ormandy and the Philadelphians were really cooking on all burners with these dazzling works. One story related by a string member of the orchestra in those years about Ormandy: to get the legendary string sound that Philadelphia enjoyed for so long he would add parts within the string section to make it more plush - if the violas had rests, for instance, he would devise an appropriate harmonic filler part for them - with _any_ composer. I think Stokowski did this, also. All in good taste, I'm sure! 



cwarchc said:


> View attachment 8385
> 
> 
> Starting the evening with this one


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm listening to the third set of Debussy's music as conducted by Ernest Ansermet. This set collects Debussy's Dramatic works and Ballet music.


----------



## Ondine

The Bassoon Concerto is my favourite in this CD!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 1, Karajan ('70s)
Mozart, Coronation Mass and Vespers (Harnoncourt)
Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 (Young)

Everybody's gaga over Simone Young. I must be missing something. But I only got through the first two movements before Spotify shut down.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony #7 from Beethoven performed by Gardiner.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Wedding Cake: French Music For Piano Duo" - Pascal and Ami Roge


----------



## samurai

@ Manx, I hope you got your *Spotify* back and were able to listen to those great works!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.93 {"From The New World"} and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, 
* both performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100
*Bela Bartok--*Concerto for Orchestra
*Both of the latter two works again feature the Cleveland Orchestra led by Maestro Szell.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

A recording of my Wind Ensemble last year performing the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (band version). Very clean and exciting, was a great concert, although I had quite enough of it. I did the piccolo/flute 3 part on it.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Gustav Holst's* birthday (1874 - 1934), "Perfect Fool" and Egdon Heath, with LSO/Previn (rec. 1974).

View attachment 8397


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Beethoven, Symphony No. 1, Karajan ('70s)
> Mozart, Coronation Mass and Vespers (Harnoncourt)
> Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 (Young)
> 
> Everybody's gaga over Simone Young. I must be missing something. But I only got through the first two movements before Spotify shut down.


Simone's Bruckner 4 is the one, Manx. Bon appetit.


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich* _Piano Trio #2_
Rosamunde Trio, Prague (alto cd)

My take on this previously here.

_Wind quintets _by *Rosetti (Rossler) *& *Reicha* ; 
*Francaix* - _Quartet for wood-wind instruments _; 
*Janacek* _'Youth' (Mladi) Sextet for winds _
Quintet for wind instruments of the Sudwestfunk (South West German Radio) (vinyl album)

Esp. enjoyed the *Janacek sex**tet* - a work done towards the end of his life looking back on his youth. It brims with vitality and is a fun piece to hear. The other works where interesting as well.

*Grieg* _Four Norwegian Dances_ 
English CO under Raymond Leppard (Award cd)

More light stuff to finish off, its been ages since I'd heard these.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich #12


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 3 In C Major, Op. 1/3*

I've been listening to Beethoven again the last couple of days - I like this set very much. I enjoy listening to the Opus 1 Trios on the first 2 Discs


----------



## SimonNZ

Disc three of the Jordi Savall box, which is the "Secular Music From Christian And Jewish Spain" album:


----------



## drpraetorus

Dance of the Hours. I just can't get Fanatsia out of my mind. Dancing hippos and crocodiles.


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Haydn symphonies 44 and 45.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mahler's Ruckert Lieder - Janet Baker, John Barbirolli


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

live (literally live, not prerecorded) from the Wellington Town Hall: Stephen Hough performing Saint-Saens' "Egyptian" Piano Concerto with the NZSO

the announcer mentioned in passing that a British poll voted Hough's Saint-Saens' Concerto set the Greatest Classical Recording Of The Last Thirty Years


----------



## Sid James

^^The Egyptian is great. Love that minute or so of imitation gamelan in the slow movement. & the usual mix of contrapuntal bits, good tunes (but can be earwormish a bit) and the usual frolicsome type finale. Good fun and well crafted. I used to be so-so with S-Saens but now I like him, in small doses, due to the earworm factor.


----------



## Taneyev

Today comparative versions from a rare and fantastic Arkadia CD. Three Mendelssohn violin concerto:

Milstein-Walter-NYPHSO, 1945.

Oistrakh-Kondrashin-URSSSO, 1949

Heifetz-Beecham-Royal PH.O.,1949.


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninov*'s Cello Sonata in G minor Op.19


----------



## EricABQ

I've been listening to this set from Brendel:










Now, I have to rant about it for a bit. The playing is great, but the whole thing is ruined by the over the top nose breathing and snorting you hear throughout. Sometimes its like there is a snoring elephant in the room with him. It's much worse when listening through ear-buds than my computer speakers. It degrades what is an otherwise great set.


----------



## campy

Borodin: Symphony #1 (Rotterdam PO/Gergiev)


----------



## opus55

Dohnanyi: Violin Concerto Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## jani

I am amazed every time i hear this piece, because this is a very mature work for a 12 year old ( at least i think so)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Simone's Bruckner 4 is the one, Manx. Bon appetit.


Aha! I'm going to carve some time out today and drink it in. Thanks!

Right now I'm trying to get the blood pumping, so I'm listening to Wagner. My wife got me hooked into the old Inspector Morse series from BBC, and last night's episode had him with a lovely (for her age) Oxford music teacher, where he ended up proclaiming his love for . . . Wagner. Apparently she was into Wagner also, because they hooked up - or maybe it was his classic red Jaguar. (As Batman once said, "Chicks love the car." )


----------



## Chrythes

Manuel Ponce - Guitar Sonatas.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Aha! I'm going to carve some time out today and drink it in. Thanks!
> 
> Right now I'm trying to get the blood pumping, so I'm listening to Wagner. My wife got me hooked into the old Inspector Morse series from BBC, and last night's episode had him with a lovely (for her age) Oxford music teacher, where he ended up proclaiming his love for . . . Wagner. Apparently she was into Wagner also, because they hooked up - or maybe it was his classic red Jaguar. (As Batman once said, "Chicks love the car." )
> 
> View attachment 8405


Yes, Morse's Vogner obsession helped illustrate the character's frailty.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: Violin Sonata 1, with Kremer & Gavrilov, then Piano Sonatas with GG.

View attachment 8407
View attachment 8408


----------



## Cheyenne

Händel's Concerto Grosso Op. 6 Numbers 1 - 10 with Yehudi Menuhin.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Xenakis - String Quartets


----------



## starthrower

I am currently into Takemitsu. I love his music. I've been listening to a BIS CD I bought recently.

It features some great pieces including Archipelago S. , and Tree Line.


----------



## Crudblud

EricABQ said:


> Now, I have to rant about it for a bit. The playing is great, but the whole thing is ruined by the over the top nose breathing and snorting you hear throughout. Sometimes its like there is a snoring elephant in the room with him. It's much worse when listening through ear-buds than my computer speakers. It degrades what is an otherwise great set.


Makes me think of Roger Muraro's Messiaen piano recordings, at certain loud chords in the lower registers he makes this noise that goes like "zhyoom". It's just bizarre.

Speaking of Messiaen, I'm listening to the _Quatuor pour la fin du temps_, a new recording (to me) with Barenboim, Desurmont, Tétard and Yordanoff.


----------



## opus55

Bartok: String Quartet No. 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Yes, Morse's Vogner obsession helped illustrate the character's frailty.


Ha! There might be something there. The arch-Wagner theme is redemption through sacrificial love. Morse is somewhat of a misogynist - not totally, but somewhat - and he seems to attract women who can't enter into long-term relationships with him; hence, their "sacrifice," if you can call it that. But in the Inspector Lewis series which picks up after Morse's death, it's the _women_ who remember his good works - how sympathetic a listener he was, how he endowed a scholarship for music students. So they are involved in his "redemption," again, if you can call it that. (Of course, maybe I'm reading too much into it.)

Anyway, I'm listening to Simone Young's recording of Bruckner's first thoughts of his 4th symphony. She does well in masking the frailties of the piece and in enhancing its Schubertian qualities.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.

Celibidache this time around.


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner #1: My second listen, and first "focused" listen. From my Gunter Ward box. Interesting note: the scherzo is my favorite movement. This is unique in that I generally don't like scherzos as much as other styles of movements.


----------



## Crudblud

Messiaen - Sept Haikai (Boulez/Cleveland Orch./Jones)


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major*, featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## Ondine

Quintet & Quartet for Strings and Wind... & the Concerto, too


----------



## Lisztian

Arrau plays Liszt. My favourite Liszt pianist, along with Bolet.

Here are some examples of not only sublime playing, but some of the music that puts Liszt among the truly great 19th cent piano composers.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still on by French music kick:


----------



## Lisztian

And more!


























So many more - pretty much all his interpretations of Liszt are golden.


----------



## Sid James

*Walton's score for Henry V* - as made into a _Shakespeare scenario_ by Christopher Palmer. Love the narration by Christopher Plummer - he really makes it all come to life, as does Walton's vivid score, full of images and bringing to mind many influences but totally his own all the same.

Then C.M. Schoenberg's & Alain Boublil's *Les Miserables*, some great tunes in this, love that gritty and raw quality, which totally fits this story of love and revolution - Victor Hugo was a 'realist' after all. Really packs a punch emotionally too, esp. the final scene when Valjean is dying and says farewell to Cosette.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Respighi: Pines of Rome, Roman Festival. Both played by the Czech Phil.


----------



## neoshredder

Respighi is one of my favorites of 20th Century Nice choice. Listening now to Vivaldi's L'estro Armonico by Biondi


----------



## samurai

Gustav Holst--*The Planets,* featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}*, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the wand of Sir Adrian Boult.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}*, once again featuring Maestro Boult, this time conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Clementine

Back from hiatus! Not really a 'current listening' but more of where I left off, on July 30th I believe. So, just finished listening to:

*Arcangelo Corelli: Trio Sonata, Op. 1/12 (1681)
*Wonderfully fresh and beautiful, Corelli is as consistent as ever. While the trio isn't really any more substantial than the previous efforts, the lines are graceful, harmonies beautiful. For a composer who hasn't written any one piece of major impact, he has a way of garnering appreciation, mine included.

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 48 (1841)
*Chopin's _Op. 48 Nocturnes_ move at a slower pace than their predecessors. Both movements evoke never ending melodies, using very light accompaniment. All of the attention is brought on beautiful singing melodic lines, both at once melancholic and reassuring. Though there is some resolution at the end (in the form of gorgeous descending chromatic harmonies), these nocturnes seem less about telling a story, and more about painting a picture. Great stuff.

*Arnold Schoenberg: Herzgewächse (1911)
*Only a few minutes long, for soprano and mixed chamber ensemble, _Herzgewächse_ is one of Schoenberg's first atonal works. Unlike it's thorny contemporary _Pierrot Lunaire_ though, Schoenberg pulls off a very lush, lovely work, highlighted with a beautiful soaring soprano line in the climax.

*Igor Stravinsky: 3 Pieces for String Quartet (1914)
*Stravinsky wrote hardly any chamber music, let alone for something as standard as string quartet, and these pieces are far from standard. Instead of traditional moving contrapuntal lines, Stravinsky plays more with patterns and textures, creating cool harmonies, with melodies that sound almost folk like. The structure is just as interesting, beginning with an active pulse and slowly dying down over the course of its 7 minute life. It's not his most provocative work, but it's certainly evocative.

*Erik Satie: 3 Mélodies (1916)
*Written for soprano and piano, these delightful pieces are more like parlor songs, probably intended to be sung on stage, rather than the concert hall. Each song is just as catchy as the next, and it's French, and every one knows French is just lovely when sung.

*Witold Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra (1954)
*Probably his most performed work today, this is also the piece that brought Lutoslawski international fame. It came as no surprise why. Brilliantly written, this _Concerto for Orchestra_ grabs you from the first note, and latches ahold the longer it plays. This is one of those pieces where it's difficult to highlight a particular section because it's all so attractive. Though the final movement is marked _Andante_, the piece never really slows down. Using roughly the same harmonic palette as Bartók's own _Concerto for Orchestra_, the actual musical material isn't the most engaging aspect (though it's entirely respectable). The real triumph lies in the orchestration, and the amount of new and varying sounds he can create out of a centuries old ensemble.

*György Ligeti: Síppal, Dobbal, Nádihegedüvel (2000)
*Written towards the end of his life, when Ligeti was trying to incorporate more aspects of tonal harmony into his music, this is probably the most accessible he wrote since his Hungary years. Oddly enough it's not even the harmonies that make it accessible, but the style and text. Based on folk melodies, the music almost evokes some Southeast Asian traditions, though the text is sung in Hungarian, with the occasional obligatory gibberish. With an ensemble, and particularly active percussion section bouncing off the melodies of the various singers, this is a work that makes you smile throughout, for it's beauty, acrobatics, and perhaps most importantly, sense of humor and lightness. A really charming little piece.


----------



## starthrower

Just finished my first listening session with Stockhausen. I really enjoyed this high quality live performance video.


----------



## opus55

Bartok:
String Quartet No. 4
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

















Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1
Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces


----------



## Lisztian

Among the best recordings of Les préludes, if not the best.


----------



## science

Only the Fauré.










I listened to this last night. Very nice.


----------



## cwarchc

I've just spent an hour or so listening to different interpretations of
Bach's Chaconne for solo violin on youtube
I can't make up my mind which I like best?
Perlman comes across as a bit "flashy"
Stern as a bit ""cold"
Hahn as very good technically, but just missing something 
I'm leaning towards the Vengerov or Oistrakh, but then I found Henryk Szeryng.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

cwarchc said:


> I've just spent an hour or so listening to different interpretations of
> Bach's Chaconne for solo violin on youtube
> I can't make up my mind which I like best?
> Perlman comes across as a bit "flashy"
> Stern as a bit ""cold"
> Hahn as very good technically, but just missing something
> I'm leaning towards the Vengerov or Oistrakh, but then I found Henryk Szeryng.


The three I have listened to are Perlman, Vengerov and Danielle Belen. I put them in order of preference. Vengerov is extremely good, but he isn't as clear as Perlman, Danielle Belen played it well but not quite in the right style. I can't comment on Stern or Hahn or Oistrakh. I must listen to Szeryng.


----------



## cwarchc




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Various violin concertos by Vivaldi played by Nigel Kennedy and Berlin Phil.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

cwarchc said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgE2ZeU1AxI


Very nice, I think maybe it's a tie between Itzhak Perlman and him now, I'll have to listen more closely another time to decide.


----------



## Renaissance

Missa Solemnis - Colin David/LSO.


----------



## jani

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Various violin concertos by Vivaldi played by Nigel Kennedy and Berlin Phil.


I don't understand the " Hate" towards Nigel he is a great violinist.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

jani said:


> I don't understand the " Hate" towards Nigel he is a great violinist.


I agree, but since when did people hate him????


----------



## Taneyev

SAINT-SAËNS violin concerto Nº3: Francescatti-Mitropoulos-NYPHO, 1950

PROKOFIEFF violin concerto Nº2: Heifetz-Koussevitzky-Boston SO, 1937

KHATCHATURIAN violin concerto: Oistrakh-Alexander Gauk-state URSS O.,1946 (his first recording of the piece. He did it three times more).


----------



## Renaissance

A stellar performance of a stellar baroque concerto. Nice videos too


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms* Violin Concerto in D major

*Boccherini*:
String Quartet in D major (G165)
Guitar Quintet No.9 'La Ritirada Di Madrid'

*Dvorak*:
Domov muj (My Homeland), Op.62
From the Bohemian Forest Op.68
Piano Concerto
Serenade No.2


----------



## campy

Henze: Symphony #5 (NYPO/Bernstein)


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Sonata

Brahms: Violin Sonatas. Superb music, one of my favorite CDs in my Brahms box. Gyorgy Pauk on the violin, and Roger Vignoles on the piano. I think Brahms may have supplanted Mozart for third place in my favorite composers. And this is only after hearing the Requiem, chamber music, and second piano concerto! I have so much more of his music to explore 



Sid James said:


> *Walton's score for Henry V* - as made into a _Shakespeare scenario_ by Christopher Palmer. Love the narration by Christopher Plummer - he really makes it all come to life, as does Walton's vivid score, full of images and bringing to mind many influences but totally his own all the same.
> 
> Then C.M. Schoenberg's & Alain Boublil's *Les Miserables*, some great tunes in this, love that gritty and raw quality, which totally fits this story of love and revolution - Victor Hugo was a 'realist' after all. Really packs a punch emotionally too, esp. the final scene when Valjean is dying and says farewell to Cosette.


Les Mis is a great work. I have a highlights album as well, on MP3, but I'd like to get a complete version on CD at some point. Schoenberg and Boublil made an amazing team with this one as well as Miss Saigon.


----------



## EricABQ

Catoire: Piano Music by Hamelin.

A relatively new recording for me, I haven't really given it much time, so I thought I would go ahead and listen through it.


----------



## NightHawk

Right now with breakfast, Pohjola's Daughter (5*****). Yesterday listened to Neeme's son's Beethoven 9th 3 x's. He really holds that 4th movement together very, very well. Plan to listen to Gardiner's Schumann Symphonies complete while I clean house after coffee. Good morning to ye all!!!


----------



## Renaissance

This is really lovely


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Violin Concerto 1, with Kremer/BPO/Boulez, then Violin Concerto 2, with Shaham/CSO/Boulez.

View attachment 8423
View attachment 8424


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Ha! There might be something there. The arch-Wagner theme is redemption through sacrificial love. Morse is somewhat of a misogynist - not totally, but somewhat - and he seems to attract women who can't enter into long-term relationships with him; hence, their "sacrifice," if you can call it that. But in the Inspector Lewis series which picks up after Morse's death, it's the _women_ who remember his good works - how sympathetic a listener he was, how he endowed a scholarship for music students. So they are involved in his "redemption," again, if you can call it that. (Of course, maybe I'm reading too much into it.)
> 
> Anyway, I'm listening to Simone Young's recording of Bruckner's first thoughts of his 4th symphony. She does well in masking the frailties of the piece and in enhancing its Schubertian qualities.


I haven't watched much of the Lewis series, remembering his psyche constantly taking a Morse beating. A lot of Morse's bullying was probably due to frustration at how his life had turned out. Unlucky in love. I recall one episode where Morse was falling in love with the eventual murderess.

Sidenote: I would have enjoyed a roundtable discussion with these TV detectives in character. Miss Marple (Joan Hickson), Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), Endeavor Morse (John Thaw), Hercule Poirot (David Suchet), Favorite beverages and drugs allowed.


----------



## Sonata

I have my CD player loaded with discs from my top 3 favorites:

1) Mendelssohn psalms: listened to 95 and 98
2) Mahler: Das Lied Von Erde
3) Brahms: Violin Sonatas


----------



## cwarchc

Still my favourite rendition of this piece
I've had a very lazy (read enjoyable) day browsing some great pieces on Youtube


----------



## Lukecash12

Just some feel good stuff. You're of course familiar:






Richter's performance has less fire in it than you usually hear, which I like. It seems to me that so many pianists look through the sheets and basically tell Schubert "your dynamic markings are boring". Then they try and turn it into something heroic, because of course every classical Germanic piece has to sound heroic, apparently... But screw 'em, Richter tells an enchanting tale here, and his cool melodies really play on how ear wormy Schubert's melodies are in that piece. And it's molto moderato, not allegro moderato, which Richter heeds well.


----------



## nikola

Dvorak's String Quartet No. 7, Op. 34


----------



## NightHawk

'Morse' was my favorite detective show in that small golden age, I read somewhere that the 'beepbeep, beep, beeeep,' morse-code motive for 'each' episode that accompanied the main theme gave away the identity of the murderer! Cool, if true. I also liked 'Adam Dalgliesh' (great viola solo in the Title Music, I can still pick it out with harmony on the piano). 'Prime Suspect' was also great if grisly, and 'Sherlock' with Jeremy Brett was the best Sherlock, ever.

I changed my mind about the Schumann to clean house (re earlier post this morning) and went with the complete symphonies of Edmund Rubbra from Chandos - BBC Orchestra of Wales with Richard Hickox. Great performances and the often pastoral symphonies also have a lot of drama and a sort of minimalism that has nothing to do with Reich, Glass or Riley. Edit: I think it has more to do with Sibelius, actually. Edit 2: David Suchet = Perfect Poirot!!! 











Vaneyes said:


> I haven't watched much of the Lewis series, remembering his psyche constantly taking a Morse beating. A lot of Morse's bullying was probably due to frustration at how his life had turned out. Unlucky in love. I recall one episode where Morse was falling in love with the eventual murderess.
> 
> Sidenote: I would have enjoyed a roundtable discussion with these TV detectives in character. Miss Marple (Joan Hickson), Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), Endeavor Morse (John Thaw), Hercule Poirot (David Suchet), Favorite beverages and drugs allowed.


----------



## Morgante

Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm listening to the second disc of this collection of Faure's orchestral works:










There are some absolutely exquisite pieces here. I count Faure among my top twenty composers...

1. J.S. Bach
2. W.A. Mozart
3. L.v. Beethoven
4. Richard Wagner
5. Franz Schubert
6. Joseph Haydn
7. Richard Strauss
8. Gustav Mahler
9. G.F. Handel
10. Johannes Brahms
11. Robert Schumann
12. Piotr Tchaikovsky
13. Anton Dvorak
14. Claude Debussy
15. Antonio Vivaldi
16. Claudio Monteverdi
17. Giuseppe Verdi
18. Dimitri Shostakovitch
19. Gabriel Faure
20. Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber

... and this set has only served to further reinforce my opinion of him as a composer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

NightHawk said:


> 'Morse' was my favorite detective show in that small golden age, I read somewhere that the 'beepbeep, beep, beeeep,' morse-code motive for 'each' episode that accompanied the main theme gave away the identity of the murderer! Cool, if true. I also liked 'Adam Dalgliesh' (great viola solo in the Title Music, I can still pick it out with harmony on the piano). 'Prime Suspect' was also great if grisly, and 'Sherlock' with Jeremy Brett was the best Sherlock, ever.
> 
> I changed my mind about the Schumann to clean house (re earlier post this morning) and went with the complete symphonies of Edmund Rubbra from Chandos - BBC Orchestra of Wales with Richard Hickox. Great performances and the often pastoral symphonies also have a lot of drama and a sort of minimalism that has nothing to do with Reich, Glass or Riley. Edit: I think it has more to do with Sibelius, actually. Edit 2: David Suchet = Perfect Poirot!!!
> 
> View attachment 8425


I really must get around to exploring Rubbra. And the fact that his works are available performed by Richard Hickox... one of the finest at the English repertoire... only increases my interest. I just could never justify shelling out $60+ for a composer that I don't know at all. If you were recommend one or two of his finest symphonies, which would you choose?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass in f minor.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> 'Morse' was my favorite detective show in that small golden age, I read somewhere that the 'beepbeep, beep, beeeep,' morse-code motive for 'each' episode that accompanied the main theme gave away the identity of the murderer! Cool, if true. I also liked 'Adam Dalgliesh' (great viola solo in the Title Music, I can still pick it out with harmony on the piano). 'Prime Suspect' was also great if grisly, and 'Sherlock' with Jeremy Brett was the best Sherlock, ever.


Wow, I'll have to check that out. And I agree; Brett was the best book-depicted Sherlock. But Benedict Cumberbatch is a close contender for a different age. (I'm not too crazy about the new Moriarty, though; a little too childish for my taste. But, on the other hand, "consulting criminal" is probably a career an overindulged boy genius whose brain has been tweaked would choose.)


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm listening to the second disc of this collection of Faure's orchestral works:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There are some absolutely exquisite pieces here. I count Faure among my top twenty composers...
> 
> ... and this set has only served to further reinforce my opinion of him as a composer.


I am chomping at the bit to explore Faure. His Requiem is beautiful. I have three or four assorted songs of his on various compilations and want MORE. Alas, he has to wait until February while I catch up on absorbing my current collection.


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninov*'s Symphony No.1

*Sibelius*:
Florestan, JS 82
Kyllikki, Op.41
Piano Sonata in F major, Op.12 (very impressed by it)
Piano Sonatina in F Sharp Minor, Op.67


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas with Hamelin, then* Holst*: The Planets, with ASO/Levi.

View attachment 8429
View attachment 8430


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to Dufay's _Missa L'homme armé_ and it was spectacular.


----------



## Sid James

Clementine said:


> *Arnold Schoenberg: Herzgewächse (1911)
> *Only a few minutes long, for soprano and mixed chamber ensemble, _Herzgewächse_ is one of Schoenberg's first atonal works. Unlike it's thorny contemporary _Pierrot Lunaire_ though, Schoenberg pulls off a very lush, lovely work, highlighted with a beautiful soaring soprano line in the climax. .


Good to see you post here again. I agree re that contrast between 'Pierrot' and 'Heart's Foliage.' Got them on the same disc (Christine Schaeffer/Boulez). Its like one is a femme fatale and the other is like an innocent girl. Someone said that to me and I never thought of it exactly like that. Maybe the old wh*re/virgin type dichotomy, popular in the arts esp. with the emergence of psychoanalisis around that time. I mean you only need look at the paintings of say Edvard Munch and some of those other Expressionists. Those two extremes really drew people in back then (still does).



Sonata said:


> ...
> Les Mis is a great work. I have a highlights album as well, on MP3, but I'd like to get a complete version on CD at some point. Schoenberg and Boublil made an amazing team with this one as well as Miss Saigon.


Yes its been ages since I've heard 'Miss Saigon.' 'Les Mis' does have influence of Weill/Brecht's kind of imaging of the 'low life,' and also cabaret (talking of 'Pierrot' above - but also some of that grittiness of the origin of the genre, it was then not middle class as now, but came from the streets, eg. Edith Piaf was a busker before she became famous). These things, and also the leitmotif thing ('Les Mis' is through-composed), kind of come together in it. Like many musicals I know, there are not only great tunes and big emotions but a good deal of sophistication and craftsmanship behind that.


----------



## Lukecash12

Listening to an LP I have of Bach's Christmas oratorio. The label says London Philharmonic, and I believe Scherchen conducted it (because I recognize his chorus and soloists), but it doesn't say the year or date. It sounds like Scherchen at some of his liveliest.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MORE LISZT!!!!! I keep forgetting how much I love his music!


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Nielsen lieder - Michael Kristensen, Ulrich Staerk


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## drpraetorus

PDQ Bach Misse hilarious


----------



## Arsakes

*Smetana*'s Ma Vlast:
Vysehrad
Vltava (The Moldau)
Sarka
From Bohemia's Meadows And Forests
Blanik
Tabor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## SimonNZ

Disc seven of the Jordi Savall box, which is the "Songs And Dances From The Time Of Cervantes" album:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Looks like a Liszt evening all around:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Renaissance

Some sort of baroque-classical mix from Russia


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Ramako

I'm continuing my Haydn symphony cycle, on number 27 at the moment. Adam Fischer all the way, (except perhaps a few in the future).









Also I just listened to a recently acquired Haydn op. 50 nos 4-6 by the Kodaly Quartet (unfortunately these quartets are not included in the above edition)


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Taneyev

ELIZALDE Federico violin concerto: Ferras-Gaston Poulet-London Ph.O.,1947- (an exquisite,romantic unknown piece, on a definitive version).

SIBELIUS violin concerto: Yulian Sitkovetsky-Nikolai Anosov-Czech Ph-O.,1953

RAKOV Nicolai violin concerto Nº1: Igor Oistrakh-Rakov-State URSS O. (in the 50s)


----------



## Renaissance




----------



## Kevin Pearson

I wish someone would start a separate thread for YouTube videos. This is getting to be a bit much. Especially when I'm accessing using a portable device. It slows things down too much. Album covers are one thing. They don't require as much bandwidth but videos do even if you don't play them. Technically YouTube videos are something you "watch" and listen to not listen only, which is the title of this thread. I think it would be better to have a place just for classical YouTube posts.

Kevin


----------



## campy

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Anima Eterna/Immerseel)


----------



## Carolingian

Karl Richter's 1964 recording of the Johannes-Passion.


----------



## MatejfromSlovenia

Never released recording of Margarita Fyodorova. Scriabin Piano concerto....


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.2 & 7

Listening For the first time, conducted by Solti. Fully listened to No.2, but I prefer No.7 which I'm listening right now (II. Nachtmusik I: Allegro moderato)


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> I wish someone would start a separate thread for YouTube videos. This is getting to be a bit much. Especially when I'm accessing using a portable device. It slows things down too much. Album covers are one thing. They don't require as much bandwidth but videos do even if you don't play them. Technically YouTube videos are something you "watch" and listen to not listen only, which is the title of this thread. I think it would be better to have a place just for classical YouTube posts.
> 
> Kevin


I agree, Kevin, it's out of control and has stagnated most of the TC website for many.

FYI...

http://www.talkclassical.com/13651-youtube.html

PSA:

I've decided I will only post links to videos, as they occasionally warrant.

I ask that others do, too. It will make this thread, and TC website's navigation far more enjoyable than it is now.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Orchestral Works with OSM/Dutoit, then Valses nobles et sentimentales, with Pogorelich.

View attachment 8441
View attachment 8442


----------



## Renaissance

Gustav Holst - Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to some of Schubert's Piano Works.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 - Furtwangler, Music & Arts

Bruckner, Symphony No. 4 - Jochum, DG


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Haydn's Requiem performed by the King's Consort and Choir of the King's Consort.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Volume 1


----------



## SimonNZ

I've been enjoying all the Anthony Rooley reissues that Eloquence have been doing recently. Especially as many were previously only super-rare vinyls. And his recording of Coprario's Funeral Tears was a very welcome addition, for my taste.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

La Bohème


----------



## Sid James

A couple of vinyls -

*Album - More music from the Greek Islands*
Tracticos and his bouzoukis: Manos Tracticos, guitar/leader ; T. Avergis & N. Youldasis, bouzoukis ; P. Tsapos, pno. ; S. Bassou, bass ; G. Yannagas, dr.

This is relaxing dance music, like you hear played in Greek restaurants, and no wonder there's photos illustrating how to dance the 'sirtaki' on the back cover.

*Vaughan Williams* _Symphony #9 in E minor_
London PO under Adrian Boult

A fitting farewell this is, and a summation of sorts, with many reminiscences back to thematic material and vibes of his symphonies 3, 4, 6, 7. I like how he puts in the saxophones, its another 'look back' to other works where he did that (Sym.#6 esp.). It reminds me of what an American critic said of RVW's music when he went over there to visit, "splendour without tinsel." & that restraint and simplicity of expression is apparent in Boult's recordings, the composer trusted his music with this guy to the max.

BTW -
Agreed with the discussion of youtubes above. Just put the URL (as text) if you need to, or say its on youtube and people will go there if they want.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 3,5,6,7


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor {Live}, *featuring the New York Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Antoni Wit.


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both featuring the New Philharmonia Orchestra under the wand of Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## Sonata

*Brahms Clarinet Trio*.

SOMEONE tell me to take a break from my Brahms chamber boxed set. I am addicted to it right now, but I don't want to burn myself out on it  I'm tempted to spend a day just playing the discs all back to back.


----------



## opus55

I'd say go head and get burned out. It'll make you take a break. :lol:

Dohnanyi: Symphony No. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Interesting to hear Buxtehude's Trio Sonatas. For a long time all I knew of him was his organ works and choral pieces.


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> I'd say go head and get burned out. It'll make you take a break. :lol:


True! Besides, it's hard not to listen when it continues to be such a hypnotizing and enchanting experience!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> I've been enjoying all the Anthony Rooley reissues that Eloquence have been doing recently. Especially as many were previously only super-rare vinyls. And his recording of Coprario's Funeral Tears was a very welcome addition, for my taste.


I may have to look into that one. I have a recording of Coprario's Funeral Teares on Zig-Zag... and it is a lovely disc... but Anthony Rooley... and Emma Kirkby!!!


----------



## Sonata

*Mendelssohn*: String Symphony #4

Because, it's been about a whole day since I've listened to Mendelssohn.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Early Beethoven Piano Sonatas, String Quartets, and Violin Sonatas in this order.
PS 1, SQ 1, PS 2, SQ 2, PS 3, VS 1, and etc to PS 32 at the end. Should be a great Chamber and Solo playlist.


----------



## opus55

Sonata said:


> True! Besides, it's hard not to listen when it continues to be such a hypnotizing and enchanting experience!


I haven't listened to much of Brahms' chamber music for several months after getting somewhat burned out the first time I was encountered with all his beautiful pieces. I've listened to his symphonies much more lately. After that, I'll probably go back to the concertos then repeat the cycle all over again


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:
*
Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28.* Both works feature the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra led by Marin Alsop.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ABQ playing Beethoven's op. 130 with the Große Fuge between mvts 5 and 6.


----------



## Wandering

I think this recording and the Suitner M2 are the highlights of the Mahler on berlinclassics label.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Now Weber is a composer that I need to explore more of. Indeed... for all of those interested in finding more composers of the classical era... here's your man! Weber (1786-1826) lived pretty much at the same time as Beethoven. His music is classical...heading into Romanticism (especially the opera _Der Freischütz_). These clarinet works are quite delicious... and clearly owe much to Mozart.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^His piano sonata in C is delightful. Have you heard that?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm listening to Bruckner for the first time ever. Symphony no. 4 BPO/Wand.


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart Fantasia in C minor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner's symphony no. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Disc eight of the Jordi Savall box, which is the " Spanish Secular Music 1640-1700" album:


----------



## Taneyev

BRAHMS double concerto: Schneiderhan-Starker-Fricsay-Berlin Radio SO, 1961.

MIASKOVSKY violin concerto: Oistrakh-Gauk-state URSS O, 1939.

GRUENBERG Louis violin concerto: Heifetz-Monteux-San Francisco SO, 1945.

Only very recently Gruenberg has been recorded again, after more than 60 years. Seems than nobody dare to be compared with Jascha.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Relaxing this evening with Penderecki's first symphony.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Now Penderecki's Cello Concerto. A cellist at school said it was amazing, so I'll listen to it.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Relaxing this evening with Penderecki's first symphony.


This seems like an oxymoron as I would personally not find the first "relaxing". Interesting for sure but not relaxing.

Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kevin Pearson said:


> This seems like an oxymoron as I would personally not find the first "relaxing". Interesting for sure but not relaxing.
> 
> Kevin


Well I am relaxing and listening at the same time. There _are_ people in the world who can do that and I'm one of them. It's a rare and special gift.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Haven't really posted what I've been listening to lately as I've been working through the excellent Brahms Complete Edition. Forty Six CDs of mostly pure bliss. I'm about half way and needing a break so I'm moving on to my favorite recording of the Scriabin Solo Piano works. I just love this recording and these pieces. The more I listen to Scriabin the more I want to keep returning to him.



















Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 4 by Jochum in 1939.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *G*reat *G*uy's 80th, Two and Three Part Inventions.

View attachment 8454


----------



## Sonata

Listening to string quartets this late morning; a genre I haven't listened to often.

Haydn #66 in G
Tchaikovsky #1 in D Major
Debussy in G Minor


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Goldberg Variations (rec. 1981), The Art of the Fugue, with GG.

View attachment 8457
View attachment 8458


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: English Suites, followed by my favorite Goldberg Variations (rec. 1959, Salzburg). GG.

View attachment 8462
View attachment 8463


----------



## agoukass




----------



## campy

Mozart: Piano Concerto #21 in C major (Casadesus/Szell)


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Piano Sonatas 20-24 - Walter Olbertz


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D and Symphony No.9 in E Minor,* both performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Sir Adrian Boult.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"}* *and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61,* both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## EricABQ

Debussy preludes book 1 by Noriko Ogawa. This is the version that is on the bargain priced Rise Of the Masters download.

An excellent set and an incredible bargain.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner symphony no. 5 by Wand.


----------



## Sonata

You're tearing right through Bruckner CoaG! I've had my set for a good month before you started listening to him, and I've only covered symphonies #4 and #1. However, I suspect that it takes me rather longer to really digest a symphony than it does for you. What is your favorite so far?


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 42 - Hermann Scherchen

Darn it - its another one I thought I didn't have but turns out I've got with a different cover:









Superb performance and recording, though


----------



## SimonNZ

"16th Century Dances" - Jean-Claude Malgoire


----------



## Clementine

Just finished listening to:

*Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (1874)
*I listened to this a bunch when I was a small child, but this is the first time I really sat down with it as a young adult, and the first time with piano the version. Despite an occasional lack of color, the piano works just as well as the orchestra, and I think gives more of a sense of unity. Not to mention no cuts are taken, so overall it's just more cohesive and to the composers intentions. Mussorgsky is often cited as being brilliant, but with no formal technqiue. While the voicing is quite nice, the writing itself is a little clunky and bland at places, though he more than makes up for it with wonderful harmonies and memorable tunes. The entire work is very beautiful, simultaneously having a serious and light quality about it. I especially love the _Bydlo_ and _Samuel Goldenberg_ movements. Overall a fantastic piece, and from what little I know of the composer, my favorite piece of his.

*Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit (1909)
*Another piano masterwork I'd been holding off, _Gaspard de la Nuit_ is similar in that it's programmatic, but different in just about every other way. Melody takes a back seat while Ravel does wonders with texture. The outer movements shimmer the entire way through, only to come to a standstill in the middle. Ravel is a little more heart on sleeve here. Debussy is clearly a major influence, but he gives into his romantic indulgences more frequently than the older French master. While finely written though, the music itself only grabbed me on a few occasions. It might be something I have to come back to in the future, or perhaps I'm just not terribly fond of earlier Ravel (though I do really like Introduction and Allegro). In the end, this is one of those pieces that I really appreciate, but only mildly enjoy.

*Maurice Ravel: 2 Mélodies Hébraïques (1914)
*Like much of his output, Ravel looks for ethnic inspiration in this work. The two songs are finely crafted, and fairly pretty and evocative. While not the most memorable work in his catalogue, it's a testament to his consistent and convincing output.

*Arnold Schoenberg: Suite in G (1934)
*Schoenberg wrote this neo-baroque work upon arriving to the United States. Entirely different from his normal output, the _Suite_ is fairly charming, with some moments of beauty hidden between the obvious academia that inspired it. While not an entire waste of time, at over 30 minutes, it does go on for longer than a novelty ought too. Overall a nice little work (and I say little in reference to the scope of emotions).

*Witold Lutoslawski: Musique Funébre (1958)
*Written in memory of Bartók, this was a breakthrough piece for Lutoslawski. It's his first major work to incorporate twelve-tone technique, though it's done in a very skilled and accessible manner. Written for string orchestra, the piece builds slowly starting with a solo cello. The climax is reached after a fugal opening, in which all the voices- and there are a lot of voices- eventually come together, throbbing away in unison. It eventually simmers back down the same way it came, much like Bartók's arch form. While I'd be hard pressed to call this a masterpiece, it really is very moving and wonderfully written.

*Krzysztof Penderecki: Partita (1972)
*Written for harpsichord, electric guitars, and orchestra, this was certainly one of the more interesting pieces I've come across. Over the course of 20 minutes, Penderecki paints different shades of black, in this rather dark and murky work. The harpsichord of course has the issue of being heard over its colleagues, but it was the guitars that gave the orchestra a very muddy sound. While there were a couple of cool moments, overall I wasn't that taken with this piece.

*Philip Glass: String Quartet #3 (1985)
*Written for the film Mimisha, this yet again seems to be Glass running through the motions. I imagine it's much more effective with the proper visual accompaniment, but apparently Glass heard something that was meant for the concert (or perhaps he wanted a couple extra bucks). The music is pleasant enough, and quite pretty in parts, but overall not something I'll be coming back to any time soon.


----------



## NightHawk

Today: just to remind myself, the 1963 Von Karajan/Berlin Beethoven First Symphony in C and Third Symphony in Eb - I have not lost any of my love/respect for the sumptuous, modern orchestra performing Beethoven and... bit of a daydream... was thinking of the Paavo Jarvi Chamber Orchestra Beethoven cycle, which I am so immersed in at the moment, and completely on its own terms. Though the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen uses modern instruments, the Jarvi readings make me think of what the Mannheim orchestra might have sounded a bit like in it's prime (c.1720-78), before the Electoral/Princely court was moved to Munich (when Beethoven was only 8 y/o), and the great orchestra was, I believe, disbanded. In those earlier days it was by all accounts a superb ensemble of perhaps 80+ musicians. The orchestra of two Stamitz's, a Richter, and a Cannabich to name only four of its directors. It was the orchestra that Mozart heard c.1777, and was captivated by its use of the clarinet. The orchestra directly influenced Haydn, Mozart and the Lenten Season _Concerts Spirituel_ in France. still daydreaming...despite the hour!


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Chamber Music for Flute. It's a two disc set, and I listened to about half of a disc. (well, the equivalent, it's a digital download)

Ballet des Muses from Euridice


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert Lieder - Gerard Souzay, Jacqueline Bonneau


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Shostakovich's* birthday (1906 - 1975), Symphony 11 with BPO/Bychkov (rec. 1987).

View attachment 8476


----------



## SimonNZ

Scarlatti Sonatas - Kathleen Long, piano


----------



## Ondine

Arcangelo Corelli: Sonatas da Chiesa a trè Op. 1.

Delicious!

After this...

Francesco Geminiani: Cello Sonatas Op. 5; Brilliant Records: Jaap ter Linden, _cello_; Lars Ulrik Mortensen, _harpsichord_; Judith-Maria Becker, _cello continuo_


----------



## neoshredder

Ondine said:


> Arcangelo Corelli: Sonatas da Chiesa a trè Op. 1.
> 
> Delicious!
> 
> After this...
> 
> Francesco Geminiani: Cello Sonatas Op. 5
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 8478


Did you finish with some delicious Vivaldi Concertos? A well-balanced meal right there.


----------



## Ondine

neoshredder said:


> Did you finish with some delicious Vivaldi Concertos? A well-balanced meal right there.


Great Neo; maybe the Bassoon ones!

If insomnia allow me... hope so


----------



## rickywtn

Well m also waiting for this related topic.

Current m listening lady gaga super hit song of her last album called "Born this way".....
__________________

Themoviesdatabase.com


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to this cd:










On it includes
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen
Wieniawski: Légende
Tartini: Devil's trill sonata
Ravel: Tzigane
Massenet: Méditation from Thaïs
Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy
Fauré: Berceuse in D op. 16

Borrowed it from the library today and only listening to it to please MaestroViolinist. The music is great but the instrument isn't. I loathe the e string on the violin and don't even like Mutter's playing compared to great violinists like Perlman.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert Lieder - Heinz Rehfuss, Frank Martin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> You're tearing right through Bruckner CoaG! I've had my set for a good month before you started listening to him, and I've only covered symphonies #4 and #1. However, I suspect that it takes me rather longer to really digest a symphony than it does for you. What is your favorite so far?


So far I've listened to no. 4 the most and it's th one I'm most familiar with. To tell you the truth, I was slightly disappointed when I heard Bruckner the first time. I was expecting something with harmonies more like Wagner and orchestration more like Mahler, but to me it seems more like cross between Wagner and Schumann really..... But it still is nice, I do enjoy it. It made me realise how much I like Tchaikovsky's symphonies.


----------



## Taneyev

CASADESUS Marius "Adelaide" violin concerto, Mozart Style: Menuhin-Monteux-Paris SO, 1934.

HAYDN cello concerto D major: Feuermann-Sargent, 1935.

BEETHOVEN triple concerto: Oborin-Oistrakh-Knushevitsky-Alexander Orlov-Radio Moscow O., 1947.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## MaryG

I'm currently listening to a disk recently found at onyxclassics which is Beethoven's compositions performed by Maxim Rysanov, Kristina Blaumane and Jacob Katsnelson.


----------



## Crudblud

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to this cd:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On it includes
> Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen
> Wieniawski: Légende
> Tartini: Devil's trill sonata
> Ravel: Tzigane
> Massenet: Méditation from Thaïs
> Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy
> Fauré: Berceuse in D op. 16
> 
> Borrowed it from the library today and only listening to it to please MaestroViolinist. The music is great but the instrument isn't. I loathe the e string on the violin and don't even like Mutter's playing compared to great violinists like Perlman.


I thought that CD was great except for the Devil's Trill Wankfest. One of the worst violin compositions not by Paganini, to be sure.


----------



## Hausmusik

This morning:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Lutoslawski*: Piano Concerto with Zimerman/BBCSO/Lutoslawski; Symphony 3 with CSO/Barenboim; Symphony 4 with PNRSO/Wit.

View attachment 8484
View attachment 8485
View attachment 8486


----------



## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Early Beethoven Piano Sonatas, String Quartets, and Violin Sonatas in this order.
> PS 1, SQ 1, PS 2, SQ 2, PS 3, VS 1, and etc to PS 32 at the end. Should be a great Chamber and Solo playlist.


Starting at String Quartet 3 today. Hope to get a lot of listening in today and not get distracted. My goal is go through the whole playlist.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms 2nd Piano concerto to: Vladimir Askhenazy and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Haitnik.

Love it. I can see here why people say that Brahms was the predecessor to Beethoven, I very much am reminded of Beethoven's fourth piano concerto when I listen to this.

Dare I say Brahms may have even surpassed Mahler and Mendelssohn for me now for top composer. I feel almost guilty for saying so!!! But I really love them all. And I that's the beauty of music. I don't have to pick just one!! I can listen to all of their great works.


----------



## science

Probably only the Babi Yar tonight. I may be coming around to Shostakovich's orchestral music. I've always loved his chamber music, but his symphonies have come to me more slowly. Really, the last composer whose symphonies have come to me easily is Brahms, and in his case really only the 1st and 4th. Mahler's symphonies all took work for me, as did Bruckner's, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Prokofiev, Nielsen, Lutoslawski, Messiaen's Turangalila... I can't say I deeply appreciate the half dozen or so symphonies I've heard by Hovhannes.

The exceptions are Ives, Bernstein, and Honegger. Loved them, and loved them immediately. I need to hear Bax, Martinu,

Anyway, this time I really enjoyed Shostakovich's 13th - a work I've probably heard a dozen times before - for the first time. Maybe I need to do 5 & 10 ASAP while the mood lasts...










My appreciation of Prokofiev ever grows. There are still passages of both works that leave me wrinkling my brow confusedly, and the same goes for most of his works, with notable exceptions such as Romeo & Juliet, Andrei Rublev, etc.










It's no Winterreise... but it is a beautiful work. This is the only recording or performance I've ever heard, so I can't vouch for its greatness vis-a-vis others (and I wouldn't presume to judge them anyway), but I like it.










Now this done got me in a big way. I've never enjoyed Schumann's lieder so much. Wonderful music, wonderful recording.










This got me too. You know, I think I love everything I've heard in the Decca Legends series.










I loved it, and I loved the couplings too. I've long had some random recording of this conducted by Hans Zender, which plays up the challenge more. Boulez made it prettier.


----------



## science

Ah, here we go, another set of 20th century symphonies that just aren't ringing my bell.










Now this done rung it. I don't know if it's anything more than fun, but it is definitely fun.










I know a lot of y'all think I never leave the beaten path, and it's true that I spend most of my time on it (as this post and the previous one demonstrate), but occasionally I wander off into the heath, and here I did it with fair results. I'd compare White's music to Chin's, perhaps. Let me listen to it again before I try to describe it. It certainly won't bore you!










Love it. One of my favorite disks of any composer's solo piano works, and probably my single favorite of Schumann's. I don't know, maybe Schiff's with the Ghost Variations on ECM. But probably this one.










Don't worry; I do feel a little dirty listening to this rather than watching entire operas. But they're fun, and they do make me want to see the operas.










An old classic that we're all supposed to love. Sometimes I really dig it, sometimes not so much. This time was a not so much. I enjoyed the Rapsodie Espagnol the most.


----------



## science

Two more and I'm done, I promise.










To be fair to the 20th century symphonies, Schumann's have also grown on me only slowly. I now enjoy #s 3 and 4 very easily.










Sweet bon-bons. Can't go wrong.










Ok, so I wrote two and I'm doing three. I'm teaching _Macbeth_ right now, so I have an acceptably middle-brow excuse.

I've only listened to the Totentanz, but I think I liked it better than the other one I have, by Ponti. I should listen to it again to be fair because I liked it too. What a great work it is. At least it's fun. That's the theme today, fun.


----------



## neoshredder

Decided to take a lunch break from the Beethoven Chamber Music. Eating some Vivaldi Concertos.


----------



## Crudblud

Comparing Chopin's and Scriabin's sets of 24 preludes, Op. 28 and 11 respectively.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major,* performed by the London Symphony Orchestra led by Valery Gergiev.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *George Gershwin's* (1898 - 1937) birthday, An American in Paris with NYPO/Bernstein (rec. 1958).

View attachment 8494


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival.

View attachment 8498


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies 3 and 8.*, George Szell.


----------



## samurai

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphonies 3 and 8.*, George Szell.
> 
> View attachment 8499


I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on this as well.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner symphony no. 5, Vienna Phil conducted by Hans Knappy-Bushy-Kneecap whatever his name is.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ...
> Borrowed it from the library today and only listening to it to please MaestroViolinist. The music is great but the instrument isn't. I loathe the e string on the violin and don't even like Mutter's playing compared to great violinists like Perlman.


I tend to like Perlman more as well. Check out this album which has a lot of Sarasate and other Spanish things. The duets between Perlman and pianist Sam Sanders are just amazing to hear. But I'd say that Mutter's playing of more recent times appeals to me more than when she was younger. & she also supports & commissions new music, which is great.



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> So far I've listened to no. 4 the most and it's th one I'm most familiar with. To tell you the truth, I was slightly disappointed when I heard Bruckner the first time. I was expecting something with harmonies more like Wagner and orchestration more like Mahler, but to me it seems more like cross between Wagner and Schumann really..... But it still is nice, I do enjoy it. It made me realise how much I like Tchaikovsky's symphonies.


People might forget this, but guys like Schutz, Gabrieli and Palestrina where important influences on Bruckner way before he listened to Wagner's music. The symphonies composed before the 3rd one (dedicated to Wagner) attest to the fact that Bruckner was already unique before coming under his spell. Not surprising, since he was a great organist and played with choirs all his life (then there are his masses - the one in E minor with winds only has those brass sonorities of Gabrieli, amazing since they where hundreds of years apart). Its not to downplay Wagner's influence though.



Hausmusik said:


> This morning:


Some of Australia's finest there, I esp. like the Goldners, good to see them being listened to (& I love those works as well, some of Elgar's most haunting and deeply personal expressions there - I don't have that one but the Naxos cd).


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in D Major, Wab 107, *performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the stick of Georg Tintner.


----------



## Sid James

Over the past few days, got into this bit by bit. 2 cd set on Eloquence of *Ruggiero Ricci playing solo violin works by Bach, Bartok, Stravinsky, Hindemith & Prokofiev.* My favourites where the *Bach Chaconne *from _Partita #2,_ *Stravinsky's Elegie *- one of his few works to show his own emotion, this was a tragic time in his life, many deaths of people close to him - and the* Hindemith solo sonatas*, esp. the 2nd one with a theme and variations on a famous tune from one of Mozart's piano concertos topping it off.










Also 2 vinyls -

*Lerner & Loewe's musical My Fair Lady, *the original stage cast (w. Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison, Stanley HOlloway)

*Villa-Lobos:* _Concerto for guitar and small orch. _& *Rodrigo: *_Concierto de Aranjuez _(John Williams, guitar with London Ch. O. under Daniel Barenboim)


----------



## Sonata

Brahms: German Requiem. The alternate version he scored for four hands rather than orchestral. Performed by Seraphic Fire. It doesn't stand up to the original, but is good its own right. A little more toned down for evening listening. I wanted to focus on piano music today since I'm working up to learning the piano. Tomorrow, if I have time for focused listening I hope to listen to the original version of the Requiem.

Earlier today I started my second batch of piano concertos for my listening project. Bach keboard concerto (don't remember which one), Beethoven #1, Mozart #27.

I also listened to a bit of Chopin: half a dozen nocturnes and three etudes.


----------



## opus55

Finzi:

Clarinet Concerto
Five Bagatelles (arranged for clarinet and strings by Lawrence Ashmore)










Another new arrival from zoverstock


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Another cd from the library:










One of my favourite baroque composers and my favourite composer for the violin.

Now I'll listen to Bruckner 4 again. Just downloaded the score from IMSLP so I can get to know it very well.


----------



## neoshredder

Biber is awesome. I haven't heard Rosary Sonatas yet but his Violin Sonatas are awesome. Wish my library had that cd. I'll probably just buy it. But Corelli's Violin Sonatas are just as great imo.


----------



## starthrower

Henri Dutilleux-Orchestral Works Vol III

This budget label CD features some fantastic music beautifully recorded. The violin concerto is magnificent! It doesn't sound like a violin concerto because the whole orchestra is prominently featured and integrated. Mystere de l'instant is also highly recommended. Some brilliant and exciting string writing accompanied by the exotic cimbalom and percussion. Great modern music!

http://www.allmusic.com/album/henri-dutilleux-orchestral-works-vol-3-mw0001854867


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have learnt an important lesson: when reading Bruckner scores while listening to the music it's much more convenient to be reading and listening to the _same version._

I'm off to score read his third symphony now and hopefully IMSLP has the same version that YouTube has.

EDIT: nvm they're two different version again and I can't be bothered trying to make sense of the score.

ANOTHER EDIT: nvm I'll listen to something else.

ANOTHER EDIT AGAIN: listening to Purcell's _The Fairy Queen._


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Respighi Pines of Rome, etc.


----------



## drpraetorus

Kyrie, Misse Papae Marcelli, Palestrina


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's String Quartet Op.3 No.5 - Griller String Quartet


----------



## clavichorder

WTF! AWESOME!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Partita For Solo Violin No.2 - Wolfgang Schneiderhan


----------



## Lenfer

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: Cello Sonatas with Gastinel & Guy, then Piano Sonatas 4 & 28, with Sokolov.
> 
> View attachment 8378
> View attachment 8379
> View attachment 8380


Very nice! I have the *Sokolov* and want the other two.


----------



## Lenfer

*Sonia Wieder-Atherton* ~ *Chants Juifs (Jewish Songs)*​


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.7 - Alexander Plocek, violin, Josef Palenicek, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wieniawski: violin concerto no. 2


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have learnt an important lesson: when reading Bruckner scores while listening to the music it's much more convenient to be reading and listening to the _same version._...


I can understand that. There's 13 different versions of the 3rd alone. I think the 6th is the one which is 'purest' he did not revise it obessively like the others. But I think most conductors either do the Nowak or Haas versions. They're the most common, in terms of what I see done on cds anyway. Glad you got into his music though. I liked him when I was starting out in classical and he's still a favourite of sorts.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> I can understand that. There's 13 different versions of the 3rd alone. I think the 6th is the one which is 'purest' he did not revise it obessively like the others. But I think most conductors either do the Nowak or Haas versions. They're the most common, in terms of what I see done on cds anyway. Glad you got into his music though. I liked him when I was starting out in classical and he's still a favourite of sorts.


You like Bruckner eh? I think he's pretty cool. One thing he's bad at is joining ideas together with good bridge sections especially in the scherzo of his fourth symphony. One theme just stops, there's a rest and then the next one starts. His orchestrations are reminiscent of the organ but from what I have heard already don't seem to be as colourful and interesting as Wagner's at the time. His harmonies are quite conventional even though he does use some adventurous modulations. That being said, I haven't heard much by him yet so I'm sure there are many exceptions to what I have said here. It's a shame that his music was encouraged by the Nazi's though, much like Wagner's music.

I'll listen to Hans Knappy-Bushy-Kneecap conducting Bruckner's 7th symphony now.


----------



## AndyS

In the mood for something religious


----------



## AndyS

And now moved on to Arabella from the Solti Strauss operas box


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 3, with BPO/Barenboim (rec. 1995).

View attachment 8508


----------



## Il_Penseroso

My favorite Schubert Sonata D.784 in A minor from this:


----------



## nikola

I'm also listening to some piano sonatas by Schubert.


----------



## kv466




----------



## campy

Kodály: Peacock Variations (Philadelphia Orch./Zoltán Kodály)


----------



## drpraetorus

Parsifal, Solti


----------



## Lenfer

*Bach: The Six Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord*​


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.55 -"Eroica"
Herbert von Karajan and Berlin Philharmonic

An excellent rendering, it's very much to my liking. Next one will be by the Hanover Band.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 4, with BPO/Jochum (rec. 1965).

View attachment 8510


----------



## Vaneyes

TheProudSquire said:


> Beethoven Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.55 -"Eroica"
> Herbert von Karajan and Berlin Philharmonic
> 
> An excellent rendering, it's very much to my liking. Next one will be by the Hanover Band.


Which year or decade for the BPO/HvK Eroica recording? The Hanover's fun, as far as depleted orchestration goes.


----------



## ProudSquire

Vaneyes said:


> Which year or decade for the BPO/HvK Eroica recording? The Hanover's fun, as far as depleted orchestration goes.


The 1993 one, I believe. :]


----------



## cwarchc

My latest purchase
I'd never heard of Szeryng until I came across him on YT
His playing style appeals to my ears.


----------



## joen_cph

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8503
> 
> 
> Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.7 - Alexander Plocek, violin, Josef Palenicek, piano


that´s a pretty rare, interesting lp - do yu have more supraphon from those years ?


----------



## SimonNZ

joen_cph said:


> that´s a pretty rare, interesting lp - do yu have more supraphon from those years ?


That one is a 10" - I've started a project of going through the boxes of 10" records I have, to ultimately do a little gentle pruning.

I've got a few early Supraphons relating to very specific repertoire, including a couple more 10", but on the whole I've had bad experiences with the surface quality of the Supraphon vinyls I've owned, so I no longer actively seek them out. Perhaps its just my bad luck but it has seemed that they used something like, say, a special composite in their vinyl which has made them more brittle and aged than those of lps from the same year by other labels. Or perhaps its the way the plastic inner has stuck to the vinyl, or perhaps they didn't sound that good to begin with, but its happened that I've even found still-factory-sealed albums from them that on opening and playing sounded rough.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner: Kyrie from Mass no. 3 conducted by Herreweghe on period instruments.

Now for the whole thing conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.


----------



## Sid James

A couple of vinyls -

*Kodaly* - _Hary Janos, Suite_
*Prokofiev* - _Lieutenant Kije, Suite Op. 60 _(with Dan Iordachescu, baritone in sung parts)
The Philharmonia Orch. under Erich Leinsdorf (EMI)

*Rogers & Hammerstein - Oklahoma! *(Original film sountrack of the musical)
Arrangements by Robert Russell Bennett ; Orch. conducted by Jay Blackburn (Capitol)



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> . . .
> I think he's pretty cool. One thing he's bad at is joining ideas together with good bridge sections especially in the scherzo of his fourth symphony. One theme just stops, there's a rest and then the next one starts. His orchestrations are reminiscent of the organ but from what I have heard already don't seem to be as colourful and interesting as Wagner's at the time. His harmonies are quite conventional even though he does use some adventurous modulations...


I know what you're saying re his kind of 'stop and start' structure. Some writer compared it to climbing a mountain and stopping once in a while to admire the view. You need rest when you're exerting yourself. That sort of thing stuck in my mind. But I also see his structures as organic - and yes, him being one of the great organists of his time, that informed his music a lot. Another one like that is Cesar Franck, they're quite similar in many ways. Great organists, teachers in academia, seen as radicals by the establisment.

I can't compare him in any useful way to Wagner. They're similar but different of course. I think though that those cloud like layers of guys like Palestrina, and the darkness of Schutz, the brass sounds of Gabrieli, I can hear those in his music too.

The other thing is that Bruckner never studied Beethoven's symphonies for the purposes of composition. I read he only studied Beethoven's late quartets when he came to write his only significant chamber work, the _String Quintet in F_. Its telling of how Bruckner's 'take' on sonata form and structure had little to do with Beethoven (even though those opening tremolos obviously come out of LvB's 9th).



> ...
> I'll listen to Hans Knappy-Bushy-Kneecap conducting Bruckner's 7th symphony now.


That's one of my favourite of his symphonies. That and the 6th, the 4th too. They are less dark and heavy than some of his others (esp. the 9th, and a lesser extent the 8th, which is considered by many to be his greatest work).


----------



## crmoorhead

I haven't updated for a while but I am currently enjoying works by Prokofiev, namely his *Symphonies Nos.1, 2 & 3* and watching *The Love for Three Oranges*.

Other recent listening includes *Shostakovich's Symphony No. 3, "1st of May"*, Scriabin's *Piano Sonata No. 3*, Bach's *Orchestral Suite No. 2*, Sibelius' *Kullervo*, the fourth book of Messiaen's *Catalogue D'Oiseaux* and Barber's *Capricorn Concerto*.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43, *featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski.


----------



## neoshredder

Respighi - Ancient Airs and Dances









Now back to Beethoven. Onto Piano Sonata #10. The project continues.


----------



## Vaneyes

TheProudSquire said:


> The 1993 one, I believe. :]


No, that one would've had to be orchestrated exclusively with harps. :angel:


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43, *featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
> Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski.


Goodun. It's been sometime since I've seen that spelling for Peter Ilyich's surname.


----------



## Sonata

I just finished devouring some delicious Chopin Waltzes. CoAG eats Vivaldi, me I chomp on Chopin.


----------



## neoshredder

Chopin is more like champagne.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93,* performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## Vaneyes

cwarchc said:


> View attachment 8512
> 
> My latest purchase
> I'd never heard of Szeryng until I came across him on YT
> His playing style appeals to my ears.


Smart man, spoke seven languages. Three years older than Grumiaux. Both recorded for Philips.


----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> Chopin is more like champagne.


Oh hell yes


----------



## Cnote11

Spending my night with various Debussy and Bartok piano pieces.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 8 Karajan


----------



## opus55

Cramer: Piano Concerto No. 5
Czerny: Divertissement de concert










I begin my study of lesser known piano concertos, starting with disc 1 of 20!


----------



## drpraetorus

Liebestraum, Liszt


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 8 again, this time with a score and I made sure I am reading and listening to the same version.


----------



## neoshredder

Man you are really into Bruckner lately. Right now I'm listening to Ravel's Orchestral Works disc 1.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Clarinet Trio - Reginald Kell, Frank Miller, Mieczyslaw Horszowski


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 4 Böhm 1936


----------



## Renaissance

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Bruckner 4 Böhm 1936


You should try Celibidache's version as well, especially on No.9.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Renaissance said:


> You should try Celibidache's version as well, especially on No.9.


Yep, I was planning on listening to his Bruckner 4 next. Thanks for recommending his version of the ninth for me, I'll check it out.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Sechs Giestliche Lieder - Wilhelm Strienz, bass, Janine Corajod, organ


----------



## AndyS

This came this morning and listening to it now (while working from home on my 'day off')









Schwarzkopf is vastly overrated as an opera singer, but listening to her in a Lieder context and I find her quite appealing

I also took delivery of these this morning:
















I'm also new to Bruckner, haven't listened before, so will be going in for some of that once I'm finished with Wolf


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner's 4th is the first one I heard and I would say the best one to start with. I'm listening to Celibidache's version of it right now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 12 "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" - Karl Richter


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jesus*

I don't know if I'll have time for all vingt. I might have to cut off at dix.


----------



## tdc

I'm listening to Bach's Goldberg Variations on harpsichord played by Pieter-Jan Belder. I'm starting to really get a new appreciation for this work lately. I must say I enjoy this interpretation about 1000 X more than the ones I've heard by Glenn Gould. Sorry to the many GG fans out there, I don't understand it either. I'm not trying to be different or difficult, but GG's playing really does nothing for me.


----------



## Carpenoctem

Beethoven - Triple Concerto for piano, violin, cello & orchestra in C major

Brahms - Double Concerto for violin, cello & orchestra in A minor


----------



## Cnote11

Currently: Respighi: Vetrate Di Chiesa










Next in line: Bach's works for trumpet


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Violin sonatas *blissful sigh*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Chamber Music.*


----------



## campy

Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum (Cleveland O./Boulez)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Gloria and Motets.*

This quote is so Poulenc: "I think I have three good religious works. May they spare me a few days of purgatory, if I do narrowly avoid going to hell." Stephen Layton's forces have put together a convincing survey of his sacred pieces and is sung so well, I'm sure even more days have been knocked off Poulenc's self-imposed sentence.


----------



## science

Still working on my top 100 CDs list, and thinking whether this will be my choice for the Allegri/Palestrina entry. I was thinking it would, but hearing it again... maybe not. Got to give Preston, Willcocks, and the Sixteen another chance.










Soooooo nice.










The composers that I seem to like much more than most people... Enescu, Kodály, Honegger, and Janáček.










I love Zadok the Priest. I think I could listen to those four or five minutes of music over and over for hours.










Yup, that's really what it looks like. It's actually a beautifully designed cover. Anyway, this is one of those disks that's sort of supposed to be on your top-100. I've always felt bad about not enjoying more than I do. I really ought to like Pärt. I like a lot of that post-Soviet sacred minimalist stuff. But Pärt has often seemed bland to me. Fortunately this time I got a little more into it. Maybe I'm getting better.










Desert.

Island.


----------



## science

Give me a boatload of talent and tell me to write post-WWII sacred music and this is pretty much what it'd sound like. I'm pretty sure this is one of the great masterpieces of the 1960s.










Through all of 2 listens, this has not yet impressed me.










This never gets old. I still remember the first time I heard it.










Probably should've put Fauré in the list of composers I enjoy more than most people, but this took a long time to grow on me. I'm going to try some other recordings eventually.


----------



## Lenfer

*Vita *- *Monteverdi* / *Scelsi* ~ *Sonia Wieder-Atherton*

This is absolutely lovely I would recommend this. :tiphat:​


----------



## chrislowski

It took me a while to appreciate Messiaen's piano music, I instantly loved his orchestral works but the piano music took a lot of patience... now I love it  Same thing with his organ works, can't get enough of it now!


----------



## chrislowski

Been listening to a lot of Vasks lately...


----------



## Hausmusik

*Johannes Brahms
Opus 118 and 119 Piano Pieces
Murray Perahia*


----------



## Hausmusik

Science, your declaration of the Domus Faure piano quintets as a "Desert. Island." disc means I am going to have to go listen to it yet again, to see if it finally clicks. I like the C Minor piano quartet well enough, and love the Requiem, but beyond that I have never warmed to Faure.


----------



## science

Hausmusik said:


> Science, your declaration of the Domus Faure quintets as "Desert. Island." means I am going to have to go listen to it yet again, to see if it finally clicks. I like the first piano quartet well enough, and revere the Requiem, but beyond that I have never warmed to Faure.


Well, good luck with it! I really hope it does click for you.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Gabriel Faure
Piano Quintet #1 in d, Op. 89
Domus*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Hausmusik

CoAG, I am wondering what you find so quotable about that line from Ligeti? Maybe because I lack context, I don't find it to be epigrammatic or whatever. . .


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Hausmusik said:


> CoAG, I am wondering what you find so quotable about that line from Ligeti? Maybe because I lack context, I don't find it to be epigrammatic or whatever. . .


It isn't meant to be epigrammatic.


----------



## Hausmusik

OK. Usually, though, quotes in signatures are bon mots, so you can understand my confusion. . .

Science, your sig quote is even more baffling but somehow I don't want the mystery explained (any more than the mystery of your avatar!). But I'm just finishing the first piano quintet now. It is strange how a piece that could barely hold my attention before now opens up to me. It's a marvelous alternative approach to the piano quintet, a genre more given to extroversion and histrionics--Faure foregoes theatricality and big climaxes to create this feathery texture but that somehow sucks you in---or it did this time. I was especially struck by the beauty of the middle movement, and by the opening of the third movement with the meandering figure in the piano accompanied by plucked strings (or string).

*Update:* First movement of the second quintet--this is more what I think of when I think of Faure. Meandering, aimless, pretty. It's nice background music but doesn't hold my attention. I am glad to have been able to get to know the first quintet better tonight, though.


----------



## science

Hausmusik said:


> OK. Usually, though, quotes in signatures are bon mots, so you can understand my confusion. . .
> 
> Science, your sig quote is even more baffling but somehow I don't want the mystery explained (any more than the mystery of your avatar!). But I'm just finishing the first piano quintet now. It is strange how a piece that could barely hold my attention before now opens up to me. It's a marvelous alternative approach to the piano quintet, a genre more given to extroversion and histrionics--Faure foregoes theatricality and big climaxes to create this feathery texture but that somehow sucks you in---or it did this time. I was especially struck by the beauty of the middle movement, and by the opening of the third movement with the meandering figure in the piano accompanied by plucked strings (or string).
> 
> *Update:* First movement of the second quintet--this is more what I think of when I think of Faure. Meandering, aimless, pretty. It's nice background music but doesn't hold my attention. I am glad to have been able to get to know the first quintet better tonight, though.


I started to say something like that, but figured I shouldn't comment, just let the music do its work.

I suspect it's a matter of expectations. We're not going to get a wrestling with fate, or an intellectual tour-de-force to be worked out with diagrams of the structure. If Debussy rejected the label "impressionism," Fauré should've claimed it for himself. The lily pad paintings are pretty, exquisitely pretty at their best, but they're more than that - like Fauré's music. There is a wealth of detail for close inspection.

To me, the best way to approach it is not as a series of themes or motifs or ideas, but as a series of timbres.


----------



## Hausmusik

Continuing on my science-inspired Fauré jag. . .










This is (I believe) my first time listening to the Fauré piano trio. Now there is no denying that this is exquisite.


----------



## etkearne

It is a dark autumn evening, quickly cooling off after an unseasonably mild day, and I just put on "Three Piano Pieces" by Schoenberg to accentuate the lonely atmosphere. Pretty exciting. This is his unbridled expressionist period if I am not mistaken (made 1909). More dissonant than his other periods IMO.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, WAB 108*, featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Monteverdi


----------



## brianwalker

Specifically, Le Martyre de saint Sébastien, the first movement. For some odd reason I find the opening melody to this piece one of the most hauntingly beautiful in all of music.

Usually my taste conforms with the historical consensus so rarely do I find anything underrated, but I would unhesitatingly call this one of the most underrated works of all time, and definitely among the underrated Debussy works.


----------



## drpraetorus

Moonlight Serenade, Glen Miller


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Bruckner's 4th is the first one I heard and I would say the best one to start with....


Its not hard to hear that horn call theme that comes at the start go right through the whole work. Quite thematically tight, I think. Its one of my favs by Bruckner.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jesus*
> 
> I don't know if I'll have time for all vingt. I might have to cut off at dix.
> 
> ...


I'm similar with that, not only in terms of its length (over 2 hours) but also that its very dark. But its one of those things I intend to tackle again, and give it more effort. Some of Messiaen's other works I can't go without. I've got the Beroff recording of 'vingts' with the _8 preludes_, which are earlier and more 'friendly' works.



science said:


> ...
> The composers that I seem to like much more than most people... Enescu, Kodály, Honegger, and Janáček.
> 
> ...


I like them too, but know more of the music by Kodaly and Janacek than the other two. I can't help admire Kodaly as a human being as well, a true humanitarian, doing things like working with underground networks to shelter Jews during the 2nd world war. That sense of tragedy does come through in his music for me, its actually kind of the opposite of a lot of Janacek's more kind of passionate and even triumphant things full of a more positive life force. Compare the _Psalmus Hungaricus _and _Glagolitic Mass _that you just heard and you'll know what I mean. Both written after WW1, the Czechs got a democratic government, the Hungarians got a dictatorship. These works do engage with those histories strongly, I think.


----------



## Sid James

_*Sunset Boulevarde* _(musical), music by Andrew Lloyd Webber ; Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
The Chicago Musical Revue (cd)

I'm a bit so-so with this musical, but its more lyrical than the one before it (Phantom), more about life fading out and reminiscing about the past than the passions of the young. Overall a more relaxed feel though, and it was premiered in LA (not NYC) unsurprisingly, given the original film by Billy Wilder being set in 1950's Hollywood.

*White Horse Inn* (jazz operetta), music by Ralph Benatzky & Robert Stolz ; Lyrics by Robert Gilbert ; English adaptation by H. Graham
Cast, choir, orch. under Tony Osborne (vinyl)

Some great tunes here, a stage work cobbled together from existing songs by four guys who where kind of broke wanting to make a quick buck. But it hangs together well, and is one of the best examples of the short lived genre of 'jazz operetta.' Quite fun and tonnes of schmaltz.

*Schubert *_Sym. #4 in C minor, D.417 'Tragic' _
*Beethoven*_ Grosse Fuge (transcr. for string orch.)_ 
Dresden Staatskapelle under Karl Elmendorff (vinyl)

Love those double basses that get going in the slow movement of *Schubert's* 'Tragic' symphony, which is today getting more recognised as one of his great symphonies. The *Beethoven* was also great to hear after a long time.


----------



## JimmyRussell




----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Fetes Galantes (1st series) - Suzanne Danco, soprano, Guido Agosti, piano


----------



## drpraetorus

Handel Coronation anthem Zadock the Priest and Nathan the Prophet.


----------



## drpraetorus

Holst, Second Suite for Band


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Four Serious Songs - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Hertha Klust, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 7 Giulini Vienna Phil


----------



## AndyS

Bruckner 4, Jochum, Berliner


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

AndyS said:


> Bruckner 4, Jochum, Berliner


Tell me what you think of Bruckner.


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 7 In E Minor, "Lied Der Nacht"*

I started the week off listening to Beethoven and since Tuesday I have been listening to nothing but Mahler - I seem to have a lot of enthusiasm for him this week  I have been listening to mainly the Tennstedt Cycle which I have owned for a couple of years and have been supplementing that with HVK's Mahler recordings.
Today I have been working my way through the Tennstedt box for the second time this week and currently up to Symphony No. 7. It's been a good listening week for me - music has got me through work which has been tiring lately because I have been doing so much overtime!. I'm not sure what I will end up listening to over the next few days - I usually like to plan my listening out. I still have about 9 Discs of un-listened to music in my iTune this will probably blow out to about 30 Discs when I recieve a couple of recently ordered box-sets!.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.9 "Kreutzer" - Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to Mahler's seventh symphony, Bernstein and Vienna Phil. Need a little break from dear old Bruckner, but I'll be with him again soon!


----------



## millionrainbows

Alexander Goldenweiser (1875-1961), called "the maker of Russian pianists." At the Moscow Conservatory, his classmates were Scriabin and Rachmaninov. That's one reason I find these Russian pianists so worth exploring, because of the provenance, of learning handed-down by masters who were actually there. Although technically proficient, the main reason to listen is to get a sense of where they are coming from.

My theory is that Russia, because of its isolation and political atmosphere, was "socially retarded" in many ways, so it got stuck in a "time warp" which made Romantics like Rachmaninov possible in the 20th century; and they took this stuff very seriously. It's interesting to hear "true believers" doing what they feel strongly about.

I have the second box-set (11-20) of this Russian Piano School series, gotten for dirt-cheap during my last days at BMG record club; but I missed the first box. Rather than pay an exorbitant price for the box, I put my 1-10 together from individual purchases.


----------



## Chrythes

Bruckner - Symphony No.8 Wand.









My third Bruckner symphony. It's grand, and it's got its moments, but I can't help it that most of it sounds a bit "kitschy" or sentimental. It's the first symphony that made me feel as if i am watching a Hollywood blockbuster movie. And it might sound weird, but it somehow lacks some sort of chaos or formlessness for me. I like Mahler because he's grand, intense and sometimes chaotic or formless, and it has it's charm, at least for me.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Allegri, Miserere.* *Stravinsky, Firebird.*

This is Willcocks' old recording. How old? Roy Goodman, who came to lead the Hanover Band, is here singing the boy treble solo (and spot on). It's sung in English, which is different, but I appreciate it; I can follow the Psalm.

Then Stravinsky's Firebird. Last night I saw an old episode of Inspector Lewis, and The Firebird was featured prominently, along with snippets from the Trout Quintet and Siegfried's Funeral Music. Of course, they just played the suite. I'm more hardcore, going for the whole enchilada.


----------



## opus55

Muzio Clemenenti: Piano Concerto in C
John Field: Piano Concerto No. 2










Disc 2 of 20. This is a wonderful set if you are interested in obscure works in piano concerto compositions. Performances so far have been good to excellent.


----------



## Hassid

Hallo Boys. First of all, I need to say that I'm the same guy who used to post as Odnoposoff (and previously as Taneyev). Have problems with my password and mail, so I've to registred again, and I choose the name of one of the top violin genius of past century.
Now, to business:

BRAHMS violin concerto: Kreisler-Leo Blech-Berlin State Opera O., 1927

RAKOV Nicolai: violin concerto Nº1, Oistrakh-State URSS SO-Eliasberg-1947

BENJAMIN Arthur Romantic Fantasy violin&viola: Heifetz-Primrose-Izler Solomon-RCA O.,1956


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Listening to the full suite from Prokofiev's ballet Tale of the Stone Flower, 30 min long. I think Neeme Jarvi and SNO are performing it. Lovely performance.


----------



## Sonata

Right now: *Schubert's* Trout Quintet. This is just my second listen ever, the first was right after I got it, a good seven or eight months ago. Pretty enjoyable so far!

Also:

*Haydn*: Divertimenti and concertina (I'm too lazy to look up which ones right now! But they were with piano) This is what I started my morning with. A lot of Haydn I consider "coffee music" because it's warm and invigorating, but not too over-the-top upbeat. A good way to kickstart the morning, but not in an annoying morning person kind of way.

*Mendelssohn*: Psalms, and Violin Concerto in D minor with string orchestra. I love the intro to the concerto

*Tchaikovsky*: String Quartet #1. The first two movements are awesome.


----------



## starthrower

Getting acquainted with the music of Ginastera on YouTube. I was a big ELP fan as a kid, and I love Bartok, so Ginastera is a no brainer. 35 years late is better than never!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner's Symphony 3. Influenced by CoAG.


----------



## Sonata

*Schubert*: Death and the Maiden string quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Concerto in g minor for organ, etc. *

I normally don't like organ music (though I took organ lessons for four years), but I like how he uses the organ here. It needs speakers turned up full volume. Unfortunately, I'm listening on headphones at Barnes & Noble, so I have to restrain myself.


----------



## cwarchc

This is my latest purchase, I don't have any other Bruckner
I like it 
Very, hhmmm energetic 
Very powerful


----------



## Chrythes

Grieg - Cello Sonata and SQ.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

The dangers of listening to this in Barnes & Noble: In the first movement at 11:40, I'm having to keep what I'm feeling internal.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Taverner's Missa Mater Christi Sanctissima - The Sixteen


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 6 Wand


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat {"Romantic"}, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Klaus Tennstedt.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor {ed. Nowak}, *once again featuring Maestro Tennstedt, this time leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## NightHawk

These are my two recordings of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin - I prefer them both.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass No. 3.*


----------



## cwarchc

......


----------



## SimonNZ

Not actually playing either of these right at this moment, but will be later today. I'd had my eye on these in the secondhand record shop over the road from work, and after seeing multiple mentions here I've decided to grab them. The guy I know on the counter let me take both 2cd sets away for $10 total - roughly $8us.

I know its going to sound silly but what put me off grabbing them immediately was the way the have the applause at the beginning and end seemingly unedited and indexed, as though its an integral part of the performance. A silly, small quibble, I know.


----------



## starthrower

An orchestral version of the sonata for two pianos and percussion. Plus Violin Concerto No.1 w/ Gidon Kremer, and the viola concerto w/ Yuri Bashmet.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.100, *both featuring the Orchestre National de France led by Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## Sonata

There seems to be a veritable Bruckner-fest going on this week!! Maybe I should give another go to the 1st tomorrow. Or go nuts and try out a new one.

I watched some piano performances on YouTube: Beethoven: Moonlight sonata, Chopin: Raindrop Prelude, and Mendelssohn: Venetian Gondolier song


----------



## neoshredder

I tried Bruckner. Couldn't get into it. Too much brass with the combination soft/loud/soft/loud and not too many memorable melodies. Back to my Beethoven project. At String Quartet 8 right now.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> There seems to be a veritable Bruckner-fest going on this week!! Maybe I should give another go to the 1st tomorrow. Or go nuts and try out a new one.
> 
> I watched some piano performances on YouTube: Beethoven: Moonlight sonata, Chopin: Raindrop Prelude, and Mendelssohn: Venetian Gondolier song


I enjoyed Bruckner's sixth very much, and his seventh too.


----------



## opus55

Hummel: Piano Concertino in G
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listened to _Symphonie Fantastique_ by Berlioz and now I will go listen to another Bruckner symphony. I'll try no. 2.


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> Hummel: Piano Concertino in G
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 1


That looks like quite a great collection of Piano Concertos there.


----------



## samurai

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I enjoyed Bruckner's sixth very much, and his seventh too.


I'm finding his* 4th* and *8th *to be very accessible as well. I just ordered a relatively cheap box set {20 dollars USC} of a Bruckner Cycle, hoping I might find some of his other symphonies to be as "friendly" to my brain and ears as are the other two I cited.


----------



## tdc

^ The late symphonies are where its at for Bruckner ~ imo. I like letting 7, 8 and 9 play back to back to back. Jochum conducting. Highly recommended.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> That looks like quite a great collection of Piano Concertos there.


I saw someone post it here then I bought it. Highly recommended if you want more romantic piano concertos beyond standard repertoire.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10, *this time featuring Maestro Jansons leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Cadenza

All day in my woodshop listening to the Brahms string quartets(/Alban Berg), followed by a rousing Saint-Saens Organ Symphony/(Montreal and Dutoit).

Time well spent.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

That's it, no more Bruckner. Mahler's symphonies are better. Must listen to them all before the end of the week.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Italian Concerto - George Malcolm, harpsichord


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: symphony no. 1, Concertgebouw/Jansons


----------



## samurai

@ Coag, I almost pulled the trigger this time on the Bernstein Mahler Cycle; I know Conor71 just bought it and I can't wait to hear what he thinks of it. My father--who is a stone cold Mahler lover--has a Bernstein Cycle and really likes it. I'm thinking that will be my next purchase--along with another Nielsen Cycle--in about a month or so.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

samurai said:


> @ Coag, I almost pulled the trigger this time on the Bernstein Mahler Cycle; I know Conor71 just bought it and I can't wait to hear what he thinks of it. My father--who is a stone cold Mahler lover--has a Bernstein Cycle and really likes it. I'm thinking that will be my next purchase--along with another Nielsen Cycle--in about a month or so.


The original jacket New York cycle? Yeah I want that. I need to go busking more often.


----------



## samurai

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> The original jacket New York cycle? Yeah I want that. I need to go busking more often.


 Yeah, Coag, I believe that's the set our friend Conor71 just got and which I also intend to purchase in the near future.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mahler: symphony no. 1, Concertgebouw/Jansons


Waiting for the 'That's it. No more Mahler. Time to listen to Ligeti'.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 11, sung in English - Reginald Jacques (featuring Kathleen Ferrier)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

My personal taste runs in listening to symphonic, concertos, chamber but every once in a while I must have some opera. I'm not a huge fan of opera at all and I much prefer to watch it on Blu-Ray if I subject myself to it at all, but lately I just have to have some Angela Gheorghui. I just love listening to her voice. She takes me to heaven and back again when I hear her. Listening to this tonight:










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's Two Portraits, Op.5 - Ferenc Fricsay


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 2. LSO and various singing people conducted by Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Tohmas Tallis
Moscheles: Piano Concerto in G minor


----------



## ProudSquire

Elgar Sospiri, Op. 70
Sol Gabetta

Very good. :]


----------



## Kevin Pearson

After my dose of Angela I took in some orchestral by Ginaestera. Great stuff for sure on this CD!










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Falla's Seven Canciones Populares Espanolas - Victoria de Los Angeles, Gerald Moore


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Continuing my Mahler cycle, I think I'll stick with Bernstein...


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"*

Great to see all the Mahler/Bruckner/Shostakovich listening going on - good stuff!  I started the day listening to Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and have now moved on to Bruckner - I own 3 Cycles for this Composer. My favoured listening is the Chailly set (because of its excellent sound quality and uncontrovertial interpretations) and I supplement it with Bohms performances with the Vienna Phil. Currently playing Symphony No. 3 from Chailly's set and after this I will play Bohm's 7th.


----------



## cwarchc

It's a cool, wet, Sunday morning here, time to chill out


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler 4 Vienna Phil/Bernstein


----------



## Sid James

*Vivaldi *- _The Four Seasons Op. 8 nos. 1-4 ; *Concerto in D minor Op. 3 #11_ 
Capella Istropolitana ; Takako Nishizaki, vln. ; Stephen Gunzenhauser & *Jozef Kopelman, conds.

*Album: Spring Song, Nancy Weir on piano *(vinyl) Music by Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Sinding, Mompou

*Album: COntinental Cabaret *- Andre Claveau, vocals with small backing group (French vinyl)


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Continuing my Mahler cycle, I think I'll stick with Bernstein...


I lol'd bravo.


----------



## Hassid

PAGANINI concerto Nº1: Francescatti-Ormandy-Ph.O, 1950.

VIEUXTEMPS violin concerto Nº4: Heifetz-Barbirolli-London PH.O, 1935.

MENDELSSOHN violin concerto: Campoli-Boult-London Ph.O, 1958.

That Mendelssohn recording is my absolute favorite. Campoli on it was really extraordinary.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Now Mahler 5 again by Bernstein.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lenfer said:


> I lol'd bravo.


Thank Lunasong, not me. She's the one who posted it in the classical music jokes thread.


----------



## Renaissance

Sonata said:


> There seems to be a veritable Bruckner-fest going on this week!! Maybe I should give another go to the 1st tomorrow. Or go nuts and try out a new one.
> 
> I watched some piano performances on YouTube: Beethoven: Moonlight sonata, Chopin: Raindrop Prelude, and Mendelssohn: Venetian Gondolier song


Go directly to the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. These are his best. 7th was actually (if I remember well) Bruckner's personal favorite symphony, and the 4th is considered to be his best. If you like Wagner's style you can go directly to the 3rd, which actually Bruckner has dedicated to him. 

My own favorites are 6th and 9th (especially the second movement).


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> I saw someone post it here then I bought it. Highly recommended if you want more romantic piano concertos beyond standard repertoire.
> 
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


I'm all for more romantic piano concertos!! I just don't know if I want this set, or if I want to collect volumes from Hyperion's romantic piano concerto individually instead.


----------



## jani

Let me change Lunasong's joke a bit.


----------



## campy

Tchaikovsky: Symphony #2 "Little Russian" (Seattle SO/Schwarz)


----------



## opus55

Sonata said:


> I'm all for more romantic piano concertos!! I just don't know if I want this set, or if I want to collect volumes from Hyperion's romantic piano concerto individually instead.


Brilliant Classics' Golden Age.. consists of Vox recordings from 60's and 70's - more info to help you make decisions.

Haydn: Piano Trios, Hob. XV/21-23, 31










Disc 8 of 10


----------



## starthrower

Karl Hartmann-Symphonies 1-6 on EMI


----------



## Cnote11

Quatuor pour le fin du temps


----------



## SiegendesLicht

The finale of *"Die Walküre"* with George Solti conducting. "Denn einer nur freie die Braut, der freier als ich, der Gott..."


----------



## SimonNZ

Hassid said:


> MENDELSSOHN violin concerto: Campoli-Boult-London Ph.O, 1958.
> 
> That Mendelssohn recording is my absolute favorite. Campoli on it was really extraordinary.


I think I've got the 10" of that in the boxes I'm going through. I might push it closer to the front of the queue.

Campoli is one of the four or five violinists I actively collect.


----------



## Chrythes

Chopin - Nocturnes. 
It's been a long time since I listened to Chopin. Very fitting music for the night.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler 6 Bernstein. Love Mahler 6. 

Isn't it funny how whenever Couchie is banned, SiegendesLicht comes back?


----------



## Hassid

SimonNZ said:


> I think I've got the 10" of that in the boxes I'm going through. I might push it closer to the front of the queue.
> 
> Campoli is one of the four or five violinists I actively collect.


Mendelssohn was a Campoli speciality. He played it live dozens of times. I've an other version with Van Beinum and the London Ph.O., but Boult's is better IMO.


----------



## NightHawk

Op. 74 in Eb 'the Harp' (silly publisher nickname), followed by Op. 95 in F minor 'Serioso' (a nickname actually given by Beethoven) - the Op. 95 has been called his 'most concentrated work', and the Alexander Quartet is very fine throughout the cycle.


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Thank Lunasong, not me. She's the one who posted it in the classical music jokes thread.





Cnote11 said:


> Quatuor pour le fin du temps


Wonderful artwork on that recording


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> Wonderful artwork on that recording


I dunno, it reminds me somewhat of those weeping angels from Doctor Who :










But now, onto my favourite Mahler symphony NUMBER SEVEN!!!!! Again by Bernstein and Vienna Phil.


----------



## Ondine

Four outstanding pieces: 32, 47, 53 & 59.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Requiem again, this time the orchestral Otto Klemperer version. Both of my versions are fantastic. To me, this is the pinnacle choral work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler 8 Bernstein conducting Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and various singing people.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Organum by Ensemble Organum and Dufay's Missa Sine nomine by the Clemencic Consort


----------



## Ondine

Davide Penitente KV 469









a foretaste...


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach BWV 812, French suite #1


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach's Hamburg Concertos. Better than Bach's Harpsichord Concertos imo. Brilliant stuff here.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde,_ Bernstein conducting Vienna Phil and various singing peoples.


----------



## tdc

neoshredder said:


> Listening to CPE Bach's Hamburg Concertos. Better than Bach's Harpsichord Concertos imo. Brilliant stuff here.


I can't even find one of his Hamburg Concertos on youtube. I did find one Hamburger Sonata:





 :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

Check these on youtube. Though they play the piano. Should be harpsichord.  
Concerto in C minor Wq. 43 
Concerto in G major Wq. 43


----------



## SimonNZ

Hassid said:


> Mendelssohn was a Campoli speciality. He played it live dozens of times. I've an other version with Van Beinum and the London Ph.O., but Boult's is better IMO.


It turns out to be the Campoli/Van Beinum I've got as a 10", not the Boult, which I don't seem to have at all in any format.


----------



## tdc

neoshredder said:


> Check these on youtube. Though they play the piano. Should be harpsichord.
> Concerto in C minor Wq. 43
> Concerto in G major Wq. 43


Listened to the C minor just now, its a nice work. :tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Gustav Mahler's Symphony no. 9
Vienna Phil with Lenny Bernstein


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Adagio from Mahler's Symphony no. 10, Vienna Phil/Bernstein.


----------



## Morgante

Brahms, Symphony N. 3 (Berliner, Karajan)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Shostakovich: Symphony no. 1, LSO/Gergiev


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.3 - Solomon, Herbert Menges


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony no. 1, LSO/Gergiev


Cool. Something different.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Sonata KV333 - Solomon


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Shostakovich: Symphony no. 2 "to October" WDR symphony orchestra/Barshai
I have no idea why Dmitri didn't like it.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Brahms: 
Violin Concerto ( Arthur Grumiaux) 
Academic Festival Overture 
Tragic Overture
Rhapsody for alto, chorus and orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> Brahms:
> Violin Concerto
> Academic Festival Overture
> Tragic Overture
> Rhapsody for alto, chorus and orchestra


Why all the Brahms?!


----------



## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Why all the Brahms?!


Felt like, besides it's all on one CD.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> Felt like, besides it's all on one CD.


I feel like more Shostakovich then. Symphony no. 3 "The First of May" played again by the same people.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I was planning on going through all of Shostakovich's symphonies, but Mahler's are better. I'll go back to no. 1 again and download the score so I can really pay attention to it.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Right now I am not listening to anything. I am sitting in my office and thinking about tomorrow, when I have a day off and can listen to "Die Walkuere" all day long...


----------



## Hassid

You should have made some very bad things to feel the need to punished your-self so hard!

MOZART violin concerto Nº3: Gioconda da Vito-Beecham-Royal Ph.O., 1949.

MALIPIERO cello concerto: Enrico Mainardi-Van Beinum-ConcergebowO., 1941.

HENRI CASADESUS concerto for viola "in Hendel style"rimrose-Walther Goehr, 1937


----------



## Hausmusik

One word: TREMENDOUS.

Does anybody know if this is the performance that is found on the DG DVD release of all four Brahms symphonies performed by Bernstein/Vienna? I'd love to see the entire cycle from which this video is taken.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor, WAB 109 {"To God The Beloved"}, *featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8, WAB 108 {"The Apocalyptic"}, *performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sergiu Celibidache.


----------



## Carpenoctem

String Quartets for me tonight.

Currently listening to Dvorak String Quartet No. 12 "American", followed by Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No.1 and Borodin's No.2


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Respighi.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler 7 Bernstein conducting VPO.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: French Chansons*
Arrangments of songs by Weill, Offenbach, Monnot, Aznavour, Porter, etc.
Sung by Evelyne Dorat with Georges Durban conducting his orchestra (vinyl)

*The Phantom of the Opera*
Music by Lloyd Webber ; Lyrics by Hart & Stilgoe
Original London Cast - with Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton / Orch. under Michael Reed (cd)

*Bernstein *_Chichester Psalms _(with Vienna Boy's Choir) ;_ Sym. #1 'Jeremiah' _(with Christa Ludwig, mezzo-sop.) ;_ Sym.#2 'Age of Anxiety' _(with Lukas Foss, pno.)
All with Israel PO under Bernstein (cd)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

From "The Golden Age of the Romantic Piano Concerto"

Hiller: Piano Concerto in F sharp minor


----------



## drpraetorus

The Gondoliers, G&S


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.96 - Eduard Van Beinum


----------



## SimonNZ

Elgar's Cello Concerto - Paul Tortelier, Malcolm Sargent


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Again, Mahler's Symphony no. 7. Bernstein is the ultimate Mahler interpreter.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

A fine set that includes all eight symphonies, a violin concerto and a "dramatic poem" (op.50).


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Well, last night I was listening to Brahms, now it's Schubert.  

String Quartets 12 and 14.


----------



## Hassid

DVORAK violin concerto: Milstein-Dorati-Minneapolis O., 1951 (my favorite version)-

SAINT-SAËNS cello concerto Nº1: Piatigorsky-Reiner-RCA O. 1950.

BARTOK violin concerto Nº2: Menuhin-Furtwangler-Philarmonia O., 1953. (my favorite version)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 4, VPO/Bernstein and a singing person.


----------



## Morgante

*Donizetti!*

_L'elisir d'amore_


----------



## NightHawk

These two versions are quite different and both are superb interpretations. Janos Starker's LP recording is right there with them, but the transfer to disc has a major flaw... it is uniformly copied at a semitone higher, so the Suite in C Major is heard in C# Major etc!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

And then I'll listen to


----------



## campy

Dvořák: Quartet #12 "American" (Emerson Qt.)


----------



## Hausmusik

And now for something off the beaten path (for me):

*Alexander Glazunov
Violin Concerto in A Minor, Opus 82
Julia Fischer; Yakov Kreizberg: Russian National Orchestra*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Truly one of the greatest violinists of all time and this is one of his most fun albums to listen to. Every piece is a gem.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

Alban Berg - Lyric Suite


----------



## Hassid

Kevin Pearson said:


> Truly one of the greatest violinists of all time and this is one of his most fun albums to listen to. Every piece is a gem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Extraordinary. Ricci in his prime, with his loved teacher (also Menuhin's). One of the best Sarasate's recording ever done. I had that vinyl once, and made it copied to CD.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18, Nos 3 and 4










I think every measure in these quartets are breathtaking.


----------



## Ramako

Well-Tempered Clavier no. 24 in B minor - Glenn Gould. I'm loving the vocal part.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Olivier Messiaen Radio on last.fm


----------



## Cnote11

Biagio Marini - Op. 13 Compositioni varie per musica di camera


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Clarinet sonata #2


----------



## etkearne

I am listening to a piece I just wrote a few days ago:

*Suite For Piano & Brass Instruments - Movement III*

It is very Eastern-European sounding and extremely neo-classical, so it sounds a bit like some of Stravinsky's work, only crappier, because I am no Stravinsky (although I think I am competent for sure).


----------



## Ramako

etkearne said:


> I am listening to a piece I just wrote a few days ago:
> 
> *Suite For Piano & Brass Instruments - Movement III*
> 
> It is very Eastern-European sounding and extremely neo-classical, so it sounds a bit like some of Stravinsky's work, only crappier, because I am no Stravinsky (although I think I am competent for sure).


Nothing better than sitting down to listen to some of your own music


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gabrieli: "A Venetian Coronation 1595" - Paul McCreesh


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ravel's Orchestral Works.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}, *performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the stick of Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485, *once again featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Maestro Bohm.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Anton Reicha: 36 Fugues for Piano.


----------



## etkearne

Ostinato (146 From Mikrocosmos) - Bela Bartok

A pretty obscure work of his that came on a CD of solo piano works by Max Levinson called "Out of Doors" (it starts with the Out of Doors suite). There are 25 works on it, all of them very good. Some famous...some obscure.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mussorgsky (Ravel)*: "Pictures"; *Stravinsky* "Le Sacre"; BPO/HvK (rec.1964 - 1966). Excellent transfers of two of the best recs. by this collaboration. Another of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording).

View attachment 8616


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Debussy's Preludes, Book 1 - Krystian Zimerman


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Gaspard de la Nuit X 3. Argerich, Pogorelich, Crossley.

View attachment 8618
View attachment 8619
View attachment 8620


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Joseph Haydn, the second movement of the "Emperor Quartet", the tune that later became the national anthem of Germany. And to all German members of TC: happy Day of German Unity!


----------



## Hassid

German national hymn? I think Austrian hymn.


----------



## campy

Schubert: Piano Sonata in B-flat D. 960


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Hassid said:


> German national hymn? I think Austrian hymn.


Curiously enough, although Haydn was Austrian, the second movement of the "Kaiser Quartet" is officially the national anthem of Germany. Except that now it is mostly known as "Lied der Deutschen" or just after the first line, "Deutschland über alles".


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arthur Honegger--*Symphony No.3 {"Liturgique"}, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"},* performed by the Halle Orchestra under the wand of John Barbirolli.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *once again featuring the Halle Orchestra led by Maestro Barbirolli.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata's influence: Brahms' string quartet in A minor op. 51,2. Amadeus Quartet, 1955.


----------



## NightHawk

I have been receiving the Paavo Jarvi Beethoven cycle with the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen disc by disc for several weeks, and the last of the set to arrive, the 4th and 7th, arrived today. I had the morning free and listened to both works straight through and then again this afternoon. I remain astonished. What Jarvi has accomplished is to make a wonderfully fresh interpretation in every work; he has left a very personal, but not eccentric statement on the entire cycle and, in my opinion, it takes its place with the truly great and venerable recordings of these remarkable, immortal works. Without fail, every performance has given me something I have never heard before. 
Highly recommended*****


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: piano quartet no. 3 op. 60.


----------



## neoshredder

Hummel


----------



## SimonNZ

CPE Bach sonatas - Karl Haas


----------



## Sid James

*The Boys from Syracuse *(musical)
Music - Richard Rodgers ; Lyrics - Lorenz Hart ; Cast, choir & orch. under Lehman Engel (vinyl)

*Gershwin* _Porgy & Bess - A symphonic picture _(arr. Robert Russell Bennett)*
*Copland* _Billy the Kid, ballet_**
*London SO under Andre Previn
**Saint Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin (EMI cd)

*Album: Northumbrian, Elizabethan and Irish Folk Songs *
Kathleen Ferrier, contralto with Phyllis Spurr, piano (vinyl)


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Rhapsodies Op.79 - Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms' symphony no. 1, BPO/Rattle. After all the time I've spent amazed by Wagner's first symphony, I fail to understand why this was nicknamed "Beethoven's 10th."


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Americana to accompany a long drive to work in the Tennessee countryside:









Interrupted by the Scherzo to Bruckner's 8th symphony, nicknamed God's Engine Room, to accompany a visit to the Y-12 facility at Oak Ridge which provided the material for the first atomic bombs and also some of the first radioisotopes for medical research.


----------



## neoshredder

Messiaen


----------



## opus55

Litolff: Concerto sinfonique in E flat
Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1


----------



## Ondine

La Betulia Liberata KV 118

Leopold Hager

Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg


----------



## pierrot

All of a sudden I like atonality.


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Music For The Royal Fireworks - Fritz Lehmann


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, WAB 101 {1877 Linz Version}, *performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ravel: Ma Mère l'Oye Suite, simply because I couldn't find the complete ballet on YouTube.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.1 - Carl Schuricht


----------



## drpraetorus

Orff, Der Mond


----------



## neoshredder

One of my best listening days ever. lol
Mozart - The Great Piano Concertos 1


----------



## Hassid

SAINT-SAËNS violin concerto 3: Francescatti-Mitropoulos-NYPHO, 1950

KREISLER arrangement of first mov.of Paganini's op.6: Campoli-Victor Olof-National SO, 1946.

MOZART Sin.concertante K364: Primrose-Albert Spalding-Fritz Stiedry-New friends of music O, 1941.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: Cello Sonata no. 1, Jacqueline du Pré and Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Morgante

Verdi

_Rigoletto_

This DVD:








(Super Pavarotti)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Is Pavarotti a good actor? I've heard that he is quite a good singer but his top register can sometimes sound not all too nice.

Now listening to Brahm's second cello sonata.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Is Pavarotti a good actor? I've heard that he is quite a good singer but his top register can sometimes sound not all too nice.


Oh yes, he acts all parts well, but I don't like his singing.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater 
Holst: The Planets (Venus)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: sq 3, Amadeus Quartet 1957


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Viola Sonata 1,2
Cello Sonata 2
Piano Trio 1,2
Variations On A Theme By Haydn
Serenade No.1 in D major, Op.11
Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34

And many more while I wasn't here.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Well I ended up listening to all of the Planets, not just Venus...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: sq 1, Amadeus Quartet. Then I'll listen to his first piano quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Symphony No. 5.*

The Hanover Band does a nice job.


----------



## aleazk

Messiaen - L'Ascension


----------



## crmoorhead

Over the coming week:

Monday (Bach): WTC Bk 1 Preludes and Fugues 13-18) (Harpsichord and piano versions)
Tuesday (Concerto): Viola Concerto (Bartok)
Wednesday (Choral): Missa Papae Marcelli (Palestrina)
Thursday (Symphony): Symphony in D (Cherubini)
Fri (Keyboard Work): Three Piano Pieces (Schoenberg)


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Stanislaw Skrowaczewski's* (b. 1923) birthday, *Brahms*: Piano Concerto 1, with Barry Douglas and the LSO (rec. 1988).

View attachment 8644


----------



## joen_cph

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8626
> 
> 
> Brahms' Rhapsodies Op.79 - Wilhelm Kempff


Funnily enough those early Kempff/decca are some of the only recordings of Brahms piano works that I really like to listen to ;-).


----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Is Pavarotti a good actor? I've heard that he is quite a good singer but his top register can sometimes sound not all too nice.
> 
> Now listening to Brahm's second cello sonata.


It is generally thought that Pav was not a good actor. His contemporary Placido Domingo, much better.

Re "top register", try Pav's 1970's recs. and perfs.


----------



## crmoorhead

Vaneyes said:


> It is generally thought that Pav was not a good actor. His contemporary Placido Domingo, much better.
> 
> Re "top register", try Pav's 1970's recs. and perfs.


I always got that impression too. Pavarotti's singing is pretty damned good, but Domingo excels at both IMO.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert Symphonies.*

I'm listening to the parts of the symphonies Bruggen's group allowed to be posted on Spotify.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*J.S. Bach *"Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme".


----------



## techniquest

Shostakovich 4th Symphony on Radio 3.


----------



## Morgante

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Is Pavarotti a good actor? I've heard that he is quite a good singer but his top register can sometimes sound not all too nice.
> 
> Now listening to Brahm's second cello sonata.


In my opionin, Pavarotti is a good actor.









Listened today:

*Wagner*
_
Das Rheingold_ (Solti)


----------



## pierrot

My favorite Sibelius, Vanskä is terrific.


----------



## cwarchc

Been off the pc for a couple of days.
yesterday the commute was








todays was


----------



## Hausmusik

Folks listening to a lot of Brahms today. Like CoAG, I am listening to Brahms's first piano quartet. Sort of.


----------



## Lukecash12

I'm listening to Bach while he spells his name.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: piano quartet no. 2


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: piano concerto no. 1 in d minor


----------



## Sid James

*Gliere*_ The Bronze Horseman, ballet suites 1 & 2 _
Bolshoi Theatre Orch. under Algis Zuraitis (vinyl)

*Album: Duo piano recital *
*Mozart* _Sonata for 2 pianos in D major K.448 _; *Chopin* _Rondo for 2 pianos in C major, Op. 73 _;* Luboshutz *_'The Bat,' a fantasy from J. Strauss' 'Die Fledermaus' _
Pierre Luboshutz & Genia Nemenoff, duo pianists (vinyl)

*Tippett* 
_Concerto for double string orch. ; PIano Concerto_* ; _Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli_**
*with John Ogdon, pno. ; **with Yehudi Menuhin & Robert Masters, vlns. & Derek Simpson, vc. ; various orchestras under Rudolf Barshai ; Colin DAvis & the composer respectively (EMI cd)

Re the *Gliere* ballet, it came across as like Tchaikovsky mixed with a fair bit of Wagner (those rich harmonies & use of large orchestra). It was written in the late 1940's but could have been written 50 years before that. Funny how some think of Khatchaturian as conservative but he does sound of his time, whereas Gliere does not, he's largely a throw-back to Romanticism. But not a bad way to spend an hour nonetheless.

Re the *Tippett,* it took me a while to warm to his style, but now I like his stuff. A mixture of everything from classical influences (esp. English Renaissance, Baroque, Beethoven, Stravinsky) to jazz and blues and folk, his music is very eclectic but at the same time quite unique. I esp. like the uplifting ending to the _Concerto for Double String Orchestra_.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ Funny that about the Gliere. Whenever I heard his music I always thought he died in the 1890s!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manuel de Falla: Master Peter's Puppet Show.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.0 in D Minor, WAB 100 {"Nullte"}, *performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Lorin Maazel.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Sir Simon Rattle.


----------



## campy

Paganini: Sonata No. 6 in E minor, op. 3 (Perlman, violin/Williams, guitar)


----------



## starthrower

Dutilleux-Symphony No. 1 conducted by Hans Graff on the Arte Nova label.

This is great! I don't care what Boulez (He stood and turned his back at the premier performance) thinks.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor and Symphony No.3 in D Minor, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## opus55

Kalkbrenner: Piano Concerto no. 1 from 'Golden Age of Romantic Piano Concertos'

Chopin: scherzos from 'Martha Argerich The Collection 1. The Solo Recordings'

Feel too lazy to post album covers..


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telemann


----------



## Ondine

This is just beautiful...


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Toccata and Fugue is F Major BWV540


----------



## Arsakes

*Khachaturian*'s Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto (that is like a variation/remix of his other works)


----------



## drpraetorus

Schubert Staendchen. Bryn Terfel. Cymru am Byth!


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.11 - Griller String Quartet


----------



## drpraetorus

Star Wars 3 ending music. It's a bit of a pastiche what with the music from the finale of #4 thrown in, but leave that out and it's pretty good.


----------



## science

Hitting all the big classical stuff.










Just finished this. Never enjoyed #9 so much.










The tune "Fortuna desperata," attributed but probably wrongly to Busnois, is the theme of this CD. Josquin's mass and other works based on it.


























Listened to about half of the sonatas recorded by Gilels lately.


----------



## science

Listened to these over the past few days... Some time ago Samurai asked me which I like better, and I hadn't heard some of these for a year.

I like them both.


----------



## drpraetorus

Hindemith, Claranet Concerto.


----------



## Lukecash12

Mahler's orchestral transcription of Schubert's Der Tod und das Mädchen Quartet. The second movement, a set of dance variations based on two chorale themes, never fails to give me a religious experience.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4 - Solomon, Andre Cluytens


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ornstein: Piano Quintet


----------



## SimonNZ

Bruch's Violin Concerto - Zino Francescatti, Dimitri Mitropoulos


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ All of them?


----------



## SimonNZ

Good point. No - its No.1. I've never cared enough about Bruch to realise he wrote three, not just the famous first.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Good point. No - its No.1. I've never cared enough about Bruch to realise he wrote three, not just the famous first.


I thought he wrote two.......oh well, learn something new every day. 

Currently listening to Honegger's Symphony no. 1


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Adagio from Bruckner's 7th Symphony, performed by the Berliner Philarmoniker with Daniel Barenboim. It may sound like I am a wimp, but this music always makes me cry, since I remember, in memory of *Whom* it was written.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Just listened to Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' again. Now listening to Beethoven's 1st symphony. Then his 3rd.


----------



## Hassid

BARBER violin concerto: Louis Kaufman-Walter Goehr-Lucern Festival O., 1951.

DVORAK violin concerto: Johanna Martzy-Frenc Fricsay-RIAS O., 1953.

RODRIGO concierto de estío: Ferras-Enescu-Societe des concerts du conservatoire O. 1953 (fantastic!!).


----------



## Hausmusik

*Handel, Oboe Concertos*

I really love this recording. I need to listen to it more frequently.


----------



## DeepR

Rachmaninoff - The Isle of the Dead Op. 29 (V. Polyansky - Russian State SO)


----------



## Lukecash12

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8661
> 
> 
> Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4 - Solomon, Andre Cluytens


Cutner happens to be on my top five for that era.


----------



## Vaneyes

Revisiting by sampling Kovacevich LvB Piano Sonatas from this 3CD set. Some years ago, I culled two of this series' original releases (of other sonatas), when growing weary of the interps. I still hear some of the individualism that didn't convince me the first time. Not terrible...just something I don't need to collect.

View attachment 8675


----------



## Vaneyes

cwarchc said:


> Been off the pc for a couple of days....


Well, that now means you have to be on every day for the remainder of the year. Including Xmas.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lukecash12 said:


> I'm listening to Bach while he spells his name.


That's funny!

I'm listening to Mozart's 15th concerto. Jeno Jando does a nice job.


----------



## cwarchc

Vaneyes said:


> Well, that now means you have to be on every day for the remainder of the year. Including Xmas.


Probably will be at Xmas, to avoid the cxxp tv and the relatives:lol:


----------



## Morgante

*Marc-Antoine Charpentier*

Missa _Assumpta est Maria_


----------



## SimonNZ

Lukecash12 said:


> Cutner happens to be on my top five for that era.


I wasn't quite sure what you meant for a second there - I don't think I've ever seen Solomon's surname written before.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor {1890 version} and Symphony No.9 in D Minor {Unfinished}, *both performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Hassid

SimonNZ said:


> I wasn't quite sure what you meant for a second there - I don't think I've ever seen Solomon's surname written before.


But surely you know Bruno Schlesinger, Joseph Singer and Oskar Reiss?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Egon Wellesz: piano concerto.


----------



## neoshredder

Haydn. So far Symphony 26 is my favorite.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manuel de Falla: Master Peter's Puppet Show.


----------



## Sid James

*Rodgers & Hammerstein II *- _The Sound of Music _
Cast incl. Anne Rogers as Maria, Patricia Routledge as Mother Superior ; with orch. under Alyn Ainsworth (vinyl)

*Album: Music for flute and guitar *
_Tangos, songs and dances by Piazzolla, Beaser, Leisner, Machado, Correa _
Virginia Taylor, fl. & Timothy Kain, guitar (ABC cd) - an earlier post by me on this album here.

*Copland* _El Salon Mexico ; Fanfare for the Common Man ; Four Dance Episodes from 'Rodeo'_ 
Detroit SO under Antal Dorati (cd)


----------



## kv466




----------



## pierrot

This series of Xenakis' Orchestral Works are taking too much of my free time.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

This is a live recording with Klaus Tennstedt and the New York Phil from 1992. So far, it's very well done.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Arthur Honegger--*Pacific 231, *performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Leon Botstein.


----------



## campy

Lukas Foss: Quintets for Orchestra (NYPO/Bernstein)


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid, it's about time Sid James' pic appeared. Goodun.


----------



## NightHawk

A lot of Bruckner listening on the forum has got me into this fine recording and I also ordered this






. 
and I have owned Abbado's 4th with Vienna for some time - very fine!







and I also have this 8th






. Hoping to catch Anton's fire and eventually own them all.


----------



## samurai

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 8689
> 
> A lot of Bruckner listening on the forum has got me into this fine recording and I also ordered this
> View attachment 8691
> .
> and I have owned Abbado's 4th with Vienna for some time - very fine!
> View attachment 8690
> 
> and I also have this 8th
> View attachment 8692
> . Hoping to catch Anton's fire and eventually own them all.


@ Nighthawk, I just bought a complete Bruckner Symphonic Cycle {German import box set} on Amazon for 20 bucks. It's comprised of some 11 cds, and so far it sounds pretty good.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring Claudio Abbado leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Sonata

It's been a few days since I've posted. I've barely had time to listen to music lately ...not cool! I'm driving my husband's truck now and it doesn't have a CD player or auxillary for MP3. So it's just the radio on the way to work. Nevertheless, I did get some listening in tonight.

Mendelssohn: Concerto in D minor for Violin and String orchestra, and String symphony #5
Bach: Sonata for flute and harpsichord in B Minor
Glass: Metomorphosis one


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wagner: Das Rheingold.


----------



## drpraetorus

Ravel, Daphnis and Chloe


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's String Quartet No.14 - Amadeus Quartet


----------



## drpraetorus

Stravinsky, Firebird


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No. 1 (conducted by *Abbado*)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Stravinsky's Petrushka conducted by Stravinsky.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. (she's not a nice lady)


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Liederkreis Op.39 - Erna Berger, soprano, Ernst-Gunther Scherzer, piano


----------



## Hassid

SIBELIUS volin concerto: Tossy Spivakovsky-Tauno Hannikainen-London SO, 1960.

von DOHNANYI Konzertstuck cello&orch: Starker-Susskind-Philarmonia O, 1956.

TANEYEV suite violin&orch.: Oistrakh-Kurt Sanderling-State URSS O. live,1960.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Wagner: Das Rheingold.


Which one?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SiegendesLicht said:


> Which one?


Barenboim then Solti.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

This week I have been listening to the Symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler with a little bit of Sibelius too - currently I am playing the 8th Symphony by Bohm, I really like the slow movement in this one. After this I am going to listen to Chailly's B8


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I always thought this was a rather happy silly little opera, but I like it anyway.


----------



## millionrainbows

Variety, the spice of life.


----------



## starthrower

Honegger Symphonies/Dutoit

Great 2 disc set for 5 bucks that I've been playing all week.


----------



## campy

Hanson: Symphony #3 (Seattle SO/Schwarz)


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> Honegger Symphonies/Dutoit
> 
> Great 2 disc set for 5 bucks that I've been playing all week.


Really? I'll have to look that one up.

Now I'm listening to *Bruckner, Symphony No. 7*.

Karajan isn't my favorite Bruckner conductor, but I love the sound he gets from the strings.


----------



## starthrower

Here's a link, Manx.
http://www.amazon.com/Honegger-Symphonies-1-5-Pacific-Rugby/dp/B000EGDCUU


----------



## techniquest

At the moment 'The Epic of Gilgamesh' by Martinu. Picked up today at a charity shop for £1.99


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I always thought this was a rather happy silly little opera, but I like it anyway.


I agree on both counts


----------



## Sonata

Currently listening to the bloated first movement of Mahler's third symphony, just trying to make sense of it. I'm allowed to say that because I love him. And the rest of the symphony. I don't mind the ominous feel to it, I just can't come to terms with those harsh trumpets.

Update: I think 90% of what I don't care for in this movement is just those darn trumpets. I have another version, I'm curious if in that version (or any other) they are toned down just a bit.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

This: 















At times, when listening to this, I imagine myself driving full speed on the autobahn  Those Germans...!


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> Here's a link, Manx.


Thanks!

I'm listening now to *Bruckner, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## tdc

Sonata said:


> Currently listening to the bloated first movement of Mahler's third symphony, just trying to make sense of it. I'm allowed to say that because I love him. And the rest of the symphony. I don't mind the ominous feel to it, I just can't come to terms with those harsh trumpets.
> 
> Update: I think 90% of what I don't care for in this movement is just those darn trumpets. I have another version, I'm curious if in that version (or any other) they are toned down just a bit.


I love those trumpets.  I especially love the first 10 minutes of that movement, but I could understand why some might have difficulty with it, its not exactly 'easy-listening'. My problem with the 3rd initially was more that last movement - I found it incredibly drawn out and boring (I still struggle with the middle section of the first movement too it seems so out of place). That has been my qualm with Mahler for a while actually - brilliant moments interspersed with a lack of concision and uninteresting melodrama. At times I just wish he could be more concise, just pare down and edit some things. But I think I am coming around more on him, bit by bit. All in all I think I am more drawn to Sibelius style of composing symphonies though. Everything seems to flow together in his symphonies so seamlessly. Nothing seems out of place.


----------



## tdc

^ I know I probably p****d off many readers with that opinion! ut:


----------



## science

All of these are fairly recent purchases that I am absolutely loving.


----------



## Wandering

Both real fine recordings. (Sometimes you'll find sellers almost giving items away on Amazon and Ebay. I got a like new Abbado/Lucerne M5 dvd 7bucks, that is with shipping included!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky's Concerto in D.*


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No. 4,5 & 6


----------



## Sonata

tdc said:


> I love those trumpets.  I especially love the first 10 minutes of that movement, but I could understand why some might have difficulty with it, its not exactly 'easy-listening'. My problem with the 3rd initially was more that last movement - I found it incredibly drawn out and boring (I still struggle with the middle section of the first movement too it seems so out of place). That has been my qualm with Mahler for a while actually - brilliant moments interspersed with a lack of concision and uninteresting melodrama. At times I just wish he could be more concise, just pare down and edit some things. But I think I am coming around more on him, bit by bit. All in all I think I am more drawn to Sibelius style of composing symphonies though. Everything seems to flow together in his symphonies so seamlessly. Nothing seems out of place.


Sounds like we like the opposite things from our Mahler . I think I'm getting along better with that first movement but I think I'll listen more as a standalone piece. I like Sibelius, but not as much as Mahler. Don't worry, nobody will break your legs for your Mahler comment. A few others have expressed similar opinions. Indeed his symphonies are quite long....which usually I prefer shorter works. But he's just a special exception to me.


----------



## Morgante

*Ravel* _Menuet Antique_

*Haydn* _Cello concerto N.1_


----------



## cwarchc

This in the car on the commute

This as the 1st one at home
Holst the Planets
by the BBC Phil under Pascal Tortelier (can't find an image)

Now I'm onto Jazz


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven's violin concerto played by Isaac Stern and NYP/Bernstein. Then I'll listen to Stern playing Wieniawski concerto no. 2.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 3.*

For me, this recording is a disappointment.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141. *Both works are performed by the Marinsky Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev.


----------



## neoshredder

Bartok. Checked them out at the library.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wieniawski: Polonaise Brilliante


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Paganini: Violin Concerto no. 4


----------



## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Beethoven's violin concerto played by Isaac Stern and NYP/Bernstein. Then I'll listen to Stern playing Wieniawski concerto no. 2.





ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Wieniawski: Polonaise Brilliante





ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Paganini: Violin Concerto no. 4


I like your choice of music today.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> I like your choice of music today.


I better listen to some Wagner then.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I better listen to some Wagner then.


Good idea, you don't want to drown yourself in too much good music.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> Good idea, you don't want to drown yourself in too much good music.


 

.
.......


----------



## Sonata

Mozart piano sonatas 6-8, played by Uchida


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to various Piano Concertos on my playlist. Right now Grieg's Piano Concerto.


----------



## starthrower

Hans Werner Henze-Barcarola/Symphony No. 7
City Of Birmingham Symphony/Simon Rattle

Henze writes some really exciting, ballsy symphonic music!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Dichterliebe - Lotte Lehmann, Bruno Walter


----------



## opus55

Hummel: Piano Concerto in E


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Edith Piaf 20 French Hit Singles*
Songs by Piaf, Monnot, Moustaki, Gold, etc.
Recorded 1946-1961 (EMI cd)

*Album: Mack the Knife - Songs of Kurt Weill *
Performed by Lotte Lenya, Danny Kaye, Louis Armstrong & many others
Recorded 1929-1956 (Naxos Nostalgia cd)

*Gershwin*
_Concerto in F_
- Roy Bargy, pno. with Paul Whiteman & his orch.
_Rhapsody in Blue*
3 Preludes for piano_
- Gershwin on piano *with Paul Whiteman and his Concert Orch.
(Recorded 1920's - Naxos Nostalgia cd)


----------



## idomeneo

Carl Nielsen The Masterworks Vol. 2 Disc 1
String Quartets/Quintet


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: op. 8, 8-12 (vynil) played by some Italian group with a funny Italian name (which I forget) on period instruments. It must be in the very early days of HIP because they play with a fair bit of vibrato.

Now onto Wagner's _Tannhäuser._


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Liederkreis Op.39

Comparing two of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's recordings: with Christoph Eschenbach and with Gerald Moore


----------



## idomeneo

*Klaus Egge *
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 4


----------



## Lisztian

Lots of Chopin today!


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius* Symphony No.6


----------



## idomeneo

Musik Der Tudor-Zeit


----------



## Hassid

SCHUBERT string quartet 15 D887: Kolisch quartet, 1934.

E.J.MOERAN string trio in G: Jean Pougnet violin, Frederick Riddle viola, Anthony Pini cello,1941.

PIZZETTI violin sonata: Yehudi&Hephzibah Menuhin, 1938.


----------



## Morgante

Marco Frisina.

J. S. Bach: Neumeister Chorales, Trio Sonata BWV 527, Passacaglia und Fuga BWV582


----------



## millionrainbows

starthrower said:


> Honegger Symphonies/Dutoit
> 
> Great 2 disc set for 5 bucks that I've been playing all week.


I agree, starthrower. I got this from Berkshire, and it is an excellent recording of these very interesting, somewhat obscure symphonies.

Also in this "Apex" series is this excellent Frank Martin. BTW, I believe that this Apex series are re-releases of older out-of- print ERATO releases.


----------



## campy

Bruckner 4th (Phila. O./Sawallisch)


----------



## opus55

Handel: Concerti Grossi, Opus 3
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 10

















Saturday morning with coffee and music.. From Handel jump straight to 20th Century


----------



## idomeneo

*Sviatoslav Richter *
Prokoviev Sonata No. 8, Hayden Sonata No. 44, Chopin Ballade No. 3, Debussy Selections, Preludes I
Vinyl for this one.


----------



## teej

Just purchased this:








...and the violin sonata is wonderful! You must give it a listen


----------



## idomeneo

*Lazar Berman*
Prokofiev Sonata No. 8, Rachmaninoff 6 Moments musicaux


----------



## Manxfeeder

I need to hear a Mozart concerto. Number 15 looks good.

I just got news that an extended family member did something incredibly stupid, and now his family has to suffer. It's times like these I need to be reminded of Einstein's quote, "We cannot despair about mankind knowing that Mozart was a man."


----------



## NightHawk

Still listening to the three Bruckner Symphonies I have (4, 8 & 9) - I like the plateaus he reaches where the entire structure repeats a good number of times, which is a premonition of similar writing in some of Sibelius and also maybe a very early type of 'minimalism'. Hindemith says somewhere that three reps are the most that should be made without change, but a good number of reps (if the music is by a master can be highly effective, I think). Eagerly awaiting the Celibidache 4th! and the eventual acquiring of the others  Happy Saturday to ye all!


----------



## Arsakes




----------



## opus55

Mozart: Posthorn Serenade No. 9, KV 320


----------



## neoshredder

Another listen of Bartok. Checked them out at the library.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major and Symphony No.7 in E Major,* both featuring Roberto Paternostro conducting the Wurttemburg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## starthrower

millionrainbows said:


> I agree, starthrower. I got this from Berkshire, and it is an excellent recording of these very interesting, somewhat obscure symphonies.
> 
> Also in this "Apex" series is this excellent Frank Martin. BTW, I believe that this Apex series are re-releases of older out-of- print ERATO releases.
> 
> View attachment 8743


Yes, they are Erato re-issues. I also have the Schnittke piano concertos disc. I will look into the Martin disc, thanks! I'm always looking for good wind ensemble pieces.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Last night when my interent wasn't working very well:

Glenn Miller: The Nearness of You (vynil)









Schumann: Symphonies 2 and 4 and Genoveva Overture









and now Purcell's The Fairy Queen


----------



## SimonNZ

Just finished watching this very good 2-hour 1975 documentary on Bruckner:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

Celibidache and the Munich Phil on YouTube. Halfway through, so far it's sublime.


----------



## campy

Rachmaninoff: Isle of the Dead (Concertgebouw/Ashkenazy)


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek*
_String Quartets
#1 'The Kreutzer Sonata'
#2 'Intimate Letters'_
**Dvorak* _Piano Quintet in A, Op.81 - Dumka (second movement only)_
Alban Berg Quartet *with Elisabeth Leonskaja, pno. (EMI)

*Castelnuovo-Tedesco*
_24 Caprichos de Goya for guitar, Op. 195_
Zoran Dukic, guitar (Naxos)
A previous entry of mine on this wonderful work here

*Gershwin* 
_An American In Paris
That Certain Feeling_*
*Gershwin on piano
- Victor SO under Nathaniel Shilkret
*Artie Shaw* _Concerto for Clarinet_
- Shaw on clarinet with his orchestra
*Hubert Bath *_Cornish Rhapsody_
- Harriet Cohen, pno. with London SO under the composer
(Naxos Nostalgia)


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Scott Ross, harpsichord


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Ondine

opus55 said:


> Mozart: Posthorn Serenade No. 9, KV 320


Wow... beautiful opus!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *featuring the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: Symphonies 3 and 4, TSO/Porcelijn










Best _Eroica_ I have ever heard. The tempo could be described as "kind of a laid back HIP tempo" still quite fast but slower than Gardiner or Norrington. It is very lively and has influence from historically informed performances (the phrasing and tempo and it uses a 40 piece orchestra) but also powerful and grandiose feeling about it like Celidabache or Karajan. Amazing playing from the orchestra, extremely expressive and exciting. I recommend the entire cycle.


----------



## idomeneo

*Lazar Berman*
Franz Liszt - Annees de Pelerinage
Suisse - Venezia e Napoli


----------



## drpraetorus

Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue


----------



## idomeneo

*Oliver Knussen*
Symphony No. 2


----------



## drpraetorus

Monty Python, Finland


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Liederkries Op.39

Comparing the Ian Partridge / Jennifer Partridge recording and the Olaf Bar / Geoffrey Parsons recording


----------



## idomeneo

*Palestrina*
Pope Marcellus Mass
The Roger Wagner Chorale


----------



## idomeneo

*Schubert*
Symphonies No. 5 & 8
Vienna Philharmonic - Sir Georg Solti


----------



## idomeneo

*Schubert*
Quartet No 14 in D Minor "Death and the Maiden"
Budapest String Quartet


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 In D Minor, WAB 100, "Die Nullte"*

Now listening to Barenboim's Die Nullte and after this I will listen to Jochum's Symphony No. 1.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This cycle is the one I always come back to for Beethoven. Another lively, spirited and exciting performance with a proper allegretto for the allegretto movement of the seventh symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Violin Sonata - Antje Weithaas, violin, Silke Avenhaus, piano


----------



## Hassid

BRAHMS string quartet op.51/1: Oistrakh-Bondarenko-Terian-Knushevitsky, 1952.

BRAHMS piano quartet Nº1: Rubinstein&Pro-Arte quartet, 1932.

BERNSTEIN son.clarinet&piano: Bernstein-David Oppenheim, 1943.


----------



## Arsakes

*Richard Wagner*:
Tannhäuser's Ouvertüre
Die Walküre (that famous overture, around 5 minutes)
Meistersinger von Nürnberg's Vorspiel
American Centennial March
Lohengrin's Prelude (around 10 minutes)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Beethoven's 5th (performed by Herbert von Karajan and Berliner Philarmoniker)... for the umpteenth time today.


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## opus55

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde


----------



## idomeneo

*Leos Janacek*
String Quartets No.2 & No. 3
The Austrian String Quartet

Apparently a record so unpopular that google image search yields no usable image.


----------



## violadude

idomeneo said:


> *Leos Janacek*
> String Quartets No.2 & No. 3
> The Austrian String Quartet
> 
> Apparently a record so unpopular that google image search yields no usable image.


Janacek only wrote 2 string quartets...


----------



## Chrythes

Just started with Feldman's piece for the Violin and String Quartet. I guess it's going to be monotonous and repeatative (not that it's bad if it's done well), though it starts to drill my brain.


----------



## idomeneo

violadude said:


> Janacek only wrote 2 string quartets...


Indeed, I'm not sure why the record labels them this way. In the notes it calls them String Quartet No. 1 (2) and String Quartet No. 2 (3) but the cover and track listing just uses No.2 & 3. This is a Vox Turnabout LP so maybe is was just an error in the cover art they were too cheap to fix.


----------



## Hassid

violadude said:


> Janacek only wrote 2 string quartets...


English isn't my mother language, but I would have said "Janacek wrote only 2 s.q.", because as written it seems that Janacek was the only one who wrote 2 s.q.


----------



## idomeneo

*Enrique Granados*
Goyescas
Aldo Ciccolini


----------



## Arsakes

*Bruckner*'s Symphony No.5

*Smetana*'s Festive Symphony

*Korsakov*:
Capriccio espagnol for orchestra, Op. 34
Tale of Tsar Saltan, Suite for orchestra 1-3 (complete), Op. 57

*Arensky*'s Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 54


----------



## graaf

> Janacek only wrote 2 string quartets...





Hassid said:


> English isn't my mother language, but I would have said "Janacek wrote only 2 s.q.", because as written it seems that Janacek was the only one who wrote 2 s.q.


If we are going to nitpick, let's do it properly: seems to me that violadude's sentence actually means that Janacek never wrote anything else besides those 2 sq; not, as you suggested, that he was the only one who wrote 2 sq (that would be "only Janacek wrote 2 sq").

Or even better, let's skip nitpicking and agree that we know what violadude meant by what he said.

PS
Also not a native English speaker.


----------



## SimonNZ

Boris Yoffe's Song Of Songs - Rosamund Quartet with The Hilliard Ensemble

Love ECM, love the Hilliard Ensemble, and the treatment of the Song Of Songs connects this to a number of Medieval and Renaissance works I love, but what really sold the cd to me was this description:

"Russian-born Israeli composer Boris Yoffe began writing short pieces for string quartet - each a page long, playing for around half a minute - in 1995, when he was in his mid-twenties. By now his Book of Quartets is a compendium of several thousand pages, and one constantly growing. The pieces on this recording were selected, by the players and by the composer, from the approximately eight hundred he has written during the last three or four years. Among them are other single-page compositions from a related, interpenetrating project in which the quartet's four parts become eight with the addition of four singers, their voices matching the instruments in range as they sing phrases from the Song of Songs."


----------



## Hassid

The fact is that Janacek wrote 2 quartets, that he wrote only 2 quartets and that he didn't write more than 2 quartets. A pity that he didn't a third quartet. BTW, I love Janacek two quartets.


----------



## idomeneo

Zoltan Kodaly
Works for Piano - Nine Pieces Op. 3, Seven Pieces Op 11, Marosszek Dances, Valsette
Gyorgy Sandor


----------



## EricABQ

Ligeti's piano etudes played by Ullen. I went through about ten different things on my iPod before realizing this is what will scratch me where I itch.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Haydn Quartets Opus 76.


----------



## crmoorhead

*Tchaikovsky's Suite For Orchestra No. 3*. What a triumph!


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Egmont Overture


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Salome


----------



## neoshredder

Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6.


----------



## drpraetorus




----------



## drpraetorus

[video]http://www.talkclassical.com/1005-current-listening-1579.html[/video]


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia Antartica"} and Symphony No.8 in D Minor. *Both works feature Sir Adrian Boult leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

*Chicago*, the musical by Kander & Ebb, as performed by the London cast (incl. Ruthie Henshall and Ute Lemper) and also a great album with *violinist Itzhak Perlman* playing virtuoso works with a Spanish flavour - music by *Sarasate, de Falla, Granados, Halffter and Albeniz*. This has been a fav album of mine for over 20 years. I esp. enjoy hearing the rapport between Perlman and pianist Sam Sanders - its as if they're one instrument. Perlman also plays two tracks with orchestra - Sarasate's _Carmen FAntasy_ and _Gypsy Airs (Ziguenerweisen) _- under maestros Foster and Previn respectively. Great music and great artistry all round. They where on fire here, they really where.


----------



## opus55

Berg: Wozzeck










Arghh. One of the used vinyl I purchased this morning is warped and not playable.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been listening to a slew of Eloquence recordings... especially those featuring Ernest Ansermet and French music:



















I absolutely loved the Gounod mass... so much so that I must have played the disc some 6 or 8 times over the past few days.

Of course I couldn't stay away from Bach for too long:



















Contrary to the recently raised question concerning the authorship of Bach's cello suites, there has long been a controversy surrounding the provenance of the flute sonatas. It seems that although all of the works here recorded were attributed to J.S. Bach by contemporary sources, some have suggested that the works sound too modern... to free and easy... lacking the contrapuntal complexity that we should expect of J.S. Bach. The writer of the liner notes suggests that it may have been that J.S. Bach somewhat altered his style toward the gallant manner then coming into favor with Frederick the Great. The flute itself was an instrument that was new to Prussia and Saxony and was becoming incredibly popular with amateurs and professionals... including Frederick. Of course there's also Bach's son, C.P.E. Bach who was known for his compositions for flute at Frederick's court.

Member HarpsichordConcerto added the following to my comments on another forum:

_"One of JS Bach's son had an interest in the flute, and some of those pieces might have been written for this particular son (I cannot recall which son, and it was not the better known sons; namely WF, CPE nor JC, but one of the lesser known). Scholars think JS wrote a tonne more instrumental works but the majority are presumed lost (WF apparently inherited a large share of the autographs and he would have been one of the worst sons to keep it, whereas CPE was increasingly aware of his father's genius and kept hold of his share of JS's autographs)."_

While I am an absolute lover of Bach's cantatas... I do wish he had been given the opportunity to compose more instrumental/orchestral works such as these...

... and an opera, dammit!!!


----------



## SimonNZ

nice to see you back, StLuke









"Italian Opera Arias" - Frederica Von Stade


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Flute Concerto in G, K.313


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven symphonies 7 & 8.


----------



## neoshredder

Telemann CD 4 of Tafelmusik. Easily one of my favorite baroque cd's. So chilled.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6


----------



## idomeneo

*Janos Starker*
Bach Suites for Solo Cello


----------



## idomeneo

*Claude Debussy*
La Mer - Nocturnes
The Cleveland Orchestra - Pierre Boulez


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Piano Concerto - Clara Haskill, Willen Van Otterloo


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

If I can get me internet to work all good and proper I'll listen to Bruckner's 4th conducted by Sergiu Celibidache on YouTube.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz motets - Roger Norrington (1970)


----------



## Rapide

A marvel.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*' Symphony No.1

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.9 - good last movement, but other movements were so inconsistent *likes not*


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

George Onslow's Piano Trio Op.26 - Trio Cascades


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bruckner's String Quartet - L'Archibudelli


----------



## Hassid

BRAHMS clarinet quintet: Vladimir Sorokin-Oistrakh-Bondarenko-Terian-Knushevitsky (late 40s)-

TANEYEV piano quintet: Rosa Tamarkina-Bolshoi Theatre Quartet, 1948.

LvB: quartet op.59/1: Wolfgang Schneiderhan quartet, Vienn, 3-29-1945 (!!! the Russian Army was a few miles distance)


----------



## Hausmusik

*New Orford String Quartet
Franz Schubert: String Quartet #15 in G, D. 887*


----------



## millionrainbows

Schoenberg, String Quartet Op.10 No. 2 in F# minor (ostensibly). In ways, this quartet is more accessible than No. 1. The soprano appears in the third movement, and again in the finale, singing the famous "I breathe the air of a different planet..." Appropriate, as this must have sounded like "Gas Music From Jupiter" back in 1908 (apologies to Firesign Theatre). I was lucky to find this out-of-print box set at Borders, apparently set out as "old stock" from their warehouse before they discontinued their CD section.


----------



## campy

Bruckner 6th


----------



## opus55

Listening to South Korean podcast radio "Your Night and Music" in the morning in Chicago

Martinu: Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano (don't know further details on the work)
Schumann: Fantasiestucke for Cello and Piano, Op 73
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 - II. Andante sostenuto


----------



## Sonata

*Bruckner Symphony #1: movement 3, scherzo.*The only movement I've really connected with so far in this symphony.

*Mendelssohn String Symphony #6*: I am working my way through a complete collection. I've been working in order, I know 1-3 quite well so far, and have listened to #5 twice. This is my first listen of #6. I am not a big "strings only" fan, so I don't put the string symphonies as high up on Mendelssohn's list of preferred works as others do. Still I am a Mendel-maniac and several of these are pleasant listening.


----------



## Renaissance

Beethoven - Mass in C Major Op.86


----------



## joen_cph

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8803
> 
> 
> Schumann's Piano Concerto - Clara Haskill, Willen Van Otterloo


The best recording I know together with Argerich/Harnoncourt/Ctgebouw ...

Have been listening to a rare super-budget Cd I got today of Chopin' s Concerto 2 with Arrau/Busch from 1950. In general I prefer the earliest Arrau (Weber Kztstuck with Defauw, Schoenberg's Klavierstucke on you-tube, Liszt Concerto 2 with Galiera), whereas the later Arrau is less interesting (the Chopin philips Nocturnes being one of the exceptions). In the Chopin Concerto he is so spontaneous and eccentric that it hard to believe it is actually Arrau, a complete opposite to his later meditative style.


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms: Piano Quartets 1 & 3, with Rubinstein/Guarneri Qt. (RCA)
Janacek: SQs 1 & 2, with Prazak Qt.(Praga)
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances, with St. Petersburg PO/Jansons (EMI)


----------



## neoshredder

So much Brahms lately. Much easier to like comments that don't have Brahms.  Yes I am biased.


----------



## Sonata

*Mahler: Piano Quartet*

*Beethoven: Missa Solemnis*. I'm not sold on the more boisterous parts of the work, but the more solemn moments are beautiful. The Kyrie is utterly breathtaking.


----------



## jani

Sonata said:


> *Mahler: Piano Quartet*
> 
> *Beethoven: Missa Solemnis*. I'm not sold on the more boisterous parts of the work, but the more solemn moments are beautiful. The Kyrie is utterly breathtaking.


I am not a religious man but i love Beethoven's Missa solemnis.


----------



## jdk

Charles-Valentin Alkan: Le Festin d'Esope


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Die Walkure










It's disc 3 of Walkure but otherwise have no idea where I am in this epic tale. Music is cool, that's all I can say.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

opus55 said:


> Wagner: Die Walkure
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's disc 3 of Walkure but otherwise have no idea where I am in this epic tale. Music is cool, that's all I can say.


That's the scene where Brünnhilde comes to tell Siegmund of his coming death and then has compassion on him and tries to save him and Sieglinde, and where Wotan descends from the sky and breaks Siegmund's sword. One of the best scenes in the whole Ring, in my opinion!


----------



## opus55

SiegendesLicht said:


> That's the scene where Brünnhilde comes to tell Siegmund of his coming death and then has compassion on him and tries to save him and Sieglinde, and where Wotan descends from the sky and breaks Siegmund's sword. One of the best scenes in the whole Ring, in my opinion!


:lol: Thank you for synopsis; really needed that. After a short break, I'm moving on to Act 3 of Die Walkure -

On a side note, the majority of my listening since yesterday morning has been opera - Salome, Wozzeck, Walkure - unusual for me. I'll swtich to Le Nozze Di Fagaro and Madama Butterfly later and see which styles I prefer.


----------



## neoshredder

More Tchaikovsky


----------



## SimonNZ

Hassid said:


> LvB: quartet op.59/1: Wolfgang Schneiderhan quartet, Vienn, 3-29-1945 (!!! the Russian Army was a few miles distance)


Which label is that on?

(Schneiderhan is one of the violinists I'm trying to get complete)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor {ed. W. Furtwangler}, *featuring Maestro Furtwangler conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Hassid

German ORFEO C 315931B, 1993, LvB op 59/1 and op.131. Rarities, because the ensamble live a short time and left very few recordings. There's another ORFEO with Mozart, LvB and Ravel.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both featuring the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Schubert - String Quartet in G major, D887
Brandis Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner Symphony No. 1.* Both Tintner and Jochum.















Then some Chabrier.


----------



## Squirrel

I've also been listening to Die Walkure, although in my case it's been the Marek Janowski version. I'd love to get hold of the Solti version because so many people say it's the best, but the last time I looked up the Solti Ring on Amazon it wasn't cheap.


----------



## neoshredder

Rise of the Masters - Bach


----------



## campy

de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain


----------



## Sid James

*John Williams' 80th birthday tribute album*. I esp. like the tracks with Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman (esp. the latter playing the theme from _Schindler's List_, so moving). Interesting how when Williams came onto the scene in the late 1960's, film music with focus on unbroken melody and traditional things like counterpoint was somewhat under challenge from more avant-garde type trends. But composers like Williams bought some of these things back, and its not hard to hear influences from big Modernists like Bartok, Hindemith, Stravinsky and Berg, who similarly combined tradition with innovation. The album also has sentimental value in bringing back memories of when I saw some of these films when they first came out.

After that, some 'golden oldies,' the first 4 pieces here where also taken from film scores:

*Karas:* _The Third Man Theme _- Anton Karas, zither
*Addinsell:* _Warsaw Concerto _- Louis Kentner, pno. with London SO under Muir Matheison
*Williams:* _The Dream of Olwen _- Arthur Dulay, pno. with Charles Williams and his concert orch.
*Rozsa:* _Spellbound Concerto _- Queen's Hall Light Orch. under Ch. Williams
*Gershwin:* _Swanee_ - The composer on piano with the Van Eps Quartet
*Gade: *_Jalousie_ - Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler
(Naxos Nostalgia cd)


----------



## neoshredder

60 Cd's in 60 Days for me of this collection. I'll start tonight. I plan to listen to 1 cd a day. Right now, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 1-3.


----------



## idomeneo

*Gustav Mahler*
Symphony No. 2
Vienna Philharmonic - Gilbert Kaplan


----------



## idomeneo

*Gabriel Faure*
Requiem
Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra - Carlo Maria Guilini


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Cnote11

A little Michael Nyman before bed.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bamboola by Gottschalk.


----------



## drpraetorus

Rimsky-Korsakov Sym. #2


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Symphony No.41 - Josef Krips


----------



## idomeneo

*Mozart*
Piano Concertos No. 14 & 26
Maria Joao Pires - Piano
Vienna Philharmonic - Claudio Abbado


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My music for today:


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms Piano Trio Op.8 - Jascha Heifetz, Emanuel Feuermann, Artur Rubenstein

for a few people I know this would be "the dream team"


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss, Death and Transfiguration, Karajan


----------



## SimonNZ

I hope thats the disc that also has the Four Last Songs with Gundula Janowitz


----------



## science

On the Barbirolli recording, I only listened to the Mahler.

















On the Bruckner, that is not the cover art on my CD, but I might like that one better.


----------



## joen_cph

Liszt Concerto 2 with Arrau/Cantelli 1953. Time to revisit this rather cinematic/very theatrical work. Oops in my last post I mentioned this recording as having Galiera as conductor. But it is Cantelli. Another example of the early Arrau and probably my favourite in this work together with the ine vitable Richter/Kondrashin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler: Three Ruckert lieder - Kathleen Ferrier, Bruno Walter


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Organ Concerto No.8 - Geraint Jones, Wilhelm Schuchter


----------



## idomeneo

*Bruckner*
Symphony No. 4
Berlin Philharmonic - Eugen Jochum


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge - Gerorge Martin, Ivor Newton


----------



## Hassid

MOZART son.piano&violin K481: Lili Kraus-Szymon Goldberg, 1936.

RACHMANINOFF: cello sonata: Edmund Kurtz-William Kapel, 1947.

SCHUBERT string quartet Nº14: Budapest quartet, 1927 (Emil Hauser,Joseph Roisman, Istvan Ipolyi and Harry Son; 2 Hungarians, a Russian and a Dutch. Not the first original Budapest, but almost)


----------



## Lisztian

joen_cph said:


> Liszt Concerto 2 with Arrau/Cantelli 1953. Time to revisit this rather cinematic/very theatrical work. Oops in my last post I mentioned this recording as having Galiera as conductor. But it is Cantelli. Another example of the early Arrau and probably my favourite in this work together with the ine vitable Richter/Kondrashin.


Found this interesting. His Faust Concerto


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Been watching the piece that I've got to perform, it just confirms what I first thought, the second violin part doesn't make sense and the whole thing sounds crazy. But great. But still crazy...


----------



## Arsakes

*R.V.W*'s Symphony No.2 in G major 'A London Symphony'


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonata
F. Gulda*

Listening to the disc with the "Pastoral" and the first two Opus 31 sonatas.

After years of listening to Beethoven sonatas on disc, and studying them as I try to play them in my fumbling amateur way, I think I have concluded that Gulda is the greatest interpreter of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Other performers only seem to me to capture one side or another of these richly varied works. Gulda is the only performer who gets these works "right" at all times: the drama, the wit, the beauty, the charm, all come over.


----------



## idomeneo

*Bruckner*
Symphony No. 4
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France - Marek Janowski


----------



## DeepR




----------



## millionrainbows

Hausmusik said:


> *Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonata
> F. Gulda*
> 
> Listening to the disc with the "Pastoral" and the first two Opus 31 sonatas.
> 
> After years of listening to Beethoven sonatas on disc, and studying them as I try to play them in my fumbling amateur way, I think I have concluded that Gulda is the greatest interpreter of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Other performers only seem to me to capture on side or another of these richly varied works. Gulda is the only performer who gets these works "right" at all times: the drama, the wit, the beauty, the charm, all come over.


I agree, and this Gulda is the only complete cycle I own by one performer. I like him on the Piano Concertos, too:


----------



## etkearne

*Music For Two Electric Guitars & Bass - Movement Four - Adagio*

It is my own work haha.


----------



## idomeneo

*Sibelius* 
Symphony No. 2 & 7 
New York Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein - Symphony Edition Disc 55


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, *featuring the Wurttemburg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Piano Quintet Op.81 - Clifford Curzon, Vienna Philharmonic Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*

Bruno Walter isn't doing it for me on this one. It's nice, well-played, but I'm missing a spark. Maybe I need to hear it a couple more times, because it's almost sounding perfunctory.


----------



## idomeneo

*Thomas Tallis*
The Lamentations of Jeremiah
The Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## NightHawk

From this cycle with Gunter Wand and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, I found that I have another recording of the 9th (completely forgotten). It is quite wonderful. The original recording is from 1979, the transfer to disc from 1989.

Edit: I never realized the 9th was considered 'unfinished' b/c it lacks a 4th movement and more to the point, b/c Bruckner died. I agree with the writer who said the ..._'Adagio possesses that final sort of completeness which seems to make any continuation of the work impossible'._

2nd embarassed edit: the first edit should have read (as it does now) 'b/c it lacks a _4th_ movement'....I'm sure all of you caught the error!


----------



## Ondine

Giovan Battista Vitalli,

Varie sonate alla Francese e all'Italiana a 6 Op.XI, 1684

Samperconsort

Luigi Cozzolino

Brilliant Records


----------



## Sid James

*Piano trios by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich *played by the Rosamunde Trio of Prague, as well as an album of *Russian guitar music *played by Artyom Dervoed.

Some of my thoughts on the Tchaikovsky trio here and on the Russian guitar album here.


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D, op. 61 (Mutter/Berliner Phil./Karajan)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

J.S. Bach- _Partitas and Sonatas for Solo Violin_
Heinrich Schütz- _Weihnachtshistorie_ SWV 435 and _Auferstehungshistorie_ SWV 450


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Rhapsody For Clarinet And Orchestra - Serge Dandain, Louis De Froment


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


I've had my eye on that Schutz set. What are they like? (very off-putting covers, I've got to say)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Actually the ugly cover is what drew my attention. The works are beautifully performed by Paul Hillier and Ars Nova Copenhagen. The works are early Baroque choral/vocal narrative works. The work gives a concept of the tradition that Bach expanded. The works are very chant-like... far more stark than Bach's choral works. You don't have Bach's contrast between recitative, aria, and chorus. The focus is a musical recitation of the Biblical text is a chant-like manner. At moments I am reminded more of early chant... even Byzantine... more than I am of Bach or Handel's cantatas and oratorios. The Saint Luke Passion is performed sans instruments in deference to the tradition of the court at Dresden where instruments were silenced during the Passion Week.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Actually the ugly cover is what drew my attention. The works are beautifully performed by Paul Hillier and Ars Nova Copenhagen. The works are early Baroque choral/vocal narrative works. The work gives a concept of the tradition that Bach expanded. The works are very chant-like... far more stark than Bach's choral works. You don't have Bach's contrast between recitative, aria, and chorus. The focus is a musical recitation of the Biblical text is a chant-like manner. At moments I am reminded more of early chant... even Byzantine... more than I am of Bach or Handel's cantatas and oratorios. The Saint Luke Passion is performed sans instruments in deference to the tradition of the court at Dresden where instruments were silenced during the Passion Week.


I have same box. I agree with your observations.


----------



## drpraetorus

Vaugyhn Williams, Symphonia Antarctica. Very effecftive work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thanks for the great Schutz info. I just checked the vinyl boxes and found I have a St Luke with Jurgen Jurgens on Telefunken and a St Matthew with Hilliard Ensemble on EMI Reflexe, and another on Archiv by Klaus Fischer-Dieskau, which I'll be playing in the near future.

but playing now:









Chopin's Sonata No.3 - Malcuzynski


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both works feature the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Louis Spohr--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, Op.20* and *Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.102, *both featuring the Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra led by Alfred Walter.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Fantasia And Fugue In G Minor - Jeanne Demessieux, organ


----------



## tdc

Sibelius - Symphony No. 4, Blomstedt. I don't see Blomstedt's Sibelius cycle mentioned very often here, I love it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony - Eugene Jochum (1955)


----------



## jdk

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor.


----------



## idomeneo

*Gyorgy Ligeti*
Works for Piano


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Prokofiev's Symphony 1.


----------



## idomeneo

*Pablo Casals*
Casals Festival at Perpignan - Beethoven Cello Sonata No 2.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*' Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My music today:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to good music today I see. j/k


----------



## MaestroViolinist

neoshredder said:


> Listening to good music today I see. j/k


Hey, that's my line.


----------



## neoshredder

MaestroViolinist said:


> Hey, that's my line.


All that Bruckner, Brahms, and Mahler. It was a great time for me to use that line.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> All that Bruckner, Brahms, and Mahler. It was a great time for me to use that line.


I'll have to remember to listen to some more Bruckner tonight.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'll have to remember to listen to some more Bruckner tonight.


NOOOOOOOOOOO! lol


----------



## SimonNZ

Dohnanyi's Ruralia Hungarica - Campoli, violin, George Malcolm, piano


----------



## neoshredder

Boccherini.


----------



## idomeneo

*Beethoven*
Late String Quartets Op. 95 & 130
Takacs Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin's Four Impromptus - Claudio Arrau


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

On the radio: a concert from Gewandhaus Orchestra, Berg's violin concerto and (what a coincidence) Bruckner's 9th symphony. I was thinking of listening to that symphony tonight.


----------



## graaf




----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*:
in order of listening..

Symphony No.9, 10, 2, 3, 4.


----------



## Hassid

PAGANINI selection of caprices: Ricci, 1947/48 (first world recording as written).

LvB Kreutzer: Oistrakh-Lev Oborin, 1953.

HAYDN quartets op.76/1 and 2: Schneider quartet, 1954 (Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, Karen Tuttle and Herman Busch).


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Beethoven's Third Symphony, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philarmoniker.


----------



## jani

SiegendesLicht said:


> Beethoven's Third Symphony, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philarmoniker.
> 
> View attachment 8865


EROICA! The opening chords grab you by the balls, then we hear the passionate theme. Am i the only one who thinks that the first theme has a bit of sensual quality on it?å


----------



## starthrower

Brilliant Classics 2 CD re-issue of Denon recordings by Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony.


----------



## graaf




----------



## Manxfeeder

Roger Davidson,* Missa Universalis I, II, III.*

These are meditative mass settings which draw on chant and Russian liturgical works and which, in many places, are like listening to grass grow.


----------



## cwarchc

Just got home, started to listen to my latest Amazon bargains.
Not my normal fare, but I love the clarinet








Then it's onto this one


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brucker, Symphony No. 5.*

I'm listening to Franz Welser-Most's live recording with the LSO, then Horenstein's.


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 In C Major, Op. 52*

Now playing Disc 2 of this box - next up is Symphony No. 4.


----------



## idomeneo

*Prokofiev*
Sonata for Solo Violin
Vladimir Malinin


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## campy

Richard Strauss: _Tod und Verklärung, _op. 24


----------



## TBurton

...just kidding, I only just learned about this travesty and needed to share.








Actually, am listening to this - it's wonderful.

(I see a few Rachmaninoff mentions the past few days...Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2, Liadov: The Enchanted Lake, and Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 are the program at Walt Disney Hall later this month if that interests you. http://laphil.com/Rachmaninoff)


----------



## idomeneo

*Alexander Agricola*
A Secret Labyrinth
Hueglas Ensemble - Paul Van Nevel


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous performance of some of Faure's songs.










I'm still working my way through my recent catch of Ansermet recordings. In spite of the "Mighty Five's" express goal of creating a native Russian music, Rimsky-Korsakov's music exudes and exoticism and "orientalist" aspect that seems to me in especially well-served by Ansermet and his very French approach. I'm not certain I would find his interpretations of Mussorgsky quite as serviceable... although most of Mussorgsky's works performed by Ansermet were orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov... Ravel... or others.


----------



## opus55

Weber: Piano Concertos, Nos. 1 and 2










Totally unfocused listening while chatting with a friend


----------



## Sid James

I've loved listening to *Mozart's two piano quartets *since as a child, my parents listened to them and it rubbed off. The one in E flat major is more light and optimistic, while the G minor one (esp. the first movement) has darker and maybe even tragic undertones. This performance is on original instruments (or copies), done by an American group called the Mozartean Players.

I also listened to Australian composer *Cezary Skubiszewski's score to the 2002 film Black and White*, which was about discrimination in the Australian justice system of the 1950's. It includes rhythms and suggestions of Aborignal Australian tribal music and chant, also much writing for guitars and the usual wash of sound from strings, so typical of film music. The Victorian Philharmonic was under Daryl McKenzie. A more in depth review of mine of this cd is here.



















opus55 said:


> Weber: Piano Concertos, Nos. 1 and 2
> 
> ....
> Totally unfocused listening while chatting with a friend


I love Weber's PC's as well as the clarinet concertos and his two symphonies. What I like about him most is the feeling that its like opera without words. This guy was one of the best tunesmiths of his day, I think. & he doesn't do things by the book either, he was very flexible with the sonata form, etc. Its a pity not many people know these - except the clarinet works, maybe cos that's not such a crowded field.


----------



## samurai

On WQXR FM this morning whilst driving:

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *featuring Sir Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden led by Maestro Blomstedt.


----------



## NightHawk

Just arrived today and I now will have to have all of 'Celi's' Bruckner...


----------



## drpraetorus

Dvorak New World Symphony, Solti, Chicago. I like this performance because, among other things, he takes the repeats.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to a Modern Playlist consisting of Schnittke, Ligeti, Messiaen, Lutoslawski, and Xenakis. Dissonance rules.


----------



## science

The Debussy disk has always been a favorite, and the music is simply amazing. But the Britten didn't hit me until this most recent listening. It's not as exciting as Debussy, but it is beautiful, with some cleverness to it.

















Delius is so much better than he's generally given credit for. Of course I like Canteloube, Fauré, and J. Strauss II, so maybe I'm not a reliable source.

But the Bridge is even better. (The two are available as a 2-disk set from RCA, and that's how I bought them. But I figured I'd mention them individually.)

















My first time with Field's nocturnes. Not as good as Chopin's of course - if you'll allow me to guess without having studied the scores, I'd guess Field is quite a bit more faithful to the notes he's supposed to write, while Chopin ventures into a lot more chromaticism, enabling him to get much sweeter, tenderer sounds.

The Boccherini disk includes a flute concerto that has been found to be by Pokorny. It is all good. Of course everyone likes Boccherini, but as for Pokorny, this is the second work I've heard by him (the other is a horn concerto) and he's a delightful classical composer.


----------



## science

Albinoni's opus 9 is considerably more popular than his opus 7, but if you like Baroque concerti, you can't go wrong.

















The Caldara is a hit, for sure. The only other things I've ever heard by him are a couple of songs on Bartoli's "If you love me / Se tu m'ami" disk (which is another winner). I'll try his Stabat Mater relatively soon.

Going through all my Beethoven. Today's controversial opinion: Jandó plays Beethoven's sonatas as well as anyone. If he was on ECM or Hyperion or even Virgin, he'd be much more appreciated.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.88 in G major


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My music today:


----------



## idomeneo

*Ravi Shankar*
Ravi Shankar Collection CD9


----------



## idomeneo

*Horowitz Plays Scarlatti*


----------



## Lenfer

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My music today:


Me thinks I'll buy...


----------



## Hassid

LvB violin sonata Nº10: Clara Haskil-Grumiaux, 1957.

DVORAK first cello concerto (1865): Milos Sadlo-Vaclav Neumann and Czech Ph.O

MOZART Three divertimenti Kg 136/7/8: Cuarteto Italiano.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> The Caldara is a hit, for sure. [/QUOTE]
> 
> The 2000 Gramophone Guide's review says, "You are urged to acquire this disc." That's a recommendation!


----------



## Sonata

A couple of string quartets: Haydn #66, and my personal favorite quartet, Tchaikovsky #1. Pure string ensembles don't always come easy to me...I'm too aware of the different instruments playing. What I mean is it feels like seperate instruments doing their own thing, rather than a cohesive melodic line.

Not so with the Tchaikovsky. The different players unify very well for a very lovely, energetic piece.


----------



## peeyaj

Heard this music again and can't help tears flowing in my eyes.. :'(






_It's almost beyond belief that Schubert wrote this beatific setting of the well-beloved Psalm 23 "The Lord is my Shepherd" as an examination piece. And yet it is so: composed in December 1820 at the request of Schubert's friend Anna Frolich as a test piece for her vocal pupils, Schubert's part song far transcends its original purpose to become a small-scale piece of musical religious art. Originally written for two sopranos and two altos, Psalm 23 has become a staple of women's choirs everywhere there are women's choirs. It's easy to understand why: from the exquisite harmonies of the piano's prelude -- the magical entry of the voices, the smooth voice writing, the clear progress of the harmonies -- to the final blissful statement of faith, Schubert's setting rivals his Ave Maria (D. 839) as one his most perfect pieces of religious vocal music._


----------



## Sonata

Lenfer said:


> Me thinks I'll buy...


You should also consider buying the Ravel complete Edition, which was released last month. 14 discs of Ravellian wonder.  I myself want it, but I must be patient til next year.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Pelleas et Melisande.*

I'm feeling like hearing some French opera, because as someone said, everything sounds better in French.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Because in my opinion everything sounds better in German


----------



## Hassid

In my opinion, everything sounds nazi in German.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SiegendesLicht said:


> View attachment 8888
> 
> 
> Because in my opinion everything sounds better in German


I'm laughing out loud! :clap:


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: Concerto in D Minor for Violin and strings. Utterly infectious ! (in a good way) & String symphony #5
Mahler: Symphony #3


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm laughing out loud! :clap:


I am doing the same about post #23835. I don't think it will remain here long though.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SiegendesLicht said:


> I am doing the same about post #23835. I don't think it will remain here long though.


Yikes!  But you've reminded me, I do need to hear Parsifal. If I ever get my work caught up enough to take on a new project, I'll have to tackle that one.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 3 by Sibelius


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Science- The Debussy disk has always been a favorite, and the music is simply amazing.

I first delved into Debussy through Boulez... but since then I have found that I far prefer Martinoon and Ansermet for Debussy.

But the Britten didn't hit me until this most recent listening. It's not as exciting as Debussy, but it is beautiful, with some cleverness to it.

Lovely disc... one of my first by Britten.

Delius is so much better than he's generally given credit for. Of course I like Canteloube, Fauré, and J. Strauss II, so maybe I'm not a reliable source.

Hey... I love Delius... as well as Canteloube, Fauré, and J. Strauss II... especially the last two. I suspect that a good many who dismiss Delius, Fauré, and J. Strauss II are striving too hard to impress others as "serious" listeners.

But the Bridge is even better.

I've yet to explore Bridge.

My first time with Field's nocturnes. Not as good as Chopin's of course - if you'll allow me to guess without having studied the scores, I'd guess Field is quite a bit more faithful to the notes he's supposed to write, while Chopin ventures into a lot more chromaticism, enabling him to get much sweeter, tenderer sounds. 

I was so enamored of Chopin's Nocturnes some years back that I sought out similar works by other composers. It was then that I stumbled upon Field's Nocturnes (lovely works) as well as Fauré's... and I became hooked on the latter.


----------



## DrKilroy

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Symphony 3 by Sibelius


Just like me.  I listen to another interpretation, though.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *LvB*: Variations and Bagatelles, with GG.

View attachment 8891


----------



## Vaneyes

Hassid said:


> In my opinion, everything sounds nazi in German.


"Your papers, please!"


----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Science- The Debussy disk has always been a favorite, and the music is simply amazing.
> 
> I first delved into Debussy through Boulez... but since then I have found that I far prefer Martinoon and Ansermet for Debussy.
> 
> But the Britten didn't hit me until this most recent listening. It's not as exciting as Debussy, but it is beautiful, with some cleverness to it.
> 
> Lovely disc... one of my first by Britten.
> 
> Delius is so much better than he's generally given credit for. Of course I like Canteloube, Fauré, and J. Strauss II, so maybe I'm not a reliable source.
> 
> Hey... I love Delius... as well as Canteloube, Fauré, and J. Strauss II... especially the last two. I suspect that a good many who dismiss Delius, Fauré, and J. Strauss II are striving too hard to impress others as "serious" listeners.
> 
> But the Bridge is even better.
> 
> I've yet to explore Bridge.
> 
> My first time with Field's nocturnes. Not as good as Chopin's of course - if you'll allow me to guess without having studied the scores, I'd guess Field is quite a bit more faithful to the notes he's supposed to write, while Chopin ventures into a lot more chromaticism, enabling him to get much sweeter, tenderer sounds.
> 
> I was so enamored of Chopin's Nocturnes some years back that I sought out similar works by other composers. It was then that I stumbled upon Field's Nocturnes (lovely works) as well as Fauré's... and I became hooked on the latter.


Re-reading my comments in your post, I didn't mean to sound so negative on Field. To me it was inevitably a comparison with Chopin, not so much with Fauré whose nocturnes have taken me a lot of work to appreciate. I generally am a defender of Fauré, but I found Field's nocturnes easier to appreciate. Chopin's are masterpieces, though.

I'm not sure I could recommend the Bridge to most people, but to a fellow lover of Delius, Canteloube, et. al., I recommend it without hesitation.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Carter*: Partita; *Berio*: Continuo; *Takemitsu*: Visions; with CSO/Barenboim (rec. 1993/4).

View attachment 8892


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wagner, Prelude to Parsifal.*

Maybe I can get into this opera one piece at a time.


----------



## DrKilroy

Right now I am listening to Xaver Scharwenka's Fourth Piano Concerto in F Minor:






I am going to a performance of this (and Holst's The Planets) in the Warsaw Philharmony and I like to know the piece well before listening to it live.  At first, I did not like this concerto, but after already two hearings, I think it is very beautiful.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Piano Trios Eisenstadt

After a tiresome day, they give you serenity


----------



## campy

Beethoven: "Emperor" Concerto


----------



## Vaneyes

*Gubaidulina*: In tempus praesens, with Mutter/LSO/Gergiev; Fachwerk, with Draugsvoll/Loguin/TrondheimSO.

View attachment 8894
View attachment 8895


----------



## idomeneo

*Antonin Dvorak*
Stabat Mater
Radio Symphony Orchestra - Marko Munih


----------



## Ramako

Tabula Rasa - Arvo Pärt


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner No. 5.*

Nashville's used CD store has Welser-Most's recording of this, and I'm trying to see if I need _yet another_ Bruckner 5, so I'm seeing how happy Sinopoli makes me.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Liszt, Missa Choralis.*


----------



## Lenfer

*Ligeti - Works for Piano, Two Pianos and Piano Four Hands* ~ *Lucille Chung* & *Alessio Bax*​


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Erik Satie, Ogives.*

Reinbert de Leeuw is perfect on these, despite the somewhat muffled recorded sound. He's also great on the Sarabandes; they need a lot of space, and he provides it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*
View attachment 8902
Penderecki*: Cello Concertos 1 & 2, with Noras/Sinfonia Varsovia/Penderecki; Fonogrammi, with Janik/Warsaw PO/Wit.

View attachment 8901


----------



## NightHawk

Dilemmas - I really like Celibidache's Bruckner 4th, but upon several comparisons of the first movement only, with Abbado and Vienna I found that the bravura brass utterances of the Vienna Phil are extremely persuasive - in the opening of the 'Celi' 4th the principal horn blurs the rhythm of what the score indicates as a triple dotted half note followed by a 16th note in a very broad _alla breve_ - he/she actually seems not to articulate the 16th but instead, makes it very legato and indistinct, whereas in the Abbado verson the horn rearticulates the repeated Bb 16th quite clearly and in a very 'horn call manner'. Bruckner has a long slur over the entire figure, but a repeated note in such a marking must be rearticulated or it will not 'appear' and the rhythm will not be apparent. Also, the quarter note orchestral tutti ending, which punctuates the end of the titanic horn section 'call' of the 1st m., of the 'Celi' version is rather passive and definitely not triple _fff_ as the score indicates. Vienna fulfills the score on this point superbly. Yet...I still feel that Celibidache's version has 'something' that is missing from the Abbado version. As close as I can come now is to say it seems that C. 'conjures' the work especially in the softer, slower parts, while A. 'performs' it.

This may not be the correct forum to post such a rambling nitpick, but all the Bruckner band seems to be here...so, I really _wanted_ to post it here to see if any had ideas on interpretation of the mentioned parts.

edit: of course, it's not a case of ash-canning either recording!!!


----------



## idomeneo

*Horowitz reDiscovered*
Carnegie Hall Recital


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I finally picked up this old classic recording of Mozart's _Die Zauberflöte_... a mono recording from 1950 conducted by Herbert von Karajan and featuring Anton Dermota, Irmgard Seefried, Erich Kunz, Ludwig Weber, etc... with the Vienna Philharmonic. Under Legge, Karajan conducted a handful of exceptional recordings of Mozart... _Le nozze di Figaro, Così Fan Tutte_ as well as _Die Zauberflöte_... to say nothing of the classic recording of the four horn concertos with Dennis Brain. As one reviewer suggested, listening to these recordings is like tasting a finely aged vintage wine. Marvelous.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Dilemmas - I really like Celibidache's Bruckner 4th, but upon several comparisons of the first movement only, with Abbado and Berlin I found that the bravura brass utterances of the Berlin are extremely persuasive - in the opening of the 'Celi' 4th the principal horn blurs the rhythm of what the score indicates...

I always felt that Celibidache's Bruckner was an acquired taste... pushed by his acolytes... when Karajan and Jochum are far better for an initial exploration of Bruckner. This is not to negate Celibidache's achievement... but to suggest that perhaps just like Glenn Gould's Bach (with the exception of the Goldberg 1955) it is something best reserved for later.


----------



## Chrythes

^
I don't understand this notion. If you want to explore a new composer does it really matter what recording you choose as your first one (of course, it probably should be one of the "best")?
Since you have no real idea what to expect, it seems that everything that is of good quality should do fine.
My first exposure to Bruckner's 4 (a few days ago really) was the recording by Celibidache and I loved it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Johann Christian Friederich Bach:










Was there ever another such dynasty in any art form?

Johann Ludwig Bach:










Johann Christian Bach:










Wilhelm Friedemann Bach:










Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach:










And there are a slew of other Bachs who were musicians and/or composers... yet so many composers of real note from a single family?


----------



## idomeneo

*Gustav Mahler*
Symphony no. 3
New York Philharmonic - Leonard Berstein
Bernstein Symphony Edition Disc #29 & 30


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok's Piano Concertos


----------



## idomeneo

*Randall Thompson*
Symphony no. 2
New York Philharmonic - Leonard Berstein
Bernstein Symphony Edition Disc #30


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My music today:


----------



## idomeneo

*Vladimir Horowitz*
The Studio Recordings - New York 1985


----------



## idomeneo

*Gyorgy Ligeti*
Clear or Cloudy Disc 1


----------



## DeepR

idomeneo said:


> *Vladimir Horowitz*
> The Studio Recordings - New York 1985
> 
> View attachment 8907


The Scriabin - Etude Op. 8 no. 12 on this disc is one of the best recordings of this piece and has an all-devastating finale that gives me goosebumps each and every time.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

On YouTube, Beethoven's 6th Symphony conducted by Eugen Jochum.


----------



## Hassid

I think it's a good day to exercise the lungs:

SAVARI Jean Nicolas (1786-1853): quintet for 2 sopranos, alto,tenor and baritone saxes. Quartetto de Sassofoni Accademia plus soprano.

SINGELEE Jean Baptiste (1812-75): first sax quartet op.53, same ensamble.

JACOB Gordon: Divertimento for harmonica and string quartet. Tommy Reilly and Hindar quartet.

NIELSEN: winds quintet op.43, Royal Chapel winds quintet, 1936 (first world recording).


----------



## jdk

Dvorak - Humoresque


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner 4, Furtwängler.


----------



## Sonata

Last night:

Bruckner #1: my last listen for now. I'll move on to the 2nd symphony soon.

Beethoven #2, movement 2

Corelli: Concertos 5-6

Vivaldi: Spring


----------



## NightHawk

I love the 12 Corelli Concerti Grossi Op. 6, and also the 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6 of Handel - I just can't imagine that it is a coincidence. I like to think Handel was paying _hommage_ to the great Corelli! 



Sonata said:


> Last night:
> 
> Bruckner #1: my last listen for now. I'll move on to the 2nd symphony soon.
> 
> Beethoven #2, movement 2
> 
> Corelli: Concertos 5-6
> 
> Vivaldi: Spring


----------



## campy

Liszt: _A Faust Symphony _(Chicago Sym./Solti)


----------



## Arsakes

*Handel*:
some Concerto Grosso Op.6
Harp Concerto in B flat
Music for the Royal Fireworks
some Organ Concertos (Op.4 & 7)

*Beethoven*:
Piano Trio in E flat major
Cello Sonata in G minor
Piano Concerto No. 5


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}*, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the stick of Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Maestro Bohm.


----------



## Ramako

NightHawk said:


> I love the 12 Corelli Concerti Grossi Op. 6, and also the 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6 of Handel - I just can't imagine that it is a coincidence. I like to think Handel was paying _hommage_ to the great Corelli!


He was. For his concerti grossi he took Corelli as the model, whereas Bach generally followed Vivaldi's practice.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Penderecki*:The Awakening of Jacob; Anaklasis; De natura sonoris I; Partita; Horn Concerto; with Warsaw PO/Wit et al. 
*Penderecki*: Sextet; Clarinet Quartet; with Noras, Lagerspetz et al.
*Penderecki*: Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, with Bieler & Tichman.

View attachment 8911
View attachment 8912
View attachment 8913


----------



## worov

I just listened to Schumann's Bunte Blätter for the first time. These are amazing !

Here's an extract :


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berio*: Piano Works, with Schlime (Sisyphe, rec.2005). Highly recommended for tightropers. Recently reissued by Piano Classics.

View attachment 8917


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Dilemmas - I really like Celibidache's Bruckner 4th, but upon several comparisons of the first movement only, with Abbado and Berlin I found that the bravura brass utterances of the Berlin are extremely persuasive - in the opening of the 'Celi' 4th the principal horn blurs the rhythm of what the score indicates...
> 
> I always felt that Celibidache's Bruckner was an acquired taste... pushed by his acolytes... when Karajan and Jochum are far better for an initial exploration of Bruckner. This is not to negate Celibidache's achievement... but to suggest that perhaps just like Glenn Gould's Bach (with the exception of the Goldberg 1955) it is something best reserved for later.


Newborns can have my GG JSB recommendation.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Falla, Nights in the Gardens of Spain.*

Nicely done with an accompanying analysis by Gerard Schwartz.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another performance of that most delicious of Mozart's operas. having picked up Mackerras' recordings of the complete symphonies... which I greatly enjoyed... I had to pick up this and his recording of Le Nozze di Figaro as well. How could you go wrong when the entire operas can be had for around $5 US?


----------



## jdk

Dvorak - From the New World Symphony. New to his music, enjoying it thoroughly.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No 9.*

This is my favorite of the three-movement recordings of the 9th. Forget joie de vivre (for those who like French); it's filled with weltschmertz (for those who like German).


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Siegfried*, the George Solti version.









And I have just read this post:



NigelKesteren said:


> I have my own test for the true Wagnerian:
> 
> If he or she loves _Siegfried_ (ALL 270 minutes of it) AS MUCH as the other operas and prefers to listen to it on CD....
> 
> Someone who adores the raspy voice of the Mime (Gerhard Stolze), Siegfried, The Wanderer, Erda and those wonderful anvils, etc and so on.... cranked up at a nice volume.
> 
> That, ladies and gentleman, is a hardcore Wagnerian.


Well, I don't want to sound as if I was boasting, but I do love Siegfried  The sword song and the scene with Fafner and Siegfried passing through the fire and the glorious music at Brünnhilde's awakening...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zelenka and Pisendel Concerti.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass In B Minor - Herbert von Karajan (1974)


----------



## cwarchc

Pablo Casals playing Kol Nidre, on Youtube
A spellbinding recording
I can't say anymore


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8922
> 
> 
> Bach's Mass In B Minor - Herbert von Karajan (1974)


I like that version of the Mass too - it was the first one I heard. I had sold it but ordered another copy of it this week


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 43*

Now listening to Sibelius 2nd Symphony from the Barbirolli set and after this I will listen to the 3rd Symphony from the same Disc.


----------



## NightHawk

Found this buried under the detritus on the floor of my Honda and have been listening to it (in the car) while taking breaks from Bruckner (!) A truly great recording. *****Highly recommended!


----------



## peeyaj

I did not understand why this work _is not one _of the most popular masses ever written.. It's a magnificent work but neglected among Schubert masterpieces.










*
Next:*

Beethoven's *Missa Solemnis*


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Hausmusik

*Chevalier J.J.O. de Meude-Monpas, Violin Concerto #4 in D*
*
Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries*
Rachel Barton; Daniel Hege: Encore Chamber Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.44, *featuring the Royal Scottish National Orchestra led by Owain Arwel Hughes.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Moving from Mozart (The Magic Flute) to Faure. Some how there's a link. A certain common elegance of touch.










I picked this disc up a good number of years ago when Helios records was featuring it as a discount to entice listeners to explore further into their discography. Some marvelous music.


----------



## Guest

GuuRETskee's MEEseraa. Veree niis.









Bardzo czekawa musika.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Soanatas Nos. 1-6 for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014-1019


----------



## drpraetorus

Liszt, Mephisto Waltz, Solti


----------



## Guest

Geirr Tveitt....









Naxos Japan always has the nicest scans of album covers, don't know why.

Here's the same without the local copying option selected:










See?


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate - Hilde Gueden, Alberto Erede


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Rudolf Kempe


----------



## Conor71

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 43*

Now listening to Vanska's account of the 2nd Symphony, after this I will listen to the 3rd on the same Disc.


----------



## SimonNZ

Liszt recital - Yury Boukoff


----------



## Hassid

SCHUMANN violin concerto: Menuhin-Barbirolli-NYPH, 1938.

SESSIONS Roger string quartet Nº1: Pro-Arte quartet, 1945.

BRAHMS cello sonata Nº1: Feuermann-Theo van der Pas, 1934.


----------



## Arsakes

*Boccherini*:
Symphony in C major
Symphony in B flat major


----------



## Sonata

Schubert lieder sung by Elly Ameling: great combo!
Clara Schumann lieder
Dvorak: Song to the Moon, then Piano Trio #1
Faure's Requiem (and in this case it was a Requiem for the loss of my sanity thanks to my very cranky toddler this morning)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Holst, The Planets.*

The Inspector Lewis show titled "Dark Matter" features a concert of Holst, with their medical inspector as an undercover clarinetist. Maybe TV doesn't influence people, but it did get me to pull out my copy of this.


----------



## campy

Horowitz: The Last Romantic


----------



## neoshredder

Arsakes said:


> *Boccherini*:
> Symphony in C major
> Symphony in B flat major


Are those from Op. 12? Boccherini at his best imo.


----------



## DeepR

Magical performance.


----------



## Sonata

Schubert piano sonata 13, performed by Richter. very lovely!


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Symphony No.40 - Josef Krips


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: String Quartets, Opp. 59, 74, with Takacs Qt.

View attachment 8937


----------



## DrKilroy

Ralph Vaughan Williams' 6th Symphony in E minor:






Best regards, Dr


----------



## Lukecash12

Hassid said:


> SCHUMANN violin concerto: Menuhin-Barbirolli-NYPH, 1938.
> 
> SESSIONS Roger string quartet Nº1: Pro-Arte quartet, 1945.
> 
> BRAHMS cello sonata Nº1: Feuermann-Theo van der Pas, 1934.


Feuermann produced some marvelous recordings.


----------



## Ramako

Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance marches with Andre Previn and the Royal Philharmonic.

Before was Hubert Parry's Jerusalem.

A good bit of nationalism always makes you feel better


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's Symphony 3 and 4


----------



## Sid James

Ramako said:


> Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance marches with Andre Previn and the Royal Philharmonic.
> 
> Before was Hubert Parry's Jerusalem.
> 
> A good bit of nationalism always makes you feel better


They weren't originally nationalistic pieces, just more kind of co-opted by various nationalist type agendas. Parry's is a hymn still sung in the Anglican church. Elgar was bitter after WW1 how they used his P&C 1 when they where recruiting young men to go to war, lining up for slaughter. His darker thoughts of that after the war are in his string quartet in E minor. That shows his 'real' and angry, bitter side. He doesn't hold back. This issue also speaks to public works/musical statements and private ones. & of course, politics.


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## drpraetorus

Villa-Lobos Bachianas Braslierias


----------



## SimonNZ

Elgar's Serenade For Strings - Anthony Collins


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both featuring the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin's Four Ballades - Julian von Karolyi


----------



## idomeneo

*Richard Strauss*
Don Quixote & Tod und Verklarung
NBC Symphony Orchestra - Toscanini


----------



## SimonNZ

Highlights from the final act of Wagner's Meistersinger - Hans Knappertsbusch


----------



## idomeneo

*Richard Strauss*
Don Quixote
Berliner Philharmoniker - Herbert Von Karajan
Complete EMI Recordings Disc 79


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques - Yuri Boukoff


----------



## idomeneo

*Martha Argerich - Piano*


----------



## Hassid

BRAHMS Haendel variations: Roman Ravinovich (IMO a fantastic version)

GAROFALO Carlo Giorgio (1886-962): violin concerto.Sergei Stadler-Joel Spiegelman-New Moscow SO

COMITAS Alexander string quartet Nº1;Raphael quartet.


----------



## Sid James

First, *Haydn's Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ, Op. 51.* A unique work in many ways, in terms of being purely instrumental but also a religous work, and also consisting entirely of slow movements (except the final movement). I love how Haydn's writing has this vocal quality, its as if the instruments are speaking, and also the sheer variety Haydn gets out of the seemingly limited template of having to write only in slow tempos. The cd included the incomplete _*String Quartet #68, Op. 103*_, the composer's final work in the genre. This performance was by the Kodaly Quartet.










Next, a cd of *tenor Jussi Bjorling*, doing some tracks on his own, others with *baritone Robert Merrill.* The title track, the famous* Pearl Fishers duet* by Bizet, is my favourite on this Regis cd. The singers where accompanied by various orchestras and conductors, including the RCA Victor Orch. under Renato Cellini.










Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous, some of the music of *Florence Foster Jenkins.* She was quite a celebrated singer in her day, she even filled Carnegie Hall in New York in the 1940's (right towards the end of her life). She was a rich heiress and deeply involved in the cultural life of America, for example taking part in setting up the Verdi Society there. I don't know what to make of this other than its hilarious. So bad that its good kind of thing. My favourite tracks are the _Aria of the Queen of the Night _(Mozart) and _Adele's Laughing Song_ (J. Strauss II). She's got a cult following of sorts, still. Check her up on youtube. The cd also has some tracks done by two others (but not as funny overall). Baritone *Thomas Burns* singing the Gounod song _Emotions Strange (Salut demeure, chaste et pure)_ from _Faust _does come across as some joking comments on youtube, as if the poor man is constipated. Jeez.


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*'s 9 symphonies.

All of them are nice, only No.6 is meh..


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Symphony #1


----------



## Cheyenne

Brahms' Double Concerto in A minor, Furtwängler VPO 1952


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Symphonies, Nos. 30-32


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*

This is Furtwangler from November 3, 1943. If you don't mind the sound, which Music & Arts did a great job remastering, this is a great performance. Sam Shirakawa noted in The Devil's Music Master, "Furtwangler gave some fabulous accounts of this symphony after the war, but he never again so caught the elegaic sublimity that is at the heart of [the second movement's] allegretto."


----------



## millionrainbows

I forgot how good the Nonesuch recordings really were, and the personnel: Harvey Sollberger on flute, Fred Sherry (cello), Paul Jacobs and Gilbert Kalish on keys; plus a whole booklet of liner notes from Elliott Carter himself.

Funny how the Synclavier (used on this CDCM Computer Music vol. 6) makes everybody who uses it sound more "musical." It must be the attached keyboard.

Jan Vinci on flute plays a nice selection of pieces on this recording. I love flute, BTW.

Berio and Maderna? I couldn't pass this up.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Franz Joseph Haydn
Harmoniemesse
Mariss Jansons: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra*


----------



## Chrythes

Dvorak - Cello Concerto. I love Rostrapovich, but the cello sounds so distant in his recording! 
This is a fine recording as well. Planning to hear it live this Friday with Brahm's 4th, only played by David Geringas (which I have never heard but they are never really bad).


----------



## opus55

Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014-1019


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Late SQs, with ESQ (rec. 1994/5).

View attachment 8968


----------



## DrKilroy

Ralph Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony in F minor:






Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Schein's Opella Nova II - Musica Fiata


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Matthew Hindson's _Rush._ Believe it or not, he was originally inspired by Mendelssohn with this piece.


----------



## opus55

Henselt: Piano Concerto in F minor
Franck: Sonata for Violin and Piano


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's String Quartets CD 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I've always been a fan of Richard Tognetti


----------



## starthrower




----------



## science

Can't recommend it enough. Classic, fun, wonderful. Especially Ustinov, who is really the star, it's high praise to the musicians that they manage to perform with him.


----------



## Sonata

More lieder this afternoon. I am becoming quite fond of this genre.

*Schumann*: Eichendorff Liederkries
*Kienzl*: Lieder Volume I <------St. Luke's Guild actually recommended the album in this very thread several months back. I've heard half so far and like it.

Evening was devoted to a little bit o' non classical, then chamber music from my top three composers

*Mendelssohn*: String Symphony #5
*Mahler*: Piano Quartet
*Brahms*: Violin Sonatas


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6
Debussy: Arabesque 1 and 2


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61.* Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {Sinfonia semplice"}, *both performed by the Danish radio Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Herbert Blomstedt.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring Maurice Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to Bach's Musical Offering and Orchestral Suite no. 3.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Boulez Conducts Zappa"


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 8974
> 
> 
> "Boulez Conducts Zappa"


Does it have Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra?


----------



## Lukecash12

Mozart's Ein Musikalischer Spaß. Mozart impresses even as he parodies his contemporaries. I like the mistakes in sonata form, the sappy and towards the end heavily sarcastic parody of an Italian violin cadenza, and of course that cadence at the end where the trumpets finally start to pick up the theme and Mozart throws a surprise at you that I'd rather not spoil.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Lukecash12 said:


> Mozart throws a surprise at you that I'd rather not spoil.


what the polytonal ending that sounds like a fart?


----------



## drpraetorus

Siegfried, Wagner, Solti


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Xenakis's String Quartets.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Piano Quintet Op.44 - Paganini Quartet, Arthur Rubenstein


----------



## Lukecash12

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> what the polytonal ending that sounds like a fart?


Way to spoil it. Now it won't stink as bad to their ears, hehe.


----------



## brianwalker




----------



## SimonNZ

Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No.2 - Maura Lympany, Jean Martinon


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Hassid

Nicolai RAKOV violin concerto Nº2:Oleg Kagan-Neeme Jarvi-Moscow Radio O.

Othmar SCHOECK string quartet Op.37

MESSIAEN Theme and variation for violin&piano: David Oistrakh-Frida Bauer live

ERNST Othello Fantasy: Oistrakh live.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Symphonic Variations Op.78
Husitska Overture Op.67
In Nature's Realm Overture Op.91
Waltzes Op.54

*Balakirev*:
Symphony No.1 & 2


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling recent releases. *Nielsen*: Symphonies 2 & 3, with NYPO/Gilbert. I hear nothing exceptional in performance (attacks, transitions) or sound (AF blousiness). *Nielsen* done right tugs at the heart, and quite often propels one out of their chair. Not here. Likely, what you have is good enough. If not, opt for SFS/Blomstedt. Maybe I'm getting carried away with another NYPO mediocre product...as I wonder if they're even a Top 10 band anymore.

Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28, with Pollini. I prefer his earlier DG, plus Tharaud, Pogorelich, Argerich, Ashkenazy, Francois.

View attachment 8984
View attachment 8983


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

This is a download of a performance of Celibidache and the Munich Phil in Osaka on 4/20/93.


----------



## campy

Debussy Préludes


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.1 in D Minor, Op.13,* featuring the Basler Sinfonie Orchester led by Walter Weller.
Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op.27, *performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under the baton of Alexander Anissimov.


----------



## Sonata

Listening to Dvorak, my "forgotten favorite" I place him in my top 5 composers, yet I don't listen to him nearly as often as I do Brahms, Mahler, Mendelssohn, or Chopin.

Symphony #5
String Quartet #12 "American"

Wonderful, both of them. I'm considering listening to a bit of the Stabat Mater later today, but I suspect I won't get the chance because home will be hectic and it's not exactly background music. Maybe tomorrow.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Violin Concertos 1 & 2, with Hirsch/BBC Scottish SO/Friend; *Gubaidulina*: String Quartets 1 - 3, String Trio, with Danish Quartet.

View attachment 8988
View attachment 8989


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling recent releases. *Nielsen*: Symphonies 2 & 3, with NYPO/Gilbert. I hear nothing exceptional in performance (attacks, transitions) or sound (AF blousiness). *Nielsen* done right tugs at the heart, and quite often propels one out of their chair. Not here. Likely, what you have is good enough. If not, opt for SFS/Blomstedt. Maybe I'm getting carried away with another NYPO mediocre product...as I wonder if they're even a Top 10 band anymore.
> 
> Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28, with Pollini. I prefer his earlier DG, plus Tharaud, Pogorelich, Argerich, Ashkenazy, Francois.
> 
> View attachment 8984
> View attachment 8983


Hi, Vaneyes. I am very interested in your take on the Nielsen done by the New York Philharmonic under Gilbert. Have you heard some of the Nielsen which was also performed by the NYP, but under Bernstein? I enjoyed that very much. Are you familiar with those renditions--and if so--how would you compare them to the versions you just listened to?


----------



## jdk

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata


----------



## maestro267

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1887 version)
RSNO/Tintner


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time.


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Hi, Vaneyes. I am very interested in your take on the Nielsen done by the New York Philharmonic under Gilbert. Have you heard some of the Nielsen which was also performed by the NYP, but under Bernstein? I enjoyed that very much. Are you familiar with those renditions--and if so--how would you compare them to the versions you just listened to?


Hi samurai. While listening, it was LB I was thinking of...especially for 3. Inspired vs Uninspired.


----------



## AndyS

Can't get enough of the Solti Salome lately, so that and the Solti Siegfried got an airing today


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor {1888/1889 Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *featuring the Lahti Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bach: Orchestral Suite no. 3, Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Reinhard Goebel on YouTube. Best performance I have ever seen!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> Listening to Dvorak, my "forgotten favorite" I place him in my top 5 composers, yet I don't listen to him nearly as often as I do Brahms, Mahler, Mendelssohn, or Chopin.
> 
> Symphony #5
> String Quartet #12 "American"
> 
> Wonderful, both of them. I'm considering listening to a bit of the Stabat Mater later today, but I suspect I won't get the chance because home will be hectic and it's not exactly background music. Maybe tomorrow.


Symphony no. 5 and SQ no. 12 are my favourite pieces by Dvorák.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I wasn't able to finish this disc the other night... so I am listening again.

Earlier today I gave this another listen:










I must say I quite enjoyed this much more than on my first listen.

I then moved on to some Liszt piano works:


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82*, *Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104* *and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105.* All three symphonies feature the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82 {Final 1919 Version}, *featuring the Lahti Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.
Philip Glass--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.28, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Marin Alsop.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telemann's Trumpet Concertos. They are awesome.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shaharzad, Bernstein.


----------



## neoshredder

Great music for a little while. Now listening to Ives Symphonies 2 and 3.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Four Impromptus Op.90 - Artur Schnabel


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Serenade K.375 - Karl Haas


----------



## Hassid

GRIEG violin sonata Nº1 op.8: Oistrakh-Oborin.

LvB: piano sonata op.57: Nicolai Medtner

SHOSTAKOVICH string quartet Nº3 op.73: Alexander Sharoyev-Yulian Sitkovetsky-Rudolph Barshai-Yakov Slobocnik (an extremely rare historical recording)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner symphony no. 4, Jochum 1974 live.


----------



## NightHawk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Bruckner symphony no. 4, Jochum 1974 live.


This morning: Bruckner Symphony No.7 w Gunter Wand, 1999, also live.








Have the 5th ordered with Christian Thielemann and Munich, highly praised and highly criticized for it's slow tempos, just over 80 mins in length


----------



## Lisztian

*Liszt* _Missa solennis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran_ - Ferencsik, Budapest Symphony Orchestra.

Leslie Howard, prominent Liszt pianist and scholar, believes that the three pinnacles of Liszt's achievement are the _Piano Sonata_, the _Faust Symphony_, and above all, the oratorio _Christus_. I say a fourth should be added to that list, and that work is, of course, the _Gran Mass_. It is utterly magnificent. According to Michael Saffle, this work shows "a grasp of compositional techniques and a depth of religious conviction unequalled by any other 19th century composer," and later goes on to say it's the greatest 19th century sacred choral work with the exception of the Beethoven _Missa Solemnis_ and Brahms _German Requiem_. A bold claim, but listening to it now I can't help but agree with him.

This performance is a very good one, which unfortunately is let down by terrible sound quality. The problem is that it's one of only two CD's of the work that I know of and the other is known to be pretty poor (I need to check it out for myself). Despite the abysmal sound, it's good enough for listening to be a great experience, and good enough to make the listener realise that this is a work that deserves to be far better known.


----------



## NightHawk

@CoAG re a Ligeti connection with Conlon Nancarrow

Saw a Documentary Film last evening presented by the director on the music of Conlon Nancarrow 1912-1997, American (Communist) lived most of his life in Mexico. Wrote piano roll music of intense density and complexity, most of it highly canonic and much influenced with regard to simultaneous different tempos postulated first by Henry Cowell. One part was Ligeti's highly enthusiastic praise of Nancarrow's music both by letter and in live footage speaking in German to an audience about CN's music in superlatives. I had not realized there was a connection. The guy's mind was really 'out there' writing a piano roll work that sped up and slowed down at the same time some years before Elliott Carter did the same thing with live musicians in his Variations for Orchestra (1955?). It was a _very_ interesting film - not music I'd care to listen to much mainly b/c of the _timbre_ limitations/aspects of a player piano, but the process and concept and his monastic manner of working was fascinating. The film is new and should be released on DVD shortly as Nancarrow's 100 year birth anniversary is approaching within weeks. Just thought you'd find it interesting.


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> ....Have the 5th ordered with Christian Thielemann and Munich, highly praised and highly criticized for it's slow tempos, just over 80 mins in length


I got it on its release seven years ago. Yes, the leisurely pace in spots takes the starch out of it for me. Still, it's only about six minutes longer than my 5-starter Horenstein.

I generally like Bruckner at a more urgent pace. For instance, Symphony No. 2 was a circular cruise until I got hold of Giulini's rec.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 1, with Bavarian State O./Sawallisch (rec. 1984); Symphony 2, with VSO/Giulini (rec. 1974).

View attachment 9002
View attachment 9003


----------



## starthrower

Currently my only Scriabin CD. The piano concerto is kinda mushy, but charming when 
you're longing for a simpler, less jaded world. I recently ordered a solo piano set, so 
I'm looking forward to that.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Jord

Haydn's Symphony No.104

First time i've properly listened to Haydn, and the first major symphony i've enjoyed listening too!


----------



## DrKilroy

belfastboy said:


>


Be sure to try another Debussy's Arabesque - I like the second even more than the first. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4.*

Adrian Leaper, conductor.


----------



## DrKilroy

Another RVW symphony today.  This time, I chose no. 2.:






Best regards, Dr


----------



## AndyS

Verdi's Otello from the Solti Verdi box


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Fantasie De Concert* and *Symphony No. 2.*

The Tchaikovsky v. Brahms thread reminded me that it's been too long since I've indulged in Pyotr's music.


----------



## cwarchc

The one for the commute today








Set me off on an Elgar fest, I can't get the image to load?
Elgar: Symphony No. 2 / Sea Pictures with Mackerras and the Royal Phil


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Bizet: Madama Butterfly

















Listened to the first 15 minutes of Wagner's opera before getting interrupted by a coworker. Now at home I put on Madama Butterfly.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bach's Violin Concerto in D minor - Elizabeth Wallfisch, Jeanette Sorrell


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

All quite marvelous. I really love the Telemann fantasies for solo violin (with Rachel Podger ) and the Telemann fantasies for solo cello. Anyone doubting Telemann should give a listen to both of these.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio (though I also have a copy on lp):

Haydn's "Nelson" Mass - Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Sonata

On the drive home from work I caught a bit of *Borodin's* *"In the Steppes of Central Asia"*. What I heard was lovely, I must listen to the full piece soon.

Later, I listened to the first half of *Dvorak's 5th symphony* again. I am currently listening to the *"American" String quartet* of his. I can definitely come around on string quartets if I can find more like this! The lento is my favorite movement of any string quartet I've ever heard.


----------



## NightHawk

Re the Thielemann choice: in Strauss and Mahler I have often liked slower than average tempos in adagios... a great example would be the Strauss _Four Last Songs_ w Jessye Norman and Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester. Masur and Norman's _'Im Abendrot'_, the last of the four songs, just slays me every time I listen to it - Norman carries the downward winding phrases with utmost simplicity and effortlessness, and never gasps. Another example would be the Mahler 3rd Symphony, 4th movement which includes a mezzo soprano singing some lines of a poem of Nietzsche _'O Mensch, Gib acht'_ - again, I have Norman with Abbado and Vienna and a magisterial tempo that adds a deep, meditative quality...so, I was attracted to the reviewers who liked the ultra-slow Thielemann version of the Bruckner 5th - but, just in case, I ordered it by Wand, as well, for a more accurate reading of Bruckner's intentions. We'll see, I'm expecting the Thielemann any day now 



Vaneyes said:


> I got it on its release seven years ago. Yes, the leisurely pace in spots takes the starch out of it for me. Still, it's only about six minutes longer than my 5-starter Horenstein.
> 
> I generally like Bruckner at a more urgent pace. For instance, Symphony No. 2 was a circular cruise until I got hold of Giulini's rec.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6.


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today:
















And now Schubert's 8th symphony on youtube conducted by Brüggen.


----------



## Cheyenne

Evgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic in Shostakovich's 5th symphony.


----------



## AndyS

Manon Lescaut - Tebaldi, del Monaco and Molinari-Predelli


----------



## Hassid

Before the IIWW:

LvB string quartet Nº11 op.95: the Amar-Hindemith quartet (Clicco Amar-Walter Casper-Paul and Rudolf Hindemith).

BRAHMS viola son.op.20/1: Lionel Tertis-E-Hodbay.

SCHUMANN violin son.op.121: Yehudi&Hepzibah Menuhin.


----------



## campy

Chopin Nocturnes. Nelson Freire on the Steinway.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde










Resume listening


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I am really loving this:










Anyone who loves Bach's cello suites would do well to give this a listen.


----------



## Jord

Over the past month or so i've gone from listening to mostly metal, not much classical, a bit of rap, jazz, whatever, but i've suddenly started listening to anything from Baroque to 20th Century and it occasionally annoys me if i'm listening to anything else, today i started listening to some of Vivaldi's pieces, never enjoyed them before today


----------



## opus55

Bach: Partita BWV 1004
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 1

















Finally added Shostakovich's quartets to my collection.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 6, with VPO/Boulez (rec. 1994).

View attachment 9035


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Concerto For Guitar And Small Orchestra - Angel Romero, Jesus Lopez-Cobos


----------



## samurai

Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}*, both featuring the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## NightHawk

@Vaneyes.Bruckner5/Bb - Well, the Thielemann/Munich 5th arrived before the Gunter Wand/Berlin. I'm sure I will love the Wand as I do his 7th and 9th, but I never thought the Thielemann was too slow. My first hearing ever of the work, and the trudging bass pizzicatos seemed perfectly placed. I'm listening to it again from the top. So splendid!


----------



## Lukecash12

Hoping to listen to something right now. I'm looking for some LP's, CD's, whatever I can find of Alfred Grunfeld. Especially if I can find him playing Un Sopsiro. I'm sating my appetite for him right now with one of his delightful arrangements:






His left hand doesn't impress me as much in the recordings, but I've been of the suspicion that that is more of an issue with the recording than his technique, because his left hand does come out better in some recordings, like this one. Such a very light touch, and his melodies are convincing in that they are metered out. You don't get too much harmonic richness from him unless he puts his left hand to work. I wish there were such atmospheric pianists nowadays. I'm tired of pianists just trying to impress me. But I've got no complaints, considering the great stuff in my collection.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7


----------



## Sonata

*Schubert: Trout Quintet*. I love this piece!!!! Along with Mendelssohn's work, it may be my go-to piece when I'm moody and in need of cheering up. Without sounding too trite, it is delightful.
Also Schubert: *Sonata #13.* Great piece, but I need a new version. It's live and there is coughing. lame.


Jord said:


> Over the past month or so i've gone from listening to mostly metal, not much classical, a bit of rap, jazz, whatever, but i've suddenly started listening to anything from Baroque to 20th Century and it occasionally annoys me if i'm listening to anything else, today i started listening to some of Vivaldi's pieces, never enjoyed them before today


I go through genre phases like that too. I was on the opposite end of the pendulum lately. I've been listening to so much classical that I've negleted my other genres! So I've been rectifying that today, and listened to rock and progressive rock all day until now.


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Today:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And now Schubert's 8th symphony on youtube conducted by Brüggen.


Whenever I see you post that artwork, I am reminded that I need to check out those guitar concertos when my spending freeze is up. Two months down! *thumbs up*


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, French Suite #1


----------



## Sid James

*The Fandango album, music by Pujol, Boccherini, Haydn & Houghton played by Karin Schaupp on guitar with the Flinders Quartet. *Recorded live in Melbourne last year.

Earlier review of this great album here & an in depth opinion on the piece by Houghton here.










Then *five arias from Macbeth by Verdi, sung by Maria Callas*. These songs, spread throughout the opera, portray Lady Macbeth's descent into madness from guilt. This is a 1959 recording with Callas accompanied by the Philharmonia Orch. under Nicola Rescigno. Callas did record this whole opera, but that's a live mono recording, and the sound quality is bad. However these 5 songs contain the essence of the whole work for me.


----------



## SimonNZ

The Edvard Grieg Edition, disc fourteen

which includes two books of "Piano Pieces After His Own Songs" - Hakon Austbo, piano


----------



## science

My first tour of Beethoven's violin sonatas in at least a year and a half, maybe two years. Lots of surprises in there, such as #10, which may be my favorite now.

















Kodály is becoming one of my favorite composers. Undeniably fun, beautiful, interesting.

Dunstable / Dunstaple surpassed my expectations. I have listened to quite a bit of 15th century choral music, but for some reason I didn't expect such beautiful music.

















On the Munch disk, I'd listened to the Debussy a few months ago and until recently didn't get back around for the Saint-Saëns and Ibert. I want to talk about the Ibert - for some reason I had a strongly negative reaction to this work the first time I heard it. Now I think it's basically just more Debussy, with a Spanish touch, and I like it. Can't imagine what I was thinking before.

The Nash Ensemble disk is everything I hoped it would be. If you're a bit interested read the reviews... I personally recommend it but I also recommend not taking my word for anything. As everyone has heard before, even this very sentence is probably wrong. But sometimes you can learn from my mistakes. And I like this disk's music very much.


----------



## Ramako

Michael Haydn: Requiem


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli - Pro Cantione Antiqua, Mark Brown


----------



## Lukecash12

Something I'm now intent on adding to my collection:






Stern and Oistrakh compliment each other quite well. They have similarly full, wide tones, and more dynamic specificity than a lot of other violinists from the same school of thought. I'm taken aback at how well they can match each other dynamically. In some parts it almost sounds like one violinist is playing.

And in other parts it's definitely not one violinist. They do their own thing, too. Stern has a lighter touch, but Oistrakh's tone is warmer and his melodic turns are more elegantly. Stern gets less carried away. What a delight. They can match one another so well during turns of phrases, and make a point of doing that when they play in those parallel thirds that Vivaldi so often used. Of course, Vivaldi is working his magic on me too. And the orchestra isn't so dour about the whole affair, like so many romantic groups are. Vivaldi isn't dour music! He wanted to make lively music, picturesque music, not this austere, overly cerebral stuff they tried to push on us back in the day. They made great music, but it just wasn't Vivaldi. This is. They are jumpy during the last movement here, and I really like that.


----------



## Sonata

*Mendelssohn: String symphony #7*, my first listen. I think this might be my favorite one so far. The first three movements are great. Admittedly, the fourth doesn't impress me as much. It's not bad, it just feels extraneous to the rest of the string symphony which otherwise is an interesting and concise piece.*

Brahms: String Quartet #1*. Not familiar with these yet. I'll reserve judgement til I hear it a couple times through.


----------



## Hassid

Comparative unusual and nearly unknown recordings of PIT violin concerto, a piece I love:

ERICA MORINI-Desire Defaw and Chicago SO, 1945

VADIM REPIN-Arnold Katz and Novosibirsk PHSO, 1986 (he was a teen)

CAMPOLI- Ataulfo Argenta and London SO, 1956.

Do you know those versions?


----------



## neoshredder

I got my entire Classical Library on random for my iPod. 7137 tracks.


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> I got my entire Classical Library on random for my iPod. 7137 tracks.


List them all for us, please.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Suites for Keyboard, with Queffelec (rec. 2005); *Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Tipo (rec. 1987).

View attachment 9045
View attachment 9046


----------



## neoshredder

The idea of random is to not know what's coming next.  Almost like a radio station with your preferences.


----------



## jani

I am gonna listen to all Beethoven symphonies with period instruments ( If i can find them).


----------



## neoshredder

jani said:


> I am gonna listen to all Beethoven symphonies with period instruments ( If i can find them).


Nice. I like the 3rd the best. The first movement is amazing.


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> The idea of random is to not know what's coming next.  Almost like a radio station with your preferences.


After the fact is fine. Take your time. Just hopin' you don't hit on Wanderer Fantasy, or Wellington's Victory too often.


----------



## WillR

Hello, I have a question for anyone who has a wide knowledge of classical music. Can you please tell me what classical music is played at around 6 minutes in this video : 



 .
Thanks!


----------



## neoshredder

Vaneyes said:


> After the fact is fine. Take your time. Just hopin' you don't hit on Wanderer Fantasy, or Wellington's Victory too often.


Well an idea is a little Early Music, lots of Baroque, (especially Bach and Vivaldi), Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Sibelius, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke, and Ligeti. But there are a ton of others as well. Just not as much of them.


----------



## Morgante

*Domenico Scarlatti*

Sonate per clavicembalo (disk 5, Scott Ross)

What a beautiful music!


----------



## jani

I am on the halfway of the 1st movement of his ninth on period instruments. I not sure do i want to listen to this symphony with modern instruments anymore. 
Period instruments have more "raw energy" than modern ones.


----------



## starthrower

Schoenberg-Moses und Aron 
BBC Symphony


----------



## Arsakes

*Kahachaturian*:
Violin Concerto
Spartacus Ballet

*Hovhaness*:
Symphony No.3 & 50 'Mount St. Helens'


----------



## campy

Debussy: Children's Corner


----------



## Cheyenne

The London Philharmonic & Bernard Haitink playing Ralph Vaughan WIlliam's Symphony no. 7 
Some symphonies are very dark and somewhat haunting, but this is the only symphony I know of that is _scary_. The first and third movements are genuinely terrifying.


----------



## Sonata

Dvorak's Violin concerto. Lovely second movement. This will be on my "repeat listening" rotation for a bit


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Pange Lingua, WAB 33, "Tantum Ergo"*

Currently playing the Disc of Bruckner motets and stuff - after this I will listen to a few Symphonies from HVK's set starting with the Symphony No. 6


----------



## Morgante

*Gustav Mahler*

_Sinfonie N. 1_

Mahler, mein liebe!


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both featuring the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor {1888/1889 Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Ramako

jani said:


> I am on the halfway of the 1st movement of his ninth on period instruments. I not sure do i want to listen to this symphony with modern instruments anymore.
> Period instruments have more "raw energy" than modern ones.


It is too fast for me, but still good music.

Understatement of the year, I know


----------



## Manxfeeder

Cheyenne said:


> The London Philharmonic & Bernard Haitink playing Ralph Vaughan WIlliam's Symphony no. 7
> Some symphonies are very dark and somewhat haunting, but this is the only symphony I know of that is _scary_. The first and third movements are genuinely terrifying.


Yeah, that one freaks me out also.

Today, *Shostakovich, Symphony No. 8, Gounod, St. Cecelia Mass.*















Then, to accompany a nice drive through the Tennessee backroads awash in color, *Debussy's La Mer.*


----------



## neoshredder

I got that same cd from Debussy. Great stuff.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A vintage Nozze.










I have been a while warming to Sutherland... but this disc sells me on her every time.










Yet another listen to Telemann.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Symphonies 42 - 44, with Hanover Band/Goodman; Symphonies 45 & 49, with Baltic CO/Litkov.

The latter, chock-full of well-played energy on Sony Infinity Digital, will be in Bargains Hall of Fame, if I ever get around to founding it. Stay tuned. A CD's SRP must be cheaper than a Naxos CD to qualify. Hee haw.

View attachment 9057
View attachment 9058


----------



## Sid James

*The Nostalgica album by Saffire group, the Australian Guitar Quartet.* Music by Martin, Piazzolla, Dyens, Bartok, Whelan, Deep Purple & Nigel Westlake. Great album, an older 'review' of mine of it HERE.










& finishing the rest of this cd of *soprano Maria Callas.* Three arias each from _Turandot_ (Puccini), _I Puritani _& _Il Pirata _(both by Bellini) & also single arias from _Pagliacci _(Leoncavallo), _La Boheme _(Puccini) and_ Il Turco in Italia _(Rossini). She was accompanied by various orchestras conducted by Tullio Serafin, Gianandrea Gavazzeni and Nicola Rescigno. Recordings made in the 1950's.












Vaneyes said:


> *Haydn*: Symphonies 42 - 44 ...Symphonies 45 & 49...


I quite like the 'Sturm und Drang' period, not only of Haydn (La Passione is one of my fav symphonies of his) but also Mozart and CPE Bach. It was a brief fad only, but produced some great music. & quite modern more 'aggro' sounding too, compared to the more typical fare of the period.


----------



## Sonata

Dvorak cello concerto


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2


----------



## starthrower

Prokofiev-Love For Three Oranges


----------



## neoshredder

Bartok's Violin Concerto 1,2 and Viola Concerto


----------



## opus55

Faure: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## opus55

Correction: the above works are Piano Quartets 1 and 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Waltzes Op.39 - Robert Weisz, piano


----------



## Lenfer




----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart, Jupiter Symphony


----------



## Ramako

Mahler 9 - Horenstein


----------



## EricABQ

Scriabin sonata 3 played by Hamelin. 

I followed that up with Medtner Sonata in G also played by Hamelin.


----------



## Hassid

ENESCU Caprice Roumain for violin&orch.

GASPAR CASSADO piano trio.

VAINBERG flute concerto op.75


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to this fine set. Boccherini is underrated.


----------



## Ramako

Haydn's op. 9, no. 4 quartet in d minor - buchberger.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Choral Fantasy and Leonore Overture No. 1.*

Last night I saw the play RED, about Mark Rothko. There was classical music continuously playing in his studio which the playbill didn't list, so I spent most of the night playing Name That Tune, which was fun for me. One scene featured *Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, *and it occurred to me that I haven't heard that in about five years. I'm fixing that problem now with Karl Bohm.


----------



## Sonata

Gorecki's symphony #3.

It's a stressful day at work, and I need something soft and beautiful. This piece fits the bill perfectly. My heart nearly aches at the beauty of this piece (and of course the meaning of it)


----------



## opus55

Moszkowski: Piano Concerto in E
Scharwenka: Piano Concerto in C minor










Background music while working and chatting..


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Piano Trio.*

Someone from TC introduced me to this piece a while ago; I wish I could remember who. Anyway, it's a great piece.


----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> Listening to this fine set. Boccherini is underrated.


They played the Boccherini Minuet on the classical radio station on my drive home, it was nice. Maybe I'll look into him some more in the future


----------



## NightHawk

I agree wholeheartedly - Boccherini is a wonderful composer. I got his string quartets a couple of months ago and his sense of melodic invention is really fine - I know, or have heard live, one of his cello concertos, in Bb, perhaps, a number of years ago and remember how surprised I was by its quality.



neoshredder said:


> Listening to this fine set. Boccherini is underrated.


----------



## NightHawk

You probably know, but in case not, here is the Wiki entry on the quartets Op. 20. I was stunned by this set of quartets - more dramatic and darker than any Haydn I'd heard.

_The six string quartets opus 20 by Joseph Haydn are among the works that earned Haydn the sobriquet "the father of the string quartet."[1] The quartets are considered a milestone in the history of composition; in them, Haydn develops compositional techniques that were to define the medium for the next 200 years.
The quartets, written in 1772, were composed at a time of tensions in Haydn's life, and also at a time when Haydn was influenced by new philosophical and political ideas that were sweeping Europe. Some analysts see the impact of these emotions and ideas in the quartets._



Ramako said:


> Haydn's op. 9, no. 4 quartet in d minor - buchberger.


----------



## NightHawk

I have the single No. 4 in D minor with Karajan and Berlin (or is it Vienna - not near my collection at present), anyway...I really love that symphony and Karajan's interpretation is fantastic, and also love #2 in C major - have two cycles of all of them! 



samurai said:


> Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Mass in D


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Moses und Aron, Schoenberg*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 71, with Lindsays; Piano Sonatas, Vol. 3, with Bavouzet.

View attachment 9065
View attachment 9066


----------



## AndyS

Strauss - Daphne (Lucia Popp/Bernard Haitink)


----------



## Sonata

Yesterday I heard on the classical radio station: "Slumber Song" transcribed for cello in place of the vocal part, by Delius.

He's one of the composers I plan on exploring in the next year or two, and after hearing this lovely piece, I am looking forward to it.


----------



## Ondine

neoshredder said:


> Listening to this fine set. Boccherini is underrated.


Beautiful Neo!

He has one of the most outstanding set of string quintets ever written and his taste to make the Cello 'sing' is just out of this world. Yes... Boccherini is highly underrated.


----------



## Ondine

Sonata said:


> Gorecki's symphony #3.
> 
> It's a stressful day at work, and I need something soft and beautiful. This piece fits the bill perfectly. My heart nearly aches at the beauty of this piece (and of course the meaning of it)


Beautiful Sonata!


----------



## clavichorder

Listening to Also Spracth Zarathrusta, which I love for its various crazy episodes


----------



## cwarchc

I cant get the image from Amazon to load but this is my latest purchase:
Szymanowski violin concertos 1 & 2
I've listened to it a couple of times on the commute.
I need to explore more of his work

I'm now on this.


----------



## ProudSquire

Sergei Prokofiev - Concerto in G minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 132
soloist - Alexander Rudin
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Edit:

Beethoven String Quartet No. 11, opus 95 "Quartetto Serioso", in F minor

The Scherzo, or "march-trio" and the finale are by far my favorite movements.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Yesterday I heard on the classical radio station: "Slumber Song" transcribed for cello in place of the vocal part, by Delius.
> 
> He's one of the composers I plan on exploring in the next year or two, and after hearing this lovely piece, I am looking forward to it.


When you do, I'd suggest something conducted by Beacham. He really understands the composer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Beata Virgine - James O'Donnell


----------



## Head_case

listening to the Petersen Quartet's Incomplete Cycle of Krenek's string quartets. I'm on No. VII at the moment, although they have only release III, V, I, VII.

I gather their label, Capriccio went bust. Not sure if we will ever get to hear the rest of these demanding string quartets. Some Bartokian themes, and neoclassical beauty, but why is it I hear Schoenberg and Zemlinsky too? Really strange composer who seems to have a phenomenal melding talent.


----------



## campy

Satie: Piano works


----------



## chrislowski

Head_case said:


> View attachment 9070
> 
> 
> listening to the Petersen Quartet's Incomplete Cycle of Krenek's string quartets. I'm on No. VII at the moment, although they have only release III, V, I, VII.
> 
> I gather their label, Capriccio went bust. Not sure if we will ever get to hear the rest of these demanding string quartets. Some Bartokian themes, and neoclassical beauty, but why is it I hear Schoenberg and Zemlinsky too? Really strange composer who seems to have a phenomenal melding talent.


I haven't heard the Peterson Quartets but I do have (the only, as far as I know) complete set by the Sonare Quartet. It's brilliant music, and I agree with you in that I definitely hear Bartók, Schoenberg, Zemlinsky... and although I would say his music is quite hard to pin down it is very rewarding. His symphonies are great too.


----------



## chrislowski

Just finished:









Now:


----------



## tdc

Its been a Baroque day for me, listened to various works by Lully, Monteverdi, Purcell, and Corelli among others. I think I am warming up to Corelli now, I really enjoyed listening to his _Christmas Concerto_ op. 6.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I haven't heard this disc in a while. Some lovely music.










The early death of Joseph Martin Kraus must rank among the greatest losses to classical music as the result of a premature demise. (Tuberculosis) The Symphony in C minor, VB 148 ("Symphonie funebre") is especially fine.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {Sinfonia semplice"}, *both featuring the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CD 1 on the big surprise of it already in my mail box.


----------



## Sonata

Haydn: String Quartet #66
Corelli: Concertos #3,4,6
Vivaldi: Summer concerto
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque, Arabesques 
Schubert: the first 4 songs of the Swan song cycle.
Phantom of the Opera


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major, WAB 107, "Lyric"*

Just finished listening to Havergal Brians Gothic Symphony - I think I will have to listen to it again later today as I was'nt able to focus too well on it. Now playing all 4 versions of Bruckners 7th Symphony in my collection starting with Jochum then Chailly, Karajan and Bohm.


----------



## NightHawk

Random information - this is page 1609 of the Current Listening Forum - in 1609 the frontispiece of the score of Monteverdi's opera _L'Orfeo_ was printed in Venice, Galileo first used his version of the refractory telescope commonly called the Galilean Telescope, and William Shakespeare published his book of Sonnets.























Sonnet No. VIII

Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy:
Why lov'st thou that which thou receiv'st not gladly,
Or else receiv'st with pleasure thine annoy?
If the true concord of well-tuned sounds,
By unions married, do offend thine ear,
They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds
In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear. 
Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;
Resembling sire and child and happy mother,
Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:
Whose speechless song being many, seeming one,
Sings this to thee: 'Thou single wilt prove none.'


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Josef Suk--*Asrael Symphony* *in C Minor, Op.27*, featuring the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Charles Mackerras.
William Schuman--*Symphony No.7 and Symphony No.10 {"American Muse"}, *both performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## millionrainbows

Now, it's Schoenberg's Streichquartette op. 30 (1927), his "third" quartet. Now it's too late to turn back. We are in strange territory now. Like a strange, vivid dream which seems to have great psychological import, like a message from the "unconscious" or the "unseen eye." In a bleak, Surrealist landscape, always it is sunset, against a yellowing sky, strange, bizarre cloud formations...


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## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Works for String Orchestra, with ESO/Boughton (rec. 1984), then SoL/NPO/Allegri Qt./Sir Glorious John Barbirolli (rec. 1962). Two of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recordings).

View attachment 9085
View attachment 9086


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## Guest

Never thought I'd really enjoy listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons again, but...









Janine Jansen and her friends really brings this old chestnut back to life. If I understand correctly, this version is played by just five musicians. It sounds wonderfully fresh! Check it out!


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## Head_case

chrislowski said:


> I haven't heard the Peterson Quartets but I do have (the only, as far as I know) complete set by the Sonare Quartet. It's brilliant music, and I agree with you in that I definitely hear Bartók, Schoenberg, Zemlinsky... and although I would say his music is quite hard to pin down it is very rewarding. His symphonies are great too.
> 
> View attachment 9072


Wow. You lucky dog...! That Sonare Quartet Cycle sells for a fortune now...! Discontinued and all that :/

I've only heard pieces of the Sonare Quartet recordings on the internet. The Petersen Quartet are quite impeccable: their phrasing is splendid and the bowing forms a seamless unity. I haven't heard a German quartet play as splendidly as them, since the Hagen Quartet. Their repertoire is very interesting too - they've brought us a modern recording of the Lekeu Quartet. The other German Quartet which I'm listening to:










They came from East Germany ~ so they weren't as famous as their western counterparts before reunification. They only made it on the map when the won the Evian Spring Competition - but that was over 20 years ago! Some fantastic music. The Hartmann Quartets and Eisler are some of the best the Viennese Circle has to offer.


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## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor*

I re-listened to the 1st from this set and was suitably impressed - I was expecting it to be fast for some reason but its quite a slow reading. I thought it worked really well. I have listened to the 6th, 8th and 9th from this box a couple of years ago but I dont remember much about them other than I preferred Karajan's versions. I am keen to find out if my opinion of them has changed - I seem to be enjoying Mahler a lot more this year than previously. Currently I am playing the 3rd Symphony and enjoying this performance too - like the 1st it seems to be a bit on the slow side - I am looking forward to the 25 minute final movement already! 
Just as a side note, this is one of the most nicely presented box-sets I have seen - it features replica sleeves of the original LP releases which are very attractive (although to be honest I prefer the cover on the box for the artwork on my iTunes).


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## Hassid

Work for string trio:

DVORAK Terzetto op.74

KODALY Serenade op.12

TANEYEV trio op.21

All by Japan string trio.


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## Rapide




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## millionrainbows

Schoenberg, Streichquartet Number 4, op. 37 (1936). This quartet uses 3 hexachords, for a total of 18 notes; of course, the 3 hexachords are related to each other in myriad ways, all worked-out in advance by the artist, so _*knowing this gives me faith in what I can't hear*_; not _cognitively,_ but only _intuitively._ This "faith in things not seen" produces a sort of sublime anticipation; a faith in beauty and perfection; an aesthetic "high."

So no "identification of themes" for me, unless they appear to me naturally. 
I'm sure that a more rigorous hunt for thematic material is possible with Schoenberg, but not for me, as I go into a receptive mode when listening. Much of my cerebral propensity seems to recede when listening, giving way to a more non-verbal, purely intuitive state of "apprehension" which connects directly to the "soul" or self, or whatever you want to call that "center of being." _I feel very lucky for this ability to receive, and I never take it for granted._

There is still plenty of "atmosphere" in this quartet. The rhythms used are plenty coherent and comprehensible, with phrase after phrase going by in succession, often building up to climaxes or cadential resting points ever so often. The rhythmic phrasing, not the melodic content, is what makes this music as "comprehensible" as it is.

Yes, this is music composed in the "old" way, with a substantial grounding in classicism. I see no reason why this music should not be readily accessible to any listener, despite the constant barrage of attacks on "atonality" or its offspring Serialism.

I listen to it, very aware of the rhythms. The melodic part I just follow the general "contour" of. Since there are no familiar chords or themes, I listen to the various ways the pitches coincide and leap about. Every now and then, I will hear a "stairstep" effect of a thematic fragment, as it is subjected to transformation. I hear extremes of register in the violins, and enjoy this for the facility it must take to play them, and the aural effect it has.

Any repetition is noted; my ear/brain is constantly grasping at any kind of pattern, like a relentless hunter. This is not music like Rameau, which lets you lie back and enjoy the sounds as if immersed in a hot bath; I must be constantly searching, ever on guard. Any "emotion" which is conveyed seems precious, yet, this seems to be constantly taken away, replaced by more neutral-sounding phrases which seem to say, "No rest yet; we must move on."


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## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Schoenberg, Streichquartet Number 4, op. 37 (1936).


Thanks for your synopsis. I like your statement "The rhythmic phrasing, not the melodic content, is what makes this music as 'comprehensible' as it is."

I hear four three-note cells in the first movement: D-C#-A, Bb-F-Eb, E-C-Ab, and G-F#-B. It's easier for me to follow it listening that way.

I'm listening to the Leipziger Quartet.


----------



## Ramako

Telemann's Tafelmusik. I didn't used to think much of this, but now I'm listening to it now with totally new ears.


----------



## Arsakes

Some soundtracks composed by *Bernard Herrmann* in movies such as:

_Vertigo
North by Northwest
Psycho
Taxi Driver_


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## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> I hear four three-note cells in the first movement: D-C#-A, Bb-F-Eb, E-C-Ab, and G-F#-B. It's easier for me to follow it listening that way.
> 
> I'm listening to the Leipziger Quartet.
> View attachment 9094


That Leipziger looks interesting. I like the MDG label, from the Netherlands. There are some good SACDs on that label.

Now that you point it out, and I go to a piano, I can hear it now.

The way it is phrased _rhythmically,_ I hear D-C# (long notes), followed by A-A-A-Bb (short notes), then F-Eb (long notes similar to D-C#, a descending minor second).

There are difficulties for me in trying to hear this theme in terms of pitch, but it is possible. I hear the rhythmic phrasing above all, in larger chunks. In order to get any pitch pattern, I have to break it down even further into the two-note units above. I do think that getting a score would aid in hearing this as pitch-phrases.

The second movement is much easier for me to hear as pitch phrases, as it is a simple rhythmic cell which repeats. You can hear the pitch phrase as it gets transposed to different starting points, going higher, then lower.


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## Badinerie

Well I'm back ,from my summers foray into the world of Rock music. The dark nights are here and so is the lust for Classical music. I had a dodge down to Chester Le Street market on me bike, and came back (Severely out of puff) with a few classical LP's all in newly pressed condition and all for less than a fiver.

































The Vivaldi is superb! better than my more modern recordings, with "Winter" really taking my breath away.
Good old Trev Pinnock. Lovely Bach records. Havnt listened to the Bartok yet. Saving it for tommorow.


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## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878/1880 Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E MInor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel.


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## SimonNZ

Robert Fayrfax's Missa Albanus - The Cardinal's Musick


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## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Violin Concertos, with Oistrakh/BPO (rec. 1970/1).

View attachment 9103
View attachment 9105


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## starthrower

Prokofiev Piano Sonatas 1-9 Matti Raekallio


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## Sonata

Schubert: Swansong
Bach: Violin Partita part V Chaconne, Brandenburg concerto #1
Mendelssohn: String symphony #7
Phantom of the Opera again: love it
Sweeney Tood: The Demon Barber of Fleet street


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## Head_case

Listening to the Serbian composer Mihajlo Vukdragović.

It's a name that just rolls off the tongue lol.

(Not competing for the most obscure listen ... at least not today).

Can't find much images to share. Some of you might be able to hear some of his work here:

http://www.musiquecontemporaine.fr/en/browse?index=9&sortId=&recordsPage=1963

He has a very charming melodic folkorique string quartet


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## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gyorgy Ligeti--*Pohme Symphonique **for 100 Metronomes, *performed by Francoise Terrioux.


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## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> There are difficulties for me in trying to hear this theme in terms of pitch, but it is possible. I hear the rhythmic phrasing above all, in larger chunks.


True. I have the score with the sets underlined, but this kind of theme is more for the eyes than the ears.

I'm very happy with the Leipzig Quartet. They don't come cheap, but it's been worth it, at least for me.


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## Lenfer




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## neoshredder

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Gyorgy Ligeti--*Pohme Symphonique **for 100 Metronomes, *performed by Francoise Terrioux.


CoAG likes this post.


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## campy

Ligeti - works for piano


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## neoshredder

We should have an all Ligeti day. Where everyone has to listen to LIgeti.


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## samurai

neoshredder said:


> CoAG likes this post.


Yes, I guess he would, wouldn't he?


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## elgar's ghost

Nothing right now as it's late but I'm fixing to OD on Berlioz tomorrow, starting chronologically with Messe solennelle (Gardiner/ORR a/o on Philips).


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## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}*, both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}, *performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the stick of Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485*, once again featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Maestro Bohm.


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## neoshredder

I have such a massive collection. Decided to go alphabetically which starts with Adams, John - Shaker Loops. Next up is Aguado.


----------



## Sid James

*Glenn Gould's 1981 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations,* including a fascinating interview between him and Tim Page on the making of this album. The over 20 minute long interview has increased my appreciation of this work many times over, as has this performance. This is a recent reissue on the Sony label of the analogue tapes of this performance. I did a discussion of this interview on this thread: http://www.talkclassical.com/19922-how-do-you-like.html










Then *Chopin's complete waltzes performed by Cyprien Katsaris* on the Teldec label. Quite relaxing listening & some very colourful playing.










Finishing with *Kodaly's Hary Janos,* based on a comical story of a teller of tall tales who defeats the mighty Napoleon (in his dreams, most likely). Some neat touches such as adding the traditional instrument, the cimbalom and also saxophone in one of the movements, quite whimsical. Ferenc Fricsay (who had studied under the composer) conducted the Berlin Radio SO, with John Leach playing cimbalom.


----------



## NightHawk

This 2-disc set of selected concertos for violin by Vivaldi as performed by Shlomo Mintz with the Israel Chamber Orchestra is superb in every way. 5*****'s Highly Recommended!


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## Guest

This is BY FAR the best recording of El amor brujo....









And it's cheaper than flying to Seville!

That's not my humble opinion, by the way, that's a spittin' challenge to a knife fight!


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## starthrower

I bought this for the remaining symphonies after being impressed by nos.1-6, but I
had no idea about the superb piano music. Great set!


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## clavichorder

So lovely:


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## StlukesguildOhio

The Russian recording of Rostropovich performing both of Shostakovitch' cello concertos arrived today. The recordings date from 1965 (Cello Concerto no. 1) and 1967 (Cello Concerto no. 2). The quality of the old Soviet recording technology has nothing on Deutsche Grammophon... or most Western labels. But I was so impressed with Rostropovich' live recording of Bach's cello suites on the Russian label (which I find far better than the studio recording he is most known for) that I gave this a shot. Beside... the disc was selling for a little less than $2 US.

The recording places Rostropovich' cello right up front where it sounds rich, warm, and muscular. The orchestra is quite a bit subdued... and there is a degree of tape hiss that one associates with earlier live recordings... and these are live recordings.

Some marvelous work.


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## SimonNZ

Saint-Saens' Violin Concerto No.3 - Louis Kaufman, Maurits van den Berg


----------



## opus55

Enescu: Symphony No. 3


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Well Tempered Clavier


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## opus55

Gorecki: Symphony No. 3


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## SimonNZ

Janacek's Sinfonietta - Rafael Kubelik


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Daphnis And Chloe Suites - Willem Van Otterloo


----------



## jdk

Vivaldi - La Follia (I think that's the right title, correct me if I'm wrong)


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Le Tombeau De Couperin - Andre Cluytens


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## thesubtlebody

I just recently listened to that same Kodaly/Fricsay (DG) that Sid James mentioned above, and really liked it; the "Psalmus Hungaricus" was rousing to me. I am a very recent initiate to Fricsay's conducting, and I think he's someone I might follow as far as my wallet will allow. I also recently enjoyed his Bartok BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE and the famous discs of Beethoven/Brahms concertos and Beethoven 9 (all DG).

A big clutch of other things I've been really digging over the past month or so (longer than I'd intended...that cup of coffee did the trick):
1. *Mozart: clarinet quintet and concerto w/Thea King* (Hyperion) [I am still searching for my ideal recording(s) of these pieces, whatever that means, but I was still very happy to hear these...I am not accustomed to the basset clarinet]
2. *Mozart: piano sonatas by Alexei Lubimov* (Erato) [on fortepiano]
3. *Feodor Chaliapin: PRIMA VOCE* (Nimbus, 2cd) [recordings to 1936...quite interested in this singer now, though I am not sure where to go from here...I need to do some homework; got this used because I don't like risking getting licensed CDRs when I purchase "new" items from Nimbus, which seems to be the case, frequently, with their products...just a pet peeve]
4. *Enrico Caruso: PRIMA VOCE* (Nimbus) [same as above...unbelievably, my first exposure to Caruso, notwithstanding movies etc...I see what the fuss is about!]
5. *Peter Ruzicka: COMPLETE WORKS FOR STRING QUARTET*, Minguet 4tt (Neos, 2sacd) and *ORCHESTRAL WORKS VOL. 1* (Neos) [you can still find cheap copies of the Arditti Quartet's (w/ Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) ECM single disc of some of the quartet music, at B.R.O. and elsewhere, but I think I like these more recent recordings more...I wish Neos' prices would come down: I only decided to buy the quartet music 2sacd because I lucked out on a cheap copy, but otherwise it is insanely expensive]
6. *Beethoven: string quartets by Tokyo Quartet* (the recent Sony bargain box)
7. *Beethoven: string quartets by Busch Quartet* (Dutton masters, 4 vols.)
8. *Wagner: DER FLIEGENDE HOLLAENDER* (Sinopoli, DG) [awesome, but also my first DUTCHMAN]
9. *Unsuk Chin: AKROSTICHON-WORTSPIEL* (DG 20/21, also reissued by Kairos) [sensuous, playful contemporary music...I intend to try out her ballyhooed violin concerto someday soon, as well]
10. *Heinrich Isaac: ICH MUSS DICH LASSEN* (Ricercar) [by the indomitable Capilla Flamenca]
11. *Bach: violin sonatas/partitas by Johanna Martzy* (EMI) and *Yehudi Menuhin* (Naxos Historical)
12. *Bach: cello suites by Wispelwey* (Channel) and *Casals* (Opus Kura)
13. *Morton Feldman: VIOLIN & ORCHESTRA + COPTIC LIGHT* (w/ Isabelle Faust)
14. *Brahms: symphonies by Ansermet* (Eloquence), *Bernstein* (DG), *Jochum* (Berlin/DG mono), and *Levine* (Sony)
15. *Mozart: piano concertos by Anda/Salzburg* (DG) and *Perahia/ECO* (Sony)
16. *Rafael Kubelik: CONDUCTS GREAT SYMPHONIES* (bargain Sony box)
17. *Per Norgard: STRING QUARTETS 1-6* (Kontra Quartet) [fascinating modern quartets]
18. *Beethoven: VIOLIN CONCERTO by Oistrakh/Gauk/Moscow, 1950* (Classica d'Oro) [rough recording but totally awesome]
19. *Schubert: QUINTET D956 by Melos/Rostropovich* (DG) [always on the prowl for new recordings of this sumptuous feast, but this was a recent acquisition that I'm very happy with]
20. immoderate loads of *Bruckner*, as one does...I was quite excited by Giulini's famous 8th and 9th, though I regret not knowing about the DG box set that just came out, which would have saved me a bit of cash, as I am keen to hear some of the other stuff on that box as well [esp. his Brahms]; but also Giulini's 7th and 8th on BBC Legends; Jochum's sacred music [acquired in the old white 4cd box for the allegedly better mastering] and several of the symphonies from the Jochum/Berlin DG box; several of the Barenboim/Berlin recordings [esp. #9]; Horenstein's famous #5 (BBC Legends); Stein's #6 and #2; Karajan's sturm of a truncated #8, Staatskapelle Berlin 1944 (Koch)

*Non-classical or differently classical:*
1. *Kim Suk (or Seok) Chul: SHAMANS OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD* (Alula) [intense, wild, unruly Korean shawm/hojok music...fascinating but admittedly also good for ending parties]
2. *Charlie Parker: CHASIN' THE BIRD* (Proper, 4cd...really fine collection of live recordings, and not-bad-sounding, all things considered) 
3. *(Rev.) Al Green: THE LEGENDARY HI ALBUMS* [12 albums on 6 discs, in 3 volumes...unputdownable]
4. *Billie Holliday: COMPLETE MASTERS 1933-1959*
5. *Judee Sill: ABRACADABRA* (the Rhino collection of her two Asylum records...generically it's 70s singer-songwriter hippie-Christian baroque-folk, though it's grown on me in strange ways over many years...I only bought these on CD just recently, and they certainly sound better than the pirate vinyl rips I came to know them by...recommended cautiously, though I love it without reserve]
6. *Moondog: MOONDOG 1 & 2* (another eccentric pleasure...I was overjoyed to hear one of these piece prominently featured in Jack Nicholson's vintage 60s film DRIVE, HE SAID...also an eccentric pleasure)


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C Minor Op. 67

Performed by - Tafelmusik
Conducted by - Bruo Weil

I really like this version, a lot. Of course, my favorite movement is the 2nd, followed by the first and then the finale. :]

*Edit:*

And now before bed:

Schubert - String quartet No. 13 in A minor "Rosamunde"

Takacs Quartet


----------



## Hassid

Strings trios again:

TANEYEV Early Trio D major-
AKSES Necil Kazim string trio (unknown Turkisch composer).
TANEYEV trio op.31


----------



## Head_case

> AKSES Necil Kazim string trio (unknown Turkisch composer).


Tell us about the Akses string trio. I don't know him lol

Listening to:










The Panocha Quartet seem to be the only champions of one of the foremost post-war Czech composers music. They recorded the originals on the LP era along with Kaballs and Lusik - some great programming on the LP era. These days, record companies don't know how to programme. They either cram things in to fit 80 minutes of a CD or just couple recordings based on older favourite LP records.


----------



## Arsakes

*Charles-Auguste de Beriot*'s Violin Concerto No.2 in B minor
*Glazunov*'s Symphony No.2 in F minor


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1










Sunday opener


----------



## Sonata

I had a solo piano morning:

Bach: French Suite #5. I love this work. I plan to get the rest of them.
Haydn: Sonatas in C-sharp and B-Flat
Brandon Musser: Piano collection volume 1

I am now into some non-classical for the late morning. I'll double around back to classical this afternoon. I've been digging into a lot of Bach and Schubert right now, so probably one of those guys, or maybe I could use a dose of Mahler.


----------



## cwarchc

Having a Ligeti day today
I'm upto disc 4 of this.


----------



## Hassid

It's OK. Take the rest of the day. You'll need it to recovery.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of Malcolm Arnold's (1921 - 2006) birthday, String Quartets 1 & 2, with McCapra Qt. (rec. 1992).

View attachment 9143


----------



## Vaneyes

BPS said:


> This is BY FAR the best recording of El amor brujo....
> 
> View attachment 9111
> 
> 
> And it's cheaper than flying to Seville!
> 
> That's not my humble opinion, by the way, that's a spittin' challenge to a knife fight!


I like this one, though I haven't heard it yet.

View attachment 9145


----------



## DrKilroy

I finally got the CDs. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

The Isle of the Dead by Rachmaninoff. Lovely. Perfect for pre-Halloween anticipation.


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> I like this one, though I haven't heard it yet.
> 
> View attachment 9145


Do you want me to curse you?


----------



## campy

Ginastera: Dances from _Estancia_


----------



## techniquest

I've been listening to Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw'. Atmospheric, evocative and spooky.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Arensky's Piano Quintet - Lilya Zilberstein, piano, et al


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Cello Concerto - Truls Mork, Mariss Jansons


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Debussy's Orchestral Works CD 3 with Children's Corner. Getting geared up for the all Ligeti day in 4 and a half hours.


----------



## Sonata

Brahm's Piano concerto #2. So awesome.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Concerto No.18 - Geza Anda


----------



## starthrower

Shostakovich-Symphony No. 11 WDR/Barshai


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios, Hob. XV/24-26, 32
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances

















Disc 9 of 10


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This afternoon's listening included:


----------



## SimonNZ

Elgar's Wand Of Youth Suites - Adrian Boult


----------



## Sid James

*F. Couperin's two wonderful organ masses played by Gillian Weir on Eloquence label. *The mass for the parishes is based on plainsong, while the mass for the convents is freely composed. Quite relaxing and also repays repeated listening - there's so much detail there, Couperin brings out all the different colours of the organ in a subtle way, its very much like a solo concerto for organ and also has this vocal quality. Couperin was only in his twenties when he composed these, and as a result, people in the music world and patrons of music did notice his talent straight away.


----------



## drpraetorus

Entry of the Queen of Sheeba, Handel


----------



## thesubtlebody

Thanks for that Couperin recommendation, Sid James. I am new to Couperin and have recently enjoyed Rousset's _Leçons de ténèbres_ (also in an Eloquence reissue) and the solo harpsichord music by Baumont; looking forward to hearing some organ music by him...


----------



## neoshredder

Today's all Ligeti day will include for me in this order.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Liszt's* (1811 - 1886) birthday, Sonata in B minor with Demidenko (rec. 1992).

View attachment 9169


----------



## Vaneyes

The *Ls* have it for the moment. *Ligeti*: Apparitions, with BPO/Nott (rec. 2001).

View attachment 9170


----------



## brianwalker

I have underestimated Dvorak. The 7th and 8th are magnificent.


----------



## DrKilroy

Another RVW today. 










Best regards, Dr


----------



## realdealblues

Haven't listened to an Opera in a while:

From the Philips Complete Mozart Edition: La Clemenza Di Tito conducted by Sir Colin Davis


----------



## Sonata

Schubert: sonata 14, and a collection of his tidbits from various compilations


----------



## Morgante

*Shostakovich*
_
Symphonies N. 1, 2, 3 and 4._

Shostakovich is a genius, the greatest composer of all XX century.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sid James said:


> *F. Couperin's two wonderful organ masses played by Gillian Weir on Eloquence label. *The mass for the parishes is based on plainsong, while the mass for the convents is freely composed. Quite relaxing and also repays repeated listening - there's so much detail there, Couperin brings out all the different colours of the organ in a subtle way, its very much like a solo concerto for organ and also has this vocal quality. Couperin was only in his twenties when he composed these, and as a result, people in the music world and patrons of music did notice his talent straight away.


I've has this disc on my "wish list" for some time... but just never got around to actually getting it. I really must.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Lalo*: Symphonie Espagnole, with Little/Handley; Cello Concerto, with Chang/Pappano.

View attachment 9173
View attachment 9174


----------



## Sid James

Sonia Wieder-Atherton's _Vita_ album, music by *Monteverdi and Scelsi.* In the Monteverdi tracks (which are arrangements of his madrigals), she is joined by two other cellists, Sarah Iancu and Matthieu Lejeune. This music brings out the dark qualities of the instruments, its sadness and otherwordliness. A more detailed opinion of mine on this cd here

& also an album on Naxos of wind music, pieces (mainly arrangments) by *Gordon Jacob, Jack Stamp, Aaron Copland, Percy Grainger and George Gershwin. *I esp. like Copland's _Lincoln Portrait_, narrated by Alvin Chea. Its a portrait of American democracy which Senator Joe McCarthy could not handle (he basically banned it!). The University of Missouri Wind Band was under Thomas O'Neal.



















thesubtlebody said:


> Thanks for that Couperin recommendation, Sid James. I am new to Couperin and have recently enjoyed Rousset's _Leçons de ténèbres_ (also in an Eloquence reissue) and the solo harpsichord music by Baumont; looking forward to hearing some organ music by him...





StlukesguildOhio said:


> I've has this disc on my "wish list" for some time... but just never got around to actually getting it. I really must.


Guys - it is a recording I have enjoyed many times and would not hesitate to recommend it, esp. to lovers of organ music. There is also a recording of these masses on Naxos, which is a more recent recording (from the past few years). But Dame Weir's performance is married by great sound - the 1970's recording has been remastered beautifully. The notes in the cd (I think written by her, in part at least) are also very informative & helped me appreciate the music. She's also done other reissues on Eloquence of all types of organ composers, many rare gems there too.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 40.*


----------



## GreenMamba

Stravinsky


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88*, performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the wand of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in C Major, D 589,* once again featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden and Maestro Blomstedt.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.5 in D Major, K 385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K 550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K 551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three symphonies are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

To hell with the All Ligeti Day! Let's have an All Weinberg Day!










Recently I've been really getting into Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996). Weinberg just barely escaped the Nazi invasion of Poland Poland in 1939... and again of his home in Russia in 1941. He settled in Moscow where he found a secure base and developed a tight circle of friends... including his supportive neighbor, Shostakovitch. Unfortunately, his music fell afoul of Soviet censors who charged him with the crime of "Formalism".

Like Shostakovitch, his music is clearly of the 20th century... although he refused to abandon traditional tonality and a certain lush Romanticism. His cello concerto is marvelous... and his cello sonatas (as well as the cello parts in his quartets) surpass the technical demands of anything in Shostakovitch. The more I have heard of his work, the more I am convinced that Weinberg was one of the strongest composers of the 20th century.


----------



## opus55

Louise Farrenc: Symphony No. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Georg Philipp Telemann...










Still another underrated composer... not in his lifetime... when he enjoyed a greater recognition than Bach, Vivaldi, and quite probably Handel. But now he often seems to linger in the shadow of these three great Baroque giants... and yet he composed a wealth of marvelous music in every conceivable genre. This disc collects a number of brief cantatas each concluded/separated with an even briefer organ fugue.


----------



## samurai

Claude Debussy--*La Mer, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Modest Mussorgsky--*Pictures at an Exhibition, *once again featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Maestro Karajan.


----------



## drpraetorus

Wagner, Rheingold, Solti


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Violin Sonata K.481 - Nap de Klijn, violin, Alice Heksch, "Mozartpiano"

though the notes don't make it clear if this means Alice is playing one of Mozart's own keyboards or just a Mozart-era fortepiano

(either way that's not bad for 1959)


----------



## Hassid

Recordings from that guy are very rare and wanted. Same from the pianist. If on a very good condition, that vinyl is worthy.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Martinu's Orchestral Compositions.


----------



## Sonata

*Wilhem Kienzyl*: Lieder, Volume 1. *St.Luke's Guild* was quite right when he praised this album. I downloaded it on a lark from emusic without even sampling it, and I'm very pleased.


----------



## Morgante

*Borodin* - _In the steppes of Central Asia_ (Svetlanov)
*Lyapunov* - _Trascendental etudes
_

Thank you, Russia!


----------



## starthrower

Scriabin-24 Preludes op. 11 Maria Lettberg


----------



## Hassid

Taneyev's string quintets op.14 and op.16. Extraordinary. IMO, even better that his quartets, and the best I heard since Brahm's. Op.14 for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos, and op.16 for 2 violins, 2 violas and cello.


----------



## DrKilroy

I organised myself RVW week.  Fortunately, the Handley set consists of seven CDs.  Today, the Sixth and Ninth:










By the way, I welcome all RVW fans to join my recently created group. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## cwarchc

My latest purchase


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Bacewicz*: Piano Quintets 1 & 2, Piano Sonata 2, with Zimerman et al (rec. 2009).

View attachment 9183


----------



## SimonNZ

Hassid said:


> Recordings from that guy are very rare and wanted. Same from the pianist. If on a very good condition, that vinyl is worthy.


Thats interesting to hear because when I played it last night along with a few other 10" I've been assessing it realy did seem to have something special and was certainly a "keeper".

Its also in very good condition, though I've never sold an lp because I thought it might be worth a few dollars, nor purchased one for that reason even when it was obvious.

playing now:









Purcell: Complete Odes And Welcome Songs, disc two - The Kings Consort


----------



## Hassid

Recommend to you EBAY records, vinyls, to have a good idea of prices. Even if you don't want to sell now, maybe you have items that can help you a lot in case of necessity, or once you retire. When you know that a LP you've can reach four figures, you'll know that you have a sort of insurance for the future.


----------



## etkearne

I am listening to my Piano Concerto (currently at the end of Movement I) which I just completed today after slaving for 12 hours per day for about a week on it. I have never worked so hard on a piece of music and I am very pleased with the results to say the least.


----------



## aleazk

Takemitsu, several pieces.


----------



## Sid James

*Andrew Lloyd Webber* - _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_
1999 recording, cast incl. Donny Osmond (Joseph), Maria Friedman (the Narrator), Richard Attenborough (Jacob)

This still comes off as quite fresh. Great tunes and innovative use of leitmotifs in a musical. This was *Lloyd Webber's *earliest musical, written for performance by a school when he was about 19. His aim was for it to be interesting, educational and performable for school children. & its still produced frequently in schools across the UK today. This was the third professional production, the first one had Aussie Jason Donovan singing the lead role. A lot of fun and a pleasure to listen to, Maria Friedman in this production really steals the show.

*Album: Concertos for Four Horns*
*Schumann:* _Konzertstuck for 4 horns, Op. 86_ ; *Handel:* _Concerto in F major_ ; *Telemann:* _Overture in F major ;_ *Haydn: *_SYm.#31 in D major, 'Horn Signal'_
American Horn Quartet / Sinfonia Varsovia / Dariusz Wisniewski, cond.

My favourite works are the *Schumann* - which has been a long time fav, a hidden gem among his concertos, the first work written for the then new valved horns - the *Haydn* - much like a concerto for not only the horns, but also juicy solos for flute and double bass - and the *Telemann* is like a portrait of 18th centruy life, images of nature, canons firing, bells and so on. It's as if Telemann was a prototype impressionist. The *Handel* is basically an rearrangement of an existing work for four horns.


----------



## Cnote11

Maurice Ravel - Songs


----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich - Triple Quartet. I love its rhythmic intensity.


----------



## SimonNZ

Cnote11 said:


> Maurice Ravel - Songs


A seller I get lots of cheap buys from is offering that disc. You'd recommend it?

playing now:















Grieg's Violin Sonata No.2 - comparing the Brilliant Classics and Naxos recordings

and finding, as I have for all of the discs I've sampled so far, that the Brilliant Classics Edition recordings are superb and easily replace most of the scattered Grieg recordings I have.

In fact it may be the case that apart from the Lyric Pieces and a half dozen song recital albums I'll be keeping only this as my one-stop for Greig


----------



## Adagietto

I'm currently listening to Arthur Foote's chamber output.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 7, Karajan ('80s cycle)

Berg, Lyric Suite (Karajan)

Gliere, Symphony No. 2 (Macal)

Webern, Five Movements for String Quartet (Julliard Quartet)

Berg, String Quartet (Julliard Quartet)


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky songs - Max Lichtegg, tenor, Hans Willi Haeusslein, piano


----------



## NightHawk

This 1981 studio recording is probably Jessye Norman's first complete _Die Walkure_, with Jerusalem, Altmeyer, Moll, Minton, _et al_, and Marek Janowski conducting the Stattskapelle Dresden - the entire effort is very, very fine. Jerusalem is in much finer voice than he was for the Mets new 1986 production, he actually sounds quite young, and Norman is wonderful in the role of Sieglinde. Kurt Moll's basso-profundo Hunding is so resonant you could drown in it, and Altmeyer's Brunhilde, is very powerful in the role's vocal demands if not a great Brunhilde. Theo Adam's voice is a very mellow Wotan, a bit wobbly, but endearing in the (literally) show-stopping 'Wotan's Farewell' of the Finale. I have never found evidence this was part of a complete Ring with the Stattskapellers, but this one opera has an extraordinary cast, is extremely well-rehearsed and the orchestra is brilliant. Highly recommended 4.8****'s.


----------



## Cnote11

SimonNZ said:


> A seller I get lots of cheap buys from is offering that disc. You'd recommend it?


Highly recommended. The piano playing is does justice to Ravel and Finley has superb tone and clarity. I play this disc quite often and it really is a great collection of songs. Ravel was able to compose a very wide variety encompassing different themes and moods. The two performers on this disc have worked together closely and have a great chemistry and this is some of Ravel's most overlooked works. If you enjoy Schubert's Lieder by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, I'm sure you'd probably enjoy this set.


----------



## opus55

Fibich: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Sonata

The first ten songs from a compilation called "120 Romantic Classical Masterpieces" I know, so lowbrow. Especially since "romantic" is pretty in this sense, and NOT the Romantic era. *tsk tsk* It IS pretty music though, and in several cases I've gone on to purchase full works from my favorite snippets.



etkearne said:


> I am listening to my Piano Concerto (currently at the end of Movement I) which I just completed today after slaving for 12 hours per day for about a week on it. I have never worked so hard on a piece of music and I am very pleased with the results to say the least.


Awesome!


----------



## samurai

Maurice Ravel--*Bolero, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, *this time featuring Maestro Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in a live rendition from 1987.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *featuring the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein.
Cesar Franck--*Symphony in D Minor, *once again performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Maestro Bernstein.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Didn't have the chance to listen to much music while in my studio today thanks to noisy neighbors who imagine that everyone wishes to share in their poor taste in music. 

I did get to hear this solid _Zauberflote_:










Currently listening to Shostakovitch:










The two symphonies come from opposite ends of the composer's career... and yet both are enigmatic... problematic. In the second symphony a young Shostakovitch attempts an accommodation between Modernism and the Revolution. the result... I cannot say... struck me as overly successful... although this is my first hearing.

The 15th symphony is Shostakovitch' last symphony. It employs quotations from Rossini's _William Tell Overture_ and Wagner's _Gotterdammerung_. In spite of this the work is wholly original... wholly Shostakovitch. The final movement... with it's imaginative orchestration... dance rhythms... and great passacaglia is quite delicious.


----------



## samurai

@ St.Lukes, Just out of curiosity, what were your neighbors listening to?


----------



## drpraetorus

Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsy


----------



## Chrythes

This is a recording that includes very lighthearted but delighting music. It's very melodic and sometimes a bit cheesy, especially the Borodin Sextet (very neoclassical). My most favourite here is Arensky's String Quartet, due to the second cello.


----------



## brianwalker

Boulez is my favorite Mahler conductor; he brings out the color, structure, texture, and tautness of the symphonies like no one else I've heard; he never drags the music or indulge in vulgar mannerisms and always favors the revelation of the details of the score over artificial lyricism where certain melodies are over-privileged and occlude other ones to contrive memorable moments when none should be; the Glenn Gould of conducting. His dynamics are perfectly chosen and always chosen to do service to the music; in his hands Mahler is not just a collection of virtuoso orchestration but a unified monolith, not the smooth, easy marble _fragments_ of Greece but the rough, towering monolithic cathedral of Cologne. So many conductors conduct Mahler as if they were the Greek fragments rather than a Gothic Cathedral. Schoenberg's quote about his music not being difficult but merely badly played is doubly true for Mahler.

Do you remember a concert that opened your ears to the world of Mahler?

Barenboim: No, rather the opposite. I remember many concerts that made me dislike it even more, because I found, in the Mahler concerts I had heard, two extremes of realisation. One was exaggeratedly emotional, in the sense that the text was used as an excuse for self-expression on the part of the conductor, even if it was sometimes done at a very high level. Others withdrew from any kind of emotional content, making it rather dry.

I was 'allergic' to what I found at that time to be artificialities in the music.

#####

Different conductors will always find different qualities in the music of any composer. Barbirolli, for instance, used to make Mahler _*sound quite like Elgar,*_ and he would talk about the two composers in similar terms. Rafael Kubelik, on the other hand, felt the affinities with Mahler's Bohemian origins. He could conduct the First almost as if it were by Dvorak.

I often thought I was missing something in Mahler until I listened to Kubelik. There is a lot more music to be discovered in these pieces than there is if they are taken as just a generalised form of extroverted excitement. This is what Kubelik showed. And it is also what I am seeking to do.

I'm no opponent of exciting climaxes--my favorite conductor is Knappertsbusch, after all--but poorly executed ones (read: Bernstein) are worse than no climax at all; they sound arbitrarily intrusive and spoil the complex, interwoven harmony and development of the music.

Boulez has been justly accused of distorting Wagner's music in his Ring and Parsifal, but age has mellowed out his radicalism; his conducting, as far as I can hear, no longer harbors any ulterior motivations to make the music sound modernist. A tell anecdote from Barenboim:

I remember Boulez coming to a concert of Bruckner's Eighth which I conducted in Paris, and he said oh, this music is so simplistic. And I said, but the slow movement should provide interest for you with rhythms which go two against three. Oh, he said, that was done much earlier and much better by Wagner in the second act of Tristan. And with that sentence, he finished off Bruckner. But I must say that ten years later or so, he showed his greatness and intelligence by assimilating a lot of things which he might not have seen before. And this is a wonderful lesson for us, because often there are people who have very clear ideas and causes to fight for, and they hold on to them and are immovable. And that is very courageous and very laudable, actually. But there's one step even higher than that, and this is what Boulez represents to me. He knows that certain decisions or opinions that he arrives at are linked to a certain age and to a certain time._* In the 1970s, it was practically necessary for him not to see the beauties in Bruckner, because he was fighting causes*_ which were to him much more important, and rightly so. 

Note: Boulez has a Bruckner 8 recording with the VPO on DG.

If anyone dislikes Mahler but has never heard of Boulez's Mahler I heartily recommend his Mahler 6, 7, 8, and 9 as eye openers.


----------



## cwarchc

This came today. I had no idea what I had bought, but for £0.01 it was worth a listen
From a 1st listen, what can I say?
Very obviously Russian, full of the nationalistic style of the era.
Not an orchestra I'd heard, however they played admirably


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Hiller*, *Berio*, and *Gubaidulina* birthdays--*Reger*: *Hiller* Variations, with ACO/Jarvi (rec. 1989); *Berio*: *Mahler* lieder transcriptions, with Hampson/Philharmonia/*Berio* (rec. 1992); *Gubaidulina*: String Quartets 1 - 3, String Trio, with Danish Qt. (rec. 1992).

View attachment 9206
View attachment 9207
View attachment 9208


----------



## Badinerie

Finally Im getting to watch "Last night at the Proms that I recorded off the telly! ( Been insanely busy lately )Love miss Benedetti...


----------



## realdealblues

Never heard of this guy before...Cyril Scott.

Listening to his "1st Symphony"

Honestly, the Album Artwork caught my eye. Only reason I decided to give it a listen. So far I'm enjoying it. Probably halfway through it...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 9, with BPO/Barbirolli (rec. 1964); Lieder, with Hampson/VPO/Bernstein (rec. 1988 - '90).

View attachment 9211
View attachment 9212


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Considering my opinion of Barenboim... I can't exactly see his comments on Boulez as a resounding endorsement. Personally... I'll take Vaneyes' Barbirolli and Bernstein Mahler (above) over Boulez.


----------



## neoshredder

Corelli Violin Sonatas


----------



## cwarchc

Another of my new buys.
I'm not sure of this one.
I've got a few Bernstein's and I like his style.
Needs a few more to decide?


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Considering my opinion of Barenboim... I can't exactly see his comments on Boulez as a resounding endorsement. Personally... I'll take Vaneyes' Barbirolli and Bernstein Mahler (above) over Boulez.


Each to his own. I think Barenboim has good things to say with some of his Bruckner. Almost none with Mahler.

One fer one, Boulez is batting a thousand with Bruckner 8. I think it's the only one he's advocated. A mixed bag with Mahler, with Nos. 6 & 8 being my faves. I'd not crown him, *Mahler Messiah*.

I've mentioned before, how Boulez has pleasantly surpised me in some of his main core meanderings.


----------



## DrKilroy

The next part of RVW week... Flos Campi, Oboe Concerto and the 5th Symphony:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## cwarchc

Another listen to this, I'm still not sure?


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Haas Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous singer... and a marvelous recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Reger*: Romantic Suite, Mozart Variations, with SWSO/Zagrosek/Salonen (rec. 1989); Piano Music with Hamelin (rec. 1998).

View attachment 9219
View attachment 9220


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphony 3, with OsloPO/Jansons (rec. 1994); Symphony 7, with RPO/Beecham (rec. 1955).

View attachment 9222

View attachment 9221


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I was somewhat slow in coming around to appreciating Sibelius... but that Beecham recording of the 7th changed everything for me... although I have it with this cover:


----------



## Ramako

Beethoven. Symphony 9. Furtwangler. 1951. Bayreuth.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to each part of Symphony 3 by Mahler multiple times.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

"This movement is like death. There is nothing else as close as this music that tells us what death feels like."

Arthur Rubinstein on Schubert's Piano Sonata D. 960


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It seems to be a day for historic recordings:










One of the slew of recordings of _Die Zauberflöte_ that I have picked up recently. The recording of the orchestral parts is of course limited by the technology of the day... but the vocalists are recorded quite well.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphonies 7 and 8.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending a long day with some nice Webern.


----------



## teej

Just purchased this. Beautiful oboe playing, highly recommended!


----------



## EricABQ

Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words played by Claudio Columbo.


----------



## Guest

On iTunes, I'm sampling this little collection of Wagner opera:









Actually, it's all ten (?) of his operas in full. Sampling a minute-and-a-half of each track will probably take hours.

But an interesting way to survey Wagner - bleeding nibbles?

This collection by the way is listing on Amazon for $99. Should I buy it?


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 4
Alwyn: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## neoshredder

teej said:


> Just purchased this. Beautiful oboe playing, highly recommended!
> 
> View attachment 9225


Gotta love the Oboe.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. XV/27 - 30
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia espansiva"}, Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *All three works are performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *once again featuring Osmo Vanska, however, in this performance he is conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## tdc

Earlier I was listening to Bach's Chaconne performed on guitar by Andres Segovia, and was astounded at how well he executed the faster passages in the piece...to this day I have not heard a performer play those sections better on guitar.

Now I am onto - Bartok's String Quartet No. 6, performed by the Belcea Quartet.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 80 "Ein' Feste Burg" - Helmuth Rilling (1964)


----------



## science




----------



## science




----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc's Sextet - Jean Casadesus, piano, Dorian Woodwind Quintet


----------



## drpraetorus

Orff, Catulli Carmina


----------



## science

I'm loving this!


----------



## SimonNZ

Scarlatti sonatas - Emil Gilels, piano (live)


----------



## science

Back for more, and loving it.


----------



## Hassid

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 9229
> 
> 
> Poulenc's Sextet - Jean Casadesus, piano, Dorian Woodwind Quintet


Jean was forgotten and very few know him. IMO he was a very fine and sensitive pianist. Died very young and left few recordings, all of them rare.


----------



## Sonata

Yesterday I listened to *Mahler symphony #4* for the first time. Ahhh, the feeling of sheer pleasure I get when I slip a brand-new Mahler CD out of the cardboard sleeve into my CD player to enjoy for the first time.

I enjoyed it. The first movement will take a couple more listens to absorb, but I think I'll be happy with it. The singing in the fourth movement was lovely, although too frenetic and fast in places. I need to read up on the words, and see if fitting into context I enjoy those more frenetic parts, or if I'll prefer a slightly slowed-down version. Either way, I am happy with the symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Bizet* and *Strauss Jr.* birthdays, selections from Pav (CD) and HvK (DVD).

View attachment 9233
View attachment 9234


----------



## Sonata

a second listen of *Mahler 4*, and *Grieg's song cycle Haugtussa*, which is new to me. From the downloaded "Rise of the Masters" series that you hear bigshot talking about from to time. Of the latter, I'm honestly not loving it on first listen, despite being in full-on art song mode. Perhaps it's just because I'm more accustomed to the French and German songs and the Norwegian will take some more absorbing.


----------



## Vesteralen

Sonata said:


> Yesterday I listened to *Mahler symphony #4* for the first time. Ahhh, the feeling of sheer pleasure I get when I slip a brand-new Mahler CD out of the cardboard sleeve into my CD player to enjoy for the first time.
> 
> I enjoyed it. The first movement will take a couple more listens to absorb, but I think I'll be happy with it. The singing in the fourth movement was lovely, although too frenetic and fast in places. I need to read up on the words, and see if fitting into context I enjoy those more frenetic parts, or if I'll prefer a slightly slowed-down version. Either way, I am happy with the symphony.


Memories...My first Mahler symphony (part of the unfortunately named 2LP set from Vanguard called "Mahler Is Heavy") from 1970 or 1971 with Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony. To this day, I've never heard a bad performance of this work, but on the other hand, I've never heard one I liked better than that old LP.


----------



## Vesteralen

Three from CPO.

The Schoenberg is tough for me. Unfamiliar as I am with this style of music, I have the typically uninitiated person's response of "everything sounds the same to me".

The Hindemith, on the other hand seems to have a lot more variety and accessibility to me.

John Blow's "Venus and Adonis" has some lovely moments.


----------



## Sonata

The version that I am listening to at present is the London Philharmonic with Price as the soprano, conducted by Horenstein. I do actually have the Abravanel version as well, and will listen to that in a couple weeks for comparison. I sampled just a couple minutes of the first movement, and the Abravanel version sounds somewhat more "cheerful" in that little bit, though Horenstein's is certainly upbeat as well.


----------



## Lenfer

Sid James said:


>




I recently bought this I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would top notch thanks for the link Sid I shall read that later.


----------



## realdealblues

Sonata said:


> The version that I am listening to at present is the London Philharmonic with Price as the soprano, conducted by Horenstein. I do actually have the Abravanel version as well, and will listen to that in a couple weeks for comparison. I sampled just a couple minutes of the first movement, and the Abravanel version sounds somewhat more "cheerful" in that little bit, though Horenstein's is certainly upbeat as well.


The Horenstein Mahler 4th is definitely a good one. I also like Kubelik's which is very interesting with his quick and sometimes drastic tempo changes. Michael Tilson Thomas is also probably one of the best modern recordings for both performance and recorded sound.

I think I'm going to have to listen to Mahler's 4th on my lunch break now


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some interesting British quartet compositions performed by the Primrose Quartet. They actually have a couple of discs. If you enjoy very dramatic late romantic music you might enjoy checking these out. As far as I know all the pieces are rare recordings.



















Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

Webern by Boulez.


----------



## Arsakes

*Mussorgsky*:
Pictures at an Exhibition
Symphonic Synthesis of Borus Godunov

*Mozart*:
German Dances (K 571)
Symphony No.25,36 & 38


----------



## brianwalker




----------



## obwan

Mozart: Clarinet quintet, K.581 - Portal, Pasquier, Daugareil, Pasquier, Pidoux, Pennetier


----------



## cwarchc

My latest, came today
I only know Salieri from the film Amadeus
I have to say, it's good. 
and
I'd never heard Steffan, again, it's good stuff.
Very pleased with this 








Moved onto this, I do like Faure


----------



## DrKilroy

I should have kept it for Saturday - it will snow then. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to this:









I'm puzzled at the Amazon review: "If twelve-tone compositions are not something for which you have a fondness . . . you might want to pass on this recording." Where in the Berg quartet or Webern's Five Pieces is there a tone row?


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Mazurkas with ABM; Preludes with Martha.

View attachment 9245
View attachment 9246


----------



## Vaneyes

Vesteralen said:


> Memories...My first Mahler symphony (part of the unfortunately named 2LP set from Vanguard called "Mahler Is Heavy") from 1970 or 1971 with Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony. To this day, I've never heard a bad performance of this work, but on the other hand, I've never heard one I liked better than that old LP.


Re M2 bad performance, the one that comes to my mind is one of Barbirolli's last recordings in 1970, three months before he died. I'll blame this on Stuttgart RSO...they played like pigs...could've done better, knowing Maestro was terminally ill.

I keep this Sir John duo CD for my favorite Enigma Variations (1956 with Halle O.). Playing it now.

View attachment 9247


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the lead of Osmo Vanska.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105, *featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Thomas Beecham.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


>


Somehow Bach and Steve Reich's Drumming make sense together.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

science said:


> I'm loving this!


Except for that stupid Metronomes piece.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening to early Schoenberg. Anyone who likes Mahler or Richard Strauss could relate to this work. I picked up the Simon Rattle version some few years ago... when it was but one of two or three recordings then in print. Now there must be literally a dozen or so quality versions of this work available. It seems that Schoenberg is not wholly without some love.:lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Symphonies 3 & 4, with LSO/Previn (rec. 1969 - '72); 5 with RLPO/Handley (rec. 1986); 6 & 9 with BBCSO/A. Davis (1990 - '95).

View attachment 9249
View attachment 9250
View attachment 9251
View attachment 9252


----------



## Sid James

*Evita, the complete film soundtrack of the musical.* Music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice. Leads - Madonna as Evita, Antonio Banderas as Che, Jonathan Pryce as Juan Peron. Its been ages since I'd heard this. The tune for hit song from it, _Don't Cry for Me Argentina _was apparently written by Lloyd Webber in a few minutes after he was given the text by Tim Rice. The speed of that is comparable to Schubert. But whether that's a myth or not, this musical has much else besides. The other two better known songs are_ Buenos Aires _and _Another Suitcase in Another Hall. _I like how Evita is not painted as a saint, far from it. The character played by Banderas sarcastically comments (many times) on the disparity between her image as a goddess and the view that she was not much more than a good public relations thing for the benevolent dictator who was her husband, Juan Peron. The musical is through composed (no spoken dialogue) and has the themes from those main songs coursing through it (so it is not just one hit after another, its quite tight thematically). I think I had understimated this when I saw it when the film came out ages ago.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listening to early Schoenberg. Anyone who likes Mahler or Richard Strauss could relate to this work. I picked up the Simon Rattle version some few years ago... when it was but one of two or three recordings then in print. Now there must be literally a dozen or so quality versions of this work available. It seems that Schoenberg is not wholly without some love.:lol:


I never paid attention to Schoenberg until a lawyer suggested I listen to this work. That got me started on a journey which led to him being one of my favorite composers. So it can be done!


----------



## EricABQ

Konstantin Scherbakov playing the Liszt transcription of Beethoven's 9th. 

A truly thrilling piece of music.


----------



## Lukecash12

A fairly wide range of Scriabin's piano compositions:






It's Sofronitsky playing Scriabin's works in this order:

- Sonata 3
- Sonata 9
- Sonata 2 - Andantino
- Vers la flamme Op. 72
- Deux danses Op. 73
- Preludes 11, 35 & 37
- Deux poème Op. 32
- Etude Op. 42
- Sonata 4

Then I'll move on to my CD's of my favorite stuff of his, the piano concerto and symphonic works.


----------



## science




----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Except for that stupid Metronomes piece.


At least it's funny. It's fun to sit there pretending to be a hippy back in the day.


----------



## NightHawk

Great recording, and I greatly prefer M's string 5tets to his 4tets.



science said:


>


----------



## Lenfer

I really should buy this.  Side note babes really like this if you have a little one (thinking of you *Sonata*).


----------



## idomeneo

*Schoenberg Five Pieces for Orchestra / Webern Five Pieces for Orchestra / Berg Three Pieces for Orchestra & Lulu Suite*
London Symphony Orchestra - Antal Dorati


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

French melodies - Stephane Degout, baritone, Helene Lucas, piano


----------



## idomeneo

*Hans Werner Henze - Requiem*
Ensemble Modern - Ingo Metzmacher


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Psalms Of David - Rudolf Mauersberger


----------



## science




----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's Songs Of The Infatuated Muezzin - Zofia Kilanowicz, soprano, Leon Botstein, cond.


----------



## idomeneo

*Schubert - Lieder*
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Disc 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 49 - Christophe Coin


----------



## Arsakes

*Johann Strauss II* - Schneeglöckchen Walzer, Op.143


----------



## Vesteralen

Something I probably never would have thought to purchase through regular channels, but my BBC Music Magazine subscription does bring me some interesting stuff. Since I don't Spotify, I take my little discoveries how and when I get them.


----------



## arpeggio

Premier CD:
Schuman: _A Free Song_
Sowerby: _The Canticle of the Sun_


----------



## Sonata

Lenfer said:


> I really should buy this.  Side note babes really like this if you have a little one (thinking of you *Sonata*).


 Looks intruiging! Wish-listed.


----------



## brianwalker

Haitink is an underrated Wagner conductor, his Rheingold is better conducted than the Karajan, Barenboim, Solti, and Bohm. Beecham and Fournier are deservedly praised as superlative Haydn and Bach performers respectively. Giulini takes a symphonic view of Rigoletto, conducts Verdi as Beethoven. Tennstedt is arguably the most underrated conductor on record; this Eroica is the best I've heard, and I've listened to more than a dozen versions of the work. I like Transfigured Night very much, not that that means anything.

Kleiber's Tristan und Isolde is so much better conducted than any competition *on stereo* it's not even funny. If he had a decent pair of lovers, say, Jerusalem and Meier, this version would definitive. *This recording is Kleiber's single greatest legacy on disc, * and I've listened to everything from his famous Beethoven to his bootleg Otello and _live_ Brahms 4th.

*If anyone knows a better Ravel pianist than Argerich let me know now or forever hold your peace. 
*

I'm a card carrying Karajan hater but these records show him before his decline in mannerisms and obsession with sound; the VPO plays like a god and Karajan's noted virtues are all shown wonderfully here. The G minor and Jupiter symphonies in this box are my favorite versions of Mozart's last two symphonies; shocking, I know.

Yeah, I'm a Wand groupie.


----------



## opus55

Mortensen: 10 Danske sange
Borresen: Symphony No. 3

















Exploring new music by record labels that I'm not familiar with. It will mostly be background listening as I'm working from home on chilly but sunny Friday morning.


----------



## neoshredder

Not one person listening to Shostakovich? Ha I gotta laugh.


----------



## Sonata

Sid James said:


> *Evita, the complete film soundtrack of the musical.* Music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice. Leads - Madonna as Evita, Antonio Banderas as Che, Jonathan Pryce as Juan Peron. Its been ages since I'd heard this. The tune for hit song from it, _Don't Cry for Me Argentina _was apparently written by Lloyd Webber in a few minutes after he was given the text by Tim Rice. The speed of that is comparable to Schubert. But whether that's a myth or not, this musical has much else besides. The other two better known songs are_ Buenos Aires _and _Another Suitcase in Another Hall. _I like how Evita is not painted as a saint, far from it. The character played by Banderas sarcastically comments (many times) on the disparity between her image as a goddess and the view that she was not much more than a good public relations thing for the benevolent dictator who was her husband, Juan Peron. The musical is through composed (no spoken dialogue) and has the themes from those main songs coursing through it (so it is not just one hit after another, its quite tight thematically). I think I had understimated this when I saw it when the film came out ages ago.


Sounds quite good....I think I'll check it out.


----------



## NightHawk

Was really glad to read your post and share virtually all your opinions. Particularly happy when you said _Kleiber's Tristan und Isolde is so much better conducted than any competition on stereo it's not even funny. If he had a decent pair of lovers, say, Jerusalem and Meier, this version would definitive._ - I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly. I'm also a Wand groupie. And re Ravel and Argerich, I'm not that familiar with her Ravel, but Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli's Ravel comes to mind instantly.



brianwalker said:


> View attachment 9273
> View attachment 9274
> View attachment 9275
> View attachment 9276
> View attachment 9277
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haitink is an underrated Wagner conductor, his Rheingold is better conducted than the Karajan, Barenboim, Solti, and Bohm. Beecham and Fournier are deservedly praised as superlative Haydn and Bach performers respectively. Giulini takes a symphonic view of Rigoletto, conducts Verdi as Beethoven. Tennstedt is arguably the most underrated conductor on record; this Eroica is the best I've heard, and I've listened to more than a dozen versions of the work. I like Transfigured Night very much, not that that means anything.
> 
> Kleiber's Tristan und Isolde is so much better conducted than any competition *on stereo* it's not even funny. If he had a decent pair of lovers, say, Jerusalem and Meier, this version would definitive. *This recording is Kleiber's single greatest legacy on disc, * and I've listened to everything from his famous Beethoven to his bootleg Otello and _live_ Brahms 4th.
> 
> *If anyone knows a better Ravel pianist than Argerich let me know now or forever hold your peace.
> *
> 
> I'm a card carrying Karajan hater but these records show him before his decline in mannerisms and obsession with sound; the VPO plays like a god and Karajan's noted virtues are all shown wonderfully here. The G minor and Jupiter symphonies in this box are my favorite versions of Mozart's last two symphonies; shocking, I know.
> 
> Yeah, I'm a Wand groupie.


----------



## campy

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II. Angela Hewitt.


----------



## Hassid

Ravel better than Martha?
Abby Simon
Robert Casadesus
Gieseking
Perelmuter


----------



## Sonata

Brahms' second piano quartet. Second listen....though the first time I heard it was on Christmas day when I played the whole CD fresh from my new boxed set. So I really don't remember it. Very lovely


----------



## opus55

Anders Koppel: Concerto for Violin and Accordion










Interesting instrument for a concerto.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 10 by Shostakovich. I'm having an all Shostakovich alone I guess. Oh well. My gain.


----------



## Sonata

Wow, Brahms second movement of Piano quartet #2 is even better than the first.
You hear that Neo? Brahms is awesome. :devil:


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Domenico Scarlatti's* (1685 - 1757) birthday, Sonatas for Keyboard with Tharaud (rec. 2010).

View attachment 9280


----------



## neoshredder

Sonata said:


> Wow, Brahms second movement of Piano quartet #2 is even better than the first.
> You hear that Neo? Brahms is awesome. :devil:


My ears are plugged.


----------



## DrKilroy

Next-to-last CD of my RVW week:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My ears are plugged. 

Considering some of your comments on opera and the human voice, that would seem to be a given.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## opus55

Richard Strauss: Scenes from Salome and Elektra










Spotifying -


----------



## cwarchc

This was the commute today


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## opus55

Krauss: Sinfonia in C#m










I should get a sound card to get better sound out of my PC...


----------



## neoshredder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> My ears are plugged.
> 
> Considering some of your comments on opera and the human voice, that would seem to be a given.


Are you saying I got bad taste? I find that kind of insulting. But anyways I like this kind of human voice.


----------



## opus55

d'Indy: Jour d'été à la montagne










It's like fairy tale music!


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, *both featuring John Eliot Gardiner leading the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to disc 1: Prokofiev and Miaskovsky


----------



## Sid James

Sonata said:


> Sounds quite good....I think I'll check it out.


Lloyd Webber's _Evita_ is much better than I remembered, as I said. Its also worth watching the film as well. I think that Madonna did a great job with the role & she said it was her hardest role to play (but Julie Covington, the original production, was unique). But in terms of the movie, Antonio Banderas stole the show for me as the cynical and earthy 'Che,' as in some of Shakespear's plays, the asides by various characters reveal what's really going on behind the scenes, or the subtext/underbelly of all the glamour of the Peron-Evita presidency. It kind of reminds me of the Marcoses in Phillipinnes. Some say there's always a great woman behind a great man. Well, these histories kind of reverse that, its great if some powerful men have a women in front of them, so to speak (to make them look good). But the real Evita did do good things for Argentina, no doubt. Its just that (as Che sings in the musical) her image of being a cross between a bedroom fantasy and a saint did help with the public relations stakes, definitely.



neoshredder said:


> My ears are plugged.


BTW neoshredder - have you heard Rachmaninov's variations on a theme by Corelli. Probably you have, but thought I'd run that by you.


----------



## millionrainbows

The last cut on here is interesting, "Suite Karnatique" (1958) for solo ondes martenot, by Jacques Charpentier (b. 1933). It's based on Indian Karnatic modes. Very interesting, it sounds like Jan Hammer's synth playing in places.


----------



## buafafa

Hi all.I am new.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: String Sextets
Mendelssohn: String Quartets


----------



## brianwalker

*This is definitive; go out there and get it everybody.*

If you're not a Kleiber fan this will make you one (unless you hate Beethoven of course). He makes the Allegretto feel like silk rather than the usual fare of bread pudding.










Best Brunnhilde on stereo, if you catch my drift.










The good rumors about Beecham are true.


----------



## opus55

Schoenberg: Variation for Orchestra, Op. 31


----------



## Arsakes

Saint Saëns:

Piano Concerto No.3,4 & 5
Violin Concerto No.1 & 2
Rapsodie d'Auvergne Piano & Orchestra
Africa Fantasie Piano & Orchestra

Johann Strauss II:

Orpheus-Quadrille
Schützenquadrille
Nordseebilder - waltz, Op.390
Aufs Korn - Marsch, Op.478
Erinnerung an Covent Garden - waltz, Op.329
Frühlingsstimmen, Op.410
Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Op.325


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: String Quintet in F










Beautiful romantic chamber piece.


----------



## idomeneo

*Alfred Schnittke*
Cello Concerto / Stille Musik / Sonata for cello and piano


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Ravel's Histoires Naturelles - Gerald Finley, baritone, Julius Drake, piano

providing a taste of the disc I've had my eye on and have been recommended here

to be followed on the radio by:

Debussy's Chanson De Bilitis - Lorna Anderson, soprano, Malcolm Martineau, piano


----------



## Guest

The hum of my PC. Otherwise, silence.


----------



## drpraetorus

Berlioz, symphony fantastique


----------



## Guest

brianwalker said:


>


Why is Kleiber so often pictured on his album covers waving his arms about?

Compare with, say, Haithink or Harnoncourt


----------



## science

I didn't have high expectations for this because in general I'm not a big fan of Villa-Lobos. But I am a fan of Hamelin, and I wondered what he would do with Villa-Lobos. And the answer is, he would make it awesome. This is great.

Edit: And the cover didn't help me, initially. What in the world could a wolf have to do with Villa-Lobos? Did he take an inspiring trip to Montana or something? No, it really does have something to do with the music (a piece titled "Glass Wolf"), so there's a legitimate excuse for it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

MacLeod said:


> The hum of my PC. Otherwise, silence.


Hey, me too! Sometimes that sound is so lovely.


----------



## Manxfeeder

MacLeod said:


> Why is Kleiber so often pictured on his album covers waving his arms about?


For me, it's the nervous smile that always singles him out.


----------



## mensch

Just finished listening to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore performing Schubert's Winterreise.










No I'm moving on to some Beethoven, particularly the Piano Sonata Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier") played by Alfred Brendel. I think it will be a good accompaniment as I'm currently reading Maynard Solomon's biography of Beethoven.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 40.*


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> Brahms: String Sextets
> Mendelssohn: String Quartets


I heartily approve.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, with Sudbin.

View attachment 9293


----------



## Art Rock

RIP Maestro.


----------



## campy

Stravinsky: Divertimento from "Le Baiser de la Fée" (Philadelphia O./Stravinsky)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## MaryG

I'm listening to a found 2 days ago at eclassical.com CD, which is the compositions of Claude Debussy, Richard Dubugnon, Gabriel Faure and Maurice Ravel, performed by violist Maxim Rysanov and pianist Ashley Wass. The record calls "Pavane". Love it!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Paganini's Violin Concertos. His birthday is tomorrow btw.


----------



## DrKilroy

Today, as a part of the RVW week I listened to the 6th and 8th symphonies again, as I got scores of them. Tomorrow, as a conclusion, I shall listen to the Tallis Fantasia, Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus and Job.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## idomeneo

*Gyorgy Ligeti*
The Ligeti Project Box Set - CD 1 & CD 2


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2: Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, and Khachaturian.


----------



## neoshredder

We need a Ligeti fanatic replacement since CoAG has left.


----------



## joen_cph

The composer Niels Viggo Bentzon playing Beethoven 3 piano sonatas, an LP from 1970. Rather anonymous it seems, most of the time he doesn´t really differentiate the playing enough IMO.

Earlier Bentzon compositions (and piano playing) are in general by far the best.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 74 Nos. 1-3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

We need a Ligeti fanatic replacement since CoAG has left.

That's the last thing we need.

If anything we need a fanatic of something interesting. A Hugo Wolf fanatic. A Schubert lieder fanatic. A fanatic of French mélodies. A fanatic of Russian opera. A Monteverdi fanatic. A fanatic of Renaissance or Medieval music. A Couchie of bel-canto opera. A fanatic of Spanish music... or the Latin-American Baroque. There must be endless possibilities more interesting than still another Ligeti fanatic.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## MaestroViolinist

neoshredder said:


> We need a Ligeti fanatic replacement since CoAG has left.


Replace CoAG???  :lol:

WARNING everyone, he just informed me that he will be back next year.


----------



## obwan




----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, *performed by Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the wand of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## neoshredder

MaestroViolinist said:


> Replace CoAG???  :lol:
> 
> WARNING everyone, he just informed me that he will be back next year.


Having someone come off the bench when CoAG isn't available can't hurt though.  Maybe a Schnittke fanatic as I think he is an equal to Ligeti. Hope CoAG didn't see that.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It's been too long since I sat down and listened to some of Schubert's lieder.


----------



## Sid James

neoshredder said:


> We need a Ligeti fanatic replacement since CoAG has left.


I think he did good to boost Ligeti here a bit. When I came here, there where people anti even mention of names like Ligeti. IN Sydney, his music will be played as part of the Sydney Festival in Summer. The whole score of Kubrick's '2001' film, with orchestra playing the music live. I dunno if I'll go, a bit pricey, but frankly it looks like it will sell well. Unlike a Monteverdi opera (poppea) which they did at a previous Sydney Festival and it failed to sell (it was about 10 years back, it was a flop at the box office!). But again, reality on the ground here is quite different to what highbrows want us to like. But honestly I don't care anymore. This trend of playing film scores live is really taking off here. & I think its good.



MacLeod said:


> Why is Kleiber so often pictured on his album covers waving his arms about?


Kleiber the younger was one of the most interesting conductors to watch in action. I've only seen him on film though. See if you can find anything on youtube of him. He did these gestures that where unique.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart piano concerto No. 24 in C Minor

Mitsuko Uchida
Jeffrey Tate
English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Lukecash12

J.S. Bach BWV 582 Passacaglia c-moll






He manages to elaborate the same cadence, the same motif, over and over, taking us to a new place each time. It's one of the best examples of just how endless was his imagination. That Bach could do more with one motif than a lot of composers can with several, makes me admire him even more. Maybe not everyone is into music that is this repetitive, but I don't have a problem with it. I think of it like a drone that the music works off of.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Cello Concerto - Tibor de Machula, cello, Rudolf Moralt, cond.


----------



## drpraetorus

Stormy Weather, Lena Horne


----------



## SimonNZ

Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture - Eugene Ormandy

which includes some very nice violin work from an uncredited player


----------



## idomeneo

*Brahms*
String Quartets No. 1 & 3
Tokyo Quartet - Brahms Masterworks Box Set CD 12


----------



## Guest

Jeux....

Jeux....

Jeux....

Jeux....

....

[see 'Jeux' thread!]


----------



## SimonNZ

Scarlatti sonatas - Andras Schiff, piano

Interesting...I love Scarlatti and generally love Schiff, but this disc while technically perfect is a humorless exercise-book affair. Sounds in fact more like the German Bach than the Italian in Spain following French fashions that Scarlatti was


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Lukecash12 said:


> J.S. Bach BWV 582 Passacaglia c-moll
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He manages to elaborate the same cadence, the same motif, over and over, taking us to a new place each time. It's one of the best examples of just how endless was his imagination. That Bach could do more with one motif than a lot of composers can with several, makes me admire him even more. Maybe not everyone is into music that is this repetitive, but I don't have a problem with it. I think of it like a drone that the music works off of.


Bach's great passacaglia is probably my favorite work by him for organ. Repetitive? No hypnotic. Hypnotic in the same manner as some examples of Middle-Eastern, Persian, and Indian music... some medieval chants... etc...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 9310
> 
> 
> Scarlatti sonatas - Andras Schiff, piano
> 
> Interesting...I love Scarlatti and generally love Schiff, but this disc while technically perfect is a humorless exercise-book affair. Sounds in fact more like the German Bach than the Italian in Spain following French fashions that Scarlatti was


I actually like Schiff's Scarlatti... but then I have at least a half-dozen other performers doing Scarlatti as well. I'd be hard-pressed to name a favorite.


----------



## Guest

Lukecash12 said:


> J.S. Bach BWV 582 Passacaglia c-moll
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [...] Maybe not everyone is into music that is this repetitive, but I don't have a problem with it.


This is a perfect example, for me, of how difficult it can be to hear the music without 'interference'. It's not just that such as this can haunt in corny ways, used as it is in some horror/ghost movies, but it haunts me in personal ways. I find that since it recalls some uncomfortable memories, it lays unplayed in my collection. I don't blame the music of course, and I do recall that when I listened to it as a teenager, I really liked it, especially because it was repetitive. But subsequent events attached an additional and unwanted significance to it.


----------



## SimonNZ

I actually like Schiff's Scarlatti... but then I have at least a half-dozen other performers doing Scarlatti as well. I'd be hard-pressed to name a favorite. 

Its not a bad disc by any means - as I say its technically perfect, but I've come to expect a little more playfulness or even cheeky subversiveness from the best Scarlatti albums. Schiff is just making everything so grey.

I've got many great scarlatti albums including of course Scott Ross, but my all-time fave is a 2cd collection by Christian Zacharias that really captures lightning in a bottle:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

That particular release is currently out of print... and selling for some $180. On the other hand... I found a four disc set by Christian Zacharias (of which the 2 disc set you posted accounts for the first two discs) for just over $8US... so I had to jump on it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Oh my! I had no idea that box existed. I may have to get one myself.

I'm listening to Zacharias play K.454 right now, one of my favorite moments of his.

(Which reminds me: if you listen to this set on headphones you can hear birdsong all the way through, as you can on certain other keyboard albums such as the Pinnock Goldbergs, a subtle addition I like very much. I once asked EMI why this should be and what sort of recording location would make this possible, but sadly their reply wasn't very helpful.)


----------



## joen_cph

The old, surprising *Gulda/Swarowsky* LP with *Mozart´s Concerto 21*, where Gulda plays and improvises constantly throughout the whole concerto, whereas the orchestra plays in a civilized manner & according to the score. The same applies to lesser extent in Concerto 27.


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninov*:

Piano Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.28
Symphonic Dances, Op.45


----------



## Lukecash12

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Bach's great passacaglia is probably my favorite work by him for organ. Repetitive? No hypnotic. Hypnotic in the same manner as some examples of Middle-Eastern, Persian, and Indian music... some medieval chants... etc...


Precisely. You kind of feel like you could listen to it endlessly, like it's working it's drone magic on you.


----------



## Lukecash12

MacLeod said:


> This is a perfect example, for me, of how difficult it can be to hear the music without 'interference'. It's not just that such as this can haunt in corny ways, used as it is in some horror/ghost movies, but it haunts me in personal ways. I find that since it recalls some uncomfortable memories, it lays unplayed in my collection. I don't blame the music of course, and I do recall that when I listened to it as a teenager, I really liked it, especially because it was repetitive. But subsequent events attached an additional and unwanted significance to it.


I've seen you write about this a fair bit, and find that peculiar, because I rarely hear music with that kind of an association, myself. Does this happen often for you, or is it just that this has to do with something of a traumatic nature (if you don't mind me asking)?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another installment in the Ansermet Eloquence recordings... and perhaps the 6th or so version of Faure's Requiem for me. But what the hell... I absolutely love Faure... and this recording is a real beauty.


----------



## Arsakes

All of *Robert Schumann*'s Symphonies plus "Zwickau".


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works with Sudbin.

View attachment 9313


----------



## teej

Albinoni: Oboe Concerti.
Refreshing, happy music. Highly satisfying and highly recommended!


----------



## teej

Sid James said:


> Lloyd Webber's _Evita_ is much better than I remembered, as I said. Its also worth watching the film as well. I think that Madonna did a great job with the role & she said it was her hardest role to play (but Julie Covington, the original production, was unique). But in terms of the movie, Antonio Banderas stole the show for me as the cynical and earthy 'Che,' as in some of Shakespear's plays, the asides by various characters reveal what's really going on behind the scenes, or the subtext/underbelly of all the glamour of the Peron-Evita presidency. It kind of reminds me of the Marcoses in Phillipinnes. Some say there's always a great woman behind a great man. Well, these histories kind of reverse that, its great if some powerful men have a women in front of them, so to speak (to make them look good). But the real Evita did do good things for Argentina, no doubt. Its just that (as Che sings in the musical) her image of being a cross between a bedroom fantasy and a saint did help with the public relations stakes, definitely.
> 
> ...I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about Evita (the movie with Madonna, Banderas, etc.) I own both the DVD and the CD and find the performances to be top-notch in every respect, not to mention the excellent orchestration and quality of performance. Continues to be on my movie and movie soundtrack "top-ten"list.


----------



## Guest

Lukecash12 said:


> I've seen you write about this a fair bit, and find that peculiar, because I rarely hear music with that kind of an association, myself. Does this happen often for you, or is it just that this has to do with something of a traumatic nature (if you don't mind me asking)?


I'm not going to bore everyone with many gory details; one example will suffice. In a household where music was always on somewhere, when the breaking-up of The Beatles coincided with the breaking-up of my parents' marriage, it made listening to The White Album a less than enjoyable experience.

I think you'll find that when people talk about the 'soundtrack to their lives' this is exactly what it means.


----------



## cwarchc

Needed something "thoughtful" after a very stressful weekend


----------



## Ravndal

Bach Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings and Continuo no1. in D minor


----------



## DrKilroy

I like Satie very much! My favourites are Descriptions Automatiques and Trois Valses. 

As for me, the conclusion of RVW week:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## idomeneo

*Stravinsky*
Petrouchka / Le Sacre Du Printemps / Four Etudes for Orchestra
LSO / Minneapolis Symphony - Antal Dorati


----------



## idomeneo

Bartok - Bluebeard's Castle / Berg Wozzeck excerpts 
LSO Dorati


----------



## idomeneo

Ravel Complete Music for Solo Piano - CD 1
Abbey Simon


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6.*

I never cared for Tchaikovsky, especially his 6th symphony, until I heard this. Somehow, Rozhdestvensky turned on the lights for this composer. There is some distortion in the loud passages, but it's still filled with deeply felt emotion.


----------



## Andolink

Pascal Dusapin: Cello Concerto








Friedrich Cerha: String Quartet No. 2
Salvatore Lanzetti: Cello Sonatas


----------



## Sonata

*Kodaly*, sonata for solo cello, opus 8.

I generally don't care for solo cello music, but I think I'm liking this one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks and Apollon musagete.*


----------



## Hassid

Sonata said:


> *Kodaly*, sonata for solo cello, opus 8.
> 
> I generally don't care for solo cello music, but I think I'm liking this one.


You should, because it's the most important cello solo work of past century (and one of the hardest for the instrument).


----------



## Hassid

idomeneo said:


> Ravel Complete Music for Solo Piano - CD 1
> Abbey Simon
> 
> View attachment 9321


Simon is underrated and almost forgotten today. IMO, this is one of the best piano Ravel I ever heard.


----------



## realdealblues

Elgar - Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85 conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with Jacqueline du Pré on Cello.


----------



## Sonata

Hassid said:


> You should, because it's the most important cello solo work of past century (and one of the hardest for the instrument).


It's amazing how much is being done by a single instrument in that piece. The complexity and depth is impressive, yet there's still melody.

Now I am onto *Bach's Italian Concerto*, played by Schiff. Looking forward to the end of my spending freeze so that I may get more Bach keyboard music.


----------



## campy

Bach: Chaconne from Partita #2 (arr. Busoni)


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar*: Symphony No. 2 in E flat major
London SO/Sir Colin Davis


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, Psalms 13, 23, and 83.*

This is a great trio of Psalm settings. If anyone wonders what Schoenberg would have sounded like if he hadn't gone atonal, Zemlinsky's music gives a good idea.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 In F Major, Op.68 {"Pastorale"}*, featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in Major, D 485,* again with Maestro Bohm leading the Vienna Philharmonic.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, this time under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

The first cd of this set of *Ravi Shankar's music*. I esp. like his _*Sitar Concerto #1*_, which is like a portrait of a day in the life of India, from daybreak to sunset. A long winded old review of that by me here. On other tracks, Shankar on sitar is joined by J-P. Rampal on flute and Yehudi Menuhin on violin. Some great jamming Indian style here, more chamber like and spontaneous than the concerto.

Also some *English music for string orchestra*. My favourite work here is *Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. *It is a thematically tight work, showing some influence of Berg (with whom Britten wanted a grant to study, but his university in London did not approve of that!). This was composed only when he was in his twenties, and its a masterpiece of the modern string repertoire. He takes the theme written by his teacher Frank Bridge on a journey, referencing many old forms like the waltz and funeral march, & ending with a fugue which brings it all together so well, it simply has to be heard to be believed. Britten came from Suffolk, the same place that John Constable came from (the painting on this cd cover is by him). & the vibes and colours of this piece do make me think of that kind of cloudy weather, kind of overcast and a bit bleak. I also like *Holst's* _St Paul's Suite _and *Warlock's* _Capriol Suite _on this cd.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## EricABQ

Krystian Zimerman playing Liszt's sonata. 

I've been listening to a lot of sonatas lately.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sir Granville Bantock, Celtic Symphony.*

My ancestry is from the Isle of Man, and when all six harps burst in at the end, it stirs the Celt in me.


----------



## opus55

Stravinsky: Suite Italienne
Herzogenberg: Piano Trio No. 1


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K 543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K 550* *and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K 551 {"Jupiter"},* all featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}*, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra with Igor Markevitch at its helm.


----------



## neoshredder

Really into Corelli lately.


----------



## Arsakes

Yestersday I listened to 
*Schubert*'s symphonies No.8,9 and 10.


----------



## idomeneo

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3
Vladimir Horowitz 
New York Philharmonic - Eugene Ormandy


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Rihm: "Morphonie"
Ernest Bour, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## SimonNZ

Delius' On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring - Anthony Collins


----------



## SimonNZ

Leonhart Schroter (1532-1601) Eight Christmas Songs - Heinz Hennig


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin recital - Julius Katchen, piano

(Ballade No.3, Scherzo No.3, Fantasie in F)


----------



## Andolink

Rudolf Escher: "Concerto for String Orchestra"








Pierre Boulez: "Dérive 2"


----------



## PetrB

Terry Riley ~ Requiem for Adam


----------



## opus55

Bach: Cello Suites










Very important day for me.. starting the morning with Bach to prepare my mind.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Andolink said:


> View attachment 9342
> 
> 
> Wolfgang Rihm: "Morphonie"
> Ernest Bour, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg


Ooh, that looks interesting! I'm listening on Spotify with headphones so I can get the full aural assault.


----------



## Hassid

opus55 said:


> Bach: Cello Suites
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Very important day for me.. starting the morning with Bach to prepare my mind.


One of the best recording of those works. The original LPs , first ed., are a collector's item and reach 3 figures on auction.


----------



## Sonata

*Bach*: Ave Maria, Brandenburg #1

*Elgar*: Cello concerto in E Minor


----------



## campy

Bruckner 5


----------



## Andolink

And a very vivid recording it is too from the dawn of the digital age! (1974)


----------



## Andolink

>>Wolfgang Rihm: "Morphonie"
Ernest Bour, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg

Ooh, that looks interesting! I'm listening on Spotify with headphones so I can get the full aural assault.<<




And a very vivid recording it is too from the dawn of the digital age! (1974)


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Bach: Cello Suites


I'll listen also. I'm trying to get my brain in gear.


----------



## belfastboy

TRICK or TREAT!!!!


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Kevin Pearson

Please do not post YouTube videos in this thread. There is a separate thread just for those and can be found here:

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html

Thanks!

Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Manxfeeder said:


> I'll listen also. I'm trying to get my brain in gear.


Heck, I suppose I'll hop on the *Bach Cello Suite* Bandwagon today. I've been on a cello kick these last two days anyway. I don't have all of them, but I think I have 1,3, and 5.

For now though: *Brahm's cello sonata #1*. By chance I have ended up with three versions of this, even though I don't often obtain multiple versions of works. I have one I purchased with Yo Yo Ma, the second was in my 99 Most Essential Cello Masterpieces, and my third is in the Brahms Chamber box. I am listening to the middle version right now. I don't know which my favorite is yet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier.*

Glenn Gould. This is fun.


----------



## Arsakes

*Berlioz*:
Harold en Italie
La Carnaval Romain
March to the Scaffold


----------



## brianwalker




----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Peter Warlock's* (1894 - 1930) birthday, Capriol Suite, with ASMF/Marriner.

View attachment 9353


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Peter Warlock's* (1894 - 1930) birthday, Capriol Suite, with ASMF/Marriner.
> 
> View attachment 9353


Known mostly for his songs but this suite is really quite a lovely work. There's also an interesting BIS recording of these that's more of a Renaissance style to them. It's called From Bird to Byrd by Musica Dulce. I personally prefer the orchestral version but the Musica Dulce version is interesting.

Kevin


----------



## cwarchc

I'm on this at the moment.
The commute was spent with this one.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic led by Roberto Paternostro.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K 385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.36 in C Major {"Linz"}, K* *425* *and Symphony No.38* *in D Major,* *K 504 {"Prague"}. *All three works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Morgante

*Dvorak* _Symphony N. 5_
*Scriabin* _Symphony N. 1_
*Shostakovich* _Children's Notebook Op. 69
_


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Piano Sonata No.14 - Radu Lupu, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Manfred Symphony, with Philharmonia/Ashkenazy (rec. 1977); *Messiaen*: L'Ascension, with BOO/Chung (rec.1991).

View attachment 9357
View attachment 9358


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies Nos. 35 and 39.*

There's been a lot of buzz around here about Mozart's 39th, so I'm seeing what all the fuss is about. I listened to No. 35 because it was the first track and I was too lazy to click ahead four tracks.

After getting used to George Szell's precision, Walter is harder for me to settle into.


----------



## Sonata

Michele McLaughlin: Out of the Darkness. some lovely solo piano music


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Sir Georg Solti.
Granville Bantock--*Hebridean Symphony,* performed by the Czechoslovak State Philharmonic under the baton of Adrian Leaper.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a live performance led by Mariss Jansons.


----------



## drpraetorus

Verdi, Aida, Grand march. Sometimes abit of mindless bombast and musical kitsch hits the spot.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy recital - Hans Henikemans, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Carnival Op.9 - Andor Foldes, piano


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven symphony No. 8 in F Major
Conducted by: Franz Bruggen
Featuring: Orchestra of the 18th century

I've been listening to this symphony for a few months now, maybe even a year now, but I've never really liked the second and third movement more than I do now. I especially find the Allegretto scherzando very singable/hum-able. Good stuff.


----------



## tdc

Leo Brouwer - Estudios Sencillos - played by Ricardo Cobo. These are magical little pieces, especially in the hands of this guitarist.


----------



## idomeneo

Ravel Complete Music for Solo Piano CD 2
Abbey Simon


----------



## Arsakes

*Elgar*'s Symphony No.1 in A flat major


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Concerto For Harpsichord And Small Orchestra - Louis De Froment


----------



## idomeneo

Benjamin Britten 
Cello Symphony / Sinfonia de Requiem


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony = John Barbirolli


----------



## idomeneo

John Zorn
Mysterium


----------



## idomeneo

Glen Gould String Quartet Op. 1 / Shostakovich Quintet Op. 57 / Poulenc Aubade 
Glenn Gould Edition


----------



## maestro267

*Vaughan Williams*: A Sea Symphony
London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir/Sir Adrian Boult

*Bax*: Symphony No. 4
RSNO/David Lloyd Jones


----------



## science

One of many works by Terry Riley that I've never really been able to appreciate. It's funny because Reich, Adams, Glass come so easily to me, and I'm usually ok with the "sacred minimalists" (Pärt etc) but Riley usually doesn't really grab me. In C is the only exception.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Riley usually doesn't really grab me. In C is the only exception.


I've had that same problem.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Valse Triste, Sibelius.*

I'm in the mood for an evergreen chestnut warhorse while watching a pot boil.


----------



## brianwalker




----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Trio Sonatas, with London Baroque (rec. 1986); *Albinoni*: 12 Concerti a cinque, Op. 5, with I Musici (rec. 1981).

View attachment 9372
View attachment 9373


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Le Quattro Stagioni, with Europa Galante (rec. 1991). *D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Queffelec (rec. 1970).

View attachment 9374
View attachment 9375


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas (Vol. 1) with GG (rec. 1968 - '72); Piano Sonatas, K. 570 & 576, with FG (rec. 1978).

View attachment 9376
View attachment 9377


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*

I'm contenting myself with Karajan's 70's recording. I've been eyeing his '60s cycle at Barnes & Noble, and today it's 40 % off, but I'm short on cash. Go figure.


----------



## Sid James

East meets West with the musics of *Qigang Chen* and* Ravi Shankar*.

I esp. enjoyed* Chen's cello concerto, 'Reflection of a Vanished Time' *played by Yo-Yo Ma, but the other two works on the cd are great too. A review of that work here, and last time I looked it was on youtube. Chen was Messiaen's last student, in the 1980's, and his music does have a French sense of refinement and use of delicate orchestral colours, mixing them with Chinese melody.

Cd 2 of the* Shankar *set has his *Sitar Concerto #2 'A Garland of Ragas.' * Its longer and more symphonic in scope than his first concerto, on the first cd of the set. A great solo for sitar in the third movement, and very colourful writing for percussion, with the woodwinds being prominent too. Solos for trumpet and violin that I didn't remember, and the use of the wind machine at the start of the last movement. The disc also had some shorter chamber works, one with violinist Yehudi Menuhin.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling recent releases. *Dvorak* New World and Cello Concerto, with Brunello/Pappano; *Schumann*, B*rahms*, *Debussy*, *Shostakovich* recital, with Gabetta & Grimaud.

This *Dvorak* lacks color, and is recorded painfully close. Three thumbs down. Suggested alternatives: New World - ACO/Harnoncourt; Cello Cto.- Fournier/Szell.

The girls recital is more successful. My only nitpick is when Helene overpowers the string player in *Brahms*.

View attachment 9382
View attachment 9383


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> I'm contenting myself with Karajan's 70's recording. I've been eyeing his '60s cycle at Barnes & Noble, and today it's 40 % off, but I'm short on cash. Go figure.


Perhaps a layaway for Xmas.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ....I esp. enjoyed* Chen's cello concerto, 'Reflection of a Vanished Time' *played by Yo-Yo Ma, but the other two works on the cd are great too. A review of that work here, and last time I looked it was on youtube. Chen was Messiaen's last student, in the 1980's, and his music does have a French sense of refinement and use of delicate orchestral colours, mixing them with Chinese melody.


I was curious about the EMI Classics/Virgin rec. with Yo - Yo, since he's often touted as an exclusive Sony artist. A brief Googling uncovered two other EMI recs. of his (1995, 2009).


----------



## NightHawk

boo!






my concession to Halloween.  Hi to all.

(it gets boring but it's really crap music)


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 {1890 Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Debussy


----------



## Andolink

Harrison Birtwistle: Melancolia I


----------



## science

Both of these disks impress me. The Clementi, as I wrote in the thread dedicated to him, is already one of my favorite piano disks, right up there with Rubinstein's Chopin, Gilel's Beethoven, Hamelin's Rzewski, and so on. It is great music.

The Victoria is very good, but there is a lot of very good Victoria out there, and I'm not sure that I'm more enthusiastic about it than about the requiem (Missa pro defunctis). Certainly to anyone new to Victoria, I'd recommend the requiem first, because it seems to be the most famous and popular work by him.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, Well Tempered clavier #3 C3 major


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, piano concerto 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Mass For Double Choir - Daniel Reuss


----------



## Tomgreen

Hi,guys!I am new


----------



## Lukecash12

Tomgreen said:


> Hi,guys!I am new


Well, hello Tomgreen! If you like classical music, I'm sure you've come to the right place. And I look forward to seeing you around here, talking about classical music with us. But for starters, it would be great if you could introduce yourself to us here: http://www.talkclassical.com/new-members-introductions/

At the top of the page there, you find an icon that says "post new thread" with a + sign before those words in the icon. I'm sure I speak for the rest of us when I say we are eager to hear about you there, and then start discussing music with you.


----------



## Lukecash12

Since I mentioned it earlier in the Bach group, I decided to listen to Bach's Cantata _Wachet auf uft runs die stimme_.








> *English text:
> 
> I. (Chorus)
> 
> Wake ye maids! hard, strikes the hour,
> The watchman calls high on the tower,
> Awake, awake, Jerusalem.
> Midnight strikes, hear, hear it sounding,
> Loud cries the watch, with call resounding:
> Where are ye, o wise virgins, where?
> Good cheer, the Bridegroom come,
> Arise and take your lamps!
> Alleluja!
> Ye maids beware:
> The feast prepare,
> So go ye forth to meet Him there.
> 
> II. Recitative:
> 
> He comes.
> The Bridegroom comes!
> And Zion's daughter shall rejoice,
> He hastens to her dwelling claiming
> The maiden of his choice.
> The Bridegroom comes; as is a roebuck,
> Yea, like a lusty mountain roebuck,
> Fleet and fair,
> His marriage feast he bids you share.
> Arise and take your lamps!
> In eagerness to greet him;
> Come! hasten, sally forth to meet him.
> 
> III. Aria (Duet)
> 
> [Soul] Come quickly, now come.
> [Jesus] Yea quickly I come.
> [Soul] We wait thee with lamps all alighted!
> The doors open wide,
> Come claim me my bride!
> [Jesus] The doors open wide,
> I claim me my bride.
> [Soul] Come quickly!
> [Jesus] Forever in rapture united
> 
> IV. Chorale
> 
> Zion hears the watchmen calling,
> The Faithful hark with joy enthralling,
> They rise and haste to greet their Lord.
> See, He comes, the Lord victorious,
> Almighty, noble, true and glorious,
> In Heav'n supreme, on earth adored.
> Come now, Thou Holy One,
> The Lord Jehovah's Son!
> Alleluja!
> We follow all
> The joyful call
> To join Him in the Banquet Hall!
> 
> V. Recitative
> 
> So come thou unto me,
> My fair and chosen bride,
> Thou whom I long to see
> Forever by my side.
> Within my heart of hearts
> Art thou secure by ties that naught can sever,
> Where I may cherish thee forever.
> Forget, beloved, ev'ry care,
> Away with pain and grief and sadness,
> For better or for worse to share
> Our lives in love and joy and gladness.
> 
> VI. Aria (Duet)
> 
> [Soul] Thy love is mine,
> [Jesus] And I am thine!
> [Both] True lovers ne'er are parted.
> [Soul] Now I with thee, and thou with me.
> [Jesus] In flow'ry field will wander,
> [Both] In rapture united forever to be.
> 
> VII. Chorale
> 
> Gloria sing all our voices,
> With Angels all mankind rejoices,
> With harp and strings in sweetest tone.
> Twelve bright Pearls adorn Thy Portals,
> As Angels round Thy glorious Throne.
> No ear has ever heard
> The joy we know.
> Our praises flow,
> Eeo, eeo,
> To God in dulci jubilo.
> 
> Text of the Parable of the Ten Virgins:
> 
> Matthew 25:1-13 (WEB)
> 
> 'Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, "Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!" Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the wise answered, saying, "What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he answered, "Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you." Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.'*


It also reminds me of one of my favorite organ chorales of his, based on this cantata, his BWV 645.


----------



## Arsakes

*Robert Schumann*:

Piano Concerto
Cello Concerto
Violin Concerto
Introduction and Allegro for Piano and Orchestra, Op.92


----------



## NightHawk

This is an electrifying, wonderful performance of the Bartok 3rd Piano Concerto, with Martha Argerich and Yuri Bashmet conducting the Toho Gakuen Orchestra (looks like a youth orchestra!) on April 14th, 2007.


----------



## EricABQ

Some Liszt. This is an excellent recording.


----------



## Lukecash12

Atonio Lotti's Crucifixus. It's a setting of the Nicene Creed from the late 17th or early 18th century, forget exactly when he wrote it.

If you want to hear it, here it is, but it's not the one I have, by the Huelgas Ensemble:


----------



## Sonata

Last night I listened to:

Adrian Munsey, Requiem. Beautiful album, very peaceful. Perfect for nighttime relaxing listening.


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovitch's 6th and 10th. Good performances, but not so good sound.


----------



## Sonata

In honor of my friend Neoshredder's birthday, I listened to some baroque

*Vivaldi: Autumn, Winter, and Concerto #5.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 2, 10, 13, with Pollini (rec. 2002 - '06); *Berlioz*: Harold en Italie, with Causse/ORR/Gardiner (rec. 1994); Symphonie Fantastique, with VPO/Davis (rec. 1990); *Schumann*: Violin Sonatas, with Kremer & Argerich (1985).

View attachment 9398
View attachment 9399
View attachment 9400
View attachment 9401
View attachment 9402


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Gavriil Popov--*Symphony No.1, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.39 {"The Homeland"},* both featuring the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra led by Alexander Titov.
Adolphus Hailstork--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 2, *both performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony under the baton of David Lockington.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Szymanowski *(Nos. 1 & 2) and *Bacewicz* ( No. 4) String Quartets, with Maggini Qt. Nicely recorded by Mike Clements (1993).

View attachment 9407


----------



## Sid James

*Percy Grainger's piano music played by Leslie Howard*. My take on it at http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post266850 thread. Then, an old favourite of mine,* Beethoven's Fidelio *with a young Lorin Maazel conducting (early 1960's).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*

First Szell, then Toscanini's 1939 recording. I like them both.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Harold Shapero--*Symphony for Classical Orchestra*, featuring the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein.
Igor Stravinsky--*Symphony of Psalms {1948 Version}*, again performed by the New York Philharmonic under the wand of Maestro Bernstein.
Walter Piston--*Symphony No.2, *featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra led by Michael Tilson Thomas.
Walter Piston--*Symphony No.2, *performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Leon Botstein.


----------



## samurai

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*
> 
> First Szell, then Toscanini's 1939 recording. I like them both.
> 
> View attachment 9408


 @ Manx, How is the sound quality on that 1939 pressing? It must be awfully scratchy, no?


----------



## Sonata

Philip Glass: Solo Piano


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Berio.


----------



## idomeneo

Schumann Piano Concerto
Yevgeny Kissin
Wiener Philharmoniker - Carlo Maria Giulini


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninov*'s Piano Concerto No.1 & 2

*R.V.Williams*:
Greensleevers
Fantasia on a theme
Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus
The Lark Ascending
The Wasps, Aristophanic Suite Overture


----------



## idomeneo

Sviatoslav Richter plays Haydn, Chopin, Debussy and Prokofiev


----------



## idomeneo

Horowitz in Hamburg - The Last Concert


----------



## MaestroViolinist

I am listening to Mozart. :lol:


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Violin Concerto










Trying to post cover image from my phone


----------



## wordflute

what a great peice! and du Pre! Oh LALA! Good Choice!


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: WTC Books I & II, with GG (rec. 1963 - '69).

View attachment 9423
View attachment 9424


----------



## Hassid

Dvorak's violin concerto.
Vasa Prihoda-van Kempen-Staatkapelle Berlin, 1937.
Marvellous version!.


----------



## Sonata

Bach: Italian Concerto, and French Suite #5, Andreas Schiff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manx, How is the sound quality on that 1939 pressing? It must be awfully scratchy, no?


It's not bad for 1939. I noticed someone put it up on YouTube, so you can judge for yourself.


----------



## Andolink

Francesco Antonio Bonporti: Sereneta IV in A Minor


----------



## Ondine

In Principio

Arvo Pärt,


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 1, Kertecz.*


----------



## Sonata

*Vivaldi*: Concerto #6 "Il Piacere"

I'm beginning to really enjoy Vivaldi


----------



## Vaneyes

*Desenclos*: Requiem, with Frederic Desenclos/Les Elements/Joel Suhubiette (rec. 1997).

A pleasant Modernist piece, that I came across by chance one late evening (10 or so years ago), while listening to a classical radio station. Nice 'n mellow. You might like it, too.

View attachment 9430


Related info:

http://www.requiemsurvey.org/composers.php?id=256

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Oct05/Desenclos_hortus009.htm


----------



## idomeneo

Gyorgy Ligeti
The Ligeti Project CD 5


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Violin Concerto, with Repin/Kirov O./Gergiev (rec. 2002); Piano Concerto 1, with Berezovsky/Ural PO/Liss (rec. 2006); Rococo Variations, with Wallfisch/English CO/Simon (rec. 1983).

View attachment 9434
View attachment 9436
View attachment 9437


----------



## DrKilroy

Currently I have made myself a RVW symphonies marathon!  Right now I listen to the last movement of A Sea Symphony, still five hours of music to listen to. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Zauberberg

"The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters."


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*, *Dvorak*: String Sextets, with Chang et al (rec. 2001); *Grieg*: Lyric Pieces, with Gilels (rec. 1974).

View attachment 9441
View attachment 9442


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> I'm beginning to really enjoy Vivaldi


Wonderful! I had a phase where I turned up my nose at him because of some school-days prejudice, but when Carmagnola, Biondi, and Robert King showed up, I suddenly became a fan.

Today, I listened to *Glazunov's Symphonies Nos. 4 through 6. * I've always liked Glazunov, but since I've been around here, but now when I'm listening, I feel like Huilunsoittaja's also in the room.

Of course, next time I listen and she shows up, I'm going to ask her how to pronounce her name.


----------



## idomeneo

Gyorgy Ligeti
Clear or Cloudy CD 2


----------



## cwarchc

Just spent an intense hour with this







Prior to that it was


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6 again to see which are my favorites based on the new poll I made. http://www.talkclassical.com/22236-favorite-concertos-handels-op.html Need a period recording of this though.


----------



## Hausmusik

Copland: 8 Poems Of Emily Dickinson
Barbara Hendricks, MTT: LSO


----------



## Zauberberg

idomeneo said:


> Gyorgy Ligeti
> Clear or Cloudy CD 2
> 
> View attachment 9448


What a cool cover


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, B Minor Mass.*

I was reading an interview with the guy who wrote A Whiter Shade of Pale, and he said he listened to Bach's B Minor Mass constantly back then. I'm not sure I hear the organ lick in the B Minor, but if it makes me pull it out and start searching, there's nothing wrong with that. This one is with the Hannoveresche Hofkapelle.


----------



## neoshredder

Zauberberg said:


> What a cool cover


Ligeti is cool.


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 In Bb Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar"*

Giving this Symphony a shot - I like most all Shostakovich's Symphonies although Im not so keen on 13, 14 and (to a lesser extent) 15.
This one is from the Jansons box - it seems like a good performance and the soloist and choir are all up to the job. For the rest of the day I will listen to selected works from the Jansons and Haitink boxes. I want to hear the 4th, 8th, 10th and 11th Symphonies from either or both boxes - it should be a fun listening day


----------



## Sid James

*Elena Kats-Chernin's* _Wild Swans ballet suite _(with vocals sung by Jane Sheldon), her_ Piano Concerto #2_ (played by Ian Munro) and a tone poem called _Mythic_. All with the Tasmanian SO under Ola Rudner. The piano concerto is my favourite, mixing everything from the blues to Chopin to cabaret and Minimalist vibes. Quite melodic, atmospheric and filmic. Very suited to Munro's lyrical style, and he plays a cadenza towards the end which he composed/semi improvised. Great stuff from Down Under.












Conor71 said:


> *Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 In Bb Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar"*
> 
> ...


Its very sad, tragic that out of around 150,000 Jews in the Kiev area only a handful survived the massacre at Babi Yar. In 1942 Germans did a 'census' and there where like 20 Jews left. Don't even know of how many of that 20 survived the war. Its just horrible. & there where many 'mini' Babi Yars across Ukraine and Belorussia. There where several _aktionen_ which resulted in about 100,000 killed.

This was Shosty's most controversial work. Not only for the lyrics (which had to be watered down, some of them anyway) but esp. as it was not only the Germans who did the killing, but local collaborators - the _politsei_ - did take a large part in these massacres. So there was a sense of it being taboo, a huge amount of 'hush hush' and stigma about this part of Russian/Soviet history. I have been intending to listen to Haitink's recording of it, but I will leave it for later, currently not in the mood for very dark stuff. But he is one of my fav composers, one of the few whose music can make me very emotional, esp. due to him relating histories/stories/experiences like these.


----------



## Hausmusik

S. Barber, Cello Concerto
Isserlis / Slatkin / Saint Louis SO


----------



## opus55

Clara Schumann: Schumann: Romanze, Op. 22
Robert Schumann: Fantasy in C, Op. 17
Johannes Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34


----------



## Conor71

Sid James said:


> Its very sad, tragic that out of around 150,000 Jews in the Kiev area only a handful survived the massacre at Babi Yar. In 1942 Germans did a 'census' and there where like 20 Jews left. Don't even know of how many of that 20 survived the war. Its just horrible. & there where many 'mini' Babi Yars across Ukraine and Belorussia. There where several _aktionen_ which resulted in about 100,000 killed.
> 
> This was Shosty's most controversial work. Not only for the lyrics (which had to be watered down, some of them anyway) but esp. as it was not only the Germans who did the killing, but local collaborators - the _politsei_ - did take a large part in these massacres. So there was a sense of it being taboo, a huge amount of 'hush hush' and stigma about this part of Russian/Soviet history. I have been intending to listen to Haitink's recording of it, but I will leave it for later, currently not in the mood for very dark stuff. But he is one of my fav composers, one of the few whose music can make me very emotional, esp. due to him relating histories/stories/experiences like these.


Sid, thanks for posting the story behind the Babi Yar Symphony as I had'nt heard it before - I agree its a dark work!


----------



## neoshredder

My musical tastes keep changing. Now I'm really into Chopin. Maybe next week I'll be into Brahms.


----------



## Andolink

Henry Purcell: Sonnatas, Vol. 2


----------



## samurai

Walter Piston--*Symphony No.1, *featuring the Louisville Orchestra led by Jorge Mester.
Walter Piston--*Ricercare for Orchestra, *once again performed by the Louisville Orchestra, this time under the baton of Lawrence Leighton Smith.
Walter Piston--*Symphonies Nos.4 and 6, *both featuring the Seattle Symphony Orchestra with gerard Schwarz at its helm.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## opus55

Liszt organ works


----------



## idomeneo

Messiaen
Quartet for the End of Time


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin Recital - Wilhelm Backhaus


----------



## drpraetorus

Cab Calloway


----------



## idomeneo

Richard Strauss String Sextet / Berg Piano Sonata Op. 1 / Schoenberg Verklarte Nacht
Artemis Quartet


----------



## Lukecash12

Bach's 105th Cantata. The oboe solo at the beginning of the first aria, is one of my favorite oboe solos:


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> Currently I have made myself a RVW symphonies marathon!  Right now I listen to the last movement of A Sea Symphony, still five hours of music to listen to.


I finished it at half past 1 AM, my family and neighbours must have been mad at me. 

Nevertheless, a lot of great music, I finally began to like the last movement of Sea Symphony and the whole Pastoral Symphony; also I started exploring the 5th and 9th symphonies. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## EricABQ

Hamelin playing Alkan's The Four Ages.


----------



## Andolink

Matthias Weckman(1615/16-1674): Cantatas


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lukecash12 said:


> Bach's 105th Cantata. The oboe solo at the beginning of the first aria, is one of my favorite oboe solos:


What I appreciate about Bach's cantatas is, they cover every situation in life and bring you through it to a positive outcome.

Today I'm listening to *BWV 12, Weinen, Klagen, Soren, Zagen*. Marcel Ponseele does a great job on oboe, as usual.


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Choral Fantasy (Ax/NY Phil./Mehta)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Chopin playlist with all similar Composers to Chopin. Mostly their piano works and piano concertos. Great music btw.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Samurai inspired me to listen again to Walter Piston's 2nd and 6th symphonies. There is a sound that is distinctively "American" and I think composers like Copland, Ives, Bernstein and Piston embody that sound. This Naxos recording is thoroughly enjoyable.










Kevin


----------



## Hassid

Debussy-Ravel-Faure: string quartets
Original Pro-Arte quartet, 1933/34.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Janacek*: Piano Works, with Firkusny et al (rec. 1970/1).

View attachment 9470


----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Chopin playlist with all similar Composers to Chopin. Mostly their piano works and piano concertos. Great music btw.


This makes me forgive your not liking Brahms  Chopin is my #5 composer


----------



## neoshredder

Sonata said:


> This makes me forgive your not liking Brahms  Chopin is my #5 composer


My playlist includes Brahms btw.


----------



## Sonata

Niiiice! 

You'll be happy to know I've wishlisted some Baroque: the Corelli Concerti Grossi by Pinnock and the English Chamber Orchestra. And some Albioni, Telemann and Torelli.


----------



## idomeneo

Richard Strauss - Salome
Weiner Philharmoniker - Herbert Von Karajan


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Adrian Boult.
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *once again featuring Maestro Boult, on this occasion leading the New Philharmonia Orchestra.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the wand of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## PetrB

Vivaldi ~ The 8 Concertos for Viola d'Amore


----------



## Ramako

Kevin Pearson said:


> Samurai inspired me to listen again to Walter Piston's 2nd and 6th symphonies...


Walter Piston as a composer? My... I was up till 4am the other night doing exercises from his harmony book so I'm not sure I want to listen to his music just yet :lol:


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner's Sym.#4 'Romantic' *(Nowak Ed. 1878/80 version) with the Melbourne SO under Hubert Soudant. A recording on the slow side (well over 70 minutes) but I'm getting used to it. I like how Bruckner brings back the initial horn-call like a boomerang at the very end, and it pops up all over the place in between. ALthough I don't usually associate colour with music, with this work I do strongly, it brings to my mind the colour green (as on the cover, not surprisingly). Dutch Maestro Soudant was chief assistant conductor of the MSO in the 1980's when this recording was made. Originally issued as a 2 cd set with an alternative finale, this cd just has the work without the other finale. Only problem with this recording is that its a bit too quiet in some of the softer/quieter passages.


----------



## Lukecash12

Manxfeeder said:


> What I appreciate about Bach's cantatas is, they cover every situation in life and bring you through it to a positive outcome.
> 
> Today I'm listening to *BWV 12, Weinen, Klagen, Soren, Zagen*. Marcel Ponseele does a great job on oboe, as usual.
> 
> View attachment 9468


Precisely. The ending chorale is always uplifting. Cantata 105 doesn't start in the greatest place, but it certainly ends in a great place.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, Op.125, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor, WAB 109,* featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ramako said:


> Walter Piston as a composer? My... I was up till 4am the other night doing exercises from his harmony book so I'm not sure I want to listen to his music just yet :lol:


I had his picture on a dart board back in the day. It took me a few years, but the first time I was able to enjoy a piece of his was quite liberating, like I had forgiven an old enemy.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartets, Nos. 3 and 4
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1

















Ravel: Violin Sonata
Alfven: Symphony No. 2

















Listened to Shostakovich quartets while cruising around country side with friends.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius' Lemminkainen's Return - Thomas Jensen


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet, No. 8
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Nos 5 and 6


----------



## SimonNZ

Suk's Serenade For String Orchestra Op.6 - Josef Vlach


----------



## SimonNZ

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto - Jascha Heifetz, violin, Walter Susskind, cond.


----------



## idomeneo

Frank Martin - Mass for Double Choir / Ildebrando Pizzetti Messa di Requiem
Westminster Cathedral Choir
James O'Donnell


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Gerald Moore
EMI Signature SACD 3


----------



## ProudSquire

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 73
Carlos Kleiber Wiener Philharmoniker

This symphony has never sounded better to my ears. Truly amazing. Kleiber's wizardry never ceases to amaze me.


----------



## SimonNZ

That Frank Martin cd is, as of just a few days ago, at the very top of my wish list. In fact through a recent series of coincidences I've developed a sudden fascination with all things FM.

playing now:









Smetana's From Bohemia's Meadows And Forests - Joseph Keilberth


----------



## SimonNZ

Grieg's Piano Concerto - Adrian Aeschbacher, piano, Leopold Ludwig, cond.


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert Symphonies No. 5 & 9
NBC Symphony Orchestra - Toscanini 
Complete RCA Collection CD 15


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103, "Year 1905"*

Currently playing Haitinks 11th and after this I will listen to Bernsteins recording of 1/7


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin recital - Nikita Magaloff, piano


----------



## idomeneo

Bohuslav Martinu 
Complete Piano Music Vol. 1
Giorgio Koukl


----------



## Hassid

BARTOK string quartet 5: Kolisch Q, 1931

GOLDMARK violin concerto; Milstein-Walter-NYPHO live, 1953.


----------



## Andolink

Elliott Carter: "Penthode" for 5 groups of 4 instruments
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez


----------



## opus55

Tanejev: Concert Suite for Violin and Orchestra


----------



## Arsakes

Mahler's symphony No.7


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas, with Hamelin (rec. 1995).

View attachment 9507


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Taverner, Missa Mater Christi*

Taverner needs a boy choir to be effective with all those trebles "jubliating" in their high ranges, and a good one is hard to find, but Stephen Darlington assembed a group which is spot-on.


----------



## Hassid

Can't open Spotify (not available in Argentina yet). Who's playing Taneyev's Suite? I've 2 Oistrakh's versions and IMO, he "owns" that work.


----------



## idomeneo

Ravel 
Daphnis et Chloe 
Boston Symphony - Charles Munch


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This is just simply fabulous and beautiful. Kuhlau is one of my favorites and I always enjoy listening to anything he composed but these piano quartets are exceptionally lovely.










Kevin


----------



## joen_cph

Kevin Pearson said:


> This is just simply fabulous and beautiful. Kuhlau is one of my favorites and I always enjoy listening to anything he composed but these piano quartets are exceptionally lovely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Yes, agree. His chamber music is underrated - such as the flute quintets also.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor {Unfinished}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, *both performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## opus55

Hassid said:


> Can't open Spotify (not available in Argentina yet). Who's playing Taneyev's Suite? I've 2 Oistrakh's versions and IMO, he "owns" that work.


Arnold Katz, State Symphony Orchestra of Novosibirsk Philharmony
Label: Best Buy Classical

I'm not sure if Arnold Katz is the conductor or the violinist. I can't seem to find any more info. Anyways, I was very impressed by the concert suite and need to re-listen.


----------



## GreenMamba

Ockeghem Missa Prolationum

My idea of Sunday Mass.


----------



## neoshredder

Brings back nostalgia. One of my first Classical cd's that I listened to. Without it, I might've not gotten into Classical.


----------



## opus55

Verdi: Quattro Pezzi Sacri


----------



## starthrower




----------



## idomeneo

Shostakovich
Symphony No. 5 & No. 9
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - Yoel Levi


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.5,* performed by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Max Pommer.
Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.6 {"Vincentiana"},* once again featuring Maestro Pommer, this time with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Cello Sonatas


----------



## idomeneo

Sergei Prokofiev 
Symphony No. 1 & No. 5
New York Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein


----------



## Andolink

Roberto Gerhard: Symphony No. 4 "New York"
Matthias Bamert/BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Arsakes

*Joseph Haydn*'s Symphony No.43,44,45 and 46.


----------



## opus55

Romantic piano concertos by Brilliant Classics
Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 2

















Various pieces orchestrated by Liszt. Still, only disc 9 of 20!

Schubert:
Fantasy on a Theme from Beethoven's 'The Ruins of Athens' S122 (Liszt)
Wanderer Fantassy S366 (Liszt)

Liszt:
Concerto pathetique in E minor
Fantasy on Hungarian Folk Tunes

Weber:
Polonaise brilliante Op. 72 S367 (Liszt)


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart Flute Sonatas - Kurt Redel, flute, Ludwig Hoffmann, fortepiano


----------



## SimonNZ

Scarlatti Sonatas - Blandine Verlet, harpsichord


----------



## idomeneo

Olivier Messiaen 
Turangalila Symphonie
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Ricardo Chailly


----------



## Andolink

George Frederick Handel: Italian Duets
Gillian Fisher, James Bowman--The King's Consort








Alban Berg: Lyric Suite
Schönberg Quartett


----------



## idomeneo

Bartok Piano Concerto No. 3 / Ravel Piano Concerto in G major / Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 
Julius Katchen Piano
London Symphony Orchestra - Kertesz


----------



## Andolink

Johann Friedrich Fasch: Quadro Sonatas and Trio Sonatas
Camerata Köln








An absolutely delightful disc!

and...

Dietrich Buxtehude: Cantatas
Ton Koopman/Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra/Hannover Knabenchor


----------



## Hassid

LvB Kreutzer: Myron Polyakin-Abraham Dyakov, 1939/40.

LALO cello concerto: Maurice Marechal-Philippe Gaubert-Paris SO, 1932.


----------



## Sonata

Scarlatti: 18 sonatas (piano). Don't remember what recording I have, it's on my iPod and I didn't take the time to look.

Mozart: Piano sonatas 16 & 17, Uchida.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Veracini *(1690 - 1768): Sonatas, Opp. 1, 2, with Mortensen/Linden/Holloway (rec. c2003).

View attachment 9538


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel,* *Debussy*: String Quartets, with Parkanyi Qt.(rec.2003); *Ravel*: Piano Music, with Crossley (rec. 1983).

View attachment 9541
View attachment 9542


----------



## Vaneyes

One of my favorites from Boulez' *Bartok*. VC 2 and Rhapsodies 1 & 2, with Shaham (rec. 1998).

View attachment 9545


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Piano Sonata #18

Bach: Concerto for 4 Harpsichords


----------



## joen_cph

*Constant Lambert*: Piano Concerto & Li Tai Po poems
Westminster mono LP

In spite of some jazz influence in the chamber piano concerto, this is a rather boring affair & the playing here is not particularly engaging either.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: String Quartets 1 & 2, with Ad Libitum Qt.(rec. 1999); *Myaskovsky*: Piano Sonatas 6 - 9, with Hegedus (rec. 1988).

View attachment 9547
View attachment 9548


----------



## Manxfeeder

The Haitink discussion got me interested in hearing something by him. Ralph Vaughan Willliams wasn't the obvious choice, but that's what I pulled up.


----------



## DrKilroy

RVW's symphonies nos. 8, 9, 3. 

Don't you think I should start listening to something else than RVW? I have some Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Bruckner and Mahler close at hand, so perhaps I could try them tomorrow, these guys are not yet discovered by me... 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to some orchestral works of the Russian composer Anatol Liadov. Some really nice pieces here but not a "must have". Still if you like romantic Russian works then you probably would enjoy this album.










Presently listening to Anton Eberl. Anyone who enjoys Mozart would probably really enjoy this recording of Eberl's Quintets and Piano Trios. Lovely subdued pieces. Eberl apparently was quite a pianist and many of his works were mistaken to have been written by Mozart. Indeed you can hear similarities but they lack that special "spark" of imagination and turn of melody that Mozart was so good at doing. In any case I think I prefer the CPO recording of his Piano Concertos Op. 32 & 40 more than this recording.










Kevin


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations. Olli Mustonen, piano.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: Firebird (Complete Ballet, 1910), with OSM/Dutoit (rec. 1985); 3 Symphonies, with CBC/Columbia SO/Stravinsky (rec. 1962/3).

View attachment 9553
View attachment 9554


----------



## idomeneo

Hindemith 
Mathis der Maler / Concert Music for Strings and Brass / Der Schwanendreher


----------



## Vaneyes

*Carter*: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Concerto for Orchestra; Three Occasions for Orchestra; Oppens/SWFSO/Gielen (rec. 1992).

View attachment 9558


----------



## idomeneo

Aaron Copland 
Appalachian Spring / Billy the Kid / Danzon Cubano / El Salon Mexico 
Minneapolis Symphony - Dorati


----------



## EricABQ

Several weeks ago I downloaded a complete set of Schubert piano sonatas from Georges Pludermacher and then sort of neglected to ever listen to it. So, this week I am making it a point to listen to it in it's entirety.


----------



## Vaneyes

Congrats to Sid for...

8,000.


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, Congratulations indeed on your attainment! :cheers:


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky's music with Robert Craft conducting*, my favourite work on this cd is _*Symphony in Three Movements.* _Usually an objective composer, Stravinsky here put his emotions in the music, reflecting on the WW2 he saw from a distance on news reels in his new home, America. He was originally toying with calling this a _Victory Symphony _but didn't. The Nazi marching theme kicks the work off, followed by a repetitive rhythm suggesting the roll of the news reels, and a fugue in Latin rhythm ends it with a fanfare of jubilation from the brass.

Also, *Nielsen's Sym.#4 'Inextinguishable*,' similarly a battle between darkness and light, ending with that amazing exchange between the timpanists placed at either end of the stage, & also *Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy*, which came across as more 'romantic' in feel compared to last time I hear it. The Los Angeles PO was under Zubin Mehta on this Eloquence cd.



samurai said:


> @ Sid, Congratulations indeed on your attainment! :cheers:





Vaneyes said:


> Congrats to Sid for...
> 
> 8,000.


 Thanks guys but seriously its no need for congrats, just maybe a hint that I've been posting far too much hot air about ideology and all that!? :lol:...


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, Stay with it, brother. :clap:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Violin Sonatas CD 1.


----------



## opus55

Herzogenberg: Piano Trios No. 2


----------



## drpraetorus

Seals and Crofts, Diamond Girl. more classics in a few minutes


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Symphony Of Psalms - Ernest Ansermet


----------



## drpraetorus

Liszt, Hungarian Fantasy


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder - Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, Bruno Walter, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel Suite - Ernest Ansermet


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Schubert Symphonies 5 and 8 conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## idomeneo

Bartok Piano Concertos 1-3 
Gyorgy Sandor Piano
Hungarian State Orchestra - Adam Fischer


----------



## idomeneo

Henryk Gorecki 
Kleines Requiem fur eine Polka / Harpsichord Concerto 
London Sinfonietta


----------



## Hassid

Brahms string quartet op.67. Primrose quartet (Oskar Shumsky, Josef Gingold, Primrose, Harvey Shapiro).

Faure piano quartet Nº2. Marguerite Long, Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux and Pierre Fournier, 1940.


----------



## Andolink

Chris Burn's Ensemble (electro-acoustic improvisation)








Roberto Gerhard: Symphony No. 1








Mauricio Kagel: String Quartet No. 3


----------



## EricABQ

Listening to Henselt etudes played by Piers Lane. 

This is one of those recordings that gets lost in the shuffle for me, but when I do listen to it I really enjoy it.


----------



## Lukecash12

EricABQ said:


> Listening to Henselt etudes played by Piers Lane.
> 
> This is one of those recordings that gets lost in the shuffle for me, but when I do listen to it I really enjoy it.


I wonder which etude is your favorite? Eroica is my favorite.


----------



## EricABQ

Lukecash12 said:


> I wonder which etude is your favorite? Eroica is my favorite.


I haven't listened enough to really know the individual pieces, but that one is certainly stand out.


----------



## Lukecash12

EricABQ said:


> I haven't listened enough to really know the individual pieces, but that one is certainly stand out.


Yes, it certainly has a different style than the others. More rhythmically stiff, less of the typical poetic Henselt you think of when listening to his etudes.


----------



## Sonata

On the drive to work, the local classical station played Bruch's Swedish Dances. I have never heard them before, but I rather enjoyed them.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Complete Works For Orchestra and Piano by Robert Schumann this morning. Very good recording too!










Kevin


----------



## DrKilroy

idomeneo said:


> Gyorgy Sandor Piano


Wait... Gyorgy Sandor? Doesn't it remind you of someone? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven piano sonata #32

Bruckner symphony #2. First listen, first movement. So far I enjoy it more than the first two movements of #1, though not quite as much as #4.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some very nice quartets by Joseph Wolfl as performed on period instruments by Quatuor Mosaïques.










Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> Bruckner symphony #2. First listen, first movement. So far I enjoy it more than the first two movements of #1, though not quite as much as #4.


I retract this statement. I actually do like it as much as #4 so far.


----------



## Arsakes

Some very beautiful Piano Trios by *F.J.Haydn*.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, with Brandenburg Consort/Goodman (rec.1992);* Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, with Guildhall String Ensemble (rec.1987).

View attachment 9570
View attachment 9571
View attachment 9572
View attachment 9573


----------



## DrKilroy

The First Symphony by Sibelius conducted by Haitink.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## idomeneo

Arvo Part 
Fratres


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 35, Barry Wordsworth.*

This is a nice recording, but after hearing it, I _really_ appreciate what George Szell did with it.


----------



## idomeneo

Shapero Symphony for Classical Orchestra / Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms 
LSO Bernstein - Bernstein Symphony Edition CD 49


----------



## DrKilroy

I've also listened to fifth and sixth Sibelius' symphonies, this time conducted by Paavo Berglund.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> *Corelli*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, with Brandenburg Consort/Goodman (rec.1992)


I'm listening to the Corellis by La Petite Band. My used CD store has it for $5, so I'm checking it out on Spotify. It's lovely music for a chilly November night.


----------



## Sid James

*John Cage's sonatas and interludes for prepared piano*, played by Nigel Butterley, who did the Australian premieres of a number of key Cage works. & also an *album of AMerican string quartets*, my favourite being *Bernard Herrmann's Echoes for String Quartet (1965)* which is reminiscent of Bartok and Berg, it takes this sad & pensive theme on a journey that I'd describe as dark, psychological but very varied. He was a master of modern writing with unified themes. The other works by *Philip Glass, George Antheil & Ralph Evans *on the cd are very enjoyable too. The performers are the Fine Arts Quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> My favourite being *Bernard Herrmann's Echoes for String Quartet (1965)* which is reminiscent of Bartok and Berg.


Interesting! I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## idomeneo

Richter Rediscovered
Currently playing CD 1 after starting with CD 2 to hear his take on Prokofiev's 6th Piano Sonata.


----------



## idomeneo

Edgard Varese 
Ionization, Ameriques, Density 21.5, Offrandes, Arcana, Octandre
CD 5 from the Boulez Edition


----------



## Lukecash12

Scriabin, three etudes opus 65.
And Emil Gilels performing Shostakovich's second piano sonata.


----------



## PetrB

The prototypical Clarinet Quintet:


















Next...





... followed by


----------



## neoshredder

Currently listening to Busoni on Contemporary Classical Internet Radio.


----------



## brianwalker

I wonder if millionrainbows would like this.










This boxset is a steal. Get it now if you haven't already. Tebaldi is the consummate Puccini proponent; if you think you don't like Puccini chances are you just didn't like Freni.


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Rossini's Semiramide Overture - Eduard Van Beinum


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Sonata K.332 - Vladimir Horowitz, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Benevoli's Festival Mass - Joseph Messner


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart, Mussorgsky, Wagner arias - Josef Greindl, bass


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert and Haydn lieder - Margaret Ritchie, soprano, George Malcolm, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*:
Leonore Overture No.1,2 & 3
Fidelio Overture
Symphony No.5
Piano Concerto No.3 & 6 (in D)


----------



## Sonata

*Bruckner Symphony #2* for a second time. This has been more readily accessible than the other two I know, which required repeated listening to appreciate

*Brahms String quartet #1*: Not my favorite string quartet, but it's up there. I think it sits just below American, Tchaikovsky's #1, and Death and the Maiden. Two listens in two days.


----------



## Hassid

Frederick DELIUS violin concerto. Albert Sammons-Liverpool PHO-Malcom Sargent, 1944.

SHOSTAKOVICH piano quintet op.57. Shost.and the Beethoven quartet, 1940.


----------



## Morgante

*Liszt*
Hymne de l'enfant à son réveil
Tantum Ergo
O Salutaris Hostia
Pater Noster


----------



## Sonata

Brahms String quartet #2


----------



## realdealblues

Listening to my new box set


----------



## Manxfeeder

realdealblues said:


> Listening to my new box set


Wow! Can I come over?


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to the Corellis by La Petite Band. My used CD store has it for $5, so I'm checking it out on Spotify. It's lovely music for a chilly November night.
> 
> View attachment 9581


Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra/McGegan's good, too.


----------



## realdealblues

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow! Can I come over?


Sure 

This thing is massive! I've have a lot of this on CD and have heard most of it before, but am really interested in listening to the live recordings and outtakes that I haven't heard. I'm starting with CD #1 though and working my way through.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Pogorelich (rec. 1991), Babayan (1995), MacGregor (rec. 1991).

View attachment 9593
View attachment 9594
View attachment 9595


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to Vol. 3 & 4 of CPO's recordings of George Onslow's Piano Trios. Thankfully CPO has released quite a bit of his music. Interestingly Onslow was considered a great composer while he was alive but is virtually forgotten today. Late Classical and early Romantic chamber music lovers would probably really enjoy these. Why these are not better known today is a mystery. They are all fantastic! Lovely melodies and interesting turns and inventions. I don't know if they are as good as the Late Beethoven but certainly as good as his middle quartets.










Kevin


----------



## PetrB

*solo piano piece*

Morton Feldman ~ Palais de Mari


----------



## cwarchc

This was the commute today.
So good I had to listen to it both ways









Now it's Furtwangler with Schubert from 1942


----------



## Ravndal

Alf Hurum- String Quartet A minor

and i recommend it! very beautiful 

it's on spotify


----------



## DrKilroy

Haendel's Water Music as conducted by Pierre Boulez.

By the way, I just realised that the most of Baroque-sounding tunes I use to whistle come from it. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> Morton Feldman ~ Palais de Mari


I was listening to Szell performing Mozart's 28th symphony, but I'm interrupting the last movement for this one. Thanks for the heads-up, PetrB!


----------



## Hassid

Ravndal said:


> Alf Hurum- String Quartet A minor
> 
> and i recommend it! very beautiful
> 
> it's on spotify


Have it on CD from long time. IMHO, better than Grieg's. A really fantastic work.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Divertimento in D Major and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.*

Back to George Szell from a Morton Feldman diversion.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrKilroy said:


> Haendel's Water Music as conducted by Pierre Boulez.


Wow, Boulez conducting Handel?  I didn't think that was possible. I'm listening on Spotify.

I like what he does with the Fireworks music.


----------



## Vaneyes

"Bravo!" to *Sid James*. He is now TC's numero uno poster, with *science* being the nearest active poster.


----------



## idomeneo

Arnold Schoenberg
Erwartung / Pierrot lunaire / Lide der Waldtaube
Pierre Boulez


----------



## idomeneo

Bela Bartok 
String Quartets No. 2, 4 and 6
Emerson String Quartet


----------



## opus55

Bernhard Molique (1802-1869): String Quartet No 1


----------



## Cnote11

What I've been listening to...









Satie Piano Works










Ravel Piano Works










Debussy Piano Works










Bartok Vocal Works










Beethoven Piano Works










Carl Orff Carmina Burana


----------



## Cnote11

Currently Listening










Schubert 21 Lieder


----------



## idomeneo

Bela Bartok 
String Quartets No. 1, 3 and 5
Emerson String Quartet

View attachment 9606


----------



## Ondine

Für Alina by Part


----------



## SimonNZ

"English Madrigals And Songs From Henry VIII To The 20th Century" - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin's Mazurkas - Artur Rubinstein, piano (1938-9)


----------



## korenbloem

Salonen - violin concerto


----------



## Hassid

E.J.MOERAN string trio: Jean Pougnet-Frederick Riddle-Anthony Pini. 1941.

ELGAR string quartet. The Stratton quartet. 1933.


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, Boulez conducting Handel?  I didn't think that was possible. I'm listening on Spotify. I like what he does with the Fireworks music.


Yah, dat's a gut one.


----------



## Ravndal

Hassid said:


> Have it on CD from long time. IMHO, better than Grieg's. A really fantastic work.


Probably true


----------



## millionrainbows

Peter from LA turned me on to this.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s String Quartet No.1, 8, 10 & 11


----------



## opus55

Telemann: Tafelmusik










I just realized that Tafelmusik is table music in English  I've been neglecting Telemann until now.


----------



## Sonata

*Mozart*: Piano Sonata #14, Symphony #40


----------



## Sonata

realdealblues said:


> Listening to my new box set


Well that looks wonderful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> I just realized that Tafelmusik is table music in English  I've been neglecting Telemann until now.


Yeah, if you want to be totally HIP, don't listen unless you're holding a pheasant leg.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Symphonies 6 - 8, with St. Luke's Chamber Ens. (rec.2000); Piano Sonatas, with Pogorelich (rec.1991).

View attachment 9629
View attachment 9630


----------



## Andolink

Friedrich Cerha: Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra
Peter Eötvös /The Vienna Philharmonic 








Johannes Maria Staud: Polygon. Music for Piano and Orchestra
Sylvain Cambreling/Klangforum Wien


----------



## campy

Copland 3rd


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Arnold Bax's* (1883 - 1953) birthday, On the Sea Shore, with Ulster O./Handley (rec. 1986).

View attachment 9638


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Terry Riley, Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band.*

A while ago I said I didn't connect with Terry Riley. I was wrong. Thanks, Millionrainbows!

(One downside. My wife just walked into my room, heard this, and immediately walked out. Oh, well, time to find my headphones.)


----------



## Sonata

More Mozart: *Piano sonata #15*, and various highlights from *Don Giovanni* and *Cosi*.

Plus I forgot to post last night's solo piano dinner music: *Bach's French suite* again, and contemporary pianist *Brandon Musser's Piano Collection Volume 1*


----------



## opus55

Moeran: Violin Concerto

Performed by: John Georgiadis/London Symphony Orchestra/Vernon Handley


----------



## Schubussy

Rachmaninoff - A Window in Time


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schubussy said:


> Rachmaninoff - A Window in Time


That's an interesting CD. And congratulations on finding an avatar. I still haven't come up with one. 

Now I'm listening to Telemann's chamber concertos by Reinhard Goebel. He has a nice way with these pieces.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Eroica. Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Terry Riley, A Rainbow in Curved Air.*

One thing I noticed, when the piece started, I wanted to sing, "We Won't Get Fooled Again." It turns out The Who were emulating this when they recorded their song.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Getting my Goth on with John Dunstable.


----------



## cwarchc

The commute on the way in








And on the way back








and now, off topic a little


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Renaissance Winds, Ensemble Doulce Memoire. *


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Corelli, Concerti Grossi Op. 6.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Kabalevsky*: Cello Concerti 1 & 2, with Tarasova/SOR/Duderova (rec.1993); Violin Concerto, with Mordkovitch/RSNO/Jarvi (rec.1990).

View attachment 9673
View attachment 9674


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Brandenberg Concertos.*

These are well-done, but at times the speeds remind me of when I was teaching my daughter to drive, and at times I'd find myself pushing my imaginary brake pedal to mentally slow her down.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Cello Suites, with Wispelwey (rec.2001); War Requiem, with CBSO/Rattle et al (rec.1983).

View attachment 9677
View attachment 9678


----------



## idomeneo

Bela Bartok 
Violin Concertos No 1 & 2
Midori violin
Berlin Philharmonic Zubin Mehta


----------



## NightHawk

Giulini's 9th is regal and stately and, being the 9th and Vienna, quite massive even in stillness. I still prefer Gunter Wand and Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra's slightly faster tempi in the first movement, but this is a wondrous interpretation. Highly recommended 5*****'s


----------



## idomeneo

That looks really interesting.



millionrainbows said:


> Peter from LA turned me on to this.
> 
> View attachment 9612


----------



## Chrythes

Schubert Symphony No. 9. The Second half of the Scherzo always gets me.


----------



## NightHawk

I have this recording as well, the opening statement of the violin in the 1st concerto is totally mesmerizing.



idomeneo said:


> Bela Bartok
> Violin Concertos No 1 & 2
> Midori violin
> Berlin Philharmonic Zubin Mehta
> 
> View attachment 9680


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Raphael Kubelik/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Janet Baker, Waldemar Kmentt


----------



## Sid James

Past few days its been these:

*Domingo's Greatest Love Songs album,* incl. popular Spanish songs and songs of Bernstein, Lennon & McCartney, Lloyd Webber, etc. Incl. guest vocalists John Denver and Maureen McGovern. They're accompanied by the Royal PO under Lee Holdridge, who did the arrangments.

*Elliott Carter's 100th anniversary cd/dvd album on Naxos.* Various chamber works with this Toronto based group under Robert Aitken. The dvd has Aitken interviewing the composer. Carter comes across as a laid back and down to earth guy, whose interests range from literature to travel and music, of course. I like how in these late works, from about the late 1980's onwards, Carter kind of simplified his style. Its not easy, just less full on and mega complex as things like some of his earlier stuff. But my favourite work by him, and one of my fav works of all time, is his_ String Quartet #1_ (from the 1950's). I'm glad for his long life as he found his musical voice relatively late, in his forties. So passing away as he did this week at 103 gave him plenty of time to 'catch up' so to speak.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both featuring the New Philharmonia Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Boult. I find *Symphony No.6* to be especially interesting and moving, not the least of which is due to its Ravel like  use of the clarinet in the third movement. Along with his *Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}* and *Symphony No.5*, this has become one of my "go to" works when it comes to RVW.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## millionrainbows

Holst: Choral Symphony and Choral Fantasia (Hyperion 1993)


----------



## Sonata

*Mozart: Piano Sonata #15* (second listen to this particular one in four days). As my "iPod watch" will indicate, I've been really digging classical era piano sonatas as of late.

*Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #1*

*Sibelius: Symphony #2*. First listen and I'm really digging it!! It's been a good week for new symphonies for me. First the Bruckner #2, and then today returning to Eroica and Mozart #40, and getting more out of them than previously. And now this great second movement from Sibelius 2. I rarely listen to three symphonies in one day


----------



## idomeneo

Dimitri Shostakovich 
Symphony No. 10
Berlin Philharmonic Herbert von Karajan


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"} and Symphony No.4 in G Major,* both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Valery Gergiev.


----------



## drpraetorus

Welsh harp music


----------



## drpraetorus

Now it's Cajun music


----------



## realdealblues

Revisiting Bruckner to decide which symphony is my favorite. Currently listening to Symphony 4.


----------



## idomeneo

Alban Berg
Lulu Suite / Der Wein / Lyric Suite
New York Philharmonic - Boulez
Boulez Conducts Berg CD 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Medtner's Piano Sonata Op.5 - Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano


----------



## Guest

An Alfano twofer:









and:









Late romanticism at its breezy best.


----------



## SimonNZ

Suk's A Summer's Tale - Andrew Mogrelia


----------



## idomeneo

Barber Violin Concerto / Walton Violin Concerto / Bloch Baal Shem 
Joshua Bell 
Baltimore Symphony Zinman


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to a Schnittke Playlist I created based on Schnittke of course and many other modern and early 20th Century Composers.
Gubaidulina, Messiaen, Scelsi, Ligeti, Berg, Schoenberg, Penderecki, Shostakovich, Lutoslawski, Berio, Hindemith, Bartok, and Xenakis. I can say grouping a bunch of Composers together based on one Composer is quite fun listening to. Schnittke Radio basically.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Hymnus Amoris - Herbert Blomstedt

edit: oh wait, its not Blomstedt, they've put a couple of Ulf Schirmer performances after the Blomstedt Symphonies


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's String Quartet No.14 "Death And The Maiden" - Busch Quartet (1936)

and I've got to say: all the stuff I got from the secondhand bins today (Hamelin's Medtner, the Naxos Suk, the Blomstedt et al Nielsen and this Busch Schubert) have proved to be completely amazing. A good days buying.


----------



## Alie

The disk called "Pavane" which I've found at eclassical.com and which includes compositions of Debussy, Dubugnon, Faure and Ravel in the performance of Maxim Rysanov. I like it!


----------



## Hassid

DVORAK "Dumky" piano trio. Oborin-Oistrakh-Knushevitsky. 1951.

DVORAK piano quintet op.81. George Szell and the Budapest quartet, 1945.


----------



## Morgante

Puccini
_Tosca_

This recording:








Puccini (with Mozart) is the best operist ever.


----------



## campy

Bach (orch. Stokowski): Toccata & Fugue BWV 565


----------



## millionrainbows

Luciano Berio: Chamber Music; Sequenza VIII for solo violin; Linea (piano, vibraphone, marimba).......Bruno Maderna, Serenata per un satellite; Giardino Religioso; Concerto No. 2 for oboe and orchestra.


----------



## Hausmusik

Elliott Carter
Variations For Orchestra
James Levine: Chicago SO


----------



## Sonata

With some exceptions, I tend to not appreciate non-Mahler symphonies as readily as other categories of classical. This week however, symphonies in general are really clicking with me. I am taking advantage of this and focusing listening today on more symphonic works.

Right now: *Tchaikovsky #5*. Utah Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## science

To the Cherubini, in honor of recent discussions. Better than Mozart? ... I'm not prepared to go there yet. But then, I've heard Mozart's probably two hundred times, and Cherubini's twice. So get back to me in 2036.

Easy to enjoy the Adams. My wife even likes it.

















The Taneyev works are some of my new favorites. Wish I'd known about them years ago. The I-I are fun, but haven't really, really grabbed me yet. Still, a little Russian exoticism is good for us all now and then.

















The Silvestrov is also easy to enjoy. Might put you to sleep. The Scelsi won't put anyone to sleep.


----------



## Ramako

Bach's St Matthew Passion


----------



## Cnote11

Debussy Forgotten Songs sung by Dawn Upshaw


----------



## Schubussy

science said:


> The Silvestrov is also easy to enjoy. Might put you to sleep. The Scelsi won't put anyone to sleep.


I just ordered Silvestrov's 4th & 5th symphonies from amazon yesterday, I have the 6th already but I've been listening to the 5th on youtube for a while, it's amazing.


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy - Jeux (Poéme Dansé) - Pierre Boulez & The Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm in the throes of a *Schnittke* chamber mini-fest, started with: Piano Quintet, String Quartets 2 & 3, with Graffman/Lark Qt. (rec. 1997); Piano Trio, with Lubotsky/Rostropovich/I. Schnittke (rec.1992); Suite in the Old Style, with Gorokhov & Demidenko (rec.2004).

View attachment 9701
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View attachment 9703


----------



## Arsakes

in the morning...
*Mendelssohn*'s String Quartet No.1,2,3 & 4

afternoon...
*Haydn*'s symphonies: No.50, 'L'Imperiale', 'Der Schulmeister', 'Feuersinfonie', 'Il Distratto', 'La Roxelane', 'Tempora Mutantur', 'Laudon' and 'La Chasse'


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schnittke*: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, with D. Geringus & T. Geringus (rec. 1998/9); Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, with Wallin & Pontinen (rec.1991); Piano Sonatas 1 - 3, with Tchetuev (rec.2004).

View attachment 9704
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View attachment 9706


----------



## neoshredder

Schnittke is awesome. Listening to Symphony 3 at the moment.


----------



## Sonata

Memoirs of a Geisha film score. Utterly gorgeous.


----------



## Cnote11

Philip Glass - Les Animaux Amoureux


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

Tintner's is my first Bruckner 4th and still my favorite.


----------



## Sonata

*Tchaikovsky symphony #6*: Utah Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, English Suites, Glenn Gould.*


----------



## Vaneyes

These *Ravel *recs are readying for take-off.

View attachment 9719
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View attachment 9721


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to this great collection.


----------



## PetrB

Happened to pluck this recorded in concert performance to refer someone unfamiliar with it to the piece.... then listened.

Found it remarkably fresh and vital, and it is pushing age 100 (b. 1913)


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 1










Another Brahms set acquired


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> These *Ravel *recs are readying for take-off.
> 
> View attachment 9719
> View attachment 9720
> View attachment 9721


I can stand behind the one in the middle!

Did I say that?


----------



## millionrainbows

I love flute. Albany is one of my favorite labels. This is flute & piano.


----------



## idomeneo

Schnittke Concerto Grosso No. 1 / Part Tabula Rasa / Gorecki Concerto for Harpsichord 
I Musici de Montreal - Turovsky


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"}* *{orch. Gustav Mahler} and Symphony No.4 in* *D Minor, Op.120*, *{orch. Gustav Mahler}*, both featuring the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra led by Aldo Ceccato.
Allan Pettersson--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2, *both performed by the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Christian Lindberg.


----------



## idomeneo

Krzysztof Penderecki
Anaklasis, Threnody and various other works.
Polish Radio National Symphony - Penderecki
CD 1 from this set.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8


----------



## ProudSquire

I was in the mood for some Hummel, so...
Piano Concerto 5 in A-Flat
Howard Shelley
London Mozart Players

Charming and tuneful, just as I remember it. :}


----------



## idomeneo

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 3 & No. 28 / Liszt Piano Sonata in B minor
Sviatoslav Richter
Legendary Russian Pianists CD 14


----------



## idomeneo

Liszt Piano Sonata in B minor
Khatia Buniatishvili


----------



## idomeneo

Prokofiev Piano Concertos No 2 & 4 
Yefim Bronfman 
Israel Philharmonic - Zubin Mehta


----------



## Hassid

FRANCK violin sonata: Marina Kosolupova-Rosa Tamarkina., in the 40s.

SESSIONS Roger string quartet Nº1: Pro-Arte quartet, 1945.


----------



## Arsakes

*Grieg*:
Humoresque Op.6 & 19
Norwegian Dances Op. 35


----------



## Schubussy

First time listening to this, only heard his 5th before.


----------



## cwarchc

1st disc of this one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## opus55

Molique: String Quartet No. 2
Bach: Concerto in C minor for Oboe, Violin, String and Basso continuo, BWV 1060


----------



## starthrower

After a few months from acquiring this CD, I've yet to get to the Norgard concerto. The Ligeti work is so captivating in its depth, beauty, and originality, I just want to turn off the stereo when it's over.


----------



## korenbloem

bruckner - symf 3 (haitink)


----------



## opus55

Faure: Piano Quartet No. 2
Raff: Symphony No. 11


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grieg, Piano Concerto.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Chamber Music, with Frank/Ma/Ax (rec.1989); Nocturnes, with Barenboim (rec.1981).

View attachment 9757
View attachment 9758


----------



## Kieran

I'm listening to Sergei Rachmaninov and Fritz Kreisler perform Schubert's Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, D 574, 1928.


----------



## Schubussy

Some very underrated sonatas if you ask me.


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert Symphony No 8 & 9
Berlin Philharmonic - Furtwangler
Furtwangler the Legacy CD 48


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Francois Couperin's* (1668 - 1733) birthday, sampling Les Concerts Royaux, with LCDN/Savall.

View attachment 9766


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Janacek, The Lord's Prayer, Choral and Organ Music*


----------



## crmoorhead

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Francois Couperin's* (1668 - 1733) birthday, sampling Les Concerts Royaux, with LCDN/Savall.


Me too, especially his harpsichord music. I obtained a boxed set a while ago with a formidable 11 discs of his complete harpsichord works. Lots of interesting pieces, though it will take me months or years to digest them. I'm really liking this piece though:





#

EDIT: Oh my, I just noticed the chosen picture for that link.


----------



## opus55

Boccherini: Cello Quintet in F minor, G348
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 9

















Mozart: String Quartet No. 17
Prokofiev: Piano Soanta No. 4

















Listening to non-orchestral works from my collection in random.


----------



## millionrainbows

Ursula Oppens is one of the best contemporary pianists out there. The longest pieces on disc 1, were Elliott Carter's _Night Fantasies _and John Adams' _Phrygian Gates._


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Requiem - Karel Ancerl


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both featuring Herbert Blomstedt and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61.* Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Andolink

Mauricio Kagel: Les idées fixes - Rondo for orchestra
RSO Saarbrücken/Kagel 








Nicholas Maw: Life Studies
English String Orchestra/William Boughton


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Art of the Fugue


----------



## Wandering

Thomas Quasthoff though


----------



## drpraetorus

von Weber, clarinet concerto 2


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Gerald Moore
EMI Signature Collection SACD Disc 2


----------



## science

I usually don't post one at a time current listening things, but I can't help myself this time. Rosand just absolutely wrings every last drop of music out of these works. Amazing, desert island recording. On the first concerto, I've heard Heifetz and Mutter on CD, Zuckerman on DVD, and only Zuckerman comes close. On the Scottish Fantasy I've only heard Heifetz, and it doesn't impress me half as much. On the Romance I've heard Accardo and can't remember what I thought.

I might go ahead and get several more recordings of these works because it's not often that I'm so opinionated about a recording, and I wonder if it holds up.


----------



## Guest

Reminded by Harpsichord Concerto (thanks HC!)


----------



## Hassid

SHOSTAKOVICH string quartet 3 op.73. Beethoven quartet, first recording.

BRAHMS piano trio 1 op.8. Rubinstein-Heifetz-Feuermann, 1941.


----------



## igorvrag

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) - Symphony in C minor VB 142

listening to the videos on YouTube channel: "Joseph Martin Kraus"






http://www.youtube.com/user/JosephMartinKraus

Excellent symphony from the late XVIII century, that Joseph Haydn praised a lot.


----------



## Ravndal

Faure - Pavane


----------



## Arsakes

*Johann Strauss II*: 
Künstlerleben, Op.316
Wine, Women and Song op. 333


----------



## Andolink

Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 1
Arditti String Quartet








J. S. Bach: "Auf, schmetternde Töne," BWV 207a
Kammerchor Stuttgart/Concerto Köln--Frieder Bernius


----------



## opus55

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, No. 2, BWV 1047 and No. 3, BWV 1048
Handel: Water Music, HWV 348-350


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm listening to both of these in their entirety this morning, drinking coffee (whole-bean Kenyan, with raw sugar and whipping cream). These are great performances and interesting selections, marred only by too much hall sound for my taste (I like dry recordings). Pulitzer prize-winning Joseph Schwantner (b. 1943), at Eastman, is one of my favorites, here using water-gongs and glass crystal. Ruth Crawford Seeger (Pete Seeger's mom) is a vastly under-performed composer.


----------



## campy

Hovhaness: Guitar Concerto #1


----------



## drpraetorus

Glimka, Jota Aragonese


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schmidt, Book of the Seven Seals*


----------



## Lukecash12

Another Sunday, filled with cantatas. Naturally, that means there is going to be some Bach today, and I've selected cantata 105 of his, but I feel more like focusing on older cantatas, and some of Telemann's cantatas. Sunday always seems to have more of a German flavor. I do wish the French had written more wonderful cantatas.


----------



## DrKilroy

I am choosing my Christmas gifts, so I thought I would like to get some Kapustin. 






Best regards, Dr


----------



## GreenMamba

William Duckworth's Time Curve Preludes.


----------



## PetrB

I may have posted this before, but it is what I am 'currently listening to' - a revisit 





















Enough to keep some of you out of trouble and off the streets for a while.... and those 'tonalists' appeased


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's Egmont Overture, conducted by Leonard Bernstein...bliss!


----------



## Schubussy




----------



## Andolink

Olivier Messiaen: Chronochromie
The Cleveland Orchestra/Boulez


----------



## idomeneo

Mozart
Piano Sonatas K. 310, 330, 331
Christoph Eschenbach


----------



## idomeneo

Brahms 
Symphony No. 1 
New York Philharmonic - Bernstein 
Bernstein Symphony Edition CD 10


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Britten: Simple Symphony

















Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 10
Berwald: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## idomeneo

Nielsen String Quartets Op. 5 / Op. 14 
Danish String Quartet
Nielsen Masterworks Vol. 2 CD 2


----------



## idomeneo

Elliott Carter - A Symphony of Three Orchestras
Edgard Varese - Deserts, Ecuatorial, Hyperprism
Pierre Boulez


----------



## idomeneo

Arthur Honegger 
Symphony No. 2 & No. 3 Symphonie Liturgique
Berlin Philharmonic - Herbert von Karajan


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Vaughan Williams' Fantasy For Piano And Orchestra - Mark Bebbington, piano, George Vass, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Saint-Saens' partsongs - Diego Fasolis, cond.


----------



## Hassid

Selection of short pieces by Grigoras DINICU with his orchestra or piano (30s.and 40s.)

BARTOK violin concerto Nº2: Zoltan Szekely-Mengelberg-Concergebow O. First world recording, 1939.


----------



## Arsakes

*Elgar*'s Cello Concerto in E minor


----------



## Andolink

François-Bernard Mâche: Eridan, String Quartet Op. 57
Arditti String Quartet








George Frideric Handel: "Cecilia, volgi un sguardo" HWV 89
John Elwes, tenor; Jennifer Smith, soprano
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock







A very special Handel CD indeed!


----------



## Sonata

On my work commute, I tend to listen to the local rock station. However, sometimes the morning show is obnoxious, or I get hit with a big block of commercials. So I've found myself tuning into the classical station every now and again. I've been please with some of the results. Everything I've heard so far has been new to me.

Friday: Japanese Suite Holst.
Today: Vivaldi Flute concerto #3 in D

And now I am listening to another brand new piece for me: *Brahms' Alto Rhapsody*. It puts me in mind of Mahler & Strauss lieder. And that is a very good thing.


----------



## mitchflorida

His Third Symphony is quite amazing .


----------



## Sonata

Oh Brahms. You are indeed my favorite. :cheers:. I'm listening to Piano concerto #1 for the first time, and I am loving this piece so far too (10 minutes in so far). I read that it was meant to be a symphony, and he changed it to a concerto because of the expectations on him regarding Beethoven's legacy. I can say that I definitely have a sense of symphony to it at the beginning.....but it is oh so wonderful as a concerto so I'm glad he made the change. I need to get a recording of this and his glorious #2 concerto :angel:


----------



## Arsakes

Sonata said:


> Oh Brahms. You are indeed my favorite. :cheers:. I'm listening to Piano concerto #1 for the first time, and I am loving this piece so far too (10 minutes in so far). I read that it was meant to be a symphony, and he changed it to a concerto because of the expectations on him regarding Beethoven's legacy. I can say that I definitely have a sense of symphony to it at the beginning.....but it is oh so wonderful as a concerto so I'm glad he made the change. I need to get a recording of this and his glorious #2 concerto :angel:


You had missed the greatest piece of music ever! The first movement is the great one, but the second is too calm. The third movement is also very good.


----------



## Arsakes

*Johann Strauss II* Kaiserwalzer op.437

*Antonin Dvorak*:
Cypresses Quartet
Seven Interludes
Slavonic Dances Op.46 & 72 (Both Piano and Orchestral)


----------



## Schubussy

Sonata said:


> Oh Brahms. You are indeed my favorite. :cheers:. I'm listening to Piano concerto #1 for the first time, and I am loving this piece so far too (10 minutes in so far). I read that it was meant to be a symphony, and he changed it to a concerto because of the expectations on him regarding Beethoven's legacy. I can say that I definitely have a sense of symphony to it at the beginning.....but it is oh so wonderful as a concerto so I'm glad he made the change. I need to get a recording of this and his glorious #2 concerto :angel:


I'm listening to them too! Both are amazing


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, wth Schiff (rec.1987), Tharaud (rec.2010).

View attachment 9815
View attachment 9817


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled *LvB*: Symphonies 1 - 9, with 18th Century O./Bruggen (rec. 2011). Live recordings? Could've fooled me. This is *LvB* to sleep by. No energy, flabby sound. Not competitive.

View attachment 9818


----------



## Schubussy

From the 'TC Top 10 Recommended Harp Concerti'. I'll definitely have to get some of these. And the video has the same picture as the one I posted on the previous page strangely enough.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Sampled *LvB*: Symphonies 1 - 9, with 18th Century O./Bruggen (rec. 2011). Live recordings? Could've fooled me. This is *LvB* to sleep by. No energy, flabby sound. Not competitive.


Thanks for the review. I had been curious about that one.

Today, Telemann's Tafelmusik.


----------



## Sonata

Dvorak: Symphony #5


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphonies 1 & 2, with CSO/Solti (rec. 1989/90); Piano Sonatas 27, 28, 30, 31, with Gilels (rec.1972-85).

View attachment 9823
View attachment 9824


----------



## idomeneo

Mozart
Horn Concertos KV 412, 417, 447, 495
Gerd Seifert Horn
Berlin Philharmonic - Herbert von Karajan
Karajan 1960s CD 64


----------



## Schubussy

Richter + Schubert. Not an easy combination to beat.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, *both featuring the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar in two very rousing and energetic performances.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbrt von Karajan.


----------



## campy

Liszt: Années de pèlerinage, Première année, S. 160, "Suisse" — Louis Lortie


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Piano Trios, with BAT (rec.1965-'68); Violin & Piano Works, with Laredo & Brown (rec.1989).

View attachment 9828
View attachment 9829


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tangerine Dream.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52, *both featuring Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony. Rather than hearing "depression" in these works, I am instead getting a sense of exuberance and Nordic grandeur and mystery, especially from the evocative* Second Symphony *and its opening flourish of notes.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50,* featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39, Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82. *All three works are performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Vanska.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms' piano quartets nos. 1 and 3 played by the Domus group of UK.* Both have been favourites for years, but I have not listened to them for ages. I like how this chamber group plays these works as chamber works, not as de facto concertos (which is the WRONG way, and even big name pianists have been known to do that!). I am not making this up, & any pianist who is experienced in chamber music will most likely tell you this readily. I can't choose a favourite between these, but have yet to listen to Brahms' 2nd paino quartet on disc 2 of this set.

& also *Ariel Ramirez's *_*Misa Criolla *_and the somewhat lesser known _Navidad Nuestra_. I love the _Misa_, it combines Argentinian music of the Andes, is sung in Spanish and has elements of improvisation. Each performance will be different, it has been arranged in many different ways (this arrangement was done specifically for this choral group from the USA). This work was among the first masses to be composed in the native language of a country and not in Latin, which in the 1960's was abolished as the 'universal' language of the Catholic church. Also on the disc is *Missa Luba*, Father Guido Haazen's own arrangment of a mass he heard sung and improvised by people of the Congo while it was still under Belgian rule in the 1950's. Again, this has elements of improv, and here is sung by a rock singer & I think she does a great job (its a male like alto voice).


----------



## samurai

Sonata said:


> Dvorak: Symphony #5


@ Sonata, Just wondering by whom this performance is? Thanks.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Organ Works. So haunting and beautiful.


----------



## idomeneo

Rodrigo Concerto de Aranjuez / Villa-Lobos Concerto for Guitar / Rodrigo Fantasia for a Gentleman 
John Williams Guitar
English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## idomeneo

Franz Schubert 
Die schone Mullerin 
Thomas Quasthoff / Justus Zeyen


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.9 "Kreutzer" - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Clara Haskil, piano


----------



## drpraetorus

obla-di-obla-da


----------



## drpraetorus

Ruddigore, G&S


----------



## SimonNZ

I actually listened to the Grumiaux / Haskil "Kreutzer" right through twice. Thats one impressive performance, and a pity their Beethoven cycle is currently only available on cd as part of a 17cd Haskil box.

playing now:









Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 2 and 3 - Karl Munchinger


----------



## ProudSquire

Debussy - Valse Romantique
Chopin -Valse in b minor Op. 69 No. 2
Chopin - Valse in c sharp minor Op. 64 No.2

Mozart - Symphonies No. 39-41
Nicolaus Harnoncourt
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe

All while laundry was being done. :}


----------



## SimonNZ

scenes from Wagner's The Flying Dutchman - Wilhelm Schuchter


----------



## SimonNZ

Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien - Paul van Kempen


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius* symphony No.3 & 5


----------



## Hassid

SHOSTAKOVICH cello sonata: Shosta.-Slava.

FRANCK string quartet. Pro-Arte quartet, 1933


----------



## Andolink

Three Modernist chamber works from the 1940's:

Nikos Skalkottas: String Quartet No. 4 (1940)
The New Hellenic Quartet








Stefan Wolpe: Sonata for Violin and Piano (1949)
Jorja Fleezanis, violin and Garrick Ohlsson, piano








Elliott Carter: Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (1948)
Fred Sherry, cello and Charles Wuorinen, piano


----------



## Sonata

*Dvorak*: violin concerto


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: String Quartets 12 - 15, with Melos Qt. (rec.1991).

View attachment 9847
View attachment 9848


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> Three Modernist chamber works from the 1940's:
> 
> Cool, Andolink! I have both the Wolpe on KOCH, and the Carter on Bridge. The Carter disc is interesting, in that it features solo works, with lots of "space." You can really get Carter's melodic sense from this, a very valuable insight.
> 
> Most of that KOCH stuff is going OOP, showing up on NAXOS with crummier cover art. I predict that Stephan Wolpe will grow in stature.
> 
> I only have one Skalkottas disc, the _Greek Dances,_ which is tonal. I'd _love_ to have this disc of string quartets. His string quartets are atonal, as is most of the rest of his output. Skalkottas was a Schoenberg student back in the 1930's.


----------



## Chrythes

This is somewhat soothing.
Perotin and Leonin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Missa in Tempore Belli*


----------



## obwan

Mozart's greatest tenor aria?


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Ode to Napoleon.* The singers where Christine Schaeffer and David Pittman-Jennings & they where accompanied by the Ensemble Intercontemporain under Pierre Boulez. _*Pierrot*_ is one of my favourite works, although at first it was difficult. I like the aspect of cabaret mixing with 'high art,' and also the femme fatale element & that dark humour. As for the_* Ode*_, its also full on and frankly very ugly and not particularly musical. I think its deliberately like this, as its a comment on tyranny of all kinds. But I like it how Schoenberg doesn't hold back. Ironically, the ideologue Adorno criticised Schoenberg for ending the work in a fuzzy E flat, in other words for being too tonal. There are obvious allusions to the same key of Beethoven's 3rd symphony. Well, seems like you can't please everybody, even your number one groupies and fanboys.

Also, *Elliott Carter's String Quartets nos. 1 and 5* played by the Pacifica Quartet (Naxos cd). *The first quartet *is one of my favourite works. It all sort of grows out of the jagged and craggy idea/fragment played by the cellist at the start. It is quite epic and symphonic in scope & makes me think of vast open spaces. Carter composed it while staying in a town in the Arizona desert. The slow movement does make me think of the desert, its quietness and loneliness. *The 5th quartet *is his final work in the genre, from the 1990's. I am beginning to hear some degree of unity in this too, its a bit like one of Seurat's pointillist paintings, hearing it many times over the years has made me hear 'the big picture' of this work, or the sum of all its parts.


----------



## Andolink

Elliott Carter: Symphonia
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Knussen


----------



## campy

Hindemith: Symphony, "Mathis der Maler" (NY Phil./Bernstein)


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3










My favorite Sibelius symphony


----------



## millionrainbows

George Perle has created a new kind of tonal music that does the same thing music has always done, through harmonic direction, phrases, cadences, and such - in short, the things that make tonal music comprehensible. The results are beautiful and harmonically rich.
No, this ain't yer granpa's tonality. but it ain't yer granpa's serialism, either. _*It's new, improved serialism-try some today!*_


----------



## idomeneo

Horowitz The Poet
Schubert Sonata in B Flat / Schumann Kindersenen


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## SimonNZ

Comparing selections from three recordings of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier:





















Richard Egarr Pierre Hantai and Bob van Asperen, all on harpsichord

Trying to see why I never play these particular recording when I want to hear this work, and wether I could afford to just pass them on (the easy answer is Yes, I've got ten or more other recordings of WTC which I know I love and play fairly regularly, but you know how it is...)


----------



## idomeneo

Heitor Villa-Lobos 
Bachianas brasilieras No. 1, 2 & 3
Royal Philharmonic - Enrique Batiz


----------



## PetrB

Found this link, 'lately' up, my first opportunity to hear the full length piece....
Steve Reich ~ Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards.


----------



## Hassid

Paganini violin concerto Nº2. Menuhin-Fistoulari-London SO. A really extraordinary playing.

Balakireff piano sonata Nº2. Louis Ketner. A beautiful, forgotten and unknown work on a great version.


----------



## millionrainbows

George Perle, Six Etudes


----------



## Hausmusik

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto #1 in D Major
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto #1 in a minor
Maxim Vengerov; Mstislav Rostropovich: London SO

Definitely in my Top Ten violin concerto discs...outstanding.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven* String Quartets Op.59 (No.2 & 3), Op.74,97 & 127.


----------



## neoshredder

Happy birthday Hummel. Having an all Hummel listening day.  Suggested works are his famous Trumpet Concerto as well as his Piano Concertos.


----------



## Hausmusik

Schumann: Piano Sonata #1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 11
M. Pollini


----------



## crmoorhead

Celebrating Aaron Copland's birthday today:









Along with several listenings of works available on YouTube, namely his Piano and Clarinet Concertos, Piano Sonata, a selection of piano works, A Quiet City, A Lincoln Portrait, Symphony No. 3 and a selection of songs. Most of these are unfamiliar to me, but I'll enjoy discovering some new works by this composer.


----------



## GreenMamba

Szell really does make the most of the surprise.

When I listed this in the recent purchases thread, I added the wrong CD cover image. My copy is the one below, but without the typo ("Hadyn").

I use my Blu-Ray player for CDs and it shows the same typo through Gracenote (which admittedly often shows the wrong recording entirely).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Elgar*: Violin Concerto, with Kennedy/LPO/Handley (rec.1983); Cello Concerto, with DuPre/LSO/Barbirolli (rec.1965).

View attachment 9890
View attachment 9892


----------



## Vaneyes

GreenMamba said:


> Szell really does make the most of the surprise.
> 
> When I listed this in the recent purchases thread, I added the wrong CD cover image. My copy is the one below, but without the typo ("Hadyn").
> 
> I use my Blu-Ray player for CDs and it shows the same typo through Gracenote (which admittedly often shows the wrong recording entirely).
> 
> View attachment 9878


Joyce Hatto conducting? Just kidding.


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann's Trio Sonata in D major - Gustav Scheck, Emil Seiler, Fritz Neumeyer, August Wenzinger


----------



## Andolink

Harrison Birtwistle: Antiphonies for Piano and Orchestra
Joanna MacGregor, piano
Radio Filharmonisch Orkest/Michael Gielen








Anton Webern: Symphonie op. 21
London Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Boulez







Love, love, love my Webern!


----------



## idomeneo

Lutoslawski
Symphony No. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du sommeil
Los Angeles Philharmonic Esa-Pekka Salonen


----------



## SimonNZ

Three 10" lps of highlights of Verdi's Aida - from the Alberto Erede recording with Renata Tebaldi and Mario del Monaco


----------



## opus55

Berwald: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Sid James

Continuing these sets of works I've been listening to in the past week:

*Brahms:* _Piano Quartet #2_ ; *Mahler:* _Piano Quartet Movement _played by the Domus group (UK)

My first listen to this *Brahms* work. I esp. enjoyed the slow movement and the finale with that trademark gypsy feel. & the *Mahler* piece is like a link to the influence of Brahms and maybe also Schumann and Mendelssohn. A more turgid and dark theme was contrasted with a more lyrical and hopeful, songlike one.

*Elliott Carter:* _String Quartet #4 _played by the Pacifica Quartet (USA)

Continuing with *Carter's* string quartets, and this one I'm beginning to grasp, but only just. The first movement introduces some themes, or more accurately fragments of them, the middle two movements contrast these long sustained notes with moments of frenetic activity, as if its an argument, and the final movement has this build up and release of tension. You don't know when its going to end, its a bit like the 'tenterhooks' ending of Sibelius' 5th symphony. & Carter does the unexpected, it kind of all fades out into nothingness.


----------



## crmoorhead

SimonNZ said:


> Three 10" lps of highlights of Verdi's Aida - from the Alberto Erede recording with Renata Tebaldi and Mario del Monaco


I really do love Aida.  Perhaps one of my favourite operas.


----------



## SimonNZ

That's interesting - I haven't yet found a recording of Aida that knocked my socks off (though I haven't been looking very hard).

Which album - or even dvd - would you recommend?


----------



## idomeneo

Charles Ives
Symphony No. 2 and various other works
New York Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein


----------



## opus55

Fibich: Symphony No. 3
Finzi: Three Soliloquies from "Love's Labours Lost"


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven and Schubert lieder - Frizt Wunderlich, tenor, Hubert Giesen, piano


----------



## idomeneo

Heitor Villa-Lobos 
Bachianas brasilieras No. 4, 5, 6 & 7 
Royal Philharmonic - Batiz


----------



## Cnote11

Things I'm listening to tonight...

Dawn Upshaw sings Forgotten Songs (Debussy)
Sandrine Piau sings Debussy Mélodies
Gerald Finley sings songs by Ravel
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings Schubert Lieder

and now










Dawn Upshaw sings Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Others (Barber, John Harbison, Stravinsky)


----------



## SimonNZ

Cnote11 said:


> Gerald Finley sings songs by Ravel


As it happens my copy of this arrived in the post this morning. Thanks for the recommendation a couple of weeks back.


----------



## Cnote11

SimonNZ said:


> As it happens my copy of this arrived in the post this morning. Thanks for the recommendation a couple of weeks back.


I really do hope you enjoy it. I find myself returning to this disc more than most in my collection. Although, this may be because I'm particularly a huge Ravel fan and think everything he did was brilliant!


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* once again featuring Maestro Levine, however, on this occasion he is conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *with the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## drpraetorus

Dvorak, Slavonic Dances


----------



## idomeneo

Prokofiev 
Symphony No. 6
Scottish National Orchestra - Neeme Jarvi


----------



## Arsakes

finished listening to *Beethoven*'s String Quartets by Op.130,131,132 & 135.

*Dvorak*'s Cello concerto & Piano Concerto


----------



## korenbloem




----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak* Piano Quartet in E flat major Op.87


----------



## Hassid

Paganini Nº1: Menuhin-Monteux-Paris SO. 1934. He never recorded it better.

BRAHMS Sextet op.18: Menuhin-Gerecs-Tuttle-Wallfisch-Foley-Casals. Prades, 1955.


----------



## Sonata

Tuesday night jumped around to fragments of pieces. A movement of this, a movement of that. I'm not sure why, but these were what I listened to:

Kodaly: Sonata for solo cello, movements 1 & 2
Elgar: Cello concerto, movement 1
Brahms: Piano Quintet: movements 1 & 2

Last night, I listened to Tchaikovsy: symphony #6, and a playlist containing Schubert and Clara Schumann lieder.

No classical today, I got my morning started with some fine progressive metal instead.



Cnote11 said:


> Things I'm listening to tonight...
> 
> Dawn Upshaw sings Forgotten Songs (Debussy)
> Sandrine Piau sings Debussy Mélodies
> Gerald Finley sings songs by Ravel
> Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings Schubert Lieder
> 
> and now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dawn Upshaw sings Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Others (Barber, John Harbison, Stravinsky)


Sounds like a lovely playlist!!


----------



## Andolink

Anton Webern: Variations for Orchestra, op. 30
London Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Boulez

Anton Webern: String Quartet, op. 28
Julliard String Quartet








Stefan Wolpe: Quintet with Voice
Speculum Musicae/William Purvis


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Horn Concerti, with Allegrini/Mozart O./Abbado (rec.2005 - '07); Symphonies 28 - 30, with ASMF/Marriner (rec.1988).

View attachment 9919
View attachment 9920


----------



## science

Ok, let's not get too excited about this, but I have found my next obsession. I went through a Mozart period, a Chopin period, a Brahms period, and I'm now falling into a Russian romanticism period. This stuff is awesome.

















An old friend at this point, the Helicopter Quartet. A guilty pleasure. I just like the way it sounds, that's all.

It was my first time with the Liszt, which has some very nice parts at least. But my goodness, you have to turn it up loud.

















Love the Hungarian Album.

Someday I might have to make my peace with the fact that Bruckner, Mahler, and Strauss just don't wring me out the way they do other people. But not for another decade or so.


----------



## Sonata

Rachmaninov: 2nd Piano concerto. Completely magnificient.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas (Vol.1), with GG (rec. 1968 - '72); Arias, with Schafer/BPO/Abbado (rec. 1997).

View attachment 9922
View attachment 9923


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Rachmaninov: 2nd Piano concerto. Completely magnificient.


That it is...but...some performances of are less magnificent than others.


----------



## PetrB

*Walter Piston*

Walter Piston ~ Concerto for String Quartet, Wind Instruments and Percussion (1976)





Alfredo Casella: Concerto per quartetto d'archi op.40b


----------



## NightHawk

Out of the loop lately, still listening to Bruckner. Happy Thanksgiving, or Holiday, or Thursday to all. nh


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to these non-artistic Compsers (sarcasm)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rossini*: Overtures, with Philharmonia/HvK (rec. 1958 - '60).
*Schubert* : Symphonies "Tragic" & "Unfinished", with VPO/Muti (rec. 1987 - '93).

View attachment 9927
View attachment 9928


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> That it is...but...some performances of are less magnificent than others.


Which are your favorite performances? I have the Ashkenazy set wishlisted. I listened so far to a library copy of Andrew Litton, Stephen Hough, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

I am now listening to *Beethoven's 3rd again, Josef Krips and the LSO*. I've grown to appreciate it more than previously, specifically the strong second movement. It's not a top-level favorite for me, but I'll probably give it a couple listens per year.

Last night I also listened to *Bach's Ave Maria*. Beautiful


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphony 9, with CSO/Solti et al (rec.1972).
*Schubert*: Wintereisse, with Quasthoff & Spencer (rec.1998).

View attachment 9930
View attachment 9931


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Which are your favorite performances? I have the Ashkenazy set wishlisted. I listened so far to a library copy of Andrew Litton, Stephen Hough, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.


Re Rachmaninov PC 2, Ashkenazy/LSO/Previn (rec. 1970), then Wild/RPO/Horenstein (rec. 1965), Janis/Minn.SO/Dorati (rec.1960).

Interesting to note, famous recording engineer Kenneth Wilkinson was involved with both the Ashkenazy and Wild recs. Robert & Wilma Fine, of course, for the Janis.

Related:

http://www.stereotimes.com/mr092805.shtml


----------



## Andolink

Harrison Birtwistle: String Quartet: The Tree of Strings (2007)
Arditti Quartet


----------



## Sid James

*Elliott Carter:* _String Quartet #2_ (1959) played by the Pacifica Quartet

Continuing with this cycle of string quartets, this second quartet is half the duration of the first one & as a result more concentrated. There's a lot of energy here, a lot of tension, and it all gets released in this full on contrapuntal passage towards the end. Before that, a series of accompanied cadenzas for viola, cello and violin, all sandwiched between four 'proper' movements. An interesting ride and I think that like Sibelius, Carter has the most amazing endings. Just before you think you know how it will end, he does something different. This one kind of peters out after all that energy with a few notes played and plucked. Its like the end of a conversation, or exiting from a building.

*Sister Marie Keyrouz 'Chants Melchite' album*

A contrast to the Carter, this is not 'busy' at all, and good for meditation and relaxation. Very spiritual and both uplifting and kind of deep/mournful at the same time. Sr. Keyrouz has a huge vocal range of something like 2 and a half octaves, and her voice kind of soars above the accompaniment of the male choir which kind of does this continuous drone under her.


----------



## cwarchc

I cant get over how good this is


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works are performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major and Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *both featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine. The *Fourth Symphony* also features soprano Judith Blegen.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, *featuring Roberto Paternostro conducting the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## crmoorhead

samurai said:


> Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works are performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
> Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major and Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *both featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine. The *Fourth Symphony* also features soprano Judith Blegen.
> Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, *featuring Roberto Paternostro conducting the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.


Some pretty hardcore symphony listening there! Good stuff!


----------



## crmoorhead

I'll be listening to this over the next few days, plus a few relistens of new (to me) Aaron Copland works that I am enjoying, specifically his Organ and Third Symphonies and some serialist pieces he did.









I'll maybe source out a few more Hindemith works outside of these three discs if I have the time. Any specific recommendations?


----------



## samurai

crmoorhead said:


> Some pretty hardcore symphony listening there! Good stuff!


It sure is, but I'm enjoying every minute of it!


----------



## samurai

crmoorhead said:


> I'll be listening to this over the next few days, plus a few relistens of new (to me) Aaron Copland works that I am enjoying, specifically his Organ and Third Symphonies and some serialist pieces he did.
> 
> View attachment 9935
> 
> 
> I'll maybe source out a few more Hindemith works outside of these three discs if I have the time. Any specific recommendations?


That *First Symphony*, written by a young Copland, ranks amongst my favorites, along with the Saint-Saens *Third.*


----------



## crmoorhead

samurai said:


> That *First Symphony*, written by a young Copland, ranks amongst my favorites, along with the Saint-Saens *Third.*


It is surprising great, isn't it? I am also enjoying his Piano Sonata which sounds very Lisztian to me.


----------



## samurai

crmoorhead said:


> It is surprising great, isn't it? I am also enjoying his Piano Sonata which sounds very Lisztian to me.


Yes, the first time I heard it {the Copland* Organ Symphony*}, I was really pleasantly surprised by some of its "twists and turns". Thanks for reminding me, as I shall have to listen to it again very soon; it's really been a long time in between listenings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Manxfeeder said:


> I've been eyeing his '60s cycle at Barnes & Noble, and today it's 40 % off, but I'm short on cash. Go figure.


Update: Last night was my anniversary. My wife pulled out a gift bag, and inside was Karajan's '60 cycle! She saw me sighing over it about a month ago and went back and bought it for me. What a lady!

So today, the 9th and the 3rd.


----------



## samurai

@ Manx, First, Happy Anniversary. Second, Congrats on having such a great wife! I have that HVK Beethoven Cycle. Enjoy! :cheers:


----------



## opus55

Mozart symphonies










I like the compactness of classical symphonies


----------



## SimonNZ

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no.1 - Alexander Uninsky, piano, Willem Van Otterloo, cond.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Sonata in C major, BWV 1005
Saint-Saens: Piano Trio No. 1

















Listening while folding laundry


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* both performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the stick of James Levine.


----------



## opus55

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 7
Beethoven: Violin Sonata, No. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Piano Quartet Op.60 - Trio Santoliquido with Bruno Giuranna, viola


----------



## PetrB

Live concert recording, Dutch (Nederlands) Radio Filharmonisch Orkest - Groot Omroepkoor, John Adams conducts. 
PROGRAM:
Darius Milhaud ~ La Creation du Monde:﻿﻿ 7:02
Igor Stravinsky ~ Les Noces: 33:25 *[Orchestrated - by Steven Stucky]*
John Adams ~ City Noir: 1:27:06


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Recital Of Bach Arias" - Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## science

But with such delightful Baroque music... maybe I will never have a real phase again.

















This is as good as Gardiner or Karajan. (Didn't listen to the 5th yet.)

















Kempff's Brahms is good but I think I like Katchen's better; and Pogorelich is a god.


----------



## SimonNZ

Liszt's Piano Concerto no.2 - Robert Casadesus, piano, George Szell, cond.

...plus whatever "doof-doof" my a-hole neighbours are sharing with the street


----------



## Arsakes

< My avatar's CD (Handel's Wassermusic)


----------



## SimonNZ

As I progress through my boxes of 10" I'm going to be playing my avatar fairly soon..

But right now its Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony - Fritz Lehmann


----------



## crmoorhead

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 9940
> 
> 
> "A Recital Of Bach Arias" - Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, Adrian Boult, cond.


I can't decide whether that image has been doctored or whether the makers deemed Ferrier as famous enough that they just had to have her picture in place of her actual name.


----------



## PetrB

Stumbled upon this fun and funny 'concerto.'
Richard Rijnvos - NYConcerto - Grand Central Dance


----------



## SimonNZ

crmoorhead said:


> I can't decide whether that image has been doctored or whether the makers deemed Ferrier as famous enough that they just had to have her picture in place of her actual name.


It actually does say her name at her eye-level in between the "by" and the "contralto)", but its white writing on a very pale pink background. If you click on my photo for an enlargement you can just make it out. I don't think its because my copy has faded - in every other way it seems near mint.

But the lack of open-bracket for the word contralto is clearly a misprint.


----------



## korenbloem




----------



## Hassid

Prokofieff: Overture on Hebrew themes: Prokofieff, Alexander Volodin clarinet and Beethoven quartet.1937

Noam Sivan: his transcription to solo violin of Liszt's piano sonata: Giora Schmidt violin.


----------



## campy

Richard Strauss: _Metamorphosen_


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony 9 conducted by Karl Bohm


----------



## Sonata

Sibelius' wonderful 2nd Symphony. Just my second listen, and I know I'll have many more in the future


----------



## Art Rock

Emilie Mayer - Symphony 4 (1851) from a downloaded radio broadcast. One of the few 19th century female composers to try her hand on symphonies.


----------



## millionrainbows

A hybrid CD/SACD. Contains the first recording of the Notturno (1896) for harp, solo violin, and string orchestra.


----------



## Schubussy

The only Scriabin I have, a situation that needs to be rectified soon I think.


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Bartok, Rhapsodies #1 and #2 for Violin and Orchestra
Gil Shaham; Pierre Boulez: Chicago SO*


----------



## starthrower

I've been revisiting this set during the week.


----------



## realdealblues

Finished Symphony 9 and since I already had it out...might as well listen to Symphony 3


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Bottesini, Gran Duo Concertante for Doublebass, Violin and Orchestra
Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell; Hugh Wolff: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra*


----------



## Ravndal

Beethoven Sonata. No 13 (Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia) NO.2 - On repeat 

Glenn Gould version of course. Seems like a fun piece to play!


----------



## Sonata

Kind of ugly album artwork, but wonderful music on this album.


----------



## Lukecash12

The chamber version of Chopin's first piano concerto, arranged for a piano and string quintet (two violins, viola, cello, & double bass). It's nice to have clearer voices, and for the strings to match more intimately with the piano. They play it with dynamics pretty much down one step a lot of the way through, and for some other reasons it doesn't have as much gravity as the original, but of course you don't listen to the chamber arrangement for gravity.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Paul Hindemith's* (1895 - 1963) birthday, Violin Concerto with Oistrakh/LSO/Hindemith (rec. 1962).

View attachment 9955


----------



## Lukecash12

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Paul Hindemith's* (1895 - 1963) birthday, Violin Concerto with Oistrakh/LSO/Hindemith (rec. 1962).
> 
> View attachment 9955


I just adore Oistrah's work. He's my favorite of that period and area, even preferable to Kogan.


----------



## pendereckiobsessed

Schoenberg's early masterpiece Verklarte Nacht


----------



## Andolink

Maurice Ohana: Office des Oracles
Choeur Contemporain D'aix-en-Provence
Musicatreize/Roland Hayrabedian


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ For Frank O'hara
For piccolo, alto flute, clarinet, two percussionists, piano, violin and cello.


----------



## PetrB

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Paul Hindemith's* (1895 - 1963) birthday, Violin Concerto with Oistrakh/LSO/Hindemith (rec. 1962).
> 
> View attachment 9955


Written for Hindemith ~ Darius Milhaud: Concerto per viola e orchestra:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, and 1.*


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Brahms: Piano Concerto #2, Piano Sonata #1
Sviatoslav Richter *


----------



## millionrainbows

Very early pieces by Stefan Wolpe, predating his atonal stuff, but spicy in places. Interesting Hauer pieces, and a march by H.H. Stuckenschmidt, whose name I recognized from a book on Schoenberg.


----------



## brianwalker

The Second Violin Sonata is tremendous, I daresay greater than any of Beethoven's.


----------



## samurai

Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {Symphony No.1}, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein. Organist E. Power Biggs is the featured soloist on *Symphony No.1.*
Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under the baton of Eugene Ormandy. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor, *featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,soprano Marilyn Horne, the Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, all under the direction of James Levine. I didn't understand a word of Miss Horne's singing, but the beauty and emotion in her voice sent shivers up my spine. Wow!


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Magic Flute Overture - Josef Krips


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Symphony no.3 - Guido Cantelli


----------



## brianwalker

There is no comparison. The piano music far surpasses it in sheer breadth of musical invention, ideas, spontaneity, humor, and universal appeal both to emotion and intellect. I find Pelleas more of a curiosity than a full-fledged example of Debussy at his best. I agree with Richard Strauss that there isn't much music in it. Pelleas is a perfect example of the pitfalls awaiting a miniaturist who misguidedly takes up a large canvass. Schubert had the same problem. Debussy was pushing his compositional luck with his tone poems. He completely ran out with Pelleas. Stravinsky said in his dialogues with Robert Craft in the 1960s that "I thought Pelléas a great bore as a whole". Of course Stravinsky had said famously in 1913 that since Parsifal only two operas that mattered had been composed, Elektra and Pelleas, but then it was 1913 and Debussy was alive and powerful in France, Stravinsky's temporarily resting place. Debussy was never great in drama; atmospheric tone painting and superlative beauty in color and timbre was more his forte. Debussy is, as it were, the Terence Malick of the music, a foil to Wagner, in whom the best virtues of Bergman and Welles are fused together. Outside of his output for piano and his two most famous orchestral pieces, *Khamma*, *Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien*, and *Jeux * are his greatest masterpieces. I recommend this recording for the aforementioned works.












brianwalker said:


> View attachment 9969
> 
> 
> The Second Violin Sonata is tremendous, I daresay greater than any of Beethoven's.


Scratch the daresay; it's definitely better than any of Beethoven's.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*:
Piano Sonata In C minor "Pathetique" & "Waldstein" Sonata In C minor
Cello Sonata in F major & in G minor (Op.5), in A major (Op. 69)
Egmont (Lied)


----------



## korenbloem




----------



## korenbloem

just having a mahler-day


----------



## Wandering

*Jarvi/Bamberg*


----------



## Hausmusik

brianwalker said:


> ...a perfect example of the pitfalls awaiting a miniaturist who misguidedly takes up a large canvass. *Schubert had the same problem. *


Schubert's a miniaturist? Really?! Don't tell Schumann, who praised him for his "heavenly lengths." Like Bruckner, Schubert is at his most inspired, I think, when at his most expansive (the Great symphony, the 960 sonata, the unabridged second trio, the string quintet, the octet, the E-flat mass, the totality of _Winterreise_, etc.).


----------



## Hausmusik

*Haydn, Piano Concerto #11
*
Performer: Martha Argerich
Orchestra: Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra (Heilbronn)
Conductor: Jörg Faerber


----------



## campy

Ravel: _La Valse _(OSM/Dutoit)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*

So far, I prefer Karajan's '60s cycle to the one from the '70s.


----------



## Schubussy

Don't know if I should really like this... but I kinda do.


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Hausmusik

Joachim Raff's Octet for Strings, inspired by this thread started by huilunsoittaja.






EDIT: OK, well a little of this goes a long way. . .


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: String Quartet, No. 2










Great find from a used book store


----------



## Hausmusik

Argerich
Chopin: Preludes
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit


----------



## Vaneyes

*Severac*: Piano Works with Ciccolini (rec.1968 - '77).

View attachment 9977


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Symphony no. 4 by Sergei Taneyev, conducted by Neeme Jarvi, New Philharmonia Orchestra. I can't remember a single melody as of now since it's my first real hearing, but the emotion is so brilliant, I will never forget it. I love it. He's so unique, not at all Nationalist but somehow Russian anyway. And he's not even that much like Tchaikovsky or Arensky, he's his own Muscovite personality.


----------



## opus55

Lutoslawski: Symphonies No. 4
Shostakovich: String Quartet Nos. 12 and 13


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {Spring"}* *and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *once again featuring Maestro Karajan, this time at the helm of the Vienna Philharmonic. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by James Levine.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## idomeneo

Bernstein Conducts Hindemith
Symphony in e-flat / Symphonic Metamorphosis of themes by Carl Maria von Weber


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Andolink

Arne Nordheim: Magma
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra/Yoav Talmi


----------



## Cnote11

Hugo Wolf - Italienisches Liederbuch

Performers: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Someone on here posted a Molique several days back and I had not ever heard him and so I have since listened to several titles available on Spotify. I really enjoy his compositions. Really strong melodies. Maybe not "innovative" but pleasant to listen to none the less. I found I really enjoy his String Quartets and am re-listening to this for the third time this week!










Kevin


----------



## opus55

I have the Vol. 3 of the Molique SQ. While not the best of the period/genre it was still enjoyable. I admit I am infatuated with CPO label.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12
Hindemith: String Quartet No. 4


----------



## Sonata

Harp Concertos by Dittersdorf and Rodrigo
Piano Concerto #2 by Rachmaninoff
French Suite #5 & Goldberg Variations: Bach
Piano Sonata #5: Mozart
Lyric Pieces: Grieg


----------



## millionrainbows

Good performances of Chabrier, from that "hi-fi mono" era, recorded in 1949 and 1955. On a Pleyel piano.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> I have the Vol. 3 of the Molique SQ. While not the best of the period/genre it was still enjoyable. I admit I am infatuated with CPO label.


I agree about CPO. I rarely ever buy or hear one of their recordings I did not like. Their consistency and commitment to delve into lesser known works and composers keeps me coming back to them. If only Spotify would carry a complete CPO catalog I would be so happy!

Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder


----------



## opus55

Beriot: Violin Concerto No 2
Brahms: Symphony No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

highlights from Delibes' Coppelia - Ernest Ansermet


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture - Fritz Lehmann


----------



## Sonata

Strauss: Symphonic Music from Operas. Quite a good album actually, my introduction to Strauss music.


----------



## idomeneo

Beethoven
String Quartet No. 12 Op. 127
Budapest String Quartet


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 5 and Quintet, Op. 29
Borodin: String Quartet No. 2


----------



## idomeneo

Bach
The Goldberg Variations
Glenn Gould


----------



## SimonNZ

Rimsky-Korsakov's Piano Concerto - Fabienne Jacquinot, piano, Anatole Fistoulari, cond.


----------



## PetrB

Saint-Saens, Symphony No. 3; iii, Presto ~ Thinking, in a way, _I've never heard better or more inventive Bruckner in my life_
A Hot-damn brilliant vintage performance, too. Boston Symphony; cond. Charles Munch


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Gerald Moore
Disc 1 from this excellent SACD set.


----------



## idomeneo

Witold Lutoslawski 
Concerto for Orchestra


----------



## brianwalker

Really.


----------



## Andolink

George Frederick Handel: Tamerlano
The English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardner


----------



## millionrainbows

brianwalker said:


> ...I wonder if millionrainbows would like this....This boxset is a steal. Get it now if you haven't already. Tebaldi is the consummate Puccini proponent; if you think you don't like Puccini chances are you just didn't like Freni.


If it's got good singing and good lyrical melodies, I think I would. I heard some Puccini (I think it was) which was some of his non-opera intrumental pieces. I liked it. In fact, I've noticed that opera contains some of the most memorable melodies (this may be due to early caroon exposure). I like arias by good sopranos. But, yeah, I like Rossini's String Sonatas, and Wagner without words.

BTW, which CD are you referring to, the Puccini or the Puccini, or both?

*later edit, after search: Oh, I see, the top image is a CD from the box.









I must say, though, I'm not a big opera fan (yet). I have noticed as I progress in age, that certain sopranos can bring me to tears. Only a voice can do this.

I have Debussy's Pelleas, Berg's Wozzeck (the "dry" reissue), Moses und Aaron, and Mozart's dupont/Chailly box I never listen to, and a few French rarities. Oh, yeah, I do like those comic-opreas by Rameau. I have "La Platee."


----------



## Vaneyes

*Roussel*: Chamber Music (Complete), with Schonberg Qt. et al (rec.1994); *Mompou*: Piano Music (Complete), with Mompou (rec.1974).

View attachment 10001
View attachment 10002


----------



## Sonata

Listening to Bach's Goldberg Variations and Italian Concerto again.


----------



## Arsakes

For birthday celebration of *Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov Ivanov* I listened to these works of his:

Yar Khmel, Spring Overture
Jubilee March
Armenian Rhapsody on National Themes
Turkish March
Turkish Fragments
Caucasian Sketches, Suite No.1 & 2


----------



## Rapide




----------



## PetrB

Luigi Dallapiccola~ Piccola Musica Notturna


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

Bruno Walter. Ah . . .


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Ensemble 415: Chiara Banchini and Enrico Gatti, violins -- Emilio Moreno and Irmgard Schaller, violas -- Kathi Gohl, cello

View attachment 10015


----------



## Cnote11

Vaneyes said:


> *Roussel*: Chamber Music (Complete), with Schonberg Qt. et al (rec.1994); *Mompou*: Piano Music (Complete), with Mompou (rec.1974).
> 
> View attachment 10001
> View attachment 10002


I'm tracking both of these down at the moment. I'm going to go ahead and trust you, vaneyes!


----------



## Cnote11

Yes, yes...


----------



## bejart

Georg Anton Benda (1722-1795): Overture to 'Der Dorfjahrmakt'.

Hermann Breuer leading the Gotha Regional Symphony Orchestra of Thuringia

View attachment 10013


----------



## Cnote11

Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel


----------



## Cnote11

Takemitsu - Coral Island


----------



## Guest

Rontgen Cello Sonatas:









I continue grazing in the late romantic chamber corner of the repertoire. The grass tastes yummy over here.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Symphony #40. Not bad! First time I've really enjoyed a classical-era symphony. 
Mendelssohn: Symphony #1. 
Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs, and additional orchestral songs.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*

Karajan, '70s cycle. (Can't find a picture.)


----------



## Sid James

*Elliott Carter* _Concerto for Orchestra ; Three Ocassions for Orchestra ; Violin Concerto_
Ole Bohn, violin with the London Sinfonietta under Oliver Knussen (EMI)

*Berlioz* _Harold in Italy_
Daniel Benyamini, viola with the Israel PO under Zubin Mehta (ELoquence)

*Schumann *_Fantasia in C, Op. 17_
*Liszt* _Rhapsodie Espagnole_
*Schubert/Liszt*_ Der Muller und der Bach ; Augenthalt_
*Schumann/Liszt*_ Widmung_
Played by Nina Lelchuk on piano (Telarc)

*Liszt* _6 Consolations, S. 172_
Lilya Zilberstein, piano (Eloquence)



Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Paul Hindemith's* (1895 - 1963) birthday, Violin Concerto with Oistrakh/LSO/Hindemith (rec. 1962).
> 
> ...


Well, happy birthday, Paul!

I love that work, I think its on par with any concerto of that interwar period. It was on youtube in full the last time I looked. I sent it to an acquaintance with little experience with this type of 'Modern' ('atonal' type) music. & it went down very well with this person, they said it was a very emotional experience. So much for some people online who suggest this is not possible. But I'll stop there.



Sonata said:


> ...
> Mendelssohn: Symphony #1.


Great work, love it too. Some pretty 'aggro' counterpoint (well, for a teenage composer!) in the final movement esp. As good as the more famous _Octet for strings_, imo.


----------



## PetrB

Cnote11 said:


> Takemitsu - Coral Island


Do NOT pass over "Dorian Horizon," please. A very fine (and beautiful) piece


----------



## PetrB

Maybe I've posted this before, but it's worth putting up several times....

Robert Moran ~ Requiem; Chant du Cygne. For a specific acoustic space, four choruses, four instrumental ensembles. Remarkable, lovely, moving.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I spent over 5 hours listening on Turntable.fm today. I listened to a huge variety of things. Poulenc and Elgar were features, quite a bit of Russian and a few dashes of non-Russians. Also a bunch of stuff I've never heard before, it wasn't just music I shared, but what others shared. I have a good internet buddy there that plays a ton of obscure stuff because he has his ways of finding stuff. Currently listening to a composer named Pavel Pabst, his Piano Concerto, a nice late romantic work (shared by this individual).


----------



## Cnote11

PetrB said:


> Do NOT pass over "Dorian Horizon," please. A very fine (and beautiful) piece


I did pass over it this time! Do not fear! Takemitsu sees a lot of play by me and I'll make sure to put it on just for you.

Also, I just listened to Disc 5 of Debussy Complete Piano Works by Aldo Ciccolini, some Schubert Lieder by Dietrich, played some more Federico Mompou, a little Michael Nyman, and am now spending time with this disc, as I always do.


----------



## Cnote11

I feel a little spammy tonight... I'll line up the Takemitsu after I'm finished with the following










John Cage - In a Landscape


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Oboe Sonata in C Major, Op.71, No.3

Burkhard Glaetzner, oboe -- Christine Schornstein, piano

View attachment 10018


----------



## Sonata

Sampling some of Faure's Nocturnes online before bed.


----------



## drpraetorus

H.M.S. Pinafore


----------



## Cnote11

Sonata said:


> Sampling some of Faure's Nocturnes online before bed.


Lovely... I have two discs of them and was just contemplating listening to one of them!

Now that I'm finished with "The Dorian Horizon" by Toru Takemitsu










John Cage - The Perilous Night and Four Walls


----------



## PetrB

Cnote11 said:


> I did pass over it this time! Do not fear! Takemitsu sees a lot of play by me and I'll make sure to put it on just for you.
> 
> Also, I just listened to Disc 5 of Debussy Complete Piano Works by Aldo Ciccolini, some Schubert Lieder by Dietrich, played some more Federico Mompou, a little Michael Nyman, and am now spending time with this disc, as I always do.


You might like
Takashi YOSHIMATSU - Threnody to Toki


----------



## SimonNZ

Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite - John Barbirolli

"no good", according to a previous owner who felt this so strongly they've written it in ball-point pen on the cover

but did they mean the composition or the performance?


----------



## science




----------



## Kevin Pearson

For those looking for some great chamber music from the Classical Period I highly recommend this CPO recording of Anton Eberl's Quintets and piano trio. Just really great stuff. I have no clue why these are not more widely known because they are fabulous!










Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Continuing on with Anton Eberl and his two piano concertos. This is also a CPO recording and one I greatly enjoy.










Kevin


----------



## Cnote11

PetrB said:


> You might like
> Takashi YOSHIMATSU - Threnody to Toki


That is a great piece! I actually discovered Takashi Yoshimatsu on here, I believe, when I started a thread asking about saxophone use in classical music.


----------



## Guest

A new Mozart recording:








Very lovely performances by Kristian Bezuidenhout on fortepiano and the Freiberger Baroque Orchestra. Replaces a couple of versions I just couldn't get into.


----------



## violadude

PetrB said:


> You might like
> Takashi YOSHIMATSU - Threnody to Toki


omg...this is beautiful. I had an eargasm on the very first note. I love Yoshimatsu's music so much.


----------



## xuantu

PetrB said:


> Takashi YOSHIMATSU - Threnody to Toki


A hearty discovery!


----------



## science

I really appreciated when the videos had their own thread. Can we go back to that?


----------



## SimonNZ

The "Mad Scene" from Donizetti's Lucia Di Lammermoor - Mado Robin, soprano, Richard Blareau, cond.


----------



## Andolink

Per Nørgård: Concerto in due tempi for piano and orchestra
Per Salo, piano
The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leif Segerstam


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1670-1750): Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Op.9, No.2

I Musici with Heinz Holliger on oboe

View attachment 10027


----------



## PetrB

I had forgotten how practical (as a utilitarian actual mass), clear and lovely this piece is....
Stravinsky ~ Mass









another performance....


----------



## Arsakes

bejart said:


> Tomaso Albinoni (1670-1750): Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Op.9, No.2
> 
> I Musici with Heinz Holliger on oboe
> 
> View attachment 10027


I haven't heard this one, but as it's Albinoni's, it's a Oboe Concerto and also is in minor, should be a great music 

@PetrB, no more videos please.


----------



## Arsakes

In the morning..

*Glazunov*:
Karelian Legend, Op. 99
Finnish Fantasy, Op.88
Finnish Sketches, Op.89
Ouverture solennelle, Op.73
Overture No.1 on Three Greek Themes, Op.3


----------



## PetrB

Now up ~ A fantastic staging, excellent musicians, and the full-length piece in one long-play link!
One of the greatest of 20th century choral works... _imho_.
Stravinsky ~ Oedipus Rex


----------



## Arsakes

Later during study...

*Bruckner*:
Symphony No.8 (I love the first and last movements (epic/tragic feelings), the adagio is very beautiful too)
Some movements from Symphonies No.3,5,6 and 7


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.16, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 10029


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> Maybe I've posted this before, but it's worth putting up several times....
> 
> Robert Moran ~ Requiem; Chant du Cygne.


It is lovely. Thanks for posting it.


----------



## campy

Schubert: Symphony #9, "Great C Major" (Danish National SO/Adam Fischer)


----------



## science

The Karajan is an old favorite. I have four recordings of Debussy's La Mer (Karajan, Munch, Bernstein, Boulez) and I love all of them. Any one of them would be good enough. Each time I hear one, I think, oh, this is the best one I have. The Mussorgsky is fine, but I prefer the piano. And the real reason I'm listening to this is of course Bolero. Not joking. Haven't heard it in more than a year.










Dirty songs.... Lots of fun. Too much fun for some. Violadude, COAG, I'm pretty sure you'll need to get your parents' permission before listening to these songs.










The Sainte-Colombe is great. Beautiful, simple.


----------



## millionrainbows

I got up and started the morning with a little 'erb...*Donald Erb* (1927-2008), that is; his _Concerto for Contrabassoon and Orchestra (1984)._ The contrabassoon is that instrument that we usually hear making a lovely, strong low bass tone. Here, it grunts its way through as a solo instrument.

The *Marga Richter* (1926-) piece _Blackberry Vines and Winter Fruit (1976)_ is good winter music; foreboding, mysterious, making step-like melodic statements which plod along like a walk through a winter landscape. It's reminiscent of Charles Ives' _Central Park In The Dark._ She studied with Vincent Persichetti.

*Erik Lundborg* (194 you may have heard of; he did the soundtrack for the video game _Enter the Matrix._ The piece here, _Switchback (1986-88)_ is very brash, muscular, sounding like Carl Ruggles in places. Very dissonant horn bursts. It starts out with all angst, like coming into Dallas traffic at 6 A.M...it finally lets up about halfway through. Not enough quiet mystery for me. He is an effective orchestrator.

Lastly, we hear *Irwin A. "Bud" Bazelon* (1922-1995) with his _Symphony No. 8 for Strings (1986)._ He did the theme for _NBC News with John Chancellor_ which opened the show from 1962-1977. His music is full of the urban angst of the big city.


----------



## Sonata

*Eine Alpensinfonie- Richard Strauss*. I'm big into Strauss these last few days. This is my first listen of this work so far and i am really enjoying it.


----------



## millionrainbows

Richard Strauss' _Capriccio Op.85 (1944)_ foreshadows his _Metamorphosen (1945)._ Subtitled _"A Conversation Piece,"_ it supposedly deals with a discussion of the relative merits of words and music in opera. It is this "conversational element," in which themes emerge as representative of "characters" which gives this piece, for me, connections to Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night (1899)_ as well as the changing "moods" of the piece, where suddenly a dark minor passage will "brighten" with a sense of hope and optimism. Both are string sextets as well.

Why Richard Strauss disparaged Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night_is beyond me; then again, Strauss arranged a private performance of this in May 1942 in the Vienna home of the city's governor, Baldur von Schirach, in gratitude for the "protection" which the Nazi accorded to the Strauss family.


----------



## Vaneyes

Early Musicke (*Byrd* & *Gibbons*) with GG (rec.1967 - '71).

View attachment 10032
View attachment 10033


----------



## Vaneyes

Cnote11 said:


> I'm tracking both of these (*Roussel *& *Mompou* CDs) down at the moment. I'm going to go ahead and trust you, vaneyes!


Good for you. Enjoy! And don't forget *Severac*.

View attachment 10034


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*
> 
> Karajan, '70s cycle. (Can't find a picture.)


Here's a cover for the 70's No. 9, Manx. This reissue contains the best remasterings for the 70's Nos. 5, 6, & 9. An excellent supplement to the 60's cycle, which I know is your favorite.

View attachment 10035


----------



## NightHawk

Otto Klemperer day at home.


----------



## Sonata

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 10031
> 
> 
> Richard Strauss' _Capriccio Op.85 (1944)_ foreshadows his _Metamorphosen (1945)._ Subtitled _"A Conversation Piece,"_ it supposedly deals with a discussion of the relative merits of words and music in opera. It is this "conversational element," in which themes emerge as representative of "characters" which gives this piece, for me, connections to Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night (1899)_ as well as the changing "moods" of the piece, where suddenly a dark minor passage will "brighten" with a sense of hope and optimism. Both are string sextets as well.
> 
> Why Richard Strauss disparaged Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night_is beyond me; then again, Strauss arranged a private performance of this in May 1942 in the Vienna home of the city's governor, Baldur von Schirach, in gratitude for the "protection" which the Nazi accorded to the Strauss family.


I almost want this just for the intruiging cover art


----------



## PetrB

In searching for links to recommend pieces, I've lately been 'stumbling' on long play links where before an uploaded piece was in numerous short links. Such as they are, I want to pass them forward.
*The complete Bartok 'Bluebeard's Castle' -- one-act opera, two characters, imo, one of his most 'luscious' scores.*
Bluebeard: Kolos Kováts
Judith: Sylvia Sass 
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti.


----------



## PetrB

violadude said:


> omg...this is beautiful. I had an eargasm on the very first note. I love Yoshimatsu's music so much.


This is his last work using serial technique 'atonlity' of a sort -- maybe too bad because this one is a beauty -- which he then dropped to write in another vein. 
That other vein, I am highly conflicted about - pleasant, somewhat 'ambient' in feel, very 'Japanese Pretty Fluffy' (to me) at the same time, which is the part I find both attractive and annoying


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Here's a cover for the 70's No. 9, Manx. This reissue contains the best remasterings for the 70's Nos. 5, 6, & 9. An excellent supplement to the 60's cycle, which I know is your favorite.


Thanks! I managed to pick up the original '70s cycle used. Unfortunately, one disk is unplayable. Still, I can't complain for $6.

Now I'm switching back and forth between the two. Today, Beethoven's 9th from the '60s.


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg *_Transfigured Night Op. 4_ played by English Chamber Orch. under Daniel Barenboim
*Brahms/orch. Schoenberg* _Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25 _City of Birmingham SO under Simon Rattle (both on EMI cd)

*Elliott Carter *_String Quartet #3_ (1971) played By Pacifica Quartet (on Naxos cd)

*Dance of the Angel album *- Tangos by Piazzolla (incl. _Histoire du Tango_) & Dyens, Lovelady, Baden-Powell, de Moraes, Santorsola
Slava Grigoryan, guitar/leader with Eduard Grigoryan, violin ; Sagut Guirey, classical guitar ; Al Slavic, electric bass (on Sony cd)



millionrainbows said:


> ...
> Richard Strauss' _Capriccio Op.85 (1944)_ foreshadows his _Metamorphosen (1945)._ Subtitled _"A Conversation Piece,"_ it supposedly deals with a discussion of the relative merits of words and music in opera. It is this "conversational element," in which themes emerge as representative of "characters" which gives this piece, for me, connections to Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night (1899)_ as well as the changing "moods" of the piece, where suddenly a dark minor passage will "brighten" with a sense of hope and optimism. Both are string sextets as well.
> 
> Why Richard Strauss disparaged Schoenberg's _Transfigured Night_is beyond me; then again, Strauss arranged a private performance of this in May 1942 in the Vienna home of the city's governor, Baldur von Schirach, in gratitude for the "protection" which the Nazi accorded to the Strauss family.


There's also a string sextet version of_ Metamorphosen_, but it was done by another composer. I too hear similarities between _Transfigured Night _and that work. But apart from Metamorphosen, I don't much like R. Strauss. What happened with him under the Third Reich, its quite a tragic story, quite an ignominious end to such a stellar career. I like it how that with _Metamorphosen_ he finally shed his rock solid mask and actual made a personal & emotionally direct statement (him being the most objective of 'Romantic' composers, a total contrast to Mahler, whose music is often quite autobiographical).

I was thinking of doing a thread about composers under the Third Reich, incl. in Nazi occupied countries. More about their lives at the time than their music. Orff, like Strauss, was compromised. Webern tried to toady but obviously would get nowhere, given the nature of his music. Kodaly was involved in the resistance and had to go into hiding, the Nazis wanted him dead. K.A. Hartmann withdrew from musical life as a protest. Hindemith was forced to leave, as where composers of Jewish heritage like Schoenberg and Korngold. Some had their royalties taken away and their music banned causing poverty and having tragic consequences (eg. Berg). Some where killed in death camps, paying the ultimate price. Schmidt was a fanatic supporter of the regime. There are all these stories. But given the current pretty hostile climate of this forum, I will not be the fall guy to do a thread on this, then be pulled down by various people who just think these things are taboo and that certain sacred cow composers should not be touched. Well, I am in effect censored from doing that, but your post bought these issues to my mind.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131* *and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100*, both featuring the Orchestre National de France led by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major,* performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and soprano Judith Blegen under the baton of James Levine.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878/1880 version}, *with the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Andolink

Colin Matthews: Broken Symmetry 
London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen








A 24 minute all out, ear blistering orchestral assault. Not for those with weak constitutions.


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Trio in C Major, Op.14, No.2.

Sonatori Ensemble: Peter Brock, flute -- Jana Vlachova, violin -- Mikael Ericsson, cello

View attachment 10048


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling/revisiting Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis; Reihe kleiner Stücke, with Bruhn (rec. 1996).I'm very impressed with this rec.--performance, interpretation, instrument, recorded sound. Another candidate for trigger-pulling.

Re Ludud Tonalis, I've owned, heard, or sampled Richter, Berezovsky, McCabe, Janssen, Petermandl, Aldwell, Mustonen. Not being happy with any of them.

View attachment 10049


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> (Re Leipzig/Blomstedt R. Strauss)I almost want this just for the intruiging cover art


Re Blomstedt R. Strauss, suggest Alpine Symphony with SFSO. Listening now!

View attachment 10050


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Vaclav Mica (1697-1744): Symphony in D Major, Op.25

Milos Formacek leading the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 10051


----------



## bejart

Etienne Mehul (1763-1817): Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op.1, No.2

Brigitte Haudebourg, piano

View attachment 10053


----------



## idomeneo

Bach
The Art of Fugue
Kenneth Gilbert Harpsichord


----------



## PetrB

Nigel Westlake ~ Malachite Glass





The Hinchinbrook Riffs


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *featuring James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## PetrB

zOMG!, another complete extended piece in an uninterrupted long play link...
Beethoven ~ Missa Solemnis; Herreweghe
Missa Solemnis, in one long-play link!!! 




Haitink...


----------



## idomeneo

Igor Stravinsky
Apollo / Agon / Jeu De Cartes
Works of Igor Stravinsky Box Set CD 4


----------



## drpraetorus

A Night in the Tropics, Gottschalk


----------



## idomeneo

Igor Stravinsky
Miniature Masterpieces
Works of Igor Stravinsky Box Set CD 11


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Trio Sonata in A Minor

Elisabeth Weinzierl and Edmund Wachter, flutes -- Eva Schieferstein, harpsichord

View attachment 10057


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (arranged for String Trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)

Trio Echnaton: Mayra Salinas, violin -- Sebastian Krunnies, viola -- Frank Michael Guthmann, cello

View attachment 10058


----------



## Andolink

Pierre Boulez: Piano Sonata No. 1 (1946)
Herbert Henck, piano








Franz Schmidt: String Quartet in A Major (1925)
Franz Schubert Quartett, Wien







(without question, a desert island disc for me!)

Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Leçons de Ténèbres
Il Seminario Musicale/Gerard Lesne


----------



## bejart

Pierre Vachon (1731-1803): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.5, No.2

Rasumovsky Quartet: Frances Mason and Marilyn Taylor, violins -- Christopher Wellington, viola -- Joy Hall, cello

View attachment 10062


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*: 
String Quintet in E flat major
String Quartet No.5,7 & 14
Silhouetten Op.8
From Bohemia Forest Op.68 (Piano)


----------



## millionrainbows

Cnote11 said:


> That is a great piece! I actually discovered Takashi Yoshimatsu on here, I believe, when I started a thread asking about saxophone use in classical music.


@Cnote11: Is this the NAXOS, Chandos, or ASV version? Nice!


----------



## millionrainbows

Sid James said:


> There's also a string sextet version of_ Metamorphosen_, but it was done by another composer. I too hear similarities between _Transfigured Night _and that work. But apart from Metamorphosen, I don't much like R. Strauss. What happened with him under the Third Reich, its quite a tragic story, quite an ignominious end to such a stellar career. I like it how that with _Metamorphosen_ he finally shed his rock solid mask and actual made a personal & emotionally direct statement (him being the most objective of 'Romantic' composers, a total contrast to Mahler, whose music is often quite autobiographical).
> 
> I was thinking of doing a thread about composers under the Third Reich, incl. in Nazi occupied countries. More about their lives at the time than their music. Orff, like Strauss, was compromised. Webern tried to toady but obviously would get nowhere, given the nature of his music. Kodaly was involved in the resistance and had to go into hiding, the Nazis wanted him dead. K.A. Hartmann withdrew from musical life as a protest. Hindemith was forced to leave, as where composers of Jewish heritage like Schoenberg and Korngold. Some had their royalties taken away and their music banned causing poverty and having tragic consequences (eg. Berg). Some where killed in death camps, paying the ultimate price. Schmidt was a fanatic supporter of the regime. There are all these stories. But given the current pretty hostile climate of this forum, I will not be the fall guy to do a thread on this, then be pulled down by various people who just think these things are taboo and that certain sacred cow composers should not be touched. Well, I am in effect censored from doing that, but your post bought these issues to my mind.


I think that would be a very interesting article, Sid, and to give more credence to the idea, there is a whole series of recordings devoted to music which was written _in_ concentration camps: Encyclopedia of Music Composed in Concentration Camps (1933-1945) (KZ Musik).

I tend to go easy on Orff. There was never any actual evidence that he informed or sympathized, and in his defense, one of his close friends was affiliated with the "White Rose" student movement. (See Udo Zimmerman's work). The thing to understand about Orff is, his music was what was coming out of Germany at the time, and it freaked people out because of its primal and dark ceremonial nature (remember its use in "The Omen" series of movies). I think Orff was clean.









On YouTube, there is a very harrowing series of clips from the movie about the two university students, Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were beheaded for their involvement in handing out flyers.


----------



## millionrainbows

*In Praise of Crummy Digital Masterings*









I heard this early-digital-age mastering (1985) on the radio, and the odd sound quality came through, so I got a used copy. By most standards, this is a crummy first-generation digital mastering, but I like it. This comes through especially on the cut I heard on the radio,_* L'apres-midi d'un faun,*_ where the strings sound icy and artificial; the whole thing has an air of unreality about it. The whole piece is enclosed in a glassy, bright atmosphere; There is a two-dimensional quality, as if looking down through thick ice, and only seeing those elements which rise up close enough to the ice to be clearly seen.

But enough of this waxing poetic; go search out a used copy of this obsolete disc and experience it for yourself.


----------



## Sonata




----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: String Quartets 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, with Borodin Qt. (rec.1990); Piano Sonata 2, with Gilels (rec.1965).

View attachment 10069
View attachment 10070


----------



## NightHawk

Got to have this arrangement! Piano Trio is one of most favored chamber groups and the GV (as most Bach) would, I imagine, lend itself to imaginative transcription. Thanks for posting!



bejart said:


> JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (arranged for String Trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)
> 
> Trio Echnaton: Mayra Salinas, violin -- Sebastian Krunnies, viola -- Frank Michael Guthmann, cello
> 
> View attachment 10058


----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 10072


millionrainbows said:


> *In Praise of Crummy Digital Masterings*
> 
> View attachment 10066
> 
> 
> I heard this early-digital-age mastering (1985) on the radio, and the odd sound quality came through, so I got a used copy. By most standards, this is a crummy first-generation digital mastering, but I like it. This comes through especially on the cut I heard on the radio,_* L'apres-midi d'un faun,*_ where the strings sound icy and artificial; the whole thing has an air of unreality about it. The whole piece is enclosed in a glassy, bright atmosphere; There is a two-dimensional quality, as if looking down through thick ice, and only seeing those elements which rise up close enough to the ice to be clearly seen.
> 
> But enough of this waxing poetic; go search out a used copy of this obsolete disc and experience it for yourself.


I owned the Maestro reissue, and enjoyed it very much. But alas, it was culled as extra Debussy orchestral that I didn't need.

I may someday add the later Sony remastered set, but it's not high priority.

View attachment 10071


----------



## NightHawk

View attachment 10073
This morning, the Bruckner 3rd in D minor - a beautiful work and Kubelik and the Sinfonie Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks are top flight.

From Wiki regarding this symphony:

_"Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 in D minor (WAB 103) was dedicated to Richard Wagner and is sometimes known as his "Wagner Symphony".[1] It was written in 1873, revised in 1877 and again in 1891. The work has been characterised as "difficult", and is regarded by some as Bruckner's artistic break-through work.[2] According to Rudolf Kloiber, the third symphony "opens the sequence of Bruckner's masterpieces, in which his creativity meets monumental ability of symphonic construction."_


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> *In Praise of Crummy Digital Masterings*
> 
> By most standards, this is a crummy first-generation digital mastering, but I like it.


It's funny how some recordings sound good despite themselves. I have a recording of Ivry Gitlis on Vox playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto, and the icy sound plus the playing has spoiled me for other more modern versions.

A posting by you on another topic spurred me to pull out my old Guarneri recording of Beethoven's Op. 132. I'm listening for creaks, squeaks, and air conditioner hums. But it's a lovely performance.


----------



## Arsakes

*Bartok*:
Violin Concerto No.2
Piano Concerto No.1,2 & 3


----------



## Sonata

Shostakovich: Symphony #7 "Leningrad"
Conducted by Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Schubert, String Quartet "Rosamunde" and before that:
Schubert, "Ave Maria" and before that:
Schubert, "Gute Nacht"

Today I am in the mood for something humbler and quieter than my usual preferences.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: Pulcinella; Jeu de Cartes, with LSO/Abbado et al (rec.1975/79).

View attachment 10078


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony #7 "Leningrad"


I don't know if you noticed this, but the first movement, instead of a development section, has a theme which repeats over and over. If you listen closely, it's really a theme and variations, but the variations are in the _orchestral color_. It's one of the rare pieces which do that.

Today, I'm listening to Tyberg's third symphony and piano trio.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Martinu*: Cello Sonatas, with Starker & Firkusny (rec.1990). Two pros delivering the goods, oh so well. Delightful chamber with occasional edge. Often overlooked and shouldn't be. Good recorded sound. Three thumbs up.

View attachment 10080


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Symphony in D Major, BI 553

Massimiliano Caldi conducting the Orchestra da Camera Milano Classica

View attachment 10082


----------



## Sid James

millionrainbows said:


> I think that would be a very interesting article, Sid, and to give more credence to the idea, there is a whole series of recordings devoted to music which was written _in_ concentration camps: Encyclopedia of Music Composed in Concentration Camps (1933-1945) (KZ Musik).


Thanks for that and maybe I will do such a thread later.



> ...
> I tend to go easy on Orff. There was never any actual evidence that he informed or sympathized, and in his defense, one of his close friends was affiliated with the "White Rose" student movement. (See Udo Zimmerman's work). The thing to understand about Orff is, his music was what was coming out of Germany at the time, and it freaked people out because of its primal and dark ceremonial nature (remember its use in "The Omen" series of movies). I think Orff was clean.


I think Orff swung both ways. But so did a number of people who ended up saving lives. Edith Piaf sang for soldiers, both French and German. But she also sang in holding camps, to people who where being held in France before transportation to the death camps in the East, in Poland, etc. Every trip she made to such a camp she managed to smuggle some prisoners out with her, each time she left they acted as if they where part of her accompanying musicians. Some 175 people's lives where saved in this way by Edith Piaf. Some people forget or might not know this when they level accusations at her for singing for the soldiers. But maybe like Orff she had to be in the Nazis 'good books' to do some good herself. & she was never interested in politics, she was not a member of the Nazi party or its French subsidiaries.



> ...
> On YouTube, there is a very harrowing series of clips from the movie about the two university students, Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were beheaded for their involvement in handing out flyers.
> 
> ...


I saw that on tv something like 10 years ago. This side of the Third Reich was forgotten for many years. The Nazis killed not only killed Jews but also many others, their political opponents, other ethnic minorities (esp. gypsies and Slavs), people with disabilities, homosexuals and Christians and others in the resistance. So many people fell victim to their crimes, but sadly most people just turned away and went along with the whole thing. After the war, these same people claimed they did not know what was going on, did not do what they did ('I took orders'), or even denied that it happened (the classic 'head in sand' approach). So its good that in the past 20 or so years, stories like this, the 'other side' of the Holocaust has been coming out as well. We should never forget them.

Ok now for thread duty:

*Schoenberg *
- _Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5 _- New Philharmonia Orch. under John Barbirolli
- _Chamber Sym.#1, Op. 9_ - Birmingham Contemporary Music Group under Simon Rattle (both on EMI double cd set)

*Rodrigo* _Concierto como un divertimento_
**Delius* _Concerto for cello and orch_.
Julian Lloyd Webber, cello with London PO under Jesus Lopez-Coboz and with *Philharmonia Orch. under Vernon Handley (SOny cd)


----------



## idomeneo

Debussy

Preludes II - Krystian Zimerman - Debussy Edition CD 5

Chamber Music - Debussy Edition CD 10


----------



## Schubussy

idomeneo said:


> Debussy
> 
> Preludes II - Krystian Zimerman - Debussy Edition CD 5
> 
> Chamber Music - Debussy Edition CD 10
> 
> View attachment 10083


I very much want this boxset, definitely going to get it soon


----------



## Vaneyes

*Barber*: Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto; Adagio for Strings; Let Down the Bars, O Death; Heaven Haven; The Virgin Martyrs; God's Grandeur, with Shapira/Joselson/RussianPO/LSO/Sanderling/Schenck/Joyful Compnay of Singers/Broadbent (rec.1995/01, London/Moscow).

A most enjoyable compilation of orchestral and vocal, written from 1938 to 1962. Everything's superbly performed, but I continue to think the Piano Concerto with Joselson is the finest on record.

View attachment 10087


----------



## Andolink

Jonathan Harvey: Madonna of Winter and Spring
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic/Peter Eotvos








Mauricio Kagel: Musik für Tasteninstrumente und Orchester
RSO Saarbrücken/Mauricio Kagel








György Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto
Asko Ensemble/Reinbert de Leeuw


----------



## opus55

Lutoslawski: Les Espaces du Sommeil










Listening to a short piece before going out for dinner


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 32 - Rolf Reinhardt (1954)


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano, Op.78

Clive Conway, flute -- Charles Tunnell, cello -- Christine Croshaw, piano

View attachment 10095


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Maestro Jansons.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *once again featuring Mariss Jansons, this time at the helm of the St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, *featuring James Levine and the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios, Hob.XV/27,28,29
Mozart: Symphony No. 39

















Believe or not, listening to Mozart's No. 39 for the first time.


----------



## idomeneo

Debussy 
Solo Piano Works - Zoltan Kocsis 
Debussy Edition CD 8


----------



## Arsakes

*Prokofiev*'s Symphony No.1,2,3 & 4 (by *Gergiev*)


----------



## idomeneo

Debussy
Melodies - Ariettes oubliees / Cinq Poemes de Baudelaire / Jane / Caprice / Fetes galantes
Veronique Dietschy - Soprano
Philippe Cassard - Piano
Debussy Edition CD 11


----------



## Lukecash12

Lecture no. 55 in Peter Adamson's series "The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps". http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/epicurus-principles

It's a podcast introducing Epicurus, his principles, his atomic physics, and his empiricism. For some pleasant background music, I am listening to Mozart's 21st piano concerto.


----------



## Turangalîla

I didn't use to like Hamelin at all-that is, until I heard him live... Then I had to buy a recording, and the best-looking one I saw was Schumann (why is he not played more often?)


----------



## Arsakes

Lukecash12 said:


> Lecture no. 55 in Peter Adamson's series "The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps". http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/epicurus-principles
> 
> It's a podcast introducing Epicurus, his principles, his atomic physics, and his empiricism. For some pleasant background music, I am listening to Mozart's 21st piano concerto.


Zeno > Epicurus :tiphat:


----------



## Lukecash12

Arsakes said:


> Zeno > Epicurus :tiphat:


And yet we travel past halves all of the time. It seems empiricism wins, hehehe.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Sibelius *

Symphony No. 1 in E Minor
Symphony No. 2 in D Major
Symphony No. 3 in C Major

Conductor: Alexander Gibson
Scottish National Orchestra
Year: 1983

I really like this recording very much, but aside from that, I really like his first symphony. I love the orchestration and the overall tone of the work very much, of course, No. 2 and 3 aren't too far behind, perhaps they'll grow on me as I revisit them again.


----------



## korenbloem

Schoenberg's


----------



## SimonNZ

Puccini's Missa Di Gloria - Michel Corboz


----------



## bejart

Joan Pla (ca.1720-?): Flute Concerto in B Flat, V.3

Jose Luis Garcia leading the English Chamber Orchestra -- Claudi Armany, flute

View attachment 10104


----------



## PetrB

Elliott Carter ~ His monumental piano sonata


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.62 in C Major, Op.76, No.3

Pro Arte Quartet: Alphonse Onnou and Laurent Halleux, violins -- Germain Prevost, viola -- Robert Maas, cello

View attachment 10105


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.3 & 9 (conducted by *Solti*)


----------



## Arsakes

Lukecash12 said:


> And yet we travel past halves all of the time. It seems empiricism wins, hehehe.


I think you mean 'Epicureanism'.

Because 
Epicurus' philosophy is somewhat respectable for his moderation in pleasure but later Epicurean philosophers turned his school of philosophy to simply sensualism and hedonism. When Epicureans bacame the philosophy of Jerks, Stoicism remained the philosophy of respectable people. Sadly great men are always in minority comparing to random guys who try to justify their pathetic life by late-Epicureanism ...

and

Because 
"_A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers._"

I can't recognize any winning for Epicurus school.


----------



## Andolink

Jan Dismas Zelenka: Lamentationes Jeremiæ Prophetæ, ZWV 53
Academy of the Begynhof/Roderick Shaw








Franco Donatoni: 1)Flag; 2)Toy; 3)Ave
Ensemble 2E2M/Paul Mefano


----------



## Hausmusik

Javier Perianes
Nebra: Piano Sonatas


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2










Revisiting a symphony that used to be my favorite when I was still fresh out of college


----------



## Manxfeeder

korenbloem said:


> Schoenberg's


Schoenberg's what? I'm on the edge of my seat!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Concerto No. 16.*


----------



## Ravndal

Sokolov live in Paris


----------



## Art Rock

Joseph Kosma - Les Feuilles Mortes (Chansons)


----------



## anandkansal

debussy - deux danse


----------



## Hausmusik

Nielsen, Symphony #4
Blomstedt: San Francisco


----------



## millionrainbows

Christopher Rouse (1949-)
Pulitzer Prize 1993
Grammy 2002

---------------------------->


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Siegfried


----------



## PetrB

_Poulenc's ebullient, charming, mixed 'mood' episodic ballet suite ~ Les Biches_


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Preludes, Books I & II (rec. 1978); Images; Images, Series I; Images, Series II; Estampes (rec. 1970), with Jacobs.

View attachment 10120
View attachment 10121


----------



## Sid James

Some music with a Latin beat, *Lalo's cello concerto *ending with a famous tune from Cuba - the _Habanera_, which Sarasate also did an arrangment of. & *the two piano concertos of Ginastera*, the first one my favourite - atonal but very thematically unified, growing out of the cadenza at the start and ending with this full on toccata which is one of the most dramatic endings that I've heard. Its got this raw energy and kind of brutal animalistic force.

*Lalo* _Cello Concerto in D minor _- Julian Lloyd Webber, cello with London PO under Jesus Lopez-Cobos (SOny)

*Ginastera *_Piano Concertos 1 & 2_ - Dora DE Marinis, pno. with Slovak Radio SO under Julio Malaval (Naxos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockeghem, Missa Caput.*


----------



## Hausmusik

Leon Fleisher: Two Hands

This recital includes one of the finest Schubert 960s I've ever heard.


----------



## Vaneyes

Following Sid...*Ginastera*: Works for Cello, with Kosower et al (rec. 2006/09).

View attachment 10123
View attachment 10124


Mark Kosower bio:

http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/about/kosower-mark.aspx


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Alexander Borodin--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, Symphony No.2 in B Minor and Symphony No.3 in A Minor {unfinished}. *All three works feature the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard SChwarz.
Allan Pettersson-*-Symphony No.7,* performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Knut Sonstevold.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8.*, Glenn Gould.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in C Minor, Op.18, No.4

Prazak Quartet: Vaclav Remes and Vlastimil Holek, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michal Kanka, cello

View attachment 10126


----------



## idomeneo

Bartok 
Sonata for Piano and other pieces
Zoltan Kocsis 
Bartok Complete Solo Piano Works CD 4


----------



## millionrainbows

Steve Reich (1936-): Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1980)
John Adams (1947-): Shaker Loops (1977-78)

---------------------------->


----------



## bejart

Johann Wilhelm Wilms (1772-1847): Symphony No.7 in C Minor

Werner Ehrhardt leading Concerto Koln

View attachment 10138


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:
*
Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.7 {"Angel of Light"} and Symphony No.8 {"The Journey"},* both featuring the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra led by Max Pommer.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in G Major, KV 379

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 10140


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3
Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 59 No. 2 and 3


----------



## ProudSquire

*Franz Schubert *

Symphony No. 1 In D
Conducted by: Wolfgang Sawallisch
Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra

Edit:

Symphony No. 2 in B flat from this amazing set

Edit:

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 1 F minor
Daniel Barenboim

:}


----------



## joen_cph

Beethoven: Pastoral Symphony /Paray (stereo LP)
Frank Bridge: Piano quintet & Piano Trio /nonesuch LP
Hans Holewa: Piano concerto (LP)

+ Rosa Balistreri: Sicilian Folk songs of the less simple kind - recommendable ! 




Took some more or less random picks from my collection and listened to a new item, just returning from a 13-day trip to Sicily and Lipari islands without listening to music. 
I really like Paray´s "Pastoral", unusually fast and pointing to details in the work that are often overlooked. The Bridge works are nice too, and the Holewa concerto is currently one of my favourites, combining Bergian traits and neo-romanticism, overall in a rather slow, meditative tempo.


----------



## PetrB

Jan Welmers ~ Laudate Dominum, for organ (1979)





Litanie ~ for organ (1988)


----------



## bejart

Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op,11, No.8

Bloomington Baroque -- Stanley Ritchie, violin

View attachment 10147


----------



## millionrainbows

Again, Steve Reich (1936-): Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1980).

Now, on to Rossini.

---------------------------->


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Franz Benda (22 November 1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Hannoversche Hofkapelle -- Laurence Dean, flute

View attachment 10151


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Again, Steve Reich (1936-): Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1980).
> 
> Now, on to Rossini.


Wait, Reich to Adams to Reich to . . . Rossini? That's quite a leap. Tie down the right side of your brain!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Concerto










Happy thanksgiving. I thank the music for keeping my peace of mind.


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> Wait, Reich to Adams to Reich to . . . Rossini? That's quite a leap. Tie down the right side of your brain!


Reich's later stuff, from _*The Desert Music*_ on, has sounded more and more like conventional harmonic music to me. His early stuff has more "purity" of process.
The Rossini I find interesting not only for its ideas, but the precision virtuosity it must take to play it. I like to hear those fiddle players work for it.


----------



## bejart

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832): Symphony No.1 in C Major, Wo32

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players.

View attachment 10154


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Introduction and Allegro appassionato in G
Farrenc: Symphony No. 3

















Farrenc.. sounds better on second listen


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Joaquin Rodrigo* (1901 - 1999), and *Benjamin Britten* (1913 - 1976) birthdays, Concierto de Aranjuez, with Kraft/NorthernCO/Ward (rec. 1992), and Piano Concerto, with Macgregor/EnglishCO/Bedford (rec. 1989).

View attachment 10157
View attachment 10158


----------



## bejart

Georg Druschetsky (1745-1819): Oboe Quartet in F Major

Lajos Lensces, oboe -- Zsolt Szefcsik, violin -- Agnes Csoma, viola -- Balint Maroth, cello

View attachment 10159


----------



## SiegendesLicht

This is so... glorious...


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Symphony 40, clarinet concerto, Cosi highlights.


----------



## crmoorhead

An opera day:









My first Vivaldi opera. I'll be interested in listening to the versions of this with a countertenor for curiosity's sake.









Although I am enjoying the lush production, I don't think that some parts of it quite work. Def. my least favourite version of this opera out of the three versions I have watched.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in D Minor, (Bryan d1)

Thomas Kalb leading the Heildelberg Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 10164


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Antonio Capuzzi (1755-1818): String Quintet in D Major, Op.3, No.5

Kenneth Goldsmith and Adam La Motte, violins -- Zachary Carrettin and Gregory Ewer, violas -- Steve Estes, cello

View attachment 10165


----------



## Sid James

*Percy Grainger - Piano Music vol. 1 *(Eloquence cd) played by Leslie Howard
_Original compositions, arrangements of folk tunes and also of pieces by J.S. Bach, Brahms, R. Strauss, Handel, Gershwin, Faure, Dowland_.

My favourite works where _The Immovable Do _- with this repetitive done that came across as quite minimalistic; _The Eastern Intermezzo_, which used pentatonic scale; the _Ramble on Rosenkavalier _which came across as quite spaced out and reminded me more of Debussy than R. Strauss; and also the Gershwin songs.

**Beethoven* _Triple Concerto _; ***Brahms *_Double Concerto_
David Oistrakh, vln. with Philharmonia Orch. ; 
*Sviatoslav Knushevitzky, cello ; *Lev Oborin, pno. ; 
**Pierre Fournier, cello ; 
*Malcolm Sargent & **Alceo Galliera, conuctors (EMI cd)

Two works with 'friendly' associations, the piano part of the Beethoven was composed for the archduke to play, a patron and friend, and the Brahms concerto done for his friend the violinist Joachim as a reconciliation piece after they'd had a major falling out. There's obvious symbolism between their renewed friendship with the violin and cello playing together. I think the slow movement of the Beethoven was beautiful, but way too short, a mere transition between the two outer movements. The final movements of both works had big dance tunes, the former from Poland, the latter from Hungary. Great stuff all round, I love a big boost at the end like that.


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's Kreutzer sonata, which is my current addiction. I still feel the andante drags a little, but I'm sure that's just an attention span thingy. It's a wild and wonderful work! :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Arnold*: Symphonies 3 & 4, with LSO/Hickox (rec.1993); Symphonies 7 & 8, with RPO/Handley (rec.1990); Violin Sonatas 1 & 2; Five Pieces for Violin & Piano; Viola Sonata; Duo for Two Cellos; Piano Trio, with Nash Ensemble (rec.1984); String Quartets 1 & 2, with McCapra Qt.(rec.1992).

View attachment 10167
View attachment 10168
View attachment 10169
View attachment 10170


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven's Piano Sonatas starting at 1. Hope to get through many of them. The tryptophan should help out.


----------



## bejart

Johann Schenck (1660-ca.1770): Sonata No.4 in E Flat, 'L'Echo du Danube'

Sandor Szaszvarosi, viola da gamba -- Angelika Csizmadia, harpsichord

View attachment 10171


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday --
Wilhelm Friedman Bach (22 November 1710-1784): Keyboard Concerto in F Major, F.44

London Baroque: Richard Egarr, harpsichord -- Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Irmgard Schaller, viola -- Charles Medlam, cello

View attachment 10173


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in C Minor, Op.18, No.1, G.283

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Caszza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Alberto Salomon, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos

View attachment 10175


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: L'estro armonico, Nos. 10 and 11, Op. 3










Day 3 of my five day weekend


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Die Glucklich Hand.*

Yep, black coffee and Schoenberg to wake me from my post-Thanksgiving stupor.


----------



## millionrainbows

Fantastic piccolo playing. Martin Amlin (1953-) is one of my favorite American composers and pianists!

---------------------------------->


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Manuel de Falla* (1876 - 1946), and *Krzysztof Penderecki* (b. 1933) birthdays, Nights in the Gardens of Spain with de Larrocha/LPO/de Burgos (rec.1983), and Cello Concerti 1 & 2, with Noras/S.Varsovia/Penderecki (rec.2000/1).

View attachment 10180
View attachment 10181


----------



## SimonNZ

Guillaume de Machaut chansons - Ferrara Ensemble


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Die Winterreise *with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore - for now only on YouTube:






German does sound so good...*sigh*.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mompou, Piano Music*, by Martin Jones.

Perfect music for what John Updike called "The thoughtful light at the edges of the day."


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1729-1783): String Quintet No.1 in E Flat

Ensemble Entr'Acte: Plamena Nikitassova and Fanny Pestalozzi, violins -- Emmanuel Carron, viola -- Denis Severin and Feliz Knecht, cellos

View attachment 10189


----------



## Guest

Been rediscovering Leo Ornstein lately through his Piano Sonata no. 4. What an interesting and exciting composer!


----------



## Hassid

Pity he died so young.


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg* _Violin Concerto_
Hilary Hahn, violin with Swedish Radio SO under Esa-Pekka Salonen

A favourite work of mine, has been virtually since I got it when this cd first came out a few years back. Now its not only connecting with me emotionally and with my gut feelings, but I'm also hearing more unity here. There is recurring of fragmentary ideas and textures, moods. I often find this experience with this type of 'atonal' and serial music. But its not far from traditional thematic development too, there are enough 'markers' along the way to guide the listener through the work. The final dance movement can be brutal though, the cadenza in that makes me think of the violinst playing as if wounded after being subjected to these harsh rhythms from the orchestra and percussion. Like stumbling about after a beating.

*Lalo* _Piano Concerto_
Marylene Dosse, piano with Stuttgart PO under Matthias Kunzstch

Quite a thematically tight work, contrasting two themes, one lyrical the other more vigorous. Similar in that way to Saint-Saens' concertos. I loved the middle movement, that had this repetitive bell like rhythm played by one of the hands while the other played the melody. Almost minimalistic (& sounds like hard work for the pianist!).



Jeff N said:


> Been rediscovering Leo Ornstein lately through his Piano Sonata no. 4. What an interesting and exciting composer!
> 
> ...


I quite like his music, esp. that piece as a matter of fact. Esp. the final movment that has this wild feel, like a quickly flowing river. I think I can hear the inflence of Scriabin (or at least some traces/aspects of 'Russian' folk music) but Ornstein was unique and his music quite diverse in terms of style, which brings me to...



Hassid said:


> Pity he died so young.


He beat Carter though! & living through such a vast timespan, I think Ornstein's style changed more than Carter's, at least in terms of the cd of his things on Naxos I've got (with pianist Janice Weber). He goes all over the shop, from romantic to 'atonal' to impressionistic and more - but as the notes say he was "consistently inconsistent." He did not settle down to one style. He had itchy feet in terms of that, he roamed through all these styles.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Albeniz*: Iberia; *Granados*: Goyescas, with de Larrocha (rec. 1976/7).

View attachment 10192


----------



## Cnote11

Federico Mompou!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Scott Joplin Rags.*

There are two recordings of Scott Joplin I wouldn't want to be without: Joshua Rifkin and William Albright. Rifkin plays it as it should be, but Albright takes interesting liberties.


----------



## millionrainbows

Biagio Marini (c. 1587-1663) • Curiose & Moderne Inventioni • Some truly strange dissonances, like minor & major thirds sounded together, albeit in different registers.

-------------------------------->


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, and Dvorak's violin concerto. Fine works, both. I have decided that the 5th is my favorite Tchaikovsky symphony.



Vaneyes said:


> *Albeniz*: Iberia; *Granados*: Goyescas, with de Larrocha (rec. 1976/7).
> 
> View attachment 10192


I plan on ordering this one later next year


----------



## Sid James

Sonata said:


> Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, and Dvorak's violin concerto. Fine works, both. I have decided that the 5th is my favorite Tchaikovsky symphony.
> ...


I am kind of surprised how Tchaikovsky was so highly critical of that work. He said it was too bombastic and banal, he used those words, or those sorts of words. There is some truth to his self-criticism, but I think its fair to say that his 5th and the other two symphonies either side of it are among the finest of their time, the last half of the 19th century. He was quite happy with his 4th though, but dismayed of the audience's kind of lukewarm and baffled reaction at the premiere of his 6th (he conducted it, and he would be dead after it within days). But my favourite symphohy of his is his 2nd, the 'Little Russian,' I just love its optimism, imagination, and creativity. Esp. the last movement, it's got this amazing life force.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 14
Simon Mayr (1763-1845): Piano Concerto No. 1

















Previous "Golden Age of Romantic.." disc contained Liszt's Totentanz which I didn't like at all. I don't know what it is yet but I guess I'm not a big fan of Liszt.. especially orchestrated works.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Academic Festival Overture - Eduard Van Beinum


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both performed by the Goteborgs Symfoniker led by Neeme Jarvi.
Niels W. Gade--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.5 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, Op.47, *once again with Maestro Jarvi, however, this time he is leading the Stockholm Sinfonietta.


----------



## idomeneo

Ravel
String Quartet / Introduction et Allegro / Piano Trio
Ravel the Complete Edition CD 5


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quintet in D, K.593
Dvorak: String Quartet No. 10


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.7


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*: 
Piano Trios No.1-4
Bagatelles Op.47
Serenade in D minor Op.44

and

*Beriot*'s Violin Concerto No.1,2,3,5 & 8


----------



## idomeneo

Jean Sibelius 
Symphony No. 1
New York Philharmonic - Bernstein
Bernstein Symphony Edition CD 54


----------



## Morgante

*Puccini*

Le Villi
Manon Lescaut
Tosca


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Serenade no.2 - Ida Haendel, violin, Paarvo Berglund, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rheinberger's Three Sacred Songs - Charles Bruffy, cond.


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quatro in A Major, Op.1, No.5

Christophe Timpe leading the Accademia per Musica

View attachment 10202


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.26 in C Minor

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello

View attachment 10203


----------



## Hausmusik

*Per Norgard: Symphony #3
Thomas Dausgaard: Danish National Symphony Orchestra
*


----------



## bejart

Josef Rejcha (1752-1795): Cello Concerto in A Major, Op.4, No.1

Ondrej Kukal conducting the Czech Chamber Orchestra -- Mikael Ericsson, cello

View attachment 10210


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Mozart PC No. 23. played by Rudolf Serkin.

It's okay i guess.. I don't really care about Mozart, but i want to.. so only mozart for me the next weeks. And if i don't like it then, there is something wrong with the rest of the world.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 In E Flat, Op.74

Cleveland Quartet: William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello

View attachment 10211


----------



## GreenMamba

Wendy Mae Chambers Symphony of the Universe.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Alfred Schnittke Radio on last.fm. Getting my modernism/neo-classical on.


----------



## starthrower

Paul Crossley -Debussy Piano Works


----------



## bejart

Antonio Brioschi (ca.1700-ca.1750): Symphony in D Major

Vanni Moretto leading the Atalanta Fugiens

View attachment 10220


----------



## idomeneo

Jean Sibelius 
Symphony No. 4 & 5 
New York Philharmonic 
Bernstein Symphony Edition CD 56

This is my first listen to the complete Sibelius symphony cycle.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Tree up. Christmas shopping started. Something's missing.

Oh, Bach's Christmas Oratorio - _Now_ it's Christmastime.


----------



## Ravndal

starthrower said:


> Paul Crossley -Debussy Piano Works


Good choice! Paul Crossley's interpretations of Debussy is nothing but amazing. No one plays Clair De Lune like him.


----------



## drpraetorus

Carmina Buranna


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart 40 in G minor k550


----------



## bejart

Josef Fiala (1748-1816): Bassoon Quartet in E Flat

Members of the Kocian Quartet with Petr Legat on bassoon: Pavel Hula, violin -- Jan Odstrcil, viola -- Vaclav Bernasek, cello

View attachment 10229


----------



## idomeneo

Penderecki
Utrenja
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Saint-Saens' Havanaise - Campoli, violin, Anatole Fistoulari, cond.

wonderful performance, but my copy is in heartbreakingly poor condition


----------



## idomeneo

Dmitri Shostakovich
Cello Concertos No. 1 & 2
Alexander Ivashkin Cello
Moscow Symphony Orchestra - Polyansky
Shostakovich Edition CD 16


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to cd 1 of Vivaldi's Concertos. Imo, the best selection of Vivaldi's Concertos right here.


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> I am kind of surprised how Tchaikovsky was so highly critical of that work. He said it was too bombastic and banal, he used those words, or those sorts of words. There is some truth to his self-criticism, but I think its fair to say that his 5th and the other two symphonies either side of it are among the finest of their time, the last half of the 19th century. He was quite happy with his 4th though, but dismayed of the audience's kind of lukewarm and baffled reaction at the premiere of his 6th (he conducted it, and he would be dead after it within days). But my favourite symphohy of his is his 2nd, the 'Little Russian,' I just love its optimism, imagination, and creativity. Esp. the last movement, it's got this amazing life force.


The 5th is bombastic but the 4th is not!?


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonata 26 "Les Adieux" - Solomon, piano


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic"
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra/Thomas Sanderling







My favorite Mahler symphony and, after listening to it for the first time today, my new favorite performance of it. Shattering!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.99 - Royalton Kisch, cond.


----------



## ProudSquire

Sibelius

Symphony No. 1 in E Minor

Because I really, really like the second movement. Great stuff.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* _Double Concerto ; Academic Festival Overture_
Gidon Kremer, vln. ; Mischa Maisky, cello ; Vienna PO under Leonard Bernstein (DGG)

*Beethoven* _Triple Concerto_ 
David Oistrakh, vln. ; Sviatoslav Knushevitzky, cello ; Lev Oborin, pno. ; Philharmonia Orch. under Malcolm Sargent (EMI)

*Album: The virtuosi of the Gipsy music*
Lajos Boross, vln. ; Andor Treger, cimbalom ; Lajos Boross and his gipsy band (Qualiton)
_Hungarian gypsy music, as well as music from Romania, Russia and Duke Ellington's_ _'Sophisticated Lady_.'

*Bernstein:* _West Side Story (Original film soundtrack recording)_
Cast incl. Marni Nixon singing role of Maria played by Natalie Wood; Orch. under Johnny Green (Columbia)


----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius' Violin Concerto - Isaac Stern, violin, Thomas Beecham, cond.


----------



## bejart

Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Trio Sonata in A Major, Op.4, No.3

Purcell Quartet: Catherine Mackintosh and Catherine Weiss, violins -- Richard Boothby, cello -- Robert Woolley, harpsichord

View attachment 10242


----------



## Ramako

Haydn symphony no. 4. More Haydn symphonies to follow...

From my ever-favourite box


----------



## Andolink

Matthew Locke: Consort Suite in G minor from 'Tripla Concordia' (1667)
The Locke Consort


----------



## bejart

GF Handel: Messiah, HV 56

Leonard Bernstein directing the New York Philharmonic and the Westminster Choir: Adele Addison, soprano -- Russell Oberlin, alto -- David Lloyd, tenor -- William Warfield, baritone

View attachment 10246


----------



## drpraetorus

Miklos Rosza, Spellbound Concerto


----------



## joen_cph

*Anton Rubinstein*:"_Album de Peterhof_", selection of 7 piano pieces (1866). Alexander Backchiev. Melodiya LP.

Plesant Romanticism, somewhat comparable to Tchaikovsky´s piano pieces. 
Nice enough when struggling with an English translation job.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Symphony No.3 & 4
Double Concerto
Violin Concerto
Serenade No.1


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic"
> St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra/Thomas Sanderling
> View attachment 10237
> 
> My favorite Mahler symphony and, after listening to it for the first time today, my new favorite performance of it. Shattering!


I've got this one also! It's surprising to see it. It was my first Mahler 6th, the one I "imprinted" on, so I assumed this was the larger part of why it was my favorite. But now that I see your praise of it, I am confirmed.

-------------------------------->


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat, KV 240

Members of the Holliger Wind Esemble. Heniz Holliger and Louise Pellerin, oboes -- Radovan Vlatkovic and Alan Jones, horns -- Klaus Thunemann and Matthew Wilkie, bassoons

View attachment 10251


----------



## Arsakes

And before Brahms in the morning ...
*Sibelius*:
Piano Trio in D Major
Piano Quintet in G Minor
And some of his beautiful Violin Sonatas


----------



## cwarchc

Currently this one








This was the one before.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): Symphony in D Major, Op.52

Bohumil Gregor leading the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 10255


----------



## Morgante

*Leoncavallo*

Pagliacci


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.5 in E Minor

Quartetto Bernini: Marco Serino and Yoko Ichihara, violins -- Gianfranco Borrelli, viola -- Valeriano Taddeo, cello

View attachment 10256


----------



## Morgante

*Mozart*

_Così fan tutte_: Masterwork of the masterworks!


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, *with Roberto Paternostro leading the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92, *both featuring the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 and Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92, *both performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kleiber.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.79 in F Major

Adam Fischer directing the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

View attachment 10257


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ Symphony"},* featuring organist Simon Preston and the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of James Levine.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"}, *once again performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Maestro Levine.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to this great collection.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Sergey Taneyev's* birthday (1856 - 1915), revisiting via sampling the *Piano Quintet* on a CD I once owned.

You'd think this "all-star" lineup would be capable of producing the standard rec. for this work. Maybe, but they didn't. Sounds like not enough rehearsal.

I like this work very much, and I'm still hoping (seven years later) that other groups will record it.

View attachment 10258


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Piano Trio No.1 in B Major, Op.8

The Borodin Trio: Luba Edlina, piano -- Rosislav Dubinsky, violin -- Yuli Turovsky, cello

View attachment 10259


----------



## Hassid

Rosa Tamarkina-Bolshoi Theatre quartet.
Zoya Abolitz-quintet of Moscow conservatory.
Tamara Fidler-Taneyev quartet.
You can choose for Taneyev's piano quintet.


----------



## Cnote11

After listening to some more Mompou, I am now listening to this










Fauré's Complete Music for Piano Disc 1 as of now.


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert 
Piano Sonatas No. 21 & 9
Sviatoslav Richter
Legendary Russian Pianists CD 15


----------



## bejart

Antonio Sacchini (1730-1786): String Quartet in D Major, Op.2, No.2

Quartetto Academia: Marianna Sirbu and Ruxandra Colan, violins -- Constantin Zanidache, viola -- Mihai Dancila, cello

View attachment 10261


----------



## Sonata

Brandon Musser: Piano Collection Volume 1
Felix Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words, String Symphony #9


----------



## Vaneyes

Hassid said:


> Rosa Tamarkina-Bolshoi Theatre quartet.
> Zoya Abolitz-quintet of Moscow conservatory.
> Tamara Fidler-Taneyev quartet.
> You can choose for Taneyev's piano quintet.


Thank you for your help. I knew those, and the Yudina, and a couple of others.

I've ordered a recording I'm very enthused about (after auditioning the whole thing)--Alikhanov/Moscow SQ. (rec. c1996).


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 10262


----------



## GreenMamba

Dvorak's Symphony #5


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 14
Schumann: Symphony No. 2


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Niels W. Gade--*Symphony No.2 in E Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.7 in F Major, Op.45, *both performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta under the wand of Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Cnote11

My typical Debussy songs by Dawn Upshaw and solo piano works by Mr. Aldo...

now, one of my favorite works that I haven't listened to in awhile










Gorecki's third symphony


----------



## SimonNZ

Hindemith's Symphonic Dances For Orchestra - conducted by the composer


----------



## idomeneo

Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Sonatas No. 2, 3 & 8
Emil Gilels
Legendary Russian Pianists CD 17


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Trio Sonata in E Minor, Op.1, No.2, RV 67

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, chamber organ

View attachment 10268


----------



## PetrB

In answering a Q elsewhere, I recalled these....

Willam Russo ~ Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra (1968)

Three Pieces for blues band and orchestra, iii




Siegel-Schwall Band, San Francisco Symphony, Seiji Ozawa
(the blues band part of the score allows for a fair amount of improvisation.)

Street music
... San Francisco Symphony, Seiji Ozawa
with Corky Siegel solo: soloist's part is for harmonica and electric piano.
Street Music, iii




Street Music, iv


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
String Quartet No. 3
Rhapsody No.1 & 2
Variation (Op.21) No.1 & 2


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.17 in B Flat, KV 458

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello

View attachment 10275


----------



## Andolink

Witold Lutosławski: Mi-Parti for Symphony Orchestra
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Antoni Wit








Luciano Berio: Notturno (String Quartet No. 3)
Alban Berg Quartett








Pietro Locatelli: Violin Sonatas, op. 6
The Locatelli Trio/Elizabeth Wallfisch








Orlando di Lassus: Chansons and Moresche
Ensemble Clement Janequin

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Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
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## millionrainbows

*Charles Ives,* the _Piano Trio_, two of the _violin/piano sonatas,_ and the profound _Largo for vln, clnt, & pno._

Forget all the gimmicks, hymn quotes, and musical jokes: the _Largo_ shows Ives at his most profound and moving.

The remainder of the disc is devoted to Ives' songs, and Deborah Viogt does a nice job, although she gets a bit strident at times.

------------------------->


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## Sonata

Movement II of *Shostakovich's* Leningrad Symphony


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## Vaneyes

Alexandre Tharaud turns lounge lizard ('Swinging Paris'), just one time.

Something different from the likes of *Gershwin*, *Porter*, *Ravel*, *Milhaud*. Accompanying in similar vein, sparkling tunes from the less familiar.

It's a most enchanting collection, that perhaps gives glimpses of the music these composers liked to relax with. Especially useful for this time of the year.

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## millionrainbows

Ligeti, Etudes, etc/Lucille Chung. She does a great job, both technically, and in capturing the "fire". I have an inherent trust of the Oriental sensibility, especially when it comes to modern music. It has to do with Zen, Taoism, chaos theory, and all that. Am I biased?
Anyway, she makes this music sound _beautiful!_ *This is beautiful music!!*

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## Kieran

Mozart piano sonata, K570, gorgeous and resignedly sad slow movement...


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## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s String Quartet No.1,5,8,9 and 10.

Like they're a must listen to every week it seems!

And *Mozart*'s Symphony No.40


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## PetrB

Prokofiev Scythian Suite, In performance recording, Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez.


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## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7*

After hearing Karajan's Beethoven cycle, I finally understand what he's doing with Bruckner.


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## Ravndal

Glenn Goulds version of Beehoven Sonata n8, III: Rondo is one of the most ridicolous interpretations i have ever heard. Sounds more like a scherzo. I love Glenn Gould, but he could get a bit to experimental...


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## Manxfeeder

Ravndal said:


> Glenn Goulds version of Beehoven Sonata n8, III: Rondo is one of the most ridicolous interpretations i have ever heard. Sounds more like a scherzo. I love Glenn Gould, but he could get a bit to experimental...


I'm going to listen to that after I finish this:


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## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Adolphus Hailstork--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 2, *both featuring the Grand Rapids Symphony under the baton of David Lockington.
Niels W. Gade--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.15 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.20, *both performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta led by Neeme Jarvi.


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## millionrainbows

Mahler 6th/Sanderling, again. My favorite of all Mahler. I feel lucky to have gotten this 2-CD some years back, used, now that it's OOP.


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## PetrB

Youtube finds ~ two piano concerti; each all news to me:

William Schuman ~ Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra (on link ad alert)





Erik Chisholm, Piano Concerto No.1 
"The Scottish Bartók," aka "MacBartók" -- LOL. Interesting, fun and pleasant music


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## cwarchc

Paul Tortelier's 1960 version


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## Hausmusik

Leif Ove Andsnes
Grieg, Piano Sonata, Op. 7


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## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas 8, 12 - 15, 23, with GG (rec.1966/70), Gelber (rec.1973 - '75), Schiff (Vol. III, rec.2005).

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## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Adolphus Hailstork--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 2, *both featuring the Grand Rapids Symphony under the baton of David Lockington.
> Niels W. Gade--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.15 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.20, *both performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta led by Neeme Jarvi.


samurai, if I may ask, how did you come across the work of Hailstork?


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## idomeneo

Schubert
String Quintet in C major D.956
Juilliard String Quartet & Bernard Greenhouse


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## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 7*
> 
> After hearing Karajan's Beethoven cycle, I finally understand what he's doing with Bruckner.
> 
> View attachment 10296


Well.......?


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## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> Mahler 6th/Sanderling, again. My favorite of all Mahler. I feel lucky to have gotten this 2-CD some years back, used, now that it's OOP.


Hmmph...glutton.


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## bejart

Karl von Ordonez (1734-1786): Symphony in B Minor (Brown Bm1)

Kevin Fallon directing the Toronto Camerata

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## Andolink

Edmund Rubbra: Symphony No. 9 "Sinfonia Sacra"
BBC National Chorus and Orchestra of Wales/Richard Hickox








Elliott Carter: Three Occasions for Orchestra
London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen








Gabriel Faure: Nocturnes 9,10 and 11
Paul Crossley, piano


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## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Well.......?


I like his particularly dynamic contrasts and how he draws out the points of stasis.

Sheesh, I sound like an egghead.


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## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> samurai, if I may ask, how did you come across the work of Hailstork?


Hailstork, Gade...he must be in the Obscure Composers CD Club.


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## Kevin Pearson

Really been digging Mendelssohn the last few days. This recording of all the solo concertos is really nice.










Kevin


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## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Viola Sonata in E Flat, Op.5, No.3

Paul Luchow, viola -- Michael Jarvis, piano

View attachment 10311


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## PetrB

Steve Reich ~ Music for 18 musicians
If you've never, 
here and now, in one link in a fine performance -- '37 years old, still fresh and lovely...


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## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> samurai, if I may ask, how did you come across the work of Hailstork?



Hi, Vaneyes. One of my fellow members on either this forum or one of the others I belong to had listed him, and I was intrigued by the name. So, I looked for him on* Spotify,* listened and have been impressed by his music.


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## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"} and Symphony No.8 in D Minor. *Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the wand of Sir Adrian Boult. As well, the *Seventh* features the London Philharmonic Choir and soprano Norma Burrowes. In its depiction of vast spaces and man's overwhelming loneliness in this environment,the *Seventh* brings to mind some of Nielsen's symphonic works, specifically his T*hird Symphony {"Sinfonia espansiva"}*, which also makes use of wordless vocals. Both are very effective, haunting pieces.


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## Nivmizzet

Currently listening to sonata no. 8 op. 13 "pathetique" first movement by ludvig van beethoven. 

Midi version is terrible, the part where the right/left hand goes up/down towards the end of the repeated part when the allegro part is introduced doesn't sound as epic. 

Does it count as Midi if you listen to it on an electric keyboard? If so, then I don't like MOST Midi versions of this song.


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## idomeneo

Schubert 
Symphonies No. 1 & 2
Hanover Band - Roy Goodman
Schubert Masterworks CD 1









Just finished:

Schubert
Symphonies No. 5 & 8
Vienna Philharmonic - Sir George Solti


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## samurai

@ Idomeno, Both those versions look very interesting. Whose conducting do you prefer?


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## idomeneo

Schubert
Symphonies No. 8, 5 & 3
Hanover Band - Roy Goodman
Schubert Masterworks CD 2











samurai said:


> @ Idomeno, Both those versions look very interesting. Whose conducting do you prefer?


I'm just listening to the Hanover band No. 8 & 5 for the first time so I can't really say. There's also a difference of period instruments vs. modern. So far I am enjoying the first movement of the Hanover Band No.8.


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## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to this great collection.


Still listening. Hooked on Sibelius as of late. No interest in any other Composer at the moment.


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## SimonNZ

Bach's Violin Concertos - Alice Harnoncourt, violin, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond.


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## idomeneo

Ravi Shankar
Raga Nata Bhairav / Raga Mishra Piloo / Raga Bhupal Todi
Ravi Shankar Collection CD 10

Completing my first pass through this excellent 10 CD set.


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## violadude

neoshredder said:


> Still listening. Hooked on Sibelius as of late. No interest in any other Composer at the moment.


Really? What's your favorite?


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## neoshredder

violadude said:


> Really? What's your favorite?


So far? Symphonies 2 and 5. I like 1 and 3 as well. 4 is the only one I haven't gotten into. The Violin Concerto is obviously great. Haven't heard Symphonies 6 and 7 yet or the majority of the rest of his works. Will get there though.


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## SimonNZ

Philip Glass' Symphony No.7 "Toltec" - Dennis Russel Davies


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## PetrB

I stash links in playlists and, if, and when I get to them. there is always once in a while another piece to somehow prize ~
Darius Milhaud; _Cinq études pour piano et orchestre op.63_ (1920/1921)


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## PetrB

neoshredder said:


> So far? Symphonies 2 and 5. I like 1 and 3 as well. 4 is the only one I haven't gotten into. The Violin Concerto is obviously great. Haven't heard Symphonies 6 and 7 yet or the majority of the rest of his works. Will get there though.


He composed a not too bad violin concerto you might want to give a listen to


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## korenbloem

Record at: All Saint's, Petersham, December 1974 and first released on Decca (1975)

I really enjoy this record! Great playing. Does anyone know if this is the same recording as the new released preformances by John Tilbury on Decca (2012). It is probably the same recording, but i like to have it verified.


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## SimonNZ

Wagner's Meistersinger - Eugene Jochum

with Fischer-Dieskau as Sachs and Domingo as Walther

the recording of my favorite Wagner opera I've been waiting to find going cheap, and now I finally have it - and it doesn't disappoint


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## korenbloem




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## bejart

JS Bach: French Suite No.5 in G Major, BWV 816

Andrei Gavrilov, piano

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## Andolink

Ernst Krenek: Lamentatio Jeremiæ Prophetæ
Netherlands Chamber Choir/Uwe Gronostay








Ernst Krenek: String Quartet No. 5
Thouvenel String Quartet








Wolfgang Rihm: String Quartet No. 8
Arditti String Quartet


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## Ramako

Just listened to CPE Bach: Symphony in D Major










About to start Schubert String Quartet 14, "Death and the Maiden" with score








.


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## Sonata

Continuing my sympony listening. Gradually working my way through cycles of Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler, Mendelssohn, and Sibelius. (LONG term listening project).

Last night while washing dishes I listened to Beethoven's 4th, with Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra.


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## Sonata

idomeneo said:


> Ravi Shankar
> Raga Nata Bhairav / Raga Mishra Piloo / Raga Bhupal Todi
> Ravi Shankar Collection CD 10
> 
> Completing my first pass through this excellent 10 CD set.
> 
> View attachment 10322


Very interested in this set. But I haven't even heard any Shankar yet, so it'd be quite a leap off the deep end to get a ten CD set.


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## Kevin Pearson

korenbloem said:


>


This picture aptly describes how I feel when I listen to his music too!


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## realdealblues

Currently listening to what is still my favorite recording of Handel's Water Music


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## violadude

Kevin Pearson said:


> This picture aptly describes how I feel when I listen to his music too!











.............................


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## Sonata

First listen to Bruckner symphony #3, Gunter Wand.


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## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 20 with Mosaiques Qt.(rec.1990 - '92); Op. 33 with Coull Qt. (rec.1994).

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## Art Rock

Ten CD's of organ music (from Bach to Reger) on different Dutch organs.


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## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Hi, Vaneyes. One of my fellow members on either this forum or one of the others I belong to had listed him, and I was intrigued by the name. So, I looked for him on* Spotify,* listened and have been impressed by his music.


Sampling *Adolphus Hailstork* (African American composer, b. 1941): Symphonies 1 - 3, plus assorteds, with Falletta, Lockington, et al; Piano Music, with Andrey Kasparov; As Falling Leaves (Chamber Music), with Virginia Chamber Players.

I don't hear too much new with these orchestrations. Americana, in the shadows of Barber, Copland, Gershwin, etc. Pretty much old hat.

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His Piano Music, String Quartet 1, Two Romances for Viola & Chamber Ensemble are distinctly other matters. Atonal conversations, mostly, with new things to say. This composer's authority seems to lay with these genre.

Thanks to samurai for alerting me.


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## realdealblues

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling *Adolphus Hailstork* (African American composer, b. 1941): Symphonies 1 - 3, plus assorteds, with Falletta, Lockington, et al; Piano Music, with Andrey Kasparov; As Falling Leaves (Chamber Music), with Virginia Chamber Players.
> 
> I don't hear too much new with these orchestrations. Americana, in the shadows of Barber, Copland, Gershwin, etc. Pretty much old hat.
> 
> View attachment 10336


WHOA, I may have to pick up the Lockington/Grand Rapids Symphony CD just because that's the Symphony I always attend...lol. I never knew they recorded anything.


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## Sonata

realdealblues said:


> WHOA, I may have to pick up the Lockington/Grand Rapids Symphony CD just because that's the Symphony I always attend...lol. I never knew they recorded anything.


I have never been to the Grand Rapids Symphony, but I intend to in the future. I live about two and a half hours from there. I'd like to check out the Grand Rapids Opera as well. I closer to Interlochen Arts Academy, if you've heard of it. I'll be attending a few productions there in the next six months.


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## millionrainbows

Aaron Copland, Symphony No. 3, Yoel Levi, Atlanta SO (Telarc). From the heart, to the heart.

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## Sonata

From the Mendelssohn Choral Works box set: 6 Anthems, Op 79. Short, pleasant acapella pieces.

Also Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #2, Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax


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## bejart

In celebration of his birthday (it's still 11/27 in the States) ---
Franz Krommer (27 November 1759-1831): Symphony in C Minor, Op.102

Matthias Bamert directing the London Mozart Players

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## Sonata

Mozart: Mass in C Minor K139. King's College Choir conducted by Stephen Cleobury.


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## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, C# Minor Quartet, Takacs Quartet. Then lieder from Mahler and Zemlinsky.

Gardiner does a nice job with Mahler, but I think the Zemlinsky lieder are the hits on this CD as far as I'm concerned. I really like the colors he produces.


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## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.1 in F Major and Symphony No.2 in G Minor, Op.34,* both featuring the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra led by Neeme Jarvi.
Niels W. Gade--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.25 and Symphony No.6 in G Minor, Op.32,* performed by the Stockholm Sinfonietta under Maestro Jarvi's baton.


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## Wandering

Manxfeeder said:


> Beethoven, C# Minor Quartet, Takacs Quartet. Then lieder from Mahler and Zemlinsky.
> 
> Gardiner does a nice job with Mahler, but I think the Zemlinsky lieder are the hits on this CD as far as I'm concerned. I really like the colors he produces.
> 
> View attachment 10343
> View attachment 10344


^ I've been eyeing that lieder disc.


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## Vaneyes

realdealblues said:


> WHOA, I may have to pick up the Lockington/Grand Rapids Symphony CD just because that's the Symphony I always attend...lol. I never knew they recorded anything.


Be sure to yell out, *"HAILSTORK PLEASE!"

*For everyone else, the Naxos recording truck is coming to your 'hood soon.


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## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, No.3

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Olga Arzilli and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos

View attachment 10349


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## Vaneyes

bejart said:


> Antonin Vranicky (761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, No.3
> 
> Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Olga Arzilli and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos


Damn! The Thousand Year Old Man.


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## bejart

Vaneyes said:


> Damn! The Thousand Year Old Man.




Some of those old guys lived a long time, but not that long ---


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## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.11 in B Flat

Jeno Jando, piano

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## millionrainbows

---------------------------------•
---------------------------------•








My first Takemitsu. I was struck by his instrumentation: plucked/bowed strings, vibraphone, flute, what I would call a "Boulezian" combination.


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## samurai

On Spotify:

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov--*Scherherazade, Op.35, Russian Easter Overture, Op.36 and Capriccio Espagnol, Op.34. *all featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy.


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## ProudSquire

*Sibelius*

Symphony No. 4 in A Minor
Symphony No. 5 in E flat Major

Conductor: Alexander Gibson
Scottish National Orchestra
Year: 1983


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## Mahlerian

Millionrainbows: As I recall, you are interested in gagaku? Takemitsu wrote a work for gagaku ensemble, "In an Autumn Garden". There are two versions of it, one with just the central movement, and one with other surrounding movements. He utilizes, among other things, a koto tuned so that the strings play a chromatic rather than pentatonic scale. The former is available on a Deutsche Grammophon release combined with other works he wrote including or for traditional Japanese instruments, but the latter is only available via import at the moment, and Japanese CDs are expensive.


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## drpraetorus

Trionfi di Afrodite, Orff


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## idomeneo

Horowitz in Moscow


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## idomeneo

Alexander von Zemlinsky
String Quartet No. 2 Op. 15
LaSalle Quartet


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## korenbloem




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## bejart

Robert Woodcock (1690-1728): Oboe Concerto in E Flat

Michael Dobson leading the Thames Chamber Orchestra of London -- Neil Black, oboe

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## korenbloem




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## korenbloem

schuman's piano concerto


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## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Jean-Baptiste Lully (28 November 1632-1687): Overture of Atys, LWV 53/1

David Chung, harpsichord

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## Manxfeeder

idomeneo said:


> Alexander von Zemlinsky
> String Quartet No. 2 Op. 15
> LaSalle Quartet


There's another reminder for me that I need to get his quartets. I've been dithering about that too long.


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## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Millionrainbows: As I recall, you are interested in gagaku? Takemitsu wrote a work for gagaku ensemble, "In an Autumn Garden". There are two versions of it, one with just the central movement, and one with other surrounding movements. He utilizes, among other things, a koto tuned so that the strings play a chromatic rather than pentatonic scale. The former is available on a Deutsche Grammophon release combined with other works he wrote including or for traditional Japanese instruments, but the latter is only available via import at the moment, and Japanese CDs are expensive.


Thanks, *Mahlerian,* that's very thoughtful of you to remember that, and it's so good to hear from you! I'm _so_ glad you have joined the forum, and your contributions will be very valuable!

I've got the DG 20/21 version. I didn't realize it was based on gagaku, so I'll go back and have another listen.

*Henry Cowell* also wrote a gagaku-inspired piece, _Ongaku for Orchestra (1957)._

My favorite gagaku recording (I have three) is this one on the Los Angeles-based label *Legacy,* which also released *John Cage's* _Variations IV._ I had the vinyl on both of these, so this gagaku is the one I "imprinted" on. I still think it's the best.

In case anyone is curious about gagaku, they can read about it on WIK. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gagaku

Also, I find one of the instruments, the shô, to be very interesting. It's a mouth organ, with pipes. At first, I thought it was a *Farfisa organ,* because its pure, vibrato-less tones sound just like one. Then I realized this might very well have been the inspiration behind *Philip Glass'* and *Steve Reich's *use of Farfisa organs in their early ensembles. For the curious, A Farfisa organ was a small combo organ, usually red, used in the 1960's for that "organ combo" sound without having to haul a Hammond B-3 around. Vox made a similar-sounding organ, and this sound can be heard in recordings by *The Dave Clark 5, Iron Butterfly, and the Doors. Elvis Costello* revived it, most apparent on _This Year's Model._

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---------------->


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## realdealblues

Sonata said:


> I have never been to the Grand Rapids Symphony, but I intend to in the future. I live about two and a half hours from there. I'd like to check out the Grand Rapids Opera as well. I closer to Interlochen Arts Academy, if you've heard of it. I'll be attending a few productions there in the next six months.


I'm about an hour and 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. And yes, I know where the Interlochen Arts Academy is. I used to go to Traverse City every year with my family when I was younger in the autumn months so I've been all around up there, exploring so to speak. Love it up there. If I win the Power Ball lotto tonight I'm moving up there...lol. Most people would move south, but not me. I'd move up around Suttons Bay or maybe Leeland.

Currently listening to Mendelssohn Symphony #1 - Karajan


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## science

Some recent listening:


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## Arsakes

last night.. 
*Mozart*'s Symphony No.25,35,36,38 and 39.

today..
*Beethoven*'s Symphony No.1,2,3,6 and 7.


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## science

And a bit more (I haven't done this in over a week!):

















































I'll do one more, and I'll stop, I promise!


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## violadude

neoshredder said:


> So far? Symphonies 2 and 5. I like 1 and 3 as well. 4 is the only one I haven't gotten into. The Violin Concerto is obviously great. Haven't heard Symphonies 6 and 7 yet or the majority of the rest of his works. Will get there though.


Awesome. I went through a little Sibelius period about a year ago and explored his symphony cycle plus a few other of his pieces. They are all pretty amazing. Make sure that when you start exploring his other pieces, don't miss out on "Tapiola" That one is outstanding.


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## science




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## Manxfeeder

*Verdi, Requiem.*

I have Muti's, but I'm trying out Gardiner's on Spotify. Gardiner definitely appeals to me more. But overall, I don't like Verdi's requiem that much, even if I try to picture the Jewish choir singing it to their Nazi captors, before being led to their deaths, to warn them that their day of judgment was coming.


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## Schubussy

Just arrived in the post.


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## starthrower




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## Ramako

I have just listened to Schubert's Piano sonata in B flat, played by Rudolf Serkin, with score:









I shall have to do the same with his Wanderer Fantasy and one or two songs as well this evening.


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## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 8.*

I like the sound Karajan gets in this - big but not too big, with the right amount of nuance.


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## millionrainbows

______________________________________________








CD/DVD set, got cheap at Berkshire. 24-bit/96kHz, sounds spectacular. Stockhausen's Zyklus is my favorite work here.


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## kv466




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## Manxfeeder

*Schreker, Chamber Symphony, Romantic Suite*, etc.


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## SiegendesLicht

An assortment of *Schubert's Lieder* on YouTube, most of them performed by Dietrich Fischer-Diskau.


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## Sid James

*Mozart *_Violin Concertos 1 & 5 ; Adagio for vln. & orch. K. 261 _
Itzhak Perlman, vln. ; Vienna PO under James Levine (DGG)

Items from cd 1 of 4 cd set by Royal PO.
*J. Strauss Jr. *-_ Blue Danube Waltz_
*Rossini* - _Barber of Seville Overture_
*Ravel *-_ La Valse_
*Elgar *- _Pomp & Circumstance March #1_
Peter Guth, Evelino Pido, Jean-Claude Casadesus & Richard Cooke, conductors (in order of works above).

First cd from 2 cd set of* Tristram Cary's electroacoustic music.* This cd has analogue works from 1955-1978. An earlier review of mine of this at http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post270350 thread.

& re* Manxfeeder's comments on Verdi's requiem *- I too find it hard to enjoy, or enjoy as much as other things in that genre. It could be its length but then again, Stanford's requiem (on Naxos) is similarly long yet I love it. But that's less intense than Verdi's is overall. Funny how I do tend to enjoy Verdi's operas, and since its said the requiem is virtually an opera in all but name, then why don't I like it? Probably comes down to gut feeling, thats it. But I have Fritz Reiner's account (with Bjorling and Price) which I do aim to give a relisten at some stage.

& also what you said of* Zemlinksy's songs*, I agree, they're great. My favourites are the Orchestral Songs for baritone & orch., the songs for mezzo soprano & orch. based on Maeterlink's poems, and also the Lyric Symphony if that can be counted as a song cycle rather than a symphony.


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## millionrainbows

Takemitsu: In an Autumn Garden (DG 20/21 series). It's Ok, but it's scored for the same instruments as a "real" gagaku ensemble, so what's the point? I'd rather hear the real thing, and hear Takemitsu do his more Boulezian serial music for Western ensembles. Admittedly, it is somewhat different; more raucous and chaotic than an authentic gagaku ensemble. I still don't get it. Even Henry Cowell's simulation of gagaku using an orchestra makes more sense. Is this Takemitsu's revenge? Or maybe his need to control this aspect of his culture? You tell me.

--------------------------------->


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## galen

Karajan with the BPO performing Bruckner's 5th Symphony. A great performance!


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## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Ferdinand Ries (28 November 1784-1838): Piano Quintet in B Minor, Op.74

Ensemble Concertant Frankfurt: Fritz Walther, piano -- Peter Agoston, violin -- Fred Gunther, viola -- Sabine Krams, cello -- Timm-Johannes Trappe, double bass

View attachment 10375


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## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Takemitsu: In an Autumn Garden (DG 20/21 series). It's Ok, but it's scored for the same instruments as a "real" gagaku ensemble, so what's the point? I'd rather hear the real thing, and hear Takemitsu do his more Boulezian serial music for Western ensembles. Admittedly, it is somewhat different; more raucous and chaotic than an authentic gagaku ensemble. I still don't get it. Even Henry Cowell's simulation of gagaku using an orchestra makes more sense. Is this Takemitsu's revenge? Or maybe his need to control this aspect of his culture? You tell me.


The work was one of a number written by contemporary composers commissioned by a gagaku ensemble wanting a contemporary repertoire. It doesn't aim at imitation, per se, unlike the Cowell or Messiaen in his Sept Haikai (both of which I enjoy greatly), but rather a new way of writing. It preserves quite a bit of the genre's traditional aspects regardless.

Incidentally, one of the other works commissioned ended up as part of Stockhausen's massive Licht cycle (Act 1 of Tuesday, to be precise), although it was rescored to be played by Western instruments (replacing sho with synthesizers, for example). Stockhausen had already added a bit of Gagaku flavor to his electronic piece Telemusik, which opens with the characteristic intensifying rhythm of the taiko.

If you're looking for more Boulezian Takemitsu, I'd suggest Coral Island (inspired by Webern's songs).


----------



## opus55

Respighi: Quintet in F minor for piano and strings (1902)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Richard Wagner--*Orchestral Music from The Ring Of The Nibelung,* featuring the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Cello Concerto, with Baillie/RSNO/Lloyd-Jones (rec.1999); Violin Concerti 1 & 2, with Hirsch/BBCScottishSO/Friend (rec.1996); Piano Concerti 1 & 2, with Tozer/LPO/Bamert (rec.1992).

View attachment 10377
View attachment 10380
View attachment 10379


----------



## Sonata

*Beethoven*: Violin Sonata in A Minor, and the monumental 5th symphony.
*Mozart*: Mass in C, K167 (first listen. This is my least favorite of the 3 or 4 masses that I've listened to by Mozart. I'll give it a few more spins to see if it grows on me, but I'm really not enamored with it)
*Brahms*: Cello Sonata #1. I am a big fan of this one, the first movement in particular.
*Mahler*: Symphony #1, Titan.

I also listened to about fifteen minutes of Christmas music.

I find that my posting in the non-classical section has been quiet as of late. I've been bitten by the classical bug hard. It's no longer "Am I in the mood for classical or not?" But "Which composer am I in the mood for today?" It's been fun. That said, I have not abandoned my other music. It will be ready and waiting for me whenever the urge strikes!


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> *Rawsthorne*: Cello Concerto, with Baillie/RSNO/Lloyd-Jones (rec.1999); Violin Concerti 1 & 2, with Hirsch/BBCScottishSO/Friend (rec.1996); Piano Concerti 1 & 2, with Tozer/LPO/Bamert (rec.1992).
> 
> View attachment 10377
> View attachment 10380
> View attachment 10379


Are the piano concertos any good? I love piano concertos and think you have some good judgement. I'll wish-list them if you think they are worth it


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Are the piano concertos any good? I love piano concertos and think you have some good judgement. I'll wish-list them if you think they are worth it


Hi Sonata. I do, and particularly Tozer (sparkling playing, superb sound). I didn't like anything about the Naxos Donohoe. Binns (Lyrita) is good (decent sound), but that one's compiled with different orchestras and conductors. :tiphat:


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> The work was one of a number written by contemporary composers commissioned by a gagaku ensemble wanting a contemporary repertoire. It doesn't aim at imitation, per se, unlike the Cowell or Messiaen in his Sept Haikai (both of which I enjoy greatly), but rather a new way of writing. It preserves quite a bit of the genre's traditional aspects regardless.


That makes the piece make a lot more sense, now.

Still, give me a real Coke, not a cola.


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Simon Rattle


----------



## Sonata

Brahms cello sonata #2


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Anton Rubinstein (28 November 1829-1894): Cello Sonata No.1 in D Major. Op.18

Michal Kanka, cello -- Jaromir Klepac, piano

View attachment 10382


----------



## idomeneo

Verdi String Quartet in E minor / Sibelius String Quartet in D minor 
Juilliard String Quartet


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arthur Honegger--*Symphony No.2*, featuring Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Arthur Honegger*--Symphony No.1 and Symphony No.3 {"Liturgique"},* both performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Serge Baudo.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.8 in B Minor {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major {"The Great"}, *both featuring the Cleveland Orchestra led by Maestro Szell.


----------



## idomeneo

Chopin 
8 Polonaises
Arthur Rubinstein
CD 91 from the awesome Complete RCA Recordings box


----------



## samurai

Sonata said:


> *Beethoven*: Violin Sonata in A Minor, and the monumental 5th symphony.
> *Mozart*: Mass in C, K167 (first listen. This is my least favorite of the 3 or 4 masses that I've listened to by Mozart. I'll give it a few more spins to see if it grows on me, but I'm really not enamored with it)
> *Brahms*: Cello Sonata #1. I am a big fan of this one, the first movement in particular.
> *Mahler*: Symphony #1, Titan.
> 
> I also listened to about fifteen minutes of Christmas music.
> 
> I find that my posting in the non-classical section has been quiet as of late. I've been bitten by the classical bug hard. It's no longer "Am I in the mood for classical or not?" But "Which composer am I in the mood for today?" It's been fun. That said, I have not abandoned my other music. It will be ready and waiting for me whenever the urge strikes!


@ Sonata, I fully agree with your observations about the other musical genres classified as "non-classical". For me as well, I still love jazz and prog rock, even though lately I have been listening to and enjoying far more classical music in proportion to the other two. However, they are always on the "back burner"--so to speak--and ready to be activated depending on my mood for that day or hour.


----------



## Lukecash12

One of my favorite toccatas of Buxtehude's. Certain sections are fairly original.


----------



## PetrB

Serge Baudo, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra... vivid but subtle classical clarity, clarity of all parts w / fullness of sound... ergo very nice piece / writing; wonderful playing
Honegger ~ Pastorale d'été


----------



## Conor71

*Franck: Symphony In D Minor*

Now playing this Disc which I just received last week - I have given it a couple of spins already today as it's a good one


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Violin Concerto in A minor

I have heard enough in 'A-minor' to call it BOSS!


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Sinfonia in G Major, RV 149

Andrew Manze leading the Academy of Ancient Muisc

View attachment 10387


----------



## PetrB

John Luther Adams ~ Dark Waves (2007); Chicago Symphony, Jaap van Zweden
_(orchestra w/electronics)__
_


----------



## Sonata

Brahms String Quartet #3. The second movement is gorgeous.


----------



## Andolink

Michael Tippett: Symphony No. 4
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Georg Solti


----------



## millionrainbows

samurai said:


> @ Sonata, I fully agree with your observations about the other musical genres classified as "non-classical". For me as well, I still love jazz and prog rock, even though lately I have been listening to and enjoying far more classical music in proportion to the other two. However, they are always on the "back burner"--so to speak--and ready to be activated depending on my mood for that day or hour.


I think that you & Sonata will find that as you get older, and you're living more on the edge of your nerves with your best friend, a cat, that you will be drawn more & more to classical.

Meanwhile:---------------------->


----------



## Guest

I have been enjoying the recordings of the Takacs Quartet over the last couple of days, and today it is their wonderful recording of Beethoven's Late String Quartets on Decca. The 14th is one that I haven't heard in a while, and am now asking myself, "why not?"


----------



## korenbloem

"simply impressive"


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Franck: Symphony In D Minor*
> 
> Now playing this Disc which I just received last week - I have given it a couple of spins already today as it's a good one


That's my favorite recording of the Reformation Symphony. The transition to the second theme in the fourth movement has been called "flabby"; Maazel actually makes it work.

Today, Schumann's 4th Symphony.


----------



## idomeneo

Arthur Rubinstein
A French Program
Ravel / Poulenc / Faure / Chabrier


----------



## cwarchc

Toru Takemitsu Eclipse on Youtube
An amazing piece
I'm going to have to explore of this gentleman's work


----------



## Lukecash12

Another podcast: "Tony Long on the Self in Hellenistic Philosophy".

http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/hellenistic-long

And listening to this I am reminded of something very interesting: that the word "psyche" originated in the Homeric poems. And surely the first analytical psychologists had their roots in Platonic analytical philosophy.


----------



## PetrB

_Sick!_ a *modern Popular Seasonal song, all done up for music theory...* Video w/score ~ melody and chord tabs on one stave.
... _The anti-solfege model of how not to learn intervals, and why!_


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 4 In D Minor, Op. 120*


----------



## kv466

Interesting how he does my favorite set of Etudes yet one of my least favorite recordings of the scherzi. Still, worth listening to.

Earl Wild - Chopin scherzos 1-4


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> _Sick!_ a *modern Popular Seasonal song, all done up for music theory...* Video w/score ~ melody and chord tabs on one stave.
> ... _The anti-solfege model of how not to learn intervals, and why!_


I've found myself doing that at times, especially listening to a classical piece for the first time. And I really do that the first time I'm playing something by ear.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Martinu*: Symphonies (Complete), with BBCSO/Belohlavek (rec.2009); Piano Trios, with Arbor Piano Trio (rec.2010).

These symphonies are a 2012 Gramophone award winner. I don't hear it. Recorded live at the Barbican, the sound seems veiled. This robs us of the many nuances. The interps aren't nearly as interesting as Valek (my favorite) or Jarvi. Give it a miss.

The trios rec. with Arbor Piano Trio, may knock the Kinsky Trio from their roost. It's that good. To be released in December, I prefer Arbor's bolder playing and intonation. It's recorded a little close, but not excruciatingly so. 2 1/2 thumbs up. :tiphat:

View attachment 10401
View attachment 10402


----------



## Vaneyes

bejart said:


> Vivaldi: Sinfonia in G Major, RV 149
> 
> Andrew Manze leading the Academy of Ancient Muisc{Concert for the Prince of Poland}
> 
> View attachment 10387


That's one of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording). :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Piston: Violin Concerto No. 2










I guess I haven't played this concerto too many times. Sounds totally fresh 

P.S. Played wrong disc. It was actually Shostakovich string quartet No. 15 which I haven't listened to yet. I was wondering when the full orchestra would come in which never did :lol:


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Gaetano Donizetti (29 November 1797-1848): String Quartet No.10 in G Minor

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angeal East, cello

View attachment 10403


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Ruckert Lieder.*


----------



## idomeneo

J.S. Bach 
Musical Offering BWV 1079
Kuijkens - Kohnen - Leonhardt


----------



## millionrainbows

--------------------------------->








You can't go wrong.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 96
Gliere: Symphony No. 2


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Trio in E Flat, Op.3

Denes Kovacs, violin -- Geza Nemeth, viola -- Ede Banda, cello

View attachment 10408


----------



## Mahlerian

Today, Bach's Art of Fugue on harpsichord and the Rattle recording of Bruckner's 9th on EMI, with finale. I'm not quite sure about the latter yet. Maybe the finale would seem more convincing under a conductor more steeped in Bruckner's idiom than Rattle.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine. 
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## ProudSquire

Listening to this* Brahms* Symphonies set.









Started with:
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor

So far I'm really liking what I'm hearing. :}


----------



## drpraetorus

TV News If brevity is the soul of wit, why do I need to use more than 10 chacters?


----------



## idomeneo

Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 88 - Berlin Philharmonic
Symphony No. 94 - Vienna Philharmonic
Wilhelm Furtwangler
Furtwangler the Legacy CD 34


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Coronation Mass - Igor Markevitch


----------



## idomeneo

Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 2
Arthur Rubinstein
Symphony of the Air - Krips


----------



## Sid James

More from the Royal PO 4 cd set (disc 2) -
*Pachelbel *_Canon in D_
*Ravel* _Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte_
*Chopin* _Ballade #1_*
*Schumann*_ Traumerei_*
*Wagner* _Rienzi - Overture_
All conducted by Yuri Simonov
*Ronan O'Hora, piano

*Bach* _Cello Suites 2 & 4_
Michael Goldschlager, cello (ABC CLassics)


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Cello Concerto in B minor
Piano Concerto in G minor
Piano Quartet No.1 & 2
Piano Quintet No.1 & 2

The ultimate master of Romantic Music


----------



## idomeneo

Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 3
Arthur Rubinstein
Symphony of the Air - Krips


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs - Lisa Della Casa, soprano, Karl Bohm, cond.

...which may look familiar


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms lieder - Irmgard Seefried, soprano, Erik Werba, piano


----------



## idomeneo

Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4
Arthur Rubinstein
Symphony of the Air - Krips


----------



## idomeneo

I'm sure this one's quite a surprise. Rubinstein recorded these concertos three times, this is the first cycle and I can't say it's really grabbed me. Kinda disappointing.

Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 5
Arthur Rubinstein
Symphony of the Air - Krips


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Listening to one of the planets, Jupiter.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Tartini violin concerto in B flat major


----------



## bejart

GF Handel: Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op.6, No.1

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 10418


----------



## Sonata

Schubert Impromptus: Perahia. Last night.


----------



## Guest

Today I am listening to the wonderful recording of Dvorak's American Strinq Quartet, as performed by the Pavel Haas Quartet on the Supraphon label. I tried to post the picture, but the browser keeps telling me it is not a valid image file.


----------



## tdc

Some of my listening of late:

Prokofiev - Piano Sonatas - comparing recordings between Richter and Sandor.

Then two orchestral works I very much enjoy:

Havergal Brian - Symphony No. 2 (Tony Rowe), I haven't heard people mention this Symphony much, and the one time I've seen it mentioned here I believe Rowe's interpretation was criticized. I however, love this Symphony from start to finish as well as the work _Festival Fanfare_ that is included on the same Naxos disc. The other Brian Symphonies I've listened to haven't quite clicked with me yet aside from a lot of moments from Symphony No. 1, but I find that work over-all too long.

Britten - War Requiem (Simon Rattle) Just a really powerful work, highly recommended.


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: symphony #2. I rather like this one. My version is the London Symphony Orchestra under direction of Abaddo.

Bach's suite #1 for solo cello. Stringed instruments are great, but I struggle to enjoy them playing solo. This suite is no exception (though I do like one of the suites, I forget if it's 3 or 5, as I've only listened a couple of times)


----------



## Hemiola

Mendelssohn Symphony 3 and Cecilia Rydinger Alin's 1995 recording of the chamber version of Orff's Carmina Burana. I love this version of Carmina Burana. It packs more of a punch and to my ears that suits the text better.


----------



## NightHawk

This is a superb performance in every way. These solo piano works and concerto for piano are my favorite Schoenberg and tremendously appealing. Pollini's playing is perfect in style and clarity. Highly recommended *****


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*

This is Toscanini's 10/28/39 performance. My recording has the pops from the vinyl in it. I've forgotten what it was like to have those vinyl noises.


----------



## PetrB

John Adams ~ 'City Noir'


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sacred choral music by Dufay and anonymous composers. This is a nice compilation. I found it used for only .25. Every once in a while I get lucky.


----------



## millionrainbows

----------------------->








--------------------------------->








Pleyel, so resonant...easy speaking...


----------



## ProudSquire

Just got my hands on this:









Started with the fantastic C Minor Sonata D.958

Kempff's playing is subtle and imaginative, especially in the finale of this exemplary composition. I'm highly impressed thus far, and I can't wait to listen the rest of the sonatas.


----------



## Sid James

More from the 4 cd set, music played by the *Royal Philharmonic Orch.:*
*R. Strauss *_Also sprach Zarathustra: introduction_
- Charles Mackerras, cond.
*Dvorak* _Slavonic Dance #2 in E minor, Op. 72 (Mazurka)_
- Douglas Bostock, cond.
*Rachmaninov*_ Piano Concerto #2 (2nd movement)_
- Ronan O'Hora, pno. ; Carl Davis, cond.
*Mahler* _Sym.#5 (4th movement, Adagietto)_
- Frank Shipway, cond.
*Tchaikovsky *_Serenade for Strings (1st movement)_
*Grieg *_Holberg Suite (Sarabande)_
*Mozart* _Eine kleine Nachtmusik (2nd movement)_
*Schubert* _Sym.#5 (1st movement)_
*Vivaldi*_ The Four Seasons - Winter (1st movement)_
- Yuri Simonov, cond. (all 5 items above)
*Beethoven* _Piano Sonata #17 'Tempest' (3rd movement)_
- Cristina Ortiz, pno.

Disc 2 of *electroacoustic music by Tristram Cary.* This disc has works for computer, composed between 1979 and 1996. An earlier in depth review by me is at http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-5.html#post274716 thread.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Richard Wagner--*Wagner Without Words, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}*, once again featuring the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Szell.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Maderna*: Orchestral with Sinopoli (rec.1979), then Chamber with Arditti Qt. (rec.1992 - '95).

View attachment 10431
View attachment 10432


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Michael Gielen


----------



## Cnote11

Benjamin Britten - Music for Voice & Guitar


----------



## Cnote11

Live from the Concertgebouw 1978 & 1979


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Carl Loewe (1796-1869): String quartet in G Major, Op.24, No.1

Hallensia Quartet: Cornelia Metz and Daniel Schad, violins -- Petra Berner, viola -- Thomas Knappe, cello

View attachment 10434


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 - Nos. 13-24


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Choral Works, disc 1

View attachment 10436


Disc 1 has all of his tonal works for choir, including Friede auf Erden, a Christmas poem setting (see, it's seasonal), Kol Nidre, based on the Jewish ceremony, and a whole bunch of German folk songs arranged in a contrapuntally rich style.


----------



## idomeneo

Arnold Schoenberg 
The Piano Music 
Maurizio Pollini


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert and Schumann lieder - Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, Phyllis Spurr, piano


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra led by James Levine.


----------



## Guest

TheProudSquire said:


> Just got my hands on this:
> 
> View attachment 10426
> 
> 
> Started with the fantastic C Minor Sonata D.958
> 
> Kempff's playing is subtle and imaginative, especially in the finale of this exemplary composition. I'm highly impressed thus far, and I can't wait to listen the rest of the sonatas.


I have this as well. I never hesitate to add Kempff to my collection. This set, along with the recordings of Beethoven's violin sonatas with him and Menuhin are stars in my collection. Kempff is simply fantastic in the late classical/early romantic repertoire.


----------



## idomeneo

Richter reDiscovered CD 2
Prokofiev Sonata No. 6 and other works


----------



## PetrB

Steve Reich ~ Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices & Organ





Robert Moran ~ Rocky Road to Kansas


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 1 from Schubert from this collection.


----------



## idomeneo

Schoenberg 
Piano Concerto / Fantasy for Violin and Piano / Ode to Napolean
Glenn Gould Plays Schoenberg CD 2


----------



## idomeneo

Schoenberg
2 songs Op. 1 / 4 Lieder Op. 2 / Das Buch der hangenden Garten Op. 15
Glenn Gould Plays Schoenberg CD 3


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4


----------



## bejart

Johann Schenck (1660-ca.1720): Sonata No.1 in D Major from 'L'Echo du Danube'

Sandor Szaszvarosi and Nora Kallai, cellos

View attachment 10445


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Happy belated birthday --
Sergei Lyapunov (30 November 1859-1924): Symphony No.2 in B Flat Minor, Op.66

Evgeni Svetlanov conducting the USSR Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 10447


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.18 in A Major, KV 464

Quartetto Italiano: Paolo Borciani and Elisa Pegreffi, violins -- Piero Farulli, viola -- Franco Rossi, cello

View attachment 10448


----------



## Andolink

Francesco Durante: Concerto No. 1 in F minor
Concerto Köln


----------



## millionrainbows

--------------------------------->








The performance on DVD, in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround.


----------



## Arsakes

*Ives*:
Symphony No.2 -his best-
Hallowe'en -disturbing-
Central Park in the Dark -most disturbing!-
The Unanswered Question


----------



## Lisztian

I just heard Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra in Liszt's Héroïde funèbre, a work that's so easy to butcher...but when done well it's truly something to behold. This is the best performance i've ever heard; truly overwelming in its build up of tension, and the climax, one of the great musical depictions of sheer destruction, had me quivering.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Schoenberg,* _Cabaret Songs_ plus..._early songs Op. 2, and Book of the Hanging Gardens Op. 15...._

--------------------------------->








*Ursula Oppens,* piano, and *Phyllis Bryn-Julson,* soprano...Wow! It satisfies! Who could ask for more?


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Franz Xaver Richter (1 December 1709-1789): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Bohdan Warchal leading the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eugenia Zuckermann, flute

View attachment 10458


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Jean Sibelius:*

Finlandia
Karelia Suite
En Saga
Valse Triste
(Boston Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Piano Trio No.1 in B Major, Op.8

Joseph Kalichstein, piano -- Jaine Laredo, violin -- Sharon Robinson, cello

View attachment 10459


----------



## bejart

Antonio Brioschi (ca.1700-ca.1750): Symphony in D Major

Vani Moretto directing the Atalanta Fugiens

View attachment 10460


----------



## opus55

Mayr: Piano Concerto No. 1
Schubert: Fantasie for Violin and Piano, D934


----------



## Sid James

*Chopin* 
_Nocturnes (a selection of 13)_ 
Daniel Barenboim, pno. (DGG)

*Beethoven* 
_Fidelio (highlights) 
_Cast incl. Birgit Nilsson (Leonore), James McCracken (FLorestan), Kurt Bohme (Rocco) with Vienna State Opera Chorus & Vienna PO under Lorin Maazel (Eloquence)

*John Cage* 
_Sonatas and Interludes_ (1946-50) ; _Music for Marcel Duchamp_ (1947) ; _The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs_ (1942)*
Nigel Butterley, prepared piano ; *with Gerald English, tenor (Tall Poppies)


----------



## PetrB

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Symphony 1 from Schubert from this collection.


Ha-cha, I like this band with this director (and of course Franzl). Some sweet and intelligent music making. I envy you having the CD.


----------



## millionrainbows

Schoenberg concertos...
--------------------------------->


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1
Mozart: Andante and Variations for Four Hands in G major, K.501


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Adrian Boult.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *for this occasion performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Maestro Boult's baton.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat major, Op.60, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1767-1798): String Quartet in A Major

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Jane Oldham, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello

View attachment 10464


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Haydn String Quartets on this.


----------



## Lenfer

starthrower said:


>


From far enough away I always think this looks like an old fashioned ship maybe that's just me.


----------



## Lenfer

​


----------



## Cnote11

I noticed that too, L'enfer. (The boat thing)










Terry Riley - The Book of Abbeyozzud

Fantastic stuff


----------



## idomeneo

Vladimir Horowitz - The Last Romantic


----------



## nitram

I'm listening Bach BWV 1041 played by Nigel Kennedy


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Trio for Fortepiano, Flute and Violoncello in D Major (1790)







Arnold Schoenberg: The Book of the Hanging Gardens
Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano/Gilbert Kalish, piano


----------



## idomeneo

Bruckner 
Symphony No. 7
Staatskapelle Dresden - Eugen Jochum
EMI Icon CD 15


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Concerto No.20 - Sviatoslav Richter, piano, Stanislaw Wislocki, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart opera arias - Fernando Corena, bass, Alberto Erede and Peter Maag, cond.


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Violin Concerto No.3 - Isaac Stern, violin and cond.


----------



## Andolink

Chris Dench: the blinding access of the grace of flesh 
Deborah Kayser, mezzo-soprano
ELISION ensemble/Franck Ollu


----------



## Sonata

Bach: Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould. The faster recording, I don't remember which year. First part of his French Suite V, watching a pianist on YouTube. Tried to follow along reading the sheet music. That lasted about four seconds :lol:


----------



## Arsakes

*Johann Strauss II*:

Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Op.325
Klange aus der Raimundzeit Op.479
Liebeslieder, Op.114
Tausendundeine Nacht, Op.346
Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437
Wo die Zitronen blüh'n, Op.364


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Invention No.2 in C Minor, BWV 773

Evgeni Koroliov, piano

View attachment 10478


----------



## Mahlerian

Via Spotify:
Stravinsky: The Flood, Requiem Canticles, etc.
Oliver Knussen, conductor

View attachment 10479


DG should bring this disc back into their catalogue, or record more late Stravinsky. Preferably both.


----------



## millionrainbows

If you like your Beethoven slow, slow...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••>


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Kraus, Symphony in E Flat.*


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> Arnold Schoenberg: The Book of the Hanging Gardens
> Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano/Gilbert Kalish, piano



View attachment 10472


This is the old Nonesuch, originally on LP. I bet this is a good one.


----------



## drpraetorus

Grieg, Funeral March for Rikard Nordaak. Dallas Wind Symphony


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.92 in D Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

View attachment 10483


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Per Norgard, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## drpraetorus

Der Fuerhers Face, Spike Jones


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Symphony in C Major, Op.66

Matthias Bamert conducting the London Mozart Players

View attachment 10490


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Organ transcriptions of Wagner:


----------



## kiliand

Bruckners 8th symphony by Celibidache (his Japan recorindg). I'm used to the more firm way of Karajan, but I am learning to appreciate the spacious style of Celibidache. It's amazing how these two versions can be so different from eachother. This is magic.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543

Sir Neville Marriner directing the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

View attachment 10493


----------



## cwarchc

This one, my latest Amazon bargain.
I'm not too sure about it, think I'll have to listen a few more times?


----------



## bejart

Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915): String Trio in E Flat. Op.31

Jerusalem String Trio: Rimma Kaminkovsky, violin -- Yuval Kaminkovsky, viola -- Yoram Alperin, cello

View attachment 10495


----------



## Praeludium

I'm listening seriously (ie. repeated listenings on relatively large period) of :









Great. I had already listened a few time to n°10 and enjoyed it - even though it seemed a quite mysterious (but non unfamiliar if you see what I mean. Complex but not strange) language. Now I intend to take my time to listen to them and try to begin to understand them. They're probably a quite important part of the symphonic repertoire of the XXth century.









I love spectral music. Like with Takemitsu, for instance, I like everything I listen even when I feel that I understand nothing (at least in depth) about how it is written, etc. I just like it 
So I'm discovering Grisey in this CD my harmony teacher lended me. I'd love to hear that live in good conditions.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in D Major, Op.12, No.1

Guy van Waas leading Les Agremens

View attachment 10499


----------



## Sid James

Continuing with 4 cd set of *Royal Philharmonic Orch.* (cd 3 this time) -
*Beethoven *_Sym. #6 'Pastoral' (First movement) _- Mark Ermler, cond.* 
Saint-Saens *_Carnival of the Animals (Acquarium)_ - Andrea Licita, cond. 
*Bach* _Suite #3 (Air) _- Jonathan Carney, vln./cond. 
*Mozart*_ Clarinet Concerto (Second movement)* _- Jost Michaels, cl. & Hubert Reichert, cond. 
*Dvorak *_Serenade for Strings (II. Tempo di Valse)_ - Yehudi Menuhin, cond. 
*Vaughan Williams *_Fantasy on Greensleeves _- Christopher Seaman, cond. 
*Debussy*_ Clair de Lune _- Ronan O'Hora, pno. 
*Tchaikovsky* _The Nutcracker Suite (excerpts)_ ; * Puccini *_Manon Lescaut (Intermezzo to Act II)_ ; *Stravinsky* _THe Firebird Suite (excerpts)_ - Yuri Simonov, cond.
All with Royal PO except *with Westfalisches Sinfonie-orchester

*Bartok *_String Quartets 3 & 5_ 
Alban Berg Quartet (EMI)


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Milan Munclinger directing the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Jean Pierre Rampal, flute

View attachment 10500


----------



## idomeneo

Lutoslawski 
Symphony No. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du sommeil 
Los Angeles Philharmonic - Esa-Pekka Salonen


----------



## Andolink

millionrainbows said:


> View attachment 10472
> 
> 
> This is the old Nonesuch, originally on LP. I bet this is a good one.


It's a timeless classic IMO! I thought for a long time I had misplaced this disc only to discover it yesterday right on the shelf where it had been sitting in plain view all along. Whew! Big relief as it's very hard to find now and thus, very expensive.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.44 in E Major, Op.54, No.3

Pro Arte Quartet: Alphonse Onnou and Laurent Halleux, violins -- Germain Prevost, viola -- Robert Maas, cello

View attachment 10503


----------



## opus55

Bartok: Sonata for Solo Violin / 44 Duos for Two Violins


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in F Minor, D 625

Michael Endres, piano

View attachment 10511


----------



## PetrB

Milhaud ~ Six Symphonies de chambre. [Not to influence anyone in any way, of course... they're wonderful.]
No. 1




No. 2




No. 3




No. 4




No. 5




No. 6


----------



## Andolink

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Symphony-Antiphony
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leif Segerstam








Roberto Gerhard: Symphony No. 3 "Collages"
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Matthias Bamert


----------



## SimonNZ

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 - Albert Wolff


----------



## idomeneo

Brahms
Symphony No. 2 & 3
London Philharmonic Orchestra - Eugen Jochum
EMI Icon CD 7


----------



## SimonNZ

Gabrieli: Two Pieces For Double String Orchestra - Karl Munchinger


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Chopin's Nocturnes (don't know which ones, couldn't be bothered to look)


----------



## bejart

Telemann: Recorder Sonata No.4 in D Minor

The Aulos Ensemble: Michel Piguet, recorder -- Charles Sherman, harpsichord

View attachment 10517


----------



## Arsakes

Yesterday, *Henrich Schütz*: 
Bone Jesu
Some of his psalms from Cantiones Sacrae Opus 4: Freiberg (1625)
Die Auferstehung unsres Herren Jesu Christi Opus 3: Dresden (1623)


----------



## Arsakes

Today..
*Smetana*:
Ma Vlast
Hakon Jarl, Symphonic Poem Op.16
Richard III, Symphonic Poem Op.11
Venkovanka, The Peasant Woman Polka
Festive Symphony, Op.6


----------



## Andolink

Tristan Murail: Gondwana
Orchestre de National de France/Yves Prins








Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Méditations pour le Carême
Les Arts Florissants/William Christie


----------



## millionrainbows

------------------------------->


----------



## Sonata

Mendelsson: Concerto in E Minor for violin and orchestra and concerto in D minor for violin and strings.

Over the weekend I also listened again to his Piano Trio #2, and I think it's just wonderful. It may be my favorite piano trio. Yes, yes it is.


----------



## Schubussy

Ravel & Prokofiev concertos


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev*: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major
Ashkenazy/LSO/Previn

*Bantock*: Thalaba the Destroyer (symphonic poem)
Royal PO/Handley


----------



## Mahlerian

Milhaud: Piano Sonata No. 1

via Youtube


----------



## Sonata

I'm enjoying my Mendelssohn concertos so much today, that I'm just continuing them for now. I am on to concertos 1 & 2 for piano and orchestra.


----------



## neoshredder

Can't go wrong with Mendelssohn concertos. Right now I got a Vivaldi playlist based on Vivaldi and Composers similar to him. All scrambled up on random. Though this isn't the ideal way to listen to Classical, I still enjoy it.


----------



## maestro267

Listening to Thalaba the Destroyer earlier made me want to listen to Gliére's Third Symphony again. Similar mood (heroic tale) and in the same key (B minor), but about 50 minutes longer. Some frightening orchestral effects in there.


----------



## Sonata

Shuffle mode on my iPod selected Haydn's piano sonata in CXVI:50.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Tintner

View attachment 10525


Ever since I heard this version (not recording, version) of the symphony, I haven't been able to stand any other. They all sound "wrong" somehow without the uneven phrasing and off-beat accents.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Op. 74, No. 1.*


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Studer · McNair · Rost · von Otter
Lang · Seiffert · Terfel · Rootering
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Prager Philharmonischer Chor
Tölzer Knabenchor
Berliner Philharmoniker/Claudio Abbado








Amazing recording of amazing music!


----------



## idomeneo

John Adams
Shaker Loops / Light Over Water


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in F Major, KV 247

Thomas Furi leading Camerata Bern

View attachment 10530


----------



## Sonata

Lenfer said:


> From far enough away I always think this looks like an old fashioned ship maybe that's just me.


On the contrary, I thought the very same thing!!


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar* _Violin Concerto ; Cello Concerto_
Yehudi Menuhin, violin with London SO ; Beatrice Harrison, cello with New SO ; Elgar conducting (recorded 1920's and '30's)

*Bartok* _String Quartets 1 and 6_ 
Alban Berg Quartet (on EMI)


----------



## millionrainbows

Wourinen: I skipped Time's Encomium and went straight for the Piano Sonata and First String Quartet. Re: the latter, I think Wuorinen will be seen as a restrained classicist of sorts. Regardless of _what_ is happening (who knows?), this music is always interesting. Plenty of contrast, string harmonics, glissandos (very controlled), independent lines, things happening in synch, big contrasts of pitch. For the Quartet, the source of the recording is the same on as the Music & Arts label, with Babbitt, but here the master tape has been "cleaned up" and sounds better.

--------------------------------->


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Flute Concerto in D major, K.314
Mahler: Symphony No. 2


----------



## bejart

Manuel Canales (1747-1786): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.3, No.2

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simarro and Eva-Maria Roll, violins -- Lothar Haass, viola -- Michael Rupprecht, cello

View attachment 10532


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the stick of Karl Bohm.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485, *once again featuring the Vienna Philharmonic and Maestro Bohm.


----------



## HoraeObscura

this one:


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

Nathan Milstein, violin

View attachment 10538


----------



## Arsakes

*Ravel*:

Piano Concerto For The Left Hand
Menuet Antique
La Valse (Poeme Choregraphique)
Daphnis et Chloe


----------



## Andolink

Gabriel Faure: Barcarolles 1-6
Paul Crossley, piano








Per Nørgård: Helle Nacht, "Violin Concerto"
Christina Åstrand, violin
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard








Per Nørgård: Borderlines (Violin Concerto No. 2) for violin, strings and percussion
Rebecca Hirsch, violin
Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra/Giordano Bellincampi


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820) String Quartet, Op.13, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Jindrich Pazdera and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 10543


----------



## HoraeObscura

Didn't know Per Nørgård, sounds interesting! 

Now listening to Per Nørgård's Helle Nacht but by Sjaellands symfoniorkester


----------



## millionrainbows

I ignored the Schuman and Sessions, and went straight for the *Aaron Copland* work included here. Copland, after his 'populist' period, began using the twelve-tone method, with his _Piano Quartet (1950)._ With _Connotations (1960-61),_ he continues this. About 12 minutes in, there are some beautiful woodwind passages; then, at the end, crashing, fearful dissonances poisonously bloom, with heart-attack bass drum hits reminiscent of *Carl Ruggles.* Copland's "texture" is still recognizable in the big blocks of sound. _This ain't yer granpa's Copland!_

--------------------------------->


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Piano quintet.


----------



## Andolink

HoraeObscura said:


> Didn't know Per Nørgård, sounds interesting!
> 
> Now listening to Per Nørgård's Helle Nacht but by Sjaellands symfoniorkester


Just finished listening to Nørgård's 7th Symphony from this disc and its utterly beguiling:







The 3rd Symphony is one of Nørgård's great masterpieces too so this CD should be at the top of anyone's list to get to know this composer.

I've long been a huge Nørgård fan. I think he, along with Elliott Carter and György Ligeti are the three greatest late 20th Century modernist composers. All are/were fiercely independent maverick types immune to trends and fashion.


----------



## HoraeObscura

Alfred Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No 1 

Nice stuff! 

Should've registered here sooner, this board is a goldmine for tips


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: Symphony #3. Beautiful first movement.


----------



## Guest

After the talk of Bach's WTC, I decided to pull these from my archives (all my music is digital, whether purchased online or ripped to my computer, and to free up computer memory, some of the stuff gets swapped onto my external hard drive - mainly the stuff that doesn't get as much play).

I find these recordings very enjoyable. Although I love the harpsichord, I just can't fall in love with any harpsichord recordings of these works. I find it is that way with most solo keyboard works. Murray Perahia's recordings of Bach's other solo keyboard works are also among my favorites. Anyways, I have almost finished Book 1, and will then start Book 2.


----------



## neoshredder

DrMike said:


> View attachment 10551
> 
> View attachment 10552
> 
> 
> After the talk of Bach's WTC, I decided to pull these from my archives (all my music is digital, whether purchased online or ripped to my computer, and to free up computer memory, some of the stuff gets swapped onto my external hard drive - mainly the stuff that doesn't get as much play).
> 
> I find these recordings very enjoyable. Although I love the harpsichord, I just can't fall in love with any harpsichord recordings of these works. I find it is that way with most solo keyboard works. Murray Perahia's recordings of Bach's other solo keyboard works are also among my favorites. Anyways, I have almost finished Book 1, and will then start Book 2.


Have you heard Gustav Leonhardt's version? Or is it just a dislike for the instrument.


----------



## neoshredder

HoraeObscura said:


> Alfred Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No 1
> 
> Nice stuff!
> 
> Should've registered here sooner, this board is a goldmine for tips


So you enjoy the darker Classical music. Maybe Bartok would be of interest to you as well. He influenced that movement no doubt though he was tonal. His String Quartets are among the best cycles in Classical Music. Also Concerto for Orchestra is one of his biggest works. I know he was one of the biggest influences for Ligeti.


----------



## Guest

neoshredder said:


> Have you heard Gustav Leonhardt's version? Or is it just a dislike for the instrument.


I have not heard Leonhardt's. I don't dislike the harpsichord - I think it is more a matter with most recordings of the instrument in a solo setting. They tend to bring out harshness, and my ears simply cannot deal with it as much. Whether it would be different in a live setting, I couldn't say. I do enjoy the harpsichord in ensembles. I also don't mind Ralph Kirkpatrick's recording of WTC on the clavichord - much more mellow and less harsh to my ears.


----------



## Sonata

Grieg: Sonata #1 in F Major for Violin and Piano, and Heart's Melodies Op. 5


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Charles Ives, Psalms.*

I really like these settings. And Ives himself couldn't ask for a better choir.


----------



## idomeneo

Schubert Lieder
Elly Ameling / Rudolf Jansen
From the Philips Original Jackets Collection box. Has some Brahms and Wolf lieder added as filler. Great music and a great sounding CD.


----------



## bejart

Jakob Jan Ryba (1765-1815): String Quartet in D Minor

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Libor Kanka, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 10565


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E Minor
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden and Freiburg/Michael Gielen


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Trio in G Major for Three Flutes

Jean Pierre Rampal, Christian Larde and Alain Marion, flutes

View attachment 10567


----------



## PetrB

This was up before, and then the 'tube links down quickly. I recall it was fun enough, and up all too briefly....

Max Richter ~ Recomposed Vivaldi (the four seasons, surprisesurprise & natch
Link to a playlist....


----------



## Sid James

Finishing the *Royal Philharmonic set* (4th & final cd) -
*Mendelssohn* Midsummer Night's Dream Overture - David Zinman, cond.
*Mozart* Sinfonia Concertante KV.364 - 2nd movement - Jonathan Carney, vln/cond. & Andrew Williams, viola
*Chopin *Nocturnes, Op. 9 #1 - Ronan O'Hora, pno.
*Sibelius *Valse Triste - Jonathan Carney, cond.
*Mascagni* Cavalleria Rusticana - Intermezzo - Andrea Licata, cond.
*Bruch* Scottish Fantasy - 2nd movement - Yuzoko Horigome, vln. , Yuri Simonov, cond.
*Bernstein *Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (Adagio) - Carl Davis, cond.
*Barber* Adagio for Strings+
*Satie* Gnossienes: #3 - Ronan O'Hora, pno.
*Khatchaturian* Masquerade Suite - Waltz+
*Gorecki *Sym.#3 - 2nd movement (with Susan Gritton, soprano)+
+Yuri Simonov, cond.
All with Royal PO except Mendelsshon which is with Rochester PO

*Goldmark *Violin Concerto #1 ; *Korngold* Violin Concerto 
Itzakh Perlman, violin with Pittsburgh SO under Andre Previn (EMI)


----------



## millionrainbows

--------------------------------->








Once upon a time, this disc was hard to get hold of, and was priced way high. Then all of a sudden, the price went down and I got it. This is an interesting work, about the end of time. An interesting pairing, both Orff and Karajan, as they both took a little heat for their wartime activities.

---------------------->


----------



## Sonata

Grieg: Sonata in A Minor for cello and piano. Really lovely.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in A Major.

Shizuka Ishikawa, violin -- Petr Hejny, cello -- Josef Fiala, harpsichord

View attachment 10570


----------



## opus55

Pierne: Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 12
Bartok: String Quartets, Nos 3 and 5


----------



## Sonata

More Grieg before bed: Sigurd Jorsalfar.


----------



## Conor71

*Cage: Imaginary Landscape*

A bit of a change of pace today with some contemporary (?) Classical - first up I will listen to Disc 1 of the Electronic Music compilation followed by Disc 1 of the Varese set for a first listen. I will listen to the Nyman Disc for the first time also


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D 82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D 417 {"Tragic"}, *both featuring the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {Reformation"},* both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## idomeneo

Richard Strauss
Four Last Songs
Jessye Norman 
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig - Kurt Masur

First time I've ever heard this piece, the third song almost made me cry and I have no idea what she is singing.


----------



## science

I wonder how well Reimann understood the play? I wonder this kind of thing often with opera based on Shakespeare. You take one extreme, Thomas' _Hamlet_, and you can say for sure that Thomas was not at all concerned to present Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, but his own (or at least his era's own). Gone is the religious angst; remaining and exaggerated is the tragedy of Ophelia. At the other extreme is Verdi's _Otello_, which I dare affirm equal or even superior to Shakespeare's own work.

As it is my favorite work of Shakespeare, I have my own ideas about how I would compose a Lear opera. I might post them somewhere.

I apologize for the horrible jpeg of the Ravel CDs. Evidently not a single good image of that cover is available on the internet.

















Can't say I appreciated it from the beginning, but the Vespers is growing on me.

Buxtehude, of course, is easier to appreciate. Just good, solid, Baroque sonatas.

















If I didn't discipline myself, I'd listen to a few dozen CDs over and over again and ignore the rest of the music I've bought. Hamelin's Rzewski would be one of those. I love this work. Absolutely amazing, beautiful, whatever.

Like the Buxtehude op. 1, Albinoni's op. 7 is solid Baroque music and it is what you'd expect, though in my estimation Albinoni's is fresher.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Aguado off of 19th Century Guitar Favourites. Basically going alphabetically and picking an album for each Composer I have. Thus getting to hear many different Composers in my collection.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Field's Nocturnes - Mary-Louise Boehm, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Zelenka*'s Trios for two Oboes and Basson No.1-6


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Nonet - Roger Wagner, cond.


----------



## HoraeObscura

Since I was so impressed with his Helle Nacht Concerto, String Quartets 7, 8, 9 & 10:


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (ca.1690-1772): Flute Sonata in C Major, Op.1, No.2

Arcadia: Christoph Ehrsam, flute -- Eunice Brandao, viola -- Attilio Cremonesi, harpsichord

View attachment 10576


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Francesco Geminiani (5 December 1687-1762): Concerto Grosso in C Major, Op.5, No.3

I Musici

View attachment 10579


----------



## millionrainbows

Sviatoslav Richter: Richter In Hungary, CD 13: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff. This is the best $35 I ever spent. A 14-CD set recorded live, it's given me hours of pleasure. This disc, recorded at The Academy of Music in Budapest, 3 August, 1983, features Richter on selected short piano pieces from Tchaikovsky (The Seasons, Piano Pieces) and Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux). The audience gets so excited that they spontaneously burst into applause several times during the Rachmaninoff.

--------------------------------->







----------------------->


----------



## HoraeObscura

Wolfgang Rihm - Musik Für Streicher

a friend just suggested this composer on facebook


----------



## Manxfeeder

It may be the 5th, but I'm starting the day with some 4s:
*
Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 and Lutoslawski, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## starthrower

Honegger-Le Roi David


----------



## Guest

I neglect Barber far too much. I pulled this one out mainly for Knoxville, but I am thoroughly enjoying the Op. 17 Second Essay. This cycle, by Alsop, of Barber's works on Naxos is wonderful. I highly recommend all of the recordings to anyone who has not yet tried Samuel Barber - although this album may be my favorite.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to this since it is Geminiani's birthday.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schreker, Der Geburtstag der Infantin.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> View attachment 10616
> 
> I neglect Barber far too much. I pulled this one out mainly for Knoxville.


I like this version of Knoxville. I've heard Eleanor Steber and Measha Brueggergosman, but at least to my ears, this one has the right tempo and feel. (And I should know; I've been to Knoxville ).


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> I like this version of Knoxville. I've heard Eleanor Steber and Measha Brueggergosman, but at least to my ears, this one has the right tempo and feel. (And I should know; I've been to Knoxville ).


I've been through Knoxville quite a bit - the in-laws live in Chattanooga, and for a time we lived in Ohio, so we had to go through Knoxville to get there.  Now we live in Alabama, so less opportunities to pass through Knoxville, unless going to the Smokies.


----------



## Lukecash12

Medtner's Night Wind sonata.


----------



## tdc

Schnittke - Symphony No. 5






Its kind of strange how Schnittke was very much influenced by Shostakovich, yet I don't listen to Shostakovich very much, but I love Schnittke. I get a certain sense of theatrical playfulness and humor in Schnittke's works where Shostakovich always seems so serious. I have the same problem with Brahms. I can clearly see why people think Shostakovich and Brahms are very great composers, but I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy them because they rarely seem playful, light or humorous in their compositions. Schnittke, though often very dark I find also has these lighter qualities in his musical personality, this gives his music a nice sense of balance to me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Sancta Civitas - David Willcocks, cond.

which has a long radiant section in the middle with a violin part in similar style and beauty to "A Lark Ascending"


----------



## Mahlerian

Aaron Copland: Vitebsk for Piano Trio

View attachment 10619


I'm going through Copland's early works at the moment in conjunction with Howard Pollack's biography of the composer. I was surprised to find some of them, such as this one, use occasional quarter-tones, among other "avant-garde" techniques. It turns out that in the early days, critics would call Copland an American Schoenberg, for his bold use of dissonances.


----------



## Chrythes

For some reason I keep coming back to Durufle's requiem. It's a weird piece. It's peaceful, but somewhat eerie and melancholic. 
Maybe the deep, low resonating organ has something to do with it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Scarlatti sonatas - Joseph Payne, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Granados' Danzas Espanolas - Alicia De Larrocha, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart Piano Sonatas - Christian Zacharias, piano

I would have quite liked to ask Stlukes what he thought of the Zacharias Scarlatti set he had ordered, but it seems the idiocy of his banning is being carried on past a month.


----------



## millionrainbows

Charles Wuorinen, Third String Quartet (1987). Fred Sherry "in there" on cello.

--------------------------------->


----------



## opus55

Walton: Violin Concerto
Haydn: Piano Trio in F major Hob. XV/40


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Op. 20 from Haydn. I think this might be his best works for String Quartet but I guess I need to listen to more of them. Like Op. 33 for instance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.93 - The Little Orchestra Of London, Leslie Jones, cond.


----------



## idomeneo

Messiaen
Quatour pour la fin du Temps


----------



## neoshredder

I used to get a ton of likes on Curent Listening.... What has happened? lol


----------



## Cnote11

Romance de Amor by Xue Fei Yang. Quite a nice Villa-Lobos etude on this one!










Terry Riley - The Book of Abbeyozzud










Benjamin Britten - Music for Voice & Guitar played by Julian Bream and sung by Peter Pears


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> I used to get a ton of likes on Curent Listening.... What has happened? lol


I don't come around here as often as I used to


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony


----------



## Arsakes

Listened to
*Dovrak*'s Symphony No.5 and 7


----------



## PetrB

Charles Koechlin ~

Les Heures Persane (suite of sixteen pieces, orchestrated)













Les Heures Persane (selections, piano)





...which led to the fun oddity of...
Charles Koechlin - Vers le Soleil, 7 Monodies pour Ondes Martenot, Op 174


----------



## Cnote11

Morton Feldman - Only

A set of works for voice


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: Piano Sonatas 1 - 3, with GG.


----------



## HoraeObscura

Waking up with coffee and:


----------



## idomeneo

Chopin - Khatia Buniatishvili


----------



## HoraeObscura

Alfred Schnittke's concerto grossi... still prefer his first... still two to go though


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn *_String Quartets 'Emperor' , 'Sunrise' & 'Bird' (Op.76 Nos. 3 and 4, Op.33 No. 3)_ played by Melos Quartet of Stuttgart (EMI)

*Bartok *_String Quartet #4_ played by Alban Berg Quartet (EMI)


----------



## millionrainbows

--------------------------------->








Sor, Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, Ponce, Leo Brouwer: Cuban guitarist Elias Barreiro may not be as impeccable as Segovia, but there's a certain quality to his playing that rings of authenticity. This is the real deal.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms String quartet #3 and cello sonata #1.


----------



## HoraeObscura

Hildegard von Bingen material... not really my cup of tea but I'm trying to decide what I'll buy as a present for my grandma, she really loves choral works.


----------



## Sonata

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 10623
> 
> 
> Mozart Piano Sonatas - Christian Zacharias, piano
> 
> I would have quite liked to ask Stlukes what he thought of the Zacharias Scarlatti set he had ordered, but it seems the idiocy of his banning is being carried on past a month.


Why was he banned this time?


----------



## Schubussy

Dvorak & Saint-Saens: Cello Concertos

Carlo Maria Giulini, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich


----------



## Cnote11

Sonata said:


> Why was he banned this time?


Yes, I do quite miss St. Lukes. I have absolutely no idea why he was banned, but I think it is about time to bring him back.


----------



## joen_cph

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 10633
> 
> 
> Haydn's Symphony No.93 - The Little Orchestra Of London, Leslie Jones, cond.


I am actually planning to buy this box set tomorrow, if it is still around for € 4. I believe the cover is by Roger Hane, a famous American illustrator.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *featuring the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.
Bela Bartok--*Concerto for Orchestra*, once more with Maestro Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *again featuring George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, 
*both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Conor71

*Atterberg: Symphony No. 2 In F Major, Op. 6*

Now playing Disc 2 of the CPO Atterberg Symphony box set - I've listened to this set a few times now. The music is easy to listen to and enjoy


----------



## Chrythes

Mahler!
Symphonie Nr. 3.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Études, Op. 25


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart:
String quintet in D Major K.593
Brahms:
string quintet in G Major Op. 111


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> Chopin: Études, Op. 25


What an arrogant photo. lol He's like yeah I'm the man. lol


----------



## opus55

He does look like a mean boss!

Mozart: Violin Sonatas in F major, K.376 and K.377


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"} and Slavonic Dances, Opuses 46 and 72.* All of these works feature the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.


----------



## drpraetorus

Faust, Gounod


----------



## opus55

Molique: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## PetrB

For Everestian reasons alone, Rostrapovitch, J.S.B's solo cello suites, through performance, 'DVD'
i.e. "Because they are there."


----------



## korenbloem

on cd:


----------



## Arsakes

*Carl Nielsen*'s Symphony No.1,2 'The Four Temperaments' and 4 'The Inextinguishable'

and
*Grieg*'s Piano Concerto in A minor


----------



## HoraeObscura

Really enjoyed "Jalons", "Le marteau sans maitre" not so much


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek* _Choruses for Male Voices_ 
Moravian Teachers Choir under Lubomir Mati (Naxos)

*Rachmaninov *_Piano Concerto #3_ 
Dimitris Sgouros, pno. with Berlin PO under Yuri Simonov (EMI)


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Kevin Pearson

idomeneo said:


> Chopin - Khatia Buniatishvili
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ]


I have seen Khatia several times on MediciTV and she is just wonderful. Full of passion and poise and skill. One of the best new artists on the block in my opinion.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

korenbloem said:


> on cd:


I can't say I am in love with this cover and it would not in the least make me want to buy this album. It makes her look like she is saying..."I'm soooo confused" , or possibly "I just don't understand this music", or from Monty Python..."my BRAIN hurts!". LOL

Kevin


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122 (1966). Good ol' Shosty; he always entertains. This string quartet is full of "dramatic gesture" and "implied narrative structure." It tells a story about the human condition (specifically about what, we can't definitively know), and as always, Shostakovich tells us, in the anxious, rhythmic, repeating, obsessive sections, that humanity is cruel, life is cruel, and never to be taken for granted; everything changes, everything perishes. There is sadness and longing at the end, where old themes reappear briefly, as if we are remembering the story, preparing to store it in our hearts and move on, like an old friend who has departed. Shostakovich is always benevolent, concerned with the human condition. He desires to communicate and to create empathy with us; tonality is always there, and the underlying pulse always reappears. Submit to it, and you will be rewarded.

--------------------------------->


----------



## Sonata

Philip Glass: Mad Rush, piano solo.


----------



## Guest

Bach . . . Savall . . . what more needs to be said? I also have his recordings of the Musical Offering and the Brandenburg Concertos. Savall works wonders with this repertoire.


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to the first 2 String Quartets of Franz Schubert. Plan to hear the rest.


----------



## realdealblues

Just finished listening to Schubert - Symphony #8 "Unfinished" and I don't care what anyone says, Riccardo Muti has one of the best Schubert cycles ever put on record and it's still the one I reach for 90% of the time.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Bryce
Hiroshi Koizumi, flute

View attachment 10659


One of the few pieces I've heard where quarter tones feel like less of an effect and more of a natural extension of the music. Beautiful and meditative. This is a live performance available only in Japan, an excellent series of Takemitsu's chamber music (including the works for solo guitar and piano), only marred by the occasional extremely loud cough (because the music is generally so quiet).


----------



## Sonata

Grieg: Piano sonata in E minor, and Sonata in G major for piano and violin. I am really enjoying his sonatas.


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Messiah - Rene Jacobs


----------



## Hassid

Lekeu: adagio expressivo for 2 violins and piano. Rare piece!
Spohr: violin concerto Nº22. Oistrakh-Kondrashin-URSS State SO. Extraordinary playing, very rare and hard to find.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*, *Clementi*, *Scriabin*, with Horowitz.


----------



## Andolink

Gabriel Fauré: Impromptus 1-5
Paul Crossely, piano


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 12 in D flat major, Op. 133.

Opening with a 12-tone row, this is an indication of what Shostakovich could do when he stepped outside of himself for a moment. Composed near the end of his life, I wish we could have had more like this; the preceding Quartet No. 11 is completely tonal, and is in Shostakovich's comfort zone; the obligatory jerky, disturbed rhythmic section, followed by a slower, sadder, emotional ending.

The first movement of No. 12 only lasts 7:32, though; and the 20-minute long second movement sounds like more of the same old Shosty, maybe a little more dissonant and disturbed. It's unified by a rhythmic motive, and he tends to drive this into the ground, almost as obsessive as late Beethoven. Also notable is a use of parallel minor chords, going up to a minor third, which is something Debussy did, but usually with major chords. When Shostakovich does it, the effect is more bleak and depressing. Not a leisurely picnic in the French countryside by any stretch of the imagination.

Tonally, I hear a lot of minor seconds and minor thirds in Shostakovich, and segments of the diminished scale always reappear throughout his work. In this way, he reminds me of Bartók, although more accessible-sounding. That "Eastern European" thing is happening.

---------------------->


----------



## Cnote11

Songs by Ravel by Gerald Finley and Julius Drake
Debussy's Forgotten Songs by Dawn Upshaw
Julian Bream and Peter Pears: Works for Music & Voice composed by Benjamin Britten, William Walton, Mátyás Seiber, and Peter Racine Fricker.

Now










Integrale des melodies de Modest Mussorgsky chante par Boris Christoff


----------



## Sid James

Kevin Pearson said:


> I can't say I am in love with this cover and it would not in the least make me want to buy this album. It makes her look like she is saying..."I'm soooo confused" , or possibly "I just don't understand this music", or from Monty Python..."my BRAIN hurts!". LOL
> 
> Kevin


Agreed. Dame Uchida should act like the dame she is, not like a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. A Beethoven cd cover requires absolute dignity and respect, I will have none of this! What next? This is total degradation! Get yourself together gal!


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Haas Version}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro. Along with his *Eighth Symphony,* this is becoming one of my favorite works by Bruckner. I really like the way he uses the trumpets to belt out the theme in the third movement, of which technique he also makes good use in his *Eighth *as well, in either its second or third movement.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass No. 1.*

I really like what Jochum does with this.


----------



## Mahlerian

Inspired by conversations here and at the other forum...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (1889 ver.)
cond. Klaus Tennstedt

I would think that if anyone could get me to appreciate the revised version of this symphony, it would be Tennstedt, but no, it still sounds like a mutilation to me. I would at every moment rather be hearing the original.


----------



## Cnote11

Alright... time for a little novelty.










Chopin de Ghibli by Lisa Nakazono. She arranges songs from the Studio Ghibli films in the style of Chopin. Saw this online and decided to give it a listen.


----------



## idomeneo

Henryk Gorecki
String Quartets No. 1 & 2
Kronos Quartet


----------



## chrislowski

Tennstedt's Mahler 3


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
The Golden Spinning-Wheel
Slavonic Rhapsody No.3 
The Noon Witch
The Water Goblin
The Wood Dove


----------



## opus55

Berwald: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

I'm listening on Spotify.

I have an Amazon gift card, and part of me wants to spend it all on Celibidache's Bruckner set, and part wants to spend it a few dollars at a time on used books. I'm seeing if this recording pushes me over the edge.

UPDATE: So far, I think the adagio is worth the price of admission. This isn't so much Bruckner as Zen-Bruckner.


----------



## Mahlerian

While I'm busy gorging myself on Bruckner 3 recordings, I checked out the 1877 version via the Haitink recording on Spotify. It's far better than the 1889 version, but it's missing some great parts from the original and doesn't hold together quite as well.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Fantasy on a theme by Thomas Tallis
Brahms: Hungarian Dances


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in Eb
Berwald: Symphony No. 4

















Bartok: 44 Duos for Two Violins, Book I
Baird, Tadeusz: Colas Breugnon - Suite


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## GreenMamba

Gould's 1955 Goldberg.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am watching this:









*Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg *from Metropolitan, conducted by James Levine - one of the few Wagner stagings which I truly and deeply love


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Double Bass Concerto in E Major

Mircea Cristecsu directing the Cluj-Napoca Philharmonic Orchestra -- Stefan Thomasz, double bass

View attachment 10686


----------



## bejart

Jan Dussek (1760-1812): String Quartet in G Major, Op.60, No.1

Camesina Quartet: Johannes Gebauer and Karen Walthinson, violins -- Irina Alexandrowna, viola -- Martin Burkhardt, cello

View attachment 10688


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4*


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Tierkreis*

I cant see myself wanting to listen to a whole lot of Stockhausen in the future but Im glad to have this 2-fer of his music in my collection. I particularly like the Electronic works in this set. Currently playing the work Tierkreis which is scored for Trumpet and Organ - to be honest I find this one pretty tedious. I also own a recording of the work Gruppen which I find very dull too. I think I will return to this set for the Electronic music many times in future - it is very pleasing


----------



## Sid James

*Schumann* _Symphonies 1 "Spring" and 4_ 
Baltimore SO under David Zinman (on Telarc)

- I really enjoyed these works after not hearing them for ages. I esp. like the fourth symphony, an example of *Schumann's* creativity and imagination in making a symphony into a set of variations which is thematically very tight. This interpretation bought out the contrapuntal qualities of the music, but with a kind of ebb and flow that was natural and not stodgy at all. Great stuff.

*Schutz*_ The Nativity (Weihnachtshistorie) & a selection of his Little Sacred Concertos (Kleine geistliche konzerte)_ 
Rene Jacobs directing Concerto Vocale group (Harmonia Mundi cd)

- Some lyrical music here from *Schutz*, a composer who often goes more into darker emotional spaces. But this music is nothing like that, it is very much easy listening, and the coupled _Sacred Concertos _readily display the more sunny Italian influence on his music, him having studied in Venice under Gabrieli. Really great sound in this recording, a joy to hear this.

*Shostakovich* _Cello Concerto #1 _
Maria Kliegel, cello with Polish National Radio SO under Antoni Wit (Naxos)

- Into more darker and angsty territory here with *Shostakovich's first cello concerto*, written 6 years after Stalin's death and like many of his other works, bearing strong imprint of the traumas caused by that dictator. The DSCH motto theme starts it and finishes the work, but in between there is a gut wrenching slow movement and cadenza which is like a requiem for the victims of the dictatorship. In the final movement initally, two of Stalin's favourite songs are quoted, but in a twisted, mechanical and downright brutal and ugly way. However DSCH returns triumphantly, or is it just false happiness, or temporary hope, to be inevitably crushed under the weight of yet more repression, with seems to be the lot of the Russian people? Who knows, only the listener can 'resolve' this question, and how I answer it depends on the mood I am in when listening to this.


----------



## Sonata

Last night: Ravel Piano Works, Pascal Roge
Now: Debussy Etudes for piano (just a couple of them) Noriko Ogawa


----------



## drpraetorus

Parsifal, Wagner, Solti


----------



## Cnote11

Nico Muhly - I Drink the Air Before Me


----------



## PetrB

Cnote11 said:


> Nico Muhly - I Drink the Air Before Me


Don't miss this one, Mothertongue- I. Archive (love it




and Mothertongue: III is a lot of fun, too.




and his later "Motion"


----------



## PetrB

Old school tonight, Berg Violin Concerto. Perlman, Ozawa, Boston.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor {1890 version}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88,* performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the wand of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once more featuring Maestro Blomstedt and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, Violin partita 2, Chacone, Arthur Grumiaux


----------



## Cnote11

PetrB said:


> Don't miss this one, Mothertongue- I. Archive (love it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and Mothertongue: III is a lot of fun, too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and his later "Motion"


Yes, I was actually thinking about putting on "Seeing Is Believing" next, which includes Motion. Mothertongue is also a very lovely piece which reminds me greatly of favorites like Stimmung and various Reich pieces. Thank you for the PM of that commissioned work, _Gait_. I hadn't heard that one and am eager to get around to it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem - Adrian Boult


----------



## PetrB

and now very current... Nico Muhly, 'Gait'


----------



## PhileasFogg

Stanchinsky


----------



## idomeneo

Chopin Scherzos
Arthur Rubinstein


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' An Oxford Elegy - David Willcocks


----------



## HoraeObscura

just stumbled on this post and listening to it atm


Conor71 said:


>


----------



## idomeneo

Bruckner
Symphony No. 8
Eugen Jochum


----------



## Conor71

HoraeObscura said:


> just stumbled on this post and listening to it atm


They are some interesting works there - I hope you like them!.
I have member violadude to thank for introducing me to this Composer


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 10, W 511, "Amerindia"*

Currently listening to the last Disc in the CPO box-set of Villa-Lobos Symphonies. This is one of the best works in the box and is a choral Symphony.


----------



## PetrB

Anna Meredith ~ Hands Free





which reminded me of this brief episode from a choral piece,


----------



## SimonNZ

"French Piano Music" - Cecile Ousset, piano

including electric performances of Debussy's Estampes and Chabrier's Scherzo-Valse

Is there any love for Cecile Ousset out there?

I personally feel that her album of Debussy's Preludes is the best I've ever heard, and ,listening again to this equally impressive lp only makes me sad that this once celebrated and multi award-winning pianist is now seemingly forgotten


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s early symphonies: Symphony No.1-8


----------



## joen_cph

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 10702
> 
> 
> "French Piano Music" - Cecile Ousset, piano
> 
> including electric performances of Debussy's Estampes and Chabrier's Scherzo-Valse
> 
> Is there any love for Cecile Ousset out there?
> 
> I personally feel that her album of Debussy's Preludes is the best I've ever heard, and ,listening again to this equally impressive lp only makes me sad that this once celebrated and multi award-winning pianist is now seemingly forgotten


I remember one having the Liszt Sonata/Paganini Etudes which I liked but don´t own any more. However, as regards that Sonata, other renditions are probably more "plastic" than hers. 
If I stumble across her Debussy recordings, I´ll be getting them though, for sure.

There was a Saint-Saens 2nd Concerto too, but the earliest Rubinstein can´t be beaten, I think.


----------



## Andolink

Orlando di Lasso: Lagrime di San Pietro
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul Van Nevel








Wolfgang Rihm: Musik Für Drei Streicher
Trio Recherche








Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: The Creation-The 6th Day, for violin & double chorus
Bodil Rørbech, violin
Vocal Group Ars Nova/Flemming Winkdekilde








György LIGETI: Horn Trio
Marie-Luise Neunecker, horn
Antje Weithaas, violin 
Silke Avenhaus, piano


----------



## Sonata

I plan to listen to a lot of solo piano music in the next few weeks  Just getting more familiar with different styles, trying to detect patterns, etc. Nothing specific on the playlist at the moment yet though,


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Teleman (1681-1767): Violin Concerto No.8 in G Major

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields -- Iona Brown, violin

View attachment 10708


----------



## Schubussy

Igor Stravinsky - Symphony Of Psalms, Symphony In C, Symphony In Three Movements
Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## joen_cph

We are having a snowstorm & I´m having a cold, so no city excursion today.

*Sibelius*: _Luonnotar_ for Soprano & Orchestra op.70 (1913)

CD - Valjakka,Berglund,BournSO/emi 97 7243 597732
LP - Häggander,Järvi,GötSO/bis lp 270
LP - Söderström,Ashkenazy,PO/dec-lond 417 378-1


----------



## userfume

DVorak's american quartet, all movements are simply amazing


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Flute Trio No.28 in D Major

Gamerith Consort: Linde Brunmayr, flute -- Maria Rose, piano -- Alojsij Mordej, cello

View attachment 10710


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in G Major, Op.23, No.5

Pro Arte Antigua Praha: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, viola -- Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 10711


----------



## idomeneo

Bruckner 
Symphony No. 9
Eugen Jochum

Completing my first listen of Jochum's Bruckner cycle.


----------



## Schubussy

Valentin Silvestrov - Symphony no. 5
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Lahti Symphony Orchestra

easily one of my favourite symphonies


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Wind Serenade in E Flat, KV 375

Henk de Graaf and Jan Jansen, clarinets -- Remcon de Vries and Katty Halvarson, oboes -- Johan Steinmann and Hans Wisse, bassoons -- Martin van de Merwe and Jos Buurman, horns

View attachment 10719


----------



## Sonata

My husband playing the piano


----------



## neoshredder

Sonata said:


> My husband playing the piano


You gotta fight for it.


----------



## bejart

Inspired by the " Help with the Russians" thread ---

Anton Ferdinand Titz (ca.1742-1810): String Quartet in A Major

Hoffmeister Quartet: Christoph Heidemann and Ulla Bundies, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello

View attachment 10722


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Giuliani.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 42
Mitsuko Uchida, piano
Pierre Boulez, conductor


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Violin Sonata in F Major

Joan Berkheimer, violin -- Kyoko Hashimoto, piano

View attachment 10728


----------



## PetrB

Charle's Ives masterpiece, Symphony No. 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aMT_EGXQwyk#!


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15










Sounds very modern to my ears.


----------



## drpraetorus

Holst, The Planets, Solti


----------



## neoshredder

Joined the Spotify crowd today. Listening to Schubert's Piano Sonatas on it.


----------



## Arsakes

Continuing my semi-wild/random listening:

*Tchaikovsky*'s Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58


----------



## Andolink

Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 2, op. 45
Quartetto Fauré Di Roma








György Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2 (1968)
Parker Quartet








Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 2 (1959)
Pacifica Quartet








Wolfgang Rihm: Über die Linie II-Musik für Klarinette und Orchester; Coll'Arco-Vierte Musik für Violine und Orchester
Jörg Widmann, clarinete
Carolin Widmann, violín
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling and Eivind Gullberg Jensen, conductors








Rihm's violin concerto Coll'Arco is utterly magnificent and highly reminiscent of Berg's. It's as if Berg had not died early and gone on to compose a 2nd violin concerto later in his career.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto Grosso in C Major, RV 87

Il Giardino Armonico of Milan

View attachment 10729


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Just picked this up so I'm on my first listen.


----------



## Sonata

First listen to Bruckner symphony #5. First movement was the perfect length for my drive to work. I'll finish it over my lunch hour. From the Gunter Wand boxed set.


----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> You gotta fight for it.


I told him I was going to get a trailer for my car and bring the piano into work with me every day. I'd play it in the parking lot over my lunch hour :devil:


----------



## realdealblues

I see Sid James had almost the same thing happen this weekend.

I listened to all 4 of Robert Schumann's symphonies over the weekend. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed them, especially Symphony No. 4.


















My favorite recordings are still Leonard Bernstein's original recordings in the 60's with the New York Philharmonic. When everyone else was "editing" the orchestration themselves or using Mahler's orchestrations, Lenny proved the works could stand on there own...at least to me. Great stuff.


----------



## millionrainbows

Kevin Pearson said:


> I can't say I am in love with this cover and it would not in the least make me want to buy this album. It makes her look like she is saying..."I'm soooo confused" , or possibly "I just don't understand this music", or from Monty Python..."my BRAIN hurts!". LOL
> 
> Kevin


That doesn't bother me as much as that "raised eyebrows syndrome," which also affects Alfred Brendel. In body language terms, this is a primate trait which connotes "intellectual superiority."


----------



## joen_cph

.... like for instance


----------



## millionrainbows

joen_cph said:


> .... like for instance
> 
> View attachment 10735


That's an exaggeration. Here's another example of the "raised eyebrows primate superiority syndrome."

--------------------------------->


----------



## Schubussy

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2 & Four Piano Pieces
Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Hausmusik

Haitink: CSO
Mahler 3


----------



## PetrB

I got rhythm and played tennis with Mr. Schoenberg


----------



## Vaneyes

Recent arrivals...*Scriabin*: Piano Pieces with Feltsman (rec. 2011); *Taneyev*: Piano Quartet with Alikhanov/Moscow String Quartet (rec. 1987).

View attachment 10748
View attachment 10749


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Reveil des oiseaux, Trois petites liturgies

View attachment 10750


Piano solos played by the composer's wife.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *once again featuring Maestro Karajan, this time helming the Vienna Philharmonic.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878/1880 Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Ravndal

Claudio arrau playing the late schubert sonatas is amazing.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in D Minor, Op.18, No.4

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello

View attachment 10753


----------



## Sid James

*Vivaldi* _Gloria ; Beatus Vir _
Mary Burgess, sop. ; Jocelyne Chamonin, sop. ; Carolyne Watkinson, contralto ; Danielle Salzer, chamber organ ; Ensemble Vocal Raphael Passaquet ; Le Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy ; Jean-Claude Malgoire, cond. (from CBS 2 cd set of Vivaldi & Lully choral music)

*Rachmaninov* *_Piano Concerto #1 (revised version)_ ; **_Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini_ 
Victor Eresko, pno. with *USSR SO under Gennadi Provatorov and **Leningrad Philharmonic SO under Vladimir Ponkin (Melodiya)

*Myaskovsky* _Sinfonietta in A minor, Op. 68 #2_
*Shostakovich* _Chamber Symphony (String Quartet #8, arr. Rudolf Barshai)_ 
Dalgat String Ensemble under Roland Melia (Naxos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Music for San Rocco.* Then *Bruckner's 8th* by Furtwangler.


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): Piano Sonata in E Flat, Op.3, No.1

Richard Fuller, piano

View attachment 10759


----------



## millionrainbows

bejart said:


> Beethoven: String Quartet in D Minor, Op.18, No.4
> 
> Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello
> 
> View attachment 10753


I got to see James Galway with them. I won 2 tickets at Borders, and me & wife were on the first row. We really connected with Galway (Cindi has red hair), and we were ecstatic, laughing and smiling. He was great. The Tokyos were quietly observing from afar.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2










First time listening to the second one!


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Cesar Franck's* (1822 - 1890) birthday, Symphony in D, Le Chasseur Maudit, with Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1982).

View attachment 10764


----------



## Vaneyes

Continuing with this album...*Mendelssohn*: Piano Quartet, Op. 3, with Alikhanov and members of Moscow String Quartet.

View attachment 10765


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.1, H 289 and Symphony No.2, H 295, *both featuring the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra led by Neeme Jarvi.
Brenton Broadstock--*Symphony No.1 {"Toward the Shining Light"},* performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Richard Mills.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Des canyons aux etoiles

From the following excellent set:
View attachment 10766


----------



## SimonNZ

Disc one of the Brilliant Classics Heinrich Schutz Edition, which just arrived

currently Symphonia Sacrae I

somehow I was under the impression when ordering this that it was the Complete Schutz, but now even at first glance I can see it doesn't have the early Psalms Of David or the late Schwanengesang


----------



## PetrB

Andolink said:


> It's a timeless classic IMO! I thought for a long time I had misplaced this disc only to discover it yesterday right on the shelf where it had been sitting in plain view all along. Whew! Big relief as it's very hard to find now and thus, very expensive.


Great line-up! De Gaetani was completely at home with this stuff!


----------



## PetrB

Listening to:
*Lukas Foss ~ Baroque Variations*. Wonderful, intelligent, highly entertaining.





...found and passing on... Amazing music, wonderful playing:
*Marin Marais Suites et pieces de Viol; Maestro Jordi Savall, seven string bass viol.*
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AFJkWDhdRg


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Goldberg Variations on Spotify and loving it. I guess when it comes to solo works, piano is the better instrument but I love the harpsichord in Concertos.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms piano quartet #2, first listen on this sleepless night. Lovely!
Earlier, Rachmaninoff's preludes in C sharp minor and G minor.


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Rihm: Musik für Oboe und Orchester, Styx und Lethe, Dritte Musik & Erster Doppelgesang
Alexander Ott (Oboe); Lucas Fels (Cello); Gottfried Schneider (Violin); Hirofumi Fukai (Viola); Walter Grimmer (Cello)
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden/Hans Zender








Michael Praetorius: 1.) Aus Tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, 2.)Der Tag vertreibt die finster Nacht,
3.)Venite exultremus Domino
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul van Nevel


----------



## PetrB

*Carl Nielsen ~ Symphony No. 5* [in one of the finest recorded performances of all that Leonard Bernstein ever directed.]


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata in G Major, Op.1, No.2

John Holloway, violin -- Jaap ter Linden, viola -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord

View attachment 10772


----------



## Sonata

Mozart piano sonatas 1 & 2. I don't tend to find these essential listening (other than a few of the later ones), on the other hand they are generally enjoyable.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.27 in D Major, Op.20, No.4

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christoph Coin, cello

View attachment 10774


----------



## realdealblues

Michael Haydn's Requiem performed by Christian Zacharias & The Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.

I haven't listened to this CD in probably 5 years. While nothing is Mozart's Requiem, Michael Haydn's Requiem really is a very nice choral work. I wish it was recorded/performed more.


----------



## Andolink

Per Nørgård: 1.)Remembering Child, 2.)Between
Pinchas Zukerman, viola
Morten Zeuthen, cello
The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Jorma Panula








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Violoncello No. 3 in A minor
Susan Sheppard, violoncello
L'Ecole d'Orphée








Georg Philipp Telemann: Cantata-"Erscheine, Gott in deinem Tempel"
James Bowman, counter-tenor
Music's Re-creation


----------



## realdealblues

Richard Strauss - An Alpine Symphony










Rudolph Kempe is still the master of Richard Strauss in my eyes...or ears as it may be.


----------



## Hausmusik

Dmitri Shostakovich performs his own Preludes and Fugues for Piano, #1, 4, 5, 23 and 24

EDIT: Now listening to Dmitri perform the first piano concerto. I have to say, this is without question the most absorbing performance of that piece I've ever heard.


----------



## realdealblues

Sibelius - Symphony #2 - Leonard Bernstein










While I usually listen to Berglund/Helsinki for Sibelius, Bernstein's cycle from the 60's with New York is still an exceptionally fine offering.


----------



## realdealblues

Rachmaninov - Isle Of The Dead - Mariss Jansons










Haven't heard this "cheerful" tone poem in a while.


----------



## Guest

Gardiner's recording of Haydn's Creation (the German version, or course).


----------



## Hassid

Heinrich von Herzogenberg, string quartet op.18.Minguet Q. Lovely, romantic work.

Sibelius violin concerto, Oistrakh-Sixten Ehrling-Stochholm Festival O. Last find. Had already his recordings with Rohzdetsvensky and Ormandy, but couln'd resist. Just love that man.


----------



## Schubussy

Hausmusik said:


> EDIT: Now listening to Dmitri perform the first piano concerto. I have to say, this is without question the most absorbing performance of that piece I've ever heard.


To youtube!

Found a version with him playing with Samuel Samosud and the Moscow Philarmonic Orchestra. Very good stuff. May have to get myself that CD (especially as I'm missing his Preludes and Fugues for some reason).


----------



## Hausmusik

Shostakovich, Symphony #11, Gergiev


----------



## Arsakes

*Mussorgsky*'s Entr'acte to Act IV of Khovanshchina ... which is very sad.

and later, *Glazunov*'s Raymonda


----------



## Hausmusik

Bartók's Concerto For Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra of the Liszt School Of Music
Conductor: Prof. Nicolás Pasquet

Extraordinary talent on display here.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

David Diamond--*Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3, *both featuring the Gerard Schwarz led Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Brenton Broadstock--*Symphony No.4 {"Born from Good Angel's Tears"}, *performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ola Rudner.


----------



## Sonata

Schubert: Symphony #9 "The Great" conducted by Gunter Wand. My very first listen.


----------



## realdealblues

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony #7 "Sinfonia Antarctica" - Andre Previn










I have no memory of listening to this symphony before. I'm halfway through and so far...I'm pretty drawn into it.

Update: Finished listening. Yep, I don't remember listening to that one before. I like the main theme in the beginning and at the end as well as when the organ kicks in. Definitely good to listen to on a cold, snowy day.


----------



## realdealblues

Tchaikovsky - Symphony #1 "Winter Daydreams" - Igor Markevitch










I really like Markevitch's take on this Symphony.


----------



## samurai

realdealblues said:


> Tchaikovsky - Symphony #1 "Winter Daydreams" - Igor Markevitch
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I really like Markevitch's take on this Symphony.



I agree; I also very much enjoy his readings of the *"Little Russian" and "Polish"* Symphonies as well.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:
*
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C major, Op.21, Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"} and Egmont Overture, Op.84. *All three works are performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61 and Symphony No.4, Op.120, *both again featuring Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Hector Berlioz* (1803 - 1869) and *Elliott Carter* (1908 - 2012) birthdays, Symphonie Fantastique with VPO/Davis (rec. 1990), then Partita with CSO/Barenboim (rec. 1994).

View attachment 10792
View attachment 10793


----------



## PetrB

Lukas Foss ~ Paridigm (it's a pahhrty -- or perhaps a completely unbuttoned Klezmer party, contraband substances ingested....)


----------



## Vaneyes

realdealblues said:


> Rachmaninov - Isle Of The Dead - Mariss Jansons
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haven't heard this "cheerful" tone poem in a while.


'Tis my favorite rec. of that work, as are EMI St.Pete./Jansons Rachmaninov Symphonies 1 (rec. 1998) & 3 w. Symphonic Dances (rec. 1992). :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> [
> Disc one of the Brilliant Classics Heinrich Schutz Edition, which just arrived
> 
> currently Symphonia Sacrae I
> 
> somehow I was under the impression when ordering this that it was the Complete Schutz, but now even at first glance I can see it doesn't have the early Psalms Of David or the late Schwanengesang


Looks interesting. How is the singing?


----------



## AndyS

Brahms 3rd - Klemperer


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Schubert's Quartets: "Rosamunde" and "Der Tod und das Mädchen", performed by the Emerson String Quartet.
And before that was this:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel* (arr. *Mendelssohn*): Acis & Galatea, with Oxford Philomusica/Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford/Darlington et al (rec. 2012).

A gift of a recording I might not have bought. The arrangement of this work by Mendelssohn, bringing it fully into the Classical period, makes it more approachable for some. Whether purist or not, this is enchanting production in both performance and sound. And if any were wondering, Nimbus is alive and well.

View attachment 10796


Reviews:

http://theclassicalreviewer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/stephen-darlington-directs-oxford.html

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Nov12/Handel_Acis_NI6201.htm


----------



## PetrB

*The link is plainly 'non classical.'*
Knowing so many here listen to all sorts of 'other' music, it is a treasure trove which if not known to you may more than please. Everything on here is 'folk' from Sacred Harp shape singing, a white Tennessee woman singing folk songs acappella, or a black man and his wife singing blues with guitar, in their living room or on the porch..... _all the Very Real Deal. _
From the *Alan Lomax Archive*;
*Sacred Harp (Shape Note Singing) "The Last Words of Copernicus, #112"*


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G Minor, KV 550

Alessandro Arigoni directing the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana

View attachment 10797


----------



## PetrB

From good ole John11inch's youtube channel, this is hysterical....

Tchaikovsky/Xenakis- Dance of the Sugar Plum Faeries GNU7 





Tutus will never be the same


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Chamber Music, with Music Group of London (1972 - '73), and Maggini Quartet (rec. 2000).

For those who've not explored his chamber music, please do. You'll be richly rewarded.

View attachment 10799
View attachment 10800


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589 {"Little"},* both performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the wand of Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Piano Trio in D Major, VB 172

Lucia Negro, piano -- Jaap Schroeder, violin -- Kari Ottesen, cello

View attachment 10801


----------



## idomeneo

Liszt
Sonata in in B minor
Khatia Buniatishvili


----------



## kv466

I hate to admit it but this is the absolute best version of the 1st scherzo, hands down.


----------



## quack

Why would you hate to admit it? Is it the turtleneck?


----------



## tdc

Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610

Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra, Jeannette Sorrell - on period instruments

A great recording!


----------



## idomeneo

Sir Michael Tippett 
Symphony No.1 / Piano Concerto 
Howard Shelley Piano
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Richard Hickox


----------



## AndyS

Bruckner 7 - Jochum (DG)


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in G Major, Op.2, No.1

L'Arte Dell'Arco: Giovanni Guglielmo, violin

View attachment 10804


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s String Quartet, Op.127


----------



## Lisztian

For Berlioz's birthday:


----------



## Badinerie

Crashed out in the back bedroom with this on the spare hi fi. Went a bit floaty......


----------



## Hausmusik

Tchaikovsky 6
Seoul Phil Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of December belated birthdays, listening to, *Webern *('Variations' w. GG),* Rota* ('Godfather' tunes w. Muti), *Martinu* (orchestral works w. Hickox), *Turina* (Piano Pieces w. de Larrocha).

View attachment 10813
View attachment 10814
View attachment 10815
View attachment 10816


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> I hate to admit it but this is the absolute best version of the 1st scherzo, hands down.


I love to admit Demidenko's is. Hands down, but sans turtleneck.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak's String Quartets on Spotify.


----------



## AndyS

Mendelssohn 3 - Abbado


----------



## Vaneyes

Justin time fo' Xmas, wishin' fo' the sequel, *Stlukes Rises*. :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto Op. 36
Hilary Hahn
conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen

View attachment 10824


A 12-tone work, numbered 36 (12+12+12), by a composer who was afraid of going any further.


----------



## cwarchc

On YT




As I'm going to see the Halle tomorrow play this along with 
Greig's Norwegian Dances & 
Haydn Trumpet concerto

Can't wait


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944 {"Great"},* performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major,* once again featuring Maestro Harnoncourt, this time at the Vienna Philharmonic's helm.


----------



## violadude

Hausmusik said:


> Tchaikovsky 6
> Seoul Phil Orchestra


That's a really good recording of that piece.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Bolcom, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Sid James

*Monteverdi *_Duets and solos _
Emma Kirkby & Evelyn Tubb, sopranos with The Consort of Musicke directed by Anthony Rooley (alto)

*Michael Nyman *_The Piano (original music from the film directed by Jane Campion) _
Soloists (incl. John Harle on saxes) with Munich PO directed from the piano by the composer (Virgin)

*Tchaikovsky *_Concert Fantasy in G, Op. 56 _
Dimitris Sgouros, pno. with London PO under Walter Weller (EMI)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Preludes, Book 2

A set of 12, of course.


----------



## bejart

Georg Wagenseil (1715-1777): Cello Concerto in C Major

Jack Martin Handler leading the "Dall'Arco" Chamber Orchestra -- Reiner Hochmuth, cello

View attachment 10831


----------



## Cnote11

Boulez conducting Anton Webern's Complete Works

Currently listening to

Fünf Sätze für Streichquartett, Op. 5: (Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 in A Major, KV 331

Heidi Lowy, piano

View attachment 10833


----------



## Cnote11

One of my many recordings of Pierrot Lunaire by Schoenberg


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

David Diamond--*Symphonies Nos.2 and 4,* both featuring the Seattle Symphony Orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz.


----------



## Cnote11

Rameau - Pièces de clavecin en concerts


----------



## Cnote11

Corelli's Concerti Grossi, Op. 6


----------



## millionrainbows

Now, the "Trout" quintet (Vanguard). It's one of those beautiful old analog tape recordings, very warm, recorded in 1965 and carefully remastered using the original tube Ampex reel recorders refurbished, restored, and rebuilt by Mark Levinson.

•--------------------------->


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> Corelli's Concerti Grossi, Op. 6


One of my favorites. Awesome choice.


----------



## SimonNZ

"12 Chansons de la Renaissance" - Ensemble Vocal Philippe Caillard (Erato, 1957)

the grooves are worn down and the vinyl is even a little buckled, but this is still a fascinating find - they're singing as if they've known these 400 year old French songs since primary school and are performing them as old friends, not museum pieces


----------



## Andolink

Sam Hayden: 1.)System Error, 2.)presence/absence, 3.)Misguided, 4.)Die Modularitaeten
Trio EKL
ELISION/Eugene Ughetti
ensemble mosaik/Enno Poppe








Just got this as a FLAC download from NMC Records and it's opened my eyes to a hugely gifted British composer previously unknown to me. The music here is hardcore modernist with evident influences from the French spectralist school as well as Hayden's teachers Jonathan Harvey and Michael Finnissy. All the works in this recording are chamber pieces (2-6 players) and the craftsmanship on the part of the composer and performers is of a very high order indeed. I find no weak link. My attention is grabbed and held from first to last by the dizzying and subtle interplay of colors and textures of sound allied to a very carefully thought out musical architecture.

Also, by downloading instead of purchasing the CD, you get a bonus 13:28 min. track so, if your into this kind of thing, I recommend doing it that way.


----------



## Cnote11

Bach's Goldberg Variations as performed by Glenn Gould


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 1 and 2 from Sibelius on Spotify.


----------



## Cnote11

Keith Jarrett's Goldberg Variations


----------



## neoshredder

Already done with Glenn Gould?


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> Already done with Glenn Gould?


Yep, the first disc at least, which is the 1955 version. I listened to it one and a half times, in fact. Tomorrow I'll probably listen to the one he recorded right before he died. Then perhaps I'll listen to another harpsichord version, then a guitar version, then an accordion version, and then an organ version Why not, right?


----------



## neoshredder

Cnote11 said:


> Yep, the first disc at least, which is the 1955 version. I listened to it one and a half times, in fact. Tomorrow I'll probably listen to the one he recorded right before he died. Then perhaps I'll listen to another harpsichord version, then a guitar version, then an accordion version, and then an organ version Why not, right?


If you're up for it, why not? Do it. Heck I might just listen to all Sibelius Symphonies tonight.


----------



## Cnote11

That doesn't sound like a terrible idea, neo. I actually just put a pause to the Jarrett rendition for a little French Suite No. 3 and Orchestral Suite No. 2 before bed. I've been dead tired for over the last hour. I just feel like baroquing out for the next few days, along with more Second Viennese School stuff. Maybe I'll do Moses und Aron by Schoenberg, or perhaps some of his lieder and solo piano work. Also, Bach, Buxtehude, and Webern cantatas. Just that kind of mood! I plan to come out of this all sometime in the next week with Brahms four-hand works.


----------



## neoshredder

Baroque is great for chilling no doubt. Not as much critical listening.


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to this little jem!


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Concerto No.2 and 'In D' one

*Schubert*'s Piano Trio in B flat (D.898) and in E flat (D.929)

*Schumann*'s Die Braut von Messina Overture


----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1723-1786): Symphony No.1 in G Major

Kurt Redel directing the Pro Arte Orchestra of Munich

View attachment 10846


----------



## Morgante

*Vanhal *Symphonies
*Dvorak *Symphony N. 6
*Bach *Goldberg Variations


----------



## Andolink

Arnold Bax: Piano Quintet in G minor
The Mistry Quartet with David Owen Norris, piano








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Violoncello and continuo No. 4 in B flat
L'Ecole d'Orphée








Georg Philipp Telemann: Cantata "Packe dich, gelähmter Drache"
Julianne Baird, sop.
Music's Re-creation


----------



## Manxfeeder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Symphony 1 and 2 from Sibelius on Spotify.


Is it just me, or does anyone else, when hearing the third movement of the 1st symphony, think, "Ice, Ice Baby"?


----------



## Lenfer

Listening to *Chopin* on my iPod longing for home I should be out of here by the weekend hopefully.


----------



## Guest

Curiously, I too have been listening to Chopin, trying to educate myself with this...










...but it's not working.

It's excessively expressive. In fact, I go so far as to say I find it ghastly, even vile! I don't know whether its Chopin or Ashkenazy's interpretation, but if I hear one more plunging, trilling, swooping, melodramatic, exhibitionist....


----------



## Sonata

Lenfer said:


> Listening to *Chopin* on my iPod longing for home I should be out of here by the weekend hopefully.


Lenfer, that's great news!

I am listening finally to the second half of Bruckner #5 which I started all the way back on Monday. It's been a busy couple of weeks, not enough time for focused classical listening, and Bruckner does require focus.


----------



## millionrainbows

Cnote11 said:


> Yep, the first disc at least, which is the 1955 version. I listened to it one and a half times, in fact. Tomorrow I'll probably listen to the one he recorded right before he died. Then perhaps I'll listen to another harpsichord version, then a guitar version, then an accordion version, and then an organ version Why not, right?


Cnote11, have you heard this? It's a very interesting idea, based on the 1955 performance. Is it real? Well, it sounds real.

•---------------------------->


----------



## neoshredder

Manxfeeder said:


> Is it just me, or does anyone else, when hearing the third movement of the 1st symphony, think, "Ice, Ice Baby"?


lol Didn't recognize that. Yeah they are pretty similar.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Is it just me, or does anyone else, when hearing the third movement of the 1st symphony, think, "Ice, Ice Baby"?


I think more of Coco.


----------



## Vaneyes

MacLeod said:


> Curiously, I too have been listening to Chopin, trying to educate myself with this...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...but it's not working.
> 
> It's excessively expressive. In fact, I go so far as to say I find it ghastly, even vile! I don't know whether its Chopin or Ashkenazy's interpretation, but if I hear one more plunging, trilling, swooping, melodramatic, exhibitionist....


Then, may I suggest Demidenko.


----------



## Hausmusik

Haydn
"Bear" and "Hen" Symphonies (two all-time favorites) 
Bruno Weil: Tafelmusik


----------



## Sonata

Just starting my maiden listen to *Liszt: Années de pèlerinage*. Performed by Zoltan Kocsis. I am unmoved by the first piece, but there is plenty of listening left 

ETA: I did enjoy the second piece more.


----------



## Morgante

*Poulenc* Piano concerto

_A true wonder!_


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Kurt Atterberg--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, Op.31 {"Dollar Symphony"},* featuring the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra led by Junichi Hirokami.


----------



## bejart

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Symphony No.67 in G Major

Viktor Lukas leading the Lukas Consort

View attachment 10856


----------



## Ondine

After diving into Jazz realms... Die Kunst der Fuge from the Keller Quartet sounds outstanding.









By the moment, it is just enough with the first 5 contrapunctus.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.13 in B Flat, Op.130

Budapest String Quartet: Joseph Roisman and Jac Gorodetzki, violins -- Boris Kroyt, viola -- Mischa Schneider, cello

View attachment 10859


----------



## Manxfeeder

A couple Josquin masses, then songs by Zemlinsky and Mahler.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arnold Bax--*Winter Legends,* featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and pianist Ashley Wass under the baton of James Judd.
Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, *performed by the David Lloyd-Jones led Royal Scottish National Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Sonata No.3 in F Minor, Op.20

Ian Hobson, piano

View attachment 10863


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to String Quartet 7-9 today. Going to try to listen to 10-15 tonight.


----------



## drpraetorus

Not currently listening. Taking a break from writing


----------



## neoshredder

drpraetorus said:


> Not currently listening. Taking a break from writing


So basicallly listening to 4'33 then.


----------



## Cnote11

Xuefei Yang - Romance de Amor










Xuefei Yang - Si Ji










Bach French Suites


----------



## Cnote11

neoshredder said:


> So basicallly listening to 4'33 then.


4'33 requires listening!


----------



## Novelette

I just acquired Schumann's Genoveva [performed by Kurt Masur, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, et al].

I realize that the opera isn't very highly regarded in the repertoire, but I'm greatly enjoying this wonderful work. It is a common complaint, justified in my opinion, that Schumann's symphonies are marred by an excessively dense orchestration, that he seems not to have had much of an ear for the different acoustic colors of the different instruments, and so he employed the entire orchestra at almost all times. Endless tutti!

However, I haven't found this to be the case in his Genoveva, Nachtlied, Szenen aus Goethes Faust, Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Das Paradies und die Peri, Missa Sacra, nor in his Requiem. Contrariwise, I find Schumann's orchestration in these works to be quite good.

I greatly recommend these works to anyone interested. I can completely relate to all who find Schumann difficult to listen to. For most of my life, I couldn't make sense of his music at all, until I began to study the scores very intensively. I have found the most profound mastery in Schumann's music, and I have come to enjoy his unique sense of musicality.


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss Death and Transfiguration, von Karajan


----------



## neoshredder

Schubert's String Quartet 15 is amazing. Gives me chills.


----------



## Schubussy

Manxfeeder said:


> Is it just me, or does anyone else, when hearing the third movement of the 1st symphony, think, "Ice, Ice Baby"?


Well now I can't listen to it until I forget I've read this in case I ruin it forever. Thanks.

The start of the first movement always reminded me of The Godfather theme though.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Carnival Michelangeli (1971)


----------



## Arsakes

Last night.. *Robert Schumann*'s Symphonies No.1-4

Today.. His Piano, Cello and Violin Concertos


----------



## DavidA

Now Faschingsschwank aus Wienne - Michelangeli 1968


----------



## DeepR

Today I'm listening to random pieces by Beethoven to explore more of his music.

Currently listening to Cello Sonata No. 3 Op. 69


----------



## DeepR

DavidA said:


> Now Faschingsschwank aus Wienne - Michelangeli 1968


Love this piece.


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Flute Sonata in C Major, Op.2, No.1

Musica ad Rhenum: Jed Wentz, flute -- Job ter Haar, cello

View attachment 10874


----------



## DavidA

Schubert sonata D958 played by Richter in 1958.


----------



## Head_case

bejart said:


> Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Flute Sonata in C Major, Op.2, No.1
> 
> Musica ad Rhenum: Jed Wentz, flute -- Job ter Haar, cello
> 
> View attachment 10874


Amazing choice :cheers:

Getting the same baroque traverso as Jed for Christmas. I can't afford the CD now lol


----------



## Head_case

Listening to the Zemlinsky Quartet playing Viktor Kalabis:










The String Quartet No.V is a painterly dedication to Marc Chagall and the No. VI for Bohuslav Martinu. Even the No. VII sounds strikingly like the world of Martinu albeit jarringly acrid and dissonantly focussed such that emotional penetration does not happen like love at first sight.


----------



## bejart

Head_case :
"Getting the same baroque traverso as Jed for Christmas."

Congratulations! Now the challenge is making it sounds like his --

:lol:

Now --
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.17 in G Major, KV 453

English chamber Orchestra -- Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 10875


----------



## Head_case

bejart said:


> Congratulations! Now the challenge is making it sounds like his --
> 
> :lol:


I'll show you...! I'll show them all! I'll show the world..>! I'll.....errrr...where's the beginner's manual?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schubussy said:


> Well now I can't listen to it until I forget I've read this in case I ruin it forever. Thanks.


No problem.  Although Sibelius does a lot more with that motif than Mr. Van Winkle could ever dream of.



Schubussy said:


> The start of the first movement always reminded me of The Godfather theme though.


The first movement of which trio?


----------



## Hausmusik

Haydn, Symphony #44 "Trauer"
Bruno Weil: Tafelmusik


----------



## Schubussy

Manxfeeder said:


> The first movement of which trio?


The 1st Sibelius symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: The Art of Fugue, with ESQ (rec. 2003), Aimard (rec. 2007), GG (rec. 1962).

View attachment 10880
View attachment 10881
View attachment 10882


----------



## Vaneyes

On the runway ready for take-off--*Solti*, *Dorati*, *Harnoncourt*, with three recs I particularly enjoy at this time of the year.

View attachment 10883
View attachment 10884
View attachment 10885


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Dichterliebe
Wunderlich/Giesen

Busy reading through Charles Rosen's _The Romantic Generation_, and taking in some of its insights.


----------



## Wandering

By the way, the Karjan Schubert 8 and 9 DG, actually sounds better via my mp3 player, too load to quite dynamic on my cd player.


----------



## Vaneyes

Re Mahlerian's *Wunderlich* mention, for those interested, a new edition of his *Last Recital* is coming. :tiphat:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4790248


----------



## PetrB

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Hector Berlioz* (1803 - 1869) and *Elliott Carter* (1908 - 2012) birthdays, Symphonie Fantastique with VPO/Davis (rec. 1990), then Partita with CSO/Barenboim (rec. 1994).
> 
> View attachment 10792
> View attachment 10793


I very much like the Berio on the CSO recording, was stunned to hear applause at the end, a surprise because I detected no 'ambient' audience sounds at all, and more so for the fact the performance seemed 'perfect,' no take one, two....


----------



## DavidA

Victoria O Magnum Mysterium on the TV


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Moonlight sonata, the "other" two movements. :lol:


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven 9th Karajan 1963


----------



## Novelette

I'm surprised [in a good way] there there are so many here who enjoy Schumann! 

I'm also listening to Cherubini's String Quartets. While perhaps not necessarily memorable, they are masterful works.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Schubert's String Quartet 15 is amazing. Gives me chills.


It's funny that for a few years, I regarded the finale of that string quartet as a bad imitation of the finale of Beethoven's Op. 131, with its intense rhythm. But I've come to see how ill-informed that opinion was, and I began to appreciate that work as a unique product of Schubert's genius.


----------



## Sid James

*Saint-Saens *- _Piano Concertos Nos. 2, 4 and 5 'Egyptian'_
- #2 played by Bella Davidovich with the Royal Concertgebouw Orch. under Neeme Jarvi
- #4 played by Michele Campanella with the Monte Carlo Orch. under Aldo Ceccato
- #5 played by Magda Tagliaferro with the Lamoureux Orch. under Jean Froment
(cd 2 of 2 cd set of Saint-Saens 5 concertos on Eloquence label)

*Richard Mills *_Symphony of Nocturnes_
The composer conducting the Melbourne SO with Geoff Lierser on theremin in the 2nd movement. An earlier opinion of my on this interesting work at Australian composers thread.



neoshredder said:


> Schubert's String Quartet 15 is amazing. Gives me chills.


Yes, its quite psychopathic, veering from typical Schubertian bits to some quite chilling thoughts/moods. Sounds like it must be hard to bring it off for the performers, with all those changes. Its my favourite of his final 4 quartets, but all are great. He was pushing string writing to the limit, far ahead of his time, similar to how Beethoven was with his final set (& both in effect not writing for their own time, but for posterity). Amazing stuff and I do listen to these works often, but currently I am listening a lot to Bartok's quartets, who was one of the first composers to realised the implications of those two guys around 100 years before him.


----------



## Chrythes

I think Schubert's late works are one of the best of the romantic era, but why so much repetitiveness!









The late quartets, from No. 13.


----------



## Head_case

Chrythes said:


> I think Schubert's late works are one of the best of the romantic era, but why so much repetitiveness!
> 
> View attachment 10887
> 
> 
> The late quartets, from No. 13.


I'm thrilled to see so many come out of the closet in admiration of the D887 string quartet. For years, Schubert fans were crabbing on about Death & the Maiden as being the zenith of his late quartets.

Never realise that the string quartet is actually that long - it's that enjoyable - until I bought the score - so many pages to turn :lol:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Bolcom, Violin Concerto and 5th Symphony.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Beethoven: Moonlight sonata, the "other" two movements. :lol:


Yeah, the parts hardly anybody gets to hear.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B Flat

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Jozef Kopelman, violin -- Lothar Koch, oboe -- Klaus Thunemann, bassoon -- Juraj Alexander, cello

View attachment 10892


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.6 and Tintagel, *both performed by the Munich Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Douglas Bostock.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Berliner Philharmonic led by Claudio Abbado.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Fantasy in C Major, Op.post. 159, D.934

Jeannie Wells Yablonsky, violin -- Robert Markham, piano

View attachment 10894


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Violin Concerto, with Lin/Philharmonia/Salonen (rec.1987); Symphony 3, with Oslo PO/Jansons (rec.1994).

View attachment 10895
View attachment 10896


----------



## violadude

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.6 and Tintagel, *both performed by the Munich Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Douglas Bostock.
> Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Berliner Philharmonic led by Claudio Abbado.


I go back and forth when it comes to Bax, what do you think?


----------



## samurai

Right now, I'm finding him to be very melodic and flowing. I also seem to be getting more "into" David Diamond, Gustav Mahler and even Anton Bruckner. What's going on here, anyway?
Getting back to Bax, I especially enjoyed his *Winter Legends Suite, *which I had the pleasure of hearing for the first time on *Spotify* last night.


----------



## Vaneyes

Some years ago I tried hard with Bax. Now, I only have one orchestral piece in the collection. On the Sea-Shore, with Ulster/Handley.

I will get the Symphonies (complete) with BBC PO/Handley, should I see them at a reasonable price. I've been waiting out Chandos. What? For 8 or 9 years now? :lol:


----------



## samurai

Yes, I've been thinking of getting a complete symphonic cycle of Bax as well. He is reminding me to a certain extent of Vaughan Williams, of whom I am very fond. I have RVW's complete symphonies performed by the London Philharmonic and New Philharmonia Orchestras under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## samurai

@ Vaneyes, Have you listened to his *Winter Legends Suite?*


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> @ Vaneyes, Have you listened to his *Winter Legends Suite?*


I don't recall. If it's on Lloyd-Jones(Naxos), or Thomson (Chandos), I probably did. I had most of those at one time. Just didn't do it for me.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening To Sequenzas from Luciano Berio on Spotify.


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> I don't recall. If it's on Lloyd-Jones(Naxos), or Thomson (Chandos), I probably did. I had most of those at one time. Just didn't do it for me.


Fair enough.


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Fair enough.


I searched at Amazon, and saw that I didn't have the Naxos or Chandos Winter Legends, so the answer is no. I will sample it. Thanks for mentioning.

How bad is this? The whole damn thing, 43 min. worth, on YT. Will report back. So far it seems pretty busy, unnecessarily so...but that's an early impression.






I also checked Amazon Marketplace prices for the aforementioned Handley symphonies boxset. Not low enough yet.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

^ ^ I've always enjoyed Bax and I think his symphonies are full of interesting ideas and each one is unique. I like the way he explores themes and returns to them or hints at them in later movements and even sometimes in later symphonies. He is an acquired taste I admit and certainly not for everyone but I would think symphonies no. 1 and no. 3 would be enjoyable by most symphonic lovers. Maybe you need to give him another try Vaneyes if it has been some time since you last listened closely to him. You might find your further experience will give you a different opinion of him. I know my tastes have changed and there are many things I would have frowned on ten years ago that now I find amazing.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

While I'm at it I thought I would let everyone know that I'm still around and have been reading many of the posts but not posting myself or even listening to much music lately because of work and exhaustion. This is the busiest time of year in the type of work I do and I am just trying to hang on through Christmas. I promise that once things settle down I'll get back to listening and posting more. Besides I like you guys too much to stay away for long! :tiphat:

Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

I listened to about the first third of Winter Legends (w. Fingerhut/LPO/Thomson). I started getting that old Bax feeling of getting nowhere fast. Disjointed orchestration demanded that I skip forward at about 5 minute intervals, to see if things improved. Not really. I surrender again to Bax.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> While I'm at it I thought I would let everyone know that I'm still around and have been reading many of the posts but not posting myself or even listening to much music lately because of work and exhaustion. This is the busiest time of year in the type of work I do and I am just trying to hang on through Christmas. I promise that once things settle down I'll get back to listening and posting more. Besides I like you guys too much to stay away for long! :tiphat:
> 
> Kevin


You're Santa Claus?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Vaneyes said:


> You're Santa Claus?


Well...let's just say I bring a lot of Christmas cheer to folks!


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> Well...let's just say I bring a lot of Christmas cheer to folks!


Good for you and them. Cheers! :tiphat:


----------



## DavidA

Novelette said:


> I'm surprised [in a good way] there there are so many here who enjoy Schumann!


Schumann's piano music as being a fairly recent but very welcome discovery for me.


----------



## neoshredder

Got halfway through the Berio set and got burned out. Just not my thing I guess. Now listening to Handel's Orchestral Works on Spotify.


----------



## tdc

Scriabin - Piano Music various pieces performed by Xiayin Wang


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Mass In G Minor - David Willcocks


----------



## bejart

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757): Sinfonia in C Major

Fabio Biondi leading Europa Galante

View attachment 10899


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in E Flat, Op.127

Cleveland Quartet: William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello

View attachment 10900


----------



## Manxfeeder

neoshredder said:


> Got halfway through the Berio set and got burned out.


I have the same problem; they need to be taken one at a time. But at least as I see them now, I think there's more virtuosity there than actual music. I'm impressed with the saxophone piece because I'm a sax player, and I know what hoops are being jumped through, but it isn't necessarily something I'd put on with a glass of herb tea to relax at the end of a long day.

I have a friend who plays trombone. He feels the same way about the trombone piece.


----------



## Crudblud

Gian Francesco Malipiero - I Dialoghi

There's something incredibly awkward about this music, I'm not quite sure what it is.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Muzio Clementi, Symphony No. 1.*

Last year when I was Christmas shopping, I stumbled on this at a used CD store, so now it reminds me of Christmas. Today, I'm letting Muzio put me in a holiday mood.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Exsultate, Jubilate.* Then Rocky 2.


----------



## Schubussy

Schubert's 8th Symphony. Maybe the 5th after too.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Richard Strauss*:















I'm hearing the Horn Concerto for the very first time, it's quite amazing!


----------



## DrKilroy

Saint-Saens: Carnival of Animals, Organ Fantasia in E-flat major and Organ Symphony.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## drpraetorus

Rheingold. Solti. The prelude is truly amazing.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

drpraetorus said:


> Rheingold. Solti. The prelude is truly amazing.


This prelude makes me feel the same kind of excitement I felt as a kid when I went to the movies to see some latest blockbuster, when the lights went out slowly and the production studio logo came up on the screen: "Something very exciting is starting!"


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Sinfonia in E Flat, Altner Eb1

Marie Louise Oschatz directing Helios 18

View attachment 10910


----------



## DrKilroy

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck's Variations on Mein junges Leben hat ein End'. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St. George (1739-1799): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.14, No.6

Apollon Quartet: Pavel Kudelasek and Radek Krizanovsky, violins -- Pavel Ciprys, viola -- Pavel Verner, cello

View attachment 10911


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Double Concertos, with Mullova/Carmignola/Venice Baroque O./Marcon (rec. 2007); Eleven Concertos with Bylsma/Tafelmusik/Lamon (rec. 1996); 6 Sonatas for Cello & Basso Continuo, with Bylsma/Suzuki/Ogg (rec. 1989).

View attachment 10912
View attachment 10913
View attachment 10914


----------



## cwarchc

Respighi Roman Festivals Circus Games


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> Got halfway through the Berio set and got burned out. Just not my thing I guess. QUOTE]
> 
> Re Berio, don't be discouraged, there'll come a day when your mind is more receptive. I love atonal, but some days are not atonal days, for me. Good luck. :tiphat:


----------



## DavidA

Bach Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould. Live CBC broadcast Vancouver 1958.


----------



## Badinerie

Bit of a Scarlatti fest today, Naxos disc...Keep playing K481 over an over again though. Lovely!


----------



## GreenMamba

Brahms PC #2 (Gilels/Jochum)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5*, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Ormandy plays this with a lyrical feel, not as grandiose as some.


----------



## PetrB

Stravinsky ~ Orpheus (1948)
...from a live performance, 1962, the composer conducting the Moscow State Philharmonic


----------



## opus55

Christian Sinding (1856-1941) - Piano Concerto in D flat, Op. 6
Hermann Goetz (1840-1876) - Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op. 18










Disc 14 of 20...


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*, *Haydn*, *Scriabin*, with Sudbin.

View attachment 10916
View attachment 10917
View attachment 10918


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G major, Op.88, *performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring Maestro Blomstedt and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G Major, Op.30, No.3

Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Clara Haskil. piano

View attachment 10919


----------



## starthrower

Penderecki-Polymorphia


----------



## drpraetorus

Tales from the Vienna Woods


----------



## opus55

Berlioz: Messe Solennelle


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Organ Works on Spotify right now and amazing stuff.


----------



## neoshredder

Just found out it's Beethoven's birthday. Happy birthday. To celebrate, I'm going to start listening from this set on Spotify. Will save Bach for another day.


----------



## violadude

neoshredder said:


> Just found out it's Beethoven's birthday. Happy birthday. To celebrate, I'm going to start listening from this set on Spotify. Will save Bach for another day.


Which ones do you like?


----------



## neoshredder

violadude said:


> Which ones do you like?


I like them all. But Pathetique is my favorite.


----------



## Andolink

Arnold Bax: String Quartet No. 2 in E minor
The Mistry Quartet








Nicolas Gombert: Motets and Chansons
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul Van Nevel








Benjamin Frankel: Clarinet Quintet op. 28
Paul Dean, clarinet
Australian String Quartet








Michael Finnissy: String Quartet
Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Just getting this Beethoven set out. Happy Birthday, Maestro!


----------



## violadude

Kevin Pearson said:


> ^ ^ I've always enjoyed Bax and I think his symphonies are full of interesting ideas and each one is unique. I like the way he explores themes and returns to them or hints at them in later movements and even sometimes in later symphonies. He is an acquired taste I admit and certainly not for everyone but I would think symphonies no. 1 and no. 3 would be enjoyable by most symphonic lovers. Maybe you need to give him another try Vaneyes if it has been some time since you last listened closely to him. You might find your further experience will give you a different opinion of him. I know my tastes have changed and there are many things I would have frowned on ten years ago that now I find amazing.
> 
> Kevin


Have you heard the second symphony? For some reason the main theme of the first movement reminds me of pirates lol.


----------



## Arsakes

*Alan Hovhaness*:
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op.17
Symphony No.6 'Celestial Gate'


----------



## bejart

William Lawes (1602-1645): Royall Consort Suite No.7 in A Minor

The Purcell Quartet with Nigel North and Paul O'Dette on theorboes: Catherine Macintosh and Catherine Weiss, violins -- Richard Boothby, cello -- Robert Wooley, chamber organ

View attachment 10927


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770-1827): Serenade for Flute and Piano, Op.41

Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute -- Robert Veyron-Lacroix, piano

View attachment 10929


----------



## Kevin Pearson

violadude said:


> Have you heard the second symphony? For some reason the main theme of the first movement reminds me of pirates lol.


LOL I too hear what you mean and I have thought that about other portions of some of his symphonies as well. I think it's because there are similarities of style to Eric Wolfgang Korngold who composed the scores for films like The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood and The Sea Wolf. I always think of him when I listen to Bax.

Currently I'm listening to Rafael Kubelik and the Berlin Philharmonic recording of Dvorak 8th because of the thread asking what was the best recordings of the 7th and 8th. I can see/hear why some have chosen his recording but I still like the Kertész version more. Kubelilk conducts the first movement at a rather fast pace which reminds me of Rossini overtures. It's not that his version is bad because it's not at all. I do find the strings not recorded with as much warmth as I like and I know it's due to the age of the recording but the Kertész recordings date back to around the same time and I find them warmer and more dynamic.










Kevin


----------



## DrKilroy

violadude said:


> Have you heard the second symphony? For some reason the main theme of the first movement reminds me of pirates lol.


For more pirate music, see "Today a rude brief recitative" from the first movement of Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Arsakes

And for _Beethoven's Birthday_ Celebrations:

Romance for Violin & Orchestra No.1 (in G major) and No.2 (in F major) and
Symphony No.7


----------



## DrKilroy

Handel's organ concertos: op. 4 nos. 1 and 4; no. 13 (Cuckoo and Nightingale).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor "Choral"
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Andre Cluytens

View attachment 10933


Not the best quartet of soloists, and it's one of the weaker points of this set, but good nonetheless.


----------



## cwarchc

In honour of LvB,


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some really beautiful clarinet music here! My favorite pieces are the Draesake and the Burgmuller.










Enjoyed the Burgmuller so much I decided to listen to his symphonies no. 1 & 2. Good stuff!










Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## DavidA

Strauss Ophelia Lieder Schwarzkopf / Gould


----------



## Sonata

*Mahler*: Symphony #4. Great stuff. I finally found Mahler that my toddler son likes! 

*Mozart*: Piano sonatas #15-18. my favorite of his sonatas are these later ones, 17 in particular.

*Handel*: Water music, Trevor Pinnock

*Schumann*: Carnivale. Not a big fan of this one.

*Alkan*: Grande sonate: 'Les quatre âges'. A lot to digest, but it's sinking in after a few listens, and I do like it, especialy the last two movements.


----------



## DrKilroy

Sonata said:


> *Schumann*: Carnivale. Not a big fan of this one.


I think it helps to imagine the program of the piece (or rather pieces), this is especially important with Schumann. But perhaps I am just biased, because I love Carnival - it is one of my favourite piano solo romantic pieces. 

Another romantic piece at the moment, though - Saint-Saens - Africa - Fantasia for piano and orchestra.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *LvB* and *Kodaly* birthdays, Piano Concerto 2's Adagio, with Argerich (rec. 1983), and "Peacock Variations" with Joo (rec. 1982).

Joo's on first. 

View attachment 10947
View attachment 10948


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bengraf (1745-1791): String Quartet No.2 in D Major

Festetics String Quartet: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, violins -- Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello

View attachment 10949


----------



## Sonata

DrKilroy said:


> I think it helps to imagine the program of the piece (or rather pieces), this is especially important with Schumann. But perhaps I am just biased, because I love Carnival - it is one of my favourite piano solo romantic pieces.


I really like his kinderszenen though  And his piano concerto probably makes my top 5 list.


----------



## ProudSquire

Schumann Symphony No. 1 in B flat "Spring"
Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein

Edit:

Symphony No.2 in C Major
Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein


----------



## aleazk

Penderecki: concerto for cello and orchestra No. 1, I really like these pieces by Penderecki. The only critique I have is that he seems to rely very heavily on the strings.


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Wind Quintet in F Major, Op.68, No.2

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet: Micheal Hasel, flute -- Andreas Wittmann, oboe -- Walter Seyfarth, clarinet -- Fergus McWilliams, horn -- Henning Trog, bassoon

View attachment 10953


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both featuring the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel.


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven Overtures (Egmont, Coriolan, Creatures of Prometheus). I usually just listen to the symphony, but figured I'd try it the other way tonight.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.14, No.2

Patrice Bocquillon on flute with the Milliere String Trio: Marie-Christine Milliere, violin -- Jean-Francois Benatar, viola -- Philippe Bary, cello

View attachment 10955


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major "Pastoral"
Klaus Tennstedt, London Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 10956


----------



## bejart

More from the birthday boy ---
Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A Major, Op.12, No.2

Zino Francescatti, violin -- Robert Casadesus, piano

View attachment 10958


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Philip Glass--*Symphony No.4 {Heroes Symphony},* performed by the American Composers Orchestra under the baton of Dennis Russell Davies.

Thanks go to *Conor71* for reminding me about this symphony in one of his posts!


----------



## tdc

Continuing my exploration of Scriabin, a composer I've long been interested in but kind of 'in between' on. It seems I am generally not easily won over by Russian composers. We will see if Richter can convince me. I'm listening to him perform a selection of the Etudes.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Fantasy in C major, D.760
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto, No. 1


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
The Monteverderdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Probably one of the most beautiful and haunting modern symphonies. This recording is simply superb and Zofia Kilanowicz's voice takes you to another realm. Certainly not album that is easily forgotten.










Kevin


----------



## Arsakes

*Modest Mussorgsky* by Stokowski:

Pictures at an Exhibition
Entr'acte to Act IV of Khovanshchina
Symphonic Synthesis of Borus Godunov
Night On A Bare Mountain
Traditional Slavic Christmas Music


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Sonata No.1 in B Minor, QV1:167

Behedek Csalog, flute -- Rita Papp, harpsichord

View attachment 10962


----------



## Head_case

Haha. These Quantz sonatas I can already play brilliantly albeit without the basso continuo. 

Apart from a few minor problems with my phrasing, a few jumbled up notes every other line and confusing the notes beyond the ledger lines and losing rhythm control in between 

Great disc. The G minor concerto is my favourite. I love it solo flauto without the basso continuo.


----------



## Andolink

Josep Soler: String Quartet No. 5 (1995)
Kreutzer Quartet








Arnold Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 3, op. 30; String Quartet No. 4, op. 37;
Fantasy for Violin and Piano, op. 47 (Sepp Grothenhuis, piano; Janneke van der Meer, violin)
Schoenberg Quartet


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Symphony #6. LSO with Josef Krips. Wonderful symphony. So beautiful!

ETA: I am dismayed to see my MP3 album is missing the last two movements!!  I downloaded it last year, I don't know if there had been an error or what happened. Well, when my spending freeze is up, I think I'll hunt down a good CD version.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Don Giovanni (Highlights) with BPO/HvK et al (rec. 1985); Requiem with VSOO/Scherchen et al (rec. 1958).

View attachment 10966
View attachment 10967


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*'s Symphony No.1,2 & 3


----------



## Sonata

Alkan: Sonatine opus 61

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis


----------



## campy

Orff: _Carmina Burana _(BSO/Ozawa)


----------



## Head_case

Andolink said:


> Josep Soler: String Quartet No. 5 (1995)
> Kreutzer Quartet
> View attachment 10964


Love the Catalan disc. Here's another Spaniard (technically English, but musically Spanish) who barely registers on our airwaves. His recorded works are fascinating for their polymath influences:


----------



## DrKilroy

Johann Schein's Pavane:






Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Nocturnes with Barenboim (rec.1981); Mazurkas, etc. with ABM (rec.1971).
View attachment 10970
View attachment 10971


----------



## Head_case

Listening to the RTE Vanbrugh Quartet's recordings of the John McCabe string quartets. I discovered him after getting his flute music and realised what a brilliant composer he was.










This doesn't disappoint: it is a very atmospheric and at times impressionistic collection of string quartets. Very inspiring.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kevin Pearson said:


> Probably one of the most beautiful and haunting modern symphonies. This recording is simply superb and Zofia Kilanowicz's voice takes you to another realm. Certainly not album that is easily forgotten.


I agree. I think it surpasses Dawn Upshaw's recording.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some really well-done recordings today: Schubert's Quartet in Eb by the Artis Quartett, Karajan's recording of Mahler's 5th, and Peter Hill's recording of piano works by Berg. Schoenberg, and Webern. I think his recording of Webern's Variations bumped Pollini off the top of my list.


----------



## NightHawk

The Siena Pianoforte

I ordered this upon hearing of Charles Rosen's death on December 9th, 2012. The sound of the unusual instrument is bell-like in the treble and plummy yet distinct in the bass. Rosen is wonderful in the selection of Scarlatti sonatas and the beloved Mozart Sonata in Bb, K. 333. Rosen, who studied with Moriz Rosenthal, who studied with Liszt (!), made this recording in 1953 and it is no mere archival 'document', but is, instead, a very beautiful recital, (the disc closes with the Mozart Sonata in A, K. 331 performed by Kathryn Deguire). Thumbs way up.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Flute Quartet in C Major, KV 285b

Jean Pierre Rampal, flute -- Isaac Stern, violin -- Salvatore Accardo, viola -- Mstislav Rosotropovich, cello

View attachment 10978


Bit of an all star cast here ---


----------



## PetrB

Saving it for when I can 'just listen' all the way through, but a work I'm fond of, in a good Youtube find, for those unfamiliar, or who would care to revisit an old friend. The 'definitive' performance of course, conducted by the composer and performed by his wife, for whom it was written 
Berio ~ Folk Songs -- complete, and a model textbook of original accompaniment writing while leaving the original melody intact, as well as 'orchestration.'





A link to the songs, one link each, with score:
ityhippiechicago.com./


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.16, No.2

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 10979


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Motets.*

The recording has a lot of echo which speakers exacerbate, so it sounds better with headphones. My big complaint is, though they give the German text of the pieces, there is no English translation. Shucks, my German isn't _that_ good.


----------



## Head_case

my iPod just died. Engine failure :/

Not in the mood for easy listening tonight whilst working...

Listening to Mosolov and Knipper's rather industrial string quartets:


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Symphony in C
Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer


----------



## opus55

Tower, Joan: Made in America. Tambor
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.31 in A Flat

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 10983


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Etudes, Opp. 10 & 25, with Gavrilov (rec. 1987); *Liszt*: Les Annees de Pelerinage, with Ciccolini (rec.1961 - '69).

View attachment 10984
View attachment 10985


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to a wonderful recording of Friedrich Kiel's Complete Piano Quartets. Kiel is German romantic along the lines of Brahms or maybe Shumann. His melodies are rich and the quartets are tightly structured and well written. This recording is going into my playlist of favorite chamber albums.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *performed by the Karl Bohm led Vienna Philharmonic.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again featuring Maestro Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

Carl Reinecke: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 72
Felix Mendelssohn: Capriccio brillant, Op. 22
Josef Rheinberger: Piano Concerto in A flat, Op. 94










Disc 15 of 20, one of my favorite discs so far. Can't even remember how long I've been listening to this box set!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F Major, BWV 1046

Helmuth Rilling conducting the Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 10989


----------



## Arsakes

*Alan Hovhaness*:
Prelude and Quadruple Fugue, Op. 128 for orchestra (so great)
Tzaikerk, "Evening Song" for flute, violin, timpani and string orchestra
Symphony No.1 'Exile Symphony'
Symphony No.2 'Mysterious Mountain'
Symphony No.22 'City of Light'
String Quartet No.3 & 4


----------



## Andolink

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: For Cello and Orchestra
Morten Zeuthen, cello
The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Michael Schonwandt








Alexander Agricola: Chansons
Ferrara Ensemble/Crawford Young








Benjamin Frankel: Bagatelles for Eleven Instruments, op. 35 (Cinq Pezzi Notturni);
Pezzi Pianissimi for Clarinet, Violoncello and Piano, op 41
Paul Dean, clarinet; Marcus Stocker, cello; Kevin Power, piano
Queensland Symphony Chamber Players


----------



## Hausmusik

Bartok, Concerto For Orchestra
Boulez: Chicago SO


----------



## Sonata

Brahms: Violin sonata #1 last night 
Haydn: String quartet #66 this morning. I'm really warming to this one


----------



## campy

J.S. Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Andras Schiff)


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: String Quartets, with Takacs Qt. for Early (rec.2002/3), and ESQ for Middle and Late (rec.1994/5).

View attachment 10995
View attachment 10996
View attachment 10997


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hovhaness*: Symphony 50, with Seattle SO/Schwarz (rec. 1992).

View attachment 10998


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Today is the 120th anniversary of The Nutcracker. Essential listening, Kirov O./Gergiev (rec.1998).

View attachment 11000


----------



## Sonata

Much thanks to our friend St.Luke'sGuild for championing this album. He is still unfortunately banned is he not?


----------



## Vaneyes

Sospiri, with Cecilia Bartoli. A most enjoyable collection of arias from eleven composers between *Handel* and *Faure* (rec. 1994 - 2009). This compilation is roughly chronological, so the various orchestras and composer styles don't contradict. For those wanting a practical souvenir of this exquisite singer's body of work, this is it.

View attachment 11006


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Much thanks to our friend St.Luke'sGuild for championing this album. He is still unfortunately banned is he not?


May our friend soon be freed and back once again in our wholesome realm of listening. It's often other categories and threads that create agitation, unfortunate circumstances, unfortunate results.


----------



## SimonNZ

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 10977
> The Siena Pianoforte


I used to have an lp of a Marisa Regules performing Debussy on the Siena Pianoforte, sadly it sounded in this case like little more than a novelty album so I got rid of it.

I'd be very interested to hear what Rosen made of the instrument, though.


----------



## Morgante

*Bach* BWV 61

A question: What is the best recording of the cantatas of Bach?


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: String Quartets 1 - 3, with Auryn Qt. (rec. 2000).

View attachment 11009


----------



## Vaneyes

Morgante said:


> *Bach* BWV 61
> 
> A question: What is the best recording of the cantatas of Bach?


I don't know the Cantatas, but I've heard many speak favorably of the Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki series on BIS. I have BCJ and Hidemi Suzuki for CPE Bach Cello Concerti.

View attachment 11010


----------



## kv466

Happy B!!

I honestly can't listen to another version of this,...not even Glenn would have matched this!


----------



## DavidA

Alison Balsom's new disc. 'Sound the Trumpet'. Fabulous collection of baroque pieces with trumpet. Terrific!


----------



## hfminmi

Way back when I took a music appreciation course as an undergraduate, I fell in love with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat Minor, Opus 23. Recently I saw and listened to a performance of the piece on YouTube performed by pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch during his final performance for the 2001 Van Cliburn Piano Competition at Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Texas with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. I have listened to a lot of orchestras perform this piece with a variety of famous pianists, and I must say Stanislav Ioudenitch is the absolute best one I have ever heard along with the well conducted orchestra. The pianist's musicality is fantastic. Here is the link if you would like to listen to the performance: 




Enjoy!!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening in alphabetical order the 40 selected Symphonic Cycles on another site. Beethoven coming first.


----------



## SimonNZ

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content









Monteverdi's Eighth Book Of Madrigals - Rinaldo Alessandrini


----------



## SimonNZ

John Field Piano Sonatas - Miceal O'Rourke, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Piano Quintet - Maurizio Pollini, piano, Quartetto Italiano

curiously they let this stand as just the original 43-minute lp - not that i mind, but usually the Originals discs are padded out with bits from other albums by the same artists


----------



## HoraeObscura

Been a while I put on something orchestral...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Morgante said:


> *Bach* BWV 61
> 
> A question: What is the best recording of the cantatas of Bach?


VanEyes mentioned Suzuki, and I think most people agree with that. Personally, I find it too polished, but that's just me. If you can sample one CD before plunging in, I'd recommend that. If you're happy with it, jump into the rest of them; Suzuki is very consistent in his quality of performances.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

The other day someone here listened to a recording of pianist Jeno Jando which in turn inspired me to listen to a few of his albums. I really enjoyed these two especially. Superb performances and another good example that proves Naxos puts out some really great recordings. Jando's occasional humming in the background is a little annoying to me at times but his superb playing is worth overlooking that.


----------



## Morgante

*Mozart* Vesperae solennes de confessore

Tears of beauty.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, German Requiem*. *Schutz, Musikalische Exequien.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, with Kremer & Argerich (rec.1985).; Piano 
Sonatas 1 & 3, with Demidenko (rec.1996).

View attachment 11021
View attachment 11022


----------



## Manxfeeder

Morgante said:


> *Mozart* Vesperae solennes de confessore
> 
> Tears of beauty.


I'll join you! Laudate Dominum is one of those pieces that, at least around my space, everything stops for.


----------



## Vaneyes

hfminmi said:


> Way back when I took a music appreciation course as an undergraduate, I fell in love with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat Minor, Opus 23. Recently I saw and listened to a performance of the piece on YouTube performed by pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch during his final performance for the 2001 Van Cliburn Piano Competition at Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Texas with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. I have listened to a lot of orchestras perform this piece with a variety of famous pianists, and I must say Stanislav Ioudenitch is the absolute best one I have ever heard along with the well conducted orchestra. The pianist's musicality is fantastic. Here is the link if you would like to listen to the performance:


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> VanEyes mentioned Suzuki, and I think most people agree with that. Personally, I find it too polished, but that's just me. If you can sample one CD before plunging in, I'd recommend that. If you're happy with it, jump into the rest of them; Suzuki is very consistent in his quality of performances.


JEG of course has been longly considered for these. Alex Ross (New Yorker, 2011, 2-page article linked) in comparing Suzuki and JEG, mentions cool approach versus dynamic approach, and the pros and cons for each.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2011/04/11/110411crmu_music_ross


----------



## Vaneyes

*Khachaturian*: Piano Concerto, with Berezovsky (rec. 2006).

View attachment 11023


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Waltzes, with Tharaud (rec.2005).

View attachment 11027


----------



## neoshredder

Up to Symphony 7 from Beethoven. Plan to listen to the last 3 tonight. Maybe start up on Berlioz 4 Symphonic Works.


----------



## Ravndal

It seems like i can't get enough of well-tempered clavier book 1. I never grow tired of it... Especially nr 6 in d minor. Maybe because it is played by mr GG. It sounds like he has recorded each hand separately. it is so perfect.


----------



## DavidA

Brahms piano concerto 2
Anda / Klemperer (Koln 1954 live)


----------



## Vaneyes

Ravndal said:


> It seems like i can't get enough of well-tempered clavier book 1. I never grow tired of it... Especially nr 6 in d minor. Maybe because it is played by mr GG. It sounds like he has recorded each hand separately. it is so perfect.


Good observation. A little-known fact is that his hands never met.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravndal said:


> It seems like i can't get enough of well-tempered clavier book 1. I never grow tired of it... Especially nr 6 in d minor. Maybe because it is played by mr GG. It sounds like he has recorded each hand separately. it is so perfect.


Agree! My favourite sets are 1st in C major, 5th in D major and 19th in A major. The second book contains less pieces I like, but still there are great ones, eg. 7th in E flat major.

Best regards, Dr

PS I am surprised myself that there is no minor prelude and fugue among my favourites!


----------



## joen_cph

Boleslaw Szabelski: Symphony no. 4 & "Verses" for Piano & Orchestra / muza LP.

My old LP had two identical sides, but I just got a new one with both complete works. The symphony is described a neo-baroque in the lines notes, but it seems much more ambitious and romantically coloured than just that. The "Verses" illustrate Szabelski´s later style and are less approachable than say Schoenberg´s Piano Concerto - the harsh and hammering Harrison Birtwistle actually comes to mind, for instance.


----------



## PetrB

Germaine Tailleferre --her 'light' and very pleasant neoclassical Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Ravndal

DrKilroy said:


> Agree! My favourite sets are 1st in C major, 5th in D major and 19th in A major. The second book contains less pieces I like, but still there are great ones, eg. 7th in E flat major.
> 
> Best regards, Dr
> 
> PS I am surprised myself that there is no minor prelude and fugue among my favourites!


Good picks. the nr 5 fugue is amazing. Few favorites though! What about nr 10, 12, 14 and 22? I just played nr2 at a recital, so im pretty tired of it, hehe.



Vaneyes said:


> Good observation. A little-known fact is that his hands never met.


haha.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas 4 & 28 and three Rondos, with Sokolov (rec.1991).

View attachment 11034


----------



## Ravndal

I also agree about book nr 2. But i fear it is because i have not fully understood it yet. it was not very long ago i dismissed bach entirely. just have to understand it, and learn to appreciate it. im sure i will come around very soon!


----------



## Ravndal

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: Piano Sonatas 4 & 28 and three Rondos, with Sokolov (rec.1991).
> 
> View attachment 11034


Speaking of. Have you heard Sokolov's diabelli variations? Yummy.


----------



## Vaneyes

Ravndal said:


> Speaking of. Have you heard Sokolov's diabelli variations? Yummy.


Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't get along with some *LvB* works, and that's one of them. Others being Choral Fantasy, Wellington's Victory, Missa Solemnis.


----------



## millionrainbows

I initially got this 2-CD for the Chabrier, but have since been fascinated by her rendition of Stravinsky. She does the whole Petroushka Suite, and the rhythmic, proto-minimalist Sérénade. She was a real champion of modernism.


----------



## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't get along with some *LvB* works, and that's one of them. Others being Choral Fantasy, Wellington's Victory, Missa Solemnis.


Have you heard Heléne Grimaud's version? I think of the piece as a mini-ninth, if that helps.


----------



## Ravndal

I have not heard any of those, but I'm mainly a piano kind of guy. Will check them out though.. Just in case...


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor, *performed by the Thomas Sanderling led St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature the London Symphony Orchestra under Valery Gergiev's baton.


----------



## Andolink

Jean-Marie Leclair: Sonata for Flute and Continuo No. 7 in G major
Barthold Kuijken, transverse flute; Wieland Kuijken, viola da gamba; Robert Kohnen, harpsichord








Arnold Bax: Winter Legends for piano and orchestra
Margaret Fingerhut, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky* _Piano Concerto #1_ 
Dimitris Sgouros, pno. & London PO under Walter Weller (EMI)

*Saint-Saens *
_Piano Concertos 1* & 3** _
Pascal Roge, pno. & *Philharmonia Orch. ; **London PO both under Charles Dutoit
_Wedding Cake for pno. & string orch., Op. 76_ 
Daniel Chorzempa, pno. & Rotterdam PO under Edo de Waart (Eloquence)

*Richard Mills* _Bamaga Diptych ; Tenebrae ; Pages from a Secret Journal _
Melbourne SO under the composer (ABC CLassics)


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> Have you heard Heléne Grimaud's version? I think of the piece as a mini-ninth, if that helps.


No, it doesn't, but thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## Novelette

Praetorius - Mass for Christmas Morning [Gabrielli Consort & Players]

Satie - Piano Works [Daniel Varsano]

Tchaikovsky - The Seasons [Luba Edlina]


----------



## GreenMamba

Dvorak Cello Concerto


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Symphonies 2 & 3, with BPO/HvK (rec.1964); Four Ballades, Sonata 3, with Sokolov (rec.1992/3).

View attachment 11042
View attachment 11043


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Liederkreis Op.39 - Peter Schreier, tenor, Christoph Eschenbach, piano


----------



## HoraeObscura

After reading violadude's suggestion in the new "Interested in 20th century music..."


----------



## Arsakes

*F.J.Haydn*'s Symphony No.63 'La Roxelane', No.73 'La Chasse', and No.80


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Berlioz's Orchestral Works starting with Symphonie Fantastique on Spotify.


----------



## Morgante

*Ravel*: Piano concerto in G major and piano concerto for the left hand
*Gershwin*: Piano concerto in F major
*Debussy*: Printemps, Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre
*Bach*: Violin concerto in A minor (BWV 1041)
*Brahms*: Piano Concerto N. 1
*Tchaikovskij*: The Nutcracker, String quartet N. 1
*Prokofiev*: Lieutenant Kije suite


----------



## Sonata

I'm seeing the difference a good performer makes! As I've said before, with exception of Kodaly's sonata for solo cello, I have not been keen on solo string works. However, *Rostropovich *is really transforming *Bach's cello sonata suites*. Thanks PetrB for the rec!


----------



## Sonata

samurai said:


> Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor, *performed by the Thomas Sanderling led St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
> Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature the London Symphony Orchestra under Valery Gergiev's baton.


Not a fan of the 2nd so much, but otherwise a fine symphony program you've set for the day.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

This has been nicknamed "The Apocalyptic." I'm listening in honor of whatever the Mayans have cooked up for us tomorrow.


----------



## Sonata

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*
> 
> This has been nicknamed "The Apocalyptic." I'm listening in honor of whatever the Mayans have cooked up for us tomorrow.
> 
> View attachment 11047


well played :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*
> 
> This has been nicknamed "The Apocalyptic." I'm listening in honor of whatever the Mayans have cooked up for us tomorrow.
> 
> View attachment 11047


Well, with Celibidache, it may feel like the world has stopped during the adagio!


----------



## Vaneyes

Starting with something *light*. Purists of said items might say, "How dare you intimate *lightness*!" Oh well.

Often my listening day proceeds chronologically, *Baroque* through *Contemporary*. Sometimes I get sidetracked, but there's no harm in that.

Still thinking of the 20 kids at Sandy Hook Elementary, and of course our dear friend/collector L'enfer. R.I.P. all.:angel:

Before I forget, Happy Holidays to the living, in particular all my listening buddies at Current Listening, including the banned buddy.

*Bach*: Cello Sonatas 1 - 3, with Maisky & Argerich (rec. 1985); *Vivaldi*: Cello Concerti, RV 418, 424, with Maisky/Orpheus CO (rec.1994); 6 Concerti, Op. 11, with Accardo/I Musici (rec.1974).

View attachment 11050


View attachment 11049


----------



## PetrB

*The Twelve Tones of Christmas ~ with score*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wEDj0TEggvY#!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's Symphonies starting with Symphony 1. Galante sounding alright.


----------



## Cnote11

I picked this up during my trip in Philadelphia. I found this store in Chinatown and upstairs they sell a bunch of Chinese albums and loads of classical stuff. I picked up two discs of Chinese Communist music. Google translating and an hours worth of googling in various ways has lead me to believe that this disc is performed by "The Brilliant central Orchestra". Yes, I spent 45 dollars on two albums of unknown content, but I am very much enjoying this disc, so it seems to have paid off! The booklet that came with this is lovely, and the packaging for the other one--of which I was never able to find online--is absolutely gorgeous! I'm hoping the music is of the same quality as the packaging and the current disc I am listening to.


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Listening to this right now. I think I like the new Gardiner version even better, but this one is brilliant too.


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> I picked this up during my trip in Philadelphia. I found this store in Chinatown and upstairs they sell a bunch of Chinese albums and loads of classical stuff. I picked up two discs of Chinese Communist music. Google translating and an hours worth of googling in various ways has lead me to believe that this disc is performed by "The Brilliant central Orchestra". Yes, I spent 45 dollars on two albums of unknown content, but I am very much enjoying this disc, so it seems to have paid off! The booklet that came with this is lovely, and the packaging for the other one--of which I was never able to find online--is absolutely gorgeous! I'm hoping the music is of the same quality as the packaging and the current disc I am listening to.


Right underneath the orchestra name (sorry, this is going to be in Japanese characters, as I can't type Chinese ones), "輝煌中央楽団", it says "革命紅色？典" (can't read that fifth one well), which means something like "Revolutionary Red Ceremony". There's also something on top about the 70th anniversary of the communist party.

Interesting stuff!

Anyway, I just listened to Bruckner's String Quintet in F major. Amazing how it sounds so much like his symphonic works, even without brass!


----------



## Cnote11

Mahlerian said:


> Right underneath the orchestra name (sorry, this is going to be in Japanese characters, as I can't type Chinese ones), "輝煌中央楽団", it says "革命紅色？典" (can't read that fifth one well), which means something like "Revolutionary Red Ceremony". There's also something on top about the 70th anniversary of the communist party.
> 
> Interesting stuff!
> 
> Anyway, I just listened to Bruckner's String Quintet in F major. Amazing how it sounds so much like his symphonic works, even without brass!


Yes, I was able to understand that it was a disc to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the communist party in China. I would prefer if the text was in Japanese, to be honest! I can read Japanese, but not a lick of Chinese. Still, the music is universal!


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> Yes, I was able to understand that it was a disc to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the communist party in China. I would prefer if the text was in Japanese, to be honest! I can read Japanese, but not a lick of Chinese. Still, the music is universal!


I've never studied Chinese either, so I can't really "read" it, but I know Chinese characters well through knowing Japanese.


----------



## Cnote11

Mahlerian said:


> I've never studied Chinese either, so I can't really "read" it, but I know Chinese characters well through knowing Japanese.


Indeed, knowing the kanji does allow you to sometimes be able to cross-translate. Sadly, I never got deep enough into kanji and have forgotten a large amount. I studied Japanese only for 4 years and it has been about 6 since last I studied! I'm tempted to the scan the booklet and try to get some insight into it, seeing as it is all in Chinese!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Once As I Remember.*

This is an outstanding compilation of Christmas music through the ages, from plainsong to John Tavener, sung equally as outstandingly by the Monteverdi Choir.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Waltzes, with Tharaud (rec.2005); *Schumann*: Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, Humoreske, with Lupu (rec.1993).

View attachment 11058
View attachment 11059


----------



## Cnote11

Julian Bream and Peter Pears play Benjamin Britten

Then the Communist Chinese songs again, followed by some Chopin Nocturnes or Schubert lieder. I've yet to decide.

Edit: I've actually decided on this










Red Detachment of Women, a Chinese Opera performed by Peking Opera Troupe.


----------



## NightHawk

Ligeti conducted by Boulez (ideal!)

Chamber Concerto; Ramifications; String Quartet No. 2; Aventures; Lux aeterna


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify**:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor and Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *both works featuring the Mariss Jansons led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: String Quartet No.10 in E Flat, D.87

Takacs Quartet: Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Karoly Schranz, violins -- Gabor Ormai, viola -- Andras Fejer, cello

View attachment 11061


----------



## Andolink

Per Nørgård: Symphony No. 3
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir/Leif Segerstam


----------



## Ondine

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra...


----------



## Schubussy

Brahms - Piano Quartet no. 1


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1767-1798): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.2, No.3

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Jane Oldham, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello

View attachment 11066


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.12 in A Flat, Op.26

Wilhelm Kempff, piano

View attachment 11069


----------



## Cnote11

After listening to the collection of Chinese Revolutionary songs for the third time, I am turning on this










Corelli Concerti Grossi


----------



## Arsakes

*Vaughan Williams*: 
Symphony No.1 'A Sea Symphony'
Symphony No.2 'A London Symphony'
Symphony No.3 'Pastoral Symphony'


----------



## samurai

Arsakes said:


> *Vaughan Williams*:
> Symphony No.1 'A Sea Symphony'
> Symphony No.2 'A London Symphony'
> Symphony No.3 'Pastoral Symphony'


Now you've reminded me that I really want to listen again to his *Sinfonia Antartica, *and very soon, at that!


----------



## Cnote11

Fourth time for the Chinese revolutionary songs is the charm... delightful










Arensky Piano Music


----------



## Cnote11

Cavatina by Kaori Muraji.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Children's Corner - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## ProudSquire

*Franz Schubert* 
Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major, D 929
Israel Piano Trio

I don't like this one. I'm not sure why, but I was unable to enjoy it for some strange reason. Maybe I need to try different recordings of this work.


----------



## Wandering

samurai said:


> Now you've reminded me that I really want to listen again to his *Sinfonia Antartica, *and very soon, at that!


The third movement is awesome, it is the bomb! Excellent Mayan doomsday music!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's String Quartet Op.33 No.5 - Quatour Festetics


----------



## DrKilroy

CD 2: Rhapsody in Blue, 'I Got Rhythm" Variations, Catfish Row and American in Paris.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content









Frescobaldi's First Book Of Madrigals - Modo Antiquo


----------



## Ravndal

Brahms OP 118 - played by Radu Lupu


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Becker (1623-1680): Trio Sonata No.26 in A Major

London Baroque: Ingrid Siefert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, bass viol -- Terence Charlston, chamber organ

View attachment 11073


----------



## Sonata

Listened to a few different versions of *Pachelbel's Canon in D last night*: one with flute and orchestra, piano and orchestra, piano solo. It sounds very newbie-ish and cliche, but I do love that piece. The song plays on one of my baby daughter's toys, and my husband's been learning it on the piano, so it kind of makes it feel special, makes me think of my wonderful family.


----------



## NightHawk

Bach - The Musical Offering - Acad.St. Martin's in the Fields, Neville Mariner

A beautifully recorded modern instrument realization of the great puzzle. JSBach in the morning is _sans pareil_.


----------



## Sonata

Puccini's Suor Angelica. To me, it gets better with each listen! It barely made the TalkClassical "Top 100 recommended Operas" (coming in at #99 I believe) but I'll say it again, my favorite opera.


----------



## NightHawk

I think the Canon in D might be a 'guilty pleasure' piece for many musicians who won't really admit that they do admire the beautiful, if over-played, work. Bach highly admired Pachelbel's music and the canon's impression upon the public at large over the years is undeniable. Funny it's not a canon, though - more like a Chaconne. Jean-Francois Paillard's recording is a familiar favorite recording of the work.



Sonata said:


> Listened to a few different versions of *Pachelbel's Canon in D last night*: one with flute and orchestra, piano and orchestra, piano solo. It sounds very newbie-ish and cliche, but I do love that piece. The song plays on one of my baby daughter's toys, and my husband's been learning it on the piano, so it kind of makes it feel special, makes me think of my wonderful family.


----------



## starthrower

Alban Berg-Lulu


----------



## GreenMamba

Nyman: Where the Bee Dances for Saxophone and Orchestra


----------



## Sonata

All of my music today has been somber so far. After the likes of Gorecki's 3rd, Suor Angelica, Brahms Violin sonata 3 adagio, something more upbeat just feels awkward. This is just my second listen to this album, which I got probably six months ago. My first focused listen, really.


----------



## Cnote11

Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia Antartica"


----------



## DavidA

I'm listening to my wife playing Mozart.


----------



## DavidA

Cnote11 said:


> Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia Antartica"


I listen to that on a warm day!


----------



## opus55

Schubert: String Quintet in C


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach.


----------



## DrKilroy

Messiaen's L'Ascension for solo organ (Olivier Latry playing).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Schubert Klavierstucke played by Paul Lewis.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 64, with Auryn Qt. (rec.2009); Piano Sonatas, with GG (rec.1980/1).

View attachment 11080
View attachment 11081


----------



## DavidA

Schumann piano concerto Lipatti - Karajan 1948


----------



## Guest

My composition teacher has a big crush on Bartok that's been rubbing off on me. Been listening to the op. 18 etudes, the Bulgarian dances from the mikrokosmos, the 2nd and 3rd piano concerti, the violin concerti, the violin sonatas (which I'm modeling my violin sonata on), the miraculous mandarin, and of course the concerto for orchestra. Bartok really was not only one of the greatest composers of the 20th century (with Stravinsky) but one of the _all-time_ greats.


----------



## DrKilroy

Adams' Harmonielehre (Edo de Waart conducting).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Schubussy

Schubert - Piano Trio no. 2, Trio in one movement
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Vaneyes

TheProudSquire said:


> *Franz Schubert*
> Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major, D 929
> Israel Piano Trio
> 
> I don't like this one. I'm not sure why, but I was unable to enjoy it for some strange reason. Maybe I need to try different recordings of this work.


Good ones to choose from, and if I may suggest...Beaux Arts Trio; Rubenstein/Szeryng/Fournier; Ashkenazy/Zukerman/Harrell; Borodin Trio.

I won't tell you which one's my favorite.
:tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"}, *featuring soprano Norma Burrrowes, the London Philharmonic Choir and the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Adrian Boult.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.8 in D Minor, *once again performed by the London Philharmonic orchestra under the baton of Maestro Boult.


----------



## Cnote11

Schubert - 21 Lieder


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bacewicz*: Piano Quintets 1 & 2; Piano sonata 2, with Zimerman et al (rec.2009).

View attachment 11085


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Corelli's Concerto Grosso Op. 6. One of my favorites of the Baroque Era. Such beauty.


----------



## Cnote11

I think I'll join you, followed by some Erik Satie and more chinese revolutionary songs for about the 10th time yeaaaahh


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Bassoon Quartet in D Minor, Op.40, No.2

Island: Jane Gower, bassoon -- Antoinette Lohmann, violin -- Galina Zinchenko, viola -- Jennifer Morsches, cello

View attachment 11088


--- One of the odder CD covers I've ever come across.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.51 in G Major, Op.64, No.4

Salomon Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 11089


----------



## millionrainbows

Karajan, Beethoven, Ninth, red & gold 1963. How about that, Manx, me too, with hot chicken soup.


----------



## Sonata

Chopin: sonata for cello and piano
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, Flute Quartet #1 (my toddler actually said to me, "Mommy play flute music?" It was pretty cool.


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Choros No. 9, W 232*

This box-set just arrived yesterday and I have ripped it to iTunes and listened to the first couple of Discs this morning - very impressed so far!. I already have the Bachianas Brasileiras works in a Naxos box so it will be interesting to compare them with these performances. I got a couple of new Philip Glass Discs this week - I have listened to the one with the Heroes Symphony on it alreay and it sounds exactly like Glassworks!. Im expecting more of the same with the Disc of Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 - lucky I like Glassworks then!. I will also play it today as its been a while


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia espansiva"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *both works featuring the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## ProudSquire

Vaneyes said:


> Good ones to choose from, and if I may suggest...Beaux Arts Trio; Rubenstein/Szeryng/Fournier; Ashkenazy/Zukerman/Harrell; Borodin Trio.
> 
> I won't tell you which one's my favorite.
> :tiphat:


I think I'll try the Beaux Arts Trio.


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*'s Symphony No.1,2,3 and 4.

and

*Vaughan Williams*' Symphony No.4,5 and 6


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 11090


----------



## opus55

Walton: Violin Concerto


----------



## drpraetorus

Haydn Horn Concerto 2


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.28, Op.101 - Stephen Kovacevich, piano


----------



## PetrB

Renaissance French music: I'm beginning to think this is my form of pop music listening enjoyment, songs, dances, sad ballads...
..very nice program and performances. (Mislabeled 'medieval' but I'll 'big-time' forgive the person who put it together and made it available


----------



## Conor71

*Mahler: Symphony No. 7 In E Minor, "Lied Der Nacht"*

Ok - technically im still listening to Glass Symphony No. 4 but I have my next 2 listens planned already and will commence them shortly. First up I will listen to Bernsteins Mahler 7th - one of the best performances in this box!. Next I will play Soltis M7 from his Cycle which I just aquired a couple of weeks ago. This year I have been doing quite a bit of comparative listening mostly with Bruckner, Mahler and Shostakovich Symphonies - Im not a real expert or anything, I just like to hear different versions


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Rameau. This is really interesting. Baroque with some flair.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Sonata in G Minor, Op.2, No.1

Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunicliffe, cello

View attachment 11099


----------



## Morgante

*Gustav Mahler*: Symphony N. 1
I have heard this symphony dozens of times, but it is always a real thrill.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723-1787): String Quartet in A Major, Op.8, No.5

Salomon Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 11102


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.42 in D Major

Trevor Pinnock conducting the English Consort

View attachment 11103


----------



## Wandering

Pictures at en Exhibition


----------



## bejart

Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777): Symphony in G Minor, WV 418

Michi Gaigg leading L'Orfeo Barackorchester

View attachment 11104


----------



## campy

Rachmaninoff: Symphony #2 (Royal Phil./Previn)


----------



## millionrainbows

Oh, yeah! Philip Glass symphonies! He's come a long way from the "loft" days and his ensembles (and driving taxis in NYC!).

These are real symphonies, with real orchestras! This is "in your face" proof that The Western Classical Tradition is now in the hands of living composers!

We win! The living win! History continues to be made! Ha ha! These are symphonies! They exist! Look at the images! Proof! Nobody can predict how History will judge, but we're in the game! We're in the running! You can't take that away!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*C.E.F. Weyse Christmas Cantata No. 3.*

This is some off-the-beaten-track Christmas music from Denmark in 1821, Mendelssohnian in character.


----------



## DrKilroy

CD 1: Gaspard de la nuit, Valses nobles et sentimentales, Jeux d'eau, Miroirs.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I'm especially fond of the 3rd symphony of Phillip Glass. One of my favorites and listened to with some regularity.

Currently listening to an album of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's chamber music. Some really fabulous and wonderful music here. Bright and cheery melodies that make me glad I am a classical music fan. The album contains his Clarinet Quintet in F Sharp minor, 4 African Dances and his Nonet in F minor










Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Richafort Requiem.*

Wow, this is lovely. The Huelgas Ensemble chooses to adhere to the rules of musica ficta, which means some crunchy harmonies at the cadences, which adds to the feeling of sorrow. It's recorded in a somewhat resonant environment, so it's a little hard to hear details. I'd download the score, but don't it figure, IMSLP doesn't allow it to download in the US.


----------



## samurai

Kevin, Hi and Happy Holidays to you and your family! I was just wondering if that musician you listed is the same person as the poet who wrote *Xanadu?* I doubt it, but the name looks very similar.


----------



## NightHawk

Copland Symphony No. 3, Bernstein and NYPhil - 1986 - a brilliant, formidable work; a legendary performance. The 'tone poem noir' _Quiet City_ for Solo Trumpet & English Horn + string orchestra finishes the disc. Highly Recommended!


----------



## idomeneo

Elliott Carter
String Quartets No. 1 & 2
Juilliard String Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, with Brandenburg Consort/Goodman (rec.1992);* D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas, with Scherbakov (rec.2000).

View attachment 11112
View attachment 11113


----------



## DavidA

While shepherds watched - Christmas music from English Parish Churches 1740-1830 - Parley of Instruments / Peter Holman
This is the best disc of traditional Christmas music I know. On that enterprising British label, Hyperion. Excellent!


----------



## Conor71

*Borodin: Symphony No. 2 In B Minor*

Good morning all - listening to some Russian music. First up I am playing the Disc of Scheherezade/Borodin: Symphony No. 2 and then I will play Symphony No. 3 from the Karajan/Tchaikovsky 2-fer. To finish off I will play the Rimsky-Korsakov set which is a new one and I am keen to hear Symphony No. 2 again as I have liked that one the first couple of times I heard it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Morgante said:


> *Gustav Mahler*: Symphony N. 1
> I have heard this symphony dozens of times, but it is always a real thrill.


Me, too. What is/are your recorded favorite(s)?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Regnart, Missa Super Oeniades*. *Padovano, Missa a 24.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ending the day with *Philip Glass' Symphony No. 3.*

I don't know what happened. I used to only like the third movement. Now the whole thing is keeping my attention. Either I'm gaining more grey cells or losing them.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.12 in A Major, KV 414

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim on piano

View attachment 11119


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sneaking in some Dvorak as night falls.


----------



## Head_case

Englichova's harp. I love her album covers lol. The guy to her left gets to feel her heart beat


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 In Eb Minor, Op. 111*

Continuing in a Russian frame of mind with these 3 recordings next - first I will play Symphony No. 6 from the Jarvi set then I will play all of the Abbado disc. I will probably listen to Disc 3 of the Concertos set as that one has the works for Cello on it and I want to re-visit them.


----------



## Vaneyes

I don't like *Glass*, but I'm giving "Likes" for through Xmas.


----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Englichova's harp. I love her album covers lol. The guy to her left gets to feel her heart beat


Supraphon takes a chance. Good for them.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Overturns BWV 1066 and 1067


----------



## samurai

Head_case said:


> Englichova's harp. I love her album covers lol. The guy to her left gets to feel her heart beat


Among other things! :devil:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Mikrokosmos, with Solchany (rec.1973 - '75); Piano Works, with Kocsis (rec.1991 - '96). With the former you can hear Xmas carols if you listen closely...and also imbibe with the correct Scotch.

View attachment 11122
View attachment 11123


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Philip Glass--*The Light and Symphony No.4 {"Heroes Symphony"}, *both performed by the Marin Alsop led Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Morgante said:


> *Gustav Mahler*: Symphony N. 1
> I have heard this symphony dozens of times, but it is always a real thrill.


@ Morgante, Whose performance of the *"Titan" *did you hear?


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> On* Spotify:*
> 
> Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
> Philip Glass--*The Light and Symphony No.4 {"Heroes Symphony"}, *both performed by the Marin Alsop led Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


You're taking advantage of me on two counts. Glass, and Peter's name spelling.


----------



## opus55

opus55 said:


> Bach: *Overtures* BWV 1066 and 1067


Spelling corrected 

Mendelssoh: Piano Trios, Nos 1 and 2


----------



## opus55

opus55 said:


> Spelling corrected
> 
> Mendelssoh*n*: Piano Trios, Nos 1 and 2


And more corrections.. I must be losing my mind after the deer accident a week ago.


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> You're taking advantage of me on two counts. Glass, and Peter's name spelling.



It's quite unintentional, though.


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1769-1800): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.4, No.2

Jean Claude Pennetier, piano

View attachment 11125


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> And more corrections.. I must be losing my mind after the deer accident a week ago.


Deer accident?


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Edgard Varese's* (1883 - 1965) birthday, Deserts with EIC/Boulez (rec. 1979).

View attachment 11127


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Don Quixote, with Rostropovich/BPO/HvK (rec.1975); Metamorphoses, with Philharmonia/Barbirolli (rec. 1967).

View attachment 11128
View attachment 11129


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> Kevin, Hi and Happy Holidays to you and your family! I was just wondering if that musician you listed is the same person as the poet who wrote *Xanadu?* I doubt it, but the name looks very similar.


Are you talking about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor? No he was a black English composer who lived from 1875 to 1912. He died too young. I wonder what he could have achieved had he lived a full life? But the Samuel Coleridge Taylor you're referring to wrote Kubla Kahn in the late 1700s.

And Happy Holidays to you and yours too! 

Kevin


----------



## samurai

Hi, Kevin. Thanks for that explanation. Happy Holidays to you and your family as well.
I knew I got the names and identities confused with each other.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> Hi, Kevin. Thanks for that explanation. Happy Holidays to you and your family as well.
> I knew I got the names and identities confused with each other.


Well, to be fair they do have the same name!  Just about 70 years apart though! :tiphat:

Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the last 4 String Quartets from Schubert.


----------



## Schubussy

Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony no. 7
Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra








But I'm looking forward to getting this boxset soon


----------



## idomeneo

Elliott Carter
String Quartets No. 3 & 4 / Duo for Violin and Piano
Juilliard String Quartet


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 2
Bach: St. John Passion


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> Deer accident?


I hit a deer while driving late at night. I live next to a forest preserve. Some major damage done to my car  but I guess the deer may be dead by now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's St Matthew Passion - Cappella Augustina

disc 12 of the Brilliant Classics edition


----------



## Conor71

Schubussy said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony no. 7
> Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra
> View attachment 11132
> 
> 
> But I'm looking forward to getting this boxset soon
> View attachment 11133


Yes the Barshai Cycle is real nice - hes good in pretty much all of the Symphonies I think, I hope you will enjoy it!


----------



## idomeneo

Brahms
Piano Trios No. 1 & 2
Rubinstein / Szeryng / Fournier


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> I hit a deer while driving late at night. I live next to a forest preserve. Some major damage done to my car  but I guess the deer may be dead by now.


Jeez thats terrible - stuff like that can really shake you up! glad you werent hurt!


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 2, W 132, "Ascencao"*

This is the best Symphony in the box I think - good night all, happy listening


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> I hit a deer while driving late at night. I live next to a forest preserve. Some major damage done to my car  but I guess the deer may be dead by now.


Sorry to hear that.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Andolink

Arnold Schoenberg: Fantasy for Violin and Piano, op. 47








György Ligeti: Horn Trio
Marie-Luise Neunecker, Antje Weithaas, Silke Avenhaus








Pierre Boulez: Le Marteau sans maître
Hilary Summers, mezzo-soprano
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez 








Madrigals after texts by G. Battista Guarini
Cantus Colln, Konrad Junghänel


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Trio Sonata in C Major, Op.8, No.4

The Locatelli Trio with Rachel Isserlis on violin: Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

View attachment 11141


----------



## nagvozde

Frederic Chopin, Sonata in B flat minor. Piano - Arthur Rubinstein.


----------



## DrKilroy

Both books of Images, Images Oubliees, Estampes and some minor works.

Best regards, Dr

PS Jean-Pierre Armengaud playing - not very well known recording, but very good!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening again to this wonderful recording of Stenhammar's Symphonies No. 1 & 2 and also his Serenade and the Excelsior! Overture. Jarvi does a decent job with these works but at times you think there is something lacking to give the music the texture and strength it needs. Overall though I enjoy this recording because Stenhammar is an overlooked composer and yet he wrote some really beautiful music. In any case it's a really nice way to spend a Sunday morning.


----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> Listening again to this wonderful recording of Stenhammar's Symphonies No. 1 & 2 and also his Serenade and the Excelsior! Overture. Jarvi does a decent job with these works but at times you think there is something lacking to give the music the texture and strength it needs. Overall though I enjoy this recording because Stenhammar is an overlooked composer and yet he wrote some really beautiful music. In any case it's a really nice way to spend a Sunday morning.


I checked it out from local library a while back; was very impressed with the music and it's been on my wish list for a long time. I think Jarvi can occasionally sound too smooth therefore bland. Nevertheless he's one of my favorite conductor of Nordic music.

Bach: Johannespassion










Re-listening since I couldn't finish it last night.


----------



## Arsakes

*Vaughan Williams*' Symphony No.7 'Antarctica'


----------



## Schubussy

nagvozde said:


> Frederic Chopin, Sonata in B flat minor. Piano - Arthur Rubinstein.


Nice first post! 

Mahler - Symphony no. 1
Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Symphony No.41 - Trevor Pinnock

in other news...I don't know if anyone saw it but last night I posted a short, polite request on the Forum Rules thread for a pre-Christmas pardon for StLukes, adding that he is both a long-serving and widely regarded member and that his punishment seems to vastly exceed whatever his crime was

this morning the post (and its likes) was deleted and I had this message sent to me:

"Your Forum post supporting the lifting of the Temporary Ban for StlukesguildOhio has been noted, placed in Moderation Queue, and will be discussed by the Leadership Team.

As a matter of future policy, it is best to bring up topics concerning Warnings, Infractions, Bannings, and Ban durations to the Leadership Team privately, rather than on the open boards. Taking issues such as those to the open boards will not aid in any potential reconsideration process."


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Symphonies 1 & 5, with BPO/HvK (rec.1968 - '81); Quintet in G minor (winds & strings), String Quartets 1 & 2, with Russian String Qt. et al (rec.1996).

View attachment 11144
View attachment 11145


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> I hit a deer while driving late at night. I live next to a forest preserve. Some major damage done to my car  but I guess the deer may be dead by now.


Too bad. I suspect most drivers have hit something big or small...maiming or killing it. It's unfortunate, but crap happens. 
I hit a big dog or wildcat many years ago on a highway. Happened so fast in total darkness. A glancing blow--some car damage on front right corner. I drove back to check on the animal, but noticed nothing on the road or the shoulders.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> ....in other news...I don't know if anyone saw it but last night I posted a short, polite request on the Forum Rules thread for a pre-Christmas pardon for StLukes, adding that he is both a long-serving and widely regarded member and that his punishment seems to vastly exceed whatever his crime was....


Good for you. :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Messiah - Harry Christophers


----------



## bejart

SimonNZ ---
Coincidence ?
Coming back from some last minute shopping and on the radio ---
Harry Christophers leading the Haydn and Handel Society of Boston in a live performance of Handel's "Messiah".

Karina Gauvin, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
James Gilchrist, tenor
Sumner Thompson, bass

Now ---
Pietro Nardini (1722-1793): Sonata No.1 in D Major for Two Violins

Ensemble 'Ardi Cor Mio': Renata Sfriso and Maurizio Cadossi, violins

View attachment 11147


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor,* performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both works again feature Maestro Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Nutcracker Suite. Such beauty.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Trio in C Major, KV 548

Arion Trio: Ilse von Alpenheim, piano -- Igor Ozim, violin -- Walter Grimmer, cello

View attachment 11148


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonia in G Major

Prague Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 11149


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Symphony 2, with LSO/Rozhdestvensky (rec. 1988); Piano Sonata 2, with Kempf (rec.1999).

View attachment 11150
View attachment 11151


----------



## drpraetorus

Tristan und Isolde, Solti


----------



## bejart

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Overture to 'Les Horaces'

Pietro Spada leading the Philharmonia Orchestra

View attachment 11157


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to PS 19-25 from Beethoven. Which is basically his mid career.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 10, back-to-back-to-back, with Wigglesworth, then Harding, 
then Ormandy.

View attachment 11158
View attachment 11159
View attachment 11160


----------



## bejart

1st listen to a new addition --
Tommaso Giordani (1733-1806): Quartet in G Major, Op.3, No.1

Duchemin-Toth Quartet: Andre Gilles Duchemin, flute -- Andor Toth, violin -- Andor Toth, Jr, cello -- Mario Duchemin, piano

View attachment 11161


----------



## teej

*Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 - played by Michael Houstoun VERY good!*

This is an excellent reading of No. 15. I particularly like the 2nd movement (Andante). Played at just the right pace...spot on! Highly recommended. Attached is a snippet for your consideration.
View attachment 15 - Andante.mp3


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.53 in D Major, 'the Lark'

The Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Robin Ireland, viola -- Bernard Gregor Smith, cello

View attachment 11163


----------



## Conor71

*Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 9, W 510*

Just been listening to selections from these 3 boxes today - will continue to do so for the rest of the day I think :


----------



## PetrB

Karol Szymanowski ~ Król Roger


----------



## Head_case

That Krol Roger is tough going...!

I'm listening to the sound of traffic buzz pass on Christmas Eve. Most people are already off for Christmas. I ...uhhh.....should not be typing here but it's so quiet at work...apart from the traffic...


----------



## bejart

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704): The Joyful Mysteries -- The Birth of Christ

Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Elizabeth Kenny, theorbo

View attachment 11164


----------



## Schubussy

First classical CD I bought! I think I prefer Daniel Versano's interpretations now I've heard a few more versions now though.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Eybler (1765-1846): String Trio in C Major, Op.2, HV 197

Deutsches Streichtrio: Hans Kalafusz, violin -- Jurgen Weber, viola -- Reiner Ginzel, cello

View attachment 11168


----------



## Andolink

Arnold Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 
Schoenberg Quartet with Susan Narucki, sop.
Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte for String Quartet, Piano and Reciter, op. 41
Schoenberg Quartet with Sepp Gtrotenhuis, piano and Michael Grandage, reciter 








Pierre Boulez: Derive 2 for 11 instruments
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez








Jean-Marie Leclair: Sonata No. 2 for Flute and continuo in C major
Barthold Kuijken, transverse flute
Wieland Kuijken, viola da gamba
Robert Kohnen, harpsichord


----------



## Ravndal

faure nocturnes - Paul Crossley


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius* Two Serenades for Violin and Orchestra, Op.69


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.14 in C Sharp Minor, Op.131

Vegh Quartet: Sandor Vegh and Sandor Zoldy, violins -- Georges Janzer, viola -- Paul Szabo,cello

View attachment 11170


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Jacobus Vaet, Magnificat.*

It isn't Christmas without the Magnificat.

I stumbled on Jacobus Vaet through an Amazon recommendation. What a great discovery. From the Palestrina-Lassus era, he writes in a clear and uncluttered style.

The Dufay Ensemble has what I consider a perfect blend - the trebles don't overpower the other voices - and the recording space is reverberant enough to provide a sense of space without burying the details.

I'm happy to end the year with a new discovery and an excuse not to work in Christmas Eve. (Of course, since I work for myself, I'm going to end up eventually forcing myself back to the grindstone.)


----------



## campy

Mahler: "Resurrection" Symphony (NY Phil/Bruno Walter)


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (1750-1792): Symphony in E Flat, Kaul 32

Georg Mais leading the Lithuianian Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius

View attachment 11173


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: String Symphony No.1 in C Major

Lev Markiv conducting the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam

View attachment 11174


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5
Bach: Overture, BWV 1069


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2, Alto Rhapsody.*

One of my Christmas presents from last year, and still good this year.


----------



## Cnote11

Disc of Avro Part compositions culminating in Tabula Rasa.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Praetorius' Mass For Christmas Morning - Paul McCreesh


----------



## DrKilroy

My Christmas gift. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cnote11

George Crumb - Black Angels










Chopin Nocturnes


----------



## Cnote11

Mozart Horn Concertos. Then, I think I will go spend some time with my family.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Pink Floyd - The dark side of the Moon


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): La Bella Capricciosa, Op.55

Christine Croshaw, piano

View attachment 11182


----------



## neoshredder

Christmas isn't right without Baroque. So listening to these 2 albums tonight.


----------



## Art Rock

Disc 1: Symphonies 1-3. I have all 15 symphonies in other versions, but this box was too much of a bargain not to order it. Excellent interpretations indeed.


----------



## tdc

Inspired by the Faure thread I'm listening to Faure's Nocturnes, very enjoyable pieces. Like most of Faure's works one gets the sense of an effortless stream of good compositional ideas in these Nocturnes, but I don't feel these particular works to be quite so 'sweet and fluffy' compared to a lot of his other music. A lot of substance here without the need to beg for attention or to rely on too much bombast or flash, but none the less some powerful and unique music that is put together in a very tasteful way.


----------



## clavichorder

I am listening to a Bull Galliard:


----------



## Sid James

A variety of things over the 'silly season' period, past few days its been these (other than Christmasy music, esp. carols) -

*Berg* _Violin Concerto & Chamber Concerto_
Isaac Stern, violin with NYPO under Lenny (in VC) and with Peter Serkin, pno. & members of LSO under Claudio Abbado (in CC) on Sony

*Vaughan Williams* _Symphony # 2 (A London Symphony)_ LSO under Adrian Boult (1965 recording, Belart label)

*Rachmaninov *- _Suites for two pianos Nos. 1 and 2 ; Symphonic Dances_ played by Howard Shelley and Hilary MacNamara, duo pianists (Hyperion Helios cd)

*Victor Borge* _Live(!) album_ (on Sony) - his classic live performance from the 1950's, incl. his usual 'phonetic punctuation' routine and asking audience for requests which he subsequently mangles/distorts in a hilarious way, to my favourite, his **** take on Mozart, 'A Mozart Opera by Borge'..."Now this is the first part of the overture...and the second part is exactly the same!" :lol:...


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64*

I just got this box in the mail yesterday so I have listened to a few Discs from it already - There are a lot of works here which I havent heard before so looking forward to getting to know them. I will also do some comparative listening with my Karajan recordings of this repertoire


----------



## Andolink

György Ligeti: Etudes for Piano 1-6 (book one)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano








Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, op. 21
Jan DeGaetani, voice
The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble/Arthur Weisberg








Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quintet in D minor, op. 89 
Quintetto Fauré di Roma


----------



## bejart

Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713: Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.5, No.8 (Christmas Concerto)

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena

View attachment 11187


----------



## bejart

Handel: Messiah, HV 56

Leonard Bernstein directing the New York Philharmonic and the Westminster Choir -- Adele Addison, soprano -- Russell Oberlin, alto -- David Lloyd, tenor -- William Warfield, baritone

View attachment 11198


----------



## Arsakes

*Rimsky-Korsakov*'s Symphony No.1 in E minor (Op.1) and Symphony No.3 in C major (Op.32)


----------



## drpraetorus

"Cats", yeah, so sue me


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arensky, Preludes.*

I'm finally getting around to hearing this composer.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann - Kreislerianan - Geza Anda. Part of 'The Art of Geza Anda' from Brilliant Classics. Got it today as Christmas present. 
Anda catching all the disturbances of Schumann's mind like no-one else I've heard.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel Violin Sonata no. 2 with Grumiaux playing.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Samuel Webbe, Jr. (ca.1770-1843): Variations in A Major on 'Adeste Fidleles' (aka 'O Come All Ye Faithful')

Salomon Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 11205


----------



## DavidA

Listening to my wife practising Bach-Busoni choral prelude BWV659. Bought her the music for Christmas. What a sublime piece.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (25 December 1739-1799): Violin Concerto in A Major, G 039

Orchestre Les Archets de Paris -- Bertrand Cervera, violin

View attachment 11206


----------



## neoshredder

I'm spoiled with Spotify. Listening to Vivaldi's Concertos starting with the Four Seasons.


----------



## DrKilroy

Kapustin needs more listeners! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## samurai

neoshredder said:


> I'm spoiled with Spotify. Listening to Vivaldi's Concertos starting with the Four Seasons.



I believe that next to the wheel and sliced bread, *Spotify *has to qualify as one of humankind's greatest inventions!


----------



## AndyS

Tannhauser - Solti, Kollo, Ludwig, Dernesch et all

I'm spending a bit of time ith this opera just now


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Mendelssohn conducted by Karajan.


----------



## drpraetorus

Patience on DVD. Sydney Opera. A wonderful performance.


----------



## PetrB

another Monique Haas treasure trove; 
"Ravel Gaspard de La nuit" and "Miroirs" - complete


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.1 and Symphony No.2, Op.9 {"Antar"},* both works featuring the St.Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra led by Andre Anichanov.


----------



## bejart

1st listen to a Christmas gift ---
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony No.2 in B Flat

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena

View attachment 11207


----------



## Sonata

Bach: Complete English Suites, performed by Perahia. Well, I'm on the second suite, it'll take a couple of days to here all six. Good stuff. Courtesy of an iTunes gift card for Christmas. I've been wanting more Bach keyboard music, and I still have about forty iTunes dollars left to spend!


----------



## peeyaj

Listening to the *insufferable* Eroica symphony played by Furtwangler.


----------



## Conor71

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.1 and Symphony No.2, Op.9 {"Antar"},* both works featuring the St.Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra led by Andre Anichanov.


I really like the Symphony No. 2, "Antar" - I only just heard it for the first time last week!. What did you think of these Symphonies Samurai?


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40*

Ive been listening to this boxset all day - good stuff!


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2
Mozart: Piano Sonatas, KV309, 311, 310


----------



## idomeneo

Shostakovich 
Songs Op. 84, 86, 91, 98 & 100
Shostakovich Edition CD 28


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Keyboard concerto No.3 in D Major, BWV 1054

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields -- Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 11210


----------



## DavidA

Schumann davidsbundlertantze with Geza Anda. Great playing!


----------



## Andolink

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 4 in D, op.83
Kreutzer Quartet








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 14, op 125
The Kontra Quartet








R. Murray Schafer: String Quartets No. 1 and No. 2
Quatour Molinari








Michael Finnissy: Plain Harmony I, II and III; Sehnsucht; Multiple Forms of Constraint
Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## cwarchc

I was lucky, my wife bought me this for Christmas, just listened to the 1st disc.



Art Rock said:


> View attachment 11183
> 
> 
> Disc 1: Symphonies 1-3. I have all 15 symphonies in other versions, but this box was too much of a bargain not to order it. Excellent interpretations indeed.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

Watching snow fall, listening to *Sibelius' 7th symphony. *

This is a download of a live performance by George Szell.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> Watching snow fall, listening to *Sibelius' 7th symphony. *
> 
> This is a download of a live performance by George Szell.


Sibelius is the perfect winter composer.

Currently listening to Nick Drake's last album, _Pink Moon_. Not classical, but great stuff.


----------



## Crudblud

Charles Wuorinen - Horn Trio / Horn Trio Continued
Julián Carrillo - Preludio a Colon


----------



## Cnote11

Boulez conducts Stravinsky Songs


----------



## violadude

Cnote11 said:


> Boulez conducts Stravinsky Songs


I didn't know Stravinsky wrote songs.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky's songs weren't among his best achievements, generally, but there are some good things in there. Listen to the Three Songs on Japanese Lyrics (in Russian!), partially inspired by Pierrot Lunaire.

For me:

Mozart's early symphonies, the Prague Chamber Orchestra led by Charles Mackerras.


----------



## Cnote11

violadude said:


> I didn't know Stravinsky wrote songs.


Indeed he did! I happen to like them, but I would agree they aren't his best work. The _Three Japanese Lyrics/Trois poésies de la lyrique japonaise_ are indeed nice pieces. I also like _ Trois petites chansons (Souvenir de mon enfance)_ and many others. I'm on sort of a lieder/songs kick at the moment, so if a composer has them, I'm listening to them!


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> Indeed he did! I happen to like them, but I would agree they aren't his best work. The _Three Japanese Lyrics/Trois poésies de la lyrique japonaise_ are indeed nice pieces. I also like _ Trois petites chansons (Souvenir de mon enfance)_ and many others. I'm on sort of a lieder/songs kick at the moment, so if a composer has them, I'm listening to them!


I also enjoy Stravinsky's songs, although I acknowledge that they're among the lesser parts of his oeuvre. Messiaen wrote some great songs and a very moving song cycle, if you're looking for suggestions.


----------



## Cnote11

Mahlerian said:


> I also enjoy Stravinsky's songs, although I acknowledge that they're among the lesser parts of his oeuvre. Messiaen wrote some great songs and a very moving song cycle, if you're looking for suggestions.


I adore Messiaen, so that isn't new territory for me. That _Mahler_ guy, however. I've only heard "Das Lied von der Erde".


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> I adore Messiaen, so that isn't new territory for me. That _Mahler_ guy, however. I've only heard "Das Lied von der Erde".


Go right for the Kindertotenlieder, then. Either the piano or orchestral version, as they both have their own character.


----------



## violadude

Cnote11 said:


> I adore Messiaen, so that isn't new territory for me. That _Mahler_ guy, however. I've only heard "Das Lied von der Erde".


You mean, out of songs? Or out of anything altogether?


----------



## Cnote11

violadude said:


> You mean, out of songs? Or out of anything altogether?


Just out of songs. Please, Mahlerians, do not bumrush me with how I must dedicate my life to the symphonies!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> Go right for the Kindertotenlieder, then. Either the piano or orchestral version, as they both have their own character.


It's funny; I'm afraid to listen to them. Especially after what happened to Herr Mahler. It's one of my strange quirks, like my fear of glaciers.


----------



## Cnote11

Julian Bream - The Woods so Wild


----------



## Manxfeeder

Cnote11 said:


>


I hope he doesn't drop that thing.


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> Just out of songs. Please, Mahlerians, do not bumrush me with how I must dedicate my life to the symphonies!


Hounding you would do no good in that regard. You'll go there when you're interested and/or ready.



Manxfeeder said:


> It's funny; I'm afraid to listen to them. Especially after what happened to Herr Mahler. It's one of my strange quirks, like my fear of glaciers.


The ending to the cycle is in a serene D major, if that allays your fears. It's very bittersweet, though.


----------



## DrKilroy

Gustav Holst's St Paul Suite.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cnote11

Mahlerian said:


> Hounding you would do no good in that regard. You'll go there when you're interested and/or ready.


I think Mahler and his works are fine, but I do not find myself listening to them as often as I do most other composers. Perhaps soon I will make a day dedicated to just Mahler to further explore his lesser works!

Now listening to










Heitor Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> I think Mahler and his works are fine, but I do not find myself listening to them as often as I do most other composers. Perhaps soon I will make a day dedicated to just Mahler to further explore his lesser works!


Aside from a few juvenilia, I don't think Mahler has any lesser works. Not being prolific, he gave a good deal of thought to each one. His songs are just as important as his symphonies.


----------



## Cnote11

Mahlerian said:


> Aside from a few juvenilia, I don't think Mahler has any lesser works. Not being prolific, he gave a good deal of thought to each one. His songs are just as important as his symphonies.


Ah, by that I don't mean to imply works of lesser quality, but works which I don't oft listen to or works that I don't hear about/being recommended often. So no Symphony 5, for instance.

Looking at a list of his completed works, it seems quite easy to make your way through the entirety of Mahler's discography. Not prolific indeed.


----------



## Mahlerian

Cnote11 said:


> Ah, by that I don't mean to imply works of lesser quality, but works which I don't oft listen to or works that I don't hear about/being recommended often. So no Symphony 5, for instance.
> 
> Looking at a list of his completed works, it seems quite easy to make your way through the entirety of Mahler's discography. Not prolific indeed.


If that's what you meant, then I agree; there are certainly works of his that are not performed as often. The ones that are (2nd and 5th, primarily) are not actually my favorites.

Hearing all of Mahler, juvenilia included, doesn't take very long at all. It's because his day job was conductor of the opera, so he only got the chance to compose in the summer.


----------



## Sid James

Have been taking time off from music & the forum, but always good to drop by.

Latest listening has been these:

*Rachmaninov* _Symphony #2_ 
National SO, Oltszyn under Igor Golovchin (Point Classics cd)
- A listen to this after a long time. The slow movement really grabbed me, as did the scherzo. I hear similarities between this and Rach's 3rd piano concerto, which I've also been hearing in the past few weeks. One thing they have in common is Rach's signature 'signing off' which sounds like the four syllables of his surname rach-ma-ni-nov. Something like that, its got this sense of finality.

*T. L. de Victoria*_ Missa Vidi Speciosam and a selection of motets_ 
Westminster Chathedral Choir under David Hill (on Hyperion cd)
- First listen to this cd, and loved it. Quite a contrast between these works generally and the more sombre _Requiem a 6_ by Victoria that I've known for a few years now. That's more spiritual, these works have more passion or at least a sense of movement and dynamism. I love the layerings of sound and that strong undertow from the basses especially. Great stuff, I will return to this for sure, as well as other Renaissance music cd's I have on my 'to listen' pile thats accumulated over the year.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> The ending to the cycle is in a serene D major, if that allays your fears. It's very bittersweet, though.


Maybe when my grandchildren get older. That kind of thing, though it does happen, isn't something I like to dwell on.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass No. 3.*

Celibidache just isn't doing it for me. If I'm finding Bruckner boring, it's time to go somewhere else.

So I'm hearing *Robert Simpson's Symphony No. 4 *for the first time.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Orchestral Works, with RPO/Beecham (rec.1956/7); *Debussy*: Piano Music, with Weissenberg (rec.1985).

View attachment 11234
View attachment 11235


----------



## samurai

Conor71 said:


> I really like the Symphony No. 2, "Antar" - I only just heard it for the first time last week!. What did you think of these Symphonies Samurai?


Hi, Conor. I'm listening to his *Third Symphony* right now. I find him to be very expressive and melodic, hewn out of the bolder Russian composer archetype. Still getting used to him, though.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> It's funny; I'm afraid to listen to them. Especially after what happened to Herr Mahler. It's one of my strange quirks, like my fear of glaciers.


Or glacial conducting.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Nicolay Rimsky-Korsakov--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.32 and Sinfonietta on Russian Themes, Op.33,* both works featuring the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra led by Andre Anichanov.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} ,* performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.1, H.289 and Symphony No.2, H.295, *both featuring the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 7.*

Listening to Vanska this time.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem - Collegium Vocale Gent, Herreweghe.

I have listened to the Deutsches Requiem at least 50 times but "Denn alles Fleisch" still gives me goosebumps.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Palestrina - Canticum canticorum, Spiritual Madrigals - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## Cnote11

I do love the Hilliard Ensemble!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: "Gaspard"; *Prokofiev*: Sonata 6; *Chopin*: Sonata 2, with Pogorelich (rec. 1981/2).

View attachment 11240


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in A Major, Op.114

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 11241


----------



## neoshredder

Manxfeeder said:


> *Sibelius, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> Listening to Vanska this time.
> 
> View attachment 11236


Sibelius rules. Great selection.


----------



## samurai

What do you guys think of Karajan's Sibelius? Overall, I found his tempi to be slower than those of Vanska, Abravanel or Maazel, and this produced--for me, at least--a more majestic and grander Sibelian {?} vision. It's funny, but when I listened to HVK's readings of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies, I found that he somehow robbed the music of all its joy and liveliness, as contrasted, say, with the Bernstein or Markevitch readings of same.


----------



## neoshredder

samurai said:


> What do you guys think of Karajan's Sibelius? Overall, I found his tempi to be slower than those of Vanska, Abravanel or Maazel, and this produced--for me, at least--a more majestic and grander Sibelian {?} vision.


I imagine that would be his style. Not sure if I prefer that or not. I kind of like more even dynamics. But I see your point.


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*'s Symphony No.7 & 8


----------



## Arsakes

samurai said:


> What do you guys think of Karajan's Sibelius? Overall, I found his tempi to be slower than those of Vanska, Abravanel or Maazel, and this produced--for me, at least--a more majestic and grander Sibelian {?} vision. It's funny, but when I listened to HVK's readings of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies, I found that he somehow robbed the music of all its joy and liveliness, as contrasted, say, with the Bernstein or Markevitch readings of same.


His Sibelius performances are good. I didn't like his Dvorak's symphony No.9 though. HVK's Liszt are his best I think.


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> What do you guys think of Karajan's Sibelius? Overall, I found his tempi to be slower than those of Vanska, Abravanel or Maazel, and this produced--for me, at least--a more majestic and grander Sibelian {?} vision. It's funny, but when I listened to HVK's readings of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies, I found that he somehow robbed the music of all its joy and liveliness, as contrasted, say, with the Bernstein or Markevitch readings of same.


I cannot get into Karajan's Sibelius 4-7. I do not know exactly why but I get no inspiration from his interpretations "yet". I enjoyed Jarvi, Vanska and Davis very well before acquiring Karajan's recording.

Chopin: Polonaise


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc songs - various singers, Malcolm Martineau, piano


----------



## aleazk

I was in a very odd mood, I couldn't stand any of the pieces I was trying to listen. Then I realized, I don't know how or why, what I wanted to hear: _Pierre Boulez, Piano Sonata No. 2 - I. Extrêmement rapide. _
I put the music and enjoyed every note. Every note made sense to me, I don't know how or why, but I perceived all the subtleties of timbre, rhythm, some themes, etc., like never before.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to this, a present to myself.* Holst's *_The Planets_ coupled with *John Williams' *_Star Wars Suite_. Los Angeles PO under Zubin Mehta (on a recently issued Decca cd).


----------



## SimonNZ

Smetana's String Quartet No.1 "From My Life" - Smetana Quartet


----------



## PetrB

Charles Koechlin: 4 Nouvelles sonatines pour piano, Op.87 (1923-1924)


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Symphony No.9 "From The New World" - Czech Philharmonic, Jiri Belohlavek


----------



## Conor71

*Strauss (R): Macbeth, Op. 23*

I've been listening to Richard Strauss the last couple of days - I am pleased with my new box-set (Kempe performing all Strauss Orchestral Works). I also listened to some of my other Strauss recordings.


----------



## Conor71

samurai said:


> What do you guys think of Karajan's Sibelius? Overall, I found his tempi to be slower than those of Vanska, Abravanel or Maazel, and this produced--for me, at least--a more majestic and grander Sibelian {?} vision. It's funny, but when I listened to HVK's readings of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies, I found that he somehow robbed the music of all its joy and liveliness, as contrasted, say, with the Bernstein or Markevitch readings of same.


Just as an alternative viewpoint I will say that I love Karajan's Sibelius and think its some of his finest work - I think HVK's 4th and 6th are the best versions of these Symphonies I have heard


----------



## Mordred

Prokovievs 1st symphony. Ashkenazy and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Perfect if you just want a quickie!


----------



## bejart

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (ca.1620-1680): Sonata Natalina a 3 Chori

Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting Concertus musicus Wein

View attachment 11245


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in E Flat, Op.74

Cleveland Quartet: William Preusil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello

View attachment 11246


----------



## Andolink

Karol Szymanowski: Symphony No. 3, op. 27 "Song of the Night"
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Simon Rattle


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Biber - The Rosary Sonatas.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: 4 Ballades, 2 Rhapsodies, 10 Intermezzi, with GG (rec.1960 - '82).

View attachment 11252


----------



## Vaneyes

aleazk said:


> I was in a very odd mood, I couldn't stand any of the pieces I was trying to listen. Then I realized, I don't know how or why, what I wanted to hear: _Pierre Boulez, Piano Sonata No. 2 - I. Extrêmement rapide. _
> I put the music and enjoyed every note. Every note made sense to me, I don't know how or why, but I perceived all the subtleties of timbre, rhythm, some themes, etc., like never before.


Saint Remy does that for me sometimes.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> I cannot get into Karajan's Sibelius 4-7. I do not know exactly why but I get no inspiration from his interpretations "yet". I enjoyed Jarvi, Vanska and Davis very well before acquiring Karajan's recording.


I'm assuming you are listening to the DG, since he didn't do 7 for EMI, and of course no 3 for either.

Anyway, if you have the opportunity, try my preferences--HvK's EMI Sibelius 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. That may do the trick. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Arsakes said:


> His Sibelius performances are good. I didn't like his Dvorak's symphony No.9 though. HVK's Liszt are his best I think.


Re HvK "New World", I thought the EMI rec. quite good. Agree re Liszt, preferring his DG digital Les Preludes.

:tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> What do you guys think of Karajan's Sibelius? Overall, I found his tempi to be slower than those of Vanska, Abravanel or Maazel, and this produced--for me, at least--a more majestic and grander Sibelian {?} vision. It's funny, but when I listened to HVK's readings of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies, I found that he somehow robbed the music of all its joy and liveliness, as contrasted, say, with the Bernstein or Markevitch readings of same.


I prefer HvK's EMI output for some items, including Tchaik 4 - 6, Sibelius, Dvorak (9). I'd look at others for Tchaik 1 - 3, such as Muti, Markevitch, Jansons.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Going way back in time today:

The Age Of Cathedrals - Music From The Magnus liber organi - Theatre of Voices, P. Hillier.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Saint-Saens*: Various Concerti, with Isserlis (rec. 1992 - '99), Kantorow (rec. 2004), Thibaudet (rec. 2007), et al.

View attachment 11253
View attachment 11254
View attachment 11255


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50,* both performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Schonwandt.
Gavin Bryars--*The Sinking Of The Titanic, *featuring the Gavin Bryars Ensemble led by the composer himself.


----------



## Sid James

First listen to both of these (the Nyman is the first in full - hard to do with such repetitive music!) -

*Michael Nyman *- _After Extra Time album_ (After Extra Time ; The Final Score ; Memorial remix) with Nyman on piano directing his band (on virgin label)
Of these I liked the last work, _Memorial, _which was written in memory of some disaster at a football stadium. Really emotional melodies here and the end was pretty brilliant, the soprano singing at a very high register (an octave higher in fact) over the rest of the band. This was also the shortest track at 11 minutes, the other two where good but went on too long for my taste (over 20 minutes each).

*John Williams* - _Amistad, original motion picture soundtrack_, with orchestra, choral & instrumental ensembles under the composer (Dreamworks cd)
Given the subject of a dark point in history - the slave trade - Williams' score is quite emotional and dark, underpinned by a main theme inspired by African chant (& there's also plenty of African drumming in this at times quite rhythmic score). Williams' trademark lush use of strings is never far away either.


----------



## Morgante

From now beginning to listen to all the concerts of *Mozart*, one a day.
Today: Piano concerto N. 9


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am diving into Mahler's symphonies, performed by the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, conducted by Raphael Kubelik. Starting from the 5th tonight.


----------



## AndyS

Got the EMI Wagner box set for Christmas so starting with the Sawallish Rheingold just now


----------



## Vaneyes

A new arrival on the runway, waiting for take-off.
*
Martinu*: Piano Trios (Complete), with Arbor Piano Trio (rec.2010).

View attachment 11257


----------



## Ravndal

Glazunov: The Seasons & Symphony 3


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Kammermusik
Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> I'm assuming you are listening to the DG, since he didn't do 7 for EMI, and of course no 3 for either.
> 
> Anyway, if you have the opportunity, try my preferences--HvK's EMI Sibelius 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. That may do the trick. :tiphat:


Yes, I have the DG set. I'll try EMI recordings when I get a chance and thanks for the advise!

Still working on this box set, hoping to finish before the year ends.

Anton Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4
Sigismond Thalberg (1812-1871): Piano Concerto in F minor


----------



## Chrythes

Even though I have this version -








I still prefer this version. The tempo is slower, the recording, even though is older, feels more open.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.3, H.299 and Symphony No.4, H.305,* both works performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60. *Both symphonies feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the stick of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc songs - various singers, Malcolm Martineau, piano


----------



## Guest

Been listening to Zoltan Kocsis play Bartok lately, especially the op. 18 studies and the 6 dances in bulgarian rhythm from the mikrokosmos. I'm hoping to find some inspiration in these pieces for a violin piece I'm going to write next semester.


----------



## SimonNZ

Suk's "Asrael" Symphony - Jiri Belohlavek


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn Symphonies 11-20. I blame Mendelssohn for being down lately. I need Haydn to cheer me up.


----------



## Arsakes

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Haydn Symphonies 11-20. I blame Mendelssohn for being down lately. I need Haydn to cheer me up.


Listen to Dvorak's symphony No.1.3,5,6,7,8 and Schumann's No.3 ... they're GREAT. Also Rimsky-Korsakov's symphony No.1 & 3, and Glazunov's No.2,3 and 7 are very good.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s String Quartet No.9 in A minor


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc's Concert Champetre - Aimee van de Wiele, harpsichord, Pierre Dervaux, cond.


----------



## idomeneo

Leos Janacek
Missa Glagolitica
Orchester des Beyrischen Rundfunks - Rafael Kubelik


----------



## idomeneo

Dutilleux & Lutoslawski
Cello Concertos
Mstislav Rostropovich


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Silent Woods for Cello and Orchestra - Milos Sadlo, cello, Vaclav Neumann, cond.


----------



## idomeneo

Haydn 
Piano Trios No. 25, 26 & 27
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1*

Just recieved this box-set today and I am anxious to hear it so to the top of the listening pile it goes!. I want to listen to this box-set alonside the Ligeti Project set so this should keep me busy for the next couple of days


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Sinfonia in G Major, RV 149

Andrew Manze leading the Academy of Ancient Music

View attachment 11275


----------



## Andolink

Tadeusz Baird: Scenes for Cello, Harp and Orchestra; Canzona for Orchestra; Concerto Lugubre for viola and orchestra
Rainer Schmidt, viola
Helga Storck, harp--Klaus Storck, cello
Philharmonie de Lorraine/Jacques Houtmann








Jonathan Harvey: Lotuses for flute, violin, viola and cello; Scena for violin and chamber ensemble
Irvine Arditti, violin
Nieuw Ensemble/Ed Spanjaard


----------



## Sonata

Completed my initial "overview listen" of Bach's English Suites. Now I'll more slowly listen and absorb them one by one. First up is, well, suite #1


----------



## Phidias

Handel's Ariodante - 'Invida sorte avara', aria from act II.


----------



## starthrower

Debussy Orchestral Works
Brilliant Classics re-issue of Jean Martinon's 1970s recordings.










This is the best Debussy I've heard in 28 years.


----------



## Andolink

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Plateaux pour piano et orchestre
Juho Pohjonen, piano
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Ed Spanjaard


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Violin Concerti, with Hope/COE (rec.2005); Toccatas, with GG (rec.1963 - '79).

View attachment 11285
View attachment 11286


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - Sonata for flute, viola and harp. I am going to a concert when it will be played and I always want to know the piece at least moderately well before hearing it live.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Spotifying at work..

Schubert: lieders
Haydn: String Quartet in A, Op. 55 No. 1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, with Zank & Sulzen (rec.1997); *Martinu*: Piano Trios (Complete), with Arbor Piano Trio (rec.2010). For the latter, relistening since yesterday.

View attachment 11289
View attachment 11290


----------



## bmbeach

Mozart, Symphony No. 40


----------



## Vinski

Bruckner's Ninth performed by RSO Saarbrücken and Skrowaczewski.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am getting on with Mahler, Kubelik and the Bavarians. Tonight it's the 2nd, the "Ressurrection-Symphony". The "Urlicht" movement has given me tears. _Ich bin von Gott und will wieder zu Gott_...


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the CPE Bach Edition on Spotify. What a collection.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Concerto in D Major, KV 218

Sir Alexander Gibson conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra -- Henryk Szeryng, violin

View attachment 11300


----------



## opus55

Leifs: Saga Symphony










Found this at used bookstore across the street from my work.  Lots of explosions in fourth movement!


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"},* both works performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johan Wikmanson (December 28, 1753-1800): String Quartet in D Minor, Op.1, No.1

The Fresk Quartet: Lars Fresk and Hans-Erik Westberg, violins -- Lars Gunnar Bodin, viola -- Per-Goran Skytt, cello

View attachment 11302


----------



## Vaneyes

*Moeran*: Symphony in G, with Ulster O./Handley (rec. 1987); String Trio, with Members of Maggini String Quartet (rec. 1995).

View attachment 11305
View attachment 11306


----------



## Mahlerian

Currently going through a number of versions of Schoenberg's Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene, Op. 34 on Youtube.


----------



## Cnote11

Debussy's L'oeuvre pour piano played by Aldo Ciccolini










Debussy's Preludes and Images Book II played by Claudio Arrau


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss, Last Four Songs


----------



## PetrB

Brian Eno ~ Music for Prague


----------



## Cnote11

Dawn Upshaw sings Debussy Forgotten Songs


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Manfred Overture 
Thalberg: Variations on "Last Rose of Summer"
Brahms: Eleven Gypsy Songs, Op. 103
Berlioz: Les Troyens, Act 2
Rachmaninoff: Trio Elegiaque #1
Liszt: Fantasie Über Englische Themen, S 694
Stravinsky: Pulcinella
Lyapunov: Piano Sonata in F Minor


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Egmont Overture, Op.84, *performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *featuring soprano Judith Bliegen and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *once again performed by the James Levine led Chicago SYmphony Orchestra.


----------



## Arsakes

*Franz Joseph Haydn*'s Symphony No.34, 38 'Echo', 39, 40, 43 'Merkur' and 46


----------



## maestro267

*Casella*: Symphony No. 2 in C minor
Rome Symphony Orchestra/La Vecchia

*Sibelius*: Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Lahti SO/Vanska

The Casella is probably my favourite discovery of the year.


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Quartet No.2 in E Minor

Mary Oleskiewicz, flute -- Elizabeth Field, violin -- Daniel Elyar, viola -- Stephanie Vial, cello

View attachment 11307


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.17 in E Flat, KV 428

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kaskuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello

View attachment 11311


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Sonata in A minor, K.310
Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 6

















Beautiful music in the morning when my mind is fresh.


----------



## cwarchc

Had a relaxing afternoon, after walking the dogs in the mud







following on from this one


----------



## Arsakes

*Roussel*'s Symphony No.3 In G minor, Op.42

Richard Strauss' orchestral works:
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry
Tod und Verklarung
Macbeth
Don Juan (two parts each more than 17 minutes)


----------



## Crudblud

cwarchc said:


> View attachment 11313


Absolutely love Stott's Fauré recordings.


----------



## samurai

On *WQXR FM,* whilst driving:

Gustav Holst--*The Planets, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Choir under the baton of James Levine.


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in A Major, Op.33, No.2

Camesina Quartet: Johannes Gebauer and Katja Gruttner, violins -- Irina Alexandrowna, viola -- Martin Burkhardt, cello

View attachment 11314


----------



## maestro267

More of my favourite discoveries of 2012:

*Villa-Lobos*: Symphony No. 7
Sao Paolo SO/Karabtchevsky

*Britten*: Piano Concerto
Richter/English Chamber Orchestra/Britten

*Nielsen*: Symphony No. 5
Danish National SO/Schonwandt


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St John Passion - Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Crudblud

Was trying to make my way through Corelli's Concerti Grossi but gave up after a little while. Now listening to Zimmermann's _Dialoge_ for two pianos and orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Last 3 String Quartets, with L'Archibudelli (rec.1996); Piano Sonatas, with Xiao-Mei (rec.2008), then Bavouzet Vol. 3 (rec.2011).

View attachment 11317
View attachment 11318
View attachment 11319


----------



## neoshredder

Crudblud said:


> Was trying to make my way through Corelli's Concerti Grossi but gave up after a little while. Now listening to Zimmermann's _Dialoge_ for two pianos and orchestra.


Credit for trying I guess. To me, that was the easiest part of Corelli's collection to get into. Especially no. 8. The Christmas Concerto.


----------



## Cnote11

Pascal Roge plays Ravel Complete Piano Second Disc

Also, some Ravel songs

Now this










Strauss Lieder, currently Sechs Lieder nach gedichten von Clemens Brentano


----------



## Crudblud

neoshredder said:


> Credit for trying I guess. To me, that was the easiest part of Corelli's collection to get into. Especially no. 8. The Christmas Concerto.


I had listened to three of them before and enjoyed them reasonably well, I suppose I'm just not in a baroque mood at the moment. I will try the 8th when I feel in the mood, thanks for the rec.


----------



## neoshredder

Yeah the Baroque mood comes and goes for me. I tend to think highly of that period though.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven piano Concerto number two. Argerich. Just bought a second hand copy.


----------



## DavidA

Cnote11 said:


> Pascal Roge plays Ravel Complete Piano Second Disc
> 
> Also, some Ravel songs
> 
> Now this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Strauss Lieder, currently Sechs Lieder nach gedichten von Clemens Brentano


I've got the Strauss - beautiful singing.


----------



## Ravndal

Been listening to a lot of "new" stuff recently.

Glazunov - The Seasons
Glazunov - Symphony 1,2 & 3
Arensky - Symphony 1
Scriabin - Poem Of Ecstacy
Medtner - Piano Concerto nr 1

I liked them all exept the PC by Medtner. I'm sorry, but that is probably the worst PC i have ever heard.. couldnt finish the first movement... The intro is awesome though, then it becomes messy in my ears. Will try again later...


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.37

Otto Klemperer directing the New Philharmonia Orchestra -- Daniel Barenboim, piano

View attachment 11320


RE: Baroque --
I usually listen to one Baroque era CD in the morning before I'm fully awake. Kind of like a 1st cup of coffee ---


----------



## Cnote11

Disc 5 Mozart Complete Piano Works


----------



## Conor71

*Stockhausen: Gruppen*

Listening to some contemporary/modern Classical yesterday and today as well - its interesting and makes a nice change from my usual Romantic fare. I have the following lined up for this mornings listening session:


----------



## Sid James

*Holst* The Planets
*John Williams *Star Wars Suite 
Los Angeles PO & Los Angeles Master Chorale under Zubin Mehta (Decca)

*Beethoven* Violin Concerto 
Itzhak Perlman, vln. with Philharmonia Orch. under Carlo Maria Giulini (EMI)

*Weber* Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 ; orchestral pieces from Turandot, Silvana, Die Drei Pintos 
Queensland PO under John Georgiadis (Naxos)


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the wand of Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36.* Both works feature the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique led by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## Sonata

On a 5 day break from work so I should get plenty of listening in!

Now- Gesualdo: Tenebrae. Beautiful stuff, although 20-30 minutes at a time is enough.

Brahms: String Quartet #2, Violin Sonata #2
Mahler: Symphony #4, movement 3
Bach: English Suite #2
Kienzl: Lieder Volume #1
Mozart: adagios from Piano Sonatas #15-17

And some non-classical as well. Goals for my listening time include: string quartets, some Mahler, Grieg, and maybe Alkan or other piano solo music.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.6, FS 116 {"Sinfonia semplice"}, *both works performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Schonwandt.


----------



## Ondine

Beethoven's Symphonies: 2, 5 & 7... all day long


----------



## GreenMamba

Schubert's Great C Major, Bernstein and the Concertgebouw.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Ravndal said:


> Been listening to a lot of "new" stuff recently.
> 
> Glazunov - The Seasons
> Glazunov - Symphony 1,2 & 3
> Arensky - Symphony 1
> Scriabin - Poem Of Ecstacy
> Medtner - Piano Concerto nr 1
> 
> I liked them all exept the PC by Medtner. I'm sorry, but that is probably the worst PC i have ever heard.. couldnt finish the first movement... The intro is awesome though, then it becomes messy in my ears. Will try again later...


I would have given you a like had you not made the statement about the Medtner. I really enjoy Medtner's works including that piano concerto.

On a different "note" (pun intended) I am revisiting once again the Cherubini String Quartets. I own the version recorded by the Melos Quartet Stuttgart on LP and I see where this is now available on Brllliant records for only $19.99 on CD. Since I love this recording and performance I might just have to upgrade but my LP is in near mint condition it's hard to justify upgrading when what I own is perfectly listenable.










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quintet in C, K.515
Haydn: String Quartet in C, Op. 76 No. 3


----------



## Sid James

GreenMamba said:


> Schubert's Great C Major, Bernstein and the Concertgebouw.
> 
> View attachment 11321


I had that one many moons ago. I think it was Lenny's last recording, or his last concert performance. He really slowed down the tempos, I mean really. It was my first recording of Schubert's 9th, so I did not realise the way Lenny kind of pulled the work out to a kind of Brucknerian sense of infinity. Now thinking back on it I wonder whether Lenny took too many liberties with this piece? I don't know, I just remember how it was very different to subsequent recordings of this work I have heard.


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc songs - various singers, Malcolm Martineau, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Janacek's String Quartet No.2 "Intimate Letters" - Skampa Quartet


----------



## maestro267

samurai said:


> On* Spotify:
> 
> *Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.6, FS 116 {"Sinfonia semplice"}, *both works performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Schonwandt.


That's the last one of that cycle I still need to get. I love the others (2-5), so I'm sure they'll be good.


----------



## Arsakes

*A.Dvorak*'s Piano Quintet No.1 in A major (Op.5)


----------



## maestro267

Last night:

*Berwald*: Symphony No. 2 in D major (Sinfonie capricieuse)
Malmo SO/Ehrling

Today:

*Bantock*: Thalaba the Destroyer
Royal PO/Handley


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F Major, D 69

Gyorgy Vashegyi conducting the Orfeo Orchestra -- Laslo Paulik, violin

View attachment 11326


----------



## Andolink

Michael Finnissy: String Trio
Gagliano Trio








Michael Finnissy: Snowdrift; Piano Concerto No. 4
Ian Pace, piano


----------



## science

Recent listening:

















It is not merely a coincidence that the last time I did this I posted Ozawa's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I've enjoyed it a few times lately.

This is the recording that turned me on to the great Schütz, and it is still my second favorite (my favorite is the King's Consort disk of The Christmas Story).

















The "French Impressions" disk is great. I love the Franck and I don't care what anyone says, and the other two works are also very nice. In Franck I have preferred Chung and Lupu, though I should listen again because this time around I thought Bell and Denk couldn't be beat. I'm less opinionated about the Ravel or the Saint-Saëns, because I haven't heard any other recordings of the Saint-Saëns and only one other recording of the Ravel.

Well, I made it through 7 hours of waltzes, polkas, and marches, and I intend to do it again on New Year's. I'll never need another recording of anything by a Strauss not named Richard....

















I got the Hogwood Messiah in the box set with Esther, etc. Quite a bargain. This was my first time hearing it, and I loved it. Of course the only other one I have on CD is the much lambasted Ormandy. On DVD I have the Pinnock from the anniversary performance, but the only time I watched it I wasn't able to pay much attention because my in-laws were present, and anyway that was last year. Ought to watch it again!

The Fauré is great so far - I'm about 1/4 of the way through it, and it is some work for me. Other than Schubert, Fauré's songs may be my favorite.


----------



## Andolink

science said:


> I got the Hogwood Messiah in the box set with Esther, etc. Quite a bargain. This was my first time hearing it, and I loved it. Of course the only other one I have on CD is the much lambasted Ormandy. On DVD I have the Pinnock from the anniversary performance, but the only time I watched it I wasn't able to pay much attention because my in-laws were present, and anyway that was last year. Ought to watch it again!


The Hogwood Messiah is truly magnificent. Possibly the best recording ever of this piece.


----------



## Sonata

Liszt: Annees De Perilange. Year three.

Second listen of this library borrowed work. Zoltran Kocsis performing. Definitely better on the second listen. I might acquire it, but I believe a different performance than this one. His playing is a touch too sterile for me.


----------



## teej

*Prokofiev Piano Sonatas - a refreshing change*

Starting to get into some of the Prokofiev Piano Sonatas...very pleasurable. For example, take a listen to the beginning of the first movement of the 5th sonata (attached). 
View attachment Prokofiev piano sonata no 5 in c major - i allegro tranqu.mp3


...wonderful harmonies; played beautifully by Bern Glemser 
(Naxos - Prokofiev Piano Sonatas 5, 6 & 9)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Clementi*: Piano Sonatas, with Demidenko (rec.1994), Horowitz (rec.1954 - '80), ABM (rec.1959).

View attachment 11344
View attachment 11345
View attachment 11346
View attachment 11347


----------



## opus55

Mozart:

String Quintet in G minor, K. 516
String Quartet in D minor, K. 421


----------



## Vaneyes

maestro267 said:


> That's(Nielsen 1 & 6 w. DNSO/Schonwandt) the last one of that cycle I still need to get. I love the others (2-5), so I'm sure they'll be good.


The Schonwandt 1 & 6 is an excellent supplement to the SFS/Blomstedt cycle.


----------



## Arsakes

*Telemann*'s Recorder Suite

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.1,"B",93,94,95 and 96.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I had that one many moons ago. I think it was Lenny's last recording, or his last concert performance. He really slowed down the tempos, I mean really. It was my first recording of Schubert's 9th, so I did not realise the way Lenny kind of pulled the work out to a kind of Brucknerian sense of infinity. Now thinking back on it I wonder whether Lenny took too many liberties with this piece? I don't know, I just remember how it was very different to subsequent recordings of this work I have heard.


LB nearly always took liberty with anything. "Something new to say", his credence in bold. His best outings, IMO, were his shortlines with dynamic emphasis. Sadly, too many conductors get slow slow in their twilight years. R.I.P Lenny.:angel:


----------



## GreenMamba

Sid James said:


> I had that one many moons ago. I think it was Lenny's last recording, or his last concert performance. He really slowed down the tempos, I mean really. It was my first recording of Schubert's 9th, so I did not realise the way Lenny kind of pulled the work out to a kind of Brucknerian sense of infinity. Now thinking back on it I wonder whether Lenny took too many liberties with this piece? I don't know, I just remember how it was very different to subsequent recordings of this work I have heard.


It was my first too, and I always thought it was very energetic, but this is the symphony itself. Still, i don't hear it as especially slow. If you want to hear slow, you can find Harnoncourt on YouTube.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Dmitri Kabalevsky's* (1904 - 1987) birthday, Violin Concerto with Mordkovitch/RSNO/Jarvi (rec.1990).

View attachment 11348


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Pavel Vranický (30 December 1756-1808): String Quartet in F Major, Op.16, No.4

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruksa, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 11349


----------



## neoshredder

Am still alive. Now listening to CPE Bach - Sonatas and Rondos


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Gorecki: Already it is Dusk
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nacht, Divertimento in F, Divertimento #14 in B flat, and overtures for Idomeneo, Abduction from Seraglia, and Don Giovanni.


----------



## Sid James

Have been listening to this cd of *New Zealand composer Gareth Farr's *(born 1968) orchestral music. A very interesting blend of Western classical techniques with musics of the Asia-Pacific region. There's everything in here from the beats of Maori music, Japanese 'taiko' drumming and gamelan. He started out as a percussionist and the themes of his music take in things like concerns for the fragile environment of this region. My favourite two works where* From the* *Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs* (an excerpt here at youtube) and *Tabuh Pacific*, which is basically a concerto for Western symphony orchestra and traditional gamelan percussion ensemble. I loved those intricate rhythms and layerings of sound. This website has info and an audio file of this work.

This performance was by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under the composer. _Tabuh Pacific_ featured the University of Canterbury (NZ) gamelan ensemble.


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> Recent listening:


Six big "Likes" in and for that post


----------



## Flamme

Uh beautiful


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> Have been listening to this cd of *New Zealand composer Gareth Farr's *(born 1968) orchestral music. A very interesting blend of Western classical techniques with musics of the Asia-Pacific region. There's everything in here from the beats of Maori music, Japanese 'taiko' drumming and gamelan. He started out as a percussionist and the themes of his music take in things like concerns for the fragile environment of this region. My favourite two works where* From the* *Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs* (an excerpt here at youtube) and *Tabuh Pacific*, which is basically a concerto for Western symphony orchestra and traditional gamelan percussion ensemble. I loved those intricate rhythms and layerings of sound. This website has info and an audio file of this work.
> 
> This performance was by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under the composer. _Tabuh Pacific_ featured the University of Canterbury (NZ) gamelan ensemble.


It was a bit of a surprise seeing that album here now. Just last night I was remembering writing an essay on "From The Depths Sound The Great Sea Gongs" at university, and how I needed to find the cd again.


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> It was a bit of a surprise seeing that album here now. Just last night I was remembering writing an essay on "From The Depths Sound The Great Sea Gongs" at university, and how I needed to find the cd again.


I picked that cd up on special a while back. It may well be out of print (published in the 1990's). Listening to it the first time, it grabbed me, esp. those two works. I like the percussive quality (which has things in common with an Aussie composer I like, Richard Mills, who also was a percussionist). Its pretty amazing stuff, I like how composers from the Asia Pacific region combine elements of East and West. & Farr knows about things like gamelan, he's studied it in depth, its not just the old Eurocentric view of Asian music as something "exotic" and "the other," there is deeper knowledge here of our region than just superficial or from a distance (and that goes for other composers I like, eg. Sculthorpe). But I love gamelan in its original form, I have heard it live and it is pretty amazing to see all that synchronicity. Its just as old as WEstern classical music, going back hundreds of years.


----------



## SimonNZ

Which reminds me that I haven't heard any gamelan in quite a while, and should check the sellers.

Unfortunately the best stuff is very badly distributed, and on unheard-of labels.


----------



## Flamme

Very powerful...


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Diabelli variations Geza Anda (1961)


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Which reminds me that I haven't heard any gamelan in quite a while, and should check the sellers.
> 
> Unfortunately the best stuff is very badly distributed, and on unheard-of labels.


I got this on LP - Javanese court gamelan on the Nonesuch label. I just saw that its available now on cd:
http://www.amazon.com/Java-Court-Gamelan-Various-Artists/dp/B000083GHN

This was recorded back in the 1970s in Jogjakarta, in the royal court there. One side has gamelan with chanting/singing, the other is purely instrumental. It ends with a modern arrangement for gamelan, the famous showpiece 'golden rain.' The notes of the Lp are very informative too, eg. the instruments used in this recording go back to the 18th century. Dunno if this is easy to get for you but I would certainly recommend it.


----------



## DrKilroy

RVW's Symphony no.6 conducted by Vernon Handley.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart
*Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in Bb, K.269*
Itzhak Perlman
James Levine
Wiener Philharmoniker

A lovely little piece with very catchy melodies. It certainly put a smile on my face.


----------



## Flamme

BBC 3 via WMP


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6 on MOG Radio. Spotify is great as well but I think MOG has higher quality streaming. http://www.gadgetreview.com/2012/06/mog-vs-spotfiy.html


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D major, D 82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D 417 {"Tragic"}, *both works featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.5, H.310 and Symphony No.6, H.343 {"Fantaisies Symphoniques"},* both performed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi's direction.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Flute Quartet No.6 in B Flat

Mario Carbotta on flute with members of the Erasmus Quartet: Giambattista Pianezzola, violin -- Maurizio Schiavo, viola -- Claudio Frigerio, cello

View attachment 11373


Re:Gamelan
The university I attended had a Gamelan orchestra that used to give 10 hour all night concerts, which were a remarkable experience. Led by Sumarsam, both of my roommates played in it. Hadn't thought about it in years ---

Thanks for the memory jog, SimonNZ amd Sid James.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Reger*: Bocklin Suite; Hiller Variations, with ACO/Jarvi (rec.1989); Mozart Variations & Fugue; A Romantic Suite, with Sudwestfunk SO/Salonen/Zagrosek (rec.1989); Piano Works, with Hamelin (rec.1998).

View attachment 11374
View attachment 11375
View attachment 11376


----------



## Vaneyes

Flamme said:


> Very powerful...


Hi Flamme, non-classical listening is more "powerful and beautiful" on the thread linked below. Thanks. :tiphat:

http://www.talkclassical.com/6106-non-classical-im-currently.html


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet in E Flat, Op.50, No.3

Prazak Quartet: Vaclav Renes and Vlastimil Holek, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michal Kanka, cello

View attachment 11378


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Schubert's Piano Sonatas on MOG Radio. This is cd quality sound.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 21 in A major

Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Charles Mackerras


----------



## Cnote11

Kaori Muraji - Cavatina

Twice in a row


----------



## opus55

Brahms: String Quintet in F, Op. 88
Medtner: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E minor, Op. 60

















I hope to finish listening to all 20 CDs before this year ends.


----------



## neoshredder

Taking a break from Schubert. Listening to the Best of Grieg.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> Taking a break from Schubert. Listening to the Best of Grieg.


Nice. I really like Grieg, especially his piano miniature and chamber music.And of course the piano concerto

I myself am listening to Bach: *English Suite #2*. Good "cup of morning coffee" music.


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: Pieces For Wind Quintet*

Bit stuck on this set at the moment - fun music!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenberg Concerto No.1 in F Major, BWV 1046

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

View attachment 11385


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint-Saëns* Violin Concerto No.1,2 & 3


----------



## Sonata

Haydn string quartet #66. More "coffee" music. Now onto some non-classical.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

Ralph Shapey: String Quartet No. 7
Quartet of the Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago








Kalevi Aho: Piano Concerto No. 2
Antti Siirala, piano
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä








James Dillon: La femme invisible; Windows and Canopies
Music Projects London/Richard Bernas








Beat Furrer: Quartett für vier Schlagzeuger
Schlagquartett Köln


----------



## Flamme

Mmm sweets...


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 3 - new recording by Chailly - Christmas present!


----------



## DrKilroy

RVW's Symphony no.9 conducted by Vernon Handley.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mendelssohn*: Piano Trios, with KLR Trio (rec.1981); Music for Cello & Piano, with Meneses & Wyss (rec.2007).

View attachment 11413
View attachment 11414


----------



## DavidA

Bach - Christmas Oratorio - Harnoncourt.


----------



## DrKilroy

The Perfect Fool ballet music by Holst.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

With all the Sturm und Drang on the forum recently...

Earlier:
Mozart Symphony 25 in G minor
Charles Mackerras, Prague Chamber Orchestra

Now:
Haydn Symphony No. 39 in G minor
Adam Fischer, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## Conor71

*Varese: Arcana*

Now listening to Disc 1 of this set - happy new year all!


----------



## campy

Richard Strauss: Symphony for Wind Instruments "The Merry Workshop" (Chamber Orch. of Europe/Holliger)


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Moeran's* birthday, the String Quartets with Maggini SQ. (rec.1995).

View attachment 11416


----------



## DrKilroy

I ended the year by Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and started the new one with his Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cnote11

I am just sitting around enjoying Stravinsky's "Songs" conducted by Boulez once more!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Our party days are far behind us and this evening I'm starting off with some Medtner. This is really a great recording of his complete works for violin and piano. Some really beautiful melodies and some extraordinary playing by both artists. The more I listen to Medtner's piano works of various kinds the more I respect his ability to compose for the piano in various forms. This recording is at least worthy of 4 out of 5 stars.










*HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!*

Kevin


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.57 in C Major, Op.74, No.1

Pro Arte Quartet: Alphonse Onnou and Laurent Halleux, violins -- Germain Presvost, viola -- Robert Maas, cello

View attachment 11420


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the wand of Herbert von Karajan.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* once again featuring Maestro Karajan, this time at the helm of the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## Novelette

Today:

Hummel: Flute Sonata in A Major, Op. 64
Liszt: Rondo di Bravura, S 152
Liszt: Chor der Älteren Pilger aus der Oper Tannhäuser, S 443ii
Mendelssohn: Piano Sextet in D, Op. 110
Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44
Palestrina: Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet
Mozart: Fantasia In F Minor, K 608


----------



## Crudblud

Harry Partch - 17 Lyrics of Li Po

I don't think Partch always gets it right, but this is really something. It feels as big as a late romantic symphony even though it is only scored for voice and tenor violin.


----------



## Conor71

*Riley: In C*

I will listen to these Discs this afternoon:


----------



## drpraetorus

Vaughn Williams, The Wasps. The new year hasn't gotten here yet. I will start the year with Wagner, Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort


----------



## Bradius

Brahms Requium (Levine). First time I've ever heard it. Wow! Just amazing.


----------



## SimonNZ

bejart said:


> Haydn: String Quartet No.57 in C Major, Op.74, No.1
> 
> Pro Arte Quartet: Alphonse Onnou and Laurent Halleux, violins -- Germain Presvost, viola -- Robert Maas, cello
> 
> View attachment 11420


Ah, now I like that idea. Its 6pm on the 1st here now, but I havent played any classical yet today. i think I'll start the year with the Pro Artes playing Haydn.

Though the box I've got looks like this:









selected at randon: side seven, the Op.54 nos. 1 and 2


----------



## Sid James

*Holst's *_The Planets _(with the extra 'Pluto' by Colin Matthews) as well the obscure work _The Mystic Trumpeter. _On Naxos with Royal Scottish National Orch. under David Lloyd-Jones. Dunno what exactly to make of 'Pluto' but if nothing else its an impressive orchestral showpiece.

Also the score to the 1995 Australian film _Lilian's Story_ by *Cezary Skubiszewski.* The Victorian PO was under Daryl Mackenzie. I liked the tracks with solos from trumpet, flute, pan pipes and accordion, quite a chamber like score overall.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos 8 and 9










So, I couldn't finish my 20-CD "Golden Age of Romantic Piano Concertos" box in 2012..

Happy New Year!


----------



## Conor71

*Dutilleux: Le Loup*

This dude is still alive (I think?) so it seems safe to include him in my modern composer survey - also a first listen!.
After this I will play the Nyman disc.


----------



## PetrB

here is the motorific, pithy, sweet, buoyant, good-humored
Stravinsky ~ Danses Concertantes


----------



## PetrB

neoshredder said:


> Taking a break from Schubert. Listening to the Best of Grieg.


Check out Walter Gieseking performing the Lyric Pieces.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wow I've forgotten about this thread....

Listening to this right now:


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss lieder - Jonas Kaufmann, tenor, Helmut Deutch, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint Saëns*:
Piano Concerto No.1-5
Rapsodie d'Auvergne Piano & Orchestra
Africa Fantasie Piano & Orchestra

Best piano music


----------



## joen_cph

*Schoenberg*: Piano Works / _Marie-Francoise Bucquet_ /philips

I usually prefer the warm beauty of this issue - and the early *Arrau* in opus 11, 




- to Gould´s versions.


----------



## Andolink

Kalevi Aho: Symphony No. 13 (Symphonic Characterizations)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä	








Michael Finnissy: Piano Concerto No. 6; Verdi Transcriptions Book I
Ian Pace








Morton Feldman: The Viola in My Life I, II
Ensemble Recherche








Michael Finnissy: Lost Lands
Topologies


----------



## bejart

Francesco Durante (1684-1755): Concerto in E Minor

Giorgio Sasso leading the Insieme Strumentale di Roma

View attachment 11443


----------



## DavidA

New Years Day Concert from Vienna. Great playing but the music is rubbish, I fear.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/
Some nice organ music...


----------



## bejart

Ludwig Spohr (1784-1859): String Quartet No.13 in E Minor, Op.45, No.23

New Budapest Quartet: Andras Kiss and Ferenc Balogh, violins -- Laszlo Barsony, viola -- Karoly Botvay, cello

View attachment 11444


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 10, 11, 3, 5
Faure: Piano Quartets, Nos 1 and 2


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 7 - Chailly


----------



## campy

New Year's Concert 2013 — Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Mahler, the 3rd Symphony (performed by Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra). There is, indeed, a whole world in it!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mahler Symphony 1 on MOG Radio.


----------



## cwarchc

This 








followed by this one.








watching a programme about the making of "Les Mis" now


----------



## Art Rock

Art Rock said:


> View attachment 11183
> 
> 
> Disc 1: Symphonies 1-3. I have all 15 symphonies in other versions, but this box was too much of a bargain not to order it. Excellent interpretations indeed.


Continuing the Shostakovich symphonies box (Barshai). Today I have first played the CD with the fabulous 5th and the 6th, now listening to the 7th. This remains one of my favourites. Once more, exemplary interpretations. A fabulous box.


----------



## teej

bmbeach said:


> Mozart, Symphony No. 40


...considered my many musicologists to be the most "perfect" piece of music ever written. Leonard Bernstein delivered a fascinating lecture/analysis of this symphony. It continues to be on my "top-ten" list of the best music ever written. Currently listening to the Karl Bohm/Berlin Symphony recording, probably my favourite rendition. It doesn't get any better than this IMHO.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mahler's 2nd on MOG. Loving MOG Radio btw.


----------



## Guest

Was listening this morning to my four versions of Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, trying to decide which I like best.

I think the rarest version I have is the choral version from 1880:









I also have the original (1867), the Rimsky-Korsakov (1886), and the Stokowski (1950). I think there are even more versions available.

The verdict? Dunno. Maybe R-K. The original version is also good but it drags on a bit. I have to take a break and come back to it - hard to listen to the same thing over and over.

I did notice though that the original version didn't have any music for the morning after.


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven Symphonies 6 and 8, Anton Nanut and the Ljubljana SO.


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Kammermusik and Der Schwanendreher
Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, with various soloists


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: String Symphony No.9 in C Major

Roy Goodman leading the Hanover Band

View attachment 11450


----------



## Hausmusik

Recent listens:









Bartok, Piano Concerto #2









Pierne, Ramuntcho Suites #1 & 2


----------



## Crudblud

Alban Berg - Lyric Suite

LaSalle SQ recording from 1958, as released on the _75 Jahre Donaueschinger Musiktage_ set.


----------



## Hausmusik

Now:









*Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra, Miraculous Mandarin
*
This is a very exciting CFO.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel* (arr. *Mendelssohn*): Acis & Galatea, with Christ Church Cathedral Choir/Oxford Philomusica/Darlington et al (rec. 2012); *Scriabin*: Piano Music, with Feltsman (rec. 2011).

View attachment 11451
View attachment 11452


----------



## Cnote11

Yeaaaaaaaah Sinfonietta!


----------



## Cnote11

Okkayyy decided to listen to the Glagolitic Mass as well


----------



## AndyS

I should be making my way through the Wagner box I got for Christmas but I borrowed this from a family friend who I'm seeing tomorrow and I know he'll be asking me if I've listened to it yet:


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: ASZ, with BPO/HvK (rec.1983); Aus Italien, with BPO/Muti (rec.1989).

View attachment 11456
View attachment 11457


----------



## Crudblud

Turina - Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 35

Performed by the Nash Ensemble.


----------



## neoshredder

Albinoni Op. 7


----------



## SimonNZ

Tartini Violin Concertos - Pierre Amoyal, violin, Claudio Scimone, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

and then I will listen to Harold in Italy


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*
String Quartet 21 in D major
Quatuor Mosaiques

Revisiting this set once more. It's been a while since I last listened to the Prussian quartets, so this was a nice treat to myself. :}

The second movement is just delicious.:angel:


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, KV 581

Josep Fuster on clarinet with Quartet Glinka BCN: Ala Voronkova and Guerassim Voronkova, violin -- ERic koontz, viola -- Lluis Sedo, cello

View attachment 11462


----------



## starthrower

Szymanowski-Symphony No.2


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major
Yale String Quartet

Via that cheap Beethoven mp3 set on Amazon, which I picked up for free a week and some ago. First I listened through the whole String Quartet, with Grosse Fuge as finale, and now I'm listening to the final two movements, with the replacement finale instead.


----------



## opus55

Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos 6 and 7


----------



## Sonata

I do believe I am on a Haydn kick. His music is just so pleasant to the ear. Piano trio #39 at the moment.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

No. 8, a symphony which I am not all too familiar with.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Herbert Blomstedt led Staatskapelle Dresden.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden and Maestro Blomstedt.


----------



## Sid James

Got into this cd of *Thomas Ades' music *after not hearing it for ages. Thanks to some guy mentioning him on his recent 'putitive' thread (seriously). My favourites where the 'ecstasio' movement from _Asyla_ - like _Rite of Spring _meets techno - and also the _Concerto Conciso_ with Ades on piano. He ends it by shutting the lid of the piano with a snap. Pretty smart effect.

& another listen to *Holst's* _The Planets_ and *John Williams' *_Star Wars Suite_. Los Angeles PO under Zubin Mehta (on Decca).


----------



## Arsakes

*Jean Sibelius* String Quartet in D Minor 'Voces Intimae', Op.56


----------



## Rapide

Dramatically awesome.


----------



## bejart

James Cervetto (ca.1682-1783): Cello Sonata No.4 in D Minor

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli, cello -- Walter Mammarella, harpsichord -- Marcelo Scandelli, cello continuo

View attachment 11464


----------



## Hausmusik

*Stravinsky, Violin Concerto
Perlman; Ozawa: BSO*


----------



## Andolink

Per Nørgård: Symphony No. 4
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Leif Segerstam








Michael Finnissy: Verdi Transcriptions Book II, 1-6
Ian Pace, piano








Richard Barrett: Another Heavenly Day (for E flat clarinet, electric guitar and contrabass); Negatives (for 9 players)
Elision Ensemble


----------



## Ramako

Sonata said:


> I do believe I am on a Haydn kick. His music is just so pleasant to the ear.


I think that is my permanent state of being :lol:


----------



## Ramako

Schubert's Unfinished under Bruno Walter. This is really growing on me!


----------



## Sonata

Bach: English Suite #2, Haydn String quartet #67 & Piano trio #43


----------



## Hausmusik

*Schnittke: Cello Sonata
Rachmaninov: Cello Sonata
Part: Fratres*

An exceptional disc in superb sound. Sadly OOP except as a download.


----------



## Mahlerian

Nightingale: Japanese Art Songs
Yoshikazu Mera, counter-tenor
Kikuko Ogura, piano

View attachment 11478


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/
So much Wagner these days


----------



## Guest

Haven't listened to Dvorak in a longggggg time, sad considering he used to be my #2. Broke out the _Serenade for Strings_ today because I listened to the Tchaikovsky _Serenade_ which left a bad aftertaste. The Dvorak soothed me greatly.


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Till Eulenspiegels, with BPO/HvK (rec.1972); Alpine Symphony, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1988); Sinfonia Domestica, Parergon, with Pontinen/Tonhalle O. Zurich/Zinman (rec.2002).

View attachment 11487
View attachment 11488
View attachment 11489


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: String Quartets (3 Vols.), with Tempera Quartet (rec.2004); Piano Music, with GG (rec.1976/7).

I greatly enjoy these recordings, all purchased within the past five years. They convey the warmer side of this composer, that's too often missing.

View attachment 11490
View attachment 11491
View attachment 11492
View attachment 11493


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok* _Concerto for Orchestra_, **Stravinsky* _Petrushka _& *Rossini *_William Tell Overture _- played by World Orchestra for Peace under Georg Solti and *Valery Gergiev (BBC)

& also *John Williams' 80th birthday album*, with the composer conducting & guests Yo Yo Ma, cello & Itzhak Perlman, violin (Sony)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Telemann Motets and Corelli's 6 Concerti Grossi.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Symphonies starting with disc 8.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his baptism/birthday ---
Franz Xaver Brixi (Bap. 2 January 1732-1771): Harpsichord Concerto in G Major

Vojtech Spurny on harpsichord with the Czech Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 11500


----------



## Andolink

Leif Segerstam: Symphony No. 17; Streamings in the Soul
The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leif Segerstam


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Haas Version},* performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 {1890 Version}, *once again featuring the Roberto Paternostro led Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Sonata

Started the evening with "Hope Endures" by Philip Wesley, a performer of solo piano works, mostly self-composed though he does arrangements of existing songs occasionally. We are already big fans of his work, and I love this album. I bought it for my husband for Christmas and we've listened three times already.

I thought after that it would be a good time to introduce my husband to Grieg with his Lyric Pieces book 5. He liked them  Enough so that we went ahead and ordered the sheet music of his complete lyric pieces, as it was under 8 dollars at Amazon, which included shipping. Ahead of my playing level for now surely, but it will be fun to try a few sections out anyway. At that price I couldn't resist.


----------



## Guest

Still trying to find inspiration for my violin+piano piece; listening to Bartok's op. 21 violin sonata to spur creativity.


----------



## Sonata

*Mendelssohn: Op 96 Dre Geistliche Lieder und Fugue*. From my Mendelssohn choral works box. I am not familiar enough with the box yet to say for sure, but this may be my favorite piece in the set. It's beautiful, I can't understand why it's not more well known. He does have a couple of duds in here, but there really is a lot of good music to be had in his choral work.


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> *Sibelius*: String Quartets (3 Vols.), with Tempera Quartet (rec.2004); Piano Music, with GG (rec.1976/7).
> 
> I greatly enjoy these recordings, all purchased within the past five years. They convey the warmer side of this composer, that's too often missing.
> 
> View attachment 11490
> View attachment 11491
> View attachment 11492
> View attachment 11493


I thought it said Tempura Quartet for a second. :lol:

Introducing myself to Myaskovsky.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CD 1 of Bach's Organ works on MOG. Decided on the more true to Bach version.


----------



## Sonata

Enjoyed my*Mendelssohn* so much (as I usually do!) that I continued on to his *Kyrie in D Minor*. It didn't quite reach the heights of Op 96, but it was still quite good.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (2 January 1837-1910): Symphony No.1 in C Major

Vassily Sinaisky conducing the BBC Philharmonic

View attachment 11502


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened completely through this wonderful recording of harp concertos. Some really excellent stuff here. I especially enjoyed the Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf and the Gliere but the Rodrigo Concerto de Aranjuez transcribed for harp was really an interesting and beautiful version. I'm not sure I like it as much as the guitar version but it was quite pleasant and relaxing.


----------



## Guest

I just found this recently on vinyl. I had read in so many places that this was THE reference recording for these works, so I snatched it up right away, as I knew I was getting a turntable for Christmas. Today is the first day I have cracked it open - the vinyl was flawless. It was used, but whoever had it before took loving care of it - and I now know why.

I am listening to the 6th Symphony, and all I can say is wow! This is always a very emotional symphony - I don't think you can play it any other way. But never before have I experienced it so intensely. Mravinsky is a master with this work. The pathetic moments are truly that. The final movement is incredible - you can actually feel the despair in the music. I thought I had found my favorite recordings of this symphony before, but this one automatically jumps to the top spot. I can't wait to listen to the 4th and 5th symphonies. If you have not heard Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, avail yourself of the opportunity.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde










Too lazy to follow the libretto but the music is dramatic enough to not lose my attention.


----------



## Arsakes

*Gershwin*: 
Piano Concerto
An American in Paris
Rhapsody in Blue

*Balakirev*:
King Lear overture
Symphonic Poem 'Russia'


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Cello Concerto No.2 - Josef Chuchro, cello, Vaclav Neumann, cond.


----------



## tdc

Today I'm Listening to various things that have been mentioned by members of TC, first it was Bartok's Violin Sonata No. 1:






Now I'm onto Cherubini's String Quartet No. 1:






Next up will be Mozart's Violin Sonata No. 21:


----------



## neoshredder

I should have a day where I listen to everything everyone listens to that day. Though there will be too many listed.


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.5, No.2

Budapest Strings with Bel Banfalvi on violin

View attachment 11505


----------



## Ramako

Ockeghem: Missa Sine Domini









I love this 'album' so much!


----------



## MaxB

Vissarion Shebalin choral cycles. I like my music rare.


----------



## Andolink

Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 7
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Raymond Leppard


----------



## Sonata

First some more Bach Harpsichord concertos. Like them better than I expected. I like the solo harpsichord as an accompaniement instrument, even the concertos with two harpsichords are good. I think you get three or more, with some of his concertos, and the sound is too dominant for my tastes.

Now listening to a compilation of Schubert choral works, up now is An Die Sonne D 439


----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> I should have a day where I listen to everything everyone listens to that day. Though there will be too many listed.


I'm trying to the that periodically with L'enfer's listening tribute.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms* Piano trio No.1 and Piano Quintet


----------



## Guest

Arsakes said:


> *Brahms* Piano trio No.1 and Piano Quintet


I love Brahms' Piano Trio No. 1. One of my all-time favorite classical works!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to some weird stuff here. I guess atmosphere can be quite enjoyable as well.


----------



## opus55

Another disc I got from public library -

Handel: Violin Sonatas










HIP is hip!


----------



## Schubussy

But quietly, because I have a headache. Later going to listen to some Bach harpsichord concertos I've not heard yet, I love the Concerto In C Minor For 2 Harpsichords.


----------



## neoshredder

Wasn't in the mood for Xenakis. This is much better. Dittersdorf Symphonies.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Malinconia, Op. 20, 4 Pieces, Op. 78, 2 Pieces, Op. 77, with Mork & Thibaudet (rec.1993); *R. Strauss*: Burleske, with Argerich/BPO/Abbado (rec.1992).

View attachment 11518
View attachment 11519


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Parry's Funeral Ode:The Glories Of Our Blood And State - Neeme Jarvi


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Radio on last.fm.


----------



## Vaneyes

Relistening to Feltsman's *Scriabin*. An entrancing recital.

VF's Liner Notes:

http://www.feltsman.com/index.php?page=notes&liner=notes-scriabin

View attachment 11524


----------



## Head_case

Well those liner notes certainly make Scriabin to be more mad than I already thought he was.

Madame Blavatsky had a lot to do with that with her theosophy led Russian caravan tea parties.

I guess Scriabin wasn't a devoted theosophist, since grand pianos don't fit well into caravans. Nonetheless this looks like an excellent collection. Strangely although I can't stand piano music, I love Scriabin's preludes and sonatas.

Anyway, here's what I'm trying to work out what to listen to next (or play):

http://www.ump.co.uk/PDF/Flute_Catalogue_2012.pdf


----------



## bejart

Jan Josef Rosler (1771-1813): String Quartet in C Major, Op.6, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Viteslav Cernoch and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 11526


----------



## Head_case

They're a great quartet ensemble. Unfortunately the repertoire by Rosler didn't move me (too early for my taste).

Listening to the Auer Quartet's excellent traversal of the Lajtha string quartet cycle:


----------



## lostid




----------



## opus55

Albinoni: 12 Concertos, Op. 9


----------



## bejart

Head_case:
"They're a great quartet ensemble..... "

Agreed about the Stamic Quartet.

Now --- Mozart: Violin Sonata in C Major, KV 404 (fragment)

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 11527


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> Albinoni: 12 Concertos, Op. 9


What did you think of it? I'm now listening to it as well.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> Did you enjoy it?


I enjoyed the sounds of the instruments rather than the music, I think. The music was pleasant but not memorable. This was the first time I've ever listen to Albinoni seriously.


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> I enjoyed the sounds of the instruments rather than the music, I think. The music was pleasant but not memorable. This was the first time I've ever listen to Albinoni seriously.


Welll you gave it a try at least. Maybe another listen will make it more memorable. Though I guess you aren't going to get memorable stuff similar to the Romantic Era. I like it though. Short and sweet. Not too taxing on the ears.


----------



## Cnote11

Listened to Peter Pears and Julian Bream performing Britten and other songs

Then Julian Bream _The Woods So Wild_

and now










Lute Music From The Royal Courts of Europe by Julian Bream


----------



## neoshredder

Decided to check out some other Albinoni. Op 10 for instance. I've heard good things about Simon Standage.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> Welll you gave it a try at least. Maybe another listen will make it more memorable. Though I guess you aren't going to get memorable stuff similar to the Romantic Era. I like it though. Short and sweet. Not too taxing on the ears.


I will be revisiting Albinoni; I take my time with every well known composer.

Mozart: Piano Sonatas










Love the simplicity.


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Schumann Piano Trios.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Violin Sonatas










Andrew Manze's playing is beautiful..


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Utterly glorious. I must listen to more Berlioz!


----------



## Arsakes

*Vivaldi*'s _wind concertos_:
Basson Concerto in A minor
Concerto for 2 horns in F major
Flute Concerto in C minor
Concerto for 2 oboesin D minor
Piccolo Concerto in C major
Concerto for 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns & violin in F major


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Symphony No.8 "Unfinished" - Bernard Haitink


----------



## bejart

The Pla Brothers , Joan (ca.1720-1770?) and Josep (1728-17762): Trio Sonata No.29 in G Major

Barcelona Consort: Jordi Colomer and Jordi Argelaga, flutes -- Jordi Comellas, viola -- Madrona Elias, harpsichord

View attachment 11529


----------



## Sonata

Last night: Philip Wesley. Listened to two albums back to back. *Dark Night of the Soul* and *Finding Solace*. Beautiful piano music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Giacinto Scelsi, Quattro Pezzi. *

This is my first introduction to the composer. It reminds me of deep breathing. Hey, there's a saxophone in there!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Obrecht, Missa de Sancto Donatiano.*


----------



## Andolink

Frederick Delius: North Country Skethces
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox


----------



## Novelette

Today's musical agenda:

Schumann: Violin Sonatas [Excluding his contribution to the FAE Sonata]
Haydn: Symphonies #11-15
Dufay: Missa L'homme armé
Elgar: Symphony #1 in A Flat
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerti 1, 2, & 3
Schubert: Polonaises for Piano: Four Hands, Op. 61

It's going to be one heck of a day: coffee and music!


----------



## Arsakes

Continuing the *Vivaldi* listening:
"The Seasons" concertos
Cello concertos
"La Stravaganza" Violin concertos


----------



## opus55

Gershwin Piano Concerto in F last night










then Mozart in the morning










K.283 and K.284


----------



## Guest

opus55 said:


> Gershwin Piano Concerto in F last night
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> then Mozart in the morning
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> K.283 and K.284


The Gershwin Concerto is a masterpiece. Definitely not performed enough.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Piano concerto 27 Gilels / Bohm


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Paris - The Song of a Great City, Double Concerto, Cello Concerto, with Little/Wallfisch/RLPO/Mackerras (rec.1991); Piano Concerto, with Lane/RLPO/Handley (rec. 1994); Violin Concerto, with Holmes/RPO/Handley (rec.1984).

View attachment 11537
View attachment 11538
View attachment 11539


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Albinoni's Op. 5. Such pleasant music.


----------



## Wandering

*Daphnis et Chloe - Chailly RCO*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## DrKilroy

Jón Leifs - Icelandic Folk Dances.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Just finished:
Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4
New Vienna String Quartet

Now listening to:
Schoenberg: String Quartet "No. 0" in D major
via Youtube

Listening to them back to back, it's utterly obvious that these are by the same person.


----------



## Andolink

Mahlerian said:


> Just finished:
> Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4
> New Vienna String Quartet
> 
> Now listening to:
> Schoenberg: String Quartet "No. 0" in D major
> via Youtube
> 
> Listening to them back to back, it's utterly obvious that these are by the same person.


Schoenberg's 4th SQT is a masterpiece that just knocks me over with its brilliance every time I hear it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Boulez*: Orchestral, Piano Sonatas, with Robertson, Boulez, Jumppanen et al.

View attachment 11550
View attachment 11551
View attachment 11552


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## NightHawk

Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, conductor.

Love this.


----------



## Wandering

Khamma - Chaily RCO

Oh boy, that opening! Debussy, somewhat lesser none work unjustly; To me, now this is me mind you, this is ten times as sensual as Bolero, but so is Daphnis et Chloe to my ears, especially the part one.


----------



## campy

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #11 in B-flat, op. 22 (Maurizio Pollini)


----------



## bejart

Jiri Antonin Benda (1722-1795): Sinfonia No.2 in G Major

Christian Benda conducting the Prague Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 11557


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Andolink

Hèctor Parra: Caressant l'Horizon, for large ensemble
Ensemble InterContemporain/Emilio Pomàrico








Veli-Matti Puumala: Chainsprings, for orchestra 
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra/Hannu Lintu


----------



## Sid James

_Potrait of a Lady _soundtrack by* Wojciech Kilar*. A composer whose music I hadn't heard before this. I liked the lushness of his string writing. Quite a darkish score, with the usual repetion of ideas (but not too annoying). Sounds like a combo of minimalism and neo-romanticism. Overall enjoyable for me.












Clovis said:


> Khamma - Chaily RCO
> 
> Oh boy, that opening! Debussy, somewhat lesser none work unjustly; To me, now this is me mind you, this is ten times as sensual as Bolero, but so is Daphnis et Chloe to my ears, especially the part one.


Interesting you like 'Khamma' as do others on this forum who mentioned it. BEcause it was a pot boiler for Debussy. He did it for the cash only, his heart was apparently not in it. I have heard it but so long ago, the memory of it is gone for me to say anything of use here. But speaking of Ravel of course its well known that he wasn't enthusiastic about doing Bolero but it became a bankable work for him. I think its obvious that without these commissions they don't want to really do, we do get some great music from them.


----------



## AndyS

Brahms#2, Klemperer


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.29 in G Major

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello

View attachment 11560


----------



## opus55

Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38


----------



## Conor71

*Milhaud: Symphony No. 2, Op. 247*

Listening to Disc 2 of the Milhaud box and after this I will play Disc 2 of the Martinu set.


----------



## Wandering

Britten's Young Person Guide to the Orchestra at the opening of Moonrise Kingdom 2012.

Henry Purcell


----------



## Conor71

Vaneyes said:


> *Boulez*: Orchestral, Piano Sonatas, with Robertson, Boulez, Jumppanen et al.
> 
> View attachment 11551


I just got this one last year - its really wonderful I think. One of my favourite Discs of modern classical


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's String Quintet No.3 - Josef Suk, viola, with the Smetana Quartet


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D944 {"Great"}, *featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"},* performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.


----------



## opus55

Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

"Tara Hugo Sings Philip Glass"


----------



## tdc

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 2 

Ashkenazy / Previn


----------



## opus55

Jón Leifs: Saga Symphony

Osmo Vänskä conducting Iceland Symphony Orchestra


----------



## lostid




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Trio in E flat major


----------



## Faell

Beethoven's _String Quartet No. 16 in F Minor, Opus 135_.


----------



## bejart

Francois Couperin (1668-1733): La Sultanne

Jed Wentz leading Musica ad Rhenum

View attachment 11566


----------



## Andolink

Luca Francesconi: String Quartet No. 3
Arditti Quartet








Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quintet in C minor, op. 115
Quintetto Fauré di Roma








Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, op. 122
Eder Quartet








Hector Parra: Early Life (for oboe, piano and string trio); Stress Tensor (for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio)
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Flute Sonata in E Minor, H551

Gerhard Mallon, flute -- Julian Byzantine, guitar

View attachment 11577


----------



## Head_case

This is a rather difficult album of contemporary Swiss string quartets.

It feels like it's full of swiss cheese holes - at times mellow and tasty, but also coming across as rather nutty. Whatever, the four string quartet ensembles here play very well.


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet No.4 in D Major

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 11579


----------



## DavidA

Argerich - Lugano concertos (new DG release)


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I'm listening to Mysterium by Scriabin! It's not bad at all, definitely very dense, and not tonal, but it makes sense.

Full title of recording I'm listening to:
"A.Scriabin - A.Nemtin. "L'acte Prealable" To "Mysterium". Part I For Large Orchestra, Solo Piano And Mixed Choir" by The Symphony Orchestra of Moscow State Philharmony (The State Republican Academic Russian Choir, Alexander Scriabin - Alexander Nemtin, Kirill Kondrashin)

Good 40 min. long work. I guess I should have listened to it on Dec. 21, but whatever.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Shostakovich's 8th symphony - LSO/Rostropovich


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Sarah Was Ninety Years Old.*

I was reading Genesis 17 about Sarah being promised a son, and I recalled this piece, which reflects what it is like to wait for a promise. And wait and wait.


----------



## Faell

Scriabin's _Le poème de l'extase_


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Biber, Missa Bruxellensis.*

In this mass Biber confronts the challenge of filling a giant echo chamber of a cathedral with choirs in every nook and cranny and yet keeping it all together. Savall's recording retains enough resonance to reflect the work's bigness but still allows the choirs to speak clearly.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, with Pogo (rec.1995); Gaspard de la Nuit, with Crossley (rec.1983).

View attachment 11585
View attachment 11586


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Faell

_Sonata opus 2 no. 1_ of L.v.Beethoven


----------



## SimonNZ

Ockeghem's Missa Au Travails Suis - The Tallis Scholars


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 7
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Tilson-Thomas

Inspired by ComposerofAvantgarde's championing of this oft-misunderstood work.


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky *_Symphony #4_ 
Cleveland Orchestra under Lorin Maazel (Telarc)

*Schoenberg*_ Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night)_ 
London CO under Daniel Barenboim (EMI)

& some jazz -
*Art Blakey*: _1958 Paris Olympia_ (Live in concert)
Blakey on drums/leader with Benny Golson, sax ; Lee Morgan, trumpet ; Bobby Timmons, pno. ; Jymie Merrit, bass (Universal/Gitanes label)


----------



## SimonNZ

Guerrero's Missa Sancta Et Immaculata - James O'Donnell


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 7
> London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Tilson-Thomas
> 
> Inspired by ComposerofAvantgarde's championing of this oft-misunderstood work.


*like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like*

I'll listen to it too










Only recording I have of it, best nachtmusik movements I've ever heard, first movement a little slow but quite majestic.


----------



## neoshredder

Not feeling well. Couldn't think of a better choice for comfort other than Mozart's Early Symphonies while lying down in bed.


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Krasa:










The harpsichord and seven instruments piece is really weird. 
It opens like the theme tune of the British long-running series: "Coronation Street" and then descends into a Punch and Judy show.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a recent release, *Bruckner*: Symphony 7, with BBC Scottish SO/Runnicles (rec. 2012). This is Runnicles' first Hyperion recording, and his first *Bruckner* since the Atlanta SO days (Telarc-Mozart, LvB, Wagner, Orff).

I detect an improvement that garners less-is-more direction. The players impress, as does the sound. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

View attachment 11592


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Taking a break from Mahler.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am listening to my whole Mahler/Kubelik/Bavarian Radio Orchestra set, starting from the very beginning, with the 1st symphony.
I found it took me at least two listens to get into each one of them. The first time I think "how weird", the second time "how awesome!!!"


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pmdqc


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky string quartets #s 1 and 3


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 6, Bruno Walter.


----------



## Ravndal

It's 2:47 am, and im enjoying my last beer while listening Grieg - Ballade, played by Sigurd Slåttebrekk.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Te Deum - Vaclav Neumann, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Weber's Symphonies.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.13 in B Flat, Op.130

Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- David Schwartz, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello

View attachment 11598


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like**like*
> 
> I'll listen to it too
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only recording I have of it, best nachtmusik movements I've ever heard, first movement a little slow but quite majestic.


The first movement of Mahler's 7th is so amazing I think one would have a hard time messing it up. It's still not my favorite Mahler symphony, but it definitely deserves far more attention than it gets.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich 6th Symphony


----------



## neoshredder

Enjoyed Weber. Will give a listen later again. Now Bruch's turn


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D200, Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D759 {"Unfinished"}. *All three works feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt's baton.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67 {"Fate"}, *both performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No.1 in C Major, Op.24

Constance Keene, piano

View attachment 11600


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"},* featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Claudio Abbado.


----------



## Arsakes

Three suites by *Sibelius*:

Pelléas Mélisande
The Tempest
King Christian II Suite


----------



## opus55

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Mahler: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Conor71

*Fayrfax: Magnificat*

Listening to Disc 1 of this Box.


----------



## Conor71

*Grieg: Lyric Pieces*

The Eton Choirbook Disc was real nice - I kind of needed something simple after listening to Milhaud's Symphonies for much of the day. Currently playing the Disc of Lyric Pieces which is another relaxing one. For the rest of the evening I will listen to selections from the Magaloff/Chopin set which is my favourite box of Piano Music


----------



## Faell

Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_. I love it ^^


----------



## Art Rock

Currently at symphony 11 of the complete Shostakovich box (WDR Sinfonieorchester under Barshai). The performances are still exemplary, and this symphony which i had down as second-rate so far, really shines in this version.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

Evgeni Koroliov, piano

View attachment 11602


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring for 4 hands piano. 

This was exhausting.


----------



## Ravndal

But very cool


----------



## Art Rock

Art Rock said:


> Currently at symphony 11 of the complete Shostakovich box (WDR Sinfonieorchester under Barshai). The performances are still exemplary, and this symphony which i had down as second-rate so far, really shines in this version.


After the 12th that Barshai cannot make any better than the version I already had, I thoroughly enjoyed the 13th "Babi Yar" with the Choral Academy Moscow and bass Sergei Aleksashkin. I had to hit the repeat button for the last movement.


----------



## millionrainbows

I was aware of this series on the KZ label, and mentioned it here earlier in a conversation with Sid James, but had not actually heard any of the series. I happened upon this volume 6 for $5.99 in Half-Price Books, and snatched it up. The packaging is beautiful, a glossy CD cover with the large 86 page booklet attached inside. This is more than a mere CD; this is a historical document. There are photographs and info on the history and the concentration camps, and on each prisoner/composer as well. The typography and art design are just beautiful, and the notes are presented in English, Italian, French, German, and Hebrew(!) This is a must-get series, if you can find it. This makes "classical music" something special, something more.
The music is good. They feature solo vocal, choir, voice and piano, string quartet, and oboe.

This is something you must get at least one volume of, for the taste of history it provides.

--------------------------------->


----------



## Sonata

Chopin sonata #2


----------



## Guest

Continuing my recent exploration of early "salon" music...









I'm really enjoying listening to music for one, two, and three instruments from some of the greats. So much less clutter.


----------



## Faell

Schönberg's Opus 20: _Herzgewachse_.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion, with Argerich/Kovacevich et al (rec.1977); String Quartets, with ABQ (rec.1984 - '86).

View attachment 11612
View attachment 11613


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.1 in F Major, Op.10, No.1

Antonio Janigro, cello -- Jorg Demus, piano

View attachment 11615


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Guest

Brahms' Piano Quartets - all three of them!


----------



## Art Rock

Art Rock said:


> After the 12th that Barshai cannot make any better than the version I already had, I thoroughly enjoyed the 13th "Babi Yar" with the Choral Academy Moscow and bass Sergei Aleksashkin. I had to hit the repeat button for the last movement.


The 14th is the first in the box, where I prefer the version I already had. Don't get me wrong, it is a great rendition, but soprano Alla Simoni and bass Vladimir Vaneev are no match for Julia Varady and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau on the Decca version (Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam/Haitink). On the other hand, the use of Russian translations throughout in the Barshai version has its authentic charm.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*'s Symphony No.5 & 6

Sadly I avoid symphony No.7 most of the time. It's an empty field between first 6 symphonies and symphony No.8,9 and 10!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Faell said:


> Schönberg's Opus 20: _Herzgewachse_.


Wow, I've never heard of that one. I'm getting on Spotify and fixing that now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi's Gloria - Michel Corboz


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, I've never heard of that one. I'm getting on Spotify and fixing that now.


It's a little bizarre song setting, kind of like an offshoot of the style of Pierrot Lunaire, but without the sprechstimme.

Also, for anything Schoenberg, you can always head over to the Arnold Schoenberg Center website. They have everything he wrote.

http://www.schoenberg.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=208&Itemid=166&lang=en


----------



## Art Rock

Finishing my first listen through the Barshai box of complete Shostakovich symphonies with the enigmatic 15th. Another excellent performance. This box on Brilliant Classics is incredible value, with consistently very high quality renditions.


----------



## Guest

Rainy day music...









Cafe au lait - Flute and piano music from Sharon Bezaly and Roland Pontinen.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart piano concerto 27 Gilels / Bohm


----------



## Hausmusik

Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Solti: CSO

Those looking for a single-disc Mahler 9 could do worse I suppose, but this is the third or fourth time I've listened to this performance and it continues to seem less than fully coherent as an interpretation, especially in the first movement: Solti goes for climax-a-minute but I find myself frequently lost, not understanding how one moment relates to the next or to where we've been before and lacking any sense of the overall shape of the movement (despite being quite familiar with the music). This is not true when I listen Rattle/Berlin, my favorite Mahler 9 so far.


----------



## Mahlerian

Hausmusik said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 9
> Solti: CSO
> 
> Those looking for a single-disc Mahler 9 could do worse I suppose, but this is the third or fourth time I've listened to this performance and it continues to seem incoherent, especially in the first movement: Solti goes for climax-a-minute but I find myself frequently lost, not understanding how one moment relates to the next or to where we've been before and lacking any sense of the overall shape of the movement (despite being quite familiar with the music). This is not true when I listen Rattle/Berlin, my favorite Mahler 9 so far.


The only Solti Mahler recording I've really liked is a live one he did of the 5th in the early 90s. Other than that, I'd take just about anyone over him, even Rattle, whom I don't particularly care for.

I like the Boulez/Chicago Mahler 9th, personally, but some may disagree.


----------



## Hausmusik

Mahlerian, I have the Boulez 9 & recall it being one of the most satisfying I've heard, but that was before I got to know the symphony well. On your rec. I'll give it another listen--thanks! (And I agree about Solti's 90s Mahler 5, which is terrific.)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

"I Bought Me A Cat" from Aaron Copland's Old American Songs - St Charles Singers

I bought me a wife
My wife pleased me
I fed my wife under yonder tree
My wife says "Honey, honey"
My horse says "Neigh, Neigh"
My cow says "Baw, baw"
My pig says "Griffey, griffey"
My hen says "Shinny shack, shimmy shack"
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.


----------



## Sid James

Relaxing listening with *Hovhaness' *Guitar Concerto #2, 'Loon Lake' symphony, etc. On Naxos. The last movement of the concerto transports me to a souk somewhere in the Middle East.


----------



## MusicInTheAir

I've been listening to the Schubert Sonata in A D. 959 performed on a piano from Schubert's time by Paul Badura-Skoda. I have alot of respect for Paul Badura-Skoda as a musician and own many of his performances on the Bosendorfer and older instruments. Although I liked his interpretation, I prefer this sonata on a modern piano.


----------



## MusicInTheAir

I love the Copland Old American songs. I have the William Warfield recording of it from some time ago.


----------



## Guest

Listening now to Symphony No. 4 from this excellent recording on vinyl. My new turntable allows me to convert this music to MP3, so that I can take it anywhere. I have been very happy with this recording thus far - I have listened to the 6th at least 3 times so far. The woodwinds are not as strong as I would prefer, and are the only drawback I have found, but the strings and brass are very impressive.


----------



## opus55

Tartini: Violin Concertos, selections from Op. 1


----------



## Sonata

Chopin Waltzes: Abbey Simon. Yummy ear candy.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Sonata No.1 in C Major, Op.2, No.3

Ian Hobson, piano

View attachment 11628


----------



## Kevin Pearson

The more I listen to this recording of Stenhammar the more these grow on me. There are definite similarities with Sibelius and Nielsen and since I am a fan of them this appeals to me.


----------



## GreenMamba

Prokofiev Symphony #5


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Allegri


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Humoresques Op.101 and Poetic Moods Op.85 - Radoslav Kvapil, piano


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D417 {"Tragic"},* both featuring Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Bradius

Hugo Alfven's 2nd Symphony. Not well know, but I really like it. Very much in the late Romantic style.


----------



## samurai

Kevin Pearson said:


> The more I listen to this recording of Stenhammar the more these grow on me. There are definite similarities with Sibelius and Nielsen and since I am a fan of them this appeals to me.


Kevin, I also had the same reaction to Stenhammar after I first heard him; the amazing thing is he only wrote--as far as I know--those two symphonies!


----------



## Mordred

Shostakovich's 9th. Petrenko and the royal Liverpool philharmonic. Perfect for getting down with a couple of vodkas


----------



## science

I really do like the Naxos recording, but I like Parrott better. What is the competition? I imagine someone will say Gardiner. I might have to try Gardiner someday, when I've got $25 and nothing better to do with it.

Got to listen to Pogorelich's Brahms again. I'll sit down with Kempff and Katchen and then reconsider Pogorelich. What a pianist! Imagine how popular he'd be with better PR.

















Does it count as classical music? I'm putting here, so, yes it does.

Both very fun. I need to learn more about "band" music.

















So I read that it was the best 1812 Overture and I didn't believe it. I do now, though. Great stuff. And the Wellington's Victory - did Beethoven really write such a thing? I'd've guessed a lot of people before I'd've guessed Beethoven.

Only my 2nd or 3rd time listening to Tower. I don't remember being impressed before, but this time I was.


----------



## science

I guess you can tell I got the Mercury Living Presence box recently. The Janis Rachmaninoff is not a highlight, though. The piano sound was too "thin" for me. Argerich, Richter, Ashkenazy will continue to be my first choices.

I need to listen to the RPC disks that I have more often. This Brüll, I didn't expect much, but it is beautiful stuff.

















I'd like to listen to the Bruch and Mendelssohn again too. I have about three other recordings of Mendelssohn's Octet, so I'm not sure that this is the one to be preferred, but I did like it. And Bruch, poor Bruch, he just didn't grab me.

Starker's Bach is great. Fournier has been my favorite (I've also heard Suzuki and Berger - haven't heard Casals which is who you're supposed to hear), but now it's not so clear!

















The first one is the Resurrezione, in the Hogwood Handel box, which is a good deal if you don't already have that music. I liked Esther, I really liked Athalia, and I loved the Messiah. I need to listen to them all again, and of course I'd like to hear Jacobs' Solomon again. I never really expected to enjoy Handel so much, something about the Water Music and Fireworks set my expectations low. But Julius Caesar and the oratorios are lots of fun. Dramatic, elegant, diverse.


----------



## Andolink

science said:


> The first one is the Resurrezione, in the Hogwood Handel box, which is a good deal if you don't already have that music. I liked Esther, I really liked Athalia, and I loved the Messiah. I need to listen to them all again, and of course I'd like to hear Jacobs' Solomon again. I never really expected to enjoy Handel so much, something about the Water Music and Fireworks set my expectations low. But Julius Caesar and the oratorios are lots of fun. Dramatic, elegant, diverse.


These Hogwood/Handle discs are really great. That Athalia with Joan Sutherland it truly outstanding as is the Hogwood Messiah.


----------



## neoshredder

Very much enjoyed Allegri. Now listening to Faure.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

La Bele Marie: Songs To The Virgin From 13th Century France - Anonymous 4


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Overture No.1 in G Minor, TWV 55: g 4

Nikolaus Harnoncourt leading Concentus musicus Wien

View attachment 11632


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Schubussy

MusicInTheAir said:


> I've been listening to the Schubert Sonata in A D. 959 performed on a piano from Schubert's time by Paul Badura-Skoda. I have alot of respect for Paul Badura-Skoda as a musician and own many of his performances on the Bosendorfer and older instruments. Although I liked his interpretation, I prefer this sonata on a modern piano.


That melody in the second movement is, I'm sure, the best thing ever.


----------



## Andolink

Kalevi Aho: Symphony No. 10
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä








Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: For Piano
Juho Pohjonen, piano








Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 4
Pacifica Quartet








Jonathan Harvey: Bhakti
Spectrum/Guy Protheroe


----------



## Flamme

Heavenly...But also very sexy


----------



## Arsakes

*De Beriot*'s Violin Concerto No.1,2,3 and 5.

*Coleridge Taylor*'s Violin Concerto


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Wandering

Brahms Sextet no.1

Scherzo movement

Bamberg SO

that 2.50 mp3 purchase mentioned earlier, thanks for checking it violadude


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> I really do like the Naxos recording, but I like Parrott better. What is the competition? I imagine someone will say Gardiner. I might have to try Gardiner someday, when I've got $25 and nothing better to do with it.
> Imagine how popular he'd be with better PR.


Okay, I'll recommend Gardiner.  I don't know which of his two recordings I'd recommend, because I like them both. The first one isn't HIP, but it's full of energy.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> Okay, I'll recommend Gardiner.  I don't know which of his two recordings I'd recommend, because I like them both. The first one isn't HIP, but it's full of energy.


William Christie also has a recording on Erato that is not bad.


----------



## Sonata

Dvorak: Stabat Mater. Fits my mood today.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrMike said:


> William Christie also has a recording on Erato that is not bad.


I'm listening now on Spotify. Thanks!


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Partitas, Preludes & Fugues, with GG (rec.1957 - '80).

View attachment 11641


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> The only Solti Mahler recording I've really liked is a live one he did of the 5th in the early 90s. Other than that, I'd take just about anyone over him, even Rattle, whom I don't particularly care for.
> 
> I like the Boulez/Chicago Mahler 9th, personally, but some may disagree.


Agree re CSO/Solti's 5 (rec. '90, Musikverein, Vienna). My top two CSO/Solti Mahler prefs. are 7 (rec. '71), and 1 (rec.1983).
:tiphat:


----------



## Guest

I have never really cared for any of Solti's Mahler recordings. Personal preference, I know. I have enjoyed so much more the recordings of Boulez and Kubelik, as well as Klemperer. Bernstein, as well, has his wonderful moments - particularly his recording of DLvdE with two male voices.


----------



## Vaneyes

Hausmusik said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 9
> Solti: CSO
> 
> Those looking for a single-disc Mahler 9 could do worse I suppose, but this is the third or fourth time I've listened to this performance and it continues to seem less than fully coherent as an interpretation, especially in the first movement: Solti goes for climax-a-minute but I find myself frequently lost, not understanding how one moment relates to the next or to where we've been before and lacking any sense of the overall shape of the movement (despite being quite familiar with the music). This is not true when I listen Rattle/Berlin, my favorite Mahler 9 so far.


Thanks for the M9 talk. In addition to good interp., playing, and sound, I prefer M9s on a single CD. In that regard, NYPO/Bernstein (Sony), and BPO/Barbirolli (EMI ART remastered), fit for me. Exception to the single CD rule, BPO/HvK's 1st on DG. :tiphat:


----------



## Flamme

Very energinzing...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 71 with Lindsays (rec.2002), Op. 76 with Tokyo SQ (rec.1980).

View attachment 11645
View attachment 11646


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for the M9 talk. In addition to good interp., playing, and sound, I prefer M9s on a single CD. In that regard, NYPO/Bernstein (Sony), and BPO/Barbirolli (EMI ART remastered), fit for me. Exception to the single CD rule, BPO/HvK's 1st on DG. :tiphat:


I heard the Bernstein Mahler 9 back when I was first getting into his work, and I wasn't terribly impressed. I'm not terribly enamored of his Mahler in general, actually, although I enjoy his idiosyncratic NYPO Mahler 1 a good deal. Do you think I should give his 9th another shot?


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> I heard the Bernstein Mahler 9 back when I was first getting into his work, and I wasn't terribly impressed. I'm not terribly enamored of his Mahler in general, actually, although I enjoy his idiosyncratic NYPO Mahler 1 a good deal. Do you think I should give his 9th another shot?


There are plenty of M9s that stop to smell the roses. NYPO/Bernstein hammered home this rec. in one take--exhilarating. I think you should, but I'm biased for this collaboration's urgent readings. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Piano music, in celebration of a belated Happy Birthday (Jan. 6) to *Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin *(1872 - 1915), and a Happy Birthday to *Francis Poulenc *(1899 - 1963).

View attachment 11649
View attachment 11650


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Gyorgy Ligeti radio on last.fm. Currently playing Froese - Ionisation


----------



## neoshredder

Decided to join the Scriabin listening since it is his birthday.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Sonata

*Bach*: Concerto for 2 haprsichords in C Major.

A lot of Bach lately, which is unusual for me. I don't listen to him infrequently per se, just in smaller doses.


----------



## Kieran

I gave up an hour trying to figure out Scott Walker's Bish Bosch, and when stifled I always race back to my bolt hole - Wolfie.

His 8th piano sonata, in a-minor, K310. What I love about Mozart is that there's no certain way to fit the music to the biography. In other words, his music maybe sad, but we have no guarantee that he composed _because_ he was sad. Nor, when he was sad, do we know why he composed happy music. He wasn't an ideological composer. His art wasn't a mirror of his ego.

But with his 8th piano sonata, there maybe good grounds for thinking that he was distressed at his mother's recent death, when he wrote it in 1778, at the age of 22. Perhaps the grief informed this work. The fiery opening movement is a rare gemstone of controlled grief, venom and frustration. It also fits perfectly with his maxim that music, no matter how tragic or extreme it is, should always be beautiful.

Performance I'm enjoying now is by Mitsuko Uchida... :tiphat:


----------



## AndyS

Herbie's Meistersinger. Some beautiful playing from the Staatskapelle, Dresden


----------



## DrKilroy

I currently do my homework listening to Górecki's Copernican Symphony. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## lostid




----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat
Prague Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras


----------



## Flamme




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under the stick of Leonard Bernstein.
Philip Glass--*Symphony No.4 {"Heroes"}, *featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra led by Marin Alsop.


----------



## lostid




----------



## kv466




----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Trio No.17 in E Flat

Camerata Berolinensis: Johannes Gebauer and Fiona Stevens, violins -- Katie Rietman, cello

View attachment 11660


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's 'Sturm und Drang' CD 1 to start out.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Malcom Arnold, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## lostid




----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in* *B-Flat Major, D125* *and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D589, *both performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878/1880 Version}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Novelette

Antonio Rosetti - Horn Concerto in D Minor by Zdenek Divok: Czech Chamber Orchestra.

Beethoven - 11 Bagatelles, Op. 119 joyfully played by myself.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> Kevin, I also had the same reaction to Stenhammar after I first heard him; the amazing thing is he only wrote--as far as I know--those two symphonies!


He actually started a third and I guess fragments of it remain but as far as I know it's never been recorded.

I'm going to continue this evening with Stenhammar's String Quartets 3 thru 6 and also his two piano concertos. Should be a fun evening! 



















Kevin


----------



## Wandering

Brahms Sextet no.1

Scherzo movement

Bamberg SO

that 2.50 mp3 purchase mentioned earlier, thanks _again_ for checking it violadude


----------



## lostid

This has to be the best guitar concerto and recording - only if you agree with me. :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Dvorak Symphony no. 1 and no. 2.


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D82 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D589, *both featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878/1880 Version}, *performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## bejart

1st listen to a new addition ---
Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Grand Sonata in C Major, Op.48

Hanus Barton and Jana Macharackova, pianos

View attachment 11662


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## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Waltzes Op.54 - Radoslav Kvapil, piano


----------



## Sid James

*Fado - Portugal's Blues album*. Fado is a song tradition that developed in Portugal's cities but it was nourished by folk traditions from rural areas, as well as things like Greek and Arabic musics. The feel here overall is kind of bittersweet, but not exactly depressing. The special type of 12 stringed instrument on the cover is used by the lead accompanist in these recordings on this complilation by a variety of Portuguese singers, some songs done live. All up a good way to spend under an hour, but if you want some truly stupendous fado, look no further than the legendary Amalia Rodrigues. When she died, Portugal held three days of national mourning. Her voice was the essence of fado.


----------



## Tristan

Ravel - Menuet Antique

There's a part of this beautiful piano piece that reminds of the theme song to Twin Peaks. And when I heard it, I wasn't exactly sure why it sounded so familiar to me.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St John Passion - Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Symphony No.2,6 and 7


----------



## Ravndal

Saint-saens pc nr2. Rubinstein.


----------



## Ravndal

neoshredder said:


> Now listening to Dvorak Symphony no. 1 and no. 2.


Have you heard no9?


----------



## Arsakes

Ravndal said:


> Have you heard no9?


Dvorak's first three symphonies are very nice 

And everyone knows the No.1 symphony of the world AKA "From The New World"!


----------



## Ravndal

I belive you  I'm just a big fan of nr 9. And im listening downwards, so next for me is no 6.


----------



## bejart

1st listen to another new addition --
Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quattro No.1 in G Major

Christophe Timpe leading the Accademia per Musica

View attachment 11669


----------



## Hausmusik

*Joseph Joachim, Violin Concerto #2, "In The Hungarian Style"*
3. Finale alla Zingara: Allegro Con Spirito
*Rachel Barton Pine; Carlos Kalmar: Chicago Symphony Orchestra*


----------



## Hausmusik

*Elgar, Symphony #1*
First time hearing a performance of this work.

Martyn Brabbins: BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Wandering

Brahms Sextet no.1

Scherzo movement

Bamberg SO

that 2.50 mp3 purchase mentioned earlier, thanks _yet again_ for checking it violadude


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Symphonies 24 - 34, with ASMF/Marriner (rec. 1987 - '90).

View attachment 11670
View attachment 11671
View attachment 11672


----------



## Sonata

Started the morning off with *Bach*: English Suite #5 and *Grieg*: 3 Piano pieces Op 105. Now I am listening to *Mendelssohn* Lauda Sion, Op 73. The latter is nice, though not the unexpected gem that was Op 96


----------



## Guest

Today is totally random day. I am completely at the whim of my iPod, as I have set it to shuffle through the entire library. I have just gone from the 1st movement of Mahler's 9th, to the 2nd movement of Schubert's Rosamunde String Quartet, to Bach's Musical Offering, and now it is an aria from Bach's St. Matthew's Passion. Should be an interesting day.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, with Pletnev (rec.1988), and Sudbin (rec.2009 - '10).

View attachment 11673
View attachment 11674


----------



## neoshredder

DrMike said:


> Today is totally random day. I am completely at the whim of my iPod, as I have set it to shuffle through the entire library. I have just gone from the 1st movement of Mahler's 9th, to the 2nd movement of Schubert's Rosamunde String Quartet, to Bach's Musical Offering, and now it is an aria from Bach's St. Matthew's Passion. Should be an interesting day.


I've done that as well. Fun. Listening to CD 1 of Mozart's Piano Concertos.


----------



## Hausmusik

Ravel, Tombeau de couperin
Abbado: LSO


----------



## Hausmusik

*Ligeti, Etudes
Jeremy Denk*
A recent acquisition. On first impression, I'd say Denk brings extraordinary structural clarity to these works--more than does Pierre-Laurent Aimard in the now-classic Sony traversal. I am also REALLY enjoying Denk's beautifully written and incisive liner notes. This recording is the whole package.

Why though does Denk leave out the final Etude from Book 2, #14 "Caloana Infinita"? According to the liner notes, "I have never been able to imagine going on after number thirteen." Hum.


----------



## ArtMusic

Some beautiful good old Mozart,


----------



## lostid

I love this one.


----------



## Sonata

On my maiden listen to one of my recent Christmas iTunes acquisitions: *Richard Strauss*: Orchestral Lieder with soprano Diana Damrau. The first couple of songs didn't gel with me, it appears to be taking a better turn. Hopefully it stays that way.


----------



## Mahlerian

Inspired by the posting on the Berio thread,

Berio: Sequenza XI for Guitar
Via Youtube

I've always enjoyed what the post-WWII modernists had to do with guitar and flute music. So many possibilities for color, and they exploited them all!


----------



## opus55

Sinding: Piano Trios, Nos. 2 and 3
Nielsen: Symphony No. 1

















Spotifying at work, drinking Chai Tea Latte.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", Nowak Version} and Symphony No.8 in C Minor.* Both works feature Klaus Tennstedt leading the Berliner Philharmoniker in two very expressive and spirited renditions of these symphonies.


----------



## Andolink

Benjamin Britten: Symphony for cello and orchestra op. 68
Frank Bridge: Oration (Concerto elegiaco) for solo cello and orchestra
Steven Isserlis, cello
City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hickox


----------



## Vaneyes

*
View attachment 11682
RVW*: Symphonies 3 - 5, with LSO/Previn (rec.1969 - '72), RLPO/Handley (rec.1986). I occasionally wonder how Foxy got along with No. 4.

View attachment 11680
View attachment 11681


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to some Dave Brubeck at the moment (listened to Mahler 1 earlier) and I am deciding whether or not I should take a break from Mahler 7...what do you guys think?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Inspired by the posting on the Berio thread,
> 
> Berio: Sequenza XI for Guitar
> Via Youtube
> 
> I've always enjoyed what the post-WWII modernists had to do with guitar and flute music. So many possibilities for color, and they exploited them all!


Something that is yet to become part of my repertoire...thanks for reminding me about it!


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to some Dave Brubeck at the moment (listened to Mahler 1 earlier) and I am deciding whether or not I should take a break from Mahler 7...what do you guys think?


Hah! I'd never recommend a Mahler break, unless of course it were to get your Mendelssohn on :lol: Jokes aside, I actually savor my Mahler slowly like a special treat, so that's an ok approach too.


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> On my maiden listen to one of my recent Christmas iTunes acquisitions: *Richard Strauss*: Orchestral Lieder with soprano Diana Damrau. The first couple of songs didn't gel with me, it appears to be taking a better turn. Hopefully it stays that way.


Happy to say that I am please overall. I'm not quite through the album, but there's just a couple of tracks I don't care for.


----------



## samurai

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to some Dave Brubeck at the moment (listened to Mahler 1 earlier) and I am deciding whether or not I should take a break from Mahler 7...what do you guys think?


Coag, I think you should listen to Mahler 7.


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to some Dave Brubeck at the moment (listened to Mahler 1 earlier) and I am deciding whether or not I should take a break from Mahler 7...what do you guys think?


I went through a Mahler marathon a few months ago, listening to all of his symphonies (including Das Lied) in the span of a few days. I don't actually listen to Mahler every day, but he's always there, in a way (especially when I see my avatar).

Listen to what you want. You could even try a new recording of the 7th!


----------



## Vaneyes

7 more times.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> I went through a Mahler marathon a few months ago, listening to all of his symphonies (including Das Lied) in the span of a few days. I don't actually listen to Mahler every day, but he's always there, in a way (especially when I see my avatar).
> 
> Listen to what you want. You could even try a new recording of the 7th!


I did a Mahler marathon a few months ago too!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's String Quartets Op.9 Nos. 4, 1 and 3 - Kodaly Quartet

From the complete 25cd box, which arrived today, replacing the seven or eight Kodaly Haydn discs I already had


----------



## Guest

Faure's _Dolly Suite_ for 1 piano/4 hands, which I'm learning with a friend. Fun stuff, pretty music as always from the French Brahms.


----------



## opus55

SimonNZ said:


> Haydn's String Quartets Op.9 Nos. 4, 1 and 3 - Kodaly Quartet
> 
> From the complete 25cd box, which arrived today, replacing the seven or eight Kodaly Haydn discs I already had


I guess it's not too late to get the box since I only have two of those discs. :lol:










Bruch: Symphony No. 3

Listening to the second disc of Bruch symphonies which I started last night. It's romantic as you'd expect.


----------



## Bradius

All the Mozart Symphonies. On vinyl!


----------



## GreenMamba

Brahms' Violin Sonatas, Ashkenazy and Perlman.

Just numbers 2 and 3 tonight, even though 1 is my favorite.


----------



## TheVioletKing

Listening to all of Shostakovitch's Symphonies


----------



## samurai

TheVioletKing said:


> Listening to all of Shostakovitch's Symphonies


By whom are they performed and conducted?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D944 {"Great"},* performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


I knew you would pull through with the right decision!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> I knew you would pull through with the right decision!


Right after this I feel like some of Manuel de Falla's neoclassicism though...I have listened to this symphony every day since October.


----------



## samurai

@ Coag, Way to go, buddy! :cheers:


----------



## opus55

Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014 - 1019


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Saint-Seans Piano Trio/Faure Piano Quartet


----------



## drpraetorus

Tchaikovsky, Sym 5, Solti


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to this recording of some of Dussek's piano sonatas. You could say that piano was his forte! (Sick I know!) :devil: However he was extremely gifted at writing for the piano and this recording is really well produced and excellently performed.


----------



## Sid James

With bushfires raging across the country yet again, I decided to listen to this commemorative cd for the Victorian bushfires in 2009. An earlier review of mine here. I have yet to listen to the 2nd cd of this set...


----------



## neoshredder

Symphony Finale here. Vote your picks. Up to 5. http://www.talkclassical.com/orchestral-music/poll-828-a.html


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid: I hope you and all your loved ones are out of harms way. And all the rest of our Aussie cousins.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 5 from Dvorak


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manuel de Falla: Master Peter's Puppet Show


----------



## lostid




----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Ionisation 1931 Edgard Varese


----------



## Sid James

The second cd of *Our Land in Harmony* set, a tribute to those who died in the Victorian bushfires of 2009 (our worst death toll from bushfires to date). This cd had a variety of music, from a flute quartet by Mozart to songs by Richard Strauss & Eric Coates and to Australian composers & beyond. My favourite tracks where by *jazz pianist Mike Nock *and the amazing intricacy and detail of *koto player Satsuki Odamura* playing the piece called _Tori no Yoni (Flying Like a Bird)_ by Tadao Sawai. This beautiful and talented woman is based in Australia & she's made many television appearances, incl. performances of new works written by Australian composers for her. The others where great too but for me she stole the show in terms of this cd, so to speak.


----------



## Faell

Boulez' _Le Marteau sans Maître_


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Cello Suite No.2 in D Minor, BWV 1008

Jaap ter Linden, cello

View attachment 11687


----------



## Andolink

Michael Jarrell: Modifications for piano and ensemble
Claude Helffer, piano
Ensembel Contrechamps/Giorgio Bernasconi








Jean-Marie Leclair: Sonata for violin and basso continuo in E flat, op. 9, no. 9
Trio Sonnerie








Hugh Wood: String Quartet No. 3
Chilingirian Quartet








Roberto Gerhard: Libra, for flute/piccolo, clarinet, violin, percussion & piano; Gemini, duo concertante for violin & piano
Nieuw Ensemble/Ed Spanjaard


----------



## violadude

Woo, haven't posted in this thread for a while. Here are my most recent, serious musical listening. I'm just going to copy and paste from my music review blog.

Sippal Dobbal, Nadihegeduvel









'm a huge fan of Gyorgy Ligeti. He was without a doubt one of the most inventive, imaginative and just plain unique composers of the 20th century. His style is also very witty at times, as it is in this piece.

"Sippal, Dobbal, Nadihegeduvel (With Pipes and Whistles) is a "song cycle" of 7 songs that are basically about nothing. The lyrics are mostly words that either don't follow any particular narrative, don't make much sense in context, or are just completely made up words using random Hungarian syllables. It is scored for a Mezzo-Soprano, an enormous percussion ensemble, whose players are at various times throughout the work asked to play non-standard woodwind instruments (ocarinas, harmonicas and recorders). On top of this vast array of percussion sounds, Ligeti also asks the Mezzo-Soprano to create various different timbres with her voice (from low growly sounds, to soft whisper sounds and everything in between). Ligeti uses this huge number of percussion instruments in a very effective and diverse fashion, sometimes using a large number of them, sometimes using a very small number to create more homogenous textures. Each movement has a different feeling and a different orchestration.

It seems to me that the orchestration of each movement is definitely an organizational factor in the form of the piece as a whole. The outer movements (movements 1 and 7) are very diverse in their orchestration using a wide variety of percussion and wind instruments. Looking at the orchestration from the two outer movements going in, the orchestration thins out from both directions. In other words, from movement 1, the instrumentation gets less and less diverse and more concentrated and homogenous until movement 5 where the only instruments accompanying the singer are 4 harmonicas. And then from movement 5 going out toward the last two movements the palette becomes more diverse once again.

Movement 1 is called "Fabula" and the orchestration is

1. 1st Marimba, 1st slide whistle, 1st siren whistle, side drum, descant recorder
2. 2nd Marimba, 2nd slide whistle, 2nd siren whistle, small side drum, treble recorder
3. Bass marimba, 1st flexatone, 1st marimba, Burmese gong in F sharp, tenor recorder
4. Medium and low bass drums, 2nd flexatone, lion's roar, 2nd marimba, tam-tam, cymbal with the sound of a broken pot

This is a short movement, only a minute long. It's quite a strange minute too. The movements starts out with the singer singing three notes, the same pitch, on rhyming words in a tempo that is very marked, almost obsessively marcato it seems. This is echoed by the bass drum. The singer continues in this sort of style, barking words out one by one in a very steady and slow tempo but her singing style soon changes from barking, to wailing. The orchestration changes with her, as she transitions from a more marked and static singing style to a more wailing style, the instruments shift from steady instruments like bass drums, to silly instruments like the slide whistle, Flexatone and lion's roar. This culminates in a sudden, quick and frantic scale upward in the voice accompanied by a marimba. Using the side drum as a short transition instrument, the singer then goes back to her static, singing style but this time less barking feeling and a more gloomy. This gloomy feeling is backed up by gloomy instruments, the gong and tam tam. Then another quick frantic scale, upward this time, accompanied by the recorders and a whipping sound and the piece is over. I'm not going to go through each movement in this much detail, but I just wanted to outline just how diverse this piece is and how many weird emotions Ligeti can convey in one minute.

The next movement is called "Tancdal" and the instrumentation is such:

1. 2 Police whistles, log drum, tom-tom, small pair of cymbals (with coughing sound), ratchet, castanets, wood drum (with muffled sound), guiro, railway whistle, vibraslap, slide whistle, sandpaper blocks, 2 cowbells, tambourine, siren whistle, 2 rototoms, tuned bongo or conga, low slit drum, 4 temple blocks (tuned), low cymbal (bowed)
2. 1st marimba, sopranino ocarina in F
3. 2nd marimba, 1st soprano ocarina in C
4. Bass marimba, 2nd soprano ocarina in C

This is another minute long movement. Unlike the last movement though, this one has a consistent character throughout. It is a quick, somewhat frantic movement. The basic pulse is the same throughout the movement but the strong beat and the grouping of notes are constantly shifting to create very dynamic rhythmic complexities. As you can see, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th percussionist have only 2 instruments each while the 1st has a wide variety. The job of the 2nd through 4th percussionists (who only have marimbas and ocarinas) is to keep the pulse. So the pulse is kept by the constant presence of one of these two instruments, while at the top, in the 1st percussion, a wide variety of sounds and timbres fly by and an extremely quick pace. It's an interesting way to organize the sound. All the while, the mezzo-soprano jumps through crazy vocal gymnastics with lots of leaps and quick notes. This whimsical piece ends with a strangely cryptic sound of the bowed low cymbal.

The third movement is entitled "Kinai Templom." The instrumentation is:

1. Rin, glockenspiel
2. Burmese gongs, crotales
3. Tubular bells
4. Vibraphone

Here, you can see the instrumentation start to get thinner and less diverse. This is one of the longer movements at about 2 minutes and 20 seconds. This movement is very beautiful to me. There is no regular pulse to this movement, no real established tempo. It's just a very slow piece that unfolds just one note at a time. Each note sung on the mezzo-soprano is accompanied by a very bell like sonority in the percussion. This slow feel, one note at a time, in the moment kind of feel combined with the bell like sonorities give this piece a hauntingly beautiful "ancient" quality about it. It feels as if you're in a huge ancient temple that takes you into a timeless world. It's a really good movement and the serious, almost spiritual feel of this one is a really interesting contrast to the zany movements that proceed it.

The fourth movement is called "Kuli" and the instrumentation is:

1. Xylophone
2. 1st marimba
3. 2nd marimba
4. Bass marimba

The instrumentation now is almost completely homogenous, with 3 of the same instrument, the marimba and a xylophone, which is in the same family of instruments as the marimba. This movement is just under 2 minutes. Her, Ligeti makes an interesting compensation. Since the instrumentation is so homogenous and similar sounding, he makes the voice the instrument that provides the timbrel variety. This movement sounds very angry and almost crazy, like it's sung by a crazy madwoman. This movement has the greatest variety of vocal sounds. The mezzo-soprano screams, wails, growls, whispers intensely has loud outbursts followed by quiet regressions. This is all over the top of a very aggressive but very very cool sounding choir of marimbas that are beating out an interesting pattern almost obsessively. There are multiple breaks throughout this movement where the marimbas stop and allow the vocalist to sing on her own. I think the main point of this movement is just that lack of variety in the percussion allows for much more variety in the singer and Ligeti really took this idea and ran with it.

The fifth movement is called "Alma, alma" and the instrumentation is:

1. 1st Harmonica in C
2. 2nd Harmonica in B flat
3. 3rd Harmonica in C
4. 4th Harmonica in B flat

We've reached the point of total homogeneity of sound with this movement. The only instruments are the singer accompanied by a choir of harmonicas. This is the longest movement at almost 3 minutes long. Also, this movement and the next one (the 6th) are the two most lyrical movements of the piece. In stark contrast with the previous movement, the singer sings this piece with a completely straight tone and it actually sounds like a "real" melody. The rhythm of the piece has a lilting, rocking feeling and to me all these elements (instrumentation, the melody and the rocking feeling) make this movement sound very much like a sea shanty. It is a really nice piece. It is pleasant but at the same time has a sort of underlying eerieness about it. But, like the 3rd movement, the straight, serious tone of this movement provides a good escape from the insanity of the other movements.

The sixth movement is called "Keseredes" and the instrumentation is:

1. Claves, sopranino ocarina in F
2. 3 different snare drums and tom-tom, 1st soprano ocarina in C
3. Vibraphone
4. Bass marimba, 2nd soprano ocarina in C

You'll notice now that the instrumentation will become bigger and more diverse again. This movement is absolutely the most melodic of them all. It is also very "eastern" sounding. It has quite an exotic flavor to it. It's starts out with the tom toms and claves creating a intricate polyrhythmic structure together and then the singer comes in with the most lyrical melody we have heard or will hear in the entire piece. The melody is actually quite charming and uses a very unique scale with cool sounding cadences and harmonic shifts. The singer, along with the rhythm, is also accompanied by chords on the vibraphone, which to me end up sounding sort of like a Hammond organ in this movement. But it's all very lovely, with a charming eastern flavor and a nice melody throughout. At the very end, the movement closes with a nice three notes on a choir of peaceful sounding ocarinas.

The seventh and final movement is called "Szajko" and the instrumentation is:

1. Maraca, bass drum, tambourine, Japanese wood rattle, castanets, wood block, sistrum, chimes (unpitched), metal bar, guiro, small Japanese bell, tom-tom, 2 police whistles, railway whistle, triangle, 4 temple blocks, 2 different side drums, small suspended cymbal, lion's roar, big whip
2. 4 bongos (tuned ad lib)
3. Xylophone
4. Marimba

Back to the craziness. This last movement is shortest. It's only about 30 seconds long but it manages to combine elements from a couple different movements. It is structured much like the second movement, where the bottom percussionists, 2-4, each have one instrument which are constantly at play throughout the movement and provide steady pulses (with shifting accents) while the 1st percussionist has an array of percussion sounds that each fly by one after another very quickly in the same fashion as the 2nd movement. But this movement also has the aggressiveness and vocal tone as the 4th movement. The mezzo-soprano has quite a few chirps and growls in this one. Everything is put up a notch too. The accents in the pulse shift even more frequently creating even crazy rhythms, it is more frantic and creates a really "breakneck" sort of conclusion to this piece.

I really love this piece. And it illustrates perfectly what I love about Ligeti. He takes just a singer and huge percussion ensemble and makes several movements from that which are each incredibly diverse and unique and the piece goes through so many different kinds of expression. Even going through expressions that you might have not even thought about before. Listening to the uniqueness of the piece, the vast array of colors and emotions, the sheer zaniness of the sound and the highly unusual instruments used, you'll realize why I consider Ligeti such a creative and unique voice in the world of music.

Piano Sonata #1 by Ustvolskaya









Galina Ustvolskaya was a Soviet composer that was born in 1919 and died in 2006. She was a student of the much more famous composer, Dmitri Shostakovich. He apparently thought very highly of her and defended her against her detractors within the Union of Soviet Composers. She wrote 6 piano sonatas all throughout her life and for the next 6 reviews I will be discussing these.

Galina's composition style is very unique, and quite difficult actually. It takes quite a while to get used to it and really see the merit in this style, because, honestly, it's not immediately appealing at all, at least it wasn't for me. But once I took the time to really listen and pay attention to what the music was trying to express I found her unique language to be quite powerful and affective. Hallmarks of her style include, very loud aggressive dynamics, cluster tones (often pounded out in an aggressive manner), long stretches of mono-rhythm (for example, long stretches of only quarter notes being played). Another thing I think is a bit difficult about her style is that there is hardly ever an "accompaniment" part to sort of ground what you are listening to. Usually, the texture is quite bare, with only one or two voices going on at once.

So without further ado, let us get into the 1st sonata a bit. Her sonatas are usually fairly short and this one is no exception, it is under 10 minutes long and consists of 4 movements.

The first movement starts us off with a theme of five quarter notes and a long, abrupt trill. Already, we can sense the mono-rhythmic style of Ustvolskaya. Instead of being boring though, the more I listen to this style, the more I feel that this onslaught of quarter notes has a driving feeling about it. Also, even though this theme is so mono-rhythmic, it is extremely recognizable, especially with the trill. The quarter notes go on relentlessly, always with interruptions from that rude trill. The bass comes in too, first mimicking the theme first introduced to us and then providing a voice of its own (sometimes being the only rhythmic contrast we get). The movement ends with a few powerful harmonized chords, which are the only harmonized chords in the movement.

The second movement is similar to the first movement, but instead of an onslaught of quarter notes, we get an onslaught of quarter notes with lots of springy dotted rhythms thrown in the mix. This movement is much more lively feeling than the first movement. It also has a much darker side, underneath the sprightly rhythms of the right hand, the left hand plays very low and dark octaves in the low register of the piano. This provides a pretty eerie contrast. This movement echos the first movement by adding rude trills in a similar manner as the first movement, which I think is a nice touch. The bass joins the right hand in the dotted rhythm fun about half way in the movement. and there grows a really great interaction between the two voices near the end. The last iteration of this movements theme is harmonized by cluster tones.

The third movement starts with very dark, cold chords. Above this, we get another "theme" made almost entirely of quarter notes. After the first phrase of the theme is over, the left hand again joins the right hand with its own counterpoint of fairly mono-rhythmic melody. I feel like the counterpoint in this movement is very solid, the notes in the two hands, while not implying any sort of tonality, really compliment each other in a powerful way. All this builds to a moment where the quarter notes in the right hand become devastating and powerful cluster chords. After this, the music dies down and the last moments of this movement sound almost impressionistic, with some really "juicy" and "magical" harmonies, the likes of which haven't really been heard yet.

The fourth and final movement is actually structured in a much more traditional way in terms of melody and right and left hand interaction. Here we actually get something in the right hand close to what most people would call a "real melody", one that has rhythmic variety and a relatively predictable arch to it, and this is accompanied by quarter note chords in the left hand. The left hand this plays the melody with the right hand providing a counter-voice. Suddenly though, the music bursts into a section that has sort of a waltz feel to it. There is a melody in 2 that is accompanied by triplet rhythms in the other hand. This gets more and more wild and passionate until, as with many Ustvolskaya movements, it reaches a climax of pounding cluster chords. There is then a quiet epilogue that is mostly quiet reiterations of what we have already heard, but ends with a puzzling statement. Two loud, unaccompanied ascending thirds, followed by a simple, final note that is played loudly and just rings.

It takes a while to get used to Ustvolskaya's style. But once I did, I thought this was a very powerful and compelling first sonata, with many hallmarks of what's to come. She had a talent for building very compelling and driving climaxes using the obsessive mono-rhythmic nature of her music to her advantage. And for the most part, the sparseness of the texture allows the interactions between notes to be something special that is really felt. I don't really have any huge criticisms of this sonata except for maybe the balance between movements could have been a bit more satisfying. The first two movements were very short and then the last two were relatively much longer. I can see the mono-rhythmic thing getting to be a little too much after a while, but each movement is short enough so that it doesn't overstay its welcome so she has good timing in that regard.


----------



## starthrower

Thanks, violadude! I just got the Teldec set which includes that piece. I have been listening to the Clear Or Cloudy set over the past two years, but no Sippal... on that set. I'm enjoying this work and yes, part 6 has a very beautiful melody.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Ts'ong (rec.c1990); *JS Bach*: Two & Three-Part Inventions, with GG (rec.1964).

View attachment 11698
View attachment 11699


----------



## Wandering

I was a little worried about this recording when I got it. It turned out to be a great investment. All three quartets are played with great passion and skill. The sound on the cd is also top notch, I might end up looking for other quartets by these artists.

I guess my one unfortunate is the opening movement of The American Quartet, some parts don't fit with what I'm used to, almost dragged it seems.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/
Some bible talk...


----------



## Crudblud

Today:

Bernd Alois Zimmermann - Violin Concerto / Canto di Speranza / Ich wante mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne
Goffredo Petrassi - Frammento / Flute Concerto / Ritratto di Don Chisciotte
Charles Ives - Orchestral Set No. 2 / String Quartet No. 2


----------



## Arsakes

My *Haydn*'s most favorite Post-No.60 symphonies since 2005:

Symphonies No.88,92 and 94


----------



## Flamme




----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3










I'm in mood for Sib3


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm in mood for Sib3


Sibelius cd's always have an awesome cover.


----------



## Mahlerian

Now is time for Debussy.
Reverie, Suite Bergamesque, Pour le piano, Images Bk. 1 and 2

Gordon Fergus-Thompson, piano


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Hammerklavier Richter Festival Hall 1975


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Gershwin and Friends* - with Sarah Vaughan and her jazz trio, the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Michael Tilson Thomas (who also plays piano). The cd version also has Gershwin himself playing _Rhapsody in Blue_ on piano roll, accompanied 'live' by the Columbia Jazz Band. Sassy's vocal range was amazing, she had an operatic vocal range allied with the flexibility and emotional directness of jazz, and here she uses it to amazing effect. My favourites are the medley from _Porgy and Bess_ and the items she does solo with MTT accompanying her on piano. A legendary concert.


----------



## millionrainbows

Very pleasant listening.
-------------------------------->


----------



## Vaneyes

*Franck*: Piano Quintet, with Levinas/Ludwig Qt. (rec.1996); String Quartet, with Prague City Qt. (rec.1978).

View attachment 11706
View attachment 11707


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Op.20 "Sun" String Quartets - Kodaly Quartet


----------



## Hausmusik

*Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A, K. 581*
Harold Wright, Isidore Cohen, Alexander Schneider, Etc.


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Ezra Laderman's cycle of ten string quartets. I'm familiar with one of his works by the Colorado String Quartet who brought some awareness of Karel Husa's fourth string quartet.

Anyway, after trawling the American Record Guide, I decided to blow it all on his complete chamber music box set:










His music spans everything from Prokofievian humour to American tragedy (Kernis). Some guy on Amazon has completely slated his works which I can see, since this is intense music which requires unmasking. Btw - the whole box set is available from Albany records at less than US$6 for each of the 9 CDs. Amazon would charge a fortune if you bought each disc separately.

I like Albany Records in any case; they brought us David Diamond's complete string quartet cycle as well as Quincy Porter. So much good American music out there that rarely gets a listen beyond their native cities.


----------



## Vaneyes

HC, you're ahead of the SQ learning curve as usual.

Live recs c2002? Be safe with Ezra. Some snippets of 6, 7, 8, look to the dark side. Any upbeats?

From Wikipedia-

'The Cassatt Quartet was founded in 1985 by four young artists at Juilliard who were inspired by the work of artist Mary Cassatt....Named three times in _The New Yorker_ magazine's Best Of The Year CD Selection, they have recorded for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Albany and CRI Labels.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassatt_Quartet

Re discography, an impressive list of, Who's that?


----------



## bejart

Among the very first works that can be identified as a 'string quartet', probably composed in the 1740's:

Baldassarre Galuppi (1706-1785): Concerto a quattro in B Minor

Quartetto Aglaia: Cinzia Barbagelata and Simona Gilardi, violins - Marco Diatto, viola - Jorge Alberto Guerrero, cello

View attachment 11711


----------



## neoshredder

Time for 4'33. When you listened to music all day and can't concentrate on a piece, it's time to give your ears a break.


----------



## Mahlerian

Alban Berg: Altenberg Lieder, Op. 5
Juliane Banse Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Claudio Abbado

Such beautiful music. I'd hate to have to dislike it on the basis of theory.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Violin Concertos - selections from L'estro armonico and La Stravaganza


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major,* performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.0 in D Minor {1869 Version}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## millionrainbows

String Qt No 2, Arditti/Upshaw

--------------------------------->


----------



## bejart

1st listen to another recent acquisition ---
Antonin Reicha (1770-1830): Fugue for Piano No.20

Jaroslav Slama, piano

View attachment 11714


----------



## Tristan

Le Tombeau de Couperin - Forlane

by Ravel


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Piano Concertos on Period Instruments. Higher volume needed to hear the pianoforte.


----------



## SimonNZ

Suk's Ten Songs For Female Voices And Piano Four Hands - Prague Chamber Choir


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *performed by the Karl Bohm led Vienna Philharmonic.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again featuring Maestro Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## GreenMamba

Weinberg's Violin Concertino, op. 42, Ostrovsky/Sanderling.


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: Capriccio Brillant in B Minor, Op. 22 [Cyprien Katsaris; Kurt Masur: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra]

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes [Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta]

Puccini: Manon Lescaut [Mirella Freni, Plácido Domingo; Guiseppe Sinopoli: Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Opera House Chorus]


----------



## tdc

Boulez - Ritual in Memoriam Bruno Maderna






This work sounds to me kind of like Webern meets Takemitsu. I quite like this work. I like it rhythmically, and the colors and textures it evokes.


----------



## aleazk

tdc said:


> Boulez - Ritual in Memoriam Bruno Maderna
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This work sounds to me kind of like Webern meets Takemitsu. I quite like this work. I like it rhythmically, and the colors and textures it evokes.


It's one of my favorite pieces by Boulez, together with Derive I and the piano sonata No.2.


----------



## lostid

Brahms' two piano concertos are my favorites, and his #2 is my favorite of the two favorites. It's always a joy to listen to these PC's.

I like pianist Emanuel Ax, who is in my opinion underrated and not mentioned very often with other known pianists. Here is his playing of Brahms' #2 PC.


----------



## Sid James

*Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas' orchestral music on Naxos.* I like the percussive and melodic aspects of this music. There are similarities to Stravinsky and film music too (two of these pieces where culled from film scores). The story of _Sensemaya_, involving the killing of a snake, comes from Africa and brings to mind voodoo. There's definitely a kind of ritualistic & wild aspect to this music.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello

View attachment 11718


----------



## Flamme




----------



## PetrB

Guillaume de Machaut ~ Messe de Notre Dame


----------



## Flamme

Woow very rich...


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Symphony No.3
American Suite
Cypresses for String Quartet


----------



## Flamme




----------



## millionrainbows

David Froom (1951-), Chamber Concerto (1991) (Arabesque)


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Guest

This was the first recording of Bach's violin concertos I purchased when I got into classical music, and greatly shaped my appreciation for Baroque music - and in particular for HIP recordings. While Andrew Manze's recording on Harmonia Mundi is now my preferred one, as I listen to this one again after a long time, it still is a very nice recording.


----------



## Guest

View attachment 11725


This was the first recording of Bach's violin concertos I purchased when I got into classical music, and greatly shaped my appreciation for Baroque music - and in particular for HIP recordings. While Andrew Manze's recording on Harmonia Mundi is now my preferred one, as I listen to this one again after a long time, it still is a very nice recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

Via online radio, *Mozart*: PC 18, with Orpheus CO/Goode.


----------



## Sonata

*Haydn's* utterly pleasing and infectious *Divertimenti & Concertini for Pianoforte and strings*: 
Concertinos in C Major & G Major, Divertimenti in F Major & C Major. Hob XIV.


----------



## userfume

Borodin string quartet 2 1st movement. It gets overused but there's something special about it. It often sounds messy, not quite right, even fragile, which adds to the tense atmosphere. Incredibly beautiful but not technically perfect like bach


----------



## Vaneyes

Via online radio, *Mozart*: VC 5, with MAO/Ehnes.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release, of *Britten* orchestral, chamber, and solo. Manze conducting this composer was the primary curiosity. Gerhardt provides cello, and Osborne piano.

Interps and playing cast a pall over this expensive 2CD package. Musicality goes missing. Dreary begets drudgery.

Fingerpointing must rest with Manze for directing this funeral, and Gerhardt's boring tone and playing. Poor Osborne's along for only a brief ride.

Two thumbs down. Britton deserves, and receives much better from previous path setters.

View attachment 11734


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am listening to all the slow movements from Mahler's symphonies (I know, this is not the way to enjoy a symphony, but nevertheless...) The ones from the 3rd, 5th and 9th are especially beautiful and moving.


----------



## vertigo




----------



## Guest

SiegendesLicht said:


> I am listening to all the slow movements from Mahler's symphonies (I know, this is not the way to enjoy a symphony, but nevertheless...) The ones from the 3rd, 5th and 9th are especially beautiful and moving.


One time I spent a couple of hours just listening to the different recordings of the "Urlicht" movement from Mahler's 2nd symphony. I love that movement.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rameau's Suite in G - Alexandre Tharaud, piano


----------



## SiegendesLicht

DrMike said:


> One time I spent a couple of hours just listening to the different recordings of the "Urlicht" movement from Mahler's 2nd symphony. I love that movement.


I did the same after first hearing it, but I listened to the same recording over and over and over again. It's truly awesome!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling a new release, of *Britten* orchestral, chamber, and solo. Manze conducting this composer was the primary curiosity. Gerhardt provides cello, and Osborne piano.


Thanks for the heads-up!


----------



## Head_case

bejart said:


> JS Bach: Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
> 
> Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello
> 
> View attachment 11718


This is difficult yet sublime music!

Have you heard the Emerson String Quartet version too? I wonder how they compare. My version is by the British Delmé Quartet. Tovey's work on the penultimate fugue is very inspiring.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Monteverdi, Vespers.*

This is the recording that gave the Monteverdi Choir their name. Gardiner wasn't HIP yet, but they're giving it all they've got, and it's a lot of fun to hear.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Argerich / Abbado: BPO
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G & Gaspard de la nuit
Prokofiev: Third Piano Concerto*

I have been listening to this CD at least once a day for a few weeks now. Haven't grown tired of it yet. Definitely one of the finest piano concerto recitals I own. I know Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli's Ravel is supposed to be the best, but when I finally tracked that down I found it didn't displace Agerich for me.


----------



## Head_case

Vaneyes said:


> HC, you're ahead of the SQ learning curve as usual.
> 
> Live recs c2002? Be safe with Ezra. Some snippets of 6, 7, 8, look to the dark side. Any upbeats?
> 
> From Wikipedia-
> 
> 'The Cassatt Quartet was founded in 1985 by four young artists at Juilliard who were inspired by the work of artist Mary Cassatt....Named three times in _The New Yorker_ magazine's Best Of The Year CD Selection, they have recorded for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Albany and CRI Labels.'
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassatt_Quartet
> 
> Re discography, an impressive list of, Who's that?


I haven't finished listening to the whole cycle ..just started. With a CD box set of 9 CDs, I tend to open one and savour it slowly (saving up for a rainy day ...and here in the UK, it's raining every day lol)

I love the immediacy of the live recordings. There's an urgency in the playing. Laderman's language is very textural - like linen. I am far from working out what I feel about the music - it makes me look forward to the next listen before I've even got there.

The Cassatt Quartet were featured in The Strad a few years ago - I was intrigued by them but being based elsewhere, I never got to see them perform nor get any of their music.

Laderman deserves a thread of his own. I can't wait to get stuck in again


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3










Two days in a row


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.6 "Pathetique" - Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas 4 & 5, with Korobeinikov (rec. 2008); Holst: The Planets, with ASO/Levi (rec.1997).

View attachment 11740
View attachment 11741


----------



## Vaneyes

Hausmusik said:


> *Argerich / Abbado: BPO
> Ravel: Piano Concerto in G & Gaspard de la nuit
> Prokofiev: Third Piano Concerto*
> 
> I have been listening to this CD at least once a day for a few weeks now. Haven't grown tired of it yet. Definitely one of the finest piano concerto recitals I own. I know Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli's Ravel is supposed to be the best, but when I finally tracked that down I found it didn't displace Argerich for me.


One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recordings). :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 11736
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Rameau's Suite in G - Alexandre Tharaud, piano


This was my first Tharaud rec., and we got off to a bad start. Playing was okay, but the venue sounded big and hollow--"Like extra reverb with that?" This would be my Exhibit B (on the TC reverb thread). One that didn't work. :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.1 in D Major, Op.18, No.3

Melos Quartet of Stuttgart: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello

View attachment 11742


Head_case ---
I actually have all three, and I vacillate as to which I prefer at any given time. Lately, it's been the Juilliards, and the Emersons the least. That's this week anyway ---


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> This was my first Tharaud rec., and we got off to a bad start. Playing was okay, but the venue sounded big and hollow--"Like extra reverb with that?" This would be my Exhibit B (on the TC reverb thread). One that didn't work. :tiphat:


That's interesting because I had pretty much the same reaction. I also didn't detect much sympathy or respect for Rameau. You've heard better Tharaud recordings? Which would you recommend?

playing now:









Dvorak's Moravian Duets Op.32 0 Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Irmgaard Seefried, sopranos, Gerald Moore, piano


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor {"Resurrection"}, *performed by the Bernard Haitnik led Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"},* once again featuring Maestro Haitnik and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4










Trying something heavy for a change


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): Piano Sonata in E Flat, Op.3, No.1

Richard Fuller, piano

View attachment 11745


----------



## Arsakes

Bruckner's Symphony No.6


----------



## AndyS

Bruckner's Te Deum


----------



## peterberriman

I often feel that the presenters should get together and stop repeating works like Grieg piano concerto,Vivaldi Four Seasons, Saint Sean's Organ concerto etc.two or three times a day. The same works every day!


----------



## bejart

Georg Muffat (1653-1704): Concerto Grosso No.2 in A Major

Peter Zajicek directing Musica Aeterna Bratislava

View attachment 11748


----------



## Sonata

Started the day with some non-classical. Then heard Haydn's 23rd piano trio on the classical station while driving to work. Now listening to my "re-listen" playlist on my iPod, which is one way I have of getting to know my music collection better. I pick either most enjoyed pieces on an album in some cases, or ones I know the least, or sometimes a full album, to re-listen to within the month. Right now I have some lovely pieces from the Nutcracker playing, ones that don't tend to show up on the radio around Christmas time :lol:


----------



## Guest

I bought this album because I wanted a recording of Mahler's Piano Quartet, but I have quickly come to love this recording of his 6th symphony by Eschenbach. Right now I am listening to the 3rd movement andante, and loving it. This has quickly replaced Boulez for my favorite 6th.


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet No.4 in D Major.

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 11757


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky again: Swan Lake, Disc 3. I wish he would have toned down the brass. It's wonderful music otherwise.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner's Symphony 4. The beginning is classic.


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony No.6 in E Flat

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena

View attachment 11759


----------



## Manxfeeder

Everybody's listening to Bruckner, and I'm listening to Bach.  Something's wrong in my listening room.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> That's interesting because I had pretty much the same reaction. I also didn't detect much sympathy or respect for Rameau. You've heard better Tharaud recordings? Which would you recommend?....


Essential: Scarlatti Sonatas (Virgin), Chopin Waltzes (harmonia mundi), Milhaud Piano Music (Naxos) Poulenc Chamber Music Vol. 4 (Naxos). Optional: His new compilation of not so classical, Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit - Swinging Paris (Virgin). :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Violin Concerto
Isaac Stern, New York Philharmonic, cond. Leonard Bernstein

via Spotify.


----------



## Vaneyes

Immersed in *Scriabin* for a couple of days. Now spinning MAH. I'll be pulling the trigger on a Dmitri Alexeev *Scriabin* purchase shortly. I guess I should be attending *S*UF (*Scriabin* Up Front) meetings for my "issue". heh heh

View attachment 11761
View attachment 11762


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Guest

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bruckner's Symphony 4. The beginning is classic.


Celibidache famously despised recorded music - thank goodness we do have recordings such as these. Sometimes I prefer to listen to this symphony at a little more brisk of a pace, but there is no denying the extra power conferred under Celibidache's conducting here.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Viotti (1755-1824): String Quartet No.2 in B Flat, G113-114

Quartetto Aria: Fabrizio Cipriani and Marino Lagomarsino, violnis -- Ernest Braucher, viola -- Antonio Fantonuolli, cello

View attachment 11770


----------



## Hausmusik

Debussy: Preludes
A. Benedetti Michelangeli


----------



## Ravndal

I'm addicted to Saint-Saens PC nr 2  The first movement is so extremely COOL. Some seriously hard parts in there. And then there is the second movement, funny and playful


----------



## Hausmusik

Schumann, Fantasiestucke
Gabetta & Grimaud


----------



## Sid James

Ravndal said:


> I'm addicted to Saint-Saens PC nr 2  The first movement is so extremely COOL. Some seriously hard parts in there. And then there is the second movement, funny and playful


You know, you're spot on. It was even hard for the man to play himself! As with many of these things, he didn't get enough time to rehearse if before the premiere. So the premiere did not go that well apparently. But not long after, Camille mastered this work and its been firmly in the repertoire ever since (maybe a little too much overshadowing his other pc's, all of which I think are superb).


----------



## DrKilroy

I know the second movement only, but I love it! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sid James

A listen to music by *Peter Sculthorpe.* With record high temperatures here, this music is really appropriate. The four _*Sun Music*_ pieces are a portrait of the searing heat and isolation of Australia's outback (the dry centre of the continent, with around half a dozen deserts). More info at the http://www.talkclassical.com/5674-peter-sculthorpe-2.html#post246830 thread I did a while back on this forum. This cd has the Melbourne SO under Sculthorpe's long time collaborator of decades past, conductor John Hopkins. Sculthorpe's music incorporates many things, from Australian Aboriginal melodies to the rhythms of Asian gamelan to sounds/images of nature conveyed by his innovations in sonority. The near electronic sounds in the Sun Music pieces brings to mind heat rising from the dry earth and also the calls of birds.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by another addict, to get this one on the tarmac and ready it for take-off. *Saint-Saens* PC 2, with Thibaudet/SRO/Dutoit (rec.2007).

View attachment 11773


----------



## Ravndal

Sid James said:


> You know, you're spot on. It was even hard for the man to play himself! As with many of these things, he didn't get enough time to rehearse if before the premiere. So the premiere did not go that well apparently. But not long after, Camille mastered this work and its been firmly in the repertoire ever since (maybe a little too much overshadowing his other pc's, all of which I think are superb).


That PC has truly been a wakeup call. Gotta listen to more of his concertos  Which one should be next on my list do you think?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to *Saint Saens' Piano Concerto No. 2 *for the first time to see what all the fuss is about.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68

Sir Adrian Boult leading the Philharmonia Promenade Orchestra of London

View attachment 11775


----------



## Ravndal

Manxfeeder said:


> Listening to *Saint Saens' Piano Concerto No. 2 *for the first time to see what all the fuss is about.
> 
> View attachment 11774


And you are listening to an extremely good version as well! Enjoy!


----------



## Sid James

Ravndal said:


> That PC has truly been a wakeup call. Gotta listen to more of his concertos  Which one should be next on my list do you think?


Well all of the other 4 are worth listening to, but my favourites are that 2nd one, also the 4th (which Liszt called the best pc since Beethoven) and the 5th "Egyptian" which has melodies he heard sung by boatmen on the Nile at Cairo as well as a minute long snippet of gamelan imitated by piano and bassoon &/or clarinet of all things. He heard gamelan most likely on his travels in French Indo-China. An amazing ear for capturing that sonority, who would have thought he'd copy the sound of the big gong (tam tam) in gamelan with a wind instrument!

But the 1st and 3rd concerto are also superb, and its a pity they are the least known. In these, the influence of Wagner comes through, in terms of writing for brass/horns. There is also an atmospheric quality there, the nature images of Bruckner come to mind in the 3rd.

He also did other piano concerto like works, eg. Africa and also the 'Wedding Cake,' a fun piece, like Chopin but more whimsical and fun. The endings of his concertos have this element too, taking ideas from ballet, Italian tarantella dances that he so loved and also overtones of the can-can. Highbrows at the time where not happy and said that concertos should be serious (but they said it about the Hungarian gypsy ending to Brahms' own concertos). In any case, they're fun to listen to and underlying that is a kind of thematic unity with S-S had in common with Liszt.


----------



## Ravndal

Ah yes, the nr 5. I forget. I have been listening a lot to it as well. It truly lives up to its name! Especially the second mov. Thanks for the info about the Gamelan imitation, i could never understand what kind of sound it was put together by.

Adding nr 4 to my bedtime listening playlist


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berg*: Chamber Concerto, with Stern/Peter Serkin/Mbrs. of LSO/Abbado (rec. 1985).

View attachment 11777


----------



## neoshredder

On MOG: 

Listening to Elizabeth Wallfisch (artist only) radio which is basically a great amount of baroque violin concertos.


----------



## Schubussy

Ravndal said:


> I'm addicted to Saint-Saens PC nr 2  The first movement is so extremely COOL. Some seriously hard parts in there. And then there is the second movement, funny and playful


One of my very favourite piano concertos along with Ravel's and Brahms' second. The fifth is amazing too.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz von Beecke (1733-1803): String Quartet in G Major, M.11

Arioso Quartet: Kay Petersen and Frank Krauter, violins -- Carolin Kriegbaum, viola -- Stefan Kraut, cello

View attachment 11779


----------



## Flamme




----------



## SiegendesLicht

Bruckner, the 1st, the 4th and the 7th symphonies (performed by the Berliner Philarmoniker, conducted by Daniel Barenboim). 

Now, is it just me, or is there anyone else whom the scherzo from the 7th symphony reminds of the "Ride of the Valkyries"?


----------



## SimonNZ

Taverner's Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas - Andrew Parrott


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade in D Major, KV 100

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim

View attachment 11781


----------



## Ravndal

Schubussy said:


> One of my very favourite piano concertos along with Ravel's and Brahms' second. The fifth is amazing too.


Ravel in G or for the left hand? If you mean the "in g" concerto, you are absolutely right!:tiphat:


----------



## Schubussy

'In G'.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> On MOG:
> 
> Listening to Elizabeth Wallfisch (artist only) radio which is basically a great amount of baroque violin concertos.


One of my favorite violists!

Listened to an opera while working today.

Berg: Wozzeck


----------



## bejart

Johann Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Flute Quintet in D Major, Op.7, No.5

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Sabine Lier, violin -- Rainer Zipperling and Julie Borsodi, cellos -- Sabine Bauer, piano

View attachment 11784


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Maurice Durufle's* (1902 - 1986) birthday, sampling Requiem from a CD I briefly owned in the '90's. Pardon, Maurice, that's the best I can do. 

View attachment 11785


----------



## Head_case

I haven't performed the Fauré requiem since my voice broke :lol:

Listening to:










Electrifying! It makes my spine chill listening to the first string quartet.

The clarinet and string quartet piece hasn't worked its way in to my head_space yet.


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): String Quintet in B Flat, P.105

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins -- Jurgen Kussmaul and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Anner Bylsma, cello

View attachment 11786


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Bruckner's 5th Symphony.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major
via the Arnold Schoenberg Center Website

The balance on this work is absurdly difficult to get right. I'm not sure if this recording is quite perfect, but it's good. The full orchestra version is much easier to balance, but it's rarely recorded (but found on a relatively recent and prominent Simon Rattle/Berlin Phil. disc), and loses some of the virtuosic character of the original.


----------



## Head_case

As early as I dare venture, before I risk losing myself in a puddle of sentimentality - this neo-romantic Czech inspired folkore driven 2.1 string quartets are intensely pleasing at 3am whilst the rest of the city sleeps.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in F Minor, D 625

Michael Endres, piano

View attachment 11789


----------



## Guest

Much like composers of this generation look back at Stravinsky and Bartok as the great musical icons of the first half of the 20th century, composers of the next generation will (I think) look back at Rautavaara as one of the greatest musical icons of the second half of the century. Listening now to his Second Piano Sonata, _The Fire Sermon_. Enviable piano writing, to say the least.


----------



## neoshredder

Hmm Hmm Shostakovich, Sibelius, Debussy, and Ravel were also around during that time.


----------



## Conor71

*Glazunov: The Seasons, Op. 67*

Its been a bit horrible at my work the last couple of weeks but lucky I have my Wife, family and of course music to keep my spirits up!.  Last night I started a new listening project which I think may take a couple of weeks or maybe even a few months depending of course if I stick to it or not - I will be surveying the Russian music in my collection. I realized I have quite a lot of Russian music and it is some of my favourite Classical music too so it should be a rewarding project. I hope to return to posting my listening here more regularly soon, I have just spent the last hour "liking" all the posts from the last couple of weeks! 
Currently I am playing Glazunov's Ballet The Seasons for a first listen - really enjoying it so far!. Next I plan to listen to Prokofiev's 6th Symphony from the Jarvi set.


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> *Glazunov: The Seasons, Op. 67*
> 
> Its been a bit horrible at my work the last couple of weeks but lucky I have my Wife, family and of course music to keep my spirits up!.  Last night I started a new listening project which I think may take a couple of weeks or maybe even a few months depending of course if I stick to it or not - I will be surveying the Russian music in my collection. I realized I have quite a lot of Russian music and it is some of my favourite Classical music too so it should be a rewarding project. I hope to return to posting my listening here more regularly soon, I have just spent the last hour "liking" all the posts from the last couple of weeks!
> Currently I am playing Glazunov's Ballet The Seasons for a first listen - really enjoying it so far!. Next I plan to listen to Prokofiev's 6th Symphony from the Jarvi set.


It's great to have family and music to go back to when things are rough at work. And thanks for "liking" us :lol:. Have fun with your Russian project.

Some piano music late at night.

MacDowell, Edward: Piano Concerto No. 2
Beach, Amy: Piano Concerto in C#m
Mozart: Piano Sonatas, K310, 330, 331


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano, Otto Ackerman, cond.

They played "Im Abendrot" from this set over the end credits of The Killer Inside Me and its never sounded so good, far better than it does now on the old 33cx lp I've got.

Time for an upgrade it seems, but it s a pity it doesn't appear this version has been rereleased with the care given to Schwarzkopf's later recording with Szell.


----------



## Arsakes

*Mozart*'s selection while driving.

*Beethoven*'s Piano Sonatas: 'Pathetique', 'Waldstein' and 'Moonlight', right now.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravndal said:


> Ravel in G or for the left hand? If you mean the "in g" concerto, you are absolutely right!:tiphat:


The left hand concerto is also great.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Trio Sonata in C Minor

Musica Gaudens: Katerina Kopecka, flute -- Jiri Zelba, oboe -- Jakub Dvorak, cello

View attachment 11794


----------



## chrislowski

Vengerov never disappoints!


----------



## millionrainbows

You gotta have the ones with the old cover art.









One of my favorite Harbison CDs.


----------



## Andolink

Jørgen Bentzon: Racconto no.4 (for violin, cor anglais, and piano), op.45; Racconto no.5 (for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn), op.46
Randers Chamber Orchestra








Ashot Zograbian: Parable, for 13 instruments
Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble/Alexei Vinogradov








Michael Finnissy: Mars + Venus
IXION/Michael Finnissy








Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet (1964)
Alban Berg Quartet








Arnold Schoenberg: Suite for Piano, op. 25
Maurizio Pollini, piano


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn Piano Trio #2


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in E Minor, D 56

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Giovanni Guglielmo on violin

View attachment 11805


----------



## Hausmusik

Mozart, String Quartet in E flat, K.428
Salomon Quartet

I wonder why are there so may HIP performances of Mozart and Haydn quartets, but no complete HIP cycle of Beethoven quartets? You would think there would be a market. . .


----------



## Head_case

Hausmusik said:


> Mozart, String Quartet in E flat, K.428
> Salomon Quartet
> 
> I wonder why are there so may HIP performances of Mozart and Haydn quartets, but no complete HIP cycle of Beethoven quartets? You would think there would be a market. . .


When you say hip, do you mean, hip as in exposed hips like the nudes on your cover CD above? 

There are plenty of stunning Beethoven Quartet Cycles - my taste in Beethoven is distinctly un-hip, being from the last 50 years (the Végh Quartet; the Vlach Quartet and the Hungarian Quartet). Modern hip ones run from the anti-Mosaiques Quatuor drive. Alas, none of them have quite the saucy cover art as yours 

Currently listening to Jindrich Feld:










Jindrich Feld wrote some excellent short pieces for flute. He hasn't gained a mass following like Dvorak, Smetana nor the later Czech composers. His musical language is conservative for the contemporary era yet very plaintive and emotionally driving. The string quartet No. VI by the Prazak Quartet is my favourite piece here.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

Andolink said:


> Jørgen Bentzon: Racconto no.4 (for violin, cor anglais, and piano), op.45; Racconto no.5 (for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn), op.46
> Randers Chamber Orchestra
> View attachment 11800


Wow, I thought I was the only one who knew about those pieces.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Johannes-Passion










My passion goes towards the music of Johann.


----------



## Ravndal

DrKilroy said:


> The left hand concerto is also great.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Definitely!

But that second movement is so magical, that no other Piano Concerto can live up to it, in my opinion.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok's Piano Concertos 1-3.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Wolf-Ferrari's* (1876 - 1948) birthday, sampling Violin Sonatas 1 - 3, with Rossi & Vincenzi.

View attachment 11808


----------



## Wandering

Rachmanninoff's 2nd Sonata, very popular work, getting to know it better.


----------



## bejart

I'll be listening to lots of Beethoven string quartets over the next couple of weeks since I'm reviewing this outstanding course while I commute: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/Courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=7240

Now --
Beethoven: String Quartet in D Major, Op.18, No.3

Kroll Quartet: William Kroll and Louis Graeler, violins -- David Mankovitz, viola -- Avron Twerdowsky, cello

View attachment 11810


----------



## starthrower




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vivaldi's Trio Sonatas inspired by the latest thread discussion about Vivaldi. 








Btw you can hear the Corelli influence on this cd. Definitely worth checking out if you like Corelli.


----------



## Hausmusik

Head-case, I own a great many complete Beethoven SQ cycles I would not willingly part with, all on modern instruments, but I'd surely make room for a complete cycle by the Mosaiques (who have recorded only the Op. 18 six) or Turner (they have done only 59/3and 74--marvelous performances by any standard).

Now:
Dvorak, Symphony #5


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.2 & 7 (Solti)


----------



## Arsakes

Also I listened to a few pieces of Bruckner's and Beethoven's Trombone duet(or trio?) that I had for several years: Calm and more Beautiful side of Trombone.

Anyone knows them?


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Sinfonia in G Major

Marie Louise Oschatz leading Helios 18

View attachment 11811


----------



## Flamme

BBC 3 Il Trovatore very powerful


----------



## Vaneyes

*Nielsen*: Symphonies 4 & 5, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1987).

View attachment 11812


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Daphnes et Chloe.* Then on to *Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 1*, after Mahlerian's suggestion it was underrated and comparing it in spirit to Stravinsky's Les Noches.


----------



## Ravndal

Tonight im all about Saint Saens PC no4 (Alfred Cortot) and Beethoven PC no4 (Rubinstein)


----------



## SimonNZ

Caccini's Le Nuove Musiche - Jordi Savall et al


----------



## starthrower




----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 6 Karajan 1977


----------



## Vaneyes

*Roussel*: Symphony 1, with Paris O./Echenbach (rec.2005); Symphony 2, with ONdF/Martinon (rec.1968); Symphony 3, with NYPO/Bernstein (rec.1961); Symphony 4, with Quebec SO/Verrot(rec.1994).

Echenbach and the Parisiens do nice work in 1. It may be the toughest of the four to paint. Lenny et Jean, and their famous colorings for 2 & 3--the composer's two best IMO. Verrot is the diamond in the rough for 4, and little-known Quebec SO. That's one of the things I love about classical music. With proper leadership, the meek can occasionally run with the big boys (and gals). 

View attachment 11816
View attachment 11817
View attachment 11818
View attachment 11819


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.4 - Roger Norrington


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Fetis (1784-1871): Piano Sonata No.1 in F Major for Four Hands

Dominique Cornil and Olivier Gardon, pianos

View attachment 11821


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Tristan

A piece I thought I had forgotten forever 

Jarnefelt - Praeludium


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Wesendonk Lieder - Kirsten Flagstad, soprano, Gerald Moore, piano (1949)


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Herbert Blomstedt led Staatskapelle Dresden.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring Maestro Blomstedt and the Staatskapelle Desden.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *performed by soprano Judith Blegen and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *once again featuring the James Levine led Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Granados' 12 Danzas Espanolas - Jean-Francois Heisser, piano


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Stachowski:










I think I'm going to have nightmares. This is a bit too spooky for bedtime music.


----------



## Mahlerian

Arsakes said:


> Also I listened to a few pieces of Bruckner's and Beethoven's Trombone duet(or trio?) that I had for several years: Calm and more Beautiful side of Trombone.
> 
> Anyone knows them?


I know Bruckner's Aequale for 3 trombones. Some of the best of his very early music. He may not have been precocious, but he certainly was talented. The Beethoven I'm not familiar with.



Manxfeeder said:


> Then on to Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 1, after Mahlerian's suggestion it was underrated and comparing it in spirit to Stravinsky's Les Noches.


Thanks. I love Les Noces as well. One of my favorite Stravinsky works.


----------



## GreenMamba

Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire on Spotify (Lucy Shelton, Da Capo Chamber Players)


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Notturno No.3 in C Major

Dieter Klocker leading Consortium Classicum

View attachment 11826


----------



## Novelette

C.P.E. Bach - Cello Concerti [Gustav Leonhardt: Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment]

Bruckner - Symphony #6 [Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic]


----------



## clavichorder

Was listening to Saint Saens 3rd violin concerto, which is a fantastic piece, but it seems to have moved into Carnival of the Animals on the same disc, not that that is a problem!


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Scarlatti's St John Passion - Rene Jacobs


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 in A Major, KV 331

Heidi Lowy, piano

View attachment 11829


----------



## lostid




----------



## Rapide




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vivaldi - La Stravaganza


----------



## opus55

Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 (Borodin String Quartet)
Bruch: Violin Concertos, Nos 1 and 2; Serenade for Violin and Orchestra (Accardo/Masur/Gewandhausorchester Leipzig)

















Haydn: Piano Trios, Hob. XV/6 and 7 (Van Swieten Trio)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 (Davis/Boston Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## clavichorder

I am now listening to a disc of symphonies by Franz Xaver Richter. In his own way, he seems every bit as interesting and atypical of the era as CPE Bach in his symphonies. More baroque and harmonically built up, and yet benefitting much from the Mannheim school. They are very enjoyable and satisfying.


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert* _Piano Quintet 'The Trout'
_
Elisabeth Leonskaja, pno. with Alban Berg Quartet, recorded live in Switzerland (EMI)

*Album: Voices All by The Jazztet
*
Art Farmer, flugelhorn ; Benny Golson, tenor sax ; Curtis Fuller, trombone ; Cedar Walton, pno. ; Buster Williams, bass ; Albert Heath, dr.

All compositions by Benny Golson, incl. the standards_ Whisper Not_ & _I Remember Clifford_ (Toshiba-EMI)

*Schoenberg* _Pelleas und Melisande_

New Philharmonia Orch. under Sir John Barbirolli (EMI)

*Richard Mills* _Symphony of Nocturnes
_
Melbourne SO under the composer, featuring Geoff Lierser on theremin in the second movement (ABC Classics)


----------



## bejart

Francesco Mancini (1672-1737): Flute Concerto No.10

Fete Rustique with Giorgio Matteoli on flute

View attachment 11833


----------



## Ravndal

Poulenc - Concerto for 2 pianos and orchestra in d minor


----------



## Andolink

Jørgen Bentzon: Racconto no. 2, op. 30; Racconto no. 3, op. 31, Racconto no. 6, op. 49








Justin Connolly: Sonnatina No. 2: Ennead op. 26 
Nicolas Hodges, piano
Nocturnal op. 33
Nancy Ruffer, flutes
Nicolas Hodges, piano
Corrado Canonici, doublebass
Julian Warburton, percussion


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Both Richard Strauss' horn concertos (Staatskapelle Dresden & Rudolf Kempe) over and over again.


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Symphonie Concertante in E Flat for 2 Clarinets and Bassoon

Ross Pople directing the London Festival Orchestra

View attachment 11837


----------



## Sonata

Haydn: Nelson Mass. Like Missa Solemnis, it took awhile to grow on me, but now I really enjoy both!


----------



## Schubussy

Manuel de Falla


----------



## DrKilroy

Satie - Messe Des Pauvres.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven symphony 3 chailly


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> *Nielsen*: Symphonies 4 & 5, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1987).
> 
> View attachment 11812


I need to get around to checking out Nielsen one of these days!


----------



## Ravndal

I dont get Nielsen... Seen 2 or 3 symphonies live, and i was bored to death every time.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## violadude

Sonata said:


> I need to get around to checking out Nielsen one of these days!


You do! His symphonies are awesome! One of the best cycles imo. He had quite a flair for drama and theatrics (in a good way, not a cheesy overdone way).


----------



## violadude

Ravndal said:


> I dont get Nielsen... Seen 2 or 3 symphonies live, and i was bored to death every time.


I think Nielsen's symphonies really benefit from listening to a recording at home where you can go back and understand what's going on better. I can see them maybe being boring live to someone not familiar with them. Do you remember which ones they were?


----------



## DavidA

Schubert piano sonata D894 Kempff


----------



## starthrower

Dude, which Nielsen cycle do you have? I was listening to no. 5 on YouTube last night, and it sounds great.

I just got Martin Frost's recording of his clarinet concerto, which is beautiful.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chausson*: Chamber Music.

View attachment 11840
View attachment 11841


----------



## Head_case

The unfairly neglected Chausson String Quartet!

I haven't heard this since the Petersen Quartet's release...!

Currently listening to:


----------



## violadude

starthrower said:


> Dude, which Nielsen cycle do you have? I was listening to no. 5 on YouTube last night, and it sounds great.
> 
> I just got Martin Frost's recording of his clarinet concerto, which is beautiful.


http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Symph...1358104405&sr=1-2&keywords=nielsen+symphonies

http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Symphonies-Blomstedt-Francisco-Orchestra/dp/B00001X5A3/ref=pd_sim_m_1


----------



## Mahlerian

After posting a link earlier, I felt compelled to listen.

Webern: Quartet Op. 22
Robert Marcellus, Daniel Majeske, Charles Rosen, Abraham Weinstein

From the Boulez Webern set on Sony.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Marek Stachowski (1936 - 2004)
View attachment 11843
: String Quartets, with Jagiellonski Qt. I like it. Yet another "ski" rec. added to the list for considered acquisition trigger-pulling.

View attachment 11842


----------



## Head_case

3am music it is not though lol...!

Listening to Jindrich Feld (Czech)'s chamber music because I can't play it anywhere near as well as this:


----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Re Stachowski, 3am music it is not though lol...!


Re compositions (teacher was Penderecki), from what I heard there's little downtime...somethin' always going on. I like that, happy or sad.

Also, the Jagiellonski tone and sound recording are pleasing. Some cello passages are quite breathtaking. :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Ernst Eichner (1740-1777): Flute Quartet in D Major, Op.4, No.1

Il Gardelino: Jan De Winne, flute --Ryo Terakado, violin -- Mika Akiha, viola -- Claire Giardelli, cello

View attachment 11844


----------



## starthrower

violadude said:


> http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Symph...1358104405&sr=1-2&keywords=nielsen+symphonies
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Symphonies-Blomstedt-Francisco-Orchestra/dp/B00001X5A3/ref=pd_sim_m_1


Thanks! It was Blomstedt's 5th I was listening to.


----------



## Ravndal

violadude said:


> I think Nielsen's symphonies really benefit from listening to a recording at home where you can go back and understand what's going on better. I can see them maybe being boring live to someone not familiar with them. Do you remember which ones they were?


I think i saw no 4, and they played the Clarinet concerto (Martin Frost), didnt like it either. Probably one of the more boring experiences i have had since i was a little child.


----------



## tdc

^ I don't click with most of Nielsen's works either. The other day someone posted some links in this thread to a different Danish composer named _Ludolf Nielsen_ - I think of the two Nielsen composers I prefer Ludolf.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, L'estro Arminico.*

This is the CD that opened Vivaldi up to me.


----------



## starthrower

Ravndal said:


> I think i saw no 4, and they played the Clarinet concerto (Martin Frost), didnt like it either. Probably one of the more boring experiences i have had since i was a little child.


Not liking these on the first listen doesn't mean you won't like them on subsequent listening sessions.


----------



## Sid James

With discussions on the forum about Lenny and the Red Priest in recent days, I listened to some of their music:

*Bernstein* _On The Waterfront - Symphonic Suite ; Chichester Psalms ; On The Town - Three Dance Episodes _Bournemouth SO & Chorus with vocal soloists under Marin Alsop (Naxos)

*Vivaldi *_The Four Seasons (from 6 concerti Op. 8) & *Concerto in D minor, Op. 3 #11 (from L'estro Armonico)_ Takako Nishizaki on violin with Capella Istropolitana under Stephen Gunzenhauser and *Jozef Kopelman (Naxos)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Corelli, Concerti Grossi Op. 6.*

Nice music for a rainy day. But I'm not looking forward to driving in it later.


----------



## SimonNZ

View attachment frescobaldi-messa-della-domenica.jpg


Frescobaldi's Messa Della Domenica - Canticum


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel - Valses nobles et sentimentales, orchestral version.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## tdc

L. Nielsen - Symphony No. 3






This guy is surely one of the better Scandinavian composers.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 1
Krystian Zimerman, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Pierre Boulez

Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Winds
Philippe Entremont, Columbia Symphony, cond. Igor Stravinsky


----------



## cwarchc

Followed by this one









I've gone off into into folk music now


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Op.33 "Russian" String Quartets - Kodaly Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
Isaac Stern, Columbia Symphony, cond. Igor Stravinsky


----------



## violadude

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
> Isaac Stern, Columbia Symphony, cond. Igor Stravinsky


This violin concerto should get more attention.


----------



## millionrainbows

Debussy, Peter Frankl, VOX 2-CD. Not a bad recording for 1963. Frankl satisfies me.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.36 in C Major, KV 425

Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 11854


----------



## Schubussy

Just got this CD, first time I'm properly listening to Schumann


----------



## starthrower

Berg-Three Pieces from Lyric Suite NYP/Boulez


----------



## Mahlerian

violadude said:


> This violin concerto should get more attention.


I could say this about Stravinsky's Neoclassical works in general, outside of perhaps the Symphony of Psalms, which is justifiably popular.


----------



## starthrower

^^^
Will give it a listen this week. I cracked out the box set two weeks ago
but didn't play that one.


----------



## Mahlerian

starthrower said:


> ^^^
> Will give it a listen this week. I cracked out the box set two weeks ago
> but didn't play that one.


It's a good disc. I'm particularly fond of the Concerto for Piano and Winds since last year when I heard it performed live by Peter Serkin and the Boston Symphony.


----------



## CounterpointFan

Brahms 3rd symphony. Love the poco allegreto 3rd movement.


----------



## ArtMusic

Mendelssohn (and Mozart) must have been the greatest child prodigy in music the world has ever seen.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra under the wand of James Levine.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D200, Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D759 {"Unfinished"}. *All three works are performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## neoshredder

ArtMusic said:


> Mendelssohn (and Mozart) must have been the greatest child prodigy in music the world has ever seen.


Yeah and Schubert.


----------



## aleazk

Mahlerian said:


> I could say this about Stravinsky's Neoclassical works in general, outside of perhaps the Symphony of Psalms, which is justifiably popular.


My favorites are 'Dumbarton Oaks' and 'Symphonies of Wind Instruments'.


----------



## Mahlerian

aleazk said:


> My favorites are 'Dumbarton Oaks' and 'Symphonies of Wind Instruments'.


I'm a huge Stravinsky-phile, and at least appreciate all of his works (Juvenilia aside...I find the Sonata in F# minor turgid and the Symphony in E-flat tedious).


----------



## bejart

Thomas Shaw (ca.1755-1830): Violin Concerto in G Major

Peter Holman leading the Parley of Instruments -- Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin

View attachment 11858


----------



## Ondine

This very Sunday was dedicated to this one:









Keith is outstanding at K 453 & K 446. Nothing more to add.

But... I have to admit that Stuttgarter Kammerochester surpasses at moments the pace of his piano narrative at K. 466 & K. 271 maybe because a lack of strength at some passages mostly at the beginning of them. But anyway it is a very refreshing different approach to piano concert in general and particularly at the dialogue between conduction, orchestration performance and soloist appreciation.

Recommended purchase.


----------



## neoshredder

Ondine said:


> This very Sunday was dedicated to this one:
> 
> View attachment 11857
> 
> 
> Keith is outstanding at K 453 & K 446. Nothing more to add.
> 
> But... I have to admit that Stuttgarter Kammerochester surpasses at moments the pace of his piano narrative at K. 466 & K. 271 maybe because a lack of strength at some passages mostly at the beginning of them. But anyway it is a very refreshing different approach to piano concert in general and the dialogue between conduction, orchestration performance and soloist appreciation.
> 
> Recommended purchase.


Found it on MOG. Listening to it now.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.29 in E Flat

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 11859


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Scarlatti Cantatas - David Daniels


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner's 7th Symphony. Conducted by Karajan


----------



## lostid




----------



## opus55

Bach: Mass in B minor


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1019

Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord -- Philippe Mermoud, cello

View attachment 11863


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Carnival Overture
Othello Overture
Symphonic Variations (Op.78)
Husitska Overture
In Nature's Realm Overture

Best late-romantic overtures ever!


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

Gerard Grisey: Vortex Temporum, for flute, clarinet, piano, viola and cello
Ensemble Recherche








Urban Mäder: vom Nesselweg her, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion
Stimmenfragmente, for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello and doublebass








Helmut Lachenmann: Reigen Seliger Geister, for string quartet
Arditti Quartet


----------



## Flamme




----------



## millionrainbows

In my opinion, the best recording and performance of this Ives sonata. This version also contains the viola and flute "cadenzas" at the the endings of the Emerson and Thoreau movements. Gorisek, although eastern-european, plays this music with complete understanding. His version of the last movement, Thoreau, is the slowest one on record, clocking in at 21:16. It's just perfect, though.

I wish Columbia/Sony would re-release Ralph Kirkpatrick's version.

Ives is a hard-core dissonant composer in this instance, with no encumbering ideology or "method." However, given this "purity" as a modernist, I don't expect to see Debussy fans come running to defend Ives as a "non serialist good ol' boy."

Ives is "ear" music, but it is highly peppered with jarring dissonance. This approach in itself, "dissonance for its own sake," brings into question the theories and excuses made by pro-tonalists that dissonance (unresolved) is somehow the exclusive realm of "non-tonal" and serial music.

Ives wrote dissonant music simply because it sounded good to his ears. As soon as you "get over" this fact, you can really start to enjoy Ives on his own terms.


----------



## Andolink

millionrainbows said:


> Ives is a hard-core dissonant composer in this instance, with no encumbering ideology or "method." However, given this "purity" as a modernist, I don't expect to see Debussy fans come running to defend Ives as a "non serialist good ol' boy."
> 
> Ives is "ear" music, but it is highly peppered with jarring dissonance. This approach in itself, "dissonance for its own sake," brings into question the theories and excuses made by pro-tonalists that dissonance is somehow the exclusive realm of "non-tonal" and serial music.
> 
> Ives wrote dissonant music simply because it sounded good to his ears. As soon as you "get over" this fact, you can really start to enjoy Ives on his own terms.
> View attachment 11871


You could actually make the case the non-tonal and serial musics are completely dissonance free given that dissonance can be defined as those pitches/chords outside of the key center of a given passage of tonal music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

violadude said:


> This violin concerto should get more attention.


This morning it's getting my attention.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release. *Barber*: Cello Concerto, Cello Sonata, Adagio for Strings, with Poltera/Stott/Bergen PO/Litton.

This collaboration's impressive BIS Hybrid music making continues. This time, aided with Poltera and Stott.

For those collections thin on *Barber*, this would be a good place to start. :tiphat:

View attachment 11874


----------



## Vaneyes

*Barber* & *Ives* Sonatas, with MAH (rec.2004).

View attachment 11875


----------



## Flamme




----------



## DrKilroy

I would like to remind you that today is the 60th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sinfonia antartica premiere.  I will be listening to it today for sure!










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Concerto for Left Hand, with de Larrocha (rec.1972); Gaspard de la nuit, with Pogorelich, rec.1982).

View attachment 11877
View attachment 11878


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> You could actually make the case the non-tonal and serial musics are completely dissonance free given that dissonance can be defined as those pitches/chords outside of the key center of a given passage of tonal music.


Well, I have reservations about that. Even within any given scale (key area), dissonance is defined in relation to the "root." You are correct in that "consonance and dissonance" in serial music are not _theoretical_ considerations which affect structures or harmonic mechanisms, as they are in tonality, but the terms are still applicable to _sound itself,_ and how the ear hears.

This chart shows this, including "notes outside the scale," or all 12 chromatic pitches:

Most dissonant intervals to most consonant intervals, within one octave:

1. minor seventh (C-Bb) 9:16
2. major seventh (C-B) 8:15
3. major second (C-D) 8:9
4. minor sixth (C-Ab) 5:8
5. minor third (C-Eb) 5:6
6. major third (C-E) 4:5
7. major sixth (C-A) 3:5
8. perfect fourth (C-F) 3:4
9. perfect fifth (C-G) 2:3
10. octave (C-C') 1:2
11. unison (C-C) 1:1

"Notes outside the scale" or key area are better defined as "chromatic" or "non-diatonic."


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Well, I have reservations about that. Even within any given scale (key area), dissonance is defined in relation to the "root." You are correct in that "consonance and dissonance" in serial music are not _theoretical_ considerations which affect structures or harmonic mechanisms, as they are in tonality, but the terms are still applicable to _sound itself,_ and how the ear hears.
> 
> This chart shows this, including "notes outside the scale," or all 12 chromatic pitches:
> 
> Most dissonant intervals to most consonant intervals, within one octave:
> 
> 1. minor seventh (C-Bb) 9:16
> 2. major seventh (C-B) 8:15
> 3. major second (C-D) 8:9
> 4. minor sixth (C-Ab) 5:8
> 5. minor third (C-Eb) 5:6
> 6. major third (C-E) 4:5
> 7. major sixth (C-A) 3:5
> 8. perfect fourth (C-F) 3:4
> 9. perfect fifth (C-G) 2:3
> 10. octave (C-C') 1:2
> 11. unison (C-C) 1:1
> 
> "Notes outside the scale" or key area are better defined as "chromatic" or "non-diatonic."


I'd add to that that most, if not all, atonal/serial composers use the dissonance/consonance relationship for much the same purpose as tonal composers, to create and release tension. Also, dissonance is partially conditioned by the successive relations of notes (which are usually heard to "imply" harmonies), rather than simply the relations between notes sounded at one time.


----------



## millionrainbows

Barbara Nissman is perfect for this music. I first heard her on her Prokofiev sonata cycle, and his music benefitted greatly from her passionate, facile approach. With Schumann, it's even more of a no-brainer. She conveys all of the darkness, emotion, passion, instability, and dramatic outbursts which define the syphilitic Schumann's half-insane ramblings. Be careful when listening to this, because the wood-fairies might eat-up the bad little children like you.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 5 Chailly


----------



## Guest

Starting off with some Handel today. I enjoy Handel, but other than his Messiah, nothing of his really excites me. This is a fine recording, and I mainly wanted to dust it off and give it another listen, but I am not in love with the recording.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Violin Concerto
Cello Concerto
Legendy


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Haas Version} and Symphony No.9 in D Minor {unfinished}, *both featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3










Sib3 again


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrKilroy said:


> I would like to remind you that today is the 60th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sinfonia antartica premiere.  I will be listening to it today for sure!


I'll join you. I'm listening to Previn.

[UPDATE: Since I've been listening, ice has started falling around my house. Okay, this piece is creepy enough without hearing the tinkling of ice on my window.]


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: "Archduke" and "Ghost" Trios, with Istomin/Stern/Rose (rec.1965 - '69, 'Certified Perfect Recording'); Piano Sonatas 27, 28, 30, 31, with Gilels (rec.1972 - '85).

View attachment 11889
View attachment 11890


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: "Archduke" and "Ghost" Trios, with Istomin/Stern/Rose (rec.1965 - '69, 'Certified Perfect Recording')


That's one of my first CD purchases. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's a good one.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Pixis' Piano Concerto - Howard Shelley


----------



## Vaneyes

Going to the Dark Side now. *Schoenberg*: String Quartets 3 & 4, with Sherry SQ (rec.2005 - '09); Piano Music, with Pollini (rec.1974).

View attachment 11892
View attachment 11893


----------



## Head_case

That Fred Sherry Quartet are amazing - their playing makes even Schoenberg sounds tonal 

I'm in my listening to feline species copulating on a corrugated metal roof mode:










Anyone care to join lol


----------



## SimonNZ

Biber's Requiem in A major - Gustav Leonhardt


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Going to the Dark Side now. *Schoenberg*: String Quartets 3 & 4, with Sherry SQ (rec.2005 - '09); .
> 
> View attachment 11892


Wow, I wasn't aware Naxos had those out! I'm listening on Spotify. Fred Sherry Quartet, huh? Another great discovery.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dusapin*: String Quartets II & III, with Arditti SQ (rec.1993); *Ginastera*: String Quartets 1 & 2, with Henschel Qt. (rec.1999).

View attachment 11898
View attachment 11899


----------



## Sid James

*Bernstein's* musical _*On The Town *_& also the _*Fancy Free*_ ballet it was drawn from, and the _*Three Dance Episodes *_that was culled from the musical. Kind of demonstrates how Lenny moved between genres with ease, and indeed saw little distinction between them (it's all just music). With quite a few other things on this Naxos cd. Performers incl. Comden and Green, Lenny himself and Arthur Fiedler & the Boston Pops. Vintage recordings from the 1940's and '50's.

Also an *all Bernstein concert *recorded live in Berlin with the Israel Philharmonic & guests the Vienna Boys Choir, mezzo Christa Ludwig and pianist Lukas Foss. *Chichester Psalms & the first two symphonies *on the bill. Lenny conducting (DGG cd). This has got to be one of my fav cd's!


----------



## Head_case

Vaneyes said:


> *Dusapin*: String Quartets II & III, with Arditti SQ (rec.1993); *Ginastera*: String Quartets 1 & 2, with Henschel Qt. (rec.1999).
> 
> 
> 
> Wow....your cover looks different from mine:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was my first introduction to the Arditti Quartet ...right in the heart of the south bank of Paris. It's the kind of music for Les Amants du Pont Neuf
> 
> Dusapin's works I followed up with:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Henschel Quartet version I've not heard...I'm still savouring the Cuarteto Latinoamericano vevrsion of the these fabulous Ginastera quartets.
Click to expand...


----------



## Flamme




----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Sonatas, K.332 & 333










K.333 Bb maj sonata has really sweet melody.


----------



## bejart

Anton Titz (1742-1810): String Quartet in D Minor

Hoffmeister Quartet: Ulla Bundies and Christoph Heidemann, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello

View attachment 11900


----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Vaneyes said:
> 
> 
> 
> *Dusapin*: String Quartets II & III, with Arditti SQ (rec.1993); *Ginastera*: String Quartets 1 & 2, with Henschel Qt. (rec.1999).
> 
> 
> 
> Wow....your cover looks different from mine:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was my first introduction to the Arditti Quartet ...right in the heart of the south bank of Paris. It's the kind of music for Les Amants du Pont Neuf
> 
> Dusapin's works I followed up with:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Henschel Quartet version I've not heard...I'm still savouring the Cuarteto Latinoamericano vevrsion of the these fabulous Ginastera quartets.
> 
> 
> 
> Your cover 1994, mine 2000.
> 
> I don't have other Henschel Qt. recs...they haven't done much contemporary...they do have a Manfred Trojahn 2011 NEOS release. Info as follows.
> 
> Re Henschel Qt.
> 
> Bio -
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Quartet
> 
> Website -
> 
> http://www.henschel-quartett.de/henschel.html?
> 
> Manfred Trojahn, 2011 NEOS release -
> 
> http://www.allmusic.com/album/manfred-trojahn-string-quartets-mw0002159796
> 
> Bio -
> 
> https://www.baerenreiter.com/en/foc...contemporary-music/manfred-trojahn/biography/
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


----------



## Sid James

bejart said:


> Anton *Titz* (1742-1810): String Quartet in D Minor...


Interesting name, reminds me of something (other than a type of bird)...


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *featuring the Vienna Philharmonic led by Herbert von Karajan.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major,* performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Richard Strauss--*Eine Alpensinfonie {"An Alpine Symphony"},* featuring Bernard Haitink conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 11901


Sid James ---
Anton Ferdinand Titz, AKA Tietz or Dietz. I'm sure he didn't suffer through the inevitable ridicule that he might today


----------



## opus55

Handel: Suite No. 2 and 3










It's always exciting to hear the second movement of Suite No. 2 in F major.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Rameau.


----------



## Sid James

*Satie's piano music played by Reinbert de Leeuw on Eloquence label. *Slow and spaced out is the vibe here, some quite relaxing listening.


----------



## Flamme

Sid James said:


> Interesting name, reminds me of something (other than a type of bird)...


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Oboe Concerto.


----------



## Cheyenne

Mendelssohn's first violin concerto - a first time, I had never even listened to anything else by Mendelssohn before! This certainly is promising, I can't wait to delve into his other works!


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in C Major, RV 184

Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum of Leipzig with Burkhard Glaetzner on oboe

View attachment 11905


----------



## lorelei

Mentally listening to Mozart's concerto 22 right now, last thing I listened to on my iPhone (yesterday evening) was Melartin's violin concerto.


----------



## Schubussy

Prokofiev's 3rd piano concerto 
Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra & Martha Argerich


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme




----------



## bukowski

Brahms: Ballades, Op. 10; Sonata No. 3, Op. 5 (Grigory Sokolov)


----------



## Hausmusik

Zinman/Mork/Bronfman/Shaham
Beethoven
Triple Concerto

Best recording I've heard of this work by a mile, as I was just saying on another thread.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Arsakes

*John Adams*' Naive and Sentimental

*R.Schumann*:
Piano Quartet 
Piano Quintet
String Quartet No.2 & 3


----------



## Flamme




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Carl Stamitz.


----------



## Head_case

bukowski said:


> Brahms: Ballades, Op. 10; Sonata No. 3, Op. 5 (Grigory Sokolov)


I don't care for the music, but what a beautiful album cover!

Can you please find out who the photographer of this image is for me, and what it is entitled?


----------



## Art Rock

Going through my CD's with the complete symphonic poems of Richard Strauss once more.


----------



## Art Rock

Head_case said:


> I don't care for the music, but what a beautiful album cover!
> 
> Can you please find out who the photographer of this image is for me, and what it is entitled?


I was intrigued as well, found the photographer on AllMusic: Luc Choquer.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Head_case

Thanks Vaneyes!

Luc Choquer, is not rhyming slang for 'Look Shocker' anymore than James Blunt is for Jimmy errr....

I looked him up and found that he works in a sister photographic agency -

_Luc Choquer
Après des études de psychologie, il devient photographe à partir de 1980 et collabore
avec des magazines nationaux et internationaux. Il reçoit le prix Kodak de la critique en 1985 et présente ses images au Mois de la photo à Paris. En 1986, il obtient la bourse de la fondation Angénieux pour son travail sur la banlieue parisienne.
Son premier livre, Planète France (Contrejour), dont les photos seront montrées à Paris ainsi qu'à Tokyo, paraît en 1989. En 1990, il reçoit une bourse Villa Médicis hors les murs pour son travail sur les femmes de la Perestroïka récompensé par le prix Niépce des Gens d'images (1992) et est publié sous le titre Ruskaïa (Marval), qui donne lieu à des expositions en France, à Moscou, à San Francisco, etc. En 1995, il expose Regard social / Regard d'artiste aux Rencontres d'Arles avant d'aborder son projet Portraits de Français.
En 2005, il entame un travail sur le thème du Paris sensible. En 2007, il sort le livre Portraits de Français (Éditions de La Martinière) dont les images seront exposées
au Musée du Montparnasse. En 2008, la galerie Agathe Gaillard l'accueille à son tour
sur les cimaises de sa galerie. Luc Choquer intègre la maison de photographes Signatures dès sa création._

What beautiful work!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Finzi's Intimations Of Immortality - Vernon Handley


----------



## DavidA

Schubert 'Relique' Sonata D840. Kempff


----------



## Flamme

Godfather theme from a living room tv...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Maderna*: Quadrivium, Aura, Biogramma, with NDRSO/Sinopoli (rec.1979); For Strings, with Arditti SQ (rec.1992 - '95); *Boulez*: Sur Incises, Messagesquisse, Anthemes 2, with EIC/Boulez et al, Ircam Ens, (rec.1999).

View attachment 11916
View attachment 11917
View attachment 11918


----------



## Head_case

Crikes. They look like they're going to sound really delicious. 

Lucky you. Right now, I'm just hearing my own brain rattle as I work overnight on an important document which decides whether I get slated for the rest of the year. 

Happy holidays lol. Because the rest of the year ain't :lol:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Crikes. They look like they're going to sound really delicious.
> 
> Lucky you. Right now, I'm just hearing my own brain rattle as I work overnight on an important document which decides whether I get slated for the rest of the year.
> 
> Happy holidays lol. Because the rest of the year ain't :lol:


If I have the time, and am not rudely interrupted, I often listen to the three as one continuous journey.

Good luck with your stuff. :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Violin Concerto No. 1.*

I bought this for the Stravinsky, but I'm taken now with the Szymanowski.


----------



## Head_case

Vaneyes said:


> If I have the time, and am not rudely interrupted, I often listen to the three as one continuous journey.
> 
> Good luck with your stuff. :tiphat:


That's the life. I wish I was retired and playing golf 

I wish I knew how to play golf lol

Back to work...


----------



## Head_case

Manxfeeder - 

wow. That was my FIRST experience of Szymanowski's violin concertos! It was the only one in the claws of our public library for about a decade and it looked mint with no exit stamps. There is a thin and frail, delicate quality to Chantal's playing - perhaps not loud enough compared to Zehetmair and the brilliant Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. 

It's still a very satisfying listen!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Head_case said:


> Manxfeeder -
> 
> wow. That was my FIRST experience of Szymanowski's violin concertos! It was the only one in the claws of our public library for about a decade and it looked mint with no exit stamps. There is a thin and frail, delicate quality to Chantal's playing - perhaps not loud enough compared to Zehetmair and the brilliant Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
> 
> It's still a very satisfying listen!


Thanks for the review. I'll have to compare it to Rattle's version. I see it's on Spotify.


----------



## Andolink

Milton Babbitt: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Alan Feinberg, piano
American Composers Orchestra/Charles Wourinen








Herman Koppel: Symphony No. 6, op. 63, "Sinfonia breve"
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra/Moshe Atzmon








Pascal Dusapin: Apex "solo no. 3 for orchestra"
Orchestre National de Lyon/Emmanuel Krivine


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in A Major, Op.18, No.5

Budapest Quartet: Joseph Roisman and Jac Goredetzki, violins -- Boris Kroyt, viola -- Mischa Schneider, cello

View attachment 11925


The most Mozartean of Beethoven's quartets ---


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Violin Concerto No. 2.*

This is more concise than the first concerto and more earthy or folk-inflected.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Cello Concerto.*


----------



## bejart

Antonio Sacchini (1730-1786): String Trio in B Flat, Op.1, No.2

Trio Stauffer: Carlo Feige and Antonio Mastalli, violins -- Marco Decimo, cello

View attachment 11930


----------



## Guest

Finally getting around to listen to the 5th Symphony of Tchaikovsky from this excellent recording, which I happened to find on vinyl. The 5th isn't one of my favorites, but I do enjoy the 2nd movement from this symphony.


----------



## tdc

Joaquin Rodrigo - Sonada de Adios (Hommage A Paul Dukas) 

Gregory Allen - Piano


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## drpraetorus

Sacred Harp singing


----------



## starthrower

Listening to my new Henze CD. Symphony no. 10 is sounding very good. Exciting music!


----------



## Vaneyes

Opera Intermezzi, with BPO/HvK (rec. 1967); *Liszt*: Sonata in B minor, with Zimerman (rec. 1990).

View attachment 11933
View attachment 11934


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens concertos 1-2-3










1 for Cello, 2 for Piano, 3 for Violin. I don't think I've heard Cello Concerto before and it's very much enjoyable as it usually is with Saint-Saens.


----------



## LordBlackudder




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius


----------



## lostid




----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D417 {"Tragic"}*, both featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## Mahlerian

Just listened to Carter's Cello Concerto on the recent Decca release with Alisa Weilerstein via Spotify. I don't know if I'd heard the work before, and I didn't remember it (I know for sure I've listened to Carter's Flute Concerto, his Concerto for Piano and Harpsichord, and the Piano Concerto), but it certainly made an impression on me this time. It's a straightforward, powerful work. I'm not really willing to drop $12 for a single 20-minute piece, though, so I'm probably going to end up purchasing the earlier Bridge disc containing the concerto alongside other Carter works.


----------



## aleazk

Listened to Ligeti's _Clocks and Clouds_ with all the lights off and in bed. Great experience. Drugs?... What for?!.


----------



## neoshredder

aleazk said:


> Listened to Ligeti's _Clocks and Clouds_ with all the lights off and in bed. Great experience. Drugs?... What for?!.


Best way to listen to music imo.


----------



## Andolink

Mahlerian said:


> Just listened to Carter's Cello Concerto on the recent Decca release with Alisa Weilerstein via Spotify. I don't know if I'd heard the work before, and I didn't remember it (I know for sure I've listened to Carter's Flute Concerto, his Concerto for Piano and Harpsichord, and the Piano Concerto), but it certainly made an impression on me this time. It's a straightforward, powerful work. I'm not really willing to drop $12 for a single 20-minute piece, though, so I'm probably going to end up purchasing the earlier Bridge disc containing the concerto alongside other Carter works.


Don't hesitate a minute about that purchase. That Bridge disc is one of the very best Carter discs out there. Top performances and stunning sound quality.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Piano Trios


----------



## Flamme

Tis beautiful musick...


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Violin Sonata in D Major, Op.4, No.1

Rudiger Lotter, violin -- Olga Watts, harpsichord

View attachment 11940


----------



## Guest

When I bought my vinyl copy of Mravinsky conducting Tchaikovsky's 4th, 5th, and 6th symphonies, I found that someone had accidentally included in the box this recording by von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker of Tchaikovsky's Ballet Suites Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. In CD form, the Nutcracker Suite is also included, but on the original vinyl, I only have the two mentioned - perhaps originally there were two records in the packaging, and somewhere there is a lonely record missing its mate. No matter. Now I get to enjoy these. Very beautiful sound. I am experiencing a bit of an upswing in my Tchaikovsky listening thanks to these vinyl acquisitions. It is a bit odd, though, after I have transferred them to mp3 format, to listen on my computer and have that popping and crackling. Really only noticeable in the quieter moments.


----------



## bukowski

still with Sokolov (and his beautiful cd covers). 
Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Don Giovanni (Highlights), with BPO/HvK et al (rec.1985); *Verdi*: Requiem, with VPO/HvK et al (rec.1984).

View attachment 11946
View attachment 11947


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Firebird Suite.*

I've only heard the complete ballet. This is my first exposure to the suite.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ligeti and Norgard.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Sibelius


That cover art looks better than the one I got.

Listening to streaming radio

Weber: Grand Duo Concertant for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 48
Saint-Saens: Clarinet Sonata


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Willliam Bolcom, Violin Concerto and Fantasia Concertante.*


----------



## Head_case

bukowski said:


> View attachment 11945


Yes ...another impossibly beautiful album cover. Just a shame the horizon isn't straight lol

j/k

(I bet you even went back to check lol)

Listening to:










I shouldn't have bought this album. I can't stand romantic overwrought Brahmsian music and its pseudo-salonesque motifs. Taneyev's works come from that Russian period which is by any standard, romantic and Russian.

I love this work. Just incredible.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Piano Concerto in D major

*Leo Delibes*:
Coppelia
Sylvia
Le Roi Samuse


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Schubussy

Alfred Schnittke - Piano Quintet, Piano Trio
Barbican Piano Trio


----------



## millionrainbows

Rossini! William Tell, Thieving Magpie, lots of goodies. Plus, those wonderful string sonatas.

---------------------------------


----------



## Guest

Switching from Tchaikovsky to some Mozart now. I'm dusting off my Dennis Brain/Herbert von Karajan recording of the horn concertos. This was one of my earliest recordings I purchased, and I remember really enjoying it, but then not listening to it again for awhile. I initially really enjoyed Mozart, then became more enamored with the Baroque and Romantic periods, to the neglect of the classical period. I have since come to really love the Classical period composers, and am reacquainting myself with some of these great recordings.







I love the whole floating head image!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schnittke*: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, with Geringas & Geringas (rec.1998/9); Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, with Wallen & Pontinen (rec.1991); Piano Sonatas 1 - 3, with Tchetuev (rec. 2004).

View attachment 11957
View attachment 11958
View attachment 11960


----------



## millionrainbows

This is really beautiful-sounding...it's weird, too. It's like being on nitrous oxide, or like watching some sort of weird speeded-up plant growth, or maybe bacteria growing and reproducing under a microscope. The music seems to be alive, to be growing organically. I don't know what David Atherton told these musicians, but whatever it was, it sounds like they are totally "in" the music, giving it life.
After reading about how 12-tone sets can be manipulated and combined, it's obvious to me that Schoenberg was totally in control of his row-sets, to the point of unconscious mastery...he plays with the sounds, the combinations, producing rich, wonderful harmonies...the operant word here is "play," for it sounds always playful, bright, fantastic...


----------



## PetrB

Pérotin ~ Viderunt omnes


----------



## tdc

Norgard - Symphony No. 7

This is the second time I've tried listening to Norgard, I get images of very vibrant, and unique colors with this composer. I also notice some great skill in structure and sound manipulation. I think this composer will continue to grow on me.


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Tchaikovsky PC No 2 - Leonskaja

For the first time! I thought he only had the one PC. But apperantly he wrote 3 of them. From what i have heard, No3 is incredibly bad, so il just ignore it,


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Tonight it's Mahler's 7th symphony (from this set):









ComposerOfAvantgarde, where are you?


----------



## Schubussy

That CD above is the only Schnittke I have. I should really get more.

Anyway, am listening to Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto








Really really loudly.


----------



## Hausmusik

Like Vaneyes & Schubussy, listening to some Schnittke from this CD I just got a copy of.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sid James

Ravndal said:


> Listening to Tchaikovsky PC No 2 - Leonskaja
> 
> For the first time! I thought he only had the one PC. But apperantly he wrote 3 of them. From what i have heard, No3 is incredibly bad, so il just ignore it,


I like Tchaikovsky's 3rd PC. Its only in one movement, its one of his final works. I think he meant it to be that way (eg. just one movement) as at the top of the score he wrote something like 'thank God its over.' (me paraphrasing there) But what I like about it is that kind of banging/dissonance, which would not really come to the fore as much until Bartok and Prokofiev a couple of decades later. But as usual with Romantic concertos, he contrasts a more forceful/heroic theme with a lyrical one.

Anyway, I think its worth a listen!


----------



## Ravndal

Probably worth a listen.. unfair to let his no 1 overshadow the rest. I gave no 2 a chance, but i dont know. Didnt feel that i heard something new. 1 listen is rarely enough though.


----------



## Sid James

*Michael Nyman* _The Piano (Original music from the film by Jane Campion) _
Nyman on piano directing the Munich PO with John Harle, David Roach & Andrew Findon on saxes & flutes (Virgin cd)

*Album: Barber Adagio and other American favourites* (EMI cd)
*Gershwin* _Porgy & Bess: A Symphonic Picture (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)_ ; *Barber*_ Adagio for Strings _*Bernstein* _Candide Overture_
- London SO under Andre Previn
*Bernstein* _On the Town: Three Dance Episodes _; *Copland* _Billy the Kid ballet_
- Saint Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin


----------



## Ravndal

Sid James said:


> *Michael Nyman* _The Piano (Original music from the film by Jane Campion) _
> Nyman on piano directing the Munich PO with John Harle, David Roach & Andrew Findon on saxes & flutes (Virgin cd)
> 
> *Album: Barber Adagio and other American favourites* (EMI cd)
> *Gershwin* _Porgy & Bess: A Symphonic Picture (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)_ ; *Barber*_ Adagio for Strings _*Bernstein* _Candide Overture_
> - London SO under Andre Previn
> *Bernstein* _On the Town: Three Dance Episodes _; *Copland* _Billy the Kid ballet_
> - Saint Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin


I love that ost by nyman. Makes me smile and remember the good times that once was.


----------



## Sid James

Ravndal said:


> Probably worth a listen.. unfair to let his no 1 overshadow the rest. I gave no 2 a chance, but i dont know. Didnt feel that i heard something new. 1 listen is rarely enough though.


Well the 3rd concerto is only about 15 minutes in length (definitely under 20 min) so it won't take too much time to get through and maybe even repeat.

The 2nd concerto is one of the longest in the repertoire and there's two versions. I think the revised one is easier to play for the pianist. But the highlight of that for me is the slow movement where the piano does these long duets with cello (& I think violin as well). Its got that chamber like feel which I like. But I've not heard it that many times, I think this is similar to Brahms' piano concertos - much more than 'just' a piano concerto. They both experimented with the genre, streching it beyond its confines - outwards to symphonic proportions & paring it back to chamber.


----------



## cwarchc

Just finishing my lateset additions







It's my first Glass piece. I don't think it will be my last
This as the other one


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B Flat

Bohdan Warchal leading the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Jozef Kopelman, violin -- Juraj Alexander, cello -- Lothar Koch, oboe -- Klaus Thunemann, bassoon

View attachment 11966


----------



## neoshredder

SiegendesLicht said:


> Tonight it's Mahler's 7th symphony (from this set):
> 
> View attachment 11961
> 
> 
> ComposerOfAvantgarde, where are you?


Listening to Symphony 2 on that collection.


----------



## Hausmusik

Grumiaux Trio
Mozart, String Trio in E-flat, K.563

EDIT: Now listening to the 6 Preludes and Fugues for string trio, K.404, which it is possible I like even more than K.563.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Monteverdi Sacred Music.*


----------



## SimonNZ

drpraetorus said:


> Sacred Harp singing


Funny reading that here now - just a couple of days ago I finally found the Sacred Harp cd I've been looking for: the Alan Lomax field recordings for the Library Of Congress from 1946.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berio*: Orchestral Works, with EIC/Boulez (rec.1989); Piano Works, with Schlime (rec.2005).

View attachment 11968
View attachment 11969


----------



## bejart

Antonin Reicha (1770-1836): Quintet No.1 in E Flat

Members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra -- Jiri Valek, flute -- Ivan Doksansky, clarinet -- Zdenek Tylsar, french horn -- Karel Spelina, viola -- Frantisek Herman, bassoon

View attachment 11970


----------



## Andolink

Irwin Bazelon: Symphony No. 7 (Ballet for Orchestra)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Harold Farberman








Helmut Lachenmann: Tableau - Stück für Orchester
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken (SR), Hans Zender (cond.)


----------



## bejart

Schubert: String Quartet in A Minor, D 804

Verdi Quartet: Susanne Rabenschlag and Peter Stein, violins -- Karin Wolf, viola -- Didier Poskin, cello

View attachment 11974


----------



## opus55

Ives: Symphony No. 1


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Monteverdi lying down on my bed in a dark room.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in B Flat, L.III-130

Czech Baroque Trio: Antonin Rous, violin -- Martin Jakubicek, harpsichord -- Jan Skrdlik, cello

View attachment 11975


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both works featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan. 
Franz Schubert--*Symphony NO.9 in C Major, D944 {"Great"},* performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## aleazk

Watching this wonderful concert on yt, 



, with the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and with works by Messiaen and Ligeti.


----------



## neoshredder

Bartok's Piano Concertos


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacomo Facco's Pensieri Adriarmonici - L'Arte Dell'Arco


----------



## Tristan

Swan Lake - Finale (Pletnev)

I can't _not_ get emotional when listening to the finale of Swan Lake...


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso Op.3, No.6

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici

View attachment 11981


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint Saëns* Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor

*Holst*'s 'The Planets'


----------



## Flamme

So...Celestial!


----------



## bukowski

Variations Diabelli/Op.120 (Beethoven/Sokolov)... and yes, another great cd cover.


----------



## Ravndal

Great version ^


----------



## Sonata

Starting my chronological Brahms project. Op 1, piano sonata 1. I am enjoying it, overall!


----------



## millionrainbows

Oh, yeah. Nonesuch is such a great record label. This was the 2nd version I ever heard of the Preludes Book II, and I bought the sheet music just to fetish it. The first was Richter...


----------



## Guest

This morning, it is going to be Mozart's 3rd, 4th, and 5th violin concertos, followed by Mendelssohn's Octet!


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas, with Pogorelich (rec.1991); *Mozart*: Sonatas Vol. 1, with GG (rec.1968 - '72).

View attachment 11992
View attachment 11993


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Alexander Taneyev's* (1850 - 1918) birthday, Piano Quintet, with Alikhanov/Moscow SQ. (rec.1987).

View attachment 11997


----------



## presto

bejart said:


> Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso Op.3, No.6
> 
> Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici
> 
> View attachment 11981


Love Concerti Grossi, always wondered what these are like!


----------



## DavidA

Bach Partita 2 Argerich


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1881 Haas Version} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, *both works featuring Karl Bohm and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## Hausmusik

Today's listening:


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Nikos Skalkottas' string quartets by the New Hellenic Quartet:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## SiegendesLicht

Schubert's 1st symphony, performed by the Berliner Philarmoniker and Karl Böhm - for the first time in my life.


----------



## opus55

Bach partitas


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Death and the Maiden from Schubert


----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Piano Quintets, with Marwood/Domus (rec.1994); Piano Quartets, with Nash Ens.(rec.1985); Piano Trio, with Florestan Trio (rec.1999).

View attachment 12010
View attachment 12011
View attachment 12012


----------



## Flamme

This violin:angel:


----------



## bejart

presto said:


> Love Concerti Grossi, always wondered what these are like!


Regarding the Barsanti Concerto Grosso: Regal and majestic, lots of trumpets and tympani --

Now ---
In celebration of his birthday --
François-Joseph Gossec (17 January 1734-1829): Sinfonia in C Minor, Op.6, No.3

Concerto Koln

View attachment 12015


----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Listening to Nikos Skalkottas' string quartets by the New Hellenic Quartet:


Who's that? Thanks for posting. Listened at YT. Not to my liking. No. 3 had some variance, though pizzicato wasn't enough to rescue it. No.4 was heavy sledding. :tiphat:


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Schubert's 4th symphony from the same Berliner Philarmoniker & Karl Böhm set.


----------



## Andolink

Helmut Lachenmann: "...zwei Gefühle…, Musik mit Leonardo" for two speakers and small orchestra
Klanforum Wien/Hans Zender








Frederick Delius: Dance Rhapsody No. 1
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* _Symphony #4 (first movement) _; **Schreker*_ Intermezzo & Scherzo ;_* Shostakovich* _Elegy & Polka _; *Schubert* _Symphony #8 'Unfinished' (first movement)_
Australian Chamber Orch. directed by Richard Tognetti & *Helena Rathbone (ACO cd)
*
Smetana* _String Quartet #2 in D minor_ played by The Travnicek Quartet (Point Classics cd)


----------



## Novelette

Great listening on a Thursday night.


----------



## kv466




----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in B Flat, Op.18, No.6

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 12021


----------



## Sonata

*Brahms* *op. 2*, (Piano sonata #2) and *op 4* (scherzo, piano solo). Skipped out of order because I couldn't find op. 3 to listen to, which is a set of six songs. But I have found them now, so that's the plan for tomorrow! I really enjoyed what I've heard so far. I'll definitely be buying some Brahms piano works this year.

*Richard Strauss*: Orchestral lieder


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to top 15 Beethoven Sonatas based on my latest poll. http://www.talkclassical.com/23363-revised-favorite-beethoven-piano.html#post406376


----------



## opus55

Bartok: 14 Bagatelles
Mozart: Piano Sonatas, K. 533 and 545

















I don't get Bartok piano music.


----------



## neoshredder

I don't get Bartok. Period. I still try though.


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn's Complete String Symphonies: I am finally exploring these dynamic pieces.

And I must say, this Amsterdam Sinfonietta recording has the clearest sound and amazingly sensitive sonority.


----------



## Novelette

Neoshredder, I have difficult with Bartok too.

Difficult to find much that is "bella" in "Bela", personally.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata in F Minor

Mikhail Pletnev, piano

View attachment 12025


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major,* featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra led by James Levine.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7* *in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93.* Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Mahlerian

Neoshredder said:


> I don't get Bartok. Period. I still try though.


He's a little like Stravinsky. Do you like Stravinsky?

Debussy: Jeux
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Pierre Boulez


----------



## Sonata

Some solid listening tonight 

I stayed up later than intended, so I listened to *Brahms op. 3 Six Songs* afterall.
Of these I enjoyed 1) Liebstreu, 2) Liebe und Frühling 1, 5) In Der Fremde, and to a lesser extent 6) Liede

Also catching a bit of *Gesualdo: Tenebrae* to hopefully help wind me down before I go to sleep.


----------



## neoshredder

Mahlerian said:


> He's a little like Stravinsky. Do you like Stravinsky?
> 
> Debussy: Jeux
> Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Pierre Boulez


I prefer Stravinsky I guess. But both take many listens for me.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> I don't get Bartok. Period. I still try though.


I think my taste in solo piano music hasn't evolved as much as in other genres. I'm still content with Mozart's C major sonatas :lol:

Have you tried Bartok's String Quartets? They're awesome.

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 3


----------



## Sonata

Just forgot: I listened to Mozarts piano concerto #21 today also, with Perahia at the ivories


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> I think my taste in solo piano music hasn't evolved as much as in other genres. I'm still content with Mozart's C major sonatas :lol:


We tend to be more adventurous in our own field, so to speak. For people who play an instrument, there is an innate appreciation of that instrument's capabilities and repertoire.



Neoshredder said:


> I prefer Stravinsky I guess. But both take many listens for me.


Well, I've always loved Stravinsky's music (since before I knew anything about Mahler!). Bartok I discovered when going through the big names of the 20th century to learn more, because for a while that was what I was most interested in. I took to the Piano Concertos right away. The String Quartets took a little more time.


----------



## opus55

Sonata said:


> Just forgot: I listened to Mozarts piano concerto #21 today also, with Perahia at the ivories


Perahia and Brendel are my favorite pianists now.. which reminds me that I need to get Brendel's Beethoven Piano Sonatas box.

Bartok: 3 Hungarian Folk Tunes, Sz. 66; Sonatina, Sz. 55










Somewhat forcing myself to get used to these tunes.


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Somewhat forcing myself to get used to these tunes.


If you don't enjoy it, why do you force yourself? I'm interested. I know I do that, but only if something really seems worthwhile. Usually it's at least interesting to me before it becomes enjoyable.


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> He's a little like Stravinsky. Do you like Stravinsky?
> 
> Debussy: Jeux
> Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Pierre Boulez


Love Stravinsky!


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Love Stravinsky!


To my ears, Bartok uses Stravinsky's rhythm with a more heavily folk-influenced flavor.

It's hardly representative, but if you haven't heard it before, you might enjoy Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto, which isn't as violent as the other two (especially the first).

Start with the slow movement, in fact. Bartok writes amazing slow movements with a nocturnal feel.


----------



## opus55

Mahlerian said:


> If you don't enjoy it, why do you force yourself? I'm interested. I know I do that, but only if something really seems worthwhile. Usually it's at least interesting to me before it becomes enjoyable.


For most unknown composers, I just move on if I don't hear what I like. Bartok is a worth while composer to invest some extra effort - I already love his string quartets and orchestral works.

Satie: Gymnopedies; Gnossiennes










Beautiful music under an ugly cover art..


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> For most unknown composers, I just move on if I don't hear what I like. Bartok is a worth while composer to invest some extra effort - I already love his string quartets and orchestral works.


Ah, wanting to explore more of a composer's output. I understand that, definitely.



opus55 said:


> Beautiful music under ugly cover art..


Happens pretty often, doesn't it?


----------



## opus55

Mahlerian said:


> Happens pretty often, doesn't it?


If that's how they keep the cost low then I can't complain.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Serenade No.1 in D major
Piano Quintet in F minor
Variations On A Theme By Haydn
Viola Sonata No.1 in F minor


----------



## joen_cph

Arensky: "Egyptian Nights", ballet / Demtchenko / melodiya LP

It´s a joyous piece, less exotic or impressionistic than the title might suggest, and dance-like naive almost to the level of music hall or operetta music. But not one of his best works.


----------



## joen_cph

Roussel:"Evocations" / Kosler / supraphon LP

A much more interesting work than the mentioned Arensky, at times reminding of "Daphnis & Chloe".


----------



## Rapide

The great master conducting Schoenberg and Wagner!


----------



## Ramako

*Josquin* Motets sung by the Orlando Consort


----------



## bejart

Bach: Oboe Concerto in A Major , BWV 1035

Helmut Muller-Bruhl directing the Cologne Chamber Orchestra -- Christiana Hommel, oboe

View attachment 12036


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony number three Gardiner


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sonata

Beethoven symphony #7 with Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a Beethoven symphony this morning, but it didn't click with me this time.

Bach: Concerto for 2 harpsichords in C minor


----------



## Faell

- Jupiter Symphony (Symphony no. 41 in C), W.A. Mozart. I listen to the performance with Gerard Schwarz as conductor.

- Symphony no. 40 in G - W.A. Mozart (again the conductor is Gerard Schwarz)


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Kreisleriana Argerich.


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Rossi: Oratorio per la Settimana Santa
Les Arts Florissants/William Christie


----------



## Faell

Symphony no. 9 of Ludwig van Beethoven with Leonard Bernstein as conductor. I'm in a classical symphony mood today. I guess that is because I've this tuesday exam History and Analysis of music III: classical era. :angel:


----------



## Ramako

Faell said:


> Symphony no. 9 of Ludwig van Beethoven with Leonard Bernstein as conductor. *I'm in a classical symphony mood today*. I guess that is because I've this tuesday exam History and Analysis of music III: classical era. :angel:


Best mood to be in 

As for me, I am (topically) listening to Haydn's 42nd symphony conducted by Adam Fischer. Just finished 41.


----------



## Andolink

Claudio Monteverdi: O quam pulchra es; Spuntava il di
Il Seminario Musicale
Tragicomedia


----------



## Sonata

Onto Op. 5 of my Brahms project  Piano sonata #3. I think I'll slow down a little, I planned on doing 2-3 pieces per week, and I am on my fifth in two days. Just want to let the individual pieces sit a bit more in my mind before moving onto the next. I'll resume on Monday after I finish this piece

ETA: update. YouTube was terribly jumpy and kept refreshing. May have been a bad video. I didn't get a good feel for the piece, so I'll try again later.


----------



## Faell

Symphony No. 6, Ludwig van Beethoven. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## realdealblues

Sometimes I miss the "art" of interpretation.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 - Wilhelm Furtwangler (Live 1943)









Furtwangler may have held onto notes longer that he was supposed to, or slowed things down to build more "drama" or "tension" and while it may have not been "correct" according to the score...it sure is damn exciting...


----------



## neoshredder

Going alphabetically and finding every Composer similar (or not much at all but still on the list) to Corelli and finding their best Orchestral or Chamber works. Starting off with Albinoni. Albeniz comes next.


----------



## realdealblues

Just finishing

Tchaikovsky: Symphony 6 - Igor Markevitch









Up next:
Mozart: Symphony 39 - Karl Bohm


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 9 (Berliner Philarmoniker & Karl Böhm).


----------



## Faell

Symphony no. 9, Schubert "The Great"


----------



## cwarchc

Ein deutsches Requiem
Chicago Symphony under Barenboim


----------



## Hausmusik

Mozart, Symphony No. 41 in C, K.551 "Jupiter"
Bernstein: VPO


----------



## realdealblues

J.S. Bach: Cantata "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben", BWV 147 - Karl Richter


----------



## Mahlerian

Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Klaus Tennstedt


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Franz Schubert "Deutsche Messe"









It's a good thing I am home alone, because I am also singing along, and I sing really terribly


----------



## tdc

Horowitz playing D. Scarlatti, verrry nice.


----------



## Head_case

Vaneyes said:


> Who's that? Thanks for posting. Listened at YT. Not to my liking. No. 3 had some variance, though pizzicato wasn't enough to rescue it. No.4 was heavy sledding. :tiphat:


Nikos Skalkottas ...I found his string quartets on a mini-disc. Not sure how it got there, but clearly I didn't love it anymore than I do since I no longer remember much about it.

Currently listening to an English man whose plaintively beautiful music I'm digging in a foot of snow 










Fans of EJ Moeran, Ravel and McEwen will dig this disc too. The Bass Clarinet Phantasy Quintet is just sublime.

Are you familiar with his flute sonata/works? I like it without the piano and rustling pages version


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Violin Sonatas, with Mullova & Anderszewski (rec.1989); *Penderecki*: Violin Sonatas, with Bieler & Tichman (rec.2003).

View attachment 12051
View attachment 12052


----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Fans of EJ Moeran, Ravel and McEwen will dig this disc too. The Bass Clarinet Phantasy Quintet is just sublime.
> 
> Are you familiar with his flute sonata/works? I like it without the piano and rustling pages version


Thanks, sorry no, it's more 'Who's that?' for me. I'll try to sample. :tiphat:


----------



## Head_case

York Bowen is one of the neglected English masters of the chamber form!

Fantasia for Four Violas:






Here's his phantasy quintet sample{






and the delicate yet painfully neglected Rhapsody Trio:






Love this piece. It's on a par with Ravel's piano trio for me.

Rivetting textures!


----------



## Vaneyes

HC, links is fine. My 'puter chokes on the full YT monty, thanks.:tiphat:


----------



## Head_case

Haha....I'm just showing off because I have broadband internet!

Before, I used to pine for a Talkclassical RSS feed so that I didn't blow my data limit before the end of the month


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> If you don't enjoy it, why do you force yourself? I'm interested. I know I do that, but only if something really seems worthwhile. Usually it's at least interesting to me before it becomes enjoyable.


Mahlerian, don't you realize that opus55 is being an exemplary listener? This is the most noble type of listening, especially in the early stages of entering the challenging world of modernism. My hat is off to opus55 for "pushing his own boundaries."

I don't feel that Stravinsky was a stupendous piano-writer, perhaps because the great era of Romantic piano-virtuosos was ending. Bartók I see as using it to sketch out harmonic ideas, as in the Bagatelles and Mikrokosmos. His piano concertos contradict what I just said, though, being very important works.


----------



## Schubussy

Head_case said:


> York Bowen is one of the neglected English masters of the chamber form!


I like this. Definitely going to have to listen to more.

York Bowen - Trio in Three Movements, for Piano Trio, Op. 118


----------



## Sid James

SiegendesLicht said:


> Franz Schubert "Deutsche Messe"
> 
> ...
> It's a good thing I am home alone, because I am also singing along, and I sing really terribly


That aspect is what I like about that work, thats its uniqueness to me. It was written for congregation at churches - ordinary people - to sing along to. So its not just for trained choristers. I like that pared down feel and Schubert kind of going back to some kind of simplicity, its not as 'frilly' and Mozartean as his earlier masses, nor as symphonic as his last couple of masses. But they're all great works imo.



Head_case said:


> York Bowen is one of the neglected English masters of the chamber form!
> 
> ...


I read that Bowen was more famous than Bax during their time (100 or so years ago) but now its kind of reversed. But Bax is not much known apart from stuff like _ Tintagel._ However both are well represented on recordings. In that regard I think Bowen has had a bit of a revival. I remember listening to his Viola Concerto played by Lawrence Power and I liked it.


----------



## Sid James

*Smetana* _String Quartet #1 'From my life'_
Travnicek Quartet (Point Classics)

*Shostakovich* _Elegy & Polka _**Schreker *_Intermezzo & Scherzo _
Strings of Australian CO led by Richard Tognetti & *Helena Rathbone (ACO)

*Gareth Farr* _Tabuh Pacific (Gamelan Concerto) _
New Zealand SO under the composer with the Univ. of Canterbury, NZ gamelan ensemble (Morrison Trust)


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> To my ears, Bartok uses Stravinsky's rhythm with a more heavily folk-influenced flavor.
> 
> It's hardly representative, but if you haven't heard it before, you might enjoy Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto, which isn't as violent as the other two (especially the first).
> 
> Start with the slow movement, in fact. Bartok writes amazing slow movements with a nocturnal feel.


I'm liking it on the first listen; I'll listen to it a few more times. Thank you for the tip, Mahlerian!


----------



## bejart

More Beethoven: String Quartet in B Flat, Op.18, No.6

Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello

View attachment 12053


----------



## Head_case

> I read that Bowen was more famous than Bax during their time (100 or so years ago) but now its kind of reversed. But Bax is not much known apart from stuff like Tintagel. However both are well represented on recordings. In that regard I think Bowen has had a bit of a revival. I remember listening to his Viola Concerto played by Lawrence Power and I liked it.


I accidentally discovered him when I picked up a flute sonata score 2 years ago when I started getting back into practice.

His music is very charming and ye olde worlde Englishe to my ears. He wrote some fascinating chamber music which has restored my interest in English composers - beyond Moeran, Foulds, McEwen - ones like Dodgson, Arnell, Scott, Pickard and Alwyn.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*

I was walking from work listening to this with my headphones, when waiting for the light I noticed a group of teenage girls, and one had a sign saying, "I love you, Justin." It was then I realized that I was walking right by the Justin Bieber concert, surrounded by Beliebers, and I'm listening to Beethoven. It was a strange juxtaposition.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Head_case said:


> York Bowen is one of the neglected English masters of the chamber form!
> 
> Love this piece. It's on a par with Ravel's piano trio for me.
> 
> Rivetting textures!


Wow, what a find! Thanks.


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Mahlerian, don't you realize that opus55 is being an exemplary listener? This is the most noble type of listening, especially in the early stages of entering the challenging world of modernism. My hat is off to opus55 for "pushing his own boundaries."


No, it's definitely a good thing to push the limits of what you enjoy. You may find they expand without as much effort as you expected. But you shouldn't push others, because that tends to make others push back.



millionrainbows said:


> I don't feel that Stravinsky was a stupendous piano-writer, perhaps because the great era of Romantic piano-virtuosos was ending. Bartók I see as using it to sketch out harmonic ideas, as in the Bagatelles and Mikrokosmos. His piano concertos contradict what I just said, though, being very important works.


Agreed, although I like the Concerto for Piano and Winds. Bartok was a much better pianist and much more idiomatic composer for piano than Stravinsky, and his solo piano works outclass Stravinsky's by a long shot. I meant that Bartok's works in general have similarities to Stravinsky's, in their use of rhythm, color, and folk material.



Novelette said:


> I'm liking it on the first listen; I'll listen to it a few more times. Thank you for the tip, Mahlerian!


Glad to hear it. Like I said, it's not really characteristic, but the work does sound like Bartok, so it might give you a good impression of his less wild side.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Sid James said:


> That aspect is what I like about that work, thats its uniqueness to me. It was written for congregation at churches - ordinary people - to sing along to. So its not just for trained choristers. I like that pared down feel and Schubert kind of going back to some kind of simplicity, its not as 'frilly' and Mozartean as his earlier masses, nor as symphonic as his last couple of masses. But they're all great works imo.


Yes, I like that too and it's a great feeling to sing it, even alone and with very limited vocal capabilities, especially the third "Zum Evangelium" part. _"... Und überall, allüberrall, tönt Preis und Dank empor..." _


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> I was walking from work listening to this with my headphones, when waiting for the light I noticed a group of teenage girls, and one had a sign saying, "I love you, Justin." It was then I realized that I was walking right by the Justin Bieber concert, surrounded by Beliebers, and I'm listening to Beethoven. It was a strange juxtaposition.
> 
> View attachment 12056


Beliebers, good. Now put on some Biber.


----------



## bejart

Karel Kohout (1726-1784): Symphony in F Minor

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 12060


----------



## Vaneyes

Head_case said:


> Haha....I'm just showing off because I have broadband internet!
> 
> Before, I used to pine for a Talkclassical RSS feed so that I didn't blow my data limit before the end of the month


I do, too, but obviously not enough memory for TC. Ev'ry hour or two it's pc potty time.

Update: From your YT full monty, Bowen's *Fantasia* (for four violas) was/is my fave. Never, would I have guessed success for that composition. A pleasant surprise, thanks.

Though not a flute man, I'll soldier on.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Women of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, soprano Marilyn Horne and the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, all under the baton of James Levine.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmonic.


----------



## agoukass

Dinu Lipatti's last recital (1950).


----------



## bejart

Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1783): Flute Concerto in G Major

Andrew Manze leading Concerto Copenhagen -- Irene Spranger, flute

View attachment 12067


----------



## Mahlerian

samurai said:


> Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmonic.


That's a great recording. I haven't heard it in a while, though.


----------



## opus55

millionrainbows said:


> Mahlerian, don't you realize that opus55 is being an exemplary listener? This is the most noble type of listening, especially in the early stages of entering the challenging world of modernism. My hat is off to opus55 for "pushing his own boundaries."




I enjoy the process of "pushing boundaries" then getting rewarded afterwards. I know this process works for me from past experiences. :tiphat:

Poulenc: Improvisations
Scriabin: Etudes, Op. No. 7 and 12, Op. 42 No. 5

















Listening to more familiar piano music tonight.


----------



## samurai

Mahlerian said:


> That's a great recording. I haven't heard it in a while, though.


First time listening to it, even as I type this. Very lush and evocative so far, compared with my other version performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic and Paternostro. It sounds to me as if Karajan is taking it at a somewhat slower tempo than does Paternostro, thus drawing out more colors and nuances of the various instruments.


----------



## samurai

samurai said:


> First time listening to it, even as I type this. Very lush and evocative so far, compared with my other version performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic and Paternostro. It sounds to me as if Karajan is taking it at a somewhat slower tempo than does Paternostro, thus drawing out more colors and nuances of the various instruments.


Actually, having just compared the two timings for the respective conductors of this work, the Karajan traversal clocks in at about 3 minutes faster overall than the Paternostro. So much for my discerning ears!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.14 in C Major, KV 457

Christian Zaharias, piano

View attachment 12068


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Albeniz - Echoes of Spain played by John Williams.


----------



## neoshredder

Now an Orchestrated version of Albeniz.


----------



## opus55

Debussy: Etudes
Berwald: Symphony No. 4


----------



## Tristan

Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 in A minor "Scottish" (Abbado)

I can't believe I've never listened to it before. The second movement is awesome; I'll have that tune on my mind for a long time now...


----------



## Arsakes

Finished listening to *Brahms*:
Clarinet Quintet No.1
Piano Sonata No.2
Violin Sonata No.3
Horn Trio


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in E Minor, D.56

Claudio Scimopne directing I Solisti Veneti -- Uto Ughi, violin

View attachment 12072


----------



## Flamme




----------



## lorelei

Verdi Requiem, London Symphony with London Symphony Chorus, Sir Colin Davis, Christine Brewer, Karen Cargill, Stuart Neill and John Relyea.


----------



## Hausmusik

Lutoslawski, Paganini Variations for Piano & Orchestra, Paroles Tissees, Third Symphony

Those who also hang out at the Amazon forum will know why I am listening to this.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1837): Symphony No.7 in A Minor, Op.181

Howard Griffiths leading the Zucher Kammerorchester

View attachment 12078


----------



## Hausmusik

samurai said:


> Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmonic.


Samurai, the DG or EMI recording?


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 43 in C Major, Hob. XV:27
Robert Levin, fortepiano; Vera Beths, violin, Anner Bylsma, violoncello








C.P.E. Bach: Quartet for Flute, Viola, Cello and Harpsichord in G major, Wq 95/H 539
Wilbert Hazelzet (Flute), Richte Van der Meer (Cello), Ton Koopman (Harpsichord), 
Wiel Peeters (Viola) 








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 6 in D Major "Le Matin"
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood


----------



## DavidA

Rachmaninov Preludes and Etudes Tableaux - Richter


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Arne - Four Symphonies


----------



## millionrainbows

An excellent recording.


----------



## Hausmusik

Beethoven, Opus 2 Sonatas, Alfred Brendel


----------



## starthrower

Trying to get into this one, but so far it isn't happening.


----------



## drpraetorus

"Ole' Man River" from Showboat


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in C Major, Op.16, No.5

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 12087


----------



## drpraetorus

The Dublin Virginal Manuscript. It's nice to know that the women of Dublin are so chaste as to have music written about them.


----------



## lorelei

Hausmusik said:


> Beethoven, Opus 2 Sonatas, Alfred Brendel


Good stuff, Haus.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Buxtehude


----------



## DavidA

Stravinsky petrushka - 3 movements - Wang


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Violin Concerti 1 & 2, with Chung/LSO/Previn (rec.1975); Piano Sonatas 4 & 6, with Richter (rec.1966 - '89).

View attachment 12089
View attachment 12090


----------



## SimonNZ

Taverner's Missa Mater Christi Sanctissima - The Sixteen, Harry Christophers


----------



## DavidA

Brahms Paganini variations - Yuja Wang


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus' Penitential Psalms - Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/
Cool space noise...


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* _Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
_
Elisabeth Leonskaja, pno. with Alban Berg Quartet, recorded live in Vienna (EMI)

*Album: Passion, Grace & Fire*

John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia on guitars

_Original compositions in the style of flamenco by the three guitarists_ (Philips)

*Schoenberg* _Chamber Symphony #1, Op. 9_

*Brahms orch. Schoenberg* _Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25_

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group & City of Birmingham SO under Sir Simon Rattle (EMI)


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> *Album: Passion, Grace & Fire*
> 
> John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia on guitars
> 
> _Original compositions in the style of flamenco by the three guitarists_ (Philips)


Their "Friday Night In San Francisco" is one of my all time favorite albums.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann's Missa Sacra in C Minor and especially Brahms' Missa Canonica.

Some of the most underrated music I've yet heard. Brahms' Fugue in A Flat Minor for Organ is also enjoyable, if only for the very remote key!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.1 in E Flat, KV 16

Alessandro Arigoni conducting the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana

View attachment 12095


----------



## bejart

Antonin Reicha (1770-1836): Piano Trio in in E Flat, Op.101, No.1

Kubelik Trio: Shizuka Ishiakawa, violin -- Karel Fiala, cello -- Kvita Bilynska, piano

View attachment 12097


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 1.*

I finally have a few minutes free to listen with the score. It's always better for me that way.


----------



## Guest

Bartok's 3 Piano Concertos.









Bartok comes closer to rivaling Brahms than any other composer has for me, although no one will likely ever unseat my first love. As far as a model goes for contemporary composition, however, Bartok is #1.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Variations in F Major, Op.34

Denis Matthews, piano

View attachment 12100


----------



## samurai

@ Manxfeeder, Is that Gardiner with the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique?


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor and Symphony No.8 in C Minor,* both featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D200* *and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D759 {"Unfinished"}*, both works featuring the Carlos Kleiber led Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## millionrainbows

Another volume of Music Composed in Concentration Camps, Vol. 3 on the KZ label. This is a particularly good one, as it features all piano music. I was surprised at the opening, with Czech composer Gideon Klein's Sonata which is freely 12-tone. Nice! Klein himself was an excellent pianist. He was deported to Auschwitz in 1944, then moved to the coal mines in Fürstengrube, where he died in January 1945.

------------------------>


----------



## Bradius

EMI's Mahler, the Complete Works. 16CD's! Released for his 150th. I love Mahler!!!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ligeti on MOG streaming.


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Their "Friday Night In San Francisco" is one of my all time favorite albums.


I didn't know they did any other album than the one I listened to. But I really liked that album, albeit it was quite short (35 minutes). But quality over quantity, I suppose.


----------



## Sid James

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Albeniz - Echoes of Spain played by John Williams.
> ...


I love that album. Its just unique music of course, and John Williams brings out a lot from these tricky (to play, but not to listen to) works.



samurai said:


> Actually, having just compared the two timings for the respective conductors of this work, the Karajan traversal clocks in at about 3 minutes faster overall than the Paternostro. So much for my discerning ears!


I'm often like that, my gut instinct says something is slower, and it often ends up being the standard timing or the same as another recording I'm comparing it to. The best example is Bruno Walter's classic 1938 account of Mahler's 9th, I don't get the sense its faster than others, but it is very much so. However, for the reason of Walter coming across as less angsty than other interps of this work, its my favourite interp of this work, in any case its the only one I can 'stomach' without getting depressed. It is a heavy work of course but I tend to very much take these things to heart.


----------



## Andolink

Enno Poppe: Holz, for clarinet and ensemble; Knochen, for ensemble
Ernesto Molinari, clarinet
Klanforum Wien/Stefan Asbury








Hilding Rosenberg: String Quartet (1942); String Quartet No. 5
Tale Quartet; The Gotland Quartet


----------



## jani

I love Liszt Beethoven transcriptions!
MUST BUY THEM!!


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> I didn't know they did any other album than the one I listened to. But I really liked that album, albeit it was quite short (35 minutes). But quality over quantity, I suppose.


There's also a rather awkwardly self-titled third album, and while they have their merits the live "Friday Night..." concert is something quite special, and an almost unique glimpse at how a very ethusiastic and vocal audience can have a symbiotic relationship with the artists and change the tone of the event, here to something very freewheeling and fun.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op.2, No.3

Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello

View attachment 12106


----------



## Arsakes

*Bartok*'s Piano Concerto No.3


----------



## Hausmusik

Szymanowski, Violin Concerto #1
Zimmermann/Wit


----------



## bejart

Josef Fiala (1748-1816): Oboe Quartet in F Major

Deutsches Streichtrio with Lajos Lencses on oboe: Hans Kalafusz, violin -- Jurgen Weber, viola -- Reiner Ginzel, cello

View attachment 12108


----------



## Hausmusik

Penderecki, Violin Concerto #2, "Metamorphosen"


----------



## Andolink

Georg Philipp Telemann: Suite in D Major for Viola da gamba and Strings TWV 55:a2
Sarah Cunningham, viola da gamba
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Monica Huggett








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 7 in C Major "Le Midi"
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 44 in E Major, Hob. XV:28
Robert Levin, piano, Vera Beths, violin, Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manxfeeder, Is that Gardiner with the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique?


That's the one. I'm glad you're the one spelling it and not me.


----------



## Schubussy

Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Ondine

Ondine said:


> This very Sunday was dedicated to this one:
> 
> View attachment 11857
> 
> 
> Keith is outstanding at K 453 & K 446. Nothing more to add.
> 
> But... I have to admit that Stuttgarter Kammerochester surpasses at moments the pace of his piano narrative at K. 466 & K. 271 maybe because a lack of strength at some passages mostly at the beginning of them. But anyway it is a very refreshing different approach to piano concert in general and particularly at the dialogue between conduction, orchestration performance and soloist appreciation.
> 
> Recommended purchase.


Believe it or not I still exploring this recording. It offers a lot of good elements to be appreciated.

I make an awful mistake stating that Keith was outstanding at K 446. There is no Keith in that piece. 

I have second thoughts about K 466. It is the first time I listen to the Stuttgarter. It is an amazing orchestra indeed. It plays Mozart in the 'slow' style that I enjoy a lot more than the 'fast' ones. The bass section is brilliant and it is at the core of all the work recorded here.

Keith's piano narrative at K 466, after listening carefully and in detail, offers a different perspective. It is like he isn't there at all but with the dialogue alive and brilliant.

A complete different way from other recordings where the piano seems to be -by force- the dominant element, with the pianist included; like in the case of Uchida & Camerata Salzburg where there is too much Uchida -indeed brilliant- having the orchestra just as a background.

Here, this is not the case. The dialogue is much more reflexive, well temperate, measured, calm, and deep. A conversation that is very enjoyable between tow 'persons' that are absolutely in the same level of performance.

A very unusual Mozart but a refreshing one with a deserved loftiness.

Wonderful.


----------



## Ondine

neoshredder said:


> Found it on MOG. Listening to it now.


Did you enjoy it, Neo?


----------



## Flamme




----------



## neoshredder

Ondine said:


> Did you enjoy it, Neo?


Eh not my favorite version. I prefer HIP with Gardiner. Plus maybe I've heard PC 20 too many times at this point.


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Mozart Piano Concerto 14 with Gardiner/Bilson


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Ernest Chausson's* (1855 - 1899) birthday, Piano Trio, with Graffin/Hoffman/Devoyon (rec.1997).

View attachment 12117


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Mahlerian

Dutilleux: Metaboles
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Alan Gilbert

A radio broadcast of a concert from a little over a week ago.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dutilleux's Orchestral Works on MOG.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## science

Well, it's been two weeks since I checked in!

















































Sorry for the ugly image on the Messiaen.

I'll make at least one more post.


----------



## science




----------



## Mahlerian

Continuing that radio broadcast, I am now dutifully sitting through:

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D
Julian Rachlin, Boston Symphony, cond. Alan Gilbert

Because I support the playing even of music that I find a little dull.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to some Antonin Rejcha this morning and must say that I really enjoy his piano trios. The album of symphonies not so much. I'll have to check out more of his chamber music.



















Kevin


----------



## Mahlerian

Back to music I really love:

Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Alan Gilbert


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening now to String Quartets 13 10 15 & 12 by Schubert. These are played with great skill by the Panocha Quartet and the sound quality is very good. I'm not always fond of Supraphon recordings but this one is exceptional.










Kevin


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Glazunov: Concerto Ballata For Cello And Orchestra in C Major, Op.108 performed by Mstislav Rostropovich. Wonderful wonderful piece. If you like the violin concerto, you'll certainly like this.


----------



## Oldboy

Currently, I'm revising to this:









I've got an essay to write this week, which is when I get to do most of my listening.


----------



## Mahlerian

Finishing the concert:

Ravel: La Valse
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Alan Gilbert


----------



## Tristan

I listened to the entire opera a couple months ago; right now I'm just listening to the 9-minute opening number, which I love:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*, *Ravel*: SQs with Parkanyi Qt. (rec.2003); *Respighi*: "Windows", "Impressions", with Philharmonia/Simon (rec.1984).

View attachment 12123
View attachment 12124


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.10 in G Minor

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angela East, cello

View attachment 12125


----------



## clavichorder

I am listening to String Quartets by Henri Joseph Rigel on the second half of the disc. For those who have never seen me post about this composer, you ought to know that he is a very interesting classical era composer who composed out of Paris primarily. His symphonies can best be described as frantic and humorous, yet somehow graceful. The quartets are a little less frantic and humorous, but it still shows.

The later quartets on the disc have a surprising Mozartian grace and style to their phrasing, and outside of the first movements, there are many baroque parallels, likely getting a lot of inspiration from Rameau(some of the 3/4 or 6/8 pieces really give this impression, though the sonata form 1st mvts. are more in line with later Haydn or Mozart. The big difference in which a critical person may say Rigel falls short, is the less extended material as one might find in Mozart and some Haydn. The 1st -3rd quartets can't be compared in this way even with regards to phrasing, though they have their own charm. But if you really want to show somebody an interesting obscure find from that period(provided they don't generally hate classicism(though the baroque influence in the other mvts. might help), the last three are a great bet!

http://www.allmusic.com/performance/quatuors-dialogués-6-string-quartets-op-10-mq0000960565

I most highly recommend the Quartetto no. 5 in E minor, all mvts for the reasons I mentioned above.


----------



## bejart

I 2nd Clavicorder's recommendation of

View attachment 12126


I bought it from a 3rd party seller on Amazon a few months ago and have not been disappointed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Violin Concerto.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Glazunov: Concerto Ballata For Cello And Orchestra in C Major, Op.108 performed by Mstislav Rostropovich. Wonderful wonderful piece. If you like the violin concerto, you'll certainly like this.


I wasn't aware of that piece. I'm listening now on Spotify.


----------



## bejart

Inspired by Kevin Pearson's post on Reicha's piano trios ---

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Flute Quintet in A Major, Op.105

Consortium Classicum: Andrea Lieberknecht, flute -- Andreas Krecher and Gerdur Gunnarsdottir, violins -- Christiane Horr, viola -- Martin Menking, cello

View attachment 12130


----------



## cwarchc

Todays listening comprised of :
Smyphony no 11 from this








followed by this one








and now I'm listening to this on YT


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Richard Strauss, Eine Alpensinfonie*, performed by George Solti and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.









And before that was * Beethoven's 6th Symphony*, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philarmoniker


----------



## Kevin Pearson

bejart said:


> Inspired by Kevin Pearson's post on Reicha's piano trios ---
> 
> Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Flute Quintet in A Major, Op.105
> 
> Consortium Classicum: Andrea Lieberknecht, flute -- Andreas Krecher and Gerdur Gunnarsdottir, violins -- Christiane Horr, viola -- Martin Menking, cello
> 
> View attachment 12130


Consortium Classicum are recordings are usually really good. I have not heard this recording but I'll see if I can locate it on Spotify and give it a listen. Have you heard their recordings of Anton Eberl Quintets and Piano Trios? Fabulous stuff and I also like their recording of Carl Stamitz Paritas and Octets. Both of those are CPO recordings and not only good performances but good productions too.

Now I've moved on to Kuhlau's Flute Quintets no. 1, 2 and 3 Op. 51. This recording shows how good Naxos records can be. This recording has fine performances and is one of my favorite. The Danish flutist Eyvind Rafn is really in top form on this recording.










Kevin


----------



## Flamme

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Glazunov: Concerto Ballata For Cello And Orchestra in C Major, Op.108 performed by Mstislav Rostropovich. Wonderful wonderful piece. If you like the violin concerto, you'll certainly like this.


Not exactly but


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.104 "London" - Herbert von Karajan


----------



## bejart

Kevin Pearson ---
This Eberl?

View attachment 12137


Pulled it off my shelf and and am listening to Grand Quintet in G Minor, Op.41

Consortium Classicum: Dieter Klocker, clarinet -- Niklas Schwarz and Ludwig Hampe, violas -- Armin Fromm, cello -- Thomas Duis, piano

Reicha wrote a lot more music, especially wind based compositions. Since he lived 30 years longer, his development as a composer took him much closer to the Romantic era, more a transition figure. Eberl's piano heavy works were firmly grounded in the Viennese Classical period.


----------



## millionrainbows

The old cover art.
---------------->








And the old:








Interesting, a varied program: "oriental" theme, dry scratchy violin, naked harp, 2 tea cups


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok's* string quartets 3, 5 & 6 played by Alban Berg Quartet on EMI


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Thamos, King Of Egypt, K 345 -- performed by: David Zinman: Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #2 in G, Op. 44 -- performed by: Mikhail Pletnev: Philharmonia Orchestra

Works undeserving of their obscurity.


----------



## Hausmusik

Dvorak, The Water Goblin (Op. 107) and The Noon Witch (Op. 108)
Václav Neumann: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Pelleas et Melisande, Op. 46
Bach, C.P.E: Symphonies, Wq.183 Nos. 1-4


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven String Quartet, 18/2.


----------



## bejart

Still in my study of the Beethoven early string quartets. Next week I'll graduate to the middle ones --

Now--
String Quartet in D Major, Op.18, No.3

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Karada, cello

View attachment 12144


----------



## Tristan

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Nicholas Angelich)

Never listened to any of Brahms' piano concerti before. Liking the massive first movement so far


----------



## Schubussy

Tristan said:


> Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Nicholas Angelich)
> 
> Never listened to any of Brahms' piano concerti before. Liking the massive first movement so far


It's pretty good... but wait til you hear the second concerto


----------



## Mahlerian

Alban Berg: Piano Sonata Op. 1 (in B minor)
Daniel Barenboim

B minor is a really dramatic key. Perfect for such chromatic music.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Alban Berg: Piano Sonata Op. 1 (in B minor)
> Daniel Barenboim
> 
> B minor is a really dramatic key. Perfect for such chromatic music.


That sonata was my gateway into understanding the late-romantic wandering tonality. Theo Verbey did a nice orchestration of it, available on both of these releases:
--------------------------------->







---------------


----------



## millionrainbows

I derive a certain special satisfaction with listening to old recordings such as this. The earliest here is Lizst's Mephisto Waltz (orchestral version), remastered from shellacs, recorded 1936. The rest are from 1944-45.

The lo-fi sound (which nonetheless sounds very good) forces "extra involvement" from the listener to fill-in details, not unlike reading a book; or perhaps it is simply the absence of purely sensual hi-fi sound which allows the undistracted brain to process the music as more "information" than "sound," and creates a "Platonic" effect of "pure idea."

McLuhan saw this involvement as being due to a "hot" medium, mediums such as grainy B&W TV, old films, AM radio, or print, which creates an involved participant, unlike the "cold" medium of HDTV, which is so data-laden that it leaves nothing for the imagination to "fill in" or complete.


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> That sonata was my gateway into understanding the late-romantic wandering tonality. Theo Verbey did a nice orchestration of it, available on both of these releases:


I have never heard of this. I'm listening right now on Spotify.

Alban Berg: Piano Sonata Op. 1 (in B minor) orch. Verbey
Royal Concertgebow Orchestra, cond. Chailly

When I first got into Berg, I was already a huge Mahlerian, and his music is just a little denser and a little further out, so it wasn't that much of a leap.

Edit: Just finished. I really enjoyed it, although it will remain a piano work in my mind. Verbey did a good job at both highlighting the parts of the work without repeating the orchestration verbatim alongside the music, and he definitely took some cues from Berg's 3 Orchestral Pieces for his scoring.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata in B Flat, Op.45

Claude Stark, cello -- Christoph Eschenbach, piano

View attachment 12151


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6.


----------



## samurai

Hi, Neo. I'm wondering what you think of Karajan's readings of Tchaikovsky in this particular set of symphonies. I have liked his traversals of Schumann, Beethoven and Bruckner, but I have found something oddly lacking in his readings of this great Russian composer, especially *Symphonies Nos. 1-3. *It sounded to me as if he had squeezed all the life and joy out of these works, especially when I compare his readings of them to those of Bernstein and Markevitch.


----------



## neoshredder

Haven't heard Symphonies 1-3 but the reviews are much better for 4-6. Supposedly he recorded Symphonies 1-3 at a different time period and didn't record them again. Symphonies 4-6 sound perfect to my ears with Karajan's style. Very emotional and grand Symphonies. Definitely worth it imo.


----------



## iBek

Hi everyone,
I really recommend all of you to try to listen The Great Master of Central Asian Classic Music - Turgun Alimatov (1922-2008)


----------



## aleazk

lol, I was thinking how much I hate that pompous and bombastic introduction in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 and now I'm listening to it!. . The second part of that movement is ok, though. Also the third movement.


----------



## joen_cph

Britten: Early Chamber Works / Gabrieli Quartet, John Constable / unicorn LP

Hearing a really lovely record with superb performances and sound, before heading to the airport and a Prague flight ... This LP comprises such fine works as the early Phantasy for String Quintet and the Phantasy Quartet op.2 as well as some interesting, meditative and enigmatic works for oboe and piano.


----------



## Flamme

Hausmusik said:


> Dvorak, The Water Goblin (Op. 107) and The Noon Witch (Op. 108)
> Václav Neumann: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Conicerto No.1 in F MAjor, BWV 1046

Helmuth Rilling conducting the Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 12154


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 8 in G Major "Le soir"
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Johan Hammerth: Piano Concerto No. 1
Bengt-Åke Lundin, Piano
Gävle Symphony Orchestra/Göran W. Nilson








Enno Poppe: Öl for ensemble
Klangforum Wien /Stefan Asbury








French Songs and Motets of the 14th Century
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): String Quartet in C Major, Op.30, No.1

Delme Quartet: Galina Solodchin and John Trusler, violins -- John Underwood, viola -- Jonathan Williams, cello

View attachment 12160


----------



## Arsakes

since yesterday
*Grieg*:
Peer Gynt Suite No.1
Violin Sonata No.2 & 3
Suite No.1 & 2

*Berwald*:
Piano Concerto in D
Violin Concerto in C sharp minor
Serious and Joyful Fancies
Estrella de Soria - Tragic Overture
Play of the Elves
Symphony Symphony No.1 "Sérieuse" & No.2 "Capricieuse"

Berwald is quite underrated.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Franz Schubert

12 Lieder*
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Edwin Fischer

*Moments musicaux*
Edwin Fischer


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> That sonata was my gateway into understanding the late-romantic wandering tonality. Theo Verbey did a nice orchestration of it, available on both of these releases:


No kidding, it's orchestrated? I just discovered the piano version, so I'm listening to the orchestral version on Spotify. From what I can tell, the orchestration sounds very much like Berg.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Thanks to Andolink for listing the Johan Hammerth: Piano Concerto No. 1 above! I really enjoyed the first piano concerto on the album (not No. 1). It was vibrant and full of energy!! Just what I needed to start my Monday morning.  Very modern with touches of jazz influence along the lines of Gershwin but much more experimental. I hope to listen to all of the first this evening.










Kevin


----------



## Hausmusik

Edwin Fischer
Beethoven, Sonatas Opp. 13 & 57

Take a gander at that cover art. Yowza! It's like he stumbled out of the corner dive bar at 4 a.m. wearing another man's suit.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, Piano Sonata.*

I'm following up hearing the orchestrated version with the piano version.


----------



## Andolink

Kevin Pearson said:


> Thanks to Andolink for listing the Johan Hammerth: Piano Concerto No. 1 above! I really enjoyed the first piano concerto on the album (not No. 1). It was vibrant and full of energy!! Just what I needed to start my Monday morning.  Very modern with touches of jazz influence along the lines of Gershwin but much more experimental. I hope to listen to all of the first this evening.


Sven-David Sandström's concerto is, I think, the better of the two. The Hammerth is rather unsubtle in its use of crescendos and bass drum thwacks for dramatic effect.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, Violin Concerto.* *Stravinsky, Violin Concerto.*

I'm liking this recording with Stern and Bernstein, also Hilary Hahn's.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Lieux retrouves(Oct. '12 release), with Isserlis & Ades (composer and piano). A dual personality recital, comprised of bon bons from *Liszt*, *Faure*, *Janacek*, *Kurtag*, and *Ades*.

At mid-way, some of anti-nouveau may be reaching for the stop button. However, if these folk treat the programming simply as seasonal disorder (a few rays of sunshine amongst darkness), things may go better.

Beautifully played, superbly recorded. Recommended.

View attachment 12165


----------



## AndyS

Wagner - Der Fliegende Hollander, the Klemperer. Am going to see this in April so getting more familiar with it


----------



## Schubussy

I don't listen to enough Mahler.


----------



## opus55

Classical guitar while reading some technical documents at work


----------



## millionrainbows

Christopher Rouse (b. 1949): Violin Concerto (1991). I thought Rouse was a hard-core serialist, but this concerto has plenty of advanced-tonal charm and delight for the ear. Always rhythmically propulsive when he needs to be, his long lyrical lines for the fiddle are well-constructed and natural sounding, with lots of complex and interesting interplay.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Zauberberg

First CD of the Alban Berg collection on Deutsche Grammophon


----------



## Flamme




----------



## samurai

neoshredder said:


> Haven't heard Symphonies 1-3 but the reviews are much better for 4-6. Supposedly he recorded Symphonies 1-3 at a different time period and didn't record them again. Symphonies 4-6 sound perfect to my ears with Karajan's style. Very emotional and grand Symphonies. Definitely worth it imo.


This is very interesting, Neo; thanks for that information. I have the Karajan 4-6 set. I shall give it another listen.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"},* *and Symphony No.8 in D Minor.* Both works feature the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Adrian Boult.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"}, **Symphony No.2 in* *C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}.* All three symphonies are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Igor Markevitch.
Some of these selections today reflect the chilly, snowy and quite wintry conditions going on outside of my door at this very moment, putting me in the perfect frame of mind--along with a nice cup of coffee--to listen to them.


----------



## millionrainbows

I've tried this in several versions, but the E. Power Biggs/Ormandy/Phillie on CBS is still the best. Make sure you DON'T get the "live" version; get the John McClure-produced studio recording of Oct. 7, 1962.


----------



## Tristan

Brahms - Piano Trio No. 1 in B major (Beaux Arts Trio)

I'm kind of on a Brahms kick this weekend; this is all music I've never heard before, but I really like it


----------



## Crudblud

Dutilleux - Metaboles (Plasson)
Scelsi - String Quartet No. 2 (Arditti)


----------



## Ramako

Tchaikovsky symphony 4 conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra.

I am really loving Tchaikovsky at the moment (well, I always did, but now more than usual ).


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel Organ Concertos - Trevor Pinnock


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Orchestral Works.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in E Flat, KV 113

JKiri Malat leading the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester of Mannheim

View attachment 12175


----------



## Schubussy

A bit more avant-garde than I was expecting, not really sure what to think of it yet.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubussy said:


> View attachment 12177
> 
> 
> A bit more avant-garde than I was expecting, not really sure what to think of it yet.


If Quartet for the End of Time is too avant-garde for you, don't touch Messiaen's 50s and 60s stuff.


----------



## Schubussy

It's not, it might take a few listens for me to properly get though.


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky & Sibelius* _Violin Concertos_
Nigel Kennedy on violin with London PO under Okko Kamu & City of Birmingham SO under Simon Rattle (EMI)

*Bartok* _Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta_ & _*Piano Concerto #3_
*Julius Katchen on piano with Suisse Romande Orch. under Ernest Ansermet (Eloquence)


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubussy said:


> It's not, it might take a few listens for me to properly get though.


If Messiaen's music is anything, it's idiosyncratic. Definitely related to Debussy, but utterly unique.


----------



## Sid James

Mahlerian said:


> If Messiaen's music is anything, it's idiosyncratic. Definitely related to Debussy, but utterly unique.


If I can 'butt in' in this conversation guys, I would recommend as a bridging work between Debussy and mature Messiaen the _8 preludes for piano_ by Messiaen. He was only about 20 at the time he composed these. There are strong links to Debussy but they are also different. Been a while since I'd heard this. I got it on a 2 cd set with Michel Beroff, coupled with 'Vingt Regards' (which is mature Messiaen, & long and challenging for players and listeners alike, coming after the Quartet, he composed it in the dying days of the war)...


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz's Complete Overtures -- performed by Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra:

Le Corsaire Overture is my favorite!

Brahms' Ballades, Op. 10 -- performed by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81 -- performed by Tokyo Quartet & Hiroko Nakamura


----------



## Schubussy

Mahlerian said:


> utterly unique.


Always a good thing.



> If I can 'butt in' in this conversation guys, I would recommend as a bridging work between Debussy and mature Messiaen the 8 preludes for piano by Messiaen. He was only about 20 at the time he composed these. There are strong links to Debussy but they are also different. Been a while since I'd heard this. I got it on a 2 cd set with Michel Beroff, coupled with 'Vingt Regards' (which is mature Messiaen, & long and challenging for players and listeners alike, coming after the Quartet, he composed it in the dying days of the war)...


Got it playing on youtube now (doesn't say the pianist though), it's more instantly likeable to my ears than the Quartet. I'll definitely be listening to more Messiaen.


----------



## frankhodgson

Hello everyone. I'm trying to start to listen to classical music but i don't know where to begin because there is so much different types of music out there. I remember learning about composers like Bach and Beethoven at school so maybe these would be good places to begin but i would really like it if someone could help me pick some music to start me off. I don't always like the very modern types of classical music but i enjoy listening to different tracks of different symphonies. Any suggestions? Kind regards Frank.


----------



## Sid James

Schubussy said:


> ...
> 
> Got it playing on youtube now (doesn't say the pianist though), it's more instantly likeable to my ears than the Quartet. I'll definitely be listening to more Messiaen.


Well that's good, and others I'd recommend is _Le Merle Noir _(the Blackbird) for flute and piano, and maybe also his _Theme & variations for violin and piano_. These are later works than the _8 preludes _but not as long as the _Quartet_, and you might have luck with these too. No harm giving them a try. Btw, Messiaen is a favourite of mine, but my knowledge of his output is by no means comprehensive. Fav works are his song cycles (_Harawi, Poemes pour mi_) & the _Quartet for the End of Time_.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sid James said:


> Well that's good, and others I'd recommend is _Le Merle Noir _(the Blackbird) for flute and piano, and maybe also his _Theme & variations for violin and piano_. These are later works than the _8 preludes _but not as long as the _Quartet_, and you might have luck with these too. No harm giving them a try. Btw, Messiaen is a favourite of mine, but my knowledge of his output is by no means comprehensive. Fav works are his song cycles (_Harawi, Poemes pour mi_) & the _Quartet for the End of Time_.


The orchestral piece L'ascension (arranged from an organ work) used to be particularly popular, but I think the Turangalila Symphony has surpassed it nowadays. You might want to check that out as well.

If I may recommend a particular favorite, Trois petites liturgies pour la presence divine for strings, piano, percussion, women's chorus, and ondes Martenot (a theremin-like electronic instrument) is a great example of Messiaen's unique sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tangos Among Friends*, with Barenboim et al (rec.1995); *Ginastera*, Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2, with Argerich (rec. 1978).

View attachment 12178
View attachment 12179


----------



## neoshredder

Mahlerian said:


> If Messiaen's music is anything, it's idiosyncratic. Definitely related to Debussy, but utterly unique.


I like Debussy but not Messiaen. Oh well. I think Messiaen fits in with a more modern style of Mahler. Just not my thing as I'm not really a Mahler fan either. Or maybe more like Bruckner.


----------



## Vaneyes

frankhodgson said:


> Hello everyone. I'm trying to start to listen to classical music but i don't know where to begin because there is so much different types of music out there. I remember learning about composers like Bach and Beethoven at school so maybe these would be good places to begin but i would really like it if someone could help me pick some music to start me off. I don't always like the very modern types of classical music but i enjoy listening to different tracks of different symphonies. Any suggestions? Kind regards Frank.


Hi Frank, welcome.

This thread (link provided) may help you. My post is #5.

http://www.talkclassical.com/23327-beginner-newbie-classical-music.html


----------



## Mahlerian

neoshredder said:


> I like Debussy but not Messiaen. Oh well. I think Messiaen fits in with a more modern style of Mahler. Just not my thing as I'm not really a Mahler fan either. Or maybe more like Bruckner.


I don't really hear much of Mahler in Messiaen's music, which is as utterly un-Germanic as can be imagined, with its lack of emphasis on either counterpoint or development. On the other hand, I think that there are several traits he shares with Bruckner and other outwardly religious composers (emphasis on slow tempos, a relative lack of _angst_ in its traditional German sense, a love of chorales), but there is as much that separates them as unites them.

Bruckner and Messiaen were both organists, though.


----------



## Schubussy

frankhodgson said:


> Hello everyone. I'm trying to start to listen to classical music but i don't know where to begin because there is so much different types of music out there. I remember learning about composers like Bach and Beethoven at school so maybe these would be good places to begin but i would really like it if someone could help me pick some music to start me off. I don't always like the very modern types of classical music but i enjoy listening to different tracks of different symphonies. Any suggestions? Kind regards Frank.


The best advice I can give is to check out this thread
http://www.talkclassical.com/17996-compilation-tc-top-recommended.html

Every now and then I pick out something I've not heard before and I'm very impressed more often than not.

Just make sure you listen to Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto and Schubert's Trout Quintet. And Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, and Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. And Sibelius's 2nd Symphony and Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. I'll stop now.

And I'm listening to Messiaen's Theme & variations for violin and piano on youtube. I like it.


----------



## Novelette

Throw Beethoven's Diabelli Variations -- performed by Daniel Barenboim.

The "Diabelli Variations" thread compelled me to add it to tonight's playlist.


----------



## neoshredder

I guess I won't have to get an infraction for Russian Composer ignorance (RCI).  Listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphony 1 on MOG.


----------



## lostid




----------



## bejart

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838): Clarinet Quartet No.2 in C Minor, Op.4

Thea King on clarinet with members of the Allegri String Quartet: Peter Carter, violin -- Prudence Pacey, viola- Bruno Schrecker, cello

View attachment 12181


----------



## Mahlerian

neoshredder said:


> I guess I won't have to get an infraction for Russian Composer ignorance (RCI).  Listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphony 1 on MOG.


Of all of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, the one I enjoy the most. I don't really care for the finale, but I like the rest, and I like that recording.


----------



## Sid James

Mahlerian said:


> I don't really hear much of Mahler in Messiaen's music, which is as utterly un-Germanic as can be imagined, with its lack of emphasis on either counterpoint or development. On the other hand, I think that there are several traits he shares with Bruckner and other outwardly religious composers (emphasis on slow tempos, a relative lack of _angst_ in its traditional German sense, a love of chorales), but there is as much that separates them as unites them.
> 
> Bruckner and Messiaen were both organists, though.


Well Messiaen did have the scores of Bach and WEbern at the stalag with him when he composed the _Quartet for the End of Time._ They where both decisive influences on that work. I think though that its logical to see him as an extension of that goes back to Debussy and maybe others like Faure (Ravel?) too. So yes, very French. But of course Messiaen was a Wagnerite (like Schoenberg was, and Debussy up to a point).

& as for your recommendations, his organ works are the next step for me (I don't know them apart from maybe hearing them on radio years back). But currently I am mainly 'chewing over' stuff I already know and I do plan to listen to all my current recordings of the guy at some later point.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sid James said:


> Well Messiaen did have the scores of Bach and Webern at the stalag with him when he composed the _Quartet for the End of Time._ They where both decisive influences on that work. I think though that its logical to see him as an extension of that goes back to Debussy and maybe others like Faure (Ravel?) too. So yes, very French. But of course Messiaen was a Wagnerite (like Schoenberg was, and Debussy up to a point).


True, true, but Messiaen took Webern much the same way that Takemitsu did, inspired more by his spare textures than anything else. Wagner was in many ways the main pre-impressionist. I know you're not a fan, but the forest murmurs scene in Siegfried (often put in orchestral excerpt compilations) was a huge inspiration to Debussy and others. Bach, likewise, is an inspiration to just about everyone...unless you're Feldman, of course!

I've read a lot about Messiaen over the years, so...

As for Ravel, I think he appreciated his music, but didn't like his (or anyone else's) usage of Jazz elements in some of the later scores, and criticized the theme of the Piano Concerto in G's slow movement. Bartok he admired as well, but thought some of the fugal elements were a bit academic. Early Stravinsky he loved, Neoclassical Stravinsky he did not (but had some good words to say for the Symphony of Psalms). He admired Berg's operas, and actually lifted the "nature" chord sequence from Wozzeck for his own use. Schoenberg, on the other hand, he respected but had little use for. Carter he respected for his use of rhythm, but found little "color" in his scores.

Generally he tried not to be very harsh on music he didn't like. He preferred to discuss the music he loved.


----------



## TheVioletKing

Johann Sebastian Bach's The Musical Offering


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Biber - Violin Sonatas


----------



## bejart

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801): Piano Sonata in A Major

Donatella Failoni, piano

View attachment 12183


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D major, D82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D417 {"Tragic"}, *both performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major,* featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## opus55

Danielle said:


> Works well elsehwere so should work here....


If you're talking about the pictures, no, I can't see them. I don't know if others can see.

I'm currently listening to the disc 2 of Haydn set.

Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante, Hob I/105










Waiting to hear the Violin Concertos played by Wallfisch.


----------



## samurai

I don't see any pictures either.


----------



## opus55

Grieg solo piano music


----------



## clavichorder

I made a total of 5 new CD purchases at the store last night. Two of them are things I consider musical staples that I am happy to add to my collection(and recently developed a personal like towards), and the other three are partial unknowns for me but with some things that I know on them.

1. A Glazunov disc, with the Seasons Ballet music and Scenes de Ballet. The Seasons is the better known and likely greater collection, but I don't know it. Scenes de Ballet, I only knew the Mazurka at the end, which I took a strong liking to after a radio listen last summer.

2. A Prokofiev disc, Alexander Nevsky Cantata and the Scythian Suite. Now I'm not unfamiliar with these works and their style, but I've yet to have them going through my head. Prokofiev is odd to me because when I finally "absorb" him, there is no other modernist half as natural and catchy sounding. But sometimes there is some ice to break nonetheless. Also, I brain-farted a little on this purchase, because I was intending to get the Lieutenant Kije Suite(mixed it up with Alexander Nevsky) which I have recently broken the ice on and seriously love. I suspect I'll be happy with this one anyway.

3. Both the Brahms String Sextets, and I've listened to it and been very satisfied with the recording. These are pieces that I've recently come to admire as some of my all time favorites, so this is one of those, "backbone of my collection" discs as it is right now. By the way, if anyone wants to know these recordings(any of them), just ask and I suppose I'll take pains to get that information posted.

4. Schubert Symphonies 1-6, a cheap two disc set. I know symphony 5 and love that melody in the first mvt., but I could stand to know them all better. The 1st mvt. of the 5th sounds excellent, so I think the recording will more than suffice. Another thing that is really great to have like the Brahms. I think the Scythian Suite is pretty popular too of course, not trying to neglect it.

5. And last but not least, a disc with both Martinu Cello Concertos and another Cello and Orchestra(chamber?) work. The 1st Cello Concerto is one that I know quite well, and I think its American sound really is paying homage to Dvorak and his great Cello Concerto. It is an excellent work and I like how this recording sounds better than the one that I got familiar with it on. So, I'll check out the other works on that disc sometime too.

That's the purchase. It was a little over $50. If its more costly than crazy deals you can find online, I don't mind since I love the experience of browsing in a big classical section at a CD store. Its been a long time since I've bought any CDs, possibly last spring.

I think I listed all the works on the CDs, so if you recommend I listen to any specific ones that I didn't make any comment about, please speak up! The Brahms Sextet no. 2 is extremely good, I have no doubt. Same with the other Schubert Symphonies(although there are 6 of them freshly purchased, so if you know a standout apart from 5, lets here it). But I'm more curious what people might say about the Glazunov, Martinu, Prokofiev pieces.


----------



## clavichorder

I just realized something about this thread. We are on page number 1842. Maybe since we are in page number territory that lines up with years in which many great composers were active, we should have an optional theme of listening to pieces from the 1840s and so on as the thread moves forward(likely very quickly, lol).


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius* Symphony No.1 (Karajan)


----------



## Schubussy

clavichorder said:


> I just realized something about this thread. We are on page number 1842. Maybe since we are in page number territory that lines up with years in which many great composers were active, we should have an optional theme of listening to pieces from the 1840s and so on as the thread moves forward(likely very quickly, lol).


Chopin - Ballade No 4 in F minor Op 52
Arthur Rubinstein


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725): Recorder Concerto in A Minor

Modo Antiquo with Ugo Galasso on recorder

View attachment 12190


----------



## Ramako

Kraus - Olympie Overture played by Petter Sundkvist & Swedish Chamber Orchestra









I bought this for the symphonies, but that overture was very good.


----------



## PetrB

this listing may be redundant, i.e. posted by me before....
If not, it is worth, imho, anyone's time twice 
Foss' reworking of music by renaissance composer Solomon Rossi, with texts of Shakespeare, steered by the ebullient and brilliant musicianship of Foss -- well worth your time.
"Measure for Measure" ~ Orchestra, tenor solo.


----------



## kv466

Rachmaninov - P-cto.2, Arkadi Zenziper/Vladislav Tschernuschenko&St.Petebrg.Orcstra.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven, Piano Concerto #2
Brendel, Levine: CSO
*Live Recording

EDIT: Now PC #3.
EDIT: Now PC #4. Refreshing first movement cadenza--Brendel's own, I guess?

These are some very fine performances. I usually listen to Fleischer/Szell or Argerich/Abbado in this repertoire, but I'm glad I switched it up today.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with MacGregor (rec.1991), Babayan (rec. 1995).

View attachment 12194
View attachment 12195


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Dutilleux's* (b.1916) birthday, String Quartet, with Arditti Qt. (rec.1993).

View attachment 12196


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert *- 25 Lieder, performed by Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2.*

Following kv's lead, but I'm listening to Ashkenazy.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Symphony No.1 in C minor
Tragic Overture

*Sibelius* Piano Quintet in G minor


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten*

Her interpretation has a nice, flowing quality to it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Cello Suites, with Schiff (rec.1984); Sonatas & Partitas, with Ehnes (rec.1999/0).

View attachment 12201
View attachment 12202


----------



## Hausmusik

Berglund: Bournemouth
Sibelius 5


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## DrKilroy

Great to know that somebody listens to Anthony Wit's interpretations!  I am not very knowledgeable about them, but he is my fellow-countryman after all.  

I was at Warsaw Philharmony last Friday and I saw a recording of Ravel's Piano Concertos and da Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain with Thiollier at piano and Wit conducting. I was eager to buy it, but unfortunately the Philharmony shop was closed then. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Hausmusik

Brahms, Second Symphony
Klemperer: Philharmonia Orch

From the just-arrived EMI box set reissue (much slimmer than pictured, BTW).


----------



## Mahlerian

Henri Dutilleux: L'Arbre des Songes
Stern, Maazel

Earlier,

Dutilleux: Symphony No. 2 "Le Double"
From the Chandos set


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok:*

_Concerto for Orchestra ; Dance Suite ; Two Portraits ; Romanian Folk Dances for orch. _
Suisse Romande Orch. under Ernest Ansermet (Eloquence)
_
String Quartet #4_ played by Alban Berg Quartet (on EMI)


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Missa Solemnis Benedictus / Wunderlich Karajan. Awesome!


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## opus55

Bruch: Serenade in A minor
Mahler: Symphony No. 9


----------



## DrKilroy

Turangalîla-Symphonie with Myung-Whun Chung. It is the first time I listen to it as a whole. The fifth movement is surprisingly tonal and seemingly tolerable for unexperienced listeners! 

Best regards, Dr


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## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> Turangalîla-Symphonie with Myung-Whun Chung. It is the first time I listen to it as a whole. The fifth movement is surprisingly tonal and seemingly tolerable for unexperienced listeners!
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Well, given that it's printed with a key signature of D-flat major, I'd assume it's tonal. The only movement that really sounds atonal is Turangalila 2, the seventh.


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## DrKilroy

Perhaps atonal is not a good word (to describe the symphony as a whole), just the earlier movements seemed more dissonant and "weird" - I would not risk to listen to them with my parents! The melody in fifth movement, however, striked me as very straightforward. 

Best regards, Dr

Edit: the Finale has nice melodies, too.


----------



## Crudblud

Smetana - String Quartet No. 2 (Stamitz SQ)

I might have to start taking this guy more seriously from now on, that was quite an experience.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Graeme Koehne's Shaker Dances - Richard Mills, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> Perhaps atonal is not a good word (to describe the symphony as a whole), just the earlier movements seemed more dissonant and "weird" - I would not risk to listen to them with my parents! The melody in fifth movement, however, striked me as very straightforward.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Neither is tonal really a great word for it, actually. Messiaen's use of tonality is entirely on his own terms, and it isn't "functional". It's loaded up with polymodal and chromatic elements.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Erik Satie, Messse De Pauvres.*

This is "remastered," but I'm not sure where. The choir sound like they're in another room. I'd pass this up for the EMI recording "Les Inspirations Insolites D'Erik Satie," which I'm listening to now. This one sounds more like a Black Mass in its dark intensity. (Although if you want to hear Socrate, go elsewhere than this recording.)


----------



## Ramako

Haydn Symphonies 58, 59, 60 with Adam Fischer.


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *both featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *featuring the James Levine led Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.7 in F Major, Op.59, No.1

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Isadore Cohen, violins -- Raphael Hillyer, viola -- Claus Adam, cello

View attachment 12212


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## SimonNZ

Machaut's Missa Nostre Dame - Alfred Deller


----------



## lorelei

Rachmaninoff sonata for cello and piano in g minor, op. 19


----------



## Novelette

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. A great deal better than I expected!









Also, Haydn's Il Ritorno di Tobia -- performed by Andreas Spering: Capella Augustina

A very Baroque Haydn--such an interesting work!


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832): Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op.108

Elisabeth Westenholz, piano -- Tutter Givskov, violin -- Lars Grunth, viola -- Asger Lund Christiansen, cello

View attachment 12215


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## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in C Major, KV 330

Mitsuko Uchida, piano

View attachment 12218


----------



## neoshredder

One of my favorite cd's. Listened to SQ's 12 and 15 today


----------



## bejart

Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765): Viola Concerto in A Major

Hamberger Ratsmusik and Mitglieder der Hannoverschen Hofkapelle with Simone Eckert on viola

View attachment 12227


----------



## Ramako

neoshredder said:


> One of my favorite cd's. Listened to SQ's 12 and 15 today


I love that one too! The G major string quartet is probably my favourite piece of Schubert.


----------



## Ramako

Mendelssohn Symphony 5, "The Reformation", conducted by Claudio Abbado with the London Symphony Orchestra

I don't think it is as good as _The Scottish_, or even _The Italian_, but still deserves to be better known. Comparatively I hardly ever see it programmed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ramako said:


> Mendelssohn Symphony 5, "The Reformation", conducted by Claudio Abbado with the London Symphony Orchestra
> 
> I don't think it is as good as _The Scottish_, or even _The Italian_, but still deserves to be better known. Comparatively I hardly ever see it programmed.


I agree, especially with Loren Maazel's version. He conducts the finale in a way which compensates for its flaws.

Today, *Schnittke's Cello Concerto*. Then I'm starting *Bruckner's 8th Symphony.*


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Muzio Clementi's* (1752 - 1832) birthday, Piano Sonatas with Horowitz (rec.1954 - '80).

View attachment 12234


----------



## Art Rock

Going through the Prokofiev concertos in my CD collection (4 CD's, plus a YouTube version of the rarely recorded cello concerto), in preparation for a blog post on them.


----------



## Novelette

Starting off this morning with the early incarnation of the opera that would eventually be renamed "Fidelio".

Generally, I find the Fidelio to be a more compelling musical and dramatic unity, while the 1805 "Leonore" has some every interesting arias that were eventually dropped. Still, the fact remains indisputable, you can't go wrong with Beethoven.


----------



## Hausmusik

*Brahms, Alto Rhapsody

Christa Ludwig
Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orch*

Absolutely heavenly.


----------



## Arsakes

*Liszt* (conducted by Karajan):
Hungarian Rhapsody No.5 & 12
Mazeppa


----------



## Schubussy

Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony no. 4
Neeme Järvi, Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## TheVioletKing

Listening to a Frederic Chopin playlist on Spotify.


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Christian Bach Quintets - Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Piano Sonata No. 2
Maurizio Pollini

For "anti-music", it's good stuff.


----------



## DavidA

Schubert sonata D959 kempff


----------



## Sid James

*Bartok:*

_String Quartets 1 & 2_ played by Alban Berg Quartet (on EMI)

_Solo piano music - Mikrokosmos (selection) ; Allegro barbaro ; Hungarian and Slovak Folksong arrangements ; Sonatina ; Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm _played by Balazs Szokolay (on Naxos)

I am beginning to hear more thematic unity in the string quartets, these two being the hardest for me to appreciate. Beneath the tough as nails Modernist exterior, there is a sense of order in the disorder and also this kind of Romantic emotion. These quartets reminds me in that way of Berg's two, esp. his Op. 3. As for the solo piano works, I realised similarities between some of these (esp. _Mikrokosmos_ and the Bulgarian pieces) & Ligeti's etudes. Bartok seems to look decades ahead in this way, which is amazing. I can hear the same sorts of rhythms and colours that I remember in Ligeti's piano music.


----------



## lostid




----------



## Manxfeeder

Hausmusik said:


> *Brahms, Alto Rhapsody
> 
> Christa Ludwig
> Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orch*


I was just eyeing the Klemperer Brahms set at my CD store. Thanks for the recommendation.

Tonight, Schnittke cello works on Naxos. I think they're very moving, but they're not something to listen to if you have Seasonal Affective Disorder.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> ...
> Tonight, Schnittke cello works on Naxos. I think they're very moving, but they're not something to listen to if you have Seasonal Affective Disorder.
> 
> ...


I got that Schnittke cd. I esp. like the first cello sonata. How I'd basically call it is psychopathic. It veers from one thing to another, all these emotions and a whole array of styles/vibes - from Tchaikovsky to atonal to the feel of a horror movie soundtrack. As for the first cello concerto, I like the finale, which to my mind conjures up mountain landscapes a la Hovhaness. But its kind of an unnatural and surreal feel, or hyperreal. Its kind of appropriate how he wrote this coming out of a stroke/coma, and during that he dreamt of frozen landscapes. & that definitely comes through for me in its last movement. But yeah its very dark music overall...


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 42 in E flat major, Hob. XV:30
Robert Levin, piano, Vera Beths, violin, Anner Bylsma, cello








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 40 in F major
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood







Maybe my all time favorite Haydn symphony (at least it is right at the moment!)


----------



## Hausmusik

Listening to a bunch of different tracks on Spotify. Sampled the Bach sonatas and partitas, some Beethoven sonatas and the Beethoven concerto. Milstein is one of my favorite violinists. Great stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hausmusik said:


> Listening to a bunch of different tracks on Spotify. Sampled the Bach sonatas and partitas, some Beethoven sonatas and the Beethoven concerto. Milstein is one of my favorite violinists. Great stuff.


Mine too. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Andolink, you've been on quite a tonal tear lately.


----------



## Novelette

Hausmusik said:


> *Brahms, Alto Rhapsody
> 
> Christa Ludwig
> Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orch*
> 
> Absolutely heavenly.


That's the version I have, too, Hausmusik. I adore Klemperer's recordings of Brahms!


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 12238
> 
> 
> Johann Christian Bach Quintets - Trevor Pinnock


That's the good stuff, SimonNZ! Amazing music.


----------



## Andolink

Vaneyes said:


> Andolink, you've been on quite a tonal tear lately.


Yeah, I dug this box set of Haydn symphonies out of a rather inaccessible drawer and hadn't listened to these in years. I'm being reminded now how extremely good these Hogwood recordings are.


----------



## drpraetorus

Schubert symph #6


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor {1865/1866 "Linz" Version} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major. *Both works feature the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Impromptu in G Flat, Op.90, No.3 (D.899)

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 12246


----------



## Tristan

Brahms - Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 (Rattle & Berliner Philharmoniker) while doing Greek homework 

Love that fourth movement...


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Spent the last couple of evenings listening to Gliere. I really enjoy his symphonies but his horn concerto is quite awesome as well. I'd like to look at expanding my Gliere selections in my library.































Kevin


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak's* _String Quartets 10 & 12 'American' & Four Cypresses _played by the Australian String Quartet (on ABC Classics)

- I loved all of this but I esp. enjoyed the second movement, _Dumky (Elegy), _of SQ #10. Those sudden rhythmic changes really kept these players on their toes! As for the 'American' quartet, needs no introduction, but apart from being a chamber warhorse its one of the works with which Dvorak fashioned this kind of unique American 'open air' sound - much admired by and to be inspirational to many American composers (Ives and Copland among them).


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn' Op.50 "Prussian" String Quartets - Kodaly Quartet

and dipping into Dean Sutcliff's superb and highly readable volume devoted to this set in the Cambridge Music Handbook series


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart 
String Quartet in A Major #18
Quatuor Mosaïques

Franz Schubert
String Quartet in G Major #15
Brandis Quartet

It was a very good night.


----------



## Sid James

Continuing this week's focus on Bartok, but I also took in the rest of this enjoyable album.

*Album: Two piano recital by Martha Argerich & Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich*
*Bartok* - _Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion_
*Mozart* - _Andante with 5 variations, KV.501-6_
*Debussy *- _En blanc et noir_
+ bonus tracks with Mr Bishop only (solo piano) -
*Bartok* 
- _Out of Doors Suite
- Sonatina_


----------



## bejart

Anna Bon de Venezia (ca.1740-1767?): Flute Sonata No.4 in D Major

Christiane Meininger, flute -- Traud Kloft, harpsichord

View attachment 12252


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Friedrich the Great (24 January 1712-1786): Symphony No.1 in G Major

Kurt Redel leading the Pro Arte Orchestra of Munich

View attachment 12254


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Messaien, Turangalila Symphony. *


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some really beautiful music here to start my day. Just gorgeous!










Kevin


----------



## Faell

Schönberg's _Gurrelieder_


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Clarinet, Oboe Concerti, with Pay/Piguet/Hogwood (rec. 1984); *LvB*: Variations & Bagatelles, with GG (rec. 1966 - '74).

View attachment 12259
View attachment 12260


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr

PS I should perhaps list what is on the CD. 

Five Characteristic Impressions, op. 103
Kyllikki, op. 41
Five Esquisses, op. 114
Piano Sonata, op. 12
Five Pieces ('The Flowers'), op. 85
Rondinos, op. 68
Finlandia, op. 26/7 (piano transcription)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphonies Nos. 1 through 3, Alto Rhapdsody.*


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Richard Strauss* "Vier letzte Lieder", performed by the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Anja Harteros.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven 6 Chailly on my new hi fi mini system just purchased. Sounds amazing!


----------



## DrKilroy

It reminds me of a funny situation: I was at Philharmony a week ago and the orchestra was about to enter the stage to play Faure's Requiem. Suddenly, someone's phone rang - their ringtone was Mozart's 40th Symphony! The audience gave them cheerful applause! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner's 9th on MOG.


----------



## Mahlerian

I have to. The theme from the finale's been running through my head since yesterday.

Messiaen: Turangalila Symphonie
Yvonne Loriod, Jeanne Loriod, London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn

View attachment 12262


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovitch's String Quartet #4 (Borodin)


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> I have to. The theme from the finale's been running through my head since yesterday.
> 
> Messiaen: Turangalila Symphonie
> Yvonne Loriod, Jeanne Loriod, London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn
> 
> View attachment 12262


I never want to see/hear that music again! 

Signed, (Former) Concierge of the Universe


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to a new arrival. *Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas (Complete), with Alexeev (rec. 2008 - '11). Dmitri unlocks this challenging work with an ease seldom heard. He is at one with them. Technique is a given, but what shines again and again, is musicality. Sound is very good, akin to concert recital. Recording venue: The Music Room, Champs Hill, West Sussex. Highest recommendation.

View attachment 12264


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bruckner's 9th on MOG.


An amazing performance. One of my two favorites for this work. The sound could be better. I keep hoping for a new remastering. It is included in a recent HvK box. I do not know if it's been newly remastered. :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> I have to. The theme from the finale's been running through my head since yesterday.
> 
> View attachment 12262


Just like me! I'll join you with Chung live recording currently available on YouTube. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## obwan

The Italian Girl in Algiers


----------



## Vaneyes

DrKilroy said:


> Just like me! I'll join you with Chung live recording currently available on YouTube.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I saw that. Chung's impressive.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius 3










Mariss Jansons conducting.


----------



## Hausmusik

Budapest Quartet c. 1940
Beethoven Quartets


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas -- Jando and Berkes [They dazzle!]









Frescobaldi: Il Primo Libro di Capricci -- My esteemed Leonhardt!









Schoenberg: String Quartets -- New Vienna String Quartet [I'm just getting into these, and I'm enjoying them a lot]


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters van Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Miron Ratiu leading the Chamber Orchestra of the Oradca Philharmonic -- Gavril Costea, flute

View attachment 12269


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Schoenberg: String Quartets -- New Vienna String Quartet [I'm just getting into these, and I'm enjoying them a lot]
> 
> View attachment 12265


Great works, and a great recording to boot. Only thing I don't like about it is that there's an extremely obvious and jarring edit at the climax of the second quartet's third movement, when the soprano sings "Nimm mir die liebe", on the last word.


----------



## Sid James

Continuing with *Bartok*, his _Concerto for Orchestra _played by Melbourne SO under Hiroyuki Iwaki on ABC Classics. Btw, _Turangalila-Symphonie_ is on this set as well guys & I want to get to it soon!...


----------



## Hausmusik

Continuing with great recordings from the Stone Age:

Busch Quartet,
Beethoven Op. 59/3
Dutton remastering


----------



## Mahlerian

Ruggles: Sun-treader
Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnanyi

View attachment 12273


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.1 - Georg Solti, cond.


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Kinderscenen, Op.15

Alfred Brendel, piano.

View attachment 12278


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Great works, and a great recording to boot. Only thing I don't like about it is that there's an extremely obvious and jarring edit at the climax of the second quartet's third movement, when the soprano sings "Nimm mir die liebe", on the last word.


I'll have to listen more carefully to it. :O


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: Il Pirata -- Maria Callas, American Opera Society Orchestra

The final scenes are my favorite, and Callas sings it wonderfully. This Youtube clip first got me into Il Pirata.


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36*, *Symphony No.5 in E* *Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor {"Pathetique"}, *all featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan. I have to say that I find Karajan's traversals of Chaikovskii's final three symphonies much more engaging and lively than those of the first three.


----------



## Schubussy

The Kvintetti Pihtipudas Piano Quintet playing one of my favourite quintets, Shostakovich's Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 57


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to the third volume of the complete symphonies of Joseph Martin Kraus and found it quite enjoyable. The first symphony in C Sharp Minor seemed quite dramatic and expressive for the time period. I find that Kraus is not as always predictable as some other composers from the classical period. The second symphony on the CD is his funeral symphony and is really a wonderful piece. It opens in an unusual way with a theme on the tympani. I could easily see this being played for a funeral. Interstingly enough he died himself not long after of tuberculosis. Another tragic young death (36) of someone with remarkable talent. Would have been interesting to see what he could have or might have composed had he lived into the early 1800s.

The other CD which I am currently listening to is Rachmaninv's Piano Sonatas No. 1 and No. 2 as performed by Nikolai Lugansky. Lugansky brings these sonatas to life and shows that Rachmaninov could write some really meaningful and creative music. He gets demeaned a lot because of the lushness of his pieces. The sonatas require extreme dexterity and virtuosity but not in an pretentious or showy way. These pieces are more akin to Scriabin and really keep and hold your attention. These are not for background music as they require you to listen closely to fully enjoy their depths.

















Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Concertos. Love this recording.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5

















Davis' Sib 2 and 3 sound dull and sluggish to my ears. Sib 3 by Jansons sounded great earlier today - too bad that I had to stop listening to go home. I'll try Jansons again tomorrow.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bach's Concertos. Love this recording.


I have the very same recording. It's excellent! For half of my college career, that was the only set that I listened to in my car. Fond memories.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Had to have my Sibelius fix as it's been a while. Decided to listen again to Karajan's version of the 5th. I still prefer Vanska but this is really quite a good performance.










I'm not a huge listener of Baroque period music but occasionally I'll try some to keep myself well rounded. I read about this amazing recording (LeClair and His Rivals) and so decided to give it a listen through and I have only one word for the superb performances on this disc and that is WoW! Leila Schayegh has a very nice sound on the violin and Jörg Halobek does a wonderful job on the harpsichord. Sometimes the way harpsichords are recorded can be really irritating to me but no so on this recording.










Kevin


----------



## Tristan

Schubert - Symphony No. 7 in E major (realization by Brian Newbould) - Sir Neville Marriner 

The talk about it in the other thread made me want to hear it--I like it so far =)


----------



## drpraetorus

Siegfried, Solti


----------



## Chrythes

Brahms - Symphony No. 3. One of the most enjoyable pieces there are for me.


----------



## Ramako

Haydn symphony 57 - Adam Fischer with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra,
also
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto played by Isaac Stern with Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra

The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto has become one of the (perhaps the main!) staple of my listening recently; it is great, without spoiling through over-listening, or background listening. I will listen to Haydn symphonies 55, 56 and 51 later today so that I can update the 50's Haydn Symphony thread.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven* fragments of:
Piano Concerto No.3 and in D
Symphony No.2,3 & 5


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Op.8, No.1

I Musici with Felix Ayo on violin

View attachment 12282


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

ZAPPA, FRANK - The Ark #07 Uncle Meat - King Kong (Medley)


----------



## Hausmusik

Yes, seriously, Kleiber's Beethoven 5. It's like I am a classical newbie all over again. . .


----------



## Hausmusik

*Brahms, Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34
Kodaly Quartet with Jeno Jando
*

This is one of those Naxos recordings that I think can be plausibly put forth as a contender for "best in class." I have been listening to a number of Op. 34's over the last few days and this one has terrific playing and excellent recorded sound, capturing every plucked note in the Scherzo for instance, that highlights the drama. The only Op. 34's I think are as well or better recorded are the Guarneri/Rubinstein and the Ebene, but I find those performances marred by intonation problems and overly aggressive playing, respectively. Well done, Kodaly, Jando, and Naxos. (Their Trout is also, I think, a contender for first choice.)

(Other Op. 34's I have: Guarneri/Rubinstein, Italiano/Pollini, Ebene, Arcanto, Artemis, Emerson/Fleischer, Sine Nomine, Takacs, Nash.)


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 21 in A major
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Vagn Holmboe: Symphony No. 11
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra/Owain Arwel Hughes


----------



## Hausmusik

Brahms, Clarinet Quintet
David Shifrin, Chamber Music Northwest

This is my new favorite recording of this work. I always loved Shifrin's playing on the justly-popular Emerson Quartet coupling of the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets. However, I found the Emersons themselves a bit too aggressive on that CD (as always) to be satisfying collaborators. Here, Shifrin, has much more sympathetic collaborators and the result is an absolutely mesmerizing performance. Shifrin's clarinet tone is rich, woody, autumnal, burnished--all the things you want in this late Brahms masterpiece. And the sound is spectacular. A real treasure. (PS: It is on Spotify; and the string quintet is excellent too.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Malcom Arnold, Symphony No. 2.* *Brahms, Symphony No. 2.*

Halfway into the Brahms, and I'm not connecting with Furtwangler here. Maybe I've been spoiled by John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## cwarchc

Maxim Vengerov Plays BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 77


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphonies 2 and 3.*

I really like what Klemperer does to the 1st and 4th symphonies, but I'm not being bowled over by his rendition of Symphony No. 2. No. 3 is better but still not overwhelming. Maybe I'm missing something.

[My problem is, I found Symphonies 1 and 4 in a used CD store, but the disk with Symphonies 3 and 2 is missing, and I'm tossing around if I should spring for the new Klemperer set.]


----------



## cwarchc

Moved onto this - it's amazing, can't praise it enough

Lutosławski - Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo Strings


----------



## Mahlerian

Lutoslawski: Funeral Music
Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3

In celebration of the centenary.


----------



## moore

Mahlerian said:


> Lutoslawski: Funeral Music
> Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3


I'm listening to Funeral Music now, I love it.


----------



## OboeKnight

Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez...just one of those I can't get enough of.


----------



## DavidA

schubert D960 Fleischer - remarkable for a man whose hand was paralysed not so long back!


----------



## Hausmusik

Manx, at $13 or so how can you afford NOT to?! You know in a few months it is going to cost 3x as much and you'll be kicking yourself. 

Of course, that is the advice of one who has already succumbed to temptation. I think Klemperer's 2 is lovely, but of course there are other great Seconds as well. My favorite is Bernstein NYPO. This box does however also include the Alto Rhapsody and the German Requiem, so you'll be gaining more than two symphonies.

Thread duty: I am listening now to Haydn's SQ's Opp. 74 and 54, Endellion Quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hausmusik said:


> Brahms, Clarinet Quintet
> David Shifrin, Chamber Music Northwest
> 
> This is my new favorite recording of this work.


Thanks for the heads-up! I've been looking for a desert-island recording of this for a while and have come short so far. Eddie Daniels and Richard Stoltzman are very good but missing that je ne sais quoi, if you'll pardon my French. I'm starting into the fourth movement and crossing my fingers and toes it's as good as the first three movements.


----------



## Vinski

Tavener - The Protecting Veil, The Last Sleep of the Virgin (I Fiamminghi, Werthen)










The beauty of music.


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Requiem #2 in D Minor -- Riccardo Muti: New Philharmonia Orchestra

The finest recording of the less famous Requiem of Cherubini, in my opinion.

Chopin: Piano Sonata #3 in B Minor -- Cécile Ousset

My favorite piano sonata of Chopin's, ably performed by Mme Ousset.

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande -- Charles Dutoit: Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Good performance of Debussy's opera. Honestly, it's not my favorite opera by any means, but sometimes it suits my mood.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Alto Rhapsody.*

I had some good fortune at my CD store this week, so now I don't have to choose between Nathalie Stutzmann and Christa Ludwig.


----------



## bejart

Jiri Antonin Benda (1722-1795): Sinfonia No.7 in D Major

Christian Benda leading the Prague Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 12296


----------



## Vaneyes

Relistening to Alexeev's *Scriabin:* Piano Sonatas (Complete), then Boffard's Debussy: Etudes.

View attachment 12298
View attachment 12299


----------



## Dimboukas

This is what I am listening to the last two days. I like the Violin Sonata No. 2 very much. It is a piece characteristic of Schumann with a rich harmony and a fourth part with a characteristic theme that is often repeated. The third part, the slow one, is very melodic.

Initially I was a little hesitant about the piano used, an Érard 1837, but after listening to it, it has a beautiful, less sharp sound than modern pianos.


----------



## bejart

Manuel Canales (1747-1786): String Quartet in D Major, Op.3, No.1

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simaro and Eva-Maria Roll, violins -- Lothar Haas, viola -- Michael Rupprecht, cello

View attachment 12300


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky* _The Rite of Spring_
Melbourne SO under Hiroyuki Iwaki, recorded live in Melbourne, 1988 (ABC Classics)

*Bartok* _Divertimento for Strings_ 
Rudolf Barshai directing Moscow CO (Eloquence)


----------



## drpraetorus

Nant y Mynydd, Cor Meibion Treforus


----------



## Lukecash12

Sometimes I dream rhythms, and percussionists like Zakir Hussain and Leonard Eto capture that dream and present it to me wide awake.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"},* all three works performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}. *Once again, both of these symphonies feature Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D944 {"Great"}, *performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## millionrainbows

Volume 1, mainly songs with piano, with an especially touching song by female Czeck composer Ludmila Peskarova, _Pisen o koncentrácich._

---------------------------------•••


----------



## Lukecash12

My favorite raag again.


----------



## SimonNZ

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Show Content









Palestrina's Missa In Duplicibus - Dominique Vellard


----------



## Kevin Pearson

The wife was in the mood to listen to music this evening!  Her taste is not as broad as mine so I have to be more selective about what I put on to make sure she can handle it. Beethoven is always a safe choice for her and so I played Beethoven's Symphony no. 6, Leonore overtures and the other CD was the piano concerto no. 3 and the Triple Concerto recordings by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard:

















Thanks to Bejart I am continuing my listening with headphones now that the little lady has gone to bed with these fine recordings of quartets by Manuel Canales:

















Kevin


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in B Flat, KV 570

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 12303


Kevin Pearson --
Glad you're enjoying the Canales, certainly an under heard composer. (That was CANALES, right? Not Tamales?)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

bejart said:


> Mozart: Piano Sonata in B Flat, KV 570
> 
> Kevin Pearson --
> Glad you're enjoying the Canales, certainly an under heard composer. (That was CANALES, right? Not Tamales?)


Living as I do in Texas I do LOVE Tamales but yes...I was really enjoying the Canales! 

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This is a recording of some really wonderful orchestral works by Lars-Erik Larsson. If you enjoy beautiful melodic and sometimes melancholy then this album might be your cup of tea. I think it would appeal to listeners who enjoy Sibelius, Grieg, Sinding, Dvorak, Parry, Stanford and the likes.










Kevin


----------



## Conor71

*Hindemith: Symphonia Serena*

Now playing Disc 3 of the Hindemith set - I decided to give this music another chance and I am quite enjoying it today. Next I will play the Milhaud Disc which is a new one.


----------



## violadude

Heinrich Schutz's St. Mathew Passion


So, I've been finding choral music (especially early choral music) a lot more exciting these days than I used to, so recently I decided to purchase a piece by Heinrich Schutz, his Saint Mathew Passion.

Now believe it or not, I've never actually heard a passion all the way through before (not even Bach's ) so I wasn't really familiar the form or structure of a passion. But I was expecting an hour of beautiful choral music.

I was kind of disappointing though because what I got instead was about 15 minutes of beautiful choral music interspersed amidst a sea of long, boring monotonous recitative/chant sections! Aaahhh! I felt like a POW that was being tortured by being deprived of water but getting little drops of it ever so often just to tease me!

It wasn't a total letdown because the parts that were sung were gorgeous but there needed to be way more of that...and way less of the other stuff. Is there an art to appreciating those long, recitative-like sections that go on and on and on? If there is, it's definitely a skill I have not required.


----------



## Arsakes

*R.Schumann*:
String Quartet No.1
Romanzen und Balladen (Lieder)
Dichterliebe (Lieder)


----------



## Andolink

Ernst Helmuth Flammer: das erschwiegene Wort!…ausgeweitet… (for solo percussion and orchestra)
Yuko Suzuki, percussion
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Olaf Henzold








Arnold Schönberg: String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, op. 7
Schönberg Quartett








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Trio in C major, K548
The London Fortepiano Trio

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Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Arranged for String Trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)

Trio Echnaton: Mayra Salinas, violin -- Sebastian Krunnies, viola -- Frank-Michael Guthmann, cello

View attachment 12308


----------



## Hausmusik

Bruno Walter
Columbia SO
Beethoven, Symphony #6, Pastoral

Free, good-sounding recording on archive.org

http://archive.org/details/BeethovenSymphonyNo.6walter-columbiaSo


----------



## Hausmusik

Beethoven, Violin Concerto
Joseph Szigeti; Bruno Walter: New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Also on archive.org
http://archive.org/details/BeethovenViolinConcerto-Szigeti

This recording is not quite as good as the Walter Beethoven 6--there's sometimes audible pitch distortion--but there's little or no audible surface noise and it's very listenable. This is a performance someone on the Amazon boards often touted so I am giving it a listen.


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Concertos










After getting impressed by Salvatore Accardo on Bruch Violin Concerto, I finally purchased his Paganini concertos. This guy is incredible and his tone is delicious!


----------



## Ramako

Right now I'm listening to Tchaikovsky symphony 5, 2nd movement until my laundry finishes

However earlier I was listening to Mahler's 1st symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein with Concertgebouw Orchestra.









I enjoyed this symphony a lot more than usual so I'm assuming its a better performance (this is the first time I have listened to Bernstein on this one) - though I haven't listened to it for a while in any version. I think I've been underrating it so I may listen to it more in the future.


----------



## Sonata

Don Giovanni


----------



## opus55

Bizet: Carmen


----------



## Cheyenne

Ah, such silly and simple pieces, but so delightful too.


----------



## bejart

Franz Ignaz Beck (1734-1809): Symphony in B Flat, Op.4, No.2

Michael Schneider leading La Stagione Frankfurt

View attachment 12314


----------



## Hausmusik

German Requiem


----------



## Mahlerian

Ramako said:


> However earlier I was listening to Mahler's 1st symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein with Concertgebouw Orchestra.
> 
> View attachment 12311
> 
> 
> I enjoyed this symphony a lot more than usual so I'm assuming its a better performance (this is the first time I have listened to Bernstein on this one) - though I haven't listened to it for a while in any version. I think I've been underrating it so I may listen to it more in the future.


Do you generally not like Mahler, then? His first is filled with all of his idiosyncrasies, although it's less cohesive and refined than what followed. All the same, a lot of people seem to like it and not his later music, which on a formal level is far more coherent.

Bernstein's earlier performance with the NYP is also worth checking out.


----------



## Hausmusik

Mahlerian, I've always attributed its popularity with (Mahler) newbies (it was my favorite way back when) to three things:

1)No singing
2)Under an hour
3)Frere Jacques


----------



## Mahlerian

Hausmusik said:


> Mahlerian, I've always attributed its popularity with newbies (it was my favorite way back when) to three things:
> 
> 1)No singing
> 2)Under an hour
> 3)Frere Jacques


I heard it for the first time after I'd already become a fan of his later works, and I took to it immediately. My first recording was Bruno Walter's with Columbia.


----------



## Ramako

Mahlerian said:


> Do you generally not like Mahler, then? His first is filled with all of his idiosyncrasies, although it's less cohesive and refined than what followed. All the same, a lot of people seem to like it and not his later music, which on a formal level is far more coherent.
> 
> Bernstein's earlier performance with the NYP is also worth checking out.


Mahler's 9th is one of my favourite pieces of music, and I find him probably the most _interesting_ composer after Beethoven (I probably _prefer_ Tchaikovsky). Although I am ambiguous towards some of his works, overall I would say I like Mahler a lot, but I rarely listen to him because I find his works require such concentrated listening (and of course over quite a long time).


----------



## bejart

Joseph Franz Xaver Dominik Stalder (1725-1765): Symphony No.5 in G Major

Howard Griffiths directing the English Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 12315


----------



## Hausmusik

Bejart, your breadth of listening in the classical era inspires awe. . .


----------



## Arsakes

R.*Schumann*'s Violin Sonata No.1 & 2.

They are among the best Violin Sonatas.


----------



## Sonata

More *Mozart: Violin Sonata #21 and sinfonia concertante*. From the Isabella Stewart Gardner podcast "The Concert" Quite a great podcast from what I can tell. I downloaded several episodes some time back and am finally getting around to listening! Highly recommended, though fair warning, very heavy on the "usual suspects" and they are mainly small ensemble pieces. But plenty of great music there.


----------



## cwarchc

Followed by this one, for some reason it won't let me post the image of the front cover?


----------



## GreenMamba

Bach Harpsichord Concerto in D-Minor and Violin Concerto in A-Minor (Orch. St. Luke's).


----------



## SimonNZ

Hausmusik said:


> Mahlerian, I've always attributed its popularity with (Mahler) newbies (it was my favorite way back when) to three things:
> 
> 1)No singing
> 2)Under an hour
> 3)Frere Jacques


I'm usually singing along with the recycled "Ging heut' Morgen ubers Feld" in a ropey approximate German, when playing Mahler 1

current listening:









Taverner's Missa O Michael - The Sixteen


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> I'm usually singing along with the recycled "Ging heut' Morgen ubers Feld" in a ropey approximate German, when playing Mahler 1


Not "Auf der strasse steht ein Lindenbaum"? 

Just finished listening to this performance of:
Boulez: Repons


----------



## DavidA

Schubert Impromptus. Lupu.


----------



## Novelette

All right! Today's been a music-binge day [my favorite kind of day]:

Gossec: Grande Messe des Morts -- Diego Fasolis: Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana









Praetorius: Magnificat Per Omnes Versus Super Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La -- Paul van Nevel: Huelgas Ensemble









Schumann: The Complete Songs -- Hyperion Label [many excellent singers!]









Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette -- Riccardo Muti: Philadelphia Orchestra


----------



## Sid James

*Schumann* Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44

- Phillippe Entremont on piano with Alban Berg Quartet, recorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1985 (EMI)

*Album: Ottmar Liebert + luna negra - opium* (cd 1 of 2 cd set, wide-eyed)

- Liebert (composer, arranger) on guitar leading his luna negra group (Epic)
*
Schoenberg & Sibelius* - Violin Concertos

- Hilary Hahn on violin with Swedish Radio SO under Esa-Pekka Salonen (DGG)


----------



## Novelette

Sid James said:


> *Schumann* Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44
> 
> - Phillippe Entremont on piano with Alban Berg Quartet, recorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1985 (EMI)


Sid James, that is my favorite recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet! The second movement, especially, is so airy and is conveyed so sensitively by the ensemble.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8*


----------



## OboeKnight

Hexenritt from Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel


----------



## Hausmusik

Novelette said:


> Sid James, that is my favorite recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet! The second movement, especially, is so airy and is conveyed so sensitively by the ensemble.


Afraid I must dissent; PE's playing is horrendous in the final movement!


----------



## bejart

Hausmusik said:


> Bejart, your breadth of listening in the classical era inspires awe. . .


I'd usually rather listen to something I don't know well than something more familiar. That's what comes from having a restless mind, and too many resources --- 

Now ---
John Antes (1740-1811): String Trio No.1 in E Flat

American Moravian Chamber Ensemble: Anthony Martin and Joseph Edelberg, violins -- Paul Hale, cello

View attachment 12327


----------



## Guest

Huge Bartok kick lately. Been inspiring my composing. The Piano Concertos, Violin Concertos, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, The Miraculous Mandarin, Violin Sonatas, 3 Etudes, Piano Suite, Piano Sonata...his genius just keeps blowing me away.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Sonatas, etc., with Sudbin (rec. 2006);* Ligeti*: Etudes, with Aimard (rec. 1995/6).

View attachment 12330
View attachment 12332


----------



## Sid James

Novelette said:


> Sid James, that is my favorite recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet! The second movement, especially, is so airy and is conveyed so sensitively by the ensemble.


Yes it does come across as a kind of lyrical interpretation of the work.



Hausmusik said:


> Afraid I must dissent; PE's playing is horrendous in the final movement!


Well that's above my heard re this recording, but generally that's part and parcel of live recordings, they won't be as perfect as studio ones with all the splicings and touch ups. You get 'warts and all' when its done live. I mean properly live, cos some recordings labelled as being live are anything but. Since the time of that recording, there's been a movement of sorts to have live actually mean live. Eg. no touch ups. Nigel Kennedy is an advocate of this, but before his time Arthur Grumiaux was as well.

For my untrained ears, techinically an important thing with piano quintets - and piano quartets & trios too - is that the piano does not smother the strings. You don't play a chamber work like a concerto, in other words. This was common among 'old school' pianists but after 1945 it kind of died out. Recently its been coming back with some prominent pianists who I'll not name (I got a 'minder' or two on this forum, hanging on my every word, ready to pounce). G'day Stalin, lovely to see you!

In terms of the pianist being too 'beefy,' that's what Schoenberg hated in how pianists back then played Brahm's _Piano Quartet #1, _and that's partly why he orchestrated it, so he could "hear everything" clearly. I actually listened to that brilliant orchestration last weekend.

Anyway, I enjoyed this piece and the 2 cd set has piano quintets also by Schubert, Brahms and Dvorak. I've been going thru them bit by bit every weekend. Next weekend I will listen to the only one I've got left, the Dvorak. Entremont played the Schumann, Elisabeth Leonskaja the Brahms and Schubert, and Rudolf Buchbinder the Dvorak. All live recordings with the Alban Berg Quartet.


----------



## Novelette

Hausmusik said:


> Afraid I must dissent; PE's playing is horrendous in the final movement!


It's true, but it never bothered me much. I rarely listen to the final movement. =\

I also have the recording by Alberni Quartet & Thomas Rajna, but that group interprets the quintet in a very strange way: rather than the piano overpowering, it is overpowered by the strings. I like the balance of the instruments to be approximately equal [as difficult as that is to achieve, I realize] so I can hear the subtleties of the harmonies and tonal clusters. The fourth movement of this latter ensemble is wholesome enough, but the first three movements don't satisfy me as much as the Alban Berg Quartet's.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Varese: Ameriques


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): Symphony No.6 in C Major, Perger 4

Harold Fabermann leading the Bournemouth Sinfonietta

View attachment 12337


----------



## Hausmusik

Listening to Beethoven Opp. 109 & 110 by Arrau, recordings from the 60s. These are uncommonly deep and probing readings. Why does Arrau not get mentioned more often around here?


----------



## opus55

Faure: Theme and variations in C sharp minor, Op. 73
Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Les Yeux Clos II　(閉じた眼II)
Aki Takahashi

View attachment 12342


----------



## neoshredder

bejart said:


> I'd usually rather listen to something I don't know well than something more familiar. That's what comes from having a restless mind, and too many resources ---
> 
> Now ---
> John Antes (1740-1811): String Trio No.1 in E Flat
> 
> American Moravian Chamber Ensemble: Anthony Martin and Joseph Edelberg, violins -- Paul Hale, cello
> 
> View attachment 12327


It's a great Era. I should dig deep in that Era as well. Lots of hidden gems I bet.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.100

Marina Manukian, violin -- Bryan Pezzone, piano

View attachment 12343


----------



## neoshredder

Locatelli (1695-1764) Concerti Grossi Op. 1


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie*

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this Composer - on one hand I think this work and Quator Pour La Fin Du Temps are incredible and on the other I think his Piano and Vocal Music is really awful. I always feel like I want more Messiaen in my collection after hearing this work but maybe I will just content myself with what Ive got knowing that I find at least half of the Messiaen Edition which I bought a couple of years ago unlistenable


----------



## SimonNZ

Josef Hofmann - recordings ca. 1903-1922

opening the Arnold Bennett journals to a random page (Oct 23, 1920) I read that he and Jascha Heifetz have attended a Hofmann recital and both declare him the greatest pianist they have ever heard

Heifetz:"The finest pianist in the world and there is no good second"


----------



## Tristan

Tchaikovsky - The Queen of Spades, Op. 68










I should be going to bed, but I'm sick and I feel terrible, so I'm just going to try and relax and finish this opera


----------



## Andolink

Ernst Helmuth Flammer: Interferenza mente sovrapposizione for violoncello, orchestra and live electronics
Werner F. Selge, violoncello
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Lothar Zagrosek






This 50 minute piece really impressed me on first hearing yesterday. Flammer leads the listener on a fascinating journey through ever shifting sonic landscapes. This is hard-core Modernism though so beware!

Michael Finnissy: WAM, for piano & 2 unspecified treble instruments; Enek, for solo violin
Charles Mutter, violin
IXION 








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Trio in B-flat major, K502
The London Piano Trio








Georg-Philipp Telemann: Quartet for flute, violin, viola da gamba (or cello) & continuo No. 1 in A major (Paris Quartets No. 3)
Quatuor Ricercar


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: String Concerto No.2 in E Minor, RV 133

Simon Standage leading Collegium Musicum 90

View attachment 12350


----------



## Hausmusik

Mozart, Piano Concerto #19 in F
Murray Perahia: ECO

_*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born today in 1756*_


----------



## DrKilroy

Hausmusik said:


> Mozart, Piano Concerto #19 in F
> Murray Perahia: ECO


I really like the second movement of this concerto! (Though of course the other are great too  ). Happy birthday Mozart!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Hausmusik

Mozart, Symphony #40 in G Minor, Symphony #41 in C Major, Trauermusik
Bruno Walter: Columbia SO


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756-1791): Bassoon Concerto in B Flat, KV 191

Douglas Boyd directing the Manchester Camerata -- Laurence Perkins, bassoon

View attachment 12352


----------



## Hausmusik

Mozart, "Dissonance" Quartet in C, K. 465 & "Hoffmeister" Quartet
Belcea String Quartet


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Appassionata Gilels


----------



## Hausmusik

Mozart, Horn Concerti
Vlatkovic; Tate: ECO


----------



## DrKilroy

The Rondo from no. 4 is really great! I do not know the other concerti very well, however. Do you recommend any single one to start with? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

Mahler: Symphony #8, "Symphony of a Thousand" -- Gary Bertini: Cologne Broadcast Symphony Orchestra

This is a new CD for me, and I'm only getting into Mahler, so I can't say how good the interpretation is, comparatively, but I like these recordings a lot, so far.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Mozart*, *Lalo* birthdays, Piano Sonatas with Gulda, then Cello Concerto with Chang/Pappano.

View attachment 12355
View attachment 12356


----------



## Vaneyes

Novelette said:


> View attachment 12354
> 
> 
> Mahler: Symphony #8, "Symphony of a Thousand" -- Gary Bertini: Cologne Broadcast Symphony Orchestra
> 
> This is a new CD for me, and I'm only getting into Mahler, so I can't say how good the interpretation is, comparatively, but I like these recordings a lot, so far.


And you should, Novellette, it's one of the finest box sets. Lyrical interpretations, detailed. Consistent performance and sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: String Quartets (Complete), with Kocian Qt. (rec.1995); *Krenek*: String Quartets 5 & 8 , with Thouvenel Qt. (rec.1983).

View attachment 12357
View attachment 12358


----------



## Dimboukas

DrKilroy said:


> The Rondo from no. 4 is really great! I do not know the other concerti very well, however. Do you recommend any single one to start with?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I have to admit that they sound similar with each other but No. 3 is very good. They are easy to listen.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Joining Mozart's birthday celebration by listening to his *Horn Concertos* - all four of them.

Oh, I've just noticed I am not the only one...


----------



## Mahlerian

Conor71 said:


> *Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie*
> 
> I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this Composer - on one hand I think this work and Quator Pour La Fin Du Temps are incredible and on the other I think his Piano and Vocal Music is really awful. I always feel like I want more Messiaen in my collection after hearing this work but maybe I will just content myself with what Ive got knowing that I find at least half of the Messiaen Edition which I bought a couple of years ago unlistenable


What makes those works awful, in your opinion? I love pretty much all of Messiaen's music.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Piano Quartet No.1 (in D major) and 2 (in E flat major)
Piano Quintet No.1 and 2 (both A major)


----------



## Arsakes

And for *Mozart*'s Birthday celebration:
Serenade No.9 in D major 'Posthorn'

Very beautiful Serenade


----------



## Guest

I'm on a Dohnanyi kick recently. Just got this one:









Also, I'm trying a new motivational trick today: if I don't get my work done today I'm gonna have to delete it by the end of the day. Yikes!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A
Boston Baroque
via Radio


----------



## bejart

In celebration of HIS birthday ---
Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (27 January 1806-1826): String Quartet No.3 in E Flat

Guarneri Quartet: Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins -- Michael Tree, viola -- David Soyer, cello

View attachment 12360


----------



## starthrower

Max Reger-Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart / Berlin Phil Karl Bohm

This is my first listen to Reger. Does he have any more modern sounding pieces?


----------



## mlyons

Beethoven No. 3, The Met Orchestra, Levine conducting. We were searching for last year's taxes and I discovered where I squirreled away a stack of CD's. This is one.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

In honor of Mozart's birthday I'm listening to his symphonies 39, 40 and 41 performed by Karl Bohm and the Berlin Philharmonic.










Kevin


----------



## bejart

Georg Druschetzky (1745-1819): Oboe Quartet in F Major

Lajos Lensces, oboe -- Zsolt Szefcsik, violin -- Agnes Csoma, viola -- Balint Maroth, cello

View attachment 12362


----------



## Andolink

starthrower said:


> Max Reger-Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart / Berlin Phil Karl Bohm
> 
> This is my first listen to Reger. Does he have any more modern sounding pieces?


Yes indeed. Most of his chamber music after op. 100 is quite modern sounding with increasingly chromatic harmonies that move in the direction of atonality.

Try this disc of his late violin sonatas (which are superb):


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:*

Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.1 D Minor, Op.13*, *Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op.27, Isle of the Dead, Op.29,* *Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.44 and Symphonic Dances, Op.45.* All of these works feature the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Mariss Jansons.
Malcolm Arnold--*Symphony No.1, Op.22, Symphony No.2, Op.40 and Symphony No.5, Op.74.* All three symphonies are performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer himself.


----------



## Ravndal

Philip Glass: Six Etudes

So wonderful.. 











Didnt find my favorite on youtube though.. here is spotify link


----------



## Hausmusik

*Mozart, Piano Concertos 21 & 24
Casadesus; Szell: Cleveland*


----------



## Novelette

Hausmusik, how do you like that recording?

Of the piano concertos, I have the recording of John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists. Soloist: Malcolm Bilson. It is a HIP recording and features a pianoforte. The interpretations are very good, but I'm still not too sure about whether or not I like the pianoforte so much.


----------



## Novelette

On recommendation from Presto, I'm listening to music by Daniel Purcell.






Such wonderful music!


----------



## Hausmusik

Novelette said:


> Hausmusik, how do you like that recording?
> 
> Of the piano concertos, I have the recording of John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists. Soloist: Malcolm Bilson. It is a HIP recording and features a pianoforte. The interpretations are very good, but I'm still not too sure about whether or not I like the pianoforte so much.


Novelette, I can only speak of the 21 and 24 which are the only ones I have listened to. I am still getting to know these performances, but I would say they are both among the finest versions I have heard. Casadesus is a marvelous pianist, refined rather than heroic but never self-effacing or dull, but what I love most about these recordings is the orchestral accompaniment given him by the Clevelanders under Szell. If you've heard Szell's excellent Mozart symphonies, you can expect more of that here. In 24 they are vivid and dramatic (this is a work I am used to hearing in underpowered performances that disappointingly peter out). The 21 is marvelous as well--perhaps even more so. Szell/Cleveland give exquisite, sensitively-shaped support in the famous slow movement--the pizzicato chords under the piano at Casadesus' first entrance are so well-judged--the effect is hypnotic. And in the outer movements, Szell conveys an opera buffa quality I really like--I was thinking of Figaro the whole time. These are definitely keepers, and performances I'll want to return to.

Incidentally, I also have the Bilson/Gardiner 21. I am glad I have it as a reference, and Gardiner brings a lot to the table, but I am unenthusiastic about the fortepiano sound.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Milan Munclinger directing the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Jean Pierre Rampal, flute

View attachment 12363


I love the 3rd movement 'Presto' --


----------



## opus55

d'Indy: Souvenirs, Op. 62
Mozart: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 19, 20, 23


----------



## neoshredder

All Mozart day to celebrate his birthday. Listening to Cd 2 and cd 3.


----------



## Novelette

Hausmusik said:


> Novelette, I can only speak of the 21 and 24 which are the only ones I have listened to. I am still getting to know these performances, but I would say they are both among the finest versions I have heard. Casadesus is a marvelous pianist, refined rather than heroic but never self-effacing or dull, but what I love most about these recordings is the orchestral accompaniment given him by the Clevelanders under Szell. If you've heard Szell's excellent Mozart symphonies, you can expect more of that here. In 24 they are vivid and dramatic (this is a work I am used to hearing in underpowered performances that disappointingly peter out). The 21 is marvelous as well--perhaps even more so. Szell/Cleveland give exquisite support in the famous slow movement--the pizicato chords under the piano at Casadesus' first entrance are so well-judged--the effect is hypnotic. And in the outer movements, Szell conveys an opera buffo quality I really like--I was thinking of Figaro the whole time. These are definitely keepers, and performances I'll want to return to.


I'll definitely have to check them out, then. The Gardiner performances are by no means weak, and Bilson is adept at clearly bringing out the melodic pathos of the works, but again the pianoforte is a definite liability, in my opinion. The pianist may be excellent at giving clear voice to the subtleties of the work, but to what avail when the orchestra ultimately overpowers that voice?

I'm not so familiar with Szell's performances, although I have often heard his name. I will be sure to listen to his recordings!


----------



## neoshredder

Novelette said:


> I'll definitely have to check them out, then. The Gardiner performances are by no means weak, and Bilson is adept at clearly bringing out the melodic pathos of the works, but again the pianoforte is a definite liability, in my opinion. The pianist may be excellent at giving clear voice to the subtleties of the work, but to what avail when the orchestra ultimately overpowers that voice?
> 
> I'm not so familiar with Szell's performances, although I have often heard his name. I will be sure to listen to his recordings!


I prefer the Orchestra over the piano parts.  And Gardiner probably has the best sound for Orchestra.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> I prefer the Orchestra over the piano parts.  And Gardiner probably has the best sound for Orchestra.


I won't diss Gardiner, that's for sure. 

His recording of Rameau's "Les Boréades", especially, blows me away every time!


----------



## Andolink

Franz Jospeh Haydn: Symphony No. 22 in E flat major ("The Philosopher")
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major
Malcolm Bilson, piano
The English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner






My favorite of the 27.


----------



## Ramako

Brahms clarinet quintet. Really enjoyed this with the Amadeus quartet and Karl Leister. I hope I can use this to make some inroads into Brahms who I have often found quite impenetrable.


----------



## Ravndal

Ramako said:


> Brahms clarinet quintet. Really enjoyed this with the Amadeus quartet and Karl Leister. I hope I can use this to make some inroads into Brahms who I have often found quite impenetrable.


Did you try his two piano concertos, piano quintet f minor, Symphony 4? His op 118 and 119 is great aswell


----------



## Dimboukas

Ramako said:


> Brahms clarinet quintet. Really enjoyed this with the Amadeus quartet and Karl Leister. I hope I can use this to make some inroads into Brahms who I have often found quite impenetrable.


It is one of the best recordings. And if it comes with Christoph Eschenbach for the Piano Quintet, as I imagine, then this is the best recording of all I have heard for the piano quintet.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Trio in C Minor, Op.14, No.2

Trio Miro: Carlo Alberto Valenti, violin -- Claudio Valenti, viola -- Carlo Benvenuti, cello

View attachment 12367


----------



## mgj15




----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Conor71

Mahlerian said:


> What makes those works awful, in your opinion? I love pretty much all of Messiaen's music.


I just find the Piano Music and Songs I have heard to be too disonnant and tuneless. Thats not something I dont like across the board - I enjoy quite a lot of dissonant music and even some atonal works. Just in this case I find the works repellant. I really like the idea behind the pieces Catalogue D'Oiseaux, its a stroke of brilliance I think but I dont find the music itself to be compelling. In general I dont like lieder/songs and Messiaens are no exception. As I said I also really love some of Messiaens music and find it to be quite otherwordly - I just bought 2 new Messiaen recordings today too (check out the Purchases thread)


----------



## Conor71

*Dukas: La Peri*

Todays theme: French Romanticism - I have the following recordings lined up to play today. The Bizet and Dukas Discs will be first listens :


----------



## Mahlerian

Conor71 said:


> I just find the Piano Music and Songs I have heard to be too dissonant and tuneless. Thats not something I dont like across the board - I enjoy quite a lot of dissonant music and even some atonal works. Just in this case I find the works repellant. I really like the idea behind the pieces Catalogue D'Oiseaux, its a stroke of brilliance I think but I dont find the music itself to be compelling. In general I dont like lieder/songs and Messiaens are no exception. As I said I also really love some of Messiaens music and find it to be quite otherwordly - I just bought 2 new Messiaen recordings today too (check out the Purchases thread)


It all just sounds like Messiaen to me. It does seem weird to call music like Harawi "tuneless", but if you don't like lieder/art songs at all, I suppose it's not surprising that Messiaen wouldn't change that. Well, thanks for the explanation at any rate.


----------



## Mahlerian

Varese: Equatorial
Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Pierre Boulez

I love the ondes Martenot way more than I should, probably.


----------



## bejart

More Birthday celebration ---
Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 12370


----------



## Sid James

A listen to the whole *Music for Strings album on Eloquence* - one of my favourites I've got on that label. & also in honour of *Australian pianist Kathryn Selby*, who was awarded one of the highest civilian honours here, the Order of Australia (AM) on the weekend just past for her "significant service to the arts as a concert pianist and performer of chamber music." Onya Kathy! The Bartok sonata on this recital also fits in nicely with my week long focus on his music.

_Music for strings album_: **Hindemith* _5 pieces Op. 44 #4_ ; **Prokofiev (arr. Barshai)* _Visions Fugitives_ ; ***Bartok* _Divertimento for strings _; ***Vivaldi* _2 concertos from L'estro Armonico: Op. 3 #10 and Op. 3 #1_
Played by *Academy of St Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner & **Moscow CO under Rudolf Barshai

_Kathryn Selby live studio broadcast for ABC radio, 2009_: *Beethoven* _Piano Sonata in C minor Op. 13 'Pathetique' _; *Bartok* _Piano Sonata (1926)_ ;* Chopin *_Piano Sonata #3 in B minor Op. 58_


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *both performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61,* both works featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Piano Sonata No.26 - Walter Olbertz, piano


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Impromptus, D.899 and D.935










Music for late night reading.


----------



## Novelette

opus55 said:


> Schubert: Impromptus, D.899 and D.935
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Music for late night reading.


I deeply enjoy Brendel's performance of Schubert's Impromptus [I use him as a stylistic template for my own playing of these works, with various levels of success]. Perfect, indeed, for evening reading.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Stamitz Sinfonies and Concertos.


----------



## Ramako

Ravndal said:


> Did you try his two piano concertos, piano quintet f minor, Symphony 4? His op 118 and 119 is great aswell


I have tried symphony 4 but didn't really enjoy it overall. I didn't think I'd really clicked with Brahms which is why I keep trying him. I shall retry it at some point. And thanks for the other suggestions too


----------



## Ramako

Dimboukas said:


> It is one of the best recordings. And if it comes with Christoph Eschenbach for the Piano Quintet, as I imagine, then this is the best recording of all I have heard for the piano quintet.


It does


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.4 - Gunther Herbig, cond


----------



## Novelette

Insomnia listening:

Bach: Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080 -- Helmut Walcha


----------



## bejart

Jean Baptist Loeillet (1680-1730): Trio Sonata in B Minor

Eroica Trio: Erika Nickrenz, piano -- Adela Pena, violin -- Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello

View attachment 12376


----------



## Andolink

Ferruccio Busoni: Fantasia after J.S. Bach
John Ogden, piano








Hilding Rosenberg: String Quartet No. 10
Fresk Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Trio in G major, K564
The London Fortepiano Trio








Georg-Philipp Telemann: Quartet for flute, violin, viola da gamba (or cello) & continuo No. 2 in G minor (Paris Quartet No. 4)
Quatour Ricercar 








Morton Feldman: Four Instruments (1965)
Ensemble Avantgarde


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Debussy's Orchesral Works on MOG.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 7. Karajan

Beethoven, Symphony No. 5. Szell

Both outstanding recordings.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases. *Mahler*: Symphony 9, with LAPO/Dudamel; *Brahms*: Symphony 1, with Swedish CO/Dausgaard.

Two paint-by-numbers interps. No thrills. Stay away.

View attachment 12382
View attachment 12383


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Chamber Symphony 1, with ACO/Chailly (rec.1985); Orchestral, with Sherry/Craft(rec.1994 - '00); Suite for Piano, Op. 25, with GG (rec.1959).

View attachment 12384
View attachment 12385
View attachment 12386


----------



## Art Rock

Going through my CD's of Ravel's orchestral works (all of them) in preparation of another blog post.


----------



## Oldboy

This arrived on the doormat Saturday, a little birthday present to myself for yesterday (wasn't it also some other guy's birthday too?).


----------



## Arsakes

*Barber*:
Violin Concerto
Piano Concerto
Symphony No.2

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.1


----------



## Sonata

*Mahler*: Lieder. Disc 3 of my Mahler boxed set. This is the first disc of the set that I'm not bowled-over in awe of. Fairly generic lieder here, though there are a few of the songs I do enjoy. It may take a few listens to grow on me. If not, that's ok too. 

Yesterday I listened to some *Mozart* in honor of his birthday. (coincidentally I listened on Saturday too.) Two of his Haydn string quartets. I believe #13 and 16. They were from "The Concert" podcast that I mentioned previously on my current listening post. Both podcast episodes are worthy of repeat listening (though the second string quartet of that set ran about 5 minutes overlong for me). And I'll be trying to listen to one new podcast per week.

Oh, and speaking of *Papa Haydn*, I listened to Piano trios #44 &45. The third movement of 45 (I think it was that one anyway, I don't remember for sure) put me in mind of the Trout quintet from Schubert. So maybe Haydn had a "Minnow Trio" :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Stamitz/Benda Flute Concertos


----------



## Sonata

*Miriam Gauci: Soprano arias from Italian Operas*

Exclusively Puccini and Verdi on this album. All completely beautiful. This was the album that launched my love of the aria Senza Mama, and to ultimately discover Suor Angelica.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 3.*

Bernstein, New York Phil, on RCA.

Not necessarily my favorite recording but still my favorite Mahler symphony.


----------



## science

That Martinu disk is awesome. Stop whatever you're doing, figure out how you're going to listen to it, and thank me later. The Fricsay Kodály is no slouch either.

















The only thing on Oistrakh disks that I've listened to so far is the Hindemith, and it was nice. I've found Hindemith surprisingly difficult to enjoy, but this was no problem.

Anyone have any opinions on the Schiff, or other recordings of the partitas that you really enjoy?

















Been hittin' the Hamelin lately...


----------



## science

I do like Ligeti's string quartets. Perhaps more than any 20th century string quartets, save Bartók. Don't hold me to that. But off the top of my head....

The Sciarrino was half the occasion for the Kairos thread. Interesting music.

















PdV is nice if you're into that kind of thing. Not quite as interesting as Machaut, to me, but right up there. Machaut feels more individualistic to me. But that's not based on great familiarity or insight or anything.

Edit: Looks like I get one more! Love all the works and the recordings on this disk. Really, there's no great need for anyone who doesn't have it to get it: there are many good recordings of the Saint-Saëns (in particular the Levine paired with Dukas's _Sorcerer's Apprentice_) and Debussy, and you won't buy many CDs before you have several of both; and there are probably some other good recordings of the Ibert, though I don't have any myself. But it's a nice set anyway, and I enjoy it. For _La Mer_, I cannot choose between Munch, Bernstein, and Boulez. Karajan does it well too. Life is good.

















Whyever Pärt is not generally classified New Age music is beyond me. But it's nice. I don't endorse those labels anyway, after all.

I've loved Shostakovich's chamber music and concertos as long as I've been listening to classical music. One of the first classical CDs I bought - in fact, perhaps even the very first - was the Kronos Quartet _Black Angels_, with a very good performance what is still my favorite string quartet, Shostakovich's 8th. The symphonies haven't come so easily to me. They're growing on me, though, and in particular I really enjoyed #7 this time.


----------



## samurai

Science, Those Bernstein traversals of the *Shostakovich First and Leningrad* with the CSO are really magnificent!


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler *_Symphony #6 _
Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth, recorded live in Melbourne, 2006 (ABC CLassics)

*Villa-Lobos* _Fantasia for soprano Sax & orch. & Concerto for guitar & small orch._ 
John Harle on sax with Academy of St Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner & Angel Romero on guitar with members of London SO under Jesus Lopez Cobos (on EMI)


----------



## samurai

Sid, That *Mahler 6 {"Tragic"},* has lately become one of my "go to" works, with its fantastic opening and closing movements punctuated by the ominous pounding of the tympani. The middle movements are also great.


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> Sid, That *Mahler 6 {"Tragic"},* has lately become one of my "go to" works, with its fantastic opening and closing movements punctuated by the ominous pounding of the tympani. The middle movements are also great.


Yes, this is the first time I've heard it, and you took the words out of my mouth basically. The way he combines the timpani/percussion with double basses for example in the first movement, its like nothing I've heard before from Mahler or anyone else. Its got many amazing moments like that, its quite absorbing, a universe of ideas. But with a couple of listens to that recording, I am already beginning to hear a 'thread,' eg. thematic links, between the movements.

Another surprising thing is I found it far less tragic or dark/depressing than I thought Mahler's 6th would be. The ending is kind of ambigious. I find the 9th much darker, not to speak of _The Song of the Earth_ or _Kindertotenlieder_.

Btw I aim this year to fill the gaps in my Mahler collection, or come back to works by him I have not heard for ages.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sid James said:


> *Mahler *_Symphony #6 _
> Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth, recorded live in Melbourne, 2006 (ABC CLassics)




As you probably know by now, my favorite Mahler symphony. I wish I could rediscover it for the first time!


----------



## campy

Olivier Messaien: _Les Sons impalpables du rêve _(Pierre-Laurent Aimard)


----------



## Ramako

I listened to Haydn's symphonies 61 - 63, 65 and 66 today conducted by Adam Fischer.









Also, as it happens, Beethoven's Coriolan, conducted by Otto Klemperer.









This isn't the set I have it from (it's a digitised lp) but I couldn't find the picture online.


----------



## Novelette

Last night's insomnia was just about the best thing that happened to me. I've made it a Bach day, interspersed with copious amounts coffee:

Bach: English Suites [All!] -- Peter Watchorn [Harpsichord]

Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903 -- Lucy Carolan [Harpsichord]

Bach: Lobet Gott in Seinen Reichen, BWV 11, "Ascension Oratorio" -- Traverner Consort & Players

Bach: Violin Sonatas [All!] -- Trevor Pinnock & Rachel Podger

It's been an awesome day!


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Suite for Piano, Op. 25
Maurizio Pollini

I've gotten addicted to this piece lately for some odd reason, even though I found it inscrutable the first few times I heard it.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Gregor Joseph Werner (28 January 1693-1766): Fugue in D Minor

Quatuor Rincontro: Pablo Valetti and David Plantier, violins -- Partricia Gagnoon, viola -- Petr Skalka, cello

View attachment 12394


WHO ????
He was Haydn's predecessor as the Kapellmeister of the Esterházy orchestra ---


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Symphonies 6 & 9, "Lark", "Tallis", Job, with BBCSO/A.Davis (rec.1990 - '95).

View attachment 12395
View attachment 12396


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"},* both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"} *reverently performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Sir Adrian Boult.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"},* once again featuring Maestro Boult, this time helming the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Oboe Sonata in C Major, Op.71, No.3

Burkhard Glaetzner, oboe -- Christine Schornsheim, piano

View attachment 12398


----------



## drpraetorus

The Comedians, Kabalevsy


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Johannes Brahms--*Piano Concerto No.1 in D Minor, Op.15, *performed by pianist Stephen Hough and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.
Ottorino Respighi--*The Pines of Rome, *featuring the Riccardo Muti led Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op.12, No.1

Zino Francescatti, violin -- Robert Casadesus, piano

View attachment 12399


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn *_Symphony #92, Oxford_
*Schoenberg *_Psalm 130 for Mixed Chorus a cappella (six voices) op. 50B _
(both on youtube)


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Conertos, Nos. 3 and 6










Wish I bought this set long time ago.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' lieder - Christa Ludwig, mezzo, Geoffrey Parsons, piano


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Marcello (1668-1747): Oboe Concerto in D Minor

Andrea Marcon conducting the Venice Baroque Orchestra -- Paolo Grazzi, oboe

View attachment 12402


----------



## EricABQ

Beethoven's piano concerto 5 while doing my cardio this morning. 

After that I listened to Grieg's lyric pieces book 3 and 4 played by Einar Steen-Nokelberg.


----------



## Novelette

C.P.E. Bach: Symphonies #2, 4, and 5 -- Gustav Leonhardt: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment









Jean-Francois Dandrieu: Pièces de Clavecin -- Betty Bruylants









Claude Balbastre: Pièces de Clavecin -- Sophie Yates









Mendelssohn: Piano Sextet in D, Op. 110 -- Bartholdy Piano Quartet, et al


----------



## Crudblud

Richard Rodney Bennett - Saxophone Concerto (Marriner / Harle)


----------



## Ramako

Ligeti: Requiem

Not exactly my normal listening I'm sure you're thinking (well, maybe :lol. Still, not my cup of tea I'm afraid.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Julian Bream's J.S. Bach Chaconne etc Album.

I've been hooked on Bach on guitar since Xuefei Yang's Bach Concertos album with the Elias Quartet. 

Julian Bream is a new discovery to me (via Xuefei and limited exposure to John Williams). His interpretation and performance of Bach is truly beautiful.

(edit: I also recommend Xuefei Yang's Bach album, also an extremely satisfying performance)


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 23 in G major
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in E flat major, op. 127
The Alexander String Quartet


----------



## ProudSquire

*Schumann* 
Symphony No. 2 in C Major.
Leonard Bernstein 
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

That allegro is perfect to my ears! Just can't get enough of it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Tomsic (rec.1994), Weissenberg (rec.1985).

View attachment 12413
View attachment 12414


----------



## PetrB

One of *Stravinsky*'s most perfect [imho], perfectly beautiful and exciting pieces:
*Les Noces*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Music (3 Vols.), with Rodriguez (rec.1993/4).

View attachment 12415
View attachment 12416
View attachment 12417


----------



## Zauberberg

Dann alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.7 in F Major, Op.59, No.1

Budapest String Quartet: Joseph Roisman and Jac Gorodetzki, violins -- Boris Kroyt, viola -- Mischa Schneider, cello

View attachment 12418


----------



## tdc

PetrB said:


> One of *Stravinsky*'s most perfect [imho], perfectly beautiful and exciting pieces:
> *Les Noces*


Such a fascinating work...the first couple of times I listened to it I was struck by the unique sensation of having never found a work so simultaneously good yet annoying at the same time. As I listen to it more I find I am liking it more. If nothing else I'm certain it is a very well composed and exciting piece.


----------



## SimonNZ

Verdi's Aida - Tullio Serafin, cond. (1946)


----------



## Ramako

Bach's Harpsichord concerto number 5, with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert.

I put it on almost entirely by accident when playing on itunes, but it is so lovely that I now don't want to turn it off. Unfortunately I probably have to sleep or work, so that might only be a first movement of the concerto that I'm listening to.


----------



## Andolink

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain: Sonata III in D minor for flute, violin, bass viol and continuo, op. 12
Ensemble Mirable








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 24 in D major
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood


----------



## bejart

Joseph Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sonata No.1 for two Cellos in C Major

Michal Kanka and Frantisek Host, cellos -- Jiri Hudec, double bass

View attachment 12423


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Tragic Overture and Violin Sonata No. 1
Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 24

I listened to some Brahms on my iPod today at work. Still trying to find the right EQ setting for my headphones. Ended up using 'Reduce Treble' setting.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"}* *and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* both works featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.
Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major ["Italian"}, *once more with Maestro Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Fantasia in F Minor for Piano Four Hands, Op.103 (D.940)

Alfred Brendel and Evelyne Crochet, piano

View attachment 12424


----------



## Tristan

Weber: Turandot (Overture & March)










The march has such an amazing tune and I can see why Hindemith wrote variations on it. I still can't believe I have no CDs of Weber's music. Every time I hear something by Weber, I love it. I _need_ to start buying some of his music on CD!


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Delius* and *Nono* birthdays, Late Swallows" (arr. Fenby), with Halle/Barbirolli; Sampling La lontanaza nostalgica utopia futura, with Kremer.

View attachment 12426
View attachment 12427


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9

















Kremer/Argerich - vs - Szeryng/Haebler

Szeryng/Haebler pair wins for me. Kremer/Argerich is too harsh and exaggerated.


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner* _Symphony #4, Romantic (Ed. Nowak) _
Melbourne SO under Hubert Soudant (ABC Classics)

*Villa-Lobos* _Festa no sertao ; Alma Brasileira ; Alende de caboclo ; Impressoes seresteiras_ 
Cristina Ortiz, pno. (on EMI)


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to PC's 21 and 22 from Mozart








Now listening to Trout from Schubert. The closest you'll get to a Piano Concerto from Schubert.


----------



## Conor71

*Martinu: String Quartet No. 2, H 150*

Now playing Disc 1 of the SQ box - good stuff!. Next I will play Disc 1 of the Piano Concertos set for a first listen.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Haydn's Piano Trio HobXV/27 - Robert Levin, fortepiano, Vera Beths, violin, Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758): Concerto Grosso in D Minor (FWV L:d7)

Il Gardellino

View attachment 12435


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Moses und Aron*.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's Piano Trios


----------



## Sonata

Schumann: Grand sonata 3 in F Minor. I enjoy it more than previously. Maybe due to increased exposure of piano music in general over the last few months.

Beethoven: piano sonatas 23 & 32

Mozart: piano sonata 11

Chopin: piano sonata 2. LOVE the third movement.

Brahms: violin sonatas

Grieg: cello sonata


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Martinu, Violin Concerto No. 1.*

I didn't know Christopher Hogwood was into this type of thing. But apparently he is, and he does it quite well.


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in C sharp minor, op. 131






My candidate for best string quartet of all time.


----------



## Arsakes

bejart said:


> Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758): Concerto Grosso in D Minor (FWV L:d7)
> 
> Il Gardellino
> 
> View attachment 12435


In regards to Fasch, his fans can be called "Faschist"!


----------



## kv466




----------



## Arsakes

*Alan Hovhaness*:
Symphony No.3, 20 and 53
Concerto for Harp & String Orchestra
Sonata for Harp
"The Garden of Adonis" Suite for Flute and Harp


----------



## Mahlerian

Max Reger: Piano Concerto Op. 114
Gerhard Oppitz, piano and the Bamberger Symphoniker conducted by Horst Stein 

Via Youtube


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Franz Schubert, String Quartets "Rosamunde" and "Death and the Maiden", performed by the Alban Berg Quartett. After they are over I'm going to try all the other ones.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: Piano Music (2 Vols.), with Borac (rec.2003 - '05).

View attachment 12443
View attachment 12444


----------



## Sid James

*Villa-Lobos*_ A prole do bebe #1 ;*Bachianas brasileiras #3 ; *Momoprecoce_ 
- Cristina Ortiz, piano *with New Philharmonia Orch. under Vladimir Ashkenazy (on EMI)

*Mozart*_ Violin Sonatas: in G, K301 ; in C, K303 ; in E minor, K304 ; in E flat, K481_ 
- Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin with Alexander Lonquich on piano (EMI)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Piano Sonatas 2, 3, 5, 9 with Bronfman (rec.1995); 4 & 6 with Richter (rec.1966 - '89); 7 with Argerich (rec.1979).

View attachment 12445
View attachment 12446
View attachment 12447


----------



## Sonata

More Schumann: Piano and Cello concertos in A Minor.


----------



## OboeKnight

Vivaldi oboe concerti.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Poulenc*: Piano Music (3 Vols.), with Roge (rec.1986 - '98).

View attachment 12448
View attachment 12449
View attachment 12450


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> More Schumann: Piano and Cello concertos in A Minor.


Now you need the VC in D minor (Kremer w. Muti will do). Bob did so love minor.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Joachim Quantz (30 January 1697-1773): Flute Concerto No.161 in G Major

Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra -- Josep Palou, flute.

View attachment 12452


that number 161 is not a mistake. He wrote about 300 concertos for the flute, many for his boss, Frederick the Great.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vivaldi - Gloria


----------



## Sonata

Continuing "_The Concert"_ podcast. This is episode 1 *"Beethoven: Before and After"*. The first piece is Violin sonata 3 in E flat major, and the second piece is the Ghost trio.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: String Quartets, Opp. 96 & 106, with Stamitz Qt. (rec.1987).

View attachment 12453


----------



## Dimboukas

Vaneyes said:


> Now you need the VC in D minor (Kremer w. Muti will do). Bob did so love minor.


Apart from Kremer and Muti whose recording was my first contact with Schumann's Violin Concerto, I think the best recordings are those of Szeryng with LSO and Dorati, and of Zehetmair with Philharmonia Orchestra and Eschenbach.

Moreover on Youtube you can find two exceptional live recordings with Zimmermann and Chumachenco.










It is true that the tempo of this concerto is a great mystery/problem especially for the third part since Schumann's metronome marking is extremely slow. On the other hand, Kremer's recording with Muti is no more one my favorites because it very fast. Remarkably, Kremer has made a second strange recording with Harnoncourt where he follows the deathly slow Schumann's tempo.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Mass in B minor
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Hindemith: String Quartet.. probably No. 4































Good listening day at work. Then playing this at home while cooking pasta for late dinner.










Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 4


----------



## PetrB

After far too much reading and involvement in "The Desire for Tonality" thread, I found myself with an appetite for some lovely music with tones, so opted for 
_Morton Feldman ~ Atlantis_


----------



## Hausmusik

Brahms 3
Walter : Columbia SO


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Vespers. I do believe I'm on a Mozart kick


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos


----------



## OboeKnight

Les Mis 10th Anniversary concert...yes, I am singing along. Don't judge me


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Piano Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.22

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 12454


----------



## Crudblud

Peter Schat - Improvisations and Symphonies, Op. 11 (Van Gendt Kwintet)


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op. 3 {"Bells of Zlonice"}, Symphony No.2 in B-Flat, Op.4 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat, Op.10. *All three works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Istvan Kertesz.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both symphonies featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## neoshredder

Trying to get an idea on how some 21st Century Classical Music sounds. Close enough with Matthias Pintscher radio on last.fm.


----------



## Tristan

More Weber 

This time, the Bassoon Concerto in F


----------



## SimonNZ

Suk's "About Mother" Op.28 - Radoslav Kvapil, piano


----------



## starthrower

Harry Partch-Castor & Pollux


----------



## Tristan

Cui - Suite No. 3 "In Modo Populari"

It's so hard to find music by Cesar Cui, the forgotten member of The Five. I'll admit I only listened to this at first just so I could hear something by Cui, but I actually ended up really liking it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi arias - Emma Kirkby, soprano


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Violin Concerto in A minor
Symphony No.4 in E minor


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: French Suite No.4 in G Major, BWV 816

Andrei Gavrilov, piano

View attachment 12459


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
François Devienne (31 January 1759-1803): Bassoon Concerto No.4 in C Major

Bohdan Warchal leading the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eckart Hubner, bassoon

View attachment 12463


----------



## EricABQ

Hamelin playing Alkan's Four Ages.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Mozart: Vespers. I do believe I'm on a Mozart kick


Great! But I'm laughing because the "Mozart kick" reminded me of his incident with the Archbishop.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hummel's Piano Concertos.


----------



## Schubussy

Just arrived in the post...

Jean Sibelius - Symphony no 1
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Sonata

Manxfeeder said:


> Great! But I'm laughing because the "Mozart kick" reminded me of his incident with the Archbishop.


I'm not familiar with the story, do tell


----------



## OboeKnight

Sonata for Oboe and Piano by Hindemith.


----------



## Sonata

EricABQ said:


> Hamelin playing Alkan's Four Ages.


great stuff!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> I'm not familiar with the story, do tell


Mozart got into a confrontation with the Archbishop about the prelate's arrogant attitude, and the Archbishop literally kicked him out.

http://books.google.com/books?id=l6I6BwTMJ3sC&pg=PA562&lpg=PA562&dq=mozart+kicked+out&source=bl&ots=PPkJNPaMHG&sig=V7Wh8z84pb4NwWYroChOgOwXDQQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WpAKUYnyNJPO8wSw8YDAAg&ved=0CEsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=mozart%20kicked%20out&f=false


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in B flat major, op. 130
The Alexander Quartet


----------



## Sonata

Schumann: Arabesque, Scenes from Faust, Album for the Young.

He's definitely grown on me. I think I heard maybe two or three pieces of his off the bat that I didn't care for, and was underwhelmed by my first listen to his symphonies, and this led me to believe I did not care for his work (another than the amazing piano concerto which I loved straightaway). I am glad that I am re-listening. He is a fine composer and I am finding a lot to like.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Hummel's Piano Concertos.


It is a tragedy that Hummel's music isn't so well and widely appreciated. The piano concerti are exquisite, and the B Minor Concerto was the piece that Schumann had in his repertoire, in the event that he needed an impressive work at a moment's notice. Likewise with Clara and Liszt's Réminiscences de Lucia de Lamermoor, S 397.


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor, S 178 -- Leslie Howard

It is the middle section marked "Andante Sostenuto" that I love the most. It has that simple, characteristic, but deeply sentimental melody and harmony at which Liszt was such a master. Would it be too bold to say that I think that that section is the climax of the whole sonata? The massively brilliant bravura passages pass and a joyful, exuberant passion effuses... It's irresistibly compelling.

Also, Mozart: Piano Quartets -- Guarneri Quartet & Artur Rubinstein

It was these piano quartets that compelled me to re-evaluate Mozart. Needless to say, I did so favorably.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Honegger*: Symphonies. 1 with BRSO/Dutoit (rec.1984); 2 & 3 with BPO/HvK (rec.1969); 4 with Lausanne CO/Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990); 5 with Danish NRSO/Jarvi (rec.1992).

View attachment 12468
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View attachment 12471


----------



## jani

The main theme of this movement is awesome!


----------



## Schubussy

Vaneyes said:


> *Honegger*: Symphonies. 1 with BRSO/Dutoit (rec.1984); 2 & 3 with BPO/HvK (rec.1969); 4 with Lausanne CO/Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990); 5 with Danish NRSO/Jarvi (rec.1992).
> 
> View attachment 12468
> View attachment 12469
> View attachment 12470
> View attachment 12471


I have a CD with Honegger's second symphony along with some Ravel but I've never actually gotten round to listening to the Honegger side, I really should.

But first I'm continuing my Sibelius binge.

Sibelius - Symphony no. 3
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2.*

I noticed the word earworm has entered lexicographies and more people know what they are. And I've seen how those things can be good or bad. Last year _Gangnam Style_ and _Call Me Maybe_ burrowed in my brain and drove me nuts. But the nice thing about Brahms' symphonies is, once the themes get stuck in my head, I discover how all the little pieces of the themes pop up other places in a movement, and I get more out of his works.

This morning, one of those little things burrowed in my brain, and I had an aha moment, so I'm pulling out the 2nd symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Veracini's Overture No.5 - Musica Antiqua Koln

a sound and playing that's leaping right out of the speakers, made me sit up and take note

I'll be tracking down this album as quickly as I can


----------



## Manxfeeder

*David Diamond, Rounds.*

Wikipedia says Rounds is David Diamond's most popular piece. That's funny; I have as many Diamond recordings as I can get hold of, but I haven't heard of this one yet. Oh, well, thanks to YouTube, I'm listening now.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Tennstedt


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 12474


Rats! No. 5 isn't on Spotify. Oh, well, they have No. 1.


----------



## cwarchc

Onto the 2nd disc of this, my latest Amazon marketplace buy at £2.75 for 4 cds


----------



## SimonNZ

Manxfeeder said:


> Rats! No. 5 isn't on Spotify. Oh, well, they have No. 1.


I'm currently listening to No.1 on youtube.

I see the album is still available, but through Brilliant Classics. I have nothing against BC, far from it, but I'd rather track down an original Archiv.









I've draged all my Musical Antiqua Koln albums out for another listen, so after this will be "Bachiana: Music Of The Bach Family"


----------



## Hausmusik

*Beethoven, Symphony #3 "Eroica"
Bruno Walter: Columbia SO
*
The first movement is creeping along like the customers at Rite Aid on Senior Citizen's Discount Day. Lord help anyone whose first exposure to this symphony is this recording. I've been bowled over by a number of Walter recordings I've heard recently, but so far this is a dud. I suppose this is what people like RealDealBlues are talking about when they are talking about the Big Band Beethoven they miss. You can have it.

EDIT: OK, so the funeral march is much better.


----------



## Head_case

Listening to Jed Wentz interpreting Bach's flute sonatas & partita:


----------



## joen_cph

Cage Sonatas & Interludes / Fremy / etcetera






Fremy has that extra necessary amount of personal engagement when playing these entertaining tiny pieces, sometimes adding a bit more contrast or meditation to them than average. It´s a very fine recording too. Now and then the pieces remind a bit of Asian temple sounds, or at least I allow myself to think that ...


----------



## Ramako

Haydn's "Arietta No. 1 In E Flat With Twelve Variations" played by Bart Van Oort on a Fortepiano (not a chosen version - just came with the set). Also Haydn: Arietta No. 2 In A Minor With Twenty Variations.

The second of these is perfectly nice; but the first of these, the Aria and variations in E flat, I find to be a work of a very great relaxed beauty, but not so sublime that I regard it with special awe (I used to, but not since hearing it more recently - perhaps it's because this time I'm only listening to a recording not real life); this means I don't mind playing it anytime or all the time. This stuff is really good 'easy listening'. I really like all of Haydn's piano works in fact: I'm not sure why they are often ignored.


----------



## Hausmusik

Streamed this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and then went ahead and bought it. In all my life, I have never heard lied singing to compare with this. Plus the Moments musicaux are gorgeously performed. This is mono and I have an allergy to mono. But not in this case. This is one of those discs that makes you want to start tossing out superlatives like "peerless" and "sublime" and so forth.


----------



## AndyS

Debussy's Sonate en trio from the Debussy Editions box. Lovely. I don't think anyone can capture that ambient mood like Debussy


----------



## Vaneyes

Question to Spotify or MOG users, do they have a Top 10 (or similar) list of composers most often requested, and/or any other what could be construed as marketing data? And if so, can it be seen by anyone, or just members?


----------



## Vaneyes

Hausmusik said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony #3 "Eroica"
> Bruno Walter: Columbia SO
> *
> The first movement is creeping along like the customers at Rite Aid on Senior Citizen's Discount Day. Lord help anyone whose first exposure to this symphony is this recording. I've been bowled over by a number of Walter recordings I've heard recently, but so far this is a dud. I suppose this is what people like RealDealBlues are talking about when they are talking about the Big Band Beethoven they miss. You can have it.
> 
> EDIT: OK, so the funeral march is much better.


Slowness isn't a consistent pattern for Bruno. Re Sony recs., Mahler 1 & 2 are sleepy for me, though Bruckner 9, Brahms 2 & 3, LvB 4 & 6, and some Mozart, rock.


----------



## AndyS

Now listening to one of the 'Melodies' discs from the Debussy Edition box - unfortunately Regine Crespin has ruined Trois Chansons de Bilitis for me, I don't think anyone can sing them like her (and I listen to her version a lot) and Veronique Dietschy certainly can't

EDIT: I should add that I mean no disrespect to Ms Dietschy, she's lovely in the rest, I'm just too familiar with the Crespin versions of Chansons de Bilitis, and they are very different voices


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## Hausmusik

Vaneyes said:


> Slowness isn't a consistent pattern for Bruno. Re Sony recs., Mahler 1 & 2 are sleepy for me, though Bruckner 9, Brahms 2 & 3, LvB 4 & 6, and some Mozart, rock.


Of those you mention, Vaneyes, I know his Bruckner 9 and Brahms 2 & 3, and I agree: they rock.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphonies Nos 3 and 4
Beethoven: String Quartet in F


----------



## OboeKnight

Dona Nobis Pacem - Vaughan Williams


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 29 in E major
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Benjamin Britten: Spring Symphony
Jennifer Vyvyan (Soprano), Norma Procter (Alto), Peter Pears (Tenor) 
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus, Emmanuel School Boys Chorus/Benjamin Britten


----------



## obwan

Handel: Hercules


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovitch 6th Symphony, Mravinsky/Leningrad Philharmonic


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Exultante Jubilante.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Franz Schubert (31 January 1797-1828): Piano Trio in B Flat, D.898

Arion Trio: Ilse von Alpenheim, piano -- Igor Ozim, violin -- Walter Grimmer, cello

View attachment 12490


----------



## Novelette

Fauré: Quartet For Piano & Strings #1 in C Minor, Op. 15 -- Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Gérard Caussé

Elgar: The Music Makers, Op. 69 -- Simon Wright: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Brahms: Eleven Gypsy Songs, Op. 103 -- Rias Kammerchor

Not a bad Thursday evening line-up!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Das Klagende Lied (Revised version, with original 1st part added)
Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Ricardo Chailly

View attachment 12493


----------



## millionrainbows

Brahms: String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1...Alban Berg Quartet (EMI)

-------------------------•••


----------



## samurai

Piotr Tchaikovski--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, Symphony NO.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Francesca da Rimini, Op.32.* All three works feature the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Guitars, RV. 532
Haydn: Symphony No. 53
Foote: Melody for violin and piano; Ballade for violin and piano


----------



## Sid James

*Vaughan Williams'* stirring score to _49th Parallel_, an anti-Nazi propaganda film set in Canada. A bunch of Nazis escape their sub which is destroyed and try to make it across the Canadian border to America (which was then neutral in the war, before Pearl Harbour). The score is one of the things that 'made' the film, which could have otherwise been uninteresting. So too some top notch performances, incl. from Larry Olivier and Leslie Howard. The music includes the usual grandeur and impressionist vibes of RVW (close to his _Antartica_ symphony), but also use of native innuit tribal rhythms. The BBC orchestra was under Rumon Gamba in this performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Respighi's Il Tramonto (The Sunset) - Carol Madalin, mezzo, Alfredo Bonavera, cond.


----------



## drpraetorus

Kalinnikov, Symphony #1


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.5, No.2

Karoly Kotvay leading the Budapest Strings -- Bela Banfalvi, violin

View attachment 12501


----------



## Arsakes

*Carl Nielsen*'s Symphony No.4, 5 and 6


----------



## Marilyn

Beethoven string quintet "Storm" op. 29


----------



## DrKilroy

Sid James said:


> *Vaughan Williams'* stirring score to _49th Parallel_, an anti-Nazi propaganda film set in Canada. A bunch of Nazis escape their sub which is destroyed and try to make it across the Canadian border to America (which was then neutral in the war, before Pearl Harbour). The score is one of the things that 'made' the film, which could have otherwise been uninteresting. So too some top notch performances, incl. from Larry Olivier and Leslie Howard. The music includes the usual grandeur and impressionist vibes of RVW (close to his _Antartica_ symphony), but also use of native innuit tribal rhythms. The BBC orchestra was under Rumon Gamba in this performance.


Interesting! I'll have to check it out.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Francesco Maria Veracini (1 February 1690-1768): Violin Sonata in A Major, Op.1, No.7

Lyrarte: Rudiger Lotter, violin -- Olga Watts, harpsichord

View attachment 12505


----------



## Weston

Sid James said:


> *Vaughan Williams'* stirring score to _49th Parallel_, an anti-Nazi propaganda film set in Canada. A bunch of Nazis escape their sub which is destroyed and try to make it across the Canadian border to America (which was then neutral in the war, before Pearl Harbour). The score is one of the things that 'made' the film, which could have otherwise been uninteresting. So too some top notch performances, incl. from Larry Olivier and Leslie Howard. The music includes the usual grandeur and impressionist vibes of RVW (close to his _Antartica_ symphony), but also use of native innuit tribal rhythms. The BBC orchestra was under Rumon Gamba in this performance.


I want this. I'd be very interested in a Sinfonia Antartica sibling.


----------



## Ramako

Glazunov Symphony 4, with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.










I enjoy this set of symphonies, though I find them a little uneven. I haven't yet listened to them all, but they all seem enjoyable - 4 is the one which has struck me strongest so far so I am listening to it again now.


----------



## NightHawk

A good recording, though it's still not the Sinfonietta I'm hearing in my head.









This is a wonderful recording if you care for Franco-Flemish counterpoint - this Mass, however, and as I expect with Josquin, is quite individual.


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, op. 132
The Alexander String Quartet


----------



## Guest

Continuing my Bartok obsession/exploration with his String Quartets.









Absolutely stunning, as always from the Hungarian master. Giving me plenty of ideas for the violin + piano piece I'm writing...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Nielsen*: String Quartet, Op. 58, with ESQ (rec. 2004); *Martinu*: Piano Trios, with Arbor Piano Trio (rec. 2010).

View attachment 12510
View attachment 12511


----------



## Guest

I'm listening to Bernstein's Sony recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 10 Adagio. I enjoy Rattle's recording of the "complete" symphony, but Bernstein does an incredible job with just the adagio.


----------



## OboeKnight

Dvorak- Symphony No. 9


----------



## ptr

I'm churning through Sir Mark Elder's "recent" Elgar cycle, did the Enigma Variations & Serenade for Strings disc and The Dream of Gerontius last week, two Symphonies and "The Kingdom" previous this week and are set for the Violin and Cello Concerto discs this evening.

 

I'm quite sure that Sir Mark is the preeminent Elgarian of our time, just like John Barbirolli was during his lifetime!

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Vom Pagen und der Königstochter, Op. 140 -- Michael Schønwandt: Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra









An unusually recorded set of four ballads for voice and orchestra. Interesting, and undeserving of its obscurity.

Paganini: Violin Concerto #4 in D Minor -- Charles Dutoit: London Philharmonic Orchestra









Scheduled for the afternoon are Haydn's Symphonies 51 - 60.


----------



## Sonata

Episode #3 of "*The Concert".* Two *Schubert* pieces, The Shepherd on the Rock, and the Death & The Maiden string quartet.

The Shepherd on the Rock is quite lovely, I had never heard it previously. Death & The Maiden I know quite well, and I feel I may have enjoyed this version even more than the recording I have. (sorry no iPod with me today so I don't remember which version it is).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach.


----------



## Sonata

*"The Concert" Episode #5 Chopin's Piano Fireworks.* These are his Op 10 Etudes.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I have just noticed this is the page 1871, the year of German unification. And since it is Friday today and I don't have to get up early tomorrow, I can afford to spend a late evening with this:


----------



## Cheyenne

Some of my Furtwängler Brahms recordings. His take on the fourth is magnificent, especially the second movement, and somehow nobody else's Haydn variations pleases me besides the two I have of him (with Norddeutschen Rundfunk orchestra from 1951 and a Berlin philharmoniker one from 1950). In fact, he's what got me into Brahms to begin with.


----------



## SimonNZ

(nice to see Tokyo Story in your avatar - thats a film I find myself thinking about quite often)

playing now:









Heinichen's Concerti Grandi - Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Music, with Horowitz (rec.1955 - 1976).

View attachment 12529
View attachment 12530


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to 4'33. I don't know if there is something wrong with me but I just can't listen to music today.  I need some tryptophan or something.


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1
Eugene List

From that massive Vanguard mp3 set released last year. $.99 is never a bad investment for good music.


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn symphonies. Currently on No.4 (Italien)


----------



## millionrainbows

*In the 1970s, Schat wrote an opera in honor of Ho Chi Minh*
*---Stockhausen's emsemble in a *






* definitive recording of this airy masterwork*
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••






*The Smithsonian Players are fantastic. They used gut strings on this Strauss recording, my definitive.*


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Joachim Agrell (1 February 1701-1765): Flute Concerto in D Major

Andrew Manze leading the Concerto Copenhagen -- Maria Bania, flute

View attachment 12535


----------



## opus55

Bach: Orchestral Suites BWV 1066 and 1067


----------



## bejart

Joseph Eybler (1765-1845): Symphony No.1 in C Major

Michael Hofstetter directing L'Orchestra de Chambre de Geneve

View attachment 12537


----------



## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> Bach: Orchestral Suites BWV 1066 and 1067


Who do you prefer between Goebel and Pinnock?


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telemann's Trumpet Concertos. So triumphant. Love Telemann's music.


----------



## Conor71

*Rachmaninov: Preludes, Op. 32*

I played some Sibelius this morning from Berglunds and Rattles Symphony cycles and now listening to the Rachmaninov preludes - really nice Disc this one. Next I will listen to the Paganini Rhapsody and Piano Sonata No. 2 from the trio box.


----------



## Sid James

DrKilroy said:


> Interesting! I'll have to check it out.
> 
> Best regards, Dr





Weston said:


> I want this. I'd be very interested in a Sinfonia Antartica sibling.


The _49th Parallel _score/suite is probably not as memorable as Antartica but its still pretty good. I'd also recommend seeing the movie which is on youtube in its entirety. Hear the music in context (but as usual, the suite has extra stuff they didn't use in the film). RVW's music goes perfectly with the visuals, that stunning landscape of Canada, the wheat fields, the rocky mountains and the dramatic final bit when the train goes across that massive iron bridge over the Niagara Falls to the USA side of the border. His use of tribal inuit rhythms must surely be unique to this piece in his output. Great performances all round but as I said, Olivier and Howard shine in this, as does Anton Walbrook, who acted in a number of other Powell & Pressburger films.


----------



## samurai

Piotr Tchaikovski--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dream"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russia"}, *both works featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Maestro Bernstein takes the last movement of the Second so fast I thought he was going to break the land speed record or something! Overall--as compared to Markevitch's readings of these same two symphonies--Bernstein takes the First slower and the Second at warp speed! I find both readings to be eminently acceptable.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under James Levine.
I just know that after I listen to this work, I will really be inspired to finally "take the plunge" and purchase the Bernstein *Mahler Symphony Cycle* on *Sony.*


----------



## neoshredder

*Similar Artists to Corelli Project*

My goal is to go through every single Composer listed on last.fm that is similar to Arcangelo Corelli alphabetically. Will be a big project considering there are 165 Composers listed. I'll try to find a cd of each Composer that I might like the most and listen to it and move on. As you know some of these aren't similar to Corelli at all. But I'll go through those as well. Anyone want to join the project? Here are the first 20 Composers listed alphabetically. Albinoni, Albeniz, Arne, Allegri, Buxtehude, Biber, Boccherini, Bach, Byrd, Bruckner, Berlioz, Brahms, Bruch, Beethoven, Berg, Borodin, Britten, Bellini, Bartok, and Bizet. Already done Albinoni
Here is what I'm listening to now. Albeniz - Echoes of Spain


----------



## mgj15

Wow. Came upon this earlier for the first time, an amazing rendition.


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Arne - Symphonies


----------



## Weston

Currently working my way through this album of music by Fisher Tull from my exploration of 20th century composers unknown to me. It probably suffers that most egregious of contemporary music crimes, accessibility. It also has a slight Hollywood flavor so far, but is very American. I have mixed feelings on first hearing. Maybe it's his news anchor countenance that is influencing me.

But dang it! He too is using woodblocks. He waited until I was hooked, then threw in the ubiquitous 20th century woodblocks. "Clippy-cloppy-clope!"

Composers, please step away from the woodblocks now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Byrd's Mass For Five Voices - Winchester Cathedral Choir


----------



## Chrythes

Rubbra - Symphony No.3. It somehow resembles a very dense Sibelius.


----------



## neoshredder

MOG internet streaming acting up tonight. So I went with one of my cd's instead of the order. Listening to CD 1 of Telemann's Overtures


----------



## AndyS

More from the Debussy Edition box - now the cello/piano sonata

I've been really loving Debussy's chamber music

Up next I think I will turn to Bohm's die Frau Ohne Schatten with Nilsson and Rysanek. I got it last week but haven't had the time to sit with it properly yet. I'm very excited, I've been looking forward to listening to it for a good while


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich Sym #4


----------



## OboeKnight

Carnival Overture - Dvorak.

Listening to the recording done by my youth orchestra =) Can't tell it apart from an adult orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in A Major, RV 349

Israel Chamber Orchestra -- Shlomo Mintz, violin

View attachment 12541


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, op. 135
The Alexander String Quartet








Hilding Rosenberg: String Quartet No. 11
The Tale Quartet








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 30 in C major ("Alleluja")
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins and Continuo in A major Op. 1 No. 9 RV 75; Sonata for Violin and Continuo in C minor RV 6
Purcell Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Trio in G major, K496
The London Fortepiano Trio


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet No. 2 in C Major

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 12553


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Peteris Vasks, Message*

I've had this for about six months and haven't paid much attention to it. On first hearing, the piece he titled _Message _ sounds like what John Adams called "those great praries of nonevent." Wait; at 11 minutes tympanies are thumping and chimes are ringing. So there's an event after all.

The English Horn Concerto is more interesting; it has more orchestral color and is more rhythmic.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> Who do you prefer between Goebel and Pinnock?


I don't think I've ever heard Pinnock's Bach Overtures. I happened to find some Goebel recordings in used CD/DVD store and that's all I've heard so far.

Now listening to the other Goebel/Musica Antiqua Koln performance -

Bach: Triple Concerto BWV 1044


----------



## bejart

Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827): Flute Concerto in G Major, Op.3, No.3

I Virtuosi Italiani -- Mario Ancillotti, flute

View attachment 12561


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 40*


----------



## science




----------



## science




----------



## opus55

Alwyn: Piano Concertos


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert*, Piano Trios, op. 99 and 100


----------



## GreenMamba

Corigliano Clarinet Concerto, Drucker/Mehta/NYPO (Spotify)


----------



## OboeKnight

Still on a Mendelssohn kick...symphonies again.


----------



## cwarchc

......


----------



## Manxfeeder

*David Diamond, Symphony No. 1*


----------



## DavidA

Purcell Didos Lament - Barbara Bonney


----------



## Hausmusik




----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Boyce, Symphony No. 3.*

A lively and fun composition marred by a bad recording - it sounds like the microphones were off in the next room.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Twelve Horn Duos, KV 487

Members of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble: Iman Soeteman and Jan Peeters, horns

View attachment 12570


----------



## Vaneyes

*Franck*: Symphony in D minor, with Philadelphia/Muti (rec.1982); *Lalo*: Symphonie espagnole, with Little/RSNO/Handley (rec.1996).

View attachment 12571
View attachment 12572


----------



## Sid James

*Berg's* _Wozzeck_, the Berlin Classics recording, with cast & Leipzig Radio SO & Chorus under Herbert Kegel.

This gripping opera was my first foray into atonal music many moons ago, and I'm just as riveted to it now as I was on the first listen. I get more out of it now, but truth is that it is very dark and depressing, so I only listen to it maybe twice a year. Its one of the works of modern times that I call a masterpiece without ANY hesitation. In terms of music its the thematic unity that gets me and also the raw emotions, in terms of other things, I find it to be more 'real' than other operas, esp. in terms of its explicit condemnation of oppression and brutality (& probably provoking more questions rather than giving by-the-number type answers). There's no sense of resolution, no moral lessons given and no heroic grand gestures at the end of this story, and I like that a lot.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1
> Eugene List
> 
> From that massive Vanguard mp3 set released last year. $.99 is never a bad investment for good music.


Eugene List is mahvellous. Suggest also his Shostakovich PCs 1 & 2, w. Georj Ludwig Jochum (MCA, Millennium Classics, rec. c1960).


----------



## bejart

Ludwig Spohr (1784-1859): String Quartet No.27 in D Minor, Op.84, No.1

New Budapest Quartet: Andras Kiss and Ferenc Balough, violins -- Laszlo Barsony, viola -- Karoly Botvay, cello

View attachment 12573


----------



## Hausmusik

Brahms, Piano Trio #1
Mullova et al


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Sonata in B minor, with Demidenko (rec.1992).

View attachment 12574


----------



## neoshredder

Continuing my project. Allegri and Buxtehude


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F Major, Op.5, No.1

Antonio Janigro, cello -- Jörg Demus, piano

View attachment 12575


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto




----------



## Conor71

*Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18*

I've been listening to this box and the Rattle Sibelius set most of the weekend - both very good!. Currently playing Disc 1 of the Piano Concertos and next I will play the 3rd Disc of the Rattle box which has Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 on it 8)


----------



## OboeKnight

Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture - Tchaik


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and soprano Judith Bleigen under the baton of James Levine.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *once again featuring the James Levine led Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## brianwalker

Brahms 2nd-Vienna Philharmonic, 1949. Heartbreaking.


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 4


----------



## opus55

Gorecki: Symphony No. 3


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Cello Sonata in A Major, Op.5, No.1

Anthony Pleeth, cello -- Richard Webb, cello continuo -- Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord

View attachment 12577


Sometimes I discover a CD on my shelf that I didn't even realize that I owned ----


----------



## Andolink

Gustav Mahler: Rückert Lieder (complete)
Katarina Karnéus, sop.
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Susanna Mälkki








Johann Rosenmüller: Jubilate Deo; Misericordias Domini; Sonata Settima a 4; Coeletes Spiritus; Nisi Dominus 
Gli Incogniti/Amandine Beyer








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins and Optional Continuo in F major, RV68; Sonata for Two Violins and Optional Continuo in B flat major, RV77
The Purcell Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Trio in E major, K542
The London Fortepiano Trio


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three
Lucie Skeaping explores the life and music of Henry Purcell's composer cousin, Daniel.


----------



## ptr

Two transcription disc's played by the transcriptor himself, Mr Earl Wilde.

 

Both are awesome on all accounts!






/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Symphony No. 6 - Tchaik


----------



## Guest

Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake, the complete ballet directed by Charles Dutoit with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Dutoit is my favorite conductor for Tchaikovsky. I highly recommend his recordings of Symphonies 5 and 6.


----------



## Ramako

OboeKnight said:


> Symphony No. 6 - Tchaik


So am I!

Tchaikovsky, symphony 6, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra.


----------



## OboeKnight

Ramako said:


> So am I!
> 
> Tchaikovsky, symphony 6, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra.


Mine was conducted by Paavo Jarvi with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Respighi: Six Pieces for Violin and Piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.5
I love the first movement.

and *Schuman*'s Piano Concerto


----------



## ptr

Always try to listen to something pipe organ every day, on tonight's menu is Widor's Organ Symphonies 5 & 6 with the superb titulaire des grandes orgues de Notre-Dame de Paris, Olivier Latry.















/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Having a Schubert fest today, I think. I started with Dieskau's performance of Winterreise, and now I'm onto Death & the Maiden string quartet.


----------



## JCarmel

To Celebrate his birthday today...Mendelssohn Symphony No 2... 'Lobgesang'
Claudio Abbado/LSO
"Happy Birthday" Jakob Ludwig Felix and thanks for your lovely music!


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor
Baiba Skride, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Andris Nelsons

From a live concert last night.


----------



## Sonata

JCarmel said:


> To Celebrate his birthday today...Mendelssohn Symphony No 2... 'Lobgesang'
> Claudio Abbado/LSO
> "Happy Birthday" Jakob Ludwig Felix and thanks for your lovely music!


I didn't know his birthday was today!!! I'll have to break out some Mendelssohn for sure! But for now, more Schubert. My first listen to Symphony #9, conducted by Gunter Wand.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757): Sinfonia a Quattro in F Major

Simon Murphy leading the Chamber Orchestra of the New Dutch Academy

View attachment 12595


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lotti, Missa Sapientiae*

This is a not very well known piece now, but Handel and Bach had copies of it; Handel even lifted sections of it for his own works.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (3 February 1736-1809): String Trio in C Major, Op.9, No.1

Belevedere Trio of Vienna: Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Elmar Landerer, viola -- Robert Nagy, cello

View attachment 12598


----------



## Zauberberg

Chess Pieces, from this album:


----------



## starthrower

Xenakis-Echange


----------



## DavidA

R Strauss Orchestral songs Damrau / Thielemann


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Biber's Violin Sonatas. Sonata III is awesome


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (3 February 1809-1847): String Symphony No.7 in D Major

Roy Goodman directing the Hanover Band

View attachment 12600


----------



## Sid James

*Music by Australian composer Sandra France (born 1968) on the Tall Poppies label. *A collection spanning a decade of mainly chamber works. Her music is inspired by many composers, from Haydn to Brahms, Varese, Stravinsky and the serialists. Its quite eclectic. My favourite pieces where the _Heritage Overture _which has the trademark 'lion's roar' of Varese, the _Three Miniatures for Piano Trio _which takes a fragment of _The Rite of Spring _and transforms it by the end beyond recognition and the title track,_ Fluctuating States of Calm _which showcases the deep resonant sounds of the cello. This disc featured various Australian performers.

More info at Tall Poppies website:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~tallpoppies/t2.cgi?tp=cd&val=177


----------



## Guest

Riding the Mendelssohn Birthday train with the Kodaly Quartet and Auer Quartet combined on a recording of the Octet for strings, Opus 20. I LOVE THIS PIECE!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.11 in D Minor, Op.9, No.4

Kodaly String Quartet: Kodaly String Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello

View attachment 12606


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Luigi Dallapiccola's* (1904 - 1975) birthday, sampling complete works for violin and piano.

View attachment 12607


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (1874 version)
Philharmonie Festiva, Gerd Schaller

Only recording of this version so far. It's pretty much the 1873 version with a few differences in scoring. Interesting for die-hards.


----------



## agoukass

Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart's* _Divertimenti for strings KV.136-8 _& also the _Divertimento KV.205_ for full orchestra, and also Joe Wheeler's reconstruction of *Mahler's* _Symphony #10_, both on Naxos. Got thru the highly charged 25 minute long first movement of the Mahler but have to save the rest of it for later today...


----------



## Guest

Requiem by Carlo Gesualdo, a 16th century composer who was way ahead of his time harmonically. This music is strange and haunting.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: String Quartet No. 3


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, KV 545

Christian Zacharias, piano

View attachment 12611


----------



## Novelette

Clementi: Keyboard Sonata In B Flat, Op. 25/3 -- Vladimir Horowitz

Brahms: Serenades -- Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Dvořák: Symphony #2 in B Flat, Op. 4, B 12 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

opus55 said:


> Schumann: String Quartet No. 3


Opus55, how do you like that recording? Do you find the tempo to be decent? Sometimes I find Hamelin's exuberance compelling him to great speed. Still, if I were as accomplished a pianist as he, I might find myself being just as ecstatic to play.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor {1865/66 "Linz"}* *and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major,* both works featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Byrd's Mass For Five Voices - Kings College Choir, David Willcocks

Its been a very long time since I've played this set - so long, in fact, that I can now see that the filler of Kings College performing Taverner's "Western Wind" Mass, which I now find a very exciting addition, must have meant nothing at the time and in no way stuck in my memory


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Missa Solemnis - Herbert von Karajan (1966)


----------



## bejart

GF Handel (1685-1759): Trio Sonata in E Minor, Op.5, No.3

Aulos Ensemble: Anne Briggs, flute -- Linda Quan, violin -- Richard Taruskin, viola -- Charles Sherman, harpsichord

View attachment 12618


----------



## ptr

Philip Glass - "Glass Organ Works"
Donald Joyce, Organ (Catalyst)



Glass's slow melodic minimalism works quite well on the organ, and on headphones as I'm sitting in the departure hall of Schiphol Airport waiting for a four hour's delayed flight. Watching thousands of humans move across my view makes for a somewhat surreal experience!

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Beethoven's 9th Symphony - Paavo Jarvi

Listening to this recording for the first time. My first impression is positive. Good clarity and sound. I'm reserving my opinion on the performance until I've heard it a couple times. Does anyone else have this and what is your opinion?


----------



## science




----------



## science

That gets us all the way back to the last time I checked in.

BTW - someone might notice that this is rather conservative for me. Well, the wife's home, sick. So my speakers are tied.


----------



## Novelette

Science: Tartini, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Ockeghem?

That's one heck of a line-up!

The "Prolation Mass" is one of the most remarkable works in the choral repertoire, in my opinion. I can listen to it over and over again.


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 31 in D major, ("Hornsignal")
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








François Couperin: Quatrieme Concert in E minor (from Concerts Royaux)
Trio Sonnerie








Henrico Albicastro: Trio Sonata, op. 8 no. 9
Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini








Niels Rosing-Schow: "Extraction" for oboe, horn, violin, piano and percussion; "Trio" for flute, viola and harp
Hideko Bondesen, harp, Peter Bondesen, flute, Per Nørby Hansen, viola
Jakob Keiding, french horn, Vibeke Krarup, viola, Karl Lewkovitch, flute
Bjørn Carl Nielsen, oboe, Avi Ostrowsky, violin, Poul Rosenbaum, piano
Gert Sørensen, percussion








Artur Schnabel: Piano Trio (1945)
Ravinia Trio


----------



## JCarmel

Having to Edit my Post as it hasn't come up in the right place! I was just wanting to send a note to 'Senior' to tell him that I don't think that the Kovacevich/Davis recording of the Schumann and Grieg Piano Concertos has been bettered...despite the fact that I first bought the LP of it many decades ago and then the cd some considerable time ago, too?!


----------



## opus55

Novelette said:


> Opus55, how do you like that recording? Do you find the tempo to be decent? Sometimes I find Hamelin's exuberance compelling him to great speed. Still, if I were as accomplished a pianist as he, I might find myself being just as ecstatic to play.


Probably 4-5 listens so far and still no satisfaction. I thought they didn't play cohesively as an ensemble (quartet especially) and now that you point out, the piano quintet could've been too fast. It's not the tempo itself but the failure to deliver a message in the music - that's what I consider a disappointment. This recording so far left me cold after every listen.


----------



## science

JCarmel said:


> Having to Edit my Post as it hasn't come up in the right place! I was just wanting to send a note to 'Senior' to tell him that I don't think that the Kovacevich/Davis recording of the Schumann and Grieg Piano Concertos has been bettered...despite the fact that I first bought the LP of it many decades ago and then the cd some considerable time ago, too?!


I have Zimerman/Karajan and it isn't nearly as nice, at least in my opinion. Jandó/Ligeti do the Grieg nicely, and Argerich/Rostropovich are ok in the Schumann, but as far as I know, you're right about Kovacevich/Davis. They get the most drama, excitement, and beauty out of both works.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Science reminded me that I haven't listened to this one in a while. I especially enjoy String Quartet No. 1 but No. 2 is also well worth the listen. If you like really dramatic string quartets and have not ever heard these it would be worth your time to do so.










Kevin


----------



## Andolink

Richard Barrett: Dark Matter
ELISION/Cikada Ensemble/Christian Eggen, conductor


----------



## millionrainbows

Cage, Music for Piano (1953-56)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas (2 Vols.), with Schiff (rec.1997).

View attachment 12628
View attachment 12629


----------



## Vaneyes

Jerome said:


> View attachment 12619
> 
> 
> Beethoven's 9th Symphony - Paavo Jarvi
> 
> Listening to this recording for the first time. My first impression is positive. Good clarity and sound. I'm reserving my opinion on the performance until I've heard it a couple times. Does anyone else have this and what is your opinion?


I'm bullish on this set (IMO the best since COE/Hanrnoncourt). I've seen/heard them all via YT. One TC member has all the singles, and is very positive. I'll bite on the DVD box one of these days. :tiphat:


----------



## Guest

Listening to Immerseel/Anima Eterna's Beethoven Symphonies and Overtures, from #3 onward (I just can't get into the first 2). I still greatly enjoy these recordings. Not my favorites, but still very nice. By the way, I really enjoyed Jarvi's new Beethoven Symphony cycle - one of the best new cycles out there. I still prefer Vanska's recordings, but Jarvi is no slouch. I don't remember the 9th, though, being a standout in that cycle. I'd have to go back and listen again.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*, *Grieg*: PCs, with Lupu/LSO/Previn (rec.1973); *Brahms*: String Quartets, Piano Quintet, Fleisher/ESQ (rec.2006/7); *Schumann*: Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, with Pressler/ESQ (rec.1993).

View attachment 12631
View attachment 12632
View attachment 12633


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Carl Maria von Weber *- the 1st and 2ns Symphonies. Very nice!


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler's Symphony no. 1 with Mariss Jansons conducting - I have never listened to Mahler before.  I found out that I like R. Strauss and I thought I could like Mahler as well then. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dinu-Lipatti-Plays-Greig-Schumann/dp/B00005UWOC

This is good too, I think.


----------



## DrKilroy

Two most overrated piano concerti - this is the current opinion among pianists at least, I think.  Actually I like the Grieg's Concerto very much; I do not know the Schumann's Concerto well, but I like his solo piano works, so this cannot be too bad. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Tristan

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 1 in Eb major, Op. 2 (Yoel Levi)

A somewhat neglected piece of music, but I like it, especially the second movement.


----------



## Guest

Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 13 in E minor, Opus 29 No. 1, performed by the Melos Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> Mahler's Symphony no. 1 with Mariss Jansons conducting - I have never listened to Mahler before.  I found out that I like R. Strauss and I thought I could like Mahler as well then.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Well, Mahler is truly _sui generis_, so liking or disliking others' music doesn't give any indication of how you'll take to Mahler. Some do, some don't.

As for myself:
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 2 in E-flat minor
Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Pierre Boulez

View attachment 12640


before that,

Stravinsky: Chamber works, Disc 1
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> Well, Mahler is truly _sui generis_, so liking or disliking others' music doesn't give any indication of how you'll take to Mahler. Some do, some don't.


True! At the moment however, I enjoy the First Symphony very much! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Piano Trios 1 & 2, with Trio Fontenay (rec.1988/9); Piano Pieces, Opp. 116 - 119, with Angelich (rec.2006).

View attachment 12641
View attachment 12642


----------



## DrKilroy

OK, I have just finished the Mahler and it was really great!  Even though I am not a big Romantic fan. Is there any other symphony that you would recommend me to listen to next? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> OK, I have just finished the Mahler and it was really great!  Even though I am not a big Romantic fan. Is there any other symphony that you would recommend me to listen to next?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


All of them! Although if you want to avoid choir/vocal parts, Mahler's 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 8th are out. The 5th is relatively popular.


----------



## DrKilroy

I've got nothing against choral symphonies - perhaps I could leave them for end, however.  Thank you. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

DrKilroy said:


> OK, I have just finished the Mahler and it was really great!  Even though I am not a big Romantic fan. Is there any other symphony that you would recommend me to listen to next?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I love his 2nd Symphony - the "Resurrection" symphony. Perhaps my favorite work of classical music, overall. Several good selections to choose from - Klemperer on EMI (there is a studio recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra, or my preferred live recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra). Or you could go with the Mehta recording on Decca. Or Bernstein's recording on DG.

After that, I really like the 6th. But the 5th is popular, particularly for the Adagietto movement.


----------



## Ramako

Today I listened to

Haydn's 52nd Symphony conducted by Adam Fischer with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra.
Haydn's 44th Symphony conducted by Thomas Fey with the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra.















I listened to both with score. I feel tremendously lucky to be able to study these fantastic works in the way I want as part of my course. I haven't yet devised the title of my essay - so that is what I am working on at the moment. On the recordings: Adam Fischer is always reliable, though I want to check out Kuijken because clavichorder tells me he does a good job on symphony 52. Thomas Fey is a funny one. I find the first violins too quiet, but I really enjoyed it today - though this is the first time I have listened to this work with score (I have been avoiding it until now).

Right now I am listening to

Mahler's 2nd Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic.









I am enjoying this Leonard Bernstein Mahler set a lot so far. Both this and the first symphony I found gave me new insight into the works which I had not taken to. This time I can see why this symphony is so popular. Apparently the set isn't so good for symphony 9, which is a pity because that is my favourite, on the other hand it doesn't matter because I already have several very good recordings for it.


----------



## Guest

Shostakovich - the Piano Quintet. This is a CD I picked up in the early 90s that came out of the Soviet Union during Perestroika. I'm not sure how it compares to other recordings because it's the only one I've heard of this fine work. But I love it very much.


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler *_Symphony #4_ & _Blumine from Symphony #1_ 
- Netherlands PO under Hartmut Haenchen with Alexandra Coku, soprano in last movement of Sym.#4 (Brilliant Classics)

*Haydn* _Symphony #99_
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate (on EMI)


----------



## millionrainbows

Cage: In A Lanscape, Stephen Drury


----------



## Bone

*ASO new music Gandolfi and Higdon*








short vignettes, interesting and wonderfully performed

Also








Love eighth blackbird and this piece is a winner

Also rolling thru Goldie89 and Goldie91 on Youtube. House is filled with noise at all times!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Boccherini.


----------



## Vaneyes

DrKilroy said:


> OK, I have just finished the Mahler and it was really great!  Even though I am not a big Romantic fan. Is there any other symphony that you would recommend me to listen to next?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


5 and 9, then come back and do 2, 3 (my favorite), 4, 6, 7, 8, using 6 & 7 as buffers for 8.


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> 5 and 9, then come back and do 2, 3 (my favorite), 4, 6, 7, 8, using 6 & 7 as buffers for 8.


Ouch. Everyone seems to have something against the 8th.

Anyway,

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
New York Philharmonic, cond. Leonard Bernstein

View attachment 12652


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Mahlerian said:


> Ouch. Everyone seems to have something against the 8th.


I absolutely adore the 8th (but now listening to the 2nd).


----------



## Guest

Working my way through the Jarvi set. I believe it's better than Norrington's Beethoven cycle.


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D.887
Lindsay String Quartet








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 34 in D minor
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood


----------



## bejart

Pietro Nardini (1722-1793): Flute Concerto in G Major

Auser Musici with Carlo Ipata on flute

View attachment 12657


----------



## Guest

Finishing off the Jarvi cycle. EVERYONE should have this set. and you can sample it here:

http://mimusicacvs-cvarela.blogspot.com/


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870): Gran Septour, Op.88

Consortium Classicum with Claudius Tanski on piano

View attachment 12661


----------



## tdc

Been on a Brahms kick lately, now enjoying his fantastic Clarinet Quintet (for the second time today).


----------



## Head_case

Listening to my one of my favourite quartet ensembles interpret one of my most played string quartet cycles:










It's already past 2am here. Nuts. Will have to get some sleep. Not enough time to listen to it all.

That's what good music does to me


----------



## samurai

Mahlerian said:


> All of them! Although if you want to avoid choir/vocal parts, Mahler's 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 8th are out. The 5th is relatively popular.



I would also highly recommend *Mahler 6 {"Tragic"} and his 9th.
*


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor,* featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, soprano Marilyn Horne and the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus under the baton of James Levine.


----------



## neoshredder

In the mood for Mahler. Listened to the first 2 Symphonies and onto number 3. This interpretation I like though I'm no expert.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.36 in C Major

Jano Jendo, piano

View attachment 12668


----------



## Novelette

Dittersdorf: Harp Concerto in A -- Marisa Robles: The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

And as per the great thread about Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, it was inevitable that...

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D, Op. 123 -- John Eliot Gardiner et al

Not too shabby for a Monday!


----------



## OboeKnight

Movement 2 of Tchaikovsky's 6th over and over again...I can't get enough of that quirky 5/4 waltz lol.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878-80 Haas Version},* featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## neoshredder

samurai said:


> Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878-80 Haas Version},* featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


Love that first movement.


----------



## Guest

Mahlerian said:


> Ouch. Everyone seems to have something against the 8th.
> 
> Anyway,
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
> New York Philharmonic, cond. Leonard Bernstein
> 
> View attachment 12652


I love this recording for the Adagio from Symphony No. 10!


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1....its been a very Tchaik weekend/week.


----------



## drpraetorus

Huapango by Moncayo


----------



## science

drpraetorus said:


> Huapango by Moncayo


By Dudamel?


----------



## Ramako

Ockeghem - Missa L'homme Arme


----------



## bejart

Telemann: Overture in D Major, TWV 55

Nikolaus Harnoncourt leading Concentus musicus Wein

View attachment 12679


----------



## Guest

Piano Concerto No. 23 - Nothing like Mozart early in the morning to clear the cobwebs. The recording by Geza really are magnificent.


----------



## JCarmel

I think his recording of the 21st is just the very best.....
I've got the cycle played by Perahia and by Bilson and neither quite capture the sheer loveliness of that particular score....in the way that the Anda recording does.


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> I think his recording of the 21st is just the very best.....
> I've got the cycle played by Perahia and by Bilson and neither quite capture the sheer loveliness of that particular score.


I have the same three cycles as you! Love them all.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven's Apassionata, and the first movement of Mahler #1. Great listening to start off the morning!


----------



## JCarmel

I'm afraid that I've yet to find out how to post the cd's cover image...so its a much less attractive link that I'm posting, for an indication of what I'm listening-to as I prepare todays repast of Roast Vedg!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=osborne+liszt+harmonies


----------



## JCarmel

I particularly love the cd with concertos 15 and 16 on by Perahia...and the middle movement of No.11. 
And I was once fortunate to become friends to a wild young rabbit...who I called Betsy.....and it loved listening to Mozart and would come and sit by the backdoor when I turned-up the Andante of concerto number 5!


----------



## mgj15

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827):
Missa solemnis in D major, op.123
I. Kyrie
II. Gloria
III. Credo
IV. Sanctus
V. Agnus Dei

Edda Moser, soprano
Hanna Schwarz, mezzo-soprano
René Kollo, tenor
Kurt Moll, bass
Grosser Rundfunkchor Hilversum N.O.S.

Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam
Leonard Bernstein


----------



## ptr

I posted the other day about listening to Philip Glass' Organ Works that somehow got singled out for moderation, but has not been okayed or dismissed what I can see. I'm all for moderation, but I think a turn over time of more than 12 hours is quite breaks the continuity line.

Anyway, today I'm listening to:

*César Franck* - L'oeuvre intégral pour orgue, réalisée par André Marchal (Erato)









Very intense, most gratifying and that despite the late 1950's sound quality!
Marchal is perhaps one of the best Frank interpreters in the history of recordings... 

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Grazyna Bacewicz's* (1909 - 1969) birthday, Piano Quintets 1 & 2, Piano Sonata 2, with Zimerman et al (rec.2009); String Quartet 4, with Maggini Qt. (rec.1993).

View attachment 12686
View attachment 12688


----------



## Andolink

Elliott Carter: Clarinet Concerto
Michael Collins, clarinet
London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen








Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 35 in B flat major
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Vaneyes

*Just a reminder to some of the new arrivals* to this Current Listening thread, primarily reserved for text and JPEG. There is another... *Current Listening with YouTube Videos* (or other video). Kindly put your videos there. Links to videos are okay here. Thank you. 
Link provided. :tiphat:

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html


----------



## SiegendesLicht

My playlist for tonight: 
*Franz Schubert *- piano trios, op. 99 and 100.
*Mozart* - Horn Concertos (all four of them)
*Carl Maria von Weber *- Symphonies 1 and 2 and overture to "Der Freischütz"
*Gustav Mahler*, 8th Symphony

...and finally...

*Richard Wagner *- The Ring, an Orchestral Adventure & Siegfried Idyll, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Neeme Jarvi


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: "Flute" highlights, with Bohm et al (rec.1964); "Cosi" highlights, with Herreweghe et al (rec.1998).

View attachment 12691
View attachment 12692


----------



## ptr

Following my Frank afternoon with

















*Kevin Bowyer* playing Alkan, two discs on Toccata Classics

Amazing, I had only encountered Alkan performed on the grand piano before I picked up these two volumes. 
Mr Bowyers playing makes me like Alkan even more!

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Africa Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra- Saint-Saens.


----------



## Guest

Haydn's "7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross" as performed so ably by Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations. I usually look to Savall for Baroque works, but his Classical repertoire is also wonderful, including Haydn and Mozart. But I still love his Bach recordings, of which I have:
Die Kunst der Fuge
Das musikalische Opfer
Brandenburg Concertos
Orchestral Suites
Mass in B Minor


----------



## Guest

Bartok has been the main inspiration behind the violin+piano piece I'm writing, but since I don't have the scores for his violin sonatas yet I haven't been able to absorb much of his style beyond just what my ears can pick up (and there's a lot going on in those pieces). So, I perused my school's library of scores and came across John Corigliano's Sonata for Violin and Piano and went to town. What a cool piece! I definitely see things in it that I can learn from.






(As a side note, my composition teacher--Anthony Iannaccone--went to school with Corigliano and they are good friends. Kind of a cool connection...)


----------



## DavidA

Strauss Salome Karajan


----------



## Mahlerian

Concerto for 2 Pianos
Igor and Soulima Stravinsky

It's a day for Neoclassicism, I suppose.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's "Coffee" Cantata - Christopher Hogwood


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: "Tragic", with VPO/Muti (rec. 1987); Impromptus (Complete), with Brendel (rec. 1972 - '74).

View attachment 12695
View attachment 12697


----------



## Guest

Yo-Yo Ma, Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla

Piazzolla is more gutteral then cerebral. Maybe that is why he is not on most lists of "real" composers. I love this music because it thinks with it's heart and not it's brain - just like me.


----------



## JCarmel

Listening to Mendelssohn's Capriccio Brillant...Rudolf Serkin/Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy

and hoping I can correctly post a picture of the cd cover!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven's 4th and 5th Piano Concerto


----------



## opus55

Baroque guitar while eating chocolate for dinner. I hate being on busy schedule after work.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Preludes
Hakon Austbo, piano

An early Impressionistic work, but the seeds of the mature Messiaen are fully evident.


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Viola Concert in A Major

Ondrej Vrabec leading the Czech Philharmonic Collegium -- Gabriela Demeterova, viola

View attachment 12702


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: PCs 1 & 2, with Argerich/LSO/Pogorelich/CSO/Abbado (rec. 1968 - 1983).

View attachment 12706
View attachment 12707


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 3.*

First half Tintner, second half Horenstein.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in A Minor, Op.13

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello

View attachment 12710


----------



## Rach1

I'm a huge Mussorgsky admirer and found this very interesting interpretation of his "Pictures at an Exhibition", which i simply adored from the first note till the last. Stunning performance by a pianist I never heard of... Alexander Warenberg. Then I did some research on him. It seems that he has arranged Rachmaninovs famous 2nd symphony into a "5th concerto". Clever marketing of course, but nonetheless a simply BEAUTIFUL creation, true to the style of Rachmaninov!!! After listening to the cadenza in the first movement I nearly cried... It would be nice to hear your opinion!!!

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: 



Rachmainov piano concerto "no. 5":


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Enjoying a really beautiful romantic symphony by Albert Dietrich on CPO records. It's a two CD set so I'll probably listen to the Violin Concerto as well tonight. If you enjoy Brahms you would probably really like this two CD set.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Tonight, for the first time, I am listening to Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Monteverdi was an incredible composer. I've never heard a single work of his that I didn't like.

Earlier, I listened to Brahms' Sonata for 2 Pianos in F Minor, Op. 34B [simply the F Minor Piano Quintet transcribed for two pianos by Brahms himself] -- Silke-Thora Matthies, Christian Köhn

For the latter, I like the transcription, but the piano quintet is really best in its original form, in my opinion. It's so vibrant and turbulent--the different colors of the strings against the piano make the work irresistibly compelling.


----------



## opus55

Mahlerian said:


> Messiaen: Preludes
> Hakon Austbo, piano
> 
> An early Impressionistic work, but the seeds of the mature Messiaen are fully evident.


I really hope I get into Messiaen this year.



Kevin Pearson said:


> Enjoying a really beautiful romantic symphony by Albert Dietrich on CPO records. It's a two CD set so I'll probably listen to the Violin Concerto as well tonight. If you enjoy Brahms you would probably really like this two CD set.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Added to my wish/listen list.










Now listening to Mahler while folding laundry.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Nine Variations in D Major, KV 573

Ingrid Haebler, piano

View attachment 12713


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor










Haven't listened to this for a long time


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoyed the Dietrich Violin Concerto! Fabulous stuff!!

Moved on to this fine recording by Russian pianist Natasha Paremski. For someone so young she plays with such wonderful technique and passion. Her recording of Brahms Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Sharp Minor is one of the best I have ever heard. The Prokofiev Sonata No. 7 in B Flat Major is also nicely performed. Check her out if you can. I think she's someone to look out for in the future.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Pierre Boulez led Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the Pierre Boulez led Vienna Philharmonic.


I wish it wasn't bed time so I could listen to No.6 by Boulez.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> I wish it wasn't bed time so I could listen to No.6 by Boulez.


Hi, Opus. Here on the East Coast it's about 1230 a.m. and I just got done listening to Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic's rendition of the "*Tragic.*" To my ears, it is somewhat faster than that of Levine {not sure of the Bernstein interpretation}, but it is still very moving and effective.
p.s. What time is it in Chicago? Reminds me of one of the songs the group _*Chicago*_ did back in the day.


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> Hi, Opus. Here on the East Coast it's about 1230 a.m. and I just got done listening to Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic's rendition of the "*Tragic.*" To my ears, it is somewhat faster than that of Levine {not sure of the Bernstein interpretation}, but it is still very moving and effective.
> p.s. What time is it in Chicago? Reminds me of one of the songs the group _*Chicago*_ did back in the day.


An hour behind you (11:44 now). Haven't listened to Levine's lately and I think I should tomorrow.


----------



## aleazk

*Unsuk Chin*'s Violin Concerto. Absolutely great. Ligeti's seal of approval (if you know what I mean )... that says it all. In fact, there are some parts which are reminiscent to Ligeti's Violin Concerto, but never to the level of the imitation. It is in the lines of the homage, I think.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* _Symphony #101 'The Clock' _
English CO under Jeffrey Tate (on EMI)

*Mahler* _Symphony #1 _
Royal PO under Yuri Simonov (on RPO Collection cd)

Legend has it that at the premiere of* Mahler's first symphony*, a woman with shopping bags on her lap stood up suddently, startled by that big cymbal clash at the start of the final movement. The shopping dropped to the floor with a big crash of its own. That image, whether it happened or not, often comes to my mind when I hear this symphony. The opening itself, which is like the world forming, is an amazing thing in itself. But the whole thing is great, and despite the Budapest audience giving it a lukewarm reception at that first performance, it has since become one of Mahler's best known symphonies. It was the first symphony I ever heard by him, and I remember how I amazed I was by sounds the likes of which I'd never heard before. & my opinion hasn't changed.



















Jerome said:


> ...
> 
> Yo-Yo Ma, Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla
> 
> Piazzolla is more gutteral then cerebral. Maybe that is why he is not on most lists of "real" composers. I love this music because it thinks with it's heart and not it's brain - just like me.


Of course he's a real composer, and a bloody good one. Yeah his stuff is emotional but don't be fooled. He was as shrewd a technician as any other composer. He knew music inside out, from Baroque to modern - incl. classical and jazz! - not to speak of the tango, which he modernised, innovating a new genre the neuvo tango. You may know it but he studied with Nadia Boulanger and Alberto Ginastera - not a bad classical 'pedigree,' is it? So yeah, he's real alright.


----------



## drpraetorus

science said:


> By Dudamel?


Diemecke and the Royal Phil.


----------



## drpraetorus

Handel, Israel in Egypt.


----------



## Guest

Serenade for Winds - Antonin Dvořák


----------



## bejart

Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730): Flute Sonata No.2 in G Major

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord

View attachment 12720


----------



## OboeKnight

Saint-Saens- Cello Concerto No. 1.....Jacqueline Du Pre :angel:


----------



## ptr

Two recent Britten discs from Hyperion:

















Violin Concerto & Double Concerto / The complete works for piano and orchestra

Mr Marwood is an excellent soloist in the Violin Concerto, Mr Power addition in the double concerto is very accomplished.
Mr Osbornes performance of the Piano Concerto works is well up to the standards set by Sviatoslav Richter in his seminal recording (of the Concerto) with the composer on Decca.

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Brahms Piano Concerto No.2/Emil Gilels/Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra









This is my favourite interpretation of Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto. I also have the other 'celebrated' Gilels recording with Jochum conducting....but I just can't stand it's over-ponderous pace. But Gilels is just the right pianist for this great concerto, I feel...and this recording with Reiner conducting gets the juices flowing a bit more.....more fire and passion to the formidable first and second movements. Yet much feeling in the lovely Andante, finishing with an Allegretto grazioso that's full of infectious rhythm and a sense of joyfulness that's makes you feel as if it's time to pack up some of the cares of life and get out into the sunshine (if you're lucky-enough to have any, that is!)
I first heard this recording back in the late 1960's and copied the LP onto a big old reel-to-reel 'Stellaphone' tape recorder...which happened to record/playback things a wee bit slower than it ought-to. And that's what I really prefer with this recording. I've got the CD now of course...but I managed to alter the speed of the transfer I made of it on my laptop, to a CD-R copy...to be just that little tiny bit slower...for_ my _preferred Brahms 2 PC!!


----------



## Andolink

Jan Dismas Zelenka: Missa Dei Filii for soloists, chorus, instruments & continuo in C major, ZWV 20
Nancy Argenta, Michael Chance, Christoph Prégardien, and Gordon Jones with the Kammerchor Stuttgart under Frieder Bernius and Tafelmusik with Jeanne Lamon


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaik's 6th...again. guys, I have a problem -.-


----------



## JCarmel

Bach/Concerto in D (after Vivaldi) Wanda Landowska

Listening to the above from Disc 1 of this set. I love it but it means that when listening to it on my portable cd player, I've got to tap my way through the previous 32 tracks of the Goldberg's before I get to it?! But it's always worth it as Wanda plays it well and the third movement..an Italian Cantilena...she plays with such a joyous rhythm... & is it's great to listen-to, very loud. Her Pleyel Harsichord, is close-recorded and the digital remastering conveys an immediacy of tone that brings a sense of her presence into the room in a rather disconcerting but highly affecting way.









On another cd in my collection, she is playing Scarlatti Sonatas and you can hear the anti-aircraft guns going-off near the Paris studio that she was making the recording in, in 1939. A dedicated musician and a brave lady, I think.


----------



## DrKilroy

Yay for Polish female harpsichordists!  Be sure to check out Elżbieta Chojnacka as well!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins and continuo in D minor, op. 1 no.8, RV64; Sonata for Violin and continuo in C major, RV2
The Purcell Quartet








Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio no. 34 in B flat major, Hob. XV:20
Patrick Cohen, Erich Höbarth, Christophe Coin








Luigi Boccherini: String Trio in G major, op. 54 no.2
La Real Camara


----------



## ptr

Some Kissin!

*Sergei Prokofiev* - Piano Concertos 2 & 3 with The Philharmonia Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy (EMI)









The boy can play, and I've always been fan of the sonorities of the Philharmonia and they mix well with young Kissin!

I currently follow up this with:









John Ogdon playing selected Busoni Transcriptions of Bach works (Altarus)

Taking in to account the ill health that plagued John Ogdon during the last third of his life, the recordings on this set is a miracle, the amazing version of "Fantasia Contrappuntistica" featured is with out a doubt my favourite of the piece!!

/ptr


----------



## science

OboeKnight said:


> Tchaik's 6th...again. guys, I have a problem -.-


Chausson is the cure. Works every time.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hummel's Piano Concertos.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Cello Sonata, with Ma & Ax (rec.1989); Ballades, with Demidenko (rec.1993); Preludes, with Argerich (rec.1975).

View attachment 12733
View attachment 12734
View attachment 12735


----------



## ptr

Having fun @ the Organ!

*The Salisbury Sound*, David Halls at the Willis Organ of Salisbury Cathedral, UK (*Griffin**)



Mr Halls is the great underexposed master of living British organists! On this recital album he truly gives a splendid show case for the Magnificent Willis of Salisbury Cathedral.

/ptr

*Link to full CD content @ Record Label


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Sieben fruhe Lieder
Anne Sofie von Otter, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado

View attachment 12736


----------



## Schubussy

Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto, maybe the 3rd after too
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Michel Beroff


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ellen Taaffe Zwilich*


----------



## cwarchc

.....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's late Symphonies


----------



## Oldboy

Latest purchase and current listening.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms*


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3
Itzhak Perlman
Vladimir Ashkenazy

I liked No. 3 more, but they were all surprisingly pleasant.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Water Music, Rain Dreaming, Rain Tree, And then I knew 'twas Wind
Ensemble Takemitsu, Hiroshi Koizumi, Flute

View attachment 12744


----------



## ptr

Rounding of the evening with a 4 CD box of "par lui-même"..









*Olivier Messiaen* plays his (some of) own compositions (works listed *here*), recorded by André Charlin in the late fifties for the French branch of EMI (Pathé).
Interesting, and a good comparison base when you evaluate more modern recorded versions of his organ works.

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9, Op. 59/3


----------



## Sonata

Don Giovanni highlights


----------



## millionrainbows

String Trio: The most opaque, impenetrable Schoenberg piece for me. It confronts me like an absurd object, and I am dumb, agog.


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> String Trio: The most opaque, impenetrable Schoenberg piece for me. It confronts me like an absurd object, and I am dumb, agog.
> 
> View attachment 12746


I too have yet to fully crack the String Trio, although some apparently find its biographical elements make it easier to assimilate than other Schoenberg works.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> String Trio: The most opaque, impenetrable Schoenberg piece for me.


Wow, if _you're_ saying that, that's saying something!


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler*_ Symphony #5_ 
Vienna State Opera Orch. under Hermann Scherchen (MCA cd)

*Haydn* _Piano Trio in A major ; Symphony #96 (adapted for piano trio by Johann Peter Salomon)_ 
Ensemble of the Classic Era (ABC Classics cd)


----------



## opus55

Schubert D.960


----------



## SimonNZ

Pandolfi Violin Sonatas - Andrew Manze, violin, Richard Egarr, harpsichord


----------



## Hausmusik

opus55 said:


> Schubert D.960


Opus, that's a desert-islander for me.

Now:
Zinman: Tonhalle Orchestra
Beethoven Leonore Overture #2


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Working through the Shostakovitch String Quartets again. This time performed by the Quatuor Danel. Nice recording. I'm looking at maybe buying a complete collection in the near future as I only have some of them on single CDs. The more I listen to them the more I like them but it was rough going at first.










Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Music for Cello & Orchestra, with Wallfisch/ECO/Simon (rec.1983); Manfred Symphony, with Philharmonia/Ashkenazy (rec.1977).

View attachment 12750
View attachment 12751


----------



## Crudblud

Today:

Alberto Ginastera - _Piano Quintet, Op. 29_
Henri Pousseur - _Quintette à la mémoire d'Anton Webern_
Rolf Liebermann - _Concerto for Jazz Band and Orchestra_
Charles Wuorinen - _Concerto for Tuba and Chamber Orchestra_
Witold Lutoslawski - _Partita for Violin and Orchestra_
Unsuk Chin - _Akrostichon Wortspiel_



Mahlerian said:


> I too have yet to fully crack the String Trio, although some apparently find its biographical elements make it easier to assimilate than other Schoenberg works.


The String Trio is actually one of the few Schoenberg pieces I really liked the first time I heard it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: String Trio, with Kremer & Hagens (rec.1994).

View attachment 12752


----------



## Mahlerian

Crudblud said:


> The String Trio is actually one of the few Schoenberg pieces I really liked the first time I heard it.


I listened to it earlier today, and I enjoy it, I just have a little trouble getting my head around the whole thing, unlike, say, the 3rd and 4th quartets. As for Schoenberg works I enjoyed on first hearing, the choral works, Moses und Aron, and Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene are the ones that come to mind.


----------



## Schubussy

Sir John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra ~ Mahler's Symphony no. 5


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.9 in C Major, Op.59, No.3

Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello

View attachment 12755


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Try this - currently listen to Carl Vine an Australiancomposer


----------



## OboeKnight

Pulcinella- Stravinksy


----------



## Andolink

Georg Philipp Telemann: Overture: La Changeante, suite for strings & continuo in G minor, TWV 55:g2
Collegium Musicum 90/Simon Standage


----------



## Novelette

Gabrieli, Giovanni: Sacrae Symphoniae -- His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts; Timothy Roberts

Gluck: Iphigenie en Aulide -- John Eliot Gardiner

Haydn: Quintet for Baryton, Two Horns, Viola, and Bass in D, H 10/10 -- Esterházy Ensemble

I love Haydn's Baryton works. Not particularly substantial works, but very charming and full of character.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Flute Trio in A Major, Op.78

Clive Conway, flute -- Christine Croshaw, piano -- Charles Tunnell, cello

View attachment 12758


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet in Em, Op. 59/2


----------



## opus55

Brahms: String Quartet in Cm, Op. 51/1


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 6 Klemperer


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I'm feeling upbeat today...perhaps it was that England actually played a half-decent game of football last night in beating Brazil 2-1 (though I suspect that Brazil were a wee bit Off-form ....& that it was only a Friendly, anyway?!)
So, there's nothing brighter than a blast of this wonderful opera...conducted by Sir Colin Davis.









This is a really good performance but I still miss hearing the set of LP's that I first listened-to, when I got to know and appreciate what is one of the greatest operas.....the recording conducted by Ferenc Fricsay with a wonderful cast....Fischer-Dieskau, Irmgard Seefried, Maria Stader et al.


----------



## ptr

This mornings starter upper!

*Pierre Laurent Aimard* - The Liszt Project (DG)









Awesome technical abilities, but I'm not always sure about his interpretations... Somehow I like the non Liszt works on this production slightly more!

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn *Symphony #94, Surprise (adapted for piano trio by Johann Peter Salomon)
- Ensemble of the Classic Era: Geoffrey Lancaster, fortepiano ; Paul Wright, Classical violin ; Susan Blake, Classical cello (ABC Classics)

*Mahler* Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) ; Kindertotenlieder ; 5 Lieder (selections from Ruckert and Wunderhorn sets)
- Christa Ludwig, mezzo soprano with Philharmonia Orch. under Sir Adrian Boult ; Andre Vandernoot ; Otto Klemperer (EMI)


----------



## drpraetorus

Beethoven #5, Solti, Chicago. A great performance made better because he takes the repeat in the 4th movement.


----------



## JCarmel

Like Solti's 9th with the Chicago, too!

And 'Happy Birthday' yesterday to Henry Litolff...his Scherzo, played by Clifford Curzon.


----------



## Schubussy

JS Bach - The Brandenburg Concertos
Neville Marriner, Academy Of St Martin In The Fields








While reading an old thread asking for recommendations of recordings of it, because this is the only one I have and I don't know how it compares. Might go for a period performance one for a bit of variety.


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Op.10, No.1

Claudio Scimone leading I Solisti Veneti -- Piero Toso, violin

View attachment 12771


----------



## Guest

Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring - Lorin Maazel with the Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## ptr

Some digestive music for lunch!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946-48)









Paul Crossly, paiano; Tristan Murail, Ondes Martenont; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Esa-Pekka Salonen (Sony)

Most positive for a gentleman's digestion!

/ptr


----------



## daveh

Being so new to classical, I don't know a lot about different performances/versions of various works. But I am enjoying these - absolutely love 39 and 40, in general, not just these versions.


----------



## ptr

Done digesting on to some romantic staples!

*Tchaikovsky* - Suite No 3 / *Rachmaninov* - Symphonic Dances









Het Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest u. Kirill Kondrashin (live 1981'ish on Emergo)

The Tchaikovsky Suite is a fine little ditty, Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances is possibly my favourite orchestral work bar none, this a marred live recording of utter beauty, it is the desert island disc to rule them all! 

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

As I'm laid up, unable to move at the moment, thought I start this again.
Working my way backwards
I've got LvB's "Late Quartets" playing at the minute
This is a great set and good value for money


----------



## Kevin Pearson

cwarchc said:


> As I'm laid up, unable to move at the moment, thought I start this again.
> Working my way backwards
> I've got LvB's "Late Quartets" playing at the minute
> This is a great set and good value for money
> 
> View attachment 12778


Sorry to hear you're laid up. I hope it's nothing serious. At least you can listen to some great music. That can provide some comfort.

Kevin


----------



## ptr

Back to the Piano..

*John Ogdon* plays *Rachmaninov* - Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33 & 39 and *Busoni* - Sonatina super Carmen / Elegien KiV 249 / Variations & Fugue On Chopin's Prelude In C Minor, Op. 22 (Testament)









Moving, soothing, wonderful!

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

Done something to my back, can't walk about or sit down for very long
The pills the doc has given me put me to sleep (no bad thing)
It's definately a time to listen to good music
I've moved onto disc 28
Mozart string quartet in B flat major no 17 kv458
Hayden string quartet in D minor op76 no 2
LvB quartet in B flat major op18 no 6


----------



## Sonata

I hope you feel better soon!

Started the morning with a few *Mozart violin sonatas* with Barenboim and Perlman. I am thinking about buying them, can't decide if I want to just get a disc's worth or the whole set. Nice, easy, morning music to ease you into the day.

Now: iPod's shuffle set me up with *Ravel, Menuet Antique*


----------



## JCarmel

Good Choice....Mackerras was a fine conductor of Mozart!
( on 2nd thoughts, I'd prefer to say 'Mackerras was a fine conductor'......'.Period!')

My favourite Mozart Symphony now is the 'Haffner'....no. 35.


----------



## mgj15

Tchaikovsky, Orchestral Suites 
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner conducting


----------



## Guest

Listening to Rite of Spring right now. I really like this recording. Can't seem to get the image of battling dinosaurs out of my head!


----------



## cwarchc

moved onto one of my favourite (at the moment) composers Takemitsu
haven't got much recorded pieces, yet, but YT's good to decide which one to buy next


----------



## ptr

advancing to the Finish line..

*Kaija Saariaho* - Graal Théâtre / Château de l'âme / Amers (Sony)









Gidon Kremer, violin; Anssi Karttunen, cello; Dawn Upshaw, soprano, various orchestras u. Esa-Pekka Salonen

A lovely and well-rounded introduction to the music of Kaija Saariaho. Graal Théâtre may well be my favourite Violin Concerto* from the last 50 years. After hearing it at the 1995 proms I was bedridden with musical fever way in to the morning after! 

/ptr

* the only other Concertante Violin music of this period that comes close (for me) is Sofia Gubaidulina's Offertorium.


----------



## neoshredder

Climbing the Mahler ladder. Still on Schubert though. I find his Chamber Works more enjoyable.


----------



## Mahlerian

cwarchc said:


> moved onto one of my favourite (at the moment) composers Takemitsu
> haven't got much recorded pieces, yet, but YT's good to decide which one to buy next


The Naxos discs of his music have a good selection and good, if not great, performances. There's a piano disc, a chamber disc, and an orchestral disc. Other than that, there are several on Deutsche Grammophon's defunct 20/21 series of contemporary music, the only one of which I've heard is "A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden", which has a mixture of early and late works. A lot of my own collection is Japanese imports, but those are very costly ($40 for 2 discs or so), so if you're exploring, it's not the first place to look.

There's also a 2-disc set on Brilliant Classics that collects recordings of some orchestral works done by Denon a while back, and can be found at very low prices. That might be the way to go.


----------



## ptr

Rounding of My Italian dinner with an agreeable Italian opera...









*Luigi Dallapiccola* - Il Prigioniero (Sony)
Jorma Hynninen, Howard Haskin, Lage Wedin, Sven-Erik Alexanderson
the Swedish Radio Choir & Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Esa-Pekka Salonen

Emotionally dark, but still have a sunny spot in my heart. Was actually the first opera I heard live!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mompou, Piano Works.*


----------



## DavidA

Rachmaninov Vespers - St Petersburg Korniev


----------



## ptr

DavidA said:


> Rachmaninov Vespers - St Petersburg Korniev


We think alike! I often end my evenings with SR's Vesper.. It is one of the most profound soul searching choral works of the previous millennia!









I often play *Alexander Sveshnikov's* 1965 recording with The State Academic Choir USSR and Klara Korkan, Konstantin Ognevoi as soloists (Melodiya). the depth of the Basses of the SACUSSR is amassing, I've never heard a choir outside Russia that has Basso-Profundos like it!

/ptr


----------



## mgj15

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
Simón Bolivar Youth Symphony Orchestra 
Gustavo Dudamel conducting

via the DG website radio

After seeing Dudamel's take on Resurrection on last week, this is my 2nd Mahler piece I've heard him head up. Really, really like his interpretations. Tempo, sound, passion....I know next to nothing about this orchestra, and I don't know how young 'Youth' is in this case, but these sound like fine musicians. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and a more proper established group.

I'll be seeking out more from him.


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler* Symphony #10 (reconstructed by Joe Wheeler in 1966)
- Polish National Radio SO under Robert Olson (Naxos label)

A listen to this massive 80 minute work straight thru this time, earlier this week I was only able to listen to it in bits and pieces, but this listen has been more rewarding, I can hear the 'thread' of themes going thru the work much more clearly. Great stuff.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: Symphonies 1 - 3, Vox Maris, with Foster et al (rec.1990 - '92); *Szymanowski*: String Quartets 1 & 2, with Maggini Qt. (rec.1993).

View attachment 12794
View attachment 12795


----------



## Schubussy

Messiaen - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps
Tashi Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

ptr said:


> View attachment 12792
> 
> 
> I often play *Alexander Sveshnikov's* 1965 recording with The State Academic Choir USSR and Klara Korkan, Konstantin Ognevoi as soloists (Melodiya). the depth of the Basses of the SACUSSR is amassing, I've never heard a choir outside Russia that has Basso-Profundos like it!


I'm listening now. As a bass singer with no volume to his voice, I'm a sucker for a good profundo.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Apollo, Agon, Jeu de cartes
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## Hausmusik

*Villa-Lobos
String Quartets #5, 10 & 13
*
Just took this set out of the library. An SQ cycle I've been eager to explore. It should get me through the storm.


----------



## Schubussy

William Alwyn - Lyra Angelica


----------



## Tristan

Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 (Malaysian Philharmonic)

One of my favorite pieces of music ever since I was 8 years old and heard it on a cassette at my grandparents' house


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): String Quartet in D Major, Op.18, No.1

Quartetto di Milano: Thomas Wicky-Borner and Manrico Padovani, violins -- Claudio Padovani, viola -- Graziano Beluffi, cello

View attachment 12809


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven Quartet Op. 59, No. 1.*

The Lindsays do this very well, without the occasional intonation problems of their first cycle. The one I have has a 4 on it; this one is the only picture close enough I could find.


----------



## mgj15

Sid James said:


> *Mahler* Symphony #10 (reconstructed by Joe Wheeler in 1966)
> - Polish National Radio SO under Robert Olson (Naxos label)
> 
> A listen to this massive 80 minute work straight thru this time, earlier this week I was only able to listen to it in bits and pieces, but this listen has been more rewarding, I can hear the 'thread' of themes going thru the work much more clearly. Great stuff.


I think I've only ever heard a Cooke version, I'll have to give this one a shot.

I love performances of the Adagio but to be honest, I've been hesitant to put much investment into this reconstruction piece, given it's mostly guesswork. Feels as though I'm "cheating" on Gustav's original full works (silly I know).


----------



## Mahlerian

mgj15 said:


> I think I've only ever heard a Cooke version, I'll have to give this one a shot.
> 
> I love performances of the Adagio but to be honest, I've been hesitant to put much investment into this reconstruction piece, given it's mostly guesswork. Feels as though I'm "cheating" on Gustav's original full works (silly I know).


You can rest easier knowing that the form of the work, its themes, harmonies, and melodies, are all genuinely and absolutely Mahler's. It's parts of the orchestration that are guesswork (and even there, indications were provided). Cooke is among the more cautious renderings. Carpenter is the most audacious, and not entirely coincidentally, the worst of all those I know. It is the one where I am struck most often by how unlike Mahler it sounds.


----------



## Sid James

mgj15 said:


> I think I've only ever heard a Cooke version, I'll have to give this one a shot.
> 
> I love performances of the Adagio but to be honest, I've been hesitant to put much investment into this reconstruction piece, given it's mostly guesswork. Feels as though I'm "cheating" on Gustav's original full works (silly I know).


Well I've only heard that Wheeler reconstruction. Its tricky with these types of works. I think Cooke actually said that his completion was not meant to be the be all and end all on this piece. The only way that could happen is if Mahler had completed it, of course. & he did, with many of his symphonies, go back and revise them years after they where first performed. So even if he had completed the 10th, had he lived to ripe old age, he would have most likely revised it.

So yeah it is guesswork. The Adagio and PUrgatorio movements where almost fully completed by Mahler, the others exist in whats known as short score, the orchestration incomplete, and thats where these guys did their 'guesswork.'

I aim to get the Cooke one. What I can say of Wheeler's one is that I've thoroughly enjoyed it, I love how the themes - 2 main ones I can grasp at this stage - of that movement go thru the rest of the work. The last movement has a funereal feel with the bass drum giving this kind of aggressive/dark beat, but by the end, I feel its lighter than darker, the mood changes dramatically to that of something approaching hope.

Of course a number of Maestros refused to touch the movements other than the two virtually fully completed by Gustav. So you get the Adagio played at concerts alone sometimes. Or on cd's coupled with another symphony. But I love the 10th, the whole this is great, despite its chequered/complex history.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms' clarinet quintet. If this is not a perfect chamber work, such a thing does not exist.


----------



## mgj15

Thank you both for the posts. It's fair to say you've intrigued me with that bit of explanation and background. I think I'll go into the next listens with a more open mind! Thanks!


----------



## Mahlerian

Via Spotify:
Mahler: Symphony No. 10 in F-sharp (Wheeler ver.)
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Robert Olsen


----------



## GreenMamba

Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream Incidental Music (Zinman, Rochester Philharmonic)


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Flute Sonata in E Major, Wq.84

Wolfgang Schulz, flute -- Claudio Brizi, harpsichord

View attachment 12836


----------



## Sonata

Grieg: Norwegian Dances Op 35. 

I really really like Grieg. I find I enjoy him more with each listen. I don't care for his songs so far, but his orchestral, chamber, and piano works are wonderful.


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss; Last Four Songs, Karajan, Janowitz


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 38 in C major, Hob. I:38
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock








Per Nørgård: Borderlines (Violin Concerto No. 2)
Rebecca Hirsch, violin
Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra/Giordano Bellincampi








John Woolrich: Viola Concerto
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Mass in C, Op. 86 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique









Ockeghem: Missa Pro Defunctis [Requiem] -- Hillard Ensemble









Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances -- Eiji Oue: Minnesota Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's Eighth Book Of Madrigals - Anthony Rooley


----------



## HoraeObscura

Studio Brussel

lame *** radio... Hate it... colleagues love it


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler* Symphony No. 6 
- Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth (live recording on ABC Classics label)


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet - David Campbell, clarinet, Bingham Quartet


----------



## JCarmel

It's not a bad day at all...some sunshine is evident amidst the light cloud, before the next blast of wintery weather is upon us. So I'm listening to something enthused with good-naturedness (if there is such a word?!)









Disc 9..... Hob xv in E Flat. Music that accommodates itself to our way of life and doesn't demand we put on a posh frock, as t'were?!
(Which for many of you gentlemen out there, is probably not a bad thing?!)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Richard Wagner - Das Rheingold *(Berliner Philarmoniker & Herbert von Karajan)









The work is over, the weekend is coming, so I can afford a bit of fun with ... my preciousssss


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in G Major, Op.2, No.1, D.73

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Giovanni Guglielmo on violin

View attachment 12866


----------



## cwarchc

SiegendesLict has swayed me to start my day off with this.
I have to admit to a liking for this Welsh bass-baritones voice
I've seen him on the tv performing on the BBC Proms








I've lined this one up next


----------



## ptr

Film Music!

Three Volumes of *Ralph Vaughan William's* Film Music on Chandos with the BBC Philharmonic and Rumon Gamba.





















Very catching, many RVW'ish melodies that makes me want to dig out the movies... The seventh Symphony with Previn and Richardson was for a long time my favourite RWV Symphony, hearing Gamba's realisation of the film music makes me appreciate it even more.

/ptr


----------



## Ramako

After a hard few days I thought I'd listen to Schubert Quartet 15 in G major, played by the Melos Quartet.










A relatively new favourite, but a fantastic quartet! Schubert at his best for me.


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 33 in G major, Hob. XV:19
Patrick Cohen (piano), Erich Höbarth (violin), Christophe Coin (cello)








Luigi Boccherini: String Trio in C major, op. 54 no.4
La Real Camara






(an absolutely "must have" Boccherini disc!)

Per Nørgård: String Quartet No. 8 "Natten sænker sig som røg" (Night Descending like Smoke)
The Kroger Quartet








J. C. Bach: Piano Sonata in G major op. 17, no. 1
Robert Woolley, fortepiano








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Trio in G major op. 9, no.1
Vera Beths (violin), Jürgen Kussmaul (viola), Anner Bylsma (cello)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Here meanwhile the giants are coming:

... _Mächt'ger Müh' müde nie,
stauten starke Stein' wir auf;
steiler Turm, Tür und Tor,
deckt und schliesst im schlanken Schloss den Saal..._

I really love the way Wagner wrote it, with all those alliterations.


----------



## Guest

Béla Bartók, Piano Concerto No. 3, Stephen Kovacevich, Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (8 February 1741-1813: String Quartet in G Major, Op.3, No.5

Haydn Quartet: Alexander Tal and Kati Sebestyn, violins -- Erwin Schiffer, viola -- Gyorgy Schiffer, cello

View attachment 12886


----------



## Guest

Béla Bartók, Violin Concerto No. 2

I got the day off. Think I'll listen to Bartók all day. Viktoria Mullova is HOT!


----------



## OboeKnight

Danse Macabre- Saint-Saens


----------



## ptr

Inspired by another reply..









*Martin Rost* playing the magnificent *Stellwagen-Orgel* of the St. Marien-Kirsche Stralsund (German Baltic Coast).

Very Baroque indeed! 

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

A wonderful collection in the "Forgotten Treasures" series of the German Ars Produktion label. These harp concertos are really beautiful and really are forgotten treasures. I love the artwork in this series too. This is a case where you can't really judge a book by it's cover because the covers are very modern but the music in the series is not.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Ramako said:


> After a hard few days I thought I'd listen to Schubert Quartet 15 in G major, played by the Melos Quartet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A relatively new favourite, but a fantastic quartet! Schubert at his best for me.


That's a great one. I also like his middle Quartets like 7, 8, and 9. More Haydn like but with a Schubertian flavour to it. One of the best sets I bought. I much prefer his Quartets over Beethoven's for some reason. Beethoven owns the Symphonies though.


----------



## Sonata

Darn it. I had convinced myself to just buy the three CD set of his late quartets.....but now Neo and Ramako, you're making me want this full set. :lol:


----------



## OboeKnight

Lots and lots of Bach Cello Suites.


----------



## ptr

Back in history!

*Joseph Haydn* - Keyboard Concertos No 4, 6 & 11









Andreas Staier, fortepiano; Freiburger Barockorchester u. Gottfried von der Goltz (Harmonia Mundi)

Staier quite makes me feel like being there and then!

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

iPod on shuffle of 2491 songs (about a third of my total collection). Makes for an interesting experience; from blues, to classical, to progessive metal. But a good way of getting some forgotten songs or pieces into rotation.


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Piano Concerto #20 in D Minor, K 466 -- John Eliot Gardiner; Malcolm Bilson: English Baroque Soloists

Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Schubert: String Quintet in C, Op. 163, D 956 -- Yo-Yo Ma; Cleveland Quartet

Satie: Les Trois Valses Distinguées du Précieux Dégoûté --Daniel Varsano

Cherubini: Messe Solennelle en Sol majeur pour le Sacre de Louis XVIII -- Riccardo Muti: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Beethoven: Andante and Variations for Mandolin and Keyboard in D, WoO 44b -- Karlheinz Zoeller; Erhard Fietz

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1058 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

It's a day of studying, thus a day for much music.


----------



## Guest

Tired of Bartók. I decided to listen through the Jarvi cycle of Beethoven symphonies again. Finished my taxes. It's an otherwise dull day, but Paavo and Ludwig may help.


----------



## daveh

After having a day of Mozart symphonies yesterday, today I am going with Dvorak symphonies. Starting from the top, which should be interesting, because I have actually only heard 7-9. Mozart and Dvorak are the first two composers that really "grabbed" me and drew me into classical.


----------



## ptr

Russian Hyper Romanticism!

*Sergei Tanayev* - Concert Suite for Violin & Orchestra Op. 28 (1909)









David Oistrakh, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Nikolai Malko (Angel Records)

If in need for the most beautiful romantic work for Violin and Orchestra, this is were to turn!
Oistrakh and Malko are an unsurpassed pairing in this work.






/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Quartets No. 1, 2, and 6.*


----------



## JCarmel

Am having a Sergei-Sossled Session

Sergei Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No.3....









and then......lovely violinist Isaac Stern
(he seemed such a nice man?!..)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Symphonies 15 & 27, with RFASO/Svetlanov (rec.1991 - '93); 24 & 25, with MoscowPO/Yablonsky (rec.2000).

View attachment 12907
View attachment 12908


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphonies 4 & 10, with Roschmann/MahlerCO/Harding (rec.2004), VPO/Harding (rec.2007).

View attachment 12910
View attachment 12911


----------



## ptr

Rounding of this evening:

Two volumes of *Louis Vierne's* organ music on *Aelous* played by Daniel Roth on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of Eglise Saint Sulpice, Paris.






















The clip do not have the awesome sound quality of the SACD's but gives a glimpse of the outstanding interpreter Daniel Roth is of Vierne's organ works. Strongly recommended if You want to investigate Vierne's music!

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

disc 4


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Symphonies 99 & 101, The Clock
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate (EMI)
*
Gareth Farr* *Tabuh Pacific & Queen of Demons
- New Zealand SO under the composer *with University of Canterbury (NZ) gamelan ensemble (Morrison Trust cd)


----------



## AndyS

I'm listening to Callas' Violetta for the first time... my word!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Jo Vincent, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Willem Mengelberg

Mengelberg was one of the generation of conductors (Walter and Klemperer also) who had worked with the composer personally.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninoff--*Symphony No.1 in D Minor, Op.13, Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op.27 and Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.44. *All three symphonies feature the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major.* Both works are performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Crudblud

The first part of Robert Ashley's "TV opera" _Perfect Lives_, although listening is only half of what I'm doing, of course.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Joseph Leopold Eybler (8 February 1765-1846): Symphony No.1 in C Major

Michael Hofstetter leading L'Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve

View attachment 12920


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Norbert Burgmuller (8 February 1810-1836): String Quartet No.4 in A Minor, Op.14

Mannheim String Quartet: Andreas Krecher and Claudia Hohorst, violins -- Niklas Schwarz, viola -- Armin Fromm, cello

View attachment 12921


----------



## Mahlerian

Continuing with my Mengelberg listening:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg


----------



## Crudblud

Scelsi - Khoom

From the Arditti two disc set. Scelsi is fast becoming one of my favourite 20th century composers.


----------



## Picea

bejart said:


> In celebration of his birthday --
> Norbert Burgmuller (8 February 1810-1836): String Quartet No.4 in A Minor, Op.14
> 
> Mannheim String Quartet: Andreas Krecher and Claudia Hohorst, violins -- Niklas Schwarz, viola -- Armin Fromm, cello
> 
> View attachment 12921


Did you like this string quartet? Have you listened to all of them? My son played clarinet in his Duo for Clarinet and Piano in a recital Sunday. It's really a lovely piece.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Belfastboy...how many times do we need to ask you to NOT put YouTube videos in this thread? Many of us check this site and thread from work and YouTube videos slow down the page load time on phones. Album covers are fine because the images are small and also allows us to save images of albums we are interested in investigating further. As I and others have said before there is a separate thread for posting YouTube videos. Do it again and I'll personally report you to the moderators. So if you get suspended you'll know who to blame!

Once more here is the appropriate thread. Bookmark the darn thing if you have to! I mean this is NOT rocket science here! 

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html

Kevin


----------



## Andolink

Irwin Bazelon: Symphony No. 9 (Sunday Silence)
Scott Dunn, piano
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Harold Farberman








John Woolrich: The Ghost in the Machine
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's Symphony 9 one more time before moving to Sor.


----------



## GreenMamba

On Spotify, Christopher Rouse's Symphony #2 (Gilbert, Royal Stockholm Ph. Orch.).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Fernando Sor's late works. Performed by William Carter.


----------



## Mordred

Howard shore and the lso. lord of the rings soundtrack while scaling *the* Mt Doom in New Zealand! Fantastic!


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Concertos Nos 4 and 5


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I enjoyed those harp concertos so much my wife and I listened to them again this evening. Presently finishing up this wonderful CPO recording of some works by Ferdinand Ries (a student of Beethoven's). The whole album is worth listening to but I'm rather partial to the Violin Concerto No. 1 in E Minor. It's really a work that should be performed in concert halls. It's a real gem!










Kevin


----------



## Andolink

John Woolrich: Oboe Concerto
Nicholas Daniel, oboe
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins








François Couperin: Troisième concert in A major (from Concerts Royaux)
Trio Sonnerie


----------



## ptr

Starting the day of with Three disc's with the Youngish German Organist *Gunther Rost*, all on *Oemhs Classics*.

_Trilogies_: *Marcel Dupré*: Trois Préludes et Fugues op. 7 (1912), Trois Esquisses op. 41 (1946) - *Jehan Alain*: Trois Danses JA 120 (1940)









Gunther Rost @ the Schuke organ in the new church at the Julius-Maximilians University in Würzburg

*Petr Eben* - Concerto for Organ and Orchestra "Symphonia Gregoriana" (1954)









Gunther Rost, organ; Bamberger Symphoniker u. Gabriel Feltz, conductor

*Frédéríc Chopin* - 24 Préludes op. 28









Gunther Rost @ the Seifert Organ of the Kevelaer Church of the Virgin Mary

/ptr


----------



## Ramako

Mordred said:


> Howard shore and the lso. lord of the rings soundtrack while scaling *the* Mt Doom in New Zealand! Fantastic!


That sounds amazing - and great picture!


----------



## cwarchc

Start the day in a mellow way


----------



## Guest

Schubert's Trout Quintet with James Levine.


----------



## ptr

Continuing my daily sets of three after a light lunch with something modern:

*Wolfgang Rihm* - Astralis; Choral Works (Harmonia Mundi 2012)









RIAS Chamber Choir u. Hans-Christoph Rademann

*Edgard Varèse* - Ecuatorial / Déserts / Intégrales (CBS 1984)









Soli, Chœurs de radio-france & Ensemble Intercontemporain u. Pierre Boulez

*Magnus Lindberg* - Graffiti & Seht die Sonne (Ondine 2010)









Helsinki Chamber Choir & Finnish RSO u. Sakari Oramo

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Good Day, everyone!

Haydn's Kleine Orgelmesse.....the 'Benedictus' from this mass is lovely....


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707): Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op.1, No.3, Bux WV 254

Ensemble Baroque de Limoges: Gilles Colliard, violin -- Christophe Coin and Lorenz Duftschmid, violas -- Pascal Monteilhet, theorbo -- Jan Willem Jansen, chamber organ

View attachment 12954


Picea says ---
"....Did you like this string quartet? (Burgmuller's No.4 in A Minor)"

Yes, he's written it on the cusp of the transition from the late Viennese Classical to the early Romantic. Think late Beethoven without the angst ---


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's 2nd Symphony "Resurrection" by Klaus Tennsteadt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It is live recording from 1989 and sounds superb.


----------



## ptr

A triplet for afternoon tea..

*Béla Bartók* - Music for Strings,Percussion and Celesta & Concerto for Orchestra (Orfeo 2001)









Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik (R: 1978 / 1981)

*Vagn Holmboe* - Chamber Symphonies (DaCapo 2012)









Lapland Chamber Orchestra u. John Storgårds

*Olivier Messiaen* - "Hommage à Messiaen" Preludes & Other Piano Works (DG 2009)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

/ptr


----------



## science




----------



## science




----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Henri-Joseph Rigel (9 February 1741-1799): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.10, No.3

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques-Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint-Cyr, cello

View attachment 12960


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Chamber Concerto, Piano Sonata Op. 1, Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano

From the DG Berg set.
View attachment 12961


----------



## daveh

I've been listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 29 a LOT the last few days...it's quickly jumping toward the top of my favorite symphonies of his.


----------



## JCarmel

I seem to be having a Haydn Day, today......and there so many favourite symphonies to choose from. But as I used to be able to play the melodious second movement on the piano...albeit very poorly....of Symphony no.85 (La Reine) I'm going to listen to that & compare the interpretation that I first became acquainted-with








with another that I have, that was chosen by Radio 3's reviewer in 'Building a Library'

I wonder which I'll prefer now!


----------



## Sonata

Listening to my* "Big Mozart Box"*

I started with the piano pieces "Variations on the Minuet of J.P. Duport", solo piano selections. Now I am listening to the lovely String Quartet #15 in D Minor.

Not sure if I'll continue listening to this for awhile, or jump to my second listen of Schumann piano works. We'll see


----------



## bejart

Joseph Myslivecek (1737-1781): Violin Concerto in E Major

Libor Pesek leading the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra -- Shizuka Ishikawa, violin

View attachment 12966


----------



## ptr

un trio d'œuvres françaises pour la soirée..

*Francis Poulenc* - Orchestral Works (Decca 1995)









Pascal Rogé, piano; French National Orchestra u. Charles Dutoit

*Cesar Franck** - Les Eolides & Symphony in D minor (Philips 1964/1999) (also; Prélude, choral, et fugue, for piano, M21 & Pieces (3), for organ, M. 35-37- Cantabile in B)









Het Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest u. Willem van Oterloo (also, Eduardo del Pueyo, piano; Pierre Cochereau, Organ)

*Pierre Cochereau* - L'art de l'improvisation (Solstice 1999)









Pierre Cochereau @ the Cavaillé-Coll organ of Notre Dame de Paris

/ptr

*Yes I know he was born in Belgium, but to every one else in Europe, Belgium is just like Washington DC, not really a state, more like a plot of land left over after the rest was divided...


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.9 in C Major, Op.59, No.3

Fine Arts Quartet: Leonard Sorkin and Abram Loft, violins -- Gerald Stanick, viola -- George Sopkin, cello

View attachment 12969


----------



## SamBryant

First post ever!
Rachmaninoff's Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano.
That main theme introduced in beginning of the first movement is so delicate and beautiful. Also the way the cello and piano chase each other is phenomenal


----------



## opus55

Penderecki: Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano
Creston: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Sonata

More from the Big Mozart Box:

Oboe Quartet in F Major K370
Divertimento In F for String ensemble K138
Horn Concerto #3 in E Flat Major, K 447


----------



## daveh

Still on the Mozart symphonies, but am now going with Klemperer. Really like his #29, as to me it seems a nice balance between those versions that feel way too fast and others (like Karajan, for example) that p.lay #29 too slow for my tastes.

Really liked the #38, #39, and #40 here too. #40 still blows me away every time.


----------



## Art Rock

The first CD of Suzuki's Bach cantatas. 49 more to go (#51 is not mine yet...).


----------



## Cheyenne

Othmar Schoeck's Horn Concerto.


----------



## DrKilroy

Offenbach's Cello Concerto "Militaire". 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Archduke trio. Heifetz, Rubinstein, Feuermann


----------



## DrKilroy

Rautavaara Piano Concerto no. 1.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Field's Piano Concertos.


----------



## DavidA

Rossini barber of Seville Callas / Gobbi


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner's 4th Symphony once again performed by Klaus Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Again, a live 1989 recording.

This is on a par with Wand and Furtwangler whom are usually my preferred Bruckner conductors (though Barenboim acquits himself very well too). The recording is superb and the London Philarmonic sound incredible. 

Tennstedt always seemed to be able to inspire the LPO to their full potential, especially live. This is equally true of his Mahler and Beethoven with the LPO.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Josquin Desprez's Missa L'Homme Arme - The Tallis Scholars


----------



## Novelette

Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

I am not a spiritual person, but there is undisputed divinity in Roman School music.

Schubert: German Mass in F, D 872 -- Bruno Weil: Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Beethoven: Prelude and Fugue for String Quartet in E Minor, Hess 29 -- Amadeus Quartet

A fascinating work among Beethoven's juvenalia!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: Piano Works, with Anderszewski (rec.2004), then Hamelin (rec.2002).

View attachment 12975
View attachment 12976


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Violin Concerto - Isaac Stern, violin, Thomas Beecham, cond. (1951)


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 12974
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Josquin Desprez's Missa L'Homme Arme - The Tallis Scholars


Josquin... That's the good stuff!


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Alban Berg's* (1885 - 1935) birthday, Piano Sonata, Op. 1, with GG (rec. 1958).

View attachment 12978


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner's 8th symphony.* First listen to this recording, and a return to the work itself after well over a decade of not hearing it. The Vienna PO was under Sir Georg Solti (nicknamed "The Screaming Skull" LOL). On Eloquence label.


----------



## opus55

Fibich: Symphony No. 1
Hindemith: Konzertmusik Op. 48; Der Schwanendreher


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to more John Field


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Flat, KV 26

Remy Baudet, violin -- Pieter-Jan Belder, piano

View attachment 12982


----------



## Kevin Pearson

neoshredder said:


> Listening to more John Field


I really love O'Rourke's recordings of the Field Concertos. They are some of my most frequently played CDs. Really great stuff!

This evening I have spent more time with Ferdinand Ries. Susan Kagan's series of his Complete Piano Sonatas and Sonatinas are just wonderful. They are full of great melodies and just masterfully played. It's too bad that he was overshadowed by Beethoven as he is worthy of more attention than he has gotten. Thankfully many of his works are being recorded and being heard after 200 years.






































There's supposed to be a final volume released this year. I can't wait!

Kevin


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor.* Both works feature the New Philharmonia Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Boult. For some reason, my listening to the 6th tonite really had me appreciating it for its beauty and evocative nature, even though I have heard it before. Along with his *7th {"Sinfonia antarctica"} and 2nd {"London"} Symphonies,* RVW 6 has now definitely become one of my favorites by him.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"},* performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet, Op.59 No. 1
Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasy
Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Now listening to a pretty good performance of Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy as performed by Rachel Barton. I don't think this is as good as the version by Itzhak Perlman and Zubin Mehta but her talent cannot be denied. She has nice tone and dexterity. The orchestra in this recording doesn't come forward as much as I would like. Still it is a fine recording and I just love this piece by Bruch.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio - Trio Di Trieste (Decca LXT - not to be confused with their slightly later DG recording)

Still my favorite recording of this work, and still frustratingly unavailable on cd.

And its becoming clear with this listen that my lp copy is getting worn down.


----------



## violadude

Kevin Pearson said:


> I really love O'Rourke's recordings of the Field Concertos. They are some of my most frequently played CDs. Really great stuff!
> 
> This evening I have spent more time with Ferdinand Ries. Susan Kagan's series of his Complete Piano Sonatas and Sonatinas are just wonderful. They are full of great melodies and just masterfully played. It's too bad that he was overshadowed by Beethoven as he is worthy of more attention than he has gotten. Thankfully many of his works are being recorded and being heard after 200 years.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There's supposed to be a final volume released this year. I can't wait!
> 
> Kevin


I have his symphonies, which are really good imo. I haven't heard the sonatas. Will have to check them out.


----------



## Arsakes

I haven't listened to many work recently.

Some movements from *Saint Saens* Piano Concerto No.5 and Symphony No.3


----------



## ptr

No triplets today, just fervent music!

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 8 & 10 (Bis 1998)









Norrköping Symphony Orchestra u. Leif Segerstam

Pettersson was (still is) the most urgent Swedish composer, I believe that time will recognize him as a peer of fellow Scandinavian greats like Nielsen and Sibelius!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Moving east!

*Alexander Borodin* - The Three Symphonies (RCA 1977/2004)









National Philharmonic Orchestra u. Loris Tjeknavorian

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Wonderful music
Wonderful playing
Wonderful cd


----------



## ptr

Stravisky of course, he was the Mozart of his time!

*Igor Stravinsky* - Symphonies (Decca 1997)









Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus u. George Solti

/ptr


----------



## ptr

an Anglophile debauchery..

A Salute to *Percy Grainger*









Pears, Shirley-Quirk, English CO u. Britten & Bedford

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Czech for real!

*Bedřich Smetana* - Má vlast (Altus 2005)









Czech Philharmonic Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik live @ Suntory Hall, 2 November 1991

Awesome!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Poulenc..... Sonata for Oboe and Piano


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Melchior Molter (10 February 1696-1765): Viola Concerto in F Major

Hamburger Ratsmusik and Mitglieder der Hanoverschen Hofkapelle -- Simone Eckert, viola

View attachment 12997


----------



## Crudblud

Veniamin Basner - String Quartet No. 4, Op. 18 / No. 5, Op. 24 (Taneyev SQ)


----------



## ptr

*Max Reger* - Orgelwerke größten Styls (Aelous 1997)









Stefan Schmidt @ the 1907 Seiffert Organ of Marienbasilika, Kevelaer, Germany

/ptr


----------



## Crudblud

Bernd Alois Zimmermann - Trumpet Concerto (Kitajenko / Friedrich)


----------



## Guest

Thanks JCarmel for this link. It's perfect for my Sunday morning.


----------



## Crudblud

Wolfgang Rihm - Sine Nomine I (Friedrich / Bauer / Wipfler / Siefert / Füssel)


----------



## Guest

This is my favorite recording of this piece. Neville Marriner, Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sofie Von Otter, and others...


----------



## ptr

*Marcel Dupré* - Organ Works (Disques FY/Solstice R: 1975)









Pierre Cochereau aux grandes orgues des Notre Dame de Paris

/ptr


----------



## Art Rock

Art Rock said:


> View attachment 12971
> 
> 
> The first CD of Suzuki's Bach cantatas. 49 more to go (#51 is not mine yet...).


Now at CD3. This will take a while......


----------



## ptr

Continuing with Dupré..

*Marcel Dupré* playing the organ at St. Thomas Church, New York City (Mercury 1957/1992)









*Widor* - Allegro From Symphony No. 6, Op. 42 / Salve Regina & *Frank* - Pièce Héroïque / Chorale No. 1 In E Major / Chorale No. 2 In B Minor / Chorale No. 3 In A Minor

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Moving on to Denmark!

*Carl Nielsen* - The String Quartets (Two Volumes on Dacapo Records *2007* / *2008*)

















Den Danske Strygekvartet (Tim Frederiksen, viola in String Quintet in G major (1888))

Just as important and musically rewarding as his Symphonies!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Handel 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba'









Need some joyous music to mark a great win for England in Dublin, 12 points to 6....in the 'Six Nations' Rugby championship...a gruelling but absorbing match.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn


----------



## opus55

ptr said:


> Moving on to Denmark!
> 
> *Carl Nielsen* - The String Quartets (Two Volumes on Dacapo Records *2007* / *2008*)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Den Danske Strygekvartet (Tim Frederiksen, viola in String Quintet in G major (1888))
> 
> Just as important and musically rewarding as his Symphonies!
> 
> /ptr


I'd love to get those for the cover arts alone! How's their playing?


----------



## ptr

opus55 said:


> I'd love to get those for the cover arts alone! How's their playing?


..at first I did just that, but their playing is immaculate! Second to none I've heard in the Nielsen Quartets!

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Shubert's Octet with the every gorgeous and talented Viktoria Mullova.


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): Symphony 19 in C Major

Harold Farberman conducting the Bournemouth Sinfonietta

View attachment 13008


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Piano Sonata #1 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 11 -- Klára Würtz

An excellent and vastly underrated masterpiece.

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76 -- Kodály Quartet

Lully: Thésée -- Paul O'Dette: Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Chorus

Mozart: Church Sonatas -- Daniel Chorzempa; Helmut Winschermann

Excellent works! Especially #5 in F Major, #13 in G Major, and #15 in C Major!


----------



## ptr

Back to the Baroque..

Bruhns & Buxtehude - Organ Works (Chandos 1993)









Piet Kee at the organ of Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Piano Quintet in F Major, Op.53

Das Reicha'sche Quintett with Christine Schornsheim on Piano: Michael Schmidt-Casdorff, flute -- Hans-Peter Westermann, oboe -- Guy van Waas, clarinet -- Wilhelm Bruns, horn -- Christian Beuse, bassoon

View attachment 13011


----------



## Vaneyes

*Walton*: Viola Concerto, with Imai/LPO/Latham-Koenig (rec.1992); Violin Concerto, with Mordkovitch/LPO/Latham-Koenig (rec.1991).

View attachment 13012
View attachment 13013


----------



## Sid James

*Gareth Farr* From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs ; *Waipoua ; Le Temps est a la Pluie (It Looks Like Rain) 
New Zealand SO under composer *with Mary Scott, solo clarinet (Morrison & Co. Trust cd)










*Haydn *Symphonies Nos. 94 (Surprise), 95 in C minor*
English CO under Jeffrey Tate ; *with Charles Tunnell, cello solo in middle two movements (EMI)









*
Bruckner* Symphony #6
Vienna PO under Horst Stein (Eloquence)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

James Ehnes is probably one of best violinist playing today. My wife and I saw him last year and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him live. His albums show his abilities and this one is no exception. Showcase pieces all and really fun to listen to. The Spanish Dances by Sarasate are my favorites on this but really there is not a single piece not worth listening to.










Currently listening to Brahms Hungarian Dances as performed Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Great performances!










Kevin


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 7 Chailly.

The sound is really tremendous. I have never heard such a clear recording of an orchestra.


----------



## ptr

Coming to America...

*Robert Erickson* - Auroras (New World 2008)









Rafael Popper-Keizer, cello; Boston Modern Orchestra Project u. Gil Rose, conductor

Mesmerizing! A great discovery for me!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.16 in B Minor

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Peter Collyer, viola -- Angela East, cello

View attachment 13015


----------



## GreenMamba

Bach: Concerto in C Minor for Oboe and Violin (Orch. St. Luke's)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Going to work my way through this collection of Beethoven's Piano Trios.










Kevin


----------



## TheVioletKing

Mussorgsky's Picture at an Exhibition


----------



## Sonata

Brahms clarinet quintet and string quartet #2, and Mozart clarinet concerto


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Concerto in A Minor For Flute, Violin & Harpsichord, BWV 1044, "Triple Concerto" -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Liszt: Harmonies Poétiques & Religieuses, S 173 -- Leslie Howard

Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio #1 in F, Op. 18 -- Joachim Trio

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes -- Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta

On a roll...


----------



## Novelette

Also

Beethoven: 2 Preludes Through All Twelve Major Keys For Organ, Op. 39 -- Simon Preston


----------



## daveh

Back to the same Dvorak symphonies from Suitner that I posted about a few days ago. Listening to Symphony No. 3 for the first time was great, I really enjoyed it. Not as good, for me, as his later acclaimed symphonies, but still a great listen.


----------



## Novelette

Sonata said:


> Brahms clarinet quintet and string quartet #2, and Mozart clarinet concerto


I never tire of Brahms' chamber works, his clarinet works especially. I know what's next on the listening program, now.


----------



## opus55

Britten: The Turn of the Screw


----------



## bejart

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Oboe Concerto in C Major, Badley C2

Bela Drahos leading the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Stefan Schilli, oboe

View attachment 13017


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Britten: The Turn of the Screw


Britten's use of instrumentation in this opera was quite inventive. I don't care for his instrumental works, usually, but his operas were quite strong.


----------



## Head_case

Bach: Die Kunst der Fugue for String Quartet arranged by Robert Simpson, the most outstanding British composer since Vaughan Williams:










http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/single?PRODUCT_NR=4744952


----------



## Kieran

Head_case said:


> Bach: Die Kunst der Fugue for String Quartet arranged by Robert Simpson, the most outstanding British composer since Vaughan Williams:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/single?PRODUCT_NR=4744952


That's a great cover!


----------



## Head_case

It's a great album too!

Only bettered by the Delmé Quartet's reading - a British ensemble


----------



## Andolink

Mahlerian said:


> Britten's use of instrumentation in this opera was quite inventive. I don't care for his instrumental works, usually, but his operas were quite strong.


Does your dislike of Britten's instrumental works include the Cello Symphony? IMO, that's among the very greatest concerted cello pieces of the 20th Century, in every way a masterpiece and a work I never get tired of.


----------



## Mahlerian

Andolink said:


> Does your dislike of Britten's instrumental works include the Cello Symphony? IMO, that's among the very top concerted cello pieces of the 20th Century, in every way a masterpiece and a work I never get tired of.


I only heard it once, and based on what I've read, I really should hear it again. I'll be sure to give it another shot.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: String Quartet in D Major, D 94

Verdi Quartet: Susanne Rabenschlag and Peter Stein, violins -- Karin Wolf, viola -- Didier Poskin, cello

View attachment 13018


----------



## MrCello

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Hanover Hofkapelle with Laurence Dean on flute

View attachment 13020


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Divertimento in D, K251 "Nannerl Septet" with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields Chamber Ansemble

Leaving in the morning for 4 days in Nevada, so this may be my last post for a while.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Fantasie in C Minor, KV 475

Heidi Lowy, piano

View attachment 13026


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *featuring the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antarctica"}, *performed by soprano Norma Burrowes, the London Philharmonic Choir and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, all under Sir Adrian Boult.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.8 in D Minor, *once again with Maestro Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61. *Both works featuring Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## tankership

Glazunov's - 7th and 3rd Symphony's.
Gliere - Harp Concerto
Weinberg's - Moldavian Rhapsody
Wagner - Rienzi
Luigini - Ballet Egyptien (fun light piece)
Symphony in E major - Hans Lott (just came across it here at the forum today! Wish I could hear it in concert.)


----------



## Novelette

This remains one of the most peaceful and contemplative of Brahms' excellent works, in my opinion.


----------



## Sid James

*Piazzolla* Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas (The 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires), and other tangos and dances (arrangements by Quentin Grant & Jose Bragato)
- Macquarie Trio: Nicholas Milton, vln. ; Michael Goldschlager, cello ; Kathryn Selby, pno. (on ABC Classics)










*Haydn* Symphony #97 in C
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate (on EMI)


----------



## Tristan

Vaughan Williams - Oboe Concerto in A minor (London Symphony Orchestra)

I'd never heard it before; it's beautiful. The beauty is reminiscent of his 5th symphony in my mind


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 39 in G minor; Symphony No. 59 in A major ("Fire")
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quintet in C major, op. 29
Hausmusik


----------



## ptr

another little bit a French!

*Florent Schmitt* - Orchestral Music: Psaume XLVII Op 38 / Suite sans esprit de suite Op 89 / La tragédie de Salomé - Symphonic Poem Op 50 (Hyperion 2007)









Soli, Choir & BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Thierry Fischer

..more people should discover Schmitt's music, it is generic French but more expressionistic than, say, Ravel or Fauré!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E Flat, Op.6, No.2, RV 259

Israel Chamber Orchestra -- Shlomo Mintz, violin

View attachment 13030


----------



## JCarmel

'Great minds think alike' bejart?

Had this on the old cd player before I logged-in!!


----------



## ptr

*Michael Tippett* - A Child Of Our Time (LSO Live 2008)









Indra Thomas, Soprano; Mihoko Fujimura, Alto; Steve Davislim, Tenor; Matthew Rose, bass; London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra u. Sir Colin Davis

Utterly beautiful!

/ptr


----------



## Itullian

Abbado's Lohengrin
so so


----------



## ptr

Northern Flowers Wartime Music Vol 6

*Lev Konstantinovich Knipper* - Violin Concerto No 1 (1943) & Symphony No 8 (1942)









Mikhail Krutinik, violin; St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra u. Alexander Titov

An interesting document.

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

*Music from the Sistine Chapel* The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.









I was fortunate to hear this music sung live by The Sixteen, as I sat in the nave of York Minster, which made for an awe-inspiring setting. As I'd already bought the cd some weeks earlier, I took it with me just in case I might bang-into Harry Christophers.... you know, as you do?! And blow me, if he didn't then walk right past me as I sat waiting for the concert to begin. So, despite feeling rather sheepish in having bought the disc with me... (producing it out of my pocket in it's little plastic bag!...as opposed to having bought it at the sales desk that the group had set-up near the cathedral entrance)....I asked him to sign the booklet and he very kindly obliged. Well, it's maybe added 50p or so to it's value, if I ever fancy selling it on eBay?!!

Listening to the music with magnificent medieval architecture all-around made for a memorable evening and being able to listen-to and record the concert a few days later from BBC's Radio 3, made it even more-so. But really, I felt that the sound was adversely affected by the reverberations, echo and counter-echo of that huge space and I think I might always listen to The Sixteen in future where I can better discern the details of the text!


----------



## ptr

*Paul le Flem* - Oeuvres pour orchestre (Timpani 1994/2007)









Marie-Catherine Girod, piano; Orchestre de Bretagne u. Claude Schnitzler

Another interesting late romantic Frenchman!

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Cello Concerto in B minor- Dvorak


----------



## Ramako

Steve Reich - Its gonna rain

I really want to cause myself serious harm... Please, please give me Xenakis any day


----------



## ptr

*Vadim Salmanov* - Complete String Quartets Vol 1 - No's 1 - 3 (Northern Flowers 2012)









Taneyev Quartet

A set of fine post war quartets!

/ptr


----------



## kv466




----------



## Head_case

Superb - Salmanov wrote some of my favourite Soviet string quartets!

Whatever happened to volume 2 ...it was supposed to come out last autumn.

The original release on vinyl LP by Melodiya couples the string quartet no. I with with no VI. On the first CD transfer by Russian Discs, the coupling for string quartet no. I is with no. III and no. IV.

That means, after duplicating the Northern Flowers release, I'm still missing string quartet no. V ... except via digital download (it's free on one of the out of copyright sites) which isn't great sound.

The vinyl LP original is the warmest - still, the Northern Flowers release is very very good. You can't help but fall back spellbound by the dramatic language and power of the first movement of string quartet no. I.

Listening to the opposite end - Francois Couperin's harpsichord works:


----------



## Schubussy

Egisto Macchi ~ Voix








Got this after reading that it's like an avant-garde and psychedelic Ennio Morricone.


----------



## ptr

Head_case said:


> Superb - Salmanov wrote some of my favourite Soviet string quartets!


They are absolutely lovely..!



> Whatever happened to volume 2 ...it was supposed to come out last autumn.


I have it on order and it is announced on NF's site, I've bought almost all their releases over the years and they have been quite uneven in keeping up the actual releases with what the announce.

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Whilst I'm still in a Slavic Quartet mood...

*Boris Tchaikovsky* - String Quartets 1 - 6 (Northern Flowers 2009)









Ilya Ioff, violin / Elena Raskova, violin / Lydia Kovalenko, viola / Alexey Massarsky, cello

Quite Shostakovian, nice but not remarkable, decent quartet playing.

/ptr


----------



## Head_case

Yay!!!

Finally! Got to get a complete set before Northern Flowers go bust like Russian Discs/Olympia/AGV/Chant du Monde/Denon Recordings


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Christmas Oratorio.


----------



## Head_case

ptr said:


> Whilst I'm still in a Slavic Quartet mood...
> 
> *Boris Tchaikovsky* - String Quartets 1 - 6 (Northern Flowers 2009)
> 
> View attachment 13040
> 
> 
> Ilya Ioff, violin / Elena Raskova, violin / Lydia Kovalenko, viola / Alexey Massarsky, cello
> 
> Quite Shostakovian, nice but not remarkable, decent quartet playing.
> 
> /ptr


I love this set too - some months ago it first hypnotised me for its intricate writing. I confess I haven't been listening to it anywhere as regularly as the Ponnelle or the Bargielski string quartets:



















Both are electrifying and shockingly terrifying contemporary string quartet music to make your heavy metal head bashing fans turn into sissies.


----------



## Ramako

Beethoven Symphony 5, conducted by Toscanini with the Nbc orchestra.









For some reason I just wasn't in the mood for this great work. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I usually do. Only on a visceral level. Nor can I judge it on the conductor, because a touch on my Furtwangler version revealed the same thing. Just not my day it seems, fortunately I enjoyed...

Haydn: Symphonies 73,74 and 79 with Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## rrudolph

Frank Martin--Piano Concerto #2. Great use of timpani.

I don't know why Martin's music doesn't get programmed more often. It's very well-crafted, enjoyable stuff.

Next up, Revueltas--La Noche de los Mayas. That'll wake this office up!!!


----------



## ptr

Late night Organ Spectacular!

*Virtuoso Organ Music* (MDG 1997)
*Smetana*: Vltava from Ma Vlast (arr Chorosinski) / *Saint-Saens*: Danse macabre (arr Chorosinski) / *Dukas*: The Socerer's Apprentice (arr Sawa/Chorosinski) / *Musorgsky*: Picture at an exhibition (arr O.G. Blarr)









Andrzej Chorosinski @ the Siegfried Sauer Organ, Stadthalle am Johannisberg, Wuppertal (Germany)

Virtuosic and Fun!

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano sonatas, 1, 2, 7, 9


----------



## DavidA

Mozart La Finta Giardiniera / Jacobs


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler *Symphony #9
- Royal Stockholm PO under Alan Gilbert (on BIS)










*Haydn* Cello Concertos in C, Hob. VIIb:1 & in D, Op. 101
- Lynn Harrell, cello with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner (on EMI)










*Rossini *William Tell Overture
- World Orchestra For Peace under Sir Georg Solti (BBC cd)


----------



## Tristan

Schubert - Symphony No. 8 in B minor "Unfinished" (St. Martin in the Fields--this version includes the 3rd movement scherzo and the 4th movement borrowed from _Rosamunde_).

The Unfinished is definitely my favorite Schubert symphony and the first movement is one of my all-time favorite symphonic movements


----------



## Andolink

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 41 in C major
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock








Franz Joseph Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ
Le Concert Des Nations/Jordi Savall


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: The Firebird (Complete), with OSM/Dutoit (rec. 1985); Pastorale for Violin and Wind Quartet, with Kremer et al (rec.1996).

View attachment 13047
View attachment 13048


----------



## JCarmel

Thanks for the reminder, Vaneyes...of some music and a cd set that I haven't listened-to for _years_!
Trouble is, once I start singing 'O ruddier than the cherry' I can't stop!


----------



## Vaneyes

For this A & G love-in, now spinning the Mendelssohn arrangement (Nimbus).

View attachment 13051


----------



## opus55

Mahler 5


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## graaf

Silfra
Hilary Hahn, Hauschka








Fifth track is named Godot and 12min long - and I sure did feel like I was waiting for him... Wasn't bad to hear it (for the second time, though), but I don't see myself listening to it again in near future...


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Piano Quintet in D MAjor, Op.56, No.5

Patrick Cohen on Piano with Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 13053


JCarmel says --
"'Great minds think alike' bejart?"

Apparently so ----
:tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Mahler 9










This cover reminds me that I need to lose weight.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Vaneyes

SLGO, welcome back from Siberia.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Mahler 9
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This cover reminds me that I need to lose weight.


And that was his "before" picture.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.34 in B Flat

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isidore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello

View attachment 13055


----------



## Sonata

Ravel: Minuet Antique

Mozart: Piano Quartet in G Minor K 478
Violin Concertos 2 &3
Flute Quartet #2
String Quintet #5


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: String Quartet #9 in G Minor, D 173 -- Melos Quartet

Rameau: Zoroastre -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

I can't recommend Rameau's operas enough. The only recorded opera that continues to elude me is Temple de la Gloire. I have sought the LP recording for years with no luck.

Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32 -- Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Telemann: Violin Concerto #11 in B Flat -- Iona Brown: Academy of St. Martin in The Fields


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *featuring soprano Judith Biegen and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor,* once again performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Levine.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"},* featuring the Sir Adrian Boult led London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *this time with Maestro Boult at the helm of the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Christopher Tye's Missa Euge Bone - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly

to be followed by the same Mass performed by Winchester Catherdal Choir, David Hill, cond.









(and welcome back, StLukes!)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Rudolf Serkin and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra playing *Mendelssohn's* Piano Concerto no. 2 in D minor, conducted by Eugene Ormandy.


----------



## Turangalîla

I just listened to Elgar's Piano Quintet for the first time and it was terrible! :lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> I just listened to Elgar's Piano Quintet for the first time and it was terrible! :lol:


Could you evaluate on that for me? What's the harmony, counterpoint, structure, instrumental writing, like? How stupidly Romantic does it sound? Would it sound out of place fifty years before its composition?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn's* string symphonies in random order, starting with number 12 (gosh I love that one. )


----------



## Turangalîla

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Could you evaluate on that for me? What's the harmony, counterpoint, structure, instrumental writing, like? How stupidly Romantic does it sound? Would it sound out of place fifty years before its composition?


Harmony: bland
Counterpoint: uninteresting
Structure: hardly existent
Instrumental Writing: poor

Romanticism: stupid

And it would always sound out of place, no matter when it was composed.

Now how was that?


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart Violin Sonatas - Hilary Hahn, violin, Natalie, Zhu, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> Harmony: bland
> Counterpoint: uninteresting
> Structure: hardly existent
> Instrumental Writing: poor
> 
> Romanticism: stupid
> 
> And it would always sound out of place, no matter when it was composed.
> 
> Now how was that?


:lol: Thank you, I will stay well away from it then!


----------



## Sid James

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> I just listened to Elgar's Piano Quintet for the first time and it was terrible! :lol:





ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Could you evaluate on that for me? What's the harmony, counterpoint, structure, instrumental writing, like? How stupidly Romantic does it sound? Would it sound out of place fifty years before its composition?


I like Elgar's piano quintet and also the string quartet in E minor, composed at the same time. In the UK it came as a shock after the war. These works where coolly received at their premiere in 1919. The endings of both are as unsettled as Elgar gets. They aint no happy endings, and in terms of the piano quintet, its like some of Shostakovich's endings, seemingly happy, but so forced its like a fake happiness. I think composers like Elgar and Rachmaninov, even the great Sibelius, got huge flack for not converting to serialism and that kind of thing around that time. Well I think history has proved those who saw them as just rehashing the past as, well, basically wrong or at least misguided. You can think whatever you want, however I really think that if you go back to read what people thought, these put people on edge, after the war people did not want this kind of intense and angsty music - eg. the end of the string quartet is like this broken fugue, I see it as like the Grosse Fuge but without any resolution or sense of hope in sight - what they wanted is diversions from the horror of war. Maybe Elgar's cello concerto went down so well then, in contrast to these chamber works, because it mainly gives voice to grief, a kind of solace in grieving. But the piano quintent and string quartet show something more disturbing, anger is definitely there, esp. in their final movements.


----------



## Sid James

*Rachmaninov* Suites Nos. 1 & 2 ; Symphonic Dances
Howard Shelley & Hilary Macnamara, duo pianists (Hyperion)
*
Vivaldi* Cello Concertos in G, RV 413 & in G minor, RV 417 (arrangements by Malipiero)
Lynn Harrell, cello with English CO under Pinchas Zukerman (on EMI)


----------



## science




----------



## science

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Looks interesting!

Welcome back.


----------



## ptr

More Danish String Quartets!

*Vagn Holmboe* - String Quartets Vol 4 - No's 10, 11 & 12 (DaCapo 1998)









The Kontra Quartet

After Carl Nielsen, I strongly believe that Vagn Holmboe's Quartet writing is some of the best Scandinavian of any time!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I've got the eggs in ('free range', please note?!) for the obligatory Shrove Tuesday pancake....so first up, it _has_ to be

Haydn's Symphony 83... 'the Hen' with that passionate opening theme soon giving-way to the clucking second one on the violins, accompanied by dotted rhythmic notes from the oboe.









Poultry music, maybe....but definetly_ not _paultry?!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1014

Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord

View attachment 13062


----------



## JCarmel

Bach Concerto in D for two violins.

Just chased the Hen off (in fact, it got eaten by the Bear from No.82!...)


----------



## ptr

Three Classic Lyrita releases conducted by Adrian Boult:

*Boult conducts Holst* (Lyrita SRCD 222)









*Boult conducts Parry* (Lyrita SRCD 220)









*Boult conducts Ireland* Vol 2 (Lyrita SRCD 241)









All quite lovely for the Anglophile in me!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

The greatest rediscovered unknown late romantic Norwegian composer?

*Ludvig Irgens-Jensen* - Symphonic Works 2CDs (CPO 2012)









Trondheim Symphony Orchestra u. Eivind Aadland

Easy on the ear, well crafted pastoral late romantic intricate but not very revolutionizing music.

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Sid James said:


> I like Elgar's piano quintet and also the string quartet in E minor, composed at the same time. In the UK it came as a shock after the war. These works where coolly received at their premiere in 1919. The endings of both are as unsettled as Elgar gets. They aint no happy endings, and in terms of the piano quintet, its like some of Shostakovich's endings, seemingly happy, but so forced its like a fake happiness. I think composers like Elgar and Rachmaninov, even the great Sibelius, got huge flack for not converting to serialism and that kind of thing around that time. Well I think history has proved those who saw them as just rehashing the past as, well, basically wrong or at least misguided. You can think whatever you want, however I really think that if you go back to read what people thought, these put people on edge, after the war people did not want this kind of intense and angsty music - eg. the end of the string quartet is like this broken fugue, I see it as like the Grosse Fuge but without any resolution or sense of hope in sight - what they wanted is diversions from the horror of war. Maybe Elgar's cello concerto went down so well then, in contrast to these chamber works, because it mainly gives voice to grief, a kind of solace in grieving. But the piano quintent and string quartet show something more disturbing, anger is definitely there, esp. in their final movements.


I have to agree with Sid here. I think the Quintet is a fine piece when listened to in the context that Sid has taken the time to write. I especially like the Adagio movement. It's sad and reflective with a bitter sense of anguish in my opinion. I personally think the Quintet is one of his finest works.

Elgar gets a lot of negative criticism which are opinions I happen to not agree with for the most part.

Kevin


----------



## OboeKnight

Elgar Cello Concerto


----------



## rrudolph

I just set my iPod to "Schoenberg/All songs". First thing that came up was Pelleas and Melisande, so I'm listening to that. After that, Piano Concerto, then Violin Concerto, then Five Orchestral Pieces and on and on. I'm going to let it play until I've had enough. There's easily enough Schoenberg on my iPod to last all day...


----------



## JCarmel

Can somebody please take this off me?.....(there's a theory that if you pass-it-on to someone else, then you can stop singing it.)

Owen Brannigan, bass-baritone...this track was beloved of Record request programmes many decades ago....but it's a good one and made a blessed change from 'Blow the Wind, Southerly' by Kathleen Ferrier!


----------



## Schubussy

Brahms - Symphony No. 4
Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker

I've not been listening to enough Brahms recently.


----------



## ptr

*Herman (German) Galynin* - Complete Piano Music Vol One (Toccata Classics)









Olga Solovieva, piano

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Khachaturian*: Piano Concerto, with Berezovsky/Ural PO/Liss (rec.2006); Violin Concerto, with Mordkovitch/RSNO/Jarvi (rec.1990); Cello Concerto, with Tarasova/Russia SO/Dudarova (rec.1994).

View attachment 13073
View attachment 13075
View attachment 13076


----------



## ptr

..still haven't gotten the russophile strain out of my system...

*Rostislav Boiko* - Symphony 3 & Rahpsodies (Russian Disc 1994)









Andrei Korsakov, violin; Gostelradio Choir & the USSR State Symphony Orchestra u. Evgeni Svetlanov

More entertaining soviet tunes!

/ptr


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Schubert - String Quartet, in A minor, D 804 "Rosamunde"
Franz Schubert - String Quartet, in D minor, D 810 "Der Tod und das Mädchen" 

Brandis Quartet


----------



## Sonata

Up to 100 songs in my "Repeat listening" playlist on my iPod. When I reach 100, I start listening through it all again. Currently one the second movement of *Beethoven's* Apassionata sonata (I know the first movement very well already) and I also listened on the same list to his sonata #32.  His piano music is clicking with me right now...dramatic, a little idiosyncratic, but still with a melodic line throughout. Wish I had a full set to start exploring, but I'll just work on getting to know the 3-4 sonatas I already have really well first.


----------



## ptr

I'm not quite done with the post war iron curtain strain yet...

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Symphony No 1 & 7 (Chandos 2010)









Göteborg Symphony Orchestra u. Thord Svedlund

In some respects Weinberg's music touch me more more then Shostakovich's (with whom he is most often compared. Would not want to be without either!) Svedlund is a quite fine advocate of Weinberg's music.

/ptr


----------



## kv466




----------



## Andolink

François Couperin: Premiere Concert in G major (from Concerts Royaux)
Trio Sonnerie








Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 35 in C major
Patrick Cohen (piano), Erich Höbarth (violin), Christophe Coin (cello)








Ludwig Van Beethoven: "Gassenhauer-Trio" in B flat for piano, clarinet and cello, op. 11
Wolfgang Meyer (clarinet), Patrick Cohen (piano), Christophe Coin (cello)








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Trio in C minor, op. 9 no. 3
L'Archibudelli


----------



## JCarmel

Frederick Delius 'Appalachia'... The Halle Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers conducted by Sir John Barbirolli









'Happy Birthday'... Abe Lincoln (Feb 12th, 1809)


----------



## ptr

The last squeeze from the musical Babushka...

*Sergei Prokofiev* - Piano Sonatas 2, 7 & 8 (DG 1998)









Mikhail Pletnev, piano

Absolutely genius at the keyboard! (Les so as a human)

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky's The Firebird with Pierre Boulez and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## AndyS

Jacquieline du Pre - Chopin's Cello Sonata


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Welser Most

View attachment 13094


I have this set for the 5th in it, but this 7th (Nowak ed.) isn't bad either.


----------



## ptr

..ending the day with some bird song piano stuff...

*Olivier Messiaen* - Catalogue d'oiseaux, all 7 books & La Fauvette des jardins (DG 2003)









Anatol Ugorski, pano

a chirp, chirp, chirp of lovely musical portraits!

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

Kevin Pearson said:


> I have to agree with Sid here. I think the Quintet is a fine piece when listened to in the context that Sid has taken the time to write. I especially like the Adagio movement. It's sad and reflective with a bitter sense of anguish in my opinion. I personally think the Quintet is one of his finest works.
> 
> Elgar gets a lot of negative criticism which are opinions I happen to not agree with for the most part.
> 
> Kevin


Another thing about Elgar's piano quintet is how he starts with this tune on piano reminiscent of the 'dies irae' plainchant, but played in a kind of whimsical way. That goes through the work as well, and funnily enough a Spanish salony like tune comes up in the first movement too. Apparently Elgar's country retreat (can't remember where in England) was situated next to the site of a former abbey/monastery established by Spanish missionaries centuries before. So all these kinds of things, incl. local history, is woven into this work. I think its a fascinating work, and I like his chamber things, but I'm haven't gotten hugely into his orchestral stuff. But I like a number of his other things (eg. Gerontius).


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart's *Clarinet Quintet played by Vladimir Riha with the Smetana Quartet (on Supraphon).

A selection of* Barber's orchestral music* from this EMI 2 cd set below. Violin Concerto, Adagio for strings, School for Scandal Overture, Medea's Dance of Vengeance.


----------



## Ravndal

I wonder how Daniel Fullard (the creator of this thread) would have felt if he saw that it nearly has 2000 pages. Quite impressive i must say. 

Ot: Been listening a bit to Vision Fugitives.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Anton Bruckner *- 2nd Symphony (performed by Berliner Philarmoniker & Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## Andolink

John Woolrich: The Barber's Timepiece
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins








Vic Hoyland: In Transit; Vixen
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins


----------



## Ramako

Ligeti's Requiem as part of the Ligeti project
Shostakovich: Symphony no. 6 in b minor conducted by Rudolf Barshai with WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne.















I have no idea why I chose to listen to the Ligeti today, but there you go. I have never been a particular Shostakovich fan, but at least it was reasonable. Nevertheless, once again I have improved my day by... well...

Haydn, Fischer, symphonies 77-81


----------



## daveh

Listened to Dvorak's Symphonies 7 & 8 on the Cleveland Orchestra album. I had heard them a few times before and really like the performances.

This was my first listen to the Kertesz version of the New World Symphony and loved it. I need to just go ahead and get his whole Dvorak cycle, I think.


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's Selva Morale E Spirituale - The Sixteen


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Chamber Music, with Rogeri Trio, Maggini Quartet et al (Rec.1997 - '05).

View attachment 13110
View attachment 13111


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven piano concerto #5


----------



## Andolink

Georg Philipp Telemann: Deus judicium tuum (Motet)
Patrizia Kwella, sop./Catherine Denley, alto/Mark Tucker, tenor/Stephen Roberts, bass/Michael George, bass
Collegium Musicum 90/Richard Hickox








Georg Friedrich Haas: "...", double concerto for accordion, viola and chamber ensemble
Dimitrios Polisoidis, viola/Georg Schulz, accordion
Klangforum Wien/Sylvain Cambreling


----------



## bejart

Still working my way through Beethoven's String Quartets as I listen to 'The String Quartets of Beethoven, The Teaching Company, Course Guidebook Parts 1-3 AND 24 CDs' --

Now, No.9 in E Flat, Op.74

Cleveland Quartet: William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello

View attachment 13117


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's Stabat Mater - Simon Rattle


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Jan Ladislav Dušek (12 February 1760-1812): Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op.41

Hanis Barton on piano with the Quartet Apollon: Martin Valek and Radek Krizanovsky, violins -- Vladimir Krouipa, viola -- Pavel Verner, cello

View attachment 13119


----------



## Schubussy

Silvestrov: Symphony No. 6
Andrey Boreyko & SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Crudblud

So far:

Elliott Carter - String Quartet No. 5 (Pacifica SQ)
John Cage - Fourteen (Ives Ensemble)


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1










Didn't like it when I first got this disc but giving it another try. Sounds good now.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* "Ruy Blas" overture and "The Hebrides" overture.

Now for some more *Mendelssohn:* Symphony nos. 3 and 4.


----------



## AndyS

Today at work I'll be listening to the Solti Rosenkavalier

I'm enjoying this opera a lot at the moment


----------



## drpraetorus

Jesse Norman, spirituals


----------



## ptr

Starting softly...

*Edward Elgar* - Enigma Variations
*Gustav Holst* - The Planets (EMI Groc)









London Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras u. Sir Adrian Boult

I don't hesitate to say, one of the best "Planets" ever and a very good "Enigma vars"!

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony extracted from the Serenade in D major, K. 203
Tafelmusik/Bruno Weil








Erich Urbanner: String Quartet No. 4
Alban Berg Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for Fortepiano and Violin in C major, K. 296
Malcolm Bilson, piano
Sergiu Luca, violin








Alexander Goehr: Marching to Carcasonne
Peter Serkin, piano
London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen








Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 37 in D minor
Christophe Coin, cello / Erich Höbarth, violin / Patrick Cohen, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Something not by *Mendelssohn* for a change, Leo Ornstein's Piano Quintet.


----------



## Art Rock

Going through my Sibelius symphonies once more - currently at #3.


----------



## ptr

Sad music!

*Eleni Karaindrou* - Concert in Athens (2013) {ECM New Series 2220}









Eleni Karaindrou _piano _/ Kim Kashkashian _violin _/ Jan Garbarek _tenor saxophone _/ Vangelis Christopoulos _oboe_; Camerata Orchestra U. Alexandros Myrat

Sad, elegiac, slow music that quite feels like reflections on the state that Greece is in for the moment despite that fact Karaindrou's music has sounded like this ever since...

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725): Sinfonia No.3 in D Minor

I Musici with William Bennett on flute

View attachment 13137


----------



## ptr

A danish after lunch..

*Vagn Holmboe* - Chamber Music (I) (DaCapo 2012)









Ensemble MidtVest

/ptr


----------



## Head_case

Listening the superb Grechaninov string quartet no. IV:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Abraham Lincoln Portraits.*

Yesterday was Lincoln's birthday, and I had the opportunity to take my grandkids to see the original Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment in Nashville, along with several other documents from the National Archive, so I'm in a Lincoln mood today.


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - Trois Petites Liturgies de la présence divine / Couleurs de la Cité Céleste / Hymne au Saint-Sacrement (DG 2008)









Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Myung-Whun Chung

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Right now, Ausklang by Helmut Lachenmann. After that, Stockhausen (probably Kontakte). I read most of the Stockhausen thread in the Composer Guestbook part of the forum last night and got the urge. After that, I don't know but it will be European and avant-garde, maybe Xenakis...


----------



## JCarmel

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.....soloist Nathan Milstein


----------



## ptr

*Antonin Dvorak* - Symphony 8 & 9 (New World) Decca 2006









London Symphony Orchestra u. István Kertész

István Kertész is about the only Conductor that I enjoy when listening to Dvorak and Brahms orchestral music! It was an gigantic injustice to mankind when the Mediterranean sea swallowed him!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Just listening, to what I think the is the best 'Rigoletto' on disc (though others might disagree...)

Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Piero Cappuccilli, Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini


----------



## ptr

Planning for an quiet organ evening!

*Louis-James-Alfred Lefébure-Wely* - Offertoires Op. 35 (Ricercar)









Joris Verdin on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the church Notre-Dame de Bonsecours in Rouen

*Gustav Mahler* - Song Transcriptions for Organ (Musica Redeviva)









Maria Forsström, contralto & Johannes Landgren,organ of Vasakyrkan, Gothenburg

*Naji Hakim *- Rubaiyat (Priory PRCD 369 OOP?)









Naji Hakim on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of Sacre Coeur, Paris

*Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji* - Organ Symphony No.1 (Continuum CCD1001/2)









Kevin Bowyer, organ of Aarhus Cathedral, Denmark

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Piano Concertos 1 & 2, with List (rec. c1960); Violin Concertos 1 & 2, with Vengerov (rec.1994); Cello Concertos 1 & 2, with Schiff (rec.1984).

View attachment 13149
View attachment 13150
View attachment 13151


----------



## Ramako

Mahler symphony 3, continuing my slow journey through my Leonard Bernstein set, though this one is with the New York Philharmonic.









I hate to repeat myself, but once again I found this version has really helped me understand this work. There are some wonderful moments (some quite lengthy) in this symphony I had managed to completely miss before, although I haven't 'got' the narrative of the whole thing by any means.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: "Study" Symphony in F minor
Georg Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra

View attachment 13152


----------



## Head_case

Listening to the British composer, Stephen Dodgson. Vocalion were having an end of year sale - it might still be going. This is a rivetting double CD which improves with each return.

Enjoying the string sextet and flute quintet:










But their CD covers do rival Naxos for sheer ugliness :lol:


----------



## Tristan

Poulenc - Gloria










I've always loved the Gloria and this whole CD, which reminds me of my grandmother who passed away; she was in a choral group and sang the Gloria and some of Poulenc's other choral works, and she had this CD and gave it to me. The only word I can use to describe Poulenc's Gloria is "sublime"--there's just something about it...I like every movement of it almost equally. There are few pieces of music where I feel so strongly about each individual movement.


----------



## Sid James

Finishing the set of *Barber's* music on EMI:

_- Essays for Orch. Op. 12 , Op. 17 , Op. 47
- Summer Music for wind quintet Op. 31
- Solo piano music: Souvenirs (arr. from Op. 28) ; Nocturne (Homage to John Field) Op. 33 ; Excursions Op. 20
- Cello Sonata Op. 6
- Canzone for flute and piano Op. 38a_


----------



## Vaneyes

Samplings of March releases...

*Latino Gold* (Piazzolla, Cardoso, Gardel, Ravel, Villa-Lobos, etc.), with Milos Karadaglic, guitar. Milos should strike gold again with this "Latino" remake. Unisex appeal, a marketer's dream.

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas 8, 14, 23, with Yundi Li(te). More cheesy DG marketing, but unlike the former, there's even less behind the facade. Give it a pass.

View attachment 13165
View attachment 13166


----------



## Andolink

Alexander Goehr: When Adam Fell op. 89; Pastorals op. 19
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Knussen








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony extracted from Serenade in D major, K. 203
Tafelmusik/Bruno Weil








Johann Rosenmüller: Nisi Dominus (solo motet)
Raquel Andueza, soprano
Gli Incognito/Amandine Beyer


----------



## Schubussy

Samuil Feinberg ~ Piano Sonata no. 3


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Leopold Godowsky's* (1870 - 1938) birthday, sampling The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes, with MAH.

View attachment 13172


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner *_Symphony #0 in D minor_
- Philharmonia Slavonica under Alberto Lizzio (ZYX Classic label)


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Violin Concerto Heifetz / Munch
A performance which I bought on vinyl 50 year ago and has even with me ever since. The unsurpassed recording of the greatest violin concerto ever written


----------



## DavidA

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of *Leopold Godowsky's* (1870 - 1938) birthday, sampling The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes, with MAH.
> 
> View attachment 13172


The playing has to be heard to be believed


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Quartet 18, No. 3.* Then* Dvorak, Symphony No. 8.*

Great recordings of both works.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in A Major, Bryan A2.

Oldrich Vlcek directing the Prague Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 13176


----------



## LadyBeeth

A.Scriabin: Fantasie Op 28
Thinking about learning it myself.. hm


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in A Major, Bryan A2.
> 
> Oldrich Vlcek directing the Prague Chamber Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 13176


Vanhal is amazing.


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #8 in D (Version for Strings) -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Liszt: Fantaisie Romantique sur 2 Mélodies Suisses, S 157 -- Leslie Howard

Mozart: Missa Solemnis in C, K 337, "Missa Aulica" -- Herbert Kegel: Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Dvořák: Symphony #3 in E Flat, Op. 10, B 34 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

A rainy day deserves some very serious music listening.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* _Clarinet Quintet _
- Vladimir Riha, clarinet with the Smetana Quartet (on Supraphon)


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to 99 Essential Mendelssohn


----------



## Tylerish

In light of our college orchestra getting our next concert's (awesome!) music, I've been listening to Night on Bald Mountain. Probably a bad idea since our strings won't do it justice, but at least I'll be able to nail the 2nd Trombone part!


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.8 in A Minor, KV 310

Christian Zacharias, piano

View attachment 13183


----------



## OboeKnight

Nocturne in C Sharp Minor Op. 19, No. 4 - Tchaikovsky


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.43 in E-Flat Major {"Mercury"}*, *Symphony NO.44 in E Minor {"Mourning"}* *and Symphony No.45 in F-Sharp Minor {"Farewell"}.* All three works feature the Stefan Sanderling led Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I recall reading the opinions of some of my fellow members of this forum that the music of Mozart and Vivaldi is very "boiler plate" etc., etc. I must say that my reaction--after listening to these Haydn works for the first time--is very similar. Nothing about any of the three symphonies "stood out" to my ears and grabbed me, so to speak. Am I missing something here, or does anyone else feel the same way about Haydn, at least in regard to these three symphonies?


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in* *D Minor, Op.120.* Both 
works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Op. 112 -- Hartmut Schmidt: Düsseldorfer Symphoniker

My no means among Schumann's greater works. There is little of variety: charming melodies, a light atmosphere notable only in its avoidance of the dramatic. Sometimes the mellifluous melodies inure the ear to the particular charms in the second part. Still, seeing as how it is Schumann's, and that Robert and Clara celebrated evenings in their Duesseldorf home with Schumann's amateur choral society present, singing this work with Clara at the piano [reduction], it has its appeal.

I must make a special recommendation to listen to Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri, Op. 50. It is an exuberant and fantastic work, filled with turbulence and compelling drama. The music suits the heroic story very well indeed!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Janaček: Sinfonietta, Charles Mackerras and the VPO
First time I've ever heard this piece. It is amazing.


----------



## JCarmel

Good Morning...on St. Valentine's Day. May all those who seek to be reminded of love, receive that reminder..... & all that don't, escape any more irritation on the matter! 
Of course love is a source of joy and of pain and for myself, this piece of music evokes bittersweet memories of both.

I bought this interpretation the month that it was released on LP









and if it wasn't for this interpretation









which actually came 'free' attached to the BBC Music Magazine, I would recommend it to the very highest degree. But in my opinion, the Downes is superior.


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner *_Symphony #5 (Nowak edition)_
Vienna PO under Lorin Maazel (Eloquence)












JCarmel said:


> Good Morning...on St. Valentine's Day. May all those who seek to be reminded of love, receive that reminder..... & all that don't, escape any more irritation on the matter!
> ....


Well sellers of chocies, greeting cards and flowers will be happy cos they made a killing. Sid James in cynical mode there...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn*: a Midsummer Night's Dream.


----------



## JCarmel

OK, Sid...you win! Off with the Rachmaninov..... and I'll listen to some impressive/enjoyable harpsichord plucking, instead!


----------



## Il_Penseroso

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mendelssohn: a Midsummer Night's Dream.


Sounds so Avant-Garde for you


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Orff: De Temporum Fine Comoedia


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Janaček: Sinfonietta, Charles Mackerras and the VPO
> First time I've ever heard this piece. It is amazing.


Welcome to it! I agree wholeheartedly.


----------



## science

I think maybe I'm gonna try to spend the next couple months boning up on the old classics, getting to know them really, really well. So those two are obviously toward that end.


----------



## science

Obviously several more of the "great old classics" there (just to be on the safe side, I mean the Shaw requiems, Gardiner's Bach, and Argerich).


----------



## Andolink

Robin Holloway: Second Concerto for Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Knussen








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for Fortepiano and Violin in F major, K. 376
Malcolm Bilson, fortepiano
Sergiu Luca, violin








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins and continuo in B flat major, op. 5 no. 5; Sonata for Two Violins and Continuo in G minor, op. 5 no. 6
The Purcell Quartet








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in A major, op. 39 (G213)
The Revolutionary Drawing Room


----------



## Novelette

JCarmel said:


> OK, Sid...you win! Off with the Rachmaninov..... and I'll listen to some impressive/enjoyable harpsichord plucking, instead!
> 
> View attachment 13193


Have you also listened to the William Christie performance of Rameau's harpsichord suites?


----------



## ptr

Inspired by GGluek statement in this tread.

*Luciano Berio* - Sinfonia & Ekphrasis (DG 2005)









London Voices; Göteborgs Symfoniker u.Peter Eötvös

I just love Berio's Sinfonia, it is a child of its time, and a fun one! (Heard these forces in performance prior to this recording, brings back found memories listening to it!)

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Trio Sonata in B Flat, Op.4, No.2

London Baroque: Irmgard Schaller and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord

View attachment 13200


----------



## cwarchc

My good lady gave me this today, I'm very lucky


----------



## ptr

*George Crumb* - Ancient Voices Of Children & Music For A Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) (Nonesuch 1975)









Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano / Michael Dash, boy soprano; The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble u. Arthur Weisberg
Gilbert Kalish, James Freeman, piano / Raymond DesRoches, Richard Fitz, percussion

Stunningly beautiful!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I remember some years ago, listening to a Radio 3 'Early Music Show' Special in which we had an hour or so of Christie's Rameau. I can't remember the exact details of what I heard but I think it was mainly from his recording of the Pieces de clavecin. I'm always happy to listen to Christie, in fact I think I ought to use this as a timely reminder to dig out a dvd that I had for my - -th birthday, a few years ago...that I haven't watched for an age....it's such a joyous performance.


----------



## ptr

Going for something quite unusual!

*Claude Loyola Allgén* - Sonata for Solo Violin (Nosag CD3115)










Joar Skorpen, violin

A musical journey through the violin! (Another live performance I had the great honour to be present at!)

/ptr


----------



## AndyS

The Sawallishch Siegfried - picking up where I left off on his Ring cycle


----------



## Schubussy

Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto no. 2
Jean-Phillipe Collard, André Previn, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## OboeKnight

Gabriel's Oboe - Morricone....so blissful


----------



## ptr

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Requiem, Op. 96 - Weinberg Edition, Vol. 3 (*Neos*)









Elena Kelessidi, soprano; Wiener Sängerknaben, Prague Philharmonic Choir & Wiener Symphoniker u. Vladimir Fedoseyev

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

ptr said:


> *George Crumb* - Ancient Voices Of Children & Music For A Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) (Nonesuch 1975)
> 
> View attachment 13202
> 
> 
> Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano / Michael Dash, boy soprano; The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble u. Arthur Weisberg
> Gilbert Kalish, James Freeman, piano / Raymond DesRoches, Richard Fitz, percussion
> 
> Stunningly beautiful!
> 
> /ptr


I grew up on that recording (actually, those recordings--the music on that CD was originally on two Nonesuch LPs back in the '70's). When I was a teenager, that whole Nonesuch series was my earliest education in what was then new music. Crumb lived a couple of miles from where I lived (I think he still does, but I don't) and a lot of his pieces were premiered at Swarthmore College which was close enough for me to walk to. Fun stuff for a 15 year old!

Anyway, my current listening is a recording of the Haydn Concertos for King Ferdinand IV of Naples (with flute and oboe, not hurdy-gurdy) that I found last night at a thrift shop. It cost me all of $2.00. After that I'm thinking of listening to Haydn's 51st symphony (I love those insane French horn parts!) then perhaps the The Creation. That'll probably be enough Haydn for me for one sitting!


----------



## Mahlerian

Perfect(?) for Valentine's day, a depiction of the stages of a doomed affair.

Berg: Lyric Suite for string quartet

View attachment 13210


----------



## Arsakes

*Richard Strauss* Oboe concerto

A beautiful old style orchestral piece in 20th century.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling this late Feb/March release.* LvB*: String Quartets, Opp. 132, 135, with Brentano Quartet. This is their second release in the Aeon series, on the heels of Opp. 127, 131. As with the earlier, I find the interps and playing reserved, with little color added. Close miking emphasizes the stark tone. I recall a TC thread not long ago, asking for recs of HIP LvB SQs. Although not marketed as such, this series may qualify. For those with Takacs and/or ESQ, no need to change or supplement.

View attachment 13212


Journeying from tonal to atonal, sampling a recent release, which is also on Aeon. *Gerhard*: String Quartets 1 & 2, Chaconne for Solo Violin, with Arditti Quartet. Continued brilliance from this group. Well recorded. Highly recommended for tightropers. I'm biting.

View attachment 13211


----------



## OboeKnight

Mahler Symphony No.5


----------



## Vaneyes

OboeKnight said:


> Mahler Symphony No.5


Band and conductor?


----------



## neoshredder

Mendelssohn Complete String Symphonies Vol.1


----------



## ptr

*Edmund Rubbra* - The Four String Quartets (Conifer OOP)









The Sterling String Quartet

...a long time no see moment, Rubbra's are fine quartets unfortunately the Sterling's do not elevate them musically. Now, did I buy the Dante Quartet's (Dutton) two CD's or did I just imagine I did... Hmmm...

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Vaneyes said:


> Band and conductor?


World Orchestra for Peace directed by Valery Gergiev


----------



## ptr

*Sergei Rachmaninov* - Symphonic dances Op. 45 / Prince Rostislav, symphonic poem / Vocalise, transcription for orchestra, Op. 34/14 (Warner)









Russian State Symphony Orchestra u. Evgeny Svetlanov

Not bad at all, top five in my book! :tiphat:

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

This is good, too.....


----------



## Head_case

ptr said:


> *Edmund Rubbra* - The Four String Quartets (Conifer OOP)
> 
> View attachment 13214
> 
> 
> The Sterling String Quartet
> 
> ...a long time no see moment, Rubbra's are fine quartets unfortunately the Sterling's do not elevate them musically. Now, did I buy the Dante Quartet's (Dutton) two CD's or did I just imagine I did... Hmmm...
> 
> /ptr


If you only imagined you bought it, I'd recommend you buy it quickly. It's already getting harder to get the double CD set of Rubbra string quartets in the box set and the Amazon vultures are starting to price them as individual collectors' CDs.

The Dante Quartet is of course, the version to have. Like most of their works, the lead violinist of the Dante Quartet, Krysia Unpronzounzeablovovowicz-Ostocowicz, expresses an intense emotionality in her playing totally sympathetic with the rest of the string quartet. Her version of the Grechaninov String quartet No.3 is the one to get (along with the Lyapunov sextet) but sadly is already discontinued and stratospherically priced...their Faure/Franck quartets is my favourite reference version (apart from the Lowenguth Quartet recording on vinyl LP, but no one is going to ever beat that).

And of course - Dutton have really brought along a revival of the sensuous English string quartet music with releases by the Archaeus Quartet and the Tippett Quartet too. Before Dutton, listening to English string quartet music was like visiting Madame Tussauds.

Well I've been listening to my boss whining about me turning up to work late :lol:


----------



## ptr

Head_case said:


> Well I've been listening to my boss whining about me turning up to work late :lol:


That's a little bit of life one has to deal with now and then...  ..I will have to dig a bit deeper on my cd piles, I have such a vivid memory of getting the when I bought Hickox Symphony box (Chandos)

/ptr


----------



## GreenMamba

Rachmaninoff Symphony #2, Ormandy/Philadelphia. I'm not normally a big Rach fan, but was in the mood.


----------



## cwarchc

The du Pre version of this was one of my 1st "classical" pieces.
I've always loved it. Thought I'd try another version.
A more mature interpretation, more control, but still passionate. 
I do love the cello


----------



## Sid James

JCarmel said:


> OK, Sid...you win! Off with the Rachmaninov..... and I'll listen to some impressive/enjoyable harpsichord plucking, instead!
> 
> View attachment 13193


I got no beef with Rach, just with the Valentines Day industry. :lol:



cwarchc said:


> My good lady gave me this today, I'm very lucky
> View attachment 13201


That's a good one, I got it myself, I esp. like the _Three Film Scores for String Orchestra _on it. I have not listened to it in a long time, I aim to get to it again eventually. Takemitsu's style is unique, but the rest of the cd I found enjoyable but not so easy to grasp (he does away with themes and concentrates more on colour and dynamics). Its the only cd I got of him, but in future I think its worth me exploring his chamber and solo piano works.


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner* _Symphony #9 in D minor_
- Leningrad PO under Jevgenij Mravinskij, live recording at St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society on 30 January 1980 (Point Classics label)


----------



## DrKilroy

For Valentine's Day - Messiaen's Turangalila-Symphonie with Myung-Whun Chung.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

Investigating *Gerhard* String Quartets 1 & 2 further, I came upon the Kreutzer Quartet on Metier (rec. 1999). During sampling, I percieved this group working together better than the Arditti Quartet (Aeon, rec. 2011). Warmer/subtler versus cooler/semi-detached. Kreutzer it is. So ordered!

View attachment 13228


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.* Then *Schoenberg, Piano Pieces 33A and B and Webern's Variations.*


----------



## Sonata

Schubert piano sonata D958: Pollini
Mozart: String quartets 15 & 21, Horn Concertos 2 &3


----------



## Ramako

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.43 in E-Flat Major {"Mercury"}*, *Symphony NO.44 in E Minor {"Mourning"}* *and Symphony No.45 in F-Sharp Minor {"Farewell"}.* All three works feature the Stefan Sanderling led Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I recall reading the opinions of some of my fellow members of this forum that the music of Mozart and Vivaldi is very "boiler plate" etc., etc. I must say that my reaction--after listening to these Haydn works for the first time--is very similar. Nothing about any of the three symphonies "stood out" to my ears and grabbed me, so to speak. Am I missing something here, or does anyone else feel the same way about Haydn, at least in regard to these three symphonies?




Those are among my three very favourite symphonies ever written.


----------



## Ramako

Mahler again: symphony 4, Leonard Bernstein.









I can't say this gave me any startling insights into the work this time, but it was nice to revisit a work I am so familiar with after quite a long break. Very refreshing!


----------



## Ravndal

Some lyrical pieces by Grieg.

Einar Steen-Nøkleberg


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Concerto RV 392.*

Some viola d'amore for Valentine's Day.


----------



## DrKilroy

What about some oboe d'amore music?  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DTut

Much of Haydn/Mozart sounds similar and is very predictable i.e. "boiler plate". It's so easy on the ears that it's often boring. It's nice if you're in a Classical period mood every so often.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrKilroy said:


> What about some oboe d'amore music?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Good idea! Telemann's *Concerto in A Major for Viola d'amore.* Yep, feeling the love.


----------



## Sonata

Mahler: Symphony #2, Klemperer


----------



## Andolink

Vaneyes said:


> Investigating *Gerhard* String Quartets 1 & 2 further, I came upon the Kreutzer Quartet on Metier (rec. 1999). During sampling, I percieved this group working together better than the Arditti Quartet (Aeon, rec. 2011). Warmer/subtler versus cooler/semi-detached. Kreutzer it is. So ordered!
> 
> View attachment 13228


Good decision Van. The Kreutzer Quartet are stunning here as they are generally.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro










Am I slowly warming up to opera?


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet #3
Fred Sherry Quartet on Naxos


----------



## AndyS

It's 1.20am and I've just started Furtwangler's Ring


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 

And just finished playing the Haydn Oboe Concerto...so I guess that counts as listening too lol


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Good idea! Telemann's *Concerto in A Major for Viola d'amore.* Yep, feeling the love.
> 
> View attachment 13238


I'm feeling the wine.


----------



## OboeKnight

Movement 2 of Tchaik's 5th


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Minor, D 537

Robert Levin, piano

View attachment 13243


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I'm feeling the wine.


There's some song about days of wine and roses but I can't post it here cos it's not classical. Well maybe you can put on J. Strauss' 'Wine, women and song' waltz? Make that your Valentine's Day soundtrack, Van!


----------



## SimonNZ

William Byrd: "Songs Of Sundrie Natures" - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* violin concerto.


----------



## neoshredder

Dvorak's 50 Most Essential


----------



## drpraetorus

Barber of Seville, Gobi, Calas


----------



## JCarmel

Francis Poulenc Concerto for two pianos, with the composer at the keyboard

A perfect pick me up for a Friday morning, infused with jazzy rhythm and inspired by the jangle of the Balinese Gamelan ...but with that contrasting, gentle-paced Larghetto....lovely!


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc's Figure Humaine - Choeur De Chambre Accentus


----------



## JCarmel

Inspired by SimonNZ's avatar. Richard Strauss...Four Last Songs, Lucia Popp, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti


----------



## AndyS

Furtwangler's Rheingold - I fell asleep before even Wotan made his appearance


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in D Major, D.67

I Giovanni Musici Italiani -- Felix Ayo, violin

View attachment 13249


----------



## ptr

*Guillaume Lekeu* - Complete works for string quartet (Timpani)









Quatuor Debussy

..très subtile et infiniment romantique!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Head_case said:


> If you only imagined you bought it, I'd recommend you buy it quickly. It's already getting harder to get the double CD set of Rubbra string quartets in the box set and the Amazon vultures are starting to price them as individual collectors' CDs.


Taking the morning sort through some piles of Anglophile discs it turns out that the ones that I had a faint memory of was the two CDs released by Naxos with the Maggini Quartet.
As there is a few other Dutton Vocalion releases I'm keen to hear I'll order a some discs from the label today includimg the Rubbra set..

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Lars-Erik Larsson* - God in Disguise (Förklädd Gud) Op. 24 (1940)/A Winter's Tale (En vintersaga) - four vignettes to Shakespeare's play Op. 18 (1937)/Little Serenade (Liten serenad) Op. 12 (1934)/Pastoral Suite (Pastoralsvit) Op. 19 (Intim Musik 2001)









Sven Wollter (narrator), Jeanette Köhn (sop), Thomas Lander (bar); Jönköping Chamber Choir & Jönköping Sinfonietta u. Christopher Warren-Green

Only (AFAIK) version of "God in Disguise" sung in English, if you dig or are interested to acquaint yourself with Larsson's Nordic Pastoral moods, then this is not a bad starting point. This piece made a huge impact on the Swedish audience when it was premièred during a radio broadcast 1 April 1940. The other three works on this CD show Larsson's pastoral lyricism very well.

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

followed by










This is what happens when I search my library for "bassi".


----------



## ptr

*Pierre-Octave Ferroud* - Symphonie en la, Types, Foules & Serenade (Naïve 2001 OOP)









Elisabeth Laroche, piano; Orchestre National de Lyon u. Emmanuel Krivine

One of those promising who died young*, there are tones of his teacher Florent Schmitt as well as Ravel and Poulenc in his music.

/ptr

*You can read this line in the Wikipedia article linked above:


> He died in 1936, when he was decapitated in a road accident in Debrecen, in Hungary.


What a dreadful way to loose one's precious life!


----------



## JCarmel

Leopold Stokowski conducting Claude Debussy... Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune ....(on dvd)









Stokowski's conducting style is marvellous to watch. He controls the orchestra in this piece, with subtle inflexions of his very expressive hands and draws an excellent performance.... with seemingly minimum effort.


----------



## Hausmusik

Duo
The new cello/piano chamber music recital by Gabetta and Grimaud


----------



## ptr

The finest kind of pianism!

*Bach/Busoni* - Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C, BWV 564
*Glinka/Balakirev* - The Lark
*Mussorgsky* - Pictures at an Exhibition (RCA 2002)









Evgeny Kissin, piano

There are only three pianists versions of the Pictures that I regard higher than Kissin's, Pletnev (Virgin) and Horowitz (RCA), Richter (Philips/Melodyia/BBC)!

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Danzon No. 2 conducted by Dudamel with the Simon-Bolivar Symphony Orchestra


----------



## rrudolph

I've got Zappa on my mind this morning, so right now I'm listening to Arcana by Varese, then the Poeme Electronique, then









Then probably some Stravinsky followed by more Zappa (maybe Burnt Weeny Sandwich)...


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Piano Sonata #62 in E Flat, H 16/52 -- Jenö Jandó

Hummel: Adagio, Variations, & Rondo on "Schone Minka", Op. 78 -- Carmen Picard; Lise Daoust

Brahms: Piano Trio (#4) in A, Op. Post -- Beaux Arts Trio

Berlioz: La Mort de Cléopâtre -- Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre De Paris


----------



## ptr

*Åke Hermanson* - Alarme (An anthology of re-releases) (*Caprice*)









Various Artists (See link to the label above).

Composer presentation from the Swedish Music Information Service:


> Åke Hermanson, Born in Mollösund on 16th June 1923, died on 8th August 1996. He began his studies in Gothenburg 1945 with Knut Bäck and Herman Asplöf. He then studied the organ in Stockholm under Alf Linder and Henry Lindroth, and composition with Hilding Rosenberg 1949-1952. He was a member of the board of the Society of Swedish Composers 1967-1971, and Chairman 1969-1971. He became a Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1973. Distinctions: ISCM honorary award 1964, Christ Johnson Prize 1969, Nordic Council Prize 1982, Litteris et Artibus 1984.
> The basic feeling conveyed by Åke Hermanson's music is one of stability, and roundabout this gravity there develops an interplay of forces in which upwardstriving chains of sound lead to culminations. Essential elements of his tonal language are breadth of form, the natural alternations of the sound between darkness and light, and the intensity inherent in both short, fruitful motifs and in protracted melodic lines. The tense, creative relationship between heavy primeval force and a glittering harmony of the spheres asserts itself in his chamber music just as in his vocal music and above all perhaps in his orchestral compositions. These are central to his achievement, and they constitute invaluable items in the Swedish symphonic repertoire. Their formal structures display various kinds of austerity. The materials which Hermanson took as his starting point were always charged with expansive content, and thus his works always speak with a clear technical articulation and a convincing melos.
> Hans-Gunnar Peterson


Some of the first classical vinyl records I bought as a kid was with music by Åke Hermanson (the first Symphony and Lyrisk metamorfos op. 2 for String Quartet) his music is quite stern and sparse but very expressive, it spoke to my teenage sensibility. It actually still does.

/ptr


----------



## NightHawk

Road Trip Music of Yesterday:

The Zelenka _Requiem_ and _Miserere_ are not as lugubrious as one might think - the music is truly beautiful.
The Wand version of the Bruck.7th with Berlin is brilliantly performed, what a work!
The 2nd Book of Madrigals were written or published in 1590 when Monteverdi was 22 years old - they are (if you like the genre) superb - great harmonic and voice leading wizardry.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Trumpet Concertos. Such a great instrument.


----------



## belfastboy

In preparation for tomorrow night's performance at the Opera House - I'm all a quiver!!


----------



## Sonata

First listen to Berlioz Requiem.


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint Saëns* Le Carnaval Des Animaux

*Rachmaninov*'s Piano Concerto No.2,3 and 4.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven *_Symphony #8 in F major Op. 93_
*Bruckner* _Symphony #1 in C minor_
Vienna PO under Claudio Abbado (on Eloquence label)

- First listen to *Bruckner's 1st symphony* and I esp. enjoyed the slow movement, brought to my mind the adagios of his mature symphonies (esp. the less angsty 6th).


----------



## Hausmusik

Schubert
Arpeggione Sonata


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Piano Quartet #3 in C, WoO 36 -- Christoph Eschenbach: Amadeus Quartet

Haydn: Piano Trio #34 in E, Hob. XV: 34 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Schubert: Fantasy in C, Op. 159, D 934 -- Isaac Stern; Daniel Barenboim

Schumann: Spanische Liebeslieder, Op. 138 -- Graham Johnson: Felicity Lott

A great way to conclude a long week.


----------



## DrKilroy

John Adams' The Chairman Dances with Edo de Waart. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphonies 6,7 and 8 "La Matin", "La Midi", "Le Soir" - Adam Fischer


----------



## neoshredder

belfastboy said:


> In preparation for tomorrow night's performance at the Opera House - I'm all a quiver!!


How many times do we have to tell you to stop putting youtube videos in this thread. There is already a thread I made to prevent this issue. 
http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos-15.html


----------



## Hausmusik

neoshredder said:


> How many times do we have to tell you to stop putting youtube videos in this thread. There is already a thread I made to prevent this issue.
> http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos-15.html


Neo--perhaps unduly harsh? This is the first _I_ heard of this "rule" so it's just by chance I wasn't the one to break it. (Is it a rule, by the way?) If it is a rule, not just a suggestion, maybe the mods can disable video embedding in this thread. . .


----------



## Novelette

Hausmusik said:


> Neo--perhaps unduly harsh? This is the first _I_ heard of this "rule" so it's just by chance I wasn't the one to break it. (Is it a rule, by the way?) If it is a rule, not just a suggestion, maybe the mods can disable video embedding in this thread. . .


I wasn't aware of this precept either. I might have posted some youtube videos on this thread before. =\


----------



## neoshredder

Hausmusik said:


> Neo--perhaps unduly harsh? This is the first _I_ heard of this "rule" so it's just by chance I wasn't the one to break it. (Is it a rule, by the way?) If it is a rule, not just a suggestion, maybe the mods can disable video embedding in this thread. . .


It's been mentioned 2 times before this that I remember. Even a threat of reporting from Sid James. Though I won't go that far. It effects (slows down) some connections.


----------



## Hausmusik

Novelette said:


> I wasn't aware of this precept either. I might have posted some youtube videos on this thread before. =\


I know for sure I have done it repeatedly, if not recently.


----------



## Hausmusik

neoshredder said:


> It's been mentioned 2 times before this that I remember. Even a threat of reporting from Sid James. Though I won't go that far. It effects (slows down) some connections.


Well, do you really think that 2 mentions in a thread with 29,000 posts is going to necessarily reach everyone? Plus, "reporting" on what basis? Is this a rule, or a preference of a minority of posters?


----------



## Novelette

Well, I'll be sure not to post any more Youtube videos on this thread: glad it was mentioned because I was just on the verge of posting one. Whew!

I'm with Hausmusik, surely there's a way to disable embedding videos here, or perhaps there's a way to make an announcement more readily seen by users. I don't usually review posts that are older than a day. Since it's a large thread and is frequently added to, there's little chance I would have seen those two requests. But I'll be careful in the future.


----------



## Novelette

Hausmusik said:


> Schubert
> Arpeggione Sonata


How is that recording of the Arpeggione Sonata? I've been looking into recordings of it.


----------



## neoshredder

Hausmusik said:


> Well, do you really think that 2 mentions in a thread with 29,000 posts is going to necessarily reach everyone? Plus, "reporting" on what basis? Is this a rule, or a preference of a minority of posters?


I agree it is not report worthy. Just would be nice for those to be considerate of others since there are 2 threads with a thread explaining why I made it. Maybe some have given up by now and just won't open up this thread anymore.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> I agree it is not report worthy. Just would be nice for those to be considerate of others since there are 2 threads with a thread explaining why I made it. Maybe some have given up by now and just won't open up this thread anymore.


Your friends will be mindful of this request, Neoshredder. Have no worry.


----------



## Hausmusik

Hi Novelette,

This is a superb HIP set of basically all Schubert's most important chamber music for fortepiano & strings, and is currently astoundingly cheap on Amazon. (Its availability and price fluctuate wildly, so if you are interested in it, don't delay. . .the individual discs bought separately will cost you more.) The Arpeggione is outstanding IMO as are the trios. The Trout and Notturno are a bit on the brisk side. Sound quality is incredibly rich.
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Bylsma-Box-Franz-Vienna/dp/B000P6RB9M/ref=sr_1_4?

However the Arpeggione you need if you don't have it yet is Rostropovich/Britten.


----------



## Hausmusik

neoshredder said:


> I agree it is not report worthy. Just would be nice for those to be considerate of others since there are 2 threads with a thread explaining why I made it. Maybe some have given up by now and just won't open up this thread anymore.


Yeah, now that I know I'll happily avoid this, but you should know that this rule of etiquette may not "common knowledge."


----------



## Novelette

Thanks for the suggestion, Hausmusik!

I have the Trios and Notturno performance of Beaux Arts Trio, and the Trout of Alban Berg Quartet & Elisabeth Leonskaja. Have you heard those recordings? They're the only ones I have of these works, and I like them a lot.

I'll definitely get my hands on the Arpeggione performance of Rostropovich & Britten. Thank you for the recommendation!


----------



## DavidA

Schubert Trio 1 Heifetz / Feuermann / Rubinstein


----------



## Hausmusik

Hi Novelette,

Yes, I have heard both of the Beaux Arts recordings of the Schubert Trios--the analog and digital set. I prefer the digital set (the BAT's original violinist, Daniel Guilet, had dodgy intonation and unpleasant tone to my ear) but neither are my very favorites. As for the Trout, I have heard the ABQ one you mention but not recently. Here are some favorite Schubert chamber recordings (I am a bit of a Schubert fanatic):


*Arpeggione Sonata*: Rostropovich/Britten above all; Bylsma/Immerseel make it sing beautifully on gut strings (though not on an arpeggione, so not strictly period performance!)
*Piano Trios*: on period instruments, Bylsma/Immerseel/Beths; on modern instruments, Florestan Trio. _Note: Florestan's #2 I might wish a bit more dramatic in the second movement, but the finale compensates (Florestan include the uncut finale, which I prefer to the abridged one Schubert actually published)._
*Trout Quintet*: Lots of great ones; one of my favorites is Kodaly/Jando on Naxos, particularly for how well the recorded sound brings out the doublebass;you could also certainly do worse than Ma, Ax, and friends; l'Archibudelli (also on that Bylsma set) is very fine also if a bit in a hurry
*String Quintet*: Petersen Quartet, L'Archibudelli (period instr.), Belcea Quartet
*Death and the Maiden*: Tokyo Quartet, Belcea Quartet
*887 Quartet*: many favorites including Belcea Quartet, New Orford, Takacs, others
*Octet*: Gaudier Ensemble (currently very expensive and OOP, but I expect it will be rereleased on the Helios label)
*Notturno*: Takacs Quartet members (coupled with their excellent 887 on Decca); Florestan

Thread duty:









*
Schubert, Trout Quintet*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Hausmusik said:


> Yeah, now that I know I'll happily avoid this, but you should know that this rule of etiquette may not "common knowledge."


I'm the one who initially made the request for a separate thread for YouTube videos because they bog down the browsing of this thread on phones. Album covers load rather quickly and I have no problem with them. And it has been mentioned many times about not posting YouTube here by more than one member. I think it would help a whole lot of the YouTube thread was made a sticky post since it has a tendency to drop back to the second page. If it was easier to find I think we would have more compliance with the request. What's frustrating is when members knowingly ignore it because it's then a matter of disrespect of other members on the board. But several of us would be grateful for less YouTubes on the site.

Kevin


----------



## Hausmusik

Kevin,
While I understand your point and am happy, personally, to refrain from posting YT videos in here as a courtesy, I am a bit hesitant to agree that those choosing to post YT videos, even if they know about your preference, are being disrespectful. I mean if your preference is no YT videos, and theirs is to post them, why should your preference take priority over theirs?

Has a poll ever been conducted on the issue, to see what the general opinion is? That might be a good idea.

Like I said, I'm happy personally to oblige, but I don't like the idea of the preference of what may well be a vocal minority of users being treated as some kind of enforceable "rule," with those who "violate" the law (knowingly or unknowingly) being rudely reprimanded ("how many times do we have to tell you to stop...") or reported.

I find the _expectation _of compliance with what is being described as a "request" to be rather mystifying and high-handed.


----------



## daveh

Got this set today... I think I'm just going to start from the top with Disc 1 and listen all the way through, for however many hours/days/weeks it takes me to do.


----------



## Hausmusik

Let me add that I have enjoyed clicking on many YouTube links in this thread, and while I appreciate the advantages of having a designated thread for YT "current listening," I think there are disadvantages as well.

For one thing, separating one's listening into two separate discussions based on the arbitrary nature of the medium is, well, arbitrary, and I for one will probably just ignore the YT thread and not post or see YT links anymore---a real loss, even if it does make things more convenient for posters with certain technical limitations.

Another disadvantage: load time is much better in a thread that has a mix of album art, YT videos, and plain text, than a thread designated for YT videos. I find that YT listening thread is sloooooow, indeed.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): String Quintet No.1 in G Major

Pro arte antiqua Praha: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Ivo Anyz and Jaromir Pavicek, violas -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 13267


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor,* featuring mezzo-soprano Martha Lipton, the Women's Chorus of the Schola Cantorum, the Boys' Choir of the Church of the Transfiguration and the New York Philharmonic, all under Leonard Bernstein.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor, *performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.0 in D Minor {1869 Version}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro.


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: Divertimenti a otto voci
No. 1 in A major, Hob. X:2
No. 3 in A minor, Hob. X:3
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot








Benjamin Britten: War Requiem
Vishnevskaya/Pears/Fischer-Dieskau
Bach Choir/Melos Ensemble/
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Benjamin Britten


----------



## neoshredder

daveh said:


> View attachment 13266
> 
> 
> Got this set today... I think I'm just going to start from the top with Disc 1 and listen all the way through, for however many hours/days/weeks it takes me to do.


Awesome. I love Mozart's Symphonies and Piano Concertos.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Hausmusik said:


> Another disadvantage: load time is much better in a thread that has a mix of album art, YT videos, and plain text, than a thread designated for YT videos. I find that YT listening thread is sloooooow, indeed.


And so you even admit that threads with YouTube videos is "slow indeed" and when we had a lot of members posting YouTubes in this thread it was a real drag to even look at this thread on my breaks and lunch at work. My home PC has Fios and so if I checked the site only at home it would not matter to me at all but I enjoy checking in whenever I can and this is one of mine, and many other members, favorite and most look at thread on the board. I don't think it's asking too much to have a separate thread just for YouTube videos and I too have enjoyed watching and listening to many of the YouTube videos posted here but it would be a better experience for everyone, I believe, if YouTube videos were restricted to a single thread, especially since we do have a "dedicated" thread for such.

And yes as I said previously if a member "knowingly" posts a YouTube video in this thread and has been asked not to then it is a blatant act of disrespect and basically saying "up yours". I am NOT the only member here who would prefer this and that is why we even have a separate thread. I don't think it's too much to ask. In fact I think it's a no brainer but then again......


----------



## Hausmusik

Kevin, I am puzzled by the tone of your post.

Now let us get this straight. I never said I agreed YT videos lead to slow loading for me on this thread. They do not, on my phone or computer. But the thread that is all videos, yes, that one loads slowly, because it is all videos. That was by the way an argument against your proposal not for it, since it is your proposal that creates the all-video thread.

Regardless I think your position that to remedy a technical problem that afflicts you during your lunch breaks everyone else must modify their behavior by refraining from certain postings at all times, and that failure to comply will be interpreted as a personal affront ( "up yours" as you put it) is childish, egocentric and controlling. "Not too much to ask"? I don't see any asking here. Certainly nobody asked my opinion.

I repeat my earlier suggestion that a poll be conducted to take the temperature of the forum on this issue.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Flute No.28 Trio in D Major

Gamerith Consort: Maria Rose, piano -- Linde Brunmayr, flute -- Alojsij Mordej, cello

View attachment 13279


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: 6 Polonaises, Op. 61, D 824 -- Yaala Tal & Andreas Groethuysen

Schumann: Piano Quartet in E Flat, Op. 47 -- Alberni Quartet & Thomas Rajna

Beethoven: Nameday Overture, Op. 115 -- Gewandhausorchester Leipzig


----------



## neoshredder

I say use youtube links instead which doesn't slow down things if you want to put it here. Thus, giving everyone a choice to open it or not.


----------



## SimonNZ

neoshredder said:


> I say use youtube links instead which doesn't slow down things if you want to put it here. Thus, giving everyone a choice to open it or not.


That one gets my vote, fwiw. Though my main quibble with youtube vids is that an over-large screenshot with some random still is aesthetically displeasing, at least compared with a page of album covers, which can provide an interesting cross-section of the graphic designers art.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> I say use youtube links instead which doesn't slow down things if you want to put it here. Thus, giving everyone a choice to open it or not.


Two votes now. Aside from big screenshots, I sometimes don't even see description of conductor/performer. Just a simple link with description of conductor/performer would be great. I'd prefer that youtube posts (with screenshot) stay in the other thread..


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> I say use youtube links instead which doesn't slow down things if you want to put it here. Thus, giving everyone a choice to open it or not.


A sensible compromise!


----------



## SimonNZ

Christopher Tye's Western Wynde Mass - James O'Donnell


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3










Welcome back Conor71 from wherever you've been


----------



## Sid James

Hausmusik said:


> Neo--perhaps unduly harsh? This is the first _I_ heard of this "rule" so it's just by chance I wasn't the one to break it. (Is it a rule, by the way?) If it is a rule, not just a suggestion, maybe the mods can disable video embedding in this thread. . .


I see it as a strong suggestion as well. It seems to have worked by a sort of consensus, not many people do video embedding on this thread anymore. I think I remember sending a friendly reminder to belfast boy saying the same as neoshredder, to post them on the other thread specifically set up for them. But looks like the 'regulars' here don't do it on this thread which I think is good. If people don't know this suggestion, best just to let them know by PM etc...


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Tannhauser, Act 2
Placido Domingo, Philharmonia Orch. cond. Sinopolli


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Sid James said:


> I think I remember sending a friendly reminder to belfast boy saying the same as neoshredder, to post them on the other thread specifically set up for them. But looks like the 'regulars' here don't do it on this thread which I think is good. If people don't know this suggestion, best just to let them know by PM etc...


I also had sent him a friendly PM quite a while back but he blatantly disregards our requests and responds by posting several YouTube videos in a row within minutes of each other, and essentially spamming the board. I don't really mind the occasional YouTube post but at one point it was getting ridiculously out of hand and thus my suggestion came into being, followed by Neoshredder creating a thread just for YouTube videos. And I'm sorry Hausmusik if you consider that "controlling" because I only see it as "practical" and creating a more user friendly experience on the board.

Kevin


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome back Conor71 from wherever you've been


Thanks very much opus! :tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

*Martinu: Cello Concerto No. 1, H 196*

I'be been getting into Martinu more the last couple of months - playing this new Disc for the first time. Its making a good first impression!


----------



## ProudSquire

Schumann Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish" in E flat major, Op. 97
Schumann Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120

Leonard Bernstein
Wiener Philharmoniker

I was not impressed, I don't know why, I just can't explain it at the moment. I'll have another go at it tomorrow, and many, many more shall follow. So, since I was a bit disappointed:

Schumann Symphony No.1 in B flat, Op.38 - "Spring"
Schumann Symphony No.2 in C, Op.61

I went back to his first two symphonies and the face of disappointment quickly faded away, and all that was left was a huge smile on my face!! 

God I love the first movement of symphony No.2!! :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Corelli's Op. 4


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55{"Eroica"}, *performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}, *featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *once again with Maestro Boult, this time conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto










Another recording that I only listened to couple times. I find that there's still a lot more to be enjoyed in the bare essential classics category. I moved too quickly to expand my listening to lesser known works.


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers - John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Conor71

*Martinu: String Quartet No. 6, H 312*

Now listening to the String Quartet box - playing Disc 3 which has Quartets Nos. 6 & 7 on it


----------



## OboeKnight

Andrea Ridilla's recording of Gabriel's Oboe/ La Califfa / Once Upon a Time in the West


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wieniawski: Violin Concerto no. 2


----------



## Andolink

Johann Rosenmüller: Sonata Ottava a 4
Gli Incogniti/Amandine Beyer








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins and optional continuo in F major (RV70); Sonata for Violin and continuo in A major (RV29)
The Purcell Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for Fortepiano and Violin in B-flat major, K. 378
Sergiu Luca, violin/Malcolm Bilson, piano








Joseph Haydn: Divertimento a otto voci (No. 6) in A major, Hob. X:1
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in C major, op.41 no. 2
The Revolutionary Drawing Room


----------



## ptr

*The Liszt Project* (DG 2011)









Pierre Laurent Aimard, piano

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Xaver Scharwenka Piano Concerto No 4, Stephen Hough, Birmingham Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Foster.

I'm at my french horn-playing friend's house, to celebrate her birthday. Her anniversary today marks the birth of composer Ludwig Philipp Scharwenka and my birthdate...half a year later... his death, on the 16th of July! However, as neither of us are familiar with any of Phil's music, we're listening to that of his younger brother, Franz Xaver instead. In Hyperion's 'Romantic Piano Concerto' series .... this cd is really enjoyable to listen-to and suggests that his music is unjustly neglected.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Horn Trio - Marie Luise Neunecker, horn, Antje Weithaas, violin, Silke Avenhaus, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 13291
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Brahms' Horn Trio - Marie Luise Neunecker, horn, Antje Weithaas, violin, Silke Avenhaus, piano


Even though I'm not fanatical about Ligeti that much any more...I MUST GET THAT CD I LOVE LIGETI'S HORN TRIO!!!! I'm not as familiar with the Brahms though but I do like his music very much.


----------



## ptr

*Ernest John Moeran* - Serenade in G/In the Mountain Country (Symphonic impression)/Rhapsody For orchestra No. 1 & 2/Nocturne (*Chandos 2004*)









Hugh Mackey baritone, Renaissance Singers & Ulster Orchestra u. Vernon Handley

More Pastoral!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Inspired by the *What's Atonal* and *Most Romantic Piece of Classical Music* threads I here by revise a previous statement and declare that:

*Arnold Schönberg* - Gurrelieder (*EMI*)









Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Moser, Philip Landridge, Thomas Quasthoff, Rundfunkchor Berlin, MDR Rudfunkchor Leipzig, Ernst Senff Chor Berlin, Berliner Philharmoniker u. Simon Rattle

..is the most romantic music ever (Not necessarily this recording, thou it is very good, any one of your own discerning choice will do!  ) .. Schönberg is with out a doubt the pinnacle and end of romantic music!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Handel....Organ Concerto in F Major 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale'









Nice bit of sunshine around, today...with a sense of Spring in the air. The House Sparrows are fluttering their wings at each other (a bad sign, as they often favour the corner guttering for their nestings...) and other birds are checking-out suitable nesting holes in the tree, opposite the front door. 
Somehow, I've managed to collect a 'brood' of Handel Organ Concerto sets...the above Preston/Pinnock recording plus one's by Ton Koopman, George Malcolm, Daniel Chorzempa and the one that I think I favour the most... Paul Nicholson's... who plays the concertos on the organ of St Lawrence Church, Whitchurch... where a plaque commemorates Handel as a one-time organist at the church.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello

View attachment 13296


----------



## JCarmel

Good for you, bejart....that's one piece of Bach I've yet 'to crack'. I've tried many times but like the musical' Les Miserables'...I never seem to get beyond the first 20 minutes?!


----------



## AndyS

Elektra - Bohm and Inge Borkh in the title role


----------



## ptr

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - Symphony No 3 / *Robert Schumann* - Manfred overture (Testament)










Berliner Philharmoniker u. Rudolf Kempe

Kempe's warm romantic gestures are very appealing! Perhaps not a first choice for me who dig HIP things, but for select enjoyment listening.

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

It was a *Copland*'s day for me:

Four Dance Episodes from 'Rodeo'
Billy the Kid (Ballet Suite)
Dance Symphony
Quiet City
An Outdoor Overture
A Lincoln Portrait (James Earl Jones)
El salon Mexico
Five Songs from 'Old American Songs' ... "I Bought Me a Cat" is hilarious :lol:


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Friedrich Ernst Fesca (15 February 1789-1826): Flute Quartet in D Major, Op.37

Linos Ensemble: Kersten McCall, flute -- Winfried Rademacher, violin -- Matthias Buchholz, viola -- Mario Blaumer, cello

View attachment 13303


----------



## ptr

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No 21 Op 53 (Waldstein) (*ABC Classics*)









Gerard Willems playing an Australian built Stuart & Sons Grand Piano

Interesting!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No 26 in E flat major ('Les Adieux'), Op. 81a (*DG 1999*)
(From the album; Hommage à Rachmaninov)









Mikhail Pletnev on Rachmaninov's own Steinway at Villa Senar, Switzerland

Completely right!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No 23 Op 57 'Appassionata' (PoloArts*)









John Ogdon, piano

Musical!

/ptr

*bought this disc on stop at Bejing Airport, never seen the label anywhere else, but it seems to be a Chinese distributor..


----------



## starthrower

Paul Lansky-Shapeshifters for two pianos & orchestra


----------



## JCarmel

Rimsky-Korsakov...Scheherazade Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Kempe.









I had the good fortune to meet Rudolf...as a young girl in the 1960's. He had conducted a concert at the 'De Montfort Hall' in Leicester, my home town. And wanting to have the chance to meet him in person afterwards, I went and asked at the Stage door if I may do so. Not really expecting that I'd be given the opportunity, I was ushered right into his dressing room. And what a very personable, distinguished and charming man?! He greeted me with the greatest respect and formally shook my hand, as I muttered-on about really enjoying the concert. I was only a teenager at the time but he made me feel as if I was the Lady Mayoress of Leicester!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening Dvorak's Cello Concerto at the moment.


----------



## ptr

*Erkki-Sven Tüür* - Ärkamine (Awakening) (Ondine)









Estonian Philharmonic Chor, Sinfonietta Riga u. Daniel Reuss

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

I'm really liking the Clarinet sonata.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Violin Concerto.*


----------



## ptr

*Edwin Fischer "The pre War Schubert Racordings"*
*Franz Schubert* - 4 Impromptus D.899, 4 Impromptus D935 & Wandererfantasie D760 (*APR**)









Edwin Fischer, piano (R: 1938 tracks 1-8, 1935 tracks 9-12)

Sublime!

/ptr

*You have to scroll down manually!


----------



## aleazk

*Unsuk Chin*, cello concerto. I'm listening to the third movement now. That's the music I love, it takes you to strange worlds, sometimes mysterious, sometimes dark, sometimes desolation, sometimes the atrocious feeling of a devasting force.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Wind Trio in F Major

Novak Trio: Gabriela Krckova, oboe -- Stepan Koutnik, clarinet -- Vladimir Lejcko, bassoon

View attachment 13312


----------



## bejart

Antonin Kammel (1730-1787): String Quartet No.2 in E Flat

The Schein String Quartet: Staffan Schein and Joel Sundin, violins -- Ingegerd Rittberg-Schein, viola -- Lars Kristiansson, cello

View attachment 13313


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Pastorale in F, BWV 590 -- Helmut Walcha

Bach: Violin Sonata #11 in E Minor, BWV 1023 -- Trevor Pinnock & Rachel Podger

Beethoven: 6 Minuets, WoO 10 -- Gianluca Cascioli

Couperin, F.: Quatuor Sonata in D Minor -- Musica Ad Rhenum

Elgar: Symphony #1 in A flat, Op. 55 -- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## ptr

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Frühe Orgel Werke (*MDG Gold*)









Harald Vogel at the Arp Schnitger Organ St. Peter und Paul, Cappel, Germany

There is something with Harald Vogel's touch at the organ keyboards that makes me submit completely to the way he interprets Bach's works, his playing is light and natural and almost gives the impression that these works is heard for the first time! An utterly joyous disc!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Preludes*

I put this on for background music, but I'm having a hard time keeping it in the background.


----------



## DrKilroy

This was the recording that introduced me to Debussy. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

Manxfeeder said:


> *Debussy, Preludes*


Gieseking in Debussy is no background music for true, along with Krystian Zimerman's (DG) his are the finest interpretations of Debussy known to mankind!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in D Major, Bryan D2

Kevin Mallon leading the Toronto Camerata

View attachment 13316


----------



## Hausmusik

Arrau
Beethoven Op. 101


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven's third symphony. Various versions...


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven piano sonata 32


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Zauberberg

Pelleas und Melisande


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Beethoven's third symphony. Various versions...


Hey, me too! Both these are very different. And very old.


----------



## opus55

Telemann concertos
R. Strauss concertos


----------



## Conor71

*Martinu: Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Major, H 149*

Good morning all - now listening to Disc 1 of this set for the second time today. Its taking me quite a few listens to absorb this set but im getting there I think


----------



## bejart

Heinrich Joseph Barmann (1784-1847): Clarinet Quintet No.3 in E Flat, Op.23

Karl Schlechta on clarinet with the Maggini Quartet: Wolfgang Schwarzmuller and Peter-Franz German, violins -- Mitsuko Nakan, viola -- Dita Lammerse, cello

View attachment 13324


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Radu Lupu playing some Brahms. OP 118 & 119. Goodstuff.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> Hey, me too! Both these are very different. And very old.
> 
> View attachment 13322
> View attachment 13323


Yes I listened to both Toscanini and Furtwängler versions this morning actually. Both very different...I don't know which I prefer. They're both too slow though!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Symphony 4, with USSR MOCSO/Rozhdestvensky (rec. 1985); Symphonies 5 & 9, with ACO/LPO/Haitink (rec. 1980).

View attachment 13326
View attachment 13327


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner *_Symphony #7 in E major (Haas edition)_ 
Queensland SO under Muhai Tang, recorded live in Brisbane, 1996 (ABC CLassics)










*Ottmar Liebert + luna negra* _"opium" doulbe album _(cd 2: dreaming)
All compositions, combining world musics, Flamenco and electronics by Liebert, on guitar/leader of luna negra group (Epic label)










*Dvorak* _Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81_ 
Rudolf Buchbinder, pno. with Alban Berg Quartet, recorded live in Vienna, 1993 (EMI)


----------



## bejart

Antonio Sacchini (1730-1785): String Quartet in D Major, Op.2, No.2

Quartetto Academica: Mariana Sirbu and Ruxandra Colan, violins -- Constantin Zanidache, viola -- Mihai Dancila, cello

View attachment 13328


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20*

Listening to some Tchaikovsky for the next few hours. First I will listen to the HVK Disc followed up by the Borodin Quartet set (bought 3 months ago and still hasnt recieved a listen!). Later I will play some Symphonies from Markevitch's Cycle.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> They're both too slow though!


Wow, that's the first time I've heard someone complain Toscanini was too slow.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow, that's the first time I've heard someone complain Toscanini was too slow.


The last movement of his Eroica was okay...the first movement was painfully slow in terms of tempo!!!


----------



## starthrower

Webern opus 21


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

starthrower said:


> Webern opus 21


Oh yeah...that reminds me, my composition teacher wanted me to have another listen to that...it is a great symphony.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart Piano concerto 17. I really like this one


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both works featuring the Sir Adrian Boult led New Philharmonia Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *with the New York Philharmonic and soprano Reri Grist conducted by Maestro Bernstein.


----------



## SimonNZ

Malcolm Arnold's Homage To The Queen - cond. composer


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: Symphony #2 in B flat, Op. 52, "Hymn of Praise" -- Dohnányi: Wiener Philharmoniker

Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Brahms: Die Schöne Magelone -- Idil Biret

Mendelssohn, Monteverdi, and Brahms: the ideal Saturday evening line-up!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* violin concerto op. 64 and fifth symphony.


----------



## opus55

Janacek: Suite for String Orchestra
Berlioz: Harold en Italie


----------



## neoshredder

Corelli Op. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

The complete works of Corelli fit on only 10 cds? I had no idea.

now:









Brahms' Symphony No.2 followed by Schumann's Symphony No.2 - Herbert von Karajan


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wieniawski: violin concerto no. 2


----------



## Arsakes

a *Schumann*'s day for me:

Manfred (entire work), Op.115
Das Paradies und die Peri, Op.50
Kreisleriana, Op.16
Dichterliebe, Op.48
Romanzen und Balladen, Op.45


----------



## ptr

*Sir Michael Tippett* - Symphony No 4 & Suite in D "for the Birthday of Prince Charles" (Decca/London)









Chicago Symphony Orchestra u. Georg Solti

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Back from my first real vacation in many years. I had not flown in almost 10 years. I was dissapointed to learn that I could not listen to my iPod during takeoff and landing. "Ode to Joy" with Solti at the helm would have made the perfect soundtrack to my ascent, but it was still a good choice for looking down on the mountains. Mozart's Gran Partita Serenade with Sir Neville Marriner was an ideal accompaniment for gliding above the clouds.


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quattro No.2 in C Minor

Accademia per Musica: Christoph Timpe, Gabriele Folchi and Giovanni Del Vecchia, violins -- Pietro Maldolesi, viola -- Giovanna Barbati, cello -- Corrado Pastore, double bass

View attachment 13336


----------



## ptr

*Dag Wirén* - String Quartets 2 - 5 (*Daphne*)









The Lysell Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Volodos live in Vienna, and wondering if i should buy tickets to him playing Brahms piano concerto no2.


----------



## ptr

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Harpsichord Concertos, BWV 1052 - 58 2 Vols (CPO)















Concerto Copenhagen u & s: Lars Ulrik Mortensen

Perfect musical flow, Mortensen playing makes JSB smile from beyond the borders of his current abode!

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Explanation, from the pianist's university's web site:
"Pianist Kristina Szutor, professor at the School of Music, Memorial University, has released her second solo CD entitled Après Scarlatti, a recording that brings together a variety of contemporary piano pieces written in homage to the Baroque keyboard master Domencio Scarlatti. The album features two newly commissioned works by composers Clark Ross and Clifford Crawley, both residents of St. John's along with several other premier recordings. Composers represented on the album also include Norman Dello Joio, Marcel Bitsch, Dennis Farrell, Marcelle de Manziarly and ﻿Marc-Andre Hamelin. The album is put out by Centaur records. "This project has been a labour of love for the past four years or so and combines my affinity for the light, sparkling music of Domenico Scarlatti with my enjoyment of the fresh sounds of contemporary music," states Szutor."


----------



## JCarmel

J S Bach Easter Oratorio ... Ameling, Watts, Krause, Krenn et al, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester conducted Karl Munchinger









The Easter Oratorio is a somewhat neglected work...I'm not quite sure why as it is Bach at his most accessible. There are some beautiful arias to be enjoyed.


----------



## opus55

Telemann: Symphony in D major TWV Anh. 50:1
Mozart: Violin Sonatas, KV. 481, 526, K547
Haydn: String Quartet Op. 76 No. 2


----------



## ptr

*African Rhythms*: *György Ligeti* & *Steve Reich* - Piano works interspersed with African Traditional (Teldec)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano & Aka Pygmies

More joyful music from the intersections of the world!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Symphonies 6 & 12, with ACO/Haitink (rec.1982/3); Symphony 7, with RSNO/Jarvi (rec.1988).

View attachment 13366
View attachment 13367


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich #7 same as above.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Nereffid said:


>


This really is a fine album and worth checking out. It does a nice job of contemporizing ancient sound. Kristina Szutor is a very good pianist and her performance on these tracks is flawless. There's not a piece on here that I did not enjoy.

Currently working my way through this:










Kevin


----------



## ptr

*Franz Peter Schubert* - Moments musicaux (D780/D915) & Impromptus (D899) (*Virgin Classics*)









David Fray, piano

Modern, detailed, slightly detached, quite warm sound...

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor
Renaud Capuçon, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Christoph von Dohnányi

Radio rebroadcast of a live performance.


----------



## Arsakes

*Alexander Borodin*:
String Quartet No.1 & 2
Symphony No.1 & 3
In the Steppes of Central Asia


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Arcangelo Corelli (17 February 1653-1713): Trio Sonata in A Major, Op.3, No.12

Purcell Quartet: Catherine Macintosh and Elizabeth Wallfisch, violins -- Ricahrd Boothby, cello -- Robert Wooley, chamber organ

View attachment 13369


----------



## neoshredder

Happy birthday Corelli! Listening to Mendelssohn atm but will listen to some Corelli later on.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Christoph von Dohnányi

Same as above.


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius' 2nd and 3rd symphonies with Lorin Maazel.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Dum Complerentur - Martin Baker


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert*:
String Quartet no. 12 (Quartettsatz)
String Quartet no.15
String Quintet.

I am very much into Schubert these days.


----------



## Hausmusik

SiegendesLicht said:


> *Franz Schubert*:
> String Quartet no. 12 (Quartettsatz)
> String Quartet no.15
> String Quintet.
> 
> I am very much into Schubert these days.


Who are the performers?



neoshredder said:


> Happy birthday Corelli! Listening to Mendelssohn atm but will listen to some Corelli later on.


Neo, listened to that very recording this morning! Cheers.


----------



## Hausmusik

Johannes B.
Sextet #2
L'Archibudelli


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Hausmusik said:


> Who are the performers?


Quartet no. 12 - Alban Berg Quartett.
In case of the others I don't know, whoever uploaded them to YouTube, didn't mention the performers.


----------



## Mahlerian

Because Augusta Read Thomas has an upcoming premiere with the BSO, I figured I'd check out some of her music on Spotify.

Thomas: Spirit Musings, for violin and chamber orchestra
Cleveland Chamber Symphony

View attachment 13371


----------



## ptr

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 11 Op 103 'The Year 1905 / "Recorded in the presence of the composer" (*Testament*)









Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française u. André Cluytens

Absolutely Classic Shostakovich!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.18 in A Major, KV 464

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello

View attachment 13378


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony extracted from the Serenade in D major, K. 185
Tafelmusik/Bruno Weil








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for Fortepiano and Violin in G major, K. 379
Malcolm Bilson, piano/Sergiu Luca, violin








Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata for Two Violins and optional continuo in G major, RV71
The Purcell Quartet








Marin Marais: Suite for 2 viols in D minor
Kenneth Slowik and Jaap ter Linden, bass viols
Konrad Junghänel, theorbo








Joseph Haydn: Divertimento for baryton, two horns, viola and bass in D major, Hob. X:10
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot


----------



## ptr

Andolink said:


> Joseph Haydn: Divertimento for baryton, two horns, viola and bass in D major, Hob. X:10
> Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot
> View attachment 13379


I love the Baryton! Its voice is so very human. Pity it is not used more in contemporary music.

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Inspired by the above!
*
Franz Joseph Haydn* - Baryton Octets (Divertimenti a 8 voci) (*Ricercar*)









Ricercar Consort u. Philippe Pierlot

Marvellous! Makes me so happy!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozuluch (1747-1818): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in E Flat

Milan Lacjik leading the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet

View attachment 13382


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Corelli's* birthday: Trio Sonatas, w. London Baroque/Medlam (rec.1986); Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, w. Brandenburg Consort/Goodman (rec.1992).

View attachment 13383
View attachment 13384


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Schumann: Liebeslied von Robert Schumann, S 566, "Widmung" -- Leslie Howard

Perhaps my favorite piece of the last year. Liszt's tender transcription reveals a kind of dedication itself. Liszt admired his friend Schumann, and despite some chilly episodes, retained that admiration. According to John Worthen's biography about Robert Schumann, Pg. 200, Liszt acknowledged that Schumann was one of the greatest composers for solo piano in the 1830's and 40's. Liszt championed and performed Schumann's works in public, especially the Op. 17 _Fantasie_ and the _Carnaval_, but only occasionally as the public coolly received those works. Liszt personally assisted Schumann in his case against Clara's father, and always treated him kindly in person. Although often disdainful of Schumann's other works--derided them as being to "Leipzig-ish", that is, too conservative--he always supported Schumann's career and reputation. Not necessarily the most interesting friendship in musical history, but it is nevertheless touching.

Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila -- Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre de Paris

The opening chorus is especially and compellingly dramatic.

Tchaikovsky: Morceau, Op. 72 -- Mikhail Pletnev


----------



## neoshredder

Celebrating Corelli's birthday now with Corelli's Op. 5


----------



## Hausmusik

Brahms
Violin Concerto in D, Opus 77
Viktoria Mullova, Claudio Abbado: BPO


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Violin Concerto in No.19 in G Minor

Johannes Goritzki directing the Deutsche Kammeracademie Neuss -- Rainer Kussmaul, violin

View attachment 13386


----------



## Hausmusik

Gesualdo
Sacred Music
BBC Singers


----------



## violadude

Listened to a lot of pieces from Berg and Brahms today.

Berg: Op. 3 string quartet, 4 pieces for clarinet and piano, lyric suite, violin concerto three pieces for orchestra

Brahms: Piano trio #2 and #3, Piano Quintet, Clarinet Quintet.


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Bassoon Quartet in C Major, Op.40, No.1

Island: Jane Gower, bassoon -- Antoinette Lohmann, violin -- Galina Zinchenko, viola -- Jennifer Morsches, cello

View attachment 13387


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Concertos from Spain
Albeniz (arr. C. Halffter) *Rapsodia Espanola ;* Turina* Rapsodia Sinfonica Op. 66 ;* Montsalvatge* Concerto Breve for Piano & Orch. ; *Surinach* Concerto for Piano & Orch.
Alicia de Larrocha, pno. With London PO & Royal PO under Rafael Frubeck de Burgos (on Eloquence label)

- A listen to this disc after a long time. All enjoyable but I esp. like the *Surinach* concerto, which Ï'd describe as like Bartok's concertos (that contrapuntal quality combined with thematic unity), but with flamenco. I put a link to the final movement, which has an amazing modern fugue at the end, in this thread I made about this composer ages back: http://www.talkclassical.com/7268-carlos-surinach.html Of the other things on the cd, the *Montsalvatge* concerto has shades of Ravel, and *Albeniz and Turina *are the most 'Spanish' pieces on the album, capturing the colour and warmth of the country's music in appropriately freer rhapsodic/fantasia type format.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Ecce Ego Johannes - James O'Donnell


----------



## neoshredder

Ending today's birthday with Corelli's Op. 6. Christmas Concerto is his masterpiece.


----------



## GreenMamba

Dittersdorf Smyphonies 4, 5 and 6. Gmur/Failoni Orch.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *featuring the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Grisey: Le Temps et l'Ècume.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wieniawski: violin concerto no. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

View attachment 13392
View attachment 13393








on the radio, and coming up over the next two hours:

MALIPIERO: Sinfonia del mare - Moscow SO/Antonio de Almeida 
SAINT-SAËNS: Violin Concerto No 2 in C Op 58 - Philippe Graffin (vln), BBC Scottish SO/Martyn Brabbins 
SCHUBERT: String Quintet in C D956 - Emerson String Quartet, Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)


----------



## ptr

Quartet Monday!

*Willhelm Stenhammar* - The Six String Quartets (*Caprice *)









The Fresk Quartet, The Copenhagen Quartet and The Gotland Quartet

Some of the best Swedish String Quartets!

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven's 3rd symphony conducted by Paavo Järvi.


----------



## Nereffid

Listening to this music for the first time... Enjoying it so far.


----------



## ptr

*Cyril Scott* - String Quartets 1, 2 and 4 (*Dutton*)









The Archæus Quartet

Very good post romantic romantic quartets!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata in D Minor, No.9 of III Parts

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini and Annalisa Pisanu, flutes -- Elisabetta Garetti. violin -- Mariangela Martini, cello

View attachment 13400


----------



## ptr

*Benjamin Britten* - String Quartets (*EMI*)









Belcea Quartet

Superb!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*James MacMillan* - String Quartets 1 & 2 (*BIS*)









Emperor String Quartet

Awesome Scottish necessities!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Fancy a little bit of Lieder for today. Brahms, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky wrote impressively for the voice.

Johannes Brahms Lieder...Jessye Norman, Daniel Barenboim (piano)









and this one for fans of a certain Russian gentleman and Cardiff Singer of the World winner,

Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov songs ...Russian Romances sung by Dmitri Hvorotovsky, Oleg Boshniakovich (piano)


----------



## ptr

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - String Quartets Op 18 1 - 6 (Naïve)





















*Quatour Mosaiques*

Classycal!









/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn 4 & 5 performed by the LSO


----------



## Arsakes

*Berwald*'s 4 symphonies.

and now *Dvorak*'s Stabat Mater.


----------



## rrudolph

Thought I'd start the day with a little Indian classical music:









Then maybe some sarangi:









After all, the western classical tradition isn't the only classical tradition!


----------



## JCarmel

*Tchaikovsky* 'Eugene Onegin' Kubiak, Hamari, Weikl, Burrows, Ghiaurov, Senechal, John Alldis choir, Orchestra of the ROH conducted by Sir Georg Solti









A safe and enjoyable recommendation for the opera but certainly not my favourite, of which strangely, I cannot even remember the name of the conductor. It was part of the stock of the Record Library I used to frequent many years ago. In a tatty green box, with nothing on the linen covering but the title displayed on the spine and the russian 'Melodiya' symbol next to it. Inside there was no libretto or accompanying booklet....just the LP's in off-white paper sleeves. Nobody seemed to borrow it but me, though I took it out regularly. The record label detailed russian singers of the Bolshoi Opera and a conductor whose name I can no longer remember. Yet it was the best Onegin ever....great singing and playing, I coveted it very much and often thought that I might pluck-up courage and ask if my name might be recorded somewhere, so that _if_ library staff decided to throw the set out or sell it...they might throw it in my direction? But I didn't... and when I next went to find it on the shelves, it had gone! My heart sank....where_ was _it..only I ever seemed to borrow it? I enquired its whereabouts at the service desk and was told that it had been 'disposed-of...probably thrown-away'. I'm still mourning its loss.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 18 No. 1










Following ptr's selections. Having had Quatuor Mosaiques' recording of Haydn Op. 76, I have high expectation here.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: 5 Orchestral Pieces
Via the Schoenberg Center website, but I think it's the Boulez Sony recording.


----------



## ptr

*Robert Schumann* - String Quartets No 1 & 3 (*ECM*)









Zehetmair Quartett

..in a way that really makes me enjoy Schumann!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a recent release. *Britten*: Five Canticles, with Ben Johnson, James Baillieu et al. A mahvellous release for Britten's Centenary. This group of artists (and engineers) create a special atmosphere for these works.

The full-price Signum with no filler faces stiff competition. One such is the inexpensive Helios with Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Roger Vignoles (rec. 1991), which also offers Purcell Realizations. Regardless, find the time to give this new one an audition. :tiphat:

View attachment 13412


----------



## bejart

Antonio Capuzzi (1755-1818): String Quintet in D Major, Op.3, No.5

Kenneth Goldsmtih and Adam La Motte, violins -- Zachary Carrettin and Gregory Ewer, violas -- Steve Estes, cello

View attachment 13415


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven's 7th Symphony by Sir Thomas Beecham & the Royal Philharmonic. I think I prefer this to Kleiber's at present.

Prior to that, Beethoven's 2nd Symphony by the same performers on the same CD.

Both fantastic interpretations, recorded superbly. Very impressive performances.

Before these, I listened to Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (Klemperer/New Philharmonia) for the first time (both of the piece and this version). I am not normally inclined to choral music but this has certainly kicked the doors down. It will certainly take many more listenings before I can begin to absorb the work deeply but I have say wow. I've avoided Otto Klemperer for a while after hearing the he is a glacially slow conductor. However, I think I may have to have a look at more of his works in future. The pacing here seemed right (for what it's worth given my limited knowledge of the piece and lack of comparison). I did look at another version when researching before picking Klemperer's (Gardiner I think), HIP but I didn't like it. I may eat those words later but right now Gardiner's(?) approach did nothing for me. Klemperer's on the other hand, grabbed my interest very quickly and will bear repeated listenings.

Nothing against HIP, I enjoy it when I'm in the mood but it is not my personal preference.


----------



## ptr

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - String Quartets 1 & 2 (*Dutton*)









Griller String Quartet

Very likeable despite (or maybe thanks to) the 1950 mono sound --- reminds me a lot of Bliss' writings on music in "Bliss on Music", a very interesting anthology on British Musical life during Bliss life!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Symphony 8, with ACO/Haitink (rec.1982); Symphony 10, with BPO/HvK (rec.1981).

View attachment 13417
View attachment 13418


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaik 6


----------



## opus55

Jadin: String Quartets
Jiranek: Concerto for Bassoon, Strings and Basso continuo in G minor

















Random listening on Spotify while working on some documentation.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mehul, Symphonies 1 and 2.*


----------



## ptr

*Franz Peter Schubert* - String Quartets No 13 & 14 D894/810 (*Hyperion*)









Takács Quartet

Perfectly executed Schubert!

/ptr


----------



## Itullian

Das Rheingold, Haitink


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## cwarchc

Still laid up with a bad back
Had a great day listening to some good music
Started with this one







Went onto this one, a change from my normal du Pre version







Moved onto this one







Finished with this one


----------



## ptr

A small deviation, but still a Quartet...

*Johannes Brahms* - Piano Quartet No 2 Op 26 (Philips OOP)









Sviatoslav Richter, piano and members of the Borodin Quartet (Kopelman, Shebalin & Berlinsky)

One of those few recordings that makes me appreciate Brahms!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concerto No.4 in E Major, Op.110

London Mozart Players -- Howard Shelley, piano

View attachment 13427


----------



## opus55

Tubin: Violin Concerto No. 2










First time listening to Tubin


----------



## ptr

*Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki* - String Quartets/Chamber music with clarinet (*BIS*)









The Tale Quartet & Martin Fröst, clarinet

Never liked much of Penderecki's music, but the Quartets I'm quite fine with!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Last set of Quartets for this monday:

*Jon Leifs* - The Three String Quartets (*BIS*)









The Yggdrasil Quartet

Icelandic, Conservative Modern, somewhat germanic post romantic with a flair for sudden effects. Quite like them.

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen* Violin Concerto 
Arve Tellefsen, vln. With Danish Radio SO under Herbert Blomstedt (on EMI)

*Beethoven* Symphony #8 
Vienna PO under Claudio Abbado (on Eloquence)

*Haydn* Symphony #104, London
Radio Luxembourg SO under Louis de Froment (on BCI label)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No.1 - Kuss Quartet


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Symphony #41, piano sonata in B flat major, overtures to Don Giovanni, Figaro, Magic Flute.
Bach: Mass in B Minor


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden (in D major), Kol Nidre (in ~G minor)
BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez


----------



## ptr

opus55 said:


> Tubin: Violin Concerto No. 2/First time listening to Tubin


Hope it was a success, I will make tomorrow "Tubin Tuesday!", like his music quite a lot... a small anecdote; by chance I once met Neeme Järvi at the CO-OP close to the concert hall in Gothenburg, and by an even bigger chance of events I was listening to Tubin's Balalaika Concerto, and this Järvi picked up from the faint sound leaking from my headphones. He and I then (mostly he) exchanged all sorts of things about Tubin and how much He loved this composer, Estonian as both of them where, on our way to the cashier, he ending with "are you coming to the concert tonight?", yessir I replied, he smiled his biggest and I haven't the faintest memory of what they (Gothenburg Symphony) played that night...

..funny how something someone listens to can make you remember stuff... 

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

George Antheil - Piano Concerto No.1
Eiji Oue, NDR Radiophilharmonie


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bach's Cantata 82 "Ich habe genug" - Thomas Quasthoff, bass


----------



## Cheyenne

Beethoven's violin concerto with Jascha Hiefetz. I love the last two movements in this performance, but the first one still has to warm up. Not as happy with the Mendelssohn one, unfortunately.


----------



## violadude

Just listened to 4 great pieces by Gubaidulina  Her second string quartet, Seven Words, for Bayan Cello and String Orchestra, the Viola Concerto and the String Trio. All very enjoyable, especially Seven Words which I feel is an epic, deep and moving masterpiece.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Symphony 11, with BPO/Bychkov (rec.1987); Symphony 15, with 
Philadelphia O./Ormandy (rec.1972).

View attachment 13434
View attachment 13435


----------



## obwan

Philip Glass - Symphony No. 3 

The first work of Glass I liked.


----------



## sheffmark

Bach - Violin Concertos


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: "Eroica", with BPO/HvK (rec. 1963); "Emperor", with Gelber/Philharmonia/Leitner (rec.1966).

View attachment 13438
View attachment 13439


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Trio in E Flat, Op.3

Denes Kovacs, violin -- Geza Nemeth, viola -- Ede Banda, cello

View attachment 13440


----------



## Novelette

Really enjoying Ockeghem lately.

Ockeghem: Alma Redemptoris Mater -- Hillard Ensemble

I especially enjoy hearing those melodic idioms that were anathema to Roman School practice, especially the inverted cambiata, a favorite of Ockeghem, a bane of Palestrina's style.


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's piano sonata 17 played by Uchida. 

I find the 2nd movement to be spectacular.


----------



## Guest

After a long and difficult day there is something about the sound of a solitary guitar that can bring me back to a state of peaceful contemplation. Although some of the tracks on this CD are accompanied by a small string section, most is traditional Spanish guitar.


----------



## Guest

Trying out some baroque opera. I picked this one up from the library.


----------



## Sid James

*Copland's* _Lincoln Portrait_, narrated by Adlai Stevenson with the Philadelphia Orch. under Eugene Ormandy (on youtube).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Novelette said:


> Really enjoying Ockeghem lately.
> 
> Ockeghem: Alma Redemptoris Mater -- Hillard Ensemble
> 
> I especially enjoy hearing those melodic idioms that were anathema to Roman School practice, especially the inverted cambiata, a favorite of Ockeghem, a bane of Palestrina's style.


And I'm sure it didn't bother Ockeghem a bit, either.


----------



## Sonata

Pucinni: Madama Butterfly with Mirella Freni and Jose Carreras.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Elie Siegmeister, Piano Sonata No. 3.*


----------



## Bradius

Bruckner's 9 Symphonies. Wand conducting.


----------



## Guest

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G, K453. For the early- to middle-concertos I still prefer to hear them on pianoforte and the Bilson/Gardiner set is fabulous.


----------



## neoshredder

Jerome said:


> View attachment 13444
> 
> 
> Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G, K453. For the early- to middle-concertos I still prefer to hear them on pianoforte and the Bilson/Gardiner set is fabulous.


Same here. Awesome set.


----------



## Andolink

neoshredder said:


> Same here. Awesome set.


I agree too, even with Mr. Bilson's clearly audible vocalizations while he plays. This is even more apparent in his chamber music recordings where I also forgive him for it.


----------



## violadude

Jerome said:


> View attachment 13444
> 
> 
> Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G, K453. For the early- to middle-concertos I still prefer to hear them on pianoforte and the Bilson/Gardiner set is fabulous.


That's a cute one. I like the little woodwind flurries at the beginning of the first movement.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.42 in G Major

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 13447


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Pärt - Arbos - Hilliard


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel and Poulenc songs - Pierre Bernac, tenor, Francis Poulenc, piano


----------



## opus55

ptr said:


> Hope it was a success, I will make tomorrow "Tubin Tuesday!", like his music quite a lot... a small anecdote; by chance I once met Neeme Järvi at the CO-OP close to the concert hall in Gothenburg, and by an even bigger chance of events I was listening to Tubin's Balalaika Concerto, and this Järvi picked up from the faint sound leaking from my headphones. He and I then (mostly he) exchanged all sorts of things about Tubin and how much He loved this composer, Estonian as both of them where, on our way to the cashier, he ending with "are you coming to the concert tonight?", yessir I replied, he smiled his biggest and I haven't the faintest memory of what they (Gothenburg Symphony) played that night...
> 
> ..funny how something someone listens to can make you remember stuff...
> 
> /ptr


You spoke to Neeme Järvi  I admire all of his works on Scandinavian composers that I've heard so far. I'd like to see him when he comes to Chicago. Tubin's violin concerto was enjoyable even in first listen so I'll revisit hopefully soon.

Szeryng plays Kreisler
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15


----------



## Novelette

Just began listening to some new CD's. Featured among my favorites so far are:

Stravinsky: Apollo (1947 Version) -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Bach, C.P.E.: Flute Concerto in D Minor, H 426 -- James Galway; Jörg Faerber: Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn

and

Rachmaninoff: Danses Symphoniques, Op. 45 -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

I can tell already that this is going to be a great week!


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Sonata No.42 in G Major
> 
> Jeno Jando, piano
> 
> View attachment 13447


I have this same set. Such an excellent intonation; it is surely my favorite recording of Haydn's Piano Sonatas.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Violin Concerto - Ossy Renardy, violin, Charles Munch, cond.

picked up this and another Ossy Renardy album, a recital disc, at the record shop today. Both are in great condition, and I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure they shouldn't have been put in the two dollar bin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to Julius Röntgen's Violin Concertos again. This really is a fantastic album. I can't say enough about how wonderful the melodies are in these. The first Violin Concerto is especially charming. This really deserves to be in the repertoire and be heard more often. Julius Röntgen is an unsung who should be well known in my opinion. If you have Spotify check it out for yourself. It is available on there.










Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 13454
> 
> 
> Brahms' Violin Concerto - Ossy Renardy, violin, Charles Munch, cond.
> 
> picked up this and another Ossy Renardy album, a recital disc, at the record shop today. Both are in great condition, and I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure they shouldn't have been put in the two dollar bin
> 
> View attachment 13455


Funny because as I was reading your post I was wondering what you paid for them. What a deal! I never find good stuff in the record bins around here. We do however have a great used book and record store and they have a huge selection of classical music on CD. With two universities and one specializing in music education there are always good finds there. However, these days I really restrict my impulse buying. I have so much music now in my collection I really could be quite satisfied with what I own. I do have a few things I would like to add but the list gets smaller as I get older.

Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Haydn's Piano Sonatas as well. CD 1


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2










Trying to squeezing in little more music before going to bed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kevin Pearson said:


> However, these days I really restrict my impulse buying. I have so much music now in my collection I really could be quite satisfied with what I own. I do have a few things I would like to add but the list gets smaller as I get older.
> 
> Kevin


The same is true here, in fact over the last two years I've gone through a massive decluttering, and I'm much better now at apreciating what I've got (which is still miles)...yet a bargain is hard to resist, especially if its the kind of thing I really do love.

Heres a few more I got from the two dollar bin today:

Paganini works for violin and guitar with Ruggiero Ricci









Gluck's Orfeo ed Euricide with Kathleen Ferrier









Debussy orchestral songs sung by Madeline George









Falla's La Vida Breve with Victoria De Los Angeles









and the Poulenc songs with the composer at the piano I posted earlier


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dream"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}.* Both works feature the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Andolink

Henrico Albicastro: "Coelestes angelici chori" (Motet for tenor and orchestra)
Guy de Mey, tenor
Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini








Joseph Haydn: Divertimento a otto voci (No. 4) in G major, Hob. X:4
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot








Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 26 in D minor ("Lamentation")
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken








Luigi Boccherini: String Trio in A-flat, op. 47 no. 1; String Trio in G major, op. 47 no. 2
Trio L'Europa Galante/Fabio Biondi








Peter Philips (1561-1628): Pavan and Galliard (1580); Pavan (1580); Paget Pavan and Galliard (?1590)
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner *Symphony #1 in C minor 
Vienna PO Under Claudio Abbado (on Eloquence)


----------



## drpraetorus

Khatchaturian, Mascarade suite


----------



## Nereffid

Haydn: Symphony no.92 - Jacobs.
A fine way to start the morning!


----------



## Nereffid

Now this...


----------



## ptr

opus55 said:


> You spoke to Neeme Järvi  I admire all of his works on Scandinavian composers that I've heard so far. I'd like to see him when he comes to Chicago. Tubin's violin concerto was enjoyable even in first listen so I'll revisit hopefully soon.


Sure, he was very accessible to people on the street during his tenure as music director of the Gothenburg Symphony! I met him briefly a second time at the banquet following the concert where the orchestra celebrated their twenty years of Järvi reign, he was absolutely the man of the moment in such a situation! 

Started my "Tubin Tuesday" with (including some Estonian side shots):

*Kaljo Raid* - Symphony No 1 "Stockholm" & *Eduard Tubin* - Elegy for strings / Symphony No 11 (Koch OOP)









Estonian National Symphony Orchestra u. Arvo Volmer

*Eduard Tubin* - Symphonies 3 & 8 (BIS)









Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Neeme Järvi

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Chamber Music from Estonia*: *Eduard Tubin* - String Quartet / Eleegia / Piano Quartet; *Erkki-Sven Tüür* - String Quartet; *Arvo Pärt* - Fratres for String Quartet (*BIS*)









The Tallinn Quartet & Love Derwinger, piano

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Shostakovich cello concertos, then probably some *Mendelssohn* string symphonies.


----------



## ptr

*Eduard Tubin* - Symphony No 4 _"Lyrical"_ / Symphony No 7 (*ALBA*)









Estonian National Symphony Orchestra u. Arvo Volmer

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

A recent Naxos release - the Lunds Studentsangare singing works for male chorus and orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Telemann: Flute Quartet No.2 in A Minor

William Hazelzet on flute with members of Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Sarah Cunningham, viola -- Mitzi Meyerson, harpsichord

View attachment 13476


----------



## Andolink

Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 2
Pacifica Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Quartet in E flat major, K. 493
Malcolm Bilson, piano/Elizabeth Wilcock, violin/Jan Schlapp, viola/Timothy Mason, cello








Alessandro Scarlatti: Cantata "Correa nel seno amato"
Lynne Dawson, soprano
The Purcell Quartet


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Concerto No.3 (_Horst Stein_), and No.4 & 5 (_Barenboim_)


----------



## ptr

*Eduard Tubin* - Complete Music for Violin, Viola and Piano (*BIS*)









Arvo Leibur, violin / Petra Vahle, viola / Vardo Rumessen, piano

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Well, by the power of coincidence, listening to the Lunds Studentsangare brought me to this:










Tubin's Requiem for Fallen Soldiers.


----------



## ptr

Concertante works with violin.

*Eduard Tubin* - Prélude solennel (1940) / Suite on Estonian Dances for violin and orchestra (1974) / Concerto for violin and orchestra (No 1) (1941/42) (*BIS*)









Mark Lubotsky, violin; Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

*Eduard Tubin* - Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1948) / Valse Triste / Ballade for Violin and Orchestra / Violin Concerto No 2 (1945) / Estonian Dance Suite (1938) (*BIS*)









Gustavo Garcia, violin, Håkan Ehrén, double bass; Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

Will probably listen to the requiem tonight!

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before heading off to work this morning I listened to this wonderful gem. Julius Rontgen's Piano Trios No. 2 and 4. I need to find volume 1 because I love this volume enough to own the first.










Kevin


----------



## ptr

*Eduard Tubin* - Concertino for piano and orchestra (1945) / Music for Strings (1963) / Concerto for flute and string orchestra (1979) (*Warner APEX*)









Lauri Väinmaa, piano; Estonian National SO u. Arvo Volmer / Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra u. Juha Kanga / Maarika Järvi, flute; Tallinn Chamber Orchestra u. Kristjan Järvi

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Started off my morning with Mozart: Concerto for flute and harp. One of my favorite pieces from him, specifically the second movement. That movement puts me in mind of Tchaikovsky, like something you'd find on Swan Lake.

THEN: things got interesting. The roads were very slippery driving in to work, lots of ice. I spun out and went off the road. Nerve wracking experience! My husband was nice and was able to drive it out of the ditch, and circled back around to the road.  While I waited the 20 minutes for him to arrive, Mozart's 2nd flute concerto and Madama Butterfly kept me company!


----------



## rrudolph

I'm going Russian this morning. I'm currently listening to Gliere's 3rd Symphony, "Ilya Murometz". Then Glazunov: The Seasons. Maybe Balakirev after that. Eventually I'll work my way around to Shostakovich. Anybody want to suggest which Shostakovich symphony I should listen to today?


----------



## Sonata

Leningrad.


----------



## ptr

rrudolph said:


> Anybody want to suggest which Shostakovich symphony I should listen to today?


No 14 if You have decent recording!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Eduard Tubin* - Symphonies 9, 10 & 11 "Unfinished" (*ALBA*)









Estonian National Symphony Orchestra u. Arvo Volmer

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Kurtag's* birthday, sampling Jelek, for solo cello with Queyras.

View attachment 13483


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's Paris Symphonies


----------



## Mahlerian

rrudolph said:


> I'm going Russian this morning. I'm currently listening to Gliere's 3rd Symphony, "Ilya Murometz". Then Glazunov: The Seasons. Maybe Balakirev after that. Eventually I'll work my way around to Shostakovich. Anybody want to suggest which Shostakovich symphony I should listen to today?


The 14th was a good suggestion, but I recommend the 4th!


----------



## ptr

*Eduard Tubin* - Symphony No. 7, ETW 7 / Suite on Estonian Dances. ETW 15 / Music for Strings, ETW 18 (*Big Ben*)









Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra u. Hans-Peter Frank

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> The 14th was a good suggestion, but I recommend the 4th!


The fourth was my first thought to, but then I settled on one of the vocal symphonies because I think they are both unjustly underperformed and way to rarely listened to in comparison to the usual Shostakovich war horses!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> The fourth was my first thought to, but then I settled on one of the vocal symphonies because I think they are both unjustly underperformed and way to rarely listened to in comparison to the usual Shostakovich war horses!
> 
> /ptr


Agreed entirely. The 14th is unjustly neglected. I'm not a huge fan of Shostakovich's music, but the 14th and 4th symphonies rank up there with his string quartets as among his best works.


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn 3


----------



## ptr

Ending my Tubinaton with:

*Eduard Tubin* - Requiem for Fallen Soldiers (1979) (Text: Henrik Visnapuu and Marie Under) / Symphony No.10 (1973) 25'21









Kerstin Lundin, alto / Roland Rydell, baritone / Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet / Helmut Sitar, timpani / Peter Wallin, drum / Janåke Larson, organ / Lunds Studentsångare & Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Violin Concerto, with McAslan/ECO/Bedford (rec.1989); Piano Concerto, with MacGregor/ECO/Bedford (rec.1989).

View attachment 13489
View attachment 13490


----------



## ProudSquire

W.A Mozart
Symphony No. 39 in E flat Major
Harnoncourt


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scarlatti Illuminated*. Sonatas and transcriptions (Tausig, Friedman, Gieseking), with Joseph Moog. Sampling of this revealed illuminated kitsch, nothing more. Stay away.

View attachment 13492


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*'s Symphony No.2 & 3

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.85 & 88


----------



## Itullian

Gotterdammerung, Haitink

it's really very good.
great sound too.


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 3










Not sure what to listen to next. Writing documentation at work for two weeks...


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner #6, Philisophic. Gunter Wand. I had reservations about Bruckner because of his "brassiness" which I don't usually care for. But I do rather enjoy a lot of what I've heard so far. I wouldn't say he is an essential composer for me, but I am glad to know his work.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: String Quartets 1 - 3, with Maggini Qt. (rec.1996/7).

View attachment 13495
View attachment 13496


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Bruckner #6, Philisophic. Gunter Wand. I had reservations about Bruckner because of his "brassiness" which I don't usually care for. But I do rather enjoy a lot of what I've heard so far. I wouldn't say he is an essential composer for me, but I am glad to know his work.


I hear you! Some conductors emphasize Bruckner brass, while others play it down. I prefer the latter.

Re Symphony 6 examples, incessant brass from Klemperer, reasonable brass from Nagano (my favorite). Don't know the Wand 6s. :tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

Re Bruckner's 6th, its my favourite symphony by him, its the lightest of his symphonies. I wouldn't say its the greatest - the finale doesn't bring it all together as skillfully as in some of this other symphonies - but I just like the lightness of this work, relative to others by him. I currently have Horst Stein conducting Vienna PO on eloquence label, but I used to have what was considered one of the finest recordings, the Bavarian SO under Wolfgang Sawallisch. I think it got some big award (the Diapason d'or?). But I had that one on tape, its deteriorated now.

& re Scarlatti illuminated Van, looks like it was a bit of a dim effort. Corny joke #6765 there. Viola!


----------



## ptr

Leaving Estonia behind me for this time and signing of with some "modern" organ music to sing me to bed;

Pierre Bousseau - Au Grand Orgue de la Cathedrale Notre-Dame du Harve (ADDA OOP?)









Music by: Ligeti, Vivier, Cavanna, Scelsi, Lenot, Richer, Pärt

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen* Symphony #5
Danish Radio SO under Rafael Kubelik, recorded live in Copenhagen, 1983 (on EMI)
*
Album: In this hid clearing…Music for wind band *(on Naxos)
*Gordon Jacobs* Suite in B flat major (version for symphonic wind band) ; *Jack Stamp* In this hid clearing… ; *Copland* Lincoln Portrait (arr. W. Beeler for wind ensemble) ; *Grainger/Bach *Blithe Bells ; *Grainger/Sousa* Country Gardens ; *Gershwin *Catfish Row (arr. D. Hunsberger)
Alvin Chea, narrator ; Jo Ella Todd, soprano ; Derrick Fox, baritone ; with University of Missouri Wind Ens. Under Thomas O'Neal


----------



## science

Still trying to focus on the great old classic stuff...


----------



## science

It's a shame but there is something wrong with the 3rd movement of the fourth concerto on my CD, so I always skip the fourth concerto when listening to this set. Someday I'll just download that third movement and burn myself a proper disk....

















I went through an anti-hype phase with the "Debut Recital" disk, but coming back to it, it's really very nice.


----------



## science




----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Re Bruckner's 6th, its my favourite symphony by him, its the lightest of his symphonies. I wouldn't say its the greatest - the finale doesn't bring it all together as skillfully as in some of this other symphonies - but I just like the lightness of this work, relative to others by him. I currently have Horst Stein conducting Vienna PO on eloquence label, but I used to have what was considered one of the finest recordings, the Bavarian SO under Wolfgang Sawallisch. I think it got some big award (the Diapason d'or?). But I had that one on tape, its deteriorated now.
> 
> & re Scarlatti illuminated Van, looks like it was a bit of a dim effort. Corny joke #6765 there. Viola!


Re Bruckner Lite, wouldn't you say at the very least that his student symphonies plus Nos. 1 & 2 are "lighter" than 6?


----------



## Vaneyes

I think we've just been nuked by science's listening prowess.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kurtag: Signs, Games and Messages
Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo
Kim Kashkashian, Viola










It's rare that you'll catch me listening to something that won a Grammy...


----------



## science

Vaneyes said:


> I think we've just been nuked by science's listening prowess.


The whole key is to wait 3-4 days before reporting to the thread.


----------



## Schubussy

Bartok - Concerto For Orchestra 
Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## opus55

DSCH 7


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Kleine Orgelmesse - Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill cond.


----------



## OboeKnight

Dvorak 9 ahhhhh


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Luigi Boccherini (19 February 1743-1805): Flute Quintet in D Major, Op.17, No.1

Alexandre Magnin on flute with the Jancek Quartet: Jiri Novotny and Viteslav Zavadilik, violins -- Ladislav Kyselak, viola -- Bretislav Vybiral, cello

View attachment 13501


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Andante and Variations for Mandolin and Keyboard in D, WoO 44b -- James Levine; Karlheinz Zoeller

One of those four little Mandolin and Piano oddities of Beethoven's. 

Bach: Passacaglia & Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582 -- Helmut Walcha

Berlioz: Grande Messe Des Morts, Op. 5 -- Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra

The whole thing! Not just the Dies Irae movement, although I played it twice for good measure, because it's just so good!

Dvořák: Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A -- Tokyo Quartet: Hiroko Nakamura

Elgar: Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 82 -- Maxim Vengerov, Revital Chachamov


----------



## opus55

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

something new.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): String Trio in F Major, Op.1, No.1

Ruggero Marchesi, violin -- Stefano Marcocchi, viola -- Jorge Daniel Rossi, cello

View attachment 13505


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C major
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

It's been a little while since I've listened to this work.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in C Major, KV 6

Remy Baudet, violin -- Pieter-Jean Belder, harpsichord

View attachment 13507


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn 5 .....again. I need to stop -.-


----------



## opus55

Rihm: Gesungene Zeit
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade


----------



## Novelette

OboeKnight said:


> Mendelssohn 5 .....again. I need to stop -.-


No, you don't! I've listened to it more than 50 times in the last 7 or 8 weeks, at least, according to my iTunes play count. Keep going!


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Zappa Modern Ensemble


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Phantasie in C, Op. 131 -- Christian Tetzlaff

Gluck: Alceste -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

A little Gluck to calm the nerves!


----------



## SimonNZ

Glazunov Preludes and Fugues - Stephen Coombs, piano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening once again to this fine collection of Cherubini String Quartets by the Melos Quartet Stuttgart. One of the LP sets in my collection I have never replaced. I love the performances of this set and I doubt there is a better set out there anyway.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Kevin, Cherubini's quartets are masterpieces in their own right! I'm planning to obtain the only recording of the E Minor String Quintet soon.

The Melos set is my set also of the String Quartets. Best recording of them that I've ever heard.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Novelette said:


> Kevin, Cherubini's quartets are masterpieces in their own right! I'm planning to obtain the only recording of the E Minor String Quintet soon.
> 
> The Melos set is my set also of the String Quartets. Best recording of them that I've ever heard.


I agree that they are masterpieces. At times he seems ahead of his time. I have owned this set for years and have loved listening to it. I see where Brilliant records has released it on CD. I may invest in getting a copy as it was only about $18.00 for three discs.

I've moved on to something completely different. This is also from my LP collection. It's Zdenek Kosler conducting Janacek's Taras Bulba with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. This recording dates back to 1977 and was released by Denon but it sounds fresh and clean as if it was recorded today. If it wasn't for the occasional crackles I wouldn't know it was an LP.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Scarlatti sonatas - Alain Planes, fortepiano


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Re Bruckner Lite, wouldn't you say at the very least that his student symphonies plus Nos. 1 & 2 are "lighter" than 6?


I have been listening to #1 lately, also to #0. I haven't heard #00 and I have yet to get to #2 (got it but its on the backburner). What you ask is an interesting question. I hear #6 as lighter than 1 or 0, less solid and weighty. The adagio of #6 has shades of Wagner in lighter mode, esp. Siegfried Idyll. The scherzo has this quicksilver aspect, & the whole work makes me image a golden sunset and like flying being above a landscape looking down, like a bird. This may be wierd, but Bruckner tends to bring colours and images to my mind more than any other composer. Ultimately its subjective but I'd maybe rephrase what I said before, Bruckner's 6th symphony is the lightest of his mature/characteristic symphonies (eg. from the 4th onwards?). Would you agree on that Van?


----------



## DavidA

Liszt Faust symphony. Rattle / BPO


----------



## neoshredder

Mendelssohn Symphony 5


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* symphony no. 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: clarinet quintet. 
One of my favourite pieces of pre-20th C chamber music


----------



## Nereffid

Schubert lieder from Matthias Goerne.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet Op.18 No.1 - Quartetto Italiano


----------



## Guest

I love the smell of Stravinsky in the morning.


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen* Flute Concerto ; Clarinet Concerto ; *Wind Quintet
Frantz Lemmser, flute ; Kjell-Inge Stevensson, clarinet (with Ib Jarlkov, side drum) ; Danish Radio SO under Herbert Blomstedt ; *Melos Ensemble (on EMI)

First listen to this second cd of this set. I especially enjoyed the clarinet concerto. The side drum gave this percussive quality, similar in some parts of Nielsen's 4th and 5th symphonies. I really liked the freewheeling jazzy feel of this piece, as well as the quiet ending which took me by surprise. This clarinetist was great, playing with such spontaneity, or an illusion of it at least - had to remind myself this is classical and not jazz, but classical can have similar qualities to jazz if done as well as this. I want to listen to this set again soon. Great stuff.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Mendelssohn:* symphony no. 1





ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Brahms: clarinet quintet.
> One of my favourite pieces of pre-20th C chamber music


I quite like Mendelssohn's first symphony. Like the more famous octet for strings, written in his teens (he was something like 16-17 I think). I especially love the counterpoint in the final movement of the symphony, like the corresponding movement of the octet, its quite vigorous. Quite full on actually, for Mendelssohn at least.

& as regards to the Brahms, for me its one of his most satisfying chamber works, esp. in terms of him pushing tonality and rhythm, taking on the feel of Hungarian music and blending it with the Viennese tradition. I hear more than a hint of Mozart in there too (in the third movement esp.).


----------



## ptr

*Felix Mendelssohn Bartoldy* - String Quartets No 1, 2 and E flat (Op Ph) (*Harmonia Mundi*)









The Eroica Quartet

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: op. 18,1


----------



## ptr

Ett litet Svenskt Krusbär!*

*Gösta Nystroem* - Concertos for Strings No 1 & 2 and Partita for flute and strings (*Intim Musik*)









Áshildur Haraldsdóttir, flute & Clara Heineman, harp; Musica Vitae u. Michael Bartosch

..a Nordic Gallic Bartokian tone in my ears, might be a slightly to spiky Gooseberry for some, but for me its savoury bite adds much needed excitement !

/ptr

*A small Swedish (musical) Gooseberry...


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto in G Minor for Flute and Bassoon, P.235

Antonio Janigro conducting I Solisti di Zagreb -- Julius Baker, flute -- Karl Hoffmann, bassoon

View attachment 13514


----------



## ptr

Some more Swedish Gooseberries;

*Anders Hillborg* - ... lontana in sonno ... / *Laci Boldemann* - 4 Epitaphs, Op.10 / *Hans Gefors* - Lydias sånger (*DG*)









Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo; Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Kent Nagano

Gooseberryish indeed!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Felix Mendelssohn Bartoldy* - String Quartets No 3 & 4 Op 44 (*Harmonia Mundi*)









The Eroica Quartet

/ptr


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Franz Ignaz Beck (20 February 1734-1809): Symphony in F Major, Op.3, No.1

Michael Schneider leading La Stagione Frankfurt

View attachment 13548


----------



## Sonata

Wagner Without Words- just the way I like him.


----------



## daveh

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major

I haven't heard all of his piano concertos, but this is probably my favorite, particularly the Adagio - it is just beautiful. I don't know how many folks have seen Terrence Malick's The New World (don't speak ill of it, I warn you, as I LOVE the movie!), but the Adagio from this concerto is used very tastefully throughout.


----------



## AndyS

Die Walkure - a live recording from the Met in 1940. Leinsdorf, Flagstad and Melchior. Not the greatest sound but you get used to it, and worth it to hear Melchior and Flagstad in such great voice


----------



## Ramako

I've been away over the weekend, and had two long train journeys to fill with music...

Mahler: Symphony 9, conducted by Klemperer with the New Philharmonia Orchestra; Boccherini: Flute Concerto In D, Severino Gazzelloni with I Musici.















The Boccherini was nice. I have to admit I was slightly disappointed with this Klemperer version of the Mahler. I felt that the last movement somehow was a bit rushed or something - it didn't gel somehow as well in this recording as usual.

Bach: Cello Suites 3-6 played by Pablo Casals; Handel Concerto Grosso 12 in b minor played by Schola Cantorum Basiliensis conducted by August Wenzinger















The Bach Cello Suites recording is of course great, though I'm not sure I am appreciating them fully yet! I love this Handel Concerto Grosso, which has to be one of my favourite pieces ever to come out of the Baroque period. So many great ideas in it - particularly the first half! And of course...

Haydn: symphonies 82-92 with Adam Fischer.


----------



## ptr

*Johann Michael Haydn* - Divertimenti (*CPO*)









Salzburger Hofmusik u. Wolfgang Brunner

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Jean Sibelius* Symphony No.6


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaikovsky 6


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Started my morning with another Melos Quartet recording with Rostropovich performing Schubert's String Quintet in D. A very dramatic and rousing performance. Especially the last two movements. Great piece and great artists! What can be better?










Kevin


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 - Rudolf Kempe


----------



## rrudolph

I'm starting the day with a couple of George Perle wind quintets (there's something for the "tonal vs. atonal" folks to chew on--twelve-tone tonality!). After that, some stuff that's more or less concordant with that style: a David Diamond symphony (probably #2), some Copland (Short Symphony), maybe some neoclassical era Stravinsky. I recently picked up Ann Akiko Myers recording that includes the Piston Sonatina for violin & piano and the Ives Sonata #4, so I'll probably give that a listen too.


----------



## realdealblues

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 - Eugen Jochum


----------



## DavidA

Bach St John Passion / Bruggen


----------



## cmudave

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Sergey Schepkin


----------



## realdealblues

Maybe I'll just spend the day with Bruckner...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Eugen Jochum


----------



## SiegendesLicht

realdealblues said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 - Rudolf Kempe


That is one beautiful cover! Those forests...


----------



## realdealblues

SiegendesLicht said:


> That is one beautiful cover! Those forests...


Agreed. I like the cover art on these new Rudolf Kempe Beethoven releases, but that one for Symphonies 2 & 4 is especially pretty.


----------



## ptr

*Victor Ullmann* - The Seven Piano Sonatas (Steinway & Sons label)









Jeanne Golan, piano of a certain make...

One of the very talented that lost his life in Theresienstadt!

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms Violin Sonatas


----------



## Hausmusik

Haydn, F Minor Variations and Sonata #60 in C Major
Alfred Brendel

One of my favorite & most-listened CDs.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Sept haikai, Colours de la cite celeste, Un vitrail et des oiseaux, Oiseaux exotiques
Yvonne Loriod, piano; Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Pierre Boulez


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - La Nativite du Seigneur; Nine meditations for organ (*Hyperion*)









David Titterington at the organ of Gloucester Cathedral, UK

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, Symphony No. 6, Fedoseyev.


----------



## ptr

On the fringy border of Modern Classical and Jazz...

*Pierre Favre Ensemble* - Singing Drums (ECM)









Very evocative, percussion can make me quite emotional!

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Mendelssohn Symphony 5


Neo, that's my favorite set of Mendelssohn symphony recordings!


----------



## Novelette

I'm definitely liking the recent Mendelssohn fest on here!  As if I needed another reason to be glad to be a part of TC...

Today's listening is largely inspired by Neoshredder:

Corelli: Violin Sonata #8 in E Minor, Op. 5/8 -- Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr

Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, Onziême Ordre -- Christophe Rousset

Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079 -- Semaine de Musique Baroque de Monaco

And of course:

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #2 in C Minor, Op. 66 -- Gould Piano Trio


----------



## neoshredder

Novelette said:


> I'm definitely liking the recent Mendelssohn fest on here!  As if I needed another reason to be glad to be a part of TC...
> 
> Today's listening is largely inspired by Neoshredder:
> 
> Corelli: Violin Sonata #8 in E Minor, Op. 5/8 -- Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr
> 
> Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, Onziême Ordre -- Christophe Rousset
> 
> Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079 -- Semaine de Musique Baroque de Monaco
> 
> And of course:
> 
> Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #2 in C Minor, Op. 66 -- Gould Piano Trio


I'm honored.  Now listening to Geminiani.


----------



## Guest

I am enjoying the early string quartets of a little known composer by the name of Louis of Beet Garden. Apparently he was fairly famous. I love this recording from the Takacs Quartet on Decca.


----------



## Tristan

Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122 (Fitzwilliam Quartet)

It's rare that I'll almost laugh while listening to a piece of music, but this [second movement] is just too entertaining.


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* _Great Mass in C & Ave Verum Corpus_
Helen Donath & Heather Harper, sopranos ; Ryland Davies, tenor ; Stafford Dean, bass ; London SO and Chorus under Sir Colin Davis (Eloquence)

I love the Great Mass, and it's a fairly recent acquaintance. I got this recording a few years ago just before attending a concert of it. It didn't take me long to fall in love with it. Pity that he didn't complete it, but we've still got about an hour of great music. As for Ave Verum Corpus, surely this must be one of Wolfie's most emotional pieces (gets me every time) & not surprisingly its still widely sung at funeral services today.


----------



## ptr

*Edward Elgar* - Organ Sonatas 1 & 2; Vesper Voluntaries; Nimrod; Imperial March (*Regis*)









Dr. Donald Hunt OBE @ the organ of Worcester Cathedral (UK)

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Jehan Alain* - Trois Danses et autres œuvres (*Motette*)









Christophe Mantoux @ the Cavaillé-Coll-Orgel in Saint-Ouen in Rouen (France)

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven, Apassionata.
Chopin, Sonata #2

I LOVE the first movement of Appasionata, as well as the funeral march movement of the Chopin sonata, possibly my favorite piano sonata movements at the moment.


----------



## DavidA

Verdi Aida / Karajan 1959


----------



## Hausmusik

Beethoven
Symphonies 1 & 2
Zinman: Tonhalle


----------



## Vaneyes

*Lutoslawski*: Piano Concerto, with Zimerman/BBCSO/Lutoslawski (rec.1989); Symphony 4, with PNRSO/Wit (rec.1994).

View attachment 13542
View attachment 13543


----------



## ProudSquire

La campanella
Valentina Lisitsa

Gurl can play like there's no tomorrow! Bravissimo!! :clap:


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I have been listening to #1 lately, also to #0. I haven't heard #00 and I have yet to get to #2 (got it but its on the backburner). What you ask is an interesting question. I hear #6 as lighter than 1 or 0, less solid and weighty. The adagio of #6 has shades of Wagner in lighter mode, esp. Siegfried Idyll. The scherzo has this quicksilver aspect, & the whole work makes me image a golden sunset and like flying being above a landscape looking down, like a bird. This may be wierd, but Bruckner tends to bring colours and images to my mind more than any other composer. Ultimately its subjective but I'd maybe rephrase what I said before, Bruckner's 6th symphony is the lightest of his mature/characteristic symphonies (eg. from the 4th onwards?). Would you agree on that Van?


I'd probably give 4 and 5 "lighter" nods, too. As I mentioned earlier, 6 can be weighed down with brass inundation. :tiphat:


----------



## Novelette

Haydn, Michael: Missa In Honorem Sanctae Ursulae, "Chiemsee-Messe" -- Robert King: The King's Consort

Haydn: Double Concerto in F For Violin & Fortepiano, H 18/6 -- Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Saint-Saëns: Symphony in F, "Urbs Roma" -- Jean Martinon: Orchestre National De L'ORTF


----------



## Mahlerian

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
John Eliot Gardiner, Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique


----------



## science

World Violist said:


> OK, now I've heard the rest of the CD... holy crap, that left hand concerto is crazy... I wish my left hand could do something vaguely resembling something like that.
> 
> G major concerto second movement is incredible, my favorite movement of the concerto, and Boulez and Zimerman wonderful throughout it, interplaying with much intelligence and profound instinct.
> 
> I'm finding it very interesting to listen to Ravel and compare him to Enescu, as they were both classmates at the Paris Conservatoire. The only things they really share are unbelievable orchestration and eclecticism, but luckily they are both very profound and insightful musicians as well, certainly not shallow or mere "technicians."


Awesome shout-out to Enescu! I hadn't realized he was classmate with Ravel. Thanks for that info.


----------



## Sonata

DavidA said:


> Verdi Aida / Karajan 1959


How do you like it? I've been wanting to give Aida a try. I like the plotline


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphonies 1 & 2, with CSO/Solti (rec.1989/90); Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, with Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987).

View attachment 13544
View attachment 13545


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Adalbert Gyrowetz (20 February 1763-1804): String Quartet in G Major, Op.44, No.1

Salomon String Quartet : Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Simon Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 13549


----------



## Hausmusik

Guarneri Quartet + Arthur Rubinstein
Brahms, Piano Quintet in f
*
Read my thoughts here.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Francisco de Pealosa motets - Pro Cantione Antiqua, Bruno Turner


----------



## OboeKnight

Elgar Cello Concerto....du Pre. It's unfair how amazing she was.


----------



## bejart

John Field (1782-1837): Piano Sonata in E Flat, Op.1, No.1

John O'Conor, piano

View attachment 13552


----------



## agoukass

Ravel: Complete Works for Solo Piano
Walter Gieseking


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11* *and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"},* both works featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Minor, OP.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. *Both symphonies are performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rossini Cantatas - Riccardo Chailly


----------



## agoukass

Nikolai Medtner: Piano Sonatas and Piano Works.
CD 1: Fairy Tales, Three Hymns in Praise of Toil
Hamish Milne, piano


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, *featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I'd probably give 4 and 5 "lighter" nods, too. As I mentioned earlier, 6 can be weighed down with brass inundation. :tiphat:


Yeah besides the 6th, I love the 4th and also the 7th. I'm just getting to know the 5th, and have recently been listening to the 8th after a long gap - quite depressing but wow, what an amazing coda, how in the last few minutes he combines themes from the three preceding movements, and tops it off with that triumphant chord for the whole orchestra, combining tones/keys from the whole work. I think the 8th is his masterpiece, but its a hard slog getting through all that darkness to that final uplifting bit. But its worth it.

But I agree with what you said before, how his works are performed can make a big difference. In terms of the 6th, that Bavarian/Sawallisch recording had this amazingly light texture, the way they played and the way it was recorded had a quality exceptional compared to any I've heard. But the VPO/Stein one I got now is done kind of more 'straight' to my ears, it is also a commendable recording, but the Sawallisch one had this undefinable thing that was unique.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* piano trio no. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Requiem For Mignon - John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: clarinet quintet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* piano trio no. 1.


----------



## ptr

Two hour wait for my London Transfer @ Arlanda Airport Stockholm, my iPad on wifi is still working, need to close out the constant noise of the transit hall...

*Vytautas Bacevicius* - Orchestral Music (*Toccata Classics*)









Aidas Puodžiukas, piano; Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra u. Vytautas Lukočius & Martynas Staškus

The slightly less famous brother of Polish Composer and Violinist Grazyna Bacewicz.

Which will be followed by:

*James MacMillan* - St John Passion (*LSO Live*)









Christopher Maltman, baritone; London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus u. Sir Colin Davis

and then (if I stll have som time)

*Felix Mendelssohn Bartoldy* - String Quartets Vol 3 (*Harmonia Mundi*)









The Eroica Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Quartets by Ravel and Debussy.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: op. 18,2


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius*:
Symphony No.5
Piano Sonata in F major, Op.12


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wieniawski: violin concerto no. 2


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op.12, No.1

Sandor Papp and Janos Fejervari, violas

View attachment 13573


----------



## DrKilroy

Olivier Messiaen's Fête des belles eaux for ondes martenot sextette. 

Link

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Hausmusik

*
Schubert, Piano Sonata in B flat, D. 960
Arthur Rubinstein*
1969 studio recording

From an Amazon review: "the morning of the session, the pianist had a very upsetting telephone conversation with his oldest son, Paul, which preceded an estrangement which lasted until the pianist's death in 1982."

This reviewer states that this led to a "distracted" performance but to me, it helps account for the emotional depth Rubinstein finds here that he did not find in his earlier 1965 recording. Even the mistakes (an interesting wrong note around 2:30 in the second movement introduces a surprising touch of chromaticism and spontaneity) enhance the power for me. This is, as another reviewer at Amazon states, death-haunted, late-Mahlerian Schubert.


----------



## OboeKnight

Vivaldi Flute Concerto in D....not normally a flute fan, but it's a flute kind of morning lol.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak's String Quartets starting from CD 1.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Petrassi, Magnificat*

This reminds me of a combination of neoclassic Stravinsky' and Poulenc. I would like this piece, except in this recording the choir has a very warbly vibrato. It's just a personality quirk of mine; I dislike warbly vibrato.


----------



## millionrainbows

Ralph Shapey: Radical Traditionalism. Fromm Variations (New World 2-CD).

Not serial, yet decidedly modern (using dissonance for its own sake), Shapey uses "traditional" means of creating his musical ideas: motives (audible shapes which return), line (very contrapuntal), rhythm, repetition (whole sections returning, literal obsessive repetition), contrast (large, clear blocks of material, juxtapositions, landmarks).


----------



## Nereffid

Schubert: Winterreise
Hotter/Moore


----------



## millionrainbows

Kevin Pearson said:


> I'm the one who initially made the request for a separate thread for YouTube videos because they bog down the browsing of this thread on phones. Album covers load rather quickly and I have no problem with them. And it has been mentioned many times about not posting YouTube here by more than one member. I think it would help a whole lot of the YouTube thread was made a sticky post since it has a tendency to drop back to the second page. If it was easier to find I think we would have more compliance with the request. What's frustrating is when members knowingly ignore it because it's then a matter of disrespect of other members on the board. But several of us would be grateful for less YouTubes on the site.
> 
> Kevin


I agree; I think there's too much dependence on YouTube, especially on threads not dedicated to it.


----------



## rrudolph

millionrainbows said:


> Ralph Shapey: Radical Traditionalism. Fromm Variations (New World 2-CD).
> 
> Not serial, yet decidedly modern (using dissonance for its own sake), Shapey uses "traditional" means of creating his musical ideas: motives (audible shapes which return), line (very contrapuntal), rhythm, repetition (whole sections returning, literal obsessive repetition), contrast (large, clear blocks of material, juxtapositions, landmarks).


I would "like" this 10 times over if I could. I always enjoyed Shapey's music. I worry about it being forgotten since it doesn't get programmed very often anymore...


----------



## rrudolph

It's cold here this morning, so I've decided to embrace the chill and listen to this recent acquisition:

Einojuhari Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus, String Quartet #4, Symphony #5









I'm a newcomer to Rautavaara's music so I don't have much to say about it yet. I will say I'm not sure the bird recordings in Cantus Arcticus really add anything. They don't detract either; maybe I'll have a stronger opinion one way or the other after a couple of listenings.

After that, maybe I'll listen to some other Scandinavian stuff. I love the Grieg Holberg Suite and haven't listened to that in a long time. There are also several other Scandinavian composers I have recordings of that I have not listened to much: Stenhammar, Svendsen, Hamerik, Berwald. Maybe I'll explore them and then finish (or Finnish) off with a Sibelius Symphony.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's 25th piano concerto, performed by Mitsuko Uchida. Third movement right now.

Later on, some Hugo Wolf lieder, I haven't decided which ones yet, but I can taste them, they're that close! :tiphat:


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Symphony #3 in F, Op. 90 -- Otto Klemperer

Brahms: Kyrie in G Minor, WoO 17 -- Peter Neumann: Kölner Kammerchor

Schumann: 8 Polonaises, Op. 111 -- Four hands: Peter Frankl & András Schiff

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 [transcribed for string orchestra] -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists


----------



## cmudave

Ferde Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite


----------



## SiegendesLicht

cmudave said:


> Ferde Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite


The name sounds as promising as the Alpine Symphony, but how good is the music?

Current listening: *Franz Schubert* - Forellenquintet.


----------



## Hausmusik

Alfred Brendel
Schubert, Piano Sonatas #19 and 20


----------



## Hausmusik

Graffman, Szell: Cleveland
Prokofiev, Piano Concerto #3 in C, Op. 26


----------



## Sonata

Hausmusik said:


> *
> Schubert, Piano Sonata in B flat, D. 960
> Arthur Rubinstein*
> 1969 studio recording
> 
> From an Amazon review: "the morning of the session, the pianist had a very upsetting telephone conversation with his oldest son, Paul, which preceded an estrangement which lasted until the pianist's death in 1982."
> 
> This reviewer states that this led to a "distracted" performance but to me, it helps account for the emotional depth Rubinstein finds here that he did not find in his earlier 1965 recording. Even the mistakes (an interesting wrong note around 2:30 in the second movement introduces a surprising touch of chromaticism and spontaneity) enhance the power for me. This is, as another reviewer at Amazon states, death-haunted, late-Mahlerian Schubert.


Mahlerian Schubert? I am most intruiged. Into the wish-list it goes!!!

For myself right now, something a little sunnier. Mozart's Piano Quartet in E-Flat major. Charming! However, Mahler is in the queue next: the first movement of symphony 3


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert *- Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" - performed by Karl Böhm and the Berliner Philarmoniker.


----------



## Nereffid

The Foggy, Foggy Dew... oh yes.


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Tannhauser Overture
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Klaus Tennstedt


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> For myself right now, something a little sunnier. Mozart's Piano Quartet in E-Flat major. Charming! However, Mahler is in the queue next: the first movement of symphony 3


Glad I persisted in my listening to this first movement of symphony 3. I love the symphony, but couldn't get into the first movement. Until now. It's clicked! Oh Mahler, you never let me down!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Hausmusik said:


> *
> Schubert, Piano Sonata in B flat, D. 960
> Arthur Rubinstein*
> 1969 studio recording


Interesting remarks. I'm listening now.


----------



## TudorMihai

Enescu - Impressions d'Enfance for violin and piano, Op. 28
Sherban Lupu (violin) and Valentin Gheorghiu (piano)

In queue: Tchaikovsky - Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Kurt Masur (conductor), Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano)


----------



## OboeKnight

Schubert 9


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> I agree; I think there's too much dependence on YouTube, especially on threads not dedicated to it.


FWIW, *Billboard Hot 100* recently announced it'll also use YT plays in determining the ranking.


----------



## Vaneyes

Arnold: String Quartets 1 & 2, with McCapra Qt. (rec.1992); Chamber Music Vol. 1, with Nash Ens. (rec.1984).

View attachment 13584
View attachment 13585


----------



## Novelette

Rameau: Castor et Pollux -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

My first exposure to French Baroque Opera. It remains, ultimately, my favorite opera of all. The entire third act is a set of unmitigated genius and astoundingly dramatic composition. The famous aria "Tristes apprêts, pâles flambeaux" is lovely indeed, but the entire opera is filled with scenes of equally haunting beauty. I highly recommend this opera to anyone who likes Baroque opera generally.


----------



## TudorMihai

I embarked on a journey to listen all of Shostakovich's string quartets.


----------



## MrCello

Britten's Simple Symphony.

One of my favorite pieces not only to listen to but also to play in an orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Messiaen: Le Tombeau resplendissant


----------



## Manxfeeder

TudorMihai said:


> I embarked on a journey to listen all of Shostakovich's string quartets.
> View attachment 13587


Better get some Elavil.


----------



## SimonNZ

Federigo Fiorillo flute quartets - Ensemble a l'Antica


----------



## HoraeObscura




----------



## cmudave

SiegendesLicht said:


> The name sounds as promising as the Alpine Symphony, but how good is the music?
> 
> Current listening: *Franz Schubert* - Forellenquintet.


I've loved listening to the work since I was a little boy. IMO the work has wonderful layers of color and excitement, and the violin solo is outstanding.


----------



## DavidA

Schubert piano trio 1 Capucon Braley


----------



## cwarchc

My 1st Myaskovsky, it wont be my last


----------



## OboeKnight

Saint-Saens Oboe Sonata


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Danse des pretresses de Dagon (Act II)* and *Bacchanle (Act III)* from Samson et Dalila performed by Sir Thomas Beecham/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Carl Czerny (21 February 1791-1857): Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.780

Nikos Athinaos directing the Staatsorchester Frankfurt

View attachment 13595


----------



## daveh

Had a piano concerto day. Listened to:

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4

If anybody has favorite piano concertos or recommendations for me to look at next, outside of my usual Mozart and Beethoven, I would be all ears. I still think Mozart No. 23 remains my favorite.


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Oboe concerto in D Major, L.25b

Janos Rolla leading the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra -- Lajos Lensces, oboe

View attachment 13596


daveh ---
There are a great number of Romantic era piano concertos, but if you're looking for some right on the cusp and contemporary with the two Classical era masters, you might consider those of Ferdinand Ries and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Both were friends of Beethoven, and their compositions show his influence.


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Oboe concerto in D Major, L.25b
> 
> Janos Rolla leading the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra -- Lajos Lensces, oboe
> 
> View attachment 13596


I adore Dittersdorf's works. I'll have to get my hands on this recording now.


----------



## opus55

Cramer: Piano Concerto No. 5
Ries: Piano Concerto in C#m


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dittersdorf/Stulick/Graupner/Forster Oboe Concertos


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in B Flat, KV 281

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 13597


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Sonata in B flat, K.570










Following bejart in the same key


----------



## SimonNZ

Hildegard of Bingen: "11,000 Virgins" - Anonymous 4


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}. *Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64, *performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

daveh said:


> Had a piano concerto day. Listened to:
> 
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
> 
> If anybody has favorite piano concertos or recommendations for me to look at next, outside of my usual Mozart and Beethoven, I would be all ears. I still think Mozart No. 23 remains my favorite.


Dave I have a recommendation for you that would probably fit your taste and that would be the Piano Concertos of John Field. I own the individual volumes but Chandos now has them available as a set. They are all superb and O'Rouke's playing is above reproach.










Kevin


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 53 in D major ("L'Impériale")
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken








Sigismondo D'India: Madrigali, arie, e balletti
Ensemble Elyma/Gabriel Garrida








J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 99 'Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan'
The Bach Ensemble/Joshua Rifkin


----------



## neoshredder

Kevin Pearson said:


> Dave I have a recommendation for you that would probably fit your taste and that would be the Piano Concertos of John Field. I own the individual volumes but Chandos now has them available as a set. They are all superb and O'Rouke's playing is above reproach.
> Kevin


Also try Hummel


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Tchaikovsky's Symphony 4


----------



## GreenMamba

Allesandro Scarlatti's La Griselda, Act One. Sanzagno/Freni/Alva. On Spotify. 

No idea what the story is, but I like the music a lot.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Piano Trio No.1 - Julius Katchen, piano, Josef Suk, violin, Janos Starker, cello


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* op. 12 then op. 13


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Friedrich Gulda, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* op. 64


----------



## Kieran

daveh said:


> Had a piano concerto day. Listened to:
> 
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
> 
> If anybody has favorite piano concertos or recommendations for me to look at next, outside of my usual Mozart and Beethoven, I would be all ears. I still think Mozart No. 23 remains my favorite.


Definitely some Rachmaninov, I think his are essential too...


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:

Cello Sonata No.1 and 2
Clarnet Quintet No.1
Horn Trio
Ein Deutsches Requiem
String Quartet No.1

While napping! That made me more attached to them.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* op. 66


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Sonata in B Minor, QV 1:147

Benedek Csalog, flute -- Rita Papp, harpsichord

View attachment 13610


----------



## Guest

Shostakovich


----------



## Arsakes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Mendelssohn:* op. 66


Can be more specific? Even I don't remember my most favorite composers works in Opus numbers.


----------



## Nereffid

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=mendelssohn+opus+66

:devil:


----------



## TudorMihai

daveh said:


> Had a piano concerto day. Listened to:
> 
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
> 
> If anybody has favorite piano concertos or recommendations for me to look at next, outside of my usual Mozart and Beethoven, I would be all ears. I still think Mozart No. 23 remains my favorite.


If you want to try something new, here is Miklos Rozsa's Piano Concerto:


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quartets op. 33 no. 5 in E minor and no. 6 in E flat major
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








J. S. Bach: Trio Sonata in C major BWV 1037
London Baroque/Charles Medlam








Luigi Boccherini: String Trio op. 47 no. 3 in B flat major
Trio L'Europa Galante








Ludwig Van Beethoven: Grosse Fuge in B-flat major, op. 133
The Alexander String Quartet








Peter Philips: Pavans and Galliards
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman


----------



## HoraeObscura

crappy pop on the radio


----------



## Mordred

Mozart sinfonia concertante. Richard tognetti and the Australian chamber orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Arsakes said:


> Can be more specific? Even I don't remember my most favorite composers works in Opus numbers.


Piano trio no. 2


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mordred said:


> Mozart sinfonia concertante. Richard tognetti and the Australian chamber orchestra


Best version ever!!!!!!!!


----------



## rrudolph

Some of the most amazing orchestrations ever conceived by the human mind:









After that, no real plan. I put some Martinu on my iPod last night, I'll probably listen to some of that. I really like "Les Fresques de Piero Della Francesca" although I can't pronounce it properly...

After that, maybe some Rosza (inspired by TudorMihai's post above).


----------



## opus55

Mozart piano trios










I realized that I've never listened to Mozart's piano trios.


----------



## Nereffid

Finzi: Let Us Garlands Bring (Terfel / Martineau)


----------



## Nereffid




----------



## OboeKnight

Mozart oboe concerto in c major. (Also playing along with it lol)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schnittke's Violin Concertos 3, 4


----------



## Kieran

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Schnittke's Violin Concertos 3, 4


Very snazzy cover!


----------



## aleazk

Takemitsu: "Textures".






I love that piece. I always imagine a summer night in ancient imperial Japan, the night is clear, although some random clouds cover the brilliant and white moon, but not entirely. I'm inside a house, traditional, of course, and I'm sitting and looking through the open window, the night is extremely quiet, only a breeze is perceived. Despite this, the mood is tense, suffocatingly tense.


----------



## neoshredder

Kieran said:


> Very snazzy cover!


Yeah I like it. All the BIS covers have that same color scheme with Schnittke.


----------



## cwarchc

......


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat
Berlin Philharmonic, Andre Cluytens


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 4.*









Then on to Barnes & Noble, drinking herb tea, listening to Furtwangler's recording of Bruckner's 8th, and thinking, no matter how tired, overworked, and stressed I have been today, this is the kind of thing that makes life g-o-o-d.


----------



## DavidA

Verdi Otello Vickers / Karajan


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert *- Symphonies No. 1 through 5 (Karl Böhm and Berliner Philarmoniker). Let's see if I can get through the whole set tonight. So far I like No. 1 and 5 the most (and the 8th)


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Plus Belles Scenes De L'Opera Baroque"

a sampler disc of Harmonia Mundi's catalogue of Baroque opera


----------



## Sid James

Arsakes said:


> *Brahms*:
> 
> ...
> While napping! That made me more attached to them.


I sometimes listen to music while napping. Wierd how I often wake up at a start right at the end of a piece after dozing off. I'm hearing it but I'm not kind of thing.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Joachim Nikolas Eggert (22 February 1779-1813): String Quartet in C Minor, Op.3

Salomon String Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 13642


----------



## AndyS

Winterreise - Hotter/Moore


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet - Reginald Kell, clarinet, The Busch Quartet


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.2 in D Minor, Op.40 and Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.44, *both chillingly performed by the Orchestre National de France under the wand of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589. *Both works feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Niels Vilhelm Gade (22 February 18171890): Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.25

Neeme Jarvi leading the Stockholm Sinfonietta

View attachment 13644


----------



## waldvogel

For the first time in my life... The Bells, by Rachmaninoff. If (like me, until tonight) you don't know it, it's a choral piece in several movements, with lush orchestration. I've got to listen to it a few more times, but it's sounding really good right now.


----------



## Andolink

Alfred Schnittke: Symphony No. 1
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Leif Segerstam








Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 90 in C major
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken


----------



## GreenMamba

John Adams, Son of Chamber Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble/Adams.


----------



## OboeKnight

Romeo and Juliet Overture - Tchaikovsky


----------



## violadude

Kieran said:


> Very snazzy cover!


Snazzy cover for a snazzy composer.


----------



## Mahlerian

Making tonight a 20th century evening.

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 3
New Vienna String Quartet










Takemitsu: From Beyond the Crysanthymums and November Fog, Landscape, Ring, Valeria
Ensemble Takemitsu


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op.12, No.1

Zino Francescatti, violin -- Robert Casadesus, piano

View attachment 13647


----------



## Arsakes

*Telemann*: 
Ouverture & Suite in E minor for two Flutes and Strings
Ouverture & Suite in D major for Oboe, Trumpet and Strings


----------



## Novelette

Corelli: Concerto Grosso #9 in F, Op. 6/9 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert 

Listening to them again!

Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53 -- Maxim Vengerov: New York Philharmonic

Boieldieu: Harp Concerto in C, Op. 77 -- Marisa Robles: The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Haydn: Die Schöpfung, H 21/2 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Corelli, Haydn, Boieldieu, Dvorak? Perfect line-up!


----------



## neoshredder

In a modern mood lately. Listening to Ligeti cd 1.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* op. 20


----------



## Mordred

Josquin masses. The Tallis scholars. Perfect for some pious relaxation by the pool on Saturday afternoon!


----------



## Guest

Bach before sunrise.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* op. 20 again! Today has been the first time I've heard it in years and it is just so...good!!! Better melodies than Schubert ever wrote!


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Mendelssohn:* op. 20 again! Today has been the first time I've heard it in years and it is just so...good!!! Better melodies than Schubert ever wrote!


Yes the Octet is amazing. I listen to it frequently. This version is pretty good:


----------



## Flamme

....


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Mischa Maisky playing Elgar's Cello Concerto


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Trio op. 47 no. 4 in E flat major
Trio L'Europa Galante








Peter Philips: Bassano Pavan and Galliard; Dolorosa Pavan and Galliard; Divisions on the Dolorosa Pavan
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman








John Blow: Salvator mundi salva nos; Stay, Gentle Echo; Sonata in A
Redbyrd 
The Parley of Instruments








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478
Malcolm Bilson, fortepiano/Elizabeth Wilcock, violin/Jan Schlapp, viola/Timothy Mason, cello








Morton Feldman: Why Patterns?
Jan Williams (glockenspiel and vibraphone), Nils Vigeland (piano and celesta), and Eberhard Blum (flutes)


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Sonata in D Major, BWV 863

Robert Hill, harpsichord

View attachment 13659


----------



## Oldboy

Elgar


----------



## Hausmusik

Beethoven 
Kreutzer Sonata
Mullova & Bezuidenhout


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: String Quintet in C, Op. 29, "Storm" -- Amadeus Quartet & Lukas Hagen

Brahms: Piano Sonata #2 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 2 -- Gerhard Oppitz

Fauré: Cello Sonata #2, Op. 117 in G Minor -- Renaud Capuçon & Gautier Capuçon

Haydn: Baryton Trio #118 in D, H 11/118 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Berlioz: Le Corsaire Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden

Berlioz: Waverley Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Georg Friedrich Handel (23 February 1685-1759): Flute Sonata in B Minor, Op.1, No.9

Lisa Beznosiuk, flute -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

View attachment 13661


----------



## Kieran

Bach Orchestral Suite #1, came free with the BBC magazine this month. I love that busy rhythm! I wonder if this I'd the conversion cd that brings me forward to Bach?


----------



## Hausmusik

*Haydn, Symphony #92 "Oxford"
Sigiswald Kuijken : La Petite Bande
*
How do you pronounce Sigiswald Kuijken? I heard it spoken on classical radio station once but forget how they managed it


----------



## opus55

Field: Piano Concerto No. 2
Hummel: Piano Concertino in G










Saturday morning with coffee and piano concertos.


----------



## HoraeObscura

my son crying because of the aerosol


----------



## jani

I am a not huge fan of Valentina but i love her interpretationof this piece.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## daveh

I actually listened to the Karajan last night and really enjoyed it, so I am now going with the more expanded Klemperer set. I have to be honest, I just don't have much interest in opera. Perhaps it will happen one day, but I have so much great music in front me, just waiting for me to "discover," that I'm not in the mood to try and force myself into listening to something right now. That being said, this orchestral music from Wagner is just so incredible, I can't help but listen to these type of albums of his music. Just amazing stuff.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hummel


----------



## Kieran

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Hummel


Stephen Hough has a very interesting Blog in the Telegraph too, if you're at all interested. Occasionally he even writes about music...


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Symphony No.8 in G major Op.88


----------



## daveh

Arsakes said:


> *Dvorak*'s Symphony No.8 in G major Op.88


This remains my favorite of his great symphonies.


----------



## neoshredder

Kieran said:


> Stephen Hough has a very interesting Blog in the Telegraph too, if you're at all interested. Occasionally he even writes about music...


Bookmarked. Thanks.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in Flat, Op.16, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 13668


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Hausmusik

Beethoven, Rasumovsky No. 1 in F Major, Kodaly Qt.

One of my favorite pieces of music in the world.
The underrated Kodaly Quartet do a marvelous job and are well recorded (the cello, notably so).


----------



## drpraetorus

Orff, Trinfo di Aphrodite


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Enescu, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## aleazk

I'm having a micropolyphony day with Ligeti's: Atmospheres, Lontano, Melodien, Ramifications, and Clocks and Clouds.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, quartet #8


----------



## deggial

Christie's Alcina in honour of Mr. Handel :cheers:


----------



## Kieran

Carmen, live from the Met, on the radio, Lyric fm...


----------



## neoshredder

Hummel Piano Concerto in E Major and Field's first 2 Piano Concertos.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morton Feldman, Why Patterns?*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Requiem.*

The Bible speaks of a white throne judgment. Whatever that really is, I'd hope when it happens, Mozart's Recordare is being played. That piece alone is enough to move someone into ripping up all the accounting ledgers.


----------



## cwarchc

Mahler 5 
Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel
Streaming on DG radio
Good quality sound, nice selection of music


----------



## AngelOfMercy




----------



## opus55

Mozart: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Brahms: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Albinoni Concerti Op.7 - Berlin Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Trios in B flat K 254 and G K496*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schubert: D125 D417


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Christian Joseph Lidarti (23 February 1730-1795): Violin Concerto No.3 in A Major

Auser Musici with Francesco D'Orazio, violin

View attachment 13676


----------



## Zauberberg

Trying Carlos Chávez, Sinfonía Romántica (4th Symphony), conducted by Eduardo Mata under the London Symphony Orchestra. Hideous cover so I won't post it here.


----------



## Guest

I took an hour and a half drive through the country in the crisp February sunshine today. The Brandenburgs were the perfect soundtrack. I have them by Marriner and Zimmermann, but Pinnock's is still the best.


----------



## SimonNZ

Cherubini's Requiem In C Minor - Ricardo Muti


----------



## Tristan

Dvorak - String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 2

I've been listening to a lot of string quartets recently, ever since I got the Shostakovich set. Since, I have gotten Dvorak's and Mozart's. I used to kind of write off string quartets as boring, but I've gotten to really like them, especially the Dvorak.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tristan said:


> Dvorak - String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 2
> 
> I've been listening to a lot of string quartets recently, ever since I got the Shostakovich set. Since, I have gotten Dvorak's and Mozart's. I used to kind of write off string quartets as boring, but I've gotten to really like them, especially the Dvorak.


Best SQ composers of all time according to me: Haydn, Beethoven, *Mendelssohn*, Bartók, Shostakovich, Carter, Ligeti, Ferneyhough. I praise Ferneyhough as the best of them all when it comes to SQs. Are you familiar with any of his stuff? Definitely worth looking into.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

AngelOfMercy said:


>


There is a separate thread for current listening non-classical in the non-classical subforum. 

Trollololol


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 13683
> 
> 
> Cherubini's Requiem In C Minor - Ricardo Muti


Whaddaya think of it?


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Best SQ composers of all time according to me: Haydn, Beethoven, *Mendelssohn*, Bartók, Shostakovich, Carter, Ligeti, Ferneyhough. I praise Ferneyhough as the best of them all when it comes to SQs. Are you familiar with any of his stuff? Definitely worth looking into.


No Schubert, Dvorak, or Tchaikovsky? But yeah Ligeti and Shostakovich got some really good ones.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven










Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major


----------



## science

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> There is a separate thread for current listening non-classical in the non-classical subforum.


Not to mention this sadly neglected thread:

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Michael Hedges - Cello Suite #1 in G Major (Bach)


----------



## Tristan

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Best SQ composers of all time according to me: Haydn, Beethoven, *Mendelssohn*, Bartók, Shostakovich, Carter, Ligeti, Ferneyhough. I praise Ferneyhough as the best of them all when it comes to SQs. Are you familiar with any of his stuff? Definitely worth looking into.


lol, no offense, but I find music like that of Ferneyhough to be pretty awful. But I will definitely look into Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to *Mendelssohn*. Inspired by CoAG. Period Instruments btw.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tristan said:


> lol, no offense, but I find music like that of Ferneyhough to be pretty awful. But I will definitely look into Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.


Awful? Okay suit yourself. :lol:
But what is it about the music that you find awful?
Are you a musician btw? You are quite musically inclined when it comes to repertoire.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Listening to *Mendelssohn*. Inspired by CoAG. Period Instruments btw.


Oh my gosh! I need that!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to Schubert D82 D200 D759


----------



## Tristan

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Awful? Okay suit yourself. :lol:
> But what is it about the music that you find awful?
> Are you a musician btw? You are quite musically inclined when it comes to repertoire.


Too dissonant, I suppose. I'm not opposed to any abstract/avant-garde/atonal/dissonant (whatever you want to call it--I realize there are 100 page debates about what all these terms mean and whether or not they are even valid terms) music, but beyond that of Stravinsky, Orff, and Shostakovich, it's rare that I find music much more abstract/dissonant to be very good. I'm not a musician, not really. I can play the piano to some degree, and I can read music slowly, but that's about it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tristan said:


> Too dissonant, I suppose. I'm not opposed to any abstract/avant-garde/atonal/dissonant (whatever you want to call it--I realize there are 100 page debates about what all these terms mean and whether or not they are even valid terms) music, but beyond that of Stravinsky, Orff, and Shostakovich, it's rare that I find music much more abstract/dissonant to be very good. I'm not a musician, not really. I can play the piano to some degree, and I can read music slowly, but that's about it.


Ah that is interesting...you are strange to me.


----------



## opus55

Alfven: Symphony No. 3


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.
Piotr Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}* *and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 {"Pathetique"},*
both performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.15 in A Minor, Op.132

Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- David Schwartz, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello

View attachment 13685


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening:
*
Bruckner *_Symphony #8 in C minor (Nowak edition)_
Vienna PO under Sir Georg Solti (on Eloquence label)

Starting off with a quite heavy piece, what many say is Bruckner's greatest achievement, the epic battle between darkness and light that is his 8th symphony. Its quite a depressing work for me, especially in terms of the scherzo whose obsessive repetition has this psychopathic quality, but in the end all is resolved in an amazing coda that combines all three main themes from the preceding movements, crowning it off with a blazing chord in C major. Amazing brass work in this symphony, as well as those layerings reminiscent of Palestrina's choral music which is a Bruckner trademark.
*
Beethoven transcribed by Liszt* _Symphony #9 in D minor, Op. 125_
Cyprien Katsaris, piano (World Premiere Recording on Teldec label)

Another meaty piece, my first listen to Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony. Amazing in its creativity and imagination. Liszt balked at the prospect of translating the vocal/choral parts of the finale down to one instrument, but his effort paid off. Liszt saw this symphony as a pinnacle of artistic creation, he put it on the same level as Dante's Divine Comedy.

*R. Strauss* _Four Last Songs (Vier letze lieder)_
Gundula Janowitz, soprano with Berlin PO under Herbert von Karajan (DGG)

Then to one of Strauss'most personal works, and a pinnacle of late romantic song writing. My favourite of this set is the final song, Im Abendrot, where an old couple contemplates the going down of the sun to the sounds of calls of skylarks replicated by the flutes. This is the end of life and I see the final minute or so as a representation of the passage of the soul to another dimension.

*Louis Armstrong* _Best Live Concert, Volume 1_
Armstrong, leader/trumpet/vocals and the All Stars: Tyree Glenn, trombone ; Eddie Shu, clarinet ; Billy Kyle, piano ; Buddy Catlett, double bass & guest Jewell Brown, vocals
Recorded 1965 in Paris (on Universal/Gitanes label - Jazz in Paris series)

Finishing with jazz and Satchmo, one of many concerts he did all around the world. He sings his usual hits here like When its sleepy time down South, Blueberry Hill and Hello Dolly - a song he apparently loathed, but it truly brings the house down - and also provides room for his band to feature in some great instrumental tracks. My favourite of those is pianist Billy Kyle playing Perdido, and putting at the end of that a mini cadenza quotation of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2! Some amazing stuff from the guy who Miles Davis paid tribute to as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> Whaddaya think of it?


I'm much more familiar with Cherubini's D minor Requiem than the earlier C minor, which I was playing today. To be honest I was a little surprised at how parts crossed beyond dramatic and into the operatic. The D minor work has plenty of force and range of emotion but seems ultimately more controlled and more a part of the musical history and philosophy of the Requiem, whatever advances and originality it also contains. I guess what I'm saying is the later work strikes me as more sincere.

I know Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Berlioz all rated the C minor highly, so I'll certainly be coming back to it to try and hear what they hear, but that was my first impression.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: opp. 56 and 80 then some Bach played by the Jacques Louisser Trio.


----------



## SimonNZ

Massenet, Bizet and Hahn songs - Vinson Cole, tenor, Patrick Stephens, piano


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Berwald: Symphony No. 4


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: op. 3
Sizzling hot, crunchy outside, bursting with flavour, wonderful tasty food by Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Vivaldi: op. 3
> Sizzling hot, crunchy outside, bursting with flavour, wonderful tasty food by Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante.


Save some room for dessert.  Maybe some Mozart Symphonies?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Save some room for dessert.  Maybe some Mozart Symphonies?


Nah, *Mendelssohn's* 8 flavour ice cream op. 20 after this.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Nah, *Mendelssohn's* 8 flavour ice cream op. 20 after this.


Listening to the Octet at the moment actually.  Hope you get gourmet icecream (Hausmusik London).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Listening to the Octet at the moment actually.  Hope you get gourmet icecream (Hausmusik London).


I envy you.....


----------



## neoshredder

Kind of hungry. Eating some Vivaldi Concertos 5-12 on Op. 8


----------



## opus55

Glass: String Quartets
Beethoven: "Egmont" Overture

















Glass' string quartets sound ok as a background music but seem pointless overall - not my cup of tea. I hope to get better impression when I re-listen some other time.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Mendelssohn:* op. 20


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Partitas - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schubert: D125. Love it!


----------



## Maes

Vivaldi - Four seasons. Great masterpiece. Great composer. Charming melody


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Symphony No.2 in B flat major, Op.4


----------



## Guest

I've been on a Bach kick lately. Karl Richter does the Mass in B minor best. Sunday morning listening.


----------



## Kieran

Ludwig Pathetique


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 91 in D major
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken








J.S. Bach: Trio Sonata in G major, BWV 1039
London Baroque/Charles Medlam








Luigi Boccherini: String Trio op. 47 no. 6 in F major
Trio L'Europa Galante








Orazio Vecchi and Adriano Banchieri: Canzoni and instrumental dances
The King's Noyse/David Douglass








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in E flat, op. 71 no. 3
The Salomon String Quartet


----------



## bejart

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (ca.1620-1680): Sonata Natalita a 3 Chori

Nikolaus Harnoncourt leading Concertus musicus Wien

View attachment 13696


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart Piano Concerti nos. 17-21 - Ingrid Haebler playing with London Symphony Orchestra.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 131 "Aus der tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir"
The Bach Ensemble/Joshua Rifkin 








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, op. 74 no. 1
The Salomon String Quartet


----------



## Nereffid

Schumann: Symphony no.3 - Sawallisch/Dresden Staatskapelle


----------



## Ramako

I found some fascinating videos of Byzantine Classical Music.






It's really interesting. There seems to be a box-set or something which is where the Youtube videos come from. I'm going to look to see if I can get them on cd now without spending a fortune.

Current listening: Mahler symphony 5, Leonard Bernstein with the Wiener Philharmoniker.









While I love many parts of this symphony, I still feel that I haven't really grasped the essence of this work. Bernstein's version is certainly a new slant for me, but at some point in the future I will have to go on a quest to see if I can discover it properly perhaps with some new recordings.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## daveh

Now to the final discs of this set. I will be listening from No. 36 to the end of Mozart's symphonies. Should be a good day musically!


----------



## Sonata

My Janet Baker: Icon set came in yesterday.I am listening to Wagner's Wessendock lieder for the first time ever.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart Violin sonata K377, performed by Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## Zauberberg

Takemitsu - Quatrain, Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa.


----------



## Sonata

Kieran said:


> Mozart Violin sonata K377, performed by Barenboim and Perlman...


do you have their full set? It's in my wish list.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.32, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Joseph Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 13702


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Samuel Wesley (24 February 1766-1837): Symphony in D Major

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players

View attachment 13703


----------



## neoshredder

Mendelssohn again


----------



## Nereffid

Schoenberg - Piano concerto


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A minor

Off of the radio. I didn't catch the performer.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major
Radu Lupu, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi

Radio rebroadcast of the exact concert I went to. I'm going to find out how accurate my memory is.


----------



## Kieran

Hugo Wolf, Goethe Lieder, Frech und froh, II...


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.53 in D Major, Op.64, No.5

Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Robin Ireland, viola -- Bernard Gregor-Smith, cello

View attachment 13704


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi

Same as above.


----------



## Ramako

Brahms: Piano Quintet in f minor with Amadeus Quartet & Christoph Eschenbach









A member here (I'm sorry, I've forgotten who) recommended this as a work to help me get into Brahms after the Clarinet Quintet. I'm enjoying this work, though not as much as the other. I will have to listen to it more to get into it, but that is part of the fun with a composer like Brahms


----------



## Ravndal

Wolfgang Plagge - Concerto Grosso for Bassoon, Pianoforte and Orchestra.






Great work.


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major
> Radu Lupu, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi
> 
> Radio rebroadcast of the exact concert I went to. I'm going to find out how accurate my memory is.


How was your memory?


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> How was your memory?


Very good. Even compressed for radio broadcast, it was a great concert. Definitely one of the better performances of Mozart's 23rd that I've heard (and I'd even heard it played by the BSO before. Can't recall the soloist, though...).

As for the Bruckner, the 1st horn made that one devastating mistake and slurred some of the notes; unfortunately, that too I remembered.


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Very good. Even compressed for radio broadcast, it was a great concert. Definitely one of the better performances of Mozart's 23rd that I've heard (and I'd even heard it played by the BSO before. Can't recall the soloist, though...).
> 
> As for the Bruckner, the 1st horn made that one devastating mistake and slurred some of the notes; unfortunately, that too I remembered.


He wrote a silly amount of piano concertos, that chap.

I remember last year we went to see Don Giovanni in Dublin and in the trio in act 2, that gorgeous music where Leporello is pretending to be the Don while the Don sings from under the balcony, the french horn entered with a massive blooping blast. We still get a kick out of that whenever we listen to the Guilini cd...


----------



## Mahlerian

I looked up the soloist from the other time. It was Leon Fleisher under James Levine, in case you were wondering.



> I remember last year we went to see Don Giovanni in Dublin and in the trio in act 2, that gorgeous music where Leporello is pretending to be the Don while the Don sings from under the balcony, the french horn entered with a massive blooping blast. We still get a kick out of that whenever we listen to the Guilini cd...


Sounds like quite a memory.


----------



## bejart

In further celebration of his birthday ---
Samuel Wesley (24 February 1766-1837): String Quartet in E Flat

Salomon Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 13709


----------



## etkearne

I haven't posted at TC for quite awhile. The composers that I have been listening to recently include:

- Alban Berg
- Francis Poulenc
- Bela Bartok (I have a renewed interest in him after sort of "buring out" on him a few years back)

My favorite work is currently "Piano Sonata" by Alban Berg.


----------



## opus55

Zemlinsky: Orchestral Songs
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento No.5 for 2 Clarinets and Bassoon, KV 439b

Henk de Graff and Jan Jensen, clarinets -- Johan Steinmann, bassoon

View attachment 13711


----------



## Novelette

Hummel: Flute Sonata in A, Op. 64 -- Carmen Picard & Lise Daoust

Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85 -- Daniel Barenboim

Mozart: Rondo in D, K 382 -- John Eliot Gardiner; Malcolm Bilson: English Baroque Soloists

Bach: Oboe d'Amore Concerto in A, BWV 1055 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Bouquet Of Old Vienna Dances" - Paul Angerer, cond.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Cambini (1746-1825): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.1, No.2

Quatour Joachim: Zbigniew Marc Kornowicz and Johanna Rezler, violins -- Diane Phoenix, viola -- Laurent Ranou, cello

View attachment 13713


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy - Pelleas et melisande. Should get some sleep, but... Debussy is just too interesting.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart - Symphonies 40 and 41.


----------



## Sonata

Listened to the rest of my first disc of Janet Baker: Brahms' Alto Rhapsody, Strauss: four orchestral songs, and Elgar: Sea Pictures. Simply a fantastic disc!! I also started disc 4, with three pieces from Handel: Cantata #13, Italian cantata #1, and He Was Despised from the Messiah. 

Really happy with the set so far.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos - Jordi Savall


----------



## daveh

Finished the Mozart symphony set and now and loved it. 38-41 always amaze me.

Now, in hopes of branching out to at least hear _something_ from many other composers, I think I am honestly going to take a "greatest symphonies" list, which is as arbitrary as any other "greatest" list, and just try and work my way through most of it and experience some symphonies from folks not named Mozart, Dvorak, or Beethoven.

So, with that in mind, I am currently listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Zemlinsky: Orchestral Songs
> Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1


Hi, Opus. I'd like your opinion on the Ozawa/Berliner Philharmoniker Prokofiev Cycle, as I have been trying to decide whether or not to pull the trigger on it. Thanks.


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *both works performed by the Mstislav Rostropovich led Orchestre National de France.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, * both works featuring the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## SimonNZ

Just finished this:









Early Venetian Lute Music - Christopher Wilson, lute

Now playing this:









Mozarabic Chant - Marcel Peres


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Period Performance!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Relaxing with a nitecap of Dvorak's Trio for piano, violin and cello, Op. 65 and also OP. 90 performed by Emanuel Ax, Young Uck Kim and Yo-Yo Ma. Excellent performances by excellent performers.










Kevin


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Vier Stucke for Choir, Op. 27
BBC Singers, Members Of The London Sinfonietta, cond. Pierre Boulez


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Cello Sonata No.2 - Pablo Casals, cello, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, piano


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Keyboard Sonata in B Flat, H.25, (W.48/2)

Miklos Spanyi, harpsichord

View attachment 13727


----------



## Guest

The English Chamber Orchestra dominates my Mozart concerto library. Get a good soloist and the orchestra never dissapoints.


----------



## Schubussy

Maurice Ravel - Sonatas & Trio
Frank Braley, Gautier Capuçon, Renaud Capuçon


----------



## Guest

On to the flute concertos. Again with the ECO. Susan Milan soloing.


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> Hi, Opus. I'd like your opinion on the Ozawa/Berliner Philharmoniker Prokofiev Cycle, as I have been trying to decide whether or not to pull the trigger on it. Thanks.


I believe the cycle is overall a good recording but the music isn't as interesting as I expected. I'm comparing to my favorites - Haitink Shostakovich, Karajan 60s Beethoven, Jarvi Sibelius. I'm a listener with a lot of patience but Ozawa's Prokofiev cycle hasn't helped me get into the rest of the symphonies other than 1st and 5th. I found them rather difficult. The 1st symphony though, I do enjoy tremendously - it's the "other" symphonies that I'm still trying to appreciate. I don't have another Prokofiev set to compare so don't take my opinion too seriously.. Until I hear another set I wouldn't know if it's the music or the interpretation that I don't get.


----------



## Sonata

Caught Schumann's piano concerto on my drive to work. Possibly my favorite piano concerto after Rach 2 and Brahms 2, so very pleasant listening indeed.


----------



## ptr

In loving memory!

*Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldy* - The Complete Symphonies (Philips OOP?)









New Philharmonia Orchestra u. *Wolfgang Sawallisch*

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartets op. 64 no. 3 in B flat major and no. 1 in C major
Quatour Mosaïques








J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 106 "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit"
The Bach Ensemble/Joshua Rifkin








Milton Babbitt: Sextets
Rolf Schulte, violin
Alan Feinberg, piano








Morton Feldman: I Met Heine on the Rue Fürstenberg (for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion & mezzo-soprano)
Ensemble Recherche








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F major, op. 74 no.2
The Salomon String Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1* and *Britten, Serenade.*


----------



## ptr

Something wonderfully quirky mid century English baroquisms:

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - St Matthew Passion (Live, Sung in English, 1958 @ *Pearl*)









Soli, Leith Hill choir and orchestra u. Ralph Vaughan Williams

The sun is breaking through the clouds today and RVW's elegiac Bach gives the weather all the boost it could need!

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Oboe sonatas by Hindemith and Saint-Saens...cramming them both in my head because those are 2 selections for my upcoming recital =)


----------



## rrudolph

I'm going all German romantic this morning in honor of Wolfgang Sawallisch's passing. The program I've come up with so far:

Strauss: Festive Prelude
Wagner: Tannhauser (the "without words" version concocted by Maazel)
Bruckner: Symphony #3
Strauss (again): Don Quixote

There will be more, but I'm not sure what. No Mahler because of Sawallisch's remark that Mahler was "like a man fumbling for his keys but never finding them"--a view with which I disagree, but since I'm listening in memoriam Sawallisch no Mahler (and double Strauss--maybe triple if I get the urge!).


----------



## Ramako

Brahms: Clarinet Trio in a minor with Karl Leister, Georg Donderer and Christoph Eschenbach.
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in b minor with Amadeus Quartet and Karl Leister









I thought I'd follow up the Piano Quintet with some more Brahms...

Also listening to Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_ at the moment because we will be looking at it in a conducting lesson later on today.


----------



## Novelette

Dukas: Variations, Interlude and Finale on a Theme by Rameau -- Chantal Stigliani

Beethoven: Piano Trio #3 in C Minor, Op. 1 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Beethoven: March for Military Music in D, WoO 24 -- Berliner Philharmoniker

Schumann: 4 Husarenlieder von Lenau, Op. 117 -- Graham Johnson & Oliver Widmer


----------



## ptr

Inspired by Sid James thread on the finest Polish 20th Century composer! (Read the thread this morning!)

*Witold Lutoslawski* - Orchestral Works Vol 1 & 2 (*Chandos*/*Chandos*)















Louis Lortie piano; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Edward Gardner

Truly Marvellous! Thanks Sid for the inspiration!

/ptr


----------



## DavidA

Verdi Un Ballo in Maschera - Karajan


----------



## Arsakes

*Tchaikovsky*'s Symphony No.2 in C minor 'Little Russian'


----------



## Ravndal

Klaus Egge - Piano Concerto No 2 "Symphonic Variations and Fugue on a Norwegian Folk Tune"

Played by Håvard Gimse.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Oboe Concerto
Beethoven: Symphony #9


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release. *Penderecki*: String Quartets 1 - 3; *Lutoslawski*: String Quartet, with Royal SQ.

For performance, sound (Simon Eadon, engineer), program convenience (first CD with all of P's SQs), this goes to the head of the class.

Tightropers, buy, buy, buy. So ordered. :tiphat:

View attachment 13753


----------



## Schubussy

ptr said:


> Inspired by Sid James thread on the finest Polish 20th Century composer! (Read the thread this morning!)


Lutoslawski is top of my composers-to-check-out list.

Schnittke's Requiem, the Piano Concerto recording here isn't the best.
Valeri Polyansky, Russian State Symphonic Capella


----------



## rrudolph

Still listening in memoriam Sawallisch:









If this music doesn't make you think seriously about the transience of life, you'd better have yourself examined...you may already be dead.


----------



## ptr

*Tristan Murail* - Serendib, L`Esprit des Dunes, Désintégrations (1996, Ircam)









Ensemble Intercontemporain u. David Robertson

..like a candlelight exploration of the universe!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 1, with Bavarian SO/Sawallisch (rec. 1984). A pleasing flow captured by the late maestro. Too many Bruckner conductors stop-start-stop-start, never setting flow pattern. This shortcoming is most evident when interpretation allows brass to overwhelm the proceedings.

R.I.P. Wolfgang Sawallisch (1923 - 2013).

Obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/a...conductor-dies-at-89.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

:angel:

View attachment 13762


----------



## Sonata

Embarking soon on a long term listening project. I am going to fill my spare iPod nano with albums alphabetically. I'll start listening to my whole collection, albums A-Z. not continuously, I'll still listen to whatever I have the whim for often, but will intersperse with the alphabetical catalogue. I suspect that this may take me in the neigborhood of two years, or longer. Last time I did this it took 15 months, and that was before I acquired four or so boxed sets and some 30-40 other albums. The B's ALONE will take a couple of months, as I have Bruckner 1-9, Beethoven 1-9, and Brahms complete chamber music


----------



## OboeKnight

Sonata said:


> Embarking soon on a long term listening project. I am going to fill my spare iPod nano with albums alphabetically. I'll start listening to my whole collection, albums A-Z. not continuously, I'll still listen to whatever I have the whim for often, but will intersperse with the alphabetical catalogue. I suspect that this may take me in the neigborhood of two years, or longer. Last time I did this it took 15 months, and that was before I acquired four or so boxed sets and some 30-40 other albums. The B's ALONE will take a couple of months, as I have Bruckner 1-9, Beethoven 1-9, and Brahms complete chamber music


Sounds exciting! I've yet to do something like that.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: String Quartets 1 & 2; *Bacewicz*: String Quartet 4, with Maggini Qt.(rec.1993).

*Gubaidulina*: String Quartets 1 - 3, with Danish Qt. (rec.1992).

View attachment 13763
View attachment 13764


----------



## ptr

*Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich* - 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 (R1962 / *DOREMI*)









Tatiana Nikolayeva, piano

Rather dull sounding, but musically her best 24P&F's!

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's Late String Quartets


----------



## Guest

First the Rach 2, then the Rach 3, then the Rapsody. That should take me through dinner. I can't seem to get into the 1st or 4th so I just skip over those.


----------



## ProudSquire

Schubert - Schwanengesang
John Shirley-Quirk - baritone
Steuart Bedfort - piano.


----------



## ptr

Just to show of (  ), right this moment I've started playing:

*Jehan Alain* - Trois Danses, a Selections of Organ Works (*Motette MOT 13651*)









Christophe Mantoux @ l'Orgue Cavaille-Coll de l'Abbatiale Saint-Ouen de Rouen (france)

Still very emotional music! (Think I played this just a few days ago?)

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schnittke: Symphony No. 1
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Leif Segerstam


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: op. 99


----------



## Sid James

ptr said:


> Inspired by Sid James thread on the finest Polish 20th Century composer! (Read the thread this morning!)
> 
> *Witold Lutoslawski* - Orchestral Works Vol 1 & 2 ...
> 
> Truly Marvellous! Thanks Sid for the inspiration!
> 
> /ptr


Well you're welcome, I haven't checked that thread in a long while. I will do so and I've been meaning to relisten to my Lutoslawski cd's after a similarly long break. Of course its his 100th anniversary this year, so doing that is very apt! Some of his music will be played live here too, I hope to take in some of that as well if I'm able.


----------



## SimonNZ

Tallis' Missa Salve Intemerata - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly


----------



## Sid James

First listen to a cd of *Dohnanyi's* orchestral works on Naxos. I've loved the *Variations on a Nursery Song* for a long time now, I love its whimsy and taking a dig at pretension and also the cliches of classical. The introduction like some serious Brahms concerto, and then you get _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_! Dohnanyi masterfully takes this tune on a journey, parodying and copying many forms, with great orchestration and pianistic brilliance to boot. The works either side are totally new to me, the *Symphonic Minutes* and *Suite for orchestra* both very enjoyable - the latter beginning with what sounds to be Hungarian folk vibe and ending with a somewhat Spanish feel, the use of castanets.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ponce: Concierto del Sur


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: Stabat Mater (for soloists, chorus, orchestra, and organ, Hob.XXbis)
The English Concert and Choir/Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, with Feltsman (rec.2011); Piano Sonatas (Complete) Alexeev (rec.2008 - '11).

*Wuorinen*: String Quartet 1, Piano Quintet 2, with Brentano Qt./P. Serkin (rec. 2009).

View attachment 13776
View attachment 13777
View attachment 13778


----------



## SimonNZ

"Bawdy Ballads Of Old England" - The City Waites


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ # 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op.108 and SQ # 8 in Minor, Op.110, *both featuring the Emerson String Quartet.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}.* Both works are performed by the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {Tragic"}* *and Symphony No.9 in D Major, *both with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Langgaard: Music of the Spheres.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

So what are your thoughts on Laangard? We had an old member here who swore by his work, while a current member I wont mention has called his work nothing more than "rehash".


----------



## opus55

Schubert: String Quintet in C, D.956
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6

















My 40-min morning commute became 1 hr 5 min today so I was able to listen to this long quintet. Another recording that leaves me wondering if I should listen to a different interpretation.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto
Hilary Hahn, Swedish Radio Symphony, cond. Esa-Pekka Salonen

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor
Domus


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Piano Sonata in D Minor

Brigitte Haudebourg, piano

View attachment 13780


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StlukesguildOhio said:


> So what are your thoughts on Laangard? We had an old member here who swore by his work, while a current member I wont mention has called his work nothing more than "rehash".


Well it's the first time I've heard any of his music. 
I watched a video on YouTube about how Per Nørgård tricked Ligeti into discovering him and Nørgård did say the "Music of the Spheres" _isn't_ typical Langgaard. Though from this I would like to delve into some of his other stuff.

And "Music of the Spheres" makes Ligeti sound like rehash! :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Well it's the first time I've heard any of his music.
> I watched a video on YouTube about how Per Nørgård tricked Ligeti into discovering him and Nørgård did say the "Music of the Spheres" _isn't_ typical Langgaard. Though from this I would like to delve into some of his other stuff.
> 
> And "Music of the Spheres" makes Ligeti sound like rehash! :lol:


Never thought I'd hear you say this about Ligeti.


----------



## aleazk

neoshredder said:


> Never thought I'd hear you say this about Ligeti.


Meh, give him a month and he will be saying the same about Mendelssohn...


----------



## Novelette

This afternoon while I was reading, I put on Hector Berlioz's amazing _Les Troyens_. And listened to the whole thing.

So today's listening was primarily this:

Berlioz: Les Troyens -- Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## Mahlerian

Reger: String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 109
Berlin Philharmonia Quartet

Hindemith: String Quartet in C major, Op. 16
Amar Quartet

A night for German music, I suppose. I hadn't planned on this...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Going through all of Per Nørgård's symohonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Art Of The Bawdy Song" - The Baltimore Consort and The Merry Companions


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 845
Alfred Brendel, piano








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G minor, op. 74 no. 3
The Salomon String Quartet








Orazio Vecchi, Adrian Willaert, Cosimo Bottegari and "Anonymous": 16c. Canzoni and instrumental dances
The King's Noyse/David Douglass


----------



## Ramako

Calming down this morning to some Dufay after an argument with a fellow internet denizen...









I love this 'album'; one of my favourite early music collections.


----------



## Arsakes

*Shostakovitch*'s Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905',12 and 15.

No.12 is the better one. I like Adagio - Largo - Adagio movement of No.15 a lot. First movement of No.11 was boring but its rest was good.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Partita No.2 in D Minor, BWV 1004

Nathan Milstein, violin

View attachment 13791


----------



## Ravndal

Ravel - L'Enfant et les Sortiléges


----------



## Guest

Joaquin Rodrigo, Concierto de Andaluz for four guitars.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lieder recital - Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano, Gerald Moore, piano

I used to enjoy going to Gramophone magazine's Archive on their website to read the original reviews of albums like this, it was also a convienient way of dating an lp, which around this time are undated.

But it seems that thing of beauty has been taken away.


----------



## JCarmel

Cesar Franck, Symphony in D Minor, Orchestre National de L'Ortf conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham

It seems to me that this work doesn't quite get the attention that it used-to. 
The recording here was one of the last that Beecham made...he was over 80 at the time...both his performances and his wit had a sparkle to them


----------



## ptr

*"Tender is the North"* ... Nordic Organ Music (*Chandos*)









Iain Quinn @ the organ of Coventry Cathedral

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*"Grandes Pièces Symphoniques"* - French Organ Works (*Chandos*)









Ian Tracey @ the tiny tot Willis organ of Liverpool Cathedral (UK)

Gargantuanly awesome!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Ian Tracey, ptr! Thanks for the reminder...haven't listened to this one for ages.









Favourite track 'Elegy' by George Thalbern-Ball


----------



## Nereffid




----------



## OboeKnight

Dvorak Cello Concerto
Mahler 3


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Frank Bridge's* (1879 - 1941) birthday, The Sea w. Ulster O./Handley (rec. 1986), Three Idylls w. Coull Qt. (rec. 1993), Cello Sonata w. Rostropovich & Britten (rec. 1968)

View attachment 13811
View attachment 13812
View attachment 13813


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartets op. 64 nos. 5 in D major ("The Lark"), 2 in B minor and 4 in G major
Quatuor Mosaïques








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet with two violas op. 60 no. 1 in C major
Ensemble 415


----------



## JCarmel

Hector Berlioz, Harold en Italie, London Symphony Orchestra, Tabea Zimmermann (viola) conducted by Sir Colin Davis.









You know you like a recording when you buy exactly the same cd twice...which is what I did last week with Sir Colin's recording of Berlioz's 'Harold en Italie' with the LSO, on their own label. But thankfully, the second time around....I got it from a local charity shop at a reduced price!
(You also know that when that happens... you maybe need more time to relax, in a darkened room?!...)


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> IFavourite track 'Elegy' by George Thalbern-Ball


I am a great fan of Sir George Thalben-Ball! 
Still looking for a comprehensive anthology of all his works!
Recommendations please!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Early chamber music (*Hyperion*)









The Nash Ensemble

Absolutely British and hence awfully lovely!

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

I listened to the Requiem of Duarte Lobo on the way to work this morning. I don't know much about the polyphonic vocal music of rennaissance Portugal, but if this is representative I need to know more:









I decided to take a couple hundred years step back from that and now I'm listening to this:









Then I'm going to listen to this:









I'll probably continue on in this vein. Usually when I listen to this kind of stuff I end up with David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir, an amazing contemporary group that incorporates Tibetan and Mongolian overtone singing techniques in their music:









Hopefully all that will help keep me calm on what has already been a trying day.


----------



## JCarmel

My Dad used to wax-lyrical, ptr...about a certain organist by the unusual name of Goss-Custard!
Anyway, he's playing the Liverpool Cathedral Organ very impressively here it would seem.....recorded in 1927


----------



## Sonata

Strauss: Symphonic Music from Operas
Janet Baker Icon, Disc 5: Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Liszt lieder.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Piano Sonata #19 in E Minor, H 16/47 Bis -- Jenö Jandó

Haydn: Concerto for 2 Lire Organizzate #3 in G, H 7H/2 -- Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Fauré: Quartet For Piano & Strings #1 in C Minor, Op. 15 -- Quatuor Ébène & Renaud Capuçon

Beethoven: Ah perfido!, Op. 65 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

Schubert: Grande Marche Héroïque in A Minor, D 885 -- Yaala Tal & Andreas Groethuysen

Cherubini: Motet - Nemo gaudeat in festo septem dolorum B.V. virginis, Motetto a 8 voci -- Riccardo Muti: Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Cherubini: Marche Funèbre -- Diego Fasolis: Radio Svizzera Italiana Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## Nereffid

Brahms: Symphony no.1 - Iván Fischer


----------



## GSchiappe

Mahler - Levine








Gershwin - Bollani & Chailly


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> My Dad used to wax-lyrical, ptr...about a certain organist by the unusual name of Goss-Custard!
> Anyway, he's playing the Liverpool Cathedral Organ very impressively here it would seem.....recorded in 1927


Thanks JC, there seems to have been two brothers *Goss Custard*, Harry as above and Reginald, both organists.. I will have to investigate further as they where previously not known to me!

just re-found a small British record label (*Amphion*) that has several discs from this period... This will break the budget again... 

BTW, in 1959 Thalben-Ball did a session on "Desert Island discs", unfortunately, it seems, no one at the Beeb thought it worth wile to keep a copy of the broadcast...

To make this an appropriate post in this thread I'm just listening to George Thalben-Ball's Elegy with the quite decent English organist Christopher Herrick... (Yes, Irony  )

*Organ Dreams*, Vol. 1 (*Hyperion*)









Christopher Herrick @ the Organ of The Temple Church, London (UK)

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms


----------



## daveh

Checked this out from the library... listening to the Eroica symphony right now and enjoying it.


----------



## Nereffid

More Brahms here...


----------



## HoraeObscura




----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev* Violin Concertos 1 & 2 ; Love for Three Oranges: Suite
- Boris Belkin, violin with London PO under Kirill Kondarshin, Rudolf Barshai & Walter Weller respectively (Eloquence)


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Clarinet Sonatas - Thea King, clarinet, Clifford Benson, piano


----------



## ptr

A quiet ending to the evening..

*Joseph Haydn* - String Quartets Op 9 (*Hyperion*)









London Haydn Quartet

I am one of the album generation, if something is presented to me as a set of say six (like these quartets) I tend to listen to all six in a row with only a short pause between the works. I feel that it let's me absorb Haydn's musical intentions much more...

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Der Konigssohn, Op. 116 -- Saarbrücken Kaiserlautern

Tonight's listening agenda is:

Mozart: Idomeneo -- Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Edinburgh Fesival Chorus

And if I have time left: Mozart: Piano Concerto #27 in B Flat, K 595 -- John Eliot Gardiner; Malcolm Bilson: English Baroque Soloists


----------



## OboeKnight

Handel Complete Organ Concertos- Christian Schmidt


----------



## Guest

Mendelssohn, Bell, Norrington. Wonderful!
I had to listen to something with as much melody as possible to get Penderecki out of my head! My nerves prefer tonality.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ginastera*: Variaciones Concertantes, Piano Concerto 1, Piano Sonata 1, with Noguera/Europa SO/Grohs (rec.1996); Cello Concertos 1 & 2, with Kosower/Bamberg SO/Zagrosek (rec.2009); String Quartets 1 & 2, with Henschel Qt. (rec.1999); Complete Music for Cello and Piano, with Kosower & Oh (rec.2006); Danzas argentinas, with Argerich (rec.1978).

View attachment 13836
View attachment 13837
View attachment 13838
View attachment 13839
View attachment 13840


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> ....You know you like a recording when you buy exactly the same cd twice...which is what I did last week with Sir Colin's recording of Berlioz's 'Harold en Italie' with the LSO, on their own label. But thankfully, the second time around....I got it from a local charity shop at a reduced price!
> (You also know that when that happens... you maybe need more time to relax, in a darkened room?!...)


We've all done it, JC, although it's been twenty-five years ago for me. I then swore to/at myself, that it wouldn't happen again. It has not, and it won't.


----------



## Ravndal

Most beautiful song written.


----------



## Mahlerian

Jerome said:


> View attachment 13835
> 
> 
> Mendelssohn, Bell, Norrington. Wonderful!
> I had to listen to something with as much melody as possible to get Penderecki out of my head! My nerves prefer tonality.


Penderecki's written some tonal stuff in his later years. I find it bland as all heck, but you may get more out of it.

Takemitsu: Ceremonial for Sho and Orchestra
Saito Kinen Orchestra, cond. Seiji Ozawa









Webern: Symphony, Op. 21
BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Pierre Boulez









Mozart: Symphony "No. 55" in B-flat
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Charles Mackerras
View attachment 13841


I always find Webern to follow Takemitsu well and vice-versa. The Mozart, however, is completely incongruous, especially this early and rather simple work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's An Die Ferne Geliebte - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerald Moore, piano


----------



## Guest

Mahlerian said:


> Penderecki's written some tonal stuff in his later years. I find it bland as all heck, but you may get more out of it.


Yes I'm familiar with Pendercki's more tonal works. However it was a particular piece, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, that I needed to wash away like pipe sludge from under my fingernails. The piece is so disturbing I get nauseous listening to it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 13842
> 
> 
> Beethoven's An Die Ferne Geliebte - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerald Moore, piano


I picked up this in a recent CD re-release. It shows Beethoven as being the father of the lieder-cycle.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ramako said:


> Calming down this morning to some Dufay after an argument with a fellow internet denizen...
> 
> View attachment 13790
> 
> 
> I love this 'album'; one of my favourite early music collections.


Yes... it is an exquisite disc of Dufay's music. It went out of print for a period of time and I had another early music lover offer me some ridiculous sum for my copy... to no avail. Last I saw it was back in print... along with any number of other fine recordings of music by this fine composer.


----------



## Mahlerian

Jerome said:


> Yes I'm familiar with Pendercki's more tonal works. However it was a particular piece, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, that I needed to wash away like pipe sludge from under my fingernails. The piece is so disturbing I get nauseous listening to it.


There's really not much to the Threnody other than the visceral kick of it. It doesn't do much for me, either, but I think I understand why some love it.

Some of Penderecki's other 60s avant-garde stuff appeals to me more, but it's still not something I'd choose over many other things.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

You know you like a recording when you buy exactly the same cd twice...which is what I did last week...

Either that... or you know you have entirely too many recordings of classical music... is that possible? I've made the same blunder I don't know how many times. Luckily several of my best friends are also classical music buffs... so I end up having just bought their Christmas gifts early.:lol:


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Anton Reicha (26 February 1770-1836): Quintet No.1 in E Flat

Members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra: Jiri Valek, flute -- Ivan Doksansky, clarinet -- Zdenek Tylsar, french horn -- Karel Spelina, viola -- Frantisek Herman, bassoon

View attachment 13843


----------



## DrKilroy

JCarmel said:


> My Dad used to wax-lyrical, ptr...about a certain organist by the unusual name of Goss-Custard!
> Anyway, he's playing the Liverpool Cathedral Organ very impressively here it would seem.....recorded in 1927


The Liverpool Cathedral Organ must be one of the mightiest instruments in the world. It is used in Handley's recording of RVW's Sinfonia antartica. It makes this recording my favourite.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely collection of Schumann's choral work... just one more reason to love Schumann who is quite often one of the most under-rated of the great Romantic composers.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Takemitsu*: Visions, with CSO/Barenboim (rec.1993); Quotation of Dream, with Crossley, P. Serkin/London Sinfonietta/Knussen (rec.1996); Piano Works, with Tateno (rec.1996).

View attachment 13847
View attachment 13848
View attachment 13849


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.45 in F Sharp Minor, 'Farewell'

Trevor Pinnock leading the English Consort

View attachment 13850


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Novelette

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A lovely collection of Schumann's choral work... just one more reason to love Schumann who is quite often one of the most under-rated of the great Romantic composers.


Amazing work! Last month, I completed my collection of Schumann's music. All that remains for me to get is a reconstruction of the C Minor Piano Quartet. His music is always exquisite!


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund

Via Spotify


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

*RIP Marie-Claire Alain*


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in D Minor, Op.13, No.4, G.280

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Daniel Formentelli, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos

View attachment 13851


----------



## OboeKnight

Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 1 (playing it too )


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> *RIP Marie-Claire Alain*


Oh no!

Sigh...My top three favorite recordings of the Trio Sonatas are all her recordings.

Now playing this one in memory, from the start of the first of her three (!!) complete Bach sets back in 1959, and a Grand Prix Du Disque winner in its day:


----------



## OboeKnight

Handel Harp Concerto in Bb Major, _Charlotte Balzereit, harp_
Such a beautiful piece, and very short. It is the only solo piece for harp I have ever heard.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Clarinet Sonata in E Flat

Rainer Schumacher, clarinet -- Roland Keller, piano

View attachment 13855


----------



## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Brahms


Still listening.


----------



## ProudSquire

Friedrich II
Flute Concerto No.3 'Der Große' in C major

I really like this piece, it sounds wonderful to my ears.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arvo Part's De Profundis - Theatre Of Voices, Paul Hillier

for a moment there I thought I must have put on the opening of Koyanisqatsi


----------



## opus55

Arensky: Piano Trios










Listening to the first one and it's one of the most beautiful trios I've heard.


----------



## Chrythes

Listening to Miaskovsky's Violin Concerto. 
The theme of the first movement must be one of my all time favourites.


----------



## ptr

MCA RIP, some days are more sad!

*Poulenc* - Concerto / *Alain & Durufle* - Organ Works (Erato Apex)









Marie-Claire Alain, organ; Bamberger SO, JJ Kantorow

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Borodin, Symphony No. 2 in B minor, Sir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ptr

*Jehan Alain* - Organ Works 2 CDs (Erato)









Marie Claire Alain

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Dunstable this morning:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brett Dean: "Ariel's Music" a concerto for clarinet and orchestra
Walter Piston: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra
John Veale: Clarinet Concerto
Witold Lutosławski: Dance Preludes
Nigel Sabin: An Australian Holiday


----------



## bejart

Anna Bon de Venezia (ca.1740-ca.1770): Flute Sonata No.5 in G Minor

Christiane Meininger, flute -- Traud Kloft, harpsichord

View attachment 13862


----------



## Sonata

bejart said:


> Mendelssohn: Clarinet Sonata in E Flat
> 
> Rainer Schumacher, clarinet -- Roland Keller, piano
> 
> View attachment 13855


I envy you this set!!!

I am on Disc 2 of Janet Baker Icon: Berlioz Les Nuits d'ete now. Ravel: Sheherazade and Chausson Poem de l'amour de la mer as well.

Earlier this morning: Brahms cello sonata #2


----------



## ptr

Had a PM exchange with another member last night about the merits (or lack there of) of Max Reger, we were quit in agreement, anyway I decided to re-sample some of ole' Max' orchestral and chamber music today to hear if my memory was right.

*Max Reger* - Böcklin Suite & Hiller Variations (*Chandos*)









Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra u. Neeme Jarvi

Well crafted, likeable doesn't hurt anyone music, but it don't give any tingle at all, ein bisschen kapellmeistermusik..

/ptr


----------



## TudorMihai

Yefim Bronfman performance of Prokofiev's piano concertos with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra:


----------



## ptr

*Max Reger* - String Quartet in E flat, Op.109 & Clarinet Quintet in A, Op.146 (Nimbus)









Karl Leister, clarinet & Vogler Quartett Berlin

Does not win me over either, Reger is a bit like Korngold, big romantic gestures that show a perfect knowledge of the idiom coming from someone who has very little to express.. Very sad, cuz, I'd quite like to like this music more... 

/ptr


----------



## daveh

Going with the same Toscanini Beethoven symphonies this afternoon...hope to get through No. 5 and No. 6.

Then I am going to dive into this one:









I am not at all familiar with Brahms' symphonies, so I am looking forward to it. Probably will be listening to those for the next few days.


----------



## rrudolph

Today's menu:

Messiaen: Sept Hakai
Boulez: Le Marteau sans Maitre, Sonatine

From this recording:









Then Stockhausen Spiral I-Pole-Spiral II. Stockhausen didn't write these three pieces as a suite, but I often end up listening to them that way because that's the way they are on this 2CD compilation and it works:









Then some Xenakis electronic music:

Polytope de Cluny and Hibiki Hana Ma








After that, I'm not sure. There's an old DG disc of Bruno Maderna's music I was thinking about, maybe I'll listen to that. Maderna's music seems to have fallen by the wayside since he died, maybe I'll try to figure out why.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

Klemperer's recording brings out the rhythmic layering which Bruckner specialized in. I'm hearing things I haven't heard in other recordings. I wish the oboe didn't have such a harsh sound, though. Oh, well, you can't have everything.


----------



## neoshredder

rrudolph said:


> Today's menu:
> 
> Messiaen: Sept Hakai
> Boulez: Le Marteau sans Maitre, Sonatine
> 
> From this recording:
> 
> View attachment 13869
> 
> 
> Then Stockhausen Spiral I-Pole-Spiral II. Stockhausen didn't write these three pieces as a suite, but I often end up listening to them that way because that's the way they are on this 2CD compilation and it works:
> 
> View attachment 13870
> 
> 
> Then some Xenakis electronic music:
> 
> Polytope de Cluny and Hibiki Hana Ma
> View attachment 13871
> 
> 
> After that, I'm not sure. There's an old DG disc of Bruno Maderna's music I was thinking about, maybe I'll listen to that. Maderna's music seems to have fallen by the wayside since he died, maybe I'll try to figure out why.


Ouch. Xenakis and Stockhausen?


----------



## rrudolph

neoshredder said:


> Ouch. Xenakis and Stockhausen?


I like relaxing music with my morning coffee.


----------



## neoshredder

rrudolph said:


> I like relaxing music with my morning coffee.


Whatever floats your boat I guess. Not my thing though. All that dissonance.


----------



## rrudolph

neoshredder said:


> Whatever floats your boat I guess. Not my thing though. All that dissonance.


What are you listening to? I bet it has dissonance in it (unless you're listening to Gregorian chant or something).


----------



## ptr

Well, as Onkel Max still do not seem to shake my tree, I'll go for something modern to clean my auditory systems:

*Jonathan Harvey* - Bird Concerto with Pianosong (*NMC*)









Hideki Nagano, Piano; Tim Gill, cello; Paul Archibald, trumpet; Gareth Hulse, oboe, London Sinfonietta u. David Atherton

Virtuosic all the way!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Some more contemporary, Norwegian this time..

*Rolf Wallin* - Act (*Ondine*)









Kroumata Percussion Ensemble / Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra u. John Axelrod, conductor / Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor / Jaap van Zweden, conductor; Martin Grubinger, percussion

Rolf Wallin (b 1957) is one of the most interesting Norwegian (Nordic) composer of the post WWII generations! His music is flavoured with hints of Ligeti, Xenakis and Berio.

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

ptr said:


> Some more contemporary, Norwegian this time..
> 
> *Rolf Wallin* - Act (*Ondine*)
> 
> Kroumata Percussion Ensemble / Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra u. John Axelrod, conductor / Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor / Jaap van Zweden, conductor; Martin Grubinger, percussion
> 
> Rolf Wallin (b 1957) is one of the most interesting Norwegian (Nordic) composer of the post WWII generations! His music is flavoured with hints of Ligeti, Xenakis and Berio.
> 
> /ptr


Thank you from the percussion community for listening to percussion ensemble music. It's a fascinating and perfectly legitimate (I can't believe that I have to say that, but I've learned that I do) corner of the classical music world which is unjustly ignored by many listeners.


----------



## neoshredder

@rrudolph Yes everything has dissonance in it. But some has a lot more than others. That music is equivalent to nails scratching on the board. lol 
Listening to Haydn - Symphony 98


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: L'estro armonico, with Europa Galante/Biondi (rec.1998).

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Zacharias (rec.1979 - '84).

View attachment 13882
View attachment 13883


----------



## neoshredder

Vaneyes said:


> *Vivaldi*: L'estro armonico, with Europa Galante/Biondi (rec.1998).
> 
> *D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Zacharias (rec.1979 - '84).
> 
> View attachment 13882
> View attachment 13883


You must be hungry.


----------



## rrudolph

neoshredder said:


> @rrudolph Yes everything has dissonance in it. But some has a lot more than others. That music is equivalent to nails scratching on the board. lol
> Listening to Haydn - Symphony 98


Fair enough. Some of us like our coffee with cream and/or sugar, others like it black (maybe with a little Irish whiskey in it). Vive la Difference!

The late Haydn symphonies are some of my favorite music from that time period. I can't remember which one is the 98th, maybe later I'll listen to it and refresh my memory. Thanks for that.

Incidentally, when I performed John Cage's 27'10.554" For A Percussionist on my college graduation recital (can it really be 30 years ago???) I did scratch a blackboard with my fingernails. Also smashed a Buddha statuette with a hammer and used pre-recorded lawnmower and chainsaw sounds (along with lots of other sounds). The audience seemed to enjoy it as did I.


----------



## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> You must be hungry.


Tasty snacks continuing with...

View attachment 13884


----------



## aleazk

Bruno Maderna: Oboe Concerto No.3.


----------



## ptr

rrudolph said:


> Thank you from the percussion community for listening to percussion ensemble music. It's a fascinating and perfectly legitimate (I can't believe that I have to say that, but I've learned that I do) corner of the classical music world which is unjustly ignored by many listeners.


Indeed, it is a mystery to me that so many that call themselves "classical music lovers" seem afraid and shun back when contemporary music is on the agenda. I love percussion music, it speaks to the most basic emotions that music can find in us!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

rrudolph said:


> Incidentally, when I performed John Cage's 27'10.554" For A Percussionist on my college graduation recital (can it really be 30 years ago???) I did scratch a blackboard with my fingernails. Also smashed a Buddha statuette with a hammer and used pre-recorded lawnmower and chainsaw sounds (along with lots of other sounds). The audience seemed to enjoy it as did I.


I would pay to hear you perform that! (I'm also difference affirmative! the more different we are, the grater the world!)

/ptr


----------



## ptr

One of the greatest percussion works of the last 50 years!

*Iannis Xenakis* - Pléïades  (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Les Percussions de Strasbourg

An amazing journey!

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

ptr said:


> I would pay to hear you perform that!/ptr


I wish more people would. I'd love to have a reason to work it up again. I'm pretty sure I could do a better job now than I did as a student!


----------



## DrKilroy

Normally I am not a big fan of Brahms, but today I listened to his second Piano Concerto. It was not bad.  I tried it because I heard it on a concert some time ago and I remember enjoying it. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Tallis' Gaude Gloriosa Dei Mater - Andrew Parrott


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> View attachment 13883


One of my personal desert island discs. Do you like it?


----------



## AndyS

Just listening to Shostakovich 5 by Petrenko and the RLPO (very good) but about to turn on Aida with Mehta, Nilsson and Corelli (I just got the new EMI Verdi box as a birthday pressie)


----------



## ptr

Classic Bartók Live!

*Béla Bartók* - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste & Concerto for Orchestra (*Orfeo*)









Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik

One of my top three favourites of these two Bartók works!

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Ravel - Piano Trio

While looking at some beautiful paintings from the same era.


----------



## JCarmel

Feeling in a pensive mood tonight...and this just fits it to a tee....

J BRAHMS Alto Rhapsody Dame Janet Baker Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra









which I'm comparing to Christa Ludwig's very measured interpretation with Karl Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic.









Preference = Dame Janet!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Quartets 1 & 2, with Zacharias, the Zimmermanns, Wick (rec.1988); Piano Trios, with Barenboim/Znaider/Zlotnikov (rec.2005).

View attachment 13897
View attachment 13898


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> One of my personal desert island discs. Do you like it?


Re Zacharias D. Scarlatti (EMI), very much, I've been meaning to get the remainder. :tiphat:


----------



## Tristan

Can't stop listening to Weber's faux-Chinese Turandot March. It's just so fun


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Concerto in C Major, RV 177.*


----------



## Guest

Mozart K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C; Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute; Marielle Nordman, harp; English Chamber Orchestra.

I pulled this CD out and held it in my hands as I listen to the recording. The case is cracked and the notes are aged. The CD is scuffed and scratched, but the MP3 I'm listening to was not affected by the outward condition of the source. The music is so familiar it has become a part of me.

It's hard to believe it's been nearly three decades since I purchased it.


----------



## opus55

Zemlinsky: Psalm 13










I guess Zemlinsky used to date Alma who later married Mahler. Schoenberg married Zemlinsky's sister - how the musicians are all related!


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn String symphonies 1-3 
99 Essential Opera highlights album....with picks from Aida, Elixir of Love, and Otello.


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Zemlinsky: Psalm 13
> 
> I guess Zemlinsky used to date Alma who later married Mahler. Schoenberg married Zemlinsky's sister - how the musicians are all related!


He was Alma's music teacher. Alma had some compositional talent, but never developed it.

Also, there's one work on that set, the Op. 13 Orchestral Songs, that was played at the Skandalkonzert 100 years ago alongside works by Schoenberg (Chamber Symphony 1), Webern (6 Orchestral Pieces) and Berg (Altenberg Lieder, the work that set off the riot); Mahler's Kindertotenlieder was to have concluded the program, if it hadn't degenerated into a riot!

Current listening:

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4
Kolisch Quartet (Recorded in 1937)

After that,

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## SimonNZ

Biber's Mensa Sonora - Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## Sid James

opus55 said:


> ...
> 
> I guess Zemlinsky used to date Alma who later married Mahler. Schoenberg married Zemlinsky's sister - how the musicians are all related!


Alma said a wonderful thing about Alexander. I found the quote online it goes something like this:

[Zemlinsky is a] "horrid little gnome-chinless, toothless, and stinking of the coffee houses."

How nice of her to say that (well, not really! even though Alexander didn't exactly look like a matinee idol, did he?).

Anyway, I got that choral/song album you're listening to. I have listened to the song cd many many times. Love it, esp. the Maeterlink songs and the songs based on African American poets (for baritone and orch.). I love his stylistic diversity - taking in things from late romantic, Impressionist tone painting, and near atonal & jazzy in the baritone songs. Amazing composer, but I have not yet devoted as much time to the choral disc...


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K. 385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K. 504 {"Prague"}. *All three works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *once again with Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17 -- Alfred Brendel

Because it has been an amazing day, amazing music was called for. :tiphat:


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to cd 1 of CPE Bach's Hamburg Concertos. Awesome music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rameau Keyboard Suites - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## ProudSquire

*Sibelius *
Symphony No. 4 in A Minor
Symphony No. 5 in E flat Major

Liked number 5 more, number 4 seemed a bit awkward to me; I just couldn't connect with it the way I did with number 5. I'll have to listen to it a bit more I suppose.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Berlioz: op. 16


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sarasate: op. 20


----------



## neoshredder

Time for Baroque.
Purcell - Dido and Aeneas


----------



## MaestroViolinist

I was listening to Schubert's 5th and 8th symphony before.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's String Quartet No.1 - Novak Quartet


----------



## ptr

*Rostislav Boiko* - Symphony No 2/Vyatka Songs/Peter's Chimes (Rusian Disc OOP)









Alexandr Vedernikov, bass; Choir and Symphony Orchestra of the USSR u. Evgeni Svetlanov

Quite entertaining!

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Mozart K364, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Iona Brown, Josef Suk, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. 
Another favorite I've had for a very long time. I try to listen to other recordings of this piece with an open mind, but they never measure up.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Cello Suite No.2 in D Minor, BWV 1008

Jaap ter Linden, cello

View attachment 13916


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart Piano Quartet in E flat, Beaux Arts Trio, Bruno Giuranna (viola)









I'm off to attend a funeral shortly but I just wanted to listen to something 'life-affirming' before I go....and I can't think of anything more-so that Mozart's E flat Piano Quartet.... with the upbeat nature of it's first movement, followed by that lovely Larghetto which for it's duration, holds one in a place-apart from the troubles of this world.


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> I'm off to attend a funeral shortly but I just wanted to listen to something 'life-affirming' before I go....and I can't think of anything more-so that Mozart's E flat Piano Quartet.... with the upbeat nature of it's first movement, followed by that lovely Larghetto which for it's duration, holds one in a place-apart from the troubles of this world.


I wish I could like this one twice!


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B minor, op. 64 no.2
Quatuor Mosaïques








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 6, op. 78 
The Kontra Quartet








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet with two violas in C major, op. 62 no. 1
Ensemble 415








Joseph Haydn: String Quartets from op. 33, no. 5 in G major and no. 3 in C major ("The Bird")
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## ptr

Got an 6 CD set of a range of Cavaillé-Coll Organs in the mail today..

*"L'Orgue Cavaillé-Coll"* - (Motette)









Various organists on various Cavaillé-Coll Organs

at least 8 hours of French Organgasms (I sincerely apologize to all that are offended by this newly invented word!) 

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

George Crumb: Star-Child

Although works like this that use spatial seperation as an integral part of the composition really need to be heard live for the full effect, I don't know of anybody currently scheduling a performance of this (probably because it calls for a large orchestra with a huge battery of percussion, soprano voice, antiphonal childrens voices, male speaking choir and handbell ringers-all managed by 4 conductors) so I have to be content with a recording.









Don't know where I'll go after this. Maybe I'll report back later.


----------



## Andolink

Charles Wourinen: Sonata for Violin and Piano
Benjamin Hudson, violin
Garrick Ohlsson, piano








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet with two violas in G major, op. 60 no. 5
Ensemble 415


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn String symphonies #4-5


----------



## rrudolph

I decided to stick with the spatial separation thing I started with the Crumb mentioned in my post above:

Ives: Symphony #4









Carter: Symphony of Three Orchestras









I wish I still had the Henry Brant recordings I used to have on vinyl many years ago...oh well.

After the above, I'll relax with the shorter of Morton Feldman's two string quartets:


----------



## JCarmel

Getting-down to a bit of serious Schumann/Schubert-listening now....

















Both cd's are very recommendable.....particularly for studying how we age from the neck above?!


----------



## kv466

Been a long time!

Beethoven - sonata no.23 in f-minor, op.57; Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## Chrythes

Myaskovsky - Cello Concerto. It's the only performance I've heard of this piece but I certainly enjoyed the cellist, Alexander Ivashkin.


----------



## jani

kv466 said:


> Been a long time!
> 
> Beethoven - sonata no.23 in f-minor, op.57; Glenn Gould, piano


One of his best sonatas IMO.


----------



## ptr

A favourite in reprice:

*Sergei Taneyev* - Concert Suite for violin & orchestra, Op. 28 (1909) (*HMV*)









David Oistrakh, violn, The Philharmonia Orchestra u. Nikolay Malko

..like a box of chocolates! (to quote the amazing Forrest Gump  )

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Orchestral Works with OdP/BPO/HvK (rec. 1971 - '77); Piano Trio, with Florestan (rec.1999); Piano Music, with Crossley (rec.1983).

View attachment 13937
View attachment 13938
View attachment 13939


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: Capriccio Brillant in B Minor, Op. 22 -- Cyprien Katsaris; Kurt Masur: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Mozart: Piano Concerto #16 in D, K 451 -- John Eliot Gardiner; Malcolm Bilson: English Baroque Soloists

Rameau: Cantate pour le Jour de Saint Louis -- Gary Cooper et al

Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio #2 in E Minor, Op. 92 -- Joachim Trio

Beethoven: String Trio #2 in D, Op. 9 -- Anne-Sophie Mutter; Mstislav Rostropovich, et al


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert* - 25 Lieder (Ian Bostridge & Julius Drake) 
Love it!









And though I have tried hard, I still cannot detect any foreign accent in his German


----------



## Sudonim

At this very moment:









The finale ... ah, now it's over, and the audience applauds.

My first post, by the way!


----------



## Taggart

We're just enjoying a feast of Baroque.















Absolutely lovely.:clap:


----------



## ptr

Some Dazzlin' Stravinsky..

*Igor Stravinsky* - L'Histoire du Soldat (Philips)









Jean Cocteau (Narrator), Jean-Marie Fertey (Soldier), Peter Ustinov (Devil), Anne Tonietti (Princess), studio ensemble u. Igor Markevitch

THE recording of this work, edges me on the seat every time I listen to it!

/ptr


----------



## deggial

Il turco in Italia (Cremona 1997), seeing as how Rossini's birthday is on the 29th this month. Since there *isn't* a February 29th this year, I'll have a mini Rossini fest both today _and_ tomorrow :trp:


----------



## ptr

And now some of the folksiest Gardiner..

*Percy Grainger* - Danny Boy, the songs and dancing ballads of... (*Philips*)









Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra u. Sir J. E. Gardiner CBE FKC

Jolly!

/ptr


----------



## elgar's ghost

Schubert's eleven Impromptus and an Allegretto all from the last two years of his life (played by Maria Joao Pires). All killer, no filler.


----------



## cwarchc

Just finishing this one.
Good sound quality from 1953 
Not sure if it's for me yet.
Think I'll have to give it a few more listens


----------



## SimonNZ

"Legends Of St Nicholas: Medieval Chant And Polyphony" - Anonymous 4


----------



## ProudSquire

W.A Mozart 
String Trio in E flat major, KV 563

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Edit:
W.A Mozart 
Duo for Violin & Viola in B flat major, KV 424

This Duo for violin and viola is beautiful. :tiphat:


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner sonatas played by Hameln. 

The more I listen to this recording the more it grows on me.


----------



## Aggelos

listening to dah Peter Breiner powah!!









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.553023









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573016


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33
Arensky: Piano Trio No. 2

















Haydn Op. 33 quartets were great music for driving to work in the morning.


----------



## Sid James

*Bloch's Violin Concerto and other works for violin and orchestra on Naxos. *The concerto has rhythms/melodies derived from Native American musics, but still has the classic Bloch spiritual/biblical sound. The other two works are decidedly Jewish in character, the violinist coming across as the cantor at the synagogue leading the congregation in prayer. Some quite epic and uplifting music here.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Graham Johnson (and Hyperion) are certainly due the highest accolades for his efforts on behalf of the art song/lieder. I am simply awed at the wealth of art song Johnson has brought to our attention... and in performances that are in most instances of the highest quality. As I put this latest disc of French art songs in the CD player I perused Amazon for Johnson's various releases:

Schubert (Complete)
Schumann (Complete)
Brahms (Complete)
Wolf
Mendelssohn
Bizet
Chabrier
Gounod
Reynaldo Hahn
Louis Durey
Deodat de Severec
Saint Saens
Duparc
Debussy
Faure
Poulenc
Ravel
Vaugahn Williams
Finzi
Gurney
Britten
Ireland
William Walton
and numerous collections such as "French Songs of the Belle Epoch" and English Settings of Housman's Shropshire Lad or Shakespeare.

As a fan of song and vocal music I must admit to having more than a few of Johnson's releases.


----------



## bejart

In preparation for the Saturday concert I'm attending with my almost 14 year old daughter ---

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No.1 in G Minor, Op.25

Robert Stankowsky conducting the Slovak State Philharmonic Orjcestra of Kosice -- Benjamin Frith, piano

View attachment 13951


----------



## GreenMamba

Tchaikovsky Symphony #2, Abbado/Chicago.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Graham Johnson (and Hyperion) are certainly due the highest accolades for his efforts on behalf of the art song/lieder. I am simply awed at the wealth of art song Johnson has brought to our attention... and in performances that are in most instances of the highest quality.


And equally for the extensive and insightful commentaries that accompany them.

(speaking of which...what's happened to the monster two-volume edition that was meant to be published of his reworked Schubert notes? )


----------



## Vaneyes

*Gerhard*: String Quartets 1 & 2, with Kreutzer Qt. (rec. 1998).

*Wuorinen*: String Quartet 2, Piano Quintet, etc., with Sherry, Oppens et al (rec.1991 - '00).

View attachment 13953
View attachment 13954


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antarctica"} and Symphony No.8, *both works featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Boult. The *Seventh Symphony* also features the London Philharmonic Choir and soprano Norma Burrowes.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia espansiva"} and Symphony No.4 {"The Inextnguishable"},* bothperformed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.9 - Herbert von Karajan


----------



## Arsakes

Songs without words


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich Sym #5 Bernstein


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: op. 55 arr. Liszt


----------



## ptr

*Charles Valentin Alkan* - Concerto da camera, Les Mois (ADDA OOP?)









Francois Bau, piano; Ensemble 2E 2M u. Paul Mefano

Lyrical romanticisms!

/ptr


----------



## AndyS

Debussy's Nocturnes - Boulez


----------



## SimonNZ

Following the advice of JCarmel:









Mozart's Piano Quartet in E flat - Pro Arte Piano Quartet

Its actually an older L'oiseau-Lyre lp edition of this that I've got - but I couldn't find a tidy image, and I'm too tired to take a photo myself (I know - like anyone cares)


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Jozef Wieniawski's piano concerto: 



 I don't really like this recording but I heard an awesome version of it on the radio once.


----------



## ptr

*Gavriil Popov* - Symphony No 6 & Chamber Symphony (Olympia OOP)









USSR Radio Symphony orchestra u. Edvard Chivzhel

/ptr


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> Mozart Piano Quartet in E flat, Beaux Arts Trio, Bruno Giuranna (viola)
> 
> View attachment 13918
> 
> 
> I'm off to attend a funeral shortly but I just wanted to listen to something 'life-affirming' before I go....and I can't think of anything more-so that Mozart's E flat Piano Quartet.... with the upbeat nature of it's first movement, followed by that lovely Larghetto which for it's duration, holds one in a place-apart from the troubles of this world.





SimonNZ said:


> Following the advice of JCarmel:
> 
> View attachment 13961
> 
> 
> Mozart's Piano Quartet in E flat - Pro Arte Piano Quartet
> 
> Its actually an older L'oiseau-Lyre lp edition of this that I've got - but I couldn't find a tidy image, and I'm too tired to take a photo myself (I know - like anyone cares)


I have not heard those two recordings, but this one is amazing:







Mozart K493, Piano Quartet in E flat, Malcom Bilson, Elizabeth Wilcox, Jan Schlapp, and Timothy Mason


----------



## ptr

MaestroViolinist said:


> Jozef Wieniawski's piano concerto:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't really like this recording but I heard an awesome version of it on the radio once.


Have this on an old Polish LP, pianist called Setrak, always thought it underwelming, then I got Vol 52 in Hyperion's "Romantic Piano Concerto series and the work was transformed, *Hamish Milne* in the latter performs very well indeed, wouldn't be surprised if it was what You heard on the radio!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> (I know - like anyone cares)


I care! at least a little... 

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Vivaldi: Four Seasons - Nils-Erik Sparf, Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble


----------



## JCarmel

It's a 'Fred-Fest' for me today as I love the music of Chopin and it's his birthday on the 1st of March (well it's the day he and his family celebrated it on, though his birth certificate produced several weeks later, records it as February 22nd...)
But whichever....'Happy Birthday, Chopin! 
I just wished you'd have smiled a bit more, here...?! (maybe he got fed-up with people sending him cards on the wrong day?)









Anyway, if it hadn't been for Chopin, I'd still be trying to get the anaglypta off the walls of the house that I moved-into back in 1974. But my newly-discovered love for his 2nd Piano Concerto kept me working the little metal scraper, as I played the concerto 'over and over again.


----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1712-11786): Flute Sonata in E Flat

Edmund Wachter, flute -- Eva Schieferstein, harpsichord

View attachment 13967


----------



## Guest

Here is another recording I have had since the '80s. I can't get away from Mozart lately, but why would I want to?
Mozart K285, Flute Quartet in D. 
Rampal, Stern, Accardo, Rostrapovich. An all star cast!


----------



## ptr

*Sergei Prokofiev* - The two Violin Concertos & Violin Sonata No 2 (*EMI GROC*)









David Oistrakh, violin; London Symphony Orchestra u. Lovro Von Matacic & Philharmonia Orchestra u. Alceo Galliera; Vladimir Yampolsky, piano

Mr Magic Fingers!

/ptr


----------



## EricABQ

I started this last night and am continuing it this morning:


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart Piano Quartets

Well just to even things up a bit...here's K478 in a complete performance on youtube...written in Mozart's more passionate key of G Minor.

I've never been able make my mind up which I like the better of these two wonderful works. 
Mozart at his very best, methinks...whichever.






Here's the 3rd movement in another interpretation, at a more measured pace...with pretty lights!


----------



## Art Rock

An underrated 20th century Swedish composer - I have four CD's of him and like his work very much. This CD was the first one I bought of Nystroem, and the viola concerto is particularly worthwhile.


----------



## Mordred

Bach . Missa brevis en Fa majeur. Pygmalion. I love the name of this ensemble and they sound fantastic on this recording!


----------



## Sonata

Last night, I continued with my *Big Mozart Box*. What a value for 99 cents! There are some very good performances here, in my humble opinion, including my favorite version of sinfonia concertante. Last night, I listened to that piece as well as Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, Piano concerto #24, Piano sonata #8, and flute quartet #4. I only have three more pieces to go and I'll have listened through the whole 13 hour set.

Then I cracked open my newly arrived boxed set* Icon: Alicia De La Roccha*. 8 discs of spanish piano music, the last being a recital of spanish songs with Victoria De Los Angeles. I originally intended to just get De La Roccha's set of Granados/Albeniz Goyescas & Iberia set that is so widely regarded, but this 8 disc set was only six dollars more. Basically, a dollar per extra CD. A no brainer for me, worth the risk.

I started with disc 1, the first half being *Soler, 8 sonatas*. I'm afraid I didn't particularly enjoy them. I don't know if it was the music, or just my mindset at the time, they felt too jarring and repetitive.

This morning I finished the disc; *Granados Seis piezas sobre cantos populares espanole* I enjoyed these pieces quite a bit more. Again, I might have been more in the mood for this material....or there is a reason why I've heard of Granados and not Soler . It will take a few more listens before I know which is which.


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> I've never been able make my mind up which I like the better of these two wonderful works.
> Mozart at his very best, methinks...whichever.


My period recording with Bilson also has the G minor. I have to say I enjoyed the E flat much more.


----------



## Sonata

I liked both of those Mozart's piano quartets. 

Still so tempted to pull the trigger on his violin sonata set. But I don't know that I really need to spend 20 more dollars on music right now. *sigh*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Scarlatti Sonatas.*

Harpsichord music, old school, with Wanda Landowska.


----------



## rrudolph

I had a twin craving this morning for both Bach and Schoenberg. This Naxos compilation gives me some of both:

Schoenberg: Serenade Op. 24, Variations for Orchestra Op. 31
Bach: Fuga (St. Anne), Schnucke Dichte, O liebe Seele, Komm, Gott Schopfer, Heiliger Geist (orchestrated by AS)









After that, this (it's actually the Phantasy I really want to hear right now, but I'll listen to it all. it's well worth it):

Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht, Trio Op. 45, Phantasy Op. 47









Then maybe a couple more Bach transcriptions (perhaps the Mahler ones from the orchestral Suites)

Then probably some "real" Bach (most likely a cantata or two).


----------



## Sudonim

Yesterday:








Very nice stuff, except there's an odd sound during the sonatas that may be the violinist breathing (I was listening in the car so I'm not sure - I'd have to listen again on headphones) - it's actually rather obtrusive. But this is nice music from Camille.

While at work:







It's not all classical for me by a long shot, so this was part of my background music yesterday (it's semi-avant garde piano-trio jazz, for those unfamiliar). I didn't finish it, though, as the workday ended before it was done. 

And last night, during my exercise walk:







The end of #11 and the beginning of #13.


----------



## Manxfeeder

rrudolph said:


> I had a twin craving this morning for both Bach and Schoenberg.


Ha! You're a man after my own heart!


----------



## Mahlerian

rrudolph said:


> I had a twin craving this morning for both Bach and Schoenberg.


I know that feeling well.

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## Sudonim

Sid James said:


> *Mahler* Symphony #10 (reconstructed by Joe Wheeler in 1966)
> - Polish National Radio SO under Robert Olson (Naxos label)
> 
> A listen to this massive 80 minute work straight thru this time, earlier this week I was only able to listen to it in bits and pieces, but this listen has been more rewarding, I can hear the 'thread' of themes going thru the work much more clearly. Great stuff.


Sid - I've never heard the Wheeler version. How different is it from the Cooke version(s)?

_Edit:_ Never mind, Sid - don't bother replying unless you just want to. I saw that you and Mahlerian more or less addressed this in subsequent posts. I really need to read a little more before replying.


----------



## kv466




----------



## OboeKnight

Albinoni Oboe Concertos
Schubert 9


----------



## JCarmel

Claude Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp 
Maurice Ravel, Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet

Osian Ellis, Kyung Wha Chung, Radu Lupu & The Melos Ensemble









Remembering Welsh harpist, Osian Ellis....on 'St David's Day'


----------



## Sonata

More picks from 99 Essential Opera Classics: selections from Rigoletto, La fille Du Regiment, I Puritani, and Tales of Hoffman, and Lucia di Lammermoor.

And then, I returned to Janet Baker's Icon set. I saved the Mahler disc for last. Kindertotenlieder  was my lunch listening.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht, Chamber Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## ptr

*Roman Maciejewski* (1910-1998) - Requiem 'Missa pro Defunctis' (1949) (PN OOP?)









Jerzy Knetig, Tenor; Janusz Niziolek, Baryton; Jadwiga Rappe, Alto; Zdzislawa Rappe, soprano; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir u. Tadeusz Strugala

I read a review of this Requiem from the first performance in the Uk a few years ago that summed it as; _It's a patchwork, fatally lacking the sense of necessity_.. I'm not sure I agree, I see method and structure in this large work of worship, I also see beauty and purpose and it is still very accessible piece of music!

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Britten: Third suite for solo cello - Steven Isserlis


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake


----------



## Flamme




----------



## rrudolph

After all, Easter is less than a month away!


----------



## ptr

*Florent Schmitt* - Piano Quintet, Op 51 & Hasards, Op 96 (*Timpani*)









Christian Ivaldi, piano and the Stanislas Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Holst: Egdon Heath


----------



## ptr

*Erkki-Sven Tüür / Lepo Sumera / Onuté Narbutaité / Peteris Vasks* - Lighthouses, contemporary Baltic Music for strings (Finlandia OOP?)









Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and Juha Kangas

/ptr


----------



## Guest

K622, Clarinet Concerto
Mozart wrote it for a basset clarinet. Why would anyone want to change his music and arrange for a modern clarinet? Blasphemy! This recording is superb. Thea King on the basset clarinet and the ever-dependable English Chamber Orchestra directed by Jeffry Tate.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Suite in A Minor, BWV 818 -- Pieter-Jan Belder

Beethoven: Cello Sonata #2 in G Minor, Op. 5/2 -- Pierre Fournier & Wilhelm Kempff

Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre, Op. 40 -- Philadelphia Orchestra

^ Played repeatedly at high volume! 

Schubert: Symphony #2 in B Flat, D 125 -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Brahms: Clarinet Trio in A Minor, Op. 114 -- Amadeus Quartet


----------



## Novelette

Jerome said:


> View attachment 13989
> 
> K622, Clarinet Concerto
> Mozart wrote it for a basset clarinet. Why would anyone want to change his music and arrange for a modern clarinet? Blasphemy! This recording is superb. Thea King on the basset clarinet and the ever-dependable English Chamber Orchestra directed by Jeffry Tate.


Agreed.
Agreed.
And agreed!

:tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

After checking out their recordings of Schoenberg's quartets on Spotify, I looked at what else the Kolisch Quartet had recorded, and happened to come across:

Mozart: A Musical Joke K. 522
Kolisch Quartet (with two horn players)


----------



## ptr

*Franz Schubert* - Piano Sonatas D845 & D960 (*DG*)









Maria Joao Pires, piano

Arrived in the mail today, very enjoyable on the first listen!

/pt


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Nikolaus Harnoncourt


----------



## ProudSquire

Sergei Rachmaninoff 
Thirteen Preludes, Op. 32
Three Nocturnes
S. Rodriguez


----------



## deggial

here's my second installment of Rossini's birthday fest 2013: La pietra del paragone, the silly comedy which apparently saved Rossini from military service. This guy never made a bad deal


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn String symphonies #6-7

I'm really enjoying these  5 & 7 might be my favorites. (though there is still 8-12 to go!)


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I'm off for an early night....with Frederic. I know we'll get on well together 'cos we've had early nights before!

I'm going to listen to the rest of this excellent musical biography of the composer by Jeremy Siepmann.









Full of detail about Chopin's life with appropriate musical excerpts throughout, it offers a fascinating and intimate insight into the composer's life and character and by it's conclusion, leaves you in little doubt of Chopin's genius.

And then...with the addition of Maria Joao Pires to the company, it'll be a most relaxing farewell to Frederic's birthday for me, listening to the lovely Nocturnes. 
When I was teaching, I used to play a cd of these when the young children were (meant to be) working quietly. It used to have the desired effect. Children don't need any special tuition to appreciate good music...just someone to play it to them.


----------



## Manxfeeder

rrudolph said:


> Then probably some "real" Bach (most likely a cantata or two).


I'll join you! I've put on Ich Habe Genug.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

deggial said:


> here's my second installment of Rossini's birthday fest 2013: La pietra del paragone, the silly comedy which apparently saved Rossini from military service. This guy never made a bad deal


Rossini doesn't have a birthday this year. Come back in 2016. ut:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: Symphony no. 2


----------



## OboeKnight

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba- Handel
Orchestral Suite No. 3- Bach


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Franz Schrecker Overtures.*

This guy sure could get some great sounds out of an orchestra.


----------



## opus55

BABADJANIAN: Piano Trio


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.15 in A Minor, Op.132

Guarneri Quartet: Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins -- Michael Tree, viola -- David Soyer, cello

View attachment 13996


----------



## Guest

Seeing all of the Maria Joao Pires posts reminds me of this:






Pretty remarkable to have prepared a completely different piece than the one you're supposed to play but still manage to pull it together. I would have crapped my pants if I was her.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: "Trout", with Schiff/Posch/Hagen Qt. members (rec. 1983); String Quintet in C, with Haimovitz/Miro Qt. (rec. 2003); Wintereisse, with Quasthoff & Spencer (rec.1998).

View attachment 13997
View attachment 13998
View attachment 13999


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Chopin's* (1810 - 1849) birthday, Etudes Opp. 10, 25, with Gavrilov (rec. 1987); Waltzes, with Tharaud (rec. 2005).

View attachment 14001
View attachment 14002


----------



## Tero

Zappa RDNZL, original version.


----------



## Tero

Zappa Ensemble Modern...Pound For A Brown


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert cd 1. Piano Sonata 21 to start things out.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Field's Piano Concerto No.2 - Benjamin Firth, piano, David Haslam, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Wozzeck
Franz Grundheber, Hildegard Behrens, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Abbado


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: symphony no. 2 again....I don't know why....I used to hate this guy's music. :lol:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Interesting readings and interpretations of Sibelius' symphonies. I think Berglund's tempos are overall faster than any other's I have heard. It gives energy to many of the movements but I'm not sure I would ever prefer these versions. I still like Vanska with the Lahti the most but these are enjoyable for a change or pace (literally). 










Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

More Sibelius!!!! Violin concerto!!!


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63.* Both symphonies feature the Utah Symphony led by Maurice Abravanel. I am rather pleasantly surprised by the passionate readings which Maestro Abravanel and the Utah Symphony have brought to these works.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Kivimees

This is a nice CD.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: symphony no. 1


----------



## Feathers

Spending some time with Mozart's string quartets: K421, K458 "The Hunt", and K465 "Dissonance", performed by the Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Nereffid

Milos Raickovich: Flying Trio


----------



## ptr

..spending my Saturday immersed in French cuisine!

*Francis Poulenc* - Oeuvres orchestrales (*EMI*)









Jacques Février, Piano; Francis Poulenc, Piano; Aimee van de Wiele, Harpsichord; Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Chorus, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire u. Georges Pretre

Utterly Delightful! Love Poulenc and his whirling music!

/ptr


----------



## HoraeObscura




----------



## MaestroViolinist

Dvorak violin concerto played by Yehudi Menuhin:


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to the Lucien Cailliet powah!! 
Lucien Cailliet orchestrations are stupendous!










http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CV 5143


----------



## ptr

*Great Scott*, a version of the Symphonic Dances that I don't have already... TC is rapidly making me loose all the change in my pocket! 

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> Dvorak violin concerto played by Yehudi Menuhin:


Listening to this as well.


----------



## ptr

*French Baroque Concertos* - Blavet · Boismortier · Buffardin · Corrette · Quentin (*Archive*)









Musica Antiqua Köln u. Reinhard Goebel, violin

Light like the finest after dinner mint!

/ptr


----------



## Guest

I don't normally listen to "Greatest Hits" or "Best of" CDs because they take movements out of context, but this one has a recording of Peter and the Wolf without narration. Very enjoyable.


----------



## ptr

an organ interlude:

*César Franck* - 'In Spiritum' Organ Works (D*G OOP*)









Olivier Latry @ the Great Organ of Notre-Dame de Paris

The Château Margaux of organ music!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Suite in A Minor

Peter Holman leading the Parley of Instruments -- Peter Holtslag, treble recorder

View attachment 14017


----------



## ptr

Another French Praline to rule them all..

*Jean Françaix* - Three Volumes of Orchestral Music on Hyperion (*CDA67323* / *CDA67384* / *CDA67489*)





















Philippe Cassard, piano; The Ulster Orchestra u. Thierry Fischer

Light, entertaining, playful, sometimes quite complex, but never hard on the ear! A good introduction to the classicistic side of 20th century music!

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat major, D.929


----------



## Novelette

Alexander Taneyev - Symphony #2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 21 -- Werner Andreas Albert: Philharmonia Hungarica

Brahms: Horn Trio in E Flat, Op. 40 -- Beaux Arts Trio

Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Overture, TH 42 -- Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44 -- Vadim Repin; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Sibelius: symphony no. 2 again....I don't know why....I used to hate this guy's music. :lol:


Maybe it's the season. Sibelius' music seems to make more sense in the winter.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Sonata No.18 in E flat 'The Hunt' and No.19 in G minor


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Sibelius: symphony no. 2 again....I don't know why....I used to hate this guy's music. :lol:


The logic behind it is very different from a lot of music of the time. It's why I had a harder time getting into Sibelius than Mahler or Bruckner.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Threni.*

This piece was brought to my attention by Mahlerian. Thanks!


----------



## Sonata

120 Romantic Classical Masterpieces

Very lowbrow of me, I know! :lol: But I bought this for like, 5 bucks off of emusic. I of course do more "serious" classical listening now, but this was a good springboard for developing my love of classical and getting to know Grieg, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, etc. This is part of my "complete album collection listening project" I mentioned a few days back. I was generally trying to do alphabetical order sort of, but I have so many huge compilation albums of 6-12 hours that I don't want to listen to them all straight through, so I am interspersing segments between other albums. 

Very pretty, relaxing pieces on here.


----------



## ptr

*Gabriel Fauré* - Piano Quartet Op 45 No 2 and Various Piano Pieces including the Ballad for Piano and Orchestra (Biddulph)









Marguerite Long, piano; Jacques Thibaud, Violin; Maurice Vieux, Viola; Pierre Fournier, Cello; Ninon Vallin, Soprano; Paris Conservatoire Orchestra u. Philippe Gaubert

Ancient but but utterly rewarding!

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.95 (C minor) & 96 (D major)


----------



## Ramako

Mahler: Symphony 6 with Leonard Bernstein and the Wiener Philarmoniker









This one was great - best of the set so far! I'm looking forward to number 7.


----------



## ptr

Ending my French day with another traversal:

*Maurice Ravel* - "Complete" Piano Music (*Hyperion*)









Angela Hewitt, piano

/ptr


----------



## daveh

Still with this Brahms set. I have only listened to Symphony No. 1 thus far (was my first time hearing it), but loved it, and am really looking forward to making my way through his other three symphonies.


----------



## neoshredder

Proving I'm not a Brahms hater.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

neoshredder said:


> Proving I'm not a Brahms hater.


I'm joining you on this fine recording!

Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoyed the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Double Concerto! Now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Lalo's Symphony Espagnole and Bruch's Scottish Fantasy by Anne Akiko Meyers. Her playing is quite satisfying.










Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ramako said:


> This one was great - best of the set so far! I'm looking forward to number 7.


no. 7 is the best!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Manxfeeder said:


> Maybe it's the season. Sibelius' music seems to make more sense in the winter.


I'm in Australia, not winter here! :lol:

Off to listen to Sibelius's symphony no. 3 now.


----------



## SimonNZ

CPE Bach's Magnificat - Hulmuth Rilling


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm in Australia, not winter here! :lol:


Can't you people in the southern hemisphere get anything right?? Next you'll say it's winter in July!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Can't you people in the southern hemisphere get anything right?? Next you'll say it's winter in July!


Don't worry, I think our weather in July is warmer than the weather in Finland in July.


----------



## Tero

Received my umpteenth (16?) Sibelius cycle. Järvi BIS. The tempi are slightly different here and there but some exactly the same as his DG versions. The DG box price went up at Amazon, but still worth it with the extras, 7CDs.

The BIS comes on 4 CDs but the 4th is Kullervo.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: symphony no. 2, so far the best!


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Requiem, Op. 148 -- Saarbrücken Kaiserlautern

Tchaikovksy: Symphony #2 in C Minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian" -- Riccardo Muti: Philharmonia Orchestra

Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor -- Leonard Rose; Eugene Ormandy: Philadelphia Orchestra

Liszt: Grand Galop Chromatique, S 219 -- Leslie Howard


----------



## DrKilroy

Karol Szymanowski - ballet Harnasie (you might listen to it here). It tells a story of a group of robbers in Polish Tatra Mountains. The music can tell you how great Polish mountains are. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## starthrower

Mahler no. 5 Barenboim/CSO


----------



## Ravndal

Me and my flat mate have grabbed a couple of beers and listened trough some tone poems:

Dvorak - the noon witch
Rachmaninoff - The isle of dead
Sibelius - Tapiola
Scriabin - poem of ecstacy

Isle of dead blew me to pieces. I got so involved in the story. It was... physical. The painting is beautiful as well.


----------



## Picea

I am currently working my way through the 8 CD set of Glazunov Symphonies, Concertos, and other works including The Seasons, Raymonda Ballet Suite, and Le Mer, by Serebrier and the Royal Scottish NO and the Russian NO. Fantastic set that I would recommend to anyone that loves Russian romantic music. The playing as well as the recording are fantastic!


----------



## PetrB

After first listening through Steve Reich's "Different Trains," I then went to
Terry Riley ~ Requiem for Adam, for string quartet and sound collage; Chronos Quartet


----------



## starthrower

Mahler no. 6 Boulez/VP


----------



## GreenMamba

Sibelius Symphony No. 5, Karajan/Philharmonia Orch.


----------



## Sid James

Mahlerian said:


> Can't you people in the southern hemisphere get anything right?? Next you'll say it's winter in July!


Believe it or not, people do celebrate xmas in July here! They tend to go to areas that are very cold (possibly snowy), so similar to Europe in winter. The mountains for example. & then they have traditional xmas dinner.



Jerome said:


> View attachment 14015
> 
> 
> I don't normally listen to "Greatest Hits" or "Best of" CDs because they take movements out of context, but this one has a recording of Peter and the Wolf without narration. Very enjoyable.


I bought those when I first got into classical decades back. I didn't have that one but I had a number of the others in the series, all on tape. Had some good recordings too - eg. by Lenny, Ormandy, Szell and so on - and it whetted my appetite for more and more, esp. to get the complete works by those composers, then other works, then other composers...you know the drill. It was the beginning of my interest in this music.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in B Flat, KV333

Mitsuko Uchida, piano

View attachment 14051


----------



## Tristan

Well, I'm really angry about something, and when that happens, it's either dubstep or Shostakovich. I went with Shostakovich this time:

The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119 (Seattle Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Sid James

*Bloch's* _America (An Epic Rhapsody) _and _Suite hebraique_ on Naxos. The *Hebrew Suite*, a work in Bloch's classic 'Jewish' style, is one of his most well known works. *America* is a work that images in music the history of the USA, incorporating things like pilgrim, Creole, African (Negro Spirituals), Native American, civil war songs, even the orchestra imitating car horn sounds in the final movement. Its held together by a theme by the composer that comes right at the end, a patriotic chorus to his own words, celebrating the country of which he became a citizen in the mid 1920's, shortly before this work was composed. Mahler said he was thrice homeless, but Bloch saw it another way. He saw himself as having three homes - Switzerland where he was born, Israel, his spiritual home, and the USA, where he moved to to get away from the turmoil of Europe - and he wrote a symphony for each. I haven't heard the other two but this one is an interesting work, like a collage or quilt of history.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music From Ancient Rome" - Syaulia

Classical indeed.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: symphonies 1 and 2, violin concerto. These three all afternoon.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms - Symphony 1


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm in Australia, not winter here! :lol:
> 
> Off to listen to Sibelius's symphony no. 3 now.


My favorite Symphony from Sibelius.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> My favorite Symphony from Sibelius.


Only one thing I don't like about it is the beginning of the second movement....Sibelius 5 Software start up....heard it a billion times....


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> My favorite Symphony from Sibelius.


It is my favorite as well.

Listening to Shostakovich 3rd String Quartet


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Only one thing I don't like about it is the beginning of the second movement....Sibelius 5 Software start up....heard it a billion times....


That's my favorite movement


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Violin Concerto no. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Violin Sonata No.3 - Josef Suk, violin, Julius Katchen, piano

also just finished watching an interesting 30 minute chat between Anne Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis on their recordings of the Brahms sonatas:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Buxtehude's Organ Works CD 1.


----------



## Nereffid

Harpist Lavinia Meijer plays Philip Glass.


----------



## ptr

*Michael Tippett* - String Quartets 1-3 (Decca OOP?)









Lindsay String Quartet

/ptr


----------



## violadude

I've been listening to Galina Ustvolskaya's piano sonatas. She was a Soviet composer, contemporary of Schnittke, pupil of Shostakovich (who really liked her music and said about it "I am convinced that the music of G. I. Ustvolskaya will achieve worldwide renown, to be valued by all who perceive truth in music to be of paramount importance.").

Her style is very difficult to get into, but I'm really starting to like it. It's probably not the type of music for everyone. One of the things that make her style especially difficult is the lack of rhythmic variety. A lot of her music is a series of straight quarter and half notes that just go on and on. This can sound meandering and directionless, but the more I listen to it, the more I start to hear patterns. Once the patterns start being heard, the lack of rhythmic variety actual becomes a very powerful part of her expressive style because the constant, plodding quarter notes really gain energy and momentum and they build to quite powerful climaxes. A good example of her style is the second piano sonata: 




However, I think the 4th piano sonata is the most accessible so maybe you want to listen to that first: 




I also listened to Yoshimatsu's Saxophone Concerto "Cyber-bird". Yoshimatsu's music is very accessible and to me, very comforting in some way. This piece in particular is quite fun as well. There's a really great, generally pleasing balance between classical, Jazz and Avant-Garde in his music.

At the moment, as I type, I am listening to "Book of Hanging Gardens", which is obviously a good piece, because I said so. Can't go into detail about it now because I'm not done with it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: Violin concerto
Sibelius: symphonies 1 and 2


----------



## ptr

violadude said:


> I've been listening to Galina Ustvolskaya's piano sonatas. She was a Soviet composer, contemporary of Schnittke, pupil of Shostakovich (who really liked her music and said about it "I am convinced that the music of G. I. Ustvolskaya will achieve worldwide renown, to be valued by all who perceive truth in music to be of paramount importance.").


Like Ustvolskaya's music very much, she was a very expressive minimalist to my ears. As You say, takes commitment to penetrate, but when You have done your homework on her, it is music of utter beauty that has a lasting quality! (But it is very exhausting, I don't listen to her music merely as often as I would like to.. )

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Luciano Berio* - The String Quartets (*Montaigne*)









Arditti String Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

I enjoyed this CD this morning.

Pity the man died so young.


----------



## violadude

ptr said:


> Like Ustvolskaya's music very much, she was a very expressive minimalist to my ears. As You say, takes commitment to penetrate, but when You have done your homework on her, it is music of utter beauty that has a lasting quality! (But it is very exhausting, I don't listen to her music merely as often as I would like to.. )
> 
> /ptr


Agreed, listening to her music with full concentration is like getting beaten over the head, but in a good way! (That doesn't sound kinky).


----------



## ptr

violadude said:


> Agreed, listening to her music with full concentration is like getting beaten over the head, but in a good way! (That doesn't sound kinky).


I can stand any sort of "violent abuse" as long as it is musical! 

Currently on the Turntable:

*Igor Stravinsky* - Threni (Columbia/Sony)









IS Conducts IS disc 21 in the CD edition of the complete works

/ptr


----------



## worov

I'm still in Villa-Lobos journey. I have latetely discovered the Guia Pratico for solo piano. Here's excerpt :


----------



## ptr

..got the urge for a dip in the French pool today to...

*Poulenc, Ibert & Milhaud* - Orchestral Works (CHANDOS)









The Ulster Orchestra u. Yan Pascal Tortelier

/ptr


----------



## xanhil

Right now I'm reall adicted to classical piano music. I mostly listen to composers like Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Ravel


----------



## violadude

Finished "Book of Hanging Gardens", It's a really great work of Schoenberg's that doesn't get talked about too much. If I'm not mistaken, it's his first piece in which all the movements are atonal. He is not using the 12 tone technique yet though, so it's very interesting because his pitch organization, even though atonal, has plenty of tonal leanings. This could possibly be due to the fact that he was reluctant to break away from tonality in the first place. In any case, it was interesting to hear how much the piece was motivically focused on thirds. All the songs in this cycle are very poetic, as Schoenberg tended to be, and many of them have quite a delicate quality about them, like they could break any minute. 

After that I listened to Schumann's Fantasy in C. It was my first time hearing it. I thought the 1st movement was ok, but there was something I didn't really like about it. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was. Maybe I don't really like pieces that tend to switch back and forth between slow and fast too much. But I didn't totally dislike the movement. The 2nd movement was really fun and enjoyable! I really liked that one. And the last movement was incredibly gorgeous and made up for any reservations I had about the first movement.


----------



## ptr

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg *- Symphony No 4 & 6 (Melodiya)









Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra u. Kirill Kondrashin

/ptr


----------



## bejart

In anticipation of celebrating his birthday tomorrow ---
Antonio Vivaldi (Born: 4 March 1678-1741): Bassoon Concerto in B Flat, RV 501..

Bela Drahos directing the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Tamas Benkocs, bassoon

View attachment 14061


----------



## ptr

Inspired by ViolaDude!

*Galina Ustvolskaya* - Symphony No 3 'Jesus Messiah, Save us!' (From an album with her Symphonies 2 - 5) (*Megadisc*)









Oleg Malov, Piano, Pavel Nemytov, Voice; Ural Philharmonic u. Dmitri Liss

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Roger Sessions: Symphony No. 9
American Composers Orchestra/Dennis Russell Davies








Joseph Haydn: String Quartets from op. 33; no. 4 in B flat and no. 2 in E flat ("Joke")
Quatuor Mosaïques








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintets from op. 28; no. 2 in A major, no. 3 in E flat and no. 4 in C major
La Magnifica Comunità






(the slow movement--Grave--from the C major quintet is meltingly beautiful)


----------



## bejart

Ernst Eichner (1740-1777): Symphony in F Major, Op.11, No.4

Werner Ehrhardt leading L'Arte del Mondo

View attachment 14067


----------



## Guest

Vivaldi, Pinnock, The English Concert


----------



## ptr

*Nicólo Paganini* - Concerto No 4 in an arrangement for "Circus Orchestra" ans soloist (Private Issue)









Jönköpings Sinfonietta u. Jan Stigmer, violin soloist

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Gerald Finzi* - Intimations of Immortality & Grand Fantasia and Toccata (EMI OOP?)









Philip Langridge, tenor; Philip Fowke, piano; Royal Liverpool PO & Choir u. Richard Hickox

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.97, 98, 99 and 100

One cannot simply put Haydn aside!
I love all the London symphonies, but #98 is my least favorite. You'll cheer up fast with #99 if you listen it then


----------



## opus55

Schmidt: Symphony No. 4


----------



## Kevin Pearson

opus55 said:


> Schmidt: Symphony No. 4


Have you heard the CSO versions of Schmidt's symphonies with Neeme Jarvi on Chandos? The recording and production of those are really good and I was wondering how this recording compares? Here's the set I'm referring to:










I really enjoy all four symphonies btw!

Kevin


----------



## Kivimees

ptr said:


> *Gerald Finzi* - Intimations of Immortality & Grand Fantasia and Toccata (EMI OOP?)


Check out my post on the "The Best 20th Century Vocal Music" thread. Note the time.:tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Threni
conducted by the composer


----------



## ptr

Kivimees said:


> Check out my post on the "The Best 20th Century Vocal Music" thread. Note the time.:tiphat:


I saw that, I think that there are a faint mist of Finzi over the Baltic sea today! 

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

The new *Parsifal * from the Metropolitan Opera, broadcast online by BBC Radio 3.

Oh, and the composer is Richard Wagner, of course.


----------



## ptr

*Sofia Gubaidulina* - The Canticle of the Sun / Music for Flute, Strings, & Percussion (*EMI*)









Emmanuel Pahud, Bass & alto flutes, London Voices & London Symphony Orchestra u. Mstislav Rostropovich, cello and Ryusuke Numajiri

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in F Major, Op.33, No.3

Camesina Quartet: Johannes Gebauer and Katja Gruttner, violins -- Irina Alexandrowna, viola -- Martin Burkhardt, cello

View attachment 14083


----------



## ptr

I'm very picky about Brahms interpretation, Istvan Kertesz is one of the select few conductors that can hold my attention!

*Johannes Brahms* - Symphonies No 3 & 4 (Decca OOP)









Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra u. Istvan Kertesz

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Pulcinella (Full score)
Karen Cargill, Matthew Polenzani, David Pittsinger, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

A concert from 8 days ago.


----------



## arts

I went to watch "La Traviata" last night. 

I have been listening to Maria Callas "La Wally" and many other opera songs by Maria Callas.


----------



## BaroqueOnly

Bach's The Art of Fugue performed by H. Walcha (1956)


----------



## DrKilroy

Tailleferre's Piano Concerto no. 1 for mathematics homework. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Now Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks - neoclassicism works well with maths. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Mass in C "Mass in Time of War"
Alexandra Coku, Karen Cargil, Matthew Polenzani, David Pittsinger, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

Same concert as before.


----------



## ptr

*Leif Kayser* - Works for Organ (*DaCapo*)









Jørgen Ellegaard Frederiksen, organ

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Bloch:*

_Voice in the Wilderness _- Janos Starker, cello with Israel PO under Zubin Mehta (Decca Eloquence)
_
String Quartet #3_ - played by The New World Quartet (VoxBox - from 'New World Composers from the Old World' double album)


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Symphony in C Sharp Minor, VB 140

Petter Sundkvist conducting the Swedish Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 14098


----------



## DrKilroy

Hindemith's Organ sonatas with E. Power Biggs. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Caldara - Christmas Cantata


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Trio in E Flat, Hob V:11

Camerata Berolinensis: Johannes Gebauer and Fiona Stevens, violins -- Katie Rietman, cello

View attachment 14099


----------



## ProudSquire

Robert Schumann
Romances, Op. 28
Walter Klien


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Stabat Mater - Trevor Pinnock


----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> Have you heard the CSO versions of Schmidt's symphonies with Neeme Jarvi on Chandos? The recording and production of those are really good and I was wondering how this recording compares? Here's the set I'm referring to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I really enjoy all four symphonies btw!
> 
> Kevin


Chandos recording of the 4th sounds good too. I just sampled the first few minutes. I find the symphony still difficult though.


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Chandos recording of the 4th sounds good too. I just sampled the first few minutes. I find the symphony still difficult though.


What about it? It's a little thickly scored, and perhaps overlong for the content...but I enjoy it far more than Schmidt's 1st, which I admit I had trouble getting through.

Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre, Derive 1
Hilary Summers, Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Boulez









Music which I have no trouble getting through!


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Mane Giornovichi (1735-1804): Violin Concerto No.8 in B Flat

Kurt Sassmannshaus leading the Starling Chamber Orchestra -- Tania Davison, violin

View attachment 14101


----------



## OboeKnight

Just finished Dvorak 9 and now I'm on Martinu's 2nd symphony. I'd never heard of him before but I'm liking it so far! Both conducted by Paavo with CSO (not Chicago, Cincinnati )


----------



## Feathers

Exploring some of Roslavets' piano music (etudes, sonatas, preludes, etc.) performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin.


----------



## Mahlerian

Giving it another chance...

Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E major
Malmo Symphony Orchestra, cond. Vassily Sinaisky


----------



## violadude

Mahlerian said:


> Giving it another chance...
> 
> Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E major
> Malmo Symphony Orchestra, cond. Vassily Sinaisky


I agree, that first symphony of Schmidt is really hard to get into. The score is available on IMSLP.org if that helps you at all.


----------



## Mahlerian

violadude said:


> I agree, that first symphony of Schmidt is really hard to get into. The score is available on IMSLP.org if that helps you at all.


I'm looking at it now. That first page looks daunting...too many doublings. Didn't anyone teach him how it orchestrate?









(I think the orchestration of the 4th, while still too thick for my taste, is far better.)


----------



## opus55

Mahlerian said:


> What about it? It's a little thickly scored, and perhaps overlong for the content...but I enjoy it far more than Schmidt's 1st, which I admit I had trouble getting through.
> 
> Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre, Derive 1
> Hilary Summers, Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Boulez
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Music which I have no trouble getting through!


Schmidt's symphony seems to take me through long winding roads. I don't get it. Boulez? Haven't even attempted yet :lol:


----------



## Novelette

A slow day:

Brahms: Serenades -- Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 -- Salvatore Accardo: Leipzig Gewandhausorchester

Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, Sixiême Ordre -- Christophe Rousset

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #4 in G Minor, Op. 40 -- Vladimir Ashkenazy; André Previn: London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): Flute Quartet, Op.28, No.3

Loic Poulain on flute members of the Quatour Dolezal of Prague: Jiri Fiser, violin -- Karel Dolezal, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 14108


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Schmidt's symphony seems to take me through long winding roads. I don't get it. Boulez? Haven't even attempted yet :lol:


Schmidt's 4th is in 4 movements, played without a break: Sonata form, Adagio (funeral march), Scherzo, and Finale. All of them have as their theme a variation on the opening trumpet melody. I love the music, but it does drag a bit.

As for the 1st, it has its moments, especially in the middle movements, but I just felt that the themes were generally uninspired, and again, it felt overlong at points.

(Boulez certainly does look imposing on that cover, doesn't he?)


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}* *and Egmont Overture,* *Op.84.* All three works feature the Cleveland Orchestra led by George Szell.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64,* both performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## SimonNZ

Purcell's King Arthur - Alfred Deller


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Antonio Cartellieri* (1772-1807)


----------



## JCarmel

J.Haydn The Seasons, John Eliot Gardiner conducting The English Baroque Soloists and the Monterverdi Choir









It's disconcerting that part of one's mind has a mind of it's own? I awoke this morning to find myself singing Simon the Farmer's aria from 'Spring' from Haydn's masterly oratorio 'The Season's. The farmer leads out the team of horses to plough the land, to sow the seed that will reap a crop of golden corn...as he joyfully sings to a theme from Haydn's own Surprise Symphony! 
Over the weekend, I'd travelled the few miles from where I live to the County Town and marvelled at how the brown ploughed fields of just a week or so ago...so recently saturated with rain and then covered with white frost, had been transformed by a covering like green velveteen, with thousands of newly emerged shoots growing strongly skyward! Obviously overnight, my brain connected-itself to Haydn's great work that at the advanced age of 70 years he had to toil mightily behind the musical plough, as t'were to produce....ruining his already failing health but achieving a masterpiece of descriptive writing. 
But 'Thanks', Haydn ... for producing something so melodic to wake-up-to on a Monday morning!






and intriguingly here.... sung by renowned French bass, Pol Plancon


----------



## ptr

*Rene Eespere* - De Spe (2009) {*ERP 1909*}









Francois Soulet, tenor; Jelena Voznesenskaya, soprano; Sauli Tiilikainen, baritone; Rene Soom, baritone; Anu Lamp, narrator; Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra u. Risto Joost

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Edward Elgar* - Symphony No 1 / In the South (Alassio), Op.50 / In Moonlight (Canto Popolare) (*Hallé*)









Timothy Pooley viola; Christine Rice, mezzo-soprano; Hallé Orchestra u. Sir Mark Elder, piano

Sir Mark is by my reckoning the finest Elgar interpreter living today, he even rivals anyone and all of recorded history! (including Boult and the composer!)

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in G major, D. 894
Alfred Brendel, piano








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in B flat, op. 28 no. 6
La Magnifica Comunità








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, op. 50 no. 1
The Salomon Quartet








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet with two violas in G major, op. 60 no. 5
Ensemble 415


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Antonio Vivaldi (4 March 1678-1741): Violin Sonata in G Minor, Op.2, No.1

Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello

View attachment 14123


----------



## Kivimees

I've decided to celebrate as well.


----------



## Guest

If you're going to listen to something as over-played as this it should be...

Vivaldi, Pinnock, Standage, The English Concert


----------



## ptr

*HK Gruber* - Busking; Nebelsteinmusik; Violin Concerto No 1 (*BIS*)









Mats Bergström, banjo; Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet; Katarina Andreasson, violin; Claudia Buder, accordion; Svenska Kammarorkestern u. HK Gruber

Contemporary, burlesque, fun music by the best Wiener sängerknaben turned composer there is!

/ptr


----------



## campy

Haydn: Missa in Angustiis "Nelson Mass" (NY Phil./Bernstein)


----------



## EricABQ

This Hamelin recording of Scriabin. I downloaded this several months ago and haven't really connected with it. But, I want to give it another shot, so this week I will listen through it again.


----------



## ptr

Pulled out some random discs from my shelves yesterday, this will be a discovery as I don't have the slightest memory of ever buying it!

*Darius Milhaud* - Piano Works (*Discover OOP*)









Bill Eidi, piano

Music recognizably Milhaud, playing feel slightly heavy handed, dullish sound... Not surprised that I'd forgotten this disc..!

/ptr


----------



## Ramako

Sometimes, I just don't think I'd know what to do without Josquin...


----------



## OboeKnight

Chopin Nocturnes and Ballades.


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Liszt 'Annees De Pelerinage' (Suisse) Lazar Berman
(Perfect Listening for the those seeking a definition of Romanticism in music?!)









This pirate recording of Horowitz playing Vallee d'Obermann is more than a tad distorted... but it captures in spirit that heady nature of Liszt's Romanticism


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Franz Liszt 'Annees De Pelerinage' (Suisse) Lazar Berman
> (Perfect Listening for the those seeking a definition of Romanticism in music?!


Nail floored in one swing! 

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Spending some time in the court of the Sun King this morning:

This is a great soundtrack album with music of Lully, Marais and Ste. Colombe:









Then Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, some Divertissements and Alceste:









and then some more Divertissements:









Then either on to Couperin and Rameau or over to Purcell, I haven't decided yet.


----------



## ptr

*Franz Schubert* - Symphonies No 6 & 8 (CD 1 of 4) (*ZigZag*)









Anima Eterna Brügge - Jos van Immerseel

Early Protoromantic Classicism! Lovely HIP performance!

/ptr


----------



## Flamme

http://music.cbc.ca/#/Choral-Concert


----------



## ptr

*Marcel Dupré* - Organ Music Vol II (Motette)









Daniel Roth @ the Grand Cavaillé-Coll Organ of St. Sulpice, Paris

Sweeeet!

/ptr


----------



## Wood

*Am I allowed to include non-classical?*

Haydn 84
Tan Dun - Ghost Opera
Bach - Brandenburg 2
Rubbra - Variations on 'The Shining River' (brass band)
<Gram Parsons - GP>
Josquin - Missa Pange Lingua
<Soft Machine - Third>


----------



## Nereffid

New quartet music from Australia - Elektra Quartet.


----------



## ahammel

Bruckner's 4th symphony.

Next up: _Winterreise_.


----------



## OboeKnight

Sibelius 1
Schumann's 3 Romances for Oboe and Piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Ernst Boehe: Tragic Overture in D minor









Turgid German late Romanticism at its worst. I can't imagine why CPO decided this guy was worth recording.


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Turgid German late Romanticism at its worst. I can't imagine why CPO decided this guy was worth recording.


...perhaps his family trust paid for the recording?

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Trying an eclectic blend of strings: non-classical Apocalyptica: Plays Metallica with Four Cellos. Now Vivaldi Concertos 6-7. Next up Brahms string quintet #1, and I'll finish it with Mendelssohns' string symphony #9


----------



## Kivimees

Woke up this morning to -22 degrees C. This CD seems appropriate.


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> ...perhaps his family trust paid for the recording?
> 
> /ptr


That would definitely explain it. Although since they recorded two discs of his music, I'd imagine that they'd have to be pretty well off!


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> That would definitely explain it. Although since they recorded two discs of his music, I'd imagine that they'd have to be pretty well off!


On second thought; Quite a lot of CPO's CD releases are produced in cooperation with the Radio Companies (several) of the German state level. Those Radio companies often have their own Symphony Orchestra and music department that gets (some) funding to explore "neglected" German repertoire, which might be as a likely theory...

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Robert Erickson* - Auroras (New World 2008)









Rafael Popper-Keizer, cello; Boston Modern Orchestra Project u. Gil Rose

Really like this album!

/ptr


----------



## Ramako

Echoes for String Quartet. A fascinating, dark twentieth century piece by Bernard Hermann played by the Fine Arts Quartet.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Spending my afternoon home sick with Sibelius Chamber music.










Kevin


----------



## Cheyenne

Schnittke's first Concerto Grosso. I've been listening to this everyday now since I got this CD..






​


----------



## ptr

*Egon Wellesz* - String Quartets No 3, 4 & 6 (Nimbus)









Artis Quartet Wien

Like!

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Working my way through the whole 4-record set
Mozart Wind Concertos, Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Jack Brymer, Clarinet; Michael Chapman, Bassoon; Neil Black, Oboe; Claude Monteux, Flute; Osian Ellis, Harp; Alan Civil, Horn


----------



## Chrythes

Borodin - Symphony No.1. Lighthearted and just pleasant. 
Not the usual Russian case.


----------



## Schubussy

Alfred Schnittke - Concerto for Piano & Strings
Viktoria Postnikova, Irina Schnittke, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky & London Sinfonietta


----------



## Sid James

*Album: American Piano Sonatas - Volume 2*
*Griffes*_ Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor ; _*Sessions* _Second Sonata for Piano _; *Ives* _Sonata #1 for Piano_
Peter Lawson on piano (EMI)

A listen to this cd after some time. I'm impressed by all of these works: the *Griffes *with its sensitive and imaginative use of rhythms and melodies derived from Native American music, the *Sessions* for that contrast between two outer quite aggressive and forthright movements with the inner core of the more hushed and mysterious slow movement, but most of all for *Ives' first sonata*. At first I did not hear order in this, but as with other composers, after a few listens one can pick up the various threads and hear order in chaos, so to speak. It's a kaleidoscope of things, from atonality to hymn tunes to ragtime. This work was most likely finished but the last two movements where lost. But even though it's a torso, like other 'unfinished' works it is nonetheless amazing for that & still a substantial work spanning 5 movements and lasting 40 minutes.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphonies 1 - 3, with Philharmonia/Muti (rec.1975 - '79).

*Severac*: Piano Works (Complete), with Ciccolini (rec.1968 - '77).

View attachment 14156
View attachment 14157


----------



## SimonNZ

Benjamin Britten folksong arrangements - Ian Bostridge, tenor, Daniel Harding, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> Really enjoyed the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Double Concerto! Now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Lalo's Symphony Espagnole and Bruch's Scottish Fantasy by Anne Akiko Meyers. Her playing is quite satisfying.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


She's got *the look* that's helped over-populate the world.


----------



## OboeKnight

Bohuslav Martinu Symphony No. 2


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.13 in B Flat, Op.139

Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- David Schwartz, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello

View attachment 14159


----------



## Picea

Nielsen symphonies 1-3 by Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony.
My favorite Nielsen symphony is #3 'Sinfonia Espansiva'.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D.667










One of my early purchases from Borders Books and Music. There used to be several music stores around me in those days (mid-90's) where I spent hours trying to choose which CD to buy.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to Brahms - Symphonies 3 and 4


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listened to Brahms - Symphonies 3 and 4


Neo, you're very fair with your opinions. You may not always love Brahms, but you still listen to him from time to time; I find a lot to admire in that.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21 in C, Op. 53, "Waldstein" -- Daniel Barenboim

Beethoven: Three Equali for 4 Trombones, WoO 30 -- Berliner Philharmoniker

Beethoven: Fugue for String Quintet in D, Op. 137 -- Amadeus Quartet et al

Brahms: Variations on a Hungarian Song in D, Op. 21/2 -- Gerhard Oppitz

Berlioz: Beatrice et Benedict Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden

Bach: Keyboard Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1058 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

I just realized that I listened to B's today. Since Berlioz and Brahms both deserve their laurels, may we scrap the "3 B's" in favor of the "4 B's"?

_Four B's: Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms!_ That works beautifully, standing in alphabetical order, they also stand in chronological order. As one who is a little obsessive about such things, I can say that this is momentous!


----------



## neoshredder

Novelette said:


> Neo, you're very fair with your opinions. You may not always love Brahms, but you still listen to him from time to time; I find a lot to admire in that.


I could see myself liking it more with multiple listenings. Movement 3 of Symphony 3 and movement 2 of Symphony 4 are my favorites of these 2 Symphonies at the moment. Symphony 1 strangely was the most accessible to me. A little heavier imo with that first movement. Kinda like Beethoven.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> I could see myself liking it more with multiple listenings. Movement 3 of Symphony 3 and movement 2 of Symphony 4 are my favorites of these 2 Symphonies at the moment. Symphony 1 strangely was the most accessible to me. A little heavier imo with that first movement. Kinda like Beethoven.


Brahms was an acquired taste for me too. But he has become one of my favorites. If you ever get the chance, listen to Schumann's Genoveva Overture, you will surely find many of the orchestral effects that you also see in the first movement of Brahms' first. Some works by Schumann, especially his second Violin Sonata, are in a style so akin to Brahms' particular style that I can't help but realize how heavily Brahms was influenced by Schumann. But I'm neither complaining nor dissing Brahms. Those symphonies are treasures, all of them.


----------



## Tristan

Massenet - Obeissons, quand leur voix apelle (from Manon)

This is one of my all-time favorite operatic arias. And I'm sure it's not very high on people's lists, but the first time I heard it, I must've played it on repeat three times in a row...


----------



## AndyS

Brahms #2 - Klemperer

My orchestra is playing this in the next concert so I'm familiarising myself with it before rehearsals begin on Thursday


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Carl Philipp Stamitz* (1745-1801)


----------



## Andolink

Robin Holloway: Third Concerto for Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas








Joseph Haydn: String Quartets from op. 54; No. 1 in G major and No. 2 in C major
Salomon Quartet








Alexander Goehr: The Death of Moses, op. 53 (for 5 soloists, chorus, children's voices and 13 instruments)
Michael Chance (countertenor), Stephen Richardson (baritone), Sarah Leonard (soprano), 
Gautam Rangarajan (tenor), Paul Robinson (bass), Sawston Village College Chamber Choir, Cambridge University Musical Society Chorus & Instrumental Ensemble/Stephen Cleobury


----------



## Nereffid

Tan Dun.


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Flute Sonata in G Major, Op.5, No.1

Jed Wentz, flute -- Manfred Kraemer, violin -- Job ter Haar, cello

View attachment 14169


----------



## ptr

Repeat from Yesternight!

*Egon Wellesz* - String Quartets No 3, 4 & 6 (Nimbus)









Artis Quartet Wien

Like!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Continuing my exploration of Herr Gruber..

*HK Gruber* - Rough Music - Concerto for percussion and orchestra / Zeitstimmung (Time Shadow) for chansonnier and orchestra to texts by H.C. Artmann / *Johann Strauss II* - Perpetuum mobile. A Musical Joke, Op.257 / Charivari. An Austrian Journal for Orchestra (*BIS*)









HK Gruber, chansonnier; Martin Grubinger, percussion; Tonkünstler Orchester u. Kristjan Järvi

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Haydn, The Seasons
Giving this work a listen for the first time.


----------



## EricABQ

I listened to Mendelssohn's Symphony #1 while doing my cardio this morning. Now, I will continue with the Scriabin set.


----------



## ptr

More Gruber:

*HK Gruber* - Frankenstein!! A pandemonium for chansonnier and orchestra after children's rhymes by H.C. Artmann (Spoken in English) / *Johann Strauss II* - Perpetuum mobile, Op. 257 / Charivari, An Austrian Journal for Orchestra / Dancing in the Dark (*Chandos*)









BBC Philharmonic u. HK Gruber (also voice)

Gruber is utterly entertaining, he is the post modern composer personified mixing cabaret with dodecaphony and anything in between!

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.101, 102, 103 and 104.

and finished!


----------



## ptr

*Franz Schubert* - Symphonies No 2 & 4 (CD 2 of 4) (*ZigZag*)









Anima Eterna Brugge - Jos van Immerseel

Lovely HIP performance! I'm slowly working through this box for the second time and I like it more for each spinn!

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

This composer certainly led an eventful life. Born in Scotland, he held in his life UK, German and Swiss citizenship. Married six times, died in Riga, Latvia while getting divorced from wife no. 6.


----------



## rrudolph

Bach: Famous Organ Works









I got confirmation that I'll be performing the B minor Mass this Spring. It's been over a year since the last time, so I'll refresh my memory with this:









I'll also be playing (on a seperate program) "Es Erhub sich ein Streit" by Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703), so I'll try to find a YouTube or two of that and maybe listen to some music by other composers of the generation before JSB. Perhaps Biber, Schutz etc. I find that although there is no shortage of recordings of the music of JSB's progeny, there don't seem to be many recordings of music produced by the Bach family before JSB. If anybody knows of any, I would welcome the information.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 50, with Lindsays (rec.2003).

*LvB*: Piano Sonata 21, with Gulda (rec. 1967).

View attachment 14182
View attachment 14183
View attachment 14184


----------



## Wood

Haydn 85 (*2)
<Blind Willie Johnson>
Ravi Shankar
<Frank Zappa>
Tan Dun - Ghost Opera
Lassus - Motet:Vinum bonum
Haydn 48 ' Marie Theresia'
Bach - Brandenburgs 3-5
Sibelius - Finlandia (Ashkenazy)
Arnold 6


----------



## ptr

*Maurice Ravel* - Piano Concertos and Miroirs (*DG*)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano; The Cleveland Orchestra u. Pierre Boulez

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Was definetly intending to listen to this one, this week, ptr...so it's either 'great minds' or 'tiny' one's, that we've got in common?! But 'whichever'...we've certainly got the Conductors!









Maurice Ravel, Piano Concertos, Krystian Zimerman (piano) Pierre Boulez conducting The Cleveland Orchestra/LSO


----------



## Kivimees

Ramako said:


> View attachment 14129
> 
> 
> Sometimes, I just don't think I'd know what to do without Josquin...


When I read this, I decided I have to give this a try. And although I couldn't listen to this particular CD, I did find something similiar. I wasn't really expecting to find this to be "my cup of tea", but I enjoyed it. I'm going to give another listen at a time when my other senses aren't interfering with my ears.

Talkclassical is proving to be a lot of fun!


----------



## DrKilroy

I like Japanese music. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TheVioletKing

Mahler's Symphonies 1-9 performed by the London Symphony.


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Was definetly intending to listen to this one, this week, ptr...so it's either 'great minds' or 'tiny' one's, that we've got in common?!


Let's settle at great! 

Krystian Zimerman is a stunning pianist, he makes Ravel proud!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

In that car with some friends, gonna see a movie tonight, haven't been to a theatre for many years... 

..listening to some borderline classical-ambient-electronica to close out the car noise;

*Lisa Gerrard* - The Black Opal (Gerrard 2009)









/ptr


----------



## Nevohteeb

I just finished seeing on computer, on Medici-TV.org. broadcast, march 1/2013, from Cite de la Musique /Salle Pleyel, Bizet, Pearl Fishers, in concert form. the soloists were, Roberto Alano, bar.; Nino Machardze, Alexandre Duhamel, Nicolas Courjal, with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, w\with George Croci ,conductor. It was a beautiful performance. I also, have listened to an absolutely exquisite performance of the Mendelssohn, String Quintet in Bb+, Op. 87, with Lucy Chapman, Michelle Makarski violins, and Kim Kashkasian & Philipp Naegele, violas, and a young cellist, by the name of Yo-Yo Ma (age 17), from the Marlboro Music Festival site, historic recordings (July 15, 1973) www.marlboromusic.org go to historic recordings at the top right side, then scroll down. It is a sublime performance, by all. I had the privilege of being in that audience to hear it.


----------



## daveh

Listening to my first Mahler symphony - starting at the top with No. 1, listening online to a version conducted by Mariss Jansons. Not sure if this is even a good recording of it or not, but I take what I can get.

Needless to say, two movements in and I am pretty awestruck...excited to think I have the rest of his work ahead of me.


----------



## DrKilroy

This is what I started with, too.  I have not continued, but I really like the 1st Symphony. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Flute Sonata in B minor
Paula Robison, Kenneth Cooper, Timothy Eddy

Handel: Flute Sonata in B minor
Paula Robison, Timothy Eddy & Kenneth Cooper

Chopin: Sonata No. 3 in B minor
Arthur Rubinstein

Turning into one of those days I dedicate to a single key...


----------



## Schubussy

DrKilroy said:


> I like Japanese music.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Decided to give this a youtube, and I'm glad I did, I like it a lot. Now got that CD bookmarked for when I have some money (could be a while...  )

Hashimoto - "The Heavenly Maiden's Dance"
Ryusuke Numajiri
Tokio Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Great to hear!  The symphony is excellent, too.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Piano Sonata Op. 1 (in B minor)
Mitsuko Uchida


----------



## JCarmel

Went to the cinema this afternoon...yet for the price of the two entrance tickets, I'd bought this 11 cd set a week ago









...which I'm continuing to explore further tonight. 
It's worth the bargain price for Boult's excellent Brahms...his superb Alto Rhapsody with Janet Baker, Brahms Symphonies 1-4, Variations on a theme by Haydn (The 'St Anthony Chorale') Academic Festival and Tragic Overtures (really love the latter..) and the two Serenades. But it's Sir Adrian's Wagner that I'm particularly enjoying at the present moment....the fifth & sixth of the 11 cds in the set is devoted to it. 
I hadn't associated Boult with Wagner but he's a positive Wotan with a baton....or should that be with a Spear?!


----------



## Schubussy

DrKilroy said:


> Great to hear!  The symphony is excellent, too.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Just finished listening to it. Wasn't quite as impressed as with what I've heard from 'Heavenly Maiden and Fisherman' but I liked it.

Listening to some more new-to-me music from Japan..

Toshio Hosokawa - Landscape II, for harp and string quartet
Kaoru Nakayama, Arditti String Quartet

Very strange avant-garde stuff.


----------



## Sudonim

Bartók, Stravinsky ...









... and more Stravinsky, both courtesy of the fine folks in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Then, for good measure, a little free jazz:


----------



## Sid James

*An album of works for organ & orchestra on Eloquence.* An Australian recording with organists Robert Boughen and Michael Dudman tackling these works, accompanied by the Sydney and Queensland symphony orchestras under various conductors.

First off, *Respighi's* Suite in G, which is basically ersatz Bach. Although he uses a larger orchestra and modern organ, it's like a homage to the Baroque master of the organ.

Then Australian composer *William Lovelock's *Sinfonia Concertante, which sounds to be influenced by Walton and Vaughan Williams. I loved the slow movement with its sensitive blending of many instruments, especially the woodwinds, violin and timpani with the organ. The work was crowned off with a 3 minute Toccata cadenza for the organ and then the finale unusually marked Allegro vigoroso.

To finish, *Poulenc's* Concerto for organ, strings and timpani, which needs no introduction around here. A classic of the repertoire, I love the colours of the organ and the strings & how they come together in this work.

Then something on a smaller scale,* Messiaen's early preludes* that show influence of guys like Debussy but already display a unique voice emerging, eg. There's already some birdsong in there. The pianist was Michel Beroff.


----------



## Cheyenne

Britten's War Requiem - tomorrow at school we will have a workshop of sorts on First World War Poets, and this is perfect to get me in the right mood. 





​


----------



## Guest

Another old friend I've had since the 80s. 
There are newer recordings that sound crisp and clean and clear. But I always hear the little points of performance that are missing. And so I come back to Kubelik.


----------



## DrKilroy

Quite loud. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> View attachment 13989
> 
> K622, Clarinet Concerto
> Mozart wrote it for a basset clarinet. Why would anyone want to change his music and arrange for a modern clarinet? Blasphemy! This recording is superb. Thea King on the basset clarinet and the ever-dependable English Chamber Orchestra directed by Jeffry Tate.





Novelette said:


> Agreed.
> Agreed.
> And agreed!
> 
> :tiphat:


Going back to repost my listening from March 1. This recording is so good I just want everyone in the world to know about if they don't already. Thank you Novelette and everyone else who agrees. Possibly my favorite recording of all time.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schnittke*: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, with Geringas & Geringas (rec. 1998/9)

*Wuorinen*: Third String Quartet, Violin Sonata, Fast Fantasy, with Ohlsson, Sherry, et al (rec. 1988).

View attachment 14199
View attachment 14200


----------



## daveh

Finished Mahler Symphony No. 1 that I posted about earlier, and I have to say that it was one of the best all-around "experiences" I have had since I became interested in classical music and decided to delve into it a bit. I loved it. 

On to Symphony No. 2, this time listening to Claudio Abbado and the VPO.


----------



## Ramako

I am listening to Gorecki's 3rd symphony (YT links are, I believe, allowed).






I have never heard it before. I went in with a fair balance of preconceptions, ready to put my snobby hat on or my anti-elitist one on (every scholar has to make extensive use of both these days - I am practising ) depending on my reaction. But I think it's my postmodern anti-elitist hat today - I like it!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Concerti with Clarinet, then Oboe, with Pay/Piguet/AAM/Hogwood (rec. 1984); Piano Concerti 9 & 17, with Shelley/LMP (rec.1991).

View attachment 14202
View attachment 14203


----------



## Ingélou

It's a very fetching hat.


----------



## JCarmel

J Haydn, String Quartets, The Lindsays, NAXOS dvd









Taking Haydn-inspiration from Vaneyes, tonight...and watching this excellent 2xDVD set again, very well-filmed/recorded and played by the Lindsays. (I paid about 8 pounds some months ago from Amazon's UK website, direct from Naxos through their Amazon Marketplace outlet... and it's quite a bargain-buy!)


----------



## cwarchc

Back to classical, after a Jazz break
Started with disc 1 of this 








Followed by the 4th disc of this one








Finished with this one for today


----------



## DrKilroy

Ramako said:


> I am listening to Gorecki's 3rd symphony (YT links are, I believe, allowed).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have never heard it before. I went in with a fair balance of preconceptions, ready to put my snobby hat on or my anti-elitist one on (every scholar has to make extensive use of both these days - I am practising ) depending on my reaction. But I think it's my postmodern anti-elitist hat today - I like it!


Try the Second Symphony ("Copernican") too - it is much better. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Carl Stamitz - Four Symphonies


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

JC Bach's Requiem - Hans-Christoph Rademan, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet in B Flat, KV 458

Chilingirian String Quartet: Levon Chilingirian and Mark Butler, violins -- Nicholas Logie, viola -- Philip de Grote, cello

View attachment 14211


----------



## Masque

This just always has made me feel so happy about life and make me love what I do.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Elgar*: Symphony 3 (elaborated by Anthony Payne), with BBCSO/A.Davis (rec.1997); Enigma Variations (arr. Elgar, piano), with Maria Garzon (rec.1998).

View attachment 14212
View attachment 14213


----------



## neoshredder

Going through Brahms' Symphonies with Gardiner


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Probably one of my most listened to albums of late. I just love the Chinese melodies in these pieces. The Violin Concerto "Hung Hu" by A Ke Jian is exceptionally wonderful but truthfully there is not a loser on this album.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

First time listening to Hector Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini [First Paris Version] -- John Nelson: Orchestre National de France. I like it a lot, so far!

Cherubini: Symphony in D Major -- Donato Renzetti: Orchestra Della Toscana

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande -- Charles Dutoit: Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Haydn: Sextet in E Flat, H 2/Deest -- Consortium Classicum

Mozart: Missa Brevis in C, K 220, "Spatzenmesse" -- Gerhard Eder; Uwe Christian Harrer: Vienna Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Going through Brahms' Symphonies with Gardiner


How do you like the Gardiner set? I haven't listened to it yet. My favorite Brahms cycle so far is Klemperer's.


----------



## neoshredder

Too early to tell. Just made a playlist of Brahms' Symphonies on MOG from Gardiner. I do like the quicker tempo though. And that is what Gardiner is known for based on his Beethoven Symphonies. And sound quality is great.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Too early to tell. Just made a playlist of Brahms' Symphonies on MOG from Gardiner. I do like the quicker tempo though. And that is what Gardiner is known for based on his Beethoven Symphonies. And sound quality is great.


It's amazing with recording cycles, different recordings draw out such different sonorities from the same melodies and harmonies, that they almost seem like completely different works. Enjoy your Brahms!


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in B flat, Op.67, No.3

Hanus Barton, piano

View attachment 14214


----------



## Kevin Pearson

bejart said:


> Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in B flat, Op.67, No.3
> 
> Hanus Barton, piano
> 
> View attachment 14214


Bejart - is that a complete collection of Dussek sonatas? I have volume 3 by Frederick Marvin but have never been able to locate volumes 1 & 2. And how is the quality? Marvin's versions are excellent!

Kevin

EDIT - Ack! Never mind! I was able to answer my own question via Amazon. And I discovered that even the Marvin recordings are not the complete sonatas because none of the three volumes by Marvin have any of the sonatas on this album.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Sonatas and Partitas


----------



## Andolink

Herbert Howells: An English Mass
Julie Kennard, soprano
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in E major, op. 54 no. 3
The Salomon Quartet








Joseph Haydn: String Quartets from op. 55; No. 1 in A major, No. 2 in F minor ("The Razor") and No. 3 in B flat major
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Orff's De Temporum Fine Comoedia - Hervert von Karajan


----------



## noone

Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser Overture.

Amazing horn section, gives me the chills every time...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

*Antonio Rosetti* (1750-1792)


----------



## Guest

Mozart Symphonies No. 40 in g minor, K550, and No. 41 in C, K551 "Jupiter"
Rafael Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

This was one of my first purchases when I began my exploration of classical music back in the 80s. I fell in love with Mozart and played this disc a thousand times. Since then I have tried to find other performances of these two symphonies that excite me but none compare. Finally a couple years ago I gave up the idea and purchased Kubelik's other two discs in the series:


----------



## SimonNZ

Tony Palmer's documentary "Stravinsky: Once At A Border"

And remembering to alert anyone who may be interested and/or fanatical to this box set of Stravinskys Rite Of Spring:









The 20 discs of this box contain 38 performances of just the Rite, recorded between 1946 and 2010 (including two Ansermets, two Soltis, two Karajans, two Haitinks, two Davis and three Doratis)

I'm not sure that I've seen such a thing done before on this scale.

Full list of recordings included here:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4783729


----------



## ptr

*Peter Maxwell Davies* - Naxos Quartets No 1 and 2 (*Naxos*)









Maggini Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony No. 5 
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/David Robertson








Niels Rosing-Schow: ...sous les râles du vent d'Est (for clarinet, cello, piano and ensemble)
Anna Klett, clarinet
Hege Waldeland, cello
Anne Marie Fjord Abildskov, piano
Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen/Jan Latham-Koenig








Humphrey Searle: Symphony No. 5, op. 43
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Alun Francis


----------



## bejart

William Boyce (1711-1779): Overture No.10 in F Major

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena

View attachment 14235


Kevin --
Dussek wrote so many piano sonatas that I don't know of any complete set. The one I listed actually was for Four Hands, the 2nd pianist being Jana Macharackova. I was too sleepy last night to notice. And the CD is excellent. It's a relatively new addition.


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - Preludes & Other Works for piano; "Homage a Messiaen" (*DG*)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Stravinsky - The Soldier's Tale - Jeremy Irons narrator

I'm on the edge of my seat!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Schubert's Winterreise performed by Peter Schreier and Sviatoslav Richter.

It has finally arrived and I am about half way through my first listen. Ironically, given the nature of the piece I couldn't be happier.


----------



## ptr

*Wilhelm Stenhammar* - Piano Sonatas in G minor & A flat, Sensommarnätter, Three Fantasies (*Hyperion*)









Martin Sturfält, piano

Bright Nordic Light Romantic Brahmsian flavour...

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart , Symphony No 35, 'The Haffner'

I Happen to Have a Heck of a lot of Haffners....including as well now, one conducted by Sir Adrian Boult... whose bargain-price 11 cd set 'From Bach to Wagner' I'm still working my way through with much enjoyment. Although an old-style performance of the symphony i.e. not at all HIP... Boult's tempi are brisk and vital....though being a Haffner Fan, I think I might just pop one of my favourite's on after the Boult has finished....just to compare, like?!









Very good performance of No 35 here from Bruggen but not quite so good on the ' Paris', methinks.


----------



## EricABQ

I continued through the Scriabin sonata set this morning with #5. 

I have to admit, I had a hard time concentrating on this one. The mind wandered a lot. At the end I could barely recall even hearing it. It could have been more of me having a lot on my mind that anything to do with the music, but this is pretty much what happened the other times I've listened to it.


----------



## ptr

*Felix Alexandre Guilmant* - Symphony No.1 for Organ and Orchestra, Op.42
*Charles-Marie Widor* - Symphony for Organ, Op.42 No. 5
*Francis Poulenc* - Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani (*Chandos*)









Ian Tracey, organ of Liverpool Cathedral; BBC Philharmonic u. Yan Pascal Tortelier

Awesome recording that have your trousers swaying in the wind if Your speakers can deliver on bass the front! (mine can!  )

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Sometimes You need something utterly familiar!

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Concertos No 20 & 27 (*Decca Legends*)









Clifford Curzon, piano; English Chamber Orchestra u. Benjamin Britten

Sir Cliff ROCKS!

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Trio in G major (Op.1)

and then

*Bruckner*'s Symphony No.5 and 6


----------



## JCarmel

I have most often enjoyed and recommended those Mozart/Curzon performances, ptr... they are my faves, too!
I think Curzon's D Minor is _the_ best....best for me, anyway!!


----------



## Novelette

Codex Calixtinus: "Dum esset Salvator in monte" -- Ensemble Organum, Director: Marcel Peres

[On YouTube: 



 ]

Beethoven: Piano Concerto #3 in C Minor, Op. 37 -- Klemperer & Barenboim

Sibelius: Symphony #7 in C, Op. 105 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## JCarmel

Alexandre Guilmant, Organ Sonatas... Volume 1, Ben Van Oosten playing the Cavaille-Col Organ, former Abbey Church of St Ouen, Rouen

Your post has inspired me to dig out my big box set of Guilmant's Organ Sonatas, ptr. I love Guilmant, particularly when played loudly!

















It's his 'birthday' next week, by the way...on the 10th March. (He looks a nice chap, doesn't he!)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

EricABQ said:


> I continued through the Scriabin sonata set this morning with #5.
> 
> I have to admit, I had a hard time concentrating on this one. The mind wandered a lot. At the end I could barely recall even hearing it. It could have been more of me having a lot on my mind that anything to do with the music, but this is pretty much what happened the other times I've listened to it.


Eric - Scriabin requires a lot of concentration and is a little difficult. I would recommend that you take a few at a time and play them every day or every other day until you become pretty familiar with them and then move on to another couple. Eventually you will get to where it won't be as difficult for you. I love listening to them and depending on my frame of mind I can listen to all or just a few. Keep at it though because he is rewarding in my opinion.

Kevin


----------



## rrudolph

I've seen the Berg Op. 1 Piano Sonata mentioned on here a couple of times recently and I haven't listened to Berg in quite a while, so I'm listening to Yuji Takahashi's interpretation on this recording:









After that, the Chamber Concerto









and Lulu and Lyric Suites:









Then I'll probably switch over to Carter and Wuorinen, unless the urge to listen to Berg's Violin Concerto overtakes me.


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Your post has inspired me to dig out my big box set of Guilmant's Organ Sonatas, ptr. I love Guilmant, particularly when played loudly!


Yes, organ music should be played at full volume! If the walls and windows don't shake along You have proof that the volume is way to moderate... 



> It's his 'birthday' next week, by the way...on the 10th March. (He looks a nice chap, doesn't he!)


He was a happy chap, I'm sure! The tenth then is here by proclaimed *"Jour de Guilmant",* thussly I expect EVERYONE on TC to play at least one Guilmant work on Sunday, otherwise You have to penalise yourself by listening to your own performance of John Cage's 4'33 twice!! :devil:

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Arvo Pärt* - De Profundis (*HMF*)









Theatre of Voices & Paul Hillier

Contemporary Vocal music that has both feet solidly stood on the pillars of the renaissance!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

rrudolph said:


> Then I'll probably switch over to Carter and Wuorinen, unless the urge to listen to Berg's Violin Concerto overtakes me.


The 3 Orchestral Pieces is one of my favorite Berg works. Of course, I like all of the ones above as well. The Chamber Concerto is very upbeat compared to the rest of his output.


----------



## ptr

*Darius Milhaud* - La Creation du monde, Saudades do Brasil, Op. 67b (excerpts), Le boeuf sur le toit, Op. 58, Saudades do Brasil, Op. 67 (*EMI GROC*)









French National Orchestra u. Leonard Bernstein / Concert Arts Orchestra u. Darius Milhaud

Milhaud in his most Latin American mood, very easy listening but full of little entertaining twists!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 1, with Philadelphia O./Muti (rec. 1984, EMI Japan 24-bit remaster); Symphony 2, with Hajossyova/Priew/Staats.Berlin/Suitner (rec. 1983).

View attachment 14259
View attachment 14260


----------



## rrudolph

Time for some old favorites:

Carter: Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello & Harpsichord/Sonata for Cello & Piano/Double Concerto for Harpsichord & Piano with Two Chamber Orchestras









Wuorinen: Percussion Symphony (This is a picture of the old LP; it's now been bundled with another New Jersey Percussion Ensemble recording and sold on a CD). A spectacular work for 24 percussionists!


----------



## Nereffid

Two views of Handel's keyboard suites:


----------



## Kivimees

:tiphat: to joen_cph for reminding me of this composer in the the Thunder etc. thread


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 3, with Proctor/LSO/Horenstein (rec.1970); Symphony 4, with Roschmann/Mahler CO/Harding (rec.2004).

View attachment 14266
View attachment 14267


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphonies nos. 5 and 6 - Paavo Berglund.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## daveh

Vaneyes said:


> *Mahler*: Symphony 3, with Proctor/LSO/Horenstein (rec.1970); Symphony 4, with Roschmann/Mahler CO/Harding (rec.2004).
> 
> View attachment 14266
> View attachment 14267


I am going to move on to Mahler Symphony 3 next myself, having finished the first two yesterday. I preferred the No. 1 over No. 2, which seems to put me in a minority, but I am still looking forward to the rest of them.


----------



## ptr

*Evelyn Glennie* - Light in Darkness (RCA 1991)









Saw her once live and was ravished, the lass can drum!

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Rossini Famous Overtures album,* with Montreal SO under Charles Dutoit on Eloquence label.


----------



## ptr

*Franz Schubert* - Sonata For Arpeggione & Piano D821- String Quintet D956 (Fuga Libera)









Nicolas Deletaille, Arpeggione & Cello; Paul Badura-Skoda, fortepiano & Quatuor Rosamonde

The sound of the Arpeggione is distinctly different, with the pianoforte it makes for a sound world that is darkly sweeter than any of the Cello versions I've heard of this sonata, the almost a bowed guitar sound that some has called it is not far fetched. The version of the D956 is fine as well.

/ptr


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I'm currently listening to someone in a practice room next to my own _belt _the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto. BOO YA!!! <3


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Welser-Most


----------



## daveh

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23...honestly, might be my favorite Mozart of all, at least at this moment!


----------



## JCarmel

Rossini Overtures, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner

Taking my listening inspiration from Sid, tonight!









Just adding an Edit... I haven't listened to this cd for_ years_ but it's conducting that is full of energy, panache and brio! The last time of playing actually was when I made a cassette copy of part of the 'William Tell Overture'...(the famous 'Lone Ranger' bit) for a Teacher friend who wanted some music that could persuade the kids to get Tidied-Up in the classroom double-quick, without her having to continually nag them. So she used to put it on with an exhortation 'Let's see which of you can get tidy the Quickest?! She said it _never_ failed & the little dears dashed-round predictably from it's very first playing to the last. Which goes to prove that we are open to manipulation from a very early age?.....


----------



## OboeKnight

Dvorak 9...I'm listening to it in moderation so I don't get burnt out =)


----------



## Ramako

DrKilroy said:


> Try the Second Symphony ("Copernican") too - it is much better.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Will do!

Mahler 7: Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic









This is a very enigmatic work I haven't spent enough time with to really understand what's going on most of the time. I particularly enjoyed the first movement this time round however.


----------



## Vaneyes

Enjoying a recent arrival. *Penderecki*: String Quartets 1 - 3; *Lutoslawski*: String Quartet, with Royal SQ. (rec. 2012).

View attachment 14276


----------



## worov

Villa-Lobos' Rudepoêma performed by Nelson Freire :


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven violin sonatas Heifetz / Bay


----------



## Guest

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, Op. 35, Evgeny Svetlanov conducting... 
wait for it... 
USSR Symphony Orchestra

You don't know how lucky you are, boys. BACK IN THE USSR!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 5, with VPO/Bernstein (rec.1987); Symphony 6, with VPO/Boulez (rec.1994).

View attachment 14279
View attachment 14280


----------



## Mahlerian

A suggested duo...

Strauss: String Quartet Op. 2 in A major
Portland String Quartet

Verdi: String Quartet in E minor
David Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The first hearing of yet another _Winterreise_.


----------



## bejart

Georg Heinrich Backofen (1768-1830): Clarinet Concerto in E Flat, Op.16

Johannes Moesus directing the SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet.

View attachment 14281


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to another version of Corelli's Op. 6. Done by the Avison Ensemble. So far, I'm impressed.


----------



## bejart

Andreas Jakob Romberg (1767-1821): Flute Quintet in B Major, Op.21, No.5

William Bennett on flute with Mile Kosi on viola and the Novsak Trio: Primoz Novsak, violin -- Michel Rouilly, viola -- Susanne Basler, cello

View attachment 14282


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms lieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerald Moore, piano


----------



## Crudblud

So far today:
Jörg Widmann - Fünf Bruchstucke (Holliger/Widmann)
Philippe Manoury - Jupiter (Boulez/EIC/Cherrier)
Cornelius Cardew - Autumn 60 / Material / Unintended Music for Piano (Tilbury/Duch/Davies)
Claude Vivier - Pianoforte (Becker)
Roger Sessions - String Quartet No. 2 (Juilliard SQ)


----------



## GreenMamba

Chavez Sinfonia India, Botstein/American SO


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: I Capuleti E I Montecchi -- Anna Netrebko, Elīna Garanča; Fabio Luisi: Vienna Symphony Orchestra

Anna and Elina: two incredibly talented artists.

Dvořák: String Quartet #8 In E, Op. 80, B 57 -- Prague Quartet

Brahms: 15 Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 65a -- Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn [Four hands]

Mozart: Piano Concerto #16 in D, K 451 -- John Eliot Gardiner; Malcolm Bilson: English Baroque Soloists

My relationship with Mozart has been warming a bit lately.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in A Major, Op.114

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 14286


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Magic Flute - Herbert von Karajan (1950)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Scarlatti's Sonatas performed by Trevor Pinnock


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Partita for Keyboard #5


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Over the last few days I have listened to nothing but Sibelius's symphony no. 2, so now I decided again to listen to it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet - Antoine de Bavier, clarinet, Quartetto Italiano

Strange that Decca have never released their superb 50's "New Italian Quartet" recordings on cd - I' have a suspicion that QI themselves have insisted that they don't.

Theres a paragraph on their Wikipedia page which I hadn't read before which hints at why this might be:

"In 1951 (having dropped the word 'Nuovo' (i.e., new) from their name) the Quartet performed at the Edinburgh Festival and at the Salzburg Festival. It was at Salzburg that they had a long and very influential interview with Wilhelm Furtwängler, who urged them to work towards a much greater freedom of expression which would access for them the world of Grand Romanticism. This was much later acknowledged as a critical turning-point for the group."


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Over the last few days I have listened to nothing but Sibelius's symphony no. 2, so now I decided again to listen to it.


Various recordings, or always the same favorite recording?


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quartets from op. 33; No. 4 in B flat major , No. 5 in E minor and No. 6 in E flat major
The Revolutionary Drawing Room






(an absolutely necessary disc for Boccherini fans!)

Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 3
Pacifica Quartet


----------



## ptr

Started the day with something I love!

*Sergei Rachmaninov* - Symphonic Dances (Emergo OOP?)









Concertgebouw Orkest u. Kirill Kondrashin

Now I really have to stop procrastinating today's window cleaning project! 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

For the Roberto Gerhard ranking thread (and enjoying it!)

*Roberto Gerhard* - Symphony No 1 / (Violin Concerto) (*Chandos*)









(Olivier Charlier, violin); BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Matthias Bamert

Only listening to the symphony.

/ptr


----------



## ptr

interlude:

*Ferruccio Busoni* - Fantasia contrappuntistica (altarus)









John Ogdon, piano

Very aurally cleansing! 

/ptr


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: English Suite No.2 in A Minor, BWV 807

Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 14297


----------



## ptr

For the Roberto Gerhard ranking thread (and enjoying it!) #2

*Roberto Gerhard *- Symphony No 2 Vers 1 and revised version "Metemorphosis" (Chandos / Montaigne OOP?)















BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Matthias Bamert / Tenerife Symphony Orchestra u. Victor Pablo Perez

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Tchaikovsky, Orchestral Suite No. 4 in G, Op. 61, "Mozartiana"
Sir Neville Marriner, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart

Each movement is inspired by a piece of Mozart:

I. Gigue: Allegro (Gigue K574)
II. Menuet: Moderato (Minuet K355)
III. Preghiera: Andantante non tanto (Ave verum corpus K618)
IV. Thème et variations: Allegro giusto (Unser dummer Pöbel meint K455)


----------



## EricABQ

Mozart's piano concerto #1. I feel like this piece has a lot of positive energy. Great to listen to,while exercising.


----------



## Ramako

Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture with Peter Maag and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Such a brilliant piece. And Peter Maag gives it so much energy too.


----------



## ptr

Interlude:

*Claude Debussy* - Children's Corner Suite (arr Organ) (*Priory*)










Roberto Bertero @ St Eustache, Paris

/ptr


----------



## ptr

For the Roberto Gerhard ranking thread (and enjoying it!) #3

*Roberto Gerhard* - Symphony No 3 (Concerto for piano and strings/Epithalamion) (*Chandos*)









(Geoffrey Tozer, piano); BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Matthias Bamert

Only listened to the Symphony.

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Thanks to Ramako...I'm digging-out some magic Mendelssohn....

Mendelssohn Overtures conducted by Claus Peter Flor, Bamburg Symphony Orchestra









My favourite of Mendy's lovely overtures used to be 'Ruy Blas' but since buying this cd, it is firmly now 'Athalia'...which is played very stirringly, here. I could have it on a drip-feed straight to the brain!
Yes, marvellous Mendelssohn....classical form, melody...and the magic ingredient 'sentiment'...but all in the best possible taste?!


----------



## ptr

Interlude:

*Egon Wellesz* - Fünf Tanzstücke Op 42 & Fünf Klavierstücke Op 83 (from "Das Klavierwerk" CD 3) (*Capriccio*)









Margarete Babinsky, piano

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Sibelius 7.....my first ever venture into Sibelius. It was very calming and beautiful, I'll take another listen.
Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor


----------



## Nereffid

Britten: Cello suite no.2 - Philip Higham


----------



## millionrainbows

Boulez conducts Messiaen: DG/Cleveland Orchestra. With Françoise Pollet as soprano on the _*Poèmes pour Mi (1937),*_ and Aimard on _*Le Réveil des oiseaux (1953),*_ it's very listenable. I must admit, however, that much of the Poèmes sounds like Messiaen caught a case of "diminished-itis," an epidemic which hit modernism hard in the early part of the XX century.


----------



## ptr

For the Roberto Gerhard ranking thread (and enjoying it!) #4

*Roberto Gerhard* - Symphony No 4 'New York' (*Lyrita* / Montaigne OOP)















BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Colin Davis / Tenerife Symphony Orchestra u. Victor Pablo Perez

/ptr


----------



## Fredmoisan

Hi everybody,
This is what we just recorded with Collectif 9 in Montreal at the St James Theatre.
We played the 3rd mvt of the Bartok Divertimento.
If you want, they are other short videos we do every month in different places.
I hope you like it!
Fred


----------



## Fredmoisan

sorry, I forgpt the link....


----------



## rrudolph

Antheil: Ballet Mechanique, Serenade for String Orchestra #1, Symphony for Five Instruments, Concert for Chamber Orchestra









After that, no plan yet. Maybe I'll report back later.


----------



## Sonata

Robert Vandall: complete preludes, performed by Scott Price


----------



## ptr

Perfect background music for when cooking dinner...

*P. A. Locatelli *- Concerti Grossi (Opus 111/1995 OOP?)









Europa Galante u. Fabio Biondi

..makes you dance on the kitchen floor!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schumann Piano Quintet.*


----------



## rrudolph

I never "got" this symphony despite repeated listenings. It's been a while. I'm giving it another shot now...

Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony #3


----------



## Sudonim

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 14283
> 
> 
> Brahms lieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerald Moore, piano


Love those old covers you post, SimonNZ. One of my endearing eccentricities is finding old album cover art, when applicable, to use as the picture on my iPod. The default won't always cut it, especially if the cover art's been changed over the years. I especially dislike those older CD covers where it has the words "Compact disc" prominently displayed in the corner.

Speaking of which, here's my current listening (in the car, anyway - right at this moment, at work, I've got some old Sonny Rollins going  ):


----------



## Laura

Suite Bergamasque
Debussy


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Prokofiev's String Quartets


----------



## JCarmel

The Pro Arte Quartet play Schubert, Schubert's Piano Quintet in A Major, 'The Trout' ... with Artur Schnabel (piano)









Just thinking about the strong musical personalities of the past reminded me that I hadn't listened to this formidable performance of Schubert's Trout Quintet for some time. 
Despite the age of the recording, the virtuosity of the individual members of the quartet 'leaps out of the grooves with a force that is still contemporary' as it says in the sleeve notes. Can't disagree with that!


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Boulez conducts Messiaen: DG/Cleveland Orchestra. With Françoise Pollet as soprano on the _*Poèmes pour Mi (1937),*_ and Aimard on _*Le Réveil des oiseaux (1953),*_ it's very listenable. I must admit, however, that much of the Poèmes sounds like Messiaen caught a case of "diminished-itis," an epidemic which hit modernism hard in the early part of the XX century.


Well, given that Messiaen's "modes of limited transposition" are all symmetrical, the tritone features heavily in his music, melodically and harmonically. I didn't realize how much my ears had adjusted to the sound of his music until I thought about what it would sound like to stick some of his chords into others' music...


----------



## JCarmel

J. Haydn 'The Creation' Gundula Janowitz, Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Walter Berry Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert Von Karajan









Just want to celebrate the 2000th page of the 'Current Listening' thread with 'Thanks' to whoever created the 'Talk Classical' website. 'Congratulations' to you for that ....and to all the contributors that make this site such a pleasant and rewarding one to visit.


----------



## Sonata

*99 Most Essential Chopin Masterpieces* on Amazon Cloud player, nice to be able to listen to music at work. I'll probably listen through this whole album over the next few days. )

Currently on the Nocturnes. Wonderful. Is it possible that there is a person on the planet who could dislike the Nocturnes? I suppose it's possible but I can't imagine!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a recent release, *Piano Music of Dinu Lipatti*, with Luiza Borac (Avie 2CD, rec. 2012). On this occasion and lending to atmosphere, a Bechstein (Lipatti's favorite) was chosen.

ASMF/Jaime Martin support for the opener, Concertino in Classic Style for piano and orchestra, Op. 3. Thereafter, it's impressive soloing, such as heard in Borac's two Enescu volumes.

Fantaisie, Op. 8 takes me by surprise. A convincing juxtaposition of tonal/atonal, that perhaps hints where Lipatti was headed.

Considering the world premieres in this project, it wouldn't surprise me to hear of initial skepticism for. Can Lipatti composition and arrangement be good enough? And for two discs?

It is, and especially with Borac delivering. Highly recommended. Buy, buy, buy. So ordered!

View attachment 14336


Artist website:
http://www.luizaborac.com/dinu-lipatti/

Related Reviews:

http://audaud.com/2013/01/lipatti-c...-in-f-was-mir-behagt-ist-nur-die-muntre-jagd/

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Jan13/Lipatti_AV2271.htm


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Grosse Fuge in B-flat major
Yale String Quartet


----------



## ptr

*Midnight at Notre-Dame* - Organ Transcriptions of music by J.S. Bach · Berlioz · Mozart
Prokofiev · Rachmaninov · Wagner (*DG*)









Olivier Latry, organ

Shake, Rattle and Roll! Louis Vierne's transcription of Rachmaninoff's "Prélude in C sharp minor" is mind blowing!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 7, with CSO/Solti (rec.1971); DLVDE, with Baltsa/Konig/LPO/Tennstedt (rec.1982).

View attachment 14338
View attachment 14339


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven, symphony #1. Fondly remembering my first live symphony experience last month


----------



## kv466

Not exactly 'celebrating' but happy for my Venezuelan friends.


----------



## daveh

My trek through the Mahler symphonies has been thwarted after listening to Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 last night. So far today, it's been all piano concertos for me. I decided to just look at the Top 150 Most Recommended Keyboard Concerti on these forums. So I have listened to these so far today:

- Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
- Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
- Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
- Grieg: Piano Concerto

Enjoyed them all, but the Rachmaninoff was the best of the bunch for me.


----------



## Guest

Exquisitely HUGE!
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 in E flat "Symphony of a Thousand"
Sir George Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
I don't step lightly into the world of Mahler. This is a special occasion.

*It seemed like a fitting selection for the thirty-thousandth post, on the two-thousandth page of this thread.*


----------



## Cheyenne

Martinu Honeggers oboe concerto, on this neat collection of Holliger recordings:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Well, given that Messiaen's "modes of limited transposition" are all symmetrical, the tritone features heavily in his music, melodically and harmonically. I didn't realize how much my ears had adjusted to the sound of his music until I thought about what it would sound like to stick some of his chords into others' music...


Good observation, Mahlerian. I've wanted to get that Messiaen book for some time now. The first $30 I get, I'm going for it.


----------



## OboeKnight

Bohuslav Martinu Symphony No. 2


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Ravel's* (1875 - 1937) birthday, Daphnis et Chloe with ORF/Chung (rec. 2004).

View attachment 14344


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Schubert 'Le Voyage Magnifique' Schubert's Impromptus









Maria Joao Pires at her Schubertian best....her playing is profound in this 2 cd set. She creates that special sound-world that only Schubert lovers know. I am glad to possess Brendel's interpretations of this music...they have never been bettered but in her own way, Pires spins some real magic here and places her interpretation on a par with his, I believe.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Various recordings, or always the same favorite recording?


The same one on YouTube. The only Sibelius I own is Symphony no. 1 and Finlandia on an LP conducted by Colin Davis.

Listening to Sibelius's second symphony again.


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Le Crescendo Ouverture -- Donato Renzetti: Orchestra Della Toscana

My Cherubini fixation is intensifying... Thank goodness!

Chopin: Ballade #3 in A Flat, Op. 47 -- Cécile Ousset

Corelli: Violin Sonata #6 in A, Op. 5/6 -- Andrew Manze & Richard Egarr

Fux: De Profundis, K 130 -- René Clemencic: Clemencic Consort

Rameau: Zéphyre -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 8, with LSO/Bernstein et al (rec.1966); Symphony 9, with NYPO/Bernstein (rec.1965).

View attachment 14345
View attachment 14346


----------



## DrKilroy

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to Sibelius's second symphony again.


If you like it, you might also try the Fifth Symphony - I like both really much.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> The same one on YouTube. The only Sibelius I own is Symphony no. 1 and Finlandia on an LP conducted by Colin Davis.
> 
> Listening to Sibelius's second symphony again.


I love the 4th, personally. Tell me what you think when you get to it!


----------



## arts

I have been listing to this song everyday for awhile.


----------



## Schubussy

DrKilroy said:


> If you like it, you might also try the Fifth Symphony - I like both really much.
> 
> Best regards, Dr





Mahlerian said:


> I love the 4th, personally. Tell me what you think when you get to it!


It's all about the 6th! Though I think I'm in the minority on this.

Sibelius - Lemminkainen Suite
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## JCarmel

Edward Elgar Symphony No.2 London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult

Right, I'm off to bed with Sir Edward and Sir Adrian...hope there's room for Sir Adrian to swing his baton?!!....


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm going to try Sibelius's fifth now.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, K380. Semi-addicted to these violin sonatas...


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## Kieran

Into K454, Barenboim and Perlman. 

Love the opening movement of this one - love it all! - but the opening movement has that typical Mozart flair for flinging melodies about the place like rice at a wedding...


----------



## Andolink

Alexander Goehr: Piano Quintet
Daniel Becker, piano
Elias Quartet






(thoroughly loved my first listen to this piece!)

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan etudes op. 35 played by Bernard Ringeissen.

Incredibly entertaining music.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Salomon String Quartet with Simon Whistler on viola; Simon Standage and Michaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello

View attachment 14359


----------



## opus55

Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, D.810


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: Symphony no. 7, first ever listening.


----------



## Schubussy

What did you think of the fifth?

Valentin Silvestrov - Symphony no. 4
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schubussy said:


> What did you think of the fifth?


Magnificent, especially the ending. Sibelius's music just has got to be the most beautiful of them all.


----------



## Novelette

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm going to try Sibelius's fifth now.


COAG, I'm getting through Sibelius' Symphonies for the first time. Are you listening to the 1915 or 1919 version? Or both?

Also, the 7th is my favorite so far, it's just stunning.


----------



## Novelette

I hate to copy COAG, but I was listening to this too...

Sibelius: Symphony #7 in C, Op. 105 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

I obtained the Vanska recordings after reading the "Sibelius Introduction" thread. I'm glad that I did.

Telemann: Suite in F For 2 Horns -- Hermann Baumann; Iona Brown: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields

Schumann: Vier Doppelchörige Gesänge, Op. 141 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Schubert: Piano Sonata in G, Op. 78, D 894 -- Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Albeniz


----------



## agoukass




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Novelette said:


> COAG, I'm getting through Sibelius' Symphonies for the first time. Are you listening to the 1915 or 1919 version? Or both?
> 
> Also, the 7th is my favorite so far, it's just stunning.


I'm not sure wich version actually... And yes the 7th is stunning, I agree. My favourite is still the 2nd though. 

The 5th is fantastic too, I'll listen to that one again.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm not sure wich version actually... And yes the 7th is stunning, I agree. My favourite is still the 2nd though.
> 
> The 5th is fantastic too, I'll listen to that one again.


What next? You liking Elgar? lol


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> What next? You liking Elgar? lol


That happened last year if you don't remember. I _like_ Elgar's cello concerto and serenade for strings but his pomp and circumstance march no. 1 is utter crap.


----------



## neoshredder

Haha that's right. Anything left to dislike?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Haha that's right. Anything left to dislike?


Hmm good question...Ross Edwards has started getting on my nerves recently. It seems as if the only scale he knows is mixolydian and persists on using that same mode in every single piece of music he writes! When you've heard one of his compositions, you've heard them all.

Listening to Sibelius's 2nd symphony now.


----------



## Kivimees

William Wordsworth - the composer, not the poet.


----------



## ptr

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My favourite is still the 2nd though.


You're not alone! My friend at the Gothenburg Symphony once told me that for every time the play one of the other six JS symphonies they played the second five times... A true "modern" staple!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Joseph Jongen* - Complete Works For Organ Vol 1 & 2, 4CDs (*Creato*)















Anton Doornhein, various Dutch Organs

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

been listening to *Beethoven*:
Symphony No.3 & 6
Piano Trio in E flat major Op.38
Cello Sonata Op.5 (in F major and G minor)
Cello Sonata in A major, Op.69


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Major, D 90

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Giovanni Guglielmo, violin

View attachment 14369


----------



## JCarmel

The weather here is grey, with some expectation of more of the 'white stuff' tomorrow! 
So, with inspiration from neoshredder's choice, I'm mentally packing my bags ...and taking my brain off to warmer climes. My travelling companion on the seat next to me is Segovia...though quite why he's travelling 'Economy'?!....









He's such a pleasant conversationalist and is just now asking me if I'd like to pop-over to his house near Granada...it's a lovely place as I've seen in on TV. Then we're off to the Alhambra together, to sit awhile by the sparkling fountains of the Generalife gardens and marvel at the Moorish architecture...and ponder how the music of Falla's 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain' captures its timeless essence to a such a wonderful degree.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714-1788): Trio Sonata in A Minor, Wq 148

Les Coucous Benevoles: Elissa Poole, flute -- David Greenberg, violin -- Sergei Istomin, viola -- Colin Tilney, harpsichord

View attachment 14377


----------



## Sonata

I am currently listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony #1



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm not sure wich version actually... And yes the 7th is stunning, I agree. My favourite is still the 2nd though.
> 
> The 5th is fantastic too, I'll listen to that one again.


The 2nd and 5th are great I agree  I haven't heard the others yet, other than the 1st.


----------



## Novelette

Insomnia line-up:

Handel: Harp Concerto in B Flat, Op. 4/6, HWV 294 -- Marisa Robles; The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Brahms: Piano Sonata #1 in C, Op. 1 -- Gerhard Oppitz

Schumann: Phantasie in C, Op. 131 -- Christian Tetzlaff; Paavo Jarvi: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Schubert: String Trio #2 in B Flat, D 581 -- Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Guest

There is so much talk of Sibelius lately on this thread that I was persuaded to put him in my lineup for today.

Symphony No. 5 in E flat, Op. 82
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra

This disc has the orginal version from 1915 AND the final version from 1919.


----------



## OboeKnight

I suppose I'm following the Sibelius trend then, and I didn't even mean to.

Second listen of Sibelius 7....wooo!


----------



## Schubussy

Yeah why not.

Sibelius Symphony no. 2
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Kevin Pearson

With Sibelius trending I'd like to jump on the bandwagon as well but I need utter time alone with him and I must leave for work shortly. Before I do though I am listening to a very nice album of Rued Langgaard's Violin Sonatas. Really nice recording and a good balance of his romantic and more modern pieces. Violin Sonata No. 4 I found especially interesting. I'm not sure Langgaard is as interesting to me as Nielsen but he is becoming more and more one of my favorites. Too bad his music was never recognized for it's greatness during his own lifetime.










Kevin


----------



## ptr

After 5h+ of Jongen, I really need a modernistic ear cleanser!

*Luigi Nono* - Risonanze erranti & Post-prae-ludium per Donau (*Neos*)









ENSEMBLE EXPERIMENTAL; Les Percussions de Strasbourg; EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR u. Detlef Heusinger / Klaus Burger, tuba & EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR

Expanding the ear!

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

ptr said:


> After 5h+ of Jongen, I really need a modernistic ear cleanser!
> 
> *Luigi Nono* - Risonanze erranti & Post-prae-ludium per Donau (*Neos*)
> 
> View attachment 14379
> 
> 
> ENSEMBLE EXPERIMENTAL; Les Percussions de Strasbourg; EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR u. Detlef Heusinger / Klaus Burger, tuba & EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR
> 
> Expanding the ear!
> 
> /ptr


Hmm seems interesting!

For some unknown reason I felt like Scarlatti Harpsichord Sonatas...its been quite an eclectic morning so far.


----------



## rrudolph

I'm enjoying a nice low-key morning with Morton Feldman. It's snowing here, so I'm starting with this (when there are words they refer to falling snow):

Morton Feldman: Three Voices for Joan La Barbara









Then:

Morton Feldman: Coptic Light/Piano and Orchestra/Cello and Orchestra









Then a couple of chamber pieces, probably Instruments II and For Frank O'Hara


----------



## cwarchc

Started the day off with this one







Went onto this one
Reger: Clarinet Quintet op146, Trio op77b (it wont let me load the image)
I'm onto Billie Holiday now


----------



## ptr

Got my turntable spinning this afternoon..

*The McGill Percussion Ensemble* - Percussion (McGill University Records 1978 OOP?)
*François Morel* - Rythmologue / *Alcides Lanza* - Sensors I / *Serge Garant* - Circuit I / *Andrew Culver* - Signature









The McGill Percussion Ensemble u. Pierre Belúse

I'm amazed that I could find a cover to this on the net! Perhaps not the most inspired compositions, but fun to listen to anyway!

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Just stumbled upon Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor after listening to Mendelssohn's "Scottish" symphony. Blown away.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

To continue the Sibelius trend: 
Symphony No.3 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, conductor Colin Davis)


----------



## Sonata

Chopin Piano Concertos


----------



## Ramako

I shall have to jump on the Sibelius bandwagon too - I haven't listened to 4 yet. But later, for the moment...

Bach's Orchestral Suites 1-3 (and maybe 4 after 3 finishes) with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert.









Some of my favourite Baroque music.


----------



## ptr

Boult conducts Ireland Vol 2: *John Ireland *- Legend for Piano And Orchestra, Overture 'Satyricon', Piano Concerto, These Things Shall Be, Two Studies (*Lyrita*)









Eric Parkin , piano; John Carol Case, baritone; London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir u. Sir Adrian Boult

A musical single malt! 

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I'm just having a listen to my iPod...here in Andalucia, at Segovia's lovely place...whilst he's in the kitchen cooking-up a Paella.
Thankfully, I have an extensive library on my little device and have managed to find two suitable recordings on it, to enable me to properly celebrate the birthday of CPE Bach.









C.P.E's keyboard concertos are lovely...expressive & full of charm and vitality. The Concerto in E flat major is a kind of dual between the harpsichord and it's serious rival 'replacement' the pianoforte. Both seek to outfinger the other, in a joust of ancient and modern!









The Viola de Gamba/Harpischord sonatas were composed again in that period of transition between the Baroque and the Classical, with the Viola de Gamba 'rapidly being replaced in Italy by the Violincello..the rising star of the moment' 
Paolo Pandolfo and Rinaldo Alessandrini play these sonatas with passionate expressiveness.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach - Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord


----------



## OboeKnight

Almost fell asleep listening to Chopin Nocturnes :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of birthdays for *CPE Bach* (1714 - 1788) and *Alan Hovhaness* (1911 - 2000): Wurttemberg Sonata with GG (rec.1968); Symphony 22 with Seattle SO/Hovhaness (rec.1992).

View attachment 14389
View attachment 14390


----------



## neoshredder

OboeKnight said:


> Almost fell asleep listening to Chopin Nocturnes :lol:


Listen to Debussy and that will finish the job. lol


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C major
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## Sonata

Chopin preludes. I LOVE the Raindrop prelude. The dark and stormy middle passage, so perfectly set off by the tranquil opening and closing sections. It'll be a long time before I'm ready to try to play Chopin, but I would be very happy if I could learn this piece eventually!


----------



## Kieran

The gorgeous faltering slow movement of K533, the piano sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Both potent and delicious, this is a truly expressive slow set. He could have left this sonata as a two-movement gem but for reasons unknown, used K494, an old rondo, as the third movement. It doesn't hinder it, but it's kinda like the epilogue in Don Giovanni: you know the music is just right, but your mind is still disturbed and distracted by what just went before it...


----------



## brianwalker

This is the best version of Brahms 4 I've heard to date, yes, even better than Kleiber's, but don't take my word for it.

http://kennethwoods.net/blog1/2012/11/27/eugen-jochum-a-maestros-maeastro/

Jochum recorded the Brahms symphonies twice, first in mono for DG in the 1950s, and then with the London Philharmonic in the 1970s. He himself considered the 1964 sessions of Brahms's piano concertos with Emil Gilels to be his finest recordings. Perhaps it is in Brahms that his artistic maturation is seen to greatest effect. His use of structurally underpinned tempo modification is absolutely central to his approach to this composer, and it is with Brahms that his greatly increased subtlety and mastery of tempo pays the biggest dividends. While the earlier set, for all its beauties, is occasionally let down by the odd awkward transition, ragged ensemble or in-organic accelerando, in this cycle, building on the intervening 20 years of experience and the matchless attentiveness and cohesion of London orchestral musicians at his disposal, Jochum recorded a truly great cycle of Brahms performances.* From a conductor's perspective, it is hard to think of a more technically or musically impressive performance than that of the first movement of the Fourth, in which Jochum is able to achieve complete and effortless-sounding flexibility of tempo, while making sure that all of Brahms' intricate polyrhythms are articulated with absolute security and clarity.*


----------



## agoukass




----------



## JCarmel

Enrique Granados, Twelve Spanish Dances for Piano, Alicia De Larrocha









Well, it's been a wonderful day. Andres is just driving me back to the Airport and we're listening to Granados' haunting little 'Spanish Dances' on his car music system. He's been the perfect host and even given me a parting gift of some Manzanilla sherry with which to toast his memory, when I get back to a very cold UK.


----------



## DrKilroy

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Magnificent, especially the ending.


I also love the ending. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Violin Concerto
Anne Sophie Mutter, Chicago Symphony, cond. James Levine

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sibelius: symphony no. 4 for the first time ever.


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Sibelius: symphony no. 4 for the first time ever.


I hope it makes an impression! The first time I listened to it I didn't realize how great it was.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano concerto 4. Gould / Bernstein

You could almost imagine it's Beethoven himself improvising the cadenza!


----------



## Antihero




----------



## Kieran

Sibelius is the man here of late, deservedly so. Can someone recommend an 'in' for me to listen to tomorrow?

Cheers!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> I hope it makes an impression! The first time I listened to it I didn't realize how great it was.


It has definitely made an impression! This has got to be my second favourite.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kieran said:


> Sibelius is the man here of late, deservedly so. Can someone recommend an 'in' for me to listen to tomorrow?
> 
> Cheers!


Symphony no. 2!!!!


----------



## Schubussy

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Sibelius: symphony no. 4 for the first time ever.





Mahlerian said:


> I hope it makes an impression! The first time I listened to it I didn't realize how great it was.





ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> It has definitely made an impression! This has got to be my second favourite.


Hm. I should probably listen to it again, I only have done a few times unlike all the other ones. It's always been my least favourite.

Faure - Chamber Music, Vol. 2


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Symphony no. 2!!!!


At the moment I'm out now, boozing and talking about Don Giovanni, but tomorrow I will look up symphony number 2!

Cheers! :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> The first time I listened to it I didn't realize how great it was.


So did I, and I only listened to it once. It definitely needs another try!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Wood

Biber Rosaries
Beethoven 9!


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Symphony no. 2!!!!


Okay! Okay! You are relentless. I'm giving it a listen.







Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 2, Zubin Mehta, New York Philharmonic

...so far it is definately extraordinary. Loving the way the early theme dances in and out above the sensuous pulsating backdrop.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Magnificat - Karl Richter


----------



## DeepR




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Was listening to Tchaikovsky serenade for strings, now *Sibelius* symphony no. 2.


----------



## Feathers

Enjoying my Friday with Shosty's Trio No. 2:








After all this talk about Sibelius, I think I'm going to go listen to his 2nd again (since I didn't quite digest it the last time I heard it). I hope I enjoy it more this time!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Piano Works with GG (rec.1976/7); *Satie*: Piano Works with Ciccolini (rec.1966 - '76).

View attachment 14402
View attachment 14403


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## Sid James

*Bizet *_Symphony in C / Petite Suite "Jeux d'Enfants" _/ *Debussy* _Jeux_
- London Festival Orch. under Alfred Scholz / Nurnberg SO under Othmar F. Maga / Austrian Radio SO under Milan Horvat (Point Classics)

*William Lovelock* _Sinfonia Concertante for Organ & Orch_.
- Robert Boughen, organ with Sydney SO under Patrick Thomas (Eloquence)


----------



## Schubussy

As I said a week or so ago, Lutosławski is top of my composers-to-check list, and now's as good a time as any.

Witold Lutosławski - Piano Concerto
Paweł Kowalski - piano
Białystok Philharmonic Orchestra
Marek Pijarowski - conductor

Going for the piano concerto first simply because I like piano concertos.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Magnificent, especially the ending. Sibelius's music just has got to be the most beautiful of them all.


What I really like about Sibelius is how he starts and finishes things. Quite remarkable for his inventiveness. I'd say the same about Bruckner (whose music Sibelius admired) but also Elliott Carter. I think with each work they wanted to do something different, start it off differently, and finish it off in an unexpected way too.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*

I really like how he does the adago in this performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.*
> 
> I really like how he does the adago in this performance.
> 
> View attachment 14404


I prefer the asiago.


----------



## Schubussy

Lutosławski - Symphony no.4
Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

I think Mr. Lutosławski is going to have a place in my music collection.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works with Mustonen (rec.2011); Sonata 3 with GG (rec.1968).

View attachment 14406
View attachment 14407


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Was listening to Tchaikovsky serenade for strings, now *Sibelius* symphony no. 2.


Laughing my butt off! By chance have you counted how many times you have listened to it since you first made your discovery?


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius Symphony 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Magnificat - Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: Le Roi Lear Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden

Beethoven: Andante Favori in F, WoO 57 -- Gianluca Cascioli

Beethoven: Ah perfido!, Op. 65 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Beethoven: String Quartet #12 in E Flat, Op. 127 -- Alban Berg Quartet

Dvořák: Piano Trio #4 in E Minor, Op. 90, B 166, "Dumky" -- Emanuel Ax, Young Uck Kim, Yo-Yo Ma

I'm just about to begin listening to:

Beethoven: Mass in C, Op. 86 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

I know that the C Major Mass isn't Beethoven's best work, but I like it a lot.


----------



## Sonata

Brief sampling of my Big Vivaldi Box before going back to finish my Apocalyptica abum. Concerto in D major for guitar strings and continuo, and concerto for 2 trumpets in C major.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.14 in C Minor, KV 457

Heidi Lowy, piano

View attachment 14411


----------



## SimonNZ

Veracini's Sonate Accademiche - The Locatelli Trio


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Jerome said:


> Laughing my butt off! By chance have you counted how many times you have listened to it since you first made your discovery?


406,752 and now for the 406,753rd...
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vaughan Williams


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 6


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann concerti - Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 2


----------



## Wood

London's calling.

Haydn 88,89

First impression is that the sound is a bit thin and harsh on this group of symphonies in the Fischer set. Well played though.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' choral folksong arrangements - London Madrigal Singers (feat. Ian Partridge)

finally getting around to upgrading my worn down lp of a much loved performance


----------



## DeepR

I once let a friend listen to this and he thought it was randomly banging the piano. 
Well, he is banging a bit. Hell yeah, 3:21!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 4


----------



## ptr

Peter Maxwell Davis - Naxos Quartets 3 & 4 (*Naxos*)









The Maggini Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Mordred

Telemann Oboe Concerto in D Minor. I put this on while stuck in in some horrible weekend tourist traffic and my road rage was immediately pacified. It's so delightful how can you stay mad at the world?


----------



## ptr

*Peteris Vasks* - Symphony No 2 & Violin Concerto "Distant Light" (*Ondine*)









Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra u. John Storgårds // John Storgårds, violin; Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra u. Juha Kangas

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## Guest

When I'm done with this I'm done with Sibelius. 









Sibelius: The Symphonies
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra

These recordings were made in the 70s in the Soviet Union on the Mylodia label.


----------



## Kivimees

Mordred said:


> Telemann Oboe Concerto in D Minor. I put this on while stuck in in some horrible weekend tourist traffic and my road rage was immediately pacified. It's so delightful how can you stay mad at the world?


I can't say that I ever encounter horrible weekend tourist traffic, but perhaps I'll try its healing powers next time my rage needs to be pacified for some other reason.


----------



## ptr

*Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov* - Scheherazade (*Philips*)









Concertgebouw Orchestra u. Kirill Kondrashin

Best Scheherazade bar none! 

/ptr


----------



## bejart

The Pla Brothers, Joan (ca.1720-1770?) and Josep (1728-1762): Trio Sonata No.4 in F Major

Barcelona Consort: Jordi Colomer, flute -- Jordi Argelaga, oboe -- Jordi Comellas, viola -- Madrona Elias, harpsichord

View attachment 14425


----------



## Andolink

Portuguese vilancetes, cantigas and romances
Gérard Lesne, alto
Circa 1500








Alexander Goehr: Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 20; Suite for Violin and Piano
Daniel Becker, piano
Ning Kam, violin
Thomas Carroll, cello


----------



## ptr

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - Pastorale; Music for Strings (*Chandos*)









Della Jones mezzo-soprano; Sinfonia Chorus & Northern Sinfonia u. Richard Hickox

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in C major, op. 45 no. 4 (1792)
Europa Galante


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No. 7 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, conductor Colin Davis). I've heard it three times right through and felt a huge desire to go wander in the snow a bit, which I am therefore going to do.


----------



## DavidA

Poulenc Concerto for two piano - argerich gurning


----------



## ptr

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Goldberg Variations in an playful arrangement by Arthur Frackenpohl (*RCA*)









Canadian Brass

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Symphony no. 2!!!!


Am listening now, Lenny Bernstein directing traffic.

Quite a beautiful opening to it...


----------



## Kivimees

It's a nice afternoon here for this:









The pianist on the CD, Sophia Rahman,









was in town last year to give a performance of our local heroes (Pärt and Eller). I thought it was very kind of Ms Rahman to give me such a beautiful present on my 50th birthday.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Josef Mysliveček (9 March 1737-1781): Sinfonia Concertante in C Major, Op.2, No.6

Gary Brain leading the Uralsk Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 14435


----------



## Kieran

This symphony #2 by Sibelius is fairly beautiful! It's logical, cogent, expansive. It doesn't sound modern, in the sense of being architecturally fragmented or dominated by philosophy. Sounds visual, if that makes sense. Am listening to the second movement now...


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt

Finishing up my final entry on this work in my blog. It's not my favorite Mahler work, but going through it in detail like this has helped me understand its massive popularity a little more.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1
Rott: Symphony in E major

















Spotifying


----------



## Sonata

More from my Big Vivaldi Box. And what would you know....my kid finally likes classical music. He was be-bopping to Concerto for Violoa D'Amore and Lute in D Minor.


----------



## Feathers

Liszt's Les Annees de Pelerinage performed by Jeffrey Swann.








I missed piano music.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.35 in B Flat

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra++

View attachment 14440


----------



## ptr

*Johannes Brahms* - Symphony No 2 (*Decca*)









Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra u. Istvan Kertesz

Had to check if it is a masterpiece, in Istvan Kertesz hands it almost is (don't know about the hands of others), but it lack something, hm... Organ, it lacks organ, it would have been a masterpiece if it had had an obbligato organ!!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works with Feltsman (rec.2011); Sonatas (Complete) with Alexeev (rec.2008 - '11).

View attachment 14443
View attachment 14444


----------



## musicican

Dvořák: Moravian Duets (Moravské dvojzpěvy) by Kühn Choir (Prague)
http://www.kuhnchoir.cz/

Susan Graham: Virgins, Vixens & Viragos








This album includes two great songs suitable for an encore:
The Physician and The Boy from Tacarembo la Tumbe del Fuego Santa Malipas Zatatecas la Junta del Sol y Cruz.
http://www.amazon.com/Virgins-Vixens-Viragos/dp/B00B6HYZ8O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362861549&sr=8-2&keywords=susan+graham+virgins#mp3TrackPlayer


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Kullervo


----------



## oogabooha

musicican said:


> Dvořák: Moravian Duets (Moravské dvojzpěvy) by Kühn Choir (Prague)
> http://www.kuhnchoir.cz/


oooooooooooooh, really hope you enjoy that one (◕‿◕✿)


----------



## DavidA

Verdi Don Carlo - live from the Met


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bliss, A Colour Symphony.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Sacred Music.*


----------



## ptr

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bliss, A Colour Symphony.*


*A Colour Symphony* is one of my all time top ten favourite orchestral works! Bliss own recording is Blissful! 

/ptr


----------



## Guest

As I said before I'm done with Sibelius. *Back to the comfort of my good friend Wolfy *(anyone familiar with the movie Amadeus will recognize Constanze's nickname for her husband).








Mozart Piano Concertos, Geza Anda, Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteum
Heading out for a 1.5 hour drive. Will listen to Concertos 20, 19, and 18 in that order.


----------



## Wood

Dvorak Wind Serenade (chuckle)

I wish I knew how to transfer album covers to these posts.


----------



## Wood

Haydn 88 - the renowned largo being played very slow by the Austro-Hungarians.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

hayd said:


> Dvorak Wind Serenade (chuckle)
> 
> I wish I knew how to transfer album covers to these posts.


You see that little icon that looks like a picture? (3rd from left just in case). Find the album on Amazon or another site. Rightclick on the picture and select "copy image url". Click on the icon mentioned above, click on "FROM URL", rightclick and paste into field, and uncheck "Retrieve remote file and reference locally". click OK.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

After seeing your post above mine I'm beginning to think I wasn't so rude after all. 

Kevin


----------



## Schubussy

hayd said:


> 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**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


I like that one. 

Copy the address of the image you want 
Click the little picture frame on top of the reply box
Click the 'from URL' tab
Paste the address in


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## Wood

Hi KP

When I follow your instructions, this is what I get:

data:image/jpeg;..............[SIZE=7]......................RLkaiEapUqI0xL0NXo1SpUs0RL0arlNSpTUNRdbeibbTUqU2IxFqmrkapUpgSCEar0apUo0WXo1SpUoiz/9k=



Kevin Pearson said:


> Well, it's not rocket science! You see that little icon that looks like a picture? (3rd from left just in case). Find the album on Amazon or another site. Rightclick on the picture and select "copy image url". Click on the icon mentioned above, click on "FROM URL", rightclick and paste into field, and uncheck "Retrieve remote file and reference locally". click OK. Now I don't mean to be offensive here but If you can't follow those easy steps then maybe the Internet and message boards are not the right hobby for you?
> 
> Kevin


I never had these issues on a ZX81:lol:


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## Kieran

Mozart.

24.

Nuff said...


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## bejart

DavidA --
"Verdi Don Carlo - live from the Met"

Heard the same while in my car this afternoon ---

Now, in further celebration of his birthday ---
Josef Mysliveček (9 March 1737-1781): Sinfonia in F Major

Werner Ehrhardt leading Concerto Koln

View attachment 14453


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## Wood

*Yes!!!!*


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## GreenMamba

Cowell Symphony 11, Botstein/American SO.

I hadn't heard this before. I suspect I'm going to have the second movement running through my head for some time .


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## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Barber's* (1910 - 1981) birthday, Piano Sonata with MAH (rec. 2004).

View attachment 14455


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## SimonNZ

John Dowland songs - Emma Kirkby, soprano, Anthony Rooley, lute


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Tapiola


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## bejart

Another forgotten Italian ---
Alessandro Besozzi (1702-1793): Trio No.3

Luca Vignali, oboe -- Pavel Vernikov, violin -- Paolo Carlini, bassoon

View attachment 14459


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## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Orchestral Works, with Moscow New Opera O./Samoilov (rec.1993); String Quartets 3, 10, 13, with Leningrad Taneiev Quartet (rec.1987).

View attachment 14460
View attachment 14461


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## neoshredder

Listening to Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony


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## brianwalker

Nicholas Angelich - Brahms Piano Quartet *no. 2, Op. 26*. Self-recommending.

Is this piece obscure enough to make me a qualified chamber hipster now?


----------



## Weston

Schubert Piano Sonata No. 11 in F minor from this Richter series:









It seems to me Schubert and Beethoven are close in spirit, but with Schubert you get even sneakier modulations and a little more emotional reserve. This is another incomplete work, but Richter has inserted the Adagio in Db, D.505 as the slow movement. Okay - whatever.


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## Feathers

Good old Schumann concerto (with Brendel and Abbado)! Always a favorite! 

The album cover is boring so I'll post a picture of Schumann, because why not. (Who doesn't like Schumann?) 









(Edit: Oops, I was so excited I forgot to mention it's the _piano_ concerto, but of course the violin and cello concertos are amazing too.)


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## opus55

Sibelius: Snofrid, Op.29










I should try more choral works by Sibelius.


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## neoshredder

opus55 said:


> Sibelius: Snofrid, Op.29
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I should try more choral works by Sibelius.


Everyone should try more of everything by Sibelius.


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## ProudSquire

Franz Schubert 
Octet in F major, D 803
Berlin Philharmonic Octet

A lovely work, I enjoyed it greatly.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Histoires Naturelles - Gerard Souzay, tenor, Jacqurline Bonneau, piano

as wonderful as Souzays later recordings with Dalton Baldwin are, I love the very early ones he made with Bonneau

I think I now have all of the original Decca lps with Bonneau, except this one wich remains elusive


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 4


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): Piano Sonata in D Major, Op.5, No.2

Richard Fuller, piano

View attachment 14469


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## Novelette

Schumann: String Quartet #2 in F, Op. 41/2 -- Alberni Quartet

Mozart: Sonata in F For Piano 4 Hands, K 497 -- Ingrid Haebler; Jörg Demus

Purcell: Come, Ye Sons Of Art, Z 323 -- Felicity Lott; John Eliot Gardiner: Monteverdi Orchestra, Monteverdi Choir

Bach, C.P.E.: Flute Concerto in A, Wq 168/H 438 -- James Galway; Jörg Faerber: Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn

Stravinsky: Apollo (1947 Version) -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Tchaikovsky: The Voyevoda, Op. 3 -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

One heck of a Saturday evening line-up!


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## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Everyone should try more of everything by Sibelius.


It's interesting that Neo and COAG have caught Sibelius-fever, I'm just starting to get into him myself. Well, if I'm going to follow any crowd, I can hardly think of a better one.


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## opus55

Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 1










A fine romatic period symphony.


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## Novelette

opus55 said:


> Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A fine romatic period symphony.


I love that set of Saint-Saens' symphonies. The very best, in my humble opinion.


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## SimonNZ

Haydn's Op.54 and 55 "Tost" String Quartets - Kodaly Quartet


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## opus55

Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 23


----------



## neoshredder

This whole collection is on MOG. Going to see how far I can get in it. On Symphony 1 at the moment.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 {The Bells of Zlonice"}, Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10. *All three works feature the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Vaclav Neumann.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *performed by the James Levine led Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, Opus 55


----------



## Tristan

Sibelius - Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52 (Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony)

All this talk of Sibelius has prompted me to listen.


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms* Piano Trio No.1

Johann Strauss II:
Lagunen Walzer Op.411
Freut euch des Lebens, Op.340
Wiener Blut (some opera pieces)


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem - Richard Hickox


----------



## ptr

Starting my Guilmant Sunday to honour his birthday!

*Alexandre Guilmant *- Organ Sonatas 1, 2 & 5 ((BigBen OOP))









Bedrich Janacek, organ of the Cathedral of Lund, Sweden

/ptr


----------



## violadude

Just want to say, that this thread has officially reached the same amount of page numbers as there have been years since Jesus was supposedly born. That's pretty nifty.


----------



## ptr

More Guilmant!

A playlist with select Guilmant tracks from the following discs:


----------



## ptr

Part 2 of playlist:


































/ptr


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Lemminkäinen Suite.


----------



## JCarmel

Alexandre Guilmant 'Guilmant Garnishes' Charles Callahan, Aeolian Skinner Organ, Church of the Epiphany, Washington DC.









Yes, Happy Birthday, Guilmant!
Here he is with his impressive organ.... at the Trocadero, Paris where he used to give very popular annual concerts on the Cavaille-Coll instrument there.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## ptr

*Alexandre Guilmant* - Septième sonate and some other stuff.. (Ricercar)









Joris Verdin @ the Willis organ of Dundalk, Ireland

/ptr


----------



## jani

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


May i recommend this as the next piece what you are gonna listen to.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ I've heard that. It is great.


----------



## JCarmel

J Haydn, Six Quartets, Opus 20 Quatuor Mosaiques









Well, moving-away from organ parts!....to the wonderfully interweaving ones of Haydn's opus 20 quartets...full of interest, invention and geniality....and all of that, so well-realised here by Quatuor Mosaiques.


----------



## jani

Page 2013 lolol


----------



## Guest

Sticking with Mozart for a while.








"Great Mass" in C minor, K427, John Elliott Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

I love to listen to a mass on Sunday morning before heading off to church.


----------



## ptr

Awesome page count, next stop 10K! ... also pausing Guilmant but staying Frech!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (*Naxos*)









Orchestre National de Lyon u. Jun Märkl

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Oboe Concerto in D Major, Op.7, No.6

I Musici -- Heinz Holliger, oboe

View attachment 14491


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.31 in B Minor, Op.33, No.1

Parkanyi Quartet: Istvan Parkanyi and Heinz Oberdorfer, violins -- Ferdinand Erblich, viola -- Michael Muller, cello

View attachment 14492


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am listening to the Sibelius Violin Concerto Jani has just posted.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: Violin Concerto, with Chung/LSO/Previn (rec.1972); Le Sacre du Printemps, avec Philadelphia O./Muti (rec. 1978, ART remastered).

View attachment 14496
View attachment 14497


----------



## ptr

Someone just told me that we jumped the gun on Guilmant birthday bash, so what, good composers should be celebrated Daly! At least I will be back in two day's time with more celebratory playing of his music... 

Now playing:

*James MacMillan* - Sun Dogs & Visitatio Sepulchri (*BIS*)









Netherlands Radio Choir & Chamber Philharmonic u. Celso Antunes & James MacMillan

GO Scotland!

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartets, Nos 11, 12 and 13


----------



## JCarmel

Igor Stravinsky, Petrushka / The Firebird Suite, Leonard Bernstein conducting The New York Philharmonic









Thanks to inspiration from Vaneyes......
To celebrate the birthdate (March 10) of Tamara Karsavina, who frequently partnered Nijinsky and indeed danced in Diaghelev's 1910 production of 'The Firebird' at the Ballet Russes and starred in the first performance in 1911, of 'Petrushka'. 
Her performance as the doll in that ballet, has long been considered the definitive one.
She was associated for many years with The Royal Academy of Dancing in the UK and coached amongst others, Dame Margot Fonteyn in the leading classical roles that she had helped create with the Ballet Russes.


----------



## musicican

Zdeněk Lukáš: Potěšení (Compositions for Chorus).
http://www.zdenek-lukas.cz/index.php?option=com_muscol&view=album&id=9
¨http://www.novaceskapisen.cz/


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet No.1 in E Flat

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 14509


----------



## Novelette

Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50, "In Memory Of A Great Artist" -- Lang Lang, Vadim Repin, Mischa Maisky

On repeat for the past two hours.


----------



## ptr

*Giya Kancheli* - Styx & *John Tavener* - The Myrrh-Bearer (*Onyx*)









Maxim Rysanov, viola; Rihards Zalupe, percussion; Chorus 'Kamēr… & Men of the State Choir Latvija, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra u. Māris Sirmais

/ptr


----------



## drpraetorus

RVW The wasps


----------



## ptr

drpraetorus said:


> RVW The wasps


What a great idea, I'll end my evening with Sir Mark's complete version of the wasps on the Hallé Label! Thank DrP!

But playing now.. inspired by that little rascal CoAG!

Jean Sibelius - Symphony No 4 Op 63 / Valse Triste Op 44:1 / Tapioca Op 112.. (*Decca*)









San Francisco Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

Best of SFS along with their Nielsen with Blomstedt!

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Dohnanyi: Violin Concertos


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in D Major, KV 251

Burkhard Glaetzner leading the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum

View attachment 14518


----------



## ptr

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - The Wasps (Text by Aristophanes/English singing translation and narration by David Pountney) (*Hallé*)









Henry Goodman, horus and Orchestra u. Sir Mark Elder

..I am teaching myself how to rest; I have been awake and on watch the whole night!

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Janet Baker: a couple from Wessendock lieder, and handel pieces.
Beethoven Explored, volume IV: Two violin sonatas from Beethoven and one from Ferdinand Reis, his student. I'm rather enjoying violin sonatas lately


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jacobus Barbireau, Missa Virgo parens Christi, by The Clerks' Group.


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Quintet in F Major, Op.53

Love Derwinger on piano with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quartet: Michael Hasel, flute -- Andreas Wittmann, oboe -- Walter Seyfarth, clarinet -- Fergus McWilliam, horn -- Henning Trog, bassoon

View attachment 14521


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ligeti: Lontano


----------



## Sid James

Started off the weekend's listening with some *Ray Charles*, one of my favourite singers. His style knew no boundaries - taking in everything from soul, R&B, jazz, rock, pop, country, even a hint of classical, and beyond - and his voice could seemingly express every emotion imaginable.

Then some orchestral showpieces by* Liszt* and *Tchaikovsky* played by the Cincinnati SO under Erich Kunzel.

& finishing with a recording of* Bruckner's Symphony #4 "Romantic"* which I had on tape years ago but recently got on cd. A joy to hear this performance again by the LSO under Istvan Kertesz.

*Album: The Definitive Ray Charles *(Warner/Atlantic/Rhino), disc one of double disc set.

*Liszt *_Battle of the Huns ; Hungarian March to the Assault_
*Tchaikovsky* _Capriccio Italien ; Cossack Dance from Mazeppa_
Cincinnati SO under Erich Kunzel (Telarc)

*Bruckner *_Symphony #4 in E flat major, "Romantic" (Haas edition, 1881 version)_
London SO under Istvan Kertesz (Eloquence)


----------



## Novelette

Elgar: Coronation March, Op. 65 -- Yehudi Menuhin: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Gabrieli, Giovanni: Canzon in Double Echo -- Canadian Brass

Haydn: Piano Trio #34 in E, Hob. XV: 34 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Haydn: Piano Trio #31 in E Flat Minor, Hob. XV: 31 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Beethoven: Variations for 2 Oboes and Cor anglais on "Là ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni in C, Wo0 28 -- Berliner Philharmoniker

Beethoven: Kurfürsten Sonata #3 in D, WoO 47 -- Jörg Demus

Beethoven: Fantasie in G Minor, Op. 77 -- Gianluca Cascioli


----------



## aleazk

Angela Hewitt: Bach (1985 Debut) - Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: 3. Presto - 




I love the way she plays my favorite part, which starts at 1:40.


----------



## bejart

Nicolaus Kraft (1778-1853): Cello Concerto No.3 in A Minor, Op.5

Hynek Farkac leading the Plzen Radio Orchestra -- Jiri Hosek, cello

View attachment 14525


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Pounding this (transposed up a minor third) away at the piano (with the help of a few extra hands)










I need to become familiar with its sound as I am using it in a composition.


----------



## Feathers

Albinoni's Complete Concertos  I'm not too familiar with him, but I'm enjoying it so far!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 4. This work could easily be programmed on a concert with Ligeti's "Lontano" and "Atmosphères" and Penderecki's famous threnody...possibly even Sculthorpe's piano concerto.


----------



## GreenMamba

Arvo Part Symphony no. 3, Welser-Most/London Philharmonic.


----------



## Sid James

ptr said:


> ...But playing now.. inspired by that little rascal CoAG!
> 
> Jean Sibelius - Symphony No 4 Op 63 / Valse Triste Op 44:1 / *Tapioca *Op 112....


I didn't know CoAG was eating Tapioca (pudding?!) Yum I'll have some too...

*Corny/Tapioca-ey joke #56899 done and dusted...


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Honegger's* (1892 - 1955) birthday, Pastorale d'ete with Lausanne CO/Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990).

View attachment 14538


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius: *Symphonies nos. 5 and 2


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major


----------



## Schubussy

Debussy - Suite bergamasque
Claudio Arrau


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major,* both works performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17
Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 5


----------



## Feathers

For some reason I have trouble getting into this symphony.  Giving it another try!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven Symphony no. 6 and Schubert's Symphony no. 5


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Quatour pour la fin du temps
Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang, Myung-Whun Chung









The slow movements on this version are the slowest I know, but it's made other versions of the work harder to listen to for me.


----------



## Schubussy

Mahlerian said:


> Messiaen: Quatour pour la fin du temps
> Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang, Myung-Whun Chung
> 
> View attachment 14549
> 
> 
> The slow movements on this version are the slowest I know, but it's made other versions of the work harder to listen to for me.


I've been considering getting this, the samples on amazon sound really good.

Beethoven - Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5
Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

Sleep music:

Ockeghem: Missa Pro Defunctis -- Hillard Ensemble


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## neoshredder

Going to sleep while listening to Sibelius Symphony 2


----------



## Guest

This morning it's Malcolm Bilson's turns. With John Elliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Solotists.
Working my way backward through Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 17, 16, 15, and 14.


----------



## ptr

Sid James said:


> I didn't know CoAG was eating Tapioca (pudding?!) Yum I'll have some too...
> 
> *Corny/Tapioca-ey joke #56899 done and dusted...


I was waiting for someone to pick on me for this! 

Now playing:

*L'orgue de Lunéville* (*Alpha*)









Frederic Desenclos, organ

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Symphonie a 8 concertanti

Pierre Cao leading the Ensemble Stradivaria

View attachment 14558


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Pounding this (transposed up a minor third) away at the piano (with the help of a few extra hands)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I need to become familiar with its sound as I am using it in a composition.


All twelve tones at one time. You make Berg and Webern sound like babies.

Not my thing but I admire your courage.


----------



## ptr

*Peter Maxwell Davies* - Naxos Quartets No 5 and 6 (*Naxos*)









Maggini Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Taking a cue from a friend and giving this a listen.
K563, String Trio in E flat
Yo-Yo Ma, Gidon Kremer, Kim Kashkashian (which sounds a weirdly close to Kim Kardashian)


----------



## EricABQ

Hamelin playing Alkan's Symphony For Solo Piano (op. 39 IV - VII.)

I actually listened to it twice this morning.


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in B flat, op. 28 no. 6
La Magnifica Comunità








Joseph Haydn: String Quartets from op. 50; No. 3 in E flat major and No. 4. in F sharp minor
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## Sonata

I need to get that eventually, Eric.

I am currently listening to Chopin Mazurkas and Polonaises.


----------



## ptr

A favourite in reprice:

*György Ligeti* & *Steve Reich* - African Rhythms (*TelDec*)









Aka Pygmies & Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Spending a little time in Edwardian-era England (I think all these guys have "Sir" in front of their names):

Bantock: Pagan Symphony/Fifine at the Fair/Two Heroic Ballads









Parry: Symphony #2 "Cambridge"/Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy/Symphonic Variations









Bax: Symphony #2/November Woods









I'll probably throw some Vaughn Williams and/or Elgar in there somewhere as well.


----------



## ptr

An I trod my feet in modern England (Gloucester)..

*David Briggs* - Mass for Notre Dame (*Hyperion*)









David Briggs, Organ; Trinity College Choir Cambridge u. Stephen Layton

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Brrr, it's snowing out there, _again_?!...it's a 'White-Out!'
So, I'm turning-up the central heating, fluffing-up my Teddy Bear (Barry, by name) making myself a Bailey'd coffee & opting for some comfort-listening, to warm the cockles of my heart...or wherever my cockles are located? (Answers on a postcard, please...wholesome ones, that is.)

First runner and rider in the 'Comfort Stakes' is this enjoyable Naxos mix of music from the movies...bits of Bernard Herrman, Miklos Rosza, Nino Rota, Charles Williams etc

View attachment 14566


I'm off then ..with Richard Addinsell's 'Warsaw Concerto'...made for the film of the same name, which starred Anton Walbrook but who just badly mimed playing the piano in the film to the performance of a really great pianist called Louis Kentner, who I went to see play a superb programme of pieces by Liszt, at my local concert hall ** years ago!






And then it's on to Theme and Waltz .....Richard Rodney Bennet's catchy music for the film 'Murder on the Orient Express'





 (don't know who's playing it here...)


----------



## Mahlerian

Jerome said:


> All twelve tones at one time. You make Berg and Webern sound like babies.
> 
> Not my thing but I admire your courage.


Actually, there's a very famous part in Berg's Lulu (also in the final movement of the suite) where a 12-note chord sounds fortissimo at the title character's death scream. It irks me that some conductors have the singer scream in the suite, because the chord itself is supposed to _be_ the scream of agony.

There's also a pianissimo 12-note chord at the beginning and end of the 3rd Altenberg Lied. It sparked off a riot at its premiere.



Schubussy said:


> I've been considering getting this, the samples on amazon sound really good.


It's my own personal favorite version. Very wide dynamic range and great playing from all involved.


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Brrr, it's snowing out there, _again_?!...it's a 'White-Out!'


It is the North Atlantic Norse God's that are sending their warm hellos, we had -12C/10F at 6.30 this morning... Cold! Its supposed to be spring now, not winter, I've had it with winter! 

Now playing:

*Edward Elgar* - Piano Quintet & String Quartet (*Hyperion*)









Piers Lane, piano & Goldner String Quartet

Warming Romantics!

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Mahlerian said:


> It's my own personal favorite version. Very wide dynamic range and great playing from all involved.


It has one really scathing review (copied from Gramophone I think) though which confused me a bit and put me off slightly because '10 of 13 people found the review helpful', although every other review is 5 stars. I think I will get it at some point though.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubussy said:


> It has one really scathing review (copied from Gramophone I think) though which confused me a bit and put me off slightly because '10 of 13 people found the review helpful', although every other review is 5 stars. I think I will get it at some point though.


There's a review at Amazon that focuses entirely on Shaham's breathing, which yes, is audible especially in quiet or near-silent passages. Can you link to the review you're referring to?


----------



## neoshredder

Sibelius: Symphony 3, 5


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Messiaen: Quatour pour la fin du temps
> Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang, Myung-Whun Chung


Haven't listend to QplfdT in a long time, I think that I'll put this as a soon to be played item in my playing sequence! (Thanks for the inspiration "*M*"!!).

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Mahlerian said:


> There's a review at Amazon that focuses entirely on Shaham's breathing, which yes, is audible especially in quiet or near-silent passages. Can you link to the review you're referring to?


http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubussy said:


> http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0


"Frankly, I'm not prepared to waste my time or yours on a detailed expose of the many textual errors. Suffice to say that the violin is horribly out of tune in bars 11 and 12 of the last movement, that the clarinet changes pitch perceptibly on the long crescendos on single notes in III, and that the cellist at the end of IV begins his glissando a quaver early, leading to a shambolic cadence. Really one expects a more responsible attitude to the text from such experienced musicians, and Deutsche Grammophon should be ashamed of putting out such a sub-standard disc."

In regards to these points, I have indeed noticed the first two, although I think the main offender in the violin example's case is the somewhat wide vibrato used by the soloist. But people accept far worse, especially in "historical" recordings when the standard of orchestral playing was not quite what it is today. Even today, I hear mistakes in horn parts especially in a good number of orchestral recordings. I think it's silly that classical music is the one place where we fail to accept occasional flubs as part of the experience (well, besides manufactured pop, where they don't even allow singers to perform live anymore without running them through autotune). In jazz improvisation, a mistake can be turned into a brilliant new idea.

I was recently listening to a vintage recording of Bruckner's 5th. The 2nd movement begins with slow triplets, as if the music were in 6/4, but when the melody enters in oboe, it's a clear 4/4. The orchestra couldn't handle it. Not even close. The oboe was all over the place, trying to sync up more directly with the cross rhythm. But people accept this, and not a few minor rhythmic nuances in a modern recording? It's absurd.


----------



## Schubussy

Yeah. Everyone else seems to love it and the samples sound great so it's on my wishlist anyway, it sounds like minor flaws have been blown out of proportion. Now just to find a job and I can buy it...


----------



## Vaneyes

Samplings of new releases: *Mahler* Das Klagende Lied, *Berg* Lulu Suite, with VPO/Boulez et al; *Atterberg* Symphonies 4 & 6, A Varmland Rhapsody, Suite No. 3, with Gothenburg SO/Jarvi; *Berlioz* Requiem, with LSO/Davis et al; *Lutoslawski* Symphony 1, Dance Preludes, Partita, Chain 2, with BBCSO/Gardner.

The Boulez is from the 2011 Salzburg Festival, and also available on DVD and Blu-ray. It makes more sense to me, to own the video. "Lulu" is the star of the show. DKL, written at age 20, is presented in its revised two-movement form, after Mahler chopped it from three movements at age 40.

If you'd like a souvenir from Atterberg, this Neeme Jarvi disc would be a good one to have. Light fare as nearly always, with "Varmland" representing one of the most beautiful pieces ever written by anyone.

I can't believe Sir Colin has done another Berlioz Requiem, but with LSO Live, anything's possible. This is dull. Stay away.

Gardner hasn't convinced me with his Lutoslawski series. Better to stay with many fine predecessors, including Lutoslawski and Wit.

View attachment 14574
View attachment 14575
View attachment 14577
View attachment 14576


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> The Boulez is from the 2011 Salzburg Festival, and also available on DVD and Blu-ray. It makes more sense to me, to own the video. "Lulu" is the star of the show. DKL, written at age 20, is presented in its original form, before Mahler chopped it at age 40.


Is it the real pre-revised version, or just the unrevised first part pasted onto the revised versions of the latter two, as is usually recorded? If it is the first, I'm definitely interested. How's the Lulu suite?


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> "Frankly, I'm not prepared to waste my time or yours on a detailed expose of the many textual errors. Suffice to say that the violin is horribly out of tune in bars 11 and 12 of the last movement, that the clarinet changes pitch perceptibly on the long crescendos on single notes in III, and that the cellist at the end of IV begins his glissando a quaver early, leading to a shambolic cadence. Really one expects a more responsible attitude to the text from such experienced musicians, and Deutsche Grammophon should be ashamed of putting out such a sub-standard disc."
> 
> In regards to these points, I have indeed noticed the first two, although I think the main offender in the violin example's case is the somewhat wide vibrato used by the soloist. But people accept far worse, especially in "historical" recordings when the standard of orchestral playing was not quite what it is today. Even today, I hear mistakes in horn parts especially in a good number of orchestral recordings. I think it's silly that classical music is the one place where we fail to accept occasional flubs as part of the experience (well, besides manufactured pop, where they don't even allow singers to perform live anymore without running them through autotune). In jazz improvisation, a mistake can be turned into a brilliant new idea.
> 
> I was recently listening to a vintage recording of Bruckner's 5th. The 2nd movement begins with slow triplets, as if the music were in 6/4, but when the melody enters in oboe, it's a clear 4/4. The orchestra couldn't handle it. Not even close. The oboe was all over the place, trying to sync up more directly with the cross rhythm. But people accept this, and not a few minor rhythmic nuances in a modern recording? It's absurd.


Out-of-tune in Modern or Contemporary can often not be such a bad thing. 

Re breathing, foot stomping, stand kicking anomaly, these are all amplified through headphones, which is the preferred listening tool for many these days.

Last but not least, we should take into some consideration, the often over-reactionary Amazon reviews.


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> Out-of-tune in Modern or Contemporary can often not be such a bad thing.


I'll confess, I have a hard time accurately distinguishing quarter tones most of the time. My ears aren't quite tuned for it.



> Re breathing, foot stomping, stand kicking anomaly, these are all amplified through headphones, which is the preferred listening tool for many these days.


On a lot of older recordings, I hear the conductor turning the pages of the score, clear as day. I don't really see why it should detract so much from the music.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Is it the real pre-revised version, or just the unrevised first part pasted onto the revised versions of the latter two, as is usually recorded? If it is the first, I'm definitely interested. How's the Lulu suite?


Thank you for asking. I sit corrected. It is the revised two-movement work. I've corrected my earlier post.

As I stated, I thought "Lulu" with Anna Prohaska made greater impact...as much as I can tell from sampling. Dorati's with Helga Pilarczyk remains my preference. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Actually, there's a very famous part in Berg's Lulu (also in the final movement of the suite) where a 12-note chord sounds fortissimo at the title character's death scream. It irks me that some conductors have the singer scream in the suite, because the chord itself is supposed to _be_ the scream of agony.
> 
> There's also a pianissimo 12-note chord at the beginning and end of the 3rd Altenberg Lied. It sparked off a riot at its premiere.
> 
> It's my own personal favorite version. Very wide dynamic range and great playing from all involved.


Scream away, I say. Although the first time I heard that, I almost had an accident.


----------



## Schubussy

Schubert - Piano Sonata in C major, D. 840
Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## Kivimees

ptr said:


> ...we had -12C/10F at 6.30 this morning... Cold! Its supposed to be spring now, not winter, I've had it with winter!


-23 C here this morning. Maybe we can convince Mother Nature to cooperate if we start a thread devoted to Springtime music.


----------



## worov

CurrentlY I'm listening to this.





I like Granados very much.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Pelleas et Melisande Suite, with BPO/Abbado (rec.1998); *Berg*: Lulu Suite, with Pilarczyk/LSO/Dorati (rec.1961); *Messiaen*: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps, avec Brunner/Trio Fontenay (rec.1991).

View attachment 14579
View attachment 14580
View attachment 14581


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.15 in A Minor, Op.132

Guarneri quartet: Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins -- Michael Tree, viola -- David Soyer, cello

View attachment 14582


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> "Frankly, I'm not prepared to waste my time or yours on a detailed expose of the many textual errors.


I think that the general problem with most recordings reviewers is that they only listen with the score in their lap and if the there are factual discrepancies between what the score say and what is played on the recording or in the concert. Most of the time they miss out on the music!

Just listened to:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Quatour pour la fin du Temps (*DG*)









Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang, Myung-Whun Chung

*Totally convincing!*

Listening to right now:

*George Gershwin* - Rhapsody In Blue and other works (*RCA*)









Earl Wild, piano; Pasquale Cardillo, clarinet; Boston Pops u. Arthur Fiedler

The Pops, Fiedler and The Wild really excel in Gershwin, it can make me quite sad knowing that I never got to hear this trio IRL! Comfort in having the recording will have to make due! 

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Feathers said:


> For some reason I have trouble getting into this symphony.  Giving it another try!
> 
> View attachment 14545


Glad to know I'm not the only one! I love moments in it, but through some parts my mind just wanders and then I get lost haha.

I'm currently captivated by Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major...for some reason I'd never payed much attention to it, but hearing it live last weekend has me obsessed with it.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Piazzolla's* birthday, Tangos Among Friends, with Barenboim et al (rec. 1995).

View attachment 14587


----------



## Vaneyes

OboeKnight said:


> [Re feathers' Schubert 9] Glad to know I'm not the only one! I love moments in it, but through some parts my mind just wanders and then I get lost haha....


No worries, both of you got the symphonic Schubert.


----------



## Novelette

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Pounding this (transposed up a minor third) away at the piano (with the help of a few extra hands)


I've been having fun destroying my hands playing this with as quick a glissando as I could manage. I began trying to confine the G clef to the right hand and the F clef to the left, when it struck me that this is actually far easier to play than I suspected.

Quickly and easily Glissando the lower B naturals and D flat with the left; strike the B flat, D, and A simultaneously with the right; throw the left over to strike the E flat, A flat, E natural, and G natural (a bit of a stretch); and throw the right under to strike the F natural and G flat. It's fun.


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner #6, Philisophic. Gunter Wand. First movement only. Probably will finish tomorrow at lunch, as I don't have a lot of "focused listening" time right now. When I know Bruckner better he may be played in the background, but not yet.

Also finished another listen to Don Giovanni. I don't listen to opera often, but when I do, I kind of listen a few times through to get a feel for it, as I don't often do the watching thing. there's a live Don being performed 2.5 hours away, and I hoped to go. Arrangments to make that happen are not possible, but I intend to go to a live opera for sure next season.


----------



## Feathers

OboeKnight said:


> Glad to know I'm not the only one! I love moments in it, but through some parts my mind just wanders and then I get lost haha.
> 
> I'm currently captivated by Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major...for some reason I'd never payed much attention to it, but hearing it live last weekend has me obsessed with it.


Haha yeah I also get "lost" in some parts, not in terms of structure, but also in terms of...what I'm listening for.

I have sort of an unhealthy relationship with Tchaikovsky's violin concerto. Whenever I listen to it, I listen repeatedly until I get tired of it. When I don't listen to it, I miss it, :lol: which reminds me...I kind of miss it right now.


----------



## Feathers

Well, continuing from my last post...
Listening to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, the Oistrakh version.


----------



## OboeKnight

Feathers said:


> Well, continuing from my last post...
> Listening to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, the Oistrakh version.


Haha and I shall now take another listen.


----------



## ptr

*Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse* - Orchestral Works (Ecuatorial / Déserts / Intégrales / Hyperprism / Octandre / Offrandes (Chanson De Là-Haut/La Croix Du Sud) / Density 21.5) (*CBS* OOP?)









Lawrence Beauregard, Flute; Rachel Yakar, soprano; Chœurs de radio-france & Ensemble Intercontemporain u. Pierre Boulez

Dense music like this is perfect when You are alone in the dark with a spicy cup of tea!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jiri Antonin Benda (1722-1795): Sinfonia No.4 in F Major

Vojtach Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 14590


----------



## Vaneyes

*Maderna*: For Strings, with Arditti Qt. (rec.1992 - '95); *Boulez*: 3 Piano Sonatas, with Jumppanen (rec.2004).

View attachment 14591
View attachment 14592


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> ....When I know Bruckner better he may be played in the background, but not yet....


AB as elevator music. Maybe in 2076.


----------



## Cheyenne

Listened to some Telemann, and Schubert before that.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): string Quartet No.5 in C Major

Lysell Quartet: Bernt Lysell and Per Sandklef, violins -- Thomas Sundkvist, viola -- Mikael Sjogren, cello

View attachment 14596


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Opp. 1~12
Various soloists and orchestras, Boulez (Sony set)

Inspired by my reading this review again.
http://www.gregsandow.com/old/webern.htm


----------



## Wood

Haydn 89 (*2)

Biber's Joyful Mysteries: I'm enjoying these.










Gershwin A rhapsody in blue (Fielder / Boston Pops)


----------



## bejart

Brahms: String Quintet No.1 in F Minor, Op.88

Brandis Quartet with Brett Dean on viola: Thomas Brandis and Peter Brem, violins -- Wilfred Strehle, viola -- Wolfgang Boettcher, cello

View attachment 14602


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I can't believe Sir Colin has done another Berlioz Requiem, but with LSO Live, anything's possible. This is dull. Stay away.
> ...


I haven't heard that one but I heard Sir Colin's interp of Walton's first symphony on that LSO live series. I am loathe to criticise great musicians like him but dull was the word. That edgy scherzo, 'presto con malizia' was not done maliciously at all. Not even near that. A bit flaccid to be honest. A pity since I like Sir Colin's things of the past (eg. had him on tape doing Beatrice et Benedict and the Childhood of Christ, but maybe he was better in his younger years?).



ptr said:


> I was waiting for someone to pick on me for this!
> 
> ...


I am very pedantic with semantics...well not really but when its a possible vehicle for a corny joke well I just can't resist.


----------



## Sid James

*Messiaen*_ Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus_
- Michel Beroff, piano (on EMI)

Its been a few years since I'd last heard this. I really got a lot out of it on this listen. This almost 2 hour piece, comprising 20 movements, has four themes going through it. I could pick some of them up as they came and went and that was enough to guide me through this epic work. Incorporating many things from the trademark birdsongs, Asian and Middle Eastern elements and even a jazzy feel in some parts, despite its eclecticism its quite tight thematically. Spiritual & impressionistic/environmental in some places, psychopathic & obsessive in others, this is a profound and full on piece to experience. The final movement, the longest, brings all four themes together brilliantly. Written in the last few months of the war as *Messiaen* experienced the bombardment and liberation of Paris, _*Vingt Regards*_ was premiered by Yvonne Loriod in 1945. She was to become his second wife in the 1960's and incidentally taught the pianist who plays on this recording.


----------



## Novelette

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo -- Emmanuelle Haim: Le Concert d'Astrée

Praetorius: Psalm 115 -- Paul Van Nevel: Huelgas Ensemble

Schubert: Variations on an Original Theme in A Flat Major, D. 813 -- Four Hands: Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem

Schubert: Symphony #5 in B Flat, D 485 -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (1746-1792): Oboe Concerto in C Major

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Lajos Lensces, obo

View attachment 14607


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Colin Davis


----------



## neoshredder

More Sibelius
En saga, Op.9
Pohjola's Daughter, Op.49
Valse triste, Op.44 No.1
Finlandia, Op.26
Symphony No.6 (in D minor), Op.104


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D944 {"Great"}, *featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor,* performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I haven't heard that one[Berlioz Requiem, LSO Live] but I heard Sir Colin's interp of Walton's first symphony on that LSO live series. I am loathe to criticise great musicians like him but dull was the word. That edgy scherzo, 'presto con malizia' was not done maliciously at all. Not even near that. A bit flaccid to be honest. A pity since I like Sir Colin's things of the past (eg. had him on tape doing Beatrice et Benedict and the Childhood of Christ, but maybe he was better in his younger years?)....


He's 85 and frail, Sid. I saw them in concert at the Barbican, Oct. 2011. He conducts sitting, and could use assistance getting to and from the podium. Uchida's LvB PC3 saved the evening, after lacklustre Haydn Oxford and Nielsen Sym. 1. It's way past time to go.


----------



## Sonata

bejart said:


> Brahms: String Quintet No.1 in F Minor, Op.88
> 
> Brandis Quartet with Brett Dean on viola: Thomas Brandis and Peter Brem, violins -- Wilfred Strehle, viola -- Wolfgang Boettcher, cello
> 
> View attachment 14602


I really enjoy the string quintets in that set.


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Black Madonna: Pilgrim Songs From The Monastery Of Montserrat" - Ensemble Unicorn


----------



## Avey

Karajan, Wagner, Vinyl, *Power*.


----------



## Sonata

My husband practicing Robert Vandall's preludes on the piano; he's been working on 1,3 & 4. At the moment, #4 which is quite lovely!


----------



## Feathers

Wolfie's String Quintets (on No. 2 right now).


----------



## Novelette

Rameau: Pigmalion -- Hervé Niquet: Le Concert Spirituel

An extraordinarily fine opera by the immortal Rameau. My long-standing adoration for this composer is apparent to all who have entered my study, his portrait hangs over my desk. A reprint of the Joseph Aved painting that I had printed on canvas. An inspirational reminder of a tireless composer and a pioneering musical theorist.


----------



## Novelette

^ Not that I'm obsessed at all.

Nor am I obsessed with Cherubini or Schumann... Who am I kidding? I'm guilty on all three counts.  I work with numbers, it helps to be obsessive!


----------



## OboeKnight

Listening to my youth orchestra's recording of our Winter concert...quality music if I do say so myself 

Program:
_Carnival Overture- Dvorak
Hexenritt and Dream Pantomine- Humperdinck
Violin Concerto in D Major- Tchaikovsky
Concerto No.2 for Contrabass and Orchestra
Capriccio Espagnol- Rimsky-Korsakov
Danzon No.2- Marquez_


----------



## GreenMamba

J.S. Bach: D-minor Concerto for Harpsichord and C-minor Concerto for Oboe and Violin.
Orchestra of St. Luke's


----------



## OboeKnight

OboeKnight said:


> Listening to my youth orchestra's recording of our Winter concert...quality music if I do say so myself
> 
> Program:
> _Carnival Overture- Dvorak
> Hexenritt and Dream Pantomine- Humperdinck
> Violin Concerto in D Major- Tchaikovsky
> Concerto No.2 for Contrabass and Orchestra
> Capriccio Espagnol- Rimsky-Korsakov
> Danzon No.2- Marquez_


Not allowing me to edit for some reason -.- anyhow, the Contrabass concerto was written by Bottesini...I failed to specify


----------



## SimonNZ

Clifford Curzon, piano

cd1: Schubert Impropmtus

and possibly later:

cd2: Mozart Piano Concertos 26 and 27 - Istvav Kertesz, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner's Symphony 5


----------



## Sid James

*Grieg* 
_Piano Concerto ; Peer Gynt Suite #1 ; Norwegian Dance #2 ; Homage March (Sigurd Jorsalfar) ; Ich Liebe Dich (orchestral version) ; March of the Dwarfs (Lyric Suite) _
- Andre Kostelanetz played the concerto & the recording involves various orchestras & conductors - Philadelphia/Ormandy, Cleveland/Szell, NYPO/Lenny.


----------



## MrCello

Borodin's Symphony No. 2 by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 6. It's just so nice.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

bejart said:


> Brett Dean


 Yay for Brett Dean!!!!


----------



## Andolink

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Vesperae, A 32
Anne Grimm (soprano), Els Bongers (soprano), Kai Wessel (alto), Kees-Jan de Koning (bass), Marcel Reijans (tenor), Peter de Groot (alto), Rene Steur (bass), Simon Davies (tenor)
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir/Ton Koopman








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5
The Salomon Quartet








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 33 in B flat, K. 319
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Kivimees

On a recommendation:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no 2


----------



## Guest

Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90 "Italian"
Roger Norrington, London Classical Players

The opening movement is rousing and exhilarating like a Rossini overture (only better). I cannot help but look forward to my busy day after waking up with this music.

...and off to work I go.


----------



## ptr

Sid James said:


> I am very pedantic with semantics...well not really but when its a possible vehicle for a corny joke well I just can't resist.


I try to generously invite people to make jokes at my expense or on my behalf, or at least make a joke!

just listened to:

*Arnold Schönberg* - Pelleas und Melisande Op 5/ *Richard Wagner* - Tristan und Isolde / Act 1relude to Act 1 (*DG*)









Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester u. Pierre Boulez

Mmmmm, sweet!

Next up!

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Piano Concerto No 2 & Six Etudes-Tableaux Op 39 (RCA)









Evgeny Kissin, piano; London SO u. Valery Gergiev

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Kyllikki


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in D major, "L'Uccelleria"
L'Europa Galante








Hilding Rosenberg: String Quartet No. 12 (Quartetto riepilogo; 1957)
The Copenhagen String Quartet








Arnold Bax: Oboe Quintet (1922)
The Nash Ensemble








Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata for Violin, Violoncello and harpsichord in C major, op. 5 no. 3
Sigiswald Kuijken, violin
Wieland Kuijken, violoncello
Robert Kohnen, harpsichord


----------



## ptr

I have not forgotten Alexandre Guilmant's birthday, hooray for You second time around this week!! 

*Alexandre Guilmant* - Pièces dans différents styles Livraison 1, 2, 3 & 4, resp. Op. 15, 16 ,17 & 18 (*Festivo*)









Herman van Vliet @ the CC organ of St. Sernin, Toulouse

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14
Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5


----------



## millionrainbows

Morton Feldman (1926-1987): Composing by Numbers: The Graphic Scores 1950-67 (MODE 146-Feldman Edition 9). No bombast here; just sounds "being themselves." The "Projections" series and other works, most of it for chamber combinations. Very relaxing, cats like it.


----------



## Nereffid

Kurt Atterberg: Symphony no.6


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Go Sweden! I'm going to find some Rangström to listen to now...

Actually....Rosenberg.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Morton Feldman (1926-1987): Composing by Numbers: The Graphic Scores 1950-67 (MODE 146-Feldman Edition 9). No bombast here; just sounds "being themselves." The "Projections" series and other works, most of it for chamber combinations. Very relaxing, cats like it.


Thanks for the heads-up! I'm listening now, cat in place.

For those daunted by Feldman's marathon pieces, these are really short.


----------



## Sudonim

Just started - my first listen. Sound isn't bad for - what was it, 1937?

I'm amused by this version of the cover warning me of explicit content - can't wait to find out what that is! :lol:


----------



## Novelette

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14
> Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5


The Vieuxtemps violin concerti are masterpieces in their own right, and it always struck me as curious that they seem so easily dismissed as lesser works. Many of Spohr's violin concerti are lesser works, in my opinion, but Vieuxtemps is at another level entirely.


----------



## ptr

Interlude:

*Claude Debussy* - Images Book I (*DG*)









Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Sudonim said:


> I'm amused by this version of the cover warning me of explicit content - can't wait to find out what that is! :lol:


Haven't you seen all those pictures of Casals playing one of the suites before breakfast completely nude... Something he supposedly did every morning! Perhaps to much for the morality leagues of the world...

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Piano recital for me today:


----------



## ptr

Second level of the Guilmant birthday cake...

*Alexandre Guilmant* - _Guilmant in America_ (works played in 1893 at the Chicago World's Fair on the Farrand & Votey organ) (*Raven*)









James Hammann on the restored 1894 Farrand & Votey organ at St. Martin of Tours Church in Louisville, Kentucky

/ptr


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Concerto in G Major, BWV 1049 (Brandenburg No.4)

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields

View attachment 14640


----------



## Sudonim

ptr said:


> Haven't you seen all those pictures of Casals playing one of the suites before breakfast completely nude... Something he supposedly did every morning! Perhaps to much for the morality leagues of the world...


Maybe some of those pics are in the CD booklet! I don't know as I downloaded the music.  I think I can live without the Pau-pr0n.


----------



## Novelette

ptr said:


> Haven't you seen all those pictures of Casals playing one of the suites before breakfast completely nude... Something he supposedly did every morning! Perhaps to[o] much for the morality leagues of the world...
> 
> /ptr


Come now Ptr, moralizing leagues notwithstanding, have you not seen Casals? If there were such pictures, there shouldn't be an explicit warning, but an outright ban!


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, Oboe Quartet in F, K370....


----------



## ptr

Interlude II:

*Claude Debussy* - Images Book II (*DG*)









Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Next layer of the G-cake:

*Alexandre Guilmant* - Orgelwerke Vol. 2 (Sonatas No 2 Op 50 & No 4 Op 61) (*Motette*)









Suzanne Chaisemartin at the Cavaillé-Coll Organ of St. Sulpice, Paris

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Haydn* Piano Sonatas (Meridian 2CD), with Ts'ong. Majestic playing. I must pull the trigger. So ordered!

View attachment 14644


----------



## JCarmel

Schumann Symphony No 4, Furtwangler, Berlin Philharmonic

remastered/restored/worth a listen!/so is the No 1.....


----------



## Andolink

Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 3
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson


----------



## ptr

Interlude III:

*Franz Liszt* - Select "Hungarian" Tracks from the 4CD Album "Horowitz sings Liszt" (*Sony*)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

csodás!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> "Horowitz sings Liszt"


I get it!

Webern: Opp. 21~25
Various soloists and orchestras, cond. Boulez


----------



## bejart

Joseph Fiala (1748-1826): Oboe Quartet in F Major

Lajos Lensces on oboe with the Deutsches String Trio: Hans Kalafusz, violin --Jurgen Weber, viola -- Reiner Ginzel, cello

View attachment 14649


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann*:
Das Paradies und die Peri
Cello Concerto in A minor
Symphony No.3 and 4
Piano Quartet in E Flat major


----------



## ptr

Final layer of the G-cake!

*Alexandre Guilmant* - Duos For Piano And Harmonium (*Signum*)









Ernst Breidenbach, Piano & J Matthias Michel, harmonium

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Liszt, Sonata in B Minor...

Comparing two interpretations:
Clifford Curzon on LP









Sviatoslav Richter on cd


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony in B Flat, Op.17, No.2

Anthony Halstead directing the Hanover Band

View attachment 14654


----------



## daveh

Having yet another piano concerto day. I plan to try and get to these on the TC Top 100 list, and all will be first-time listens for me:

-Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
-Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
-Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
-Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27
-Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3

We'll see how far I get, particularly if I start re-listening to ones that really grab me.


----------



## Wood

*John Ireland: Atmospheric and lyrical*


----------



## Vaneyes

*CPE Bach*: Piano Concerti, with Rische/Leipzig CO/Schuldt-Jensen (rec.2010); Cello Concerti, with Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan (rec.1996).

View attachment 14655
View attachment 14660


----------



## Guest

I've decided to give into my libido and listen to artists that look good on the cover whether they can play or not. The marketing strategies are working - at least on me.

Janine Jansen - Ravel: Tzagane
Alice Sara Ott - Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1
Hilary Hahn - Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 8
Hélène Grimaud - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23

That should fuel my fantasies for a while.


----------



## neoshredder

*Sibelius* - Symphonies 6,7
Tapiola


----------



## Vaneyes

Slow down, curves ahead, Jerome. 

Inspired. Sampling Benedetti's *Korngold*.

View attachment 14665


----------



## Kivimees

Here's something else for Jerome:


----------



## ptr

*James Dillon* - traumwerk & String Quartet No 2 (Montaigne 1994 OOP)









Arditti Quartet / Nieuw Ensemble u. Ed Spanjaard

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

1st listen to one of my new discs


----------



## ptr

*Peter Eötvös* - Atlantis (1995) / Psychokosmos (1993) / Shadows (1996) (*BMC*)









Dietrich Henschel, baryton; Kölner Domchor & WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne u. Peter Eötvös / Márta Fábián, cimbalom; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Peter Eötvös / Dagmar Becker, flute; Wolfgang Meyer, clarinet; Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden u. Hans Zender

/ptr


----------



## BartokBela

Charles-Valentin Alkan played by Marc-André Hamelin. Wonderful music, especially the first movement of the Grande Sonate.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Variations for Orchestra, with BPO/HvK (rec.1974); *Gerhard*: Concerto for Orchestra, Symphony 2, with BBCSO/Bamert (rec. 1997/8).

View attachment 14671
View attachment 14672


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Quintet in F major, Quartet in C minor
Fine Arts Quartet









Boulez: Rituel
BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## JCarmel

Thomas Arne...born 12th March 1710.
Composer of the patriotic song 'Rule Britannia! and a version of 'God Save the King'....which is used as the national anthem of the United Kingdom.









So please, Ladies and Gentlemen...be Upstanding for '3 cheers' ..Hip, Hip, Hooray' and 'Happy Birthday, Tom!'


----------



## ProudSquire

Schubert
Trio No. 1 in B-flat major

The 3rd movement was very much to my liking, the second movement I slightly enjoyed, the first movement, I'm still uncertain about it. :[


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Trio WoO39 - Wilhelm Kempff, piano, Henryk Szeryng, violin, Pierre Fournier, cello


----------



## Kieran

Am going to listen to the Diabelli Variations as a warm up to some Mozart, which I love to listen to while I write some stuff. So Ludwig will warm me up, but Wolfie will get my jets blaring...


----------



## JCarmel

Whose 'Diabelli Variations' are those, Kieran?


----------



## DavidA

Shostakovich Symphony number 10 Karajan


----------



## Guest

This is the only version I have, so I'm not sure how it rates. What do you recommend, JCarmel?

Think I'll listen along with Kieran.


----------



## ptr

and for last, a wee nightcap:

*Jo. Seb. Bach* - Early Organ Works (*MDG*)









Harald Vogel @ Arp-Schnittger organ of St. Peter und Paul in Cappel

/ptr


----------



## Wood

Haydn 89, 90

BiberBiberBiber

Gershwin Concerto in F

I wonder what Daniel Fullard would think if he knew this thread had gone on so long?

http://www.talkclassical.com/1005-current-listening.html


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Serenade for Flute, Violin and Viola in D, Op. 25 -- James Levine; Karlheinz Zoeller; Erhard Fietz

Beethoven at his most charming!


----------



## JCarmel

Jerome... Beethoven Diabelli Variations

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-D...=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1363127271&sr=1-5

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm10703...i-plays-diabelli-variations-dvd-cover-art.jpg


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> Whose 'Diabelli Variations' are those, Kieran?


Hey JCarmel!

Brendel, on Brilliant, a nice Boxset I got a few years ago :tiphat:

Jerome,

I'm onto Mozart now, those addictive violin sonatas, the beautifully toned slow set in K526...


----------



## bejart

Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741=1799): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.10, No.1

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques-Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint-Cyr, cello

View attachment 14682


----------



## Sonata

Kieran said:


> Hey JCarmel!
> 
> Brendel, on Brilliant, a nice Boxset I got a few years ago :tiphat:
> 
> Jerome,
> 
> I'm onto Mozart now, those addictive violin sonatas, the beautifully toned slow set in K526...


YES! I just now, four minutes ago, finished hearing that middle movement of K526 for the first time  It's great. I listened to the album with Barenboim and Perlman playing 526, 378, 304, and 301. I wish now that I had bought the whole four CD set


----------



## oogabooha

this picture doesn't even do the record justice, but I'm in love with this one (if not for the recording--which is great--but the album artwork!)


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel Trio Sonatas - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, dir.

and noticing for the first time that on the artist photo pages inside the previous owner of this lp has collected the autographs of cellist Alice Harnoncourt, oboeist Jurg Schaeftlein and harpsichordist Herbert Tachezi


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major


----------



## OboeKnight

Sibelius 1 and 7


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin's Preludes - Samson Francois, piano


----------



## neoshredder

Taking a break from Sibelius. Listening to Haydn's Sturm und Drang CD 1


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the heads-up! I'm listening now, cat in place.
> 
> For those daunted by Feldman's marathon pieces, these are really short.
> 
> View attachment 14632


That was quick! Tell us more about how you got yours so quick...Now, I suggest "Indeterminate Music: Feldman Edition 4." The pieces here seem somehow more organic, less stiff. More "Projections" and "Durations" series.

The super long String Quartet No. 2 comes 2 ways: a 5-CD set, or a DVD-audio, over 6 hours uninterrupted! I have both.


----------



## Feathers

Going to drift off to sleep with Faure's Nocturnes.  Beauuuutiful.


----------



## Andolink

Roger Smalley: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Roger Smalley, piano
West Australia Symphony Orchestra/Diego Masson








Franz Schubert: Impromptus, op. 90 D. 899
Alfred Brendel, piano








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in C major, op. 58 no. 1
The Revolutionary Drawing Room


----------



## Guest

Sonata said:


> YES! I just now, four minutes ago, finished hearing that middle movement of K526 for the first time  It's great. I listened to the album with Barenboim and Perlman playing 526, 378, 304, and 301. I wish now that I had bought the whole four CD set










I have it and you have prompted me to listen this morning.


----------



## Arsakes

*Bruckner*'s Symphony No. 8 in C minor


----------



## Schubussy

Scriabin - Piano Concerto
Lorin Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## ptr

*Robert Schumann* - Gasamtwerk für Pedalflügel (*ARS Produktion*)









Martin Schmeding, Pedalflügel

/ptr


----------



## worov

I too like the Mozart violin sonatas. But I must say that the Barenboim / Perlman recording is not of my taste.

I like especially Lili Kraus / Boskovsky :






and Bronfman / Stern :


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart Violin Sonatas...

Me?....I like Haskill and Grumiaux!


----------



## ptr

*Cyrillus Kreek* - Requiem & Musica Sacra (*Alba*)









Mati Turi, tenor; Piret Aidulo, organ; Girls' Choir Ellerhein & Estonian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra u. Arvo Vollmer

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

With 'fanks to inspiration from Feathers and opus fifty-five, I'm flying-off to France, for a frisson of Francophilia!

After my petit dejeuner (ouefs on toast!) I'm setting-off with a song in my heart, thanks to this lovely recording of Faure's songs
.....unjustly neglected in my opinion....by Frederic Von Stade & Jean-Philippe Collard (piano)


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> Mozart Violin Sonatas...
> 
> Me?....I like Haskill and Grumiaux!


I love K526.

I have Barenboim and Perlman for my set. No complaints here!


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> YES! I just now, four minutes ago, finished hearing that middle movement of K526 for the first time  It's great. I listened to the album with Barenboim and Perlman playing 526, 378, 304, and 301. I wish now that I had bought the whole four CD set


Exactly. There's a lovely chime to the piano in that slow movement when it rises up to the note. I'd love to know more about music, because I read that this movement slides between major and minor, and I can sense things happening without knowing what they are...


----------



## ptr

*Franz Schubert *- Die Schöne Müllerin (*Decca*)









Peter Schreier & Andras Schiff

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven string quartets performed by the Emerson String Quartet....


----------



## violadude

I'm listening to Justin Bieber's hit song "baby" since it's apparently as good as Mozart operas and Beethoven Symphonies.


----------



## ptr

violadude said:


> I'm listening to Justin Bieber's hit song "baby" since it's apparently as good as Mozart operas and Beethoven Symphonies.


Good on You Sir, quality music as Mr Bieber's will surely prevail for the eternity! 

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Earliest Songbook In England" - Gothic Voices


----------



## JCarmel

How did you know, SimonNZ...that I'm on my way now for some glimpses of the Gothic....(though not in England?!)
Well, I'm stuck on the plane at the moment (for some reason nowadays, I _always_ end-up over the wing and get double-decibels from the jet engines, as a result!) But even if I loose my hearing all-together, I'm going to listen to this on my iPod...full-blast... to drown it all out! Bring on Widor's 'Toccata'....


----------



## Nereffid

Dmitri Hvorostovsky's latest.


----------



## bejart

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): Premier Concert

Christophe Roussett leading Les Tatens Lyriques

View attachment 14702


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## Andolink

Alexander Goehr: Suite for Violin and Piano
Ning Kam, violin
Daniel Becker, piano








Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata for Violin, Violoncello and harpsichord in D major, op. 5 no. 1
Sigiswald Kuijken, violin
Wieland Kuijken, violoncello
Robert Kohnen, harpsichord 








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in E flat major, op. 58 no. 2
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297 ("Paris")
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century/Frans Bruggen


----------



## ptr

*John Zorn* - The Gnostic Preludes (*Tzadik 2012*)









Carol Emanuel, harp; Bill Frisell, guitar; Kenny Wollesen, vibes and bells

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

John Zorn doing classical? I only know his jazz stuff but then he has a billion albums so I've probably missed a lot.


----------



## ptr

Schubussy said:


> John Zorn doing classical? I only know his jazz stuff but then he has a billion albums so I've probably missed a lot.


I've always thought of Zorn as bordering very much on modern minimalistic classical! The Gnostic Preludes may have Jazz genetics, but compositionally they are absolutely classical! Almost contemporary Gershwin if I may... 

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

I'm listening on youtube now. I have heard some of before actually I think, but it's different to the albums I have which are a lot jazzier.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm on my way to Chartres, now.....though I was hoping to visit the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris...not only to have a look at the impressive organ in there http://www.stsulpice.com but because it was there that Gabriel Faure got the job as Choir Accompanist in 1871. I've been reading how he and friends Saint-Saens, Lalo, DuParc, d'Indy and Chabrier formed 'The Societe Nationale De Musique' in that year...with lofty sentiments 'to act in brotherly unity, with an absolute forgetfulness of self'
and obviously to promote French Music. 
Although not well-endowed with money, the Society was able to put on concerts at the Sal Pleyel with performers such as Sarasate (whose birthday it was three days ago! He lost-out here on TC on that day to Guilmant..whose birth was celebrated initially 'erroneously' on the 10th.....'Mea Culpa' I'm afraid on that score!) 
Also 'hired' was the harpsichord Wanda Landowska and ace-violinist and composer, Eugene Ysaye. 
Ernest Chausson as 'Secretary'... must've handled the bookings?!

Listening to Chausson's elegiac 'Poeme' ... performed by Jascha Heifetz






and in Masterclass ...here with soloist, Claire Hodgkins






Edit... Nathan Milstein's performance:


----------



## millionrainbows

JCarmel said:


> Mozart Violin Sonatas...
> 
> Me?....I like Haskill and Grumiaux!


Yes, nice version! I recorded K.526 from the link you thoughtfully provided.

Like most Mozart, there is a restraint, a balance, which satisfies a certain 'compulsive' aspect of my personality. If nothing else in the world is so perfect and self-contained, at least this is. The first movement chugs right along in 6/8, giving you that compound feel of the beat, divided into three. The slow second mvt is divided into 2 parts, and makes no bones about being tragic. The last mvt is in a motoric 4/4, and moves along relentlessly, with all the spaces "filled in," with occasional respites. Harmonic relief appears here and there throughout.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano Concerto 4. Fleischer / Klemperer


----------



## joen_cph

DavidA said:


> Beethoven Piano Concerto 4. Fleisher / Klemperer


What is the speed in the slow movement ?


----------



## AndyS

Dame Gwyneth very alluring in the title part - sounding so young and wobble-free


----------



## Kieran

"Notte e giorno faticar, per chi nulla sa gradir..."


----------



## rrudolph

Bach today, mostly instrumental:

Sonatas and Partitas (I'm thinking of working up a movement or two of the b minor partita on marimba):









Concertos for 2 Harpsichords:









Violin Concertos:









Easter Oratorio:









JSB's birthday is coming up on March 21 (or 31, depending on which calendar you're using, I guess). Don't forget to celebrate!


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> I'm on my way to Chartres, now...


There's a nice organ in the *Notre-Dame de Chartres* as well! Well worth seeking out when one is close by.. They have a yearly(?) organ festival there with an organist concours (no program published for this year yet).










/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concertos from Op. 9 "La Cetra"; No. 5 in A minor and No.6 in A major
Monica Huggett, violin
Raglan Baroque Players/Nicholas Kraemer


----------



## JCarmel

Just entering the town of Chartres now...
I've got mixed memories of the place because when I visited last time, my initial joy at glimpsing the wonderful cathedral across the flat fields that surround the town, was soon extinguished in the horrid realisation that I had left my money and document wallet in the bedside table of the previous night's hotel-accommodation! There was nothing for it but to turn the car around, pay another lot of road tolls and motor back the 50 miles that I had just driven! 
By the time I got back to Chartres, it was pitch dark and any sight-seeing was off the menu. I found my way to the hotel that I was booked-in for, for two nights, feeling as miffed as it was possible to feel. Then I drew back the curtain in the bedroom just to try and locate where I was...and there, right above and in front of me was the magical, medieval cathedral ....fantastically lit-up against the night sky. What a sight...it took my breath away! In a perverse kind of way, I was almost glad that I'd missed my chance to climb up the steep hill to view the church earlier in the day, because I ended-up having my first proper view of it in a way that has remained a cherished memory for me, ever since. 
I'm hoping to not only view the cathedral again now but to buy two seats for the performance of Faure's Requiem in the church, in 10 days time.

I'm currently comparing Faure's Requiem. I've been using my time on the 'Current Listening' thread to listen-to and unearth musical performances that have lain too long, 'ignored' .....in various storage places around my house. Today, I unearthed the interpretation with which I first came to love Faure's haunting work...the one conducted in 1948 by Nadia Boulanger. The age of the recording somehow adds to it's particular, endearing quality...

View attachment 14715


But I'm comparing it to that of her one-time pupil, John Eliot Gardiner...whose recording of the work I usually play nowadays as it is so well-performed and recorded and I spent half a lifetime in listening to other versions that I didn't really enjoy as much as this one!

View attachment 14716


(John Eliot Gardiner refers to his time with Madame Boulanger in last weekend's Radio 3 programme...where he chose music closely related to his career...)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r5mnn

If anyone else fancies going to the Requiem on the 23rd....
http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org/fr/requiem-de-faure,article-476.html


----------



## ptr

*Benjamin Britten* - Songs & Proverbs of William Blake (*Hyperion*)









Gerald Finley, baritone & Julius Drake, piano

Very good singing and playing, best of Britten songs!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> *Benjamin Britten* - Songs & Proverbs of William Blake (*Hyperion*)
> 
> View attachment 14718
> 
> 
> Gerald Finley, baritone & Julius Drake, piano
> 
> Very good singing and playing, best of Britten songs!
> 
> /ptr


Hey ptr,

Did you ever hear Britten's settings of Michaelangelo's sonnets to music? I heard them in the National Gallery in London last year, alongside Michaelangelo poems put to music by Shostokovich and the redoubtable Hugo Wolf. It was an ear-opener, if you know what I mean. Stayed with me and got me into Wolf, and I hope to sometime listen to more of Britten and Shostokovich.

By the way, they argue that opera/classical music might be 'elitist'. Our tickets that day cost ten quid each, and the songs were very dramatically performed by Sir John Tomlinson...


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Tsong (rec.1990), Weissenberg (rec.1985).

View attachment 14719
View attachment 14720


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> Did you ever hear Britten's settings of Michaelangelo's sonnets to music?


Yes I have and agree with Your sentiments completely!
Have another *Hyperion CD*, where they are sung by the tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Graham Johnson @ the piano, absolutely adorable and might have them (memory failure ) with BB and Pears on some 60's LP!



> By the way, they argue that opera/classical music might be 'elitist'.


I'm not buying the hypothesis that music is 'elitist'! But there are persons who with their actions very much like to make this or that musical genre something exclusive by acting in al kinds of Elitist ways, but such behaviour has nothing (IHO) to do with the "Music". But it has grave implications for how the music is perceived, and that is very *NEGATIVE*! (He yells with his tiny voice..)

/ptr

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> Yes I have and agree with Your sentiments completely!
> Have another *Hyperion CD*, where they are sung by the tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Graham Johnson @ the piano, absolutely adorable and might have them (memory failure ) with BB and Pears on some 60's LP!
> 
> I'm not buying the hypothesis that music is 'elitist'! But there are persons who with their actions very much like to make this or that musical genre something exclusive by acting in al kinds of Elitist ways, but such behaviour has nothing (IHO) to do with the "Music".
> 
> /ptr
> 
> /ptr


The Rolling Stones cost a grand to see, but me and my wife saw an excellent Figaro in Dublin for twenty euros each. I think you're right, though, about how the music got its undeserved reputation...


----------



## JCarmel

'Happy Birthday' to Hugo Wolf .... from all of us ...but_ particularly _from Kieran! 
Born 13th March, 1860.... Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia.









Comparing recordings of Morike-Lieder....


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> 'Happy Birthday' to Hugo Wolf .... from all of us ...but_ particularly _from Kieran!
> Born 13th March, 1860.... Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia.
> 
> View attachment 14721
> 
> 
> Comparing recordings of Morike-Lieder....
> 
> View attachment 14722


Hugo was born today? I must dig out his Goethe songs for later. I love that elemental power in his songs, I must admit, thanks for the reminder!


----------



## ptr

*Florent Schmitt* - La Tragédie De Salomé, Op.50 (Complete Version, 1907) (*Marco Polo*)









Marie-Paule Fayt, voice; Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic u. Patrick Davin

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

Schumann's Piano Concerto, Cello concerto up next!


----------



## Vaneyes

joen_cph said:


> What is the speed in the slow movement ?


Re LvB PC 4, I await the answer also. Fleisher/Klemperer TT is 33' 7", versus 32' 23" (18:08 5:08 9:07) for Fleisher/Szell.


----------



## DavidA

joen_cph said:


> What is the speed in the slow movement ?


Certainly not too slow. It was made live in 1956.

Timings on my disc
17:56
05:25
09:31


----------



## Vaneyes

DavidA said:


> Certainly not too slow. It was made live in 1956.
> 
> Timings on my disc
> 17:56
> 05:25
> 09:31


Not at all. Speedy for Klemps.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: PC 4 with Fleisher/Cleveland O./Szell (rec.1961); Piano Sonatas, Op. 31, with Goode (rec.1983 - '88).

View attachment 14726
View attachment 14727


----------



## ptr

This is the disc I have of Britten and Pears performing the Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, Op 22 Mr Pears has some mannerisms that might be considered period, but, that sometimes scratches me all the wrong way...

I will probably order Mr Bostridge's new Britten disc whence it is released in april!

Currently listening to... (Inspiré par JC, merci!)

*Gabriel Fauré* - Requiem Op 48 (*Editions Charlin* OOP?)









Anne-Marie Blanzat, soprano; Pierre Mollet, Baritone; Jean Guillou, organ; Les Chanteurs et l'Orchestre de Saint Eustache u Emile Martin

Authentic!

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Winding down from an overly long day:


----------



## DavidA

DavidA said:


> Certainly not too slow. It was made live in 1956.
> 
> Timings on my disc
> 17:56
> 05:25
> 09:31


The problem is we remember him as an old man. In 1956 he was more vigorous.


----------



## Vaneyes

DavidA said:


> The problem is we remember him as an old man. In 1956 he was more vigorous.


As in skirt-chasing, also.


----------



## OboeKnight

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No.1
Sibelius 1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Requiem, with OSM/Dutoit et al (rec.1987); Piano Quartets, with Nash Ens. (rec.1985).

View attachment 14735
View attachment 14736


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 1 (*Sony*)









Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra u. Lorin Maazel

/ptr


----------



## Guest

*In honor of Pope Francis I*









Palastrina, Missa Papae Macelli
Simon Preston, Choir of Westminster Abbey


----------



## JCarmel

When I saw the white smoke from the Vatican chimney 'Live' on the News at 6...I said to my friend, I thought that it might be a Pope _Francis_?!....because I was going to post all about the very odd coincidences that I have... with the name 'Francis'.
I'd chosen my music choice....Liszt's "St Francis talking to the birds'....and had started thinking about what I was going to say about the Francis connections...before just now coming onto TC and reading from Jerry's post above....the name of the new Pope.
Just weird!


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> When I saw the white smoke from the Vatican chimney 'Live' on the News at 6...I said to my friend, I thought that it might be a Pope _Francis_?!....because I was going to post all about the very odd coincidences that I have... with the name 'Francis'.
> I'd chosen my music choice....Liszt's "St Francis talking to the birds'....and had started thinking about what I was going to say about the Francis connections...before just now coming onto TC and reading from Jerry's post above....the name of the new Pope.
> 
> Just weird!


I don't have that piece by Liszt. Is it a tone poem or piano piece?


----------



## DrKilroy

Good Lord, I didn't realise we have a new pope already!  That was very quick!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

My recording is by pianist Louis Kentner who...coincidentally, I mentioned in a post on this thread two days ago!!

Just quickly grabbed a link from youtube....




Performance isn't up to much but it features the frescos at my favourite place...Assisi!

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/gio...-birds-1299#supersized-artistPaintings-192791


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> If anyone else fancies going to the Requiem on the 23rd....


Oh how I wish I could be there! But the plane ticket would cost more than a Rolling Stones concert. (That's with a nod and wink to Kieran)


----------



## Schubussy

Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto 1
Charles Dutoit, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, András Schiff


----------



## Sid James

*American piano sonatas (Vol. 1) played by Peter Lawson on EMI Label. *My favourite here is the Copland, but I like all of these pieces. The *Copland *sonata brings to me images of a city, of the loneliness of living in a big city. The outer movements are slow, with imitations of bells and the final movement bought to mind Satie's_ Gymnopedies_, which is like walking pace at ground level of the city. But the middle movement is jazzy, as if when you go to a nightclub, maybe conveying that feeling of being surrounded by people at close quarters but still feeling empty/lonely inside. The* Ives* _Three-Page Sonata_ starts with the famous motto from Beethoven's 5th diced up as in a blender and ending with another motto, that of Bach's name. The *Carter and Barber* show how well American composers absorbed recent trends of their time (serialism & atonality) but didn't just rehash what was going on across the Atlantic in Europe. Both end with modern fugues that definitely pack a punch.


----------



## Schubussy

Aaron Copland: Sonata in G Major
Ramon Salvatore

I was intrigued by Sid James's description. I turned off Liszt to play this Sid so it better be good!


----------



## Sid James

Schubussy said:


> Aaron Copland: Sonata in G Major
> Ramon Salvatore
> 
> I was intrigued by Sid James's description. I turned off Liszt to play this Sid so it better be good!


Good on ya! But I'm not sure "that" is the sonata. I looked on wikipedia's list of his works. There is an earlier sonata in G major he composed in the 1920s. But there another in the 1940s and I think its that one which I heard. Unsure if the latter is a revision of the former one?

Anyway, if you like that one try his piano concerto (there only one of these I think!) which has that similar city/desolation/sour jazzy feel. Its a pity these works aren't as well known as some of his other things, they show a different side to the man.


----------



## Schubussy

This one is from 1921, so wrong one maybe. But it is really good. I've been avoiding Copland, all I've heard before is Fanfare for the Common Man which I don't like much.

Aaron Copland - Piano Concerto ... but I'm going back to Liszt soon.


----------



## deggial

La Clemenza di bloody Tito/Mozart. Justin Beaver twisted my arm


----------



## JCarmel

Borodin, Quartet No 2 The Borodin Quartet









I have spent a good bit of time this evening, writing an extended post about some coincidental matters re the name of Francis. Now that I have it finished it...I don't feel that it is appropriate to post it, as although it is legitimately headed-up by a piece of music by Liszt, it's subject matter is diverging from that of classical music. However, I posted-about the matter earlier this evening and if anyone wants to read what I have written, such as it is, please send me a PM. 
As it is, now...I am 'retiring' for the evening... to the sound of Borodin's lovely 2nd Quartet, having just added a tot of 'Chartreuse' to my coffee, to remind me of my tiring but interesting day in France. It's not made in the same region of that country that I visited, of course...but it_ sounds _right!






Julie


----------



## Mahlerian

Sid James said:


> *American piano sonatas (Vol. 1) played by Peter Lawson on EMI Label. *My favourite here is the Copland, but I like all of these pieces.


I love the Carter sonata personally. It's Neoclassicism on the edge of atonality, and helps to bridge the early Carter with what followed.

Anyway, just finished the following:

Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Solti









I always thought it was funny that he looks like he's walking on water...


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.80

Howard Griffiths directing The Zurich Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 14743


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9










In mood for something bold.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in B Flat, KV454

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 14744


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn 4 & 5


----------



## Schubussy

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 27
Claudio Abbado, Orchestra Mozart, Maria João Pires


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.49 "La Passione" - Harry Blech, cond.

I have three Harry Blech Haydn lps, all three have a Haydn Symphony as the side one and a Mozart work as the side two (on one of the other lps the side two is Mozart's 40th). I wonder if back in the early Fifties this wasn't throwing down the gauntlet to some degree.


----------



## Sid James

*Verdi *_String Quartet in E minor_
Melos Quartet (on youtube)

Hadn't heard this in a long while, but someone listening to it on this thread (I think it was Mahlerian) reminded me to do so. Enjoying it now, reminds me of opera/songs, Beethoven, & perhaps English string quartets (a kind of autumnal feel) rolled into one.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sid James said:


> *Verdi *_String Quartet in E minor_
> Melos Quartet (on youtube)
> 
> Hadn't heard this in a long while, but someone listening to it on this thread (I think it was Mahlerian) reminded me to do so. Enjoying it now, reminds me of opera/songs, Beethoven, & perhaps English string quartets (a kind of autumnal feel) rolled into one.


Yes, that was me. It was a suggested pairing with the Richard Strauss Quartet on the main string quartets thread.

Anyway, right now:

Webern: Cantata #1 Op. 29, Cantata #2 Op. 31
Berlin Philharmonic, soloists, cond. Boulez (DG)









The cantatas have long been among my favorite Webern works.


----------



## Tristan

I've been on a Rossini & Suppe overture kick recently. They're too much fun 

I've liked a lot of these overtures since I was little and I still do  Right now it's "William Tell Overture" and next will be "L'Italiana in Algeri". (Zagreb Festival Orchestra)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

My wife and I watched a Deanna Durbin film from 1939 called First Love. It's basically the story of Cinderella set in the 1930s. It had some very nice tunes by Deanna and the film is a decent musical romance. Anyway, at the end of the film she sings Puccini's One Fine Day (otherwise known as "Un bel di vedremo" from Madame Butterfly). For a film star Deanna Durbin was a very fine soprano and had a lovely voice and introduced a whole generation of movie goers to many opera classic arias. In doing so she single-handedly saved Universal Studios from closing it's doors forever. So after seeing that I had to put on my beloved Angela Gheorghiu. Now listening to Angela is like listening to an angel sing. Durbin is a fine vocalist but she couldn't hold a candle to a singer of the likes of Angela!










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D major, D82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D417 {"Tragic"}.* Both works feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, *both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmonic.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius Symphony 6 on Essential Sibelius again.


----------



## Feathers

Borodin 1 and 2
Schumann's Cello Concerto
And some of Scriabin's early preludes to end the day


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 6


----------



## Kivimees

I particularly enjoy Symphony No. 3, "De fyra tidsaldrarna" (The Four Ages of Man)


----------



## Wood

Haydn 90

Haydn 91 *2 ('in the glowing warmth of *E flat major*')


----------



## worov

Currently listeninig to Prokofiev early piano pieces :


----------



## Guest

Mozart, K251, "Nanerl" Septet,


----------



## Art Rock

I have decided to give opera another chance, plunging in with the big one first.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## ptr

Three first for this morning:

*Arnold Schönberg* & *Jean Sibelius* - Violin Concertos (*DG* 2008)









Hilary Hahn, violin; Swedish Radio SO u. EP Salonen

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Piano Works (Complete), Vol 4 (*Grand Piano/Naxos*)









Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Symphony No 8 Op 83 "Polish Flowers" (*Naxos*)









Rafal Bartminski, tenor; Magdalena Dobrowolska, soprano; Ewa Marciniec, alto; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir u. Antoni Wit

Last two in the mail yesterday, Wit, if he's allowed more Weinberg Symphonies sound very promising!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

"Pieces Of Africa" - Kronos Quartet

Having just got back from seeing them perform an excellent concert tonight (including Silvestrov's Quartet No.3 and Reich's WTC). They didn't perform anything from this (unsurprisingly), but its what I feel like hearing now and a nice way to end an exciting evening.


----------



## Art Rock

I still think Pieces of Africa is one of their best!


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Georg Philipp Telemann (14 March 1681-1767): Quartet No.2 in E Minor

European Baroque Soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, flute -- Hansjorg Schellenbarger, oboe -- Milan Turkovic, bassoon -- Phillip Moll, harpsichord

View attachment 14763


----------



## Kivimees

My contribution to honour Mr. T:


----------



## JCarmel

It's cold here! More snow yesterday...and there's a pile of washing to dry. So, Music to soothe the 'chilled' breast (certainly not 'savage!) is required?!
I always think that there's nothing like a good Mass for the Dead, to cheer you up. And what better one is there, than Mozart's?!


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: Impromtus Op. 142 D. 935
Alfred Brendel, piano








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner








Alexander Goehr: Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 20
Ning Kam, violin
Daniel Becker, piano
Thomas Carroll, cello








Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata for Violin, Violoncello and Harpsichord in A major, op. 5 no. 6
Sigiswald Kuijken, violin
Wieland Kuijken, violoncello
Robert Kohnen, harpsichord








Per Nørgård: String Quartet No. 10 (Harvest Timeless)
The Kroger Quartet


----------



## JCarmel

Max Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, Scottish Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra.
Kyung Wha Chung, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Kempe









I re-acquainted myself recently with Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, as I was asked to attend a concert given by a regional orchestra, here in the North Of England. I wasn't looking-forward to going but both the soloist's and the orchestra's performance turned-out to be a surprisingly fine one and it renewed my affection for Bruch's work.


----------



## ptr

Messiaen twice!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Éclairs sur L'au Delà (*EMI*)









Berliner Philharmonier - Sir Simon Rattle

*Olivier Messiaen* - L'Ascension & Chronochromie (Koch OOP?)









Symphonieorchestre de Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Karl Anton Rickenbacher

Messiaen's music is just like floating in and out of a rainbow of jello, tres merveilleux!

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Back to Sweden for a while:


----------



## ptr

Andolink said:


> Alexander Goehr: Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 20
> Ning Kam, violin
> Daniel Becker, piano
> Thomas Carroll, cello
> View attachment 14771


I was just thinking about some Alexander Goeher, *Sir*, You're coercing me into rearranging the play list for the afternoon! , Thank You!

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in B minor, op. 58 no. 4
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








Luigi Boccherini: String Trios from Op. 14; no 1 in F major and no. 2 in C minor
La Real Cámara






(my brand new flac download)


----------



## Andolink

ptr said:


> I was just thinking about some Alexander Goeher, *Sir*, You're coercing me into rearranging the play list for the afternoon! , Thank You!
> 
> /ptr


Always up for a little arm twisting in the early morning!


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart
String quartet No.14 in G Major
String quartet No.17 in B flat Major
Quatuor Mosaïques

The quartets were just as amazing as I remembered them, and plus, they made the morning journey to work much more enjoyable.


----------



## JCarmel

A Birthdate Remembered...Johann Strauss (Senior) born March 14th, 1804 Vienna, Austria

So a rousing 'Radetzky March' for the elder Waltz King














And from my oft-watched Dvd of Riccardo Muti's excellent New Year's Day's Concert of 2000 ...Greetings and a 'clip' too, for son Eduard's birthday,_ tomorrow_!


----------



## Schubussy

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto 2 & 3
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur & Michel Béroff


----------



## Sudonim

and


----------



## rrudolph

I was feeling a little too happy this morning, so I'm working myself into a proper state of melancholy with this:









Then this (this was the only picture I could find online, apparently it's out of print):









and part of this:









Then either some Italian rennaissance music or Purcell, not sure which...


----------



## ptr

Some brassing music..

*Hector Berlioz* - Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale (*Nimbus*)









Leeds Festival Chorus, The Wallace Collection u. John Wallace

..best of the Brass of the London Orchestras, super sweet and swingy music!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> Three first for this morning:
> 
> *Arnold Schönberg* & *Jean Sibelius* - Violin Concertos (*DG* 2008)
> 
> View attachment 14758
> 
> 
> Hilary Hahn, violin; Swedish Radio SO u. EP Salonen


I wonder sometimes if this performance of the Schoenberg could possibly be bettered. It proves his old saying that his music was always just badly played until now...

Anyway, some Straussian late romanticism for me at the moment.

Webern: Im Sommerwind, Passacaglia Op. 1
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Boulez


----------



## neoshredder

rrudolph said:


> I was feeling a little too happy this morning, so I'm working myself into a proper state of melancholy with this:
> 
> View attachment 14784
> 
> 
> Then this (this was the only picture I could find online, apparently it's out of print):
> 
> View attachment 14785
> 
> 
> and part of this:
> 
> View attachment 14786
> 
> 
> Then either some Italian rennaissance music or Purcell, not sure which...


Yeah nothing worse than waking up happy. lol


----------



## Sonata

The *orchestrated version of Mendelssohn's String symphony #8* (finishing my full String symphony collection, by the Amsterdam sinfonia. What a great set!!)

*Bruckner #6*. I am enjoying his music much more than I expected, based on descriptions of his work. A pleasant finding. Not a top fifteen composer, but I expect to regularly return to his symphonies.
*
99 most essential opera highlights*: "bleeding chunks" from Wagner's Ring, 40 minutes all told. The singing in his operas really does put me off (no offense intended) though I have come to enjoy some of these smaller fragments of his work.

*99 most essential Chopin*: breezing through this at work. About 2/3 through the set. And loving almost every moment.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Arpeggione Sonata, with Rostropovich & Britten (rec.1968); Piano Sonatas D.784, D.958, with Lewis (rec. 2001).

View attachment 14789
View attachment 14790


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A
> Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


That's the one I have, as well. Beautiful! :tiphat:


----------



## ptr

An "Air-check" an British friend sent my of a BBC Radio 3 Broadcast in 2010

*Helmuth Lachenmann* - Schreiben & Ausklang (*BBC*)









Rolf Hind, piano; London Sinfonietta u. Brad Lubman

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Berlioz*:
Symphonie fantastique for orchestra
March to the Scaffold
Romeo et Juliette - Love scene Adagio
The Damnation of Faust
La Carnaval Romain
Harold en Italie
Les Troyens


----------



## ptr

Listening to a direct broadcast on Swedish Radio P2 of tonight's concert from the concert hall in Göteborg Sweden, *live stream via the net*

*Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet; The Gothenburg Symphony u. John Storgårds*









a) Rolf Wallin: Trumpet Concerto
b) intermezzo
c) Erich Wolfgang von Korngold: Symphonie im Fiss-dur

Right now a pre-show with a live recording (frpom another concert) with Camerata Nordica and their leader Daniel Bard plying *Shostakovich Violin Sonata* in a transcription for Violin, Strings and Percussion, from the same concert they will end this broadcast by play something really unusual: *Joel Engel - Hadybbuk, Suite for Clarinet and Strings* also from the same concert as the Shostakovich piece!

Don't know if anyone outside Sweden can listen, but please try if the program excites You!

/ptr


----------



## BartokBela

Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta & Concerto for Orchestra - Herbert von Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Ravndal

Brahms symphony 4 - Abbado


----------



## Sonata

La traviata time.


----------



## Kieran

Wolfie, 22, the slow movement that sounds like a wind or orchestra concerto accompanied by the piano...


----------



## Guest

Sometimes I listen to selections from this, but I decided, for the second time, to listen to it all the way through. Moroney does an excellent job here with the entire ensemble of Byrd's solo keyboard output. I love hearing the different instruments being brought in. Really an exceptional box set.


----------



## DrKilroy

I am going to listen to the 3rd Symphony by Saint-Saens this evening.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sid James

Violin music of different kinds.

*Vanessa-Mae's *first techno-acoustic fusion album, _The Violin Player. _The track _Classical Gas_, by Mason Williams, was heard everywhere when this album came out in the mid 1990's (its been that long?). Who can forget the video clip of Vanessa wading in water in a swimsuit playing her electric violin? A relaxing album overall with an interesting arrangement of Bach's _Toccata & Fugue in D minor_ kicking it off. The accompanists included the Royal PO with Mike Batt as conductor/composer/arranger.










Contrased with the late *H.W. Henze's* violin concertos 1 & 3, as well as his _5 Night Pieces for violin & piano, _on Naxos. I've been meaning to get to his music since he died. That* first violin concerto *is to me like a twin of Berg's - that one coming before the catastrophe that was WWII, Henze's coming like a sequel coming after (he wrote it in 1946). Not easy to take for sure, the violin here playing a series of cadenzas as if wandering in a lonely battle scarred landscape, or just a nightmare of the mind. Berg had his royalties taken by the Nazis & his music was banned, while Henze as a teenager was forced to fight for the regime in its dying months. He witnessed the defeat of the regime, while Berg did not live to see the start of the war. I see these kinds of connections there, but basically Henze's concerto, like Berg's, is very dark, isn't easy to take but it is thematically very tight. Other influences apart from the Viennese atonalists are to my ears Bartok and especially Stravinsky (those rhythms in the final movement). I find it odd that Henze was critical of this work and didn't think much of it, because I think its an amazing piece.


----------



## kv466

First time this year for this one...what a fantastic disc!


----------



## Cheyenne

Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp - do I love this piece!


----------



## ptr

..inspired by Andolink:

*Alexander Goehr* - Piano Concerto & Symphony in one movement (*NMC*)









Peter Serkin, piano; London Sinfonietta u. Oliver Knussen / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra u. Richard Bernas

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: 8 Variations in C on a Theme by Count Waldstein, WoO 67 -- Walter Olbertz

Bach: Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080 -- Helmut Walcha

Haydn: String Quartet #57 in C, Op. 54/2, H 3/57 -- Kodály Quartet

Liszt: Fantasie & Fuge Über Den Choral Ad Nos, Ad Salutarem Undam, S 624 -- Leslie Howard

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 -- Orchestral transcription: Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists


----------



## ptr

..and while I'm at it with NMC:

*Elisabeth Lutyens* - Chamber Concerto No 1, The Valley of Hatsu-Se, Six Tempi and other works (*NMC*)









Jane Manning, soprano; Jane's Minstrels u. Roger Montgomery (conductor and horn player)

Amazing little ole' Lady composer!

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Goldberg Variations

- Tatiana Nikolayeva


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mendelssohn*: Symphonies 3 & 4, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec. 1991); Strings Quartets 1 & 2, with Juilliard Qt. (rec. 1988).

View attachment 14798
View attachment 14799


----------



## DavidA

Lehar - Merry Widow / Karajan played almost as a requiem to a vanished culture. Just listen to Harwood sing Vilia. Incredible!


----------



## ptr

..inspired by what someone wrote about a Chilean pianist and Beethoven somewhere else on TC!

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - Three Piano Sonatas (Phillips)









Claudio Arrau, piano

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Elgar Cello Concerto


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich String Quartets 3 and 12, Borodin Qt.


----------



## bejart

Pierre Vachon (1731-1803): String Quartet in A Major, Op.5, No.1

Quatour les Adieux: Mary Utiger and Ursala Bundies, violins -- Hajo Bass, viola -- Nicholas Selo, cello

View attachment 14805


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Piano Sonata in D Minor

Brigitte Haudebourg, piano

View attachment 14806


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Haydn: Symphony No. 93


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Cherubini: Motet - Nemo gaudeat in festo septem dolorum B.V. virginis, Motetto a 8 voci -- Riccardo Muti: Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Haydn: Baryton Trio #59 in G, H 11/59 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Liszt: Il m'Aimait Tant, S 533 -- Leslie Howard

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #5 in B Flat -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Mozart: Quintet For Violin, Two Violas, Violoncello And Horn in E Flat, K. 407 -- Chicago Chamber Musicians

Tchaikovsky: Symphony #3 in D, Op. 29, "Polish" -- Gilbert Levine: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Now sleep--that is, if sleep is possible after such an array of music.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Dante And The Troubadours" - Sequentia


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 3


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## ptr

*E.J. Moeran *- Violin Concerto - Rhapsody No.2 - Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra (*Lyrita*)









LPO u. Boult; Georgiades, violin; LSO u Handley; MacCabe, piano; PO u.Braithwaite

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Matthew Locke (1621-1677): Consort of Fower Parts. No.1

Fretwork

View attachment 14811


----------



## ptr

*Jean Sibeliu*s - Piano Works (*Ondine* OOP)









Olli Mustonen, piano

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Fish on Friday

*Schubert, Trout Quintet*
Emil Gilels, Amadeus Quartet

You cannot overrate a performance this good or a composition this good.


----------



## ptr

*James MacMillan* - A Scotch Bestiary & Piano Concerto No 2 (*Chandos*)









Wayne Marschall, organ & piano; BBC Philharmonic u. James MacMillan

/ptr


----------



## Art Rock

ptr said:


> *E.J. Moeran *- Violin Concerto - Rhapsody No.2 - Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra (*Lyrita*)
> 
> View attachment 14810
> 
> 
> LPO u. Boult; Georgiades, violin; LSO u Handley; MacCabe, piano; PO u.Braithwaite
> 
> /ptr


Glad to see I am not the only one listening to Moeran!


----------



## ptr

Art Rock said:


> Glad to see I am not the only one listening to Moeran!


Moeran is essential to the Anglophile that lingers my spine! 

/ptr


----------



## Art Rock

Art Rock said:


> View attachment 14757
> 
> 
> I have decided to give opera another chance, plunging in with the big one first.


Halfway the Ring cycle in the celebrated Solti version. I am listening to this now as pure music, not like in the past with the libretto in front of me. I must say I like it better this way.


----------



## Kivimees

Something to grade exams by:


----------



## Schubussy

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B flat
Neeme Järvi, Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## ptr

*Gerald Finzi* - Earth & Air & Rain; Five song cycles to poems by Thomas Hardy (*Hyperion*)









Martyn Hill, tenor & Stephen Varcoe, baritone & Clifford Benson, piano

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Guest

A little self-promotion here...I'm listening to my piano instructor play my own piece!


----------



## Art Rock

Taking a break from Wagner to explore this Soviet composer (no family of PI). The piano concerto is interesting, but the clarinet concerto and cantata (actually song cycle) are excellent.


----------



## ptr

*Heiner Goebbels* - Surrogate Cities (*ECM*)









Heiner Goebbels , sampler; Jocelyn B. Smith, vocals & David Moss, vocals; Junge Deutsche Philharmonie u. Peter Rundel

An utterly contemporary take on moving romantically!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Turning back...

*Hector Berlioz* - Symphonie Fantastique et Herminie (*DG*)









Aurélia Legay, soprano; Mahler Chamber Orchestra et Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble u. Marc Minkowski

Très Bon!

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

Rostropovich's recording of Shostakovich's 8th Symphony for LSO. Great to test the stereos, but not among my favorite performances.. Now, for Ligeti's Piano Concerto.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Symphony No.7 in D minor


----------



## ptr

*Alexandre Pierre François Boëly* - Grands Offertoires, Fantasies, Cantiques et Piecés Libres (Aeolus)









Danile Roth at the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Cathedral of Bayeux, France

Meditative Romantic!

/ptr


----------



## conclass

Guerra-Peixe, Symphony No. 2 "Brasilia"






"The symphony brasilia, his second great work for orchestra, was composed in 1960 for a radio contest (MEC). The goal was to reward a symphony able to portray in sounds, effort and steps the construction of the new capital of the republic. Guerra-Peixe wrote a programmatic work of many movements and musical influences, which explores the variety of pitches and color, with a openly "khatchuturian" influence. Without a doubt, one of the major works composed in the country in the last fifty years, whose debut was my joy to conduct with the National Symphony Orchestra in December 1963." - Isaac Karabtchevky
(badly translated by me


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn - Viola Sonata in C Minor [un-numbered].






My first time hearing this very obscure work.


----------



## ptr

conclass said:


> Guerra-Peixe, Symphony No. 2 "Brasilia"


Is this a CD? Who is playing, I have very little Brasilian music other then Villa-Lobos, Nazareth and Gonzaguinha! 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Inspired by the above..

*Ernesto Nazareth* - Music for the Solo Piano (*Koch*)

View attachment 14828


Thomas Tirino, piano

/ptr


----------



## conclass

ptr said:


> Is this a CD? Who is playing, I have very little Brasilian music other then Villa-Lobos, Nazareth and Gonzaguinha!
> 
> /ptr


I don't know about the youtube link that i posted, but the CD that i have is with the Symphonic Orchestra of Petrobras, Isaac Karabtchevsky (1960). It includes another major work of his entitled "Tribute to Portinari".















Enjoy! =)


----------



## ptr

conclass said:


> I don't know about the youtube link that i posted, but the CD that i have is with the Symphonic Orchestra of Petrobras, Isaac Karabtchevsky (1960). It includes another major work of his entitled "Tribute to Portinari".


Muito obrigado!

/ptr


----------



## conclass

ptr said:


> Muito obrigado!
> 
> /ptr


de nada, amigo!!!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Sonata 2, with ABM (rec. 1959); Piano Works, with Ts'ong (rec. 1979 - '86).

View attachment 14831
View attachment 14832


----------



## DrKilroy

Not exactly now, but still today - Vaughan Williams' Sinfonia antartica with real wind effects outside the window. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## arts




----------



## SimonNZ

Hugo Wolf Goethe lieder with Graham Johnsonon, piano, and Morike lieder with Roger Vignoles, piano

Had the good fortune to find the original "full notes booklet" edition of both of these Hyperions at the secondhand cd shop the other day.

Both booklets are about 120 pages, but Roger Vignoles briefer notes can allow for French and German translations of his thoughts, whereas Graham Johnson manages or rather needs to fill up all 120 just getting through his insights in English.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

_Der Hirt auf dem Felsen_ "The Shepherd on the Rock", a Schubert chamber lied for soprano, piano, and clarinet is a truly marvelous work... and in spite of my love of Schubert... and rather extensive collection of his lieder, a new... and utterly delicious... discovery for me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 14840
> View attachment 14841
> 
> 
> Hugo Wolf Goethe lieder with Graham Johnsonon, piano, and Morike lieder with Roger Vignoles, piano
> 
> Had the good fortune to find the original "full notes booklet" edition of both of these Hyperions at the secondhand cd shop the other day.
> 
> Both booklets are about 120 pages, but Roger Vignoles briefer notes can allow for French and German translations of his thoughts, whereas Graham Johnson manages or rather needs to fill up all 120 just getting through his insights in English.


Where Schubert and Schumann's lieder... for all their sophistication... remain "song"... Wolf's lieder, or so it seems to me, place the text and music on near equal terms... creating something more akin to musical dramas or operas in miniature... which makes sense for a follower of Wagner. As a result, where I can usually just sit back and listen to Schubert's or Schumann's songs, I need to follow the text far closer with Wolf... for better or worse.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Art Rock said:


> Glad to see I am not the only one listening to Moeran!


You certainly are not. I have some 4 discs of his music... all lovely stuff.


----------



## Sid James

A mixed bag of music this time. Going from *Walton's *brooding, dark and edgy String Quartet in A minor, one of my favourite works in the genre, to some *songs by Wolf and Reger *with organ accompaniment (utter coincidence that I listened to this, given Simon across the ditch has too) then *Henze's* Barcarola which is a virtuoso piece with shades of Mahler with many weird 'avant garde' type effects added. Finishing with *Debussy's* early so-called first piano trio (but there was no second!) which is basically glorified salon music, it was in fact written for the former patroness of Tchaikovsky, Madame von Meck. This work was only rediscovered and recorded in the 1980's. It's a gem, but nothing much like the mature Debussy we know.
*
Walton* _String Quartet in A minor_
Maggini String Quartet (Naxos)

*Hugo Wolf* _4 songs from Moricke Lieder _(accompaniment transcribed for organ by Reger)
*Max Reger *_Zwei Geistliche Lieder Op. 105_
Markus Schaeffer, tenor & Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, organ (Classico)
*
H.W. Henze* _Barcarola per grande orchestra_
City of Birmingham SO under Sir Simon Rattle (EMI)

*Debussy* _Piano Trio "No. 1" in G major_
Joachim Trio (Naxos)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Violin Concerto.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Where Schubert and Schumann's lieder... for all their sophistication... remain "song"... Wolf's lieder, or so it seems to me, place the text and music on near equal terms... creating something more akin to musical dramas or operas in miniature... which makes sense for a follower of Wagner. As a result, where I can usually just sit back and listen to Schubert's or Schumann's songs, I need to follow the text far closer with Wolf... for better or worse.


I agree entirely. That's been my experience too.

Glad to hear you're enjoying that Ameling / Demus disc. What do you think of the fortepiano accompaniment?


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120,* featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic in a live performance from Vienna, May 1987.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major,* both works again featuring Maestro Karajan, this time leading the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Philip Glass--*The Light and Symphony No.4 {"Heroes"},* both works performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.


----------



## ProudSquire

Johann Nepomuk Hummel 
Cello Sonata in A major Op. 104
Jiří Bárta - cello 
Hamish Milne - piano

As good as it gets. :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Symphony No.1 - George Szell


----------



## Mahlerian

Some late-night counterpoint from the master.

Bach:Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
Peter Hurford










Bach (orch. Stravinsky): Chorale Variations on "Von Himmel Hoch" BWV 769
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## Feathers

Elgar's Symphony No. 2 (Davis)
Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand (with Jarvi and Hamelin's left hand)
Scriabin's Sonata No. 2 (Richter) 
...and now, some sonatinas by Clementi, played by little Feathers in an old video that was recorded by little Feathers' parents.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## AndyS

Just finished Also Sprach Zarathustra (Karajans earlier recording) and now the Dvorak Cello concerto - Herbie again with Rostropovich


----------



## ptr

*Petr Eben* - Organ Works Vol 1 (Faust & Mutationen) and Vol 2 (Hiob) (*Motette*)















Günther Rost an der Goll-Orgel von St. Martin in Memmingen / Gert Westphal, Sprecher & Gunther Rost an der Orgel der Tonhalle Zürich

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto. 

I wonder what his solo piano works are like...


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto.
> 
> I wonder what his solo piano works are like...


Lovely, "generally" just as good as the concertos! (There is a collection with *Yevgeny Sudbin*, on Bis that is a quite good introduction to Rachmaninoff's solo piano works!)

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Cesar Franck* - Fantasie in A major / *Felix Mendelssohn* - Organ Sonata No. 2 in C minor-major, Op. 65 / *Robert Schumann* - Fugue on B-A-C-H Op. 60, No. 3 / *Hendrik Andriessen* - Sonata da chiesa. Tema con Variazione e Finale / *Camille Saint-Saëns* - Fantasie No 3 for organ Op, 157 / *Jehan Alain* _ Fantasie No. 2 & Le Jardin suspendu / *Olivier Messiaen* - Les Corps glorieux:Joie et clarté des corps glorieux (*Chandos*)









Piet Kee at the Concertgebouw Maarschalkerweerd Organ

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Last night ---
Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801): Piano Sonata in A Major

Donatella Failoni, piano

View attachment 14853


----------



## bejart

And this morning --
Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op.6, No.1

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 14854


----------



## ptr

*Claude Debussy* - La musique de Chambre (*Arcana* OOP?)
(String Quartet, Op. 10; Syrinx; Cello Sonata; Violin Sonata; Flute, Viola, and Harp Sonata all performed on Period instruments)









The Kuijken Clan

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> Lovely, "generally" just as good as the concertos! (There is a collection with *Yevgeny Sudbin*, on Bis that is a quite good introduction to Rachmaninoff's solo piano works!)
> 
> /ptr


Thanks ptr, I'm looking forward to checking them out. The beginning of his 2nd piano concerto always puts me in mind of a giant rusting hulk of a ship slowly docking at nighttime in a frozen Russian port. It has magnificence, grandeur, beauty and drama. One of my most favourite movements in all music.

Now I'm going walking and listening to Mozart's string trio, K563. This is a work of some grandeur itself. I'll go straight for the fourth movement, the andante, it's peripatetic rhythms help me mosey, but it has sharp edges and it rolls in a wayward trance. Should get me moving quite nippily!


----------



## ptr

*James MacMillan* - Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (*Catalyst*)









Evelyn Glennie, percussion, Ruth Crouch, soprano; Scottish Chamber Orchestra u. Jukka-Pekka Saraste & James MacMillan

/ptr


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Quartet No.3 for Keyboard, Flute, Viola and Cello

Laure Colladant, piano -- Philippe Allain-Dupre, flute -- Jean-Philippe Vasseur, viola -- Antoine Ladrette, cello

View attachment 14858


----------



## Kivimees

Saturday afternoon:


----------



## ptr

*Eugène Gigout* - The Complete Organ Works Vol I & II (*Priory*/*Prory*)















Gerard Brooks at the Organ of Perpignan Cathedral and Organ of St. Ouen, Rouen, France

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543

Alessandro Arigoni directing the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana

View attachment 14862


----------



## Kivimees

Exams graded (with success to all!). It's time to sing:


----------



## ptr

For Kieran and Me!

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Piano Music (*BIS*)
(Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op.22/Song Transcriptions: Lilacs (Siren), Op.21 No.5/Daisies (Margaritki), Op.38 No.3/Piano Sonata, No.2, Op.36 (based on versions played by Horowitz)/Liebesleid/Liebesfreud)









Yevgeny Sudbin, piano

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler *- the 5th Symphony (Raphael Kubelik & Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks)
Before that was the 7th Symphony and the next one will be either the 2nd or the 9th.


----------



## jani

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Violin Concerto.


The best violin concerto ever written!


----------



## conclass

Danilo Guanais - Missa de Alcançuz














The'' Mass'' - played by Madrigal School of Music and URFN high point of the festivities of its 30 years - was composed by Danilo Guanais in 1996. It combines the traditional Latin text, elements of Popular Culture (in the scales, rhythms and themes) and methods of classical composition (found in the treatment of the vocal writing, harmony and orchestration). The result of all this is a perfect impression line between regional and universal is the knowledge of a genuine people, entered into the most elaborate musical technique.


----------



## ptr

*Alban Berg* - Lulu Suite & Drei Orchesterstuecke (*RCO *2008)









Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest u. Daniele Gatti

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Artur Rubinstein III. Schubert: Sonata in Bb, D. 960. Beautiful, better than Kempff. Good sound, recorded in 1962. From Volume 87, Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Philips/RCA.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

First thing this morning I arose and listened to Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu's recording of Duets and Arias. I'm not sure why some opera fans don't like Angela and maybe it's just that I don't know opera well enough, or perhaps it's more her "on the sleeve" ego? I don't know but I love her voice. She makes me pause and listen to every note. Alagna too is a fine tenor and I enjoy them together.










I know some people don't think Brilliant records has very good recordings but here is an exceptional one and a great value too. You can get this two CD set for about $6.50 on Amazon and trust me it's worth more than that. This is a wonderful CD with some great guitar work and quite relaxing, which is just what I need today as I have had one of the most stressful weeks I have had since Christmas at work.










Kevin


----------



## DrKilroy

Bliss' Colour Symphony. I'll try to listen to Moeran's First Symphony today, too.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kivimees

DrKilroy said:


> Bliss' Colour Symphony.


Here's another very nice Bliss CD:


----------



## DrKilroy

Thank you. I'll try these works, too.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Sonata in B, with Demidenko (rec. 1992); Transcendental Etudes, with Berezovsky (rec. 1995).

View attachment 14872
View attachment 14873


----------



## ptr

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Symphonien No 40 & 41 (*Archiv*)









Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble u. Marc Minkowski

Bitten by the WAM-bugg tonight! Minkowski's band is totally believable for me!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 1


----------



## ptr

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Concertos No 9 "Jeunehomme" & No 12, No 17 and No 20 (*Decca/l'Oiseau-Lyre* OOP)















Robert Levin, fortepiano; Academy of Ancient Music u. Christopher Hogwood

More believable WAM!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Requiem.*


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks (with score!).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Jacob Orbrecht's Missa Caput - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly, cond.


----------



## ptr

..doing like Manxfeeder and ending my Saturday with:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Requiem in D minor K626 (Ed. Franz Beyer) (Accent OOP?)









Ingrid Schmithusen, Soprano; Catherine Patriasz, Alto; Neil Mackie, Tenor, Matthias Hölle, Bass; Netherlands Chamber Choir & La Petite Bande u. Sigiswald Kuijken

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Concertos No 9 "Jeunehomme" & No 12, No 17 and No 20 (*Decca/l'Oiseau-Lyre* OOP)
> 
> View attachment 14875
> View attachment 14876
> 
> 
> Robert Levin, fortepiano; Academy of Ancient Music u. Christopher Hogwood
> 
> More believable WAM!
> 
> /ptr


The #9 is a real breakthrough, isn't it? The piano blurts in early, he throws a slow set into the great third movement, and the middle movement is like a man drunk with grief, bouncing off the walls. A lot of innovation, imagination, gusto and charm, allied with control and unbelievable virtuosity. It's like a miracle. Alfred Brendel called it the 8th Wonder of the World.

I think he underestimated it... :tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kevin Pearson said:


> I know some people don't think Brilliant records has very good recordings but here is an exceptional one and a great value too. You can get this two CD set for about $6.50 on Amazon and trust me it's worth more than that. This is a wonderful CD with some great guitar work and quite relaxing, which is just what I need today as I have had one of the most stressful weeks I have had since Christmas at work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Best recording of the Giuliani concertos ever! I'm learning the first concerto at the moment, such fun. 
My guitar teacher actually met Claudio Maccaro and Paolo Pugliese, who are the leading experts in 19 century guitar music.


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> The #9 is a real breakthrough, isn't it? The piano blurts in early, he throws a slow set into the great third movement, and the middle movement is like a man drunk with grief, bouncing off the walls. A lot of innovation, imagination, gusto and charm, allied with control and unbelievable virtuosity. It's like a miracle. Alfred Brendel called it the 8th Wonder of the World.
> 
> I think he underestimated it... :tiphat:


ROTFLOL! K, perfect description!

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Ravel *Piano Trio in A minor ; *Schmitt *Tres lent for piano trio
Joachim Trio (Naxos)
*
H.W. Henze *Symphony #7
City of Birmingham SO under Sir Simon Rattle (EMI)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 6


----------



## BartokBela

J.S. Bach: Matthäus Passion.


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Clarinet Sonata No. 2
Mozart: Symphony No. 35


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Trio in F major, op. 14 no. 6
La Real Cámara








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in D major, op. 58 no. 5
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








Peter-Jan Wagemans: Symphony No. 7
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Leenders


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.15 in A Minor, Op.132

Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello

View attachment 14883


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 7, 5, 1


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G minor, op. 9 no. 3
Raglan Baroque Players/Nicholas Kraemer


----------



## Sonata

Mozart:

Piano sonatas 9-11
Visions of Love: Arias sung by Renee Fleming


----------



## GreenMamba

Continuing my way through the cycle: Shostakovich String Quartets Nos. 4 and 5, Borodin Qt.


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Divertissememt a la Hongroise, D. 818 -- Four Hands: Claire Aebersold, Ralph Neiweem

Schumann: Romanzen für Frauenstimmen, Heft 2, Op. 91 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Lully: Atys, LWV 53 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Haydn: Orfeo ed Euridice -- Cecilia Bartoli & Academy Of Ancient Music & Chorus


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 5


----------



## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn 5
Dvorak 9
Martinu 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.55 "Schoolmaster" - Benjamin Britten, cond.


----------



## Feathers

Liszt: Totentanz (Argerich and Barenboim)

Schumann: Symphony No. 3 (Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto (Perlman and Ozawa) I didn't really like this when I first heard it, but I came back to it recently and it's becoming increasingly more enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn Sonatas for Organ Op.65 - John Eggington, organ


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 2; Coronation Cantata, Op. 56
Mahler: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Sid James

*H.W. Henze*_ Three Auden Songs_
Ian Bostridge, tenor & Julius Drake, piano (EMI)
*
Gordon Jacob* _Trombone Concerto_
*G.C. Wagenseil *_Trombone Concerto in E-flat major_
Warwick Tyrrell, trombone with Adelaide SO under Nicholas Braithwaite (ABC Classics)


----------



## neoshredder

In an experimental mood today. Listening to Xenakis.


----------



## violadude

Sid James said:


> *H.W. Henze*_ Three Auden Songs_
> Ian Bostridge, tenor & Julius Drake, piano (EMI)
> *
> Gordon Jacob* _Trombone Concerto_
> *G.C. Wagenseil *_Trombone Concerto in E-flat major_
> Warwick Tyrrell, trombone with Adelaide SO under Nicholas Braithwaite (ABC Classics)


I've been getting into Henze's music lately. What do you think of it?


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Gurrelieder - Rafael Kubelik, cond.


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius* Symphony No.7,6,5 and 4 (order of listening)

I got bored with No.4...


----------



## Wood

Haydn 92 93
Gershwin: An American in Paris, Variations on 'I got rhythm'
Bizet: Carmen, Act 1 prelude

The latter may be somewhat trite, but the Symphony in C and L'Arlesienne Suite show that Bizet was a fine composer of orchestral music.


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> Schoenberg's Gurrelieder - Rafael Kubelik, cond.


has this version ever been released on CD?

/ptr


----------



## ptr

An Audiophile LP I bought on ebay after a tip from a Gentleman on a HiFi-forum...

*Sonic Fireworks*; Volume 1 (Crystal Clear 1979 OOP?)
(a; Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man / Bliss - Salute / Brahms - Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee / b; Gigout - Grand Choeur Dialogue / Bach - Toccata & Fugue in D minor)









Richard Morris, organ and Atlanta Brass Ensemble

Sonic Fireworks it indeed is!

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Something to honour our Irish friends on TC today:


----------



## MaestroViolinist




----------



## ptr

Inspired by my exchange with GGluek yesterday;

*Frederick Delius* - The Delius Collection Vol. 1 & 2 (Unicorn-Kanchana OOP?)















Various Artist under the guidance of Delius' last assistant Eric Fenby (if You want a closer detail use the link above!)

Upliftingly beautiful in all of its simplicity!

/ptr


----------



## Wood

Haydn 94 'Surprise'


----------



## SimonNZ

ptr said:


> has this version ever been released on CD?
> 
> /ptr


As far as I can tell the Kubelik Gurrelieder is only on cd as part of this:









Though even that is now deleted (check out those prices!!)


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> As far as I can tell the Kubelik Gurrelieder is only on cd as part of this:
> 
> View attachment 14901
> 
> 
> Though even that is now deleted (check out those prices!!)


Will have to keep an eye out for this on my used CD-shopping rounds! Thanks Simon!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Been doing a little Sibelius listening of my own here tonight - comparing parts of the four lps I own of the violin concerto, with the plan of keeping one or two and giving away at least two.

The short version:
Ricci stays - no surprises there. Jan Damien goes - largely because of a worn down surface quality and odd ballances between soloist and orchestra. Francescatti goes - much as I love him he's playing this like its Mozart.
But the seemingly ignored Eugene Sarbu is a definite keeper - a lighting-in-a-bottle performance with demonstration quality sound.

Here's the start of the Sarbu recording, correct me if I'm wrong:


----------



## bejart

Francois Couperin (1668-1733): Premiere Ordre from 'Les Nations'- La Francoise

Jed Wentz leading Musica ad Rhenum

View attachment 14906


----------



## bejart

Wilhelm Friedmann Bach (1710-1784): Duet No.4 in E Major for Flute and Oboe

Wolfgang Schulz, flute -- Hansjorg Schellenberger, oboe

View attachment 14907


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Hello all!... my first post in the forum

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major


----------



## ptr

*Bruno Maderna* - Piano Concertos & Quadrivium (*Naxos*)









Aldo Orvieto, piano; Fausto Bongelli, piano II; Gruppo 40.6; Orchestra della Fondazione Arena di Verona u. Carlo Miotto

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Sviatoslav Richter - The Teldec Recordings *(CD3/3) (*Teldec*)
*Schubert*- String Quartet No 14 D810 / *Schumann* - Piano Quintet Op 44









The Borodin Quartet II & Sviatoslav Richter, piano

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Studies for the Pedal Piano, Op. 56 -- Four Hands: Peter Frankl, András Schiff

Sibelius: En Saga, Tone Poem for Large Orchestra, Op. 9 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Telemann: Violin Concerto #11 in B Flat -- Iona Brown: Academy of St. Martin in The Fields

Mozart: Church Sonata #11 in D, K 245 -- Helmut Winschermann

Beethoven: Violin Sonata #4 in A Minor, Op. 23 -- Isaac Stern; Eugene Istomin

And coming up:

Bach: Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831 -- Lucy Carolan


----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

Welcome, OrchestrasWaterboy --
"Beethoven - String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major"
Who are the performers?

Now ---

Ignaz von Beecke (1733-1803): String Quartet in G Major, M.11

Arioso Quartet: Kay Peterson and Frank Krauter, violins -- Carolin Kriegbaum, viola -- Stefan Kraut, cello

View attachment 14910


----------



## ptr

Franz Peter Schubert* - The Complete Symphonies; Symphony No 7(8), "The; Yes it is indeed very finished!!" *(*Naive*)









Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble u. Marc Minkowski

I think that Minkowski does very well with everything he's ventured into during the last decade! 

/ptr


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

bejart said:


> Welcome, OrchestrasWaterboy --
> "Beethoven - String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major"
> Who are the performers?
> 
> Now ---
> 
> Ignaz von Beecke (1733-1803): String Quartet in G Major, M.11
> 
> Arioso Quartet: Kay Peterson and Frank Krauter, violins -- Carolin Kriegbaum, viola -- Stefan Kraut, cello
> 
> View attachment 14910


Hello there bejart, thanks for the welcome.
Its the Budapest String Quartet's version

Actually here's the video:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ptr

*Alexander Goehr* - Sinfonia, Lyric Pieces, Behold The Sun, ..A Musical Offering (Unicorn-Kanchana OOP? / Re-release on *NMC*)









Jeanine Thames, soprano; London Sinfonietta u. Oliver Knussen

/ptr


----------



## Francesca

Piano music of the Romantic era remains my favourite, in particular Chopin's piano concerto no. 2 in F minor, Brahms piano concerto no. 2 in D minor - plus what I believe is the most beautiful piano concerto ever written, Rachmaninov's no. 2 in C minor - just perfect! I also adore Wagner's Tristan and Isolde and Schubert's string quartets.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Quintet in E Flat, KV452

Murray Perahia on piano with members of the English Chamber Orchestra: Neil Black, oboe -- Thea King, clarinet -- Tony Halstead, horn -- Graham Sheen, bassoon

View attachment 14913


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Julius Rontgen is one of those overlooked and underrated composers in my opinion. Fortunately there are several albums of his gems available now and the two volumes of his piano trios by the superb Storioni Trio are amongst them. All the trios in the two volumes are wonderful but I'm currently finishing up listening to volume two. I think anyone who enjoys Dvorak's chamber music would really love these.










Kevin


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor
Van Cliburn, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Munch

Via a radio re-broadcast of a live concert.


----------



## opus55

Kevin Pearson said:


> Julius Rontgen is one of those overlooked and underrated composers in my opinion. Fortunately there are several albums of his gems available now and the two volumes of his piano trios by the superb Storioni Trio are amongst them. All the trios in the two volumes are wonderful but I'm currently finishing up listening to volume two. I think anyone who enjoys Dvorak's chamber music would really love these.[/IMG]
> 
> Kevin


Added to my to-listen list on Spotify, thanks!

Listened to some classical quartets by Haydn, Op. 20 Nos 3 and 4


----------



## Cheyenne

Schubert's String Quintet, followed by Vaughan Williams Pastoral Symphony, and possibly more Vaughan Williams.


----------



## Mahlerian

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor
Van Cliburn, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Munch

Same as above.


----------



## Sonata

Listening to the Well Tempered clavier for the very first time. Glenn Gould, on YouTube


----------



## ptr

*Karol Szymanowski* - The Complete Mazurkas [*Hyperion*]









Marc-André Hamelin, piano

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Sir William Herschel (1738-1822): Symphony No.14 in D Major

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players

View attachment 14918


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Violin Concerto; Mazurek. *Saraste*: Zigeunerweisen; Carmen Fantasy, with Suwanai/Budapest Fest. O./Ivan Fischer (rec.1999).

*Dvorak*: String Sextet, with Chang et al (rec. 2001).

View attachment 14919
View attachment 14920


----------



## ptr

*Leonad Salzedo* - String Quartet No 2 Op 3 & No 7 Op 76 / Sonata for Violin & Viola Op 132 (*Dutton*)









Archæus Quartet

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): Violin Concerto No.2 in D Minor, Op.2

Christian Frohlich directing the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester of Berlin -- Ulf Hoelscher, violin

View attachment 14924


----------



## Mahlerian

Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony
Marc, Hagegard, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Chailly


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart Piano Sonatas nos. 6 - 11. I am not sure about the performer, but they are very good. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Biber, Missa Christi resurgentis.*


----------



## Sid James

violadude said:


> I've been getting into Henze's music lately. What do you think of it?


I like how he brings together many strands of the 20th century, from obviously the Viennese atonalists but also guys like Mahler, Bartok and Stravinsky. I also like how he reflects on historical events that he lived through (eg. WWII). Also how he pulls no punches in putting me way out of my comfort zone many times. This is not easy music, and like Shostakovich & in some ways Mahler and Bruckner he can take me to that edge of darkness where I go to kind of have this emotional release. That sums it up. Heavy going but good. What I currently got is his violin concertos on Naxos and the EMI 2 cd set I've been listening to bit by bit - just finished - with Symphonies 7 and 9 & Barcarola for large orch. & the Auden songs.



SimonNZ said:


> ...
> 
> Been doing a little Sibelius listening of my own here tonight - comparing parts of the four lps I own of the violin concerto, with the plan of keeping one or two and giving away at least two.
> 
> ...


Yeah I am doing quite a bit of culling these days, quite a lot of vocal music is hitting the cutting room floor so to speak, but still keeping of that stuff I like...


----------



## Sid James

*H.W. Henze *_Symphony #9_
Rundfunkchor Berlin & Berlin PO under Ingo Metzmacher (EMI)

*Henze's 9th symphony* is, like Beethoven's one, a choral one and may well be a homage of sorts to that canonical work. The most impressive, and longest, of its 7 movements was for me the 6th one, where you not only had the orchestra and choir but also a battery of percussion and organ join in the fray. There was this contrast between near whispering from the choir and louder, shouting sounds. Penderecki and Schoenberg came to mind. This piece, as the other Henze works I know, often brings to mind a nightmarish world, dark and even psychopathic. But a work as this is, with its subject matter revolving around the war which the composer witnessed & participated in at first hand, isn't gonna be a walk in the park, is it? The text is by Anna Seghers, from her poem _The Seventh Cross_, but a text is not included with this budget reissue. In any case, the emotions are just as strong as they would be with the text. The coda of the work is interesting, the choir fades out quite suddenly and unexpectedly. As with a lot of new/newer music, it's the visceral/gut reactions that these bring that amaze me more than anything else - but I'm hearing more and more thematic connections in his pieces now too.


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Xaver Mozart
Cello Sonata in E major Op. 19

What a gorgeous cello sonata, I was pleasantly surprised I must say. :tiphat:


----------



## Novelette

And more:

Beethoven: Piano Trio #3 in C Minor, Op. 1 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Berlioz: Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale, Op. 15 -- Colin Davis: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Brahms: String Quartet #2 in A Minor, Op. 51/2 -- Amadeus Quartet

Fauré: Quartet For Piano & Strings #2 in G Minor, Op. 45 -- Quatuor Ébène


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 3; Concerto Waltz Nos. 1 and 2
Mozart: Symphony No. 38

















Glazunov symphonies by Polyansky/Russian State SO are very fine recordings. I look forward to the later symphonies Nos. 4 through 8 which I haven't played yet.


----------



## ProudSquire

W.A Mozart 
Serenade in D major, K. 320 "Posthorn"
Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Rosamunde Overture, D.644

Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic

View attachment 14928


----------



## violadude

Listened to:

Yoshimatsu: Piano Concerto

Takemitsu: How Slow the Wind

Schnittke: String Trio, Concerto for Three

Schumann: The 4 Symphonies

It's my first time with all these pieces so this isn't really going to be the most collected or detailed of my thoughts about a piece, but just going on what I remember after the first time.

The Yoshimatsu piano concerto was really pretty. For those that know Yoshimatsu's style, it's pretty much what you would expect. The atmosphere is very innocent and dreamlike, it exists almost in a magical world. There are also some very colorful, energetic and slightly jazzy sections (though not as jazzy as some other of his works).

The Takemitsu piece was great.It's a short, 10 minute monothematic work Starts out in typical Takemitsu fashion, very quietly with very high and very low sounds, very mystical and mysterious sounding. Slowly the main melody/theme (which is a very lovely and sensuous one in this piece). This theme goes through various orchestrations, variations and harmonizations before the piece ends. Of course there is other, sub-material between all this but that's the main thing I heard going on. I thought it was a really beautiful piece.





The Schnittke pieces were cool. The String Trio is very similar to the 3rd string quartet (which was written two years earlier). There are a few main themes that run throughout the whole work (the first of which shares rhythmic identity with the Happy Birthday song, not sure if intentional or not, it's likely this was intentional though since this piece was written for the centenary of Berg's birthday). Like the String quartet and various other pieces from this era, there are sections of extreme dissonance contrasted with sections of very diatonic tonality. Another theme that runs through the piece is one that is very reminicent of a Russian Orthodox Church dirge or something like that. The piece is in two movements.
Movement 1: 



, 



Movement 2: 



, 




Concerto for Three is another animal. It was one of the last pieces he wrote, so it's in his very dark, depressing style. It's not quite as sparse and disconnected as some of the other pieces from this era are though (symphonies 6 & 7 for example). It's a piece for Violin, Viola, Cello and string orchestra but instead of all of those playing at the same time, each instrument gets their own movement. The Cello has the first movement, the Viola the middle movement and the Violin the last movement. The soloists only play together in the very last moments of the last movement and all hell breaks loose in this part. All the soloists recall their own movement and it sounds really crazy. In the string orchestra, throughout the piece there is a lot of really low and murky string writing, lots of usage of the low low strings.

As for the Schumann pieces, I'm sure more people know these than the previous works I mentioned, it's my first time listening to these symphonies too. From my first listen, I liked #3 the best, then #2, then #1 behind that and then #4 was my least favorite. I've always heard about Schumann's poor orchestration. I did hear a little bit of that. There are some parts that sound quite banal, especially in the fast movements, which is surprising because his piano and chamber works are often so elegant. I think there is often a bit of overuse of the brass + timpani combo, but I'm getting the bad stuff out of the way first. I generally don't like late Classical/early Romantic bombast (I don't like when Beethoven gets too bombastic or banal either e.g. last movement of the 5th symphony). I don't mind bombast as much in late romantic pieces though, maybe because the more complex orchestration covers it up better.

But anyway, Symphony 1 was pretty good. I especially liked the slow movement because it had a nice theme and a shimmering quality that I find a bit rare in Schumann's orchestral music so far. The first movement and the finale are fun with attractive themes throughout. The 3rd movement I didn't like as the others but it was still pretty good. In the 2nd symphony, I especially liked the last two movements. The finale of this one was probably my favorite finale of the 4 because I think the themes and melodies are best in this one. And the slow movement is just beautiful. The second movement was really fun with the moto-perpetuo violins, not sure how I feel about the double trio but I did like the second trio better than the first. And then the first movement was pretty good but I felt the most neutral about this one than the other movements. The 3rd symphony was the symphony that I loved all the movements of. The first movement is especially made interesting because it starts out with a quick hemiola, causing one to think that it is in 2 at first, but I was looking at the score so it didn't trick me haha. The 2 then 3 melody manages to be quite nice despite the rhythmic disorientation. The second movement is just lovely. I love the relaxing, rocking main theme and then the combination of that with other themes. The 3rd movement, like the second movement of the 1st, is one of those Schumann movements with a bit more color and variety in the orchestration which I really liked. But it's a really nice one. The 4th movement might be my favorite movement of all the Schumann symphonies. It reminded me a lot of organ music or old renaissance choir music but somehow, the harmonies, the way the voices moved in relation to each other, the quality of the tone, was even more beautiful to me than the other movements I had heard so far. Then the finale was good natured and sorta folksy. Not as good to me as the 2nd symphonie's finale but a close second. Then, after this the 4th just fell short a bit  I do know that it was written earlier than a couple of the other symphonies. I could hear that he was trying to do a sort of thematic interconnection of the movements but I don't think it was quite as effective as he was hoping it would be, definitely not as effectively pulled off as many other composers have done before, although we can forgive Schumann since that technique was still new in his time. As for each of the individual movements, I did like the stormy and sharp nature of the first movement. The second movement had some pretty good parts but wasn't especially great imo. The violin solo was nice though and made me want to find out when the first time a violin solo was used in a symphony. I didn't really like the third movement. It was a little too bombastic and banal (hate to keep using those same terms, but ya) and the theme didn't feel especially inspired. Now the fourth movement was pretty interesting. I really liked the introduction of this movement, probably my favorite moment in the symphony and the theme proper has some interesting orchestration, especially involving passing off between the strings and the woodwinds, alternating dynamics with each measure. The main theme of the first movement comes back and ultimately, to me it sounds sort of contrived and not very effective, hate to say it. :/ But ya! Those are my views on his symphonies after first listening. wooo


----------



## JCarmel

S. Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No 1, Byron Janis, Kyrill Kondrashin, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra









I haven't posted on the 'Current Listening' thread for some days now...as I'm sure many regulars will have noted.. to their relief!
I deemed my particular mixture of Music presented with a more informal, conversational, anecdotal style not really to be in step with the style of most of the other posters. 
But because there's been much too much mention made on the Forums lately, about Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, I felt that I needed to post here...to let the other 3 get a bit of promotion, too!
I loved Rach's 2nd when I was in my teens ...and then in my 20's, I was always listening to his 3rd. And then it was the 4th, in my 30's that captured my heart. But from 40 years onwards, I must have had a premature 'mid-life crisis' because from then on, I have loved his 1st Concerto the most. 
Indeed, if I had to choose a musical movement particularly close to my heart and representative of something that lurks within it, it would be that opening movement...those first bars and the following rising theme.....just seem eloquent, to me.






..... And Byron Janis does a great job playing it, under the direction of Kondrashin.


----------



## SimonNZ

That's interesting - I'm pretty familiar with 2 and 3, but hardly know 1 and 4 at all. I've got that Byron Janis set (in fact both suitcases of the Great Pianists collection). I'll give it a closer listen when I get home.

Which reminds me that its been too long since I've seen Brief Encounter - must dig that out again.

(Currently listening to Djavan's 1982 album "Luz", which is very nice but not classical)


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Piano Sonata #1
Schubert: Death & the Maiden string quartet. Great piece. LOVE the opening seconds, so powerful!
Symphony #3, not bad. Didn't make much impact on me for the first listen

and finising up La Traviata, act #3.


----------



## bejart

Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op.53

Walter Susskind directing the St.Louis Symphony Orchestra -- Ruggiero Ricci, violin

View attachment 14932


----------



## Sid James

*Philip Bracanin *_Trombone Concerto_
*Neil Currie* _Tumbling Strain_
Warwick Tyrrell, trombone & Adelaide SO under Patrick Thomas (ABC Classics)

For an earlier review on the Currie piece click here

*Nino Rota*_ La strada (The Road) - suite from the film_ (1954)
Monte-Carlo PO under Gianluigi Gelmetti (EMI)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 14933


----------



## ProudSquire

Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.31 in A flat Major
Alfred Brendel


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor { Unfinished } ,* performed by the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Paternostro.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"},* featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Violin Concerto (Heifetz); Capriccio brilliant for Piano and Orchestra (Graffman)
Faure: Piano Quintet No. 1 (Collard, Quatuor Parrenin)


----------



## Mahlerian

Tippett: Ritual Dances from "The Midsummer Marriage"


----------



## OboeKnight

Been listening to this all day


----------



## Feathers

Mahler 6 (Kubelik)








Scriabin's Sonatas (Ashkenazy)


----------



## SimonNZ

Grieg's "Norway's Melodies" (1 to 63) - Einar Steen-Nokleberg, piano, clavicord, organ and harmonium

Apparently originaly published anonymously by Grieg as an easy paycheck from a publisher wanting beginner-level pieces on Norwegian themes.

Not without charm though, and many have the bare bones of what might easily have been expanded into one of the Lyric Pieces, and the variety of keyboards (representing the various manner of home music-making of the time) are well tailord here to their assigned pieces.


----------



## Novelette

And one more to add for the day!

Schubert: String Quintet in C, Op. 163, D 956 -- Yo-Yo Ma: Cleveland Quartet

I've only recently listened carefully to this String Quintet, which, for some reason, I had previously dismissed. Always good to correct misinformed opinions. Rarely has the process been so... mellifluous.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel - Water Music


----------



## ptr

*Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO* - The Complete Symphonies; playing No 1 & 4, Tintagel (*Chandos*)









BBC Philharmonic, Manchester u. Vernon "Tod" Handley CBE

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Hugo Wolf* _Spanisches Liederbuch: Geistliche Lieder (with organ accompaniment transcribed by Max Reger)_
Markus Schaefer, tenor & Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, organ (Classico)

This is one I didn't cull. Basically cos I like the organ accompaniment, which is unusual with lieder, but also for the reason I like Reger's organ music. & its appropriate with these 10 songs that he choose to transcribe from *Wolf's* Spanish set, since they all have spiritual subjects (the rest are secular). I like them but they are quite dark and with more than a hint of angst & even a kind of hysteria.


----------



## Kivimees

Kevin Pearson said:


> Julius Rontgen is one of those overlooked and underrated composers in my opinion.


Here's something I enjoy.


----------



## Wood

JCarmel said:


> I haven't posted on the 'Current Listening' thread for some days now...as I'm sure many regulars will have noted.. to their relief!
> I deemed my particular mixture of Music presented with a more informal, conversational, anecdotal style not really to be in step with the style of most of the other posters.


There is no need to keep in step with others. Keep posting!


----------



## Wood

Biber: Joyful mysteries (*3)

Haydn 96 (*2)

Some Chant from Italy: Adorate deum










This is fine enough, but Gregorian Chant sounds much better performed by monks and recorded with a warm analogue sound.


----------



## Andolink

Peter-Jan Wagemans: De Stad en de Engel
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Micha Hamel








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in B flat major, op. 130
The Alexander Quartet








Alessandro Stradella: Si apra al riso
"Cantata à 3 per il Santissimo Natale"
für Sopran, Altus, Baß, 2 Violinen und Basso continuo
LA STAGIONE FRANKFURT/MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
Sopran: Mechthild Bach, Barbara Schlick, Ruth Ziesak
Altus: Kai Wessel
Tenor: Christoph Prégardien
Bass: Michael Schopper








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G major, op. 77 no. 1, Hob. III.81
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## ptr

..some contemporary Danish:

*Mogens Christensen* - Pipes and Reeds (*DaCapo*)









Kiku Day, shakuhachi, Adam Ørvad, accordion, Christian Præstholm, organ, Mogens Christensen, electronics

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Johan Schenck (1660-ca.1720): Viola Sonata No.1 in D Major

Sandor Szaszvarosi, viola -- Angelika Csizmadia, harpsichord -- Nora Kallai, viola continuo

View attachment 14947


J. Carmel --

"hayd says"
"There is no need to keep in step with others...."

I certainly don't ---


----------



## ptr

˄˄˄ - You should always keep you own pace! Classical Music is not a competition, but rather a frolicin' entertainment!

Now:

*Sergei Prokofiev* - Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 7 & 8 (*DG 1998*)









Mikhail Pletnev, piano

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians


----------



## Wood

Haydn Symphony No. 96


----------



## ptr

*zeitkratzer* [old school] *karlheinz stockhausen* - Aus den Sieben Tagen (zeitkratzer RECORDS)









*zeitkratzer*

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

S. Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No.3, Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) London Symphony Orchestra conducted by A.Fistoulari.

I've no intention of becoming a Rach-bore! But in order to accurately reflect my Current Listening, 'needs must', as they say...
And this concerto is currently filling the room with sound, most enjoyable to the ear and energising to the spirit...on a miserable, cold Monday morning.









Thankfully the snow has all but melted-away...but whilst it was falling yesterday afternoon, I was reminded of that tale by the 
Brothers Grimm (The Soldiers Tale?!) where the soldier encountered 'the dog with eyes the size of _saucers_?!' That's how big the snowflakes seemed to be.....whoppers!
I would like to dedicate this Listen to my pal, ptr.....


----------



## Wood

encore un fois Haydn 96


----------



## Kivimees

JCarmel said:


> . but whilst it was falling yesterday afternoon, I was reminded of that tale by the
> Brothers Grimm (The Soldiers Tale?!) where the soldier encountered 'the dog with eyes the size of _saucers_?!


Hans Christian Andersen, The Tinder Box


----------



## ptr

Continuing my travels through Minkowski's Schubert:

*Franz Peter Schubert* - The Complete Symphonies; Symphony No 3 (D200) & No 6 (D589) (*Naive*)









Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble u. Marc Minkowski

..a greater historical variety makes music much more fun!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Domestic Duties call me away, unfortunately... but whilst in the kitchen, I shall be listening to a hayd-inspired half an hour of Thomas Tallis. His Spem in Alium, the famous 8 part motet was written for Elizabeth 1st. Both he and William Byrd ...both Roman Catholics, seemed to have enjoyed a special patronage from their monarch in Protestant times...but nevertheless, neither could have slept too well at night, one speculates.... (Though judging by Tom's 'looks' in hayd's Avatar...(rather 'dishy' , methinks)..he might have had more personal knowledge than we currently have, about the real nature of The Virgin Queen?! And a sounder night's sleep.....)


----------



## millionrainbows

Gérard Grisey (1946-1998): Vortex Temporum (1995)/Taléa (1986) (ACCORD). Arpeggiated weirdnesses, including a piano in special tuning, which must be tuned within 24 hrs of performance.


----------



## Andolink

Sam Hayden: "system/error" (for flutes, violin and percussion)
Trio EKL








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet in D major, K. 499
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## Wood

Sciarrino: Sonata No. 4

Tommy Tallis: Spem in alium I have that version too JCarmel!


----------



## JCarmel

That just goes to prove the uniformly excellent musical tastes of TC members, hayd?!


----------



## Wood

And now that I have the taste for Tallis:

Tallis: Mass: salve intemerata virgo


----------



## Wood

Followed by 3 Motets ***** Sum by Da Silva, Lheritier & Victoria.


----------



## pasido

Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D adapted for Piano. Absolutely gorgeous. 




EDIT: The solo starting in 23:00 is absolutely beautiful.


----------



## rrudolph

Some percussion music this morning:

Jennifer Higdon: Splendid Wood/Gunther Schuller: Grand Concerto for Percussion and Keyboards/Joan Tower: DNA









Theo Loevendie: Timbo/John Cage: Second Construction/David Little: Digital signals/Jan Bus: Nocturnal Activities/Josep Vincent: Cool Age









Charles Wuorinen: Percussion Quartet









Probably I'll listen to a couple others, too...maybe Wendy Mae Chambers' 12 Squared and some Japanese stuff.


----------



## ahammel

Trout Quintet


----------



## Sudonim

JCarmel said:


> View attachment 14953


It's kind of funny to see how often that image by Dürer is used on album covers to represent Christ, when in fact it's a self-portrait and not supposed to be Christ at all (though, of course, Dürer rendered himself in a very messianic manner).


----------



## JCarmel

Current Listening...to pasido's youtube clip, which I'm enjoying and had never heard before...so 'thanks' for that to Thou...with the Gaugin-inspired Avatar?!
But turning-away from thoughts-Polynesian, I have been making my way through the petrifying partitions of my iPod to find my next Listening experience....long-time not-heard for this particular piece of Pyotr's Tchaikovsky's outPut! His Symphonic Poem 'Francesca Da Rimini' conducted first by Vladimir Ashkenazy, as per my original cd ...and then, Mravinskij....via youtube.









Poor Francesca?...swept-up with the passion of that ill-advised and illicit union with Paolo, trapped together in an eternal whirlwind in one of Dante's circles of Hell...reserved for the lustful. 
Right, back to the potato peeling.....


----------



## Schubussy

Schubert - Piano Trio No. 2, D.929; Trio in one movement, D.28
Beaux Arts Trio:


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> ..some contemporary Danish:
> 
> *Mogens Christensen* - Pipes and Reeds (*DaCapo*)
> 
> View attachment 14946
> 
> 
> Kiku Day, shakuhachi, Adam Ørvad, accordion, Christian Præstholm, organ, Mogens Christensen, electronics
> 
> /ptr


That sounds like an amazing ensemble! How's the music?


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling two new releases.

*Corelli*: Violin Sonatas, Op. 5 (Complete), with Avison Ensemble - Pavlo Beznosiuk (violin), Paula Chateauneuf (archlute & guitar), Richard Tunnicliffe (cello), Roger Hamilton (harpsichord & organ). A continuation of their acclaimed Corelli chamber series.

This mahvellous performance and sound for Op. 5 is what I've been waiting for, since owning and eventually culling the Manze & Egarr version. Two instruments didn't do it for me.

Bridge's release last year with Trio Corelli was a step closer, but I wasn't entirely sold on some treatment and tempi.

The new Linn release goes to the head of the pack. Three thumbs up results in a, "Buy, buy, buy!" So ordered.

View attachment 14964

Review:

http://www.linnrecords.com/review-The-Avison-Ensemble--Corelli5--International-Record-Review-.aspx

*Lutoslawski*: Symphonies (Complete), Fanfare for LAPO, with LAPO/Salonen.

For some, this will be too little too late. For others, warmly welcomed.

It's nice that Sony & DG could work together to get Symphony 1 included. But in my view, part of the attraction of the earlier releases--Symphony 2, and Symphonies 3 & 4, were their couplings. Those are lost now, unless one finds OOP copies.

It should've made good sense to add everything to the new box. One thumb up.

View attachment 14965

Review:

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/articles/q2-...te-symphonies-polish-icon-witold-lutoslawski/


----------



## Manxfeeder

Handel, Israel in Egypt. John Eliot Gardiner conducting.


----------



## JCarmel

More poetic pianism from Byron?....Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto 2.






I think he's got pretty-well Chapter and Verse on it?!.....


----------



## Kivimees

I sometimes get a craving for clarinet:


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's Fifth - Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic way back in 1947... :tiphat:


----------



## JCarmel

Try sucking on a Liquorice Stick, Kivimees?!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Albinoni*: 12 Concerti a cinque, Op. 5, with I Musici (rec.1981). *Corelli*: Trio Sonatas (from Opp. 1 - 6), with Medlam/London Baroque (rec.1986).

View attachment 14967
View attachment 14968


----------



## Kivimees

JCarmel said:


> Try sucking on a Liquorice Stick, Kivimees?!


Less fattening than chocolate.


----------



## Guest

Listening to some late romantic piano music from Rachmaninov, performed by Howard Shelley on the Hyperion label:








I like these recordings - I also have both discs of the Preludes (Opp. 23 & 32), the Sonatas, the Transcriptions, and the Variations.


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> That sounds like an amazing ensemble! How's the music?


Is not an ensemble, those are three separate works one for each instrument + electronics, should perhaps had noted that! If you click the link that is the label name you'll find listening samples!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I was going to suggest that Kieran try this excellent recording of Rachmaninov's Preludes by Steven Osborne...









http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/may/01/rachmaninov-24-preludes-review


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> I was going to suggest that Kieran try this excellent recording of Rachmaninov's Preludes by Steven Osborne...
> 
> View attachment 14970
> 
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/may/01/rachmaninov-24-preludes-review


Why don't ya, then? 

I'm looking forward hearing some Rachmaninov solo piano and the article speaks very highly of these.

Cheers! :tiphat:


----------



## JCarmel

Just listening...and watching, with my french horn-playing pal, this youtube excerpt of a favourite Overture...to Borodin's opera 'Prince Igor'






here conducted at the 'Royal Opera House' by Bernard Haitink, in 1990.


----------



## Tristan

Beethoven - Missa Solemnis in D, Op. 123 (Gardiner)

For a solemn mass, it sure is loud and boisterous...


----------



## JCarmel

Well let me go ahead then, dear Kieran and thoroughly recommend the cd to you. I personally always skip the first track ..the famous Prelude in C Sharp Minor, which was so universally popular and in-demand from Rachmaninov's concert/recital-going audiences, that he grew mightily fed-up with the piece. And Sergei has seemingly passed a little bit of that aversion on to me...so I start-in on Track 2!

This article is an interesting bit of speculation/info on Rach's impressive hand-span.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1592053/


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven's fifth


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Andre Previn


----------



## Schubussy

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5
Mariss Jansons, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## ptr

Freshening up my memory:

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 12 "The Year of 1917" Op 112 (Erato Live 1984 OOP?)









Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra u. Evgeny Mravinsky

I don't agree that it's a week symphony, programmatic, yes; I actually think the 10th is more of a problem child... 

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> Well let me go ahead then, dear Kieran and thoroughly recommend the cd to you. I personally always skip the first track ..the famous Prelude in C Sharp Minor, which was so universally popular and in-demand from Rachmaninov's concert/recital-going audiences, that he grew mightily fed-up with the piece. And Sergei has seemingly passed a little bit of that aversion on to me...so I start-in on Track 2!
> 
> This article is an interesting bit of speculation/info on Rach's impressive hand-span.
> 
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1592053/


Brilliant article! I read somewhere that Paganini had Marfan Syndrome too. I'm looking forward to this stuff.

Thanks!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Roussel*: Chamber Music (Complete), with Schonberg Qt., et al (rec.1994)

*Severac*: Piano Music (Complete), with Ciccolini (rec.1968 - '77).

View attachment 14977
View attachment 14978


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Beethoven's fifth


PC, Quartet, Sonata?


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert Impromptus's

Perahia


----------



## conclass

César Guerra-Peixe - Chamber Music
Trio for violin, cello and pianoforte (1960)


----------



## RJay

Watched Hillary and Jackie the other day, 15 years after it came out! So I bought this.


----------



## ptr

Continuing the Shostakovich Path:

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 14 Op 135 (BBC Legends OOP?) 
(Also contains Britten's Nocturne Op 60 with Peter Pears)









Mark Rezhetin, bass and Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano; English Chamber Orchestra u. Benjamin Britten

Western première of the 14th and Britten does almost as a good job (but slightly slower) as both Barshai and Rostropovich did before him with this symphony!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

After the great Mahler, I always return to my 'home key' - Mozart. 

K515, string quintet in C. I dunno why I can't get into string quartets but I love string string quintets. And this is a brilliant opening movement in every way...


----------



## conclass

Villa-Lobos: Uirapuru













The word "Uirapuru" is the name of both an actual Amazonian bird and a mythical creature. In the rain forest the bird Uirapuru sings once a year, when it builds its nest; even then, only from five to ten minutes early in the morning. According to the legend, Uirapuru's song is so beautiful that all other birds stop singing to listen to it. Yet in another version of the legend, a human being is transformed after his death into the enchanted Uirapuru, breathing new life into the silent forest. Both in legend and reality Uirapuru is a symbol of rarefied beauty.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Khachaturian's Violin Concerto - David Oistrakh, violin, USSR Radio SO cond. by composer

not to be confused with the famous recording Oistrakh and the composer made with the Philharmonia

edit: I should add "...though its just as good."


----------



## BartokBela

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues.


----------



## Sid James

*Nino Rota* _Il gattopardo (The Leopard) - music from the film_
Monte-Carlo PO under Gianluigi Gelmetti (EMI)

*Dohnanyi *_Suite in F Sharp minor, Op. 19 (1908-09)_
Buffalo PO under JoAnn Falletta (Naxos)
*
Nielsen* _Violin Concerto_
Arve Tellefsen, violin with Danish Radio SO under Herbert Blomstedt (EMI)


----------



## conclass

Hikari Oe 2









Who is he?

"Hikari Ōe was born developmentally disabled. Doctors tried to convince his parents to let their son die, but they refused to do so. Even after an operation, Ōe remained visually impaired, developmentally delayed, epileptic and with limited physical coordination. He does not speak much. Ōe's parents report that his first "word" was spoken when he was walking with his parents near his house and heard a bird calling. He imitated the voice of a man who presented a record of birds calling in one of his child CD. His parents were fascinated. They bought him tracks of bird calls, which he learned. This was how they got the idea to recruit a music teacher for Ōe. His parents arranged a piano teacher, Kumiko Tamura, for him. Instead of speaking, Ōe began to express his feelings in music and through musical composition. Eventually he was taught musical notation. As an adult, Hikari creates chamber music. Hikari's first CD sold more than one million copies in the first few years of release." - Wikipedia






Good night every one!


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.14 in C Sharp Minor, Op.131

Gewandhaus Quartet: Frank-Michael Erben and Conrad Suske, violins -- Volker Metz, viola -- Jurnjakob Timm, cello

View attachment 14993


----------



## JCarmel

Just nicking-in here, with 40 mins to go (GMT) to celebrate Rip-Me-Corset-Off's birthday (forgive the crudity Rimsky, please?!..)









A cracking conducting of his 'Easter Festival Overture' by Seiji Ozawa on a 1993 'Russian Night' Concert dvd...that I think has now been reissued on the Naxos Label. Excellent programme of popular Russian music, well-conducted by Seiji and impressively played by the Berlin Philharmonic...particularly good Sabre Dance/Kachaturian, the first time I've ever really enjoyed this piece ...that was so over-played in my youth. And the usual boisterous rendition, replete with whistles from the 1000's of Berliner's attending the annual concert...of Paul Lincke's 'Berliner Luft' to complete the evening's entertainment on it's traditional note of Germanic joyfulness!


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1744-1798): Symphony No.26 in B Flat

Concerto Koln

View attachment 14995


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zelenka, Trio Sonatas.*


----------



## Feathers

Brahms: German Requiem (Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic)


----------



## millionrainbows

Hard-core minimalism (well, maybe not as hard-core as La Monte Young): Philip Glass, Music in Twelve Parts (Nonesuch). This time, I'm listening with headphones. The way Glass integrates the female voice into the fabric is just beautiful. Wait a few measures, and it will change. Notes help each other sustain, and the organs provide a steady motoric figure which gently drives the music along the time line. This is like sailing, good for Spring.


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Concertos, Nos. 1 and 2










Too tired to enjoy music tonight.


----------



## pasido

The second movement of Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 4.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Rimsky-Korsakov's* (1844 - 1908) birthday, Scheherazade with CSO/Reiner (rec. 1960).

View attachment 15001


----------



## GreenMamba

Sessions Symphony no 4, Badea/ Columbus SO


----------



## Lukecash12

Kushal Das is one of my favorite pandits. I so badly want to own and play a surbahar when I hear one played, the sheer range and the otherworldly sound of the sympathetic strings...


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.5 in G Major, KV 283

Carmen Piazzini, piano

View attachment 15004


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gareth Farr's Piano Trio "Ahi" (Fire) - Ogen Trio


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: String Trio #2 in D, Op. 9 -- Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mstislav Rostropovich, et al

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #8 in C Minor, Op. 13, "Pathétique" -- Yours truly

Haydn: Divertimento in F, H 2/F7 -- Consortium Classicum

^ The second movement, Poco adagio con variazione, is so lovely. It almost begs great symphonic variations, rather similar to Brahms' setting of Haydn's St. Anthony Chorale.

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61 -- Hilary Hahn; Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra

Haydn: "The shepherd's son" (Hob. XXXIa:106/bis) [Scottish song settings] -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, et al

Mozart: Symphony #13 in F, K 112 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette said:


> Beethoven: Piano Sonata #8 in C Minor, Op. 13, "Pathétique" -- Yours truly


Playing on the keyboard at home, or is there a recording you've made?


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Playing on the keyboard at home, or is there a recording you've made?


On my own piano. Playing the piano is one of my joys in life. And the C Minor sonata is a lot of fun to play.


----------



## MrCello

Erik Satie's _Gymnopédies_


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok - The Piano Concertos


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Seven Last Words - ASMF, Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## ProudSquire

W.A Mozart
Six German Dances K. 571

I was in a rather cheerful mood. :clap:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius.* Symphonies. ALL OF THEM.


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to Geoffrey Simon's rarities and discoveries









http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1025.html
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/oct00/Debussynight.htm









http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1029.html
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/BorodinRequiem.htm

And of course to the Peter Breiner powah!!!









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Oct12/Debussy_orchestral_v8_8572584.htm
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572584


----------



## JCarmel

Robert Schumann Symphony No 4, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting Staatskapelle Dresden

Need an injection of enthusiasm for life this morning...after last night's back-to-back Downton Abbey's have left me semi-comatose.









Robert's symphonies can help.....


----------



## ptr

a late Hipp Hipp!

*Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov* - Orchestral Suites from the Operas (*Pentatone*)









Russian National Orchestra u. Mikhail Pletnev

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Back to Bach...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=IYDbtARcUfQ&desktop_uri=/watch?v=IYDbtARcUfQ

Goodness, that's taken me ages?!...
Love the Italian Concerto!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Arranged for String Trio by Dimitry Sitkovetsky)

Echnaton Trio: Mayra Salinas, violin -- Sebastian Krunnies, viola -- Frank-Michael Guthmann, cello

View attachment 15010


----------



## SimonNZ

Andres Segovia - "Granada" Spanish guitar recital album

currently Aguado's Eight Lessons For Guitar


----------



## ptr

*Bela Bartok* - Violin Concertos 1 & 2 (*Decca 1984*)









Kyung Wha Chung, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra u. George Solti

/ptr


----------



## EricABQ

Catoire: Piano Music by Hamelin.

This recording gets lost in the shuffle for me and I rarely listen to it, but when I do I enjoy it quite a bit.


----------



## ptr

Continuing:

*Franz Peter Schubert* - The Complete Symphonies; Symphony No 1, 2 & 8(9) (Naive)









Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble u. Marc Minkowski

I'm more and more impressed with Minkowski's handling of Schubert! Full marks!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

^^ Ditto on Schubert! I'm writing a few things and my music to inspire me is Schubert, his final piano sonata... :tiphat:


----------



## JCarmel

Anton Bruckner, Symphony 7, CBSO conducted by Sir Simon Rattle









Am at my pal's place...I'm pottering on't Net and she's stripping a clarinet for cleaning and re-padding. But we are both now intent on listening to the haunting first movement of Anton's 7th...with the noble first theme on horn and celli....great!


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in B minor, op. 9 no. 12
Raglan Baroque Players/Nicholas Kraemer








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F major, op. 77 no. 2, Hob. III:82
Quatuor Mosaïques








Sam Hayden: Die Modularitäten (for 7 players); presence/absence (for bass flute, baritone saxophone, guitar, percussion and viola)
ELISION / Eugene Ughetti
ensemble mosaik / Enno Poppe








Brian Ferneyhough: La Chúte d'Icare (for obbl. clarinet and small ensemble)
Nieuw Ensemble/Ed Spanjaard


----------



## CoCo

Listening to my favourite piece of music, which is Scheherezade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

The cd is Sir Charles Mackerras and The London Symphony Orchestra on the Telarc label.


----------



## Arsakes

*Bedřich Smetana*'s grand work: Ma Vlast.


----------



## ptr

Inspired by SimonNZ, found this at a second hand vinyl dealer, near mint!

*Arnold Schönberg* - Gurre-Lieder (DG Live OOP)









Inge Borkh, soprano; Hertha Töpper, alto; Kieth Engen, baritone; Herbert Schachtschneider, tenor; Lorenz Fehenberger, tenor; Hans Herbert Fiedler, Sprecher; Chor und Sinfonieorchester das Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

Absolutely Beautiful!

/ptr


----------



## CoCo

Edward Elgar 'Sea Pictures' 
Janet Baker, John Barbirolli conducting

I'm listening to this one right now


----------



## OboeKnight

Elgar Cello Concerto
Saint-Saens Cello Concerto

Yum...cello


----------



## Kieran

I'm listening to the Schubert piano sonata again, as much through laziness as want, though I _do_ want to, but I'm planning my evening listens already. I'll be at the desk from about 8 til 10.30. So I think I'll start with a couple of Beethoven overtures, to rise my hackles, then I'll segue smoothly back into my home key Mozart and his string quintets, performed by the Orlando Quartet with Nabuko Imai on viola, for Brilliant Classics. This will be K516 in g-minor and K614 in E-Flat major, his last word in the form.

I'm determined to keep up with more modern composers, so I'll choose between Sibelius and Mahler, depending on how intense I feel, but this will return me effortlessly to Mozart's double-piano concerto K365, for its brilliance and familiarity, to help me focus on what I'm doing before I switch off the lights and doff my cap at the darkness...


----------



## OboeKnight

List listened to Bohuslav Martinu's Oboe Concerto for the first time. Very interesting! I like it.

Also, Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 1....love it. I practice it when I actually feel like playing clarinet haha


----------



## CoCo

Have got Haydn's Military Symphony on, now. I really enjoy this particular symphony, perhaps because I spent a deal of my life in the Military, too!
I think it was called 'Military' because of the Turkish-type band noises in the second and last movements but I think also, because there are a series of staccato notes, repeatedly shot-out as if from a gun...in the last movement.
'Gotcha!...in the Stalls!!' Haydn might have thought.....?

Mariss Janssons, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven's wonderful 6th symphony 
I believe this, and the first three movements of the 9th, are my favorites in his symphonic reportoire.


----------



## rrudolph

I'm listening to some chamber music featuring clarinet (thanks to OboeKnight for the idea) and strings:

Brahms and Weber Clarinet Quintets:









Beethoven: Septet Op. 20/Clarinet Trio Op. 11









Messaien: Quartet for the End of Time/Bartok: Contrasts









Boulez: Domaines (OK, it's not exactly clarinet and strings, but the clarinet does play a pivotal role)


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Max Reger's* (1873 - 1916) birthday, Piano Music with MAH (rec.1998).

View attachment 15027


----------



## Novelette

Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto #3 in E Flat, Op. 29 -- Pascal Rogé; Charles Dutoit: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Chopin: Fantasie in F Minor, Op. 49, B 137 -- Murray Perahia

Haydn: Horn Concerto #1 in D, H 7D/3 -- Helmut Muller-Bruhl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Mozart: "Tantum ergo" in B Flat, K 142 -- Sir Colin Davis: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfungs


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet in D major, K. 575
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Kieran

Andolink said:


> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet in D major, K. 575
> Quatuor Mosaïques
> View attachment 15028


What a beautiful cover!


----------



## Mahlerian

Reger: Fantasy and Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H
Rosalinde Haas, organ


----------



## ptr

*Aaron Copland *- Fanfare for the Common Man / Appalachian Spring / Rodeo / Billy the Kid (CBS OOP?)









New York Philharmonic u- Leonard Bernstein

Yippie Ki-Yay musiclover!

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Concerto Grosso by Karavaichuk


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas (Vols. 1 - 3), with MAH (rec.2005 - '11).

View attachment 15030
View attachment 15031
View attachment 15032


----------



## ptr

Even I feel it "compulsory" to observe Reger's day, but only for the 8 minutes of the first track of this CD:

*Passacaglia*: Organ Works of this domination (*Brilliant classics*)
(*Max Reger* - Introduktion und Passacaglia / *Dieterich Buxtehude* - Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV161 / *Felix Mendelssohn* - Passacaglia in C minor / *François Couperin* - Rondeau - Passacaille / *Jan Welmers* - Passacaglia (1965) / *Johann Kaspar Kerll* - Passacaglia in D minor / *Dmitri Shostakovich* - Passacaglia from Lady macBeth / *Johann Sebastian Bach* - Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV582)









Matthias Havinga at the Martti Porthan organ in Kotka Church, Finland

Kyllä, se rokkaa ihana!

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> Beethoven's wonderful 6th symphony
> I believe this, and the first three movements of the 9th, are my favorites in his symphonic reportoire.


I do believe I am officially on a Beethoven kick. I've always enjoyed the pieces I've listened to, but never went into full on Beethoven mania. But now I want more Beethoven.  Thank goodness I have plenty on my iPod at the moment. Including the Triple Concerto along with Brahms double that arrived last week and I haven't listened to yet!

But first, I'm thinking Appasionata!


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> Even I feel it "compulsory" to observe Reger's day, but only for the 8 minutes of the first track of this CD...


Not going to listen to the half-hour Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue in E minor, Op. 127? (Neither will I.)

Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart Op. 132
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Karl Bohm


----------



## neoshredder

Sonata said:


> I do believe I am officially on a Beethoven kick. I've always enjoyed the pieces I've listened to, but never went into full on Beethoven mania. But now I want more Beethoven.  Thank goodness I have plenty on my iPod at the moment. Including the Triple Concerto along with Brahms double that arrived last week and I haven't listened to yet!
> 
> But first, I'm thinking Appasionata!


Great choice. Beethoven is awesome.


----------



## BartokBela

Béla Bartók: Hungarian Sketches.


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Not going to listen to the half-hour Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue in E minor, Op. 127? (Neither will I.)


Nope, but I might follow Your lead and let the Mozart Variations put me to sleep later tonight... 



> Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart Op. 132
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Karl Bohm


I'm ashamed to say that I don't own any Böhm conducted Reger (  ), and more or less the only Op 132 I have is a Live cut with Staatskapelle Dresden and Herbert Blomstedt, it will have to suffice!

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Akira Ifukube - Symphonic Fantasia


----------



## ptr

I still have some Schönberg craving that has to come out today:

*Arnold Schönberg* - Zweites Quartett (fis-Moll) für zwei Violinen, Viola, Violoncello und eine Sopranstimme Op 10 & Fourth String Quartet Op 37 (*MDG*)









Christiane Oelze, Soprano and Leipziger Streichquartett

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

While I'm cooking, Rachmaninov 3rd piano concerto, Mikhail Rudy at the keys and Mariss Jansons conducting the St Petersburg Philly...


----------



## JCarmel

J S Bach, The Brandenburg Concertos.

Spent a good bit of this afternoon watching this dvd presentation from SkyArts2. Very enjoyable and lively interpretations, that sweep any cobwebs away that might be lingering from the more lumbering performances of the past.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2056738

The Orchestra Mozart is led by Guiliano Carmignola and directed by Claudio Abbado..... and it all was rather like a good rubdown with a copy of 'The Radio Times?!'...as we say in the UK (sometimes..)

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2056738

...and it's get a good review here;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/13/bach-brandenburg-orchestra-mozart-abbado


----------



## conclass

Francisco Mignone - Valsa de esquina No.1

youtube for those of you who aren't familiar with this composer:


----------



## Kieran

So here the night begins with Beethoven's Leonore Overture #3, Lenny Bernstein in the pit, followed by the Egmont Overture. They both begin with attention-seeking formidable chords. He's quite testicular, old Ludwig, isn't he?


----------



## ptr

*Boris Tischenko* - Violin concerto / Cello concerto / Suzdal (*Northern Flowers*)









Victor Liberman, violin; Mstislav Rostropovich, cello; Leningrad Chamber orchestra u. Edward Serov & Igor Blazhkov

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Alfred Schnittke - Piano Trio/Quintet
Barbican Piano Trio


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Quintet in D Major, Op.11, No.6

Concentus musicus Wein: Leopold Stastny, flute -- Jurg Schaftlein, oboe -- Alica Harnoncourt, violin -- Kurt Theiner, viola -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cello

View attachment 15041


----------



## ptr

*Max Reger* - Variations on a Theme of Mozart; *Robert Schumann* - Concertpiece for 4 Horn and Orchestra; *CM von Weber* - Oberon Overture; *Johann Gottlieb Naumann* - Te deum









hornkvartett des S.D.; Staatskapelle Dresden & Semper Opera Chorus u. Herbert Blomstedt

Good Night Dears!

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - La mer (Dutoit). I am very familiar with Debussy's piano works, but his orchestral pieces are still unknown to me!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> Debussy - La mer (Dutoit). I am very familiar with Debussy's piano works, but his orchestral pieces are still unknown to me!
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Listen to Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, the Nocturnes, the Images, and Jeux, all wonderful pieces!


----------



## Ravndal

DrKilroy said:


> Debussy - La mer (Dutoit). I am very familiar with Debussy's piano works, but his orchestral pieces are still unknown to me!
> 
> Best regards, Dr


La Mer and prelude is my favorites. The ending of the first movement from la mer is breathtaking.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:
Bax's Spring Fire - Mark Elder, cond


----------



## worov

Scarlatti's sonatas (again I know) :


----------



## bejart

Alexandre Boely (1785-1858): String Quartet in A Major, Op.27, No.1

Paris String Trio with Edouard Popa on 2nd violin: Charles Frey, violin -- Michel Michalakakos, viola -- Jean Grout, cello

View attachment 15043


----------



## Mahlerian

Humiwo Hayasaka: Piano Concerto
Hiromi Okada, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Dimitry Yablonsky









Via Spotify. Interesting to note that Hayasaka was the mentor of the mostly self-taught Takemitsu, although their styles are very different indeed.


----------



## Kieran

I suppose if Mozart was alive I'd be arrested for stalking.

#14, in E-Flat, K449, that impossibly restrained slow movement, both rhythmical and sensuous, logical and fluid. I wish it could go on and on, but did anyone ever know when to leave stuff out as well as Mozart? Maybe, I don't know, but his taste and restraint is what totally captures me every time...


----------



## Schubussy

Brahms - Piano Quartets Nos. 1-3
Gautier Capuçon, Gérard Caussé, Nicholas Angelich, Renaud Capuçon


----------



## bejart

Karel Kohout (1726-1784): Symphony in F Minor

Bohdan Warchal directing the Slovak Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 15049


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major "Prague", Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## millionrainbows

Philip Glass, more Music in Twelve Parts. You know, this isn't really repetitive at all.


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

WTC by mr. Gould


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.33 in C Minor

Mikhail Pletnev, piano

View attachment 15052


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Scenes from Goethe's _Faust_


----------



## SimonNZ

The King's Singers - "Sing We And Chant It": English Madrigals


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vaughan WIlliams


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Mass in C major, K. 317 'Coronation' w/ Epistle Sonata in C major, K. 278
Emma Kirkby, soprano
Catherine Robbin, contralto
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Michael George, bass
Winchester Cathedral Choir
Winchester College Quiristers
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet in F major, K. 590
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Feathers

I always crave Mendelssohn when I'm tired. Listening to his piano trios, and it feels like I'm drinking a tea that's both calming exciting. Or maybe I'm just really tired. Oh Mendelssohn...*sleepy smile*.


----------



## Air

*Domenico Scarlatti
Piano Sonata in A minor, K. 175
Pierre Hantaï, harpischord*

Holy dissonance. Tone clusters by Scarlatti. When I first heard this work, I was turned off by all the "wrong" chords. Now I simply can't live without them. It's also one of those works that once you hear it being played on the harpsichord, you can never imagine it being played on the piano ever again.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Eight Little Preludes And Fugues - Albert de Klerk, organ


----------



## Tristan

Saint-Saens - Septet in Eb major, Op. 65

What a funny little piece of music.  I remember hearing a MIDI version of it a long time ago...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius!!!!!!!* Symphonies 5,7,1.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach: Thirteen Chorale Preludes - Albert Schweitzer, organ


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to dah Stokowski powah!!









http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/c/cha10282a.php
http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 10282













http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 9930
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Jan02/Symphbaroq.htm


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Sonatas No.14~22 (Barenboim)


----------



## Conor71

millionrainbows said:


> Philip Glass, more Music in Twelve Parts. You know, this isn't really repetitive at all.


I just listened to this for the first time a couple of weeks ago - wonderful piece!. Quite an investment in time to listen to it . I want to give it another go on the Easter long weekend and see if I can get through it in 1 sitting


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 In Eb Minor, Op. 111*

Listening to versions of the 6th and 7th Symphonies from these 2 sets:


----------



## Sid James

*Nino Rota *Guerra e pace (War and Peace) & Waterloo - music from the films
Monte-Carlo PO under Gianluigi Gelmetti (EMI)
*
Dohnanyi *Symphonic Minutes, Op. 36 (1933)
Buffalo PO under JoAnn Falletta (Naxos)

*Nielsen *Symphony #5
Danish Radio SO under Rafael Kubelik (EMI)


----------



## ptr

Just finished:

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - French Suites and some other stuff (*Hyperion*)









Angela Hewitt, piano

She knows her JSB, and now:

*Philip Glass* - Voices for Organ, Didgeridoo and Narrator (texts: Joy Murphy Wandin - The living land) (Aircheck from Swedish radio)









Mikael Wahlin, organ; Lasse Lindgern, digeridoo 1; Markus Ahlberg, digeridoo 2; Berit Palmgren Wahlin, recitation; recorded live at Christine Church, Göteborg, Sweden 2004.

Every time I hear this Glass work I'm equally surprised that there (AFAIK) is no commercial recording of it! (Please enlighten me is there are one! )

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata No.6 in G Minor, Z.807

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifer, Ursala Weiss, and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Nicolas Logie, viola -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, chamber organ

View attachment 15072


----------



## Ravndal

Alkan - Esquisses Op 63


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 15006
> 
> 
> Haydn's Seven Last Words - ASMF, Neville Marriner, cond.


Is that the orchestral or choral version Simon?


----------



## Wood

Schuller SQ2










Haydn 95


----------



## SimonNZ

hayd said:


> Is that the orchestral or choral version Simon?


The Marriner Seven Last Words was orchestral - "original version" says the cover. I think I also have a string quartet version as part of the Kodaly Quartet box (just checked - yes, its in there).

I don't think I've heard a choral version - its probably the Haydn work I'm least familiar with. Is there a recording you'd recommend?


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> The Marriner Seven Last Words was orchestral - "original version" says the cover. I think I also have a string quartet version as part of the Kodaly Quartet box (just checked - yes, its in there).
> 
> I don't think I've heard a choral version - its probably the Haydn work I'm least familiar with. Is there a recording you'd recommend?


Good, that is what I'm looking for. I have choral, SQ and solo piano versions, but it is the orchestral one I particularly want. They seem to be quite rare.

I have this one:

http://www.amazon.de/Musica-Sacra-H...N5TS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363780572&sr=8-1

It is on at the moment, playing for the first time. A very subdued piece.

I am happy to recommend this one. The recording from 2002 is good and the singers are close. The soprano gets a bit thin at the top end, but I think that is most likely due to the shortcomings of my hifi.


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov's third piano concerto again. Quite like Rachmaninov's seamless movements, the music rising and falling and changing shape but not showing the joins...


----------



## Wood

Haydn 95

Haydn Die sieben letzten worte (oratorio)


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet in A major, K. 464
Quatuor Mosaïques








Brian Ferneyhough: String Quartet No. 3
The Arditti Quartet








Luigi Boccherini: String Trios from opus 14; No. 1 in F major and No. 2 in D minor
La Real Cámara








John Blow: "Poor Celadon, he signs in vain"; "Music's the cordial of a troubled breast"; "Go, perjur'd man, and if thou ere return"
Redbyrd
The Parley of Instruments


----------



## ptr

Inspired by the "Lesser Known Concerti Grossi Cycles?" thread:

*Krzysztof Penderecki* - Piano Concerto and Concerto Grosso (for three Cellists) (Polskie Radio OOP?*)









Barry Douglas, piano; Andrzej Bauer, Bartoz Koziak, Rafal Kwiatkowski, celli; National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice u. Krzysztof Penderecki

Both works very effective, and I who generally don't like Penderecki's works find myself digging these...

/ptr

*tried to find info at their website but could not find any info despite google-translating!


----------



## millionrainbows

This morning w/coffee, Christian Thielmanns conducts German overtures, including 2 nice pieces by Weber (a very underrated composer), Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wagner's Reinzi, and 2 others. Nothing here is much over 8 minutes long, and since these are operatic overtures, there's plenty of contrast and "wow" factor. This is easier than listening to symphonies.

@hayd, I like Gunther Schuller quite a bit; I'm going to look into that Emerson disc. Their other offering, _American Contemporaries,_ features Schuller's SQ 3, as well as John Harbison's SQ 2. The Emersons are often trashed in forums, especially in discussions of Bartók and Beethoven, but it's often forgotten what good American representatives they have been. Their _American Originals_ was my first hearing of the Samuel Barber quartet from which his famous "Adagio for Strings" was drawn.


----------



## rrudolph

This morning's newspaper mentioned that the Statue of Liberty (apparently closed because of the hurricane a few months ago) is reopening on July 4, so I figured I'd listen to some American stuff:

I inherited this first one from my father (along with a couple hundred other CDs). I've had it for 13 years and never listened to it until now. Hideous cover art, but the music's not bad, particularly the Concerto Grosso:

Bloch: America/Concerto Grosso #1









Ives: Holidays Symphony/Unanswered Question/Central Park in the Dark









Barber: Symphony #2/Thomson: Louisiana Story









After those, maybe the Zemlinsky Symphonic Songs Op. 20 (about slavery and racial discrimination, an American tradition that's dying out, thank God). Or maybe more Ives...


----------



## ptr

*Vagn Holmboe* - Kairos (String Sinfonias I - VI Op 73) / Sinfonia IV, Op.73d (*BIS*)









Camerata Wales u. O. A. Hughes

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Grieg - Complete Music with Orchestra starting with his Piano Concerto


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Kullervo
Peter Mattei, Monica Groop, London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Davis









My first time listening through the whole thing. Despite the negative reviews on Amazon, the recording made a favorable impression.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.24 in C Minor, KV 491

Vladimir Ashkenazy on piano with the Philharmonia Orchestra

View attachment 15085


----------



## Wood

millionrainbows said:


> This morning w/coffee, Christian Thielmanns conducts German overtures, including 2 nice pieces by Weber (a very underrated composer), Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wagner's Reinzi, and 2 others. Nothing here is much over 8 minutes long, and since these are operatic overtures, there's plenty of contrast and "wow" factor. This is easier than listening to symphonies.
> 
> @hayd, I like Gunther Schuller quite a bit; I'm going to look into that Emerson disc. Their other offering, _American Contemporaries,_ features Schuller's SQ 3, as well as John Harbison's SQ 2. The Emersons are often trashed in forums, especially in discussions of Bartók and Beethoven, but it's often forgotten what good American representatives they have been. Their _American Originals_ was my first hearing of the Samuel Barber quartet from which his famous "Adagio for Strings" was drawn.


Yes, the other works on the disc are good too. The Emerson's playing is fine to my lugs. I plan to listen to additional works by these and other US composers in time. An American 'year' might be a good idea at some point in the future.

Edit: actually, given the quantity and quality of US 20th century music, it might have to be an American 'decade'.


----------



## ahammel

The Sun Quartets


----------



## BartokBela

Isaac Albéniz: Iberia

Then, I had a sudden urge to listen to some renaissance music. I listened to the Requiem of Johannes Ockeghem and Missa Ave regina caelorum by Guillaume Dufay. Aside from beging both wonderful composers, they're both born in Belgium!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Piano Trios 1 - 3, with Gringolts/Kouzov/Laul (rec.2010); Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, Humoreske, with Lupu (rec.1993); Etudes Symphoniques, Bunte Blatter, Fantasiestucke Nos. 5 & 7, with Richter (rec.1971 - '79).

View attachment 15087
View attachment 15088
View attachment 15089


----------



## Schubussy

Ravel - Sonatas & Piano Trio
Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Frank Braley


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in B Minor, Op.27, No.6

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Mario Paladin, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos

View attachment 15091


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Bernd Alois Zimmermann's *(1918 - 1970) birthday, enjoying Die Soldaten, courtesy of YT.


----------



## Tristan

Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 (St. Martin in the Fields)

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, especially the 1st movement, is absolutely exquisite. I saw my friend perform this concerto live not too long ago--I never get tired of that first movement. I had parts of it on my mind all day yesterday...


----------



## DrKilroy

Schubussy said:


> Ravel - Sonatas & Piano Trio
> Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Frank Braley


I have seen Braley playing Ravel's Piano Concerto for the left hand not too long ago - not bad!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Pastoral Symphony (Handley).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Tristan said:


> Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 (St. Martin in the Fields)
> 
> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, especially the 1st movement, is absolutely exquisite. I saw my friend perform this concerto live not too long ago--I never get tired of that first movement. I had parts of it on my mind all day yesterday...


Adagio's not too bad either, eh? One of those sublime pieces of sheer plumb-depth beauty bequeathed to us before he moved on...


----------



## Kieran

Chopin's Etudes, Opus 10, Wilhelm Backhaus performing...


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

*Gerhard*: Piano Trio, Cello Sonata, Chaconne, Gemini, with Cantamen (rec. c1996).

View attachment 15096


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 15097


----------



## ahammel

bejart said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93


I was just listening to the LSO/Morris recording of the 8th this morning. I think it's Ludwig's best symphony by miles, but that seems to be a minority opinion


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Ebony Concerto, Dumbarton Oaks.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Holst* - Walt Whitman Overture, Orchestral Suites Op 10, Op 28 and A moorside suite ((Lyrita))









London Philharmonic Orchestra u. Nicholas Braithwaite

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Bach - WTC Book 2

Glenn Gould

I know book 1 in and out, but never sat down with no 2. Bach takes time, but when you're there, you're there.


----------



## Wood

Haydn 95

Ravel's Tzigane (Frances Andrade)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet in E Flat (Arranged from Piano Sonata in E Flat, KV 481 by Ignaz Pleyel)

Quartetto Luigi Tomasini: Laszlo Paulik and Erzsebet Racz, violins -- Eva Posvanecz, viola -- Balazs Mate, cello

View attachment 15100


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Integrale des Poemes, with Amoyel (rec.2005); Piano Music with Melnikov (rec.2006).

View attachment 15101
View attachment 15102


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Haydn would be a giant on the basis of his choral work alone.


----------



## Sid James

*Gordon Jacob* Trombone Concerto
*G.C. Wagenseil* Trombone Concerto in E-flat major
Warwick Tyrrell, trombone with Adelaide SO under Nicholas Braithwaite (ABC Classics)

*Nielsen *Flute Concerto
Frantz Lemmser, fl. with Danish Radio SO under Herbert Blomstedt (EMI)

*Dohnanyi *Variations on a Nursery Song, Op. 25 (1914)
Eldar Nebolsin, piano with Buffalo PO under JoAnn Falletta (Naxos)


----------



## samurai

Sergei Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.1 in D Minor, Op.13, Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op.27 and Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.44.* All three works feature the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major,* performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Itullian

Meistersinger, Knappertsbusch,1960
Myto
fantastic.


----------



## Feathers

Feathers said:


> I always crave Mendelssohn when I'm tired. Listening to his piano trios, and it feels like I'm drinking a tea that's both calming exciting. Or maybe I'm just really tired. Oh Mendelssohn...*sleepy smile*.


Sleepy Feathers forgot to post the performers/album cover for this:








Anyways, for today (on Youtube):

Dvorak's Dumsky trio (David Oistrakh, Lev Oborin, Sviatoslav Knushevitsky)

Smetana's String Quartet No. 1 (Moyzes Quartet)

I'm also going to "Czech" out Zdenek Fibich's Quintet for the first time.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 1, D.82










I just noticed that the catalogue number is 82; used to seeing three digit numbers all the time. This is a beautiful symphony, by the way.


----------



## neoshredder

Decided on listening to this set instead based on the recommendations in the Grieg thread.


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich String Quartets #s 7, 8, 9, 11 (i.e., disk 3 or the Borodin Qt. set).


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 7










Nachtmusic on a cold night; it's still winter in Chicago and probably in Cleveland as well.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Grand Piano Sonata in C Major for Four Hands, Op.48

Hanus Barton and Jana Macharackova, piano

View attachment 15107


----------



## Tristan

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Haydn would be a giant on the basis of his choral work alone.


Whoa. Haydn's elusive Mass No. 4? Awesome!


----------



## Novelette

Today's listening has been Haydn's Opus 64 String Quartets. All of them. -- Kodály Quartet

I have fallen in love with Haydn all over again.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 1










Hmm 33 discs.. I'm liking the no. 1 already.


----------



## Novelette

opus55 said:


> Haydn: Symphony No. 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm 33 discs.. I'm liking the no. 1 already.


Yes! It is the joy of Haydn's symphonies! A great deal of delight, but also an unexpected amount of darkness and turbulence. Happy listening. I wish I could listen to them all for the first time all over again.


----------



## Tristan

I'm also on the Haydn train right now. Haydn's masses are my favorite part of his oeuvre.

Haydn - Mass No. 5 in Eb major "Great Organ" 

I'm thinking about buying another Haydn mass cycle. Is Hickox's a good one? The one I have is fine, but the 1962 recording makes for not-the-greatest sound quality.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lieder recital - Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano, Richard Amner, piano


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Locatelli Concerti Grossi 1-6.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

On the radio: 

Schubert's 5th Symphony 
Something by Mahler... I've forgotten >.<


----------



## SimonNZ

"An Introduction To Bach" - Rosalyn Tureck, piano


----------



## Kivimees

ptr said:


> *Vagn Holmboe* - Kairos (String Sinfonias I - VI Op 73) / Sinfonia IV, Op.73d (*BIS*)
> 
> View attachment 15083


Gong to give this a try today.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Orchestral Suites - Kurt Redel, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Nielsen* Clarinet Concerto & Wind Quintet
Kjell-Inge Stevensson, clarinet ; Ib Jarlkov, side drum with Danish Radio SO under Herbert Blomstedt & Melos Ensemble (EMI)
*
Philip Bracanin *Trombone Concerto
*Neil Currie* Tumbling Strain
Warwick Tyrrell, trombone with Adelaide SO under Patrick Thomas (ABC Classics)

An earlier review of mine on the piece by Neil Currie is here at http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-5.html#post275231 thread


----------



## ProudSquire

W.A Mozart
Die Zauberflöte

F.P Schubert
String Quartet No.14 in D Minor
String Quartet No.15 G Major
String Quintet in C Major

And now I'm Half-way through Winterreise

The cover of darkness provides the optimum experience for listening excursions.


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Quartet No.2 E Minor

Mary Oleskiewicz, flute -- Elizabeth Field, violin -- Daniel Elyar, viola -- Stephanie Vial, cello -- David Schulenberg, harpsichord

View attachment 15119


----------



## ptr

A trio to start the day:

*Arnold Schönberg* - Suite Op 29, Verklärte Nacht Op 4, 3 Pieces for Chamber Orchestra (Sony)









Ensemble InterContemporain u. Pierre Boulez

The Delius Collection Vol. 3 (Unicorn-Kanchana)
*Fredrick Delius* - The Walk to the Paradise Garden / Songs of Sunset / Idyll / La Calinda









Felicity Lott, Sarah Walker, Thomas Allen; Ambrosian Singers & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Norman Del Mar & Eric Fenby

*Louis Vierne* - 24 Pieces De Fantaisie 2CD's (BNL)









Olivier Latry à la console du Grand Orgue de Notre-Dame de Paris

/ptr


----------



## Flamme

[video] 



[/video]


----------



## Novelette

It is going to be a long day, so I'll liven it up with all Brahms:

Brahms: Serenades -- Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Brahms: Symphonies #1, 2, 3, & 4 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 -- David Oistrakh; George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra

If that doesn't carry me through most of the day, then I will turn to the Double Concerto and both Piano Concertos.


----------



## millionrainbows

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) Klavierstücke Vol. 1/Bernhard Wambach, klavier (KOCH/schwann). I like these short ones better than the repetitive-banging later ones. This is "star-music."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Piano Quintets, Schumann and Dvorak.*


----------



## Schubussy

Alfred Schnittke - Symphony No. 3
Eri Klas, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## ptr

Two cuts to celebrate today's most important birthday:

*Modest Mussorgsky* - Night on Bald Mountain / The Destruction of Sennacherib / Salammbô / Oedipus in Athens / Joshua / Pictures at an Exhibition (Ravel) (*DG*)









Elena Zaremba, mezzo; Prager Philharmonischer Chor & Berliner Philharmoniker u. Claudio Abbado

Abbado at his best, his bald mountain is fantastic!

*Modest Mussorgsky* - Pictures at an Exhibition (OV) / *Petr Tchaikovsky* - Music from The Sleeping Beauty (Pletnev) (*Virgin Classics*)









Mikhail Pletnev, piano

Pletnev's Pictures are by a small margin my favourite version of the original piano setting of this suite! (Runners Up, Horowitz, Richter, Kissin, Demidenko...)

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 1. I'm feeling like clarinet today (which doesn't happen often) so I'm going to practice this piece.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to all of Haydn's Symphonies at one time. j/k Skipped to Symphony 26 to start off. Not sure how far I'll go.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms and Stravinsky Violin Concertos.*


----------



## rrudolph

Last night I attended an amazing performance given by a Chinese er hu player and a harpist (on the large western pedal harp). Inspired me to listen to some classical Chinese music:

Yu Cheng/Li Xiangting: Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa and Qin









Li Min-Xiong: The Hugo Anthology of Chinese Classical Music vol. 4









The line between classical and folk music in China can sometimes be a bit blurred, as evidenced in the title of this CD:









I'm also going to listen to "A Selection of Famous Zheng Music": those are the only words in English anywhere on the CD. Somebody brought it to me from China. I can't find a picture or any information online. Really nice music, though!


----------



## ptr

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Chamber Symphony Op 110a / Antiformal Rayok / Prelude & Scherzo & Alfred Schnittke - Prelude in Memoriam D. Shostakovich (*Capriccio*)









Alexei Mochalov, voice; Moscow Academy of Choral Art & Moscow Virtuosi u. Vladimir Spivakov

and after this:

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Hypothetically Murdered Op. 31a / 4 Romances, Op. 46 / 5 Fragments, Op. 42 / Suite No. 1 for Jazz Band (Thre reconstructed movements) (*Signum*)









Dmitri Kharitonov, bass; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra u. Mark Elder

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *JS Bach's* (1685 - 1750) birthday, Toccatas with GG (rec. 1963 - '79).

View attachment 15138


----------



## Schubussy

Witold Lutosławski - Orchestral Works II
Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

Did somebody say today is Bach's birthday? Time to celebrate with some cantatas: Nos, 148, 69, and 169. Then I'm going from Leusink to Suzuki.

Shucks, it's easier than blowing out 328 candles.


----------



## Novelette

Also:

Brahms: Piano Quartet #1 in G Minor, Op. 25 -- Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Kieran

Chopin Preludes, Opus 28, Wladimir von Pachmann at the keys...


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Collegium Vocale, Ghent, cond. Herreweghe


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zelenka, Missa Dei Patris.*

Kind of like Bach's B Minor Mass, but maybe closer to Mozart in his arias.


----------



## JCarmel

Just a flying visit to the Current Listening thread...to recommend this charming disc.... that I'm listening-to for the first time and enjoying greatly....Composer 'Silvius Leopold Weiss' is all quite new to me.


----------



## ptr

*Arnold Schönberg* - String Quartets Nos. 1 - 4 ; listening to No 1 & 3 (*Archiphon*)









The Kolisch Quartet

Vibrantly beautiful recordings from the late thirties and not despite their shellac sound, but rather thanks to! (Discs also contain the voice of AS and the Quartet talking about their cooperation as short interesting sound bites)

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

ptr said:


> *Arnold Schönberg* - String Quartets Nos. 1 - 4 ; listening to No 1 & 3 (*Archiphon*)
> 
> View attachment 15158
> 
> 
> /ptr


Cool! I'm listening to Quartet No. 2.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Fidelio, Piano concertos #4 & 5, symphony #2, piano sonatas #23 & #32

Schubert: Rondo Brilliant for piano and violin

Chopin: a smattering of etudes.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 1,2


----------



## Kieran

Musically, it's not a good idea to forget the home key, and my home key is Mozart, now playing K377, the 25th violin sonata, the slow movement, an andante with theme and variations, being performed by Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman.

These aren't mightily dissected variations, they're quite subtle, but the pressure builds and Barenboim is the man to release it with a furious piano section, with Perlman keeping the whip to the horse in pursuit. 

They don't have the Barenboim/Perlman version on YouTube, but this is that beautiful movement here, although it sounds slightly more hectic than the CD version...


----------



## JCarmel

Tonight's Commemorative Concert ...at Maison Carmel

Firstly, to mark the birth of J S Bach...'Erbarme Dich' from St Matthew Passion...beautifully sung by David Daniels on this cd of Bach's sacred arias and cantatas, with The English Concert conducted by Harry Bicket.









And then...to mark the death (tomorrow, March 22nd) a performance of part of the 'Te Deum' of Jean-Baptiste Lully...who received a fatal injury while conducting that particular piece of music.









I was going to suggest that Lully might be my choice in the _'You can bring one composer back to life' _thread...as I'd like to bring him back to the day_ before _the concert and give him a bottle of antibiotics (he stabbed himself in the foot with his conducting stick and died of gangrene) But perhaps just a rubber cap for the bottom of his over-long baton?!...might do the job....


----------



## Kieran

Kieran said:


> They don't have the Barenboim/Perlman version on YouTube, but this is that beautiful movement here, although it sounds slightly more hectic than the CD version...


Ah, actually, they do! If you like this sonata, this is a gorgeous version of the 2nd movement performed by Itzhak Perlman and Daniel Barenboim. The third movement, a minuet with trio, is both busy and sublime. It begs a fourth movement but I think he had an opera to write that afternoon and a symph to polish off before bedtime...


----------



## ptr

..following Mahlerian's lead:

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - B-minor Mass BWV232 (*Berlin Classics*)









Bernarda Fink, Hillevi Martinpelto, Axel Köhler, Christoph Prégardien, Matthias Goerne, Franz-Josef Selig; Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin u. Rene Jacobs

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St. Matthew passion - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## Cheyenne

I finally bought the Debussy edition! Listening to the chamber music CD now.


----------



## Novelette

Okay, so it's been a Brahms day so far. At this point, there's no reason not to carry on in the same vein.

Brahms: Hungarian Dances -- Iván Fischer: Budapest Festival Orchestra

I'm fixing to listen to the Hungarian Dances again performed by piano: four hands.

Brahms: Seven Songs [for chorus], Op. 62 -- Marcus Creed: Rias Kammerchor

Brahms: Four Vocal Quartets With Piano, Op. 92 -- Marcus Creed: Rias Kammerchor


----------



## ahammel

Mahler Symphony no. 9 (Haitnik/RCO) on youtube.

Ok, this Mahler cat is starting to grow on me.


----------



## JCarmel

Thanks to Novelette for putting me in a Brahmsian frame of mind....

Comparing recordings I have of the Brahms Piano Quintet.
First up..the 1950 recording by Clifford Curzon from Naxos' Historical'...really good, despite the less spacious sound...the Budapest Quartet were marvellous....and what a wonderful pianist?!









Quartetto Italiano with pianist Maurizio Pollini ...a marraige made in heaven...plenty of Brahmsian passion in the music-making.









Kodaly Quartet on Naxos









Verdict = I _could_ dispense with the Kodaly and would opt overall for the Quartetto Italiano's recording as my preference....with it's superior sound and a wonderful performance. But I wouldn't want to dispense with Sir Cliff and the Budapest Quartet for a moment!


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Tapkaara

Jon Leifs - String Quartet no 1 'Mors et vita' by the Yggdrasil Quartet


----------



## millionrainbows

neoshredder said:


> Listening to all of Haydn's Symphonies at one time. j/k Skipped to Symphony 26 to start off. Not sure how far I'll go.


You mean the order doesn't matter? I guess that's like reading the whole Encyclopedia Brittanica starting at "E". :lol: Sounds like a wild & crazy time!


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.14 in C Sharp Minor, Op.131

Vegh Quartet: Sandor Vegh and Sandor Zolty, violins -- Georges Janzer, viola -- Pail Szabo, cello

View attachment 15172


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's "Haydn" Quartets - Quartetto Italiano


----------



## Andolink

W. A. Mozart: String Quartet in E flat major, K. 428
Quatuor Mosaïques








W. A. Mozart: Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339
Winchester Cathedral Choir
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood


----------



## Feathers

Manxfeeder said:


> *Brahms and Stravinsky Violin Concertos.*
> 
> View attachment 15132


Me too (well, a few days ago)! I actually just returned this CD to the library today because someone had placed a hold on it and I couldn't renew it anymore. What a popular recording this is! I hope the person who placed the hold enjoys it as much as I have!


----------



## Novelette

Finishing the day with something different:

Bach: Organ Sonata #4 in E Minor, BWV 528 -- Helmut Walcha

Beethoven: Opferlied, Op. 121b -- Michael Tilson Thomas: London Symphony Orchestra

And to escape from the immortal B's: Dvořák: 

Symphony #8 in G, Op. 88, B 163 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 4










Hesitated for a moment between this and Adam Fischer's Haydn cycle.


----------



## Novelette

Opus55, I enjoy Harnoncourt's Schubert cycle. There's just such a gentle sonority to these recordings, rather like Kempff's performances of Schubert's sonatas. They just make so much sense.

Schubert or Haydn? That dilemma virtually defines my entire life experience in the year 2010.


----------



## bejart

In honor of his birthday ---
Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685-1750): Double Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043

Academy of St. Martin inf the Fields -- Julia Fischer and Alexander Sitkovetsky, violins

View attachment 15177


----------



## OboeKnight

Elgar Cello Concerto
Schumann's Three Romances Op. 94 (on flute)

And found out I'll be playing Brahm's Hungarian Dances in an orchestra in a few weeks! Excited.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmonic.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"} and Egmont Overture, Op.64. *All three works feature the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell's baton.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13, Symphony No.5 in F, Op.76 and Symphony No.6 in D, Op.60.* All three symphonies feature the London Sym phony Orchestra led by Istvan Kertesz.


----------



## Kivimees

ahammel said:


> Ok, this Mahler cat is starting to grow on me.


Same here, thanks largely to our Mahler enthusiasts on TC.

I've heard these symphonies before, but perhaps I never listened.


----------



## opus55

Novelette said:


> Opus55, I enjoy Harnoncourt's Schubert cycle. There's just such a gentle sonority to these recordings, rather like Kempff's performances of Schubert's sonatas. They just make so much sense.
> 
> Schubert or Haydn? That dilemma virtually defines my entire life experience in the year 2010.


There is never a dull moment in the Harnoncourt Schubert set - two discs listened so far.


----------



## Lisztian

One of Liszt's most personal works, and it is a masterpiece. I've finally warmed up to Beecham's recording, sung in English. Perhaps the best one.
















Also, this two-fer is recommended to all. All of them are among his finest works (Faust, Psalm XIII, Orpheus, Les Preludes and Tasso), and all of the recordings are among the best.


----------



## Feathers

Some piano music by Brahms played by Lupu.









I'm also listening to the Piano Quintets by Faure, and I love how they sound so pure, genuine, and colourful (but not too boldly).


----------



## neoshredder

I'm addicted to Haydn right now. He doesn't get too overwhelming. Sticks with a simple yet very pleasurable formula. Yes the Romantics digged deeper. Makes it not as easy listening at times. Though I guess my mood depends on which I prefer. Just glad to have both as options. Up to Symphony 39


----------



## Sid James

Kivimees said:


> ...
> 
> I've heard these symphonies before, but perhaps I never listened.


Yeah, the difference between hearing and listening, that's the rub. & then after listening comes perceiving...well sometimes. I always remember what someone said to me about visual arts, that anyone can see, but its harder to perceive. So that's what I try to develop, and sometimes its just about letting go and letting the music do its thing naturally.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Duparc songs - Gerard Souzay, baritone

comparing the recording with Jacqueline Bonneau on piano with the later featuring Dalton Baldwin


----------



## Arsakes

*Smetana*:
Hakon Jarl, Symphonic Poem Op.16
Richard III, Symphonic Poem Op.11
Festive Symphony, in E, Op.6

*Samuel Coleridge-Taylor*'s Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.80


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 In Eb Minor, Op. 111*

I've been listening to a lot of Stravinsky and Prokofiev this week - Currently playing the 6th Symphony from the Ozawa set. Next I will listen to the 2-fer of Orchestral Suites which is a new Disc. I am keen to hear the Love For 3 Oranges Suite as I havent heard that one before. To finish up the day I will play the 7th Symphony from the 2 Symphony box-sets.


----------



## ptr

The trio that kicked of this morning:

*Bela Bartók* - Piano Concertos No 1 - 3 (*DG Originals*)









Géza Anda, Piano; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin u. Ferenc Fricsay

*Egon Wellesz* - Symphonien Nr. 2 & 9 (*CPO*)









Radio Symphonieorchester Wien u. Gottfried Rabl

*Franz Peter Schubert* - Piano Trios No 1 D898 and No 2 D929 (*Intim Musik*)









Fujita Piano Trio

/ptr


----------



## mactaffi

I'm not sure whether this is the right thread to use, but "Current Listening" for me usually comprises BBC Radio3 and I was wondering if other members were as annoyed as myself at the "dumbing down" which seems to be afflicting this station. I find that it now plays _excerpts_ of music or short extracts instead of a full work. There are also silly little quizzes such as the "Brain Teaser" on the morning programme, "Essential Classics".

Currently, R3 are having a Baroque Spring, and their contribution to Red Nose Day was the unforgiveably named Baroque and Roll, which shows how trivialised the station has become.

I say nothing about the presenters. One in particular, who shall remain nameless, seems to change his pronunciation of composers' names from day to day, so that, for example, Purcell will one day be _Pur_cell but Pur_cell_ the next. Whilst I do not doubt the musical knowledge and probable ability of the presenters, I do object to their frequent talking down to their listeners, many of whom, sadly including myself, are veering towards the dreaded ClassicFM.

There! Rant over! Does anyone agree, or do you think I'm wildly out of order? (And was this the right thread?)


----------



## Sid James

mactaffi said:


> ....
> 
> There! Rant over! Does anyone agree, or do you think I'm wildly out of order? (And was this the right thread?)


Maybe make a thread on it in the classical music discussion section. BTW welcome to the forum and I agree with some of the things you say. Some of its happening here as well...


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in C Minor, Op.1, No.2

Jaroslav Krecek conducting the Capella Istropolitana

View attachment 15184


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in C Minor, Op.1, No.2

Jaroslav Krecek conducting the Capella Istropolitana

View attachment 15184


----------



## ptr

mactaffi said:


> I'm not sure whether this is the right thread to use, but "Current Listening" for me usually comprises BBC Radio3 and I was wondering if other members were as annoyed as myself at the "dumbing down" which seems to be afflicting this station.


the Dumbing down of modern Classical radio seems to be universal, and if there is not already a thread on the subject there surely should be one!

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Three contrasting first piano concertos.* The *Saygun* was literally gathering dust on my shelf, I marked it for culling, but that was like 2 or 3 years back. I enjoyed this listen and will get to the 2nd concerto soo. A long time between drinks with *Shostakovich's* 1st concerto too, esp. enjoyed the finale - helter skelter work for both the pianist and trumpet soloist! As for *Tchaikovksy's *biggest warhorse, I am not averse to listening to it from time to time, its among the first concerto I ever listened to & I still like it.

*Tchaikovsky* _Piano Concerto #1 _
- Dubravka Tomsic, pno. with Philharmonia Slavonica under Anton Nanut (Point Classics)
*
Saygun *_Piano Concerto #1_ 
- Gulsin Onay, pno. with Bilkent SO under Howard Griffiths (cpo)

*Shostakovich *_Concerto for Piano, Trumpet & Strings _
- Mikhail Rudy, pno. & Ole Edvard Antonsen, tpt. with Berlin PO under Mariss Jansons (EMI)


----------



## Kieran

Hugo Wolf, Goethe lieder...


----------



## Art Rock

After Der Ring, continuing my (re)discovery of Wagner: Sinopoli's Fliegende Hollaender.


----------



## ptr

David Briggs twice:

*The World of Organ Transcription* (*Priory*)









*Organ Kaleidoscope* (*Priory*)









on both: David Briggs at the organ of Gloucester Cathedral (Click label link for more information of CD contents)

The man is the Phantom of the Organ!








/ptr


----------



## Wood

Haydn 93 (*4) Incredible slow movement which includes a couple of beautiful themes, a parody of Handel and a fart joke.

Anuna - Invocation

Berg - VC

Brahms - Haydn variations

ELP - Trilogy

Sibelius 6


----------



## Sonata

Last night: 

Granados: Alicia De Larrocha EMI Icon set, Disc 5: Spanish Dances and Valses Poeticos
Brahms: Cello Concerto #1
Handel: Flute sonata in A minor


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Borodin, Symphony No. 2.*

Listening to both Kleibers.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Bojan Gorisek plays George Crumb: Zeitgeist (1988) Six Tableaux for two pianos; Processional (piano solo) (Audiophile Classics).* I am very impressed by the Slovinian-born Gorisek. His playing of Crumb is the best I've heard, and the engineering practices of the Audiophile Classics series, fairly close-miked on all their piano recordings, does Crumb justice, as there are many subtle harmonic effects, plucking, muting, bowing, etc. in his music. Very excellent, highly recommended.


----------



## ptr

and a duo for the afternoon:

*Anton Bruckner* - Symphony No. 4 in Eb Major 'Romantic' (*RCA*)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Günter Wand

..reinforces my belief that conductors under 80 shouldn't bother with Bruckner! 
(Wand was 86 and he converts the antibrucknerian in me!)

And now:

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - the Six Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord BWW 1014 - 1019 (Sony)









Giuliano Carmignola, violin & Andrea Marcon, harpsichord

Makes me want to get up on my toes and dance!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn Quartets.*


----------



## JCarmel

Still snowing...with a promise of the coldest March weekend to come for 50 years...or something appallingly similar. 
So...it's time to stoke-up the samovar, don the sheepskin slippers and bring on a bowl of Borshch.

For my Soviet Spring programme Starter today....a favourite overture of mine, by any composer.... is this one by

P.Tchaikovsky, Marche Slave, Sir John Barbirolli conducting The Halle Orchestra









and then, I might as well just listen to Sir John's interpretation of my favourite Tchaikovsky symphony...his No 5.


----------



## rrudolph

Starting out with some Swiss composers (why aren't there more of them?):

Honegger's 5th is one of my favorite 20th century symphonies. The 3rd is really good too.
















After that, not sure. Maybe some Janacek and/or Martinu...


----------



## BartokBela

Anton Webern: String Quartet, Op. 28


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Richafort, Requiem.*


----------



## ptr

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Sinfonia Antarctica (RCA)









Sir Ralph Richardson , narr; London Symphony Orchestra u. André Previn

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Simone Young


----------



## conclass

Camargo Guarnieri - Symphony No.3
Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo - John Neschling


----------



## Flamme




----------



## rrudolph

Czech it out:

Martinu: Half-Time/La Bagarre/Intermezzo/Thunderbolt P-47/The Rock









Dvorak: Symphony #8/Janacek: Sinfonietta


----------



## ptr

*Mozart on Italian Organs* (Accent)









Liuwe Tamminga on Organs in Bologna and Verona, organs that Lil' Wolfie played himself on his pilgrimage to the "holy" land!

Hard core Mozart! Foir a hard core generation... 

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Middle String Quartets, with ESQ (rec.1994/5); *Hindemith*: String Quartets (Complete), with Kocian Qt. (rec.1995).

View attachment 15207
View attachment 15204


----------



## musicican

and also the alto - choir part of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral": IV. Finale: Presto - Allegro assai


----------



## DrKilroy

ptr said:


> *Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Sinfonia Antarctica (RCA)
> Sir Ralph Richardson , narr; London Symphony Orchestra u. André Previn


I'd like to ask you - how the organ in the third movement works in this recording? I do not think that anyone could beat Handley here. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Itullian

Lohengrin
Colin Davis
Ben Heppner


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vaughan Williams - Symphony 5


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Conor71

*Reich: Variations For Winds, Strings & Keyboards*

I had a Minimalist day a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it so I am going to do it again today. First up one of my favourite Discs (mine is the "originals" version of this release)


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme...while I'm cooking...


----------



## ptr

DrKilroy said:


> I'd like to ask you - how the organ in the third movement works in this recording? I do not think that anyone could beat Handley here.


I actually did not reflect on the organ, I'll have to make a comparison some day!

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Discovering Delius


----------



## millionrainbows

Adams: Grand Pianola/Ransom Wilson (EMI)

I use this recording when I want to show-off my subwoofers. I'm referring to the bass drum hits in the Adams piece, which occur about 8 minutes in. This is my favorite Adams piece; I can take or leave his other works.

Reich's Vermont Counterpoint is the real standout piece here, scored for 3 alto flutes, 3 flutes, 3 piccolos, and two "solo" parts in which all three flutes are played one after the other to emphasize and bring out patterns of the 9 other recorded parts. In this recording, Wilson played the last solo overlay "live".


----------



## conclass

Arvo Pärt - Cecilia Vergine Romana









5:08 =)


----------



## Cheyenne

Debussy's orchestral works now: where has this been all my long.. just over two years of classical listening!? To think that I still wouldn't know if someone hadn't recommended me his trio sonata!


----------



## Novelette

Today is a strictly Schumann day:

Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 -- Marek Jerie & Ivan Klánský

Schumann: Piano Trio #2 in F, Op. 80 -- Israel Piano Trio

Schumann: Nachtlied "Quellende, Schwellende Nacht", Op. 108 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Schumann, Robert and Clara: 12 Gedichte Aus Liebesfrühling, Op. 37 -- Graham Johnson: Oliver Widmer & Stella Doufexis

Schumann: Missa Sacra, Op. 147 -- Peter Neumann: Kölner Kammerchor

Schumann: Impromptus on a Theme by Clara Wieck, Op. 5 -- Peter Frankl

Schumann: Ritornelle, Op. 65 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Schumann: Overture, Scherzo & Finale, Op. 52 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Schumann: Canon 'An Alexis' Op. Posth -- Peter Frankl

Forever devoted to Schumann...


----------



## SimonNZ

Albinoni's Concerti Op.2 - Giorgio Sasso, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

J. S. Bach - Goldberg Variations (Schiff).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> Hugo Wolf, Goethe lieder...


Who's singing? Who's playing?


----------



## DavidA

Schubert moment musical Curzon


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> Who's singing? Who's playing?


Thomas Palm on piano and Wolfgang Holzmair is singing baritone.

Second part of the CD is _Lieder aus dem Westostlicher Divan_, but I only listen to the first part for now...


----------



## ptr

A singing Night Music..

*Gerald Finzi* - The Song Cycles with piano 2CD's (*Lyrita*)
(Before & After Summer- ten songs for baritone and piano / Till Earth Outwears - seven songs for tenor and piano / I said to Love - six songs for baritone and piano // A young Man's Exhortation - ten songs for tenor and piano (Part I - Mane floreat, et transeat. Ps. 89 / Part II - Vespere decidat, induret, et arescat. Ps. 89) / Earth and Air and Rain - ten songs for baritone and piano)









John Carol Case, Baritone, Robert Tear, Tenor, Howard Ferguson, Piano // Neil Jenkins, Tenor, John Carol Case, Baritone, Howard Ferguson, Piano

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B major "The Propagandistic"
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, cond. Petrenko


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, K503, the imperious 25th piano concerto, before I end my day. 

Mitsuko Uchida at the keys...


----------



## Wood

Koyaanisqaatsi in 5 minutes :lol:






Tan Dun - Ghost Opera






<B B King>

Haydn 93

Gershwin - Cuban Overture


----------



## Sid James

rrudolph said:


> Starting out with some Swiss composers (why aren't there more of them?)...


Cos they're too busy running banks and making watches and...yodelling? 

But seriously I quite like Frank Martin & Honegger as well. Given that maybe their country didn't have as strong or long musical culture as others of that region, understandable how they spent the bulk of their careers outside Switzerland. Honegger in France of course and Martin in I think the Netherlands. But I got a couple of cd's by each of them, & I like them, esp. Martin's _Petite Symphonie Concertante_ & _Mass for Double Choir_ & Honegger's score for the film_ Les Miserables _(c.1930's) & also the _Liturgique _(but haven't heard his other symphonies)...


----------



## RJay

That's a bit of coin! Agree with your Haydn description. The classical format but always inventive within that framework.


----------



## RJay

neoshredder said:


> I'm addicted to Haydn right now. He doesn't get too overwhelming. Sticks with a simple yet very pleasurable formula. Yes the Romantics digged deeper. Makes it not as easy listening at times. Though I guess my mood depends on which I prefer. Just glad to have both as options. Up to Symphony 39


Agreed. Very inventive within the classical era format. Now if I had a couple of hundred books I'd shell out for that too. But I have all the London and Paris symphonies which are enjoyable.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Cello Sonatas (Complete), with Gastinel & Guy (rec.2002 - '04).

View attachment 15219
View attachment 15220


----------



## RJay

The Salomon preview I'm listening is quite good. Period instruments?



Andolink said:


> Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Vesperae, A 32
> Anne Grimm (soprano), Els Bongers (soprano), Kai Wessel (alto), Kees-Jan de Koning (bass), Marcel Reijans (tenor), Peter de Groot (alto), Rene Steur (bass), Simon Davies (tenor)
> The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir/Ton Koopman
> 
> Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5
> The Salomon Quartet
> View attachment 14618
> 
> 
> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 33 in B flat, K. 319
> English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner
> View attachment 14619


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich String Quartets 2 and 10, Borodin Qt.


----------



## conclass

The closest you can get to D.S.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88 and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"}*. All three works feature the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Witold Rowicki.


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major D 82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D 417 {"Tragic"}, *both works featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## Novelette

Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48 -- Richard Hickox: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44 -- Vadim Repin; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

Sibelius: Overture in E, JS 145 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Ockeghem: Alma Redemptoris Mater -- Hillard Ensemble


----------



## Conor71

*Adams: Tromba Lontana*

Minimalist day continues! - listening to a couple of new Discs. Re-playing the Adams release which I heard for the first time this morning. Its a great disc - really like it. Next I will play the Terry Riley - I seem to have been considering getting this one for ages. I really like his work In C. If this one is half as good as that it should be worthwhile


----------



## Guest

Discovering Henri Dutilleux. Wonderful "eclectic" composer, enjoying what I'm hearing so far in his Violin Concerto and Metaboles.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Nocturnes - Claudio Abbado


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphonies, Nos. 2 and 3










While not wanting to commit myself to listen to all 100+ symphonies I am enjoying these early symphonies so far. Thanks to Spotify.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening Schubert Symphony 1


----------



## AndyS

Petrushka - Rattle conducting


----------



## Feathers

Piano Concertos No. 13 and 15 by Mozart








Piano Concerto, Prometheus, and some Preludes by Scriabin


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Dichterliebe - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Jorg Demus, piano


----------



## joen_cph

Stephen Dodgson: String Quartets vol.III (nos.2,8,9), incl. String Sextet, Clarinet quintet and Flute Quintet

Recently written chamber works, well-crafted, fresh and quite beautifully pastoral, their language more related to early 20th century, it seems. Appropriate for the sunbeams on the surrounding, snow-clad gardens, announcing a very much longed-for springtime, following weeks of snow and frost.


----------



## Wood

Bach's Organ Works II - Ton Koopman










Einaudi: Divenire










& next up, loudly:

Haydn 93


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Sheherazade - Frederica Von Stade, soprano, Seiji Ozawa, cond.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's piano quintet on Naxos, Jeno Jando at the wheel...


----------



## JCarmel

It's cold this morning.... -1 degrees...and that's just in the house?!

Seeing how Sir Cliff compares to 2 new releases of the Brahms...as detailed on Radio 3's 'CD Review' this morning

J. Brahms, Piano Sonata No 3, Clifford Curzon









And remembering just how much I like Solomon's playing in ..

E.Grieg, Piano Concerto, Solomon, Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert Menges


----------



## Kieran

It's cold here too, sister! We need brisk music to get us moving, hope you enjoy your listening!


----------



## JCarmel

In remembrance of Things Past...and enjoying a performance of my third British artist of the day

F. Delius, Violin Concerto, Tasmin Little (violin) Charles Mackerras conducting Welsh National Opera Orchestra









(haven't listened to this cd for ages!...)


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> It's cold here too, sister! We need brisk music to get us moving, hope you enjoy your listening!


Saw the blizzards on tonights news!! Here it is 25 degrees C and clear blue sky every day. We are by the surf and our large deck looks straight out to the Pacific Ocean. I like to listen to "Scheherazade" when the sea is roiling and in one of its moods. Not today - it's a veritable millpond.

Ideal accompaniment, then off to bed as it's 11.30pm here, Ravel "Le Tombeau de Couperin" (Louis Lortie, p).


----------



## Andolink

W. A. Mozart: String Quartet in G major, K. 387 and String Quartet in D minor, K. 421
Quatuor Mosaïques








W. A. Mozart: String Quartet in A major, K. 464
Quatuor Mosaïques








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintets from Op. 27; No. 2 in G major and No. 3 in E minor
La Magnifica Comunità








W. A. Mozart: String Quartet in B flat major, K. 589
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Flamme




----------



## JCarmel

Think I'll join Andolink in a Mozart Quartet!.....Now, what should I listen-to? 
This snowy weather is creating a bit of dissonance, one way and another..so a touch-of K465 will do very-nicely-thankyou?!









Nicely played by The Melos Quartet.
Nice....!


----------



## Kieran

A lot of Wolfgang lurve going down, to counter the Disappreciation Threads that are prevalent! 

There's nay pomposity or pretentiousness in Mozart. The ego hasn't landed. This is my desert island Mozart, dedicated to JCarmel...


----------



## JCarmel

I've been rifling through my drawers again....yes, I know?!....
But there are a store of old pre-recorded cassettes languishing...un-played, there...some I bought and some I 'inherited' from my Aunt Eileen. First up...and it's a Goodie! And providing a comparison to my 'current listening' choice of earlier today, with a performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto from British pianist Peter Katin with The London Philharmonic conducted by Sir John Pritchard. Nice One, Auntie!


----------



## JCarmel

I have that performance...MUCH-WATCHED over the years, Kieran...on a VHS tape! After that in the running-order, comes the superb Mozart 'Mass in C Minor' Performance from Barcelona, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. It was my most favourite bit of VHS-ing, ever!






We'd have a good 'Current Listening' programme, methinks on your Desert Isle?!


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> I have that performance...MUCH-WATCHED over the years, Kieran...on a VHS tape! After that in the running-order, comes the superb Mozart 'Mass in C Minor' Performance from Barcelona, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. It was my most favourite bit of VHS-ing, ever!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We'd have a good 'Current Listening' programme, methinks on your Desert Isle?!


We would! Bowed down by the solemn majesty of the mass, we'd listen to violin sonata K304, then later in the evening an opera...


----------



## JCarmel

No, we wouldn't Kieran...as I'd_ insist _that we watch the performance that is recorded on the next VHS tape, on the shelf here in my home... to the Mozart one mentioned above.
On that, is this wonderful performance by Alicia de Larrocha of De Fallas 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain' conducted by Charles Dutoit. 
I think the whole performance is there on youtube....and it makes a magical Late-Night Watch.


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> No, we wouldn't Kieran...as I'd_ insist _that we watch the performance that is recorded on the next VHS tape, on the shelf here in my home... to the Mozart one mentioned above.
> On that, is this wonderful performance by Alicia de Larrocha of De Fallas 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain' conducted by Charles Dutoit.
> I think the whole performance is there on youtube, in parts....but it makes a magical Late-Night Watch.


Sounds good to me! Since it's a desert island, I'd be tired after swimming and underwater wrestling with giant fish I'd bring home for supper. This music would be just the thing, eh?


----------



## ptr

DrKilroy said:


> I'd like to ask you - how the organ in the third movement works in this recording? I do not think that anyone could beat Handley here.


Well Dr, now I have reflected on the organ! I have a meagre six versions of the Antarctica and I pulled all of them to compare, and we don't need to argue, Handely's handlin' of the organ is the finest of the six I have! 
(Haitink, Boult(2nd) Handley all EMI, Slatkin and Previn on RCA and Andrew Davis on Telarc.. Several sound constipated like the organ has been added in post production, and Haitink, unfortunately, is the one I like the least, doesen't make any sense :tiphat

I really have to get a few more versions! ... ie. complete symphony sets, Boult's Decca, Barbirolli's EMI, maybe Bryden Thompson on Chandos, did ever Hickox record a complete cycle for Chandos?, I have a few separate disc's..

/ptr


----------



## ptr

On a Vaughan Williams spree..

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Fantasias & Suites (Westminster OOP, a Reel-To-Reel transfer I found on that elusive internet thingy everybody raves about.. )
(Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis / Fantasia on Greensleeves / English Folk Song Suite)









Vienna State Opera Orchestra u. Sir Adrian Boult

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Fantasia on Greensleeves, Concerto Grosso, Oboe Concerto, Romance for strings, piano and harmonica, English Folk Song Suite (*Decca* OOP, but partly here.)









Celia Nicklin, oboe; Tommy Reilly, harmonic; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner

Jummy for lovers of Tweedy ol' tunes!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Magnificat and Jauchzet Gott.*

Last night after work, Christ Cathedral, across the street from where I was working, offered what they called a Bachanalia - free performances of Bach from 5 to 11 p.m. What a great offering! It was a nice contrast to all the drunken revelers on the streets in town for March Madness.

Anyway, I'm reliving last night with Gardiner's recording.


----------



## Kivimees

Here's an interesting CD by a young American composer:


----------



## Schubussy

Schumann - Piano Concerto
Stanislaw Wislocki, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra








Actually my first listen to this (I got a disc of Schumann's Piano Trios, Quartet & Quintet a while back but wasn't hugely impressed) but I'm 5 minutes in and liking it a lot.


----------



## ptr

*Bela Bartok* - For Children Volumes 1 & 2 (*Testament*)









Geza Anda, piano

A pick-me-up in glorious mono!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Some great stuff on these old cassette tapes....including one recording that I copied many, many decades ago!

Bela Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, Sir George Solti conducting the LSO.
I am going to dedicate my listening to it...to Bela Bartok fans, everywhere...as I believe there's a birthday for him, around about now...Happy Birthday, 'Bela Bartok!'


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> I am going to dedicate my listening to it...to Bela Bartok fans, everywhere...as I believe there's a birthday for him, around about now...Happy Birthday, 'Bela Bartok!'


On Monday My dear! Re-listening to tape's one recorded in one's youth can be much fun, I have a box full that I've been planing to do something with before they wither...

Well, life is to short and one pair of ears are far to few!








/ptr


----------



## BartokBela

Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor
Béla Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 3


----------



## JCarmel

It is fun, ptr 'cos quite a lot of them sound better than the compact discs?!!

But back to violinists from the past...I'm going to compare Ginette Neveu's renowned recording of the Sibelius Concerto, The Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Walter Susskind.









with that of Joshua Bell...with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen...a CD Review-recommended interpretation from a few years back.









Just to add an edit...here's Ginette playing part of the Chausson Poeme




and another edit...that looks like Klemperer conducting??....


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Piano Concerto #9 in E Flat, K 271, "Jeunehomme" -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129 -- Jacqueline Du Pré; Daniel Barenboim: New Philharmonia Orchestra

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 114, D 667, "Trout" -- Alban Berg Quartet & Elisabeth Leonskaja

Gossec: Symphonie 17 Parties in F -- Diego Fasolis: Lugano Radio Orchestra

Dvořák: Serenade in E, Op. 22 -- Herbert von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Kivimees

Something local for this evening:









Veljo Tormis: Suite composed from the movie score of KEVADE


----------



## Kivimees

Found it!


----------



## ptr

At 19.30 GMT I have a little spiritual rendezvous with Miss JCarmel, a Faurtastic concert!

*Gabriel Fauré* - Requiem Op 48 (EMI GROC)









Victoria de los Angeles, soprano, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Henriette Puig-Roget, organ; Choerus Elisabeth Brasseur & Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatorie u. Andre Cluytens

...and in the dark of my room time halts and space becomes an imaginary Notre-Dame de Chartres!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

My last musical post of the day and I love this one.... it's another gleaning from the Golden Cassette horde....move-over, you Nibelungen's!

J S Bach, Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in A Minor after Vivaldi....with a great group of soloists comprising Eileen Joyce, George Malcolm, Denis Vaughan and Thurston Dart with the Pro Arte Orchestra conducted by Boris Ord.
My Mum bought the LP of Bach's Concertos for 3 and 4 Harpsichords for my Dad as a birthday gift. He never much played it...I was forever playing it and this concerto was my favourite. Having just now listened to my old cassette, I believe the youtube version to be playing-back at too-fast a tempo. But it's definetly still worth a listen?!


----------



## Conor71

*Vaughan Williams: Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis*

Morning all - I plan to listen to some pastoral music today. I will play various works from these 3 box-sets (the Delius and Handley/RVW are new to my collection):


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - A Pastoral Symphony - Handley. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## maestro267

I'm attempting a weekend-long listening project. The nine symphonies of Malcolm Arnold, in order. As I write, I'm currently at the slow movement of No. 4, having completed Nos. 1-3.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zelenka, Trio Sonata No. 6.*

This guy sure could write interesting music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann's "Paris" Quartets - Kuijken, Kuijken, Kuijken and Leonhardt


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Steven Sondheim* - A Little Night Music (OBC) (*Sony*)









1973 Original Broadway Cast Recording

I know, but Sondheim is a classical as Bernstein!

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> Vaughan Williams - A Pastoral Symphony - Handley.


As an intermezzo - Stravinsky - Ebony Concerto.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> Vaughan Williams - A Pastoral Symphony - Handley.





DrKilroy said:


> As an intermezzo - Stravinsky - Ebony Concerto.


And now the last part - Holst - The Planets (Previn).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Stille Musik and Sonata for cello and piano*


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Kieran

Sibelius 2...


----------



## worov

Haydn sonatas


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

I think *Bohuslav Martinů* (1890-1959) was one who understood how to write 20th century music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Last year the obsession was Ligeti (followed by Frank Zappa). This years composer of choice seems to be Sibelius. Far better obsession in my opinion... but am I required to dig out my Sibelius symphonies just so I can remain among the Talk Classical hipsters?

Currently listening to true conservative "old school":


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

rrudolph- Starting out with some Swiss composers (why aren't there more of them?):


----------



## Sid James

JCarmel said:


> I've been rifling through my drawers again....yes, I know?!....
> But there are a store of old pre-recorded cassettes languishing...un-played, there...some I bought and some I 'inherited' from my Aunt Eileen. First up...and it's a Goodie! And providing a comparison to my 'current listening' choice of earlier today, with a performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto from British pianist Peter Katin with The London Philharmonic conducted by Sir John Pritchard. Nice One, Auntie!


I got some Lp's of Katin - his Rachmaninov 1st and 2nd concertos and his Mendelssohn pc's 1 & 2. He's got a special poetic touch, quite unique. He really was a pianist I quite like, and now I think they've reissued on Eloquence those Rachmaninov concertos, but my impression is that he's not that well known (here at least). So I thought I'd reflect a bit on him, don't see his name mentioned that often.


----------



## Sid James

Okay I thought I'd do a full rundown on the weekend's listening. But had no time for non classical which I usually throw in a bit of!...










*Saygun* _Piano Concertos 1 & 2_
Gulsin Onay, piano with Bilkent SO under Howard Griffiths (cpo)

*More piano concertos*, a listen to the whole *Saygun *album this time. These two works - written three decades apart - are characterized by many tempo changes, thematic unity and colourful orchestration. The second concerto was actually premiered by the pianist on this recording. Its not hard to hear Bartok's influence here, who Saygun knew personally and looked after when he visited Turkey, and also Ravel's, which isn't too surprising since Saygun spent time studying in Paris. But its those rhythmic changes that are his trademark - and they're apparently a feature of Turkish folk music - and there's this kind of primitive and even aggressive feel to the outer movements, while the inner slow movements are overall calmer, the tension withheld for a while.










*Shostakovich *_Piano Concerto #2 in F, Op. 102_
Mikhail Rudy, piano with London PO under Mariss Jansons (EMI)

Also a listen in a long time to *Shostakovich's 2nd piano concerto* of which I particularly like the Rachmaninov-like slow movement, which speaks to a kind of nostalgia of days past. The outer movements are vibrant and upbeat, but I can't help sense a double meaning to this, in terms of the throwaway banal tune and how its repeated and pumped up on steroids out of all proportion. Not hard, I think to relate this to the Soviet regime, but that's pretty common with Shosty's music, isn't it? Indeed, the last movement makes me think of just going thru the motions, the pianist dashing off this quite meaningless virtuosity, receive the inevitable applause, then happily going back home and dunno, having his dinner or something. Its got that humdrum aspect to it, a kind of forced happiness which is not real joy, its an obligation more than anything else. In other words, its pure acting.










*Tchaikovsky* _Fantasy-Overture "Romeo and Juliet"_
New Philharmonia Orch., London under Lawrence Siegel (Point Classics)

& finishing with another *Tchaikovsky* warhorse, illustrating Shakespeare's tragedy so well in musical form and also providing fodder for Hollywood B grades of the scene when the hero and heroine first set eyes on eachother (the famous love theme). This was written at a turbulent time in the composer's life, when he was having a tumultuous affair with a student at the conservatory where he was teaching, Eduard Zak. Zak eventually committed suicide, so in this case art and autobiography kind of mix. But its things like those cymbal clashes that draw me in, representing dueling with swords, and speaking to how this was to influence guys like Janacek - there's a very similar bit in his _Taras Bulba_.


----------



## neoshredder

Handel should be the new obsession. Loving this set.


----------



## starthrower

Some colorful, energetic Boulez. Conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

[YT]v=4Qd1CgV8zSE&NR=1[/YT]


----------



## Novelette

Gluck: Alceste -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

Liszt: David: Bunte Reihe, S 484 -- Leslie Howard


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Ed: Haas},* performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944 {"Great"},* featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss lieder - Montesserat Caballe, soprano, Miguel Zanetti, piano

on the whole a remarkably unsuccessful album

Caballe singing as if for Bellini, Zanetti playing as if keeping time for a ballet rehearsal, voice and piano parts may as well have been recorded at separate sessions - so little do the compliment or follow each other


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Last year the obsession was Ligeti (followed by Frank Zappa). This years composer of choice seems to be Sibelius. Far better obsession in my opinion... but am I required to dig out my Sibelius symphonies just so I can remain among the Talk Classical hipsters?


I quite like a little spontaneous infectious enthusiasm to remind me that its been a while since I've played this or that.

edit: I also kind of miss the Ligeti thing - it was so out of left-field and it seemed so good-natured


----------



## OboeKnight

Hindemith Oboe Sonata


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> I quite like a little spontaneous infectious enthusiasm to remind me that its been a while since I've played this or that.
> 
> edit: I also kind of miss the Ligeti thing - it was so out of left-field and it seemed so good-natured


Ligeti and Sibelius do have something in common. Read the quote I put in italics from the article below. I have read this opinion elsewhere:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/sep/20/classicalmusicandopera1

_It's easy enough, then, to hear the "savage dreams" in the obsessive music of *Tapiola,* or to imagine the wood-sprites in one of its more playful episodes. But that disguises what is really going on in this work. The genius of Tapiola is that it turns music itself into a force of nature. *The climactic storm sounds unlike anything else that had been written up to then: made up of weird shimmerings and clusters that grow from barely audible string sounds into a gigantic explosion for the whole orchestra, Tapiola prefigures some of the orchestral experiments of Gyorgy Ligeti or Iannis Xenakis in the 1950s and 1960s.* The whole structure of the music, its repetition of just one short theme, makes it a terrifying, nihilistic vision, a blasted landscape whose beauty is stark, brutal and depopulated; as far removed as possible from a picturesque depiction of Finnish flora and fauna.

_

Incidentally, Tapiola is one of my fav works by Sibelius, and I also like that quality the writer describes in Ligeti and Xenakis, that kind of visual quality (with Xenakis, it often brings to mind waves crashing on the shore, the sea, and like Greece my country, Australia, is surrounded by it). & they do it very directly, no Impressionist cliches which by then (mid 20th century) where kind of getting tired and stale...


----------



## SimonNZ

Thanks for the link and the thoughts, Sid. Listening (and reading) now:









Sibelius' Tapiola - Edward Van Beinum, cond.


----------



## aleazk

Toru Takemitsu: Toward the sea, Les Yeux Clos II, Textures, Rain Spell. My favorite pieces.


----------



## Feathers

The Violin Concerto thread reminded me of how much I love the Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto








...and Mendelssohn as a whole.  (Listening to his Reformation Symphony)


----------



## Kieran

The Great Mogul to wake me up. Very drowsy after a late night. The attention-seeking power hungry chord that heralds the Egmont Overture, a magnificent piece, both muscular and confident, testicular and expansive. It's like been shaken down by an Irish cop in 1930's Chicago! No place to hide sunny, no listen up!

This is my favourite of the Beethoven overtures... :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

K377.

I'm thinking of joining Mozart Anonymous. Not to cure my addiction, but to listen to fellow addicts. But even then, I'd sooner listen to Mozart!

And thinking of which, I wonder is there a K377-Anonymous group to help me move on from this gorgeous, difficult to pin down, violin sonata which contains both subtlety and power at the same time. It's like a shape-shifter. Every turn of the disc reveals something different to the last listen. It only leaves me wanting more!

Barenboim and Perlman at the wheel...


----------



## ptr

British Quartet Sextet #1

*Malcolm Arnold* - String Quartets (Guild)









The Ceruti Ensemble of London

*William Alwyn* - String Quartets Nos. 1-3; Novelette (Naxos)









Maggini Quartet

/ptr


----------



## ptr

And now a little interlude:

*Jacob Lindberg* - Italian Virtuosi of the Chitarrone (Bis)









He is the Master!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> And now a little interlude:
> 
> *Jacob Lindberg* - Italian Virtuosi of the Chitarrone (Bis)
> 
> View attachment 15284
> 
> 
> He is the Master!
> 
> /ptr


Crikey! That's some fiddle!


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto in D Major for Lute and two Violins, RV 93

Il Guardino Armonico of Milan

View attachment 15286


----------



## Kivimees

The temperature has managed to struggle to (almost) 0 C. It's now or never:


----------



## Arsakes

ptr said:


> And now a little interlude:
> 
> *Jacob Lindberg* - Italian Virtuosi of the Chitarrone (Bis)
> 
> View attachment 15284
> 
> 
> He is the Master!
> 
> /ptr


Is that some kind of weapon?!


----------



## Arsakes

*Rachmaninov*'s Piano Concerto No.1 & 3


----------



## JCarmel

Various music choices are circulating in the brain today....(there's a lot of space in there?!) 
But I'm mindful that we are at the beginning of Holy Week and to mark that and because I'm more than ready to hear a favourite work of Haydn's genius once more, I am already listening to

J. Haydn, The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross









This is a good interpretation but I think I might just treat myself to one by The Prazak Quartet...instead of the chocolate Easter Egg I had in mind!


----------



## Itullian

Meistersinger, Solti 2.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Itullian said:


> Meistersinger, Solti 2.


A great choice! And my current listening: *Richard Strauss* - Ein Heldenleben (Wiener Philarmoniker and George Solti).


----------



## maestro267

Continuing my *Malcolm Arnold* cycle.

Last night: Symphony No. 5

Today: Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9

The main theme of the finale of No. 5 (on piccolo, flute and unsnared side drum) is the first of several Irish-influenced ideas in his symphonies.

Also, I noted the influence of Vaughan Williams and Shostakovich in the slow movement of No. 6, in the opening string chords and the following idea which is a variation on the DSCH motif.


----------



## JCarmel

I have that Solti Meistersinger, Itullian!

But, back to Auntie's horde of cracking Classics on chrome tape!
According to the "Contour Red Label' of Pickwick International, this recording is 'Critic's Choice' as 'Istvan Kertesz shows he has a nice judgement of tempi and shapes the music sensitively, a gentle pointing of the significant moments in the structure'









But whether this judgement refers to his interpretation of Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' or to that of his 'Symphony no 40 in G Minor' with the VPO...I'm going to have to listen to both, to ascertain. Well, I shalln't mind that at all!


----------



## JCarmel

Is the DSCH motif surely not short for Don't Switch-Off the Central Heating?!' I certainly won't, whatever Malcolm says..and after the Mozart is done, I'm going to check that out with him by listening to The Nash Ensemble's excellent recordings of his Chamber music!

View attachment 15290


View attachment 15291


Now why haven't my 2 pretty pictures come-up properly?! I daresay it's the curse of the 2-fingered typist and the 1-track mind!
Edit 2....well, they've suddenly appeared....so that's Ok, then!


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaikovsky-Rococo Variations
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto E minor

Apparently its a strings day


----------



## Kieran

Vladimir Horowitz performing Rachmaninov's Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor...


----------



## Mahlerian

Here are some of the things I've been listening to the last few days:

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 in C minor
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, cond. Petrenko








Stravinsky: Movements for Piano and Orchestra
Charles Rosen, Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








A nice Webern-esque piece from the late years, very fresh and colorful, with more rhythmic drive than anything in Webern.

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A major
Cincinnati Symphony, cond. Jesus Lopez-Cobos

The weird structures of the first and last movements finally made absolute sense to me. Sure took a while. I've always loved the gorgeous slow movement, though.

Bartok: String Quartet No. 1
Takacs Quartet


----------



## BartokBela

Berg: Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin
Nielsen: Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin
Bartok: 14 Bagatelles - Zoltan Kocsis


----------



## JCarmel

This is one of my old cassette tapes...and it is the best* Liszt *'recital' that I have in recorded form. It's a wonder that the tape hasn't become twisted and stretched beyond playing, as some do...as I played it so frequently, over so many years.

(I can't locate a suitable image of the cassette cover that is suitable to post...as the one I located is too large.)

Alfred Brendel's performances here are just 'right'. His 'Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude'...beautifully mirrors the peace of nature and how healing it is to contemplate it. 
And the 'Les jeux d'eaux a' la Villa d'Este'..with it's glittering cascades of notes, that draws a sound-picture of the fountains at the famous villa near Rome, is perfectly-played. 
But for me, the crowning performance here and one of the very best that I have heard of this great work..is the 'Apres une lecture du Dante.' Brendel's performance here reflects the nature of the music..... wonderfully exhilarating, yet profound too.


----------



## Cheyenne

First Bruckner's 7th (Furtwängler) followed by La Mer (Boulez). Both were a first time and unbelievably beautiful: I'm right on my way to being a Brucknerian and.. Debussian, I guess. In between I've been listening to Debuyssy's delightful Danse Sacrée et Profane and Beethoven's Violin concerto with Wolfgang Schneiderhan or Heifetz.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major "Jupiter"
Boston Symphony, cond. Eschenbach

A radio broadcast of a concert from a week and a day ago.


----------



## Schubussy

Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Leonidas Kavakos


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet in A Major, KV 464

Chilingirian Quartet: Levon Chilingirian and Mark Butler, violins -- Nicolas Logie, viola -- Philip de Groote, cello

View attachment 15296


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Piano Sonata #33 in C Minor, H 16/20 -- Jenö Jandó

Schubert: Mass #5 in A Flat, D 678 -- Bruno Weil: Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Haydn: Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo, H 22/7, "Little Organ Mass" -- Tom Krause: Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields

Satie: Avant-Dernières Pensées -- Daniel Varsano

Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079 -- Semaine de Musique Baroque de Monaco


----------



## Mahlerian

Augusta Read Thomas: Cello Concerto 3 "Legend of the Phoenix" (Premiere)
Lynn Harrell, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Eschenbach

Same as above.


----------



## DeepR

I stumbled upon this one by clicking around on youtube, nice!


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, K478, Piano quartet in g-minor, performed by the Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet for Naxos.

While I cook... :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

Just as I add my final vegetables, K478 becomes K493, a piano quartet in E Flat major. What a great pity! There was to be 3 of these quartets and the Viennese found them to be too complicated, and so the publisher Hoffmeister who ordered them, cancelled the third one. 

And so we only have two. Very rarely did the pragmatic Mozart compose without a prior commission, and the few times he seems to have are disputed. We never got a third piano quartet from him, which is a crying shame...


----------



## Sonata

*Icon: Alicia De Larrocha. Discs 4 & 5*. I am rather too lazy to check and see which composers and pieces are featured on this disc, but is Spanish piano music. Rather a great set, I'm quite pleased with it. I only have three discs left: The concert of spanish songs as she accompanies Victoria De Los Angeles, and probably the two best- known spanish piano compositions: Granados Goyescas and Albeniz Iberia. Considering I've only been disappointed with Soler's sonatas and enjoyed nearly everything else on this set (save for perhaps one or two pieces here or there), I rather look forward to those final three discs!


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D 200, Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485 and Symphony No.8 in D 759 {"Unfinished"}. *All three works feature the Nikolaus Harnoncourt directed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under HVK's baton


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Over the last few days........

John Powell: Chicken Run movie soundtrack. 
Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (been doing English homework on that play)
*Sibelius:* Symphonies 1,2,3,5,6


----------



## Art Rock

Continuing my Wagner (re)exploration with Kubelik's Lohengrin.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Handel and Haydn Society

Via radio. I'm having a hard time with all the distortion. Whoever was working the sound board at this live performance wasn't doing a great job.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Easter Oratorio - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

Tailleferre - Piano Trio.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

Night Music!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Piano Music (*Hyperion*)









Angela Hewitt, piano

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Flagello, Missa Sinfonica*

Some post-Samuel Barber neo-romanticism - flawed in some places, true (this is one of his earlier works), but it still keeps my attention, and John McLaughlin Williams does a great job conducting.


----------



## SimonNZ

I thought that Hewitt Messiaen must have been a new release and I was jumping with excitement. Further investigation shows it was made in 1998, but somehow I've never seen a listing for it.

Still...how does it sound?

(current listening: the Herreweghe Easter Oratorio hit the spot so perfectly I'm playing it over again)


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1701-1775): Symphony in C Minor, J-C 9

Kevin Mallon conducting the Aradia Ensemble

View attachment 15303


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berwald, Sinfonie Singuliere.*


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> Still...how does it sound?


I like her performance a lot, Hewitt's Messiaen has much clear tone her Bach or Debussy/Ravel. Comparing, she is slightly clearer in her tone that fx. the more lyrical Aimard(DG) in the Preludes, either would suffice but are different enough to warrant owning both is You are a fan of Messiaen! (Hewitt and Aimard are my top choices for the preludes as You might guess!)

now a little later fluffy and melodic night music:

*Luigi Boccherini* - Cello Quintets, Vol. 2 (*Hyperion*)









RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet & Richard Lester, cello

Sweet!

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Thanks for the link and the thoughts, Sid. Listening (and reading) now:
> 
> View attachment 15276
> 
> 
> Sibelius' Tapiola - Edward Van Beinum, cond.


Well, your welcome. Added to what I said about possible links between Sibelius and Ligeti's and Xenakis' similarities in technique (or extending his techniques?) and also about bringing images of nature (but not necessarily comforting ones) to mind, I found this quote by Xenakis about his electronic work La Legende d'eer on the back of the cd I own of it:

"I was thinking of someone in the middle of an ocean. The elements are all around him, sometimes raging, sometimes calm."

But its not only that work with which I feel connections to nature. Its also others, either that waves crashing feel, or gliding above a vast landscape (again, some of Sibelius' stuff brings similar images to mind). & re Ligeti, his dense 'sound clouds' also have that natural element, and in the Chamber Concerto one of the movements where hammond organ is prominent, it sounds as if its submerged underwater, he's kind of more wierd and surreal like that. Same with some of his etudes (eg. arc en ciel - rainbow).

I would also say Australia's Peter Sculthorpe is in this kind of group, of non-Impressionist or post-Impressionist imagings of landscape, and those discomforting/confronting/elemental qualities that the article I posted talked about re Sibelius & Tapiola.

& re Sibelius, its Morton Feldman who coined that famous phrase implying people in the avant-garde before him (eg. Adorno) where wrong about him being a conservative.

"..The people who you think are radicals might really be conservatives. The people who you think are conservative might really be radical...' (he apparently said this after humming a tune from Sibelius' 5th symphony).

I did a discussion on it ages ago here.

I don't wanna derail this thread, just asking people to think outside the square re composers & music in general. There are so many connections!


----------



## Sid James

*Walton* _Violin Concerto & Cello Concerto _
Dong-Suk Kang, violin & Tim Hugh, cello with English Northern Philharmonia under Paul Daniel (Naxos)

*Delius* _Piano Concerto in C minor_ 
Benno Moiseiwitsch, piano with BBC SO under Sir Malcolm Sargent (BBC cd, recorded lived at the BBC Proms on September 13, 1955)


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1837): String Quartet in C Major, WoO 37

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Christian Gooses, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello

View attachment 15306


----------



## Kieran

Cosi Fan Tutti...


----------



## clavichorder

Symphonies op. 7 by Abel. Good 18th century orchestral music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 1: Franck- Violin Sonata in A; Lekeu- Violin Sonata in G

Disc 4: Short pieces by Kreisler, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Massenet, de Falla, Faure, etc...










Henri Dutilleaux- Works for solo piano










Mozart- Piano Concertos 17 & 20










Franz Schubert- Fierrabras. Yes Schubert wrote operas. Like most of Schubert's attempts at opera, Fierrabras reportedly suffers from a rather miserable libretto (but then this never hurt Puccini). The work was never performed until 1897 (and then in a truncated form) in spite of "much magnificent music in Schubert's score" according to Grove Music. The first recording (again abridged) was made in 1959. The Abbado recording made in 1988 was the first performances that used all of Schubert's music.

As usual per my first hearings of an opera I have only perused the synopsis and then am listening without looking at the libretto at all... allowing the music alone to sink in. I'll later go back on a second hearing and follow along with the libretto. What I have heard up to this point does indeed include some marvelous music. Considering Schubert's lieder, his choral works, his orchestral works... and the various attempts at opera and musical theater, I cannot help but think Schubert would have eventually evolved into a brilliant operatic composer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Cosi Fan Tutti...

Conductor? Singers?


----------



## SimonNZ

Walton's Symphony No.1 - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony


----------



## samurai

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony


That's a really lovely work, Neo, along with his *5th, 6th and 7th.
*


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 3
New Vienna String Quartet








Stravinsky: Apollo
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Igor Markevitch








A string-led pairing of works considerably more restrained than their predecessors in their respective composers' oeuvres.


----------



## Feathers

Saint-Saens' Violin Concerto No. 3 (Menuhin with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gaston Poulet)


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor {1876 Nowak version, with passages restored from the 1872 version}, *performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"},* featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {"A Pastoral Symphony"}, *again featuring Maestro Boult, this time leading the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Ferdinando Carulli *
Guitar Sonata, Op. 21, No. 2
Richard Savino, guitar


----------



## JamesBond

luximus said:


> every forum has one of these threads :d.


lol :d:d:d:d:d:d:d


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy songs - Anna Moffo, soprano, Jean Casadesus, piano


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese




----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy songs - Barbara Hendricks, soprano, Michel Beroff, piano

running circles around Anna Moffo


----------



## Kieran

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Cosi Fan Tutti...
> 
> Conductor? Singers?


Karl Bohm waving the stick.

Della Casa, Ludwig, Dermota, Schoeffler.

I've been recommended the Schwarzkopf one with Bohm but this is the one I'm used to and I love it!

Sorry for briefly typing last night


----------



## ptr

Sid James said:


> I don't wanna derail this thread, just asking people to think outside the square re composers & music in general. There are so many connections!


Derailed thread's are often the most giving ones! Often the first thing in the morning (after finding TC) the first thing I do is peruse new posts for inspiration for what to add to my coming play list/stack of CD's to play! And it is often the more derailed things that inspires the most!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Flamme said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=I538Gvf3-C0


I think I have this on a long OOP CD from Revelation?, Have to dig it out! What I remember of Bunin's music has been much fun... 

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730): Flute Sonata No.7 in D Minor

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord

View attachment 15321


----------



## ptr

..picking up on my derailed litening to British Quartets:

*Frank Bridge* - String Quartets No 3 & 4 (Did not listen to the Piano Trio's) (*Lyrita*)









The Allegri Quartet

*John Ireland* - String Quartets (ASV)









The Holywell Ensemble

*Michael Nyman* - String Quartets (Black Box)









The Lyric Quartet

All the Quartets here are somewhat uneven, but I think I like Ireland's lighter singing touch the best, haven't compared to the Maggini's on Naxos, but I'd think that a really good quartet could find more in the scores(?). Like the Nyman Quartets the least, think they contain to much chewing gum grind that go no were (Much more so than fx. Phil Glass Quartets)... 

/ptr


----------



## Art Rock

Onward in my Wagner (re)discovery quest: Die Meistersinger (von Karajan).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies 5,7,2


----------



## SimonNZ

...which reminds me that I meant to comment on this quote from the Sibelius article that Sid linked to a couple of days ago:

*Later that year, he explained to a journalist that the Eighth "will be the reckoning of my whole existence - 68 years. It will probably be my last. Eight symphonies and 100 songs. It has to be enough."*

Interesting, I thought, that the now neglected songs were the one genre he elevated to the level of the Symphonies as his artistic legacy.

After reading that I went and pulled this box out and will be listening to all 5 lps over the next week:


----------



## EricABQ

Rachmaninoff's Preludes op. 23 played by Santiago Rodriguez.


----------



## Andolink

W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner








W. A. Mozart: String Quartet in D major, K. 499 "Hoffmeister"
Quatuor Mosaïques








Luigi Boccherini: String Quintets from Op. 27; No. 4 in E flat major, No. 5 in G minor and No. 6 in B minor
La Magnifica Comunità 








Luigi Boccherini: String Trio in B major, op. 14 no. 5
La Real Cámara








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, op. 18 no. 1
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## ptr

British #3

*William Walton* - String Quartets (*Chandos*)









Doric String Quartet

Despite both being early works, both feels quite mature and finished!

And now something out of the French Quartet oeuvre:

*Alberic Magnard* & *Gabriel Fauré* - String Quartets (Ysaÿe/AEON)









Quatuor Ysaÿe

I should listen more to Magnard's music!

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Dvořák/Grieg/Schumann: Piano Concertos 
Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo/Lovro von Matačić; Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Carlos Kleiber; Sviatoslav Richter








Was on sale in HMV. The Grieg is amazing of course, as is the Schumann as I learnt yesterday. The Dvořák is new to me though, but seems pretty cool so far.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to some Julius Rontgen. I really love this guy! You could say he strikes a chord with me  I know pretty bad but I really do enjoy his compositions. This album happens to be the first volume of his cello sonatas. Some really great pieces here. Unfortunately the sound quality isn't as good as it could have been. It's listenable but the acoustics sound rather hollow for both piano and the cello.










Kevin


----------



## ptr

..more à la française:

*Gabriel Fauré* - Thirteen Nocturnes (*Testament*)









Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, piano

Superb playing, also in glorious mono!

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Starting in on my Handel Big Box with "Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne"


----------



## OboeKnight

Marche Slave....all the trashing of this piece in another thread has got me listening to it again :devil:


----------



## rrudolph

Heving started my musical day with a YouTube video of someone doing a tap dance interpretation of Frank Zappa's "The Black Page" (someone told me "you have to see it"..well now I have), I now turn my attention to some string quartets:

Carter: String Quartets 1 & 2









Sculthorpe, Sallinen, Glass, Nancarrow, Hendrix









Lutoslawski, Pencerecki, Mayuzumi, Cage









Most likely I'll listen to a Schoenberg quartet after that, and maybe the Webern trio.


----------



## JCarmel

Make mine a 'Barbirolli' dear OboeKnight!

In the meantime...for inspiration for ptr (cos it's different, at least!)

Sergei Bortkiewicz, Piano Music -1, Stephen Coombs









Bortkiewicz was born in the Ukraine in 1877 but ended-up living in Austria, becoming an Austrian citizen and teaching at the Vienna Conservatory. He enjoyed some popularity with the formation of a 'Bortkiewicz Society' in Vienna in 1947. But a lot of his music was lost in the destruction that came with the 2nd World War and/or is difficult to obtain, so his memory has faded...with the final fall-from-favour being when the Viennese civic authorities levelled his grave in the city cemetery in 1977!
But I enjoy his music....it's influenced by the music of Tchaikovsky & Anton Rubinstein, Chopin and Rachmaninov and is evocative, imaginative but I suppose, essentially sentimental. But I quite like to be sentimental....


----------



## Sonata

The cover art and your description make this an Amazon-wish list item for me Julie


----------



## JCarmel

There's nothing wrong with being, sentimental is there, Sonata?! I am sure that you have the wisdom to appreciate that.
But to 'crack-on' with my cassette collection (Sorry if it might be a tad boring for other TC members out there... but at least I'm having a great time with these been-too-long-languishing lengths of plastic polymer! To coin a phrase?!)









J S Bach Christmas Oratorio, Elly Ameling, Brigitte Fassbaender, Hermann Prey, Choir and Orchestra of 'Bayerischen Rundfunks' conducted by Eugen Jochum...this cassette IS 'a little cracker!'


----------



## Kieran

It's great going through old cassettes and records, JCarmel! I'm enjoying reading your playlists...


----------



## ahammel

Right now: the Keller Quartet's _Die Kunst der Fuge_









Up next: my brand new copy of Jos van Immerseel's Schubert Symphony Cycle:


----------



## ptr

2 X Ifukube etc.

*Japanese Orchestral Music* (*Bis*)
Akira Ifukube - Ballata Sinfonica (1943) / Karen Tanaka - Prismes pour orchestre (1984) / Yuzo Toyama - Symphonic Poem 'Matsura' (1982) / Atsutada Otaka - Image pour orchestre (1981) / Kaoru Wada - Folkloric Dance Suite for orchestra (1987)









Malmö SymfoniOrkester u. Juni'chi Hirokami

*Akira Ifukube* - Sinfonia Tapkaara / Ritmica Ostinata / Symphonic Fantasia No 1 (*Naxos*)









Ekaterina Saranceva, piano; Russian Philharmonic Orchestra u. Dmitry Yablonsky

This is my first serious dip in the Ocean of Ifukube, more positive than negative, there are moods that speak to me as well an underlying feel of not reaching a full potential, but I like the more folkloristic Tapkaara Symphony better than the other three works at hand. I don't know if it is the select recordings I have or the music, but it is that vague feeling I get with some music sometimes and I just can't put my finger on it but it makes me curious to investigate further... I hope I don't offend Tapkaara with this.. 

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I'm listening now to a most enjoyable performance on cassette of the music of *Frederic Delius *including his _Florida Suite_, the_ RPO conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham _that I used to play in the car when I went out for a days drive, usually at the Weekends back in the 1970's/1980's...when the roads were relatively deserted. In fact I used to choose the quiet roads to enjoy the peace and relaxation of taking a spin through lovely countryside, without another car in sight. I used to take the old Roman road, the Fosse Way (I called it 'The Hair' as it lies long, straight and thin as if a long strand of hair had dropped onto the map page) and it very directly took me down to 'The Cotswolds', to villages like' Moreton in the Marsh' and 'Stow on the Wold', where I'd wander-around the little shops till it was time to drive back home as fast as the car and the Law of the Land would allow!









Those halcyon days are long since gone.... but live long in the affections.


----------



## Kieran

I read somewhere that Karl Bohm is the go-to conductor for Mozart, and I have his Figaro and one of his Cosi's, and a few serenades and chamber works. But I bought his box-set of symphs and found the opening movement of the _Jupiter_ to be a repetition shy of being complete.  It stole from the magnificence of the piece. It became too brief, as if it was a seven-inch version of a twelve-inch disc. So I went and purchased a Leonard Bernstein conducted cd of #'s 40 and 41.

And that's what I'm listening to now, Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and we get the whole shebang, bells and whistles and all...


----------



## Op.123

21 violin concertos 
Rosza at the moment
I have others, Mendelssohn (my favourite), brahms, beethoven, wienawski, prokofiev, dvorak...etc


----------



## Cheyenne

Schnittke's requiem. My god..


----------



## Schubussy

I have that version too. One of my favourite Schnittke pieces.


----------



## JCarmel

F. Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto In E minor, Alfredo Campoli (violin) The London Philharmonic conducted by Eduard Van Beinum

I'm dedicating this listen to 'moody', who knows a 'mean' violinist when he hears one! And like I do, he highly rates the art of Alfredo Campoli.









I'm comparing Campoli's performance to that that I have on tape of Yehudi Menuhin...a renowned interpretation of his with Efrem Kurtz conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.









Preference...Campoli.


----------



## ptr

Just enjoyed:

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - A Sea Symphony (Symphony No 1) (RCA)









Heather Harper, soprano & John Shirley Quirk; London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus u. André Previn

And now playing:

*Gustav Mahler* - Kindertotenlieder & Rückertlieder, Urlicht (Symphony No.2 (1893) and Der Abschied From "Das Lied von der Erde" (arr Organ) (*Musica Rediviva*)









Maria Forsström, contralto & Johannes Landgren, organ of Vasakyrkan, Göteborg, Sweden

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Mahler and 'singing'...well, I'll go for this one....the last movement of my favourite Mahler Symphony, the 4th....Lucia Popp, Klaus Tennstedt conducting The London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto.*


----------



## ptr

music in the darkness:

*Pierre Cochereau* - Deux Grandes improvisations en concert; 
Suite de danses / Prélude, Adagio et Choral varié (Live 1974/1970) (Disques FY/Solstice)









Pierre Cochereau at the Grand Organ of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Cheyenne

First Debussy's string quartet, then Schnittke's third symphony, which convinced me to buy the symphony cycle, though that'll have to wait several weeks because I'm broke now due to the Debussy edition. Luckily that will keep me going for what I can only assume will be several years! I just hope too much Schnittke won't make me insane.


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: String Quintet in E Minor -- Diogenes Quartet together with Manuel van der Nahmer

Haydn: Parthia in E Flat, H 2/Deest -- Consortium Classicum

Clementi: Keyboard Sonata in B Flat, Op. 25/3 -- Vladimir Horowitz

Debussy: Suite Bergamasque, L 75 -- Alexis Weissenberg

^ I'm a major fan of the Passepied movement, it's quite beautiful.

Schubert: Sonatina in G Minor For Violin & Piano, Op. 137/3, D 408 -- Isaac Stern & Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Bartok's* (1881 - 1945) birthday, Piano Concerti 1 - 3, with Anda/RSO Berlin/Fricsay (rec. 1959 - '60); Piano Works with Kocsis (rec.1991 - '96).

View attachment 15362
View attachment 15363


----------



## Schubussy

Cheyenne said:


> then Schnittke's third symphony, which convinced me to buy the symphony cycle


I'm working my way through it now (I'm up to Symphony 6), definitely worth it! Listen to more Schnittke than anything these days. Lutoslawski is beginning to eat up some listening time though...

Lutoslawski - Concerto for Orchestra
Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra



> Debussy: Suite Bergamasque, L 75 -- Alexis Weissenberg
> 
> ^ I'm a major fan of the Passepied movement, it's quite beautiful.


As is the rest of it! Claudio Arrau's version has the highest playcount in my itunes (though when that was last reset I can't remember)


----------



## Flamme




----------



## SimonNZ

Massenet songs - Huguette Tourangeau, soprano, Richard Bonynge, piano


----------



## cwarchc

.....


----------



## JCarmel

Happy Birthday, Maestro (March 25th)...and 'Thanks' for the dynamic music-making and for conducting my favourite interpretation of Brahms 4th!

So I'm comparing my Toscanini interpretations of *Brahms 4th Symphony*....on cd, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, recorded June 1935









and with the NBC Symphony Orchestra ....recorded on one of my old cassettes....(though I have it on cd as well!)


----------



## Antihero




----------



## EricABQ

^^^^^^

There are probably no short piano pieces I enjoy more than La Campanella. Just a purely enjoyable piece of music.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.16 in F Major, Op.135

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello

View attachment 15368


----------



## GreenMamba

Bartok String Quartet #3 and 4. Chilingirian Qt.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 1
Krystian Zimerman, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## Wood

Haydn 94

Biber Joyful mysteries (*3)

Mussorgsky Pictures at an exhibition
Tchaikovsky Marche miniature










Haydn 98 (*2) Slow movement (requiem to Mozart?) is special.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dualite*: Compilation of harp works/arrangements of JS Bach, Saint-Saens, Faure, Thomas, Grandjany, Andres, Yatsuhashi, Kawamura, Damase, and Russian Melodies, with Lipman Harp Duo (rec. 2011).

*Faure*: 13 Barcarolles,etc., with Collard (rec.1970 - '83).

View attachment 15369


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Karl Bohm waving the stick.

Della Casa, Ludwig, Dermota, Schoeffler.

I've been recommended the Schwarzkopf one with Bohm but this is the one I'm used to and I love it!

Yes. That is a very fine recording. I just picked it up last summer in this format:










Of course I'm of the firm belief that no single recording of Mozart's operas is definitive. Indeed, you can never have too many of his great operas. Among my favorites I'd include not only the 1955 Karl Böhm and the 1962 Karl Böhm with Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Kraus, Berry, etc... that has every bit earned its reputation:










Beyond that is the brilliant 1954 Karajan:










and the recent Rene Jacobs with Veronique Gens, Bernarda Fink, Werner Güra, etc...










I came to this recording after developing a real passion for Lisa della Casa last year... especially in her recordings of Richard Strauss:



















... but also in her recording of Johann Strauss' _Fledermaus_, as well as Mozart's _Le Nozze di Figaro_. Her death last year was one of the true losses of the classical music world.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 15364
> 
> 
> Massenet songs - Huguette Tourangeau, soprano, Richard Bonynge, piano


I see you're on a real lieder/song kick.


----------



## peeyaj

*Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring*

Found a new respect for Stravinsky for this highly original and innovative work.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Current (and near current) listening:

I'm still (slowly... is there any other way?) working my way through this one:










and then:


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dream"}* *and Symphony No.2 in G Major, Op.29 {"Little Russia"},* both performed by the New York Philharmonic under the wand of Leonard Bernstein.
Ralph Vaughan Williams*--Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"},* featuring soprano Norma Burrowes, the London Philharmonic Choir, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, all led by Sir Adrian Boult.

These selections on my part most definitely reflect the dank and unsettled weather conditions which are prevalent tonight.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok - String Quartets CD 1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Trios, with Borodin Trio (rec.1983); *RVW*: String Quartets 1 & 2, Phantasy Quintet, with Jackson/Maggini Qt. (rec.2000).

View attachment 15371
View attachment 15372


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ....and then:


Spooked me. Thought it was Jodi Arias.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 2
Sviatoslav Richter, Orchestre de Paris, cond. Maazel


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor, Op.105

Mark Kaplan, violin -- Anton Kuerti, piano

View attachment 15373


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I see you're on a real lieder/song kick.


Trying to do a little gentle pruning of the lieder lp collection at the moment, but like the Bach collection its the hardest thing to cut back - those being the two areas I love most and where I want multiple recordings of individual works and representation of changing performance styles and of the artists I most admire. I'll have to do the same with the lieder cds soon, too.

Still its nice to be replaying the more line-call stuff that hasn't been given a listen in a while. Throwing up some surprises - that Massenet, for example was unexpectedly good, better than I remember it being when I got it just to fill a gap.


----------



## millionrainbows

Bach, Brandenburgs, right now the magnificent No. 3 in G. Yehudi Menuhin, Bath Festival Orchestra 2-CD (EMI/Seraphim). 


This is good Spring music. 

I don't like the use of wooden recorders instead of metal flutes, but the fiddle playing more than makes up for it. This is an old-issue disc (1995), and it sounds a bit brash in the highs, but is otherwise good, and I picked it up used for cheap. All of these Seraphim budget issues I like, especially the Menhuin-led ones.


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra

Listened to it twice.


----------



## JCarmel

Dear millionrainbows,
I had intended to Post that good old recording, tomorrow, too!
Hang on...I mean Today?! Been listening to the Cricket all night, so I don't quite know what day it is now?!


----------



## Guest

Bartok's String Quartet no. 4 is helping me as I finish writing a piece for violin and piano. The last movement in particular has been inspirational.


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Les Nuits D'Ete

Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano, Daniel Barenboim, cond.

and

Janet Baker, mezzo, John Barbirolli, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

For some reason, lots of atonality tonight...?

Via Spotify:
Sessions: String Quintet
The Group for Contemporary Music

Via Youtube:
Babbitt: String Quartet No. 2

Webern: 5 Movements for Sting Quartet, Op. 5
Alban Berg Quartet

Babbitt tends to lose me pretty quickly, but the Sessions (which was new to me) was an interesting listen, and of course I love the Webern.


----------



## Feathers

Haydn's Symphonies No. 80 and 81 (Sir Charles Mackerras with the Australian Chamber Orchestra)

Scriabin's Symphony No. 2 (Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies 7,5,1


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann*'s Symphony No.2


----------



## Conor71

*Bax: Symphony No. 3*

I got this set last year and my early impressions of it were very good. I want to try to get to know the music a bit better so I will probably have this one on repeat for the next couple of days.


----------



## Conor71

Vaneyes said:


> *Rachmaninov*: Piano Trios, with Borodin Trio (rec.1983); *RVW*: String Quartets 1 & 2, Phantasy Quintet, with Jackson/Maggini Qt. (rec.2000).
> 
> View attachment 15371
> View attachment 15372


Thats an awesome selection as ususal Vaneyes - especially like the RVW String Quartet No. 2!


----------



## Kivimees

Now playing on the radio:

The Ethos Quartet - Icelandic String Quartets
(Smekkleysa, 2008)

Works by Helgi Palssoni, Jon Nordali, Hakur Tomassoni and Pordur Magnussoni


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata in G Minor, Op.2, No.3, BuxWV 261

John Holloway, violin -- Jaap ter Linden, viola -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord

View attachment 15383


----------



## ptr

My morning trio:

*Pierre Cochereau* - L'art de l'improvisation (*Fy/Solstice*)









Pierre Cochereau aux les orgues de Notre Dame de Paris

*Béla Bartók* - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra / *Peter Eötvös* - Replica for Viola and Orchestra / *György Kurtág* - Movement for Viola and Orchestra (*ECM*)









Kim Kashkashian, viola; Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra u. Peter Eötvös

*Lou Harrison* - For Strings (*Mode*)
(Suite No. 2 for Strings (1948) / Suite for Symphonic Strings (1960) / Concerto for Pipa with String Orchestra "Bits and Pieces" (1997))









Wu Man, pipa; The New Professionals Orchestra, London u. Rebecca Miller

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major, D. 959
Alfred Brendel, piano








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartets from Op. 18; No. 4 in C minor and No. 2 in G major
Quatuor Mosaïques














Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 20 no. 1, Hob. III.31
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## JCarmel

To mark the anniversary today of the death of Beethoven, my own little tribute comes in the replaying of a cassette tape I made from a record library disc, many decades ago in an enjoyable interpretation of The Kreutzer Sonata, played by Perlman and Ashkenazy.









I think it's just about the only piece of Perlman playing that I have...I don't particularly rate him so highly but I know that many do. So maybe it is just me that is out of kilter, here. But if a musician doesn't play like I want to sing-along, then I'd rather find one that does....& it's usually a test that works for me. 
Anyway, when I was a child my Dad and I used to sing-along to many favourite pieces of music, with silly little ditty's. The last movement of the Kreutzer's was.... 'One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four......Five Potato, Six Potato, Seven Potato, more! It 'strophes' beautifully!






37 minutes and 27 seconds in...if anyone cares to try it out. The trouble is, that such silly things tend to stick in the brain....!


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Mainly to keep my mother awake whilst driving. :lol:


----------



## JCarmel

For EricABQ...my choice of *Chopin* interpreter would be Dinu Lipatti.

I used to play Darts to this recording in my childhood and learnt to love the music, the music-making and improve my skill at the same time. The dartboard was hung on my bedroom door but I never got _that _good with the 'arrows'...and when years later, the dartboard was removed...there was a perfect circle of little holes left in the wood.
It's my own fault, I never should have played ChOpin...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockeghem, Missa de plus en plus.*


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's death anniversary today? Then I'll root out Alfred Brendel playing the sonatas. This is the Beethoven I like most, alongside the Kreutser sonata. Though I'll listen to that later because I'm reading the Tolstoy story at the mo...


----------



## JCarmel

Dedicated to SimonNZ, a fellow lieder-lover!
I too have been leafing-through the old LP's, Simon...and am enjoying listening again today to Elisabeth Soderstrom, very well-accompanied by Vladimir Askenazy. It's her recording of Tchaikovsky's songs this afternoon...









I can't find a youtube clip of that particular recording but there are several of her singing Rachmaninov's songs with her committed artistry. I liked her singing a lot!


----------



## ptr

A trio for lunch:

*Francis Poulenc* - Works for 2 Pianos + Violin Sonata, Elegi for Horn (*Decca*)









Chantal Juillet, violin; André Cazalet, horn; Pascal Rogé & Jean-Philippe Collard, piano

*Iannis Xenakis* - Pléiades / Maki Ishii - Concertante Op 79 (Denon OOP?)









Les Percussions de Strasbourg et Keiko Abe, marimba

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Piano Concerto No 3 (RCA Live 1978)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano; New York PO u. Eugene Ormandy

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Honegger, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## JCarmel

And this one is for millionrainbows?!

J S Bach, Suites for Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin directing The Bath Festival Orchestra.

This recording got played a lot in my childhood home. Dad used to contribute to the housework by occasionally doing the ironing but insisted on being able to do so...to Bach. He thought it helped swish the iron back and forth with the necessary vigour, to get the job done, asap!









The favourite Suite was unsurprisingly, No 3...and the little ditty that got sung to the Gigue at the end, began 'a Girl's Best Friend, is a sewing machine, a sewing machine'.....which in those days it was. Most of my uniform for school was made at home by Mum, with the aid of the 'Singer' machine because we couldn't afford to buy the equivalent articles in the shops!


----------



## Kivimees

Anyone interested in hearing the Icelandic CD I posted about earlier can do so:

http://klassikaraadio.err.ee/helid?main_id=1579603

You will, however, have to listen to a young woman "explain" things to you in Estonian, which compared to Icelandic seems like a commonly-spoken tongue.


----------



## OboeKnight

Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## millionrainbows

Per Mahlerian's mention, John Adams (b. 1948): _China Gates (1977)_ and _Phrygian Gates (1977-78)_, Gloria Cheng-Cochran, piano (TELARC 1998).

Adams' music is pleasant enough; both pieces change a lot, and have more change and quicker development than most other Minimalism, perfect for the linear-type attention span of Western listeners in Idaho and Nebraska. China Gates clocks in at only 4:57, compared to Phrygian Gates at 25:55.

For me, some of the dynamic changes are too abrupt, and create a sense of bombast. About six minutes into Phrygian Gates, it sounds like Horowitz banging away.

These are paired on this disc with two Terry Riley pieces, The Walrus in Memoriam (1991-93), written for John Lennon, and The Heavenly Ladder, Book 7 (1994). These are written-out piano pieces by Riley, unusual for him, since most of his keyboard works are based on improvisation. There are strong Romantic elements here, a side of Riley not evident in his earlier work.
--------------------------------
There is a connection between jazz and Minimalism in the late 1960s which is the crucial element which allowed Minimalism to "separate" from the avant-garde New York environment which it sprang from.

In the late 1940s and 1950s, the be-bop jazz of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, and Bud Powell dominated. Players navigated through tunes with two chord changes per measure, playing blistering solos like frantic "rats in a harmonic maze."

By the 1960s, be-bop was discarded in favor of a more modal, tone-centric approach, with highly chromatic solos played over harmonically static drones. Compare John Coltrane's _Giant Steps_ with his later _A Love Supreme;_ compare Miles Davis' work with Charlie Parker to his later _Kind of Blue._

The jazz/Minimalism connection makes more sense if you consider that both shared this "drone" aesthetic of static harmony, similar to Indian raga music.

La Monte Young was a serious jazz sax player, as was Riley (on piano as well.) Riley's Lisbon Concert is the best disc to hear this jazz aspect of Riley.


----------



## millionrainbows

JCarmel said:


> And this one is for millionrainbows?!
> 
> J S Bach, Suites for Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin directing The Bath Festival Orchestra.
> 
> This recording got played a lot in my childhood home. Dad used to contribute to the housework by occasionally doing the ironing but insisted on being able to do so...to Bach. He thought it helped swish the iron back and forth with the necessary vigour, to get the job done, asap!
> 
> View attachment 15403
> 
> 
> The favourite Suite was unsurprisingly, No 3...and the little ditty that got sung to the Gigue at the end, began 'a Girl's Best Friend, is a sewing machine, a sewing machine'.....which in those days it was. Most of my uniform for school was made at home by Mum, with the aid of the 'Singer' machine because we couldn't afford to buy the equivalent articles in the shops!


You've got the original EMI issue. I wonder if it sounds better than my Seraphim? Nice story about the uniforms.


----------



## Wood

Haydn 97

Mussorgsky: Night on a bald mountain

As an alternative take on the art song, some fabulous music from India:


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 3 in D major, op.18
Quatuor Mosaïques






(This performance, more than any other I've heard, reveals the absolute genius of this music.)


----------



## Sonata

Granado's Goyescas over breakfast. Great start for my morning! And what beautiful artwork


----------



## JCarmel

No, I'm afraid that it probably doesn't, millionrainbows. I bought the cd set at considerable cost...rather than make do with my old recorded and much-played cassettes from the library LP's. But the string-tone is weedy and all-in-all, has been a disappointing purchase, over the years. But the memory of past-enjoyment helps alleviate that.....


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4.*

Szell's interpretation has been called quicksilver. It's an apt description. I'm amazed at what he did with this ensemble.


----------



## JCarmel

Another old cassette taken from an LP of the famous recording of *J Brahms *Second Symphony conducted by that great Virgoan, Bruno Walter with The Columbia Symphony Orchestra....who managed to combine the quest for perfection with some natural charm.









In my dvd of the great conductors of the twentieth century, there is archive film of him relentlessly taking the orchestra members back to play and replay a passage of music until it fitted his conception of it to a tee. But he managed to do so with a degree of graciousness and sincerity, that meant that he eventually got just what he required in the end. Slowly, slowly catchee Monkey...as they say?!
He always struck me as a conductor that I would have very much liked to meet. He was wise-enough to recognise that those who know the most, are frequently those who demonstrate the greatest humility.


----------



## ptr

*P. I. Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No 6 B minor Op 76 "Pathétique" (Canyon OOP?)









USSR State Symphony Orchestra u. Evegeny Svetlanov, live in Tokyo

*An utter banality!* It takes someone super powers like Svetlanov to make sense of the Pathétique!  ... For me Svetlanov's live in Tokyo Symphony Cycle is best performances of Tchaikovsky Symphonies bar none!

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Witold Lutosławski - Orchestral Works I &II 
Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*20th Century Piano Sonatas.*

Halfway into the disc, I like Hindemith's Piano Sonata No. 2. It sounds like it was written by Les Six.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Elgar's Violin Concerto.


----------



## rrudolph

I started with some "homework" listening; I needed to listen to all of the pieces my percussion ensemble is working on in program order to make sure that the flow of the entire performance will work. Most of these pieces are not available in commercially recorded form, but there are YouTubes of all of them should anybody be interested. They are:

Thom Hasenpflug: Bicksa
Nigel Westlake: Omphalo Centric Lecture
Casey Cangelosi: Walking Left Handed (actually solo percussion with prerecorded sounds, but we're putting it on the program anyway)
Robert McClure: ...of the earth
David Skidmore: Ritual Music
Mark Ford: Stubernic
Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet
Dave Hollinden: The Whole Toy Laid Down

After that, more percussion ensemble music (which we're NOT playing):

Stuart Smith: Each Moment an Ending/...And Points North/Links #11/Breath/Polka in Treblinka/Thaw









Wendy Mae Chambers: Twelve Squared


----------



## JCarmel

Well, we've got weather as from the Russian Steppe...so let's have the very finest that the Russian step...as choreographed by Marius Petipa...can offer us... and Tchaikovsky's genius as a composer can too. They go hand-in-hand in my mind. The Ballets are the very best of him, I believe.









*P Tchaikovsky*, The Sleeping Beauty, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet.

http://www.youtuberepeater.com/watch?v=Ff9wotb7pyM&name=Margot+Fonteyn+Rose+Adagio

http://www.youtuberepeater.com/watch?v=OCqLn70HNi0&name=AMAZING+BALANCE+Alina+Cojocaru+09

My all-time favourite ballerina, Margot Fonteyn (poor quality video, I'm afraid) & my current favourite, Alina Cojocaru...who is just amazing!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Webern*: Orchestral Works, with BPO/Boulez/HvK (rec.1974 - '94)

View attachment 15414
View attachment 15415


----------



## JCarmel

'My 'Obeisance' to two Birthdate anniversaries....first,* Pierre Boulez*

A. Bruckner, Symphony No 8, Pierre Boulez conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra









and the dvd release of the same recording can be accessed here






and remembering that Beethoven anniversary again today and coupling that with that of the 'birthday' of *Wilhelm Backhaus* in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, conducted by Clemens Krauss, that I used to listen to on an old Ace of Clubs LP!









A wonderful interpretation.


----------



## Kieran

Brendel performing the Waldstein sonata for Brilliant Classics, while I'm cooking...


----------



## Mahlerian

Brian: Symphony No. 1 in D minor "Gothic"

Via Youtube, from last years Proms concert.

I always wonder when I try to slog through this thing: is this music really as empty, soulless, and uninspired as it sounds to me?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> I always wonder when I try to slog through this thing: is this music really as empty, soulless, and uninspired as it sounds to me?


That hasn't been my experience. I think it sags in the middle, but it usually keeps my interest. But as they say, different strokes for different folks.

Right now I'm slogging through Wourinen's Tashi. I suppose it's great music, but I'm kind of tired and a little cranky, and on first listen, it's annoying me.


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> That hasn't been my experience. I think it sags in the middle, but it usually keeps my interest. But as they say, different strokes for different folks.


I'm aware that it has its fans, and I'm not so confident in my abilities as a listener to feel I can judge something on a few cursory listens, especially if it has yet to receive a truly great performance. That said, I find just about everything about it "wrong", so to speak, from the melody to the harmony to the orchestration.

I've never been able to sit through it in one go (I have done this with Mahler's 3rd, for example, many times), and this time I had to stop after Part 1. I'll go back later for the rest.

I've heard comparisons made to the Symphonies of Bax, and while those leave me similarly unmoved from what little I have experienced, I think I can hear something in them that would interest me to return.


----------



## Head_case

Missing my cat so I'm listening to Karlowicz's violin concerto played by Nigel Kennedy


----------



## tdc

Mahlerian said:


> I'm aware that it has its fans, and I'm not so confident in my abilities as a listener to feel I can judge something on a few cursory listens, especially if it has yet to receive a truly great performance. That said, I find just about everything about it "wrong", so to speak, from the melody to the harmony to the orchestration.
> 
> I've never been able to sit through it in one go (I have done this with Mahler's 3rd, for example, many times), and this time I had to stop after Part 1. I'll go back later for the rest.
> 
> I've heard comparisons made to the Symphonies of Bax, and while those leave me similarly unmoved from what little I have experienced, I think I can hear something in them that would interest me to return.


I would try one of Brian's shorter symphonies if you are having difficulty enjoying his work. I personally enjoy the 2nd symphony from start to finish, and the 10th is growing on me a lot. I think his 1st has some really great stuff going on in it, but I do actually feel it is perhaps a bit too long and drawn out.

Inspired by yours and Elgar's Ghost's posts in the roaring '20s thread I'm currently listening to Schoenberg's SQ no. 3 right now performed by the Kohon String Quartet.


----------



## Schubussy

JS Bach - Trio Sonatas
The Purcell Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Derive 1, Derive 2 (2002 version)
Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Boulez









Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Chicago Symphony, cond. Boulez









I love the covers on Boulez's DG Mahler series.


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 9
> Chicago Symphony, cond. Boulez
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love the covers on Boulez's DG Mahler series.


Yeah, that's a fantastic cover. I've just looked for others and they're quite expressive. Do we know the design artists name?


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> Yeah, that's a fantastic cover. I've just looked for others and they're quite expressive. Do we know the design artists name?


The painter of this particular cover (looking at the booklet here) is Gino Severini. The art director for the disc (and probably several of them in the series, before they became replaced with pictures of Boulez) was Peter Schuppe, who probably chose the paintings.


----------



## Schubussy

I really hate bad cover art. I like those Mahler ones though.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto 5
Neville Marriner, Academy Of St Martin In The Fields








No strong feelings on the cover art here but the music is great.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubussy said:


> I really hate bad cover art. I like those Mahler ones though.


I am pretty sure this is among the worst covers I've ever seen:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Schubussy

I've seen some pretty cheesy pianist poses/stares into the distance. There's one in particular but I can't remember who it is. Hmm. Trying to find it now..

(while listening to Satie's Gnossiennes)

edit: Didn't find the one I wanted, but I did find this.


----------



## Kieran

^^ Yeah, you have to ask what did Radu Lupu think he was doing, posing before that moonlit sea. So much cheese the EU would store it in a warehouse somewhere as surplus.

Right now, it's Mozart, K304, violin sonata in e-minor, Barenboim and Perlman driving the horses.

This is a brief sonata, but I suppose when we mention sublime simplicity with Mozart, this is the kind of thing we look for, particularly the second movement. It's all that stuff he left out, the restraint as opposed to the urge to milk it for what it's worth. It says so much more, to me, than excessive face-pulling and exhaustive mannerisms...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies 38 and 39.*


----------



## DrKilroy

Grieg - Piano Concerto in A.
Vaughan Williams - English Folk Song Suite, A Pastoral Symphony.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## worov

Currently listening to Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (Mravinsky) :






Amazing !


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Requiem.*

Wow, that's intense. The Tuba Mirum sounds like the soundtrack to Night of the Living Dead.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brian, Symphony No. 1.*

For some reason, I like this piece. Maybe it's because I like big, noisy orchestral music. And, shucks, that assemblage looks like the backdrop to the Last Judgment.


----------



## Schubussy

Valentin Silvestrov - Symphony 5
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Head_case

Listening to the Dante Quartet interpret Franck & Fauré string quartets.

It's a sublime disc. I'm not one for Franck usually however their performance is really persuasive.


----------



## millionrainbows

John Harbison (b. 1938): Piano Sonata No. 1 (1985). Ursula Oppens, piano (Music & Arts 2-CD).

If Harbison is a "new Romantic," I must have forgotten what that is. The music is harmonically challenging, very dissonant, and appears to make no concessions other than it's always harmonically rich and sensible. It makes musical sense always. It's about 16 minutes long. Dedicated to Roger Sessions, that gives you an idea of what this is like.

This is, of course, helped along by Ursula Oppens, who is, to me, the best living pianist, male or female. I got this disc to hear her play, as well as being in total agreement with her artistic vision and choice of material.


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> John Harbison (b. 1938): Piano Sonata No. 1 (1985). Ursula Oppens, piano (Music & Arts 2-CD).
> 
> If Harbison is a "new Romantic," I must have forgotten what that is. The music is harmonically challenging, very dissonant, and appears to make no concessions other than it's always harmonically rich and sensible. It makes musical sense always.
> 
> This is, of course, helped along by Ursula Oppens, who is, to me, the best living pianist, male or female. I got this disc to hear her play, as well as being in total agreement with her artistic vision and choice of material.


Harbison was a student of Roger Sessions, and his teacher's love of Schoenberg (especially expressionist Schoenberg) must have rubbed off on him. James Levine was a great champion of Harbison's music, which I always find very well-written.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Harbison was a student of Roger Sessions, and his teacher's love of Schoenberg (especially expressionist Schoenberg) must have rubbed off on him. James Levine was a great champion of Harbison's music, which I always find very well-written.


I edited Sessions' dedication in while you were posting. Yes, I like James Levine quite a bit, especially his championing of American modernists like Carter, Schuller, and Feldman.


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G major, op. 76 no. 1, Hob. III:75
Quatuor Mosaïques








W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 "Haffner"
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century/Frans Bruggen


----------



## bejart

John Marsh (1752-1828): Symphony No.4 in F Major

Ian Graham-Jones directing the Chichester Concert

View attachment 15435


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Baryton Trios #53 - #101 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Took up most of the day. Pretty awesome.


----------



## Schubussy

Mahler - Symphony No.6 
Thomas Sanderling, St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

"Missa Caput and the story of the Salve Regina" - Gothic Voices


----------



## GreenMamba

G.B. Sammartini, Symphony in E-flat Major. Milan Classical Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

JCarmel said:


> Dedicated to SimonNZ, a fellow lieder-lover!
> I too have been leafing-through the old LP's, Simon...and am enjoying listening again today to Elisabeth Soderstrom, very well-accompanied by Vladimir Askenazy. It's her recording of Tchaikovsky's songs this afternoon...
> 
> View attachment 15400
> 
> 
> I can't find a youtube clip of that particular recording but there are several of her singing Rachmaninov's songs with her committed artistry. I liked her singing a lot!


As it happens I've got one of the Soderstrom / Ashkenazy Rachmaninov albums picked out to play later on today:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> As it happens I've got one of the Soderstrom / Ashkenazy Rachmaninov albums picked out to play later on today:
> 
> View attachment 15442


I quite enjoyed this recording myself. I picked it up not long ago as part of this 2-disc set:


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.8 in D Minor, *performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3 {"Sinfonia espansiva"} and Symphony No.4 {"The Inextinguishable"}*, both works featuring Theodore Kuchar and the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Andolink

Schubussy said:


> Mahler - Symphony No.6
> Thomas Sanderling, St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
> View attachment 15436


The greatest recording of the greatest 20th century symphony!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak - Violin Concerto


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Bassoon Concerto K191 - Michael Chapman, bassoon, Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Brahms/Schumann Violin Concertos


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: The Song Of The High Hills*

Listening to selected works from this box-set again - its a treasure trove of good stuff!


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Adolf Hasse (25 March 1699-1783): Flute Concerto in G Major

Andrew Manze leading Concerto Copenhagen -- Irene Spangler, flute

View attachment 15451


----------



## Kieran

Schubert's Unfinished 7th Symph, in b-minor, D759, performed by the Concertbegouw Orchestra, conducted by Willem Menglelberg, in 1939.

I got an excellent 10-cd set of Schubert work last year, contains most of his greatest works.









I can't help but feel that the legendary Unfinished Symphony of Schubert seems quite finished, after all...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius* violin concerto. Will listen to it as many times as possible this evening.


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> As it happens I've got one of the Soderstrom / Ashkenazy Rachmaninov albums picked out to play later on today:


I seem to be the only one, but I really hate how Liz Söderström's voice sounds, she is so unidiomatic singing in Russian... 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

My internet provider had traffic fallouts last night due to atmospheric disruptions so I lost my all important report (  ) of what I played last night, everything just vanished and the auto-save java backup only seem to work when you are on-line..

Here is a summary:

*Francis Poulenc* - Chamber Music (Decca) Pascal Rogè et les amis







*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - A London Symphony /Concerto Accademico (RCA) Andre Previn et al







*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - The Wasps (Hallé) - Sir Mark Elder and his Manchester forces







*Johannes Brahms* - Violin Concerto & String Sextet No 2 - (Harmonia Mundi) Isabelle Faust & Daniel Harding








/ptr


----------



## ptr

This morning I've enjoyed this very vocal trio:

*The Delius Collection Vol. 5* (Unicorn-Kanchana OOP)
(Orchestral Songs / Songs with Piano)









Felicity Lott, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Sarah Walker; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Eric Fenby, piano

*Georges Aperghis* & *Heiner Müller* - Die Hamletmaschine-Oratorio (*Cypres* 2002)









Françoise Kubler, Soprano, Geneviève Strosser, Viola, Voice, Jean-Pierre Drouet, Percussion, Voice, Lionel Peintre, Romain Bischoff, baritones; SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart & Ictus u. Georges-Elie Octors

*James MacMillan* - St John Passion (*LSO Live*)









Christopher Maltman, baritone; London Symphony Orchestra u. Sir Colin Davis

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

I'm off to ptr-land again:


----------



## EricABQ

Carl Maria Von Weber Sonata # 1 and Rondo Briillante in E flat played by Hamish Milne.


----------



## JCarmel

Turning again to Toscanini and comparing how two Old-Timers tackle Haydn's Symphony No 101 'The Clock'

First up...Arturo Toscanini conducting the New York Philharmonic...recorded March 29th, 1929!









and then, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded in Abbey Rd Studios, 1958-9


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartets from Op. 18; No. 5 in A major and No. 6 in B flat major
Quatuor Mosaïques








Elliott Carter: Enchanted Preludes (Harvey Sollberger, flute and Fred Sherry, cello); Duo (Rolf Schulte, violin and Martin Goldray, piano)








Brian Ferneyhough: String Quartet No. 2
The Arditti Quartet








François Couperin: Vingt-quatrième ordre (Quatrième Livre, 1730)
Olivier Baumont, harpsichord








Robert Simpson: Trio for violin, cello and piano
The Lowbury Piano Trio


----------



## Schubussy

Andolink said:


> The greatest recording of the greatest 20th century symphony!


Best recording? Don't know about that, it's the only one I have. Good to see I chose wisely though (unless your opinion is just really really odd  )

Best 20th century symphony? I almost agree, but...

What am I listening to?
Shostakovich - Symphony 5







Mariss Jansons, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
:tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*John Harbison, Choral Cantata.*

I can't find a picture of his At First Light CD, but it's Dawn Upshaw singing.


----------



## ptr

Kivimees said:


> I'm off to ptr-land again:


Actually, I feel closer to the Baltic then I do Sweden, those swede's are such petit-maître's.. 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Inspired by CA's Ravel thread:

*Maurice Ravel* - Orchestral Works (*Decca (part of)*)









Orchestre symphonique de Montréal u. Charles Dutoit

and on to:

*Maurice Ravel* - Piano Trio / *Dmitri Shostakovich* - Two Piano Trios (Intim Musik)









Fujita Piano Trio

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Messiaen: Chronochromie (1959-60); La Ville d'en Haut (1987); Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum (1964). Pierre Boulez, Cleveland Orch (DG 1995).

The 1960s is my favorite Messiaen period; Et Exspecto is my favorite work of his. I love the winds and percussion. It's crazy sounding stuff, and the subject matter is equally creepy: people rising up out of their graves. That reminds me of an old Chick publications religious tract, those weird little cartoon pamphlets with literal illustrations of people in Hell, etc. Trippy!


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Now listening to Brahms/Schumann Violin Concertos


 That's the good stuff!


----------



## Novelette

Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

Mozart: Divertimento for String Quartet in F, K 138 -- Hagen Quartet

Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 -- Claudio Abbado: London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I know that Mozart gets a lot of flack around here but I happen to really like the guy. Especially first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee to get my day started. So, this week before heading off to pay the bills I'm working my way through this fine recording of Mozart's piano trios by the Beau Arts Trio. I love the sound and professionalism of these guys. I have never bought a CD of theirs I did not like.










Kevin


----------



## JCarmel

The Kegelstatt Trio is a big favourite of mine, Kevin....take no flack for that choice!
But perhaps my next listening choice composer also receives a deal of flack, nowadays....

Someone on another thread mentioned about grabbing their Ketelbey..(if you'll pardon the expression?!)









Well, I've grabbed mine and am enjoying whistling-along with the whistling birds in 'In a Monastery Garden' at the moment and I'm off soon, to the' Persian Market' and 'Chinese Temple Garden!'

Albert W. Ketelbey was born in Birmingham, became a church organist and concert pianist and his burgeoning compositional talents found full-employment during the years of silent movies, writing evocative music that provided a sound-world to supplement the moving pictures on screen. His music was so very popular, he was able to retire in quiet comfort on their earnings...and take an interest in his nephews musical progress. That nephew was Clifford Curzon, of course.
And Clifford refers to this relationship in his Desert Island Discs recording.






Indeed his first disc choice is 'In a Monastery Garden'.
I like to listen to a wide spectrum of music, so Ketelbey's 'OK' for me...and Sir Cliff!


----------



## Novelette

Kevin Pearson said:


> I know that Mozart gets a lot of flack around here but I happen to really like the guy. Especially first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee to get my day started. So, this week before heading off to pay the bills I'm working my way through this fine recording of Mozart's piano trios by the Beau Arts Trio. I love the sound and professionalism of these guys. I have never bought a CD of theirs I did not like.


I used to knock Mozart a lot, but I've warmed to him a little bit over the years. At any rate, my rule with music is this: if you like it, you should listen!

And I totally agree about Beaux Arts Trio: I've also never heard a performance of theirs that I didn't like.

Coffee and Beaux Arts Trio? I can hardly imagine a better way to start a day.


----------



## rrudolph

Inspired by yesterday's "Roaring 20s" discussion, I'm revisiting some of the composers mentioned on that thread:

Satie: Complete 4 Hand Piano Music (I listened to a bunch of Satie and Debussy last night, too)









Satie: Parade/Milhaud: Le Bouef sur le Toit/Poulenc: Les Biches









Milhaud: Creation du Monde/Suite/Scaramouche/Trois Rag-Caprices/Caramel Mou









Roussel: Bacchus et Ariadne/Symphony #3









After that, Varese and Schoenberg.


----------



## Andolink

Schubussy said:


> Best recording? Don't know about that, it's the only one I have. Good to see I chose wisely though (unless your opinion is just really really odd  )
> 
> Best 20th century symphony? I almost agree, but...
> 
> :tiphat:


Actually, on a thread I started a few months ago specifically asking for opinions as to the best Mahler 6th recording, there was some consensus around the Sanderling/St. Petersburg Phil. as being the best. After getting hold of a copy, I soon understood why. It really is a brilliant performance.


----------



## ptr

Lunch Duo:

*Franz Schubert* - Symphony No 5 & 8 + Marche militaire (Organ transkr. E.E. Stender) (*Ornament*)









Ernst-Erich Stender an der Großen Orgel der St. Marienkirche zu Lübeck

*Harald Vogel - Orgel ...rund um die welt Vol 1* (*Organeum*)









Harald Vogel an der Brombaugh-Orgel (1992) im Hagakyrkan, Göteborg, Sweden

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I don't hear too many mentions of Prokofiev's Violin Concertos.... No.1 in D Major/No 2 in G Minor.
Well, I'm remedying that now...as they are both favourites of mine and Isaac Stern plays them with energetic lyricism on this cd with Eugene Ormandy conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra. The Andante Assai of the second concerto is magical.









If I've time, I'm going to remind myself of Vengerov's performance of the No 1... with Rostropovich and the LSO.


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> Actually, on a thread I started a few months ago specifically asking for opinions as to the best Mahler 6th recording, there was some consensus around the Sanderling/St. Petersburg Phil. as being the best. After getting hold of a copy, I soon understood why. It really is a brilliant performance.


I remember that thread, Andolink, and the Sanderling is still my top choice for the 6th.


----------



## opus55

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius* violin concerto. Will listen to it as many times as possible this evening.


I must ask, do you often listen to the same recording or same set of works repeatedly without a break? I'm curious because I rarely do that for the fear of "wearing out" my appetite.

Currently listening to Schubert Symphony No. 2


----------



## Art Rock

Continuing my Wagner (re)discovery, the first time I listen to Parsifal.


----------



## ptr

opus55 said:


> I must ask, do you often listen to the same recording or same set of works repeatedly without a break? I'm curious because I rarely do that for the fear of "wearing out" my appetite.


Sometimes, not often, not for fear of wearing anything out, but rather because I have an appetite for variety!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Andrew McGregor speaks with Vernon Handley about Bax and his symphonies (*Chandos*)

And then:

*Arnold Bax* - Rogue's Comedy Overture (1936) // Symphony No 4 (1930) // Tintagel (1917-19) (*Chandos*)









BBC Philharmonic u. Vernon Handley

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Art Rock said:


> Continuing my Wagner (re)discovery, the first time I listen to Parsifal.
> 
> View attachment 15493


So, how do you like it?


----------



## JCarmel

Bearing in mind that it's a 'The 'Beaux Arts'-Never-Made-A-Bad-1' day...here's my contribution to their TC pool of excellence

Anton Stepanovich Arensky, Piano Trios 1 and 2, The Beaux Arts Trio









Born in 1861, Anton became Rimsky Korsakov's composition student at The St Petersburg Conservatory, where he graduated in 1882 not only with a gold medal but also an appointment as professor at The Moscow Conservatory, where he was to teach both Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. There was a natural creative affinity between him and Tchaikovsky...who became a good friend and most importantly in the terms of Anton's music, his 'staunchest supporter' ...so saith the blurb in the cd booklet!


----------



## OboeKnight

Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
Song to the Moon (on violin)-Dvorak
Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra-Nigel Hess
Brahms Piano Concerto No.2


----------



## Art Rock

SiegendesLicht said:


> So, how do you like it?


So far, so good (still CD1 for Parsifal, had to pause for a while). Revisiting Der Ring was magnificent, Fliegende Hollaender worthwhile, Lohengrin great (these are the six I listened to before, about 15 years ago). Die Meistersinger was sightly disappointing, but Parsifal promises to end up just under Der Ring if it keeps that level throughout. Still have Tannhauser and Tristan & Isolde scheduled for the first run (both new). At a later stage I will also go through the early operas (I am a completionist at heart).


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to take the liberty of posting something that unites the classical and non-classical listening threads for today's 'birthday' celebrants...because each musical artist exhibited the same force of energy and excellence and each were a uniquely gifted musical personality.

Firstly, born on March 27th, 1927 in Baku...Mstislav 'Slava' Rostropovich, cellist extraordinaire. And born three years earlier, March 27th, 1924...Jazz Singer, Sarah 'Sassy' Vaughan. In their seperate ways their 'voices' were both unique and exceptional.

Slava' the diminutive form of his christian name and Russian for 'Glory' was so very apt for Mstislav Rostropovich. 
In this celebrated recording, he plays Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata and Frank Bridges Sonata for Cello and Piano, with his great friend Benjamin Britten.









And Sarah's silky, sassy, sexy voice was one of the vocal glories of the century in my opinion, a voice of great range and flexibility.

This is perhaps my favourite album of hers, her vocal talents combining seemlessly with the musical talents of composer, arranger and conductor, Quincy Jones.


----------



## ptr

Just:

*Luigi Nono* - Risonanze erranti - Post-prae-ludium per Donau (*Neos*)









Ensembe Experimental, Les Percussions de Strasbourg et Experimentalstudio des SWR u. Detlef Heusinger / Klaus Burger, tuba & Experimentalstudio des SWR

Now:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 9 (*EMI*)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Sir Simon Rattle

Still think it is the best 9th I've ever heard!

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius - Violin Concerto


----------



## rrudolph

Berg: 3 Orchesterstücke op. 6/Webern: 6 Stücke für Orchester op. 6/
Schoenberg: 5 Orchesterstücke op. 16


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti: Melodien.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

opus55 said:


> I must ask, do you often listen to the same recording or same set of works repeatedly without a break? I'm curious because I rarely do that for the fear of "wearing out" my appetite.


Answer: yes I often listen to the same work/set if works repeatedly without a break. Usually the same recording too but sometimes I feel like something different. I listened to the *Sibelius* concerto played by Perlman, Stern and Oistrakh rather than just one version three times.


----------



## OboeKnight

The Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra & Chorale

The concert features the works of Michael Daugherty. I played in a few of the pieces I like some of the music, but I'm not a fan of all of it.

1. The Star Spangled Banner
2. Blue Ridge Legend- Whear
3. Route 66- Daugherty
4. Lost Vegas- Daugherty
5. Wake Up, My Spirit- Hailstork
6. The Battle of Jericho
7. Shenandoah
8. Mount Rushmore- Daugherty

I think Mount Rushmore is my favorite.


----------



## Kieran

Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 in D Major Op. 43, conducted by Leonard Bernstein


----------



## ptr

*Francis Poulenc* - Select parts from "Complete" Piano Works 3CDs (*Decca*)









Pascal Rogé. piano

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerald Finzi songs - Robert Tear et al


----------



## Kieran

The evening _always_ ends with Mozart, and now I'm listening to Mitsuko Uchida perform the 14th piano sonata in c-minor, K457, which will be followed by his last three piano sonatas...

:tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

*Delius *Poem of Life and Love (1918-19)
- BBC Concert Orchestra under Vernon Handley (BBC cd)

*Shostakovich *Symphony #15 in A major, Op. 141 (1971)
- Chicago SO under Sir Georg Solti (Eloquence)

*Walton* Violin Concerto (1939)
- Dong-Suk Kang, violin with English Northern Philharmonia under Paul Daniel (Naxos)

*Colin Brumby *Paean / Festival Overture on Australian Themes / Scena for Cor Anglais and Strings
- Sydney SO under Patrick Thomas / West Australian SO under Richard Mills / Barry Davis, cor anglais with strings of the Queensland SO under Richard Mills (from Australian Light Classics collection on ABC Classics)

Starting with *Delius*, the last orchestral work he partly completed before going blind, as usual a torrent of emotion, quite free and rhapsodic. Then *Shostakovich's final symphony,* a weird melting pot of references to things like Rossini, Wagner and of course his own music (DSCH and that weird ticking bit from the Symphony #4). On to *Walton's Violin Concerto*, I love that middle dance-like movement, with a fair bit of aggro, bite and explosiveness. Then, to finish, some music of *Australian composer Colin Brumby*. I especially like the overture, which quotes songs from the colonial era & also the scena, which sounds like an opera aria for cor anglais but also has a more vigorous & animated bit in the middle.



JCarmel said:


> ...
> 
> And Sarah's silky, sassy, sexy voice was one of the vocal glories of the century in my opinion, a voice of great range and flexibility.
> 
> This is perhaps my favourite album of hers, her vocal talents combining seemlessly with the musical talents of composer, arranger and conductor, Quincy Jones.


I love sassy & agree with your comments. Her vocal range was operatic. When she was in her late teens, her singing teacher said she could either become an opera singer, or pursue the popular genres like jazz. Of course she chose the latter, and my fav album of hers is the all Gershwin concert/album she did with Michael Tilson Thomas & also the sides she cut with trumpeter Clifford Brown (equally LEGEND!).


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> *20th Century Piano Sonatas.*
> 
> Halfway into the disc, I like Hindemith's Piano Sonata No. 2. It sounds like it was written by Les Six.
> 
> View attachment 15413


I've got that cd, and I like it. The first movement of that Hindemith sonata makes me think of a sunny day in the city, the light coming through the trees making this pattern on the pavement. Dunno why but whenever I hear it, thats what I think. So yeah it is a lighter work of his. But my favourite work on that cd is the Hartmann sonata, such a great work, his breaking of silence just as the war was ending. A work that has many references to his time, such as the tolling of the bells signalling the end of the war, to songs of the liberating Russian and American armies, to quotes from classical by Stravinsky and Beethoven. Its an amazing work imo.


----------



## Schubussy

Joaquín Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez
Narciso Yepes, English Chamber Orchestra - Concierto de Aranjuez


----------



## DavidA

Schubert D960 Richter live


----------



## Wood

Haydn 97 98 (Fischer as usual)

Haydn 92 'Oxford' Bohm VPO 1975

Haydn 100 'Military' Jochum LPO 1973 
Haydn 101 'Clock' Jochum LPO 1973

The latter three were from a digitised 'Walkman' cassette










I couldn't find the exact image, but it is from the same series as the above.


----------



## Sid James

ptr said:


> Derailed thread's are often the most giving ones! Often the first thing in the morning (after finding TC) the first thing I do is peruse new posts for inspiration for what to add to my coming play list/stack of CD's to play! And it is often the more derailed things that inspires the most!
> 
> /ptr


Well thanks but seriously, look I've gotten infractions in recent weeks, incl. one this week. & the issue is I've been extreme and not stuck to topic. From now on I aim to steer clear of politics (incl. the 'politics' of the forum!) and focus on the music. I still want to talk history, anecdotes and politics but I'll have to think more about how/what I write.

Short answer is, I will stick mainly to this thread, or other threads I deem 'safe' and am not liable to go off on. & also ignore, as I one the whole have been doing, forum members who I don't or haven't gotten along with.

*If you or anyone else wants to talk about this, please PM me. *I put these comments here cos I think here will people be more likely to see them.

But what you said is important, thx. I think that sometimes things can be stretched, but within certain limits only.


----------



## aleazk

John Cage: Second Construction (1940)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Pendereki, Saint Luke Passion.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

hayd said:


> Haydn 97 98 (Fischer as usual)
> 
> Haydn 92 'Oxford' Bohm VPO 1975
> 
> Haydn 100 'Military' Jochum LPO 1973
> Haydn 101 'Clock' Jochum LPO 1973
> 
> The latter three were from a digitised 'Walkman' cassette
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I couldn't find the exact image, but it is from the same series as the above.


God! Those were some of the first recordings of classical music that I purchased!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Giving a second listen to this... quite marvelous.










Now working my way through this set:










Some marvelous singing... in spite of the age of the recording and the technical limitations.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos 14 and 26
Saint-Saens: Symphonies in F and No 3


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.16 in B Minor

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Peter Collyer, viola -- Angela East, cello

View attachment 15519


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> God! Those were some of the first recordings of classical music that I purchased!


Same here. I must have had over a dozen Walkman Classic cassettes when I was in my teens - the Karajan Strauss Waltzes was a particular favorite at the time. I've still got a few of the cd equivalent Compact Classics in my collection - including the Schneiderhan / Jochum Beethoven Violin Concerto.

Very well chosen recordings, and carefully programmed. And super cheap!


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: The Seasons


----------



## neoshredder

Vaughan Williams - Symphony 2, Concerto Accademico, The Wasps: Overture


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.13 in B Flat, KV 333

Christian Zacharias, piano

View attachment 15521


----------



## Mahlerian

Magnard: Symphony No. 2 in B-flat minor
Symphony No. 4 in C-sharp minor
Malmo Symphony, cond. Sanderling

The "French Bruckner" indeed.

Schoenberg: Piano Works
Glenn Gould


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 4
Moszkowski: Piano Concerto in E


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Piotr Chaiikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}, Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three symphonies feature the Valery Gergiev led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Novelette

Wow, Sibelius is taking over TC.

And you will hear nary a complaint from this corner about that. 

So:

Handel: Hercules, HWV 60 -- Marc Minkowski: Les Musiciens du Louvre

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## opus55

Handel: Violin Sonatas










One more.. one more before going to bed.


----------



## Andolink

Giuseppe Valentini: Concerti Grossi e a Quattro Violini, Op. VII; No. 1 in A major, No. 2 in D minor, No. 3 in D minor, No. 7 in G major, No. 10 in A minor and No. 11 in A minor "a quattro violini"
Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 6


----------



## Feathers

Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 1 (Borodin Quartet)

Scriabin's Sonata No. 3 and 4 (Hamelin)

I'm so addicted to Scriabin's music....


----------



## SimonNZ

Alban Berg lieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Aribert Reimann, piano


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> Very well chosen recordings, and carefully programmed. And super cheap!
> 
> View attachment 15520


The sound quality stands up pretty well after having burnt a CD from it.

The cheapness must have come from the covers! The one I copied has a picture of a drum, the one I played has a random picture of a clock.

The classical symphonies keep coming:

Haydn 97 (*2) to complete the first London set

Beethoven 3 MacKerras, Liverpool


----------



## ptr

Sid James said:


> Well thanks but seriously, look I've gotten infractions in recent weeks, incl. one this week. & the issue is I've been extreme and not stuck to topic. From now on I aim to steer clear of politics (incl. the 'politics' of the forum!) and focus on the music. I still want to talk history, anecdotes and politics but I'll have to think more about how/what I write.


No worries mate, we all got to think about what we write!, but for me and many, life and politics and history and 42 is an integral part of music and if You always steer clear of it, nothing extra-interesting follows! 
And almost everything I've read that You have written so far has been thought provoking and bloody interesting, so I say; those who allow themselves to be free in thought will grow much taller then those who deliberate carefully on every comma to avoid being offensive!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Continuing my trip:

*Francis Poulenc* - "Complete" Piano Works (*Decca*)









Pascal Rogè, piano

Lots of wonderful piano ditties in Poulenc's oeuvre!

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2. Still my favourite symphony of all time. I have listened to it every day for as long as I can remember (over a month or something like that?)


----------



## SimonNZ

Which is your prefered recording of No.2?

Earlier this evening I was revisiting No.7, which I haven't played a decade or more.









I also wanted to hear The Oceanides, but somehow no longer have any recording in any format


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Which is your prefered recording of No.2?


I don't actually own any, but on YouTube I always listen to Salonen and VPO.


----------



## Ravndal

Brahms Symphony 3 & 4


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: 'Nun komm,der Heiden Heiland', BWV 658 from the "Leipzig Chorales"

Helmut Walcha, organ

View attachment 15528


----------



## SimonNZ

"Musicke Of Sundrie Kindes" - Anthony Rooley, dir. (1974)

Four lp set of sixteenth-century music, each of the eight sides devoted to a different era, country or style

Side three - "Les Cris De Paris" - is, as best as I can tell, the first appearance of Emma Kirkby on record

For a long time the copy I found when I was 18 was the only copy I'd ever seen, but last year the laudable team at Australian Eloquence finally issued it on cd









http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Australian+Eloquence/4802147


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: Sea Drift*

Listening to Disc 3 of this box today - this has the works Sea Drift and Florida Suite on it, both of which are quite lovely.


----------



## peeyaj

I am always exploring new things and today, this music finally clicked on me.

*Ravel - Piano Concerto in G*










It's really fun! Ravel is a genius.  I just didn't like the 3rd movement, its too short.


----------



## ptr

Lunch trio:

*Great European Organs Vol 70*; Katarina Church, Stockholm (Priory)









Marcus Torén at the van den Huvel organ

*Heinrich Scheidemann* - Organ Works (*Oehms*)









Josef Kelemen @ the North German Baroque Organ of Örgryte Nya Kyrka, Göteborg, Sweden

*Philip Glass* - Organ Works (Catalyst)









Donald Joyce at the Anton Heiller Memorial Organ of Southern Adventist Univ. in Collegedale, TN

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Major, D 90

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin

View attachment 15536


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner "Forgotten Melodies" op. 39 played by Hamelin.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## JCarmel

Getting into a Contemplative mood.......with Tomas Luis De Victoria and The Westminster Cathedral Choir conducted by David Hill









a lovely disc.

And 'Contemplating'..... just how much chocolate easter egg I can afford to eat on my 'diet?!'

Edit....I took this cd...(newly-purchased, then)...with me on a holiday to Upper Teesdale where I had rented a farmhouse up on the open fells, which in June were carpeted with yellow flowers. The house was approached via a steep incline & every time we reached the top of the drive in the car to turn into the little parking-place by the side of the house...out would come a Lapwing, that we called 'Flo'. Mindless of danger, she would sweep right in front of the car with wings fully-extended to either side, walking backwards in front of the car bumper...all in defense of the single chick that lay in the nest that she had chosen to make, too near to the dwelling. Every time we arrived back, she seemed to be there & I was most tremendously impressed with the bravery and maternal devotion of this bird. She lives long in my memory.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berwald, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## cwarchc

These are my latest buys, the postie brought them today
I thought I'd try this, as the only Japanese work I know is Takemitsu (who I really like) so I though for £0.01 it was worth a shot








Another disc I wouldn't normally buy, but is spinning on the cd as I type is this







Again, thanks Zoverstocks for another penny cd.

The last new one lined up is this one.
I don't have any Scriabin, so thought it was time to see if Iike him?


----------



## BartokBela

Bach: French Suites performed by Glenn Gould


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Christ Lag in Todes Banden and Easter Oratorio*


----------



## rrudolph

I spent the first part of the morning working on a piece (Mallet Quartet) by Steve Reich, so I thought I'd listen to a little more:

This recording is pretty highly regarded, but I think I acually like the original one from the '70s a little better (my vinyl copy of that is long gone, so this will suffice):

















Maybe I'll throw some John Adams into the mix--I'm not a big fan, but I'm always willing to give a composer another chance:


----------



## Kieran

rrudolph said:


> I spent the first part of the morning working on a piece (Mallet Quartet) by Steve Reich, so I thought I'd listen to a little more:
> 
> This recording is pretty highly regarded, but I think I acually like the original one from the '70s a little better (my vinyl copy of that is long gone, so this will suffice):
> 
> View attachment 15545
> 
> 
> View attachment 15547
> 
> 
> Maybe I'll throw some John Adams into the mix--I'm not a big fan, but I'm always willing to give a composer another chance:
> 
> View attachment 15548
> 
> 
> View attachment 15549


I see you have four pieces lined up, by Reich. I'm familiar with the First, Second and Third Reich, but what's the Fourth one?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roger Sessions, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## ptr

..revisiting:

*Arnold Schönberg* - Pelleas und Mellisande (DG)









Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester u. Pierre Boulez

..ist schmerzlich schönen!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

and now:

*Debussy, Ravel, Dutilleux* - String Quartets (*EMI*)









Belcea Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

The Busch Quartett performing Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" string quartet, in d-minor, D810. Quite beautifully, too...


----------



## Cheyenne

Mahler's first symphony, Solti/LSO. I was going to get his third symphony today for a first time listen (I saved it!) but unfortunately they only had an incredibly expensive version with Tilson Thomas. No worries though, I got a cheap reissue of 1 and 2, and perhaps I'll order the third today - as for now, what a symphony is the first!


----------



## JCarmel

A. Dvorak, Cello Concerto, Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult









Have been Contemplating which is my favourite 'Slava' recording, whilst clearing-away the final crumbs of his imaginary birthday cake and the above is my final choice. But what a performance to obtain a decent LP pressing did I have, at the time of purchase?! I sent at least 6 back...all unsatisfactory....but in the end, I just gave up and accepted the last one that I had.


----------



## ahammel

J.S. Bach, _French Overture_ BWV 381 performed by Schiff.

Today feels like a baroque day. I think I'll queue up some of Handel's concerti grossi next.


----------



## DavidA

Bach - Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. Ibragimova.


----------



## JCarmel

I was just about to post something by Schiff, ahammel...there's obviously a whiff-of-Schiff in the air, today?!









But instead, I chose this LP recording of George Malcolm playing *Bach's Two and Three-Part Inventions*, which I used to play 'to death' in days long-gone-by. 
In fact, I used this recording as music for Contemplating, prior to engaging in artistic activities.
And then, played quite loudly.... it made a great companion to bashing the heck out of a piece of clay (any residual air needs to be removed from it before modelling can commence.)


----------



## Kivimees

This is putting a much better perspective on the world:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Franck, Lizst, and Zelenka.


----------



## ptr

Just finished:

*Mark-Anthony Turnage* - Blood on the floor (Argo OOP)









John Scofield, guitar, Peter Erskine, drums, Martin Robertson, saxophone and bass clarinet, William Forman and Bruce Knockles, solo trumpets; Ensemble Modern u. Peter Rundel

And on to:

*Feruccio Busoni* - Tra Mistico E Occulto (Fonè OOP?)
( Sonatina Seconda (1912) // 02 - Sonatina im diem nativitatis Christi MCMXVII (1917) // 03 - Toccata (Preludio - Fantasia - Ciaconna) (1920) // 04 - Berceuse (andantino calmo) (1909) // 05 - Fantasia Contrappuntistica (1910) )









Giuseppe Mariotti, piano

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, performed by Mikhail Rudy, while I cook! :tiphat:


----------



## Wood

JCarmel said:


> Getting into a Contemplative mood.......with Tomas Luis De Victoria and The Westminster Cathedral Choir conducted by David Hill
> 
> View attachment 15539
> 
> 
> a lovely disc.
> 
> And 'Contemplating'..... just how much chocolate easter egg I can afford to eat on my 'diet?!'
> 
> Edit....I took this cd...(newly-purchased, then)...with me on a holiday to Upper Teesdale where I had rented a farmhouse up on the open fells, which in June were carpeted with yellow flowers. The house was approached via a steep incline & every time we reached the top of the drive in the car to turn into the little parking-place by the side of the house...out would come a Lapwing, that we called 'Flo'. Mindless of danger, she would sweep right in front of the car with wings fully-extended to either side, walking backwards in front of the car bumper...all in defense of the single chick that lay in the nest that she had chosen to make, too near to the dwelling. Every time we arrived back, she seemed to be there & I was most tremendously impressed with the bravery and maternal devotion of this bird. She lives long in my memory.


Here is a fine lapwing song Julie, together with the somewhat moderate BJH Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## JCarmel

Some more of *George Malcolm *and his Bach performances, this time with Karl Munchinger conducting The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. Harpsichord Concertos 1 and 2.









One of George Malcolm's pupils was a certain...Andras Schiff! ...who left Hungary in order to study with him... and he and Malcolm recorded Mozart's complete works for piano duets, on the composer's own piano.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms very enjoyable string quintets keeping me on an even keel during a stressful work day!


----------



## JCarmel

And a final George Malcolm moment...before the request for a game of 'Rummy' can be ignored no longer!









Malcolm became Organist and Choirmaster of The Westminster Cathedral Choir in the late 1940's...the choir featured on the cd I chose as my first 'Listen' of the day. Under his direction, the choir developed a more 'continental' sound all of their own and of the recordings that he made, this one of Victoria's Responsories for Tenebrae: Maundy Thursday, seems wholly/holy appropriate for today.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Paul Hindemith, Piano Sonata No. 2.*


----------



## ptr

Just finished:

*Jorge Bolet* - His earliest recordings (*APR*)









Jorge Bolet, piano

And now:

*Chopin/Godowsky* - Etudes & Waltzes (*Decca*)









Jorge Bolet, piano

One of my favourite pianists!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Alto Rhapsody.
*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

I just saw this reissue, so I'm listening on Spotify, wondering if I need_ yet another_ Bruckner cycle. I like what he does with the 4th so far.


----------



## Art Rock

After the beautiful Parsifal (first time I listened to it), now listening to Tannhaeuser for the first time (Solti, Paris version). Tristan und Isolde is scheduled, to finish listening to all 10 major Wagner operas within a few weeks.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Art Rock said:


> After the beautiful Parsifal (first time I listened to it), now listening to Tannhaeuser for the first time (Solti, Paris version). Tristan und Isolde is scheduled, to finish listening to all 10 major Wagner operas within a few weeks.


That's quite a listening adventure! Also, I am glad that you have enjoyed _Parsifal_. It seems to be the least accessible Wagner opera for many listeners.


----------



## OboeKnight

Enjoying some flute! Not my usual style, but good to switch things up a bit.


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E minor
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, cond. Petrenko


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Novelette

Listening to one titanic work after another today:

Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D, Op. 123 -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Haydn: Missa in Augustiis, H 22/11, "Nelson Mass" -- Tom Krause: Academy of Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields

Mozart: Idomeneo -- Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Edinburgh Fesival Chorus


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gesualdo's Tenebrae Responses For Good Friday - Andrew Parrott, cond.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have quite a number of recordings of Bach's cello suite, but must admit this is one of the finer performances.


----------



## JCarmel

I think that I'll join Mahlerian in a bit of apres-Supper Shostakovich...his 10th Symphony..









Mstislav Rostropovich conducting The London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## DavidA

Bach St Matthew Passion - Herreweghe I


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 6, Klemperer. Wow, this is good.


----------



## JCarmel

Just in time to recognise the birthdate today of conductor Willem Mengelberg...born March 28th, 1871...a still controversial figure.













 ....... his Wagner is worth a listen though, whatever....


----------



## JCarmel

I'll 'imagine' myself to sleep tonight by trying to remember the performance on this old LP of my Dad's, that introduced me to my favourite piano concerto by Robert Schumann..and the artistry of Rudolf Serkin...who was born March 28th, 1903.


----------



## SimonNZ

Is that one a 10"? It looks like a 10" I have somewhere (or had).

current listening on the radio:

Reinhard Keiser's Brockes Passion 1712

live performance, Peter van Heyghen, cond. recorded in the Augustinus Music Center, Antwerp by Belgium Radio


----------



## JCarmel

Yes! Well-remembered, Simon!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*

I'm hearing rhythmic shifts and instrumental interplay in ways I haven't heard before. I had to get the score; yep, they're there. Klemperer had a way of bringing out the architecture of a piece.


----------



## Guest

Well, I've swept aside sacred music for Easter and am listening to Mozart's "Cosi". I swear to God that Trio from the end of Act 1 is one of the most sublime human utterances (musical or verbal) in the history of mankind. It's right up there with Shakespeare, Cicero, Socrates, Bach's greatest, Beethoven's greatest and even an astonishingly beautiful set of words like the "Gettysburg Address". Where WOULD we be without these things? Being shipwrecked on a planet and wondering what it's all about. Not with sounds like that Trio from "Cosi" - doubt dissolves!!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 9.*

Though this recording has been criticized, I think it's nicely done overall. There are a few ensemble missteps in the first movement. Still, I think I prefer Guilini.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Requiem, KV 626 (Arranged for String Quartet)

Kuijken Quartet: Sigiswald Kuijken and Francois Fernandez, violins -- Marleen Theirs, viola -- Wieland Kuijken, cello

View attachment 15580


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart

Piano Concerto #20 in D Minor
Piano Concerto #25 in C Major

Forgot the name of the performers, but the music was good. :cheers:


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Liederkreis Op.24 - Brigitte Fassbaender, mezzo, Irwin Gage, piano


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 -- Jonathan Biss

Telemann: Violin Concerto #9 in G Minor -- Iona Brown: Academy of St. Martin in The Fields

Mozart: Piano Sonata #8 in A Minor, K 310 -- Carmen Piazzini

Corelli: Violin Sonata #7 in D Minor, Op. 5/7 -- Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr

Brahms: Variations on a Hungarian Song in D, Op. 21/2 -- Gerhard Oppitz


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Philip Glass--*Glassworks, *performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 6
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Sid James

*Lindley Evans *_Idyll_
*George Dreyfus *_Rush_
*Miriam Hyde *_Happy Occasion Overture_
- Isador Goodman, piano with strings of the Melbourne SO under Patrick Thomas / Melbourne SO under George Dreyfus / West Australian SO under Richard Mills
(all from Australian Light Classics set on ABC Classics)

Starting with some Australian light classics, from a set I like to listen to from time to time.










*Shostakovich* _Symphony #13 in B flat minor, Op. 113 'Babi Yar'_
- Sir Anthony Hopkins, reading poems by Yevgeny Yevtushenko ; Sergei Aleksashkin, bass ; Men of the Chicago Sym. Chorus ; Chicago SO under Sir Georg Solti (Eloquence)

Just did a long review of this here at http://www.talkclassical.com/2543-dmitri-shostakovich-10.html#post437760 thread.










*John Stainer *_The Crucifixion _(1887)
- Robert Tear, tenor ; Benajmin Luxon, baritone ; Westminster Singers & Congregation ; John Scott, organ ; Richard Hickox, cond. (EMI)

Finally some music appropriate of Easter. *The Crucifixion *is a synthesis of influences coming from Anglican choral tradition as well as Baroque and Mendelssohn. My favourite part is the _Processional to Calvary (Fling wide the gates!) _which is quite compelling but overall the mood of this piece comes across as lyrical, contemplative and somber.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44










Haven't listened to much chamber music lately.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rachmaninoff songs - various singers, Howard Shelley, piano


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: Norma -- Maria Callas; Tullio Serafin: Orchestra & Chorus Of La Scala Milan


----------



## Guest

bejart said:


> Mozart: Requiem, KV 626 (Arranged for String Quartet)
> 
> Kuijken Quartet: Sigiswald Kuijken and Francois Fernandez, violins -- Marleen Theirs, viola -- Wieland Kuijken, cello
> 
> View attachment 15580


Would you mind telling me how did the string quartet arrangement. I have a 2 hour lecture, coming up in June, called "The Art of Transcription" and I want to find out as much as I can about all sorts of transcriptions.


----------



## Feathers

Tcherepnin's Piano Concerto No. 4 (Noriko Ogawa with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lan Shui). A very interesting piece! (Like a Russian Ravel sitting in a Chinese garden...)

Scriabin's Symphony No. 1 (Ashkenazy).


----------



## Wood

Miniatures from Borodin, Glinka, Kabalevsky & Tchaikovsky, played by Chicago SO, Reiner

Biber 5 joyful mysteries


----------



## ptr

Woke early today, and after a brisk walk down to the coast and back I stared listening to this trio:

*Richard Arnell* - Balett Music; The Angels & The Great Detective (*DuttonVocaliaon*)









BBC Concert Orchestra u. Martin Yates

*Josef Suk* - Asrael Symphony For Large Orchestra Op 27 (Panton OOP?)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

..Best Asrael ever!

And now to complete the cycle:

*Josef Suk* - A Summers Tale & Praga (*Chandos*)









BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Jiri Belohlavek

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

It's like a slap in the face with a wet towel, listening to Beethoven first thing in the morning. Sergeant-major drills out in the frost. Muscular chords, fist-pumped crescendos, heroically soaring melodies.

Tight orchestration, too.

I'm listening to the overtures again, first the Egmont, then Leonore #3, which at times sounds almost cinematic.

Leonard Bernstein directing traffic, New York Philly playing the instruments....


----------



## ptr

Continuing the day on Kieran's home turf:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Pieces K399/K574/K282/K455/K475/K457 (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Andreas Staier on a Monica May built copy of a Anton Walter pianoforte (1785)

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Serenade in B flat major, "Gran Partita", KV 361 etc. (*Glossa*)









Nachtmusique u. Eric Hoeprich

Both feels very authentic to my ears!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> Continuing the day on Kieran's home turf:
> 
> /ptr


I'll be back on that turf soon once I've had my stadium-classics fill! I think that given the day that's in it, some music from Mozart's Requiem might be in order, after lunch... :tiphat:


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> ...some music from Mozart's Requiem might be in order, after lunch... :tiphat:


Well K, You're reading my thoughts, the hard thing is which edition to choose..








/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> Well K, You're reading my thoughts, the hard thing is which edition to choose..
> View attachment 15600
> 
> 
> /ptr


Hard to choose lunch? Or which Requiem? 

I have one conducted by Herbert von Karajan, that's the one I'll play.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Antonio Bonoprti (1672-1749): Trio Sonata in G Minor, Op.4, No.1

Accademia I Filarmonica:Alberto Martini and Enrico Casazza, violins -- Leonardo Sapere, cello -- Roberto Loreggian, harpsichord

View attachment 15602


CountenanceAnglaise ----
The following is from the booklet accompanying: 
View attachment 15603
View attachment 15604
View attachment 15605
View attachment 15606


----------



## bejart

View attachment 15607


And here's the final page. Hope it helps ---


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius* symphony no. 2....it has been the only thing I have listened to today...


----------



## cwarchc

Just watching a documentary on Milos on the tv.
A very talented guitarist
Think I'll have to follow this with a touch of St Matthews Passion


----------



## OboeKnight

Dutilleux Flute Sonata


----------



## ptr

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Requiem K626 (ed. Druce) (*EMI/Virgin*)









Nancy Argenta, Catherine Robbin, John Mark Ainsley, Alistair Milnes; Schütz Choir of London, Schütz Consort & London Classical Players u. Roger Norrington

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner's 7th Symphony: really enjoyed the first half, didn't care for the second half. But it was background rather than focused listening, so the verdict is still out.

Victoria De Los Angeles/Alicia De LaRoccha: recital of spanish songs. Listened to the first half of the disc last night. It was ok, but nothing special so far. The clapping between EVERY 2-3 minute song gets aggravating.

Mozart Violin Sonatas: Barenboim/Perlman


----------



## Art Rock

Sonata said:


> Bruckner's 7th Symphony: really enjoyed the first half, didn't care for the second half. But it was background rather than focused listening, so the verdict is still out.


Matches my experience. This is what I wrote some years ago about the 7th: "The opening movement of 23 minutes is spellbinding and beautiful, and the following 23 minutes adagio offers some of the greatest melodic lines Bruckner ever composed. It is ironic that, had the composer been unable to finish the symphony after these two movements, I would probably have ranked it as one of the best ever, almost on par with Schubert's two movement unfinished 8th. As is, the scherzo is not bad, but still a bit of a let down after those marvelous first two movements, and the same holds for the finale."

Still Tannhaeuser for me by the way.


----------



## DavidA

Second part of St Matthew Passion - wonderful on Good Friday. A family ritual in our house this week.

'Erbarme dich' - was anything more sublime?


----------



## millionrainbows

Theo Verbey (b. 1959): Piano Concerto (2006) (ETCETERA 2007)


----------



## bejart

Baldassarre Galuppi (1706-1785): Concerto a Quattro No.2 in D Minor

Quartetto Aglaia: Cinzia Barbagelata and Simona Gilardi, violins -- Marco Diatto, viola -- Jorge Alberto Guerrero, cello

View attachment 15613


----------



## JCarmel

Francis Poulenc, Stabat Mater, Barbara Hendricks, French Radio Choir, French National Orchestra conducted by Georges Pretre.









Poulenc's religious music is sincere and most affecting. ...and I think his 'Stabat Mater' is particularly suitable for listening-to today.

But along with these deeper sentiments, my mind also goes back in-time to when I was a new, young fan of Francis' music...
Imagine the scene...a teenage girl in school uniform complete with blue velour hat, walking-up a long drive...lugging a hefty reel-to-reel tape recorder. Hockey fields to the left, tennis courts to the right & over to the north east, an entrance that could allow you to slip into school a little-less noticed.

Well, that was me_ many _years ago. The reason why I was lugging that great tape deck was to bring my favourite piece of music for my classmates to hear in the school Breaks, hopefully, that they might get to like it too. But also, because I could hear it some more.

The soloist on that taped recording has an anniversary today, he was born March 29th, 1906....
he was E. Power Biggs, the orchestra was The Philadelphia and the conductor was Eugene Ormandy. I no longer have that LP or a taped recording of it, it was lost along with the old reel-to-reel. But the record sleeve looked like this...but only a bit cleaner.









I was going to choose an alternative recording of Poulenc's Organ Concerto in G Minor but I never found one that I liked as much as that old one...so for today, I won't!


----------



## ptr

An afternoon trio to bring some slight contrast to Mozart:

*Mark-Anthony Turnage* - Fractured Lines (*Chandos*)









Christian Lindberg, trombone; Evelyn Glennie & Peter Erskine percussion; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Leonard Slatkin

*Edgard Varèse* - Ameriques/Arcana/Deserts/Ionisation (*DG*)









Chicago Symphony Orchestra u. Pierre Boulez (Chicago, Orchestra Hall, XII.1995)

*zeitkratzer & Keiji Haino* - Electronics (Zeitkratzer Records zkr 0006]









zeitkratzer & Keiji Haino

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Mozart- Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major


----------



## Mahlerian

Art Rock said:


> Matches my experience. This is what I wrote some years ago about the 7th: "The opening movement of 23 minutes is spellbinding and beautiful, and the following 23 minutes adagio offers some of the greatest melodic lines Bruckner ever composed. It is ironic that, had the composer been unable to finish the symphony after these two movements, I would probably have ranked it as one of the best ever, almost on par with Schubert's two movement unfinished 8th. As is, the scherzo is not bad, but still a bit of a let down after those marvelous first two movements, and the same holds for the finale."


We may disagree about the 5th, but this is more or less my impression of the 7th as well. I don't dislike the latter half, but it's certainly not up to the same level as the earlier.


----------



## DavidA

Just finished listening to the St Matthew Passion. Simply amazing stuff from the Leipzig cantor.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> It's like a slap in the face with a wet towel, listening to Beethoven first thing in the morning. Sergeant-major drills out in the frost. Muscular chords, fist-pumped crescendos, heroically soaring melodies.
> 
> Tight orchestration, too.
> 
> I'm listening to the overtures again, first the Egmont, then Leonore #3, which at times sounds almost cinematic.
> 
> Leonard Bernstein directing traffic, New York Philly playing the instruments....


Yeah, they're "not much chop" are they - those overtures! I avoid them like the plague. To be fair to Beethoven, they were for 'theatrical' purposes ("Leonora", "Consecration of the House") - but his just don't work for me, except "Coriolanus", which is splendid. He wasn't a light enough composer to work successfully on the kind of melodies and themes which were part of opera and overtures at that time. When we get to Berlioz things get really BIG and NOISY.

Also, IMO, the NYPO is the wrong orchestra for this kind of music anyway.


----------



## JCarmel

William Walton, Belshazzar's Feast, Bryn Terfel, Sir Andrew Davis conducting The BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus









Happy Birthday, Sir William..... born 29th March, 1902.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Walton's* (1902 - 1983) birthday, Viola Concerto, with Imai/LPO/Latham-Koenig (rec. 1992); String Quartets 1 & 2, with Gabrieli Qt. (rec. 1986 - '90).

View attachment 15621
View attachment 15622


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## DavidA

Mahlerian said:


> We may disagree about the 5th, but this is more or less my impression of the 7th as well. I don't dislike the latter half, but it's certainly not up to the same level as the earlier.


Whatever the merits of the music, I must confess to loving the scherzo of the seventh.


----------



## Mahlerian

DavidA said:


> Whatever the merits of the music, I must confess to loving the scherzo of the seventh.


As far as Bruckner scherzos go, I don't mind it, but I prefer those of the 8th and 9th. I find the 5th's a little overlong (in my eyes the only dark spot on the symphony).

Anyway, I wouldn't normally listen to this, but...

Yoshimatsu: Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, "Cyberbird"

via Youtube.

There's a voting game going on on another forum. I must confess I don't think I'll ever like Yoshimatsu's music.


----------



## Kivimees

A pair of CDs that simply demand to be heard from time to time:


----------



## ptr

*Havergal Brian* - Symphony No 1 (Gothic) (*Testament* Live 1966)









Honor Sheppard, soprano, Shirley Minty, contralto, Ronald Dowd, tenor, Roger Stalman, bass; BBC Chorus · BBC Choral Society, City of London Choir, Hampstead Choral Society, Emanuel School Choir, Orpington Junior Singers & BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Sir Adrian Boult

I quite like this Gargantuan...

/ptr


----------



## BartokBela

Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, November Steps and all of his solo piano music.

I'm really into Takemitsu at the moment.


----------



## bejart

Johann Ernst Hartmann (1726-1793): Symphony No.3 in D Major

Lars Ulrik Mortensen directing the Concerto Copenhagen

View attachment 15626


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Piano Concertos CD 1.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Mozart's Piano Concertos CD 1.


Neoshredder, the 5th Piano Concerto of Mozart's has long been a favorite of mine. It's a bit embarrassing but my first exposure to it was in a techno remix. =D


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Das Paradies und die Peri, Op. 50 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## JCarmel

It was so cold this morning that I just pulled the duvet over my head and listened to this on my iPod, via the youtube link...






Glenn Gould, Shostakovich Piano Quintet opus 57


----------



## neoshredder

Took a break from Mozart to listening to Sibelius - Symphony 3.


----------



## ptr

Good Friday Night Music #1

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony no 14 (*Phono Suecia PSCD 12*)









Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra u. Sergiu Comissiona

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

It's Friday! So I am starting with *"Tristan und Isolde"* (Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier and the Berliner Philarmoniker with Daniel Barenboim). It's going to be a good long night...


----------



## aleazk

Toru Takemitsu: Dream/Window (1984), And then I knew t'was wind (1992) (that youtube channel, TheWelleszCompany, never ceases to amaze me.)


----------



## cwarchc

Considering the day, I will give this one a spin
Not the normal Requiem, but I like it


----------



## ptr

Good Friday Night Music #2

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Requiem, Op. 96 - _Weinberg Edition, Vol. 3_ (*Neos*)









Elena Kelessidi, soprano; Wiener Sängerknaben, Prague Philharmonic Choir & Wiener Symphoniker u. Vladimir Fedoseyev

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*

I've been thinking about getting this set. So far the 4th is great, and the 5th is really good. But Klemperer isn't doing anything that stands out here. So I'm leaning toward using the money for a portable cell phone charger instead.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: 6 Ecossaises, WoO 83 -- Wilhelm Kempff

Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette, Symphonie dramatique, Op. 17 -- Riccardo Muti: Philadelphia Orchestra

Amazing music!


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: String Quartet*

Morning all - planning to listen to more of this box today including the opera A Village Romeo & Juliet. I will also listen to some of the Berlioz box for a bit of variety


----------



## ptr

Good Friday Night Music #3

*Gustav Mahler* - Kindertotenlieder (*DG*)









Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo; Wiener Philharmoniker u. Pierre Boulez

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Seven Last Words.*

Out in my neck of the woods, around this hour is when the seven last words would have been spoken, so it's a good time for contemplation.

I have several versions of this piece, but the Lindsays, to my ears, knock this out of the park.


----------



## Guest

ptr said:


> *Havergal Brian* - Symphony No 1 (Gothic) (*Testament* Live 1966)
> 
> View attachment 15625
> 
> 
> Honor Sheppard, soprano, Shirley Minty, contralto, Ronald Dowd, tenor, Roger Stalman, bass; BBC Chorus · BBC Choral Society, City of London Choir, Hampstead Choral Society, Emanuel School Choir, Orpington Junior Singers & BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Sir Adrian Boult
> 
> I quite like this Gargantuan...
> 
> /ptr


I have a friend I've made from another messageboard and he loves the music of Havergal Brian!! I'll have to tell him about TC.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SiegendesLicht said:


> It's Friday! So I am starting with *"Tristan und Isolde"* (Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier and the Berliner Philarmoniker with Daniel Barenboim). It's going to be a good long night...


Do you have the performance on DVD?


----------



## samurai

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> I've been thinking about getting this set. So far the 4th is great, and the 5th is really good. But Klemperer isn't doing anything that stands out here. So I'm leaning toward using the money for a portable cell phone charger instead.
> 
> View attachment 15630


@ Manx, Anything in particular about Klemperer's renditions of the other symphonies {besides the 4th and 5th} that you don't like?


----------



## SiegendesLicht

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do you have the performance on DVD?


No, on CD. There are very few opera stagings that do it for me, so I might as well only listen.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"},* both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52*. Both works feature the Vienna Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel's baton.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SiegendesLicht said:


> No, on CD. There are very few opera stagings that do it for me, so I might as well only listen.


Oh okay, I really love the DVD version. It's spectacular.

As for me, I'm listening to *Sibelius's* second symphony.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> As for me, I'm listening to *Sibelius's* second symphony.


Wow, that is surprising!


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.16 in F Major, Op.135

Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello

View attachment 15636


----------



## samurai

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Oh okay, I really love the DVD version. It's spectacular.
> 
> As for me, I'm listening to *Sibelius's* second symphony.


Hey, I am also! Do great minds think alike, or what? :lol: 
By whom is your performance?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

samurai said:


> Hey, I am also! Do great minds think alike, or what? :lol:
> By whom is your performance?


VPO/Salonen on YouTube.


----------



## cwarchc

Just finishing the day with a program on BBC4
Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic playing Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances and Mahler's 1st Symphony. In Singapore
It's good to watch/listen
Here's a link (if you are allowed access in your country?)
http://tinyurl.com/c57nfg9


----------



## Flamme




----------



## campy

Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53 (David Oistrakh/USSR Sym./Kondrashin)


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat major, D. 960
Jörg Ewald Dähler, hammerflügel


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some marvelous performances of some marvelous music.


----------



## Sid James

To start, more from the *Australian Light Classics *set:










*John Carmichael *
_Trumpet Concerto
*A Country Fair "Fetes champetres" (originally for clarinet & piano, orchestrated version by Michael Hurst)
Concerto Folklorico for piano & strings_
Kevin Johnston, trumpet ; Jack Harrison, clarinet ; John Carmichael, piano with West Australian SO under David Measham & *Richard Mills (ABC Classics)

These works come across as drawing from European influences - esp. Ravel and maybe Debussy - but my favourite work is the _*Concerto Folklorico.*_ It draws from Spanish dance music which the composer has intimate knowledge of, having worked for many years in Spain, touring with a dance group there. Great tunes and very polished orchestration in all these pieces, very good light listening.


Then more Easter music, with *Charles Wood's St Mark Passion* on Naxos label:










This was written in 1920 as a response to a call for music to illustrate the passion which was easier to perform for choristers than Bach's ones, to be in English not German and have no requirement for an orchestra. I quite like it for that pared down, kind of monochrome & restrained effect, but the organ part for me is the most rewarding, it highlights the drama very well. Its sung in English, with hymns interspersing the gospels, singers playing roles of Evangelist (tenor), Christ (baritone), High Priest/Judas/Pilate (bass) and there's also a female soloist (soprano). An organ voluntary by another composer, called Edward Bairstow, is played right at the end. Just like it would be at a performance of this passion as part of a church service. I thought that to be a neat & 'authentic' touch to this recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

ptr said:


> Good Friday Night Music #2
> 
> *Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Requiem, Op. 96 - _Weinberg Edition, Vol. 3_ (*Neos*)
> 
> View attachment 15628
> 
> 
> Elena Kelessidi, soprano; Wiener Sängerknaben, Prague Philharmonic Choir & Wiener Symphoniker u. Vladimir Fedoseyev
> 
> /ptr


What did you think? I'm quite fond of Weinberg and the Requiem has been on my radar for some time now.


----------



## millionrainbows

Luciano Berio, piano works.
View attachment 6754
View attachment 3975
View attachment 2362
View attachment 7777
View attachment 2367
View attachment 2360
View attachment 2347
View attachment 2333
View attachment 2267


----------



## Mahlerian

I'm not quite sure what the connection is here...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
London Philharmonic, cond. Welser-Most








Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch, Rocking Mirror Daybreak, Rain Tree Sketch II, Masque, Waves, Cross Talk, Itinerant, Stanza I, Rain Spell
Ensemble Takemitsu

Disc two of this set:


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 5
Scharwenka, Xaver (1850-1924): Piano Concerto in C minor

















Every Friday is a Good Friday for me. Enjoying my box sets at the moment.


----------



## GreenMamba

Schumann Piano Quintet, op. 47, Artemis Qt. and Andsnes.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ, Op.51

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Janos Fejervari, viola -- Gyorgy Eder, cello

View attachment 15641


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878-80 Haas version}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Took a break from five days straight of nothin but *Sibelius* and listened to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to *Tchaikovsky* - Violin Concerto as well.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*
String trio in E flat K. 563
Grumiaux trio

The finest string trio ever penned. :cheers:


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Easter Oratorio - three lps:

Felix Prahaska (1951) - the first recording of the work, I now learn
Wolfgang Gonnenwen (1965)
Lorin Maazel (1966)


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint-Saëns* Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor


----------



## Feathers

Elgar's Symphony No. 2 (Yehudi Menuhin with the Royal Philharmonic)

Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 (Barenboim with the Berlin Philharmonic)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The second symphony and forty-third opus of *Jean Sibelius.*


----------



## ptr

StlukesguildOhio said:


> What did you think? I'm quite fond of Weinberg and the Requiem has been on my radar for some time now.


I quite like it, it is forceful with out being intimidating, the movements with text by Garcia-Lorca (2&5) strike me as very good and the setting of Fukegawa's poem as slightly to long.

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Started the day with the usual trio, today by the same composer!

*Allan Pettersson* - The three Concertos for String Orchestra (*CPO*)









Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss u. Johannes Goritzki

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Saint-Saens, Concerto for Piano and Orchesta No 1, Stephen Hough (piano) CBSO conducted by Sakari Oramo

More snow!....I need some 'Get Up and Go!'.......









These are enjoyable and rewarding performances by Stephen Hough and the CBSO...if anyone wants to familiarise themselves with Saint-Saens' less-frequently played piano concertos. With 'Thanks' for the composer-reminder... to Arsakes. (If you've any influence with Jose, Arsakes...can you tell him that we need some Inspiration at Leicester City Football Club...if he's ever in the area, like?!....)


----------



## Art Rock

Taking a break from Wagner for my yearly Easter ritual, part one:


----------



## ptr

Belshazzar twice as it seems appropriate for Easter!

*William Walton* - Belshazzar's Feast (*LSO Live*)









Peter Coleman-Wright, baritone; London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra u. Sir Colin Davis

*Jean Sibelius* - Belshazzar´s Feast Suite, Op.51 (*BIS*)









Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Well I suppose that I ought to listen to Bach's great work too.....this set comes with an enhanced cd that allows you to see Bach's manuscript whilst listening.

J S Bach, St Matthew Passion, N.Harnoncourt, Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Concentus Musicus Wien.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (ca.1690-1772): Flute Sonata in G Minor. Op.1, No.3

Arcadia: Christoph Ehrsam, flute -- Eunice Brandao, viola -- Attilio Cremonesi, harpsichord

View attachment 15651


----------



## ptr

Easy afternoon listening!

*Franz Schubert* - Complete Waltzes (*EMI* OOP?)









Paolo Bordoni, piano

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Do you know, ptr...I don't think I know a single Schubert waltz?! I must try to remedy that....


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Do you know, ptr...I don't think I know a single Schubert waltz?! I must try to remedy that....


You should!! .. There don't seem to be that many recordings of them, not the "complete" anyway, Bordoni's set was recorded in the late 70´s released by EMI's budget label Seraphim, and has only been out as Cheapish twoofer once on EMI since (2006), it may still be available at some well stocked retailers, well worth the effort if one like the odd ends of Schubert!

BTW: All are quite short, mostly below one minute, longest is 3'43! So all 90 of them on the Bordoni Set swush by kinda fast! 

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

samurai said:


> @ Manx, Anything in particular about Klemperer's renditions of the other symphonies {besides the 4th and 5th} that you don't like?


It's not that I don't like them. I just have so many CDs, including a lot of Bruckner CDs, that I'm running out of space. So what I'm looking for now is a performance that brings out something I've never heard before. Klemperer's 4th and 6th in particular were revelatory, but the 7th and the 9th didn't bring out anything that I hadn't heard in my other CDs.

So it's not dislike, just a lack of space making me draw back.


----------



## JCarmel

For Manxfeeder...when the Bach has completed....I'm going to review three recordings of Bruckner's 7th and 'report back' my impressions (something to look-forward-to, I _don't_ think?!!)


----------



## ptr

*Malcolm Arnold* - Serenade for Small Orchestra op 26/Viola Concerto Op 108/Concerto for 28 Players op 105 (Conifer OOP?)









Rivka Golani, viola; London Musici u. Mark Stephenson

Entertaining!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

More of the same:

*Malcolm Arnold* - Symphonies 1,2,5; Concerto for 2 Pianos (3 Hands) Op 104, overtures and other shorter works (EMI ECS OPP?)









Cyril Smith & Phyllis Sellick, piano, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Philharmonia Orchestra; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Sir Malcolm Arnold

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Shucks, I missed-it! I was going to listen to this on Page 2001 (Doh!..)









Andrew Litton conducting The Dallas Symphony Orchestra...a good performance ...though not a complete one...of *'Also Sprach Zarathustra' *on this free cd.
I'll have to move the Bruckner back a bit in the Listening queue because I haven't heard this slice of Strauss for years?! And it's a bit of Richard's oeuvre that I particularly enjoy.


----------



## Art Rock

A yearly ritual.


----------



## Manxfeeder

JCarmel said:


> For Manxfeeder...when the Bach has completed....I'm going to review three recordings of Bruckner's 7th and 'report back' my impressions (something to look-forward-to, I _don't_ think?!!)


Oh, I _do _think!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today is known as Holy Saturday or Black Saturday. It's a good time to get out *Orlando di Lasso's Tears of St. Peter. *


----------



## Mahlerian

Art Rock said:


> Taking a break from Wagner for my yearly Easter ritual, part one:


You could always listen to the "Love-feast of the Apostles"!

(I kid...)


----------



## Kivimees

Something calm this afternoon:


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler *- 2nd "Resurrection" Symphony (Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra). After that, I think, I am going to join the Easter tradition and listen to *St. Matthew's Passion *as well (performed by Philippe Herreweghe & Collegium Vocale Gent as well as my favorite Ian Bostridge, Andreas Scholl etc).









Actually it should have been the other way around: first the passion, then the resurrection...


----------



## JCarmel

What a nice 'cat-feeder' you are!....Manx. But the Bruckner will have to wait even longer, as I've uncovered a cache of really rather interesting 'BBC Music Magazine' free cd's, that are worth-a-spin (Sorry for being_ too_-hyphenated...I can't help it?!)

First-up, Edward Elgar's_ *Froissart Concert Overture* _conducted by Malcolm Arnold!









followed by Vaughan Williams, *Symphony No 4*, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Norman Del Mar.

Arthur Bliss's 'Checkmate Suite' is also given a good performance on this free cd but I only bother with this when the Knight is young?!! And as we are barely passed 3am in the afternoon, I'll give that a miss for-the-mo'...


----------



## bejart

JCF Bach (1732-1795): Sinfonia in E Major, HW I/4

Dennis Russell Davies leading the Orchestra of St. Luke

View attachment 15667


----------



## JCarmel

Holy-Smoley! I may well know some Schubert Waltzes, ptr...but my mind has them catalogued as 'Deutsche Tanze!' If they _are_ the same thing, then I have some.... delightfully played... by Ashkenazy on this cd...









And yes, that cd of yours _is _still available but there was another Schubert disc on sale for just 76p featuring '12 waltzes'
played by Ashkenazy, along with a coupla Sonatas, so I've grabbed that one. (means more money left to let me buy an extra choccy easter egg... when they get reduced, next week?!) 
And, I'm now listening to the Arthur Bliss Checkmate Suite as well...it's a super performance!


----------



## neoshredder

Back to Mozart. Giving PC 5 another listen and going on from there. Love PC 5.


----------



## Kieran

neoshredder said:


> Back to Mozart. Giving PC 5 another listen and going on from there. Love PC 5.


I've put this one on myself, Mitsuko Uchida hammering the keys, under the wand of Jeffrey Tate and accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## JCarmel

I'll join you, neoshredder in PC 5...I've got it playing as I write. 
All I'd like now is to see once again, that little rabbit I got to know, who seemed to love this concerto..... I'd swap any Easter Bunny to be able to see the little animal again....and call it up the field to come for a slice or two of banana. It _adored_ banana!









....Betsy....


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: String Quartet No. 21 in D major
Yale String Quartet


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Holy-Smoley! I may well know some Schubert Waltzes, ptr...but my mind has them catalogued as 'Deutsche Tanze!' If they _are_ the same thing, then I have some.... delightfully played... by Ashkenazy on this cd...


Blimey I should have been clearer, Waltzes are sometimes Ländler as well as Deutsche Tänze and vice versa or the other way around! 



> And yes, that cd of yours _is _still available but there was another Schubert disc on sale for just 76p featuring '12 waltzes' played by Ashkenazy, along with a coupla Sonatas, so I've grabbed that one. (means more money left to let me buy an extra choccy easter egg... when they get reduced, next week?!)
> And, I'm now listening to the Arthur Bliss Checkmate Suite as well...it's a super performance!


Bliss and Easter Eggs are temptations that You can never have enough of!

/ptr


----------



## BartokBela

Bizet: Variations chromatiques.


----------



## ptr

Back on Franz!

*Franz Schubert* - String Quartets D173 & D810 "Death and the Maiden" (*Naive*)









Quatuor Mosaiques

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I'll have to seek-out that Bizet, it's new to me, Bela.....

*F Schubert*, Der Tod Und Das Madchen...I'll join you, ptr!

Firstly, c/o The Busch Quartet in 1935 and then to listen to it on the first Lieder LP that I ever bought...where it receives a most moving interpretation by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau accompanied by the great Gerald Moore.


----------



## Kivimees

At the moment this:









But before I retire for the evening I'll give these Schubert waltzes a try!


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #1 in F, BWV 1046 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Beethoven: Variations On "See The Conqu'ring Hero Comes", WoO 45 -- Pierre Fournier & Wilhelm Kempff

Beethoven: Bundeslied, Op. 122 -- Michael Tilson Thomas: London Symphony Orchestra

Brahms: Violin Sonata #3 in D Minor, Op. 108 -- Itzhak Perlman & Vladimir Ashkenazy

Beginning this evening: exploration of Mahler, aided by the expert thoughts and notes of Mahlerian.


----------



## ptr

And now a French organism:

*Cesar Franck* - Complete Organ Works, Vol 1of3 double CD's _"From Prodigy to Composer"_ (*AUDITE**)









Hans-Eberhard Roß am die Groll Organ im St. Martin in Memmingen

Slightly different tonality from what You'd expect from a French organ, but this German organ still complement the music perfectly well and H-E. Roß truly love's and knows Frank's music! Top Notch!

/ptr

*Click to get full programme!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 9.*

The Saturday before Easter is about having faith in what is to come, and Bruckner's 9th is all about that - fear of death, then acceptance, then dying in faith. At least that's how Guilini portrays it.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor
Yale String Quartet

With that wonderful, long Heiliger Dankgesang movement. Does that count as my Easter listening?


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Does that count as my Easter listening?


It certainly does Sir! You already knew that did you not? ..and now You've got it in writing as well! 

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Francesco Zappa (1717?-1805?): Symphony No.5 in D Major

Vanni Moretto leading Atalanta Fugiens

View attachment 15679


----------



## neoshredder

bejart said:


> Francesco Zappa (171?-1805?): Symphony No.5 in D Major
> 
> Vanni Moretto leading Atalanta Fugiens
> 
> View attachment 15679


Just heard some on youtube. So much better than the other Zappa.


----------



## neoshredder

Alright now listening to some Zappa on MOG


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Andreas Scholl singing "Erbarme dich" from St. Matthew's Passion. Glorious!


----------



## OboeKnight

Poulenc Flute Sonata


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. Matthew Passion.*

Passion Week, old school.


----------



## Cheyenne

Schumman's 4th symphony, and Copland conducting his own Appalachian Spring and Rodeo.


----------



## JCarmel

Very interesting-looking documentary on JS Bach now on BBC2 UK with John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Kieran

K467, Mitsuko Uchida in the ears, on the bus to town...


----------



## ptr

More "French" Organisms:

*Trois danses*: Stravinsky, Alain, Heiller (BNL)
(Anton Heiller - Tanz-Toccata/Jehan Alain - Trois danses/Igor Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps (trns. Latry)









Olivier Latry & Shin-Young Lee aux Grandes Orgues Muhleisen de Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage, Cannes

Le Sacre is perfect for 4 hands of Organ Virtuosi!

/ptr


----------



## EricABQ

A few selections of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words played by Claudio Columbo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 182 " Himmelskonig, sie wilkommen" - Masaaki Suzuki, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Karl Hartmann, Piano Sonata, 27 April 1945.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4*

I'm going to listen to Blomstedt, Szell, and Marriner side by side.





















[Update: After hearing the first movement, I think of the three, Blomstedt is the closest to how it _should_ sound, but Szell zips along with a crack ensemble which shows how it _can_ sound.]


----------



## Sid James

Finishing this survey of the *Australian Light Classics *set:









*
Arthur Benjamin* _Cotillon Suite ; Overture to an Italian Comedy_
*Peggy Glanville-Hicks *_Three Gymnopedies_
- Sydney SO under Patrick Thomas, Joseph Post & Myer Fredman respectively
*Ronald Hamner* _Blue Hills Rhapsody_
- Queensland SO under the composer
*Michael Hurst* _Swagman's Promenade_
- West Australian SO under David Measham

My favourite work here is the *Glanville-Hicks*, showing signs of the influence of her teacher Vaughan Williams, but also Satie and Debussy. Its an early work but it's the last two movements that draw me in, with these repetitive patterns overlayed by kind of ghostly dance tunes and involving delicate work from harp, celesta and harpsichord which here suggest ancient musics. They've got a slightly disturbing quality, or maybe just a hint of darkness, the suggestion being more dark than something thats more overtly dark, if you get my drift.

*Brahms* _Piano Quartet #3 in C minor, Op. 60_ (1875)
- Domus group (Virgin)










This is easily among my favourite works by *Brahms*. It was started at a difficult time in his life when his friend and mentor Robert Schumann was in the final stages of his illness, but not finished until something like 20 years later. Brahms was suicidal at the time, confiding in hindsight to a colleague in reference to the first movement to "think of a man who is just going to shoot himself, because there is nothing left for him to do." In that conversation, Brahms also referred to Goethe's tragedy _Werther_ where the main character does indeed kill himself (but thankfully Johannes didn't do it).

The slow movement is a haven of respite amidst the general darkness, fragmented and edgy feel of this piece (and one writer has said it's a portrait of Clara Schumann, or an expression of Brahms' feelings of unrequited love for her). But even in purely formal terms, he broke the rules to make it darker, the work does not end in the customary C major but in C minor.

Overall the whole thing is an enigma (eg. as to exactly why Brahms left it so long on the back burner), but its exactly that which draws me into it more and more each time I hear it.


*Frank Martin*_ Polyptyque: Six Images of the Passion of Christ _(1973)
- Yehudi Menuhin, violin with Menuhin Festival Orch. & Zurich Chamber Orch. under Edmond de Stoutz (EMI)










…….*& more Easter type music *to finish up, with* Frank Martin's *very emotional and Romantic brand of Modernism, a work in which the violin has this real vocal and human quality. The composer's mastery of counterpoint is also evident, in parts this is basically kind of neo-Bach. But it aint an easy ride, it alternates between a kind of loneliness, yearning, tension and parts that are more full on, even psychopathic, imaging real despair and suffering. It took me quite a long time to appreciate this work but now I think its amazing.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: PCs 1 & 2, w. Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec. 1987).

View attachment 15690


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach and Haydn keyboard works - Wilhelm Backhaus, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

ptr said:


> Easy afternoon listening!
> 
> *Franz Schubert* - Complete Waltzes (*EMI* OOP?)
> 
> View attachment 15655
> 
> 
> Paolo Bordoni, piano
> 
> /ptr


All recs. of Schubert Waltzes should be OOP.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Do you know, ptr...I don't think I know a single Schubert waltz?! I must try to remedy that....


No, you shouldn't.


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> Luciano Berio, piano works.
> View attachment 6754
> View attachment 3975
> View attachment 2362
> View attachment 7777
> View attachment 2367
> View attachment 2360
> View attachment 2347
> View attachment 2333
> View attachment 2267


These attachments...Twilight Zone.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Seven Last Words.*
> 
> Out in my neck of the woods, around this hour is when the seven last words would have been spoken, so it's a good time for contemplation.
> 
> I have several versions of this piece, but the Lindsays, to my ears, knock this out of the park.
> 
> View attachment 15635


And, straightaway centerfield!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some more Easter music:










Haydn's choral version of _The Seven Last Words of Christ_


----------



## bejart

Joseph Woelfl (1773-1813: String Quartet in C Major, Op.10, No.1

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 15696


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, piano quintet.

The best music you can listen to after a gallon of beer and a few shorts...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2: Suites 4-6. A marvelous performances of what is quite possibly my favorite work by my favorite composer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn songs - Sophie Daneman, soprano, Stephan Loges, baritone, Eugene Asti, piano


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 15698


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2
> 
> Susan Kagan, piano
> 
> View attachment 15698


I adore Ries! Another example of unappreciated genius.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet in E flat, Op. 127
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn songs - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano


----------



## millionrainbows

Oo-ee
Paul Taub (Artist), Various Artists 

To commemorate twenty years of musical activity in the Pacific Northwest, flutist Paul Taub commissioned new works from musicians he had met and worked with in the region. The resulting collection presents a double portrait of Taub as a performer as well as the vital music Northwest music scene. Works range from plaintive melodies to performance art created by a dozen contemporary classical and jazz composers.

1. James Knapp: Oo-ee
2. Roger Briggs: Trailblazers
3. Bun-Ching Lam: Bittersweet Music III
4. Julian Priester: Equanimity
5. Roger Nelson: Stalks in the Breeze
6. David Mahler: One Banned Man
7. Bern Herbolsheimer: Ashik Dances Before His Love
8. Robin Holcomb: Shiloh
9. Stuart Dempster: Alternate Realities
10. Jarrad Powell: The Moon and the Sun Are Eternal Travelers 1
11. Jarrad Powell: The Moon and the Sun Are Eternal Travelers 2
12. Vincent Plush: The Little People of Mount Rainier
13. Janice Giteck: Agrarian Chants 1
14. Janice Giteck: Agrarian Chants 2
15. Janice Giteck: Agrarian Chants 3


----------



## Feathers

Liszt's Dante Symphony (Barenboim with the Berlin Philharmonic) and Faust Symphony (Muti with the Vienna Philharmonic)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 2
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2
Then I will listen to *Sibelius's* second symphony
Then I will listen to symphony no. 2 by *Jean Sibelius*
Then I will listen to *Sibelius's* op. 43


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St John Passion (sung in English) - Robert Shaw, cond (1950)


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Cello Sonatas - Richard Lester, cello, Susan Tomes, piano


----------



## Kivimees

It's been a while since I heard from George:


----------



## JCarmel

*Happy Easter *to All...and may your Easter Eggs always have something nice inside them!


----------



## JCarmel

S. Rachmaninov, Cello Sonata.....comparing two interpretations.

Stephen Hough and Steven Isserlis









Alexander Chaushian and Yevgeny Sudbin









A favourite work for a sunny, if cold....Easter morning


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Trio Sonata in B Flat, Op.4, No.2

London Baroque: Irmgard Schaller and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord

View attachment 15706


----------



## Andreas

Dérive 2 by Boulez.


----------



## JCarmel

Here's one for you, SimonNZ! Ljuba Welitsch......wonderful singing on this LP that I've dug-out for a special listen, later today.









Really great singing of _everything_ featured by Weber, Verdi, Puccini, Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky. But her Salome and Tatiana (the letter scene) are as good as anything I have heard in the years intervening from when she made these recordings in the 1940's.









And then if there's time between cooking meals, watching the Boat Race & the Tennis Final from Miami...I'm going to hear her singing Donna Anna as part of a stellar line-up of vocalists in a 1950's recording of Mozart's Don Giovanni (Gobbi, Schwarzkopf, Seefried). Wilhelm Furtwangler conducts the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 2 c-moll «Auferstehung» (*Testament*)









Maria Stader, soprano & Janet Baker, mezzo; Chor der Sankt-Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin & Berliner Philharmoniker u. John Barbirolli

Mahler and Barbirolli is a match made in anyone's heaven not least mine!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

JCarmel said:


> Here's one for you, SimonNZ!


Thanks! I don't know Ljuba Welitsch. I'll have to check her out tomorrow.

It's half past midnight here so one last piece and I'm off to bed:









Bach's Cello Suite No.6 - Ophelie Gaillard, cello


----------



## campy

Mascagni: _Cavalleria Rusticana _(Domingo/Obraztsova/La Scala/Prêtre)









Hey, it's Easter music, sort of.


----------



## Antihero




----------



## JCarmel

Easter dinner... made and consumed! I think I'll join you, ptr.. in a bit of Barbirolli n' Baker!

*G. Mahler*, Kindertotenlieder, 5 Ruckertlieder, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, 
Janet Baker, Sir John Barbirolli conducting The Halle/New Philharmonia Orchestra









'Nice One'...this!


----------



## BartokBela

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Major D. 959


----------



## Mahlerian

Perhaps somewhat odd listening for an Easter morning, but there's a reason...

Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
London Symphony, cond. Boulez









Zemlinsky: Six Songs for Middle Voice and Orchestra, Op. 13
Violeta Urmana, Gezurnich-Orchester Kolner Philharmoniker, cond. Conlon









Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 7
Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Craft









Berg: Five Orchestral Songs on Postcard Texts of Peter Altenberg, Op. 4
Juliane Banse, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Claudio Abbado









Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink









Exactly 100 years later, the scandal has turned into musical success for all involved, even Zemlinsky!


----------



## ptr

Continuing with M+B=Love!

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 5 (*EMI GROC*)









New Philharmonia u. Sir John Barbirolli

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Death is Swallowed up in Victory.*

Bringing in Easter with a bang.


----------



## Art Rock

To round off my Wagner (re)discovery, the 10th of the 10 great operas, Tristan und Isolde. The Bernstein version.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 1; Fantasy in C
Schubert: Impromptus

















In a quiet mood this morning


----------



## ptr

Still on the Love trail, this time M+H=любити

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 8 in E-flat major (BBC Legends)









Joyce Barker, Soprano I (Magna peccatrix), Beryl Hatt, Soprano II (Mater gloriosa), Agnes Giebel, Soprano III (Una Poenitentum), Kerstin Meyer, Contralto I (Mulier Samaritana), Helen Watts, Contralto II (Maria Aegyptiaca), Kenneth Neate, Tenor (Doctor Marianus), Alfred Orda, Baritone (Pater ecstaticus); Arnold van Mill, Bass (Pater profundus); BBC Chorus, BBC Choral Society, Goldsmith's Choral Union, Hampstead Choral Society, Emanuel School Boy's Choir, Orpington Junior Singers & London Symphony Orchestra u. Jascha Horenstein

Call it what You want, it is an exhausting experience for a thousand listeners let alone an enthralling one for myself!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Happy Birthday, Papa Haydn!
I'm going to start my celebration with 2 Symphonies, No 93 & 99...with Solti!









And they are well-conducted too if I remember correctly, though truth-to-tell, it's quite some time since this cd has seen the light of day! But it couldn't get a fresh hearing on a better day?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely relaxing music for Easter Sunday morning... before I've had my coffee and breakfast.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Bassoon Concerto No.1 in C Major

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eckart Hubner, bassoon

View attachment 15722


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Mignon (Kennst du das Land), D321 and other lieders


----------



## ptr

And now back to the French toffee!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Works with Wind Ensemble (*Chandos*)
(Oiseaux exotiques / Sept Haïkaï / Couleurs de la cité céleste / Un vitrail et des oiseaux / La ville d'en haut / Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum)









Peter Donohoe piano; Netherlands Wind Ensemble; Reinbert de Leeuw

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Dawn, Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, and Siegfried’s Death and Funeral Music
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Gatti

Rebroadcast of a concert from 8 days ago.


----------



## JCarmel

I think...a 'Drum Roll' for Franz Joseph today (at the very least!)
*J. Haydn,* Symphony No 103 'Drum Roll', Antal Dorati conducting The Philharmonia Hungarica









H.C. Robbins Landon said of the last movement...."One of the great tours-de-force, formally speaking, of Haydn's career: the creation of a long movement on a single theme in which our interest never flags; on the contrary, it is a Finale of unusual tension and strength."


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet in E Flat, Op.30, No.2

Quatour Pro Arte: Alphonse Onnou and Laurent Halleaux, violins -- Germain Provost, viola -- Robert Maas, cello

View attachment 15725


----------



## Kieran

I haven't listened to Mozart even once since I got up! I think the Guinness Book of Records beckons.

Chopin piano concerto #2 in f-minor, Alfred Cortot at the keys...


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Tannhauser Overture
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Gatti

Same as above.



Kieran said:


> I haven't listened to Mozart even once since I got up! I think the Guinness Book of Records beckons.


Want me to fetch the doctors?


----------



## Kivimees

And with this ends the long weekend:









Back to work tomorrow...


----------



## Novelette

Given what today is...

Bach: Easter Oratorio, BWV 249 -- Taverner Consort & Players

Haydn: The Seven Last Words Of Jesus Christ, Op. 51 -- Kodály Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Kundry's Narrative from Act II of _Parsifal_
Michelle DeYoung, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Gatti

Same...


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Want me to fetch the doctors?


If they have a Mozart cd in their bag, yes please!

After Chopin I'll listen to Liszt, then Rachmaninov, then Brahms and then Mahler.

And then Mozart! :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Prelude to Lohengrin, Prelude and Liebestod from _Tristan und Isolde_
Michelle DeYoung, Boston Symphony, cond. Gatti

Last items from the concert.


----------



## JCarmel

Three reasons for a joyful celebration...
*Top Tennis*...Andy Murray has just won a _great_ match at 'The Miami Masters'
*Top Female Instrumentalist* .... Alison Balsom
*Top Composer for Today! *.... Joseph Haydn






Haydn's Trumpet Concerto...recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> Three reasons for a joyful celebration...
> *Top Tennis*...Andy Murray has just won a _great_ match at 'The Miami Masters'


Ah! I thought the tennis was on later! Glad to see Murray win, but he'll be back down to #3 (or Djoker will) if Rafa stays fit throughout summer... :devil:


----------



## Cheyenne

Mahler Symphony no. 2, 'Resurrection'!


----------



## neoshredder

Buxtehude - Seven Trio Sonatas


----------



## PetrB

Excited to find this 'Archival' treasure, found on youtube...
*Poulenc ~ Gloria*, world premiere performance, Boston Symphony and chorus, Charles Munch conducting
(this is, along with the Stravinsky _Symphony of Psalms_, yet another of those scores commissioned by the Koussevitzky foundation, bless it 





Another performance:
l'Orchestre National de Lille, Barbara Hendricks, Soprano; dirigé par Jean-Claude Casadesus.





... enjoy


----------



## JCarmel

Enjoyed the Poulenc 'Gloria!'....

J. Brahms, Symphony No 4 in E Minor...so many favourite works of mine are in E Minor. 

Kent Nagano conducts The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin ...recorded from a Sky Arts programme onto a Hdd recorder for me and being watched with much enjoyment in high-def on a 42" Tv with surround sound.


----------



## ptr

*Rudolf Tobias* - String Quartets No 1 & 2 (*Bis*)









Tallin String Quartet

..said to be the first professional composer in Estonia, very romantic, kinda Brahmsian!

/ptr


----------



## DavidA

Bach B minor Mass / Gardiner


----------



## ptr

Continuing in my nightly Estonian Sound Trip:

*Mart Saar* - Koorilaulud 1 (33/34 Folk Songs for SA Choir and and 11 songs for SATB Choir) (Meloidya OOP)









Tallinna Harisustööliste Naiskoor u. A. Sööt (1 - 12); Akadeemiline Naiskoor u. S. Melik (13 - 21) ENSV Teaduste Akadeemia Naiskoor u. A. Ratassepp (22 - 33); Tallinna Kammerkoor u. K. Areng (1-4), T. Kapten (5-7), A. Üleoja (8-11)

Indispensable if You like the mighty Estonian Choral tradition! (I'm a bit saddened that this is not available on CD today!)

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin

comparing the Johanna Martzy and Rachel Podger recordings


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.19 in C Major, KV 465

Quartetto Italiano: Paolo Borciani and Elisa Pegreffi, violins -- Piero Farulli, viola -- Franco Rossi, cello

View attachment 15735


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some music suited more for Good Friday than Easter... but what can I say, I am an incurable procrastinator. If I'm likely to be late for my own funeral, I'd also be late for others.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* the second symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Haydn's* (1732 - 1809) birthday, Piano Sonatas with Sudbin (rec.2009/10), Xiao-Mei (rec.2008), Bavouzet (rec.2011).

View attachment 15736
View attachment 15737
View attachment 15738


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Right now: The Firebird


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A totally different approach to the Passion story for Easter:


----------



## Feathers

Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos (James Arthur Gardner with the Pro Arte Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Conor71

*Berlioz: Harold En Italie, Op. 16*

Got a few Berlioz Recordings lined up for today - I've been making my way through the Davis box-set slowly during the last couple of weeks and it's awesome! :


----------



## Sid James

Feathers said:


> Liszt's Dante Symphony (Barenboim with the Berlin Philharmonic) and Faust Symphony (Muti with the Vienna Philharmonic)


What did you think of these works?

I must admit I kind of balked when first hearing the Faust, but now I think its an amazing piece. Its been a while since I've heard it, I've been thinking of listening to it laterly. As for the Dante, some critics see it as inferior to the Faust symphony, and I've only heard it a couple of times (on a vinyl LP - but currently my turntable is kaput!) however it seemed even more experimental and 'out there' than the Faust, that was my impression of it anyway. But I think these are great works for many reasons (innovation and vision are big reasons there).

Anyway I'd be interested what's your opinion of all this, if you can tell us?


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms *Piano Quartet #1 in G minor, Op. 25
- Domus group (Virgin)
*
D. Scarlatti* Stabat mater
- Choir of Oxford Church Cathedral, Oxford ; Anthony Pleeth, cello ; Chi-Chi Nwanoku, bass ; Timothy Byram-Wigfield, organ (Hyperion)

*Akira Ifukube* Sinfonia Tapkaara ; *Ritmica Ostinata for piano & orch. ; Symphonic Fantasia #1
- *Ekaterina Saranceva, piano ; Russian PO under Dimitry Yablonsky (Naxos)

Continuing with* Brahms'* piano quartets, this time the decidedly symphonic first one. Many of Brahms' classic _Hungarianisms_ here, right from the kind of demure tune played on piano that kicks it off. Then more music appropriate for Easter, *Scarlatti's *setting of the stabat mater, a thing of serenity and beauty giving opportunity for contemplation and a feeling of peace. Finally, music of *Japanese composer Ifukube*, full of these contrasts between vigorous, tribal and propulsive rhythms and more lyrical, refined and static moments. I also like that filmic and epic feel of his music. Great stuff all round.


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninoff: Moment musicale, Op. 16 No. 2; Prelude, Op. 32 No.5 ; Polka V.R.
Brahms: Fantasies, Op. 116
Schumbert: Symphony No. 5


----------



## JCarmel

Brahms Piano Quartet No 1, Murray Perahia (piano), members of the Amadeus Quartet.









Hi Sid...I'll join you in a bit of Brahms...and I love the Barenboim 'Dante' Symphony, too! It's 3am in the morning & I've got a toothache/ear-ache sort of thing, so have got up to make a coffee and listen to a bit of music, so that hopefully, I can get _some _sleep soon!


----------



## Antihero




----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 6, 27 and 14 - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony number two.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 52
Schubert: Symphony No. 8


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Impromptu in G Flat, Op. 90/3, D 899/3 -- Joyfully played by me.

Saint-Saëns: Symphony in F, "Urbs Roma" -- Jean Martinon: Orchestre National De L'ORTF

Rameau: Pigmalion -- Hervé Niquet: Le Concert Spirituel

Onslow: String Quintet #51 in G Minor, Op. 51 -- Diogenes Quartet & Manuel van der Nahmer

Mozart: Ballet Sketches, K 299C -- Neville Marriner: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach - St. Matthew passion


----------



## Mahlerian

Liszt: Faust Symphony
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Bernstein


----------



## JCarmel

I thought my toothache seemed better but I think the Shostakovich Cello Sonata has just started it up again?!!
Anyway...goodnight to all you 'Night-Birds!'


----------



## GreenMamba

Haydn String Quartets, op. 76/4-6. Kodaly Qt.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some Rachmaninoff before bed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Il Mondo Della Luna - Antal Dorati, cond.

Happy 281st birthday!

And I just remembered that somewhere in one of Paul Auster's books he claims this is his all time favorie album (if my memory serves)


----------



## Feathers

Listening to the "Fifths" string quartet (Op. 76 No. 2, one of my favourites) by Papa Haydn to celebrate his birthday.


----------



## muxamed

One of my favorite Shostakovich symphonies (No. 6). A nice recording by Neeme Järvi.


----------



## Kivimees

ptr said:


> (I'm a bit saddened that this is not available on CD today!)


It's the sad fate of many Soviet-era LPs.


----------



## neoshredder

Handel - Concerti Grossi Op. 6


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Was listening to a few arias from "Esther" by Handel. 
Then *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony. 
Now, *Sibelius:* symphony no. 2.


----------



## Conor71

*Gorecki: String Quartets*

Playing a new set for the first time - Disc 1: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
Edit: Also decided to play the 3rd Disc from the challenging Maconchy cycle: String Quartets Nos. 9-13.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.60 "Il Distratto" - Simon Rattle, cond.

heh, I can still remember the first time I heard, without prior warning, the stop-and-retune thing in the fanale, and staring at the turntable thinking "what the hell?!"

and nobody does it more theatrically than Rattle


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's 9th piano concerto, composed by the genius when he was 4 years old. Advertised at the time as having "more NINTH than BEETHOVEN!!!"

There's an element of truth in that. Alfred Brendel called it one of the great wonders of the world, and it was his last chosen piece to perform at his retirement concert. Innovation and wit abound in this piece, but never laboriously or self-consciously. There's never the pretentious or self-aggrandising touch about a Mozart work.

Jeffrey Tate waves the wand over the English Chamber Orchestra, with Mitsuko Uchida doing all the heavy lifting...


----------



## ptr

Continuing my Estonian quest:

*Peeter Süda* - Complete Organ Works (*Toccata*)
(Prelude and Fugue in G minor / Pastorale / Fugue in F minor / Basso ostinato / Ave Maria / Scherzino / Gigue (á la Bach) / Tasso; Liszt, tr. Süda)









Ines Maidre, Organ of the Dome Church, Tallinn / Organ of St John's Church, Helsinki / Organ of the Old Church, Helsinki

*Ester Mägi* - Orchestral Music (*Toccata*)
(Vesper / Piano Concerto / Bukoolika / Variations for Piano, Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra / Symphony)









Ada Kuuseoks & Mati Mikalai, piano, Tarmo Pajusaar, clarinet; Estonian National Symphony Orchestra u. Arvo Volmer & Mihkel Kütson

*Veljo Tormis* - Works for Men's Voices (*Toccata*)
(An Aboriginal Song / Double Dedication / Crosswind / Our Shadows / Forging the Sampo / The Bishop and the / Pagan / Incantation for a Stormy Sea / Men's Songs / Curse upon Iron)









Svanholm Singers u. Sofia Söderberg Eberhard

I'm constantly amazed of the musical wealth from this small country!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> Mozart's 9th piano concerto, composed by the genius when he was 4 years old. Advertised at the time as having "more NINTH than BEETHOVEN!!!"
> 
> There's an element of truth in that. Alfred Brendel called it one of the great wonders of the world, and it was his last chosen piece to perform at his retirement concert. Innovation and wit abound in this piece, but never laboriously or self-consciously. There's never the pretentious or self-aggrandising touch about a Mozart work.
> 
> Jeffrey Tate waves the wand over the English Chamber Orchestra, with Mitsuko Uchida doing all the heavy lifting...


Is No.9 the "Jeunehomme"? Wasn't he 21 when he wrote that?

Digging that very Uchida / Tate recording out for another listen...









unfortunately I don't seem to have a Brendel recording of it


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Francesco Durante (31 March 1684-1755): Concerto Grosso No.5 in A Major

Giancarlo De Lorenzo directing the Ensemble Vox Aurae

View attachment 15754


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> Is No.9 the "Jeunehomme"? Wasn't he 21 when he wrote that?
> 
> Digging that very Uchida / Tate recording out for another listen...
> 
> View attachment 15752
> 
> 
> unfortunately I don't seem to have a Brendel recording of it


Oh yeah, he was 21, my bad! 

I was mixing him up with the Romantic Mozart, who was a hooligan-angel who wrote perfect music in his head while drunkenly entertaining guests with loud dinner parties and billiards.

I don't have a Brendel recording either, but this concerto travels quite a bit, doesn't it, from the impatience of the piano to get involved at the start, through a lot of spectacular and occasionally moody moments along the way. I think it easily holds its own alongside his later Viennese concertos...


----------



## JCarmel

Having had a truncated night's sleep, I need a brisk bit of Beethoven to get me going...because I feel a Ghost of my former self at the mome!


----------



## ptr

*Franz Schubert* - Octet in F major D803 (*Hyperion*)









The Gaudier Ensemble

Ein Wiener Bonbon!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I love the No. 9, too...though it would be impossible not-to!

This is a favourite performance of mine....Vladimir Ashkenazy with the LSO conducted by Istvan Kertesz.









Though on second thoughts, I might hand the Mozart to Melvyn....









Melvyn Tan, New Mozart Ensemble....recorded on a cassette tape.


----------



## SimonNZ

I'm a big fan of Melvyn Tan, and of the Veritas series. I'll have to track that one down. Unfortunately so many of his albums are now deleted.

Does he play a fortepiano on that one?


----------



## joen_cph

Once again: the Concerto in due Tempi - it´s such a great work. Listening to it before going to town to enjoy the superb spring weather. It would be interesting to hear an alternative release of this work, with a different reading - such as underlining the Finale/Ending-character of the last few moments of the music, for instance (from around 26:30).


----------



## JCarmel

Yes, I think he does, Simon. But my Melvyn Tan recording is one that I taped from my Dad's old LP....it was the first hearing of _any_ No 9 that I had...in fact I 'learnt it' from that disc. But most of my Dad's LP collection got thrown-out by my brother...(Grrrr!) all I have are some old cassette recordings that he made for me over the years, featuring some of my favourites. The recording itself was on a cheap issue LP...Dad couldn't afford anything else for the most part, so it would be one of the regular issues like Music For Pleasure. But search though I might on Google...the LP cover could not be located, so I had to compromise with the only one that I _could_ find that fitted.

But now we mention Melvyn....I'm going to give this a twirl, shortly. I found it in my unearthed cache of free BBC discs....if I remember correctly, it isn't half-bad at all?!









PS Yes, I like the Veritas label, too...I'll try to sort one or two out for a listen later and see if you are familiar with them?!


----------



## ptr

After Schubert a stroll in Kierans garden:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Symphonies 29, 33, 35, 38, 51 (*Archiv*)









Orchestra Mozart u. Claudio Abbado

..on the whole, I like the post Berliner Claudio Abbado much, much better, he seems much more relaxed in his music making, these are very preppy and fun interpretations!

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in A major, Op. 20 no. 6
Quatuor Mosaïques








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 20 no. 2
Quatuor Mosaïques






(still really, really love this one!)

EL Cancionero De La Catedral De La Segovia: music by Heinrich Isaac, Jakob Obrecht and Antoine Busnois
Ensemble Daedalus








François Couperin: Quatrième livre de pièces de clavecin--Vingt-sixième Ordre
Olivier Baumont, harpsichord


----------



## Kivimees

Not planning on skipping any movements:


----------



## JCarmel

I'm sticking with Chopin...but when I bought this 'Virgin' cd, both Leif Ove Andsnes and Chopin's Sonata No 1 were completely unknown to me. But I read a glowing review of this 2 cd-set of Chopin and bought it on the strength of that.









Indeed, it was a worthy-enough purchase and the all-Chopin programme including all three sonatas are well-played..and the 'First' is particularly-so.... though to be honest, Chopin's first sonata is not one that I often re-visit, although with reference to the playing of Andsnes...he is a pianist whose performances I'm usually happy to do so.


----------



## BartokBela

Glazunov: Symphony no. 4


----------



## ptr

It is time to spend the rest of the day under the sway of the "tricolore italiano" celebrating *Dante Michelangelo Benvenuto Ferruccio Busoni*'s birthday! Un evviva per Ferruccio!!

To start with, two volumes of orchestral music in the hands of a fab Estonian:

_Orchestral Works, Volume 1_ (*Chandos*)
(Orchestral Suite No. 2 'Geharnischte Suite', Op. 34a / Berceuse élégiaque, Op. 42 / Concertino for Clarinet and Small Orchestra, Op. 48 / Sarabande and Cortège, Op. 51 / Tanzwalzer, Op. 53)









John Bradbury clarinet; BBC Philharmonic u. Neeme Järvi

_Orchestral Works, Volume 2_ (*Chandos*)
(Lustpiel-Overture, Op 38 (1897, revised 1904) for Orchestra / Indianische Fantasie, Op. 44 (1913-14) for Piano and Orchestra / Gesang vom Reigen der Geister, Op. 47 (1915) / Die Brautwahl, Op. 45 (1912) Suite for Orchestra)









Nelson Goerner piano; BBC Philharmonic u. Neeme Järvi

Bonissimo!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphonies Nos. 88 through 91.*


----------



## JCarmel

Bring Out The 'Birthday Busoni' ....(by Brendel in my case?!)









I'll join you ptr, in the celebration ..but my Busoni is strictly limited to this well-played Toccata: Preludio, Fantasia, Ciaccona, for piano, KiV 287 on one of the 2-disc editions of Alfred Brendel's in 'The Greatest Pianists of the Twentieth Century Series' and then a Bach/Busoni transcription of the D Minor Concerto from my Dinu Lipatti box set.









On the Dinu Lipatti-dedicated website, the concerto recording gets quite a paeon of praise...
"The first movement is among the most fascinating performances that exist by Lipatti, with a number of passages in particular demonstrating his unusual conception of this work. The section from 5:22 to 5:44, where arpeggios are extended and played with the most delightful inner rhythmic pulse, is magnificent. Perhaps the most incredible moment begins at 6:39, where he starts a phenomenally graduated decrescendo that brings the audience to complete silence as he highlights a downward chromatic progression, creating a melting effect until his playing goes down to a whisper at 7:02 - miraculous."


----------



## Andolink

Franz Schubert: Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, Nos. 1-6
Jörg Ewald Dähler, hammerflügel


----------



## Mahlerian

Via Spotify:

Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis
Edward Aldwell


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Shostakovich Symphony 1 and 2


----------



## ptr

Un evviva per Ferruccio!! #2

*Johann Sebastian Bach / Ferruccio Busoni* - Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 1 & 2 (*Hyperion* / *Hyperion*)















Nikolai Demidenko (piano)

Demidenko is the perfect forceful pianist for these transcriptions!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Having a listen dedicated to Kieran, for this one.....

W. Mozart, Divertimento in E Flat, k563 .....Trio Zimmermann









Not quite as good as The Grumiaux Trio, methinks...but then what is? But it's a most enjoyable performance.


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> Having a listen dedicated to Kieran, for this one.....
> 
> W. Mozart, Divertimento in E Flat, k563 .....Trio Zimmermann
> 
> View attachment 15776
> 
> 
> Not quite as good as The Grumiaux Trio, methinks...but then what is? But it's a most enjoyable performance.


Ticks all the boxes, doesn't it?


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Prokofiev - PC 1


----------



## rrudolph

Viva Mexico!

Revueltas: La Noche de los Mayas/Sensamaya/Ocho X Radio/Toccata/Alcancias/Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca/Planos









Chavez: Symphony #1 (Sinfonia Antigonia)/symphony #2 (Sinfonia India)/Symphony #3


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Haydn Symphonies, 92 and 94.


----------



## Oldboy

After watching the John Eliot Gardiner documentary on TV last week, I had to go into town and pick this up:









I got some other CDs too, so I'll list those as and when I listen to them.


----------



## ptr

Un evviva per Ferruccio!! #3

*Ferruccio Busoni *- Violin Concerto & Violin Sonata No 2 (Sony)









Frank Peter Zimmermann, Violin, Orchestra Sinfonica nazionale della Rai u. John Storgards / Enrico Pace, piano

Buonanotte piccolo dolce!

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Ives - Central Park in the Dark. I'm in the middle of it - it can be really loud in the Central Park at night, apparently. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphonies 94 and 95.*


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mozart's Concerto For Flute And Harp - Suzanne Kaiser, flute, Mara Galassi, harp, Gottfried von der Goltz, cond


----------



## Celloissimo

Bottesini Concerto No. 2 for Double Bass


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major (butchered 1888 version)
London Philharmonic, destroyed by Vanska

Wow, I'd forgotten how abysmal this performance was...


----------



## DrKilroy

Walter Piston - Symphony no. 2. I am familiar with Piston's textbooks, but not his music! This seems nice so far.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major (butchered 1888 version)
> London Philharmonic, destroyed by Vanska
> 
> Wow, I'd forgotten how abysmal this performance was...


What did Vanska do to it?


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> What did Vanska do to it?


Slurred notes, poorly thought-out phrasing, and for no apparent reason, a luft-pause right before the climax of the Adagio (not in any score). Add to that the London Philharmonic was on an off-night, with the brass frequently out of tune, and it's a disaster all around even before considering the version used!


----------



## DrKilroy

Hovhaness' Symphony no. 50 (Mount St. Helens). This is interesting!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrKilroy said:


> Walter Piston - Symphony no. 2. I am familiar with Piston's textbooks, but not his music!


In my case, I wasn't familiar with his music _because of _his textbook. Too many bad memories.  After a couple decades, I got over it, though.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Quartet No. 15 and Schoenberg, Three Piano Pieces.*

One looks forward to Bruckner, the other looks backward to Brahms.


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #5 in B Flat -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Bach: Concerto in C Minor For Oboe & Violin, BWV 1060R -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Liszt: Müllerlieder von Franz Schubert, S 565bis -- Leslie Howard

Haydn: Piano Sonatas #38 - 41 -- Jenö Jandó

^ In honor of Haydn's birthday yesterday, which I somehow missed.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Missa Brevis in C, K 259.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## EricABQ

Grieg's sonatas for violin and piano 1 and 2 from the Rise of the Masters set.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Overture in D Major, Op.2, No.1

Vojtech Spurny leading Ensemble 18+

View attachment 15787


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius's* 2nd symphony again...


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony again...


By now you're hearing things in that piece that I'll never hear.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: String Quartet in A Minor, Op.51, No.2

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello

View attachment 15788


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ligeti/Norgard Violin Concertos


----------



## millionrainbows

Le Domaine musical, Vol. 2, CD 2: Schoenberg: _Verklärte Nacht_ (rec. 1966); the rare under-three minute _Trois pièces _pour 12 instruments (1910; discovered in 1957; rec. in 1964; Pierrot lunaire (rec. 1962); and Webern's Six Pieces for Orchestra (rec. 1958 in stereo). (ACCORD)

All are good performances; this 2-Vol. box series contains the Domaine musical recordings first released on vinyl LP that I "imprinted" on of Pierrot lunaire, Verkärte Nacht, and the Serenade. It still sounds good after all these years.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> L Pierrot lunaire (rec. 1962)


Wow, that's freaky. I just had the impression to hear Pierrot before I saw your post. We're either in sync or on the border of psychosis.


----------



## aleazk

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Ligeti/Norgard Violin Concertos


Another one for the awful covers thread?.


----------



## neoshredder

aleazk said:


> Another one for the awful covers thread?.


Eh I like the colors. No idea what it's about though. lol


----------



## aleazk

neoshredder said:


> Eh I like the colors. No idea what it's about though. lol


Well, the blue is fine. The problem is the ghost girl!, wtf!, lol.


----------



## aleazk

Per Nørgård: Symphony No.6 "At the End of the Day".

I think I'm going to explore more from this composer in the following days.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Rouse Flute Concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> Per Nørgård: Symphony No.6 "At the End of the Day".
> 
> I think I'm going to explore more from this composer in the following days.


I love Nørgård! 
Symphony no. 2 is my favourite.

Just listened to *Sibelius's* 1st symphony and "Finlandia," now *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony.


----------



## neoshredder

aleazk said:


> Per Nørgård: Symphony No.6 "At the End of the Day".
> 
> I think I'm going to explore more from this composer in the following days.


I heard his 3rd Symphony is really good.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> I heard his 3rd Symphony is really good.


You must also listen to "Voyage into the Golden Screen."


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I think....Nordic composers are my favourite <3 <3 <3


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.2 in A Major, Op.2, No.2

Wilhelm Kempff, piano

View attachment 15789


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms lieder - Angelika Kirchschlager, mezzo, Graham Johnson, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Tintner


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius No. 2 with Paavo Jarvi..... again


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Rachmaninov's* (1873 - 1943) birthday: Cello Sonata with Gorokhov & Demidenko (rec. 2004); Etudes-tableaux, Opp. 33, 39, with Angelich (rec. 1994).

View attachment 15793
View attachment 15794


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Strauss - Oboe Concerto


----------



## Feathers

Symphony No. 3 by Szymanowski (Karol Stryja with the Polish State Philharmonic)

And since it's April Fools day, I'm going to enjoy Mozart's Musical Joke


----------



## drpraetorus

Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasilerias


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cello Suites - Pieter Wispelwey, cello

spotted this going cheap at the record store today, and after reading StLukes' recommendation a couple of days ago thought I better grab it


----------



## neoshredder

Ending the night on a perfect cadence. Listening to Sibelius's Symphonies starting with 1.


----------



## Sid James

aleazk said:


> Another one for the awful covers thread?.





neoshredder said:


> Eh I like the colors. No idea what it's about though. lol





aleazk said:


> Well, the blue is fine. The problem is the ghost girl!, wtf!, lol.


I think the cover working in that pseudo Scandinavian flag design is a bit blah but I got no issue with the painting, its by the painter who did the famous _The Scream_, Norwegian Edvard Munch (a master of Expressionist painting - meant to make you angsty and uncomfortable!).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## ProudSquire

Schumann
Symphonies No. 1 & 2
Leonard Bernstein


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Reger lieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gunther Weissenborn, piano


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 59 ("Razumovsky No. 1)
The Alexander String Quartet


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Edgar Varese, note the slightly different spelling


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

A late birthday wish:

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - String Quartets 1 & 2 (from "Rare Rachmaninoff") (Sydney Symphony)









Goldner String Quartet

Some Capricious Russian Concertos!

*Kabalevski, Rakov, Shebalin* - Violin Concertos (*Regis*)









Andrew Hardy, violin; Symphony Orchestra of Russia u. Veronika Dudarova

And back to my bucket of French Toffee!

*Cesar Franck* - Complete Organ Works, Vol 2 "Unrecognised greatness" (*Audite*)









Hans-Eberhard Roß, at theGoll Organ of the Deanery St. Martin in Memmingen, Germany

Ear Candy!

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

The full run down again. I enjoy writing about these things in depth, its like my music diary…










Finishing off the *Brahms* set with the *Piano Quartet #2*. This was completed in 1861, at the same time as his first work in the genre, and in some ways shares qualities with it (eg. those trademark _Hungarianism_ type tunes and rhythms). But its more restrained and Classicist, harking back to the objectivity of Haydn and Mozart, even though there is a bit of 'storm and stress' its overall less outwardly expressive than the two piano quartets either side of it. Maybe its because of this that this piece is the least popular of the three, however it's an enjoyable work to hear.

*Mahler's Piano Quartet Movement* was finished on the cusp of his career, he wrote it as a music student at only 16 years of age. For that young age this shows considerable emotional depth, and now after knowing it for a while I feel like many 'incomplete' or single movement works it is satisfying as it is. I don't know if he knew Brahms' three works in this genre, but the previous year (1875) is when Brahms completed his third and final piano quartet.










Then more Easter listening, even though Easter is now over. On this listen to *Gubaidulina's Seven Words,* I find it less plain out there or weird as I did when last hearing it, and more kind of dark, lonely, tragic, emotional. This was premiered in 1982 in Moscow and the religious title and content of the work was obscured due to the Soviet regime's oppression of religion.

What I like most is the string orchestra that has the qualities of choral music. Its also kind of in the background as accompaniment and some have made political interpretations of this. The string orchestra can be a metaphor for the 'chorus' of apostles who witnessed Christ's crucifixion and could do nothing but watch, similar to how in these dictatorial regimes, people who saw various things happen to others where powerless to help. & in regards to that, I like what Shostakovich said to Gubaidulina given these restrictions facing her music, he advised her to dig in & just stick to her "incorrect path."

But as regards the cello and bayan (Russian button accordion) they get a workout in this piece, its much like a concerto for them, albeit chamber like and with this sparse, lean and pared down quality. A lot of 'wailing' and these kinds of groaning sounds from the two solo instruments here, it has this vocal quality, and Gubaidulina was indeed inspired by the works of Schutz and Haydn illustrating this same crucifixion story. It also reminds me of electronic music sometimes, but its an entirely acoustic piece.










Finishing with my own tribute to *birthday boy Busoni* - again that was yesterday, but why not? - with my favourite work on this disc, his _*Berceuse elegiaque.*_ It's a work that sounds far ahead of its time, and it was much admired by Richard Strauss and Mahler was to conduct its premiere in New York at his last ever concert of 1911. The work started off as a short piano piece but Busoni expanded it and orchestrated it when his mother died, its like an elegy to her in all but name. The cradle like rocking motion is strangely both comforting and disturbing, and the repetition looks forward to minimalism. Its like a farewell, or a lullaby of death, and for me does have strong connotations of late Mahler.

Incidentally this was dedicated to Busoni's star pupil, Edgard Varese, who revered him to no end (but had comparatively little interest in Schoenberg - so what?). Anyway I aim to get thru the rest of this disc in coming days.


----------



## SimonNZ

Compere's Missa In Nativitate - Orlando Consort


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: String Quartet No. 7*

I made a playlist of all the remaining String Quartets on my iPod today - I have more than I thought: 459 Tracks so thats about 100 String Quartets represented. A nice round number!  I hope to re-listen to some new and little known works and re-visit some favourites too over the next year or so. Im not real good at sticking to listening plans anymore but this could be a fun project - Probably one to continue from time to time when Im not anxious to listen to something. I want to just pick a Quartet at random and listen to it - I might use the Shuffle setting to help me choose.
First up I am exploring the Quartets of Elizabeth Maconchy again - I am glad I decided to get re-aquainted with these works and have been enjoying my listening today. Stylistically these are a lot like Bartoks and are fairly challenging fare. Next up I will listen to the Gorecki Quartets which are a new set. I listened to these for the first time last night. Kind of what you would expect from this Composer, they are quite dark but very accesible!.


----------



## Guest

Oldboy said:


> After watching the John Eliot Gardiner documentary on TV last week, I had to go into town and pick this up:
> 
> View attachment 15783
> 
> 
> I got some other CDs too, so I'll list those as and when I listen to them.


*I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this work* and what a fabulous performance. The EBO/Monteverdi Choir are unbeatable. (I had an indirect connection to that choir through a male friend!!)


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Trio Sonata in A Major, Op.8, No.7

The Locatelli Trio with Rachel Isserlis on violin: Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

View attachment 15807


----------



## JCarmel

......Missing Sergei's Special Day?! I wouldn't have bothered with Busoni if I'd have realised it was Rach?! I'd have been devoting much more listening-time to him yesterday. But, it all feels a wee bit too late to bother-with now. 
But that is not the TC spirit, is it?









So, onto the first disc...of the first concerto...& not a bad effort here at all from Ashkenazy and Haitink, though of the two performances, here... I favour the 'Rhapsody.' I like following the score to it....(what a lot of notes, he wrote?!..)

The April Fool's Day Joke was on us Forgetful folk?!


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Piano Sonata No.2 - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## EricABQ

Liszt's Ungarisher Romanzero played by Howard (volume 54 of his Liszt set.)


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59 no. 2
The Alexander String Quartet






(The performances by this ensemble here and in vol. 3 of their Beethoven cycle are really stunning!)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 2


----------



## ptr

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* symphony no. 2


On with some Nielsen now CoAG, You're wearing the poor Finn down to his bones... 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

and before going out in the almost springy outside, a walk in peeyaj's garden:

*Franz Schubert* - Piano Sonata D157 & D894 (*Sony*)









Arkadi Volodos, piano

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Up there with my all-time favourite works in E Minor

*S. Rachmaninov* Symphony No 2 in E Minor









Edward Downes conducts The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## millionrainbows

Domaine musical: Yvonne Loriod playing Berg's Sonata op. 1. I really like this, close-miked and recorded very dry. Recorded in 1961.


----------



## rrudolph

No particular theme to my listening today, except I think I'll stay away from Germanic stuff:

Arnold: Symphony #9









Debussy: Nocturnes/Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Suite #2/Pavane/Scriabin: Le Poeme de l'Extase









Rozsa: Concerto for Violin/Concerto for Cello/Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello and Orchestra


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano sonatas, K545, K570, K576, K533/494.

Mitsuko Uchida on the keys...


----------



## JCarmel

I'm glad about that, Kieran...cos she sounds even worse when she's off-key!!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Brahms Symphony 1 - Otto Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Karabiner

Going though this set. Currently on the fourth CD - Some Schubert pieces then the Appassionata.


----------



## Mahlerian

Oddly enough (for me):

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor "Pathetique"
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, cond. Golschmann

So I picked up the $.99 Tchaikovsky Mp3 bundle at Amazon. Even for me, it's not really a waste of money.

Stravinsky: The Fairy's Kiss (after Tchaikovsky)
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Slurred notes, poorly thought-out phrasing, and for no apparent reason, a luft-pause right before the climax of the Adagio (not in any score). Add to that the London Philharmonic was on an off-night, with the brass frequently out of tune, and it's a disaster all around even before considering the version used!


It sounds like the kind of performance where raucous laughter from the audience wouldn't have been out of place!


----------



## JCarmel

My friend rehearsed 'The Fairy's Kiss' along with members of her local orchestra to perform it last week...but then down came the snow and 'Off'...went the performance!
*J S Bach* The Concertos 1 to 3 (disc 1) for Keyboard/Klavier & Strings, Glenn Gould, Columbia Symphony Orchestra directed by Vladimir Goldschmann









Although this music is anything but Background Music, nevertheless I enjoy putting these performances of Glenn's on the cd player and just let the music provide something joyous to hear & to tap your foot-to....without the need for focused concentration.


----------



## ptr

Afternoon music:

*Arnold Bax* - Orchestral Works (*Chandos*)
(London Pageant (1937) / Concertante for Three Wind Instruments and Orchestra (1948-9) / Suite from 'Tamara' (1911) / Cathaleen-ní-Hoolihan (1903-5))









BBC Philharmonic u. Martyn Brabbins

Not his greatest works, but still well rounded British late romantic music with a purpose!

/ptr


----------



## Art Rock

Moving into the less known Wagner regions after having gone through his 10 top operas recently.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Nielsen's Concertos.


----------



## JCarmel

*Edward Elgar * Enigma Variations, Pomp & Circumstance Marches Nos 1-5 Adrian Boult conducting the LSO & London Philharmonic Orchestra









Elgar never did quite reveal what that enigmatic theme for his Variations was....but he was a sentimental man, so it seems quite possible that it was something attached to his childhood. Certainly, a recurrent melodic theme in the work seems to fit the little ditty I sang along with the other members of the street 'gang' that I and most of the children that lived in our street, were part-of....when we had a game of Tug-of-War. 
If only I could ask Edward......I can't but my Grandad could've done?! He worked as an assistant in a Betting Shop/Turf Accountants just round the corner from the BBC in Portland Place, London...where Elgar came to discuss/record/conduct concerts? of his music for broadcasting on the radio. Whatever exactly he did there....he enjoyed laying a bet on the horses and came into the establishment where my grandfather Alfred Poole, worked...who processed his bet, it seemed. Liking a play-on-words, Elgar nicknamed him 'Snooker' (from the alternative name for a billiards-type game...'Pool!') and called him by that name whenever he met him. This is what my Dad told me...and his Dad was Alfred Poole!

re the Enigma theme...it says in the cd's booklet notes " ....Elgar explained the word 'Enigma' by saying that the theme was a counterpoint to another, larger theme, whose identity however he refused to reveal. Numerous possibilities have been put forward, the most convincing being Auld Lang Syne but we cannot be absolutely certain, knowing Elgar's fondness for jokes..."

With reference to that little 'ditty' that I sang as a child...it can be sung 'over' the recurrent theme, throughout the work....i.e. it 'fits'....
My Dad was a great fan of Elgar's music and of reading about the personality behind the music. He became a bit of an authority on him, as he read extensively from many books and articles about the composer...maybe because of that connection between Elgar and his father (that's all that it can take to spark such an interest in a famous person...)


----------



## Manxfeeder

JCarmel said:


> Elgar never did quite reveal what that enigmatic theme for his Variations was....but he was a sentimental man, so it seems quite possible that it was something attached to his childhood. Certainly, a recirrent melodic theme in the work seems to fit the little ditty I sang along with the other members of the street 'gang' that I and most of the children that lived in our street, were part-of....when we had a game of Tug-of-War.
> If only I could ask Edward......I can't but my Grandad could've done?! He worked as an assistant in a Betting Shop/Turf Accountants just round the corner from the BBC in Portland Place, London...where Elgar came to discuss/record/conduct concerts? of his music for broadcasting on the radio. Whatever exactly he did there....he enjoyed laying a bet on the horses and came into the establishment where my grandfather Alfred Poole, worked...who processed his bet, it seemed. Liking a play-on-words, Elgar nicknamed him 'Snooker' (from the alternative name for a billiards-type game...'Pool!') and called him by that name whenever he met him. This is what my Dad told me...and his Dad was Alfred Poole!


Interesting anecdote!

I remember one person opining that since Elgar said he would "never, never" reveal the source of the theme, he speculated it belonged to the musical phrase connected to "never, never" in Rule Brittania: "England never, never, never shall be slaves."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 9.*

Great conducting and great orchestral sound from Bruno Walter.


----------



## ptr

*Sofia Gubaidulina X 2*

- Complete String Quartets (*Supraphon*)









Stamic Quartet

- In tempus praesens (Violin Concerto II) & Glorious percussion (*BIS*)









Vadim Gluzman, violin / Glorious Percussion Ensemble; Lucerne Symphony Orchestra u. Jonathan Nott

Glorious Sofia, Glorious!

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

More Debussy!


----------



## JCarmel

Elgar Symphony No.1, Sir John Barbirolli conducts The Philharmonia Orchestra









This LP got many plays in the family home & in the decades since I first heard it, I have never heard a better interpretation of the symphony than Sir John's....until the other week, when I listened to a 'live' radio performance that I had 'taped' at the time of the concert...but had failed to wait until the name of the conductor and orchestra was recorded, before I turned off the machine!


----------



## worov

Prokofiev's oratorio Ivan the Terrible, conducted by Riccardo Muti.


----------



## Novelette

A nasty ear infection has temporarily wrecked my hearing. All sounds are distorted by more than a microtone, and unevenly. =\ Everything sounds out of key.

Still, I was able to listen to:

Beethoven: Variationen über 10 Volksweisen, Op. 107 -- Patrick Gallois, et al

Chopin: Fantasie in F Minor, Op. 49, B 137 -- Murray Perahia


----------



## DrKilroy

Szymanowski - Symphonie Concertante.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## CoCo

Dennis Brain playing Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No 1









my favourite


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> A nasty ear infection has temporarily wrecked my hearing. All sounds are distorted by more than a microtone, and unevenly. =\ Everything sounds out of key.


That's terrible. I hope it gets better soon.


----------



## JCarmel

I'll join you in listening to that Chopin Fantasy opus 49, novelette.
I have it played by Ashkenazy on my iPod!


----------



## DrKilroy

Milhaud - La creation du monde.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

View attachment pieter-wispelwey-plays-edward-elgar-witold-lutoslawski.jpg


on the radio:

Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto - Pieter Wispelwey, cello. Jac van Steen, cond.

funny, I hadn't heard of Wispelwey before StLukes mentioned him the other day - now not only did I find the same Bach set yesterday but here he is as soon as I turn on the radio


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov's third piano concerto, Mikhail Rudy on piano...


----------



## JCarmel

S. Rachmaninov, Symphony No 3, Andre Previn conducting the LSO.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Max Reger's Violin Concerto - Benjamin Schmid, violin, Hannu Lintu, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chabrier, Orchestral Music. Dvorak, Piano Quintet.*


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> That's terrible. I hope it gets better soon.


Thanks! I think it will be better in a few days. Then I'll catch up for lost music-listening time!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


If it wasn't this, I was going to recommend it to you!


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


Again??!!.  Whom I cheat?, I do the same.


----------



## Kieran

aleazk said:


> Again??!!.


I think it's the only way. I listened to Figaro (or parts of) every day for 18 months! Then I moved onto Cosi, then Don Giovanni, then...


----------



## aleazk

Kieran said:


> I think it's the only way. I listened to Figaro (or parts of) every day for 18 months! Then I moved onto Cosi, then Don Giovanni, then...


Read the edit.


----------



## Kieran

aleazk said:


> Read the edit.


Ah I know, you were teasing, you weren't being critical. I bet we all have in common stuff we just gorge on for ages. Lately it's Rachmaninov piano concertos with me, but ever present is Wolfgangerl, and I'm back craving and slobbering over Cosi...


----------



## peeyaj

I need to listen to more music.

There are stretches of time ( maybe a few days or a week) that I only listen to Schubert!

*Schubert. Schubert. Schubert. Schubert. Schubert. *


----------



## JCarmel

A bit of lovely Schubert for you, peeyaj.....






hope you like it.


----------



## Sonata

First classical music in five days. Seriously, FIVE days. And very little of any other kind of music, been a bit hectic.

Dvorak American string quartet. Excellent, one of my favorite string quartets. The second movement is so beautiful. Hearing it for the first time in a few months today, I think it's actually somewhat sensual too.


----------



## peeyaj

JCarmel said:


> A bit of lovely Schubert for you, peeyaj.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hope you like it.


It's so peaceful . I love that sonata. Haruhi Murakami, the Japanese author loves it.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Violin Sonata in F Major, Op.5, No.2

Paul Luchkow, violin -- Michael Lewis, piano

View attachment 15834


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1










Haven't listened to his early symphonies for over a year.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *Both works feature Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88,* both performed by the Witold Rowicki directed London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haven't listened to his early symphonies for over a year.


@ Opus, Those works have become some of my favorites, as well as their interpretations by Markevitch and the LSO. I also have enjoyed Bernstein and the NYP's take on these as well. Enjoy!


----------



## Guest

Right now I'm listening to Mendelssohn's Piano Trios No. 1 and 2 (here's the link to No. 1):






My CD is Manny Ax, Yo Yo Ma and Izzy Perlman (Go the Jews!!). These works by Mendelssohn are just magical. Tender, poignant, ecstatic, yearning, exuberant, rhapsodic - it's all there in these glorious works. My heart is breaking. Now galloping apace; now a rhapsodic, beautiful theme; now a swaying lullaby.

"Now more than ever seems it rich to die; to cease upon the midnight with no pain 
Whilst though art pouring forth they soul abroad in such an ecstasy;
To thy high requiem become a sod". (Keats, "Ode to a Nightingale")


----------



## Feathers

Some Russian symphonies on Youtube:

Symphony No. 1 in E flat by Borodin

Symphony No. 3 in C by Rimsky-Korsakov

The conductors and orchestras aren't mentioned in the video descriptions. :/


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to *Sibelius's* symphony no. 2, so then I put it on again...


----------



## neoshredder

Mozart is awesome. Listening to PC 27.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 9.*
> 
> Great conducting and great orchestral sound from Bruno Walter.
> 
> View attachment 15822


I used to have that very recording (same cover etc) on tape. I liked how it was a more restrained and not too dark performance. Kind of 'centrist' as someone here once said of Walter's interps of Mahler. But I think its out of print now.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 15828
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto - Pieter Wispelwey, cello. Jac van Steen, cond.
> 
> funny, I hadn't heard of Wispelwey before StLukes mentioned him the other day - now not only did I find the same Bach set yesterday but here he is as soon as I turn on the radio


His Bach cello suites set is on my backburner, but a great recording by Wispelwey was done with the Sydney Symphony Orch. under Jeffrey Tate. The Walton cello concerto. Its on the ONYX label (I think Dutch). But its got this really organic feel, he has this special touch which I'd describe as flowing like water. He gets that Southern sunny Mediterranean feel of the work down so well.


----------



## ProudSquire

Let's see!

I listened to quite a few today:

Schumann 
Symphony No. 2 in C Major
Leonard Bernstein

Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor "Moonlight"
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor "Tempest"
Alfred Brendel

Schubert
String Quartet No. 15 in G Major
Brandis Quartet

Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor
Mitsuko Uchida

String quartet No. 18 in A Major
Salomon Quartet

I think there were a few miscellaneous pieces here and there that I should I leave out, but over all it was a great day. :cheers:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2, op. 43


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2, op. 43


I think you broke a record. Most listened to piece from one poster on this forum.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> I think you broke a record. Most listened to piece from one poster on this forum.


Guess what I'm listening to right now?


----------



## ptr

In the aftermath of Easter, I started the day with some more Gubaidulina:

*Sofia Gubaidulina* - St. John Passion (*Hänssler*)









Olga Savova, soprano; Viktor Lutsiuk, tenor; Fedor Mozahev, baritone; Genady Bezzubenkov, bass; St. Petersburg Chamber Choir; Choir of the Mariinsky Theater St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater St. Petersburg u. Valery Gergiev

An then some lush Messiaen:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Harawi (*Dominique*)









Annika Skoglund, mezzo & Carl-Axel Dominique, piano

These two works are at either side of what is possible with vocal ensemble forms, the first, massive in tone but micro managed in details, the second, a pure duet in its simplest form that is massive in expression..

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 2........


----------



## Conor71

*Martinu: String Quartet No. 1, H 317*

Continuing my String Quartet Survey - Bohuslav Martinu: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2.


----------



## JCarmel

Listening to Sviatoslav Richter playing Bach's Italian Concerto via youtube on my iPod, with an extension speaker.






Hope that link works ?!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Krumpholz's Harp Concerto No.5 - Lilly Laskine, harp, Jean-Francois Paillard, cond.


----------



## Kieran

The Ghost Trio by Ludwig. Performed by Ashkenazy, Perlman and Harrell.

This will seque into the Kreutzer sonata, performed by Arthur Grumiaux and Clara Haskill, which laziness will cause me to allow run into Beethoven's 10th violin sonata, perfed by the same.

All leading into an afternoon of Hugo Wolf, shape unknown...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to you know what _again..._


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E Major, Op.8, No.1, RV 269

Herbert van Karajan leading the Vienna Philhamonic Orchestra -- Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin

View attachment 15847


----------



## JCarmel

F. Delius, In a Summer Garden, Walk to the Paradise Garden, Brigg Fair. Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the LPO and RPO









The sun is out, the sky is blue (largely...) and its time to enjoy some fresh air...even though the wind is chill. But thoughts are turning to the eventual arrival of Spring warmth and of being able to enjoy the garden on the _other _side of the patio window!


----------



## cwarchc

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Just listened to *Sibelius's* symphony no. 2, so then I put it on again...


This is such a surprise CoAG


----------



## cwarchc

Started off a Bach day with these















and this one is playing now. One of my favourite violinists


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Laurence Dean on flute with Hannoversche Hofkapelle

View attachment 15855


----------



## EricABQ

Bach's English Suites played by Perahia. 

It took me awhile to connect with Bach's keyboard music but now I'm on a bit of a run with it. 

But, I have to admit that I still don't care for the harpsichord, so it's piano interpretations for me.


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in C major, Op. 59 "Razumovsky" no. 3
The Alexander String Quartet








François Couperin: Quatrième livre de pièces de clavecin--23e ordre, en Fa majeur
L'audacieuse ; Les tricoteuses ; L'arlequine ; Les gondoles de Délos; Les satires, chèvre-pieds
Olivier Baumont, harpsichord








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 76 no. 3, "Emperor"
Quatuor Mosaïques








Matthew Locke: Consort of Fower Parts--Suite No. 1 in D minor
Hespèrion XX


----------



## millionrainbows

André Jolivet (1905-1974): The Complete Flute Music Vol. 2, Manuela Wiesler, flute (BIS).


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 20 no. 3
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## ptr

My afternoon trio:

Mozart Am Stein-Vis-Á-Vis (1777) (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Andreas Staier & Christine Schornsheim on a 1777 Stein hybrid Harpsipianofortechord

*Anthologie Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Vol 4*
*Auguste Fauchard* (1881-1957) - Symphony No 2 for Organ / Vexilla Regis (6 mvt suite) / In memoriam / Le Mystere de Noel (var. on Jesu redemptor omnium)(*IFO*)









Friedhelm Flamme aux Grandes Orgues Cavaillé-Coll (1853/93) del la Cathédrale de la Trinité de Laval

I love this recording so much I have an urge to CoAG it!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Harawi (Dominique)









Annika Skoglund, mezzo & Carl-Axel Dominique, piano

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms and Stravinsky, Violin Concertos.*

I don't know what it is about me, but I have an innate bias against Brahms and Stravinsky. I look at the violin concerto or piano concerto recordings I have and usually pass them by because my default thinking is Brahms is boring. The same with Stravinsky. But, of course, that's not true; they've written some of my all-time favorite pieces. I need to do some reprogramming, starting now.


----------



## rrudolph

I first heard of Helmut Lachenmann a few years ago in a televised interview with Milton Babbitt. Babbitt's voice dripped with so much contempt when he talked about Lachenmann's music that I had to investigate. I'm glad I did; I really enjoy a lot of Lachenmann's music. So much for the opinion of Professor Babbitt! 
Lachenmann: Ausklang/Tableau









Next: an old favorite. It's like comfort food for my ears!
Stockhausen: Zyklus/Refrain/Kontakte









And some fun with everyone's favorite greek architect/composer:
Xenakis: Pithoprakta/Eonta/Metastasis


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano sonata #8 in a-minor, K310. A furiously unleashed opening movement almost derailed the car I'm driving. Mitsuko Uchida interrogating the piano, which barely holds up under the strain. I pulled in to listen to the ending of it...


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's* (1895 - 1968) birthday, Guitar Concerto with Kraft/Northern CO/Ward (rec.1992).

View attachment 15872


----------



## Mahlerian

Via Spotify:
Karl Goldmark: Violin Concerto in A minor
Itzhak Perlman, Pittsburgh Symphony, cond. Previn

Read recently about Mahler and Brahms' extremely unfavorable impressions of Goldmark's music, and thought I'd check.


----------



## JCarmel

"Uchida interrogating the piano, which barely holds up under the strain..."
Yesterday, it was something else... and now she's _talking to a piano & barely holding-up under the strain_?
I'm going for something a little less fraught .....& letting Mozart's Piano Concerto No 26 take the strain! Ahh, that's nice!


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> "Uchida interrogating the piano, which barely holds up under the strain..."
> Yesterday, it was something else... and now she's _talking to a piano & barely holding-up under the strain_?
> I'm going for something a little less fraught .....& letting Mozart's Piano Concerto No 26 take the strain! Ahh, that's nice!
> 
> View attachment 15873


The piano barely held up - she gave it quite a fierce grilling! 

#26 is the PC that gets a bad name, isn't it? the mongrel in the litter for so long is only recently rehabilitated and loved for what it is, instead of being treated with suspicion over the missing left-hand parts etc. Context is all, but lately I grow to love that PC more and more...


----------



## ptr

I'm in my contemporary mood..

*London Sinfonietta:* Warp Works & 20th Century Masters (*Warp*)
(Aphex Twin / Conlon Nancarrow / John Cage / Steve Reic / John Cage / Squarepusher / Kalheinz Stockhausen / Edgard Varese / György Ligeti)









London Sinfonietta

And now:

*Trevor Wishart* - Red Bird (EMF)









Singcircle and Trevor Wishart

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Music is a conduit for the expression of joy & no 26 is particularly 'joyful' to my mind!


----------



## Itullian

Tristan, Bohm.


----------



## Wood

I've been getting stuck into two very different but high quality pieces for the past few days:

Haydn 99 (*6)

Eötvös - Atlantis (*9)

The latter plays best with the volume of my HiFi turned up in a dark room accompanied by this video, muted, on the big screen:






Goodbye Dubai.

Why did Moody get banned?


----------



## rrudolph

Eotvos! I forgot all about him!! (how do you type umlauts in this thing?)

Psalm 151 (In Memoriam Frank Zappa)/Psy/Triangel









Thanks for reminding me!


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Via Spotify:
> Karl Goldmark: Violin Concerto in A minor
> Itzhak Perlman, Pittsburgh Symphony, cond. Previn
> 
> Read recently about Mahler and Brahms' extremely unfavorable impressions of Goldmark's music, and thought I'd check.


What's your impression? Good?


----------



## Wood

I am now a senior member.


----------



## Wood

rrudolph said:


> Eotvos! I forgot all about him!! (how do you type umlauts in this thing?)


Hold down 'alt' whilst typing '148'.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sacred music by Dufay, Palestrina, Schutz, and a couple anonymous.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> What's your impression? Good?


Not so great. The violin part is very showy, and that sort of flashy writing tends to be off-putting to me. It's bright and colorful, at least.


----------



## DavidA

Chopin piano conc 1 argerich Lugano 2010 live

Spellbinding


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vasks, Message.*

This gets good reviews, but I'm having a hard time connecting with it. Maybe because it reminds me of something you'd play in a high school honor band. (I'm flashing back to honor bands where I'd be sitting amongst a bunch of strangers watching a strange conductor teaching us a strange piece to be played in a short time before a crowd of enthusiastic but slightly bored parents.)


----------



## JCarmel

'Snap!'...as they say, Manxfeeder....I'm just playing another of my BBC magazine free cds, too!
I've been watching the first part of the Quarter Final of the European Cup football game between Real Madrid and Galatasaray...but by halftime, Real were 'two'up' & with the likelihood that they might be '3 up' rather than Galatasary getting a goal back, I decided therefore to put a bit of Schubert on...& before tuning-in to TC, I'd fetched this disc to hear.









Sviatoslav Richter playing Schubert Sonata in A, D664.


----------



## Kieran

hayd said:


> I am now a senior member.


Can see that from your photo...


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Choral Year With Bach" - Masaaki Suzuki, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm now watching this 'Nobel Prize Concert' dvd of Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor...









John Eliot Gardiner, conducting The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra & various soloists...

Further to the Beethoven v Mozart debate...there just isn't _anything_ in Beethoven's work that compares to this wonderful music: rhythmically exciting, lyrically lovely, joyous, profoundly moving (particularly-so in the wondrous 'Incarnatus Est') 
...& all with music so infectiously appealing that _anyone_ who can hold a tune, can whistle-along-with?! 
Who wants to whistle-along to The 'Missa Solemnis?'...well, I don't.. but I whistle most of my way through this Mozart mass, yet find the music deeply profound at the same time! 
Having just heard the 'Incarnatus est' again....I believe Mozart was trying to create a representation in music of the Perfection of God's nature & of his love for Man, made-manifest in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. It is a piece so perfect in its lovely, deeply-respectful expression...it represents 'LOVE' in sound.
Edit 2. I just remembered that Mozart wrote the 'Incarnatus Est' for his wife Constanze. 
So I checked Google for some possible further info & 'Wikipedia' came up with this... 
" The extraordinary writing for soprano solo in the Great Mass in C minor (for example, in the "Christe eleison" section of the Kyrie movement, or the aria "Et incarnatus est") was intended for Constanze, who sang in the 1783 premiere of this work in Salzburg. Maynard Solomon in his Mozart biography speculatively describes the work as a love offering."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2.*

Why don't I listen to this more? Curse my Brahms prejudice! Jochum said this was the finest recording of his career.


----------



## Cheyenne

Corelli's Concerto Grosso, Op. 6


----------



## JCarmel

Why the Brahms prejudice, Manxfeeder?


----------



## saiteron

Golevka by The Evpatoria Report
Sarabandes, Gnossiennes, Gymnopedies by Eric Satie
Ravel's orchestration of Pictures from an Exhibition
Until the Quiet Comes by Flying Lotus
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis


----------



## Manxfeeder

JCarmel said:


> Why the Brahms prejudice, Manxfeeder?


I have no earthly reason why! Somehow early in life I picked up the idea Brahms is boring, and it's been lodged in the back of my mind ever since. He _can_ be boring, but really, many of his works are my absolute favorites. But maybe confession is good for the soul and the first step to enlightenment.


----------



## Manxfeeder

JCarmel said:


> Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor...
> 
> " The extraordinary writing for soprano solo in the Great Mass in C minor (for example, in the "Christe eleison" section of the Kyrie movement, or the aria "Et incarnatus est") was intended for Constanze, who sang in the 1783 premiere of this work in Salzburg. Maynard Solomon in his Mozart biography speculatively describes the work as a love offering."


Shucks, if I were Leopold, after hearing Constanze singing this, I'd be utterly charmed and welcome her into the family with open arms. And I hope the Recordare of the Requiem will have the same effect on The Great Judge as I stand before the Judgment Seat.


----------



## JCarmel

Well I'm just about to play perhaps my favourite of all Brahms compositions, Manxfeeder...The Alto Rhapsody with 'Boult and Baker'....
I remember my Dad telling me of it's supposed connections with the abiding affection that Brahms had for Clara Schumann & that the composer held the work in such esteem, that he used to 'sleep with it (the manuscript) under his pillow'.
Perhaps Brahms might have found 'confession good for the soul' ...with reference to the emotional bonds of respect, affection, regard...and probably 'love' that Brahms abidingly had for Clara...but I think that in 'The Alto Rhapsody' what he never perhaps put into actual words, he reveals clearly to us in the profoundly expressive music.

Edit I have just done a bit of research on the rhapsody & this is a link to a downloadable pdf about the piece.

http://www.academia.edu/1485400/Brahms_Alto_Rhapsody

Very pertinent is Brahms affection for Clara's daughter, Julie.... who he seems to have been particularly attached-to. He presented Clara with the music on the day of her daughters wedding.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 1, symphony no. 2.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.15 in B Flat, KV 450

Daniel Barenboim on piano with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 15883


----------



## Mahlerian

An "insipid, humorless, tiresome, painful" work filled with "effects murderous to the ears...reckless and cacophonous developments". Overall, something "complicated and incomprehensible".

I am of course referring to Mahler's 4th Symphony. (Give the cited critics a round of applause for their appraisal.)

Mahler: Symphony No. 4
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## JCarmel

Just time for a bit of Handel...

To detail some information from the cd booklet....Handel was considered the greatest organist of his day among those who had never heard his exact contemporary & compatriot, J S Bach. The third member of the great triumvirate of composers born in 1685, Domenico Scarlatti, conceded defeat to Handel on the organ when the two were set against each other in a test of performing skills held in Rome in 1708. It was Handel's reputation as an organ virtuoso, his dual role as composer and impresario & the presence of the orchestra sitting idly between the acts of an oratorio that led Handel to devise the genre of the organ concerto.









*G.F. Handel* Organ Concerto Opus 7, No.5 ...Handel performed it during the premier of one of my favourite of his operas, 'Theodora' at Covent Garden, 16th March 1750. * Paul Nicholson* (organ), The Brandenburg Consort directed by Roy Goodman.


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1745-1825): Quintet in B Flat, Op.8, No.3

Accademia Classica di Venezia: Franco Massaglia, flute -- Walter de Franceschi, oboe -- Nicholas Myall, violin -- Patrizia de Paolo, viola -- Marco Trentin, cello

View attachment 15887


----------



## Sid James

JCarmel said:


> F. Delius, In a Summer Garden, Walk to the Paradise Garden, Brigg Fair. Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the LPO and RPO
> ...


I've been listening to Delius a bit too lately, a cd I got last year with BBC music mag. I also have got his cello concerto, and last year took in some of his music live (it was the 150th anniversary of his birth, same year as Debussy's). But regarding Sir Thomas' support for his music in the UK, the article quoted Delius as saying "Whatever would I do without Beecham?" Its easy to forget how many of the great conductors of the past supported new music in their day. Thats a strong part of their legacy I think, other than their interps of 'the classics.' They all did it, eg. Walter had Mahler, Toscanini had Barber, Boult had Vaughan Williams and Holst, and guys like Scherchen and Koussevitzky had many they put on the map.



ptr said:


> *Trevor Wishart* - Red Bird (EMF)
> 
> View attachment 15876
> 
> 
> Singcircle and Trevor Wishart
> 
> /ptr


Interesting, I think I heard some of that choral/electronic music by Wishart live a few years back. Interesting stuff, he's one of the major composers of electroacoustic music of the last few decades, and did innovations in notation in that area (one of the singers at the concert said they where very daunted with and balked at learning to read scores that looked like snakes and ladders - and they printed one on the program, and thats what it looked like). Just thought I'd engage with you on that since he's rarely if ever mentioned here.



ptr said:


> I love this recording so much I have an urge to CoAG it!
> 
> *Olivier Messiaen* - Harawi (Dominique)
> 
> View attachment 15863
> 
> 
> Annika Skoglund, mezzo & Carl-Axel Dominique, piano
> 
> /ptr


I love Harawi as well. I got the Naxos cd (coupled with the early Trois Melodies). I love how in Harawi the pianist is part of the action, those jagged and primitive rhythms - but also those static and otherwordly quiet/mysterious bits - illustrate the text (a resetting of the Tristan legend into the Peruvian Andes) so well. & the singer too, with her onomatopoeia and wailing, kind of barbaric tribal sounds, responds to the piano. I think its a masterpiece of 20th century artsong, an amazing piece.


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> @ Opus, Those works have become some of my favorites, as well as their interpretations by Markevitch and the LSO. I also have enjoyed Bernstein and the NYP's take on these as well. Enjoy!


I've noticed that you listen to them a lot. Of course, not as often as someone who listens to Sibelius 2. I'll have to check on Bernstein's someday.



Mahlerian said:


> Via Spotify:
> Karl Goldmark: Violin Concerto in A minor
> Itzhak Perlman, Pittsburgh Symphony, cond. Previn
> 
> Read recently about Mahler and Brahms' extremely unfavorable impressions of Goldmark's music, and thought I'd check.


Reminds me of my wife, "This tastes awful. Hey, try this?"

Listening to the other Russian guy, Glazunov: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Sid James

Past couple of days its been this:

*Busoni *_
Turandot Suite, Op. 41 ; 
Two Studies for "Doktor Faust," Op. 51 (Sarabande et Cortege) ; 
Berceuse elegiaque, Op. 42_
- Hong Kong PO under Samuel Wong / Naxos

Starting with the *Busoni orchestral works disc *in full. The _Turandot Suite_ is quite a bit of fun, incorporating vibes of not only Oriental but also Middle Eastern, Turkish and even English (the _Greensleeves_ tune is in there!) musics. But my favourite works are the _Two Studies from "Doktor Faust"_ and _Berceuse elegiaque _which show Busoni as pushing things in other, more innovative, directions. & an interesting quote on the back of the cd says that Busoni was "neither inherently conservative nor aggressively radical, his harmonic and tonal innovations where part of an essentially re-creative approach to the musical past, which has only gained wider currency more recently." So innovative but more of an evolutionist rather than a revolutionary, is how I interpret that.

In recent years, I remember reading an anecdote that audience reaction after a performance in Europe of the _Berceuse elegiaque _was rather muted, they hardly applauded, so the conductor got the orchestra to play the piece again! Well I for one would have had no complaints about that kind of 'encore,' this is simply an amazing piece. 

*Schubert* 
_Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat, D898 ; 
Sonatensatz (Trio Sonata Movement), D28 ; 
Notturno in E flat, D897_
- Jean-Philippe Collard, piano , Augustin Dumay, violin , Frederic Lodeon, cello / EMI

Then these, favourite works of mine (& the D898 trio is a favourite of many listeners, I think). The slow movement of that, and also the Notturno, are sublime and encapsulate so many emotions. Sandwiched between those is an early work, a movement Franz completed when he was around just 15 or 16.

*J.S. Bach* _Cello Suites 1 - 3, BWV 1007-1009_
- Pieter Wispelwey, baroque cello / Channel Classics

A first listen to this, as others listening to it on this thread have reminded me to finally get to it. I enjoyed this and look forward to the next cd of the set.


----------



## Celloissimo

Bartok Viola Concerto. To be honest, I'm really curious why so few composers have tackled a viola concerto, for they are virtually non existent with the exception of this piece.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, with Ts'ong (rec. 2009). A recent arrival. I particularly enjoy his patience in phrasing, and treatment of humor. Highly recommended.

View attachment 15890


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired. Putting *Mozart* PC 26 on the grill , with Casadesus/Cleveland O./Szell (rec. 1962).

View attachment 15891


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I used to have that very recording (same cover etc) on tape. I liked how it was a more restrained and not too dark performance. Kind of 'centrist' as someone here once said of Walter's interps of Mahler. But I think its out of print now.


I agree with the centrist Mahler comment for Bruno, but his Bruckner 9 strikes me as heavy duty aka kick ***...maybe only falling short of Jochum Dresden and Abbado VPO intensity.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius's* Symphony no. 2


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> I agree with the centrist Mahler comment for Bruno, but his Bruckner 9 strikes me as heavy duty aka kick ***...maybe only falling short of Jochum Dresden and Abbado VPO intensity.


Well I haven't heard those other two, but I got Walter's interp of Bruckner 9 after the first recording of it I got, which was Concertgebouw/Haitink. Compared to Haitink, Walter was less intense, I remember thinking that the first time I heard it. So that's what I was thinking. In any case, some of what Haitink does I've felt to be quite pumped - eg. I also had a tape of him doing Mendelssohn's 4th - now that was pumped to the MAX!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Spring Break means a whole week spent in my painting studio... listening to music the whole while:























































The Pandolfi is absolutely exquisite... a must for any fan of the Baroque... or the violin.

**** And More...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Gave Schoenberg... and _Pierrot lunaire_ another shot. Still not working for me.

Onto this big Bach set that I'll probably be working my way through for much of the rest of the year:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Perhaps I'll make CoAG happy and pop Sibelius (maybe even Sibelius' 2nd) in the CD player next.:lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Gave Schoenberg... and _Pierrot lunaire_ another shot. Still not working for me.


What is your impression of it? What are you looking for that you aren't finding?



Vaneyes said:


> I agree with the centrist Mahler comment for Bruno, but his Bruckner 9 strikes me as heavy duty aka kick ***...maybe only falling short of Jochum Dresden and Abbado VPO intensity.


I like his early mono Mahler 1 with Columbia, which was a wonderful introduction for me to that symphony.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

OK... it's the Seventh not the Second... but this Beecham recording is magnificent... and convinced me of the brilliance of Sibelius.


----------



## neoshredder

Cheyenne said:


> Corelli's Concerto Grosso, Op. 6
> 
> View attachment 15882


Love that cd. Corelli reaches me more than most Baroque Composers. I can see why some of the Romantic conductors tend to go for Corelli as well.


----------



## tdc

Celloissimo said:


> Bartok Viola Concerto. To be honest, I'm really curious why so few composers have tackled a viola concerto, for they are virtually non existent with the exception of this piece.


Gubaidulina and Schnittke wrote what are in my opinion masterpieces in the genre. My favorite is the Gubaidulina, I love this version performed by Yuri Bashmet.






Edit - another great work is the William Walton Viola Concerto


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor
Domus









Berg: Chamber Concerto
Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Pierre Boulez








A wonderfully playful piece incorporating the names of the main three of the Second Viennese School.


----------



## neoshredder

Wish I knew the best time to be on here when CoAG is more active. I can't be too far off. Was listening to Mozart's Symphonies earlier today. Got to hear Symphony 25.


----------



## Feathers

Piano Concerto No. 11 by Haydn (Argerich and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana)

Sonatas No. 3 - 6 by Scrabin (Ashkenazy)
The great thing about Scriabin's sonatas is that you can really hear him change and evolve when you hear them in order. It's like an overall musical journey that is made up of the little journeys of each sonata.


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss lieder - Gerard Souzay, baritone, Dalton Baldwin, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listened to *Sibelius's* 2nd another three times this afternoon, now listening again.


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea - William Christie, cond. (dvd)


----------



## violadude

I listened to an excerpt from "Boris Gudonov" in one of my classes today. I haven't really given Mussorgsky all that much thought before, but after the excerpt I heard I am severely lamenting his poor work ethic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* the second symphony.

I might listen to something else later today...


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* the second symphony.
> 
> I might listen to something else later today...


Why risk it?  It's not Symphony 2 of Sibelius.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Why risk it?  It's not Symphony 2 of Sibelius.


Lol, my collection of LPs are getting lonely though...apart from the *Sibelius* Symphony no. 1 and Finlandia recording I've got by Boston Symphony Orchestra and Colin Davis......


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius Symphony 2 now.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Nielsen Symphony 1 to end the night.


----------



## Wood

Haydn 100 'Military' *3

On the recommendation of Art Rock:

Moeran: Cello concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I can't be bothered to listen to something else actually. 
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2.


----------



## BartokBela

Thomas Tallis: Spem in alium.


----------



## ptr

Sid James said:


> Snip.. Delius


I love his music but has nothing to ad!



> Interesting, I think I heard some of that choral/electronic music by Wishart live a few years back. Interesting stuff, he's one of the major composers of electroacoustic music of the last few decades, and did innovations in notation in that area (one of the singers at the concert said they where very daunted with and balked at learning to read scores that looked like snakes and ladders - and they printed one on the program, and thats what it looked like). Just thought I'd engage with you on that since he's rarely if ever mentioned here.


I think that many(most?) CM fans don't think of electronic music as "classical" even if there are many cross-over works! I think that Wishart is an very important person for the development of contemporary classical, I've mostly heard his electro acoustic music, and it resonates with me!



> I love Harawi as well. ...(snip)... I think its a masterpiece of 20th century artsong, an amazing piece.


I couldn't agree more! I bought the Skoglund/Dominique CD at a concert they did with Harawi and it is even better live!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, piano concerto #21 in C, Jeffrey Tate conducts the English Chamber Orchestra, Mitsuko Uchida forensically examines the old Joanna! :tiphat:


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*:
Piano Concerto No.1 & 2
Violin Concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius* symphony 2


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

Soft start:

*J.S. Bach* - Goldberg-Variationen (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Andreas Staier, hpd

then back to the more contemporary:

*Evan Parker* - Toward The Margins (*ECM*)









Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble

and then more Wishart!

*Trevor Wishart* - Vox 1 - 6 (*Virgin*)









Electric Phoenix (Voices) and Trevor Wishart, electronics

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

The crime: Deadly music

The location: K466, D-minor 

The suspect: Wolfgangerl Mozart

The witness: old Joanna.

Prosecutor: Mitsuko Uchida

Judge Jeffrey Tate pounding the gavel on the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Franz Berwald's Reminiscence Of The Norwegian Mountains - Petri Sakari, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Filippo Gragnani's Quartet in A for violin, clarinet & two guitars - Consortium Classicum


----------



## Sonata

Essential Delius, 2 disc set. I'm not sure what to make of Delius yet


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenberg Concerto No.2 in F Major, BWV 1047

Helmuth Rilling conducting the Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 15903


----------



## Sonata

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Nielsen Symphony 1 to end the night.


I need to get around to Nielsen one of these days!


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> *Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, with Ts'ong (rec. 2009). A recent arrival. I particularly enjoy his patience in phrasing, and treatment of humor. Highly recommended.
> 
> View attachment 15890


I'll keep that it mind. I need more Haydn sonatas later on


----------



## ptr

Variation is my middle name! 

*Best Of London Brass* (*Teldec/Warner* OOP?)









London Brass

This is a band of übermenchly virtuosic players!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Comparing my favourite Dvorak symphony...No. 7 in D Minor, as played by Sir John Eliot Gardiner on the 'Nobel Concert 2008' dvd









with that conducted by Mariss Jansons with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra









'Written at a time of stress, it caused Dvorak more problems than any previous symphony, striving as he was to make it worthy of a commission from London's Philharmonic Society."...to quote from the cd booklet.
Well, even stress_ can_ be a good thing, it seems...
Some lovely horn passages in the 'Poco Adagio'.....


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto




----------



## ptr

*Cornelius Cardew* - Treatise (hat(now)ART)









Fred Lonberg-Holm, Cello, Electronics; Guillermo Gregorio, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone; Jim O'Rourke, Electronics; Jim Baker, Piano, Electronics; Carrie Biolo, Vibraphone [Vibes], Percussion u. Art Lange

Hat Hut records is one of the most interesting record labels releasing contemporary (post WWII) music!

/ptr


----------



## CoCo

The London Horn Sound...for /ptr









http://www.paxman.co.uk/pages/lhs.html


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven Egmont Overture, Leonard Bernstein at the helm...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 9.*

Sid James mentioned Haitink's recording, so I'm giving it a spin. As someone said, he "balances the ferocity and eerie inevitability of the piece."


----------



## Art Rock

My Wagner journey continues with opera 12 of 13 (only Rienzi still to go).


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 74, "The Harp"
The Alexander String Quartet








François Couperin: Vingt-deuxième Ordre (Quatrième livre, 1730)
Olivier Baumont, harpsichord








François Couperin: Pieces de Violes (1728)--Suite No. 2
Jordi Savall, bass viol
Ton Koopman, harpsichord
Ariane Maurette, bass viol








Matthew Locke: Consort of Fower Parts--Suite II in D minor, Suite III in F major, Suite IV in F major
Hespèrion XX


----------



## JCarmel

I'll join you Andolink...I haven't listened to Beethoven's 'Harp' in quite some time!

I'll see how well 'The Budapest Quartet' play it on youtube.


----------



## Sudonim

Manxfeeder said:


> Haydn Symphonies, 92 and 94.


Apparently you weren't listening to Haydn - it was "Hadyn," whoever he was. Jeez - this isn't some cheapo label, either, it's Sony! Where was the quality control?

Anyway - just finished:









and now beginning:


----------



## Cheyenne

Sibelius' Second Symphony with Herbert von Karajan/BPO.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sudonim said:


> Apparently you weren't listening to Haydn - it was "Hadyn," whoever he was. Jeez - this isn't some cheapo label, either, it's Sony! Where was the quality control?


Wow, I didn't catch that typo. That's hilarious!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 15893
> 
> 
> Richard Strauss lieder - Gerard Souzay, baritone, Dalton Baldwin, piano


I've had this recording in my sites for some time now. I love Souzay's voice on the recordings I have of him performing Faure and Debussy.


----------



## Sonata

Still working through my Delius album. I'm enjoying the second half of this set more than the first. Not sure if it's because those pieces are truly better or I'm getting more familiar with his style. The dude is pretty obsessed with summer though: five pieces out of 19 with "summer" in the title!


----------



## OboeKnight

Nielson's 4th symphony


----------



## JCarmel

D. Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No 2, Dmitri Shostakovich (piano) Orchestre National De La Radiodiffusion Française, André Cluytens









It's a bit corny now to choose it...but I do love that second movement Andante?! One of my life's all-time favourite memories was when a pianist friend of my acquaintance played this movement through for me....on their lovely white piano! 
It was quite blissful to sit & listen to it, beautifully played, just for me.....


----------



## Celloissimo

OboeKnight said:


> Nielson's 4th symphony


One of my favorites, I approve!

Overture to Der Fliegende Hollander


----------



## Mahlerian

Berlioz: Harold en Italie
Gerard Causse, Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, cond. Gardiner

We were talking about viola concertos, yes?


----------



## millionrainbows

Varese: Offrandes, Domaine musical, cond. Gilbert Amy (rec. 1969) (Adès 1990). This was not included in the ACCORD box, so I'm listening to this, as well as the whole disc. Also includes Severino Gazzelloni playing _Densitié 21,5_ and Debussy's _Syrinx,_ both rec. 1958. He was a great flute player; I became aware of him through jazz woodwind wizard Eric Dolphy's flute composition "Gazzelloni" from _Out To Lunch._


----------



## rrudolph

Keeping the volume low this morning:

Judo Notomi: Koku-Reibo/Goro Yamaguchi: Mukaiji-Reibo









Arvo Part: Passio









Stuart Dempster: In the Great Abbey of Clement VI


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berlioz*: Harold en Italie, Tristia, with Causse/ORR/JEG et al (rec.1994); Symphonie Fantastique, with VPO/C. Davis (rec.1990); Requiem, Te Deum, with LSO/C. Davis et al (rec.1969 - '70).

View attachment 15930
View attachment 15931
View attachment 15932


----------



## Vaneyes

Cheyenne said:


> Sibelius' Second Symphony with Herbert von Karajan/BPO.
> 
> View attachment 15920


Isn't that No. 2 with Kamu?


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> OK... it's the Seventh not the Second... but this Beecham recording is magnificent... and convinced me of the brilliance of Sibelius.


Yes indeed. It's one of my CPFs (Certified Perfect Recording). :tiphat:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Nielsen - Symphony 5


----------



## Celloissimo

Mozart's Choral Masterpiece "Leck mich im Arsch".


----------



## Celloissimo

Now jumping on the bandwagon to listen to Harold en Italie, in which Gergiev is conducting with a toothpick:


----------



## ptr

rrudolph said:


> Stuart Dempster: In the Great Abbey of Clement VI


I have some of those Soundscapeish Stuart Dempster records, great fun to listen to! (Some that he did with Pauline Oliveiros, in some cavernous cistern)

Listening to two great Violin Concertos:

*Bela Bartok* - Violin Concerto No 2 (Decca)









Kyung Wha Chung, violin; London Symphony O u. Georg Solti

*Alban Berg* - Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel' (Harmonia Mundi)









Isabelle Faust, violin; Orchestra Mozart u. Claudio Abbado

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

.....


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## belfastboy

St Matthew Passion Pau Elliott(tenor) P Hillier(bass); Theatre of Voices/Paul Hillier Baroque & Early Music Classical O.Lassus..........really got into this over Easter, have it on i tunes dunno how to post it here - can't see this on youtube


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Bruckner* - the 3rd symphony (Berliner Philarmoniker & Barenboim)


----------



## Celloissimo

SiegendesLicht said:


> *Bruckner* - the 3rd symphony (Berliner Philarmoniker & Barenboim)
> 
> View attachment 15937


Funny, I'm listening to the 2nd again from the same album right now xD


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Celloissimo said:


> Funny, I'm listening to the 2nd again from the same album right now xD


I think I'll listen to it next.


----------



## cwarchc

Staying with Bernstein
This is playing now









This is lined up next









All praise to Lenny


----------



## JCarmel

*Edward Elgar*, Introduction & Allegro for Strings, Serenade for Strings in E Minor & Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis & Fantasia on 'Greensleeves' Sir John Barbirolli conducting The Allegri String Quartet & The Sinfonia of London.









This LP was played very frequently in my childhood home....every note was etched into my brain, it seemed...but I didn't know then that the music from it would feature so memorably in Ken Russell's film for the BBC on the composer, Edward Elgar.






Or that Ken Russell would marry my cousin! He went on to make biographical films about Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Vaughan Williams, Delius & Arnold Bax amongst others. Rather an 'enfant terrible' in the history of film-making, he nevertheless introduced many people to some very great music via his many films & he certainly cared passionately about music.


----------



## DrKilroy

John Adams - Fearful Symmetries (in a really cool YT video with Buster Keaton  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach lute works - Konrad Junghanel, lute


----------



## DrKilroy

I enjoy playing them on piano!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cheyenne

Bruckner - Symphony No. 7. The funeral march, in memory of Roger Ebert (June 18, 1942 - April 4, 2013) (not actually a funeral march in form, I believe, but that doesn't matter)


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony no. 1 (Jansons).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## aleazk

Gubaidulina- Piano Concerto


----------



## opus55

Starting with No. 93


----------



## Kieran

Beethovens last 3 piano sonatas, performed by Mitsuko Uchida...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Varese, Ameriques, Arcana.* Then *Harold En Italie*, because I like to follow the crowd.


----------



## Sudonim

Forgot to mention I recently finished this one:









This was my first exposure to Glass' music. It was about what I expected, actually. I liked a good bit of it, but when I'm in the mood for this kind of "ambient" music I'll probably reach for Brian Eno instead. I'm not sure how much of his music I'll be seeking in the future, though suggestions are always welcome ...


----------



## DavidA

Schubert String quartet 13 Rosamunde / Italian Quartet

Such heavenly music. Just what would this man have written if he had only lived a few more years?


----------



## Kieran

DavidA said:


> Schubert String quartet 13 Rosamunde / Italian Quartet
> 
> Such heavenly music. Just what would this man have written if he had only lived a few more years?


At the very least he'd have gotten a thread here, with him Vs Mozart and Beethoven!


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> OK... it's the Seventh not the Second... but this Beecham recording is magnificent... and convinced me of the brilliance of Sibelius.


Let's see, it's also a Certified Perfect Performance by Vaneyes. I've gotta hear this one.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Cello Concerto - Leonard Rose, cello, Eugene Ormandy, cond.

just got given free tickets to see the NZSO do this tomorrow night with Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances

and though its a little off-topic I've got to say I really like the violin case with family snaps image they're using for the poster (click to enlarge):


----------



## OboeKnight

Bach Cello Suite No. 1
Saint-Saens Clarinet Sonata
Poulenc Clarinet Sonata
Debussy- Rhapsodie for Clarinet


----------



## Celloissimo

Wagner's "Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!" aria from Siegfried


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters van Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Double Bass Concerto No.1 in E Flat

Frantisek Vajnar leading the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra -- Frantisek Posta, double bass

View attachment 15949


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6
Bach: Goldberg Variations


----------



## Novelette

Ear infection mostly gone, hearing is all better. Time to catch up! 

Bach: Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080 -- Helmut Walcha

Telemann: Horn Concerto in D -- Hermann Baumann; Iona Brown: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields

Rachmaninov: Trio Élégiaque #1 in G Minor -- Lang Lang, Vadim Repin, Mischa Maisky

Sibelius: Symphony #2 in D, Op. 43 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Schumann: Der Konigssohn, Op. 116 -- Saarbrücken Kaiserlautern

Schubert: Divertimento in G Minor, Op. 54, D 818, "À L'Hongroise" -- Yaala Tal, Andreas Groethuysen


----------



## Novelette

It's also high time to play some Schubert Impromptus on my freshly re-tuned piano, than which there are few better things.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening now to Schubert:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Taking a break from *Sibelius...*
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Guitar Concerto no. 1


----------



## Sonata

Soothing my weary body and brain with some Mendelssohn  Sonata in E flat major for clarinet and piano.


----------



## ProudSquire

Mozart
Così fan tutte
Le Nozze di Figaro
Sigiswald Kuijken

Schubert
String Quartet No. 15 in G Major
Brandis Quartet

Schumann
Symphony No. 1 in B Flat Major

:angel:


----------



## bejart

In honor of his birthday ---
Nicola Antonio Zingarelli (4 April 1752-1837): Symphony No.4 in D Major

Vanni Morreto conducting Atalanta Fugiens

View attachment 15950


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}, *featuring Leonard Bernstein helming the New York Philharmonic.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony NO.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76. *Both works are performed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vivaldi: op. 8 nos. 9-12


----------



## Feathers

Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1 (Kondrashin with the Moscow Philharmonic). So catchy and almost addictive. I better stop listening to it so repetitively or else I would probably get tired of it soon.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Piano Sonata in C Minor

Brigette Haudebourg, piano

View attachment 15952


----------



## Avey

Floating on the Golden Record.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius's* symphony no. 2


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Alban Berg


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Vivaldi: op. 8 nos. 9-12


How did they taste?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> How did they taste?


Like a pizza...I was actually having lunch at the time and was eating pizza anyway. :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Like a pizza...I was actually having lunch at the time and was eating pizza anyway. :lol:


You must be stuffed.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> You must be stuffed.


Oh I am!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some "bland" Telemann...

... Seriously, quite marvelous.


----------



## neoshredder

Yeah I find Telemann to be one of the most interesting Composers of the Baroque Era. Can't see why some would consider Telemann bland.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's "Coffee" cantata - Masaaki Suzuki, cond.


----------



## peeyaj

John Cage's *4'33..*.


----------



## Mahlerian

Going through Mahler's early works again:
Mahler: Three Songs (Im Lenz, Winterlied, Maitanz im Grunen)
Thomas Hampson









Mahler: Das Klagende Lied
Susan Dunn, Brigette Fassbaender, Markus Baur, Werner Hollweg, Andreas Schmidt, Deutches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, cond. Riccardo Chailly


----------



## MrCello

Josef Suk's _Serenade for Strings_


----------



## SimonNZ

"Philip Glass Sampler" for his albums on the Orange Mountain Music label


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony the 2nd


----------



## neoshredder

Berg was too noisy for me. Now listening to Schumann to end the night.


----------



## SimonNZ

CoAG: Could you tell me of one small detail from somewhere in the second symphony which you think is particularly effective, but others may not have noticed, and you yourself may not originally have noticed? (only if you don't mind)

my current listening:









Ockeghem's Missa De Plus En Plus - Orlando Consort


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> CoAG: Could you tell me of one small detail from somewhere in the second symphony which you think is particularly effective, but others may not have noticed, and you yourself may not originally have noticed? (only if you don't mind)


Something that I admire very much about *Jean Sibelius* is his ability to make smooth transitions between different sections making it sound incredibly easy (when I compose it is the hardest thing to do!). It's quite noticeable though, but I think he does it better than most other composers. A great example in this symphony is in the last movement at rehearsal mark F (meno moderato e poco a poco rivivando il tempo). The cellos playing the main motif heard at the start of the movement but in F sharp major. The way he manages to transform the original melody into a chromatic tremolo accompanying figure heard in the following section in this transition is spectacular.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to that symphony again.


----------



## hello

Listening to some Berio that I've neglected until now.
Currently: 



Next-up: Recital I For Cathy


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Something that I admire very much about *Jean Sibelius* is his ability to make smooth transitions between different sections making it sound incredibly easy (when I compose it is the hardest thing to do!). It's quite noticeable though, but I think he does it better than most other composers. A great example in this symphony is in the last movement at rehearsal mark F (meno moderato e poco a poco rivivando il tempo). The cellos playing the main motif heard at the start of the movement but in F sharp major. The way he manages to transform the original melody into a chromatic tremolo accompanying figure heard in the following section in this transition is spectacular.


Thanks for that! I hope my request didn't seem odd.

not currently listening to anything, but dipping into Charles Rosen's book Piano Notes


----------



## ptr

the (un)usual morning trio:

*Kalevi Aho* - Symphony No 11 & Symphonic Dances (*BIS*)









Kroumata Percussion Ensemble; Lahti SO u. Osmo Vänska

*Georg Friedrisch Händel* - Organ Concertos Op 4 (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Academy of Anicent Music u Richard Egarr, chamber organ

Downloaded yesterday spurred by Mika:

*Julian Anderson* - Book of Hours (*NMC*)









Birmingham Contemporary Music Group; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus u. Martyn Brabbins, Oliver Knussen, Sakari Oramo & Simon Halsey

The two first are old fodder, the Anderson I think will grow on me!

/ptr


----------



## BartokBela

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor
Sibelius: Symphony no. 2 & no. 7
Bartok: Sonata in E minor for Violin and Piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2...another three times...put it on again...


----------



## Aggelos

listening to the Rene Leibowitz powah!! 
The orchestral transcription of Leibowitz for Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" is the atomic bomb!!

















*http://sa-cd.net/showtitle/6107
http://audaud.com/2010/02/%E2%80%9Cthe-power-of-the-orchestra%E2%80%9D-moussorgsky-pictures-at-an-exhibition-a-night-on-bare-mountain/
*

And of course some Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Dimitri Mitropoulos and Sir Henry Wood powah!









http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 5030
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Aug04/Bach_conductors.htm
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2116


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's last 3 piano sonatas, Mitsuko on the stool...


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin concerto in E Major, BWV 1042

Helmuth Riling leading the Bach Collegium of Stuttgart -- Christoph Poppen, violin

View attachment 15961


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nothin but *Sibelius* symphony no. 2 all night long...


----------



## JCarmel

Mitsuko on the stool, hey?!....I'm afraid I cannot compete with the novelty of that?!
In fact I've just kicked-away the stool (as t'were) & taken myself off on a 'Walk to the Paradise Garden' with Delius & David Lloyd-Jones & The Royal Scottish National Orchestra.


----------



## chrislowski

An excellent pair of discs! Kopatchinskaja is fast becoming one of my favourite violinists.


----------



## ptr

Mittagsmusiken:

*Paul Hindemith* - Kammermusiken 1 - 7, Op 24, 36, 46 (*RCA/BMG*)









Ensemble Modern u. Markus Stenz

IMHO, Hindemith's best and most entertaining works!

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Right now I am not listening to anything, I am having lunch in my office and thinking which one of the Wagner operas I would love to hear the most tonight. So far I am hesitating between_ Lohengrin_ and _Parsifal_.


----------



## JCarmel

I fancy a 'Night on the Bare Mountain' myself ...though any 'baring' is going to have to be strictly 'Modest' in nature?!
And before that, I might just go and see some 'Pictures at an Exhibition' with my good pal Prince Ivan Khovansky, tagging-along. Good old Rimsky-Korsakov will be hanging-around too I suppose as well as Mussorgsky, as I expect he will make some sort of Overture towards me during the upcoming Easter Festival...they celebrate it later than we do you see, where I'm going?! 
Ah well...the recorded sound from _this_ performance is a knock-out, too!









From an online review "Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition No 1-10; Night on the Bare Mountain; Khovanshchina - Prelude / Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture (Audio CD)
I have an absolutely unforgiving system, crystalline clarity (they are electrostats)... the soundstage is THERE, absolute breadth and depth, but, even more importantly, the "air" around the instruments, you are hearing the performance in time AND space, this really leaps the ditch between experiencing great sound REPRODUCTION and a sense of actually being in the hall (with great seats about 12 rows back in the orchestra section).
The transients are breathtaking, the bite on the english horn, the crystal clarity of the triangle...
A SUPERB feat of composition (Mussorgsky), orchestration (Ravel), performance (Dutoit and the MSO) and engineering (London/Decca). Every one has outdone themselves, and it's all on this superb CD"


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Vincenc Václav Mašek (5 April 1755--1831): Partita in D Major

Kalman Berkes leading the Budapest Wind Ensemble with Aniko Horvath on harpsichord

View attachment 15974


----------



## cwarchc

Starting to go through my classical music in alphabetical order.
This is the 1st one.
I'll give my Bach discs a miss, as I had a Bach day recently


----------



## Kieran

Lovely blazing fire, and Schubert's Wintereisse playing through the speakers. Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau and Gerald Moore...


----------



## Manxfeeder

JCarmel said:


> I might just go and see some 'Pictures at an Exhibition' . . . Ah well...the recorded sound from _this_ performance is a knock-out, too!
> 
> View attachment 15972


I've got to hear this!


----------



## CoCo

Wagner Overtures The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley

a good cd for not a lot of cash!


----------



## julianoq

After a very tense week at work, listening to Schubert sonatas to relax. It's working


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bach... the perfect way to begin... or end my listening day.


----------



## Sonata

*Vivaldi concertos* as background music today, and *Beethoven "The Hunt"* piano sonata #18 for the first time for my "focused" listening. I hope to get some more *Mendelssohn* in there too as he really hit the spot last night. And my Mendel-music works well either as background music OR more serious listening.

Update: so the first movement in, I really hear the classical era in this Beethoven piano sonata. Interesting. Puts me very much in mind of Mozart or Haydn sonatas, much less than it reminds me of say, Moonlight or Appasionata.

Of note: in the last six or seven months I've found that my "default" music listening has become classical. I wouldn't say I like it MORE than non-classical, at least not more than my favorite non-classical. But it's what I've gravitated to lately. I still listen to non classical, but it's "oh I think it's time for some non-classical today" :lol:


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95, "Serioso"
The Alexander String Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Bernard Haitink


----------



## rrudolph

Listening to some oldies:

Ensemble Organum: Byzantine Chant









Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo Virtutum









Ensemble Gilles Binchois: Notre Dame School 1163-1245


----------



## JCarmel

I need some music suitable for 'cogitating'...I've just read that the British Library is going to do a web-trawl from tomorrow and record everything that we blog/tweet/facebook in the British web-domain, to it for 3 weeks! So you Brits (if there's any out there?!) if you've ought naughty or nice to say...now is the time to get ready to write-it-up?! Will it be trawling it's little way thru the collected wisdom of TC, I wonder? Hopefully not, as it smacks a bit of Big Brotherdom to me?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9973160/British-Library-to-begin-web-harvest.html

This should help the little grey cells to work, methinks...Mozart's Serenade k375 in E flat


----------



## Kieran

Arthur Grimiaux on violin, Clara Haskill on piano, performing the Kreutzer Sonata, by Beethoven. Second movement, the variations: it's great, but he really wrings the rag dry, doesn't he?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Concertos 21 and 24.*

Just curious how George Szell did these.


----------



## opus55

Arensky: Piano Trios, Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## neoshredder

Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Das Paradies und die Peri
Orchester Revolutionaire et Romantique, cond. Gardiner


----------



## Celloissimo

Adams, Nixon in China









This is the highest quality rendition three is out there. For those of you who heard Maddalena's version and disliked it, I strongly recommend you listen to this recording with Robert Orth as Nixon: it makes all the difference in the world and is 100 times better. Will definitely change your opinion.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Concertos 21 and 24.*
> 
> Just curious how George Szell did these.
> 
> View attachment 15984


How is it?


----------



## neoshredder

Music for 18 Musicians starts out nice. But it just keeps going with similar patterns. This is why I dislike Minimalism. Time for a new idea. Not 54 minutes of variations of the same idea. Not sure how much more of this I can take before turning off.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> How is it?


Well done. Szell's ensemble has a great sound.

Now, *Brahms' 1st piano trio. *


----------



## ptr

Some ancient and characterful Schubert..

*Franz Schubert* - Trout Quintet, Three Marches Militaires D733 & Seven Lieder (CD 4/4 from Schnabel plays Schubert on Dante)









Arthur & Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, piano; Pro Arte Kvartett; Thérèse Behr-Schnabel, contralto

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

I've spent the last two days away from civilization listening to the symphony of the forest, but now I'm back:


----------



## neoshredder

Back in my comfort zone.


----------



## ptr

*Sandor Veress* - Hommage á Paul Klee, Concerto for Piano, strings and percussion & 6 Csardas for piano (Teldec OOP?)









Denes Varjon (1) & András Schiff (2+3), piano; Budapest Festival Orchestra u. Heinz Holliger

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, K377, that magnificent violin sonata. Daniel Barenboim on the old Joanna, Itzhak Perlman whipping the horses...


----------



## Cheyenne

One of Furtwangler's 1950s Brahm's fourths, and his war-time recording of the first, of which only the last movement exists (remains?).


----------



## Celloissimo

Bach Cello Suite No. 6 with Rostropovich


----------



## ptr

Some ancient and characterful Schubert..

*Franz Schubert* - Dviertissiment ala Hongoroise and other works with two pianists (CD 3/4 from Schnabel plays Schubert on Dante)

View attachment 15987


Arthur & Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, piano

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, K542, piano trio in E-flat, recommended by trazom on the trio thread. Performed by the Kungsbacka Trio on Naxos, this was written in 1788 in that 8-12 week summer period that yielded the last three symphs and two excellent sonatas for beginners - among other works.

I like it! The trios have been beyond me, for some reason, I believed them to be quick fix money solutions for him, but this is a substantial piece, no doubt about it!


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel - Violin Sonata no. 2 - Grumiaux.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

SiegendesLicht said:


> Right now I am not listening to anything, I am having lunch in my office and thinking which one of the Wagner operas I would love to hear the most tonight. So far I am hesitating between_ Lohengrin_ and _Parsifal_.


And I have decided in favor of *Parsifal*, partly because of the discussions of this opera on TC that have taken place lately. The recording is the one by George Solti and the Wiener Philarmoniker.









And before starting I have washed the dishes, taken out the trash, shortly made sure that there are no unfinished chores left, that might distract my attention from this sacred masterwork.


----------



## Sonata

*Beethoven: String Quartet in E-Flat Major*

Strange, my second E-Flat major work in as many days.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
New York Philharmonic, cond. Leonard Bernstein


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> *Beethoven: String Quartet in E-Flat Major*
> 
> Strange, my second E-Flat major work in as many days.


Hey, you know what's good E flat major music?

*Sibelius's* fifth!!!!!


----------



## AndyS

Up to the Dance of the Seven Veils. While not my favourite Salomé (would be either the Solti or Leinsdorf depending on what mood I'm in), it's still a cracking recording. I think the young Gwyneth Jones is a nice compromise between the power of Nilsson and the beauty of Caballé


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica

Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 -- Murray Perahia; Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Marini: Sonata Symphonie -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Rovetta: Messa - Et In Spiritum Sanctum -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Liszt: Années De Pèlerinage, Deuxième Année, Italie, S 161 -- Leslie Howard

Haydn: Piano Trio #21 in C, Hob. XV: 21 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Brahms: Horn Trio in E Flat, Op. 40 -- Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Hey, you know what's good E flat major music?
> 
> *Sibelius's* fifth!!!!!


Yes, that is a very good symphony. Haven't listened to it since "Listening Club" 
I'll have to get it back on my iPod!

For the moment though, my *Beethoven* continues (This is all from the Big Beethoven Box download, by the way). Currently on *Creatures of Prometheus*. I had never realized that Beethoven composed a ballet before. It, in fact, doesn't have the feel of my favorite ballets in any means. That said, as orchestral music I am enjoying it anyway.


----------



## Sonata

Novelette said:


> Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra
> 
> *Mahler*: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica
> 
> *Mendelssohn*: Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 -- Murray Perahia; Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
> 
> Marini: Sonata Symphonie -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players
> 
> Rovetta: Messa - Et In Spiritum Sanctum -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players
> 
> Liszt: Années De Pèlerinage, Deuxième Année, Italie, S 161 -- Leslie Howard
> 
> Haydn: Piano Trio #21 in C, Hob. XV: 21 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt
> 
> *Brahms*: Horn Trio in E Flat, Op. 40 -- Beaux Arts Trio


My favorites! Nicely done .


----------



## Kieran

K377, the stupendous violin sonata, Barenboim tickling old Joanna, Perlman scratching an itch on the fiddle.

How do you live without this one?


----------



## cwarchc

Update on my alphabetical journey








now onto my box set of LvB, it may take a while


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio in A minor. Op. 50


----------



## Kieran

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio in A minor. Op. 50


What do you think of Lang Lang on this one?


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Roussel's* (1869 - 1937) birthday, Symphony 3, with NYPO/Bernstein (rec. 1961).

View attachment 16005


----------



## neoshredder

Kieran said:


> What do you think of Lang Lang on this one?


Sounds good from what I've heard.


----------



## AndyS

Finished Salomé and now giving this, possibly my favourite classical recording, a listen with a glass of single malt before bed:


----------



## Kieran

neoshredder said:


> Sounds good from what I've heard.


I saw him play in Dublin a few years back and it was as if the guy grew an extra set of fingers to cope with the demand. Very entertaining and spectacular, but technically incredible, it seemed. Saw Brendel a while later and he was less demonstrative, less hyper and showy, and I thought to myself, what a wonderful world that such talents operate so differently but still draw us in...


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: Piano Concerto*

Now listening to the Delius box, later I will listen to Romeo & Juliet from the Berlioz set.


----------



## Novelette

Sonata said:


> My favorites! Nicely done .


Great minds think alike! =D


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Sounds good from what I've heard.


I love that recording. Usually I'm not a big fan of Lang Lang, there's just something about his legato that bothers me. But that recording is top notch.


----------



## millionrainbows

Wendy Carlos's Clockwork Orange (East Side Digital 1998). This is NOT the soundtrack, but an all-electronic version which features music not included in the movie. The standout track is _Timesteps,_ a 13:50 excursion across time. _Timesteps_ is music which, like Stravinsky and a few others, creates a direct connection to my being.

I hold Carlos in high esteem; for the shallow, this is simply more gimmick synthesizer product, on par with Tomita and other pop synth; but Carlos is a real composer and innovator. Her use of microtonal tunings is groundbreaking. Don't get me started, and don't resond with "Oh yeah, I've got some Tomita and Vangelis." Duhhhh....


----------



## Novelette

Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E Flat, S 49 -- Wynton Marsalis; Raymond Leppard: National Philharmonic Orchestra

I love Hummel's music.

Haydn: 12 Notturnos H 2/D5 -- Consortium Classicum


----------



## Dimboukas

I like the concertos very much, especially Khachaturian's. They are at an excellent point between what I usually listen to and modern tonal music.


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert *
_Piano Trio #2 in E flat D929 ; 
Grand Duo in A D574 for violin and piano_
- Jean-Philippe Collard, piano ; Augustin Dumay, violin ; Frederic Lodeon, cello / EMI

Finishing the *Schubert *piano trios set, with his second trio. Like the first, the heart of it is the slow movement, with that unique & sensitive (very human and direct) lyricism of Schubert. But the finale, despite its propensity to lapse into a bit of 'note spinning,' has a bouncy and fun feel reminiscent of the finale of the Trout quintet. The Grand Duo is also a delightful piece. A critic actually walked out on the first performance, citing its length. Obviously he wouldn't agree with Schumann who talked of the "heavenly length" of Schubert's music. But with all the repeats this piece can indeed drag on (my hunch is this recording doesn't have all the repeasts - its only about 20 minutes in duration).

*Mussorgsky* 
_'Khovanshchina' Prelude (orch. Rimsky-Korsakov) ; 
*Songs and Dances of Death (orch. Shostakovich)_
- *Sergei Aleksashkin, bass ; Chicago SO under Sir Georg Solti / Decca Eloquence

Then onto some *Mussorgsky*, the last song was the most captivating for me here, and the bass certainly did not hold back on expressing the words with a lot of emotion and force. Even though I don't understand Russian, dark emotions where certainly there - anger for one. Incidentally, Shostakovich orchestrated these in 1962, when working on his 13th symphony, and these songs where to inform/influence him as regards to his 14th symphony, a song cycle about death.
*

Busoni *
_Two Studies for "Doktor Faust," Op. 51 (Sarabande et Cortege) ; 
Berceuse elegiaque, Op. 42_
- Hong Kong PO under Samuel Wong / Naxos

Lastly, another listen to the two *Busoni *works on this Naxos cd which grab me so much now. I can hear that contrapuntal quality (influence of Bach, of course) but also aspects similar to Mahler and Berg. & it may make sense to see Busoni as a transitional figure between the two, Mahler being at the end of his career and Berg just starting when these works where written by Busoni in the 1900's and 1910's. The Cortege for example is not too far away from one of Mahler's scherzo/landler movements, and the Berceuse elegiaque definitely has this 'fuzzy' orchestral sound/mood that you find in Berg's orchestral works (but also Mahler's). Busoni, like them, also fuses technical craftsmanship with emotional expression - without just rehashing the past verbatim.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beaux Arts Trio Radio on MOG Internet Stream. It plays only stuff performed from Beaux Arts Trio.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Lieder Aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn"
Jessye Norman, John Shirley-Quirk, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## GreenMamba

Walton Symphony no. 1, Slatkin/LPO.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Andrew Manze with Mozart and Vivaldi!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Kieran said:


> What do you think of Lang Lang on this one?


I think working with two older established performers... combined with the nature of chamber music... allowed Lang Lang to put the showstopping virtuosity on the back burner. I thought this recording was quite good.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gluck's Alceste - John Eliot Gardiner, cond. (dvd)


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Louis Spohr (5 April 1755-1859): String Quartet No.33 in G Major, Op.146

Dima Quartet of Moscow: Sergey Girshenko and Alexey Gulianitsky, violins -- Georgy Kapitonov, viola -- Dmitry Yablonsky, cello

View attachment 16011


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *performed by the James Levine led Philadelphia Orchestra.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, OP.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}. *Both works feature the London Symphony Orchestra under Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Mahlerian

Roussel: Symphony No. 3
Orchestre National de France, cond. Dutoit


----------



## OboeKnight

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1

Poulenc Oboe Sonata
Hindemith Oboe Sonata
Saint-Saens Oboe Sonata


----------



## drpraetorus

Gottschalk: O Ma Charmante


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Some Bach played by The Jacques Loussier Trio
*Sibelius's* 2nd symphony five times and counting....


----------



## Mahlerian

*Schoenberg*: Violin Concerto
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Hilary Hahn, Swedish Radio Orchestra, cond. Salonen


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Reiner)
Nancarrow - String Quartet No. 1 (Arditti)
Ligeti - Síppal, dobbal, nádihegeduval (Amadinda)
Carter - Tempo e Tempi (Swiss Chamber Soloists)

And I listened to the first two movements of something I'm working on at the moment, but that's *top secret!*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to some Grieg.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to Shostakovich's String Quartets 3 and 5 (before I hear them performed live by the Borodin Quartet next Tuesday! )

These quartets have a way of building up momentum without relying on faster tempos. It's strange that even though the 3rd quartet was actually the first string quartet I had heard from Shostakovich, I've barely paid any attention to it. Now that I revisit it, I'm thoroughly enjoying the powerful pulse in the third movement and the painful (in an emotional sense) fourth and fifth movements. As for the 5th quartet, I've always liked it so nothing surprising there.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Since I last posted, I have listened to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony two more times and I'm listening to it again now.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Just to mix things up in this thread, I'm listening to Sibelius' second symphony.


----------



## Kieran

CyrilWashbrook said:


> Just to mix things up in this thread, I'm listening to Sibelius' second symphony.


I never heard of that one, I must look it up... 

Just out of bed, a little hungover, so drill-sergeant Beethoven will smack my cheeks and ruff me up a little to get me moving.

Symphony #4, Leonard Bernstein waving the wand, New York Philly doing the heavy lifting...


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Violin Concerto - Grumiaux.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Berg - Violin Concerto - Grumiaux. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Alkan's Cello Sonata - Alban Gerhardt, cello, Steven Osborne, piano


----------



## cwarchc

My attempt at an alphabetical run through carries on.
Finished the Beethoven box Krips and the LSO, I've not really heard any other versions, but this is good.
Moved onto Berlioz, only got these 2 compilations






and


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Honegger, Symphonies 3 and 5.*

After watching my three grandkids all day, I need to hear something, well, grown up.


----------



## GreenMamba

On Spotify, Beethoven Piano Sonata op. 28, (Pastoral); Kovacevich


----------



## aleazk

Prokofiev Piano Concerto no.3


----------



## Novelette

Tristan said:


> Mozart - Flute Quartet No. 4 in A major, K. 298 (St. Martin in the Fields)
> 
> I never even knew Mozart wrote any flute quartets. But the minuet in this work is so beautiful, I've played it three times in a row so far...


If you haven't listened to it, I very highly recommend Beethoven's Serenade for Flute, Violin and Viola in D, Op. 25, too! It's incredibly beautiful.


----------



## Novelette

Okay, so everyone is going to think I'm mad [or at the very least, confirm it unequivocally].

I'm having the action on my upright repaired [the jack springs are all being replaced], so the strings sit there and resonate beautifully and sympathetically to whatever I play on the grand [in the same room].

I've spent the last 45 minutes playing wild chords and quick arpeggios and suddenly stopping in order to hear the sympathetic resonance from the upright. So that's what I've been listening to lately.

Easily amused...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 1
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Novelette said:


> Okay, so everyone is going to think I'm mad [or at the very least, confirm it unequivocally].
> 
> I'm having the action on my upright repaired [the jack springs are all being replaced], so the strings sit there and resonate beautifully and sympathetically to whatever I play on the grand [in the same room].
> 
> I've spent the last 45 minutes playing wild chords and quick arpeggios and suddenly stopping in order to hear the sympathetic resonance from the upright. So that's what I've been listening to lately.
> 
> Easily amused...


Do you like spectralism?


----------



## aleazk

Ravel: "Sad birds".
One of my favorite pieces. It takes you to such wonderful worlds, like a dream, and so, but so sad. And it's a very powerful sadness, there is no artificiality in this sadness, it's just a true, sincere and devastating sadness.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 53


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13.* All three works feature the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra. My first listen to all of these symphonies. I must say that I was especially taken by the *4th and 6th,* especially the latter's folk-song influenced third movement. I shall definitely return to these works for future listening!
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor.* Both symphonies are performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio again.


----------



## Kieran

Busy day. After Beethoven, some Hugo Wolf, which segued neatly into about six hours of silence, then a mate mentioned Dr Dre and I listened to some of him, concluding with The Next Episode, which through an act of impossible transitional virtuosity brought me back to the home key - which isn't E-Flat Major or C-Minor.

It's K.

In this case, K261, the violin adagio in E, accompanied by the orchestra, Itzhak Perlman at the helm. It's both profound and satisfying and yet leaves me holding my hand out for more...


----------



## millionrainbows

American Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (EMI) Peter Lawson, pno; featuring Sonatas by Copland, Ives, Carter, and Barber.

Samuel Barber's Piano Sonata Op. 26 is one of my all-time favorites. This spiky sonata is about as far from the "Adagio" as the late-Romantic Barber ever got, and I like it. I am especially pleased with Peter Lawson's performance here. Great sonics as well, recorded in 1989.

It was written for Horowitz, who introduced it into the repertoire. 

I first heard Van Cliburn's version on RCA, and it owes much to Horowitz, but shows an even deeper understanding, as well as being "cleaner" and avoiding the "banging" of Horowitz. 

Robert Browning gave it his best shot, but he simply didn't have the chops & sheer power needed. 

I heard Steven Coomb's version on Chandos, and rejected it immediately as being way too fast.

But Lawson is good, very good, and he brings things out I've not heard in this. He plays some of the rhythms differently, or more evenly, and this changes the meaning of the whole phrase. I love this, to be able to see the diamond from a different facet.

The end is hair-raising; I literally got a chill, the hairs on the back of my neck rising in a spontaneous ovation. Oh yeah!


----------



## millionrainbows

J. Haydn: OrgelKonzerte Nr. 1-3 - Klavierkonzerte - Lirakonzerte Nr. 1-4 - Cassation C-dur (Concerto Royale, Adora, Bella Musica 2001). Franz Lehrndorfer, Orgel - Württembergisches Kammerorchester, dirig. Jörg Faeber.
Three new, sealed CDs for one dollar; I could not pass on it. And the sound is very good, as well as the players. I didn't know Haydn wrote any organ/string orchestra concertos, and these are delightful, and, well, yes, _well worth_ a dollar!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Kaplan

Wonderful sound quality and piece. Too bad the interpretation is lousy.

Boulez: Le soleil des eaux
Elizabeth Atherton, BBC Symphony, cond. Boulez


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 9










I feel like I'm listening to the symphony for the first time.


----------



## Feathers

AMAZING music by Schnittke:


----------



## OboeKnight

Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 1


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 6


----------



## SimonNZ

"French Songs" - Susan Graham, mezzo, Malcolm Martineau, piano (dvd)

ordinarily I wouldn't be quite so interested in a concert performance dvd like this, but having the option of subtitles for lieder is really much nicer than following with a booklet


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2
Mozart: Symphony no. 41
Mahler: Symphony no. 2
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2 again


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2
> Mozart: Symphony no. 41
> Mahler: Symphony no. 2
> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2 again


Where's coag's corpse?, eh?, we want to know!. We know you killed him and stole his identity.


----------



## neoshredder

aleazk said:


> Where's coag's corpse?, eh?, we want to know!. We know you killed him and stole his identity.


If he starts listening to Elgar, you know it's over.


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps (*Gergiev**)

*lol, really a crazy and savage experience, the russian soul I guess. I would love to be in a live concert with this piece and conductor.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Elgar: Serenade for strings


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Elgar: Serenade for strings


Did MaestroViolinist hack your account? :lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Did MaestroViolinist hack your account? :lol:


No...at least I don't think so...

Back to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Liszt.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2


----------



## MagneticGhost

Wagner - Rienzi


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Wonderful sound quality and piece. Too bad the interpretation is lousy.


Kaplan always makes me LOL, he must have very high self esteem to carry on making a fool of himself!

Just finished:

*Ferruccio Busoni* - Violin Sonata No 2 (Sony)









Frank Peter Zimmermann, Violin & Enrico Pace, piano

Moving on to:

*Gustav Mahler* - Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Hyperion)









Stephan Genz, baritone & Roger Vignoles, piano

The texture of DKW get much clearer with just voice and piano, but it take some time time to get used to when you (like me) is imprinted on the orchestrated version!

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Bruckner's* 2nd symphony (Barenboim and Berliner Philarmoniker). The slow movement is sooooo beautiful!


----------



## SimonNZ

listening to one of the very few public discussions with ECM label founder Manfred Eicher - in a long interview with jazz critic Gary Giddens


----------



## GantzGraf

Arvo Pärt - Fratres


----------



## Praeludium

The WTC, as played by Glenn Gould, on those YT videos :










I can't stop ):


----------



## ptr

*Sandor Veress* - Passacaglia Concertante (*ECM*)









London Voices & Camerata Bern u. Heinz Holliger, oboe

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ptr

*James Tenney* - The Solo Works for Percussion (*HatHut*)









Matthias Kaul, percussion & voice

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms* Symphony No.3,2 & 1.

#2's first two movements are good, but the next two movements are ...


----------



## cwarchc

I've skipped Bernstein (as that's what I decided to do the alphabet idea)
onto 






then a trip to France








followed a visit to Russia








It will be a Brahms evening


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Grieg


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> Kaplan always makes me LOL, he must have very high self esteem to carry on making a fool of himself!


He must have very high esteem to carry on conducting when he has neither the training nor the talent for it! I've heard that he can't even keep a beat very well. At least via DG's famous micro-editing, they make it sound like he can sort-of beat time (and nothing else), and the Vienna Phil is, as always, a great group. But yes, not a recommended disc for anybody.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Eybler (1765-1846): Symphony No.2 in D Minor

Michael Hoffstetter leading L'Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve

View attachment 16057


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht
New England String Ensemble

Via radio. Nice to hear Schoenberg on here once in a while, even if it is always this exact piece and nothing else.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to Bernstein's recording of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Very good performance by the way with the London Symphony. It's powerful and driving. Just simply awesome! The last movement makes me want to go watch some Alfred Hitchcock now!  However, I'll resist and move on to The Firebird. 










Kevin


----------



## ptr

Having an Hungarian evening of loneliness, music and some Tokaij!

*Sandor Veress* - Chamber Music (*Hungaroton*)









Claudio Veress (viola), Katalin Halmai (mezzo-soprano), Raphael Rosenfeld (cello), Zsolt Fejérvári (double bass), Lajos Rozmán (clarinet), Gábor Takács-Nagy (violin), Dénes Várjon (piano)

*Peter Eötvös* - Atlantis (1995) (Not: Psychokosmos (1993) / Shadows (1996)) (BMC)









WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne u. Peter Eötvös

*Bela Bartók* - String Quartets with odd numbers (1, 3, 5) (*Decca*)









Takács Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Gatti

Via radio rebroadcast of live concert from a week and a day ago.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Above Flamme posted the YouTube of Gaos' second symphony. This is really a wonderful work and little known. I recommend taking a listen to it if you have time. You might find it quite enjoyable. Here is the album the piece comes from:










Kevin


----------



## ptr

Kevin Pearson said:


> Above Flamme posted the YouTube of Gaos' second symphony. This is really a wonderful work and little known. I recommend taking a listen to it if you have time.


Thanks Kev, I for one have far to few Spanish, Portuguese and Bask composers in my collection, might be high time to remedy this!

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Here a nice 4th symphony that one rarely hears:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Novelette

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do you like spectralism?


I haven't had so much exposure to it. What would you recommend?


----------



## DrKilroy

Fine - Music for Piano
Stravinsky - Four Norwegian Moods, Violin Concerto.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Piano Sonata #4 in G -- Andrea Bacchetti

It's interesting. Almost all of Cherubini's output is extraordinarily distinguished, in my opinion, yet these piano sonatas are not altogether so interesting. Not bad music by any means, and in fact, these little works are often charming and delightful, but they are certainly weak spots within the oeuvre.

Cima: Sonata A 2 Per Violine E Violone -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Beethoven: Ah perfido!, Op. 65 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Berlioz: Symphonie Funèbre Et Triomphale, Op. 15 -- Colin Davis: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Gabrieli: Sacrae Symphoniae -- His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts; Timothy Roberts

Scarani: Sonatae Concertante -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Rameau: Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin, Suite in G Major -- William Christie

Mozart: Piano Concerto #17 in G, K 453 -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 114, D 667, "Trout" -- Alban Berg Quartet & Elisabeth Leonskaja


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Not so much listening but watching a Bernstein Omnibus - so at present La Boheme extracts on "Leonard Bernstein On: What Makes Opera Grand?"


----------



## DrKilroy

Fine - The Choral New Yorker.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Celloissimo

Boccherini Minuet

Because I can.


----------



## aleazk

Having a 'wig' afternoon with Beethoven's ninth.  (the second movement actually, which is my favorite)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Novelette said:


> I haven't had so much exposure to it. What would you recommend?


Nørgård's "Voyage into the Golden Screen" is awesome...."Partiels" by Grisey is probably one of the most famous spectralist works.

But at the moment I'm listening to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony, which is not spectralist music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Idomeneo - Frederica von Stade, soprano, Luciano Pavarotti, tenor, James Levine, cond. (dvd)

Is there a thread somewhere here devoted to the best opera productions on dvd?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

GantzGraf said:


> Arvo Pärt - Fratres


Which one?


----------



## Flamme

DrKilroy said:


> Fine - The Choral New Yorker.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


----------



## aleazk

Having a 'spectralist' afternoon with "Partiels" by Grisey.


----------



## aleazk

Gérard Grisey ~Jour, Contre-jour (1978). lol, my 'wig' afternoon has been perverted into an avant-garde one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Over a feverish 13 days Schumann composed his sole violin concerto. 5 months later he threw himself into the Rhine, he was rescued, but institutionalized for the remainder of his life. Schumann's concerto was dedicated to the celebrated Joseph Joachim who decided never to perform or even publish the work deeming it his own personal property in trust. In his will he stipulated that the concerto was not to be performed until 100 years after the composer's death (1856).

Nearly 100 years later Yelly d'Aranyi, Joachim's grandniece declared that the ghost of her uncle and Schumann himself came to her informing her of the existence of the concerto in 1933. Initially Yelly and later Yehudi Menuhin were scheduled to perform the premier of the work but the Nazi's stipulated, for reasons of National pride and ethnic "purity" that the work be performed by a German violinist, and so Georg Kulenkampf introduced the work with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1937. Menuhin recorded the concerto in 1938 with John Barbirolli.

While there have been several masterful recordings of Schumann's concerto, certainly including Szeryng's, the work remains unfamiliar to many... to the point that some express real surprise to discover that Schumann even composed a violin concerto.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart PC #23, Mitsuko Uchida on piano, Jeffrey Tate conducting - still! - the English Chamber Orchestra... :tiphat:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Kieran

This.

Scary and beautiful...


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening:

*Bruckner *_Symphony #5 in B flat major (Nowak edition)_
Vienna PO under Lorin Maazel / Decca Eloquence

*Bruckner's* _Symphony #5_ is becoming one of my favourite works by him now. This work has a contemplative quality, as if one where surveying the landscape below from the top of a mountain, reminiscing on the journey you'd just made there. Starting off with the strings playing a somber melody that's reminiscent of Renaissance choral music, the symphony as usual presents a number of themes/ideas that are combined masterfully in the finale. & it's a finale that's unique in the canon, being combination of sonata form with fugue, they kind of alternate within the one movement. The mood lightens towards the end, becoming exalted with those choral and waltz/landler tunes from earlier joining the fray. & the coda is one of the most uplifting endings to any symphony I've heard. Truly magnificent.

*Shostakovich* _Symphony #15 in A major, Op. 141_
Chicago SO under Sir Georg Solti / Decca Eloquence

Another listen to *Shostakovich's* final symphony, a cryptic and ambigious work if there ever was one. Kicking off with the DSCH motto theme, it takes in quotations from Rossini and Wagner, and is also heavily laced with reminiscences of Shostakovich's own works (eg. the Symphony #10, Cello Concerto #1 and that weird mechanical ticking thing from Symphony #4). I find this quite bizarre, and at the end the work settles down to the tick tock rhythm, a kind of terror theme and DSCH. It all drifts off quietly and dissolves into nothingness. Maybe like a wave goodbye, but its got quite unsettling connotations in some ways of the similarly quiet and unexpected dissolution that ends Tchaikovsky's final symphony, the Pathetique.

*Album - The definitive Ray Charles* / Warner-Atlantic-Rhino music, 2 cd set

Then onto a handful of tracks from *Ray's *classic album _Modern Sounds of Country and Western Music_ (1962) featured on this compilation of his hits. Ever the eclectic musician he was, Ray rarely stayed in the one place in terms of style, he thrived on change. This album garnered a slew of hit songs -_ I Can't Stop Loving You, Born To Lose, You Don't Know Me, Your Cheatin' Heart, Take These Chains From My Heart_ - which all combine Ray's voice and his piano playing, with his female backing group (the Raelettes), rhythm section and string orchestra. In terms of style, its a hybrid of soul, country, easy listening and jazz. It would be copied by others, and become cliché, but this was where it all came from. But what I like is, as ever, Ray covers these songs (written by the likes of country great Hank Williams) as if he'd written them, as if they where about his own life. He puts his personal stamp on them, in other words.
*
Respighi *
_Belkis, Queen of Shelba - Suite_ (1931)
_Metamorphoseon - Variations for Orchestra_ (1930)
- World premiere recordings
Philharmonia Orchestra under Geoffrey Simon / Chandos

Some music by *Respighi* to finish up.

_Belkis, Queen of Sheba_ is a colourful work, reminiscent of the oriental tendencies of his teacher Rimsky Korsakov and also has some of the daring orchestration of Richard Strauss. The original ballet was 80 minutes long and included a narrator and unconventional additions to the orchestra such as sitar and wind machine, but this orchestral suite is for standard modern orchestra.
_
Metamorphoseon_ is a work commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to mark the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and it was played for that occasion alongside landmark works such as Stravinsky's _Symphony of Psalms_, Hindemith's _Concert Music for Strings and Brass_ and Howard Hanson's _Symphony #2 'Romantic.' _The work consists of an introduction and twelve variations on its theme. Displaying elements of Bachian counterpoint allied with colourful orchestration and imaginative working through of ideas, my favourite variation was the seventh, which presented a series of accompanied cadenzas for solo instruments: harp, cello, violin, viola, horn, bassoon, flute, clarinet, oboe and bass clarinet. The violin one had echoes of Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_, again showing the influence of Respighi's teacher.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2
Mahler: Symphony no. 4
Schubert: Symphonies 1-4 and 8 (currently in the middle of the third mvt of no. 1)
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2 for the rest of the day.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The tradition of the music of Bach filtered through the tradition of the chamber music of Beethoven and Brahms. Reger composed for a vast array of genre. I must seriously look into more of his music.


----------



## opus55

Respighi: Six Pieces for violin and piano
Herzogenberg: Piano Trio No. 1


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A great old recording that I haven't listened to for years.


----------



## Novelette

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Nørgård's "Voyage into the Golden Screen" is awesome...."Partiels" by Grisey is probably one of the most famous spectralist works.
> 
> But at the moment I'm listening to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony, which is not spectralist music.


Thanks, COAG! I'll check it out.


----------



## Novelette

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Over a feverish 13 days Schumann composed his sole violin concerto. 5 months later he threw himself into the Rhine, he was rescued, but institutionalized for the remainder of his life. Schumann's concerto was dedicated to the celebrated Joseph Joachim who decided never to perform or even publish the work deeming it his own personal property in trust. In his will he stipulated that the concerto was not to be performed until 100 years after the composer's death (1856).
> 
> Nearly 100 years later Yelly d'Aranyi, Joachim's grandniece declared that the ghost of her uncle and Schumann himself came to her informing her of the existence of the concerto in 1933. Initially Yelly and later Yehudi Menuhin were scheduled to perform the premier of the work but the Nazi's stipulated, for reasons of National pride and ethnic "purity" that the work be performed by a German violinist, and so Georg Kulenkampf introduced the work with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1937. Menuhin recorded the concerto in 1938 with John Barbirolli.
> 
> While there have been several masterful recordings of Schumann's concerto, certainly including Szeryng's, the work remains unfamiliar to many... to the point that some express real surprise to discover that Schumann even composed a violin concerto.


It's a wonderful work. I wish it were performed more frequently.


----------



## Sonata

At CoAG's suggestion the other day, I am listening to Sibelius, symphony #5.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Geistliche Chormusik - Masaaki Suzuki, cond.


----------



## Novelette

Feeding my fixation with the intensely outstanding composer...

Cherubini: Les Abencerages -- Mino Bordignon; Peter Maag: Orchestra Sinfonica Rai Di Milano, Coro Sinfonica Rai Di Milano,

Excellent opera! Brilliantly performed.

I need finally to obtain a copy of Cherubini's Medea. It seems that the only recordings are those of Callas. While there are a few others, they are poorly acclaimed. And yet the Callas recordings seem all to suffer from poor recording quality. Or perhaps there is a recording with clear sound quality that someone recommends?


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to *Grieg* - Violin Sonatas


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to *Grieg* - Violin Sonatas


The third violin sonata is outstanding, even among Grieg's distinguished output.

Also, did you see some post somewhere in which pictures of Grieg and Mark Twain were juxtaposed? Normally the similarity is unremarkable, but those two particular pictures... LOL.


----------



## neoshredder

Novelette said:


> The third violin sonata is outstanding, even among Grieg's distinguished output.
> 
> Also, did you see some post somewhere in which pictures of Grieg and Mark Twain were juxtaposed? Normally the similarity is unremarkable, but those two particular pictures... LOL.


Wow! Hard to tell them apart based on that picture.


----------



## Feathers

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5 (Charles Dutoit and Sarah Chang)

Ravel: Ma Mère l'Oye Suite (Danielle Gatti and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)


----------



## opus55

Hindemith: String Quartets, Nos. 3 and 6
Beethoven: String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131
Spohr: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 119
























Chamber music night.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "The Harp" - Quatour Turner


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

*Roger Quilter* - Songs (Hyperion)









John Mark Ainsley, tenor & Malcolm Martineau, piano

*Feruccio Busoni* - Piano Concerto (*Hyperion*)









Marc-André Hamelin, piano, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chous u. Mark Elder

*Cesar Franck* - Complete Organ Works, Vol 3 (*Audite*)









Hans-Eberhard Roß at the Groll Organ St. Martin in Memmingen

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "Harp" - Quartetto Italiano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Been listening to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony over and over for the last six hours or so...


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Been listening to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony over and over for the last six hours or so...


Lucky we are in the era of cd's, or downloads, spotify, youtube, whatever youre listening to that on ad nauseum. I mean you'd have worn out your vinyl of it by now ...or your cassette tape of it. So you can play it again and again and again...without any degradation! :lol:...


----------



## Kivimees

The time is right for flute:


----------



## Sonata

My "accidental affinity" for E-flat major continues, it's really getting strange! I am now listening to *Mozart's quintet for piano and winds* for the first time, it was mentioned on the classical radio on the drive over. I pulled it up on my work computer, and imagine my suprise to be hearing the four E-Flat major work this week!

So I believe I'll go all in and do an E-flat major week. Why not right?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, String Quartet No. 10, Harp.*

I didn't know the Vegh Quartet recorded a Beethoven cycle in the 1950s. Music & Arts pulled out another cherry from the vaults.


----------



## ptr

*Allan Pettersson* - Concerto No. 3 for String Orchestra (*BIS*)









Nordic Chamber Orchestra u. Christian Lindberg

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Some other music on the morning:

Big Handel Box: Alexander's Feast: Ode for St. Cecilia's Day
Big Beethoven Box: 32 Variations on an Original theme in C-Minor, 6 Variations on an original theme in F-Major
99 Most Essential Chopin Masterpieces: assortment of etudes, impromptus.
Mozart: Trio for viola, piano and clarinet. (sorry I don't remember the K#)


----------



## Kivimees

Some more flute:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sonata

My affinity for opera is diminishing at the moment (don't worry, it comes in waves! I'll be back to it in awhile)
So one last opera act to squeeze in before I take a break: *Fidelio, Act II*. I'll finish it over my lunch break.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to this performance of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 from Matsuev for the first time, and what a performance! Also amazing sound quality. My previous favorite performance was Argerich's, but I may change my position soon when this ends!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler - Songs of a Wayfarer, Ruckert Lieder
Zemlinsky - Six Songs to Poems by Maeterlinck*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new beginning, ASMF with Bell on Sony. There's nothing terribly wrong with these *LvB* Symphonies 4 & 7, but do we need another cycle, and from ASMF? Philips Marriner nearly a quarter of a century ago, says no.

View attachment 16080


----------



## Vaneyes

aleazk said:


> Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps (*Gergiev**)
> 
> *lol, really a crazy and savage experience, the russian soul I guess. I would love to be in a live concert with this piece and conductor.


There's also a "Firebird" DVD with VPO/Gergiev from a Salzburg Festival, that you must see/hear. :tiphat:


----------



## Andolink

Robert Simpson: String Quartet No. 6
Delmé Quartet








François Couperin: Pièces de violes, 1728-- Suite No. 1
Jordi Savall, bass viol
Ton Koopman, harpsichord
Ariane Maurette, bass viol


----------



## millionrainbows

Erik Satie, Works for Piano, Aldo Ciccolini, piano (EMI 3-CD). This is the 1967 recording, and apart from a little tape hiss, is a very good set for the price, usually very cheap. Still, I prefer the Bojan Gorisek box on Audiophile.


----------



## ptr

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 5 & Viola Concerto (*Bis*)









Nobuko Imai, viola; Malmö Symphony Orchestra u. Moshe Atzmon / Lev Markiz

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> Respighi: Six Pieces for violin and piano
> Herzogenberg: Piano Trio No. 1


I need to get around to that Respighi. That cover is so intruiging!


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Giuseppe Tartini's* (1692 - 1770) birthday, Violin Concerti with Ughi, Nikolitch, Daskalakis, et al. (recs. 1984 - 2005).

View attachment 16086
View attachment 16087
View attachment 16088
View attachment 16089


----------



## ptr

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 12 "De döda pa torget" (The Dead in the Public Square after Pablo Neruda) 1974 (CPO)









Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Swedish Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra u. Manfred Honeck

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sonata

Back to the Big Beethoven Box, with Piano Sonata #8 Pathetique.

Like probably everyone else on the planet, I have heard the slow movement a bunch, but never the rest of the sonata. I'm on the first movement and it is awesome!!!! This Big Box has 14 of his sonatas, enough to keep me pretty happy until I invest properly in Gilels' set. (and I believe I have already the late ones Gilels did not complete).


----------



## TheVioletKing

I was listening to some Brahms but now I am listening to some Tchaikovsky.


----------



## neoshredder

All Tartini day due to his birthday. Vol. 1 to start off.


----------



## Sonata

Chopin: Scherzos 

I love Chopin. Piano bliss.


----------



## Sonata

TheVioletKing said:


> I was listening to some Brahms but now I am listening to some Tchaikovsky.


My favorite and 5th favorite! Which pieces in particular?


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Still, I prefer the Bojan Gorisek box on Audiophile.


I've never heard of Gorisek's Satie. I'm listening on YouTube.

From what I've heard, If I'd discovered this 10 years ago, I'd be all over this. Unfortunately, right now, in thinking of $60 for another cycle, I have so many other recordings of Satie, I'm kind of Satie-ated.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sonata

*Sibelius: Violin Concerto*

My first listen. I've had it as part of the Vanska and Lahti Symphony Orchestra since summer, but I wanted to reserve it for later. It is as wonderful so far as I've been told!


----------



## DrKilroy

Fine - Music for Piano
Stravinsky - Violin Concerto
Milhaud - Carnaval d'Aix
Gershwin - Cuban Overture (the original version with piano).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Moses und Aron
Gunther Reich, Richard Cassily, BBC Symphony, cond. Boulez









The role of Aron needs an exceptional singer. Cassily does a good job here of maintaining the right "light" tone, but you can tell it's a strain. The BBC Symphony performed Schoenberg very well under Boulez during this era. Orchestral details like the mandolin and tambourine come out, but I think Boulez intentionally buried the flexatone, because I can't hear it in this recording.


----------



## Sudonim

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Been listening to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony over and over for the last six hours or so...


COAG - Forgive me if you've already addressed this, but when you listen repeatedly to the Sibelius 2nd like this (or anything else, for that matter), do you listen to the same performance, or do you seek out different ones?


----------



## AlainB

Currently listening to Borodin's _"Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances"_ and will be listening to Rossini's Overture in _"The Thieving Magpie"_.


----------



## samurai

Sudonim said:


> COAG - Forgive me if you've already addressed this, but when you listen repeatedly to the Sibelius 2nd like this (or anything else, for that matter), do you listen to the same performance, or do you seek out different ones?


@ Sudonim, Great question. By the way, I really like your screen name; very clever play on words, indeed! It's also a lot easier to spell than the original on which it is based. Phonetics wins every time out. 
:lol:


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589.* Both works feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica''}.* Both symphonies are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> I think Boulez intentionally buried the flexatone, because I can't hear it in this recording.


I wasn't even aware there was a flexatone in this piece. The things you learn around here.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sudonim said:


> COAG - Forgive me if you've already addressed this, but when you listen repeatedly to the Sibelius 2nd like this (or anything else, for that matter), do you listen to the same performance, or do you seek out different ones?


The same one. I like it, why do I need to listen to others? I've heard several versions on YouTube before though...but I always listen to Salonen conduct the Vienna Phil.

And I'm listening to it again.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra.*

Listening for the flexatone in this one.


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> I wasn't even aware there was a flexatone in this piece. The things you learn around here.


Schoenberg was a fan of the instrument: he used it in the Variations for Orchestra, his Kol Nidre for Choir, reciter, and orchestra, and his unfinished opera Moses und Aron. It's kind of a shame it's become stereotyped, because it has potential for uses other than silly cartoon sound effects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hOWjQuB34b0#t=337s

I can hear it here in this recording (which I would not otherwise recommend, especially since the video is awkwardly edited and cuts off right at the end of the orchestral portion, with no musical logic). It's on the right side, although sometimes it's playing together with triangle, and it can be difficult to distinguish them.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> I can hear it here in this recording (which I would not otherwise recommend, especially since the video is awkwardly edited and cuts off right at the end of the orchestral portion, with no musical logic). It's on the right side, although sometimes it's playing together with triangle, and it can be difficult to distinguish them.


Thanks! He seems to use it less as an oddity and more as a complement to the percussion. He had quite an ear.


----------



## aleazk

You can hear a flexatone in the second movement of Ligeti's piano concerto: 



 (at 7:52)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.24 in C Minor, KV 491

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields -- Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 16100


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks! He seems to use it less as an oddity and more as a complement to the percussion. He had quite an ear.


Japanese Wikipedia has the following scholarly comment about the flexatone:
「音は書き表しがたいが、あえていえば「ヒュヨヨヨヨヨーン」といったような甲高い音である。」

"It is difficult to describe its timbre, but it might be described as a high pitched "Hyooooon"-like sound."


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Japanese Wikipedia has the following scholarly comment about the flexatone:
> 「音は書き表しがたいが、あえていえば「ヒュヨヨヨヨヨーン」といったような甲高い音である。」
> 
> "It is difficult to describe its timbre, but it might be described as a high pitched "Hyooooon"-like sound."


:lol: funniest thing I've read all week.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A muscular live reading of Parsifal... although I still love Karajan's icy perfectionism.










Eloquence is becoming a major label in my collection... as a result of the quality of their budget releases of marvelous older classic recordings... like Grumiaux.


----------



## obwan

"Dissonance Quartett "


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven's violin concerto


----------



## Novelette

Bruch: Violin Concerto #3 in D Minor, Op. 58 -- Salvatore Accardo: Leipzig Gewandhausorchester

Schumann: Études Pour le Pianoforte, Nach den Capricen von Paganini, Op. 3 -- Peter Frankl

Schumann: String Quartet #2 in F, Op. 41/2 -- Alberni Quartet

Schubert: German Mass in F, D 872 -- Bruno Weil: Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment


----------



## Tristan

Respighi - Belkis, Queen of Sheba - "Orgiastic Dance" (awesome title)

I discovered this piece because of someone on this site. And I absolutely love it...! It's pure Respighi.


----------



## Novelette

I've also listened to this three times today:

Cherubini: Les Abencerages -- Peter Maag: Orchestra Sinfonica Rai Di Milano, Coro Sinfonica Rai Di Milano

Stunning opera! Unbelievably good music.


----------



## samurai

Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100.* Both works feature the Orchestre National de France under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Editor: Haas},* performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "Harp" - Hungarian Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 6, Klemperer.


----------



## aleazk

Beethoven, Piano Concertos No.2 and No.3.


----------



## Celloissimo

Mozart Symphony 1 

I'm considering taking a journey into all of the Mozart symphonies


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Jazz Suite No. 1










Wow. First time hearing this work, it is beautiful but too short.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "Harp" - Vegh Quartet


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich String quartet #3


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1887 version)
Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Young


----------



## neoshredder

Celloissimo said:


> Mozart Symphony 1
> 
> I'm considering taking a journey into all of the Mozart symphonies


What an enjoyable journey that would be.  I decided to take the challenge. 11 cd's in 11 days is doable. CD 1 for tonight.








Love the early Symphonies btw. The simplicity and melodic ways of the Galante. Mozart has mastered this at such a young age is amazing.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven, Piano Sonata #17, Tempest. Nice!

I'm so sorry, Handel and Vivaldi, but I am digging into Beethoven's Big Box far more than yours.... it's just the way it goes.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schubert: Symphony no. 5
Elgar: Cockaigne Overture
Sculthorpe: Sun Music III
Lovelock: Divertimento for String Orchestra
*Sibelius:* Violin Concerto


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 {"The Bells of Zlonice"},** Carnival, Concert Overture, Op.92* *and My Country, Concert Overture*, *Op.62.* All three works feature the London Symphony Orchestra led by Witold Rowicki.


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schubert: Symphony no. 5
> Elgar: Cockaigne Overture
> Sculthorpe: Sun Music III
> Lovelock: Divertimento for String Orchestra
> *Sibelius:* Violin Concerto


, what happened to the second symphony?, the hallucinations after two days without sleep were too much, eh?. :lol:


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Clarinet Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120 No. 2
Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 73


----------



## AndyS

I woke up early and stuck this on


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telmann - Tafelmusik CD 1


----------



## aleazk

Olivier Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> , what happened to the second symphony?, the hallucinations after two days without sleep were too much, eh?. :lol:


Lol, after that I listened to Schumann's violin concerto, Paganini's 4th violin concerto and *Sibelius's* violin concerto two more times and I will listen to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony for the rest of the day.


----------



## SimonNZ

via Youtube:

Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "Harp" - Barylli Quartet


----------



## Kieran

After getting hooked on a bit rap music for a couple of days, back to the temple: K563, the string trio, performed by Francois Fernandez (violin), Ryo Terakada (viola) and Rainer Zipperling (cello).

I'm listening to the adagio, a scratching, pained piece. All of K563 is immense, and it came to us a matter of weeks after the last three symphs...


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "Harp" - Budapest String Quartet


----------



## ptr

Organ morning triplets!

*the Salisbury Sound* (Griffin)









David Halls - Willis Organ of Salisbury Cathedral

*Variations on America* - American Organ Works (*Chandos*)









Iain Quinn on the Organ of Coventry Cathedral

*Jean Langlais* - Works for Organ (*Nimbus*)









Kevin Bowyer on the Carthy/Casavant (1987) Organ at the Jack Singer Hall in Calgary

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16112
> 
> 
> Beethoven's String Quartet No.10 "Harp" - Budapest String Quartet


Wow! Quite of harvest of "Harps"!


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Bertali: Prothimia Suavissima parte seconda--12 Sonatas for 3 and 4 instruments with basso continuo
Ars Antiqua Austria/Gunar Letzbor






(I'm swooning over this one--my latest purchase)


----------



## SimonNZ

Andolink said:


> Wow! Quite of harvest of "Harps"!


Yes, but the point, besides considering changing performance styles, is to cull at least a couple. The Turner and the Budapest will almost certainly be going. There's nothing at all wrong with them but I no longer need stray individual albums for this repertoire, as I now own three excellent full sets.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday --
Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D.113

Claudio Scimone leading I Solisti Veneti -- Uto Ughi, violin

View attachment 16116


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 2...lots of it.


----------



## Sonata

My E-flat major work of the day:
Chopin's beautiful Adante Spianato et Grand Polonaise Brilliant for piano and orchestra. 

Woke up too early today. The upside: I got in a full symphony while I was getting ready for work, Dvorak's New World symphony. I need to listen to more of him again soon.

And a couple versions of Cannon in D on YouTube


----------



## Andolink

Marin Marais: Pièces à deux violes 1686--Suite in G major
Smithsonian Chamber Players








Georg Philipp Telemann: Tafelmusik Production I--Quartet in G major for flute, oboe, violin and continuo
Musica Antiqua Köln/Reinhard Goebel


----------



## rrudolph

In a baroque mood today:

Fasch: Overture Grosso in D/Concertos in B flat and D/Andante in D









Telemann: Musique de Table-I swear I decided to listen to this before I saw Andolink's post above. Great minds think alike, I guess.









Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6, 9-12









After that, back to Bach probably.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.41 in C Major, KV 551

John Eliot Gardner conducting the English Baroque Soloists

View attachment 16125


----------



## ptr

More organ for the afternoon:

*Louis Vierne* - Organ Symphoy No 1 & 2 (*Solstice*)









Pierre Cochereau at the Grand organ of Notre Dame de Paris

*Felix Medelssohn-Bartoldy* - Organ Works (Motette OOP?)









Ludger Lohmann an der Walcker-Orgel in St. Maria zu Schramberg, Germany

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 3, with DSO Berlin/Nagano (rec. 1999).

*Bruckner*: Symphony 6, with DSO Berlin/Nagano (rec.2005).

View attachment 16133
View attachment 16134


----------



## Andolink

Carl Nielsen: String Quartet No. 4 in F major, op. 44
The Young Danish String Quartet








Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice"
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä


----------



## Kivimees

My favourite Mahler symphony:









The first movement is like a symphony in itself.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bengraf (1745-1791): String Quartet No.6 in A Major

Festetics String Quartet: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello

View attachment 16138


----------



## Feathers

Bruckner: Symphonies No. 6 and 7









I just realized that I've never listened to 7 immediately after 6 before, as if there's an invisible line drawn between symphonies 1 - 6 and 7 - 9. Bruckner is Bruckner, so I'm going to close that gap today.


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Piano Quartet in G Major, Op.40, No.1

Richard Fuller, piano -- Peter Zajicek, violin -- Jan Grener, viola -- Peter Kiral, cello

View attachment 16140


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Symphonies CD 2


----------



## Novelette

Today is to be a strictly Schumann piano day:

Schumann: Sechs leichte Tanzstücke, Op. 130, "Kinderball" -- Peter Frankl, András Schiff

Schumann: Variation auf Beethoven, WoO 31 -- Peter Frankl

Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 -- Mariana Izman

Schumann: Nachtstücke, Op. 23 -- Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy

Schumann: Novellette, Op. 21 -- Ronald Brautigam

^ Alas! I left out an "l" when creating my user name. I've seen it frequently written in English as "Novelette", but there's really no reason to leave out the second "l". =(

Schumann: Piano Sonata #3 in F Minor, Op. 14 -- Mariana Izman

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 -- Alfred Brendel: London Philharmonia Orchestra

Schumann: Piano Trio #2 in F, Op. 80 -- Israel Piano Trio

Time to get busy!


----------



## Sudonim

A couple of tasty items, courtesy of monsieur Boo-lay:









I think I'm developing a real affinity for Bartók ...









My first exposure to Varèse's music. Still listening to this one, and I very much like what I'm hearing so far. Definitely 20th century music, but not as out-there as I'd anticipated. (I guess I'd kind of thought of Varèse as some kind of "eccentric" or that his music was pretty much _sui generis,_ and maybe it is - someone may educate me on that - but I like the colors and the drama of it.)


----------



## MrCello

Shostakovich Piano Trio 1 & 2 by the Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## ptr

Relistening:

*Arnold Schönberg* - Gurre-Lieder (*DG*)









Inge Borkh(S), Hertha Töpper(A), Kieth Engen(B), Herbert Schachtschneider(T), Lorenz Fehenberger(T), Hans Herbert Fiedler(Sprecher); Chor und Sinfonieorchester das Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

This is a Gem! (I'm still grateful Simon!)

/ptr


----------



## tdc

Been feeling like some Baroque music today, and not by composers I'm overly familiar with. So I've been listening to various different works on my Baroque playlist. Currently listening to:

Giuseppe Torelli - Concerto Grosso, op. 8 No. 6

Christopher Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music

Beautiful music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra. Zelenka, Trio Sonata No. 2.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Sudonim said:


> My first exposure to Varèse's music. Still listening to this one, and I very much like what I'm hearing so far. Definitely 20th century music, but not as out-there as I'd anticipated. (I guess I'd kind of thought of Varèse as some kind of "eccentric" or that his music was pretty much _sui generis,_ and maybe it is - someone may educate me on that - but I like the colors and the drama of it.)


Varese was _sui generis_ at the time, although inspired by Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and Debussy. His influence is felt throughout the Darmstadt avant-garde, as well as in their mentor, Messiaen; he also influenced a certain Frank Zappa who shows up in several avatars around here, and indeed, his reincarnation has an account!

Babbitt: All Set for Jazz ensemble
Recorded at a Brandeis concert of "third stream"-type music conducted by Gunther Schuller, and pretty much the only strictly serial 12-tone Jazz-influenced piece I've heard. Also one of the few things Babbitt wrote that I like.

Messiaen: Oiseaux exotique
Yvonne Loriod, Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Boulez
From a live concert celebrating the composer's 80th birthday.

Debussy: Preludes, Book 1
Gordon Furgus-Thompson


----------



## cwarchc

After a Jazz interlude, it's back om my alphabetical journey






followed by








Finishing todays music with these 2








I'll start on Britten next


----------



## AndyS

Du Pré playing the first Bach Cello Suite from her complete box

This is probably the first time I've ever really listened to Bach


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Piano Works with Berezovsky, Gavrilov, Dalberto (recs.1980 - 1992).

View attachment 16152
View attachment 16153
View attachment 16154


----------



## opus55

Bach: Mass in A major, BWV 234


----------



## Flamme




----------



## cwarchc

AndyS said:


> Du Pré playing the first Bach Cello Suite from her complete box
> 
> This is probably the first time I've ever really listened to Bach


If you've enjoyed that Bach?
Here are a couple more "masters" for you




 Pablo Casals




 Slava Rostropovich, perhaps the person most responsible for the amount of cello music available for us to enjoy?


----------



## Novelette

Vaneyes said:


> *Schumann*: Piano Works with Berezovsky, Gavrilov, Dalberto (recs.1980 - 1992).
> 
> View attachment 16152
> View attachment 16153
> View attachment 16154


=D That's precisely where I am too. Different performers, but the same music.


----------



## CypressWillow

Kathleen Ferrier singing "Che Faro?" here:






In English! So lovely it breaks my heart.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sonata said:


> My E-flat major work of the day:
> Chopin's beautiful Adante Spianato et Grand Polonaise Brilliant for piano and orchestra.
> 
> Woke up too early today. The upside: I got in a full symphony while I was getting ready for work, Dvorak's New World symphony. I need to listen to more of him again soon.
> 
> And a couple versions of Canon in D on YouTube


You've gone a semitone off either way!!!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Brief clarinet works by Burgmuller, Finzi, Baermann, Saint-Saens, Arvo Part, Poulenc, etc...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio, just finished:

Haydn's Mass In Tme Of War - Leonard Bernstein, comd.

starting now:









Richard Strauss' Death And Transfiguration - Lorin Maazel, cond.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Elgar: Violin Concerto


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.60, No.3

Camesina Quartet: Johannes Gebauer and Karen Walthinsen, violins -- Irina Alexandrowna, viola -- Martin Burkhardt, cello

View attachment 16159


----------



## cwarchc

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Elgar: Violin Concerto


You feeling OK? 
Elgar?


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Henryk Gorecki - Miserere, Amen, Euntes Ibant Et Flebant, Wislo Moja, Szeroka Woda (Opus 39 and my favourite piece on this disc) - Chicago Symphony Chorus, John Nelson


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

And after that i will listen to Goreckis 3rd Symphony. I finally got hold of the Philips Recording with Joanna Kozlowska and the Warsaw Philharmonic. From a quick listen in when the CD arrived it seemed very promising.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Time for the exquisite intimacy of some Schubert lieder...


----------



## Mahlerian

A disc of *Charlie "Bird" Parker*, and then some of my favorite *Varèse* pieces (I know there's at least one person out there who gets the connection here):

*Varèse*: Ionisation
New York Philharmonic, cond. Boulez

*Varèse*: Equatorial
Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Boulez









Then, via Youtube:

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Swedish Radio Symphony, cond. Salonen


----------



## Manxfeeder

Got the connection.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I recently made a Spotify playlist called "Russian Awesomeness," has almost 60 tracks right now, so listening through some of them. Currently some Raymonda, which will move to some Symphonic scherzos.

Actually, if anyone's curious, pm me if you wanna find my account and listen in.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op.24

Takako Nishizaki, violin -- Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 16160


----------



## millionrainbows

Schönberg: Pelleas — Varèse: Amériques — Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Zoltán Kocsis. (Budapest Music Center Records dist. Philips). An odd pairing, but Zoltán Kocsis says that he sees the connection, so I'll take his word. The Pelleas is very good, and one of the clearest I've heard; I didn't realize until the applause at the end that it's a live recording. Also, it's good to hear another version of Amériques, though my "imprint" will always be Abravanel. After this, I have great respect for Kocsis, and shall seek out others by him.


----------



## Celloissimo

Wagner-Das Rheingold

I'm seriously contemplating pulling an all nighter by following it with Die Walkure and Siegfried


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahlerian said:


> A disc of *Charlie "Bird" Parker*, and then some of my favorite *Varèse* pieces (I know there's at least one person out there who gets the connection here):


Didn't get the connection, but now i do:

"Throughout his career, Charlie Parker publicly acknowledged his admiration for Varese, who was his Greenwich Village neighbor. "I had the pleasure of meeting Edgar Varese," he once said on Boston radio, "The French composer. He was very nice to me. He's willing to teach me. He wants to compose something for me." Of these encounters, Varese remarked, "He stopped by my place a number of times. He was like a child, with the shrewdness of a child. He possessed a tremendous enthusiasm. He'd come in and exclaim, 'take me in as you would a baby and teach me music. I only write one voice. I want to have structure. I want to write orchestral scores.' I promised myself I would try to find some time to show him some of the things he wanted to know." Unfortunately, while the two musicians met informally several times, Varese left for Paris to compose Deserts shortly after they met, and when he returned in the Spring of 1955, Parker was two months dead from a heroin overdose."

current listening:









Alkan's Troiseme Recueil De Chants - Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphonies, Nos 2 and 4










Evening entertainment


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D 82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D 417 {"Tragic"}.* Both works feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76,* both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Witold Rowicki.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Viola Sonata in C Minor

Ulrich Koch, viola -- Roland Schumacher, piano

View attachment 16162


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: String Quintet in C, Op. 163, D 956 -- Yo-Yo Ma: Cleveland Quartet

Schubert: Symphony #3 in D, D 200 -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Okay, so maybe it wasn't a strictly Schumann day, but at least I'm still within the alphabetical category beginning Schu- !


----------



## aleazk

Beethoven, Piano Concertos No.2 and No.3. (Argerich)
lol, maybe a little nostalgia, since these two are the first piano concertos I ever listened, many years ago.
For some reason I have no problem with Beethoven's early pieces, which are very "classical", but I'm not very fond of Mozart for example. Maybe Beethoven's virtuosic writing for the piano catches my attention.


----------



## aleazk

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2.
Although there are still some parts which I can't stand (for example at 3:30-3:53 here 



, ugh), that russian melody at the beginning can make my day. The third movement is a masterpiece.


----------



## PetrB

I had meant to comment on the Berio on this disc, but realized the line up of composers here are near identical to another Boulez conducted recording, different orchestra, different Berio piece, which I at first thought this was.

Never mind...
Tiny print, old eyes


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.28 - Jean-Bernard Pommier, piano


----------



## Kivimees

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Giving this a listen now. I was feeling a bit flutish before. Now for a different wind.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Dvorak: Violin Concerto
Dvorak: Legends


----------



## PetrB

Ben Johnston ~ String Quartet No. 6 (1960)
Serial, Just intonation & the 19th century premise of 'endless melody' all wedded together in a string quartet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 7, 5, 2


----------



## PetrB

*Hanna Kulenty ~ Harmonium *
Fun and funny, loopy tonal piece, intelligently manipulating our habitual 'common practice' reflexes as to what we are led to expect.






(... and, All please pardon if this is redundant from somewhere within the past few days -- been working hard, physical labor, days, and otherwise somewhat distracted.)


----------



## Ravndal

Joe Hisaishi - Symphonic Poem "Nausicaä of the valley of the winds"


----------



## Guest

Last night I went to a live performance of *Haydn*'s *The Creation*, combining pro soloists, semi pro section leaders and music students for the main body of the orchestra and choir. It's not a work that gets a regular outing, so I was glad for the opportunity to hear it. 
I'm a great admirer of Haydn's work, but unfortunately the piece got a bit butchered. First, a crummy acoustic (too resonant, too much of a sonic soup); second, the choir got overexcited in the fugal sections and got ahead of the orchestra at several moments; the orchestra was quite weak in the violin sections (tentative entries, intonation problems) and the bass section lacked 'body'; the choir ... got through it more or less in one piece. 
The soloists were fine, though Uriel did at times scream his part (tenors do that, when excited) and Raphael seemed curiously underwhelmed by the event.


----------



## ptr

The morning Organ triplet!

*Berkeley!* (NorCalTOS OOP?)









Walter Strony on the NorCal Wurlitzer at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley

*The Auditorium Organ* @ Atlantic Ciy Convention Hall (Addendum)









Timothy Hoag & Guests

*Stockholm Concert Hall Organ*; 20th Century Swedish Organ Music (Proprius)









Erik Lundkvist, organist

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Willem de Fesch (1687-1761): Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op.3, No.6

Arie van Beek leading the Orchestre d'Auvergne..

View attachment 16171


A major influence on both Handel and Vivaldi --


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Fasch's Overture in A minor - Emlyn Ngai, cond.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ravndal said:


> Joe Hisaishi - Symphonic Poem "Nausicaä of the valley of the winds"


Yay! My avatar! 
And Hisaishi is one of my favourite film composers.


----------



## Flamme

Its the Day of mourning here...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Harty's String Quartet No.2 - Goldner Quartet


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Kieran

The big beast of the jungle: #24.

Jeffrey Tate conducting the English Chamber Orchestra, Mitsuko sitting pretty on a stool...


----------



## ptr

A musical amuse-bouche!

*Jean Françaix* - Orchestral Music (Hyperion)









Ulster Orchestra u. Thierry Fischer

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

John Cage: Music of Changes — Herbert Henck, pno. (WERGO) There are some wonderful things happening here. If this piece is "random," that must apply to the pitches only, because the sheer beauty of the sonics — sustained, held keys while other staccato notes sound, harp-like plucking of strings, lots of wonderful variety of register, combinations of thud-hits combined with notes & plucking, all in the same short phrases....it's an astounding feat of virtuoso writing, as well as virtuoso playing. This will do wonders for the neglected intuitive side of your brain.
Most of these old silver-cover WERGOs sre still available at MDT Classics UK.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Must be a Bax day around here. I'm putting on Tintagel.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Didn't get the connection, but now i do:
> 
> "Throughout his career, Charlie Parker publicly acknowledged his admiration for Varese . . . and when he returned in the Spring of 1955, Parker was two months dead from a heroin overdose."


Heroin overdose? From what I've read, he died in a rich lady's suite, only able to eat a few canned peaches but drinking tons of water, and watching the Dorsey Brothers show. Just trying to set the record straight.


----------



## millionrainbows

> Heroin overdose? From what I've read, he died in a rich lady's suite, only able to eat a few canned peaches but drinking tons of water, and watching the Dorsey Brothers show. Just trying to set the record straight.


Granted, but this "correction" doesn't tell us the cause of death, unless that can of peaches was bad, he drowned, was "rich-ladyed" to death, or unless that Dorsey Brothers performance was "killer." :lol:


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Bertali: Prothimia Suavissima parte seconda--Sonatas X, XI and XII
Ars Antiqua Austria/Gunar Letzbor








C. P. Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Fortepiano-- in B flat major, WQ 77 and in C minor, WQ 78
Amandine Beyer, violin and Edna Stern, fortepiano








Georg Philipp Telemann: Trio Sonata in E flat major (from Tafelmusik Production I)
Musica Antiqua Köln/Reinhard Goebel








François Couperin: Quatrième Livre de Pièces de Clavecin (1730)-- Vingtième Ordre in G major
Olivier Baumont, harpsichord


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm putting the cat to sleep with the John Cage "In A Landscape" CD. This is OK, but the production and graphics create unfortunate associations with "new age" music.


----------



## Sudonim

millionrainbows said:


> Granted, but this "correction" doesn't tell us the cause of death, unless that can of peaches was bad, he drowned, was "rich-ladyed" to death, or unless that Dorsey Brothers performance was "killer." :lol:


From Wikipedia: "Parker died in the suite of his friend and patron Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter [also a patron of Thelonious Monk, who named his tune "Pannonica" after her] at the Stanhope Hotel in New York City while watching The Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show on television. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer but Parker also had an advanced case of cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack." He was only 34. Such was the damage Parker had done to himself that when the coroner initially examined the body, he believed Parker to be a man in his mid-50s.

Thread duty:


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Claude Bolling's* (b. 1930) birthday, via LP, Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano.

View attachment 16187


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> The big beast of the jungle: #24.
> 
> Jeffrey Tate conducting the English Chamber Orchestra, Mitsuko sitting pretty on a stool...


On a stool?


----------



## PetrB

millionrainbows said:


> I'm putting the cat to sleep with the John Cage "In A Landscape" CD. This is OK, but the production and graphics create unfortunate associations with "new age" music.


I can guarantee you your cat / Cage + sleep is either a matter of chance synchronicity or the cat is feigning pretending to go along with it 

Both _In A landscape_ and _Dream_ are wonderful pieces, 'pre-ambient' and far too intelligent in what they explore and 'how that is done' to be mistaken for new-age (someone said "new-age rhymes with sewage.") Their effect is both 'ambient' but quite something else.

I'm used to the Stephan Drury recordings (via youtube) and would recommend those 'intelligent' renderings.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to more Mozart. CD 3


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## AndyS

More from the Du Pré box - this time the Elgar Cello Concerto


----------



## MagneticGhost

Khatchaturian - Gayaneh

Kirill Karabits / Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

*John Cage, In a Landscape.*

This is my first exposure to this piece. There should be a list of John Cage pieces for those who don't think they like John Cage, and this should be on it.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ptr

*Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No 4 (*Decca*)









San Francisco Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

Dark and luring, Sibelius at his best! Blomstedt at his best! 

/ptr


----------



## Andreas

Boulez, Le Marteau sans maître.


----------



## Sonata

There is currently a double-baby nap time at my home, on my day off. This is wonderful because it means I can sit down and have some extended focused listening. This calls for MAHLER!!!!

And as luck would have it, Mahler has an e-flat major work. Symphony #8, Symphony of a Thousand. I have two versions, one from the "Big Mahler Box" one from the 150th anniversary boxed set. As I don't have all of my boxed set loaded on my iPod right now, I'm doing the other one for convenience, the Utah Symphony. This is my first listen of this particular symphony. It is well, very full bodied. Almost over the top. There are many beautiful moments in here though, and as always, I am enjoying taking the journey into a new Mahler work.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sonata said:


> There is currently a double-baby nap time at my home, on my day off. This is wonderful because it means I can sit down and have some extended focused listening. This calls for MAHLER!!!!
> 
> And as luck would have it, Mahler has an e-flat major work. Symphony #8, Symphony of a Thousand. I have two versions, one from the "Big Mahler Box" one from the 150th anniversary boxed set. As I don't have all of my boxed set loaded on my iPod right now, I'm doing the other one for convenience, the Utah Symphony. This is my first listen of this particular symphony. It is well, very full bodied. Almost over the top. There are many beautiful moments in here though, and as always, I am enjoying taking the journey into a new Mahler work.


Glad you're enjoying it! As a side note, Mahler's Symphony No. 2, although it begins in C minor, also ends in E-flat major.


----------



## ptr

Night Music, two more "4's" that I like:

*Carl Nielsen* - Symphony No 4 'Inextinguishable' (Unicorn Kanchana/Regis OOP?)









London Symphony Orchestra u. Ole Schmidt

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Symphony No. 4 'The Revelation of St John' (*Caprice/Musica Svecia*)









Håkan Hagegard, baritone; Swedish Radio Choir & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra u. Sixten Ehrling

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 7


----------



## cwarchc

My journey continues






and








then this






followed by








A mammoth session of English music


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telemann


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 8


----------



## AndyS

Brahms 4th - Kleiber. However it's 11.20 and I have work tomorrow so I'll prob only get through the first movement


----------



## ahammel

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 8


What, the one he burned in 1945 without showing anybody?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ahammel said:


> What, the one he burned in 1945 without showing anybody?


Can't say for sure...it's still a little bit sketchy


----------



## MagneticGhost

Saint-Saens - Symphony no. 3

Naxos


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

*Stravinsky - Scenes de ballet*

Columbia Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

*Martinu*: Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra; Double Concerto; Sinfonia Concertante; with London Sinfonietta/Endellion Qt./Hickox (rec. 1989); Cello Sonatas, with Starker & Firkusny (rec. 1990).

View attachment 16200
View attachment 16201


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Mathias Georg Monn (9 April 1717-1750): Sinfonia in G Major

Michi Gaigg conducting L'Arpa Festante

View attachment 16202


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: Norma -- Maria Callas; Tullio Serafin: Orchestra & Chorus Of La Scala Milan

Schubert: Drei Klavierstücke, D 946 -- Paul Lewis

Brahms: Piano Trio #4 in A, Op. Post -- Beaux Arts Trio

Schubert: String Quartet #6 in D, D 74 -- Melos Quartet

Rimsky-Korsakov: Tale of Tsar Saltan -- David Zinman: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

Not too shabby!

Now for my daily walk, during which I think I'll listen to:

Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 -- Jonathan Biss

=D


----------



## aleazk

Luciano Berio: Points on the curve to find... (1974)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Paganini: Sonata Concertata
*Sibelius:* Symphonies 7, 5, 4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ah! Ba.......ach!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

TalkingHead- Last night I went to a live performance of *Haydn*'s *The Creation*, combining pro soloists, semi pro section leaders and music students for the main body of the orchestra and choir. It's not a work that gets a regular outing, so I was glad for the opportunity to hear it. 
I'm a great admirer of Haydn's work, but unfortunately the piece got a bit butchered. First, a crummy acoustic (too resonant, too much of a sonic soup); second, the choir got overexcited in the fugal sections and got ahead of the orchestra at several moments; the orchestra was quite weak in the violin sections (tentative entries, intonation problems) and the bass section lacked 'body'; the choir ... got through it more or less in one piece. 
The soloists were fine, though Uriel did at times scream his part (tenors do that, when excited) and Raphael seemed curiously underwhelmed by the event.

Too bad. _The Creation_ is a marvelous piece. I had a co-worker who used to sing in the chorus of the Cleveland Orchestra and he was regularly able to get me free passes to the dress rehearsals and often tickets to the concerts of choral works. I was able to see _The Creation_ performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus with soloists as spectacular as Anne Sofie von Otter and Thomas Quasthoff. The dress rehearsal was so spectacular that I bought tickets to see the work again in concert.


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner* _Symphony #1 in C minor_
Vienna PO under Claudio Abbado / Eloquence
*
Arvo Part *_Collage uber BACH_
Ulster Orchestra under Takuo Yuasa / Naxos

*Britten *_The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra_
Sean Connery, narrator with Royal PO under Antal Dorati / Belart


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition --
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Arranged for String Quartet)

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques-Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint-Cyr, cello

View attachment 16203


----------



## SimonNZ

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16174
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Harty's String Quartet No.2 - Goldner Quartet


Quoting myself to say that I've just learned that the Goldner Quartet will be in town late September to play Schubert's Death And The Maiden, Elgar's Piano Quintet and - Sid James may prick up his ears at this - a new work they've comissioned by Gareth Farr.


----------



## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to more Mozart. CD 3


Listening to it again. This is probably around the time his style started to change and go away slightly from galante. Though it is still present in some ways. It's just more mellow than the first 2 cd's. More like Haydn.


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Gregorio Allegri - Miserere - The Tommaso Bai setting, performed by the Ensemble William Byrd. A beautiful beautiful rendition and this version is quite different from those usually recorded.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"},* both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1878/1880 Version},* performed by the Roberto Paternostro led Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 7
Larsson, Lars-Erik: Pastoral Suite


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven Symphonies 1 and 2


----------



## Feathers

Some Russian piano concertos:

Glazunov: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Martyn Brabbinsand the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with Stephen Coombs)

Lyapunov: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Boris Khaikin and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra with Alexander Bakhchiev)


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.29 "Hammerklavier" - Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Kivimees

I've always enjoyed symphonic poems.









Guess I'm just old-fashioned.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: Piano Concerto 4, Piano Sonatas 14 and 31


----------



## KRoad

Handel's Solomon Oratorio


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mendelssohn's Piano Sextet

Dalia Ouziel (pno), Gil Sharon (vln), Ron Ephrat, Liisa Tamminen (vlas), Alexander Hülshoff (cello), Jean Sassen (dbass)


----------



## ptr

just had a morning of seconds!

*Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No 2 (Decca)









San Fransisco Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

*Carl Nielsen* - Symphony No 2 'The Four Temperaments' (Unicorn Kanchana/Regis OOP)









London Symphony u. Ole Schmidt

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 2 (*Bis*)









Symfoniorkestern Norrköping u. Christan Lindberg

*Johannes Brahms* - Symphony No 2 (Decca OOP)









Vienna Philharmonic u. Istvan Kertesz

And ending this suite for lunch:

*Franz Schubert* - Symphony No 2 D125 (*Navie*)









Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble u. Marc Minkowski

Yummy!

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

C. P. E. Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Fortepiano-- in G minor, H 545 and in B minor H 512
Amandine Beyer, violin and Edna Stern, fortepiano








Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 "Serioso"
The Alexander String Quartet








Jacques Champion de Chambonnières: Pièces de Clavecin--Suite in C major
Skip Sempé, harpsichord








Georg Philipp Telemann: Quartet for 2 flutes, cello and continuo in G major
Musica Antiqua Köln/Reinhard Goebel








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in E flat major, Op 64 no. 6
Quatuor Mosaïques






(I really especially love the Op. 64 set!)


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ProudSquire

Schumann
Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 ("Spring")

This whole week has been nothing but Schumann. Great Stuff.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Concerto Grosso in E Minor, Op.3, No.6

Thomas Furi directing Camerata Bern

View attachment 16223


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Have had a rather draining week and a half, so took the opportunity tonight to sit back and relax with Sibelius 2 (Barbirolli/RPO) and the Dvorak cello concerto (Rostropovich/Giulini/LPO).


----------



## Sonata

Trying out *Shostakovich symphony #8. Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra*.

Shostakovich isn't a composure that comes to my mind often, but I had him on the brain last night so I decided to listen. With my very tiny Shostakovich exposure, I feel almost he's like a composer for whom the journey to me is more important than the destination. That I am compelled to listen and absorb some of his work, regardless of whether or not I always like the result.

I think--and I'm not quite sure--, that for me his music is giving me something mentally even when it doesn't always work to be ear pleasing or fulfilling me emotionally. That may sound like a slight to him, but it's actually not. It just feeds a different musical need that I didn't realize I had, which is a very good thing indeed. I haven't experienced this often at all, Mahler being the other primary example. Though Mahler hits me emotionally and pleases my ear almost always too (probably why he is my favorite second to only Brahms....because he fulfills me melodically, emotionally, AND mentally).


----------



## ptr

Two for the afternoon:

*Bruno Maderna* - Hyperion (after Hölderlin) (Montaigne OOP?)









Jacques Zoon, flute, Penelope Walmlsey-Clark, soprano, Bruno Ganz, speaker; Les Junes Solistes & Asko Ensemble u. Péter Eötvös

*Julián Orbon* - Symphonic Dances & Concerto Grosso (*Naxos*)









Quartetto Asturias; Orchestra Sinfonica de Asturias u. Maximiano Valdés

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Scarwenka: Piano Concerto in C minor
Schubert: Overture in D, D.590


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Flute Quartet in F Major, Op.17

Peter-Lukas Graf on flute with the Carmina Trio: Matthias Enderle, violin -- Wendy Champney, viola -- Stephen Goerner, cello

View attachment 16228


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Alberto Ginastera's* (1916 - 1983) birthday, String Quartets 1 & 2, with Henschel Qt. (rec. 1999); Music for Cello & Piano, with Kosower & Oh (rec. 2006).

View attachment 16227
View attachment 16229


----------



## Sonata

Chopin Sonata #2  Call me morbid but I love the funeral march segment.


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: 6 Klavierstucke, op. 118
Bruce Hungerford


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36

Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Vienna Philharmonic

View attachment 16236


----------



## ptr

A playlist based on the one published by Pierre/itywltmt in his Tuesday Blog on Cesar Franck:

*César FRANCK (1822 - 1890)*; Same works but (mostly) different players and instruments!

*Offertoire* (E-Flat Major) from "L'organiste, 1er volume", FWV 41, no. 28
Dominique Sauer @ the Cavaillé-Coll/Mutin Orgel at Dim zu Osnabrück (IFO)

*Prélude, fugue et variation* (B Minor), FWV 30
Olivier Latry @ the Cavaille-Coll-Organ (mostely) of Notre Dame de Paris (DG)

*Fantaisie* (C Major), FWV 28
André Marchal @ the Grand Orgue de l'église Sainte-Eustache in Paris

*Choral* (no. 3, A Minor), FWV 40
Maurice Clerc @ the 1889 Cavaillé-Coll organ of Saint-Sernin basilica de Toulouse

Grande pièce symphonique (F-Sharp Minor) , FWV 29
Ian Tracey @ the Grand Willis Organ of Liverpool Cathedral, Uk

*Psaume 150* (Louez le Dieu, caché dans ses saints tabernacles) chœur avec orchestre et orgue, FWV 69
Petra Morath-Pusinelli, organ; Bachchor Mainz, L'Arpa festante, Ralf Otto (deutsche harmonia mundi)

*Pièce héroique*, pour orgue , FWV 37
David Briggs on the Hill, Norman and Beard / Nicholson Organ of Gloucester Cathedral

*Final* (B-Flat Major), FWV 33
Michael Murray @ The Ruffatti Organ in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco

Merci Pierre!

/ptr


----------



## userfume

Janacek String Quartet no. 1. So good!


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Piano Trio in E Minor, Op.16, No.5

Joachim Trio: Massimo Palumbo, piano -- Suela Mullaj, violins -- Sara Airoldi, cello

View attachment 16238


This cover makes my mouth water ---
:lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: String Quintet in F
Fine Arts Quartet with Gil Sharon


----------



## Sonata

Chopin sonata #3 and the first 3 ballades. This will complete my recent listen through of Chopin's 99 Essential Masterpieces, which I've been playing at work. WONDERFUL music, and I'll be sure to obtain a few other recordings of his stuff in the future. He is definitely one of my favorite composers, pianophile that I am!


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Volkslieder Op. 49 for a capella choir
BBC Singers, cond. Boulez

Anyone who thinks they hate Schoenberg owes it to themselves to listen to these beautiful arrangements of 15th/16th century songs.


----------



## rrudolph

Lachenmann: Interieur I/Schwankungen am Rand/Air


----------



## ptr

Night music:

*Hakim plays Hakim* (*Signum Classics*)
(Naji Hakim - All My Founts Shall Be with You / I Love the Colourful World / Sakskøbing Præludier / To Call My True Love to My Dance / Glenalmond Suite / Aalaiki'ssalaam)









Naji Hakim on the Van den Heuvel organ (2009) in the Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen

*Olivier Messiaen* - La Mort Du Nombre (Never Before Released) (*Jade*)









Françoise Pollet, soprano, Hervé Lamy, tenor, Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda, violin, Yvonne Loriod, piano, Jeanne Loriod, Ondes Martenot, Guy Deplus, Clarinet, Naji Hakim, organRosamonde Quartet; BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus u, Andrew Davis

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Bruckner* - the 4th "Romantische" symphony (Berliner Philarmoniker and Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> Trying out *Shostakovich symphony #8. Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra*.


Just an update now that I've completed my first listen. Overall very interesting. Far from my favorite symphony but again it has that certain something that kept me interested. Think I'll need to get to the library soon to check out some more Shostakovich. I have his cello sonata and one of his cello concertos from "99 Essential Cello Masterpieces" and I wasn't overly enamored, but that was almost a year ago that I last listened so I'll give them another shot.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto Nos. 4 and 5


----------



## SimonNZ

Torelli's Concerti Grossi Op.8 - Collegium Musicum


----------



## bejart

Joseph Eybler (1765-1846): Overture in C Minor, Op.6

Michael Hofstetter leading L'Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve

View attachment 16247


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4, * original and revised.

Nagano plays the original version beautifully. I just don't like the original version. Klemperer, however, is compelling from start to finish.


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 4, * original and revised.
> 
> Nagano plays the original version beautifully. I just don't like the original version. Klemperer, however, is compelling from start to finish.


The original has been growing on me recently. It has a lot of great ideas in it that didn't make it into the (superior) revision.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Shostakovich Symphony 8 - Rozhdestvensky/London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prior to that I listened to Shostakovich's Symphony 10 - Haitink/London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Both BBC Live recordings and both fantastic. Very nice to arrive home from work and have these waiting. Just arrived today and have loved listening to them. Once again, the London Philharmonic Orchestra acquit themselves with powerful performances that are well recorded. These will be staying in rotation for a while


----------



## Flamme




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Italian Madrigals Op.1 - Konrad Junghanel, dir.

With no urgency and without making a chore of it I think I might see what its like to hear all of the Schutz opus numbers in order


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> The original has been growing on me recently. It has a lot of great ideas in it that didn't make it into the (superior) revision.


Really? I'll have to keep at it, then.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nielsen: Symphony no. 6 for the first time ever.


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Bassoon Quartet in C Major, Op.40, No.1

Island: Jane Gower, bassoon -- Antoinette Lohmann, violin -- Galina Zinchencko, viola -- Jennifer Morsches, cello

View attachment 16252


----------



## Skilmarilion

In a Baroque keyboard mood currently ...

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 1

Handel: Harpsichord Suite No. 7


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An interesting contrast: Vivaldi's _Four Seasons_ and Astor Piazzolla's _Four Seasons of Buenos Aires_...

The two pieces are interwoven so that for example, Vivaldi's "La Primavera" is followed by Piazzolla's "Verano porteno" (Summer in Buenos Aires)... all interpreted by Gidon Kremer's violin... that has been greatly informed over the past years by various examples of Modernism. Kremer is rarely my first choice for a given oeuvre... but neither is he ever boring.


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> Really? I'll have to keep at it, then.


I'll readily admit that, like most, I prefer Bruckner's 1878/1880 version (Haas or Nowak, but Haas has a few advantages here). That said, after I got past the weird experience of hearing the same material developed differently, I found a lot of things to love in the 1876.

Examples: the little wind chorale that comes at the beginning of the first movement's development, some of the wonderful string countermelodies at the recapitulation of same, the wonderfully spontaneous-feeling addition of an extra bar for bass pizzicato after the first strophe of the second movement setting up the parts that follow, the scurrying string/woodwind figure that opens the finale (which appears in the original first movement as well, if I recall), and the more free feeling of irregular phrase lengths (which Bruckner often removed in his revisions).

That said, I can't help but hear it through the lens of the later version, and I miss a lot of its features: the flute solo that accompanies the horn call at the recapitulation, the more subtle crescendo at the end of the first movement (which goes through more or less the same harmony either way), the hunting scherzo and its relaxed trio, and especially (more than any of these others) the nearly effortless shift in the finale's second theme group from funeral march to jaunty dance tune.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wuorinen, Tashi. Honegger, Symphony No. 3.*

This is my second listen to Tashi. It makes me mad. I suppose it's great music, but it strikes me as a recording of a bull in a china shop. Honegger, that's a different story.


----------



## millionrainbows

PetrB said:


> I can guarantee you your cat / Cage + sleep is either a matter of chance synchronicity or the cat is feigning pretending to go along with it
> 
> Both _In A landscape_ and _Dream_ are wonderful pieces, 'pre-ambient' and far too intelligent in what they explore and 'how that is done' to be mistaken for new-age (someone said "new-age rhymes with sewage.") Their effect is both 'ambient' but quite something else.
> 
> I'm used to the Stephan Drury recordings (via youtube) and would recommend those 'intelligent' renderings.


I've got the Jean Kirstein recordings, which are definitive for me, since I imprinted on the vinyl back in 1972. My complaint of "new age" was not directed at the compositions, but at the production style and cover graphics and blurb: "Revel in the gentle ambient works of John Cage - from his exotic prepared piano music to his most ethereal meditations..."

Hey, I'm disappointed in you, PetrB, you seem to be "turning" on me. I've got enough detractors around here as it is!


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich String Quartet #3, Borodin Qt.


----------



## millionrainbows

> *John Cage, In a Landscape.*
> 
> This is my first exposure to this piece. There should be a list of John Cage pieces for those who don't think they like John Cage, and this should be on it.
> 
> View attachment 16191


You see that tree there on the cover? The day that John Cage's music becomes universally admired, I'll hang myself from it. :lol:


----------



## millionrainbows

Ushering in the beautiful Springtime weather with Beethoven's Octet in E-flat major, by The Netherlands Wind Ensemble _Greatest Hits _(Philips 2-CD). A pristine, clear recording made in 1976, ADD. The mastering of this collection is superb! An excellent gathering of works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Stravinsky, Dvorak, and Rossini.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13.* All three Symphonies are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki's baton.
Felix Mendelsohn--*Symphony **No. 1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"},* both featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Sid James

*Carlos Chavez* _Symphonies Nos. 1 'Sinfonia de Antigona' & 4 'Sinfonia Romantica'_
- London SO under Eduardo Mata / VoxBox
(earlier opinion by me on these Chavez works here)
*
Bernstein / Sondheim* _West Side Story (highlights)_
- Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Tatiana Troyanos with orchestra & chorus under Lenny / DGG


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing with Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica:










Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, his touring ensemble of young musicians from the Baltic States, in a performance of Mozart's five violin concertos, was recorded at the Salzburg Festival in Austria two days after his Lincoln Center shows. I like the Amazon review that suggested: "I can sympathize with the turned-ff reviewers here. Gidon Kremer has no interest in the pretty, flowing, cantabile Mozart style that prevails in concert halls. He wants to evoke new feelings in every bar, and that's risky. He punches out the orchestral line, adds sudden sharp accents, creates angles where most listeners are used to curves."

There is certainly a modern edge to Kremer's take on Mozart's concertos... but the music is still very much Mozart. Indeed, Kremer's take is quite sympathetic... respectful of Mozart sans the added sugar of Romantic interpretations. Kremer writes with great admiration in defense of the first two of the 5 concertos... which he suggests are often sadly ignored by violinists who record only the latter 3. His essay suggests that the first two works, while perhaps not as rich or complex as the last three, contain a certain freshness of a brilliant young composer... and masterful violinist who was composing music to be performed by himself. Kremer's performance of these works surely supports his suggestion that they are more than worthy of being heard more often.

Perhaps not my first choice (I also have recordings by Mutter, Perlman, Manze, and a few others) but it is certainly one I will return to.


----------



## opus55

Spohr: String Quartet No. 19 and 22


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in F Major

Czech Baroque Trio: Antonin Rous, violin -- Martin Jakubicek, chamber organ -- Jan Skrdlik, cello

View attachment 16263


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CD 4 of the Mozart Symphonies. Loving the first movement of Symphony 14.


----------



## ProudSquire

Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 5 in B flat Major
St. Petersburg String Quartet

Just what I needed, quietude.


----------



## Novelette

I can't stop listening to this!

Cherubini: Les Abencerages -- Peter Maag: Orchestra Sinfonica Rai Di Milano, Coro Sinfonica Rai Di Milano

...

Cherubini: Messa Solenne in E -- Riccardo Muti: Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Haydn: Piano Sonata #52 in G, H 16/39 -- Jenö Jandó

Corelli: Violin Sonatas #7 - 11 -- Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr

Hummel: Adagio, Variations, & Rondo on "Schone Minka", Op. 78 -- Carmen Picard; Lise Daoust

Mozart: Piano Concerto #10 in E Flat For 2 Pianos, K 365 -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists


----------



## opus55

Spohr: Piano Trio, Op. 119 and Piano Quintet, Op. 130










I need to get more Spohr recordings.


----------



## Feathers

Szymanowski: Sonata No. 2 (Martin Jones)

Liszt: Dante Symphony (Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic)

Mendelssohn: Concerto for Two Pianos in A-flat (Love Derwinger and Roland Pontinen with Lev Markiz conducting the Amsterdam Sinfonietta)


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann Piano Trios - Trio Parnassus


----------



## Kivimees

At the risk of breaking the rules...

I wasn't in a position yesterday evening to post what I am currently listening to, and I am still listening to yesterday evening's concert in my head:









Haydn, Sym. 87
Mozart, Concerto for flute and harp
Schubert, Sym. 9


----------



## Conor71

*Bantock: A Hebridean Symphony*

This is the only Bantock Disc I own - it always impresses me a lot. I should get more music from this composer someday. Next I will play Symphony No. 1 from the Walton set. later I will listen to something from the Delius box.


----------



## Kivimees

Conor71 said:


> This is the only Bantock Disc I own - it always impresses me a lot.


It's excellent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Fantasy in C

comparing the recordings of Clifford Curzon, Alfred Brendel, Sviatoslav Richter, Wilhelm Kempff, and Claudio Arrau


----------



## Art Rock

After listening to the Karajan version a few weeks ago, I am now trying the MUCH faster Boulez. It is an interesting contrast.


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Vodicka (ca.1720-1774): Trio Sonata in B Flat, Op.1, No.1

Jaroslav Sveceny, violin -- Josef Popelka, chamber organ -- Miroslav Petras, cello

View attachment 16279


----------



## ptr

A morning of British Concertos:

*Edmund Rubbra* - Violin Concerto Op 103 / *John Ireland* - Piano Concerto in E flat (Unicorn Kanchana OOP)









Carl Pini, violin; Geoffrey Tozer, piano; Melbourne Symphony u. David Measham

*Malcolm Arnold *- Concerto for Oboe and Strings Op 39 (*Chandos*)









Jennifer Galloway, oboe; BBC Philharmonic u. Rumon Gamba

*Arnold Bax* - Orchestral Works, Volume 1 'Concerto for Violin and Orchestra' (*Chandos*)









Lydia Mordkovitch, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra u. Bryden Thomson

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Piano Concerto in C (*Lyrita*)









Howard Shelly, Piano; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Vernon Handely

*Alun Hoddinott* - Concertos for Clarinet (Op 3), Harp (Op 11) Piano 1 (Op 19) Piano 2 (Op 21) (*Lyrita*)









Gervase de Peyer, clarinet; Osian Ellis, harp; London Symphony Orchestra u. David Atherton / Philip Fowke, piano; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Barry Wordsworth / Martin Jones, piano; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Andrew Davis

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This afternoon was.....

Michael Haydn: Requiem
Dvorák: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Double Concerto
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no. 4

Now....
*Sibelius:* Violin Concerto


----------



## Op.123

Wieniawski polonaise op.4


----------



## ptr

*Igor Stravinsky* - Apollo (1928/rev -47) & Concerto in D for Strings (1946) / *Sergei Prokofiev* - 20 Visions fugitives op 22 (1915-17) arranged for string orchestra by Rudolf Barshai (I-VI, VIII-XVI) Roman Balashov (VII,XVII-XX) (*Onyx*)









Moscow Soloists u. Yuri Bashmet

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* ‎- Meditations Sur Le Mystere De La Sainte Trinite (CD3/9) (DG)









Olivier Latry on the Grand Organ of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

/ptr


----------



## OboeKnight

Schumann- Three Romances (on flute this time)


----------



## rrudolph

Camerata Hungarica has several excellent Rennaissance collections out. This is my favorite of the ones I've heard:









then:









then from the late Rennaissance (almost baroque, but not quite), music of Matheo Flecha l'Ancien and others:


----------



## ptr

*Andrea Marcon* - 18th Century Venetian Organ Art (*Divox Antiqua*)
(Organ works by; Giovanni Battista Cervellini, Baldassare Galuppi, Andrea Lucchesi, Niccolò Moretti, Giuseppe P. Paganelli, Giovanni Battista Pescetti, Ignazio Spergher, Gaetano Valeri)









Andrea Marcon on the Callido Organ (1787) in thechurch of San Leonardo in Treviso, Italy

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Maybe I can entice Spring to show us her lovely face by listening to music from the warm South:


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius - Symphony No. 5 (3rd movement atm) by Berglund. After "getting" Sibelius I am having to control myself or I will spend all day listening to it!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

As usual on Friday afternoon, trying to make the Great Decision: will it be _Lohengrin_ or _ Die Meistersinger _ tonight?


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Cello Sonata #3 in A Minor. and Symphony #6.


----------



## ptr

SiegendesLicht said:


> As usual on Friday afternoon, trying to make the Great Decision: will it be _Lohengrin_ or _ Die Meistersinger _ tonight?


You should be bold, why not go for something like Rienzi! 

/ptr


----------



## eighthundredfortynine

Simeon ten Holt - Horizon - van Veen (both and friends)


----------



## ptr

*Bela Bartok* - Music for Strings,Percussion and Celesta / Concerto for Orchestra (Orfeo)









Symphoniorchester des Beyrischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

/ptr


----------



## Skilmarilion

Schumann - Piano Concerto


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: VC with Kremer/BPO/HvK (rec.1976);* Sibelius*: VC with Kremer/Philharmonia/Muti (rec.1982); *Hindemith*: Violin Sonata in E flat, Op. 11, with Kremer & Gavrilov (rec.1979); *Schnittke*: Quasi una Sonata, with Kremer & Gavrilov (rec.1979).

View attachment 16298


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Piano Concerto No.1 & 2
Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor


----------



## SiegendesLicht

ptr said:


> You should be bold, why not go for something like Rienzi!
> 
> /ptr


And what makes you think I don't?  It's just that I don't feel like it at the moment. In fact I rather feel like spending the evening with those old dudes from Nürnberg (brought to you by Staatskapelle Dresden and Herbert von Karajan).


----------



## ptr

SiegendesLicht said:


> And what makes you think I don't?


Just because I like to be a tease (  ), I think, to be bold and a Wagner addict, one should listen to all Siegfried Wagner's Operas before ever listening to one of Richards again! Listening to what you know and like will never be bold in my eyes! (And that's not saying that I'm ever bold!)

Have You heard any of Siegfried's Operas?

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's piano quintet, K452, performed by Jeno Jendo on Naxos. The opening movement, which sprays melody about like bullets at a mafia wedding...


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Evelyn Glennie* - Light in Darkness (RCA)









Evelyn Glennie. percussion

*Olivier Messiaen* - Des Canyons Aux Etoiles (Editions Montaigne OOP?)









Marja Bon, piano; Hans Dullaert, horn; Ger de Zeeuw, xylorimba; Wim Vos, glockenspiel; Asko ensemble, Schönberg Ensemble & Slagwerkgroep den Haag u. Reinbert de Leeuw

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> *Olivier Messiaen* - Des Canyons Aux Etoiles (Editions Montaigne OOP?)
> 
> View attachment 16304
> 
> 
> Marja Bon, piano; Hans Dullaert, horn; Ger de Zeeuw, xylorimba; Wim Vos, glockenspiel; Asko ensemble, Schönberg Ensemble & Salagwerkgroep den Haag u. Reinbert de Leeuw
> 
> /ptr


This disc is now available on a Naive disc which is included in a box set that I have:








I recommend the set to any Messiaen fan.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## cwarchc

Eugene Onegin from the Royal Opera House on BBC4
It will be available on iPlayer (for those of you who can use it)
I enjoyed it


----------



## Novelette

All of Haydn's Symphonies again.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Italian Madrigals Op.1 - Capella Augustana

for some reason this is disc 10 of the 19cd set


----------



## Flamme




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After a hellacious week we went out to Mexican. After a picture of margaritas and a couple Tequila shots the only thing that makes sense is:










:lol::devil:

Thank God for online spell check!


----------



## SimonNZ

Heh, a picture of margaritas is no substitute for a pitcher.

A coworker and I cranked Let It Bleed up to 11 before we opened the bookshop last week - it sounded the best I've ever heard it.

but playing now:









Ockeghem's Missa Mi-Mi - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Damn spell check can't correct the wrong word picture/pitcher... your/you're... there/their/they're.


----------



## Sid James

*Saint-Saens* Carnival of the Animals
- Beatrice Lillie, narrator ; Julius Katchen & Gary Graffman, pianos ; Kenneth Heath, cello ; London SO under Skitch Henderson "with the co-operation of the animals at London Zoo." / Belart
*
Carlos Chavez *Symphony #2 'Sinfonia India'
- London SO under Eduardo Mata / VoxBox

*Zemlinsky *Symphonic Songs, Op. 20
- Michael Volle, baritone with Gurzenich Orch. of Cologne under James Conlon / EMI

Composed in the 1880's but only given its first public airing in the early 1920's, *Saint-Saens' *_Carnival of Animals_ was wholly appropriate for a Europe shell-shocked by the catastrophe that had been World War I. Ogden Nash's witty verses set the scene to this zoological fantasy which, though supressed by the composer during his lifetime, could not have come at a better time than 'The Roaring Twenties.' At the tail end of that decade, as the aspirations of the Weimar Republic where going very sour indeed, *Zemlinsky *penned his _Symphonic Songs_, a decidedly jazzy and bluesy score with lyrics from African American poets of the time. But this is the dark underbelly of those times, the racism and alienation in these songs mirroring what was going on in Europe, eg. the rise of fascism. This time also saw an emergence of nationalism in Mexico, as a leftist 'people's power' government swept to power there on the back of a popular revolution. *Carlos Chavez* responded with his music, putting Mexico on the map, just like Sibelius had done in Finland a generation before. _Sinfonia India_, drawing from Amerindian ancient musics (eg. those cross-rhythms and use of native percussion instruments), is a colourful and overall optimistic piece which brings to mind soundtracks to cowboy films.


----------



## millionrainbows

DVD, Europa Konzert from Lisbon: Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez, Maria João Pires (pno). Ravel: Le Tombeau; Mozart: Piano Cto 20; Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Debussy: Fêtes from Trois Nocturnes.

Spring cleaning time, and after some vacuuming I finally got around to running some wire and hooking up two rear-surround speakers (Bose). I've long had a six-channel setup (Front left/front right, surround left/right, center, and 2 subwoofers). My receiver amp was capable of two more rear-surrounds, so here they are. It does add a little bit. The DVD has the option for stereo, Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1; I like the DTS option, and with the rear-surrounds now in, I made some adjustments to the crossover point to get the bass sounding good. The cat sought asylum in the rear room closet.

This DVD performance is excellent. It takes place in a huge cathedral in Spain. The woodwind players here are killer, and the pieces feature a lot of solo oboe, flute, and clarinet parts. The trumpet player bears a resemblance to Clay Aiken, but that's just my little quirk. I guess my favorite is the Ravel, but the Bartók is growing on me. Bartók can sound very normal in parts; other times it's like suspense soundtrack music. I like it. Boulez remains very "cool" throughout, but breaks into a big smile during the intervals of applause, as he shakes hands. The BPO is a great orchestra, no doubt.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alkan's Cello Sonata - Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello, Pascal Amoyel piano


----------



## millionrainbows

Now, back in my computer room/recording area, I'm listening to The Netherlands Wind Ensemble's Greatest Hits, which is now disc 2, various Rossini overtures: Barber of Seville, etc; Haydn (both Michael and Franz Joseph), Beethoven (Quintet in E-flat major), Stravinsky (Octet for wind instruments and the Ebony Concerto), all recorded 1972-1977 (ADD). The remastering is superb.


----------



## Kazaman

I'm listening to Hans Werner Henze's Requiem, which is a wonderful thing to do after midnight.


----------



## Mahlerian

IMSLP finally has the legitimate Haas score for Bruckner's 5th up, rather than the abomination that Schalk mutilated. (Poor quality scan though. Can't have it all.)

So I just finished listening through...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Moest








That's a bit heavy to end a night on, though, so I'll go to:

Takemitsu: Litany in Memory of Michael Vyner; Orion; Distance de fee; Entre temps
Ensemble Takemitsu


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Italian Madrigals Op.1 - Jurgen Jurgens, dir.


----------



## Novelette

Scratch what I said before, not Haydn's Symphonies but his String Quartets. Beginning with the very first.

Kodály Quartet

Oh yeah!


----------



## millionrainbows

John Field's Nocturnes, John O'Connor (TELARC)...gettin' sleepy...nighty night


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I have listened to.....

*Sibelius:* Violin Concerto
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 7
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 5
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Double Concerto
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 7
*Sibelius:* Violin Concerto (three more times)


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Today I have listened to.....
> 
> *Sibelius:* Violin Concerto
> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 7
> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 5
> Brahms: Violin Concerto
> Brahms: Double Concerto
> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 7
> *Sibelius:* Violin Concerto (three more times)


Are you going to change your name to ComposerofRomanticism?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Are you going to change your name to ComposerofRomanticism?


I don't compose that stuff, silly!


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I don't compose that stuff, silly!


So you Compose much different stuff than you listen to? The influence will rub off eventually.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> So you Compose much different stuff than you listen to? The influence will rub off eventually.


Of course I do....what do you mean? The reason why I love *Sibelius* so much at the moment is because he managed to create ideas effortlessly flow and dissolve into each other in a way no other composer can. I'm trying to learn from him so I can write music that doesn't sound like silly Romantic mush.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Of course I do....what do you mean? The reason why I love *Sibelius* so much at the moment is because he managed to create ideas effortlessly flow and dissolve into each other in a way no other composer can. I'm trying to learn from him so I can write music that doesn't sound like silly Romantic mush.


Fair enough. Whatever helps you create better AvantGarde music.  Aleazk will be relieved.


----------



## Feathers

Some French quartets performed by the Arcanto Quartet:

Debuss, Dutilleux, and Ravel.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Piano Sonata D664 - Solomon, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bliss: Adam Zero
I keep forgetting how much I enjoy this ballet score!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Got iPod on shuffle mode....just heard Ligeti's Lux Aeterna and now onto the last movement of Beethoven's 4th symphony. I wish radio was this good!


----------



## ptr

Morning trio; still on the same Messiaen trip as yesterday..

*Olivier Messiaen* - 'hommage a Messiaen' - the 80th birthday concert (Editions Montaigne/Naive (Part of their Messiaen Box))









Yvonne Loriod, piano; Ensemble Intercontemporain u. Pierre Boulez

*Olivier Messiaen* - Fete des Belles Eaux (*Atma*)









Ensemble d'Ondes de Montréal

And at the moment:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Teldec)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Impromptus

comparing the Artur Schnabel and Wilhelm Kempff recordings

Who was it here that described these works as "all killer, no filler"? They hit the nail right on the head.


----------



## ptr

More Messiaen!

*Olivier Messiaen* - 'La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ' (BR Aircheck found on the net, concert from 1971)







*

Yvonne Loriod, piano, Kurt Redel, flûte, Eduard Brunner, clarinette, Walter Nothas, violoncelle, Ludwig Schessl, Horst Huber, Karl Steinberger - percussions; Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

/ptr

*something I cobbled together...


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Felice Giardini (12 April 1716-1796): Keyboard Quartet in B Flat, Op.21, No.5

L'Astree: Giorgio Tabaco, harpsichord -- Francesco D'Orazio, violin -- Alessandro Tampieri, viola -- Stefano Veggetti, cello

View attachment 16324


----------



## userfume

Prokofiev - Sinfonia-Concertante op.125

At first, I didn't think much of it, but something kept drawing me back. After about 5 listens, I think it's an incredible masterpiece! Why isn't it more known?
BTW, I think Han-na Chang is pretty good. She has a lot of energy


----------



## ptr

Some afternoon earwash:

*Franz Schubert* - String Quartet No 15 D887 (EMI OOP)









the Hungarian Quartet

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Received a parcel with CDs I'd ordered from Japan yesterday and has started unravelling its contents, one of the first discs I started listening to is because of member Tapkaara's constant talk about a certain Japanese composer..

*Akira Ifukube* - Pipa Xing (*Camerata*)









Keiko Nosaka, koto

The sonorities of the Koto on this album is more like the thing I was (am) looking for in Japanese music (ie. Ifikubes), it is modern but still deeply rooted in tradition, quite meditative and an hour just swooshes by! 

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet--over and over
Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet--over and over
Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet--over and over

I'm practicing the last movement along with the recording--over and over (taking a break right now, obviously). At this point I'm not sure if I'm listening, practicing or subjecting myself to some sort of brainwashing-like mental conditioning.






(I should probably make it clear that that is NOT my group in the video. I hope that we do as good a job as them when we perform this piece!)


----------



## ptr

Some more Japonesisms:

Contemporary Piano Music from Japan; Joe Hisaishi & Yukie Nishimura (*Membran*)









Eiko Yamashita, piano

Very 1902 in Satie's drawing room on a drug that slows reality down! Unfortunately it lacks much of the vigour that Satie's music is laden with! A perfect gift for my friend the die hard Hisaishi fan... 

/ptr


----------



## Kazaman

I'm listening to a recording of Anne Sofie von Otter which my teacher lent me. It includes Grieg's "Haugtussa," Berg's "Sieben Frühe Lieder" and Weill's "Three Songs with Piano."


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Kevin Pearson

ptr said:


> Some more Japonesisms:
> 
> Contemporary Piano Music from Japan; Joe Hisaishi & Yukie Nishimura (*Membran*)
> 
> View attachment 16334
> 
> 
> Eiko Yamashita, piano
> 
> Very 1902 in Satie's drawing room on a drug that slows reality down! Unfortunately it lacks much of the vigour that Satie's music is laden with! A perfect gift for my friend the die hard Hisaishi fan...
> 
> /ptr


I thought I'd check this out and found it pretty much unlistenable. It would probably be OK for elevator music or something but not for serious listening.

Instead I moved on to something much more enjoyable and interesting.










Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Cosi fan Tutte


----------



## millionrainbows

David Diamond: Violin Concerto No. 2 (Delos). Gerard Schwarz is a good conductor, I know this from his having done the Howard Hanson symphony cycle. I have no complaints about this recording.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

millionrainbows said:


> David Diamond: Violin Concerto No. 2 (Delos). Gerard Schwarz is a good conductor, I know this from his having done the Howard Hanson symphony cycle. I have no complaints about this recording.


Yea...His Hanson recordings are superb and some of the most listened to CDs in my collection.

Kevin


----------



## cwarchc

progressing on my alphabetical journey








then onto one of my favourite cd's


----------



## ptr

Something romantic:

*Egon Wellesz *- Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 (CPO)





















Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien u. Gottfried Rabl

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ptr said:


> Something romantic:
> 
> *Egon Wellesz *- Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 (CPO)
> 
> View attachment 16343
> View attachment 16342
> View attachment 16344
> 
> 
> Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien u. Gottfried Rabl
> 
> /ptr


I love all those albums ptr! Great stuff! Still listening to Gernsheim but moved on to his Violin Sonatas. Really love the drama he imposes in his music. Just wonderful!










Kevin


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich Sym#4. I just got the score in the mail and am going to spend some time with Dmitri


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Oboe Concerto, Symphony no. 5 (Handley). I am also plannig to listen to the Sea Symphony tonight.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

Kevin Pearson said:


> I love all those albums ptr! Great stuff! Still listening to Gernsheim but moved on to his Violin Sonatas. Really love the drama he imposes in his music. Just wonderful!


Yep, Rabl serves Wellesz Symphonies very well I think! Have had little or no exposure Gernsheim, will have to put him on the "have to take a look at" composers list! 

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 5. Schnittke, Cello Concerto.*


----------



## Kazaman

Healy Willan's Piano Concerto in C minor.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to my neighbour play piano from the other side of the wall. He's taking a break from Hanon (finally) and playing a transposed version of the Trout by Schubert! He has improved so much since I moved here! :clap:


----------



## Ravndal

Samuel Barber - Excursions op.20
George Antheil - Sonata Sauvage


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Ts'ong (rec.1990); *Scriabin*: Piano Works, with Feltsman (rec.2011); *Martinu*: Piano Trios, with Arbor Piano Trio (rec.2010).

View attachment 16349
View attachment 16350
View attachment 16351


----------



## ptr

Saturday Night Music:

*Anders Eliasson* - Desert Point, Ostácoli & Sinfonia per archi (*Neos*)









Arcos Chamber Orchestra u. John-Edward Kelly

*Allan Pettersson* - Violin Concerto No. 2 & Suite from Barefoot Songs (*Caprice*)









Ida Haendel, violin; Radiosymfonikerna u. Herbert Blomstedt // Margareta Dahlström, sopran; Stockholms studentsångare u. Eskil Hemberg

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Mozart: Cosi fan Tutte


Performed by....?


----------



## Kazaman

Vaughan Williams' Symphony no. 4 in F minor.


----------



## julianoq

Antonín Dvořák Symphony No 8 G major Paavo Jarvi Orch Paris

I really, really like this symphony!


----------



## drpraetorus

Ella Fitzgerald singing "Blues in the Night"


----------



## DrKilroy

This is my favourite recording of this piece, though Handley is not bad, too.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## worov

Villa-Lobos Ciranda no 4 :


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

*Stravinsky - THE RITE OF SPRING
*
Columbia Symphony Orchestra


----------



## cwarchc

moved onto C in my journey
Pau Casals








and the last one for today








A very interesting disc, one of my early acquisitions, introducing me to 3 fine artists
Pierre Fournier, Mischa Maisky and Rostropovich


----------



## hello

Finally transferred Luc Ferrari's L'œuvre électronique from my junk laptop to my new desktop, so I'll be listening to a lot of that in the coming times.


----------



## Ravndal

Kosenko - Piano Sonata 1,2,3


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Op. 9 & 17 String Quartets -- Kodály Quartet

Going through the whole lot. =D


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Psalms Of David Op.2 - Konrad Junghanel, dir.

skipping over two "wedding concerts" to go from Op.1 to 2

and, frustratingly, only now do I realise that in 2000 Oxford published a volume in the Master Musicians series on Schutz - which is already out of print and already asking prices too high for me


----------



## bejart

In a belated celebration of his birthday ---
Pietro Nardini (12 April 1722-1793): Flute Sonata on G Major

Alain Marion, flute -- Daniel Roi, harpsichord

View attachment 16358


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> Performed by....?


Bohm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Christa Ludwig, Lisa Della Casa, Anton Dermota, and Erich Kunz


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently, Mahler Symphony 3 by Claudio Abbado/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prior to that, Mahler Symphony 2 "Resurrection" Live by Klaus Tennstedt/London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Kazaman

Strauss' Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 18


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70* *and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D 200, Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D 759 {"Unfinished"}. *All three works feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## Ravndal

Henry Cowell - The Tides of Manaunaun


----------



## MrCello

Sibelius Symphony No. 1 by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## GreenMamba

Szymanowski Violin Concerto #1, Kulka, Stryja/Polish Chamber Philharmonic (on Spotify)


----------



## Kazaman

Szymanowski Symphony no. 3


----------



## Kazaman

... and now his Symphony no. 4.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Think I'll have another listen to Adam Zero before going on with *Sibelius......*


----------



## PetrB

Sonata said:


> There is currently a double-baby nap time at my home, on my day off. This is wonderful because it means I can sit down and have some extended focused listening. This calls for MAHLER!!!!
> 
> And as luck would have it, Mahler has an e-flat major work. Symphony #8, Symphony of a Thousand. I have two versions, one from the "Big Mahler Box" one from the 150th anniversary boxed set. As I don't have all of my boxed set loaded on my iPod right now, I'm doing the other one for convenience, the Utah Symphony. This is my first listen of this particular symphony. It is well, very full bodied. Almost over the top. There are many beautiful moments in here though, and as always, I am enjoying taking the journey into a new Mahler work.


Those recordings of the Mahler symphonies with Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony are still quite fine, and they were a bit of a pioneer. A good demonstration too, when people hear the name of a less than 'supposedly world class' orchestra from and in a place they may consider 'provincial.' Utah Symphony? HUH?

There is a rather fantastic recorded performance with Guissepe Sinopoli conducting the Philharmonia orchestra, both performance and engineering 'impressed' me. The work is totally _over the top_ and is, for better or worse, one of THE grandparents of the gigantic 'epic' genre of choral works with orchestra.
http://www.amazon.com/Gustav-Mahler-Symphony-Philharmonia-Orchestra/dp/B00000E533

For a bracingly lean and charming breath of fresh 20th century neoclassical E-flat air, there is always the Stravinsky Concerto in Eb, 'Dumbarton Oaks.'


----------



## Nevohteeb

I think the pianist is Glenn Gould, but not sure who is the violinist. Oscar Shumsky? It looks like a still from an old CBC tv programme. Please advise. I'll be awake all night, trying to figure it out.


----------



## Nevohteeb

This is in regard to the R. Strauss, violin sonata.


----------



## Kazaman

Listening to Beethoven's 32 Variations in C minor.


----------



## Kazaman

Nevohteeb said:


> I think the pianist is Glenn Gould, but not sure who is the violinist. Oscar Shumsky? It looks like a still from an old CBC tv programme. Please advise. I'll be awake all night, trying to figure it out.


Yes, it's Oscar Shumsky. Unfortunately only the first movement is available (I believe that's all they played in the broadcast).


----------



## Kazaman

Hans Werner Henze's Symphony no. 5.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quartet No. 14









Violin pieces performed by Nathan Milstein and Aurthur Balsam, recorded in Ascona, 11/10/1957


----------



## Kazaman

Strauss' Elektra.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.22 in B Flat, Op.22

Wilhelm Kempff, piano

View attachment 16363


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to Rachmaninov - PC's 1 and 2


----------



## samurai

neoshredder said:


> Listened to Rachmaninov - PC's 1 and 2


His piano concertos are truly things of beauty, each one in its own right.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 (Nathan Milstein/Arthur Balsam); Cello Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 (Pierre Fournier/Jean Fonda)










Working through the 10-disc set chamber recordings with lots of big name musicians.


----------



## neoshredder

Now going to listen to PC 3 and 4 from *Rachmaninov*.


----------



## SimonNZ

View attachment mahler-symphony-no-3-rucket-lieder-kindertotenlieder.jpg


Mahler's Symphony No.3 - Leonard Bernstein, cond.


----------



## Adagietto

Mahler's "Das Lied Von Der Erde" arranged for Voice and Piano and sung by Soprano Eiko Hiramatsu.


----------



## millionrainbows

Adams: Grand Pianola Music again, to set my subwoofer crossover when those "booms" hit.

David Diamond, String Quartet No. 3

NPR Classics of the Keyboard, with the only CD release _ever_ of Couperin's Les Mysteriuse Barricades by Anthony Newman, orig. on Columbia LP. Get this disc just for that!


----------



## Guest

Current listening...? Nothing. Trying to keep quiet so my wife can have a lie-in on our wedding anniversary!


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening went like this (dear reader, brace yourself for a full run down!) -
*
Bruckner* _Symphony #6 in A major_
*Weber *_Overtures: The Ruler of the Spirits & Abu Hassan_
- Vienna PO under Horst Stein / Decca Eloquence

Starting with my favourite symphony by *Bruckner,* his 6th. This work comes across as quite light in mood, has this glowing quality, it always makes me think of a golden sunset. But while its my favourite, it does have a lopsided quality, the first two movements being among Bruckner's best material, but the last two are not up to that - admittedly very high - standard. The first movement presents a number of themes that go right through the work. The high point for me is the slow movement, and though it has darker parts that are like storm clouds gathering, overall it comes across as having this very graceful and dignified quality akin to Wagner's _Siegfried Idyll,_ and its based on this descending motif which is very simple but so effective.

Incidentally, Brahms was at the premiere of two movements of this symphony, and accounts are that he joined the enthusiastic applause at their conclusion. But his ally, the critic Hanslick who was also there, sat silently and did not respond.

Coupled with the symphony on this album are two orchestral showpieces that see* Weber *getting into the same Turkish fad that Mozart and Beethoven did. Some very sprightly rhythms and energetic music here.

*Chopin*
_Polonaise in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise in E-Flat Major, Op. 22
Variations Brilliantes on a Theme from Ludovic by Halevy, Op. 12
Mazurkas, Op. 6
Contredanse in G-Flat Major
Tarantelle in A-Flat Major, Op. 43_
- Malcolm Frager, piano (Bosendorfer Imperial Concert Grand) / Telarc

Then an interlude with *Chopin, *this album not only having the very famous _"Heroic" Polonaise,_ but also a number of other works. Although some of these pieces have quite early opuses, its easy to hear that distinct Chopin sound in all of them. The album ended with a piece mirroring another fad for dances, that for the Italian tarantella, which Rossini and Saint-Saens also got into around the mid 19th century.
*
Rachmaninov *_Fantasie-tableaux (Suite No. 1) for two pianos_
- Howard Shelley & Hilary McNamara, pianists / Hyperion

*Rachmaninov's* _Suite #1 for two pianos_ was dedicated to his mentor Tchaikovsky, who was at the rehearsal play through of it in 1893 (but he died before it was premiered). This work looks forward some 20 years in some ways to the piano techniques and integration of Russian music employed by Stravinsky in _Petrushka. _Its four movements are all based on poems. My favourite are the last two movements. The third, _Les Larmes (The Tears) _gives a somewhat morbidly disturbing and repetitive image of funeral bells tolling - and reminds me in some ways to a part of Ravel's _Rapsodie Espagnole _- while the fourth movement called _Paques (Easter Bells)_ images the same bells ringing vigorously and joyfully, accompanied by melodies of traditional choral chanting.

When seeing the score of _Paques, _Rimsky Korsakov questioned why both themes come in together and not separately, to which Rachmaninov replied that how he did it is exactly how it happens in reality. In other words, he was not being restricted by things like the conventions of traditional fugues, he was responding directly to the stimulus of what he heard and knew in reality. It's the sounds of Mother Russia herself, Rach's music was always rooted to the Russian soil so to speak.
*
Album: The definitive Ray Charles* / Warner-Atlantic-Rhino, 2 cd set

Finishing the *Ray Charles *compilation of his hits, going from the mid-1960's to his death in 2004.

This period saw Ray branch out into many directions. He was becoming increasingly bankable as a musician, and so provided signature songs for movies like _Cincinnati Kid _(composed by Lalo Schifrin) and _In the Heat of the Night. _He also made a memorable appearance in the Blues Brothers movie, singing the very groovy _Shake Your Tailfeather. _Some songs reflect his battle with alcohol - having ditched heroin - such as _Let's Go Get Stoned, I Don't Need No Doctor_ and his cover of _Rainy Night in Georgia_ which he turns into a drunken rant, it reads almost like a confessional and is nothing if not brutally honest. His covers of Beatles songs _Yesterday _and _Eleanor Rigby _are entirely personal and came not long after those songs where recorded by 'The Fab Four.' & we also got his huge hit with country legend Willie Nelson in the late 1980's, the quite cryptic _Seven Spanish Angels. _

But even all this is just scratching the surface, these are merely signposts along a stellar career, but what I like most about Ray is he was always able to reinvent himself without every losing his unique style.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to string quartets again. Szymanowski's String Quartet No. 1 played by the Carmina Quartet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This afternoon I have listened to......

Holst: St. Paul's Suite, for a bit of nostalgia. I played it years ago in a youth string orchestra back when I learnt the violin. 
*Sibelius:* Violin concerto (three times)
*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 7


----------



## tdc

Buxtehude - Chamber Music BuxWV - 266,267,269,271

John Holloway, Lars Ulrik, Mortensen and Jaap Ter Linden


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Piano Trio D929

comparing the Trio Di Trieste and Beaux Arts Trio recordings


----------



## Conor71

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36*

I havent listened to much classical music this weekend - just starting now!. Currently playing a new Disc and now on the 3rd work. I was really impressed by the version of Night On The Bare Mountain. Looking forward to the Pictures At An Exhibition!.


----------



## PetrB

Darius Milhaud ~ Printemps, pieces for piano solo









and now, to bed.


----------



## Borodin

I love the spirit of this sample clip. The playful melody on the flutes then the bold adventurous brass! http://www.pandora.com/to-kill-mock...e-recording/atticus-accepts-case-roll-in-fire


----------



## Nereffid

Jonas Kaufmann sings Wagner.


----------



## Conor71

*Holst: The Planets, Op. 32*

Onto another new recording now which also features Dutoit - I have read a few times that this is one of the best versions of the Planets available so interested to see if I agree with the concensus


----------



## ptr

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Think I'll have another listen to Adam Zero before going on with *Sibelius......*


CoAG! Have You tried Bliss "Collour Symphony"? .. Me thinks it is as good or better as Adam Zero!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Having a Sibelius morning:

*Jean Sibelius* - Tone Poems & Violin Concerto (Decca Eloquence)









Concertgebouworkestt u. Eduard van Beinum / Jan Damen, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra u. Eduard van Beinum / danish radio Symphony orchestra u. Thomas Jensen

Lovely music making, but a gruesome picture of van Beinum on the front! 

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ptr said:


> CoAG! Have You tried Bliss "Collour Symphony"? .. Me thinks it is as good or better as Adam Zero!
> 
> /ptr


Yes, I do indeed know Colour Symphony, but I think I like Adam Zero better.


----------



## Conor71

Conor71 said:


> *Holst: The Planets, Op. 32*
> 
> Onto another new recording now which also features Dutoit - I have read a few times that this is one of the best versions of the Planets available so interested to see if I agree with the concensus


I agree this is a very good recording and thought the Jupiter and Saturn movements were the best I have heard - it made me want to listen to another version of the Planets!. Now playing this one:


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: Paris (The Song Of A Great City)*

^^Karajan's Planets was pretty good too!. Now I am returning to this Delius box which I have been listening to for most of the week. I will listen to this set for the rest of the evening - good night all!.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's String Quartet No.13 "Rosamunde"

comparing the Vegh Quartet and Quartetto Italiano recordings


----------



## schuberkovich

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16377
> View attachment 16378
> 
> 
> Schubert's String Quartet No.13 "Rosamunde"
> 
> comparing the Vegh Quartet and Quartetto Italiano recordings


I don't want to hijack anything, but I love the Rosamunde Quartet, and the Quartetto Italiano Recording is my favourite. To some they may take the first movement too slowly, compared to e.g. Takacs, but I think it works really well


----------



## MagneticGhost

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome.
Especially the rousing In Dulci Jubilo at the end. Highly recommended


----------



## ptr

*Igor Stravinsky* - Rite of Spring & Petrushka (Columbia masterworks)









New York Philharmonic u. Leonard Berstein

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Francesco Gemianini (1687-1762): Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op.5, No.2

Anthony Bleeth, cello -- Richard Webb, cello continuo -- Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord

View attachment 16381


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Takekmitsu, From Me Flows What You Call Time.*


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler *- the 8th Symphony (the "Symphony of a Thousand"), performed by Raphael Kubelik & Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.


----------



## teej

James Ehnes playing these Prokofiev violin sonatas, accompanied by Wendy Chen. Simply wonderful. Highly recommended. For example, give a listen to the first movement of the 2nd sonata and you will see what I mean.


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 3 in D minor / *John Barbirolli* - An Elizabethan Suite (*Testament*)









Lucretia West, alto; Frauen- und Knabenchor der St. Hedwigskathedrale & Berliner Philharmoniker u. Sir John Barbirolli

Not perfect, just incredibly wonderful!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Symphony 3, with OdP/Barenboim (rec.1986); Piano Sonatas, with MAH (rec.1995).

View attachment 16388
View attachment 16389


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to cd's 5 and 6 of Mozart the last 2 days. Wasn't too impressed. Maybe his weakest part of his Symphony collection. But CD 7 looks more promising.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Orpheus
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 7 (Gielen)

Been in heavy rotation during my early morning (i.e.: around or before dawn) walks lately, the Kubelík recording, at least, so recently I've been hearing the music quite a lot. It was never my favourite, but it has been going up in my estimation considerably. I only heard the Gielen once and quite some time ago, but now hearing it again with something like fresh ears is revealing beauty in spades. Gielen's keen orchestral balances help bring out the intricacies of the work as well. Absolutely fascinating listen.


----------



## Avey

Pytor, strings, etc.


----------



## ptr

*Frank Zappa* - Ensemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa (RCA)









Ensemble Modern

Outrageous and rightly so!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Symphony No. 76 in E-flat major
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Christian Zacharias

Radio broadcast of a concert from November 2012.


----------



## ptr

and on to:

*James Dillon* - traumwerk, String Quartet No 2, parjanya-vata & vernal showers (*Naive*)









Arditti String Quartet // Nieuw Ensemble u. Ed Spanjaard

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. and piano, Christian Zacharias

Same as above.


----------



## Kieran

Donizetti - Don Pasquale on the radio. Don't know who's playing...


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Creatures of Prometheus (suite by Christian Zacharias)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Christian Zacharias


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.24 in D Major

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello

View attachment 16395


----------



## Kazaman

Henze's opera The English Cat.


----------



## schuberkovich

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Trio No.24 in D Major
> 
> Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello
> 
> View attachment 16395


the Cohen era of the Beaux Arts Trio was definitely the finest


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Concerto in D. Possibly more Stravinsky later. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## schuberkovich

Rachmaniov Piano Concerto no.3 
Ashkenazy and Previn/LSO


----------



## BaronAlstromer

Anders Wesström-Sinfonia in D.


----------



## cwarchc

1st off it's Han-Na Chang "The Swan"








Then these 2, not sure if I should file it under C for chant, or G for Gregorian? I list it as C


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

The fifth...


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, No.3

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violoin -- Olga Arzilli and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos

View attachment 16399


----------



## DrKilroy

Rautavaara - Piano Concerto no. 1

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" on YouTube.


----------



## Wood

Schubert Op. 114 Piano Quintet 'Trout' Forellen Quintet









Haydn 100 (*2)

Schubert 9 Munch, Boston SO









Bruckner 8 (Karajan VPO)









Mozart: Requiem (*2) (London Philharmonic, Felicity Lott)


----------



## DrKilroy

Milhaud - Concertino de Printemps
Les Six - Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Volve

Brahms Second Symphony, with Solti


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Ignaz Antonin Tuma (1704-1774): Partita in A Minor

Vaclav Navrat leading Antiquarius Consort Praga

View attachment 16402


----------



## CypressWillow

Just finished listening to the Mozart Requiem.
Now this:


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.2 in in C Minor and Symphony No.8 in C Minor.* Both works are performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker. From my last listen to the Second, I didn't recall it being so melodic and flowing, so I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed hearing it on this go round. The Bruckner *8* is already one of my favorites by him, due to its lively and moving horn motifs, especially in the second movement. I also have really gotten to like Bruckner *4 {"Romantic"}, 5, 6, 7 and 9.* Now, my interest has been kindled to revisit some his earlier symphonies as well.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944 {"Great"},* featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt's baton.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From the New World"},* performed by the London Symphony Orchestra guided by Witold Rowicki.


----------



## Kazaman

Berg's Piano Sonata (Perahia).


----------



## campy

Richard Strauss: _Don Quixote, _op. 35


----------



## Kazaman

Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1 (Schnabel).


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Ignaz Antonin Tuma (1704-1774): Partita in A Minor

Vaclav Navrat leading Antiquarius Consort Praga

View attachment 16402


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.22 in B Flat, KV 589

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello

View attachment 16404


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Kazaman

Beethoven's String Quartet op. 131.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn's Op. 50 & Op. 54 String Quartets -- Kodály Quartet

Still enjoying it!


----------



## drpraetorus

Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Beethoven: Creatures of Prometheus (suite by Christian Zacharias)
> Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Christian Zacharias


I have the Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra recording. I have to admit to being somewhat surprised to have found the theme from the E-Flat Major Contredanse reused in the finale of the CoP. Likewise with the finale to the Third Symphony. Beethoven isn't a composer to reuse the same theme, but as I understand it, he liked that particular theme so much that he chose to develop it at length in the Eroica Variations and in the Eroica Symphony. Given how he treats that melody, I can't help but be grateful that he does indeed reuse it.


----------



## Kazaman

Bach's Solo Violin Sonata no. 1 in G minor (Menuhin).


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #8

Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, Oboe Concerto


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

*Sibelius - Symphony No. 1*

Leonoard Bernstein & Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith Piano Sonatas (Gould).


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Raymonda, Ballet Suite
Haydn: Piano Trio in A major, Hob. XV/18


----------



## pjang23

I've been getting into Ernest Bloch lately. Very appealing music


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette said:


> I have the Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra recording. I have to admit to being somewhat surprised to have found the theme from the E-Flat Major Contredanse reused in the finale of the CoP. Likewise with the finale to the Third Symphony. Beethoven isn't a composer to reuse the same theme, but as I understand it, he liked that particular theme so much that he chose to develop it at length in the Eroica Variations and in the Eroica Symphony. Given how he treats that melody, I can't help but be grateful that he does indeed reuse it.


There's a great quote by Roger Norrington in the interview-book Inside Early Music where he talks about the reuse of that theme as an example of Beethoven's humour, and of Beethoven's idea of the Eroica "hero". If you're at all interested I can find it again and type it out when I get home.

current listening:









Schubert's first-movement-only "Quartettsatz" - Kodaly Quartet


----------



## Kazaman

Strauss, Ophelia Lieder op. 67 (Schwarzkopf, Gould)


----------



## Kazaman

Chopin, Barcarolle op. 60 (Richter).


----------



## Kazaman

Henze, Symphony no. 8.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Grand Sonata in C Major, Op.20, No.1

Kousay H. Mahdi Kadduri, cello -- Peter Nagy, piano

View attachment 16412


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> There's a great quote by Roger Norrington in the interview-book Inside Early Music where he talks about the reuse of that theme as an example of Beethoven's humour, and of Beethoven's idea of the Eroica "hero". If you're at all interested I can find it again and type it out when I get home.


At all interested? Of course I am!  Thanks for the tip, Simon!


----------



## Novelette

Taking a little break from my beloved Papa Haydn...

Stravinsky: Concerto for Strings in D -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Brahms: String Quartet #1 in C Minor, Op. 51/1 -- Amadeus Quartet

Sibelius: Symphony #4 in A Minor, Op. 63 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Symphonies CD 7 from Pinnock again. This is really when he picks it up on his Symphonies. He was sleepwalking from 15-24. Stuck in a rut with less memorable melodies. Then Symphony 25 came. Boom.


----------



## millionrainbows

Terry Riley: The Harp of New Albion (Celestial Harmonies 2-CD)

Whether you think the premise that equal temperament 'ruined harmony' is rather after the fact and silly, or not, this Riley work is worth a listen.

*E*qual *T*emperament certainly altered the "old" harmony and made modulation less 'distinct,' and caused key areas to lose their 'individual' characteristics in whatever tuning scheme was used...the trade-off being that equal temperament allowed for a greater mobility to modulate to more places...but since Riley's music doesn't modulate that much, that's irrelevant. In the old days of mean-tone tuning, if the music veered too far away from tonic or the stronger areas, then chords in that key began to sound awful and awfully out of tune; but not here in la-la land of the *big note.*

Some who call themselves 'purists' lament the past so greatly, and scorn the later era of *ET* and all that came from it, made possible by the new tuning; not to mention the technological adjustments and improvements in instruments which made that later ET music possible, or even 'thinkable.' But Riley is not engaged in "war" with *ET*; he simply wants to "liberate the pure interval."

Some call them purists, and anyone else who leaves the *ET* fold 'nutters' or hippie mystics. But Terry Riley is a happy answer, and 'to address' intonation is to render the music written within that tuning a singular existence, apart from the fray of convention and tradition wars. This is a contemporary work which is conceived for a pure alternate tuning; now, we have people making new music with the aesthetics of the old tunings in mind, combining both old and new sensibilities for further depth of sound; heard as subtle beats between pitches or smooth, ethereal drones of acoustic smoothness.

If a preoccupation with tunings seems more suited for lab rats than musicians, or like clinical acoustics, then this recording may change all that. If you care less about the workings of the automobile and more interested in the ride, then The Harp of New Albion will transport you.

Terry Riley is a 'non-lab' real musician with a real interest in 'practical' and inventive use of tunings, making real music; which is more 'to the point' than running numbers in an electronic meter.

If you feel "left out" of the "good ear" crowd, who intone "I'm so sensitive; I hear this while you others do not," I say this:

Boo-hoo, and my commiserations; I'm sorry to inform you that many, even those without 'perfect pitch,' hear this just as audibly and are just as sensitive to it, but have not gone out of their way to make it a vanity point to draw attention to themselves. And Terry Riley will take you there, to that hallowed crowd of sound-mongers they call "the ear people."

There is not, or should not be, any real war going on about this, while some would make of it near that. Be at peace, my brothers, and tune-in to the groove of Terry Riley, and set the controls for the center of the sun. :lol:


----------



## evagreen

symphonies 6


----------



## SimonNZ

From Bernard Shermann's interview with Roger Norrington:

*Charles Rosen has written of instances of Beethoven's humour being based not on a comic manner but on context, Few, however, have applied the term "hilarious" to that finale. Could you give an example of a joke from the "Eroica" finale?*

Some of the jokes, perhaps the kind Rosen's referring to, are very up-market - expecting one key and getting another, or setting up a particular kind of rhythm and then changing it. So the more you know about Classical style, the more you enjoy that kind of high-table joke. But in the "Eroica" finale, you also have this frenetic introduction, which sounds as if its going to be incredibly important and dramatic. And then you hear the pizzicato strings, and you think, "What is this?". Its clearly absurd, but its another 50 measures before you discover that its the bass line of the tune, not the tune itself. And the tune is one Beethoven had already used three times in other works. So you can guess that he expected his audience to know it by then. They'd heard it as piano variations, they'd seen it in a ballet, in the finale of Prometheus (where it probably represented Bacchus), and he published it as a dance to be used during Carnival. They'd danced to this damn thing before hearing it in "Eroica". So suddenly they have this sort of Evita tune coming up, and they knew it was a fun tune, because contredanses were fun danses. They were not like aristocratic minuets, they were family dances, jolly middle-class dances.
The "Eroica" middle-class? Surprise! But he was showing what a nice guy the hero was. He wasn't stuffy. He was a man of the people, the way all heroes should be. All the great heroes, all the great gentlemen in the eighteenth century, like Washington, for example, had the "common touch". They didn't make servants feel uncomfortable. They had a way of dealing with their farmers and their staff; people were admired for that. They weren't all up on huge pedestals, you know.

*It ties in with Beethoven's tearing up the dedication to Napoleon when he heard he had crowned himself emperor.*

Right, its for the common man as well. And Beethoven, above all, would be somebody who would prefer that the hero be accessible. So in the finale there's this jolly contredanse and all these larks. There are lots of jokes. The fugues too are jokes, aren't they? Incredibly overcomplicated and hilarious. Its very exciting - its like skiing at high speed through a forest. you've got to think fast and you've got to listen fast, and its a lot of fun. So why shouldn't music be fun? Mozart and Haydn showed how it could be done.

(pages 349-50 from Inside Early Music)


----------



## Wood

Liszt: A Faust Symphony

Mozart: Requiem


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Eclairs Sur L'Au-Dela*

First up I will listen to a new Disc - next I will sample some works from the Messiaen edition. I got this box a couple of years ago but I havent been able to finish it yet - I really struggled with the Piano Music and Vocal works in this set last time. I feel like giving it a shot to see if my opinion of this music has changed. i really like Messiaen sometimes - his works QPLFTD and Turangalila-Symphonie are incredible I think.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: Violin Concerto
Dvorak: Violin Concerto
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen
Wieniawski: Legende
And now I'll go find some more Wieniawski to listen to............


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mahler's early first-movement-only Piano Quartet - Idil Biret, piano, London String Quartet


----------



## Kivimees

Ernest is rapidly becoming a favourite:


----------



## SimonNZ

Interesting...I don't say this often... and I'm speaking as a big Mahler fan...but I wish I hadn't heard that "Mahler" Piano Quartet

playing now, following Conor71:


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: English Suite No.2 in A Minor, BWV 807

Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 16416


----------



## Sonata

A Baroque morning at work.

Handel flute sonatas, Music for Royal Fireworks.
Vivaldi concertos


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

Michael Finnissy: Kritik der Urteilskraft (fl,clar,vln,vcl,pno), Á propos de Nice (vln, vcl, pno)
New Music Players/Ed Hughes








Iannis Xenakis: À l'île de Gorée, for amplified harpsichord, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet and string quintet 
Ensemble Xenakis/Huub Kerstens


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## ptr

Not much listening this morning (spent 3H in my GP's waiting room for a general check-up.. Patience is indeed Your friend!), but I'm starting the afternoon by following the lead of Conor and Simon, same composer and work, different interpretors!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Éclairs sur l'Au-delà (*EMI*)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Sir Simon Rattle

..and now on to:

*James MacMillan* - St John Passion (*LSO Live*)









Christopher Maltman, Baritone; London Symphony Orchestra u. Sir Colin Davis (ILM)

/ptr


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 45 "Farewell"


----------



## millionrainbows

Six Degrees of Tonality: Enid Katahn, pianist (Gasparo Records). 

Scarlatti: Sonata in D, K. 96 in 1/4 comma meantone tuning

Mozart: Fantasy in D minor, Kv. 385g (397) in Prelleur temperament

Haydn: Sonata in Eb, XVI/49 in Kimberger III temperament

Beethoven: Sonata in Ab Op. 110 in Young temperament

Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu in De Morgan temperament

Grieg: Glochengelaüte in Coleman 11 temperament

Temperament Comparisons — Mozart: Fantasie in 1/4 comma meantone, Prelleur, and Equal temperament

Hear these tunings for yourself and decide whether or not ET has "ruined harmony" or not. The CD contains this message on the back: 
WARNING: This CD contains pure intervals which may be habit forming!

Oh, BTW, Enid Katahn is a fine pianist, and this recital is very enjoyable.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

I've just been revisiting Dussek's Piano Sonata, op 49. It's a lovely piece; first encountered it on rbb kulturradio in Berlin about a year and a half ago.


----------



## OboeKnight

Saint-Saens- Fantasie in Eb Major
Saint-Saens- Prelude and Fugue No.3
Bruch-Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Symphonies 93, 96 - 104, with ACO/Harnoncourt (rec.1986 - '92).

View attachment 16424
View attachment 16425
View attachment 16426


----------



## millionrainbows

Prompted by the "Late Beethoven Quartets" thread, it's Beethoven: String Quartet in F, op. 135, and op. 132 in A minor, Yale Quartet (Vanguard).


----------



## ptr

Back in my dungeon the urge for organ is big!

*Charles Tournemire* - Oeuvres d'Òrgue Vol 1 (VLS OOP?)
(Symphonie Choral d'Orgue Op 69 // Sei Fioretti // Symphonie Sacree d'orgue Op 71)









Tjeerd van der Ploeg @ the Matin-organ St. Pierre, Donai (France)

and on to:

*Kalevi Aho* - Music for Organ (*BIS*)
(Three Interludes for Organ (1993) // 'Alles Vergängliche'. Symphony for Organ (2007))









Jan Lehtola @ the Åkerman & Lund Organ of St. Johannes Church, Malmö

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Hear these tunings for yourself and decide whether or not ET has "ruined harmony" or not. The CD contains this message on the back:
> WARNING: This CD contains pure intervals which may be habit forming!
> 
> Oh, BTW, Enid Katahn is a fine pianist, and this recital is very enjoyable.


I saw Ms. Katahn play on a retuned piano, and I have her recording of Beethoven. At the concert, in the introductory remarks, she'd play a Beethoven phrase and ask, "Do you hear that," and I really couldn't - I mean, it wasn't so pronounced that I immediately picked up on the difference. I still feel bad about that.


----------



## millionrainbows

> I saw Ms. Katahn play on a retuned piano, and I have her recording of Beethoven. At the concert, in the introductory remarks, she'd play a Beethoven phrase and ask, "Do you hear that," and I really couldn't - I mean, it wasn't so pronounced that I immediately picked up on the difference. I still feel bad about that.


I'm not sure why you're telling us this, because it has two ramifications: it either invalidates what Ms. Katahn is doing, seriously undermines it, or it presents you as being unable to hear the subtleties of tuning. Either way, I guess my innocent post of "current listening" is simply "collateral damage" in this war of temperaments. :lol:


----------



## millionrainbows

Terry Riley: Shri Camel (CBS)

This is Riley playing four extended works on Yamaha electric combo organs which have been retuned for "just" intervals. 

Any person who can't hear how this tuning is different must be deemed truly deficient in the ear/brain department, or the equivalent of "color blind" when faced with a field of bright red. I've heard that many animal predators are color blind as well, and key on movement and silhouettes. This must transfer to humans in some way. 

Riley is using a minor mode on all of the pieces, so the minor third is considerably flatter than the ET m3, but the result is a smooth interval with no "beating," producing an acoustically smooth, pure aural effect. The b7 he's using is considerably flatter as well; I think it's the "septimal seventh," meaning that it's a ratio of seven: 7/8 I believe.


----------



## rrudolph

I'm listening to this mostly for the percussion concerto, but the other pieces are pretty good too.


----------



## Cheyenne

Today, I had the displeasure of spending a good few hours on a plane with a dire need to sleep but an inability to actually do so, even impairing my ability to read. - But, classical music was there to resuscitate my disposition to a state akin to pleasant: thank god for portable music.


----------



## millionrainbows

> Today, I had the displeasure of spending a good few hours on a plane with a dire need to sleep but an inability to actually do so, even impairing my ability to read. - But, classical music was there to resuscitate my disposition to a state akin to pleasant: thank god for portable music.


So, you're admitting that the classical music relaxed you, and that it actually induced you into a state of semi-sleep or outright full REM sleep. I've suspected for years that this is true.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> I'm not sure why you're telling us this, because it has two ramifications: it either invalidates what Ms. Katahn is doing, seriously undermines it, or it presents you as being unable to hear the subtleties of tuning.


Probably the latter. It must stem from all the years in band where I sat in front of the trombones. I must be used to, um, irregular tuning.


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> Probably the latter. It must stem from all the years in band where I sat in front of the trombones. I must be used to, um, irregular tuning.


Perhaps those who do not hear it should listen to the drone of a lawnmower for a while, and maybe these individuals can start to tell some difference. Plus, they will be accomplishing something useful.


----------



## Novelette

I've had this recording for years, but, anticipating that the music was going to be more than usually heavy, I have avoided it until today. What a pity that I did, it's very fine music indeed!

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride -- Marina Shaguch, Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra & Chorus

I'm also giving this another try:

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica

...

Lastly, in honor of Maestro Sir Colin Davis, I will listen to the entirety of his recording of Berlioz's monumental _Les Troyens_: a truly grand opera, composed by a grand composer, conducted by a grand conductor...


----------



## neoshredder

Getting closer to the end of my journey through the Mozart Symphonies. Onto CD 8 with Symphonies 29, 28, and 33.


----------



## neoshredder

evagreen said:


> symphonies 6


That's a great one from Sibelius.


----------



## Kazaman

Bach's Keyboard Partita no. 6 in E minor (Gould).


----------



## TudorMihai

Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte...for the 1000th time I think (exaggeration, of course). I just can't get enough of it! It's that beautiful.


----------



## cwarchc

Onto Chopin, I've only got a few recordings

listened to this twice on the commute followed by this one














this will be the last one later


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Preludes, Book 2
Gordon Fergus-Thompson

Messiaen: Visions de l'amen
Marten Bon, Reinbert de Leeuw


----------



## Wood

Originally Posted by evagreen

symphonies 6



neoshredder said:


> That's a great one from Sibelius.


I'm almost certain that she refers to Haydn 6, which is eminently passable.

My listening tonight:

Haydn 100 'Military'


----------



## Kieran

Wolfgangerl, K364, Bohm and the Berliner...


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Psalms Of David Op.2 - Hanns-Martin Schneidt, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Symphony 5, with RLPO/Handley (rec.1986); String Quartet 2, with Music Group of London (rec.1972).

View attachment 16446


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.3 in E Flat, Op.55

Claudio Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic

View attachment 16448


----------



## Kazaman

Beethoven, Sonata op. 110 (Eunice Norton)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius Symphonies 2 and 7


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16447
> 
> 
> Schutz's Psalms Of David Op.2 - Hanns-Martin Schneidt, cond.


I'm listening on Spotify. I have the Junghanel recording, and in comparison, the Schneidt recording sounds like the pieces should sound: big and resonant. Thanks for the heads-up!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 3: Haydn Cello Concerto no. 2, Schubert Arpeggione Sonata, Schumann Fantasiestucke, Poulenc Cello Sonata










A delicious disc!










Bach to Fournier (Disc 7) and a series of short works by Ravel, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Stravinsky, Boulanger, etc...










Some lovely late Classical period chamber music for clarinet.


----------



## Sid James

Novelette said:


> ...
> 
> Lastly, in honor of Maestro Sir Colin Davis, I will listen to the entirety of his recording of Berlioz's monumental _Les Troyens_: a truly grand opera, composed by a grand composer, conducted by a grand conductor...


Well I'm sorry to hear that. I will dig out my cd of Sir Colin conducting Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex as tribute, its been on my mind to listen to it lately as I've been listening to pieces with narration. I had on tape years back Sir Colin's interps of Beatrice et Benedict and Le Enfance du Christ and I remember them with fondness. I quite liked him in the vocal/choral realm actually. RIP.

& re *SimonNZ's* discussion of Beethoven's_ Sym. #3 "Eroica," _the finale has at the start an English tune, and later a lively dance tune which is said to be Hungarian, which is music of the two nations that where fighting Napoleon at the time he wrote it. I'd guess its Beethoven's comment of something like "this is happening now." As to the future, Napoleon's eventual defeat and humiliation was some years ahead (almost a decade ahead?), so its like Beethoven is giving us a snapshot in time.

But I remember seeing on TV ages ago a lecture/concert of this piece done by Michael Tilson-Thomas (he did a series on great symphonies throughout history). It was great in explaining these things, and I believe its available on DVD now.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

bejart said:


> Mozart: String Quartet No.22 in B Flat, KV 589
> 
> Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello
> 
> View attachment 16404


Coincidentally, I just added a disc from this series to my wish list yesterday: 20 & 21... mostly in order to get the quartet no. 20 which falls between the Haydn Quartets and the Prussian Quartets... which I have.


----------



## Sid James

Last couple of days its been like this:

*Mozart* _Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_
*Haydn* _Horn Concerto_
- Heidelberg SO under Erich Klemperer / MRC

Starting with some heavy duty relaxation with *Wolfie and Papa.* 

*Chavez* _Symphony #5 (Symphony for string orch.)_
- London SO under Eduardo Mata / VoxBox

Then continuing with my survey of *Chavez's* symphonies, with his fifth. Its got his signature gritty textures and propulsive rhythms, a fair amount of modern techniques (glissandos and tone clusters galore), underpinned by his study of counterpoint and Mexican music going way back to pre-Columban times. Chavez was part of the _Mexicanidad _movement in the early 20th century, which sought to resurrect Mexican culture which the Spanish conquistadors had virtually decimated in the colonial era. Painters such as Diego Rivera, Fridha Kahlo, Manuel Orozco and David Sigueiros where part of this nationalist movement as well. Incidentally, if you don't know this and you like things like Bartok's _Divertimento for Strings_, Chavez's 5th symphony might be something you'd easily enjoy. Its got this similar type of neo-classicist folkish modernist feel.

*Zemlinsky *
_Waldgesprach & Mailblumen bluhten uberall _- Soile Isokoski, sop.
_Two Songs for Baritone & Orch. _- Andreas Schmidt, bar.
_Six Songs, Op. 13 (Maeterlinck Songs)_ - Violeta Urmana, mezzo sop.
- Gurzenich Orch. of Cologne under James Conlon / EMI

Then onto *Zemlinsky's songs* which have this poetic, bittersweet and nostalgic quality. Some quite autumnal vibes here reminiscent of Brahms, and his _Maeterlink Songs_ 0f 1913 point to possible knowledge/influence of French Impressionist trends in regards to the more delicate orchestration.

*Prokofiev *_Peter and the Wolf_
- Sir Ralph Richardson, narrator with London SO under Sir Malcolm Sargent / Belart

& finishing with a favourite that many of us would remember listening to as children, *Prokofiev's* classic _Peter and the Wolf._


----------



## SimonNZ

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening on Spotify. I have the Junghanel recording, and in comparison, the Schneidt recording sounds like the pieces should sound: big and resonant. Thanks for the heads-up!


Thanks! And I don't know if you've got it or heard it already, but if not its worth checking out the Rudolph Mauersberger recording on Berlin. Unfortunately its only selections, if it were complete it would be my prefered recording. The same "big and resonant" sounding choir, and with clearer sound (or clearer than my lps, anyway).


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> & re *SimonNZ's* discussion of Beethoven's_ Sym. #3 "Eroica," _the finale has at the start an English tune, and later a lively dance tune which is said to be Hungarian, which is music of the two nations that where fighting Napoleon at the time he wrote it. I'd guess its Beethoven's comment of something like "this is happening now." As to the future, Napoleon's eventual defeat and humiliation was some years ahead (almost a decade ahead?), so its like Beethoven is giving us a snapshot in time.
> 
> But I remember seeing on TV ages ago a lecture/concert of this piece done by Michael Tilson-Thomas (he did a series on great symphonies throughout history). It was great in explaining these things, and I believe its available on DVD now.


Is that Michael Tilson-Thomas documentary "Discovering Beethoven"?






If so Youtube seem to have all of it - I'll try to watch it tonight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Thanks! And I don't know if you've got it or heard it already, but if not its worth checking out the Rudolph Mauersberger recording on Berlin. Unfortunately its only selections, if it were complete it would be my prefered recording. The same "big and resonant" sounding choir, and with clearer sound (or clearer than my lps, anyway).


Hey, that's also on Spotify. I'm listening now.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've long had an affection for 19th/20th century French bon-bons. Pierne slips into elements of late Romanticism as well.


----------



## Kazaman

Harry Somers, Music for Solo Flute.


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): Piano Sonata in D Major, Op.5, No.2

Richard Fuller, piano

View attachment 16452


----------



## neoshredder

hayd said:


> Originally Posted by evagreen
> 
> symphonies 6
> 
> I'm almost certain that she refers to Haydn 6, which is eminently passable.
> 
> My listening tonight:
> 
> Haydn 100 'Military'


Or possibly Segerstam.  I'm officially addicted to Mozart. Listening to Symphonies 29, 28, and 33 again. Loving it.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2


----------



## Kazaman

Harry Somers, Love-in-idleness (for Soprano and Piano).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

No better way to finish off the evening than with Bach.


----------



## Kazaman

Various Wolf lieder (Hotter and Moore)


----------



## millionrainbows

Wendy Carlos: _Switched-On Bach 2000_ (Telarc).

•Happy 25th, S-OB. Tuning: 1/5 comma meantone
•Sinfonia in D major. Tuning: circular, centered on D; trumpets: natural harmonic scale in D
•Air on a G String. Tuning: 1/5 comma meantone centered on A
•Two Part Invention in F major. Tuning: circular
•Two Part Invention in D minor. Tuning: meantone
•Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Tuning: meantone
•Prelude No. 7 in E-flat major. Tuning: meantone
•Fugue No. 7 in E-flat major. Tuning: variation of meantone
•Prelude No. 2 in C minor. Tuning: circular
•Fugue No. 2 in C minor. Tuning: circular
•Watchet Auf. Tuning: meantone centered on F, although the piece is in Eb.
•Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major. Tuning: several versions of meantone, including twice where it had to be altered on the fly by re-tuning for several measures, a luxury Bach would not have had, but it allowed all to be gorgeously "in tune" as no equal tempered performance can ever be.


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Grandes Études De Paganini, S 141 -- The always reliable, if not always sparking, Leslie Howard

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto #2 in D Minor, Op. 40 -- Murray Perahia; Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Berlioz: Les Troyens -- Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

^ This is really happening.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 16
Berg: Lyric Suite

Performed by Juilliard String Quartet, recorded Ascona, 8/24/1970


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Lyric Suite
Alban Berg Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus - Michel Beroff, piano


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"},* performed by the Karl Bohm led Vienna Philharmonic.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again featuring Maestro Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor and Symphony No.9 in D Major. *Both works are performed by the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein at its helm.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach Musical Offering


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Is that Michael Tilson-Thomas documentary "Discovering Beethoven"?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If so Youtube seem to have all of it - I'll try to watch it tonight.


Yeah, looks like thats the one, good that you found it, I'll have to get around to watching it myself.


----------



## Feathers

Alkan: Grande Sonate "Les Quatre Ages" (Hamelin)









A whole life in one piece!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Essential Sibelius. Decided to try out works other than his Symphonies.


----------



## tdc

Some Monteverdi


----------



## Wood

Haydn 6: digging the horns

Mozart Requiem


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16453
> 
> 
> Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus - Michel Beroff, piano


I will follow your lead this time Simon and play the same work from my Messiaen box-set :


----------



## ptr

A soft start good morning:

*Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach* - Concerti (Carus Verlag)









Ann-Kathrin Brüggemann, Oboe; Kristin von der Goltz, Violoncello; Michael Behringer, Cembalo; Christine Schornsheim, Klavier; Freiburger Barockorchester Consort u. Gottfried von der Goltz, violin

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - String Quartet No 14 Op 131 (ASV OOP?)









Lindsey String Quartet

*Georg Philipp Telemann* - Hamburger Admiralitätsmusik 1723 (*CPO*)









Mieke van der Sluis, Graham Pushee, Rufus Müller, Klaus Mertens, David Thomas und Michael Schopper; Alsfelder Vokalensemble & Barockorchester Bremen u. Wolfgang Helbich

/ptr


----------



## Conor71

I didnt realise Vingt Regards.. was 2 hours long so I had to take a break half way through as my attention was starting to wander a bit :lol: - I will resume listening to this work tomorrow morning 
I felt like something Orchestral after the Piano music so now playing this Disc:


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, Posthorn Serenade K320, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Karl Bohm... :tiphat:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ptr

*Colin Matthews* - Alphabicycle Order & Horn Concerto (*Halle*)









Henry Goodman, narrator; Manchester Childrens Choir & Hallé Orchestra u. Edward Gardner // Richard Watkins, horn; Hallé Orchestra u. Sir Mark Elder

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Rapide




----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1723-1786): Symphony No.4 in A Major

Kurt Redel conducting the Pro Arte Orchestra of Munich

View attachment 16460


----------



## Flamme




----------



## millionrainbows

Sviatoslav Richter (YEDANG)
Stravinsky: Movements (1958)
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2 (1930-31)
Hindemith: Kammermusik No. 2, Op.36/1 (1922-27)


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Crudblud

Alfred Schnittke - Symphony No. 7 (Otaka)

I have started a project, okay, well not really, but I have taken on a whim and searched my digital library for all seventh symphonies I have, and I'm going to listen to all of them. I might get around to doing all the other numbers too at some point. Next, and actually what should have been first since I sorted by first name, is Glazunov.


----------



## OboeKnight

Saint-Saens- Piano Concerto No.5


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Federico Mompou's* (1893 - 1987) birthday, Piano Works (rec. 1974).

View attachment 16462


----------



## Flamme




----------



## rrudolph

Some Polish music: Gorecki, Penderecki, Gorecki (try saying that over and over again like a mantra-it has a nice rhythm to it):


----------



## Kivimees

More Moeran:


----------



## Art Rock

With Rienzi, I now listened to all recorded Richard Wagner operas. I had listened to the complete Ring, Lohengrin and Der Fliegende Hollaender before (listened to them again the past few weeks though), but the rest were new to me.


----------



## ptr

My afternoon went up ze Berg!

*Alban Berg* - Sieben Frühe Lieder, Altenberg Lieder & Jugendlieder (CBS/Sony 1995)









Jessye Norman, soprano, Ann Schein, Piano; London Symphony Orchestra u.Pierre Boulez

*Alban Berg* - Lyric Suite (*nonesuch*)









Kronos Quartet & Dawn Upshaw

/ptr


----------



## MusicNova

Listened rather watched yt video "Toccata and Fugue" in D minor by group of young talents Michael Reardon, Philip Monrean, Benjamin Dague, & Christopher Mrofchak


----------



## BaronAlstromer

Bernhard Crusell-Clarinet Concerto No.1.


----------



## Tristan

Rimsky-Korsakov - Sadko, a musical picture, Op. 5

This is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I know, and one of the main reasons I like Rimsky-Korsakov so much.


----------



## Kazaman

Beethoven, String Quartet op. 135 (Borodin String Quartet)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 6: Faure- Quartet no. 2; short pieces by Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens, etc...


----------



## Feathers

Listening to Seigfried Langgaard's Piano Concerto No. 1 on Youtube. Ah, another great Romantic piano concerto!


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: Norma -- Maria Callas; Tullio Serafin: Orchestra & Chorus Of La Scala Milan (1960)

^ It has been a while since I last listened to this opera, and I quite forgot how much I love it. The associated piano fantasies on themes from this opera by Liszt and Thalberg are masterpieces in their own rights, betraying great esteem in which both masters held this opera.

Furthermore, this recording is spectacularly clear and crisp. I cannot always appreciate Callas' peculiar voice, but in this case, I can hardly imagine a more perfect performer for the role of Norma. A real treasure.

Haydn: Violin Concerto in A, H 7A/3 -- Helmut Muller-Bruhl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Rovetta: Miessa E Salmi Concertante -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Fux: Ciaccona in D, K 403 -- René Clemencic: Clemencic Consort

Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E Flat, S 49 -- Wynton Marsalis; Raymond Leppard: National Philharmonic Orchestra

Frescobaldi: Recercars -- Roberto Loreggian

Last, but not least, a rare work by my esteemed:

Schumann: Andante & Variations for Two Pianos, Two Cellos, and Horn in B Flat, Op. 46 -- Peter Frankl, András Schiff, et al


----------



## Novelette

Tristan said:


> Rimsky-Korsakov - Sadko, a musical picture, Op. 5
> 
> This is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I know, and one of the main reasons I like Rimsky-Korsakov so much.


I recently discovered how wonderful Rimsky-Korsakov's music is by his opera "The Tsar's Bride". "Sadko" is also terrific!


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Frederick the Great (1723-1786): Symphony No.4 in A Major
> 
> Kurt Redel conducting the Pro Arte Orchestra of Munich
> 
> View attachment 16460


I had the pleasure to explore Frederick II's music a few years ago. He had a fine hand for pleasing melodies.


----------



## Novelette

OboeKnight said:


> Saint-Saens- Piano Concerto No.5


The first movement is hauntingly beautiful.

Saint-Saens easily shows that a piano concerto need not be filled with increasingly difficult bravura passages to be a first-rate work. This music is perfect for quiet evenings with a glass of red wine and a good book.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

If I listen to this as it is, not comparing it to the 4th I know, it's really not that bad.


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*
> 
> If I listen to this as it is, not comparing it to the 4th I know, it's really not that bad.
> 
> View attachment 16474


See? That's what I discovered too!

Stravinsky: Instrumental Miniatures
Members of the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








This is an ingenious orchestration of his Les Cinq Doigts for ultra-beginner piano players.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> See? That's what I discovered too!


Oh, _you're_ the one who talked about it. I forgot who it was, or I would have given you a shout-out.


----------



## Kazaman

Berg, String Quartet op. 3 (Alban Berg Quartet)


----------



## userfume

Le Tombeau de Couperin 
Pascal Rogé on the piano

I love the piano version, and find that the orchestral version is not nearly as beautiful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kazaman said:


> Berg, String Quartet op. 3 (Alban Berg Quartet)


Wow, how could I have missed this piece? I'm listening to the Schoenberg Quartet on Spotify. Man, all those motifs flying around!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 6: Sonatas 25, 26 "Les Adieux", 27, & 29 "Hammerklavier"


----------



## Kazaman

When was that recorded? Could you share your impression of his Hammerklavier? I've only heard a late recording, and was disappointed.


----------



## Kazaman

Harry Somers, Second Piano Concerto (Reginald Godden, piano; Victor Feldbrill, conducting)


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's piano sonata 18 played by Kempf.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major, Op.58

James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra -- Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 16483


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Historia Der Auferstehung Jesu Christi Op.3 - Capella Augustana


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

When was that recorded? Could you share your impression of his Hammerklavier? I've only heard a late recording, and was disappointed.

When one is dealing with an oeuvre as central as Beethoven's piano sonatas there will always be disagreements as to the "best" performances. I've always liked Kempff's performances. It seems I'm not alone:

When pianist Artur Schnabel undertook his pioneering complete recording of the Beethoven sonatas in the 1930s, he told EMI that if he didn't complete the cycle, they should have Kempff complete the remainder.

The pianist Alfred Brendel wrote that Kempff "played on impulse... it depended on whether the right breeze, as with an aeolian harp, was blowing. You then would take something home that you never heard elsewhere." Brendel helped choose the selections for Phillip's "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" issue of Kempff recordings, and wrote in the notes that Kempff "achieves things that are beyond him..."

The composer Jean Sibelius asked him to play the slow movement of Beethoven's 29th Sonata, the Hammerklavier; after Kempff finished, Sibelius told him, "You did not play that as a pianist but rather as a human being."

This particular recording dates from 1965.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sonatas 57-61. There is some truly marvelous music to be found here. The Larghetto from Sonata 57 is absolutely exquisite!


----------



## SimonNZ

John Danyel songs - Nigel Short, countertenor, David Miller, lute


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in E Flat

Stamic Quartet: Viteslav Cernoch and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 16488


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

John Cage playing amplified cacti and plant materials with a feather


----------



## millionrainbows

50 Jahre Neue Musik in Darmstadt, vol. 4 (Col Legno 4-CD). Historical performances from Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music.

Schoenberg (1874-1951): _The Dance Around the Golden Calf (1930-32)_; second act, Third Scene of the opera _Moses und Aron._ This is the premier, unstaged. Herman Scherchen conducting the Chor und Orchester des Landestheaters Darmstadt. Recorded 1951 (mono).

Varèse (1883-1965):_ Ecuatorial (1932-34),_ cond. by Andrzej Markowski. Rec. 1966.

Bruno Maderna (1920-1973): _Konzert Nr. 1 für Oboe und Kammerensemble (1962/63),_ cond. Maderna. Rec. 1963.

Niccolò Castiglioni (1932-1996): C_onsonante für Flöte und Kammerensemble (1962)_: Severino Gazzelloni, flute; Bruno Maderna, cond. Rec. 1963.

Jan W. Morthenson (1940-): _Coloratura III. Composition for chamber orchestra (Nr. 18, 1963)_. Cond. Maderna. Rec. 1963.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Vorisek (1791-1825): Piano Sonata in B Flat Minor, Op.20

Artur Pizarro, piano

View attachment 16489


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos, Nos. 17 and 18
Schubert: Octet in F major, D.803 (Wiener Oktett, recorded in Lugano, 06/25/1953)

















I listened to Mozart's concerti 17 and 18 twice today - going to work in the morning then coming home in the evening.


----------



## SimonNZ

Henze lieder - Ian Bostridge, tenor, Julius Drake, piano


----------



## Novelette

Saint-Saëns: Symphony in F, "Urbs Roma" -- Jean Martinon: Orchestre National De L'ORTF

^ Why is this not more frequently performed?

Ockeghem: Alma Redemptoris Mater -- Hillard Ensemble

Mozart: String Quartet #21 in D, K 575, "Prussian I" -- Hagen Quartet

Mendelssohn: Piano Quartet #3 in B Minor, Op. 3 -- Bartholdy Piano Quartet

Purcell: Come, Ye Sons Of Art, Z 323 -- Felicity Lott; John Eliot Gardiner: Monteverdi Orchestra, Monteverdi Choir

Liszt: Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, S 534 -- Leslie Howard


----------



## Novelette

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Sonatas 57-61. There is some truly marvelous music to be found here. The Larghetto from Sonata 57 is absolutely exquisite!


Haydn: always inventive, always a joy to hear, an even greater joy to play.

How is that recording, by the way? I have the Jenö Jandó cycle, which I find to be an excellent set. Perfectly clear intonation, observing virtually every repeat, appropriate style, etc. I was originally caught between Jenö Jandó's and John McCabe's.


----------



## ProudSquire

The past two days have consisted of nothing but *Dmitri Shostakovich*.

String Quartet No. 1 in C major 
No. 2 in A major 
No. 3 in F major 
No. 4 in D major 
No. 5 in B flat major

Up to string quartet #5, the themes were discernible, albeit, with moderate difficulty. However, the music remained, to my ears, fantastic. String quartet #5 has cast a spell on me and I seem to be entrapped by its high beauty.

No. 6 in G major 
No. 7 in F sharp minor 
No. 8 in C minor 
No. 9 in E flat major 
No. 10 in A flat major

The themes became dense, I was having a higher level of difficulty discerning themes than I had with the previous 5. Occasionally I found my self tracing a theme only to lose track of it. Despite the fact, the music remained highly enjoyable. The cello segments were mesmeric.

No. 11 in F minor 
No. 12 in D flat major 
No. 13 in B flat minor

I can no longer discern the themes. The music seemed to flow in one motion, it's continuity was apparent to me. The music: transcendent and sublime. I no longer question or search, only absorb.

Strange enough, it was my very first encounter with a string quartet in the key of D flat major. It was rather, unique.

All quartets were performed by: *Fitzwilliam Quartet*

:cheers:


----------



## Feathers

Haydn's Op. 76 String Quartets:









I've got nothing but love for this wonderful music!


----------



## Wood

Haydn 101: Horological pleasure


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Harawi*

Im really glad I decided to give this set another chance - I am enjoying it immensely!. First up I am playing the song cycle Harawi. This is proving to be an engaging work. Next I will play one of my favourites the Des Canyon Aux Etoiles from the same set.


----------



## Arsakes

*Bruckner*'s Symphony No.7 & No.8

Confronting the hard times...


----------



## ptr

Morning triplet:

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - String Quartet No 13 Op 130 (with Op 133 Grosse fuge as final) (ASV OOP?)









Lindsey String Quartet

*Erik Satie* - Complete Piano Works CD 1/5 (*Decca*)









Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

*Great European Organs No 65* (*Priory*)
(Works by Daniel Lesur / Andre Jolivet / Jean Langlais / Elsa Barraine / Darius Milhaud / Theodore Dubois)









Charles Matthews @ the Cavaillé-Coll of La Madeleine, Paris

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

K415, PC#13, the 'little' C-major, the lesser one, if it's to be compared to K467 or K503, but still an impressive PC, and typically for these minor works it doesn't leap into any surprises in the outer movements, but the andante glistens and throbs with feeling. The substance of the work is in the middle and it reflects outwards. 

After the brazen escapades of the Ninth, which was composed in Salzburg, I often feel that when he arrived in Vienna, Mozart led the Viennese through the paces, til they were ready for his larger concertos.

Uchida, Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## bejart

Robert Woodcock (1690-1728): Oboe Concerto in E Flat

Michael Dobson directing the Thames Chamber Orchestra of London -- Neil Black, oboe

View attachment 16504


----------



## OboeKnight

Trio Sonata in C minor for Flute, Oboe, and Harpsichord- Telemann

One of my favorite pieces ever. It never gets old.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

Georg Philipp Telemann: Sonata for Oboe and continuo in G minor from Production III of Tafelmusik; Sonata for Violin and continuo in A major from Production II of Tafelmusik
Musica Antiqua Köln/Reinhard Goebel








François Dufault: Pièces Pour Luth
Pascal Monteilhet, lute


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Violin Concerto No. 1.*

Someone described its sound as lush. I'd have to agree.


----------



## millionrainbows

Béla Bartók (1881-1945): _Piano Concerto No.2 (1930-31);_ Pierre Boulez cond., Leif Ove Andsnes, pianist (DG). A nice bright opening, followed by sections which sound remarkably similar to Charles Ives' _Central Park In The Dark (1906)._

The more I listen to Bartók, the more the mystery fades. I seem to now know what he's doing, whether it be revolving around a local tone center, using the diminished scale, or writing quasi-tonally. Parts of this sound definitely like Stravinsky, and even the liner notes mention this. You know, that Stravinsky-esque trick of diatonic triads moving by step, as in Petroushka or Firebird.


----------



## Flamme

Great video, nice ouverture in words...Great playing too


----------



## Sudonim

Still listening my way through this one:









Nearing the end of the 6th - the 7th and 9th remain ...

And, in the car to and from work, this:









Just began No. 9 ("Razumovsky No.3").


----------



## Flamme




----------



## OboeKnight

Scarlatti Toccatas


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 3

Played by the amazing Daniel Barenboim


----------



## ptr

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 4 Op 43 (Hänssler Profil Vol 8)









Dresden Staatskapelle u. Kiril Kondrashin

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Wagner - Lohengrin. (from my 36 disc EMI classics box of Wagner's Greatest Opera)

The more Wagner I hear. The more I love his music.


----------



## Cheyenne

Ligeti's piano concerto. It's time to admit it: this is my favorite piano concerto.


----------



## schuberkovich

Schubert Piano Sonata D960 with Brendel

Incredible! I will have to write more about this.


----------



## Crudblud

Earlier: Allan Pettersson - Symphony No. 7 (Albrecht)

Now: Arnold Schoenberg - Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31 (Boulez)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Beethoven* - 1st Piano Concerto (Weissenberg/Karajan and Berliner Philarmoniker)


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Claude Debussy* - Orchestral Works (*EMI*)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Sir Simon Rattle

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Symphonies Nos 3 & 6 (Semplice) (*BIS*)









Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Mario Venzago

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

I was reading about Andrzej Panufnik on wiki the other day and discovered that his daughter is a composer.
Listened to a couple of her works on Spotify.
Very impressed.


----------



## Crudblud

Elliott Carter - Esprit rude-Esprit doux (Boulez)
Anton Webern - Bagatelles, Op. 9 (Juilliard SQ)
Olivier Messiaen - Un Vitrail et des oiseaux (Rickenbacher/Loriod)


----------



## Novelette

Praetorius: Aus Tiefer Not Schrei Ich Zu Dir -- Paul van Nevel: Huelgas Ensemble

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #9 in C -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Bach, C.P.E.: Flute Concerto in D Minor, H 426 -- James Galway; Jörg Faerber: Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn


----------



## MagneticGhost

Andrzej Panufnik's Cello Concerto


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lully, Grand motets.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Novelette said:


> Haydn: always inventive, always a joy to hear, an even greater joy to play.
> 
> How is that recording, by the way? I have the Jenö Jandó cycle, which I find to be an excellent set. Perfectly clear intonation, observing virtually every repeat, appropriate style, etc. I was originally caught between Jenö Jandó's and John McCabe's.


I quite like the McCabe set. Although I also have a slew of recordings of favorite Haydn sonatas by others... András Schiff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Alfred Brendel, and Marc-André Hamelin. I may not only actually have more recordings of Haydn's piano sonatas than I do of Mozart's... but also of Beethovens!!


----------



## Novelette

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I quite like the McCabe set. Although I also have a slew of recordings of favorite Haydn sonatas by others... András Schiff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Alfred Brendel, and Marc-André Hamelin. I may not only actually have more recordings of Haydn's piano sonatas than I do of Mozart's... but also of Beethovens!!


I see nothing wrong with that. Which sonata do you favor? #33 [#20 according to the Hoboken system] in C Minor is my favorite, and it is very fun to play.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After a day of insanity teaching (warm weather brings out the worst in kids) followed by an hour and a half staff meeting that only furthered clarified the even greater insanity behind the education gurus in the US and obvious goal of dismantling public education in the US... the surest way to assure our slipping into irrelevancy in the near future... I need something lightweight and pleasurable. And yes... I still enjoy Eine Kleine Nachtmusik... in spite of it being grossly over-played. That has nothing to do with Mozart or the music... and since I control what I listen to, there is nothing that gets "over-played."

Bohm's recordings are true "old school"... slow and stately performed by over-sized "romantic" orchestras. Honestly, I preferred Manze's gutsy stripped down version of _Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I really like no. 57. The Larghetto stands out especially every time I hear it. I honestly must listen to them more to build a greater concept of the individual sonatas.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony no. 1. I'm in a Mahlerian mood, it seems! I am going to try no. 5 tomorrow.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Concertos 23 and 24 - Solomon, piano, Herbert Menges, cond.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sid James

*Carlos Chavez* _Symphony #3_
- London SO under Eduardo Mata / VoxBox

*Chavez's* third symphony starts with a fanfare and progresses from there. The first movement contains the ideas which are carried through the entire 4 movement work. Chavez's method of a kind of organic thematic development based on & all related to key ideas or motifs is somewhat similar to that of Sibelius & it stretches back to Brahms and Beethoven.

My favourite movement here was the scherzo, which featured wind and string instruments in group solos. & its funny how the timpani, cymbals and gong interjections in the first movement come as unexpected, even though I know this piece. The final movement with fugal elements draws the whole thing together, a variation on the opening fanfare comes back towards the brilliant conclusion.

Chavez's set of 6 symphonies are a very fine cycle indeed. Like Sibelius' cycle they are all different and not all are 'nationalistic' in flavour. Its only the second symphony 'Sinfonia India' that is overtly so. Chavez emerged at a time when Mexico was asserting itself as independent in cultural and political terms, but like Sibelius there's more to his character than just being a 'national monument' type figure. For one thing, his style is unique and while like many composers I like his music connects to the past but also engages with the innovations happening in the modern era.

I want to do a thread on Chavez at some stage (if there isn't already one?), however am tight in terms of time at the moment.


*Zemlinsky* _Psalms 13, 23 & 83_
- Vocal soloists (SATB) with Musikvereins du Dusseldorf choir and Gurzenich Orchestra Cologne under James Conlon / EMI

Still exploring this *Zemlinsky *set, turning to the first cd with choral works. I especially liked _Psalm 83_, an early work from the composer still in his twenties. There's a contrapuntal beginning on the strings and again the conclusion is a fugue, with decidedly Baroque feel. Its interesting how the notes mention that Zemlinsky, like Chavez, learnt lessons from the music of Brahms (an important mentor for him in the early years) in terms of maintaing tight thematic links/development throughout a piece. There's connections wherever you look in classical music, it seems!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphonies 38 and 39 of Mozart. Tomorrow will be the end of my journey through the Mozart Symphonies. After that comes the Mozart Piano Concertos.


----------



## Wood

schuberkovich said:


> Schubert Piano Sonata D960 with Brendel
> 
> Incredible! I will have to write more about this.


Please do!


----------



## Kazaman

Beethoven, Eroica Variations (Gould)


----------



## Kazaman

StlukesguildOhio said:


> When was that recorded? Could you share your impression of his Hammerklavier? I've only heard a late recording, and was disappointed.
> 
> When one is dealing with an oeuvre as central as Beethoven's piano sonatas there will always be disagreements as to the "best" performances. I've always liked Kempff's performances. It seems I'm not alone:
> 
> When pianist Artur Schnabel undertook his pioneering complete recording of the Beethoven sonatas in the 1930s, he told EMI that if he didn't complete the cycle, they should have Kempff complete the remainder.
> 
> The pianist Alfred Brendel wrote that Kempff "played on impulse... it depended on whether the right breeze, as with an aeolian harp, was blowing. You then would take something home that you never heard elsewhere." Brendel helped choose the selections for Phillip's "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" issue of Kempff recordings, and wrote in the notes that Kempff "achieves things that are beyond him..."
> 
> The composer Jean Sibelius asked him to play the slow movement of Beethoven's 29th Sonata, the Hammerklavier; after Kempff finished, Sibelius told him, "You did not play that as a pianist but rather as a human being."
> 
> This particular recording dates from 1965.


I have good news: the recording which disappointed me was not Kempff, which I quickly discovered after searching for it ... it was actually a late Brendel recording. Kempff is sublime.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart opera arias - Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm not familiar with Brendel's Beethoven... although I love his Mozart and his Schubert... especially the Impromptus.


----------



## Kazaman

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm not familiar with Brendel's Beethoven... although I love his Mozart and his Schubert... especially the Impromptus.


His early Beethoven is often wonderful. His late Beethoven is more iffy ... especially in his later years, when his technique wasn't quite up to par for things like the Hammerklavier fugue.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some more Haydn sonatas:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Mazurkas, with ABM (rec.1971); Waltzes, with Tharaud (rec.2005).

View attachment 16537
View attachment 16538


----------



## Vaneyes

OboeKnight said:


> Scarlatti Toccatas


A. Scarlatti, and with Weimann performing, I presume.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): String Quartet in D Major, Op.2, No.6

Enso Quartet: Maureen Nelson and Tereza Stanislav, violins -- Robert Brophy, viola -- Richard Belcher, cello

View attachment 16539


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Two Vocal Quartets With Piano, Op. 112a -- Marcus Creed: Rias Kammerchor

Brahms: Fugue for Organ in A Flat Minor, WoO 8 -- Peter Neumann

^ A Flat Minor... Because G Sharp Minor isn't cool enough. 

Schumann: Vier Doppelchörige Gesänge, Op. 141 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio #2 in E Minor, Op. 92 -- Joachim Trio


----------



## Kazaman

Copland, Four Motets


----------



## Kazaman

Brahms, Piano Quintet op. 34 (Richter and the Borodin Quartet)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphonies Nos. 7 and 4.*

On first listen, I like what he did with the 7th. This is a live performance from Lucerne with the Berlin Phil. It's in mono, and there are a couple notable mistakes from the players, but overall, it kept my attention throughout.

The 4th is from 1954. Wow, the first movement is fast - John Eliot Gardiner fast. I'm halfway into the second movement. It doesn't seem rushed, though. But so far, I don't think this will replace the EMI recording.


----------



## GreenMamba

Rued Langgaard, Symphony #6; Danish Nat'l SO/Frandsen

Only ever heard one piece by him before (Music of the Spheres)


----------



## Kazaman

Berg, Chamber Concerto (Richter, Moscow Conservatory Instrumental Ensemble)


----------



## bejart

John Field (1782-1837): Nocturne No.2 in C Minor

Miceal O'Rourke, piano

View attachment 16544


----------



## opus55

Raff: Symphony No. 10
Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9, 15, 27 & 32


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52. *Both works feature Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia espansiva"} and Symphony No.4 , Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}. *Both are performed by Janacek Philharmonic under Theodore Kuchar's baton.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Minor, Op.100. *Both symphonies are done by the Orchestre National de France with Mstislav Rostropovich at its helm.


----------



## Feathers

R. Strauss: Cello Sonata (Sophie Rolland and Marc-Andre Hamelin)

Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 6 (Svetlanov and the State Academic Orchestra)

Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 (Beaux Arts Trio)

Stamitz: Oboe Concerto (Zdenek Adam with Petr Chromcak conducting the Czech Chamber Philharmonic)


----------



## millionrainbows

Panufnik, Piano Concerto (Conifer Classics).


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Chant Sur La Mort De Haydn -- Gabriele Ferro: Cappella Coloniensis, Cologne Radio Chorus

^ A very touching tribute, by one master composer to another, embarrassingly composed in 1804 when Haydn was falsely reported to have died. While I have not read of any reactions, I have no doubt that Haydn was touched, given the great esteem in which he held Cherubini. One of those beautiful moments when the paths of giants collide. 

I cannot help but wish that the meeting of Cherubini and Beethoven was a little more pleasant, but Cherubini had very strong opinions of musical propriety and personal grooming which Beethoven, the often unkempt musical revolutionary, did not live up to. How amazing of Beethoven, always so quick-tempered, not to take offense! Beethoven wrote to Cherubini many years after their only meeting in 1805 apropos of the Missa Solemnis, although, apparently, Cherubini never received it. 

At any rate, magnificent music, all of it.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Buxehude - Organ Works


----------



## Badinerie

Been out to the charity shops again Found some great Classics For Pleasure lp's in perfect condition including...CFP 195 Moura Lympany. Nice morning lisening.


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi songs - Martyn Hill, tenor, Stephen Varcoe, baritone, Clifford Benson, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Ravel*'s Daphnis et Chloe


----------



## Wood

Bach: Brandenburg 4 (Karajan 1965)










Moeran: Cello symphony (*2)

Haydn 101


----------



## SimonNZ

Badinerie said:


> Been out to the charity shops again Found some great Classics For Pleasure lp's in perfect condition including...CFP 195 Moura Lympany. Nice morning lisening.


Love Moura Lympany, especially her Rachmaninoff recordings - must pull those out for another listen.

but playing now:





















Chopin's Waltzes

comparing the Dinu Lipatti, Malcuzynski, and Artur Rubinstein recordings


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rubbra's 2nd Symphony. And Roxanna Panufnik's quite superb choral CD - Love Abide


----------



## Wood

William Byrd: Some harpsichord music taped off the radio a few decades back. Pieces are played by Christopher Farr and each track is introduced by a very plummy presenter, who just introduced Master William Peter's Pavanne and Galliard with the words 'These are they'!

Here is a more recent picture of Farr:


__
https://flic.kr/p/5855987917

Next up after this set will be The Tallis Scholars pioneering album 'Spem in alium'.


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart *_Great Mass in C & Ave Verum Corpus_
- Helen Donath & Heather Harper, sopranos ; Ryland Davies, tenor ; Stafford Dean, bass ; London SO and Chorus under Sir Colin Davis (Eloquence)

*A listen to pay tribute to the late Sir Colin Davis.* I'll also endeavour to listen to his recording of Stravinksy's _Oedipus Rex _on the weekend. But here is a review I did a couple of months back when last listening to this Mozart disc (all I'd add to it is that this particular listen I really enjoyed that vigorous counterpoint in the mass, it comes across as more Baroque than Classical Era in many ways, quite weighty and meaty in some respects) :

I love the _Great Mass,_ and it's a fairly recent acquaintance. I got this recording a few years ago just before attending a concert of it. It didn't take me long to fall in love with it. Pity that he didn't complete it, but we've still got about an hour of great music. As for_ Ave Verum Corpus,_ surely this must be one of Wolfie's most emotional pieces (gets me every time) & not surprisingly its still widely sung at funeral services today.


----------



## ptr

A Blissfull morning!

*Sir Arthur Bliss *

- A Colour Symphony & Introduction and Allegro (Decca Ace of Clubs OOP)









London Symphony u. The Composer

- Theme and Cadenza for Violin & Orchestra & Concerto for Violin and orchestra (Decca Ace of Clubs OOP)









Alfredo Campoli, violin; London Philharmonic u. The Composer

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Op.9, No.1

I Musici with Felix Ayo on violin

View attachment 16557


----------



## Wood

bejart said:


> Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Op.9, No.1
> 
> I Musici with Felix Ayo on violin
> 
> View attachment 16557


I enjoy this album too.

Do you have a view on whether or not Albinoni wrote the 'adagio'? Personally, I think not, as it sounds quite different to his other works (& indeed fairly modern).

However, as you listen very widely to music of this period, I would be interested in your opinion.


----------



## Kieran

PC #25, K503, opening movement, Mitsuko casting her nets, and Jeffrey Tate and English Chamber Orchestra rowing the boat.

It's funny how we discuss these things. I often hear of this concerto that the four-note motif you hear pre-figures Beethoven's fifth symphony, and of course, there is Papageno concealed in one of the main themes, "lurking", as Nicholas Kenyon describes it so well. I wonder if music can fully be appreciated on its own, without reference to anything else or without comparisons?

I don't think so. I don't think that anything exists is isolation, and I don't believe in 'originality.' I think the hems touch. And we use these references as our road maps towards appreciating the process. Anyhow, it's gone into the second movement. I'm listening to the concertos now while reading Cuthbert Girdlestone's expressive and indispensable guide.

Of Mozart's two later C-major piano concertos, this one is the grander, compared to K467. The final movement of this one lives up to the two previous movements better, but the scope of the opening movement is huge. Cuthbert describes this concerto as being his _Jupiter_, among the PC's, which is quite apt in many ways...


----------



## ptr

Guilty Pleasures? 

*Albert Ketèlbey* - "In a Monastery Garden" ~ The Immoral Works of Ketèlbey (London Phase 4 OOP?)









Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus u. Eric Rogers // London festival orchestra & Josef Sakonov, violin

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

ptr said:


> Guilty Pleasures?
> 
> *Albert Ketèlbey* - "In a Monastery Garden" ~ The Immoral Works of Ketèlbey (London Phase 4 OOP?)


Immoral!! - No wonder they're your Guilty Pleasures. 

Probably why my mum always told me off for dropping my T's


----------



## EricABQ

Debussy's preludes book 2 played by Noriko Ogawa from the Rise of the Masters set (the Debussy version of this series is excellent, BTW.)

Last night I had a terrible headache so I took some Excedrin PM and put on Satie's Gnossiennes. Drifting off to a forced sleep while listening to that was pretty nice.


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G major, Op. 33 no. 5
Quatuor Mosaïques 








Michael Finnissy: À propos de Nice (for violin, cello and piano)
New Music Players/Ed Hughes








Antoine Forqueray: Pièces de viole avec la basse continuë--Première Suite in D minor
Jordi Savall, basse de viole
Ton Koopman, harpsichord
Christophe Coin, basse de viole








C. P. E Bach: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, H 545
Amandine Beyer, violin
Edna Stern, piano








Tarquinio Merula: Canzoni, Motteti and Sonate
Ensemble Fitzwilliam


----------



## ptr

More Immor(t)al music!

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Preludes (Selection), Etudes tableaux & Morceaux de fantasie (*Hyperion*)









Nikolai Demidenko, piano

*Carl Nielsen* - Works for Piano (RCA 1968 OOP?)
(Chaconne, Op. 32 / Suite, Op. 45 / Symphonic Suite, Op. 8 / Three Piano Pieces, Op. 59)









John Ogdon, piano

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sudonim

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 16553
> 
> 
> [...] And Roxanna Panufnik's quite superb choral CD - Love Abide


I'll assume this is better than it looks.  

Anyway, right now:









Nominally jazz, but it often shades toward classical ... a really lovely album.

Also, just finished the Beethoven middle quartets - now onto another set by the Quartetto Italiano:


----------



## ptr

One immortal Italian:

*Ottorino Respighi* - Sinfonia Drammatica (*Chandos*)









BBC Philharmonic u. Sir Edward Downes

*Ottorino Respighi* - Ancient Airs and Dances (*Mercury*)









Philharmonia Hungarica u. Antal Dorati

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Concerti, Op. 8, Nos. 7 - 12, with I Solisti Italiani (rec. 1986); *JS Bach*: The Art of Fugue, with Aimard (rec. 2007).

View attachment 16573
View attachment 16574


----------



## rrudolph

This morning I read a review of a local performance of Pierrot Lunaire that I missed because I didn't know about it. I'm now trying to atone for that:

Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire/Webern: 2 Lieder/5 Canons. I didn't listen to the Boulez on this disc as I prefer to listen to the Mallarme pieces in context with the rest of Pli Selon Pli (I think I just gave myself an idea for later listening).









Schoenberg: Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte/Webern: String Trio/Quartet Rondo/Piano Quintet









Schoenberg: String Quartet #4 from this collection. I'll probably listen to some Webern and Berg from this too.


----------



## ptr

*Gösta Nystroem* - The Arctic Sea (Ishavet) / Sinfonia Breve / Sinfonia seria (*Caprice*)









Stockholms filharmoniker u. Peter Erös / Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Sixten Ehrling / Stockholms filharmoniker u. Jukka-Pekka Saraste

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Just discovered a Tuborg hidden at the back of the fridge and found something nice to go with it:


----------



## rrudolph

Pursuant to my previous post:

Boulez: Pli Selon Pli









And as long as I'm listening to composers whose names begin with "B":

Berio: Coro









Babbitt: Piano Concerto/Head of the Bed









(I'll give Babbitt yet another chance even though I still don't "get" his music)


----------



## belfastboy

Tried listening to Babbitt.....can't get it..


----------



## rrudolph

belfastboy said:


> Tried listening to Babbitt.....can't get it..


Oddly enough, I like his electronic stuff just fine. It's the instrumental pieces that don't do anything for me. I feel like I must be missing something...


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Violin Concerti, with Hope/COE (rec.2005); Partitas, Preludes & Fugues, with GG (rec. 1957 - '80).

View attachment 16591
View attachment 16592


----------



## Wood

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

from the Box. The recordings in this set are a bit workmanlike, I wouldn't get another.


Biber: The joyful sonatas

It has been an unplanned early music day today.


----------



## Sonata

Not a lot today yet  I had a physical therapy session at lunch so that limited my listening. Over the last couple days, I listened to disc 5 of Janet Baker: Icon. Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Liszt lieder. Now working on Albeniz: Iberia.


----------



## Crudblud

Today:

Egon Wellesz - Symphony No. 7, Op. 102 'Contra torrentem' (Rabl)
Pierre Boulez - Rituel (Barenboim) / Messagesquisse (members of Orchestre de Paris)
Hugues Dufourt - Antiphusis (Boulez)

Four personal premières.


----------



## ptr

Night Music!

*Einar Englund* - Symphony No 2 and 4 / Piano Concerto No 1 (*Naxos*)









Niklas Sivelöv, piano; Turku Philharmonic Orchestra u. Jorma Panula

/ptr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## DavidA

Schumann Fantasie Argerich


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's 7th Symphony performed by Claudio Abbado/Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## BartokBela

Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux, Quatuor pur la fin du temps & Turangalila symphonie


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of my recent Moeran purchases has arrived!


----------



## Kazaman

Bach, English Suites (Gould)


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Chausson: Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet

















Shostakovich 5 fit the stormy weather this morning.


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, String Quartet op. 28 (Julliard Quartet)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

A powerful performance by Klemperer from 1957.


----------



## Kazaman

Alban Berg, Lyric Suite (LaSalle Quartet)


----------



## Mahlerian

On a several hour-long plane flight today, I got through:

Bach: Goldberg Variations
Gustav Leonhardt

And I decided to follow that up with...
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Stephen Kovacevich

Then...

Hindemith: Kammermusik 7 for Organ and Chamber Orchestra
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado

Webern: Concerto for Nine Instruments
cond. Boulez


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"}, *featuring the James Levine led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Tristan

Lecocq* - La fille du Madame Angot (Ballet suite) - very lively and fun music.

*but seriously, what kind of last name ends in "CQ"? No way can that be an original spelling...


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich. The Bolt suite


----------



## tdc

Albeniz - _Iberia_ performed by Alicia de Larrocha


----------



## Feathers

Mendelssohn!! <3 Symphonies No. 3 and 4 (Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphonies 40 and 41 of Mozart to complete the journey of Mozart's Symphonies. Was a great time full of great music.


----------



## Badinerie

Another Cfp. Schubert. Death and the Maiden...Those old white square cfp's are nice sounding.


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

*Ludwig van Beethoven* - String Quartet No 15 Op 132 & No 16 Op 135 (ASV)









Lindsey String Quartet

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Piano Concerto No 2 & 4 (Warner)









Nikolai Lugansky, piano; City of Birmingham SO u. Sakari Oramo

*Songs And Dances Of Death*; Orchestral Songs by Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korskov, Borodin and Rubinstein (Philips)









Dmitri Hvorostovsky, bar; Kirov orchestra u. Valery Gergiev

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet - Alfred Boskovsky, clarinet, Members of The Vienna Octet


----------



## MagneticGhost

Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius and Holst's Hymn of Jesus


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Piano Quintet Op.34 - Jorg Demus, piano, Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet


----------



## MagneticGhost

A bit more Holst before lunch


----------



## SimonNZ

Ooh..I've got that cd, and its been years since I've played it. Might as well follow your lead.

(in fact I've seriously considered a listening program of only playing what other posters play - if it matches something in my collection - let the dice roll as it will)

and so:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## MagneticGhost

*Holst in NZ*

It's nice to know, as I listen to a less well known Holst piece. That right now - on the other side of the planet - someone else is listening to the same. 
It's a great CD.


----------



## ptr

*Poéme*: Respighi - Poema autunnale for violin & orchestra / Suk - Fantasy Op 24 / Chausson - Poème, Op.25 / Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending (*Decca*)









Julia Fischer, violin; Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo u. Yakov Kreizberg

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Some postprandial Holst now


----------



## ptr

Picking up on the Panufnik spur:

*Sir Andrzej Panufnik* - Arbor Cosmica & Violin Concerto (*DUX*)









Robert Kabara, violin; Sinfonietta Cracovia u. Wojciech Michniewski

*Sir Andrzej Panufnik* - Sinfonia Mistica & Sinfonia Di Sfere (*Explore Records*)









London Symphony Orchestra u. David Atherton

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

From 99 Essential pieces for Cello: *Myakovsky's* very good cello concerto in C minor

Last night while I was cooking dinner: *Mendelssohn's* 1st and 10th string symphonies. I might listen to more again today.


----------



## belfastboy

Extremely loudly - so intense.....


----------



## Sonata

SimonNZ said:


> Ooh..I've got that cd, and its been years since I've played it. Might as well follow your lead.
> 
> (in fact I've seriously considered a listening program of only playing what other posters play - if it matches something in my collection - let the dice roll as it will)
> 
> and so:
> 
> View attachment 16607


Fun idea!


----------



## millionrainbows

rrudolph said:


> This morning I read a review of a local performance of Pierrot Lunaire that I missed because I didn't know about it. I'm now trying to atone for that:
> 
> Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire/Webern: 2 Lieder/5 Canons. I didn't listen to the Boulez on this disc as I prefer to listen to the Mallarme pieces in context with the rest of Pli Selon Pli (I think I just gave myself an idea for later listening).
> 
> View attachment 16575
> 
> 
> Schoenberg: String Quartet #4 from this collection. I'll probably listen to some Webern and Berg from this too.
> 
> View attachment 16577


That's the "$500 Schoenberg" CD which Peter from LA turned me on to. I was able to get a used library copy at a reasonable price. Also, I have the box-set, also OOP, which I picked up new at Borders when they were going under and cleaning out their stock...


----------



## campy

Charles Ives: Symphony #2 (Bernstein/NY Phil. - the 1958 recording on Sony)

The greatest of all claimants to the title of _Great American Symphony_, in *my *opinion.


----------



## ptr

campy said:


> Charles Ives: Symphony #2 (Bernstein/NY Phil. - the 1958 recording on Sony)
> 
> The greatest of all claimants to the title of _Great American Symphony_, in *my *opinion.


And Ives Fourth is an even grater contender IMHO! 

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

The ending of that Holst song (The Dream City, track 27) is just _beautiful_, with her singing over that drone, like Indian music.

Lou Harrison: _Rhymes with Silver_ (New Albion). Originally written for Yo-Yo Ma, this is a series of 12 chamber pieces, featuring violin, viola, cello, piano, and percussion, written for a dance company which traveled with this instrumentation. The pieces are based on rhythmic units, as in Indian music, and use exotic-sounding scales. The music is more melodic and non-harmonic than polyphonic, and sounds like soloists improvising over a rhythmic ground; of course, it is through-composed, but this is the impression it gives. It's very animated music, never boring.


----------



## millionrainbows

ptr said:


> And Ives Fourth is an even greater contender IMHO!
> 
> /ptr


Don't forget the "Holidays Symphony," which is my favored one, available by Bernstein or Tilson-Thomas. Also, there is the "Universe Symphony," and an orchestration called "Concord Symphony;" also on NAXOS an "Emerson Piano Concerto."


----------



## Kazaman

Szymanowski, Piano Sonata no. 2 (Martin Jones)


----------



## Kazaman

Szymanowski, Violin Sonata in D minor (Oistrakh)


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Walkure Act 1 Janowski


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Keyboard Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1058 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Bach: Violin Sonata #7 in G, BWV 1019A -- Trevor Pinnock: Rachel Podger

Beethoven: Octet in E Flat, Op. 103 -- Berliner Philharmoniker

Chopin: Piano Concerto #2 in F Minor, Op. 21 -- Rafal Blechacz; Jerzy Semkow: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53 -- Maxim Vengerov: New York Philharmonic; Maxim Vengerov, Revital Chachamov

...

I've been studying the score of Cherubini's Credo a 8. How has this grand masterpiece fallen out of sight? Cherubini was one of the most sophisticated contrapuntists of the 19th century, and his art and genius are epitomized in this grand work. Maestro Muti, please bring us a great recording!


----------



## Sonata

Britten: Cello Symphony
Dvorak: Piano trio #1

And sampling La Clemenza di Tito a little bit on YouTube


----------



## MagneticGhost

Elgar Symphony No.2
John Barbirolli and the Halle
EMI


----------



## Kieran

Chopin PC#1, Eldar Nebolsin on the old Joanna, Warsaw Philly doing the bidding of Antoni Wit.

I often read that Chopin's orchestration is like bad writing for piano, and his piano composition is as broad as a large orchestra. I understand the second part of this, but was his orchestration really so pedestrian and inarticulate?


----------



## Guest

campy said:


> Charles Ives: Symphony #2 (Bernstein/NY Phil. - the 1958 recording on Sony)
> 
> The greatest of all claimants to the title of _Great American Symphony_, in *my *opinion.


Don't forget about Roy Harris' 3rd Symohony! The Ives is a great symphony for sure, but I think Roy Harris' has a more American feel about it. Tough call though.





(Not my favorite recording, but good sound).


----------



## joen_cph

*Weber: Abu Hassan (1811) / Sawallisch / EMI LP*

Got it as a very cheap LP. But this piece with Turkish exoticism does not really have the charm of Mozart´s "_The Abduction from the Seraglio_" and seems rather pale by comparison. The best part is the quirky ouverture, and Scherchen´s recording ( identical or very similar to this: 



 ) is much better than Sawallisch´s civilized version.









*Mozart: Piano Concertos 18+23 / Eliso Virsaladze / melodiya LP*

Another cheap find from today, but unremarkable. Both the orchestra (without conductor) and the soloist appear rather pale and unengaged, and lack variation in the music-making.

*- Mozart: Symphonies 10,32,39 / Barshai / Melodiya LP*

This on the other hand is great and a bit of a surprise. Very concise and lively playing, the strings somewhat aggressive as often with Barshai´s colleague Mravinsky, but still impressive. Recordings from around 1967-69, but the sound is good.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Saint-Saens Requiem
Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
On Spotify.

It's like learning that Vaughan Williams actually wrote a tenth symphony. 
Love a French requiem - especially when I knew not of it's existence


----------



## Arsakes

*Shostakovich*:
Symphony No.1
Symphony No.2 & 3 (Choral movements)


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

Bernd Alois Zimmermann - Requiem für einen jungen Dichter (Sony OOP?)









Tape, Vlatka Orsanic (sop), James Johnson (bar), Christoph Gründ (organ); Alexander von Schlippenbach Jazz Band, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Cologne Radio Choir, Stuttgart Radio Choir, Slovak Chorus Bratislava, Bratislava City Chorus, SWF-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden u. Michael Gielen

/ptr


----------



## Kazaman

Mahler's Sixth, Bernstein


----------



## DrKilroy

Ambitious plans for tonight:

Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
Messiaen - Turangalila-Symphonie

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata - Richter / Festival Hall / 1975
I remember listening to it on the radio and envying my in-laws who were actually there. Unfortunately there is not room on the disc for his encore, in which he repeated the last movement fugue of the Hammerklavier! 
The performance is incredible!


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> Saint-Saens Requiem
> Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
> On Spotify.
> 
> It's like learning that Vaughan Williams actually wrote a tenth symphony.
> Love a French requiem - especially when I knew not of it's existence


I didn't, either. Heading over to Spotify to check that out.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Symphonies 1 - 4, with BPO/HvK (rec.1964).

View attachment 16618
View attachment 16619
View attachment 16620


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg, String Quartet in D minor, op. 7


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> Saint-Saens Requiem
> Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
> On Spotify.
> 
> It's like learning that Vaughan Williams actually wrote a tenth symphony.
> Love a French requiem - especially when I knew not of it's existence


Try Mercier's S-S Requiem. Closer to the essence (one example--Agnus dei) than Gardiner's, though the work remains fragmented IMO. It's available at YT.

Another Humanist Requiem you might like, Desenclos...also available at YT. Or on TC's YT classical thread, if you prefer. :tiphat:


----------



## Kazaman

Palestrina, Christmas Motet and Mass.


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg, Fantasy for Violin and Piano, op. 47 (Menuhin and Gould)


----------



## Sid James

*Carlos Chavez* _Symphony #6_
- London SO under Eduardo Mata / VoxBox

*Chavez's final symphony *is a worthy bookend to his cycle. Starting off with an expressive theme played on strings that's reminiscent of Brahms, it reads as a set of variations on that central idea. The second movement comes across as somewhat tense and edgy, while the final third movement is contrapuntal (a passacaglia), has many rhythmic changes and also the trademark individual/group solos. It finishes triumphantly on a powerful chord played by the whole orchestra.

I have constantly returned to listening to this set and I love it. To those who don't know Chavez, I would recommend his symphonies to people who like Sibelius and Nielsen. Not only in terms of them being standout composers of their respective countries - much like Chaves was for Mexico - but also with how similar to them he works rigorously and holistically with core themes in each symphony. He is a master of modern symphonic writing, but never loses sight of tradition - be it the thematic unity and contrapuntal qualities of the music of his idols Beethoven and Brahms, or ancient Mexican music, or even things like ancient Greek music (the _Symphony #1 'Sinfonia de Antigona' _employs the ancient modes). In a word, Chavez's music is simply amazing.
*
Zemlinsky*
_Psalm 83 for SATB soloists, choir and orch.
Small scale choral pieces: Fruhingsglaube ; Geheimnis ; Minnelied ; Hochzeitgesang ; Aurikelchen
Fruhlingsbegrabnis, cantata for soprano, baritone, choir and orch._
- Soloists with Musikvereins choir of Dusseldorf and Gurzenich Orchestra of Cologne under James Conlon / EMI

Finishing off the choral music/orchestral songs set of* Zemlinsky.* My favourites here where the decidedly Brahmsian _Psalm 83 _and_ Fruhlingsbegrabnis_ (which was actually written in memory of Brahms upon his death in 1897). But the smaller scale works in between them on this cd are also wonderful pieces. Unique among them is Zemlinsky's only surviving piece written for Jewish liturgy, the _Wedding Song (Hochzeitgesang)._


----------



## opus55

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto
Mahler: Symphony No. 9


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner, Symphony No. 5, Sinopoli.


----------



## Kazaman

Henze, Piano Concerto no. 2 (Eschenbach)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Piano Concertos 5-7 and Rondo K.382.


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven String Quartet op. 18/3, Cleveland Qt.


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectum Mortuorum*

I am listening to selections from these 2 boxes today - Piano and Orchestral works from the Messiaen set and Piano music and songs from the Poulenc collection.


----------



## Kazaman

Shostakovich, Symphony no. 1 (Kondrashin)


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 32
Spohr: String Quartets, Nos. 19 and 22


----------



## ProudSquire

*Claude Debussy* 
Images Oubliees
Francois-Joel Thiollier

*Mozart*
Clarinet Concerto in A Major
Martin Fröst
Amsterdam Sinfonietta


----------



## Novelette

Corelli: Concerto Grosso #11 in B Flat, Op. 6/11 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Gossec: Symphonie A 17 Parties in F -- Diego Fasolis: Lugano Radio Orchestra

Fauré: Violin Sonata #2, Op. 108 in E Minor -- Quatuor Ébène

Scarani: Sonatae Concertante -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Usper: Compositioni Armoniche -- Also, Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Beethoven: Variations On A Swiss Song [Harp Version], WoO 64 -- Marisa Robles

Schein: Padouana a 5 -- Gabrielli Consort & Players

Satie: Croquis Et Agaceries D'Un Gros Bonhomme En Bois -- Daniel Varsano


----------



## Kazaman

Brahms Ballades and Rhapsodies op. 10 (Gould)


----------



## Avey

I may be ridiculed for the exclusivity, but I would hope everyone embarrassingly, and honestly, recognizes the value here.


----------



## Kazaman

Schubert, Die Wintereisse, D. 911, selections (Bostridge and Drake)


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *performed by the Herbert Blomstedt led Staatskapelle Dresden.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring Maestro Blomstedt and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## Feathers

Some of my Classical favourites:

Haydn: Symphony No. 43 (Adam Fischer with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra)

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 (Evgeny Kissin with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra)


and:

Faure: 9 Preludes from Op. 103 (Kathyrn Stott)


----------



## Conor71

*Milhaud: La Creation Du Monde, Op. 81A*


----------



## SimonNZ

starting on a bit of assessing and pruning from two shoeboxes worth of 7" 45rpms

five random selections:

Clifford Curzon playing Franck's Variations Symphoniques
Alexander Uninsky playing five Chopin Mazurkas
Irmgaard Seefried singing three Schubert lieder
Aafje Heynis singing seven Dvorak Gypsy Songs
Rita Streich singing Mozart, Weber and Dvorak's Song To the Moon


----------



## MagneticGhost

Richard Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Badinerie

Easy going morning music...Bit crackly here and there though, might have to replace it but then nahhh! I would miss the crackles I've had the LP that long.


----------



## ptr

Morning Music!

*The Art of Egon Petri* (Four CD's) (*Music & Arts* OOP)









Egon Petri, piano

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Brahms - Ein Deutshes Requiem

JE Gardiner


----------



## moody

ptr said:


> Morning Music!
> 
> *The Art of Egon Petri* (Four CD's) (*Music & Arts* OOP)
> 
> View attachment 16629
> 
> 
> Egon Petri, piano
> 
> /ptr


Now there's a pianist--Busoni's favourite pupil.


----------



## millionrainbows

Leos Janácek (1854-1928): String Quartet No. 1 (1923; after L. Tolstoy's "Kreutzer Sonata")

String Quartet No. 2 (1928; "Intimate Letters") Guarneri Quartet (Philips)

Interesting enough; sounds more Russian than Czeck, like a "Shostakovich Lite." Short repeated motives, rhythmically animated, abrupt changes and contrasts.


----------



## ptr

moody said:


> Now there's a pianist--Busoni's favourite pupil.


And the teacher of many! (His version of Busoni's Fantasia contrappuntistica is sublime!)

/ptr


----------



## Skilmarilion

Glorious music for a sunny day:

*Tchaikovsky* - Violin Concerto


----------



## Kazaman

Wagner, Parsifal (this year's Met production)


----------



## ptr

Music for the afternoon!

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - Piano Concerto & March of Homage (Unicorn Kanchana OOP?









Philip Fowke, piano; Royal Loverpool Philharmonic u. David Atherton

*Bernd Alois Zimmerman*n - Canto di speranza (*ECM*)
(Konzert (1950) für Violine und großes Orchester // Canto di speranza (1952/57) Kantate für Violoncello und kleines Orchester // Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne (1970) Ekklesiastische Aktion für zwei Sprecher, Bass-Solo und Orchester)









Thomas Zehetmair, violin; Thomas Demenga, cello; Gerd Böckmann, voice; Robert Hunger-Bühler, voice; Andreas Schmidt, bass; WDR Sinfonieorchester, Köln u. Heinz Holliger

/ptr


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

The utterly amazing Wagner's *Tannhauser*. 
Sir George Solti.


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Violin Concerto
Anne Sophie-Mutter, Chicago Symphony, cond. Levine


----------



## moody

ptr said:


> And the teacher of many! (His version of Busoni's Fantasia contrappuntistica is sublime!)
> 
> /ptr


I'm sure that you know that he made a number of late recordings for Westminster, I have them but who has the Westminster catalogue now ?
There was a lot of good stuff therein including Edith Farnadi playing masses of Liszt.
Somebody should reissue all these recordings,it was done at one point but very badly and Westminster has disappeared again.


----------



## moody

Sid James said:


> *Carlos Chavez* _Symphony #6_
> - London SO under Eduardo Mata / VoxBox
> 
> *Chavez's final symphony *is a worthy bookend to his cycle. Starting off with an expressive theme played on strings that's reminiscent of Brahms, it reads as a set of variations on that central idea. The second movement comes across as somewhat tense and edgy, while the final third movement is contrapuntal (a passacaglia), has many rhythmic changes and also the trademark individual/group solos. It finishes triumphantly on a powerful chord played by the whole orchestra.
> 
> I have constantly returned to listening to this set and I love it. To those who don't know Chavez, I would recommend his symphonies to people who like Sibelius and Nielsen. Not only in terms of them being standout composers of their respective countries - much like Chaves was for Mexico - but also with how similar to them he works rigorously and holistically with core themes in each symphony. He is a master of modern symphonic writing, but never loses sight of tradition - be it the thematic unity and contrapuntal qualities of the music of his idols Beethoven and Brahms, or ancient Mexican music, or even things like ancient Greek music (the _Symphony #1 'Sinfonia de Antigona' _employs the ancient modes). In a word, Chavez's music is simply amazing.
> *
> Zemlinsky*
> _Psalm 83 for SATB soloists, choir and orch.
> Small scale choral pieces: Fruhingsglaube ; Geheimnis ; Minnelied ; Hochzeitgesang ; Aurikelchen
> Fruhlingsbegrabnis, cantata for soprano, baritone, choir and orch._
> - Soloists with Musikvereins choir of Dusseldorf and Gurzenich Orchestra of Cologne under James Conlon / EMI
> 
> Finishing off the choral music/orchestral songs set of* Zemlinsky.* My favourites here where the decidedly Brahmsian _Psalm 83 _and_ Fruhlingsbegrabnis_ (which was actually written in memory of Brahms upon his death in 1897). But the smaller scale works in between them on this cd are also wonderful pieces. Unique among them is Zemlinsky's only surviving piece written for Jewish liturgy, the _Wedding Song (Hochzeitgesang)._


The "like" is for Eduardo Jumping Bean.


----------



## ptr

moody said:


> I'm sure that you know that he made a number of late recordings for Westminster, I have them but who has the Westminster catalogue now ?
> There was a lot of good stuff therein including Edith Farnadi playing masses of Liszt.
> Somebody should reissue all these recordings,it was done at one point but very badly and Westminster has disappeared again.


I am indeed! I think I have most of Petri's Recordings! Westminster is one of my favourite classic labels aside of Decca/Argo, HMV and Columbia!

The was some Westminster Reissues in the mid 1990's, I think it is the same mothership that owns Decca/Philips/Deutsche Gramophone etc who owns the rights to the recordings and and name. If You search the DG site, it turns out *33* hits on *"Westminster"*, mostly classic Hermann Scherchen cuts!

/ptr


----------



## moody

Novelette said:


> I've had this recording for years, but, anticipating that the music was going to be more than usually heavy, I have avoided it until today. What a pity that I did, it's very fine music indeed!
> 
> Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride -- Marina Shaguch, Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra & Chorus
> 
> I'm also giving this another try:
> 
> Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica
> 
> ...
> 
> Lastly, in honor of Maestro Sir Colin Davis, I will listen to the entirety of his recording of Berlioz's monumental _Les Troyens_: a truly grand opera, composed by a grand composer, conducted by a grand conductor...


If you are giving Das Lied another try it's rather a pity that it is that version ???


----------



## Kieran

The Doyen! 

#20 in d-minor, K466, which was a leap into a future as yet unreached, compared to whatever went before. 

Daniel Barenboim baring his guns on this one, baring his teeth too and grinning like a loon. The Berlin Philly bowed in submission. I've read somewhere that the opening bars of this are reminiscent of a bull pawing the ground. Or maybe I just imagined I read that. I don't care! It's exact and logical, unimpeachable and pot-stirring. 

The music, that is. The bull is possibly imaginary and so couldn't stir shi...


----------



## Cheyenne

Mozart's piano concertos no. 21 and 22.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Symphonies No.94,95,96 and 97.
Pure beauty.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

OrchestrasWaterboy said:


> The utterly amazing Wagner's *Tannhauser*.
> Sir George Solti.
> 
> View attachment 16634


I listened to it this morning.


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*'s Karelian Legend, Op.99

Thanks to the 'Marching order!' thread!


----------



## cwarchc

my alphabetical journey continues:
After the Chopin, it was a collection of "Classical" compilations (freebies from Classic fm, newspapers etc)
Then back onto decent copies: not the best rendition


----------



## ptr

..spending the evening by the organic bach with random works from the following CD's!

*Johann Sebastian Bach*

- A selection of Organ Works (*Signum*)









David Goode @ the 1714 Silbermann Organ of Freiberg Cathedral, Germany

- Organ Works, Vol. 1 (*Chandos Chaconne*)









Piet Kee @ the Müller organ of St. Bavo, Haarlem, Holland

- Organ Attributions (*Hyperion*)









Christopher Herrick @ the Metzler organ of Pfarrkirche St Michael, Kaisten, Switzerland

- Early Organ Works (*MDG*)









Harald Vogel @ the Schnitger Organ St. Peter und Paul, Cappel, Germany

- Pathos & Freude - Organ Works by (*Audite*)









Martin Sander @ the Wagner Organ of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway

/ptr


----------



## DavidA

Just listening t o the Met Seigfried broadcast. I initially mistook Seigfried for Mime. But he has improved a bit. But Brunnhilde is singing flat. Maybe she needs to wake up properly!


----------



## DavidA

DavidA said:


> Just listening t o the Met Seigfried broadcast. I initially mistook Seigfried for Mime. But he has improved a bit. But Brunnhilde is singing flat. Maybe she needs to wake up properly!


Oh dear! Voigt horribly missed last note at climax of duet.


----------



## moody

cwarchc said:


> my alphabetical journey continues:
> After the Chopin, it was a collection of "Classical" compilations (freebies from Classic fm, newspapers etc)
> Then back onto decent copies: not the best rendition
> View attachment 16643
> View attachment 16644
> 
> 
> View attachment 16645
> View attachment 16646


The Julian Lloyd Webber should be good.


----------



## Novelette

Weber: Der Freischütz -- Gundula Janowitz, Edith Mathis; Carlos Kleiber: Staatskapelle Dresden, Leipzig Radio Chorus

^ Every time I listen to Weber, I become more and more impressed. Is it any wonder that virtually all of the great composers of the 19th century paid homage to his works? The Wolf's Glen scene, at the end of Act 2, is among the most outstandingly evocative scenes in the entire operatic repertory, in my opinion! 

Liszt: Les Préludes, S 511A -- Leslie Howard

Haydn: String Quartet #68 in D Minor, Op. 103, H 3/83 -- Kodály Quartet


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Schwanengesang, S.560 - piano transcriptions after Schubert - No.4 Ständchen (Serenade)
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Cantiones Sacrae Op.4 - Capella Augustana


----------



## Celloissimo

DavidA said:


> Just listening t o the Met Seigfried broadcast. I initially mistook Seigfried for Mime. But he has improved a bit. But Brunnhilde is singing flat. Maybe she needs to wake up properly!


I've also been following the Met streamings. I think it's about time they go look for a real Heldentenor rather than Jay Hunter Morris. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweet guy, but his voice is not meant to sing Siegfried. in fact, I think having him sing such a demanding role that isn't fit for him is damaging his voice.

What did you think of his "Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!" aria? I personally found it to be lacking. Wagner attributed strong accents in that aria and Morris didn't have the vocal power to create any of them.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Franz Liszt, by Murray Perahia.*


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Myaskovsky's* (1881 - 1950) birthday, Piano Sonatas 1 - 6 with MacLachlan (rec. 1988), Piano Sonatas 7 - 9 with Hegedus (rec.1988).

View attachment 16657
View attachment 16658
View attachment 16660


----------



## SimonNZ

Hmmm...it looks like my plan of listening to all of the Schutz Opus numbers in order is about to hit a brick wall.

It seems there is no studio recording - by anyone at any time - of the 160 psalm-settings that make up the Op.5 "Becker Psalter". Stranger still I can't find selections or even a single individual psalm from SWV 097-256 in some collection.

So much for that idea, then. Or am I missing something?


----------



## AClockworkOrange

My Exploration of Mahler continues with his 6th Symphony - Abbado/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

This is the first opportunity I have had to listen to this Symphony and it has been worth the wait. I will be listening to this version for a little while yet before listening to Bernstein (NYPO) and Tennstedt's (LPO) interpretations of the piece. I spent more time than I thought possible trying to choose which interpretation to listen to first. 

Abbado just edged ahead of Tennstedt by a cats whisker. The Abbado recording is excellent, the Berlin Philharmonic is in excellent form as is Abbado himself. Though I'm certain Tennstedt and Bernstein will not disappoint (an understatement, clearly) but Claudio sets the bar high indeed. 

Before Mahler's 6th Symphony, I listened to Schubert's 3rd, 5th & 8th Symphonies by Harnoncourt/Royal Concertgebouew Orchestra. The 3rd particularly stood out, superb.


----------



## Sid James

This was the weekend's listening (warning: another long post ahead!) -










*Bruckner *_Symphony #9 in D minor_
- Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam under Bernard Haitink / Philips

Starting off with the pinnacle of *Bruckner's* symphonic output, his ninth symphony. I think this work is simply a masterpiece (along with his 8th symphony), and like those ancient Greek statues, incomplete but a magnificent torso all the same. However I find it a hard slog, especially all the doom and gloom, the feeling of a man about to meet his maker and having little time to say what he wants to say, to get things off his chest. The scherzo has this frenetic and psychopathic quality - the plucking in it coming across as the _Pizzicato Polka _on acid or some such thing - and parts of the magnificent Adagio make me think of those medieval pictures of the last judgment, of the fires of hell. But all is redeemed by those brass fanfares that punctuate this movement, they do speak to me of some sort of hope or solace.

Incidentally, I was discussing my memories of this recording on this thread in recent weeks, with Manxfeeder and Vaneyes. I thought this was a very dark interp and they said they didn't find it that dark, relatively speaking. I kind of agree with them now. Its been so long since I'd heard this (& it was a joy). For one thing, there is this lush string sonority here that is unique, maybe that was what made it come across for me as more mellow than I thought, or not as extremely high octane.










*Rachmaninov *_Suite #2 for two pianos, Op. 17_
- Howard Shelley & Hilary Macnamara, pianos / Hyperion

An interlude with *Rachmaninov. *The second suite for two pianos came 10 years after the first one, and has a decidedly Neo-Classical feel. Unlike the first suite that had movements inspired by poetry, the second suite is purely formal, its movements consisting of a march, a waltz, a romance and a dance. But this is thematically very tight, just like the first suite. My favourite parts where the flighty waltz reminiscent of Chopin and the concluding _Tarantella_ which is like a combination of Italian and Russian musics - Rach couldn't help but sneak in his trademark bell sonorities in here, and they round off the suite in fine fashion.









*
Stravinsky* _Oedipus Rex, Opera-Oratorio in Two Acts_
- Sir Ralph Richardson, narrator ; Cast incl. Ronald Dowd, tenor (Oedipus) ; Raimund Herincx, bass-baritone (Creon) ; Patricia Johnson, mezzo-soprano (Jocasta) ; Sadler's Wells Opera Chorus (men's chorus) ; Royal PO under Sir Colin Davis / EMI

Finally, a listen to this* Stravinsky* recording as tribute for the recently departed *Sir Colin Davis*. This recording comes from his brief period in the early 1960's working with Sadler's Wells Opera.

With this work, Stravinsky aimed to avoid the high drama of grand opera and the melodrama of verismo and go back to the roots of drama itself. _Oedipus Rex_ is a minimalistic opera with a bare set, with no action and is extremely concise (under an hour). The characters are dressed to look like statues and the action is conveyed by a narrator who is like a reporter or journalist - a witness to events but not part of them. He tells the story in the language of the listeners (in this case, in English) while the singing is in Latin (what Stravinsky called a language turned to stone).

Indeed, this dichotomy between detachment and expressing the deepest of emotions is at the heart of this work. Stravinsky uses the most basic of devices to heightened effect. For example, when Oedipus finally realizes that his life has been lived under a web of falsehoods and distorted perceptions, he gently sings "Lux facta est" (the truth is revealed) accompanied by a descending arpeggio in the key of B. This is the climax of the whole story, its so restrained but so loaded with emotion at the same time.

When I first heard this work, I didn't connect with it at all, I thought it boring. For one thing, this piece influenced Carl Orff's _Carmina Burana_ (composed 10 years later) and I was expecting something similar. But _Oedipus Rex_ is quite different, in essence its more kind of dark, introverted and psychological. & one thing is that the story itself has many eternal truths, such as the pivotal moment when Oedipus was at the crossroads of Trivium and killed his father without knowing it. Such is life that often in hindsight we realize that we took a wrong turn, and we can't reverse that decision, we've just got to live with it, for better or worse.


----------



## Kazaman

Berg, Violin Concerto (Zimmerman, conducted by Gatti)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been listening to a number of various recordings of Mozart's violin concertos recently. I especially enjoy Manze's recordings which more than make clear what a leap the last three of these concertos were. These three concertos, written while the composer was only 19 years old, are among the first works that show the leap from the music of a brilliant child prodigy to the music of a compositional genius. many have spoken of Mozart's amazing facility in playing the violin, and his own father suggested that his son was not even half aware of just how good he was as a violinist. Just as one wishes that Beethoven had continued to compose concertos for the piano when one considers the genius of what he achieved in the genre rather early in his career, so one might equally wish that Mozart had not turned his back upon the violin.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I only recently picked up a copy of this disc myself, although I haven't gotten around to playing it. Like yourself... (we've discussed this in the past)... I've been slow to warming to later Stravinsky. I've rarely disliked his work. I just haven't been overly enamored of it either. I hope that I'll find the work as strong as you suggest.


----------



## DeepR

It's time for another late-night-random-lesser-known-symphony-on-youtube-session.... I'm starting to like these sessions.


----------



## Kazaman

Ysaye, Violin Sonata no. 3 (Vengerov)


----------



## Kazaman

Shostakovich, Cello Concerto no. 1 (Rostropovich)


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven Symphony #6, Nanut/Ljubljana.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still delving through the old beloved "classics"... some that I haven't heard for some time. Some brilliantly played late Beethoven sonatas:


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *featuring James Levine and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88.* Both works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Witold Rowicki.


----------



## TheVioletKing

Wagner and more Wagner


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Hmmm...it looks like my plan of listening to all of the Schutz Opus numbers in order is about to hit a brick wall.
> 
> It seems there is no studio recording - by anyone at any time - of the 160 psalm-settings that make up the Op.5 "Becker Psalter". Stranger still I can't find selections or even a single individual psalm from SWV 097-256 in some collection.
> 
> So much for that idea, then. Or am I missing something?


=\ I wish I could help.

It's a crime that there remains so much excellent music that remains to be recorded. Last year I studied the music of Palestrina, I pored over thousand of pages of sheet music... Yet less than 1/20th of it had ever been recorded. A terrible shame, because much of it was nothing short of genius.

Schutz and Palestrina deserve better. Let alone Lassus, Dufay, Cherubini, Rameau, and Martini!


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> =\ I wish I could help.
> 
> It's a crime that there remains so much excellent music that remains to be recorded. Last year I studied the music of Palestrina, I pored over thousand of pages of sheet music... Yet less than 1/20th of it had ever been recorded. A terrible shame, because much of it was nothing short of genius.
> 
> Schutz and Palestrina deserve better. Let alone Lassus, Dufay, Cherubini, Rameau, and Martini!


I definitely wish I knew pre-Baroque music better than I do. I have a great deal of respect for it, but it seems very unfamiliar to me.

Webern: Lieder Op 3 and Op 4
Heather Harper, Charles Rosen

Truly otherworldly.


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> I definitely wish I knew pre-Baroque music better than I do. I have a great deal of respect for it, but it seems very unfamiliar to me.


It's difficult to get into. My entry into the Baroque was the middle-to-late French masters Campra, Rameau, Destouches, Lully, Balbastre, Couperin [Francois and Louis], Dandrieu, etc.

At the time, I was fascinated with French history, and could easily relate the music to the events. I have to admit that it was incredibly interesting listening to Rameau's Naïs and imagining the occasioned celebration of the conclusion of the War of Austrian Succession. The historical context gave the music an especially interesting aspect to it.


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian, you might enjoy this particularly thrilling overture.






The opera, Zais [distinct from Nais], was recorded only in the 1970's on LP. A CD version was released in the late 80's, but was issued in such a small quantity, that the CD's were completely unobtainable. I wanted this opera so badly, I scoured the web for years hoping that at least one copy of the CD's would turn up--but alas, to no avail. However, the overture itself was frequently recorded.

Then, by some miracle, some websites decided to begin selling MP3 versions of this opera. Needless to say, I purchased it immediately, and have enjoyed this very rare opera to my heart's content!


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, Vier Lieder, op. 12 (Christiane Oelze)


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Mahlerian, you might enjoy this particularly thrilling overture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The opera, Zais [distinct from Nais], was recorded only in the 1970's on LP. A CD version was released in the late 80's, but was issued in such a small quantity, that the CD's were completely unobtainable. I wanted this opera so badly, I scoured the web for years hoping that at least one copy of the CD's would turn up--but alas, to no avail. However, the overture itself was frequently recorded.
> 
> Then, by some miracle, some websites decided to begin selling MP3 versions of this opera. Needless to say, I purchased it immediately, and have enjoyed this very rare opera to my heart's content!


Thanks for the link, but I did say _pre-_Baroque...


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Thanks for the link, but I did say _pre-_Baroque...


So you did! Maybe I _do_ need glasses after all.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

It is perhaps telling that on the thread devoted to expendable or "hated" composers, operatic composers (Handel, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Offenbach, Vivaldi, Donizetti, etc... fared so "well". It only reinforces my belief that there is a good deal of bias against opera... and classical vocal music in general... on TC.

Personally, I'm glad I need no ever make the choice to go without Puccini.










This is indeed a marvelous disc. But then I've had a thing for Kristine Opolais since I saw her lust performance in _La Traviata_:


----------



## Kazaman

Lili Boulanger, Nocturne for Violin and Piano


----------



## Kazaman

Ligeti, String Quartet no. 2 (Arditti Quartet)


----------



## Kazaman

Weinberg, Cello Sonata no. 3, op. 106 (Yablonsky)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I definitely wish I knew pre-Baroque music better than I do. I have a great deal of respect for it, but it seems very unfamiliar to me.

These are among some of the finest "pre-Baroque" recordings... IMO:













Just scrapes the surface... but its a good introduction.


----------



## SimonNZ

I've got that Eton Choirbook box from The Sixteen lined up for my next set of purchasses from Presto. Glad to see you're recommending it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Also: its a little off topic but I have to ask everyone here, for reasons which may become clear later:

Is anyone here a really big fan of Couperin, or know of someone here who is?


----------



## Kazaman

Berg, String Quartet op. 3 (Kohon Quartet)

Exploring a new-to-me recording.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Brahms *
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor
Solti


----------



## Mahlerian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> These are among some of the finest "pre-Baroque" recordings... IMO:
> Just scrapes the surface... but its a good introduction.


Thanks. I'd trust your advice here for sure. I've heard some of the pieces, of course, and bits from the major composers, but I need to really dig deeper.


----------



## Conor71

Conor71 said:


> *Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectum Mortuorum*
> 
> I am listening to selections from these 2 boxes today - Piano and Orchestral works from the Messiaen set and Piano music and songs from the Poulenc collection.


More of the same today


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: 6 Gedichte & Requiem, Op. 90 -- Graham Johnson & Felicity Lott

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Minor, K 304 -- Itzhak Perlman & Daniel Barenboim

Mozart: Piano Quartet #2 in E Flat, K 493 -- Guarneri Quartet & Artur Rubinstein

Haydn: Concerto for 2 Lire Organizzate #3 in G, H 7H/2 -- Helmut Muller-Bruhl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Haydn, Michael: Missa In Honorem Sanctae Ursulae, "Chiemsee-Messe" -- Robert King: The King's Consort


----------



## DavidA

Celloissimo said:


> I've also been following the Met streamings. I think it's about time they go look for a real Heldentenor rather than Jay Hunter Morris. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweet guy, but his voice is not meant to sing Siegfried. in fact, I think having him sing such a demanding role that isn't fit for him is damaging his voice.
> 
> What did you think of his "Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!" aria? I personally found it to be lacking. Wagner attributed strong accents in that aria and Morris didn't have the vocal power to create any of them.


Only heard the last act. I thought he did quite well towards the end but his voice is light for the part. Wagner didn't seem to know how to write for the voice. Some parts are far too heavy for most singers to sing. Siegfried is on the stage nearly all the opera singing heavy declamatory music. No wonder there are so few singers who can sing it. I know getting a Siegfried was the absolute bane of John Culshaw's life when he recorded the ring.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak, Janacek and Martinu lieder - Gabriela Benackova, soprano, Rudolf Firkunsky, piano


----------



## Conor71

*Saint-Saens: Symphony In A Major*

One of my listening projects at the moment is listening to different composers in groups by nationality. Im not really hoping to learn anything from doing it, I just find it fun to see how long I can keep a theme running for before I want to move onto something else . The last few days I have been listening to French composers - earlier I listened to some Messiaen and Poulenc and now I have some Saint-Saens and Dukas lined up for the next few hours:


----------



## SiegendesLicht

TheVioletKing said:


> Wagner and more Wagner


That sounds good. And which works exactly?


----------



## cwarchc

moody said:


> The Julian Lloyd Webber should be good.


Moody, there's something about this recording.
It seems a bit lifeless and dull.
I don't know if it's how it's been engineered or the playing. 
It is not something that drives me to want to listen to more of Webber's playing?


----------



## moody

cwarchc said:


> Moody, there's something about this recording.
> It seems a bit lifeless and dull.
> I don't know if it's how it's been engineered or the playing.
> It is not something that drives me to want to listen to more of Webber's playing?


That's a pity because I like him,but I don't know this particular recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio - Gryphon Trio

edit ten minutes later:

and now first of the after-midnight full-cds is Haitink conducting Richard Strauss


----------



## bejart

Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730): Flute Sonata No.10 in E Minor

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord

View attachment 16690


----------



## ptr

Having a Rachmaninoff afternoon:

*Sergei Rachmanonoff*:

- Piano Concerto No 1 & 3 (*Warner Classics*)









Nikolai Lugansky, piano; CBSO u. Sakari Oramo

- Songs (*Chandos*)









Sergej Leiferkus, baritone & Howard Shelley, piano

- Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op.31 (*Philips*)









St Petersburg Chamber Choir u. Nikolai Korniev

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Die Zauberflote
Schubert: String Quartet No. 10 (Smetana Quartet in Lugano, 1979.03.19)


----------



## Badinerie

Whilst the family are out shopping...Bliss! Camploli LPO. Introduction and Allegro. Its on an old Decca Eclipse lp with the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra plus the Theme and Cadenza for V&A. I have a Beulah Cd which has the latter pair but misses out the Introduction and Allegro,and inserts Tchaikovsky's Violin concerto, for shame! :lol:


----------



## EricABQ

Liszt's arrangement of Beethoven's 7th played by Cyprien Katsaris. 

This is a piece I seemingly never get tired of. I listen to it at least weekly and it is always exciting.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday/baptism ---
Antonín Kammel (Bap. 21 April 1730-1787): String Quartet No.2 in E Flat

The Schein String Quartet: Staffan Schein and Joel Sundin, violins -- Ingegard Rittberg-Schein, viola -- Lars Kristiansson, cello

View attachment 16700


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Bruno Maderna's* (1920 - 1973) birthday, Quadrivium, Aura, Biogramma, with NDRSO/Sinopoli (rec.1979); For Strings, with Arditti Qt. (rec.1992 - '95).

View attachment 16696
View attachment 16697


----------



## Arsakes

*Mahler*'s Symphony No.2 in C minor


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, Concerto for Nine Instruments (Boulez, LSO)


----------



## Kazaman

Prokofiev, Piano Concerto no. 5 in G major (Richter and the Warsaw Philharmonic)


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: 10 Themes and Variations for Flute and Piano, Op.107

Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute -- Robert Veyron-Lacroix, piano

View attachment 16699


----------



## millionrainbows

SimonNZ said:


> Also: its a little off topic but I have to ask everyone here, for reasons which may become clear later:
> 
> Is anyone here a really big fan of Couperin, or know of someone here who is?


I haven't explored Couperin, but I just love the Anthony Newman version of "Les Mysteriouse Barricades." It was originally released on a Columbia Masterworks LP, which has never been issued on CD in its entirety. However, the one Couperin piece is available on this CD: NPR Milestones of the Millennium: The Triumph of the Piano - From Bach to Bartok


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Thanks. I'd trust your advice here for sure. I've heard some of the pieces, of course, and bits from the major composers, but I need to really dig deeper.


Mahlerian, if you want to read about early music, this textbook is good: The Development of Western Music by K. Marie Stolba. About 3/4 of the book is devoted to a detailed account. It can be found used for dirt-cheap.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven sonata op2 no3 richter


----------



## Flamme




----------



## millionrainbows

Novelette said:


> Mahlerian, you might enjoy this particularly thrilling overture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The opera, Zais [distinct from Nais], was recorded only in the 1970's on LP. A CD version was released in the late 80's, but was issued in such a small quantity, that the CD's were completely unobtainable. I wanted this opera so badly, I scoured the web for years hoping that at least one copy of the CD's would turn up--but alas, to no avail. However, the overture itself was frequently recorded.
> 
> Then, by some miracle, some websites decided to begin selling MP3 versions of this opera. Needless to say, I purchased it immediately, and have enjoyed this very rare opera to my heart's content!


Apparently the link provided is not the same CD you mentioned, as this one is available in SACD as well as CD. 
What is the particular late 80s CD you are referring to, and is it the same as the LP and MP3, or are you just generally referring to the opera and its availability in whatever form?


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, 8 Early Lieder (Oelze, Soprano)

Webern's lieder are invaluable treasures.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Gatti (1741-1817: Bassoon Concerto in F Major

Fausto Pedretti leading the Orchestra da Camera del Conservatorio di Musici di Mantova -- Stefano Canuti, bassoon

View attachment 16703


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, Symphony op. 21 (Boulez, LSO)


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Jean Langlais* - Les Années 70 (*Festivo*)










Marie-Louise Langlais & Sylvie Mallet at the Grosse Orgel & Walpenorgel Hofkirche, Luzern

*Jean Langlais* - the Legendary, his last improvisations (*Festivo*)










Jean Langlais aux Grandes Orgues de la Basilique Sainte-Clotilde à Paris

/ptr


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, Canatas op. 29 and 31 (Boulez, Oelze and the Berlin Philharmonic)


----------



## BaronAlstromer

Jean-Baptiste Lully-Fanfare pour le Carrousel Royal


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Violin Concerto in D Major

Libor Pesek conducting the Dvork Chamber Orchestra -- Shizuka Ishikawa, violin

View attachment 16705


----------



## Kazaman

Bach: Cantata BWV 70, "Wachet! Betet!" (Karl Richter)


----------



## Flamme




----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Lohengrin* - Rudolf Kempe and Wiener Philarmoniker/Jess Thomas/Elisabeth Grümmer/Dietrich Fischer Dieskau.


----------



## Kazaman

Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata no. 6 in D minor (Stefan Bleicher)


----------



## Novelette

Spohr - Overture to Faust, Op. 60 -- Alfred Walter: Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra

Albrechtsberger - Duet for Violin and Cello #1 in C -- Maria Zsiri Szabo & Gyorgy Deri

Dandrieu: Offertoire sur les grands jeux pour la fête de Pâques -- Pierre Bardon

Lassus: Requiem à 5 -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

Méhul: Symphony #3 in C -- Michel Swierczewski: Orchestra of the Gulbenkian Foundation


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, KV 581

Vlastimil Mares on clarinet with Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 16708


----------



## Feathers

Liszt


----------



## SimonNZ

millionrainbows said:


> I haven't explored Couperin, but I just love the Anthony Newman version of "Les Mysteriouse Barricades." It was originally released on a Columbia Masterworks LP, which has never been issued on CD in its entirety. However, the one Couperin piece is available on this CD: NPR Milestones of the Millennium: The Triumph of the Piano - From Bach to Bartok


Thanks for that, but I wasn't asking if anyone was or knew of a big Couperin fan because I was needing info or recommendations. Its because I've got something in my collection that I'll probably have to add to the culling pile at some point, but it - or rather they - are a bit special, so I'd like to see them go to a good home. If there was someone here who loves Couperin and would recognise what they were - and if they still play vinyl - then I'd probably send them off for free.


----------



## Kieran

K608, for two pianos, in this instant being kneaded and pummelled by Radu Lapu and Murray Perahia. This was one of those compositions than Mozart loathed working on, for a mechanical organ or some clockwork gimmick contraption. But his wife was ill and it paid, although he didn't know that he wasn't long left for this mortal coil himself. Busy man at the death, literally.

Busoni arranged this for two pianos and it's incredible...


----------



## MagneticGhost

I'm up to Das Rheingold. This Sawallisch is just as good as the Solti.


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith, Sancta Susanna, op. 21 (Albrecht directing the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> I'm up to Das Rheingold. This Sawallisch is just as good as the Solti.
> 
> View attachment 16709


I'm not a great opera fan, but the opening of this one is glorious. Wagner is know for his chromaticisms, but he goes for 136 bars on just an Eb chord! :tiphat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listening earlier today:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

MagneticGhost said:


> I'm up to Das Rheingold. This Sawallisch is just as good as the Solti.
> 
> View attachment 16709


Ummm.... no.


----------



## pjang23

Hummel's chamber music is fantastic


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've only listened to a few symphonies and a number of piano concertos (and a choral work). Hummel is certainly someone I'd like to explore more of.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some brilliant Baroque violin sonatas... with some marvelous unexpected elements of dissonance... that almost suggest Arabic of Indian music at times.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.25 in C Major, Op.20, No.2

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 16712


----------



## opus55

Szymanowski: Symphonies, Nos 2 and 3
Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Piano Quintet - Beaux Arts Trio with Samuel Rhodes, viola, and Dolf Bettelheim, violin


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"}.* All three symphonies feature Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16713
> 
> 
> Schumann's Piano Quintet - Beaux Arts Trio with Samuel Rhodes, viola, and Dolf Bettelheim, violin


There was a performance of Schumann's Piano Quintet in Wellington just last week, also Beethoven's 6th String Quartet. Yes, I am so starved for good performances in this place, that I look longing at the concert offerings in what is virtually my antipode.


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: La Sonnambula -- Cecilia Bartoli; Alessandro De Marchi: Orchestra La Scintilla, Zurich Opera Chorus

Cherubini: Lodoïska -- Jérémie Rhorer: Le Cercle de l'Harmonie

Excellent music, the both of them!


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E minor





Via Youtube. I was posting this in another thread and was only going to listen to a bit before moving on, but it just grabbed me and I can't stop.


----------



## Feathers

Chopin: The 4 Impromptus (Rubinstein)
The third one is still my favourite.


----------



## Feathers

pjang23 said:


> Hummel's chamber music is fantastic





Mahlerian said:


> Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E minor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Via Youtube. I was posting this in another thread and was only going to listen to a bit before moving on, but it just grabbed me and I can't stop.


It's so great when I click Youtube links posted here simply out of curiosity and end up absolutely loving what I hear.


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette: "There was a performance of Schumann's Piano Quintet in Wellington just last week, also Beethoven's 6th String Quartet. Yes, I am so starved for good performances in this place, that I look longing at the concert offerings in what is virtually my antipode. "

It seems they're going all around the country but not to Christchurch. That's almost certainly because they couldn't get a venue, or one at the right time. Following the series of earthquakes we had a couple of years back there are now only a small number of small venues where concerts like these can be held. Most of the chamber music performances are now held in some school hall or such.

Looks like the next one for me is going to be Korngold and Shostakovich Piano Trios on May 7th.

What part of Florida are you in?

current listening:









Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame - Jeremey Summerly, Oxford Camerata

(reply with quote didn't work for some reason)


----------



## worov

Satie : Gymnopédie no 2, performed by Pascal Rogé


----------



## MagneticGhost

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Ummm.... no.


:lol:
That's told me then.
Care to elaborate.

Anyway, a slight caveat to my comment. I've not listened to it all yet. But there was an overall ambience and immediacy in the Sawallisch opening. Maybe it's because it's a live recording. I'm not saying that the whole of Sawallisch's ring is as good as the Solti, although I didn't make it very clear.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Hindemith - Ludus Tonalis 
Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Liszt's Totentanz - Valentina Lisitsa, piano

edit half an hour later - now on the radio:









Glazunov's Violin Concerto - Itzhak Perlman, violin, Zubin Mehta, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Poulenc: Mazurka, FP 145*

Now playing Disc 19 of this big box - I really like editions like this which have collected works of a Composer. I took a bit of a chance with this one but I am glad I did as the music I have sampled so far has been really nice. The disc I am playing is 1 of 4 or 5 devoted to the Composers vocal works and I have found myself really enjoying it!.


----------



## Sonata

Time to play catch-up on my last few days of listening:

I was listening to a lot of *Grieg* over the weekend and I expect that may continue for a few days:
-Sigurd Jorsalfar
-Three Piano pieces
-String Quartet in G Minor
-Symphonic Dances

Some *Beethoven*:
-Cello Sonata #4
-Piano Sonata #24

*Dvorak*, piano trios #s 1 and 2

*
Mendelssohn*: String symphonies #s 1 & 10


----------



## MagneticGhost

Nielson's Fifth Symphony


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quintets from Op. 25--No. 1 in D minor, No. 2 in E flat major, No. 3 in A major and No. 4 in C major
La Magnifica Comunità 








Michael Finnissy: Kritik der Urteilskraft, (fl,clar,vln,vcl,pno)
New Music Players/Ed Hughes








Alessandro Stradella: Chi resiste al Dio bendato--Sereneta a 3 voci
Alessandro Stradella Consort/Estevan Velardi








Philipp Heinrich Erlebach: Süße Freundschaft, edles Band 
Capricornus Consort Basel/Peter Barczi


----------



## ptr

Only random listening so far today due to readying the garden for spring..

*William Mathias* - Symphony No 1 Op 31 & No 2 Op 90 (Summer Music) (*Nimbus*)









BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra u. William Mathias

*Robert Schumann* - Symphony No 1 Op 38 'Spring' & No 3 Op 97 'Rhenish' (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Orchestre des Champs-Élysées u. Philippe Herreweghe

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

John Corigliano (192: Violin Sonata, Etude Fantasy, Fantasy on an Ostinato, Chairoscuro. Andrew Russo, piano, Corey Cerovsek, violin (Black Box/Sanctuary Classics).

One of my favorite modern recordings. Russo is a fantastic pianist. I want more of him. I like this label, too.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Novelette: "There was a performance of Schumann's Piano Quintet in Wellington just last week, also Beethoven's 6th String Quartet. Yes, I am so starved for good performances in this place, that I look longing at the concert offerings in what is virtually my antipode. "
> 
> It seems they're going all around the country but not to Christchurch. That's almost certainly because they couldn't get a venue, or one at the right time. Following the series of earthquakes we had a couple of years back there are now only a small number of small venues where concerts like these can be held. Most of the chamber music performances are now held in some school hall or such.
> 
> Looks like the next one for me is going to be Korngold and Shostakovich Piano Trios on May 7th.
> 
> What part of Florida are you in?


Yikes, that's terrible. Has restoration proceeded apace? Surely they would not leave Christchurch without a commodious venue?

I live in South Florida, on the west coast. Everything happens on the east coast, but little here. =\


----------



## rrudolph

Starting off with some Bach cantatas:

Cantatas 28, 68, 85, 175, 183









Working myself up to the B minor Mass, which I have to perform in 2 weeks. I'll be playing along with this recording tonight after I dig out my baroque timpani:









I saw a short piece on NHK last night about Suzuki conducting members of the NY Philharmonic in a Bach program. I usually try to avoid coming off like a HIP fanatic (after all, I've played Bach on vibes and marimba), but I have to say that even though the playing was excellent the sound seemed all wrong to me. I'm glad I'm doing a period performance. (Not trying to stir up any controversy, just my opinion).


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Mass #4 in C, D 452 -- Ulrich Backofen: Virtuosi di Praga, Prague Chamber Orchestra

Bruckner: Symphony #3 in D Minor -- Herbert Kegel: Radio Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig

Shostakovich: String Quartet #4 in D, Op. 83 -- Borodin Quartet

Lyapunov: Piano Sonata in F Minor -- Karl-Andreas Kolly


----------



## ptr

*Sergei Prokofiev* - Symphony No 1 Op Op 25 (From the complete set) (*Philips*)









London Symphony u. Valery Gergiev

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - *Seven Preludes from 24 Preludes* Op 34 arr. Yevgeny Strakhov (1909-1978) & _*Five Pieces from The Gadfly*_ Op 97 arr. Vadim Borisovsky (1900-1972) from 'Music for viola and piano' (*Hyperion*)









Lawrence Power,viola & Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

John Taverner - Western Wynd Mass

On my iPod. Can't remember the performer. But it's a gem


----------



## Sudonim

Well, in honor of Hitler's birthday this past Saturday I'd hoped to listen to some Mendelssohn, Mahler, maybe Schoenberg ... but, alas, Saturday was not a good day for any listening at all.

However! Last night I finished Karajan's Bruckner cycle - excellent - and began this one:









As I begin this - my first encounter with Schnittke's music - I'm struck by how reminiscent it is of modern free improvisation, particularly larger-scale work like Anthony Braxton's various 1970s projects or Barry Guy's London Jazz Composers Orchestra. It's especially Braxton-like in its wit and its straight-faced nods to the past. Anyone who likes Schnittke, it seems to me, would have little trouble getting into works like Braxton's _Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978_ or some of Guy's LJCO projects. Anyway, one of the things I love about it so far is that I have absolutely no idea what to expect next.


----------



## Sonata

*Grieg*: Heart's Melodies, and Six Poems by Henrik Ibsen. Piano sonata in E Minor
*Shostakovich*: Symphony #8


----------



## Cheyenne

Heifetz playing Bruch's first violin concerto and scottish fantasy.


----------



## Crudblud

Scattered and vaguely recalled listenings of the past few days:
Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Reiner) _[I'm sure I'll run this in to the ground at some point soon]_
Igor Stravinsky - L'histoir du Soldat / Ebony Concerto (Boulez) _[See above]_
Gerard Griséy - Modulations (Boulez)
Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 5 (Davis) _[Radio 3]_

Currently: Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 3 in D major, D. 200 (Minkowski)

Hearing the 3rd on Radio 3 while making some bread a couple of days ago prompted me to seek out a Schubert cycle. I remember not caring for much besides the 8th previously, but I seemed to hear the 3rd with fresh ears that day. It is, indeed, good head-bopping music.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Staying with Mr Taverner
This is an absolutely awesome recording. In context, as it would likely have been heard.


----------



## Feathers

(On the Radio) *Barber: Violin Concerto* (James Ehnes and Bramwell Tovey with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## cwarchc

I've managed to get to E on my journey
So far it's been:


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Piano Quartet in E-flat major. I'm finding this work to be extremely relaxing right now.


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> Mozart: Piano Quartet in E-flat major. I'm finding this work to be extremely relaxing right now.


It's a beauty, that one.

I'm at my writing desk now, so it has to be Mozart. Duh Mozart Effect, innit? Makes ya brainish! 

PC#17, with Mitsuko leering at Ol' Joanna and Jeffrey Tate cracking a whip at the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## ahammel

Schoenberg _Pelleas und Melisandre_


----------



## Conor71

*Debussy: Nocturnes, L 91*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Soprano Diana Damrau, described by France's _Classica_ as "first and foremost a liedersängerin," followed her marvelous recording of Richard Strauss' orchestral songs with this beautiful collection of Liszt' lieder. Liszt wrote but a small number of lieder (around 80) in comparison to Schubert, Schumann... or even Strauss. Unfortunately these works have been largely ignored. In part this is due to the fact that even the most lyrical of these songs can be quite demanding upon either the singer or the pianist... if not both. Too difficult even for quite talented amateurs, these songs never entered into the domestic market of music published for amateur performance that was so important to 19th century music.

Most of these lieder are settings of poems by German poets (Goethe, Heine, Schiller, Lenau, etc...) but there are also several Italian songs... specifically setting of Petrarch's sonnets. These lieder, like those of Schubert, present a balanced... equal relationship between the piano and the vocalist in which the piano is no mere accompanist but an integral part of the whole.

For those who love the songs of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Strauss, etc... Liszt' oeuvre is worthy of exploring.


----------



## neoshredder

I'm hungry. Think I'll eat some Vivaldi Concertos. Listening to CD's 1 and 2.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sudonim said:


> As I begin this - my first encounter with Schnittke's music - I'm struck by how reminiscent it is of modern free improvisation, particularly larger-scale work like Anthony Braxton's various 1970s projects or Barry Guy's London Jazz Composers Orchestra. It's especially Braxton-like in its wit and its straight-faced nods to the past. Anyone who likes Schnittke, it seems to me, would have little trouble getting into works like Braxton's _Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978_ or some of Guy's LJCO projects. Anyway, one of the things I love about it so far is that I have absolutely no idea what to expect next.


Wow. I was a Braxton freak back in the day. I need to check out these symphonies.

Right now, I'm listening to Celibidache conducting Bruckner's 4th.


----------



## ahammel

StlukesguildOhio said:


> [Damrau singing Liszt's lieder]


I looked up some excerpts on YouTube. That's...quite a bit more than I've enjoyed Liszt in the past.

That album goes on the shopping list[SUP]1[/SUP]. Thanks, Stlukes!

[1]Must...not...pun...


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven 7th, Bohm/VPO. On a bit of a Beethoven kick.


----------



## neoshredder

In a mood for some Russian angst mixed with a Baroque influence.


----------



## Kazaman

Sibelius, Symphony no. 5 (Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic)


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## Kazaman

Sibelius, Symphony no. 7 (Sir Mark Elder, Hallé Orchestra)


----------



## neoshredder

Kazaman said:


> Sibelius, Symphony no. 7 (Sir Mark Elder, Hallé Orchestra)


Sibelius is awesome. Great choices.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Alessandro Rolla (22 April 1757-1841): Duet in G Major for Flute and Violin, B 251

Daniele Ruggieri, flute -- Marco Rogliano, violin

View attachment 16756


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A rather light-weight (comparatively) opera with a somewhat silly libretto written by the composer himself... composed shortly after _Les Troyens_. Nevertheless... it boasts of some lovely music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's "Ah! Perfido" Op.65 - Birgit Nilsson, soprano, Ferdinand Leitner, cond.


----------



## Sonata

Puccini: first listen to Il tabarro.


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Piano Sonata in D, Op. 53, D 850, "Gasteiner" -- Wilhelm Kempff

I adore Kempff's playing here. The scherzo is light and witty. This is why I love Schubert.

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## opus55

Szymanowski night!

Harnasie
Symphony No. 4
Violin Concerto No. 1
Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Desprez: "Complete 3-part secular music" - The Medieval Ensemble Of London


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16758
> 
> 
> Josquin Desprez: "Complete 3-part secular music" - The Medieval Ensemble Of London


Oh! Wonderful! As much as I love the music of the Roman School, the Burgundian and Netherlandic masters are monumental in their own rights. Burgundian, Roman, Venetian--all so different, yet all so inventive and fresh. You've inspired me to listen to a little Ockeghem, now.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart *
Piano Concerto No 23 A major K 488 
Maurizio Pollini, Karl Bohm
Vienna Philharmonic

It was very, very good. I enjoyed it a lot. :cheers:


----------



## Sonata

....And now onto the middle of Trittico. Unlike Tabarro (I enjoyed that by the way), I have listened to Suor Angelica MANY times. Victoria De Las Angeles is currently breaking my heart with Senza Mama. The final third will have to wait for tomorrow!


----------



## drpraetorus

Rachmaninoff, Vocalise, Moffo, Stokowski


----------



## Tristan

Louis Spohr - Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in F minor, WoO 19

I think clarinet concerti might be my favorite after piano and violin.


----------



## drpraetorus

Gotterdammerung Finale, Flagstad, Furtwangler


----------



## Feathers

Krommer: Symphony No. 40 (Matthias Bamert with the London Mozart Players)

Also,

Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues (Keith Jarrett)


----------



## Arsakes

Franz Schubert's Symphony No.1,2 & 3


----------



## ptr

Rainy morning, so I'm staying in listening to the explosive *Christopher Herrick*!

- *Organ Fireworks, Vol. 7* (*Hyperion CDA66917*)









- The Organ of Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík, Iceland

- *Organ Fireworks, Vol. 13* (*Hyperion CDA67734*)









- The Organ of Västerås Cathedral, Sweden

- *Organ Fireworks, Vol. 8* (*Hyperion CDA66978*)









- The Organ of Hong Kong Cultural Centre, China

Full disc programs available by clicking on the label name

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert Vocal Trios - Elly Ameling, soprano, Peter Schreier and Horst Laubenthal, tenors, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerald Moore, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## ptr

Some Panufnik for the afternoon:

*Andrzej Panufnik*

- Heroic Overture, Sinfonia di Sfere, Landscape & Sinfonia Sacra (*Ondine*)









Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra u. John Storgårds

- Tragic Overture, Autumn Music, Heroic Overture, Nocturne & Sinfonia Rustica (Unicorn Kanchana OOP?)









Anthony Peebles, piano; London Symphony u. Jasha Horenstein // Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra u. Andrzej Panufnik

/ptr


----------



## Sudonim

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow. I was a Braxton freak back in the day. I need to check out these symphonies.
> View attachment 16753


Mind you, I'm only part of the way into the 1st symphony. For all I know the later ones are completely different.

But that continues tonight. For now, eine kleine morning music:


----------



## rrudolph

I'm listening to French music of various periods today. First medieval:

















Then I'll probably leap over the Rennaissance and go right to the baroque. Eventually I'll work my way through Debussy and Satie up to Messian, Boulez, maybe Pousseur.


----------



## Kieran

Schubert, D959, piano sonata in A Major, Arthur Schnabel at the keys....


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Prokofiev's* (1891 - 1953) birthday, Piano Concertos with B. Berman (rec. 1989), Feltsman (rec.1988), and Argerich (rec.1967).

View attachment 16772
View attachment 16773
View attachment 16774


----------



## Andolink

Rudolf Escher: String Trio
Ronald Hoogeveen, violin
Zoltan Benyacs, viola
Dmitri Ferschtman, violoncello








Bohuslav Martinu: Symphony No. 4
Bamberger Symphoniker/ Neeme Järvi


----------



## rrudolph

French baroque:
















(Volume 2: L'Imperiale & La Piemontoise)


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Egmont incidental music. The overture is awesome!
Cello sonata #5
Piano sonata #30.

Albeniz: Iberia


----------



## Feathers

On the radio: 
Handel: Concerto Grosso in F major (Kavin Mallon with the Aradia Ensemble)
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 (Sir Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic)


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> Beethoven: Egmont incidental music. The overture is awesome!


What's the rest of it like? I only know the overture, how much after this? :tiphat:


----------



## GGluek

Vladimir Tostoff's "Jazz History of the World," the nature of which eludes me.


----------



## millionrainbows

Schnittke: Symphony No. 0 (BIS)

Shostakovich: Str Qt No. 1; Piano Quintet; Piano Trio No. 2: St. Petersburg String Quartet; Igor Uryash, pno (Hyperion)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In honor of Stavinsky's birthday...



















Any excuse to play Mozart... especially the delicious Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet.


----------



## rrudolph

Listening to just the Chausson off this one:

Chausson: Symphony in B flat Op. 20









I was going to listen to some Magnard too but I'm running out of time before I have to go somewhere. Maybe tomorrow.


----------



## Xaltotun

Tonight, some Helmuth Rilling goodness... first Dvorak's _Stabat Mater_, then Verdi's _Requiem_... then probably some more Rilling.


----------



## Novelette

rrudolph said:


> French baroque:
> 
> View attachment 16779


How do you like Christie's recording of Pygmalion?

The recording that I enjoy the most is that by Hervé Niquet: Le Concert Spirituel. I like it largely because it features Fouchécourt, whom I consider a tremendously talented singer.

The rest of Rameau's operas, and I have all of the others for which recordings exist [save Temple de la Gloire--whose full recording is impossibly elusive!], I entrust to William Christie, where there is an existing recording.

I do have Christie's Nélée et Myrthis, though. It's a delightful little opera!


----------



## Novelette

It is time for some high-octane music!

Bach: Mass in B Minor -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

:cheers:


----------



## Kazaman

Prokofiev, Cello Sonata op. 119 (Rostropovich and Richter)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Concertos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Time to dig through the shelves for some "moldy oldies"...










Can't get much "moldier" than Gesualdo.:lol:


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125

Claudio Abbado leading the Berlin Philharmonic

View attachment 16783


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Delicious French mélodie beautifully performed. The disc begins with one of my absolute favorites: _A Chloris_


----------



## Rapide




----------



## millionrainbows

Schnittke: The 10 Symphonies (BIS)

I got the BIS Schnittke box of all 10 symphonies on sale. I thought he was going to be more modern than this; this is just a continuation of Shostakovich, and you can take that any way you want to. It's an OK recording, but a little too ambient; I wish it was dryer-sounding. All in all, enjoyable. I like some of his ideas.


----------



## millionrainbows

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Delicious French mélodie beautifully performed. The disc begins with one of my absolute favorites: _A Chloris _


That's beautiful; I really like her voice.


----------



## millionrainbows

_Songs Cathy Sang,_ Linda Hirst, mezzo-soprano (Virgin Classics). 
A tribute to the late great Cathy Berberian (1925-1983). Includes Luciano Berio's _Folk Songs (1949)_, _Sequenza III (1966)_; John Cage's _Aria (1948)_; Henri Pousseur's _Phonemes pour Cathy (1966)_; and Cathy Berberian's own composition _Stripsody._

This sort of female singing seems to get me back in touch with my loving, humanitarian side. I especially like mezzo sopranos. This disc is excellent. You should read about Berberian on WIK. I remember this well: She is mentioned in the Steely Dan song _Your Gold Teeth_ from the 1973 album _Countdown to Ecstasy_ : "Even Cathy Berberian knows / There's one roulade she can't sing."

I think I'll get her _Beatles Arias_ album, as well.


----------



## Mahlerian

Today:
Messiaen: Reveil des Oiseaux
Orchestre National de France, cond. Nagano









Stravinsky: Apollo
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Apollo
> Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky
> View attachment 16786


Mahlerian, that Stravinsky box was the best $33 dollars I ever spent. The mastering is excellent. Inspired, I got mine out again.

Also, I never heard that Messiaen piece _Reveil des oiseaux_, and I like Nagano. I'll look for that one.


----------



## Sonata

Grieg: piano sonata in E minor, for the second time in two days. I may listen again tomorrow. 
Beethoven: piano sonatas 30, 31. Looking forward to getting a complete set next year!
Delius: On hearing the first cuckoo in spring, summer night on the river, and from A Village Romeo & Juliet: A walk to paradise garden


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Mahlerian, that Stravinsky box was the best $33 dollars I ever spent. The mastering is excellent. Inspired, I got mine out again.


Classical lovers are forever grateful to the head of Columbia at the time for his foresight. You're right, the sound quality is great, and while the performances may not be the absolute best of most of the included works (especially frequently recorded ones like The Rite and Firebird), the dedication of everyone involved shines through as the studio orchestra works through this difficult to tackle music.



> Also, I never heard that Messiaen piece _Reveil des oiseaux_, and I like Nagano. I'll look for that one.


It was one of the earliest of Messiaen's birdsong-inspired pieces. I had been thinking about Medieval isorhythm, and that similar processes are found in some of Messiaen's works, so I pulled out this disc (which I got used while over in Japan a few years ago). One thing that always recommends a Messiaen disc to me is the piano playing of his wife, Yvonne Loriod, who was one of the best interpreters of his works. The ondes Martenot on the Trois Petites Liturgies is played by Jeanne Loriod, so you have pretty much everything you could want. I find the balances a little odd on the Liturgies, with certain instruments being muffled more than usual (I've heard the piece live, and the gong and vibraphone are far louder), but the performances make up for it.


----------



## tdc

Ravel - _Miroirs_, performed by Andre Laplante

Stunning. I really wish this pianist had recorded all of Ravel's solo piano music.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105.* All three symphonies are crisply performed by the Lorin Maazel led Vienna Philharmonic.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"},* both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra under the lively, inspired wand of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Novelette

Onslow: String Quintet #19 in E Minor, Op. 19 -- Diogenes Quartet & Manuel van der Nahmer

Handel: Harp Concerto in B Flat, Op. 4/6, HWV 294 -- Marisa Robles: The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Mendelssohn: String Quintet #2 in B Flat, Op. 87 -- Fine Arts Quartet & Danilo Rossi

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21 in C, Op. 53, "Waldstein" -- Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Sonata

Late night, quiet house. What better than: *Ravel solo piano music*? Performed by Pascal Roge


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers - Anthony Lewis, cond

comparing the original mono release and the fake-stereo reissue


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 1 from Shostakovich.


----------



## ptr

Morning set:

*Joseph Haydn* - Six String Quartets Op 20 (ASV/Signum)

















The Lindsay String Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Grieg - op.19 - 3 Pictures From Life In The Country

Einar Steen-Nøkleberg

Extraordinary norwegian pianist. Dedicated his life to the music of Grieg.


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata in G Minor, Op.1, No.6

Christophe Timpe leading Accademia per Musica

View attachment 16791


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Delicious French mélodie beautifully performed. The disc begins with one of my absolute favorites: _A Chloris_


Thanks for the heads-up! My wife and I are sitting in a condo on the beach listening to this. It's a lovely complement to the waves.


----------



## ptr

Afternoon listening:

*Franz Schubert* - Three Klavierstücke, D946 & Piano Sonata No 21 D960, the latter on three different instruments; 1826 Conrad Graf Fortepiano, 2004 Steinway & 1923 Bösendorfer (*Genuin*)









Paul Badura-Skoda, piano

*Maya Homburger* & *Barry Guy* - Tales of Enchantment (*Intakt*)









Maya Homburger, ﻿Baroque violin // Barry Guy, Bass

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich: _Piano Quintet in G Minor Op.57,_ St. Petersburg String Quartet, Igor Uryash, piano (Hyperion). The second movement, a fugue, is particularly nice.

I'm coming to see Shostakovich as a brilliant tonal thinker, more so in the horizontal, forward-in-time functional sense than in a vertical harmonic way. In this sense, I see him as attempting to expand and further the cause of functional tonality rather than explore truly new or strange harmonic realms.

In this sense, I see Shostakovich as more a cerebral "realist" than emotional Romantic, a pragmatist who saw it as his duty to continue the tonal tradition of Russian composers. Although he used music to convey emotions, emotions were not the element which determined his use of musical materials.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano variations, K455, K460, K500, K573 and K613, Francesco Nicolosi on piano...


----------



## Sudonim

ptr said:


> Afternoon listening:
> 
> *Franz Schubert* - Three Klavierstücke, D946 & Piano Sonata No 21 D960, the latter on three different instruments; 1826 Conrad Graf Fortepiano, 2004 Steinway & 1923 Bösendorfer (*Genuin*)
> 
> View attachment 16793
> 
> 
> Paul Badura-Skoda, piano
> 
> *Maya Homburger* & *Barry Guy* - Tales of Enchantment (*Intakt*)
> 
> View attachment 16794
> 
> 
> Maya Homburger, ﻿Baroque violin // Barry Guy, Bass
> 
> /ptr


ptr - both of those look quite interesting! I added the Badura-Skoda recording to my Amazon wish list.

How's the other one? I took a glance at the track listing and it appears to be a mixture of old and new. I know Guy and Homburger have recorded several things together (they are husband and wife) but I have yet to hear any of them. I know Guy's work as a free-jazz bassist but I also know he's interested in the Baroque period.


----------



## ptr

Sudonim said:


> ptr - both of those look quite interesting! I added the Badura-Skoda recording to my Amazon wish list.


Absolutely, bought both directly from each label (As I mostly try to do! .. That is BTW why I often try to ad a link to the record label in my listening posts!)



> How's the other one? I took a glance at the track listing and it appears to be a mixture of old and new. I know Guy and Homburger have recorded several things together (they are husband and wife) but I have yet to hear any of them. I know Guy's work as a free-jazz bassist but I also know he's interested in the Baroque period.


I generally don't listen to much of 'ye olde musick', but the combinations Biber and Guy that they play are very complementary, the modern short pieces that they play (almost improvisations) turns the baroque idiom on its head, which speaks to me, the albums (I think I have three albums with them similar to this) becomes a smörgåsbord of contrasts! 
And as I'm even less of a Jazz Dude, I don't have that much experience of Barry Guy's more common work, I saw him and Homburger with a local baroque band at a contemporary music festival in Gothenburg in the early 2000's and what they did then just stuck with me and I've kept an eye out for their collaborations since!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777): Symphony in G Minor, WV 418

Michi Gaigg directing L'Orfeo Barockorchester

View attachment 16796


----------



## rrudolph

Continuing my French tour of yesterday with the Magnard I didn't have time to listen to:

Magnard: Symphonies 1 & 2









Then a double shot of Saint-Saens with a Messiaen chaser:

Just the Piano Concerto #4 from this one








Saint-Saens: Symphony #3/Messiaen: L'Ascension


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Motet - Nemo gaudeat in festo septem dolorum B.V. virginis, Motetto a 8 voci -- Riccardo Muti: Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

^ Easily the equal of the choral works of Johann Fux

Corelli: Concerto Grossi #1 - 5, Op. 6 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Couperin: Le Parnasse, "L’Apotheose De Corelli" -- Musica Ad Rhenum

Schumann: Vier Gesänge für Gemischten Chor, Op. 59 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Roman Hoffstetter (24 April 1742-1815): String Quartet in G Major

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Janos Fejevari, viola -- Gyorgy Eder, cello

View attachment 16803


Originally attributed to Haydn as String Quartet in G Major, Op.3, No.3


----------



## julianoq

Kavakos playing live the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Paavo Jarvi conducting!

http://liveweb.arte.tv/de/video/Paa..._de_Paris_Ravel_Sibelius_Brahms_salle_pleyel/


----------



## Arsakes

*Franz Schubert*'s Symphony No.4,5,6 and 8.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Violin Concerto in A Major, Badley A2

Nicholas Ward leading the Northern Chamber Orchestra -- Lorraine McAslan, violin

View attachment 16804


----------



## Guest

*Giacinto SCELSI* : First movement of _*Aion*_. I keep coming back to this work - especially the first section - when I've had a hard day. The music ("atonal", an inadequate term here) meanders oppressively and menacingly around pitch centres and comes to rest on a quite beautiful (and unexpected) third (A-flat/C). 
I vaguely remember seeing a thread on this forum about "underrated composers". I must place *Scelsi* in that unfortunate category.


----------



## DeepR

Vladimir Ashkenazy, Peter Jablonski, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin - Scriabin Piano Concerto Op. 20

By far my favorite recording of it. It's just wonderful. The ending is absolutely life-affirming.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Stabat Mater, H 20/1Bis -- Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Church Choir New York

Haydn: Missa Cellensis in Honorem BVM, H 22/5, "Cäcilienmesse" -- Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Church Choir New York

Haydn: Missa Sancti Nicolae, H 22/6 -- Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Church Choir New York

Not at all a spiritual person, but I find the mass to be among the most interesting genres of music. Haydn's are, of course, ingenious!


----------



## Feathers

Suddenly felt like some Handel.


----------



## cwarchc

the journey continues finishing E moving onto F

Carrying on with my Elgar fest













I prefer Mackerras on Elgar, his interpretations just seem to connect with me

Then onto F, 2 really good discs (IMHO)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, String Quartet No. 3.*


----------



## ptr

*Benny Goodman* Collector's Edition (CBS)
(Music by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Morton Gould, Bela Bartok)










Benny Goodman, pipe

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Schnittke*: String Quartets 1, 3, 4, Canon in Memoriam Igor Stravinsky, with Kapralova Qt. (rec.2002, live, Church of St. Simon and St. Jude, Prague).

Kapalova Qt.'s abstract interps and edgy playing are enhanced to great effect by the recorded sound. I found the venue's big acoustic to be a huge plus for these works.

Therefore, so ordered!

View attachment 16812


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

Actually, just the adagio. I was watching the ocean, and this is music for watching the ocean.


----------



## worov

Some Prokofiev :


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An intriguing disc containing arias setting the poetry of Tasso (author of the epic masterwork, Jerusalem Delivered) and the sonatas for solo violin by Tartini. Such vocal music as is presented here often stood as a model for Tartini's music for violin.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> Actually, just the adagio. I was watching the ocean, and this is music for watching the ocean.
> 
> View attachment 16814


In Nashville?


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> In Nashville?


Good question! But not today. I'm in Destin with my family.


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Des Canyons Aux Etoiles*

I have been listening to the work for Organ Livre Du Saint-Sacrement (awesome!) and next I will listen to Des Canyons Aux Etoiles


----------



## bejart

Carl Czerny (1791-1857): Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.780

Nikos Athinaos conducting the Staatsorchester of Frankfurt on the Oder

View attachment 16815


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Corelli*: Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, with Avison Ensemble (rec. 2012).

View attachment 16817


----------



## Vaneyes

Rapide said:


>


Essential listening. One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording). :tiphat:


----------



## Novelette

Weber: Oberon, J 306 -- Birgit Nilsson, Plácido Domingo; Rafael Kubelik: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Another Weber opera, and I'm enjoying more and more.


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi madrigals - Raymond Leppard, dir.

includes a lovely "Ohime ch'io cado" from soprano Ilse Wolf

edit:

now comparing the "Ohime ch'io cado" on Leppards later recording with soprano Sheila Armstrong


----------



## Crudblud

Elliott Carter - A Symphony of Three Orchestras (Boulez)
Kanuni Sultan Suleyman II - Halk için mûteber (Erguner)
Klaus Huber - Lazarus (Descharmes / Vichard)
Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 (Maazel/Wiener Philharmoniker)

For the first time I was able to really sit down and _listen_ to the Sibelius, previously it had sort of washed over me without leaving much impact.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## GreenMamba

Vaughan Williams Symphony #4, Previn/LSO


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: String quartet #14
Bruckner: Symphony #2
Mozart: Flute Concerto #1
Vivaldi: Piccolo Concerto
Grieg: Piano sonata in E minor


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi madrigals - Emilio Giani, dir.

_very_ austere performances


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This was one of my most beloved purchases years ago. It was my introduction to the realm of French mélodie... and especially the songs of Faure. Listening to it again I find it still has many marvelous moments... but I feel Janet Baker's voice by this time has become a bit too "heavy" for Faure. It isn't that Baker is wrong for the French repertoire as a whole. Her recording of Berlioz' _Les Nuits d'été_ with Barbirolli dating from the 1960s with Baker at her prime is absolutely essential. No... her voice just sounds a bit too "heavy"... "fat"... for this repertoire that should dance and fly.

Currently I find my favorite interpretations of Faure's songs include:










Souzay and Ameling! This is a true dream team... and dirt cheap on Brilliant.




























Upshaw's silver voice is ideal for this repertoire.










I only wish Philippe Jaroussky had included more performances of songs by Faure on his exquisite collection of 19th century French songs, _Opium_.

Of course there is still the possibility of future recordings of Faure songs by Sandrine Piau, Véronique Gens, Susan Graham... and Philippe Jaroussky... who have all proven themselves brilliant interpreters of the French mélodie.


----------



## aleazk

Ravel's piano concertos. Later, maybe some of Bartok's string quartets.


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


> This was one of my most beloved purchases years ago. It was my introduction to the realm of French mélodie... and especially the songs of Faure. Listening to it again I find it still has many marvelous moments... but I feel Janet Baker's voice by this time has become a bit too "heavy" for Faure. It isn't that Baker is wrong for the French repertoire as a whole. Her recording of Berlioz' _Les Nuits d'été_ with Barbirolli dating from the 1960s with Baker at her prime is absolutely essential. No... her voice just sounds a bit too "heavy"... "fat"... for this repertoire that should dance and fly.


Interesting you should say that. When I think of the Janet baker recordings I love rather than just admire its those she made with Barbirolli: the Les Nuits d'Ete, the Elgar Sea Pictures, the Mahler Kindertotenlieder and a couple of others. Something about that pairing that made them greater than their already great parts.


----------



## hreichgott

Sonata said:


> Beethoven: piano sonatas 30, 31. Looking forward to getting a complete set next year!


Get the Peter Takacs!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in E Flat, KV 282

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 16827


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5 in B flat major Op.92 (1952); St. Petersburg String Quartet (Hyperion). Nice! It reminds me of that tragic mood Shosty can always get into, like in the Str Qt No. 8 "for the victims of fascism." In fact, this "mood" seems to permeate his whole output. Maybe that's his voice, his being.

Now, String Quartet No. 7 in F sharp major, Op.108 (1956). The second "Lento" movement is very nice, sort of drone-like. The final third mvt is attacking, lacerating, slashing. He's definitely upset about something.

Maybe Shostakovich's practice of doing this has a direct correlation to his moods: opening with a restrained, introspective movement, followed by a slow, resigned, almost depressing lento movement, and closing with an excited, animated, angular, restless movement, which indicates deep depression followed by episodes of mania. When the fog lifts and reality asserts itself, the "kindling" effect sets in, each time getting more severe. The 8th Quartet is even more exaggerated, more desperate, more dysphoric.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> Interesting you should say that. When I think of the Janet baker recordings I love rather than just admire its those she made with Barbirolli: the Les Nuits d'Ete, the Elgar Sea Pictures, the Mahler Kindertotenlieder and a couple of others. Something about that pairing that made them greater than their already great parts.


Yes... I love those recordings as well. Perhaps by 1988, when the Faure disc was recorded, Baker's voice was either past its prime... or just too heavy for the repertoire.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Came across these interesting and quality works. Bassoon concertos by *François Devienne* (1759-1803). The repertoire does not feature many bassoon concertos at all. One piece recorded on the CD was even speculated to be by Mozart (who supposedly wrote three or four bassoon concertos, not just the single one that we all love).


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K. 543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K. 550* *and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K. 551 {"Jupiter"}.* All three symphonies are rousingly performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus' Missa Entre Vous Filles - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly, cond.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76. *Both works are performed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*
> 
> Actually, just the adagio. I was watching the ocean, and this is music for watching the ocean.
> 
> View attachment 16814


Well the bit in that movement with the timpani rolls with the strings playing this choral-like layered melody bring to my mind storm clouds gathering over a landscape or seascape. Maybe a bit like a Constable or Turner painting. Bruckner has got this ability to bring images to my mind, very clear images like that. Its one of the things that draws me to his music. Incidentally the 6th was the first symphony I ever heard by him, and its remained my favourite ever since.



Vaneyes said:


> Essential listening. One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording). :tiphat:


Yes, if that's the cd with Hindemith's Violin Concerto on it, with David Oistrakh as soloist with the conductor at the helm. That's an amazing performance, so emotional. It used to be on Australian Eloquence but was unfortunately pulled from the catalogue. But last time I checked the whole thing is on youtube. Not only CPR but a performance of the century (or of the ages) IMO!


----------



## Sid James

A disc of *Peter Sculthorpe's* orchestral works. I listened to this largely in honour of *Anzac Day,* April 25, the day Australia commemorates those who took part in wars including its war dead. _*The Fifth Continent *_has at its core the bugle call _The Last Post_, which is still played at Anzac Day services. The work, with words by D.H. Lawrence (from his novel _Kangaroo_), images the Australian landscape. The bugle call comes up most prominently in the third movement, _Small Town_. Here is an extract from the text, spoken on this cd by the composer himself:

"…the memorial to the fallen soldiers…had 'Lest we forget' for a motto. Carved on the bottom step it said 'Unveiled by Grannie Rhys.' A real township monument, bearing the names of everyone possible: the fallen, all those who donned khaki, the people who presented it, and Grannie Rhys."

The piece, written in 1963, has Sculthorpe trademarks like those unique string sounds (eg. electronic sounding glissandos) as well as replication of the sounds of nature such as bird calls and strong percussive/rhythmic elements. It has a contrast of melodic, atmospheric and dark moments - an example of the latter being the second movement _Outback,_ imaging the desolation of the vast open spaces, the harsh and dry interior of the Continent.

Also on the cd is another commemorative work, _*Port Arthur: In Memoriam*_, written in memory of those who where killed in the Port Arthur massacre of 28 April 1996. Sculthorpe, being Tasmanian, was the man to write this work and it has strong reminiscences of _Small Town_ in terms of not only the tune but also the solo instruments used (oboe, trumpet). Its an emotional and sad piece, but despite his music touching on difficult moments like this in Australia's present and past history, Sculthorpe has always said he's an optimist. So there's always some sort of hope there, small though it may be.










& also a listen to *Stokowski's symphonic transcriptions of Mussorgsky's music.* _A Night on Bare Mountain, Khovanschchina, Boris Godunov_ and _Pictures at an Exhibition_. Stokowski's orchestrations emphasise elements essential to not only Mussorgsky but other Russian composers - bell-like sounds and rhythms and that choral kind of layering and vocal/chant quality - and also a sense of drama, colour, dynamism. They are deliberately more gritty and maybe even a bit garish, less polished than the orchestrations by Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel.

But I am very impressed and on the strength of this I aim to listen to the opera version of _Boris Godunov _- I'll put it on my to do list. The transcription sounds amazing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' Piano Trio - Trio Matisse


----------



## Feathers

Some of my favourite French music:


----------



## ptr

Morning listen!

*Maurice Ravel* - Orchestral Works (*Decca*)









Orchestre symphonique de Montréal u. Charles Dutoit

Then on to something inspired by this *thread*! (thanks Mr Prod!)

*Friedrich Cerha* - Spiegel (1960/61), Monumentum für Karl Prantl* (1988), Für K (1993) (*Col Legno*)









Klangforum Wien; Radio Symphonie Orchester Wien u. Friedrich Cerha & Michael Gielen*

And post the above more Cerha:

*Friedrich Cerha* - Und du... (1963); Verzeichnis (1969); Für K (1993) (*Kairos Musik*)









ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien & Ensemble "die reihe" u. Friedrich Cerha // ORF Chor u. Erwin Ortner (2)

/ptr


----------



## Nereffid

Britten: Sacred choral works (New College, Oxford / Higginbottom)


----------



## Andolink

Jean-Phillippe Rameau: Pièces de Clavecin en Concert I-V (1741)
Trio Sonnerie








Rudolf Escher: Trio for clarinet, viola and piano (1979)
Harmen de Boer, clarinet
Zoltan Benyacs, viola
Frank van de Laar, piano








Gonzalo de Olavide: Sine Die, para gran orquesta (1973); Oda II, para baritono y orquesta (1985)
Orquesta Sinfonica de RTVE/Arturo Tamayo








Arnold Schoenberg: Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment, Op. 47 (1949)
Janneke van der Meer, violin
Sepp Gtrotenhuis, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Piano Sonata D537 - Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## Andolink

Vagn Holmboe: Sværm, for string quartet, Op. 190b
The Kontra Quartet


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich: _String Quartets Nos. 5, 7, 9_; St. Petersburg String Quartet (Hyperion).

Still going over these, trying to figure out exactly what it is about Shostakovich. I'm thinking he was primarily a contrapuntalist, that is, in terms of any 'new ground' he is covering; and in these quartets, he seems to be octatonic-scale based, which is where a lot of his lines come from, but harmonically less daring, except in terms of root movement, which seems to outline the octatonic scale. I'd be interested in reading some analysis of his working methods.

In jazz, the octatonic scale is known as the diminished scale. From the perpetually disparaged WIK (which I trust and love), we see this:

"...the *whole-half diminished scale* is commonly used in conjunction with *diminished harmony* (e.g., the "C dim7" chord)..."

"...while the *half-whole scale* is used in *dominant* harmony (e.g., with a *"G7♭9" chord*)."

Thinking about the octatonic scale, and again consulting the ever-despised WIK, "...it contains the first four notes of four minor scales separated by minor thirds. For Example: C, D, E♭, F and (enharmonically) F♯, G♯, A, B. Also E♭, F, G♭, A♭, and A, B, C, D..."*"...The scale "allows familiar harmonic and linear configurations such as triads and modal tetrachords to be juxtaposed unusually but within a rational framework,"* though the relation of the diatonic scale to the melodic and harmonic surface is thus generally oblique..."

Yes, I can hear this in Shostakovich; roots and themes moving up by minor thirds, a "minorish" feel to much of it; if not "minorish," then he can easily get a dominant 7, even "jazzy" sound by using its partner in crime, the half-whole scale.

Yes, Shostakovich is a "rationalist" in his use of the octatonic scale; he uses it to build "familiar harmonic configurations (triads), and "linear configurations" (modal tetrachords, themes). The sound of these scales (containing the ninth and flat ninth, major and minor sevenths and thirds, flatted fifths, and regular fifths) can therefore serve any tonal harmonic situation or color which may arise, including a relation to Russian folk-song, with its exotic b9s which sound vaguely Asian.

And while the use of these octatonic scales will yield a total chromatic scale _in toto,_ they are used as separate entities, which gives a tonal or modal effect rather than a totally chromatic effect.


----------



## OboeKnight

Oboe Stuff: A. Marcello, Saint-Saens


----------



## Guest

I bumped into this album buried in the recesses of my collection recently - it's a very nice collection of compositions for guitar and flute based on Balkan (primarily Yugoslavian) tunes. At times you can hear a very strong middle eastern influence.

The Cavatina Duo - A Balkan Project









A lovely collection. I have this album on repeat at the moment.


----------



## Mahlerian

Yesterday, on a trip back home:

Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras

Bruckner: String Quintet in F
Fine Arts Quartet (with another)

Schoenberg: Buch der haengenden Garten
Hellen Vani, Glenn Gould

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink

Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II
Aki Takahashi


----------



## rrudolph

Some French piano music with my morning coffee:

Debussy: Suite Bergamesque/Deux Arabesques/Ballade/Valse Romantique/Danse Bohemienne/Masques/Hommage a Haydn/L'isle Joyeuse









Satie: Preludes Flasques/Veritable Preludes Flasques/Descriptions Automatiques/Embryons Desseches/Choses Vues a Droite et a Gauche/Les Trois Valses Distinguees du Precieux Degoute/Sports et Divertissements/Avant-Derniers Pensees/Sonatine Bureaucratique









Three days ago, I decided to listen to a little French music from different periods. I figured I would do that for one day then move on. Now I find that I can't stop and will probably continue into the weekend...


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Have been listening this evening to Atterberg's second and fifth symphonies, recorded by Ari Rasilainen with the RSO Frankfurt (as it then was). Beautiful works by a composer who deserves, in my humble opinion, to get more of an airing.


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Yesterday, on a trip back home:
> 
> Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras
> 
> Bruckner: String Quintet in F
> Fine Arts Quartet (with another)
> 
> Schoenberg: Buch der haengenden Garten
> Hellen Vani, Glenn Gould
> 
> Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
> Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink
> 
> Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II
> Aki Takahashi


Now that's eclectic! Do you listen sequentially? And how do you like the Mozart (old times music) alongside the more dense and modern?

:tiphat:


----------



## ptr

Music of the afternoon:

*Renee Fleming* - "Poemes"; Orchestral Songs by Ravel Messiaen Dutilleux (*Decca*)









Renée Fleming, soprano; Orchestre National De France u. Seiji Ozawa // Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Alan Gilbert (13-14)

*Ottorino Respighi* - Poema autunnale, Concerto gregoriano, Ballata delle Gnomidi (*Chandos*)









Lydia Mordkovitch, violin; BBC Philharmonic u. Sir Edward Downes

*Olivier Messiaen* - Quatuor pour la fin du temps (*EMI*)









Michel Béroff, Piano; Erich Gruenberg, Violine; Gervase de Peyer, Klarinette; William Pleeth, Violoncello

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> Now that's eclectic! Do you listen sequentially? And how do you like the Mozart (old times music) alongside the more dense and modern?
> 
> :tiphat:


Not necessarily. Sometimes I give my ears a rest after an hour or more of having headphones glued to them. As for the eclecticism, it doesn't bother me much. I can change my mindset pretty quickly...

After listening to an intense work I usually like to either cool off with something shorter and lighter or just listen to nothing whatsoever for at least 20-30 minutes.


----------



## rrudolph

Two interesting collaborative works from Paris in the 1920s:

Ravel/Ferroud/Ibert/Roland-Manuel/Delannoy/Roussell/Milhaud/Poulenc/Auric/Schmitt: L'Eventail de Jeanne
Auric/Milhaud/Poulenc/Tailleferre/Honegger: Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel









And a bunch of Ravel:

Le Tombeau de Couperin/Valses Nobles et sentimentales/Un Barque sur l'ocean/Menuet Antique/Alborada del Gracioso









Daphnis et Chloe Suites 1 & 2


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, with GG (rec.1980/1) and Ts'ong (rec.2009).

View attachment 16861
View attachment 16862


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## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*

The first time I heard Klemperer's version, I wasn't bowled over. I'm glad I listened a second time. This is very well done.


----------



## Cheyenne

Trio Sonatas by JS Bach and two of his sons.


----------



## rrudolph

Messiaen time!

La Nativité Du Seigneur/Le Banquet Celeste/Apparition De L'Église Éternelle









Chronochromie/La Ville D'en Haut/Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Flute Sonata in G, BWV 1039 -- Emmanuel Pahud; Trevor Pinnock

Beethoven: Horn Sonata in F, Op. 17 -- Daniel Barenboim; Myron Bloom; Gerd Seifert

Gabrieli: Canzon In Echo Duodecimi Toni A 10, C 180 -- His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts; Timothy Roberts

Mozart: Quintet For Violin, Two Violas, Violoncello & Horn in E Flat, K. 407 -- Chicago Chamber Musicians

Schubert: String Quartet #4 in C, D 46 -- Melos Quartet

Perfect music for a day like this!


----------



## Kieran

People often harass me when they visit. 

"What's that you're listening to," they interrogate me, and I'll say, "Mozart's 756th symphony, nicknamed "The Sickly-Sweet and Lightweight", or Mozart's 334th piano concerto, the one in E Flat major-minor."

"Mozart symphonies! Mozart piano concertos! Mozart operas! Mozart sonatas for piano with violin accompaniment," they sneer. They sputter. They mock. "Don't you ever listen to anything else?"

So shamefully, tonight I'm bowing to distasteful public pressure and listening to something different: Mozart's piano trio, K496, performed by the Kungsbacka Piano Trio, and that will be followed K502, K542 and K548... 

:tiphat:


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## neoshredder

Mozart is great. I don't blame you. I don't know why people are like that.


----------



## Kieran

neoshredder said:


> Mozart is great. I don't blame you. I don't know why people are like that.


I wouldn't mind, but they eat my biscuits too, which is worse...


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Kreisleriana - Horowitz 
One of the great piano recordings


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> I wouldn't mind, but they eat my biscuits too, which is worse...


Jeez, I know exactly what you mean! Not only eating one's precious biscuits, but also not taking off their bloody shoes and messing up my nicely varnished parquet floor!!
If I may make a quick parenthèse which is not at all related to the OP: if ever you visit a country whose culture is distant from your own, please do make even the most basic researches about what is or could be 'offensive' in your host country. This applies equally to those countries wishing to 'impose régime change' (others might call it 'invasion'). One can accept more readily invaders who respect one's culture.


----------



## Novelette

Plowing through this again, and still enjoying it!

Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini, Op. 23 -- John Nelson: Orchestre National de France

The almost fully restored, original Paris version. Rather than contesting the third B of the "three B's" between Brahms and Berlioz. We should accept both, and call it the "four B's".


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mendelssohn*: Violin Concerto, with Lin/Philharmonia/MTT (rec.1982); Symphonies 3 & 4, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1991).

View attachment 16872
View attachment 16873


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## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> *Mendelssohn* Symphonies 3 & 4, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1991).


Do you have any thoughts about Blomstedt's recording?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm in the modd for 19th/early 20th century French music. It must a combination of yesterday's Faure and having spent the afternoon reading about and looking at Degas' paintings of the ballet:










_Impressions de music-hall_ is quite delicious. The opening is as outrageous as Ibert's Divertissement or something from Stravinsky. The "chorus girls/french blues" movement is as lush a scene of glittering clad dancers in a Hollywood spectacle. "le numero espagnole" is as exotic as any French/Spanish music. The music as a whole is so atmospheric... some might suggest "illustrative" in the negative... but I simply find it... delicious.

Next? Souzay? Bizet? Gounod?


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## SimonNZ

"Songs Of Chivalry: Medieval Songs And Dances" - Martin Best, dir.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Following yesterday's excursion into Faure with Janet Baker I'm turning to Gérard Souzay, the Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau of French art song (and not bad in his performances of Schubert and Schumann).


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Do you have any thoughts about Blomstedt's recording?


Just that I've had it for ages, and it fits like a glove.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a recent release, *Saint-Saens*: Piano Quartet, Piano Quintet, with Ortiz/Fine Arts Qt.

This was a nice gesture for convenience, but the playing so lacks. S-S finesse, transparency, are missing.

These works are not essential listening, but if you're interested, pay more for Nash Ensemble on Hyperion, or for just the Piano Quartet, Prometheus on Centaur.

View attachment 16878


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## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): String Quartet No.6 in G Major

Lysell Quartet: Bernt Lysell and Per Sandklef, violins -- Thomas Sundkvist, viola -- Mikael Sjogren, cello

View attachment 16879


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## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Sonata No.1 in C Major, Op.2, No.3

Ian Hobson, piano

View attachment 16880


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## Tristan

I kept hearing Raff mentioned here, so I decided to finally give Raff a listen, and I listened to:

Raff - Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 153 "Im Walde"

Very Sibeliusian, I'd say. I like it


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 3 from Shostakovich


----------



## SimonNZ

Arvo Part's St John Passion - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## Feathers

Mozart: Piano Concertos 10 - 12


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Even though I have been home a lot sick lately I have not really felt up to listening to music. This evening I am feeling a bit better and am listening to E.J. Moeran's Symphony in G minor; Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra and Overture for a Masque. Moeran is a British composer who lived from 1894 to 1950. He studied under Stanford. There is also a bit of his Irish heritage that shows itself. His father being from Ireland he spent a lot of time there. To my ears he sounds a little like Sibelius with Irish influence. Chandos has several really nice recordings of his works. His Symphony is considered his masterpiece but his violin concerto and cello concertos are very good. I enjoyed those earlier today. I would also say his music fits more into late romanticism than it does into modern but there are moments of modernism.

















Kevin


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## neoshredder

Listening to J.C Bach Symphonies Concertante Vol. 1


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## samurai

Kevin Pearson said:


> Even though I have been home a lot sick lately I have not really felt up to listening to music. This evening I am feeling a bit better and am listening to E.J. Moeran's Symphony in G minor; Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra and Overture for a Masque. Moeran is a British composer who lived from 1894 to 1950. He studied under Stanford. There is also a bit of his Irish heritage that shows itself. His father being from Ireland he spent a lot of time there. To my ears he sounds a little like Sibelius with Irish influence. Chandos has several really nice recordings of his works. His Symphony is considered his masterpiece but his violin concerto and cello concertos are very good. I enjoyed those earlier today. I would also say his music fits more into late romanticism than it does into modern but there are moments of modernism.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin[/QUOTE
> 
> Kevin, I am so sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. I hope you continue to get better!


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## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> Kevin, I am so sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. I hope you continue to get better!


Thanks I do too! I have been out of work on and off since March 31st. I apparently contracted some type of foodborne illness. At least that's what three different doctors believe. Anyway it has been a nightmare and I think I am on the mend but several times it has gotten better then flared up again. It's getting me down.

Anyway, to stay on topic I finished with the Meoran and am now listening to a fine recording of Grieg's Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2; Lyric Suite, and his Piano Concerto.










Kevin


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*'s Symphony No.9 'Great' and No.10 'Greater'!

*Max Bruch*:
Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor
Symphony No.1 in E flat major


----------



## Kivimees

In addition to Moeran (up there ^), Vagn Holmboe is a composer I found thanks to our colleagues at TC. Here's another CD:


----------



## ProudSquire

*J.N Hummel*
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Minor
Bryden Thomson
Stephen Hough - English Chamber Orchestra

It's been a while, so this was rather refreshing.

:cheers:


----------



## SimonNZ

Pergolesi's St. Emidio Mass - Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dittersdorf Symphonies


----------



## tdc

Beethoven Piano Trio No. 5 "Ghost"

Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## SimonNZ

Zelenka's Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah - Renne Jacobs, dir.


----------



## Kopachris

Just signed up for Spotify. Listening to EVERYTHING. Will probably be well worth the $10/month once the 30-day trial runs out.

In particular, I'm currently listening to this:


----------



## Sid James

*Bernstein* _Symphony #3 "Kaddish" _(European premiere with words written by Samuel Pisar, recorded live in Lucerne, Switzerland)
- Samuel Pisar, narrator ; Abbie Furmansky, soprano ; Rundfunkchor Berlin ; Knaben des Stats und Domchor Berlin ; Lucerne SO under John Axelrod / Nimbus
*
Tchaikovsky* _Symphony #6 in B minor, Op. 74 "Pathetique"_
- Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy / Sony


----------



## ptr

Morning Trio:

*Gustav Mahler* - Das Lied von der Erde (*RCA*)









Waltraud Meier, Mezzo-soprano, Ben Heppner, Tenor; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Lorin Maazel

*Claude Debussy* - Images & Etudes (*Teldec*)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

*Friedrich Cerha* - Konzert für Schlagzeug und Orchester (2007/2008) // Impulse für Orchester (1992/1993) (*Kairos*)









Martin Grubinger, percussion; Wiener Philharmoniker u. Peter Eötvös (1) & Pierre Boulez (2)

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Bruch's Concerto for Clarinet and Viola Op.88 - Thea King, clarinet, Nobuko Imai, viola, Alun Francis, cond.


----------



## Guest

TheProudSquire said:


> *J.N Hummel*
> Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Minor
> Bryden Thomson
> Stephen Hough - English Chamber Orchestra
> 
> It's been a while, so this was rather refreshing.
> 
> :cheers:


Hummel, hey? I read that he was one of only a few rivals respected by Beethoven.
I've got his 'cello sonata in A major in a box somewhere up in the attic. I'll have to dig it out one day!


----------



## geve

One of my current listening is the very moving, dramatic and musically rich piece- Liszt's A Faust Symphony is Three Parts, with Christian Thielemann conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle and soliest Endrik Wottrich.........the work is very emotionally rich and simply stupendous. The recording is excellent.........I have it on my TV recorder -it was aired by our New Zealand Arts Channel.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Kopachris said:


> Just signed up for Spotify. Listening to EVERYTHING. Will probably be well worth the $10/month once the 30-day trial runs out.
> 
> In particular, I'm currently listening to this:


I love Spotify and I think it's worth the $10.00 a month to have the high quality stream and mobile access too. However, the latest version of the software has been giving me problems by not streaming smoothly all the time. I have contacted their customer support and they have responded several times with ideas to try. I hope I can get it resolved because there is nothing more annoying to me than having my music pause and start, pause and start. My next step is to uninstall it completely off the PC and do a re-install. If that doesn't work I'll try uninstalling and re-installing an older version and use some suggestions on their forum to block future updates of their software. Up until this most recent version I have been completely happy with their service and their customer service response is usually within 24 hours.

Back on topic though I am listening to Kalinnikov's 1st symphony this morning before heading off to work.










Kevin


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## millionrainbows

Charles Ives (1874-1954): String Quartet No. 1 (1896); String Quartet No. 2 (1907-13). I'm comparing the Emerson Quartet (American Originals-DG) with The Leipziger Streichquartett (MDG). The Emerson is superior in both sonics and performance. The Leipzigers just don't engage me, and I think that as Germans, they just don't grasp Ives. The Emersons do, and their sound is more dynamic and biting. I detect more emotion, even love, from the Emersons. In movment III of the first quartet, the hymn tune which opens & closes the movement, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is much more clearly heard. The second quartet, with movements titled "Discussions" and "Arguments" are where Elliott Carter got his idea for instruments representing "characters" in a drama. The dissonance of Ives, normally very harsh in the piano pieces, is softened here by the strings.

I still await my "imprinted" version by the Concord Quartet to be released on CD by Nonesuch.


----------



## Kieran

I'm listening to Schubert's last couple of piano sonatas recently, with an amateur's ear for analysis. In other words, I don't know about key changes and obliggatos and so on, but I'm trying to absorb them psychologically, as it were: listening to them with my third ear. I have Artur Schnabel on the stool and these are old recordings, 1937, so there's a sort of hissing veneer which almost makes them sound contemporary with young Franz himself, except he was from an aeon before these, again.

I think these are desperate, beautiful and fragile works. I don't know if Schubert knew he was dying, nor do I care too much since it isn't what I'm listening for, but the sudden clouds and thunderstorms - particularly in the second movement of D959 - are almost so intense and revealing, I have to look away while I listen...


----------



## Sonata

My *Shostakovich 2 disc string quartet *set came in, and I'm listening to #2 so far. My unexpected Shostakovich enthusiasm continues!!! Performed by Boroding string quartet, also containing #3, 7, 8, and 12.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8*

Otto Klemperer. This is a live recording from the '50s.


----------



## Joris

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 conducted by Pletnev / Russian National Orchestra 

There's something out of tune in the beginning, but other than that it's great.


----------



## Kopachris

Kevin Pearson said:


> I love Spotify and I think it's worth the $10.00 a month to have the high quality stream and mobile access too.
> 
> [snip]


For some pieces, it certainly makes it easier to compare different versions, as you don't actually have to purchase multiple versions in order to listen to them, and it's much better organized than (say) YouTube or The Pirate Bay. So far (after about 10 minutes), I've found 14 distinct recordings of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony. I haven't gone in depth yet, but judging from just the opening fanfare of each, I tend to prefer the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra versions best. The rest are either poorly recorded or too slow for my taste.


----------



## schuberkovich

Sonata said:


> My *Shostakovich 2 disc string quartet *set came in, and I'm listening to #2 so far. My unexpected Shostakovich enthusiasm continues!!! Performed by Boroding string quartet, also containing #3, 7, 8, and 12.


Don't miss out a chance to listen to 15 though! I think it's his masterpiece in the genre.


----------



## Sonata

schuberkovich said:


> Don't miss out a chance to listen to 15 though! I think it's his masterpiece in the genre.


I'll definitely do that, thanks!


----------



## ptr

*Eric Satie* - Orchestral Works (*EMI*)









Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse u. Michel Plasson

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - A Colour Symphony & Adam Zero (*Naxos*)









English Northern Philharmonia u. David Lloyd-Jones

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

#20, while I cook.

Mitsuko stirring the pot, Jeffrey Tate adding spices, the English Chamber Orchestra chopping the spuds...


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> #20, while I cook.
> 
> Mitsuko stirring the pot, Jeffrey Tate adding spices, the English Chamber Orchestra chopping the spuds...


Aha, You guy's are making Irish Stew! 

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

When I go to my collection to browse, I have a nasty habit of focusing towards the middle. This evening I deliberately looked to the left towards the As and look what I found:


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky: Symphony in C, Symphony of Psalms, Piano Sonata, The Rite of Spring.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.
*

Last day on the beach, listening to Beethoven. As it has been said, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise."


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Walkure Act 2 (Janowski)

Wagner's heroes never do so well. Seigmund about to get bumped off by Hunding. Must be the most perilous job in history - being one of Wagner's heroes.


----------



## ahammel

DavidA said:


> Wagner's heroes never do so well. Seigmund about to get bumped off by Hunding. Must be the most perilous job in history - being one of Wagner's heroes.


They do better than the sopranos, who have a tendency to die of sudden acute onset of absolutely nothing.


----------



## DavidA

ahammel said:


> They do better than the sopranos, who have a tendency to die of sudden acute onset of absolutely nothing.


The problem with Wagner's heroes is they never seem to do anything really heroic. I mean, Seigfried kills an elderly dragon then an unarmed dwarf. A hero?


----------



## cwarchc

Finished off F, started onto G




















Thats it for today


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Clarinet Trio - Susan Tomes, piano, Richard Lester, cello, Richard Hosford, clarinet


----------



## Schubussy

Messiaen - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps
Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang, Myung-Whun Chung








Decided I like this more than the Tashi Quartet version. And I love the Tashi Quartet version.


----------



## Sid James

*Peter Sculthorpe* Little Suite for String Orch.
Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn / ABC Classics
*
Rachmaninov *Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Zoltan Kocsis, piano with San Francisco Symphony under Edo de Waart / Decca
*
Mussorgsky (transcribed by Stokowski)* Pictures at an Exhibition
Bournemouth SO under Jose Serebrier / Naxos
*
Shostakovich* Piano Trio #2 in E minor, Op. 67
Rosamunde Trio / alto


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Winterreise, Op. 89. D 911*

Listening to some songs this morning - first I played a Disc from the Delius set. There were some vintage recordings in this one. I enjoyed the Delius songs a lot and put me in the mood for more of the same. Currently I am listening to the Winterreise with Pears and Britten - this is a really nice recording too and I havent listened to it in a while. Next I will play the Crespin Disc - another one i havent heard for a long time so I want to get re-aquainted with it. Later I will play some of the vocal works from the Poulenc box - I want to hear the work Figure Humaine and some songs too.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Saint-Saens*: Violin Concerto, with Kantorow/Bakels (rec.2004); Cello Concerti 1 & 2, with Isserlis/MTT/Eschenbach (rec.1992 - '99); Piano Concerti 2 & 5, with Thibaudet/Dutoit (rec.2007).

View attachment 16924
View attachment 16925
View attachment 16926


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus - Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## opus55

Mozart

Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478 (Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet)
Prelude and Fugue in D minor for String Trio, K.404a (Trio Pasquier)


----------



## Feathers

Roussel: Piano Concerto and Cello Concerto


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, November Steps, Far Calls, Coming, Far!, Visions, Gemeaux, Dream/Window, Spirit Garden
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony cond. Hiroshi Wakasugi

Two Denon releases compiled by Brilliant Classics for a cheap set. How many pieces did Takemitsu get titles from Finnegan's Wake for?









The Japanese releases are:


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): Piano Sonata in B Flat, Op.4, No.1

Jean-Claude Pennetier, piano

View attachment 16929


----------



## drpraetorus

The Wall, Pink Floyd.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening this evening to one of my favorite American composers. George Chadwick's 2nd and 3rd symphonies as performed by Neeme Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. I think the performance on this recording is outstanding. The tempos provided are very good and the construction of the symphonies keep your interest throughout.










Kevin


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## drpraetorus

Beethoven Symph #2 Solti, Chicago


----------



## SimonNZ

Kodaly's Missa Brevis - Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Piano Concertos CD 2


----------



## clavichorder

Dohnanyi Pastorale for Piano






Tcherepnin Piano sonata






Bartok Six Romanian Folk Dances






Medtner Canzona Matinata


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc's Sonata For Two Pianos - Alexandre Tharaud and Francois Chaplin, pianos


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Hans Rott's superb Symphony in E major, performed by the Staatsorchester Mainz under the direction of Catherine Rückwardt.


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: A Mass Of Life*

I enjoyed the Winterreise earlier so I want to give it another spin. Later I will play Delius Mass Of Life.


----------



## ptr

Morning Quartet:

*J.S.Bach* - Violin Concertos BVW 1041-43 & 1064R (Harmonia Mundi DL)









Gottfried von der Goltz, Anne Katharina Schreiber and Petra Müllejans, violin; Freiburger Barockorchester

*Friedrich Cerha* - Bruchstück, geträumt - 9 Bagatellen - Instants (*Kairos*)









Klangforum Wien u. Sylvain Cambreling; Zebra Trio; WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln u. Peter Rundel

*Olivier Messiaen* - Turangalîla-Symphonie (*Decca*)









Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Takashi Harada, Ondes Martenot; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra u. Riccardo Chailly

And playing shortly:

*Charles Ives* - Symphony No 1 & 4, Central Park in the Dark (*Hyperion*)









Dallas Symphony Orchestra & Chorus u. Andrew Litton

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Marcello's Oboe Concerti "La Cetra" - Heinz Holliger, oboe, Thomas Furi, cond.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F MAjor, D 69

Gyorgy Vashegyi directing the Orfeo ORchestra -- Laszlo Paulik, violin

View attachment 16940


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Andreas Jakob Romberg (27 April 1767-1821): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.1, No.2

Leipzig String Quartet: Andreas Seidel and Tilman Buning, violins -- Ivo Bauer, viola -- Matthias Moosdorf, cello

View attachment 16943


----------



## MagneticGhost

In honour of our new puppy who we have named Schubert. 
Currently listening to a finished Unfinished.


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*'s 'Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus':
Overture
Ballet Music No.1 & 2
and
Rondo in A Major for Violin and Orchestra

*Liszt*'s Hungarian Fantasy


----------



## Skilmarilion

Pretty varied today;

*Grieg* - Holberg Suite

*Tchaikovsky* - Variations on a Rococo Theme

*Smetana* - Ma Vlast

*Mozart* - Piano Sonata No. 8, K310


----------



## millionrainbows

Messiaen (1908-1992): Harawi (1945); Dorothy Dorrow, soprano, Carl-Axel Dominique, piano (BIS). I like her better on the Webern Chamber Works (KOCH); here, she sounds dark, like a mezzo-soprano. But still, the best version I have. Any suggestions?


----------



## DrKilroy

Plans for today: Mahler's 7th. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - "Symphonies of Wind Instruments".


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Symphony No.9 in C Major, D.944

Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic

View attachment 16945


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Good morning everyone! Nice to have the day off work as I'm still trying to recover from that foodborne illness but have greatly improved in the last couple of days.

I started my morning off with a CD by violinist Chee-Yun with Jose Lopez-Cobos and the London Philharmonic performing Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole Op.21 and Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3. Chee-Yun is a a fine violinist and I do enjoy her recordings but I have heard more inspiring versions of the Lalo. This particular recording just falls flat for me and I don't know why exactly but the Saint-Saens is one of the best I have heard. Her performance is electrifying and thrilling, especially the final movement.










Now listening to a wonderful recording of Moeran's String Quartet No. 1. Really getting in Moeran lately! 










Kevin


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - "Symphony of psalms".


----------



## ptr

millionrainbows said:


> Messiaen (1908-1992): Harawi (1945); Dorothy Dorrow, soprano, Carl-Axel Dominique, piano (BIS). I like her better on the Webern Chamber Works (KOCH); here, she sounds dark, like a mezzo-soprano. But still, the best version I have. Any suggestions?


Dominique has a tendency to mate with a bit darker voices, his more recent version with Annika Skoglund is also darkish but slightly more supple. Slightly "lighter" voices are Charlotte Riedijk with Joanna MacGregor on *Warner* and Michèle Command with Marie-Madeleine Petit on *EMI*, both unfortunately (?) are only available as part of either companies Messiaen set (AFAIK), if You have an online service, you should try them out!

/ptr


----------



## DavidA

Been listening to excerpt from the Fairy Queen (Purcell) in the car. Alison Balsam on trumpet. Super!


----------



## ptr

Listening to a Shostakovich mix at the moment:

- Anti-Formalist Rayok (RCA)









- Four Romances On Poems By Pushkin Op 46 For Bass And Chamber Orchestra/Five Fragments Op 42 (1935) (Signum)









- String Quartet No 13 in B flat minor Op 138 (Hyperion)









- Sonata for Viola and Piano Op 147 (Regis)









- Piano Concerto No 2 Op 102 (Mariinsky)









Artists as on the covers!

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to a fabulous recording of Finnish composer Aarre Merikanto's Piano Concertos No. 2 and No. 3.


----------



## Kieran

Bruno Walter conducting Mahler's Fifth, in preparation for the completion of Mahlerian's blog posts on same. I'm doing my homework! :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

K303, violin sonata in C, Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano sonata 31 Kempff (1950) The playing is truly spellbinding.


----------



## Kazaman

Just finished watching the Met's broadcast of Giulio Cesare.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ----
Hyacinthe Jadin (27 April 1776-1800): String Trio in E Flat, Op.2, No.1

Ensemble Les Adieux: Mary Utiger, violin -- Hajo Bass, viola -- Nicholas Selo, cello

View attachment 16956


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 7


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Georgi Catoire's* (1861 - 1926) birthday, sampling MAH (rec.1998).

View attachment 16958


----------



## SimonNZ

Pedro de Escobar's Missa Pro Defunctis - Quodlibet


----------



## schuberkovich

Brahms Piano Quintet


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Cello Concertos - Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## Sonata

Shostakovich: String quartet #12. Borodin Quartet

Beethoven: Piano sonata #8 "Pathetique" . Bruce Hungerford


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening (the usual long run down) -

*Album: Ray Charles & Friends* / Sony-BMG
- _Duets with Hank Williams Jnr., Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc_.

Starting with non-classical this time, with one of *Ray Charles'* duets albums. This one was made in 1984 and features Ray singing duets with various legends of country music. So in terms of style it's a mix of soul and country. The concluding song _Seven Spanish Angels,_ sung with Willie Nelson, became a huge hit for Ray. My favourite song from the album is the one with Johnny Cash, _Crazy Old Soldier, _which is a strong metaphor for both these singers' battle with alcohol. One of the lines of the chorus is "Like a crazy old soldier, fighting a war on my own, just me and the whisky, and the bottles are ten thousand strong." Half of the album is upbeat, the other half quite dark like this. My only complaint though is the short length, only half an hour, but the quality of it is to Ray's usual high standard.

& then getting into the classical:










*Ravel *
_Introduction et Allegro for solo harp, string quartet, flute and clarinet
Pavane pour une infante defunte for flute and harp (arr. by Quinto Maganini)
Sonata for violin and cello_
*Debussy*
_Syrinx for solo flute
Sonata for flute, viola & harp
*Chansons de Bilitis for narrator, two flutes, two harps and celesta (poems by Pierre Louys)_
- Ensemble Wien-Berlin *with Catherine Deneuve, speaker / Deutsche Grammophon

Listening to this generously filled 80 minute disc of chamber works by Ravel and Debussy. My favourites here where *Ravel's* _*Sonata for violin and cello*,_ which has some quite gritty sounds and vigorous sections, one of the influences on this being blues music. As for* Debussy,* I especially enjoyed _*Chansons de Bilitis,*_ based on erotically charged poetry depicting these imagined and idealized visions of ancient times. Many depictions of nature in the text - not to speak of naked women! - and the music accompanying is suitably lush and sensuous (maybe even hedonistic?). Its amazing how Debussy was able to make a piece for so few instruments sound so rich and full of colour.










*
Rachmaninov* _Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 (version for two pianos)_
- Howard Shelley & Hilary MacNamara, pianos / Hyperion

On to *Rachmaninov's *last major work, and like the final big musical statements of many other composers, he put into it all he knew. I think it's a masterpiece, his fourth symphony in all but name, and a summation of his art. Here we've got the usual thematic tightness, sounds reminiscent of bells and choral chant (eg. his signature reference to 'dies irae'), the rhythms and colours of jazz, absorption of modern trends (eg. Stravinsky's influence is there rhythmically too), and also great melodies and creativity in developing a whole work from some basic ideas.

My favourite bits are the middle movement, a waltz that comes across as a danse macabre of sorts, and the final movement with which Rach weaves this complex web of counterpoint with the two pianos, amazing to hear every time. I also like that second and lyrical theme in the first movement, it speaks to a kind of nostalgia for the youth of days long gone by.

The notes say that Rachmaninov approached RCA to record the piece with him and Vladimir Horowitz playing it. They turned his offer down but I think if he'd heard this 1989 recording, he'd be happy. Shelley's and MacNamara's playing comes across as nuanced and conveying that unique but hard to define Rach sound. They don't just bash the keyboards which is a fashion that unfortunately seems to be coming back nowadays, they are attuned to the subtleties and changing moods of this piece. 










*Peter Sculthorpe* _Small Town_
- Melbourne SO under John Hopkins / ABC Classics

To end, with Anzac Day gone this week, a listen to this piece that reflects on a small town in Australia with its memorial to dead soldiers in the main street. This piece originally existed as one movement of a longer work for speaker and orchestra called _The Fifth Continent. _But this version without narrator has slight differences, such as the quotation of the bugle call _The Last Post_ played here by two trumpets not just one. It gives this eerie echo-like effect, emphasizing the work's engagement with memory and history. Aaron Copland admired this piece, and it has a similar outdoor and open air feel to his music, but things like *Sculthorpe's* bird sounds are so quintessentially Australian.


----------



## Kazaman

Beethoven, Symphony no. 1 (Gustav Kuhn and the Haydn Orchester)


----------



## Chrythes

Brahms - String Quintet No.2.
Somewhat in the mood of his sextets, a very enjoyable work.


----------



## Kazaman

Webern: Six Pieces for Large Orchestra, op. 6


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

Clementi's Piano Sonata Op.40 No.3

comparing the Nikolai Demidenko and Howard Shelley recordings


----------



## Kazaman

Berg, Wozzeck (Karl Bohm, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Evelyn Lear)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 -- Alfred Brendel: London Philharmonia Orchestra

^ Oh yeah!

Saint-Saëns: String Quartet #1 in E Minor, Op. 112 -- Fine Arts Quartet

Haydn: String Quartet #57 in C, Op. 54/2, H 3/57 -- Kodály Quartet

Mozart: Lucio Silla Overture, K 135 -- Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 16964
> View attachment 16965
> 
> 
> Clementi's Piano Sonata Op.40 No.3
> 
> comparing the Nikolai Demidenko and Howard Shelley recordings


I've been thinking about getting my hands on Clementi's Sonatas. Which of the two sets do you like best?


----------



## lunchdress

Beethoven: Piano Trios: Geister Trio / Erzherzog Trio
Wilhelm Kempff, Henryk Szerjng, Pierre Fournier
Got the volume up, so beautiful


----------



## Kazaman

Webern, String Trio (Julliard Quartet)


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in in C Minor, Op.65, *performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13.* All three works feature the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Kazaman

Schnittke, Viola Concerto (LSO under Rostropovich, soloist Yuri Bashmet)


----------



## GreenMamba

Prokofiev Violin Concerto no. 1, op. 19, Fischer/Kreizberg, RNO


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Les Abencerages -- Peter Maag: Orchestra Sinfonica Rai Di Milano, Coro Sinfonica Rai Di Milano

It's very difficult to ward off a new fixation. Where Cherubini is concerned, it's a battle that I'm losing. While I am losing, I am also gaining a great deal of profundity. Depths of endless excitement.


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette said:


> I've been thinking about getting my hands on Clementi's Sonatas. Which of the two sets do you like best?


To my ears there's very little difference - they're both top shelf performances and near identical readings. The Shelley may have been captured with a very slightly mellower tone than Demidenko, but thats about it.

The Demidenko is though, as far as I know, just a one-off and I believe deleted in both its Hyperion and Helios versions, probably because Hyperion now has the complete survey from Shelley. I haven't heard a huge amount of Clementi so I can't say if this is the set to have (though I find no fault with it, and it serves my needs).

current listening:









Schubert Lieder - Elly Ameling, soprano, Dalton Baldwin, piano

grabbed this from the bargain bin thinking it was an Ameling Schubert I didn't have, but on closer inspection at home looks like it might be just highlights from four earlier albums


----------



## Feathers

Delius: Piano Concerto (Clifford Curzonand Sir John Pritchard ith the BBC Symphony Orchestra) 

It didn't leave much of an impression on me the first time, but I'm really enjoying it this time.


----------



## neoshredder

Beethoven - The Piano Trios


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Jiranek (1694-1778): Sinfonia in D Major

Jana Semeradova directing the Collegium Marianum

View attachment 16975


Another transitional composer bridging the gap between Baroque and the Classical. Self-assured and deft writing. The bassoon concertos are brisk and quite enjoyable --


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schubert String Quintet.
Franck's Symphony in D Minor

BBC music magazine freebies


----------



## Art Rock

After my Wagner project (all 13 operas within a few weeks, many of them in two versions), I am now embarking on a modern composer whom I know less well than I should: Ligeti. This 5CD box should be a good way to explore him.


----------



## Kieran

Art Rock said:


> View attachment 16978


They took that photo when he thought they weren't, didn't they?


----------



## Selby

Upon recommendations:





















I believe it is going to be the summer of the quatuor à cordes.


----------



## Guest

My university's band director gave me a bunch of scores to study since I'm writing my first band piece over the summer. Some of the pieces she gave me that I really enjoy are Colgrass' _Winds of Nagual_, Husa's _Music for Prague 1968_, and Chen Yi's _Dragon Rhyme_ (among many, many others). Most of this music is difficult even for advanced college bands, but it's been great to study from. With the explosion of wind band music in the last couple of decades, writing for the medium has become almost necessary for contemporary composers.


----------



## bejart

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838): Concertante in for Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon in B Major, Op.3

Olof Boman leading the Ostgota Blasarsymfoniker: Dan Larsson, clarinet -- Erik Rapp, horn -- Andreas From, bassoon

View attachment 16991


----------



## Kieran

Some Beethoven and Schubert piano pieces, Brendel playing the Beethoven and Schnabel playing the Schubert (mainly sonatas, but the Wanderer Fantasy may wander across as well, if I have time)...


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet in D Major, KV 499

Chilingirian Quartet: Levon Chilingirian and Mark Butler, violins -- Csaba Erdelyi, viola -- Philip de Groote, cello

View attachment 16993


----------



## Feathers

Scharwenka: Piano Concerto (aurence Jeanningros with Paul Freeman conducting the Czech National Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Introitus TS Eliot in Memorium, Threni, Abraham and Isaac, The Flood
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, cond. Julian Wachner

Friday's concert in New York of Stravinsky's choral works.
http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/we...stravinsky-festival-the-complete-sacred-works

Some people here might remember my love for Threni in particular.


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky: "Variations: Aldous Huxley in Memoriam", "Movements for Piano and Orchestra", and some other pieces from his serial period.


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): Flute Quartet

Vaclav Slivansky, flute -- Monika Pecikiwwiczova, piano -- Ada Slivanska, violin -- Kristina Polakova, cello

View attachment 16994


----------



## EricABQ

Hamish Milne playing Medtner's skazki.


----------



## DavidA

Mussorgsky Boris Godunov Abbado


----------



## DrKilroy

Feathers said:


> Scharwenka: Piano Concerto (aurence Jeanningros with Paul Freeman conducting the Czech National Symphony Orchestra)


Which one? I like the 4th very much.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Paisiello (1741-1816): Piano Concerto No.2 in F Major

Gennaro Cappabianca leading the Collegium Philharmonicum Chamber Orchestra --Francesco Nicolosi, piano

View attachment 16996


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Sinfonia Concertante, K364, Karl Bohm waving the wand on the Berlin Philly and soloists. Stunning first movement where a fabricoligist couldn't find the seams between the themes...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Introitus TS Eliot in Memorium, Threni, Abraham and Isaac, The Flood
> The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, cond. Julian Wachner
> 
> Friday's concert in New York of Stravinsky's choral works.


Wow! That's quite a lineup of Stravinsky pieces. It looks like it was kind of sparsely attended, though.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080 -- Helmut Walcha

Tchaikovsky: String Quartet #3 in E Minor, Op. 30 -- Ying Quartet

Sibelius: Overture in E, JS 145 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Stravinsky: L'Oiseau de Feu -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Schumann: 2 Balladen Für Deklamation, Op. 122 -- Graham Johnson: Oliver Widmer

Chopin: Piano Concerto #1 in E Minor, Op. 11 -- Rafal Blechacz; Jerzy Semkow: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> Wow! That's quite a lineup of Stravinsky pieces. It looks like it was kind of sparsely attended, though.


I wish I could have gone. I often wonder if I'll ever have a chance to hear Threni performed live.

Unfortunately, 12-tone Stravinsky does as much to scare away crowds as Schoenberg. Just look at the bizarre comments under this Youtube video.


----------



## Kieran

Brandis on violin and Cappone on viola, the second movement of K364. Michael Nyman composed great variations of this for the movie, Drowning by Numbers. It's humongous and sumptuous, and I believe it was one of the final works Mozart composed in Salzburg before he received that legendary kick in the hole.

I imagine it was first performed by Leopold and Wolfgang, with the younger Mozart playing viola, but I could be wrong...


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Unfortunately, 12-tone Stravinsky does as much to scare away crowds as Schoenberg. Just look at the bizarre comments under this Youtube video.


Stravinsky was a titan, and as far as I'm concerned, neither he nor Schoenberg wrote any bad music. Youtube comments are so tedious--I hardly know whether or laugh or cry, sometimes. At least _we_ can appreciate these composers' works.


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Stravinsky was a titan, and as far as I'm concerned, neither he nor Schoenberg wrote any bad music. Youtube comments are so tedious--I hardly know whether or laugh or cry, sometimes. At least we can appreciate these composers' works.


Well, Stravinsky's Waltz for Children (published in a newspaper, I think) might qualify....

Via Spotify:

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C
Mitsuko Uchida, Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## Kazaman

Stravinsky, Mass (RIAS Kammerchor under Daniel Reuss)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: Piano Concerti, with AdL/LPO/Foster (rec.1972); Piano Music, with Crossley (rec.1983).

View attachment 16999
View attachment 17000


----------



## SimonNZ

"Venite a Laudare: Sacred and Secular Music in 15th Century France and Italy" - Obsidienne


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith, Das Marienleben (Roxolona Roslak, Glenn Gould)


----------



## GreenMamba

Some Gesualdo Mardigals, Les Arts Florissants


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Piano sonata #9
Alwyn: Lyra Angelica


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - "Lontano" (from "Clear or Cloudy", C.Abbado)


----------



## PetrB

*Alfredo Casella: Partita per pianoforte e piccola orchestra, Op.42 (1924/1925)*

Alfredo Casella: Partita per pianoforte e piccola orchestra, Op.42 (1924/1925)


----------



## PetrB

aleazk said:


> Ligeti - "Lontano" (from "Clear or Cloudy", C.Abbado)


_beautiful piece_


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.3 in B Flat, KV 281

Christian Zacharias, piano

View attachment 17006


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Drei Gemischte Chöre -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Fux: Ciaccona in D, K 403 -- René Clemencic

Dvořák: Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A -- Tokyo Quartet: Hiroko Nakamura

Debussy: Nocturnes, L 91 -- Pierre Boulez: Cleveland Orchestra

Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## starthrower

[YT]v=RhDd5ORCyMU#![/YT]


----------



## Feathers

Medtner: Forgotten Melodies


----------



## geve

This morning, on my TV recorder, from NZ's Arts Channel, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 3. Valery Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra.........very very Russian, but a Tchaikovsky gem. It's from his symphony No 4 that this greatest of Russian composer's style of expression moves to a more universal stage, but never leaving Russia.


----------



## SimonNZ

Moeran's String Quartet in A minor - Maggini String Quartet


----------



## ptr

Back in the high seat, Stravinsky inspired listening for the morning:

*Igor Stravinsky*

- 'The Flood', 'Abraham and Isaac', Variations, Requiem Canticles; *Charles Wuorinen* - 'A Reliquary for Igor Stravinsky' (*DG*)









Peter Hall, tenor (1-7) David Wilson-Johnson, bass-baritone (1-20) Stephen Richardson, bass (1-7) Susan Bickley, contralto (12-20); New London Chamber Choir (1-7, 12-20) & London Sinfonietta u. Oliver Knussen

- The Firebird & Symphony of Psalms (*Orfeo*)









City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Orchestra u. Andris Nelsons

- Histoire du Soldat (Philips )









Jean Cocteau/Jean-Marie Fertey/Peter Ustinov/Anne Tonietti/Manoug Parikian/Joachim Gut/Ulysse Delécluse/Henry Helearts/Maurice André/Roland Schnorkh/Charles Peschie/Igor Markevitch

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.82 "The Bear"

comparing the Herbert von Karajan and Neville Marriner recordings


----------



## Cheyenne

More Corelli, in celebration of the fact that I will soon get his op. 5 sonatas played by Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. Listening to my favorite, no. 8.


----------



## bejart

James Cervetto (ca.1682-1783): Cello Sonata No.4 in D Minor

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli, cello -- WAlter Mammarellla, harpsichord -- Marcello Scandelli, cello continuo

View attachment 17016


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's fifth. Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philly in 1947...


----------



## Sid James

*Bloch* _Voice in the Wilderness (Symphonic Poem for Orchestra with Violoncello obbligato)_
- A tribute to the cellist *Janos Starker *who just passed away - here playing with Israel PO under Zubin Mehta / Decca Eloquence

*Rachmaninov *_Isle of the Dead_
- USSR SO under Evgeni Svetlanov / Melodiya


----------



## Andolink

Philipp Heinrich Erlebach: Sacred Cantatas--"Ich will euch wiedersehen", "Siehe, um Trost", "Held, du hast den Feind gebunden", "Unruhige Gedanken, stellt alles Sorgen ein"
Les Amis de Philippe/Ludger Rémy














Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 18, "Giornata", op. 153 (1982); Quartetto Sereno, op. 197 (op. posth.)
The Kontra Quartet








Alan Rawsthorne: Suite for Flute, Viola and Harp (1968)
The Finbonacci Sequence








Philipp Heinrich Erlebach: Overture No. 4 in D minor
Capricornus Consort Basel/Peter Barczi


----------



## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> [YT]v=RhDd5ORCyMU#![/YT]


I'm listening to this now. I like the name of the group. Sure, it's referring to where Zappa came from, but I also have many pleasant memories of that city.


----------



## ptr

From Stravinsky I jump back to Saint-Saëns:

*Camille Saint-Saëns *

- Organ Works Vol 1 "Transcriptions" (*Priory*)









Gerard Brooks @ The 1890 Cavaillé-Coll Organ of St. Ouen, Rouen

- Symphony No 3 "Organ" (*Decca*)









Peter Hurford, organ; Orchestre symphonique de Montréal u. Charles Dutoit

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Walton - Symphony no. 1.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Also his Symphony no. 2.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases.

*Dvorak*: Stabat Mater, with Royal Flemish Phil./Herreweghe et al. Herreweghe continues his journey of excellence. An intimate portrayal, with delectable performance and sound. As always, one to consider.

View attachment 17026


For tightropers religion, *MacMillan*: O, Tryst, Magnificat, Nunc dimittis, with Netherlands
RCP/MacMillan. Something old, something new from this composer. Good moments, especially with O. Worth a listen.

View attachment 17027


----------



## Kieran

I'm going to give the Adagietto of Mahler's Fifth another lip-smacking listen - Bruno still conducting - but then it's an evening at the desk, and that requires Mozart's aid.

Wolfgangerl what have ya got for me, lad? :tiphat:

Well, sir, a few bits o' violin sonatas I knocked out cheap, see, and a piana concerto - I used ta play the ol' Joanna meself in me spare time until the missus got sick, Gaw love 'er bones. She's doin' well now, mind, but her nerves tiddle when I play, so now I walk the dog instead. He's a nice ol' mutt, Lor' lumme 'e makes me larf - oh, sorry sir, I also 'ave a liddle symph they're callin' *Jupiter*, after a star, or what haves ya, guvna. Ya can start with that. Should 'elp pass de time, Gawd 'elp us all...


----------



## millionrainbows

The Complete Flute Music of Andre Jolivet Vol. 2; Manuela Weisler, flute (BIS). I like Weisler's flute playing and artistry (choice of repetoire). Jolivet is a good example of how Modernism attempted to merge "world music" with the classical canon, treating "primitive" music with reverence and respect. Other examples are John Cage, Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell, Varèse, and the Minimalists.


----------



## ptr

back with Stravinsky..

*Igor Stravinsky*

- Works for Piano (2CDs) (EMI OOP?)









Michael Beroff, piano (Orchestre de Paris u. Seiji Ozawa)

- Works for piano, two pianists (Decca OOP?)









Vladimir Ashkenazy & Andrei Gavrilov, piano

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Canticum Sacrum, Requiem Canticles, In Memorium Dylan Thomas, Requiem for JFK, A Sermon, A Narrative, and A Prayer
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, cond. Julian Wachner

http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/we...ravinsky-festival-the-complete-sacred-works-2

Saturday's concert from the same series.


----------



## Arsakes

*Anton Bruckner*'s Symphony No.1-9 "Scherzo" movements.
Kind of comparative listening.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Cello Concerto, with Fournier/BPO/Szell (rec.1961); Symphony 7, with NYPO/LB (rec.1963); Piano Quintet, with Nash Ens. (rec.1988).

View attachment 17030
View attachment 17031
View attachment 17032


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bloch


----------



## neoshredder

Cheyenne said:


> More Corelli, in celebration of the fact that I will soon get his op. 5 sonatas played by Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. Listening to my favorite, no. 8.
> 
> View attachment 17015


Love that Christmas Concerto.


----------



## Cheyenne

I do too  To sum up my days listening:

*Corelli's Concerto Grosso No. 8; Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. *
Always worth a listen - what a great composer!

*Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2; Jascha Heifetz, Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.*
Such an interesting concerto. I'll have to listen to it again soon.

*Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks; George Szell and the London Symphony Orchestra. *
I rarely listen to modern instrument performances of baroque music, but this recording marks an exception for me, standing proudly next to my Pinnock and Gardiner HIP performances. It's so vibrant and vivacious, I can't help but enjoy it.

*Arthur Honegger's Mouvement Symphonique No. 3; Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. *
An interesting work, well played by a conductor who wasn't known for his performances of modern works.

*Debussy's Prélude à l'Apres-midi d'une Faune; Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra. *
Never fails to astound me.

*Heinichen's Dresden Concerti, one if F major and one in C major; Reinhard Goebel and Musica Antique Köln. *
A great recording that I purchased some time ago and have played lamentably little attention to.


----------



## bejart

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Sinfonia in G Major

Jiri Malat directing the Kurpfalzisches Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 17035


----------



## Novelette

Wagenseil: Symphony in D, WV 374 -- Johannes Goritzki: Stuttgarter Kammerorchester

Albrechtsberger: Harp Concerto in C -- Nicanor Zabaleta; Paul Kuentz: Chamber Orchestra

Albrechtsberger: Prelude & Fugue in G Minor on "BACH" -- Silva Manfre

Krebs: Toccata & Fugue in E -- Massimo Gabba


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Piano Concerto 1, with Douglas/LSO/Skrowaczewski (rec.1988); Piano Concerto 2, with Kovacevich/LSO/C.Davis (rec.1980); *Schumann *Piano Concerto, with Argerich/SIO/Rabinovitch (rec.2002).


----------



## bejart

Pietro Nardini (1722-1793): String Quartet No.5 in G Major

Quartetto Eleusi: Mauro Massa and Andrea Vassalle, violins -- Simone Laghi, viola -- Valeria Brunelli, cello

View attachment 17040


----------



## Kazaman

Chopin: Fantaisie in F minor (Rubinstein)


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler's 7th Symphony with Bernstein. I have just finished the first movement and I really liked it.  I adore the sound of baritone horn. Let's see what comes next, in the second movement. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Piano Works, with Pogorelich (rec.1991/2), Grimaud (rec.1995).

View attachment 17042
View attachment 17043


----------



## Joris

*Haydn*: String Quartets


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Ave Maria, Credo, Pater Noster, Anthem, Cantata, Mass, Symphony of Psalms
Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Julian Wachner

http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/we...ravinsky-festival-the-complete-sacred-works-3

The most accessible works were all lumped into this concert. Great stuff, too!


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano trio K502, performed by the Kungsbacka Trio on Naxos...


----------



## Kazaman

Vaneyes said:


> *Brahms*: Piano Works, with Pogorelich (rec.1991/2), Grimaud (rec.1995).
> 
> View attachment 17042
> View attachment 17043


I really don't like Grimaud's approach to Brahms. What do you think of it?


----------



## cwarchc

After a couple of nights jazz & heavy metal, back to my alphabetical journey

Finished G with this one, it has some deep personal meanings.
Very bittersweet, beautiful music, very moving









Then onto H
Starting with a couple of "Hall of Fame" compilations, bought prior to finding TC
The this one








Last one for today


----------



## Guest

Kazaman said:


> I really don't like Grimaud's approach to Brahms. What do you think of it?


Depends on what she's playing. Heard her do the D minor piano concerto with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and it was incredible.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonia in F Major

Prague Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 17048


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Piano Concerto #14 in E Flat, K 449 -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Rameau: La Guirlande -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants


----------



## bejart

Josef Rejcha (1752-1795): Cello Concerto in E Major

Hynek Farkac leading Archi Boemi with Karel Fiala on cello

View attachment 17049


----------



## SimonNZ

"Sonata Pro Tabula" - Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Orchestral Works, with RPO/Beecham (rec.1956/7); Halle/LSO/Barbirolli (rec.1956 - '70).

View attachment 17051
View attachment 17052


----------



## Vaneyes

Kazaman said:


> I really don't like Grimaud's approach to Brahms. What do you think of it?


Thanks for asking. I like it, as well as other approaches, such as her jpeg sidekick Pogo, GG, Angelich, Kovacevich, Sokolov, Lupu.:tiphat:


----------



## Kazaman

Henze, Symhpony no. 1 (conductor and orchestra unknown)


----------



## samurai

geve said:


> This morning, on my TV recorder, from NZ's Arts Channel, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 3. Valery Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra.........very very Russian, but a Tchaikovsky gem. It's from his symphony No 4 that this greatest of Russian composer's style of expression moves to a more universal stage, but never leaving Russia.


Yes indeed, the *"Polish" *is quite a spirited and lively work, as is his *"Little Russian" {Symphony No.2}**.* Both are amongst my favorites of Tchaikovsky's symphonic output.
*

*


----------



## geve

Just concluded listening to that monumental Finnish symphony-Sibelius Symphony No 2 Paavo Jarvi conducts the Paris Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Stabat Mater and 3rd Symphony.
Stravinsky, Agon.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi's Clarinet Concerto - Emma Johnson, clarinet, Charles Groves, cond.


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36, *featuring the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D417 {"Tragic"}.* Both works are performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major.* Both symphonies once again feature Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Peterinch

Prokofiev Symphony No. 2 - Neeme Järvi; Scottish National Orchestra. First time I have ever heard this piece... WOW!


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Lily And The Lamb: Chant And Polyphony From Medieval England" - Anonymous 4


----------



## Kazaman

Harry Somers, Picasso Suite (Atlantic Symhpony Orchestra)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been exploring a lot of Mozart's chamber works and concertos again.

Currently:


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in A Major, Op.114

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 17057


----------



## lunchdress

Scriabin by Sofronitsky (thanks to a a thread I found here last night..  )


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor.* Both of these works are magnificently and elegantly performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under the wand of Sir Adrian Boult. These two symphonies--along with his *London { # 2 } and Antartica { # 7} Symphonies, *have become amongst my favorites of his, for their expressions of sheer beauty--yet at the same time--a quite palpable sense of dread and foreboding.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major, *featuring soprano Reri Grist and the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.6 in F major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}. *Both works feature Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Feathers

Finally warming up to Milhaud's music a little bit now. Listening to La Creation du monde.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Octet D803

comparing the Wiener Oktett and Nash Ensemble recordings


----------



## ptr

I'm slightly COaGing on Stravinsky:

*Igor Stravinsky*

- Chamber works & Rarities (*Decca*)









European Soloists Ensemble; Dmitri Ashkenazy, clarinat, Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano & leader; Andrei Gavrilov, Piano; Sinfonietta de Montreal u. Charles Dutoit; Orchestre symphonique de Montreal u. Charles Dutoit; Cleveland Orchestra u. Richardo Chailly; l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande u. Ernest Ansermet

- Songs (*DG*)









Phyllis Bryn-Julson, sop; Ann Murray, mezzo; Robert Tear, ten; John Shirley-Quirk, bar; Ensemble InterContemporain u. Pierre Boulez

- Pétrouchka, Le Chant du rossignol & Quatre études (*Decca*)









Orchestre symphonique de Montréal u. Charles Dutoit

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

More Alwyn today:


----------



## PetrB

ptr said:


> back with Stravinsky..
> 
> *Igor Stravinsky*
> 
> - Works for Piano (2CDs) (EMI OOP?)
> 
> View attachment 17028
> 
> 
> Michael Beroff, piano (Orchestre de Paris u. Seiji Ozawa)
> 
> - Works for piano, two pianists (Decca OOP?)
> 
> View attachment 17029
> 
> 
> Vladimir Ashkenazy & Andrei Gavrilov, piano
> 
> /ptr


That double Concerto for two solo pianos is a monumental and highly enjoyable work (with a footnote factoid, the first piece with metric modulation as part of its essential structure), and though 'well known' I think not nearly known enough.

The two piano sonata is alternately lovely, piquant, humorous, and another 'winner.' Enjoy.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

Nathan Milstein, violin

View attachment 17067


----------



## skumlingen

Gregorio Allegri















Something I downloaded once, never Heard it before, but, I liked it. 
Not used to choral music, but will explore more.


----------



## DrKilroy

Jon Leifs - Reminiscence du Nord, Deittifoss, Geysir. (Perhaps also some other works by him). 
Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra, The Wooden Prince.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## oogabooha

ptr said:


> I'm slightly COaGing


.....................


----------



## SimonNZ

ten Chopin mazurkas - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano


----------



## Andolink

Gonzalo de Olavide: Índices, para orquesta ad libitum ; Concertante-divides, para mezzo-soprano, coro y orquesta
Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE/Arturo Tamayo








Philipp Heinrich Erlebach: "Wer sind diese mit weißen Kleidern angetan", "Betruebtes Herz, erfreue dich!"
Les Amis de Philippe/Rudger Rémy 








William Brade: Hamburger Ratsmusik - Consort Music C. 1600
Hesperion XX/Jordi Savall








Luigi Boccherini: Stabat Mater
Agnes Mellon, soprano
Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini


----------



## rrudolph

Some quiet Bach to soothe my tortured psyche (tortured by the after effects of a certain California brewery's "Anniversary Celebration Ale" of which I may have partaken a bit too much last night):

Sonatas for Viola da Gamba & Harpsichord BWV 1027, 1028, 1029









Suites for Lute-Harpsichord BWV 996, 997/Choral Preludes from the Kirnberg Collection BWV 690, 691









Suites 4, 5, 6 for Unaccompanied Cello


----------



## Kieran

Schubert piano trio D898, Arthur Rubinstein (piano), Jascha Heifetz (violin) and Emanuel Feuermann (cello).


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> I'm slightly COaGing on Stravinsky:


To do that, you should be listening to a single recording of a single work multiple times per day. Come on, we know you can do it!

Takemitsu: In the Woods, Equinox, All in Twilight
Norio Satoh, Guitar


----------



## Kazaman

Stravinsky: The Firebird (Gergiev)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, Piano Sonata. Corelli, Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op. 6, No. 1.*


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: piano sonatas 10 & 12


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> Beethoven: piano sonatas 10 & 12


Who's playing them? 

I'm listening to Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, being performed by Brendel for Brilliant Classics...


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - The Firebird, The Rite of Spring.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Cello Concerto.*


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano trios, K496, K502, K542, K548 and K564, Kungsbacka Trio.

Marvellous!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Philip Glass, Glassworks.*


----------



## DavidA

Schubert Sonata 18 Radu Lupu

How beautifully this man plays!


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> *Philip Glass, Glassworks.*
> 
> View attachment 17090


I saw Philip Glass perform in Dublin a few years ago, solo piano work. His hands seemed glued to the centre of the piano, as if the lower and higher registers were off-limits (I know, a faily detailed technical analysis ) but it was quite intense and he was a formidable presence on stage. I'd heard very little of his music before - some for movies and he worked with Paul Simon on _The Late Great Johnny Ace_ song, off *Hearts and Bones *- but I enjoyed that evening in the NCH...


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Sinfonia Domestica, with Tonhalle O./Zinman (rec.2002); Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, with COE/Leinsdorf (rec.1987); *Nielsen*: Symphonies 1 - 3, with SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1988/9).

View attachment 17092
View attachment 17093
View attachment 17094


----------



## SimonNZ

"Tunes From The Attic" (17th C. songs and dances) - The Baltimore Consort


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Sextet No. 2 in G major.*

I see Hyperion has issued a new, remastered version of this. I guess it's an improvement, but I'm happy with how my recording sounds.


----------



## Kazaman

Faure: Requiem (John Rutter)


----------



## Novelette

Bruch: Serenade for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 75 -- Salvatore Accardo: Leipzig Gewandhausorchester

Brahms: Piano Quartet #3 in C Minor, Op. 60 -- Beaux Arts Trio

Mozart: Pantomime, K 446 -- Neville Marriner: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields

Scheidt: Wir Glauben All An Einen Gott -- Gabrielli Consort & Players

Schubert: Piano Sonata in D, Op. 53, D 850, "Gasteiner" -- Wilhelm Kempff

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Haydn: Baryton Soli, H 12/13 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Perfect for a stormy day.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Brahms, Sextet No. 2 in G major.*
> 
> I see Hyperion has issued a new, remastered version of this. I guess it's an improvement, but I'm happy with how my recording sounds.
> 
> View attachment 17096


Manx, your comment perked my ears up enough to listen to my original copy (rec. 1988). I listened to a couple of minutes from each track and could not detect anything awry. I've had the CD since it was issued, but I tried listening in an unbiased manner with ears that are albeit 25 years older.

The 20th Anniversary "remastered" edition was re-issued in 2000. Maybe it's time for *another* remastering 13 years later.

Some "reviewer" of the *new 'n improved* edition at Amazon mentioned the tonal balance being more centered. I listened for that specifically, and found that assumption benign. I also can't imagine engineer Tony Faulkner making such a basic error in 1988. :tiphat:


----------



## Kazaman

Prokofiev: String Quartet no. 1 in B minor (Zagreb Quartet)


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.80

Claudio Abbado leading the London Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 17097


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Recital Of Lute Songs" - Peter Pears, tenor, Julian Bream, lute


----------



## Kazaman

Norgard: String Quartet no. 10 (Kroger Quartet)


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D Major and Symphony No.9 in E Minor. *Both works are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D589. *Both symphonies feature Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky *
_Symphony #6 in B minor, Op. 74 "Pathetique"
Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Eugene Onegin: Waltz (Act II, Scene I) and Polonaise (Act III, Scene I)_
- Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy (Eugene conducted by Eugene!) / Sony

*Rachmaninov* 
_Piano Concerto #4 in G minor, Op. 40_
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano with London SO under Andre Previn / Decca Eloquence
_Isle of the Dead_
- USSR SO under Evgeni Svetlanov / Melodiya


----------



## Kazaman

R. V. Williams: Symhpony no. 8 in D minor (Philharmonia Orchestra under Slatkin)


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Antonin Tuma (1704-1774): Partita in D Minor

Joseph Vlach directing the Suk Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 17099


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.33 in C Minor

Mikhail Pletnev, piano

View attachment 17100


----------



## drpraetorus

Strauss, Last four songs


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20 - All of them -- Kodály Quartet

The F Minor Quartet, #5 of Op. 20, #35 by Hoboken catalogue, is my favorite among the Op. 20 set. The first movement is fiery and tortured, and has a somewhat unexpected medial caesura on V/III--a normative "triple blow" medial caesura.

The minuet is lovely, of course. Minor-mode minuets are a specialty of Haydn, and it is a pity that he did not compose them so frequently.

The adagio movement, though, is the greatest strength of this quartet, in my opinion. Haydn really shined beautifully in his slow movements! So tender and sentimental.

The finale is an exquisite fugue. Masterful counterpoint, but brimming with an unmistakably Haydn-esque voice.

A marvel of the early string quartet repertoire. I find all of Haydn's string quartets excellent works and I never tire of them.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Faure's Orchestral Works


----------



## Feathers

Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Cello, Sonata for Violin and Piano (Chantal Juillet on the violin, Pascal Roge on the piano, and Truls Mork on the cello)


----------



## Sid James

*Rachmaninov*_
"Youth" Symphony in D minor & Symphony #3 in A minor, Op. 44_
- Concertgebouw Orch. under Vladimir Ashkenazy & L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Paul Kletzki / Decca Eloquence
*
Shostakovich* _Symphony #1, Op. 10_
- Berlin PO under Mariss Jansons / EMI


----------



## MagneticGhost

Haydn - The Seasons (in English)

Heather Harper
John Shirly-Quirk
BBC Chorus and Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis


----------



## ptr

Three Croissant's for morning tea:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Quatour pour la fin du temps (Accord OOP?)









Olivier Messiaen, piano; Jean Pasquier, violin; Etienne Pasquier, cello; Andre Vacellier, clarinet

*Cesar Franck* - Symphony in D minor, Psyche (I, IV) in transcriptions by the organist (*Organum*)









Heinrich Walther an die Rieger Orgel (1999) des Wallfahrtsbasilika Vierzehnheiligen, Franken

*Gabriel Fauré* - Piano Quartets 1 & 2 and Quintets 1 & 2 (*Decca*)









Pascal Rogé, piano & Quatuor Ysaÿe

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso, Op.3, No.9

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici

View attachment 17106


----------



## Kieran

Usually drill-sergeant Beethoven pinches my cheeks of a morning and sets my paces, but this morning it's the Haffner Symph in D by the little known chocolate box salesman, Mozart...


----------



## Kieran

Horowitz performing Rachmaninov's second piano sonata...


----------



## Badinerie

Credit card statement in...I need some Bartok!


----------



## Andolink

Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in C minor, op. 31 no. 4, G 328
Ensemble 415








J. S. Bach: French Suite No. 3 in B minor, BWV 814
Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 9 (1969)
The Kontra Quartet


----------



## Kieran

Hugo Wolf, Goethe lieder, Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone, Thomas Palm, piano...


----------



## Andolink

Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No. 1 "The Kreutzer Sonata"
Medici String Quartet


----------



## Sudonim

Just finished this one:









... and now, moving back to classical, giving this one another spin (having just finished it in the car):









And, since I'm working my way through the "Cover Flow" on my iPod, this one is up next:


----------



## Art Rock

I have got a bit of a taste for more opera after my Wagner marathon.


----------



## Kazaman

Grieg: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, selections from opp. 38 and 45, Piano Sonata in E minor and Violin Sonata no. 3 in C-sharp minor (Jacques Israelievitch, violin, and Robert Kortgaard, piano)


----------



## Kieran

Inspired by friend Ramako, I'm listening to Haydn, Opus 76 string quartets, performed by the Kodaly Quartet. It's my least favourite genre but I'm enjoying these, especially the D-minor... :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## Cheyenne

I'm comparing three versions of Telemann's Violin Concerto in A major: 'The Frogs'. The biggest difference is the speed of the third movement, which is taken rather slow by Wallfisch, fast by Mai/Seiler and faster than Wallfisch but leaning more to Wallfisch' tempo by Goebel.


----------



## aleazk

The Art of Fugue, played by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. An extremely delicate, warm and sensitive interpretation.


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, while I'm making tea in the kitchen. Mikhail Rudy on piano...


----------



## cwarchc

The journey continues:














now this is better than I ever imagined, it's going to send me on another journey








just shows what I got when I started my foray into "classical"


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lizst, La Lugubre Gondola.*

This recording was recommended by one of you. I forgot to write their name.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer.*

Recalling last week's vacation. From what I'm hearing, Debussy could easily have been writing about the Gulf Coast.


----------



## Guest

Smetana - Ma Vlast
Karel Ancerl: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Supraphon

I am loving my Supraphon purchases.


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Fantastic music. Fantastic rendering.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first listen to the whole of Gounod's Faust by Cluytens... and I am quite enjoying it.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
William Lawes (1 May 1602-1645): Royal Consort Suite No.6 in D Major

The Purcell Quartet with Nigel North and Paul O'Dette, theorboes: Catherine MacIntosh and Catherine Weiss, violins -- Richard Boothby, cello -- Robert Woolley, chamber organ

View attachment 17130


----------



## Crudblud

Gustav Mahler - _Symphony No. 6_ (Kondrashin)

Once again the 6th isn't quite clicking for me yet. I hope to explore it similarly to how I have more recently with the 4th and 7th, both of which I think are great (although the finale of the 7th is not my cup of tea for the most part). I think it's mostly the inner movements I'm having trouble with, I shall probably take Eschenbach's recording out with me on my walk this morning around 4AM (which at the moment corresponds to _astronomical twilight_).


----------



## millionrainbows

Brahms (1833-1897): Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108; Jaime Laredo, violin; Jean-Bernard Pommier, pyanner (Virgin _tee hee_ Classics)...BANG! plop!

Robert Schu, _mannn_....(1810-1858): Abegg Variations, Op.1; Carnaval, Op.9; Kinderszenen Op.15; Pavel Egorov, pyanner (Audiophile Classics). Now *this* is _music!_ Russian pianist Pavel Egorov does a bang-up job here, and the engineering is superb, on a gold disc. It's the real deal, fo' sho'...


----------



## millionrainbows

Crudblud said:


> Gustav Mahler - _Symphony No. 6_ (Kondrashin)
> 
> Once again the 6th isn't quite clicking for me yet. I hope to explore it similarly to how I have more recently with the 4th and 7th, both of which I think are great (although the finale of the 7th is not my cup of tea for the most part). I think it's mostly the inner movements I'm having trouble with, I shall probably take Eschenbach's recording out with me on my walk this morning around 4AM (which at the moment corresponds to _astronomical twilight_).


On that Mahler 6th, during the march part, just imagine Nazis marching through your town, with Rush Limbaugh in a vintage black Mercedes convertible, waving to the crowd.


----------



## drpraetorus

RVW Symphonia Antarctica


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner* _Symphony #5 (Nowak edition)_
- Vienna PO under Lorin Maazel / Decca Eloquence

*Album: Titanic - Music from the motion picture*
- Music composed and conducted by *James Horner* / Sony

*Boulez* _Piano Sonata #3_
- Idil Biret, piano / Naxos


----------



## bejart

Andrea Luchesi (1741-1801): Piano Sonata with Violin Obbligato in G Major, Op.1, No.1

Maria Grazia Baiocchi, piano -- Carlos Garfias, violin

View attachment 17140


----------



## millionrainbows

Brahms (1833-1897): _Concerto for Violin, Cello, & Orchestra. Op.102_; Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, CSO, Abbado (CBS), Opens with those bombastic bursts I dislike so much; then Yo-Yo Ma enters, dripping with emotion. Whew, this is like drinking coffee with waay too much sugar in it...Can I last without going into insulin shock?


----------



## aleazk

Jean Barraqué - Sonate pour Piano.


----------



## samurai

drpraetorus said:


> RVW Symphonia Antarctica


@ Doc, By whom was this performed? I have the Sir Adrian Boult/London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir rendition.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Szenen aus Goethes Faust, WoO 3 -- Claudio Abbado: Berliner Philharmoniker

Inspired by all of the Schumann and Faust talk.


----------



## Crudblud

Eschenbach's Mahler 6 is a _revelation_ after Kondrashin. I can only assume that, since _K_'s doesn't seem any faster (breakneck scherzo notwithstanding) that he must be omitting repeats, and really it just doesn't seem to work that well without them, there's also a sense of the conductor just seeming to want to have the whole thing over with. There are a lot of pieces where I think that kind of efficiency works, this one seems to need rather a more meditative approach, you can't rush it, you have to let it run at its own speed. _E_ on the other hand seems to have mastered the balance, though as my walk only lasts around 50 minutes I barely got through the first three movements, and the finale on this recording is a whopping 30 minutes, so that's some considerable overhang I had to cut off. Great, now I'm making light hearted pastry references on a classical music forum... oh, my life!


----------



## SimonNZ

Franz Berwald Piano Trios - Pruny, Kiss, Onczay


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Bagatelles Op.126

comparing the Wilhelm Kempff and Steven Kovacevich recordings


----------



## Kivimees

drpraetorus said:


> RVW Symphonia Antarctica


I find this works best either during the middle of winter or during a heat wave (I am much more familiar with the former).

For now, an assortment of concertos (or concerti, if you prefer):


----------



## Ravndal

Chopin nocturnes.

Always listened to the Leonskaja version, but holy cow - the version by Pires is much more romantic. It's time for a change


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Suite in E Flat, BWV 819

Robert Hill, harpsichord

View attachment 17147


----------



## Selby

I now have 10 full sets of the nocturnes; the Pires is my favorite.



Ravndal said:


> Chopin nocturnes.
> 
> Always listened to the Leonskaja version, but holy cow - the version by Pires is much more romantic. It's time for a change


----------



## Arsakes

*Vivaldi*'s Cello Concerto in E minor and Cello Concerto in B flat major


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.7 - Arturo Toscanini, cond. (1936)


----------



## ptr

A morning trio before beaching in front of the TV for Snooker!

*Gerald Finzi* - Dies natalis, Op. 8, Prelude in F minor, Op. 25, The Fall of the Leaf, Op. 20, Sonnets, Op. 12, New Year Music, Op. 7, Farewell to Arms, Op. 9 (*Naxos*)









James Gilchrist, tenor; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra u. David Hill

*Olivier Messiaen* - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps + Chronochromie (EMI)









Michel Beroff, piano; Erich Gruenberg, violin; Gervase de Peyer, clarinet; William Pleeth, cello // BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Antal Dorati

*Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga* - Sinfonía para gran orquesta en re etc. (Astrée OOP?)









Le Concert des Nations u. Jordi Savall

/ptr


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Alessandro Scarlatti (2 May 1660-1725): Sinfonie No.1 in F Major for Two Flutes and Orchestra

I Musici: William Bennett and Lenore Smith, flutes

View attachment 17155


----------



## Andolink

Philipp Heinrich Erlebach: Aria--Meine Seufzer; Aria--Trocknet euch ihr heißen Zähren; Duet--Süße Freundschaft, edles Band
Miriam Feuersinger, soprano
Franz Vitzthum, countertenor
Capricornus Consort Basel/Peter Barczi








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 8 op. 87 (1965)
The Kontra Quartet








Alan Rawsthorne: Quintet for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano (1962-3)
The Fibonacci Sequence








William Lawes: Sonatas for violin, bass viol and organ--Sett no. 1 in G minor; Sett no. 2 in G major
London Baroque


----------



## Kazaman

Bach: Cello Suite no. 6 in D major (Rostropovich)


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Alan Rawsthorne's* (1905 - 1971) birthday, Cello Concerto with Baillie/RSNO/Lloyd-Jones (rec.1999); Piano Concertos with Tozer/LPO/Bamert (rec.1992).

View attachment 17161
View attachment 17162


----------



## Sudonim

A recent post by DrMike reminded me of one I didn't list:









Superbly played and recorded (live), this 'un is highly recommended.

And just started this one here in my office as I "work" (i.e., scan through TalkClassical):


----------



## ptr

Sudonim said:


> A recent post by DrMike reminded me of one I didn't list:
> View attachment 17163
> 
> Superbly played and recorded (live), this 'un is highly recommended.


Drives me to tears of joy every time I listen to it!

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

I haven't listened to Xenakis in a while...

Even though it's is a modern piece and even though we don't really know exactly how ancient Greek music actually sounded, for some reason I can easily imagine this being presented in an outdoor Greek theater during the time of Pericles.


----------



## Kazaman

Bach: Partita for Keyboard no. 5 in G major (Gould)


----------



## Guest

Crudblud said:


> Gustav Mahler - _Symphony No. 6_ (Kondrashin)
> 
> Once again the 6th isn't quite clicking for me yet. I hope to explore it similarly to how I have more recently with the 4th and 7th, both of which I think are great (although the finale of the 7th is not my cup of tea for the most part). I think it's mostly the inner movements I'm having trouble with, I shall probably take Eschenbach's recording out with me on my walk this morning around 4AM (which at the moment corresponds to _astronomical twilight_).


Eschenbach's recording is fantastic. It has risen to be my favorite recording of the 6th, and I didn't even buy it for the symphony!


----------



## Guest

Sudonim said:


> A recent post by DrMike reminded me of one I didn't list:
> 
> View attachment 17163
> 
> 
> Superbly played and recorded (live), this 'un is highly recommended.


It seems hard to go wrong with these Czech Philharmonic Orchestra recordings on Supraphon of the Czech repertoire - Kubelik, Ancerl, Sejna, they all led it well. I am a huge fan of Kubelik anyway.


----------



## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> On that Mahler 6th, during the march part, just imagine Nazis marching through your town, with Rush Limbaugh in a vintage black Mercedes convertible, waving to the crowd.


Pathetic shot on your part to get attention. Probably never listened to Limbaugh, I am assuming. Seems like the ever increasing government controls proposed by liberals are more in line with the Nazi, and fascist, ideology. Subordinating your will to the good of the state. Forced participation in government programs. The Nazi movement started out with riots and agitation against the state - very similar to what we saw with the Occupy movement and the riots yesterday in Seattle - the reactions of the liberal/Left in this country.


----------



## rrudolph

We now interrupt our current nascent inappropriate political argument for some peaceful vocal ritual:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Sonatas, Op. 7, 28, and 20.*


----------



## Kieran

#24.

Mitsuko's mysterious hair caressing the keys, Jeffrey Tate waving the tickle stick, the English Chamber Orchestra pulling faces and miming in the background...


----------



## Guest

Yesterday I purchased a recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto by Wispelwey on the Channel Classics label, and I have been listening to it. I know everybody swears by the du Pre recording, and it is a classic, but this one really impressed me. Additionally, I was "forced" to listen to some modern classical, as the pairing on the recording was with a cello concerto from Witold Lutoslawski. I am not going to say I disliked it, but if I had a choice, that would not have been the pairing I would have chosen, although it was a nice change from the all too common pairing with the Walton concerto.

At any rate, in addition to the great performance, the sonics were also quite good. Worth picking up if you are a fan of the Elgar concerto (which I am - among my favorite late romantic concertos).


----------



## Kivimees

Less than two months until the end of the semester:









(The two are completely unrelated, other than they both put a smile on my face )


----------



## schuberkovich

DrMike said:


> Yesterday I purchased a recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto by Wispelwey on the Channel Classics label, and I have been listening to it. I know everybody swears by the du Pre recording, and it is a classic, but this one really impressed me. Additionally, I was "forced" to listen to some modern classical, as the pairing on the recording was with a cello concerto from Witold Lutoslawski. I am not going to say I disliked it, but if I had a choice, that would not have been the pairing I would have chosen, although it was a nice change from the all too common pairing with the Walton concerto.
> 
> At any rate, in addition to the great performance, the sonics were also quite good. Worth picking up if you are a fan of the Elgar concerto (which I am - among my favorite late romantic concertos).
> View attachment 17169


HOwever, a recording of the Elgar which I hate is the recent Weilerstein recording with the Carter concerto. She does a glissando every single shift in the first movement for no apparent reason which makes the music sound ridiculous.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to some Ockeghem and Josquin:







I should really listen to early music more often.


----------



## MagneticGhost

I'm feeling a little Czech, so a little Suk is in order


----------



## ahammel

Gabriel Fauré: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121 (Amati Quartet).

Good quartet, this.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Chamber Music.*


----------



## SiegendesLicht

millionrainbows said:


> On that Mahler 6th, during the march part, just imagine Nazis marching through your town, with Rush Limbaugh in a vintage black Mercedes convertible, waving to the crowd.


Some folks must have seen too many WWII films when they were kids. It seems, such films do indeed inflict some childhood trauma, whatever they try to prove to the contrary


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's piano and wind quintet in E Flat Major, Opus 16, performed by Jeno Jando on Naxos, with a decent breeze behind him...


----------



## Kieran

Now segued into the Mozart piano quintet, that flurry of excellence and melody, K452, same players as above. One of the first Mozart works I ever heard, it's never once left me bored...


----------



## Joris

Anyone's got an opinion on this recording? I like it so far, especially the singing


----------



## Kieran

Joris said:


> View attachment 17175
> 
> 
> Anyone's got an opinion on this recording? I like it so far, especially the singing


I'm more familiar with this than his other masses, and my first exposure to it was - funnily enough - here.

But I hope you're enjoying it in its rightful setting...


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 in B Flat, BWV 825 -- Vladimir Ashkenazy [piano]

Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903 -- Lucy Carolan [harpsichord]

Beethoven: Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, Op. 112 -- John Eliot Gardiner et al

Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4 in G, Op. 58 -- Daniel Barenboim; Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Celloissimo

John Cage-4'33''


----------



## Kazaman

Bach: Partita for Keyboard no. 1 in B-flat major (Perahia)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Sid James

*Sculthorpe* _Piano Concerto & Irkanda IV for violin, strings & percussion_
- Anthony Fogg, piano ; Leonard Dommett, violin with Melbourne SO under Myer Fredman & John Hopkins / ABC Classics

*Boulez *_Piano Sonata #1_
- Idil Biret, pno. / Naxos

*Honegger* _Les Miserables - Complete film score, 1934_
- Slovak Radio SO under Adriano / Naxos


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Symphony No.3 in E Flat, Op.97

Roger Norrington leading the Radio Sinfonieorchestrer Stuttgart des SWR

View attachment 17180


----------



## opus55

Mozart mode


----------



## Novelette

Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor -- Leonard Rose; Eugene Ormandy: Philadelphia Orchestra

Mozart, Leopold: Trumpet Concerto in D -- Wynton Marsalis; Raymond Leppard: National Philharmonic Orchestra

Dvořák: Serenade in E, Op. 22 -- Herbert von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Tchaikovsky: Symphony #3 in D, Op. 29, "Polish" -- Gilbert Levine: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## ProudSquire

Shostakovich

String Quartet No. 14 in F sharp Major
String Quartet No. 15 in E flat Minor

An adequate way to cap off what has been a dreadful day. I'll see you in the morrow.


----------



## Novelette

TheProudSquire said:


> Shostakovich
> 
> String Quartet No. 14 in F sharp Major
> String Quartet No. 15 in E flat Minor
> 
> An adequate way to cap off what has been a dreadful day. I'll see you in the morrow.


Sorry to hear that! I hope your tomorrow is far better! A little Shostakovich goes a long way to uplifting the spirit.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Moonlight and Tempest sonatas, String Quartet #13, and chamber music for flute.


----------



## Peterinch

Finished listening to the Prokofiev symphonies this morning (Järvi; Scottish National Orchestra). I recently bought this set only knowing the 1st symphony, and was blown away by the others, especially the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. Great recording too.







And then listened to Boris Godunov (Karajan/Ghiaurov). I always feel a little guilty listening to the Rimsky version, but it is a great opera and the performance is so moving. I really need to get a recording of the original version (or one of the original versions... or both!)


----------



## Sonata

Bach: English Suite #3


----------



## GreenMamba

Bruckner 9th, Barenboim/Berlin PO


----------



## millionrainbows

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op.43.* Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony* (Musical Heritage 2-CD). Recorded 1977; 2004 remaster. Originally on Vanguard Classics.

This is quite beautiful, and the remastering is fantastic. I can see how COAG would be quite obsessed with it. I can't see how any version than this could sound any better; this is the best large-orchestral recording I've ever heard, seriously.


----------



## lunchdress

Ignace Jan Paderewski Plays Chopin


----------



## PetrB

*Alexander Wustin ~ Blessed are the Poor in Spirit*

Alexander Wustin ~ Blessed are the Poor in Spirit


----------



## PetrB

millionrainbows said:


> Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op.43.* Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony* (Musical Heritage 2-CD). Recorded 1977; 2004 remaster. Originally on Vanguard Classics.
> 
> This is quite beautiful, and the remastering is fantastic. I can see how COAG would be quite obsessed with it. I can't see how any version than this could sound any better; this is the best large-orchestral recording I've ever heard, seriously.


A fine episode in performance and recording, Abravanel and that Utah Symphony on Vanguard....
Complete Mahler Symphonies, and to my ears, the best recording of the Orchestral Music of Eric Satie, to boot!


----------



## PetrB

Luc Brewaeys ~ "OBAN"


----------



## drpraetorus

Mendelssohn Scottish Symphony


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Bagatelles Op.126 - Andras Schiff playing Beethoven's own Broadwood piano


----------



## maestro57

Beethoven's String Quartets/Quintets by the Endellion String Quartet (with the addition of David Adams for the Quintets). SUPERB!


----------



## science

According to my own records, I haven't posted an update here since February 27th. Is it possible? Well, I'm not going back and checking.

Thing is, I've been listening to the same stuff over and over, for the most part. Sure, there's been a little exploration because I'm an addict, but I've really been trying to get to know the core of the canon really, really well, to go deep rather than broad for a change. In this post I'll focus on that aspect of my recent listening, and in the next I'll reveal - oh, I know how excited you must be, you can't wait, it's like a striptease right in current listening - some of my recent explorations!

Yeeeeeee-haw! Let's get this thing on!

















Of course. I've listened to each of those about five times in the past few months.

































This particular post is roughly identical to the last time I updated here. If I recall correctly, Heifetz' recording of Sibelius', Prokofiev's 2nd, and Glazunov's violin concertos has been removed, along with Gould's Well-Tempered Clavier removed; they have been replaced by the Stravinsky and the Elgar.


----------



## science

I'm sorry for being deceitful in the previous post, but I realized there is a bit more core stuff that I've been listening to frequently in the past few months:


----------



## science

Ok, here's the fun stuff. Sit back and enjoy the show.

















The Britten/Hartmann/Bartok is one of my new favorite disks. Awesome music. Great recording.

If you are like me, the existence of that Abbado recording of Nono's Il Canto Sospeso is recommendation enough.

















No doubt the Levine disk is a case of "new to you, old to us." Well, I like it anyway. I won't risk comment on the Three Tenors.

















Both good.


----------



## Sid James

*Sculthorpe* _Sun Music I-IV_
- Melbourne SO under John Hopkins / ABC Classics

*Boulez* _Piano Sonata #2_
- Idil Biret, piano / Naxos


----------



## Ravndal

Bruckner symphony 9

LSO & Sir Colin Davis

Didn't know that he died last month. Sad stuff. RIP.


----------



## Sonata

Having a fine cup of "morning coffee" music with a playlist of Haydn. Ahhh


----------



## Kieran

It's a bit early for coffee for me, and a bit early for Haydn too - but it's never too early for Mozart. 

K377, the inexhaustibly wealthy and precise and discreetly passionate fiddle sinatra: Barenboim at the wheel, Perlman riding jockey with the whip...


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753): Concerto Grosso e a Quattro Violini in A Minor, Op.7, No.11

Chiara Banchini leading Ensemble 415

View attachment 17187


----------



## Kivimees

Okay, it's not the most inspiring CD cover, but it's nice for the ears:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Celloissimo said:


> John Cage-4'33''


lol.. I've just been listening to the uber 3 hour remix version of this.
I'm about to break the calm with a little of the box set that arrived from Amazon yesterday.


----------



## Guest

Antonin Dvořák, Serenade for Winds in D minor, Op. 44, Neville Marriner, ASMF
This is the best I've ever heard this piece done.


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> To my ears, the best recording of the Orchestral Music of Eric Satie, to boot!


I was unaware they did Satie. Rats; it's not on Spotify. I'm having to dig around YouTube for clips. From what I'm hearing from Jack in the Box and Parade, his ensemble has a spunkiness which I haven't heard in other recordings.


----------



## millionrainbows

Martha Argerich and Friends: _Live from the Lugano Festival: Chamber Music _(EMI 2-CD).

From this, Brahms: _Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op.108;_ Lilya Zilberstein, piano; Maxim Vengerov, violin.

This is a wonderful performance of this sonata, arguably the most drippingly Romantic of the bunch.

It's the restraint of Maxim Vengerov that saves it from succumbing to the worst aspects of Brahms, that desperate, dramatic, overwrought emotionalism Brahms is prone to. Vengerov lays off the heavy vibrato, and plays with great delicacy. His tone is not strident or overly bright, but rich, dark, round, full, and mellifluous. Zilberstein is outstanding here on piano.

This is far superior to the Jaime Laredo version (Virgin Classics) which I reviewed earlier.


----------



## millionrainbows

PetrB said:


> A fine episode in performance and recording, Abravanel and that Utah Symphony on Vanguard....
> Complete Mahler Symphonies, and to my ears, the best recording of the Orchestral Music of Eric Satie, to boot!


Yeah, the Satie is excellent as well. The Mahlers are also available as DVD audio hi-res, and sound _killer._

Also, the Abravanel *Brahms *symphonies have been subjected to this remastering as well. I want those!

I read somewhere that these old Vanguard recordings (most done in the 1970s) were played-back on the original Ampex reel-to-reel tape recorders, which were completely restored, rebuilt, and modified by none other than *David Levinson* (any Lexus owners have heard of him). I think these old Ampex decks were tube, as well. Wow, the sound is _fantastic!_


----------



## Novelette

Beginning this day on a good note, so to speak.

Beethoven: Symphony #2 in D, Op. 36 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich (1906-1975): _Shostakovich Plays Shostakovich_ (Yedang, mono). This has _Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Piano Trio No. 2 Op.67, _and_ Concertino for Two Pianos Op.94_ (with Maxim Shostakovich). Shostakovich was a killer pianist. Too bad these are in mono, but that gives it that "black and white historical document" feel. I'm so Platonic that my brain can distill the essence of even crummy mono recordings.

What's up with that shaky trumpet passage in the 2nd mvt (Lento) of PC no. 1? Was he scared of Stalin? Weird.

_Proper mono listening should be done with one speaker, and not headphones or two speakers. The sound of one speaker creates a localized "monolithic" experience, where the sound is emanating from a specific, localized point in space, NOT a "ghost center image" produced by two speakers or headphones._


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: Hebride's overture.


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> View attachment 17205
> 
> Antonin Dvořák, Serenade for Winds in D minor, Op. 44, Neville Marriner, ASMF
> This is the best I've ever heard this piece done.


I have this one as well, and it is indeed wonderful. I have also read good things of the recording led by Josef Vlach on Supraphon, and have been interested in picking it up.


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith: Symphony "Mathis der Maler" (Boston Symphony)


----------



## Kazaman

Sibelius: Symphony no. 4 (Beecham, London Philharmonic)


----------



## Feathers

Trying something new today : Penderecki - Symphony No. 1 (Antoni Wit with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Kazaman

Prokofiev: Symphony no. 2 (Rozhdestvensky, Moscow Radio Symphony)


----------



## Novelette

Once more, I'm giving this a try. I'm still not so used to Mahler's music, but I'm liking it more and more.

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica


----------



## Arsakes

*Telemann*:

Concerto in D major for trumpet and strings & b.c.
Suite No.1 in D major for trumpet, strings & b.c.
Overture - Suite in E minor for two flutes, strings & b.c.
Quatuor in G major for flute, oboe, violin & b.c.


----------



## millionrainbows

Brahms, Symphony No. 1, Abravanel, Utah SO (Silverline DVD audio). Phantastic, even though it's Brahms. 
_
On a real __DVD player, with real speakers!_


----------



## Kazaman

Haydn: String Quartet in F minor, Hob. III:35 (Quatuor Mosaïques)


----------



## Guest

Kazaman said:


> Haydn: String Quartet in F minor, Hob. III:35 (_*Quatuor Mosaïques*_)


With the rather good *Christophe Coin* on the 'cello. He does a rather good Haydn 'cello concerto in C, too!


----------



## trazom

Romanian Rhapsody by Enescu, played by my favorite young/upcoming pianist, Mihaela Ursuleasa, who tragically died last August.


----------



## Guest

Novelette said:


> Once more, I'm giving this a try. I'm still not so used to Mahler's music, but I'm liking it more and more.
> 
> Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica


I was unaware of this recording, but I read that it is a chamber ensemble transcription - sounds interesting. If you like the singing by two male voices, you might try Bernstein's recording with King and Fischer-Dieskau on Decca - one of the great recordings. Or if you want to hear it with both a male and a female voice, then there are several top tier recordings - among my favorites are the Klemperer recording on EMI, or the Reiner recording on RCA. This is really one of the great works of Mahler, and worth multiple recordings.


----------



## Kazaman

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto no. 1 (Argerich, David Guerrier, and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orch. under Gábor Takács-Nagy)


----------



## Kieran

K515, string quintet in C major, some players playing, while I roll into town for a few wholly undeserved jars of Guinness... :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

That swaying andante in K563, string trio, the violin just yielded to the cello - then swirled above and outshone it...


----------



## julianoq

Testing my new ATH-M50 headphones with some Nielsen No. 5! Quite happy with the result


----------



## Mahlerian

Wolf: Moerike Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hartmut Höll


----------



## worov




----------



## PetrB

*Composer Frederic Rzewski performing Beethoven ~ Appassionata*


----------



## aleazk

PetrB said:


> Luc Brewaeys ~ "OBAN"


Are you the user "MuseDuCafe"?.


----------



## SimonNZ

Obrecht's Missa Caput - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerley


----------



## millionrainbows

worov said:


> .


That Inger Södergren Scarlatti is nice...


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Mendelssohn trios for the very first time, and what a joy! Still on the No. 1 but very impressed.


----------



## AndyS

Bruckner #4 - Jochum


----------



## Badinerie

The girls claimed the TV in the sitting room tonight so I sneaked into the back room with some bottles of Carlsberg export and watched....









Great fun!


----------



## SimonNZ

* Alerting anyone who may be interested that Presto is offering 40% off Hyperion for the next two weeks

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/hyperion.php

(still listening to Obrecht)


----------



## ProudSquire

Novelette said:


> Sorry to hear that! I hope your tomorrow is far better! A little Shostakovich goes a long way to uplifting the spirit.


Thanks, Novelette. The day has been most uplifting so far. 

Side-note:

*Mendelssohn*
Symphony No. 4 in A Major
Charles Münch 
Boston Symphony Orchestra

:clap:


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98

Sir George Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 17281


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith: Violin Concerto (Oistrakh and the LSO under Hindemith)


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Oboe Concerto.


----------



## Sid James

*Hovhaness *_Symphony #22, Op. 236 "City of Light" _(1971)
- Seattle SO under the composer / Naxos
*
Mussorgsky *
_*Songs and Dances of Death (orch. Shostakovich)
'Khovanshchina' Prelude (orch. Rimsky-Korsakov)_
- *Sergei Aleksashkin, bass with Chicago SO under Sir Georg Solti / Decca Eloquence
*
Stockhausen* _Nr. 5 Zeitmasse (Time-measures) for five woodwinds_ (1956)
*Boulez* _*Le Marteau Sans Maitre (The Hammer without a Master)_ (1953-55)
- *Margery MacKay, alto with chamber ensemble under Robert Craft / EL Records


----------



## bejart

Johan Wikmanson (1753-1800): String Quartet in D Minor, Op.1, No.1

The Fresk Quartet: Lars Fresk and Hans-Erik Westberg, violins --Lars Gunnar Bodin, viola -- Per-Goran Skyatt, cello

View attachment 17283


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg: Erwartung (Jean-Michèlle Charbonne and the Kohn Orchester under Saraste)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Three Nocturnes.*


----------



## GreenMamba

Stravinsky Petrushka, Boulez/Cleveland (from the 90s)


----------



## millionrainbows

Listening to Brahms: _Four Ballades, Op.10;_ *Emil Gilels, piano* (YEDANG Classics); recorded in 1977, live.

These I like; they seem very low-key, intimate, and not at all *bombastic.* Perhaps these might be best heard in a small chamber setting, not a concert hall.

The fourth one is almost lullabye-like. This is very calming, and unusual for Brahms.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Lemminkäinen Suite
JS Bach: GG playing Well Tempered Clavier books 1 and 2 in memory of L'enfer


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Prelude to Parsifal
Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces
Mahler: Das Klagende Lied (1880 version)
London Philharmonic, cond.. Jurowski

From a DVD release of a 2007 concert.


----------



## Feathers

Glazunov: Symphony No. 4 (Alexander Anissimov with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## drpraetorus

Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsodies


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Mass For Double Choir - Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sublime Rachmaninov.


----------



## Arsakes

*Berwald*'s Piano Concerto in D major


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

As it still was in the player..

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Trios K254, K496 & K548 (*Hyperion*)









The Florestan Trio

*Tan Dun* - Pipa Concerto; *Torû Takemitsu* - Nostalghia (violin & strings) & Three Film Scores for Strings; *Hikaru Hayashi* - Viola Concerto 'Elegia' (*Onyx*)









Wu Man, pipa; Moscow Soloists u. Roman Balashov & Yuri Bashmet, violin, viola

*Petr Eben* - A composers Portrait (Opus 3 OOP)
(Laudes I - IV / Desire of Ancient Things I - III / Cantico delle creature / Windows I - IV / Song of Ruth)









Johannes Landgren, organ; Helena Ek, soprano, Paul Spjuth, trumpet; Rilkeensemblen u. Gunnar Eriksson

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

The Poets and Peasants overture, by Suppe, having heard it on the radio this morning, conducted by Solti...


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Piano Quintet In Eb Major, Op. 44*


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Flute Concerto in D Major, Op.10, No.3

Ensemble La Partita with Sylvie Dambrine on flute

View attachment 17311


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Matsuev)

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Sonata in G Major (Richter)

*Brahms* - Clarinet Quintet


----------



## opus55

Peterson-Berger: Symphony No. 2










We had couple of very warm days this week then back to cold weather. There was even a threat of snow but it's just rainy now. I'm beginning to enjoy the gloomy weather of Chicago in recent years.


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School, Vol. 11: Yelena Bekman-Shcherbina (1882-1951): Franz Liszt (1811-1886): _The Nightingale_ Transcription of Romance by Alexander Alyabiev (1787-1851) for piano. Recorded 1948.

She knew Scriabin, Debussy, Rachmanninoff, Ravel, and Prokofiev, and gave several first performances of Scriabin's works.

Flawless descending chromatic and diminished-seventh runs; as Harold Schoenberg would say, "Like strings of pearls."


----------



## DaveS

Mahler 7th...Bernstein,NYPO


----------



## Kieran

If you think _Wolfgang _is a German heavy metal outfit, test your headbanging skills against the piece of heavy metal that's K516, string quintet in g-minor.

David Cairns, on this same work:



> As for the G minor quintet, who had ever encountered anything remotely like it before: the tormented first movement, with its almost unrelieved darkness of mood, its compulsive chromaticism, the constantly falling melody lines, the dissonant harmonies, the persistent feverish throb of the accompaniment, which, near the end, stops abruptly, as though exhausted by suffering (to us a wonderful effect)? Or the angular, pathetic minuet, its melodic lines , descending as before, interrupted by sudden brusque offbeat chords and wisps of phrase that aspire weakly upwards only to fall back, disconsolate? And then, after yet more morbid introspection and falling melodies, the manic gaiety of the major-key finale!
> That finale, subsequently, raised many eyebrows. How, following the tensions and poignant ironies of the slow movement, could the darkness of the even more sombre fourth-movement adagio suddenly give way, after more than thirty uncompromisingly tragic bars, to light and to a bounding rondo in 6/8 time and in an almost unclouded G major (whose chromaticisms, one might add, are now an expression of vitality, of endless possibility)? The answer to us is obvious: because Mozart was not a Victorian moralist; because in music, above all in music as ambiguous as his, animal spirits do not have to be justified; because his instinct, as a human being and a dramatist, is for reconciliation and renewal. The finale does not negate the suffering of the previous movements: they become the springboards to fresh life...


For me, that's worth typing and quoting just for the _Victorian moralist_ observation. He follows this by saying that "to nineteenth century ears, however, such cheerfulness was a betrayal of the heartache that preceded it: it was not justified, not 'earned.' Under the impact of Beethoven, then of Wagner and Brahms, they no longer heard what was in Mozart..."


----------



## Manxfeeder

Some Mozart this morning.


----------



## Kazaman

Liszt: Les préludes (Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony)

... normally I dislike both Liszt and Barenboim, but this is rather enjoyable.


----------



## lunchdress

Starting off Saturday morning with Bartok - Cantata profana, then The Wooden Prince


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith: the Organ Sonatas (1-3; Kevin Bowyer)


----------



## Kazaman

Schnittke: Nagasaki (mezzo Hanneli Rupert, Cape Town Opera chorus, and the Cape Philharmonic under Owain Arwel Hughes)


----------



## Kazaman

Pavel Haas: String Quartet no. 2 (Pavel Haas String Quartet and Colin Currie on percussion)


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Sammartini (ca.1700-1775): Symphony in F Major, J-C 36

Kevin Mallon leading the Aradia Ensemble

View attachment 17341


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Bolero*, Louis Fremaux conducting the London Symphony on Collins Classics.

Many people disparage this, but personally, I think it's great. The two melodies are well-constructed, and all it is is variations in color. Plus it has not one but two saxophones.

I don't know if I'd say Fremaux's recording is the best, but it's the only one that comes with a warning label: "This recording contains an extensively wide dynamic range. Damage could result to certain equipment if played back at an exceptionally high level." That's what you want to see on a recording of a piece which is basically an orchestrated crescendo.


----------



## Kivimees

This really is one of Finzi's finest works:


----------



## Ravndal

Scriabin sonata 5

Horowitz


----------



## Kazaman

Haas: Symphony (Brno Philharmonic under Israel Yinon)


----------



## Kazaman

Haas: Four Songs set to Chinese Poems (Karel Berman, bass, and Alfréd Holoček, piano)


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88,* both performed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.4 in G Major and Symphony No.7 in E Minor,* both featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine. As well, the *4th* features soprano Judith Blegen.
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor,* both works traversed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: String Quartet #29 in G, Op. 17/5, H 3/29 -- Kodály Quartet

Yet again, the slow movement sparkles with such profundity and pensiveness. Haunting.

Liszt: Ungarischer Romanzero, 241a -- Leslie Howard

Mendelssohn: Theme & Variazions in E, Op. 81/1 [for String Quartet] -- Emerson Quartet

Brahms: Piano Concerto #1 in D Minor, Op. 15 -- François-Frédéric Guy: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Berlioz: Harold in Italy, Op. 16 -- Wolfram Christ; Lorin Maazel: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## MagneticGhost

Saint-Saens -- Samson et Dalila

Placido Domingo
Waltraud Meier
Alain Fondary
Samuel Ramey
Chorus and Orchestra of the Opera-Bastille de Paris
Myung-Whun Chung


----------



## Kazaman

Penderecki: Sonata for Cello and Orchestra (Siegfried Palm and the Suedwestfunk Symphony under Ernest Bour)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Novelette said:


> Haydn: String Quartet #29 in G, Op. 17/5, H 3/29 -- Kodály Quartet
> 
> Yet again, the slow movement sparkles with such profundity and pensiveness. Haunting.


You've talked me into listening to that one.


----------



## Novelette

Manxfeeder said:


> You've talked me into listening to that one.


=D Inexhaustible beauty in Haydn's music.


----------



## Kazaman

Penderecki: St. Luke Passion (Warsaw Boys Choir and the Warsaw Philharmonic under Antoni Wit)


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet in A Minor, Op.13, No.2

Stamic Quartet: Jindrich Pazdera and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 17354


----------



## Kieran

Some Beethoven sonatas, with Alfred Brendel playing piano on Brilliant Classics...


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer Violin Sonatas - Romanesca


----------



## Ravndal

Bruckner symphony 7


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Romance for Harmonica
Stravinsky - Petrushka
Leifs - Saga Symphony

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

Weber: Der Freischütz -- Gundula Janowitz, Edith Mathis; Carlos Kleiber: Staatskapelle Dresden, Leipzig Radio Chorus

^ The overture and opening scene are incredible. What a way to begin an opera!

Schubert: Eight Variations on a French Song in E Minor, D 624 -- Yaala Tal & Andreas Groethuysen


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus' Psalmi Poenitentiales - Kammerchor Josquin Des Prez


----------



## worov

millionrainbows said:


> That Inger Södergren Scarlatti is nice...


I have the CD at home. The whole CD is amazing. She's truly an underrated pianist and deserves to be well-known.


----------



## schuberkovich

Mozart Piano Concerto #22 with Murray Perahia & the Enlgish Chamber Orchestra.
I think the CD gets the prize for worst artist mugshot:


----------



## opus55

schuberkovich said:


> Mozart Piano Concerto #22 with Murray Perahia & the Enlgish Chamber Orchestra.
> I think the CD gets the prize for worst artist mugshot:
> View attachment 17370


I love the cover shots on his Mozart concertos cycle :lol:

Chopin: Scherzo No. 3, Op. 39
Brahms: Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79
Brahms: Double Concerto, Op. 102


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in F Major, KV 213

Holliger Wind Ensemble: Heinz Holliger and Louise Pellerin, oboes -- Radovan Vlatkovic and Alan Jones, horns -- Klaus Thunemann and Matthew Wilkie, bassoons

View attachment 17371


----------



## Kieran

#25, C major, fanfare and glory, majesty and fabulous themes without seams. Mitsuko just tickled the ivory, Jeffrey Tate staring boss-like at the English Chamber Orchestra, whose lines fade in and out and meld and merge with the piano. Big mistake to play the opening bars of this one, so late at night. I'll have stay up and listen...


----------



## Manxfeeder

DrKilroy said:


> Vaughan Williams - Romance for Harmonica


What in the world? I've got to hear that one. I'm listening to Sir Malcolm Sargent and the BBC Symphony.


----------



## DrKilroy

It utilizes the instrument in quite an interesting way. It doesn't seem out of place, but also doesn't remind me of typical, bluesy harmonica tunes.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eugenia Zukerman, flute

View attachment 17375


----------



## Sid James

The usual long & detailed run down of my weekend listening:
*
Bruckner* _Symphony #0 in D minor_
- Philharmonia Slavonica under Alberto Lizzio / ZYX Classics

Starting with a symphony with an unusual numbering, his _No. 0._* Bruckner *had shown this symphony to a conductor colleague who rightly pointed out that the first movement has no main theme. Due to his sensitivity towards criticism, Bruckner annulled the symphony, and it was never performed during his lifetime. The reason for Bruckner's 'mistake' according to the rule books of sonata form was simple - he was developing a new way, his own more organic and natural way of thematic development.

I quite like this symphony though, especially what would be the second subsidiary theme in the first movement, which is classic Bruckner - lyrical, with a faint feel of the dance, and reminiscent of choral music. I also like the finale that speaks strongly to Bruckner's understanding of counterpoint - it does have a kind of neo-Baroque feel. However there is a sense here of waiting for a ship that doesn't arrive, it's a slightly uneasy feeling of something missing - a big idea or focal point to unite the whole work. 

*Hovhaness *_Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 17 _(1936)
- Janos Starker, cello with Seattle SO under Dennis Russell Davies / Naxos

Paying tribute to cellist *Janos Starker* who died this past week. 
*
Hovhaness'* _Cello Concerto_ was one of the few works that he saved before burning most of the rest of his output - hundreds of opuses - in the 1940's as an act of wiping the slate clean. It consists of two long slow movements encasing a fast movement that is a jaunty dance-like tune. In the outer movements there is some lovely writing for the woodwinds and flutes that accompany the cellist in a delicate and lyrical way. The feel of Oriental and Middle Eastern music is never too far away. The concerto has an intimate chamber music feel, incorporates a number of quite meditative cadenzas and is capped off by counterpoint reminiscent of the Baroque. This, the world premiere recording of the work, was made in the 1990's.

*
Shostakovich* _Piano Trio #2 in E minor, Op. 67_
- Rosamunde Trio: Martino Tirimo, pno., Ben Sayevich, vln., Daniel Vies, cello / alto

The darkest work of this listening session is hard to even express in words. Chilling, psychopathic but also spiritual and poignant are words that come to mind.* Shostakovich* completed this piece during the closing months of the war, in 1944. It was written in memory of a dead friend and colleague, but the events of the war - the liberation of the concentration camps going on at the time - where never far from the composer's mind. The deaths rose to their millions during the last months of the war. It was senseless slaughter and totally irrational in terms of the fact that everyone knew the war would end soon - the only question being: exactly when?

A theme reminiscent of Russian folk music opens the work, which also has another two themes woven through it - one which has a funereal and somber feel, and another which is a Jewish wedding tune. Shostakovich employs a very old format, the church sonata format - slow-fast-slow-fast movement layout - in this piece. The finale, which is like some harrowing train ride where you find you got no brakes, is an obvious reference to the events unfolding at the end of the war. Its like this juggernaut of death and destruction.

When this work was premiered, with the composer on piano and two members of the Beethoven Quartet of Moscow on the strings, the audience reaction was one of total shock. The applause was barely audible and as they left the hall, many people where crying. In this same way today, this work makes me very emotional. It has a clear message. Not surprisingly, not long after, the work was banned by the authorities. The most likely reason being that this would dampen morale in the final push to win the war and defeat the Nazis. Incidentally, this was played at the composer's funeral service decades later in the 1970's. Obviously, this music meant a lot to him.

*Mozart* _Serenade #10 in B major, KV 361 (370a) "Gran Partita"_
- Wiener Mozart-Blaser under Nikolaus Harnoncourt / Teldec

Next, a contrast with the music of* Mozart,* with its optimism and charm. As usual, the melodies come thick and fast. The song-like and quite operatic tune of the third movement (_Adagio_) is very similar to the famous Papageno-Papagena duet in_ The Magic Flute._

*Messiaen *_Un sourire (A smile)_
- Orchestre National de Lyon under Jun Markl / Naxos

Finishing with a work written by *Messiaen* to mark the 1991 Bicentenary of Mozart's death. Messiaen said he gave the title _A smile _to this piece, as that reflects Mozart's optimism during his life, which was often difficult and full of challenges. The work has Messiaen's trademark static and in some ways both eerie and lush moments contrasting with these percussive outbursts which come across as quite cheeky and playful. This was also Messiaen's last orchestral work. I see it as being like a farewell from one great composer to another.


----------



## Conor71

*Honegger: Pacific 231*


----------



## Conor71

*Ravel: String Quartet In F Major*

The Honegger was good - now playing Disc 5 of the Ravel set which features the String Quartet, Introduction & Allegro and the Piano Trio. Later i will play Disc 02 of the Poulenc box which has various short works for Piano on it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Verdi: Requiem
*Sibelius:* The Oceanides, The Swan of Tuonela, Symphony no. 5, Symphony no. 4, Oma 
Maa.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 -- Jonathan Biss

^ Rollicking!

Schumann: Lieder & Gesänge Aus Wilhelm Meister, Op. 98a -- Graham Johnson: Simon Keenlyside; Geraldine McGreevy

Mozart: Symphony #29 in A, K 201 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

^ Neoshredder's friend Trevor is equally skilled at conducting as at playing the harsichord. =)

Palestrina: Super Flumina Babylonis -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

Boieldieu: Zoraïme et Zulnar -- Richard Bonynge: English Chamber Orchestra

Gossec: String Quartet #6 in A, Op. 15 -- Apollon Musagète Quartett

^ As I always say about Gossec: much more than a composer of an unextraordinary gavotte.


----------



## Mahlerian

Once again,

Mahler: Das Klagende Lied (1880 version)
Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces
London Philharmonic, cond. Jurowski

The 1880 Mahler is new to me. Most recordings are hybrids of the 1880 first movement and the two movement revision of c. 1898. Mahler always improved his orchestration as he performed a work for purposes of clarity, but the situation here is a little different. He initially cut the off-stage brass band from both of the latter movements, but then added it back into the third (second in published version). Its role in the second movement is brief but memorable, as the band comes in a different key from the main group as if to "warn" the minstrel of the danger he's walking into. An early example of bitonality. He cut the whole passage for the revision. That said, the revision is better, but it's interesting to have an alternate for Mahler fans like myself.

The Berg is at this point a classic, tightly argued and rich in motivic development.


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School Vol. 12: Grigory Romanovich Ginsburg (1904-1961) (Melodiya):

Franz Liszt (1811-1886): 
•Fantasia on two themes from Mozart's opera _Le Nozze di Figaro_ G 697
•Reminiscences from Mozart's opera _Don Giovanni _G 418
•Reminiscences from Bellini's opera _Norma_ G 394
•Paraphrase from Verdi's opera _Rigoletto_ G434
•Transcription of Waltz from Gounod's opera _Faust _G 407

Ginsburg was the best pupil, along with *Tatiana Nikolayeva,* of Alexander Goldenweiser, the "godfather" of Russian piano. He's got the chops, alright: jaw-dropping chromatic runs, smooth as pearls, and plenty of dynamics. These Liszt transcriptions are obviously vehicles for virtuosity, and it's all here on display in glorious mono. All recorded 1948-1958 in Moscow.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Piano Sonata D960 - Wilhelm Kempff, piano

comparing his 1953 and 1965 recordings


----------



## Feathers

Alkan: Etudes


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Satie


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Higdon: Violin Concerto and Dash....I don't really like Higdon very much. 
*Sibelius:* The Bard
Glière: Concerto for Coloratura Soprano
Rautavaara: Symphony no. 1


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Higdon: Violin Concerto and Dash....I don't really like Higdon very much.
> *Sibelius:* The Bard
> Glière: Concerto for Coloratura Soprano
> Rautavaara: Symphony no. 1


Was it a good dinner? I know it's no Vivaldi Concerto.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> Was it a good dinner? I know it's no Vivaldi Concerto.


The highlights were The Bard and I'm still having dessert...Rautavaara Rautavaara Rautavaara!!!! Ice-cream is yummy


----------



## tdc

Alfred Schnittke - _Pianissimo_

This a serialist piece I very much enjoy that (as Schnittke often is) is somewhat frightening, but very convincing, and evocative. I find it effective at conveying the type of fictional machine described below. Listening to this is somewhat of an 'experience'. Oh and if you do listen you have to turn up your speakers louder than normal, I'm serious.

"_Alfred Schnittke's (1934-1998) experimental work for large orchestra, Pianissimo (1968). The piece is a direct reference to a short story written by Franz Kafka, in which a penal colony's warden devises a machine to punish disobedient inmates, the machine being a wall of thousands of needles that will tattoo the prisoner's sentence onto his body. While the piece is not a tableau of this story, it is meant to be a musical representation of the workings of the machine, which ultimately malfunctions and kills the warden. The piece begins with large, slow chords played by the strings as solo voices, one by one, continue to pile into the piece, starting with the keyboards. Eventually, most of the performers will be playing a solo line, each one of which follows a small and simple serial form, until all of the processes converge for a brief instance, before the music disintegrates into chaos._"

Performed by the Gothenheim Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Symphony No.3,5 and 7

*Beethoven*'s Symphony No.3 (on BBC - by Barenboim)


----------



## Badinerie

Listening to this LP I picked up yesterday...not sure about it yet though.


----------



## ptr

Having a Schubert kind mood morning!

*Franz Peter Schubert*

- Octet (*Hyperion*)









Gaudier Ensemble

- Die schöne Mullerin Op. 25, D 797 (*Danacord*)









Aksel Schiøtz, tenor & Gerald Moore, piano

- Schiøtz is without a doubt one of the finest Schubert tenors in recorded history!

- Duos for piano & violin; Fantasy D934, Sonata D574. Rondo D895 (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Isabelle Faust, violin & Alexander Melnikov, piano

/ptr


----------



## schuberkovich

Mozart Piano Concerto #20 - Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia Orchestra







A lot of people don't like Ashkenazy, and they would say that he especially doesn't get Mozart or really care. I disagree! I love this recording. His playing is very considered and refined. He plays #20's slow movement beautifully in particular.
His mugshot is also slightly better than Perahia's!


----------



## Art Rock

Continuing to explore my new-found love of opera:


----------



## bejart

Georg Muffat (1653-1704): Concerto Grosso No.8 in F Major

Peter Zajucek leading Musica Aeterna Bratislava

View attachment 17404


----------



## schuberkovich

Lots of listening time today! 
This is in my view one of the greatest discs of classical music ever produced - it is incredible, a desert island disc, legendary blah blah blah. I can't get enough of the extraordinary music and performances - Perlman and Ashkenazy and the heights of their careers. This will be remembered in the history books!!!!!!!!!

The Kreutzer Sonata is one of the most incredible pieces ever written.


----------



## Ravndal

Scriabin etudes

Horowitz


----------



## Guest

Mozart, K313, Flute Concerto in G, Sharon Bezaly
The cadenzas are a little too modern but otherwise a pristinely well-played and -recorded CD.


----------



## ptr

*György Ligeti* - Volumina - Orgelwerke (*Wergo*)
(*György Ligeti* - Musica ricercata per pianoforte (1951-53), für Orgel eingerichtet von Dominik Susteck (2012); Zwei Etüden für Orgel (1967/69); Volumina für Orgel (1961/62, rev. 1966) / *Dominik Susteck* - Sprachsignale. Improvisationen für Orgel (2012))

View attachment 17409


Dominik Susteck organ of the Kunst-Station Sankt Peter in Köln

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School Vol. 13: *Lev Nikolayevich Oborin (1907-1974): Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Scriabin (Melodiya).* Oborin was Ashkenazy's teacher. An interesting take here on the late Beethoven Sonata No. 31 in Ab Major Op.110, one of my favorites. Compared to my earlier-reviewed Ginsburg, Lev Ovborin is practically laid-back, jack. His Scriabin is very good, and he approaches these late *Brahms Intermezzos* with the proper intimate restraint. In glorious mono, recorded in 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1955.


----------



## millionrainbows

Jerome said:


> View attachment 17408
> 
> 
> Mozart, K313, Flute Concerto in G, Sharon Bezaly
> The cadenzas are a little too modern but otherwise a pristinely well-played and -recorded CD.


I've got several of hers, and her facility is amazing. I bet this sounds good in SACD.


----------



## Andolink

A couple of B's


----------



## Kazaman

Haydn: Cello Concerto in C (Rostropovich playing and conducting)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Haven't had much time for listening lately but this morning I'm listening to Richard Goode's recording of Beethoven's Op. 10 Piano Sonatas No. 1,2 and 3. Very fine recording on Nonesuch records. Goode plays with a lot of feeling and warmth.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Duet for Viola and Violoncello in E Flat, WoO 32, "mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern" -- Lukas Hagen & Veronika Hagen

Beethoven: 13 Variations on the Arietta "Es war ein alter Mann" from "Das rote Käppchen" by Dittersdorf, WoO 66 -- Gianluca Cascioli

Berlioz: Beatrice et Benedict Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden

Cherubini: Concert Overture in G -- Sir Neville Marriner: Academy of St Martin-in-the-Field

Haydn: Piano Sonata #53 in E Minor, H 16/34 -- Jenö Jandó


----------



## Kazaman

Krenek: Concerto Grosso no. 2 (Volker Worlitzsch, violin; Dimitar Penkov, viola; Nikolai Schneider, cello; and the Hanover Radio Philharmonic under Alun Francis)


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg: String Quartet no. 2 (soprano Bethany Beardslee and the Sequoia Quartet)


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Haitink

Via radio.


----------



## Kivimees

Winding down from a weekend of work in the garden. And as far as I know, no one has written a concerto for chain-saw, so I will settle for the more traditonal piano:


----------



## Kazaman

Eduard Erdmann: complete Symphonies (1-4; Saarbrücken Symphony under Israel Yinon)


----------



## Cheyenne

*Kubelik's Bruckner 8*. A great first listen, though the last movement was inadvertently hilarious in a way - if I got a nickel for every time Bruckner made a non-transition.. I'm now listening to *Corelli's Sonata's Opus 5 with Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr* - what I've listened to is absolutely captivating!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Camilla Tilling, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## Kieran

Haydn Opus 76 string quartets, performed by the Kodaly quartet. Hat tip to Serge for bringing up Haydn... :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Cheyenne said:


> *Kubelik's Bruckner 8*. A great first listen, though the last movement was inadvertently hilarious in a way - if I got a nickel for every time Bruckner made a non-transition...


Bruckner could, despite the canard, write transitions just fine. He usually went for juxtapositions instead because it worked far better for his style (see the awkward attempts he made to shoehorn transitions into the 3rd and 4th symphonies in their revisions).

Now, the piece I'm listening to now has an intentional "non-transition", where the end of the development is chopped short and the first theme reappears mid-way through...


----------



## ptr

*Jeanne Demessieux* - Complete Organ Works (*Aeolus*)









Stephen Tharp on the Organs of Eglise Saint-Martin, Dudelange & Abbatiale Saint-Ouen, Rouen

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 13, Op. 27
Brahms: Fantasias, Op. 116


----------



## Feathers

Berlioz: Te Deum


----------



## Kieran

K504, the Prague Symphony, in D major. Karl Bohm directing the traffic.

This one starts so moodily, it puts one in mind of the _Don Giovanni _overture...


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Trio in G Major, Op.9, No.1

Denes Kovacs, violin --Geza Nemeth, viola -- Ede Banda, cello

View attachment 17419


----------



## millionrainbows

Kivimees said:


> Winding down from a weekend of work in the garden. And as far as I know, no one has written a concerto for chain-saw, so I will settle for the more traditonal piano:


http://amzn.com/B00000E02C


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Parsifal Barenboim.
Giving old Rich a dusting down at the moment for the bicentenary.


----------



## cwarchc

Finished K with these, I know he's not everyones cup of tea! but he still a mean violinist














now onto this, it may take a day or 2


----------



## Kazaman

Enescu: Dixtuor, op. 14 (Orchestre National de France under Enescu)


----------



## DrKilroy

Some American Neoclassicism... Fine, Foss, Berger.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kazaman

Igor Markevitch: Cantata (soprano Nienke Oostenrijk, the Netherlands Concertkoor under Rob Vermeulen, and the Arnhem Philharmonic under Christopher Lyndon-Gee)


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's Fifth, with a glass of whiskey and Mahlerian's blog...


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concerto No.4 in E Major, Op.110

London Mozart Players with Howard Shelley on piano

View attachment 17423


----------



## Novelette

Kieran said:


> Mahler's Fifth, with a glass of whiskey and Mahlerian's blog...


That's my kind of evening! Enjoy!


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: String Quartet #2 in A Minor, Op. 51/2 -- Amadeus Quartet

Handel: Solomon, HWV 67 -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Schubert: Piano Sonata in E, D 157 -- Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## bejart

Janos Spech (ca.1767-1836): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.2, No.2

Festetics Quartet: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, violins -- Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello

View attachment 17424


----------



## Kieran

K364, the extraordinary Sinfonia Concertante...


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Symphony in D Major, Op.3, No.4

Michi Gaigg leading L'Orfeo Barockorchester

View attachment 17426


----------



## Kazaman

Krenek: Der Diktator (Berlin Symphony under Marek Janowsky)


----------



## Kazaman

Krenek: Piano Sonata no. 3 (Glenn Gould)


----------



## Novelette

Dandrieu: Magnificat in G -- Anton Doornhein

Seixas: Harpsichord Concerto in A -- János Sebestyén; János Rolla: Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra Budapest

Lassus: Psalmi Poenitentialis -- Kammerchor Josquian des Prez

Fux: Overture in G Minor -- Paul Dombrecht: Il Fondamento,


----------



## Kazaman

Mozart: Piano Sonata K533 (Gould)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Turina, Albeniz, Granados*: Piano Works, with de Larrocha (rec.1976 - '83).

View attachment 17434
View attachment 17435


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartets, Nos 8 and 9


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp
Melos Ensemble

Debussy: Children's Corner, 12 Etudes, etc.
Gordon Fergus-Thompson


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Eroica symphony and The Hunt piano sonata


----------



## Kazaman

Sonata said:


> The Hunt piano sonata


One of the most hilarious of the sonatas. Good choice.


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto (Uchida)


----------



## Sonata

Visions of Love: Renee Fleming performs Mozart arias.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 -- Alfred Brendel: London Philharmonia Orchestra

I have discussed the merits of this recording with a few other pianists, all of whom found this recording a bit too muted for their taste. A common complaint is that Brendel plays with too little fire and rage, a complaint that is just partially correct, because this is not a work brimming with expressions of rage, although it would be wrong to say that fire is missing in either the work or in the recording. In fact, Brendel's interpretation has given this concerto a particularly unique sonority to it. The third movement is the jewel here; jubilant, but not unreservedly so. Refined, and almost witty, in a very private and idiosyncratic manner. These are qualities that Brendel brings out with great beauty and artistry.

A personal preference only, but a strong one.


----------



## PetrB

Lou Harrison: Concerto for organ with percussion orchestra (1973) Mov.1 e 2 [[ADD, Mov 3 e 4)
Fun, goofy, sweet, simple, not simple, a collision of worlds, affected and sincere sounding, the two timbrel groups sounding so apart they might as well be in different rooms in the same building...
'Its a party!'


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"}*, featuring the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra and soprano Norma Burrowes led by Sir Adrian Boult.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works are performed by the Maurice Abravanel led Utah Symphony.


----------



## Guest

Novelette said:


> Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 -- Alfred Brendel: London Philharmonia Orchestra
> 
> I have discussed the merits of this recording with a few other pianists, all of whom found this recording a bit too muted for their taste. A common complaint is that Brendel plays with too little fire and rage, a complaint that is just partially correct, because this is not a work brimming with expressions of rage, although it would be wrong to say that fire is missing in either the work or in the recording. In fact, Brendel's interpretation has given this concerto a particularly unique sonority to it. The third movement is the jewel here; jubilant, but not unreservedly so. Refined, and almost witty, in a very private and idiosyncratic manner. These are qualities that Brendel brings out with great beauty and artistry.
> 
> A personal preference only, but a strong one.


I'm sure that the name Dinu Lipatti has come up in your discussions. His recording of the Schumann piano concerto remains unsurpassed in my eyes.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - Violin concerto.


----------



## drpraetorus

samurai said:


> Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"}*, featuring the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra and soprano Norma Burrowes led by Sir Adrian Boult.
> Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *All three works are performed by the Maurice Abravanel led Utah Symphony.


Betraying my age here, but I well remember seeing Abavanel conducting the Utah Symphony in the Mormon Tabernacle here in Salt Lake. It was the largest auditorium in the state at the time and still has the best acoustics you could want. But the seats! They are wooden benches from the pioneer times and not especially comfortable. No individual seats so you were right up by the other listeners.

Abravanel was a great conductor who never made himself the focus of attention in the performance. It was always about the music. He almost single handedly created the Utah Symphony and did single handedly mold it from a regional "all right" group to a symphony of national and international merit.


----------



## tdc

John Cage - _Works for Percussion Vol. 5_, Amadinda Percussion Group

I've always liked these pieces, they feel very _Zen_ to me. I thought there was something very intriguing about the rhythmic structures on listening to them - unpredictable, yet they seem somehow ordered. I later discovered Cage used number principles from the _I Ching_ in composing them.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I really enjoyed listening to this recording of Robert Casadesus' 1st Symphony. Have to head on to bed but will likely give a listen to Symphony 5 and 7 tomorrow sometime.










Kevin


----------



## Kivimees

millionrainbows said:


> http://amzn.com/B00000E02C


Amazing! Perhaps I can find a Lawnmower Sonata for next weekend.


----------



## Jovian

Acoustic album by foo fighters..


----------



## Badinerie

No one about this morning? A little touch of heaven I think...


----------



## Rapide

The great master as a great conductor.


----------



## Sid James

*Walton*
_Symphony #1 & Violin Concerto_
- Philharmonia Orch. under Louis Fremaux & Salvatore Accardo, vln. with London SO under Richard Hickox / alto

*Holst* 
_Choral Hymns of the Rig Veda ; 
Savitri (chamber opera) ; 
Seven Partsongs ; 
The Evening Watch_
- Robert Tear, Janet Baker, Thomas Hemsley (cast in _Savitri_) with Purcell Singers & English CO under Imogen Holst / Decca Eloquence


----------



## ptr

Morning trio of favourite pianists:

*Robert Schumann* - Carnival Op 9 & Fantasie Op 17 (*Decca*)









Jorge Bolet, piano

*Benjamin Britten* - Piano & Violin Concertos (*Decca*)









Sviatoslav Richter, piano; Mark Lubotsky, violin; English Chamber Orchestra u. Benjamin Britten

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1874-5) & No. 2 in G major, Op. 44 (1879-80) (*DG*)









Shura Cherkassky, piano; Berliner Philharmoniker u. Leopold Ludwig (1) & Richard Kraus (2)

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

I'm going to listen to Tchaikovski's first piano concerto now too, ptr. Mikhail Rudy on piano... :tiphat:


----------



## Crudblud

So far today:
Robert Ashley - _Perfect Lives_, episodes 2 & 3
Gustav Mahler - _Symphony No. 5_ (Bernstein/Wiener Philharmoniker)

Currently:
Karl Amadeus Hartmann - _Symphony No. 3_ (Metzmacher)


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> I'm going to listen to Tchaikovski's first piano concerto now too, ptr. Mikhail Rudy on piano... :tiphat:


Rudy is a very fine pianist! ..even if I like old geezers like Cherkassky slightly better, but that's just nostalgia (which is a big part of music!)... 

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet with the Tokyo String Quartet and J.F. Lluna, and his Piano Concerto No. 2 with Edwin Fischer, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Furtwängler. Preparing my own Brahms birthday concerto! Probably won't have time tomorrow.


----------



## Schubussy

Mozart: Piano Concertos 27 & 20
Claudio Abbado, Orchestra Mozart, Maria João Pires


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Arriaga's String Quartet No.2 - Casals Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Badinerie said:


> No one about this morning? A little touch of heaven I think...
> 
> View attachment 17437


That has stage production by Robert Wilson, right? I watched the Gardiner Alceste with Wilsons staging recently and was _very_ impressed by it. I'll keep an eye out for their Orphee ed Eurydice.


----------



## Andolink

Iannis Xenakis: Komboï
Elisabeth Chojnacka, harpsichord
Sylvio Gualda, percussion








Maurice Ohana: String Quartet No. 1
Quatuor Psophos








J. S. Bach: Suite in E flat major, BWV 819; Allemande, BWV 819a
Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord


----------



## Crudblud

Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 (Kertész)


----------



## Andolink

Luis de Pablo: Dibujos
Ensemble 2E2M/Paul Mefano








Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quintet in C major, op. 29
Hausmusik


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Cheyenne said:


> Brahms' Clarinet Quintet with the Tokyo String Quartet


I unfortunately read that the TSQ are calling it quits after 44 years. 

Kevin


----------



## ptr

And some Stocky for the afternoon..

*Karlheinz Stockhausen* - Elektronische Musik 1952-1960; Stockhausen Edition Vol 3 (*Stockhausen*)
(Etude, Studie Eins und Zwei, Gesang der Jünglinge & Kontakte)









Karlheinz Stockhausen, manipulator

- I still think that Gesang der Jünglinge is an awesome piece!

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

Kevin Pearson said:


> I unfortunately read that the TSQ are calling it quits after 44 years.
> 
> Kevin


Yes, they are now holding their last concerts in several countries. They were here in Holland a few months ago, and recently went to Canada. Sad to see such a quality string quartet go..


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Chandos Anthem No 2.*


----------



## Sonata

"Essential Delius"


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases.

*Schumann*: Piano Works with Freddy Kempf. 
*Weber*: Der Freischutz, with LSO/Davis et al.

For both artists, I found earlier is better for both. Kempf's debut Schumann (rec. 1990), and Davis' Der Freischutz with Dresden et al (rec. 1990).

Give these a miss, unless you're a SACD lover.

View attachment 17451
View attachment 17452


----------



## Kieran

#22, in E Flat Major.

Barenboim flashing his guns at his desk with the Berlin Philly as a perfect rabble behind him...


----------



## Kazaman

Bach: Magnificat (Karl Richter directing the Münchener Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra)


----------



## maestro267

Enjoying some British music on this Bank Holiday, in between the snooker sessions.

*Vaughan Williams*: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
NZ Philharmonic/Judd

*Britten*: Piano Concerto
Richter/English Chamber Orchestra/Britten


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Kieran

Debussy sonata for cello and piano, with Matt Haimovitz playing cello, and Philippe Cassard on piano. 

I was given a load of cello cd's today by a pal, and this is one piece I like so far. More on this cd includes works by Reger, Webern, Dutillex and Britten...


----------



## Feathers

Faure: Barcarolles (Pierre-Alain Volondat)


----------



## Sonata

*Beethoven*: Grosse Fuge for string quartet in B-flat major.
My first listen to this particular work. I'm afraid that so far it is not my cup of tea, even though I am on both a Beethoven kick AND string quartet kick at the moment.


----------



## Kieran

The apple never falls far from the tree: #19, in F.

One of the discs loaned to me today, so no Mitsuko or Barenboim. Christoph Eschenbach on piano, and conducting the London Philharmonic. Part of me thinks, you know, I got five discs today, so why listen to the Mozart? And part of me thinks the answer to that one is obvious...


----------



## ahammel

Olivier Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps.

How does one get a piano to make a *fffff* sound short of dropping it off of something tall?


----------



## Kieran

ahammel said:


> Olivier Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps.
> 
> How does one get a piano to make a *fffff* sound short of dropping it off of something tall?


There's a Laurel and Hardy movie which achieved just that...


----------



## Yoshi

Right now I'm listening to Saint-Saëns' Symphony No.3


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Satie, The Early Piano Works.*


----------



## DavidA

La Boheme - Karajan / Pavarotti / Freni
Never has a tiny hand been more beautifully frozen! Just how Pavarotti managed it at Karajan's speed, only he knows. But the result is breathtaking.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Henri Sauget, Complete Piano Works.*


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg: Ode to Napoleon (David Wilson-Johnson reciting, pianist Jeremy Denk, the Fred Sherry String Quartet, conducted by Robert Craft)


----------



## Schubussy

Schnittke - Symphony 6
Tadaaki Otaka, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales


----------



## Kazaman

Bartok: The Wooden Prince (Chicago Symphony under Boulez)


----------



## Mahlerian

Monteverdi: Vespers
Boston Baroque, dir. Pearlman


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jeunehomme" (Pires)

*Brahms* - Symphony No. 3 (Royal Liverpool Philarmonic Orchestra)

*Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No. 4 (Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Crudblud

Franz Schubert - _Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, D.125_ (Minkowski)


----------



## bejart

GF Handel: Cello Sonata in D Minor

The Brook Street Band: Tatty Theo, cello -- Carolyn Gibley, harpsichord

View attachment 17463


----------



## Guest

Comparing Stravinsky's Violin Concerto.

Mullova blows Hahn away.


----------



## Kazaman

Sibelius: Symphony no. 7 (the Swedish RSO under Salonen)


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.77

Claudio Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic -- Gil Shaham, violin

View attachment 17466


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Lodoïska -- Jérémie Rhorer: Le Cercle de l'Harmonie

I shouldn't complain, since this is the only accessible recording of this great work, but I will do so anyway. I have no problem with this being a live recording, but the acoustics are such that it sounds as though it were recorded in a closet.

All things considered, though, I'm grateful to Mssr. Rhorer for bringing this underappreciated opera to accessibility.


----------



## aleazk

Beethoven - Kreutzer sonata.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Wolfgang Sawallisch, Vienna Symphony Orchestra

Rachmaninoff: The Isle Of The Dead


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat, Symphony No. 6 in D minor
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## bejart

Frana Danzi (1763-1826): Piano Quintet in D Major, Op.54

Love Derwinger on piano with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet: Michael Hasel, flute -- Andreas Wittmann, oboe -- Walter Seyfarth, clarinet -- Henning Trog, bassoon

View attachment 17467


----------



## aleazk

C.P.E. Bach - flute concertos.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Concerto Funebre_. Outstanding performance.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Jerome said:


> View attachment 17464
> View attachment 17465
> 
> 
> Comparing Stravinsky's Violin Concerto.
> 
> Mullova blows Hahn away.


Mullova's is quite good, but not a favorite. Kyung Wha-Chung, Maxim Vengerov, and Anne-Sophie Mutter have fine accounts of Stravinsky's _Violin Concerto_ as well. I don't mind Hahn's performance. I think it's quite good actually. There's also a good performance of Gil Shaham performing this concerto on YouTube that rivals the best IMHO.


----------



## Novelette

Elgar: Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 82 -- Maxim Vengerov & Revital Chachamov

Schumann: Dichterliebe, Op. 48 -- Graham Johnson & Ian Bostridge

Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4 in G, Op. 58 -- Daniel Barenboim; Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Sid James

*Hindemith*
_Violin Concerto
Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber
'Mathis der Maler' symphony_
- David Oistrakh, vln. with London SO under composer / London SO under Claudio Abbado / Suisse Romande Orch. under Paul Kletzki / Decca Eloquence


----------



## Neo Romanza

Sid James said:


> *Hindemith*
> _Violin Concerto
> Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber
> 'Mathis der Maler' symphony_
> - David Oistrakh, vln. with London SO under composer / London SO under Claudio Abbado / Suisse Romande Orch. under Paul Kletzki / Decca Eloquence


I really enjoy Hindemith's orchestral music. His _Trauermusik_ haunts me to no end. I do love some of the lesser-known works like _Concerto for Orchestra_, _Symphonic Dances_, _The Four Temperaments_, _Pittsburgh Symphony_, _Symphonia Serena_, _'Harmony of the World' Symphony_, and so many of his concerti.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - "Arc en ciel" (piano etude), P-L. Aimard. One of my favorite etudes from him. Well, I like them all. 

..."It should sound like Bill Evans playing Chopin at 5 o'clock in the morning"...


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Clarinet Trio Op.11 - Piet Honingh, clarinet, Anner Bylsma, cello, Stanley Hoogland, fortepiano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










An awesome recording. I hope there's more Karabits to follow. The Silvestrov was lovely as well.


----------



## Feathers

Debussy: Preludes


----------



## Badinerie

SimonNZ said:


> That has stage production by Robert Wilson, right? I watched the Gardiner Alceste with Wilsons staging recently and was _very_ impressed by it. I'll keep an eye out for their Orphee ed Eurydice.


Its very a minimalist stylised production and very beautiful. The singing is just awsome!


----------



## PetrB

What I consider _the must-have archival recording of_
Poulenc ~ Concerto pour orgue, cordes et timbales





Likewise: Concert Champêtre


----------



## Schubussy

Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto no. 1
Carlo Maria Giulini, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich 








I'd listen to the Dvorak too if I had time. Guess I'll save it for later.


----------



## ptr

PetrB said:


> What I consider _the must-have archival recording of_
> Poulenc ~ Concerto pour orgue, cordes et timbales
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Likewise: Concert Champêtre


Those are awesome!

Morning listening for myself:

*Olivier Messiaen* - La Tranfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus Christ (*Decca*)









John A. C. Kane, Xylorimba, Janos Starker, Cello, Yvonne Loriod, Piano, Wallace Mann, Flute, Loren Kitt, Clarinet, Frank A Ames, Marimba, Ronald Barnett, Vibraphone, Michael Sylvester, Tenor, Paul Aquino, Baritone; Westminster Symphonic Choir & National Symphony, Washington u. Antal Dorati

*Mauricio Kagel* - Chorbuch & Les Inventions d' Adolphe Sax (*Winter & Winter*)









Cor de Jong, harmonium; Sepp Grotenhuis, piano; Nederlands Kamerkoor u. Mauricio Kagel, solo voice (Chorbuch 10) // Raschèr Saxophone Quartet u. Klaas Stok

*Mauricio Kagel* - Tanz Schul (Winter & Winter)









Margaret Chalker, soprano & Christoph Späth, tenor; Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken u. Mauricio Kagel

/ptr


----------



## Art Rock

Some of the best operas of the 20th century.


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Les Corps Glorieux*

Some Messiaen for me too tonight - I want to have a Messiaen day tomorrow as well (thats the plan anyway!) 
Playing this work for a first listen - spooky!


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Concerto No.262 in G Minor

Balsz Mate leading Aura Musicale -- Benedek Csalog, flute

View attachment 17482


----------



## Badinerie

Supposed to be painting our master bedroom but its too HOT! instead Im listening to this in our garden through my headphones whilst eating a Cornetto...


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart*
_Violin Concertos 1 & 5 (K. 207 & K. 219)
Adagio for Violin & Orch. in E flat major, K. 261_
- Itzhak Perlman, vln.with Vienna PO under James Levine / Deutsche Gr.
*
Stockhausen*
_Etude Concrete for tape_ (1952-53)
_Klavierstuck XI_ (1956)*
- *David Tudor, piano / EL Records

*Roslavets*
_Three Dances for violin & piano _(1923)
- Solomia Soroka, vln. & Arthur Greene, pno. / Naxos

I really enjoyed the slow movements of the Mozart concertos, as well as the stand alone Adagio. Simply sublime. Then it was on to 20th century things...


----------



## Kieran

I listened to that adagio yesterday. Breath-stopping...


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Schubussy said:


> Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto no. 1
> Carlo Maria Giulini, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich
> View attachment 17477
> 
> 
> I'd listen to the Dvorak too if I had time. Guess I'll save it for later.


My eyes lit up when I saw the cover: an excellent CD, and that recording of the Dvorak is my favourite.


----------



## Guest

Mendelssohn's E minor violin concerto, Op. 64, played with passion and precision by Nicola Benedetti.
I don't know why it surprises me when beauty and talent come together.


----------



## MagneticGhost

The Little Mushroom


----------



## Andolink

Williams Lawes: Sonatas for violin, bass viol and organ (Sett no. 5 in D minor and Sett no. 6 in D major)
London Baroque 








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 6 
The Kontra Quartet








J. S. Bach: Suite in A minor, BWV 812
Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord








Roberto Gerhard: Gemini "Duo Concertante" (in one movement) for violin and piano
Nieuw Ensemble


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Litany*

Another thread got me interested in listening to pieces that aren't yet 30 years old. This one is only 17.


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School Vol. 14: Maria Izrailevna Grinberg (1908-1978) (Melodiya). Works by Carlos Seixas (1704-1742), Antonio Soler (1729-1783), Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), Mozart, Schumann, and Brahms.

Wow, this is impressive playing, recorded in 1947, 1951, 1964 (mono), and 1967 (stereo). I suppose her inclusion of Seixas and Soler has to do with her investigation of Scarlatti, both of whom came into contact with him. Like Richter, Grinberg was selective, deleting pieces from sets, and often changed the sequence. Not overly rubato-ed or Romanticized, Grinberg plays with a supreme sense of intelligence and surety, my kind of gal. The Brahms Waltzes, Op.39, were my main interest here.


----------



## Celloissimo

Dvorak Slavonic Dance No. 1


----------



## JCarmel

Greetings All!
Am just dropping-in to wish you all a Good Day (what's left of it!...) but mainly to let you know that I'm currently listening to this cd









I have listened to it LOADS...it's a great Mozart cd, Jerome?! So maybe you could find it somewhere online. But whatever, it's worth seeking-out in my opinion....though be warned that Track 3 is dead catchy & will have you humming it all day.

This is just a one-off visit to let you know about the cd & to wish all here the very best.
Cheers and Cheerio!


----------



## Vaneyes

Two bigguns have birthdays today. In celebration of...*Brahms*: String Quartets 1 - 3, Piano Quintet, with Fleisher/ESQ (rec. 2006/7); *Tchaikovsky*: "Souvenir de Florence", with Chang et al (rec. 2001).

View attachment 17501
View attachment 17502


----------



## ptr

Afternoon trio:

*Terry Riley* - Cadenza on the night plain (Inspired by the TR thread) (Gramavision Records)









Kronos Quartet

*Sergei Lyapunov* - Sextet & *Alexander Gretjianinoff* - String Quartet No 3 (*DuttonVocalion*)









Dante Quartet & Friends

*Sergei Lyapunov* - Symphony No 1 & Piano Concerto No 2 (*Chandos*)









Howard Shelly, piano; BBC Philharmonic u. Vassily Sinnaisky

An now on to a classic pick-me-up disc:

*Ensemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa* (*RCA*)









Ensemble Modern u. Jonathan Stockhammer

/ptr


----------



## Kazaman

Schoenberg: String Quartet no. 3 (Aron Quartet)


----------



## Sudonim

Followed by a trip (even further back, that is) on the wayback machine:


----------



## Kazaman

Mendelssohn: Symphony no. 5 (New York Philharmonic under Bernstein)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vasks, Oboe Concerto.*

Another piece under 30 years old.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:

Listening to _Piano Concerto No. 1_. Not a bad work at all. Quite good actually.


----------



## Kazaman

Mozart: String Quartet no. 19 in C major (Alban Berg Quartet)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Chavez's _Piano Concerto_. Absolutely sublime!


----------



## NightHawk

Paid too too much for this, except that it is worth every penny. A complete setting with all the propers. The Ensemble Gilles Binchois is, for me, the easy front runner in music of this period. Directed by Dominique Vellard with the incomparable Andreas Scholl singing countertenor. Very highest rating and if you love this work, indispensable. I paid $64 new and that was the cheapest I could find!


----------



## Kieran

K377, the evening fix while I cook. Barenboim on the stool, Perlman looking shifty with the whip...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Concert Overture, Symphony No 2, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Five Pieces for Orchestra_. Such a hypnotic work.


----------



## ptr

*French Romantic Organ Music* (Unicorn Kanchana OOP?)
(Tournemire - Choral improvisation sur le Victimae Paschali // Hakim - The embrace of fire // Alain - Fantasmagorie & Litanies // Langlais - Plainte // Franck - Prière // Langlais - Chant de paix // Duruflé - Sur le nom ALAIN)









Simon Bertram @ the Rieger Organ of St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

ptr said:


> *French Romantic Organ Music* (Unicorn Kanchana OOP?)
> (Tournemire - Choral improvisation sur le Victimae Paschali // Hakim - The embrace of fire // Alain - Fantasmagorie & Litanies // Langlais - Plainte // Franck - Prière // Langlais - Chant de paix // Duruflé - Sur le nom ALAIN)


Yeah, probably OOP, since the Peter Hill/Messiaen on that same label are, as well. I managed to get mine before they skyrocketed.


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School Vol. 17: Vladimir Ashkenazy (1937-): Chopin Etudes Op. 10, Op. 25; Franz Liszt: (1811-1886) Mephisto Waltz No. 1.

This is the young Ashkenazy, recorded in Moscow, 1959 and 1960 (mono). His Chopin is flawless, and this inspires me to get out the later-recorded Complete Chopin box set I also own.

The Mephisto Waltz is always hair-raising, and I'm not referring to rabbit husbandry. My first hearing of the piece, and Ashkenazy, was on a later London LP. I'd like to have that one again; I suppose it's on Decca somewhere. The descending chromatic riffs, harmonically meaningless in themselves, must have sounded amazing and super-dramatic to audiences at the time. Pulled-off correctly, as Ashkenazy does here, it is still an effective and thrilling dramatic experience. _Huzzah!_


----------



## julianoq

Taking the afternoon to listen to Haydn String Quartets Op. 76. Now listening to the No. 6 and wondering why it took so long for me to find them, I loved them all!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Peer Gynt Suites No. 1 & 2_. Such craggy, earthy music. I really enjoy this work.


----------



## ptr

millionrainbows said:


> Yeah, probably OOP, since the Peter Hill/Messiaen on that same label are, as well. I managed to get mine before they skyrocketed.


Haven't seen any "new" Unicorn-Kanchanas since maybe 2005. I think I read somewhere a few years ago that the company's owner had put operations in hibernation and the only discs they kept "alive" was Horenstein's Mahler Symphonies.

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rautavaara, Symphony No. 7.*

This piece is only 19 years old. It has a timeless quality to it.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Iceland Overture_. Leifs is such a fantastic composer. Just watch that volume!


----------



## ptr

Nightmusic:

*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco* - Complete organ works (*Aeolus*)









Livia Mazzanti @ the Kleuker and Steinmeyer Organ (1988) of Tonhalle, Zürich

/ptr


----------



## Feathers

Szymanowski: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Next:










Then:


----------



## Sonata

Soler: piano sonatas. Alicia DeLarrocha. I enjoyed this more on this, my second listen.


----------



## millionrainbows

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Next:


Now you're talking my language! Those Dallapiccolas are excellent, even definitive. It's good night music. He's one of my favorite serialists, and composers, period. Love those Italians.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Joan Tower, Concerto for Orchestra. Connie Ellisor, Blackberry Winter I, II, and III.*


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> Now you're talking my language! Those Dallapiccolas are excellent, even definitive. It's good night music. He's one of my favorite serialists, and composers, period. Love those Italians.


Dallipiccola is so underrated! He should be recorded more often. I also like this recording a lot:










But, yes, the Noseda recordings are essential IMHO. Outstanding performances.


----------



## Schubussy

Schubussy said:


> I'd listen to the Dvorak too if I had time. Guess I'll save it for later.


Aaaaaaand
Dvorak - Cello Concerto in B Minor 
Carlo Maria Giulini, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich

Definitely worth the wait.



CyrilWashbrook said:


> My eyes lit up when I saw the cover: an excellent CD, and that recording of the Dvorak is my favourite.


I love it. My 2 favourite cello concertos back to back played by Rostropovich. Does it get any better?


----------



## Kieran

More of that cello music I borrowed: Elgar's concerto in e-minor, Opus 85, Jacqueline Du Pre on cello, Barenboim beaming across at her from the podium and the jealous lads of the London Symphony Orchestra sawing and gnawing and gnashing their teeth in the pit...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Bolcom, Songs of Innocence*

At least as much of this sprawling work as I can fit in. One thing about it, if you don't like what he did with one song, there's something completely different coming around the corner.


----------



## Guest

Tchaikovsky's greatest three symphonies. Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Kieran

Before bed, K454, violin sonata, Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## Kazaman

Ives: Symphony no. 1, Symphony no. 3 
Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins

Detroit Symphony under Leonard Slatkin via live webcast.


----------



## Trout

I am going through a list I compiled over the past few weeks comprising of hundreds of recommendations from a bunch of different threads and forums. Thousands of hours of music not to mention all of the great recordings of each piece. Even though I am young, I don't think I have enough time in my life to listen to all this great music. 

So, today I started with (in no particular order):

*Glazunov: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, op. 48*

Evgeny Svetlanov, USSR Symphony Orchestra

Although not as melodic as most of the Tchaikovsky pieces I have heard (happy birthday to him by the way!), the piece definitely sounds inspired by him especially in the finale. Overall, I thought it was a nice piece as I liked the various colors and moods it evoked. I just wished Glazunov composed something a little more memorable.
Now, on to Bacewicz!


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat, KV 439b

Henk de Graff and Jan Jansen, clarinets -- Johan Steinmann, bassoon

View attachment 17550


----------



## CypressWillow

Chopin is to me as Schubert is to - well, you know:






An oasis of green, cool water in an arid desert, my soulmate, only and always.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kazaman said:


> Ives: Symphony no. 1, Symphony no. 3
> Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins
> 
> Detroit Symphony under Leonard Slatkin via live webcast.


Love Ives' 3rd. His 4th and the _Holidays Symphony_ are also favorites of mine. I need more Weill in my collection. I only own an older Jansons EMI recording with _Symphony No. 2_, the _Violin Concerto_, and another work that I can't recall right now (_The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahoganny Suite_ perhaps?). Any recommendations? Wait...I also own _The Seven Deadly Sins_ with Rattle. This came in an EMI set with Rattle's American performances.


----------



## Kazaman

Neo Romanza said:


> Love Ives' 3rd. His 4th and the _Holidays Symphony_ are also favorites of mine. I need more Weill in my collection. I only own an older Jansons EMI recording with _Symphony No. 2_, the _Violin Concerto_, and another work that I can't recall right now (_The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahoganny Suite_ perhaps?). Any recommendations? Wait...I also own _The Seven Deadly Sins_ with Rattle. This came in an EMI set with Rattle's American performances.


I don't listen to a lot of Weill, but I recently heard a great recording of some of his lieder by Anne Sofie von Otter.


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Oboe Concerto. This concerto has a very mysterious mood that has been hypnotizing me lately.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kazaman said:


> I don't listen to a lot of Weill, but I recently heard a great recording of some of his lieder by Anne Sofie von Otter.


Yeah, I don't either but thought he is still underrepresented in my CD collection. Thanks for the recommendation.


----------



## GreenMamba

On Spotify, solo piano music from Bela Bartok (Romanian Folk Dances, Sonatina Sz.55, 3 Hungarian Folk Tunes). Kocsis.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Holy smokes!  Neo Romanza, in the "Latest purchases" thread, said he bought this volume 5 of Andrzej Panufnik's symphonic works. I never heard of the guy before and so I was curious and searched for the album on Spotify. Oh my gosh! I have only listened to the 7th Symphony so far (and part of the 8th) but it is creepily awesome! It's a symphony for organ, tympani and orchestra composed in 1978. Now I'll tell you right off this symphony is not for everyone. It needs to be played LOUD to get the full effect. I really can't describe how gothic and eerie it is and yet modern, very modern. The organ is like listening to the Phantom of the opera on steroids with full orchestra. The 8th symphony, composed in 1981, so far seems subdued in comparison but I'm enjoying it. I'm not a huge fan of modern music but sometimes a composer comes along that catches my attention and I think I'll be seeking out more Panufnik in the near future.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Concerto in F For Harpsichord & 2 Recorders, BWV 1057 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Bach, C.P.E.: Flute Concerto in G, Wq 169/H 445 -- James Galway; Jörg Faerber: Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #29 in B Flat, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier" -- Daniel Barenboim

Monteverdi: Selva Morale E Spirituale -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> Holy smokes!  Neo Romanza, in the "Latest purchases" thread, said he bought this volume 5 of Andrzej Panufnik's symphonic works. I never heard of the guy before and so I was curious and searched for the album on Spotify. Oh my gosh! I have only listened to the 7th Symphony so far (and part of the 8th) but it is creepily awesome! It's a symphony for organ, tympani and orchestra composed in 1978. Now I'll tell you right off this symphony is not for everyone. It needs to be played LOUD to get the full effect. I really can't describe how gothic and eerie it is and yet modern, very modern. The organ is like listening to the Phantom of the opera on steroids with full orchestra. The 8th symphony, composed in 1981, so far seems subdued in comparison but I'm enjoying it. I'm not a huge fan of modern music but sometimes a composer comes along that catches my attention and I think I'll be seeking out more Panufnik in the near future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Glad you're enjoying the music, Kevin. I'm looking forward to hearing this volume from CPO. You should definitely check out the other volumes in the series. Outside of this CPO series, there's many recordings to choose from and many of them with Panufnik conducting the music himself (he was an excellent conductor by the way). I think he has such an incredible command over the orchestra. His music reminds me that he's truly a musical rebel. He never aligned himself with any 'school of thought' and he very much forged his own path. You've got to admire someone who has done this. His music will delight fellow percussionist everywhere as there are many passages throughout his orchestral oeuvre that contains high-energy percussion sections (I'm thinking here of the brassy _Heroic Overture_). Anyway, I look forward to reading more of your posts regarding Panufnik.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Divertimento_. Great work!

Next:










Going to listen to _Le buisson ardent Parts I & II_.

Then:










Going to revisit _Symphonic Dances_. Definitely one of my favorite Aho works.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): Sextet No.6 in D Minor

Jana Brozkova on oboe and Jiri Valek on flute with the Stamic Quartet: Viteslav Cernoch, violin -- Jan Peruska and Josef Kekula, violas -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 17551


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.8 in D Minor, *featuring the Sir Adrian Boult led London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73 and Symphony No,4 in E Minor, Op.98. *Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Mahlerian

Doing penance for my argumentative stance earlier today...?

Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame
Oxford Camerata









Schoenberg: Choral Works Op. 50
BBC Singers, cond. Boulez








Stravinsky: Mass
Columbia Symphony, Gregg Smith Singers, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Doing penance for my argumentative stance earlier today...? Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame
> Oxford Camerata


Submit to the drone! :lol:


----------



## millionrainbows

_Rossini Overtures:_ Chailly, NPO (London 2-CD)

It's amazing how many recognizable themes there are here, probably due to extensive Warner Brothers cartoons. I got this after I heard his _Six String Sonatas,_ mainly to get _La gazza ladra. _The music is...heh heh..._very animated, _to say the least.

Also, I'd like to thank Elmer Fudd for getting me into Wagner...


----------



## Trout

*Bacewicz: Muzyka na smyczki, trąbki i perkusję (Music for Strings, Trumpets, and Percussion)*
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra , Witold Rowicki

Good neoclassical piece. It has a good bit of dissonance, but also intensity which I seem to crave in some works. It feels a little disjointed, however, as I felt that there was a lack of a consistency in the stream of ideas. Nevertheless, I am intrigued and would like to listen to more of her pieces.

*Vaughan Williams: Job - A Masque for Dancing*
London Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Boult

It has been too long since I last heard this. It is a wonderfully colorful work and certainly one of my reacquainted favorites by Vaughan Williams. The saxophone caught me a little off-guard, but it did add a unique and almost exotic touch to the atmospheric music.


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Fantasy in C Major, Op.17

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 17557


----------



## Sonata

Cosi Fan Tutte. Really sublime music.

Earlier:
120 Romantic Classical Masterpieces. A "snippets" album, background music when getting the little ones to bed.

Beethoven: a couple of his minor works from my Big Beethoven Box, and started String quartet #15 which is a tad heavy tonight. I'll finish tomorrow


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music Of Ancient Greece" - Gregorio Paniagua, dir.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Trout said:


> *Bacewicz: Muzyka na smyczki, trąbki i perkusję (Music for Strings, Trumpets, and Percussion)*
> Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra , Witold Rowicki
> 
> Good neoclassical piece. It has a good bit of dissonance, but also intensity which I seem to crave in some works. It feels a little disjointed, however, as I felt that there was a lack of a consistency in the stream of ideas. Nevertheless, I am intrigued and would like to listen to more of her pieces.
> 
> *Vaughan Williams: Job - A Masque for Dancing*
> London Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Boult
> 
> It has been too long since I last heard this. It is a wonderfully colorful work and certainly one of my reacquainted favorites by Vaughan Williams. The saxophone caught me a little off-guard, but it did add a unique and almost exotic touch to the atmospheric music.


I haven't heard Bacewicz's name in quite some time. Her music is definitely interesting. I need to reacquaint with some of her music. There's a new recording out on Dux of her cello concerti that looks promising.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 10
Schubert: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Piano Concerto #8 in C, K 246, "Lützow" -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #6 in E Flat -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Couperin: Pièces De Violes, Suite #1 in E Minor -- Musica Ad Rhenum


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Schumann: Fantasy in C Major, Op.17
> 
> Alfred Brendel, piano
> 
> View attachment 17557


THAT'S what I'm talking about!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Forsyth's _Atayoskewin Suite_. It's hard to describe the sound of this work but I feel and smell the wilderness.


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D200, Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D759 {"Unfinished"}. *All three symphonies feature the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90.* Both works are performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Feathers

Some favourites (two fourth symphonies!) to celebrate the birthdays of Tchaikovsky and Brahms: 

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (Haitink with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 (Solti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

:trp::trp:


----------



## Trout

I have been listening to some shorter pieces:

*Bartók: Cantata Profana*
The Atlanta Symphony and Chorus, Robert Shaw

*Adams: Violin Concerto*
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin
Violin: Chloe Hanslip

*Bridge: Enter Spring*
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Benjamin Britten

*Hindemith: Sonata for Four Horns*
Horns: Thomas Bacon, Arthur David Krehbiel, Larry Strieby, Gail Williams

*Wirén: Serenade for Strings*
English Chamber Orchestra, Johannes Somary

And currently:

*Hummel: Cello Sonata in A major, op. 104*
Cello: Jiří Bárta, Piano: Hamish Milne


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Chavez's _Horse Power Suite_. Love this ballet.

Next and then off to bed:










Going to listen to Barber's _Violin Concerto_. Hahn's is my favorite performance next to Joshua Bell's.


----------



## drpraetorus

Tielman Susato, Dansereye


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Before bed, K454, violin sonata, Barenboim and Perlman...





Kieran said:


> K377, the evening fix while I cook. Barenboim on the stool, Perlman looking shifty with the whip...










Wondering if you have the whole set? Listening to K377 now. Then K545.


----------



## PetrB

Louis Andriessen collaborating with Peter Greenaway
_*M is for Man, Music, Mozart*_ (1991)
Low quality overall, but gets you the idea of this first collaboration, made for TV.
*It is Greenaway, expect tons of full-frontal (matter of fact / non-titillating) nudity.* 




The full audio, complete, is available on CD:
http://www.discogs.com/Louis-Andriessen-De-Stijl-M-Is-For-Man-Music-Mozart/release/2553286


----------



## Kieran

Jacqueline Du Pre again, performing Schumann's cello concerto, Opus 129, to be followed on the disc by Saint-Saens cello concerto #1, Op.33, then Matthias Georg Monn's concerto in g-minor.

Barenboim and Baribolli conducting the London Symphony Orchestra...


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> View attachment 17573
> 
> Wondering if you have the whole set? Listening to K377 now. Then K545.


That's the box of glories I treasure! 

Gonna put CD3 on later, with those two sonatas. I have to say, K377 is something akin to addiction with me...


----------



## PetrB

Just found, not past the introductory spiel, yet....
Graham Fitkin ~ 'Cello Concerto




and now well past and into the music, regret posting something I personally found about as interesting as watching paint dry....

To compensate, This by Fitikin's teacher
*Louis Andriessen - Trilogie van de laatste dag - #3 Dancing on the bones * (Trilogy of the last day)


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

*Igor Stravinsky* - Symphonies (Decca OOP?)









Chicago Symphony orchestra & Chorus u. Georg Solti

*Terry Riley* - The Harp of New Albion (Celestial Harmonies)









Terry Riley, piano

*Allan Pettersson* - Eight Barefoot Songs (arr. A. Dorati for orchestra) & Concertos for Strings No 1 & 2 (*Bis*)









Anders Larsson, baritone; Nordic Chamber Orchestra - Christian Lindberg

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quatro No.2 in C Minor

Christophe Timpe leading the Accedmia per Musica

View attachment 17577


----------



## Sid James

Kieran said:


> Jacqueline Du Pre again, performing Schumann's cello concerto, Opus 129, to be followed on the disc by Saint-Saens cello concerto #1, Op.33,...


Both those are favs of mine. Saint-Saens admired Schumann's concerto as well, so there's that connection. Both tend towards restraint and a kind of Classicism rather than showy pyrotecnics. I love the accompanied cadenza bit in the Schumann and also the way Saint-Saens carries through these themes thru the whole piece. A bit like Liszt's piano concertos, its pushing things, but still got that thematic unity, so going back to tradition. & another connection is that Shostakovich admired both these concertos (so no surprises me being a fan of his 2 cello concertos). Yet another connection is that on this disc of 21st century cello concertos, one of them is influenced by the Schumann (the contemporary composer says this in the notes). But I have not listened to that one yet, its one in my pile of unlistened discs. But I love these connections between old and new things. Dig deep enough and you always find them.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* _String Sextet #2, 'Agathe'_
- Stuttgart Soloists / Naxos

*Roslavets* _Violin Sonata # 4_
- Solomia Soroka, vln. & Arthur Greene, pno. / Naxos

*Handel *
_Music for the Royal Fireworks
3 Marches (from Atlanta, Joshua, Occasional Oratorio)
Violin Concerto in B flat
Concerto in B flat for double woodwind, orchestra & organ*_
- Menuhin Festival Orch. under Yehudi Menuhin, violin & conductor with *Leslie Pearson, organ / EMI


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Carl Stamitz (8 May 1745-1801): Flute Trio in F Major, Op.14, No.3

Sonatori Ensemble: Peter Brook, flute -- Jana Vlachova, violin -- Mikael Ericsson, cello -- Berthold Fritz, harpsichord

View attachment 17580


----------



## Sonata

Handel: Oboe Concertos #1 and #3 

Strangely these seem to be my favorite Handel pieces, other than a few small extracts from a couple of his vocal works. Interesting, they aren't what you usually would think for Handel favorites but there you are.


----------



## Yoshi

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition

One of my favourite piano solo pieces.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Also, I'd like to thank Elmer Fudd for getting me into Wagner...


Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit . . .


----------



## ptr

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 14 (Phono Suecia PSCD12 at the bottom)









Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra u. Sergiu Comissiona

and now on to:

*Dag Wirén* - Serenad för stråkorkester, op. 11, Cellokonsert, op. 10, Divertimento, op. 29, Pianokonsert, op. 26 (*Caprice*)









Mats Rondin, cello; Mats Widlund, piano; Swedish Chamber Orchestra u, Petri Sakari

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

This afternoon, I'm rehearsing The Ruins of Athens, Egmont Overture, and Fidelio Overture with this orchestra. The conductor is a bit idiosyncratic so I'm listening to these recordings we did in 2008 to refresh my memory regarding his interpretations. I'm not crazy about listening to myself (I tend to focus on what I could have done better rather than just listening) but it has to be done.

We're also doing the Paganini Violin Concerto #1, but I don't have a recording of it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Symphony 9, with ACO/Harnoncourt (rec.1999); String Quartets, Opp. 96 & 106, with Stamitz Qt. (rec. 1987).

View attachment 17585
View attachment 17586


----------



## Vaneyes

Trout said:


> I have been listening to some shorter pieces:
> 
> *Bartók: Cantata Profana*
> The Atlanta Symphony and Chorus, Robert Shaw
> 
> *Adams: Violin Concerto*
> Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin
> Violin: Chloe Hanslip
> 
> *Bridge: Enter Spring*
> New Philharmonia Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
> 
> *Hindemith: Sonata for Four Horns*
> Horns: Thomas Bacon, Arthur David Krehbiel, Larry Strieby, Gail Williams
> 
> *Wirén: Serenade for Strings*
> English Chamber Orchestra, Johannes Somary
> 
> And currently:
> 
> *Hummel: Cello Sonata in A major, op. 104*
> Cello: Jiří Bárta, Piano: Hamish Milne


Nice selection, Trout...and bring back your previous avatar, please.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> [response to Trout] I haven't heard *Bacewicz's* name in quite some time. Her music is definitely interesting. I need to reacquaint with some of her music. There's a new recording out on Dux of her cello concerti that looks promising.


Yes indeed.

I'm in the early stages of collecting *Bacewicz* (1909 - 1969), thanks to Head Case's Polish Chamber Music discussions. I'm quite enjoying...Piano Quintets 1 & 2, w. Zimerman et al (DG, 2009); String Quartet 4, w. Maggini Qt. (ASV, 1993); Piano Sonata 2, w. Zimerman (DG, 2009).:tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Jerome said:


> View attachment 17547
> View attachment 17548
> View attachment 17549
> 
> 
> Tchaikovsky's greatest three symphonies. Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra.


Excellent readings and performances, that deserve to be reissued in a 3CD box. Wake up, Philips, Brilliant Classics, anybody! :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

ptr said:


> Haven't seen any "new" Unicorn-Kanchanas since maybe 2005. I think I read somewhere a few years ago that the company's owner had put operations in hibernation and the only discs they kept "alive" was Horenstein's Mahler Symphonies.
> 
> /ptr


IIRC the JH M3 was (briefly?) licensed to Brilliant Classics for a box. I have that M3 in the original release, and am fortunate it didn't go bronze, as some of the U-Ks did.

I s'pose some of the younger folk aka whippersnappers in our midst aren't aware of "bronzing". Quite different from a recording gone platinum. LOL


----------



## Kazaman

Stockhausen: Welt-Parlament from Mittwoch aus Licht (Südfunk Choir Stuttgart under Rupert Huber)


----------



## ptr

Relistening to this lovely twoofer!

*Jeanne Demessieux* - Complete Organ Works (*Aeolus*)









Stephen Tharp on the Organs of Eglise Saint-Martin, Dudelange & Abbatiale Saint-Ouen, Rouen

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Vaneyes said:


> I s'pose some of the younger folk aka whippersnappers in our midst aren't aware of "bronzing". Quite different from a recording gone platinum. LOL


I had about 30 discs go "Bronze" on me, but got all of them exchanged through the exchange program the CD-manufacturer had. Unfortunately I think that they closed the program down due to the fact that more then 10 years expiring since the malfunctioning of the processes!

/ptr


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Mystère de l'instant_. What a great work. Love Dutilleux.


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

Hello,

I'm currently listening to a nonclassical CD as part of an alphabetical listening survey of my entire CD collection. However, I have in my CD player the Complete Works For Violin and Piano, and for Piano, by Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-75) (Naxos 8.557676); and the Wind Quintets Op. 56 coupled with the Quintet for Piano and Wind, Op. 41 by Franz Danzi (1763-1826) (BIS).

Jim


----------



## Kieran

Cello binge! 

Brahms Cello Sonata in e-minor, performed by Stephen Isserlis (cello) and Stephen Hough (piano), a BBC magazine disc freebie...


----------



## Kieran

Just beginning Dmitri Kabelevsky, Cello concerto #2, Opus 77. Isserlis again, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the steadying gaze of Kirill Karabis.

We ain't in Kansas no mo', Dorothy...


----------



## Kieran

I put down the cello stuff for a while: I'm cooking. And listening to #22, in E Flat Major.

Mitsuko's on the finger food, Jeffrey Tate is mixing with the wooden spoon and the English Chamber Orchestra are chopping meat and lifting bags of spuds...


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School Vo. 4: Maria Yenyaminovna Yudina (1899-1970): Works by Stravinsky, Bartók, Hindemith, Berg, Krenek. Most of this is in stereo, recorded 1960, 1961, 1962, and 1964. She studied under, among others, Anna Essipova, the "grand dame" of Russian pianism, who also taught Prokofiev, and with Leonid Nikolayev, Shostakovich's teacher. She knew Hindemith and Stravinsky. She plays Berg's Op.1 Sonata, with great intelligence and feeling. Her Stravinsky (Seranade in A) is as good as any version I've heard.
These Russian recordings vary from dull mono to this, a rather bright-sounding stereo.


----------



## Kazaman

Hindemith: The Long Christmas Dinner (Rundfunk Symphony Berlin under Marek Janowski)


----------



## Sonata

*Mozart* kick at the moment. How could I NOT be after Cosi? I am now listening to String Quartet #15 in D minor, and #21 in D Major. #15 is now one of my favorite string quartets. The range of expression in the fourth movement alone is just wonderful.


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> *Mozart* kick at the moment. How could I NOT be after Cosi? I am now listening to String Quartet #15 in D minor, and #21 in D Major. #15 is now one of my favorite string quartets. The range of expression in the fourth movement alone is just wonderful.


Hey Sonata!

I love the trio and the quintets, even the duo of string duos, but for whatever reason I can't seem to crack the quartets. I don't know why that form blocks me, or hides itself from me, but I can't seem to crack it! #15 is the d-minor, is it? I'll put aside a day for the string quartets later in the week.

Right now? I'm listening to....nothing!


----------



## Sonata

That's interesting! It took me awhile to crack into string quartets. I'm HUGE on melody and for some reason multiple strings without another "voice" in there, I had a hard time finding the obvious melody. But like many other things, exposure, exposure! Yeah 15 is the D Minor

Now onto *Brahms*! Add ANOTHER work to the growing pile of his that I just love! *The Piano Trio #1*. I've listened to all of his chamber music, having the complete boxed set, but it's taken quite some time of course to really get to know all of it. This is going straight onto my repeat listening playlist for next week (or tomorrow!)


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: I Capuleti E I Montecchi -- Anna Netrebko, Elīna Garanča; Fabio Luisi: Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Singakademie

Berlioz: La Mort De Cléopâtre -- Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre De Paris


----------



## Kieran

I need some more cello stuff to settle me down for the evening. Too early for the peaks! Too early for Wolfgangerl and his insidious drawl, his menacing voice, his whispered come-ons. His fiddle sinatras.

Mendelssohn's piano trio in d-minor is also on the BBC disc I was listening too, and it's quite fetching. Opus 49! Performed by Denes Varjon on piano, Joshua Bell on the fiddle and please welcome back, put your hands together - Steven Isserling! On the cello...


----------



## Feathers

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in Bb (Itzhak Perlman and James Levine with the Wiener Philharmoniker)









One of the first pieces of classical music I've ever heard. Ever. It always sounds so charming!


----------



## ptr

Night music:

*Cazazza Dan* - Night Music (*TC*)

..very nightly!

And the last piece for today:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 9 (EMI)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Sir Simon Rattle

..for now, the definitive nine for me!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Harnasie.*


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn choral music. It's about time I pull out this boxed set. I don't listen to choral music often but I do enjoy it. Disc 3 of his Brilliant Choral Classics boxed set. The four minute hymn that opens this disc it beautiful! My first listen to this disc and that was a pleasant surprise indeed!


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony 1 in E minor, Symphony 4 in A minor

Both of these end in the minor. To think that I was arguing with someone who thought Mahler the gloomier composer...


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart *
Divertimento K.136 in D Major
Koopman


----------



## ProudSquire

Kieran said:


> Hey Sonata!
> 
> I love the trio and the quintets, even the duo of string duos, but for whatever reason I can't seem to crack the quartets. I don't know why that form blocks me, or hides itself from me, but I can't seem to crack it! #15 is the d-minor, is it? I'll put aside a day for the string quartets later in the week.
> 
> Right now? I'm listening to....nothing!


What awaits you is a world of endless beauty, Kieran. Once you've traversed through that terrain of beauty, we shall sit down and exchange pleasantries.


----------



## millionrainbows

Sibelius 2 & 3, Lahti SO, Osmo Vänskä (BIS). Comparing this with the Abravanel/Utah SO, the older analog Abravanel is far superior sonically; much more detailed. It makes me wonder how much of this import stuff is just cranked-out to sustain their low-stress, minimal-exertion lifestyles; like it thrives on tourism and cultural exports. I guess there are worse things, like our country's dependence on war. Meanwhile, we import our culture from cut-out bins in used CD stores. Blah, blah...

Still, there is something to be gained from this alternate view of the diamond. I'm not sure what that is, yet...


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments.


----------



## Kieran

Sherlock Holmes enjoyed his 7% solution of an evening, with his pipe sent downstairs so Mrs Hudson could shine it for use the next day. I've sent the cello downstairs for a lick of paint, and reached for my own 7% solution - Wolfie.

A habit of mine is to listen in sequence: the music tonight dates from 12 September - 6 December 1786: I'm going to listen from K500 to K504 before I go to bed. 

So I begin on a solo instrument and have two sets of piano variations K500-501, then I bring in a couple of helpers: a trio! K502. Kungsbacka Trio. 

More bodies on the floor for the next set: a piano concerto! Mitsuko and Jeffrey, with the ENO. :tiphat: 

Then the finale: a symphony! Karl Bohm and his many-handed wonder, the Berliner Philly, playing symphony #38.

The Prague... :trp:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 2.*

I'm seeing an underground Abravanel fan club springing up around here. I've pulled out my Mahler recording.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Sherlock Holmes enjoyed his 7% solution of an evening, with his pipe sent downstairs so Mrs Hudson could shine it for use the next day. I've sent the cello downstairs for a lick of paint, and reached for my own 7% solution - Wolfie.
> 
> A habit of mine is to listen in sequence: the music tonight dates from 12 September - 6 December 1786: I'm going to listen from K500 to K504 before I go to bed.
> 
> So I begin on a solo instrument and have two sets of piano variations K500-501, then I bring in a couple of helpers: a trio! K502. Kungsbacka Trio.
> 
> More bodies on the floor for the next set: a piano concerto! Mitsuko and Jeffrey, with the ENO. :tiphat:
> 
> Then the finale: a symphony! Karl Bohm and his many-handed wonder, the Berliner Philly, playing symphony #38.
> 
> The Prague... :trp:


What a lineup! Like a good concert it starts intimately, builds, and ends with the big guns. I took your queue, but went right for the finale with Rafael Kubelik at the podium:


----------



## Novelette

Corelli: Violin Sonata #5 in G Minor, Op. 5/5 & Violin Sonata #10 in F, Op. 5/10-- Andrew Manze & Richard Egarr

Haydn: The Seasons, H 21/3 -- Morten Schuldt-Jensen: Leipzig Chamber Orchestra

Schubert: Drei Klavierstücke, D 946 -- Paul Lewis

Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 [with clarinet] -- Nash Ensemble


----------



## bejart

Anton Kraft (1752-1820): Cello Concerto in C Major, Op.4

Josef Hrncir leading the Plzen Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Jiri Hosek, cello

View attachment 17605


Written by a founding member of the the Schuppanzigh string quartet ---


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 9
Los Angeles Philharmonic, cond. Mehta









The ending is exhilarating beyond belief. There is no way Schoenberg ever heard a performance this good except in his mind.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Glazunov: Symphony No. 8


----------



## Trout

Listening to some Bach cantatas:

*Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1
Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10*
Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt

*Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft, BWV 50*
Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner

Even though he wrote over 200 of these, I think one would have to be hard-pressed to find some lapses in quality. All that I have listened to are especially fine.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Just finished:










Listened to Kurtag's _Stele_. What a great work. Really enjoyed Abbado's performance.

Now:










Listening to _Sinfonia Elegiaca_. Fantastic!


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Baptist Krumpholz (8 May 1742-1790): Sonata in E Flat, Op.12, No.2

Andrea Vigh, harp -- Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Csaba Onczay, cello

View attachment 17606


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Symphony #9 in C, D 944, "Great" -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Feeling good and desiring to listen to something very expansive, in both extent and mood.


----------



## opus55

Elgar: Serenade in E minor, Op. 20
R.Strauss: Andante for Horn and Piano in C major, AV86A; Duett-Concertino for clarinet and bassoon, strings and harp in F major, AV147


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I'm going to work through Glazunov's complete symphonies conducted by Jose Serebrier. The performances on this collection are very good. Starting with No. 1 this evening and see how it goes. I may work in No.2 before bedtime as well. I really love Glazunov's lyricism. His melodies are lush and many of them quite beautiful. I actually prefer Glazunov over Tchaikovsky but it may be just because I am so familiar with most of Tchaikovsky's works. Glazunov always has pleasant surprises for me and his symphonies have grown on me more with each listen, and every time I do listen I wonder why it's taken me so long to come back to him.










Kevin


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> I'm going to work through Glazunov's complete symphonies conducted by Jose Serebrier. The performances on this collection are very good. Starting with No. 1 this evening and see how it goes. I may work in No.2 before bedtime as well. I really love Glazunov's lyricism. His melodies are lush and many of them quite beautiful. I actually prefer Glazunov over Tchaikovsky but it may be just because I am so familiar with most of Tchaikovsky's works. Glazunov always has pleasant surprises for me and his symphonies have grown on me more with each listen, and every time I do listen I wonder why it's taken me so long to come back to him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


I really need to give Glazunov another chance. There are some works by him I enjoy (i. e. _From the Middle Ages_, _Scenes de Ballet_) but so much of his music sounds like warmed-over Tchaikovsky or Rimsky-Korsakov with some individual touches along the way. I own these recordings with Serebrier and I definitely have no quibbles with his performances, but the music just hasn't completely won me over yet. Time will tell I suppose.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Autumn Music_. My vote for one of the most compelling works in Panufnik's oeuvre. Such sadness and heartfelt emotion pours out of the _Presto Agitato_ movement.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Tchaikovsky*
Symphony No. 1 in G Minor '_Winter Daydreams_'
karajan


----------



## Feathers

Corelli: Trio Sonatas


----------



## Novelette

Inspired to give this little gem a listen during a night of insomnia:

Boieldieu: Harp Concerto in C, Op. 77 -- Marisa Robles: The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

...

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 114, D 667, "Trout" -- Alban Berg Quartet & Elisabeth Leonskaja

Brahms: Kyrie in G Minor, WoO 17 -- Peter Neumann: Kölner Kammerchor

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2 -- Murray Perahia


----------



## Kieran

Didn't get around to #38 last night, K504, so it's my music to stir me into action. Conducted by Karl Bohm, performed by the Berlin Philly...


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in D Major, D 22

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Giovanni Guglielmo on violin

View attachment 17613


----------



## Guest

*This is fabulous! *
Beethoven Triple Concerto, Brahms Double. 
Trio Poseidon - Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Neeme Järvi
The clarity, especially on the cello, sets this ahead of other recordings I have. The timing is perfect - everyone is together throughout. I like it so much I will go ahead and listen through the Brahms for a change.

(P.S. Kieran, I listened to K504 for you last night.)


----------



## ptr

As usual I had a troika in the morning!

*Fred. Chopin* - Nocturne No. 20 op. posth. & *P. I. Tchaikovsky* - 18 Pieces for Solo Piano (Morceaux) Op 72 (*DG* Live)









Mikhail Pletnev, piano

*J. Seb. Bach* - Motetten K225 - 230 (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Bernarda Fink, contralto; Sibylla Rubens, soprano; Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano; Gerd Türk, tenor; Peter Kooy, bass; RIAS Kammerchor & Akademi für Alte Musik, Berlin u. René Jacobs

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Violin Concerto No 2 & *Lille Bror Söderlundh* - Violin Concerto (*Caprice*)









Leon Spierer, violin; Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra u Arvid Jansons // Leo Berlin, violin; Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Stig Westerberg

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> (P.S. Kieran, I listened to K504 for you last night.)


Cheers! No wonder I slept so well... 

I caught up this morning, then I had silence and now I looking at those cello cd's again. But I think I'll go for them later on. Another CD I borrowed now:

Cesar Franck symphony in d-minor, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka waving the thingummyjig...


----------



## Sid James

*Handel* _Water Music Suites 1, 2, 3_
- Prague CO under Charles Mackerras / EMI

*Roslavets* _Violin Sonata # 1_
- Solomia Soroka, vln. & Arthur Greene, pno. / Naxos

*Handel *
_Water Music Suite & Royal Fireworks Suite (arrangements by Sir Hamilton Harty) _
- Royal PO under Sir Malcolm Sargent
_Zadok the Priest: Anthem _
- Ambrosian Singers, Menuhin Festival Orch. under Sir Yehudi Menuhin
_Hallelujah Chorus & Amen Chorus from Messiah_
- Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields under Sir David Wilcocks
/ EMI
*
Holst* _St Paul's Suite_
- Saint Paul CO under Christopher Hogwood / Decca Eloquence


----------



## ptr

*Valentin Silvestrov* - Symphony No 4 and 5 (*BIS*)









Lahti Symphony Orchestra u. Jukka-Pekka Saraste

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

The Best of Rimsky-Korsakov










Beethoven's Symphony No.1 & 2


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Giovanni Paisiello (9 May 1740-1816): String Quartet No.8 in G Major

Quartetto Modi: Giambattista Pianezzola and Ettore Begnis, violins -- Mauro Righini, viola -- Claudio Frigerio, cello

View attachment 17618


----------



## ptr

*Gösta Nystroem* is one of my favourite Swedish composers, afternoon spent with two discs with 4 of his Symphonies:

*Gösta Nystroem*

- Sinfonia Espressiva & Sinfonia Seria (*Bis*)









Malmö SymfoniOrkester u. Paavo Järvi

- Sinfonia Shakespearina & Sinfonia Tramontana (*Bis*)









Malmö SymfoniOrkester u. B Tommy Andersson

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

William Lawes: Fantasia-Suites for two violins, bass viol & organ--Sett no. 1 in G minor
London Baroque 








David Matthews: String Quartet No. 3, op. 18; The Flaying of Marsyas, op. 42 Concertino for Oboe and String Quartet
Nicholas Danile, oboe
Brindisi String Quartet








Alan Rawsthorne: Concerto for Ten Instruments (1961)
The Fibonacci Sequence


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 31.*

Kieran's Mozart postings put a bug in my ear, so I'm listening to Symphony No 31.

I have a quirk when I'm warming up my instrument. I've caught myself several times playing an ascending major scale, looking around knowingly at those around me, and saying, "Mozart, Paris Symphony."


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm listening again to Sibelius 2 & 3, Lahti SO, Osmo Vänskä (BIS), and comparing it with the Abravanel/Utah SO. I know there are differences, now I'm trying to define those differences.

The older analog Abravanel is far more detailed, and I think this has to do with the requirements of recording to tape. Tape has inherently less dynamic range, so that's a major difference, with good and bad points. Sections of the BIS recording are so quiet that this forces me to crank up the volume; subsequently, when the orchestra roars at full-force, it is scary! While this creates a more realistic experience, it scares the cat out of the room.

With the older Abravanel recording, the dynamic range is more limited, necessitating more microphones and more mixing. So, while the dynamic range is somewhat quashed, the result of extra miking is more detail in certain low-level passages, which results in being able to hear, among other things, the transients of the plucked strings...very realistic.

On the other hand, the digitally-recorded BIS uses fewer microphones, and this results in a smooth blending of the overall sections, like when all the strings or horns play tutti. There is an overall unity to the sound, with more hall ambience, which might be preferable to many.

Myself, I came up on the old rock LPs of 1966-1979, so I'm used to the warmth of tape, and the old Columbia Masterworks LPs produced by John McClure, with extra miking and mixing. The old Vanguard Abravanel/Utah SO recordings are like this. His Mahler cycle is killer, as well as his Brahms and much other stuff.


----------



## rrudolph

I got these at a half price sale a couple days ago:

David Tudor/Gordon Mumma









I haven't warmed up to the Mumma pieces yet, but the two versions of Rainforest by Tudor are amazing as is everything I've heard by him. I saw him perform one of Cage's Variations pieces (I think it was II) on Cage's 70th birthday (Cage was there too) and it was spellbinding.

Morton Feldman: Something Wild









Includes some film scores, some of which are atypical in style for Feldman.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Schnittke*: String Quartets 1, 3, 4, 'Stravinsky Canon", with Kapralova Qt. (rec.2002); Piano Sonatas 1 - 3, with Tchetuev (rec.2004).

View attachment 17627
View attachment 17628


----------



## Sonata

*Mozart*: String quintets #s 2 and 3 (K406 and K515)


----------



## Vaneyes

ptr said:


> I had about 30 discs go "Bronze" on me, but got all of them exchanged through the exchange program the CD-manufacturer had. Unfortunately I think that they closed the program down due to the fact that more then 10 years expiring since the malfunctioning of the processes!
> 
> /ptr


For a brief period during the bronze era, Sony, DG, maybe others, produced gold CDs, which have a similar appearance to bronzed CDs. I have one with Abbado and Argerich. Plays fine. I might as well listen to *R. Strauss* Burleske, now!

View attachment 17629


----------



## Celesta

Herbert von Karajan's gorgeous recording of Debussy's Pelleas & Melisande. Frederika von Stade is a radiant, captivating Melisande, one of the most enigmatic characters in all of opera.


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D major "London"


----------



## ptr

*Franz Peter Schubert* - Schwanengesang (Philips OOP)









Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone & Imogen Cooper, piano

_..followed by:_

*Petr Eben* - Organ Music, Vol. 5 (*Hyperion*)
(Landscapes of Patmos // Prelude 1 // Gloria 'Prelude 2' // Triptychon // Campanae gloriosae // Okna 'Windows')









Halgeir Schiager @ the organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrka, Stockholm, Sweden; Eirik Raude, percussion (1); Jan Fredrik Christiansen, trumpet (12-15)

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphony No. 25.*


----------



## cjvinthechair

May be a 'grandmother & eggs' situation, but been spending the afternoon on the fabulous Classiclive site of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, listening to lovely works by Harri Ahmas (a Lahti player) 1st Symphony, Kalevi Aho 'Gejia', & Erkki-Sven Tuur Accordion Concerto. More to try tomorrow !
So, if you don't all know the site backwards....?!


----------



## Sonata

After being unimpressed by the whole of Vivaldi's 12 "La Cetra" concertos, I was rather unmotivated to return to my *Big Vivaldi Box*.

Well, I decided to do so today. Pleased to report that I enjoy his Concerto in G Minor "La notte" for flute, bassoon, harpsichord and strings very much. I think I'll continue on to his Concerto in A major for strings and harpsichord.


----------



## schuberkovich

Debussy Preludes Book 1







La Cathédrale Engloutie had always mesmerised me and fiddling around on the piano I couldn't find exactly what chords Debussy uses at the start to create the "sunken" feeling. I was messing around with weird chords with major 2nds blah blah... and I checked the sheet music for the first time and realised that they were "non-chords" - simply fourths/fifths - eg A & D. I felt so stupid but then appreciated how such simple chords and use of the various piano registers can create such a magical effect.


----------



## DaveS

Brahms 1st--Giulini, LAPO. Used to like it more. Seems a little stodgy.


----------



## DaveS

...and Tchaikovsky 4th...Cantelli, NYPSO(4/49)--Music & Arts CD


----------



## Kieran

K377.

The third movement, minuet and a scratching, sawing, delicious trio.

Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## DaveS

Now, Vaughan-Williams 6th. Barbirolli, BSO. Music & Arts 1987. I need to learn more about V-W symphonies; many of his shorter pieces are very enjoyable. This one is a little difficult for me.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven piano Concerto number four Kempff 1950


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Daphnes et Chloe Suite No. 2.*

Lous Fremaux with the London Symphony.


----------



## AndyS

Gotterdamerung - Furtwangler, RAI


----------



## Sid James

*Handel*
_Zadok the Priest: Anthem_
- Ambrosian Singers, Menuhin Festival Orch. under Sir Yehudi Menuhin
_Dead March from Saul_
- Bournemouth Sinfonietta under Kenneth Montgomery
_Let the Bright Seraphim* & Honour and Arms** from Samson_
*Pamela Coburn, soprano ; Halle Orch. & Chorus under Owain Arwell Hughes
**Owen Brannigan, bass ; Philomusica of London under Charles Farncombe
_Largo from Serse (arr. Connah)_
- Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields under Sir Neville Marriner
/ EMI

*Roslavets* _Violin Sonata # 6_
- Solomia Soroka, vln. & Arthur Greene, pno. / Naxos


----------



## Cheyenne

It appears I'm moving out of my romantic/modernist phase (already somewhat endangered by intrusive currents of baroque music) into a classical phase! So, naturally: Mozart, Haydn! Mozart's 21st piano concerto, with Szell and Casadesus, and Haydn's symphonies no. 100 (Bernstein) and no. 104 (Szell, Bernstein). Somehow, I enjoy classical era music more with modern instruments, with some minor but important exceptions.. Oh well.


----------



## SimonNZ

Zelenka Trio Sonatas - Heinz Holliger et al


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Andrzej Panufnik--*Symphony No.2 {"Sinfonia Elegiaca"}, Symphony No.3 {"Sinfonia Sacra"} and Symphony No.10.* All three symphonies are performed by the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra led by Lukasz Borowicz. I found the *Third Symphony* to be quite majestic and emotional, especially in its second and fourth movements.
p.s. Many thanks to* Neo Romanza* for mentioning this composer in one of his posts. 
:tiphat:
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.1, 2 and 3.* All three works feature the BBC Symphoniy Orchestra under the baton of Jiri Belohlavek.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Johann Strauss*, "Radetzkymarsch", performed by the Wiener Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan during one of those new year concerts that have become somewhat controversial recently.

Maybe this music is not up there on a par with the great masters, but it is a lovely little piece, another part of our culture that some folks would subject to damnation, just like Wagner.


----------



## Neo Romanza

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Andrzej Panufnik--*Symphony No.2 {"Sinfonia Elegiaca"}, Symphony No.3 {"Sinfonia Sacra"} and Symphony No.10.* All three symphonies are performed by the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra led by Lukasz Borowicz. I found the *Third Symphony* to be quite majestic and emotional, especially in its second and fourth movements.
> p.s. Many thanks to* Neo Romanza* for mentioning this composer in one of his posts.
> :tiphat:


Excellent! I'm glad you enjoyed these works. Do try to hear more at some point. Check out his _Autumn Music_, _Sinfonia Rustica_, _Sinfonia Votiva_, _Nocturne_, etc. I think you'll enjoy them. Cheers!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Just finished:










Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3 "Le divine Poeme"_. Excellent, passionate performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius' Violin Concerto - Salvatore Accardo, violin, Colin Davis, cond.

at a friends place a couple of days ago I was played the Jascha Heifetz and Ginette Neveu recordings of this back to back, both of which now reset the bar for what the best recordings of this work sound like for me

my friend was also aghast to learn that I've never heard the Heifetz-Piatigorsky chamber recordings and is planning a marathon listening session of these for next time.


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 17650
> 
> 
> Sibelius' Violin Concerto - Salvatore Accardo, violin, Colin Davis, cond.
> 
> at a friends place a couple of days ago I was played the Jascha Heifetz and Ginette Neveu recordings of this back to back, both of which now reset the bar for what the best recordings of this work sound like for me
> 
> my friend was also aghast to learn that I've never heard the Heifetz-Piatigorsky chamber recordings and is planning a marathon listening session of these for next time.


Quite possibly my favorite performances of Sibelius' VC are with Christian Tetzlaff/Dausgaard and the other is Viktoria Mullova/Ozawa. My dark horse choice would be Mutter/Previn. Have you heard these?


----------



## bejart

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): String Quartet No.6 in A Major

Franz Schubert Quartet: Florian Zwiauer and Harvey Thurmer, violins -- Hartmut Pascher, viola -- Vincent Stadlmair, cello

View attachment 17651


----------



## SimonNZ

Neo Romanza said:


> Quite possibly my favorite performances of Sibelius' VC are with Christian Tetzlaff/Dausgaard and the other is Viktoria Mullova/Ozawa. My dark horse choice would be Mutter/Previn. Have you heard these?


I haven't heard those. Mullova is someone I've been meaning to hear more of, so I'll make that my next stop. Thanks for the recommendations.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ravel, Daphnes et Chloe Suite No. 2.*
> 
> Lous Fremaux with the London Symphony.


I prefer the complete ballet myself because of the inclusion of that beautiful wordless chorus. Do you have a favorite performance of the complete ballet? I own 26 performances of this ballet, so I guess I'm kind of obsessed with it.  My top three would like this:

1. Dutoit/MSO
2. Boulez/Berliners
3. Martinon/Orchestre de Paris


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> I haven't heard those. Mullova is someone I've been meaning to hear more of, so I'll make that my next stop. Thanks for the recommendations.


You're welcome. I hope you enjoy the Mullova. It's intense!


----------



## Skilmarilion

Seems like I give this too few listens these days, to retain its magic I suppose, but tonight I just couldn't resist 

*Mendelssohn* - Violin Concerto in E minor (violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Berliner Philharmoniker)

and ...

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 1 in D major (cond.: Daniel Harding, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)


----------



## lunchdress

Chamber Music of Bernard Herrmann & Jerome Moross








Just got this in the mail today, I love it so far!


----------



## GreenMamba

Brahms 4th, Walter/ CSO


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> I prefer the complete ballet myself because of the inclusion of that beautiful wordless chorus. Do you have a favorite performance of the complete ballet? I own 26 performances of this ballet, so I guess I'm kind of obsessed with it.  My top three would like this:


26? Wow. I have Dutoit's recording. I tried to put it on first, but it was making my computer's CD drive vibrate, so I had to go with the suite.


----------



## aleazk

Bruno Maderna - Oboe Concertos.


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): Piano Sonata in B Major, Op.4, No.1

Richard Fuller, piano

View attachment 17656


----------



## Sonata

Skilmarilion said:


> Seems like I give this too few listens these days, to retain its magic I suppose, but tonight I just couldn't resist
> 
> *Mendelssohn* - Violin Concerto in E minor (violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Berliner Philharmoniker)
> 
> and ...
> 
> *Mahler* - Symphony No. 1 in D major (cond.: Daniel Harding, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)


OUTSTANDING combo!!

As for me, I am listening to my Big Haydn Box: 
Symphony #75 in D Maor.

Generally, I prefer romantic era and beyond for my symphonies, but the second movement of this piece is undeniably beautiful! I like being proved wrong. It means more music to enjoy.


----------



## hreichgott

Schoenberg from tonal to atonal, via Spotify.

Transfigured Night (LaSalle Quartet)
Gurre-Lieder (Philadelphia Orchestra/Stokowski with Vreeland, Bampton, Althouse and Betts)
String Quartet no. 2 (Brindisi Quartet)
Three Piano Pieces Op. 11 (Uchida)
Five Orchestral Pieces Op. 16 (Sydney Symphony/de Waart)
6 Little Piano Pieces Op. 19 (Soveral)
Herzgewaschse (Da Capo Chamber Players with Shelton)
Pierrot lunaire (Da Capo Chamber Players with Shelton)


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.55 and Symphony No.7 in F Major, Op.77.* Both works are performed by the BBC National Symphony of Wales under the baton of Tadaaki Otaka.
Alexandr Borodin--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major , Symphony No.2 in B Minor and In the Steppes of Central Asia. *All three works feature the Malmo Symphony Orchestra led by Junichi Hirokami.
Alexandr Borodin--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor {unfinished},* performed by the Gerard Schwarz helmed Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Sonata

Jumping around in my music. Finished the last bit of Berlioz "Requiem" which I started months ago then forgot about. I like this. Dark and powerful, not for frequent listening, but for just the right time.

And I couldn't resist starting on *Il Re Pastore* which I downloaded earlier this week. There is some very fine music in this opera. I feel like the prisoners in Shawshank Redemption right now. :lol: Mozart has bounced around on my composer ranking quite a bit becase I go hot and cold on his music. But I think he has cemented a high ranking for the long term. Even if I'm not always in the mood for him, his opera music has astounded me.

*shamefaced* I think that bumps Mendelssohn down a bit, which pains me to do.
1) Brahms
2) Mahler
3) Mozart
4) Chopin
5) Mendelssohn

If I were relying on instrumental works alone, it would be Mendelssohn over Mozart. Even add the choral works and my position would not change. But these operas my goodness they are awesome.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> 26? Wow. I have Dutoit's recording. I tried to put it on first, but it was making my computer's CD drive vibrate, so I had to go with the suite.


Hmmm...well if you've got a portable CD player or stereo give it a listen sometime. Such an amazing performance IMHO.


----------



## samurai

Neo, is that our friend Panufnik I see as your new avatar? Very handsome indeed, even w/o his marvelous pipe!


----------



## Neo Romanza

samurai said:


> Neo, is that our friend Panufnik I see as your new avatar? Very handsome indeed, even w/o his marvelous pipe!


Yep, that's Mr. Panufnik.  He is the epitome of 'cool'.


----------



## samurai

Neo Romanza said:


> Yep, that's Mr. Panufnik.  He is the epitome of 'cool'.


Most definitely!


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Missa Solemnis in D Minor, "Per il Principe Esterházy" -- Cornelia Kallisch: Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart

Beethoven: Symphony #3 in E Flat, Op. 55, "Eroica" -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

With two great works, I was able to satisfy a certain craving for monumental music [musical monumentalism].


----------



## drpraetorus

Pagliacci, Pretre


----------



## Feathers

Cherubini: String Quartet No. 2


----------



## tdc

This may be my favorite Schoenberg piece at the moment. I think I am finally coming around on Schoenberg.

Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No. 2 op. 38


----------



## SimonNZ

"Flights Of Fantasy: Early Italian Chamber Music" - Monica Huggett, dir


----------



## Strad

Brahms Intermezzo opus 10 nr 3, played by the winner of the Dutch Princess Christina Concours:


----------



## ptr

The usual morning troika:

*Robert Schumann* - Music for cello & piano (*Hyperion*)









Steven Isserlis, cello & Dénes Várjon, piano

*Alban Berg* - Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel" // *Wolfgang Rihm* - "Gesungene Zeit" 1991/92 - Music for violin and orchestra (*DG*)









Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; Chicago Symphony Orchestra u. James Levine

*Arnold Schönberg* - Moses And Aron (DG)









David Pittman-Jennings, Chris Merritt, Gabriele Fontana, John Graham Hall, Siegfried Lorenz, László Polgár, Jan Pollak, Jef van Wersch, Nico Pouw, Yvonne Naef, Pär Lindskog, Michael Devlin, José Kalthof, Diana Rehbock, Caren van Oijen, Henk de Vries, Iris Giel; Chorus Of The Netherlands Opera, Zaans Jongenskoor & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra u. Pierre Boulez

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Karl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Flute Sonata No.1 in E Minor

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Diego Cantalupi, tiorba

View attachment 17675


----------



## Guest

I begin with Bach before dawn. 
Angela Hewitt. The Well-Tempered Clavier. The new recording from 2008. 
How could anyone not like this CD?


----------



## Sid James

*Handel *_Messiah - Highlights_
- Heather Harper, sop. ; Helen Watts, alto ; John Wakefield, tenor ; John Shirley-Quirk, bass ; London SO and Chorus under Sir Colin Davis / Philips Eloquence

*Beethoven* _Symphony #6 "Pastoral"_
- Munich SO under Hans Swarowsky / PWK Classics

*Holst*
_A Moorside Suite_
- Grimethorpe Colliery Band under Elgar Howarth 
_A Fugal Concerto_
- Saint Paul CO under Christopher Hogwood with Julia Bogorad, flute ; Kathryn Greenbank, oboe / Decca Eloquence


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Jean-Marie Leclair (10 May 1697-1764): Viola Sonata in E Minor, Op.12, No.1

Sandor Papp and Janos Fejervari, violas

View attachment 17681


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Revisiting Solti's Ring, hoping to do it all in one day if nothing interrupts me (right now I am in the end of _Das Rheingold_).


----------



## ptr

*Sergei Lyapunov* - 12 Études d'exécution transcendante, Op 11 (dedicated to Liszt) (Turnabout/Pearl)









Louis Kentner, piano

..this is really as set of wonderful pieces that more pianists should play! (*Score to be found here*) ..and on to:

*Musica viva 15*; Eötvös, Zimmermann and Smolka (*Neos*)
(Peter Eötvös - Cap-ko (2005) - dedicated to Béla Bartók; Concerto for acoustic piano, keyboard, and orchestra // Bernd Alois Zimmermann - Konzert für Violine und großes Orchester (1950) // Martin Smolka - Walden, the Destiller of Celestial Dews (2000); Five pieces for mixed choir and percussion, on verses of Henry David Thoreau)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano + keyboard; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Peter Eötvös // Martin Mumelter, violin; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Peter Eötvös // Wolfram Winkel, percussion; Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Peter Eötvös

/ptr


----------



## DavidA

Walkure - Karajan


----------



## Sonata

Continuing with the rest of *Mozart: Il Re Pastore*


----------



## Novelette

Dusík: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 41 -- Apollon Quartet & Hanuš Bartoň

Field: Piano Concerto #2 in A Flat -- Michael O'Rourke; Matthias Bamert: London Mozart Players

Ries: Piano Concerto #8 in A Flat, Op. 151, "Gruss an den Rhein" -- Christopher Hinterhuber; Uwe Grodd: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Neo Romanza

Just finished:










Listened to Yun's _Symphony No. 3_. Great stuff.

Now:










Listening to _Epilog_. Great!


----------



## millionrainbows

Linos Ensemble; reductions of Debussy, Reger, Schoenberg, and Webern (Cappriccio). This is a great way to listen! I've always thought hi-fi systems fell short when reproducing large symphonic forces. This brings it into a manageable, realistic size, and allows mucho insight and clarity. There's a Bruckner and Mahler reduction available as well.


----------



## Kieran

Paul Robeson, Shenandoah.

I'm afraid to breathe in case I miss something...


----------



## SiegendesLicht

DavidA said:


> Walkure - Karajan


I really like Wotan (Thomas Stewart) in that recording.


----------



## DeepR

symphonies I've been listening to recently

Mozart No. 41 
Beethoven No. 1
Bruckner No. 8... trying to get into it
Scriabin No. 3


----------



## Andolink

Franco Donatoni: Voci--Orchesterübung per orchestra (1973)
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## Sudonim

At the moment, some Congolese _soukous:_









I highly recommend this music to anyone. The music of Franco in particular has been one of my obsessions for a couple of years now. It won't matter one bit that you can't understand anything they're singing.

But that isn't classical music, of course. This, my current car-listening, is:


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: La Mer, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Nocturnes
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn

The Prelude jumps full hog into modernism in one swift motion. Beautiful music.


----------



## Kieran

I'm going to cook in a mo, and will listen to Mozart's 23rd piano concerto, in A.

Guess who the pianist is:









#23 has a slow movement marked adagio, which is unusual for Mozart's PC's. Largely, they're andantes, followed by Larghettos, with a romanza for #20. Only 23 and #7 have an adagio. The adagio for #23 is famously in f-sharp minor. Famously, because this is the only movement Mozart ever composed for that key. For anybody who nurtures illusions that Mozart is light, that he's jolly and inane, breezy music, that he's the salad before the _Meathoven_, I recommend this movement, among many other myth-dispelling pieces I could willingly recommend.

A simple but halting solo piano gives way to strings, which are elevated by winds. It's so beautiful it could stop traffic. But it's also profoundly hurt and moving, an image of a soul that's plumbed the psychological depths and somehow not become unhinged. Mozart never becomes maudlin or explicit in his sorrows. You don't get fist-pumps or obvious flashes of defiance. If at all you notice his sorrows, they come with a disturbing sense of resignation.

After this, a brisk and busy rondo. Nothing throwaway, and in fact, I think these passages of Mozart's work are overlooked because he makes them seem so simple. They obviously aren't. This is a thumping rondo, filled with vim allied with vigour. Does it betray the tragedy of the adagio? Not in the slightest. In fact, it's emphatic and pronounced.

And it's going to help me cook...


----------



## ptr

Just done with dinner, made and ate the Garfield special! 

And now some rhythmic exercise...

*Time For Marimba*; Music By Japanese Composers (*Signum*)
(Miki - Marimba Spiritual; Abe - Dream of the Cherry Blossoms; Takemitsu - Rain Tree; Miki - Time for Marimba; Yuyama - Divertimento; Tanaka - Two Movements for Marimba)









Daniella Ganeva, marimba & percussion

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

> that he's the salad before the Meathoven


:lol: Oh Keiran you crack me up


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> :lol: Oh Keiran you crack me up


I aim to please!  :tiphat:


----------



## millionrainbows

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975); _*Symphony No. 12,*_ 'The Year 1917,' *Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons, cond. (EMI).* From the ominous opening shark-like bass and cello theme which opens it (something's gonna happen!) to the triumphant major chord at the end _(Hail to ultimate victory of the Great October Socialist People's Revolution!),_ this is an engaging, formidable work, in four uninterrupted movements.

I'm impressed here by Shostakovich's masterfully complex contrapuntal writing, on parade during this first section, formidable missiles of complex melodies rolling by in perfect goose-step.

I've got him pegged as a die-hard patriot to the CP tonal function party (CPTFP), but he takes it to the limit here with a series of brilliant root-moving sequence fly-bys, like well-rehearsed drills, roaring by overhead as we gaze up in awe.

No harmonic spice to write home from the front about; I first noticed an unusually-voiced #9 chord dissonance with the major third in the bottom; or is it just a major/minor clash? For Shostakovich, dissonance is dissonance, and that's all that harmonic deviance is good for, spitting-out onto the frozen ground; he likes his porridge plain.

It's heroic, it's massive, it's coming to a political theatre near you. Not very modern, just plain propaganda, it was nonetheless baffling and distasteful to the Western audiences who first encountered it at the 1962 Edinburgh Festival. Nonetheless, it stands forever as a lasting monument, outlasting the Wall...a great grey edifice of power and force.


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Linos Ensemble; reductions of Debussy


I looked for that on Spotify. It wasn't there. But I stumbled on the Linos Saxophone Quartet playing the Debussy quartet. Sure, it's a different group, but it's ironic that Debussy's quartet is being played on instruments he didn't particularly like.

I guess this would be considered a transcription. Personally, I think it works. Debussy called the saxophone "that aquatic instrument," and the quartet has an aquatic feel with them playing it. Of course, I'm predisposed to saxophones, so I'm not sure I can be trusted to be impartial.


----------



## bejart

Manuel Canales (1747-1788): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.3, No.4

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simarro and Eva-Maria Roll, violins -- Lothar Haass, viola -- Ulrike Mix, cello

View attachment 17714


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> Hmmm...well if you've got a portable CD player or stereo give it a listen sometime. Such an amazing performance IMHO.


I found it on Spotify. I'm listening now.


----------



## schuberkovich

Manxfeeder said:


> I found it on Spotify. I'm listening now.
> 
> View attachment 17715


One of my most played discs


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: Oiseaux Exotiques*

I finally recieved the Naive Messiaen compilation in the mail yesterday (it was over 1 week late) and listening to the Disc of live performances at the moment. Very impressive stuff. Later I will listen to something from the Messiaen edition - possibly Vingt Regards.. i think. At some stage during the day I want to listen to QPLFDT from an EMI 2-fer and a Disc of the Organ works (not pictured but its the Bis set) as well.
An all-Messiaen day then!


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner's three nocturnes for violin and piano.


----------



## GreenMamba

Strauss Don Juan, Previn/VPO


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> I found it on Spotify. I'm listening now.
> 
> View attachment 17715


Such a gorgeous recording. What do you think about the performance, Manxfeeder?


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975); _*Symphony No. 12,*_ 'The Year 1917,' *Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons, cond. (EMI).* From the ominous opening shark-like bass and cello theme which opens it (something's gonna happen!) to the triumphant major chord at the end _(Hail to ultimate victory of the Great October Socialist People's Revolution!),_ this is an engaging, formidable work, in four uninterrupted movements.
> 
> I'm impressed here by Shostakovich's masterfully complex contrapuntal writing, on parade during this first section, formidable missiles of complex melodies rolling by in perfect goose-step.
> 
> I've got him pegged as a die-hard patriot to the CP tonal function party (CPTFP), but he takes it to the limit here with a series of brilliant root-moving sequence fly-bys, like well-rehearsed drills, roaring by overhead as we gaze up in awe.
> 
> No harmonic spice to write home from the front about; I first noticed an unusually-voiced #9 chord dissonance with the major third in the bottom; or is it just a major/minor clash? For Shostakovich, dissonance is dissonance, and that's all that harmonic deviance is good for, spitting-out onto the frozen ground; he likes his porridge plain.
> 
> It's heroic, it's massive, it's coming to a political theatre near you. Not very modern, just plain propaganda, it was nonetheless baffling and distasteful to the Western audiences who first encountered it at the 1962 Edinburgh Festival. Nonetheless, it stands forever as a lasting monument, outlasting the Wall...a great grey edifice of power and force.


Right on! Preach it brother!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a recent release, *Holmboe*: Viola Concerto, Concerto for Orchestra, Violin Concerto 2, with Tomter/Heide/Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/Slobodeniouk.

This is an exceptional release, surely to be rewarded at year's end. It exhibits a wide range of emotion, beginning with the happy, exhuberant Viola Concerto. Enjoyed all thoroughly. So ordered!

Info:
http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-vagn-holmboe---concertos---viola-violin-orchestra.aspx

View attachment 17722


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling a recent release, *Holmboe*: Viola Concerto, Concerto for Orchestra, Violin Concerto 2, with Tomter/Heide/Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/Slobodeniouk.
> 
> This is an exceptional release, surely to be rewarded at year's end. It exhibits a wide range of emotion, beginning with the happy, exhuberant Viola Concerto. Enjoyed all thoroughly. So ordered!
> 
> Info:
> http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-vagn-holmboe---concertos---viola-violin-orchestra.aspx
> 
> View attachment 17722


Excellent! I've been looking at this one since it's announcement.  Will be picking it soon as well.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> I prefer the complete ballet myself because of the inclusion of that beautiful wordless chorus. Do you have a favorite performance of the complete ballet? I own 26 performances of this ballet, so I guess I'm kind of obsessed with it.  My top three would like this:
> 
> 1. Dutoit/MSO
> 2. Boulez/Berliners
> 3. Martinon/Orchestre de Paris


My Top 2:

ORF/Chung
OSM/Dutoit


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Quite possibly my favorite performances of Sibelius' VC are with Christian Tetzlaff/Dausgaard and the other is Viktoria Mullova/Ozawa. My dark horse choice would be Mutter/Previn. Have you heard these?


Yes. Lin/Salonen remains my preference. :tiphat:


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich: Symphony 2 Op.14 'To October,' Bavarian Radio SO, Mariss Jansons (EMI). This much earlier (than 12) seems a lot more adventurous, dissonant, and ugly (in a good way), so what's the deal, had Stalin broken his spirit by the time of the 12th, or was he just getting more conservative?

But, admittedly, the 12th is better (to me) for numerous reasons; it is more masterful-sounding than this, which sounds at times uncontrolled. Age had added to his skill; and Shosty was at that age (this premiered in 1961, 14 years before his passing) where he wanted a good legacy.

Still, the chorus that comes in during the third movement is monumental-sounding; at only 19 years old! I prefer the 12th, but as this disc has both, I will continue to consider these as a pair, "The Great Bolshevik Symphonies."


----------



## SimonNZ

Onslow String Quintets - Ensemble Consertant frankfurt


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> After being unimpressed by the whole of Vivaldi's 12 "La Cetra" concertos, I was rather unmotivated to return to my *Big Vivaldi Box*.
> 
> Well, I decided to do so today. Pleased to report that I enjoy his Concerto in G Minor "La notte" for flute, bassoon, harpsichord and strings very much. I think I'll continue on to his Concerto in A major for strings and harpsichord.


Re La Cetra, try Raglan Baroque Players. :tiphat:


----------



## Neo Romanza

A new acquisition found in the mailbox today:










Listening to _Sinfonia Tragica_. Wow...I'm speechless!


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony 2 Op.14 'To October,' Bavarian Radio SO, Mariss Jansons (EMI). This much earlier (than 12) seems a lot more adventurous, dissonant, and ugly (in a good way), so what's the deal, had Stalin broken his spirit by the time of the 12th, or was he just getting more conservative?
> 
> But, admittedly, the 12th is better (to me) for numerous reasons; it is more masterful-sounding than this, which sounds at times uncontrolled. Age had added to his skill; and Shosty was at that age (this premiered in 1961, 14 years before his passing) where he wanted a good legacy.
> 
> Still, the chorus that comes in during the third movement is monumental-sounding; at only 19 years old! I prefer the 12th, but as this disc has both, I will continue to consider these as a pair, "The Great Bolshevik Symphonies."


I personally like the 'unhinged' quality of Shostakovich's _Symphony No. 2_. It's not a masterwork IMHO, but it's certainly enjoyable. It has the same kind of wild abandon as Prokofiev's _Symphony No. 2_ (another favorite of mine).


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

Good evening from the southern New Jersey/Philadelphia, PA USA part of the world.

I'm taking a break from my alphabetical CD survey (which left off after Miles Davis Bitches Brew) to listen to some classical piano:

Mozart--Piano Concertos 12 K. 414. 20 K.466, and Rondo, K. 382; Kissin, piano; Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov.
Now playing Mozart--Piano Concertos 24 K.491 and 25 K. 503; Melvyn Tan, piano; The London Classical Players under Roger Norrington.
Schumann--Piano Sonata Op. 22; Schubert--Piano Sonata 20 Opus Posth, D.959; Murray Perahia, piano.

Loading the Haitink/ Royal Concertgebouw 9-CD Bruckner symphonies box (on Philips Classics), one CD at a time, into my computer.

Jim


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> My Top 2:
> 
> ORF/Chung
> OSM/Dutoit


Chung's is a very fine account. Think I'll spin that one sometime this weekend. I remember the recording being quite warm.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Yes. Lin/Salonen remains my preference. :tiphat:


That's a great performance too! We're not spoilt for choices in the Sibelius _Violin Concerto_.


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 with Zimerman, Bernstein and the VPO. Never heard this performance before, Zimerman puts a lot of passion on it!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in D Major, KV 311

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 17727


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Bartok's _The Miraculous Mandarin_, then off to bed. This is my favorite performance of the complete ballet. I do like both of Boulez's accounts for their clarity (Boulez's first performance on Sony has more life to it than the DG performance IMHO), but Dohnanyi really captures the savagery and edginess of the music. I remember Rattle having a good performance with the CBSO as well.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: 6 Frühe Lieder, WoO 121 -- Graham Johnson: Dorothea Röschmann, Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore

Vivaldi: Il Farnace -- Diego Fasolis: I Barocchisti

Schubert: String Trio #2 in B Flat, D 581 -- Beaux Arts Trio

Rameau: Cantate Pour Le Jour De Saint Louis -- Gary Cooper: New Chamber Opera


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev* _Symphony #3_
- London SO under Claudio Abbado / Decca Eloquence

*Holst* _The Planets_
- London PO under Bernard Herrmann / Decca Eloquence

*Handel *_Messiah - Highlights_
- Elizabeth Gale, soprano ; Marjana Lipovsek, alto ; Werner Hollweg, tenor ; Roderick Kennedy, bass ; Stockholm Kammerchor ; Concentus Musicus Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt (live recording, Teldec)


----------



## Feathers

Berg: String Quartet Op. 3


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: Idyll*

Getting back to these 2 box-sets which i have been listening to on and off for the last few weeks. Almost finished the Delius one now - its a real nice set and full of great stuff!.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven folk songs - Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone, Trio Fontenay


----------



## SimonNZ

Smetana polkas - Andras Schiff, piano


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Guest

Move ova Rova, let Mullova take ova.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Elgar's Violin Concerto from the EMI Collector's Box


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D MAjor, BWV 1050

Sir Nevile Marriner leading the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

View attachment 17737


----------



## bejart

Franz Ignaz Beck (1734-1809): Symphony in B Flat, Op.3, No.2

Michael Schneider conducting La Stagione Frankfurt

View attachment 17738


----------



## Kieran

playing #23...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> Such a gorgeous recording. What do you think about the performance, Manxfeeder?


Lovely recording. Great - uh, what is it called? - humming from the chorus.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> Listening to Bartok's _The Miraculous Mandarin_, then off to bed. This is my favorite performance of the complete ballet. I do like both of Boulez's accounts for their clarity (Boulez's first performance on Sony has more life to it than the DG performance IMHO), but Dohnanyi really captures the savagery and edginess of the music.


Well, rats, it's not on Spotify, and Amazon has no sound clips. I have Fischer, Dorati with the Chicago and the Detroit Symphonies, and Marin Alsop. I wonder how they stack up.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> Well, rats, it's not on Spotify, and Amazon has no sound clips. I have Fischer, Dorati with the Chicago and the Detroit Symphonies, and Marin Alsop. I wonder how they stack up.


Fischer's is quite good. Alsop is a joke. Dorati was always good in Bartok, but none of these are a match for Dohnanyi. I also wanted to add something to this initial post I made about this recording: the Vienna Philharmonic play very uncharacteristically. They actually match the rawness this ballet needs to be successful. The Dohnanyi can be had for quite cheap now as it's been reissued under the Decca Eloquence budget line.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin Des Prez, Missa Mater Patris. * Then on to the *Well-Tempered Clavier* played by Peter Watchorn, on a referral from millionrainbows.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> Lovely recording. Great - uh, what is it called? - humming from the chorus.


This ballet uses a wordless chorus and it is beautiful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> Fischer's is quite good. Alsop is a joke. Dorati was always good in Bartok, but none of these are a match for Dohnanyi. I also wanted to add something to this initial post I made about this recording: the Vienna Philharmonic play very uncharacteristically. They actually match the rawness this ballet needs to be successful. The Dohnanyi can be had for quite cheap now as it's been reissued under the Decca Eloquence budget line.


I agree with your assessment of Alsop; that was my first recording, and when I heard it, I figured there has to be something better than that, which led me to the other recordings.

I've been looking for a peformance with what you described, rawness. I'll see if I can track that one down. Thanks.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> This ballet uses a wordless chorus and it is beautiful.


That's the word. I had a brain freeze.

I'm listening again today.


----------



## Andolink

György Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2
Parker Quartet








Per Nørgård: Cao Shu [Letters of Grass]
Jens Schou, clarinet
Erik Kaltoft, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

This afternoon's offerings. 
Had my 4 year old dancing around to Messiaen - priceless 

Turangalila Symphony - Andre Previn LSO
Appalachia - Barbirolli / Halle


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Piano Quartet #1
Mozart Piano Concerto #20


----------



## DrKilroy

MagneticGhost said:


> Had my 4 year old dancing around to Messiaen - priceless


Turangalila has many dance moments. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Dream/Window, Spirit Garden
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, cond. Wakasugi

Webern: Variations for Orchestra, Op. 30
BBC Symphony, cond. Boulez

The Takemitsu puts me in the right frame of mind for Webern. It's no surprise that he admired the Viennese master of distilled expressionism.

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.14 in D Major

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angela East, cello

View attachment 17748


----------



## Sonata

Rachmaninoff: Piano concerto #4

I know this one has a rather poor reputation compared to the others, but I enjoy it. Not a favorite by any means, but it's still good to listen to.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sonata said:


> Rachmaninoff: Piano concerto #4
> 
> I know this one has a rather poor reputation compared to the others, but I enjoy it. Not a favorite by any means, but it's still good to listen to.


It might be the poor relation but it's still a hugely enjoyable work of art. 
I couldn't do without any of Rach's concerti


----------



## Antihero




----------



## Sonata

MagneticGhost said:


> It might be the poor relation but it's still a hugely enjoyable work of art.
> I couldn't do without any of Rach's concerti


I agree!

Now I'm onto Beethoven, piano sonata #21. Waldstein. I'm really enjoying this one so far. It's right up there with Appasionata and the first movement of Moonlight.


----------



## Arsakes

*Grieg*:
Violin Sonata No.1,2 & 3 (third is the best)
Cello Sonata

*Saint Saens*'s Dance Macabre


----------



## SimonNZ

Dufay's "Missa Se La Face Ay Pale" - Antoine Guerber, dir.


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): Flute Quartet in D Major, Op.11, No.1

Ensemble Agora: Monika Meyer, flute -- Margarete Adorf, violin -- Andreas Gerhardus, viola -- Matthias Hofmann, cello

View attachment 17753


----------



## Kieran

K377, violin sonata #25 in F Major by Mozart.

Barenboim and Perlman... :tiphat:


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D 82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D 417 {"Tragic"}.* Both symphonies are performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76.* Both works feature the London Symphony Orchestra led by Witold Rowicki.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67. *Both pieces are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra with George Szell at its helm.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - Lontano. At full volume. .


----------



## Guest

Wagner, Orchestral Exerpts, George Solti, Vienna Philharmonic

I'm not much into opera, but Wagner's orchesral music is so amazing that it leaves me wishing he wrote symphonies.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 1 In Bb Major, Op. 38, "Spring"*

I listened to a lot of Schumann this morning including most all of his Symphonies, Violin Sonatas and Concertos. Next I want to listen to some Schubert. i will play SQ's Nos. 13 & 14 from the QI set and then Piano Trio No. 1 from the BAT 2-fer.
I've kind of gone off a lot of German composers lately, im not sure why. I still really enjoy Schubert, Schumann, Richard Strauss and Mahler (and of course Bach!).


----------



## Sid James

This weekend's run down of music. This is long and detailed but I'm doing these on weekends regularly as I've got good responses to them so far. So I'm glad to do them:










*Bruckner* _Symphony #1 in C minor_
- Vienna PO under Claudio Abbado / Decca Eloquence

Starting with *Bruckner's first symphony. *I think it's a dark horse among his symphonies, and one that's taken me a while to appreciate more. My favourite bits are the slow movement and the final movement. The former has this ebb and flow, a build up of tension where all this emotion is let out, but it ends calmly. The latter has the usual magnificent coda, many cadences leading up to a strident idea that slows down quite abruptly to this stately fanfare with drumrolls and before you know it, it all ends with a kind of 'whoosh' from the whole orchestra.










*
Grieg & Schumann* _Piano Concertos_
- Jorge Bolet, piano with Radio SO Berlin under Riccardo Chailly / Decca

Then, two classic concertos of the Romantic era that need no introduction. The most obvious connection between these two pieces is that Schumann influenced Grieg. But I think it goes deeper than that. Schumann taught in Liepzig at the conservatory, and was also associated with Mendelssohn and his Gewandhaus orchestra based there. Grieg also studied in the same city, but about 20 years after Schumann's time there. So they both go back to the traditions of German music, its roots.

I think what grabs me most in these works is the slow movements. Grieg's with that feel of a slightly chilly but still sunny day, I find it atmospheric and natural in that way. In terms of the Schumann concerto, I like the brief slow movement, its elegance and the way is segues into the more vigorous final movement.

Despite the similarities, there's also many differences between these two pieces. For one thing, Grieg's is also influenced by Liszt, its flashier and virtuoso in parts. The piano part in Schumann's concerto by comparison comes across as much more understated and restrained. The piano and orchestra are less at odds, but are united as one. This isn't the traditional concerto, in other words. Incidentally, Brahms' first concerto, which it influenced, didn't go down well with the critics at its premiere (& neither did Schumann's one before it). 










Selections from Eloquence 2 cd set, *"Sonatas for violin" *- Ruggiero Ricci, violin *with Carlo Bussotti, piano

Finishing with a focus on violin music, from a set that I plan to listen to in depth over the next few weekends.

*J.S. Bach *_Partita #2 in D minor, BWV1004_

Again,* Bach's Partita #2* doesn't need introduction to many classical listeners. Its not only the pinnacle of solo violin writing, with Bach giving the illusion of one instrument being many (all those 'voices' and counterpoint galore), but also a very emotionally direct piece with an interesting story behind it. Bach wrote it after returning to the court at Cothen from a long trip, only to find that his first wife was dead and buried. So he added this extraordinarily long piece for the time, the _*Chaconne*_ - in this recording it runs for 14 minutes - to an existing work, the second partita for solo violin.

The piece presents a number of themes, including Bach's own name, that of his dead wife and some Lutheran chorale tunes. But far from being a technical exercise, this is one of those pieces that makes me very emotional upon every listen. There is a cathartic quality here, and an aspect similar to Beethoven's late quartets - the composer opening his soul to the listener. It is simultaneously intimate and grand, like a cathedral in sound as many people say.

I find the background of this piece very interesting. The notes in this cd site scholar Helga Thoene as a source (this is recent research) and I remember finding things online about this after a basic google search. Another point is that what was formerly thought to be Bach's poor command of Italian now seems to be a pun on Bach's situation with a sad ironic twist. The sonatas are titled 'Sei Solo a Violono senza Basso accompagnata' which means something like six solo violin sonatas without accompaniment. Its obvious that 'six solo violin sonatas' would have sufficed. Its argued that Bach added the 'without accompaniment' bit as a comment on his situation at the time as a widower.

*J.S. Bach (transcription for orchestra by Stokowski)* _Chaconne from Partita #2_
London SO under Leopold Stokowski / from BMG Classics-RCA Victor

I also took in Stokowski's orchestral transcription of the Chaconne, which presents the piece for full modern orchestra. It also packs quite an emotional punch, that 'Stokowski sound' was unique. & I also see Stokowski as bolstering Bach's legacy a lot, much like Mendelssohn did a century earlier.

*Stravinsky* _Elegie for viola (arr. for violin)_
*
Stravinsky's short Elegie* has a similar personal story behind it. It was dedicated to a violinist friend and colleague. The work, a seemingly simple fugue, is quiet and intense. The composer wrote this for a muted viola, but he approved the version for violin without a mute, which is played on this recording. There's something deeply disturbing here, but Igor being not one to give his own feelings away that easily only gives us a short glimpse. Its like sinking to the depths, and you don't stop.

I listen to this work and can't help but wonder why Stravinsky didn't produce as much significant chamber music as some of his contemporaries. One reason might be that as a general rule he didn't like conveying his own intimate thoughts. Hence his famous quote, which is by now a cliché, "Music is about nothing but itself." Listening to the _Elegie_ I think it's a pity he didn't give us more of this kind of stuff.

*Prokofiev* _Sonata for violin & piano #2 in D major, Op. 94a*_

Finally, onto smoother territory with *Prokofiev's* very melodic, cheerful and at times cheeky and whimsical *Violin Sonata #2 *(the only sonata with piano accompaniment on this set). This work started out as a flute sonata and the violinist David Oistrakh suggested the composer arrange it for violin so he could play it.

The playwright George Bernard Shaw said this work was a "humorous masterpiece of authentic violin music." Well I think that on two counts he was right - the humour and masterpiece bits - but on one count he was wrong cos it didn't start off as violin music, did it?! But who cares when you got music this good? & two out of three ain't bad either, Mr. Shaw.


----------



## Weston

Arsakes said:


> *Grieg*:
> Violin Sonata No.1,2 & 3 (third is the best)
> Cello Sonata


I don't think about Grieg writing chamber music much. I don't think I've ever heard any of it. I'd probably like it better than his orchestral, which at times can sound overblown romantic to me.

For my current listening, I've just come across Norbert Bergmuller.









This sounds to me exactly smack in the center of what I would call classical music like the very essence of it. Neither too challenging nor too light. I wish he had completed more symphonies.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> I agree with your assessment of Alsop; that was my first recording, and when I heard it, I figured there has to be something better than that, which led me to the other recordings.
> 
> I've been looking for a peformance with what you described, rawness. I'll see if I can track that one down. Thanks.


Perhaps my assessment of Alsop's _Mandarin_ was a bit harsh, but I still feel she lacks a certain rhythmic tautness, and, yes, rawness than the Dohnanyi. You should be able to find Dohnanyi's recording cheap since it's been reissued on the Decca Eloquence budget line.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Incredible work. The Wergo set is so much better than Metzmacher's set on EMI.


----------



## samurai

@ Sid, I enjoyed your comments on* Bruckner 1;* what did you think of the *Beethoven 8 *as rendered by Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic? Are you listening on CD or LP?


----------



## PetrB

Yet another early-mid 20th century concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra.... a recent 'find' for me.
Frank Martin ~ Concerto for Harpsichord and chamber orchestra


----------



## Neo Romanza

PetrB said:


> Yet another early-mid 20th century concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra.... a recent 'find' for me.
> Frank Martin ~ Concerto for Harpsichord and chamber orchestra


Martin is one composer I'm trying to get into. I do like his _Ballades_ and _In Terra Pax_. Another work I discovered was his _Cello Concerto_. What a great work.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: String Quartet #5 in A, Op. 18/5 -- Alban Berg Quartet

Bach: French Suite #3 in B Minor, BWV 814 -- Pieter-Jan Belder

Handel: Solomon, HWV 67 -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Mozart: Symphony #27 in G, K 199 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Beethoven: Kurfürsten Sonata #3 in D, WoO 47 -- Jörg Demus; Gianluca Cascioli


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _The Rose Lake_. A masterful work. Will finish the recording with the always enjoyable _Ritual Dances_. For me, I find Hickox has the full measure of this music and his performance of _The Rose Lake_ outshines Davis' for pure visceral impact. Not to say that I don't enjoy the Davis performance, I just felt Hickox's performance was much more 'alive' for lack of a better term.


----------



## Trout

Today I listened to:

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, op. 10
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit
Piano: Kun Woo Paik

Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1
Orchestra Nadezhda, Shin Watanabe
Piano: Chihiro Ishioka

Shostakovich: The Execution of Stepan Razin, op. 119
Russian State Symphony Orchestra & Russian State Symphonic Capella, Valery Polyansky

Kurtág: Stele
SWR Baden-Baden, Michael Gielen

Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 10, op. 70
Piano: Vladimir Horowitz

Takemitsu: A String Around Autumn
Saito Kinen Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Viola: Nobuko Imai

Adams: Harmonium
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Edo de Waart


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach - Well-Termpered Clavier Book 1


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bach - Well-Termpered Clavier Book 1


My favorite performance, Neo. Enjoy!


----------



## SimonNZ

"Sviatoslav Richter: Piano Recital" (Turnabout/Vox)

currently side two which is Chopin's Ballade No.1 and Prokofiev's Sonata No.7


----------



## Feathers

Moscheles: Piano Concertos


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Violin Sonata In A Minor, WoO 27*

Listened to some Mahler earlier (Symphony No. 2 - Rattle/CBSO) now back to some Schumann - what a lovely Disc this one is:


----------



## Schubussy

Mozart - Sonatas for Violin & Piano
Radu Lupu & Szymon Goldberg


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Quintet for Piano and Wind Quartet in E Flat, Op. 16 -- James Levine, Karlheinz Zoeller, Erhard Fietz, et al

Tchaikovsky: The Voyevoda -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Beethoven: Piano Concerto #1 in C, Op. 15 -- Daniel Barenboim; Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Elgar: The Music Makers, Op. 69 -- Simon Wright: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34A -- Amadeus Quartet, et al


----------



## Schubussy

Mozart - Piano Trios/Clarinet Trio
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## bejart

Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765): Viola Concerto in F Major

Hamberger Ratsmusik with Simone Eckert on viola

View attachment 17779


----------



## schuberkovich

Poulenc Piano Concerto - Pascal Rogé
I don't really know Poulenc, but this is amazingly colourful


----------



## ptr

Having a Englund revival..

*Einar Englund*

- Symphony No 3 "Barbarossa" & Symphony No 7 (*Ondine*)










Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra u. Ari Rasilainen

- The Great Wall of China, Symphony No 4 "The Nostalgic" % Symphony No. 5 "Fennica" (*Ondine*)










Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra u. Eri Klas

- Piano Concertos No 1 & 2 & Epinikia (*Ondine*)










Matti Raekallio, piano Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra & Eri Klas

/ptr


----------



## Weston

PetrB said:


> Yet another early-mid 20th century concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra.... a recent 'find' for me.
> Frank Martin ~ Concerto for Harpsichord and chamber orchestra


I love Martin's music and this is on the verge of being creepy in a great way. I've GOT to have this! Boosting it way up my want list.


----------



## Sonata

Diane Damrau sings R. Strauss lieder. Beautiful album. I love the sweeping grandeur of Strauss' orchestral music.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Starting the day off with something relaxing. Listening to this very nice CD of Adalbert Gyrowetz piano trios as performed by Trio Fortepiano.


----------



## MagneticGhost

This is wonderful.


----------



## Schubussy

Janacek - Chamber & Orchestral Works (CD1, Piano Works)
Paul Crossley


----------



## schuberkovich

Schubussy said:


> Janacek - Chamber & Orchestral Works (CD1, Piano Works)
> Paul Crossley
> View attachment 17788


In the Mists! Love it


----------



## NightHawk

*Toru Takemitsu*
_A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
Dreamtime
Star-Isle
Orion and Pleiades for violoncello and orchestra_
Paul Watkins (cello)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka








*Roger Reynolds*
_Symphony (Vertigo)_
Harvey Sollberger ~ La Jolla Symphony Orchestra
_Symphony (Myths)_
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra ~ Kotaro Sato
_Whispers Out Of Time_ for Toru Takemitsu
Edwin London ~ Cleveland Chamber Symphony


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D
Nikolaj Znaider, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Haitink

Via radio, as usual.


----------



## ptr

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - The English Suites (*Harmonia Mundi*)










Richard Egarr, harpsichord

..very convincing!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony in C major "Great"
Boston Symphony, cond. Haitink

Via radio, of course.


----------



## bejart

In a belated celebration of his birthday ---
Jan Václav Voříšek (11 May 1791-1825): Rondo for String Quartet, Op.11

Kocian Quartet: Pavel Hula and Milos Cerny, violins -- Zbynek Padourek, viola -- Vaclav Bernasek, cello

View attachment 17792


Kevin Pearson --
I own and enjoy the Gyrowetz Piano Trios. I keep thinking I should review it, but then life takes over and I never seem to find the time.


----------



## ptr

More Baroque:

*Dietrich Buxtehude*

- (Mixed tracks from) Three Volumes of Harpsichord music (*DaCapo*)




























Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord

..simply one of the most imaginative harpsichordists today play one of the masters of the baroque!

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Not wishing to name drop. But this guy was an old lecturer of mine back in the day. 
You can listen to this album on Spotify.


----------



## Nevohteeb

I was just listening to, Instant Encore, on my computer. I wanted to hear, the Brahms Piano Quintet in F-, which is one of my favourite chamber works. I hit the "music" section, up in the right hand corner. Then went to composer, Brahms; work-piano quintet, and then, complete works, just below, the composer, etc. section, on the left side. Up came, Jon Kimura Parker (a fellow Canadian), and the Tokyo String Quartet, from Portland (Oregon), friends of chamber music concert, from April 30th, of this year. WOW! What a performance. It gave me goose bumps, especially in the last movement.Listen, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It was galvanic.


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 17800
> 
> 
> Not wishing to name drop. But this guy was an old lecturer of mine back in the day.
> You can listen to this album on Spotify.


Really? Then I must look it up. Listening now.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Baptist Vanhal (12 May 1739-1813): Symphony in D Minor

Concerto Koln

View attachment 17801


I love this piece -----


----------



## jani




----------



## SimonNZ

Boccherini String Quintets Op.10 - La Magnifica Comunita


----------



## Sid James

samurai said:


> @ Sid, I enjoyed your comments on* Bruckner 1;* what did you think of the *Beethoven 8 *as rendered by Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic? Are you listening on CD or LP?


I remember enjoying the* Beethoven 8th* (on the cd, its a reissue of 1960's recording) when hearing it a few weeks ago. I plan to hear it again soon, but the obvious whimsy of the work (that send up the then new metronome in the Allegretto movement was humorously done).

& these two pieces on one disc work well together, cos Bruckner's 1st symphony is one of his smaller scale ones. In terms of size of the orchestra, its not much bigger than Beethoven's where, and its done and dusted in 45 minutes. But in terms of Bruckner, Abbado kind of gives him a human face. There is the usual grandeur and profundity there for sure, but there's also some deal of lighthearteness and the ending I talked about, a kind of rhythmic flexibility (not stodgy or boring).

But in general I got lots of time for Maestro Abbado's work. His performances I've heard has this kind of down to earth quality. Currently I'm listening to his recording of that period with the London SO, a double cd set also on Eloquence of music by Prokofiev, Hindemith and Janacek. But haven't gotten thru the whole thing yet. In terms of Eloquence, I've enjoyed their reissues of Bruckner's symphonies. This is the only one with Abbado, but other conductors are Istvan Kertesz, Horst Stein, Georg Solti, Lorin Maazel. Next weekend I plan to get to Symphony #2 with Horst Stein and VPO. So stay tuned for that, I plan to do a detailed report on that then.

As for discussions of *Frank Martin* by others on this thread, this EMI 2 cd set of his music was my shoe in to his music a few years back. I really like this set and have listened to it many times over the years. Some of the pieces I loved immediately, others took time. I also like the Cello Concerto which was mentioned above, there is a cd of it out on BIS label. He's an interesting composer bringing together many stylistic trends, eg. Neo-Classicism, Impressionism, atonal/serialism, interest in old church musics, and so on. Very eclectic composer and that's why I like him.


----------



## bejart

In a continuing celebration of birthdays --
Franz Anton Hoffmeister (12 May 1754-1812): String Quartet in D Minor, Op.14, No.3

Aviv Quartet: Sergey Ostrovsky and Evgenia Epshtein, violins -- Shuli Waterman, viola -- Iris Jortner, cello

View attachment 17804


----------



## Mahlerian

Frescobaldi: Toccata in D
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Boccherini Piano Quintets - Quatour Mosaiques with Patrick Cohen, fortepiano


----------



## bejart

In further celebration of the numerous birthdays that fall on May 12th --
Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755-1824): Violin Concerto No.19 in G Minor

Johannes Goritzki leading the Deutsche Kammerorchester Neuss -- Rainer Kussmaul, violin

View attachment 17806


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.45 in F-Sharp Minor {"Farewell"} and Symphony No.94 in G Major {"Surprise"}.* Both works are performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Fritz Lehmann.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor {1887 Version}* *and Symphony No.0 in D Minor {"Nulte"},* both featuring the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland led by Georg Tintner.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.104 in D Major {"London"}, *rendered by the Thomas Beecham led London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of* Faure's* (1845 - 1924) birthday, Piano Quintets, with Domus/Marwood (rec.1994); *Ravel*: Daphnis et Chloe, with ORF/Chung (rec.2004); *Vivaldi*: La cetra, with Raglan Baroque Players (rec.1986)

View attachment 17807
View attachment 17808
View attachment 17809


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of* Faure's* (1845 - 1924) birthday, Piano Quintets, with Domus/Marwood (rec.1994); *Ravel*: Daphnis et Chloe, with ORF/Chung (rec.2004); *Vivaldi*: La cetra, with Raglan Baroque Players (rec.1986)
> 
> View attachment 17807
> View attachment 17808
> View attachment 17809


Oooh, the first two selections of yours are rather mouth-watering.

For myself, there are about six different albums I wish to listen to all at once, both classical and non-classical. As I've only one set of ears, I thought I'd go ahead and continue on with the "sweeping orchestral" sounds that I started with in Strauss' lieder.Currently enjoying "Wagner Without Words" with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. I am in the camp who prefers their Wagner wordless and in bleeding chunks (aside from the Wesendock lieder). It may not be the way Wagner intended to be listened to, but I'll enjoy him the way that works for me


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Rachmaninoff: Piano concerto #4
> 
> I know this one has a rather poor reputation compared to the others, but I enjoy it. Not a favorite by any means, but it's still good to listen to.


Especially if ABM is the one being responsible.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Oooh, the first two selections of yours are rather mouth-watering.
> 
> For myself, there are about six different albums I wish to listen to all at once, both classical and non-classical. As I've only one set of ears, I thought I'd go ahead and continue on with the "sweeping orchestral" sounds that I started with in Strauss' lieder.Currently enjoying "Wagner Without Words" with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. I am in the camp who prefers their Wagner wordless and in bleeding chunks (aside from the Wesendock lieder). It may not be the way Wagner intended to be listened to, but I'll enjoy him the way that works for me


'cepting GG and Reiner, I prefer my Vogner soundless.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in E Flat

Milan Lajcik conducting thePargue Chamber Orchestra - Dieter Klocker, clarinet

View attachment 17810


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schnittke*: String Quartets, 2 & 3 with Lark (rec. 1997), and 1, 3, 4 with Kapralova (rec.2002).

View attachment 17811
View attachment 17812


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: String Quartet #15 in D Minor, K 421 -- Hagen Quartet

Brahms: Symphony #3 in F, Op. 90 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Haydn: Missa Cellensis, H 22/8, "Mariazellermesse" -- Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Church Choir New York

Cherubini: Eliza, Ou Le Voyage Aux Glaciers Du Mont St.Bernard Overture -- Sir Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Mendelssohn: Symphony #2 in B flat, Op. 52, "Hymn of Praise" -- Dohnányi: Wiener Philharmoniker

Listening program for later tonight:

Ockeghem: Missa Prolationum -- Hillard Ensemble

^ An epochal work

Schubert: Six Grandes Marches et Trios, D. 819 -- Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem

^ These pieces have a special significance for me. My best friend and I played the first three marches together about a year ago. When playing four-hand music, I prefer to play the secondo part. Being a lefty, it makes sens; plus, I like being able to control the sustain pedal. The second March, in G Minor, has an especially lovely trio section--it tenderly emerges from the more hurried and tempestuous march, rather like the glorious trio in the Scherzo from Schubert's 9th Symphony. The horn plays and the rest of the instruments fall silent in deference, whereupon emerges a very gentle and lovely little melody.


----------



## Neo Romanza

My current lineup for tonight:



















Will be listening Bernstein's performance of RVW's _Symphony No. 4_. One of the most explosive in the RVW discography.










Will listening to Shostakovich's _Violin Concerto No. 1_. It's been some time since I've listened to this Khachatryan/Masur performance.


----------



## MarieTregubovich

Britten's 'Spring Symphony' -I am in a choir that recently sang that piece, and I really began to like the piece so much. The Spring Symphony, along with many other Britten pieces just amaze me, and are so complex.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in D Flat, KV 378

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 17814


----------



## aleazk

Gérard Grisey - "Partiels".


----------



## Feathers

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Francisco Valls' Missa Scala Aretina - Gustav Leonhardt, dir.


----------



## Andolink

Poul Ruders: Concerto for Clarinet and Twin-Orchestra; Drama Trilogy No. 3 for Cello and Orchestra "Polydrama"
Niels Thomsen, clarinet
Morten Zeuthen, cello
Odense Symphony Orchestra/Tamás Vető


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 97, "Rhenish"*

This is one of those works I never seem to tire of - I've heard it so many times but i still love it. I have quite a few versions of the Schumann Symphonies now. This set which I aquired last year seems to get have everything the way I want it


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.21 "Waldstein" - Solomon, piano


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

The Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello

View attachment 17820


----------



## Sonata

Haydn: Trumpet Concerto, & Symphony #59.


----------



## ptr

..the usual morning trioka: Going for Norway!

*Rolf Wallin* - Move (Hemera OOP?)
(*Stonewave*, Version for 3 percussionists // *ning*, For oboe, violin, viola, and cello // *...though what made it has gone*, For mezzosoprano and piano // *Solve et coagula*, For flute, clarinet, percussion, piano and string quartet // *Onda di ghiaccio*, For 16 musicians)










Sisu Percussion Ensemble // BIT 20 Ensemble u. Ingar Bergby // Cikada Ensemble //Oslo Sinfonietta u. Christian Eggen

*Harald Sæverud* - Peer Gynt Suites No 1 & 2 (*BIS*)










Stavanger Symphony Orchestra u. Alexander Dmitriev

*Trygve Madsen* - 24 Preludes & Fugues (*2L*)










Jens Harald Bratlie, piano

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach* 
_Partita #2 in D minor, BWV 1004_
- Ilya Kaler, violin / Naxos

*Handel* 
_O come chiare e belle HWV143 (Italian cantata)_
- Patrizia Kwella & Gillian Fisher, sopranos ; Catherine Denley, contralto with The London Handel Orch. under Denys Darlow / Hyperion

*Holst* 
_The Perfect Fool - Ballet Music & Egdon Heath
A Moorside Suite
Suites 1 & 2 for wind band_
- London PO under Sir Adrian Boult - Grimethorpe Colliery Band under Elgar Howarth - Eastman Wind Ens. under Frederick Fennell / Decca Eloquence


----------



## EricABQ

This week I plan to listen through 99 Most Essential Dvorak Masterpieces mp3 collection from Amazon. 

I've always sort of ignored this composer, so nearly all of this will be new to me.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Tyberg's third symphony, performed by the Buffalo Philharmonic under the direction of JoAnn Falletta (I believe it's the only recording that has been made of the piece). Completed in 1943, a year or so before he was arrested and sent to his death in Auschwitz.










The first movement feels quite Bruckner-like.


----------



## Andolink

Denis Gaultier: La Rhétorique des Dieux--Suites for lute in D major and A major
Louis Pernot, lute








David Matthews: String Quartet No. 5, op. 36; String Quartet No. 12, op. 114
Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## millionrainbows

Panufnik: Piano Concerto (Conifer Classics). Panufnik bases this whole concerto on two intervals, a minor second and a major second, and in the third movement expands this to a minor third/major third.
Since an interval consists of two notes, the resulting effect is of 4-note cells which recur and keep iterating and reiterating. The first movement is forceful and more scale-oriented, showcasing the pianist; the second movement is a very quiet, delicate interplay of orchestra and piano, proceeding one note at a time, producing a "pointillist" effect. This creates harmonic references; the ear hears these constructs as harmonic entities, triads, or slow arpeggios, which creates a sense of harmonic movement or function.
Panufinik, for me, is like Bartók with all the tonal procedures removed. It's pure "interval-based" music, using "seeds" of 2 and three notes. He is pretty consistent in his use of these cells; the Ninth Symphony and this Concerto were composed decades apart, yet both use these "pitch-cell" ideas. The result is a stripped-down "less is more" structure. And there are some beautiful moments in this concerto, where the piano creates sparkling streams of notes, rich in harmonic effect, like light through a diamond prism.

I think that this, and other Conifer issues got re-released as the Warner "Apex" series with those abstract photo covers. There's a bunch of ERATO on that label as well. This must be due to the big mergers.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" - Von Dohnanyi & Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Sonata

Enjoyed my first two Haydn pieces so much that I am continuing on with him:

Keyboard sonata in E-flat major, played by Richter
String quartet #54
Missa in Tempore Belli


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Quartets 1 & 2, with Zacharias et al (rec.1988); Piano Trios, with Barenboim/Zlotnikov/ Znaider (rec.2005).

View attachment 17827
View attachment 17828


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases. *JS Bach*: Double & Triple Concerti, with Podger/Brecon Baroque; *Mahler* Symphony 1, with LPO/Jurowski.

HIPsters can rejoice. Podger and Brecon Baroque present fresh invigorating playing for these much reworked works. Both thumbs up.

Jurowski's M1 includes the Blumine movement, but look elsewhere (Solti, Muti w/o Blumine, Rattle, Ozawa w. Blumine). A tame rendition of the core work, with an especially uninspiring opening of the final movement. Both thumbs down.

View attachment 17829
View attachment 17830


----------



## Andolink

Gösta Nystroem: Sinfonia shakespeariana, "Symphony No. 4"
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/B. Tommy Andersson








Poul Ruders: Abysm
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group/Oliver Knussen


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Violin Sonatas, Op.5, with Avison Ens. (rec. 2012); *D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Tharaud (rec.2010).

View attachment 17833
View attachment 17834


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Stabat Mater.*


----------



## ptr

Afternoon listen:

*Alexandre Guilmant* - Complete Organ Sonatas (*MDG*)










Ben van Oosten at the Cavaillé-Coll organ in St. Ouen, Rouen

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I'm on vacation this week and so I hope to get some quality listening time in. This afternoon I'm listening to Rachmaninov's *The Bells*. The first time I have ever listened to this work. It's a four movement choral symphonic work. This particular version is conducted by Neeme Jarvi with the Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus on Chandos records.










Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: Piano sonatas #24 & #25


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony no. 1.
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Here's a real nice album of short solo piano pieces of John Field performed by Miceal O'Rourke. O'Rouke has recorded all of John Fields piano concertos as well and a disc of his nocturnes. I highly recommend them all.


----------



## worov

Some Mendelssohn :


----------



## Mahlerian

Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras
New York Philharmonic, cond. Boulez

Ives: Symphony No. 3
Royal Concertgebeow Orchestra, cond. Tilson-Thomas


----------



## Vaneyes

*Poulenc*: Chamber Music, with Isserlis & Devoyon (rec.1989), Little & Lane (rec.1995), Tharaud et al (rec.1995 - '97).

View attachment 17837
View attachment 17838
View attachment 17839


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## Sid James

*Handel *Clori, mia bella Clori HWV92 ; Amarilli vezzosa (Il Duello Amoroso) HWV82 (Italian cantatas)
- Patrizia Kwella & Gillian Fisher, sopranos ; Catherine Denley, contralto with The London Handel Orch. under Denys Darlow / Hyperion

*Prokofiev* Symphony #3
- London SO under Claudio Abbado / Decca Eloquence
*
Martinu *Piano Concerto #5 (Fantasia Concertante)
- Giorgio Koukl, pno. with Bohuslav Martinu PO under Arthur Fagen / Naxos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Some Erik Satie.*


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> In celebration of* Faure's* (1845 - 1924) birthday, Piano Quintets, with Domus/Marwood (rec.1994);
> 
> View attachment 17807


I have this CD. I liked it at first because the cover is cool and I felt I _should_ like it, but have since found it puts me to sleep. I guess I was hoping for a wonderful Faure melody similar to the famous Pavane or Sicilienne, but not finding any in the piano quintets.


----------



## bejart

Anton Ferdinand Titz (1742-1810): String Quartet in E Flat (No.6 of the Six Quatours of 1781)

Hoffmeister Quartet: Christoph Heidemann and Ulla Bundies, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello

View attachment 17844


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I have now moved onto the first disc of Mendelssohn's Symphonic Cycle Decca boxed set by Von Dohnanyi and the VPO. 

Having listened to Symphony No. 1 a couple of times consecutively I am increasingly impressed with each listen. Mendelssohn seems to have a way orchestrating his pieces both rich in depth/colour and distinctively his.

Next up on the disc is Der Erste Walpurgisnacht, the overture is fantastic.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lassus, Missa Osculetur Me. *


----------



## ProudSquire

Some *Lizst*

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C sharp Minor

Valentina Lisitsa


----------



## maestro57

This precise moment, the piece playing on my playlist is the piece below, performed by Claudio Arrau:

Liszt - Six Chants Polonais: (No. 4) Bacchanal, S. 480/4 (after Chopin's Polish Songs, Op. 74 No. 4 ("Hulanka"))


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor, Op.105

Mark Kaplan, violin -- Anton Kuerti, piano

View attachment 17847


----------



## aleazk

Schumann - Piano Quintet Op.44.


----------



## GreenMamba

Brahms Violin Sonatas (all three), Perlman/Ashkenazy


----------



## NightHawk

This has always been my favorite recording of the Concerto for Orchestra. The remaster is superb.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.99 in E-Flat Major and Symphony No.100 G Major {"Military"},* both performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Going to listen to these recent arrivals tonight:



















Love Casella's music so much! Such an underrated composer.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sibelius - symphony no. 1
Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: String Quartet #12 in C Minor, Op. Posth, D 703, "Quartettsatz" -- Melos Quartet

^ This little piece is magnificent.

Rameau: La Guirlande -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Brahms: Souvenir de la Russe, Anh. 4/6 -- Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn

Saint-Saëns: Symphony in F, "Urbs Roma" -- Jean Martinon: Orchestre National De L'ORTF


----------



## SimonNZ

"Carmina Burana: 20 Songs From The Original Manuscript c.1300" - Studio Der Fruhen Musik


----------



## Guest

Giving a serious listen to Bruckner.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Schubert/Liszt*: Erlkönig
*Schubert/Liszt:* "Gute Nacht" from "Winterreise"
*Schubert/Liszt:* Des Mädchens Klage
*Chopin:* Nocturne﻿ in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2
*Strauss/Godowsky:* Symphonic Metamorphosis on "Die Fledermaus"

Played by the lilium of the piano:

*Valentina Lisitsa* :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacomo Carissimi's Historia di Jephte - Konrad Junghanel, dir.


----------



## Guest

A trivial point connected to Simon's posting above : one of the earliest examples of the Neapolitan 6th occurs in the 'Arioso' from Carissimi's Jephtha. Aren't you all glad you know that now? 
Now you will ask me "Which Arioso?". I don't have the score to hand, but I can tell you on my (untitled) CD it's Track 12 / at the 0.22" mark.


----------



## SimonNZ

That's interesting, but it can't be this cd - Jephte is only the first five tracks. I'd be interested to know where that occurs (as best as I can make out it must be the "echoes" in Filia's lament before the final chorus.)


----------



## ptr

Morning Trio: Going for Island...

*Karólína Eiríksdóttir* - Portrait (MFI OOP?)










Kristinn Sigmundsson, Baritone; Guony Gudmundsdottir, violin; Iceland Symphony Orchestra u. Jean-Pierre Jacquillat & Per Borin

*Hafliði Hallgrímsson* - Herma // Ombra // Ríma (*Smekkleysa*)










Ragnhild Heiland Sørensen, soprano; Pórunn Osk Marinósdóttor, viola; Thorleif Thedéen, cello; Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra u. Bernharður Wilkinson

*Haukur Tómasson* - Concertos for Flute 1 & 2 // Skíma, concerto for two double basses and orchestra (*Bis*)










Sharon Bezaly, flute; Hávarður Tryggvason, double bass & Valur Pálsson, double bass; Iceland Symphony Orchestra u. Bernharður Wilkinson

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (1710-1791): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Musica ad Rhenum with Jed Wentz on flute++

View attachment 17861


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> That's interesting, but it can't be this cd - Jephte is only the first five tracks. I'd be interested to know where that occurs (as best as I can make out it must be the "echoes" in Filia's lament before the final chorus.)


This is the problem when one burns CDs and forgets to label the tracks correctly! Is the lament you mention something like this: 
_et in af - flie - ti - o- ne cor - dis me - i u - lu - la - te_ ... ?


----------



## SimonNZ

TalkingHead said:


> This is the problem when one burns CDs and forgets to label the tracks correctly! Is the lament you mention something like this:
> _et in af - flie - ti - o- ne cor - dis me - i u - lu - la - te_ ... ?


Yes, thats the second line of the lament. The echo that follows repeats the word "ululate", as it later repeats the words "lachrimate" and "resonate". Is that/those the Neapolitan Sixth?


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> Yes, thats the second line of the lament. The echo that follows repeats the word "ululate", as it later repeats the words "lachrimate" and "resonate". Is that/those the Neapolitan Sixth?


Yes, that's the place! The N6 (Neap. 6th) is on the words 'u' (crotchet value, I imagine) and 'lu....' (4 semiquavers), resolves itself on the 'la' and finally resolves onto the tonic on 'te'. 
Does that help? Me neither.


----------



## Sid James

*Handel *
_Messiah - Highlights_
- Scholars Baroque Ensemble / Naxos

*Prokofiev*
_Symphony #1, "Classical"
Chout (The Buffoon) - ballet suite_
- London SO under Claudio Abbado / Decca Eloquence


----------



## Andolink

Mario Davidovsky: String Trio (1982)
Speculum Musicae








Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C, D. 956
Lindsay String Quartet w/ Douglas Cummings, cello


----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich - New York Counterpoint.


----------



## Kieran

Cesar Franck, Symphony in d-minor, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Tadaaki Otaka. One of those CD's I borrowed recently, real ear-openers...


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: English Suites--Suite No. 1 in A major, BWV 806
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord








Denis Gaultier: Lute Suites from " La Rhétorique des Dieux"-- No. 3 in F# minor, No. 4 in F# minor and No. 5 in G major
Louis Pernot, lute








Mario Davidovsky: Quartetto No. 2 for oboe, violin, viola and cello (1996)
Peggy Pearson, oboe
Bayla Keyes, violin
Mary Ruth Ray, viola
Rhonda Rider, violoncello


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Arthur Vincent Lourié's *(1892 - 1966) birthday, The Blackamoor of Peter the Great, Funeral Games in Honor of Chronos, with Kremer/Philharmonia/Eschenbach et al (rec.1996).

View attachment 17870


----------



## millionrainbows

AClockworkOrange said:


> I have now moved onto the first disc of Mendelssohn's Symphonic Cycle Decca boxed set by Von Dohnanyi and the VPO.
> 
> Having listened to Symphony No. 1 a couple of times consecutively I am increasingly impressed with each listen. Mendelssohn seems to have a way orchestrating his pieces both rich in depth/colour and distinctively his.
> 
> Next up on the disc is Der Erste Walpurgisnacht, the overture is fantastic.


You must mean this one. Not a bad deal for 5 CDs.
http://amzn.com/B003Y3MYWC


----------



## ptr

Just finished:

*John Ogdon Plays Rachmaninoff* (EMI)










John Ogdon, piano

And now thanks to *Vaneyes's* reminder! haven't listened to his music for ages, two fine discs to celebrate his birthday!

*Arthur Vincent Lourie* (1892 - 1966)

- Concerto da Camera // A Little Chamber Music // Little Gidding (DG)










Gidon Kremer, Violin; Kenneth Riegel, tenor; Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie u. Thomas Klug

- 3 String Quartets / Duo for Violin & Viola (ASV)










Utrecht String Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Marriage of Figaro


----------



## rrudolph

I'm in an electronic sort of mood today:

Stockhausen: Pole1/Spiral/Pole 2








Xenakis: Hibiki Hana Ma/Polytope de Cluny








Wuorinen: Time's Encomium








Subotnick: Silver Apples of the Moon/The Wild Bull


----------



## millionrainbows

Russian Piano School Vol. 7: Emil Gilels (1916-1985): Bach/Busoni, Weber, Liszt, Prokofiev. Recorded 1968 (mono) (Melodiya). Ghod, I thought Horowitz was the king of banging! Here, Gilels is _waaay_ over the top. Totally unnecessary bravura. Too much drama for me.

Russian Piano School Vol. 8: Lazar Berman (1930-): Liszt, 12 Études d'exécution transcendante; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 in E-flat major "Pesther Carneval" (Melodiya). Ahh, this is more like it. The Trancendental Etudes are done really well here.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Today feels like a Delius day  -

Now:










Listening to the _Violin Concerto_. Tasmin Little, as usual, is an outstanding interpreter of Delius' music. Her recording of his _Violin Sonatas_ is so gorgeous.

Next:


----------



## Kieran

K302, violin sonata in E-Flat. 

BarenPerl...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Gerhard*: Orchestral and Chamber, with Bamert (rec.1997/8), Kreutzer Qt. (rec.1998), Cantamen (rec.1996).

View attachment 17875







View attachment 17876


----------



## Neo Romanza

Okay, so I lied it actually feels like a Britten day  -

Now listening:










Will be listening to the entire 'war trilogy'. Listening to _War Requiem_. An exhilarating performance from Hickox.


----------



## schuberkovich

Mendelssohn Songs without Words op.19
Daniel Barenboim.







Incredible works for a 20 year old!


----------



## MagneticGhost

First time I've heard the Bridge - Oration for Cello and Orchestra.
It's hauntingly beautiful.


----------



## Sonata

In a rare baroque mood: working in my office to the sound of Vivaldi concertos.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Symphony No. 4. *


----------



## Sonata

Brahms: Alto Rhapsody. Janet Baker


----------



## DaveS

Bach Goldberg Variations....Perahia. Gorgeous.


----------



## cwarchc

After a couple of days break, it's back onto my alphabetical journey
Just one tonight


----------



## Sid James

*Schumann* _Piano Concerto_
- Dinu Lipatti, piano with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet - live radio broadcast, Switzerland, 1950 / Decca Eloquence
*
John Williams* _Star Wars (suite)_
- Richard Hayman conducting his orchestra / Naxos

*Janacek* _Sinfonietta_
*Hindemith* _Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber_
- London SO under Claudio Abbado / Decca Eloquence


----------



## Kieran

Brahms cello sonata in e-minor, Steven Isserling and Stephen Hough.

Actually, I find Brahms chamber music to be more accessible and endearing than his larger scale works. This was apparently "a homage to JS Bach..."


----------



## Schubussy

JS Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier
Angela Hewitt


----------



## IBMchicago

Kieran said:


> Brahms cello sonata in e-minor, Steven Isserling and Stephen Hough.
> 
> Actually, I find Brahms chamber music to be more accessible and endearing than his larger scale works. This was apparently "a homage to JS Bach..."


I'll give that one a try. I was never able to take Stephen Hough seriously after I listened him to bruise Chopin's music, but I believe in second chances.


----------



## IBMchicago

Schubussy said:


> JS Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier
> Angela Hewitt
> View attachment 17883


Excellent one!!


----------



## Kieran

IBMchicago said:


> I'll give that one a try. I was never able to take Stephen Hough seriously after I listened him to bruise Chopin's music, but I believe in second chances.


He quite likes Chopin, though, doesn't he? He writes quite well about Chopin in his blog, which I first encountered in his entertaining online Telegraph blog. But I bow to your previous bruising encounter, I've never heard him play other than this...


----------



## millionrainbows

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Handel Arias in SACD (AVIE). Transcendently beautiful. I think SACD does wonders for voice reproduction.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schreker, Der Ferne Klang.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: String Quartets, with Kocian Qt. (rec.1995); *Gubaidulina*: String Quarets, with Danish Qt. (rec.1992).

View attachment 17887
View attachment 17888


----------



## Unbennant

John Sibelius' concert for violin and orchestra in D minor, op. 47 on the ARD-Nachtkonzert station.


----------



## bejart

Dvorak: Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88

Rafael Kubelik conducting the Berlin Philharmonic

View attachment 17889


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now playing:










Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. A masterful work. Will let the recording play on through _Diversions_. Another favorite of mine.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Clarinet Quartet in B Flat, Op.21, No.1

Jan Budin on clarinet with members of the Panocha Quartet: Jiri Panocha, violin -- Miroslav Sehnoutka, viola -- Jaroslav Kulhan, cello

View attachment 17900


----------



## Guest

Mozart Wind Concertos, The English Chamber Orchestra, Ralf Gothóni
I'm going to listen to the whole 2 CD set:
K622, Clarinet Concerto
K297b, Sinfonia Concertante
K314, Oboe Concerto
K191, Bassoon Concerto
K495, Horn Concerto


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. Long live Ligeti!


----------



## SimonNZ

"Henri Dumont: Sacred Music From The Household Of Philipe d'Anjou" - Ensemble Dumont


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale, Op. 15 -- Colin Davis: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Liszt: Années de Pèlerinage, Troisième Année, S 163 -- Leslie Howard

Handel: Hercules, HWV 60 -- Marc Minkowski: Les Musiciens du Louvre


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): String Trio in C Major, Op.9, No.1

Belvedere Trio Wien: Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Elmar Landerer, viola -- Robert Nagy, cello

View attachment 17903


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Three Melodies_. Absolutely sublime. Koechlin is one of my favorites.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in D Major, D.850

Robert Levin, piano

View attachment 17904


----------



## samurai

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Three Melodies_. Absolutely sublime. Koechlin is one of my favorites.


And like our friend AP, he also sports what looks to be a great pipe!


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner #2, and a couple of Delius bits.


----------



## Neo Romanza

samurai said:


> And like our friend AP, he also sports what looks to be a great pipe!


Indeed he does!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F minor - Shlomo Mintz, violin, Paul Ostrovsky, piano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Violin Concerto No. 3_. Wonderful!


----------



## Kopachris

Not exactly classical, but interesting and fun.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Klavierstucke Op.118 and Op.119 - Dmitri Alexeev, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Poulenc - Organ Concerto
(in the car waiting for work to start)


----------



## Andolink

Poul Ruders: Violin Concerto No. 2
Rebecca Hirsch, violin
Collegium Musicum, Copenhagen/Michael Schønwandt








David Matthews: String Quartet No. 12, op. 114
Kreutzer Quartet







(An amazingly rich and varied 43 min. quartet. Bowled over 2nd time through!)


----------



## Kieran

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Violin Concerto No. 3_. Wonderful!


Isn't she just!


----------



## Kieran

Dmitri Kabalevsky, cello concerto #2, Op. 77, Stephen Isserling on the cello. Moody and claustrophobic, I quite like this one as an early morning pick-me-up...


----------



## Kieran

Listening again to the Brahms cello sonata in e-minor. The more I listen, the more I like. And it makes me wish ol' Wolfie had written one of them...


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in F Major, RV 455

Pier Giorgio Mornadi conducting the Failoni Chamber Orchestra of Budapest -- Stefan Schilli, oboe

View attachment 17911


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

*Vagn Holmboe* - Symphonies 1 - 3 (*Bis*)









Aarhus Symphony Orchestra u. Owain Arwel Hughes

*Franz Schubert* - Piano Sonatas No 16 in A minor D 845 / No 21 in B flat major D 960 (*DG*)









Maria Joao Pires, piano

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Symphony No 8, Op 83 "Tveti Pol'shi" (Julian Tuwim) (*Naxos*)









Rafał Bartmiński, tenor; Magdalena Dobrowolska, sop; Ewa Marciniec, alto; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir u. Antoni Wit

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* String Quartets K.499 "Hoffmeister" & 575 "Prussian"
- Played by the Chilingirian Quartet / CRD

*Rossini*
Variations for Clarinet & Orchestra
- Petko Radev, clarinet with Bulgarian Broadcasting SO under Kamen Goleminov
Sonata for Strings
- Sofia Soloists Chamber Ens. under Vassil Kazandjiev / Festival

*Prokofiev* Romeo and Juliet (selections from the ballet)
- London SO under Claudio Abbado / Decca Eloquence


----------



## EricABQ

Von Weber piano sonatas 1 and 2 played by Hamish Milne


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano trio, K448, Kungsbacka Trio...


----------



## EricABQ

I finished the morning routine with Debussy's Images Pour Piano sets 1 and 2. 

His piano music is really turning into some of my favorite stuff.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: English Suites--Suite No.2 in A minor, BWV 807
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord








J. S. Bach: Peasant Cantata BWV 212
Emma Kirkby, soprano
David Thomas, bass
The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood


----------



## ptr

Alfred Schnittke - Violin Concertos 1 - 4 (Teldec)









Gidon Kremer, violin; NDR.Sinfoniorchester, Hamburg / Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Philharmonia Orchestra u. Christoph Eschenbach

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

In celebration of *Monteverdi's* (1567 - 1643) birthday, sampling Vespro della beata Vergine, with Herreweghe et al.

View attachment 17918


----------



## millionrainbows

_Musica Española: _Music Para Piano (IV): Falla, Turina, Halffter, Montsalvatge...Mompou; Alicia De Larrocha (London 2-CD). Recorded 1970-1985. Very enjoyable. Most will immediately recognize De Falla's _Danza del fin del día,_ which Artur Rubenstein transformed from a tranquil orchestral piece into a tour de force which drove audiences crazy. Well recorded with the kind of closer miking I prefer. I'd like to get the others in this _Musica Española_ set.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kieran said:


> Isn't she just!


...delicious! Why yes she is!


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's fifth, Bruno Walter, NY Philly, accompanied by Mahlerian's blog... :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas, with Schiff, Gavrilov, Pires, GG, Gulda.

View attachment 17919
View attachment 17920
View attachment 17921
View attachment 17922
View attachment 17923


----------



## rrudolph

Lou Harrison's music seems to be unjustly neglected since his death in 2003. I don't want to be one of those unjustly neglecting him, so:

Concerto for Violin/Canticle #1/Suite for Percussion/Canticle #3/Fugue








La Koro Sutro/Varied Trio/Suite for Violin and American Gamelan


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Piano Quartet in A minor (Prazak Quartet)

I listened to this for the first time only a few days ago and have been hooked since! Wonderfully charming yet deeply reflective, I feel. Such a shame that this is the only chamber piece of Mahler's.


----------



## Kieran

After our picture thread:





















<Mitsuko, #23, conducted by Jeffrey Tate>


----------



## rrudolph

This seems like the next logical step after the Harrison I was listening to earlier:

Partch: Delusion of the Fury


----------



## Kieran

Kieran said:


> Mahler's fifth, Bruno Walter, NY Philly, accompanied by Mahlerian's blog... :tiphat:


Going at this again, a truly large and powerful effort. And the symph's not bad either...


----------



## NightHawk

The _Msa Glagolskaja_ and the _Taras Bulba Rhapsodie_ are remastered - the originals were recorded in 1965 and 1971, respectively. Kubelik, one of my favorite conductors ever, does a superb job. The orchestra, organ and voices are beautifully balanced in the Mass and Evelyn Lear is fantastic. The recording has great clarity and in no way sounds _faded._








Just ordered this - great bargain on Amazon - new for $19.55 5 discs! Teldec.


----------



## NightHawk

View attachment 17933

The _Msa Glagolskaja_ and the _Taras Bulba Rhapsodie_ are remastered - the originals were recorded in 1965 and 1971, respectively. Kubelik, one of my favorite conductors ever, does a superb job. The orchestra, organ and voices are beautifully balanced in the Mass and Evelyn Lear is fantastic. The recording has great clarity and in no way sounds _faded._

View attachment 17935

Just ordered this - great bargain on Amazon - new for $19.55 5 discs! Teldec.


----------



## NightHawk

Sorry folks - I have no idea why my post got doubled and a thumbnail got added to the first one. Apologies!!!


----------



## Kieran

NightHawk said:


> Sorry folks - I have no idea why my post got doubled and a thumbnail got added to the first one. Apologies!!!


I like it twice as much now!


----------



## Manxfeeder

NightHawk said:


> Sorry folks - I have no idea why my post got doubled and a thumbnail got added to the first one. Apologies!!!


A double post? So that's why I pulled my recording of the Mass out today. Mind control!

Anyway, I followed it up with Mozart's Piano Quartet in Eb Major.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Tapiola
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund

Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, November Steps, Far Calls Coming, Far!
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony (the ToKyō), cond. Wakasugi

And in celebration:
Monteverdi: Quarto Libro dei Madrigali
Concerto Italiano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Spent the last two days listening through these two albums of Richard Hol's symphonies. These four symphonies were written between 1863 and 1889. Being as late as they are they have more in common with Beethoven and Schumann than with Brahms and Dvorak. Not bad symphonies but you can understand after listening to them a few times why they have not endured and are not in the standard repertoire. Still they do make a nice diversion from the usual fare.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morton Feldman, Piano and Orchestra.*


----------



## Kieran

Symphony 29, K201, first movement, Sir Neville Marriner conducting The Academy of St Martin in the Fields...


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Sibelius' Symphony No. 1 by Neeme Jarvi & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Prior to that it wasMendelssohn's String Quartet No. 1 in E Flat by the Cherubini Quartet?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Panufnik, Piano Concerto.*

I'm finally dipping my toes into Panufnik's music.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm finally dipping my toes into Panufnik's music.


I dipped my toes into Handel's Water Music once...


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> I dipped my toes into Handel's Water Music once...


I dove right into Takemitsu's Towards the Sea....


----------



## Crudblud

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Boulez)

And earlier I listened to the 6th conducted by Thomas Sanderling. Interestingly, this symphony used to be one of Mahler's that I actively avoided.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's first symphony, aged 8, the andante...


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Sofia Gubaidulina* - Chamber Music with Double Bass (3CDs) (*Neos*)
(Five Etudes for harp, double bass and percussion (1965) // Pantomime for double bass and piano (1966) // Eight Etudes for double bass // Sonata for double bass and piano (1975) // In Croce for double bass and bayan (1979/2009) // Quasi Hoquetus for viola, double bass and piano (1984/2008) // Silenzio for bayan, violin and double bass (1991/2010) // Ein Engel Lied for alto and double bass, on a poem by Else Lasker-Schüler (1994) // Galgenlieder à 3 (Gallows Songs) 15 pieces for mezzo-soprano, percussion and double bass (1996) on poems by Christian Morgenstern // Pentimento for double bass and three guitars (2007))









Martin Heinze, double bass; KlangArt, Berlin ( Elsie Bedleem, harp; Ulrich Knörzer, viola; Heike Gneiting, piano; Elsbeth Moser, bayan; Lisa Marie Landgraf, violin; Vanessa Barkowski, mezzo-soprano; Jan Schlichte, percussion) Guitar Ensemble Quasi Fantasia

/ptr


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Just got time for Sibelius' Symphony no.7 by Neeme Jarvi & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra before I have to turn in.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Music from the Boulanger sisters.


----------



## Kieran

Before bed, K377, a fiddle sinatra performed with reckless precision by Barenboim and Perlman... :tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

*John Williams* Close Encounters of the Third Kind, *Larry Rosenthal *Meteor, *Jerry Goldsmith *Alien, *R. Strauss *(arr. Hayman) 2001: A Space Odyssey,* Glen A. Larson & Stu Phillips* Battlestar Galactica - Themes from the films
- Richard Hayman conducting his orchestra / Naxos

*Liszt* Les Jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este (from Years of Pilgrimage, Third Year)
- Stephanie McCallum, piano / ABC Classics

*Schumann *
Cello Concerto
Adagio and Allegro for Horn & Orch. (orchestration by Ansermet)
Manfred Overture
- Maurice Gendron, cello & Edmund Leloir, horn with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet / Decca Eloquence

*Mozart* Eine kliene Nachtmusik, K. 525
Vienna Mozart Ens. under Willi Boskovsky / Award


----------



## NightHawk

My Road Trip 2013 MusicLineUp - packed and ready to go! ☺

Bach – Brandenburgs and Orchestral Suites – Bach Collegium Japan, Suzuki
Mozart – The Piano Sonatas – Christoph Eschenbach
Beethoven – Symphonies - Paavo Jarvi, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Bruckner 4th, 7th & 9th Sym. – Abbado/Vienna & Giulini/Vienna, respectively
Berg/Schoenberg – Violin Concertos, Szeryng, Zeitlin, Kubelik – Bavarian RSO
Schoenberg – Piano Concerto, Brendel, Kubelik – Bavarian RSO
Berg – Boxed set, various works orchestral and chamber
Carter, Schuller, Babbitt, Cage – Levine, Chicago – Variations, Spectra, et al
Ligeti – Kammerkonzert, Aventures, String Quartet No. 2
Schnittke – Sym No. 3 and No. 8, Concerto Grosso No. 1 Stockholm Phil. GKremer grp
Radiohead – The Bends, OK,Computer & Kid A
Dillinger Escape Plan – Miss Machine & Ire Works


----------



## Kleinzeit

Carl Nielsen String Quartets op. 5 & op. 14, Danish String Quartet. 
Dacapo Masterworks vol. 2

Schumann Piano Quintet op. 44, String Quartet no. 1, op. 41 no. 1
Cherubini Quartet
EMI set

Prokofiev Violin Concertos 1 & 2
Five melodies for violin & piano 
Sonata for solo violin op. 115
Russian Philharmonic, Friedmann
Aharonian violin, Kandinskaya piano
Arte Nova

Big aggressive Russian sound. The concertos sound modern the way Godard & Tarantino films look modern even though they're period pieces in their own ways. 
How does art stay fresh? Here Prokofiev, like Tarantino, aggressively is out to show you a good time. They say "Sit back. I'll drive".


----------



## bejart

Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op.104

Walter Susskind conducting the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra -- Zara Nelsova, cello

View attachment 17947


----------



## samurai

Crudblud said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Boulez)
> 
> And earlier I listened to the 6th conducted by Thomas Sanderling. Interestingly, this symphony used to be one of Mahler's that I actively avoided.


 It would be truly *tragic *if you kept avoiding it; I think it's one of Mahler's finest symphonies. I am so glad you have come around to liking it.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1873 version)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Tintner


----------



## samurai

On Spotify:

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor,Op.10 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.20 {The First of May"}, *both performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.4 in C Major, Op.112 {revised version,1947}*, both featuring the Scottish National Orchestra led by Neeme Jarvi.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.20 {"The First of May"} and Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, *both rendered by the Valery Gergiev led Mariinsky Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schumann, Piano Concerto.*

View attachment 17948


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: String Quintet in C, Op. 29, "Storm" -- Amadeus Quartet & Lukas Hagen

Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129 -- Jacqueline Du Pré; Daniel Barenboim: New Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Cambini (1746-1825): Duo in F Major for Flute and Viola, Op.4, No.3

Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Jody Leskowitz, viola

View attachment 17950


----------



## lunchdress

Arvid Yansons conducts Shostakovich Symphony No 5









Leningrad PO Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 - listening through headphones it almost sounds like an audience-made bootleg with tons of coughing and program shuffling, etc., but a very compelling performance I think.


----------



## Feathers

Faure: Piano Trio in D minor


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just reminding myself how wonderful Vaughan Williams's 1st Symphony is.


----------



## Kieran

The Salomon String Quartet performing Mozart's 18th SQ in A, K464, one of the set for Papa Joe...


----------



## Kivimees

To be honest, I prefer the Nielsen concerto.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques - Shura Cherkassky, piano


----------



## ptr

Morning Trio:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Concertos No 27 & 20 (*DG*)









Maria João Pires, piano; Orchestra Mozart u. Claudio Abbado

*Robert Schumann* - Streichquartette Op 41 1 - 3 (Arcana OOP?)









Kuijken Quartet

*Olivier Messiaen* - Des canyons aux étoiles... (*DG*)









Roger Muraro, piano; Jean-Jacques Justafé, horn; Francis Petit, xylorimba; Renaud Muzzolini, Glockenspiel; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Myung-Whun Chung

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata No.4 in B Flat, BuxWV 255

John Holloway, violin -- Jaap ter Linden, viola -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harsichord

View attachment 17967


----------



## MagneticGhost

Don't ya just luv some Russian Liturgical music.
Just listening to this Grechaninov on Spotify.


----------



## Guest

K207, K216, K218, Violin Concerto numbers 1, 3, and 4
Viktoria Mullova, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment


----------



## ptr

Some Estonian lunch entertainment:

*Heino Eller*

- Neenia (Music for chamber Orchestra) (*ECM*)
(Lüüriline Süit / Neenia / Five Pieces for String Orchestra / Sümfonietta / Eleegia)









Tallinn Chamber Orchestra u. Tõnu Kaljuste

- Complete Preludes for Piano (*PPR*)









Vardo Rumessen, Piano

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

^^ Was listening to those violin concertos earlier, in the car. Then I put on K465, The _Dissonance _SQ, dedicated to Haydn and performed by the Franz Schubert Quartet of Vienna...


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: English Suites--Suite No. 4 in F major, BWV 809 and Suite No. 5 in E minor BWV 810
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord








Heinrich Schutz: Symphoniae Sacrae I (1629)--Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore; Exquisivi Dominum; 
Attendite, popule meus
Concerto Palatino








György Ligeti: Horn Trio
Marie-Luise Neunecker (horn); Antje Weithaas (violin); Silke Avenhaus (piano)








Denis Gaultier: La Rhétorique des Dieux--Suite 8 in G minor and Suite 9 in G minor
Louis Pernot, lute








Klaus Huber: "Intarsi"--Chamber Concerto
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## Skilmarilion

In a 20th century groove today 

*Barber* - Piano Concerto (Cleveland Orchestra)

*Shostakovich* - String Quartet No. 8 in C minor (Emerson SQ)

*Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major (Ashkenazy, LSO)


----------



## Cheyenne

I was planning on starting a Brahms-a-day today, but, in a classic example of lack of restraint, ended up listening to all four of them in a row. 'Suppose I can just dismiss it, it was a rainy day after all :lol: What magnificent works they are, so singularly touching that is nigh impossible to pick a favorite: the mountainous first symphony, the affecting second, the profound third, the rapturous fourth - what a composer! They are beautiful, but also confrontational; they revive in me a great yearning. I'd feel more melancholy, but I feel like a better person having heard them again. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a special day.. 

Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berliner Philharmoniker (1,2,3) and Wiener Philharmoniker (4); 1952, 1952, 1954 and 1950 respectively.

Edit: I'm sorry for that.. I was rather ecstatic..


----------



## ptr

Some Danish to the afternoon tea:

*Vagn Holmboe* - Symphonies 4 & 5 (*Bis*)









Jysk Operakor & Aarhus Symphony Orchestra u. Owain Arwel Hughes

*Dieterich Buxtehude* - The Complete Organ Works, *Vol. 1* & *Vol 4* (*Hyperion*)















Christopher Herrick on the organs of: Helsingør Cathedral, Denmark (1) & Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge, United Kingdom (4)

/ptr


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:* 

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100.* Both works feature the New York Philharmonic under Maestro Berntstein.
Roy Harris--*Symphony No.7, Epilogue to Profiles in Courage and Symphony No.9. *All three pieces are performed by the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar.
Samuel Barber--*Symphony No.1, Op.9 and Symphony No.2, Op.19. *Both symphonies feature the Marin Alsop led Royal Scottish National Orchestra.


----------



## Crudblud

Dipping in to Boulez's Ravel set on Sony.

_Menuet antique_
_Don Quichotté a Dulcinée_
_Alborada del Gracioso_
_Ouverture de Féerie_
and currently _Boléro_

Here Boléro is split in to 18 sections, corresponding to each instrumental addition to the melody, it's interesting to follow in that way.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Britten - Piano Concerto

From the EMI Collector's Box


----------



## Vaneyes

*Moeran*: Orchestral Works, with Falletta et al. I was nudged by Rob Barnett's review (link below), to give this recent release a sample listening. Primarily for the Cello Concerto w. Guy Johnston (Pellizon, 1820).

I previously owned the Chandos w. Wallfisch, but like Barnett, found it not fully satisfactory. This new release has promises I like, such as Ulster O. usage, and good sound engineering. So ordered!

View attachment 17983


http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/May13/Moeran_Cello_8573034.htm


----------



## aleazk

Crudblud said:


> Dipping in to Boulez's Ravel set on Sony.


For some reason I'm not very fond of that collection. Anyway, the interpretations I liked were those of the Trois poemes de Mallarme and Chansons madecasses.


----------



## Crudblud

aleazk said:


> For some reason I'm not very fond of that collection. Anyway, the interpretations I liked were those of the Trois poemes de Mallarme and Chansons madecasses.


I'm enjoying it so far. My preferred set is still Martinon, despite his lacklustre Daphnis.


----------



## Kivimees

ptr said:


> Some Estonian lunch entertainment:
> 
> *Heino Eller*
> 
> - Neenia (Music for chamber Orchestra) (*ECM*)


Head isu! :tiphat:


----------



## ptr

Kivimees said:


> Head isu! :tiphat:


Eller is like musical Kartulipõrsad!

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

Upto Mahler now, I've shared over 100 albums with you upto now









Then onto 5. 
I've 2 versions Antoni Wit and Solti, after listening to both back to back
I have to say I pefer the Solti version, however part of this could be down to the sq, as it appears clearer on that version.


----------



## DaveS

I too am in a Brahms mood today, as I can be a lot of days. The 2nd and this listening. Szell & the Cleveland. Beautiful works and interpretations.


----------



## Mahlerian

Listening to an archived concert.

Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Tanglewood Chorus, Boston Symphony, cond. Nelsons

http://www.wgbh.org/programs/The-Bo.../Nelsons-Conducts-Stravinsky-and-Brahms-38927


----------



## Kleinzeit

Music to come to terms with a sunny & cold May morning full of work to do:

Magnus Lindberg Clarinet Concerto, Gran Duo, Seht Die Sonne
Finnish Radio SO, Sakari Oramo
Ondine

Which made me want a big forest of sound:

Schoenberg Gurrelieder
Chailly, Decca

Which led to maximum honk:

Xenakis 4 String Quartets 
Jack Quartet, Mode

Gebrauchsmusik for weeding the lawn with cd in boombox. 
I like having this guy punch me in the ear for an hour.
Enjoying harsh, even painful sonorities is a more severe divider of personality than cat-or-dog person. I like both, follow up some Delius with Ligeti. But oy! some hurtin' sounds. The kimchi of music. You'll never convince your loved ones to join you. Can't stand the smell much less the taste. Just gotta go off to your swamp shack in Darmstadt by yourself & crank it up. 

Soon it turns warmer but rainy:

Webern Im Sommerwind, 5 & 6 Pieces Op. 10 & 6, Passacaglia Op. 1, Symphony Op. 21
Dresden Staatskapelle, Sinopoli
Warner Apex

Sibelius symphonies 2 & 5 piano transcriptions
Henri Sigfridsson
Ondine

Sibelius with his concentrated architecture boils down interestingly. More like a dancing skeleton, less like an wildly inaccurate police sketch. 
I like listening to the Idel Biret set of Beethoven reductions too. Takes forever for me to get the outlines of music. But hey. Incremental is good.


----------



## Sid James

*Mendelssohn*
_Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Capriccio Brilliante in B minor for piano & orch. Op. 22_
- Derek Han, piano with Israel CO under Stephen Gunzenhauser

*Mozart*
_Serenade #8 for Four Orchestras, K.286 'Notturno'_
- Vienna Mozart Ensemble under Willi Boskovsky

*Liszt*
_Years of Pilgrimage - Selections from First Year, Switzerland: 
Le cloches de Geneve, Nocturne (#9) ; 
Au lac de Wallenstadt (#2) ; 
Vallee d'Obermann (#6)_
- Stephanie McCallum, piano

*John Williams*_ Star Wars - suite_
- Los Angeles PO under Zubin Mehta


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Mahler* - "Das klagende Lied" (London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conductor Pierre Boulez).


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's Fifth, Bruno Walter waving the wand...


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: "Emperor", a smoking account with Gelber/Philharmonia/Leitner (rec.1966); Piano Sonata 28, with Horowitz (rec.1967).

View attachment 17992
View attachment 17993


----------



## Kieran

K364, the magnificent Sinfonia Concertante. No seams between the themes, this is wholly organic music that is good for ya!


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Antonin Stamic (1717-1756): Oboe Concerto in C Major

Jana Vlachova leading the Czech Chamber Orchestra -- Pavel Verner, oboe

View attachment 17995


----------



## Tristan

Schubert - Piano Quintet in A major "Trout", D. 667

Schubert sure liked that "Trout" tune he came up with (the fourth movement is variations on the tune, which I didn't know); it is catchy, no doubt.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Francisca de Rimini.*

Nice depiction of the second layer of hell, reserved for those who love too much. (At least in Dante's view.)


----------



## Novelette

Delibes: Lakmé -- Alain Lombard: L'Opéra-Comique Orchestra & Chorus

Dvořák: Serenade in E, Op. 22 -- Herbert von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Beethoven: *Missa Solemnis* in D, Op. 123 -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

^ Twice!


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> K364, the magnificent Sinfonia Concertante. No seams between the themes, this is wholly organic music that is good for ya!


That may well be my favorite piece by my favorite composer. And this may be my favorite version:







Giving it a listen now.


----------



## Kieran

I have the one conducted by Karl Bohm.

Enjoy... :tiphat:


----------



## ProudSquire

Lots and Lots of *Shostakovich*!

String Quartets No. 14, 15, 6, 7, 8 and 9!

Fitzwilliam quartet


----------



## Novelette

Kieran said:


> I have the one conducted by Karl Bohm.
> 
> Enjoy... :tiphat:


The Bohm recording is excellent!

My personal favorite is the recording by Itzhak Perlman; Zubin Mehta: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 2.*

I can get Slatkin's Vaughan Williams symphony set cheap, so I'm seeing of my collection of Naxos symphonies is good enough.

Does anyone have an opinion on Slatkin's cycle?


----------



## Vaneyes

Did someone say K.364?

View attachment 17999


----------



## GreenMamba

Alexander Goehr, Marching to Carcassone. Serkin/Knussen London Sinfonietta


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Fantasie in C Minor, KV 475

Heidi Lowy, piano

View attachment 18002


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










One of the best Barber recordings ever produced. Listening to _Essay for Orchestra No. 2_.


----------



## Guest

Joaquin Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










A new acquisition. Listening to _Symphony No. 10_. Very nice. Can't wait to hear how Schwarz did with _Autumn Music_.


----------



## millionrainbows

Strawinsky: Oeuvres pour Piano: Bernard Ringeissen, piano. Petrouchka, 4 Etudes Op.7, Tango, 2nd Sonate, 3 Pieces Faciles, Concerto for 2 pianos (Adès). 

This was a lucky find, one of those old out of print Adès French CDs. Got it for $5.99, it's going for $32.99 on Amazon, used. 
Bernard Ringeissen is truly a virtuoso, and gives the full treatment to Strawinsky. _Petroushka_ is lightning-fast, but fully articulated and crisp. This is the sort of playing you usually hear on Liszt, from some Russian virtuoso. It makes Strawinsky very enjoyable. Highly recommended, if you can find it, or afford it.


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Deux Marches Caractéristiques, D 968 B (886) -- [Four Hands]: Yaala Tal & Andreas Groethuysen

Dvořák: The Wood Dove, Op. 110 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Schubert: Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 -- Wilhelm Kempff

Bach: Prelude & Fugue in C, BWV 545 -- Helmut Walcha


----------



## Mahlerian

I'm busy comparing

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (Original Version)
Lahti Symphony, cond. Vanska

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (Revised version)
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## Feathers

Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6









One of my favourite string quartets.


----------



## Novelette

Feathers said:


> Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6
> 
> View attachment 18005
> 
> 
> One of my favourite string quartets.


The second movement is so passionate and turbulent, isn't it? I can't understand why Dvorak spoke so slightingly of these string quartets.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Wand's Cologne box set opened my ears to Bruckner's musical universe. To this day, I still prefer Wand over Karajan and Jochum. I do like Karajan's later Bruckner recordings for the simple fact that they're served by better audio. Jochum is just too rough and unsteady in Bruckner for my tastes. Anyway, this performance of _Symphony No. 6_ is top-notch.


----------



## lunchdress

Schnittke: Piano Quintet (1972,1973) - Constantine Orbelian, Moscow String Quartet









I originally got this CD for the Shostakovich, but fell in love with the Schnittke...


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Geminiani's Concerti Grossi.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

One composer I rarely see mentioned around here is Charles-Marie Widor. One of the most beautiful piano trios ever written is his Trio in B Flat Major. The melodies are moving and full of depth of feeling. The piano trio is coupled with his Piano Quintet in D Minor Op. 7 and also is quite a wonderful work. If you love chamber music then this album is a must have. This recording on Naxos can be had pretty inexpensively and would make a fine addition to anyone's library.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques - Myra Hess, piano


----------



## Air

*Jean-Baptiste Lully
Te Deum
Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet*

As a pianist, I've always thought that Rameau was the better of the two. On listening to more of Lully's music, however, I'm starting to think otherwise. His oeuvre is definitely more obscure, which is why I took so much longer to come around to it. He's probably the greatest composer of dramatic music in the Baroque era. I've only begun to scratched the surface of his ballets and comedies, but his motets and operas are masterful as well. The thing I like most about him - like Rameau, he's not afraid to have fun and entertain.


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> I'm busy comparing
> 
> Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (Original Version)
> Lahti Symphony, cond. Vanska
> 
> Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (Revised version)
> Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


Any huge differences? Is it largely improved by the revision?


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> Did someone say K.364?
> 
> View attachment 17999


I thought I heard it too, so I'm listening again right now!


----------



## Rapide




----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

*Dieterich Buxtehude* - Seven Sonatas Op 1 (*Hyperion*)









Convivium (Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin // Paul Nicholson, harpsichord // Richard Tunnicliffe cello)

*Terry Riley & Stefano Scodanibbio* ‎- Lazy Afternoon Among The Crocodiles (I Dischi Di Angelica)









Stefano Scodanibbio, double bass & Terry Riley, Ensoniq Ts 12 Synthesizer



Kevin Pearson said:


> One composer I rarely see mentioned around here is Charles-Marie Widor.


Being an Organ Buff I play him regularly!  And due to You bringing him up, I had to spin this disc!

*Charles Marie Widor* - Symphonies No 5 & 6 (BNL)









Olivier Latry on the Grand Organ at Notre Dame de Paris

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka 1679-1745): Trio Sonata No.2 in G Minor

Jana Brozkova and Vojtich Jouza, oboes -- Jaroslav Kubita, bassoon -- Vaclav Hoskovic, double bass -- Frantisek Xaver Thuri, harpsichord

View attachment 18016


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Moscheles' Sextet op.35 - Consortium Classicum


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Symphony No. 7
Comparing the Allegretto slow movement in these five recordings. Norrington, Klieber, Solti, Karajan (60s version), and P. Jarvi.
Looking for that pensive, unsettled emotion in my gut. I like the Klieber best. Karajan was close but tape hiss on that old recording pushed me away. Wish I had the 70s version.


----------



## ptr

repenting ..

*Olivier Messiaen* - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Teldec)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

/ptr


----------



## Kleinzeit

The omen for the day is whatever's on the tv's audio music channel: Stenhammar String Quartet Op. 18 played by the Gotland Quartet.

Good. Never heard this. 
It's intimate without needing to be loved. 
The Stenhammar set of symphonies & piano concertos with Järvi pere et fils is in the stack of box sets that came in the wake of tax refunds: Svetlanov's Miaskovsky complete symphonies, Downes & Sinaisky Glière box, Sanderling Magnard set, Muti Cherubini set, Collard Fauré piano works. Each one demands a devoted day, weekend. Week.


----------



## julianoq

My first listen of the Mass in F Minor by Bruckner, enjoying the Gloria movement at this moment.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Erik Satie's* (1866 - 1925) birthday, Ciccolini (rec.1966 - 1976).

View attachment 18025


----------



## millionrainbows

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Sonata in F minor Op.120, No. 1 for Viola and Piano; Sonata in E-flat Op.120, no. 2 for Viola and Piano; Barbara Westphal, viola; Ursula Oppens, piano (Bridge). Recorded in 1990.

If you can get past the horrific cover graphics, an intense mustard-yellow base, with an old B&W photo of the portly Brahms stuck on top (he'd really let himself go), supplied by an outfit called Brighton Typography, Ltd., then the music inside is well-worth it.

In the hands of the native West German violist Barbara Westphal, a member of the Delos Quartet from 1978-1985, and Julliard-trained Ursula Oppens, who usually devotes her energies to modern music, the results here are spectacular.

Both of these sonatas were originally inspired by, and written for, the clarinet, but were re-written for viola, which I much prefer. The viola's voice-like range and expressivity is perfect for these, as opposed to the clarinet, which always seems out-of-tune (flat) to me, not to mention "tight" and squeaky sounding.

Now that my clarinetophobia is off my chest, I feel these chamber works are a "key" into Brahms' emotional being, being very sensual and rich. They tell me that "developing variation" is taking place here, but I don't explicitly hear it, except maybe as a sense of continuity and organic unity.
All in all, highly recommended. A lot of these Bridge titles can be gotten at Berkshire for dirt-cheap (no shipping, either).


----------



## Sonata

Haydn: Symphony #44
Beethoven: Piano sonatas #25, 30, 31


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> I feel these chamber works are a "key" into Brahms' emotional being, being very sensual and rich. They tell me that "developing variation" is taking place here, but I don't explicitly hear it, except maybe as a sense of continuity and organic unity.
> All in all, highly recommended.


Works for me too, with his cello sonata in e-minor. It's my _conversion _music to Brahms...


----------



## ptr

*Witold Lutoslawski *- Orchestral Works Vol 1 (Chandos)
(Symphony No. 3 (1981-83) // Chain 3 (1986) // Concerto for Orchestra (1950-54))









BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Edward Gardner

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Kieran said:


> Works for me too, with his cello sonata in e-minor. It's my _conversion _music to Brahms...


I was listening to this Brahms in my pickup truck, driving towards Damascus, Texas, when suddenly a bright light appeared, and I had to pull over...:lol:


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> I was listening to this Brahms in my pickup truck, driving towards Damascus, Texas, when suddenly a bright light appeared, and I had to pull over...:lol:


Yeah, that classical music is definitely highly influenced by the Church...


----------



## Guest

Been diggin Schubert's last sonatas lately. Give me those over any of Beethoven's piano sonatas, any day.


----------



## ptr

*Gösta Nystroem* - Sinfonia del mare / Songs by the Sea / The Tempest prelusde (Musica Sucia)









Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo; Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ladies from the Swedish Radio Choir u. Evgenij Svetlanov

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

I spent last three hours listening to the new rawk album by The National - love it - but now it's down the serious bidness. Friend Mahlerian has a blog that should be called *Malaria *cos it's so contagious. So now again I delve into Gustav's nethers and listen to the Fifth, to be followed by act 1 of Figaro, and later the disparate violin sonatas of one Wolfgang Mozart...

:tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> Any huge differences? Is it largely improved by the revision?


The scoring is quite different, and the first movement of the revision is two movements in the original which proceed without pause (in much the same way). The biggest differences are in the finale, which is several minutes longer. The first appearance of the "swan call" theme has a rude interjection from a trumpet in a different key altogether and it is generally a darker-hued and more troubled movement. Finally, the ending chords are not interspersed with silence, but with string tremolos.

I'd say the revision is better, but the original is interesting.


----------



## millionrainbows

Arthur Berger (1912-2003); The Complete Orchestral Music; Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Gil Rose, conductor (New World).

Wow, this is a revelation! I had previously heard of Arthur Berger only from the Acoustic Research-sponsored new music project (promoted by Stereo Review magazine at $1.99 each), on pristine vinyl pressings on the DG label. What a bargain! The pieces there were _Septet _and_ 5 Pieces for Piano._

This disc, with 5 short works each under 15 minutes, contains Berger's entire orchestral output, the reason being that he admitted disliking the "politicking" involved in getting orchestral commissions (reminds me of Frank Zappa). But what a treasure it is!

Ideas of Order (1952) 
Perspectives II (1985) 
Serenade Concertante (1944, rev. 1951)
Prelude, Aria and Waltz (1982)
Polyphony (1956)

If blindfolded, I'd say this was Stravinsky, but a more abstract version. It shows definite neo-classical features, but also uses serial procedures. It sounds very American, like Copland, in places; like Stravinsky in others; like Milton Babbitt in other ways (probably only I can hear this), hints of Webern, and curiously, tonal features (in _Ideas of Order_) reminiscent of Lejaren Hiller's computer-composed _Illiac Suite.

Very pleasant listening, highest recommendation. _The surface textures are always interesting, and the orchestration is superb. How could it not be, after comparisons with Stravinsky?

I'm glad I found this one (used $5.99), and I'll be getting more of his music just as soon as possible!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles
London Sinfonietta, Salonen
CBS cassette tape on a boombox with dodgy speakers over two hours working in the garden.

I know there are those who are allergic to Messiaen, I suspect for ideological reasons. I can't hear any specific milieu divin in the music. Hearing it cold, without a title it wouldn't be there. If I hear anything it's the fluency of an artist whose metaphysics is the 1% inspiration to his 99% perspiration. That's a creative mode I can get behind. 
Messiaen just sounds so good! It was Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, for women's chorus, piano, ondes martenot, percussion & strings conducted by Bernstein with the NY Philharmonic that first convinced me.


----------



## ptr

Kleinzeit said:


> I know there are those who are allergic to Messiaen, I suspect for ideological reasons.


Ideological?, please explain! Some people don't seem know what is good for them!  ..Love OM's music, but tonight I'm still on the Polish beat:

*Witold Lutoslawski* - Orchestral Works Vol 2 (*Chandos*)
(Symphonic Variations (1936-38) // Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1987-88) // Variations on a Theme of Paganini (1978) // Symphony No. 4 (1988-92))









Louis Lortie piano; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Edward Gardner

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

Last night: Mozart Violin sonatas
Right now: Brahms wonderful clarinet trio


----------



## Kieran

K304, violin sonata in e-minor, Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## Kleinzeit

ptr said:


> Ideological?, please explain! Some people don't seem know what is good for them!
> 
> Yeah, I was recalling Norman Lebrecht's takedown from five years ago. (don't want to link to url in case the bots take it as spam. Googling Lebrecht + Messiaen will get it, but don't bother). I was assuming the formula "one letter to the editor = 3 to 5 unspoken opinions".
> 
> He says. for instance,
> 
> "What Messiaen preaches, however, is that there is only one truth, one way to redemption, the road to Rome. Take it, or be damned. This, to a citizen of our multicultural century, to a descendant of French Jews who endured crusades, Church-driven expulsions and genocide, is frankly unacceptable if not downright offensive."
> 
> And the spleen continues from there. Simmer, Norman. I don't think you're the target.
> 
> 'Preaching' is where I disagree. Art making via classicism, method, hierarchy, structure, math, pyramid-building, one-right-way-to-ensure-the-supremacy-of-German-music-for-the-next-century is a perfectly cromulent mode of creativity. But it's only one among other, equally valid ones. There's not just Rome in art, there's Schenectady all over the place. The Father-God-Classicist creators often have a blind spot about that. But I think Messiaen beats that rap.
> 
> Meanwhile, haven't heard that Nystroem since late last fall.


----------



## julianoq

Listening for the first time to Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra! Liking it a lot.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kleinzeit said:


> "What Messiaen preaches, however, is that there is only one truth, one way to redemption, the road to Rome. Take it, or be damned. This, to a citizen of our multicultural century, to a descendant of French Jews who endured crusades, Church-driven expulsions and genocide, is frankly unacceptable if not downright offensive."


Lebrecht never ceases to amaze me with his inanities...

Seriously, does it mean nothing to him that many if not most of Messiaen's most trusted interpreters were non-Christian (Boulez and Ozawa, among others)?

Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces
London Philharmonic, cond. Jurowski

On a DVD I have. I think it's a very good performance of a piece that's incredibly demanding on everyone involved...


----------



## Crudblud

Olivier Messiaen - _Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine_ (Chung)


----------



## julianoq

Crudblud said:


> Olivier Messiaen - _Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine_ (Chung)


Great reminder of a Messiaen work that I haven't listen yet, I will listen to it when I finish the Concerto for Orchestra!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 21.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: String Quintet, D.956, with Haimowitz/Miro Qt. (rec.2003); Piano Sonatas, D.959, 784, 157, with Lupu (rec.1970).

View attachment 18037
View attachment 18038


----------



## NightHawk

ON THE ROAD #1 - TODAY IN THE CAR








DUBRAVKA TOMSIC, pianist - a quote from Amazon reviewer Larry VanDeSande, with whom I am in total agreement: _It is impossible to overestimate this magnificent CD of essential Bach keyboard music from 60-something pianist Dubravka Tomsic (tom-SCHICK), a former student of Rubinstein that is more well-known for her concertizing than her recordings, which are few in number but consistently high in quality. No recording from Tomsic -- and few recordings in the entire Bach canon -- match the magnificence displayed in this CD._ (end quote). I listened to it twice through - contains among other works the Partita No. 1 in Bb and the Toccata in D Major.

and







this is also a very wonderful recording. Vastly better than Alexandre Tharaud's (in my opinion 

and the Roger Reynold's album I mentioned here a few days ago. I really like the cosmic quality of his music, much influenced, I think, by Toru Takemitsu and Elliott Carter.

(yes, I added a whole stack of other stuff to the first road trip grouping


----------



## NightHawk

Don't know those recordings, but would like to know (if you have it) how they compare to Bernstein's 5th (and 7th) with Vienna - a favorite recording of mine in the Sibelius Room. (lol)



Mahlerian said:


> I'm busy comparing
> 
> Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (Original Version)
> Lahti Symphony, cond. Vanska
> 
> Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (Revised version)
> Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## Mahlerian

NightHawk said:


> Don't know those recordings, but would like to know (if you have it) how they compare to Bernstein's 5th (and 7th) with Vienna - a favorite recording of mine in the Sibelius Room. (lol)


I don't know it, I'm sorry.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Quartet No. 15.
*


----------



## Guest

I read that Beethoven (when taking a look at some Schubert _lied_) said something along the lines that Schubert had the 'divine spark' of creativity. This, as far as I can recall, was reported by Schindler, so perhaps needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Still, it has a ring of truth to it. I wonder, then, if LvB ever read through any of Schubert's string quartets such as the one Manxfeeder has posted just above?


----------



## Guest

Going through all of Shosty's Concertos...
Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Dmitri Alexeev
Violin Concertos 1 & 2, Maxim Vengerov
Cello Concertos 1 & 2, Mischa Maisky


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez

Boulez: Rituel in Memorium Bruno Maderna
BBC Symphony, cond. Boulez

And then something a little less morbid...

Debussy: Images
Boston Symphony, cond. Tilson-Thomas


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _L'ascension_. There's not a lot of Messiaen I enjoy, but _L'ascension_ is one of his most gorgeous orchestral works.


----------



## Novelette

"Corrupt" or not, these are pure, unadulterated genius:

Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 -- Murray Perahia

Stravinsky: L'Oiseau de Feu -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Mendelssonhn: Ein Sommernachtsraum, Op. 61 -- Kurt Masur: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Kakadu_. Awesome work.


----------



## geve

This morning, listened to a TV recording - Andris Nelsons conduct the Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra- John Adams Slonimsky's Earbox, Stravinsky's Song of the Nightingale and the New World Symphony by Dvorak. This conductor enjoys what he is doing-always smiling and very spirited conducting.......and the orchestra, superb.


----------



## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* _Symphony #5, "Reformation"_
- London SO under Cesare Cantieri

*Liszt* 
_Years of Pilgrimage - Selections from Second Year, Italy:
Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (#5)
Apres une lecture du Dante, Fantasia quasi sonata (#7)
Sposalizio (#1)
Venezia e Napoli - Gondoliera, Canzone, Tarantella_
- Stephanie McCallum, piano

*Mozart*
_Serenata Notturna, K239
Ein Musikalischer Spass (A Musical Joke), K522_
- Vienna Mozart Ens. under Willi Boskovsky


----------



## PetrB

Stravinsky:
Von Himmel Hoch Variations





Octet for winds


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2_. Fantastic music and performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques - Alfred Cortot, pianio (1929)

perhaps also the Schumann Carnival and the Chopin Etudes on this set


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to Katsaris!!










http://audaud.com/2013/02/piano-rarities-vol-3-transcriptions-of-works-by-khachaturian-rachmaninov-borodin-tchaikovsky-karlowicz-r-strauss-cyprien-katsaris-piano-21/
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Piano+21/P21045










http://www.brilliantclassics.com/release.aspx?id=FM00425573


----------



## Kieran

#9, Jeffrey Tate conducting the English Chamber Orchestra, Mitsuko at the wheel...


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Phantasiestucke, Op. 12*

Some Schumann Piano music for me this evening too  - I recieved the first of my big Schumann boxes yesterday and have finished ripping it to iTunes and listening to selections from it most of the day. I didnt own a lot of Schumann before so many of the works are new to me - I was particularly impressed by the Violin Concerto which I heard for the first time today and also the Ghost Variations for Piano. A pretty positive start to this box then - some of the recordings are in Mono or Live cuts so im glad I got the DG box as well for an alternative take on these works.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Rossini's Stabat Mater, powerfully performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Carlo Maria Giulini. The orchestra in which I play will be performing it a couple of weeks from now.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bax's Clarinet Sonata - Michael Collins, clarinet, Michael McHale, piano


----------



## ptr

*Witold Lutoslawski* - Orchestral Works Vol 3 (*Chandos*)
(Mala suita (1950) // Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1969-70) // Grave (1982) Metamorphoses for Cello and String Orchestra; Orchestration by the composer of version for Cello and Piano (1981) // Symphony No. 2 (1965-67))









Paul Watkins, cello; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Edward Gardner

/ptr


----------



## Guest

When I listen to Mozart, there is no doubt in me that his talent was divinely granted. The "Gran Partita" is among those pieces of absolute perfection that bring to me a sense of oneness with the universe. Thank you, God, for my friend Mozart.


----------



## ptr

Mr Crudblud made me do it! 

*Olivier Messiaen* - Trois Petites Liturgies de la présence divine / Couleurs de la Cité Céleste / Hymne au Saint-Sacrement (DG)









Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Myung-Whun Chung

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Becker (1623-1697): Trio Sonata No.26 in A Major

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, bass viol -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord

View attachment 18053


----------



## ptr

*Witold Lutoslawski* - Orchestral Works Vol 4 (*Chandos*)
(Symphony No. 1 (1941-47) // Partita (1988) for Violin and Orchestra with Piano obbligato Chain 2 (1984-85) // Preludia taneczne (1955))









Tasmin Little, violin; Michael Collins, clarinet; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Edward Gardner

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

16th century Italian madrigals by various composers on texts by Petrarch
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul van Nevel








Michael Finnissy: Second String Quartet
Kreutzer Quartet








Stefan Wolpe: Quintet with Voice (1957)
Jan Opalach, bass-baritone
Speculum Musicae/William Purvis


----------



## anshuman

Great music


----------



## millionrainbows

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Le Sacre du Printemps (1913); Jorge Mester, Pasadena Symphony; binaural recording 1997 (Newport Classic Auracle).

I picked this up used for $5.99. It's a gold disc; and whattayouknow, it's out-of-print and going for $342.09 on Amazon. Ha ha haaa!!

Jorge Mester is of Hungarian descent, born in 1935 in Mexico City. He did a lot of work with the Louisville Symphony on that First Edition series, so he's got good "modernist" cred in my book.

Being born in Mexico, I suppose the idea of human sacrifice is one that maestro Mester is right at home with (those Mayan rascals!). The tempo here is slightly slower than I'm used to, but, like James Levine often does, it somehow works at bringing out more detail in certain passages.

This recording is fantastic, especially on headphones. If you've never tried a binaural recording, you should. The instruments appear to be outside your head, rather than inside. On speakers, the effect is of a very directional, deep, and detailed soundstage. Additionally, the recording is completely uncompressed, so it has vast dynamic range. To hear the quiet parts, you have to turn it way up; consequently, the loud parts are really loud!

I haven't gotten chills off this piece in a great while, but in part II, The Sacrifice: Introduction, about 1:00 in, when the brass plays that weird chord that recurs 3 or 4 times, it sounded so sinister and detailed that I got the chill effect. Whoa!


----------



## anshuman

Did not listen to these versions before


----------



## EricABQ

Horowitz playing Scarlatti.


----------



## DaveS

Arrau/Davis...Beethoven 4th(Philips)...Not sure. Arrau may want to take off, but the tempo seems restrained.


----------



## Kleinzeit

music channel on tv morning oracle: 
Tartini Violin Sonata in G minor-- Devil's Trill Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà

indicates a day to live up to (flashes maloiks).

Messiaen Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine
Chung DGG Orchestral Works set

from Wiki: The piece was well received by the public, but the critics reacted more harshly. The work sparked a controversy which came to be known as "The Messiaen Affair". The two primary points of contention were "the quality and relevance of Messiaen's commentaries" and the use of "unusual sounds" for expressing religious themes. Claude Rostand responded particularly vehemently, describing the work as a "work of tinsel, false magnificence and pseudo-mysticism, this work with dirty nails and clammy hands, with bloated complexion and unhealthy flab, replete with noxious matter, looking about anxiously like an angel wearing lipstick."

Hey! I resemble that remark!

Next: Borodin Stranger in Paradise String Quartet
Moscow String Quartet Brilliant Classics

Enescu Octet Op. 7 Alcan Quartet
on tv audio


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Sonata in F minor Op.120, No. 1 for Viola and Piano; Sonata in E-flat Op.120, no. 2 for Viola and Piano; Barbara Westphal, viola; Ursula Oppens, piano (Bridge). Recorded in 1990.
> 
> If you can get past the horrific cover graphics, an intense mustard-yellow base, with an old B&W photo of the portly Brahms stuck on top (he'd really let himself go), supplied by an outfit called Brighton Typography, Ltd., then the music inside is well-worth it.
> 
> In the hands of the native West German violist Barbara Westphal, a member of the Delos Quartet from 1978-1985, and Julliard-trained Ursula Oppens, who usually devotes her energies to modern music, the results here are spectacular.
> 
> Both of these sonatas were originally inspired by, and written for, the clarinet, but were re-written for viola, which I much prefer. The viola's voice-like range and expressivity is perfect for these, as opposed to the clarinet, which always seems out-of-tune (flat) to me, not to mention "tight" and squeaky sounding.
> 
> Now that my clarinetophobia is off my chest, I feel these chamber works are a "key" into Brahms' emotional being, being very sensual and rich. They tell me that "developing variation" is taking place here, but I don't explicitly hear it, except maybe as a sense of continuity and organic unity.
> All in all, highly recommended. A lot of these Bridge titles can be gotten at Berkshire for dirt-cheap (no shipping, either).


Sold! My most-listened-to Brahms outside the syms but never heard the version for viola. Filling a true gap. Not cheap around here. The Oppens & Westphal is held hostage by crazy Amazon Canada prices. I ordered the Naxos one with Roberto Diaz & Jeremy Denk


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Carl Goldmark (18 May 1830-1915): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.8

Fourth Dimension String Quartet: Sophie Langdon and Marjorie Hodge, violins -- Catherine Musker, viola -- Miriam Lowbury, cello

View attachment 18062


----------



## DaveS

Went on with the Emperor with Arrau and Davis. A little more palatible(sp/)


----------



## Skilmarilion

Giving a listen to some previously unheard recordings ...

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major, "Symphony of a Thousand" (Mariss Jansons, Royal Concertgebouw)

*Schumann* - Piano Concerto in A minor (Nelson Freire, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Webern, 6 Bagatelles, String Quartet, 5 Pieces - Berg Quartet.

Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 - Furtwangler.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s Symphony No.95-104


----------



## MagneticGhost

Shostakovich - Piano Concertos


----------



## DavidA

Mozart piano concerto 25 Argerich Lugano 2012


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> Shostakovich - Piano Concertos


What soloist/conductor/orchestra?


----------



## Kleinzeit

Opened my newly arrived set of Viktor Kalabis symphonies & concertos on Supraphon.









Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia pacis" for Large Orchestra Op. 18
Concerto No. 1 for Violin & Orchestra Op. 17
Symphonic Variations for Large Orchestra Op. 24

Prague Symphony Orchestra, Kalabis conducting.

Concerto for Large Orchestra  Op. 25

Czech Philharmonic, Bělohlávek

Hearing it you'd say, that's Martinů, right? There's so much of his that's unheard. And Kalabis was Martinů's top supporter. 
But it's also got some of the warm severity of Joonas Kokkonen, something of the disconcerting Finnish trait of never smiling even when they're obviously happy, cracking jokes. The symphony 2 isn't lighthearted, though. It was written during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The first mvt. of Concerto for Large Orchestra oughtta have been picked up by Emerson Lake & Palmer. It's large indeed, & loud.

In Kalabis there's a sense of a man insistent on making his own sound. Cutting his own brush, ploughing his own furrow, both on old man Bach's property and on the contemporary fields where he could wave to Stravinsky and Bartok. And chat directly over the hedgerow to Martinů.


----------



## millionrainbows

Amy Beach (1867-1944): Dark Garden: Songs, Violin Pieces, & Piano Music; D'Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Silverstein, violin; Virginia Eskin, piano (Northeastern 1988).

I have some of Amy Beach's other piano music, and got this for the set of 5 flower-pieces _From Grandmother's Garden, Op.97 (1922),_ which I heard on the radio.

She is America's first well-known female composer of symphonic music, a child prodigy from Boston. There is an old-world quality to this music, if you have that "grandmother" connection, you will know what I mean; the last of the old era before interstate highways and McDonald's took over. Her output is quite large, over 120 Op. numbers.


----------



## Kieran

I know I'm predictable: beat me with a stick. I'm cooking again, what could be more obvious than that? And after the feed, the few drinks in town. To whet the appetite, there will be first the doyen, and after, the stalwart. The doyen being #20, grumbling into a low-bass existence before the tremendous ejaculation of strings.

The stalwart is #21, which gains ground in a marching beat, and runs the gamut throughout, from doleful clouds at noon to late night bright summer skies. A majestic, unimpeachable C-major tour de force.

Mitsuko on the stool, Jeffrey Tate tapping the desk for attention, the English Chamber Orchestra swinging into action. Let's eat!


----------



## bejart

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Scheherazade, Op.35

Yuri Temikanov conducting the New York Philharmonic

View attachment 18069


----------



## lunchdress

I'm having one of those weird "It's Great To Be Alive!" Saturday mornings so I've listened to Beethoven's 9th - twice:

First Furtwangler 








then Walter








I think it's going to be symphonies all day today!

Next up is Bruckner 8, I only have Kubelik conducting and I think I will have to get another version soon...


----------



## Neo Romanza

lunchdress said:


> Next up is Bruckner 8, I only have Kubelik conducting and I think I will have to get another version soon...
> View attachment 18073


Two words for you: Gunter Wand.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _La course de printemps_. An excellent performance. As good if not better than I remembered.


----------



## lunchdress

Neo Romanza said:


> Two words for you: Gunter Wand.


Ha ha thank you! I had my eye on Wand and also Haitink.. maybe two versions are in my near future


----------



## Neo Romanza

lunchdress said:


> Ha ha thank you! I had my eye on Wand and also Haitink.. maybe two versions are in my near future


Definitely checkout either Wand's Berliner or Cologne recording. Both are fantastic and you can't go wrong with either performance.


----------



## lunchdress

Neo Romanza said:


> Definitely checkout either Wand's Berliner or Cologne recording. Both are fantastic and you can't go wrong with either performance.


Thank you I most definitely will!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Stabat Mater.*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently:










I'm still focused on alternative recordings of old beloved favorites... or music by beloved composers that I simply never got around to picking up... for whatever reason. Perhaps I'm simply too tied up and busy at work and with my own art work right now to put forth the effort on music that is really "new" to me. Perhaps it is also the fact that with some 3000+ discs I've reached a saturation level for the time being where I want to spend more time further absorbing what I already have and know.

Recently:


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1767-1798): String Quartet in A Major

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Jane Oldham, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello

View attachment 18077


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Other recent listening experiences:


----------



## cwarchc

Onto the big M today
Unfortunately I got the first couple of discs many years ago, when I didn't have a clue about "classical" music.
I can't find an image of the cd? but it's on the Pickwick label (very cheap compiliation) doesn't even mention which orchestra or composer?
The second one is a little better.
It's a disc from this set







Concert for clariner and orchestra kv622 & symphonies kv16 & 18
Then it was a later acquisition, spinning as I write this








Then the last one today will be this


----------



## DaveS

Franck...Symphonic Variations. Gerard Hengeveld, soloist, Eduard van Beinum, Concertgebouw. Nice.


----------



## Novelette

Today is a Thomas Tallis day

Tallis: Mass for Four Voices
Tallis: Mass: Puer natus est nobis
Tallis: Gaude gloriosa

Performed by Alistair Dixon: Chapelle du Roi


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Varese, Nocturnal* and *Deserts.*


----------



## Guest

Mozart, K375 and K388. Serenades Nos. 11 & 12 for wind octet.
Holliger Wind Ensemble.
I always think of these as sequels to the great "Gran Partita".


----------



## SimonNZ

Dufay's Missa Ecce Ancilla Domini - Schola Cantorum Stuttgart


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): String Quintet in B Minor, Op.69

New Haydn Quartet with Sandor Papp on 2nd viola: Janos Horvath and Peter Sarosi, violins -- Gyorgy Porzsolt, viola -- Gabor Magyar, cello

View attachment 18087


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphony No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 97, "Rhenish"*

Listening to selections from Sony's Schumann box again today: Symphony No. 3, Piano Sonatas (all 3), Carnaval, Concertos, Violin Sonatas, Requiem and Requiem Fur Mignon and maybe some of the Lieder too


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Outstanding performance. Such atmospheric music.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, with Pressler/ESQ (rec.1993); Violin Sonatas, with Kremer & Argerich (rec.1985); Piano Works, with Lupu (rec.1993).

View attachment 18089
View attachment 18090
View attachment 18091


----------



## SimonNZ

Ockeghem's Missa Au Travail Suis - Tallis Scholars


----------



## Conor71

^^That post caused a CDCDCD flare up Neo! - just picked up all the Koechlin recordings on Marco Polo for not bad prices from Zoverstocks


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Flute Concerto in C Major, Op.6, No.1

Michael Schneider leading La Stagione Frankfurt -- Karl Kaiser, flute

View attachment 18095


----------



## Kieran

Figaro.

Karl Bohm histrionic in the pit...


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade in G Major, KV 525, 'Eine kliene Nachtmusik'

Florian Heyerick leading the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim

View attachment 18096


----------



## Schubussy

Witold Lutosławski - Concerto for Orchestra
Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## jurianbai

Listen to this relax violin and piano music by Kreisler, not to mentioned his rather heavy string quartet in A minor.


















On this page, I share the same disc with Louis Spohr quintets and Abel' Flute concertos above. Happy listening and weekend!


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra) - Max Pommer, cond.


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening. Full run down again:

*Weber*
_Euryanthe - Overture
Aufforderung zum Tanz (arr. Hector Berlioz)_
- Vienna PO under Horst Stein

Starting with some orchestral showpieces by* Weber. *_The Invitation to the Dance, _originally a piano piece here in orchestrated form, is a story in music of a ballroom scene. The gentleman asks the lady for a dance, she obliges and they dance to what must be Weber's most famous tune, and then he thanks her and puts her back into her seat, ready for the next guy to ask her for the next dance. Berlioz, who orchestrated this piece so brilliantly, admired Weber (as did Liszt and Wagner). I would think there are parallels between them, the most obvious one being the ballroom scene in _Symphonie Fantastique,_ which etches a similar narrative, albeit more intense and kind of dreamlike.

*Beethoven*
_Symphony #8_
- Vienna PO under Claudio Abbado

On to the coupling of the cd I listened to last week. *Beethoven's* 8th symphony is an optimistic and short piece, but its lightness belies the innovations hidden within. The famous second movement with its constantly changing rhythms shows Beethoven playfully exhibiting his use of the then newly invented metronome. The symphony also has no slow movement, which is quite unusual, and its among Beethoven's shortest symphonies. But the first movement is one of his most imaginative reworkings of traditional sonata form, showing that innovation need not go hand in hand with angst or 'sturm und drang.'

*Respighi*
_Pines of Rome (Pini di Roma)
The Birds (Gli Uccelli)
Fountains of Rome (Fontane di Roma)_
- Atlanta SO under Louis Lane

Continuing with *Respighi, *three of his works bringing images and colours so easily to the mind. I feel there must be some connection with Mussorgsky's _Picture at an Exhibition, _in terms of the catacombs movement of _Pines of Rome_ and the hens bit of_ The Birds._ Respighi studied in Russia under Rimsky-Korsakov, who of course arranged Mussorgsky's works and knew him personally, so I'd think that the parallel there isn't coincidental.

Incidentally, an innovation here is the first incorporation of a phonograph recording in a piece of orchestral music. Recorded bird song of the nightingale appears at the end of the third movement of_ Pines of Rome,_ and it is accompanied by the muted violins and harp. This is music of great delicacy and it comes across as quite natural and 'real' in a sense, the recording fits quite nicely into this orchestral backdrop.

From "Sonatas for violin" double album on Eloquence
*Hindemith* _Sonatas for Solo Violin 1 & 2, Op. 31_
*Prokofiev* _Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 115_
- Ruggiero Ricci, violin

Wrapping it all up with a return to this set of violin sonatas, most of them unaccompanied, which I'm going thru slowly every weekend.

*Hindemith's* sonatas are a joy to hear, they come across as being quite light and relaxing. But that doesn't mean they sound easy to play - some of the passages here, especially the quick ones and one of the movements being entirely in pizzicato, sound like hell to play for the violinist. At the end of the second solo sonata, Hindemith pays homage to Mozart, quoting a tune from Wolfie's final piano concerto (which Wolfie himself had recycled from a song of his, "Komm, lieber mai").

*Prokofiev's* solo violin sonata one is also in a light mood and without the usual irony or sarcasm. Basically what you got here is some quite sweet sounding melodies - indeed, the middle slow movement is marked _Andante dolce._

This set has been a joy to explore and I plan to finish this traversal of it next weekend, as well as listen to Bruckner's 2nd symphony on cd with the Weber showpieces. That will complete my survey of Bruckner's cycle which I started earlier this year and did most weekends. It's been great all round.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## opus55

Schubert: Overtures in D, D.590 and in C, D.591
Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E flat


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18099
> 
> 
> Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra) - Max Pommer, cond.


You know how I feel about birds in CM. But after a glass or two of Reserva Malbec, it gets a like.


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: String Quartet #2 in C -- Melos Quartet

Beethoven: Symphony #8 in F, Op. 93 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Debussy: Estampes, L 100 -- Alexis Weissenberg

Stamitz, Carl:Viola Concerto in D, Op.1 -- Dimitri Demetriades; Tabea Zimmermann: European Union Chamber Orchestra

Dandrieu: Pieces de Clavecin -- Iakovos Pappas

Berlioz: Beatrice et Benedict Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden

Umstatt: Concerto for Violin, Basso Continuo, and Strings in G -- Petra Csaplarova; Miloš Valent: Solamente Naturali Bratislava

A very fine evening!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, Symphony No.2 in E Minor and C Major {sic}* *and Symphony No.3.* All three symphonies are performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the wand of David Lloyd-Jones.
Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.1 in F Major and Symphony No.2 in G Minor, Op.34, *both featuring the Neeme Jarvi led Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1, *rendered by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Niklas Wilten at its helm.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Quatre Chants Pour Franchair Le Seuil - Sylvain Cambreling, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Some frightening stuff.  Excellent performance.


----------



## presto

Georg Benda Piano sonatas
Really nice CD, I found this second hand at a charity fair. 
The music is very much like CPE Bach but a little less quirky.
Played on a period piano too, lovely sound.


----------



## Feathers

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 26









Getting my regular dose of Mozart's piano concertos.


----------



## Conor71

Still making my way through the Schumann box but I slotted in a few other things throughout the day for a bit of variation:
(the A-SM with HVK Disc is a new one - wow!)


----------



## SimonNZ

"Robin et Marion, Libre Vermell etc: Secular Music c.1300" - Early Music Quartet

a group soon to be renamed Studio Der Fruhen Misik


----------



## maestro57

Scarlatti's Harpsichord Sonatas (currently K. 259).

Edit: played by Robert Woolley


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Variations on Tändeln und Scherzen WoO76 - Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## anshuman

Great Conducting From Tennstedt


----------



## anshuman

Wanted to listen to this version for a long time


----------



## ptr

The morning trio:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Visions de l'Amen (Montaigne/Naive OOP?)









Maarten Bon & Reinbert de Leeuw, piano

*Edgar Varèse* - Boulez conducts Varese (DG)
(Amériques // Arcana // Déserts // Ionisation)









Chicago Symphony Orchestra u. Pierre Boulez

*Sergei Lyapunov* - Symphony No 2 & Zelazowa Wola (*Melodia*)









USSR Symphony Orchestra u. Evgeni Svetlanov

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Tempus Ex Machina - Ensemble S


----------



## Arsakes

*Bruckner*'s Symphony No.2 and 8


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Cello Suite No.2 in D Minor, BWV 1008

Jaap ter Linden, cello

View attachment 18112


----------



## Kleinzeit

Morning tv audio oracle: RVW The Lark Ascending by someone Canadian (the caption is always cut off after so many characters. This one says The Lark Asc )
Ha! The wind howls in from the sea with snow squalls. May snow is good rubbed in the eyes, or maybe that's castor oil, my folklore's got rusty. It's winter again but I've put all the Mussorgsky & Rimsky on a top shelf out of easy reach. Need burning coal music stat!

Head to studio & start with this


----------



## Schubussy

Bartók - Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 1
James Ehnes, Andrew Armstrong


----------



## millionrainbows

Jan DeGaetani (1933-1989) in Concert, Vol. 1 (Bridge BCD 9023): 

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): La Chanson d'Ève, Op.95 (1906); Lee Luvisi, piano; recorded 1981 

Jacob Druckman (1928-1996): Dark Upon the Harp (1961-62); The American Brass Quintet; Jacob Druckman, cond; recorded 1988

Jan DeGaetanti, mezzo-soprano, was known for her wide range, precise pitch, clear tone, and command of extended techniques. She sang in many George Crumb works, including the definitive version of his Madrigals; and was very involved in recordings of modern works by Varése, Schoenberg, Elliott Carter, Copland, and others. She worked with pianist Gilbert Kalish on many crucial recordings of modern works.


----------



## millionrainbows

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Wigmore Hall Live Archive (BBC RADIO): 

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): _Four Lieder from Goethe's Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre Op.98a (1849)_

Johaness Brahms (1833-1897): _8 Songs Op.57 (1867-71) (Daumer)_

These Op.57 songs are undeniably the most overtly sensual, even explicit, of Brahms' output. His friends were opposed to their being performed, deeming them 'not suitable for family entertainment.'

"Unbewegte laue Luft" is the most egregious of the bunch, according to the booklet notes.

Additionally, the liner notes also declare that nineteenth-century sensibilities were offended by the imagery in _Die Schur, die Perl' an Perle: 
_
_"That necklace, pearl on pearl, ranged around your neck, how happily it rocks upon your fair breast! Endowed with mind and soul, elated with ecstacy, this is delight for the gods," _which the notes say seems "innocuous" today.

The imagery of a pearl necklace lost all its innocence for me in 1981, with the release of ZZ Top's _El Loco_ and its song _Pearl Necklace._ I'll leave it to your imagination (or see WIK) as to what this "pearl necklace" is in reference to. Brahms, you naughty boy!

Needless to say, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's singing is spectacular, and only underscores the tragedy of her untimely death.


----------



## ptr

_*Organ Afternoon:*_

*Great European Organs No 68*: Organ of Fulda Cathedral, Germany (*Priory*)









Keith John, Organ

*Charles-Marie Widor* - Organ Symphonies No 2 & No 8 (*Bis*)









Hans Fagius @ the Åkerman & Lund organ of Kallio Church, Helsinki, Finland

*György Ligeti* - Ricercare Per Organo // *Claude Vivier* - Les Communiantes // *Bernard Cavanna* - Jodl // *Giacinto Scelsi* - In Nomine Lucis // *Jacques Lenot* - Livre D'Orgue, Extrait V // *Jeannine Richer* - Orgue 88, Fragment Minéral // *Arvo Pärt* - Pari Intervallo (*ADDA*)









Pierre Bousseau ‎Au Grand Orgue De La Cathédrale Notre-Dame Du Harve

*Bengt Hambraeus* - Missa pro organo ; a portrait of Bengt Hambraeus ; vol 3 (MAP OOP?)
(Missa pro organo in memoriam Olivier Messiaen, vers. a // Missa per organo in memoriam Olivier Messiaen, vers. b // Liturgia pro organo // Triptyque)









Hans Hellsten @ the organ of Redpath Hall of McGill University, Montréal, Canada

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Willaert, Missa Christus Resurgens. Jeremy Summerly directing.


----------



## NightHawk

DAY 3 -







- I bought this boxed set a couple of years ago and have never regretted it. Antal Dorati, is another favorite conductor and these sparkle. I don't know what I'd do w/o Haydn. The Symphony #88, neither Paris nor London, is a great work - the minuet (trio section) has the wonderful drone-bagpipe section. Off road for a week, nice to be w music lovers.


----------



## Arsakes

*R.Schumann*'s Symphony No.2

One of the hard to get symphonies that now I find interesting.


----------



## ptr

*Ingvar Lindholm* - Music for Strings // *Thomas Jennefelt* - Stockholm in May // *Bengt Hambræus* Labyrith: A Concerto Grosso (*Caprice*)









Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet (2); Musica Vitae u. Peter Csaba

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's Fifth, Bruno Walter conducting...


----------



## Schubussy

Beethoven - Violin Concerto & Violin Romances
Christian Tetzlaff, David Zinman, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Violin Concerto_. For me, this is this concerto's greatest performance. This is a no ego interpretation. There's a true musical narrative happening between the soloist and conductor. Other recent performances of this concerto I heard was Janine Jansen/P. Jarvi and that was a very good performance but it doesn't match the interpretative value of the Marwood/Volkov. Jansen/Jarvi may have the better orchestra (the LSO), but the BBC Scottish SO seem much more interested in the music and this could be due to their unfamiliarity with the work. This is just a fresh, exciting performance all the way through.


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Piano Concertos #12, K414, and #14, K449, Louis Lortie
This must be a pretty low-budget production based on the black and white paste-up cover. The picture looks suspiciously like a harsichord to me, but the recording sounds like a fairly modern piano. Overall it's a fine recording and peformance. I borrowed this from the local library.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Great Mass in C minor, Coronation Mass, Vespers.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Pour la Piano
Gordon Fergus-Thompson

Bruckner: Intermezzo in D minor
Fine Arts Quartet plus one more

An alternate movement written to replace the scherzo of the String Quintet when the piece was rejected as too difficult. In the event, the original (better) movement ended up being retained, and this movement was cast out.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1734-1805): Flute Quintet No.3 in C Major, G 439

Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute -- Regis Pasquier, violin -- Bruno Pasquier, viola -- Roland Pidoux and Mathilde Sternat, cellos

View attachment 18125


----------



## aleazk

Debussy - Preludes for piano, book 1, Michelangeli.


----------



## ptr

*Bengt Hambraeus* - Motetum Archangeli Michaelis (1967) // Apocalipsis cum figuris secundum Dürer 1498 (1987) (*Bis*)









Olle Sköld, bass; Hans-Ola Ericsson, organ; Swedish radio Choir u. Stefan Parkman

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

I went through my Ralph Vaughan Williams symphony cycle with Haitink and the LSO again. The only one that seems to me to be extremely lacking is the eight, as it is played too solemn; the others make convincing arguments and the incredible playing and sound quality raise it above many other cycles. The ninth, which I've just finished listening to, is an enigmatic but incredibly moving symphony - all are interesting, in fact. It is an incredibly versatile and interesting cycle Mr. Williams has created here. They have been with me for a long time and will probably remain among my favorites for a long time to come.


----------



## Guest

A friend of mine is doing an all-French recital and asked for my input on lesser known French composers. I pointed him towards Germaine Tailleferre and have been on a binge of late.






Her piano concerto is a pretty fun piece, too. Not a masterpiece, but still very enjoyable.


----------



## samurai

Kieran said:


> Mahler's Fifth, Bruno Walter conducting...


Hi, Kieran. I was just wondering which orchestra performed this. Perhaps the NY Phil? Great symphony indeed, especially the adagietto!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## DrKilroy

Jeff N said:


> Her piano concerto is [...] Not a masterpiece [...].


Why not? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.42 in E Flat

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello

View attachment 18130


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Seems like I'm hooked on an afternoon of delicious and decadent French music. 

I was seduced into buying this disc on the basis of the cover alone. I'm glad I did as it remains one of my favorite Massenet discs... one of my favorite collections of arias.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Piano Sonata #21, "Waldstein"
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano - Eloquence
*
Schumann* Symphony #1, "Spring"
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet - Eloquence

*Berg* String Quartet, Op. 3
- New Zealand SQ - Naxos
*
Webern* Passacaglia, Op. 1 & Six Pieces, Op. 6
- Ulster Orch. under Takuo Yuasa - Naxos


----------



## Kieran

Good idea, Sid! I think some Beethoven sonatas, Brendel performing on Brilliant Classics...


----------



## Mahlerian

I'm going to go through all of those recordings that Millionrainbows and StLukesguild gave their highest possible recommendations on Spotify:

Crumb: Madrigals
Jan DeGaetani (who also recorded a great Pierrot Lunaire)

Reminds me of Ligeti's vocal works, like Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedüvel, or Chin's Acrostichon Wortspiel.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Harnasie_. Such an amazing ballet. Great performance!

Next:










Going to listen to _Symphony No. 2_ and let it play through _Symphony No. 3 'Song of the Night'_.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ives: Symphony No. 2
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## schuberkovich

Dvorak, symphony no.8
Carlos Paita, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra







I dug up this CD, and it is an amazingly exciting and alive recording of Dvorak's 8th. Having done some research, I gleaned that Paita is a semi-amateur who loves conducting - the "Lodia" label is his own. Does anyone know anything else about him or have any of his recordings?


----------



## Kieran

Returning to the home key at the end, K452, the E-flat piano quintet, which Wolfgang described as the greatest thing he'd ever written, at that point in time - 1784. I don't believe him! Idomeneo and #9 are better, as is K364, among others.

But...I believe him too, when I listen to K452. I can only imagine his joy and brilliance at its first performance...


----------



## Guest

What a great suggestion, Kieran! But now I have to figure out which recording to listen to...
Barenboim, Levin, or Brendal.
I'll just have to hear the piece three times through I guess. 

(P.S. I'm enjoying a Guiness this evening. I'm sure it's not as good as what you get there since it's bottled and shipped all the way to the states, but it makes me think of you, my friend.)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Day went from snow squalls to cloudless sun, to a half moon with a ragged edge.

Listened to Sibelius Kullervo
Lahti Symphony, Vänskä
Bis

Kullervo. He's not Marlon Brando. The Finnish racial unconscious's warning to itself that bad parenting is the root of woe.

Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Pamela & Claude Frank
Music & Arts
Sonata no. 4, Op. 23 no. 5, Op. 24 (Spring) no. 10 Op. 96

Morton Feldman Crippled Symmetry (40 minutes worth)
California EAR Unit
Bridge

This is the only kind of thing that can follow LvB's Op. 96, because it's....y'know.....another _species_ of musics.

Feldman's --motivic cells? is that right?-- are so insistent, over such timespans, that you end up 'humming the tunes'. This puts you out of sync with the world: you don't want anyone to hear or see you doing this. You appear inane, if not insane. You look 'not quite right'. Not at all.


----------



## Crudblud

Edgard Varèse - _Déserts_ (Boulez)

Interesting contrast to Dee Dee Sharp's _Lover Boy_...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

More lush French music... more Massenet...










A sensuous, erotic oratorio to love.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

And still even more lush French music...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Frank Martin*: Violin, Cello Concerti, with Kling/Kates/Louisville O./Whitney/Mester (rec.1963 - '73);Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, Ballades, with ACO/Chailly (rec.1991 - '94); Passacaglia, Symphonie, Symphonie concertante, with LPO/Bamert (rec.1993).

View attachment 18136
View attachment 18137
View attachment 18138


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

As the evening winds down I need something a bit less... "dramatic":










Currently listening to disc 6: Faure's Piano Quartet no. 2 as well as some brief compositions by Ravel, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Faure, Stravinsky, and Boulanger.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> *Frank Martin*: Violin, Cello Concerti, with Kling/Kates/Louisville O./Whitney/Mester (rec.1963 - '73);Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, Ballades, with ACO/Chailly (rec.1991 - '94); Passacaglia, Symphonie, Symphonie concertante, with LPO/Bamert (rec.1993).
> 
> View attachment 18136
> View attachment 18137
> View attachment 18138


I wish I could get into Frank Martin's music but there's just something about it that doesn't touch me or strike a heartstring. That said, I do love his _Cello Concerto_ and _In terra pax_.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op.125

Kousay H. Mahdi Kadduri, cello - Peter Nagy, piano

View attachment 18139


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Szymanowski's _Violin Concerto No. 1_. I'm rather lukewarm about this performance overall. Something sounds like it's missing. I think Koh's playing is good but the accompaniment from Kalmar is mediocre and the Grant Park Orchestra sound like they could use some more familiarity with the music.

-Turned recording off-

Now playing:










Listening to _Violin Concerto No. 1_. Much, much better. Committed playing from Kaler and Wit.


----------



## Mahlerian

Checking out another recording of this piece on Spotify:

Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 25
Roland Pontinen, piano

Not the best recording I've heard by a long shot, but he does at least one thing right by slowing down the final Gugue, bringing out its rhythm clearly.


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944 {"Great"}, *performed by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major.* Both works feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No. 2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *both symphonies once again performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Maestro Harnoncourt.


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Piano Concerto #24 in C Minor, K 491 -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Mozart: Fugues for String Quartet from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier -- Hagen Quartet

Tallis: Lamentations Of Jeremiah -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Schubert: Overture in C, D, 591, "In The Italian Style" -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

And finally:

Schubert: String Quintet in C, Op. 163, D 956 -- Yo-Yo Ma & Cleveland Quartet


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to Moeran's String Quartets and his String Trio earlier today. One of my favorite recordings of late.










Also enjoyed Hamerik's Symphony No.1 and also No. 2










Listened to Alfredo Casella's Symphony No. 1 and his Concerto for Piano, Timpani, Percussion and Strings. Really loving Casella and I am listening more and more to his works.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> Listened to Alfredo Casella's Symphony No. 1 and his Concerto for Piano, Timpani, Percussion and Strings. Really loving Casella and I am listening more and more to his works.


Definitely give _Sinfonia 'Symphony No. 3'_ and the _Cello Concerto_ a listen at some point. Both of these works contain a slow movement that's so haunting and heartbreakingly lyrical.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Neo Romanza said:


> Definitely give _Sinfonia 'Symphony No. 3'_ and the _Cello Concerto_ a listen at some point. Both of these works contain a slow movement that are so haunting and heartbreakingly lyrical.


I love all his symphonies Neo and the Cello Concerto is wonderful as well. I'm glad that Naxos has released several quality recordings of his works. I hope they carry on!

Kevin


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> I love all his symphonies Neo and the Cello Concerto is wonderful as well. I'm glad that Naxos has released several quality recordings of his works. I hope they carry on!
> 
> Kevin


I agree, but I'll honestly say that I don't care much for Casella's first two symphonies. I think he hit his stride with the _Sinfonia_. Have you heard his _Violin Concerto_? This is a nice work. There's a good performance on the Capriccio label. I think Casella's main problem in the beginning was trying to find a compositional 'voice' so to speak. Bartok and Mahler were obvious influences, but when he branched out away from these composers and started getting into more of the Neoclassical style, he started finding his way. All IMHO of course.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Neo Romanza said:


> I agree, but I'll honestly say that I don't care much for Casella's first two symphonies. I think he hit his stride with the _Sinfonia_. Have you heard his _Violin Concerto_? This is a nice work. There's a good performance on the Capriccio label. I think Casella's main problem in the beginning was trying to find a compositional 'voice' so to speak. Bartok and Mahler were obvious influences, but when he branched out away from these composers and started getting into more of the Neoclassical style, he started finding his way. All IMHO of course.


No I have not heard the Violin Concerto but I'll see if I can get a copy.

Currently listening to Karol Syzmanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1 and then off to bed!










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

saying "oh, why not?"...









Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No.1 - Wanda Wilkomirska, violin, Witold Rowicki, cond.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18133
> View attachment 18134
> View attachment 18135
> 
> What a great suggestion, Kieran! But now I have to figure out which recording to listen to...
> Barenboim, Levin, or Brendal.
> I'll just have to hear the piece three times through I guess.
> 
> (P.S. I'm enjoying a Guiness this evening. I'm sure it's not as good as what you get there since it's bottled and shipped all the way to the states, but it makes me think of you, my friend.)


Guinness and the quintet, what a combo! 

I suppose Mozart raved about the quintet because he knew he'd made something unique, with winds and piano. Beethoven made a valiant attempt to replicate this quintet, but the original is best. I wish there had been more works for this same combination, but one is all we have.

Hope you enjoyed your Guinness! :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

Mahler, _Das Lied von der Erde_.

Bruno Walter conducting the Vienna Philly. Kathleen Ferrier, alto, Julius Patzak, tenor.

Quite a pot-stirrer movement to open with. Beautiful second movement I'm listening to now...


----------



## Kieran

Did I just hear a reference to Tchaikovski's _1812 Overture_ about 2'30" into the 4th movement here?! A very effective outburst. Unfortunately, my recording comes in a cheap cover and no lyrics, so I'm not sure what he was referring to, but I like this fourth movement a lot so far...


----------



## Crudblud

Walter Piston - _Symphony No. 8_ (Mester)


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music In London At The Time Of Handel" - Rudolf Baumgartner, cond.

concertos by Geminiani, Festing, Woodcock and Baston


----------



## Crudblud

Hector Berlioz - _Herminie_ / _Les Nuits d'été_
Maurice Ravel - _Shéhérazade_

Fairly recent disc by Véronique Gens with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire conducted by John Axelrod.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Les Espaces Acoustiques - Asko Ensemble


----------



## bejart

Joan Pla (ca.1720-1770?) & Josep Pla (1728-1762): Trio Sonata No.4 in F Major

Barcelona Consort: Jordi Colomer, flute -- Jordi Argelaga, oboe -- Jordi Comellas, viola -- Madrona Elias, harpsichord

View attachment 18152


----------



## EricABQ

This morning it's the Goldberg Variations played by Perahia.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Symphony #104, "London"
- London PO under Sir Georg Solti - Decca

*Schumann* Symphony #2
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet - Eloquence

*Mozart* Clarinet Concerto
- Joze Ostranc, clarinet with Mozart Festival Orch. under Alberto Lizzio - ZYX Classic


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Le Temps et l'Ecume - Ensemble S


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: String Quartets 15 & 21
Haydn: String Quartets 55 & 56, symphony 45


----------



## Andolink

Chaya Czernowin: Six Miniatures and a Simultaneous Song (1998)
ELISION ensemble/Simon Hewett








Luis de Pablo: Libro de Imágenes (1990-91)
Ensemble Nuove Sincronie/Renato Rivolta


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18151
> 
> 
> Gerard Grisey's Les Espaces Acoustiques - Asko Ensemble


I have this on my long walks mp3 player. It sounds great out in the world.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 8_.

Next:


----------



## Kleinzeit

tv audio channel oracle for the day: 
Suk Asrael Op. 27
Bělohlávek

Oh this is good, well, it's a death piece so no, iffy oracle, superb music.


----------



## Kieran

Was listening to the radio earlier, Lyric fm, our national classical station. Turns toward jazz in the afternoon, mixed with some classical. I switched it off and now I'm listening to Beethoven overtures, the testicular sort, blazing fires at the forefront and rocket launches in the middle. I prefer Ludwigs' overtures to his symphonies, maybe because they're comparatively bite sized.

Leonard Bernstein and his mob performing...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto NO. 17.*

I'm listening to this as the heating and air conditioning guys are installing a new unit in my house. I wonder what they're thinking about me. Hopefully, it's only "I hope he signs the check."

But really, who cares? Mozart makes you smarter. And if it doesn't, at least it makes you feel better.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> Mozart makes you smarter. And if it doesn't, at least it makes you feel better.


And if you feel better, you feel smarter!


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms* Violin Concerto in D major


----------



## rrudolph

A very nice recording of Haikai on this one. The other stuff isn't bad either.

Cage: Haikai/Child of Tree/Branches/Composed Improvisation/But What About the Noise of Crumpling Paper


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2 'St. Florian'_. Very cool work and strangely beautiful. Great performance.


----------



## NightHawk

Listening to a friend's recording of Haydn's _The Creation_ oratorio with London and Colin Davis. Great work!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Violin Concerto_. Very nice work.


----------



## Andolink

Gösta Nystroem: Sinfonia tramontana, "Symphony No. 6"
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/B. Tommy Andersson








Pierre Boulez: Troisième Sonate Pour Piano
Herbert Henck, piano


----------



## Crudblud

Maurice Ravel - _Don Quichotté a Dulcinée_ / _Cinq Mélodies populaires grecques_ (Boulez/van Dam)

Edit: and now _Menuet Antique_.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> Did I just hear a reference to Tchaikovski's _1812 Overture_ about 2'30" into the 4th movement here?! A very effective outburst. Unfortunately, my recording comes in a cheap cover and no lyrics, so I'm not sure what he was referring to, but I like this fourth movement a lot so far...


At that moment, a young woman who was out in the fields picking flowers has her attention drawn by a line of fine young men on horseback passing by at top speed. I've always wondered about the 1812 thing, but came to the conclusion that any reference was probably unintentional. It is entirely possible that Mahler added that fanfare figure without thinking of the work.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to the scherzo of the 4th now, will probably listen to the 8th next!


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> At that moment, a young woman who was out in the fields picking flowers has her attention drawn by a line of fine young men on horseback passing by at top speed. I've always wondered about the 1812 thing, but came to the conclusion that any reference was probably unintentional. It is entirely possible that Mahler added that fanfare figure without thinking of the work.


Isn't that remarkable? For all its brevity, it sounds so deliberate. There are obviously no definite references to this or notes relating to this by Gustav, then...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Mythes_. So haunting and gorgeous. Excellent performances by Ibragimova and Tiberghien.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening for the first time to Bruckner's 5th. I am officially addicted to Bruckner, heard the 4th and 8th today, tried to end my day with something "lighter" (Dvorak Cello Concerto) but couldn't resist to listen to the 5th!


----------



## tdc

Neo Romanza said:


> Listening to _Violin Concerto No. 1_. Much, much better. Committed playing from Kaler and Wit.


The Naxos Wit recordings I've heard are really great if you haven't yet heard his Penderecki make sure you check them out - must hear recordings especially the St. Luke Passion.


----------



## Kieran

The Spring violin sonata, by Beethoven. Clara Haskill and Arthur Grimiaux...


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto
Hilary Hahn, Swedish Radio Symphony, cond. Salonen

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A


----------



## PetrB

John Adams ~ Because the link with the premiere (and only?) recording is up on Youtube... check it out while it lasts.


----------



## Guest

Eye candy never sounded so good.
Hélène Grimaud tickling the keys on Mozart's Piano Concertos 19 & 23.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18177
> 
> Eye candy never sounded so good.
> Hélène Grimaud tickling the keys on Mozart's Piano Concertos 19 & 23.


Oh the thought of her tickling... :devil:


----------



## schuberkovich

julianoq said:


> Now listening for the first time to Bruckner's 5th. I am officially addicted to Bruckner, heard the 4th and 8th today, tried to end my day with something "lighter" (Dvorak Cello Concerto) but couldn't resist to listen to the 5th!


In comparison to Bruckner symphonies it may seem light but the Dvorak Cello Concerto to me is quite a dark work


----------



## julianoq

schuberkovich said:


> In comparison to Bruckner symphonies it may seem light but the Dvorak Cello Concerto to me is quite a dark work


I agree! It is just a matter of perspective. It is "lighter", not light by any means


----------



## PetrB

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18177
> 
> Eye candy never sounded so good.
> Hélène Grimaud tickling the keys on Mozart's Piano Concertos 19 & 23.


The phrase is *"Tickle the Ivories." *whether those keys are covered in ivory or not


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Kieran

The Posthorn Serenade, K320, Karl Bohm with the stick.

I must admit to long loving this work, especially the two wind movements, featuring James Galway on flute. If there's a greater composer for wind, I never heard of them. After the wind comes then the great andantino, a large suffering movement. Then the minuet with two trios, the second of which features the posthorn.

This work was also asset-stripped by Mozart and sold off as a symph, keeping the opener, the andantino and the presto finale. The opening movement is seen as slightly mocking the pretensions of the occasion it was written for, Archbishop Colleredo's name day, as well as being an archetype of majestic ceremonial music.

A gem, in other words...


----------



## Guest

PetrB said:


> The phrase is *"Tickle the Ivories." *whether those keys are covered in ivory or not


Whatever you say, Pete. ~


----------



## schuberkovich

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18177
> 
> Eye candy never sounded so good.
> Hélène Grimaud tickling the keys on Mozart's Piano Concertos 19 & 23.


The colour of her eyes is incredible


----------



## Crudblud

Béla Bartók - String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91 (Emerson SQ)


----------



## PetrB

Jerome said:


> Whatever you say, Pete. ~


In the event you visit a bordello, the piano player is addressed as "Professor," and he "Tickles the Ivories." 
Thus spoken, the folks there won't think it is your first time 

When you next speak with Hélène, instead of Ivories, refer to _Les touches._


----------



## Schubussy

Witold Lutosławski - Symphony no. 3
Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Guest

PetrB said:


> In the event you visit a bordello, the piano player is addressed as "Professor," and he "Tickles the Ivories."
> Thus spoken, the folks there won't think it is your first time
> 
> When you next speak with Hélène, instead of Ivories, refer to _Les touches._


Thanks for the helpful advice. I'll say hello to the Professor, and then promptly seek out someone who likes to play the organ.


----------



## GreenMamba

Mendelssohn Songs Without Words, Barenboim


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 8. Martinu, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Crudblud

Elliott Carter - Concerto for Orchestra (Gielen)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Busy sunny day full of yak yak. Listened to Martinů Sym 6, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Thomson, Chandos
because sunny day.

Since Szymanowski is in the water, played
Violin Concertos No. 1 & 2
City of Birmingham Symphony, Rattle EMI

Well yeah. Blooms in the night not a sunny day though. Next time I'm working late I'll alternate Szymanowski with Berg and see what happens.

Got me to look up the passage in Constant Lambert's 'Music Ho!' (1934):

"The [1890s] themselves had no music properly speaking, and the writers of that period were consequently driven to desperate similes when trying to add appropriate musical touches. Poor Wilde in his search for the 'curiously coloured, scarlet music' that his soul desired could find nothing better than the piano pieces of Dvořák, and Beardsley was forced to read his own subtle perversity into the ponderous arguments and Victorian scene painting of Das Rheingold. The comparative lack of neurasthenia in the music of the nineteenth century is strikingly illustrated by the essentially heroic, 'hearty', and normal atmosphere of The Ring; the somewhat peculiar sexual relationships of the characters are in no way reflected in the score and it is not until we reach Parsifal with its erotic religiosity, its Oedipus and other complexes, that we get a foretaste of the suddenly released nerves of twentieth century music. But the literary 'nineties did not know their Parsifal and so were forced to fall back on their fecund imagination for music of a sufficiently decadent type."

Dvořák! Looking for the perfumed darkness in Mr. Musical Multivitamin. The Kunstwollen needed Szymanowski .


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition --
Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825): String Quartet No.1 in E Flat

Quartetto "Le Ricordanze": Carlo De Martini and Stefano Barneschi, violins -- Livia Baldi, viola -- Caterina Dell'Agnello, cello

View attachment 18183


----------



## EricABQ

Relaxing with a glass or two of Malbec while listening to Gilels play Waldstein and Les Adieux.
.


----------



## Crudblud

Andrei Eschpai - _Oboe Concerto_ (Kitajenko/Menzel)


----------



## Guest

Kieran, you never cease to pique my interest. Haven't listen to it lately.
K379 - Grumiaux, Klein

So far it sounds almost Sicilian in it's melody.


----------



## Mahlerian

Jumping on another bandwagon here...?

Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1
Christian Tetzlaff, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Boulez


----------



## bejart

Pietro Nardini (1722-1764): Violin Sonata in F Major

Ensemble 'Ardi Cor Mio': Renata Sfriso, violin -- Riccardo Martinini, cello -- Amelia Isabella Bianchi, harpsichord

View attachment 18185


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in D Major, KV 311

Mitsuko Uchida, piano

View attachment 18186


----------



## maestro57

On this sunny afternoon day in Melbourne I'm currently listening to

Elgar - Salut d'Amour (Orchestral Version), Op. 12 (Northern Sinfonia of England, Cond. Richard Hickox)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2 'Adagio'_. Outstanding performance with Kubelik/Bavarian Radio SO.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* _Symphony #100, "Military"_
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati - Decca

*Mahler* _Symphony #10 (completed by Deryck Cooke)_
- Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth (live recording, Melbourne, 2008) - ABC Classics

*Album: Andre Rieu - Dreaming*
_Light classical type pieces by Rieu, Beethoven, Sondheim, Mozart, Shostakovich, Bach, & many others_
- Andre Rieu and his orch. (arrangements by Rieu) - Universal/Polydor


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: String Quartet #4 in C Minor, Op. 18/4 -- Alban Berg Quartet

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes -- Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta

Tallis: Felix Namque -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Schumann: Lieder & Gesänge IV, Op. 96 -- Graham Johnson: Felicity Lott; Oliver Widman; Juliane Banse


----------



## Neo Romanza

Revisiting this gem:










Really an amazing work. Great performance too.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Having a first listen to this rather recent version of Ravel's Orchestral Music (Vol. 1) with the Orchestre National de Lyon and Leonard Slatkin conducting. The production sound quality is exceptional and shows Naxos is really trying to compete with the heavy hitters like Decca, Phillips, DG and the like. The performance by the orchestra is very good and they play with feeling, and subtlety, but power when necessary. The performance of Bolero was not one of the best I have heard, especially for a showcase piece but otherwise this is a nice recording of these pieces. I especially enjoyed the Alborada del gracioso, Rapsodie espagnole, and Sheherazade, Ouverture de feerie.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 84 "Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke" - Wilhelm Ehmann, cond. (1961)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I know I've mentioned these two CDs before but I can't recommend enough how good these two volumes of Rontgen's piano trios are, and the Storioni Trio just does a masterful job with them. I love these CDs!!!



















Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Wilhelm Kempff, piano


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18184
> 
> 
> Kieran, you never cease to pique my interest. Haven't listen to it lately.
> K379 - Grumiaux, Klein
> 
> So far it sounds almost Sicilian in it's melody.


That's right. Possibly there is some Sicilian in there. My old mate K377 has some in the variations in act 2. These violin sonatas almost match his PC's for me, in their range and brilliance. They don't get as much advance publicity but I reckon I prize the set of these, with Barenboim and Perlman, as much as I do old Mitsuko.

Speaking of which, I'm listening to her now, but she's tackling Beethoven's final word in piano sonatas, the one mistakenly credited with jazz or hillbilly overtones...


----------



## Aggelos

listening to Geoffrey Simon's rarities










http://audaud.com/2007/06/ravel-five-oclock-foxtrot-five-oclock-foxtrot-bolero-pavane-for-a-dead-princess-tzigane-for-violin-and-orchestra-la-valse-piece-in-the-form-of-a-habanera-daphnis-and-chloe-suite-2-philh/
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/4342










http://audaud.com/2007/09/saint-saens-overture-to-la-princesse-jaune-requiem-%E2%80%9Corgan-symphony%E2%80%9D-tinuke-olafimihan-sop-catherine-wyn-rogers-contralto-anthony-roden-tenor-simon-kirkbride-bass-choruses/
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/4599


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Vortex Temporum - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## Kieran

Chopin, PC#1 in e-minor, I really like the third movement in this. Eldar Nebolsin on piano, Warsaw Philly conducted by Antoni Wit.

To be followed by Fantasia on Polish Airs, Opus 13...


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Winter Fragments - Argento Chamber Ensemble


----------



## ptr

After a silent yesterday, a loud morning trio:

*Christian Wolf* - Exercises (HatHut)









Eberhard Blum, flute; Roland Dahinden, trombone; Steffen Schleiermacher, piano; Jan Williams, percussion

*Erkki-Sven Tüür* - Architectonics (CCnC OOP?)









Absolute Ensemble u. Kristjan Järvi

*Helmut Lachenmann* ‎- Schwankungen Am Rand, Musik für Blech und Saiten / Mouvement (- vor der Erstarrung) für Ensemble / ...zwei Gefühle..., Musik mit Leonardo für Sprecher und Ensemble (*ECM*)









Ensemble Modern u. Peter Eötvös

/ptr


----------



## Guest

K370, Oboe Quartet, Paul Goodwin
K285, Flute Quartet, Aurele Nicolet


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Violin Concerto No.7 in B Flat

Gunter Kehr conducting the Mainz Chamber Orchestra -- Susanne Lautenbacher, violin

View attachment 18199


----------



## Arsakes

I was listening to *Saint Saens* Phaeton symphonic poem...


----------



## Guest

Just aquired another recording of K452. James Levine.
This one might be the best of the bunch. The playing is very expressive, yet crisp and together. The recording is also very clear.


----------



## Arsakes

Earlier today..

*Bartok*'s Piano Concerto No.1,2 & 3
*Prokifiev*'s Symphony No.1,2,3 & 4

It was such a disturbing day with them!


----------



## Kieran

Jerome, if this thread was an examination, we'd be accused of cribbing from each other! I listened to the oboe quartet two days ago, as I strolled around town. I have another version of the piano quintet with Walter Gieseking on piano and Dennis Brain on horn, but they don't observe repeats in the opening movement, which makes it too brief and unsatisfying for me.

Right now, PC#13, but arranged by Wolfie for accompaniment by string quartet, Robert Blocker on the hammer and the Biava Quartet trying to keep pace. Does this qualify as chamber music? I'm sure it must. I like these versions of the PC's, I have a disc on Naxos with #'s 12, 13 and 14 stripped down and laid bare this way...


----------



## Andolink

John Jenkins: Newarke Seidge (Pavan & Galliard); Four-part ayres in D minor
Rose Consort of Viols 








Christopher Fox: Oboe Quintet
Howard Skempton: Garland for Oboe and String Trio
Michael Finnissy: Ceci n'est pas une forme
Christopher Redgate, oboe
Ensemble Exposé/Roger Redgate


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Right now, PC#13, but arranged by Wolfie for accompaniment by string quartet, Robert Blocker on the hammer and the Biava Quartet trying to keep pace. Does this qualify as chamber music? I'm sure it must. I like these versions of the PC's, I have a disc on Naxos with #'s 12, 13 and 14 stripped down and laid bare this way...


Nice! I've got a recording of that arrangement too but with bass doubling the cello. Janina Fialkowska with the Chamber Players of Canada.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18203
> 
> 
> Nice! I've got a recording of that arrangement too but with bass doubling the cello. Janina Fialkowska with the Chamber Players of Canada.


Is it the same? Arranged by Mozart for sale to be performed in people's living room during the ads of some soap they were watching?


----------



## Guest

Yes. So say the liner notes. They rationalized doubling the cello because the structure of the music depended on the low bass.

I don't know about the soap part.


----------



## Kleinzeit

tv audio channel oracle of the day:
Holst Planets Dutoit @ Neptune

meaning: don't get too languid today.

followed immediately by severe overcorrection: Malpiero 
title: Dronning Louise? wha? Chandos

It's like a Strauss waltz. Maybe Schoenberg could fix it up with more xylophone. On the basis of this Malpiero goes on a far back burner of 'check him out'. And I'm one who pre-ordered the 11-disc Brilliant set of Reger that's coming out at the end of the month.


----------



## julianoq

Enjoying the 5th movement now. First time listening this performance, strong contender for the best 2nd in my opinion!


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Yes. So say the liner notes. They rationalized doubling the cello because the structure of the music depended on the low bass.
> 
> I don't know about the soap part.


Okay, so we don't know what soaps they watched. 

I just checked but my usually reliable Cuthbert doesn't have anything on this, after a cursory inspection. But how do you like these versions, denuded of the full orchestral bang?


----------



## Andolink

Heinrich Schutz: Symphoniae Sacrae I--"Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis" (SWV 261), "Veni, dilecte mi" (SWV 274)
Concerto Palatino


----------



## Crudblud

Walter Piston - _Serenata for Orchestra_ (Whitney)


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mendelssohn* - The Hebrides (Leipzig Gewandhaus)

*Mendelssohn* - Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38, Op. 62 and Op. 67 (Daniel Barenboim)

*Ravel* - Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Symphony Orchestra of the Liszt School Of Music, Helene Tysman)


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Okay, so we don't know what soaps they watched.
> 
> I just checked but my usually reliable Cuthbert doesn't have anything on this, after a cursory inspection. But how do you like these versions, denuded of the full orchestral bang?


When I first heard them my mind set was for a concerto and I was a bit dissatisfied. But when I think of them as chamber music they stand up there with the piano quintets and quartets. Very satisfying.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> When I first heard them my mind set was for a concerto and I was a bit dissatisfied. But when I think of them as chamber music they stand up there with the piano quintets and quartets. Very satisfying.


Exactly, that's what I think too. Maybe just a level below the quartets and quintet, but on a par with the trios, and also a great complement to the full orchestrated concertos. I find it interesting to compare them...


----------



## Andolink

Poul Ruders: Violin Concerto No. 2 (1990-91)
Rebecca Hirsch, violin
Collegium Musicum Copenhagen/Michael Schønwandt








Poul Ruders: String Quartet No. 3 "Motet" (1979)
The Kontra Quartet


----------



## julianoq

If yesterday was my day to listen only Bruckner, looks like today is Mahler's day! After the 2nd, listening to the 4th conducted by Fischer.


----------



## millionrainbows

Evgeny Kissin: Carnegie Hall Debut Concert: Schumann, Prokofiev, Liszt, Chopin;recorded Sept. 30, 1990 (RCA 2-CD). 

What can I say about this elixir? As Harold C. Schonberg would say, "Arpeggios like strings of pearls...legato that flows like oil..." Kissin is definitely a Russian Romantic, in the tradition of Rachmanninoff.

Schumann's _Symphonic Etudes, Op.13,_ including the posthumous variations, is something I'd never heard before. Most impressive, both technically and emotionally. Kissin has been guided well; he never misuses his virtuosity.

The only Chopin here is the _Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 in C# minor,_ my favorite of all, because my mother used to play it.

His Prokofiev is impeccable; included here is the_ Sonata No. 6, Op.82,_ which at the end draws shouts of ecstasy from the audience; and the jaw-dropping _Etude, Op.2, No. 3._

The old workhorse Liszt piece, _Liebestraum No. 3_ is included, with the _Rhapsodie Espagnol,_ and _Transcendental Etude no. 10 in F minor_. Another of Kissin's CDs has these complete, which I plan to get.

All in all, what a spectacular debut!


----------



## millionrainbows

Kevin Pearson said:


> Having a first listen to this rather recent version of Ravel's Orchestral Music (Vol. 1) with the Orchestre National de Lyon and Leonard Slatkin conducting. The production sound quality is exceptional and shows Naxos is really trying to compete with the heavy hitters like Decca, Phillips, DG and the like. The performance by the orchestra is very good and they play with feeling, and subtlety, but power when necessary. The performance of Bolero was not one of the best I have heard, especially for a showcase piece but otherwise this is a nice recording of these pieces. I especially enjoyed the Alborada del gracioso, Rapsodie espagnole, and Sheherazade, Ouverture de feerie.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


This NAXOS release looks good; I hope this cover is indicative of an improvement in their cover art.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

*Brahms The Complete Symphony Cycle:* My absolute favorite rendition, Eugen Jochum with the Berlin philharmonic orchestra.

Also *Alto Rhapsody* in two great historical interpretations: Marian Anderson with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Pierre Monteux conducting/ Kathleen Ferrier with the London philharmonic orchestra under the baton of Clemens Krauss.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> That's right. Possibly there is some Sicilian in there. My old mate K377 has some in the variations in act 2. These violin sonatas almost match his PC's for me, in their range and brilliance. They don't get as much advance publicity but I reckon I prize the set of these, with Barenboim and Perlman, as much as I do old Mitsuko.
> 
> Speaking of which, I'm listening to her now, but she's tackling Beethoven's final word in piano sonatas, the one mistakenly credited with jazz or hillbilly overtones...


I thought Beethoven had discovered how to boogie in #32...


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> I thought Beethoven had discovered how to boogie in #32...


I heard a little riff but I didn't wiggle me toes, so I reckon he didn't!


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Gotta love this...


----------



## ptr

More of the same for the afternoon..

*Helmut Lachenmann*

- Vol 1 - Reigen seliger Geister / Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied (Montaigne)









Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin u. Olaf Henzold // Arditti String Quartet

- Mouvement (vor der Erstarrung) . "... zwei Gefühle ...", Musik mit Leonardo . Consolation I . Consolation II (*Kairos*)









Klangforum Wien u. Hans Zender // Schola Heidelberg, ensemble aisthesis u. Walter Nußbaum

- Concertini & Kontrakadenz (EMM)









Ensemble Modern u. Brad Lubman & Markus Stenz

/ptr


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> I heard a little riff but I didn't wiggle me toes, so I reckon he didn't!


Oh yes he did. It boggles the mind.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Martinů, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, I often get this Big Life feeling from them. Big as a 1920s city. It makes me *like* the 2013 air, no matter what the radio's saying is going on.

It's not the level of inspiration of Beethoven or Schubert or Mozart, who bring forth tears. Maybe that came from being in a pre-modern world (tho changing fast). There was a different focus to existence. That's all dream-stuff of course. Though historians can likely dream it better.

But Martinů, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, no tears. Drinks for everybody.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach - 6 Keyboard Sonatas


----------



## julianoq

Now getting inspiration for my violin class that starts in one hour! I am learning dynamics and phrasing at this moment and this album is appropriate. :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 9










I've been listening to this a lot while travelling in Far East Asia.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: with EIC/Boulez (rec.1982/3); Fred Sherry SQ et al (rec.2005 - '09); Pollini (rec.1974).

View attachment 18215
View attachment 18216
View attachment 18217


----------



## Vaneyes

schuberkovich said:


> The colour of her {Helene Grimaud} eyes is incredible


Sure are, and they make me howl.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Mythes_. So haunting and gorgeous. Excellent performances by Ibragimova and Tiberghien.


Thanks, NR, I'll investigate.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks, NR, I'll investigate.


This is such a fantastic recording. I think you'll enjoy it a lot, Vaneyes.


----------



## Kieran

#13, Mitsuko sucking in her belly while she waits her turn, Jeffrey Tate in command of the English Chamber Orchestra. Listened to the chamber music version of this one earlier, the _little _C-major, as I think of it...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 8_. Certainly not music for the suicidal.  At any rate, disturbing and eerie music. My kind of music !


----------



## Kieran

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Symphony No. 8_. Certainly not music for the suicidal.  At any rate, disturbing and eerie music. My kind of music !


That's a great cover!

Sounds like music that you'd listen to while slurping on a whiskey...


----------



## aleazk

Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2.


----------



## DaveS

Ibert..Alborado, then Ravel Tombeau...DSO/Paray


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s String Quartets Op.18 No.1,2,3 & 4


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to the Eiji Oue powah, because there is some serious stuff in there . Not to mention Professor Johnson's exquisite recording craftsmanship


















http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6072
http://audaud.com/2012/09/exotic-dances-from-the-opera-minnesota-orchestra-eiji-oue-reference-recordings-vinyl/


----------



## Kieran

Brahms e-minor cello sonata, Isserlis and Hough. This was my conversion music to Brahms, but the conversion is slow: I haven't moved past this one yet...


----------



## millionrainbows

Samuel Barber (1910-1981): G*EMI*NI - The EMI Treasures; Slatkin; St. Louis SO (EMI 2-CD). Recorded 1984, 1986, and 1994.

This is a nice collection; it has all 3 Essays for Orchestra, Op.12, 17, & 47; the Adagio for Strings Op.11; Summer Music Op.31, for wind quintet (one of my favorites); the Violin Concerto Op.14; some solo piano (Excursions, Op.20, Souvenirs); Cello Sonata Op.6, and more, a nice balance of chamber and orchestral works. The playing is excellent throughout.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> #13, Mitsuko sucking in her belly while she waits her turn, Jeffrey Tate in command of the English Chamber Orchestra. Listened to the chamber music version of this one earlier, the _little _C-major, as I think of it...

















Listening to all four through and thinking of them as quintets instead of concertos. This is exilerating, as if I have uncovered some Wolfie gems that are new to me.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18220
> View attachment 18221
> 
> 
> Listening to all four through and thinking of them as quintets instead of concertos. This is exilerating, as if I have uncovered some Wolfie gems that are new to me.


They're fabulous covers, aren't they?

I also think of these as quintets, but as well, they're almost like a different kind of historical document, music-wise. As you know, it was Wolfgangerl who impregnated the PC with a full symphonic sound, but these quartet accompanied concertos are a throwback for him to the origins of the form, its chamber music calf-days, as well as a money-spinner for the Maestro. Like you, my friend, I find these to be incredibly rich, too...


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> Samuel Barber (1910-1981):


I always scratch my head when someone mentions Barber...


----------



## schuberkovich

Kieran said:


> Brahms e-minor cello sonata, Isserlis and Hough. This was my conversion music to Brahms, but the conversion is slow: I haven't moved past this one yet...


I suggest you look into his piano pieces op 116-119
edit: but the sonata 1 is fabulous, and great fun to play


----------



## Kieran

schuberkovich said:


> I suggest you look into his piano pieces op 116-119
> edit: but the sonata 1 is fabulous, and great fun to play


Thanks Schuberkovich! Music seeps into me slowly but I'll certainly look into your recommendation...


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* _Piano Sonata #29, "Hammerklavier"_
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano - Eloquence

*Mendelssohn *
_Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Capriccio Brilliante for piano & orch._
- Derek Han, piano with Israel CO under Stephen Gunzenhauser - Brilliant Classics

*Album: "With a song in my heart" - A tribute to Mario Lanza*
_Popular songs, opera arias and songs from musicals, in arrangements by Christopher Palmer, as homage to the star of "The Great Caruso"_
- Jose Carreras, tenor with London Studio Orch. & Ambrosian Singers under Marcello Viotti - Teldec


----------



## Mahlerian

Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E
Malmo Symphony, cond. Sinaisky

I don't think I'll ever warm to Schmidt's symphonies other than the 4th. They're so thick and...overly Germanic. I have similar problems with a lot of Reger.


----------



## cwarchc

Still on M
These 2 on the commute today
Both excellent


----------



## Kleinzeit

Mahlerian said:


> Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E
> Malmo Symphony, cond. Sinaisky
> 
> I don't think I'll ever warm to Schmidt's symphonies other than the 4th. They're so thick and...overly Germanic. I have similar problems with a lot of Reger.


Waiting for the 11 disc brilliant Reger set coming at the end of the month. The price is right! so looking forward to at least one go-round with Reger to see what all the oblivion is about.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Four weeks ago this coming Saturday we had a decent snow-storm. Three weeks ago I faced freezing rain in the morning as I left for work. Today and Yesterday it has been in the 90s F and humid as all get out. I'm just not ready for it yet. I have the fans blasting and I'm playing some music that always suggests Winter to me:










That and a cool drink and I'm feeling fine.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kleinzeit said:


> Waiting for the 11 disc brilliant Reger set coming at the end of the month. The price is right! so looking forward to at least one go-round with Reger to see what all the oblivion is about.


I don't hate Reger's music. It's very accomplished, contrapuntally rich, and hamonically bold. Those are qualities I admire. I enjoy some of his organ music, like the Fantasia and Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H, as well as the Clarinet Quintet. His melodic invention seems rather unimpressive to me, though, and I don't enjoy his music as much as that of Schoenberg (who admired Reger) or Mahler (who did not).


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet in C Major, Op.32, No.2, transcribed from Piano Sonata in C Major for Four Hands, KV 521 by Johann Andre (1741-1799)

Quartetto Luigi Tomasini: Laszlo Paulik and Erzsebet Racz, violins -- Eva Posvanecz, viola -- Balazs Mate, cello

View attachment 18227


----------



## Kieran

That's an interesting one, bejart, I never heard of that one. Enjoy!


----------



## Guest

Sibelius, Symphony No. 2
Big Drunken Bear Symphony Orchestra

Pass the vooodkah!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Karel Ancerl's Great Conductors CD.*

I really like the sound of the trombones. Ancerl gets them to play very crisply. And he turns Shostakovich's Festive Overture from a barnburner into a real piece of barnburning art. This is my first exposure to Martinu's 5th symphony. Nice!


----------



## maestro57

Sid James said:


> *Haydn* _Symphony #100, "Military"_
> - Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati - Decca
> 
> *Mahler* _Symphony #10 (completed by Deryck Cooke)_
> - Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth (live recording, Melbourne, 2008) - ABC Classics
> 
> *Album: Andre Rieu - Dreaming*
> _Light classical type pieces by Rieu, Beethoven, Sondheim, Mozart, Shostakovich, Bach, & many others_
> - Andre Rieu and his orch. (arrangements by Rieu) - Universal/Polydor


Thumbs up to Haydn and Mahler, but thumbs down on Andre Rieu


----------



## bejart

Kieran ---
I have a couple of other transcriptions for string quartet like that, one is for 'Don Giovanni'.

Now ---
Jiri Cart (1708-1778): Flute Sonata in E Minor

Vaclav Kunt, flute -- Monika Knoblochova, harpsichord -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 18231


----------



## Novelette

In honor of Ingenue:

Lully: Atys, LWV 53 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

And in honor of Taggart:

Beethoven: The Vale of Clwyd, WoO 155 N°19 -- Catrin Wyn Davies

...

Scheidt: Wir Glauben All An Einen Gott -- Gabrielli Consort & Players

Schubert: Piano Trio #2 in E Flat, Op. 100, D 929 -- Beaux Arts Trio

Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony #2, Op. 9, "Antar" -- David Zinman: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Kleinzeit

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18229
> 
> Sibelius, Symphony No. 2
> Big Drunken Bear Symphony Orchestra
> 
> Pass the vooodkah!











Violin concerto, Allegro, ma non tanto in D major


----------



## millionrainbows

André Jolivet (1905-1974): The Complete Flute Music Vol. 2; Manuela Wiesler, flute (BIS).

I love Jolivet! This is all chamber music, except for the Concerto for Flute and Strings (1948). Lots of harp, and the lovely Pastorales de Noël (1943) for flute, bassoon, and harp, which works brilliantly. I like Jolivet's "mysterious" sound, and how he creates moods. He studied with Varèse, so there's a "tribal" feel to much of this, reminding me of those mysterious melodies that appeared in Varèse's work. This is great night music, to get intimate with.


----------



## Tristan

Elgar - Enigma Variations, Op. 36

And no, I'm not trying to solve the riddle of the piece. Not currently, at least  Is it just me or is it kind of a strange piece? Does anyone else find the theme to be a little, well, odd...? I've always thought that tune was strange...maybe it really does have some hidden message behind it.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Tristan said:


> Elgar - Enigma Variations, Op. 36
> 
> And no, I'm not trying to solve the riddle of the piece. Not currently, at least  Is it just me or is it kind of a strange piece? Does anyone else find the theme to be a little, well, odd...? I've always thought that tune was strange...maybe it really does have some hidden message behind it.


Nothing strange to me about Elgar's _Enigma Variations_. I think it's a beautiful work and it's certainly a masterpiece of the 20th Century.


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> André Jolivet (1905-1974): The Complete Flute Music Vol. 2; Manuela Wiesler, flute (BIS).
> 
> I love Jolivet! This is all chamber music, except for the Concerto for Flute and Strings (1948). Lots of harp, and the lovely Pastorales de Noël (1943) for flute, bassoon, and harp, which works brilliantly. I like Jolivet's "mysterious" sound, and how he creates moods. He studied with Varèse, so there's a "tribal" feel to much of this, reminding me of those mysterious melodies that appeared in Varèse's work. This is great night music, to get intimate with.











On every three months rotation. Seasonal.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18233
> 
> 
> On every three months rotation. Seasonal.


Still the only ondes Martenot concerto I've heard! He was a friend of Messiaen's.

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D "Prague"
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Tristan

Neo Romanza said:


> Nothing strange to me about Elgar's _Enigma Variations_. I think it's a beautiful work and it's certainly a masterpiece of the 20th Century.


I love it; I just think the theme is very mysterious (hard to put into words the way it makes me feel, but that could also be influenced by my reading about all about all the "secrets" the theme is supposed to contain). Also, I can't help but detect a hint of the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata in the Enigma Variations, particularly in the Nimrod movement...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Tristan said:


> I love it; I just think the theme is very mysterious (hard to put into words the way it makes me feel, but that could also be influenced by my reading about all about all the "secrets" the theme is supposed to contain). Also, I can't help but detect a hint of the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata in the Enigma Variations, particularly in the Nimrod movement...


Yes, there's supposedly some 'hidden' messages in _Engima Variations_, but, then again there's an ongoing debate as to whether Shostakovich had hidden messages in his _Symphony No. 5_ and I'm sure a musicologist would have a field day with most of Schnittke's music, but you know what? Jimmy crack corn and I don't care.  Nobody really _knows_ the answers but this should never become something to worry about. In the end, the music either means something to you or it doesn't.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.53 in E Minor

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 18236


----------



## Mahlerian

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, there's supposedly some 'hidden' messages in _Engima Variations_, but, then again there's an ongoing debate as to whether Shostakovich had hidden messages in his _Symphony No. 5_ and I'm sure a musicologist would have a field day with most of Schnittke's music, but you know what? Jimmy crack corn and I don't care.  Nobody really _knows_ the answers but this should never become something to worry about. In the end, the music either means something to you or it doesn't.


Earlier today, I read an academic essay on Schoenberg's Op. 11 piano pieces. There was a lot there about numerology and pitch symbolism supposedly representing the affair Schoenberg's wife was having at the time, and also about the first piece's relation to the Tristan prelude.

But I wouldn't have cared one bit if I didn't already care about the music. I'm still not going to hear any of the things mentioned, so it doesn't really affect my listening experience.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> Earlier today, I read an academic essay on Schoenberg's Op. 11 piano pieces. There was a lot there about numerology and pitch symbolism supposedly representing the affair Schoenberg's wife was having at the time, and also about the first piece's relation to the Tristan prelude.
> 
> But I wouldn't have cared one bit if I didn't already care about the music. I'm still not going to hear any of the things mentioned, so it doesn't really affect my listening experience.


Absolutely agree, Mahlerian.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Speaking of Schoenberg...now listening:


----------



## Tristan

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, there's supposedly some 'hidden' messages in _Engima Variations_, but, then again there's an ongoing debate as to whether Shostakovich had hidden messages in his _Symphony No. 5_ and I'm sure a musicologist would have a field day with most of Schnittke's music, but you know what? Jimmy crack corn and I don't care.  Nobody really _knows_ the answers but this should never become something to worry about. In the end, the music either means something to you or it doesn't.


Yeah, I definitely don't expect to be able to figure it out. I just love musical mysteries and hidden meanings  Like how there are 41 repetitions of the main phrase in "Omnes Generationes" by Bach supposedly representing the 41 generations mentioned up to Jesus. That kind of thing fascinates me...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Will finish Salonen's _Gurrelieder_ performance tomorrow sometime so for now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 4_. Incredible piece of music. Great performance by Salonen/LA Philharmonic.


----------



## Novelette

Engaged in another Haydn blitz.

Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33 -- Kodály Quartet

The riveting sight of seeing Haydn prefigure the later development to substitute a Scherzo for the normative Minuet. It makes sense with the declining importance of aristocratic patronage [and, of course, the accessibility of the larger public to such music] with the march of the 19th century: thus the structured formalism embodied by the minuet became less relevant. Certainly this was not the case with Haydn, especially while he was composing the excellent Op. 33 Quartets, but it's still an interesting fact.


----------



## Neo Romanza

I feel a RVW phase about to explode...

Now playing:










Listening to _Symphony No. 9_. This is an incredible cycle. Previn is an outstanding RVW conductor no question about it. My preferred cycles are Boult (EMI) and Thomson (Chandos), but Previn blazes his own trail in this music.


----------



## Feathers

Faure: Impromptus


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Maggie Cole, harpsichord


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Stabat Mater_. Such a gorgeous work.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*:
String Quartet No.12 in E flat major (Op.127)
String Quartet No.13 in B-flat major (Op.130)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's Piano Sonatas cd 1 performed by Wilhelm Kempff.


----------



## Guest

Brahms, Symphony No. 4, Nickolaus Harnoncourt, Berliner Philharmoniker

Then,







Dvořák, Symphony No. 8, Neeme Jarvi, Royal Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just listened to my compilation CD of Wagner Overtures and the Idyll whilst waiting in the car for work.

Happy 200th Birthday Dick! ;-)

With Vernon Handley and the RPO


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18239
> 
> 
> Bach's Goldberg Variations - Maggie Cole, harpsichord


It seems I'm not the only one that uses these to get to sleep. Did it work?

...guess not. Doing the math... what time is it in New Zealand?


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Symphonic Etudes*

Not much to report on the listening front the last few days - I have been listening to a lot of stuff as usual but it has all been from the same box-set so i thought it might be a bit boring to post it all the time  Im mostly listening to the Piano Music which makes up about the first 8 or 9 Discs of the box. I didnt know many of Schumanns Piano works before - just the Fantasy in C and a few other pieces. I am very impressed by what i have heard so far. Today i listened a few times to the Symphonic Etudes - some really nice moments in this one. I also tried listening to some Bruckner again - I have to admit that i have maybe burned out on this Composer and cant summon the will to listen to his Symphonies at all. I am currently really enjoying his String Quintet again though - I have had this Disc for a few years and listened to it a ton of times so not sure why Im still interested in this work. Maybe after a bit of a break I can enjoy more Bruckner again - I hope so as I was pretty pleased with my Bruckner collection!.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jerome said:


> It seems I'm not the only one that uses these to get to sleep. Did it work?
> 
> ...guess not. Doing the math... what time is it in New Zealand?


Heh...it was only 4.59pm when i posted that - currently 8.31pm

And though the story about the composition of the Goldbergs being to cure insomnia is apocraphal, I'm sure hearing them before bed would help me forget the petty grievances of the day.


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> Heh...it was only 4.59pm when i posted that - currently 8.31pm
> 
> And though the story about the composition of the Goldbergs being to cure insomnia is apocraphal, I'm sure hearing them before bed would help me forget the petty grievances of the day.


They work for me. But not on the harpsichord. You might as well drive nails into my ears while I'm trying to sleep. But the piano version, volume low... zzzz...


----------



## Kieran

K478 to wake me, the Argentine Tango-like opening makes me stir my porridge even better than Beethoven does, much more flavoursome and warm. 

Menuhin festival piano quartet players on Naxos. Good morning! :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

K493. Perfection. There was to be three of these piano quartets, of which K478 was the first, but the publisher reneged. We're fortunate to have the great E-flat one...


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Lachrymae (Reflections On A Song By John Dowland) - Christopher Warren-Green, cond.


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata No.12 in A Major, Z 799

The Purcell Quartet: Catherine Macintosh and Elizabeth Wallfisch, violins --Richard Boothby, cello -- Robert Woolley, chamber organ

View attachment 18247


----------



## Kleinzeit

morning tv audio oracle: Vilde Frang playing somebody's Sonata in E flat major Op 
and that's all it says because that's what the tv classical feed does. Its range & rotation are good, but they don't expect anyone to want to know anything specific. It's hi-class music to perfume the breakfast nook.

meaning of the oracle: figure it out for yerself today. It's Strauss.


----------



## EricABQ

This morning it is an Angela Hewitt recording of Messiaen preludes. 

I'm new to Messiaen but so far so good. There are other pieces on this recording that I will listen to later.


----------



## Kieran

PC #13 by Mozart, K415, Robert Blocker and the Biava Quartet, this is the chamber music version. Begins with a bubbling-up riff which he doesn't overuse. This is growing on me...


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

Good morning from New Jersey USA. Currently listening to Olivier Messiaen's Quartet For the End of Time:






Jim


----------



## ptr

This turned in to a Mahler Wednesday!

Morning:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 6 (*LSO live*)










London Symphony u. Mariss Jansons

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 7 (*BRS*)










Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Mariss Jansons

Afternoon:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 5 (*EMI*)










Philharmonia Orchestra u. Giovanni Barbirolli

...


----------



## ptr

...

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 3 (Sony)










Anna Larsson, contralto; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra u. Esa-Pekka Salonen

It is exceedingly irritating that You can only have three images in each post! 

/ptr


----------



## aleazk

Dutilleux - L'arbre des songes.

RIP Henri Dutilleux.


----------



## Kieran

In honour of the great German composer, Wagner, whose 200th birthday it is today, I'm listening to an Austrian: Mozart.

*Alla Bella Despinetta*, the glorious c-major sextet from _Cosi_, which growls humourously to life and runs the gamut from groundfloor bass to the ejaculatory shrieking of the sopranos. Magnificent and clear, despite the amount of compelling and competing vocal action...


----------



## rrudolph

Found these two (and more) at a used record place yesterday. It looked like someone had sold their entire lute/guitar/theorbo/chitarrone collection. I'll probably go back for more:

Kapsberger: Libro Quarto d'Inta Volatura di Chitarone








Milano/Borrono/L'aquila/De Rippe
My copy is a reissue with an uglier cover, but it's the same recording.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> In honour of the great German composer, Wagner, whose 200th birthday it is today, I'm listening to an Austrian: Mozart.


Ha! I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ptr said:


> This turned in to a Mahler Wednesday!


Hey, I'll join you!


----------



## Kleinzeit

aleazk said:


> Dutilleux - L'arbre des songes.
> 
> RIP Henri Dutilleux.


Ave maestro. il miglior fabbro.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier Book 2
No. 13 in F sharp major, No. 14 in F sharp minor, No. 15 in G major, No. 16 in G minor, No. 17 in A flat major, No. 18 in G sharp minor
Kenneth Gilbert, harpsichord








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 3 (1949)
The Kontra Quartet








Klaus Huber: James Joyce Chamber Music
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg/Artury Tamayo


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Concerti with LSO/BPO/Boulez et al (rec.2008); SQs with ABQ (rec.1984 - '86); Piano Works with Kocsis (rec.1991 - '96).

View attachment 18261







View attachment 18262


----------



## Neo Romanza

In honor of Dutilleux:










Listening to _The Shadows of Time_. RIP Mr. Dutilleux, you opened my ears and mind in so many inspiring ways. Another master has passed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 4.*

Bruno Walter with the New York Phil.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Henri Dutilleux* R.I.P.

String Quartet with Arditti (rec. 1993); Piano Works with Queffelec (rec. 1996).








View attachment 18264


----------



## Kivimees

Manxfeeder said:


> Ha! I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that.


Well, I was - and it was very uncomfortable!


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 5 (Transcribed by David Briggs) (*Priory*)










David Briggs @ the Organ of Gloucester Cathedral, U.K.

/ptr


----------



## chrisco97

I am currently listening to *Humoresque, Op. 101: No. 7 in G-Flat Major* by *Dvorák*. I absolutely adore this piece.


----------



## JCarmel

Fancy nodding-off to sleep after ptr's Organ has woken you up? Try this one!
Georg Muffat "Armonico Tributo'









If not, then this one will surely cause some 'shut-eye'....

Schmeltzer, Muffat Sonatas....London Baroque


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content









All the Best to Everyone,
Julie


----------



## Kieran

To join the Wagner Day party - *Parsifal*, Act 1 Prelude.

Freebie with the BBC Magazine, the Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton... :cheers:


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Overtures and Preludes
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Manxfeeder

Wait. I'm sharing ptr's Mahler Wednesday, and I find out it's supposed to be Wagner Day. Oh, well, I'm always late for the party.
So after the 7th finishes, it's on to Das Rheingold. Love the opening. After that, I tend to nod off.


----------



## schuberkovich

Ravel - both piano concertos.
Pascal Rogé with Montreal SO conducted by Charles Dutoit.
At this stage I think both concertos contain some of the most beautiful music ever written. I slightly prefer the left hand one for its sharp contrasts in mood and generally darker nature. It also has a one movement form with ideas flowing into each other. The G major is also incredible however.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel's piano concerti are my favourite classical works, if I had to choose!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

After Wagner, I listened to a bit of the Brahms Requiem. Not bad, though it didn't sound like a Requiem. I can't explain why. Maybe it's just unfamiliar to me. I should move incrementally from the cello sonata to something bigger before I edge into Brahmsian religion.

K377/378/379/380 - violin sonatas in F, B, G and E, performed by Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman...


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> Fancy nodding-off to sleep after ptr's Organ has woken you up? Try this one!
> Georg Muffat "Armonico Tributo'
> 
> View attachment 18265
> 
> 
> If not, then this one will surely cause some 'shut-eye'....
> 
> Schmeltzer, Muffat Sonatas....London Baroque
> 
> View attachment 18266
> 
> 
> All the Best to Everyone,
> Julie


You've been away long enough!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Ah why not. It's the only thing I've got









Except for Furtwängler's 1952 Tristan und Isolde, und, nah.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Yep, after the opening, my mind started wandering from Das Rheingold, so I turned to Bruckner's 8th. No wandering here.


----------



## Guest

George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Piano Concerto in F
Stefano Bollani, Piano
Riccardo Chailly, Gewandhausorchester

This is a great sounding recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Weelkes Anthems - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly, dir.


----------



## Sid James

*Matthew Locke*
_Seven Suites from The Little Consort, The Broken Consort & Triple Concordia_
- Played by The Locke Consort - Globe

*Saint-Saens*
_Piano Concerto #2 & 'Wedding Cake' for piano and strings_
- Bella Davidovich, piano with Royal Concertgebouw Orch. under Neeme Jarvi & Daniel Chorzempa, piano with Rotterdam PO under Edo de Waart - Eloquence

*Walton* _Viola Concerto (1961 version)_
- Maxim Vengerov, viola with London SO under Mstislav Rostropovich - EMI



maestro57 said:


> Thumbs up to Haydn and Mahler, but thumbs down on Andre Rieu


Well that's fine but I enjoy them all, but for very different reasons. Btw on that album Andre Rieu played Haydn's Serenade (which is actually by Hoffmeister, it was a misattribution) in his own arrangement. But he didn't play any Mahler, so maybe we have a case of a thorn between two roses there?! But seriously I like contrasting the listening I do in a day, or between days. Its rarely I listen to one thing, or one type of thing. I usually like to mix things up a bit. Sometimes I'm systematic, other times I just go with what I feel like hearing.


----------



## Kieran

Have you a big collection of music, Sid?


----------



## Neo Romanza

Sid James said:


> Well that's fine but I enjoy them all, but for very different reasons. Btw on that album Andre Rieu played Haydn's Serenade (which is actually by Hoffmeister, it was a misattribution) in his own arrangement. But he didn't play any Mahler, so maybe we have a case of a thorn between two roses there?! But seriously I like contrasting the listening I do in a day, or between days. Its rarely I listen to one thing, or one type of thing. I usually like to mix things up a bit. Sometimes I'm systematic, other times I just go with what I feel like hearing.


Well that's one thing I never could understand about you, Sid. Your like of Andre Rieu who, for me, is the equivalent of Kenny G, John Tesh, or Yanni. You're free to like what you want (obviously) but these guys are the kings of schmaltz, but there's a lot of people who like this manufactured pap. All in my opinion of course.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Back to Wagner.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Shostakovich's _Symphony No. 15_. The other work on this recording, Boris Tchaikovsky's _Variations for Orchestra_, is quite good. Not a masterwork like Shostakovich's 15th, but still an enjoyable listen.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

Klemperer with the Kolner Rundfunk Orchestra on Europa Musica. No picture.


----------



## bejart

JCF Bach (1732-1795): Trio in D Major

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Sabin Bauer, piano -- Rainer Zipperling, cello

View attachment 18281


----------



## SimonNZ

Finally arrived:















The Eton Choirbook - The Sixteen

Volume 1: The Rose And The Ostrich Feather - beginning with Robert Fayfax's Magnificat


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _The Commissar_. Great!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _The Commissar_. Great!


Got this DVD not long ago.









Schnittke score. Saw it years ago, didn't know from Schnittke. Have to watch it soon now. I remember only a decadent restaurant-bar scene. It seemed authentic, revelatory.

/my grandfather met Rasputin.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> Got this DVD not long ago.
> 
> View attachment 18283
> 
> 
> Schnittke score. Saw it years ago, didn't know from Schnittke. Have to watch it soon now. I remember only a decadent restaurant-bar scene. It seemed authentic, revelatory.
> 
> /my grandfather met Rasputin.


Yes, _Agony_. Never seen the film, but the score is quite good, of course writing film during those days (mid 60s through the 70s) was one of the only ways for Schnittke to actually make any money since his concert music didn't seem very popular at the time.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Rondo in B Minor, Op.70, D.895

Jeannie Wells Yablonsky, violin -- Robert Markham, piano

View attachment 18284


----------



## chrisco97

I am currently listening to *Dvorak's Cello Concerto*. Great stuff.


----------



## Sid James

Kieran said:


> Have you a big collection of music, Sid?


Well its in the hundreds (depends what you think of as "big"), including non classical things. But what I'm doing now is culling a fair deal of stuff that's surplus. But stuff I put on this thread are not in that category. I tend to post stuff here which I enjoy and have fair chance of keeping on enjoying, and maybe expanding in that area/composer if needed. So those are types of things I look out for on this thread (eg. I'm noting your posts of some of Wolfie's stuff, as well as other areas of potential expansion like that with other TC members points of focus).

(But if you want to talk about this more, please PM me - we can discuss it there and not interrupt the flow of this thread).


----------



## Kieran

Good stuff, Sid. I'll pm you tomorrow. I'm late up tonight, so I need something that flows freely. Mozart, did I hear you say? Don't mind if I do! Symphony #41, to shake the cobwebs. Ol' Lenny Bernstein swinging the wooden spoon, the New York Philly looking gangster-ish and mean in their penguin suits...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _The Bolt Suite_. Great performance.


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: String Quartet #2 in C, D 32 -- Melos Quartet

I've been listening especially and repeatedly to Schubert's 15th String Quartet. I was wrong about my estimation of it. While the fourth movement still doesn't impress me so much, the first two movements are quite excellent. It's one of the things that I appreciate most about being a member of this forum, that all of you have completely different perspectives that challenge my own estimations of works, composers, even entire eras of music. :tiphat:

Liszt: Soirées De Vienne, S 427, "Valses-Caprices D'Après Fr. Schubert" -- Leslie Howard

Dvořák: Symphony #4 in D Minor, Op. 13, B 41 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Brahms: String Quartet #1 in C Minor, Op. 51/1 -- Amadeus Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Gesualdo: Sacred music for five voices - Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly, dir


----------



## Air

I wish Wagner day could last longer. There are only 14 minutes left here on the West Coast and I'm only halfway through the Second Act of _Tristan und Isolde_ (Böhm). I also ought to go to bed.

Bottom line: I will be celebrating Wagner _week_ instead of just Wagner day.


----------



## PetrB

Frank Martin ~ Petite Symphonie Concertante





Frank Martin - Ballade for Viola, Winds & Percussion


----------



## Sid James

Kieran said:


> ... Mozart, did I hear you say? Don't mind if I do! Symphony #41, to shake the cobwebs...


Yeah well I plan to get to that one, and also his horn concertos (I got Barry Tuckwell's recording on my unlistened pile - but won't be that for long!) & also want to revisit some of his string quartets, piano quartets & the Gran Partita again.


----------



## PetrB

Esa-Pekka Salonen ~ Violin Concerto: Leila Josefowicz, violin; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Helmut Walcha, harpsichord


----------



## ptr

Morning troika:

*Helmut Lachenmann* - Schreibem (BBC AirCheck)









London Sinfonietta u. Brad Lubman

*Flor Peeters* - Concerto for Organ adn Orchestra Op 52 & Select Organ Works (Motette)









Paul Wissskirchen, orgel des Altenberges Doms; Junges Sinfonieochester, Köln u. Volker Hempfling; Andreas Meisner and der Peeters Orgel der Kathedrale Mechelen (4-9)

*Helmuth Lachenmann* - Concertini / Kontrakadenz (*EMM*)









Ensemble Modern u. Brad Lubman // Ensemble Modern Orchestra u. Markus Szenz

Still on my Lachenmann journey, His music strikes a bell that vibrates my music emotions! You can find lots of things to try on *YouTube*!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in E Minor, D 56

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Gugielmo, violin

View attachment 18303


----------



## Ravndal

Prokofiev PC No 3

Argerich & Abbado. 

One of the best pc's for sure.


----------



## ptr

Organ Lunch Interlude:

*Priory LP Archive Series Vol. 5 & Vol. 6* (*Priory*)

















Christopher Bowers-Broadbent & John Winter @ the Organ of Truro Cathedral // Christopher Herrick @ the Peter Collins Organ of St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich & Adrian Lucas @ The Organ of Norwich Cathedral and St. Andrews Hall, Norwich

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Ravndal said:


> Prokofiev PC No 3
> 
> Argerich & Abbado.
> 
> One of the best pc's for sure.










Thanks for the suggestion!


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv audio this morning:
sounds familiar
check the info: why it's Symphony No. 8 by Beethoven & Christop
character limit exceeded as usual. This is the problem people tell me they have with iTunes, bad labelling on long classical titles.

?...........?...........?............!

Christoph von Dohnányi!

"because the Eighth is so much better."


----------



## Andolink

John Jenkins: Divisions for two basses in C major; Fantasia in C minor; Fantasia in F minor "All in a Garden Green"
Rose Consort of Viols








J. S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier Book 2--No. 19 in A major, No. 20 in A minor, No. 21 in B flat major, 
No. 22 in B flat minor, No. 23 in B major, No. 24 in B minor
Kenneth Gilbert, harpsichord








Adrian Jack: String Quartet No. 5 (2000)
Arditti Quartet


----------



## millionrainbows

Henryk Gorécki, Third Symphony, Zinman, Upshaw (Warner/Elektra).


----------



## Sonata

*Rachmaninoff*: Piano concerto #1.
I find his piano concertos magical 

*Handel*: Chandos Anthem #1
I like this piece. I find that I seem to enjoy his lesser known pieces more than the famous works.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

At present, Mahler's Sixth Symphony performed by Abbado/Berlin Philharmoniker.

An excellent performance so far. I haven't listened to this symphony many times up to now, focussing recently on Symphonies one, two, seven and nine but that will change. Once I am more familiar with Abbado's interpretation, I will be moving onto the two others I have - Tennstedt's studio and live recordings with the LPO and Bernstein's NYP (both from their respective cycle boxed sets).

As much as I love the music of Beethoven, Mahler is surprisingly starting to creep ahead in my preferences along with Schubert, Mendelssohn and Siblieus from a symphonic perspective. I suppose fatigue may be playing a part but I think it is more a matter of my horizons opening wider and my (classical) music knowledge (gradually) expanding.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Mikrokosmos, with Solchany (rec.1973 - '75); *Enescu*: Piano Music (Vols. 1 & 2), with Borac (rec.2003 - '05).

View attachment 18310
View attachment 18311
View attachment 18312


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> Henryk Gorécki, Third Symphony, Zinman, Upshaw (Warner/Elektra).


Definitely my favorite performance of this work.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Harold Shapero has died at 93


----------



## Mahlerian

K287. I'm taking a bit of a lighter jaunt here than usual.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Horn Quintet in E-flat major, K. 407

Performed by members of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble (1980)


----------



## Ravndal

Jerome said:


> View attachment 18306
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion!


That's the one. Have fun!


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> K287. I'm taking a bit of a lighter jaunt here than usual.


Good stuff! If you're interested, here's a small article about this piece... :tiphat:


----------



## Kleinzeit

Symphony 3-- the sphinxlike second movement-- when Vänskä or Berglund do it, it's like Charles Trenet singing La Mer. Rozhdestvensky and the Tipsy Bear Philharmoanic do it like Bobby Darin singing Beyond the Sea. Is so wrong, feels so right.

Speaking of which,


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> Speaking of which,
> 
> View attachment 18316


I didn't realize that Shostakovich was a dwarf.


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> I didn't realize that Shostakovich was a dwarf.











No dwarf. Herry Potter.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*:
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral'
Grosse Fuge in B flat major
String Quartet No.14,15 & 16


----------



## ptr

*Helmuth Lachenmann* - Works for String Quartet (*Kairos*)









Arditti String Quartet

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Violin Concertos BVW 1041-43 & 1064R (*Harmonia Mundi HD*)









Freiburger Barockorchester; Gottfried von der Goltz, leader & violin, Anne Katharina Schreiber, violin and Petra Müllejans, violin

*Helmut Lachenmann* - Nun für Flöte, Posaune, Orchester mit Männerstimmen [1997-99] & Notturno (Musik für Julia) für kleines Orchester mit Violoncello [1966-68] (*Kairos*)









Gaby Pas-Van Riet, flöte; Michael Svoboda, trombone; Neue Vocalisten Stuttgart & WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln u. Jonathan Nott (1) // Andreas Lindenbaum, violoncello; Klangforum Wien u Hans Zender (2)

/ptr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to John Williams - The Great Guitar Concertos


----------



## Novelette

Hummel: Piano Concerto #4 in E, Op. 110 -- Howard Shelley: London Mozart Players

Bruckner: Symphony #2 in C Minor [1877 Version] -- Bernard Haitink: Concertgebouw Orchestra

Albrechtsberger: String Quartet in E Flat, Op. 7/6 -- Authentic String Quartet


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18315
> 
> 
> Symphony 3-- the sphinxlike second movement-- when Vänskä or Berglund do it, it's like Charles Trenet singing La Mer. Rozhdestvensky and the Tipsy Bear Philharmoanic do it like Bobby Darin singing Beyond the Sea. Is so wrong, feels so right.
> 
> Speaking of which,
> 
> View attachment 18316


Bobby Darin riding the big drunken bear. That's a circus act I want to see!


----------



## Kieran

#22 while I cook. I think these PC's are an embarrassment of riches. This one has the very rich Daniel Barenboim on a plump stool, jabbering away like he owns the gaff...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Jerome said:


> Bobby Darin riding the big drunken bear. That's a circus act I want to see!











You're welcome.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler*: Rückert-Lieder ( Anne Sofie von Otter, John Eliot Gardiner and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) on YouTube - for the very first time in my life.


----------



## NightHawk

TC Member 'Kleinzeit' noting the passing of Harold Shapero at age 93, posted a wonderful sonata by Mr. Shapero and at the end, where other menu selections (related, usually) are offered, I found this work by Irving Fine, _Music for Piano 1947_. I've heard little of Fine's music but have always thought it a beautiful, neo-classic American music. From Wikipedia:_Fine was a member of a close-knit group of Boston composers in the mid-20th century who were sometimes called the "Boston Six" or "Boston School." Other members of the Boston School included Arthur Berger, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Harold Shapero._

IRVING FINE - MUSIC FOR PIANO - 1947


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler*: Kindertotenlieder (Anne Sofie von Otter, Pierre Boulez and the Wiener Philharmoniker) on YouTube.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled *Szymanowski*: Works for Violin and Piano, with emphasis on Bakowski & Gorecka (rec. 2001), Ibragimova & Tiberghien (rec. 2008), Kramer & Durcan (rec. 2005).

Thanks again to NR for the nudge to investigate these works. I soon found there are plentiful recs to choose from. Some are exclusively with this composer, while others are compiled. After sampling several from each category, I boiled it down to an "exclusive" trio. Their programs are similar, with only one or two substitutions.

Bakowski & Gorecka are urgent readings. Exceedingly so at times, with nuance being short-changed. What holds this recording back more than anything, though, is Bakowski's tone and the sound engineering. I found it unlistenable at times. A hollow acoustic, with screech-meter being heavily taxed.

How refreshing it was to hear the warmth of Ibragimova & Tiberghien. One can soothingly bathe in this sound. And thankfully, more time is spent to smell flowers. Nuance is oft presented with translucency that's quite breathtaking at times. Gears are urgently shifted for the Sonata, to great effect. A fine rec., that deserves many of its accolades.

Kramer & Durcan display an impressive balance of might and tenderness. Instrument tones are deeper, richer, and well-projected. This offsets slightly cooler acoustic and closer miking.

I preferred their separation, thinking Bakowski & Gorecka were often combative or intruding, while Ibragimova & Tiberghien were often too cosy, and sometimes not projecting enough. Consequently, this can reduce product edge.

In conclusion, Kramer & Durcan was the rec. that could satisfy my senses of these works the most. So ordered!

View attachment 18324
View attachment 18325
View attachment 18326


----------



## ptr

*César Franck* - Intégrale de l'oeuvre d'harmonium (*Ricercar*)










Joris Verdin, harmonium

Verdin is a true master of the Harmonium!

/ptr


----------



## chrisco97

*Dvorak* - _Terzetto in C Major for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 74, B. 148_

I know, I have been listening to a lot of Dvorak lately.


----------



## DaveS

One that I have not listened to in a number of years. Grieg's Peer Gynt(full version). Per Dreier, LSO. Beautiful.


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18322
> 
> 
> You're welcome.


Wow! That's fabulous. I'm on the floor!


----------



## Novelette

Johann Stamitz: Oboe Concerto in C -- Zdenek Adam; Petr Chromcak: Czech Chamber Philharmonic

I'm really enjoying the Mannheim School composers!

Scriabin: Piano Sonata #1 in F Minor -- Vladimir Ashkenazy

Fauré: Romances sans Paroles, Op. 17 -- Jean Martin


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart:*

_Piano Concerto #27 (Cadenzas by Wolfie)_
- Mitsuko Uchida on piano and directing The Cleveland Orch. (Decca)

_Symphony #41, "Jupiter"_
- SWF SO of Baden-Baden under Ernest Bour (Sony)

*Saint-Saens:*

_Piano Concerto #5, "Egyptian"_
- Magda Tagliaferro, piano with Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux under Jean Fournet (Eloquence)

_Havanaise_
- Sir Yehudi Menuhin, violin with Philharmonia Orch. under Sir Eugene Goossens (EMI)

_The Swan (Adagio) from Carnival of the Animals, in contrasting arrangements by Paul Vidal and Andre Rieu -_
- Maria Kliegel, cello with Bournemouth Sinfonietta under Jean-Francois Monnard (Naxos)
- Andre Rieu & his orch., featuring Tanja Derwahl on cello (Universal)


----------



## Mahlerian

Earlier -

Webern: 5 Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10
London Symphony, cond. Boulez

Webern: 3 Small Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 11
Gregor Piatigorsky, Charles Rosen

Schoenberg: Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene, Op. 34
Radio-Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt, cond. Inbal

Now:

Furtwangler: Symphony No. 1 in B minor
Slovak State Philharmonic, cond. Alfred Walter

If someone told me this was meant to be a parody of Bruckner or late Romanticism, I might believe them without a second thought...


----------



## Kieran

I think that's a new recording of #27, Sid. I said it before but it's true: because Wolfie composed so many PC's, his achievement there is oddly underrated. He's the default setting, and #27 is a glorious one, slide-in opener, but it's the slow movement really breaks my heart.

Now, Piano trio, K548. Kungsbacka Trio performing. After this, I'll let Rachmaninov lull me to sleep, the hulking opening of his second piano concerto. Not that this is music that would bore a man to sleep, no, far from it...


----------



## Crudblud

Antonín Dvořák - _Biblické pisně, Op. 99_
Maurice Ravel - _Shéhérazade_
Gustav Mahler - _Rückert-Lieder_

Magdalena Kožená with Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## SimonNZ

The Eton Choirbook - The Sixteen

Volume 2: The Crown Of Thorns - which includes John Browne's Stabat Mater


----------



## Schubussy

Schnittke - Requiem
Valeri Polyansky, Russian State Symphonic Capella


----------



## Ravndal

Bach - Well Tempered Clavier Book 1

Glenn Gould.


----------



## Crudblud

Lepo Sumera - _Symphony No. 1_ (P. Järvi)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major, KV 370

Members of the Chilingirian Quartet with Gordon Hunt on oboe

View attachment 18333


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## MagneticGhost

Great Cello Concerto from Panufnik.


----------



## MagneticGhost

And now Troika is making me feel all christmassy!!


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): String Trio in D Major

Czech String Trio: Petr Matejak, violin -- Jiri Rajnis, viola -- Maire Hixova, cello

View attachment 18338


----------



## Kleinzeit

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 18337
> 
> 
> And now Troika is making me feel all christmassy!!











Just got this. Christmas 2 the sequel.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










A new acquisition. Listening to _In Memoriam_. I'm digging this so far.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Flute Sonata in D Major, Op.50

Clive Conway, flute -- Christine Croshaw, piano

View attachment 18341


----------



## chalkpie

Sibelius and cardiacs.


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - _Concerto in G Minor for Two Cellos and Strings RV. 531_

I love what The Piano Guys did with this piece...check it out (and their other stuff, they are amazing):


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Scott Ross, harpsichord (EMI, 1998)

he also made a recording for Erato three years earlier, which I haven't yet found


----------



## ptr

Morning trio:

*Julia Wolfe* - Dark Full Ride (*Cantaloupe Music*)









Matthew Welch, Bagpipes // Talujon Percussion Quartet // Lisa Moore, Piano // Robert Black, Double Bass

*Ecstatic Drumbeat* (*Bis*)
(*Chung Yiu-kwong* - Concerto for Percussion and Chinese Orchestra // *Keiko Abe* - Prism Rhapsody // *Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic* - Born to Beat Wild, Op.30 // *Toshiro Mayuzumi* - Concertino for Xylophone and Orchestra // *Chung Yiu-kwong* - Emperor Qin Crushing the Battle Formations)









Evelyn Glennie, percussion; Taipei Chinese Orchestra u. Chung Yiu-kwong & En Shao

*Thirteen Drums* (*Bis*)
(*Yasuo Sueyoshi* - Mirage for marimba // *Maki Ishii* - Thirteen Drums for percussion solo // *Akira Miyoshi* - Ripple for marimba // *Hideki Kozakura* - Johali for solo percussion // *Toshi Ichiyanagi* - Portrait of Forest for solo marimba - *Minoru Mik*i - Time for marimba)









Mika Takehara, percussion

/ptr


----------



## PetrB

Nikolai Korndorf ~ Lullaby for two pianos


----------



## MagneticGhost

Panufnik

Sinfonia Elegiaca
Nocturne
Rhapsody for Orchestra

Louisville Orchestra

The performance is a little ropey at times especially in the Sinfonia.
But they are making up for it in the Rhapsody.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 3,4,7,5


----------



## SimonNZ

"Mannheim And Vienna (1760-1800): The Mannheim School" - Wolfgang Hofmann, cond.

works by Richter, Cannabich, Stamitz and Holzbauer


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Quartet No.1 for Flute, Oboe, Bassoon and Basso Continuo in D Major

European Baroque Soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, flute -- Hansjorg Schellenberger, oboe -- Milan Turkovic, bassoon -- Philip Moll, harpsichord

View attachment 18353


----------



## Kieran

Wagner, Parsifal, Act 1 prelude...


----------



## MagneticGhost

I love having an empty house occasionally. 
Shooting back about three centuries

Pinnock's perfect performances of the Fire and Waterworks


----------



## Guest

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 18354
> 
> 
> I love having an empty house occasionally.
> Shooting back about three centuries
> 
> Pinnock's perfect performances of the Fire and Waterworks


That is my favorite Water Music also. The first one I heard and nothing else ever measured up. Pinnock did the period best.


----------



## Guest

Just in the mood for it. 
Béla Bartók, Piano Concertos
Solti, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Piano


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 1


----------



## Guest

After Bartok I need to relax.
Mozart, Flute and Harp Concerto.

...aaaaaahhhhhh


----------



## Kieran

That's the disc I have, Jerome! Might give it a spin later. Especially K299, the sumptuous flute and harp concerto (although I think of it as a flute with harp accompaniment concerto).

Right now? That Rach-fever has shrivelled my resistance. The Piano concerto that isn't: Rhapsody on a theme. Bright sunny windy day that it is...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Smetna, Moldau.*

My sixth grade teacher made us do a report on composers. I chose Smetana because his dictionary entries were short. The funny thing is, I never actually heard anything by him until I was a lot older. So I'm still catching up. I really like how Ancerl conducts this.


----------



## millionrainbows

Karl Jenkins (1944-): _Diamond Music;_ London Philharmonic Strings; Karl Jenkins, cond. (Sony).

If this music is so 'juvenile, new age, and bad,' then how come it is so effective in selling diamonds? Because it's dramatic, rich, and oozes tradition and pomp.

Agreed, the vocal work Adiemus (on another CD) doesn't do much for me, but I think the _Diamond Music_ album is all good; and serious string orchestra music. It includes the 3-movement _Palladio,_ and Jenkins' _String Quartet No. 2 _(inspired by Vivaldi) as well as the lovely _Passacaglia_ (...that's a set of variations on a ground bass, in case you critics mistaked it with "new age").

All the music is based firmly on classical and baroque techniques, so I don't see the problem. I've heard much more forgettable and trite wallpaper music from Vivaldi. The London Philharmonic Strings do a great job here.

So what if Jenkins has done award-winning advertising music, and was a jazz player? The classical music genre must compete in the mass-market just like popular genres. I think the critics here are stuck in the "historical museum" of CM, and are way too critical of newer CM, even when it is as traditional-oriented as Jenkins. I've heard soundtrack music, and John Williams music, that is way more commercial and trite sounding.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Mozart: Die Zauberflote

















I sang and whistled through the Schubert symphony. Then I couldn't resist not to put on Die Zauberflote - probably the first opera that I truly came to love.


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Karl Jenkins (1944-): _Diamond Music;_ London Philharmonic Strings; Karl Jenkins, cond. (Sony).
> 
> If this music is so 'juvenile, new age, and bad,' then how come it is so effective in selling diamonds? Because it's dramatic, rich, and oozes tradition and pomp.
> 
> Agreed, the vocal work Adiemus (on another CD) doesn't do much for me, but I think the _Diamond Music_ album is all good; and serious string orchestra music. It includes the 3-movement _Palladio,_ and Jenkins' _String Quartet No. 2 _(inspired by Vivaldi) as well as the lovely _Passacaglia_ (...that's a set of variations on a ground bass, in case you critics mistaked it with "new age").
> 
> All the music is based firmly on classical and baroque techniques, so I don't see the problem. I've heard much more forgettable and trite wallpaper music from Vivaldi. The London Philharmonic Strings do a great job here.
> 
> So what if Jenkins has done award-winning advertising music, and was a jazz player? The classical music genre must compete in the mass-market just like popular genres. I think the critics here are stuck in the "historical museum" of CM, and are way too critical of newer CM, even when it is as traditional-oriented as Jenkins. I've heard soundtrack music, and John Williams music, that is way more commercial and trite sounding.


Huh. File under check this out one of these nights to see whats so divisive.

Respect for Robert Wyatt, he forged his own distinctive take-it-or-leave it sound, which i don't much like.

Remember liking Kevin Ayers in the 70s.


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv music channel:
Fauré Piano Quartet No. 2 Op. 45
Quatuor Ysaÿe & Pascal Roge

I love Fauré...now. When I was sniffing around, so many sources said "Fauré --In the beginning maybe you won't find much"
That's the kind of dare / Tom Sawyer Effect that hooks me every time. 

Instantly pictured myself in silk dressing gown and fez, batonning my pipe to the music. Which is what happened. True story.


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: 3 Small Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 11
Gregor Piatigorsky, Charles Rosen

Berg: 4 Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 4
Sabine Meyer, Oleg Maisenberg

It's a fact that arguing about "atonal" music makes me want to listen to it...


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> That's the disc I have, Jerome! Might give it a spin later. Especially K299, the sumptuous flute and harp concerto (although I think of it as a flute with harp accompaniment concerto).
> 
> Right now? That Rach-fever has shrivelled my resistance. The Piano concerto that isn't: Rhapsody on a theme. Bright sunny windy day that it is...


K313 & K314 with Nicolet playing flute are also on that disc. They are the best I've heard.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## schuberkovich

Mozart Piano Concerto no.27 in B-flat major. Angela Hewitt.
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite Mozart PCs, along with 20, 21 and 23. It is wonderful


----------



## Kieran

Bob Dylan's 72 today, a birthday that has much more resonance with me than Wagner, so after a few hours of listening again to his latest raggedly brilliant offering - _Tempest _- I switched on the radio and like a demanding mistress, Mozart's slow set from #23 is being played, the f-sharp minor, his only utterance in the key. I don't know who's playing, but it elevates me more than any music I'll listen to today...

EDIT: it was Brendel at the wheel, beautifully rendering this piece. Just as it ended I was struck by how beautifully Wolfgang brought his slow movements to a close. Almost everyone of them has a gorgeous, heart-rising finish, no matter how tragically resigned the music has been, as if to make you sigh along with the tune...


----------



## MagneticGhost

Messiaen 

Les Offrandes oubliees
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum
Chronochromie

The Anniversary Edition
Boxset


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

Good morning,

I am on an unpaid day off from work thanks to budget cuts by the United States government. So I continue to listen to my CDs in alphabetical order.

Salvatore Di Vittorio (born 1967 in Italy): Sinfonias 1 and 2 (Chamber Orchestra of New York "Ottorino Respighi", 1999 and 2000); Overtura Respighiana (2008; Chamber Orchestra of New York "Ottorino Respighi"); Ave Maria for female chorus (1998; The Respighi Choir); and Clarinet Sonata 1 (1998; Benjamin Baron, clarinet) (Naxos 8.572333).

Earlier: Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-99): Sinfonias in D minor, F Major and G minor; Failoni Orchestra directed by Uwe Grodd (Naxos/Musical Heritage Society 5197157).

Jim


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mahler 9
Gustavo Dudamel

On Spotify


----------



## ptr

Afternoon listening:

*Dietrich Buxtehude* - Works for Harpsichord (*Kontrapunkt*)









Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - Theme and Cadenza for Violin and Orchestra & Violin Concerto (Ace of Clubs OOP?)









Alfredo Campoli, violin; London Philharmonic u. Sir Arthur Bliss

*Mark-Anthony Turnage* - Fractured Lines (*Chandos*)
(Another Set To (For trombone and orchestra) // Silent Cities (revised version) Variants surrounding a tune by John Scofield For orchestra // Four-Horned Fandango For four horns and orchestra // Fractured Lines for Double Percussion Concerto on a tune by Peter Erskine)









Timothy Brown, Michael Murray, Andrew Antcliff, Christopher Larkin, horns; Christian Lindberg, trombone; Evelyn Glennie, percussion; Peter Erskine percussion; BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Leonard Slatkin

And now on to the best Czech Late Romantic Symphony:

*Josef Suk* - Asrael (Symfonie pro velký orchestr C moll), Op. 27 (1905-1906)) (Panton)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelík

This Live recording from 1981 is slow, looming and very introspective, but as always with Kubelik at his best, it is the Tour de Force others must be compared against and IMHO fail to surpass. Besides Mahler's, this is my favourite large Scale Symphonic Work written around 1900 +/- 10 years! 

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Act 1 prelude from Parsifal. It's making me want to hear more...


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Kieran said:


> Act 1 prelude from Parsifal. It's making me want to hear more...


Yeah, go for it!


----------



## Kieran

SiegendesLicht said:


> Yeah, go for it!


The prelude is like an overture, right? Apart from a rum-tum-TUM bit where the noise intruded, this prelude was quite tasteful and profound. I'm not familiar with too much Wagner - usually he sounds like a guy who's having difficulty spitting it out and getting to the point. You know what I mean! 

Brahms now, his German Requiem. It's beautiful...


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Kieran said:


> The prelude is like an overture, right? Apart from a rum-tum-TUM bit where the noise intruded, this prelude was quite tasteful and profound. I'm not familiar with too much Wagner - usually he sounds like a guy who's having difficulty spitting it out and getting to the point. You know what I mean!


What exactly do you mean by _noise_?! There is no *noise* there.


----------



## Ravndal

Michael Tippett - Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli


----------



## Kieran

SiegendesLicht said:


> What exactly do you mean by _noise_?! There is no *noise* there.


I know, I'm teasing. :lol:

It actually is a very restrained piece, isn't it? It's on this months free cd with the BBC magazine. Comes with the Brahms mass. I need to listen more closely to the Brahms because there's something about it that doesn't sound liturgical, if you know what I mean. I like that too, though, very beautiful music...


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Yes, the Requiem is very beautiful.
And my current listening: *Gustav Mahler* - "Das klagende Lied" (Pierre Boulez and the London Symphonic Orchestra).


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> I know, I'm teasing. :lol:
> 
> It actually is a very restrained piece, isn't it? It's on this months free cd with the BBC magazine. Comes with the Brahms mass. I need to listen more closely to the Brahms because there's something about it that doesn't sound liturgical, if you know what I mean. I like that too, though, very beautiful music...


Wasn't that the thing? 
Wiki: Brahms purposely omitted Christian dogma. In his correspondence with Carl Reinthaler, when Reinthaler expressed concern over this, Brahms refused to add references to "the redeeming death of the Lord", as Reinthaler described it, such as John 3:16. In the Bremen performance of the piece, Reinthaler took the liberty of inserting the aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth" from Handel's Messiah to satisfy the clergy.

Got to listen again to this soon. It's in the dense, forbidding back-forty acres of Brahms for me. Mainly because of the voices.


----------



## DrKilroy

Today I have listened to Schubert's 8th and 9th symphonies (Karl Bohm). I decided I liked them. 

Now I just have to venture into Beethoven symphonies!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> Wasn't that the thing?
> Wiki: Brahms purposely omitted Christian dogma. In his correspondence with Carl Reinthaler, when Reinthaler expressed concern over this, Brahms refused to add references to "the redeeming death of the Lord", as Reinthaler described it, such as John 3:16. In the Bremen performance of the piece, Reinthaler took the liberty of inserting the aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth" from Handel's Messiah to satisfy the clergy.
> 
> Got to listen again to this soon. It's in the dense, forbidding back-forty acres of Brahms for me. Mainly because of the voices.


A sacred mass - without the sacred? No wonder this one hasn't been sung in my church. But as a secular mass goes, it's still a thing of glory...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> A sacred mass - without the sacred? No wonder this one hasn't been sung in my church. But as a secular mass goes, it's still a thing of glory...


This one too, eh? ...by an atheist.


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> This one too, eh? ...by an atheist.
> 
> View attachment 18376


I think I actually have this somewhere. Was given a gift of about a dozen masses about a dozen years ago. Obviously, one of them was Mozart so I never heard any of the rest...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> I think I actually have this somewhere. Was given a gift of about a dozen masses about a dozen years ago. Obviously, one of them was Mozart so I never heard any of the rest...


Then it's a must to dig up or 'Tube.


----------



## cwarchc

Onto N & O














You have to have some of the "old" warhorses in your collection, don't you


----------



## Kleinzeit

cwarchc said:


> Onto N & O
> View attachment 18380
> View attachment 18381
> 
> 
> You have to have some of the "old" warhorses in your collection, don't you


Recently got this:









It's a trilogy! Why are there *hundreds* of the first and just about none of the other two?

Trionfi di Aphrodite is especially ruff.


----------



## ptr

Nachtmusik:

*Wilhelm Stenhammar* - Serenad in F Op 31 (Heliodor)









Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik

Best of Swedish Late Romantics, like a Nordic Brahms with a twist...

/ptr


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still exploring or rather rediscovering a lot of the works by Mozart that I am less familiar with... and the more I explore... the more I realize that I should be more familiar with these works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beethoven and Szell... what more could I ask for?


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival. *Antheil/Lourie/Ornstein* Piano Music, with Lombardi (rec. 1995). Highly recommended to tightropers. Good notes by James Nice. :tiphat:

View attachment 18387


Related:

http://www.ltmrecordings.com/futurpiano_ltmcd2541.html


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Beethoven and Szell... what more could I ask for?


Ludwig and Herbie?


----------



## SimonNZ

Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsories For Maundy Thursday - The King's Singers


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently Rachmaninov's Third Symphony performed by Petrenko/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

The volume range is not as absurdly broad as on the Naxos Shostakovich so the Rachmaninov for EMI is proving to be very enjoyable indeed.

Prior to that I watch a documentary on Carlos Kleiber - I think it was called "Lost to the World" or I'm Lost to the World". Very interesting, a very talented conductor indeed.

It has been a hectic day today and will be again tomorrow, so listening time is still going to be limited for another day sadly. Nothing like booking time off of work to tempt fate and derail the best laid of plans...grrrrrrrr  :lol:


----------



## bejart

George Onslow (1784-1853): String Quartet in F Sharp Minor, Op.46, No.1

Coull String Quartet: Roger Coull and Philip Gallaway, violins -- David Curtis, viola -- John Todd, cello

View attachment 18389


----------



## Manxfeeder

In honor of Bob Dylan, Corigliano's *Mr. Tambourine Man. *

If you know the original of these songs - and who doesn't? - it's kind of hard to put the originals aside for these settings. But one good thing came from it: when I bought the CD, the orange-haired college kid at the cash register said, "Dylan? Cool." I don't get that response from a lot of my classical purchases.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> In honor of Bob Dylan, Corigliano's *Mr. Tambourine Man. *
> 
> If you know the original of these songs - and who doesn't? - it's kind of hard to put the originals aside for these settings. But one good thing came from it: when I bought the CD, the orange-haired college kid at the cash register said, "Dylan? Cool." I don't get that response from a lot of my classical purchases.


That sounds interesting - is it classically orchestrated, or jazzy? Mayhap a 'transcription ' of the folk bards songs?


----------



## EricABQ

I just finished Schubert's piano concerto #17 played by Kempf. 

Not that I would, but if I had to state a favorite Schubert sonata, the 17 might be it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> That sounds interesting - is it classically orchestrated, or jazzy? Mayhap a 'transcription ' of the folk bards songs?


Mr. Corgiliano wrote this only knowing lyrics - he hadn't heard any of the songs! So he wrote a completely new setting from the ground up of seven songs. You might find it interesting if you have an open mind, but for me, it's hard to put the originals aside and listen with new ears.


----------



## PetrB

All the Prokofiev Piano Concerti:

No. 1 (two different performances -- each link the full piece)









No. 2





No.3 Stunningly great pianist here... video maddeningly out of sync, I'd recommend listen, don't watch 













No. 4 [a long-time favorite of mine. neoclassical (neobaroque more like it) and lean, mean and wonderful, imo, it is slightly orphaned and deserves more.]

















No. 5


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra.*

I finally had a day free to sit down with the score, mark it up, and dig into this piece. What lovely writing. In the "Ancient Ones" section, he writes a hymn, quoting two chants, with the strings divided at one point into 17 parts!

For a musical depiction of a sage revoking passion, this is curiously passionate; the waltz alone takes up the majority of the music. And for someone who disdains religion, the church music is curiously comforting. And the sounds he gets in this piece are wonderful - from massive forces to chamber settings.

Of course, after Kubrick's 2001 movie, Karajan is the go-to standard for this piece; his version of the opening is what everyone knows. And though Nietzsche derided herd morality in favor of the ubermensch, with the 2001 movie and its acceptance into pop culture, John Williamson amusingly labeled the phenomenon "the revenge of the herd."


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Beethoven and Szell... what more could I ask for?


I really like Szell's take on Beethoven. In fact, I guess I like it too much; my CD got all scratched up, and I need to replace it. That hasn't happened to me in a long time.


----------



## PetrB

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 18354
> 
> 
> I love having an empty house occasionally.
> Shooting back about three centuries
> 
> Pinnock's perfect performances of the Fire and Waterworks


Crank those suckers up until they are loud enough to be well heard out of doors from a distance! (Oh, that's what they _are!_


----------



## bejart

Carl Czerny (1791-1857): Variations on Haydn's 'Nationalgesange, Op.73

Maureen Jones on Piano with the Kammermusiker Zurich: Brenton Langbein and Andreas Pfenninger, violins -- Daniel Corti and Ottavio Corti, violas -- Raffaele Altwegg, cello

View attachment 18391


----------



## Crudblud

Gustav Mahler - _Des Knaben Wunderhorn_ (Boulez)


----------



## Mahlerian

Dutilleux: Symphony No. 1, Timbres, espace, mouvement
Orchestre National de Lyon, cond. Serge Baudo


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8*

I've got some of Brahms and Schumann's chamber music planned for this morning - currently listening to the Beaux Arts trio playing Brahms Piano Trios and later I will play selections from the following boxes:


----------



## colin

after a meander back into the guitar for a while (I needed to do some fine tuning accept my sincerest) I get back into listening to violin with Itzakh Perlmans rendition of John Williams. 



It just reaches and soothes. I am with him throughout.


----------



## SimonNZ

The Eton Choirbook - The Sixteen

Volume 3: The Pillars Of Eternity

and I've got to say that this box has absolutely proved to have been money well spent


----------



## bejart

Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Cello Concerto in C Major

Marta Abraham leading the Sinfonietta Pannonica -- Peter Szabo, cello

View attachment 18396


----------



## colin

Listening to Bachs Brandenburg concerto No3. I just love the rhythm right the way through, No other piece Bach has composed wraps all the strings around each other in quite the same chromatic swirl. Brightens my afternoon.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> Dutilleux: Symphony No. 1, Timbres, espace, mouvement
> Orchestre National de Lyon, cond. Serge Baudo


I own this as well. Excellent performances from Baudo.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Malcolm Arnold--*Symphony No.5, Op.74 and Symphony No.6, Op.98. *Both symphonies are performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under Andrew Penny.
Hubert Parry--*Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy, Symphony No.2 in F Major {"Cambridge"} and Symphonic Variations in E Minor. *All three works feature Maestro Penny and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.3, *once again featuring the RSNO, however, this time they are under Hannu Lintu's stick.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Much love for Arnold's 5th.

I like Penny's version best. He hits it hard.


----------



## Weston

This evening I listened in earnest to two works as a kind of mini-concert for myself.

First up,* Einar Englund's Symphony No. 4 "Nostalgic"* for string orchestra and percussion. (Jorma Panula / Turku Philharmonic Orchestra on Naxos). This is a wonderful work I enjoyed a great deal. The middle movements were a special treat, the 2nd sending me on an imaginary ride on a toy train that slowly became perilous, the 3rd taking me into a bittersweet feeling of loving yet missing a close friend. I have no idea whatsoever if that was the intent of these movements, but that's where they sent me. The 1st and last movements are very similar and quite a bit weightier. I could detect nothing like sonata allegro form in any of the movements, which doesn't mean it omits the form, only that I did not notice one way or the other. In this respect it reminds me more of a suite than a symphony, but a very cohesive work nonetheless.

Next, *Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral Suite from The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh*. (Igor Golovschin / Moscow Symphony Orchestra also on Naxos.) This is interesting to me in that it is supposed to sound more like Rimsky-Korsakov than his other orchestral suites derived from operas, but I have always been familiar with The Golden Cockeral and have thought of it as more his style. Kitezh opens with a nice woodland hymn full of songbirds, cuckoos, rustlings and so forth. It then rapidly moves on to what our western ears might consider Christmas music. It's festive music with jingle bells and some very Russian melodies not unlike Tchaikovsky, so the Christmas association is inevitable, though there is no mention of Christmas I can find in the synopsis. A few magical gentle movements follow, a battle scene, and it all ends on a big brass fanfare and bells like a slightly more restrained orchestrated Great Gates of Kiev from Mussorgsky.

Kitezh is a nice expreience, but of the two I enjoyed Englund's 4th a bit more. (Sorry, Huilunsoittaja. At least Finland is sort of close to Russia.)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Weston said:


> This evening I listened in earnest to two works as a kind of mini-concert for myself.
> 
> First up,* Einar Englund's Symphony No. 4 "Nostalgic"* for string orchestra and percussion. (Jorma Panula / Turku Philharmonic Orchestra on Naxos). This is a wonderful work I enjoyed a great deal. The middle movements were a special treat, the 2nd sending me on an imaginary ride on a toy train that slowly became perilous, the 3rd taking me into a bittersweet feeling of loving yet missing a close friend. I have no idea whatsoever if that was the intent of these movements, but that's where they sent me. The 1st and last movements are very similar and quite a bit weightier. I could detect nothing like sonata allegro form in any of the movements, which doesn't mean it omits the form, only that I did not notice one way or the other. In this respect it reminds me more of a suite than a symphony, but a very cohesive work nonetheless.
> 
> Next, *Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral Suite from The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh*. (Igor Golovschin / Moscow Symphony Orchestra also on Naxos.) This is interesting to me in that it is supposed to sound more like Rimsky-Korsakov than his other orchestral suites derived from operas, but I have always been familiar with The Golden Cockeral and have thought of it as more his style. Kitezh opens with a nice woodland hymn full of songbirds, cuckoos, rustlings and so forth. It then rapidly moves on to what our western ears might consider Christmas music. It's festive music with jingle bells and some very Russian melodies not unlike Tchaikovsky, so the Christmas association is inevitable, though there is no mention of Christmas I can find in the synopsis. A few magical gentle movements follow, a battle scene, and it all ends on a big brass fanfare and bells like a slightly more restrained orchestrated Great Gates of Kiev from Mussorgsky.
> 
> Kitezh is a nice expreience, but of the two I enjoyed Englund's 4th a bit more. (Sorry, Huilunsoittaja. At least Finland is sort of close to Russia.)











Wow! Einar Englund. Like Koechlin or Kokkonen, one of those composers who are always beneath some radar, but who inspire enormous admiration.

The story about young Englund getting it together to visit Sibelius at Ainola. Sibelius greeted him with "_THE_ Einar Englund?" --he had heard Englund's Piano Quintet on the radio.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.5 in Major, Op.102, No.2

Antonio Janigro, cello -- Jorge Demus, piano

View attachment 18403


----------



## Crudblud

Crudblud said:


> Gustav Mahler - _Des Knaben Wunderhorn_ (Boulez)


And again on my early morning walk. At just under 50 minutes it syncs with my route very nicely.


----------



## Neo Romanza

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Malcolm Arnold--*Symphony No.5, Op.74 and Symphony No.6, Op.98. *Both symphonies are performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under Andrew Penny.
> Hubert Parry--*Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy, Symphony No.2 in F Major {"Cambridge"} and Symphonic Variations in E Minor. *All three works feature Maestro Penny and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
> Einojuhani Rautavaara--*Symphony No.3, *once again featuring the RSNO, however, this time they are under Hannu Lintu's stick.


Nice lineup!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18401
> 
> 
> Much love for Arnold's 5th.
> 
> I like Penny's version best. He hits it hard.


What do you think about Hickox's and Handley's performances?


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Suite in E Flat, BWV 819 -- Pieter-Jan Belder

Mozart: Symphony #30 in D, K 202 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Haydn: Baryton Trio #73 in G, H 11/73 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Purcell: Dido & Aeneas -- Janet Baker, Anthony Lewis: English Chamber Orchestra

Haydn: Parthia in B Flat, H 2/Deest -- Consortium Classicum


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










This may end up being my favorite Schnittke recording. _Faust Cantata_ is AWESOME!


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven *_The Creatures of Prometheus (Die Geschopfe des Prometheus)_
- Scottish CO under Sir Charles Mackerras (Hyperion)

*Album: Magnificent Mario - 20 Mario Lanza favourites*
- _The Italian American tenor singing a selection of popular songs, opera arias and songs from musicals, recordings made between 1950 and 1959_ (BMG Classics)

*Liszt*_ Les Preludes_
- Leipzig Gewandhaus Orch. under Kurt Masur (EMI)



Kieran said:


> I think that's a new recording of #27, Sid. I said it before but it's true: because Wolfie composed so many PC's, his achievement there is oddly underrated. He's the default setting, and #27 is a glorious one, slide-in opener, but it's the slow movement really breaks my heart....


Well I had that concerto played by Rudolf Serkin years back on tape, and I enjoyed this one by Mitsuko Uchida. I will listen to the other concerto on that cd soon too. Incidentally, I was listening to Hindemith's solo violin sonatas last weekend, and in the second one he quotes and does variations on that final movement's famous tune of the 27th piano concerto. It's like a homage, and like the orginal its quite a bit of fun, kinda works to break down that image of Hindemith as a dull, dry and studious composer. I found it a light and fun piece to listen to, and it effectively shows off the technique of a virtuoso violinist. Much like the original piano concerto's finale, perhaps...


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Wanda Landowska, harpsichord


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 1,2,3,4,6,7,5


----------



## Tristan

*Ponchielli* - La Gioconda (Caballe/Pavarotti)

The whole thing, not just the _Dance of the Hours_ part. Although, I am on the _Dance of the Hours_ part right now...


----------



## violadude

I'm working on listening to all the Cello Concertos in my Itunes. I don't have too many. I have the ones by Saygun, Rautavaara, Ligeti, Sumera, Yoshimatsu, Shostakovich #1, Schumann, Barber, Dvorak (b minor one), Haydn (There are 3 on the recording I got, the famous one in C and two others in D) and Elgar.


----------



## Jovian

i am listening to Gary Moore a great guitarist
i also like to listen to Indian Singers.


----------



## PetrB

Lukas Foss ~ Baroque Variations
... again, because they are beautiful and brilliant 
(A crackly LP to youtube, well worth dealing with 
~ I. On a Handel Larghetto 
~ II. On a Scarlatti Sonata 
~ III. On a Bach Prelude "Phorion"


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sibelius - Symphony No. 2
Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## ptr

I'm a habitual person, so here goes my morning trio:

*Franz Schubert* - Sonatas for violin & piano (*Harmonia Mundi*)









Andrew Manze, violin & Richard Egarr, fortepiano

*Arnold Bax* - Symphony No 7 - "To the People of America" (*Chandos*)









BBC Philharmonic u. Vernon Handley

*Luciano Berio* - Sinfonia & Ekphrasis (*DG 20/21*)









London Voices, Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Peter Eötvös

/ptr


----------



## Conor71

*Schubert: Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 162*

^^A bit of Schubert Chamber Music for me too . After the Stern/Barenboim offering I will play the Arpeggione Sonata from the set of miscellaneous chamber works.


----------



## Rapide

Not the finest version around but a very decent one under Maestro Boulez.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 7


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Italian Settecento: The Neapolitan Group" - Mathieu Lange, cond

concertos by Pergolesi, Hasse and Leo


----------



## DrKilroy

Moeran - Symphony in G minor. Next great British composer. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Johan Schenck (1660-ca.1720): Viola Sonata No.4 in E Flat from 'L'Echo de Danube'

Sandor Szaszvarosi, viola -- Angelika Csizmadia, harpsichord

View attachment 18416


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am on a Mahler kick lately, so it's "Das klagende Lied" (Boulez and the London Symphonic Orchestra) again. The brass at the very beginning is absolutely magical!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> What do you think about Hickox's and Handley's performances?


Ok, that'll be my listening over this weekend so I can give you an up-to-date answer.

It's like a movie you saw or a book you read years ago & liked. But now, who knows? An opinion on art is more a gas than a solid. For a fan it's like fire, because you have to tend it constantly. I likes to keep it watery, full up the cup, overflow & move on.
How long does a sense of appreciating a work last? Probably as long as a banana. There's a long word for this in German Aesthetics. Based on 'banana'.

banan-artiger Anerkennungszeitabstand


----------



## ptr

DrKilroy said:


> Moeran - Symphony in G minor. Next great British composer.


If We are talking about Ernest John, he's been dead for 53 years, so hardly the "next great", but certainly one of the great (more or less) forgotten British Composers!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in A Major, Op.18, No.5

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 18421


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Duets

Sonata in C, K.19d
Sonata in D, K.381


----------



## Manxfeeder

SiegendesLicht said:


> I am on a Mahler kick lately.


I've been dusting off my Mahler collection lately also. Today, Mahler's 5th. It's one of those rare symphonies where the weight of the piece centers on the middle.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Bassoon Concerto No.4 in C Major

Bohdan Warchal directing the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eckart Hubner, bassoon

View attachment 18425


----------



## DrKilroy

ptr said:


> If We are talking about Ernest John, he's been dead for 53 years, so hardly the "next great", but certainly one of the great (more or less) forgotten British Composers!


I meant he is the next great British composer I discovered! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

..d'un après-midi française:

*Jehan Alain* - Trois Danses and other organ works (*Motette*









Christophe Mantoux a l'Orgue Cavaille-Coll de l'Abbatiale Saint-Ouen de Rouen

*Henri Dutilleux* (RIP) - Correspondances // Tout un monde lointain // The shadows of time (*DG*)









Barbara Hannigan, soprano (1); Anssi Karttunen, cello (2);Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Esa-Pekka Salonen

*Darius Milhaud* - Six Chamber Symphonies & Concertino d'Eté et Concertino d'Automne (De Plein Vent OOP?)









Orchstre de Chambre D'Autriche u. Jean-Philippe Rouchon

..et maintenant:

*Claude Debussy* - Mélodies (*Naive*)









Sandrine Piau, soprano & Jos van Immerseel, fortepiano

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

Dvorak's Piano Trios No.1,2,3 and 4 'Dumky'

"Absolutely Beautiful" :angel:


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra

Brahms: Clarinet Sonata #2 in E Flat, Op. 120 -- Jenö Jandó; Tamara Takacs

Schumann: Konzertstück in F For 4 Horns & Orchestra, Op. 86 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique


----------



## Mahlerian

SiegendesLicht said:


> I am on a Mahler kick lately, so it's "Das klagende Lied" (Boulez and the London Symphonic Orchestra) again. The brass at the very beginning is absolutely magical!


Agreed. The first part of that work is, I think, the most strictly Wagnerian thing Mahler wrote.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Been on a Pathetique binge of late ...

*Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No. 6 in B minor (Polish National Radio Symphony, A. Wit)


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

I also have this one (the Telemann). Currently listening to selections from my local library:

*Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony #2 in C Minor "Resurrection". St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Leonard Slatkin with Kathleen Battle, soprano and Maureen Forrester, contralto (2 CDs; Telarc CD-80081; 1982).

Earlier:

*Johann Christian Bach (1735-82): Sinfonias Opp. 6, 9, 18 and Overture "La Calamita". Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by David Zinman (Philips 442 275-2; 1976-77).
*Abbess (head of a convent; the head of a monastery is an abbott) Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179): Celestial Harmonies Responsories and Antiphons. Oxford Camerata conducted by Jeremy Summerly (Naxos 8.557983; 2008).
*Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904): Symphony #3 in E-flat Major Op. 10; Carnival Overture Op. 92; Symphonic Variations Op. 78. Scottish National Orchestra led by Edwin Paling and conducted by Neeme Jarvi ( Chandos CHAN 8575, 1988).

Listening to my borrowed haul from the library, it is amazing how much good stuff is on the Chandos label. Later I'll listen to music by Darius Milhaud, William Grant Still, Johann Strauss Jr and Richard Wagner (these last two on Naxos).

Jim


----------



## MagneticGhost

Strauss - Four Last Songs
Jessye Norman - Kurt Masur

One of my all time fave CDs


----------



## bejart

Jakub Jan Ryba 91765-1815): String Quartet in D Minor

M.Nostitz Quartet: Petr Bernasek and Vaclav Vacek, violins -- Pavel Horejsi, viola -- Petr Sporcl, cello

View attachment 18441


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra.*


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

Good afternoon,

Listening to William Grant Still (1895-1978)--Symphony 1 (Afro-American) which is paired on Chandos CHAN 9154 with Duke Ellington's (1899-1974) Suite From "The River" orchestrated by Ron Collier. Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi (1993).

Earlier:

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)--La Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World); Saudades do Brasil (Souvenirs of Brazil, twelve dances each named after a district of Rio de Janeiro, of which four are performed); and Le Bouef sur le Toit (The Bull on the Roof). Leonard Bernstein conducting the Orchestre National de France (EMI/Angel CDC -7 47845-2; recorded 1978, released on CD 1987).

Jim


----------



## lunchdress

My Mahler for the day:

this morning: 9th - Dudamel/LA Phil








right now: 5th - Abbado/Berliner








I'm just lately getting into Mahler (thanks again to the inspiring group of music fans here!) so my collection is sparse but growing steadily.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Four Last Songs.*

The singer on this is Anna Tomowa-Sintow.


----------



## Kieran

The Magic Flute by WAM. 

Two German clubs in the Euro final tonight, but German music and voices never sang music so pure and perfectly as this...


----------



## colin

The pain I feel is not my own, it is the pain I understand of others


----------



## Ravndal

Scarlatti sonatas.

So beautiful!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Morton Feldman - Rothko Chapel

Quite moving


----------



## Novelette

Ravndal said:


> Scarlatti sonatas.
> 
> So beautiful!


I've been eyeing the Scott Ross recording of the complete sonatas. 555 Scarlatti Sonatas performed by a monumentally talented harpsichordist. It's certainly on the list of albums to purchase!


----------



## millionrainbows

MagneticGhost said:


> Morton Feldman - Rothko Chapel
> 
> Quite moving


That is a good one. Is it the WDR one? I don't have that one.

Similarly, his _For Stephan Wolpe_ is cast in that same dark mold. From _Choral Music of Morton Feldman & Stefan Wolpe_ (New World).


----------



## Ravndal

Novelette said:


> I've been eyeing the Scott Ross recording of the complete sonatas. 555 Scarlatti Sonatas performed by a monumentally talented harpsichordist. It's certainly on the list of albums to purchase!


That's amazing! too bad it's not on the piano. 20 sonatas by Horowitz will do for a little while


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv music channel late in the afternoon:
Mozart PC No. 12 by somebody on Atma records.
Pokes me that I've got two-thirds of Mozart's instrumental work (handful of operas) on cds in 4 tote trays waiting to be listened to better.


----------



## Sonata

Ravndal said:


> That's amazing! too bad it's not on the piano. 20 sonatas by Horowitz will do for a little while


I don't have very much Scarlatti, and my piano teacher has recommended Horowitz as a pianist to listen to. Onto Amazon I go to wishlist that puppy!

For now though: Haydn Big Box. Symphonies 45-47, which appear to be my favorites by him so far! And string quartet 55


----------



## Novelette

Ravndal said:


> That's amazing! too bad it's not on the piano. 20 sonatas by Horowitz will do for a little while


Also the incandescent Martha Argerich!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor, KV 466

Sir Colin Davis conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Alicia de Larroccha, piano

View attachment 18448


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Paul de Maleingreau* - Symphonic Organ Works Vol 1 & Vol 2 (*Aeolus*)








__









Peter Van de Velde @ the Pierre Schyven Organ (1891), Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

millionrainbows said:


> That is a good one. Is it the WDR one? I don't have that one.
> 
> Similarly, his _For Stephan Wolpe_ is cast in that same dark mold. From _Choral Music of Morton Feldman & Stefan Wolpe_ (New World).


I'm listening on Spotify - but it's this one. the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus.
Cheers for the recommendation I'll look out for that one next


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op. 6, Nos. 1-6*

This was sitting at my used CD store for about a year, and I finally decided to give it a good home. At least now it has a lot of other CDs around for it to play with.


----------



## Joris

Came in the mail today, good stuff.


----------



## schuberkovich

Mozart string quartet no.17 "Hunt" played by the Alban Berg Quartet. The first movement makes me feel incredibly _happy_
Curious CD cover though


----------



## Kieran

schuberkovich said:


> Mozart string quartet no.17 "Hunt" played by the Alban Berg Quartet. The first movement makes me feel incredibly _happy_
> Curious CD cover though
> View attachment 18454


The cover means...ah....um...eh...sorry.

K361, wind serenade! Whistle it, baby!


----------



## PetrB

Vittorio Rieti: 
Serenade for violin concertante and small orchestra





Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra





Partita for flute, oboe, string quartet and harpsichord


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> The cover means...ah....um...eh...sorry.
> 
> K361, wind serenade! Whistle it, baby!







everybody! ......just the ladies now....


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> everybody! ......just the ladies now....


Mozart is ecumenical! His pet starling could whistle the final movement of his 18th PC.  All things in nature find some resolution in duh Maestro...


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): String Quartet in G Major, Op.1, No.6

Salagon Quartet: Christine Busch and Kathrin Troger, violins -- Claudia Hofert, viola -- Gesine Queyras, cello

View attachment 18457


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart Wind Serenades - Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## PetrB

Germaine Taillefaire ~ Concerto pour Harpe et Orchestre


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette said:


> I've been eyeing the Scott Ross recording of the complete sonatas. 555 Scarlatti Sonatas performed by a monumentally talented harpsichordist. It's certainly on the list of albums to purchase!


You're probably already aware of this, but if the 34 disc set is too expensive or just a bit too much there is a very well chosen 3-disc selection from the set - 56 sonatas -, which doesnt have the famous heavily recorded sonatas (they put out a seperate 1-disc sampler for that), but is rather the sonatas and/or recordings that Ross himself and his producer felt were personal favorites and especially well captured.









http://www.amazon.com/Scarlatti-Ant...9520642&sr=1-1&keywords=scott+ross+anthologie


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart *

String Quartet No. 20 'Hoffmeister' in D Major
Quatuor Mosaiques (because there can be no other, for me!) 

Edit:

While still in the mood:

String Quartet No. 16 in E flat Major
Salomon Quartet


----------



## GreenMamba

Akio Yahsiro, Piano Concerto. Okada, Yuasa/Ulster Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 8.*


----------



## aleazk

Harry Partch, several pieces. There's a wonderful quote "It's like hearing folk music, not from a country or ethnic group, but from one single individual's world".


----------



## Guest

Relaxing with a couple of Wolfie's quintets.
K581, "Stadler" Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, Thea King on Clarinet
K407, Quintet for Horn and Strings, Timothy Brown playing the Horn


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart:*

_Mass in C major, KV 317 'Coronation Mass'_
- Ileana Cotrubas, sop.; Helena Watts, mezzo; Robert Tear, tenor; John Shirley-Quirk, bass-bar.; Schola Cantorum of Oxford; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields under Neville Marriner (Eloquence)

_Piano Concerto #20 in D minor, K466_
- Mitsuko Uchida, pianist and director of The Cleveland Orch. (Decca)

_Symphony #29 in A major, KV 201_
- SWF SO Baden-Baden under Ernest Bour (Sony)

*Beethoven *_The Creatures of Prometheus (Die Geschopfe des Prometheus)_
- Scottish CO under Sir Charles Mackerras (Hyperion)


Enjoying *Mozart's*_ Coronation Mass_ after many years, as well as *Beethoven's*_ Creatures of Prometheus._ The other two Mozart works are likely to be first listens. All great. Its funny how these works have the composers 'toying' with ideas from other works, or having ideas in embryo which would appear later. Eg. there was a bit in the _Coronation Mass_ that was much like the slow movement of _Eine kliene nachtmusik._ & in _Creatures of Prometheus_ the storm sequence from the introduction obviously looks forwards to that bit in the_ Pastoral_ symphony, and the finale has a tune to be used in the last movement of the _Eroica_ symphony. So the guys kind of recycled their material, developed it and extended it, but this often happens in classical music. Its wierd to hear a tune and be made to guess where I'd heard it before. & the two composers overlap too. The cadenza for the piano concerto was written by none other than Beethoven. Of course Beethoven revered Wolfie immensely.


----------



## Feathers

Alfven: Symphony No. 4 (Arndis Halla (Soprano) and Johann Valdimarsson (Tenor), with Niklas Willen conducting the Iceland Symphony Orchestra)

Oh my god the tenor voice...*ears melt*


----------



## schuberkovich

Two other string quartets I listened to today:
Beethoven string quartet no.14 in C# minor. Quartetto Italiano.
This quartet which I initially found underwhelming has grown on me a lot recently, and keeps doing so. With each listen I enjoy and appreciate it more. 








And Schubert String Quartet no.15 in G major. 
The Italians once again.
This quartet is so under-appreciated. It is so wonderful, turbulent, beautiful, agitated, and so modern sounding! The use of interplay is also incredible. I can't imagine what a 50 year old Schubert's quartets would have sounded like if he was this mature and skilled already.


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> Germaine Taillefaire ~ Concerto pour Harpe et Orchestre


Lovely piece. Thanks.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Virgil Thomson - Symphonies 2 and 3.*


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 26, "Les Adieux"


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 5 and 7 and 7 two more times


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* symphonies 5 and 7 and 7 two more times


What conductor/orchestra?


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Piano Quintet In F Minor, Op. 43a*

Just listened to Brahms SQ No. 3 and now listening to the Piano Quintet. Later I will dip into the Mendelssohn box - I want to play the String Quintets and Piano Quartets from this set.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"

I love this symphony. Very much.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to this on Spotify as I unload/update a bunch of crap to a new i-pad. The real nightmare will be in a couple of weeks when I pick up a new desktop to replace the one that is currently DOA. Luckily I saved all the important files on two external hard drives. I learned my lesson when a brownout fried my hard drive on a computer some years back. They were barely able to save my personal files... including literally several hundred thousand images... family photos, of course... but also tons of art images, and documentation of my own work in progress.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> What conductor/orchestra?


Sakari Oramo and VPO for no 7,5 (on YouTube, best version EVER), then no. 7 again Oramo with VPO, then Eugene Ormandy and Philadelphia Orchestra for no. 7 a third time.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Sakari Oramo and VPO for no 7,5 (on YouTube, best version EVER), then no. 7 again Oramo with VPO, then Eugene Ormandy and Philadelphia Orchestra for no. 7 a third time.


Can't say I fond of Oramo's Sibelius. My Sibelians of choice: Vanska, Berglund, and Segerstam. Got to love _Symphony No. 7_. Such a powerful work.

Now listening:










Listening to Chavez's _Sinfonia India_. I love this work so much. Such feel good music.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Piano Quartet in G Major, Op.40, No.2

Richard Fuller on piano with members of Musica Aeterna Bratislava: Peter Zajicek, violin -- Jan Grener, viola -- Petr Kiral, cello

View attachment 18475


----------



## samurai

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"
> 
> I love this symphony. Very much.


Great choice; just wondering by which conductor/orchestra it's performed?


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Eliza, Ou Le Voyage Aux Glaciers Du Mont St.Bernard Ouverture -- Sir Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Cherubini: Symphony in D -- Donato Renzetti: Orchestra Della Toscana

Chopin: Piano Sonata #3 in B Minor, Op. 58 -- Cécile Ousset

Beethoven: Piano Quartet #3 in C, WoO 36 -- Christoph Eschenbach: Amadeus Quartet


----------



## chrisco97

samurai said:


> Great choice; just wondering by which conductor/orchestra it's performed?


It is the _Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra with Adrian Boult_. One of the best performances I have heard of the sixth. Check it out...you can get it in this amazing Beethoven set: http://www.amazon.com/Big-Beethoven...=1369539045&sr=8-1&keywords=Big+Beethoven+Box


----------



## chrisco97

Listening to *Beethoven's Appassionata* now. You never can have too much Beethoven!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> Can't say I fond of Oramo's Sibelius. My Sibelians of choice: Vanska, Berglund, and Segerstam. Got to love _Symphony No. 7_. Such a powerful work.


I have found Vänskä can be a little bit blad although the sound he gets out of Lahti Symphony Orchestra is spellbinding. Looking at the score of the 5th symphony I notice that he hardly pays attention to many of the crescendos and decrescendos, but this could be because he uses a different edition. That being said, he doesn't really add much to the music anyway. I havent heard Oramo's recordings with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, but the live recording of symphonies 7, 5 and 1 available on YouTube is stellar. In the bar leading up to the swan calls in the finale of the fifth you can really hear the repeated B flats in the timpani which, in my opinion, add more excitement to the transition. VPO is an amazing orchestra anyway. Out of all the conductors I have heard, Berlgund is probably my favourite *Sibelian* and I am listening to him conduct the Helsinki Philharmonic playing the first four symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Claudio Arrau, piano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Great performance from Dmitri's son and the great LSO.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have found Vänskä can be a little bit blad although the sound he gets out of Lahti Symphony Orchestra is spellbinding. Looking at the score of the 5th symphony I notice that he hardly pays attention to many of the crescendos and decrescendos, but this could be because he uses a different edition. That being said, he doesn't really add much to the music anyway. I havent heard Oramo's recordings with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, but the live recording of symphonies 7, 5 and 1 available on YouTube is stellar. In the bar leading up to the swan calls in the finale of the fifth you can really hear the repeated B flats in the timpani which, in my opinion, add more excitement to the transition. VPO is an amazing orchestra anyway. Out of all the conductors I have heard, Berlgund is probably my favourite *Sibelian* and I am listening to him conduct the Helsinki Philharmonic playing the first four symphonies.


In all honesty, I don't listen to Sibelius that much anymore. In fact, he's dropped down many, many slots on my list of favorites and is probably one of my least favorite symphonists these days. Not to say I don't enjoy his music, but it doesn't get under my skin anymore. _Symphonies 4, 6, & 7_ are his masterpieces in the orchestral genre. I'm not ruling out the tone poems, but I don't believe they stand next to these three symphonies. I never cared for his _Violin Concerto_ which always leaves me wondering where's the heart? Of his lesser known works, _Lemminkäinen Suite_ is probably my favorite.

The Vienna Philharmonic are a great orchestra no doubt about it but I seldom would turn to them for Sibelius. Maazel recorded a Sibelius symphony cycle with them that never really did much for me. If I had to take one set of Sibelius symphonies to the desert island, it would be Berglund's Helsinki cycle. That would be all I needed.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Piano Concerto No. 2_. Outstanding performance.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 7 and 5


----------



## neoshredder

Going to give Mahler another chance. I know I really like his first Symphony. I'll start with that tonight.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge










Played on organ


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Castelnuovo-Tedesco's guitar concerto on CoAG's request.


----------



## SimonNZ

"The High Renaissance: The German Lied" - Berliner Motettenchor, Gunther Arndt, cond.

songs by Hans Leo Hassler and Leonhard Lechner


----------



## Kieran

Die Zauberflote, by WAM...


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor - Dinu Lipatti, piano


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Oboe Concerto in C Major, Op.7, No.12

I Musici -- Heinz Holliger, oboe

View attachment 18480


----------



## Ravndal

I'm on a Scarlatti rampage.


----------



## mileer

Erroll Garner


----------



## mileer

::::::::: I'm a misfit.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 11 'The Year 1905'_. Very good performance from Rostropovich/National Symphony Orch.


----------



## ptr

*Robert Schumann* - String Quartets Op 41 1 - 3 (Arcana OPP?)









The Kuijken String Quartet

/ptr


----------



## lunchdress

Gould's WTC is bouncing all around my living room this morning


----------



## Ravndal

Moszkowski - Piano Concerto In E Major


----------



## ptr

*Joseph Haydn* - String Quartets Op 71 (*Hyperion*)









Takács Quartet

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Bela Bartok (1881-1945): _Piano Concerto No. 1 (1926),_ Boulez, Krystian Zimmerman, CSO (DG 2005). Here's my brief summary...

First movement: This obviously owes much to Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring._ The opening chord on horns is drawn from the octatonic (diminished) scale.

Some of the scale-like phrases sound almost directly lifted from _Rite_ or _Petroushka_. _Rite-_like phrases at 16:00/28:00; _Rite-_like exchanges & cross rhythms at 1:00; _Rite-_like tonality at 5:00;_Petroushka-_like parallel chords at 2:35 and 5:30;

There is strong rhythmic pulse throughout, which helps propel it along. The piano sounds integrated with the orchestra, frequently doubling rhythmic accents with the tympani and percussion.

The thing I like best about Bartók are not his "thematic" elements, which here sound very declamatory and Stravinsky-derived, but the other more "Bartókian" abstract elements which occur without drawing attention, and tie everything together: scale runs, the strange arpeggiated chords which occur at 3:27-3:40 and 4:07-4:20, and the little 3-note cells which flit about, at 6:20-6:25.

Second movement: is almost piano and percussion alone; gone are the Stravinsky allusions. A few solo instruments appear at the end, making this into a sort of chamber music. The fourth-chords on the piano, with percussive accents, give a feeling of suspenseful, surrealistic space, like a dark _Yves Tanguy_ landscape of strange airiness. This is the true Bartók, being himself: introspective, subtle, understated, and dark. The theme which occurs at 3:25 and continues to build up to the end, is memorable; seemingly bi-tonal, a melody in one key played against another contrasting key.

Third movement: Rhythmically driving, lightning-fast scale runs; still firmly diminished-scale oriented. A few trills at 1:26 reminiscent of Rite's opening, again...several spots of cadenza-like solo piano activity; The very ending seems to have finally arrived at a diatonic/majorish area for the finale.


----------



## Kieran

Divertimento in B Flat, K254, performed by the Kungsbacka Trio...


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rachmaninov - Piano Concerti

Andre Previn - Vladimir Ashkenazy - Decca


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Sinfonia No.2 in G Major

Milan Munclinger leading Ars Rediviva

View attachment 18486


----------



## Mahlerian

There's an important anniversary coming up this week...

Stravinsky: The Firebird
London Philharmonic, cond. Haitink

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 in D minor
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*'s symphonies No.38, 39, 40, 43 and 44 in the afternoon.

*Bruckner*'s symphony No.3 right now.


----------



## ptr

*Lars-Erik Larsson* - The 12 Concertinos (Intim Musik)








::









Göran Marcusson (flute); Mårten Larsson (oboe); Urban Claesson (clarinet); Anders Engström (bassoon); Per Göran horn); Bengt Danielsson (trumpet); Lars-Göran Carlsson (trombone); Jan Stigmer (violin); Per-Ola Lindberg (viola); Bjørg Værnes (cello); Ingalill Hillerud (double bass); Joakim Kallhed (piano); Camerata Roman u. Jan Stigmer

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> There's an important anniversary coming up this week...


How could I celebrate it? There are no performances of the piece in question anywhere near me... 

Of course if we think of the same piece, but I'm pretty sure it is obvious. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## aleazk

LOL, why all the mystery talk?. The piece is: THE RITE OF SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (29 of may).


----------



## Weston

ptr said:


> *Lars-Erik Larsson* - The 12 Concertinos (Intim Musik)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ::


Why do these covers remind me of an old Monty Python skit?

"The Lars. The - - Lars."


----------



## Novelette

Rameau: Les Boréades -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride -- Marina Shaguch, Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra & Chorus

Schumann: Piano Quintet in E Flat, Op. 44 -- Alban Berg Quartet


----------



## drpraetorus

Salvator Mundi, Thomas Tallis


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: 5 Lieder on texts by Richard Dehmel
Christiane Oelze, Eric Schneider


----------



## Kieran

Mozart late piano trios (_late _meaning he wasn't yet dead), performed with panache and a virile certitude by the Kungsbacka Trio...


----------



## ptr

*Fazil Say* - Hezarfen; Concerto for Ney and Orchestra Op. 39 (2011) & Istanbul Symphony (No 1 Op 28) (2009) (*Naïve*)









Burcu Karadag, ney; Aykut Köserli, percussion; The Orchestra of Nationaltheater Mannheim u. Dan Ettinger // Burcu Karadag, ney; Hakan Güngör, kanun; Aykut Köserli, Turkish percussion; Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra u. Gürer Aykal

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just listened to Morton Feldman's For Stephan Wolpe as per recommendation from millionrainbows

And now listening to The Adagio from Mahler's 10th.

After 30 minutes of contemplative meditation. Mahler is putting me through the emotional shredder!


----------



## DrKilroy

Holst's The Planets. I got inspired after reading Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey.  
I really adore the horn solo at the beginning of Venus.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## drpraetorus

Liszt, Unstern and a few more letters to make up the 15 characters required.


----------



## Kieran

Oh Mitsuko, you sarky nymph!

#8 in a-minor, K-whatever, piano sonata....


----------



## DaveS

Brahms Violin Concerto (Grumiaux) then Academic Fest Overture ....Van Beinum, Concertgebouw. Two more Brahms favorites.


----------



## DrKilroy

My favourite moments of Holst's The Planets:

Mars - the loud moment when all the instruments play the main rhythm pattern.
Venus - the horn solo at the beginning.
Mercury - the celeste solo - I mean the moment when the instruments repeat the melody first played by a solo violin. 
Jupiter - hard to say, the section before ending, with swirling strings and the "Thaxted" tune played by low brass, is really nice.
Saturn - the trombone chorale.
Uranus - the opening notes always wake me up after onirical Saturn.  But my favourite moment is the garish march with really prominent timpani, ending with a powerful climax with full organ glissando. 
Neptune - the moment when the choir enters and everyone in the auditorium tries to find out - where it is coming from?! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## MagneticGhost

DrKilroy said:


> My favourite moments of Holst's The Planets:
> 
> Mars - the loud moment when all the instruments play the main rhythm pattern.
> Venus - the horn solo at the beginning.
> Mercury - the celeste solo - I mean the moment when the instruments repeat the melody first played by a solo violin.
> Jupiter - hard to say, the section before ending, with swirling strings and the "Thaxted" tune played by low brass, is really nice.
> Saturn - the trombone chorale.
> Uranus - the opening notes always wake me up after onirical Saturn.  But my favourite moment is the garish march with really prominent timpani, ending with a powerful climax with full organ glissando.
> Neptune - the moment when the choir enters and everyone in the auditorium tries to find out - where it is coming from?!
> 
> Best regards, Dr


It's a phenomenal work isn't it, and so inventive. 
I'm sure if it wasn't so popular it would be much more highly regarded


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Das Lied Von Der Erde (Archiphon OOP?)









Kerstin Thorborg, alto; Carl Martin Öhmann. tenor; Concertgebouw Orchestra u. Carl Schuricht

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Serebrier conducts Kodaly

Hary Janos Suite


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* _Vesperae solennes de confessore KV 339_
- Felicity Palmer, sop.; Margaret Cable, mezzo; Philip Langridge, tenor; Stephen Roberts, bass; Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge; Wren Orch. under George Guest (Eloquence)
*
Saint-Saens* _Piano Concerto #1_
- Pascal Roge, piano with Philharmonia Orch. under Charles Dutoit (Eloquence)
*
Album: Fire and Water - An Irish Fantasy*_
Traditional and other old Irish songs in contemporary instrumental arrangements_
- Jane Rutter on flute, tin whistle, recorder with The Queensland Orch.; Sean O'Boyle, conductor & arrangements (ABC Classics)


----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

Good afternoon,

More selections from my local library:

Now playing: Richard Strauss--Music For Wind Ensemble/Oboe Concerto in D Major (Heinz Holliger, oboe) with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Edo de Waart (Philips Duo 438 733-2). Coming up: John Corigliano: The Red Violin Caprices and Sonata for Violin and Piano/Virgil Thomson: Three Portraits arranged for violin and piano by Samuel Duskin in 1947; Five Ladies; Eight Portraits (Naxos 8.559364).

Jim


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Concertstuck for Clarinet and Basset Horn Op.113 and 114


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in D Major, KV 593

Prazak Quartet with Hatto Beyerle on viola: Vaclav Remes and Vlastimil Holek, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michal Kanka, cello

View attachment 18507


----------



## schuberkovich

Mozart Piano sonata no.8 in A minor
Dinu Lipatti







I love minor key Mozart, and Lipatti's playing is extraordinary


----------



## Kieran

schuberkovich said:


> Mozart Piano sonata no.8 in A minor
> Dinu Lipatti
> View attachment 18508
> 
> I love minor key Mozart, and Lipatti's playing is extraordinary


That's a fierce and fiery opening movement, isn't it? I listened earlier. Demonic. He composed it in Paris not long after his mother died, so maybe that informed it. Hard to tell. His e-minor violin sonata is of this period, K304. Another beauty, another favourite of mine.

Good listening!


----------



## Novelette

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Sibelius: Snöfrid, Improvisation for Reciter, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 29 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #11 in F -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Haydn: Piano Trio #18 in A, Hob. XV: 18 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt


----------



## ProudSquire

Franz Liszt

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C sharp Minor
Valentina Lisitsa

Some Liszt before I head out to meet up with the gang for some late Sunday night fun.


----------



## geve

Right now listening to a TV recording- Marc Minkowski conducting the Verbier Festival Orchestra, Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne with soloist Anne Sofie van Otter...........Mozart Symphony No 39 follows.


----------



## Kleinzeit

I like Vänskä' w/Lahti best because there seem to be no additives. The Bis complete edition with the co-op of the Sibelius family, worked out meticulously to be the 'epitome model'. Equivalent to the brass rods in the glass case in Paris that define the Platonic metre & kilo.
(also love the city of Lahti)

Berglund w/Bournemouth is great. Berglund said, "'Sibelius's music is often ruined because it's too strictly accurate. I think maybe musicians like to play like this' - he makes a series of downward vertical gestures - 'but it's good to do it like this' - his hands, one above the other, oscillate gently in and out of vertical alignment. 'Accuracy against atmosphere: it's not that simple. The early Sibelius conductor Georg Schneevoigt once complained that he couldn't get the details out of Sibelius's scores. Sibelius said that he should simply swim in the gravy.'"

But it's still some transparent gravy with Berglund.

When you take the bus from Finland to Petersburg you know exactly where the Finnish-maintained highway ends and the Russian one begins. You feel it, you don't have to see it.
You can get a similar effect by listening to Segerstam w/Helsinki back-to-back with Rozhdestvensky w/Moscow Radio (or as the Russian notes call it "Large Symphony Orchestra of All-Union Radio and Television". Nordic dandyism vs raw excitement. I don't think the Russians play like this much anymore, so it makes it more cherishable.

Gave away Maazel w/Weiner. Rarely do this but, felt it was bad Sibelius. Wish I could revisit my mindset a few years ago to understand. It was a visceral dislike. Knew I'd never want to hear it in time to come when there is so much better.
Kajanus, Schneevoigt and Koussevitsky in historical recordings are great. Maybe because there was less diversity of music, and classical had a bigger ear pie, that these charge ahead seemingly assured that the audience (top hats & slouch caps both) is eager, informed, and has the attention span to engage. Cos hey! This is music y'all. We all like.

Barbirolli, Boult, Collins really fine for their vintage. I don't need SACD, but I more often go with newer sound and interpretations. These are like 50s movies: fine but not mine.

Davis/Boston The Philips sound ruins it for me. Davis/LSO is a Sibelius for all seasons

Ole Schmidt/RPO is almost a #1 choice.

"Oh, that's Karajan." "How can you tell it's Karajan?" "He keeps reminding you."

Inkinen w/New Zealand, Sakari w/Iceland, glad I have these. Wouldn't dissuade anyone away from them. (note to self: have battle of bands with these)


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Flute Quartet in F Major, Op.17

Peter Lukas Graf on flute wiht Carmina Trio: Matthias Enderle, violin -- Wendy Champney, viola -- Stephen Goerner, cello

View attachment 18510


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mussorgsky/Ravel*: "Pictures"; *Stravinsky*: Le Sacre du Printemps, with BPO/HvK (rec.1964 - '66).

View attachment 18511


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

The Eton Choirbook - The Sixteen

Vulume 5: The Voices Of Angels


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: The Firebird (Complete), with OSM/Dutoit (rec.1985).

View attachment 18514


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Shostakovich's _Violin Concerto No. 1_. A great performance by Batiashvili, Salonen, and the Bavarian Radio SO.


----------



## Andolink

For Memorial Day weekend:

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem
Bryn Terfel (baritone), Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Philip Langridge (tenor)
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Richard Hickox








Also:

Chaya Czernowin: MAIM [Water] for 5 soloists, live electronics and orchesstra (2002-06)
Rico Gubler, saxophone, tubax (recorded and live)
Peter Veale, oboe, musette, English horn
John Mark Harris, piano & harpsichord
Seth Josel, electric & steel guitars
Mary Oliver, viola
Live-Electronics: Experimentalstudio des SWR,
Michael Acker, Reinhold Braig, Thomas Hummel, sound direction
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Johannes Kalitzke, conductor








Vagn Holmboe: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 46 (1949)
The Kontra Quartet


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin 1769-1800): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.4, No.2

Jean-Claude Pelletier, piano

View attachment 18518


----------



## millionrainbows

Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Piano Concerto No. 2; Boulez; Berliner Philharmoniker; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano (DG).

Oh, yeah this one is really good. The first mvt still sounds like Stravinsky, with those parallel triads bouncing, just piano and winds, no strings. Very complex sounding counterpoint things happening. In a mixolydian scale, very bright, almost perky.
The second movement opens with mysterious-sounding strings using fourths and fifths, very much like Ives Central Park in the Dark. Oscillations around central notes. The third movt finale harkens back to the activity of the opening.
Well-crafted, I will listen to this a few more times, loud. The BOOM that opens mvt 3 sounds great on good subs.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Speaking of Bartok...revisiting this classic:










Listening to _Cantata Profana_. The best version of this work on record IMHO (not that there are many of them ). Next up will be the always fantastic _The Wooden Prince_.


----------



## lunchdress

Debussy Preludes for piano, books I & II - Paul Jacobs


----------



## Feathers

Bruckner: Mass No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Rosalyn Tureck, piano (1947)

the first of her seven recordings of the Goldbergs


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 24_. Outside of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky, Myaskovsky composed some of the best symphonies in Russia IMHO.


----------



## SimonNZ

Matthais Weckmann motets - Konrad Junghanel, cond.


----------



## ptr

Organ Morning:

*Felix Mendelssohn* - Orgelwerke; (Motette OPP?)









Ludger Lohmann an der Walcker-Orgel in St. Maria zu Schramberg

*Die Norddeutsche Orgelkunst* Vol. 2 (*MDG*)
Cajus Schmiedtlein (att) (1555-1611) / Petrus de Drusina (um 1550-1611) / Andreas Neunhaber (1603-1663) / Paul Siefert (1586-1666) / Ewaldt Hintz (1614-1668) / Daniel Magnus Gronau (um 1685-1747) / Friedrich Wilhelm Markull (1816-1887) / Friedrich Christian Mohrheim (1719-1780) / Theophil Andreas Volckmar (1686-1768)









Martin Rost am die Stellwagen-Orgel zu St. Marien, Stralsund

*Schedemann, Schildt, Bruhns, Böhm, Bach*; Various (Sony)









Gustav Leonhardt @ the Arp Schnittger Organ at St. Jacobi, Hamburg

*18th Century Venetian Organ Art* (*DiVox*)
(Giovanni Battista Cervellini, Baldassare Galuppi, Andrea Lucchesi, Niccolò Moretti, Giuseppe P. Paganelli, Giovanni Battista Pescetti, Ignazio Spergher, Gaetano Valeri)









Andrea Marcon @ the Gallido Organ (1787) in Church of San Leonardo, Treviso

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Symphony No. 29 in A, K201
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op.6, No.1

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 18535


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier Book 2; No. 3 in C sharp major, No. 4 in C sharp minor, No. 5 in D major, No. 6 in D minor
Kenneth Gilbert, harpsichord








Sam Hayden: Die Modularitäten for 7 players (2007)
Ensemble Mosaik/Enno Poppe








Salvatore Sciarrino: "La Perfezione Di Uno Spirito Sottile" per flauto, voce e percussioni aeree; "Il Motivo Degli Oggetti Di Vetro" per 2 flauti e pianoforte
Roberto Fabbriciani, flute
Sonia Turchetta, voice
Fausto Bongelli, piano


----------



## ptr

Spent the Afternoon with *György Sándor Ligeti*

*Clear or Cloudy*: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon










Sonata for Solo Cello - Matt Haimovitz // Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (1953) - Jacques Zoon, Douglas Boyd, Richard Hosford, James Sommerville, Matthew Wilkie, Claudio Abbado // String Quartet No. 1 (Métamorphoses nocturnes) - Hagen Quartett // Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet - iener Bläsersolisten // String Quartet No. 2 (1968) - LaSalle Quartet // Atmosphères - Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado // Volumina - Gerd Zacher // Lux aeterna (1966) - Helmut Franz, Chor des Norddeutschen Rundfunks // Organ Study no.1 "Harmonies" - Gerd Zacher 77 Lontano (1967) (for large orchestra) - Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado // Ramifications for string orchestra or 12 solo strings (1968-69) - Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez // Melodien for Orchestra - London Sinfonietta, David Atherton // Aventures for 3 singers and 7 instrumentalists (1962) & Nouvelles Aventures for 3 singers and 7 instrumentalists - Jane Manning, Mary Thomas, William Pearson, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez // Cello Concerto (1966) - Jean-Guihen Queyras, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez // Chamber Concerto for 13 instrumentalists - Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez // Mysteries of the Macabre for Trumpet and Piano - Håkan Hardenberger, Roland Pöntinen // Double Concerto for flute, oboe & orchestra - Jacques Zoon, Douglas Boyd, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado // Die große Schildkröten-Fanfare vom Südchinesischen Meer - Håkan Hardenberger // Three Pieces for two Pianos - Aloys Kontarsky, Alfons Kontarsky // Études pour piano (1985) Premier livre - Gianluca Cascioli // Piano Concerto (1985-88) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez // Violin Concerto (1992) - Saschko Gawriloff, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

/ptr


----------



## NightHawk

Get your Rites out - 100 year anniversary of the work's premiere with Pierre Monteux, the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, May 29. I don't own the Bernstein, unfortunately - there are two copies available on Amazon - one for $299.00 and one for $599.00. The Rattle w Berlin is new and gets very fine 5 star reviews, I listened to comprehensive track samples of it over on Presto Classical and it was thrilling. The Dorati with Detroit is mine and is a famous recording , and I have Rattle's very good version with Birmingham.

Later edit: I went to iTunes and they have a bunch of Rites, including the Bernstein, NYPhil pictured above. I downloaded it for $9.99 and though there is a slight analog hiss it is a stunning performance - a great conductor's interpretation w the Phil when it was (arguably) at its zenith.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled two new releases.

*Stravinsky* with BPO/Rattle. This "Rite's" lukewarm. Good detail, but lacks the frenzy and "hoochie coochie" of BPO/HvK in 1963/4.

The stars of this album are Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Apollon Musaget.

Throughout, playing and recorded sound are stellar. One thumb up.

*Feldman*: Violin and Orchestra, with Widmann/FrankfurtRSO/Pomarico.

*Feldman* is hot again. Who am I to go against the tide? Two thumbs up.

View attachment 18552
View attachment 18553


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: R & J Suites 1 & 2 excerpts, with Cleveland O./Levi (rec.1983); Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, with Mullova/Anderszewski/Canino (rec.1989).

View attachment 18554
View attachment 18555


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vaughan Williams, Dona Nobis Pacem.*


----------



## Neo Romanza

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 18549
> View attachment 18550
> View attachment 18551
> 
> Get your Rites out - 100 year anniversary of the work's premiere with Pierre Monteux, the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, May 29. I don't own the Bernstein, unfortunately - there are two copies available on Amazon - one for $299.00 and one for $599.00. The Rattle w Berlin is new and gets very fine 5 star reviews, I listened to comprehensive track samples of it over on Presto Classical and it was thrilling. The Dorati with Detroit is mine and is a famous recording , and I have Rattle's very good version with Birmingham.


The classic Bernstein _Le sacre du printemps_ with the New York Philharmonic has been reissued and remastered:

http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Le...9668114&sr=8-1&keywords=Le+sacre+du+printemps


----------



## Neo Romanza

Continuing from last night...










My favorite performance of the _Leningrad_.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> The classic Bernstein _Le sacre du printemps_ with the New York Philharmonic has been reissued and remastered...


Thanks for the heads up, NR. So ordered! I've been making do with the LP.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for the heads up, NR. So ordered! I've been making do with the LP.


You're welcome. It's an excellent performance but my preference is still the Gergiev/Kirov. By the way, I own 43 recordings of this 20th Century masterpiece. I could really have a field day with the work's anniversary just around the corner.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Petrushka
London Symphony, cond. Haitink


----------



## Crudblud

Edgard Varèse - Déserts (Chailly)


----------



## julianoq

Back from my trip and back to work, enjoying some Sibelius 5th with Neeme Jarvi!


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> You're welcome. It's an excellent performance but my preference is still the Gergiev/Kirov. By the way, I own 43 recordings of this 20th Century masterpiece. I could really have a field day with the work's anniversary just around the corner.


I think I'll stop at 4 recs.


----------



## NightHawk

Thanks!!! Wish i'd read your post earlier - I just ordered the remaster for what I paid on iTunes - not sorry about the downloaded mp3 though, Wednesday is going to be Stravinsky day and the Amazon purchase won't arrive for several weeks. Thanks again for the link! 



Neo Romanza said:


> The classic Bernstein _Le sacre du printemps_ with the New York Philharmonic has been reissued and remastered:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Le...9668114&sr=8-1&keywords=Le+sacre+du+printemps


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 3.*

Just the last movement from two steins, Horenstein and Bernstein.


----------



## Kieran

K564, piano trio in G, composed in 1788 as the maestro fell into scandalous neglect in Vienna, the home of classical music. How distressed he may have been, we can't tell from this beautiful and elegant work, performed here by the Kungsbacka Trio.

I'm so glad the poster *trazom *convinced me elsewhere to persevere with these marvelous trios...


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his Birthday ---
Joseph Joachim Raff (27 May 1822-1882): Symphony No.4 in G Minor

Hilary Davan Wetton conducting the Milton Keynes City Orchestra


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Choros No. 11_ w/ Cristina Ortiz on piano. Great music and performance.


----------



## Marisol

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 18549
> View attachment 18550
> View attachment 18551
> 
> I don't own the Bernstein, unfortunately - there are two copies available on Amazon - one for $299.00 and one for $599.00.


Brand new at Amazon for $9.99 and $7.96 brand new at amazon marketplace.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQSSGD8


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphonies Nos. 53 and 86.*


----------



## julianoq

I am not too familiar with Stravinsky, I listened to Le Sacre du printemps once when starting to listen classical and didn't liked. I am listening to it again and finding it amazing! Listened to the Bernstein performance before and now listening to Gergiev's to compare.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Honegger*: Symphonies - No. 1, with Bavarian RSO/Dutoit (rec.1984); Nos. 2 & 3, with BPO/HvK (rec.1969); No. 4, with Lausanne CO/Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990); No. 5, with Danish RSO/Jarvi (rec.1992).

View attachment 18564
View attachment 18565
View attachment 18566
View attachment 18567


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Sinfonia in F Sharp Minor, VB 140

Petter Sundkvist leading the Swedish Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 18570


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> *Honegger*: Symphonies - No. 1, with Bavarian RSO/Dutoit (rec.1984); Nos. 2 & 3, with BPO/HvK (rec.1969); No. 4, with Lausanne CO/Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990); No. 5, with Danish RSO/Jarvi (rec.1992).
> 
> View attachment 18564
> View attachment 18565
> View attachment 18566
> View attachment 18567


Very cool. Have you heard Fabio Luisi's cycle of Honegger's symphonies? It's quite expensive and out-of-print now but definitely worth seeking out.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Such a great ballet and performance. I prefer Serebrier's performance to Rozhdestvensky's.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 7

I have never realized how much I love this symphony until now. 

Next up will be some Chopin.


----------



## Guest

I have just clicked on 'Like' to Neo's post above not because of the Shostakovich (no particular problem to report there), but for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which is a fine one. OK, not one of the Premier League, but I like a good table wine, and I don't need to drink _grand crus_ every damned day.


----------



## chrisco97

*Chopin* - "Revolutionary" Étude

This is actually the piece that got me into Chopin's works.


----------



## Kieran

Good idea, Chrisco!

Chopin's Etudes, Opus 10, performed by Wilhelm Backhaus, 1927...


----------



## chrisco97

I love Chopin's Etudes.


----------



## Kieran

chrisco97 said:


> I love Chopin's Etudes.


Chap knew what he was doing...


----------



## Neo Romanza

TalkingHead said:


> I have just clicked on 'Like' to Neo's post above not because of the Shostakovich (no particular problem to report there), but for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which is a fine one. OK, not one of the Premier League, but I like a good table wine, and I don't need to drink _grand crus_ every damned day.


I think the Royal Scottish National Orchestra have come a long way since even the days of Neeme Jarvi. Yes, a fine orchestra. Another Scottish orchestra I've come to admire is the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. This is a great orchestra too as are all the BBC orchestras: the BBC SO, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and BBC Philharmonic. The UK has plenty of superb orchestras.


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Josef Suk* - Asrael Symphony for large orchestra in C minor Op. 27 (1905-1906) (Panton OOP?)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

I can never spin this disc to often, Kubelik's interpretation always feels fresh!

/ptr


----------



## Plum

Trying to take a systematic tour of Beethoven's chamber music by applying some discipline as to how I approach it. Using Angus Watson's book, "Beethoven's Chamber Music" as a guide. Just now, though, Brahms' Symphony #1.


----------



## Guest

It is Memorial Day in the United States. A holiday to celebrate those who have fought for our honor of our freedom. So here is an American lineup:



















Ives, Variations on American, Jose Serebrier, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue, Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Copland, Rodeo, Gerard Schwartz, Seattle Symphony


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Mane Giornovichi (1735-1804): Violin Concerto No.6 in F Major

Kurt Sassmannshaus directing the Starling Chamber Orchestra -- Tania Davison, violin

View attachment 18576


----------



## Novelette

Vanhal: Flute Quartet #2 in B Flat, Op. 7 -- Uwe Grodd & Janaki String Trio

Boccherini: String Quintet #3 in D, Op.39, G. 339 -- Ensemble 415

Massonneau: Symphony in C Minor, Op. 5, "La Tempète et le Calme" -- Ivan Törzs: Mecklenburg-Schweriner Hofkapelle

Gerson: Symphony in E Flat -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen: Concerto Copenhagen


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* _Coronation Mass, KV 317_
- Ileana Cotrubas, sop.; Helen Watts, mezzo; Robert Tear, tenor; John Shirley-Quirk, bass; Schola Cantorum of Oxford; Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner (Eloquence)

*Bruckner* _Symphony #4, "Romantic" (Haas edition, 1881 version)_
- London SO under Istvan Kertesz (Eloquence)

*Delibes* _Viens Malika (Flower Duet) from Lakme_
- Mady Mesple, sop.; Danielle Millet, mezzo; Orch. of Opera-Comique, Paris under Alain Lombard (EMI)


----------



## bejart

Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846): String Quintet No.18

Krista Bennion Feeney, violin -- Anca Nicolau and Joanna Hood, violas -- Myron Luzke, cello -- John Feeney, double bass

View attachment 18578


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## JLTNJUSA1963

*Current Listrening*

Jerome,

The Out West! Delos CD is one of my absolute favorites. Good selections.

Listening to Brahms--Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24; Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118; Two Rhapsodies for Piano, Op. 79. Emanuel Ax, piano (Sony Classical SK 48046), one of four new CDs I bought today.

Jim


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music From The Middle Ages" - Studio Der Fruhen Music

a five cd repackaging of five of SDFM's Reflexe albums

currently disc one, which is the "Estampie: Instrumental Music From The Middle Ages" album:









I like that the original albums are let stand, and can be experienced, complete and at their original running time without filler or without crossing over discs to fit them all on four cds


----------



## Guest

JLTNJUSA1963 said:


> Jerome,
> 
> The Out West! Delos CD is one of my absolute favorites. Good selections.
> 
> Listening to Brahms--Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24; Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118; Two Rhapsodies for Piano, Op. 79. Emanuel Ax, piano (Sony Classical SK 48046), one of four new CDs I bought today.
> 
> Jim


Yes. Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite is pretty wonderful too. Guess I'll listen to that now.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Very cool. Have you heard Fabio Luisi's cycle of Honegger's symphonies? It's quite expensive and out-of-print now but definitely worth seeking out.


Re OOP Honegger sets, must be something in the Swiss water. Ansermet, too...though his Nos. 2 - 4 are currently available via Australian Eloquence. I've sampled Luisi's, and it didn't grab me, and neither has anything else of his. Haven't heard Ansermet's. Maybe AE will reissue Nos. 1 & 5, and choke the set-sellers who want 1,000 GBP for new, and 750 GBP IIRC for used.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Poulenc*: Piano Works (3 Vols.), with Roge (rec.1986 - '98).








View attachment 18583
View attachment 18584


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Re OOP Honegger sets, must be something in the Swiss water. Ansermet, too...though his Nos. 2 - 4 are currently available via Australian Eloquence. I've sampled Luisi's, and it didn't grab me, and neither has anything else of his. Haven't heard Ansermet's. Maybe AE will reissue Nos. 1 & 2, and choke the set-sellers who want 1,000 GBP for new, and 750 GBP IIRC for used.


I own the Ansermet and I'm not too fond of his performances. The Luisi is much better than Dutoit (Mr. Sugarcoat-Everything ) and I really disliked Plasson's EMI cycle. I wish Jarvi made a complete cycle. We're not spoilt for choices in Honegger though. We do have many great performances of individual symphonies thankfully. Here's what lineup would look like:

1. Luisi
2. Jansons
3. Jarvi
4. N/A (I really don't like this symphony at all)
5. Jarvi


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Memorial Day is a day for remembering... and I spent most of mine trying to remember what my den/library looked like when it was clean. In other words I spent most of the day boxing up art books I rarely ever use (they'll go to my studio) thus clearing stacks off the floor and actually making enough room on the shelves so that I can finally shelve the entire CD collection. It will take at least another 2 days to finish the job... especially organizing all the CDs.

In the meantime my listening includes:



















Disc II: German Operas and Operettas (Flotow, Cornelius, Strauss II, etc...)


----------



## NightHawk

Neo Romanza said:


> Continuing from last night...My favorite performance of the _Leningrad_.


You're costing me money Neo, just ordered this _Leningrad_ - can't resist the Bernstein/Chicago combo.


----------



## Neo Romanza

NightHawk said:


> You're costing me money Neo, just ordered this _Leningrad_ - can't resist the Bernstein/Chicago combo.


Did you get the reissue? If yes, that shouldn't cost you too much.  Hope you enjoy the performance as much as I do. It's my favorite 7th.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> I own the Ansermet and I'm not too fond of his performances. The Luisi is much better than Dutoit (Mr. Sugarcoat-Everything ) and I really disliked Plasson's EMI cycle. I wish Jarvi made a complete cycle. We're not spoilt for choices in Honegger though. We do have many great performances of individual symphonies thankfully. Here's what lineup would look like:
> 
> 1. Luisi
> 2. Jansons
> 3. Jarvi
> 4. N/A (I really don't like this symphony at all)
> 5. Jarvi


Then I don't look forward to Ansermet's. Suisse Romande blow hot 'n cold for me, anyway.

I dislike the Plasson and Dutoit as sets, also. Jansons did 2 & 3 with Oslo, and 3 with ACO, no 1 & 5 AFAIK.

Honegger sets aren't the answer for me, though I might bite on Baudo's with fewer sound issues. Speaking of, remember the Munch hype? :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Did you get the reissue? If yes, that shouldn't cost you too much.  Hope you enjoy the performance as much as I do. It's my favorite 7th.


The old doubles are going cheaper in some quarters.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Then I don't look forward to Ansermet's. Suisse Romande blow hot 'n cold for me, anyway.
> 
> I dislike the Plasson and Dutoit as sets, also. Jansons did 2 & 3 with Oslo, and 3 with ACO, no 1 & 5 AFAIK.
> 
> Honegger sets aren't the answer for me, though I might bite on Baudo's with fewer sound issues. Speaking of, remember the Munch hype? :tiphat:


I forgot Baudo! I like his set a lot too. My favorite overall, but like you said, I prefer to cherry pick performances. Yeah, Charles Munch is overhyped in Honegger, but then again, Munch is overhyped in pretty much anything he conducted. Never have been too fond of his performances, although he has several performances I admire. Anyway, do you own the Baudo set? It's definitely worth picking up. Overall, quite a consistent cycle.


----------



## NightHawk

Neo Romanza said:


> Did you get the reissue? If yes, that shouldn't cost you too much.  Hope you enjoy the performance as much as I do. It's my favorite 7th.


Yes, and I bought it 'used-like new', so only paid $10 bucks - do you have 43 recordings of the Shosty Piano Quintet in G minor? What a work - have Borodin w Richter = unexcellable <sic>


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just listened to *Sibelius's* symphonies 7, 5 and 5 again.


----------



## Neo Romanza

NightHawk said:


> Yes, and I bought it 'used-like new', so only paid $10 bucks - do you have 43 recordings of the Shosty Piano Quintet in G minor? What a work - have Borodin w Richter = unexcellable <sic>


 Nope, don't own 43 recordings of Shostakovich's _Piano Quintet_. I wonder how many exist? Anyway, yes, a fine work. I forget which performances I own of the work but I own several.


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> I forgot Baudo! I like his set a lot too. My favorite overall, but like you said, I prefer to cherry pick performances. Yeah, Charles Munch is overhyped in Honegger, but then again,* Munch is overhyped in pretty much anything he conducted.* Never have been too fond of his performances, although he has several performances I admire. Anyway, do you own the Baudo set? It's definitely worth picking up. Overall, quite a consistent cycle.


I've shied away from the Baudo set, for what I perceive to be sound issues, such as brazen brass, and maybe some brightness overall.

That Munch statement needed embellishing. :tiphat:


----------



## Skilmarilion

Listening to the _first _of the great G minors ... 

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 25 (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Mariner)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> I've shied away from the Baudo set, for what I perceive to be sound issues, such as brazen brass, and maybe some brightness overall.
> 
> That Munch statement needed embellishing. :tiphat:


Well there are some things you just have to make a compromise on. Baudo's set of Honegger is superlative in every way imaginable. Like I said, as a set it's easily recommendable above all others.

Edit: The audio quality of the Baudo isn't bad at all. In fact, it's not even distracting.


----------



## GreenMamba

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Just linseed to *Sibelius's* symphonies 7, 5 and 5 again.


Now we know that auto-correct has "linseed" in there for listneed or listeend or some other typo.


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich String Quartet no. 6 in G, Borodins.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

GreenMamba said:


> Now we know that auto-correct has "linseed" in there for listneed or listeend or some other typo.


:lol: the woes of posting via iPhone


----------



## SimonNZ

disc 2 of the Studio Der Fruhen Musik box

which is the 1976 "Planctus" (plaint/lament) album


----------



## Guest

To lull me to sleep...


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - A Musical Joke

I love how fun this piece is. It will put a smile on your face knowing Mozart had such a good sense of humour. xD


----------



## OboeKnight

My youth orchestra! Our performance of Humperdinck's Hexenritt...the Dream Pantomime is also on that YouTube channel. Sadly, I am not in the group woodwind picture. I was at a concerto competition that day. However, you can make out my figure in the huge group picture...I'm second from the right in the first row of wind players behind the strings...the only one in a tuxedo in that row.

Ehhh..should have put this in the CL w/ YouTube videos thread, but oh well. Forgive me this one time lol


----------



## Feathers

Scarlatti: Piano Sonatas

I'm at the F minor K466 L118 one right now. So beautiful...


----------



## SimonNZ

disc 3 of the SDFM box, which is the "Roman De Fauvel" album


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.0 in D Minor {1869 Version},* featuring Roberto Paternostro and the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}.* Both works are performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## lunchdress

Winding down a three-day weekend with some Schubert: String Quartets 1 and 2 so far.

(I downloaded from iTunes today a 7+hour collection of the Amadeus Quartet playing Haydn, Schubert and Brahms recorded in the 1950s - there's one available for $5.99 that sounds as good as the one going for $45.99, only the labeling is a little messed up -easily fixed once purchased- and there is a few more seconds of space between each piece on some, but I can't find any other difference between the two)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Three Pieces for Orchestra_ with Abbado conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Incredible performance.

Next:










Going to listen to Ives' _Symphony No. 4_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Shostakovich Piano Trios No.1 and 2 - Trio Wanderer


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18593
> 
> 
> Shostakovich Piano Trios No.1 and 2 - Trio Wanderer


Excellent performances.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Trying to catch up on some of the items in my "to be listened to" pile and picked this interesting album of Danish Piano Music performed by John Damgaard. Interestingly the album begins with a Romantic piano sonata by Frederich Kuhlau. Then jumps to Carl Nielsen and then to a modern composers Jørgen Jersild, and Niels Viggo Bentzon. All really wonderful works and all completely different from each other. A fun venture for those looking for something unusual to occupy them.










Next up:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Images_. Such an amazing piece of music. I really admire these early Boulez recordings much more than the Debussy remakes he made for DG. Years ago I used to favor the DG remakes more for their technical clarity and recording quality but I have since come around to the opinion that Boulez had much more energy and verve in his early career.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Piano Trio #6 in E Flat, Op. 70 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Bach: Organ Sonata #5 in C, BWV 529 -- Helmut Walcha

Mozart: String Quartet #16 in E Flat, K 428 -- Hagen Quartet

Palestrina: Missa l'Homme armé À 4 -- Pro Cantione Antiqua


----------



## SimonNZ

disc four of the Studio Der Fruhen Musik box

which is the "Martim Codax / Bernart de Ventadorn" album

and what a lot of Grand Prix Du Disque awards this group seem to have won


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Bassoon Concerto in B flat Major K. 191
David Breidenthal 
L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra

Right before bed, as the second movement soothes my troubled soul.


----------



## ArthurBrain

A piece by Gorecki which may be obscure given recordings, yet one of his more interesting IMO even though the brass 'chorale' can grate for a while. The string passages however, especially when they begin to 'take over' the piece are just beguiling...reminiscent of Ives in a way.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> A piece by Gorecki which may be obscure given recordings yet one of his more interesting IMO even though the brass 'chorale' can grate for a while. The string passages however, especially when they begin to 'take over' the piece are just beguiling...reminiscent of Ives in a way.


I think Gorecki could have condensed this work down to 10 minutes. I think 23 minutes is a bit long given the musical material. I heard this work a few years ago and it didn't really do much for me. I do like the string passages and the surging climax towards the end.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain, now here is a work that's perfectly condensed and contains some truly haunting moments IMHO:


----------



## ArthurBrain

Neo Romanza said:


> I think Gorecki could have condensed this work down to 10 minutes. I think 21 minutes is a bit long given the musical material. I heard this work a few years ago and it didn't really do much for me. I do like the string passages and the surging climax towards the end.


Agreed. It's really only the string passages that do it for me in this piece overall.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> Agreed. It's really only the string passages that do it for me in this piece overall.


Yes, me too. It's those brass passages that go on and on with no end in sight that make the work disappointing. I'm all for brass, but I like some variation and forward motion in the music and Gorecki's usage of this section was directionless.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 24, "For Therese"


----------



## drpraetorus

Pigyn Clust. A very interesting Welsh group


----------



## ArthurBrain

Neo Romanza said:


> ArthurBrain, now here is a work that's perfectly condensed and contains some truly haunting moments IMHO:


I like this, a lot. It seems to me I've not given Kurtag enough of a listen in the past so thanks for this. I'm kind of reminded by a piece from Dutilleux in some respects which I've not heard in a while so I may as well put that up also..


----------



## SimonNZ

disc five of the Studio Der Fruhen Musik box

which is the "L'agonie du L'anguedoc" album

well...I hadn't intended to, but it looks like I'm going to have greedily devoured this whole set not eight hours after collecting it from the mailbox


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> I like this, a lot. It seems to me I've not given Kurtag enough of a listen in the past so thanks for this. I'm kind of reminded by a piece from Dutilleux in some respects which I've not heard in a while so I may as well put that up also..


Yeah, I'm not very familiar with Kurtag's work outside of the Abbado DG recording. That Dutilleux work is a favorite of mine. Such a fantastic work.


----------



## tdc

I LOVE this recording.

11/10 stars


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listened to Liszt's Mazeppa earlier today. My favourite of his thirteen symphonic poems.


----------



## Kieran

Trout quintet by Schubert, Jeno Jando and the Kodaly Quartet...


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.2, No.4, D.62

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Federico Guglielmo on violin

View attachment 18601


----------



## Guest

...and to wake me up!









Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, a.k.a. _Amadeus_
K183, Symphony No. 25 in G minor
James Levine, Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Kieran

Mozart K376, to be followed by K377.

Barenboim baring his guns, Perlman sawing the arm off his fiddle...


----------



## schuberkovich

Die Schone Mullerin
Fritz Wunderlich







Mr Wunderlich was another tragic death, dying at 35 when he fell down a stairway. A great shame, he is my favourite tenor. His voice is honeyed, yet not too sweet, and he doesn't sound forced when he goes high and loud (like many other tenors).


----------



## ptr

*Igor Stravinsky* - Suite l'Oseau de Feu 6 Sacre de Printemps (RCO Live)









Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra u. Mariss Jansons

*Iannis Xenakis* - Kraanerg, ballet for orchestra & tape (*Mode*)









Callithumpian Consort u. Stephen Drury

*Lars-Erik Larsson* - Concerto for alto saxophone and string orchestra Op 14 / Divertimento No 2 Op 15 / Concertino for French horn and string orchestra Op 45 No 5 / "Quattro tempi" Divertimento for wind quintet Op 55 / String Quartet No 3 Op 65 (*Caprice*)









Christer Johnsson, saxophone, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u Leif Segerstam; Stockholm Sinfonietta u. Jan-Olov Wedin; Ib Lanzky-Otto, french horn & Stockholm Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble; Stockholm Wind Quintet; Stockholm Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler* _Symphony #10 (completed by Deryck Cooke)_
- Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth - live recording, Melbourne, 2008 - ABC Classics

*Dvorak* _String Quartet #12, "American"_
- Australian SQ (ABC Classics)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner: symphony no. 4
@ptr, I love kraanerg!


----------



## Kieran

K377, which hardwired into my skull, at this stage. 

Actually, there's as much to be gained from Wolfie's violin sonatas as his PC's, which is a bold statement, I know, but they're equally broad and rich in depth. This one is perhaps his violin sonata nonpareil. Another bold statement. And it's not even Wednesday yet...


----------



## Guest

Paul Dukas, Symphony in C, 
Jean Fournet, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

This is a lively and enjoyable symphony that has been largely ignored. I'm sure ptr has a recording of it and I'd like to know his thoughts.


----------



## EricABQ

Grieg lyric pieces book one played by Steen-Nokleberg.


----------



## ptr

Jerome said:


> This is a lively and enjoyable symphony that has been largely ignored. I'm sure ptr has a recording of it and I'd like to know his thoughts.


I have two actually, the Jean Martinon on an old LP and Yan Pascal Tortelier on Chandos, both quite fine. I find most of Dukas' works entertaining, "enjoyable" might well be a very suitable description! It puts a smile on Your face when You hear it and when the music stops it kind of disperses.. For me, the most substantial Duka's work is the Piano Sonata (Specially in the hands of John Ogdon!).

/ptr


----------



## Guest

ptr said:


> I have two actually, the Jean Martinon on an old LP and Yan Pascal Tortelier on Chandos, both quite fine. I find most of Dukas' works entertaining, "enjoyable" might well be a very suitable description! It puts a smile on Your face when You hear it and when the music stops it kind of disperses.. For me, the most substantial Duka's work is the Piano Sonata (Specially in the hands of John Ogdon!).
> 
> /ptr


I will find the sonata and give it a listen. Thanks ptr.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Haven't been able to listen to anything due to project. But!
Had a big cinematic dream in which I mouth-trumpeted what was understood to be an august Haydn melody, while helicopters danced (no Stockhausen content). Quite an extended sequence. Rarely have music dreams, but it _is_ 'current listening' in its way.

Then during short early morning stint in studio listened to Rozhdestvensky's Sibelius 2 because it's like a cup of bad coffee & makes me laugh.
But it's still Sibelius/coffee so it's never truly bad.


----------



## julianoq

After almost 7 months listening only classical, I finally felt the need to listen to some Bossa Nova again! 2:16 minutes of heaven with Vinícius de Moraes & Toquinho playing Chega de Saudade:


----------



## Andolink

Marin Marais: Pièces de viole du troisieme livre (1711)--Suite IV in D major, Suite VII in G major
Jordi Savall, basse de viole 
Ton Koopman, clavecin 
Hopkinson Smith, théorbe & guitare baroque








Don Paolo di Firenze (1390-1425): Madrigals
Mala Punica/Pedro Memelsdorff








Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 59 "Razumovsky No. 1"
The Alexander String Quartet


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on tv audio today: 
this is nostalgic--
Sketches from Natal by Malcolm Forsyth
Julia Nolan & CBC Vancouver Radio Orchestra

Malcolm Forsyth was a South African and Canadian trombonist and composer. He's heard a lot in Canada because CBC radio used to use his music for themes & stings. Pleasant 1970s era grafting of African-sounding tunes, probably not hard enough for Kronos Quartet Pieces of Africa 2.


----------



## rrudolph

Yesterday was Memorial Day here in the US. I wasn't able to listen to music (except what I was playing), so I'm doing my Memorial Day listening today. Bizarrely, many people in this country see this as a day to celebrate nationalistic jingoism and worship of the military. I see it as a day to mourn the tragic human stupidity and moral failure that causes us to still have wars, so it's all requiems for me today.

Ockeghem: Requiem








Mozart: Requiem








Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem








Ligeti: Requiem


----------



## MagneticGhost

One of my new purchases today from the local charity shop.
Bargain - Good performance from the Slovaks, and a piece I haven't heard yet. It's up there with his Asrael symphony.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Violin Concertos 1 & 2, with Hirsch/BBC Scottish SO/Friend (rec.1996); String Quartets 1 - 3, with Maggini Qt. (rec.2005); Chamber Music, with Rogeri Trio et al (rec.1997).

View attachment 18617
View attachment 18618


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Ligeti's* (1923 - 2006) birthday, Violin Concerto, with Astrand/Danish NRSO/Dausgaard (rec. 1999).

View attachment 18624


----------



## julianoq

And back to Bruckner, listening to the 5th performed by Thielemann now. May listen to the "new" performance by Haitink with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra later today, heard good things about it.


----------



## ptr

Mixed Afternoon:

*Helmut Lachenmann* - Schwankungen Am Rand (*ECM*)









Ensemble Modern u. Peter Eötvös

*Franz Schubert* - Die Schöne Müllerin (*Decca*)









Peter Schreier, tenor & Andras Schiff, piano

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Symphony No 40 & 41 (*Archiv*)









Les Musiciens du Louvre u. Marc Minkowski

And now onto:

*Béla Bartók* - Bluebeard's Castle, Sz48 (Op.11) / Cantata Profana BB100, Sz94 - The Nine Splendid Stags (*DG Originals*)









Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau & Hertha Töpper; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin u. Ferenc Fricsay // Helmut Krebs & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; RIAS Kammerchor, St. Hedwig's Cathedral Choir, Berlin & RIAS Symphony Orchestra Berlin u. Ferenc Fricsay

Fricsay is the Bartók Master! 

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled *Zemlinsky* String Quartets, with LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980) and Schoenberg Qt. (rec.1993 - '01). I've not spent enough time with these works. They've been most rewarding on a closer inspection.

Some salon in No. 1, but thereafter, we're into deeper waters. Never dull, either of these sets. But richness in tone from LaSalle is hard to pass up. Not to mention, the dirt-cheap pricing from Brilliant Classics (DG licensed). So ordered!

View attachment 18626
View attachment 18627


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## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> Sampled *Zemlinsky* String Quartets, with LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980) and Schoenberg Qt. (rec.1993 - '01). I've not spent enough time with these works. They've been most rewarding on a closer inspection.
> 
> Some salon in No. 1, but thereafter, we're into deeper waters. Never dull, either of these sets. But richness in tone from LaSalle is hard to pass up. Not to mention, the dirt-cheap pricing from Brilliant Classics (DG licensed). So ordered!
> 
> View attachment 18626
> View attachment 18627


not _dirt_ cheap here but I'm closer to buying now.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> Sampled *Zemlinsky* String Quartets, with LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980) and Schoenberg Qt. (rec.1993 - '01). I've not spent enough time with these works. They've been most rewarding on a closer inspection.
> 
> Some salon in No. 1, but thereafter, we're into deeper waters. Never dull, either of these sets. But richness in tone from LaSalle is hard to pass up. Not to mention, the dirt-cheap pricing from Brilliant Classics (DG licensed). So ordered!
> 
> View attachment 18626
> View attachment 18627


not _dirt_ cheap here but I'm closer to buying now. How you feel about the symphonies?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Art of the Fugue.*


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 9_. Always a humorous romp.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Violin concertos by Stravinsky and Szymanowski.


----------



## Ravndal

Mozart PC no 20

- Piotr Anderszewski

Very fine pianist.


----------



## rrudolph

More happy stuff.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Great performance much better than Gergiev's 5th.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Cello Concerto No. 1_. Great work and performance.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Wind Quintet, Op 26

Inspired by the winds music thread. I didn't know before that the first two movements were written a year before the latter two. In the meantime, his first wife died and he remarried. Can't say I detect much of a difference, but the latter two movements do feel somewhat more assured in technique (the work is one of his first using the 12-tone method).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony performed by Jurowski/London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prior to the Sixth, I listened to Tchaikovsky's First and Fourth Symphonies by the same performers.

All superb, Vladimir Jurowski does a fantastic job and brings out the best in the London Philharmonic, much as Tennstedt did during his all to brief conductorship.

Next up will probably by Beethoven's Ninth performed by Ferenc Fricsay/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I have received it recently as a gift and I am very impressed and grateful. As I understand, this was the first stereo recording and the orchestra still resembled Furtwangler's version rather than HVK's. Conductor, Orchestra and the recording itself have blown some fresh life into it. This is the only interpretation which has grabbed me in a similar way to Furtwangler. It is a shame Fricsay's career was struck down so short.


----------



## Kieran

Haydn cello concerto #1 in C-major, Jacqueline duPre on cello.

That's be followed by his second cello concerto in D, and Boccherini's concerto in B Flat major.

Haven't heard any of these before...


----------



## Arsakes

*Mozart*:
Piano Trio in E major (K542)
Symphony No.36 & 39


----------



## DaveS

More Sibelius today...Scenes historiques, Rakastava, Romance in C, then Symphony 6. Halle Orchestra/Sir John. EMI recording. I particularly like Rakastava and the Romance.


----------



## Cheyenne

I'll join in the Haydn, I have been listening to his London Symphonies a lot lately. I'd listen to Ligeti, but simply don't feel like it today. And what better than Haydn for when you are feeling joyful?


----------



## DaveS

and oh yeah. Listened to a particularly nice reading of the 3rd symphony last night. Sir Colin Davis and the NYPO from a live performance in 2006.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Piano Quintet, with B.Berman/Vermeer Qt,(rec.2000), String Quartets, with Borodin Qt.(rec.1990); Piano Works, with Mustonen (rec.1990).

View attachment 18640







View attachment 18641


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## Manxfeeder

*George Rochberg.*


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Shostakovich's _Violin Concerto No. 2_. Definitely a more introspective work, but no less musically rewarding, than his _Violin Concerto No. 1_.


----------



## Plum

Last night, Beethoven's Symphonies # 4 and 7 - Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. I've always liked the RCO with regards to Beethoven. I recently discovered my set of Beethoven Symphonies by the Concertgebouw/Haitink got ruined by those foam inserts which got stuck to the discs, which left a residue.


----------



## ptr

Seems to be be a Shostakovich Rally on tonight, so I'm going down that alley as well!

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - String Quartets No 1 - 13; Playing the 4 first odd numbered Quartets (*Chandos*)









Borodin Quartet, original members

/ptr


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Le pas d'acier_. Sizzling performance.


----------



## Mahlerian

Nice day out there...

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F, "Pastoral"
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


----------



## Kleinzeit

Mahlerian said:


> Nice day out there...
> 
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F, "Pastoral"
> Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


This is my go to cycle.


----------



## Kieran

Everything I listen to is warm up for the main act: Wolfgangerl.

K548, followed by K564, performed by the Kungsbacka Trio...


----------



## chrisco97

*Schumann* - Humoresque in B-Flat Major Op. 20: V


----------



## ArthurBrain

A fine rendition of the viola concerto IMO. I prefer the original piano quintet as opposed to the orchestrated version of 'In Memoriam' but still well worth a listen.










'Lontano' is sublime....


----------



## NightHawk

I just got this in the mail:






- I already have a number of the works on singles, but there's a lot I have to look forward to. I have the Alfred Schnittke album you posted and agree with your praise of the Viola Concerto - I am not familiar w the piano quintet version of _In Memoriam_, and will add it to my Schnittke list, and yes... Ligeti's _Lontano_ is sublime.



ArthurBrain said:


> A fine rendition of the viola concerto IMO. I prefer the original piano quintet as opposed to the orchestrated version of 'In Memoriam' but still well worth a listen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 'Lontano' is sublime....


----------



## Kieran

BIS might just have the catchiest covers of all classical records...


----------



## ArthurBrain

Ligeti's 'Clocks & Clouds'. A gorgeous soundworld and a perennial favourite...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bacewicz*: Chamber Music, with Zimerman et al (rec.2009); *Barber*: Violin Concerto, with Shapira/Russian PO/T. Sanderling (rec.2001); Piano Sonata, with MAH (rec.2004).

View attachment 18648
View attachment 18649
View attachment 18650


----------



## ArthurBrain

NightHawk said:


> I just got this in the mail:
> View attachment 18647
> - I already have a number of the works on singles, but there's a lot I have to look forward to. I have the Alfred Schnittke album you posted and agree with your praise of the Viola Concerto - I am not familiar w the piano quintet version of _In Memoriam_, and will add it to my Schnittke list, and yes... Ligeti's _Lontano_ is sublime.


You should enjoy it on listening. 

The Piano Quintet is actually the original piece. If memory serves Gennady Rozhdestvensky commissioned Schnittke to make an orchestrated version as he was so taken with it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 15.*


----------



## ArthurBrain

Probably my favourite version of this masterpiece presently....


----------



## chrisco97

*Dvorak* - String Quartet No. 12, "American"

Love this.


----------



## Kleinzeit

A lot of heavy c.20 going on here today.









Went _extremely_ late Romantic, 1935. Listened to this to refresh for the 'Most X-ian Y' thread, as the most Sibelian Bax. The 3rd mvt. Scherzo bursts into a quote from Tapiola. It's startling to hear the one piece show up at the door of another, like a star cameo that makes plot sense.

Bax dedicated his 5th to Sibelius.


----------



## millionrainbows

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op.60 "Leningrad" (1941); Valery Gergiev; Kirov Orchesta, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (Philips).

A rather long symphony, clocking in at 78:49.

I. 27:32
II. 13:05
III. 17:58
IV. 20:04

The opening is in a majorish-diatonic-chromatic tonality, freely using both 5 and b5, 7 and b7, major and minor thirds, in phrases, always sounding tonal. This goes on for about 7 minutes, then the so-called "invasion theme" takes over. It's a pretty perky-sounding invasion theme if you ask me. It sounds like Shostakovich's version of "bolero," but not nearly as sinister as I would imagine. As you can see, I'm trying hard to overcome my own expectations in approaching this work.

Was Shostakovich criticizing the German invasion only, or was he throwing Stalin in there as well? These are the ambiguities that are always brought up, as we struggle with the question of Shostakovich's allegiance and integrity as an artist under extreme scrutiny. But like all truly great art which is produced for ostensibly utilitarian or propagandistic purposes, or is used thusly, Shostakovich seems to have passed the test, and his music stands for what it is, and 'it's a good thing,' as Martha Stewart says. Pass the biscuits.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in A Minor, Op.13

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello

View attachment 18652


----------



## SimonNZ

Alkan's Cello Sonata - Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello, Pascal Amoyel, piano


----------



## NightHawk

@ArthurBrain re The Rite with Salonen and LAPhil - _that_ was a fantastic performance. I loved the tempi - the percussion were clearly not of this earth. Bravo!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Shostakovitch, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Ligeti...? All this heavy, humourless music. I can't take that crap right now. Its the last few days of the school year and all the children are insane. I want to be entertained when I get home. Nothing more entertaining than some Viennese bon-bons... sung by Fritz Wunderlich: Lehar, Kalman, etc... I'll listen to Shosty's quartets or The Rite some other time.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 5_. This is an excellent performance. I'll wager this is one of my favorite 5th performances. My absolute favorite, however, is Bernstein's 1979 Live in Japan performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to a Martha recital, and wondering if her expression was cannabis-induced.

View attachment 18656


----------



## Mahlerian

StLukesGuildOhio said:


> Shostakovitch, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Ligeti...? All this heavy, humourless music.


And yet the composers you mentioned did more to bring humor back to music than pretty much anyone else...

Anyway,

Ligeti: Continuum
Erika Haase

Takemitsu: Rain Dreaming
Aki Takahashi

Any other suggestions from people who get the common thread here?


----------



## SimonNZ

Caspar Kittel arias and cantatas - Rene Jacobs, dir.


----------



## Crudblud

Gustav Mahler - _Symphony No. 6_ (Eschenbach)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Cello Concerto No. 2_. Interesting work.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Evocative and harmonically lush...










Messiaen: Illuminations of The Beyond Movement V 'Demeurer Dans L'amour'


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some more "fun" music...










... of course by this late point in the school year my concept of "fun" may be a bit warped... such as including putting children in a big oven.:devil:


----------



## GreenMamba

On Spotify, Weinberg String Quartet #16, op. 130; Quatour Daniel.


----------



## millionrainbows

Kronos Quartet: Black Angels.
Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8, composed near the height of the Cold War, in 1960, was dedicated "to the victims of fascism and war." "Doom. A Sigh," by Istvan Marta, incorporates field recordings of two Romanian women singing personal laments of fallen friends and relatives; their grief is so intense as to render listening incredibly difficult. The original text to 16th-century composer Thomas Tallis's "Spem in Alium" (originally a 40-voice motet) recalled a biblical battle. — Amazon


----------



## millionrainbows

Krzysztof Penderecki (Composer, Conductor), Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Wanda Wilkomirska

This collection of Krysztof Penderecki's music encompasses one of New Music's most intense, even extreme pieces: _Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima_. Played in the extreme registers by 52 string performers, this piece came off in every way as a careening lamentation. Decrying the bombing of Hiroshima at a time when it was still a historical blue ribbon on the war chest of the U.S., _Threnody_ was unforgettable for its vast ranges of sound colors, from the quietest and most brittle to the most raging, swirling bruises imaginable. UNESCO officially selected the composition as one of the finest works of 1961, emblazoning Penderecki's name and the composition's flagrant intensity around the musical globe. The remaining pieces on the CD make this a stunning collection, much of it having functioned as the musical background for _The Shining_. - Amazon


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Flat, KV 481

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 18662


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Really a gorgeous work. It's been quite some time since I've heard it. Beautiful performance from Upshaw, Zinman, and the London Sinfonietta.

Next:


----------



## Feathers

Bumped into this beautiful Romantic quintet on Youtube! Sometimes, clicking on the related videos can waste all your time without getting anywhere, but this time, I'm really glad I clicked on this related video!


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Orchestral Suite #3 in D, BWV 1068 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Beethoven: 6 Piano Variations in F, Op. 34 -- Mikhail Pletnev

Beethoven: Piano Concerto #3 in C Minor, Op. 37 -- Daniel Barenboim; Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

^ Beethoven's original cadenza to the first movement has a truly dramatized monumentalism about it.

Beethoven: Serenade for String Trio in D, Op. 8 -- Anne-Sophie Mutter et al


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Roussel's _Symphony No. 3_. Outstanding work and performance.


----------



## aleazk

Unsuk Chin - Violin Concerto.


----------



## ArthurBrain

A brilliantly haunting and dynamic programmatic piece of music by Bartok. It's almost as if He was writing part of the score for a horror film...


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> A brilliantly haunting and dynamic programmatic piece of music by Bartok. It's almost as if He was writing part of the score for a horror film...


Certainly a masterpiece. Bartok is an absolute favorite composer of mine.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Really a gorgeous work. It's been quite some time since I've heard it. Beautiful performance from Upshaw, Zinman, and the London Sinfonietta.


The first version I heard some years back, and IMO still the best.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Pretty intense listening this evening with two wonderful recordings of the Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen's Cello Concerto and also his four symphonies (his 5th was unfinished). Absolutely loved both recordings but the Cello Concerto and 4th symphony are standouts.



















Needed to lighten the mood before bedtime so an finishing up with John Powell's Virginia Symphony. Very lovely work of folk melodies strung together. Even though Powell composed this work in 1951 it is in the late Romantic style. There are some very fine moments in the symphony and has a very warm and happy feel to it. Not your usual post WWII depression stuff at all.










Have to continue in the next post due to image post constraints set to three.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

And ending the evening with Janine Jansen's recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Paavo Jarvi conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in a pretty wonderfully dramatic, and powerful version. I have heard this work by I don't know how many violinists, but this is one of the sweetest sounding versions I have heard. Her tone and intonation is very good but the feeling she puts into the work is very moving. One of the best recordings of this piece I have ever heard.










Kevin


----------



## Kivimees

Kevin Pearson said:


> Needed to lighten the mood before bedtime so an finishing up with John Powell's Virginia Symphony. Very lovely work of folk melodies strung together. Even though Powell composed this work in 1951 it is in the late Romantic style. There are some very fine moments in the symphony and has a very warm and happy feel to it. Not your usual post WWII depression stuff at all.


I just gave this a listen. Very nice work. :tiphat:


----------



## Kivimees

I'll continue with this:


----------



## Guest

*The Rite of Spring
*Whether you like Stravinsky or not, you cannot deny that the course of music history took a dramatic turn on this day, one-hundred years ago. I have these three versions and will listen to them all today:





















Valery Gergiev: Kirov Orchestra
Bernard Haitink: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Lorin Maazel: Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## maestro57

Currently:

Godowsky - Tango (after Albéniz's "Tango" from "España", Op. 165 No. 2) (Jorge Bolet)

Jorge Bolet is an awesome pianist.


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> Listening to a Martha recital, and wondering if her expression was cannabis-induced.
> 
> View attachment 18656


No. She was looking at me.

To wake me, Schumann's Cello concerto in a-minor, opus 129, performed by Jacqueline duPre...


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Ralph Kirkpatrick, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> No. She was looking at me.
> 
> To wake me, Schumann's Cello concerto in a-minor, opus 129, performed by Jacqueline duPre...


You meant the Schumann was to wake you, right?

I read it as being Argerich: "She was looking at me. To wake me."


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> You meant the Schumann was to wake you, right?
> 
> I read it as being Argerich: "She was looking at me. To wake me."


Martha's doing a better job of it than Schumann so far!


----------



## ptr

Continuing the Shostakovich Rally:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - String Quartets 1 - 13; The even ones (*Chandos*)









Borodin Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Ludwig von Beethoven, piano sonata #19 in g-minor, performed by Alfred Brendel on Brilliant Classics.









One irritating feature of this Brilliant boxset is that the sonatas aren't in sequence. I mean, how difficult can this be? Put them all in a row. CD1 has #'s 29 and 32. The one I'm listening to is the last one on CD4, following #'s 17, 18 and 21. CD5 has 1, 25, 5, 6, and 9.

I don't understand why they couldn't put them on chronologically...


----------



## ptr

Kieran said:


> I don't understand why they couldn't put them on chronologically...


Brilliant Probably kept the sequences of the original disc's from the label they licensed the recordings! (Vox or Philips?) .. And Brilliant is not known to put much extra effort into making their recordings sensible in anything but price! 

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

ptr said:


> Brilliant Probably kept the sequences of the original disc's from the label they licensed the recordings! (Vox or Philips?) .. And Brilliant is not known to put much extra effort into making their recordings sensible in anything but price!
> 
> /ptr


Ah! So that's how they do it! Thanks for that...


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Brioschi: 6 Symphonies (1733-1741)
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto






(I'm brimming over with superlatives about this disc--fascinating repertoire, beautifully performed and recorded)

Dietrich Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri
Barbara Schlick, Monika Frimmer, sopranos
Michael Chance, counter-tenor
Christophe Pregardien, Tenor
Peter Kooy, bass 
Hannover Knabenchor
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra/Ton Koopman


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (ca.1690-1772): Flute Sonata in D Minor, Op.1, No.1

Arcadia: Christoph Ehrsam, flute -- Eunice Brandao, viola -- Attilio Cremonesi, harpsichord

View attachment 18675


Andolink ---
I also like:

View attachment 18676


Gave it 5 stars in my review here: http://www.amazon.com/Brioschi-Six-Symphonies-Germany-Antonio/product-reviews/B000KN7DNY/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1


----------



## Kivimees

Kivimees said:


> I'll continue with this:
> 
> View attachment 18666


By jingo, there were times I reckon I was sittin' in the Last Chance Saloon with the player-piano a'playin' and four varmints packin' shootin' irons playin' poker in the corner.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kevin Pearson said:


> Pretty intense listening this evening with two wonderful recordings of the Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen's Cello Concerto and also his four symphonies (his 5th was unfinished). Absolutely loved both recordings but the Cello Concerto and 4th symphony are standouts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin











Gratified to see Kokkonen!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:











Aho in the house!


----------



## Andolink

Andolink ---
I also like:

View attachment 18676


Gave it 4 stars in my review here: http://www.amazon.com/Brioschi-Six-Symphonies-Germany-Antonio/product-reviews/B000KN7DNY/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Bejart,

I read your amazon review before purchasing the disc. I can't wait to hear Vol. 2 of these Brioschi symphonies which should be in my mailbox within the next day or two!


----------



## SimonNZ

playing Alkan's Cello Sonata for the fourth time today

and wishing I had the Hyperion recording I heard on the radio some months back that made me rush out and grab the only recording I could find (though I have nothing against this one)


----------



## ptr

Continuing with even more Shostakovich:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - The 4 first symphonies)

- Symphony No 1 (& 15) (*Mariinsky label*)









- Symphony No 2 (& 11) (*Mariinsky label*)









- Symphony No 3 (& 10) (*Mariinsky label*)









Mariinsky Orchestra u. Valery Gergiev

- Symphony No 4 (*EMI*)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Mariss Jansons

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Saint-Saens* Piano Concertos 3 & 4
- Pascal Roge, piano with Philharmonia Orch. under Charles Dutoit & Michele Campanella, piano with Monte Carlo Opera orch. under Aldo Ceccato (Eloquence)

*Mozart* Exsultate, jubilate, KV165
- Erna Spoorenberg, soprano with Academy-of-St. Martin-in-the-Fields under Neville Marriner (Eloquence)

*Gareth Farr* Tabuh Pacific
- New Zealand SO & University of Canterbury (NZ) Banyu Gunung Salju Balinese gamelan ensemble both under the composer (Morrison & Co. Trust)

*Handel* Zadok the Priest
- Choir of King's College, Cambridge & English CO under Philip Ledger (EMI)


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv audio:
Bruckner No. 9 Yannick Nézet-Séguin & some unnamed band.
So there's a fine hour.

I'm too early in to really compare versions of Bruckner. I listen from my selection of Wand, Tintner, Inbal, Delman. Sit in the train seat and watch the world go by backwards, and it's a feast.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Rearranged chores & activities schedule to hear out 
Suk's Asrael w/Bělohlávek & Czech Philharmonic on the tv audio.

Bruckner 9 & Asrael, I'll stay and engage even when I'm not feeling remotely like them today. More like Poulenc & Ibert at their Franco-sassiest.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Part* - Fratres (P. Jaarvi, Estonian National Symphony)

*Mozart* - Violin Concerto No. 5 (Emmy Verhey, Concertgebouw Chamber)

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Lang Lang, Leipzig Gewandhaus)


----------



## lunchdress

Decided to listen to my vinyl copy today on this special occasion


----------



## Kieran

It's a great day for celebrating Stravinsky and his Rite of Spring. I'm going to celebrate by listening to Mozart, K478, piano quartet #1... :tiphat:


----------



## Kleinzeit

lunchdress said:


> Decided to listen to my vinyl copy today on this special occasion
> 
> View attachment 18690


I've got that vinyl, and I wear the cover like a pope hat.


----------



## Kivimees

I rather enjoyed the two John Powell CDs earlier, although I've learnt that he has a rather bleak reputation:

"A hall associated with the arts and music program at Radford University was named after him, for his championing of Appalachian music. In 2010, the university's board of visitors discovered his role in white supremacy and voted to remove his name from the building."

But for now:


----------



## julianoq

Great performance of Bruckner 5 by Haitink. Faster than the other two performances that I listened previously (Celibidache and Thielemann) but also excellent. The finale of this symphony is one of the very best in my opinion!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Arnold*: Chamber Music (Vol.1), with Nash Ens.(rec.1984); String Quartets 1 & 2, with McCapra Qt.(rec.1992).

View attachment 18695
View attachment 18696


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> It's a great day for celebrating Stravinsky and his Rite of Spring. I'm going to celebrate by listening to Mozart, K478, piano quartet #1... :tiphat:


I'm getting to the point where I think, "Here comes Kieran. Make sure you're not drinking anything when you read his post."


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm getting to the point where I think, "Here comes Kieran. Put down that cup of tea before you read his post."


Or your Guinness.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by Jerome and others, flaunting my *Le Sacre du Printemps*. Not listening, just flaunting for now. :lol:

View attachment 18697
View attachment 18698
View attachment 18699
View attachment 18700


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> *The Rite of Spring
> *Whether you like Stravinsky or not, you cannot deny that the course of music history took a dramatic turn on this day, one-hundred years ago. I have these three versions and will listen to them all today:
> 
> View attachment 18663
> View attachment 18664
> View attachment 18665
> 
> 
> Valery Gergiev: Kirov Orchestra
> Bernard Haitink: London Philharmonic Orchestra
> Lorin Maazel: Cleveland Orchestra


Replying to my own post to say that the Gergiev was by far the best of the three. The sonics are remarkably clear and the performance was savage and fierce and at times poignant and painful as a toothache.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Our little dog of 16 years passed away suddenly this morning.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to my two Sacres.


----------



## Manxfeeder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Our little dog of 16 years passed away suddenly this morning.


I'm so sorry to hear that.


----------



## Kieran

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Our little dog of 16 years passed away suddenly this morning.


Ah, very sorry to hear this! I like dogs, I think they're great creatures, they become part of the family...


----------



## Sudonim

I too am celebrating the centenary:









Pretty quiet here though - no riots thus far. Maybe I should get up and tear up some things in my office as it plays.

*Edit:* Sorry to hear about your dog, StLukes. May you cherish his (her?) memory.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm getting to the point where I think, "Here comes Kieran. Make sure you're not drinking anything when you read his post."


Jerome is right - it's one thing to spill hot tea, and not to be advised - but there's ordinances against spilling a pint of the ol' Black Soup...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> Inspired by Jerome and others, flaunting my *Le Sacre du Printemps*. Not listening, just flaunting for now. :lol:
> 
> View attachment 18697
> View attachment 18698
> View attachment 18699
> View attachment 18700











............Flaunt!


----------



## NightHawk

@StLukes - My first and only dog, which I picked from the litter, also lived to be 16 years old. I got him when i was 6 so we grew up together and I was very sorry to read your post.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18678
> 
> 
> Aho in the house!


I knew I always liked Aho...he loves dachshunds too.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> The first version I heard some years back, and IMO still the best.


I've heard several other performances throughout the years (Wit, Runnicles, etc.), but, yes, this performance is still the greatest of them all IMHO.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Le Sacre du Printemps*, with VPO/Mehta (Salzburg Festival, 1985). A somewhat passive interpretation, but the playing is noteworthy, as usual. mp3 linked.

I wish Gergiev could've recorded this with the VPO, considering their brilliant Firebird (Salzburg Festival, 2000). YT linked.

http://mp3zebra.net/search/Zubin Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## rrudolph

I just hit "Stravinsky/All Songs" on my iPod. Looks like I'll be listening to:

Sonata for 2 Pianos
Ebony Concerto
Concerto in E flat
8 Instrumental Miniatures
Histoire du Soldat
Renard
Petroushka
Pulcinella
Symphony in C
Symphony of Psalms
Fireworks 
Le Roi des Etoiles
Le Chant du Rossignol
Firebird
Four Studies for Orchestra
Rite of Spring

Not sure how far I'll make it through that list. If I feel Stravinsky fatigue coming on, I'll fast forward to Rite and be done there.
Also, I thought I had Symphonies of Wind Instruments on my iPod. Not sure where that went. I'll have to look into it...


----------



## Vaneyes

In memory of SLGO's *dog*, Honegger: Pastorale d'ete.

View attachment 18706


----------



## rrudolph

Vaneyes said:


> In memory of SLGO's *dog*, Honegger: Pastorale d'ete.


SLGO's dog was named Honegger?

Anyway, very sorry to hear of the loss. I love dogs. The saddest thing about them is that they don't have longer life spans.


----------



## ptr

And a Mode evening!

*Lou Harrison* - For Strings (Mode)
(Suite No. 2 for Strings (1948) // Suite for Symphonic Strings (1960) // Concerto for Pipa with String Orchestra (1997) //Bits and Piece)









Wu Man, pipa; The New Professionals Orchestra, London u. Rebecca Miller

*Dancing with Henry* - New Discoveries in the Music of Henry Cowell (*Mode*)
(Suite for Small Orchestra (1934) // Heroic Dance (1931?) // Sound Form No. 1 (1937) // Ritournelle (Larghetto) from "Marriage at the Eiffel Tower" (1939) // Reel No. 2 (1934) // Dance of Sport ("Competitive Sport," 1931) // Two Ritournelles from "Marriage at the Eiffel Tower" (1939) // Suite for Woodwind Quintet (1934) // Four Combinations for Three Instruments (1924) // Ritournelle (Larghetto; abridged version; 1939) // Atlantis (1926))









Leta Miller, flute; Mark Brandenburg, clarinet; Jane Orzel, bassoon; Russell Greenberg and Michael Strunk, percussion / the Cowell Quintet / Picasso Ensemble / Josephine Gandolfi, piano / Patrice Maginnis, soprano; Wendy Hillhouse, mezzo-soprano; Leroy Kromm, baritone; California Parallèle Ensemble u. Nicole Paiement

*Pauline Oliveros* - In Memoriam Mr. Whitney & St. George and the Dragon (*Mode*)









Pauline Oliveros, accordion & voice; American Voices u. Neely Bruce

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

What else?

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
London Philharmonic, cond. Haitink


----------



## julianoq

Just listened:










Starting now the 1st movement of Mahler 5th with Solti. First listening of this performance, I am used to listen Bernstein's one.


----------



## MagneticGhost

I don't know - just don't feel in a Stravinksy mood today. Perhaps I will feel like listening to Rite a little later on.
But for now.
Introducing myself to Prokofiev's Piano Concertos. 
With the unbeatable combo of Previn/Ashkenazy and the LSO


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 15, "Pastoral"

Listening to the Rondo at this exact moment. Amazing as always.


----------



## Kieran

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 15, "Pastoral"


Did Beethoven call it that? And does it refer in any way to the Pastoral symphony?

Cheers!

Meanwhile, on 29th May 1787 Mozart completed K521, piano sonata for 4 hands, performed for me by Christoph Eschenbach and Justus Franz. Without a copy of the Rite of Spring, this is the only way I can pay homage to that groundbreaking work... :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, Jeux.*

This premiered two weeks _before _the Rite of Spring, unfortunately. If this is Rite Day, it's good to also remember the pieces it ended up overshadowing.


----------



## chrisco97

Kieran said:


> Did Beethoven call it that? And does it refer in any way to the Pastoral symphony?
> 
> Cheers!


Probably not...it is probably one of those names some random guy decided to give it and it stuck. It is rather confusing though since the sixth symphony is known by the same name. :lol:

Oh, and I do not think they are related...something to do some research on!

--
I am now listening to *Piano Sonata No. 21, "Waldstein"*. Another one of my favourites from Beethoven.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

The glorious *Beethoven's Ninth* (Berliner Philarmoniker and Karajan)! What a power kick!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Holst, St. Paul's Suite.*

Wiki says this first appeared in 1913, but I don't see anything to confirm that. Oh, well, it's a lovely piece anyway. And who wants to pass up the chance to hear a Dargason?


----------



## chrisco97

Kieran, I found some information on the 15th sonata...it was given the name of "Pastoral" by Beethoven's publisher at the time...and it is because of the image Beethoven paints, similar to the 6th symphony. Interesting, eh?

I got this info from the Wikipedia article.


----------



## schuberkovich

In an attempt to get more comfortable with Brahms:
Horn Trio in E flat, op.40. Grumiaux, Sebok & Orval.
I must say this is quite enjoyable so far, despite seeming quite simple. The horn/violin/piano combination seems to work really well.


----------



## Kieran

chrisco97 said:


> Kieran, I found some information on the 15th sonata...it was given the name of "Pastoral" by Beethoven's publisher at the time...and it is because of the image Beethoven paints, similar to the 6th symphony. Interesting, eh?
> 
> I got this info from the Wikipedia article.


Thanks for that, Chrisco! Funny how the publishers took it on themselves to name his works, eh? They could have asked him and he might have a better idea. Funny too how many famous works have names which came from sources other than the composer, including this, and the Jupiter symphony.

Cheers!


----------



## chrisco97

Kieran said:


> Thanks for that, Chrisco! Funny how the publishers took it on themselves to name his works, eh? They could have asked him and he might have a better idea. Funny too how many famous works have names which came from sources other than the composer, including this, and the Jupiter symphony.
> 
> Cheers!


I found that funny myself. I wonder if Beethoven was ever mad about that?


----------



## Kieran

chrisco97 said:


> I found that funny myself. I wonder if Beethoven was ever mad about that?


I know he changed the title of Eroica himself, wisely, imho: it would have forever been fixed in association with one man, rather than representing a virtue which is available to us all...


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps, Symphony in 3 Movements
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 104, "London"

I LOVE the last movement of this one.


----------



## ptr

Manxfeeder said:


> *Holst, St. Paul's Suite.*
> 
> Wiki says this first appeared in 1913, but I don't see anything to confirm that. Oh, well, it's a lovely piece anyway. And who wants to pass up the chance to hear a Dargason?


Says 1913 on my score, and confirmed by the works list on the Holst site

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72 -- Lorin Maazel: Wiener Philharmoniker

Beethoven: King Stephen Overture, Op. 117 -- Kurt Masur: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Schumann: 5 Stücke Im Volkston, Op. 102 -- Marek Jerie & Ivan Klánský


----------



## chrisco97

Just finished the last movement of Haydn's 104th Symphony...

Now I have decided to try something I have never heard before, Schumann's 4th (performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic).


----------



## ptr

night music...

*Paderewski - His final recordings* for HMV 1937-38 (*APR*)









Ignacy Jan Paderewski (piano)

/ptr


----------



## Novelette

chrisco97 said:


> Just finished the last movement of Haydn's 104th Symphony...
> 
> Now I have decided to try something I have never heard before, Schumann's 4th (performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic).


Schumann's 4th is exquisite! In fact, it was the Scherzo that originally compelled me to explore all of Schumann's orchestral works. Enjoy!


----------



## DrKilroy

Moeran - Symphony in G minor.
Holst - St. Paul's Suite.
And of course - Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring (with Bernstein and NYPO, if you're curious  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## chrisco97

Novelette said:


> Schumann's 4th is exquisite! In fact, it was the Scherzo that originally compelled me to explore all of Schumann's orchestral works. Enjoy!


I am currently at the second movement of the symphony and so far it is amazing. I look forward to hearing the Scherzo (it is next, I believe?)!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Aaron Copland: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Orchestral Variations, Short Symphony, Symphonic Ode.*


----------



## ArthurBrain




----------



## Guest

Mahlerian said:


> What else?
> 
> Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
> London Philharmonic, cond. Haitink
> View attachment 18711


That was my least favorite of the three i have. The signal ro noise ratio was so bad i couldn't hear the quiet parts over the tape hiss.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Dusapin's* (b. 1955) birthday, Time Zones, SQ3, with Arditti Qt. (rec. 1993).

View attachment 18721


----------



## Mahlerian

Jerome said:


> That was my least favorite of the three i have. The signal ro noise ratio was so bad i couldn't hear the quiet parts over the tape hiss.


There's definitely noticeable hiss, and a wide dynamic range, but I could hear everything...


----------



## Cheyenne

chrisco97 said:


> *Haydn* - Symphony No. 104, "London"
> 
> I LOVE the last movement of this one.


Me too! More Haydn! I am trying really hard not to buy more works by him, because I was planning to save money..


----------



## julianoq

So it was another great Bruckner/Mahler day (with some Stravinsky in between)! Listening to the 9th. Great, clean performance by Boulez and the CSO.


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - Dumbarton Oaks.


----------



## ArthurBrain

My first ever introduction to 'The Rite' was on the old 'Walkman' cassettes 28 years ago. Bed ridden with measles I still remember putting this in the tape recorder and being utterly blown away by it. I must have worn that tape out within a fortnight... Orff's Carmina Burana fitted very well afterwards too.

With Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.


----------



## Joris

Le Sacre du Printemps with Gustavo Dudamel. Funny thing is that I totally look like him


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

ArthurBrain said:


> My first ever introduction to 'The Rite' was on the old 'Walkman' cassettes 28 years ago. Bed ridden with measles I still remember putting this in the tape recorder and being utterly blown away by it. I must have worn that tape out within a fortnight... Orff's Carmina Burana fitted very well afterwards too.
> 
> With Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.


That was my first Rite as well. I had quite a few cassettes from this series.


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's Waldstein sonata, performed by Mr Brendel...


----------



## DavidA

Mozart piano concerto 25 argerich Lugano 2012


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## aleazk

And, of course, now the central piece of the day: The rite of spring!. I love this by Gergiev, so wild!:


----------



## Kieran

Piano trio, K564...


----------



## Kleinzeit

It's got to be this one for today because it's the one that comes with the big complete works Sony box. The 1960 Columbia orchestra with I.S. conducting. But even I can tell that no horses were seriously frightened by this performance.


----------



## cwarchc

Continuing my journey, onto P







I have to think why I don't have more like this. Very thoughtful piece, made me want to stop the car to listen
Then onto this








finished the day with this one


----------



## Sid James

*Gareth Farr* From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs
- New Zealand SO under the composer (Morrison & Co. Trust)

*Saint-Saens* Cello Concerto #1 & Allegro appassionato for cello & orch.
- Maria Kliegel, cello with Bournemouth Sinfonietta under Jean-Francois Monnard (Naxos)

*Dvorak* Four Cypresses (Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 11) for string quartet
- Australian SQ (ABC Classics)

*Suppe* Overture - Light Cavalry
- Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner (EMI)



julianoq said:


> Great performance of Bruckner 5 by Haitink. ....The finale of this symphony is one of the very best in my opinion!
> 
> ....


Agreed, its one of his great finales and what a coda! & doubly impressive and innovative to boot - in this finale, Bruckner combines sonata form with fugue. Its unique in the canon, quite a daring thing to do. At first I thought it wierd now I just love it.


----------



## schuberkovich

Fuelled by the Mozart thread, listening to piano sonata no.8 again with Dinu Lipatti. I think, along with his "Dissonance" quartet (in parts), it is his least "Mozart-sounding" piece. Especially in the tumultuous first movement with the strong driving force behind it, I feel that it could've been written by Schubert.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ptr said:


> Says 1913 on my score, and confirmed by the works list on the Holst site
> 
> /ptr


Great! That makes it another piece from 1913 overshadowed by The Rite of Spring. Of course, by now, all is forgiven.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Novelette said:


> Schumann's 4th is exquisite! In fact, it was the Scherzo that originally compelled me to explore all of Schumann's orchestral works. Enjoy!


I pulled out the 4th. I'm sticking around for the 3rd.


----------



## chrisco97

I loved the fourth by Schumann! I think I am going to listen to it again later though, since I was kinda distracted by my surroundings and my computer died about half way through the final movement. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

I'm walkin' the talk, as stated on the "Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi?" thread.

*Corelli*: Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, with Avison Ens. (rec. 2012); *D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, with Sudbin (rec.2004).

View attachment 18730
View attachment 18731


----------



## Vaneyes

Joris said:


> Le Sacre du Printemps with Gustavo Dudamel. Funny thing is that I totally look like him


Dudi or Igor?


----------



## tdc

Ives - Symphony No. 2 Bernstein conducting NYP

The more I listen to this work the more I enjoy it, and the more subtleties and nuances stand out to me. There is plenty of wit and substance here. The ending is quite comical! Ives clearly had a bit of a sense of humor, yet sometimes it strikes me as though he is simultaneously making a social commentary of sorts that is perhaps a little more serious in nature.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Kleinzeit

Always been a little dubious about Stravinsky, his careerism & opportunism, trimming his sails to changing tastes. But that's naive of me. Don't be a square I says to myself. It's one mode of art-making, a worldly one, and not the only one, so simmer down. Though it is a way that gathers a lot of the world's 'likes'. 

Now that I've taken down the 22 disc Sony complete edition box for the Rite and been playing favourites--Symphony in C, Symphony in 3 Movements, Symphonies of Wind Instruments & Dumbarton Oaks, it's all mighty good, and there's still
Les Noces, Soldier's Tale, Violin Concerto, the very late stuff-- and try to get to like Symphony of Psalms as much as the rest of the world does.

Also: the intro to Smokey Robinson's Tears of a Clown sounds a lot like the opening of Symphonies of Wind Instruments. Smokey at his most Stravinskian. (not so far-fetched seeing as how he name-checks Pagliacci in the song)


----------



## Kieran

Before I rest, Parsifal overture...


----------



## Skilmarilion

Was supposed to go to bed a while ago, but this happened ...

*Grieg* - Piano Concerto in A minor (Seta Tanyel, LSO)

Woops.


----------



## aleazk

Watching random videos on yt, I ended listening to the second movement of Beethoven's 9th (Bernstein), 



. 
I remembered how I love that section between 9:49 and 10:30. (actually, it appears first at 3:11)
Beethoven bad orchestrator?. I don't think so.


----------



## SimonNZ

View attachment tres-riches-heures-du-moyen-age-a-medieval-journey-box-set.jpg


"Les Tres Riches Heures Du Moyen Age: A Medieval Journey "

Six cds worth of particularly well chosen selections from Harmonia Mundi's back catalogue

currently disc one: "The Dawn Of The Christian Era": various styles of chant taken from the Soeur Marie Keyrouz and Marcel Peres recordings


----------



## tdc

Now I'm onto Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 2






This is a work that has really deepened my appreciation of Schoenberg. I'd recommend it to anyone who may struggle with this composer. It has so many approachable elements, it's not quite atonal, and I sense the influence of Brahms here as well as elements of Impressionism. I love its concise and compact structure. I find it just as powerful and engaging as many of the longer drawn out Romantic era symphonies with a climactic ending every bit as powerful as a Bruckner finale that is unpredictable, powerful, thrilling and brilliant.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Along with Karajan '63 this has become one of my favorite recordings of the 9th.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Eduard Tubin--*Symphony No.5 in B Minor, *performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony.
Antal Dorati--*Symphonies 1 and 2, *both featuring the Stockholm Philharmonic, conductor not listed.
Karol Szymanowski--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.15 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.19, *both traversed by the Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra under Karol Stryja.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *featuring the Karl Bohm led Vienna Philharmonic.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, *once again traversed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Maestro Bohm.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in B-Flat Major, K 543, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K 550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K 551 {"Jupiter"}. *All three works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## OboeKnight

Heard this piece at a recital once. It captivated me and almost brought me to tears. All the movements are great, but this movement is just something special.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Can't sleep due to killer sore throat and temperature.

Soothing myself with some Rachmaninov Vespers. Just the tonic.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - Hamburg Concerto.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Some Roussel and Honegger for me tonight:

Now -










Going to listen to this whole recording which is excellent.

Next -










Going to listen to _Symphonies 3 & 5_.


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> Can't sleep due to killer sore throat and temperature.


Don't you just hate getting a sore throat? I had one several weeks ago, got some antibiotics from the doctor, and then it turned into a nasty head cold. Thank goodness I had enough energy to listen to some music!  Hope you feel better.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Neo Romanza said:


> Don't you just hate getting a sore throat? I had one several weeks ago, got some antibiotics from the doctor, and then it turned into a nasty head cold. Thank goodness I had enough energy to listen to some music!  Hope you feel better.


Thanks 
Pretty sure this will develop into head cold too. Wife's had one all week. Thought I was going to get away with it. 
I know of no time in my life when I haven't had enough energy for music. It's like oxygen


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> Thanks
> Pretty sure this will develop into head cold too. Wife's had one all week. Thought I was going to get away with it.
> I know of no time in my life when I haven't had enough energy for music. It's like oxygen


You're welcome. Yeah, usually the head cold follows the sore throat or at least in my experience. And, yes, music is like oxygen. One breath at a time.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in E Flat, Op.12, No.3

Takako Nishizaki, violin -- Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 18736


Andolink says ------
"...I read your amazon review before purchasing the disc."

Always glad to help a fellow forum poster spend their hard-earned shekels.


----------



## aleazk

Pierre Boulez - Livre pour cordes. 




Pretty nice and atmospheric piece.


----------



## Novelette

Gluck: Orphée et Euridice -- Ryan Brown: Opera Lafayette Orchestra & Chorus

Schumann: Nachtlied "Quellende, Schwellende Nacht", Op. 108 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ArthurBrain

Rued Langgaard: Music Of The Spheres.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> Rued Langgaard: Music Of The Spheres.


Great work! Probably Langgaard's most inventive work. I do like his opera _Antikrist_ too. His symphonies are hit and miss for me.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Bacewicz's _Violin Concerto No. 3_. Great performance so far. This is my favorite work I've heard by Bacewicz so far. I've certainly listened to this concerto more than her other six violin concerti.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Decided I had to listen again this evening to Janine Jansen's Beethoven Violin Concerto. I do really believe it is the best I have heard. This time I pushed on to listen to the Britten Violin Concerto as well and words cannot express the emotions conveyed in this piece and in this performance. It is stunningly beautiful and very moving. I'm not all that familiar with the Britten but I'm not sure I would want to hear another version after Janine Jansen's.










So I had to have more Janine and decided to take a listen to her Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2. Powerfully dramatic and inspiring! Interestingly she chose to add the Sonata for 2 Violins in C major, Opus 56 and also the Sonata for Violin and Piano in F minor, Opus 80, No. 1 on this disc. These Prokofiev pieces require some disciplined listening but the experience can be very rewarding. This is a solid 5 star recording for sure.










Kevin


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> This time I pushed on to listen to the Britten Violin Concerto as well and words cannot express the emotions conveyed in this piece and in this performance. It is stunningly beautiful and very moving. I'm not all that familiar with the Britten but I'm not sure I would want to hear another version after Janine Jansen's.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Jansons' performance is quite good but do give Anthony Marwood a listen. For me, Marwood's is the benchmark now and I've heard almost every performance of this concerto on record.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Schnittke's (K)ein Sommernachtstraum.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> Schnittke's (K)ein Sommernachtstraum.


Great work. Very warped which is why I like it.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Neo Romanza said:


> Great work. Very warped which is why I like it.


Yep. Almost playful with it's mixing of old and new but not quite. So skilled a composition to keep the contrast also. I love it.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ArthurBrain said:


> Yep. Almost playful with it's mixing of old and new but not quite. So skilled a composition to keep the contrast also. I love it.


I love the way the almost Classical Era motif towards the beginning becomes distorted throughout the work. Schnittke was so cool.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. Very nice work.


----------



## ArthurBrain

The aptly named "Harmonies" for organ by Ligeti.


----------



## aleazk

ArthurBrain said:


> The aptly named "Harmonies" for organ by Ligeti.


I think this one is the most amazing performance of that piece:


----------



## Arsakes

*Nielsen*'s Symphony No.1, 2 'The Four Temperaments, and 3 'Sinfonia espansiva'


----------



## Arsakes

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. Very nice work.


I like its CD cover.


----------



## ArthurBrain

aleazk said:


> I think this one is the most amazing performance of that piece:


Yeh, that would be the one I would have normally put up believe it or not but I was starting to think it may be a bit too fast in recent times. Having just listened though I think I may have to revise again....it certainly pulls you right into the piece.


----------



## belfastboy

Have just fallen in love all over again with this......*sighs*


----------



## SimonNZ

"Mannhein And Vienna: Fron The 'Galant" To The 'Biedermeier'" - Enrico Mainardi, cond.

Cello Concertos by Georg Christoph Wagenseil and Joseph Haydn


----------



## DrKilroy

Rued Langgaard: Music Of The Spheres. Interesting piece.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

Insomnia listening:

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande -- Charles Dutoit: Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

^ I can almost hear a series of sardonic quips from a certain Camille while listening to this opera.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Marcello (1669-1747): Oboe Concerto No.1 in D Major from 'La Cetra'

Camerata Bern -- Heinz Holliger, oboe

View attachment 18738


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Pierre Hantai, harpsichord


----------



## Guest

Wolfie
K478, K493, Piano Quartets
Malcom Bilson, Elizabeth Wilcock, Jan Schlapp, Timothy Mason


----------



## ptr

Morning triplet!

*Feike Asma In Concert vol. I II III* (Festivo)




























Feike Asma on various Dutch Organs

/ptr


----------



## Guest

My friend Wolfie again.
K175, Piano Concerto #5 in D
Malcom Bilson, Pianoforte
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists

This was Mozart's first original piano concerto - the first four being arrangements of sonatas by others - and it is among my favorites. Mr. Bilson is superb. Love this recording.


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18733
> 
> 
> "Les Tres Riches Heures Du Moyen Age: A Medieval Journey "
> 
> Six cds worth of particularly well chosen selections from Harmonia Mundi's back catalogue
> 
> currently disc one: "The Dawn Of The Christian Era": various styles of chant taken from the Soeur Marie Keyrouz and Marcel Peres recordings


SimonNZ--	Do you rate Paul Van Nevel & Huelgas Ensemble?
Have this OOP 15 disc Sony Vivarte collection. It's a reliable mood-altering substance.


----------



## Kieran

You're on a roll, Jerome, with brilliant music, from the piano quartets to the PC's. I'm going to give K175 a spin later on, after your helpful mention on this and that other thread.

Right now? The *Jupiter *Symphony, glorious crown of the Classical Era. Old Lennie Bernstein and the New York Philly...


----------



## SimonNZ

Kleinzeit said:


> SimonNZ--	Do you rate Paul Van Nevel & Huelgas Ensemble?
> Have this OOP 15 disc Sony Vivarte collection. It's a reliable mood-altering substance.
> View attachment 18742


I fact just today I was once again kicking myself for not grabbing that when I had the chance. But sooner or later a secondhand copy will present itself to me. I'll be ready when that happens. Good to know you recommend it.

I do rate the Huelgas Ensemble highly - the Dufay "O Gemma Lux" album and a lesser known one called "O Cieco Mondo: The Italian Lauda" are particular favorites


----------



## julianoq

Waking up with some Mahler again! 7th symphony with Abbado and the BPO. His performance with the CSO was excellent, this one looks quite good too.


----------



## ptr

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Symphony No 17 Op 137 (*Neos*)









Wiener Symphoniker u. Vladimir Fedoseyev

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - String Quartets No 1 & 2 & Trio Élégiaque Op 9 (*Bridge*)









The Budapest String Quartet & Artur Balsam, piano

*James Dillon* - The Book of Elements Vol 1 - 5 (*NMC*)









Noriko Kawai, piano

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Neo Romanza said:


> Jansons' performance is quite good but do give Anthony Marwood a listen. For me, Marwood's is the benchmark now and I've heard almost every performance of this concerto on record.


Thanks for the recommendation Neo. I'll see if I can find a copy. 

Kevin


----------



## Kieran

Still taking my entrance exam into Brahms, hopefully graduating eventually to that CD of PC's I bought earlier in the year.

Cello sonata #1 in E minor, Op. 38, performed by Isserling and Hough...


----------



## Andolink

Antonio Brioschi: 6 Symphonies (1740-1744) Vol. 2
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto






(if anything even more sublime than Vol. 1)

Erik Højsgaard: Fantasistykker (1982-84)
Poul Ruders: TATTOO for THREE (1984)
The Danish Trio/ Jens Schou, clarinet. Svend Winsløv, cello. Rosalind Bevan, piano








Poul Ruders: "Dramophonia" for piano solo and chamber ensemble
Erik Kaltoft, piano
Aarhus Sinfonietta/Søren Kinch Hansen








Schlippenbach Trio: Elf Bagatellen
Evan Parker, saxophones
Paul Lovens, percussion
Alexander von Schlippenbach, piano






(pardon me for sneaking in a bit of free improvisation here)


----------



## millionrainbows

Glenn Gould: Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): The Piano Sonatas Complete, Nos. 1,2, & 3. Glenn Gould Jubilee Edition (Sony/BMG Import).

I love this series, with the original cover art and reproduction image of the back notes by Gould himself. A magnifier is required, but is worth it to experience these notes in their original typography.

Hindemith is at his best in "a state of intellectual repose" as GG calls it. The drama occurs mainly during fugal sections, so the "bombast effect" of Beethoven sonatas is largely avoided, although there is plenty of "restless" ebb and flow.

Both the first and second have very memorable opening themes, and are crafted so well. The counterpoint seems so natural, at the service of an idea. I am very weak in my Hindemith; I will explore him further. I really should get his theory books as well.


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Glenn Gould: Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): The Piano Sonatas Complete, Nos. 1,2, & 3. Glenn Gould Jubilee Edition (Sony/BMG Import).
> 
> I love this series, with the original cover art and reproduction image of the back notes by Gould himself. A magnifier is required, but is worth it to experience these notes in their original typography.
> 
> Hindemith is at his best in "a state of intellectual repose" as GG calls it. The drama occurs mainly during fugal sections, so the "bombast effect" of Beethoven sonatas is largely avoided, although there is plenty of "restless" ebb and flow.
> 
> Both the first and second have very memorable opening themes, and are crafted so well. The counterpoint seems so natural, at the service of an idea. I am very weak in my Hindemith; I will explore him further. I really should get his theory books as well.


I like Hindemith. I've been eyeing the Gould 4-disc set that includes the 5 Sonatas for Brass & Piano.

Trumpet! French Horn! Bass Tuba!! Alto Horn!

so expensive, and I know that if I buy it, Amazon's whimsical logarithms will drop the price by a fiver.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening for the first time to The Poem of Ecstasy by Scriabin. I choose this performance by Gergiev and Kirov because I bought this album for Le Sacre du Printemps. Liking it a lot, may search for other performances of this work later, could use recommendations!


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows got me digging out this









He plays viola in Der Schwanendreher with a built-in raggedy tone that suggests a spieler from long ago who can't play all that well, but is the bucket-drawer from the well of music in a world where it's usually silence & birdsong.

/Uuno Klami avatar ages every 100 posts


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Concerti, No. 22 with Shelley (rec.1984);No. 23 with Moravec (rec.1973); Symphonies 35 - 41, with BPO/HvK (rec.1975 - '77).

View attachment 18754
View attachment 18755
View attachment 18756


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> Now listening for the first time to The Poem of Ecstasy by Scriabin. I choose this performance by Gergiev and Kirov because I bought this album for Le Sacre du Printemps. Liking it a lot, may search for other performances of this work later, could use recommendations!


Your *Le Sacre du Printemps* study and enjoyment should include the Sony trio--Old Man. Lenny. Ice Man. Enjoy! :tiphat:

View attachment 18757
View attachment 18758
View attachment 18759


----------



## julianoq

Vaneyes said:


> Your *Le Sacre du Printemps* study and enjoyment should include the Sony trio--Old Man. Lenny. Ice Man. Enjoy! :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 18757
> View attachment 18758
> View attachment 18759


Well I think I was not clear enough in my post, I asked for recommendations for The Poem of Ecstasy, but I appreciate your recommendations on Le Sacre du Printemps! I have the very nice Bernstein album, will look for the Old Man and Ice Man ones to listen later today, thanks! :tiphat:


----------



## schuberkovich

Maurice Ravel - *Introduction and Allegro for harp, string quartet, flute & clarinet*.
Melos Ensemble.
I'm supposed to be studying but this is such a _sumptuous_ work.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, with Richter (rec.1987), Ts'ong (rec.2009).

View attachment 18761
View attachment 18762


----------



## ptr

*Benjamin Britten* - Works for Cello; Cello Symphony, Cello Sonata and the three Suites for Cello Solo (*Hyperion*)









Alban Gerhardt, cello; Steven Osborne, piano; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra u. Andrew Manze

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> Well I think I was not clear enough in my post, I asked for recommendations for The Poem of Ecstasy, but I appreciate your recommendations on Le Sacre du Printemps! I have the very nice Bernstein album, will look for the Old Man and Ice Man ones to listen later today, thanks! :tiphat:


Re "Ecstasy", in a Muti Scriabin box (EMI, Brilliant Cl.), but these OOPs are pricey now at Amazon Marketplace.

Otherwise, OOP singles, a Muti cw Tchaik. 6 (EMI budget reissues), or O. de Paris/Barenboim (Erato). Note: The Barenboim is cw a great Symphony 3.

View attachment 18765
View attachment 18766


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major, Variations for Orchestra


----------



## Kleinzeit

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major, Variations for Orchestra











fascinating 2 piano reduction by Schoenberg of the always fascinating piece.


----------



## Cheyenne

Haydn's symphony no. 82, with Leonard Bernstein and the NYPO. Is it strange to say I was almost moved to tears by it? There is something deeply moving about the everlasting ecstasy of Haydn's symphonies...


----------



## ptr

*Renee Fleming - Poemes*
*Maurice Ravel* - Shéhérazade // *Olivier Messiaen* - Poemes pour mi // *Henri Dutilleux* - Deux Sonnets de Jean Cassou & Le temps l'horloge (*Decca*)









Renée Fleming, soprano; Orchestre National De France u. Seiji Ozawa // Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Alan Gilbert (13-14)

And closing the evening:

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Songs and Waltzes (*DG*)
(Four Verses of Captain Lebyadkin, Op. 146 // Satires (Pictures of the Past). 5 Romances for Soprano and Piano, Op. 109 // Five Romances To Texts From "Crocodile" Magazine No. 24, 30. August 1965, Op.121; All three Orchestrated by Boris Tishchenko // Preface To The Complete Collection Of My Works And Brief Reflections Apropos This Preface, Op.112 (Orchestrated by Leonid Desyatnikov) // Eight Waltzes from Film Music, Suite for Orchestra)









Sergei Leiferkus, baritone; Russian Philharmonic Orchestra u. Thomas Sanderling

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

K201, symph #29 in A, Karl Bohm and the Berlin Philly...


----------



## Vaneyes

Recent arrivals, *Moeran*: Cello Concerto, etc., with Johnston/Ulster O./Falletta (rec.2012); *Poulenc*: Chamber Music (Vol. 1), with Tharaud et al (rec.1995 - '97).

View attachment 18771
View attachment 18772


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 -- David Oistrakh; George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra

Couperin: Concerts Royaux -- Musica Ad Rhenum


----------



## Kieran

Mozart piano variations, K455, K500, K573, K613, K460, performed by Francesco Nicolosi on Naxos.

Don't know how much of this I'll have time to listen to, but Mozart's piano music is often overlooked on this site. Not by me! I can only imagine how fleet of finger the maestro must have been, how enjoyable to listen to as he swung into things, and how endless was his ability to make something new on the piano. His solo piano music is not only brilliant - it's quite beautiful as well...


----------



## Vaneyes

On-demand listening from Mozart Consortium. 

View attachment 18773


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> On-demand listening from Mozart Consortium.
> 
> View attachment 18773


Two great sonatas, Vaneyes! It always surprises me to see K475 separated from K457, the 14th piano sonata, but then I forget how well it stands on its own too...


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Divertimento K.334 - ASMF Chamber Ensemble


----------



## Kieran

Will we have a whole page of Wolfie?


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Will we have a whole page of Wolfie?


saaay..... you never seem to be listening to the operas.....


----------



## Feathers

Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (Emerson Quartet)









Appreciating it more every time I listen to it. What a masterpiece!


----------



## chrisco97

Kieran said:


> Mozart piano variations, K455, K500, K573, K613, K460, performed by Francesco Nicolosi on Naxos.
> 
> Don't know how much of this I'll have time to listen to, but Mozart's piano music is often overlooked on this site. Not by me! I can only imagine how fleet of finger the maestro must have been, how enjoyable to listen to as he swung into things, and how endless was his ability to make something new on the piano. His solo piano music is not only brilliant - it's quite beautiful as well...


Ah yes...Mozart's piano music is some of my favourite!


----------



## Feathers

Kieran said:


> Will we have a whole page of Wolfie?


Oh oops.  I'll listen to some Wolfie tonight to make up for cutting off the "Wolfie page". But I was listening to Felix so I'm not sorry.


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> saaay..... you never seem to be listening to the operas.....


Haha, I like that old Hollywoodesque _saaaaay_! But actually, I do. I listened to Cosi and the Abduction recently, and Don Giovanni is the pinnacle of my Mozart, but lately I'm busy with something vocal music can distract me from. Peculiar, I know. But I think you just gave me a good idea. But not tonight! I'm going to finish the disc of variations and then hit the sack...


----------



## Kieran

Feathers said:


> Oh oops.  I'll listen to some Wolfie tonight to make up for cutting off the "Wolfie page". But I was listening to Felix so I'm not sorry.


Don't be sorry! 'twas but a vain and valiant try...


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Trio for Piano, Viola, and Heckelphone

Is such a combination useful? It's somewhat interesting as a curiosity, but really not much more...


----------



## DavidA

Haydn Creation - Karajan + stellar soloists.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Haha, I like that old Hollywoodesque _saaaaay_! But actually, I do. I listened to Cosi and the Abduction recently, and Don Giovanni is the pinnacle of my Mozart, but lately I'm busy with something vocal music can distract me from. Peculiar, I know. But I think you just gave me a good idea. But not tonight! I'm going to finish the disc of variations and then hit the sack...


oh, that's not peculiar at all. I need a whole special 'tude to listen to anything vocal.









plus sailing, fishing, tennis, lacrosse, golf, me-time & bear-baiting take up a lot of hours.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Ocean waves...









(this is not a picture I took, will post real ones later )


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> oh, that's not peculiar at all. I need a whole special 'tude to listen to anything vocal.
> 
> View attachment 18776
> 
> 
> plus sailing, fishing, tennis, lacrosse, golf, me-time & bear-baiting take up a lot of hours.


Well, I never played lacrosse but I like fish and I play a bit of tennis. Vocal music is something that's both overwhelming and frankly, an opera lasts 3 hours! I need to set aside time for that and what I'm up to now won't let me. Unless I dip in for snippets. But I listened to Cosi to celebrate Wagner Day, which I think was very generous of me...


----------



## Sid James

*Saint-Saens* Suite for cello & orch., Op. 16
- Maria Kliegel, cello with Bournemouth Sinfonietta under Jean-Francois Monnard (Naxos)

*Album: A tribute to John Williams - 80th Birthday Celebration*
Selections from film scores: Jaws, Memoirs of a Geisha, E.T., Schindler's List, Star Wars, Sabrina, War Horse, etc.
Sound the Bells!
Elegy for Cello & Orch.
The Mission Theme (Theme for NBC Nightly News)
Happy Birthday Variations
- The composer conducting with guests Itzhak Perlman, violin & Yo-Yo Ma, cello (Sony Classical)

*Dvorak* String Quartet #10
- Australian SQ (ABC Classics)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Well, I never played lacrosse but I like fish and I play a bit of tennis. Vocal music is something that's both overwhelming and frankly, an opera lasts 3 hours! I need to set aside time for that and what I'm up to now won't let me. Unless I dip in for snippets. But I listened to Cosi to celebrate Wagner Day, which I think was very generous of me...


Old Man Richard would understand.

I eschew snippets. And I just got a box of all of all of Janáček's operas. Plus Wolfie....

enough chat! Toil! Moil!


----------



## chrisco97

I am in the mood for Mozart, so I shall add to the "Wolfie page":

*Mozart* - Rondo alla Turca

One of my favourite piano works of all time. 

--
*Edit:* Looks like I am late. Oh well. :lol:


----------



## Kleinzeit

Mahlerian said:


> Hindemith: Trio for Piano, Viola, and Heckelphone
> 
> Is such a combination useful? It's somewhat interesting as a curiosity, but really not much more...


Nice to discover this...

One source says, 
"In 1928, Hindemith wrote the Trio op. 47, for viola, heckelphone or tenor saxophone, and piano. Hindemith had become acquainted with the heckelphone, a sort of tenor oboe, while visiting Heckel's shop to purchase a bassoon. He wrote the Trio for this little-known instrument, but later authorized the substitution of the tenor saxophone. James Pauling indicates that Hindemith "no doubt" preferred the heckelphone's sound and suggested the saxophone as a purely practical substitution. However, in the his opera Cardillac, Hindemith specifies that a heckelphone may substitute for the tenor saxophone-hardly a practical suggestion even in 1926, when tenor saxophones were already far more ubiquitous-and adds the disclaimer that "the effect, as intended by the composer, will not be attained as a result thereof."

"Hindemith was fascinated by musical instruments, and collected and learned to play many contemporary and period instruments. His interest in instruments is also apparent in his compositions. He wrote many pieces for less-common instruments and for unusual combinations of instruments. In the case of the Trio, the choice of the heckelphone is surprising but effective (and even the substitution of the saxophone is unexpected in chamber music). The combination of heckelphone, viola, and piano is undeniably unique."

But impractical, like Haydn's baryton & Frank Zappa's over-dependence on the mellotron.


----------



## Guest

Sorry I missed most of the Wolfie page. It's been a long work day and I need something relatively somber to relax with:









K427 (K317a), "Great Mass" in C minor
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

_Burleske_, Waltzes from _Der Rosenkavalier_, and _Tod und Verklarung_


----------



## tdc

Francois Couperin - Pieces de Clavecin, Book IV

Angela Hewitt, Piano

I was skeptical as to how these harpsichord pieces would sound on piano, but this is fantastic. Hewitt plays with a delicate grace, and attention to detail. Some of these pieces sound rather Bach-like at times to my ears.


----------



## millionrainbows

Henryk Gorecki, Karol Szymanowski, Grazyna Bacewicz, Dmitry Shostakovich, Wojciech Kilar: Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Agnieszka Duczmal, conductor; Anna Górecka, pianist (Conifer Classics).

It's all string orchestra, and features Górecki's daughter on piano. The Shostakovich is a string orchestra arr. of the famous String Quartet No. 8, "dedicated to the victims of war and fascism." It's a killer. The recurring accented chord says "Bang! Bang! Bang!"...I'm Stalin and you're not!

Coupled in this way with Shostakovich, Górecki's holy minimalism begins to make more sense: a seething, undulating, twisted storm-system, gathering power until its consequences are unleashed. Religion becomes more universal, expressing human suffering.


----------



## bejart

Georg Druschetzky (1745-1819): Quartet in F Major for Basset Horn and String Trio

Paul Gallo, basset horn -- Barbara Long, violin -- Jack Rosenberg, viola -- Alvin McCall, cello

View attachment 18780


----------



## Novelette

Aufschnaiter: Serenade #4 à 5 in A Minor -- Michi Gaigg: L'Orfeo Barockorchester

^ Tremendous resemblance to Rameau's music! Or vice versa.

Lully: Exaudiat Te Dominus -- Hervé Niquet: Le Concert Spirituel


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, MacBeth and Sinfonia Domestica. Schoenberg, Chamber Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Three absolutely marvelous concertos composed by a 19-year old (they are among his first true masterpieces). Mozart would never return to the violin concerto again. For this he deserves our admonishment as much as Beethoven for abandoning the piano concerto. Mozart's own father was of a similar mind... for he was certain that Wolfie was quite likely the finest violinist in the whole of Europe.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Sonata in C for Piano Duet, K.521
Chopin: Ballades, Op.23, 38, 47 & 52

















After spending few days on Wagner's Gotterdammarung I'm back to instrumental music.


----------



## geve

just now, a TV Arts Channel recording- Yuja Wang, pianist, Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra play Prokofiev Piano Concerto no 3. Virtuosity by both the pianist and the orchestra interspersed with those ethereal melodies.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still working through this set... but what else can you expect, I picked up the 70-some disc Rilling set of Bach's complete cantatas and the Solti/Wagner box set of nearly all the operas at the same time.

Currently listening to the Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor... regardless of what others think, this piece simple shakes the rafters. I love it.


----------



## aleazk

Orchestral pieces by Schönberg. I quite like some of them.
I realized that the aspect I don't like of Schönberg is his _piano_ writing.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










One of my favorite performances of Shostakovich's 10th. Such a sizzling performance from Rattle/Philharmonia.


----------



## Orpheus

Shostakovich also, this time his string quartets, played by none other than his eponymous ensemble:










They seem particularly well attuned to the sense of gloomy, introverted melancholia that is often present in these pieces particularly the late quartets, though I think they could also have done with bringing a bit more light relief in the places that actually had any potential for them to start with. "Fun" (or its Russian equivalent) is probably not a word that has ever found much use in the vocabularies of these performers.  I'm listening to quartets 13 and 14 at present however, and therefore have no complaints.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Sebastopol Symphony_. A truly haunting work. Great performance.


----------



## opus55

Bach: St. John Passion


----------



## chrisco97

*Schumann* - Grand Sonata No. 3


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Figaro, Cosi, Don G, Flute. The snippets. :lol:








View attachment 18784
View attachment 18785
View attachment 18783


----------



## SimonNZ

"Le Chant de Virgile: Classical Poetry in Renaissance Music" Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel, dir.

been thinking all day about that damn box I should have got while it was cheap


----------



## maestro57

Dvorak - Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 ("Dumky Trio"), (II) Poco adagio (by the Trio Ex Aequo)


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Early Renaissance: Florence and the Netherlands" - Safford Cape, cond.

Side one: madrigals from the Codex of Antonio Squarcialupi
Side two: sacred songs by Guillaume Dufay


----------



## Aggelos

listening to sonic spectaculars from the symphonic organ repertoire










http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/May07/Fantasie_triomphale_chan5048.htm
http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 5048
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/4491


----------



## Kieran

A go-to wakey up toon: Beethoven's Egmont Overture. Lenny Bernstein waving the big spoon and the New Yawk Philly all munching their cornflakes...


----------



## Kivimees

Just finished a major project that had been taking up too much time.

Now it's my turn:


----------



## Kieran

Kivimees said:


> Just finished a major project that had been taking up too much time.
> 
> Now it's my turn:
> 
> View attachment 18788


Good for you! A well-earned rest, no doubt...


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet - Elysian Quartet (flying over Birmingham)

my cat is giving me a _very_ evil look right now

(ordinarily I'd just link to youtube - but I quite like that screenshot)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Here's a cut-out mask you can wear with yr smoking-jacket & fez, think your cat's giving you the hairy eyeball now.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Keyboard Concerto No.3 in D Major, BWV 1054

Academy of St.Martin in the Fields with Murray Perahia on piano

View attachment 18790


----------



## Guest

I enjoy creating interesting playlists in my iTunes like mix tapes from long ago. This one is called:
*Faux Espanol*
It is comprised of pieces written by French composers in the Spanish style.

































1 - Emmanuel Chabrier, _Espagna_, Neville Marriner, Dresden State Orchestra
2 - Maurice Ravel, _Bolero & Rhapsodie Espangnole_, Semyon Bychkov, Orchestra de Paris
3 - Édouard Lalo, _Symphonie Espagnole_, Henryk Szering, Édouard van Remoortel, Orchestre National de L'Opera de Monte Carlo
4 - Claude Debussy, _Iberia _(from Images), Michael Tilson Thomas: Boston Symphony Orchestra
5 - Georges Bizet, _Carmen Suites 1 & 2_, Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra

What else should I add to this? Suggestions are appreciated.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dvorak Symphony No.1


----------



## Kleinzeit

The first thing on the tv audio this morning bodes well for the day:
Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen Op. 20 played by Moshe Hammer 

The melody was made into a popular Finnish song of the 50s, 'Mustalainen' --'Gypsy' My parents played it all the time.

The Finnish composer Jouni Kaipainen (of Saariaho-Salonen-Lindberg vintage) uses the famous tune in his Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, Op. 61, 2000-1, as, he says, "a homage to musicians, the homeless wanderers of the modern world." 
(insert Jack Benny "well.....")

followed by Glenn Gould LvB PC3 whee


----------



## Kleinzeit

Jerome said:


> I enjoy creating interesting playlists in my iTunes like mix tapes from long ago. This one is called:
> *Faux Espanol*
> It is comprised of pieces written by French composers in the Spanish style.
> 
> 1 - Emmanuel Chabrier, _Espagna_, Neville Marriner, Dresden State Orchestra
> 2 - Maurice Ravel, _Bolero & Rhapsodie Espangnole_, Semyon Bychkov, Orchestra de Paris
> 3 - Édouard Lalo, _Symphonie Espagnole_, Henryk Szering, Édouard van Remoortel, Orchestre National de L'Opera de Monte Carlo
> 4 - Claude Debussy, _Iberia _(from Images), Michael Tilson Thomas: Boston Symphony Orchestra
> 5 - Georges Bizet, _Carmen Suites 1 & 2_, Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra
> 
> What else should I add to this? Suggestions are appreciated.


Thinking Jacques Ibert's Escales 3rd mvt.: Valencia


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> Thinking Jacques Ibert's Escales 3rd mvt.: Valencia


I just gave it a listen on YouTube. Perfect suggestion! Thank you Kleinzeit.


----------



## Sid James

Another 'Faux Spanish' piece is by Australian composer John Caramichael, called Concerto Folklorico. Dunno if you can find/get it but its a lot of fun. Its got shades of Ravel and de Falla. Carmichael worked with a dance troupe in Spain so he knows folk music of the country, which he incorporated into this piece. Its on this 2 cd set of Australian light classics called 'Swagman's Promenade' on ABC Classics label:










Anyway here's my current listening -

*Gareth Farr*
Waipoua
Le Temps est a la Pluie (It Feels Like Rain)
Queen of Demons
- New Zealand SO under composer (Morrison Trust cd)

*Stravinsky* The Rite of Spring
- Minneapolis SO under Antal Dorati (Mercury)

*Saint-Saens* Cello Concerto #2
- Maria Kliegel, cello with Bournemouth Sinfonietta under Jean-Francois Monnard (Naxos)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Listened to the Helicopter Quartet because haven't heard this new version & don't have a cat (RIP Bicky 1990-2011. yes, 21 yrs.) It was a slice.

Stockhausen at his most neo-Wagnerian. The mysticism of luxury goods and high technology, being 'blinded by the beauty of our weapons' as Leonard Cohen says. Stockhausen's rancid Romanticism revealed in his judgment on the twin towers.

It was enjoyable the way getting unrepentantly drunk once a year is, but it sure ain't Xenakis, not even Gloria Coates. 
If I were on a sickbed, I'd listen to Dvořák until I got a bit better, then to Beethoven, finally to Xenakis when I was ready to get up & kick life's *** around. 
Stockhausen though, not about health. He's selling a cure, but in the way a plastic surgeon to the stars is.


----------



## Guest

Sid James said:


> Another 'Faux Spanish' piece is by Australian composer John Caramichael, called Concerto Folklorico. Dunno if you can find/get it but its a lot of fun. Its got shades of Ravel and de Falla. Carmichael worked with a dance troupe in Spain so he knows folk music of the country, which he incorporated into this piece.


Thanks for the suggestion, Sid, but looking for French composers in the Spanish style. Hence the "Faux" Esagnole.


----------



## Sid James

Jerome said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, Sid, but looking for French composers in the Spanish style. Hence the "Faux" Esagnole.


Oh well sorry, shows how skim reading is not always effective. All I can add is Saint-Saens' Havanaise for violin and orchestra and also Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso & Violin Concerto #3 which all have this strong Spanish flavour. Actually they where written for the Spanish virtuoso who Klienzeit mentioned, Pablo de Sarasate.


----------



## Guest

Sid James said:


> Oh well sorry, shows how skim reading is not always effective. All I can add is Saint-Saens' Havanaise for violin and orchestra and also Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso & Violin Concerto #3 which all have this strong Spanish flavour. Actually they where written for the Spanish virtuoso who Klienzeit mentioned, Pablo de Sarasate.


Excellent suggestion! I will add the Havanaise immediately.


----------



## Sid James

Jerome said:


> Excellent suggestion! I will add the Havanaise immediately.


Wracked my brain a bit and another one is Massenet's Le Cid. Its an opera but I got the ballet music from it which isn't that long. Last no more than 20 minutes. Again, its fairly easy listening.


----------



## DrKilroy

Pergolesi - Stabat Mater.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

Spent most of the morning in my ophthalmologists waiting room, they are such time-optimists... :scold:
Thank the good fortune that I have my iPad to keep me company!

back home I started to cull my backlog of Anglophile records:

*York Bowen* - Symphony No 1 & 2 (*Chandos*)









BBC Philharmonic u. Sir Andrew Davis

Quite enjoyable, despite Sir Andrews somewhat cautious interpretation (Isn't he always?, "I" think so at least  )...

*Fanfare: British Music for Symphonic Brass Ensemble* (*Chandos*)
(*Arthur Bliss *- Fanfare for a Dignified Occasion // *Arthur Benjamin *- Fanfare for a Festive Occasion // *Edward Elgar *- Civic Fanfare // *Arthur Bliss *- Fanfare for the Lord Mayor of London // *William Walton *- Fanfare // *Havergal Brian *- Festival Fanfare // *Arthur Bliss *- Fanfare for a Coming of Age // *Robert Simpson *- Canzona for Brass // *Michael Tippett *- Fanfare for Brass // *Arthur Bliss *- Royal Fanfares 1-6, Fanfare for Heroes & Homage to Shakespeare // *Edmund Rubbra *- Fanfare for Europe // *Gordon Jacob *- Interludes for Trumpets and Trombones from Music for a Festival // *Arthur Benjamin *- For a State Occasion, For a Brilliant Occasion & For a Gala Occasion // *William Walton *- A Queen's Fanfare & The National Anthem)









Locke Brass Consort u. James Stobart

I love that English Brass!

*Nicholas Maw* - Sinfonia (1966) / *John Addison* - Divertimento for Brass Quartet Op 9 (1951) / *John Gardner* - Theme and variations for Brass Quartet Op 7 (1951) / *Stephen Dodgeson* - Sonata for Brass Quintet (1963) (*Lyrita*)









English Chamber Orchestra u. Norman del Mar (1) // Philip Jones Brass Ensemble (Rem.)

...Maw is a bit dry, but that Philip Jones, what can I say, there are musicians that play their instrument brilliantly, then there's PJ and his lads that eat and breath Brass like its the ultimate form of expression, Bloody Awesome seems like such an understatement!

And now on with:

*Daniel Jones* - Symphony No 6 & 9 + The Country Beyond the Stars (*Lyrita*)









Welsh National Opera Chorus (3) & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Sir Charles Groves (1 & 3) // BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra u. Bryden Thomson

Lovely, Jones is one of the finest Welsh composers I've heard music by! (..is there a TC Welsh Composers Rule thread?  )

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Orpheus said:


> Shostakovich also, this time his string quartets, played by none other than his eponymous ensemble:


God! That's horrendous cover art!


----------



## Kleinzeit

ptr said:


> Spent most of the morning in my ophthalmologists waiting room, they are such time-optimists... :scold:
> Thank the good fortune that I have my iPad to keep me company!
> 
> back home I started to cull my backlog of Anglophile records:
> 
> /ptr


You're _culling_ these? yikes


----------



## millionrainbows

The Piano Music of William Albright (1944-1998): Thomas Warburton, piano (CRI). Five Chromatic Dances (1975); Pianoagogo (1965-66); Sphaera for piano and computer-generated sound (1985); Grand Sonata in Rag (1968).

Polystylistic piano.

Five Chromatic Dances (1975); Like being on the inside of a grand piano. Non-tonal, exploiting the sonorities and harmonic capabilities of the piano. No themes, no development of pitch material; pure timbre, as events which occur. Different textures are concentrated on in each of the 5 movements. Very interesting listening.

Pianoagogo (1965-66); jazz-like sonorities interspersed with fleeting 12-tone runs. "Cocktail Boulez."

Sphaera for piano and computer-generated sound (1985); no bleeps and blurps in this; the computer-recorded sounds of the actual piano are stretched, bent, extended, and filtered for harmonic effects, which sustain longer than possible. Otherworldly arpeggios which glow between the cracks like plutonium. I'm breathing the air of another pla- cough, koff, kofff...

Grand Sonata in Rag (1968). The composer's interest in ragtime is illustrated here in 3 movements. It's like Scott Joplin goes to Darmstadt. Jelly Roll Morton on mushrooms. Delightful, Dee-lovely.


----------



## ptr

Kleinzeit said:


> You're _culling_ these? yikes


Pardon my "Culling Irony", I have piles of discs waiting to be listened to before being placed in any of the three culling categories I live by; And neither of these were put in the "reCycle" or "Give Away" category... (Like I said in Sid James thread on the subject  )

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): String Quartet (1964); Kronos Quartet (Elektra/Nonesuch). 

I'm continuing my study of Polish composers. Not much to say about this; I like it; aleatoric string quartet, sounds very cohesive. Kronos does a great job, as usual.


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> The Piano Music of William Albright (1944-1998): Thomas Warburton, piano (CRI). Five Chromatic Dances (1975); Pianoagogo (1965-66); Sphaera for piano and computer-generated sound (1985); Grand Sonata in Rag (1968).
> 
> Polystylistic piano.
> 
> Five Chromatic Dances (1975); Like being on the inside of a grand piano. Non-tonal, exploiting the sonorities and harmonic capabilities of the piano. No themes, no development of pitch material; pure timbre, as events which occur. Different textures are concentrated on in each of the 5 movements. Very interesting listening.
> 
> Pianoagogo (1965-66); jazz-like sonorities interspersed with fleeting 12-tone runs. "Cocktail Boulez."
> 
> Sphaera for piano and computer-generated sound (1985); no bleeps and blurps in this; the computer-recorded sounds of the actual piano are stretched, bent, extended, and filtered for harmonic effects, which sustain longer than possible. Otherworldly arpeggios which glow between the cracks like plutonium. I'm breathing the air of another pla- cough, koff, kofff...
> 
> Grand Sonata in Rag (1968). The composer's interest in ragtime is illustrated here in 3 movements. It's like Scott Joplin goes to Darmstadt. Jelly Roll Morton on mushrooms. Delightful, Dee-lovely.











*snfff* ---is that _another_ planet in here?

gotta check out this one


----------



## Guest

The rest of the morning is for Mozart concertos. The first five in order:

































1 - K175, Piano Concerto #5 in D, Geza Anda, Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteum
2 - K190, Concertone in C for two violins, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman; Zubin Mehta: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
3 - K191, Bassoon Concerto in B flat, Academy Of St. Martin-In-Thefields/ Marriner, Michael Chapman, Bassoon
4 - K207, Violin Concerto #1 in B flat, Viktoria Mullova, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
5 - K211, Violin Concerto #2 in D, Cho-Liang Lin; Raymond Leppard: English Chamber Orchestra

_Update: I never much liked the Bassoon Concerto until I heard one. Marriner takes great care in the timing and feel of every orchestral passage, turning a relatively immature work (my Mozart standards) into one that sounds rich and delightful._


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18808
> 
> 
> *snfff* ---is that _another_ planet in here?
> 
> gotta check out this one


Or perhaps a gaseous moon.


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): String Quartet (1964); Kronos Quartet (Elektra/Nonesuch).
> 
> I'm continuing my study of Polish composers. Not much to say about this; I like it; aleatoric string quartet, sounds very cohesive. Kronos does a great job, as usual.


Was eyeing this to buy









but then pulled the trigger on the Brilliant 150 disc Haydn box so that's that.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel - L'enfant et les sortileges for the first time. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Or perhaps a gaseous moon.











..............


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Symphony no. 5 (Gatti, Royal Concertgebouw)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Cello Concerto_. A great work and performance.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Putting this here because it's the most read thread and Sibelians will want to know.









Andrew Clements in The Guardian, Thursday 30 May on Vänskä & Minnesota's new one:

This pairing exactly duplicates Osmo Vänskä's 1990s recordings of the First and Fourth Symphonies for BIS with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. As with the earlier release in this Minnesota cycle (of the Second and Fifth), the differences between the performances do seem more than just the result from switching from a Finnish orchestra to a US one. Vänskä's approach now seems more interventionist; he's less willing to let the music to unfold at its own pace, urging it forward. While that certainly results in a thrilling account of the First Symphony, it does make the brooding opening of the Fourth and some of its later climaxes seem contrived and stage-managed, and the sense of inevitability that is such a feature of the earlier cycle is reduced. Those who own Vänskä's previous recordings need not worry that they have been superseded, and in any case there is a doubt whether this this new cycle will be completed - the Minnesota Orchestra is in dispute with its players, and Vänskä has stated that he will resign as music director if there is no settlement by the time the new season is due to start in September.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> Putting this here because it's the most read thread and Sibelians will want to know.
> 
> View attachment 18812
> 
> 
> Andrew Clements in The Guardian, Thursday 30 May on Vänskä & Minnesota's new one:
> 
> This pairing exactly duplicates Osmo Vänskä's 1990s recordings of the First and Fourth Symphonies for BIS with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. As with the earlier release in this Minnesota cycle (of the Second and Fifth), the differences between the performances do seem more than just the result from switching from a Finnish orchestra to a US one. Vänskä's approach now seems more interventionist; he's less willing to let the music to unfold at its own pace, urging it forward. While that certainly results in a thrilling account of the First Symphony, it does make the brooding opening of the Fourth and some of its later climaxes seem contrived and stage-managed, and the sense of inevitability that is such a feature of the earlier cycle is reduced. Those who own Vänskä's previous recordings need not worry that they have been superseded, and in any case there is a doubt whether this this new cycle will be completed - the Minnesota Orchestra is in dispute with its players, and Vänskä has stated that he will resign as music director if there is no settlement by the time the new season is due to start in September.


In all honesty, I never understood why Vanska would want to record another Sibelius cycle because his Minnesota performances have paled in comparison with his earlier Lahti ones. The energy and drive he gave the music in his earlier cycle was second to none. In Minnesota, he sounds tired and simply has run out of ideas. I won't be buying any more Vanska-led Sibelius recordings again. Of all the Finnish composers that need more exposure, Vanska continues to disappoint.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> In all honesty, I never understood why Vanska would want to record another Sibelius cycle because his Minnesota performances have paled in comparison with his earlier Lahti ones. The energy and drive he gave the music in his earlier cycle was second to none. In Minnesota, he sounds tired and simply has run out of ideas. I won't be buying any more Vanska-led Sibelius recordings again. Of all the Finnish composers that need more exposure, Vanska continues to disappoint.


strictly Mammon & career demands. I don't want to mess with a man's income during tough economic times, but I can't be tipping the kitty for him either.


----------



## lunchdress

Vacation starts today, Yay!!

Ravel: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major
Krystian Zimerman / Boulez / LSO


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Walkure Act 1 Karajan


----------



## MagneticGhost

Been working my way slowly through the Rubbra symphonic cycle over the last year. 
This is the best so far - Symphony No.9 - Sinfonia Sacra
Buy it, Spotify it, Youtube it. 
It's well worth a listen.


----------



## Mahlerian

aleazk said:


> Orchestral pieces by Schönberg. I quite like some of them.
> I realized that the aspect I don't like of Schönberg is his _piano_ writing.


Tis very unpianistic, to be sure.

Anyway, as for myself:
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Mandolins, Organ, and Strings
Bach: Concerto for Four Harpsichords


----------



## Neo Romanza

lunchdress said:


> Vacation starts today, Yay!!
> 
> Ravel: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major
> Krystian Zimerman / Boulez / LSO
> View attachment 18814


Geez...rub it in why don't you.  But seriously, enjoy your vacation. Looks like you've started it off in a good way with that Zimerman/Boulez recording of Ravel concerti.


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 18816
> 
> 
> Been working my way slowly through the Rubbra symphonic cycle over the last year.
> This is the best so far - Symphony No.9 - Sinfonia Sacra
> Buy it, Spotify it, Youtube it.
> It's well worth a listen.


I like Rubbra a lot. His symphonies are quite good. They do take several listens before fully appreciating or at least this was the case in my experience.


----------



## Guest

Continuing my run through the Mozart concertos. The next 9 are cued up:

































6 - K216, Violin Concerto #3 in G, Viktoria Mullova, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
7 - K218, Violin Concerto #4 in D, Viktoria Mullova, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
8 - K219, Violin Concerto #5 in A "Turkish", Cho-Liang Lin; Raymond Leppard: English Chamber Orchestra
9 - K238, Piano Concerto #6 in B flat, Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists
10 - K242, Concerto for 3 Pianos in F "Lodron" (Piano Concerto #7), Malcolm Bilson, Robert Levin, Melvyn Tan; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists
11 - K246, Piano Concerto #8 In C "Lützow", Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists
12 - K271, Piano Concerto #9 in E flat "Jeunehomme", Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists
13 - K271k (K314), Oboe Concerto in C, Pierlot, English Chamber Orchestra
14 - K297b, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Ralf Gothóni, English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ligeti*: Orchestral, Chamber, with BPO/Nott, Arditti Qt, Aimard (rec.1994 - '01).

View attachment 18824
View attachment 18825
View attachment 18826


----------



## Neo Romanza

Caution: Neo Romanza John Adams Fanboy Gushing Ahead...

Listening to this:










I return to _Harmonielehre_, specifically this recording, at least once a month. I really think this is one of the masterworks of the late 20th Century. There's a bit of everything in this work: joyful exuberance, heartbreak, anger, sadness to give a few of the emotions I've gathered from my experience with this work. Everything about the music just hits me in the right places. It doesn't matter what day it is or what time it is, _Harmonielehre_ is always a moving listening experience.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> Was eyeing this to buy
> 
> View attachment 18809
> 
> 
> but then pulled the trigger on the Brilliant 150 disc Haydn box so that's that.


Maybe not quite. Recommending...

View attachment 18827


----------



## schuberkovich

Beethoven Cello Sonata no.3 op.69 in A and no.5 op.102 in D.
Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Harrell's does some things weirdly, but overall great performances of these masterpieces for the cello.


----------



## Vaneyes

schuberkovich said:


> Beethoven Cello Sonata no.3 op.69 in A and no.5 op.102 in D.
> Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy.
> Harrell's does some things weirdly, but overall great performances of these masterpieces for the cello.
> View attachment 18828


There's a lot of room for "play" in these works. You've inspired me to listen to my favorites, Gastinel & Guy.

View attachment 18829
View attachment 18830


----------



## DrKilroy

Neo Romanza said:


> I like Rubbra a lot. His symphonies are quite good. They do take several listens before fully appreciating or at least this was the case in my experience.


I have to try listening to them again, then!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Kieran said:


> Mozart piano variations, K455, K500, K573, K613, K460, performed by Francesco Nicolosi on Naxos.
> 
> ...


Again. Not quite opera but of metronomic quality and mesmeric rhythm. Thump, thud, tinkle...


----------



## julianoq

First listen of Ravel's String Quartet. Choose the trustworthy Emerson String Quartet for it. Enjoying the pizzicato feast a lot!


----------



## Sudonim

Thanks to a post by Andolink (yesterday, I think), who had listed the Schlippenbach Trio's _Elf Bagatellen_ among his listens, I was inspired to give ear to some of this:









The German master and his quintet playing the entire corpus of my man T. Monk ...

And right now, these:


----------



## Joris

Just listening to it for the 6 "Pathetique".
On Spotify that is. Haven't really found out yet 'how' to listen to this piece.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Coming late to the Rite's Birthday party.
Is there any cake left?


----------



## Arsakes

*Bruckner*'s Symphony No.5

*Haydn* Selection is the car.

and
*Beethoven*:
Piano Trio in E flat major (Op.38)
Cello Sonatas in F major, G minor and A major

Best combination of Beethoven's chamber works.


----------



## Blue Hour

Wunderbar

​


----------



## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> Maybe not quite. Recommending...
> 
> View attachment 18827


I mean...


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I'm in a Bruckner 8th mood. Presently I'm listening to Furtwangler's '44 VPO recording, really enjoying the performance so far, the Adagio in particular is superb.

Prior to that, I listened to HvK's interpretation again - '80's VPO. This is a lot better than when I first heard it (at that time, I had been listening a lot to the Wand/BPO version). Not enough to dislodge Wand and Furtwangler but enough to pique my interest in both the conductor further. It is a grower, just sound is a little sterile at times. 

If Wand/BPO is a 9.5/10 and Furtwangler/VPO a 9/10, the Karajan/VPO would be about an 8/10. At first listen as hinted above, it would have gotten 5.5/10 so it has jumped in my estimation. I think the timing was wrong for mr when I first heard HvK's interpretation.


----------



## DrKilroy

Requiems by Mozart and Faure. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schumann - Funf Stucke Im Volkston

Completely forgot I used to play these. I think one of them was on the Grade 7 syllabus when I did that many many many moons ago. 
Yep - I passed thanks for asking


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov piano sonata #1 in d-minor, performed by a geezer named Horrorbitz...


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Jeux d'Eau, Sonatine, Miroirs
Jean-Philippe Collard, Piano


----------



## ptr

Night music:

*Bent Sørensen*

- Sieben Sehnsüchte (1999) for violin and piano / The Masque of the Red Death (1989-90) for piano / "La Notte" Piano Concerto (1996-98) (*Dacapo*)









David Alberman, violin; Rolf Hind, piano; BBC Symphony Orchestra u, Michael Schønwandt

- Minnewater (1988) "Thousands of canons" - For large ensemble / Sirenengesang (1994) For large ensemble / Shadowland (1988-89) For large ensemble / The Deserted Churchyards (1990) For violin, cello, flute, clarinet, piano and percussion / Clairobscur (1987) For large ensemble (*Dacapo*)









Esbjerg Ensemble u. Jules van Hessen

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

*Brahms* Piano Trio #1
*D. Scarlatti *sonatas (on the piano)
*Mozart*: Fantasie and Violin concerto #2
*Haydn*: String Quartets #54-56, Symphonies #48-49, Keyboard Concerto in D Major with harpsichord


----------



## Cheyenne

Haydn's first three Paris Symphonies (82, 83, 84) with Bernstein/NYPO, Mozart's Sympony NO. 34 with Szell/RCO, and finishing it off with Furtwänglers legendary Brahms first finale only performance from 1945.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Brahms *

Symphony No. 1 in C Minor
Solti 
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

*Mozart*
Flute Quartet in D Major, KV 285
Flute Quartet in G Major, KV 285a


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> Requiems by Mozart and Faure.


All right, I have to leave Faure for tomorrow. I have been getting sleepy very early lately... 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Flat, K 380 -- Itzhak Perlman & Daniel Barenboim

Cherubini: Missa Solemnis in D Minor, "Per il Principe Esterházy" -- Cornelia Kallisch: Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42 -- Mitsuko Uchida; Pierre Boulez: Cleveland Symphony Orchestra 

Schoenberg: String Quartet #2 Op. 10 -- Bethany Beardslee & Sequoia String Quartet

^ The sudden onset of singing--Beardslee seems a very talented soprano--really startled me. Still, I'm trying to increase my "atonal" music exposure.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bax. Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Kleinzeit

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bax. Symphony No. 2.*
> 
> View attachment 18846


Bully!









Arnold & his brother Clifford: He was a friend of Gustav Holst, whom he introduced to astrology. He played chess with Aleister Crowley


----------



## Guest

Ten more Mozart concertos dropped into the hopper. I'm not tired yet! Busying myself around the house with long-neglected projects as Wolfie's music fills the air.

































15 - K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis, Herbert Barwahser, Osian Ellis
16 - K313, Flute Concerto #1 in G, Aurele Nicolet, David Zinman, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
17 - K314, Flute Concerto #2 in D, Aurele Nicolet, David Zinman, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
18 - K364, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Iona Brown, Josef Suk, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
19 - K365, Concerto for 2 Pianos in E flat (Piano Concerto #10), ANIMA ETERNA, Jos van Immerseel, Yoko Kaneko
20 - K412, Horn Concerto #1 in D, Lowell Greer; Nicholas McGegan: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
21 - K413, Piano Concerto #11 in F, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
22 - K414, Piano Concerto #12 in A, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
23 - K415, Piano Concerto #13 in C, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
24 - K449, Piano Concerto #14 in E flat, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Kieran

That's about 5 hours of brilliance, Jerome - don't forget to eat! 

I'm going to give Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini a spin before I snooze...


----------



## tdc

Jerome said:


> Ten more Mozart concertos dropped into the hopper. I'm not tired yet! Busying myself around the house with long-neglected projects as Wolfie's music fills the air.


^ Mozart again?? Going by your signature I'm surprised you don't listen to more Medieval and Renaissance composers.


----------



## Guest

tdc said:


> ^ Mozart again?? Going by your signature I'm surprised you don't listen to more Medieval and Renaissance composers.


I went through that phase. Somehow I always come back to Mozart. 200 years is quite dead enough.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 3 In G Major, Op. 33*

good morning all - listening to some new(ish) Tchaikovsky Discs to start the day. I started with the set of String Quartets and the Souvenir De Florence. The 3rd Quartet got my attention today - it has a wonderful first movement. Tchaikovskys Quartets dont get mentioned much which is a shame as they are quite interesting and definetely worth exploring if youre a Russian music fanatic. Next i listened to the set of Orchestral Suites - I listened to the 3rd and 4th suites - they are both quite different. I preffered the more serious 3rd Suite although the 4th "Mozartiana" is certainly a charming piece. I have a long weekend and plan to get a lot of music listening done!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.48 "Maria Theresia" - Christopher Hogwood, cond.

probably followed by a couple more Hogwood Haydns

edit: and I don't know if everyone has seen it already, but this set has just been reissued as a super-bargain

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4806900


----------



## geve

Just now-TV Arts Channel recording of Daniel Harding conducting the Verbier Festival Orchestra, Schumann Manfred Overture and Brahms Symphony No 2 .........nice to see so many young musicians led by a young conductor.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Jerome said:


> Ten more Mozart concertos dropped into the hopper. I'm not tired yet! Busying myself around the house with long-neglected projects as Wolfie's music fills the air.
> 
> 15 - K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis, Herbert Barwahser, Osian Ellis
> 16 - K313, Flute Concerto #1 in G, Aurele Nicolet, David Zinman, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> 17 - K314, Flute Concerto #2 in D, Aurele Nicolet, David Zinman, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> 18 - K364, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Iona Brown, Josef Suk, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
> 19 - K365, Concerto for 2 Pianos in E flat (Piano Concerto #10), ANIMA ETERNA, Jos van Immerseel, Yoko Kaneko
> 20 - K412, Horn Concerto #1 in D, Lowell Greer; Nicholas McGegan: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
> 21 - K413, Piano Concerto #11 in F, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
> 22 - K414, Piano Concerto #12 in A, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
> 23 - K415, Piano Concerto #13 in C, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
> 24 - K449, Piano Concerto #14 in E flat, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra


Bravo Jerome! The K299 is quite the hors d'oeuvres, you'll have to resist the repeat button if you hope to get through that menu.


----------



## Sid James

*Massenet* Le Cid (ballet music)
*Chabrier* Espana*
*Ravel* Bolero*
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Keith Clark & *Royal PO under Adrian Leaper (Naxos)

*Mozart*
Violin Concerto in D, KV 218
Horn Concerto #2 in E, KV 417
- Eugene Schaeffer, violin with Orch. Festival du Belgique under Pierre Narrato & Kamil Streter, horn with Mozart Festival Orch. under Alberto Lizzio (ZYX Classic)

*Stravinsky*
Four Etudes for Orch.
- London SO under Antal Dorati (Mercury)

*Litolff* Scherzo from Concerto Symphonique #4
John Ogdon tickling the ivories with City of Birmingham SO under Louis Fremaux (EMI)


----------



## Vaneyes

AClockworkOrange said:


> I'm in a Bruckner 8th mood. Presently I'm listening to Furtwangler's '44 VPO recording, really enjoying the performance so far, the Adagio in particular is superb.
> 
> Prior to that, I listened to HvK's interpretation again - '80's VPO. This is a lot better than when I first heard it (at that time, I had been listening a lot to the Wand/BPO version). Not enough to dislodge Wand and Furtwangler but enough to pique my interest in both the conductor further. It is a grower, just sound is a little sterile at times.
> 
> If Wand/BPO is a 9.5/10 and Furtwangler/VPO a 9/10, the Karajan/VPO would be about an 8/10. At first listen as hinted above, it would have gotten 5.5/10 so it has jumped in my estimation. I think the timing was wrong for mr when I first heard HvK's interpretation.


You've got a good broad spectrum trio here. I like Furt's urgency, though at times it's a bit much. Anyhoo, under 80 in 8 always gets my praises.

Wand and the BPO get most of it right. But, maestro doesn't push them hard enough. The Berliners have the extra gear, and sadly, it's not used. It's the slowest of the three, considerably.

HvK's is numero uno here. He and the VPO set themselves apart with seamless blends of fury and finesse. Just too bad DG couldn't squeeze this (82 min.) on one CD.

:tiphat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still slowly working my way through this set.


----------



## bejart

Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi (1731-1788): Flute Quartet in D Major, Op.5, No.1

Neue Dusseldorfer Hofmusik: Michael-Schmidt Casdorff, flute -- Mary Utiger, violin -- Bettina Ehrig, viola -- Nicholas Selo, cello

View attachment 18856


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18854
> 
> 
> Haydn's Symphony No.48 "Maria Theresia" - Christopher Hogwood, cond.
> 
> probably followed by a couple more Hogwood Haydns
> 
> edit: and I don't know if everyone has seen it already, but this set has just been reissued as a super-bargain
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4806900


Sadly, another series that wasn't completed.


----------



## Guest

Skilmarilion said:


> Bravo Jerome! The K299 is quite the hors d'oeuvres, you'll have to resist the repeat button if you hope to get through that menu.


You are so right! And K299 is only my second favorite of the bunch. K364 is the pinnacle of perfection. I could listen to it 10 times in a row. But for now I let it ride... the Mozart marathon continues.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

13 & 14


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> Sadly, another series that wasn't completed.


True, but luckily they completed the lesser-recorded nos. 1-75, rather than starting with the Paris and Londons.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
John Marsh (31 May 1752-1828): String Quartet in B Flat

The Salomon Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward-Clarke, cello

View attachment 18858


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> 13 & 14


I'm listening to the very same recordings right now!


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Konzertstück in F For 4 Horns & Orchestra, Op. 86 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

^ I just love this work! What a fascinating arrangement, four horns. Perhaps it's not unprecedented [I really don't know], but still, it's interesting. And the incipit to the first movement is so typical of Schumann's thrilling style!

Rachmaninoff: Trio Élégiaque #1 in G Minor -- Lang Lang, Vadim Repin, Mischa Maisky

Mozart: Quartet For Oboe, Violin, Viola And Violoncello in F, K. 370 -- Chicago Chamber Musicians


----------



## opus55

Haydn piano sonatas


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - The Creatures of Prometheus

A rare Beethoven work...but it is such a great one.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Which will be followed by...










And then...


----------



## NightHawk

(1983) This is very fine, esp The Pines.


----------



## opus55

Schubert Symphonies No. 3 (Harnoncourt) and No. 1 (Sawallisch)


----------



## GreenMamba

Christopher Rouse Phantasmata, Zinman/Baltimore.


----------



## millionrainbows

Aaron Copland (1900-1990): Connotations (1961-62); Sixten Ehrling, cond; The Julliard Orchestra (New World).

This is a 12-tone work by Copland. Trip! It sounds nothing like Copland's other music. If blindfolded, I'm sure 99.9% of listeners would be stumped. It's constructed nicely, clocking-in at 19:59. The musical impression, or mood created? Well, if Copland is supposed to be "Amerikana," then this fits the era when it was written perfectly: paranoia, war, assassinations, fear, surveillance, freeway crashes, drugs, insanity. Very dissonant chords, downright creepy-sounding melodies. I like it a lot. Centerville: A real nice place to raise your kids up.


----------



## Bone

AClockworkOrange said:


> I'm in a Bruckner 8th mood. Presently I'm listening to Furtwangler's '44 VPO recording, really enjoying the performance so far, the Adagio in particular is superb.
> 
> Prior to that, I listened to HvK's interpretation again - '80's VPO. This is a lot better than when I first heard it (at that time, I had been listening a lot to the Wand/BPO version). Not enough to dislodge Wand and Furtwangler but enough to pique my interest in both the conductor further. It is a grower, just sound is a little sterile at times.
> 
> If Wand/BPO is a 9.5/10 and Furtwangler/VPO a 9/10, the Karajan/VPO would be about an 8/10. At first listen as hinted above, it would have gotten 5.5/10 so it has jumped in my estimation. I think the timing was wrong for mr when I first heard HvK's interpretation.


I almost broke youtube today jumping between unfamiliar Bruckner 8's. Enjoyed the Furtwangler most; Von Matacic was interesting; and Boulez was a complete waste of time. I'll push on to Harnoncourt, Jochum, and Bohm tomorrow. Wand has moved into a solid 2nd place for me behind HvK - I almost gave up on Gunter at the beginning of the finale, but the glorious chorale about 5:30 in kept my attention.


----------



## Mahlerian

Strauss: Salome
Caballe, King, London Symphony, cond. Leinsdorf


----------



## Sid James

Novelette said:


> Schumann: Konzertstück in F For 4 Horns & Orchestra, Op. 86 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
> 
> ^ I just love this work! What a fascinating arrangement, four horns. Perhaps it's not unprecedented [I really don't know], but still, it's interesting. And the incipit to the first movement is so typical of Schumann's thrilling style!
> 
> ...


I love it as well. Had it on tape in the early years and more recently got the Naxos recording with the American Horn Quartet. It was unprecedented in a way, the first concerto featuring the then new fangled valved horn. I think it may be like the Cinderella of Schumann's concertos (maybe cos its not called "concerto" but just a "concert piece?") but in any case I think its a gem.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Lutoslawski: Paganini Variations.


----------



## ArthurBrain




----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich: Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi's Flute Concertos Op.10 - Stephen Preston, flute, Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Karol Szymanowski--*Symphony No.3 {"Song Of The Night"} and Symphony No.4 {Symphony Concertante}.* Both works are performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jerzy Semkow.
I much preferred the *Fourth Symphony *to the *Third,* due to its prominent piano parts throughout the piece, and its lack of vocals, as was present in the *Third.
*Charles Ives--*Symphony No.1, *as performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under James Sinclair.
Charles Ives--*Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.3 {"The Camp Meeting"}.* Both works are traversed by Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. I was especially impressed--and initially somewhat overwhelmed--by the melange of well-known American themes and ditties Ives has woven into this work's tapestry, often playing against each other at the same time. Somehow, though, Mr. Ives manages to pull it all off in the end. Bravo!
Eduard Tubin--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor and Symphony No.8. *Both symphonies feature the Neeme Jarvi led Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Neo Romanza

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Karol Szymanowski--*Symphony No.3 {"Song Of The Night"} and Symphony No.4 {Symphony Concertante}.* Both works are performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jerzy Semkow.
> I much preferred the *Fourth Symphony *to the *Third,* due to its prominent piano parts throughout the piece, and its lack of vocals, as was present in the *Third.
> *Charles Ives--*Symphony No.1, *as performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under James Sinclair.
> Charles Ives--*Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.3 {"The Camp Meeting"}.* Both works are traversed by Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. I was especially impressed--and initially somewhat overwhelmed--by the melange of well-known American themes and ditties Ives has woven into this work's tapestry, often playing against each other at the same time. Somehow, though, Mr. Ives manages to pull it all off in the end. Bravo!
> Eduard Tubin--*Symphony No.3 in D Minor and Symphony No.8. *Both symphonies feature the Neeme Jarvi led Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.


Do give Rattle's performance of Szymanowski's _Symphony No. 3 "Song of the Night"_ a listen sometime. You will find this performance vastly superior to those early Naxos recordings. Rattle is a master of Szymanowski's medium.


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Six Monologues From "Jadermann" - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Frank Martin, cond.


----------



## Feathers

Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor (making up for cutting off the Wolfie page yesterday)









Mendelssohn: Cello Sonatas









Later tonight:
Szymanowski: Symphonie Concertante (suddenly reminded of this piece after reading Samurai's post )


----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint (Pat Metheny)


----------



## ArthurBrain

A very evocative opera IMO...


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Disintegrations - Ensemble Intercontemperain


----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich - New York Counterpoint


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Angels And Visitations - Leif Segerstam, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 7,4,3, The Tempest


----------



## Guest

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - The Creatures of Prometheus
> 
> A rare Beethoven work...but it is such a great one.


The feel of that piece is much like Symphony #6. I often listen to Creatures afterward if I have not had enough of the Pastoral mood.


----------



## Guest

It's a work day, but when I can listen it will be to continue through the Mozart concertos. The next 5:

































25 - K417, Horn Concerto #2 in E flat, Radovan Vlatkovic; Jeffrey Tate: English Chamber Orchestra
26 - K447, Horn Concerto #3 in E flat, ANIMA ETERNA, Jos van Immerseel, Ulrich Hubner
27 - K450, Piano Concerto #15 in B flat, Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists
28 - K451, Piano Concerto #16 in D, Geza Anda, Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteum
29 - K453, Piano Concerto #17 in G, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Desprez's Missa L'homme Arme - Oxford Camerata, Jeremmy Summerly, dir.


----------



## Kieran

LyricFM radio, George Hamilton, the excellent football commentator has his show on now, _Hamilton Scores_. I'm dipping in and out while trimming things out back. He played some Greig and so on. Now it's some familiar opera classic which I don't know the name of!


----------



## MagneticGhost

What I'd like to listen to is Bach's St Matthew Passion - Eliot Gardiner.

Unfortunately I'm listening to my son watch Mr Tumble and my daughter practicing the piano loudly.
Ho-Hum


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonathan Harvey's Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18883
> 
> 
> Jonathan Harvey's Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco


One of the most beautiful works ever written


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> One of the most beautiful works ever written


It was the first time I'd heard it - but I agree immediately.

I've been dipping into Spectralism a bit recently, but with no clear map of the terrain. I believe you know a bit about it - what works and composers would you consider essential listening?

(recommendations from other posters here would also be greatly appreciated)


----------



## Cheyenne

Rimsky-Korsavov's first symphony, Schönberg's Six Little Pieces for Piano and some of his songs, and I think I'll move to Tchaikovsky's sixth symphony.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> It was the first time I'd heard it - but I agree immediately.
> 
> I've been dipping into Spectralism a bit recently, but with no clear map of the terrain. I believe you know a bit about it - what works and composers would you consider essential listening?
> 
> (recommendations from other posters here would also be greatly appreciated)


Hmm, Grisey's "Partiels" is definitely essential, I am a fan of Nørgård and his take on spectralism eg "Voyage into the Golden Screen" is very much inspried by use of upper partials etc.


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie LeClair (1697-1764): Violin Sonata in A Major, Op.3, No.2

Harmonie Universelle: Florian Deuter and Monica Waisman, violins

View attachment 18884


----------



## ptr

Morning:

*Terry Riley & Stefano Scodanibbio* - Lazy Afternoon Among The Crocodiles (AiAi)









Terry Riley, Ensoniq TS12 & Stefano Scodanibbio, doublebass

*Antonio Vivaldi* - Concerti per Due Violino (*Archiv*)









Viktoria Mullova & Giuliano Carmignola, violins; Venice Baroque Orchestra u. Andrea Marcon

*Charles Amirkhanian* ‎- Walking Tune (A Room-Music For Percy Grainger) (*Starkland*)









Charles Amirkhanian, Electronics & Synclavier and Elizabeth Baker, Violin & Soprano

*Luciano Berio* - Passaggio & Visage (Ricordi)









Elise Ross, soprano: Coro dell'Accademica Filharmonica Romana & Orchestra da Camera "Nueva consonanza" u. Marcello Panni // Luciano Berio Tape & Electronics & Cathy Berberian, voice

I know I'm borderlining, but it is were I feel the most alive! 

/ptr


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Aaron Copland (1900-1990): Connotations (1961-62); Sixten Ehrling, cond; The Julliard Orchestra (New World).
> 
> This is a 12-tone work by Copland. Trip! It sounds nothing like Copland's other music. If blindfolded, I'm sure 99.9% of listeners would be stumped. It's constructed nicely, clocking-in at 19:59. The musical impression, or mood created? Well, if Copland is supposed to be "Amerikana," then this fits the era when it was written perfectly: paranoia, war, assassinations, fear, surveillance, freeway crashes, drugs, insanity. Very dissonant chords, downright creepy-sounding melodies. I like it a lot. Centerville: A real nice place to raise your kids up.


haha Zappa reference for the old folks at home!









wow look at all the avant-garde listening going on while north america slept

Ok-- got me a little more interested in Copland. Him --and Virgil Thompson-- being noted Sibelius disparagers has always made me cool towards them.


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv radio:
Beethoven SQ 4 Op. 18 Orford Quartet

My aim is to be able to distinguish all of LvB's SQs as readily as I know one T Rex tune from another.

This is the one about which Robert Simpson says "the sense of movement is as perfect as a cat's."

/also want to be able to say things like that.


----------



## DaveS

One of a million renditions. Listening to the D minor, BWV 1052.

One can listen to any genre of music, but there always seems to be room for JSB.


----------



## Kieran

_*Dimitri Kabelevsky*_, cello concerto #2, performed by Steven Isserling and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Karabits.

To be followed on the same disc by _*Mendelssohn's* _piano trio in d-minor (including Joshua Bell on violin and Denes Varjon on piano), and _*Brahms *_cello sonata #1 (including Stephen Hough on piano). Steven Isserling plays throughout...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Hey SimonNZ--

The wiki article on spectralism has an interesting 'origins' section that suggests a good scheduling & comparison day. Never thought of the family tree quite like this:

"Proto-spectral composers include Claude Debussy, Edgard Varèse, Giacinto Scelsi, Olivier Messiaen, György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Theoretical predecessors include some of the composers mentioned and Harry Partch, Henry Cowell, and Paul Hindemith.

Romanian folk music, as collected by Béla Bartók, with its acoustic scales derived directly from resonance and natural wind instruments like "buciume", "tulnice", and "cimpoi" inspired several spectral composers: Vieru, Stroe, Niculescu, Dumitrescu and Nemescu.

This music began to emerge in the 1970s both in France amongst the composers of the Groupe de l'Itinéraire, influenced by work of composers such as Maurice Ravel and Olivier Messiaen, in Germany amongst the members of the Feedback group in Cologne, and in Romania, with composers around Hyperion Ensemble, all of whom created harmonies and orchestrations based on the harmonic and inharmonic partials contained in complex sounds, such as multiple-stop organ tones, bell sounds, and bird song.
Spectral music represented an alternative to the prestige of the serialists and post-serialists as the vanguard of serious musical composition and compositional technique.

Julian Anderson considers Danish composer Per Nørgård's Voyage into the Golden Screen for chamber orchestra (1968) to be the first "properly instrumental piece of spectral composition".

A further development is the emergence of hyper-spectralism in the work of Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Avram."









I just got this on the advice of --who was it?-- couple of weeks ago so that's what's on this morning. Clarinet sonata for viola.


----------



## Mahlerian

Great intro to the ideas behind spectralism, but what about klangfarbenmelodie and, in particular, the Farben movement of Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces? It may just be the earliest piece of music based _entirely_ on timbre and nothing else.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: French Suite #3 in B Minor, BWV 814 -- Pieter-Jan Belder

Haydn: Double Concerto in F For Violin & Fortepiano, H 18/6 -- Helmut Muller-Bruhl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Beethoven: Andante and Variations for Mandolin & Keyboard in D, WoO 44b -- James Levine & Erhard Fietz

Oh Beethoven, you and these little mandolin works...


----------



## millionrainbows

Quadromania: Music of the 20th Century: "Avantgarde" (Membran 4-CD).

This is disc 2 of this super-cheap import (got it thru Berkshire). Nicely recorded live in 2000, Aarhus Sinfonietta.

An interesting exercise in listening, as one can identify the various approaches somewhat, aided by comparison.

György Ligeti (1923-2006): Chamber Concerto for Thirteen Instruments (1969-1970): Consists of horizontal "events" which coincide to create vertical texture, but not what I call "harmony" or even "harmonic consequences;" the vertical dimension is random. Interspersed with declamatory melodies, which provide contrast and introduce new sections. Interest quotient: 7

Anton Webern (1883-1945): Concerto for Flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombon, piano, violin and viola, Op.24 (1934): Prosaic sounding, even quaint. These "Model-T" melodies of Webern are just what they seem: horizontal statements, probably of the row (ya think?). Any vertical or harmonic elements appear as isolated triads or dyads. No harmony is created as the result of intersecting lines, that I can hear.

Edgar Varèse (1883-1965): Octandre for Eight Instruments: Flute (piccolo), clarinet (E flat), oboe, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, double bass (1923): A short piece in 3 movements, with no percussion. A good insight into the "melodic fetishes" of Varése. This version here is not phrased like I'm used to. Either my "imprinted" Robert Craft is wrong, or this is. I suspect this group doesn't quite understand the "human" aspect of these Varése melodies, or Craft is mannered. I guess looking at the score would solve this. The Craft version certainly has more "personality." Varése has plenty of horizontal movement & melody, as well as vertical "harmonic" effect, but the two seem unrelated. This "harmony" is simply the accumulation of horizontal elements entering at different times, as well as "sonorous blocks" of sound. Not your Grandpaw's harmony.

Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): Chain I (1983): Interesting. Chains of melodies emerge, like random BB's, each separate, but of such complexity that the resulting texture and verticality creates a very sensuous effect. Very "pointillistic" overall, and a great sense of orchestration. The "gorgeousness" of this piece keeps it from being "just another aleatoric piece."

Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996): Rain Coming (1982): Now this is harmony. Takemitsu is creating beautiful aggregate-stacks of shimmering harmonic effects. Sumptuous, luxurious, elegant, opulent; dazzling, brilliant, like a personal geisha whose only wish is to please your ears. I'll have another shot of saké; bring that bottle over here. No, you can leave the robe off.

Harrison Birtwistle (1934-): Ritual Fragment (1990): For me, uninteresting. Maybe it's that the performance has a flat affect, and seems uninspired. I don't like the character and rhythmic shaping of the lines very much; they sound pretentious, against frequently-sustained notes in the background which are supposed to, I guess, add more interest to the lines appearing on top, but the result for me is a rather mannered "homophonic" effect. Boring Brit! Orchestration is so-so.


----------



## NightHawk

This morning: Fantastic rain for hours now, light thunder, no wind, and no music. Just green tea and a good book. Have a great weekend, all.


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## DaveS

Particularly nice version of the BWV 1060 in c minor for 2 pianos. Jean-Philippe Collard & Michel Beroff. Jean-Pierre Wallez conducting the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris


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## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 18883
> 
> Jonathan Harvey's Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco


Super work, one of the genre's 'classics' along with _Pentes_ by *Denis Smalley*.


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## Kleinzeit

million-- instructive review of "Avantgarde"

there are over a hundred Quadromania sets +-available! Membran-- no-longer under-copyright resellers; I have good sets of Janáček & Orff from them. Old sound but not so dodgy, not a rip-off.

Know what you mean about Webern, but those are handsome cars.

Now I have to hear Craft's Varèse, only know from Boulez & Chailly.

Selling me on Takemitsu, one I've been neglecting.


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## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> It was the first time I'd heard it - but I agree immediately.
> I've been dipping into *Spectralism* a bit recently, but with no clear map of the terrain. I believe you know a bit about it - what works and composers would you consider essential listening?
> (recommendations from other posters here would also be greatly appreciated)


Well, for *electroacoustic* music you won't go far wrong exploring *Denis Smalley's* oeuvre, and perhaps read up on his publications on *spectro-morphology*. You can get a full bibliography at his personal website (just enter his name into Google and follow the relevant links).


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## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 18897


Where'd ya get the picture of me on my holidays?


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## schuberkovich

Sviatoslav Richter playing Schubert's Piano sonata D960.
I initially thought that the 1st movement was played way too slowly, but after repeated listening, it is the only speed which makes the triplet and semiquaver sections not sound rushed, and now when I listen to other recordings, they sound hurried, too fast. Richter is also incredibly sensitive, even though there are times when I think he could bring out the separate lines (especially in the left hand) a bit more. But overall, I think this is the greatest version of the sonata, despite the poor live sound quality - there are moments of magical beauty.
*I would strongly encourage anyone who has not done so already to listen to it.*


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## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Where'd ya get the picture of me on my holidays?


Teach you to saké & Facebook


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## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> million-- instructive review of "Avantgarde"
> 
> there are over a hundred Quadromania sets +-available! Membran-- no-longer under-copyright resellers; I have good sets of Janáček & Orff from them. Old sound but not so dodgy, not a rip-off.
> 
> Know what you mean about Webern, but those are handsome cars.
> 
> Now I have to hear Craft's Varèse, only know from Boulez & Chailly.
> 
> Selling me on Takemitsu, one I've been neglecting.
> 
> View attachment 18897


Oh, yeah, I like that image. As an artist yourself, you can understand how an illustration can be more exciting than a real photograph. For an extreme example, note in the DVD-doc "Crumb" how he was sexually attracted to Bugs Bunny; not to mention the "Tweety-Bird" scandal back in the 1940s-50s.

Get _The Varése Album (2-CD) _on Wounded Bird, and Abravanel's Ecuatorial/Nocturnal, and that's all you need. Chailly is good, but I "imprinted" on these.

For Takemitsu, the _Flock Descending Into the Pentagonal Garden_ on DG is great.


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## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> This music began to emerge in the 1970s both in France amongst the composers of the Groupe de l'Itinéraire, influenced by work of composers such as Maurice Ravel and Olivier Messiaen, in Germany amongst the members of the Feedback group in Cologne, and in Romania, with composers around Hyperion Ensemble, all of whom created harmonies and orchestrations based on the harmonic and inharmonic partials contained in complex sounds, such as multiple-stop organ tones, bell sounds, and bird song.


A lot of it had to do with IRCAM and their experiments in spectral analysis, in order to try to create "models" of traditional instruments. Look into Jean-Claude Risset's computer music. I hear the Spectral spectre in Boulez' later work as well (_Explosion-Fixante_ or whatever that is).



Kleinzeit said:


> Spectral music represented an alternative to the prestige of the serialists and post-serialists as the vanguard of serious musical composition and compositional technique.


There's always been that French "sensuous" quality of pure, visceral sound, as far back as Debussy.



Kleinzeit said:


> A further development is the emergence of hyper-spectralism in the work of Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Avram."


That's the first mention I've ever heard of Iancu Dumitrescu, except when I mentioned him! The one I have by him I picked up used, and now it's OOP and too pricey. He uses an amplified double-bass, and does performances where, by bowing and placement, he brings out various harmonics from the strings. Very "drone-y" compared to the other composers mentioned, but you know me; I'm a fool for a good drone.


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## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Oh, yeah, I like that image. As an artist yourself, you can understand how an illustration can be more exciting than a real photograph. For an extreme example, note in the DVD-doc "Crumb" how he was sexually attracted to Bugs Bunny; not to mention the "Tweety-Bird" scandal back in the 1940s-50s.
> 
> Get _The Varése Album (2-CD) _on Wounded Bird, and Abravanel's Ecuatorial/Nocturnal, and that's all you need. Chailly is good, but I "imprinted" on these.
> 
> For Takemitsu, the _Flock Descending Into the Pentagonal Garden_ on DG is great.


That The Varése Album is like $26 which isn't out of the question but I just got the 150-disc Haydn box...and the Takemitsu, yes, been trying to choose between that & others. Ok.

Uh-huh, Crumb's, uh, paraphilias. Now, I'm a humanist, but Bugs? ...wouldn't say no. Crumb has a room right now at the Venice biennale hung with the original art from his Book of Genesis. 
Tweety scandal... Tweety as an epicene featherless/naked creature of indeterminate species & height in a futile no-hope postwar film-noir universe? ....yeah, more effective than anything Lord Haw-Haw ever came up with.









Won't be long till summer's here now that Magnus Lindberg's Clarinet Concerto's back in town.


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## DaveS

Listening to the 7th. I always thought Szell was a great Dvorak interpreter.


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## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.1, No.3

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Jane Oldham, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello

View attachment 18903


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## Guest

bejart said:


> Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.1, No.3
> *Schuppanzigh Quartet*: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Jane Oldham, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello
> View attachment 18903


Good lord, for one moment I thought you were referring to the *original* Schuppanzigh quartet !!!! Time travel would be a fine thing, I feel.


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## MagneticGhost

Every valley must be exa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-alted


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## joen_cph

Michelangeli plays Brahms Ballades & a Schubert sonata. DG LP.

A great recording, engaged and not tending to be sterile, as some of his recordings can be from time to time, IMHO.


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## bejart

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Flute Concerto in D Major, Badley D3

Bela Drahos leading the Nicolas Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Kazunori Seo, flute

View attachment 18909


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## Kleinzeit

bejart said:


> Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Flute Concerto in D Major, Badley D3
> 
> Bela Drahos leading the Nicolas Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Kazunori Seo, flute
> 
> View attachment 18909


I like knowing that out there is a full-time maven of music that to me is recherche . But now I'll never pass up an opportunity to acquire a Hofmann or Stamitz or Kraus (Swedish Mozart?) cd.

After all, CPE Bach!


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## Kieran

I'm going to listen to something totally different tonight. It's always Mozart PC's, or his violin sonatas, the piano quartets, a Mozart symph or a serenade by Wolfgangerl. Tonight I'm busting loose from the shackles and running wild in the country.

I'm going to listen to the Haydn Quartets by Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, K387, K421, K428, K458, K464 and K465. 

New territory for me, the old string quartet... :tiphat:


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## Mahlerian

A few early Kochel numbers for me at the moment, K75b and K111b.

Clever and enjoyable, as the early Mozart symphonies usually are.


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## DaveS

Received in today's mail. Nice, so far.............


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## Guest

Happy to be back home to the project at hand... Mozart! Continuing with the concertos in order:

































30 - K456, Piano Concerto #18 in B flat, Melvyn Tan, Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
31 - K459, Piano Concerto #19 in F "Second Coronation Concerto", ANIMA ETERNA, Jos van Immersee
32 - K466, Piano Concerto #20 in D minor, Ivan Moravec, Neville Marriner, Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields
33 - K467, Piano Concerto #21 in C, Rudolf Serkin, Claudio Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra
34 - K482, Piano Concerto #22 in E flat, Robert Levin, Christopher Hogwood, AAM


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## schuberkovich

Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini 
Martino Tirimo
Yoel Levi, Philharmonia Orchestra
First time hearing it, sounds very fresh compared to the other piece on the disc!


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## Schubussy

Messiaen - Catalogue D'Oiseaux, Petites Esquisses D'Oiseaux
Håkon Austbø


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## EricABQ

Kind of an Alkan day for me today. Listened to The Four Ages, the Concerto For Solo Piano, and some etudes.


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## Blue Hour




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## DavidA

Mozart la Finta Giardiniera - Jacobs. Great fun!


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## Sonata

Seems to be a vocal music day:

Wagner: Wessendock Lieder
Handel: Chandos Anthems 2-4
Mozart: Il Re Pastore


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## opus55

Beethoven Symphony No. 5


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## Kleinzeit

Schubussy said:


> Messiaen - Catalogue D'Oiseaux, Petites Esquisses D'Oiseaux
> Håkon Austbø
> View attachment 18922


I'm waiting for a Peter Hill 7 disc solo piano set that includes this. Taking forever to arrive. Scarcely in print.


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## DrKilroy

Mozart - Violin Concerto in D major No. 4 K 218.

Best regards, Dr


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## NightHawk

This low-budget 1995 digital recording of Haydn Symphonies No. 45 'Farewell' and No. 49 'La Passione' by the Baltic Chamber Orchestra, Samuel Litkov, conductor is really very good. Am comparing No. 49 to Dorati's analog version from the Boxed Set and it is a case of apples and apples. Dorati's opening movement, an Adagio (ala Corelli) in 3/4, takes more than 10 minutes, while the Baltic Band moves along with a timing 46 seconds shorter. In that defining movement Dorati's is really more _passione_, I feel. Dorati also uses the harpsichord (very much in the background) and the Baltic group does not. However, each of the performances have both the verve and the restraint that I like in performances of Haydn. The Baltic recording can be had on Amazon new for $8.99, and used for $2.99.


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## NightHawk

> @ *schuberkovich*;470587]Sviatoslav Richter playing Schubert's Piano sonata D960.
> I initially thought that the 1st movement was played way too slowly, but after repeated listening, it is the only speed which makes the triplet and semiquaver sections not sound rushed, and now when I listen to other recordings, they sound hurried, too fast. Richter is also incredibly sensitive, even though there are times when I think he could bring out the separate lines (especially in the left hand) a bit more. But overall, I think this is the greatest version of the sonata, despite the poor live sound quality - there are moments of magical beauty.
> *I would strongly encourage anyone who has not done so already to listen to it.*


I love this work so much. I only have two recordings, Rada Lupu and Alfred Brendel and both are good but neither strike me as ideal. This is a strong performance and a persuasive interpretation. I'm still looking for the one that makes that slip from C# minor to C major in the 2nd movement like a sudden moonbeam. I first heard the work in the late 70's in a live performance by a former student of Schnabel. I've never forgotten how that C major chord seemed to be (in _piano_) the point toward which the entire sonata was moving and away from. Thanks for posting this amazing recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

No.s 15 & 16

I was reading a book on the painter, Paul Klee, today entitled Paul Klee: Painting Music. I was immediately enthralled with Klee's work in spite of the fact that it was so far removed from my own artistic efforts. Over time I realized certain common passions in his art and life. Among these was the love of music. Klee's two favorite composers were the same as mine: Bach and Mozart. Among the aspects that he revered in their work was the fact that beyond their unquestioned formal mastery and innovation they brought an almost magical balance of the formal, the spiritual, the demonic, wit and sensitivity.










-The Bavarian Don Giovanni


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## SimonNZ

Thanks for the Spectral info and recommendations everyone - I'll be starting on them as soon as I get home tonight!

playing now:









Pierre de Manchicourt's Missa Veni Sancte Spiritus - Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel, dir

found this wonderful photo of PVN when I was looking for that cover image (click to enlarge):


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 5


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## opus55

Szymanowski: Symphony No. 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

















Two fours


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## Conor71

*Schumann: AlbumFur Die Jugend, Op. 68*

Listening to this piece from both of my Schumann boxes - really simple and lovely. i would rate it as a highlight of Schumanns Piano Music.


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## ArthurBrain

Dutilleux: Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich. Rather liking it overall...


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## schuberkovich

Finishing the day with Mozart's Piano Concerto no.27 in B flat major
Angela Hewitt piano


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## Kleinzeit

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* symphony no. 5


By who? dammit! You a Sibelian!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kleinzeit said:


> By who? dammit! You a Sibelian!


Sakari Oramo and VPO on YouTube. I haven't heard a better *Sibelius* 5 (or 7 actually, that's on the same YouTube clip as well. I prefer Vänskä's no. 1)


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## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): String Quintet in D Major, Op.80

Stamic Quartet with Karel Plocek on 2nd viola: Jindrinch Pazdera and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Petr Hejny, cell

View attachment 18928


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## aleazk

Johannes Ockeghem - Missa Pro Defunctis


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## chrisco97

*Tchaikovsky* - 1812 Overture


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## chrisco97

Just switched over to *Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerto in C Major, RV 425* after reading the thread asking if you liked the mandolin. I have actually never heard this work. It is amazing! I love it.


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## Sid James

The weekend's listening, the usual long run down:

*Dutilleux & Lutoslawski* _Cello Concertos_
- Mstislav Rostropovich, cello with Orchestre de Paris under Serge Baudo & Witold Lutoslawski (EMI)

Starting with a commemoration of *Dutilleux*, who died just over a week ago. His cello concerto draws on Baudelaire's set of exotic poems _The Flowers of Evil_, and has this nocturnal, visual and sensuous feel. Indeed, its been such a long time since I'd last heard this, that this time it came across as quite different from before. I got a kind of lush and almost Romantic feeling from this (the emotions), as well as having a firmer grasp in how the opening cello cadanza's fragmentary ideas make their way through the work.

Also going into darker territory with *Lutoslawski's* cello concerto. Its very much a battle between the cellist and orchestra, but not really in the traditional sense. The soloist starts off playing these repeated notes. It is very monotonous, and throughout the work there are these cacophonous outbursts from the brass section, which is autonomous from the rest of the orchestra (Lutoslawski applying his controlled chance technique here). There have been those who have said that this sense of conflict in the piece is like a metaphor for the struggle of an individual against the conformity of a dictatorship, Poland of course being Communist and behind the Iron Curtain at the time. Another thing is that the composer's mother died before he started this work, so maybe that accounts a bit for its sense of mourning and grief in parts. Whatever the case its an amazing tour de force for both the cellist and orchestra, and a very unique take on the concerto genre.

*Sibelius:*

_The Maiden in the Tower, opera in one act (World Premiere Recording)*
Karelia Suite, Op. 11_
- The Gothenburg SO under Neeme Jarvi *with Mari-Ann Haggander, soprano ; Erland Hagegard, tenor ; Jorma Hynninen, baritone ; Tone Kruse, alto ; The Gothenburg Concert Hall Choir ; Gunno Palmquist, chorus master (BIS label)

_Finlandia_
- Halle Orch. under Sir John Barbirolli (EMI)

On to an early work by *Sibelius, The Maiden in the Tower*. Written when one act operas where in vogue, its quite a lyrical piece and not a bad way to spend about 40 minutes of your time. Sibelius attended a performance in Vienna of Mascagni's _Cavalleria Rusticana_, which could have made him get the idea to do this kind of thing, but stylistically the influence of Wagner I think is stronger - especially in terms of orchestration.

The other two works don't need much introduction here. Also coming from his early period, the *Karelia Suite* engages with the folklore of Finland's most culturally ancient region. _*Finlandia*_ was a work that became such a potent symbol of the country's quest for independence that it was banned by the Russians. But it's the kind of repetitive, static and almost minimalistic vibes that I like the most in the middle movement of _Karelia_, and the hymn tune in a part of it is very similar to the middle section of _Finlandia_. & the English horn solo in that middle _Ballade_ movement, is quite similar to another Sibelius hit - _The Swan of Tuonela_.

*Stravinsky* _The Rite of Spring_
- Melbourne SO under Hiroyuki Iwaki, recorded live in Melbourne, 1988 (ABC Classics)

Another commemoration, this time of the hundredth anniversary that passed this week of the premiere of this iconic work. Much has been written about this piece on this forum, and on radio here they've been talking about *Stravinsky* and playing his music a lot too. My earliest memory of this work was when a teacher played this for us, and I was quite amazed. I'd heard nothing like it before, from the opening bassoon solo and then those psychopathic jabbing rhythms, I found it quite gripping.

It seems common that works like this, and also Bartok's _Concerto for Orchestra_, have introduced successive generations to Modern music. For many people, its where the journey into this type of music started. That adds to the significance of _The Rite_ for many listeners, not to speak of its impacts and lasting influence not only on 'straight' classical music, but also on film music, and in areas like rock, pop and alternative. 

*J.S. Bach* _Sonata for Solo Violin #1 in G minor, BWV 1001_
- Ruggiero Ricci, violin (from "Sonatas for violin" double album on Eloquence)

Rounding off with another piece by *Bach* on this set which I have been listening to bit by bit on weekends. I especially liked those intense motoric rhythms and counterpoint in the second movement, _Fuga._


----------



## ArthurBrain

Per Norgard's 'Voyage Into the Golden Screen'. A beguiling harmonic soundworld in the spectral sense....or any sense really....


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *featuring the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

In response to the recent thread on Tristan und Isolde... and my own mention of this marvelous performance by Deborah Voigt...


----------



## Sonata

*Sibelius: Finlandia*. WOW! First listen, Vanska and Lahti Symphony Orchestra. There is so much contained within less than 9 minutes. I like it, a lot. I think there's going to be some repeat listens in the next few days to wrap my head around it all.


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## ArthurBrain

Khachaturian's piano concerto and Prokofiev's piano concerto no 1. They both fit very well together on the same recording IMO and not just because they're in the same key....

With Mindru Katz, Adrian Boult & the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ArthurBrain said:


> Per Norgard's 'Voyage Into the Golden Screen'. A beguiling harmonic soundworld in the spectral sense....or any sense really....


_Infinite_ sense. 

(Nørgård invented a compositional technique in which he draws out a very long melodic pattern based on a single interval which he called the "infinity series")


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## SimonNZ

"The A-La-Mi-Re Manuscripts - Flemish Polyphonic Treasures" - Capilla Flamenca


----------



## Weston

Tonight, my deep listening hour consisted of two works. One thing I love about listening at home is you can mix chamber music with large orchestral. You can't do that practically at a live concert.

First, *Brahms: String Quartet, Op. 51 No. 2 in A minor* by the Verdi Quartet.










Movement 1. 
This is disappointing to me in that the modulations don't stray very remotely to my ears, and so it has a business as usual feeling. The themes are not especially memorable to me, though the second theme is pleasant enough. The development is interesting if too short for me. One thing that puts me off of string quartets is the use of pizzicato. When a single instrument does it , and all the rest are playing legato, it just sounds like something went wrong. This movement is loaded with single instrument pizzicato, lost under the louder legato instruments. Who am I to question Brahms, but it just sounds out of place.

Movement 2.
Far more graceful and moving than the first. The tremelo sections, unlike the pizzicato, do work very well in a quartet setting. To my ears this movement has more adventurous melodic and harmonic explorations. There is a slow ebb and flow of drama with satisfying but not too flashy crescendos. But again there is some out of place pizzicato at the end. Why?

Movement 3.
Quasi minuetto? Emphasis on the "quasi" I guess. I don't quite get a minuet out of this, but I do enjoy it. The opening theme almost comes across as a macabre puppet dance for a while. In places it becomes almost orchestral in texture. There is a brief unexpected (if I hadn't read the annotations) vivace section that seems to take the place of the trio. Or maybe it _is_ the trio - I don't know. But I was still interested in the macabre puppet dance and wanted more. It returns soon enough, but by then the movement is coming to a close. This tantalizing movement could have been far longer.

Movement 4.
This is by far my favorite movement of the work. It uses a lovely harmonic texture, very Brahmsian and dramatic, reminiscent in brief moments of the great Sextet No 2 Andante. The players seem more balanced in this movement as I could hear them all clearly -- or perhaps they are all just a bit louder. I love the sections of silence between phrases! The silences, or dramatic pauses, make this movement. You sit upright and take notice.

Next, *Sir Michael Tippett: Ritual Dances from the opera The Midsummer Marriage*










This Naxos recording is a bit noisy with occasional clacks and thumps, as if the players kept dropping their bows on the floor. This is only slightly distracting as the music is pretty engaging. I wouldn't want to try dancing to these pieces, but they work well together as an orchestral suite.

The CD does not break down the various parts by time, so I found myself trying to guess, are we now in the Winter Waters section or the Spring Air section? But eventually I abandoned thoughts on the program and just listened. There are some nice quirky rhythms and unusual orchestral colors with very brief motifs like bird calls passed back and forth among instrumental groups or single instruments in a wonderfully bewildering way. The orchestration is very Respighi-like, incorporating magical celeste, a piccolo that is beautiful rather than shrill, buzzing wasp like strings that emulate the awakening of insects in spring, and other wonders.

Unfortunately, being dazzled by the colorful orchestration, I was not focusing as much on the themes, and so I could not tell if there were any satisfying reprises. Maybe I need further listens. The work seems to just peter out at the end rather than come to a logical conclusion, so I'm a little confused at this. I suppose this is because the dances are excerpted from an opera, but I would have thought more effort would have been put into making the Four Dances a complete work in its own right.

Overall an enjoyable though not ecstatic listening evening.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Weston said:


> Next, *Sir Michael Tippett: Ritual Dances from the opera The Midsummer Marriage*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This Naxos recording is a bit noisy with occasional clacks and thumps, as if the players kept dropping their bows on the floor. This is only slightly distracting as the music is pretty engaging. I wouldn't want to try dancing to these pieces, but they work well together as an orchestral suite.
> 
> The CD does not break down the various parts by time, so I found myself trying to guess, are we now in the Winter Waters section or the Spring Air section? But eventually I abandoned thoughts on the program and just listened. There are some nice quirky rhythms and unusual orchestral colors with very brief motifs like bird calls passed back and forth among instrumental groups or single instruments in a wonderfully bewildering way. The orchestration is very Respighi-like, incorporating magical celeste, a piccolo that is beautiful rather than shrill, buzzing wasp like strings that emulate the awakening of insects in spring, and other wonders.
> 
> Unfortunately, being dazzled by the colorful orchestration, I was not focusing as much on the themes, and so I could not tell if there were any satisfying reprises. Maybe I need further listens. The work seems to just peter out at the end rather than come to a logical conclusion, so I'm a little confused at this. I suppose this is because the dances are excerpted from an opera, but I would have thought more effort would have been put into making the Four Dances a complete work in its own right.
> 
> Overall an enjoyable though not ecstatic listening evening.


That Naxos recording is quite poor. I have heard it only once and that was enough for me. Seek out the Hickox and Colin Davis recordings of Tippett. _Ritual Dances_ is a good work in it's own but I really encourage you to hear the entire opera _The Midsummer Marriage_ (the Colin Davis performance on the Lyrita label). It's really a masterful work and one of Tippett's best IMHO.


----------



## Weston

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 18904
> 
> 
> Every valley must be exa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-alted


It's cool you are not listening to this at Christmas time. I don't think of it as Christmas music. Handel does amazing things. " . . . That her _iniquity_ -- is pardoned." He puts a nasty chord briefly under iniquity. It's the little details like that I find thrilling.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to beautiful _Autumn Music_. Again, my vote for one of Panufnik's best works. I'm really baffled by a lot of Panufnik's music though. I find his early music is his best and his later music (post 1970) is terribly uneven and uninspired. Almost like he's just afraid to share some kind of emotion. I get the feeling of detachment and I can't quite relate to what he's expressing with the music.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Tonight is going to be a Lindberg night:

Now revisiting:










Going to listen to the _Clarinet Concerto_.

Then:










Going to listening to Lindberg's _Violin Concerto_.

And finally:










Going to listen to _Feria_.


----------



## Novelette

Per the suggestion of brianvds...

Tallis: Music for Queen Elizabeth I -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

...

Tchaikovsky: Symphony #1 in G Minor, Op. 13, "Winter Dreams" -- Riccardo Muti: Philharmonia Orchestra

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes -- Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta


----------



## opus55

Mahler 4


----------



## millionrainbows

Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987): The Four String Quartets; The Lydian Quartet (Centaur).

A quote from the liner notes, speaking about Quartets 1 & 2, Daniel Stepner says:

"They are tonal works - not in the functional, common practice sense, but but rather in their constant tonal reference. They don't methodically avoid harmonic centers, as do the quartets of the newer Viennese school of Schoenberg and Webern. At times, in fact, their open-fifth cadences or pivoting harmonies resemble the pre-tonal music of the middle ages. But their language is eclectic, modern, and highly skilled."

The opening of Quartet No. 1, Op.7 (1939) has a 12-note theme, and is a fugue. Very interesting. Rhythmically, the scherzo reminds me a lot of Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8 (1960), although Persichetti's was written in 1939.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Sonata said:


> *Sibelius: Finlandia*. WOW! First listen, Vanska and Lahti Symphony Orchestra. There is so much contained within less than 9 minutes. I like it, a lot. I think there's going to be some repeat listens in the next few days to wrap my head around it all.


Y'know, this is consigned to the 'overplayed workhorse chestnut' bin. I don't say 'unfairly' so much as 'inevitably': it's 9 or 10 minutes of smart programming to round off a concert in the most stirring way.
It's a downright sublime tone poem in interlocking moods. It's got one of the world's great tunes. And it need be nobody's idea of a 'guilty pleasure'! It's great in itself.


----------



## Andolink

Still working my way through Bach's "48" 

and

the symphonies of Antonio Brioschi.


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> Y'know, this is consigned to the 'overplayed workhorse chestnut' bin. I don't say 'unfairly' so much as 'inevitably': it's 9 or 10 minutes of smart programming to round off a concert in the most stirring way.
> It's a downright sublime tone poem in interlocking moods. It's got one of the world's great tunes. And it need be nobody's idea of a 'guilty pleasure'! It's great in itself.


What's the best version of it? I have Sibelius' Second by Vanska and Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and while good, the recording is too ambient.


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> Still working my way through...the symphonies of Antonio Brioschi.


Brioschi? That sounds like a cheese. Be sure to have some wine & table water crackers with that. :lol:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Cut my Lindberg listening night short because I had a urgent need to listen to Elgar:










Listening to _Sea Pictures_. This performance with Baker and Barbirolli is still the best on record. I've heard many others and none of them come close to this timeless classic.


----------



## Andolink

millionrainbows said:


> Brioschi? That sounds like a cheese. Be sure to have some wine & table water crackers with that. :lol:


I'd like to but I'm at work tonight until 7 AM.


----------



## millionrainbows

Neo Romanza said:


> Cut my Lindberg listening night short because I had a urgent need to listen to Elgar:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Sea Pictures_. This performance with Baker and Barbirolli is still the best on record. I've heard many others and none of them come close to this timeless classic.


Interesting. This is the 5-CD set. Reviewers agree, saying "...superb sound throughout the set; these recordings, representing Barbirolli at the top of his form, were made between 1963 and 1966, just before the advent of transistors in recording technology. The vacumn tube technology produced a much warmer, richer sound, and this comes across quite well in these re-masterings from the 1990s..."

And "...In almost all cases, the performances in this set are classic, arguably definitive performances. At $5 a disc in a sturdy pasteboard box that takes up minimal shelf space, it's also the ideal comprehensive edition for these recordings. From the two symphonies to the Serenade to the Cello Concerto with Du Pre, the little box holds vast musical treasure. If you don't have any Elgar but are considering, buy this collection before you purchase anything else. Unless you're a completist, it will suffice for the rest of your life."

I think I'll get this set.


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> Interesting. This is the 5-CD set. Reviewers agree, saying "...superb sound throughout the set; these recordings, representing Barbirolli at the top of his form, were made between 1963 and 1966, just before the advent of transistors in recording technology. The vacumn tube technology produced a much warmer, richer sound, and this comes across quite well in these re-masterings from the 1990s..."
> 
> And "...In almost all cases, the performances in this set are classic, arguably definitive performances. At $5 a disc in a sturdy pasteboard box that takes up minimal shelf space, it's also the ideal comprehensive edition for these recordings. From the two symphonies to the Serenade to the Cello Concerto with Du Pre, the little box holds vast musical treasure. If you don't have any Elgar but are considering, buy this collection before you purchase anything else. Unless you're a completist, it will suffice for the rest of your life."
> 
> I think I'll get this set.


It's an essential acquisition for the Elgar fan. Such passionate performances from Barbirolli. He clearly knew this music and the performances throughout are on a consistent high level.


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Flute Concerto


----------



## aleazk

aleazk said:


> Elliott Carter - Flute Concerto


I loved it. Very delicate and intricate. I'm listening to it again.


----------



## Turangalîla

My discovery of the week has been Rautavaara's piano concerti. I like Rautavaara, but these I _love_. I found the score to the first one and I am learning it already (it looks intimidating on the page, but the LH arpeggios are really quite easy, as are the RH clusters).


----------



## millionrainbows

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> My discovery of the week has been Rautavaara's piano concerti. I like Rautavaara, but these I _love_. I found the score to the first one and I am learning it already (it looks intimidating on the page, but the LH arpeggios are really quite easy, as are the RH clusters).


That sounds fantastic. Incredible! I'd never heard him. Thanx!


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Oboe Concerto. But the flute concerto is my new favorite.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gregorian Chant: Kyriale - Monks of the Abbey of St Pierre De Solesmis


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Piano Sonata No. 16

Love this so much.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> My discovery of the week has been Rautavaara's piano concerti. I like Rautavaara, but these I _love_. I found the score to the first one and I am learning it already (it looks intimidating on the page, but the LH arpeggios are really quite easy, as are the RH clusters).


:lol: I was just listening to this a few hours ago!


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Violin Concerto In D Minor, WoO 1*

I think Ill stick with this box for the rest of the day - listening to the Violin Concerto: what a beautiful tragic work


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
Symphony No.3 & 4
Academic Festival Overture


----------



## Turangalîla

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> :lol: I was just listening to this a few hours ago!


No way! Great minds think alike


----------



## SimonNZ

on Youtube:

Ligetti's Poeme Symphonique For A Hundred Metronomes


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Voces Intimae


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Rosalyn Tureck, piano (1957)

it would have looked much nicer if they'd used the Capitol edition cover art of this '57 recording for nostalgia purposes:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* The Tempest incidental music


----------



## ptr

On from a Fado morning to a Ogdon midday!

*Edward Grieg* - Piano Concerto Op 16 // *Robert Schumann* - Piano Concerto Op 54 // *Cesar Franck* - Symphonic Variations (EMI OOP?)









John Ogdon, piano; Philarmonia Orchestra u. Paavo Berglund (1+2) & John Barbirolli (3)

*Ferruccio Busoni* - Fantasia Contrappuntistica (Altarus I)









John Ogdon, piano

*Michael Tippett* - Piano Concerto & Piano Sonatas No 1 & 2 (EMI OPP?)









John Ogdon, piano; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Colin Davis

The last inspired by Mr Weston and Mr Neo, Ogdon's Tippett playing is bloody perfect AFAMC! 

/ptr


----------



## ArthurBrain

One of my favourite works by Messiaen and an excellent rendition IMO...


----------



## Kleinzeit

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Voces Intimae


grrrrrrrrrrrr

................


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> What's the best version of it? I have Sibelius' Second by Vanska and Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and while good, the recording is too ambient.


gonna get back to you on that, mr, got over 3 doz. versions, it's comes as filler with everything. Some orchestral, some with the singing, which always rips me up, because suomalainen.

And the proto-versions when it had all kinds of Russian-fooling titles, including 'Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring'.

fun facts: it was used in blow-up-good scenes in Die Hard 2: Die Harder because Renny Harlin's Finnish. 
It was the national anthem of Biafra.


----------



## SimonNZ

ptr said:


> On from a Fado morning to a Ogdon midday!


That made me feel like listening to one of my Fado discs I haven't played in a while:









a particularly well chosen one-cd sampler, i think

but playing now:









Bach's Trio Sonatas - Helmut Walcha, organ


----------



## SimonNZ

Kleinzeit said:


> fun facts: it was used in blow-up-good scenes in Die Hard 2: Die Harder because Renny Harlin's Finnish.
> It was the national anthem of Biafra.


Antonioni's Blow-Up? Thats a film I've seen a few times, but don't remember any Sibelius (though its been over a decade now). Do you remember which scene?


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> Antonioni's Blow-Up? Thats a film I've seen a few times, but don't remember any Sibelius (though its been over a decade now). Do you remember which scene?


Naw, man-- I mean blowed up _real good!_






In Die Hard 2! --at the end, when things is blowing up.

/real good


----------



## SimonNZ

Heh, sorry - must be time I took myself off to bed.

...but first I'm adding Blow-Up to my dvd rental queue again


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> Heh, sorry - must be time I took myself off to bed.
> 
> ...but first I'm adding Blow-Up to my dvd rental queue again


Saw it on Turner Classic Movies channel last year. You could do worse. When you get it, think on this (courtesy of cut & paste wiki magic):

scored by Herbie Hancock, although the music is diegetic, as Hancock noted: "It's only there when someone turns on the radio or puts on a record."

The most widely noted cameo was by The Yardbirds, who perform "Stroll On" in the last third. Antonioni first asked Eric Burdon to play that scene but he turned it down. As Keith Relf sings, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck play to either side, along with Chris Dreja. After his guitar amplifier fails, Beck bashes his guitar to bits, as The Who did at the time. Antonioni had wanted The Who in Blowup as he was fascinated by Pete Townshend's guitar-smashing routine. Steve Howe of The In Crowd recalled, "We went on the set and started preparing for that guitar-smashing scene in the club. They even went as far as making up a bunch of Gibson 175 replicas ... and then we got dropped for The Yardbirds, who were a bigger name. That's why you see Jeff Beck smashing my guitar rather than his!" Antonioni also considered using The Velvet Underground (signed at the time to a division of MGM Records) in the nightclub scene, but, according to guitarist Sterling Morrison, "the expense of bringing the whole entourage to England proved too much for him".

Michael Palin, later of Monty Python, can be seen briefly in the sullen nightclub crowd[ and Janet Street-Porter dances in stripy Carnaby Street trousers.

A poster on the club's door bears a drawing of a tombstone with the epitaph, Here lies Bob Dylan Passed Away Royal Albert Hall 27 May 1966 R.I.P., harking to Dylan's switch to electric instruments at this time.


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Concerto a Cinque in G Major, Op.5, No.4

Simon Standage leading Collegium Musicum 90

View attachment 18955


----------



## Guest

I'm a little sad that it's almost over. The last seven Mozart concertos should fill the morning:

































35 - K488, Piano Concerto #23 in A, Hélène Grimaud, Radoslaw Szulcl
36 - K491, Piano Concerto #24 in C minor, Geza Anda, Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteum
37 - K495, Horn Concerto #4 in E flat, Donna Agrell, Freiburger Barockorchester
38 - K503, Piano Concerto #25 in C, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
39 - K537, Piano Concerto #26 in D "Coronation", Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
40 - K595, Piano Concerto #27 in B flat, Murray Perahia: English Chamber Orchestra
41 - K622, Clarinet Concerto in A, Thea King; Jeffrey Tate: English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Schubussy

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 30, 31, 32
Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday --
Georg Muffat (1 June 1653-1704): Sonata No.4 in E Minor from 'Armonico Tributo'

Roy Goodman and Peter Holman leading the Parley of Instruments

View attachment 18959


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

Furtwangler, 1944
Klemperer, a live recording from the '50s.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*
> Furtwangler, 1944
> Klemperer, a live recording from the '50s.


Gawd blimey! Never heard either of those two fellows doing Anton. YouTube?


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos 30-32










Good morning


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

millionrainbows said:


> Interesting. This is the 5-CD set. Reviewers agree, saying "...superb sound throughout the set; these recordings, representing Barbirolli at the top of his form, were made between 1963 and 1966, just before the advent of transistors in recording technology. The vacumn tube technology produced a much warmer, richer sound, and this comes across quite well in these re-masterings from the 1990s..."
> 
> And "...In almost all cases, the performances in this set are classic, arguably definitive performances. At $5 a disc in a sturdy pasteboard box that takes up minimal shelf space, it's also the ideal comprehensive edition for these recordings. From the two symphonies to the Serenade to the Cello Concerto with Du Pre, the little box holds vast musical treasure. If you don't have any Elgar but are considering, buy this collection before you purchase anything else. Unless you're a completist, it will suffice for the rest of your life."
> 
> I think I'll get this set.


Yes... this looks like a marvelous set. I'm admittedly not a huge Elgar fan, but if anyone could persuade me, it would surely be Barbirolli.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The Goldberg Variations scored for string trio. A lovely way to begin a Sunday morning.


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv radio;
Delibes Flower Duet by no name given.

bodes one of them jasmine in yr mind days.
well


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday --
Federigo Fiorillo (1 June 1755-1822): Symphonie Concertante for 2 Flutes in G Major

Paul Kuentz directing the Paul Kuentz Chamber Orchestra -- Anne Utagawa and Dominique Hunziker, flutes

View attachment 18962


----------



## Mahlerian

Copland: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, Music for the Theater
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Barber* - String Quartet (Bolshoi SQ)

*Tchaikovsky* - String Quartet No. 1 (New Haydn SQ)

*Brahms* - Violin Sonatas 1 -3 (Barenboim, Perlman)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing with Bach:


----------



## Sonata

Last night. *Ravel* Rhapsodie Espagnole, and Ma Mere L'oye. Claudio Abbado with the LSO
Started with some morning *Haydn*, String quartet #57
Now onto *Mendelssohn* choral music. Disc 4 of my boxed set, first listen to this disc. Magnificant, Gloria, 6 Anthems.


----------



## DaveS

Now, the Scherzi


----------



## DaveS

I know that there is a category for sharing YouTube videos, but it gets little interest. I'd like to submit one that I feel is really worth one's attention. I have been a van Beinum fan for many years.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816
András Schiff, piano


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Piano Trio No.6 in E Flat, Op.93

Voces Intimae: Riccardo Cecchetti, piano -- Luigi de Filippi, violin -- Sandro Meo, cello..

View attachment 18966


----------



## ptr

Liederabend am Sonntag, umkreisen den Tenor Christoph Prégardien!

*Wolfgang Rihm* - Lieder (*Orfeo*)
(Vier Gedichte aus »Atemwende« (1973) / Das Rot für (Sechs Gedichte der Karoline Günderode, 1990) / Gesänge op. 1 (1968/1970) / Neue Alexanderlieder (Fünf Gedichte von Ernst Herbeck, 1979))










Ursula Hesse, mezzosopran; Christoph Prégardien, Tenor; Ulrike Stöve, Sopran; Yaron Windmüller, Bariton; Axel Bauni, Siegfried Mauser & Tatjana Blome, Klavier

*Between life and death *- songs and arias (*Challenge*)










Christoph Prégardien, tenor & Michael Gees, piano

*Gustav Mahler* - Lieder (*Hänssler*)
(Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Rückert-Lieder, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen)










Christoph Prégardien, tenor & Michael Gees, piano

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Poulenc - Suite from Les Biches.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DaveS

Debussy--3 Images for Orchestra. Van Beinum, ACO. From the live radio recordings.


----------



## Kieran

The 'Gangerl.

K503, C-Major PC, which I have given the Beethovenian nickname _Triumph of the Spirit!_

Mitsuko on the stool...


----------



## DrKilroy

Satie's music for film Entr'acte.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sonata

*Mozart: Zaide*.

This is my second listen as I traverse through my catologue of music. I was very unimpressed the first time around and regretted the purchase. This listen is more favorable. To be sure, it's not top-drawer Mozart. But I do enjoy several of the songs in here. It actually took me awhile to warm to the Magic Flute as well. Plain and simple, if it's not Mahler or R. Strauss style orchestral lieder, it takes me time to warm to singing in German.

*Vivaldi*: Continuing in my Big Vivaldi Box. Honestly too lazy too look up which pieces I heard. One was for harpsichord and strings, the other for just strings. Beautiful adagio in the string piece

*Shostakovich* String Quartet #2. A world away from this morning's Haydn SQ, but I like this piece very much!


----------



## drpraetorus

Tchaikovsy, March Slav.


----------



## bejart

Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739- 1813): Flute Quartet in C Major, Op.7, No.6

Uwe Grodd on flute with Janaki String Trio: Serena McKinney, violin -- Katie Kadarauch, viola -- Arnold Choi, cello

View attachment 18972


----------



## DrKilroy

Satie - Furniture Music. Currently the first part - Curtain of a Voting Booth. That would be great if this piece was actually played at the polling station. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Elgar's* (1857 - 1934) birthday, Enigma Variations (arr. piano), with Garzon (rec.1998).

View attachment 18978


----------



## DrKilroy

Horn evening!

Strauss - Horn Concerto No. 1
Strauss - Horn Concerto No. 2
Mozart - Horn Concerto No. 1
Mozart - Horn Concerto No. 4

Best regards, Dr


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}.* Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76,* both featuring the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D 200, Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D 759 {"Unfinished"}. *All three symphonies feature Maestro Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 18920
> This low-budget 1995 digital recording of Haydn Symphonies No. 45 'Farewell' and No. 49 'La Passione' by the Baltic Chamber Orchestra, Samuel Litkov, conductor is really very good. Am comparing No. 49 to Dorati's analog version from the Boxed Set and it is a case of apples and apples. Dorati's opening movement, an Adagio (ala Corelli) in 3/4, takes more than 10 minutes, while the Baltic Band moves along with a timing 46 seconds shorter. In that defining movement Dorati's is really more _passione_, I feel. Dorati also uses the harpsichord (very much in the background) and the Baltic group does not. However, each of the performances have both the verve and the restraint that I like in performances of Haydn. The Baltic recording can be had on Amazon new for $8.99, and used for $2.99.


Good ears, Nighthawk. This has been one of my Hall of Fame Cheapo Recs for over a decade. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Bone said:


> I almost broke youtube today jumping between unfamiliar Bruckner 8's. Enjoyed the Furtwangler most; Von Matacic was interesting; and Boulez was a complete waste of time. I'll push on to Harnoncourt, Jochum, and Bohm tomorrow. Wand has moved into a solid 2nd place for me behind HvK - I almost gave up on Gunter at the beginning of the finale, but the glorious chorale about 5:30 in kept my attention.


BPO/Jochum (DG, 1964) is my favorite amongst all.


----------



## Manxfeeder

TalkingHead said:


> Gawd blimey! Never heard either of those two fellows doing Anton. YouTube?


I don't know if they're on YouTube. I have two of Furtwangler doing the 8th; this one is on Music & Arts, 10/1944, which is better than the other recording I have just because it has less people coughing.

Klemperer did the 8th twice also, once in a studio in a version which cut parts out of, I believe, the last movement, and the one I have, which was live. I can't find the CD case at the moment, so I don't know much more about it.


----------



## DeepR

Scriabin Sonata No. 8






Great, just listened to it for the first time. I found this piece easy to appreciate. I don't pretend to have a clue about the advanced theoretical/compositional aspects involved in Scriabin's music. I'm just inexplicably drawn towards the exotic harmonies and mysterious atmosphere. I can't tolerate much (early) modern music, but somehow it works with Scriabin. There is enough "breathing space" for my ears... his music has a warm and organic quality that makes me want to listen to it over and over again.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Haydn Variations.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> BPO/Jochum (DG, 1964) is my favorite amongst all.


I'm listening now.


----------



## Cheyenne

Ralph Vaughan Williams' Phantasy Quintet.. Good one for before bedtime!


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit, Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
Jean-Philippe Collard









And after Ravel, something to unravel...

...

...Yes, that was bad even by my own standards, and I am duly ashamed.

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
London Philharmonic, cond. Welser-Moest


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> And after Ravel, something to unravel...


There oughta be a law!


----------



## ArthurBrain

This Sibelius work has such an atmosphere to it IMO. I was quite surprised on first listening some years ago...


----------



## Kleinzeit

ArthurBrain said:


> This Sibelius work has such an atmosphere to it IMO. I was quite surprised on first listening some years ago...











especially big *like*


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

The opera _Voyevoda _was a work that Tchaikovsky attempted but failed to complete, but Arensky completed his own operatic rendition of the same story some years later, which he called _Dream on the Volga._

Tchaikovsky's overture:





Arensky's overture:





Which is better?


----------



## ArthurBrain

Bernard Herrmann's score to 'Farenheit 451'. His music often added another element to films, most notably Hitchcock's.










The haunting prelude:


----------



## Skilmarilion

Huilunsoittaja said:


> The opera _Voyevoda _was a work that Tchaikovsky attempted but failed to complete, but Arensky completed his own operatic rendition of the same story some years later, which he called _Dream on the Volga._


Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe _The Voyevoda_ was Tchaikovsky's first completed opera, which he subsequently destroyed.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky* _Petrouchka (Revised 1947 Version)_
- Minneapolis SO under Antal Dorati (Mercury)

*de Falla*
_The Three-Cornered Hat
Interlude and Dance from La Vida Breve
Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo_
*Rimsky-Korsakov*
*_Capriccio espagnol_
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Kenneth Jean & *Royal PO under Adrian Leaper (Naxos)

*Gounod* _Waltz from Faust_
- Choir & Orch. of Paris National Opera under Georges Pretre (EMI)

*Album: Amistad - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack*
- Music composed and conducted by *John Williams* (DreamWorks)

*Henry Cowell* _Three Anti-Modernist Songs_
- Ellen Lang, mezzo-sop. & Cheryl Seltzer, piano (Naxos)


----------



## Kleinzeit

ArthurBrain said:


> Bernard Herrmann's score to 'Farenheit 451'. His music often added another element to films, most notably Hitchcock's.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The haunting prelude:


This one too:









I feel that the strange dissonant passage in Sibelius' Pohjola's Daughter which programmatically describes the scene from Kalevala (the 8th runo known as "The Wound") in which old man Väinämöinen gashes his leg with an ax, then runs around bleeding, while building a boat to impress the northern maiden 
is the inspiration for Herrmann's Psycho knife/windshield wipers voop voop theme.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Kleinzeit said:


> This one too:
> 
> View attachment 19024
> 
> 
> I feel that the strange dissonant passage in Sibelius' Pohjola's Daughter which programmatically describes the scene from Kalevala (the 8th runo known as "The Wound") in which old man Väinämöinen gashes his leg with an ax, then runs around bleeding, while building a boat to impress the northern maiden
> is the inspiration for Herrmann's Psycho knife/windshield wipers voop voop theme.


I'll have to check that out....

I also have that album.


----------



## geve

right now- a TV Arts Channel concert recording of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, conducted by Gabor Takacs-Nagy, play Mozart Overture, Lucio Silla, Mozart Piano Concerto No 16, and Beethoven's majestic Symphony No 4. Pianist Lars Vogt.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Symphonies 1 & 3, with St. Petersburg PO/Jansons (rec.1992 - '98); Symphony 2, with LSO/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1988).








View attachment 19025
View attachment 19026


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 75

I am really enjoying this one.


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers - Andrew Parrott, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Per Elgar's birthday!

Now:










Next:










Then:










Going to listen to _Enigma Variations_ and then _In the South_.


----------



## maestro57

Prokofiev - Symphony No. 4 in C major (Revised 1947 Version), Op. 112, (IV) Allegro risoluto (Scottish National Orchestra, Cond. Neeme Jarvi)


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Skilmarilion said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe _The Voyevoda_ was Tchaikovsky's first completed opera, which he subsequently destroyed.


You are right, I misremembered. Arensky's was considerably longer than Tchaikovsky's, developing the story more.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Hate to cut the Elgar birthday bash off but I had to have my Prokofiev fix for the night:










Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Rozhdestvensky completely in his element here.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> Hate to cut the Elgar birthday bash off but I had to have my Prokofiev fix for the night:
> 
> Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Rozhdestvensky completely in his element here.


not here though


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> not here though
> 
> View attachment 19028


No, I'm not fond of Rozhdestvensky's Sibelius but I'm pretty biased when it comes to Sibelius recordings anyway. I already have my favorites and not many other conductors outside my favorites (Berglund, Vanska, Segerstam, Bernstein) measure up. Rozhdestvensky will always be more valid and noteworthy in Russian music.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 45, "Farewell Symphony"

One of my favourite Haydn works.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Also good with Sibelius: Neeme Järvi, Ole Schmidt, Herbert Blomstedt, Kurt Sanderling.


----------



## GreenMamba

Schoenberg Chamber Symphonies 1 and 2. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> Also good with Sibelius: Neeme Järvi, Ole Schmidt, Herbert Blomstedt, Kurt Sanderling.


Sanderling is an underrated Sibelian IMHO. Don't think much of Blomstedt's Sibelius performances.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> Sanderling is an underrated Sibelian IMHO. Don't think much of Blomstedt's Sibelius performances.


Like with the thread 'what can you listen to over & over', going to have to listen to many sym 5s soon. The final chords are the axis for me, the pass-or-fail fulcrum.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> Like with the thread 'what can you listen to over & over', going to have to listen to many sym 5s soon. The final chords are the axis for me, the pass-or-fail fulcrum.


In all honesty, I seldom listen to Sibelius these days. My favorite symphonies are the 4th, 6th, and 7th.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Yes, the 6th-- can't wait for CoAG to get around to that one.

I simply can't pick a favourite. I think of them as a work.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> Yes, the 6th-- can't wait for CoAG to get around to that one.
> 
> I simply can't pick a favourite. I think of them as a work.


I really dislike the 1st. The 2nd is pretty good. The 3rd really picks up the pace and finds Sibelius crystalizing his style. The 5th is a very good work but overexposure to it in the beginning has waned me off of it quite a bit.


----------



## Kleinzeit

I used to dislike the 1st. "Tchai's 7th', more like Balakirev's 3rd. Now I admire it as 'after Kullervo'.


----------



## Kleinzeit

..........................


----------



## Neo Romanza

EllenBurgess said:


> i love you like a love song baby
> by selena gomez
> and after this i would listen to
> let it rain over me


 A sad day for the classical music listening thread.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - String Quartet No. 59, "Rider"


----------



## Feathers

Usually I'd try to mix it up a bit, but sometimes I just feel like listening to music of the same genre and from around the same time period:

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5, "Reformation"

Spohr: Symphony No. 6, "Historical"

Moscheles: Symphony in C Major


----------



## chrisco97

Lots of Haydn tonight...

*Haydn* - Keyboard Concerto, Hob.XVIII:11

This is delightful.


----------



## SimonNZ

just finished:









Obrecht's Missa Caput - Oxford Camerata, Jerremy Summerly, dir.

starting now:









Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Nos. 1,2 and 3 - Melvyn Tan, fortepiano


----------



## Sonata

Handel: Chandos Anthem 5 and Water Music. Finally warming to Water Music a little bit.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart, K564, piano trio, to wake me up. Kungsbacka Trio...


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Maria Yudina, piano


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1680-1762): Concerto Grosso No.7 in D Minor

I Musici: Roberto Michelucci and Walter Gallozzi, violins -- Aldo Bennici, viola -- Mario Centurione, cello - Maria Teresa Garatti, harpsichord

View attachment 19038


----------



## ptr

Morning set:

*George Gershwin* - Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris (*Decca*)









Louis Lortie, piano; Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal u. Charles Dutoit

*Freddy Chopin* - 10 Mazurkas, Prelude, Ballade, Scherzo (*DG*)









Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano

*Per Nørgård* - Violin Concertos 1 & 2 / Spaces of Time (*Bis*)









Peter Herresthal, violin; Ida Mo, piano; Stavanger Symphony Orchestra u. Rolf Gupta

And now on to:

*Louis Vierne* - 24 Pieces De Fantaisie (*BNL*)









Olivier Latry, organ

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

Another long one but this cd touched me deeply, and the story behind it has a lot to do with various ideological battles in music and the way out of it (which is for a composer to just stick to his guns) so I did a spiel about it!










*Howard Blake* _Lifecycle (World Premiere Recording - made in the composer's presence)_
- William Chen, piano (ABC Classics)

This was my first listen to this and I enjoyed it immensely. _*Lifecycle*_ is a set of 24 piano pieces that were written across a forty year span of the composer's life, from the 1950's to the 1990's. Over those years, parts of the set where premiered by various pianists (including Vladimir Ashkenazy, who was very encouraging to the composer) but this recording came out in 2003, a year after they where published as one integral set.

In a technical sense, the set goes back to tradition, with one piece in each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys. There are many influences here, especially from early to mid 20th century composers for piano.

The pieces have many contrasting forms (eg. there's a mazurka, a nocturne, a berceuse, a ragtime, a chaconne, a scherzo, many tone paintings), but overall these pieces bring images to the mind, much like Debussy or Rachmaninov. Many of them also have a nostalgic, intimate and pensive feel. The complete set of 24 pieces was dedicated to Vladimir Ashkenazy and stand in memory of a dear friend of Mr. Blake, an Australian illustrator called Dianne Jackson, who died prematurely of cancer. Some of her illustrations are incorporated into the cover of this disc.

An irony is that in the 1950's when he started to compose the earliest of these pieces, Blake temporarily withdrew from composition, since he felt strongly at odds with the radically experimental trends and ideologies in post-war music and didn't see much of a future as a composer. However it wasn't long before he returned to composition, especially for his own instrument, the piano.

Fast forward to 2002, and a chance meeting in London with Chinese born Australian pianist William Chen, a possibility presented itself for_ Lifecycle_ to finally be recorded in full. Its inspiring in some ways to think that despite all the damaging things that occurred in music in the post-war era, this is one of its success stories. The notes say that this is "one of the most significant works for solo piano by a British composer to appear for many years."

But for me this is one of those cd's that I connected with upon the first listen, and pretty deeply. Its touched some deep emotions in me and I won't think twice about returning to it soon.


----------



## Kieran

Amazing story, Sid! Perseverance is surely a quality any composer must possess, and even after he lost heart, it seems, he kept the candle lit in the background. I must look for this in town tomorrow, sounds like a heroic work...


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Symphony No.7 "Angel Of Light" - Leif Segerstram, cond.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Schenck (3 June 1660-ca. 1720): Viola Sonata No.1 in D Major

Sandor Szaszvarosi, viola -- Angelika Csizmadia, harpsichord -- Nora Kallai, viola continuo

View attachment 19047


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio, first of the after-midnight full cds:

JC Bach Sinfonias - David Zinman

and though I'm off to bed now its no doubt the insomnia will have me wide awake listening to the radio I leave playing softly as the next disc comes on:









Malipiero piano works - Sandro Ivo Bartoli, piano


----------



## Novelette

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto #4 in D Minor, Op. 31 -- Itzhak Perlman; Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre de Paris

This isn't an easy choice, but I think that the fourth violin concerto among Vieuxtemps' marvelous set is my favorite.

Haydn: String Quartet #66 in G, Op. 64/4, H 3/66 -- Kodály Quartet


----------



## Andolink

Bent Sørensen: Minnewater (1988); Sirenengesang (1994)
Esbjerg Ensemble/Jues Van Hessen








E. J. Moeran: String Trio
Maggini String Quartet








Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 "Serioso"
The Alexander String Quartet


----------



## Kieran

Ludovico Einaudi, In a Time Lapse.

This was given to me recently and it's not bad, ambient and occasionally stirring. First listen and I'm enjoying it...


----------



## ptr

Afternoon Tea:

*Paul Dessau* - Orchesterwerke Vol I & II (Berlin / Berlin OOP?)







..








Gewandhausorchester Leipzig - Paul Dessau / Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester Leipzig - Herbert Kegel / Staatskapelle Berlin - Gunther Herbig // Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin - Rolf Kleinert / Staatskapelle Berlin - Otmar Suitner / Staatskapelle Berlin - Paul Dessau

And a slightly bitter tea at that!

/ptr


----------



## Kleinzeit

ptr said:


> Afternoon Tea:
> 
> *Paul Dessau* - Orchesterwerke Vol I & II (Berlin / Berlin OOP?)
> 
> View attachment 19053
> ..
> View attachment 19054
> 
> 
> Gewandhausorchester Leipzig - Paul Dessau / Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester Leipzig - Herbert Kegel / Staatskapelle Berlin - Gunther Herbig // Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin - Rolf Kleinert / Staatskapelle Berlin - Otmar Suitner / Staatskapelle Berlin - Paul Dessau
> 
> And a slightly bitter tea at that!
> 
> /ptr


I like Eisler-- now I want to hear this guy.


----------



## Sonata

Kieran said:


> Ludovico Einaudi, In a Time Lapse.
> 
> This was given to me recently and it's not bad, ambient and occasionally stirring. First listen and I'm enjoying it...


I haven't heard that one in particular, but I enjoy Einaudi. My husband and I sometimes listen to him when we wind down for the night.


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> I haven't heard that one in particular, but I enjoy Einaudi. My husband and I sometimes listen to him when we wind down for the night.


Yeah, he's that kind of music, isn't he? Between easy and intense, very flowing and clean, beautiful in parts, totally atmospheric. Reminds me sometimes of an Italian Michael Nyman, very easy to see why his music is also used in films...


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven 4th symphony. Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra. The first movement is really lovely.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Concerti and Sonatas, with Bylsma, Mullova, Carmignola, Suzuki, Ogg, et al (rec.1989 - '07).

View attachment 19057
View attachment 19058
View attachment 19059


----------



## rrudolph

Listening to some Ives today. At the very least I plan on listening to all four of his completed symphonies and the Concord Sonata, although some other works will probably sneak in there too.

Listening to the Concord Sonata makes me feel somewhat depressed about what has happened to the intellectual life of my country. Although American popular culture has never been particularly profound (it is, after all, popular culture), we did at one time have thinkers such as Emerson and Thoreau writing on universally important themes. These days, with the successful use of contemporary marketing techniques to demonize any sort of intellctual activity as "elitism", the US seems to be drowning in a sea of belligerent ignorance. Very sad.


----------



## Kleinzeit

rrudolph said:


> Listening to some Ives today. At the very least I plan on listening to all four of his completed symphonies and the Concord Sonata, although some other works will probably sneak in there too.
> 
> Listening to the Concord Sonata makes me feel somewhat depressed about what has happened to the intellectual life of my country. Although American popular culture has never been particularly profound (it is, after all, popular culture), we did at one time have thinkers such as Emerson and Thoreau writing on universally important themes. These days, with the successful use of contemporary marketing techniques to demonize any sort of intellctual activity as "elitism", the US seems to be drowning in a sea of belligerent ignorance. Very sad.


For me that feeling is built in to classical music. I started with the 2nd Viennese and travelled towards Mozart & Haydn because I felt that their (M & H) times were too heartbreakingly distant. It wasn't a golden age of brute reality certainly, but that there was an aesthetic, spiritual mind that was gone now embalmed in a porcelain lost world of distant music. And that the 20th c. was still kicking like a big fish bleeding on the deck. I see i was wrong about Mozart & Haydn. They're tough guys for good. 
So it's not so much sadness in music, as tragedy. Which is the world.

And though no condition is permanent, nothing changes.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3_. Great performance.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Concerto in C Minor For Oboe & Violin, BWV 1060R -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Haydn: Piano Sonata #53 in E Minor, H 16/34 -- Jenö Jandó

^ This sonata is among my own favorite works to play. Such a joy! One of these days, I will begin working toward playing all of Haydn's wonderful sonatas--great exercises for dexterity and precision, to boot!

Bach: Violin Concerto #1 in A Minor, BWV 1041 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Grieg: Stimmungen, Op. 73 -- Libor Pešek: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 4 'Adagio'_. Pretty cool work. I'll say this: though I like Penderecki's music, I don't think I could ever love it, but only time will tell.


----------



## Kieran

K254, Divertimento in B flat, Kungsbacka Trio...


----------



## ArthurBrain

Shostakovich: Piano concerto no 2.


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## Sudonim

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:


I didn't know Redd Foxx wrote symphonies.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 10_. A great symphony with a tremendous 20 minute _Adagio_.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Sudonim said:


> I didn't know Redd Foxx wrote symphonies.


when you google image search 'Red Foxx' this cover actually comes up!


----------



## Mika




----------



## Neo Romanza

Any Aho fans here?


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Keyboard Concerto, Hob. XVIII:2

I love his Keyboard Concertos. A lot.


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Symphony no. 4.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cheyenne

Mahler's Symphony No. 8. His optimism unconvincing? I find it utterly convincing.


----------



## Plum

Yesterday, piano trios by Goldmark, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Alkan. Symphonies Ops. 42 & 45 by Boccherini, and Lachian Dances and Taras Bulba by Janacek. Today, the piano concerto by Alkan. Still deciding what's in store for later tonight.


----------



## ptr

Neo Romanza said:


> Any Aho fans here?


I quite enjoy his Organ Music, but the rest seems a bit "shallow" to my ears! But to be honest, I've only sampled it quite infrequently..

Night Music:

*Béla Bartók* - Sonata for Violin solo, Sz 11 / Sonata for Violin and Piano no 1, Sz 75 / Sonata for Violin and Piano no 2, Sz 76 / Rhapsody for Violin and Piano no 1, Sz 86 / Rhapsody for Violin and Piano no 2, Sz 89 (*Harmonia Mundi*)










Isabelle Faust, Violin; Ewa Kupiec, Piano; Florent Boffard, Piano

Fantastic Bartók!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mika said:


>


What a strange cover. I don't usually equate Shostakovich's quartets with laughter. Unless it's sarcastic laughter; maybe that's what they're going for. The Finnish do have a right to join Shostakovich in that emotion.


----------



## Kieran

Manxfeeder said:


> What a strange cover. I don't usually equate Shostakovich's quartets with laughter. Unless it's sarcastic laughter; maybe that's what they're going for.


Yeah, I thought that too, what a lousy, hilarious cover. I wonder what they were going for with it...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Op. 20.*

If I'm lucky, I can get the Quatour Mosaiques recording of this at a discount tomorrow, so I'm seeing if the Kodaly recording needs a new neighbor.

Following up with *Mozart's Quartet in A Major* by the Mosaiques.


----------



## ArthurBrain

Not the biggest opera fan in the world overall but Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle has an other worldly element...


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D major, Op.107 {Reformation"}, *both featuring the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.1 C Minor, Op.3 {"The Bells of Zlonice"}, *performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589. *Both works are traversed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ptr said:


> I quite enjoy his Organ Music, but the rest seems a bit "shallow" to my ears! But to be honest, I've only sampled it quite infrequently..
> 
> /ptr


Always interesting how ears hear things differently. In your opinion, what makes his music shallow? I can point to many works that convey a deep emotional core.


----------



## NightHawk

Yesterday I listened to all the 'Paris Symphonies' (82-87), and #88, as well. Today I am listening to the 12 'London' Symphonies. I love Haydn, so much, but the interesting part for me in this particular listening is that all were recorded by LBernstein with the NYPhil. First time I've listened to 'big orchestra' Haydn in a long, long while, and I am glad to report that they are glorious recordings. Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven always groused for bigger orchestras, so the skinny period performances (of which, I have many) may not have been their choice if they'd had the NYPhil at their disposal.


----------



## NightHawk

Op. 20 is a great opus! I love them all, but especially the G minor. 



Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Quartet Op. 20.*
> 
> If I'm lucky, I can get the Quatour Mosaiques recording of this at a discount tomorrow, so I'm seeing if the Kodaly recording needs a new neighbor.
> 
> Following up with *Mozart's Quartet in A Major* by the Mosaiques.
> 
> View attachment 19073
> View attachment 19074


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

17 & 18


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Aho's _Clarinet Concerto_. Always an enjoyable listen. Fantastic performances.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Elgar's Sea Pictures - Janet Baker, mezzo, Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## Guest

Keeping an open mind and giving this a listen:









Sir Paul McCartney, Standing Stone
London Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster conducting


----------



## Sid James

*Telemann* Suite for Strings and Basso Continuo, in E sharp major, "La Lyra"
Camerata Romana under Hanspeter Gmur

*Boccherini* Quintet for Strings in E major, G.275 (this is the one with the famous "Boccherini Minuet" - it's the third movement!)
Danubius SQ with Gyorgy Eder, cello

*Rachmaninov* The Isle of the Dead
USSR SO under Evgeni Svetlanov

*Album: Black and White - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack*
Music by *Cezary Skubiszewski*, performed by the composer on piano with Victorian PO under Daryl McKenzie (Review/more info here: http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-4.html#post270935)


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi madrigals and arias - Nadia Boulanger and friends (1937)

first appearance of Monteverdi on record, I believe, and still a fascinating performance


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 44, "Traursymphonie"


----------



## SimonNZ

chrisco97 said:


> *Haydn* - Symphony No. 44, "Traursymphonie"


Which recording?


----------



## chrisco97

The one by the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb & Antonio Janigro. It is an amazing perfomance, in my opinion.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nice. I've got an old Vanguard lp of Janigro doing Haydn's "Philosopher" and "Lamentation" that I'm very fond of.


----------



## chrisco97

SimonNZ said:


> Nice. I've got an old Vanguard lp of Janigro doing Haydn's "Philosopher" and "Lamentation" that I'm very fond of.


Awesome. I love their performances of Haydn's symphonies.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Revisiting this recording after several years:










As good, if not better, than I remembered.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 101, "The Clock"

I simply cannot get enough of Haydn's music. :lol:


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Flute Concerto.


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Cello Concerto


----------



## ProudSquire

*Brahms*

Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major

Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## aleazk

Ravel - Sonata for Violin and Piano.
One of my favorite pieces by Ravel.


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*'s Symphony No.8 & 10


----------



## SimonNZ

Berio's Sinfonia - Swingle Singers and New York Philharmonic conducted by the composer


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Glazunov: Piano Sonata No.2 / Gilels, 1950 Moscow, Live

Glazunov: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra / Heifetz, Barbirolli, London Philharmonic, 1934


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Stimmung - Theatre Of Voices, Paul Hillier, dir.


----------



## chrisco97

*Schubert* - String Quartet No. 14, "Death and the Maiden"

Such an epic piece of music.


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert - Winterreise

Peter Schreier & András Schiff.


----------



## tdc

*Heinrich Schutz* - _Schwanengesang_

Paul Hillier, Tapiola Chamber Choir


----------



## ProudSquire

*Franz Liszt*

Three Concert Études - Etude No. 3 '_Un sospiro_' in D flat Major

Ida Cernecka


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Andras Schiff, piano


----------



## Sid James

*Henry Cowell* 
_Quartet for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord
Polyphonica for small orch.
Irish Suite, for String Piano and Small Orchestra_
Continuum group of NYC directed by Cheryl Seltzer & Joel Sachs

*Boccherini*
_Guitar Quintet in C Major, G.453 "La Ritirata di Madrid"
Guitar Quintet in E Minor, G.451_
Zoltan Tokos, guitar with Danubius SQ


----------



## ptr

Neo Romanza said:


> Always interesting how ears hear things differently. In your opinion, what makes his music shallow? I can point to many works that convey a deep emotional core.


Well, for me, having heard one of his works I find it very easy to predict what he will do with his material, most of the things I have herd of his are very formulaic and for me do not seem very inspired. He (in my simpletonian view) is one of a host of contemporary composers that write music exceedingly fluently, bur who rarely have anything interesting to express. Hence shallow in my ears, which needn't apply to anything You hear/experience... 

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Sonata No.47 in D Major

Benedek Csalog, flute -- Rita Papp, harpsichord

View attachment 19087


----------



## Kieran

Chopin cello sonata in g-minor, on the radio. It's beautiful and I never even knew it existed! How sweet is that?


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Keeping an open mind and giving this a listen:
> 
> View attachment 19078
> 
> 
> Sir Paul McCartney, Standing Stone
> London Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster conducting


What was it like, Jerome?


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
František Škroup (3 June 1801-1862): String Quartet No.1 in F Major, Op.24

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Libor Kanka, violins -- Zbynek Padourek, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 19088


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> What was it like, Jerome?


It was not bad. The orchestration was better than I expected. Paul has a good handle on counterpoint and it seemed like he utilized everything available to him. However, overall I was a little bored. Maybe after he is dead I'll find it more interesting. The deader the better, you know.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dowland's Third Booke Of Songs 1603 - Consort Of Musicke, Anthony Rooley, dir.


----------



## ptr

Morning:

*Sally Beamish* - 'The Seafarer' (*Bis*)
(Concerto No.2 for Viola and Orchestra 'The Seafarer' // Whitescape // Sangsters)









Tabea Zimmermann, viola; Svenska Kammarorkestern u. Ola Rudner

*Karl-Birger Blomdahl *- Symphonies No 1 - 3 (*BIS*)









Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester u. Leif Segerstam

*Hilding Rosenberg* & *Lille Bror Söderlundh* - Violin Concertos (*Caprice*)









Leon Spierer, violin; Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra u. Arvid Jansons (1) & Leo Berlin, violin; Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Stig Westerberg

_And now on to:_

*Gunnar de Frummerie* - Cello and Violin Concertos & Symphonic Variations (*Caprice*)









Mats Lidström, cello; Tobias Ringborg, violin; Symfoniorkestern Norrköping u. Lü Jia

/ptr


----------



## Guest

K588, Così Fan Tutte
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir
Amanda Roocroft, Rosa Mannion, Etc.


----------



## Stemahl

Violin Sonatas No. 5 "Spring" and No. 9 "Kreutzer" by Beethoven on Naxos. Takako Nishizaki - Violin. Jeno Jando - Piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Gondwana - Yves Prin, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Ein Musikalischer Spass, K. 522
Haydn: Quartet No. 55 in D, Op 71 No. 2


----------



## Kleinzeit

Manxfeeder said:


> What a strange cover. I don't usually equate Shostakovich's quartets with laughter. Unless it's sarcastic laughter; maybe that's what they're going for. The Finnish do have a right to join Shostakovich in that emotion.


This is Finnish aesthetics when they're not being severely organic-modernist.
Perhaps illustrated by the story: Man goes to buy a race horse. Horse breeder says, 'yonder is my fastest horse. I'll whistle for him to come'. The horse races over at blinding speed, hits his head on a post and falls over. Guy says, 'I wanted a fast horse, not a blind horse'. Breeder says, 'oh, he's not blind; he just doesn't give a ****.'


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> It was not bad. The orchestration was better than I expected. Paul has a good handle on counterpoint and it seemed like he utilized everything available to him. However, overall I was a little bored. Maybe after he is dead I'll find it more interesting. The deader the better, you know.


Prolly orchestrated by George Martin...


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner Symphony 9 - Karajan/Berlin Philharmoniker


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv radio:
Glazunov String Quartet No. 2 Op. 10
Utrecht Quartet

Oracular meaning: going to be a lotsa rubato day in the warm spring rain.


----------



## julianoq

Continuing my Maurice Ravel exploration, just started my very first listening of Daphnis et Chloé. Expectation is high after listening to his great String Quartet!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Continuing to explore HVK, now with the first disc of the Mendelssohn box set - Symphonies 1 & 5.


----------



## ptr

Afternoon:

*Franz 'Frasse' Berwald* - The Four Symphonies (DG OOP)









Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Prolly orchestrated by George Martin...


Lol! And then recoded at half speed.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Lol! And then recoded at half speed.


Played backward it probably says, "I love Yoko too!"


----------



## Neo Romanza

ptr said:


> Well, for me, having heard one of his works I find it very easy to predict what he will do with his material, most of the things I have herd of his are very formulaic and for me do not seem very inspired. He (in my simpletonian view) is one of a host of contemporary composers that write music exceedingly fluently, bur who rarely have anything interesting to express. Hence shallow in my ears, which needn't apply to anything You hear/experience...
> 
> /ptr


Thanks for your feedback but how much experience do you have with his music? What works have you heard?


----------



## Kleinzeit

This was on the tv radio so I didn't go nowhere, it's raining hard anyway.

Not like it's the best take ever, Toronto Symphony doesn't exactly sound the sounds that open the gateway into the Finnish racial unconscious. But Saraste does put Lemminkäinen in Hell before the Swan of Hell, which makes more sense.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Lieder and Notturni. Elly Ameling.


----------



## NightHawk

@*SONATA* I need to acquire more Elly Ameling. I have one album, a lieder album with pianist Jorg Demus when she was in her thrilling prime. She does 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', but the greatest song in the set is (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen) 'The Shepherd on the Rock' for voice, clarinet and piano. What a joy!


----------



## NightHawk

*@SimonNZ*

So, inquiring minds want to know - what did you think? I have no Murail in my collection but am very attracted by what I read on Wikipedia and his 'spectral' techniques.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19095
> 
> 
> Tristan Murail's Gondwana - Yves Prin, cond.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Schubert's First & Second Symphonies - HVK/BPO

Half way through the Second Symphony and I am again surprised how all the focus on Schubert Symphonies lands on 5, 8 & 9.


----------



## OboeKnight

Vivaldi Oboe Concerti performed by Stefan Schilli....love his tone. Very full and dark.


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Rapsodie Espagnole, S 254 -- Leslie Howard

Mendelssohn: Symphony #2 in B flat, Op. 52, "Hymn of Praise" -- Dohnányi: Wiener Philharmoniker

Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione Di Poppea -- Sylvia McNair; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir


----------



## ptr

Neo Romanza said:


> Thanks for your feedback but how much experience do you have with his music? What works have you heard?


Not much, only the few pieces that Bis has recorded! 

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

K380, violin sonata, Barenboim & Perlman...


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Des Knaben Wunderhorn (*Hyperion*)









Stephan Genz, baritone & Roger Vignoles, piano

/ptr


----------



## kv466




----------



## lunchdress

Back from a little road trip and it's very gray and gloomy outside so I am happy to be inside today with Shostakovich No 5, next No. 9
5 - Haitink / Concertgebouw (5), London PO (9)


----------



## Neo Romanza

lunchdress said:


> Back from a little road trip and it's very gray and gloomy outside so I am happy to be inside today with Shostakovich No 5, next No. 9
> 5 - Haitink / Concertgebouw (5), London PO (9)
> View attachment 19104


A great 9th. A so-so 5th.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ptr said:


> Not much, only the few pieces that Bis has recorded!
> 
> /ptr


So you own the whole BIS series too.  I urge you to reconsider your stance on Aho. I think he's one the finest composers working today. A traditionalist, like Shostakovich, but, also like Shostakovich, really pushed the musical envelope but always retained a piece of himself in the music.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Today, I'm going to revisit some of the Shostakovich Jarvi recordings I own but I'm also going to squeeze in some Holmboe.

Now:










Next:










And then:


----------



## ptr

Neo Romanza said:


> So you own the whole BIS series too.  I urge you to reconsider your stance on Aho. I think he's one the finest composers working today. A traditionalist, like Shostakovich, but, also like Shostakovich, really pushed the musical envelope but always retained a piece of himself in the music.


Most of them Culled, and I don't see why I should reconsider? Even taken as a traditionalist and compared with some one born in 1905 I can't really see/hear that he brings anything personal to the musical table. There are so many other contemporary composers out there that I find much more giving so I focus on them instead!

/ptr


----------



## chrisco97

Kieran said:


> Chopin cello sonata in g-minor, on the radio. It's beautiful and I never even knew it existed! How sweet is that?


I did not know that either...turns out I have it in my collection! How exciting. Will listen to it later.


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*:
String Quintet In C major
Rondo in A major
Rosamunde Overture


----------



## Neo Romanza

ptr said:


> Most of them Culled, and I don't see why I should reconsider? Even taken as a traditionalist and compared with some one born in 1905 I can't really see/hear that he brings anything personal to the musical table. There are so many other contemporary composers out there that I find much more giving so I focus on them instead!
> 
> /ptr


Fair enough. I used to have the same problems with Holmboe, but then, years later, something clicked with me. Now, I really enjoy his music. If I had just culled my Holmboe collection, I probably would have regretted it later on, but that was your decision to make and not mine, thankfully.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Piano Music
Kotaro Fukuyama








I prefer Aki Takahashi's versions for the live set I have of all of Takemitsu's chamber music, but this Naxos disc has a few things that series doesn't, and it's all collected in one place.


----------



## julianoq

I like a lot of performances of my favorite violin concerto (Sibelius), but I always go back to this one. I think I could listen to this forever!


----------



## ptr

Neo Romanza said:


> Fair enough. I used to have the same problems with Holmboe, but then, years later, something clicked with me. Now, I really enjoy his music. If I had just culled my Holmboe collection, I probably would have regretted it later on, but that was your decision to make and not mine, thankfully.


Maybe, mea culpa, he who lives will know... I'm not claiming any truth here. but it is interesting You bring up Holmboe, he is a Nordic composer that I consider to have loads of personal character, not easily accessible for most, but very individual! For me, he is someone who is on the opposite side of the traditional scale compared Aho...

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Night:

*Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji* - Organ Symphony No 1 (Continuum)









Kevin Bowyer, organ

/ptr


----------



## Neo Romanza

ptr said:


> Maybe, mea culpa, he who lives will know... I'm not claiming any truth here. but it is interesting You bring up Holmboe, he is a Nordic composer that I consider to have loads of personal character, not easily accessible for most, but very individual! For me, he is someone who is on the opposite side of the traditional scale compared Aho...
> 
> /ptr


I actually never found Aho that accessible either but that's because there's so much happening in his music that the ear doesn't quite pick up on the nuances in the music until repeated listens. I think Aho's music is loaded with character but he's cut from a different cloth than Holmboe obviously. Holmboe is more of a rugged Neoclassicist with some Sibelian residue left over. Aho is more elusive. Part Shostakovich, part Rautavaara, with some elements of Jon Leifs and Mahler thrown in for good measure.


----------



## Mahlerian

On DVD:
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat
London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, cond. Tennstedt









No, the symphony _does not_ have a title, thank you very much!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> No, the symphony _does not_ have a title, thank you very much!


None of them do.


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Piano Concerto.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Ravndal

I have listened to more songs today, than I have done in my entire life. Maybe it is the start of something? Been listening to Peter Schreier sing Schubert, Dvorak and Schumann.

Also been listening to Schubert String Quartets No 13 & 14.

Currently enjoying Borodin String Quartet No 2.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Szymanowski*: Music for Violin & Piano, with Kramer & Durcan (rec. 2005). My expectations were high, but these artists and recording engineer have topped them. 

View attachment 19108


----------



## DrKilroy

Mythes is one of my favourite Szymanowski's works!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _The Book Of Questions_. An interesting work.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> Played backward it probably says, "I love Yoko too!"


Yoko Ono's 80. Who woulda thunk.

I still think she should've had the bed-in with Sonny Bono. Yoko Ono Bono has a nice ring to it. Imagine.


----------



## Mahlerian

Neo Romanza said:


> None of them do.


Well, the 6th may or may not have had the moniker "Tragiche" attached at one performance in the notes, and early on he gave a title to the 3rd, but it was never promulgated.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> Well, the 6th may or may not have had the moniker "Tragiche" attached at one performance in the notes, and early on he gave a title to the 3rd, but it was never promulgated.


It reminds of Bruckner in this sense. Some birdbrain gave his symphonies names as well like the 3rd being nicknamed "Wagner" and the 6th being called "The Philosophical".  Pretty lame.

Edit: Bruckner's 1st was actually given the nickname "The Saucy Maid" not the 3rd.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by listeners DK, M, and KV...*Lutoslawski*: Piano Concerto, with Zimerman/BBCSO/Lutoslawski (rec.1989); *Takemitsu*: Piano Works, with Tateno (rec.1996); *Mendelssohn*: Music for Cello & Piano, with Meneses & Wyss (rec.2007).

View attachment 19109
View attachment 19110
View attachment 19111


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> Chopin cello sonata in g-minor, on the radio. It's beautiful and I never even knew it existed! How sweet is that?


K, if I may...Rostropovich & Argerich rec. is oft recommended, but I prefer Ma & Ax, and the Piano Trio is exceptional, also. :tiphat:

View attachment 19113


----------



## Vaneyes

chrisco97 said:


> *Haydn* - Symphony No. 101, "The Clock"
> 
> I simply cannot get enough of Haydn's music. :lol:


And, if I could, I'd give that tagline 4 *Likes*.


----------



## Guest

Searched for something that would taste good with my Guiness and this is what I came up with:









Gustav Mahler, Das Lied Von Der Erde, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland

This is the only recording of this piece that I have ever heard. It sounds pretty good, but how would I know?


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Played backward it probably says, "I love Yoko too!"


I'm rolling on the floor and just spilled my Guiness! Thanks Kieran. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> What a strange cover. I don't usually equate Shostakovich's quartets with laughter. Unless it's sarcastic laughter; maybe that's what they're going for. The Finnish do have a right to join Shostakovich in that emotion.


I have a few surly thoughts of what may have induced that front cover, but I'll keep them to myself.


----------



## lunchdress

The sun has finally come out but I am still inside, enjoying Alexander Glazunov - The Seasons

Philharmonia Orchestra & Yevgeny Svetlanov
(downloaded from iTunes)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartets Opus 20/1, 20/5, and 20/6.*


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op.59, No.1

Fine Arts Quartet: Leonard Sorkin and Abram Loft, violins -- Gerald Stanick, viola -- George Sopkin, cello

View attachment 19115


----------



## Tristan

Adam - Giselle










Listening to it while reviewing The Aeneid


----------



## Kieran

*Don* *Giovanni*, Giulini conducting, composed by WAM...


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Rain Spell - Robert Aitken, flute, et al


----------



## bejart

Ludwig Spohr (1784-1859): Quintet in C Minor for Piano and Wind Quartet, Op.52

Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano -- Hermann Klemeyer, flute -- Hsns Schoneberger, clarinet -- Olaf Klamand, oboe -- Josef Peters, bassoon

View attachment 19117


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartets Op. 20, Nos. 2, 4, and 3.*


----------



## NightHawk

Try some Ravel songs, I like particularly the _Chansons Madecasses_ for Soprano, Flute, Cello and Piano.



Ravndal said:


> I have listened to more songs today, than I have done in my entire life. Maybe it is the start of something? Been listening to Peter Schreier sing Schubert, Dvorak and Schumann.
> 
> Also been listening to Schubert String Quartets No 13 & 14.
> 
> Currently enjoying Borodin String Quartet No 2.


----------



## Valkhafar

Gotterdammerung, Sir Georg Solti conducting.


----------



## chrisco97

*Schubert* - Symphony No. 5

A delightful symphony. I have really, really enjoyed it so far. 

Up next is *Schubert*'s "The Trout".


----------



## Novelette

Gluck: Alceste -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

Rameau: L'Impatience -- Gary Cooper: New Chamber Opera

Palestrina: Missa Lauda Sion -- Pro Cantione Antiqua


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 1_. I bought this set back in January and I'm just now giving it a listen.


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Adagio and Allegro, Op.70

Marek Jerie, cello -- Ivan Klansky, piano

View attachment 19118


----------



## Sonata

Keeping up with my Haydn today with string quartets 57 and 58
Listened to Wagner bleeding chunks "Ring Without Words"
And now onto Weber's clarinet concertino in E flat.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now continuing with Jarvi's Shostakovich:










Listening to _Symphony No. 9_. Great performance.

Next:










Going to listen to _Violin Concerto No. 2_ with Kyung-Wha Chung.

Then:


----------



## millionrainbows

Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987): Third String Quartet, Op.81 (1959) and Fourth String Quartet, Op.122 "Parable X" (1972). The Lydian String Quartet (Centaur). Both of these are at least partially twelve-tone. Persichetti was one of America's top musical thinkers.

George Perle (1915-2009): Complete Wind Quintets; Dorian Wind Quintet (New World). Excellent driving-around-town music! Summer is here, and I always get out my wind quintet CDs. These are serial, but very fun to listen to.

George Perle (1915-2009): Piano Works; Michael Borskin, piano (New World). A less than optimal recording; dark, too echo-laden, indistinct; but Borskin is good. The fiendishly-difficult Six New Etudes, esp. Perpetuum Mobile, are flawless and jaw-dropping.


----------



## chrisco97

Getting familiar with Schubert's works...have not listened to much of any of his work prior to tonight.

*Schubert* - Sonatina No. 1


----------



## Weston

Woh! Some of you are listening to some heavy stuff tonight.

Tonight my deep listening was shallowed a bit by light work I needed to get done.

*Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, CT. 48*










I'm usually luke warm to Chopin, but tonight this fit my mood perfectly. I'd almost call this a piano sonata with a little orchestra thrown in for color though.

Movement 1
The opening theme is pleasant enough, almost like late Mozart (though Allmusic says it's like Hummel) but with a lot more of Chopin's chromaticism.

Movement 2.
Very lovely, possibly my favorite movement of the piece

Movement 3. 
This is where it gets a little too much for me. It's so deeply romantic it has the usual bits of thematic material interrupted by noodling. I love noodling, it's just that my tastes usually run to a lot less of it. However this was still enjoyable for me as Chopin does let the orchestra make a little noise in this one.

*Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 8 in A major, Op. 26 *










As Myaskovsky wrote close to 30 symphonies maybe we can consider this a middle period? This is another piece with some movements that really appealed to me and others that left me a little unsatisfied.

Movement 1.
Shades of Shostakovich, or maybe this is just what early 20thc Russian music sounds like? Though written in the 1920s it reminds me of film noir music a bit. Possibly film noir borrowed from this style. The mood alternates between light and dark, fast and slow, adventurous and introspective in an engaging way. Formally, the movement seems to end on an odd pensive question which seems unusual to me. If it is a question, it does not seem to be addressed in the next movement.

Movement 2.
This was the highlight of the evening for me. It's a bit jovial but with underlying unsettling aspects, also reminding of Shostakovich. It uses what sounds like a strange time signature or at least strange accents, the kind I love because they can be slightly bewildering. It is either in 7/8, or just uses a seven note motive that is given a thorough workout. This movement would work very well out of context.

Movement 3.
This movement reminds me very much of Holst's Neptune if he had written it as a kind of woodwind concerto. The opening phrases are almost lifted right out of Neptune (or vice versa). Oboes, clarinets and bassoons dominate this mystic and peaceful lament for the folly of mankind. I don't usually like the timbre of some woodwinds, but these come across as ancient beings from Faerie muttering in their beer. I could relate to that.

Movement 4.
Seems festive at first, then puts a three (or is it six?) note motive through the meat grinder. I would usually enjoy this, but there is something about the ostinato-like repetition and the nails on chalk board sonorities I found a little ugly, but only a little. The movement ends decisively on some violent orchestral stabs that are how I would a imagine a heart attack would sound if you were having one -- and they darn near gave me one.

Pretty good listening evening.


----------



## Feathers

Scriabin: Symphony No. 3









Only had time for one symphony today, and it was a good one.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Feathers said:


> Scriabin: Symphony No. 3
> 
> View attachment 19119
> 
> 
> Only had time for one symphony today, and it was a good one.


My favorite Scriabin symphony but I vastly prefer the Muti performance with the Philadelphians.


----------



## Weston

TheProudSquire said:


> *Brahms*
> 
> Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major
> 
> Beaux Arts Trio


I'm confused.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19084
> 
> 
> Bach's Goldberg Variations - Andras Schiff, piano


I love Schiff's work, especially his Schubert and Beethoven, but he takes some of the WTC way too fast for me. I haven't heard this album though.

This thread is very hard to keep abreast of!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's String Quartets


----------



## SimonNZ

Weston said:


> I love Schiff's work, especially his Schubert and Beethoven, but he takes some of the WTC way too fast for me. I haven't heard this album though.


Interesting - I'll have to dig out his Decca WTC set and give it another listen. It was in fact the first WTC I heard, back when i was eighteen, so I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to it, Though I haven't played it in quita a while.

His Decca Goldbergs are a solid if slightly reticent performance, but if you really want to hear him do this work get his 2001 recording for ECM. As with Gould '81 the benefit of more than twenty years between recordings has revealed a greater sense of the overall sweep and structure of the music, rather than a stop and start of individual fragments. It also benefits from the famed ECM recording techniques. I lent it to someone years ago and never got it back - must get another.

He's also done a new WTC for ECM, but I haven't had a chance to hear that yet.

(also: I'm not TheProudSquire but I think the Beaux Arts Trio have the help of Walter Trampler to make them a quartet)


----------



## NightHawk

The great William Christie, conductor of _Les Arts Florissants_ conducts what looks to be a partially 'enacted' performance of Giacomo Carissimi's Oratorio _Jepthe_. This is the final chorus, _plorate filii Israel_ a work of surpassing beauty. It was composed circa 1648. Enjoy.


----------



## drpraetorus

Saint-Saens Sym.#3


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann - Liederkreis op 39

Peter Schreier & Norman Shetler.

Good way to start the day


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Winterreise - Karl Schmitt-Walter, baritone, Hubert Giesen, piano


----------



## aleazk

Debussy - Préludes, by Pierre-Laurent Aimard.


----------



## Turangalîla

aleazk said:


> [...] Pierre-Laurent Aimard.


♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ :clap:


----------



## Altus




----------



## SimonNZ

"Gregorian Chant: The Office For The Dead (Prima Missa In Commemoratione Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum)" - Monks Of The Benedictine Abbey Of St Martin, Beuron


----------



## Kieran

Dimitri Kabalevski, cello concerto #2, performed by Steven Isserling...


----------



## Ravndal

Dvorak - Gypsy Songs op. 55

Marian Lapsansky & Peter Schreier


----------



## Guest

Antonin Dvorák
Neeme Jarvi, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70
Symphony No. 8 in G, Op. 88
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op.95, "From the New World"


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Lost Landscapes - Pekka Kuusisto, violin, Paavali Jumppanen, piano


----------



## Ravndal

Dvorak - Love songs Op.83 

Marian Lapsansky & Peter Schreier


----------



## ptr

Morning and Noon:

(Coincidence?)
*Alexander Scriabin* - Symphony No 3 (Warner)









USSR Symphony Orchestra u. Evgeny Svetllanov

(Just to spite myself!  )
*Kalevi Aho* - Symphonic Dances & Symphony No 11 (*Bis*)









Kroumata Percussion Ensemble; Lahti Symphony Orchestra u. Osmo Vänskä

And No, both works are Ok, but I don't hear the person behind, both works could have been written 75 years ago and therefore could have been staples of the repertoire, but written after 1990 they seem merely as well written pastiches to me.. 

(And now as a light lunch entertainment..)

*Sir William Walton* - Façade: An Entertainment - The Complete Extant Numbers (*Hyperion*)









Eleanor Bron & Richard Stilgoe, reciter; The Nash Ensemble u. David Lloyd-Jones

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Aho's Symphony No.13 "Symphonic Character Studies" - Osmo Vanska, cond.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto in G Minor, P.342

Antonio Janigro conducting I Solisti di Zagreb: Julius Baker, flute -- Karl Hoffamnn, bassoon -- Herbert Tachezi, harpsichord

View attachment 19129


----------



## Kieran

Brahms cello sonata in e-minor, Isserling and Hough.

Second time this morning...


----------



## aleazk

*Pierre Boulez* - _Sur Incises_.

What a great composer Boulez is!. And consistently good!.


----------



## SimonNZ

Milton Babbitt's Transfigured Notes - Gunther Schuller, cond.


----------



## Stemahl

EMI Double Disc with Sir John Barbirolli conducting Mahler 6 with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss played by the London Symphony Orchestra. I bought this for the Mahler to try another performance of the 6th (I already have Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra which is a good recording), but I am really enjoying the Strauss piece. His Tod und Verklarung was the only previous piece I enjoyed but now I think I will be picking up more of his work. As some of you may tell I am quite new to Classical music - under 6 months but it is becoming an obsession.


----------



## SimonNZ

Does that mean that at some point in the future you're going to be hearing the Four Last Songs for the first time?

Ah, make sure you do it properly and savor that moment.


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> Does that mean that at some point in the future you're going to be hearing the Four Last Songs for the first time?
> 
> Ah, make sure you do it properly and savor that moment.


Hesse sagt: *heh heh*


----------



## Stemahl

SimonNZ said:


> Does that mean that at some point in the future you're going to be hearing the Four Last Songs for the first time?
> 
> Ah, make sure you do it properly and savor that moment.


Yes it does, I'm intrigued now. Any particular recordings? I hardly ever order online, I prefer to browse the shop. But I am quite lucky that I have a used book shop in town that also has a great selection of used Classical music on CD and vinyl so I will keep an eye out, thanks.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stemahl said:


> Yes it does, I'm intrigued now. Any particular recordings? I hardly ever order online, I prefer to browse the shop. But I am quite lucky that I have a used book shop in town that also has a great selection of used Classical music on CD and vinyl so I will keep an eye out, thanks.


My absolute favorite, and a desert island disc is the Gundula Janowitz recording on DG with Herbert von Karajan conducting. That might seem odd, given that my avatar is for the Lisa Della Casa recording, and that too is very good. Elizabeth Schwartzkopf with Szell is another great.















Its one of those pieces that classical music types tend to feel very strongly about the best recording (more often than not their first love). I'd be very interested to hear what the rest of the crowd here feel is the greatest.

Anyway that really is a treat to look forward to. Enjoy!


----------



## Kleinzeit

I don't know from great, but I do plump for Finns


----------



## EricABQ

I "discovered" this recording after I purchased something I can't remember and it showed up as a "others also bought this" recommendation. I sampled it and immediately purchased it. It has become one of my favorite recordings and a very pleasant discovery.

I like the way the music straddles the line between happy and melancholy (at least that is my perception, anyway.)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Peteris Vasks' String Quartet No.4 - Kronos Quartet


----------



## ptr

Afternoon:

*César Franck* -Organ Works 2CDs (Erato)









André Marchal, organ

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Michael Nyman's soundtrack to the film Drowning by Numbers, which is 13 movements of variations on the slow movement of K364, Sinfonia Concertante. I have to say, I really enjoy what he did here...


----------



## julianoq

Another day started with Bruckner, another good day!

Just listened to the 5th symphony with Harnoncourt:










And now started my first listening to this performance of the 7th with Bohm and the VPO:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Op. 33, No. 5.*


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Michael Nyman's soundtrack to the film Drowning by Numbers, which is 13 movements of variations on the slow movement of K364, Sinfonia Concertante. I have to say, I really enjoy what he did here...


I do love this too. Maybe a bit of a guilty pleasure now? (ah, don't be so snobby, Kleinz) Saw the movie again just recently and realized I'm not as in love with Greenaway as I was in the 1980s but so what. The man has a voice and an oeuvre. But Nyman's music is to a foxy, attentive part of my brain as bagpipes are to a battle-ready highlander.

factoid: Drowning By Numbers was the movie Jerzy Kosinski watched the night before he killed himself.


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> I do love this too. Maybe a bit of a guilty pleasure now? (ah, don't be so snobby, Kleinz) Saw the movie again just recently and realized I'm not as in love with Greenaway as I was in the 1980s but so what. The man has a voice and an oeuvre. But Nyman's music is to a foxy, attentive part of my brain as bagpipes are to a battle-ready highlander.
> 
> factoid: Drowning By Numbers was the movie Jerzy Kosinski watched the night before he killed himself.


Crikey! That's sad. Just read about that on wiki: really terrible way to kill himself. Poor guy was under immense strain.

Less tragic factoid; I knew the Nyman music before I ever heard K364. I think Nyman based other music on K364, but I've never encountered it...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Crikey! That's sad. Just read about that on wiki: really terrible way to kill himself. Poor guy was under immense strain.
> 
> Less tragic factoid; I knew the Nyman music before I ever heard K364. I think Nyman based other music on K364, but I've never encountered it...


No no-- good way. Hemlock Society standard. Bad circumstances, good method.

Current listening sometime today: K364

However it's so windy you can garden without blackflies, so hours to grab. The old boombox only plays cassettes. Messiaen it is.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Nyman = easy listening Top 40


----------



## Cheyenne

Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet.. I have few words to spare.


----------



## Stemahl

SimonNZ said:


> My absolute favorite, and a desert island disc is the Gundula Janowitz recording on DG with Herbert von Karajan conducting. That might seem odd, given that my avatar is for the Lisa Della Casa recording, and that too is very good. Elizabeth Schwartzkopf with Szell is another great.
> 
> View attachment 19134
> View attachment 19135
> 
> 
> Its one of those pieces that classical music types tend to feel very strongly about the best recording (more often than not their first love). I'd be very interested to hear what the rest of the crowd here feel is the greatest.
> 
> Anyway that really is a treat to look forward to. Enjoy!


That's funny, I've seen that exact Karajan performance in the shop but didn't buy it because I have already got Death and Transfiguration, and I was unsure if I would like the other pieces Metamorphosen and the Four Last Songs. I can't say I am yet a fan of choral/vocal? (you can tell I'm a newb) music, but I was recently recommended a CD by the gentleman who owns the store which I've got to say has stayed in my stereo since I got it (along with Gardiner doing Beethoven's 7th Symphony because I haven't quite killed it yet, and one other disc that changes each day) - a collection of Masses by Haydn including the Nelson Mass, Harmoniemesse, and others.


----------



## Altus

Lets get some Corelli on authentic period instruments in here! What a great recording this is, a gem in my collection. I am glad someone uploaded it to youtube!


----------



## Kieran

Neo Romanza said:


> Nyman = easy listening Top 40


But he's a modern composer and he doesn't wear a wig!

But yeah, he's pop, but this is _good_ pop...


----------



## Stemahl

After the rambling last post I didn't say what my current listening was:

Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony by Karajan on a double disc called BASIC Mendelssohn (part of the DG label). His Violin Concerto next, also conducted by Karajan with Nathan Milstein.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Re Strauss' Metamorphosen. Had Comden, Green & Styne been listening to this in 1959-60 when they wrote 'Make Someone Happy'? Can you hear the germ of the tune in it?


----------



## Ravndal

Mozart - Sonata in D Major for two Pianos, K. 448

Murray Perahia & Radu Lupu.


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert - Fantasia in F minor for Piano, Four hands, D.940

Murray Perahia & Radu Lupu.


----------



## Kieran

K339, vespers Laudate Dominum, that beautiful music that somehow puts me in mind of Schubert's Ave Maria. Once I was driving and heard this music on the radio, without knowing who or what it was. But I knew it was Mozart. Somehow, I recognised that it was Mozart. It was the majesty and restraint all in the one bundle of musical bars. It soared, but with tremendous tact and reverence...


----------



## ptr

Evening double:

*Bruno Maderna*

- Quadrivium / Aura / Biogramma (*DG*)









Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks u. Giuseppe Sinopoli

- Concerto for piano and orchestra / Concerto for oboe and orchestra n.2 / Y despues for solo guitar / Liriche su Verlaine for soprano and piano (Stradivarius)









Emanuele Arciuli, piano; Omar Zoboli; oboe; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi u. Sandro Gorli; Elena Casoli, guitar; Alda Caiello; soprano & Maria Grazia Bellocchio, piano

/ptr


----------



## Arsakes

*Ravel*:
Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte
Le Tombeau De Couperin
La Valse (Poeme Choregraphique)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Beethoven* - Piano Concertos # 3 and 5 (Weissenberg, Berliner Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan)









*Schubert* - Piano Trios (Wu Han, Philip Setzer, David Finckel)


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to the documentation of the finale fragment of Bruckner's Symphony No. 9. Quite interesting and very well explained.


----------



## Kieran

K618, Ave Verum Corpus...


----------



## LindnerianSea

After listening to Franz Schmidt's 4th symphony, stumbled upon Richard Wetz's three symphonies. The first symphony is spectacular particularly. Brucknerian scope with some wonderful melodies, brilliant orchestral colour.


----------



## Mika

My first ever Karol


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Cello Concerto.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Valkhafar

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2. Conducting by Sir Georg Solti, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## chrisco97

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 1

Ahhh...sooo beautiful


----------



## ptr

*Charles Tournemire* - Suite de morceaux pour orgue (*Aeolus*)










Michelle Leclerc @ the Organ of Iglesia San Vicente, San Sebastián, Spain

/ptr


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Italian opera arias recorded c. 1938-41. The tile says it all.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to some Barber. Completely unrelated, but it reminded me I need to visit mine.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mussorgsky/Ravel.*

I'm glad I wasn't playing oboe on the Ravel. Solti races through the Prelude.


----------



## Sid James

*Henry Cowell*
_Piano pieces: Deep Color, The Fairy Answer, Fabric, Tiger (a)
Suite for Violin and Piano (b)_
(a) Joel Sachs, piano (b) Mia Wu, violin & Cheryl Seltzer, piano

*Album: Latcho Drom - Original Film Soundtrack*
_A journey across gypsy cultures and musics from India, through the Middle East to Europe, featuring the playing of musicians from India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France & Spain_

*Walton* _Violin Concerto_
Salvatore Accardo, violin with London SO under Richard Hickox

*Bruch* _Scottish Fantasy_
Arthur Grumiaux, violin with New Philharmonia Orch. under Heinz Wallberg


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Frank Bridge, The Sea.*


----------



## Kleinzeit

Sid James said:


> *Henry Cowell*
> _Piano pieces: Deep Color, The Fairy Answer, Fabric, Tiger (a)
> Suite for Violin and Piano (b)_
> (a) Joel Sachs, piano (b) Mia Wu, violin & Cheryl Seltzer, piano
> 
> *Album: Latcho Drom - Original Film Soundtrack*
> 
> _A journey across gypsy cultures and musics from India, through the Middle East to Europe, featuring the playing of musicians from India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France & Spain_
> 
> *Walton* _Violin Concerto_
> Salvatore Accardo, violin with London SO under Richard Hickox
> 
> *Bruch* _Scottish Fantasy_
> Arthur Grumiaux, violin with New Philharmonia Orch. under Heinz Wallberg


hey! Latcho Drom-- terrific movie, terrific music movie. Peoples of the world: memorize the name & never pass up a chance to see it


----------



## Kieran

"Don Giovanni, a cenar teco m'invitasti a son venuto."


----------



## Weston

Slightly off topic and not that it matters, but I wonder what a "like" means in this thread. We like the piece you are listening to? We like that you are listening to it? We like that composer, or that recording? 

I think for my part, on the few I dish out, I like that piece. I feel I have to know the piece to "like" it.


----------



## Kieran

Weston said:


> Slightly off topic and not that it matters, but I wonder what a "like" means in this thread. We like the piece you are listening to? We like that you are listening to it? We like that composer, or that recording?
> 
> I think for my part, on the few I dish out, I like that piece. I feel I have to know the piece to "like" it.


Good question! I think it's all three. If I don't know the work, then the listener has introduced me, even if only on ground floor level. Also, I thank the listener for sharing. Also, if there's description or personal anecdote, I acknowledge and express gratitude. I think the like button is in place of a reply, which would be probably only saying I liked reading that. But it makes for a curious cultural interaction!


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> Good question! I think it's all three. If I don't know the work, then the listener has introduced me, even if only on ground floor level. Also, I thank the listener for sharing. Also, if there's description or personal anecdote, I acknowledge and express gratitude. I think the like button is in place of a reply, which would be probably only saying I liked reading that. But it makes for a curious cultural interaction!


Pretty much this for me also. With one exception: I don't like it - and I don't "Like" it - when there is no indication of the performer of the work, even when (or especially when) its a work I love.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> Slightly off topic and not that it matters, but I wonder what a "like" means in this thread. We like the piece you are listening to? We like that you are listening to it? We like that composer, or that recording?
> .


Usually when I "like" something, it means I wish I were there listening with them. But sometimes I "like" a posting that introduces me to a piece or composer I hadn't considered before, and sometimes it is just a thumbs-up for a well-written post.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Just thinking yesterday should start a thread asking what new like-type buttons would be useful, like the foolish 'poke' in Facebook, but good.
"I sure do appreciate that you're listening to this fine piece"
"I've never heard this before, well I never"
"You're my hero/ine for listening to this recherche music"
"Bully, well done, I don't much rate Elgar but.."

Like that.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Two great, yet sometimes underappreciated, piano concerti! ...

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 24 (Ashkenazy, Philarmonia Orchestra)

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Matsuev, Orchestre de Paris)


----------



## SimonNZ

Cipriano De Rore's Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem - Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel, dir.


----------



## lunchdress

Manxfeeder said:


> Usually when I "like" something, it means I wish I were there listening with them. But sometimes I "like" a posting that introduces me to a piece or composer I hadn't considered before, and sometimes it is just a thumbs-up for a well-written post.


I agree with this so I liked it!


----------



## lunchdress

Just finished listening to a couple of new pieces (new to me; again, thanks to everyone for sharing!)

John Adams - Harmonielehre
which led to:
Steve Reich - Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards 

both performances by Edo de Waart & San Francisco Symphony


----------



## chrisco97

Right now, I am listening to *Beethoven*'s - String Quartet No. 4...

Which is likely going to be followed by *Beethoven*'s Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor".


----------



## Neo Romanza

lunchdress said:


> Just finished listening to a couple of new pieces (new to me; again, thanks to everyone for sharing!)
> 
> John Adams - Harmonielehre
> which led to:
> Steve Reich - Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards
> 
> both performances by Edo de Waart & San Francisco Symphony


The Edo de Waart performance of Adams' _Harmonielehre_ was my introduction to this work. Still a great performance, although, now, I prefer MTT's performance. Have you heard the MTT?


----------



## Novelette

Rameau: La Princesse de Navarre -- Nicholas McGegan: English Bach Festival Singers & Baroque Orchestra

Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor -- Leonard Rose; Eugene Ormandy: Philadelphia Orchestra

Liszt: Weber: Ouverture Oberon, S 574, "Clavier-Partitur" -- Leslie Howard

Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 in G, BWV 829 -- Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76
Dohnanyi: Symphony No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Violin Concerto "Distant Light" - Gidon Kremer, violin and cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Sinfonia in C Major for Strings, RV 116

I love this one.


----------



## Weston

Eschewing pictures tonight.

*Franz Schubert: 
Overture to Alfonso und Estrella, D. 732, "Rosamunde"
Overture to Fierrabras, D. 796
Christian Benda; Prague Sinfonia (Naxos)*

Of these two the Fierrabras is by far the better for me. There is an awful lot of raging going on in both overtures to the point I almost think it is not Beethoven but Schubert who straddled the line between the classic period and the romantic. Of course, I've long felt both composers were really late classical.

*
Claude Debussy: 
Piano Trio in G (reconstructed)
Joachim Trio (Naxos)*

Very charming piece all around, especially the second movement! This is a younger, slightly less mysterious Debussy, but no less magical. 
*
Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24.
Tolga Kashif / The Philharmonia Orchestra*

I hadn't listened to this much since I was a kid, and I think I had a scratchy monaural recording back then. So I knew the music, but never with this kind of modern clarity! I myself felt transfigured. This is beyond stunning. The best listening I've had in months. Why, oh why is Zarathustra considered more his masterpiece I'll never understand. For me this is it. One minor thing -- the transfiguration part seems to last about 6000 years so it's more like a gradual fossilization, but I can't imagine the piece any other way.

What a nice evening -- and my work is done too, for now.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

For a brooding and dark night...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Ester Magi (1922 -) is quite an interesting figure in Estonian music. She seems to occupy a place between Neoclassicism and a Bartokian Modernism (she uses Estonia folk melodies to a good extent in her music). Listening to her haunting _Vesper_ for string orchestra right now. Lovely music.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Piano Concerto No. 3_. This is my favorite set of the Saint-Saens piano concerti, although I still have a strong liking for the Roge/Dutoit set.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3_, then off to bed.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Piano Concerto No. 9 in E Flat Major "Jenamy"
Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major
Piano Concerto No. 16 in D Major

Mitsuko Uchida
Jeffery Tate
English Chamber Orchestra

An excellent way to end the night. I am much enamored by the 12th concerto, the more I listen to it the greater my appreciation for it amplifies. Mitsuko's execution was superb. The 16th concerto is an excellent piece, albeit quite neglected. I've always enjoyed it; it's charming and very tuneful. And now, I will try to fall to sleep.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould, piano (1981)


----------



## Kivimees

Listening to the news about recent weather in Prague put this in mind:


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Violin Concerto - Jaakko Kuusisto, violin, Osmo Vanska, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Quartet No. 1 for Flute and String Trio


----------



## Kieran

*Brahms *German Requiem, performed by Lisa Milne and Markus Bruck, with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Donald Runnicles...


----------



## ptr

Morning:

3 X *Per Nørgård*

- Borderlines (Violin Concerto No 2) (2002) / Dream Play (1975) / Voyage into the Golden Screen (*Dacapo*)









Rebecca Hirsch, violin; Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra u. Giordano Bellincampi

- String Quartets 7, 8, 9 & 10 (*Dacapo*)









Kroger Quartet

- Symphony No. 6 'At the End of the Day' (1998-99) / Terrains Vagues (2000, revised 2001) (*Chandos*)









Danish (Radio) National Symphony Orchestra u. Thomas Dausgaard

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Dona Nobis Pacem - Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Paul Hillier, dir.


----------



## MagneticGhost

http://www.talkclassical.com/25848-talk-classical-project-1101-a.html

This morning I've been doing my revision for the Talk Classical Project.

So far

Bob Ostertag - All The Rage
Dvorak - String Quartet No.14
Gabrieli: In Ecclesiis
Higdon: Concerto for Orchestra - This is awesome

About to start Schubert Mass No.5 in A Flat

Please come and join our dwindling crew of voters and nominees. Like this thread - it's a great way to introduce yourself to works and composers you are not familiar with.


----------



## MagneticGhost

SimonNZ said:


> Pretty much this for me also. With one exception: I don't like it - and I don't "Like" it - when there is no indication of the performer of the work, even when (or especially when) its a work I love.


I am guilty of sometimes listing works without the performers.
Today, it's because the performer is irrelevant. I've not heard the pieces before so I am searching up on Spotify and listening to the first I come across.

Other times, it's because it's just popped up on my ipod and I either don't know, or can't remember which performer it is.

Sometimes when I'm posting using my iPhone, it's just too much like hard work


----------



## Ravndal

Steve Reich, 6 Pianos


----------



## SimonNZ

Boulez's Le Marteau Sans Maitre - Hilary Summers and Ensemble InterConpemperain cond. by composer


----------



## Guest

Just trying to wake up.









Johann Sebastion Bach
BWV 211 & 212
Emma Kirkby, Soprano
Rogers Covey-Crump, Tenor 
David Thomas, Bass
Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Acient Music


----------



## Guest

> Originally posted by *Kieran*:
> 
> Good question! I think it's all three. If I don't know the work, then the listener has introduced me, even if only on ground floor level. Also, I thank the listener for sharing. Also, if there's description or personal anecdote, I acknowledge and express gratitude. I think the like button is in place of a reply, which would be probably only saying I liked reading that. But it makes for a curious cultural interaction!


Kieran, you "like" everything. That's what I "like" about you.


----------



## ptr

Eine kleine lunch musik:

*Alban Berg* - String Quartet Op 3 (*Onyx*)









Kuss Quartet

*György Ligeti* - String Quartet No. 2 (1968) (From the "Clear or Cloudy set) (*DG*)









LaSalle Quartet

*Bedrich Smetana* - String Quartet No 1 'From My Life' (*Hyperion*)









Dante Quartet

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Kieran, you "like" everything. That's what I "like" about you.


What can I say? There's a lot to like! 

Currently listening to Wolfgangerl, K564, piano trio performed by the Kungsbacka Massive!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio - first of the after midnight full cds:

Telemann Overtures - Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

This has arrived today and I have started listening to disc 1

Nabucco - Ricardo Muti


----------



## Sonata

Vivaldi concertos.
On track 80 of my Big Vivaldi Box, more than halfway through.


----------



## ptr

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - Metamorphic Variations & Meditations on a theme by John Blow (BBC/Carlton OOP?)









BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Vernon Handley // Royal Liverpoll Philharmonic u. Sir Charles Groves

/ptr


----------



## Cheyenne

Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quartet, this time with the Emerson's. Technically proficient certainly, and significantly more lyrical than the Tacáks, I still find them to be inferior. The Tacáks delivered a visceral experience, with an intensity I have rarely heard; the Emerson's provided a less engrossing but also passionless performance. In brief, the Tacáks are intensely emotional, the Emerson's underwhelmingly laid-back but more lyrical. However, despite its superiority, I never want to hear the Tacáks recording again - such a vivid account of intense misery is not something I want to experience again, if you'll excuse me saying it.


----------



## Andreas

Berio, Sinfonia (New Swingle Singers/Orchestre National de France/Boulez)


----------



## NightHawk

- Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Symphonies No. 53. 73 and 70, and Tafelmusik, Bruno Weil, Symphonies No. 88, 89, and 90.

Great, rousing performances, esp the Tafelmusik.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Cheyenne said:


> Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quartet, this time with the Emerson's. Technically proficient certainly, and significantly more lyrical than the Tacáks, I still find them to be inferior. The Tacáks delivered a visceral experience, with an intensity I have rarely heard; the Emerson's provided a less engrossing but also passionless performance. In brief, the Tacáks are intensely emotional, the Emerson's underwhelmingly laid-back but more lyrical. However, despite its superiority, I never want to hear the Tacáks recording again - such a vivid account of intense misery is not something I want to experience again, if you'll excuse me saying it.


There should be a 'like'type button for 'oh wow'

I listen to Artemis & Quartetto Italian. Love Tacáks for Bartok, also Haydn Op. 76. Now I really want to hear this


----------



## Mahlerian

Roger Sessions: Symphony No. 3
Royal Philharmonic, cond. Buketoff


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

19 & 20... my absolute favorite.


----------



## Stemahl

Listening to Richard Strauss - The Four Last Songs by Karajan and Gundula Janowitz (currently listening to the song called Beim Schlafengehen), thanks to a recommendation from SimonZ on this site. They're beautiful. Don't think I've ever used that word to describe music before, but that's what they are.

Also while out today buying that CD and a couple of others from a second-hand shop, I was treated to another new discovery of a lady named Janet Baker singing pieces by various composers including Brahms, Mahler and others, but the standout song was Elgar's "Where Corals Lie". It was amazing but the box set (I think it was EMI) belonged to the shop owner and he wouldn't part with it, so now I have another CD to hunt down.


----------



## Sonata

Was it this one by any chance? I own this and it's wonderful, especially the Mahler, Elgar, and Wagner. It's available on Amazon as well as Prestoclassical for reasonable pricing.


----------



## Stemahl

Sonata said:


> Was it this one by any chance? I own this and it's wonderful, especially the Mahler, Elgar, and Wagner. It's available on Amazon as well as Prestoclassical for reasonable pricing.


That's the one. I think I will invest soon, I've just seen it on Amazon for really quite cheap considering it's 5 CDs. But before that I have been looking forward to getting a Bruckner Symphony set, so any recommendations are appreciated (keeping in mind I'm on a budget), I have been enjoying Gunter Wand's performance of the 4th with an orchestra called the Kolner Rundfunk.


----------



## Sonata

I have the complete Gunter Wand set, and I enjoy it. I think I paid 19 or 20 dollars US for it, not bad for 9 discs. But I'm no expert and I've heard no other interpreter.


----------



## belfastboy

Went along today to these two performances - amazin......


----------



## Sonata

My listening currently;









Enjoying my impulse purchase of the day. Haydn's piano sonatas are effervescent and relaxing. Good for soothing the stress during a work day.  Already on my 5th of the sonatas and I'll keep listening til I'm in need of something new.


----------



## Stemahl

Sonata said:


> I have the complete Gunter Wand set, and I enjoy it. I think I paid 19 or 20 dollars US for it, not bad for 9 discs. But I'm no expert and I've heard no other interpreter.


That's good thanks, I just needed to know if the recording is decent. Right now I just enjoy the music, but a friend has told me that once you hear a few different performances of a work you like then that is the one you keep going back to. I'm still learning about how a piece of music can sound so different under another conductor - Beethoven's 9th Symphony is a favorite of mine (I have the cheap Simon Rattle box set of Beethoven with the Wiener Philharmoniker - it has its ups and downs) but I recently bought another performance of the 9th by Karl Bohm with the same orchestra and, I hope I'm not upsetting fans of this performance, I found it quite slow and lacking the kick of the Rattle edition.


----------



## Kieran

*Don Giovanni*, the effete Don Ottavio singing_ Il mio tesoro_, Luigi Alva playing the role, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini...


----------



## Sonata

Kieran said:


> *Don Giovanni*, the effete Don Ottavio singing_ Il mio tesoro_, Luigi Alva playing the role, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini...


Yay! One of my favorite two operas.

I listened to a pair of trumpet concertos (Haydn and Vivaldi)

Now sampling bits of two operas I just downloaded the other day as I can't set my mind on which one to listen to in full yet:

Mozart: La Finta Giardiniera
Strauss: Capriccio


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Mahler 6th performed by Sanderling and the St. Petersburg Philarmonic Orchestra. Amazing performance, Mahler sounding a little like Shostakovich! I love it, probably my favorite 6th performance at this moment.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> 19 & 20... my absolute favorite.


Also my very favorite Piano Concerto of Wolfie's - or anybody's for that matter. And that recording is second to none.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Orfeo Ed Euridice -- Cecilia Bartoli: Academy Of Ancient Music & Chorus

^ Upon earlier mention of Haydn's operas. Although perhaps not as ambitious as other, contemporary composers' operas, I find Haydn's to be charming and beautiful. This Orfeo, Haydn's last opera produced for a London subscriber [and unperformed owing, reportedly, to court intrigues], I think it his greatest achievement in the genre.

Gluck: Orfeo Ed Euridice -- Ryan Brown: Opera Lafayette Orchestra & Chorus

^ Of course, listening to Haydn's Orfeo compelled me to listen to Gluck's masterpiece...

Next on the listening agenda is, you guessed it!

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo -- Emmanuelle Haim: Le Concert d'Astrée


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> Now sampling bits of two operas I just downloaded the other day as I can't set my mind on which one to listen to in full yet:
> 
> Mozart: La Finta Giardiniera
> Strauss: Capriccio


La Finta Giardiniera wins for the moment. So far so good! Mozart consistently scores a winner with me in his opera realm apparently. Of course I know Jacobs had a lot to do with this particular version, but hey I'll take it


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet 20, No. 1.*

This set by the Quatour Mosaiques has got my pulse quickened - something like that hasn't happened in a while from a new purchase. Their sound, on period instruments, has a sweetness to it without sacrificing drama. The Opus 20 quartets exploit the sounds you can get from a quartet, and their period instruments highlight them.

I've been listening to the first quartet all day. I guess it will take a while to get through all these CDs.


----------



## Novelette

Jerome said:


> Also my very favorite Piano Concerto of Wolfie's - or anybody's for that matter. And that recording is second to none.


Jerome, what do you think of the Bilson/Gardiner recording, if you've listened to it? I understand that many don't enjoy the less muscular sound of the pianoforte, but it has an interest all unto itself. It's my preferred recording, but I've also enjoyed the Perahia recording: different approaches by very distinguished artists.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Novelette said:


> Jerome, what do you think of the Bilson/Gardiner recording, if you've listened to it? I understand that many don't enjoy the less muscular sound of the pianoforte, but it has an interest all unto itself. It's my preferred recording, but I've also enjoyed the Perahia recording: different approaches by very distinguished artists.


Pardon my jumping in. While I'm not a big fan of the pianoforte - it sounds like a piano with a head cold - I do enjoy the Bilson/Gardiner recording. In fact, I'm putting it on now.


----------



## Novelette

Manxfeeder said:


> Pardon my jumping in. While I'm not a big fan of the pianoforte - it sounds like a piano with a head cold - I do enjoy the Bilson/Gardiner recording. In fact, I'm putting it on now.


"Piano with a head cold", this phrase deserves repeating. 

I used to be devious with the upright pianos they had at my high school, holding down the sustain pedal and sliding a sheet of paper between the hammers and the strings [careful not to touch the strings]. Playing the affected keys, it sounds somewhat like a harpsichord--or at least, a rattling and muffled pianoforte.


----------



## Guest

Novelette said:


> Jerome, what do you think of the Bilson/Gardiner recording, if you've listened to it? I understand that many don't enjoy the less muscular sound of the pianoforte, but it has an interest all unto itself. It's my preferred recording, but I've also enjoyed the Perahia recording: different approaches by very distinguished artists.


I have that set also and it is my clear second favorite as a whole behind the Perahia. It is my first choice among most of the earlier concertos - up to through the teens - because I love the sound of the pianoforte on those. I'm not sure why I like the fuller sound on 20 and beyond. It may be because I heard them that way first and loved them. But the Bilson set is amazing.


----------



## Mika

Felt like listening Wolfie today :


----------



## Manxfeeder

Novelette said:


> I used to be devious with the upright pianos they had at my high school, holding down the sustain pedal and sliding a sheet of paper between the hammers and the strings [careful not to touch the strings]. Playing the affected keys, it sounds somewhat like a harpsichord--or at least, a rattling and muffled pianoforte.


Very clever! That reminds me of the experiments we used to do in high school, like putting silly putty in saxophone mouthpieces to alter the sound (which works) or drilling a hole in a trumpet mouthpiece to get an airy sound (OK, that one didn't work).


----------



## Guest

I just acquired this set and so far it sounds great. Listening to PC#5 first. The sonics are crystal clear across the entire orchestra. The piano sounds as if you are standing next to Shelly as he plays. And his performance so far - I should listen to it all the through before comitting - may be among the best I've heard.


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> La Finta Giardiniera wins for the moment. So far so good! Mozart consistently scores a winner with me in his opera realm apparently. Of course I know Jacobs had a lot to do with this particular version, but hey I'll take it


That's the 1796 version, far as I know, is it? An excellent reworking of the young Maestro's score, to sound like 'late' Mozart. I'm not familiar with this opera, how do you like it?

I have two Jacobs conducted operas, Idomeneo and La Clemenza de Tito. I love them both...


----------



## Novelette

Manxfeeder said:


> Very clever! That reminds me of the experiments we used to do in high school, like putting silly putty in saxophone mouthpieces to alter the sound (which works) or drilling a hole in a trumpet mouthpiece to get an airy sound (OK, that one didn't work).


Indeed clever, but in all fairness, it was my violin teacher who first told me about it.

The saxophone and trumpet experiments sound like fun!


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> Pardon my jumping in. While I'm not a big fan of the *pianoforte* - it sounds like a piano with a head cold [...][


Hah! But surely Manx, you mean *fortepiano*? I have to admit that when I first heard HIP fortepianos I thought they sounded like uprights in those saloon bar Hollywood cowboy films.Took me a while to tune in to their qualities (the HIP use of fortepianos, not the 'bang bang' Westerns). Anyway, I'm a big fan of Bilson and Gardiner. And Anner Bylsma (who issued a CD or two of Beethoven 'cello/fortepiano sonatas with Bilson.


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Rolande Falcinelli* joue Rolande Falcinelli (*Festivo*)
(Esquisses Symphoniques / En forme de Variations Opus 45 (1971) / Miniatures Persanes / Suite pour orgue Opus 52 (1974) / Prophétie d'après Ezéchiel Opus 42 (1959))










Rolande Falcinelli @ the Beuchet-Debierre Organ (1965) of Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, Angoulême, France

/ptr


----------



## Sonata

You are correct Kieran. He also uses something like a pianoforte or clavichord (Not exactly sure which) instead of a harpsichord for the recitatives.

Pretty early in the listening so far, just 9 tracks in but I like it so far! It's my first Jacobs' opera. I will definitely by more down the road. Cosi for sure, then we'll see what others down the line.

I'm going about my Mozart in a backwards fashion: downloaded Mp3s of the "Big Four" on the cheap to sample. Like them enough that I will get hard copies with libretto and such down the line. Skipped over the "second tier" of Seraglia, Clemenza, and Idomeneo because I want them in hard copy but don't want to spend that much money YET, so instead I've meandered onto some of his minor operas: Zaide, Il Re Pastore, and now of course this one. All told I will eventually have at least ten of Mozart's opera, strange for someone for whom is not a major opera listener. But there it is!

AND the concert arias after all that


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Liszt's Faust-Symphony performed by Bernstein & the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

First listen and just onto second movement. Excellent so far.


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> You are correct Kieran. He also uses something like a pianoforte or clavichord (Not exactly sure which) instead of a harpsichord for the recitatives.
> 
> Pretty early in the listening so far, just 9 tracks in but I like it so far! It's my first Jacobs' opera. I will definitely by more down the road. Cosi for sure, then we'll see what others down the line.
> 
> I'm going about my Mozart in a backwards fashion: downloaded Mp3s of the "Big Four" on the cheap to sample. Like them enough that I will get hard copies with libretto and such down the line. Skipped over the "second tier" of Seraglia, Clemenza, and Idomeneo because I want them in hard copy but don't want to spend that much money YET, so instead I've meandered onto some of his minor operas: Zaide, Il Re Pastore, and now of course this one. All told I will eventually have at least ten of Mozart's opera, strange for someone for whom is not a major opera listener. But there it is!
> 
> AND the concert arias after all that


Well, the seven mature operas are a given, for Mozart explorers. They're the pinnacle, far as I can see, and when pals ask how they should listen to them, I recommend a crash course in lots of other stuff first: PC's, sonatas, etc. For Cosi and Figaro I have Karl Bohm and I'm very happy with them. The Jacobs recordings can be expensive, but I got the two I have and I'm happy with them. Snappy package too, isn't it? Big booklet and so on.

Right now, I'm listening to the piano trios again, just gone from K548 to K564, Kungsbacka Trio performing...


----------



## BaronAlstromer

Royal wedding music and violin concerto in d-minor by Johan Helmich Roman.
Live recording on radio from 2008 by Drottningholms Barockensemble at Stockholms german church.


----------



## Manxfeeder

TalkingHead said:


> Hah! But surely Manx, you mean *fortepiano*?


How embarrassing! Thanks for the correction.


----------



## Guest

TalkingHead said:


> Hah! But surely Manx, you mean *fortepiano*? I have to admit that when I first heard HIP fortepianos I thought they sounded like uprights in those saloon bar Hollywood cowboy films.Took me a while to tune in to their qualities (the HIP use of fortepianos, not the 'bang bang' Westerns). Anyway, I'm a big fan of Bilson and Gardiner. And Anner Bylsma (who issued a CD or two of Beethoven 'cello/fortepiano sonatas with Bilson.


Yeah I meant fortepiano too. Whatever. Let's call the whole thing off.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> How embarrassing! Thanks for the correction.


Nah, no wucking forries! I do beg your pardon, I mean no problem whatsoever, we all make mistakes.


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> Yeah I meant *fortepiano* too. Whatever. Let's call the whole thing off.


Yes, yes, I was coming to you, Jérôme! Give me a chance, it's damned hard to keep up with all these posts !!


----------



## Guest

TalkingHead said:


> Yes, yes, I was coming to you, Jérôme! Give me a chance, it's damned hard to keep up with all these posts !!


Thanks for the French pronounciation. At least it looks French to me, but I would hate to commit another faux pas. I have French decendents, but hardly speak a word of it.


----------



## Pyotr

I've been having fun mixing cds. Every other day I seem to mix a new one and throw away one that doesn't seem quite right(they are only 25 cents). I can understand now the planning that orchestras must do to come up with an evening's concert. In the beginning I would put three violin concerti on one cd; or two symphonies on one. Here are 11 of my favorites, at this point. I like to listen to them while watching sports on the tv with the mute button on.

1.Haydn symphony #94, Mendelsshon octet, Schumann violin concerto

2.Rachmaninoff piano concert #2, Paginni violin concerto

3.Bruch violin concerto, Bolero, Barber violin concerto, Manuel Ponce Estrellita song

4.Ives symphony #1, Mozart 4th violin concerto

5.Schubert symphony #8, Mozart 3rd violin concerto, Mendelssohn piano trio #1

6.Schubert symphony #9, Mozart 5th violin concerto

7.Greig piano concerto Op. 16, Schubert trout quintet

8.Mozart symphony #25, Mendelssohn violin concerto, Beethoven 4th piano concerto

9.Mozart symphony #40, Jerome Moross Big Country movie soundtrack, Mozart piano concerto #27

10.Schuman cello concerto, Schumann piano concerto op. 54

11. Sibelius symphony #3, Schubert string quintet, Sibelius violin concerto


----------



## Sid James

All music featuring the violin in my current listenings, from a real gypsy jam session…

*Album: Lulu III - Homage au Rudi*
_Gypsy swing, traditional tunes, jazz standards & compositions by members of the band_
Lulu Weiss, guitar; Rudi Haag, violin; Flendo Hoffmann, piano/guitar; Ringo Hoffmann, guitar; Hutto Haag, double bass (recorded 1997, in Austria)

…to concertos by Bach & Bruch…

*J.S. Bach*
_Violin Concertos in A minor & E minor
Double Violin Concerto*
Sonata in E minor (arr. Respighi)
Air on the G-String_
Takako Nishizaki, violin; *Alexander Jablokov, violin; Capella Istropolitana under Oliver Dohnanyi

*Bruch* _Violin Concerto #1_
Arthur Grumiaux, violin with New Philharmonia Orch. under Heinz Wallberg

& more "gypsy fiddling," albeit of the classical variety! -

*Sarasate*
_Carmen Fantasy
Ziguenerweisen (Gypsy Airs)_
Itzhak Perlman, violin with Royal PO under Lawrence Foster & Pittsburgh SO under Andre Previn respectively


----------



## chrisco97

I need to start listing performers...

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 1
_Roland Pöntinen, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Leif Segerstam_

I love this piece so much. Had to hear it again.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.32 - Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## NightHawk

@SHOSTAKOVICH - SYMPHONY NO. 7 OP. 60 "LENINGRAD" - CHICAGO SYMPHONY W LEONARD BERNSTEIN (aslo the Shosty Sym No 1) - another TC Current Listening inspired purchase: I just received this recording in the mail today and have only listened to the first movement of the "Leningrad". And, this is the first time I have heard the work (ever ) and I realized _this_ is the Shostakovich work that has the melody, (which completely takes over the first movement), that Bartok parodied in the 4th movement of the Concerto for Orchestra. What a banal tune, and yet, what a pulverizingly <sic> great first movement - had phone call just as 2nd mvmt was starting so am going to listen to the entire work from the top a bit later tonight. Bernstein and Chicago - was this the only time he worked with the CSO? Fantastic!


----------



## Schubussy

Bach - Brandenburg Concerto no. 5
Jordi Savall


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Just got time for one more piece - Bruckner's Ninth Symphony though this time performed by Klemperer & the Philharmonia/New Philharmonia (I forget which and don't have the case to hand) before turning in.


----------



## PetrB

Mozart Piano Concerto No 27 B flat major K 595 Maria Joao Pires, Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Valkhafar

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4. Conducting by Sir Georg Solti, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Today I've continued to explore Ashkenazy's interpretations of the Mozart PC's with the Philarmonia orchestra. Exquisite playing!

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto no. 12, 22, 24 and 26 "Coronation"


----------



## bejart

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838): Clarinet Quartet in No.1 in E Flat, Op.2

Thea King on clarinet with members of the Allegri String Quartet: Peter Carter, violin -- Prudence Pacey, viola -- Bruno Schrecker, cello

View attachment 19199


----------



## Novelette

TalkingHead said:


> Yes, yes, I was coming to you, Jérôme! Give me a chance, it's damned hard to keep up with all these posts !!


I began the series of errors, it's an ingrained habit to call it the "pianoforte". Time to break an old bad habit, I say!


----------



## chrisco97

*Tchaikovsky* - Capriccio Italien
_Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi_


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

This thread is gonna reach 100,000 likes very soon, maybe even tonight!

Long live the Currently Listening thread!  :clap: :cheers:


----------



## Neo Romanza

NightHawk said:


> @SHOSTAKOVICH - SYMPHONY NO. 7 OP. 60 "LENINGRAD" - CHICAGO SYMPHONY W LEONARD BERNSTEIN (aslo the Shosty Sym No 1) - another TC Current Listening inspired purchase: I just received this recording in the mail today and have only listened to the first movement of the "Leningrad". And, this is the first time I have heard the work (ever ) and I realized _this_ is the Shostakovich work that has the melody, (which completely takes over the first movement), that Bartok parodied in the 4th movement of the Concerto for Orchestra. What a banal tune, and yet, what a pulverizingly <sic> great first movement - had phone call just as 2nd mvmt was starting so am going to listen to the entire work from the top a bit later tonight. Bernstein and Chicago - was this the only time he worked with the CSO? Fantastic!


Excellent! My favorite performance of Shostakovich's 7th. Many people have commented on the emptiness of this symphony (especially that main theme that appears later in the first movement) but I think the work has a lot of depth to it. That _Adagio_ is incredibly powerful and I'm not convinced by anyone's argument that this movement lacks depth. I _feel_ that _Adagio_ and it's heartbreakingly tragic.

I'm pretty sure this is Bernstein's only recording with the CSO. I may be wrong but I haven't come across this combination other than this particular recording.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A Major, Op.69

Mischa Maisky, cello --- Martha Argerich, piano

View attachment 19200


----------



## NightHawk

Am listening now - still getting through the 1st movement - the 3rd large section after the drum motif and 'the invasion melody' exit - loving it. Walfrid Kujala's piccolo playing is perfection.



Neo Romanza said:


> Excellent! My favorite performance of Shostakovich's 7th. Many people have commented on some of the hollow emptiness of this symphony (especially that main theme that appears later in the first movement) but I think the work has a lot of depth to it. That _Adagio_ is incredibly powerful and I'm not convinced by anyone's argument that this movement lacks depth. I _feel_ that _Adagio_ and it's heartbreakingly tragic.
> 
> I'm pretty sure this is Bernstein's only recording with the CSO. I may be wrong but I haven't ran across this combination other than this particular recording.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Speaking of Shostakovich's 7th, now moving forward in Jarvi's Shostakovich series on Chandos:










Next:










Still trying to catch-up on some Holmboe recordings I bought months ago.


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn's 10th String Symphony
Weber: Clarinet Concerto #1, Clarinet concertina, and clarinet quintet.

Beautiful music, all of it!


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Cor Anglais Concerto - Normunds Šne, cor anglais and cond.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Neo Romanza said:


> Speaking of Shostakovich's 7th, now moving forward in Jarvi's Shostakovich series on Chandos:


I own this! Wahhhhhh! Neeme Jarvi is the best!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Huilunsoittaja said:


> I own this! Wahhhhhh! Neeme Jarvi is the best!


Yes, Neeme Jarvi is an excellent Shostakovich conductor, but there are so many others I enjoy as well: Haitink, Kondrashin, Rozhdestvensky, Barshai, Caetani, Gergiev, and of the more recent recordings Petrenko's cycle has proven to be quite good all-around. I believe he has three more symphonies to record: the 4th, 13th, and 14th.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Piano Sonata No.2 "Fire Sermon" - Laura Mikkola, piano


----------



## opus55

Haydn Op.76 Quartets


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 12, Op 26: "Funeral March"

Performed by the late Bruce Hungerford. He plays the sonatas so well in my opinion. It is such a tragedy how his life ended.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## Tristan

*Rossini* - Stabat Mater

Never knew such a work existed until I saw it posted in my thread. Very good so far


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 47, "The Palindrome" (Hob. I/47)
_Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

Ah how I love Haydn's work. I have never heard this work before. It is really good so far.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann - Dicherliebe

Julius Drake & Ian Bostridge


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening to the Audio of this Schubert Opera - Fierrebras


----------



## PetrB

Jean-Philippe Rameau 
Suites from 
_Acante et Cephise
Les Fetes d'Hebè_


----------



## Andolink

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Plateaux for piano and orchestra
Juho Pohjonen, piano
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Ed Spanjaard








Veli-Matti Puumala: Chainsprings (1995/1997)
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra/Hannu Lintu








Michael Finnissy: Greatest Hits of All Time
Christopher Redgate, oboe
Ensemble Exposé/Roger Redgate








Alessandro Stradella: "Chi resiste al Dio bendato"--Serenata a 3 voci
Alessandro Stradella Consort/Estevan Velardi








J. S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier--Book One: Nos. 6-9
Kenneth Gilbert, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Musica Dolorosa - Katerina Andraesson, cond.


----------



## ptr

Morning & noon:

*Marcel Dupré* - Organ Music (FY OOP)









Pierre Cochereau, organ

*Olivier Messiaen* - Livre Du Saint Sacrement (*DG*)









Olivier Latry, organ

*Sir Hubert Parry* - The Complete Organ Works of (2CDs) (*Priory*)









James Lancelot @ The Organ of Durham Cathedral

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rubbra - Symphony No. 1 - Tribute - Sinfonia Concertante

Richard Hickox
Chandos

I'm definitely in an Edmund Rubbra phase at the moment. You can download the entire Hickox box set for only 8.99 on play for those Britishers who are inclined to seek out this neglected set of symphonies.


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Trio Sonata in B Minor, Op.13, No.1

The Purcell Quartet: Catherine Mackintosh and Catherine Weiss, violins -- Richard Boothby, viola -- Robert Woolley, harpsichord

View attachment 19219


----------



## Guest

K493 and K478
Piano Quartets
Malcom Bilson, *fortepiano *
Elizabeth Wilcock, Jan Schlapp, Timothy Mason


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jerome said:


> Malcom Bilson, *fortepiano *




This morning, *Quartet Opus 20, No. 5, by Haydn.*


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2_ which will be followed by _Symphony No. 7_. A great recording.


----------



## ptr

2 X Shostakovich/Gergiev:

*Dmitri Shostakovich*

- Symphony No 11 (*Mariinsky*)









- Symphony No 15 (*Mariinsky*)









Mariinsky Orchestra u. Valery Gergiev

/ptr


----------



## belfastboy

Big big fan!


----------



## julianoq

Now Shotakovich 8th symphony. Great performance by Petrenko and the RLPO.


----------



## Stemahl

Currently listening to a DVD a friend gave me of the "French Night at the Waldbuhne" performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Georges Pretre. It has performances of Ravel's "Piano Concerto for the left hand" played by a pianist named Leon Fleisher which was brilliant; "Carnaval Romain: Overture" by Berlioz; "Carmen Suite" by Bizet; and one of my favorite pieces of music - " Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" by Debussy. I am about half way through and expecting more good stuff. I don't know if anybody has seen this DVD, or actually been to the Waldbuhne but it looks amazing. The recording on this night seemed to have the perfect weather for the Debussy piece - clear, sunny sky. 

After this is a listen to a CD I bought a couple of days ago and have been working up to listening to - Bruckner 6th Symphony by George Tintner with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (Naxos). Wish me luck - it took me a good few listens to the other symphonies of his I have (4 + 7) to really understand and enjoy them. 

Wish there were some sentence to replace all that instead of writing forever.


----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich - New York Counterpoint


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> I'm definitely in an Edmund Rubbra phase at the moment. You can download the entire Hickox box set for only 8.99 on play for those Britishers who are inclined to seek out this neglected set of symphonies.


In the States it's $17.98. That's a lot better than $68 for the plastic version.

I don't know anything about this composer. I'm listening to the 4th symphony. *Holy smokes! * Thanks for the intro, MG!


----------



## Novelette

Bellini: I Capuleti E I Montecchi -- Anna Netrebko, Elīna Garanča; Fabio Luisi: Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Singakademie

^ The melody that emerges among the horns near the end of the overture always reminds me of the primary theme from the first movement of Schubert's Divertissement on Original French Motifs in E Minor, D 823, while the accompanying strings are in such a texture as to resemble the arpeggiated string textures of the first movement of Schubert's 9th.

Edit: Yes, the resemblance is uncanny. Of course, the relation to Schubert's 9th Symphony is impossible given that Bellini's opera was produced in 1830, and Schubert's 9th remained hidden until it was published in 1840. Schubert's Divertissement was published in 1826, so there's a possibility that the one inspired the other, however it's a rather simple melody and is surely more likely to be a coincidence.

Prokofiev: Symphony #2 in D Minor, Op. 40 -- Neeme Järvi: Royal Scottish Orchestra

Brahms: Symphony #4 in E Minor, Op. 98 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Rage Over a Lost Penny

One of my favourites, performed by Grigory Sokolov. My favourite performance of this work I have heard.


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Flute Concerto (yes, again )


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rubbra, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Verdi*: Requiem, with VPO/Karajan et al (rec.1984); *Opera Intermezzi*, with BPO/Karajan (rec. 1967).

View attachment 19228
View attachment 19229


----------



## Valkhafar

Tristan und Isolde. Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Kleinzeit

cracking open my new Nimbus/Brilliant Haydn box, starting at disc one, the symphonies in numerical order (tho it seems that No. 1 might have been preceded by Nos. 18 & 37...long after the fact cataloguing.) Handy to have them in order though.

I've never heard Haydn's earliest symphonies. Along with a million other things (like Rubbra)

Symphony No.1 
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Adam Fischer
rec. 1990, Haydnsaal. Esterházy Palace, Eisenstadt

1. presto: extrovert public address. "How ya doin, Vienna!?! Everybody feeling alright?!?"

2. andante: "Yeah, everybody's feeling galante. Come over here sit by me".

3. presto: "Ok, we're gonna get a litttle asymmetrical here. This is how we play this. 2'09''. Thank you!"

Symphony No. 2

1. allegro: rhetorical sounding, like a piece of information that requires you also understand some preliminary & accessory facts.

2. andante: like a bit of personal, intimate opinion, 'just between us'.

3. presto: Let us now put these facts into general public discussion. The sound of people voting.

Symphony No. 3

1. allegro: longer, more involved lines. If it were a movie, it'd be in technicolour & widescreen.

2. a long andante: like the candlelit part in a movie devoted to gazing at the beauty of the stars.

3. menuet & trio: interlacing voices, 'you might find yourself whistling this later'.

4. alla breve, allegro: under 2 min. exciting bit makes you want to hear it again. "By George, we're having a good time!"


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Excellent! My favorite performance of Shostakovich's 7th. Many people have commented on the emptiness of this symphony (especially that main theme that appears later in the first movement) but I think the work has a lot of depth to it. That _Adagio_ is incredibly powerful and I'm not convinced by anyone's argument that this movement lacks depth. I _feel_ that _Adagio_ and it's heartbreakingly tragic.
> 
> I'm pretty sure this is Bernstein's only recording with the CSO. I may be wrong but I haven't come across this combination other than this particular recording.


Not my favorite. Good playing by CSO, but a *molasses reading* by Lenny. Spreading over two discs for this work is nonsense/irritant.

Shosty 7

CSO/LB - 31:45 14:51 19:26 18:52 TT 84:54

SNO/NJ - 25:30 11:03 17:03 15:18 TT 69:06


----------



## Vaneyes

AClockworkOrange said:


> Liszt's Faust-Symphony performed by Bernstein & the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
> 
> First listen and just onto second movement. Excellent so far.


*Essential* listening...which I will do shortly. Thanks for the inspiration. :tiphat:

View attachment 19230


----------



## Andolink

Friedrich Cerha: Spiegel (1960/61) for large orchestra and tape
Radio Symphonieorchester Wien/Michael Gielen








William Lawes: Consort Sett a 6 in C minor and Consort Sett a 6 in F major
Fretwork








J. S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier Book One-- Nos. 9-12
Kenneth Gilbert, harpsichord


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


----------



## ptr

3 X Rachmaninoff

*Sergei Rachmaninoff*

- All-Night Vigil (Vespers) Op 37 (*Melodiya*)









Klara Korkan, mezzo & Konstantin Ognevoy, tenor; State Academic Russian Choir of the USSR u. Aleksandr Sveshnikov

Legendary 1965 recording that is the Utopia that all other choirs fail to reach!

- Études-tableaux Op 33;2,8 // Preludes Op 23;1,3,5,7,10 // Morceaux de fantaisie Op 3;1 - 5 // Preludes Op 32;6,8,10,12 // Études-tableaux Op 39;3,4,5 (*Hyperion*)









Nikolai Demidenko, piano

A mechanical demon that understand Rachmaninoff's Russian Heritage!

- Piano Concertos No 2 & 3 (*RCA/Naxos*)









Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano; Philadelphia Orchesra u. Leo Stokes & Jenő Blau (ps'd)

Mark Obert-Thorn is a genius and he serves Rachmaninoff just perfectly!

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

^^^^ I'll need to hunt down that recording of the All Night Vigil. I've got three recordings (2 English and 1 French). It'll be nice to finally have a Russian one especially one highly recommended. 

What a glorious work of art by Rachmaninov.


----------



## schuberkovich

Dvorak Symphony no.8 in G major.
This time with Harnoncourt and the RCO.
Listening to this symphony, you'd think that Dvorak was the successor to Mozart - it is wonderfully effortless.


----------



## Mika

Cover says it all. Sonata nr6 listened today and ultimatum received from wife.


----------



## Cheyenne

I'm going to compare many different recordings of Haydn's London symphonies once some things I ordered arrive. (Yes, I almost spend all my money.. _again_.) First, however, I re-listened to Debussy's chamber music on the Debussy Edition (such marvelous chamber pieces!) and Furtwängler's recordings of Haydn 88 & 94, as well as Szell's recordings of those two. Beecham and Klemperer are on their way, and I hope I can get Solti, Davis, Scherchen and Harnoncourt too. I already have Jochum and Bernstein too.


----------



## millionrainbows

George Perle: Piano Concerto (Harmonia Mundi).

Perle calls his method of composing "Twelve Tone Tonality," and wrote a very obtuse, technically dense book explaining it. It still sounds like hard-core serialism to me.


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Jeux Venitiens.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

In recovery mode after Rafa Nadal's staggering win over Djokovic today, five hours well spent hiding indoors on a fabulous sunny day, I'm listening to the glory that is K377, the mysterious variations of the andante to be precise. To be even more precise, if you insist upon it, the last set of variables, the ones known as the Siciliana.

Barenboim teeth-bared on the small stool and Perlman standing beside him like a waiter with a tray...


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, if I won't get asleep. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Ravndal

Dvorak - Gypsy Songs Op. 55

Peter Schreier & Marian Lapsansky


----------



## schuberkovich

Ravel
Le Tombeau de Couperin
Pascal Rogé, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mendelssohn and Bruch Violin Concertos

Maxim Vengarov
Kurt Masur


----------



## OboeKnight

Franz Krommer Octets....I received this recording last year and never really paid attention to it. Put it in today and really enjoyed it! I know most of the members of the Miami Wind Quintet. Excellent music!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.52 - Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

Two recent arrivals, *Zemlinsky*: String Quartets (Complete), with LaSalle Qt. (DG rec.1980, Brilliant Classics reissue 2010); *Stravinsky*: Le Sacre du Printemps, with NYPO/Bernstein (Sony rec. 1958, Sony reissue 2013).

I'm still learning Zemlinsky's Quartets. There's much to be had...I'll be many hours with these. Go for, if you haven't. Sound is warm. LaSalle is in your livingroom.

Re Bernstein's '58 "Le Sacre", I listened to the first ten minutes or so, just to see what sound they were offering with this reissue.

WOW! In comparison with my LP, there is no comparison. It really is a new recording that delights. Balance, separation, spatial effect, soundstage, etc., etc., all significantly improved.

I have not heard other Sony CD reissuings of this recording, such as Royal Edition, and Original Jacket Collection. Maybe some who have, could add light with their impressions of those.

In this 2013 reissue, the only sound comment is, "Mastered for Compact Disc from original analogue sources by Mark Wilder, at Battery Mastering Studios, NYC."

Soft jacket, with lots of good notes.

That this is essential, should go without saying...but, I'll say it anyway. 

View attachment 19248
View attachment 19249


----------



## SimonNZ

Takashi Yoshimatsu's Threnody To Toki - Minoru Nojima, piano, Tadaki Otaka, cond.


----------



## Weston

ptr said:


> 2 X Shostakovich/Gergiev:
> 
> *Dmitri Shostakovich*
> 
> - Symphony No 11 (*Mariinsky*)
> 
> View attachment 19226
> 
> 
> - Symphony No 15 (*Mariinsky*)
> 
> View attachment 19227
> 
> 
> Mariinsky Orchestra u. Valery Gergiev
> 
> /ptr


I love these covers! Very retro feeling.



Manxfeeder said:


> In the States it's $17.98. That's a lot better than $68 for the plastic version.
> 
> I don't know anything about this composer. I'm listening to the 4th symphony. *Holy smokes! * Thanks for the intro, MG!


I'm glad of this. I was starting feel left out, not being from England and all.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund









Ligeti: Horn Trio









Takemitsu: A Bird Came down the Walk, Quatrain II
Ensemble Takemitsu


----------



## Tero

An entire box of English music for this weekend. Sells for around 20 dollars, shop around.

http://www.amazon.com/English-Renai...47336&sr=8-2&keywords=english+baroque+edition

I have the Italian too
http://www.importcds.com/music/2347918/italian-baroque-music-edition


----------



## geve

Just now, a TV NZ Arts Channel recording of a "grand" concert held at Hanger 11, Tel Aviv, Israel - the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra celebrating their 75th anniversary- Julian Rachlin, violinist, Evegeny Kissin, pianist, Vadim Repin, violinist, the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta, play Camille Saint-Saëns: Introduction et rondo capriccioso (Rachlin at the violin) , Chopin's Piano Concerto No1, ( Kissin-piano) , Chausson's Poeme (Repin-violinist) and as a finale, Beethoven's Symphony No 8. 
Naxos has it : http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2059098


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's Esquisses played by Steven Osborne.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in D Major, KV 593

Quatour Talich with Karel Rehak on 2nd viola: Jan Talich Jr and Vladimir Bukac, violins -- Jan Talich Sr, viola -- Evzen Rattay, cello

View attachment 19252


----------



## NightHawk

As a follow up: I did listen to the Shostakovich Sym No. 7 "Leningrad" from beginning to end last night and I think it is one of DS's great symphonies. And, Bernstein and Chicago were superb for each other unfailingly - the long conclusion was magnificent.


----------



## Valkhafar

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 with Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic.


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' The Book for solo cello - Sol Gabetta, cello


----------



## Novelette

Schytte: Piano Concerto in C Sharp Minor, Op. 28 -- Matthias Aeschlbacher; Oleg Marshev: Aalborg Symphony Orchestra

Liszt: Schubert: Marche Militaire, Grande Paraphrase De Concert, S 426A -- Leslie Howard

Spohr: String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 74/1 -- New Budapest Quartet

Mahler: Symphony #7 in E Minor -- Leonard Bernstein: New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Berg: Lulu Suite -- James Levine: The Met Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Op. 20, No. 5.*

Quatuor Mosaiques.


----------



## Sid James

Listened to this cd in full:

*Michael Nyman*
_After Extra Time
The Final Score
Memorial (Remix)_
The composer directing his group from the piano











As well as these:

*de Falla* _Suite populaire espagnole (arr. Kochanski)_
*Granados* _Spanish Dance (arr. Kreisler)_
*E. Halffter* _Danza da la Gitana (arr. Heifetz)_
*Albeniz* _Malaguena, Op.165 No.3 (arr. Kreisler)_
Itzhak Perlman, violin & Sam Sanders tickling the ivories

*Barber* _Violin Concerto_
Itzhak Perlman, violin with Boston SO under Sieji Ozawa


----------



## Weston

For my listening hour tonight I sort of enjoyed Shostakovich's 8th Symphony.










In many ways it left a bad feeling, but then I think it is supposed to. As I get older and find more and more despair in my work environment, I don't often want it in art forms. I do still enjoy Shostakovich when he gets intricate and motivic, as in the fugal sections of these movements, especially the second. But I might have been better off picking something more optimistic.

It doesn't help that the cover is possibly the most egregious thing I've ever endured seeing. When I first got this CD I had to make my own CD cover to cover up the cover.


----------



## maestro57

On this perfect, sunny morning, I'm listening to the very depressing Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor (arranged by Remo Giazotto), played by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra (Cond. Karl Muenchinger), composed by Albinoni.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rubbra, Symphony No. 1.*

Man, in the first movement, he sure gets a lot of mileage out of what's in the first four measures. What an interesting composer so far.


----------



## Sid James

Weston said:


> ....
> In many ways it left a bad feeling, but then I think it is supposed to. As I get older and find more and more despair in my work environment, I don't often want it in art forms. I do still enjoy Shostakovich when he gets intricate and motivic, as in the fugal sections of these movements, especially the second. But I might have been better off picking something more optimistic.
> 
> ....


I'm in the same boat pretty much. I listen to much less of this type of dark music now compared to before. A lot of the older music is optimistic and gives me a boost. I hardly listen to things like that, or atonal or serial and so on. With the history of the 20th century, many of these go to the heart of darkness, so to speak. Having said that, I would not hesitate to call Shostakovich one of my favourite composers, and I do listen to things like this but less (eg. last weekend I covered Dutilleux and Lutoslawski cello concertos, which are not walks in the park by an stretch of the imagination). But basically I am finding much joy in listening to the music I started off with in classical, the "classics." & also to less full on things like the Nyman and Barber I heard above.


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> It doesn't help that the cover is possibly the most egregious thing I've ever endured seeing. When I first got this CD I had to make my own CD cover to cover up the cover.


That does not remind me of Shostakovich in any way, shape, or form.

Anyway, a program of light classics for myself:

Stravinsky: Movements for Piano and Orchestra
Charles Rosen, Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Boulez: Le marteau sans maître
Hillary Summer, Ensemble intercontemporrain









Haydn: Symphony No. 46 in B major


----------



## Neo Romanza

Weston said:


> For my listening hour tonight I sort of enjoyed Shostakovich's 8th Symphony.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In many ways it left a bad feeling, but then I think it is supposed to. As I get older and find more and more despair in my work environment, I don't often want it in art forms. I do still enjoy Shostakovich when he gets intricate and motivic, as in the fugal sections of these movements, especially the second. But I might have been better off picking something more optimistic.
> 
> It doesn't help that the cover is possibly the most egregious thing I've ever endured seeing. When I first got this CD I had to make my own CD cover to cover up the cover.


Shostakovich's music represents a time in history that many composers have chosen to forget about or 'turn their backs on' so to speak. For Shostakovich, it was important to be a voice of his times and to get a message across and sometimes this message has to be filed away in a desk for decades.  But, nevertheless, I find his music compelling and heartbreakingly beautiful. It might not be everyone's cup of tea and, hey, his _Symphony No. 8_ is not an easy listen, but this symphony speaks directly to me because I feel his pain and frustration but obviously in completely different way. This 'darkness' gets right into my soul. I mean sure there are many Shostakovich works which don't deal with these types of feelings but I think there is an inherent sadness in his music. Whether it's an upbeat waltz or military march, I find these things in his music to be that of irony and sarcasm (he had a great sense of humor which shines through many of his works). As for the cover of this Rostropovich recording, it's just a cover and nothing more. It's the music inside that matters most.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Back to disc one in the big Haydn box. It's not in stunning sound, like SACD type recordings which can be like a hyper-real sonic atmosphere. This sounds like a cd. But it's bright & loud not buffled & low, and that's fine on an vanilla player.

Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Adam Fischer
Symphony No. 4

1. presto: Sounds like its thinking about something else but not distractedly. The sound of a man with a million ideas forcing himself to stick with the current one.

2. andante: At night, brooding still on the million thoughts, a cigarette (or two) in the dark. Walking bass.

3. tempo di menuetto: In the daylight he is filled, almost entranced, with a vision of the music he contains.

This is one I'll be going back to a lot.

Symphony No. 5

1. adagio: Horns & strings floating in beautiful gorgeous sonorities. Bet musicians love this one.

2. allegro: Strings more dominant. Phrases that make me think of Emily Dickinson punctuation, with musical dashes, ellipses, yoking of far-flung thoughts into simple but strange phrases. maybe he was thinking of CPE Bach.

3. minuet & trio: Giving the audience something familiar to grasp, confident that it's being spoken in the personal language he has invented.

4. short presto: Shakes hands with each & every audience member: 'thank you for enjoying my genius'.


----------



## Tristan

*Busoni* - Turandot Suite, Op. 41

I seem to automatically like any music related to the story of Turandot (whether Weber, Puccini, or Busoni). Interestingly enough, I had never listened to any music of Busoni before today (and I listened to his elaborate Piano Concerto earlier today).


----------



## anshuman

Great Music making


----------



## anshuman

A Rare Recording Wanted to get my hands on it for long time


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










A new acquisition. Listening to Aho's _Flute Concerto_. This is an excellent work. I can tell repeated listening will make me appreciate it even more which is per usual with myself and Aho's music.


----------



## GreenMamba

Rachmaninoff Symphony #2, Ormandy/Philadelphia.

Not a big Rach fan, but occasionally I'll pull this out.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Tristan said:


> *Busoni* - Turandot Suite, Op. 41
> 
> I seem to automatically like any music related to the story of Turandot (whether Weber, Puccini, or Busoni). Interestingly enough, I had never listened to any music of Busoni before today (and I listened to his elaborate Piano Concerto earlier today).


That is one crazy piano concerto! Talk about fin de siècle maximalism. Busoni drew the format of it as a set of buildings:


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Piano Trios, Op.21 and 26


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Symphony No.6 "Vincentiana" - Max Pommer, cond.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:
*
Eduard Tubin--*Symphony No.4 in A Major {"Sinfonia Lirica"} and Symphony No.9 {"Sinfonia Semplice"} and Toccata. *All three works are performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Havergal Brian--*Symphony No.11 and Symphony No.15. *Both works feature the Ireland National Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Tony Rowe and Adrian Leaper. I was very impressed by the muscular--yet gentle and fluid--style evinced by this composer. In future, I fully intend to sample many more of his symphonies.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *both works traversed by the Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
I had quite forgotten just how evocative and haunting Shostakovich can be, as evidenced in the last movement of the *First* {written when he was 19 years old} and the overall effect of the* Sixth*--which to my ears, at least--is a harbinger of what will occur in his ensuing *Seventh Symphony {"Leningrad"}. *Excellent works, indeed!


----------



## chalkpie

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> *
> Eduard Tubin--*Symphony No.4 in A Major {"Sinfonia Lirica"} and Symphony No.9 {"Sinfonia Semplice"} and Toccata. *All three works are performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
> Havergal Brian--*Symphony No.11 and Symphony No.15. *Both works feature the Ireland National Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Tony Rowe and Adrian Leaper.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54, *both works traversed by the Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


Very nice. How are those H. Brian symphonies?

Spotify is ridiculously great, ain't it?!


----------



## Neo Romanza

It's going to be a Mahler weekend!

Now:










Excellent performance. Powerful!


----------



## samurai

chalkpie said:


> Very nice. How are those H. Brian symphonies?
> 
> Spotify is ridiculously great, ain't it?!


Indeed, Chalkpie, for a mere 5 bucks a month, *Spotify* is indeed awesome! regarding Havergal Brian, I have most definitely decided to give his other symphonies some listening to, once again thanks to the wonderful* Spotify. *Do you like him?


----------



## chalkpie

samurai said:


> Indeed, Chalkpie, for a mere 5 bucks a month, *Spotify* is indeed awesome! regarding Havergal Brian, I have most definitely decided to give his other symphonies some listening to, once again thanks to the wonderful* Spotify. *Do you like him?


I pay $10 - no commercials and higher streaming rate (supposedly). The amount of recordings is staggering. When I went through a Bach binge a few months back, the choices were nearly impossible there are so many recordings. But I heard a ton of Cantatas I've never heard before, and anybody that says Bach is unemotional or purely technical, is a jackass. You heard it here. 

As for the Brian, I have only heard the first Gothic - the massive one. Loved it, but its been a while, I certainly need a revisit. Maybe this thread will inspire to revisit - thanks.


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Lauda - Kriss Rusmanis, cond.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*'s Symphony No.7

*Glazunov*'s Symphony No.3 & 7


----------



## MagneticGhost

Shostakovich - 8th Symphony
Barshai


----------



## SimonNZ

"English Madrigals" - The Tallis Scholars


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rachmaninov - Francesca Da Rimini
Neeme Jarvi


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Haydn's Symphony 82 'L'Ours' by Kuijken & the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Watching Lang Lang performing Liszt's Piano Concerto No.1 from Last Night of the Proms 2011.

Seems to have his detractors but I think he's great.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord (1976)

the third of his three recordings of the Goldbergs


----------



## Kieran

#24, Mitsuko on the stool...


----------



## Kieran

MagneticGhost said:


> Watching Lang Lang performing Liszt's Piano Concerto No.1 from Last Night of the Proms 2011.
> 
> Seems to have his detractors but I think he's great.


I saw him a few years ago in Dublin. Very showy and entertaining. Dazzling, actually, and I think most people enjoyed it. I know I did, though he wouldn't be a go-to guy for CDs. Confession time! I bought tickets for Lang Lang two years ago...and forgot to go!


----------



## SimonNZ

Fernando Sor Etudes - Narciso Yepes, guitar


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (for the first time...).  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## elgar's ghost

Currently listening to Janacek's Sinfonietta with the VPO conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras (on Decca 2-fer). 

This collection was my proper introduction to Janacek, and a fortunate choice it was, as it contains more of his core works from that startling last 15-20 years of his life where virtually everything he touched turned to gold - the Taras Bulba Rhapsody, the Lachian Dances, the Capriccio for left-hand piano and winds, 'Mladi' for wind sextet and the Concertino for chamber ensemble. 

It also includes the very early Suite for string orchestra - understandably more Austro-German sounding taking into account the composer's own lack of both experience and individual identity, but it's well-constructed, pleasant enough and an interesting glimpse of Janacek cutting his teeth with orchestral form.

If there is anyone out there who is interested in investigating Janacek but has never really took the plunge then I would unhesitatingly recommend this Decca set as a handy 'starter pack'.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Now the String Quartets, Glagolitic Mass & piano music


----------



## Cheyenne

Haydn Symphony 104: Jochum/LSO, Bernstein/NYPO, Davis/RCO, Scherchen/VSO, Szell/CO, Klemperer/NPO. And in truth, I haven't got sick of any of it (though the minuet can be a little tiresome) - it's that good a symphony!


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quattro in F Minor, Op.1, No.4

Christophe Timpe leading Accademia Per Musica

View attachment 19272


----------



## Guest

Neo Romanza said:


> It's going to be a Mahler weekend!
> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Excellent performance. Powerful!


Absolutely. Abbado's 9th ditto. I heard (reports) that his recent Bruckner 5 (last year, Lucerne, can't remember) was something out of the ordinary.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Quartet Op. 20, No. 5.*
> Quatuor Mosaiques.


Such an excellent quartet, with Christophe Coin (for me) being the mainstay.


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19255
> 
> 
> Back to disc one in the big Haydn box. It's not in stunning sound, like SACD type recordings which can be like a hyper-real sonic atmosphere. This sounds like a cd. But it's bright & loud not buffled & low, and that's fine on an vanilla player.
> 
> Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Adam Fischer
> Symphony No. 4
> 
> 1. presto: Sounds like its thinking about something else but not distractedly. The sound of a man with a million ideas forcing himself to stick with the current one.
> 
> 2. andante: At night, brooding still on the million thoughts, a cigarette (or two) in the dark. Walking bass.
> 
> 3. tempo di menuetto: In the daylight he is filled, almost entranced, with a vision of the music he contains.
> 
> This is one I'll be going back to a lot.
> 
> Symphony No. 5
> 
> 1. adagio: Horns & strings floating in beautiful gorgeous sonorities. Bet musicians love this one.
> 
> 2. allegro: Strings more dominant. Phrases that make me think of Emily Dickinson punctuation, with musical dashes, ellipses, yoking of far-flung thoughts into simple but strange phrases. maybe he was thinking of CPE Bach.
> 
> 3. minuet & trio: Giving the audience something familiar to grasp, confident that it's being spoken in the personal language he has invented.
> 
> 4. short presto: Shakes hands with each & every audience member: 'thank you for enjoying my genius'.


I don't know about you others, but I can read Kleinzeit all day long. 
Big kisses your end, Monsieur Lorre !!!


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> View attachment 19221
> 
> K493 and K478
> Piano Quartets
> Malcom Bilson, *fortepiano *
> Elizabeth Wilcock, Jan Schlapp, Timothy Mason


Hah !! *Fortepiano* it is, then !!!


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Paganini Variations, version for two pianos and version for piano and orchestra.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Robert Schumann (8 June 1810-1856): Piano Trio in C Minor, Op.110

Vienna Brahms Trio: Yuri Smirnov, piano -- Boris Kuschnir, violin -- Orfeo Mandozzi, cello

View attachment 19275


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake


----------



## aleazk

Debussy - Préludes Books 1&2, Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## ptr

Sweden is all wizzed up for the Princess Wedding later this afternoon and ptr the bitter old republican is trying his best to fend it off! Morning and midday listening session went by to close out the neighbours wedding garden party, I just can't stand those pansy royalists... 

I started the day celebrating Schumann!

*Robert Schumann* - Geistervariationen, Piano Sonata, Kinderszenen, Fantasia (*ECM*)









András Schiff, piano

_That Schiff dude just gets better with age!_

*Leonard Bernstein* - Symphonic Suite from "On the Waterfront" & Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (*CBS/Sony*)









New York Phulharmonic u. Leonard Bernstein

_Lenny was awesome already back in 1961!_

*Ian Tracey - Symphonic Organ Works, Vol 2* (*Chandos*)
(Felix Alexandre Guilmant - Symphony No. 2 for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 91 // Charles-Marie Widor - Symphony No. 3 for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 69 // Cesar Franck - Choral No. 2 in B minor)









Ian Tracey, organ of Liverpool Cathedral; BBC Philharmonic u. Yan Pascal Tortelier

_Have to go back to Liverpool to hear that organ live again!_

and then I promptly got some yearning for a Witches Sabbath so now on to:

*Hector Berlioz* - Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 (DG)









Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, Paris u. Igor Markevitch

_A classic "Fantastique" that supports the argument that some things used to be better... _

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

De Falla - Noches En Los Jardines De Espana.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ Why Patterns?


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> Morton Feldman ~ Why Patterns?


Thanks for the link. I'll join you.


----------



## Valkhafar

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. Otto Klemperer. New Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.


----------



## Neo Romanza

TalkingHead said:


> Absolutely. Abbado's 9th ditto. I heard (reports) that his recent Bruckner 5 (last year, Lucerne, can't remember) was something out of the ordinary.


I really love Abbado's Mahler recordings and these 'newer' Berlin recordings were very fine. I've heard good/bad things about his Bruckner recordings. He's not really a noted conductor of Bruckner's music, but I have found that conductors are either better at Mahler and not at Bruckner and vice versa.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the always fantastic Mahler 4th. The coupling on this recording is also great (Schreker's _Prelude to a Drama_).


----------



## Guest

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to the always fantastic Mahler 4th. The coupling on this recording is also great (Schreker's _Prelude to a Drama_).


Schreker had an ambivalent relation with the music of Mahler, even though he was closely involved in its performance in his capacity as orchestral or chorus conductor. He once wrote to Paul Bekker (22nd August 1918) that "_I still can't find my bearings in his music_". In his (Schreker's) _*Klein Suite*_ there are certainly more direct and obvious references to Mahler. Is the '_Prelude to a Drama_' you mention above 'Mahlerian'? I don't know this work at all.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Jump to disc 61: Scottish Folksongs for George Thomson, one of 7 discs (8 for Whyte & Napier, 3 for Welsh songs).

fine trio textures from Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, with the penetrating cacklings of Lorna Anderson, soprano, & Jamie MacDougall, tenor.

The record is an Austrian-Scottish co-production with as many govt. & corporate financial support credits as an multi-EU movie with Tilda Swinton in it.

The songs were a cash-cow for Haydn & his publishers, riding on the European craze for Celtic primitivism in the wake of the popularity of the made-up 3rd c. bard Ossian.

Some well known ones here, Waly Waly, O'er the Hills and Far Away. And Willie Was a Wanton Wag.

These are pretty nice to listen to for a while, like Percy Grainger's songs. But in Nova Scotia you can't get away from celtic twilight, they'd pipe it in like North Korean radio you can't shut off, if they could. Going to go make a mixtape one day, it'll be based on the trio, not the songs.

For olde ballads I'll take Steeleye Span & Pentangle, who dig into the Jungian, Grimm Bros. weirdness in the songs. Headbanging over snuff-taking.


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> These are pretty nice to listen to for a while, like Percy Grainger's songs. But in Nova Scotia you can't get away from celtic twilight, *they'd pipe it in like North Korean radio* you can't shut off, if they could. Going to go make a mixtape one day, it'll be based on the trio, not the songs.
> 
> For olde ballads I'll take Steeleye Span & Pentangle, *who dig into the Jungian, Grimm Bros. weirdness in the songs. Headbanging over snuff-taking*.


More of this, please !!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Opus 20, No. 6.*

The Quatuor Mosaiques's period instruments add a rustic feel to the first movement and a delicacy to the second movement. (I haven't got to the rest of the movements yet.)


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Quartet Opus 20, No. 6.*
> The Quatuor Mosaiques's *period instruments add a rustic feel* to the first movement and a delicacy to the second movement. (I haven't got to the rest of the movements yet.)


Absolutely. Well put! You can hear that 'cat gut' string quality, which I really enjoy. Equally _rustic_ in Haydn performance I find is the *Buchberger Quartet*.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I didn't know it was Schumann's birthday today until I read Bejart's post but I was already listening on Spotify to some Schumann first thing this morning. I love the Violin and Piano Sonatas No. 1 Op. 105 and No. 2 Op. 121. The version I was listening to has Ivan Zenaty on violin and Ivan Klansky on piano. This preformance is really quite good but I think I prefer the version I own, which is, the Chandos recording With Lydia Mordkovitch on violin and Gerhrad Oppitz on piano.


----------



## Manxfeeder

TalkingHead said:


> Absolutely. Well put! You can hear that 'cat gut' string quality, which I really enjoy. Equally _rustic_ in Haydn performance I find is the *Buchberger Quartet*.


I'm not familiar with them. I'm listening to their recording of Op. 33, No. 2 on YouTube. Thanks for the intro!


----------



## worov

Some Scarlatti :


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, op 18 no. 1
Quatuor Mosaïques








Sylvius Leopold Weiss: Sonata in A minor 
Hopkinson Smith, lute








Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in G major, op. 18 no. 2
Quatuor Mosaïques








Robert de Visée: Pièces de théorbe--Ouverture 'La Grotte de Versailles' de Mr. Lully; Les baricades mistérieuses de F. Couperin; La Ménetou de F. Couperin
Yasunori Imamura, Theorbo


----------



## Mika

Good stuff from Bernie:


----------



## DrKilroy

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Sextet for piano, flute, and a bunch of other things.*

I'm waiting to leave the house, and my wife is stressing over shoes and other accoutrements. So I have time to squeeze in some Poulenc.


----------



## Novelette

Wagenseil: Symphony in G Minor, WV 418 -- Michi Gaigg: L'Orfeo Barockorchester

Scriabin: Piano Sonata #2, Op. 19, "Sonata-Fantasy" -- Vladimir Ashkenazy

^ This is the first time I've listened to this work; I've yet listened to a small part of Scriabin's music--after this sonata, I'm eager to hear more.

Boulez: Piano Sonata #2 -- Maurizio Pollini

Fauré: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 14 -- Philippe Graffin; Thierry Fischer: Ulster Orchestra


----------



## MagneticGhost

Andrezj Panufnik - Autumn Music

Lukasz Borowicz - Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Some works for piano and orchestra by Chopin: piano concerti, Rondo a la Krakowiak, Allegro spianato and Polonaise.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## MagneticGhost

DrKilroy said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (for the first time...).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Hope it's the first of many


----------



## julianoq

Listening to the first movement of Bruckner 8th at this moment, read a good review about this performance and got interested. Quite good so far!


----------



## Mahlerian

julianoq said:


> Listening to the first movement of Bruckner 8th at this moment, read a good review about this performance and got interested. Quite good so far!


If it's the first time you've listened to the 8th, be aware that the version Young uses is significantly different from the standard one. That said, I love Young's Bruckner. Check out her 3rd as well!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Violin Concerto.*

I haven't heard this in a while. I've noticed that every time I play it, it makes more sense.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Sinfonia a Quattro in E Flat

Simon Murphy leading the Chamber Orchestra of the New Dutch Academy

View attachment 19287


----------



## Valkhafar

Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77. Fritz Reiner/Jascha Heifetz, Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## DaveS

Gary Bertini, Koln Radio SO.


----------



## DaveS

Mika said:


> Good stuff from Bernie:


I love this movie. Any idea of this recording might still be available?


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## Kevin Pearson

DaveS said:


> I love this movie. Any idea of this recording might still be available?


The recording is still in print because it's a "classic" soundtrack. The Mercury Living Presence version was re-released by Varese Sarabande and is available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Vertigo-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B0000014ZW

Kevin


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## DrKilroy

All Schumann works I own!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Verklaerte Nacht, Op. 4 (arr. for string orchestra)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, cond. Heinz Holliger

I prefer the sextet version, but it's a good piece in any form. It surprises me that people can't hear how much of the later Schoenberg is in this piece. Heck, I'd go further and say that the pre-opus number String Quartet in D major also sounds like Schoenberg and no one else wrote it.


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## Kleinzeit

DrKilroy said:


> All Schumann works I own!
> 
> Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - la Nativité du Seigneur / l'Ascension / Apparition de l'Eglise éternelle / Le Banquet céleste (Editions Charlin)









Gaston Litaize au grand orgue de St-François-Xavier, Paris

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mahler - Symphony No. 3

CBSO - Rattle


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## DaveS

Kevin Pearson said:


> The recording is still in print because it's a "classic" soundtrack. The Mercury Living Presence version was re-released by Varese Sarabande and is available at Amazon:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Vertigo-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B0000014ZW
> 
> Kevin


Thanks I'll look for it.


----------



## DaveS

Mozart Sonata #1. Aldo Ciccolini


----------



## Wood

*HAYDN* Il ritorno di Tobia _Hungarians_ (1971)


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to Gliere! Found his lesser known orchestral works unashamedly exciting, ebullient and rapturous.


















http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Oct11/Gliere_CHAN106795X.htm
http://www.reinhold-gliere.net/default.htm


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## Kleinzeit

I agree! I have this Gliere set and it's just that: unashamedly exciting, ebullient and rapturous! Perfect for a big mood, play it all over a day.


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## Aggelos

Kleinzeit said:


> I agree! I have this Gliere set and it's just that: unashamedly exciting, ebullient and rapturous! Perfect for a big mood, play it all over a day.


I wish Chandos had recorded more!.... There are more orchestral works by Gliere!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Shostakovich - From Jewish Folk Poetry and the 15th Symphony.
What a CD. It's been quite a long time since it's had a spin.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Aggelos said:


> I wish Chandos had recorded more!.... There are more orchestral works by Gliere!


then how would I find time for









?


----------



## DaveS

On the local radio station....Respighi Quartet played by the Cremona Quartet. Rather pleasant
(I started to write Cremora Quartet, and had a sudden urge for a cup of joe)


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## Mika

I bet not too many copies around. Bought&listened today :


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Symphony No. 4 in D minor
London Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt


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## Wood

*Benedict Mason* The neurons, the tongue, the cochlea...the breath, the resonance _Musikfabrik, Emilio Pomarico (conductor) Recorded at Festival D'Automne_ (2012)










Just heard this on the radio. This is one of the instruments invented for the performance. The music sounds like an infant school rehearsal, going through several different self made instruments, like an unintentional parody of Britten's Young Person's Guide....

Strangely, I quite like it as ambient music, and was surprised to discover that it was composed by Benedict Mason, who is not a composer I have previously enjoyed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass In B Minor - Franz Bruggen, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17
Mitsuko Uchida


----------



## Novelette

Vaňhal: Oboe Quartet #2 in B Flat, Op. 7 -- Tagore String Trio & Sarah Francis

Krommer: Clarinet Concerto in E Flat -- David Glazer; Jörg Faerber: Würtembergisches Kammerorchester

^ Magnificent and exuberant. I'm excited to explore Krommer's oeuvre further.


----------



## Guest

Drawing energy this evening from Bach and Pinnock:















BWV1041, Concerto for Violin in A minor
BWV1042, Concerto for Violin in E
BWV1043, Concerto for 2 Violin in D minor
BWV1044, Concerto for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord in A minor
BWV1055 (Reconstructed), Concerto for Oboe d'amore in A
BWV1060 (Reconstructed), Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Vaňhal: Oboe Quartet #2 in B Flat, Op. 7 -- Tagore String Trio & Sarah Francis
> 
> Krommer: Clarinet Concerto in E Flat -- David Glazer; Jörg Faerber: Würtembergisches Kammerorchester
> 
> ^ Magnificent and exuberant. I'm excited to explore Krommer's oeuvre further.


I would have thought you would be listening to Schumann all day!


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## SimonNZ

Bach's mass In B Minor - Jordi Savall, cond.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 49, "La passione" (A. Fischer, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra)

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 5 (C. Thielemann, Wienar Philarkmoniker)

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 3 (E. Gilels, New Philarmonia)


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19302
> 
> 
> Bach's Mass In B Minor - Franz Bruggen, cond.


I remember seeing Frans Brüggen playing a solo recorder concert at Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia, about 1972. In the middle part he did some avant-garde stuff with overblowing & what-not.

That same season an electronics group did Stockhausen's Kontake.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Antonio Capuzzi (1755-1818): String Quintet in D Major, Op.3, No.5

Kenneth Goldsmith and Adam La Motte, violins -- Zachary Carrentin and Gregory Ewer, violas -- Steve Estes, cello

View attachment 19309


----------



## bejart

Novelette said:


> Vaňhal: Oboe Quartet #2 in B Flat, Op. 7 -- Tagore String Trio & Sarah Francis
> 
> Krommer: Clarinet Concerto in E Flat -- David Glazer; Jörg Faerber: Würtembergisches Kammerorchester
> 
> ^ Magnificent and exuberant. I'm excited to explore Krommer's oeuvre further.


He wrote a lot of music for wind instruments, but check out his string quartets. He was more popular than Beethoven in his lifetime.

View attachment 19310
View attachment 19311
View attachment 19312


----------



## julianoq

Mahlerian said:


> If it's the first time you've listened to the 8th, be aware that the version Young uses is significantly different from the standard one. That said, I love Young's Bruckner. Check out her 3rd as well!


It was not the first time, I was familiar with the standard performance of the 8th but never listened to the 1887 one. I liked Young's performance of the a lot! Thanks for the recommendation about the 3rd, I will check it out!


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening. Again, the full details. Hope its not too much information (this is an essay!), but I have received some good feedback on these weekend 'dispatches,' so here it is again!

Starting with a contrast of two symphonies about the city of *London*, written over 100 years apart.

*Haydn *_Symphony #104, "London"_
Radio Luxembourg SO under Louis de Froment (BCI)

*Haydn's final symphony* displays a level of tight thematic unity which in the Classical Era was only matched by Mozart's late symphonies before it and Beethoven's coming after it. One writer on music argued that, even on the strength of his series of London symphonies alone, Haydn was the most forward looking of all composers in the history of Western classical music. Big call to make, but the more I have listened to this masterpiece, that view makes sense to me in every way.

The first, second and fourth movements all have thematic links or hooks in common, the minuet being more or less a diversion. But the most amazing aspect for me is the final movement marked _Spiritoso_, and spirited it is! Coming out of a sustained note that sounds like a bagpipe drone, we hear tune thought to be of Croatian origin (Haydn grew up on what are now the borders of Austria, Croatia and Hungary). From that, we get many images and sounds of the city, principally this recurring rocking sequence dominated by timpani bringing to mind swinging bells. This is an image of London as a center of empire, of booming trade, of culture, a bird's eye view of a city at its zenith.

And what of those innovations? Well to my ears, the way Haydn brings imagery like that looks way forward to the likes of Debussy, Ravel and Rachmaninov. The way he incorporates folk elements, bells and bagpipes looks forward to Mahler. The way he starts off the symphony quietly and vaguely makes me think Bruckner. & I can go on and on. Its just an amazing piece at so many levels, and a joy to listen to always.

*Vaughan Williams* _Symphony #2, "A London Symphony"_
London SO under Sir Adrian Boult (Belart)

As Haydn imaged London at one point in its history, so too did *Vaughan Williams.* This work comes from the early 1910's, so pre-World War I. What its got in common with papa's symphony is that it ends with bells - albeit with the famous chime of Big Ben.

Like Haydn's symphony, I get images from this one in droves. A big difference though is that Haydn was a tourist in London, an outsider looking in. But Vaughan Williams was of course a 'native.'

A watery feel given on the strings, bringing images of the Thames, begins the piece. We hear the city awaking from its sleep, Big Ben's chimes gently played on the harp. Suddenly - similar to the Haydn symphony - there is this rush of energy. A dramatic flourish comes, which brings to mind the traffic filled avenues of the city.

My favourite part of the work is the second movement, which the composer said was inspired by "Bloomsbury Square on a November afternoon." The mood is more somber here, lightened up by a lavender seller's song played on the viola and the tinkle of a hansom cab's bell played on some type of percussion (triangle?). There is an outburst amongst all this from the whole orchestra, which is sad but also hopeful at the same time.

The lightness of the scherzo brings to mind Ravel, who taught the composer briefly, but the middle section is typically English and rougher - coming from more sounds from a street seller, the cry of a cockney barrow boy. As it dies down the finale suddenly comes, a dramatic and dignified march reminiscent of Elgar, and bringing to mind images of a royal procession in the city. The end of this piece is a masterstroke, Big Ben comes back and reminiscences of some of the tunes from before, and it all subsides into that watery feel from the start. So another day over in the city.

Incidentally, in terms of visual art, I see *Canaletto's images of London* to be the equivalent of this Haydn symphony and *Monet's images of the same city* as very much like the Vaughan Williams:

















*Schubert*
_String Quartets 14 "Death and the Maiden" and 12 "Quartettsatz"_
Played by the Vermeer Quartet (Teldec)

An interlude with two of* Schubert's* great late string quartets. The technical mastery and innovations are here no less than in the Haydn I'd just listened to - or indeed in Beethoven's late quartets. The variations on the theme of the song "Death and the Maiden" in _*String Quartet #14*_ have the hallmarks of Schubert's late style - a deep human quality, beautifully flowing melodies, but also something unsettling (and in the scherzo, bordering on psychopathic). The _*String Quartet #12*_ - most likely a movement of an unfinished quartet - also has that intense quality, rubbing up shoulders tightly with a lyrical theme that puts it into sharp contrast.

*Bartok* _Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117_
Ruggiero Ricci, violin (Eloquence)

Finishing this double cd set of violin sonatas played by Ruggiero Ricci, which I have been listening to bit by bit on weekends past.

*Bartok's Sonata for Solo Violin* has been a difficult work for me to appreciate, but on this listen I garnered more from it than ever before (some of the thematic unity of the piece came through more). It's a work that mixes Bartok's innovations in sonority (microtonal) with his studies of Bach's counterpoint and of course with the folk musics of South-East Europe. Incidentally, Bartok authorized a version for performance without the microtones, and this is the version performed here.

The piece was written for Yehudi Menuhin, who asked for the usual sonata for violin and piano. Bartok however, knowing the almost unplayable pianos that Menuhin encountered on his concert tours at the time, opted to provide a solo sonata so he wouldn't have to rely on pianos at all. Another thing is that Bartok was of course an admirer of Bach's solo violin sonatas, and he especially liked Menhin's performances of them. So they where his models - eg. the piece begins with a Chaconne - and I see this as the 20th century equivalent of Bach's masterpieces. Menuhin also asked another Hungarian composer and friend, Zoltan Kodaly, for a solo violin sonata. However it never materialized. 

*Bartok* _Piano Concerto #3, Sz. 119_
Julius Katchen, piano with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet (Eloquence)

Finally, a listen to *Bartok's final piano concerto,* which I think has quite a few things in common with the solo sonata. The hazy string sounds at the beginning, the sounds replicating buzzing insects in the middle movement and of course the Bachian counterpoint are strong commonalities these works share, despite being in different genres.

Bartok originally planned this piece as a concerto for two pianos, which he could play together with his wife Ditta Pasztory Bartok. However, he was getting sicker by the day from the disease which was to shortly end his life, so he decided to write it as an ordinary concerto which his wife could play on her own. There is poignancy in this, as well as what Bartok wrote on the score ("vege" or "the end" in Hungarian). Indeed, the last seventeen bars of the work where incomplete at Bartok's death and where filled in by his colleague, Tibor Serly.

The work doesn't lack dissonance but it is more outwardly expressive than the two earlier piano concertos. As in what is considered his finest late work, the _Concerto for Orchestra,_ Bartok here returned to an aesthetic leaning quite heavily towards emotional expressivenss, unbroken melodies and more traditional methods of counterpoint. These may provide some of the reasons why its one of my favourite amongst all of his works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Although I already had many of Haydn's masses, I suspect I was as much seduced by the images of William Blake as I was by Richard Hickox as conductor. Either way... marvelous!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass In B Minor - Ton Koopman, cond.

Its just me and one collegue at work today and we're going to have spent the whole six hour work day listening to three different Mass In B Minors (while working, of course). Heaven - and the customers have been complimenting all day long, too.


----------



## julianoq

Caught Beethoven Missa Solemnis by Thielemann and Dresden Staatskapelle on the TV and coudn't resist to watch it. Very beautiful and moving. It is on the Agnus Dei at this moment and I am almost on tears :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Bob Schumann's* (1810 - 1856) birthday, Symphonies with VPO/Lenny (rec.1984/5).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Poulenc, Sextet for piano, flute, and a bunch of other things.*
> 
> I'm waiting to leave the house, and my wife is stressing over shoes and other accoutrements. So I have time to squeeze in some Poulenc.


LOL Good choice.


----------



## Neo Romanza

TalkingHead said:


> Schreker had an ambivalent relation with the music of Mahler, even though he was closely involved in its performance in his capacity as orchestral or chorus conductor. He once wrote to Paul Bekker (22nd August 1918) that "_I still can't find my bearings in his music_". In his (Schreker's) _*Klein Suite*_ there are certainly more direct and obvious references to Mahler. Is the '_Prelude to a Drama_' you mention above 'Mahlerian'? I don't know this work at all.


Schreker's _Prelude to a Drama_ is curious mixture of Impressionism and Expressionism. Really great orchestration but it's the music itself that lingers in the mind. A good work to counter the Mahler 4. You should definitely give this work a listen sometime.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Continuing with more Mahler from the Abbado Berlin live DG series:










Excellent performance.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bernard Hermann: Psycho (excerpts)
Dag Wirén: Serenade for Strings
*Sibelius:* Violin Concerto


----------



## bejart

In further celebration of his birthday --
Robert Schumann (8 June 1810-1856): Fantasy in C Major, Op.17

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 19317


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> I would have thought you would be listening to Schumann all day!


Oh right! I should have!

Edit: I quite forgot that today is the 8th [where has the time gone?]!  I can pay homage all day tomorrow, in recompense.


----------



## Mahlerian

Neo Romanza said:


> Continuing with more Mahler from the Abbado Berlin live DG series:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Excellent performance.


Yes it is. Just be sure to turn it off before the applause. It comes all too quickly.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> Yes it is. Just be sure to turn it off before the applause. It comes all too quickly.


So I found out.  I've always been impressed with Abbado's continued passion for all things Mahler.

Now continuing with the Mahler Abbado Live in Berlin DG series:










I'm really digging this.


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Cello Concerto - Marko Ylonen, cello, John Storgards, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19320
> 
> 
> Peteris Vasks' Cello Concerto - Marko Ylonen, cello, John Storgards, cond.


You've been on a Vasks kick lately, eh?  I really need to re-listen to his music at some point. I own the Ondine recordings but that Wergo recording you was listening to a day or two ago looked quite nice.


----------



## SimonNZ

Neo Romanza said:


> You've been on a Vasks kick lately, eh?  I really need to re-listen to his music at some point. I own the Ondine recordings but that Wergo recording you was listening to a day or two ago looked quite nice.


Yup, Vasks has been just what the doctor ordered over the last week or two. And remarkably consistent in quality as I've been going through in a rush.

Funny you should mention the Wergo disc - I've only posted it once but I've actually played the Cor Anglais Concerto from that album maybe a dozen times over the last week (easier to do with Vasks as his works are refreshingly concise). Its the recording I'd keep if I could only keep one, and that which I'd recommend to anyone new to him.


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> Yup, Vasks has been just what the doctor ordered over the last week or two. And remarkably consistent in quality as I've been going through in a rush.
> 
> Funny you should mention the Wergo disc - I've only posted it once but I've actually played the Cor Anglais Concerto from that album maybe a dozen times over the last week (easier to do with Vasks as his works are refreshingly concise). Its the recording I'd keep if I could only keep one, and that which I'd recommend to anyone new to him.


Yes, the Ondine recordings have been very good and I really need to revisit them at some point. I listened to the first 5-6 minutes of this _Concerto for Cor Anglais_ and it's lovely. Kudos for posting the link. Reminds me a bit of RVW. What do you think about his _Violin Concerto 'Distant Light'_? This may be the work I revisit first.

Now listening:










Listening to _A Summer's Tale_. Incredible work and then off to bed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, the Ondine recordings have been very good and I really need to revisit them at some point. I listened to the first 5-6 minutes of this _Concerto for Cor Anglais_ and it's lovely. Kudos for posting the link. Reminds me a bit of RVW. What do you think about his _Violin Concerto 'Distant Light'_? This may be the work I revisit first.


Aha! I almost mentioned RVW in my previous post! I was going to suggest that the work proceeds from a Vaughan Williams style moving seemlessly into more standard Vasks territory (including one of his patented melt-into-the-ether endings) and that the "Anglais" of the works title may, to the composer, refer to more than just the instrument.

How strange that its easier to talk with more confidence about the St Matthew Passion, say, than about a work from 24 years ago.

Distant Light I've only heard the once, but will be coming back to. I wont deny its a more complex work.


----------



## Wood

*Haydn* _Die Schopfung_ Germans










As they say in the USA, 'I'm like, WOW!'.


----------



## jim prideaux

Listened to Dvorak 8th most of last week and bought my father same recording-Kubelik DG-just downloaded 5th/7th Slovak Philharmonic/Gunzenhauser-initially appears to be great idea as I had not heard either before. Still sometimes wonder whether the immediacy and apparent accessibility of Dvoraks music means that he is not always considered to be the equal of more 'profound' composers ie Mahler and even Sibelius.


----------



## jim prideaux

Currently considering which Mahler 4th to buy-only one I have any real knowledge of is Abbado VPO on vinyl-any recommendations would be welcome!


----------



## MagneticGhost

jim prideaux said:


> Currently considering which Mahler 4th to buy-only one I have any real knowledge of is Abbado VPO on vinyl-any recommendations would be welcome!


I've got George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra and it's one of my fave discs. Highly recommended. 
As a bonus you get a wonderful performance of Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen too.


----------



## MagneticGhost

The Lindsay Quartet with Janet Hilton

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A K581


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Listened to this cd in full:
> 
> *Michael Nyman*
> _After Extra Time
> The Final Score
> Memorial (Remix)_
> The composer directing his group from the piano


Where can I find this?!?! This is one major Nyman work I am yet to hear in full!!!!


----------



## Stemahl

Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques from a Warner box set of Andras Schiff, which is a break from large symphonies by Mahler or Bruckner. Next is another disc in the set with pieces by Handel - Suite 1 (which I have heard before and really enjoy), Brahms - Handel Variations, and a composer who is new to me named Reger - Bach Variations.


----------



## Stemahl

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19313
> 
> 
> Bach's Mass In B Minor - Ton Koopman, cond.
> 
> Its just me and one collegue at work today and we're going to have spent the whole six hour work day listening to three different Mass In B Minors (while working, of course). Heaven - and the customers have been complimenting all day long, too.


Sounds like a great day. I haven't got this performance (I only have the Herbert Von Karajan edition - which is not the best I've heard, I will have to purchase a better one) but I have just dug out my Brandenburg Concertos with the same conductor - Ton Koopman.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stemahl said:


> Sounds like a great day. I haven't got this performance (I only have the Herbert Von Karajan edition - which is not the best I've heard, I will have to purchase a better one) but I have just dug out my Brandenburg Concertos with the same conductor - Ton Koopman.


There are now many superb recordings of the Mass In B Minor, but my personal desert island recording would be Herreweghe's second on Harmonia Mundi:









It was good to hear the Koopman, but I don't think I'll need to hear it again soon, and was for my taste the least interesting of the three today.


----------



## Stemahl

SimonNZ said:


> There are now many superb recordings of the Mass In B Minor, but my personal desert island recording would be Herreweghe's second on Harmonia Mundi:
> 
> View attachment 19322
> 
> 
> It was good to hear the Koopman, but I don't think I'll need to hear it again soon, and was for my taste the least interesting of the three today.


Great I will keep an eye out for it. I have a disc on Virgin by Herreweghe conducting some Missae by Bach (I think they are numbered BWV 233-238).

Also the performance of Haydn's Creation that I own is by the Harmonia Mundi label with Rene Jacobs and is brilliant.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stemahl said:


> Great I will keep an eye out for it. I have a disc on Virgin by Herreweghe conducting some Missae by Bach (I think they are numbered BWV 233-238).
> 
> Also the performance of Haydn's Creation that I own is by the Harmonia Mundi label with Rene Jacobs and is brilliant.


Gosh...didn't you say you'd only been listening to classical for six months? For a "newbie" you're really zeroing in on the best recordings, and on the meaty works.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert *- Symphony No. 9 (Karl Böhm & Berliner Philarmoniker)









Gosh, why does it have to be so beautiful?!


----------



## Guest

Neo Romanza said:


> So I found out.  I've always been impressed with Abbado's continued passion for all things Mahler.
> Now continuing with the Mahler Abbado Live in Berlin DG series:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm really digging this.


Yes, absolutely riveting performance. You have to make 'special time' to listen to it, it isn't (for me in any case) the sort of CD you just 'pop in' the player, press 'go' and keep on doing the crossword, know what I'm saying?


----------



## ptr

jim prideaux said:


> Currently considering which Mahler 4th to buy-only one I have any real knowledge of is Abbado VPO on vinyl-any recommendations would be welcome!


I suggest You read *this article*, I find that Tony Duggan is on top of most things Mahler!

/ptr


----------



## Stemahl

SimonNZ said:


> Gosh...didn't you say you'd only been listening to classical for six months? For a "newbie" you're really zeroing in on the best recordings, and on the meaty works.


Haha, I probably am getting a bit above myself with certain works, but I like to listen to a piece before people can scare me and have me thinking certain music is "tough to listen to" or "hard going". My close friends (the few I have) can't listen to classical music, so all my influences are coming from a friend who runs a used book store which also sells classical CDs and vinyl. This man has been listening to classical music for nearly 30 years so he is recommending me stuff that maybe people wouldn't usually begin with - like yesterday I paid him a visit to see if he had any new Beethoven stuff in and he recommended the Missa Solemnis, which I've read is quite different to his other works I love, like the symphonies, piano concertos, the violin concerto etc.

Sorry for the long explanation haha. Listening to Sibelius' 2nd symphony conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, and Swan of Tuonela on the same disc.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Prelude in A Minor, BWV 942

Robert Hill, harpsichord

View attachment 19327


----------



## ptr

A silent morning but the midday is orbiting *Dmitri Shostakovich* :

- Romances & Monologues (Koch)
(Preface To The Comlete Collection Of My Works Op 123 // Five Romances To Texts From 'Crocodile' Magazine No. 24, 30 August 1965, Op 121 // Five Romances To Poems By Dolmatovsky: Day Of Coming Together // Six Romances To Poems By English Poets // Four Monologues On Poems B Pushkin Op 91)









Sergei Leiferkus, baritone & Semion Skigin, piano

*and*:

- Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Some Solo piano Works (EMI Great Recordings of the Century)









Dmitri Shostakovich, piano; Ludovic Vaillant, trompe; Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise u. Andre Cluytens

*and will continue with*:

- Symphony No 8 Op 65 (Regis)









Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra u. Evgeni Mravinsky

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Young Master Mozart:
K37, K39, K40, K41
Keyboard concerto arrangements of sonatas by others.
Robert Levin, Harpsichord
Christopher Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): String Quartet in A Major, Op.18, No.2

Quartetto de Milano: Thomas Wicky-Borner and Manrico Padovani, violins -- Caludio Padovani, viola -- Graziano Beluffi, cello


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Liszt* - Faust Symphony (Siegfried Jerusalem, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Georg Solti) on YouTube.


----------



## Neo Romanza

TalkingHead said:


> Yes, absolutely riveting performance. You have to make 'special time' to listen to it, it isn't (for me in any case) the sort of CD you just 'pop in' the player, press 'go' and keep on doing the crossword, know what I'm saying?


This is certainly true. You can't just put Mahler on for 'background music.' It doesn't work too many great things happening in the music for this to happen.


----------



## aleazk

Boulez - Sur Incises


----------



## Adeodatus100

I'm currently having my mind expanded by listening to Webern's Passacaglia. The music seems very ... spacious.


----------



## ptr

Visiting *Carl Nielsen* on his Birthday!

- String Quartets Vol 1 (*Dacapo*)
(String Quartet in G minor Op 13 (1887-88/1897-98) // String Quartet in F major Op 44 (1906) // String Quintet in G major (1888))









- String Quartets Vol. 2 (*Dacapo*)
(String Quartet in F minor Op 5 (1890) // String Quartet in E flat major Op 14 (1897-98))









Den Unge Danske Strygekvartet

Awesome ensemble play, some of the best versions of all Nielsen's quartets!

/ptr


----------



## Valkhafar

Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9. Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## aleazk

John Cage - Third Construction.

In this amazing performance:


----------



## opus55

Fesca: Flute Quartets


----------



## Arsakes

*Glazunov*'s Symphony No.4, 8 and 9 (unfinished)

*Tchaikovsky*'s Symphony No.4 in F minor


----------



## Mika

Sunday is the day of opera


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Verklaerte Nacht, Op. 4
Ying Quartet (plus two, I suppose)

I wouldn't normally listen to something like this two days in a row, but it came on the radio, and after all, it's the sextet version!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra_. A great work and performance.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Started off this morning listening to this really wonderful 7th symphony of Alexander Moyzes. The pastoral feel of the first movement seems so perfect for early morning listening. The later movements have some wonderful Czech folk/dance melodies. Moyzes may not be well known but he should be in my opinion. All 12 of his symphonies are gems.










After reading through the thread about whether older recordings are better I thought I'd put on Bernstein's 1963 recording of Beethoven's 4th and 5th symphonies with the New York Philharmonic. Now in my opinion anyone who says older recordings do not sound as good are off their rocker. Have you heard this recording? It's clean and pristine. Bernstein's tempos are fast and energetic and I really can't imagine anyone young not liking this version of these symphonies, and if you are older it will remind you of the exuberance of your youth. Bernstein brings out the raw energy of Beethoven and the potential that was there. If Beethoven had an orchestra like the NYP he would have loved this recording. Is it better than some of the more modern recordings? It's a matter of preference of course, but I would say I prefer this older recording with it's drama and passion. That's not to say that I don't like or even enjoy some of the modern versions out there today but some recordings stand the test of time and are still "in print" today for a reason.


----------



## chrisco97

*Brahms* - Academic Festival Overture
_Utah Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Abravanel_

One of my favourite Brahms works.


----------



## ptr

More *Carl Nielsen*:

- Complete Organ Music & 3 Motets for mixed choir, Op.55 (*Bis*)









Elisabeth Westenholz, organ // Camerata Kammerkor u. Per Enevold

-Symphony No 2, 4 & 6 (*Danacord*)









Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra u. Tor Mann

/ptr


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 4_. Superb performance.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Besozzi (1702-1793): Trio No.3 for Oboe, Violin and Bassoon

Luca Vignali, oboe -- Pavel Vernikov, violin -- Paolo Carlini, bassoon

View attachment 19356


----------



## DaveS

The B minor Sonata, and now the Mazurkas.


----------



## NightHawk

I couldn't make up my mind about this purchase - the von Karajan has Janowitz and Wunderlich (!), and the Bernstein has Popp and Moll (!) - I love all four singers, not to mention the work. Since I got the Bernstein 'new' on 2 discs for only $4.62 I thought well, just get 'em both - the von Karajan 'new' is only 12.20 and both are being shipped from Kentucky (!)  (obviously Moll is singing Raphael and Wunderlich is singing Uriel!


----------



## OboeKnight

Concerto for Flute and Harp- Mozart


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Symphonies, Nos. 25, 31-36, 38-41. I am not sure, but I think that the performers are Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Sir Neville Marriner.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B Flat

Bohdan Warchal leading the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Jozef Kopelman, violin -- Juraj Alexander, cello -- Lothar Koch, oboe -- Klaus Tunemann, bassoon

View attachment 19359


----------



## Celloissimo

Just about to immerse myself in "Der Fliegende Hollander" under the baton of Sir Georg Solti.


----------



## DaveS

Respighi: Fountains
Hendrik Andriessen: Miroir de Peine w/Irma Kolassi, Soprano 
Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces 
Beethoven: Concerto #3 in Cm Solomon, piano recorded 12/1952


----------



## Manxfeeder

*David Diamond, Symphony No. 2.*

I think this is an outstanding work, though somewhat somber, reserving its ebullience until the end.


----------



## DavidA

Barbara Bonney - Fairest Isle


----------



## Tristan

*Balakirev* - Symphony No. 1 in C major (Russian State Symphony Orchestra)

Underrated composer whose music definitely reminds me of Borodin, Glazunov, and Rimsky-Korsakov, all composers I like. So all the reason to listen to it


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Seven Last Words.*

This is well-played by the Quatour Mosaiques, but it doesn't match the intensity of the Lindsay Quartet.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> *David Diamond, Symphony No. 2.*
> 
> I think this is an outstanding work, though somewhat somber, reserving its ebullience until the end.
> 
> View attachment 19361


Both of those Diamond symphonies are top-notch. He's such an underrated composer IMHO. Speaking of underrated composers...now listening:










Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Fantastic music.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): String Trio in E Flat, Op.11, No.1

Belvedere Trio Of Vienna: Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Elmar Landerer, viola -- Robert Nagy, cello

View attachment 19363


----------



## AndyS

Winterreise - Hotter & Moore

Following along with the music - I'm discovering this is a great way to follow along with lieder (and chamber in general)


----------



## Novelette

Somehow, the days have been getting away from me. Mahlerian noted that he thought that I would have spent all yesterday listening to Schumann. Yet I blithely carried on, not realizing that it was the 8th, which was the 203th anniversary of Robert Schumann's birth. So today, I make recompense.

Schumann: Symphony in G Minor, WoO 29, "Zwickau" -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2 -- Murray Perahia

Schumann: Variation auf Beethoven, WoO 31 -- Peter Frankl

Schumann: Piano Quintet in E Flat, Op. 44 -- Alban Berg Quartet

Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 -- Jonathan Biss

Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 -- Claudio Arrau

Schumann: String Quartet #2 in F, Op. 41/2 -- Alberni Quartet

Schumann: Der Konigssohn, Op. 116 -- Saarbrücken Kaiserlautern

Agenda for the rest of the evening [subject to change]:

Schumann: Symphony #4 in D Minor, Op. 120 (Revised Version) -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

Schumann: Acht Polonaises, Op. 111 -- Four hands: Peter Frankl & András Schiff

Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17 -- Alfred Brendel; Sanderling: London Philharmonia Orchestra

...

Got an early start, happily.


----------



## Mahlerian

DaveS said:


> View attachment 19360
> 
> Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces




For me this is a .


----------



## Wood

*Mahler * Symphony No. 5 _Barbirolli_


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> For me this is a .


Me too. Love Schoenberg's _Five Pieces for Orchestra_.


----------



## Mahlerian

Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
San Francisco Symphony, cond. Blomstedt


----------



## PetrB

François Couperin, _Les Concerts Royaux 1722_





J. S. Bach _Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Cembalo_ ~ Jordi Savall & Ton Koopmen




Great writing, maybe even greater playing, didn't make it past the 2nd mvmt of the first one (sheepish grin.) 
Far too good, though, to not share.


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure's Requiem - Jeremy Summerly, cond.


----------



## bejart

Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827): Flute Concerto in G Major, Op.3, No.3

I Virtuosi Italiani -- Mario Ancillotti, flute

View attachment 19366


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Where can I find this?!?! This is one major Nyman work I am yet to hear in full!!!!


Dunno I guess its out of print. I haven't checked on youtube? Its pretty good, esp. the last track Memorial (Remix). He's got the soprano singing an octave above the orchestra. Gives this kind of wierd effect, both disturbing and maybe comforting/mournful. This pieces was originally written in memory of victims of some stadium disaster in the UK, when many died and where trampled to death. Something horrible like that. But it was reused one of the Peter Greenaway films. But this version is about 10 minutes and I think that brevity - compared to the other two tracks on the cd which are like over 20 minutes - give it extra punch. Its a cd I listen to with a fair degree of regularity, despite not always listening to minimalist things of this sort (I've also got his soundtrack to The Piano and a cd with The Piano Concerto and a couple of other concert hall type works)...


----------



## SimonNZ

Sellers on Amazon are offering that Nyman disc used from 2.25us and new from 5.00us

http://www.amazon.com/After-Extra-T...=1370814596&sr=8-1&keywords=nyman+after+extra


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure Piano Quartets - Domus

which reminds me that I meant to order Susan Tomes book on playing with Domus and touring with their portable geodesic dome concert stage:


----------



## Vaneyes

I tried to listen to *Brahms* Symphony 1 on internet radio, but it sounded too funny. Yup, it was Norrington. 

Onto a better recording, and in celebration of *Carl Nielsen's* (1865 - 1931) birthday, Violin Concerto, with Lin/Swedish RSO/Salonen (rec.1988). :tiphat:

View attachment 19369


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne 1759-1803): Oboe Sonata in C Major, Op.71, No.3

Burkhard Glaetzner, oboe -- Christine Schornscheim, piano -- Siegfried Pank, cello

View attachment 19370


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 5 'Di tre re'_. Incredible performance. This is still my favorite Honegger recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Currently considering which Mahler 4th to buy-only one I have any real knowledge of is Abbado VPO on vinyl-any recommendations would be welcome!


Harding with some new things to say, and Horenstein along the more conventional line. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms* and *Schumann* 1s, with BPO/HvK (rec. 1964 - 1971).

View attachment 19371


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Variations in G Major on a theme by CE Graaf, KV 24

Ingrid Haebler, piano

View attachment 19373


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Niels W. Gide--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.5, Symphony No.8 in B Minor, Op.47, Symphony No.2 in E Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.7 in F Major, Op.45.* All four symphonies feature Neeme Jarvi and the Stockholm Sinfonietta.
Roy Harris--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.4 {"Folksong Symphony"}. *Both works are performed by the Marin Alsop led Colorado Symphony and Chorus{featured in the *Fourth.*}Havergal Brian-*-Symphony No.20 in C-Sharp Minor and Symphony No.25 in A Minor, *both performed by the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Penny.


----------



## Novelette

A few more Schumann works:

Schumann: Symphony #2 in C, Op. 61 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

Schumann: Lieder für Drei Frauenstimmen, Op. 114 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Schumann: Dichterliebe, Op. 48 -- Graham Johnson: Ian Bostridge

Schumann: Missa Sacra in C Minor, Op. 147 -- Chor des Städt: Musikvereins zu Düsseldorf


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Revisiting Aho's _Flute Concerto_. A magical work.

Next up will be my continuation of Jarvi's Chandos recordings of Shostakovich:


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Next up will be my continuation of Jarvi's Chandos recordings of Shostakovich:


Ooh, Shostakovich's 5th is my favorite symphony in his cycle. The finale, especially, is so dramatic and compelling, and what an introduction! Heavy, heavy timpani. Enjoy!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> Ooh, Shostakovich's 5th is my favorite symphony in his cycle. The finale, especially, is so dramatic and compelling, and what an introduction! Heavy, heavy timpani. Enjoy!


I've known all of Shostakovich's symphonies for many years. The 5th is masterwork. I find the _Largo_ especially compelling in this symphony. This is probably Shostakovich's most 'tuneful' symphony but this isn't meant as a put down of course. Nothing wrong with good tunes and Shostakovich was always full of them. Aside from the 5th, what are your other favorite Shostakovich works?


----------



## Novelette

I'm not very thoroughly familiar with Shostakovich's output yet. I'm moderately familiar with the symphonies, and as yet, only marginally familiar with the string quartets. That said, I absolutely adore his 8th String Quartet in C Minor! The whole array of movements is fascinating, the frenetic second movement, the macabre "waltz" of the third movement. What an interesting composer Shostakovich was.


----------



## Celloman

I'm currently experiencing a strong obsession with Mahler's 6th..._so good!_

This is the recording I purchased a few months ago:


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure's Nocturnes - Pascal Roge, piano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> I'm not very thoroughly familiar with Shostakovich's output yet. I'm moderately familiar with the symphonies, and as yet, only marginally familiar with the string quartets. That said, I absolutely adore his 8th String Quartet in C Minor! The whole array of movements is fascinating, the frenetic second movement, the macabre "waltz" of the third movement. What an interesting composer Shostakovich was.


Yes, _String Quartet No. 8_ is a wild ride.  If you need any recommendations then don't hesitate to ask.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> I've known all of Shostakovich's symphonies for many years. The 5th is masterwork. I find the _Largo_ especially compelling in this symphony. This is probably Shostakovich's most 'tuneful' symphony but this isn't meant as a put down of course. Nothing wrong with good tunes and Shostakovich was always full of them. Aside from the 5th, what are your other favorite Shostakovich works?





Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, _String Quartet No. 8_ is a wild ride.  If you need any recommendations then don't hesitate to ask.


Will do! Thanks, Neo!


----------



## Mahlerian

Celloman said:


> I'm currently experiencing a strong obsession with Mahler's 6th..._so good!_


I'm always experiencing a strong obsession with Mahler's 6th....

Anyway, just finished watching via Youtube (well, I spent a lot of the time looking at a translated libretto, but you know):
Weber: Die Freischutz
Frick, Mathis, Saunders, Kozub, Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, cond. Leopold Ludwig

How on earth can any librettist have thought Act III of this was acceptable or dramatically satisfying in any way? Great music though.


----------



## oogabooha

"Why does, while in love, 
this anxiety embrace me?"


----------



## Kleinzeit

To disc 61 with Symphonies 103 & 104, but knew I wouldn't get past 103, why would you.

'Drumroll' Symphony
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Adam Fischer

1. adagio-allegro con spirito: What a perfect mix of art and show business. I'd love to have been in the first audience. Haydn gives you 3 min. of gloom and doom from the tomb, that puts you in the judgement seat. Then he pretends to let you off the hook with a happy dance, and spends the rest of the movement messing with your emotions. 
The allegro sounds like someone counting their blessings, not ignoring shades and regrets, but mostly awe at what a vast river anyone's life is.

2. anadante piu tosto allegretto: If you felt you were seriously in twilight and there really wouldn't be another spring, and you went to a big party & all your friends were there, what demeanour would you bring? Maybe like the movement, it would be blithe & familiar and normal, only more so. Way more so.
They say that houseflies with their compound eyes can see pulses of light, that the world looks like a slow strobe. This sounds like someone who in the mind's eye can see a panorama of joys & regrets, pulses of life.

3. menuetto & trio: allegro: There's that saying that the prospect of hanging focusses the mind wonderfully. The casually willful invention in this music seems like it comes as the flower of a lifetime's practice: The blind puppeteer washed his dishes in the dark.

4. finale allegro con spirito: By now I realized I needed to hear Sibelius 4. It's a soulmate to Haydn's 103. It establishes an atmosphere of ultimate things, you know it's art but you know it's real too, and it practically defines 'enigma'. The melancholy is cut with the genuine affability of someone who suffers, and knows he's not unique. Two minutes in and you can hear light pouring from the strings.

So I listened to these















Beecham because Sibelius would have heard it. And Järvi because he's impeccable. (He's one of the ones who's on the nose with the end of the 5th)

And then Haydn 103 again in the other version I have, Bernstein with the NY Philharmonic. I want to hear every version of this ever, now.









The sound is great and so is the band, better than the other, though not miles ahead. But Fischer and the Haydn Orchestra sounds like home cooking, and I prefer it. Which makes me feel good about this big set in general. So I listened to 103 half a dozen times. I like it when I stick to a handful of works simply.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

DaveS said:


> View attachment 19360
> 
> 
> Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces


One of my favourite Schoenberg works! What's this recording like? I might have to look it up.


----------



## Feathers

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (Abbado and BPO) 

AMAZING. Like always. 

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (Haitink and RCO)

Listening to a Tchaikovsky symphony that's not the 6th for a change.


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Piano Quartet - Ensemble Raro


----------



## Sid James

*Sarasate* _Habanera, Op. 21 No. 2* ; Playera, Op. 23 ; Spanish Dance, Op. 26 No. 8 ; Malaguena, Op. 21 No. 1* ; Caprice Basque, Op. 24* ; Romanza Andaluza, Op. 2 ; Zapateado, Op. 23_
* Arrangements by Francescatti
Itzhak Perlman, violin & Sam Sanders, piano

*Ravel* _Bolero_
City of Birmingham SO under Sir Simon Rattle

*Michael Nyman* _The Piano Concerto_
Peter Lawson tickling the ivories with Royal PO under Jonathan Carney

*Prokofiev* _Symphony #3_
London SO under Claudio Abbado


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"
_Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of London & Adrian Boult_

*Edit:* I have never realized how much I love this symphony until now. It is so amazing.


----------



## Kivimees

Kevin Pearson said:


> Started off this morning listening to this really wonderful 7th symphony of Alexander Moyzes. The pastoral feel of the first movement seems so perfect for early morning listening. The later movements have some wonderful Czech folk/dance melodies. Moyzes may not be well known but he should be in my opinion. All 12 of his symphonies are gems.


Just listened to this for the first time and really enjoyed it. :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Mahler 1










3 o'clock in the morning


----------



## SimonNZ

Xavier Montsalvatge's Canciones Negras - Teresa Berganza, mezzo, Felix Lavilla, piano


----------



## Kieran

Been a busy few days where the only listening I did was to Rafa Nadal grunting mightily on court Philippe Chatrier in Paris! On television, of course. Just as sweet as the sound of a great tennis champ is the dulcet grunt of Alfred Brendel performing a Beethoven sonata, the 1st one. After this, some Schubert...


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Cello Sonata No.5 in E Minor, RV 40

L'Ecole D'Orphee: Susan Sheppard, cello -- Lucy Carolan, harpsichord -- Jane Coe, cello continuo

View attachment 19390


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's A Survivor From Warsaw - Simon Callow, narrator, Robert Craft, cond.

edit: followed by Schoenberg's Ode To Napoleon - Derrek Olsen, narrator, Hans Rosbaud, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just have to listen to some awesome Schoenberg. Ode to Napoleon.


----------



## Kieran

I've been looking in Tower Records for Mitsuko playing the Schoenberg piano concerto, but they don't have it. They have GG. Big double-disc, €13, but it hasn't gripped me. I had a yen for Schoenberg, but it's dissipating...


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> I've been looking in Tower Records for Mitsuko playing the Schoenberg piano concerto, but they don't have it. They have GG. Big double-disc, €13, but it hasn't gripped me. I had a yen for Schoenberg, but it's dissipating...


----------



## ptr

Spending the day with *Charles Tournemire*:

- Suite de morceaux pour orgue Op 19 & 23 (*Aeolus*)









Michelle Leclerc @ the Cavaille-Coll Organ (1868) of Iglesia San Vicente, San Sebastián, Spain

- L'Orgue Mystique (selection) (*Priory*)









Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet @ the Organ of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre, Paris

-Douze Preludes-Poemes (*Atma*)









Lise Boucher, piano

- Nativitas (Selection of Nativity pieces from L'Orgue Mystique) (*Atma*)









Vincent Boucher at the Casavant Organ (1915/1995) of l'église Saint-Jean-Batiste, Quebec

/ptr


----------



## PetrB

François Couperin, _Ordre XIII_ (Grigory Sokolov, piano)


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


>


Great stuff, Simon, thanks! I'll listen later on when I get time, because it's one that a few posters here fired my imagination on, particularly with Mitsuko.

Cheers! :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Just watched Uchida playing the Schoenberg Concerto i linked to above, which i thought was superb. I hope Kieran had a look before his interest dissipated.

(edit: x-post - hope you like it!)

And I've got to say (ok I don't but I'm going to) that there are moments when Uchida is quite unexpectedly sexy, and this was one of those moments.

That clip also links to vintage Chopin performance footage from when she must have been 21:


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> And I've got to say (ok I don't but I'm going to) that there are moments when Uchida is quite unexpectedly sexy, and this was one of those moments.


Highly cute!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Michael Nyman: MGV


----------



## SimonNZ

Just followed Youtube links further to find this vintage footage of Martha Argerich from 1966 performing Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.6

- which should be watched by modern filmmakers to illustrate how the dazzling handwork can best be photographed.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - Hamburg Concerto

The last two movements, composed in 2002 were Ligeti's last pieces.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Another Michael, this time it's Haydn and his requiem.


----------



## aleazk

C.P.E.Bach - Symphony No.1 in D major


----------



## ptr

More *Charles Tournemire*:

- Symphony No 7 "Les Dances de la Vie" (*Marco Polo*)









- Symphony No 3 in D major Op 43 "Moscow 1913" & No 8 Op 51, "Le triomphe de la mort" (*Marco Polo*)









Moscow Symphony Orchestra u. Antonio de Almeida

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Another great morning piece today! Listening to The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. Just a very beautiful Chinese violin concerto written in a Romantic style. The piece dates back to 1959 and is in a Western classical style but with Chinese melodies. The second piece on the CD is Yellow River Piano Concerto written by Yin Chengzong and Chu Wanghua, and based on the Yellow River Cantata by composer Xian Xinghai, and is probably one of the best Chinese piano concertos of modern times. This is just a wonderful and beautiful album. One you can listen to many times over and find new riches with each listen.










I hope some of you will seek out this album. Now I must be off to work!

Kevin


----------



## Guest

At work the other day, listened straight through all 26 of Faure's Nocturnes and Barcarolles. I could do that every day...


----------



## julianoq

Taking the morning to listen two works for the first time. At this moment, Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony with Petrenko and the RLPO:










And next, Berlioz's Grande Messe des morts. Still researching reviews to decide if I go with Beecham or Sir Colin Davis (I love his Symphonie fantastique).


----------



## Valkhafar

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 1. Osmo Antero Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Ravndal

Satie - Je Te Veux
Mozart Sonatas
Haydn Sonatas


----------



## Kivimees

On Kevin Pearson's advice, I'm paying Alexander Moyzes another visit:


----------



## Stemahl

Brahms & Sibelius - Violin Concertos. Tasmin Little on Violin, conducted by Vernon Handley with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.


----------



## maestro267

*Sibelius:* Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Lahti SO/Vanska

*Shostakovich:* Symphony No. 12 in D minor (The Year 1917)
Royal Liverpool PO/Petrenko


----------



## Wood

Sid James said:


> the last track Memorial (Remix). He's got the soprano singing an octave above the orchestra. Gives this kind of wierd effect, both disturbing and maybe comforting/mournful. This pieces was originally written in memory of victims of some stadium disaster in the UK, when many died and where trampled to death. Something horrible like that. But it was reused one of the Peter Greenaway films.


Nyman dedicated this piece to the stadium disaster that was in fact in Brussels. It resulted in 30+ deaths of mostly Italian fans. It was caused by a combination of aggressive Liverpool supporters, a dilapidated stadium and poor policing. I remember seeing it live, on tele. It wasn't very pleasant.

'The cook, the thief, his wife & her lover' was the Greenaway film.


----------



## Wood

*Haydn* The Creation

*Haydn* Symphony No. 38 _Fischer_

*Vivaldi* Magnificat _Muti_










*Albeniz* Iberia Book 3

*Haydn* Symphony No. 11 _Fischer_

*Tanada* Mysterious morning III

*Bach, J. S.* Orchestral Suite No. 2 _Karajan_










*Arnold* Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Concerto for Piano Duet and Strings, Horn Concerto No. 1 _Mark Stephenson, London Musici_


----------



## ptr

*Charles Tournemire* #3:

- L'Orgue mystique No 7 & 51 and Deux fresques (*Priory*)









Marie Bernadette Dufourcet @ The Organ of The Sacre Coeur, Paris

- Resurrectio (*Atma*)









Vincent Boucher at the Casavant organ of Eglise des Sainte-Agnes-gardiens, Lachine, Québec

And to conclude ma journée de Tournemire:

- Symphony No 6 Op 48 (Naive)









Daniel Galvez-Vallejo, Tenor, Luc Ponet, Organ; Polyphonia Chorus, Namur Symphonic Chorus & Liège Philharmonic Orchestra u. Pierre Bartholomée

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Samuel Coleridge Taylor - Clarinet Quintet.

Fabulous piece. Just as good as the Brahms and Mozart.


----------



## opus55

Weyse: Symphony No. 1










and rest of the symphonies depending on how much I like the first.


----------



## chrisco97

Starting the day off right...

*Beethoven* - Coriolan Overture
_Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of London & Adrian Boult_

One of my favourites.


----------



## Guest

Neo Romanza said:


> This is certainly true. You can't just put Mahler on for 'background music.' *It doesn't work too many great things happening in the music for this to happen*.


Quite right, and not only just Mahler! I am really rather uncomfortable with the entire notion of 'background music'. I rarely 'use' music in this way, especially when concentrating on a given task. On the few occasions when I _do_ try to put on music as sonic backdrop, I just can't concentrate. On the other hand, I must confess that I like 'sonic wallpaper' at dinner parties; in that way, I can drift in and out of conversations as they ebb and flow.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60, Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13.* All three symphonies are performed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra. Of late, I have been becoming more and more attracted to the lyric beauty evinced by this composer, as well as that of Franz Schubert.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, D 82 and Symphony No.4 in C Minor, D 417 {"Tragic"},* both featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"},* once again featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, this time under the baton of Igor Markevitch.


----------



## Guest

aleazk said:


> John Cage - Third Construction.
> In this amazing performance:


Knock out stuff, Aleazk, thanks for the reminder! Good lord, all those 'anti Cageians' who forget (or just don't know or who refuse -Taliban like - to acknowledge) that he wrote so much more than the silly-but-OK-interesting 4'33".


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> I tried to listen to *Brahms* Symphony 1 on internet radio, but it sounded too funny. Yup, it was Norrington.


Hah! How did it sound 'funny' Vaneyes? Really, I'd like to know (as I've never heard Norrington 'doing' Brahms). _Allez_, ditch the dirt!


----------



## Mika

Starting with some symphonies in C








then Neruda Songs








and finally Lollapalooza


----------



## chrisco97

TalkingHead said:


> Quite right, and not only just Mahler! I am really rather uncomfortable with the entire notion of 'background music'. I rarely 'use' music in this way, especially when concentrating on a given task. On the few occasions when I _do_ try to put on music as sonic backdrop, I just can't concentrate. On the other hand, I must confess that I like 'sonic wallpaper' at dinner parties; in that way, I can drift in and out of conversations as they ebb and flow.


Haha, most definitely! I was told listening to classical music in the background helps you read better. It does not help me at all, it just makes me lose focus of what I am reading because I am paying so much attention to the music playing!


----------



## chrisco97

*Dvorak* - Symphony No. 6
_Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Thomas Dausgaard_


----------



## aleazk

TalkingHead said:


> Knock out stuff, Aleazk, thanks for the reminder! Good lord, all those 'anti Cageians' who forget (or just don't know or who refuse -Taliban like - to acknowledge) that he wrote so much more than the silly-but-OK-interesting 4'33".


:tiphat:

----------------------------------------------

Lili Boulanger - Veille Priére Bouddhique: 




Lili Boulanger was the sister of Nadia Boulanger. She died in 1918 with only 24 years old!.


----------



## Guest

This for Neo and Mahlerian (in particular):
*Mahler*, Symphony N° 5 / Eliahu INBAL / Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (January 1986), *1st movement only*.
Well, I don't have a lot of 'availability' to listen to entire early 20th-C symphonies, what with the work, kid(s), shopping, cooking, washing up and so on (_booh hooh_, nah, I'm just peeling an onion...) ... but ... what a fargin' knock out performance (warts an' all). Have to say, it was slow coming, but then it was the total 'full big-top circus' event. Had to lie down for half an hour before I even dared listen to the 2nd movement (curtailed because of demands for eating from offspring).


----------



## NightHawk

Remastered 1974 performance. Got it in the mail this morning and listened to it straight-through to the instantito yelling/screaming/applause at the end of disc 2. Rysanek and the entire cast are incredible. Of course it is from 1974, but I've been a fan of stuff from the crypt for a long time so the analog aspects disappear totally in about 10 seconds. I also have the 1995 Dohnanyi and Vienna version w Malfitano and Terfel, and it is stupendous, esp Terfel - Malfitano's tone can get quite shrieky at times but such an actress and very musical - it's no reason not to purchase. These are two great recordings, and I think I prefer the Rysanek - Highly recommended 5*****'s (I'd give the Dohnanyi 5*'s, as well).


----------



## Mahlerian

TalkingHead said:


> This for Neo and Mahlerian (in particular):
> *Mahler*, Symphony N° 5 / Eliahu INBAL / Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (January 1986), *1st movement only*.


Aw, how did you know I love Mahler?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TalkingHead said:


> Well, I don't have a lot of 'availability' to listen to entire early 20th-C symphonies


you might like a certain op. 21 of a certain Anton Webern. Not long overblown Mahler!


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> you might like a certain op. 21 of a certain Anton Webern. Not long overblown Mahler!


Perhaps you think he would prefer the endless pedal points of Sibelius? 

Webern: Symphony, Op. [age of majority in US]
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## Kieran

Piano sonata #8, K310, in a-minor, by WAM, and performed by Mitsuko Uchida...


----------



## Cheyenne

Corelli's Concerto Grosso Op 6 with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert. What a great recording, so very personal and not at all boring or a 'museum piece'. I think it is very much distinguishable in approach and sound on both artistic and technical levels from, say, Biondi with Europa Galante, or Marriner with the good ol' Academy of St Martin in the Field - and this one sure comes out on top.


----------



## Guest

Mahlerian said:


> Aw, how did you know I love Mahler?


Je vous embrace, Gustav !! Bisous!


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> you might like a certain op. 21 of a certain Anton Webern. Not long overblown Mahler!


I am a great admirer of Webern, I'll have you know, CoAG, _mon cher_ !!!


----------



## Ravndal

Kalinnikov - Symphony 1


----------



## DrKilroy

Monteverdi - Magnificat II.
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

Cheyenne said:


> Corelli's Concerto Grosso Op 6 with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert. What a great recording, so very personal and not at all boring or a 'museum piece'. I think it is very much distinguishable in approach and sound on both artistic and technical levels from, say, Biondi with Europa Galanta, or Marriner with the good ol' Academy of St Martin in the Field - and this one sure comes out on top.
> View attachment 19408


Pinnock has his own approach, and I find it as 'no-nonsense' as it is muscular. I am a big fan.


----------



## Kieran

Piano sonata #11 in A, K311, Mitsuko of the Uchidas swishing her mysterious hair across the keys...


----------



## Guest

Cheyenne said:


> Corelli's Concerto Grosso Op 6 with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert. What a great recording, so very personal and not at all boring or a 'museum piece'. I think it is very much distinguishable in approach and sound on both artistic and technical levels from, say, Biondi with Europa Galante, or Marriner with the good ol' Academy of St Martin in the Field - and this one sure comes out on top.
> 
> View attachment 19408


Dear Cheyenne,
You know he has a (relatively) new ensemble called *The European Brandenburg Ensemble*. Good players, good sound. You know this.


----------



## Mahlerian

Rameau: Pièces de clavecin en concerts
Gustav Leonhardt, Lars Fryden, Nikolaus Harnoncourt


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach*
_Violin Concertos in A minor & E minor
Double Violin Concerto*
Sonata in E minor (arr. Respighi)
Air on the G-String_
Takako Nishizaki, violin; *Alexander Jablokov, violin; Capella Istropolitana under Oliver Dohnanyi

*Beethoven* _Violin Romances 1 & 2_
Emmy Verhey, violin with Brabants Orkest under Eduardo Marturet & Royal PO under Hans Vonk

*Michael Nyman* _On the Fiddle & Prospero's Books_
Royal PO under Jonathan Carney


----------



## schuberkovich

Brahms violin concerto in D
Itzhak Perelman, violin.
Chicago symphony orchestra cond. Carlo Maria Giulini


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure songs - Graham Johnson, piano, et al

volume four of the Hyperion series, which includes Jennifer Smith singing "La chanson d'Eve"


----------



## Ravndal

I'm at the end of Brahms - Op 118

Radu Lupu.


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Rameau: Pièces de clavecin en concerts
> Gustav Leonhardt, Lars Fryden, Nikolaus Harnoncourt


I was listening to this work [with the Kuijken Ensemble performing] last night before going to sleep [it was past midnight so I didn't have to break my commitment to making it a Schumann day].

La Livri from the first book is my favorite movement: hauntingly beautiful with an ethereal mystery to it. Especially interesting is to play the harpsichord part completely unaccompanied.

A terrible pity that Rameau composed no other chamber works.


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> I was listening to this work [with the Kuijken Ensemble performing] last night before going to sleep [it was past midnight so I didn't have to break my commitment to making it a Schumann day].
> 
> La Livri from the first book is my favorite movement: hauntingly beautiful with an ethereal mystery to it. Especially interesting is to play the harpsichord part completely unaccompanied.
> 
> A terrible pity that Rameau composed no other chamber works.


It really is. This time through, I particularly enjoyed the A minor/major dances of Book 3's La Timide.


----------



## Novelette

Tchaikovsky: Morceau, Op. 72 -- Mikhail Pletnev

^ The 9th movement is entitled "Un poco di Schumann", and what a nice little "vignette" it is. The 16th movement is a waltz in 5/8 time, what an interesting set-up! The second movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony is also in large measure a waltz, in 5/4 time.

Tallis: Missa Salve Intermerata -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Beethoven: Symphony #1 in C, Op. 21 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Winds -- Balint Vazsonyi; Bernhard Klee: BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

After Kleinzeit's post yesterday I realize its high time I heard this again:









Haydn's Symphony No.103 "Drumroll" - Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Perhaps you think he would prefer the endless pedal points of Sibelius?


Those pedal points are simply marvellous 
@TalkingHead, *Sibelius's* 7th is only 20 to 23 minutes long in most recordings.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Orchestral Works, with BPO/Abbado (rec.1998/9); Piano Works, with Jacobs (rec.1970 - 1978).

View attachment 19419
View attachment 19420
View attachment 19421


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Quartet No. 8.
*
The NSA spying scandal may be benign or it may be tyrranical, but for some reason, Shostakovich's music is making more sense.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Kieran said:


> Piano sonata #8, K310, in a-minor, by WAM, and performed by Mitsuko Uchida...


Oh yes! My favourite Mozart piano sonata by far.

His minor key works are stunning on the whole, it's a shame he composed so few.


----------



## Vaneyes

TalkingHead said:


> Hah! How did it sound 'funny' Vaneyes? Really, I'd like to know (as I've never heard Norrington 'doing' Brahms). _Allez_, ditch the dirt!


Quite surprisingly, TH, *Un poco sostenuto - Allegro* sounded like...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Violin Concerto.*

This is a lovely piece, well-recorded. It sounds like the orchestra is in my living room.


----------



## DaveS

Been anxious to get this set. Listening to the Eroica. rec. Dec 19/20 1944. With the VPO. So far, I like what I am hearing.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Sonata No. 14 (G. Gould)

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 5*, 14 "Moonlight" and 29 "Hammerklavier" (V. Lisitsa, *J. Biss)


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ned Rorem, Violin Concerto.*
> 
> This is a lovely piece, well-recorded. *It sounds like the orchestra is in my living room*.
> 
> View attachment 19422


That's because they likely are.

Pssst...Manx's residence....


----------



## bejart

Joseph Schuster (1748-1812): String Quartet No.2 in B Flat

Quartetto 'Joseph Joachim': Stefano Montanari and Elisa Citterio, violins -- Francesco Lattuada, viola -- Gaetano Nasillo, cello

View attachment 19424


----------



## ProudSquire

*Beethoven*

String Quartet No. 13 in B flat Major
Quartetto Italiano

An excellent quartet. Favorite movement is the 4th movement '_Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai_'. I liked it a lot, I felt like Beethoven was having a tremendous amount of fun when writing this movement. It flowed quite smoothly and it was melodically scrumptious. I seem to enjoy dance movements and I suspect that Ludwig did as well.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 14.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Three Poems By Czslaw Milosz - Latvian Radio Choir


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #32 in C Minor, Op. 111 -- Daniel Barenboim

Dvořák: Symphony #7 in D Minor, Op. 70, B 141 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Kleinzeit

CD 112: Baryton Trios, Esterházy Ensemble.

one of 20 cds of baryton music. I've wanted to hear this, no doubt the way I needed to get a Conlon Nancarrow record back in high school, I was one of those insufferable kids. Nancarrow's on moderate-high rotation these days.

The music would make an interesting study for composers. Built for the aristocrat amateur spieler, couldn't be too hard to play but not insultingly simple either. My Faber Pocket Guide To Haydn says that they're full of self-quotes from symphonies & big works, plus snatches of favourite tunes to amuse Prince Nicolaus. Like stuff in mix tapes you swap to impress or beguile one another.

The baryton-viola-cello sound is a blue cheese-black coffee-anchovies kind of taste. Gave me a yen for more quasi-disagreeable sonorities (Biber's Mystery Sonatas, for instance. Xenakis' Kraanerg). 
So I dug out Ligeti's Trio for Violin, Horn & Piano; and the Hamburg Concerto.















That's the stuff. Haydn's baryton trios are like a chaser for the triple-x stuff, but better as a swig beforehand, rather than after.


----------



## Novelette

Kleinzeit said:


> The baryton-viola-cello sound is a blue cheese-black coffee-anchovies kind of taste. Gave me a yen for more quasi-disagreeable sonorities (Biber's Mystery Sonatas, for instance. Xenakis' Kraanerg).


What amazes me about the Baryton Trios is the astonishing range of instrumental effects and moods that Haydn was able to create from such a limited range of instruments. I sound like a broken record because I say the same about his piano trios and string quartets. It's a very Haydn-esque characteristic. Notice that the first movement of the 5th Baryton Trio in A Major is taken from "Che farò senza Euridice" from Gluck's Orfeo?


----------



## Kleinzeit

Novelette said:


> What amazes me about the Baryton Trios is the astonishing range of instrumental effects and moods that Haydn was able to create from such a limited range of instruments. I sound like a broken record because I say the same about his piano trios and string quartets. It's a very Haydn-esque characteristic. Notice that the first movement of the 5th Baryton Trio in A Major is taken from "Che farò senza Euridice" from Gluck's Orfeo?


Well _I_ didn't notice because I don't know jack about Gluck, but that's what the Faber Pocket Guide said. Yes this cd had Trios 1-7, and reading that made me think of these pieces as delivery systems for all kinds of courtier action on the part of Haydn.

I'm starting to get a lot from trios (always been drawn to string quartets). They give a musical tyro a chance to really hear, and I like to see the gears working.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Symphony in D Major, G.490

Adrian Shepherd conducting Cantilena

View attachment 19430


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet 20, No. 1.*

The Lindsays do a nice job on this one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*

Andre Cluytens and the BPO. This is my first exposure to this conductor. I'm listening on YouTube.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 111
Bruce Hungerford

I was wrong earlier. There is actually a wider leap later on in the first movement, from F1 to C7! That is the widest leap in a single line I can think of in any work.


----------



## PetrB

J. S. Bach: 19 Sinfonias ~ Accademia Bizantina

[liner note: after BWV 1006: Sinfonia for organ obbligato, three natural trumpets, timpani, two oboes, solo violin, two violins, viola and basso continuo in D major]


----------



## Redfisher

Haydn Symphony #82

Brahms Clarinet Quintet


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Violin Sonata in D Major, B 21

Erika Petofi, violin -- Miklos Spanyi, piano

View attachment 19432


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Piano Concerto_. Such a great work.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven










Various variations suggested by Spotify


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to Myaskovsky's symphony No. 8. with Robert Stankovsky conducting the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. This is one of my favorites of the 27 symphonies he composed. I think I prefer the Evgeny Svetlanov version more, but this recording is pretty good.










It's a Marco Polo label kind of day for me and so I am continuing with a piano trio by Hungarian composer Mihaly Mosonyi. This really is a lovely piece. Mosonyi has a knack for melody. One of the best trios I have heard actually. I want to try and get copies of his Quartets and Sextet. His Piano Concerto and Symphony No. 1 are also worth a listen and I will be moving on to them next.



















Kevin


----------



## Tristan

*Peterson-Berger*: Sommarsang from Frosoblomster

Such a beautiful piece of music. After I taught myself to play it on the piano, there was a time where I could not stop playing it. Definitely one of my favorite solo piano pieces.


----------



## Feathers

On Youtube:

Poulenc: Organ Concerto (Leo van Doeselaar, Mariss Jansons, and the RCO) 

Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 1 (Klara Wurtz)


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 7
_Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of London & Adrian Boult_


----------



## Cheyenne

TalkingHead said:


> Dear Cheyenne,
> You know he has a (relatively) new ensemble called *The European Brandenburg Ensemble*. Good players, good sound. You know this.


Why yes, for his anniversary in order to make a new recording of the Brandenburg concertos. It's just a temporary ensemble though, and that is their only recording so far, though they may reunite to record another piece soon.


----------



## drpraetorus

Prometheus, Scriabin


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Plainscapes - Latvian Radio Choir, Sigvards Kļava, cond.


----------



## ptr

On recommendation from KenOC (just been at the post office to pick it up):

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Das wohltemperierte Klavier (*ECM*)









András Schiff, piano sans pedal 

Just heard the first CD, and I enjoy this of the bat!!

/ptr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Fantasia op. 145
Return to Forever: Light as a Feather (listened to Spain three times lol)
Hubay: Hejre Kati


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord (1953)

the first of his three Goldbergs


----------



## Stemahl

Kieran said:


> Piano sonata #8, K310, in a-minor, by WAM, and performed by Mitsuko Uchida...


One of my favorite piano sonatas and, I feel bad for saying this, one of the most catchy starts to any piano music I've heard - I know it is much more than that but every time I play it I smile, something about how light it is, brilliant. I have Andras Schiff playing it.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann - Fantasiestücke Op. 12

Martha Argerich


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758): Concerto Grosso in D Minor

Il Gardelino

View attachment 19436


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* _Symphony #5_
Junge Suddeutsche Philharmonie Esslingen under Bernhard Guller

*Ravel* _Daphnis et Chloe_
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Orch. under Sir Simon Rattle


----------



## Kieran

Stemahl said:


> One of my favorite piano sonatas and, I feel bad for saying this, one of the most catchy starts to any piano music I've heard - I know it is much more than that but every time I play it I smile, something about how light it is, brilliant. I have Andras Schiff playing it.


#8 is light? Crikey! It's one of the most disturbed and fiery openings in Mozart, without ever tilting into maudlin sentimentality. I find this sonata to be among his most explicitly expressive. It's funny how we all hear differently, isn't it?  But you're right, it's definitely brilliant. I'd be interested to hear that Schiff. Mozart in a minor key is one wicked boyo!

Right now, I'm still rolling through the sonatas, listening to #12 in F, K332...


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Gadalaiki (The Seasons) - Vestard Shimkus, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Fantasia op. 145
> Return to Forever: Light as a Feather (listened to Spain three times lol)
> Hubay: Hejre Kati


Return To Forever gets a big like from me - or at least the first two albums when they had Airto Moreira. I just dug out the cd and listened to "Spain".

But now its another listen to Normunds Šne's miracle of a recording of Vasks Cor Anglais Concerto and I'm off to bed.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Francesco Antonio Bonporti (11 June 1672-1749): Trio Sonata in C Major, Op.4, No.10

Accademia I Filarmonici: Alberto Martini and Enrico Casazza, violins -- Leonardo Sapere, cello -- Roberto Loreggian, harpsichord

View attachment 19441


----------



## aleazk

Beethoven - Sonata No. 30 in E Major Op. 109. I would love to have the time and will for learning this piece again!.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## Guest

Bruckner, Symphony No. 7 in E major
Eugene Jochum, Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing on the tv radio, after some Delius fadeout:

Haydn Symphony No. 99
Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski
Naive

This is good, seeing as how now I want to hear every version of Haydn's symphonies ever. Never heard of these guys. 
Now I know the pleasure of the neighbourhood seagulls out there on the gnarly beach where they get hold of a beefy crab. --Well, hello!


----------



## Sudonim

Spent the weekend ailing with a cold or some such crud - spent all day Saturday lying on the couch, unable to do much else - but did manage to put some of the time to good use, as in:









Also began Michael Tilson Thomas' reading of the 3rd, but only finished the first movement before heading off to slumberland.

Now:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Villa-Lobos, Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 5 and 2.*

You have to get used to the sound and all that vibrato from the solo instruments (shucks, you could jump-rope through the saxophone's vibrato), but these are interesting recordings. Personally, I don't think anyone does the 5th like Victoria De Los Angeles - she has a compelling way of drifting on and off the beat.


----------



## Stemahl

Kieran said:


> #8 is light? Crikey! It's one of the most disturbed and fiery openings in Mozart, without ever tilting into maudlin sentimentality. I find this sonata to be among his most explicitly expressive. It's funny how we all hear differently, isn't it?  But you're right, it's definitely brilliant. I'd be interested to hear that Schiff. Mozart in a minor key is one wicked boyo!
> 
> Right now, I'm still rolling through the sonatas, listening to #12 in F, K332...


I'm still learning, I don't really know what I'm talking about and it's hard to explain how a piece of music can make me feel. All I know is I am enjoying Mozart more and more recently. A person once told me (not sure if this sounds pompous or pretentious haha), when I said that I enjoy Beethoven more than Mozart - "Beethoven represents the earthly struggle, but Mozart along with Bach and Handel are the music played in Heaven". I thought he was a bit cookoo saying Beethoven won't be played in Heaven, but each to their own.

Listening to Elgar's Cello Concerto by Yo-Yo Ma and the London Symphony Orchestra. Might give William Walton's Cello Concerto by the same performers a try after that - any opinions on this piece?


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Sibelius Tapiola, performed by Berglund and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra!


----------



## cDeanSharon

Mozart, Symphony No. 41 in C K551 "Jupiter"; Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, 1962.


----------



## Kieran

Stemahl said:


> I'm still learning, I don't really know what I'm talking about and it's hard to explain how a piece of music can make me feel. All I know is I am enjoying Mozart more and more recently. A person once told me (not sure if this sounds pompous or pretentious haha), when I said that I enjoy Beethoven more than Mozart - "Beethoven represents the earthly struggle, but Mozart along with Bach and Handel are the music played in Heaven". I thought he was a bit cookoo saying Beethoven won't be played in Heaven, but each to their own.
> 
> Listening to Elgar's Cello Concerto by Yo-Yo Ma and the London Symphony Orchestra. Might give William Walton's Cello Concerto by the same performers a try after that - any opinions on this piece?


None! But I hope you enjoy them, Elgar and Walton are fine composers.

By the way, I certainly wasn't criticising your view on the 8th piano sonata, I just hold a differing view. That's the way music is, we all hear things differently. I agree with you on what that person said about when you enjoy Beethoven more than Mozart: these distinctions people make are irrelevant to the listener, because Beethoven has more than enough in him to satisfy a music nut, and so has Mozart. And they may satisfy in different ways, so we can listen to each of them. They're not like Nadal and Federer, locked in combat and only one winner (usually Nadal  ).

You sound like you're not only learning but have an advanced view on music. I enjoyed reading your posts in this thread. 

Right now I'm listening to Holst's Planets, a freebie with this month's BBC magazine...


----------



## Valkhafar

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer. Karl Böhm, Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas in C minor Opp. 13, 111
Bruce Hungerford


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven PC #1, performed by Paul Lewis, also on that freebie BBC magazine disc. Saw Paul Lewis perform the other night in Dublin, Mozart's 23rd. He's quite a player. The rest of the concert was excellent too: Dvorak's 9th and Arvo Part's Fratres...


----------



## Guest

aleazk said:


> Beethoven - Sonata No. 30 in E Major Op. 109. I would love to have the time and will for learning this piece again!.


Knockout sonata, Aleazk. I really rather like Malcolm Bilson's version on the fortepiano (hah!).


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> [...] Now I know the pleasure of the neighbourhood _*seagulls*_ out there on the gnarly beach where they get hold of a beefy crab. --Well, hello!


You won't believe this, Kleinzeit, but I swear to you I saw Hithcock's 'The Birds' two nights ago and there was no Haydn on the film track.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Well, the Birds soundtrack was 4'33'' plus some oscilloscope feedback.


----------



## Kleinzeit

TalkingHead said:


> You won't believe this, Kleinzeit, but I swear to you I saw Hithcock's 'The Birds' two nights ago and there was no Haydn on the film track.


Hey TalkingHead! Wanna bar bet that Haydn is on the Birds soundtrack?

The interminable song the schoolchildren sing while Tippi Hedren smokes outside the schoolhouse while the crows gather is "Risseldy Rosseldy", an Americanized version of the Scottish folk song "Wee Cooper O'Fife".

Now, I don't see that on the 20 discs of songs in the big set, but there's got to be a Haydn trio o' th'wee cooper out there. QED.


----------



## Guest

Excellent !!!! You do it every time !!!!!! You win. Let's drink.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Reacquainting myself with two enduring masterpieces...

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 40 (A. Kinkladze, Georgian SIMI Festival)

*Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No. 1 (M. Campanella, cond. D. Renzetti, Italian International)


----------



## NightHawk

*@Cheyenne*
You probably know, but I thought I 'd mention it - the companion to the Corelli recording is the Handel 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6 written using Corelli as his model. They're mighty fine, too. 










Cheyenne said:


> Corelli's Concerto Grosso Op 6 with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert. What a great recording, so very personal and not at all boring or a 'museum piece'. I think it is very much distinguishable in approach and sound on both artistic and technical levels from, say, Biondi with Europa Galante, or Marriner with the good ol' Academy of St Martin in the Field - and this one sure comes out on top.
> 
> View attachment 19408


----------



## Cheyenne

Eugen Jochum's Haydn Symphony 101.. Still waiting on the Beecham set to arrive so I can continue my survey.


----------



## Stemahl

Kieran said:


> None! But I hope you enjoy them, Elgar and Walton are fine composers.
> 
> By the way, I certainly wasn't criticising your view on the 8th piano sonata, I just hold a differing view. That's the way music is, we all hear things differently. I agree with you on what that person said about when you enjoy Beethoven more than Mozart: these distinctions people make are irrelevant to the listener, because Beethoven has more than enough in him to satisfy a music nut, and so has Mozart. And they may satisfy in different ways, so we can listen to each of them. They're not like Nadal and Federer, locked in combat and only one winner (usually Nadal  ).
> 
> You sound like you're not only learning but have an advanced view on music. I enjoyed reading your posts in this thread.
> 
> Right now I'm listening to Holst's Planets, a freebie with this month's BBC magazine...


I really appreciate how you can talk/discuss music on this site - I got too used to talking with people from other sites (not necessarily music) who were just looking to argue. I enjoy Beethoven very much (this was the first composer I ever consciously listened to) but I can definitely see my tastes spreading far and wide, because there is so much amazing music for every mood.

The Elgar Cello Concerto was probably the second best I've heard after Dvorak. The Walton Concerto was a good piece but was not really in the same league as the other two.

Currently enjoying one of my favorite symphonies - Mahler 4 conducted by Abravanel with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, have to get another version to see if this recording is as good as I think it is.


----------



## Kieran

I know a lot of you highbrows spit on his discs in the shop while you walk by looking for 25 hour long operas and chopstick concertos accompanied by the silence of crickets and the voices of women recorded selling spuds in Moore Street - fair enough! - but I'm the one who's cooking and it's _my _spuds I'm peeling so *Ludovico Einaudi* and his soundtrack ambient piano-friendly music is tapping its toes and nodding its skull in the scullery.

Right? :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> I know a lot of you highbrows spit on his discs in the shop while you walk by looking for 25 hour long operas and chopstick concertos accompanied by the silence of crickets and the voices of women recorded selling spuds in Moore Street


You've been following me?!?


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> You've been following me?!?


I was told something was happening, yes! I look forward to your blog post about it...


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Robert Schumann*- Symphony No. 3 ("Rheinische"), Berliner Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan, on YouTube.

Coming after that: *Ludwig van Beethoven *- Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral"), the same performers.


----------



## Sonata

Still working through La Finta Giardiniera, Mozart. I have very little focused listening time these days, so it's taking me awhile to listen to a full opera. Jacobs and company did a very good job, it's a very pleasing piece.

Also been enjoying Sibelius lately. His tone poems have a very different feel than his symphonies, though still distinctly Sibelian. Leminkainen Suite and Violin Concerto, 1st movement yesterday. I'll finish up the violin concerto and probably replay Leminkainen or something else by him, we'll see.

Weber's music for clarinet played by Sabine Meyer is wonderful. It didn't do a lot for me on first listen six months ago, but I'm not sure why because I love that CD now.


----------



## julianoq

First listening of Prokofiev's 3rd and 4th symphonies. Performance by Neeme Jarvi and SNO. Liking the 3rd a lot, much different than the 1st, 5th and 6th that I am more familiar with.


----------



## Sonata

Kieran said:


> I know a lot of you highbrows spit on his discs in the shop while you walk by looking for 25 hour long operas and chopstick concertos accompanied by the silence of crickets and the voices of women recorded selling spuds in Moore Street - fair enough! - but I'm the one who's cooking and it's _my _spuds I'm peeling so *Ludovico Einaudi* and his soundtrack ambient piano-friendly music is tapping its toes and nodding its skull in the scullery.
> 
> Right? :tiphat:


Hear hear!!:cheers::clap:


----------



## Vaneyes

For *R. Strauss'* (1864 - 1949) birthday, Don Quixote, with Rostropovich/BPO/HvK (rec. 1975); Songs, with Schafer/BPO/Abbado (rec.1997).

View attachment 19471
View attachment 19472


----------



## DrKilroy

Faure - Requiem.
Strauss - Eine Alpensinfonie.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

I have been making my way through Osmo Vanska's recordings of Beethoven's symphonies today. I am all the way up to No. 9. Next will be his recording of Beethoven's 4th and 5th piano concertos.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

(this should really be under non-classical)
For Chick Corea's birthday: "Spain" as heard on Light as a Feather


----------



## chrisco97

Listening to something new...

*Scarlatti* - Keyboard Sonata in C Major, K. 515
_Jonathan Oshry_


----------



## Mika

Didn't know too much about Charles Ives before this day. Now I know a bit more. Listened today Three Places in New England and Holidays Symphony


----------



## chrisco97

*Brahms* - Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 8
_Kalichstein-laredo-robinson Trio_

This is such an amazing work. I am blown away so far.


----------



## ptr

Night music:

*Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43 & No. 5 in E flat, Op. 82 (*Testament*)










Royal Philharmonic Orchestra // Hallé Orchestra u. Sir John Barbirolli

/ptr


----------



## Schubussy

Mozart - Piano Concerto No.27 in B flat major
Claudio Abbado, Orchestra Mozart, Maria João Pires


----------



## Celloissimo

Prokofiev String Quartet No. 1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: Excerpt from Le Sacre du Printemps. Part Two - Le Sacrifice. Introduction. Largo, with NYPO/Bernstein (rec. 1958).

This 5:13 piece is a prime example of what a fine detailer Lenny could be, and still keep it all moving at a thrifty pace. I found the latter often "sacrificed" at the dawdling altar in many of his later recordings.

Sometimes, advancing conductors don't advance. No disrespect. 

View attachment 19475


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rubbra, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Vaneyes

chrisco97 said:


> *Brahms* - Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 8
> _Kalichstein-laredo-robinson Trio_
> 
> This is such an amazing work. I am blown away so far.


I love the "KLR Trio". Try their Mendelssohn and Haydn, also. :tiphat:


----------



## Yoshi

Beethoven - Violin concerto no.1 
I never get tired of it


----------



## Mahlerian

A half-grudging birthday boy acknowledgement to:
Strauss: Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Four Last Songs
Voigt, New York Philharmonic, Masur









Disc from the local library. Not a great rendition, and not my favorite composer, either.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Op. 20, No. 1*

Quatour Mosaiques.


----------



## EricABQ

Perahia playing some Handel keyboard suites.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

Faure songs - Graham Johnson, piano, et al

volume two of the Hyperion edition


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.14 in E Flat, Op.9, No.2

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello

View attachment 19479


----------



## Kieran

Perahia and Lapu performing K365, concerto for two pianos by WAM...


----------



## Guest

Giving this recording of Beethoven PC#5 another listen. 
Howard Shelly, Orchestra of Opera North


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Perahia and Lapu performing K365, concerto for two pianos by WAM...


What is the orchestra on that?


----------



## Novelette

Victoria: Officium Defunctorum -- Gabrielli Consort

^ As fond as I am of Palestrina, from having studied his works fairly intensively, I find Victoria to be every bit his equal. Officium Defunctorum [Missa pro Defunctis] is one of Victoria's more accomplished works, in my opinion. Nevertheless, there are hundreds of works of Palestrina's that have yet to be performed or recorded: many of them are so elegantly written that it's a great pity that they are not heard.  I am not at all a religious person, but I am enthralled by the contemplative grandeur of these sacred works.

Louis XIII: Ballet de la Merlaison -- Groupe des Instruments Anciens de Paris [via Youtube]

Porpora: Or che d'orrido Verno -- Elena Fedi; Auser Musici

^ Such an elegant and charming cantata! Of the Italian cantatas of this era that I know, this remains my favorite.

Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony -- Thierry Fischer: BBC National Orchestra of Wales


----------



## Mahlerian

Amy Beach: Dreaming, from Four Sketches for Piano, Op. 15
Alan Feinberg

via Youtube

I've never been overly enamored of Amy Beach's music. Like the above, a charming little miniature as good as, say, Field, but not Chopin. Of course, I'm not crazy about any American composer before Ives, so that's not too surprising.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mahlerian said:


> A half-grudging birthday boy acknowledgement to:
> Strauss: Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Four Last Songs
> Voigt, New York Philharmonic, Masur
> Disc from the local library. Not a great rendition, and not my favorite composer, either.


Nothing begrudging on my part... Strauss accounts for more shelf space in my collection than Mahler... and quite possibly more than Wagner! Certainly this is a better rendition than Masur... although Voigt surely has the pipes for Strauss, but Fleming is the reigning queen of Strauss.










One of about a dozen versions in my collection. (Fleming's earlier version, Jessye Norman, Janowitz, 2 versions by Schwarzkopf, Lisa della Casa, Ljuba Welitsch, etc...) _The Four Last Songs_ and Mahler's _Das Lied Von Der Erde_ are quite possibly my two favorite works of the 20th century.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in A Minor (L.III-127)

Czech Baroque Trio: Antonin Rous, violin -- Martin Jakubicek, harpsichord -- Jan Skrdlik, cello

View attachment 19484


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> A half-grudging birthday boy acknowledgement to:
> Strauss: Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Four Last Songs
> Voigt, New York Philharmonic, Masur
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Disc from the local library. Not a great rendition, and not my favorite composer, either.


I never have been a Richard Strauss fan. I find his music so superficial and hollow. Lots of grand gestures but the music never becomes compelling or profound. It's just orchestral flourishes and that's really it. To use an old cliched phrase: R. Strauss' music is 'flash with no substance.'


----------



## Mahlerian

Neo Romanza said:


> I never have been a Richard Strauss fan. I find his music so superficial and hollow. Lots of grand gestures but the music never becomes compelling or profound. It's just orchestral flourishes and that's really it. To use an old cliched phrase: R. Strauss' music is 'flash with no substance.'


I think some of his operatic works and the Four Last Songs are great music, but as for the tone poems, I could take them or leave them. They are very skillfully wrought pieces with excellent command of post-Wagnerian harmony and incisive orchestration, but I could easily go my whole life without hearing Ein Heldenleben or Sinfonia Domestica ever again, and I wouldn't care one bit.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> I think some of his operatic works and the Four Last Songs are great music, but as for the tone poems, I could take them or leave them. They are very skillfully wrought pieces with excellent command of post-Wagnerian harmony and incisive orchestration, but I could easily go my whole life without hearing Ein Heldenleben or Sinfonia Domestica ever again, and I wouldn't care one bit.


I wouldn't care if I ever heard any of Strauss' music again.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Continuing my listening of Jarvi's Shostakovich on Chandos:










Excellent performance.

Next:










A new acquisition.


----------



## julianoq

ptr said:


> Night music:
> 
> *Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43 & No. 5 in E flat, Op. 82 (*Testament*)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Royal Philharmonic Orchestra // Hallé Orchestra u. Sir John Barbirolli
> 
> /ptr


I am crazy to find a digital version of this album for sale. Looking for a lot of time now. I think I will have to import the physical media!


----------



## Redfisher

Winterreise - Schafer/Schneider


----------



## opus55

Boccherini: String Quintets, Op. 10
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 25


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord (1965)

second of his three


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Carl Stamitz - Clarinet Concertos Vol. 1


----------



## Tristan

*Rubinstein* - Piano Concerto No. 3 in G major, Op. 45 (Slovak State Philharmonic). Loving it so far. It's no Rachmaninov, but I am starting to wonder where it's been my whole life...

Seems like I'm always finding obscure classical music performed by Slovakian orchestras (particularly through the Marco Polo label)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Morning Treats

Popping My Glazunov cherry.










And enjoying this 50p bargain from Christopher Herrick


----------



## moody

Neo Romanza said:


> I wouldn't care if I ever heard any of Strauss' music again.


Now,now you're really upsetting me.


----------



## MagneticGhost

MagneticGhost said:


>


WOW!!! What a find. Glazunov's Violin Concerto is so lush I am listening to it again.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> What is the orchestra on that?


Sorry Jerome, I went to bed! The English Chamber Orchestra but it doesn't name a conductor. Disc includes the two double concertos, and K608, plus some Brahms variations of Haydn... :tiphat:


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Sorry Jerome, I went to bed! The English Chamber Orchestra but it doesn't name a conductor. Disc includes the two double concertos, and K608, plus some Brahms variations of Haydn... :tiphat:


That must be the same recording I have on the complete set of piano concertos. Perahia is directing.

Now:








Some instrumental Masonic music.
K546, Adagio and Fugue in C minor
K577, Masonic Funeral Music


----------



## ptr

julianoq said:


> I am crazy to find a digital version of this album for sale. Looking for a lot of time now. I think I will have to import the physical media!


Like I do with as much discs I can today, I bought it directly from the *label*!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Te Deum - Hans-Ola Ericsson, organ


----------



## Guest

Those last two selections were over too quickly. It's still an hour before dawn here and I'm digging out very quiet somber pieces for the wee hours:









K618, Ave verum corpus
K469, Davide Penitente


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> That must be the same recording I have on the complete set of piano concertos. Perahia is directing.
> 
> Now:
> View attachment 19491
> 
> 
> Some instrumental Masonic music.
> K546, Adagio and Fugue in C minor
> K577, Masonic Funeral Music


It could be. Mine also features the Andante and Variations, K501, and Brahms variations on Haydn's Opus 56b. It's a great CD, one I've worn thin over the years. And it's just getting thinner, I'm playing it now. The slow movement of K242, which I think is a miracle of precision and beauty...


----------



## Joris

Yes, I denied the suggestion not to listen to 20th century music


----------



## Stemahl

Debussy - Images. Conducted by someone called Ilan Volkov with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on a BBC free CD.

Next I'm going to give some more Shostakovich a shot (I enjoy symphonies 4, 5 and 7). I've got a disc called Simply Shostakovich on Decca which has parts from his piano concertos, symphonies and other music.


----------



## bejart

Francois Couperin (1668-1733): Troisieme Ordre - L'Imperiale

Musica Ad Rhenum

View attachment 19496


----------



## Stemahl

Had to re-post so I could finally attach a cover, it's nothing interesting (the cover image) but I have had trouble with my account since I signed up and only just got it fixed.

Simply Shostakovich....


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: symphony no. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Music For A Deceased Friend - Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, Hermann Bäumer, cond.

and if its Chich Corea's birthday I'll give my favorite album of his another spin before bed:









Chick Corea / Gary Burton - Crystal Silence

(ECM blur the lines between classical and jazz so often that I think that can be allowed here)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Music of such poignant beauty should be made illegal.

No that's not right.
Music of such poignant beauty should be made compulsory.


----------



## Sid James

*R. Strauss* _First and Second Suites of Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier_
Royal Concertgebouw Orch. under Eugen Jochum

*J. Strauss II* _Tritsch Tratsch Polka & Tales from the Vienna Woods_
The Mantovani Orchestra

*Zemlinsky* _Waltz-Intermezzo & Interlude from Kleider machen Leute (Clothes Make the Man)_
Gurzenich-Orchester Koln under James Conlon

*Bernstein* _Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium'_
*Foss* _Three American Pieces_
Itzhak Perlman, violin with Boston SO under Seiji Ozawa


----------



## MagneticGhost

Is there a place where you go to invite people to groups or do you just post individual invites.
Would it be amiss of me to post here.

Please join my rather silly and pointless group

The Anglophile Aggregate

http://www.talkclassical.com/groups/anglophile-aggregate.html

Warm Beer, Cricket, Fairplay, Stiff Upper Lips, Lots and Lots of Rain, and a misplaced sense of superiority perchance.
All to be found here, along with (hopefully) discussions on Purcell, Parry, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Walton, Rubbra, Britten, Tippet, R. Panufnik and more.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Coming to the end of the Kingdom Now.

Then I'll be moving onto some Purcell









Don't you just love days off.


----------



## violadude

Lately, I've been working on a new listening project of mine and that is to go back and listen to all the standards of the repertoire that I have previously neglected due to my interest in more obscure composers and contemporary repertoire.

So far I have listened to all of Schubert's symphonies and a good portion of Berlioz's work. Now I am listening to Mendellsohn's symphonies, which I have a vague and shallow recollection of but not anything that approaches familiarity.

I am working on typing up my thoughts on the Berlioz pieces I have listened to in the Berlioz guestbook section of the thread. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on the Schubert symphony cycle: http://www.talkclassical.com/2570-franz-schubert-14.html#post476588


----------



## Kieran

I read your post on Schubert's symphs, violadude: would make a great blog entry. 

Right now? Wolfie! K242, a concerto for 2 pianos, Lapu and Perhaia, and the English Chamber Orchestra.

After this, I'll go for a walk, then after that, Mahler's Das Lied...


----------



## Celloissimo

Mozart Bassoon Concerto. I have listened to this piece many times and this is by far the best soloist interpretation I've heard so far. The circular breathing required by the soloist is insane.


----------



## Ravndal

Poulenc - Toccata


----------



## Cheyenne

Beecham's Haydn recordings arrived!


----------



## opus55

Raff: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 10


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Schubert's Schwanengesang performed by Brigitte Fassbaender & Aribert Reimann.

This may be - no, this is my favourite pairing for performing Schubert's Lider, I adore their interpretation of Winterreise equally so.

Next up will Schubert's Die Schone Mullerin performed by either Quasthoff & Zeyen or Schrier & Olbertz.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CD 1 of Beethoven's Sonatas. Inspired by that one Beethoven thread.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to the Symphony 2 by Vaghan Williams, performed by Sir Adrian Boult and the LPO.


----------



## Arsakes

*Alexander Borodin*:
Symphony No.1
String Quartet No.1 & 2


----------



## Novelette

Excitedly exploring this set!

Debussy: Violin Sonata in G Minor -- Maria-Joao Pires & Augustin Dumay

Debussy: Cello Sonata in D Minor -- Martha Argerich & Mischa Maisky

^ _How had I not heard this work before?_ 

Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 -- Melos Quartet


----------



## MagneticGhost

^^^ Debussy cello sonata is a wonderful piece. It's great to discover exciting new works that have been around for over a hundred years


----------



## Cheyenne

I love Debussy's chamber pieces! Don't forget the Trio Sonata and Piano Trio


----------



## Kieran

Mahler, _Das Lied von der Erde,_ the Vienna Philly conducted by Bruno Walter, in 1952....


----------



## julianoq

Now listening Debussy String Quartet, performed by Emerson String Quartet. I don't think I will resist to listen to Ravel's one next!


----------



## Mika

Glass Number 3


----------



## DrKilroy

Rubbra - Symphony No. 4.

Later some Lutosławski - Symphony No. 4, Cello Concerto, Piano Concerto, Venetian Games and Mi-Parti.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

MagneticGhost said:


> ^^^ Debussy cello sonata is a wonderful piece. It's great to discover exciting new works that have been around for over a hundred years


What a marvelous work! That set is one of the greatest purchases I've yet made.



Cheyenne said:


> I love Debussy's chamber pieces! Don't forget the Trio Sonata and Piano Trio


That's next on the list, Cheyenne, I'm excited to give it a listen!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: PC 1 with Argerich/LSO/Abbado (rec.1968); PC 2 with Pogorelich/CSO/Abbado (rec.1983).

View attachment 19509
View attachment 19510


----------



## Ravndal

Beethoven - Sonate 15, Pastoral
Friederich Gulda

Poulenc - Trois Pieces

1. Pastorale
2. Hymne
3. Toccata

Pascal Roge.

Tempting to start working on the Poulenc, but it's going to take forever.


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> WOW!!! What a find. Glazunov's Violin Concerto is so lush I am listening to it again.


Vengerov would've liked to have been the one. 

View attachment 19511


----------



## Mahlerian

Taking a cue from SimonNZ here...
Bach: Goldberg Variations
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord

His first traversal.

Akutagawa: Rhapsodia per Orchestra [sic], Ellora Symphony
New Zealand Philharmonic, cond. Yuasa









I'm going to *be honest here* and say my favorite piece on the disc is the Prokofiev-meets-Hollywood Trinita Sinfonica, though. I love the asymmetrical phrasing of its middle slow movement.


----------



## Ravndal

Henri Dutilleux - Au gré des ondes

Perfect! I usually don't go further out than this (when it comes to modern music).


----------



## Kieran

Piano trios, K542, K548 and K564.

Kungsbacka Trio on Naxos... :tiphat:


----------



## TrevBus

Right now, as I am typing to be exact, I'm listning to a Naxos recording of Rubbra's Violin Concerto, op. 103. Kyrsia Osostowicz-Violin. Takuo Yuasa conducting the Ulster Orchestra. A bit somber but lovely and highly enjoyable.
Also on the disc: Improvisation for Violin and Orchestra, op. 89. Improvisations on Virginal Pieces by Giles Farnaby, op 50(excellent)


----------



## Valkhafar

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3. Martha Argerich. Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## OboeKnight

Zelenka Trio Sonata No. 3
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4

I printed out the music for the Zelenka piece and I'm going to play it with my sister  (a violinist)


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Adagio and Fugue in C Minor

Herbert von Karajan
Berliner Philharmoniker

It's deliciously ominous and dark. Love it!:devil:


----------



## MagneticGhost

I've heard great things about Moeran's Cello Concerto so I am checking it out before I go to sleep.
With Boult / London Phil / Peers Coetmore


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just time for some Chopin Ballades courtesy of Artur Rubinstein.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn Quartets, Op. 33.* Then *Bax, Symphony No. 4 and Tintagel.*


----------



## Kieran

TheProudSquire said:


> *Mozart*
> 
> Adagio and Fugue in C Minor
> 
> Herbert von Karajan
> Berliner Philharmoniker
> 
> It's deliciously ominous and dark. Love it!:devil:


Hey ProudSquire,

I looked up this work in Nicholas Kenyon's Faber guide and he calls it "a most disturbing piece which seems to pre-echo Beethoven's Grosse Fugue."

Does it put you in mind of that? It's certainly a disturbing work...


----------



## ProudSquire

Kieran said:


> Hey ProudSquire,
> 
> I looked up this work in Nicholas Kenyon's Faber guide and he calls it "a most disturbing piece which seems to pre-echo Beethoven's Grosse Fugue."
> 
> Does it put you in mind of that? It's certainly a disturbing work...


The adagio is most certainly very disturbing, I'm not sure what was going in Mozart's mind when he wrote it, but I'm glad that he did. I seem to share the same sentiments that the work sort of pre-echos Beethoven's Grosse Fugue and it's all thanks to the brevity and intensity of the music; in that regard I see a similarity. I think we owe a special thanks to Constanze, were it not for her, well, I think we should be grateful that Wolfie decided to complete it at all.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Ending the day in style ... 

*Chopin* - Waltzes op. 34, op. 64 and op. 69 (Valentina Lisitsa)


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich* _Polka & Elegy_ 
*Schreker* _Intermezzo & Scherzo_
Strings of Australian CO directed by Richard Tognetti & Helena Rathbone

*Album: 36 Golden Strings - Mantovani Orchestra*
_Light classics, show tunes, evergreens, traditional songs and jazz standards_
The Mantovani Orchestra

*R. Strauss* 
_Metamorphosen - Study for 23 solo strings_
Staatskapelle Dresden under Giuseppe Sinopoli
_Sextet from 'Capriccio' (arranged for string orch.)_
Stuttgart CO under Karl Munchinger


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.7 in F Major, Op.59, No.1

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Isidore Cohen, violins -- Raphael Hillyer, viola -- Claus Adam, cello

View attachment 19521


----------



## Wood

Kieran said:


> I know a lot of you highbrows spit on his discs in the shop while you walk by looking for 25 hour long operas and chopstick concertos accompanied by the silence of crickets and the voices of women recorded selling spuds in Moore Street - fair enough! - but I'm the one who's cooking and it's _my _spuds I'm peeling so *Ludovico Einaudi* and his soundtrack ambient piano-friendly music is tapping its toes and nodding its skull in the scullery.
> 
> Right? :tiphat:


I enjoy Divenire Kieran.


----------



## SimonNZ

View attachment arvo-part-triodion.jpg


Arvo Part's Triodion etc. - Polyphony, Stephen Layton, dir.


----------



## Kieran

hayd said:


> I enjoy Divenire Kieran.


Is it good? The one I listen to is called In A Time Lapse. Ambient and catchy, it doesn't pretend to be anything else. I have it on while I write, it's peaceful stuff...


----------



## Wood

Kieran said:


> Is it good? The one I listen to is called In A Time Lapse. Ambient and catchy, it doesn't pretend to be anything else. I have it on while I write, it's peaceful stuff...


Yes, I'd say the same. Divenire is a bit older I think. It crops up quite a bit in adverts & TV theme music, like Arvo Part used to a few years ago. Non-classical friends like it too. It is mellow and ambient, but never dull.


----------



## Kieran

Exactly! Fillum music!  Sometimes reminds me of Michael Nyman or Ennio Morricone, in the way it fills that space, rhythmic and catchy, etc. I like it on while I work...


----------



## Wood

Kieran said:


> I like it on while I work...


...and for driving.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Arnold Cooke--*Symphony No.3 in D, *featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the stick of Libor Pesek.
Havergal Brian--*Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Tragica"} and Symphony No.16, *both traversed by the Myer Fredman led London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.63, *yet again featuring the LPO, on this occasion conducted by gennady Rozhdestvensky.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rachmaninov's Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom - Corydon Singers, Matthew Best, dir.


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Tomasek (1774-1850): Piano Concerto No.1 in C Major, Op.18

Vlaidmir Valek conducting the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Jan Simon, piano

View attachment 19526


----------



## Mahlerian

Certainly seems to be one of the shortest symphonies ever written while I'm listening to it...

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado


----------



## Sonata

I got quite a bit of music in on my day off today.

Vivaldi concertos. 
Corelli concerti grossi 1-6
Granados: a handful of Goyescas, though it was during the little ones' bedtime so I didn't get to listen closely.

And I know non-classical goes elsewhere, but these ones are so awesome I have to list them in with all else.
Serenity: Death & Legacy. One of the very best symphonic metal albums I've ever heard....and I've heard some awesome ones. 
Pain of Salvation: The Perfect Element Part I (Just my FAVORITE non-classical album ever. It has not grown old with repeat listenings, if anything else I love it even more. Daniel Gildenlow the frontman is an incredible singer and musician. Also "BE" another album of theirs which I was slow to warm to but now than I have, it's wonderful too.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> It could be. Mine also features the Andante and Variations, K501, and Brahms variations on Haydn's Opus 56b. It's a great CD, one I've worn thin over the years. And it's just getting thinner, I'm playing it now. The slow movement of K242, which I think is a miracle of precision and beauty...


Kieran, once again you've inspired my listening. Back to this recording again. If it's the same one, Perahia uses the arrangement for 2 pianos instead of 3 on K242. I assume Woferl gave the go-ahead for this alteration but I'm not certain. If you have any knowledge of this, please let me know.

I'm giving it a listen now:


----------



## Neo Romanza

It's time for some _Bluebeard's Castle_:










This is still the best performance of this opera on disc IMHO. I also like Haitink's on EMI and Boulez's first go-around on Sony.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20, No. 2.*

In my opinion, for what it's worth, this one is great. Haydn was firing all eight cylinders on this one.


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65 and E minor, Op. 90


----------



## Redfisher

Strauss - Four Last Songs - Renee Fleming

I think someone posted it last night which intrigued me to check it out on Rhapsody


----------



## drpraetorus

Neal Diamond, "Cracklin Rosie". fond memories from a misspent youth


----------



## drpraetorus

Liadov, "Kikimora"


----------



## cDeanSharon

J.S. Bach, St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244; Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor & Orchester; 1979.









Featuring the magnificent Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.


----------



## Feathers

Chopin: Polonaises (Pollini)


----------



## opus55

Mahler 10 and 9


----------



## SimonNZ

Joseph Kosma songs to poems by Jacques Prevert

Gersende Florens, soprano, Arnaud Marzorati, baryton, Marcus Price, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

"Gyorgy Ligeti Edition Volume 2: A Cappella Choral Works" - London Sinfonietta Voices


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 In C Minor, K 406*

Feel good music


----------



## SimonNZ

"Philippe Le Chancelier: The School Of Notre Dame" - Sequentia


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Sonata In F Minor For Clarinet/Viola & Piano, Op. 120/1*

Been listening to a lot of Brahms this week - I have gotten some good milage out of this recently arrived box-set. Currently playing the last Disc which features works for the Viola - lovely stuff!.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just made up a Cello and Piano playlist on Spotify.

Mendelssohn - Song Without Words Op. 109
Schumann - Fantasiestucke Op 73
Faure - Elegie in C Minor Op 24
Rachmaninov - Danse Orientale
Henze - Serenade for Solo Cello
Mendelssohn - Sonata in B Flat Op 45
Saint-Saens - Allegro Appassionata
Granados - Spanish Dance Op 37 No. 5 - Andaluza


----------



## bejart

Matthew Locke (ca.1621-1677): Consort of Fower Parts, Suite No.1

Fretwork with Nigel North, archlute and Paul Nicholson, organ

View attachment 19543


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: clarinet quintet


----------



## Kivimees

Something to honour Anglophile Aggregate, the new group founded by MagneticGhost:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Kivimees said:


> Something to honour Anglophile Aggregate, the new group founded by MagneticGhost:
> 
> View attachment 19548


That's someone I've never come across before.
Putting him on my Spotify playlist now.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Anton Vranický (13 June 1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, N.3

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Olga Arzilla and Guus Jeukandrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos


----------



## julianoq

To start the day, listening to the glorious Bruckner 9th with Giulini and the VPO.


----------



## Guest

bejart said:


> In celebration of his birthday ---
> Anton Vranický (13 June 1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, N.3
> Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Olga Arzilla and Guus Jeukandrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos


Would that be same "Wranitzky" (1st violin in Lobkowitz's "house orchestra") that Beethoven greets in the BBC film _*Eroica*_?


----------



## Joris

Schumann: Piano Quintet (Arthur Rubinstein & Guarneri Quartet)


----------



## millionrainbows

Udo Zimmermann (1943-): Weisse Rose (The White Rose) Instrumentalensemble cond. by Udo Zimmermann (Orfeo 1987).

Dark, very dark, but I don't think it's serial. Weiße Rose (White Rose) is a chamber opera in one act by composer Udo Zimmermann. The opera tells the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl, a brother and sister in their early twenties, who were guillotined by the Nazis in 1943 for leading Die Weiße Rose, a non-violent resistance group. The opera premiered at the Dresden Conservatory on 17 June 1967 with a German libretto by the composer's brother, Ingo Zimmermann, who is a well known journalist and writer in Germany. The opera was received fairly well but did not spark the interest in a professional production.

A revised and less conventionally narrative version of the opera was premiered at the Hamburg State Opera on 27 February 1986 and was a success with both audience and critics. The opera became an international success and has had performances at many of the world's leading opera houses and with leading orchestras including the Vienna State Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Zurich Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra among many others. The United States premiere of the opera was presented by Opera Omaha in 1988 with soprano Lauren Flanigan as Sophie.

I was offered this CD by a friendly store clerk in Dallas, who responded to my professed interest in "German avant garde" music.


----------



## julianoq

Vaughan-Williams 5th symphony. Amazing work. Sir Adrian Boult again.


----------



## millionrainbows

ptr, julianoq, MagneticGhost, Manxfeeder, Mahlerian, and Kieran: I love you, but I've chosen the darkness. Don't follow me, whatever you do. Listen to Schubert or Mozart....


----------



## Kieran

MagneticGhost said:


> Just made up a Cello and Piano playlist on Spotify.
> 
> Mendelssohn - Song Without Words Op. 109
> Schumann - Fantasiestucke Op 73
> Faure - Elegie in C Minor Op 24
> Rachmaninov - Danse Orientale
> Henze - Serenade for Solo Cello
> Mendelssohn - Sonata in B Flat Op 45
> Saint-Saens - Allegro Appassionata
> Granados - Spanish Dance Op 37 No. 5 - Andaluza


Ya missed Brahms #1 in e-minor, Op. 38! Am listening to it now, Isserling and Hough.

Or is it Kisserling and Cough?


----------



## ptr

millionrainbows said:


> ptr, julianoq, MagneticGhost, and Kieran: I love you, but I've chosen the darkness. Don't follow me, whatever you do. Listen to Schubert or Mozart....


Oh, darkness is good, it develops You personality in a much stronger way then if You just go with the flow!

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

ptr said:


> Oh, darkness is good, it develops You personality in a much stronger way then if You just go with the flow!
> 
> /ptr


See my groovy new thread on this. Come, come, enter the darkness...


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> ptr, julianoq, MagneticGhost, and Kieran: I love you, but I've chosen the darkness. Don't follow me, whatever you do. Listen to Schubert or Mozart....


I'm going to rescue you from this dark episode you're having. Quick! Put on Mozart's K467 _immediately_. It's the only way! :angel:


----------



## Guest

Continuing my Faure kick with his masterful Piano Quintet no. 2. His music is the main inspiration behind a piano piece I'm writing at the moment. Just love its carefree flow, how undisturbed and charming it is.


----------



## NightHawk

This morning: Beethoven, String Quartets Op 18 - (comp: 1798-1800) - Emerson String Quartet


----------



## Kleinzeit

In the midst of hurly-burly, on the tv music channel is 
Hummel Mandolin Concerto in G major, S28
London Mozart Players, Howard Shelley, Alison Stephens mandolin

How chic & august; I call it chaugust. Gotta spend more time in bejart territory.


----------



## millionrainbows

Kieran said:


> I'm going to rescue you from this dark episode you're having. Quick! Put on Mozart's K467 _immediately_. It's the only way! :angel:


_Out, demons, out! Out, demons, out! _:lol:


----------



## aleazk

Barraque - Sonate pour Piano.


----------



## DavidH

I have recently discovered the music of Schnittke, and really enjoyed his Concerto Grosso No. 1 - composed in 1977. The Rondo movement from 18:52 is very inventive and memorable. An alternative performance (where you can see the players) is here.


----------



## Mahlerian

Akutagawa: Trinita Sinfonica
New Zealand Symphony, cond. Yuasa









Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 in G minor
Boston Symphony, cond. Tilson-Thomas









Tchaikovsky really couldn't write a great sonata form movement to save his life, but the first movement of this work gets by on the strength of its melodies and excellent orchestration. Am I the only one who finds the last movement of this piece incredibly tedious?


----------



## DaveS

Got the 5th(BPO) as well as the Leonore #3(VPO) and the Coriolan,op72(BPO)...all good. Just finished the Pastorale, and the sound quality leaves a little bit to be desired(as warned on the insert booklet). The 6th has lost the appeal that it once had. Now, the 4th with the BPO.


----------



## Ravndal

Cyril Scott - Lotus Land (solo piano)
Cyril Scott - Song of London


----------



## SimonNZ

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani's Vespro Della Beata Vergine - Warren Stewart, dir.


----------



## Novelette

Tallis: Lamentations Of Jeremiah -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Schubert: Piano Sonata in B, Op. Posth, D 575 -- Wilhelm Kempff

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 -- Richard Egarr

Thalberg: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 5 -- Francesco Nicolosi; Andrew Mogrelia: Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

Kleinzeit said:


> In the midst of hurly-burly, on the tv music channel is
> Hummel Mandolin Concerto in G major, S28
> London Mozart Players, Howard Shelley, Alison Stephens mandolin
> 
> How chic & august; I call it chaugust. Gotta spend more time in bejart territory.


Hummel's music is magnificent, don't you think? I love his D Minor Septet, especially, and Liszt's transcription thereof is also quite nice.


----------



## Guest

Novelette said:


> Hummel's music is magnificent, don't you think? I love his D Minor Septet, especially, and Liszt's transcription thereof is also quite nice.


Hummel's humungous harmonic histrionics happily heave me up to heavenly heights. I find.
Nah, seriously, Hummel is well worth the exploration. 
(I was trying to 'out-Kleinzeit' [outdo] Kleinzeit, but I realize I just don't have the talent.]


----------



## Joris

I'm stilly a pretty noob as to opera, but I can enjoy the grand beauty of this work.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky* The Firebird - Suite (1923 version)
- SWR Stuttgart Radio SO under Sergiu Celibidache

*R. Strauss*
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28
- Royal Concertgebouw Orch. under Eugen Jochum
Love Scene from 'Feuersnot'
Dance of the Seven Veils from 'Salome'
- Staatskapelle Dresden under Giuseppe Sinopoli

*Album: The Classic Della* (1962)
Song adaptations of original melodies by Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Schubert, Chopin, Puccini, etc.
- Della Reese, vocals with orchestra under Glenn Osser (who also did the arrangements)


----------



## Mahlerian

Matsumura: Symphony No. 1
RTE National Symphony, cond. Yuasa









A modernist-flavored work in line with some of the current trends of the time (1965). It doesn't have the force of personality of Takemitsu's music, but it's compelling nonetheless, and shows a keen ear for sonority.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Norgard, Concerto in due tempi.*


----------



## NightHawk

DavidH said:


> I have recently discovered the music of Schnittke,


 - Ja, that is a great clip - it made the rounds on the site almost two years ago I think, and it made me an instant huge fan of Schnittke, as well. I have collected about 10 discs of various symphonies, concertos and chamber works. His music is greatly satisfying to me and I was astonished that I was just discovering him and he was already gone for more than 10 years. TC has increased my listening repertoire enormously - one of the reasons that I like this particular forum so much. Welcome to the site btw and hello to NYC from my heart. I lived at 127 W. 72 St. between B'way and Columbus Ave for two years (in the 70's!!!!)  It is a 5 floor walkup on the uptown side of the street, and my studio apt was 5R - it was rent controlled and (no one ever believes this) I paid $150.00 a month rent and two blocks from my front door, due east, was The Dakota, where Leonard Bernstein lived with other celebs at 72nd & Central Park West. Great, growing years of my life. I miss it terribly.


----------



## bejart

In further celebration of his birthday ---
Anton Vranický (13 June 1761-8120): String Quartet No.6 in A Major

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violis -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 19578


----------



## Sonata

Two wonderful quintets today, one to start my work day, the other to wind down to this evening:

Mozart: Quintet for piano and winds
Brahms: Clarinet quintet


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Anton Eberl (13 June 1765-1807): Piano Trio in E Flat, Op.8, No.1

Playel Trio of St.Petersburg: Yury Martynov, piano -- Sergej Filtchenko, violin -- Dmitri Sokolov, cello

View attachment 19579


----------



## Redfisher

Being new to this site, I was looking at the TC Project of recommendations thread (1101-1200).. Seeing that I had heard most of the top 50 at least ..there were still a few glaring holes...like #1..which is therefore what I'm listening to tonight

Bach's Mass in B Minor- Academy and Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Field. -Marriner


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just back from work. Half three in the morning. The sky already beginning to lighten in the east.
Listening to this CD on Spotify with my best pair of headphones.
This was recording of the month in BBC Music mag. 
I can hear why.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Tonight it's the attack of the Brits! 

Now:










The best recorded performance of Tippett's masterpiece _A Child of Our Time_ IMHO. Hickox works wonders with the score.

Next:










Going to listen to Finzi's masterful _Cello Concerto_. Amazing work.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Then:










Going to listen to _Symphony No. 5_. My favorite symphony of Parry's cycle.


----------



## opus55

Mahler 9










I really need big speakers for this symphony.


----------



## aleazk

Before: some electronic pieces by Milton Babbitt.
Now: Ligeti - Kammerkonzert.
After: Carter - Flute concerto.


----------



## SimonNZ

Percy Grainger's In A Nutshell - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition ---
Haydn: Piano Sonata No.33 in C Minor

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 19582


----------



## cDeanSharon

Well, it looks like it's just me and ol' Wolfie tonight. I just finished Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K207 and am now moving smoothly into No. 3 in G, K216.









Arthur Grumiaux; Sir Colin Davis (RIP), London Symphony Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Novelette

Chopin: Piano Concerto #2 in F Minor, Op. 21 -- Rafal Blechacz; Jerzy Semkow: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44 -- Vadim Repin; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, Dix-Huitiême Ordre -- Christophe Rousset

Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor -- Leonard Rose; Eugene Ormandy: Philadelphia Orchestra


----------



## chrisco97

About to listen to *Schubert*'s Piano Sonata No. 19 in C Minor, D. 958, performed by _Alfred Brendel_.


----------



## Novelette

chrisco97 said:


> About to listen to *Schubert*'s Piano Sonata No. 19 in C Minor, D. 958, performed by _Alfred Brendel_.


The fourth movement, the fourth movement! My heart for the fourth movement!

["A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?" .... Oops, I was lapsing into Shakespeare there, this music causes me to wax poetic]

Enjoy! :tiphat:


----------



## OboeKnight

Poulenc Flute Sonata- Emmanuel Pahud...the second movement is so beautiful.


----------



## chrisco97

Novelette said:


> The fourth movement, the fourth movement! My heart for the fourth movement!
> 
> ["A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?" .... Oops, I was lapsing into Shakespeare there, this music causes me to wax poetic]
> 
> Enjoy! :tiphat:


Had to listen to it a little later than planned, but just started listening a couple of minutes ago and I am loving it so far.


----------



## SimonNZ

Manfredini's Concerti Op.3 - Ludger Remy, cond.


----------



## NightHawk

Tonight: Klemperer/Wunderlich/Ludwig/New Philharmonia - _Das Lied von der Erde_.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Such a great recording. Listening to _Ein Wallfahrtslied_.


----------



## Feathers

Reicha: Wind Quintets. (These are delightful works!)

Handel: Concerto Grossi Op. 6


----------



## OboeKnight

Mahler 1....my first serious listen. I love it! I find that I can concentrate a lot better on long pieces if I read through an oboe part while I listen. I feel more engaged and it forces me to analyze the piece while listening. I read through the oboe 1 part except for the last movement. I read the oboe 4 part because it is part of my audition for the Symphony Orchestra at my college. I love how I tacet for the first 3 movements lol.


----------



## neoshredder

OboeKnight said:


> Mahler 1....my first serious listen. I love it! I find that I can concentrate a lot better on long pieces if I read through an oboe part while I listen. I feel more engaged and it forces me to analyze the piece while listening. I read through the oboe 1 part except for the last movement. I read the oboe 4 part because it is part of my audition for the Symphony Orchestra at my college. I love how I tacet for the first 3 movements lol.


Mahler 1 is easy listening compared to Mahler 2 and especially 3. Mahler 1 is the perfect length. Why did he have to double the length?


----------



## SimonNZ

Following NightHawk:









Mahler's Das Lied Von Der Erde - Otto Klemperer, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Atterberg: Symphony No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 3*

Good afternoon all - I spent the morning listening to classical String Quartets (Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart) and now have some Symphonies lined up to take me into the evening. First I am playing Atterbergs Symphony No. 1 then I will listen to Ives Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4.


----------



## Tristan

*Alcock* - Trumpet Voluntary in D (Ludwig Guttler)

I feel like no one knows about this piece. I first heard it on a compilation of organ and trumpet Christmas music featuring Ludwig Guttler and this was always my favorite track on the CD. In my opinion, it's better than Clarke's Voluntary (which is excellent). But even on YouTube, there's a small performance of it and a MIDI version; that's it. Oh well, I get to be a classical hipster about this piece


----------



## Kivimees

Here's a second CD to join the first:









These two CDs appear to be all that's available from Harold Truscott.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Halle / Elder
Sibelius


----------



## Karabiner

The best out of the Archibudelli recordings I have, and one of my favourite chamber works.


----------



## Kieran

K304, fiddle Sinatra in e-minor, Perlman and Barenboim...


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music Of The Town Pipers: Intradas, Dances, Canzonas and Sonatas" - Musica Fiata


----------



## Kieran

K379, BarenPerl...


----------



## Sid James

*R. Strauss*
Don Quixote, Op. 35
- Tibor de Machula, cello; Klaas Boon, viola; Theo Olof, violin; Royal Concertgebouw Orch. under Bernard Haitink
Symphonic fantasy: Die Frau ohne Schatten, Op. 65
- Staatskapelle Dresden under Giuseppe Sinopoli

*Rimsky-Korsakov* Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite Op. 35
- Hans Kalafusz, violin with SWR Stuttgart Radio SO under Sergiu Celibidache


----------



## bejart

Joan Pla (ca.1720-1770?) and Josep Pla (!728-1762): Trio Sonata No.29 in G Major

Barcelona Consort: Jordi Colomer and Jordi Argelaga, flutes -- Jordi Comellas, viola -- Madrona Elias, harpsichord

View attachment 19591


----------



## Kleinzeit

Conor71 said:


> *Atterberg: Symphony No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 3*
> 
> Good afternoon all - I spent the morning listening to classical String Quartets (Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart) and now have some Symphonies lined up to take me into the evening. First I am playing Atterbergs Symphony No. 1 then I will listen to Ives Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4.


I've been curious about this Atterberg feller.


----------



## Guest

All the windows are open so the cool morning air can breeze through the house mingling with the light catchy melodies of my favorite Spanish composer. For anyone not aquianted with Rodrigo, this is wonderful music.









*Joaquin Rodrigo*
Concierto de Andaluz for four guitars and orchestra
Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra
Concierto Madrigal for two guitars and orchestra
Fantasia para un Gentilhombre for guitar and orchesta


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann:

Carnaval Op. 9
Etudes Symphoniques Op. 13 

Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (14 June 1671-1751): Oboe Concerto in F Major, Op.7, No.9

I Musici with Heinz Holliger on oboe

View attachment 19597


----------



## millionrainbows

Members the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (Creston: Chant of 1942; Hovhaness: Celestial Fantasy; Dello Joio: Air for Strings, etc.) (Crystal 1982)

This is an engaging, often moving, collection of works by American composers. _Chant of '42_ by Paul Creston's alone is worth the CD, although it does suffer from "diminished-itis," a harmonic malady which was as widespread as the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918. An underrated composer, I'll have to check out Creston's first three symphonies on NAXOS.

The _Celestial Fantasy_ by Alan Hovhaness is good, as well as the _Armenian Rhapsody No. 2._

But best of all? Vincent Persichetti's _Introit for Strings, op. 96. Y_ou know I have a weakness for Persichetti.

BTW, this album is all string-orchestra pieces.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Hickox (tick)
Obscure English Composer (tick)
100% musical satisfaction (tick)

Joking apart - I'm 15 minutes in and this is an absolute masterpiece.


----------



## MagneticGhost

^^^^ What a piece!!

Now going to listen to the Haydn Stabat Mater (HobXXbis;1767)


----------



## julianoq

Sadly not much time to listen music today, too many pointless conference calls. Now playing Mahler 4th symphony with Fischer and BFO.


----------



## NightHawk

This morning:
Haydn - _Die Schopfung_ - von Karajan + Berliner, Janowiz, Ludwig, Wunderlich, Krenn, Fischer-Diskau, and Berry.

My other recording of the work is:
Bernstein + Bayerischen Rundfunks Chor und Orchester + Belgen, Popp, Moser, Ollmann, and Moll.

Both are great interpretations and performances - Bernstein's a bit more romantic.


----------



## Kleinzeit

NightHawk said:


> This morning:
> Haydn - _Die Schopfung_ - von Karajan + Berliner, Janowiz, Ludwig, Wunderlich, Krenn, Fischer-Diskau, and Berry.
> 
> My other recording of the work is:
> Bernstein + Bayerischen Rundfunks Chor und Orchester + Belgen, Popp, Moser, Ollmann, and Moll.
> 
> Both are great interpretations and performances - Bernstein's a bit more romantic.



View attachment 19606


Mine skews HIP. I'm happy.

(did you get that Cluytens?)


----------



## Kieran

*Johannes Brahms*, _A German Requiem_, Edinburgh Festival Chorus (do I really need to type out everything) and the BBC Symphony (really, this is very time consuming) Orchestra, conducted by (ah here!) Donald Runnicles. Singers are (FFS! It'll be over by the time I'm done here  ) Lisa Milne on the wimmins voice and Markus Bruck singing as a bloke...


----------



## NightHawk

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19606
> 
> 
> Mine skews HIP. I'm happy.
> 
> (did you get that Cluytens?)


REPLY: Not yet, I sent you a message - did you get it? I'm ready to hit 'One click Shopping'!!!


----------



## Kleinzeit

NH-- no message, but one-click with confidence.









listening to Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 132

now to dig up the Mozart Sym 19 to see where the beauty's coming from.

Extremely high cholesterol beauty. Need some Ligeti STAT


----------



## Cheyenne

Mahler's first symphony with Solti. I ordered tickets to go to his second symphony with the RCO on October 31 today, can't wait!


----------



## Mahlerian

Kleinzeit said:


> NH-- no message, but one-click with confidence.
> 
> View attachment 19607
> 
> 
> listening to Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 132
> 
> now to dig up the Mozart Sym 19 to see where the beauty's coming from.
> 
> Extremely high cholesterol beauty. Need some Ligeti STAT


So what's your opinion on Reger overall, behind the artery-clogging?



Cheyenne said:


> Mahler's first symphony with Solti. I ordered tickets to go to his second symphony with the RCO today, can't wait!


Tell me how it is!


----------



## Kleinzeit

far too early for any opinion on this guy.

slow learner, me


----------



## GreenMamba

Britten Les Illuminations and Nocturne (but not the Serenade this time).
Ainsley/Cleobury-Britten Sinfonia


----------



## MagneticGhost

What's song in Russian?


----------



## Guest

Two Piano Quintets this afternoon:








Dmitri Shostokovich








Franz Schubert


----------



## Kleinzeit

would that be песня

pronunciation:
http://www.forvo.com/word/песня/


----------



## Stemahl

Kieran said:


> *Johannes Brahms*, _A German Requiem_, Edinburgh Festival Chorus (do I really need to type out everything) and the BBC Symphony (really, this is very time consuming) Orchestra, conducted by (ah here!) Donald Runnicles. Singers are (FFS! It'll be over by the time I'm done here  ) Lisa Milne on the wimmins voice and Markus Bruck singing as a bloke...


Love it. I ramble on in most of my posts, so that's not too long.


----------



## Stemahl

Currently enjoying Beethoven Symphony number 3 by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. 

Yesterday was a Violin Concerto day - Mendelssohn, Bruch No.1, Shostakovich No.1, and Mozart No.5. Have to say the Bruch was my favorite, although a few people have gave some not-so-polite remarks about this supposedly "easy" work.


----------



## schuberkovich

MagneticGhost said:


> ^^^^ What a piece!!
> 
> Now going to listen to the Haydn Stabat Mater (HobXXbis;1767)


I love the fact that Naxos is making an effort to make its products more appealing (CD covers).


----------



## MagneticGhost

schuberkovich said:


> I love the fact that Naxos is making an effort to make its products more appealing (CD covers).


Definitely. All those old Naxos look a little plain.
As well as looking fab, this Haydn is in a lovely sturdy box. Puts the EMI Great Operas Boxes to shame. Imagine a box made of paper and add a tiny smidgen more firmness.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.* Then *Sacred Music, Vol. 1, of Monteverdi*.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Beethoven - Symphony No.9

Norrington
London Classical Players


----------



## Kieran

K542, piano trio, performed by the Kungsbacka Trio.

To be followed by K548 and K564.

Then I want to listen to symph #19 to see what all the fuss is about...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> K542, piano trio, performed by the Kungsbacka Trio.
> 
> To be followed by K548 and K564.
> 
> Then I want to listen to symph #19 to see what all the fuss is about...


that'd be this then


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> that'd be this then


So this is a theme from #19? I should listen to the symph first, which is about half an allegretto away...


----------



## Kleinzeit

My Zaslow gives two Op. 132s......


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> My Zaslow gives two Op. 132s......


2? How? Which Zaslaw are you looking at? The book on symphs?

Here's the ever-reliable Denis Pajot:



> K132 is scored for strings, 2 Oboes and 4 Horns. In Neal Zaslaw's book on Mozart's Symphonies there is an enlightening discussion on the problems and solutions in these Horn parts. Cliff Eisen has pointed out that the military had its own Harmonie and parade band, which demonstrably included the instruments (and personnel) which could perform this Symphony.
> 
> There are two complete slow movements in the autograph of the symphony K132. In the main portion of the autograph, as a 2nd movement, is an _Andante_ in 3/8 of 151 measures. As Neal Zaslaw shows in his book Mozart's Symphonies: Context, Performance Practice, Reception this _Andante_ is based on a Gregorian Credo, and later a variant of the popular German Christmas carol "Joseph, lieber Joesph mein" is used--a version of which would be familiar to Salzburgers as it was played by a mechanical carillon the the tower of the Hohensalzburg Castle. [See pages 234-236 of Zaslaw's book for musical examples.] Mozart, no doubt thinking this movement too full of localized melody and far too long, composed a new _Andantino grazioso_ in 2/4 of 56 measures, which is found after the last movement in the autograph. It must be noted, before K[SUP]6[/SUP] all editions of the Köchel Catalogue [and the NMA] believed the _Andantino grazioso_ in 2/4 was the original 2nd movement, and the _Andante_ in 3/8 the replacement. Wyzewa/St.Foix believed the Symphony was composed in March/April of 1772, and the replacement _Andante_ added in July. All the sheets of the entire symphony (including both slow movements) are on the same type of paper, thus the movements were no doubt composed in close proximity to each other.


----------



## Kieran

*K132*, symph #19, Karl Bohm seething in the pit, surrounded by riot of bows and arrows...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Ah, Kieran my son, it's a RTFM problem on my part. It is, indeed, _Reger's_ Op. 132, based as it is on Mozart's Piano Sonata in A major K331.

Now let's somehow clean up this mess.


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> Ah, Kieran my son, it's a RTFM problem on my part. It is, indeed, _Reger's_ Op. 132, based as it is on Mozart's Piano Sonata in A major K331.
> 
> Now let's somehow clean up this mess.


Ah! Might be I navigated the posts wrongly. Listening now to the Reger. It's a movement of variations based upon a movement of variations...


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 20, Requiem (Davis). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Quite enjoyed that Reger. I think it was an _Opus/K_ confusion of 132's wot done it. Symph 19 is K132.

Now? Okay, keep your wig on!

Holst's _The Planets_, a freebie with the Beebie magazine: the BBC SO conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, live at the Proms in 1973...


----------



## Kleinzeit

K331 ! Of course-- it's the one with the rondo what sells all the patent medications and cold & flu sleep aids.









This is my set.

The big beauty came from the original guy I see.


----------



## MagneticGhost

After working half the night last night- early to bed to turn around for early shift tomorrow. 

Who better than Sviatoslav Richter playing me Brahms Piano Sonatas 1+2 towards my dreams. 
Goodnight all. Or Good Morning or.............


----------



## Cheyenne

Schnittke's Viola Concerto with Bashmet, Gergiev and the VPO. Always an invigorating listen.


----------



## SimonNZ

Locatelli's Concerti Grossi Op.1 - Freiburger Barockorchester


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Piano Concerto No. 2 and Violin Concerto*


----------



## Kieran

K563, string trio in E-flat: the pendulum swinging andante 4th movement before I drift away towards dreamland...


----------



## Conor71

Kleinzeit said:


> I've been curious about this Atterberg feller.


I think his music is very well crafted and accessable without being too exciting so I agree with other people on the forum that have commented about him. In saying that I do think he is worth your time if you like attractive romantic music.
I have listened to the box of the Symphonies a few times and do think its a good investment - I would say Atterberg is a bit of a grower so if you are interested I say go for it!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Conor71 said:


> I think his music is very well crafted and accessable without being too exciting so I agree with other people on the forum that have commented about him. In saying that I do think he is worth your time if you like attractive romantic music.
> I have listened to the box of the Symphonies a few times and do think its a good investment - I would say Atterberg is a bit of a grower so if you are interested I say go for it!


Hey, thank you Conor.

Seeing as how I've only scratched the surface with kind-of recent sets of Alfvén, Stenhammar, Magnard, plus a big Grieg orchestral box --Ole Ruud on Bis-- from that same vintage, I'd be taking food out of the mouth of my ferret Mr. Ditters von Dittersdorf if I dropped $50 Canuck on the Atterberg set!


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartet: Andante Appasionata In A Minor*

I listened to Dvorak's American Quartet again yesterday and it made me want to re-listen to this box of his complete Quartets.
I admit that sometimes Dvorak is not one of my favourite composers - somehow he is too happy and folky for my tastes or something along those lines?.
I just finished listening to the 1st Disc of the set which features the SQ #1 and another movement for SQ - very good I thought so I am just playing it again to make sure it wasnt a fluke. Looks like I may have to re-assess my opinion of Dvorak


----------



## Kleinzeit

Conor71 said:


> *Dvorak: String Quartet: Andante Appasionata In A Minor*
> 
> I listened to Dvorak's American Quartet again yesterday and it made me want to re-listen to this box of his complete Quartets.
> I admit that sometimes Dvorak is not one of my favourite composers - somehow he is too happy and folky for my tastes or something along those lines?.
> I just finished listening to the 1st Disc of the set which features the SQ #1 and another movement for SQ - very good I thought so I am just playing it again to make sure it wasnt a fluke. Looks like I may have to re-assess my opinion of Dvorak











I'm waiting for this at the end of the month-- Dvořák, Janáček, Martinů & Smetana string quartets.

Dig this though:

http://www.overgrownpath.com/2011/07/cds-that-should-be-in-every-medicine.html


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Trying to smooth my brains before dinner after a crazy day at work. I feel like I've been on a roller coaster all day. Afterwards I plan on grilling a nice steak, and open a bottle of Merlot. I hope this helps!


----------



## Kieran

Kevin Pearson said:


> Trying to smooth my brains before dinner after a crazy day at work. I feel like I've been on a roller coaster all day. Afterwards I plan on grilling a nice steak, and open a bottle of Merlot. I hope this helps!


That's meat-eaters music!


----------



## Aggelos

listening to Gliere's Taras Bulba









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/oct00/gliere.htm


----------



## Sonata

You'll find me at the non-classical section more at the moment. Sorry folks I'll come 'round soon enough :lol:

A second listen in as many days to Brahms clarinet quintet!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Masaaki Suzuki, harpsichord


----------



## Schubussy

Shostakovich - Piano Concerto #1 In C Minor
Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Toyama: Rhapsody for Orchestra
Anonymous, arr. Konoye: Etenraku
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, cond. Numajiri









It's always interesting to hear approximations of Gagaku in Western instrumentation, like the latter of these two selections. The former is light and frothy, based on Japanese folk melodies arranged in the most crowd-pleasing way possible.


----------



## Conor71

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19623
> 
> 
> I'm waiting for this at the end of the month-- Dvořák, Janáček, Martinů & Smetana string quartets.
> 
> Dig this though:
> 
> http://www.overgrownpath.com/2011/07/cds-that-should-be-in-every-medicine.html


I must admit that I havent heard Janacek and Smetanas SQ's but I really enjoy Martinus cycle! - that looks like an awesome set, happy listening 
Edit: I do have Kerteszs Dvorak cycle in my collection and think highly of it - its a great set too!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Conor71 said:


> I must admit that I havent heard Janacek and Smetanas SQ's but I really enjoy Martinus cycle! - that looks like an awesome set, happy listening
> Edit: I do have Kerteszs Dvorak cycle in my collection and think highly of it - its a great set too!


Janacek and Smetanas SQ's-- they break you heart!

hit the youtube!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mexican for dinner... including two large Margaritas... followed by a tall glass of straight vodka on the rocks and Cecilia:










You go girl!


----------



## SimonNZ

Copland's Twelve Songs Of Emily Dickinson - Martha Lipton, mezzo, Aaron Copland, piano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Schubussy said:


> Shostakovich - Piano Concerto #1 In C Minor
> Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> View attachment 19627


Great recording! This would be a perfect introduction to Shostakovich for someone new to his music.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Alexander Nevsky_. Great performance.


----------



## aleazk

Pierre Boulez - Sur Incises.

Jeez!, that was intense!.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Missa Sacra, Op. 147 -- Chor des Städt: Musikvereins zu Düsseldor

Haydn: String Quartet #28 in C Minor, Op. 17/4, H 3/28 -- Kodály Quartet

Debussy: Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra -- Franklin Cohen; Boulez: Cleveland Orchestra

^ Continuing my exploration of this excellent set!!









Haydn, Michael: Missa In Honorem Sanctae Ursulae, "Chiemsee-Messe" -- Robert King: The King's Consort

Not too shabby for a Friday!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73,* performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Libor Pesek.
Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, *both featuring the Neeme Jarvi led Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.2, Op.14 {"To October"} and Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141, *both works performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## Novelette

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:*
> 
> Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73,* performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Libor Pesek.
> Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, *both featuring the Neeme Jarvi led Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.2, Op.14 {"To October"} and Symphony No.15 in A Major, Op.141, *both works performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Vasily Petrenko.


I've never heard Alfven's music before. I'll have to investigate these symphonies. I hope it's somewhat "light" music; after all, I would need some kind of respite between such titans as Brahms and Shostakovich!


----------



## Vaneyes

For Albinoni's (1671 - 1751) birthday (rec.1981).


----------



## Redfisher

Mozart Fantasie in C minor- K475


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Antonio Maria Gaspare Sacchini (14 June 1730-1786): String Trio in E Flat, Op.1, No.5

Trio Stauffer: Carlo Feige and Antonio Mastelli, violins -- Marco Decimo, cello

View attachment 19630


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Well...I was successful in unscrambling my brain from the day's activities with the Mozart, steak and wine so now I'm in the process of scrambling them again before bedtime by listening to this excellent recording by the Julliard String Quartet of Shostakovich's 3rd, 14th and 15th String Quartets and his Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 57. You would think this would be counterproductive before bedtime but since I feel quite refreshed now after such a nice relaxing dinner, and the wife is already asleep, and I have off the next two days, I figured what does it matter if I'm up late? Right? 

I have to say that I really love Shostakovich's String Quartets. I think they are by far some of the finest ever written by any composer. They are so varied in emotional impact. Not only from quartet to quartet but movement to movement. He has the ability to make you laugh one minute and weep the next (figuratively speaking). How many composers have that gift? I can do without a lot of modern classical music but I can't do without Shostakovich! :tiphat:










Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> What's song in Russian?


It is, *песня*. :tiphat:


----------



## Feathers

Heard two great piano trios in D minor today:

Arensky - Piano Trio in D minor

Mendelssohn - Piano Trio in D minor

Man, I love both trios so much.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Feathers said:


> Heard two great piano trios in D minor today:
> 
> Arensky - Piano Trio in D minor
> 
> Mendelssohn - Piano Trio in D minor
> 
> Man, I love both trios so much.


I'm really fond of both trios as well. I especially like the Arensky, but I have always been the odd man out. 

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Vieuxtemps: Viola Sonata in Bb










Very romatic..


----------



## SimonNZ

Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil - Estonian Philharmonic Chamber choir, Paul Hillier, dir.

Its gotten to the point where I want to get a complete discography for Paul Hillier and check out everything I haven't yet heard


----------



## sparsity

Listening (and watching) Lohengrin. Most beautiful of Wagner's operas?


----------



## belfastboy

Fairly new to me - am none the less loving....


----------



## belfastboy

Amazin elements....


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Ades' Asyla - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just time for

Mendelssohn - piano Concerto no.1

Peter Katin / LSO / Anthony Collins / Decca

Then work.... 11 hours without music :-(


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Squeezing in Shostakovich's 7th Symphony "Leningrad" performed by Rozhdestvensky & the USSR State Tv & Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Fantastic performance, Rozhdestvensky has yet to disappoint when conducting Shostakovich.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Hymnen

my cat giving me a look that says "this has gone beyond a joke"


----------



## Wood

Vaneyes said:


> It is, *песня*. :tiphat:


Best stick to _chanson_ then.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Novelette said:


> I've never heard Alfven's music before. I'll have to investigate these symphonies. I hope it's somewhat "light" music; after all, I would need some kind of respite between such titans as Brahms and Shostakovich!


If you only knew the cheery, goofy Midsommarvaka, you'd think Alfvén was all tunes for cooking shows. I hear serious emotions and a heartfelt address to the audience, in a fervent Straussian style in the symphonies. Reminds me of how i went into Glazunov with, I suppose, expectations of little more than 'surface' music and was astonished by his depth & gravity.

It's not a Carl Nielsen level of invention, but Alfvén is good. Large Youtube presence too.


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19640
> 
> 
> Stockhausen's Hymnen
> 
> my cat giving me a look that says "this has gone beyond a joke"


Well then, print this, cut it out, attach rubber bands.









Now it's back to a joke again. Cats love an earnest face.


----------



## Schubussy

Neo Romanza said:


> Great recording! This would be a perfect introduction to Shostakovich for someone new to his music.


I was going to mention, it actually was the first Shostakovich I heard!

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto 2
Kurt Masur, Genwandhausorchester Leipzig, Michel Béroff


----------



## Guest

This will be a day for octets:

































Schubert, Octet in F, D803, Mullova Ensemble
Mendelssohn, Octet in E flat, Op. 20, Kodály Quartet/Auer Quartet
Spohr, Octet in E, Op. 32, The Gaudier Ensemble
Beethoven, Octet in E flat, Op. 103, Consortium Classicum
Mozart, Octet in E flat, K375, Holliger Wind Ensemble


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Mexican for dinner... including two large Margaritas... followed by a tall glass of straight vodka on the rocks and Cecilia:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You go girl!


That's pretty brave to mix Mexican and Italian. How's your stomach this morning?


----------



## DrKilroy

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 (Bernstein). I am following the TC Top Recommended Lists. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Francesco Bonporti (1672-1749): Violin Sonata in A Major, Op.10, No.1

Chiara Banchini, violin -- Gaetano Nasillo, cello -- Jesper Christensen, harpsichord

View attachment 19650


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Franz Danzi (15 June 1763-1826): Symphony in D Major, P 223

Howard Griffiths leading the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana

View attachment 19656


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 1_. All three of these symphonies are excellent. A forgotten and underrated Brit.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Symphony No. 1_. All three of these symphonies are excellent. A forgotten and underrated Brit.


I like Rawsthorne's piano concertos. 
Found my way to him by going from Constant Lambert's book 'Music Ho! A Study of Modern Music in Decline' 
to being interested in Lambert's music, 
to reading the biography of him, his father, & his son Kit Lambert of The Who, all doomed men, 
to wanting to hear his cohort including Rawsthorne, Walton, and Malcolm Arnold.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> I like Rawsthorne's piano concertos.
> Found my way to him by going from Constant Lambert's book 'Music Ho! A Study of Modern Music in Decline'
> to being interested in Lambert's music,
> to reading the biography of him, his father, & his son Kit Lambert of The Who, all doomed men,
> to wanting to hear his cohort including Rawsthorne, Walton, and Malcolm Arnold.


Rawsthorne was a very good composer. In addition to the symphonies and PCs, I really enjoy his _Symphonic Studies_. I don't care much for the title though (sounds too much like a title for a student work while at the conservatory).


----------



## Mika

Jean S. : Symphonies 1 & 4


----------



## Kleinzeit

Mika said:


> Jean S. : Symphonies 1 & 4
> 
> View attachment 19657


Would be interested in your take on the difference between these and his Lahti versions. (just assuming that if you've got the Minnesota, you've heard the Lahti too. Because they're the exemplars, the equivalent of the brass rods representing the standard metre & kilo they keep in a glass case in France)


----------



## millionrainbows

Beethoven: Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101; Pavel Egorov
Beethoven: Sonata No. 29 in Bb major, Op. 106; Galina Sandovskaya
(Audiophile Classics)

I hold the late sonatas in great reverence. The No. 28 is so thematically unified, and just beautiful. You know those days when your brain seems more receptive for some reason? Today is one of those days, and even the Hammerklavier's 30-minute-long last movement is making sense. I can hear the motive he's using, and how it's "atomized." If you can hear this, you can hear Bartók.

These Russian pianists are wonderful, and the recording quality is fantastic. I have this complete series, which features various Russian pianists.


----------



## Wood

*Beethoven*_ Piano Sonata No. 23 'Appassionata' _(Ashkenazy)










*Tavener*_ The Lamb

_









*
Haydn *_The Seasons_ (Gonnenwein)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 4_. Great performance.


----------



## millionrainbows

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Symphony No. 4_. Great performance.


Yeah, I've got this. Gergiev's Prokofiev set is_ killer!_


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> Yeah, I've got this. Gergiev's Prokofiev set is_ killer!_


Surprisingly I didn't care much for Gergiev's Prokofiev symphony performances. My favorite Prokofiev symphony cycles are Rozhdestvensky, Jarvi, and Kitajenko.


----------



## Mika

Kleinzeit said:


> Would be interested in your take on the difference between these and his Lahti versions. (just assuming that if you've got the Minnesota, you've heard the Lahti too. Because they're the exemplars, the equivalent of the brass rods representing the standard metre & kilo they keep in a glass case in France)


Actually I haven't heard Lahti version. Luckily it is in spotify : 



Need to check that.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Mika said:


> Actually I haven't heard Lahti version. Luckily it is in spotify :
> 
> 
> 
> Need to check that.


Personally I don't hear a huge enough difference but I prefer the Lahti Orchestra. I'm not sure why Vanska is recording these again when his recordings with the Lahti are some of the best out there. Seems like it would be be better devoting effort to recording other great repertoire instead.

Kevin


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kevin Pearson said:


> Personally I don't hear a huge enough difference but I prefer the Lahti Orchestra. I'm not sure why Vanska is recording these again when his recordings with the Lahti are some of the best out there. Seems like it would be be better devoting effort to recording other great repertoire instead.
> 
> Kevin


Or dig into homeboys like Klami, Madetoja, Merikanto, Melartin, Kokkonen, Sallinen, Englund, Pingoud, Palmgren, Meriläinen, Berglund....hey, more Rautavaara
but that ain't gonna happen, and I don't want to mess with a man's income during tough economic times


----------



## millionrainbows

Neo Romanza said:


> Surprisingly I didn't care much for Gergiev's Prokofiev symphony performances. My favorite Prokofiev symphony cycles are Rozhdestvensky, Jarvi, and Kitajenko.


I had the Jarvi before I got the Gergiev. I'm a fool for good sonics, and the Gergiev set was superior to Jarvi in this regard.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel - Sheherezade (both overture and song cycle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

I'm stirring my soup the way Rach stirs me - anti-clockwise.

Rach 2, floating through the mist of oxtail soup....


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Prelude & Fugue in G Minor, BWV 535 -- Helmut Walcha

Telemann: Violin Concerto #4 in E -- Iona Brown: Academy of St. Martin in The Fields

Beethoven: Duet for Viola and Violoncello in E Flat, WoO 32, "mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern" --- Lukas Hagen & Veronika Hagen

Stravinsky: Concerto for Strings in D -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Beethoven: Rondo for Piano & Orchestra in B Flat, WoO 6 -- Pietro Spada: Philharmonia Orchestra of London


----------



## DrKilroy

Grieg - Holberg Suite (piano version is harder to find - I'll try the string orchestra version), Piano Concerto in A minor.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## NightHawk

This is a very mixed bag. I have never cared for Ozawa, for many reasons, briefly b/c his recordings often seem naive and often times messy - something to do with a lack of rhythmic incisiveness and knowing what the H he is doing - I am, however, open to suggestions that prove otherwise, and the Stattskapelle Dresden is still splendid in spite of my 'meh' attitude re Ozawa - they deliver beautifully. The greatest weakness is in the casting of Herod and Herodias (Walter Raffeiner and Kerstin Witt) - they are very, very weak singers and have important roles in the latter part of the one-act work beginning in Scene Four. Now: Why You Might Want This In Your Collection: Norman and James Morris as Salome and Jochanaan are wonderful, and splendid, etc., down to the last notes. In short, the two lead roles along with the brief but splendid role of Narraboth, magnificently sung by Richard Leech, all three in Scene Three, are worth space on anyone's shelf. I bought 'used good' for $4 (four dollars) and am very glad to have it to add to my growing collection of Salome's, and I have seen it live w Grace Bumbry, who was PDG and did her own 7 Veils thing. No, it's not my favorite recording when the totality is considered, that would be the Leonie Rysanek, Ruth Hesse, Jon Vickers, Horst Laubenthal/Kempe live recording of 1974, also a recent acquisition. I am sorry for the length of this post, but feel strongly about Strauss/opera lovers being turned away from some really superb singing by the low rating it gets on Amazon esp when it can be had so cheaply. I will listen to this entire recording regularly w/o hesitation.


----------



## DaveS

via YouTube...Rach 3rd with Vladimir Horowitz/ Zubin Mehta/NYPO...1978. Horowitz 75 years young and sounded great. Description says possibly his last performance of the work.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Expansive after work listening with Mahler's Das Lied Von der Erde.
Just the balm to a dull day at work.

Don't ask who's playing. It's an old CD rip from a long time ago. But there is an orchestra and some lady singing if that helps.


----------



## Mahlerian

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 19660
> This is a very mixed bag. I have never cared for Ozawa, for many reasons, briefly b/c his recordings often seem naive and often times messy - something to do with a lack of rhythmic incisiveness and knowing what the H he is doing - I am, however, open to suggestions that prove otherwise,


None from here. I've never heard an Ozawa recording that was not bettered by others' versions. His Mahler 5 for Philips is awful.


----------



## Kieran

I wonder if Holst's The Planets was called something else - say, Holst's Campbell Soups - would it sound the same?

None of these pieces sound like the planet they're named for.

I think.

Free with this months BBC magazine...


----------



## Wood

Kieran said:


> I wonder if Holst's The Planets was called something else - say, Holst's Campbell Soups - would it sound the same?
> 
> None of these pieces sound like the planet they're named for.
> 
> I think.
> 
> Free with this months BBC magazine...


Who played on this CD Keiran?


----------



## Kieran

hayd said:


> Who played on this CD Keiran?


Hey Hayd,

It's from 1973 Proms, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult... :tiphat:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Kieran said:


> I wonder if Holst's The Planets was called something else - say, Holst's Campbell Soups - would it sound the same?
> 
> None of these pieces sound like the planet they're named for.
> 
> I think.
> 
> Free with this months BBC magazine...


I feel duty bound to point out at this juncture that it is not meant to represent the Planets themselves but the astrological influence of the planets upon the human psyche.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Cream of Chicken Soup - The Bringer of War
Potato and Leek - The Bringer of Peace
Pea and Lentil - The Winged Messenger

............ No! It's not working for me


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): Piano Trio in E Flat, Op.23, No.2

Trio Fortepiano: Miriam Altmann, piano -- Julia Huber, violin -- Anja Enderle, cello

View attachment 19661


----------



## Mahlerian

Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur
Tracy Silverman, BBC Symphony, cond. Adams

Partially written using just intonation, but, as far as I know, a singular experiment in that direction as far as the composer was concerned.


----------



## joen_cph

Otakar Ostrcil: Suite in c-minor for orchestra (1912-14) / Krombholc / panton LP

A great recording of this work, which often sounds like a Mahler symphony. Ancerl recorded it too, but though I haven´t heard that recording, I must say that Krombholc is doing a really fine job, and the sound is very good too. I think Chandos or BIS could make a seller from this piece.

Some basic Ostrcil information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otakar_Ostrčil


----------



## Mika

Perfect music for horror movies


----------



## Kieran

MagneticGhost said:


> I feel duty bound to point out at this juncture that it is not meant to represent the Planets themselves but the astrological influence of the planets upon the human psyche.


Ah! Then I definitely prefer the soup!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockegehem, Missa De Plus En Plus*


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Peter (1746-1813): String Quintet No.2 in A Major

American Moravian Chamber Ensemble: Katherine Kyme and Carla Moore, violins -- Anthony Martin and George Thomson, violas -- Paul Hale, cello

View attachment 19665


----------



## PetrB

Altre Follie ~ Hesperion XXI; Jordi Savall


----------



## NightHawk

Christian Thielemann, former assistant to Von Karajan, former conductor of the Munich Philharmonic (and many other laudable tenures) is somewhat known for his slow tempi. His Bruckner 5th is one of the longest at 80+ minutes. I am writing about his recording of the Beethoven 5th and 7th with the New Philharmonia Orchestra. The Thielemann 5th is not at all in the hyped-up, adrenalin pumping spirit of say Carlos Kleiber's Tyrannosauric 5th. It is, instead, stately, and terrifically classical, and I think it is a great interpretation. Same for his 7th - conservative, and really beautifully played. The orchestra is lush and fulsome and the recording is absolutely state of the art. Highly recommended, 5*****'s.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YmS+ErhKL._SY300_.jpg pic wouldn't cooperate.


----------



## SimonNZ

Charpentier's Canticum Ad Beatum Virginem - Le Concert Des Nationd, Jordi Savall, dir.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 21, Op. 53, "Waldstein"
_Jando Jeno_

One of the best performances of the Waldstein I have heard. Amazing!


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2
_Jando Jeno_

I have always loved this sonata. Especially the theme of the first movement (not sure if it shows up again in the sonata, have not listened to the whole thing in a long time).


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat Major

Emanuel Ax
Charles Dutoit
Montreal Symphony Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ockegehem, Missa De Plus En Plus*
> 
> View attachment 19664


That gets four likes from me: for the composer, the work, the group and the label


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening. The usual long spiel!

Starting off with contrasting two symphonies where timpani are prominently used, one from the Classical Era and one from Modern times.

*Haydn* _Symphony #103, "Drum-roll"_
- Dresden PO under Gunther Herbig (Berlin Classics)

Continuing to explore *Haydn's *twelve London symphonies, this weekend I took in _*No. 103*_. Given its title, unsurprisingly it starts with a drum-roll, which is followed by a very dark and ominous introduction with the bassoons, cellos and basses playing this dirge like melody. It has more than a faint suggestion of choral music and maybe the _dies irae _plainchant. But the dark mood quickly dissipates, followed by the body of this first movement which is full of dramatic contrasts, lively counterpoint and a kind of comedic wit so typical of Haydn. However what is not typical is what he does at the end of the movement - he returns to the opening adagio introduction, to the drum-roll and dirge-like idea.

This kind of totally unorthodox treatment of sonata form structure was not to be commonly used until Beethoven, and as we shall see with Nielsen in the early 20th century. However before the movement is out, Haydn rounds it off with references to the two main lively subjects of the movement.

Well, that's only the first movement, what of the rest? Well it's a wonderful symphony as a whole. The andante has a lovely violin solo in the middle of it, the minuet is spiced up with these odd and jerking Hungarian-type rhythms, and the finale has this rush of energy and rhythmic propulsion that I'd describe as exhilarating and breathtaking. For some reason Handel comes to mind when I listen to this finale, probably in terms of Haydn's use of the trumpets and the quite vigorous counterpoint.

*Nielsen* _Symphony #4, "The Inextinguishable"_
- Los Angeles PO under Zubin Mehta (Eloquence)

Composed in the early 20th century, *Carl Nielsen's* _*Symphony #4*_ in the words of the composer relates to the idea that "music, like life, is inextinguishable." As in Haydn's Drum-roll symphony composed over 100 years before, timpani play a pivotal role in the work.

The first movement teems with life and bristles with energy, while the second movement comes across as quite pastoral with some lovely writing for the woodwinds. The third movement has a sense of tragedy and for me is the emotional core of the work. The final movement must surely be one of the most exhilarating in the modern symphonic repertoire, with the two timpanists at either side of the stage battling it out in an epic exchange of blows. Again, as with Haydn, the ending speaks to a sense of optimism and triumph.

*R. Strauss* _Concerto for Oboe and Small Orch._
- Lothar Koch, oboe with Berlin PO under Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)

An interlude with *Richard Strauss* whose birthday fell this week on June 11. His _*Oboe Concerto*_ has some similarities with the second movement of Nielsen's 4th, the mood here is pastoral and idyllic. This was one of Strauss' late great works, and I see him here as being in quite an Olympian mood, gazing down from the top of a mountain and taking in the pleasurable view. Written in 1946, it sounds not of its time but more like something of 50 or maybe even 100 years before, but what a splendid anachronism it is!

Strauss writes for the oboe operatically and treats it like a human voice. His use of the small orchestra shows a sense of delicacy and poise, and it could be that here he's absorbed some of the trends of the Neo-Classical fad of between the wars. It stands out as one of the finest works in the genre, in a not too crowded field, which includes concertos by Mozart and Vaughan Williams.

Finishing with a bunch of works by Hungarian compatriots *Bartok and Kodaly,* which provided some interesting contrasts:

*Bartok*
_Concerto for Orchestra
Two Pictures, Op. 10 - In Full Flower & Village Dance_
- Concertgebouw Orch., Amsterdam under Antal Dorati (Philips)

*Kodaly* _Concerto for Orchestra_
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati (Eloquence)

*Bartok*
_Two Portraits, (Op. 5), Sz. 37 - Ideal & Distorted
Romanian Folk Dances for Orchestra, Sz. 68_
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet (Eloquence)

*Bartok's* _*Concerto for Orchestra*_ is one of the most popular works in the Modern canon, so it needs little introduction here. This is one of those works that introduced many listeners to Modern music, and also one that from its first performance was a huge success. Written by Bartok at a time when he was unwell and suffering from the disease that was to kill him, it is a kaleidoscope of emotions and experiences, in effect summing up his entire career as a composer.

In this work he employs the traditional arch-form of five movements, with the middle movement being the 'pivot' and emotional heart of the piece. Beethoven used this structure hin is _String Quartet Op. 132_, so too Mahler in his _Symphony #5_ and Bartok himself in his earlier _String Quartet #5_. When I first heard that tragic middle movement it struck me as gut wrenching, and I can understand the view that this is an expression of the composer's homesickness and sense of despair at being an exile, half a world away from his beloved Hungary which at that time was being torn to shreds by the war. The composer wrote "the general mood of the work represents, apart from the jesting second movement, a gradual transition from the sternness of the first movement and the lugubrious death-song of the third, to the life assertion of the last one."

Compared to Bartok's work in the genre, *Kodaly's* _*Concerto for Orchestra*_ has never received the traction or become half as popular, but in some ways that's quite understandable since its a different beast entirely. Kodaly's concerto actually predates Bartok's by about five years but it too was premiered in America. Kodaly gave the score of the work to Bartok before he left Hungary to go to America.

Unlike the vague and ambigious opening of the Bartok piece, Kodaly's one starts with a bang, ushering in this lively and catchy folkish tune that goes through the whole work. It alternates with a more lyrical and restrained melody that reminds me strongly of Renaissance choral music, especially of those layerings in Palestrina. Its almost Brucknerian, but not that heavy. A commonality with Bartok's concerto is this very Eastern, kind of Asiatic writing for the flutes and piccolo, which goes back to the roots of ancient Hungarian music in Eurasia. It's a unique sound that a number of Hungarian composers use and you'll know it when you'll hear it. Getting back to the Kodaly concerto, it is rounded off with the catchy tune coming back even more vigorously. A prominent framing device in the work, two trumpets forming a trio with a violin oddly enough, comes back towards the end as well.

I also took in some pieces that came quite early in *Bartok's* career.

The _*Two Portraits*_ reminded me very strongly of Richard Strauss, in terms of the string sonorities and sense of flowing melody in the first one and the agitated rhythms in the second one (_The Dance of the Seven Veils_ from 'Salome' came to mind a bit).

The_ *Two Pictures,*_ although composed around a similar time to the _Two Portraits_, in contrast comes across as more or less mature Bartok. The first a lyrical movement which displays more delicate and transparent textures, and the second a rough folk dance.

Speaking of folk dances, I rounded this session off with the _*Romanian Folk Dances,* _which are more or less transcriptions of actual dances Bartok heard on his many travels in the South-East European region. With Kodaly he worked to document not only the music but also the history, costumes, artwork, furniture and so on of folk cultures which at the turn of the century with increased industrialization and urbanization, where destined to die out. They collected over 14,000 items which took decades to compile and they where only published in about the 1950's in several volumes.

Incidentally, the _Romanian Folk Dances_ where not of ethnic Romanian origin, but Hungarian. They where sourced from villages that used to be part of greater Hungary which where ceded to Romania after World War I. These lively and colourful pieces still form a core part of the chamber orchestra repertoire today.


----------



## Kieran

Some song that keeps saying Hello in a bar in Dublin. Ya don't have K546 by any chance, no?


----------



## Skilmarilion

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2
> _Jando Jeno_
> 
> I have always loved this sonata. Especially the theme of the first movement (not sure if it shows up again in the sonata, have not listened to the whole thing in a long time).


I was listening to this earlier (played by Richter) - it is simply a joy!


----------



## Schubussy

Beethoven - Violin Sonata no. 7
Renaud Capuçon, Frank Braley


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4. *

I've spent all day since 8 a.m. chained to my listening to continuing education webinars. I need something sunny.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel*

This is my first listen to this in a long, long time. I have to follow the score to know when he's becoms a monk, when he's in love, etc. That's probably why I don't listen to a lot of tone poems; it's a lot of pressure to try to keep up with a musical story.


----------



## chrisco97

Skilmarilion said:


> I was listening to this earlier (played by Richter) - it is simply a joy!


Yes, it is! I would say it is one of my favourites.


----------



## SimonNZ

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content









Bach's Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould, piano (1955)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> Personally I don't hear a huge enough difference but I prefer the Lahti Orchestra. I'm not sure why Vanska is recording these again when his recordings with the Lahti are some of the best out there. Seems like it would be be better devoting effort to recording other great repertoire instead.
> 
> Kevin


Absolutely agreed. Like, for example, he could record more Aho!!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Bach's Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould, piano (1955)


I've got to put that one on.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 10
_Jando Jeno_

I am really enjoying this one so far.


----------



## Weston

Sid James said:


> *Haydn* _Symphony #103, "Drum-roll"_
> - Dresden PO under Gunther Herbig (Berlin Classics)
> 
> Continuing to explore *Haydn's *twelve London symphonies, this weekend I took in _*No. 103*_. Given its title, unsurprisingly it starts with a drum-roll, which is followed by a very dark and ominous introduction with the bassoons, cellos and basses playing this dirge like melody. It has more than a faint suggestion of choral music and maybe the _dies irae _plainchant. But the dark mood quickly dissipates, followed by the body of this first movement which is full of dramatic contrasts, lively counterpoint and a kind of comedic wit so typical of Haydn. However what is not typical is what he does at the end of the movement - he returns to the opening adagio introduction, to the drum-roll and dirge-like idea.
> 
> This kind of totally unorthodox treatment of sonata form structure was not to be commonly used until Beethoven, and as we shall see with Nielsen in the early 20th century. However before the movement is out, Haydn rounds it off with references to the two main lively subjects of the movement.
> 
> Well, that's only the first movement, what of the rest? Well it's a wonderful symphony as a whole. The andante has a lovely violin solo in the middle of it, the minuet is spiced up with these odd and jerking Hungarian-type rhythms, and the finale has this rush of energy and rhythmic propulsion that I'd describe as exhilarating and breathtaking. For some reason Handel comes to mind when I listen to this finale, probably in terms of Haydn's use of the trumpets and the quite vigorous counterpoint.




I absolutely love this symphony and the No. 100 "Military." They are proof enough to me that Beethoven learned more from Haydn than he would ever admit. They are downright Beethovenian -- or vice versa.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel*
> 
> This is my first listen to this in a long, long time. I have to follow the score to know when he's becoms a monk, when he's in love, etc. That's probably why I don't listen to a lot of tone poems; it's a lot of pressure to try to keep up with a musical story.


I enjoyed this as a kid (Furtwangler conducting) without the slightest idea of any program, though I knew there is supposed to be one. I just made up mental images to wherever the music led me.


----------



## GreenMamba

Sibelius' 6th, C. Davis/LSO.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _The Execution of Stepan Razin_. Excellent performance. The reviewer who gave this recording 3-stars on Amazon doesn't know what they're talking about IMHO. Nothing wrong with this performance and Kondrashin's may be the 'classic' account but this doesn't mean that someone should degrade newer performances. The Kondrashin suffered from harsh audio (typical of Soviet recordings during the time) so, while I enjoyed the performance, I can't fully accept it because of insufficient audio quality.


----------



## Novelette

^ Weston and Sid: I listened to the Drumroll Symphony just as I was preparing for sleep last evening. It has long been my favorite of the London Symphonies. What I find especially remarkable is how Haydn references the first movement introduction in the development. While not an uncommon procedure in the 19th century, it was quite uncommon before this instance. Introductions are, so to speak, "parageneric" spaces: "outside" of the sonata process proper--that is to say, not structurally essential. Haydn never ceases to astonish me! 

My listening this evening has been unusual for me. While I frequently listen to these works, I very seldom listen to them in all at once, let alone in a sequential manner:

Schumann: Symphony in G Minor, WoO 29, "Zwickau"
Schumann: Symphony #1 in B Flat, Op. 38, "Spring"
Schumann: Symphony #2 in C, Op. 61
Schumann: Symphony #3 in E Flat, "Rhenish"
[I did skip the early version of the 4th Symphony]
Schumann: Symphony #4 in D Minor, Op. 120 (Revised Version)
Schumann: Konzertstück in F For 4 Horns & Orchestra, Op. 86
Schumann: Overture, Scherzo & Finale, Op. 52

-- All of these performed by John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

In addition:

Schumann: Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Schumann: Genoveva Overture, Op. 81
Schumann: Julius Caesar Overture, Op. 128
Schumann: Hermann und Dorothea Overture, Op. 136
Schumann: Die Braut von Messina Overture, Op. 100

-- These all by different performers.

Approximately 4 hours of music, all Schumann, all amazing. I'm a happy camper!


----------



## Weston

Tonight I finally found time to continue my exploration of Mahler with the Symphony No. 2 to see what all the fuss is about.

In the past I had always stated like many others that, while I didn't dislike Mahler's music, I didn't exactly _get_ it either. I had no explanation for why it didn't speak to me when others find his music well nigh a religious experience, but listening with my full attention to the 1st symphony last month did not change my stance.

I think now the problem was simply time. To sit down and devote 90 minutes or so in our ADHD modern world may seem impractical, especially if one is struggling with sleep apnea and deadlines as I am. So while I have had this music in my collection for some years, I'm quite certain I've never heard the work in its entirety before. So armed with a few annotations and Mahlerian's blog entries, I for all intents and purposes experienced Mahler's 2nd for the first time this evening.

Right from the beginning this one grabbed me. Though I got a little confused about the form of the 1st movement, that did not really matter. Each movement seemed to be better than the one before so that by the very end I was exhausted, weak and trembling. Yes, even weeping. It took me quite a while to recover enough to write this -- if I have. I can tell you in all honesty that at my age that kind of non-jaded feeling is very hard to come by. I will even go so far as to state that this symphony may replace my beloved Beethoven's 9th as the go to symphony for when I need a special musical orgiastic/spiritual experience.

And that is saying a LOT.










This album has gotten some bad reviews, but as it is the only version I know it seems more than good enough to me. Kathleen Battle and Maureen Forrester both succeed at the astonishing feat of not making me cringe even a little as I often do on first hearing the operatic / classical singing style. Their voices are simply gorgeous. The unidentifiable instruments (which I understand are normal instruments with unusual playing instructions) are crystal clear in spite of a little ambient noise.

I think rather than moving on now to the 3rd, I'll load this into the iPod and let it spin around a few times so that I nearly memorize it. It needs to be digested.


----------



## Redfisher

Vivaldi -Concerto for Guitar, Strings and Continuo in D major RV 93


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.80.* Both works feature the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93,* both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor,* heartily traversed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## opus55

Mahler 4 and 5

















Finally upgraded my bookshelf speakers to floorstanding model. There's more depth and space in these symphonies I now realize.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tchaikovsky serenade for strings
Mahler 7
*Sibelius* 7


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius* symphony 5
Shostakovich symphony 5


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius* symphony 5
> Shostakovich symphony 5


What performance of Shostakovich's _Symphony No. 5_?


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Concertos 4 and 5

Ensemble Christofori (one per part!), Arthur Schoonderwoerd, fortepiano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> What performance of Shostakovich's _Symphony No. 5_?


Lenny B, NYP


----------



## NightHawk

My Saturday Night (yeah, no life: c.7:00pm - 11:48pm

My Favorite 5th's

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor Op. 67, first performance,1808.
Christian Thielemann, New Philharmonia Orchestra. 5*****'s

Bruckner - Symphony No. 5 in B flat major wab 105, first performance, 1894. Christian Thielemann, Munich Philharmonic. 5*****'s

Intermission

Mahler - Symphony No. 5 in C# minor/D, first performance, 1904. Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic. 4.5****`'s

Sibelius - Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82, first performance 1915. Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic. 5*****'s

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, first performance 1937. Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (_the_ 1959 recording 6******'s).

Next time I do this the lineup will be my favorite 7ths.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Lenny B, NYP


The 1959 performance or 1979 Live in Japan performance?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> The 1959 performance or 1979 Live in Japan performance?


1959

Now I'm listening to Beethoven's 3rd

Neo Romanza, could you recommend me some more Shostakovich symphonies I might like? YouTube links preferably, I don't own any recordings and I have no money.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> 1959
> 
> Neo Romanza, could you recommend me some more Shostakovich symphonies I might like? YouTube links preferably, I don't own any recordings and I have no money.


Will do, COAG.  I don't like making assumptions but I'm guessing you enjoyed the 5th? From here, I would check out _Symphony No. 10_ (considered by many to be Shostakovich's finest symphony). Here's a YouTube video:






This particular performance which I've actually watched a few years ago is quite good. Dudamel really digs into the music and the Simon Bolivar Youth SO of Venezuela play extremely well. Hope you enjoy it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

@Neo Romanza, I did enjoy no. 5 very much.  I'll listen to no. 10 next. The only Shostakovich symphonies I have been familiar with previously were nos. 1 and 7.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin - Arthur Grumiaux, violin


----------



## MagneticGhost

Lutoslawski - Symphony No.2 and 4
Nfm Wroclaw Philharmonic Orch


----------



## Arsakes

*Saint-Saëns*:

Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor
Symphony No.3 'organ'
Danse macabre
Le Carnaval des Animaux

I'm confused. Is _Samson et Dalila: Bacchanale_ the 6th movement of his 3rd symphony?


----------



## MagneticGhost

A bit more relaxed now with some Lalo.

There's a great performance of Lalo's little known Sonata for Cello and Piano.
Well worth seeking out by lovers of solo cello works.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27: "Moonlight"
_Jando Jeno_

Okay, I know I have said this a lot of Jeno's performances, but this is for real (not that all the other posts were lies, lol) the best performance I have heard of the Moonlight. Even beating Hungerford's. This one sounds more like what Beethoven would have intended it to sound like.


----------



## Guest

Compare and contrast...Arvo Part and Mogwai.

Which one is more likely to move _you_?

Spiegel im Spiegel?






or Auto Rock?






Perhaps I just had to resist the sentimental tosh posted under the Part, but it was Mogwai that did it for me.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Arsakes said:


> *Saint-Saëns*:
> 
> Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor
> Symphony No.3 'organ'
> Danse macabre
> Le Carnaval des Animaux
> 
> I'm confused. Is _Samson et Dalila: Bacchanale_ the 6th movement of his 3rd symphony?


No! It's the Bacchanale from his opera.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quintet No. 3 In Eb Major, Op. 97, "American"*

I listened to a variety of stuff today but didnt really find focus until the last few hours this afternoon when i started listening to Dvoraks chamber music - Playing selections from these 3 sets from now until bedtime:


----------



## Wood

Dvorak String Quartets will be the soundtrack of my day today, having just downloaded the Stamitz set of Czech quartets.










Normally I prefer to buy CDs, but the price of the MP3s made this a no-brainer. No. 3 is playing just now. It is fine. And long! The first movement alone lasted two mugs of tea.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* The Tempest


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1019

Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord -- Philippe Mermoud, cello

View attachment 19678


----------



## Mika

Second opera sunday :


----------



## Kleinzeit

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* The Tempest


Vänskä, sung in Finnish? Saraste, sung in Danish? Segerstam, just the suites? Kamu? Sakari? Stern? Beecham? huh?


----------



## bejart

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801): Oboe Concerto in C Major

Peter Maag leading the Bamberger Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 19679


----------



## Guest

Working my way randomly through Le Quartuor Talich's recordings of Mozart's string quintets.

Have heard K593. Now listening to K516. Next K614.


----------



## jim prideaux

Brahms 4th symphony,Carlos Kleiber and the VPO-even on an ipod stuck into a 'dock' in the kitchen the glow of the strings in particular remains quite remarkable-is there a better recording of this symphony?

Last week I wanted to listen to Pat Methenys album 80/81 which I only have on vinyl-proved to be a great 'revisiting'-but I noticed Mahler 4th Abbado VPO on the shelf so I am now listening to that-even through the crackles the percussion has a warmth and presence-may have to visit other vinyl that I have not looked at for 25 years!


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> @Neo Romanza, I did enjoy no. 5 very much.  I'll listen to no. 10 next. The only Shostakovich symphonies I have been familiar with previously were nos. 1 and 7.


Excellent, well I hope you enjoy _Symphony No. 10_. Next you should give _Symphony No. 8_ (a personal favorite of mine) a listen.


----------



## NightHawk

It is from Saint-Saens' opera, _Sampson and Delilah_ - I think, first act. 
EDIT: Sorry, shoulda checked - Magnetic Ghost already answered your question.  (Great opera, btw).



Arsakes said:


> *Saint-Saëns*:
> 
> Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor
> Symphony No.3 'organ'
> Danse macabre
> Le Carnaval des Animaux
> 
> I'm confused. Is _Samson et Dalila: Bacchanale_ the 6th movement of his 3rd symphony?


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Symphony No. 7 in A
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Excellent performance.

Then:










This is a great recording. Delius is still so underrated IMHO. He was a true master of texture and color. One of the few composers who doesn't get credit for their innovations in music.


----------



## DaveS

the 7th. BPO Oct/Nov 43.


----------



## millionrainbows

Haydn Symphony #103, “Drum-roll”
- The Esterházy Recordings volume eight; Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra; Adam Fischer (Nimbus)


Darkness from Haydn? Yeah, bring on the danger! The 'drum-roll' is really just a brief rumble on the tympani, but its effect is like an approaching storm, followed by a creepy section with low woodwinds, cellos and basses, playing a dark, ominous, funereal theme, in octaves, no harmony specified; the first four notes sound like Dies Irae. This reminds me of how Beethoven would occasionally "forget" harmony, and focus our minds on pure, ambiguous melody. It's a metaphor for mystery and uncertainty; and is very mood-setting, especially for Haydn.

This is followed by lighter themes, faster, and full of dramatic contrasts, which again reminds me of his influence on Beethoven. It goes back to the dark theme, then ends with a bang.


The second movement starts out minor, somehow reminding me of Gounod's "Alfred Hitchcock" TV theme; the stately, unconcerned tempo marches by us in profile, suggesting, for me, the darkness in Man "marching on" through time; suffering in its inevitable unfolding. Then, it turns stately, lighter, major, pleading, with a triumphant end.

The third movement, a menuetto and trio in triple time, with some interesting harmonic side-steps; very lyrical and flowing, with an urging "sing-along" theme which recurs, getting you rocking in your seat.

The last: opens with horn-fifths, and turns very spirited and excited, perhaps reminding the nobles listening that "tomorrow is the big fox-hunt," and that Man triumphs over all he surveys. I wonder, did anyone ever bother to write from the fox, or rabbit's point of view? No, that is the stuff of children's stories, not the adult themes of dominance, submission, and victory.


----------



## Mika

George on my mind


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> The last: opens with horn-fifths, and turns very spirited and excited, perhaps reminding the nobles listening that "tomorrow is the big fox-hunt," and that Man triumphs over all he surveys. I wonder, did anyone ever bother to write from the fox, or rabbit's point of view? No, that is the stuff of children's stories, not the adult themes of dominance, submission, and victory.











*adult themes*


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann - Fantasiestücken Op. 12

Martha Argerich


----------



## Kieran

Hey millionrainbows! :tiphat:

If you're still discovering mean and moody Mozart (oh the sexy devil, the women loosen their corsets soon as he waves his baton), give K516 a bell, the string quintet with a hysteria-inducing opening movement and some brooding, hulking, _shadow cross the floor_ slow dances. It's in g-minor.

I'm listening to it right.........now!


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Caténaires. (



)

... I love that kind of mad and totally wild virtuosism.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 5_. Like one long adagio. A lament for modern times. A masterwork IMHO. Beautiful performance as well.


----------



## DrKilroy

I listened to Brahms' 4th Symphony today. I had always thought that Brahms is boring. 

Best regards, Dr

PS In case it isn't clear - I do _not_ think so anymore.


----------



## Schubussy

Neo Romanza said:


> Listening to _Symphony No. 5_. Like one long adagio. A lament for modern times. A masterwork IMHO. Beautiful performance as well.


I really love that symphony, it's so underrated. Easily one of my favourites.

If it wasn't for the fact I'm half way through Mahler's second I'd put it on now. Nothing interrupts Mahler's second symphony.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schubussy said:


> I really love that symphony, it's so underrated. Easily one of my favourites.
> 
> If it wasn't for the fact I'm half way through Mahler's second I'd put it on now. Nothing interrupts Mahler's second symphony.
> 
> View attachment 19706


Amen to that


----------



## MagneticGhost

Having listened to Schubert's D946.
Now making time for this little beauty









Monteverdi's Second Vespers for the Feast of Santa Barbara
The Sixteen - Harry Christopher - Hyperion


----------



## Neo Romanza

Schubussy said:


> I really love that symphony, it's so underrated. Easily one of my favourites.


Certainly one of the most gorgeous written in the last 30 years.


----------



## Crudblud

Alban Berg - _Sieben frühe Lieder_ / _Altenberg Lieder_ (Abbado/Von Otter/Banse)


----------



## bejart

Joseph Kuffner (1776-1856): Serenade for Clarinet, Viola and Guitar, Op.21

Ensemble 'La Variazione' with Luigi Magistrelli on clarinet: Marco di Giacomo, viola -- Guido Toschi, guitar

View attachment 19709


----------



## julianoq

Some time left in the end of the evening to listen music, choose Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.

My country is having a lot of riots. In my city, in the beginning the reason was a 0.20 cents increase in the bus ticket (that is already very expensive, it is coasting BRL 3.20 when the average brazilian salary is around BRL 800.00 a month), but the violence of the police sparked a much more general revolt. People is finally waking up to the abuses that we are suffering recently, like the World Cup/Olympics that are costing billions when we don't have decent public education, health system or infra-structure. Tomorrow there is a huge manifestation being organized.

I am listening this quartet hoping that this is the end of a time of abuse and corruption in my country.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife









This guy Mogongo is _on the beam_.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Metamusik_. Absolutely beautiful.


----------



## Kieran

*K497*, piano sonata for four hands, performed by Christoph Eschenbach and Justus Frantz.

Just look at what's in the K490's, all composed between March and August 1786:

K491: PC #24 in c-minor
K492: The Marriage of Figaro
K493: Piano Quartet #2 in E-Flat
K494: Rondo for solo piano in F
K495: Horn concerto in E-Flat
K496: Piano trio (piano, violin, cello) in G
K497: Piano sonata for 4 hands in F
K498: Piano trio (piano, clarinet, viola) in E-flat
K499: Hoffmeister string quartet in D

It beggars belief. It's patently ridiculous and bizarre that so many musical forms could be floating around in their ideal state inside one brain, and all in the brief space of about 20 weeks. Mad!

Tomorrow! The K490's...


----------



## Sid James

Manxfeeder said:


> *Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel*
> 
> This is my first listen to this in a long, long time. I have to follow the score to know when he's becoms a monk, when he's in love, etc. That's probably why I don't listen to a lot of tone poems; it's a lot of pressure to try to keep up with a musical story.


I got into that one as well as Don Quixote last week and I just listened to them as music, like a symphony or concerto. I am not a musician so I couldn't use the score, but I got some good texts explaining what goes on in the tone poems in terms of plot etc. But I ignored them, and I could hear (as in say Metamorphosen, a Strauss work with no literature based program) themes coursing through these pieces. So thats how I am beginning to take in his music more, otherwise its very hard and complicated. But in terms of Till Eulenspiegel, the cheeky and whimsical tune of course speaks to the rogue protagonist, quite easy to hear that. Otherwise I just treated it as more or less pure music.



Weston said:


> I absolutely love this symphony and the No. 100 "Military." They are proof enough to me that Beethoven learned more from Haydn than he would ever admit. They are downright Beethovenian -- or vice versa.
> ...


I agree with that, fact us that a lot of Beethoven's innovations where already done in embryonic form by Haydn. This applies not only to the symphonies but other genres (eg. string quarrtets, masses, etc.). It doesn't downplay the importance of Beethoven of course, what it does for me is to enjoy Haydn more not only as enjoyable music but as one of the great innovators of music history.

And it also makes sense listening to recordings like that one (which I just listened to again). From the 1970's, when playing Haydn with bigger orchestras and/or bigger sound was in vogue. That's still done today of course, but since then we have Haydn played with smaller orchestras and on period instruments. So pushing Haydn to get that Beethovenian sound is understandable, due to all the links in their innovations, etc. The other thing is that its only in the 1970's that authoritative editions of Haydn's scores where published. Even guys like Dorati pre-1970's where using printed scores with several errors. Beecham's cycle was said to be so full of errors that for a period it was withdrawn from publication (but now they're available again). I wonder if the "old school" and more Beethoven-like interps where influenced by those erroneous scores? Dunno, but I like Dorati's Haydn, as well as Beecham's, and that old East German one I got, and also more recent ones.



Novelette said:


> ^ Weston and Sid: I listened to the Drumroll Symphony just as I was preparing for sleep last evening. It has long been my favorite of the London Symphonies. What I find especially remarkable is how Haydn references the first movement introduction in the development. While not an uncommon procedure in the 19th century, it was quite uncommon before this instance. Introductions are, so to speak, "parageneric" spaces: "outside" of the sonata process proper--that is to say, not structurally essential. Haydn never ceases to astonish me!


Yes he astonishes me also, with every listen, and what an innovator he was! No. 103 is one of my firm favourites in the London cycle, others are all the named ones (Clock, Military, London, even the ubiquitous Surprise) and also 99 and 102, but they're all great.


----------



## Feathers

Satie: Gymnopedies, Gnossiennes, and Nocturnes

I had it on as background music, but it ended up grabbing my full attention. The music has such a delicate sound and is very interesting and flavourful yet not overwhelmingly colourful. I really don't listen to enough Satie...


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Symphony #103, "Drum-roll"
- Dresden PO under Gunther Herbig

*Mendelssohn* Violin Concerto in E minor
- Joan Field, violin with Berliner Symphoniker under Rudolph Albert

*Miaskovsky* Cello Concerto
*Rachmaninov* Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14*
- Mstislav Rostropovich, cello with Philharmonia Orch. under Sir Malcolm Sargent *and with Alexander Dedyukhin, piano


----------



## Ravndal

Alf Hurum - Symphony 2


----------



## drpraetorus

E lucevan e stele, Pavarotti


----------



## Ravndal

David Johansen - Op. 5 no 3 - Reindeer


----------



## lunchdress

Time for Sunday afternoon knitting with Sibelius








Sibelius: Lemminkainen Legends, The Tempest: Suites, Tone Poems; Sir Charles Groves/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

edit: re-try image


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.9 in E Flat, KV 271

Sir Colin Davis leading the English Chamber Orchestra -- Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 19722


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## Kieran

K576, piano sonata, performed by Mitsuko Uchida...


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition --
Jan Ladlislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.24 in F Sharp Minor, Op.61

Luca Palazzolo, piano

View attachment 19726


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven bagatelles - Richard Brautigam, fortepiano

and, apropos of nothing, offering this seemingly dead serious quote I just read in Thomas Ades' Full Of Noises which gave me my best laugh of the day:

"There was a time thirty years ago when a C major chord was a shocking thing in the context of modern music. People would jump out of their chairs. I literally saw that happen , with one of my teachers. It was F major, actually. But now it all depends, again, on context. Tevot, that orchestral piece of mine, opens with one sort of music high in the strings and woodwind. Then there is a C major chord low down, which is apparenty unprepared. It doesn't feel like a C major chord from the Jupiter Symphony , but it is C major. I thought, if we start there, what happens next? I remember thinking when this C major chord came into view , "this means trouble", in terms of what its implications were going to be. A composer friend of mine heard it and used the word "shocking" - he said I'd gone "beyond taste".


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Mahler 4 and 5
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally upgraded my bookshelf speakers to floorstanding model. There's more depth and space in these symphonies I now realize.


Congratulations on your new floorstanders. Yes, IMO, it's the best way to listen to CM. :tiphat:


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaikovsky Day

Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Symphony No. 6


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Brahms 4th symphony,Carlos Kleiber and the VPO-even on an ipod stuck into a 'dock' in the kitchen *the glow of the strings* in particular remains quite remarkable-is there a better recording of this symphony?....


Watch that "glow of the strings" stuff.... 

I like it a little rougher, so for me it's BPO/HvK (DG 1964). :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 3, with BPO/Barenboim (rec.1995); Symphony 4, with BPO/Jochum (rec. 1965).

View attachment 19727
View attachment 19729


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord

just one more after this and I will have played all 22 Goldbergs in my collection over the last month or so


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Dedication_. Remarkable work and performance.


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> Congratulations on your new floorstanders. Yes, IMO, it's the best way to listen to CM. :tiphat:


I took your advise from Hi-fi thread about Polk Audio and bought TSi500. Thank you!

Now listening to..

C.P.E. Bach: Hamburg Sinfonias, Wq. 182, Nos 4-6


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> and, apropos of nothing, offering this seemingly dead serious quote I just read in Thomas Ades' Full Of Noises which gave me my best laugh of the day:
> 
> "There was a time thirty years ago when a C major chord was a shocking thing in the context of modern music. People would jump out of their chairs. I literally saw that happen , with one of my teachers. It was F major, actually. But now it all depends, again, on context. Tevot, that orchestral piece of mine, opens with one sort of music high in the strings and woodwind. Then there is a C major chord low down, which is apparenty unprepared. It doesn't feel like a C major chord from the Jupiter Symphony , but it is C major. I thought, if we start there, what happens next? I remember thinking when this C major chord came into view , "this means trouble", in terms of what its implications were going to be. A composer friend of mine heard it and used the word "shocking" - he said I'd gone "beyond taste".


Great stuff. I'm not crazy about Ades' music, but that's a good line. There's a C major chord, very quiet, stuck into the middle of Wozzeck as a musical joke. After a huge outburst in the orchestra accompanying a rise in tension between Wozzeck and Marie, there's a hushed C major chord (barely recognizable unless you're looking for it) underneath the following dialogue:

WOZZECK
Da ist wieder Geld, Marie,
(zählt es ihr in die Hand)
die Löhnung und was vom Hauptmann und vom Doktor.
MARIE
Gott vergelts, Franz.

Berg said that he put the C major chord there as a reflection of the banality of this dialogue about money.

A little night music:
Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstucke, Op. 11, Funf Klavierstucke, Op. 23, Sechs Kleine Klavierstucke, Op. 19
Glenn Gould


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata #1 in B Flat, Op. 45 -- Richard Lester & Susan Tomes

Liszt: Mazeppa, S 511C -- Leslie Howard

Haydn: Symphony #40 in F, H 1/40 -- Adam Fischer: Austro-Hungarian Orchestra

Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66 -- John Eliot Gardiner: NDR-Sinfonieorchester [via YouTube]


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata #1 in B Flat, Op. 45 -- Richard Lester & Susan Tomes
> 
> Liszt: Mazeppa, S 511C -- Leslie Howard
> 
> Haydn: Symphony #40 in F, H 1/40 -- Adam Fischer: Austro-Hungarian Orchestra
> 
> Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66 -- John Eliot Gardiner: NDR-Sinfonieorchester [via YouTube]


Good to see some Britten on your list, Novelette. Such an amazing composer. Have you heard any of his other works?


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19725
> 
> 
> Beethoven bagatelles - Richard Brautigam, fortepiano
> 
> and, apropos of nothing, offering this seemingly dead serious quote I just read in Thomas Ades' Full Of Noises which gave me my best laugh of the day:
> 
> "There was a time thirty years ago when a C major chord was a shocking thing in the context of modern music. People would jump out of their chairs. I literally saw that happen , with one of my teachers. It was F major, actually. But now it all depends, again, on context. Tevot, that orchestral piece of mine, opens with one sort of music high in the strings and woodwind. Then there is a C major chord low down, which is apparenty unprepared. It doesn't feel like a C major chord from the Jupiter Symphony , but it is C major. I thought, if we start there, what happens next? I remember thinking when this C major chord came into view , "this means trouble", in terms of what its implications were going to be. A composer friend of mine heard it and used the word "shocking" - he said I'd gone "beyond taste".


Big like for the Ades book.. That guy is a barrel of monkeys.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Good to see some Britten on your list, Novelette. Such an amazing composer. Have you heard any of his other works?


It's actually my first time giving a serious listening to Britten. I thought I would start out with the War Requiem, which I have often seen praised here on TC. I liked it _a lot_. I'm interested to listen to more of his music, what would you recommend?


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> It's actually my first time giving a serious listening to Britten. I thought I would start out with the War Requiem, which I have often seen praised here on TC. I liked it _a lot_. I'm interested to listen to more of his music, what would you recommend?


Yes, _War Requiem_ is an outstanding work. From here, listen to the other two works that make up his 'war trilogy' - _Ballad of Heroes_ and _Sinfonia da Requiem_. Both are outstanding.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, _War Requiem_ is an outstanding work. From here, listen to the other two works that make up his 'war trilogy' - _Ballad of Heroes_ and _Sinfonia da Requiem_. Both are outstanding.


Those will be the first things I listen to in the morning.

Thank you for the recommendations!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> Those will be the first things I listen to in the morning.
> 
> Thank you for the recommendations!


My pleasure. Enjoy the music.


----------



## PetrB

QUITE A FIND! ~ 
*Gustav Mahler / Alfredo Casella ~ Symphony No. 7, reduction for piano four hands!* 
Not everyone's cuppa, but a fascinating listen and, imo, a helluva feat and labor of love.


----------



## Feathers

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8









Brilliant from beginning to end.


----------



## millionrainbows

At last, something new! After tediously rummaging through stacks of disorganized $1.99 CDs (most with damaged jewel cases, of course) I managed to salvage two Dave Matthews Band titles (normally I would not buy him), and my first BROADWAY MUSICAL (normally I would not buy), _The King and I_ movie soundtrack. It's very enjoyable; am I turning gay? and the recording is excellent, considering this is early stereo tape from 1955. It also features the vocal-dubbing of Marni Nixon, who, as you hard-core Webern fans will remember, sang the leider on the Complete Works on Columbia Special Products vinyl, with Robert Craft.

Next door, at Half-Price Books, I picked up several $5.99 used: Evgeny Kissin's RCA studio recording of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, with Schumann's Fantasy Op. 17;

...and Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in three different Pelleas et Mellisande: Schoenberg, Sibelius, and Fauré (Sony). The Schoenberg has a great clarity, which this dense work needs always, it can make or break it.
None of the versions disappoints; and since Mellisande dies at the end, it's a good chance to hear how each one handles "death." The long, sustained tones at the end of Schoenberg's are a welcome relief after the incessant restlessness of the rest of this behemoth. Fauré uses a very endearing minor theme with interesting chords.

Kissin, as usual, dazzles with his understanding, musicality, and facility.


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> I managed to salvage two Dave Matthews Band titles


Productive (?) day shopping! Here's Dave Matthews with Santana and your erstwhile mucker, Johannes Brahms:


----------



## PetrB

Dan Van Hassell ~ Lush Intrinsic 
(piano and live electronics) Keith Kirchoff, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Yuk! Monday morning blues.

What better than a bit of Bach.

Mass in B minor - John Eliott Gardiner


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Fauré: Cantique De Jean Racine, a lovely work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kleinzeit said:


> Vänskä, sung in Finnish? Saraste, sung in Danish? Segerstam, just the suites? Kamu? Sakari? Stern? Beecham? huh?


Vänskä, full incidental music sung in Finnish.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takashi Yoshimatsu's Pleiades Dances - Kyoko Tabe, piano


----------



## Guest

MagneticGhost said:


> Yuk! Monday morning blues.
> 
> What better than a bit of Bach.
> 
> Mass in B minor - John Eliott Gardiner


Thanks for the suggestion!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Violin Sonatina in A minor D385 - Robin Wilson, violin, Kemp English, piano


----------



## NightHawk

Presto Classical offers this at $20 cheaper than the other place. I paid $64, new. I put this here b/c I thought more members might see it than on the New Acquisitions Forum and I haven't received it yet anyway. (13 discs)


----------



## NightHawk

Love the 7th! Have Wand's recording! Have a good day.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> View attachment 19724


----------



## Schubussy

Schubussy said:


> If it wasn't for the fact I'm half way through Mahler's second I'd put it on now. Nothing interrupts Mahler's second symphony.


I didn't follow my advice last night and interrupted the symphony to get some food. Woke up this morning with bad earache, talkclassical not loading and the audio on my computer running slower than it should for some reason. Coincidence?

The sound problem & talkclassical seemed to have solved themselves so I hope that by listening to Mahler's second again (uninterrupted) it'll appease the gods and they'll cure my earache!


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> At last, something new! After tediously rummaging through stacks of disorganized $1.99 CDs (most with damaged jewel cases, of course) I managed to salvage two Dave Matthews Band titles (normally I would not buy him), and my first BROADWAY MUSICAL (normally I would not buy), _The King and I_ movie soundtrack. It's very enjoyable; am I turning gay? and the recording is excellent, considering this is early stereo tape from 1955. It also features the vocal-dubbing of Marni Nixon, who, as you hard-core Webern fans will remember, sang the leider on the Complete Works on Columbia Special Products vinyl, with Robert Craft.
> 
> Next door, at Half-Price Books, I picked up several $5.99 used: Evgeny Kissin's RCA studio recording of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, with Schumann's Fantasy Op. 17;
> 
> ...and Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in three different Pelleas et Mellisande: Schounberg, Sibelius, and Fauré (Sony). The Schoenberg has a great clarity, which this dense work needs always, it can make or break it.
> None of the versions disappoints; and since Mellisande dies at the end, it's a good chance to hear how each one handles "death." The long, sustained tones at the end of Schoenberg's are a welcome relief after the incessant restlessness of the rest of this behemoth. Fauré uses a very endearing minor theme with interesting chords.
> 
> Kissin, as usual, dazzles with his understanding, musicality, and facility.


Broadway musicals are full of steaming bijou.

Look at Mogongo's 'Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife'.

And Kismet! Tony-winning Borodin!


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> Broadway musicals are full of steaming bijou.
> 
> Look at Mogongo's 'Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife'.
> 
> And Kismet! Tony-winning Borodin!


I'm tempted to ask for translation; I don't speak Broadway-ese. I'll Ask-search "Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife" and "kismet," and see what it yields. Is that where "Stranger In Paradise" originated?

LATER EDIT:I found Kismet (and was right about Stranger In Paradise), but neither 'Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife' nor 'Mogongo' yeided any result.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Here's how thoroughly Wright & Forrest strip-mined Borodin:

In the Steppes of Central Asia ("Sands of Time")
Symphony No. 2, Movement 1 ("Fate")
"Polovtsian Dances" from Prince Igor ("Bazaar of Caravans", "Stranger in Paradise", "He's in Love", "Samaris' Dance")
String Quartet No. 2, Movement 2 ("Baubles, Bangles and Beads"), Movement 3 ("And This Is My Beloved")
String Quartet No. 1, Movement 4 ("Was I Wazir?")
Symphony No. 1, Movement 4 ("Gesticulate")
"Serenade" from the Petite Suite ("Night of My Nights")
Act III trio from Prince Igor ("The Olive Tree")
"Aria of Vladimir Galitsky" from Prince Igor ("Zubbediya")

..and Frozen Bob is Crudblud's new piece (a scholarly excavation of a 50s Broadway play by the blacklisted Mongongo), which is a good good honk! --downloadable on his TC thread, and well worth it.


----------



## millionrainbows

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Roman triptych: _The Pines of Rome (1924); The Fountains of Rome (1917); Roman Festivals (1929). _Lorin Maazel, Pittsburgh SO (Sony). Recorded 1994 (20-bit).

Revelation! I'm finally hearing Respighi the modernist, and also hearing things I've never heard like this; to the point that I'm going back to my earlier versions to make sure this is the same work! Recorded with only 2 B&K 4009 omni's, the sound is amazingly clear and dynamic, with no muddiness, and with no hint of harshness.

The Pines of Rome is the most astounding; I'm hearing high celeste-chords which make Respighi sound like an early Spectralist. The "Fountains" clearly reveals a debt to Debussy (why I never heard this before, I have no idea), and "Feste" sounds like Stravinsky in places. Not surprising, since Respighi studied orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov in Russia.

Highly recommended.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Sibelius String Quartet performed by Emerson String Quartet. This album is great!


----------



## Joris

Wagner: Das Rheingold prelude / l.b. James Levine

Interesting how Wagner's orchestral work is usually very accessible compared to the vocal parts


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Stravinsky's* (1882 - 1971) birthday, 3 Symphonies.

View attachment 19740


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Excellent performance.


----------



## Ravndal

*Bartók* _Cantata Profana_


----------



## Neo Romanza

Ravndal said:


> *Bartók* _Cantata Profana_


Nice work. What performance?


----------



## Ravndal

Neo Romanza said:


> Nice work. What performance?


Very nice, indeed. I don't know, actually.

This one:


----------



## Stemahl

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> View attachment 19724


What is the performance of this like? I have the Jochum performance which is quite good.

I have only just recently listened to his 8th for the first time, by Tintner. I was a bit impatient the first time, amazed the next few times, but now I am hearing a lot of repetition in each movement and I am wondering why it needs to be nearly 90 minutes long - am I just not getting the appeal of Bruckner? That said I do enjoy number 4 and that has some repetition so.....


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> First listen to a new acquisition --
> Jan Ladlislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.24 in F Sharp Minor, Op.61
> 
> Luca Palazzolo, piano
> 
> View attachment 19726


The Dussek piano sonatas have been a pleasant discovery for me. I have not heard this one, but the three I have heard are all very nice.



SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19733
> 
> 
> Takashi Yoshimatsu's Pleiades Dances - Kyoko Tabe, piano


Never heard of this, so I looked for it on Rhapsody. Very pleasant! I'm adding it to my want list, but I need to slow down with the purchases a little. On a geeky side note the performer here looks like a Vulcan. (Edit: I had misspelled it earlier so this post made no sense at all.)


----------



## Weston

I am home from my day job sick today. Yes, really sick even though it is a Monday. I need to put on some very short pieces if you know what I mean.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stemahl said:


> What is the performance of this like? I have the Jochum performance which is quite good.
> 
> I have only just recently listened to his 8th for the first time, by Tintner. I was a bit impatient the first time, amazed the next few times, but now I am hearing a lot of repetition in each movement and I am wondering why it needs to be nearly 90 minutes long - am I just not getting the appeal of Bruckner? That said I do enjoy number 4 and that has some repetition so.....


Formal balance requires that this bit be balanced out by that other bit, even if it significantly lengthens the work. I find Bruckner a lot less repetitive than Tchaikovsky, for example, and certainly a good deal more harmonically inventive. But as for the 8th, go for a recording of the revised version before you give up on it. It's an improvement on the original in several ways.

As for myself:
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D
Chicago Symphony, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Mahlerian

Joris said:


> Wagner: Das Rheingold prelude / l.b. James Levine
> 
> Interesting how Wagner's orchestral work is usually very accessible compared to the vocal parts


I don't find it any more or less accessible. People cite accessibility as if it were some absolute quality of the music, but it's not, and creating an aura of impenetrability around something can make it harder to understand...


----------



## Ravndal

John Adams - Common tones in simple time


----------



## wzg

Berlin Philharmonic and Gunter Wand's Bruckner 8...


----------



## Joris

The Well-tempered Clavier, Book II // Ralph Kirkpatrick



Mahlerian said:


> I don't find it any more or less accessible. People cite accessibility as if it were some absolute quality of the music, but it's not, and creating an aura of impenetrability around something can make it harder to understand...


I get your point^^. In fact I even like the shouting in Wagner's opera's now and then, and parts like e.g. the unhinged vocals anticipating the 'Heil König Marke' part in 'Act 1. Tristan... Isolde' speaks directly to me  
But I wouldn't recommend it to say complete laymen, while the orchestral excerpts are rather perfect for beginners.


----------



## Stemahl

Mahlerian said:


> Formal balance requires that this bit be balanced out by that other bit, even if it significantly lengthens the work. I find Bruckner a lot less repetitive than Tchaikovsky, for example, and certainly a good deal more harmonically inventive. But as for the 8th, go for a recording of the revised version before you give up on it. It's an improvement on the original in several ways.
> 
> As for myself:
> Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D
> Chicago Symphony, cond. Tennstedt


Thanks Mahlerian, the edition I've got is the 1887 Nowak version, I will buy another performance. The symphony is brilliant especially the third and last movements; maybe I was in the wrong mood for Bruckner at the time - I know that sounds like a bad excuse but I've found that if I'm not the happiest of people at a certain time then music definitely sounds different or has a different effect on me.

I am now listening to Mahler 2 myself by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under Abravanel and it is just as amazing as the first time I heard it.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Sapphic Poem_. Beautiful work.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Right now:

*Franz Schubert* - Piano Sonata in C minor, D 958 (W.Kempff).

After that:

*Robert Schumann*- Piano Concerto and
*Robert Schumann* - 3rd "Rheinische" Symphony, both on YouTube, so not sure which performance yet.


----------



## Valkhafar

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2. Conducting by Sir Georg Solti, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Valkhafar said:


> Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2. Conducting by Sir Georg Solti, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


My personal favorite Brahms symphony cycle. Solti's is intense and emotionally gripping.


----------



## Valkhafar

Neo Romanza said:


> My personal favorite Brahms symphony cycle. Solti's is intense and emotionally gripping.


I couldn't agree with you more. You are absolutely right!


----------



## Kieran

Bit of a bad day today, my good friend is going home to China tomorrow and we met today for the last time, forseeably. I didn't listen to music at all today, had thought I'd festoon the walls with the K490's, but because I always threatened her with opera in the car, I think Cosi is the one I need right now.

Karl Bohm conducting... :tiphat:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Valkhafar said:


> I couldn't agree with you more. You are absolutely right!


There are several other satisfying Brahms symphony cycles, but I always go back to Solti. Looks like you don't post here much, who are some of your favorite composers?


----------



## Kleinzeit

Kieran said:


> Bit of a bad day today, my good friend is going home to China tomorrow and we met today for the last time, forseeably. I didn't listen to music at all today, had thought I'd festoon the walls with the K490's, but because I always threatened her with opera in the car, I think Cosi is the one I need right now.
> 
> Karl Bohm conducting... :tiphat:











like would be wrong


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19742
> 
> 
> like would be wrong


Yeah thanks, it's funny though, a lot of people expect that grey moods need cathartic, stressful music to lift it, but Cosi is so perfect for this moment. I never did get to carry out my threat, because her departure is so sudden. Job interview on Friday, and all that. As if a job could be more important than listening to Wolfie! 

Bloody economy, eh? To hell with it...


----------



## Ravndal

*Schumann* _Fantasiestücke, Op. 12_

- Martha Argerich

Perhaps my favorite work by Schumann.


----------



## DrKilroy

My plans for today's Stravinsky's birthday:

Symphony of Psalms
Symphony in Three Movements
Symphony in C
Violin Concerto
Ebony Concerto
Dumbarton Oaks Concerto
Concerto in D.

Happy birthday Igor! 

Best regards, Dr

PS I have listened to The Rite yesterday.


----------



## Ravndal

Faure - Theme et Variations in C sharp minor, Op, 73

Paul Crossley.

First time i hear it. It's beautiful.


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19704
> 
> *adult themes*


No wucking furries.


----------



## Ravndal

DrKilroy said:


> My plans for today's Stravinsky's birthday:
> 
> Symphony of Psalms
> Symphony in Three Movements
> Symphony in C
> Violin Concerto
> Ebony Concerto
> Dumbarton Oaks Concerto
> Concerto in D.
> 
> Happy birthday Igor!
> 
> Best regards, Dr
> 
> PS I have listened to The Rite yesterday.


Sounds good. Have fun!


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19673
> 
> Beethoven's Piano Concertos 4 and 5
> Ensemble Christofori (one per part!), Arthur Schoonderwoerd, fortepiano


Ah, I have that CD too. HIP taken a little bit too far? Dunno. All I remember from this CD is that Schoonderwoerd seems to be playing on a broken piano. In fact (as the CD liner notes will tell you), he is playing on a restored Johann Fritz fortepiano (Vienna, 1805-1810).


----------



## NightHawk

Honegger Symphonies 2 for strings and trumpet, and 3 (Liturgique).
Arrived in the mail at noon. So many TC members have exclaimed over these works that I finally got over my tiny impression of Honneger and wow. I'm just so happy that there's so much undiscovered land out there.

6*****'s music and performance. Disc also includes Stravinsky Concerto in D for Strings


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Les Noces
Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Amadinda Percussion Ensemble, cond. Péter Eötvös


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## Guest

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 19676
> 
> A bit more relaxed now with some Lalo.
> There's a great performance of Lalo's little known Sonata for Cello and Piano.
> Well worth seeking out by lovers of solo cello works.


That Lalo 'cello concerto: always had a love/hate relationship with it because of an exam I had to do. From the point of view of technique I give it a big thumbs up. I won't be paying 'top dollar' to listen to it live, to be frank with you. My mate Frank also thinks that the Goltermann cello concerti are really rather underplayed compared to the Lalo, and this should be redressed.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravndal said:


> Sounds good. Have fun!


Thanks! I hope I won't fall asleep before finishing.  (Of course I do not mean that Stravinsky is boring  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










A gorgeous and haunting work.


----------



## Neo Romanza

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 19744
> Honegger Symphonies 2 for strings and trumpet, and 3 (Liturgique).
> Arrived in the mail at noon. So many TC members have exclaimed over these works that I finally got over my tiny impression of Honegger and wow. I'm just so happy that there's so much undiscovered land out there.
> 
> 6*****'s music and performance. Disc also includes Stravinsky Concerto in D for Strings


Honegger is hardly undiscovered land my friend. Karajan's performances are very good of the 2nd and the 'Liturique' but I do not like his Stravinsky performances.


----------



## chrisco97

Wanted to listen to something happy and beautiful at the same time, so went for *Mozart*'s Serenade No. 13 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik) performed by the _Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra_.


----------



## Sid James

*Bruch* Violin Concerto #1
- Joan Field, violin with Berliner Symphoniker under Rudolf Albert

*Mozart* String Quartet in D major, K.499 (Hoffmeister)
- The Chilingirian Quartet

*Walton* Symphony #1
- Philharmonia Orch. under Louis Fremaux

*Bartok*
Romanian Folk Dances for Orchestra, Sz. 68
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Epitaphium, Double Canon, Variations (Aldous Huxley in Memorium)


----------



## aleazk

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Epitaphium, Double Canon, Variations (Aldous Huxley in Memorium)
> View attachment 19745


Stravinsky+Aldous Huxley+serialism+...+LSD?!= ? :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

aleazk said:


> Stravinsky+Aldous Huxley+serialism+...+LSD?!= ? :lol:


Sounds like quite a trip! If anyone tries it, would they please tell me how the consciousness ends up afterwards?


----------



## Novelette

At Neo Romanza's suggestion, I gave these _incredible_ works a listen: completion of Britten's "War Trilogy"...

Via YouTube--

Britten: Ballad of Heroes, Op. 14 -- Richard Hickox: London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

^ What a Scherzo in this work!!!

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 -- Rudolf Kempe: Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

^ Macabre and often frightening, yet everywhere compelling.

Neo Romanza, thank you again for the suggestions! I will have to give these works many more listens. 

Also on the listening program:

Weiss: Lute Sonata #46 -- Robert Barto

Schubert: Sonata in C Major, D. 812, "Grand Duo" -- Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem


----------



## SimonNZ

TalkingHead said:


> Ah, I have that CD too. HIP taken a little bit too far? Dunno. All I remember from this CD is that Schoonderwoerd seems to be playing on a broken piano. In fact (as the CD liner notes will tell you), he is playing on a restored Johann Fritz fortepiano (Vienna, 1805-1810).


Can't agree with you there. I found it a fascinating recording, all the better because they weren't trying to do any of the usual HIP stuff with speeds or saying anything grand about "this is how it should be done". Instead they had a specific point to make about the number of orchestral forces required to perfectly ballance the smaller volume of a fortepiano without the need for studio trickery or amplification, and I believe they did so with the performance still sounding symphonic rather than reducing it to keyboard with nonet.

So: neither a revelation nor an abomination, as many of these can be, but a remarkably solid, straightforward performance with a well-made argument for ballance

I'm listening again right now and feel the fortepiano used is superb with a pleasing timbre, but then I'm partial to the fortepiano in all its variety.









If anyone who hasn't heard it wishes to sample:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> At Neo Romanza's suggestion, I gave these _incredible_ works a listen: completion of Britten's "War Trilogy"...
> 
> Via YouTube--
> 
> Britten: Ballad of Heroes, Op. 14 -- Richard Hickox: London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
> 
> ^ What a Scherzo in this work!!!
> 
> Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 -- Rudolf Kempe: Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
> 
> ^ Macabre and often frightening, yet everywhere compelling.
> 
> Neo Romanza, thank you again for the suggestions! I will have to give these works many more listens.


Excellent! I'm glad you enjoyed them, Novelette. Now, I think you're ready for Britten's concerti: _Violin Concerto_, _Cello Symphony_, _Piano Concerto_, _Diversions_, and the _Double Concerto_.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Excellent! I'm glad you enjoyed them, Novelette. Now, I think you're ready for Britten's concerti: _Violin Concerto_, _Cello Symphony_, _Piano Concerto_, _Diversions_, and the _Double Concerto_.


Great, and thank you! These are now on the top of the list of listening necessities/necessary listenings.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Rondo Brilliant in B Flat, Op.56

Howard Shelley on piano with the London Mozart Players

View attachment 19749


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> Great, and thank you! These are now on the top of the list of listening necessities/necessary listenings.


HA! Excellent and enjoy the music.


----------



## NightHawk

Neo Romanza said:


> Honegger is hardly undiscovered land my friend. Karajan's performances are very good of the 2nd and the 'Liturique' but I do not like his Stravinsky performances.


I meant 'undiscovered by me'  lol.


----------



## Neo Romanza

NightHawk said:


> I meant 'undiscovered by me'  lol.


Oh, I see.  Well, I hope you enjoy Honegger's music as much as I have.


----------



## Andolink

Matthias Pintscher: Choc. Antiphonen für großes Ensemble (1996)
Klangforum Wien/Sylvain Cambreling








Egon Wellesz: Symphony No. 4
Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien/Gottfried Rabl


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Bit of a bad day today, my good friend is going home to China tomorrow and we met today for the last time, forseeably. I didn't listen to music at all today, had thought I'd festoon the walls with the K490's, but because I always threatened her with opera in the car, I think Cosi is the one I need right now.
> 
> Karl Bohm conducting... :tiphat:


I'll listen too. In respect. Gardiner conducting here.


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Bassoon Concerto in G Minor, RV 495
_Rudolf Klepac, Antonio Janigro & I Solisti di Zagreb_

This is really enjoyable. I love Vivaldi's music so much. His concertos are so great no matter the instrument.


----------



## Novelette

chrisco97 said:


> *Vivaldi* - Bassoon Concerto in G Minor, RV 495
> _Rudolf Klepac, Antonio Janigro & I Solisti di Zagreb_
> 
> This is really enjoyable. I love Vivaldi's music so much. His concertos are so great no matter the instrument.


Between 1999 and 2001, I labored obsessively to obtain a recording of the C Major Violin Concerto, "Il Piacere" [Op. 8/6, RV 180]. In those days, it was more difficult to obtain exact recordings [especially for a kid!]. I was obsessed listening to this concerto, and when I finally found a recording and listened, I was disappointed to realize that as far as Vivaldi concertos go, this one was not particularly special. Heck, I was even playing Vivaldi concertos that were more exciting in the meantime!

I love those bassoon concertos, though.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Two hours free for music, and spoiled rotten for choice. Igor? Recent buy:









It's actually the 4 quartets on Brilliant but I like this cover better.

It's all there: soundworlds of Brahms, Mahler, Schoenberg, Berg, Bartok. Zemlinsky sounds like he belongs at that table.

What a spread, what an evolution. The first, 1895, quartet has late Schubert loveliness. The second, 1914, third, 1923, & fourth, 1936, are blazes of modernism that are going to sound modern for the foreseeable forever. The way Caligari, Metropolis, and King Kong are all _rooted_ in the modern. 
Those films are gorgeous fossils now, of course. 
I wonder if these quartets sound modernist-superannuated like that to a listener on a higher floor with a better overview of the modern?

This is going on heavier rotation now ('promises promises' say another thousand recordings on the shelves).


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Revisiting this recording yet again. Listening to _Cello Sonata_. Fantastic work.


----------



## SimonNZ

"La Tarantella : Antidotum Tarantulae" - L'Arpeggiata

Antidote for tarantulas? Apparently so. According to the booklet dancing the tarantella supposedly realigned the humors upset by the "sting".

and wikipedia concurs:

"In the Italian Taranto, Apulia, the bite of a locally common type of wolf spider, named "tarantula" after the region, was popularly believed to be highly poisonous and to lead to a hysterical condition known as tarantism. The stated belief in the 16th and 17th centuries were that the victims needed to engage in a frenzied dance to prevent death from the disease using very rhythmic music. This became known as the Tarantella. The oldest documents mentioning the relationship between musical exorcism and the tarantula are dated around 1100 BC. R.Lowe Thompson proposed that the dance is a survival from a "Dianic or Dionysiac cult", driven underground. John Compton later proposed that these ancient Bacchanalian rites had been suppressed by the Roman Senate. In 186 BC the tarantula went underground, reappearing under the guise of emergency therapy for bite victims.


----------



## millionrainbows

Alicia De LaRocha, Ravel Piano Concertos, etc (RCA)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel.*

It's much nicer now that I've stopped worrying about the story.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in C Minor, Op.18, No.5

Prazak Quartet: Vaclav Remes and Vlastimil Holek, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michal Kanka, cello

View attachment 19756


----------



## PetrB

John Adams ~ Fearful Symmetries


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> Two hours free for music, and spoiled rotten for choice. Igor? Recent buy:
> 
> View attachment 19753
> 
> 
> It's actually the 4 quartets on Brilliant but I like this cover better.
> 
> It's all there: soundworlds of Brahms, Mahler, Schoenberg, Berg, Bartok. Zemlinsky sounds like he belongs at that table.
> 
> What a spread, what an evolution. The first, 1895, quartet has late Schubert loveliness. The second, 1914, third, 1923, & fourth, 1936, are blazes of modernism that are going to sound modern for the foreseeable forever. The way Caligari, Metropolis, and King Kong are all _rooted_ in the modern.
> Those films are gorgeous fossils now, of course.
> I wonder if these quartets sound modernist-superannuated like that to a listener on a higher floor with a better overview of the modern?
> 
> This is going on heavier rotation now ('promises promises' say another thousand recordings on the shelves).


But with those Zemlinsky puppy-dog eyes, how will you be able to resist?


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> But with those Zemlinsky puppy-dog eyes, how will you be able to resist?











It was in the water back then


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Debussy's _Children's Corner_ (orch. A. Caplet). I love this work.


----------



## PetrB

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19759
> 
> 
> It was in the water back then


Berg's appearance, to me, shows an excessively fulsome (I think that's redundant?) sensuality, which matches his music perfectly.


----------



## Kleinzeit

You can _too_ judge a book by its cover


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Magnificat - Scholar Cantorum Of Oxford, James Burton, dir.


----------



## Feathers

Celebrating Stravinsky's (and my own ) birthday today by listening to his violin concerto:


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19759
> 
> 
> It was in the water back then





PetrB said:


> Berg's appearance, to me, shows an excessively fulsome (I think that's redundant?) sensuality, which matches his music perfectly.


I've got it! Berg reminds me of Christopher Walken!

I always thought Berg's eye appearance was due to absinthe or opiates, or just plain-old debauchery. He died of blood-poisoning, didn't he?

Thesaurus 
fulsome
adjective
he paid fulsome tribute to his secretary excessive, extravagant, overdone, immoderate, inordinate, over-appreciative, flattering, adulatory, fawning, unctuous, ingratiating, cloying, saccharine; enthusiastic, effusive, rapturous, glowing, gushing, profuse, generous, lavish; informal over the top, smarmy.

"He's soooo dreamy!!" ~giggle!~

Has anybody got photoshop? Let's put some eyeshadow and liner on him, do his lashes, and make a Warhol-style print of him...


----------



## Kleinzeit

It's so sad, something medieval like a worm in the apple of the modern.

"Berg died in Vienna, on Christmas Eve 1935, from blood poisoning apparently caused by an insect-sting-induced carbuncle on his back. He had been reduced to near-poverty and it is said that to save money his wife carried out an ill-advised operation using a pair of scissors. Later he was taken to hospital, although too late to prevent the onset of blood poisoning. He was 50 years old."


----------



## millionrainbows

Kleinzeit said:


> It's so sad, something medieval like a worm in the apple of the modern.
> 
> "Berg died in Vienna, on Christmas Eve 1935, from blood poisoning apparently caused by an insect-sting-induced carbuncle on his back. He had been reduced to near-poverty and it is said that to save money his wife carried out an ill-advised operation using a pair of scissors. Later he was taken to hospital, although too late to prevent the onset of blood poisoning. He was 50 years old."


Wow! I guess I'll think twice about cutting-off that skin-tag on my butt...


----------



## Kleinzeit

millionrainbows said:


> Wow! I guess I'll think twice about cutting-off that skin-tag on my butt...











...............................................


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Sublime!


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Smetana: String Quartet No. 1


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 19765


----------



## PetrB

Alvin Lucier ~ _I Am Sitting In A Room_


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Ballad of Heroes_. A great performance. As good as Hickox's on Chandos.


----------



## opus55

Schubert piano sonatas










Finally added to my collection. Listening to disc one - Sonata in B flat, D960 and Five Piano Pieces, D459 & D459A


----------



## chrisco97

*Saint Saens* - Berceuse in E Major for Organ, Op. 105
_Joseph Berger_

I have never heard the organ like this before...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:


Now listening to _Diversions_ from same recording. Such a great work.


----------



## PetrB

.............................


----------



## Novelette

opus55 said:


> Schubert piano sonatas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally added to my collection. Listening to disc one - Sonata in B flat, D960 and Five Piano Pieces, D459 & D459A


One of my favorite albums! Kempff's musicianship is legendary and shines forth brilliantly in this set, I think. I have read reviews in which people have commented slightingly upon Kempff's undramatic approach, but I find that the subtleties are finely brought out by Kempff.

A great addition to any collection, to be sure. You have hours of marvelous music ahead of you!

PS, The C Minor Sonata!!!!


----------



## PetrB

John Adams ~ Hallelujah Junction, for two pianos.


----------



## aleazk

PetrB said:


> John Adams ~ Hallelujah Junction, for two pianos.


Very nice, I didn't know it.
Gives a nice contrast to what I have been listening the past days. That's the marvel of these postmodern days... we have almost whatever we _need_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel Keyboard Suites - Keith Jarrett, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius* symphony No.1 & 2


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* String Quartet in D major K.575 (Prussian)
- The Chilingirian Quartet

*Tchaikovsky* Souvenir de Florence (version for string orch.)
- Vienna CO under Philippe Entremont

*Arvo Part* Tabula rasa for two violins, string orch. and prepared piano
- Tasmin Little, violin; Robert Alderwinckle, prepared piano; Bournemouth Sinfonietta directed by Richard Studt from violin (playing as second soloist)

*Vivaldi* 
Concerto for Guitar & String Orch. in D major
- Josef Zsapka, guitar w. Slovak CO under Bohdan Warchal


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 5,6,7


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Last night I also listened to Hubay's first two violin concertos and Schoenberg's violin concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Can't agree with you there. I found it a fascinating recording, all the better because they weren't trying to do any of the usual HIP stuff with speeds or saying anything grand about "this is how it should be done". Instead they had a specific point to make about the number of orchestral forces required to perfectly ballance the smaller volume of a fortepiano without the need for studio trickery or amplification, and I believe they did so with the performance still sounding symphonic rather than reducing it to keyboard with nonet.
> 
> So: neither a revelation nor an abomination, as many of these can be, but a remarkably solid, straightforward performance with a well-made argument for ballance
> 
> I'm listening again right now and feel the fortepiano used is superb with a pleasing timbre, but then I'm partial to the fortepiano in all its variety.
> 
> View attachment 19746
> 
> 
> If anyone who hasn't heard it wishes to sample:


Listening to this now.


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to this now.


Cool! I'd be very interested to know what you think of it.

currently listening to Duke Ellington, who may not be classical but is one of the greatest composers of, well, any time


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Cool! I'd be very interested to know what you think of it.


I love it! Sounds like late Classical Beethoven, just as it should sound (and not overly romanticised)! I can imagine Beethoven playing it a small hall in an aristocrat's house with one player per part in the orchestra just as it is in this recording. I wouldn't be surprised if it has even been performed like that.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Ferrandini (1710-1791): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Musica ad Rhenum -- Jed Wentz, flute

View attachment 19768


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Vivaldi* - Mandolin Concerto in C (mand. Lajos Meyer, Budapest Strings)

*Boieldieu* - Harp Concerto in C (Marisa Robles, Academy of St. Martin)

-- _With thanks to Novelette for the recommendation!_

*Vaughan Williams* - Fantasia on "Greensleeves" (E. Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra)


----------



## Guest

Trying to get better acquainted with the symphonies of Shostakovich. Today I will compare my three recording of the 5th:





















1. Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra
2. Petrenko, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
3. Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Violin Concerto "Distant Light"

comparing the Alina Pogoskina and Gidon Kremer recordings


----------



## EricABQ

This morning I'm listening to the much maligned Hamelin Scriabin sonata set. 

I some of these pieces are finally starting to click with me. 

And I also can't figure out why this recording is so widely criticized. Perhaps if I heard others I would understand.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Cool! I'd be very interested to know what you think of it.


I emailed the link to one of my friends who is a pianist. He says....



> Thank you very much! For these later Beethoven concertos, I think in his day the pieces would have been performed in smaller halls and would be more effective in terms of balance, and I'd say that the modern piano and a modern orchestra is quite able to be stylistically accurate in this manner. But this recording does offer an interesting point of view. Another feature that the modern piano is more*successfully*able to execute, especially in a larger modern hall is have a better balance in terms of volume between registers and the orchestra, as the fortepiano is at some points completely overwhelmed by the orchestra in places, and when there are thick chords, the treble does not carry and is very hard to hear. I have a feeling that Beethoven, when composing his piano concerti, wanted in part to show that a piano can be almost just as versatile as an orchestra in terms of colour and dynamic level, a feature I have noticed when performing his C major concerto and listening to his others, as you will be able to find many places where the piano part will emulate the orchestra or a particular instrument in terms of texture, sound quality and dynamic volume, which modern pianos are more easily able to achieve. But even with this, the effect of pedal and how much the sustain of the modern pianoforte and the fortepiano differ, and how the pedal can then be used, can create very magical effects with the fortepiano, which can only sometimes be achieved with a modern piano, though not completely impossible. That's my view on Beethoven keyboard concerto after listening to this recording. I'd be interested to what you hear what you have to say.


----------



## Stemahl

Just bought this to compare the Jochum 8th with the one I already have (Naxos Tintner), and I got a bonus with the 9th included. Been listening to the 8th a lot the past couple of days and it's growing on me.


----------



## rrudolph

A friend gave me this CD yesterday. I've been aware of Nancarrow's work for years, but this is the first time I've heard some of the player piano studies arranged for instrumental ensembles. I'll let two far more astute musicians than myself speak for me:

"This music is the greatest discovery since Webern and Ives... something great and important for all music history! His music is so utterly original, enjoyable, perfectly constructed but at the same time emotional...for me it's the best of any composer living today." -György Ligeti (in a letter to Charles Amirkhanian)

"The stuff is fantastic... You've got to hear it. It'll kill you." -Frank Zappa

I concur completely.


----------



## julianoq

I found Silvestrov in this thread a few days ago (sorry don't remember who posted) and decided to give a try. Listening to his symphony 5, it is awesome.


----------



## Kleinzeit

rrudolph said:


> A friend gave me this CD yesterday. I've been aware of Nancarrow's work for years, but this is the first time I've heard some of the player piano studies arranges for instrumental ensembles. I'll let two far more astute musicians than myself speak for me:
> 
> "This music is the greatest discovery since Webern and Ives... something great and important for all music history! His music is so utterly original, enjoyable, perfectly constructed but at the same time emotional...for me it's the best of any composer living today." -György Ligeti (in a letter to Charles Amirkhanian)
> 
> "The stuff is fantastic... You've got to hear it. It'll kill you." -Frank Zappa
> 
> I concur completely.
> 
> View attachment 19777











sounds like more, eh?


----------



## Kieran

*Hugo Wolf,* _Goethe Lieder,_ Wolfgang Holzmair (baritone) and Thomas Palm on the old joanna...


----------



## Guest

C.P.E. Bach for me today, as interpreted by Miklos Spanyi, alone, or accompanied by Concerto Armonico or Opus X:


----------



## Guest

And one more:


----------



## Mahlerian

Rameau: Keyboard Suites
Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, with Brandenburg Consort/Goodman (rec. 1992); *JS Bach*: Orchestral Suites, with English Concert/Pinnock (rec. 1993/4).

View attachment 19789
View attachment 19790


----------



## NightHawk

> [Mahlerian;479641]Rameau: Keyboard Suites
> Angela Hewitt, piano


Rameau is a great composer - don't know if you care for opera but _Castor and Pollux_ is wonderful - recommend 5*'s William Christie conducting _Les Arts Florissants_.


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> Wow! I guess I'll think twice about cutting-off that skin-tag on my butt...


I suggest to anyone that cares about such, do a skin tag, skin growths inventory, and then have a dermatologist deal with them. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> It's so sad, something medieval like a worm in the apple of the modern.
> 
> "Berg died in Vienna, on Christmas Eve 1935, from blood poisoning apparently caused by an insect-sting-induced carbuncle on his back. He had been reduced to near-poverty and it is said that to save money his wife carried out an ill-advised operation using a pair of scissors. Later he was taken to hospital, although too late to prevent the onset of blood poisoning. He was 50 years old."


And let us not forget that at age 43, *Scriabin* died from an infected pimple on his lip.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 1-3 'The Poor Relations'

Ricardo Muti

Love these. They may not be as popular or as tune filled but they are full of youthful exuberance and excitement.


----------



## NightHawk

Jerome said:


> Trying to get better acquainted with the symphonies of Shostakovich. Today I will compare my three recording of the 5th:
> 
> 1. Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra
> 2. Petrenko, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
> 3. Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra


I will greatly qualify this by saying I've not heard the three recordings you have, but I very much recommend you try and find the Leonard Bernstein _1959_ recording w the NYPhil (he recorded it several times) - the 1959 recording was made right after the NYPhil and Lenny toured Russia when LB was young and had just been named principal conductor of the NYP, succeeding Mitropoulus (1957). Shostakovich was in the audience for at least one of the performances of the 5th and the story goes that he greatly loved Bernstein's interpretation - Bernstein took the last movement much faster than marked. The entire tour was a triumph, as well. I listened to it just a couple of nights ago and it is still magnificent and the sound is fantastic. One of the NYPhil finest moments.

edit: have no idea about the Schumann thumbnail, except that it is an excellent recording. sorry.


----------



## Mahlerian

NightHawk said:


> Rameau is a great composer - don't know if you care for opera but _Castor and Pollux_ is wonderful - recommend 5*'s William Christie conducting _Les Arts Florissants_.


I do enjoy opera, although Baroque opera is mostly uncharted territory for me. I'll keep the recommendation in mind, thanks!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Robert Schumann* - Symphony No.4 (Wiener Philarmoniker & Leonard Bernstein).


----------



## PetrB

Georg Friedrich Haas ~ _double concerto for accordion, viola and chamber ensemble_


----------



## Kleinzeit

On a hot summer day with cumulus like mountains, for no reason, Book 6, Quintetto Vocale Italiano









I have to resign to forever being, for the most part, an outsider to the Italian language (others are lined up ahead) and therefore to the greatest portion of these madrigals.

"Cesare Monteverdi, defending his brother Claudio, stated that 'modern' musical writing was to make the harmony 'the servant of the words' instead of 'mistress' to them. Cesare's treatise expressly names the 'Principe di Venosa' --Gesualdo-- as the finest practioner of this 'heroic' school."

The sound is Instant Timelessness. 
And i can at least imagine the potential Kubrick film. Elements of Barry Lyndon, The Shining & Eyes Wide Shut. The eternal human as an unblinking madman.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kleinzeit said:


> And i can at least imagine the potential Kubrick film.


Gesualdo either as subject or music in Kubrick would have been an amazing thing.

Anyway, I was just driving, and caught myself going a little over the speed limit to the finale of:
Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major, "Prague"
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, cond. Marriner

Via radio.


----------



## Mika

Janacek piece from this disc:


----------



## aleazk

John Cage - Third Construction (



).

I insistently recommend it!.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Requiem (Davis).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cheyenne

Mahler's Lieder Eines Fahrende Gesellen, with Furtwängler, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.


----------



## NightHawk

I am very new to French Baroque opera - or any Baroque opera other than Handel's _Julius Caesar_ - I started last fall with a DVD production by William Christie and his superb _Les Arts Florissants_ of Lully's _Armide_. Very stylized-semi-modern dress w a goofy present day intro before the actual opera begins - it is so remarkable and the soprano Stephanie D'Oustrac, is not only a brilliant sorceress/singer and actress, but is illegally gorgeous and slinks around in revealing scarlet costumery - the entire production is silver, grey, scarlet and maybe some other neutral tones. There, I've just talked myself into watching it this afternoon. Most highly recommended  Cheers!!!

edit: and I should have said that Lully's music is very, very beautiful - more arioso type recitative than stop the action arias, but the dramatic force of the music is just fantastic.



Mahlerian said:


> I do enjoy opera, although Baroque opera is mostly uncharted territory for me. I'll keep the recommendation in mind, thanks!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

AClockworkOrange said:


> Squeezing in Shostakovich's 7th Symphony "Leningrad" performed by Rozhdestvensky & the USSR State Tv & Radio Symphony Orchestra.
> 
> Fantastic performance, Rozhdestvensky has yet to disappoint when conducting Shostakovich.


Listening to the 7th again, this time by Petrenko & the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - a superb performance indeed, though the recording volumes are a little unusual. A great interpretation with a really good orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Charles Griffes.* Then on to *Furtwangler conducting Bach*, just because I can't imagine Furtwangler and Bach in the same room together.


----------



## DaveS

*Let's get this right. Original year of performance was incorrect.*

At least the first movement would be a desert island must. The entire piece is great.

Brahms e Minor, the 4th.
October 1958 recording; Concertgebouw, Eduard van Beinum.
From a 4 cd Philips Dutch Masters series, Vol. 30. (Can't imagine what the other 27 volumes are. Well, 3 others are Van Beinum/ACO: one of Mozart/J.C.Bach; Debussy Images,Nocturnes and La Mer; Mahler das Lied.)


----------



## chrisco97

*Saint Saens* - Spartacus Overture
_Tapiola Sinfonietta and Jean-Jacques Kantorow_

Another wonderful work. I am starting to really like Saint Saens' work.


----------



## Feathers

Ravel: Trio in A minor (Trio di Trieste, Dario de Rosa: Piano, Renato Zanettovich: Violin, and Libero Lana: Cello)

Liszt: Symphonic Poem No. 4 "Orpheus" (Bernard Haitink and the London Philharmonic)

Came home early today, so I jumped right into some great music.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 ver.)
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt

I'd forgotten that the finale and first movement both have the recapitulation significantly changed from the exposition, and very effectively, too.


----------



## Sid James

*Vivaldi* 
Concerto for Flute, Guitar & String Orch. in G major
- Josef Zsapka, guitar; Dagmar Zsapkova, flute; Slovak CO under Bohdan Warchal

*Arvo Part*
Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
Summa
Festina lente
- Bournemouth Sinfonietta directed by Richard Studt

*Haydn* Symphony #93 in D major
- Dresden PO under Gunther Herbig

*Morten Lauridsen*
O nata lux, from Lux aeterna
Les Chansons des Roses*
O magnum mysterium
- Elora Festival Singers under Noel Edison *with Leslie De'Ath, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Concerti Grossi Nos. 1 - 12, Op. 6, with Guildhall String Ensemble (rec. 1987).

View attachment 19800







View attachment 19801


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Janacek's Cunning Little Vixen Suite - NZSO, Peter Breiner, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kleinzeit said:


> On a hot summer day with cumulus like mountains, for no reason, Book 6, Quintetto Vocale Italiano
> 
> View attachment 19796


I've had my eye on that Gesualdo set for a while now, and its usually at a very good price at Presto. If you're giving it highest marks I'll make it part of my next order to them.


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> I've had my eye on that Gesualdo set for a while now, and its usually at a very good price at Presto. If you're giving it highest marks I'll make it part of my next order to them.


Highest marx for Gesualdo....

There's any number of interpreters & performers, started listing them, saw just how many & quit. Evidently the Italianos were the first complete madrigal books recording, from the late 1960s. Their sound is sedate and smooth. I like the mix of mens' & womens' voices. One of these splurges I would love to hear other takes on the out-there late works (out there for their time, but not hermetic-- rather, well in the soup of his contemporaries' composing practice; he just didn't have to please any patrons). Would like to hear a HIP take f'rinstance.

But if it's a good price for you, get it before it goes up. Unlike some 1950s & 60s records of early & Renaissance music, it isn't sweetened & Hollywood-scored-up to go down easy. Instead, it sounds...scholarly.


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Trio Sonata in A Minor, Wq 148

Les Amis de Philippe: Manfredo Zimmermann, flute -- Manfredo Kraemer, violin --- Monika
Schwamberger, cello -- Ludger Remy, harpsichord

View attachment 19804


----------



## SimonNZ

Will do. Thanks.

playing now, on the radio:









Nielsen's Symphony No.5 - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rautavaara, Harp Concerto.*


----------



## chrisco97

*Mendelssohn* - The Hebrides Overture
_Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra_

I LOVE this. I really like how Mendelssohn takes the same theme and uses it over and over throughout the piece. Really catchy.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Allegri, Miserere.*

Interesting; they sing this in English. Another factoid: the boy soprano solo is by Roy Goodman.


----------



## SimonNZ

Following Manxfeeder:









Rautavaara's Harp Concerto - Leif Segerstam, cond


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet No. 20/V in F minor.*

I'm used to the Kodaly Quartet. The Mosaiques quartet digs deeper into these.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*, *Scriabin*, *Prokofiev*, with *GG* (rec.1967 - 1981).

View attachment 19809
View attachment 19810


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

The Fine Arts Quartet with Francis Tursi on 2nd viola: Leonard Sorkin and Abarm Loft, violins -- Bernard Zaslav, viola -- George Sopkin, cello

View attachment 19811


----------



## GreenMamba

Mozart Piano Concerto 27, Klien, Skrowaczewski/Minnesota


----------



## millionrainbows

Mozart (1756-1791): Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, K. 299. Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin/Clarinet Concerto in A, K. 622. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (Seraphim 2-CD)

The flute/harp concerto is wonderfully recorded, totally dry flute, not a hint of room sound, just the way I like it.


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony No.2 in B Flat

Adrian Shepherd conducting Cantilena

View attachment 19813


----------



## Novelette

A bit of a drive tomorrow, so here's the car listening line-up:

Cherubini: Les Abencerage -- Peter Maag: Orchestra Sinfonica Rai Di Milano, Coro Sinfonica Rai Di Milano

Dvořák: Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A -- Tokyo Quartet & Hiroko Nakamura

Mozart: Violin Concerto #5 in A, K 219, "Turkish" -- Andrew Manze: The English Concert


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Rokoko Variation
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1


----------



## aleazk

A folder I found on my computer with the name "Chansons françaises de la Renaissance"... Pretty nice, lol.
I found on youtube one of the pieces:


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.53 in E Minor

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 19814


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Weston

Two pieces on tonight's deep listening session. I'm afraid they are both Naxos recordings, but it was a good session nonetheless.

*Heinrich von Herzogenberg - Trio for piano, oboe & horn in D major, Op. 61*










Herzogenberg is supposedly similar to Brahms, but I'm not hearing it. He was a contemporary and they were acquaintances, but there the similarity ends. I hear other influences.

There is something odd about listening to these three very different timbres competing for the spotlight. It is as if none of them ever completely yields to the others and this must be a difficult combination of instruments to orchestrate. After grappling with these thoughts for a time I finally settled in to enjoy the piece.

1. Allegretto
A jaunty 1st theme seems to go through marvelous rapid modulations which I always enjoy. The 2nd (less memorable) theme is more legato and song-like. The two merge very well during the development.

2. Presto
A 6/8 galloping hunting theme makes good use of the horn. This movment vaguely reminds me of the scherzo from Beethoven's 3rd symphony but with possibly more noticeable counterpoint. It scarcely pauses for breath except during the slower trio-like section.

3.Andante con moto
I'm not sure the timbre of the horn and oboe work so well together for a slow movement as they can be a bit harsh at times, at least in this recording. In this performance there are passages in which the horn seems to fade in with a slow crescendo, but the oboe (or maybe the oboist) does not seem able to respond in kind when it is clearly intended to. I found the movement melodically reminiscent again of Beethoven in one of his slow movements. It could almost work as a stately march with interesting, slow to resolve tensions.

4.Allegro
Here is another jaunty theme this time with almost a pastoral flavor, showing off the different timbres of the horn in rapid changes of register. Again the poor oboe does not seem to have this ability, so it seems to take a back seat for a time. Suddenly at the development section there is a fantastic abrupt change to a remote key! I don't have perfect pitch, so I couldn't tell you which keys are involved, only that even a layman can't miss it. The themes then get a thorough workout with many changes in tempo and sonority, this time with more hints of Dvorak than Beethoven to my ears - maybe because of the slight pastoral or barnyard feel.

This is a very uplifting piece overall, one that any fan of romantic chamber works should enjoy.

*
Barber - Piano Concerto*










1. Allegro appassionato 
Overcoming a slightly brittle sound compared to the previous piece, I did find this rhythmically amazing right from the beginning. It pulls no punches when the orchestra explodes into the fray. I thought for a time the orchestra had scared the poor piano off the stage entirely, leaving flute, oboe and horn to fill its role, but piano does return for a fine development section using motivic fragments of the themes and I got the welcome mental image of molecules splitting and recombining in different ways. For some reason this visual is always a sign of a good piece for me.

2. Canzone: Moderato
This is the part borrowed from a previous flute sonata, and it is a welcome relief from all the heavy handed banging and carryings on of the 1st movement. It's a pleasant mysterious melody but not one that will stick with me unless I give it many more listens. It gives me the impression of suspended time - the state we achieve when we are really focused on something like a work of creativity. Some of the solo piano parts seem to owe a bit to Scriabin to my ears.

3. Allegro molto
This is a great lopsided something in 5 time, I think, or partly so. It again summons up my molecular vision. I might have been getting tired by this point as I think I enjoyed the first movement quite a bit more than the finale, but it does go out on a good bang.


----------



## chrisco97

*Mendelssohn* - Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano: Op. 49
_Trio Pro Arte_

I really like the sound of this piece.


----------



## Tristan

*Elgar* - Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39 (all 5 of them)

Just finished the 5th one. I honestly can say that I love them all. I definitely a have a favorite in the 1st and 4th, but they are all very good.


----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Metastaseis - Konstantin Simonovic, cond

edit: followed by Takemitsu's Dream Window - Hiroshi Wakasugi, cond









edit: followed by Webern's Passacaglia - Herbert Von Karajan, cond.


----------



## drpraetorus

Parsifal, Solti


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Les Offrandes Oubliees - Myung-Whun Chung, cond.

edit: followed by John Adams' Eros Piano - cond. by composer









edit: followed by John Adams' Harmonielehre - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 65*

Not much to report on the listening front the last few days - I have been concentrating on Dvoraks chamber music and playing selections from the 3 sets below. I thought I didnt like Dvorak any more so Im happy to be wrong about that. I want to try to listen to all of his chamber works over the next week or so - I have made pretty good progress on this so far. I really do think this is quality music and I have yet to come across a piece I didnt like!


----------



## SimonNZ

Steve Reich's Different Trains - Kronos Quartet

edit: followed by Ligeti's String Quartet No.2 - Arditti Quartet









edit: followed by Schnittke's String Trio - Kremer, Bashmet, Rostropovich









then that should be more than enough for this evening


----------



## chrisco97

*Gershwin* - An American in Paris
_Leonard Bernstein, the New York Philharmonic, and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra_

I LOVE this piece. It is so happy, so fun...I love every bit of it.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 223

Shlomo Mintz on violin with the Israel Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 19826


----------



## SimonNZ

ok...one more piece then that really is it for the evening:









Sofia Gubaidulina's Canticle Of The Sun - Stefan Parkman, cond.

(gotta say I've packed in some good listening over the last four and a half hours)


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Stamitz (19 June 1717-1757): Orchestral Trio in D Major, Op.1, No.4

Pro arte antiqua Prague: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Petr Hejny, cello -- Ondrej Balcar, cello -- Ales Barta, harpsichord

View attachment 19830


----------



## ptr

Spent the first part of the day with Andras Schiff..

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (ECM)









András Schiff, piano

Second complete listen and I'm totally won over by Schiff, as for now, this is on top of my Piano WTC list!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

_Alla_ _bella_ _Despinetta_, from *Cosi*, while I sit brooding huskily on the stool in Butlers Cafe in town. It's like tapping into the musical main vein. It's rich and huge and it ends in a satisfying ejaculation of sopranos, with an earth wire horn stabilising it all when the floor shakes.

Bohm conducting a nest of brass voices....


----------



## millionrainbows

"...a satisfying ejaculation of sopranos," I like that.

Mozart (1756-1791): Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, K. 299. Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin (Seraphim 2-CD)


What is this Mozart? What was he trying to accomplish? I hear a flute, the loving voice of my dear mother. The music is about tonality, and embodies how that system works; no hidden agenda here. It is what it is, like a landscape painting. We are not asked to question anything, merely eat what is put on the plate before us. 
The music is sensual, as conveyed by the instrumentation. Not only the 'sound' of it, but the musical ideas are tonal, and would convey, abstractly, a sensual harmonic effect, no matter what instrument played it. This is what tonality does best. There is no "idea" here, except musical idea. There are feelings here; light, happy, soothing, comforting, loving.
The only 'pause' or challenge is perhaps when the music moves into a slightly more distant area from its tonic, revealing the possible existence of other harmonic worlds. Do we dare to ponder such things? Do we dare to eat a peach?


----------



## Kleinzeit

MR-- there's music piped into the nagual?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Janacek, Glagolithic Mass.*


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> "...a satisfying ejaculation of sopranos," I like that.
> 
> Mozart (1756-1791): Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, K. 299. Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin (Seraphim 2-CD)
> 
> What is this Mozart? What was he trying to accomplish? I hear a flute, the loving voice of my dear mother. The music is about tonality, and embodies how that system works; no hidden agenda here. It is what it is, like a landscape painting. We are not asked to question anything, merely eat what is put on the plate before us.
> The music is sensual, as conveyed by the instrumentation. Not only the 'sound' of it, but the musical ideas are tonal, and would convey, abstractly, a sensual harmonic effect, no matter what instrument played it. This is what tonality does best. There is no "idea" here, except musical idea. There are feelings here; light, happy, soothing, comforting, loving.
> The only 'pause' or challenge is perhaps when the music moves into a slightly more distant area from its tonic, revealing the possible existence of other harmonic worlds. Do we dare to ponder such things? Do we dare to eat a peach?


A good read. The possibilities of the music are suggested with battering you over the skull with them, eh?

Here's the inside skinny on K299, a beauty which Mozart disliked creating...


----------



## millionrainbows

Kieran said:


> A good read. The possibilities of the music are suggested with battering you over the skull with them, eh?
> 
> Here's the inside skinny on K299, a beauty which Mozart disliked creating...


I've read that Mozart did not like the flute, and his works for flute are often dismissed as "not his best work," because they were composed dispassionately, or even grudgingly, on commission.

Yet, the text you provided says that we get a glimpse of his later, more adventurous style - something I intuited, as I mentioned in my post -



> The only 'pause' or challenge is perhaps when the music moves into a slightly more distant area from its tonic, revealing the possible existence of other harmonic worlds. Do we dare to ponder such things? Do we dare to eat a peach?


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> Mozart (1756-1791): Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, K. 299. Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin (Seraphim 2-CD)


Listening now. I can't find a peach, so I'm wearing the bottoms of my trousers rolled.


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> Listening now. I can't find a peach, so I'm wearing the bottoms of my trousers rolled.


Sounds like Huck Finn. Actually, I like this recording more than many others, including Rampal, because of the dryness. Rampal's performances are always a little less satisfying to me because they've always recorded his flute with all that hall reverberation. Plus, Yehudi Menuhin is something special. I always get a charge of emotional spirituality from his presence in any recording.


----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> I've read that Mozart did not like the flute, and his works for flute are often dismissed as "not his best work," because they were composed dispassionately, or even grudgingly, on commission.
> 
> Yet, the text you provided says that we get a glimpse of his later, more adventurous style - something I intuited, as I mentioned in my post -


I don't know why that image came up sideways! Yeah, it's said he didn't like the flute, but he composed some gorgeous stuff for it. The slow movement of K299 is iconic and beautiful. What about expressiveness? What about it? Is that some sort of duty? The slow movement here is expressive of musical beauty.

I agree that it's music for its own sake, which is actually deeply satisfying, when you think about it. The harp is just gentle accompaniment for the main feature - the flute - that's how I hear it...


----------



## millionrainbows

Kieran said:


> I don't know why that image came up sideways! Yeah, it's said he didn't like the flute, but he composed some gorgeous stuff for it. The slow movement of K299 is iconic and beautiful. What about expressiveness? What about it? Is that some sort of duty? The slow movement here is expressive of musical beauty.
> 
> I agree that it's music for its own sake, which is actually deeply satisfying, when you think about it...


Yes, it's like Zen; it is what it is, except when it's not...and then it is again. Expressiveness? I suppose slow movements are conducive to that, but I must relegate that mostly to the performers. No telling what this might sound like with a wooden flute and cat-gut strings, in the hands of someone like Christopher Hogwood.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphonies 6 & 8, with COE/Harnoncourt (rec.1990); Piano Sonatas 30 - 32, with Feltsman (rec.1997).

View attachment 19836
View attachment 19837


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Janacek, Mass in E Flat.*


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> ....
> *
> Barber - Piano Concerto*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Allegro appassionato
> Overcoming a slightly brittle sound compared to the previous piece, I did find this rhythmically amazing right from the beginning. It pulls no punches when the orchestra explodes into the fray. I thought for a time the orchestra had scared the poor piano off the stage entirely, leaving flute, oboe and horn to fill its role, but piano does return for a fine development section using motivic fragments of the themes and I got the welcome mental image of molecules splitting and recombining in different ways. For some reason this visual is always a sign of a good piece for me.
> 
> 2. Canzone: Moderato
> This is the part borrowed from a previous flute sonata, and it is a welcome relief from all the heavy handed banging and carryings on of the 1st movement. It's a pleasant mysterious melody but not one that will stick with me unless I give it many more listens. It gives me the impression of suspended time - the state we achieve when we are really focused on something like a work of creativity. Some of the solo piano parts seem to owe a bit to Scriabin to my ears.
> 
> 3. Allegro molto
> This is a great lopsided something in 5 time, I think, or partly so. It again summons up my molecular vision. I might have been getting tired by this point as I think I enjoyed the first movement quite a bit more than the finale, but it does go out on a good bang.


Prutsman tired me out, too. Try Joselson/LSO/Schenck (ASV), if you have the opportunity. :tiphat:


----------



## Valkhafar

Neo Romanza said:


> There are several other satisfying Brahms symphony cycles, but I always go back to Solti. Looks like you don't post here much, who are some of your favorite composers?


Sorry for the delay. I also know others Brahms symphony cycles, but I always go back to Solti too. These are my favourites, but I appreciate a lot more: Mahler, Brahms, Wagner, Liszt, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Bruckner, Sibelius, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart.


----------



## rrudolph

I've been to the used CD store again and got a bunch of widely varied stuff:









This 2-CD set comprises old (1971-1973) recordings of not-so-standard repertoire. The sound is a little compressed, but for $1 per CD I can live with it!
Thomson: Lousiana Story/Rorem: Symphony No. 3/Schuman: Symphony No. 7/Hanson: Symphony No. 6/Schuller: Symphony 1965/MacDowell: Suite No. 2, Op. 48 (Indian Suite)








I love the cover photo on this one. They look like such cheerful, fun-loving people!!








There's a lot more. I'll post it as I listen to it.


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> *Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 65*
> 
> Not much to report on the listening front the last few days - I have been concentrating on Dvoraks chamber music and playing selections from the 3 sets below. I thought I didnt like Dvorak any more so Im happy to be wrong about that. I want to try to listen to all of his chamber works over the next week or so - I have made pretty good progress on this so far. I really do think this is quality music and I have yet to come across a piece I didnt like!


The Panocha Quartet does a wonderful job with Dvorak's chamber works. Top notch! In general, the Supraphon label does a great job with the Czech repertoire. That Suk Trio recording of Dvorak's trios is incredible - best Dumky I have heard. I, too, have really been exploring Dvorak lately. More his orchestral works, but will likely get back to the chamber works soon. The recent Pavel Haas Quartet recording of the "American" quartet is one of my favorite purchases of the last couple of years.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces
Chicago Symphony, cond. Kubelik

Might have to eat my words...this performance from 1953 isn't half bad, if a little lacking in rhythmic clarity in points.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Kieran

Am away to Salzburg in the morning so I'm packing my phone with anything he wrote before he left: the cut-off point I've determined is _Idomeneo_, even though it was composed in Munich. I fly into Munich first, so that's apt! :lol:

Right now? The *Posthorn Serenade*, K320, Karl Bohm as Gandalf the Grey - wand, and all - and the Berlin Philly, an ugly brutish tribe of horn-blowing, arrow-blazing, ****-scratching orcs...


----------



## Ravndal

Chopin Valses

- Alice Sara Ott

I'm in love. So beautiful.










edit: The music is obviously beautiful as well.


----------



## Wood

millionrainbows said:


> "...a satisfying ejaculation of sopranos," I like that.
> 
> Mozart (1756-1791): Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, K. 299. Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin (Seraphim 2-CD)
> 
> What is this Mozart? What was he trying to accomplish? I hear a flute, the loving voice of my dear mother. The music is about tonality, and embodies how that system works; no hidden agenda here. It is what it is, like a landscape painting. We are not asked to question anything, merely eat what is put on the plate before us.
> The music is sensual, as conveyed by the instrumentation. Not only the 'sound' of it, but the musical ideas are tonal, and would convey, abstractly, a sensual harmonic effect, no matter what instrument played it. This is what tonality does best. There is no "idea" here, except musical idea. There are feelings here; light, happy, soothing, comforting, loving.
> The only 'pause' or challenge is perhaps when the music moves into a slightly more distant area from its tonic, revealing the possible existence of other harmonic worlds. Do we dare to ponder such things? Do we dare to eat a peach?


A perfect candidate for Pseuds Corner in Private Eye!

*HAYDN The seasons *(Summer cantata)

*ELGAR Miniatures

*








*

ANON Gregorian Chant for seasons of the year *(Some Italian birds)









*

ALBINONI Concertos 7-12 & Adagio in G minor *(I Musici)


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 7th symphony by Celibidache and Muncher Philharmoniker. Bruckner by Celi - totally indescribable.


----------



## Kieran

Ravndal said:


> Chopin Valses
> 
> - Alice Sara Ott
> 
> I'm in love. So beautiful.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit: The music is obviously beautiful as well.


Crikey! I want to be a piano!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces
> Chicago Symphony, cond. Kubelik


I have that one. I'll join you.


----------



## Ravndal

Kieran said:


> Crikey! I want to be a piano!


Hahaha.

She is from Germany. And I'm actually going to Berlin in July.

Who knows


----------



## Kieran

Ravndal said:


> Hahaha.
> 
> She is from Germany. And I'm actually going to Berlin in July.
> 
> Who knows


What are the odds, eh! I might get there first if she's landing in Munich tomorrow... :devil:


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius Violin Concerto again, this time with Vilde Frang. I like her playing it, a little more romantic than Hahn but nothing close to the mellow mess that is Anne-Sophie Mutter playing this concerto.


----------



## Kleinzeit

(also posted on today's Glagolitic Mass thread)

Good opportunity to listen to the Mass not from my DGG Kubelick w/Bavarian Radio Symphony, but this:









Bretislav Bakala conducting the Brno Radio Symphony, Moravian Academic Singing Association, 
& Vach Moravian Lady Teacher's Choir
recorded in 1951

The sound is perfectly fine, loud. This is an affordable, must-have box for the Janacekian.

Intro: Starts majestic, like Sinfonietta, then goes into contorted, recursive sound shapes. Can't help thinking of Gothic architecture & art, the nick-whittling slashes of woodcuts and rough-hewn statues.

Kyrie: Warmth, food & shelter after cold travel, but in a very unfamiliar society.

Gloria: Tense, angular modernist strings. This is music from a church could draw me. Services that make you nervous without making you feel damned.

Credo: A sound-feeling of mortal hazard abruptly gives way to the supple ease of a well-fed healthy body.
Example of this: watch the birds in the woods: as paranoid as a ninja one moment, next as seemingly at home in the world as if they had drink in hand, about to tell a good story. 
This is a Janacek trope, a distillation or precipitate of the entire ceaseless movement of nature, as in a mandala. 
(The Cunning Little Vixen is _all_ this.)
Then some insistent pipe organ. The singers stack up the articles of faith in an intricate pile. Like cathedrals with such complex sculptural articulation they suck shadows into their depths, like a mousetrap for the devil.

Sanctus: Begins as a peaceful drifting anthem of the saved soul & the satisfied mind. Then it turns nervous again. The eternal problem is to be up for facing the energy of life, battering you like a ship in a storm.

Agnus Dei: This sounds like being called in to give a statement to the police.

Postludium (after game?): What do you mean? _Who_ doesn't like pipe organ music?

Intrada: Back to the big heraldic Sinfonietta trumpeting of men pretending to be angels (great job!)


----------



## Mika

Weinberg Cello Concerto & String Quartet No. 1


----------



## ptr

A relisten inspired by this thread.

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 5 Op 47 (Eisen)









Münchner Philharmoniker u. Sergiu Celibidache

As slow as I remembered but still as vigorous as Celibidache's interpretations often are!

*Cazazza Dan* - Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife (*COR*)









The Harry Mogongo Experience

Awesome Dan! My 73 year old mum said; what'sa yo playin', this was some really fun music! I agree!!

And now on to:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphonies No 7 & 9 (Live 1950) (*Orfeo* / *Orfeo*







..








Wiener Symphoniker u. Hermann Scherchen

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces
> Chicago Symphony, cond. Kubelik
> 
> Might have to eat my words...this performance from 1953 isn't half bad, if a little lacking in rhythmic clarity in points.


I'm pretty sure that's the recording my father had when I was growing up...if so, it was my first introduction to Schoenberg's music. I remember I listened to it way more than my father!


----------



## schuberkovich

Ravel Piano Trio in A minor
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Ravndal

Francis Poulenc - Le Bal Masqué


----------



## Tristan

*Tchaikovsky* - The Snow Maiden, Op. 12

Not sure if I like Tchaikovsky's or Rimsky-Korsakov's better. It's interesting to hear two composers' takes on the exact same lyrics. Both are good, but both are very different. Rimsky-Korsakov's has the raw Russian sound, whereas Tchaikovsky's sounds more like the French and German Romantics. I like them both, personally, although Rimsky-Korsakov's was the first I heard.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
_Rudolf Serkin, New York Philharmonic, and Leonard Bernstein_



Heard this for the first time today and went to purchase it off of Amazon. This is the best performance of the 5th piano concerto I have heard. Everything about it is perfect. I especially love how you can so obviously hear the cellos. It adds so much to the performance and blends perfectly with the piano.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ptr said:


> *Cazazza Dan* - Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife (*COR*)
> 
> View attachment 19847
> 
> 
> The Harry Mogongo Experience
> 
> Awesome Dan! My 73 year old mum said; what'sa yo playin', this was some really fun music! I agree!!


I'm sure Crudblud will be proud.  Where can I get this CD?????


----------



## Joris

Do you guys think it's better to explore harmony and melody a bit more before I turn to this stuff? Not that I don't like it though


----------



## Stemahl

Hector Berlioz - Symphony Fantastique performed by Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## PetrB

POULENC ~ Sonata for two pianos


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> Sibelius Violin Concerto again, this time with Vilde Frang. I like her playing it, a little more romantic than Hahn but nothing close to the mellow mess that is Anne-Sophie Mutter playing this concerto.


No teasing.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rossini*: Overtures, with Philharmonia/HvK (rec.1958 - '60); *Schubert*: "Trout" Schiff/Posch/Hagen Qt.(rec.1983); String Quintet in C, with Haimovitz/Miro Qt. (rec.2003).

View attachment 19857
View attachment 19858


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> Crikey! I want to be a piano!


Admirable restraint, K, admirable restraint. It should go without saying, but I can't resist...you're far more gentlemanly than Prince Charles aka Prince of Wales aka Earl of Carrick aka Duke of Rothesay aka Duke of Cornwall aka Baron of Renfrew aka Lord of the Isles aka Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, etc., etc., etc.


----------



## Sid James

*Eric Whitacre* Lux Aurumque & Nox Aurumque
- Choirs under the composer (youtube)

*Morten Lauridsen*
Madrigali, Six 'Fire Songs' on Italian Renaissance poems
Mid-Winter Songs, on poems by Robert Graves*
- Elora Festival Singers under Noel Edison *with Leslie De'Ath, piano

*Offenbach*
Overtures to Orphee aux enfers, La belle Helene, La Perichole, La vie parisienne
- Philharmonia Orch. under Neville Marriner

*Haydn* Symphony #101 in D major, "Clock"
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati

*Arvo Part* Fratres & Spiegel im Spiegel
- Tasmin Little, violin & Martin Roscoe, piano

Some words on the *Morten Lauridsen disc*, which I listened to in full today and yesterday, its been a long time since I'd last heard it (probably over a year). 












*Les Chansons des Roses* and *Mid-Winter Songs* are standout works on the cd for me. The former especially dealing with memory and the fleeting quality of life, and its got these flowing melodies and sense of nostalgic emotion. The latter comes across as having more contrasts in terms of sound and evoke the images in the poetry by Graves very well. Its also very thematically unified and tight, the quite prominent piano part ensures this unity, it provides these thematic 'hooks.'

The other pieces go back to influences of past choral music strongly. The quite emotionally expressive *Madrigali* to Monteverdi, the more serene, light-filled and gentle *O nata lux* and *O magnum mysterium* to Renaissance music (Palestrina?) and probably Faure.

Overall this is an enjoyable & well filled (68 minute) disc that covers some contrasting works by Lauridsen from the 1980's and 1990's.


----------



## Sid James

ptr said:


> ...
> 
> *Gustav Mahler* - Symphonies No 7 & 9 (Live 1950)...
> ...
> Wiener Symphoniker u. Hermann Scherchen
> 
> /ptr


I do like Scherchen's take on Mahler. I got him conducting the 5th with the Vienna State Opera Orch. Same period, 1950s. I like the restraint with which it is done. Not too emotional and 'on steroids' as I call it. Kind of similar to how I find Bruno Walter's interps - not too heavy not too light, just right!


----------



## SimonNZ

rrudolph said:


> View attachment 19841


Following rrudolph to start the day:









Josquin Desprez Stabat Mater etc. - Philippe Herreweghe, dir.


----------



## Schubussy

Sibelius - Lemminkainen Suite

I think conducted by Neeme Järvi but because I'm lazy and it's part of a collection with lots of conductors and performers I listed it in my itunes just as The Essential Sibelius [Disc 7].


----------



## SimonNZ

now following millionrainbows et al:









Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto - Irena Grafenaur, Maria Graf, Neville Marriner

Kieran: from which book did you provide that photo?


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> I do like Scherchen's take on Mahler. I got him conducting the 5th with the Vienna State Opera Orch. Same period, 1950s. I like the restraint with which it is done. *Not too emotional and 'on steroids' *as I call it. Kind of similar to how I find Bruno Walter's interps - not too heavy not too light, just right!


Then, Sid, don't go near Hermann's M2 (Millennium Classics, rec. 1958, stereo). 

It's a kick-*** gem. An hour and a half of juxtaposed beauty and madness, and I love it...my favorite. Regardless of interpreting interpretations, one must do stereo for Scherchen. His dynamics demand it.

Though the 90's Millennium Classics (Universal) reissue is long OOP and pricey at Amazon Marketplace, for those interested, there is a HD Tape Transfer (from original MCA rec. AFAIK) download available (link below)...for money of course.

I don't know how good this is. I've not heard it, other than the brief snippets at their site...which FWIW, don't sound quite as thrilling, as immediate, as my 20-bit remastered Millennium Classics CD. That may be part of the MCA original M2 issue's issues (editing and sound), which I did own long ago.

http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/product.php?pid=775

I found one review for the HDTT remake, though I don't understand the reviewer's reference to the 85-minute recording. Universal's Millennium Classics is 94:19.

http://audaud.com/2008/03/mahler-sy...estra-hermann-scherchen-1958-westminsterhdtt/


----------



## Kleinzeit

Later today, listened to this power steering & air-brakes version with Kubelik. What a big sound. This version is like the modernist primitivism of Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon. 
Janacek's pupil Bakala's 1951 take is raw & splendid. Shows how ample this work is.
Now I'd like eventually to hear Ancerl, Mackerras, Rattle, Wit, Shaw, Kempe, Chailly, Tilson Thomas, Bernstein, Dutoit, Gielen, & Inbal.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19875
> 
> 
> Later today, listened to this power steering & air-brakes version with Kubelik. What a big sound. This version is like the modernist primitivism of Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon.
> Janacek's pupil Bakala's 1951 take is raw & splendid. Shows how ample this work is.
> Now I'd like eventually to hear Ancerl, Mackerras, Rattle, Wit, Shaw, Kempe, Chailly, Tilson Thomas, Bernstein, Dutoit, Gielen, & Inbal.


I consider *Janacek* Father of Modern, and I've found Kubelik, Fricsay, Dorati especially convincing in old and new transitionings. No balking.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Taneyev*: Piano Quintet, with Alikhanov/Moscow SQ (rec.1987); *Lalo*: Cello Concerto, with Chang/Santa Cecilia Rome/Pappano (rec.2005); Symphonie Espagnole, with Little/RSNO/Handley (rec.1996).

View attachment 19878
View attachment 19879


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.* *Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 5.*


----------



## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> I consider *Janacek* Father of Modern, and I've found Kubelik, Fricsay, Dorati especially convincing in old and new transitionings. No balking.


Ancerl is one that seems to be thought of as...close to the source or something. How about him? (I haven't heard him)


----------



## opus55

Bruch: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Weston

Good grief! All these attractive classical ladies are -- distracting. I forgot what I listened to.


----------



## Sid James

Kleinzeit said:


> Ancerl is one that seems to be thought of as...close to the source or something. How about him? (I haven't heard him)


I got Maestro Ancerl's on a Supraphon vinyl. My impression is that interp brings out a primitive & rough edge to Glagolitic Mass. But I also got the Kubelik one on cd too, its something I listen to quite often (& btw the coupling with it, Diary of one who disappeared, is an amazing piece as well!)...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Sid James said:


> I got Maestro Ancerl's on a Supraphon vinyl. My impression is that interp brings out a primitive & rough edge to Glagolitic Mass. But I also got the Kubelik one on cd too, its something I listen to quite often (& btw the coupling with it, Diary of one who disappeared, is an amazing piece as well!)...


Primitive & rough rules OK. Kubelik is mighty. But the Art comes in like the heat from a sauna door. 
Usually this is great... but Janacek, he's one of the originals. He doesn't need the Rolls Royce treatment so much. I don't need to hear Karajan's Varese.


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> Good grief! All these attractive classical ladies are -- distracting. I forgot what I listened to.


Take another look. You might remember. Even if you don't, you probably won't regret it...


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> Ancerl is one that seems to be thought of as...close to the source or something. How about him? (I haven't heard him)


I have great respect for Ancerl as the man and as the artist, but I've always felt that regarding repertoire he was more a nationalist than anything else. His best successes, in my view, were homebound.

I now await a ballistic missile attack.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wilhelm Peterson-Berger's Frösöblomster (Flowers From Frösö Island), Books 1-3 - Niklas Sivelöv, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Obrecht, Missa sub tuum.*


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> ...
> I now await a ballistic missile attack.


Not exactly, but what you said made me balk. Well half balk, or a quarter balk. A half baked balk? Oh dear...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> I have great respect for Ancerl as the man and as the artist, but I've always felt that regarding repertoire he was more a nationalist than anything else. His best successes, in my view, were homebound.
> 
> I now await a ballistic missile attack.


No attacks, but personally, I think his Symphony of Psalms is very good - sounding very dark and Slavic - and he knocks Shostakovich's Festive Overture out of the park. Just my opinion, though, and given with a handshake, because I respect your opinions also.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> I have great respect for Ancerl as the man and as the artist, but I've always felt that regarding repertoire he was more a nationalist than anything else. His best successes, in my view, were homebound.
> 
> I now await a ballistic missile attack.


His Glagolitic Mass is all I need at the moment and what ho! It's on Youtube.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Otmar Macha, Variations on a Theme by and on the Death of Jan Ruchlik.*

The CD store where I bought this labeled the conductor "Karl Ancerl." Karl? I balk at that.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Grand Trio in D Major, Op.29

Joachim Trio: Massimo Palumbo, piano -- Suela Mullaj, violin -- Sara Airoldi, cello

View attachment 19888


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}.* All three works performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.
Ludwig Van Beethoven-- *Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21, Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"} and Egmont Overture, Op.84. *Once again, all three works feature Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## chrisco97

*Gershwin* - Rhapsody in Blue
_Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Bernstein_

I am going to be honest here, I am not a fan of jazz music. I find it depressing most of the time. But I love how Gershwin has mixed jazz with classical. It is amazing. Another beautiful, happy, and fun piece. Wonderful. Love it. If anything could get me to like jazz, it would probably be this.


----------



## opus55

Raff: Symphony No. 3
Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, bassoon, violin, cello and orchestra, Hob. 1:105


----------



## Weston

Tonight's deep listen

*William Alwyn: Concerto Grosso No. 1 in B flat*









This is a type of music more grosso than concerto I'm thinking. It's that large colorful style of orchestration that still retains an air of scintillating lightness and buoyancy. I almost think I picked the wrong time of year for this piece. It may be more appropriate for the winter time, as it sounds ever so slightly celebratory and festive. I would not go so far as to say it's Christmas music. The second movement comes off as quite a bit more pensive, even a little worried, so it makes a great contrast to the "Hark, the trumpets" of its surrounding movements. Worth hearing as an exercise in orchestral color.

*Carl Nielsen: Wind Quintet, FS 100 (Op. 43) *










A riveting work from the beginning, but of particular interest to me are the variations on what is in essence a chorale prelude in the last movement. I usually find winds by themselves a little harsh, but this seems to avoid that, either through masterful orchestration or because I'm listening to more woodwind pieces lately. Or both. I also get a kick out of Nielsen's habit of starting a long arpeggiated melodic arc in one instrument and tossing it back and forth between two or more before the phrase or ornament is completed. It's a dizzying effect.

*Xaver Scharwenka: Piano Sonata No. 1 in C sharp minor, Op. 6*









Meh. . . I gave this one the "old college try," but it comes across as too far into Chopin-land for me tonight. Can't romantic pianists just play a melody or phrase straight without interrupting it with a bunch of flashy mini-cadenzas? Drives me nuts.

Well actually it's only the first movement that has this effect. I found the rest of it gets better. I continued listening as I wrote this, and the final movement does get very exciting. I guess I just did not have the patience for romantic histrionics tonight.


----------



## Weston

opus55 said:


> Raff: Symphony No. 3


How do you find Raff?

I know you look in the "R" section. I mean do you enjoy his music? I've never gotten much beyond desultory about it. I've only heard symphonies 2 and 6 though.


----------



## cDeanSharon

J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046-1051.









Jeanne Lamon, Tafelmusik; 1995.


----------



## Sonata

Haydn's Piano sonatas are keeping me company while I deal with a bit of insomnia tonight.
Other recent listening:

Beethoven: Triple concerto, 5th symphony
Brahms: double concerto, string quintets
Shostakovich: string quartet 12
Sibelius: violin concerto
Mozart: Piano quartet in G minor
Adrian Munsey: Requiem and Incognito. (modern composer, does mainly film music, but these albums are original orchestral works and they're beautiful. Almost nightly listening these days at bedtime.


----------



## opus55

Weston said:


> How do you find Raff?
> 
> I know you look in the "R" section. I mean do you enjoy his music? I've never gotten much beyond desultory about it. I've only heard symphonies 2 and 6 though.


I have mixed feelings about Raff's symphonies. Some of his orchestrations are interesting and overall music enjoyable; some are easilly forgettable. I can't determine if there is a known great interpreter of Raff's symphonies or.. simply there is not much more to bring out.

Now listening to..

Piston: Violin Concerto No. 2










One of my favorite recordings in Naxos' American Classics series.


----------



## aleazk

Robert Moran - Chant du Cygne. Overwhelmingly beautiful piece.


----------



## PetrB

Antique music boxes, short vid of a small private family collection located in Sussex UK - partly wanting to confirm an upright type, coin operated as might have been found in a Viennese café, and in search of a vernacular German term for that 'Juke Box' or a company name.. two outta three quests satisfied!
The machines are from ca. 1890 - 1910
A Polyphon Mikado (w Mozart)




The private collection, Sussex (w sundry very brief selections)


----------



## chrisco97

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
> _Rudolf Serkin, New York Philharmonic, and Leonard Bernstein_
> 
> 
> 
> Heard this for the first time today and went to purchase it off of Amazon. This is the best performance of the 5th piano concerto I have heard. Everything about it is perfect. I especially love how you can so obviously hear the cellos. It adds so much to the performance and blends perfectly with the piano.


Listening to this at the moment. I cannot get enough of this performance. It is SOOO amazing. Everything about it is perfect. And almost nothing in this world is better imo than a perfect Beethoven performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Kraanerg - Alpha Centauri Ensemble


----------



## PetrB

Domenico Scarlatti ~ Sonatas for Viola d'Amore and Cembalo


----------



## MagneticGhost

Delius - Lebenstanz
Delius - North Country Sketches
Delius - Sea Drift
Delius - Cynara

150th Anniversary Edition

See Booklet for details


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum - Bernard Haitink, cond.


----------



## aleazk

aleazk said:


> A folder I found on my computer with the name "Chansons françaises de la Renaissance"... Pretty nice, lol.
> I found on youtube one of the pieces:


This again. Those "Chansons françaises" are pretty catchy I must say!.


----------



## Kivimees

Midsummer is coming:


----------



## ptr

Morning 3 X Fauré!

*Gabriel Fauré*

- 13 Nocturnes (*Testament*)









Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, piano

- Violin Sonata No 1 Op 13 & No 2 Op 108 (Erato OOP?)









Pierre Doukan, violin & Thérèse Cochet, piano

- Piano Quartet No 1 Op 15 & No 2 Op 45 (*Hyperion*)









Domus

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Ned Rorem songs - Susan Graham, mezzo, Malcolm Martineau, piano

works I continue to find underwhelming


----------



## Sid James

*Offenbach* Gaite parisienne (arr. Manuel Rosenthal)
- Pittsburgh SO under Andre Previn

*Haydn* Symphonies 94 'Surprise' and 100 'Military'
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati

*Mendelssohn* Concerto for Violin and Strings in D minor
- Thomas Zehetmair, violin with Franz Liszt CO under Janos Rolla


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op.5, No.2

Anthony Pleeth, cello -- Richard Webb, cello continuo -- Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord

View attachment 19907


----------



## SimonNZ

Michael Tippett

Fantasia Concertante On A Theme Of Corelli - Richard Hickox, cond.

Concerto For Double String Orchestrra - Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## adrem

Excellent intepretation of Shostakovich 11 symphony by Neeme Jarvi and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Fauré: Requiem 

......


----------



## Guest

Dvorak's String Quartets Nos. 6 & 7 - Panocha Quartet on Supraphon


----------



## ptr

*Ingvar Lidholm*

- Orchestral Works 1944 - 58 (*Bis*)









Lena Nordin, soprano; Symfoniorkestern Norrköping u. Lü Jia

- Orchestral Works 1963 - 98 (Bis)









Peter Mattei, baritone; Gunnar Idenstam, piano; Symfoniorkestern Norrköping u. Lü Jia

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Ahh, yes, bring on the darkness!

*J. S. Bach:* _Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, S. 565;_ Anthony Newman, organ; from the Vox 2-CD _24 Preludes and Fugues._

I don't know why they gave this collection that title. This is a collection of various Bach organ works, in two 2-CD volumes. Newman is my go-to-guy for organ.

I'm looking at my book *Heaven and Hell in Western Art* by Robert Hughes, while listening.

I remember having this piece on an i-pod, and handing the headphones over to the Hispanic janitor at the factory, just to get his reaction. "Ohh, creepy," he said...thus proving that, yes, Bach was dark, very dark at times.

I think people frequently throw around ideas of "propaganda," "irrationality," "stupidity," etc., without recognizing that these are "one size fits all" concepts which can easily include orthodox Christian beliefs and ideology.

Christianity started out without state support, but it quickly gained power, leading to stupidities like the Spanish inquisition. So what are people talking about nowadays when they mention religion? It's no longer the seat of power it once was, and in our secular age, it is more like selling Tupperware...I'll put some out on this table and see if you go for it.

But with Bach, I can "play" with the ideology, I can immerse myself in Devils and Angels, lakes of fire, eternal torment. Did you know that ideas of Heaven and Hell are largely the result of art's influence? Yes, I'm in good company. Like Alex, at the end of *A Clockwork Orange, *_"Yes, my brothers...I was cured!"_

I feel the awesome Das Irae of God relentlessly shining down on me, like a great sun, radiating power, fear, awe, and sometimes, love and aspiration. These are darkness and light; one does not exist without the other.

Out, demons, out! Out, demons, out! Drive them out for us, Mister Newman! Crank it up to full volume!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Schubussy said:


> Sibelius - Lemminkainen Suite
> 
> I think conducted by Neeme Järvi but because I'm lazy and it's part of a collection with lots of conductors and performers I listed it in my itunes just as The Essential Sibelius [Disc 7].
> View attachment 19863


The performance in the _Essential Sibelius_ set is Vanska/Lahti SO. Jarvi did record this fantastic work for BIS but they used Vanska's performance instead.


----------



## Schubussy

Neo Romanza said:


> The performance in the _Essential Sibelius_ set is Vanska/Lahti SO. Jarvi did record this fantastic work for BIS but they used Vanska's performance instead.


Thanks for the info. I think I'll find out whose interpretations are used for everything in that compilation and put it in a word file. I usually put the performers and conductors in the album title but it's a bit messy with the big box sets. I'll have to look out for Jarvi's version, his interpretations of the symphonies are my favourites.

Anyway, my Toru Takemitsu chamber music CD has arrived, only listened to his orchestral works before.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Sibelius my Top 5
Vänskä Lahti
Berglund Bournemouth
(Neeme) Järvi Gothenburg
Segerstam for a hotter north wind Helsinki
#5 got to stay open


----------



## NightHawk

*Kleinzeit* mentioned on this Forum: Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic, The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven (recorded 1957-60). I received the set yesterday and listened to the entire cycle by 9 p.m., - highest marks. Don't be put off by the recording dates the sound is not merely acceptable it is very fine throughout the 5 discs. A remarkable great account of the Nine, the Berlin Philharmonic sounds absolutely ideal (without the silkiness of von K) and Cluytens' approach is very classical and faithful to Beethoven's intentions and spirit (in my opine). This is my 5th complete cycle and it went directly to the top of the stack. You can get the complete cycle (plus three overtures, Prometheus, Egmont, and Fidelio 'B') for only $11.00 today on Amazon. 6******'s.


----------



## NightHawk

I've read that Bach did not write the Toccata and Fugue in D minor - main evidence being that it is nothing like his style. It is believed by many to be a 19th century work with Bach's name affixed to sell copies. Still, no hardcore evidence and his Eb Flute Sonata doesn't sound like him either, but in the papers of CPE Bach, Bach's son remarked of his father's flute sonata in Eb. So.



millionrainbows said:


> Ahh, yes, bring on the darkness!
> 
> *J. S. Bach:* _Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, S. 565;_ Anthony Newman, organ; from the Vox 2-CD _24 Preludes and Fugues._


----------



## rrudolph

I started the day listening to several of the Nancarrow studies for player piano on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=conlon+nancarrow

This led to my revisiting Frank Zappa's Jazz From Hell CD. The connection between the two is inescapable; I think that at the time he was writing his Synclavier stuff Zappa was as influenced by Nancarrow as he was by Stravinsky and Varese earlier in his career.








The use by both of these composers of different musical strata moving at independent but proportionally related tempi naturally led me to:

Carter: Concerto for Orchestra/Concerto for Piano/Three Occasions








and

Ives: Symphony No. 4








I guarantee there will be more Carter in store for me later, probably more Ives too.


----------



## Kleinzeit

I've been thinking of getting that Carter.....


----------



## rrudolph

Kleinzeit said:


> I've been thinking of getting that Carter.....


I'm comfortable recommending it, although I have to say I probably haven't heard every available recording of the Concerto for Orchestra. The Piano Concerto recording is pretty good.


----------



## julianoq

Shotakovich Symphony No.15, performance by Haitink and the LPO.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, November Steps, Far Calls Coming, Far!, Visions
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, cond. Wakasugi


----------



## Kleinzeit

Alfven: Midsommarvaka
Neeme Järvi, Stockholm Philharmonic









So, the promise of being interested in rock n roll is that it will lead you to situations where you're likely to be rewarded with sexual encounters.

And the promise of classical music, the world's store of well-built sound, is that it will lead you to a vision of your life as a great tree whose roots in the earth precisely mirror its branches in the light, and you will be rewarded with insight.

And the promise of Alfven's Midsommarvaka is if you like it, you'll get a extra helping of Widow Weltschmerz's tasty meatballs.

Argument 3 is as full of holes as arguments 1 & 2.
Midsommarvaka is indeed music for a cable channel cooking show, but it turns introspective & beautiful as does, say, Dvorak's Humoresque, after the Tune.

Alfven's piece evidently raised eyebrows in 1903. 'We thought he was a serious composer'. The Tune spread so rapidly through Europe in oompah arrangements it turned into a test case to ascertain the efficacy of copyright laws. Alfven triumphed.


----------



## millionrainbows

NightHawk said:


> *Kleinzeit* mentioned on this Forum: Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic, The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven (recorded 1957-60). I received the set yesterday and listened to the entire cycle by 9 p.m., - highest marks. Don't be put off by the recording dates the sound is not merely acceptable it is very fine throughout the 5 discs. A remarkable great account of the Nine, the Berlin Philharmonic sounds absolutely ideal (without the silkiness of von K) and Cluytens' approach is very classical and faithful to Beethoven's intentions and spirit (in my opine). This is my 5th complete cycle and it went directly to the top of the stack. You can get the complete cycle (plus three overtures, Prometheus, Egmont, and Fidelio 'B') for only $11.00 today on Amazon. 6******'s.


Yes, it's unassuming in appearance, and Cluytens is not exactly a household word, but it is a very excellent cycle, both in performance and in sonics. And at that price, you have nothing to lose.


----------



## millionrainbows

rrudolph said:


> I started the day listening to several of the Nancarrow studies for player piano on YouTube...This led to my revisiting Frank Zappa's Jazz From Hell CD. The connection between the two is inescapable; I think that at the time he was writing his Synclavier stuff Zappa was as influenced by Nancarrow as he was by Stravinsky and Varese earlier in his career.


Excellent observation!


----------



## Conor71

DrMike said:


> The Panocha Quartet does a wonderful job with Dvorak's chamber works. Top notch! In general, the Supraphon label does a great job with the Czech repertoire. That Suk Trio recording of Dvorak's trios is incredible - best Dumky I have heard. I, too, have really been exploring Dvorak lately. More his orchestral works, but will likely get back to the chamber works soon. The recent Pavel Haas Quartet recording of the "American" quartet is one of my favorite purchases of the last couple of years.


Thanks mate, I will have to check out the Suk trio recording of the Dumky, what a great work! - do listen to more of Dvoraks chamber music when you can, its all very good stuff and imho its as enjoyable as Brahms. I think you would really like it!


----------



## millionrainbows

NightHawk said:


> I've read that Bach did not write the Toccata and Fugue in D minor - main evidence being that it is nothing like his style. It is believed by many to be a 19th century work with Bach's name affixed to sell copies. Still, no hardcore evidence and his Eb Flute Sonata doesn't sound like him either, but in the papers of CPE Bach, Bach's son remarked of his father's flute sonata in Eb. So.


Wow! Talk about bending over backwards and digging up obscure, unsubstantiated half-truths to prove that the darkness does not exist in you, or the "good people" like Bach, faithful servant of God. You are, after all, fighting for lightness and good. You must "save Bach" from the darkness in order to save yourself!

_The designation of BWV 565 as a work of doubtful attribution is not supported by the renowned Bach scholar Christoph Wolff. Writing about BWV 565 in his seminal Bach biography, Johann Sebastian Bach - The Learned Musician, he does not address most of the specific problems of the piece, instead maintaining that any and all problematic passages are explained by the fact that BWV 565 must be an early work. The parallel octaves, Wolff writes, must be explained by the deficiencies of Bach's Arnstadt organ, which the composer sought to rectify. _(WIK)

I can only assume that it is by Bach, as it was included on this Bach album, but next time I do a review, I'll check first; it may be that I am the only human being who contains any darkness! :lol:


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Robert Schumann *- the symphonies, all four of them (Staatskapelle Dresden & Daniel Barenboim)


----------



## Mika

Very much interesting music from Heiner Goebbels. Listened Surrogate Cities tracks from this:


----------



## Kleinzeit

Huh. Heiner Goebbels. I know The Man in the Elevator. I'm always singing
'Five! minutes too early would be
What I call....punctuality'


----------



## ptr

*English Orchestral Songs* (*Hyperion*)
(Sir Hubert Parry // Sir Charles Villiers Stanford // Ivor Gurney // Gerald Finzi)









Christopher Maltman, baritone; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra u. Martyn Brabbins

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Conor71 said:


> Thanks mate, I will have to check out the Suk trio recording of the Dumky, what a great work! - do listen to more of Dvoraks chamber music when you can, its all very good stuff and imho its as enjoyable as Brahms. I think you would really like it!


I have been exploring the chamber works as well - as a matter of fact, I actually prefer Dvorak's chamber works to Brahms'. I have his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th piano trios, performed by the Smetana Trio. His Piano Quintet in A and String Quartet No. 10 by the Takacs Quartet. String Quartets 6 & 7 by the Panocha Quartet. And String Quartets 12 & 13 by the Pavel Haas Quartet. The Suk Trio recording was borrowed from a friend, who has since moved elsewhere, and I really need to get my own copy. Dvorak currently holds a small, but growing place in my collection, but is overrepresented in my listening. So much good music! Just recently I purchased his Symphonies 7-9, conducted by Vaclav Neumann, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Slavonic Dances, performed by Karel Sejna and the Czech Philharmonic. Like I said, most of my recordings are from the Supraphon label.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Orchestral Works, with Alexeev/Philadelphia O./Muti et al (rec.1985 - '90); Piano Works, with Feltsman (rec.2011).

View attachment 19933
View attachment 19934


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Grieg* - Peer Gynt Suites (N. Tastishvili, Georgian SIMI Festival)

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonatas 1 & 2 (D. Barenboim)


----------



## DaveS

*Sorry, didn't refernce recording.*

Been reading other opins about this cycle, and had to delve further. Amazon has it for $11.58 today. Sold. Thanks millionrainbows!. Am referring to The Beethoven/Cluytens/BPO cycle..


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
James King, Janet Baker, Royal Concergebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 19815
> 
> *Xenakis' Metastaseis - Konstantin Simonovic, cond*
> edit: followed by Takemitsu's Dream Window - Hiroshi Wakasugi, cond
> View attachment 19816
> 
> edit: followed by Webern's Passacaglia - Herbert Von Karajan, cond.
> View attachment 19819


Hello Simon,
I'm a bit confused about your *Xenakis* *Metastaseis* [_sic_] posting above. I seem to have a similar CD, but only the *EONTA* piece is conducted by Simonovic (with the _Ensemble Instrumental de Musique Contemporaine de Paris_). The *METASTASIS* piece seems to be directed by Maurice Le Roux with the _Orchestre National de l'ORTE_.
Whatever the case may be, the 3 works (_Metastasis_, _Pithoprakta_ and _Eonta_) are superb and unfortunately all too rarely performed. I'm not sure about this, but I believe it is almost impossible to obtain (hire) the orchestral parts for Pithoprakta.


----------



## millionrainbows

SATIE: Musique de la Rose-Croix — Pages Mystiques — Uspud: Bojan Gorisek, piano (LTM 2-CD).


Secret brotherhoods, ancient rituals, esoteric tidbits gathered from Egyptian and Celtic mythology, initiation rites; what better vehicle for man's darkness, its followers officially declared by the Roman Catholic Church to be apostates; a mystical conception of a supreme being, not requiring further elaboration, perhaps non-deistic, bordering on philosophic mixtures; this is what Satie's oddly detached piano music in these pieces is based on.


Like Morton Feldman's work, Satie's music is enigmatic, repetitive, puzzling, detached, strangely removed from humanity; we are lost in an undefined twilight zone, where logic no longer works, and we are subject to fears and anxieties we seem unable to define or understand. 


Through a glass, darkly, we are confronted by "triadic entities," and the closer we come to them, the more aware we become that they are sentient entities, not merely objects of sound, and the more their sentience grows, the more our own identities seem to diminish; we are being subsumed, eaten alive! 


Like a terrible black hole, we are inexorably drawn-into the mystic spiral; and we begin to realize its true nature: mystery, that which we shall never know, and that which we were never meant to glimpse, lest we turn into sphinxes of salt.


----------



## DaveS

Beethoven Violin Concerto. Zino Francesscatti,V.
Concertgebouw, Eduard van Beinum
March 1958.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> *Kleinzeit* mentioned on this Forum: Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic, The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven (recorded 1957-60). I received the set yesterday and listened to the entire cycle by 9 p.m., - highest marks. Don't be put off by the recording dates the sound is not merely acceptable it is very fine throughout the 5 discs. A remarkable great account of the Nine, the Berlin Philharmonic sounds absolutely ideal (without the silkiness of von K) and Cluytens' approach is very classical and faithful to Beethoven's intentions and spirit (in my opine). This is my 5th complete cycle and it went directly to the top of the stack. You can get the complete cycle (plus three overtures, Prometheus, Egmont, and Fidelio 'B') for only $11.00 today on Amazon. 6******'s.


Nighthawk, I gave you a *like* for your Cluytens 9th comment. Right on, it's a beauty. IMO that's the first time BPO's balls appear in this cycle. The rest being serviceable at best.

No "silky" comment need be applied to HvK LvB. Re cycle comparisons, all of his cycles (incl. the EMI) dispose of the Cluytens handily. One exception, I'd take this Cluytens 9th over HvK's '80's and EMI 9th. :tiphat:


----------



## belfastboy

TO ME - TO ME!! Cheers!


----------



## Manxfeeder

belfastboy said:


> TO ME - TO ME!! Cheers!


I lift a glass of herb tea in your honor!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Going to sleep with Vaughan Williams' Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra in C.


----------



## SimonNZ

TalkingHead said:


> Hello Simon,
> I'm a bit confused about your *Xenakis* *Metastaseis* [_sic_] posting above. I seem to have a similar CD, but only the *EONTA* piece is conducted by Simonovic (with the _Ensemble Instrumental de Musique Contemporaine de Paris_). The *METASTASIS* piece seems to be directed by Maurice Le Roux with the _Orchestre National de l'ORTE_.
> Whatever the case may be, the 3 works (_Metastasis_, _Pithoprakta_ and _Eonta_) are superb and unfortunately all too rarely performed. I'm not sure about this, but I believe it is almost impossible to obtain (hire) the orchestral parts for Pithoprakta.


I don't have it in front of me but I'm sure you're right. And correct spelling duly noted.

playing now:









Monteverdi's Selva Morale E Spirituale - Michel Corboz, dir.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling these *Nono*. At over twenty bucks per item, label Kairos is trying my purchasing patience.

I'll balk a little longer. 

View attachment 19939
View attachment 19940


----------



## Gilda




----------



## belfastboy

You must have a big bed! lol


----------



## Vaneyes

For those posting videos here. There is a separate thread for those. Links to videos are okay here. Thanks. :tiphat:

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html


----------



## PetrB

arranged Suite folk tunes from Aix-en-Provence, which for me, with its strong use of the winds and brass along with strings summons up "Summer" and "Out of doors."
*Milhaud ~ Suite provençale*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arnold, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 4
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2
























Listening to some basic repertoire this evening.


----------



## Mahlerian

Penderecki: De Natura Sonoris 1 and 2, Kanon, Polymorphia
Polish Radio Symphony, cond. Penderecki

Ligeti: Musica Ricercarta
Erika Haase

...what do these have in common again?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Adam's Lament.*


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Nullten symphonie


----------



## SimonNZ

Schnittke's Choir Concerto - Valeri Polyanski, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. Excellent work and performance. Osborne is such a great pianist. Look forward to listening to his performances of the Stravinsky piano concertante works on the Hyperion recording which I received today.


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - Caténaires. (



, by Aimard here)

Ah!, what a wonderful madness!


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Piano trio No. 1


----------



## chrisco97

*Pachelbel* - Canon and gigue, for 3 violins & continuo in D major, T. 337 Canon
_Jean-Francois Paillard and Orchestre de Chambre_

The absolute best performance of this work in my opinion...everything is so beautifully executed...the plucking of the strings, the harpsichord, everything. Could not ask for anything better when it comes to this piece. One of the most beautiful pieces ever written.


----------



## aleazk

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 30, Op.109. My favorite.


----------



## belfastboy

The second movement of Paul Mealor's rose cycle, 'Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal' peformed by the joint chamber choirs of Aberdeen, Edinburgh & St Andrews Universities, conducted by Michael Bawtree as part of the John Armitage Trust Scottish Tour 2010.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Piano Sonata D960 - Andreas Staier, fortepiano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 5_. I just had to listen to this again. Excellent performance and fine audio quality despite what the Amazon reviewer said.


----------



## lunchdress

NightHawk said:


> *Kleinzeit* mentioned on this Forum: Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic, The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven (recorded 1957-60). I received the set yesterday and listened to the entire cycle by 9 p.m., - highest marks. Don't be put off by the recording dates the sound is not merely acceptable it is very fine throughout the 5 discs. A remarkable great account of the Nine, the Berlin Philharmonic sounds absolutely ideal (without the silkiness of von K) and Cluytens' approach is very classical and faithful to Beethoven's intentions and spirit (in my opine). This is my 5th complete cycle and it went directly to the top of the stack. You can get the complete cycle (plus three overtures, Prometheus, Egmont, and Fidelio 'B') for only $11.00 today on Amazon. 6******'s.


Thanks for the hot tip! I've had that in my cart for a few weeks and now it shall be mine 

Currently Listening to:
Chopin & Scriabin: Mazurkas, Valses, Nocturnes, Polonaises, Etudes, Préludes - Sofronitsky


----------



## Feathers

Listening to some composers at the beginning of the alphabet:

Albeniz: Suite Espanola (on YouTube)

Alfven - Symphony No. 1 (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Niklas Willén)

Alkan - Etudes Op. 39 (Jack Gibbons)


----------



## SimonNZ

That made me try to guess who is first alphabetically in my collection. Without checking I picked Peter Abelard. Nope: Carl Friedrich Abel.

but playing now:









Schnittke's Penetential Psalms - Tonu Kaljuste, dir.


----------



## Guest

Vivaldi, Op. 8 complete "Il Cimento Dell'Armonia E Dell'Inventione" 
Monica Huggett; Nicholas Kraemer: Raglan Baroque Players

Noticing that 8 of the 12 concertos were named by the composer, it would seem that invention won the contest.


----------



## Guest

NightHawk said:


> I will greatly qualify this by saying I've not heard the three recordings you have, but I very much recommend you try and find the Leonard Bernstein _1959_ recording w the NYPhil (he recorded it several times) - the 1959 recording was made right after the NYPhil and Lenny toured Russia when LB was young and had just been named principal conductor of the NYP, succeeding Mitropoulus (1957). Shostakovich was in the audience for at least one of the performances of the 5th and the story goes that he greatly loved Bernstein's interpretation - Bernstein took the last movement much faster than marked. The entire tour was a triumph, as well. I listened to it just a couple of nights ago and it is still magnificent and the sound is fantastic. One of the NYPhil finest moments.


Nighthawk, it's been a few days since I've posted, but I am finally getting around to responding. Thank you for the suggestion. Since I spent several years as a recording engineer in a studio, it seems that I notice the noise level in recordings more than most people and it is sometimes distracting to me. So I don't seek out many older recordings unless they are widely considered to be the benchmark performance (i.e. Kleiber's 5th of LvB). But based on your description this sounds like one I should get.

Of the three recordings I have, I liked the Petrenko best. I was immediately struck by the Russian-ness of the work when I heard it. I had not noticed it before, but Petrenko's interpretation made it impossible to ignore. Also the sonics on this recording were excellent.

Haitink's rendition was also very good, full of intimate emotion, and the sound quality was equal to the Petrenko.

Maazel didn't move me.


----------



## EricABQ

Von Weber's piano sonata 2 played by Hamish Milne.


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in A major, Op. 18 no. 5
Quatuor Mosaïques








Music for Court and Church from the Later Middle Ages
Gothic Voices (with Pavlo Beznosiuk, violin)
Christopher Page, director








Per Nørgård: Piano Sonata No. 2 (1957)
Per Salo, piano


----------



## Guest

Going through all four Brahms symphonies today. 
Bernard Haitink conducting the LSO.


----------



## Mika

Ambrosian chant, while reading Oxford History of Western Music. A few thousand pages left still


----------



## Kleinzeit

Mika said:


> Ambrosian chant, while reading Oxford History of Western Music. A few thousand pages left still


Mika-- do you know about this? Two grad students blog their way through the entire Taruskin.

http://taruskinchallenge.wordpress.com


----------



## Mika

Kleinzeit said:


> Mika-- do you know about this? Two grad students blog their way through the entire Taruskin.
> 
> http://taruskinchallenge.wordpress.com


Yeah, bought books because of it


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Celebrating the end today of an exhausting exam period by working my way through, among others, Brahms 4 (Giulini/Wiener Philharmoniker), Bruckner 9 (same) and Rott (Rückwardt/Staatsorchester Mainz).


----------



## rrudolph

Some movie music, just by random chance. I happened to see a photo of the recent Superman movie soundtrack being recorded (it was a shot of 10 drumsets surrounding a conductor). I mentioned it to someone here and they had it on their iPod, which they handed over immediately. So I'm listening to that. I usually prefer the "classic" movie scores (Rosza is my favorite), but this is pretty good.








After that, I'll switch over to the Xenakis mentioned earlier in the thread:








Then probably more Xenakis. One recording is never enough.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Yeah! Xenakis for a sunny day! Me too.









tennis anyone?


----------



## Stemahl

SiegendesLicht said:


> *Robert Schumann *- the symphonies, all four of them (Staatskapelle Dresden & Daniel Barenboim)
> 
> View attachment 19930


I like this set, I borrowed it from a friend for a few days not long ago. I have just recently bought this set:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5.*


----------



## Guest

I can never get enough Mozart in my collection. Two new acquisitions I am listening through today:









K313, Flute Concerto No. 1 in G, Emanuel Pahud (flute)
K299, Flute and Harp Concerto in C, Emanuel Pahud (flute), Marie-Pierre Langlament (harp)
K622, Clarinet Concerto in A, Sabine Meyer (bassett-clarinet)
Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker









K207, Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, Renaud Capucon (violin)
K216, Violin Concerto No. 3 in G, Renaud Capucon (violin)
K364, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Renaud Capucon (violin), Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Louis Langree, Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> I don't have it in front of me but I'm sure you're right. And correct spelling duly noted.


I'm not sure I'm right at all, which is why I posted that I was confused. First, the CD cover you posted is completely different to the CD I have; second, the liner notes (with my CD) are very poorly translated, so maybe Metastaseis is right after all! I wonder if your CD is a re-release? My CD reference is Le Chant du Monde 278 368 / 1965.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: String Quartets 22 & 23, with Kocian Qt. (rec.1986); *LvB*: String Quartets Opp. 18, 59, 74, with Takacs Qt. (rec.2001 - '03).

View attachment 19971
View attachment 19972


----------



## julianoq

Things in Brazil are strange. I supported the protests in the beginning, now I am little worried because people don't have a single goal, they have different claims and some are just using this moment to explode in violence. Around 2 million people went to the streets yesterday, this thing is totally out of control.

So, I came back to Bruckner to try to calm my mind a little. Now listening symphony no. 2 (1872 version) with Tintner. This is the first performance of Tintner's Bruckner that I listen to and I am enjoying it, will probably get his cycle later.


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: Concerto in D minor for violin and strings <---me too Vaneyes!

now finally plowing through Schubert: 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces. Which I've owned for three or four months and not really gotten around to listening to yet.


----------



## Sonata

julianoq said:


> Things in Brazil are strange. I supported the protests in the beginning, now I am little worried because people don't have a single goal, they have different claims and some are just using this moment to explode in violence. Around 2 million people went to the streets yesterday, this thing is totally out of control.
> 
> So, I came back to Bruckner to try to calm my mind a little. Now listening symphony no. 2 (1872 version) with Tintner. This is the first performance of Tintner's Bruckner that I listen to and I am enjoying it, will probably get his cycle later.


Sounds very concerning juliano! I hope you and your wife are in a safe region?


----------



## julianoq

Sonata said:


> Sounds very concerning juliano! I hope you and your wife are in a safe region?


Thanks for your concerns Sonata. The violence is not what is worrying me at this moment, most of the protesters are pacific, but there is so many people that 1% of them is already a lot. The violence is more focused on the police/government, not on civilians. Yesterday they tried to put fire on the Palácio do Itamaraty (where the External Relations Ministers works), a few meters away from where our president was working!






The intentions of most people seems to be good, they want less corruption, etc. What is worrying me is that this is the perfect moment for a coup d'etat. People are, in general, angry and confused.


----------



## Kleinzeit

'like' meaning concern for the reality of the situation in Brazil


----------



## millionrainbows

NightHawk said:


> ...I very much recommend you try and find the Leonard Bernstein _1959_ recording w the NYPhil (he recorded it several times) - the 1959 recording was made right after the NYPhil and Lenny toured Russia when LB was young and had just been named principal conductor of the NYP, succeeding Mitropoulus (1957). Shostakovich was in the audience for at least one of the performances of the 5th and the story goes that he greatly loved Bernstein's interpretation - Bernstein took the last movement much faster than marked. The entire tour was a triumph, as well. I listened to it just a couple of nights ago and it is still magnificent and the sound is fantastic. One of the NYPhil finest moments.


The finale of the 5th symphony, filmed in Russia, is on DVD, from the B&W documentary film on Shostakovich, _Sonata for Viola. _Shostakovich rushes to the front and hugs Bernstein.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Hermann Scherchen's* (1891 - 1966) birthday - Mozart: Requiem (rec.1958); Mahler: Symphony 2 (rec. 1958).

View attachment 19974
View attachment 19975


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> The finale of the 5th symphony, filmed in Russia, is on DVD, from the B&W documentary film on Shostakovich, _Sonata for Viola. _Shostakovich rushes to the front and hugs Bernstein.


Vodkas all 'round?


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just time for a little Delius before a most unwanted night shift.
The Walk to Paradise Garden and A Song of Summer from the EMI 150th Anniversary Edition.

To celebrate the summer solstice!


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Concerto in C For 3 Harpsichords, BWV 1064 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 -- Salvatore Accardo: Leipzig Gewandhausorchester

Bach: Vom Himmel Hoch, Da Komm' Ich Her, BWV 700 -- Helmut Walcha

Beethoven: Violin Sonata #7 in C Minor, Op. 30 -- Isaac Stern; Eugene Istomin

All B's!


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 4 by Solti and CSO. What a phenomenal brass!


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Les noces, The Firebird.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Ravndal

Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Ballade Op. 36, No.5


----------



## julianoq

First listen to Strauss Alpine Symphony. Now on the 'Calm Before the Storm'. Very interesting work, I specially loved the 'Visions'. With Karajan and BPO.


----------



## Ravndal

Poulenc - Le Bal Masque

Thank you, _PetrB._


----------



## Kleinzeit

Xenakis Percussion
red fish blue fish
Persephassa / Psappha / Dmaathen / Kassandra / Okho / Oophaa / Rebonds

then









Artemis Quartet
String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden'
String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D804 'Rosamunde'
String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D887

Some might diagnose mood swings, yet nay. 
X makes S sound better and S makes X sound better. Plus it's soft Xenakis & hard Schubert. 
Happy midsummer, hauska Juhannus!


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Fourth Symphony - George Szell, cond.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}, Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"}., *All three symphonies feature Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. In general--at least to my untrained ears--Maestro Karajan seems to take all of the tempi at a much faster pace than Maestro Szell, in traversing these same works by Mozart. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, *performed by the James Levine led Philadelphia Orchestra.
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, * once again featuring Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










I can never tire of Lyadov's orchestral music. This disc with Sinaisky and the BBC Philharmonic has been one of my most played recordings in my collection.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling these *Nono*. At over twenty bucks per item, label Kairos is trying my purchasing patience.
> 
> I'll balk a little longer.
> 
> ....


The Holy Trinity is J.S. *Balk*, Mily *Balk*irev and Grazyna *Balk*ewicz. & it all has to be on the *Balk*anton label. Nono is not in that triumvirate. So don't buy him whatever you do, even if it costs 2 cents! Is the balk joke wearing thin, you bet! Should we form a balk group to keep it alive? But keep in nurturing your INNER BALK! (esp. where the hip pocket nerve is concerned - important!).


----------



## Vaneyes

Balk may be here to stay, and if so, I can envision the occasional gathering of devotees on...The Balkan Peninsula.


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Années De Pèlerinage, Première Année, Suisse S 160 -- Leslie Howard

C.P.E. Bach: Double Concerto for Fortepiano and Harpsichord in E Flat, Wq 47/H 479 -- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Weber: Concertino for Horn in E Minor, Op. 45/J 188 -- Anthony Halstead: Hanover Band


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2
Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Fourth Symphony - Carlos Kleiber, cond.


----------



## aleazk

Mahler - Symphony No. 5.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 8 In E Major, Op. 2/2, H 3/8*

Making my way through the Kodaly Quartets Haydn cycle again - listened to Discs 1 and 2 today. Later i will listen to Disc 1 of the Amadeus Quartet trio which has Op. 76 Nos. 1-3 on it.


----------



## neoshredder

Mendelssohn - String Quintet 2.


----------



## aleazk

Maurice Ravel - Ma mère l'Oye, orchestral version. 

Pure beauty. I love the second movement, Petit Poucet, that wonderful, beautiful, lyrical, but circumspect melody...


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Poemes Pour Mi - Rene Fleming, soprano, Alan Gilbert, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

on a sunny Saturday morning-Dvorak 5th and 7th symphonies-brought up to believe he really only amounted to the 'new world'-then became increasingly 'fond' of the eighth-these two particular works are a revelation!


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Variations For Orchestra - Simon Rattle, cond.

edit: now Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony - Lorin Maazel, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Symphony No. 94 In G Major, H 1/94, "Suprise"*

This year I hope to explore Haydn's Symphonies in more depth - this 2-fer with Davis/RCO is my only recording at the moment but I have 2 sets of the cycle incoming in the next couple of weeks.
Its not often I feel there is something inherently wrong with a performance of Classical music but in this case there is something about Davis interpretation with this music that doesnt work. It just feels too laid back and smooth or something. I hope my new sets of Haydn symphonies have a bit more bite as I do like the music


----------



## SimonNZ

Kodaly's Duo For Violin And Cello - Carlos Benito de la Gala, violin, Alberto Gorrochategui, cello


----------



## Ravndal

Haydn _Sonate In C, Hob. XVI:50_
Mozart _Rondo in D, F, A (K. 485, 494, 511)_

Performer: Håvard Gimse

I recommend everyone to check out these versions by Gimse on spotify.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Sid James said:


> The Holy Trinity is J.S. *Balk*, Mily *Balk*irev and Grazyna *Balk*ewicz. & it all has to be on the *Balk*anton label. Nono is not in that triumvirate. So don't buy him whatever you do, even if it costs 2 cents! Is the balk joke wearing thin, you bet! Should we form a balk group to keep it alive? But keep in nurturing your INNER BALK! (esp. where the hip pocket nerve is concerned - important!).











wot about me?


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony no. 6 (Bernstein). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Act I)
Nyman: Musique à Grande Vitesse, The Draughtsman's Contract (excerpts from the recent rerecording)
*Sibelius:* Finlandia, Symphonies 2,3,5,7,1
Strauss: Tod und Verklärung
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra
Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra
Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra


----------



## elgar's ghost

Hindemith's four works for viola and orchestra (on cpo) - cpo have served the composer wonderfully well over the years and this disc is one my favourites from their many Hindemith releases.


----------



## Andolink

Christer Lindwall: A Certain Ratio (1998-1999)
Stefan Östersjö, alto guitar
Quartetto Ars Nova


----------



## jim prideaux

not sure whether it is appropriate to keep 'banging on ' regarding the same theme but having spent the morning reflecting on the brilliance of Dvorak 5th and 7th symphonies I am now entranced again by Kubelik and the 8th.interestingly enough ( to me anyway) I have spent the week continually investigating the delights of saxophonist Charles Lloyd and little 'classical'-result-restored palate. Now considering two things-which Ma Vlast to order and a return visit to Prague-I might have an over-romanticised image of Czech history but it works for me!


----------



## millionrainbows

*Varése, *Kent Nagano conducting, volume 2 (Musifrance). Deserts is performed here with the tape interpolations, unlike the Boulez/Sony recording...still, the best version remains, for me, Robert Craft on Wounded Bird's 2-CD _The Varése Album,_ a re-release of the Columbia 2-fer which was itself a re-packaging of the 2 single Columbia records. Good versions of _Ecuatorial_ and _Nocturnal_ as well, although the Abravanel/Utah SO version on Vanguard remains my "imprinted baby goose" favorite. *Mama! *honk honk...


----------



## Manxfeeder

jim prideaux said:


> not sure whether it is appropriate to keep 'banging on ' regarding the same theme but having spent the morning reflecting on the brilliance of Dvorak 5th and 7th symphonies I am now entranced again by Kubelik and the 8th.interestingly enough ( to me anyway) I have spent the week continually investigating the delights of saxophonist Charles Lloyd and little 'classical'-result-restored palate.


You've piqued my interest in Dvorak's 5th and 7th, so that's in the queue.

Also you've got me interested in Charles Lloyd. He's has a lovely playing style. But I can't understand why he wants to hold his horn like that, at the side (I know, Lester Young did the same thing). It's putting too much pressure on his right thumb, which makes the fingers less free to move. Oh, well, whatever works for him.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Goldberg Variations
James Friskin, Piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Hogwood's mighty fine interpretation of Haydn's Creation.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Schoenberg: **Pierrot lunaire.* *Erika Sziklay (Hungaroton).* The best version I've ever heard. Definitive.


----------



## Mika

C. Monty time today


----------



## jim prideaux

Manxfeeder said:


> You've piqued my interest in Dvorak's 5th and 7th, so that's in the queue.
> 
> Also you've got me interested in Charles Lloyd. He's has a lovely playing style. But I can't understand why he wants to hold his horn like that, at the side (I know, Lester Young did the same thing). It's putting too much pressure on his right thumb, which makes the fingers less free to move. Oh, well, whatever works for him.


Charles Lloyd-Although I am massive jazz 'fan'(obviously as well as classical) I have always had reservations about the sound of the saxophone-I know that might appear ridiculous-Charles Lloyd albums on ECM represent a real breakthrough for me as I have found nothing but warmth and melody (very simple really) and when he also plays with Bobo Stenson or John Abercrombie its just a major blast-I recommend Notes from Big Sur,Canto and any others you can get your hands on.If you have not listened to Stensons trio albums on ECM a well yu mght just be in for a treat!

Back to classical-is there the possibility that Dvorak is underestimated just because of his accessible lyricism? I have just listened to my favourite Nielsen symphonies (2/3) having not listened to them for a while-BIG Saturday!


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: String Trio, Op. 20
Juilliard Quartet (minus one, I suppose)


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Bach* - Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 (Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert)

*Mendelssohn* - Songs Without Words, Op.67 (D. Barenboim)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Finzi's Cello Concerto on Spotify..
As recommended to me by Jim Prideaux.
Exciting stuff.


----------



## NightHawk

*@Jim Prideaux* - of T,T,S,S? Great trilogy. And, love that Dvorak 7th, don't know the 5th, will mark it down.



jim prideaux said:


> on a sunny Saturday morning-Dvorak 5th and 7th symphonies-brought up to believe he really only amounted to the 'new world'-then became increasingly 'fond' of the eighth-these two particular works are a revelation!


----------



## lunchdress

It's sunny here too!









Disc 5: Symphonies 7 & 8
Rowicki /LSO


----------



## Stemahl

Trying to read while listening to music, I thought strictly piano music would be easier than orchestral. I don't know how people can do these two things at once.


----------



## ptr

Spent yesterday, most of today and probably the whole of tomorrow sifting through a largish lot of second hand LP's that I bought from a dealer for a Nickel a record, he do not deal in classical but had amassed several 1000's that he gotten free when buying large collections of "popular music" ... So I've been culling the lot in to four piles, "must keep", "try to sell", "will sell" and "throw/give away"...

Done for the day and have put on some relaxing music:

*Joe Haydn* - The Complete Overtures (*Bis*)









Haydn Sinfonietta Wien u. Manfred Huss

/ptr


----------



## Mika

Lutoslawski : Cello Concerto


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet Op. 20, No. 1.*


----------



## adrem

Schnittke, Concerto Grosso No.1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Etudes, with Boffard (rec.2000); Preludes Books I & II, with Jacobs (rec.1978).








View attachment 20021


----------



## Crudblud

Igor Stravinsky - _Le Sacre du printemps_ (Boulez)

Thanks to a series of highly crappy events in my teenage years I have long associated this with images from my personal life that I hate, that put me off listening for many years, I hope I'm over it now.


----------



## Vaneyes

DrKilroy said:


> Mahler - Symphony no. 6 (Bernstein).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


DG or Sony?


----------



## DrKilroy

YT, being honest.  I have gotten into Mahler just recently, I am yet planning to buy the full cycle.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> on a sunny Saturday morning-Dvorak 5th and 7th symphonies-brought up to believe he really only amounted to the 'new world'-then became increasingly 'fond' of the eighth-these two particular works are a revelation!


Yes, Nos. 5 - 9 now get my attention almost equally. Nos. 1 - 4 pale in comparison. On 4, he began to hit his stride, and never looked back with 5. :tiphat:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just started listening to Rachmaninov's First Symphony. Used to listen to this loads when I was a teen but can't remember when I last did. Such a great piece. The first performance was a shambles apparently and it was never played in Rachmaninov's lifetime again. I always wonder how no-one could see past the performance to the great work hidden behind. 
People were so hard to please back then. Nowadays millions will tune in just to watch a dog wiggle around on it's back legs!!!


----------



## Vaneyes

DrKilroy said:


> YT, being honest.  I have gotten into Mahler just recently, I am yet planning to buy the full cycle.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Re Mahler 6, VPO/Bernstein is there, so that'd be DG. I prefer his Sony rec. of that work with NYPO.

Re full cycle, are you thinking of a box set? If so, any ideas?


----------



## Vaneyes

Crudblud said:


> Igor Stravinsky - _Le Sacre du printemps_ (Boulez)
> 
> Thanks to a series of highly crappy events in my teenage years I have long associated this with images from my personal life that I hate, that put me off listening for many years, I hope I'm over it now.


DG or Sony?


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20022
> 
> 
> Just started listening to Rachmaninov's First Symphony. Used to listen to this loads when I was a teen but can't remember when I last did. Such a great piece. The first performance was a shambles apparently and it was never played in Rachmaninov's lifetime again. I always wonder how no-one could see past the performance to the great work hidden behind.
> People were so hard to please back then. Nowadays millions will tune in just to watch a dog wiggle around on it's back legs!!!


There are days when I give SR the benefit of the doubt re 1 & 3. Then, there are days when I loathe them. 3 is preferred over 1, but if I never heard either again, 'twouldn't be earth-shattering. Not so much of a big deal, 'cause he more than made up for it with 2, and The Isle of the Dead, and Symphonic Dances.

Not to mention PCs 1, 2, 3, 4, and volumes and volumes and volumes of glorious solo piano.

SR, you are the man! :tiphat:


----------



## Andolink

Christer Lindwall: 
Wenn sie so, dann ich so und Pferd fliegt (2000) for electric guitar, trumpet, double bass, piano and percussion 
Stefan Östersjö, electric guitar
Kulchural Archipelagos Quintet

Earth-Bow (1996) for saxophone, trombone, el-guitar and percussion
Ensemble SON


----------



## NightHawk

Beethoven: Still with the Cluytens' cycle - at the moment No. III in Eb.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Vaneyes said:


> There are days when I give SR the benefit of the doubt re 1 & 3. Then, there are days when I loathe them. 3 is preferred over 1, but if I never heard either again, 'twouldn't be earth-shattering. Not so much of a big deal, 'cause he more than made up for it with 2, and The Isle of the Dead, and Symphonic Dances.
> 
> Not to mention PCs 1, 2, 3, 4, and volumes and volumes and volumes of glorious solo piano.
> 
> SR, you are the man! :tiphat:


I am fond of his 1st Symphony but I can sympathise with your viewpoint to a certain extent.
You happily listen to a good work and think this is great.
Then you listen to a great work (Symphonic Dances has come on now) and you are just completely overwhelmed.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2
_Antonio Janigro & Jorg Demus_

This is so beautiful. I love Beethoven's chamber music so much.


----------



## Feathers

Faure: Piano Quartet No. 1 (Quatuor Ysaÿe and Pascal Rogé)

Liszt: Symphony Poem No. 6 Mazeppa (Haitink and the London Philharmonic)


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphonies 1 & 2, with CSO/Solti (rec.1989/0); Piano Sonatas, Op. 2, with Pollini (rec.2006).

View attachment 20025
View attachment 20026


----------



## Andolink

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in B flat, Op. 18 no. 6
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Joris

Alban Berg - Lyric Suite by Kronos Quartet (2003)


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Bloch: Violin Concerto

















My first encounter with Bloch without any background info on the work or the composer. It's a captivating first movement so far.


----------



## Sid James

*Rimsky-Korsakov* Scheherazade, Op. 35
- Radio SO Ljubljana under Anton Nanut

*J.F. Fasch* Concerto for Guitar & String Orch. in D minor
*J.L. Krebs* Concerto for Guitar & String Orch. in G major
- Jozef Zsapka, guitar with Slovak CO under Bohdan Warchal

*Hovhaness* Concerto #2 for Guitar and Strings, Op. 394 (1985)
- Javier Calderon, guitar with Royal Scottish National Orch. under Stewart Robertson

*Tchaikovsky* Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35
- Nigel Kennedy, soloist with London PO under Okko Kamu




Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 19997
> 
> 
> wot about me?


BALKherini? You bet! Keep on balking!


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, Vols. III, IV, VI, with Schiff (rec.2005/6).

View attachment 20030
View attachment 20031
View attachment 20032


----------



## chrisco97

*Bach* - Goldberg Variations
_Glenn Gould_

Loving this so far. Hopefully I can get into more Bach in the future.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Haydn, Quartet Opus 33, No. 5

Quatour Mosaiques


----------



## Conor71

*Shostakovich: Hamlet Suite, Op. 116A*

Playing a new set for a first listen - very good!. Next I will listen to Symphony No. 4 from the Jansons box.
Edit: Just finished the first suite of film music which was pretty awesome! - I will listen now to P&F's Nos. 1-6 from the Jarrett recording before I tackle the 4th:


----------



## agoukass




----------



## Sid James

*Offenbach*
Overtures to Orphee aux enfers, La belle Helene, La Perichole, La vie parisienne
- Philharmonia Orch. under Neville Marriner

*Hovhaness* Fanfare for the New Atlantis
- Royal Scottish National Orch. under Stewart Robertson

*Album: Vanessa-Mae - The Violin Player*
_The first techno-acoustic fusion album featuring works by J.S. Bach, Mason Williams & Mike Batt_
- Vanessa-Mae on violins (electric & acoustic) / Royal PO / Mike Batt, conductor/arranger

*Sibelius* Violin Concerto
- Nigel Kennedy on violin with City of Birmingham SO under Simon Rattle


----------



## samurai

chrisco97 said:


> *Bach* - Goldberg Variations
> _Glenn Gould_
> 
> Loving this so far. Hopefully I can get into more Bach in the future.


Bach To the Future, eh?


----------



## aleazk

Diving in that wonderful youtube channel "TheWelleszCompany" and listening to the most diverse quantity of 20th century music I can imagine!.


----------



## agoukass




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schoenberg: String Quartet no. 3


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Paganini's Violin Concertos.


----------



## Feathers

Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 (New Helsinki Quartet)

Wonderful piece!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Honegger: symphony no. 1 and I plan on listening to the rest


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: String Quartet No. 64, Op. 67/5, H 3/79, "Largo"*

What a nice quartet this one is! - playing 2 versions of it.


----------



## MagneticGhost

This is one of those pieces that I completely forget about when I'm not listening to it but which grabs me by my very soul when I am. Tavener - The Protecting Veil - Isserlis


----------



## Guest

JS Bach, Mass in B minor
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy & Chorus of Saint Martin in the Fields


----------



## SimonNZ

Zemlinsky's String Quartet No.3 - Schoenberg Quartet


----------



## aleazk

Marlos Nobre (a Brazilian composer) - Piano Sonata on a theme by Bartok.

The third movement is a pretty catchy Toccata (



).


----------



## Orpheus

Bartok's string quartets played by the Keller Quartet.










Not the prettiest or most "accessible" music, but interesting nonetheless. I'm finding it worth getting to know better. These sound like top-notch performances too, by skilled players who are really passionate about this music. For those who can put up with the random ugly cover design (seems like an Apex speciality, where do they get their graphic designers from?) the album price is pretty appealing too.


----------



## Andolink

Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 14
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sergiu Comissiona


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Orion And Pleiades - Tadaaki Otaka, cond.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Concertos 21, 23 & 24 (A. Brendel, Academy of St Martin)


----------



## NightHawk

This morning since 6 a.m., in progress:

*Takemitsu* - 
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
I. Orion	
II. and	
III. Pleiades - Paul Watkins/BBC National Orchestra of Wales

*Roger Reynolds* - 
Symphony (myths) - Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra	
(For Toru Takemitsu); Whisper Out Of Time - Cleveland Chamber Symphony	
Symphony (vertigo) - La Jolla Symphony, Cal.

*Honegger*: 
Symphony Nº2 
Symphony Nº3 - Herbert Von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Brahms* - Piano Concerto No.1 (Bernard Haitink & Chamber Orchestra of Europe) - for the first time ever.


----------



## Andolink

Arnold Schoenberg: Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, Op. 41 (1942)
Michael Grandage, reciter
Sepp Gtrotenhuis, piano
Schoenberg Quartet








Alonso Mudarra: Tres Libros de Musica en Cifras para Vihuela (Seville, 1546)
Hopkinson Smith, vihuela


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaneyes said:


> Re full cycle, are you thinking of a box set? If so, any ideas?


I was considering one of Bernsteins.  Is there anything else you could recommend me?

Best regards, Dr


----------



## jim prideaux

NightHawk said:


> *@Jim Prideaux* - of T,T,S,S? Great trilogy. And, love that Dvorak 7th, don't know the 5th, will mark it down.


nighthawk (Karla, or indeed Hayden?)-My tradecraft obviously requires revision!
your opinion regarding 5th would be most welcome


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Bach To the Future, eh?


Or, *Balk* To the Future.


----------



## jim prideaux

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20007
> 
> 
> Finzi's Cello Concerto on Spotify..
> As recommended to me by Jim Prideaux.
> Exciting stuff.


magnetic ghost-so pleased you took my advice-gratifying to spread the word about the Finzi-what about the third movement?


----------



## cjvinthechair

After a lovely day's 'second-hand' shopping in London yesterday, surviving the rain with some beautiful modern requiems:

David Bednall, Patrick Hawes & Paul Carr.

Lovely to see this 'classic' art form thriving in the late 20th, & 21st Centuries.


----------



## Vaneyes

DrKilroy said:


> I was considering one of Bernsteins.  Is there anything else you could recommend me?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


The latest Sony reissue (2012) for Bernstein.

Others, Kubelik or Bertini, offer slightly less dynamics with more conservative readings. :tiphat:

View attachment 20051
View attachment 20052
View attachment 20053


----------



## DeepR

Scriabin - Etude Op. 2 No. 1

I'll never understand how a 15 year old could've composed it.


----------



## Mika

3rd opera sunday : Jenu˚fa









libretto in english would be nice.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Orchestral Suites (Overtures)
Boston Baroque, dir. Pearlman









Nothing to balk at...


----------



## agoukass




----------



## MagneticGhost

jim prideaux said:


> magnetic ghost-so pleased you took my advice-gratifying to spread the word about the Finzi-what about the third movement?











Enjoying it more today as the melodies sink in. First listen it was the 2nd mvt that stood out. Today it's the third, maybe because you asked specifically. I am getting pictures of horse riding in woodland. Everytime the first theme comes back in this rondo, I can't help smiling. It's great fun. 
I prefer this Naxos rendition over the Chandos. Not least the other pieces on the disc which I am enjoying more than the Leighton.


----------



## DaveS

Finally, the 9th. BPO. March 1942. Highly regarded performance, and I can understand why.


----------



## ptr

Night Music:

*Modest Mussorgsky* - Pictures at an Exhibition (RCA Victor 1947)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

Completely Awesome!

/ptr


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major, *both works movingly traversed by Maestro Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic's helm.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.10 and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76. * Both symphonies feature the London Symphony Orchestra under the stick of Witold Rowicki.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Manxfeeder

*British Music on Hyperion.*

This is a compilation of "soon-to-be released tracks" from back in 1995, labeled British Music Year, everyone from Thomas Linley to Michael Tippett. I'm listening in honor of MagneticGhost and her commitment to promote English music.


----------



## belfastboy

love the irish composers!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Obrecht, Missa Sub Tuum.*


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 1 (Daniel Harding, Royal Concertgebouw)


----------



## belfastboy

belfastboy said:


> love the irish composers!


god dont u just love her!!


----------



## belfastboy

God - if I was on my death bed and I had to pick one piece of music to listen to......it would be this!!! xxxxxxx


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## TrevBus

Alexander Vasilievich Mossolov. Cello Concerto #2. Symphony in E Major 1944. Wartime Music Vol. 9. Northern Flowers Label.
This is after he lost favor, was imprisioned and changed his style to fit the demands of the USSR. Interesting and entertaining music but a far cry from his earlier Avant-garde "Futurist' style.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky* Serenade for Strings
- Vienna CO under Philippe Entremont

*Ho Zhan Hao & Chen Kang* Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
- Vanessa-Mae on violin, with London PO under Viktor Fedotov

*Hovhaness* Symphony #63, "Loon Lake"
- Royal Scottish National Orch. under Stewart Robertson

*Album: 36 Golden Strings - Mantovani Orchestra*
_Light classical, show tunes, movie themes, popular songs, jazz standards & evergreens treated with the unique golden 'cascading strings' sound_
- Played by the Mantovani Orchestra


----------



## Schubussy

Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 5
Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Artur Pizarro


----------



## NightHawk

Out-rageous! I love it - thanks for posting.



belfastboy said:


>


----------



## GreenMamba

Bach Mass in B Minor, Richter, Munich Bach Orch.

Actually ready to watch as well as listen, as it is a DVD rental.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chausson*: Chamber Music (rec. 1996/7).

View attachment 20066
View attachment 20067


----------



## Redfisher

Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 - St. Petersburg Philharmonic - Jansons


----------



## edge

Beethoven 6th "Pastoral". This is just beautiful.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Memento mori_. Lovely work and performance. Next up the _Piano Concerto_. I wish more people knew of Sculthorpe's music. It's one thing to have heard the name but another to have heard a lot of his music. I can say, without reservation, that he's one of the finest composers of the past 30-40 years.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Flute Sonata in A, BWV 1032 -- Emmanuel Pahud; Trevor Pinnock

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes -- Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta

Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Bach and Stravinsky...


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's String Quartet No.19 "Dissonance" - Quatour Mosaiques


----------



## korenbloem

Feldman - Crippled Symmetry: At June in Buffalo

cd 2


----------



## MagneticGhost

F


Manxfeeder said:


> *British Music on Hyperion.*
> 
> This is a compilation of "soon-to-be released tracks" from back in 1995, labeled British Music Year, everyone from Thomas Linley to Michael Tippett. I'm listening in honor of MagneticGhost and her commitment to promote English music.
> 
> View attachment 20059


I'm honoured Sir/Madame. I hope it was a good and enjoyable mix.
And I should just mention here that despite my very cute Avatar of English composer Roxanna Panufnik, I am not a she.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart *

Horn Concerto No. 1 in D Major
Peter Damm

String Quartet No. 19 in C Major '_Dissonance_' 
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Fantasy in G minor Op.77 - Jonathan Biss, piano


----------



## adrem

Petrouchka and Le sacre(...) by Boulez and Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## Guest

Gabriel Fauré, Piano Quartets, Opp. 89 & 115
Domus


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bruch's Scottish Fantasy - Rachel Barton Pine, violin, Alexander Platt, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Saint-Saens' Piano Trio No.2 - The Florestan Trio


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Today I listened to Taylor Swift and One Direction....ended up sprawled on the floor writhing in agony...never listening to that again.

Right now I want to listen to Fauré's Requiem 



Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Memento mori_. Lovely work and performance. Next up the _Piano Concerto_. I wish more people knew of Sculthorpe's music. It's one thing to have heard the name but another to have heard a lot of his music. I can say, without reservation, that he's one of the finest composers of the past 30-40 years.


Have you heard Nourlangie? One of my favourites.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio, first of the after-midnight full-cds:

Neeme Jarvi conducting Dvorak's Legends and Janacek's Sinfonietta


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> F
> 
> I'm honoured Sir/Madame. I hope it was a good and enjoyable mix.
> And I should just mention here that despite my very cute Avatar of English composer Roxanna Panufnik, I am not a she.


It was very enjoyable; well-recorded excerpts of very good performances.

And a thousand pardons about mistaking your gender.  It shan't happen again. And I guess for future reference, I also am a Sir. Or at least a Mr.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roxanna Panufnik, All Shall Be Well; Love Abide.*

I didn't know there were two Panufniks. I'm exploring his daughter's music. I really like All Shall Be Well. I'm having a little harder time with Love Abide, because I have an aversion to this type of choral music - I don't know how to describe it, but it brings me back to childhood experiences of being bored to tears listening as a kid in the Baptist church listening to the choir - but I'm trying to push past that and hear what's there in the modal melodies and crunchy harmonies.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Shostakovich 8th/Gergiev (Philips)*

I have no complaint about Gergiev or the recording, which is good. But what are we to make of this symphony? Shostakovich was highly influenced by Mahler, no doubt; this behemoth is in five movements, the first one over 25 minutes long. Several words come to mind: large, sprawling, wandering, unfocussed. Originally called the "Stalingrad" symphony, it follows the well-received "Leningrad" or 7th. However, it was publicly criticized for being too "individualistic" and not adhering to the "Socialist Realist" State agenda.

I don't see what's so controversial here. A little dissonance in places, but always tonal, and even lugubriously boring. Mahler's first symphony comes to mind, which also wanders in a drone-like stasis for over 20 minutes, going nowhere harmonically, like some Wagnerian suspension of function which goes on for ages. This Shostakovich is just a depressed, minor-key version of that!
There's a brief "scherzo" which sounds vaguely militaristic, with snare drum and trumpet, but it's hard to tell what emotion, if any, Shostakovich is trying to convey. Anybody care to explain it?


----------



## korenbloem

Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji - Opus Clavicembalisticum (John Ogdon)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Roxanna Panufnik, The Upside Down Sailor.*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling Zinman *Brahms*, and Herreweghe *Mozart*. Understandably, two different animals in many ways. But similarly, they don't get it completely right.

Batter Zinman hits homeruns with 1 & 4. Their forcefulness is most engaging.

He's held to singles for 2 & 3. With Allegro con spirito, I want more dynamics. With Poco allegretto, more syrup, please. One thumb up.

Speaking of sugar, Herreweghe, one of our greatest living conductors, is on a constant sugar high throughout this Mozart. No downtime. The listener is stretched and drenched at its conclusion. As expected, the Menuettos are the most successful. One thumb up.

View attachment 20088
View attachment 20089


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Andrzej Panufnik, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Andolink

Ramon Lazkano: Laboratory of Chalk
Ensemble Recherche








Christer Lindwall: White Nights, for alto guitar and ensemble
Stefan Östersjö, alto guitar
Ensemble Ars Nova/Harald Eikass


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Serenade, Op. 24

One of the earlier works featuring the 12-tone method (in spots), the Serenade begins with a march, followed by a minuet, and the other movements include a sonnet by Petrarch (hence the name of the piece). The music is light in tone, but the complexity of the writing seems to threaten this lightness at all times...


----------



## rrudolph

The fact that it's now summer inspires me to break out one of the recordings I grew up on:









When I was young (around 14-15 years old), I was fortunate enough to live within walking distance of Swarthmore College, where a good many of Crumb's works were premiered. I missed this one, but I did catch the first perfomance of Makrokosmos IV, as well as several others.


----------



## julianoq

Mahler Symphony 1 with Bernstein and NYPO. First listen of this symphony with Bernstein (had listened it only with Bruno Walter).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Goldberg Variations.*

This is one of those special-memory recordings. A long time ago, I was shopping on my birthday at a record store (when they still had those) and picked up a tape (when they still had those) of this guy named Glenn Gould. It was my first exposure to the Goldbergs and to Gould. The two together made for an astonishing discovery and a memorable birthday.

Now when my birthday is about to roll around, pleasant memories of cakes and presents also seem to include a pleasant memory of the young Canadian.


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Music of Knut Nystedt.*


----------



## NightHawk

This morning:






Horacio Guttierez (2 &3) and Boris Berman (1, 4, & 5) share the concertos in this two-volume set.

After purchasing this, I found the recording John Browning made w Erich Leinsdorf and Boston of all 5 Prokofiev Concertos is now available on Amazon. I've been looking for it for years - none that I have nor the one shown above live up to my memory of Browning's performances, esp of No. 2. Guttierez is very good, however.

We'll, see later this month. Cheers on Monday.


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra. A little surprised, the only work from him that I listened previously was the cello concerto, so I was expecting something a little more harsh. Enjoying it anyway!


----------



## ptr

Music in to the Summer Night:

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Symphony No 9 (RCA)









London Symphony Orchestra u. André Previn

*Josef Suk* - A Summers tale Op 29 (*Chandos*)









BBC Symphony Orchestra u. Jiri Belohlavek

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Mozart _Piano Concerto No 23_

Murray Perahia


----------



## Stemahl

Can't believe I found the cover for this online, BBC free CD from 8 years ago. I bought a load of them today, 8 or 9 I think for 5 pounds haha.

Right now I'm listening to the Dvorak, I like the Smetana but lately I have really been enjoying lots of new Dvorak (new to me), like his 6th and 7th symphonies. These symphonic poems are great too.


----------



## korenbloem

The Oregon Symphony under Carlos Kalmar - Music for a Time of War [2011]

Ives: The Unanswered Question 
Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Oregon Symphony

Adams: The Wound-Dresser 
Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Sanford Sylvan (performer), Oregon Symphony

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 
Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Oregon Symphony	
1) I. Lacrymosa 
2) II. Dies Irae 
3) III. Requiem aeternam

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4 in F minor 
Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Oregon Symphony	
1) I. Allegro 
2) II. Andante moderato 
3) III. Scherzo: Allegro molto 
4) IV. Finale con epilogo fugato: Allegro molto

First listen. But I am overwhelmed by the beauty, emotional and artistic preformance of the Adams piece. Simplely amazing!


----------



## Vaneyes

With Manx inspiration, *Nystedt*:Stabat Mater, w. May/Exultate Singers/Ogden.


----------



## Selby

korenbloem said:


> View attachment 20101
> 
> 
> The Oregon Symphony under Carlos Kalmar - Music for a Time of War [2011]
> 
> Ives: The Unanswered Question
> Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Oregon Symphony
> 
> Adams: The Wound-Dresser
> Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Sanford Sylvan (performer), Oregon Symphony
> 
> Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20
> Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Oregon Symphony
> 1) I. Lacrymosa
> 2) II. Dies Irae
> 3) III. Requiem aeternam
> 
> Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4 in F minor
> Carlos Kalmar (Conductor), Oregon Symphony
> 1) I. Allegro
> 2) II. Andante moderato
> 3) III. Scherzo: Allegro molto
> 4) IV. Finale con epilogo fugato: Allegro molto
> 
> First listen. But I am overwhelmed by the beauty, emotional and artistic preformance of the Adams piece. Simplely amazing!


As an Oregonian and a patron of the Oregon Symphony under Carlos Kalmar I would like to say: wooot!! Good choice.


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music (Hickox). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sid James

*J. Strauss II*
Annen Polka, Artist's Life, Emperor Waltz, Million Waltz, Hungarian Polka, Light as a Feather, Love Songs Waltz, Persian March, Where the Lemon Trees Blossom, Luxury Train Polka
- Austrian Radio SO under Hans Swarowsky

*Kodaly* Concerto for Orchestra
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati

*Hovhaness*
Mysterious Mountain (Symphony #2)
Celestial Fantasy for string orch.
Suite from String Quartet #2*
- Seattle SO under Gerard Schwarz & *Shanghai SQ


----------



## korenbloem

Meredith Monk - Songs of Ascension (2011)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Reconsidering Bax...

Now listening:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3_. Very nice work indeed. I own three symphony cycles of Bax (Thomson, Lloyd-Jones, Handley) and all of the orchestral works series on Chandos. Does this make me a fan of Bax's music?


----------



## Selby

Neo Romanza said:


> Reconsidering Bax...
> 
> Now listening:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Symphony No. 3_. Very nice work indeed. I own three symphony cycles of Bax (Thomson, Lloyd-Jones, Handley) and all of the orchestral works series on Chandos. Does this make me a fan of Bax's music?


I have this same collection. Do you have a favorite amongst his symphonies? I once read that Bax's personal favorites were the 2nd and 6th.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mitchell said:


> I have this same collection. Do you have a favorite amongst his symphonies? I once read that Bax's personal favorites were the 2nd and 6th.


I'm still very much in rediscovery phase right now, Mitchell. Bryden Thomson's cycle is my favorite of the three. That I do remember.  I'm quite fond of his tone poems as well. Very nice, atmospheric music. I listened to _Tale The Pine Trees Knew_ earlier and was impressed by it. I'm looking forward to revisiting Bax's music over the next couple of days.


----------



## Schubussy

Neo Romanza said:


> Listening to _Symphony No. 3_. Very nice work indeed. I own three symphony cycles of Bax (Thomson, Lloyd-Jones, Handley) and all of the orchestral works series on Chandos. Does this make me a fan of Bax's music?


I guess it does. It also makes me want to give Bax a listen.

But first,
Beethoven - Symphony no. 3
Herbert Von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Suite No.1 for two pianos - Martha Argerich and Lilya Zilberstein, pianos


----------



## Neo Romanza

I've got to admit something here: I struggle with Bax's music. Now, I know why I haven't revisited his music for so long. There's nothing in the music that grabs ahold of me and that tugs at my heart.

Now it's time to cleanse my sonic palette:










Listening to _Connotations_. Always a cool work.  This performance is conducted by the composer himself with the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Berlioz's Les Nuits d'Ete - Stella Doufexis, mezzo, Heinz Steffens, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> With Manx inspiration, *Nystedt*:Stabat Mater, w. May/Exultate Singers/Ogden.


With Vaneyes' inspiration, Nystedt's Stabat Mater.


----------



## Schubussy

Arnold Bax - November Woods
Vernon Handley, BBC Philharmonic

I like this a lot.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Cleansing my palette further...










Listening to Roussel's _Symphony No. 3_. Absolutely fantastic symphony and performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Severac*: Piano Works, with Ciccolini (rec. 1968 - '77).

View attachment 20110


----------



## Skilmarilion

A couple of epics for today's listening ...

*Brahms* - Violin Concerto in D (Igor Oistrakh, LSO)

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor (Brendel, Academy of St Martin)


----------



## PetrB

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich ~ Concerto for violin and orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Johan Svendsen's Violin Concerto - Marianne Thorsen, violin, Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 5.*

Barnes and Noble is playing a slew of bad music, so I'm drowning it out with Mahler's 5th and headphones.


----------



## PetrB

Neo Romanza said:


> Cleansing my palette further...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to Roussel's _Symphony No. 3_. Absolutely fantastic symphony and performance.


Please do not pass over the incredible _Les Choéphores_ of Milhaud!


----------



## Neo Romanza

PetrB said:


> Please do not pass over the incredible _Les Choéphores_ of Milhaud!


I haven't.  I've heard it many different times.


----------



## Notung

Prelude of Act One to Hans Pfitzner's opera "Palestrina".


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 6_. Any work by Rubbra is always a good listen.


----------



## PetrB

Franz Schubert ~ Rosamunde - Romance (Der Vollmond); Aafje Heynis, contralto


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 9










Harnoncourt the Great. What other recordings would you consider to be among his finest performances?


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Such a killer performance from Wand. Bruckner's 6th is still one of the more underrated of his mature oeuvre.

Then (sticking with the 6th symphony theme):










Later:










Will listen to Milhaud's 6th.


----------



## aleazk

Messiaen - Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum


----------



## Augustus




----------



## Neo Romanza

Augustus said:


>


Not my favorite Sibelius symphony but still a solid one and that performance by Bernstein is quite good although I prefer his earlier performances on Columbia (Sony) of Sibelius. Welcome aboard by the way.


----------



## Augustus

Neo Romanza said:


> Not my favorite Sibelius symphony but still a solid one and that performance by Bernstein is quite good although I prefer his earlier performances on Columbia (Sony) of Sibelius. Welcome aboard by the way.


Thank you so much. I'm glad i found this forum.


----------



## Selby

Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Fitzwilliam String Quartet


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452
Beethoven: Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16
Schuman: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Piano Quintet in E Flat, Op. 44 -- Alban Berg Quartet

Liszt: Goethe-Festmarsch, S 521 -- Leslie Howard

Haydn: Theresienmesse, H 22/12 -- Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Church Choir New York

Stravinsky: Concerto for Strings in D -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

^ I've often listened to this, lately. I like it a lot!


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 17
_Alfred Brendel, Antonio Janigro & I Solisti di Zagreb_

After reading the Mozart piano concerto thread, I decided to listen to one I have never heard before.


----------



## SimonNZ

Edmund Rubbra's Four Medieval Latin Lyrics - Stephen Varcoe, baritone, Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## Augustus

Paganini - Variations on one string on a theme by Rossini


----------



## belfastboy

Maurice Duruflé - Suite Op.5 Prélude - Sicilienne - Toccata


----------



## Neo Romanza

opus55 said:


>


Schuman's 3rd is one of the best American symphonies ever written IMHO. Absolutely exhilarating performance from Bernstein/NY Philharmonic.


----------



## SimonNZ

Answering my own question of "who is this American Schuman-with-one-N"?:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Schuman

and I see Youtube has the Bernstein Symphony 3






I'll be playing that at some point tonight


----------



## Feathers

Just got home from a chemistry exam. There were some questions on the Aldol reaction, which reminded me of Borodin. Listening to a favourite:

Borodin - String Quartet No. 2 (Emerson String Quartet)


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique - Herbert von Karajan, cond. (1954)


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Diabelli Variations - Claudio Arrau, piano


----------



## ptr

Sunrise trio..

*Claude Debussy* - Prélude à l'Après-Midi d'un Faune, La Mer & Images (ZZT)









Anima Eterna Brügge u. Jos van Immerseel

*Heiner Goebbels* - Stifters Dinge (ECM)









Heiner Goebbels conception & direction

*William Walton* - Façade - An Entertainment (*Chandos*)









Richard Baker & Susana Walton, narrator's; Members of City of London Sinfonia u. Richard Hickox

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' A London Symphony - Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## Guest

Mozart
K466, Piano Concerto #20 in D minor
K467, Piano Concerto #21 in C
Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## korenbloem

Yannis Markopoulos (Γιάννης Μαρκόπουλος) performed by Palintonos Armonia Orchestra under Yannis Markopoulos (Γιάννης Μαρκόπουλος) - The Liturgy of Orpheus [1994]


----------



## MagneticGhost

Manxfeeder said:


> *Andrzej Panufnik, Symphony No. 2.*
> 
> View attachment 20090


My favourite is the Sinfonia Sacra - Symphony No. 3 on that disc. Did you let it carry on and listen that far?

As for Roxanna, I've not heard the Updside Down Sailor. Did you enjoy it.
My favourite tracks on the Love Abide CD are the Zen Love Song and Love is the Master. 
I love her sound world which harks back through the centuries and then surprises with those lovely chewy, crunchy dissonances.


----------



## MagneticGhost

A little change of pace for me. I've been listening to some of the CD's I purchased recently at a local car boot sale.
Stuff I wouldn't normally listen to really - but I thought it worth a pop at 50p per CD.

Some surprisingly tuneful and playful Harpsichord music. It wasn't all plinky plonky plink. Maybe I'm ready to reassess Bach's Goldberg variations in Harpsichord format.








I normally prefer my Baroque music with choirs and organs. This was a lovely surprise.










Finally I listened to Milhaud's first 2 string quartets. It's the first Milhaud I've ever listened to. Suffice to say I'll be listening to more.
I seem to have struck gold. Either that or I'm very easily pleased :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Edmund Rubbra's Tenebrae Motets op.72 - Choir Of St Johns College, Christopher Robinson, dir.


----------



## ptr

Inspried by Andolink listen on this album:

*Christer Lindwall* - Rhizome (Phono Suecia)









A host of various Artists!

And on to:

*Peter Hansen* - Trajectories (Slask OOP)









Jerker Johansson, vibraphone

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

*Allan Pettersson (1911-1980):* _Symphony No. 2; Mesto for String Orchestra;_ Swedish RSO, Stig Westerberg cond. (Swedish Society Discofil 1987). Recorded 1966 and 1961.

Ahh, Allan Pettersson, the loser son of a violent alcoholic blacksmith; Pettersson characterized him as a man who "said no to God, but yes to alcohol." Ha haaa! By the time of his _fifth symphony,_ he began to suffer from the legacy of his genetic inheritance, polyarthritis, a viral disease that attacks 5 or more joints. It's amazing that he went on, in considerable pain, to compose seventeen symphonies, quite an accomplishment for a frail-looking loser viola-player who emerged from a matrix of stigma and darkness.

Always serious (wouldn't you be?), Pettersson takes us through harrowing, craggy landscapes, giving us occasional relief and lightness, but always returning to the darkness. His music is tonal, with lots of dissonances, and interesting contrapuntal work.

Definitely an analog recording, I can hear slight tape drop-outs at the beginning of the _Mesto,_ which occur regularly with the reel speed, but gradually disappear. Those listeners who can't tell 24-bit/96kHz from a 192kbps MP3 will not notice this.

Feeling too perky? Got too much fresh air, and too much sunlight on your retinas? Try immersing yourself in the dark, gloomy, tragic world of Allan Pettersson, and bask in a warm, cloudy bath of depression. It's a way of life.


----------



## ptr

continuing with:

*Heiner Goebbels* - The Italian Concerto (IDA)









Heiner Goebbels, Piano, Percussion; Chris Cutler, Drums; Ensemble Icarus u. Yoichi Sugiyama (1) // Tiziano Popoli Sampler, Keyboards (2 & 3); Boubacar Djebate, Kora (2); Sira Djebate, Voice (3); Johannes Bauer, Trombone (3); Jocelyn B. Smith, Mezzo-soprano (4); Orchestra Del Teatro Communale Di Bologna u. Franck Ollu

and on to:

*Hans Holewa* - Portrait Disc (Phono Suecia)
(Trio for Violin, Viola and Violoncello / Concerto for Piano and Orchestra / Concertino VIII / Duettino for Violin and Guitar / Concertino IX / Duettino II for Flute and Guitar)









Leon Spierer (violin), Ulrich Fritze (viola), Jorg Baumann (cello), Jose Ribera (piano), Magnus Andersson (guitar), Emil Dekov (violin), Åse Enhamre (soprano), Stig Bengtson (flute); Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Strängnäs Sinfonietta u. Leif Segerstam, Miklos Maros & Claes Merithz

/ptr


----------



## julianoq

Schubert's glorious String Quintet. With Rostropovich and ESQ.


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> As for Roxanna, I've not heard the Updside Down Sailor. Did you enjoy it.
> My favourite tracks on the Love Abide CD are the Zen Love Song and Love is the Master.
> I love her sound world which harks back through the centuries and then surprises with those lovely chewy, crunchy dissonances.


Yeah, Upside Down Sailor was well done, a narrative of a yachtsman's capsizing and rescue, with her punctuating the speaking with musical phrases which either echo the speech patterns or invoke the scenery.

Love Is The Master doesn't play on Spotify, so I didn't hear that track. But I agree with you about the Zen Love Song. It must be a beast to sing unless you have perfect pitch.


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> Yeah, Upside Down Sailor was well done, a narrative of a yachtsman's capsizing and rescue, with her punctuating the speaking with musical phrases which either echo the speech patterns or invoke the scenery.
> 
> Love Is The Master doesn't play on Spotify, so I didn't hear that track. But I agree with you about the Zen Love Song. It must be a beast to sing unless you have perfect pitch.


Upside-down sailor? Gee, that sounds exciting! ~giggle!~


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, Requiem Canticles. Webern, Cantata No. 1.*

"The most striking feature common to both composers is their understanding of the heart of . . . music. [In] the Requiem Canticles and Webern's First Cantata . . . the music speaks as _sound._" (Malcom Hayes)


----------



## millionrainbows

Manxfeeder said:


> *Stravinsky, Requiem Canticles. Webern, Cantata No. 1.*
> 
> "The most striking feature common to both composers is their understanding of the heart of . . . music. [In] the Requiem Canticles and Webern's First Cantata . . . the music speaks as _sound._" (Malcom Hayes)


I tried to tell everybody this same thing on the "atonal" thread: music is sound.


----------



## Neo Romanza

millionrainbows said:


> music is sound.


Captain Obvious to the rescue. 

Now playing:










Listening to the _Oboe Concerto_. Such a fine work. Think I'll listen to it again.


----------



## jim prideaux

Brahms sextets-The Lindsays-only recently began to 'crack' the whole world of chamber music and it was originally down to these two particular pieces. Now listened to a number of quartets and quintets by both Brahms and Dvorak. Also Shostakovich quintet.
I was originally introduced to the Brahms sextets by Julian Barnes Desert island discs on I player-so not only is he such an impressive novelist-I also owe him for this pointer!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Anyone here heard Howells's Hymnus Paradisi.
It's a requiem in all but name for the premature death of the composer's son. It's exquisite.
Another unjustly neglected work from the baton of the sorely missed Richard Hickox.









I urge any lover of English Choral music to seek this out.


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> Anyone here heard Howells's Hymnus Paradisi.
> It's a requiem in all but name for the premature death of the composer's son. It's exquisite.
> Another unjustly neglected work from the baton of the sorely missed Richard Hickox.
> 
> View attachment 20145
> 
> 
> I urge any lover of English Choral music to seek this out.


Yes, I've heard it several times. A fine work. Howells is so underrated amongst other English composers.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Panufnik, Symphony No. 3. *

Thanks, MagneticGhost, for the heads-up about this powerful symphony.


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Piano Variations
Charles Rosen

and a counterpart from later in the century:

Takemitsu: Piano Distance
Aki Takahashi


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: PCs 1 & 3, w. ABM/VSO/Giulini (rec.1979); Overtures, w. Cleveland O./Szell (rec.1963 - '67).

View attachment 20149
View attachment 20150


----------



## Kieran

Wolfgangerl of the Mozarts, the dulcet notes of *K377*, with the beastly Barenboim battering the keys, Ithzak Perlman on sentry duty with the fiddle...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2_. Excellent performance. I still like Thomson's Martinu cycle a lot after all these years. He really nails the rhythmic tautness of the music. My other favorite cycle is the newer Belohlavek on Onyx.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*John Taverner, Missa Mater Christi*

This is one of those mass reconstructions, with all the antiphons included. I feel guilty about it, but I find myself skipping over all that to get to the parts Taverner composed. As they say, Absolve me, pater, quia peccavi.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> ....Harnoncourt the Great. What other recordings would you consider to be among his finest performances?


Certainly short-listed with top living conductors. Some favorite recs.--Haydn London Syms. w. ACO, Dvorak Sym. 9, w. ACO, Brahms Sym. 2., w. BPO., LvB Syms., w. COE. :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

The _Jupiter _was given its nickname by someone who was awestruck by the heavens and the music at one and the same moment. I'm listening to *K377 *again and I'm giving it a nickname which will resound through the ages and become its handle on concert programme notes and the lips of dowagers and squires alike as they take their seats for a concert performance (by BarenPerl, if you can afford them):

The _F$*@ing Beaut! _Sonata_..._


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> The _F$*@ing Beaut! _Sonata_..._


Don't know if it'll catch on at Classical FM...

Might as well listen to K551 now.
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Don't know if it'll catch on at Classical FM...
> 
> Might as well listen to K551 now.
> Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


First time I heard the Jupiter I was a calf and I leapt in my seat at the three-chord door knock at the start of it. It's never lost its appeal for me: I could listen to it more times than CoAG listens to anything by Sibelius!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Manxfeeder said:


> *John Taverner, Missa Mater Christi*
> 
> This is one of those mass reconstructions, with all the antiphons included. I feel guilty about it, but I find myself skipping over all that to get to the parts Taverner composed. As they say, Absolve me, pater, quia peccavi.
> 
> View attachment 20151


lol.... I find the reconstructions great. I'm partial to a bit of plainchant.
And then when the polyphony kicks in it's like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.
I'm going to listen to this one later on


----------



## Neo Romanza

Definitely *NOT* listening to Mozart  -

Now:










Listening to _Le Raid merveilleux_. I just love these Neoclassical ballets Martinu wrote.


----------



## ptr

I acquired the Vladimir Horowitz "Complete Original Jacket Collection" CD box dirt cheap at a second hand vendor last week (>$20) and decided to make it my summer project to listen to all 70 discs in the sequence of the box.
Heard disc No 1, Mussorgsky Pictures the other night, and will continue tonight:

[02] *Sergei Prokofiev* - Piano Sonata No 7 / *Dmitri Kabalevsky* - Piano Sonata No 3 (RCA Victor R=1945&47)









[03] *Ludwig van Beethoven* - Piano Sonata Op 27 No 2 "Mondschein" / *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Sonata No 12 K332 (RCA Victor R=1946&47)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

..everything VH touch seem to become very satisfying.. 

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Neo Romanza said:


> Definitely *NOT* listening to Mozart  -


Don't worry. I forgive you. Don't know about Kieran, though....


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> Don't worry. I forgive you. Don't know about Kieran, though....


 As you may or may not know, I don't care much for Mozart nor do I care much for any musical era prior to the 19th Century.


----------



## Guest

Neo Romanza said:


> Captain Obvious to the rescue.
> Now playing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to the _Oboe Concerto_. Such a fine work. Think I'll listen to it again.


I gave a 'Like' for Neo's 'Captain Sensible' line. Nearly wet myself.


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Don't worry. I forgive you. Don't know about Kieran, though....


I'm a generous guy - I'll let it go this time! :tiphat: 

Now listening to the Haffner Serenade, a disc I purchased in Salzburg:*K250* in D, performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman....


----------



## Neo Romanza

TalkingHead said:


> I gave a 'Like' for Neo's 'Captain Sensible' line. Nearly wet myself.


HA!!!! This is too funny.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Today's line-up so far!

*Rossini* - La Danza (E. Rojatti, Haydn Philarmonia)

*Brahms* - Tragic Overture (N. Tsatishvili, Georgian Simi Festival)

*Mahler* - Piano Quartet in A minor (Domus Ensemble)

*Mahler* - Das Klagende Lied (S. Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony, CBSO Chorus and friends!)


----------



## Mahlerian

William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American"
Fort Smith Symphony, cond. John Jeter

Basically Romantic music with some bluesy touches (oddly enough, the composer studied under Varese). Not bad, but neither a match for the Symphonies of Copland and Schuman or the hot Jazz of its era (1931).


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> Anyone here heard Howells's Hymnus Paradisi.
> It's a requiem in all but name for the premature death of the composer's son. It's exquisite.
> I urge any lover of English Choral music to seek this out.


I haven't heard that one in a while. I have Handley's recording.


----------



## julianoq

Smetana - Má Vlast, with Kubelik and the VPO.


----------



## MagneticGhost

A quick listen to Holst's Hymn of Jesus before going out to walk the dog.


----------



## maestro267

Britten's War Requiem, live from St Paul's Cathedral on Radio 3.


----------



## Kieran

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20159
> 
> 
> A quick listen to Holst's Hymn of Jesus before going out to walk the dog.


That was part of a set that included _the Psalm of Joseph Before Cycling His Bike_ and _the Prayer of Mary Before Darning the Socks...._


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas (Vol. 1), w. GG (rec.1968 - '72).

View attachment 20160


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> I'm a generous guy - I'll let it go this time! :tiphat:
> 
> Now listening to the Haffner Serenade, a disc I purchased in Salzburg:*K250* in D, performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman....


For 50 Euros?


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> For 50 Euros?


I got away lightly! €9.99 in a music shop near Mozart's gaff. It also has the Notturne Serenade on it, too. I was hoping to snaffle K334 somewhere, but it wasn't to be...


----------



## DaveS

Sometimes, it's nice to listen to some shorter English pieces, led by Sir Adrian. The George Butterworth music is especially pleasant.


----------



## Ravndal




----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Don't know if it'll catch on at Classical FM...
> 
> Might as well listen to K551 now.
> Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


Are you Mozart fanatics really able to remember works by their K numbers? If so, I'm impressed...


----------



## MagneticGhost

Kieran said:


> That was part of a set that included _the Psalm of Joseph Before Cycling His Bike_ and _the Prayer of Mary Before Darning the Socks...._


Not of course forgetting the Masterwork --- The Creation before breakfast


----------



## Ravndal




----------



## Kieran

millionrainbows said:


> Are you Mozart fanatics really able to remember works by their K numbers? If so, I'm impressed...


Usually can, in fact. Maybe not everything, but I can prolly go ballpark fairly handy...


----------



## namenlose




----------



## julianoq

What a surprise! Never heard anything from Mikko Franck before. The En Saga is excellent! Starting Lemminkäinen now, looks quite good too.


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> What a surprise! Never heard anything from Mikko Franck before. The En Saga is excellent! Starting Lemminkäinen now, looks quite good too.


Thanks for the reminder. I _need_ this recording as Sibelius' _Lemminkainen Legends_ is one of my favorite works by him. I already own Segerstam's, Vanska's, and Salonen's. One more certainly can't hurt.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 through 14.*


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> I got away lightly! €9.99 in a music shop near Mozart's gaff. It also has the Notturne Serenade on it, too. I was hoping to snaffle K334 somewhere, but it wasn't to be...


Good for you.

Prior to my Salzburg visit, I experienced an allergic reaction to Musikverein shop's CD prices. It was akin to injesting too much strong horseradish. That episode safeguarded me from further Austrian CD misadventures.

Years later, still suffering after-effects, I tip-toed into a Rome Ricordi store. And found a hard-to-get Paul Jacobs CD for the equivalent of ten bucks!


----------



## PetrB

Vaneyes said:


> Good for you.
> 
> Prior to my Salzburg visit, I experienced an allergic reaction to Musikverein shop's CD prices. *It was akin to ingesting too much strong horseradish*.


Ahhh, we all know what you mean, *Prices that bring tears to your eyes.*


----------



## SimonNZ

just finished on the radio:

Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition - David Kadouch, piano

starting now:

Handel's Dettingenn Te Deum - Stephen Layton, dir.


----------



## schuberkovich

Maurice Ravel - Sonatine for piano
Pascal Rogé
The opening melody is so beautiful


----------



## Kieran

*Diabelli Variations* by Beethoven, performed brilliantly by Brendel on Brilliant...


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc's Les Biches - Anatole Fistoulari, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: PCs 1 & 2, w. Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec.1987); Transcendental Etudes, w. Berezovsky (rec.1995/6).

View attachment 20173
View attachment 20174


----------



## Tristan

Bruch - Symphony No. 2

I only recently discovered that Bruch had even written symphonies.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Usually can, in fact. Maybe not everything, but I can prolly go ballpark fairly handy...


Without looking: K183

Nice to see you back Kieran. Hope you had a good trip.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> I got away lightly! €9.99 in a music shop near Mozart's gaff. It also has the Notturne Serenade on it, too. I was hoping to snaffle K334 somewhere, but it wasn't to be...


Without looking I think K334 is the serenade with the famous over-played minuet. I'll check after I post.

Edit: I was thinking of the right piece but it's a divertimento not a serenade. I'll have to work on it more.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Violin Concerto No. 2_. An assured performance from violinist Lorenzo Gatto and Walter Weller, always a satisfying Martinu conductor, provides great accompaniment.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

Klemperer and the Berlin Phil, a live performance from 3/9/58 with lots of gravitas.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Sonata No.11 "Alla Turca" - Fritz Neumeyer, fortepiano

a treat from the secondhand bins yesterday, an Archiv 10" I hadn't seen before

another Archiv surprise in the bins was this "Bali: Gamelan Music From Sebatu" lp:









I had no idea that at some point they had branched out into non-western classical musics


----------



## chrisco97

*Schubert* - Impromptus
_Lili Kraus_

This is amazing so far.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Going to make my way through Martinu's cycle of piano concerti again. Listening to _Piano Concerto No. 1_. Lovely work.


----------



## Selby

I have never listened to this in it's entirety. Going to get it onto my mp3 player and go for a run. Fitting I think.


----------



## Selby

schuberkovich said:


> Maurice Ravel - Sonatine for piano
> Pascal Rogé
> The opening melody is so beautiful
> View attachment 20169


I just love Pascal Rogé for the whole French repertoire. His Debussy is amongst my favorites. His Fauré is great. His Satie is outright superlative.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Damn fine... but I would expect no less from Wallfisch. I must add this the recordings by Manze and Holloway.


----------



## opus55

Neo Romanza said:


> Schuman's 3rd is one of the best American symphonies ever written IMHO. Absolutely exhilarating performance from Bernstein/NY Philharmonic.


Only last night this symphony started to click in my head - added to the list of great works to revisit soon.



Vaneyes said:


> Certainly short-listed with top living conductors. Some favorite recs.--Haydn London Syms. w. ACO, Dvorak Sym. 9, w. ACO, Brahms Sym. 2., w. BPO., LvB Syms., w. COE. :tiphat:


Thanks for recommendations again. :tiphat: to you

Now listening to -

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622










One of the most beautiful slow movements in Mozart concertos.


----------



## Neo Romanza

opus55 said:


> Only last night this symphony started to click in my head - added to the list of great works to revisit soon.


This is a symphony that can be revisited many times. I never tire of it. As for 'clicking' with me, I loved it on first hearing but perhaps it was because I was already familiar with the harmonic/melodic language of the composer.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3










Re-discovering with my new speakers


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Sinfonietta La Jolla_. This is a fun, Neoclassical inflicted work. Very good performance too.


----------



## Weston

Tonight I learned never to listen to Bartok while I'm working on art. Some of it is worse than chugging an entire pot of coffee in terms of how it effects steadiness of hand. I'm afraid I failed to notice the subtleties of these piano concertos numbers 1 and 2. Not good for background. 










Now I must listen to the frogs "neeping" outside in order to sleep.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs_ which I play on through to the _Piano Concertino_ and then _Symphony No. 7_.


----------



## Feathers

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas played by Milstein:









Unfortunately, I won't have time to finish listening to it today, but I will continue tomorrow.


----------



## chrisco97

*Debussy* - The Sunken Cathedral
_Noriko Ogawa_

I am so blown away by this piece. It is so beautifully haunting. A true masterpiece.


----------



## Sid James

*J. Strauss II* _Die Fledermaus (The Bat) - Highlights_
- Cast incl. Eberhard Waechter, Gundula Janowitz, Wolfgang Windgassen with Vienna State Opera Chorus and Vienna PO under Karl Bohm

*Hovhaness*
_Alleluia and Fugue for String Orch.
Meditation on Orpheus_
- Seattle SO under Gerard Schwarz
_Symphony #53, "Star Dawn"_
- Ohio State Wind Band under Keith Brion


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Without looking: K183
> 
> Nice to see you back Kieran. Hope you had a good trip.


Hey brother!

Google was slower than me here but I had to guess it: symph 25. I reckon I'd be weaker on the younger works but 183 is embroidered into the grey matter. Good to see you too!

Gonna listen to some Beethoven to wake me up: the Egmont overture, conducted by Lenny...


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' "Hodie" Cantata - David Willcocks, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Started the day with a little Walton from this box.

Portsmouth Point
Scapino
Siesta
Sonata for Strings
Belshazzer's Feast


----------



## EllenBurgess

currently started to listen quit playing games with my heart


----------



## ptr

sunrise edition:

*Julia Fischer* - Poème (*Decca*)
(Ottorino Respighi - Poema autunnale for violin & orchestra / Josef Suk - Fantasy Opus 24 / Ernest Chausso - Poème, Op.25 / Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending)









Julia Fischer, violin; Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo u. Yakov Kreizberg

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 14 / *Benjamin Britten* - Nocturne, Op 60 (BBC Legends OOP)









Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano & Mark Reshetin, bass; English Chamber Orchestra u. Benjamin Britten // Peter Pears, tenor; Richard Adeney, flute; Peter Graeme, cor anglais; Thea King, clarinet; Martin Gatt, bassoon; Ifor James, horn; James Blade, timpani; Osian Ellis, harp; English Chamber Orchestra u. Benjamin Britten

VH Project 2013:

[4] *Robert Schumann* - Kinderszenen Op 15 / *Fred Chopin* - Mazurkas (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

and now on to:

*Stefano Scodanibbio* - Reinventions (ECM)









Quartetto Prometeo

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dog walking music

Dona Nobis Pacem - Vaughan Williams


----------



## MagneticGhost

Post Dog Walk.

In Honour of Neo Romanza









In Honour of ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Holst: "The Evening Watch and other choral music" - Holst singers, Hilary David Wetton, dir.


----------



## schuberkovich

Earlier today I listened to Schubert's E flat major piano trio
Beaux Arts Trio (of course)


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[05] F*reddy Chopin* - Piano Sonata No 2, Op.35 / *Sammy Barber* - Piano Sonata Op 26 (RCA Victor)









[06] *Pete Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No 1 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano; NBC SO u. Arturo Toscanini

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Arvo Part's Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten - Denis Russel Davies, dir.

Just learned that in two weeks the NZSO will be in town doing a concert of this Part piece, Nielsen's Fifth Symphony and a 2012 work by Kalevi Aho called Sieidi, which doesn't seem to be available as a recording yet. And that the concert is to be conducted by Osmo Vanska.


----------



## MagneticGhost

ptr said:


> *Julia Fischer* - Poème (*Decca*)
> Ernest Chausso - Poème, Op.25
> 
> View attachment 20183
> 
> 
> Julia Fischer, violin; Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo u. Yakov Kreizberg


I had almost forgotton now beautiful this piece by Chausson is. Ta for reminding me.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Thought I'd stick with Julia Fischer and listen to some Russian Violin Concertos.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Fauré: String Quartet, Requiem.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Allan Pettersson (1911-1980):* _Symphony No. 5 (1960-62);_ Berliner Sibelius Orchester; Andreas Peer Kähler, cond. (Bluebell).

Even the liner notes admit, "the basic mood is one of bottomless despair." Pettersson can always be counted on to deliver darkness. This Fifth Symphony is just as craggy and depressing as any of the bunch (he wrote seventeen in all).

In one continuous movement, it seems to be an elaboration of one long C# minor chord (_wait;_ it's in A minor now). Key areas seem to change without being noticeable, until you realize you are in a different minor-chord area. Interesting contrapuntal passages occur periodically, and dissonant outbursts of horns at 15:00 hit like a sudden car-crash, startling us out of our depressed complacency into a more dynamic fear. Spectrally, I'd say that the major color here is grey, albeit a shiny, graphite grey of large craggy peaks. At the end, there are longer, more sustained notes on the strings, suggesting a resting place, a final acceptance of this dark fate.

That's as good as it gets, sunshine-seekers. If you want to "chase away the demons," this is not the music to do it with. If anything, you'll awake in your chair to discover that you have been transported to a grey, craggy, empty place, and are left to wander through this vast, unknown landscape, searching for respite from the relentless onslaught. Reminds me of my last job.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Since Neo started the Martinu Appreciation group I decided to listen to this symphony set once again over the last couple of days. I really enjoy this set. There may be other individual recordings of these symphonies but Jiri Belohlavek's version with the BBC is consistently good. I love all these symphonies but my favorites at this time are 1,2 and 6. Martinu is one of my top favorite composers. Right up there near Shostakovich. The guy had a tremendous amount of creativity and wrote for almost every instrument and combination you can think of.










After the symphonies I am now working my way through the Martinu String Quartets by the Panocha Quartet. This is a very fine set as well! 










Kevin


----------



## adrem

Excellent recording of Mahler 5 by Chailly and RCO.


----------



## Rehydration

Saint-Saens, Carnival of the Animals.







(Because the performers are so talented!)


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to The Tempest Suite No. 1, with Segerstam and Helsinki PO. The Oceanides performance was also very good.










Following that, accepting the suggestions and high praises, I am very curious to listen to Fischer's Poème!


----------



## ptr

*Andre Previn* - Honey and Rue / *Samuel Barber* - Knoxville Summer of 1915 / *George Gershwin* - Two songs from Porgy and Bess (*DG*)









Kathleen Battle; Orchestra of St. Luke's u. Andre Previn

*Bela Bartok* - Two Violin Sonatas Sz 75 & 76 (*Hungaroton*)









Gidon Kremer, violin & Iury Smirnov, piano

/ptr


----------



## Skilmarilion

Love the Julia Fischer vibe going on today! She's my favourite violinist.


----------



## jim prideaux

Holst-Brook Green Suite etc English Sinfonia cond Grffiths on Naxos. Such unassuming music but so rewarding at this stage in the day. So much more to Gustav than the Planets and a reminder that there is always music that one has not heard-I listen to this frequently and yet came upon it by complete accident


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> Since Neo started the Martinu Appreciation group I decided to listen to this symphony set once again over the last couple of days. I really enjoy this set. There may be other individual recordings of these symphonies but Jiri Belohlavek's version with the BBC is consistently good. I love all these symphonies but my favorites at this time are 1,2 and 6. Martinu is one of my top favorite composers. Right up there near Shostakovich. The guy had a tremendous amount of creativity and wrote for almost every instrument and combination you can think of.
> 
> After the symphonies I am now working my way through the Martinu String Quartets by the Panocha Quartet. This is a very fine set as well!
> 
> Kevin


Kevin, both of those sets are killer! Belohlavek really nailed these symphonies, which shouldn't come as a surprise since before this set's release he has been conducting what I refer to as 'half cycles' over a period of several years. He recorded _Symphonies 3, 4, 5, & 6_ for Supraphon (live recordings) and previously recorded _Symphonies 1, 4, & 6_ for Chandos. All performances with the Czech Philharmonic. So I'm glad he finally buckled down and gave us a full cycle of all six symphonies under the same label.  The SQs are great as well and that Panocha cycle is the one to have.

Between you and MagneticGhost, it's good to see you guys give some love to this fantastic composer.


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[07] *Fred Chopin* - Piano Works R 1945-7 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

and now on to something with slightly more sass:

*Erwin Schulhoff* - Violin Sonatas (*Hyperion*)









Tanja Becker-Bender, violin & Markus Becker, piano

/ptr


----------



## NightHawk

Prokofiev Piano Concertos Complete - John Browning, Erich Leinsdorf, Boston Symphony Orchestra:
This is a _perfect_ realization in both the piano _and_ the orchestra. 6******'s Highly recommended.

Set also contains: Erick Friedman performing the Prokofiev Violin Concerto w Leinsdorf & Boston. Haven't listened to it yet.


----------



## korenbloem

Pierre Boulez - Le Marteau Sans Maitre [1964]

With Severino Gazzellon on flute, You know: Eric dolphy named a track after him


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's 10th (fiddle sinatra) performed by Grumiaux and Haskill...


----------



## DavidH

Grieg's Piano Concerto, performed by Radu Lupu, Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra. A really powerful and brilliant performance of a work I think people sometimes think less of because it's so 'famous'.


----------



## NightHawk

Starting this evening.


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Symphony no. 6 (Maazel).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande
Colette Alliot-Lugaz, Francois Le Roux, José van Dam, Chorus & Orchestra of the Opera Lyon, cond. Elliot Gardiner

via Youtube


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Taverner, Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas*


----------



## Rehydration

I listened to a quite well-performed Karelia Suite today, specifically







Sibelius is really starting to grow on me.


----------



## belfastboy

*The Full Works Concert: Jane Jones - Classic FM: Symphony No.5 in Bb major,* Franz Schubert* at the mo....*


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Sinfonia antartica (Handley).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Martinu, Symphony Nos. 1 and 2*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mahler 7.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6.*

Gergiev on No. 5 and Mravinsky on No. 6


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's last few piano sonatas, Mitsuko on the stool...


----------



## Mahlerian

Zemlinsky: Six Songs Op. 13 on poems of Maurice Maeterlinck
Violeta Urmana, cond. James Conlon


----------



## Selby

Taking a personal day:

Watching the Ring Cycle on DVD - Levine

And eating nachos in a rarely empty house.

Pretty much heaven (or Valhalla if you prefer).


----------



## elgar's ghost

Have just finished listening to a marvellous double-disc of 1920s Kurt Weill on DG with David Atherton/London Sinfonietta. 

Works:

Kleine Dreigroschenmusik
Mahagonny Songspiel
Happy End
Pantomine I from Der Protagonist
Das Berliner Requiem
Vom Tod im Wald
Concerto for Violin & Wind Orchestra

Now I've got the bit between the teeth I'll play his Symphony no. 2 before retiring for the evening.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bruch's Kol Nidrei - Han-Na Chang, cello, Mstislav Rostropovich, cond.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): String Quartet in C Major, Op.7, No.1

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balasz Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello

View attachment 20230


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique - Leonard Slatkin, cond.


----------



## Ravndal

Cyril Scott - Lotus Land, Op 47, No 1

Yummy.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Concertos 19 & 27 (R. Goode, Orpehus Chamber)

*Sibelius* - Violin Concerto (M. Vengerov, D. Barenboim -- cond, Chicago Symphony)

-- This never ceases to amaze. The finale may just be my favourite ending to any concerto!


----------



## Ravndal

Geirr Tveitt - Morild


----------



## Sid James

*Vanessa-Mae* Violin Fantasy on Puccini's 'Turandot'
- Vanessa-Mae on violin with Orchestra of the Royal Opera House under Viktor Fedotov

*Hovhaness* Symphony #50 "Mount St. Helens"
- Seattle SO under Gerard Schwarz

*Mozart* Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525
- Vienna Mozart Ensemble under Willi Boskovsky

*Offenbach* Gaite parisienne (arr. Manuel Rosenthal)
- Pittsburgh SO under Andre Previn


----------



## Ravndal

Sæverud - Rondo Amoroso

Just beautiful.






Terrible version though.

For spotify users:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5.*

Kyrill Kondrashin conducting. Someone said this is his weakest interpretation of his cycle. I guess I need to understand the piece better; it sounds good to me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dunstable motets - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Leopold Kozeluch (26 June 1747-1818): Clarinet Concert No.1 in E Flat

Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet

View attachment 20234


----------



## Novelette

Clementi: Keyboard Sonata in E Flat, Op. 12/2 -- Vladimir Horowitz

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Brahms: Violin Sonata #3 in D Minor, Op. 108 -- Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy

Tallis: Tunes From Archbishop Parker's Psalter -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Rameau: Nélée & Myrthis -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern Piano Variations. Schoenberg, Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11*

I'm home alone tonight. This music is perfect for being home alone. Of course, after this is over, I'm going to watch something goofy on Netflix.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Symphony No.4 in F Major, Op.110

Howard Griffiths directing the Zurcher Kammerorchester

View attachment 20238


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Allan Pettersson-- *Symphony No.7 and Symphony No.11, *
both performed by the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra under Christian Lindberg. 
Alexander Borodin--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, Symphony No.2 in B Minor and Symphony No.3 in A Minor. * All three works feature the Stephen Gunzenhauser led Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## chrisco97

*Debussy* - Preludes for Piano (Book 1)
_Noriko Ogawa_

Just now starting to really get into Debussy's music, I thought I may as well start with something like this. It is amazing so far. Debussy's music is really awesome. I do not know why I have waited so long to really get into his music.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schnittke*: Symphony 7, with Polyansky (rec.1999); Symphony 8 with Rozhdestvensky (rec. 1994).

View attachment 20239
View attachment 20240


----------



## millionrainbows

korenbloem said:


> View attachment 20216
> 
> 
> Pierre Boulez - Le Marteau Sans Maitre [1964]
> 
> With Severino Gazzellon on flute, You know: Eric dolphy named a track after him


Wow! What a cover image! As I recall, this recording with Gazzelloni is available in the Domaine Musical box set.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Chronochromie
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Schoenberg: Herzgewachse
Ensemble Intercontemporain, Christine Schafer









The latter of these goes along with the other Maeterlinck from earlier. I understand why he's out of fashion as a writer these days, and it's hard to look at symbolist art without a little bit of irony, but it spawned some great music all the same.


----------



## Manxfeeder

korenbloem said:


> Pierre Boulez - Le Marteau Sans Maitre [1964]
> 
> With Severino Gazzellon on flute, You know: Eric dolphy named a track after him


I've never paid much attention to this piece, but Eric Dolphy - now I have a (kind of) frame of reference. It's funny what will spark an interest. Anyway, I'm listening to a Boulez performance. Unfortunately, it's not with Gazzeloni.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Symphony No. 36


----------



## Mahlerian

Continuing the Maeterlinck theme...

Sibelius: Pelleas and Melisande, Incidental music, Op. 46
Estonian National Symphony, cond. Paarvo Jarvi


----------



## millionrainbows

*Nicolae Bretan (1887-1968):* _*Golem (1923):*_ Philharmonic Orchestra Moldova, Iasi; Cristian mandeal, cond. (Nimbus)

Dark opera. It was a 1914 novel by Gustav Meyrink, as well as this opera, and another opera by John Casken (1949-) (Virgin Classics 2-CD). I first became aware of it in the 1966 Hammer film *It!* aka _Curse of the Golem,_ starring Roddy McDowall. Creeped me out to the core.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition --
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in A Major, Op.2, No.2

Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 20243


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor,* hauntingly and superbly performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. I found their traversal of its second movement to be especially beautiful. 
Piotr Chaikovskii-- *Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russia"}. *Both worksonce again feature Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Ralph Vaughan Williams-*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both featuring the Sir Adrian Boult led New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _La revue de cuisine_. Such a fun work. I'm going to let this whole recording play on through. It's been quite some time since I've listened to it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's L'Ascension - Jennifer Bate, organ


----------



## jim prideaux

getting ready for work-weather looks like it could go either way BUT-Brahms to start the day-string quintets are beginning to get 'under my skin' in exactly the same way the sextets have-nice one!


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Uaxuctum - Concentus Vocalis, Wiener Kammerchor


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: VC4 comparing Manze/English Concert with Tognetti/Australian Chamber Orchestra

My thoughts so far, Manze & co. certainly make the music sound nice and the balance between instruments couldn't be better and neither could the tempo, but it is a little expressionless comapred to Tognetti & co. I prefer Manze's cadenza over Tognetti's but the Tognetti recording I prefer when it comes to everything else.


----------



## Kieran

Need something to celebrate Federer being turfed out of Wimbledon: Beethoven's 9th, the Ode to Joy part, Lenny Bernstein directing traffic in New York.

After this, a series of Luigi's overtures, which are morning music to me, starting with the Egmont...


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Sternklang

my cat has gone to sit in the cold rain outside rather than suffer this


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 20246
> 
> 
> Stockhausen's Sternklang
> 
> my cat has gone to sit in the cold rain outside rather than suffer this


Your cat just _knows_: you're suffering from a psychological trauma called Stockhausen's Syndrome! It's the Stockholm Syndrome of music!


----------



## SimonNZ

I have recently come to feel a sympathy for this person I used to consider public enemy number one - so there may be some truth to that.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 6


----------



## Op.123

Schubert, trout quintet.


----------



## ptr

samurai said:


> On *Spotify: *Allan Pettersson-- *Symphony No.7 and Symphony No.11, *
> both performed by the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra under Christian Lindberg.


Shouldn't that say: conducted by the greatest composer of them all Leif Segerstam? 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[08] *Johannes Brahms* - Violin Sonata No 3 Op 108 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano & Nathan Millstein, violin

[09] *Johannes Brahms* - Piano Concerto No 2 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano; NBC SO u. Arturo Toscanini

And now on to:

*Edward Elgar* - The Dream of Gerontius Op 38 (*Hallé*)









Paul Groves, Gerontius; Alice Coote, Angel; Bryn Terfel, Priest/Angel of Agony; Hallé Youth Choir, Hallé Choir & The Hallé Orchestra u. Sir Mark Elder

Sir Mark is quite operatic in his approach to Elgar's Oratorios, for me this lift these works beyond being religious dramas making them even more eternal!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

The Haffner Serenade, *K250*. It sounds like a mongrel: semi-symph, with the noble blood of a violin concerto pulsing through its midriff. Performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman....


----------



## aleazk

Ravel - Piano trio.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1775): Concerto Grosso, Op.3, No.6

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici

View attachment 20250


----------



## Kleinzeit

Travelling in the wilds without benefit of webphone. There's little of the music I like out in the world. A snatch of it is, well, it's like hearing a songbird!

Finding myself a fifth wheel at someone elses' reunion I plop in front of the tv. It's an old hard-boiled movie called Destination Murder, 1950. 

A goon is putting the beats to a sap while a piano player covers up the noise. It's Moonlight Sonata! Hurd Hatfield stands by watching. I think he's the mob boss.

Beethoven for a beating is the kind of class I'd expect from old Dorian Grey. 
This is worth borrowing a phone to report.


----------



## Sid James

More industrial grade schmaltz, wedged in between "Bach Double" and the end of my latest traversal of this excellent Hovhaness double disc set:

*J.S. Bach* Concerto for 2 Violins and Strings in D minor, BWV1043
- Takako Nishizaki & Alexander Jablokov, violins with Capella Istropolitana under Oliver Dohnanyi

*Benatzky, Stolz et al.* Im Weissen Ross'l - Excerpts
*Kalman* Grafin Mariza - Excerpts
- Orchestra, choir and soloists of Wiener Volksoper under Franz Bauer-Theussl

*Hovhaness*
Prelude and Quadruple Fugue
*String Quartet #3, "Reflections on my Childhood" (Childhood in New England)
And God Created Great Whales
- Seattle SO under Gerard Schwarz, except *played by Shanghai SQ


----------



## Guest

Two newly acquired recordings today:








Berlioz: Harold in Italy
David Aaron Carpenter, Vladimir Ashkenazy








Mozart: Requiem
Franz Bruggen


----------



## SimonNZ

Edmund Rubbra's The Morning Watch - Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## ptr

Lunch music:

*Modest Mussorgsky* - A Night on the Bare Mountain // The Destruction of Sennacherib // Salammbô // Oedipus in Athens // Pictures At An Exhibition (Maurice Ravel) (*DG*)









Elena Zaremba; Prager Philharmonischer Chor & Berliner Philharmoniker u. Claudio Abbado

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> Travelling in the wilds without benefit of webphone. There's little of the music I like out in the world. A snatch of it is, well, it's like hearing a songbird!
> 
> Finding myself a fifth wheel at someone elses' reunion I plop in front of the tv. It's an old hard-boiled movie called Destination Murder, 1950.
> 
> A goon is putting the beats to a sap while a piano player covers up the noise. It's Moonlight Sonata! Hurd Hatfield stands by watching. I think he's the mob boss.
> 
> Beethoven for a beating is the kind of class I'd expect from old Dorian Grey.
> This is worth borrowing a phone to report.


Beautifully reported, too!


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Missa Solemnis - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## millionrainbows

John Casken (1949-): Golem (1989): Music Projects/London; Richard Bernas, cond.(Virgin Classics 2-CD).

Interesting work, with sections of aleatory counterpoint influenced by Lutoslawski. This won the 1990 Britten Award for Composition. For me, it's my first experience hearing that singularly strange creature known as a counter-tenor, in this case one Christopher Robson. Golem stories abound in different versions through history, and will probably continue into the future because of their metaphorical flexibility. I'm waiting for the AI version.


----------



## DavidH

Barber's Adagio for Strings. The world premier in 1938 conducted by Toscanini & the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Interestingly, it's 2 minutes faster than most other recordings today, but still as emotionally moving - perhaps more-so since the music is less sentimentalized.

Barber wrote this when he was 26 years old. I find this simply amazing.


----------



## anshuman

Karajan's Recording of the Tristan prelude with the Berlin Philharmonic (1984) tremendous stuff


----------



## anshuman

Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 with Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw,Haitink. The orchestra's playing is superb.


----------



## julianoq

Thanks ptr for the reminder of this work, I don't have the Sir Mark album but The Dream of Gerontius was on my queue for a long time. Listening now the Barbirolli performance.


----------



## rrudolph

Some percussion ensemble music:

Varese: Ionisaton/Colgrass: Fantasy Variations/Saperstein: Antiphonies/Cowell: Ostinato Pianissimo/Wuorinen: Percussion Symphony








Cage: Six/One 4/Quartet/Dance Music for Elfrid Ide/Three 2








Lansky: Threads (I plan on doing this one with my ensemble in a couple months)


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013

[10] Encores (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

[11] Sergei Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No 3 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano / RCA Victor So u. Fritz Reiner

/ptr


----------



## jim prideaux

schumann piano concerto and symphonies-any recommendations for recordings?


----------



## aleazk

Stockhausen - Gruppen.


----------



## Mahlerian

Barber: Violin Concerto
Isaac Stern, New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## NightHawk

I'm loving the *Boulez Complete Works*, and was pretty sure I would. The performances are _molto preciso_ and intensely musical - a necessary quality in all his work, and the music is astringent and bracing. Especially recommend (so far): _Sonatine pour Flute et Piano_ (1947), _Sonata 2 pour piano_ (1950), and the cantata _Le Visage nuptial_ (1947, rev. 1989).

Starting disc 3 tonight: 1) _Structures Livre I pour deux pianos _(1953), 2) _Le Soleil des eaux _1965 and 3) one of his acknowledged masterpieces, _Le Marteau sans maître_ (1955). ☺


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Horn Concerti, w. Allegrini/Mozart O.Abbado (rec. 2005 - '07); K.593 & K.614, w. Fehervari/Eder Qt. (rec.1996).

View attachment 20264
View attachment 20265


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> schumann piano concerto and symphonies-any recommendations for recordings?


Two of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording). Enjoy! :tiphat:

View attachment 20266
View attachment 20267


----------



## DrKilroy

Chopin - Polonaise in A-flat major, op. 53 (Pollini).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> Travelling in the wilds without benefit of webphone. There's little of the music I like out in the world. A snatch of it is, well, it's like hearing a songbird!
> 
> Finding myself a fifth wheel at someone elses' reunion I plop in front of the tv. It's an old hard-boiled movie called Destination Murder, 1950.
> 
> A goon is putting the beats to a sap while a piano player covers up the noise. It's Moonlight Sonata! Hurd Hatfield stands by watching. I think he's the mob boss.
> 
> Beethoven for a beating is the kind of class I'd expect from old Dorian Grey.
> This is worth borrowing a phone to report.


If there are any Grasshopper Warbler sightings, would you kindly report on those, also. Much thanks. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 20244
> 
> 
> Messiaen's L'Ascension - Jennifer Bate, organ


Messiaen was/is a birder...which your cat might appreciate.


----------



## DrKilroy

Satie - Cinema (Thibaudet).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## clavichorder

CPE Bach's F major Symphony, no. 3 in the H665 set. There is something really bustling and propelled about this work. Very fun music.


----------



## DrKilroy

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no. 3 (some Mravinsky  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet (nobody well known).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Now back to my Martinu exploration, Cello Concerto No.1 with Wallfisch. Very beautiful work.


----------



## NightHawk

[B said:


> DrKilroy[/B];484261]*Tchaikovsky* - Romeo and Juliet (nobody well known).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


A wonderful symphonic poem - one of my favorite Tchaik works!


----------



## brianvds

Rachmaninov: Vespers.

What a glorious thing it is.


----------



## ptr

Organ Night:

*Marcel Dupré* - Organ Works Vol 3, Vol 8 & Vol 11 (Guild)




























Jeremy Filsell @ the Organ of St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Sarasota, Florida, USA

/ptr


----------



## Kleinzeit

Listening to these









And reading this









Lovely mind!

So my question cuz you know about these things: _Must_ I have Schnabel's LvB sonatas? Are they keys to the kingdom?They're in old, distant sound of course. That's not a problem.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> .... reading this
> 
> View attachment 20270
> 
> 
> Lovely mind!
> 
> So my question cuz you know about these things: _Must_ I have Schnabel's LvB sonatas? Are they keys to the kingdom?They're in old, distant sound of course. That's not a problem.


I think they're required listening. Whether to own the set or not, that's another matter. Gauge by auditioning first. I don't like the sound enough for daily or even occasional bread. Singles are available.

Sound aside, they're a mahvellous blend of finesse and power. He could really churn out the latter when required. Still one of the most forceful. Enjoy! :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Martinu, Symphony No. 1. Feldman, Coptic Light.*


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Scena and Rondo K.505 
C.Bartoli 
M.Uchida 
Riccardo Muti

Once more I return to this beautiful concert aria. :clap:


----------



## DaveS

Just finished the original 1987 release on CD. Sonatas 2 &3 and several of the Mazurkas. Kapell was pretty amazing. These recordings from the early 50s; the 3rd was his last.


----------



## DaveS

And now listening to a 1987 release on Music & Arts...Munch & the BSO. August 1961 live recording of Franck's d minor. Probably in my top 5 favorite symphonic works.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Great Flute Concertos.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Talich Quartet with Karel Rehak on 2nd viola: Jan Talich, Sr. and Vladimir Bukac, violins -- Jane Talich, Jr, viola -- Evzen Ratay, cello

View attachment 20277


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, Piano and Orchestra and Cello and Orchestra.*


----------



## edge

I'm working my way through Beethoven but every once in a while I need a break. I don't know what lead me in this direction but I chose Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra. I spent 30 minutes on TC looking for a recommended recording but didn't find one so I went with Amazon reviews...and a good price. I know it's an acquired taste but I can't wait to listen to it again tomorrow.


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre
Hilary Summers, Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Boulez









Messiaen: La ville en haut, Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E major
London Philharmonic, cond. Welser-Most


----------



## SimonNZ

Alexander Agricola chansons - Ferrara Ensemble


----------



## NightHawk

Hope you got a good one - there are many. My favorite = Boston Symphony, Erich Leinsdorf conducting - made in the 60's - available on CD remastered.



edge said:


> I'm working my way through Beethoven but every once in a while I need a break. I don't know what lead me in this direction but I chose Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra. I spent 30 minutes on TC looking for a recommended recording but didn't find one so I went with Amazon reviews...and a good price. I know it's an acquired taste but I can't wait to listen to it again tomorrow.
> 
> View attachment 20279


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> Now back to my Martinu exploration, Cello Concerto No.1 with Wallfisch. Very beautiful work.


Yes, and an excellent recording too.  The other recording I own of Martinu's CCs is with Angelica May/Neumann on Supraphon and it's very good as well.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1745-1805): Cello Sonata in F Minor

Christian Benda, cello -- Sebastian Benda, piano

View attachment 20281


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.58 in C Major

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 20282


----------



## Sonata

Over the past couple weeks:

It's a *Mahler* symphony night which is always a wonderful thing! My first listen to Mahler 5, and I am indeed enjoying it  This particular version is the Utah Symphony, but I have two other versions as of yet unheard.

My *Big Schubert Box* is getting a lot of play, and giving me a lot of enjoyment: Symphonies 3-6, Rosamunde string quartet, Rondeau Brilliant, Nocturne for piano, violin and cello, various songs.

*Haydn complete piano sonatas: Ekaterina Derzhavina*. Work listening. I am on disc 5 of 9. I enjoy them very much, I must confess however that I do feel that there is a lot of "sameness" to them. Over time, I'm going to listen to one individual disc at a time for awhile before moving on to the next, and this may bring out unique elements.

*Schumann: Album for the Young*. Sitting in one of my massive MP3 collections for months untouched. A shame, delightful bit of orchestral miniatures!

*Mendelssohn: choral music*. On disc 5 of 8 from my Brilliant classics collection. Don't have the notes in front of me as to what is on this disc. I'm afraid this one doesn't move me like some of the others in the set.


----------



## Sonata

Oh, forgot to add this:

Started *"La Mer" from Debussy* the other night. Only had time for one movement....just a brief bit of me time, and I usually need focused listening to really understand most of Debussy's work. I was out on my back porch enjoying the fresh night air. I had a bit of a meditative experience, unplanned. Knowing it was about the sea I initially actively conjured a couple images that I felt kind of fit the music....something I don't all that often do, being more of a "pure music" listener. After a minute or two, the images were coming almost spontaneously, a very neat experience.

I don't recall all the images, but started as a nice pleasant day at the beach. Families picnicing, teens flirting, very cheery. Images of the tide rolling in around sea shells and rocks on the shore. Gulls circling overhead, fish visible in the water. Then a storm coming on, disaster for a small fishing boat, turbulent waves and strong undertow. Brief idea of a spouse at home as they hear the grim news....

then the storm ending, sunlight again falling on the beach. Once more you get the image of happy people just playing. Followed by the more adventuresome, I got an image of scuba divers and mermaids alike. Then the rising magesty of the music in the final minute or two, a view opening onto the lost city of Atlantis.

It was a pretty cool experience.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Debussy's _La Mer_ is one of those masterworks that I never tire of, Sonata. _La Mer_ is, dare I say, absolutely flawless. Do you have any favorite performances? Mine would probably be a toss-up between Haitink's, Boulez's (Sony), Martinon, and Karajan (Karajan Gold performance). All of these performances have meant a lot to me.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms Complete Piano Quartets


----------



## Sonata

Neo Romanza said:


> Debussy's _La Mer_ is one of those masterworks that I never tire of, Sonata. _La Mer_ is, dare I say, absolutely flawless. Do you have any favorite performances? Mine would probably be a toss-up between Haitink's, Boulez's (Sony), Martinon, and Karajan (Karajan Gold performance). All of these performances have meant a lot to me.


I'm sorry to say that I don't have a favorite yet....I have two performances and the info isn't in front of me at the moment. I've not explored my collection quite enough yet into listening closely to multiple performances of a a single version. Right now I'm focusing on learning what I already have well, and plan to get Spotify in a year or so, and then start to learn the nuances of different versions


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring_. This Del Mar performance is still the best one on record IMHO. Sorry Beecham fans!


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Octet Op.103 - Classical Winds

probably followed by the Sextet Op.71 on side two


----------



## julianoq

Last piece before bed, now listening to *Schumann's Fantasie in C Major*. Before that I listened to his Piano Concerto, that lead me to the Piano Quintet, then to the Piano Quartet, then to Piano Trio No.1, then finally to the Fantasie. All that because I was looking for a gift to my father and chose the Piano Concerto with Argerich and Chailly. Oh well, I don't regret at all, it was a great journey


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Frank Martin's _Cello Concerto_. Quite possibly one of his greatest works IMHO. Will let this recording play on through Honegger's _Cello Concerto_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's L'Ascension (orchestral version) - Vladimir Jurowski, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 20285
> 
> 
> Messiaen's L'Ascension (orchestral version) - Vladimir Jurowski, cond.


My favorite Messiaen work. I really dislike most of his music but will admit _L'Ascension_ is very beautiful.


----------



## jim prideaux

Second consecutive morning with Brahms string quintets;-is it possible to find more 'complete' chamber works? I find it increasingly interesting that Brahms, considered by many to be the archetypal music conservative can nonetheless be so rewarding.
Off to work-have recently started to investigate Schumann, a composer I appear to have unfortunately ignored for so long-will begin the day with the piano concerto via grooveshark


----------



## SimonNZ

Neo Romanza said:


> My favorite Messiaen work. I really dislike most of his music but will admit _L'Ascension_ is very beautiful.


" Éclairs sur l'au-delà..." is probably still my favorite (you know it, of course?), but then I'm not nearly so familiar with his work as some here are.

This is probably a good opportunity to inform anyone who may be interested that the DG complete Messiaen box which sold out incredibly quickly will be back in print in a couple of weeks:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4801333

"It was meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the great French composer's birth in December 2008. Released in September 2008, it was sold out before the anniversary date - all 4,000 boxes of the Messiaen Complete Edition.

There are benchmark performances by Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung, Olivier Latry and Roger Muraro, among many others. It's the only set that can offer Messiaen's magnum opus, the opera Saint François d'Assise. New recordings were made for the Edition; two works were recorded for the first time."

(with all the plugging I do for Presto here and elsewhere I think they should comp. me one of those boxes)


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> " Éclairs sur l'au-delà..." is probably still my favorite (you know it, of course?), but then I'm not nearly so familiar with his work as some here are.
> 
> This is probably a good opportunity to inform anyone who may be interested that the DG complete Messiaen box which sold out incredibly quickly will be back in print in a couple of weeks:
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4801333
> 
> "It was meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the great French composer's birth in December 2008. Released in September 2008, it was sold out before the anniversary date - all 4,000 boxes of the Messiaen Complete Edition.
> 
> There are benchmark performances by Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung, Olivier Latry and Roger Muraro, among many others. It's the only set that can offer Messiaen's magnum opus, the opera Saint François d'Assise. New recordings were made for the Edition; two works were recorded for the first time."
> 
> (with all the plugging I do for Presto here and elsewhere I think they should comp. me one of those boxes)


Yes, I'm quite familiar with all of Messiaen's orchestral music and less so with his chamber works but I do know the _Quartet for the End of Time_ pretty well (admittedly it's been a few years since I've heard it). I just can't get into his sound-world at all. As for that DG set, I own all of the Chung and Boulez performances so that's a miss for me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Steve Reich's Music For Pieces Of Wood - Steve Reich et al


----------



## Tristan

*Cui* - Suite No. 2 in E major, Op. 38 (Slovak Radio Symphony)

I really enjoy the music of Cesar Cui. Hard to find recordings of, unfortunately.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Scriabin - Piano Concerto
Decca - Ashkenazy


----------



## Sid James

*Puccini* Turandot (highlights)
- Cast incl. Maria Callas, Nicola Zaccaria, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf with La Scala Opera Orch. & Chorus under Tulio Serafin (recorded 1958)


----------



## ptr

Some personal nostalgia in the morning..:

*Bela Bartók* - Music for strings, Percussion & Celesta & Concerto for Orchestra (*Orfeo*)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

*Petr Tchaikovsky* - Suite No 3 / *Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Symphonic Dances (Emergo OOP?)









ConcertgebouwOrkest u. Kirill Kondrashin

*Robert Schumann* & *Edward Grieg* - Piano Concertos (CBS)









Murray Perahia, piano; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Colin Davis

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Wilhelm Friedmann Bach keyboard works - Christophe Rousset, harpsichord


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Vodicka (ca.1720-1774): Violin Sonata in B Flat

Jaroslav Sveceny, violin -- Josef Popelka, chamber organ -- Miroslav Petras, cello

View attachment 20291


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Vortex Temporum - Ensemble Risognanze


----------



## ptr

Noon Organ Nostalgia:

*The Salisbury Sound* (*Griffin*)









David Halls at the Willis Organ of Salisbury Cathedral

*Marcel Dupré at Saint-Sulpice*, Vol. 5: *Marcel Dupré* - Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 36; *Olivier Messiaen* - Le Banquet Céleste / Les Bergers from "La Nativité du Seigneur" (Mercury OOP?)









Marcel Dupré at the Cavaillé-Coll/Clicquot organ of Saint-Sulpice, Paris

*Romantic Organ Music*; Widor / Vierne / Alain / Franck / Karg-Elert / Mendelssohn / Brahms / Reger (*Argo/Decca*)









Peter Hurford at the Organ of Ratzeburg Cathedral, Germany

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

_Something_ _Fishy_ by Schubert, performed by Jeno Jando and the Kodaly Quartet...


----------



## schuberkovich

Schubert Piano Trio no.1 in B flat major
Beaux Arts Trio








The E flat major trio is definitely a greater and more powerful work, yet the B flat major trio is still wonderful.


----------



## Andolink

Furt (Richard Barrett and Paul Obermayer, electronics): curtains [in memory of Karlheinz Stockhausen] 








Richard Barrett: Opening of the Mouth
ELISION/Richard Barrett


----------



## apricissimus

I'm making my way though the big Mercury Living Presence 2 box set, and I just came across the Leroy Anderson disc:










I don't often like to say bad things about music (better to say nothing at all), but this has to be some of the most insipid music I've ever heard.


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven variations on *God Save the King*. He's varied it so much that now it sounds like *God Save the Queen*.

Brendel on Brilliant...


----------



## julianoq

Martinu again! Now the piano concertos, with Leichner playing and again Belohlavek conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. I am finding Martinu's music easy to enjoy and very rewarding.


----------



## ptr

More nostalgia:

*Sir Arty Bliss* - A Colour Symphony (Decca Ace of Clubs OOP?)









London Symphony Orchestra u Arthur Bliss

and on to:

_*The Melody Shop*_ (*Chandos*)









Grimethorpe Colliery Band u. Major Peter Parkes & Gary Cutt

/ptr


----------



## NightHawk

Boulez - Piano Sonata 3 (1957), Format 3: Constellation - Miroir (?), Structures Book II (1961), Figures, Doubles (1958-68), Prisms 2nd vers. (1968).


----------



## Ravndal

Been listening to

*Brahms*

*Clarinet Quintet* and the *Double Concerto* today.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> Beethoven variations on *God Save the King*. He's varied it so much that now it sounds like *God Save the Queen*.
> 
> Brendel on Brilliant...


Took a more feminine approach, eh?


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Took a more feminine approach, eh?


More modern! The King is Dead, Long live this Variation! :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> More modern! The King is Dead, Long live this Variation! :tiphat:


Sounds like *My Country 'Tis of Thee* to me. Perhaps Beethoven was showing his American spirit?


----------



## DrKilroy

Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March no. 1 (Menuhin),
Walton - Orb and Sceptre (Boult), Spitfire Prelude and Fugue (I'm not sure who).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidH

Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". The fiery and energetic recording by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1954. I think it's the fastest I've heard it!


----------



## DrKilroy

DavidH said:


> Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". The fiery and energetic recording by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1954. I think it's the fastest I've heard it!


This is really fast! I am joining you.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Sonata for Two Pianos
Igor Stravinsky, Soulima Stravinsky


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: Orchestral w. SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1987 - '97); String Quartets w. Kocian Qt.(rec.1995); *Berio*: Sequenzas w. various artists (rec.1998 - '04).

View attachment 20302
View attachment 20303
View attachment 20304


----------



## Kieran

*K250*: The Haffner Serenade. Really, for a work that was composed for a wedding, this is a substantial piece. A symph incorporating a violin concerto - with Wolfgang apparently playing the fiddle at the wedding (some wedding band, eh?) - it has dark shades flicking like flames around the edges.

Performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman....


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> Beethoven variations on *God Save the King*. He's varied it so much that now it sounds like *God Save the Queen*.
> 
> Brendel on Brilliant...


I dislike that work, but *you* meant no harm. Consequently, a like was forthcoming.


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> I dislike that work, but *you* meant no harm. Consequently, a like was forthcoming.


I have to say, it seemed a bit formal and uninteresting to me, so I think I earned the like for perseverance...


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> I have to say, it seemed a bit formal and uninteresting to me, so I think I earned the like for perseverance...


Nah, you earned the like with your joke.


----------



## Vaneyes

apricissimus said:


> I'm making my way though the big Mercury Living Presence 2 box set, and I just came across the Leroy Anderson disc:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't often like to say bad things about music (better to say nothing at all), but this has to be some of the most insipid music I've ever heard.


Honesty (with knowledge) is always the best policy. A thousand thanks for that.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> I have to say, it seemed a bit formal and uninteresting to me, so I think I earned the like for perseverance...


Caution, you're milking likes now.


----------



## Vaneyes

Which reminds me...has anyone noticed how stingy some are with likes. Just saying.


----------



## julianoq

I must say that I am on Martinu's Piano Concerto No.4 and what a journey his PCs are. From a neoclassical PC1, a style more like his symphonies on PC2, something more romantic and like Dvorak and Brahms on PC3, to impressionism on PC4! I don't know what to expect on PC5, but I must say that his music is impressive. I can't believe it took me so much time to try it out.


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> Which reminds me...has anyone noticed how stingy some are with likes. Just saying.


Absolutely. I liked your post twice just in case you were talking about me...


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to Frank Martin's _Cello Concerto_. Quite possibly one of his greatest works IMHO. Will let this recording play on through Honegger's _Cello Concerto_.


Thanks for that...haven't heard that CD. I'm bullish on the Martin, too. Have it with Kates/Louisville O//Mester (First Edition, rec. 1973). Good playing. Sound's a little compressed, which might actually help with atmosphere. Haven't shopped around.

I've had a couple of Honeggers over the years, and didn't care for it.

Know nothing about the Schoeck...any good?


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> ....
> Listening to _On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring_. This Del Mar performance is still the best one on record IMHO. Sorry Beecham fans!


Glorious John's for me.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Piano Trio No. 4 In F Major, H 15/39*

Ive been listening to a lot of Haydn this week and re-assessing the Classical era in general. I will continue with the same theme today and play selections from these 3 boxes:


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Oh, forgot to add this:
> 
> Started "La Mer" from Debussy the other night. Only had time for one movement....just a brief bit of me time, and I usually need focused listening to really understand most of Debussy's work. I was out on my back porch enjoying the fresh night air.* I had a bit of a meditative experience, unplanned.* Knowing it was about the sea I initially actively conjured a couple images that I felt kind of fit the music....something I don't all that often do, being more of a "pure music" listener. After a minute or two, the images were coming almost spontaneously, a very neat experience.
> 
> I don't recall all the images, but started as a nice pleasant day at the beach. Families picnicing, teens flirting, very cheery. Images of the tide rolling in around sea shells and rocks on the shore. Gulls circling overhead, fish visible in the water. Then a storm coming on, disaster for a small fishing boat, turbulent waves and strong undertow. Brief idea of a spouse at home as they hear the grim news....
> 
> then the storm ending, sunlight again falling on the beach. Once more you get the image of happy people just playing. *Followed by the more adventuresome*, I got an image of scuba divers and mermaids alike. Then the rising magesty of the music in the final minute or two, a view opening onto the lost city of Atlantis.
> 
> It was a pretty cool experience.


Careful as we go.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, Coptic Light.*

30 minutes of colors of sound.


----------



## Ravndal

Best version I have heard of this etude so far






Sokolov is one crazy guy.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Debussy - Melodies.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Handel* - Keyboard Suite No. 7 in G minor (Ragna Schirmer)

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major (Barenboim)

*Tchaikovsky* - Zemfira's Song (L. Kazarnovskaya -- soprano and L. Orfenova -- piano)


----------



## Mika

Respighi : Queen of Sheba


----------



## julianoq

A small break from my Martinu marathon, now listening to Grieg Piano Concerto with Leif Ove Andsnes.


----------



## chrisco97

*Debussy* - Ballade Slave, L 70
_Jean-Pierre Armengaud_

Sooo beautiful. Love it.
I think I could say that about all of Debussy's music I have heard. :lol:


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## DrKilroy

Szymanowski - Harnasie (Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Orchestral w. Halle O./Barbirolli (rec.1956 - '70); *Martin*: Cello Concerto w. Kates/Louisville O./Mester (rec.1973).

View attachment 20314
View attachment 20315


----------



## chrisco97

*Debussy* - Gardens in the Rain
_Jean-Pierre Armengaud_

More beautiful music from Debussy. I cannot get enough of his music!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schumann: symphony no. 3


----------



## Novelette

Tchaikovsky: String Quartet #2 in F, Op. 22 -- Ying Quartet

*Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D, Op. 123* -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Haydn: 12 Notturnos H 2/D5 -- Consortium Classicum

Bellini: Norma -- Maria Callas; Tullio Serafin: Orchestra & Chorus Of La Scala Milan


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Coptic Light - Michael Morgan, cond.

Having my curiosity piqued by multiple postings of this over the last couple of days, so listening on Youtube.


----------



## Kieran

Surreal said:


>


How does this does this compare to GG? Have you heard the Gould version?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brahms: Violin Concerto, Double Concerto, Piano Quartet no. 1


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Philip Glass' Itaipu - Robert Shaw, cond.


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 20319
> 
> 
> Philip Glass' Itaipu - Robert Shaw, cond.


I once saw Robert Shaw conducting a shark off the end of a sinking boat...


----------



## Bix

julianoq said:


> A small break from my Martinu marathon, now listening to Grieg Piano Concerto with Leif Ove Andsnes.


This is a superb recording of the Grieg, love it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> I once saw Robert Shaw conducting a shark off the end of a sinking boat...


Heh. I was thinking pretty much the same thing as I typed it. An explosive finale, if I recall.

Actually I was remembering that the "sinking of the Indianapolis" story Shaw tells is one of the greatest monologues in film histoty. Quite like to hear that again...


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> Heh. I was thinking pretty much the same thing as I typed it. An explosive finale, if I recall.
> 
> Actually I was remembering that the "sinking of the Indianapolis" story Shaw tells is one of the greatest monologues in film histoty. Quite like to hear that again...


He stole a train too. One of the great actors of the 70's. And he waved a wand too. Well, I never...


----------



## teej

Currently listening to Guridi String Quartets - wonderful stuff!!!


----------



## lunchdress

Got a free day-off today and feeling a bit light-hearted, hooray for 3 day weekends!









Satie: Parade; Poulenc: Les Biches; Milhaud: Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit
Vladimir Valek / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Blue Hour

Kieran said:


> How does this does this compare to GG? Have you heard the Gould version?


I have indeed heard both of the Gould "Goldbergs". I don't think you can compare them as they are to me completely different. I prefer Gould but the Schiff pictured (his second Goldberg disc) is good. It's much more subdued than Gould's but good nonetheless.

I was listening for the sole purpose of comparing it to his first disc. Of the two I prefer this to his first.

Link to first disc.

Regards,

Surreal :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Flute Quartets, K.285
Szymanowski: Symphony No. 3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm in the mood once again for some light Modern French fare.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Nepomuk Wendt (27 June 1745-1801): 'Le Nozze di Figaro' arranged for Winds

Julius Rudel conducting the Amadeus Ensemble: Leonard Arner and Robert Botti, oboes -- John Moses and Mitchel Estrin, clarinets -- Stewart Rose and Debra Poole, horns -- Frank Morelli and Harry Searing, bassoons -- Jack Kulowitsch, Alvin Brehm and Richard Fredrickson, doubles basses

View attachment 20321


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sticking with the French...


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 6


----------



## bejart

First listen to another recent addition --
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 in D Minor, Op.31, No.2

Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 20322


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Fauré and Verdi requiems.


----------



## SimonNZ

Chausson's Poeme De L'Amour Et De La Mer - Irma Kolassi, mezzo, Louis de Froment, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Fauré and Verdi requiems.


Sorry if you're tired of people asking this, but: whose recording of the Faure is it?

(and the Verdi, I suppose, though i care quite a bit less about that work)


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* Cello Sonata #2
- Pablo Casals, cello; Mieczyslaw Horsowszki, piano (Recorded 1936 in Paris)

*Prokofiev* Symphony-Concerto for cello & orch.
- Mstislav Rostropovich, cello with Royal PO under Sir Malcolm Sargent




Vaneyes said:


> Which reminds me...has anyone noticed how stingy some are with likes. Just saying.


Maybe they're all Scots...the guys who invented what you're playing on your avatar (golf!)...and associated with the quality you speak of!


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Brockes Passion - August Wenzinger, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing the theme of the week-Dvorak sextet and quintet-Raphael Ensemble-Hyperion-a rallying call early on a Saturday morning


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 8, "Pathetique"
_Jando Jeno_

One of my favourite works for the piano. I especially have come to love the second movement with it's calm and soothing feel. Such a beautiful theme.


----------



## DrKilroy

Kilar - Orawa. It is a bit like Adams mixed up with late Szymanowski.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm going to listen to a whole lot of music by Farrenc, a _fantastic_ and highly underrated composer!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Sorry if you're tired of people asking this, but: whose recording of the Faure is it?
> 
> (and the Verdi, I suppose, though i care quite a bit less about that work)











Verdi Requiem


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm going to listen to a whole lot of music by Farrenc, a _fantastic_ and highly underrated composer!


I read on this forum that Mozart is over-rated so I'm gonna listen to a bunch of him. Starting with piano quintet *K452*, performed by Jeno Jando and a plethora of pipes...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kieran said:


> I read on this forum that Mozart is over-rated so I'm gonna listen to a bunch of him. Starting with piano quintet *K452*, performed by Jeno Jando and a plethora of pipes...


K452, never overrated 
K545...maybe :lol:
But K546 and K222 are my favourite Mozart works.


----------



## Conor71

*Bartok: String Quartet No. 4, Sz 91*

I felt like listening to something challenging this evening so I have been playing selected quartets from these 3 sets (the Bartok is a new one):


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> K452, never overrated
> K545...maybe
> But K546 and K222 are my favourite Mozart works.


K222 is my favourite Beethoven work as well. 

The adagio and fugue is brilliant, one of those left-field works that's there - and nobody knows why.

You don't like the concertos? :tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kieran said:


> K222 is my favourite Beethoven work as well.
> 
> The adagio and fugue is brilliant, one of those left-field works that's there - and nobody knows why.
> 
> You don't like the concertos? :tiphat:


I do! 
Favourites are: K175, K191, K218, K314, K364, K412, K453, K595 and K622 :tiphat:


----------



## Bix

Not to everyone's tastes and I'm listening to them as a study with the sheet music:

Études-Tableaux, Opus 33 and Opus 39 by Sergei Racmaninov played by Nikolai Lugansky

Specifically this one: obviously not played by him but another good pianist (please remember I say good not great)


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I do!
> Favourites are: K175, K191, K218, K314, K364, K412, K453, K595 and K622 :tiphat:


I'm getting a lot out of the Haffner Serenade. As I say, it's a symph with a violin concerto saddled on. Here's the fourth of eight movements, a catchy little blighter. And that's what I'm listening to right now, I make no apologies for it...

:tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Been listening to Farrenc's Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano, Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Two Concert Overtures. 
Now Ross Edwards: Blackwattle Caprices
Then...
Phillip Houghton: Stélé
Sculthorpe: From Kakadu
Ross Edwards: Guitar Dances (after Marimba Dances)
Graeme Koehne: A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design
Brett Dean: Three Caprichos after Goya
Sculthorpe: Into the Dreaming


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony no. 9 (Abbado).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Cello Sonata No.2

comparing the Fournier / Backhaus (1955), Casals / Horszowski (1936) and Starker / Katchen (1968) recordings


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753): Concerto Grosso in A Minor, Op.7, No.11

Chiara Banchini leading Ensemble 415

View attachment 20334


----------



## ptr

first of the day:

*John Zorn* - The Gnostic Preludes (*Tzadik*)









Carol Emanuel, Harp; Bill Frisell, Guitar; Kenny Wollesen, Vibes, Bells

*Grażyna Bacewicz* - Klaviersonate No 2 - Klavierquintette No 1 & 2 (DG)









Krystian Zimerman, piano; Kaja Danczowska & Agata Szymczewska, violin; Ryszard Groblewski, viola; Rafal Kwiatkowski, cello

*Edward Grieg* - Fra Holbergs Tid / *W. Amadé Mozart* - 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' K525 / P. I. Tchaikovsky - Serenade (*Onyx*)









Moscow Soloists u. Yuri Bashmet

and now on to:

*Michael Rabin* - The Unpublished Recordings 1947 - 1971 (*Testament*)









Michael Rabin, violin

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Guillaume Dufay: Missa Ecce Ancilla Domini
Ensemble Gilles Binchois








Ernst Toch: String Quartet No. 11, Op. 34
Buchberger Quartet








Georg Philipp Telemann: Overture-Suite in F Minor
La Stravaganza


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Keyboard Concerto in G Major, W.4

Peter Szuts directing Concerto Armonico -- Miklos Spanyi, harpsichord

View attachment 20340


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto no. 2 (Richter).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Prokofiev - Symphony-Concerto, op. 125.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Nereffid

Dvorak - Stabat Mater - Herreweghe


----------



## Celloissimo

Bach Lute Suite No. 4


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphonies 7, 5, 1


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Musique funebre.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, Piano and Orchestra.*

This is headphone music - so many wonderful sounds.


----------



## ptr

Niccolò Paganini - 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op 1 (*Capitol/Testament*)









Michael Rabin, violin

The unsung legend Michael Rabin turns these minor works in to something special!

VH Project 2013

*Frederic Chopin* - Piano Sonata No 2 Op 35, Ballade No 1, Op 23 & Nocturne Op 15 No 2 / *Franz Liszt*- Au bord d'une source No 4 & Hungarian Rhapsody No 6 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Piano Concerto no. 2 (Anda).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Concerto in D for String Orchestra
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








Takemitsu: Uninterrupted Rest
Aki Takahashi


----------



## Joris

Chopin: Concerto #2, Op. 21 - 1. Maestoso
LA Philharm. Orch., cond. Giulini


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade in D Major, KV 185

Janos Rolla conducting the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 20347


----------



## Cosmos

Right now: Bruckner's First Symphony
Though it isn't a mature work, it still has a lot of power, strength, and spirit. It's like a naive yet ambitious 20-something who is finally in the adult world.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently, Shostakovich's 5th Symphony, performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.

Previously, the audio documentary on Otto Klemperer by Jon Tolansky on the EMI 20th Century Music boxed set. Short but really interesting.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Violin Concerto in D Major, Ben 103

Zsolt Szefcsik leading the Erdody Chamber Orchestra -- Vilmos Szabadi, violin

View attachment 20349


----------



## opus55

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 4
Szymanowski: Symphony No. 1


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Symphony no. 2 (and possibly no. 3 and 4 later) (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Selby

Cherubini - Requiem in C minor [Best, Corydon Singers and Orch]


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's Fourth Symphony performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Otto Klemperer.


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[13] *Ludwig van Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No 5 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano; RCA Victor So u. Fritz Reiner

[14] *Piano Music of Chopin* (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

[15] *Piano Music of Mendelssohn and Liszt* (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

and to end the evening:

*Bèla Bartók* - Musik für Saiteninstrumente, Schlazeug und Celesta Sz 106, Divertimento Sz 113 & Zwei Portäts Sz 37 (DG Dokumente OOP)









RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester, Berlín u. Ferenc Fricsay

Good Night Irene, Good Night!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

The Magic Flute, conducted by HvK...


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony in G minor, K550
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras

All those wonderful chromaticisms work well on a weekend.


----------



## Mika

Schnittke : Requiem 







Liked this really much.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Last disc before turning in is going to be Bruckner's Third Symphony performed by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Klaus Tennstedt. A superb performance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zelenka, Trio Sonata No. 4.*


----------



## chrisco97

*Debussy* - Pour le Piano
_Jean-Pierre Armengaud_

Been waiting to hear this one for a while now.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* symphony no. 5


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Dvorak* - Symphony No. 9 in E minor (G. Simon, LSO)

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major (C. Thielemann, Wiener Philarmoniker)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Gesang der Parzen - Gerd Alberct, cond.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Hannoversche Hofkapelle -- Laurence Dean, flute

View attachment 20365


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Symphony No.1 - Vladimir Jurowski, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius* symphonies 1-4


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*, *Schumann* Piano Works, w. Richter (rec.1971 - '88).

View attachment 20367
View attachment 20368


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Cendres - Anssi Karttunen, cello, Tuija Hakkila piano, Mikael Helasvuo alto flute


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ...
> Then...
> Phillip Houghton: Stélé
> Sculthorpe: From Kakadu
> Ross Edwards: Guitar Dances (after Marimba Dances)
> Graeme Koehne: A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design
> Brett Dean: Three Caprichos after Goya
> Sculthorpe: Into the Dreaming


That's the Naxos cd, right? I quite like it, esp. the Sculthorpe pieces, but its all good - a great variety of styles of Aussie composers writing for the guitar. Its one of my best buys on Naxos label.


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's listening started with music related to military themes in one way or another. 

*Haydn* Symphony #100, "Military"
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati (Decca)

*Haydn's 100th symphony* is one of his most daring and innovative in the set of 12 symphonies he composed to be premiered in London during the 1790's. Its name is obvious in terms of the use in the second movement of percussion instruments, the largest compliment of such instruments Haydn ever used in a symphony. Another interesting feature of this symphony is that the flutes are quite prominent, they are the first to come in after the usual slow introduction.

I can imagine the first audience being somewhat shocked when the percussion come in during that _Allegretto_, which starts off with quite a dainty tune that's said to be of French origin, but moves into vibes that suggest a kind of tension and unease once the percussion joins the fray. In the final movement the percussion section comes back prominently, which was unusual and innovative for the time.

There is a theory of sorts that Haydn put in the percussion to make a statement in highlighting or celebrating his reaching of the significant milestone of 100 symphonies. I'm not sure if any other composer had reached this number until that point - although the likes of Sammartini and Graun where said to be quite prolific - but of course in our own time one composer I know of has surpassed the 100 mark (that's Lief Segerstam). 

*Mozart* Violin Concerto #5, KV 219
- Itzhak Perlman, violin with Vienna PO under James Levine (DGG)

On to *Mozart's 5th violin concerto*, sometimes nicknamed the Turkish, due to the marching rhythms in the final movement. Mozart there gets this percussive effect without use of percussion, the string instruments tapping their bows on the strings. However that technique and the tune of that movement probably comes from gypsy bands in Hungary rather than anywhere in the Balkans or Turkey itself. There are a couple of tunes in this concerto that remind me of Beethoven (particularly the _Leonore Overture #3_), who was prone to grabbing a few tunes off Wolfie. 

*Beethoven* Overture to The Ruins of Athens
- London Festival Orch. under Kurt Redel (Point Classics)

Speaking of Beethoven, knowing he was also touched by the Turkish fad as was Mozart, this overture was what I listened to next. In the late 18th century, the Turks where marauding Western Europe's borders, but in 1811 when *Beethoven* composed *The Ruins of Athens*, they where being turfed out of Greece after their 500 years long occupation of it. When Beethoven wrote the incidental music to Kotzebue's play, Athens literally was in ruins from the fighting. The incidental music is more known for its Turkish March, but here we had the less known overture.

Continuing with two works that have a connection - they where both premiered at a concert commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the unification of Buda and Pest. The concert took place on November 23, 1923 in Budapest.

*Bartok* Dance Suite, Sz 77
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet (Eloquence)

Carrying on with this excellent two disc set of *Bartok's* music, its been a long time since I've listened to this work. The *Dance Suite* consists of six dances, some slow and dreamy, others fast and kind of brutal. It's a very effective showpiece for modern orchestra, even including a piano. Funnily enough, Bartok uses the same tapping on the strings with bows that Mozart used in his _Violin Concerto #5_.

*Kodaly* Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13 (sung in German)
- Ernest Haefliger, tenor; Choir of St. Hedwigs Cathedral; RAIS-Kammerchor; RAIS-Kinderchor; RIAS SO, Berlin under Ferenc Fricsay (DGG)

Even though premiered at the same concert, *Kodaly's Psalmus Hungaricus* is a vastly different work to Bartok's _Dance Suite_, and not only in terms of genre. This was composed during a bleak time in Kodaly's life, when he was at odds with the Horthy regime that had taken over after World War I. The regime had Kodaly turfed out of his job at the Budapest music academy, and also banned his _Peacock Variations_. Kodaly was eventually reinstated in his job due to a public outcry, but in _Psalmus Hungaricus_ he makes little attempt to hide his bitterness and disillusionment at being scapegoated and targeted.

The text is taken from a 16th century Hungarian adaptation of one of the psalms of David and for all intents and purposes, the tenor solo is like a prophet crying out in the wilderness against injustice and oppression. He condemns his enemies for oppressing him for speaking the truth. At times, the three choirs give out sounds of shrieking and crying, it is very tragic. There are also these loud interjections from the brass. The last tenor solo part brings some consolation, he sings about trust in God surviving but basically I get the impression that his faith in humanity has been shattered. It's tragic and beautiful but not a very optimistic ending, if anything it ends ambiguously and quietly.

_Psalmus Hungaricus_ remains Kodaly's most performed choral work, it has been translated into many languages, and even during his lifetime it was performed regularly all over the world.


*Mozart*
Piano Sonata in A, KV 331
Piano Sonata in F major, KV 332
Fantasia in D minor, KV 397
- Mitsuko Uchida, piano (Philips)

Finishing off with more *Mozart*, some of his solo piano music. The *sonata KV 331* is famous for its *Alla Turca* ending, but I found the first theme and variations movement enjoyable too. Mozart has this ability to produce gems from what is seemingly the most mundane material. The *KV 332 sonata's* outer movements had these kind of bouncy and almost jazzy rhythms, while the *Fantasia KV 397* had this sad and melancholic tune that bought to mind the Albinoni/Giazzotto _Adagio_ (which didn't exist in Mozart's time, weird though that may sound, it was largely a fabrication of the early 20th century).


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Six Japanese Gardens - Thierry Miroglio, percussions


----------



## Ravndal

Impossible to stop listening when this is on


----------



## Selby

Debussy - Nocturnes, L. 91 [Salonen, Los Angeles]


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm must pick up more by Zelenka. Listening to this on Spotify (Wonderful!). I browsed through the Zelenka discs available on Amazon and found that quite a sizable number have been released since I last picked up a good many of what was then available.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to Lutoslawski's _Concerto for Orchestra_. Excellent performance and work. Can't say I'm fond of too much of his other music.


----------



## julianoq

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> Listening to Lutoslawski's [i]Concerto for Orchestra[/i]. Excellent performance and work. Can't say I'm fond of too much of his other music.[/QUOTE]
> I like his Concerto for Orchestra a lot. I listened to his cello concerto and liked it, but never listened again. Will attend to a SPSO concert later next month to see the cello concerto coupled with Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, quite excited for it!


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> I like his Concerto for Orchestra a lot. I listened to his cello concerto and liked it, but never listened again. Will attend to a SPSO concert later next month to see the cello concerto coupled with Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, quite excited for it!


I would definitely be excited about the Shostakovich 10th. That's a masterwork. I listened to Lutoslawski's _Cello Concerto_ one time years ago and remember not enjoying it too much.


----------



## bejart

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Fugue No.3, 'Theme by Joseph Haydn'

Jaroslav Tuma, piano

View attachment 20373


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Lichtbogen - Avanti Chamber Ensemble

edit: followed by the same work performed (superbly) by the Endymion Ensemble:


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphonies, Nos. 1 and 5


----------



## Kieran

Ravndal said:


> Impossible to stop listening when this is on


6 pianos? All at the same time?


----------



## Crudblud

Morton Feldman - _Neither_ (Peskó)

Morton Feldman setting original words by Samuel Beckett, it doesn't get much better.


----------



## Kieran

Sid James said:


> *Mozart*
> Piano Sonata in A, KV 331
> Piano Sonata in F major, KV 332
> Fantasia in D minor, KV 397
> - Mitsuko Uchida, piano (Philips)
> 
> Finishing off with more *Mozart*, some of his solo piano music. The *sonata KV 331* is famous for its *Alla Turca* ending, but I found the first theme and variations movement enjoyable too. Mozart has this ability to produce gems from what is seemingly the most mundane material. The *KV 332 sonata's* outer movements had these kind of bouncy and almost jazzy rhythms, while the *Fantasia KV 397* had this sad and melancholic tune that bought to mind the Albinoni/Giazzotto _Adagio_ (which didn't exist in Mozart's time, weird though that may sound, it was largely a fabrication of the early 20th century).


Hey Sid!

I think Wolfie's name doesn't pop up quick enough when it comes to solo piano. Rondo alla turca is justifiably famous as an endurable and memorable melody - a chap in a cave a thousand miles away might recognise it - but the variations? They're brilliant, but too involved, too fussy and particular for humongous popular taste to take hold. And yet - they both inhabit the same piece...


----------



## Tristan

*Glinka* - Ruslan and Lyudmila (Kirov)

Another opera I haven't heard, but considering that I love Russian composers, I figured I had to check it out (I knew the opera that accompanied the beloved overture had to be at least somewhat good). And as predicted, I'm liking it quite a bit =)


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Verblendungen - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










This Part recording of purely orchestral works is probably the best available. Superlative performances. Listening to _Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten_.


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Horn Sonata #2 in F -- Alessio Allegrini: I Solisti Della Scala Milano

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K 620 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Liszt: Buch Der Lieder Für Piano Allein, "6 Poésies Lyriques Pour Piano Seul II" -- Leslie Howard

Rachmaninoff: Trio Élégiaque #1 in G Minor -- Lang Lang, Vadim Repin, Mischa Maisky


----------



## jim prideaux

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* symphony no. 5


my personal favourite-not just amongst the symphonies of Sibelius, but also amongst the whole symphonic repertoire.
which recording? I have contented myself with von Karajan, Rattle and lately Davis and LSO-I now prefer the Davis but am considering the much written about Vanska.


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Rihm: "Coll Arco" - Vierte Musik für Violine und Orchester (2007/8)
Caroline Widmann, violin
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling








Ernst Helmuth Flammer: das erschwiegene Wort! ... ausgeweite (1993/94), for solo percussion and orchestra
Yuko Suzuki, percussion
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Olaf Henzold


----------



## Nereffid

Weinberg: Violin sonatas - Linus Roth/José Gallardo


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's L'Aile du Songe - Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.


----------



## Ravndal

Kieran said:


> 6 pianos? All at the same time?


Yup  15 characters


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

jim prideaux said:


> my personal favourite-not just amongst the symphonies of Sibelius, but also amongst the whole symphonic repertoire.
> which recording? I have contented myself with von Karajan, Rattle and lately Davis and LSO-I now prefer the Davis but am considering the much written about Vanska.


Sakari Oramo and Vienna Philharmonic on YouTube. Best *Sibelius* performance I've ever heard.

Now listening to Schubert's 5th and 8th symphonies.


----------



## ptr

Neo Romanza said:


> Listening to Lutoslawski's _Concerto for Orchestra_. Excellent performance and work. Can't say I'm fond of too much of his other music.


Interesting, I adore Luoslawski's music through out, much in stark contrast to Penderecki and Gorecki, whose music I find ingratiating bordering on pathetic... 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

First of the day:

VH Project 2013

[16-17] Recital at Carnegie Hall, February 25, 1953 (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

I buy most new discs released by the Contemporary Music label *Neos*, don't always love the stuff but most discs bring some surprise! 

*Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf* - Angelus Novus Cycle (2CDS) (*Neos*)









Ensemble SurPlus u. James Avery (cd1tr 01-07); Monika Meier-Schmid, soprano (cd1tr 01-05); Ernest Rombout, piccolo oboe (cd1tr 07); Carin Levine, flute (cd2tr 01); Franklin Cox, violoncello (cd2tr 02); Sophie-Mayuko Vetter, piano (cd2tr 03); Almut Hellwig, soprano (cd2tr 04-08)

Al dente music, and I don't mind a bit of bite in my musical diet!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041

Academy of St.Martin in the Fields -- Julia Fischer, violin

View attachment 20385


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Lonh - Dawn Upshaw, soprano, Florent Jodelet, percussions

and this is one item on what might be a listening project over the coming months:

Notable_works_composed_at_IRCAM


----------



## Ravndal

Philip Glass - Metamorphosis 2

Jeroen Van Veen


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013

[18] *Muzio Climenti *- Sonatas Op 34, 14, 26 (RCA Victor)









[19] *Alexander Scriabin *- Sonata No 3 and Preludes (RCA Victor)









[20] *Ludwig van Beethoven *- Moonlight and Waldstein Sonatas (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This Part recording of purely orchestral works is probably the best available. Superlative performances. Listening to _Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten_.


Thanks for the heads-up. It's difficult to find a good recording of the Cantus; many try to be austere but just come out sterile. I'm listening now.


----------



## Andolink

C. P. E. Bach: Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, Wq 240
Hillevi Martinpelto, soprano
Christoph Prégardien, tenor
Peter Harvey, bass 
Choir of Collegium Vocale, Ghent
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Kieran

*K320*, the BOOMbastik serenade by Mozart.

Oh if I beneath the balcony could sing this tune for you...


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition --- 
Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Duo No.2 for Two Violas in E Flat

Ladislav Kyselak and Pavel Ciprys, violas

View attachment 20400


----------



## Andolink

François Couperin: Pièces de clavecin - Livre III: Quinzième ordre
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord


----------



## DrKilroy

Shostakovich - Symphony no. 13 (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 8 by Jochum and Staatskapelle Dresden. Jochum interpretations of Bruckner symphonies are my "daily", basic recordings. From time to time I love to have a mystic journey with Celibidache.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Sonata Op. 109 and 106.*


----------



## Mika

4th opera sunday:

Verdi : Macbeth







This time I am listening vinyl. This continuous "snap cracle pop" makes me mad


----------



## Neo Romanza

ptr said:


> Interesting, I adore Luoslawski's music through out, much in stark contrast to Penderecki and Gorecki, whose music I find ingratiating bordering on pathetic...
> 
> /ptr


I plan on revisiting some of his later music in the upcoming weeks and I agree with you about Penderecki. He's really not one of the greats that so many believe he is. I do like a few of Gorecki's works but don't consider him among the front ranks.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the heads-up. It's difficult to find a good recording of the Cantus; many try to be austere but just come out sterile. I'm listening now.


This is, no doubt, the best performance of _Cantus_ I've heard. I've owned this recording for many years. There's a fine _Symphony No. 3_ on here as well, but really everything is well-performed.


----------



## NightHawk

*Boulez* - _Eclats-Multiples_ (1970), _Domaines pour clarinette_ (1968), _Domaines pour clarinette et groups instrumetaux_ (1968), _Improvise - pour le Dr. Kalmus_ (1969).


----------



## julianoq

jim prideaux said:


> my personal favourite-not just amongst the symphonies of Sibelius, but also amongst the whole symphonic repertoire.
> which recording? I have contented myself with von Karajan, Rattle and lately Davis and LSO-I now prefer the Davis but am considering the much written about Vanska.


Vanska performance is excellent, but my two personal favorites are Berglund and specially Neeme Jarvi, both very recommended!


----------



## Cheyenne

Piano concertos by Ligeti (Boulez), Schnittke (Irina Schnittke) and Bartók (Boulez). I love 20th century piano concertos! It is so interesting how they integrate the piano to me. Any more recommendations?

View attachment 20411
View attachment 20412
View attachment 20413


----------



## Selby

On my way to work this morning:

Bruckner - Mass No. 2 in E minor; Jochum conducting


----------



## clavichorder

Heard these live last night:


----------



## julianoq

Cheyenne said:


> Piano concertos by Ligeti (Boulez), Schnittke (Irina Schnittke) and Bartók (Boulez). I love 20th century piano concertos! It is so interesting how they integrate the piano to me. Any more recommendations?
> 
> View attachment 20411
> View attachment 20412
> View attachment 20413


I explored Martinu Piano Concertos this week and loved it, may worth a check


----------



## bejart

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): String Quartet No.4 in C Major

Gewandhaus Quartet: Karl Suske and Giorgio Krohner, violins -- Dietmar Hallmann, viola -- Jurnjakob Timm, cello

View attachment 20415


----------



## Mahlerian

Cheyenne said:


> Piano concertos by Ligeti (Boulez), Schnittke (Irina Schnittke) and Bartók (Boulez). I love 20th century piano concertos! It is so interesting how they integrate the piano to me. Any more recommendations?
> 
> View attachment 20411
> View attachment 20412
> View attachment 20413


Stravinsky (Concerto for Piano and Winds), Schoenberg (I know you said you don't like him, but you might want to give this work a shot), and, if they count, Messiaen wrote some wonderful pieces for piano and orchestra (my favorite is Oiseaux exotiques).


----------



## drpraetorus

Borodin Quartet #2


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1828): Symphony in B Flat, Op.6, No.6

Hans Martin Linde leading the Cappella Coloniensis

View attachment 20422


----------



## lunchdress

This has really got a hold on me today:









Scriabin/Sibelius - Glenn Gould


----------



## DaveS

Music & Arts CD-260. Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony, Op58. Then, Romeo & Juliet Overture. Recorded Jan/Mar 1953 in Carnegie Hall. NBCSO; Toscanini.


----------



## Cosmos

Now I'm listening to Wagner's Flying Dutchman. This is the first Wagner opera I've tackled and I don't regret it in the slightest


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Ernst Fesca (1789-1826): String Quartet in F Sharp Minor, Op.1, no.2

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balazs Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello

View attachment 20428


----------



## Rehydration

Joel--Fantasies and Delusions
(Album art in avatar.)


----------



## DaveS

Dr. Szell & the Cleveland Orchestra. Schumann's 'Rhenish' & 4th, then Manfred Overture. The Symphonies recorded Oct & March of 1960 respectively while the Manfred was from 1959. Fine recording. One of the better Rhenish, IMHO.


----------



## korenbloem

Antonín Dvořák performed by Collegium Vocale Gent & Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Philippe Herreweghe - Stabat Mater - Ilse Eerens • Michaela Selinger • Maximilian Schmitt • Florian Boesch [2013]


----------



## julianoq

Carl Nielsen Symphony No. 5, with Sir Colin Davis and the LSO. One of my favorite symphonies. Not much time to listen to music today, so had to choose wisely!


----------



## lunchdress

More Sibelius, as many symphonies as this afternoon will allow...









1 thru 4 - Paavo Berglund / Helsinki PO


----------



## Selby

On the radio:
Haydn, Joseph - String Quartet in C major, Opus 76 no 3 "Emperor" [Emerson String Quartet]

Portland All-Classical: very very heavy on the Handel, Bach, and Haydn. Oh well, better than nothing for sure.


----------



## Andolink

Sylvius Leopold Weiss: Sonata in F sharp minor
Hopkinson Smith, lute


----------



## Kieran

That whip-rattle rondo in the Haffner Serenade, *K250*. Makes me think that even before there were trains, there were train songs. This has a riff that would get the floor jumping. Escalatin' and locomotivatin'. This is wedding music! I'd love to have been there...


----------



## SimonNZ

Ambrose Field's Being Dufay - John Potter, tenor, Ambrose Field live and studio electronics


----------



## Sid James

Kieran said:


> Hey Sid!
> 
> I think Wolfie's name doesn't pop up quick enough when it comes to solo piano. Rondo alla turca is justifiably famous as an endurable and memorable melody - a chap in a cave a thousand miles away might recognise it - but the variations? They're brilliant, but too involved, too fussy and particular for humongous popular taste to take hold. And yet - they both inhabit the same piece...


Yeah, I enjoyed all those pieces, and I have come to realise that Mozart has this ability to do variations in such an imaginative and inventive way that I think few composers had. Tchaikovsky is one (who, not surprisngly, admired Wolfie to no end), and also another I can think of now is Rachmaninov. Thinking of that, I want to listen to Tchaikovsky's Mozartiana suite sometime soon! & I got a list of things by Wolfie I want to get, I aim (and have been little by little) bolstering my collection of his music. But it will take time.


----------



## Kieran

Sid James said:


> Yeah, I enjoyed all those pieces, and I have come to realise that Mozart has this ability to do variations in such an imaginative and inventive way that I think few composers had. Tchaikovsky is one (who, not surprisngly, admired Wolfie to no end), and also another I can think of now is Rachmaninov. Thinking of that, I want to listen to Tchaikovsky's Mozartiana suite sometime soon! & I got a list of things by Wolfie I want to get, I aim (and have been little by little) bolstering my collection of his music. But it will take time.


That's the stuff. I'm reticent of adding to my collection until I've listened to more of what I have. I have a box set of Beethoven violin sonatas, but I listen to just two! I have Hugo Wolf on 3 CDs - I listen to one! All of Mahler's symphs and I'm familiar with 2!

I never heard Tchaikovsky's Mozartiana. In a way, I'm avoiding it. But some dark night I'll pop the top off a whiskey bottle and lie brooding in the dark and play it. I don't know why I expect the worst from it...


----------



## Sid James

Kieran said:


> ...
> I never heard Tchaikovsky's Mozartiana. In a way, I'm avoiding it. But some dark night I'll pop the top off a whiskey bottle and lie brooding in the dark and play it. I don't know why I expect the worst from it...


Lovely piece as I remember it, not particularly dark, but its been a while. He quotes _Ave Verum Corpus _in one bit, Tchaikovsky's arrangement comes across to be just as sublime as the original itself. They where kindred spirits those two, but one century apart!


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's Les Chants de l'Amour - Schola Heidelberg


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 6 w. VPO/Boulez (rec.1994).

View attachment 20443


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Grosse Fuge (arr. for piano four hands)


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's En Echo - Donatienne Michel-Dansac, soprano


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> Carl Nielsen Symphony No. 5, with Sir Colin Davis and the LSO. One of my favorite symphonies. Not much time to listen to music today, so had to choose wisely!


Nielsen's not a favorite of mine but sometimes I get the 'bug' and want to listen to one of his symphonies or concerti. I have to say that I was not particularly enthralled with Colin Davis' Nielsen. When it comes to _Symphony No. 5_, it's hard to beat Bernstein/NY Philharmonic. It really is. My next choice for the 5th would be Chung's with the Gothenburg SO on BIS.


----------



## clavichorder

bejart said:


> Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): String Quartet No.4 in C Major
> 
> Gewandhaus Quartet: Karl Suske and Giorgio Krohner, violins -- Dietmar Hallmann, viola -- Jurnjakob Timm, cello
> 
> View attachment 20415


How were these?


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 29, "Hammerklavier"
_Jando Jeno_










http://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Box-S..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372572487&sr=301-1


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Nipponari_. Absolutely gorgeous. Going to let the recording play on through.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: La Finta Giardiniera


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's Zeitlauf - Groupe Vocale de France, Ensemble InterContemporain


----------



## julianoq

Neo Romanza said:


> Nielsen's not a favorite of mine but sometimes I get the 'bug' and want to listen to one of his symphonies or concerti. I have to say that I was not particularly enthralled with Colin Davis' Nielsen. When it comes to _Symphony No. 5_, it's hard to beat Bernstein/NY Philharmonic. It really is. My next choice for the 5th would be Chung's with the Gothenburg SO on BIS.


I like Bernstein's performance on the 5th too, it is my favorite together with Sir Colin Davis/NSO. Thanks for the recommendation on Chung, will definitely give a try tomorrow!


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.3 in G Major, KV 283

Christian Zacharias, piano

View attachment 20447


----------



## Redfisher

Schoenberg -Variations for Orchestra -Herbig


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> I like Bernstein's performance on the 5th too, it is my favorite together with Sir Colin Davis/NSO. Thanks for the recommendation on Chung, will definitely give a try tomorrow!


Definitely give the Chung a listen. Speaking of Nielsen, have you ever heard _Imaginary Journey to the Faroe Islands_? This isn't performed or recorded much but, outside of the symphonies and concerti, it's an admirable work IMHO.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Concerto in A Minor For Flute, Violin, & Harpsichord, BWV 1044, "Triple Concerto" -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

^ One of my favorite of Proky's works.

Liszt: Valse À Capriccio Sur Deux Motifs De Lucia Et Parisina, S 401 -- Leslie Howard

Brahms: Three Vocal Quartets With Piano, Op. 64 -- Marcus Creed: Rias Kammerchor


----------



## chrisco97

*Saint Saens* - Cello Concerto No. 1
_Torleif Thedéen, Tapiola Sinfonietta and Jean-Jacques Kantorow_

So far, I am really liking this. I love the opening.


----------



## Tristan

*Prokofiev* - Symphony No. 7 in C# minor, Op. 131 (Ozawa)

Its oddness is comparable to Shostakovich's 15th, in my opinion (at least listening to the final movement). Love them both of course


----------



## SimonNZ

just one treat for me in the secondhand bins today, but it couldn't have been timed better:

Kaija Saariaho's Chateau del'Ame etc. - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Henze: Drei Tentos
*Sibelius:* as many symphonies as I can


----------



## Novelette

OMG! OMG! OMG! My CD _did_ arrive a few days ago, after all! After sorting through old mail, it was underneath another package I received that same day [annoyingly, it was held underneath by an elastic band].

So though it's 03,34 EDT, I'm probably going to be awake for the rest of the night listening.

Cherubini: Medea -- Gwyneth Jones; Bruno Prevedi; Lamberto Gardelli: Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma

So excited!


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony (Handley). 

Nota bene, I have to get the recording with Paul Daniel conducting, it is very good.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

Today I will listen to these through in a random order:





















Mozart Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Chiara Banchini, violin - Temenuschka Vesselinova, piano

Now: K454


----------



## DrKilroy

Shostakovich - Symphonies nos. 1 and 5 (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Moszkowski's Violin Concerto in C Op 30 - Tasmin Little, violin, Martyn Brabbins, cond.


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata No.5 of Four Parts in A Minor

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini and Annalisa Pisanu, flutes -- Fabio Rstelli, oboe -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon

View attachment 20454


----------



## homunculus

Lipatti's Chopin


----------



## Sid James

*J.S. Bach* Cello Suite #1
*Brahms* Cello Sonata #2*
- Pablo Casals, cello *with Mieczyslaw Horszowski, piano

*Zhu Lin* Transcendence - for 7 performers
*Tan Dun* Shuang Que for erhu and yangqin
*Chen Yi* The Points for pipa solo
- Members of "Huaxia" Chinese Chamber Ensemble; Tsung Yeh, conductor

*Poulenc* Gloria for soprano, mixed chorus and orch.
- Sylvia Greenberg, sop. with Choeur de la Radio Suisse Romande, Choeur Pro Arte de Lausanne (Chorus Master: Andre Charlet), L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Jesus Lopez-Cobos

*Vanessa-Mae & Andy Hill *Happy Valley - The 1997 Re-unification Overture for violin, orch. and chorus
- Vanessa-Mae, violin with Chinese Ladies'Choir (led by Xiao Ping Li), Orch. of Royal Opera House under David Arch




Novelette said:


> ....
> 
> Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists...


One of my fav of his works too. I got the recording by Rudolf Barshai & Moscow Chamber Orch., he did the transcription. So many moods in this work, and so many contrasts in texture, vibe and so on. The piano pieces are worth hearing too, but I only got 3 of them played by Sviatoslav Richter, amazing stuff.



chrisco97 said:


> *Saint Saens* - Cello Concerto No. 1
> _Torleif Thedéen, Tapiola Sinfonietta and Jean-Jacques Kantorow_
> 
> So far, I am really liking this. I love the opening.


A fav of Camille's works of mine too. One of those pieces that predates early 20th century neo-classicism by decades (about 50 years). Love it how he uses a chamber orchestra, also how the theme goes thru the whole piece (influence of Liszt), and that lyricism and emotional restraint (influence of Schumann's CC there too). Also the three movements flowing without a break - kind of rhapsodic and free. Amazing piece all round, one of the things that got me back into his music after a long time of disinterest (my fault...but never too late to reasess & change!).


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Jiři Antonin Benda (30 June 1722-1795): Sinfonia No.4 in F Major

Vojtech Spurny directing the Czech Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 20461


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Journey Around C.P.E.Bach" - various artists

a one-disc sampler of recordings from the BIS label integrale


----------



## Andolink

Orlando Gibbons: Fantasias for viols
Fretwork (with Paul Nicholson, organ and Red Byrd)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio, first of the after-midnight full cds:

Haydn's "Paris" Symphonies 85, 86 and 87 - Frans Bruggen, cond.


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Tabula Rasa from Arvo Part, performance by Neeme Jarvi. Enjoying the first movement at this moment.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Concerto No.23 - Murray Perahia, piano and cond.


----------



## julianoq

Neo Romanza said:


> Definitely give the Chung a listen. Speaking of Nielsen, have you ever heard _Imaginary Journey to the Faroe Islands_? This isn't performed or recorded much but, outside of the symphonies and concerti, it's an admirable work IMHO.


Thanks for the recommendation! Found the Chung performance of it, will listen right after Tabula Rasa. I don't know much of Nielsen outside his symphonies, I still need to explore the concerti too.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Appassionata and Moonlight Sonatas.

Appassionata: "Solomon Cutner, Beethoven, Piano Sonatas 26, 27, 29" (No image small enough to post.)

I usually like Solomon's playing, but on this particular recording of the Appassionata, something is missing.









The Moonlight is much better from this recording, despite the sound quality; it features his famous terraced playing - one part of the line is notably softer than the other.


----------



## Selby

Messiaen, Olivier - Turangalîla-Symphonie [Myung-Whun Chung, Orchestre de la Bestille]


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphonies 6 & 9, w. NPO/BPO/Glorious John (recs.1967,1964).

View attachment 20473
View attachment 20474


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: String Sextets, String Quintets, w. Raphael Ens. (rec.1988 - '95); *Nielsen*: Symphonies 4 & 5, w. SFS/Blomsedt (rec.1987).

View attachment 20475
View attachment 20476
View attachment 20477


----------



## Mahlerian

Rachmaninoff: Preludes, Op. 23, Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3
Dmitri Alexeev


----------



## julianoq

Enjoying Chung's performances of Nielsen's An Imaginary Trip to the Faroe Islands and 5th symphony. On the end of the 5th now. Great performances indeed, thanks NR.


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> Enjoying Chung's performances of Nielsen's An Imaginary Trip to the Faroe Islands and 5th symphony. On the end of the 5th now. Great performances indeed, thanks NR.


Great! I'm glad you're enjoying those performances. Since you're listening to that _Symphony No. 5_ Chung recording, do listen to the _Violin Concerto_ as well. It's a nice work and quite underrated.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonatas 5 & 6 (D. Barenboim)

*Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor (V. Ashkenazy, USSR State Symphony)

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 1 in E minor (P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony)


----------



## Bix

Skilmarilion said:


> *Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor (V. Ashkenazy, USSR State Symphony)


This is fantabulous, love it.


----------



## Kieran

#22, Barenboim and the Berlin Philly....


----------



## Tristan

*Kodály* - Háry János Suite (Dutoit)

I've always liked this piece, but for a while, I didn't know what it was. I knew the music and the tunes, but I couldn't put a name on it. So now I finally have it on CD


----------



## Stemahl

Some really great music on here, I'm only just coming to Mahler's songs after loving his symphonies for a bit now.


----------



## Selby

Continuing my trend:

Messiaen, Olivier - Quatour pour la fin du temps [Luben Yordanoff, Albert Tetard, Claude Desurmont, Daniel Barenboim]


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Piccolo Concerto in C Major, RV443
_Julius Baker, I Solisti di Zagreb & Felix Prohaska_

I love how Vivaldi seems to have written a concerto for every existing instrument at his time. There is so much variety in his works. BTW, I love the piccolo. xD










http://www.amazon.com/Big-Vivaldi-B..._shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372711015&sr=301-1


----------



## Sid James

*Qu Xiaosong* Floating Clouds (Ji Il) for chiba, zheng, yangqin, percussion
*Yang Liqing* Thinking for qudi, erhu, zhonghu, percussion
- "Huaxia" Chinese Chamber Ens. under Tsung Yeh

*Beethoven*
Leonore Overture #3
- Radio SO of Ljubljana under Anton Nanut
Cello Sonata #3 & Minuet in G
- Pablo Casals, cello with Otto Schulhof, piano


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in G Major for Two Mandolins, Strings & Organ, RV532
_Antonio Ganici, Ferdo Pavlinek, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

Just got done listening to this. It was amazing. I loved the use of the organ. It was brilliant.

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in G Minor, 'La Notte,' For Flute, Bassoon, Strings & Harpsichord, Op.10, No. 2, RV439
_Julius Baker, Karl Hoffmann, Rudolf Klepac, I Solisti Di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

I am now listening to this.


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles - Le Docteur Fabricius, Op. 202 [Holliger]


----------



## jim prideaux

Vaneyes said:


> *Brahms*: String Sextets, String Quintets, w. Raphael Ens. (rec.1988 - '95); [B:tiphat:]Nielsen[/B]: Symphonies 4 & 5, w. SFS/Blomsedt (rec.1987).
> 
> View attachment 20475
> View attachment 20476
> View attachment 20477


the sextets and quintets by Brahms have been a recent revelation as far as I am concerned as they served as an introduction to the whole notion of chamber music and I cannot over state how much repeated pleasure I have derived from listening to them. As I pointed out on another post I came initially to the sextets by listening to Julian Barnes on desert island discs. On another forum there is an on going debate regarding the place of Brahms in the development of music which has meant that he has attracted quite vitriolic criticism. As a long term aficionado of both his symphonies and concertos however these works only serve to enhance his status as far as I am concerned, particularly in these performances by the Raphael Ensemble. Can I also take this opportunity to recommend performances by the Lindsays.:tiphat:


----------



## MagneticGhost

I don't listen to this symphony much but there's not much written in the 20th Century that is as powerful and visceral.
It's the absolute horror of the war in symphonic form.


----------



## bejart

Johann Christian Vogel (1756-1788): Sinfonia Concertante in C Major for Oboe and Bassoon

Jean Philippe Rouchon conducting the Maurice Ravel Chamber Orchestra -- Alfred Hertel, oboe -- Cornelia Slepicka, bassoon

View attachment 20485


----------



## Andolink

Orlando Gibbons: Second Service and Anthems
The Choir of New College, Oxford/Edward Higginbottom








Nicolas de Grigny: La messe
Avec plain-chant baroque alterné
Bernard Coudurier, orgue de Cintegabelle
Ensemble Alternatim/Jean-Yves Haymoz


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gustaf Bengtsson's Violin Concerto - Tobias Ringborg, violin, Mats Rondin, cond.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Chopin*

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor Op. 11
Nocturnes - No. 4 in F, Op. 15 No. 1

Maurizio Pollini 
Philharmonia Orchestra
Paul Kletzki

A little Chopin to accompany me on my evening stroll. The weather is terrific, especially today. :}


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Hammerklavier Sonata.*

Rudolph Serkin is the first recording of this piece I bought, and I'm still impressed with the icy way he plays the slow movement.


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles - Paysages et marines, Op. 63b [Ensemble Initium]


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Symphony No.3 - Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mysliveček: Violin Concerto no. 4
Mozart: Symphony 41, IV


----------



## SimonNZ

"Bachiana: Music By The Bach Family" - Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schubert: symphonies 8,5


----------



## Rehydration

This:


----------



## Andolink

Strom: Strömung I and Strömung II 
Serge Baghdassarians, guitar and mixing desk
Boris Baltschun, sampler
Alessandro Bosetti, soprano saxophone
Michel Doneda, soprano and sopranino saxophones








Roman Haubenstock-Ramati: Catch II (version one-1968)
Carol Morgan, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Spent the afternoon in the studio. My latest painting finally started to come together. Listening to:










Nos. 3 & 4


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

1981 Version


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet in G minor, Op.74 No. 3

Listening to FM radio. Re-broadcast of Tokyo String Quartet's performance at Ravinia Festival last year.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.32, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 20503


----------



## opus55

Beethoven's String Quartet in C major, Op.59 No.3 on the radio by Tokyo String Quartet at Ravinia Festival.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Vorisek (1791-1825): Twelve Rhapsodies for Piano, Op.1

Artur Pizarro, piano

View attachment 20504


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just finished:










Now I'm off in a whole other direction:


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20484
> 
> 
> I don't listen to this symphony much but there's not much written in the 20th Century that is as powerful and visceral.
> It's the absolute horror of the war in symphonic form.


Indeed. Shostakovich's 8th is the embodiment of the horrors of war. It's also one of his most deeply personal orchestral works.


----------



## opus55

Tokyo String Quartet's last concert (July 24th, 2012) re-broadcast program ends with encore - Finale of Haydn String Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4.

Now listening to one of their recordings.

Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 6


----------



## SimonNZ

from the IRCAM list:

Todd Machover's Soft Morning, City! - Jane Manning, soprano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Cello Concerto No. 2_. Great performance.


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in G Minor for Bassoon and Strings, RV 495
_Joanna Graham, Camerata of St. Andrew, Leonard Friedman, Phillip Ledger & James Potter_

This is one of my favourite works to listen to. Currently at the second movement. So beautiful. I cannot get enough of Vivaldi today.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Trois Petites Liturgies De La Presence Divine

comparing the Kent Nagano and Terry Edwards recordings


----------



## chrisco97

*Still listening to Vivaldi:*
Concerto for Viola d'Amore and Lute in D Minor, RV540

_Performed by Paul Angerer, Karl Scheit, Wiener Solisten & Wilfred Böttcher_


----------



## isridgewell

Nikos Skolkotas Concerto for 2 Violins. An awesomely powerful piece of music that is woefully neglected!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: symphony no. 41


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in E Major, D 47

Gyorgi Vashegyi conducting the Orfeo Orchestra -- Lazslo Paulik, violin

View attachment 20509


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Clarinet Concerto "D'Om le Vrai Sens" - Kari Kriikku, clarinet, Sakari Oramo, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Elgar - The Crown of India Op 66
Elgar - A Voice in The Desert Op 77
Elgar - Polonia Op 76
Elgar - Piano Concert (Slow Mvt) - Op 90
Elgar - The Spanish Lady Op 89 (Suite)

Some rare Elgar in this cheap and cheerful British Boxset (£9 for 10 discs of mostly obscure British works)
Disc 1 is Elgar and visits some of his much lesser known works. I for one had no idea he'd written a piano concerto and it's a shame we only get one mvt on this disc as what we get is simply beautiful.
The Crown of India is a triumphant collection of Orchestral Songs.
Polonia could be the first mvt of a new symphony.
The stand out for me though is A Voice in the Desert. A spellbinding Orchestral Song with narration. I do like the combination of music and spoken voice. It reminds me in a very small way of Rick Wakeman's King Arthur.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's Violin Concerto No.2 - Yehudi Menuhin, violin, Wilhelm Furtwangler, cond.


----------



## Kieran

The Haffner Serenade, to be followed by the Haffner Symphony (which apparently began life as a serenade until some idiot put the minuet and two other movements down somewhere and couldn't find them when he went looking)...


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Christoph Willibald von Gluck (2 July 1714-1781): Trio Sonata No.7 in E Major

Viktor Simcisko and Alzbeta Plaskurova, violins -- Juraj Alexander, cello -- Marica Dobiasova, harpsichord

View attachment 20513


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas - Artur Schnabel, piano

disc one: sonatas 1, 3 and 4


----------



## apricissimus

Trying to slog my way through the several-discs-worth of Frederick Fennell in the Mercury Living Presence 2 box set. It's tough going. There's a whole disc of drum and fife tunes. Good lord.

I think it's safe to say that these discs will not get a second listening.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart violin sonatas, Beethoven triple concerto


----------



## Kieran

Sonata said:


> Mozart violin sonatas, Beethoven triple concerto


If you listen to them at the same time you get Mozthoven's quintriple violin concata!

(Sorry, lousy joke, I know! :lol: )


----------



## Stemahl

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony 5 conducted by Andrew Davis on a free BBC CD. I wanted to try a new composer and this gentleman seems to get some good reviews on here so I picked him. Funny I thought he was from America, 'Ralph Vaughan' sounds American to me.....
Really enjoying it, nearly as much as Elgar's symphonies.


----------



## DrKilroy

Welcome to the exciting world of RVW!  Be sure to check out other symphonies, as well as concerti.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to the amazing Sibelius Symphony No.3, with Neeme Jarvi. Next will listen to the 4th, and then the 5th. It will probably be hard to stop, so I think I will just listen to the whole thing.


----------



## Stemahl

DrKilroy said:


> Welcome to the exciting world of RVW!  Be sure to check out other symphonies, as well as concerti.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Thanks Doc, I have just listened to it again - that is a beautiful symphony. I will definitely be looking for more of his work.


----------



## Cosmos

Bruckner - Symphony No. 5


----------



## Vaneyes

Cosmos said:


> Bruckner - Symphony No. 5


And performed by?


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> And performed by?


I know really. People on here have a bad habit of not posting any performance information whatsoever.


----------



## Vaneyes

Stemahl said:


> Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony 5 conducted by Andrew Davis on a free BBC CD. I wanted to try a new composer and this gentleman seems to get some good reviews on here so I picked him. Funny I thought he was from America, 'Ralph Vaughan' sounds American to me.....
> Really enjoying it, nearly as much as Elgar's symphonies.


You picked a good RVW to start with, and a good ensemble. If you're interested in a complete set someday, you could do far worse than BBCSO/A. Davis. Their 6 & 9, w. "Lark", "Tallis", and "Job" lead the way for me, for those works. Enjoy! :tiphat:

View attachment 20526


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Mozart violin sonatas, Beethoven triple concerto


And performed by?


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> The Haffner Serenade, to be followed by the Haffner Symphony (which apparently began life as a serenade until some idiot put the minuet and two other movements down somewhere and couldn't find them when he went looking)...


And performed by?


----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mozart: symphony no. 41


And performed by?


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> And performed by?


My apologies! The Haffner Serenade (*K250*) is performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, with Ton Koopman waving the wand.

The Haffner Symphony (*K385*) is conducted by Karl Bohm, the Berlin Philly performing...


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Spent the afternoon in the studio. My latest painting finally started to come together. Listening to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nos. 3 & 4


SLGO, It'd be nice to see a couple of your paintings that were inspired by specific works. Feel free with it, if you do feel free with doing so. :tiphat:


----------



## Ravndal

Brahms:

Clarinet quintet
Op.117
Op.118
Op.119
Variations upon a theme of schumann


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3 'Liturgique'_. Fantastic symphony and performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> the sextets and quintets by Brahms have been a recent revelation as far as I am concerned as they served as an introduction to the whole notion of chamber music and I cannot over state how much repeated pleasure I have derived from listening to them. As I pointed out on another post I came initially to the sextets by listening to Julian Barnes on desert island discs. On another forum there is an on going debate regarding the place of Brahms in the development of music which has meant that he has attracted quite vitriolic criticism. As a long term aficionado of both his symphonies and concertos however these works only serve to enhance his status as far as I am concerned, particularly in these performances by the Raphael Ensemble. Can I also take this opportunity to recommend performances by the Lindsays.:tiphat:


Always feel free to reply to the naysayers with, "Brahms rules, dude."


----------



## Vaneyes

Ravndal said:


> Brahms:
> 
> Clarinet quintet
> Op.117
> Op.118
> Op.119
> Variations upon a theme of schumann


And performed by?


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Rachmaninoff: Preludes, Op. 23, Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3
> Dmitri Alexeev


Thanks for that back-burner reminder. I shall investigate. :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for that back-burner reminder. I shall investigate. :tiphat:


I've never particularly liked Rachmaninoff's large-scale works, but I enjoy these Preludes a good bit.

Rachmaninoff: Preludes Op. 32, Moments musicaux


----------



## Cosmos

Vaneyes said:


> And performed by?


Sorry: Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Resampling a couple of *Howells* recs. Penguinski (here w.Shelley/BBCSO/Hickox) is probably my favorite work. I shall have to pull the trigger on a rec. of that one day. Although a highly competent English composer, *Howells* doesn't get my juices flowing often enough for serious expenditure.

Related:

http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/015297/details.html

View attachment 20527
View attachment 20528


----------



## OboeKnight

Hummel- Oboe Concerto
Ravel- Piano Concerto in G (first listen and really loved it!)


----------



## Ravndal

Vaneyes said:


> And performed by?


Clarinet Quintet - Capucon Quartet: Aki Sauliere, Beatrice Muthelet, Paul Meyer, Renaud Capucon, Gautier Capucon.
Op 117/118/119 - Radu Lupu
variations upon a theme - Ian Hobson


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann - Variations on a theme by Beethoven, WoO 31

Andreas Boyd


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven, Reis, Grieg: violin sonatas


----------



## lunchdress

Beating the heat today with Mercury Living Presense









Suppe & Auber: Overtures - Paul Paray/Detroit Symphony Orchestra


----------



## chrisco97

*Telemann* - Sinfonia in F for recorder, viola da gamba & orchestra
_The Hamburg Baroque Soloists_

Got this free Telemann album from this site...it is pretty good so far.


----------



## millionrainbows

lunchdress said:


> Beating the heat today with Mercury Living Presense
> 
> View attachment 20529
> 
> 
> Suppe & Auber: Overtures - Paul Paray/Detroit Symphony Orchestra


I love those Mercury Living Presence recordings...Wilma Cozart Fine rules!


----------



## DrKilroy

OboeKnight said:


> Ravel- Piano Concerto in G (first listen and really loved it!)


Congratulations! :tiphat: Now continue to the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand! I did not like it at the first listen, but now it's one of my favourite pieces ever. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## chrisco97

*Bach* - Concerto for Solo Harpsichord in c minor after Alessandro Scarlatti, BWV 981
_Gunnar Johansen_

Got another free album from that site, this time Bach's Sonatas for Harpsichord and Cello...as well as three concertos for solo harpsichord. I am actually really enjoying this one as well. There is also an album featuring the lute-harpsichord someone had mentioned that I may like...need to download it and check it out.


----------



## MagneticGhost

James MacMillan - Seven Last Words From The Cross.


----------



## Stemahl

Vaneyes said:


> You picked a good RVW to start with, and a good ensemble. If you're interested in a complete set someday, you could do far worse than BBCSO/A. Davis. Their 6 & 9, w. "Lark", "Tallis", and "Job" lead the way for me, for those works. Enjoy! :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 20526


Will do Vaneyes, I'm still lucky enough to be able to find new composers like Vaughan Williams. A friend told me once that unlike a lot of popular music, classical music never gets old - but I can't say I'm looking forward to the day I don't find new discoveries.

Listening to:









Dvorak is fast becoming a favorite of mine, though he seems quite underrated by many. I have known the 9th for a bit now but the 8th is also brilliant.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2_. Outstanding symphony and performance.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

String quartet No. 22 in B flat Major
Quatuor Mosaïques

Edit:

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat Major

Ayako Uehara 
Fabio Luisi
Wiener Symphoniker

Because work is rather boring at the moment. :]


----------



## chrisco97

Listening to this at the moment...and I absolutely love it. The sound, the themes, everything. It is really awesome.


----------



## Bix

Mon coeur s'ouvre á ta voix / Samson et Delila / Garry and Vickers


----------



## Mika

Contemporary master pieces


----------



## chrisco97

*Bach* - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Arranged for Two Pianos by Max Reger
_Michael & Lawrence Sartorius_

Another free album from the Baroque Music Library (how could you refuse free albums that are this great)...I am really loving this one. The arrangement of the third Brandenburg Concerto is so beautiful. Definitely give it a look: http://www.baroquemusiclibrary.com/770Web.html


----------



## korenbloem

Concertos (Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/Dima Slobodeniouk; Erik Heide; Lars Anders Tomter)


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - La mer
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe.

Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DaveS

Finally received this one, and am listening to the 1st & 3rd. Wow! Fabulous. Read great reviews, and I can understand why. Any other recommended Cluytens recordings?


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Gubaidulina*: VC1, Hommage a TS Eliot, w. Kremer/BSO/Dutoit (rec.1987/8).

View attachment 20538


----------



## chrisco97

*Bach* - Violin Concerto No. 1
_Ryo Terakado, Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki_

After seeing the beauty of Bach's Lute-Harpsichord works and the Brandenburg Concerto piano arrangements, I want to give Bach a serious listen and with an open mind. Starting with the Violin Concertos, since a couple of people recommended I listen to them first on the thread I started a while back.


----------



## Vaneyes

"I love the smell of fresh liner notes in the morning."

 - Vaneyes


----------



## DavidH

Debussy's String Quartet, composed in 1893 - performance by the Budapest String Quartet. Really great performance of a work I didn't really study / listen to before.


----------



## korenbloem

recently









Hildegard von Bingen performed by Oxford Camerata under Jeremy Summerly - Hildegard Von Bingen: Celestial Harmonies - Responsories and Antiphons [2008

np:









Arvo Pärt - Da Pacem


----------



## Sid James

*Jerry Herman* La Cage aux folles (The Bird Cage)
- Original Broadway cast, 1983 incl. Gene Barry as Georges and George Hearn as Albin (Book by Harvey Fierstein)

*Beethoven*
Overture to Fidelio
King Stephen Overture
The Creatures of Prometheus Overture*
- Radio SO, Ljubljana under Anton Nanut & *London Festival Orch. under Kurt Redel

*Gao Weijie* Shao I for 7 performers
*Chen Qigang* Three Laughs for di, chiba, sanxian, pipa, zheng
- "Huaxia" Chinese Chamber Ens. under Tsung Yeh

A word on this disc of *conemporary music for traditional Chinese instruments*, that I've been taking in over the past few days. The composers represented on this cd are Zhu Lin, Tan Dun, Chen Yi, Qu Xiaosong, Yang Liqing, Gao Weijie and Chen Qigang. Tan Dun and Chen Qigang are the only two whose work I previously knew. 









It was fascinating hearing these pieces, especially in terms how various instruments sound so much like those used in Western classical music. Eg. the wind and plucked instruments came across many times as similar to things like those in Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. But there's the rub! Composers like Debussy and Ravel where inspired by Asian music over a century ago, and this fed into music of later generations like Messiaen (who actually taught Chen Qigang). So it's a bit like taking coals to Newcastle, isn't it? What comes around goes around.

Since the end of the rule of Chairman Mao - who banned Western classical music in China - Chinese composers have had access to music of the West of all kinds, classical included. So they have blended their music with our music, a kind of fusion of two traditions (Tan Dun's piece on the cd for example is based on a traditional Chinese folk tune that goes way back). Its also kind of ironic that one of the world's oldest musical cultures, that goes back to the Warring States period between 475 - 221 BC, according to the notes, has itself a contemporary classical music scene that only got revived with the 'open door policy' of the 1980's, after Mao.

The notes of this disc explain each piece and there are also photos of some of the instruments used. It was published in 2004 on the Delos label and is 70 minutes in duration.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Always feel free to reply to the naysayers with, "Brahms rules, dude."


Now I cannot but agree with that (and I am NOT balking at it!). Gotta keep the balk thing alive here, you know :lol:...its wearing thin, but so what?


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Quartet in G minor
Domus









Was reading about the irregular construction of the Rondo theme in the finale, and I wanted to listen to the whole piece again.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling,* Ives*: SQs 1 & 2, with Blair Qt. (rec.2004 - '06), and JSQ (rec.1966/7).

Blair's morbid tone could be okay for No. 1, but No. 2 drags, and then when "Arguments" is not argument, doomsday appears. Two thumbs down.

JSQ's "too much birthday cake" works against No. 1, as does harsher recorded sound.

Nothing could be finer for No. 2, where "Arguments" is nailed. Required listening. One thumb up.

View attachment 20543


----------



## Selby

de Falla - El sombrero de tres picos [Vicoria de las Angeles]


----------



## Selby

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling,* Ives*: SQs 1 & 2, with Blair Qt. (rec.2004 - '06), and JSQ (rec.1966/7).
> 
> Blair's morbid tone could be okay for No. 1, but No. 2 drags, and then when "Arguments" is not argument, doomsday appears. Two thumbs down.
> 
> JSQ's "too much birthday cake" works against No. 1, as does harsher recorded sound.
> 
> Nothing could be finer for No. 2, where "Arguments" is nailed. Required listening. One thumb up.
> 
> View attachment 20543


Seriously, that could be a picture of my grampy; well before he died 25 years ago.

There must be some Ives in my blood.


----------



## chrisco97

Well, after listening to *Bach*'s _Violin Concerto No. 1_ a couple of times through, I can say that I really loved it. The first movement was awesome, the second movement was beautiful and relaxing, and the third movement ended the piece nicely. 

Now, it is off to the second concerto, performed by Ryo Terakado, Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki.


----------



## chrisco97

Just finished the Violin Concerto No. 2, I did not care for it as much as the first one, but still solid. I absolutely adored the second movement. I am in love with these slow Baroque movements!

Now listening to *Bach*'s _Double Concerto for Two Violins and Strings_, performed by Ryo Terakado, Natsumi Wakamatsu, Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki.

After this, I am likely going to go back to my everyday listening. I do not want to overdo it on the Bach, if I have not already. :lol:


----------



## Bix

I prefer the first.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vaneyes said:


> And performed by?


René Jacobs, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies 3,4


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling two recent reissues.

*Platti*: Concerto Grossi *after Corelli*, w. AAMB (rec.c2007). Pleasant, well-played, well-recorded, reasonably-priced. But who needs it? Mr. Corelli's good, don't need an after. One thumb up.
*
Stanford*: Piano Quintet, String Quintet 1, w. Lane/Vanbrugh Qt. (rec.2004). Pleasant, well-played.... but who needs this salon? Maybe try Bacewicz, Taneyev, Zemlinsky, others, for some adventure. One thumb up.

View attachment 20552
View attachment 20553


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Quartet for Guitar and Strings in D Major, Op. 2, No. 2 (arr. from Quartet in E major, Op. 2 No. 2, Hob.III:8)

_Performed by Karl Scheit and the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet_

The guitar blends so well with the strings. Very relaxing. Enjoying it very much.


----------



## lunchdress

chrisco97 said:


> Another free album from the Baroque Music Library (how could you refuse free albums that are this great)...


Thank you so much for sharing this!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.1 - Valentina Lisitsa, piano, Michael Francis, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

lunchdress said:


> Thank you so much for sharing this!


You are more than welcome! I hope you enjoy it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stemahl said:


> A friend told me once that unlike a lot of popular music, classical music never gets old - but I can't say I'm looking forward to the day I don't find new discoveries.


I've been listening to classical for about 27 years now and the new discoveries, complete with jaw-dropping masterpieces, are still coming faster than I can keep up with them.

I'll wager most here would say the same.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphonies 3,4


Performed by????


----------



## bejart

Joseph Teixidor (1752-ca.1811): String Quartet No.5 in G Major

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simarro and Ulrike Cramer, violins -- Lothar Haass, viola -- Jan Kunkel, cello

View attachment 20556


----------



## science

It's even worse than it looks. I've got "Nessun Dorma" and "O sole mio" on repeat.

j/k!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Three Fragments from 'Juliette'_. Fantastic performances. I wish Mackerras would have recorded the complete opera.


----------



## SimonNZ

another listen to this miraculous recording:

Kaija Saariaho's Six Japanese Gardens - Thierry Miroglio, percussions


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




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## StlukesguildOhio




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## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.20 in D Major, KV 499

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello

View attachment 20561


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Estampes - Alexis Weissenberg, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mozart: Symphony no. 41
Mahler: Symphony no. 2
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choir conducted by MaestroViolinist's mother's cousin's friend's uncle (or something like that, can't quite remember) aka Stuart Challender. Soloists in the Mahler are Rosamund Illing (soprano) and Elizabeth Campbell (mezzo-soprano)

Recordings of live performances from 1990 and 1991.









My thoughts on the recording......
The Mozart symphony: First movement too slow. The score says "allegro vivace," not "allegro moderato e molto morto!" However, there are some thrilling moments here and there of a peculiar powerful energy, not exactly _lively,_ more dramatic like a Mahler symphony. Most of the time the first movement sounds quite dead. Second movement is utterly sublime and the sound is a lot clearer, not so mushy like the first movement. However, it could do with more emotive phrasing and more emphasis on the dissonances and peaks in the melodic contour.

I'll be back with more once I get to the third and fourth movements. 

...

Onto the third movement, I probably enjoy this movement the most of this particular interpretation. Pros: Phrasing is good, it isn't played without expression and it certainly isn't "dead." The sound it clear and it isn't too mushy. It isn't played very lightly at all which I like very much (I can't abide people who play minuets very lightly as if it isn't a "serious" movement) and it does sound very exciting. Cons: It's dreadfully pesante all the way through, phrasing was good but as I said in the second movement, Maestro Challender doesn't put much emphasis on the dissonances and doesn't bring out the peaks in the melodic contour as much as I would have liked. It is also too slow.

The last movement: pros: it's clear and the balance is excellent, the strings aren't too loud at all as they had been in previous movements. Each layer of the counterpoint is easily heard the entire time. This movement is not too slow but it is on the slow side. Cons: once again, phrasing is an issue. In this movement especially it doesn't seem to breathe properly, it sounds flat and dead for almost the whole movement apart from some sections where it is marked in the score to play a certain way or to crescendo/diminuendo.

Now I'm listening to the Mahler. This symphony I don't find to be as easy to listen to as the seventh which is my personal favourite. It's taken me some time to warm up to it but I think after a few more listens it will click with me...I hope. This performance however is absolutely amazing.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling, *Taneyev*: String Quartets 1 - 4, 5, 7, w. Carpe Diem Qt. (rec. 2006 -'10). Carpe Diem was formed in 2005, and this project began in 2006.

Volumes 1 (rec. 2006) & 2 (rec. 2007). The playing on both is ragged. The main culprits being rushing and encroaching. And closely recorded sound can be a painful judge. The resonating cello with its deep voice is quite astonishing.

Volume 3 (rec. 2010) received a change in recording venue, and more relaxed mic positioning. Rather than ragged playing, I would now refer to it as cautious playing. The recorded sound is more pleasing, but it's of no consequence.

These volumes are not good alternatives to the Taneyev Quartet transfers on the Northern Flowers label. Maybe another new group will rise to the challenge and provide more. We'll just have to wait and see. :tiphat:

View attachment 20558
View attachment 20559
View attachment 20560


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> I've been listening to classical for about 27 years now and the new discoveries, complete with jaw-dropping masterpieces, are still coming faster than I can keep up with them.
> 
> I'll wager most here would say the same.


Yes, and more, SimonNZ. Masterpieces or no masterpieces, the releases must keep up with insatiable demand for fresh liner notes.

Sniff, sniff.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78

Itzhak Perlman, violin -- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

View attachment 20564


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 20555
> 
> 
> on the radio:
> 
> Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.1 - Valentina Lisitsa, piano, Michael Francis, cond.


Who is she? And who cares? What's the backcover like?


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










I've owned this recording since January of this year and I'm just now listening to it. Sounds quite nice so far.


----------



## julianoq

Philips Glass Symphony No.3, conducted by Marin Alsop (who sadly broke her arm in a bedroom fall today and will not attend the SPSO concert that I will go this friday) with the Bournemouth SO. It is the very first thing that I listen from Glass. I like it!


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> "I love the smell of fresh liner notes in the morning."
> 
> - Vaneyes


:lol: I like to smell the liner notes and covers of LPs, CDs, Cassettes too.

Listening to opus 55


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> Philips Glass Symphony No.3, conducted by Marin Alsop (who sadly broke her arm in a bedroom fall today and will not attend the SPSO concert that I will go this friday) with the Bournemouth SO. It is the very first thing that I listen from Glass. I like it!


I really dislike Glass' music. Quite possibly one of the worst composers I've ever heard. He has his fans that think everyone else is wrong for voicing an opinion against their 'hero,' but I certainly have never been one of them and, in fact, have made my opinion of his music quite known on message boards.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> Who is she? And who cares? What's the backcover like?


Heh. It was on the radio, so I cant answer that.

Quite a few interesting bits of info on Valentina Lisitsa's Wikipedia entry:

"Lisitsa is among the most frequently viewed pianists on YouTube; and is often praised as a highly commendable pianist. Lisitsa followed a unique path to success, independently launching the beginnings of her career via social media, without initially signing to a tour promoter or record company.[...]Despite her early disposition to music, her dream at that point was to become a professional chess player.[...]After the death of her manager, and with the thought that she was "just another blonde Russian pianist" Lisitsa almost gave up on her career as a concert pianist, and contemplated becoming a local worker for the government in Washington, D.C.[...]Furthering her career, Lisitsa and her husband put their life savings in recording a CD of Rachmaninov concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2010.[...]She has been the pianist in recital engagements collaborating with violinist Hilary Hahn."

Though I'm not wild about Rach 1, I couldn't fault the playing. Ang I'll be keeping an eye out for the Ives disc she made with Hahn:









Here's the two of them chatting about it:


----------



## julianoq

Neo Romanza said:


> I really dislike Glass' music. Quite possibly one of the worst composers I've ever heard. He has his fans that think everyone else is wrong for voicing an opinion against their 'hero,' but I certainly have never been one of them and, in fact, have made my opinion of his music quite known on message boards.


I see 

I am on a mission to explore current composers. The next on my list is Rautavaara, I hope you have a better opinion about him!

Edit: now playing Rutavaara Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light", performed by Segerstam and the Helsinki Philarmonic. The first movement almost dropped me to my knees!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Neo Romanza said:


> I really dislike Glass' music. Quite possibly one of the worst composers I've ever heard. He has his fans that think everyone else is wrong for voicing an opinion against their 'hero,' but I certainly have never been one of them and, in fact, have made my opinion of his music quite known on message boards.


I'm actually kind of surprised by this Neo. I am not a fan of most of Glass' works but I do really like the 3rd symphony a lot. I guess your Glass is half empty and mine is half full. :devil:

Kevin


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> I really dislike Glass' music. Quite possibly one of the worst composers I've ever heard. He has his fans that think everyone else is wrong for voicing an opinion against their 'hero,' but I certainly have never been one of them and, in fact, have made my opinion of his music quite known on message boards.


Interesting opinion of yours, I'm a huge fan of Glass' earlier works from the 1960s and 1970s a I enjoy a few works written after Glassworks but it always seems to me that there is something lacking in his more recent works that isn't evident in his earlier stuff.


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> I see
> 
> I am on a mission to explore current composers. The next on my list is Rautavaara, I hope you have a better opinion about him!
> 
> Edit: now playing Rutavaara Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light", performed by Segerstam and the Helsinki Philarmonic. The first movement almost dropped me to my knees!


Ah, yes, I do like Rautavaara quite a lot actually. I continuously recommend his _Symphony No. 7 'Angel of Light'_, _Symphony No. 8_, and his _Violin Concerto_ to newcomers of his music. Of course, he's written many more great works, these are the ones I admire the most.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> I'm actually kind of surprised by this Neo. I am not a fan of most of Glass' works but I do really like the 3rd symphony a lot. I guess your Glass is half empty and mine is half full. :devil:
> 
> Kevin


Yeah, I just can't get onboard with what Glass is doing. I suppose it has a lot of to do with his harmonic/melodic musical language. It just irks me to no end. Speaking of Minimalists, put on Adams' _Harmonielehre_ or Part's _Tabula Rasa_, however, and I will be a very happy listener.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Interesting opinion of yours, I'm a huge fan of Glass' earlier works from the 1960s and 1970s a I enjoy a few works written after Glassworks but it always seems to me that there is something lacking in his more recent works that isn't evident in his earlier stuff.


I haven't heard any work by Glass that I liked. Again, it's his musical language. In terms of hardcore Minimalism, give me Reich's _Music for 18 Musicians_ any day of the week over any of Glass' works.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> I haven't heard any work by Glass that I liked. Again, it's his musical language. In terms of hardcore Minimalism, give me Reich's _Music for 18 Musicians_ any day of the week over any of Glass' works.


Reich has a more complex harmonic language, he uses extension chords a lot (most evident in Four Organs, one of my favourite Reich works) showing his influence from jazz music. Glass seems to be more interested in the relations of different triads and functional harmony. Maybe that's what it could be. I much prefer Reich as well.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Neo Romanza said:


> I haven't heard any work by Glass that I liked. Again, it's his musical language. In terms of hardcore Minimalism, give me Reich's _Music for 18 Musicians_ any day of the week over any of Glass' works.


I really dig this album by Reich!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kevin Pearson said:


> I really dig this album by Reich!


_Music for Large Ensemble_ is like the little brother to _Music for 18 Musicians_. _Octet_ is a good work, but it's been ages since I've listened to any of Reich's music.


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major
Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## Selby

Janáček, Leoš - Piano Works [András Schiff]


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

More Mahler, something more familiar this time. Symphony no. 7, The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez.









One recording I enjoy very much (and the only one I have so far) but I still prefer Bernstein's performance available on DVD with the Vienna Philharmonic (also can be found on YouTube). This was the second of Mahler's symphonies I became familiar with and now my favourite Mahler symphony. This recording I picked up for $5 at a clearance in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales and it is one of the most listened to CDs I have. Boulez's interpretation is very stately in the first movement, the balance is almost perfect but I wish the glockenspiel was a little louder sometimes. My favourite moment: first mvt 17:01 when the horns come in with _that_ chord. 

This recording also has the best Nachtmusik movements by miles.


----------



## SimonNZ

from the IRCAM list:

Emmanuel Nunes Lichtung II - Ensemble InterContemporain

interesting to note that Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene is also on the list


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in C Major for Sopranino Recorder, Strings and B.C, RV 443
_Karl Stangenberg, Münchener Kammerorchester and Hans Stadlmeier_

I love how most of the first movements of Vivaldi's concertos have an awesome intro, go into a solo for the main instrument that is backed up by the orchestra in a very subtle way, and then goes into an awesome ending. _See, the recorder is not completely useless like people make it out to be_. :lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

chrisco97 said:


> *Vivaldi* - Concerto in C Major for Sopranino Recorder, Strings and B.C, RV 443
> _Karl Stangenberg, Münchener Kammerorchester and Hans Stadlmeier_
> 
> I love how most of the first movements of Vivaldi's concertos have an awesome intro, go into a solo for the main instrument that is backed up by the orchestra in a very subtle way, and then goes into an awesome ending). _See, the recorder is not completely useless like people make it out to be_. :lol:


Ritornello form. The perfect form for any concerto, composers started to replace it with their silly sonata form in the Classical period and then it became this sonata form with a stupid exposition. 
The original ritornello form cannot be improved upon!!!


----------



## chrisco97

Actually, I think most of his third movements have the same form. I love it. 

And wow. I loved the second movement of this concerto. It was so beautiful...I find myself saying that about a lot of the slow Baroque movements now. :lol:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to this CD, which I rarely listen to because I don't like the prelude from Spitfire Prelude and Fugue very much. I won't be able to listen to the whole CD because I have to go somewhere at 5.









Nicely orchestrated, Mr. Walton. What's your Sinfonia Concertante like? I'll listen to it before I head off. :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Where in Australia are you, CoAG? (if its ok to ask)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Where in Australia are you, CoAG? (if its ok to ask)


Vladivostok is in the same time zone. 

But I'm actually in Melbourne.


----------



## SimonNZ

Heh. Most people in Vladivostok don't go bargain hunting in Wagga Wagga. I'm pretty sure its not on the Trans-Siberian route.


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in C Major for Flautino and Strings, RV 443
_Dan Laurin and Bach Collegium Japan_

I love this concerto so far. I have never heard it nor of the instrument...and as always, an awesome second movement. Cannot get enough of them. 

*EDIT:* I have heard of the instrument, just not this name for it. :lol:


----------



## ptr

DaveS said:


> View attachment 20537
> 
> Finally received this one, and am listening to the 1st & 3rd. Wow! Fabulous. Read great reviews, and I can understand why. Any other recommended Cluytens recordings?


His recording of Shostakovich 11th Symphony is Classic stuff (Pathé/Availible on Testament)! I think many of his French EMI recordings are availbe on *Testament*, I love is Beethoven Concertos with Solomon and Oistrakh, his interpretations of French repertoire (Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Franck etc.) is of a very high standard throughout!

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Been travelling for the last few day's so there have not been any real quality listening (Airports; I do hate you passionately!), today having breakfast on the roof of a friends house I finely got some alone time with my headphones and got through two whole albums before someone interfered with my world... 
​
VH Project 2013

[21] In Recital (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

*Olivier Messiaen* - Turangalîla-Symphonie (Hyperion)









Cynthia Millar, ondes Martenot; Steven Osborne, piano; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra u. Juanjo Mena

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Tomorrow I am going to the Mozart Festival in Warsaw!  I have to prepare myself:

Adagio and Fugue in C minor K546 (Manze)
Violin Concerto no. 4 in D major K218 (Grumiaux, Davis)
Symphony no. 40 in G minor K550 (Marriner)

Overture to La Clemenza di Tito K621
Horn Concerto no. 4 in E-flat major K495 (Baumann, Zukerman)
Horn Concerto no. 1 in D major K412 (ditto)
Symphony no. 41 in C major K551 (Marriner)

Requiem in D minor K626 (Davis).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

While other prolific composers (e.i. Bach and Handel) often recycled material, Mozart almost never did. He seemed to have an endless supply of original melodic material pouring out of him. I've been listening to these for days:





















The performances are near perfect and the recording is so good you can hear characteristics of the pianoforte and violin that make it feel as if you are standing right there in the room as Banchini and Vesselinova play.

These recordings make me feel like I have just discovered works from Mozart that I didn't know existed before. I had not appreciated how good the violin sonatas were until now.


----------



## Kieran

Hey Jerome!

Glad you like them, buddy. As I say, K377 is a favourite of mine, but really, the violins sonatas contain as much depth and variety as the PC's, so there's a huge world of chamber music awesomeness waiting for willing folks to discover.

I love the cover on those CD's. Plus, are they using Opus numbers instead of that old fogey Kochel? Are they period instruments?

:tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

DrKilroy said:


> Tomorrow I am going to the Mozart Festival in Warsaw!  I have to prepare myself:


Sounds great, Doc, enjoy! What's on the programme? :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mozart: Symphony no. 41
> 
> My thoughts on the recording......
> The Mozart symphony: First movement too slow. The score says "allegro vivace," not "allegro moderato e molto morto!" However, there are some thrilling moments here and there of a peculiar powerful energy, not exactly _lively,_ more dramatic like a Mahler symphony. Most of the time the first movement sounds quite dead. Second movement is utterly sublime and the sound is a lot clearer, not so mushy like the first movement. However, it could do with more emotive phrasing and more emphasis on the dissonances and peaks in the melodic contour.
> 
> I'll be back with more once I get to the third and fourth movements.
> 
> ...
> 
> Onto the third movement, I probably enjoy this movement the most of this particular interpretation. Pros: Phrasing is good, it isn't played without expression and it certainly isn't "dead." The sound it clear and it isn't too mushy. It isn't played very lightly at all which I like very much (I can't abide people who play minuets very lightly as if it isn't a "serious" movement) and it does sound very exciting. Cons: It's dreadfully pesante all the way through, phrasing was good but as I said in the second movement, Maestro Challender doesn't put much emphasis on the dissonances and doesn't bring out the peaks in the melodic contour as much as I would have liked. It is also too slow.
> 
> The last movement: pros: it's clear and the balance is excellent, the strings aren't too loud at all as they had been in previous movements. Each layer of the counterpoint is easily heard the entire time. This movement is not too slow but it is on the slow side. Cons: once again, phrasing is an issue. In this movement especially it doesn't seem to breathe properly, it sounds flat and dead for almost the whole movement apart from some sections where it is marked in the score to play a certain way or to crescendo/diminuendo.


Great review, ComposerOfAvantGarde (do we really have to type it all out? I mean, COAG is catchy, no?),

I have a Bohm recording of #41 and the opening movement is so fast, I thought I'd gotten one of them dreadful _Hooked on Classics_ discs with the monstrous tack-on drumbeat propelling it all disco-style towards Bach's Air on a G-String. When the opening movement is too fast, the gorgeous buffa melody is lost. When it's too slow, the rest of it sags and the tension dissipates.

I agree about the slow movement. The first few notes of this put me in mind of the famous andante on PC #21, but rather than rise on the melody, this one halts abruptly, and it develops beautifully as it goes. It's the very first slow movement of the very first classical work I ever bought!

The last movement was the hardest for me to get, but now I'm stupefied and gobsmacked. I imagine that from a technical point of view, this movement is the most daring and exhilerating for the connoisseurs.
Anyway, thanks again for the review... :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Thank you! The programme includes the works I listed in my previous post.  There are, however, many interesting concerts, as the Festival lasts whole month. Also, all of Mozart's operas are staged by the Warsaw Cameral Opera. 

Best reards, Dr


----------



## Guest

HTML:







Kieran said:


> Hey Jerome!
> 
> Glad you like them, buddy. As I say, K377 is a favourite of mine, but really, the violins sonatas contain as much depth and variety as the PC's, so there's a huge world of chamber music awesomeness waiting for willing folks to discover.
> 
> I love the cover on those CD's. Plus, are they using Opus numbers instead of that old fogey Kochel? Are they period instruments?
> 
> :tiphat:


Totally agreed! Thanks again for giving me some guidance through these. K377 is my favorite also. Especially the Sicilian-esque Andante.

Yes, eriod instruments. Its a pianoforte not a fortepiano, but its not a modern one. The Kochel numbers are listed.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Neo Romanza said:


> I really dislike Glass' music. Quite possibly one of the worst composers I've ever heard. He has his fans that think everyone else is wrong for voicing an opinion against their 'hero,' but I certainly have never been one of them and, in fact, have made my opinion of his music quite known on message boards.


I share your view on Glass. Unfortunately I find his music completely unengaging, uninspired and lifeless.

I enjoy some works by Reich, Nyman and especially Part, so it's not a problem with minimalism ... just Mr. Glass!


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Oboe Sonata in B Minor

Musica Gaudens: Jiri Zelba, oboe -- Jakub Dvorak, cello

View attachment 20582


----------



## Sonata

Brahms clarinet sonatas start my morning!


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven Piano Sonatas - Artur Schnabel, piano

disc two: sonatas 2, 5, 6 and 7


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's Das Lied Von Der Erde performed by Brigitte Fassbaender, Francisco Araiza and the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Carlo Maria Giulini.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Egmont & Coriolan Overtures
- London SO & London PO under Alberto Lizzio

*Felix Mendelssohn* Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 66
*Fanny Henselt* (Mendelssohn's sister) Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 11
- The Abegg Trio: Ulrich Beetz, vln., Birgit Erichson, cello, Gerrit Zitterbart, piano

*Tchaikovsky* Suite #4, "Mozartiana"
- South German PO under Hans Zanotelli


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Totally agreed! Thanks again for giving me some guidance through these. K377 is my favorite also. Especially the Sicilian-esque Andante.
> 
> Yes, eriod instruments. Its a pianoforte not a fortepiano, but its not a modern one. The Kochel numbers are listed.


That's it. K377 is well fed and engorged on beautiful things. Last movement is so restrained and sparse. The andante incrementally gnaws at resistance, until the piano throws a match on it and the fiddle player swipes at flames. K454 is another, a great work from the pianistic orgy that was the K450's.

At the moment I'm listening to K377, Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman at the helm...


----------



## Kieran

DrKilroy said:


> Thank you! The programme includes the works I listed in my previous post.  There are, however, many interesting concerts, as the Festival lasts whole month. Also, all of Mozart's operas are staged by the Warsaw Cameral Opera.
> 
> Best reards, Dr


Crikey. There I am looking at a sun holiday, iPod under a beach umbrella, K377 while I gawk at the lissome lovelies striding angularly into the sea, while this is going on. I feel deprived like a Dickens child! 

I'd love to try a festival sometime - is this one annual and do you have a link?

Cheers! :tiphat:


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Camille Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 (performed by Yo-Yo Ma). Next will be the Piano Concerto No. 2 and Violin Concerto No. 3 from the same album.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> That's it. K377 is well fed and engorged on beautiful things. Last movement is so restrained and sparse. The andante incrementally gnaws at resistance, until the piano throws a match on it and the fiddle player swipes at flames. K454 is another, a great work from the pianistic orgy that was the K450's.
> 
> At the moment I'm listening to K377, Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman at the helm...


You have a gift with words, Kieran. Are you a writer?

Currently K376 next K454 again.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Seeing Kieran's avatar makes me want to listen to some Mozart.









No regrets here. I do enjoy this recording (despite it being another unemotional performance from the orchestra), the piano playing just seems to be perfect for Mozart and it isn't too overblown or over the top. The orchestra doesn't overpower the piano and the piano doesnt overpower the orchestra. The orchestra accompanies the piano very very well and doesn't distract by being just too good, the emotion is held back a little to make way for the piano. It certainly doesn't sound like an orchestra vs. piano showdown, the balance in every aspect is perfect. Also, I absolutely love the cadenza in K466!


----------



## NightHawk

Mid-week Boulez break - this morning:

Harnoncourt and The Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Schubert Symphonies - boxed set - right now, #9 'The Great' in C major - it certainly is a C major work! Perky and bustling about and there she goes, last chord _diminuendo_. On to #8.


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Seeing Kieran's avatar makes me want to listen to some Mozart.
> 
> View attachment 20585
> 
> 
> No regrets here. I do enjoy this recording (despite it being another unemotional performance from the orchestra), the piano playing just seems to be perfect for Mozart and it isn't too overblown or over the top. The orchestra doesn't overpower the piano and the piano doesnt overpower the orchestra. The orchestra accompanies the piano very very well and doesn't distract by being just too good, the emotion is held back a little to make way for the piano. It certainly doesn't sound like an orchestra vs. piano showdown, the balance in every aspect is perfect. Also, I absolutely love the cadenza in K466!


Funny, cos I want to watch the next series of Sherlock for some unknown reason! 

I think K466 doesn't follow the adversarial method of pitting the piano against the orchestra in a "private citizen versus the state" way. The piano opens with its own themes and the orchestra doesn't try coral it into places it doesn't want to go. I think they might be the Beethoven cadenzas, are they? They're almost the default setting for that work...


----------



## millionrainbows

ERNST KRENEK (1900-1991): Piano Sonatas; Mikhail Korzhev, piano; (Phoenix Edition 2008).

5 Pièces pour piano Op. 39 (1926)
Sonata n°2 Op. 59 (1928)
Sonata n°4 Op. 114 (1948)
Variations de Georges Washington Op. 120 (1950)
Echoes from Austria Op. 166 (1958)
Foxtrott Op. 13a (1922)

It's not easy to find much Krenek, so when I see, I get. The attraction for me here is Sonata No. 4, op. 114, as I prefer to see Krenek as a 12-tonalist. He started out as influenced by Kurt Weill (Jonny Spielt Auf) and progressed through 12-tone into a neo-classic style. The "George Washington Variations" start out with a super-simple theme, and get increasingly complex, until by the end it sounds like Alban Berg.

His string quartets are important; I'd like to get those next.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Brahms clarinet sonatas start my morning!


And performed by?


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Janacek's* (1854 - 1928) birthday, String Quartets 1 & 2 w. Prazak Qt. (rec. 1997).

View attachment 20588


----------



## Vaneyes

DrKilroy said:


> Tomorrow I am going to the Mozart Festival in Warsaw!  I have to prepare myself:
> 
> Adagio and Fugue in C minor K546 (Manze)
> Violin Concerto no. 4 in D major K218 (Grumiaux, Davis)
> Symphony no. 40 in G minor K550 (Marriner)
> 
> Overture to La Clemenza di Tito K621
> Horn Concerto no. 4 in E-flat major K495 (Baumann, Zukerman)
> Horn Concerto no. 1 in D major K412 (ditto)
> Symphony no. 41 in C major K551 (Marriner)
> 
> Requiem in D minor K626 (Davis).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


That's great, DK. Enjoy! I'll be humming Figaro Overture all day in remembrance. :tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Steve Reich and John Adams, San Francisco Symphony conducted by Edo de Waart









The Variations isn't my favourite work by Reich, but I do really enjoy listening to all the layers in the thick cloud of sound that the music is. I suppose a cloud is a good description for it actually, it's subtle changes in motif and repetition, gradually shifting ideas that develop over a long period of time is like watching a cloud change shape and move across the sky. Long suspended chords underneath faster, more rhythmic layers above reminds me of what *Sibelius* does with texture in his works sometimes actually. That's something else I'm attracted to in this music!

I'm not as familiar with Shaker Loops by Adams, but I've never been disappointed by his music so I'm sure I'll have fun listening to this again.


----------



## julianoq

Fantastic performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto by Pekka Kuusisto, conducted by Segerstam. Already one of my favorites.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

julianoq said:


> Fantastic performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto by Pekka Kuusisto, conducted by Segerstam. Already one of my favorites.


A terrific recording, one of my favourites but still doesn't beat the Heifetz and Beecham.


----------



## jim prideaux

:tiphat:


ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to this CD, which I rarely listen to because I don't like the prelude from Spitfire Prelude and Fugue very much. I won't be able to listen to the whole CD because I have to go somewhere at 5.
> 
> View attachment 20576
> 
> 
> Nicely orchestrated, Mr. Walton. What's your Sinfonia Concertante like? I'll listen to it before I head off. :tiphat:


great choice-this entire series on naxos is really 'top notch'-the string concertos and the first symphony are marvellous-recently bemoaned the fact that Walton appeared to be ignored and this is a great effort to redress the balance.
both the Hindemith variations and the sinfonia concertante are examples of 20th century British music at its best!:tiphat:


----------



## julianoq

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> A terrific recording, one of my favourites but still doesn't beat the Heifetz and Beecham.


I like Heifetz performance but I prefer this concerto at a slower tempo. Kavakos is my favorite, Hahn coming next and now Kuusisto is a serious contender  really loving this record.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

julianoq said:


> I like Heifetz performance but I prefer this concerto at a slower tempo. Kavakos is my favorite, Hahn coming next and now Kuusisto is a serious contender  really loving this record.


I became used to the faster tempi of Heifetz and Perlman initially, the slower versions have always sounded a little odd to me. Kuusisto and Segerstam, however, are a terrific match for this concerto no matter what the tempo.


----------



## schuberkovich

Dvorak String Quartet no.14 op.105
Cleveland Quartet on Youtube
The 2nd theme of the 2nd movement is one of those times when a Dvorak melody seems so beautiful yet simple, that it feels like it's "too much".
If you're curious, it happens at 7:45 in the video


----------



## DrKilroy

Kieran said:


> Crikey. There I am looking at a sun holiday, iPod under a beach umbrella, K377 while I gawk at the lissome lovelies striding angularly into the sea, while this is going on. I feel deprived like a Dickens child!
> 
> I'd love to try a festival sometime - is this one annual and do you have a link?
> 
> Cheers! :tiphat:


Yes, the Festival is annual. Here is the link to Warsaw Chamber Opera website. I hope you could visit Poland next summer. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

DrKilroy said:


> Yes, the Festival is annual. Here is the link to Warsaw Chamber Opera website. I hope you could visit Poland next summer. :tiphat:
> 
> Best regards, Dr


That's incredible, Doc. I'll definitely look into that, if I had known about it earlier I'd be there this year.

Cheers!


----------



## DrKilroy

Well, so I look forward to seeing you there next year.  I'll be the young guy sweating in a suit and a bowtie. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bix

Chopin: Ballades and Scherzi - Rubinstein


----------



## Kieran

DrKilroy said:


> Well, so I look forward to seeing you there next year.  I'll be the young guy sweating in a suit and a bowtie. :tiphat:
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Sounds good. In the meantime, enjoy yourself this year! :tiphat:


----------



## DavidH

Webern's 5 pieces for orchestra, Opus 10, with Maderna conducting the Orchestre du Domaine. I don't like serialism all that much for its own sake, but I do like these pieces, especially the terrifying No. 3 from around 1:44 in!


----------



## Mahlerian

DavidH said:


> Webern's 5 pieces for orchestra, Opus 10, with Maderna conducting the Orchestre du Domaine. I don't like serialism all that much for its own sake, but I do like these pieces, especially the terrifying No. 3 from around 1:44 in!


Perhaps you're realizing that words have little or nothing to do with how good the music is?

It's not serial, though! Free atonality and serialism are not the same thing.

Barber: Symphony in One Movement
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, cond. Slatkin


----------



## Bix

Bix said:


> Chopin: Ballades and Scherzi - Rubinstein


, ages since I've listened to these, the Sherzo no 3 is amazing, Rubenstein is genius also (recorded in 1959)


----------



## Mahlerian

Janáček: Sinfonietta
Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Mackerras


----------



## millionrainbows

Evgeny Kissin: Moonlight Sonata, Franck, Brahms (RCA). Recorded in 1997. He's still one of my favorites.


----------



## MagneticGhost

My first listen to Rubbra's String Quartets.
Verdict - Exceptional Compositions. Great performances - Great Sound Quality.


----------



## Selby

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20593
> 
> 
> My first listen to Rubbra's String Quartets.
> Verdict - Exceptional Compositions. Great performances - Great Sound Quality.


That's enticing! Didn't even know that they exist.


----------



## Selby

Villa-Lobos, Heitor - Uirapurú, A. 133 (The Enchanted Bird, 1917) [Eduardo Mata, Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela)


----------



## julianoq

Rautavaara Symphony No. 3 with Lintu and RSNO. I like it a lot, very brucknerian and I love Bruckner


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## DrKilroy

Some Polish higlands influenced music:

Kilar - Tatra Cycle - Krzesany, Kościelec 1909, Siwa Mgła, Orawa
Szymanowski - Harnasie (Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No. 1 in G minor (V. Gergiev, Mariinsky)

-- Inspired to go back to this after the "most impressive Firsts thread. Such a great, under-appreciated work.

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 4 in A minor (P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony)


----------



## bejart

Anton Kraft (1749-1820): Sonata for Two Cellos in D Major, Op.1, No.3

Jiri Hosek and Dominika Hoskova, cellos

View attachment 20605


----------



## Selby

Falla, Manuel de - Concerto for Harpsichord and Chamber Orchestra, G. 71 [Igor Kipnis, Pierre Boulez, New York Philharmonic]


----------



## ProudSquire

*Schubert*

String quartet No. 14 in D Minor '_Death and the Maiden_'

Brandis Quartet


----------



## Kieran

*K380*, Violin sonata performed by Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Listening to some music from my Canadian neighbors:










Listening to _Five Songs for Dark Voice_. It's really a shame that Canadian classical music seems to continue to get the shaft time and time again. There's a lot of interesting music happening up there.


----------



## korenbloem

Alfred Schnittke performed by Swedish Radio Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste - Psalms of Repentance


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV317
_Jan Tomasow, Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera & Gustav Leonhardt_


----------



## Selby

korenbloem said:


> View attachment 20618
> 
> 
> Alfred Schnittke performed by Swedish Radio Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste - Psalms of Repentance


Upon seeing this I realized that I had to immediately order it - and did. Thanks!


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Trio in E Flat. Op, 17, No.2

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Stefano Marcocchi, viola -- Stefano Veggetti, cello

View attachment 20619


----------



## chrisco97

Haven't listened to any Mozart in a while...so:

*Mozart* - Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 417
_Albert Linder, Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Hans Swarowsky_

I love Mozart's wind concertos. Some of my favourites.


----------



## Ondine

After a dark evening, a storm is -right now- falling from the sky; I feel it is a good moment for:









I love the quote: 'A symphony, after all, is not a 'composition' in the usual sense. It is more as a declaration of faith at various stages in one's life.

Jean Sibelius.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann

*Carnaval*

_- Sigurd Slåttebrekk_

*Fantasiestücke*

_- Martha Argerich_


----------



## millionrainbows

*Carl Orff (1895-1982):* _Der Monde (1938-38)/Die Kluge (1941-42);_ Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra; Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond.; Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (EMI 2-CD). Recorded 1957, 1956 (stereo).

Both pieces were composed under the prevailing ideology of the Third Reich, which encouraged composers to write "escapist" operas and works based on mythology or folklore. These are based on Grimms fairy tales.

_Der Monde (The Moon) _is not as "dark" as I'd hoped. It sounds like certain diatonic elements of Carmina Burana frozen in time. Interesting, but not exactly a development of what came before.

_Die Kluge (The Story of the King and the Clever Young Woman)_ is much darker and angst-ridden. Still, neither strikes me as _Carmina Burana_ _(1936)_ or _De temporum fine comoedia_ (_Play on the End of Times_, 1971).

Not "operas" in the conventional sense, these are more like cantatas or oratorios.

For early stereo, these recordings are excellent. If you have Strauss' _Der Rosenkavalier_ from this period, it is similar in quality. For 11.99 for 2-CDs, I had to have it.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Trio in G Major, KV 496

Arion Trio: Ilse von Alpenheim, piano -- Igor Ozim, violin -- Walter Grimmer, cello

View attachment 20625


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Another fascinating composer from the Great White North. Listening to _Tableau_.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mendelssohn * - String Symphonies 7 & 12 (N. Ward, Northern Chamber Orchestra)

-- I still find it pretty ridiculous that he composed these between the ages 12-14. Fantastic music!


----------



## Sid James

*Felix Mendelssohn* Piano Trio #2 in C minor, Op. 66
- Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, pno., Isidore Cohen, vln., Peter Wiley, cello

*Fanny Henselt* (Mendelssohn's sister) Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 11
- The Abegg Trio: Ulrich Beetz, vln., Birgit Erichson, cello, Gerrit Zitterbart, piano

*Holst* The Planets
- London PO under Bernard Herrmann


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Prelude to Act I and Finale from Act III of "Parsifal"
Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces
Mahler: Das Klagende Lied (1880 version)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Jurowski

This is why I chose Klagende for my example over on the Mahler thread, I suppose...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Continuing with some more of Somers' orchestral works:










Listening to _North Country_. A dark, desolate soundscape with little flickers of light coming through on occasion.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An absolutely stunning disc! The works here performed came from a songbook found in the Montecassino Abbey in Naples composed over the period of 1430 to 1480. The set is divided into sixty-five sacred and seventy-seven secular songs. As a reviewer on Amazon suggested, this recording is a musical window into the Aragonese Kingdom of Naples under the lavish hand of a king called "Magnanimous".


----------



## Novelette

Mozart: Fantasia in F Minor, K 608 -- Daniel Chorzempa

Purcell: Come, Ye Sons Of Art, Z 323 -- Felicity Lott; John Eliot Gardiner: Monteverdi Orchestra, Monteverdi Choir

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra

Cherubini: Medea -- Gwyneth Jones; Bruno Prevedi; Lamberto Gardelli: Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma

Balakirev: Impromptu on Themes from Two Preludes by Chopin -- Alexander Paley


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vivalidi. Some great music here.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mozart (1756-1791): Adagio and Fugue in C minor for string quartet, K. 546; Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Quartet in G major for strings, Op. 161 (D. 887). Yo-Yo Ma, Gidon Kremer. (Sony). DSD remaster. Recorded 1985.

The Mozart: *ahh, the darkness.* I can see why this is frequently paired with the Requiem. An organ version also exists, and the Fugue is drawn from an earlier 2-piano piece. The Fugue has been described as "un-Bach-ian," but Beethoven nonetheless studied it carefully.

The Schubert: nice, but _way, way, way_ too long (23:19, 12:35, 7:18, 10:18). _Whew!_ He must have seen the compact disc format coming! That's over 53 minutes.


----------



## samurai

Allan Pettersson--*Symphony No.8 and Symphony No.10,* both performed by the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra under Leif 
Segerstram.
Kalevi Aho-- *Symphony No.12 {"Luosoto"}, *
featuring the John Storgards led Lahti Symphony Orchestra. 
Kalevi Aho--*Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.7 {"Insect Symphony"}, *once again featuring the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, this time under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Kurt Atterberg--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, Op.31 {"Dollar Symphony"}, *performed by the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra led by Junichi Hirokami.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to cd 1 of Haydn's String Quartets.


----------



## Feathers

Pettersson: Symphony No. 7









First time listening to Pettersson! Where have I been all this time to not have heard this music?


----------



## GreenMamba

Faure Requiem and Messe Basse, Ledger.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Feathers said:


> Pettersson: Symphony No. 7
> 
> View attachment 20630
> 
> 
> First time listening to Pettersson! Where have I been all this time to not have heard this music?


Certainly an amazing symphony, Feathers. Possibly the greatest late 20th Century Scandinavian symphony ever composed.


----------



## Bix

The Oboe Concerto just before a staff meeting.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Oboe-Concerto-K314-Symphonies/dp/B0009NDKW8/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1372917915&sr=1-6&keywords=mozart+oboe+concerto


----------



## jim prideaux

during the past month(s) I appear to have spent a not inconsiderable amount of time furthering my awareness of two particular composers,Brahms(his chamber music in particular) and Dvorak (both his chamber music and the 'lesser' symphonies).This has been so enjoyable and serves as a reminder that you can never assume you have 'reached the end of the line',even with areas of music that some might regard as fundamentally conservative.So this morning I am listening to the Dvorak piano concerto,a work that appears at best ignored and at worst to be dismissed with great fervour.I had never as a result even considered listening to it and on initial listening realise that this has been my loss.It does not appear (to my admittedly untrained ear) to be the work of little consequence that many have written of.One point-if it is indeed so limited why did a pianist of Richters standing and apparent'genius'seem to hold it in such regard?


----------



## adrem

One of the best recording of "Swan Lake" by one of my favourite conductor "to watch" - Rozhdestvensky:


----------



## korenbloem

Fanny Mendelssohn & Felix Mendelssohn performed by Quatuor Ébène - Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn


----------



## SimonNZ

from the IRCAM list:

Jean-Claude Risset's "Songes"






edit: and also from the IRCAM list:

David Wessel's "Antony"


----------



## chrisco97

*Scarlatti* - Sonata in D Major, K. 492
_Kenneth Cooper_

This one absolutely blew me away. Awesomeness at it's best.

*Scarlatti* - Sonata in D Minor, K. 141
_Kenneth Cooper_

This is such an epic piece. I absolutely loved it. I am tempted to put it on repeat...

--
I think I may have a new favourite composer...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

K207 K371 K218 K261 K211
Australian Chamber Orchestra with Richard Tognetti directing from the violin









The small orchestra of about 27 people in this recording (including soloist) play on original instruments and copies of original instruments from Mozart's time, tuned to A=430, which along with Tognetti's lyrical and highly expressive playing and the equally brilliant playing from the orchestra gives what should be _the_ Mozartian sound. The music just sings in this recording. The balance is perfect, the phrasing is beautiful, the music just seems to speak (or sing!) to the soul. I've heard a number of recordings of Mozart's violin concertos and the only one that comes anywhere near close to this one is Manze and the English Concert, the only thing better about that recording being some of the cadenzas. This CD with Richard Tognetti and the ACO would make Mozart very very proud indeed and it is very highly recommended. Never heard Mozart played better.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas - Artur Schnabel, piano

disc three: sonatas 8 "Pathetique", 9, 10 and 11


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> K207 K371 K218 K261 K211
> Australian Chamber Orchestra with Richard Tognetti directing from the violin
> 
> View attachment 20636
> 
> 
> The small orchestra of about 27 people in this recording (including soloist) play on original instruments and copies of original instruments from Mozart's time, tuned to A=430, which along with Tognetti's lyrical and highly expressive playing and the equally brilliant playing from the orchestra gives what should be _the_ Mozartian sound. The music just sings in this recording. The balance is perfect, the phrasing is beautiful, the music just seems to speak (or sing!) to the soul. I've heard a number of recordings of Mozart's violin concertos and the only one that comes anywhere near close to this one is Manze and the English Concert, the only thing better about that recording being some of the cadenzas. This CD with Richard Tognetti and the ACO would make Mozart very very proud indeed and it is very highly recommended. Never heard Mozart played better.


Very interesting! I prefer a smaller orchestra for Mozart too. And I've been thinking a lot about his VC's (I have them performed by Perlman) because of the VC interlude in the Haffner Serenade, my latest addictive piece. What a pity he didn't compose one in his 30's, eh? But the ones we have are perfectly formed and loaded with message!

At the minute I'm listening to Dmitri Kabalevsky's cello concerto #2, Op. 77, performed by Steven Isserling and the Bournemouth SO, Kirrill Karabits conducting...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kieran said:


> Very interesting! I prefer a smaller orchestra for Mozart too. And I've been thinking a lot about his VC's (I have them performed by Perlman) because of the VC interlude in the Haffner Serenade, my latest addictive piece. What a pity he didn't compose one in his 30's, eh? But the ones we have are perfectly formed and loaded with message!


Do not hesitate to purchase ACO/Tognetti! I really like his violin concerti and horn concerti over other concerti he has written. Might be unusual to prefer these over the piano concerti though and I do wish he wrote one in his 30s! At least one! Five would be excellent!


----------



## Guest

Newly acquired recordings I will listen to today:








Mozart Wind Serenades K488, and K361
Chamber Soloists of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra








Mozart Piano Concertos, K466, and K595
Maria-João Pires, Orchestre de la Chambre de Lausanne, Armin Jordan


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do not hesitate to purchase ACO/Tognetti! I really like his violin concerti and horn concerti over other concerti he has written. Might be unusual to prefer these over the piano concerti though and I do wish he wrote one in his 30s! At least one! Five would be excellent!


Well, we have the Sinfonia Concertante. He was only 23 at the time, but I've heard that age described as Early-Late Mozart...


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Mantovani - A Night in Vienna*
_Pieces by J. Strauss II, Lehar, Suppe, Mozart, etc. played with the typical cascading unison strings sound with that airy resonance_
- The Mantovani Orchestra

*Mozart* _Horn Concertos 1 to 4_
- English CO under Barry Tuckwell on horn (all cadenzas by Tuckwell)

A return after ages to the Mozart HC's - actually was reminded to get it out with Suppe's Light Cavalry, the horn bits in that. Thanks Herr Suppe indeed, it was a joy.




jim prideaux said:


> ...So this morning I am listening to the Dvorak piano concerto,a work that appears at best ignored and at worst to be dismissed with great fervour.I had never as a result even considered listening to it and on initial listening realise that this has been my loss.It does not appear (to my admittedly untrained ear) to be the work of little consequence that many have written of.One point-if it is indeed so limited why did a pianist of Richters standing and apparent'genius'seem to hold it in such regard?


Dvorak's PC is my fav concerto by him. Don't know why exactly, its obviously not the finest of his concertos, even if solely by consensus. But like Brahms' works in the genre, this is more like a symphony than a concerto. The piano is not virtuoso and there is a kind of weightiness there. But right from the beginning I am hooked by that introduction with that kind of elegiac tune which Dvorak could spin so well, and I like it overall, the blending of Germanic contrapuntal with folkish vibes. Glad you liked it as I do, yes it gets quite a bit of flack from some listeners (which may explain its absence in terms of live performances).


----------



## Kieran

Brahms cello sonata #1 in e-minor, Isserling and Hough.

See, here's the problem. I'm using this as my entry fee into larger Brahms, the symphs and PC's, but I can't get into them. This sounds more sincere (lousy description, I know) and manageable. His PC's leave me frigid and impatient. No sparkly bits. Very formal and _harrumph, be quiet!_ The cello sonata has no great tickling moments, but there's less voices too, and I find them much more interesting than his larger works.

Maybe I'm reaching the threshold with Brahms. Maybe the Big Shot summer blockbuster orchestral works just don't do it for me. I prefer Mahler or Sibelius 3rd, to anything large by Brahms. Even his Requiem, I sussed without knowing German that it wasn't a real, sanctified, _solemn before the Throne_, requiem. It's marvelous and I love that too, but it doesn't make my soul weep the way a requiem should...


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Op.9, No.2

Claudio Scimone leading Le Florilegium Musicum de Paris -- Jean Claude Malgoire, oboe

View attachment 20646


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neoshredder's fault. 
RV608 RV141 RV625 RV109 RV633 RV616
Andreas Scholl with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra directed by Paul Dyer.









Brilliant Vivaldi interpreters, this lot. I don't listen to this CD that often even though I do love the Vestro Principi Divino and Salve Regina very much. Andreas Scholl is my favourite singer for Vivaldi and he has performed with the ABO under Dyer (another period instrument band) quite often. Some performances available on YouTube if anyone is interested, I recommend you check them out. I've been listening to this CD as background music while doing some other stuff up until Vestro Principi Divino came on.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet in B flat, Op. 18 No. 6
Enescu: Symphony No. 3


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies 1 and 2
Helsinki Philharmonic conducted by the great *Sibelian* Maestro Paavo Berglund.









These first two symphonies were the first symphonies of *Sibelius* I came to know and show the composer in a very typical Romantic style with hints of the amazing work that is to come as his style progressed. I find nothing wrong with this recording at all, despite some reviews claiming that the second symphony in this set was rather weak. It is a faster version and to me it sounds more wintry, a little bit icy even, but not so big and loud and pompous as it can sound sometimes. Big, loud and pompous isn't exactly how I like *Sibelius,* I prefer a more mysterious, colder sound. The playing is excellent, the interpretation is excellent, I need to get the second half of this set with symphonies 5-7 and orchestral works! I've heard that the 7th symphony by Helsinki Philharmonic and Berglund is exceptionally good, has anyone here heard that one?


----------



## DrKilroy

Vide my previous post about Mozart Festival: unfortunately I cannot attend the first concert tomorrow. I really wanted to hear the Great G minor Symphony, but I have to deal with it.  The good news is that the concert takes place in a different venue than planned, so I can get my money back easier. 

I can choose some other concert to attend. I think I will go with the Coronation Mass and Vespers.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Currently however: Mahler - Symphony no. 4 (Bernstein). This one is rather short! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Wood

*Imbrie *String Quartet No. 4

*Nodaira *Arabesque III

*Tanada *Mysterious morning III

*Piazolla *Tangos


----------



## belfastboy

SOUSA MARCHES - in honor of the All American people celebrating today - ..."

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave". ~Elmer Davis


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): Flute Quartet in C Major, Op.11, No.3

Ensemble Agora: Monika Meyer, flute -- Margarete Adorf, violin -- Andreas Gerhardus, viola -- Matthias Hofmann, cello

View attachment 20655


----------



## Kieran

Mendelssohn's piano trio #1 in D-minor, opus 49, performed by Steven Isserling (cello), Joshua Bell (violin) and Denes Varjon (piano), on a BBC magazine disc...


----------



## DrKilroy

I was pleasantly surprised by the last movement of Mahler's 4th. It was not overly long nor boring!  I really enjoyed this one.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bix

Kieran said:


> Mendelssohn's piano trio #1 in D-minor, opus 49, performed by Steven Isserling (cello), Joshua Bell (violin) and Denes Varjon (piano), on a BBC magazine disc...


How was this, as a piece of music. I have not heard this yet.


----------



## Blue Hour




----------



## belfastboy

It's a beautifully peaceful evening here, the garden here at the rear of the house is soaking up the remaining golden day light, everything looks healthy and happy to be.......this background music is perfect....


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> I was pleasantly surprised by the last movement of Mahler's 4th. It was *not overly long nor boring*!  I really enjoyed this one.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Nothing in Mahler is...


----------



## Mika

Some Kronos Quartet today


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: "Turkish" w. Oistrakh/BPO (rec.1970); Piano Trios, w. Barenboim/Zlotnikov/Znaider (rec.2005).

View attachment 20657
View attachment 20658


----------



## maestro267

In the middle of a "programme" of American music.

*Grofé:* Mississippi Suite
Bournemouth SO/Stromberg

*Gershwin:* Rhapsody in Blue
Daniel Blumenthal (piano)/English Chamber Orchestra/Bedford

*Barber:* Toccata Festiva
Trotter (organ)/RSNO/Alsop

*Bernstein:* On the Waterfront, symphonic suite
Bournemouth SO/Alsop

*Daugherty:* Metropolis Symphony
Nashville SO/Guerrero


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> during the past month(s) I appear to have spent a not inconsiderable amount of time furthering my awareness of two particular composers,Brahms(his chamber music in particular) and Dvorak (both his chamber music and the 'lesser' symphonies).This has been so enjoyable and serves as a reminder that you can never assume you have 'reached the end of the line',even with areas of music that some might regard as fundamentally conservative.So this morning I am listening to the Dvorak piano concerto,a work that appears at best ignored and at worst to be dismissed with great fervour.I had never as a result even considered listening to it and on initial listening realise that this has been my loss.It does not appear (to my admittedly untrained ear) to be the work of little consequence that many have written of.One point-if it is indeed so limited why did a pianist of Richters standing and apparent'genius'seem to hold it in such regard?


Jim, I've been through several recs. of the Dvorak PC (incl. Richter), and all have been culled. I'm now done with it. Just sayin'. :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> Nothing in Mahler is...


I suppose this is true! But I had a very hard time concentrating through the last movement of the Symphony no. 9... Perhaps it is not a work suitable for a Mahler beginner, who I should consider myself as. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sonata

Finishing up my three-day violin sonatas project, wherein I listened to all of the violin sonatas I own. Mendelssohn and Schubert rounded out the group. All told, about 4-5 albums' worth. I'll be sure to acquire more eventually, a very enjoyable sub-genre of chamber music in my opinion. Brahms reined supreme for me, big surprise!! Although Grieg's were highly inventive. I like Schubert and I do generally enjoy his violin sonatas but they were the weakest of the bunch when listening to all of my sonatas back to back.


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> I suppose this is true! *But I had a very hard time concentrating through the last movement of the Symphony no. 9..*. Perhaps it is not a work suitable for a Mahler beginner, who I should consider myself as.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


So did I, when I was starting out. I also found some passages in the 6th to be utter chaos, and now it's my favorite symphony! Just keep going. The rewards are great.


----------



## Sonata

Kieran said:


> Even his Requiem, I sussed without knowing German that it wasn't a real, sanctified, _solemn before the Throne_, requiem. It's marvelous and I love that too, but it doesn't make my soul weep the way a requiem should...


If your soul wants to weep, give Dvorak's stabat mater a listen. Other than Gorecki's third symphony that is truly the most tragic piece of classical music I've heard. Last year, I had come in to work and found out that a new patient of mine had passed away over the weekend....well, was on life support to pass away a day later. She'd gone to the ER and ultimately died. But anyway, that was difficult for me to deal with as elderly patients had died in my career, but never someone young like that before (22, I think with two little boys).

Over my lunch I went in to my car and played Dvorak's Stabat. Very emotional experience.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1745-1805): String Quintet in A Major, Op.10, No.1

La Magifica Communita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Daniel Formentelli, vioa -- Luig Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos

View attachment 20659


----------



## julianoq

Prokofiev 5th symphony, performed by Karajan and the BPO. Very good performance, but I enjoyed Alsop's recent record a bit better.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> So did I, when I was starting out. I also found some passages in the 6th to be utter chaos, and now it's my favorite symphony! Just keep going. The rewards are great.


Yes indeed, keep going. Once one learns the brunt of the work, IOW what the work is capable of...and if there is still a problem, then try different recs. There's always one to please, 'cause Mr. M didn't make any mistakes...'cept perhaps marrying Alma.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Variation auf Beethoven, WoO 31 -- Peter Frankl

^ I was inspired to listen to this today by Ravndal

Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 -- David Zinman: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

Thalberg: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 5 -- Michael Ponti; Richard Kapp: Westphalian Symphony Orchestra

Paisiello: Piano Concerto #4 in G Minor -- Pietro Spada: Chamber Orchestra of Santa Cecilia


----------



## julianoq

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphonies 1 and 2
> Helsinki Philharmonic conducted by the great *Sibelian* Maestro Paavo Berglund.
> 
> View attachment 20649
> 
> 
> These first two symphonies were the first symphonies of *Sibelius* I came to know and show the composer in a very typical Romantic style with hints of the amazing work that is to come as his style progressed. I find nothing wrong with this recording at all, despite some reviews claiming that the second symphony in this set was rather weak. It is a faster version and to me it sounds more wintry, a little bit icy even, but not so big and loud and pompous as it can sound sometimes. Big, loud and pompous isn't exactly how I like *Sibelius,* I prefer a more mysterious, colder sound. The playing is excellent, the interpretation is excellent, I need to get the second half of this set with symphonies 5-7 and orchestral works! I've heard that the 7th symphony by Helsinki Philharmonic and Berglund is exceptionally good, has anyone here heard that one?


I love Berglund's Sibelius! I highly recommend this box, it is my go-to box together with Neeme Jarvi's.


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> Prokofiev 5th symphony, performed by Karajan and the BPO. Very good performance, but I enjoyed Alsop's recent record a bit better.


You related to Alsop, J? Just kidding.


----------



## julianoq

Vaneyes said:


> You related to Alsop, J? Just kidding.


I may be a little biased there  but I really like her Prokofiev 5th performance with SPSO. It is the only SPSO performance of a not brazilian work that is my favorite!


----------



## Kieran

Bix said:


> How was this, as a piece of music. I have not heard this yet.


Actually, it's on the same BBC disc as the Brahms cello sonata and Kabalevsky's cello concerto and it's the one I least engage with. This isn't an insult to the music - it maybe the best of the three works - but it's the one I would find most within my musical range, so I don't go as deeply looking for its core as I do with the other two. Does this make any sense?

Sonically, it's quite free and melodic, and the cello is prominent, which is why it's on this disc, I suppose. Beautiful andante movement. It's a clear, quality work, and together with the others on the CD I think they make a great complementary collection...


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: Four Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes"
London Symphony, cond. Andre Previn


----------



## Skilmarilion

Some *Felix* for tonight ...

- String Quartet No. 6 in F minor (Dudok Quartet)

- String Symphonies 3 & 10 (N. Ward, Northern Chamber Orchestra)

- Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra in A-flat (pianos: Love Derwinger & Roland Pöntinen, cond: L. Markiz, New Sinfonietta Amsterdam)


----------



## Sonata

Sonata said:


> Finishing up my three-day violin sonatas project, wherein I listened to all of the violin sonatas I own. Mendelssohn and Schubert rounded out the group. All told, about 4-5 albums' worth. I'll be sure to acquire more eventually, a very enjoyable sub-genre of chamber music in my opinion. Brahms reined supreme for me, big surprise!! *Although Grieg's were highly inventive. *I like Schubert and I do generally enjoy his violin sonatas but they were the weakest of the bunch when listening to all of my sonatas back to back.


Let me restate this.....I think I actually like Grieg's as much as Brahms'. Certainly the Sonata #3 in C-Minor is remarkable.

Done with violin sonatas for now though. I am currently listening to Beethoven Pathetique piano sonata. For my drive to my workout class tonight, Mahler 5


----------



## schuberkovich

Recently:
Mahler Symphony no.2 "Resurrection".
Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchetra
Thoughts posted here








Beethoven Cello Sonata no.3 in A major
Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy







Definitely the king of all cello sonatas... even better than Brahms no.1 or Shostakovich


----------



## Kieran

*K250*, The Haffner Serenade, composed by WAM, and performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman.

I'm hooked on this one. I'm drowning in it. It's like that type of lady your mother warned ya about: I'm climbing down the tree outside my bedroom to run away with the Haffner Serenade! :lol:

Much as anything, I love the _idea _of it: the local boy wonder, seconded to write some incidental music for a family friends wedding - and he churns out this. I can actually see him in my mind's eye playing the fiddle in the busy rondo, nary a wasted gesture while his fingers dazzle: no face pulling, no throwing shapes, just hustling notes and electrifying timing.

Actually, there are streets in Salzburg with Haffner's name on it, I'm sure it's the same family, somewhere along the timeline. Lodron too, of that great PC for 3 pianos (pared down to two pianos by the composer, the 3rd being but for a child to play - but not a child like he was)...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> .... For my drive to my workout class tonight, Mahler 5


*Flight of the Bumble Bee *with a dark roast, suggested.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling, *Szymanowski*: Symphonies 1 - 4, etc.; Harnesie, etc.; VCs 1 & 2, etc.; King Roger; Stabat Mater, etc.; Songs with Orchestra; w. Polish State PO Katowice/Stryja et al (rec.1988 - '90).

It'd been a while since I'd done an extensive orchestral sampling for this composer. Only a couple of the most recents, Gergiev and Gardner, which IMO were quickly forgettable. Like 'em or not, they're indicative of a bit of a resurge for this composer. And that's good for whomever most of the time.

Anyway, I dredged and redredged further back, amongst Semkow, Wit, Rattle, Dorati, Polyansky, Jansons, Boulez, etc. Some couldn't be accessed--one-off OOPs. I was still surprised at what was available.

One conductor that had never caught my attention, was Karol Stryja (1915 - 1998). I'm ashamed to say, now, that I'd never heard of him. Please forgive, Dr. Kilroy and other Polish TCers.

I started with Stryja's Symphonies 1 & 2...liked...then 3 & 4...liked... and on and on, until I covered his seven volumes of Szymanowski. Recorded 23 to 25 years ago, first for Marco Polo, before the transfers to Naxos.

There are things in his interps and leadership, and the Polish State playing, that go missing in the others. His "et al" is superb, as is the recorded sound. The only thing he couldn't turn into gold was Concert Overture, the faux Richard Strauss piece. No one can.

This is an incredible legacy, for quality and quantity. It's renewed my interest in Szymanowski orchestral, after acquiring and culling several duds, then putting the whole idea on the back-burner.

This project will be buy! buy! buy! for me in due order. :tiphat:

View attachment 20665
View attachment 20666
View attachment 20667
View attachment 20668
View attachment 20669


----------



## Vaneyes

The two remaining volumes of the Stryja *Szymanowski*.

View attachment 20672
View attachment 20673


----------



## Sonata

Vaneyes said:


> *Flight of the Bumble Bee *with a dark roast, suggested.


Well, silly me made the drive for nothing. Closed for the holiday. Oh well.


----------



## Sonata

schuberkovich said:


> Recently:
> Mahler Symphony no.2 "Resurrection".
> Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchetra
> Thoughts posted here
> View attachment 20660
> 
> 
> Beethoven Cello Sonata no.3 in A major
> Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy
> View attachment 20661
> 
> Definitely the king of all cello sonatas... even better than Brahms no.1 or Shostakovich


Nice listening choices tonight. I like Beethoven's cello sonatas too, will be listening soon.


----------



## korenbloem

Alexander Levine performed by Tenebrae under Nigel Short - Alexander Levine: The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom


----------



## Vaneyes

Make that *LvB *Cello Sonatas for three...with dark roasts.

View attachment 20675
View attachment 20676


----------



## Sid James

*Graeme Koehne* Elevator Music, Unchained Melody, Powerhouse
- Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa

*Album: Mantovani - America*
_Stephen Foster Suite, Americana Suite, film themes from The Big Country, Gone with the Wind, Superman, Joplin's The Entertainer, Ellington's Take the A Train, etc._
- The Mantovani Orchestra




Vaneyes said:


> Jim, I've been through several recs. of the Dvorak PC (incl. Richter), and all have been culled. I'm now done with it. Just sayin'. :tiphat:


OMG! I'm (mega) balking :lol: ...But seriously what do you think about Brahms' PCs? I see them as similar (the symphonic aspect). Also the kind of "anti" or "non" pianistic way Brahms composes, what some said at the time, him writing against the piano. I see Dvorak as very similar and maybe thats why it doesn't go down well with listeners, it is simply too different.

Or do you just think its baloney, pure and simple?


----------



## julianoq

Now starting the free live streaming of São Paulo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Roberto Tibiriçá!

It will be:

Prokofiev 1st symphony 
Mozart 5th violin concerto 
Dvorak 8th symphony

I decided to watch it even if I will attend this concert it tomorrow, just couldn't resist 

http://www.concertodigital.osesp.art.br/video.php


----------



## Weston

You folks need to be sitting down. I am nearly enjoying Boulez: Notations pour orchestre






Danged old clippy-cloppy woodblocks in the first part though. I'd love to find a 20th century orchestral composer who did not use them. That would be a rarity indeed.


----------



## Weston

I should mention I really love this thread though I cannot keep up with all of it. 2500+ pages of recommendations, many from composers I've never heard of! What a resource!


----------



## millionrainbows

Robert Elisabeth Stolz (1880-1975): Blumenlieder Op. 500, original version 1927. Shelley Katz, piano; Dagmar Schellenberger (pant pant), soprano. (CPO) Recorded in 2000.

You can just call him "Liz." King of the operetta, later successful and thus branded as a 'popular composer.' These are his serious art songs. Just tonal trifles, nothing extraordinary, well-crafted. What I am really drawn to is the voice, and beauty, of Dagmar Schellenberger. I love to look at the photo of her while listening. I confess; this is a purely sensual undertaking for me. The recording is nice and spacious. Dagmar, Dagmar!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> OMG!{Re Mr. Eyes' distaste for Dvorak PC} I'm (mega) balking :lol: ...But seriously what do you think about Brahms' PCs? I see them as similar (the symphonic aspect). Also the kind of "anti" or "non" pianistic way Brahms composes, what some said at the time, him writing against the piano. I see Dvorak as very similar and maybe thats why it doesn't go down well with listeners, it is simply too different.
> 
> *Or do you just think its baloney*, pure and simple?


No, not entirely.

I had some difficulty finding Brahms PCs I could live with. I won't say overrated , but the famous Gilels & Jochum (DG) was quickly culled. There were atleast several before and afters. Finally settled on Douglas & Skrowaczewski(RCA, rec. 1988) for #1, and Kovacevich & C. Davis (Philips/Eloquence, rec. 1980) for #2. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> I should mention I really love this thread though I cannot keep up with all of it. 2500+ pages of recommendations, many from composers I've never heard of! What a resource!


I've seen all 2,500 pages, so you have no excuse. 

At one time it was quite manageable. Now there's some work involved. And some of that work is due to shall-we-say incomplete (no artists) postings. Those add up fast. Too, the "illegal" full monty YT postings can clog matters. Hint, hint.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vaneyes said:


> I've seen all 2,500 pages, so you have no excuse.
> 
> At one time it was quite manageable. Now there's some work involved. And some of that work is due to shall-we-say incomplete (no artists) postings. Those add up fast. Too, the "illegal" full monty YT postings can clog matters. Hint, hint.


I don't see what's so bad about not posting the performers, it's the composer's work that's the most important.


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I don't see what's so bad about not posting the performers, it's the composer's work that's the most important.


Indeed. And because of that, from now on, you will listen only to midi realizations of your favorite pieces!.


----------



## Weston

If I buy an album of Boulez (and I may) then the illegal channel will have served him well I should think.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Happy 4th of July to my fellow American forum members!

Now listening:










Listening to the _Holidays Symphony_. One of Ives' greatest creations and a great performance by MTT/CSO.


----------



## julianoq

So the SPSO concert just finished and I immediately looked for an album from Stefan Jackiw. Another bright young violinist, what a generation.

Now listening to Brahms Violin Sonatas, performed by Jackiw and Levinson.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

julianoq said:


> So the SPSO concert just finished and I immediately looked for an album from Stefan Jackiw. Another bright young violinist, what a generation.
> 
> Now listening to Brahms Violin Sonatas, performed by Jackiw and Levinson.


Thanks very much for posting the link to the concert! My wife and I really enjoyed watching it. Jackiw is a very good violinist. I'll check out the album you posted. I thought the Sao Paulo Symphony did an excellent job with the Dvorak 8th. I blasted it through my stereo and it was quite good.

Kevin


----------



## julianoq

Kevin Pearson said:


> Thanks very much for posting the link to the concert! My wife and I really enjoyed watching it. Jackiw is a very good violinist. I'll check out the album you posted. I thought the Sao Paulo Symphony did an excellent job with the Dvorak 8th. I blasted it through my stereo and it was quite good.
> 
> Kevin


I am very glad you and your wife enjoyed it Kevin! I also liked it a lot, can't wait to be there tomorrow. SPSO is in a great form at this moment, and evolving a lot under Marin Alsop, they played Dvorak 9th at 2012 BBC Proms and it was quite good too. We are not used to have great orchestras in Brazil, so we are really proud of them


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I don't see what's so bad about not posting the performers, it's the composer's work that's the most important.


I often fail to post the performer info myself. I usually only have one performance of a piece, with some exceptions. And since most of my listening is iPod listening, I often hear a piece without reading the performer information. People can flog me if they must, but it's just the way of things for me :lol:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Bought this some weeks back and giving it spin for the first-time tonight. Sounds promising so far!


----------



## Weston

*Liszt: 12 Etudes D'Execution Transcendante - Étude 5, In B Flat Major - Will O' The Wisps *. And if we must, Michele Campanella, piano. These are better than I recall. I sometimes find Liszt piano a little tedious. But this piece at least is great fun.









And as I typed this the random play moved on to *Borodin: Symphony No. 3 in A minor*, (Neeme Jaervi / Goethenburg Symphony Orchestra). I swear this opening movement sounds like a more famous piece. I just can't place it. Almost an identical motive . . . Ah well, there are only 12 notes to play with.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listened to Beethoven's 1st and 8th symphonies around lunchtime today. 
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jean Meylan.









I particularly like this version of the 1st, the playing is crisp and lively and precise. The balance between the intruments are spot on, it's a good performance overall and one that I enjoy listening to from time to time. The 8th on this recording doesn't seem to grab me as much and I find the first movement a little slow but the finale is absolutely brilliant. It's a good performance worth listening to and no. 1 and no. 8 work well together on the one LP (but I'd prefer to listen to them in the opposite order, I slightly prefer the 1st symphony, the last movement is like Haydn on steroids).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> Indeed. And because of that, from now on, you will listen only to midi realizations of your favorite pieces!.



I'd rather look at the score in silence!


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I don't see what's so bad about not posting the performers, it's the composer's work that's the most important.


More opportunities for conversation or exchange of information between TCers. More chance to say stuff like "I've been considering that recording, what's it like" or "that x was my favorite until I heard y". Also interesting to notice trends or have one's curiosity piqued through the repetition of certain names.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> More opportunities for conversation or exchange of information between TCers. More chance to say stuff like "I've been considering that recording, what's it like" or "that x was my favorite until I heard y". Also interesting to notice trends or have one's curiosity piqued through the repetition of certain names.


I've never come across the perfect recording of anything (apart from Mozart's violin concerti).


----------



## SimonNZ

from the IRCAM list:

George Benjamin's Antara - London Sinfonietta, George Benjamin


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I've never come across the perfect recording of anything (apart from Mozart's violin concerti).


I didn't say perfect, I said favorite. I know you have favorite Sibelius recordings, and as I respect your judgement and opinions I'm very glad to know which they are and which you find dissatisfying.

(obviously people can post as short or long as they please, but I personaly find the extra information useful)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Glass: Symphony no. 3, Symphony no. 2
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.









These are very nice works, someone was listening to them the other day I think, so I decided to listen to this CD now, especially for the third symphony as I'm in the process of composing something for strings (string quartet) myself. 



Philip Glass said:


> The opening movement, a quiet, moderately paced piece, functions as a prelude to movements two and three, which are the main body of the symphony. The second movement mode of fast-moving compound meters explores the textures from unison to multi-harmonic writing for the whole ensemble. It ends when it moves without transition to a new closing theme, mixing a melody and pizzicato writing. The third movement is in the form of a chaconne, a repeated harmony sequence. It begins with all three celli and four violas, and with each repetition new voices are added until, in the final variation, all nineteen players have been woven into the music. The fourth movement, a short finale, returns to the closing theme of the second movement, which quickly re-integrates the compound meters from earlier in that movement. A new closing theme is introduced to bring the symphony to its conclusion.


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Epic Of Gilgamesh - Zdenek Kosler, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Takemitsu - Piano Music. Random selection I know but giving it a try.


----------



## korenbloem

Witold Lutosławski performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen - Lutoslawski-Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 Les Espaces du Sommeil [1994]


----------



## neoshredder

Didn't realize Takemitsu had guitar works. Now listening to this.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My favourite Mahler symphony
Once again with Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.









One thing I like about the chord the horns play in _this_ recording at 17:01 in the first movement is that it doesn't sound rough. It does sound exhilarating when put in context and add the crescendo into the recapitulation like no other performance I've heard does. Sometimes, though, I wish the first movement was a little faster...whenever I hear the main E minor theme heard first at _allegro risoluto, ma non troppo,_ the exposition, I always picture galloping horses whenever I'm listening to a recording faster than this one. This one reminds me of car horns in a traffic jam, no thrilling forward motion galloping horses at all. That being said, I do love this recording for everything but the tempo of the first movement.


----------



## SimonNZ

another on the IRCAM list:

Edison Denisov's Sur la nappe d'un étang glacé - Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble


----------



## kfking

Beethoven, opus 111. Nothing beats late Beethoven!.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 18/1*

I've been listening to a lot of Chamber music this week (mostly String Quartets) - currently listening to some non-classical (as i copy some new stuff to my iPod) but once its finished i will play LVB's quartet No. 1 from the ABQ box and then No. 15 from the Emerson set which is new.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mozart's Symphony No.33 - Royal Philharmonic, Erich Leinsdorf, cond. (1955)


----------



## Conor71

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Glass: Symphony no. 3, Symphony no. 2
> Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.
> 
> View attachment 20686
> 
> 
> These are very nice works, someone was listening to them the other day I think, so I decided to listen to this CD now, especially for the third symphony as I'm in the process of composing something for strings (string quartet) myself.


Poor old Philip Glass gets a lot of criticism on this board but you wont hear a bad word about him from me 
Do check out his String Quartets too when you can COAG - they are very similar in sound to his Symphonies and Glassworks. Thats the good thing about PG, once you like one of his works you are assured of liking them all :lol:


----------



## Wood

Currently on the turntable:

*Telemann *Wind Concertos _Camerata Bern _(Archiv, 1981)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Conor71 said:


> Poor old Philip Glass gets a lot of criticism on this board but you wont hear a bad word about him from me
> Do check out his String Quartets too when you can COAG - they are very similar in sound to his Symphonies and Glassworks. Thats the good thing about PG, once you like one of his works you are assured of liking them all :lol:


Love the SQs


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas - Artur Schnabel, piano

disc four: sonatas 13, 14 "Moonlight", 15 "Pastoral", 18 and 19

I hope Kleinzeit got or gets a chance to sample this set and report back. His query reminded me that i had this buried and had only played it through once many years back. This time my eyes and ears are opened. No mere museum pieces, these.


----------



## Conor71

^^Good stuff COAG you heard them already! - what do you think of Michael Nymans quartets? I really like these ones too.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Conor71 said:


> ^^Good stuff COAG you heard them already! - what do you think of Michael Nymans quartets? I really like these ones too.


Quite good too, but not as good as his works for his band.


----------



## SimonNZ

Just the other day I was listening to the endless variations of Michael Nyman's The Bird List Song in Peter Greenaways unique and endlessly inventive 1979 film The Falls.






I had somehow never heard of The Falls until recently and had even previously assumed The Ploughman's Lunch was his first film. A revelation.


----------



## Kieran

Did you hear Nyman's variations on K364, for the movie Drowning by Numbers? I think they're excellent.



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I've never come across the perfect recording of anything (apart from Mozart's violin concerti).


Is this a common problem with classical music: the recording device doesn't capture the music as well as a live performance?

:tiphat:


----------



## Guest

It's a day for Beethoven:








Complete Piano Concertos - Howard Shelly, Orchestra of Opera North








Complete Symphonies - Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kieran said:


> Did you hear Nyman's variations on K364, for the movie Drowning by Numbers? I think they're excellent.


Yes I have! I'm a big Nyman fan, ever since I discovered his music three years ago.


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op.1, No.1

Jaroslav Krecek directing the Capella Istropolitana

View attachment 20698


----------



## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Yes I have! I'm a big Nyman fan, ever since I discovered his music three years ago.


I actually heard those variations before I heard K364 slow movement, and I loved them then. I'm even more impressed since I grew to love the source. I saw Nyman play in Dublin a few years and he puts on an excellent show. I think members of the Balanescu Quartet play on the _Drowning by Numbers_ soundtrack, and they're quite fine too...


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> Just the other day I was listening to the endless variations of Michael Nyman's The Bird List Song in Peter Greenaways unique and endlessly inventive 1979 film The Falls.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had somehow never heard of The Falls until recently and had even previously assumed The Ploughman's Lunch was his first film. A revelation.


If ye go looking for Greenaway's Ploughman's Lunch you'll find a film about the media world in Margaret Thatcher's Britain during the time of the Falklands War, written by Ian McEwan and directed by Richard Eyre. Greenaway-- that's The Draughtsman's Contract!

also: gonna pull the trigger on that Schnabel while it's still around. Thanks for the boost.

also: Peoples of the world!: The Falls is really worth seeking out for a three hour cerebrum tickler.


----------



## Wood

A 1959 set from the Orchestra of the Teatro Communale of Bologna conducted by Arturo Basile, comprising:

*Verdi* La forza del destino overture

*Berlioz* Roman Carnival Overture

*J Strauss* Die fledermaus; du and du Waltz

*Rossini* Barber of Seville overture

*Bizet* Carmen Act 1 Prelude
*
Rimsky - Korsakov* Russian Easter Overture

Also:

*Stravinsky *Petroushka _Zubin Mehta New York Philharmonic
_
*Balakirev * Russia


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Concerto in D Major

Milan Lajcik leading the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Gabriela Demeterova, violin

View attachment 20703


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Book of the Hanging Gardens
Helen Vanni, Glenn Gould









Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful pieces Schoenberg wrote, if not the most. His music perfectly encapsulates the eroticism of the poetry (homoerotic in the poet's case, if not the composer's) in a dream-like atmosphere that would only be disfigured by the appearance of undisguised functional relationships.

Correction: Although the poet, Stephan George, was normally attracted to men, the cycle Schoenberg set was inspired by his unrequited love for a woman, apparently. You learn something new every day...


----------



## Vaneyes

Resampling, thanks to the nudge by Mahlerian. And, so ordered! *Rachmaninov*: Preludes, Opp. 23, 32, etc., w. Alexeev (rec. 1987 - '89). Another bonus is the recording engineering by Mike Clements.

View attachment 20711


----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My favourite Mahler symphony
> Once again with Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.
> 
> View attachment 20689
> 
> 
> One thing I like about the chord the horns play in _this_ recording at 17:01 in the first movement is that it doesn't sound rough. It does sound exhilarating when put in context and add the crescendo into the recapitulation like no other performance I've heard does. Sometimes, though, I wish the first movement was a little faster...whenever I hear the main E minor theme heard first at _allegro risoluto, ma non troppo,_ the exposition, I always picture galloping horses whenever I'm listening to a recording faster than this one. This one reminds me of car horns in a traffic jam, no thrilling forward motion galloping horses at all. That being said, I do love this recording for everything but the tempo of the first movement.


Glad to hear that. Two other M7s you may like--2001 BPO/Abbado (DG), 1971 CSO/Solti (Decca Originals). :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Webern - Six Pieces for orchestra, op. 6.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Szymanowski - Violin Concerto no. 1 (some Mordkovitch, some Sinaisky  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Coronation Mass (some Guschlbauer  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mika

Ambient sounds from Morton Feldman. Just listened Coptic Light.


----------



## julianoq

I saw COAG recommending this record and decided to give it a try, since I only listened one record of this symphony previously (with Abbado and the BPO). I never gave much attention to Mahler's 7th, will listen properly now.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 in E Flat, Op.74

Cleveland Quartet: William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello

View attachment 20715


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Vesperae Solennes de Confessore.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Saint-Saens - Cello Concerto no. 1 (Rostropovich)

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kleinzeit

Enjoying / enduring USA-calibre heat: 33 C, or as we Canadians refer to it, our yearly two weeks of bad skiing. Can't move for the heat music:


----------



## clavichorder




----------



## jim prideaux

information for anyone with an interest in SIBELIUS-have repeatedly come across mention of Vanska and Lahti orch. set of symphonies on BIS.I originally came to these works on vinyl conducted by von Karajan and have moved on to Rattle, Davis etc.I have increasingly wanted to hear these interpretations , particularly as the set includes 1915 version of the 5th.Just discovered you can have the whole lot for £7.99 on I tunes-what a day!:lol:
Can anyone provide me with any ideas regarding the 11 symphonies of Robert Simpson?


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1825): Bassoon Quartet in C Major, Op.40, No.1

Island: Jane Gower, bassoon -- Antoinette Lohmann, violin -- Galina Zinchenko, viola -- Jennifer Morsches, cello

View attachment 20720


----------



## Bix

Listening to and watching this, blueray

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Zauberflote-Magic-Flute-Royal/dp/B0000BV1JB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373057780&sr=8-1&keywords=Magic+flute+damrau


----------



## SimonNZ

Kleinzeit said:


> If ye go looking for Greenaway's Ploughman's Lunch you'll find a film about the media world in Margaret Thatcher's Britain during the time of the Falklands War, written by Ian McEwan and directed by Richard Eyre. Greenaway-- that's The Draughtsman's Contract!


Good grief! Did I really write that? Well... it _was_ late and I _was_ tired.

Yes, The Draughtsman's Contract. Thanks. (dear oh dear...)


----------



## Blue Hour

Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps ~ Fazil Say​


----------



## Mahlerian

Aho: Symphony No. 14 "Rituals"
Chamber Orchestra of Lapland, cond. Storgards









Aho: Symphony No. 9 for Trombone and Orchestra
Christian Lindberg, Lahiti Symphony, cond. Vanska









Chin: Double Concerto
Ensemble intercontemporain


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> Good grief! Did I really write that? Well... it _was_ late and I _was_ tired.
> 
> Yes, The Draughtsman's Contract. Thanks. (dear oh dear...)


Hey, Draughtsman was 1982, Ploughman was 1983. The 80s, man


----------



## aszkid

Grieg's Piano Concerto. Heh, just remembered Morecambe & Wise's gag with Andre _Preview_ :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Adagio and Fugue, K546
Hagen Quartet


----------



## schuberkovich

Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Pascal Rogé, piano. Montreal Symphony Orchestra cond. Charles Dutoit.







Contrabassoon solos!


----------



## macthedog

Saw a Nice Youtube video. A Silent film was made to Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata arrangement by Chicago Symphony pianist Melody Lord and Solo Flutist Michele McGovern. Phillip Simmons of American Music Festival arranged the film score while Michele McGovern preformed flute, Chicago Symphony cellist Gary Stucka played cello, and George Radosavljevic was on the piano.

It's was a fresh twist on the piece, warning if you are a Beethoven purest they took some liberties on it but I personally liked it.


----------



## Blue Hour

macthedog said:


> Saw a Nice Youtube video. A Silent film was made to Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata arrangement by Chicago Symphony pianist Melody Lord and Solo Flutist Michele McGovern. Phillip Simmons of American Music Festival arranged the film score while Michele McGovern preformed flute, Chicago Symphony cellist Gary Stucka played cello, and George Radosavljevic was on the piano.
> 
> It's was a fresh twist on the piece, warning if you are a Beethoven purest they took some liberties on it but I personally liked it.


Willkommen Mac. :tiphat:


----------



## Bix

aszkid said:


> Grieg's Piano Concerto. Heh, just remembered Morecambe & Wise's gag with Andre _Preview_ :lol:


Playing all the notes but not necessarily in the right order :lol:


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Quintet in C Major, BI 433

Mario Carbotta, flute -- Carlo De Martini and Alice Bisanti, violas -- Marcello Scandelli, cello -- Carlo Balzaretti, piano

View attachment 20725


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

julianoq said:


> I saw COAG recommending this record and decided to give it a try, since I only listened one record of this symphony previously (with Abbado and the BPO). I never gave much attention to Mahler's 7th, will listen properly now.


Tell us what you think!


----------



## bejart

Josef Rejcha (1752-1795): Cello Concerto in E Major

Hynek Frakac conducting the Archi Boemi Chamber Orchestra -- Karel Fiala, cello

View attachment 20727


----------



## PetrB

*Ingram Marshall* (composer of "Fog Tropes" -- link below)
*Kingdom Come*, for orchestra and taped sounds.





*Fog Tropes* for Prepared tape and Brass Sextet ~ gained wider audience as a selection in the soundtrack of Scorsese's film "Shelter Island." imho, a gorgeous piece.





ADD: I highly recommend also Marshall's *Gradual Requiem* this and the Fog Tropes are both, with another piece, on this CD:
http://www.newalbion.com/NA002/


----------



## PetrB

(Re: Mahler's 7th)


ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Tell us what you think!


Needs _MORE COWBELLS!_


----------



## julianoq

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Tell us what you think!


I like it a lot! I remember that listening to Abbado's performance I got tired in the middle of the symphony, I don't think the problem was with the performance, it was more about the wrong moment and mindset for this work. The 7th is really great and I am already planning to listen again tomorrow. The only problem with Mahler symphonies is that I need to plan in advance to be able to listen it without interruptions :lol:


----------



## Novelette

Mahler: Symphony #1 in D, "Titan" -- Yuri Simonov: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler: Symphony #6 in A Minor, "Tragic" -- Hartmut Haenchen: Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Debussy: Piano Trio in G Minor -- Florestan Trio

Shostakovich: Symphony #10 in E Minor, Op. 93 -- Herbert von Karajan: Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Adagio and Fugue, K546
> Hagen Quartet


I love the Hagen Quartet recording set! It's a great joy to alternate some of the late string quartets between Hagen and Quatour Mosaiques, one after another.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.28 in C Major, K.200, Symphony No.33 in B-Flat Major, K.319 and Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}. *
All three works are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the wand of George Szell.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both symphonies once again featuring Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Weston

*Charles Tomlinson Griffes - 3 Tone-Pictures, arranged for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass & piano, A. 111-113*, JoAnne Falletta / members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

I love, love, love it when piano is used with orchestra (chamber in this case) and not in a concerto context.









But I hate the rare occasions when Naxos chooses an ugly cover image. Stagnant, symmetrical -- nothing pleasurable about it to my eyes. Even the peacock can't rescue it.

However the music is fantastic. We've all likely heard "The Pleasure Dome" and "The White Peacock," but lesser known works are as nice. "Bacchanale" and "Clouds (orchestrated)" are two standouts.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Weston said:


> *Charles Tomlinson Griffes - 3 Tone-Pictures, arranged for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass & piano, A. 111-113*, JoAnne Falletta / members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
> 
> I love, love, love it when piano is used with orchestra (chamber in this case) and not in a concerto context.
> 
> View attachment 20728
> 
> 
> But I hate the rare occasions when Naxos chooses an ugly cover image. Stagnant, symmetrical -- nothing pleasurable about it to my eyes. Even the peacock can't rescue it.
> 
> However the music is fantastic. We've all likely heard "The Pleasure Dome" and "The White Peacock," but lesser known works are as nice. "Bacchanale" and "Clouds (orchestrated)" are two standouts.


That's a fantastic recording, Weston. I love Griffes' music. An American Debussy.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> No, not entirely.
> 
> I had some difficulty finding Brahms PCs I could live with. I won't say overrated , but the famous Gilels & Jochum (DG) was quickly culled. There were atleast several before and afters. Finally settled on Douglas & Skrowaczewski(RCA, rec. 1988) for #1, and Kovacevich & C. Davis (Philips/Eloquence, rec. 1980) for #2. :tiphat:


Well your difficulty with Brahms PCs make sense in terms of you not liking the Dvorak one. As I said, I see them as similar. Not only in terms of being kind of anti-piano and more symphonic, but also expanding the sonata form to massive length. Just had a look of my recording of Dvorak PC, & quick read of its notes. First movement is something like 17 minutes, the whole work just under 40 minutes. The first movement has 3 themes, not the traditional 2 for sonata form. The Brahms ones I know have long first movements as well, and he also went for streching the sonata form. Anyway, I understand. The notes say Dvorak PC is amongst the most difficult to perform of the period, so that may be another issue (very techincal and 'fussy' - that's probably a pianist's nightmare? - so not much of them want to play it).


----------



## Selby

Messiaen, Olivier - La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ [Karl Anton Rickenbacher, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berling]


----------



## chrisco97

*Rameau* - Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin: No. 14, Les sauvages
_Anton Heiller_

I just started listening through the Rameau that is on the _Big Baroque Box_. So far, I am extremely pleased. These are very enjoyable and I love the themes. 

Another composer I had no clue who they were that I really, really like...


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony #10 in E Minor, Op. 93 -- Herbert von Karajan: Staatskapelle Dresden


Don't you mean the Berlin Philharmonic?


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Don't you mean the Berlin Philharmonic?


I was listening to it on YouTube. It claimed the recording as being the 1976 recording of Karajan and Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## SimonNZ

from the IRCAM list:

Boulez's Repons - Ensemble InterContemporain


----------



## chrisco97

*Handel* - Water Music Suite
_English Chamber Orchestra_

I LOVE this so far. Just got done listening to the Ouverture and it was so great. I loved every bit of it.


----------



## millionrainbows

Recent purchases: Krenek choral works, American piano music, Pierre Boulez conducting on DVD, and another DVD of a European festival featuring a spot with Martha Argerich playing Shostakovich. I shall report back on each of these as I see them, and then check to see if any more of my threads have disappeared! :lol:


----------



## Andolink

Irrelohe by Franz Schreker 
Goran Simic (Bass), Luana DeVol (Soprano), Eva Randová (Alto), 
Monte Pederson (Baritone), Heinz Zednik (Tenor), Helmuth Wildhaber (Tenor), Michael Pabst (Tenor) 
Vienna Symphony Orchestra/Peter Gülke 
Written: 1919-1924; Austria


----------



## jim prideaux

En Saga-Sibelius as interpreted by Vanska/Lahti-the rhythmic element to this piece now clarified and immediate-the actual recording has such a sense of dramatic urgency.


----------



## korenbloem

Elgar: The Apostles, Op. 49 (Hallé, Mark Elder, Paul Groves, Rebecca Evans)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829): Guitar Concertos 1-3, Gran Quintetto op. 65, Variations on "Nume perdonani in tale istante" from Generali's Baccanali di Roma, for guitar and string quartet op. 102
Claudio Maccaro (concerto no. 1, concerto no. 2), Paolo Pugliese (concerto no. 3, op. 65, op. 102) with Ensemble Ottocento directed by Andrea Rognoni.









The three concertos composed by Giuliani are very much in the Classical style (but showing a development into the bel canto style of the early Romantic period) and are some of the first concertos for guitar ever written. I have played the first concerto of the three, which curiously enough exists in several versions. The one on this disc is the original orchetsral version (with flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns added to the string section) first performed in 1808, rather than the devilish abridged version for guitar and string orchestra or string quartet which there are more recordings of. I can highly recommend this disc for authentic interpretation and expressive, virtuosic playing from the soloists. Maccaro and Pugliese are the world's experts on 18th and 19th century guitar music who play on guitars made in the 19th century on gut strings with traditional no-nail technique. My guitar teacher was fortunate enough to meet the two guitarists on this disc in Darwin some years ago, wish I could have been there!


----------



## DrKilroy

Brian - Symphony no. 1 (Lenard).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in B Flat, Op,6, No.7, HMV 325

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 20739


----------



## Guest

Today it will be Schubert chamber works:








String Quartets D87 in E flat & D887 in G
Cuarteto Casals








Octet in F, D803
Mullova Ensemble








Piano Quintet in A, D667
Levine, Hetzel, Christ, Faust Posch
Quartet for Flute, Viola, Guitar, Cello, D96
Schultz, Christ, Sollscher, Faust


----------



## Kieran

LvB, overtures, conducted by Lenny.

Tough guy music...


----------



## SimonNZ

Biber's Litaniae de Sancto Josepho - Cantus Coln, Konrad Junghanel, dir.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Australian Guitar Music
Aleksandr Tsiboulski









On this CD...
Ross Edwards: Blackwattle Caprices
Phillip Houghton: Stélé (a fantastic work, please do listen to it)
Peter Sculthorpe: From Kakadu
Ross Edwards: Guitar Dances (after Marimba Dances)
Graeme Koehne: A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design
Brett Dean: Three Caprichos after Goya (Dean is the most European of the composers on this CD, not surprising since he is/was a viola player in the Berlin Phil and does a lot of stuff around that part of the world)
Peter Sculthorpe: Into the Dreaming
Peter Sculthorpe: Djilile

Terrific playing from one of my teacher's friends.


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Crippled Symmetry - Dietmar Wiesner, Markus Hinterhaeuser, Robyn Schulkowsky


----------



## SimonNZ

CoAG: So good you liked it twice? I didn't know that was possible.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> CoAG: So good you liked it twice? I didn't know that was possible.


I didn't know it was possible either!


----------



## jim prideaux

Schumann four symphonies arrived in the post this morning-David Zinman-but I cannot tear myself away from Sibelius-Vanska/Lahti-the 6th in particular!


----------



## bejart

Pierre Vachon (1731-1803): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.5, No.2

Rasumovsky Quartet: Frances Mason and Marilyn Taylor, violins -- Christopher Wellington, viola -- Joy Hall, cello

View attachment 20752


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Vaughan Williams' third and fifth symphonies, conducted by Boult. I hadn't really listened to Vaughan Williams' works at all until now, but my orchestra will be playing the former piece at its next concert so I thought I'd better have a listen.


----------



## Kleinzeit

CyrilWashbrook said:


> Vaughan Williams' third and fifth symphonies, conducted by Boult. I hadn't really listened to Vaughan Williams' works at all until now, but my orchestra will be playing the former piece at its next concert so I thought I'd better have a listen.











This is winging it's way now, noticed what a good price it was, wondered why I neglect RVW so much when every time I listen I'm totally _convinced_.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in E Flat, KV 166

Henk de Graaf and Jan Jensen, clarinets -- Remco de Vries and Sandra Zoer, oboes -- Ron Tyhuis and Irma Kort, english horns -- Johan Steinmann and Dympha van Dooremaal, bassoons -- Martin van de Merwe, and Jos Buurman, horns

View attachment 20754


----------



## Weston

Prokofiev: Classical Symphony - Claudio Abbado, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe.









As I must work my tail off today, I need music to keep me company. This "retro" symphony is a nice way to start a rainy morning glued to the digitizing tablet. I'm sorry to report that I do not enjoy this ca. 1990 Sting version of Peter and the Wolf, much to my surprise, so that will not be on the program. But the rest of the album is great.


----------



## Neo Romanza

CyrilWashbrook said:


> Vaughan Williams' third and fifth symphonies, conducted by Boult. I hadn't really listened to Vaughan Williams' works at all until now, but my orchestra will be playing the former piece at its next concert so I thought I'd better have a listen.


Personally, I couldn't imagine going for as long as I have without listening to RVW's music. His music found me and not the other way around.


----------



## Stemahl

This should be in the "Latest Purchases" section, but I am also currently listening to them, and they are great - heard a few different versions of later symphonies but this is only the second time listening to the Sturm und Drang ones, brilliantly played on period instruments.


----------



## Mika

Now Playing Corigliano #1


----------



## ptr

First Quality listening for Day's... Summer (July) is a big chunk of sensory overload, don't get to listen enough period..

*Johann Sebastian Bach* - Goldberg Variations (*DG Galleria*)









Wilhelm Kempff, piano

Strange, rhythmic with slight loss of the melody, but no unpleasant... 

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.64

Sir Thomas Beecham leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra -- Joseph Szigeti, violin

View attachment 20760


----------



## Selby

All this talk of RVW forced me to put on A Lark Acscending, Hilary Hahn performing.


----------



## Schubussy

Arnold Bax - November Woods 
Vernon Handley, BBC Philharmonic


----------



## MagneticGhost

korenbloem said:


> View attachment 20736
> 
> 
> Elgar: The Apostles, Op. 49 (Hallé, Mark Elder, Paul Groves, Rebecca Evans)


I absolutely adore that piece. Is it a good performance from the Halle. I expect it to be. It 's on my wish list but quite a way down as I like to buy pieces I've not heard first. But when this drops in price I'll be on it.


----------



## OboeKnight

Chopin- Nocturne in C Sharp minor
Saint-Saens Oboe Sonata


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concertino in G Major, Op.73

Howard Shelley on piano with the London Mozart Players

View attachment 20763


----------



## Kieran

If we went back through this whole thread, I wonder if every CD and record of every classical music work is in here somewhere.

Except this one: *K377*.

BarenPerl...


----------



## ptr

*Tanz Grotesk*: _*Franz Schreker*_ - Der Geburtstag der Infantin / _*Erwin Schulhoff*_ - Die Mondsüchtige / _*Paul Hindemith*_ - Der Dämon (Entartete Decca OOP)









Josef Christof, piano; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig u. Lothar Zagrosek

Doesn't sound the least degenerate to my little ears! 

/ptr


----------



## Kleinzeit

K377? Violin sonata? I think I was listening to that on a cassette in the garden last month (because the old boom box only plays cassettes). I think it was Marriner. 
wuh?


----------



## Kieran

Kleinzeit said:


> K377? Violin sonata? I think I was listening to that on a cassette in the garden last month (because the old boom box only plays cassettes). I think it was Marriner.
> wuh?


I thought Marriner was a conductor? But yes, it's a violin sonata. To be honest, the frisky start is okay, but this thing plumbs the depths if played right in the andante and minuet. It's as if he left everything out - until I see he hadn't. I bet it's easy to play, etc...

:tiphat:


----------



## drpraetorus

Brandenburg #5. Bach


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Brahms Hungarian Dances on Piano for Four Hands by the duo of Tal and Groethuysen


----------



## Weston

Kieran said:


> If we went back through this whole thread, I wonder if every CD and record of every classical music work is in here somewhere.
> 
> Except this one: *K377*.
> 
> BarenPerl...


The only contributor remaining from the very earliest posts in this thread is Chi_townPhilly -- that I can find anyway. I've been exploring it looking for new music and find it kind of sad. That parallels real life too. People wander in and out.

By the way - I'm listening to K. 377 transcribed for guitar. (Ahem . . .)


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1756-1891): Viola Concerto No.1 in D Major

Thomas Fey conducting the Heidelberger Sinfoniker -- Gunter Teuffel, viola

View attachment 20770


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


----------



## Bix

Me to but Karajan and Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## adrem

Prokofiev and Schubert interpreted by people, who were born to play these masterpieces.

Symphony Concerto:







Piano sonata in C minor, D.958 and Moments musicaux, D.780


----------



## Schubussy

Debussy - La Mer
Pierre Boulez, The Cleveland Orchestra

and

Sibelius - Symphony no. 2
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto no. 2 (Rubinstein, Reiner).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

DrKilroy said:


> Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto no. 2 (Richter, Kondrashin).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


How's the Mozart Festival going, doc? :tiphat:


----------



## Bix

DrKilroy said:


> Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto no. 2 (Rubinstein, Reiner).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I listened to the Lisitsa/LSO rendition of this at lunch, rather good.


----------



## Kieran

A BBC disc, given by a pal. Contains Cesar Franck's _*symphony in d-minor*_ and Ernest Chausson's *Poeme de l'amour et la mer*.

Amanda Roocroft (soprano) and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Tadaaki Otaka (Franck) and David Atherton (Chausson)...


----------



## DrKilroy

Kieran said:


> How's the Mozart Festival going, doc? :tiphat:


Thanks! I posted that I couldn't attend the Friday concert, fortunately I will get the refund for tickets. 

The next concert will be on Wednesday (horn concerti, Jupiter Symphony). The Requiem is scheduled for Friday. You will surely get a review when I am back. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Oh, I wish I was there on Wednesday. The Jupiter! Enjoy!

By the way, I'd read that you missed the other but thought you'd gone to something last night. It's a remarkable programme... :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Yes, I cannot complain.  But I wish I could hear the Great G minor Symphony or the Haffner Symphony, these are my favourites. I will try to catch them next year.

I will also try to see Don Giovanni next year; I had been to one performance of it a few years ago and I remember it was great, though I had only and entrance ticket and I had to sit on the stairs.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor
Bruckner: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Andolink

Fortunato Chelleri: Six Simphonies Nouvelles
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Orchestra Revolutionaire et Romantique, cond. Gardiner








It's nice to hear the triplets in the coda not fudged or covered over once in a while....


----------



## Tristan

*Spohr* - Concertante or Two Violins in A major, Op. 48 (Naxos)

This piece was driving me insane; I knew the tune of the 3rd movement and I knew it was by Spohr but I couldn't remember which piece it came from. I knew it had to be some sort of rondo, so I typed in "Spohr rondo" on Google and this piece was one of the ones that came up, and sure enough, it was the piece I had been thinking of. Either way, always liked this piece


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass In B Minor - Jordi Savall, cond.

I haven't been posting it but I've recently been starting many days here at work with this recording. Both staff and customers are responding well to it, and no one has complained (or possibly realised) about hearing the same two-hour work first thing every day.

I noticed some weeks back when I played those thee different MBM recordings in a row that this recording had a number of factors that work well with, and compensate for, our lousy acoustics and idiotic speaker placement in the shop.


----------



## jim prideaux

Vanska/Lahti-Sibelius, Karelia Suite-after all this time, just maybe found the 'one'.


----------



## NightHawk

Still working my way through the Boulez Complete Works, slowly; playing some discs or compositions twice, forgetting where I left off so starting a disc over. All listening on earphones - the performances are just amazing.


----------



## Andolink

Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville: Les fêtes de Paphos

Sandrine Piau (Soprano), Véronique Gens (Soprano), Agnès Mellon (Soprano), 
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt (Tenor), Olivier Lallouette (Baritone), Peter Harvey (Baritone), 
James Oxley (Tenor) 
Accentus Chamber Choir
Les Talens Lyriques/Christophe Rousset


----------



## Ravndal

Sofia Gubaidulina - The Lyre Of Orpheus


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, w. EBS/Gardiner (rec.1980); *Tartini*: Violin Concerti, w. Ughi/ISV/Scimone (rec.1984); *Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Feltsman (rec.2011).

View attachment 20787
View attachment 20789
View attachment 20788


----------



## Ravndal

Sofia Gubaidulina - Piano Quintet

WOW. Amazing stuff. Definitely a good example of a great female composer.


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Schumann four symphonies arrived in the post this morning-David Zinman-but I cannot tear myself away from Sibelius-Vanska/Lahti-the 6th in particular!


Hope you enjoy DZ's. He did a good job with Bob's symphonies. I give 1 & 4 extra credit, for firm treatment. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> If we went back through this whole thread, I wonder if every CD and record of every classical music work is in here somewhere.
> 
> Except this one: *K377*.
> 
> BarenPerl...


Since you (apparently) haven't scoured 2500 pages, I hope you're not relying on TC's search engine.


----------



## belfastboy

OMG


----------



## Kleinzeit

NightHawk said:


> Still working my way through the Boulez Complete Works, slowly; playing some discs or compositions twice, forgetting where I left off so starting a disc over. All listening on earphones - the performances are just amazing.


Keep the posts coming on this one wontcha.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

Giovani Rovetta's Vespers For The Birth Of Louis XIV - Konrad Junghanel, dir.


----------



## GreenMamba

On Spotify, Schnittke String Quartets 1 and 2, Kronos.


----------



## Vaneyes

Novelette said:


> I was listening to it on YouTube. It claimed the recording as being the 1976 recording of Karajan and Staatskapelle Dresden.


A brief G-search produced...HvK appeared with Dresden three times, all at Salzburg Festival in '65, '72, and '76. He and BPO appeared in Dresden in '78. :tiphat:


----------



## Ondine

For tonight:

Sibelius' 6th, Paavo Berglund & Violin Concert, Leila Josefowicz; Marriner

Mahler's 3th. Klaus Tennstedt.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Piano Concerto No. 2_. Ashkenazy is so incredible in Bartok. Solti's accompaniment is as inspired.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Six Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin, w. Ehnes (rec.1999/0); Partitas, Preludes & Fugues, w. GG (rec.1957 - '80).

View attachment 20793
View attachment 20794


----------



## TrevBus

WOW!!!!! Listning to Britten's 'Gloriana' symphonic suite op. 52. I don't know how many times I have heard this, whether recorded or live but every time, WOW!!!!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.59 in E Flat

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 20798


----------



## SimonNZ

"Altbachisches Archiv" - Konrad Junghanel, dir.

two cds of works by members of the Bach family from the generations _before_ J.S.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Harmonielehre_. One of the greatest orchestral works of the last 30 years IMHO.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.19 and Symphony No.5 in F Major, Op.76, * both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Witold Rowicki.


----------



## Sid James

jim prideaux said:


> Schumann four symphonies arrived in the post this morning-David Zinman-





Vaneyes said:


> Hope you enjoy DZ's. He did a good job with Bob's symphonies. I give 1 & 4 extra credit, for firm treatment. :tiphat:


Seconded, Vaneyes! - I've also heard Maestro Zinman's interp of Schumann symphonies 1 & 4 (the Telarc cd). I remember how I liked the clarity and directness of this performance, esp. of those unique contrapuntal textures. Quite a light and airy feel in some ways, in any case in no ways stodgy or ultra heavy. Thats my memory anyway, and they're two contrasting symphonies, I love the 4th but the 1st I'm kind of still working on.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _El amor brujo_. Very nice performance.


----------



## Sid James

This weekend's listening I have started as in previous weekends, listening to one of Haydn's London symphonies and trying to make connections between him and other composers. This time it was a focus on *mechanization and technology *entering the realm of music. This is a very long post but I thought I'd do these great pieces justice and really flesh things out! -

*Haydn* _Symphony #101 in D 'Clock' _(1794)
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate (EMI)

The famous 'tick tock' bit in this symphony, as well as its adopted name, very likely originates from *Haydn's* fascination with musical clocks. Pater Primitivus Niemecz was a librarian and cellist in the orchestra at Eisenstadt, which Haydn was in charge of when he worked in the employment of the Eszterhazy family. Niemecz was also a clock maker, and he asked Haydn to composed tunes for the clocks which where equipped with small mechanical organs to play on each hour. These clocks where works exhibiting high levels of craftsmanship and where given to royalty of Europe.

There's many moments in this symphony that grab my attention. For example, in the first movement, the slow introduction is thematically related to the quicker main body of the movement. Its as simple as a rising scale, but its not hard to hear, and very innovative for the period.

As for the famous second movement with that ticking and tocking, it too strikes me as one of the most interesting theme and variation type movements that are in the London set. The seemingly mundane tune goes through a whole range of contrasting variations.

The minuet is more or less light relief, with the drone given by the strings under a rustic flute solo and an unexpected outburst from the orchestra, being the main point of departure from the formulaic here.

The final movement starts off as a rondo and culminates in a double fugue. I love the rapidity of the bassoon parts towards the end. Ol' Papa certainly put these guys through their paces! Amazing stuff, and it's a joy to revisit these again and again, Haydn is always interesting.

*Honegger* _'Pacific 231' Mouvement symphonique: Modere _(1923)
- New Zealand SO under Takuo Yuasa (Naxos)

On to the 20th century, and *Honegger's* engagement with technology of his time. *Pacific 231* is a showpiece for orchestra imaging a train warming up, slowly speeding up and then reaching its destination and stopping. It presents the machine as a juggernaut, and is an exercise of acceleration and deceleration in music.

*Graeme Koehne* _Powerhouse_ (1993)
- Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa (Naxos)

Australian composer *Graeme Koehne's* piece *Powerhouse* doesn't explicitly deal with technology, but it certainly has a kind of mechanical feel. The title suggests to me some type of electrical power station. Koehne cites Boulez and Ravel as influences, and I can imagine the Bolero as being an influence here in some ways. However, Koehne's biggest influences come from composers of movie scores and for television, such as John Barry, Henry Mancini and Alex North.

_Powerhouse_ is a mixture of many things coming from Koehne's formative years, the 1960's and '70's. Its like a splicing of clichés and gestures from the music of Mancini and so on. There's also a feel of Lenny's _Mambo_ from _West Side Story_ and television themes such as for _Mission Impossible_. So you got those Latin rhythms (eg. use of maracas, other percussions and brass giving this rhythmic propulsion), as well as the feel of movie soundtracks from the era where you got a party, bar or nightclub scene. Kind of cheesy but it works, and I find it quite addictive.

Its ironic that one of Koehne's influences in classical, Boulez, would definitely call this music to be nothing more than just "mannerisms" (which is basically Pierre's catch-all label for music he doesn't like). Well actually, it is made up of clichés and mannerisms, and so what? Koehne said his main aim here was to just write music with a feel good type atmosphere. It is kind of Post Modernist to do this sort of thing - John Adams has done it too - but when I look at technology now, whether its on the net or television or movies, its like a collage of things. I'm not a believer in the heroic narrative of "progress", all I see is just people listening to ipods and looking at screens, and composers are kind of exploiting that collage of mundane experiences we have in our daily lives with technology. I think this feeds into Koehne's smorgasbord approach to music and that obvious combination of high and low art.

*Ligeti* _Chamber Concerto for 13 instruments _(1969/70)
- Ensemble "die reihe," Wien under Friedrich Cerha (Wergo)

Finishing this technology theme with *Ligeti's Chamber Concerto*. The third movement marked _preciso e meccanico_ gives me this feel of being in a factory where all the machines are malfunctioning, and I'm stuck in the middle of this chaos not able to do a thing about it. Maybe even reveling in the absurdity of it all. Ligeti's music has that in droves, and to contrast it with Honegger's perhaps more streamlined view of technology, well Ligeti as a survivor of labour camps during World War II would have probably had a different view of trains or indeed of utopian ideologies of technological "progress."

Its also a thing worth pointing out that Ligeti, like Haydn, was fascinated by the use of machines in making music. He composed music for mechanical instruments as well as the etudes for piano, which originally where meant to be for player piano (like Conlon Nancarrow's ones).

The Hammond organ in this piece makes me think of being in this crypt under a church filled with water. Its just what I imagine. Other parts make me feel I'm in a cave with bats or insects around. The final movement, _Presto_, comes across as having at least fragmentary elements of Hungarian music - especially of gypsy character, the strings being struck with bows, but also that Asiatic sound of the wind instruments.

*Schumann*
_Dichterliebe, Op. 48_ (Song cycle from the "Book of Songs" by Hienrich Heine)
_Liederkreis, Op. 39_ (poems by Joseph von Eichendorff)
- Olaf Baer, baritone & Geoffrey Parsons, piano (EMI)

On to something completely different, some lieder by *Schumann.* This was my first listen to this music, so I will not comment much other than say I enjoyed it quite a lot. I connected quite deeply with the second set of songs, in which I especially liked what seemed to be a more prominent piano part. I also liked the contrast in moods between the songs, from cheerful to very dark to many shades in between.

*Janacek* _Sedmdesat tisic (The Seventy Thousand) _(1909, rev. 1913)
- Moravian Teachers Choir under Lubomir Mati (Naxos)

On to one of *Janacek's* choruses for male voices, marking his birthday this week gone by, on July 3. *The Seventy Thousand *is one of Janacek's three songs with words taken from Petr Bezruc's poetry called _Silesian Songs_, that deal with subjects of exploitation of people, corruption, suicide, murder, social outcasts, and those rebelling against what is called the Polonisation and Germanisation of Czech culture in this region in the early 20th century. Not very happy, and they are full of wry observations of life's darker aspects, sarcasm, bitterness and anger.

This song is about a group of miners going on strike, and though it is not explicitly stated, the strong implication is that they where massacred. Janacek here paints a picture that's like the musical equivalent of a good black and white photo - from the most basic of elements like the rhythms of speech and extreme contrasts of high and low voices in the spectrum as well as many lines sung at once or recurring in odd places. As the notes say, its like this complex web of ideas. The climax comes at the end after seeming chaos, a resolute shout in unison from the whole choir. Certainly packs a visceral punch.

*Bartok* _Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106_ (1936)
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet (Eloquence)

Concluding with more of this excellent 2 disc set I have been listening to bit by bit on the past few weekends. Written for Swiss conductor Paul Sacher, *Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta *sees *Bartok *going for quite a pared down and lean type of neo-classical style. Its big claim to fame was its prominent use in the score of Kubrick's horror film _The Shining_.

Starting out with a canon where the voices are apart and fragmented, and ending with the same theme played in unison by the strings, one writer I read saw this as a comment on the need for society to unite and defeat the evil forces that where causing such damage in Europe at the time. There's also the fact that the percussionist and celesta player both play the celesta at the end, together. However I think that's reading a bit too far into it, but it must be said that most of Bartok's works end as here in an upbeat rustic and life affirming dance. It speaks to a kind of optimism, albeit a guarded one, perhaps more formal and musical than personal.

In terms of innovations, its those glissandos - especially the timpani, those weird whooping and whirling type sounds - are so memorable. You also have the old church sonata format of slow-fast-slow-fast movement layout underpinning all this, as well as Bartok's application in this work of The Golden Mean (the Fibbonaci Sequence). Everything is quite calculated with this guy, there is a type of order in the disorder, and that's what makes Bartok for me so fascinating but also sometimes frustrating.

Speaking of connections, I can't help but see this work and Ligeti's _Chamber Concerto _as having some affinities at least, not only in terms of technique but also the political conditions both worked under at a dark time in European history. Bartok's night musics, as the nocturne in this work, speak less to horror movies and things that go bump in the night and more about maybe getting a knock on the door and being taken away to some unknown location in the middle of the night. Happened often there at that time, regardless of the numerous regime changes they had, they all did this type of thing. Simply put, many weren't as lucky as these two composers where to survive those terrible times, many perished.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Kleinzeit said:


> This is winging it's way now, noticed what a good price it was, wondered why I neglect RVW so much when every time I listen I'm totally _convinced_.


I have to say that I'm not completely sold yet: as somebody who enjoys the sledgehammer hit of a Bruckner symphony, RVW's pieces have more of a "background music" feel to my mind. I'll certainly keep working on developing my appreciation for him, though.


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart, Adagio and Rondeau for glass harmonica


----------



## SimonNZ

Varese's Ameriques - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Komei Abe: Symphony No. 1, Divertimento, Sinfonietta
Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Yablonsky









It's quite fitting that the recording is performed by a Russian orchestra (and conductor), given that the music is the sort of Prokofiev-lite that many Japanese composers seemed drawn towards in the early-mid 20th century.


----------



## aleazk

*John Cage*:
-Second Construction (



)
-Third Construction (



)
-Six Melodies (



)


----------



## Novelette

Vaneyes said:


> A brief G-search produced...HvK appeared with Dresden three times, all at Salzburg Festival in '65, '72, and '76. He and BPO appeared in Dresden in '78. :tiphat:


Interesting! I didn't know.


----------



## Novelette

adrem said:


> Piano sonata in C minor, D.958 and Moments musicaux, D.780
> View attachment 20772


The C Minor Sonata of Schubert is my absolute favorite. I've been working through the fourth movement on and off for the past few months. I need to sit down and finally work on the whole of it!


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel - Rupert Huber, cond.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: English Suite #4 in F, BWV 809 -- Peter Watchorn

Beethoven: Rondo for Piano & Orchestra in B Flat, WoO 6 -- Pietro Spada: Philharmonia Orchestra of London

Bach: Passacaglia & Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582 -- Helmut Walcha

Palestrina: Missa l'Homme armé À 4 -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

Schumann: Novelletten, Op. 21 -- Ronald Brautigam

^ Those remarkable seven piano pieces after which I selected my username. Alas, having seen it written sometimes with one "l" and others with two, I chose the former in putting forth my username. I ought to have written it with two, as that is consistent with Schumann's own spelling.

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 1 [*All six of them!*] -- Kodály Quartet

^ In preparation for Ramako's very fine series of polls pertaining to Haydn's many excellent string quartets.

Brahms: Piano Concerto #2 in B Flat, Op. 83 -- François-Frédéric Guy: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Not a shabby way to enjoy a Saturday!


----------



## SimonNZ

following Novelette and listening to Novelletten









Jacqueline Blancard, piano


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> following Novelette and listening to Novelletten
> 
> View attachment 20811
> 
> 
> Jacqueline Blancard, piano


The fifth Novellette, in D Major, is my favorite of the bunch: sprightly but measured. Enjoy, Simon!


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 103, "Wagner"*

Listened to a variety of stuff today and thought I might mention the Bruckner as its been a while since I listened to him - this performance by HVK/BPO is particularly good i think. Next up I want to play Symphony No. 1 from the Alfven set - i wasnt sure I liked this composer until recently when I started becoming more familiar with his Symphonies. Later in the evening I will give the Elgar/Perlman recording a spin as its a new one. I actually bought 2 versions of Elgars VC today as its one of my favourite VC's. I listened to Menuhins classic account this morning after I downloaded it - Menuhin has disappointed me in the past and I wasnt sure why he was regarded as such a good Violinist but this recording finds him in very good form. Despite the age of the recording its not bad for sound either.


----------



## Kieran

Various church works on Lyricfm radio, glorious music to go with porridge...


----------



## SimonNZ

Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis On Themes By Weber - Eugene Jochum, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: Piano Concerto no. 4, Piano Sonatas 14 and 31
Dejan Lazić with the Australian Chamber Orchestra directed by Richard Tognetti.









I like this performance of the Beethoven 4th piano concerto over others that I have heard. Balance is incredible, playing is wonderfully expressive and full of extremes in emotion, from the lightest, most peaceful pianissimo to the most intensely dramatic fortissimo. You'd think you're listening to a full blown orchestra under Tognetti's direction. One thing that is interesting about this interpretation is that it adds extra dynamics and expression marks written into the later version of the concerto arranged for piano and string quintet, I very much like this idea because it comes off really well in performance and adds more Beethovenian excitement to the piece. The Australian Chamber Orchestra under violinist Richard Tognetti is one of the best orchestras in the world. I don't know much about pianists but I think Dejan Lazić's Beethoven is terrific. Recommended for anyone seeking more Beethoven piano concerto and/or piano sonata recordings.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _El amor brujo_. Very nice performance.


El retablo de maese Pedro is my favourite work of de Falla. What do you think of it?


----------



## SimonNZ

John Adams' The Dharma At Big Sur - Tacy Silverman, violin, John Adams, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 4
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Oleg Caetani









Can't say much because I don't know the piece very well and this is the only recording I've listened to in its entirety. No. 4 is the Tchaikovsky symphony that I am least familiar with (nos. 1, 2 and 5 are the ones I know the best) so this evening I am familiarising myself with it. Soon I shall download a score and familiarise myself with it even more. The only part of the symphony I can ever recognise is the very ending because I remember it as "Tchaikovsky's 6th, third movement, but on the wrong notes so it must be the 4th."


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Agon - Hans Rosbaud, cond


----------



## Guest

Bach, Brandenburg Concertos
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Orchestral Suite No.1 in C Major, BWV 1966

Neville Marriner directing the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

View attachment 20823


Jerome ---
It must be a NM-ASMF kind of morning.


----------



## DrKilroy

For Mahler's birthday, I will listen to his Symphony no. 5 (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bix

I'm trying to break in to Mahler, so today I will try his 1st symphony again (Berlin/Abbado).

Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám Mahler / Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Mahler


----------



## aszkid

Goldberg Variations, by sir JS Bach, and of course, Gould on the keys!


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No. 3 in D (V. Gergiev, Mariinsky Orchestra)

*Mahler* - Kindertotenlieder (Kathleen Ferrier -- contralto, Bruno Walter, Winer Philarmoniker)


----------



## Guest

bejart said:


> JS Bach: Orchestral Suite No.1 in C Major, BWV 1966
> 
> Neville Marriner directing the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
> 
> View attachment 20823
> 
> 
> Jerome ---
> It must be a NM-ASMF kind of morning.


I was thinking of getting those. Marriner's Brandenburgs are my second favorite behind Pinnock. How do you like the Suites?


----------



## Bix

Bix said:


> I'm trying to break in to Mahler, so today I will try his 1st symphony again (Berlin/Abbado).
> 
> Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám Mahler / Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Mahler


I enjoyed it this time round especially the _Wieder etwas bewegter, wie im Anfang_. There multiple moments of shock and awe, at one point Clio, one of my cats dropped all of the things she was holding.


----------



## Kieran

I think Mitsuko is front row in the royal box at Wimbledon! Just listened to her perform #25 in C, Jeffrey Tate conducting the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## Mika

5th opera sunday : Alban Berg - Lulu










Wozzeck was an instant love. This requires some more work.


----------



## Neo Romanza

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> El retablo de maese Pedro is my favourite work of de Falla. What do you think of it?


A very nice work. I would say my favorite Falla work or at least the one that has appealed to me more recently is _Psyche_. Are you familiar with this work?


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Haitink). One more birthday gift for you, Mr. Mahler. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink









There's a special post on my blog today, too.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Vorisek (1791-1826): Symphony in D Major

Sir Charles Mackerras leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 20830


Jerome ---
The ASMF rendition of JS Bach's Orchestral Suites is excellent with these caveats: they use modern instruments, they don't take most repeats and the recording is bit underpowered in the bass. Otherwise, top of the line ---


----------



## aszkid

DrKilroy said:


> Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Haitink). One more birthday gift for you, Mr. Mahler.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I'll join you then. Starting with Gergiev conduncting Mahler's Ninth and then Das Lied von der Erde (for the first time )!

Edit: hhhgggg the start ALWAYS kills me. And Gergiev being as he is, makes it so powerful...


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Rückert Lieder
Brigitte Fassbaender, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Chailly


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Quintet in E Flat, Op.10, No.3

Orsolya Kacsander, flute -- Lajos Lencses, oboe -- Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Peter Barsony, viola -- Peter Szabo, cello

View attachment 20836


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## Weston

*Szymanowski: Symphony No. 3, "The Song of the Night," Op. 27*
Pierre Boulez, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Powerful, powerful! How can help but do good work listening to this?


----------



## Weston

Bix said:


> I'm trying to break in to Mahler, so today I will try his 1st symphony again (Berlin/Abbado).
> 
> Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám Mahler / Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Mahler


I'm on the same journey. It was the 2nd that finally did it for me. However I think for the 3rd I may have to retire before I can find the time.


----------



## Weston

Sid James said:


> This is a very long post . . .


What a monumentally detailed sharing. Thanks for that.

I've always wanted to get into the Honegger piece, but apart from the opening sounding like a slowly awakening monster, I've never quite enjoyed it.

I did not know Ligeti wrote for Hammond organ! Its tone-wheel generated sound is unlike anything else, even or especially other electric organs. Or is the score for organ in general? I must look for this piece in either event.

Graeme Koehne sounds interesting but so far I have only found what sounds like big band music. I will keep an eye out.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Continuing the Gustav birthday bash ...

*Mahler*: Ruckert-Lieder (Janet Baker -- mezzo-sopr., Barbirolli, New Philarmonia)


----------



## Bix




----------



## Stemahl

I didn't even know it was Mahler's birthday - and I call myself a Mahler fan.....

I have just finished listening to disc 1 of this:









I have been trying some opera highlights to get the taste, this was quite good. But seeing as it's Mahler's birthday I will listen to my current favorite work - symphony 1, love the frere jacques march. This performance:


----------



## NightHawk

Thanks! Will definitely be acquiring this album, Neo, didn't know it was out there. I have a much acclaimed recording of the Bartok 2nd Piano Concerto, made in the late 60's or 70's with Entremont and Bernstein with NYPhil - a great (unbelievably difficult) concerto, too seldom mastered, unfortunately.



Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to _Piano Concerto No. 2_. Ashkenazy is so incredible in Bartok. Solti's accompaniment is as inspired.


----------



## DaveS

Music today from another M...This,the 4th Violin Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin(rec 8/56); then the Symphony 40(rec 9/56). Van Beinum, ACO
Will help celebrate Gustav's day with one of his works after this. Stay tuned.


----------



## Kieran

Seeing Mitsuko in the Royal Box at Wimbledon today, representing Wolfie, has given me an idea:

#*21*, C major, Jeffrey Tate in the umpires chair and the English Chamber Orchestra calling the lines...


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Michelle DeYoung, Chicago Symphony, cond. Haitink


----------



## Kieran

Mahler's birthday!

#5, Bruno Walter conducts the New York Philly, 1947.

And a look at friend Mahlerian's new blog... :tiphat:


----------



## PrimoUomo

I'm listening to the most annoying pieces of music ever written:

GOTT ERHALTE FRANZ DEN KAISER!
UNSERN GUTEN KAISER FRANZ!
GOTT ERHALTE FRANZ DEN KAISER!
UNSERN GUTEN KAISER FRANZ!

By Joseph Haydn


----------



## DaveS

As promised...a birthday salutation to Mahler. The 5th. Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Hermann Scherchen. Interesting, since joining this forum, I see very little mentioned about Scherchen. I have read, in other reviews, that some of his interpretations may be considered heavy handed. This recording seems decent all around.


----------



## ptr

..Remembering Gustav's birth this morning and I grew very sad, so I had to play the only music he wrote that brings me out of the state of sadness!

*Gustav Mahler* - Kindertotenlieder (1901-04) (*MR*)









Maria Forsström, contralto & Johannes Landgren, organ

..rest of the day was spent in silent mahleritation!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Starting the day at work once more with the Savall Mass in B minor

Thinking I should celebrate Mahler's birthday by having another go at the Mahler work I play the least (not counting that could-be-anybody Piano Quartet thing)

So at some point later today I'll dig out Das Knaben Wunderhorn with DFD, Schwarzkopf and Szell:


----------



## schuberkovich

Just finished:
Vaughan Williams, Symphony no.5 in D major
Andrew Manze, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (a 2012 Proms performance)
So beautiful, especially the violin solo in the 3rd movement.


----------



## Ondine

For this evening:

Mahler's 4th. Tennstedt.

Martinu String Quartets Nos. 3 & 6. Martinu Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Symphony #101, 'Clock'
- Philharmonia Hungarica under Antal Dorati

*Dvorak* Piano Concerto
- Rosl Molzer, pno. with Munich SO under Alexander von Pitamic

*Graeme Koehne *Inflight Entertainment, for amplified oboe & orch.
- Diana Doherty, oboe with Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa




Weston said:


> What a monumentally detailed sharing. Thanks for that.
> 
> I've always wanted to get into the Honegger piece, but apart from the opening sounding like a slowly awakening monster, I've never quite enjoyed it.
> 
> I did not know Ligeti wrote for Hammond organ! Its tone-wheel generated sound is unlike anything else, even or especially other electric organs. Or is the score for organ in general? I must look for this piece in either event.
> 
> Graeme Koehne sounds interesting but so far I have only found what sounds like big band music. I will keep an eye out.


Thanks for that, Weston, nice to get feedback of this sort! During the week my listening is a free for all of anything I feel basically, but weekends I reserve to look at links between things and also maybe tackle a new piece (like the Schumann songs). My aim is to get people into this music, to rehear it or with newbies, hear it for the first time. Even I have not listened to, or not listened with much effort, to many warhorse type works. So thats what I am doing, appreciating these more when I got time for attentive listening on my hands. Its been very rewarding to hear these things with fresh ears.

The Ligeti piece has a part specifically for the hammond (or harmonium), but there's also a harpsichord and celesta in it, apart from a group of strings and winds making up the 13. Its a wierdish combination but as they say, if someone composes for an unusual combination, its likely to kind of stand out. But Ligeti's Chamber Concerto is one of my fav works I know by him, but funnily enough the String Quartet #2 which has a very similar 'mechanical' type movement is something I have found harder to love. But the CC was written after SQ2, so can be seen as a refinement or elaboration of some of the ideas there.

Re Honegger its been ages since I'd heard that piece and the whole Naxos cd too. I also got his score to Les Miserables (the 1930's film) and its something I've connected with a lot, but I aim to listen to the rest of the other cd in due course.

With Koehne, yes big band music is spot on. Its what I was writing about in that post, a lot of the films of the 1960's had this bar, party or nightclub scene, and the background was often jazz, esp. with Latin rhythms that where in vogue at the time. He puts them into his music. I listened to his oboe concerto just now, and the last movement is similar. Its also a bit like a film score to suspense/action type films like The Bourne Trilogy, in terms of the protagonist escaping one thing and going to another and another and so on. He's harnessing those cliches in film music and putting them in the concert hall. His aims aren't lofty or highbrow, he just wants to entertain. I quite like him but it can be addictive and earworm territory, so I think I will leave this cd and move on to other things for now.


----------



## Ondine

Mahlerian said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
> Michelle DeYoung, Chicago Symphony, cond. Haitink


I loved that one yesterday, Mahlerian.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ondine said:


> I loved that one yesterday, Mahlerian.


It's a great performance, I think, although the bass drum sounds a little artificially loud at points (not that I'm complaining, mind). Haitink's reputation as a kapellmeister rather than a true artist in his conducting is not entirely undeserved, but I enjoy his work here and in a live Mahler 2 I heard the Boston Symphony play a few years back at Tanglewood.

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## Skilmarilion

Kieran said:


> Seeing Mitsuko in the Royal Box at Wimbledon today, representing Wolfie, has given me an idea:
> 
> #*21*, C major, Jeffrey Tate in the umpires chair and the English Chamber Orchestra calling the lines...


I didn't know she was there until you mentioned it

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/blogs/wqxr-blog/2013/jul/07/novak-djokovic-classical-music/

As if she wasn't already a legend!


----------



## Ondine

Mahlerian said:


> It's a great performance, I think, although the bass drum sounds a little artificially loud at points (not that I'm complaining, mind). Haitink's reputation as a kapellmeister rather than a true artist in his conducting is not entirely undeserved, but I enjoy his work here and in a live Mahler 2 I heard the Boston Symphony play a few years back at Tanglewood.
> 
> Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
> Hermann Prey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Haitink


Thanks Mahlerian. 'Duos' are easily to get in a standard CD shop.


----------



## Guest

Trying to get into chamber music over here...


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

This has been my whole day really... started very early with #2, then #1, now starting with the 6th symphony and probably n°5 will be the primetime main event.


----------



## Selby

It's a beautiful sunny and 80 degree day here in Portland. I just got off work and am going running.

I just made a playlist out of all new purchases:

Messiaen, Olivier -Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine [Paul Jacobs, John Canarina, Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic]

Revueltas, Silvestre - La noche de los mayas [Gustavo Dudamel, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra]

Schnittke, Alfred - Psalms of Repentance [Tõnu Kaljuste, Swedish Radio Choir]

I'm not sure if I'll make it through all three, but if I do it will be a good run!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Neo Romanza said:


> A very nice work. I would say my favorite Falla work or at least the one that has appealed to me more recently is _Psyche_. Are you familiar with this work?


I don't know Psyche..........


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Le poeme de l'extase; Symphony 3; w. OdP/Barenboim (rec.1986/7); Piano Sonatas, w. MAH (rec.1995); Piano Sonatas, w. Alexeev (rec.2008 - '11).

View attachment 20863
View attachment 20864
View attachment 20865


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Mahler's* birthday, Symphony 9, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1965). A studio recording done in one take. One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording).

View attachment 20866


----------



## Weston

Alright, in honor of Mahler's birthday and continuing my Mahler journey I am listening to the massive Symphony No. 3. I have it somewhere by Simon Rattle / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, but cannot seem to dig it out of hiding. Instead I am streaming a Pierre Boulez / Weiner Philharmoniker version that is about to blow the voice coils out of my headphones. 










Though I cannot stop my work to study up on it and so it must be somewhat in the background, I'm having no trouble following these memorable themes, brass and birdsong, and marches. All very accessible. Of course I'm sure I've heard this before sometime in my life as it all sounds very familiar. But I think that could also be from copycat composing for TV shows from my childhood. Much of this sounds like incidental music to the original Star Trek believe it or not, so I sort of feel at home. Hollywood has "borrowed" so much from the late 19th and early 20th century composers.

At any rate, it is helping to keep me somewhat glued to the digital stylus as I need to be.


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> I'm on the same journey. It was the 2nd that finally did it for me. However *I think for the 3rd I may have to retire before I can find the time*.


Yes, M3 is two CDs. I guess your M2 was one. 

PEE-ESS: I see via post #38467 that you're kicking out the jams in reconsideration. Good idea.


----------



## chrisco97

*Dvorak* - String Quartet No. 12, "American"
_Vlach Quartet Prague_

One of my favourite classical pieces of all time. Absolutely love it.


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> Yes, M3 is two CDs. I guess your M2 was one.
> 
> PEE-ESS: I see via post #38467 that you're kicking out the jams in reconsideration. Good idea.


Not in the deep listening sense my hyperbole referred to. But it's still enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> One of my CPRs (Certified Perfect Recording).


Have you ever made a list of these? I'd be very interested.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _El sombrero de tres picos_. Dutoit and MSO know this work inside and out. Fantastic performance.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: symphony no. 1 and symphony no. 10 (adagio)
Claudio Abbado conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1) and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (10)









I seem to have missed Mahler's birthday (it was yesterday for me) so I'm going to listen to some Mahler today instead. This CD I picked up in Sydney early this year with a sticker on it that said 3 for $20. The only thing I hate about these reissues are the covers! Performance is definitely brilliant, one of the finest Mahler 1s I have heard. I'm not so familiar with the 10th but I'll give it another shot today. I still haven't got all of Mahler's symphonies, but I'll listen to as many as I can today.


----------



## Neo Romanza

schuberkovich said:


> Just finished:
> Vaughan Williams, Symphony no.5 in D major
> Andrew Manze, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (a 2012 Proms performance)
> So beautiful, especially the violin solo in the 3rd movement.


I hope some enterprising label puts out these performances on CD. Manze also conducted RVW's 4th and 6th at the Proms 2012.


----------



## Guest

Guess I'm echoing the OP here


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor


----------



## Weston

Weston said:


> . . . Instead I am streaming a Pierre Boulez / Weiner Philharmoniker version that is about to blow the voice coils out of my headphones.


One more Mahler Symphony 3 comment then I will move on.

I don't see why I thought Mahler so difficult! Or why others think so. This piece is far easier to grasp than some Vaughan-Williams symphonies, or even some Beethoven works. To me it is as accessible as Bruckner, just more highly emotionally charged -- and rather long of course. In spite of the length I have no trouble picking out the recurring themes and even a bit of the program (that he allegedly discouraged). I don't even feel any need for annotations other than to point out layers of meaning I may have missed. It's good music to be enjoyed on many levels.

This recording seems high quality to me, but I want to hear the work with a different mezzo-soprano. Though the "What the Night Tells Me" movement sent chills up my arms, the following "What the Morning Bells Tell Me" seems partly barked out in an odd manner I found unpleasant. But who knows? Maybe I'm just a Philistine.

After finding the 2nd and 3rd symphonies highly engaging and inspiring, I have no reservations whatsoever about diving into the rest of the ouvre, nor will I feel the need to set aside special time to do so. But I will give it a rest for few days or weeks.


----------



## Tristan

*Rimsky-Korsakov* - Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, Op. 30

I'm kind of going through an obsession phase with Rimsky recently. I've always liked Rimsky-Korsakov and two of his pieces have been on my "top 10 greatest classical pieces ever" for a long time, but now I'm kind of trying to collect all the recordings of his music that I can. Wish his operas were more widely available...


----------



## Celloman

Mahler Symphony 4








Happy birthday, Mahler!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: symphony no. 7
Pierre Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra









I would love to conduct this one day. The first time I ever heard it was at a concert where the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was performing it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, this is probably the most thrilling of all of Mahler's symphonies. I can never seem to understand why it isn't more popular!


----------



## Feathers

I must listen to a Mahler symphony before his birthday passes! (I still have 2 more hours to go in the day.)

Listening to my favourite Mahler symphony:
Symphony No. 3 (Abbado and the Anne Larsson Lucerne Festival Orchestra)

Happy Birthday Mahler!


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mahler: symphony no. 7
> Pierre Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 20871
> 
> 
> I would love to conduct this one day. The first time I ever heard it was at a concert where the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was performing it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, this is probably the most thrilling of all of Mahler's symphonies. I can never seem to understand why it isn't more popular!


Will give it a listen.


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Uaxuctum - Concentus Vocalis


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies nos. 7, 5 and 1
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo






This performance is truly something special. Bursting with expression and amazing playing from the VPO, Sakari Oramo's interpretations here are spellbinding. The middle adagio section of *Sibelius's* 7th is especially good, full of brassy brass, intense strings, magical woodwind emerging from the dark drama of the music adding to the atmosphere, this is something not to be missed. The timpanist in this performance uses harder mallets for a clearer, more defined sound which I think is much more effective in sections where it has a tendency in other recordings to be covered up, for example, in the fifth symphony's finale just before the swan call theme as the tremolo section comes to an end the timpani comes out with those dazzling drum beats that makes one's hair stand on end!


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Triadic Memories - Roger Woodward, piano


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - String Quartet No. 19 (Haydn Quartet No. 6), "Dissonance"
_Salzburg Mozarteum Quartet_

I have never heard this one, so I look forward to hearing it.


----------



## chrisco97

I really enjoyed that string quartet! It had some very memorable moments for me. I loved how throughout there was that cello "humming" in the background. It so beautifully complimented the other instruments. One of my new favourites of Mozart. 

--
After being so pleased with that, I shall move on to another Mozart work:

*Mozart* - Clarinet Quintet
_Martin Fröst and Vertavo String Quartet_


----------



## Kieran

Here's Mitsuko in the Royal Box, looking regal and restrained, thinking highbrow stuff while the grunters hurl their power beneath her on the court.

#27, accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Andy Murray.

(Actually, the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jeffrey Tate)...


----------



## Sid James

*Janacek* Teacher Halfar, Marycka Magdonova, The Seventy Thousand (Silesian Songs) for male voices
- Moravian Teachers Choir under Lubomir Mati

*Album: The best of Henry Mancini*
Movie themes by Mancini - eg. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Pink Panther, Charade - as well as music by Burt Bacharach, Michel Legrand, John Barry, etc.
- Henry Mancini and his Orchestra

*Mahler* Adagietto from Symphony #5
- Royal PO under Frank Shipway

*Haydn* Divertimento #1 in B major, 'Chorale St. Antoni'
- Stuttgart Wind Instruments Quintet


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran: Is one of those guys her husband? I've heard he's meant to be some conservative wingnut politician or something. What a waste.

playing now, on the radio:

the Osmo Vanska concert with the NZSO I'll be going to in two days, as recorded last Friday in Wellington.

I've missed hearing the Arvo Part and the new Kalevi Aho pieces, just walked in to hear the start of Nielsen's Fifth


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Kieran: Is one of those guys her husband? ...


I was thinking that actually. Is it the bald guy? Looks a bit like Arnold Schoenberg. If he's her husband, maybe that explains her playing Arnie's music (wracking my brain for another corny joke punchline here but failing miserably!)...


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> Kieran: Is one of those guys her husband? I've heard he's meant to be some conservative wingnut politician or something. What a waste.


I don't know, could be the chap on her right. I was wondering how she wangled front row seats, til I realised it was because of the boxset I love so much. The majesty which is above mere majesty: Mozart!

But you're right about her partner, he's a Eurocrat, hopefully dismantling the whole corrupt edifice from within, except I bet he's not...


----------



## chrisco97

Loved the Clarinet Quintet as well! 

--
*Time for some Haydn:* String Quartet 56 (Op 71, No. 3), performed by _The Griller String Quartet_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kieran said:


> I was wondering how she wangled front row seats, til I realised it was because of the boxset I love so much. The majesty which is above mere majesty: Mozart!


That wasn't the majestic box I thought you were going to link to (great though it is). My first thought was this:


----------



## SimonNZ

Boulez's Rituel: In Memorium Bruno Maderna - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Kieran

SimonNZ said:


> That wasn't the majestic box I thought you were going to link to (great though it is). My first thought was this:
> 
> View attachment 20875


That's the other one! 

I'm BarenPerl for the violin sonatas, and Jerome has recommended a set I haven't had a chance to try out...


----------



## chrisco97

Currently listening to one of the greatest and most beautiful pieces of music ever written - *Beethoven's* 15th String Quartet, performed by _The Yale String Quartet_. Wonderful performance.


----------



## Bix




----------



## Kieran

Sid James said:


> I was thinking that actually. Is it the bald guy? Looks a bit like Arnold Schoenberg. If he's her husband, maybe that explains her playing Arnie's music (wracking my brain for another corny joke punchline here but failing miserably!)...


:lol: I think the bald chap is the Duke of SomewhereOrOther.

By the way, I'm still stalking her performance of Schoenberg's PC. It isn't in Tower Records yet but when it is, I'll grab it...


----------



## SimonNZ

Sophia Gubaidulina's Offertorium - Gidon Kremer, violin, Charles Dutoit, cond.

quote from the 1001 Classical Recordings entry for this work:

"Phrases and responses are thrown back forth between orchestra and soloist like pieces of incriminating evidence that neither wants to be caught with."


----------



## chrisco97

Just got finished with the 15th string quartet. The third movement is one of the most beautiful movements Beethoven ever wrote. Beyond amazing.

--
*Now some music for before I head off to bed:*

*Beethoven* - 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor, WoO80
_Denis Matthews_


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening to this on Spotify.

edit - don't know why it's shown up twice. I'm only listening to it once though.


----------



## Andolink

Johann Schobert: Trio in F major, op. 16, no. 4
Luciano Sgrizzi, pianoforte Fritz (Vienna ca. 1820)
Chiara Banchini, violin
Philipp Bosbach, violoncello


----------



## Sonata

Mostly into chamber music lately, though not exclusively.

Last night: Mendelssohn's wonderful clarinet sonata in E-flat Major, Flute sonata in A Minor by Handel. Brahms excellent string quintets...I don't think I'll ever tire of these, keep finding new details to enjoy!
This morning: Mozart, Violin concertos 2 & 3, from the Big Mozart Box


----------



## Selby

A rare Mozart start to my morning:

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A major, KV 581 [David Shifrin, Emerson String Quartet]


----------



## Bix

Mahler 6 / Haitink / CSO


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _West Side Story_. Awesome performance.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I have been on a Mahler marathon today. Presently I am listening to:









Prior to this however, I was listening to:


----------



## Crudblud

Toru Takemitsu - _Autumn_ (Numajiri)
Pascal Dusapin - _Perelà, Uomo di fumo_ (Altinoglu)


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Have you ever made a list of these? I'd be very interested.


Thank you, Simon NZ, *for your interest*. No I haven't, though I know *who they are*...and often designate such, once I pull them from the shelf for a spin. I absolutely should get cracking on that *one of these days*. :tiphat:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Thought I'd join the Mahler party.
My new fave version of Mahler's 9th with Gustavo Dudamel.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, w. Avison Ens. (rec.2012); *Handel*: Acis & Galatea, w. Darlington et al (rec.2012); Piano Works, w. Queffelec (rec.2005).

View attachment 20905
View attachment 20906
View attachment 20907


----------



## Blue Hour

Gulda: Live (Dec. 1966) ~ Beethoven/Schubert/Debussy​


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E
Members of the Concertgebouw, cond. Chailly


----------



## Mika

Starting from volume 1. Let's see how far I will go.


----------



## korenbloem

Dmitri Shostakovich performed by Prague Symphony Orchestra under Maxim Shostakovich - Shostakovich Conducts Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5


----------



## Guest

Wanted to make a top concertos list and realized I've neglected violin concerti bigtime...I think I have like 60 piano concertos on my iPod and 6 violin concertos...so today I've been doing Mendelssohn's violin concerto.


----------



## CypressWillow

Chopin, Nocturnes, Maurizio Pollini
I'm playing an endless loop of Op. 32 #2 and Op. 48 #1

Here:
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V60USaluxGA#at=2106[/yt]

Lovely.


----------



## Ravndal

Mahler - Symphony 1

Valery Gergiev & LSO

Never listened to Mahler. I have always got something against him. Tried his no 2 symphony a couple of times, but never liked it.

Though i must admit, that this is quite pleasant. I think this is my way in.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20904
> 
> Thought I'd join the Mahler party.
> My new fave version of Mahler's 9th with Gustavo Dudamel.


I've heard a lot of praise for Dudamel and his Mahler. I think I may have to give this a try at some point in the near future.


----------



## korenbloem

Alfred Schnittke performed by Louise Bessette & Quatuor Molinari - Quartet & quintet with piano - String trio


----------



## Ravndal

Ravndal said:


> Mahler - Symphony 1
> 
> Valery Gergiev & LSO
> 
> Never listened to Mahler. I have always got something against him. Tried his no 2 symphony a couple of times, but never liked it.
> 
> Though i must admit, that this is quite pleasant. I think this is my way in.


Wow. That third movement is really jewish! It's cool though


----------



## Skilmarilion

Listening to a recent MP3 download ...

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor (piano: Arthur Rubinstein, J. Krips, RCA Victor Symphony)

-- This is a beautifully re-mastered recording with a pretty sublime performance from Art. That dark, brooding opening on the strings remains one of the most stunning openings to any work I've heard.

*Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No. 4 in F minor (V. Gergiev, Marinsky Orchestra)

*Part* - Fratres (P. Jaarvi, Estonian National Symphony)


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - String Quartet No. 22 in B flat major, "Prussian No. 2"
_Eder Quartet_

Waking up to some Mozart.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Ravndal said:


> Wow. That third movement is really jewish! It's cool though


That 3rd mvmt is a beauty! Absolutely wonderful.


----------



## Cheyenne

Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, with Harnoncourt, Bernstein, Böhm, Szell and Walter. Perhaps I'll add some more. Sometimes I forget how much I adore this piece. Never fails to lift the spirit!


----------



## Ravndal

Skilmarilion said:


> That 3rd mvmt is a beauty! Absolutely wonderful.


Sounds like a bat mitzvah!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Haydn String quartet Op. 33 No. 2, Adagio .


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - String Quartet No. 6 (Op. 1, No. 6)
_Kodaly Quartet_

The Mozart string quartet was excellent, so I decided I would listen to another string quartet. This time, it is one from Haydn.


----------



## korenbloem

Johannes Brahms under John Eliot Gardiner - Ein Deutsches Requiem


----------



## chrisco97

Loved the Haydn string quartet! Especially the third movement. It was so beautiful, and I am a sucker for the plucking of the strings. :lol:

--
*Next up, some more Haydn:*

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 101, "The Clock"
_Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Mogens Woldike_


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Die Jakobsleiter_. Such an eerie work and great performance from Boulez.


----------



## korenbloem

Rihm - Works for Organ (Dominik Susteck)


----------



## Kieran

Adagio and fugue in c-minor, *K546*, by WAM. I can hear why millionrainbows loved this one! :tiphat:

HvK with the Berlin Philly...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Janacek's String Quartet No.1 "Kreutzer Sonata" - Emerson Quartet


----------



## chrisco97

Haydn's "The Clock" was amazing. I especially loved the second movement (which seems to be the most popular). I love the ticking sound Haydn did here. Very creative.

*Time for another Haydn symphony:* Symphony No. 44, "Trauersymphonie", performed by the _Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb and Antonio Janigro_.

I have gotten myself hooked on Haydn's music, again... :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bruckner's Symphony No.4 - Christoph von Dohnányi, cond.


----------



## Ravndal

Time to sleep. I will be listening to Bach arranged for orchestra by Stokowski.


----------



## Andolink

Roman Haubenstock-Ramati: Miroirs (1984, rev. 1991)
Carol Morgan, piano








John Jenkins: Late Consort Music--Fantasia in E minor and Fantasia in D major 
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.9 in C Major

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

View attachment 20922


----------



## Vaneyes

*Boulez*: Piano Sonatas, w. Jumppanen (rec.2004); *Gubaidulina*: Fachwerk; Silenzio; w. Trondheim SO/Gimse et al (rec.2011).

View attachment 20923
View attachment 20924


----------



## SimonNZ

"For Ever Fortune: Scottish Music In The 18th Century" - Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *
both featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, * both performed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Moses und Aron
Gunter Reich, Richard Cassily, BBC Symphony, cond. Boulez









Or I was...but I got interrupted at the beginning of Act II. I'll go back and finish it later.


----------



## bejart

James Brooks (1760-1809): Violin Concerto No.1 in D Major

Peter Holman leading the Parley of Instruments -- Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin

View attachment 20926


----------



## Novelette

chrisco97 said:


> Haydn's "The Clock" was amazing. I especially loved the second movement (which seems to be the most popular). I love the ticking sound Haydn did here. Very creative.
> 
> *Time for another Haydn symphony:* Symphony No. 44, "Trauersymphonie", performed by the _Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb and Antonio Janigro_.
> 
> I have gotten myself hooked on Haydn's music, again... :lol:


It's all too easy to get oneself hooked on Haydn! Yet I can think of few addictions whose consequences are sweeter.


----------



## Novelette

Fauré: Quintet For Piano & Strings #1 in D Minor, Op. 89 -- Quatuor Ébène

Delibes: Lakmé -- Alain Lombard: L'Opéra-Comique Orchestra & Chorus

Schein: Padouana a 5 -- Gabrielli Consort & Players

Gossec: Grande Messe Des Morts -- Diego Fasolis: Lugano Radio Orchestra

Taverner: Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas -- Stephen Darlington: Choir of the Church of Christ Cathedral [Oxford]

^ My especial appreciation to Taggart for bringing this stunning work to light! I adore pre-Baroque music both sacred and secular.


----------



## julianoq

I was out for a holiday with almost no time for music. Now back and starting this week project of french music exploration. Now listening to Fauré Piano Quintet No. 1, performed by Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 20925
> 
> 
> "For Ever Fortune: Scottish Music In The 18th Century" - Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien


If you like folksongs, you would definitely enjoy the folksong settings of Beethoven and Haydn [not name just a few]: chiefly Scottish, Welsh, and Irish. Also a small host of Austrian, Russian, French, etc.


----------



## Novelette

julianoq said:


> I was out for a holiday with almost no time for music. Now back and starting this week project of french music exploration. Now listening to Fauré Piano Quintet No. 1, performed by Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet.


Nice! I was listening to the very same work earlier today. I love the opening to the first movement, but the whole work is quite ethereal. Perfect evening music: a glass of red wine and a little Fauré.


----------



## Weston

Another working evening. This time to keep me company is an interesting piece. William Levi Dawsons' Negro Folk Symphony, Leopold Stokowski / American Symphony Orchestra (1963).

It's archetypal American sound is flavored with rich and subtle undertones of negro spiritual themes -- hence a slight Dvorak connection, a touch of Hollywood film noir and hints of jazz, but with a mournful mysterious horn featured prominently throughout. Tasty indeed.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Twelve Variations in B Flat, KV 500

Ingrid Haebler, piano

View attachment 20928


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette said:


> If you like folksongs, you would definitely enjoy the folksong settings of Beethoven and Haydn [not name just a few]: chiefly Scottish, Welsh, and Irish. Also a small host of Austrian, Russian, French, etc.


Oh, yes. I've got recordings of both. I don't play Beethoven's much, but there's a set of Elly Ameling performances of Haydn's with Jorg Demus on fortepiano that I'm very fond of.

In fact as its been some time I might as well take this as a good enough reason to hear a few again:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 8_. I'm working my way backwards through Arnold's outstanding symphonies. Already listened to _Symphony No. 9_ tonight.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Oh, yes. I've got recordings of both. I don't play Beethoven's much, but there's a set of Elly Ameling performances of Haydn's with Jorg Demus on piano that I'm very fond of.
> 
> In fact as its been some time I might as well take this as a good enough reason to hear a few again:


Neato! I didn't know of that recording, but I love both Demus and Ameling. I think I have to get my hands on that recording myself!


----------



## chrisco97

The Trauersymphonie is so great. I love the third and fourth (final) movements.

--
*Cannot help myself, some more Haydn:*

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 99
_Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Mogens Woldike_


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 2
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3


----------



## SimonNZ

Phillipe Manoury's Inharmonies etc. - Accentus


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"
_Vienna Symphony Orchestra & Felix Prohaska_

Finally listening to something other than Haydn, lol...this is my first time listening to the _Jupiter_ symphony. Let's see how it goes...


----------



## chrisco97

Loved the Jupiter symphony! Especially the fun first movement and the slow second movement.


----------



## Weston

science said:


> Well that was... interesting...


Browsing this thread I came upon this post from science from a year ago. I found this album on my Rhapsody account and I have to say it's awesomely weird. I like the two David Bedford pieces better than all the drum banging of the opening Cardew track. The Bedford pieces are very much like what you would expect from Ligeti -- terrifying under some circumstances. They are like Ligeti meets dark ambient. This kind of music makes me want to paint weird stuff again if I ever find the time.

I love this thread!

(And yes I am up way too late.)


----------



## SimonNZ

I love that in the original post science says "and now back to normal music", and the "normal" music is John Cage.

(also : for some reason I seem to be bumping into cds from that DG 20/21 series at every turn just at the moment)

playing now:









Ockeghem's Missa Prolationum - Ensemble Musica Nova


----------



## MagneticGhost

Butterworth - Symphony No. 1 - Munchner Symphoniker - Douglas Bostock


----------



## Sid James

chrisco97 said:


> Haydn's "The Clock" was amazing. I especially loved the second movement (which seems to be the most popular). I love the ticking sound Haydn did here. Very creative.
> ...


Yes, its such an amazing work (all the London symphonies are), and innovative. Not only does the introduction contain material to be continued in the body of that first movement, but you also got the final movement (that double fugue towards the end) bringing back ideas from the whole symphony. I'm only grasping these things now in terms of relistening and reading about these pieces, and I would imagine for you musicians out there, it would be easier (some books have excerpts from the scores). But even without them, if you listen to them a few times, you get the links and unity behind these works - just as with say Beethoven. & I'd add, if there was a competition for who innovated more between the two - well it would be a close call, I think, maybe too close to call actually.



> I have gotten myself hooked on Haydn's music, again... :lol:


Join the club!


----------



## Crudblud

CypressWillow said:


> Chopin, Nocturnes, Maurizio Pollini
> I'm playing an endless loop of Op. 32 #2 and Op. 48 #1
> 
> Here:
> [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V60USaluxGA#at=2106[/yt]
> 
> Lovely.


The freezeframe on that video makes Pollini look like he has massive ears.


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's 10th.

Opus 96, performed by Grimiaux (violin) and Haskill (piano)...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 6
The Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy






One of my favourite versions of one of my favourite symphonies.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 6
> The Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of my favourite versions of one of my favourite symphonies.


Love that Symphony. Sibelius by far my favorite Romantic Composer.


----------



## Mika

Warmup for the forthcoming BBC Proms : Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies nos. 2, 3 and 4, might skip no. 1 for now.









I've had the first movement of the second symphony in my head all day, finally giving my ears what they want. The second half of Berglund's Helsinki Cycle of *Sibelius* symphonies for some reason is now in an exceptional classical music CD shop I know, however, John Barbirolli's *Sibelius* box set with the Hallé Orchestra at an unusually cheap price and finally _in_ stock. I've been keeping an eye on the *Sibelius* CDs they have via their website. I must go busking on Saturday morning so I can buy this Barbirolli set when I'm in the area that evening!!! I will not let anyone get in my way!!! Stay away from that box set, other classical music shoppers!!!!


----------



## bejart

Francesco Mancini (1672-1737): Flute Concerto No.5

Fete Rustique with Giorgio Matteoli on flute

View attachment 20936


----------



## korenbloem

Harrison Birtwistle performed by Hallé Orchestra & Owen Slad under Ryan Wigglesworth - Night's Black Bird / The Shadow of Night / The Cry of Anubis


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> an exceptional classical music CD shop I know


Do they have secondhand cds also? Are you on a first-name basis with the staff?

playing now:









Jonathan Harvey's Jubilus - Scott Dickerson, viola, Ilan Volkov, cond.

edit: followed by Berio's Chemins IV - Heinz Holliger, oboe


----------



## Guest

K504, K543, K550, K551
Sir Charles Mackarras
Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Why Patterns? - California EAR Unit


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Giovanni Benedetto Platti (9 July 1697-1763): Trio Sonata in D Minor

Gil Affetti: Giovanni Caviglia, oboe -- Alberto Santi, bassoon -- Laura Manca, cello -- Gianluca Cagnani, harpsichord

View attachment 20943


----------



## SimonNZ

John Adams' Light Over Water - John Adams et al

it sounds like I might have put on a Tangerine Dream album by mistake

actually now I wouldn't mind hearing a little TD before bed - after this I'll dig out one of my favorites:









edit: all these dull covers need a splash of colour


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Do they have secondhand cds also? Are you on a first-name basis with the staff?


no and no 

..........


----------



## Bix

listening to random Diana Damrau pieces whilst working through this months budget (longing to have some patient contact, but it has to be done)


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Piano Sonatas, w. Sudbin (rec.2004), Babayan (rec.1995); *Tartini*: Violin Concerti, w. Daskalaki/Cologne CO/Muller-Bruhl (rec.2005).

View attachment 20947
View attachment 20948
View attachment 20949


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> *I was out for a holiday with almost no time for music*....


That's just not acceptable.


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> (also : for some reason I seem to be bumping into cds from that DG 20/21 series at every turn just at the moment)


Well, 'tis a great series!

Anyway, I finished

Schoenberg: Moses und Aron (Act II)
Gunter Reich, Richard Cassily, BBC Symphony, cond. Boulez









Other things I've listened to recently:
Lang: Little Match Girl Passion, etc.









My favorite piece on the disc was "I lie", which was, incidentally or not, the only one not set in English.

Boulez: Livre pour cordes


----------



## Neo Romanza

EllenBurgess said:


> keep on dance till the world ends by Brittney spears


This thread is for classical music only! Are you even passionate about classical music?


----------



## julianoq

Vaneyes said:


> That's just not acceptable.


I completely agree! I had music available only on my car, and I am not fond of "serious" listening there since my sound system is far from great and I feel that I miss the subtleties of the music.

And today I wasn't able to listen anything since I am in a boring conference call since 9 am, so the week did not start well


----------



## Ravndal

Poulenc

Trois Pieces pour piano

- Pascal Rogé


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, conducted by Antoni Wit. I am dedicating this week to french composers, and even if I already listened this symphony couldn't resist to listen again with another conductor (I also have Chung's performance).


----------



## Bix

Chopin - Variations on 'Là ci darem la mano' from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Op.2 / Nebolsin, Piano / Warsaw Philharmonic and Antoni Wit

Whilst making pizza


----------



## Sonata

Listening through my clarinet quintets today!

Mozart, Weber, and Brahms.


----------



## jim prideaux

not inclined to 'bang on' so forgive me if I appear a little pushy but recently had good fortune to encounter Vanska/Lahti interpretation-restores the 6th to the forefront of the Sibelius symphonies as far as I am concerned and I can heartily recommend! :tiphat:


----------



## jim prideaux

neoshredder said:


> Love that Symphony. Sibelius by far my favorite Romantic Composer.


not inclined to bang on so apologies if I appear a little pushy but recently encountered Vanska/Lahti interpretation and I can heartily recommend a recording which undoubtedly reveals the 'joy' at the heart of this often under appreciated work :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Keyboard Concerti, w. Schiff (rec.1979), Casadesus et al (rec.1962 - '67); *Haydn*: Symphonies 6 - 8, w. St. Luke's Chamber Ens.(rec.2000).

View attachment 20958
View attachment 20959
View attachment 20960


----------



## Kieran

Hot one today! Didn't listen to nuthin' bu' Bruce out the back, fist-pumps at the trees and hand signals to all the plants in the band. But back to reality again, gorgeous, fruitful reality, lip-smackin' Wolfie-time, and now the band isn't the E-street Band, but instead it's The London Philly, and sitting motionless on the stool, the antithesis of rawk grandeur, is Christoph Eschenbach, performing the Default Setting in opening movements:

*#21*...


----------



## julianoq

Thank you COAG for recommending Ashkenazy's Sibelius. It is always good to listen to another Sibelius cycle, and this seems to be a great one. Now listening to the 6th, but will probably listen to the whole cycle as usually happens when I try to listen only one Sibelius symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Respighi's* (1879 - 1936) birthday, Roman Trilogy w. OSM/Dutoit (rec.1982).

View attachment 20965


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Listening through my clarinet quintets today!
> 
> Mozart, Weber, and Brahms.


In between skydives?


----------



## schuberkovich

Kieran said:


> Hot one today! Didn't listen to nuthin' bu' Bruce out the back, fist-pumps at the trees and hand signals to all the plants in the band. But back to reality again, gorgeous, fruitful reality, lip-smackin' Wolfie-time, and now the band isn't the E-street Band, but instead it's The London Philly, and sitting motionless on the stool, the antithesis of rawk grandeur, is Christoph Eschenbach, performing the Default Setting in opening movements:
> 
> *#21*...


I listened to the whole of the Born to Run album yesterday. I used to be completely addicted to the atmosphere that the opening song, "Thunder Road" holds, and listening to it again I was transported to New Jersey in the evening, a faint breeze accompanying. I don't like much rock music, but Bruce is an exception.

Today I listened to in isolation the "Urlicht" movement from Mahler's resurrection symphony, sung by Dame Janet Baker with the VPO conducted by Bernstein. I was surprised to find faint tears in my eyes and chills down my arms, as the movement had made little impression on me the first time. It was just so beautiful, but there was something else as well, more difficult to describe.


----------



## DaveS

Needed some Elgar. The #1 A flat major with Barbirolli & the Philharmonia. Thank-you.


----------



## Ravndal

York Bowen - Flute Sonata op 120

Celia Redgate & Michael Dussek


----------



## Sid James

*Anton Reicha* Wind Quintet in E flat major, Op. 88/2
- Stuttgart Wind Instruments Quintet

*Bizet* Te Deum
- Sylvia Greenberg, sop., Gosta Winbergh, ten., Choirs & L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Jesus Lopez-Cobos

*Gershwin* 
Cuban Overture
- Richard Hayman and his Symphony Orchestra
Porgy and Bess - A Symphonic Picture (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)
- London SO under Andre Previn

*Janacek* The Czech Legion, The Wandering Madman, Three male-voice choruses (Parting, The Dove, The Jealous Man), True Love
- Moravian Teachers Choir under Lubomir Mati

*J. Strauss II* Emperor Waltz
- Austrian Radio SO under Hans Swarowsky


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Haydn, symphony no. 47 in G Major, Finale: Presto assai


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: "Les annees", "Harmonies", w. Ciccolini (rec.1961 - '82).

View attachment 20969
View attachment 20970


----------



## Vaneyes

schuberkovich said:


> I listened to the whole of the Born to Run album yesterday. I used to be completely addicted to the atmosphere that the opening song, "Thunder Road" holds, and listening to it again I was transported to New Jersey in the evening, a faint breeze accompanying. I don't like much rock music, but Bruce is an exception.
> 
> Today I listened to in isolation the "Urlicht" movement from Mahler's resurrection symphony, sung by Dame Janet Baker with the VPO conducted by Bernstein. I was surprised to find faint tears in my eyes and chills down my arms, as the movement had made little impression on me the first time. It was just so beautiful, but there was something else as well, more difficult to describe.


Well, it wasn't a stroke or heart attack, thank goodness.


----------



## korenbloem

Dmitri Shostakovich performed by Residentie Orkest under Evgeny Svetlanov - Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rodrigo's Fantasia para un gentilhombre - Charles Ramirez, guitar, Douglas Boyd, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 75
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_

More Haydn.


----------



## korenbloem

Johann Sebastian Bach performed by Dunedin Consort under John Butt - J.S. Bach: John Passion, Reconstruction of Bach's Passion Liturgy


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Flute Quartet in D Major, KV 285

Yoshima Oshima on flute with members of the Kocian Quartet: Pavel Hula, violin -- Zbynek Padourek, viola -- Vaclav Bernasek, cello

View attachment 20974


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Symphony No.7 - Charles Mackerras, cond.

they're clearly working through a new batch of Signum discs at the station (not that I mind)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2









This was the piece that got me into *Sibelius.* Before March this year, my opinion of the composer was along the lines of René Leibowitz's opinion: "the worst composer in the world." One day when I was feeling a little bit unhappy about something or other that was completely trivial I decided to put on some music I hated so I could vent my frustration on something more reasonable, so I went on YouTube and listened to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony. I already knew this particular symphony to a certain extent as I had seen the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform it the previous year, however, _this_ time when I listened to it I was completely drawn in to *Sibelius's* symphonic world and couldn't lose my focus or concentrate on anything other than this wonderful piece of music. I listened to it every day for a long while after that.


----------



## Andolink

Alexander Goehr: Marching to Carcassonne, Op. 75 (2002)
Peter Serkin, Piano
London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen






(This piece is so amazing! I never get tired of it)


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): String Trio in E Flat, Op.7, No.4

Ensemble Agora: Margarete Adorf, violin -- Antje Sabinski, viola -- Matthias Hofmann, cello

View attachment 20978


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Violin Sonata in A Major. Op. Post.162, D.574

Jeannie Wells Yablonsky, violin -- Robert Markham, piano

View attachment 20979


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Liszt's Ballade No.2 - Jeffrey Grice, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 1, Finlandia
Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis









I bought this years ago for a dollar, didn't like *Sibelius* at the time, but it was a good price for something I might get into eventually. Luckily I did get into his music this year and I enjoy this record very much! Colin Davis is a good *Sibelius* interpreter, I really like this version of the first symphony. As for _Finlandia,_ Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia Orchestra is the best I've heard.

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 3
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paavo Berglund









This symphony, as well as the first, took me longer to really get into. My favourite movement is the second movement, one of the most beautiful things *Sibelius* ever wrote, but my favourite part of the whole symphony is halfway through the third movement where the 6/8 scherzo turns into the 4/4 finale. I'm ever so glad that *Sibelius* did this as it foreshadows his "two movements in one" idea he did again in the fifth symphony.


----------



## Weston

Andolink said:


> Alexander Goehr: Marching to Carcassonne, Op. 75 (2002)
> Peter Serkin, Piano
> London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen
> View attachment 20977
> (This piece is so amazing! I never get tired of it)


Another unfamiliar composer to add to my want list. I am sampling / streaming this now. Really nice!


----------



## GreenMamba

Antheil Symphony no. 6, Kuchar/NSO of Ukraine


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Boccherini.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Helios Overture - Erik Tuxen, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 2
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choir, Rosamund Illing (sop) and Elizabeth Campbell (mezzo) conducted by Staurt Challender.









Skipping the Mozart Jupiter Symphony on these discs and going for the Mahler. This time with the score and I think I wil finally "get" this symphony like I've always wanted to.

Update: give me two more goes at listening to this symphony and I promise I will get it!!!


----------



## chrisco97

*Schubert* - Impromptus, Op. 90, No. 3 in G-flat Major
_Lili Kraus_

This is both haunting and beautiful. Loving it.

--
Afterwards, I shall be listening to *Schubert's* String Quintet in C Major, performed by _Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, Paul Neubauer, Leslie Parnas and Fred Sherry_.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Two cups of coffee didn't work. So I'm listening to Leif's Hekla up very loud to get myself going.
This is one of those pieces I would probably never ever have heard if it wasn't for you lovely people on this site posting your recommendations etc. So a HUGE thanks to Nerrefid if he's reading. I've listened to this about 10 times this week. 
I particularly love the electronic whooshing sounds at about 6.30






PS: If it doesn't make your ears bleed you ain't got the volume turned up enough.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - String Quartet No. 14 (Op. 131)
_Yale String Quartet_

Some of the best music ever written...but you don't need me to tell you that.


----------



## chrisco97

Now listening to *Beethoven's* 16th String Quartet (Op. 135), also performed by _The Yale String Quartet_.


----------



## chrisco97

I really enjoy this quartet. Full of awesome melodies and is one of the easier to listen to of the late quartets. I hardly hear anyone speak of it though. :/

After the 16th, I shall listen to the 13th String Quartet, performed by (you guessed it) _The Yale String Quartet_. I am not sure if I will include the _Grosse Fugue_ or not, since I should be heading off to bed soon... :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Boulez's "...Explosante-Fixe..." - Ensemble InterContemporain


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 2
Utah Symphony Orchestra, University of Utah Civic Chorale, Beverly Sills (sop) and Florence Kopleff conducted by Maurice Abravanel






Curious to see what Abravanel and the guys can do here. I've nearly _got_ this work!  If anyone's interested, Abravanel's Mahler symphonies is available for US$2.99 as the "Big Mahler Box" on amazon. The clarity on this recording is really amazing!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Another listen to this mighty Cello Concerto by Gerald Finzi.
One of those pieces that make you smile whilst listening to it.


----------



## Kieran

Mahler, _Das Lied von der Erde,_ conducted by Bruno Walter, with Kathleen Ferrier and Julius Patzak on vocals and the Vienna Philly in the pit...


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Jiranek (1698-1778): Bassoon Concerto in G Minor

Jana Semeradova conducting the Collegium Marianum -- Sergio Azzolini, bassoon

View attachment 20993


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Frantisek Jiranek (1698-1778): Bassoon Concerto in G Minor
> 
> Jana Semeradova conducting the Collegium Marianum -- Sergio Azzolini, bassoon
> 
> View attachment 20993


You're up early, Bejart! Still, there's never an unsuitable hour for great music!

My current listening is inspired by the Liszt transcription thread:

Liszt: Berlioz: Épisode de la Vie d'un Artiste, "Symphonie Fantastique", Op. 14, S 470 -- Leslie Howard

Liszt: Tarantella, "di Bravura" D"Après La Tarantelle De La, "Muette De Portici" D"Auber, S 386I -- Leslie Howard

Liszt: La Serenata E L'Orgia, "Première Grande Fantaisie", S 422 -- Leslie Howard


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' Central Park In The Dark - Leonard Bernstein, cond.

edit: now Dag Wiren's Serenade For Strings - Johannes Somary, cond.


----------



## bejart

Novelette says --
" You're up early, Bejart!..."

Perhaps a little earlier than usual. I'm catching a flight to New York City this AM.

Now, in celebration of his birthday --
Sigismund Neukomm (10 July 1778-1858): String Quintet 'L'amante abandonnee"

Ensemble Les Adieux: Mary Utiger and Ursala Bundies, violins -- Bettina Ihrig and Hajo Bass, viola -- Nicholas Selo, cello

View attachment 21000


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Novelette says --
> " You're up early, Bejart!..."
> 
> Perhaps a little earlier than usual since I'm catching a flight to New York City this AM.


Safe travels, Bejart!

My excuse for being up so early is just good, old-fashioned insomnia.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks - Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

edit: now Durufle's Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain - Friedhelm Flamme, organ


----------



## EricABQ

Ligeti's etudes played by Fredrik Ullen.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mahler: Symphony no. 2
> Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choir, Rosamund Illing (sop) and Elizabeth Campbell (mezzo) conducted by Staurt Challender.
> 
> View attachment 20985
> 
> 
> Skipping the Mozart Jupiter Symphony on these discs and going for the Mahler. This time with the score and I think I wil finally "get" this symphony like I've always wanted to.
> 
> Update: give me two more goes at listening to this symphony and I promise I will get it!!!


This again AND I FINALLY GET IT!!!!!!!!

Also listening to Ivry Gitlis and Tasso Janopoulo playing Birthday Boy Wieniawski's Capriccio-Vals op. 7 before resuming the Mahler again....


----------



## jim prideaux

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 20989
> 
> 
> Another listen to this mighty Cello Concerto by Gerald Finzi.
> One of those pieces that make you smile whilst listening to it.


so glad you are enjoying a work that really needs further recognition


----------



## jim prideaux

had ignored Schumanns four symphonies for so long-appeared to be received wisdom that they were of little real consequence and that the orchestration was overly 'heavy'-however recently had delivery of Zinman/Tonhalle recordings and it is increasingly revelatory-beginning to make sense of the symphonies as my misbegotten image of Schumann slowly shifts-I really enjoy this process!


----------



## julianoq

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2
> 
> View attachment 20976
> 
> 
> This was the piece that got me into *Sibelius.* Before March this year, my opinion of the composer was along the lines of René Leibowitz's opinion: "the worst composer in the world." One day when I was feeling a little bit unhappy about something or other that was completely trivial I decided to put on some music I hated so I could vent my frustration on something more reasonable, so I went on YouTube and listened to *Sibelius's* 2nd symphony. I already knew this particular symphony to a certain extent as I had seen the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform it the previous year, however, _this_ time when I listened to it I was completely drawn in to *Sibelius's* symphonic world and couldn't lose my focus or concentrate on anything other than this wonderful piece of music. I listened to it every day for a long while after that.


That's great, it was also the 2nd symphony that hooked me into Sibelius. The transition of the 3rd to the 4th movement is glorious. I also listened to it everyday for some time, but luckily I stopped before get tired of it


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Sibelius Symphony No. 4, with Lorin Mazeel conducting the VPO.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 64, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2009); Piano Sonatas, w. Schiff (rec.1997).

View attachment 21012
View attachment 21013
View attachment 21014


----------



## Andolink

Luca Marenzio: Madrigali a 5 voci (Settimo Libro, 1595)
Ensemble Clément Janequin








John Jenkins: Lyra Consort in G major
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman


----------



## worov

Currently listening to Satie :


----------



## julianoq

Ravel Piano Trio, performed by Trio Dali. Never listened to anything by Trio Dali before, really enjoying the performance. Will listen to the Violin & Piano and Violin & Cello Sonatas next.


----------



## Selby

On the radio; Portland All Classical:

Mother Goose Suite

Ravel, Maurice


Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Paavo Jarvi


----------



## chrisco97

I didn't think I liked the 13th String Quartet as much as I did. That is great to know. 

--
*Beethoven* - Eroica Variations
_Denis Matthews_


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21028


Haydn: Symphony No. 82 "The Bear" - Antal Dorati


----------



## Bix

Mahler Symphony no 4 / Bernstein / VPO


----------



## Bix

Bix said:


> Mahler Symphony no 4 / Bernstein / VPO


Leonard is muttering to himself


----------



## Skilmarilion

I just finished listening to/watching (had recorded it on TV) Gergiev's complete Tchaikovsky cycle with the Mariinsky Theatre orchestra.

*Tchaikovsky* - Symphony Nos. 5 & 6

Both were taken at a relatively slower tempo in places, but were carefully and expertly crafted. The 6th was devastating in its raw emotion and power - Gergiev had tears in his eyes at the end. Increduble stuff.


----------



## Bix

Skilmarilion said:


> I just finised listening to/watching (had recorded it on TV) Gergiev's complete Tchaikovsky cycle with the Mariinsky Theatre orchestra.
> 
> *Tchaikovsky* - Symphony Nos. 5 & 6
> 
> Both were taken at a relatively slower tempo, but were carefully and expertly crafted. The 6th was devastating in its raw emotion and power - Gergiev had tears in his eyes at the end. Increduble stuff.


He's not the only one


----------



## realdealblues

Bix said:


> Mahler Symphony no 4 / Bernstein / VPO


I just can't listen to that version anymore. I like that Lenny took chances on a lot of things, but the boy singing in the final movement ruins it for me.


----------



## Bix

realdealblues said:


> I just can't listen to that version anymore. I like that Lenny took chances on a lot of things, but the boy singing in the final movement ruins it for me.


Oh my, I haven't got there yet and voice is my main instrument.... Lets hear how it goes


----------



## Guest

Enjoying this guy quite a bit.


----------



## realdealblues

Bix said:


> Oh my, I haven't got there yet and voice is my main instrument.... Lets hear how it goes


It's not that the boy can't "sing", it's more the fact that it's a boy. The voice is supposed to be a soprano singing "child like" and casting a child just doesn't do it for me. I think Laura Claycomb in Michael Tilson Thomas's recording does one of the best versions. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## julianoq

Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, with Petrenko and the RLPO. I am anxious to attend a performance of this symphony later this month, it is one my favorite music!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Eliahu Inbal, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt


----------



## julianoq

realdealblues said:


> It's not that the boy can't "sing", it's more the fact that it's a boy. The voice is supposed to be a soprano singing "child like" and casting a child just doesn't do it for me. I think Laura Claycomb in Michael Tilson Thomas's recording does one of the best versions. Just my 2 cents.


I agree. I also recommend the Fischer performance with Miah Persson singing.


----------



## Bix

realdealblues said:


> It's not that the boy can't "sing", it's more the fact that it's a boy. The voice is supposed to be a soprano singing "child like" and casting a child just doesn't do it for me. I think Laura Claycomb in Michael Tilson Thomas's recording does one of the best versions. Just my 2 cents.


It was Edith Mathis singing and it was beautiful  the symphony itself was one of my Mahler favourites sofar, the harp and bass strings in the last movement really did something for me.


----------



## Bix

Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen / DFD / Furtwängler 1952


----------



## realdealblues

Bix said:


> It was Edith Mathis singing and it was beautiful  the symphony itself was one of my Mahler favourites sofar, the harp and bass strings in the last movement really did something for me.


Ah, my mistake. I forgot there were 3 versions of the 4th with Bernstein. Edith Mathis was in the Video for the 4th. That's right the DG version on CD is with the Concertebouworkest Amsterdam. That's the one you want to avoid.


----------



## Bix

Bix said:


> Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen / DFD / Furtwängler 1952


These are beautiful.

Now onto Jupiter, I be on a roll (a cheese one).


----------



## julianoq

Just found this and decided that Dmitri Shostakovich Jr playing Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 conducted by Maxim Shostakovich is something that _must_ be listened. Lets see how it goes!


----------



## Mika

Lili Boulanger (21 August 1893 - 15 March 1918) - so short life. This piece is amazing.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Haydn, Sonata No. 31 in A flat Major, II. Adagio


----------



## korenbloem

Wolfgang Rihm - Works for Organ - Dominik Susteck


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Gershwin and Friends*
All-Gershwin concert
- Sarah Vaughan, vocals with jazz trio, Los Angeles PO, Michael Tilson-Thomas, conductor & piano

*J. Strauss II* Annen Polka, Artist's Life, Million Waltz
- Austrian Radio SO under Hans Swarowsky

*Bernstein* On The Waterfront - Symphonic Suite from the Film
- Bournemouth SO under Marin Alsop

*Janacek* Four Folk male-voice choruses (Ploughing; Our Birch Tree; The Garland; The Quilt)
- Moravian Teachers Choir under Lubomir Mati

*Franz Danzi* Wind Quintet in B flat major, Op. 56/1
- Stuttgart Wind Instrument Quintet


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 82, "The Bear"
_Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra & Adam Fischer_

I do not own this symphony, nor have I heard it before. So, I am listening to it on YouTube. I hear it is one of Haydn's more humorous symphonies, so I am really looking forward to hearing it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Morton Feldman, Piano and Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

CPE Bach String Symphonies - Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## NightHawk

The great Bb Op 130 - in my opinion it is one of his two finest quartets, the other being the 14th quartet in C# minor Op. 131. Beethoven wrote that his personal favorite of all his quartets was the Op. 131 in C#. I've never tired of listening to either of these works and have multiple recordings of each.



chrisco97 said:


> I didn't think I liked the 13th String Quartet as much as I did. That is great to know.
> 
> --
> *Beethoven* - Eroica Variations
> _Denis Matthews_


----------



## EricABQ

Liszt's etudes S136 played by William Wolfram.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Martinu*: Double Concerto; Concerto for String Quartet & Orchestra; Sinfonia Concertante; w. Endellion SQ, London Sinfonia/Hickox (rec.1989); Piano Trios, w. Arbor Piano Trio (rec. 2010).

View attachment 21043
View attachment 21044


----------



## MagneticGhost

Haydn Cello Concertos - Du Pre and Barenboim


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 80


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
Philadelphia Orchestra, cond. Ormandy


----------



## Weston

After a Shostakovich string quartet (I don't know which and don't care to look it up) made me feel depressed to the point of giving up everything I'm working for, I abandoned it for this fun Florent Schmitt Symphony No. 2, Op. 137, Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic, that guy who wrote 800+ symphonies conducting. Much better for a working night!









It might be a late night. I MUST get finished. I want out from under this drudgery. More to come.


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky: Petrouchka/ Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7/ Webern: Variationen, op. 27/ Boulez: Sonata No. 2


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata in G major, D.894


----------



## SimonNZ

Boulez's Sur Incises - Ensemble InterContemporain


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphonies 7, 5 and 1
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo






Seriously good *Sibelius.* I never see Oramo get much praise as he should as a *Sibelius* conductor, why is this so? I haven't heard his set of symphonies with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra but judging from this concert on YouTube it must be outstanding! Why does no one ever mention him when talking about *Sibelius?*


----------



## Weston

Lots of fun pieces tonight, but probably the most fun is Stravinsky's Jeu de Cartes, a ballet in three deals. James Conlon / Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra









Though I confess to hearing a little distracting noise in this recording, the performance is full of life and clarity. This does lapse at times into what I growing up would have thought of as silly Doris Day movie music, as an adult and in the context of its time, I find it brilliant and devilish.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - String Quartet No. 12
_Yale String Quartet_

Listening to another Beethoven String Quartet. 

--
*Beethoven* - String Quartet No. 4
_Emperor String Quartet_

Will be listening to this next.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Symphony No.2 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Trio No. 7, "Archduke"
_Jeno Jando, Tasako Nishizaki, and Csaba Onczay_

Listening to the performance off of the *Chamber Music - 50 of the Best* album from Naxos I bought a few days ago. Happy to have another Beethoven performance featuring one of my favourite Beethoven interpreters (Jeno Jando) in my collection.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903 -- Lucy Carolan

Schubert: Symphony #6 in C, D 589, "Little" -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Dandrieu: Pièces de Clavecin, Premier Livre -- Iakovos Pappas

Porpora: Cello Concerto in G -- Gaetano Nasillo; Chiara Banchini: l'Ensemble 415

Beethoven: Bundeslied, Op. 122 -- Michael Tilson Thomas: London Symphony Orchestra

Paisiello: Piano Concerto #4 in G Minor -- Pietro Spada: Chamber Orchestra of Santa Cecilia

Schumann: Gedichte Der Königin Maria Stuart, Op. 135 -- Graham Johnson: Oliver Widmer


----------



## Rapide




----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ligeti: Clear or Cloudy (Disc 1)









On this disc: sonata for solo cello, bagatelles for wind quintet, pieces for wind quintet, string quartets. 
Mum wanted to listen to it and I had to too. Terrific music that I was a _huge_ fan of last year. The string quartet no. 1 is still probably my favourite string quartet of all time, but the best thing on this disc would have to be all the works for wind quintet! Ligeti has written better stuff for this ensemble than any other composer!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Piano Trio No. 7, "Archduke"
> _Jeno Jando, Tasako Nishizaki, and Csaba Onczay_
> 
> Listening to the performance off of the *Chamber Music - 50 of the Best* album from Naxos I bought a few days ago. Happy to have another Beethoven performance featuring one of my favourite Beethoven interpreters (Jeno Jando) in my collection.


I also have an album with him as interpreter, the Beethoven sonatas 11 and 29, 'Hammerklavier'. I also found Jeno Jando to be very good! I have two Haydn albums from him, the late sonatas (59-62) and Vol. 6 - both very enjoyable.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Novelette said:


> Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903 -- Lucy Carolan
> 
> Schubert: Symphony #6 in C, D 589, "Little" -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> 
> Dandrieu: Pièces de Clavecin, Premier Livre -- Iakovos Pappas
> 
> Porpora: Cello Concerto in G -- Gaetano Nasillo; Chiara Banchini: l'Ensemble 415
> 
> Beethoven: Bundeslied, Op. 122 -- Michael Tilson Thomas: London Symphony Orchestra
> 
> Paisiello: Piano Concerto #4 in G Minor -- Pietro Spada: Chamber Orchestra of Santa Cecilia
> 
> Schumann: Gedichte Der Königin Maria Stuart, Op. 135 -- Graham Johnson: Oliver Widmer


nice choices .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

chrisco97 said:


> *Haydn* - Symphony No. 82, "The Bear"
> _Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra & Adam Fischer_
> 
> I do not own this symphony, nor have I heard it before. So, I am listening to it on YouTube. I hear it is one of Haydn's more humorous symphonies, so I am really looking forward to hearing it.


A great finale in that one.


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ligeti: Clear or Cloudy (Disc 1)
> 
> View attachment 21054
> 
> 
> On this disc: sonata for solo cello, bagatelles for wind quintet, pieces for wind quintet, string quartets.
> Mum wanted to listen to it and I had to too. Terrific music that I was a _huge_ fan of last year. The string quartet no. 1 is still probably my favourite string quartet of all time, but the best thing on this disc would have to be all the works for wind quintet! Ligeti has written better stuff for this ensemble than any other composer!


lol, why?. (filler)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Haydn, piano trio #27 in C Major.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner's Apocalyptic
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink









I don't know this symphony as well as the others so I'm giving it another shot now. I really love Haitink's rendition of Bruckner's 3rd with the VPO so this should be excellent! I can hear in the music that Bruckner's orchestration is influenced by the organ (the instrument that he played) by the extraordinary and consistent writing for wind and brass. His music it seems takes a focus off the string section for a lot of the time. The blending of tone colours in his orchestra produce a very full and even organ-like sound which is something I like about his music. He may not have been as highly regarded for his orchestration as Mahler was, but the way he does write for orchestra is certainly very effective and also some of the smallest things he might do (a few notes on the horns here, a melody passed to the flute here) sound very exciting.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> lol, why?. (filler)


She loves Ligeti's music. It's awesome music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Interestingly one of the few times I can remember my dear mother complaining about an album, from all of the musical extremes I subjected her to in my late teens, was Ligeti et al on one of Abbado's "Wien Modern" albums.









playing now:

Bartok's Bagatelles Op.6 - Zoltan Kocsis, piano


----------



## aleazk

Alban Berg:
-Piano Sonata, Op.1
-Three Orchestral Pieces


----------



## SimonNZ

Unsuk Chin's Xi - Ensemble InterContemporain


----------



## ptr

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Sibelius:* Symphonies 7, 5 and 1
> Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo
> Why does no one ever mention him when talking about *Sibelius?*


He is much more low key than then his vastly overrated compatriots Salonen and Vänskä. 
Need I say I consider him the better conductor of the three, Stockholm is a fortunate City having Daniel Harding with the Radio SympOrch and Oramo with the Royal Phil!

/ptr


----------



## aleazk

Olivier Messiaen - Un Sourire. (



)

I love those neurotic interruptions in the middle of the dream-like mood of the piece.


----------



## SimonNZ

"IRCAM: Un Portrait" - avec la participation de l'Ensemble interContemporain

side one: Sonic examples
side two: Excerpts from works


----------



## Kieran

Old crackly Schnabel wolfing down Schubert's last few phrases on piano, in the 30's...


----------



## aleazk

Georg Friedrich Haas - Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich.. (



)

I think _spectralism_ will be my new obsession.


----------



## SimonNZ

aleazk said:


> Georg Friedrich Haas - Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich.. (
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 
> I think _spectralism_ will be my new obsession.


Listening along to this piece. Exactly the sort of thing I've been fascinated by recently.

Kudos to TheWelleszTheatre, once again, for making them available.


----------



## Guest

Today:









Mozart, Piano Trios
K254, K496, K502, K542, K548, K564
Mozartean Players


----------



## Kieran

Sunshine music, before I go out back and blowtorch some stubborn weeds. Got a bigger gas cylinder, should get 'em all.

*Cosi* *fan* *tutte* by WAM, conducted by Bohm...


----------



## Skilmarilion

Currently going through a Woflgang wind set! Royal Philarmonic, Nicholas Cleobury and soloists below ...

*Mozart*

Flute concerto No. 1 (Andrew Nicholson)
Oboe concerto (John Anderson)
Bassoon Concerto (Daniel Jemison)


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligeti's Aventures - Ensemble interContemporain

I'm becoming a total fanboy of EiC. I wanna join their fanclub and buy some merch


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's For Philip Guston - California EAR Unit

probably only about half an hour's worth - but at some point in the near future I intend to let all four and a half hours run


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21068

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 - Klemperer


----------



## apricissimus

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21067
> 
> 
> Morton Feldman's For Philip Guston - California EAR Unit
> 
> probably only about half an hour's worth - but at some point in the near future I intend to let all four and a half hours run


I consider myself fairly open-minded, but these super-long Morton Feldman pieces are like a utter brick wall to me.


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *Five concertos for lira organizatta _Hugo Ruf playing the device with a German band comprising string sextet and a couple of horns.
_

These have been my main listening for the last couple of days. It is good that the instrument has been revived. Hurdy-gurdy concertos are charming!


----------



## Wood

*Dvorak *Wind serenade _English Chamber Orchestra

_


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just as great as I was expecting. I continue to be bewildered by the lack of appreciation of Holst (beyond the Planets - as glorious as it is). There is so much to enjoy. Such depth and beauty in so much of his choral writing. Such inventiveness. It's time for a Holst revival.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 33 No. 3, Adagio, ma non troppo


----------



## Kieran

Schnabel again, creaking floorboards and cobwebs and all: Schubert again, his final sonata.

This is a work, and a recording, of regality...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 2
Helsinki Philharmonic conducted by Paavo Berglund









Simply one of my favourite symphonies of all time. Earlier this year I used to listen to it every day for a long while, and then after that I still listened to it regularly and it still hasn't lost it's magic, I have never stopped loving this symphony. Some people after listening to a work repeatedly may grow tired of it, to them the work might lose its charm, but I say that they don't truly love it if they aren't able to devote their lives to the one piece of music.


----------



## Blancrocher

You've inspired me, ComposerOfAvantGarde. Sibelius conducting his own Andante Festivo.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Spending the afternoon with *JS* ...

Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056 
Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1060
Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in A Minor, BWV 1065

--The English Concert, T. Pinnock


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C minor
Denis Matthews

Those big Amazon Mp3 sets help to fill in gaps in my repertoire collection...

Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden
BBC Choir, cond. Boulez

Couldn't think of anything by Schoenberg in C minor. This is in D minor/major, though.


----------



## jim prideaux

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 21069
> 
> 
> Just as great as I was expecting. I continue to be bewildered by the lack of appreciation of Holst (beyond the Planets - as glorious as it is). There is so much to enjoy. Such depth and beauty in so much of his choral writing. Such inventiveness. It's time for a Holst revival.


can only offer my support of your observation regarding the underappreciated works of Holst


----------



## Selby

Messiaen, Olivier - Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus [Steven Osborne]


----------



## Bix

Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 / Haitink / Royal Concertgebouw


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to some of the great Trumpet Concertos.  Starting with Hummel which is my favorite.


----------



## Mika

Borrowed this from local library. Not bad.


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to some of the great Trumpet Concertos.  Starting with Hummel which is my favorite.


Hummel's trumpet concerto is my favorite as well! Followed closely by Haydn's. Enjoy!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Clementi*: Piano Sonatas, w. Horowitz (rec.1963 - '72); *LvB*: Piano Sonatas 8, 14, 23, w. GG (rec.1966/7); *Berg/Webern/Schoenberg*: Orchestral Music, w. LSO/Dorati et al (rec.1961/2).

View attachment 21078
View attachment 21079
View attachment 21081


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini, Op. 23 -- John Nelson: Orchestre National de France

I'm an undecided whether I enjoy this opera more than Les Troyens. Berlioz's operas are among my absolute favorites. At any rate, the recording is stunning, the performers are breathtaking, etc. Highly recommended recording if anyone is inclined to obtain this opera.


----------



## jim prideaux

Moeran-Symphony in g minor/sinfonietta,David Lloyd Jones conducting Bournemouth Symphony Orch

light summer evening,something essentially British,reminder of a time just ever so slightly out of reach now


----------



## Bix

Clara Schumann Piano Concerto


----------



## MagneticGhost

Thought it was time to get on the ol' Goldberg Train.

Bach - Goldberg Variations - Glen Gould 1981. No idea if this is a respected recording or not but it sounds fine. The only other time I heard this piece was live in concert on a harpsichord. I regret to say I struggled to stay awake. Can someone give me a shout on the most respected recordings of this piece. Thanks.


----------



## PetrB

for organ... Jan Welmers:
Laudate Dominum




Litanie (Starts @ 0'33'')


----------



## PetrB

jim prideaux said:


> can only offer my support of your observation regarding the underappreciated works of Holst


The choral writing is the best of Holst, which he rightly assessed and well knew, framing that much more his irritation with _The Planets_ becoming so popular it shadowed out any attention to his best works.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Duo Concertant, Serenade in A, Concerto for Two Pianos, Piano-Rag-Music, Sonata for Two Pianos, Piano Sonata

Igor Stravinsky plays on the first four works, together with Joseph Szigeti on the Duo and his son Soulima on the Concerto. Arthur Gold and Robert Fitzdale tackle the 2-piano Sonata, while Charles Rosen handles the Sonata for a single piano.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Beethoven, Apassionata, Andante con moto (Ashkenazy).


----------



## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Duo Concertant, Serenade in A, Concerto for Two Pianos, Piano-Rag-Music, Sonata for Two Pianos, Piano Sonata
> 
> Igor Stravinsky plays on the first four works, together with Joseph Szigeti on the Duo and his son Soulima on the Concerto. Arthur Gold and Robert Fitzdale tackle the 2-piano Sonata, while Charles Rosen handles the Sonata for a single piano.
> 
> View attachment 21083


Love this set, Stravinksy on Stravinksy (so to speak)


----------



## Mahlerian

Bix said:


> Love this set, Stravinksy on Stravinksy (so to speak)


It has some weaker recordings in it, but it's a strong set overall, and there are gems throughout. The disc I just listened to has a great Duo Concertant, for example.


----------



## Sid James

*Elena Kats-Chernin* Piano Concerto #2
- Ian Munro on the ivories with Tasmanian SO under Ola Rudner

*Janacek* Four male-voice choruses; Four Moravian male-voice choruses
- Moravian Teachers Choir under Lubomir Mati

*Fanny Henselt* (Mendelssohn's sister) Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 11
- The Abegg Trio: Ulrich Beetz, vln., Birgit Erichson, cello, Gerrit Zitterbart, piano
*
Johann Georg Lickl* Quintetto Concertante in F major
- Stuttgart Wind Instruments Quintet


----------



## Ondine

Having coffee with Dvorak; a delicious intimate chat:

String Quartets Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6 & 7.

Prager Streichquartett.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Concerto for 4 guitars, "L'estro armonico", Op. 3, No. 10










Listening while trying to decide what to really listen to.


----------



## SimonNZ

MagneticGhost said:


> Thought it was time to get on the ol' Goldberg Train.
> 
> Bach - Goldberg Variations - Glen Gould 1981. No idea if this is a respected recording or not but it sounds fine. The only other time I heard this piece was live in concert on a harpsichord. I regret to say I struggled to stay awake. Can someone give me a shout on the most respected recordings of this piece. Thanks.


There are now a great many first-rank, top-shelf recordings of the Goldbergs to be recommended. It might be easier to hear what your preferences are for solo keyboard albums, in terms of type of instrument, era of recording, and style of performance, and try to match one to those. Or if you've got a shortlist you were considering I (or we) could weigh in on those.

The one I've given most often as a present to friends who were starting out with this music is Keith Jarrett's, which besides being a flawless performance is one of the gentlest and least shrill of all the harpsichord options. Its always well recieved by the recipients.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 3* and other pieces.


----------



## GreenMamba

Brahms Piano Quintet, Andsnes & Artemis Qt.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Weston

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ligeti: Clear or Cloudy (Disc 1)
> 
> View attachment 21054
> 
> 
> . . .
> Mum wanted to listen to it and I had to too.


What a lucky fellow you are! Cherish her. My mother liked Engelbert Humperdinck -- and I'm not referring to the opera composer.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Telemann: Wind Concertos (vol. 7)









Currently listening to an oboe concerto TWV51:c2. I love Telemann but I've never owned any of his music. Luckily I found some at the library the other day (which I borrowed and ripped to the computer ). I should try and find the other CDs in this collection because this is awesome! I haven't been listening to much Baroque music recently, I should listen to some more.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Mass in C minor
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Oboe Concertos - Helmut Muller-Bruhl, cond.


----------



## PetrB

George Rochberg ~ Symphony No. 5, (as antidote to having checked out some of the symphonies of Robert Simpson)


----------



## Weston

This did arrive in the mail yesterday. A lot to explore here. The Ligeti Project, Disc 2, Lontano, Atmospheres, Apparitions, etc.









The thing that amazes me about these works, I had partially memorized Lontano, and totally memorized Atmospheres from Stanley Kubrick soundtracks long ago. Even though there is no melody or rhythm to speak of, I would still recognize these works and still know every note and texture that is coming, even with these different performances. I don't know why that should surprise me, but it does. I suppose that verifies there is something to these non-melodic modern pieces after all. They're not just random notes.

I believe "Atmospheres" if far clearer with a wider frequency response on this recording than on the old 2001: a space odyssey soundtrack album. Hitherto unknown details come out. It's mind blowing.

I had listened to Disc 1 last night but got bogged down in the piano concerto. It was getting late. I'll give it another try this weekend.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Weston said:


> This did arrive in the mail yesterday. A lot to explore here. The Ligeti Project, Disc 2, Lontano, Atmospheres, Apparitions, etc.
> 
> View attachment 21093
> 
> 
> The thing that amazes me about these works, I had partially memorized Lontano, and totally memorized Atmospheres from Stanley Kubrick soundtracks long ago. Even though there is no melody or rhythm to speak of, I would still recognize these works and still know every note and texture that is coming, even with these different performances. I don't know why that should surprise me, but it does. I suppose that verifies there is something to these non-melodic modern pieces after all. They're not just random notes.
> 
> I believe "Atmospheres" if far clearer with a wider frequency response on this recording than on the old 2001: a space odyssey soundtrack album. Hitherto unknown details come out. It's mind blowing.


This box set is an essential acquisition for anyone interested in 20th Century. A collection should definitely not be without it. Mesmerizing performances and all of the performances are composer-approved.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphony No. 2_. That _Larghetto_ movement gets me every time. Such sadness found throughout this symphony. In my estimate, this is one of the greatest late-Romantic symphonies ever composed.


----------



## Weston

For a split second I wondered who Sir Andrew Davis Elgar was. It's getting late again. So much to explore so little time.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No 60, "II Distratto"
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_

Really enjoying the _Haydn Symphonies_ set I just got.


----------



## SimonNZ

chrisco97 said:


> *Haydn* - Symphony No 60, "II Distratto"
> _Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_
> 
> Really enjoying the _Haydn Symphonies_ set I just got.


I've said it here before, but I love the stop-retune-start again thing in the last movement of this. I'd be interested to know with what level of theatricallity Blum does it.


----------



## drpraetorus

Durufle, Requiem


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

cool, which set did you get? (Edit: nevermind, you already answered the question  )


----------



## Feathers

Janacek - String Quartet No. 2 (Janacek Quartet)

I'm going to be honest. I really didn't like this piece the first time I heard it. I tried again some time after, and I still felt the same. This time, however, I'm enjoying it much more than I expected myself to. I guess some things just take time to warm up to.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J.S. Bach, violin concerto in A minor, Andante.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Telemann: Double and Triple Concertos
The Academy of Ancient Music conducted by Christopher Hogwood.









These Telemann discs I suppose I would have to listen to more and more to become familiar with the works. Some of the pieces I have definitely heard played on the radio in the past but I've never been able to put a name to them. I love all the works on this disc and the other one which I also borrowed from the library.


----------



## chrisco97

SimonNZ said:


> I've said it here before, but I love the stop-retune-start again thing in the last movement of this. I'd be interested to know with what level of theatricallity Blum does it.


Sorry I did not reply until now. I have never heard this symphony before this listen, so I could not tell you how he does it compared to others. I can tell you, however, I really enjoyed the symphony.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, "The Gadfly" excerpts


----------



## nicbic

Ravel. Miroirs played by Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## SimonNZ

Harrison Birtwistle's AGM - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez

edit: followed by Luigi Dallapiccola's Canti di Prigiona - New London Chamber Choir, Ensemble interContemporain









edit: followed by Alberto Posadas' Oscuro abismo de llanto y de ternura - Ensemble interContemporain


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.









While in Baroque Concerto mood there is no way I can't listen to this. These concertos are one of the first pieces of music I ever score read and the first pieces I truly understood the technical side of. I acquired this recording in January this year and it is my favourite of all the versions I've heard. I love the horns in the first concerto! All other versions I've heard of the first concerto seem rather dull but this interpretation is full of life and contrast. Also a spectacular version of the 6th!

Since I'm in Baroque Concerto mood, I think after this I might look around on YouTube for some more....probably Telemann again. Telemann is now one my second favourite Baroque composer after JSB.


----------



## MagneticGhost

SimonNZ said:


> There are now a great many first-rank, top-shelf recordings of the Goldbergs to be recommended. It might be easier to hear what your preferences are for solo keyboard albums, in terms of type of instrument, era of recording, and style of performance, and try to match one to those. Or if you've got a shortlist you were considering I (or we) could weigh in on those.
> 
> The one I've given most often as a present to friends who were starting out with this music is Keith Jarrett's, which besides being a flawless performance is one of the gentlest and least shrill of all the harpsichord options. Its always well recieved by the recipients.
> 
> View attachment 21085


I don't really have any preferences as such and when I do it normally depends on the pieces being performed anyway. For instance I love Brendel doing Schubert, Rubinstein doing Chopin. I love the Norrington/Tan Beethoven Piano Concertos on the fortepiano. I also really enjoy a CD I have of Scarlatti sonatas played on harpsichord by Virgina Black.

I suppose I veer towards historical accuracy and I wouldn't neccesarily want my Bach played in a late romantic style. But if the performance convinces, it doesn't really matter.

Thank you for the recommendation which I've put on my wishlist - unfortunately it's not on Spotify so it'll have to wait till later in the year.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat Major
Wilhelm Kempff 
Ferdinand Leitner 
Berlin Philharmonic

An old recording from the 60s that I chanced upon today. A splendid performance. :}


----------



## SimonNZ

MagneticGhost said:


> Thank you for the recommendation which I've put on my wishlist - unfortunately it's not on Spotify so it'll have to wait till later in the year.


I'm not sure whats on Spotify but a few more favorites of mine are Trevor Pinnock on harpsichord and Angela Hewitt and Andras Schiff (his second, on ECM) on piano. All masterly but un-flamboyant, even self-efacing: music first, performer second.


----------



## chrisco97

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Since I'm in Baroque Concerto mood, I think after this I might look around on YouTube for some more....probably Telemann again. Telemann is now one my second favourite Baroque composer after JSB.


You have inspired me to listen to some Telemann.

*Telemann* - Concerto in B-flat for 2 flutes, 2 oboes and strings, TWV 54:B2
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_


----------



## chrisco97

Some more Telemann:

*Telemann* - Telemann: Concerto in D for 3 trumpets, 2 oboes, timpani and strings, TWV 54: D2
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_

I actually really like Telemann...I think his music along with Vivaldi's would make an awesome playlist.


----------



## chrisco97

Time for some Haydn! 

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 81
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum, conductor_


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Telemann: Tafelmusik part 1






Don't know this of Telemann, don't know much of Telemann apart from a handful of string concertos and a couple of other works actually, but Tafelmusik seems to be a great mix of orchestral suites, concertos and chamber music! I am definitely enjoying this....and now looking for recordings. If I was going to buy one I'd probably go for Musica Antiqua Köln from what it seems........


----------



## Kieran

EllenBurgess said:


> i dont care
> who you are
> where you from
> what you did
> as long as you love me by Backstreet Boys...


Incredibly, Mozart could set that to music and you'd confuse it for Shakespeare.

Beethoven in the sunny morn. I prefer Beethoven early in the day, I think it's because he's pushy and urgent and face-slapping me into doing things. His fourth and fifth, conducted by Lenny. These are bravura and without any trace of shyness. They look ya straight between the eyes and pull the trigger...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

EllenBurgess said:


> i dont care
> who you are
> where you from
> what you did
> as long as you love me by *Backstreet Boys*...


What are they? You seem to have quite unusual taste, a lot of the things you post in Current Listening I have never heard of in my life.


----------



## SimonNZ

psst...DNFTEC

playing now:









Takemitsu's Quotation Of Dream - Paul Crossley and Peter Serkin, pianos, Oliver Knussen, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Dvorak* - Humouresque No. 7, transcribed by Elias Goldstein
_Elias Goldstein (viola) and Monica Pavel (piano)_

I actually got this performance off of Wikipedia. I love this version because it is a duet featuring the piano and the viola, my two favourite instruments. This is one of my favourite pieces.


----------



## chrisco97

EllenBurgess said:


> i dont care
> who you are
> where you from
> what you did
> as long as you love me by Backstreet Boys...


Is there not a thread for non-classical listening?


----------



## Guest

George Frederic Handel all day:








Organ Concertos, Simon Preston, Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert








Concerti Grossi Op. 3, Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert


----------



## Andolink

Henri Dutilleux: Mystère de l'instant (for cymbalum, string orchestra and percussion, 1989)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier








Gösta Nystroem: Sinfonia Seria (for strings, flute and percussion)
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi


----------



## korenbloem

Gabriel Fauré performed by Anthony Marwood & Domus - Piano Quintets [1995]


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Mahler 2nd symphony, conducted by Paavo Jarvi. It is a crowded field, but I am enjoying the first movement a lot.


----------



## korenbloem

Antonín Dvořák & Cesar Frank performed by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Willem Mengelberg - Dvorak, Symphony No.9 'From the New World' - Franck, Symphony in D minor [2001]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross, Sonata III, Grave.


----------



## Stemahl

Bruckner - Symphony 8

Listening to this amazing symphony to get myself psyched up to listen to his Te Deum. I always try not to be intimidated by certain music but anything religious always takes a few goes to actually sit down and listen completely. I borrowed this set from a friend:


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21118

Mahler: Symphony 10 - Simon Rattle 
Some call it sacrilegious, but it's still interesting to hear what Cooke and Rattle have done.


----------



## NightHawk

*LATE EDIT* if played via TC only the first clip will play. If played from Youtube 




 each of the clips will move to the next automatically. Sorry I didn't notice this when I first posted. nh

This is a 37 minute composition, but it goes by very quickly, I think. In any case, if you don't know Boulez' music, and have any interest, this is a great and fairly recent work. I used the Wiki notes as they were concise and convenient. Hope you enjoy, if not, just push STOP 





_*Sur incises*_ 1996-98 - there are four connected clips so you hear the entire work with only slight blips as it moves to the next clip.

notes from wikipedia:

_Incises_ (1994/2001) and *Sur Incises* (1996/1998) are two related works of the French composer Pierre Boulez.
Incises is Boulez's first work for solo piano since his third piano sonata of 1955-57/63. Originally written in 1994, it has been revised twice, most recently in 2001. It plays with contrasts of gestures and textures, for instance, repeated pitches or chords in an even tempo interrupted by violent melodic arcs, or sparse chordal interjections without discernible rhythm over long held sonorities.
*Sur Incises *followed a few years later as a two-movement work based on the material of Incises. This work is for 3 pianos, 3 harps, and 3 percussion parts (covering a variety of tuned percussion instruments: vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, steel drums, tubular bells, and crotales). Here the sounds of the piano are broken into component parts played by the harps and percussion, and stretched across space as well by having the three groups spread apart in the performance space. This kind of reworking of an earlier piece is characteristic of Boulez, the first instance being Structures. Sur Incises was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition given by the University of Louisville.

The pitches of the row used in Incises, and sur Incises are used in the rows (based on the Sacher hexachord) for Répons, Messagesquisse, and Dérive 1.[1]


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Part* - Spiegel im Spiegel (T. Little and M. Roscoe)

*Schubert* - Symphony No. 8 in B minor, "Unfinished" (J.E. Gardiner, Orchestre de L'Opera de Lyon)

*Smetana* - Ma Vlast, Vlatva (Y. Ahronovitch, Vienna SO)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Corelli*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, w. Brandenburg Consort/Goodman (rec.1992); Trio Sonatas, w. London Baroque/Medlam (rec.1986); *Albinoni*: 12 Concerti a cinque, Op.5, w. I Musici (rec.1981).

View attachment 21122
View attachment 21123
View attachment 21124


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius 4th symphony, with Lorin Maazel and the VPO. Great performance!


----------



## Selby

Chopin, Frédéric - Ballades [Krystian Zimerman]


----------



## Weston

chrisco97 said:


> Time for some Haydn!
> 
> *Haydn* - Symphony No. 81
> _Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum, conductor_


We're getting mixed signals about your stance on Haydn. ;-)


----------



## Selby

Chopin, Frédéric - Nocturnes [Maria João Pires]


----------



## Guest

My friend said he had one of the best musical experiences of his life listening to Mahler 3 so he's been pushing me to give it a shot. Put it on last night for only the second time ever as I knew I was going to have some trouble sleeping. 

There seems to be some greatness there but...I still feel as though the symphony could damn near be cut in half and actually come out better.

However, I know I'm probably wrong in some way, and I thought this morning that I should try reading Mahlerian's blog. So...yeah...might try some Mahler now...idk.


----------



## Mika

Luciano, I know what you did in Darmstadt summer school


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Sibelius suite of symphonic poems Kullervo, performed by Paavo Jarvi. Researching about the piece I discovered that the Finnish Kullervo character inspired Tolkien's Turin Turambar, one of my favorite Tolkien's character. It is a very tragic and amazing history.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> This box set is an essential acquisition for anyone interested in 20th Century. A collection should definitely not be without it. Mesmerizing performances and all of the performances are composer-approved.


Thanks for your remarks. I just put that on my Amazon Wish List.


----------



## Manxfeeder

arcaneholocaust said:


> My friend said he had one of the best musical experiences of his life listening to Mahler 3 so he's been pushing me to give it a shot. Put it on last night for only the second time ever as I knew I was going to have some trouble sleeping.
> 
> There seems to be some greatness there but...I still feel as though the symphony could damn near be cut in half and actually come out better.
> 
> However, I know I'm probably wrong in some way, and I thought this morning that I should try reading Mahlerian's blog. So...yeah...might try some Mahler now...idk.


Go, Mahlerian!

Arcane: I hope eventually you discover that the 3rd is fine as it is.


----------



## MagneticGhost

My Ligeti box arrived today. Excited to get cracking but for now I'm watching the First Night of the Proms. Rachmaninov's Paganini Variations are being performed at the moment and a little later it will be Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony. Happy Days


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Dies Irae, Aus den Psalmen Davids.*

I was at the used CD store, and there was this Penderecki box set for $11, so I snapped it up. The cashier looked at it and said, "I'm into Penderecki. How did I miss seeing that?" Now I'm feeling kind of guilty of depriving this young man of his treasure. Oh, well . . .


----------



## Mahlerian

arcaneholocaust said:


> My friend said he had one of the best musical experiences of his life listening to Mahler 3 so he's been pushing me to give it a shot. Put it on last night for only the second time ever as I knew I was going to have some trouble sleeping.
> 
> There seems to be some greatness there but...I still feel as though the symphony could damn near be cut in half and actually come out better.
> 
> However, I know I'm probably wrong in some way, and I thought this morning that I should try reading Mahlerian's blog. So...yeah...might try some Mahler now...idk.


You'd lose so much if you cut it in half! Such surgery only results in weaker constitution.

Berg: Chamber Concerto
Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Boulez


----------



## julianoq

Now entering a meditative trance that I hope will take me off to the weekend: listening to Messiaen's Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus, performed by Hakon Austbo.


----------



## Kieran

#10 for 2 pianos, *K364*, Perahia and Lapu with the English Chamber Orchestra.

This one is often overlooked, because it nudges up beside another double concerto, the near mythic creation which is K365, but also because it's the 10th PC, and so it comes immediately after another fabled time-traveler: the 9th. The 9th has been described by no less a luminary as Alfred Brendel as being a wonder of the world, and by no greater a musical insignificance than myself as containing _more 9th than Beethoven_.

So what does #10 bring us? Two pianos! A luminous opener and a driven slow set. It closes with one of the least perfunctory Rondeaux/Allegros in existence. It's Wolfie in flames, blazing on all cylinders, and if it isn't so great as the other works I mentioned, it runs them close and it satisfies anyone who likes their melodies to come at them from all angles, with verve and creative generosity: duck your head, here comes another, and another. And another.

It was his last PC before he departed from Salzburg, possibly even performed first by the composer and his precocious sister...


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler 8 performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Solti's baton.

This symphony eluded my on initial listens, mainly due the timing I first listened to it - virtually at the start of my journey into classical music. It was my second Mahler symphony. Time and perspective have worked wonders, having progressed through his earlier symphonies as well as discovering and growing to appreciate opera and lieder in the meantime since my initial listen.

In short, on this listen I am getting more from this piece than I thought I ever would. A great way to turn around a stressful day.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's My Home Overture - Theodore Kuchar, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

bulletin for anyone with interest-the four Schumann symphonies are gradually opening up to me , proving to be quite delightful in their energy-further evidence that one cannot assume one ever really has the world of music 'sorted'-a week ago despite years of listening to so much music I had no experience of these works-three months ago I had never heard the Brahms sextets and one month ago I had never encountered symphonies 5 and 7 by Dvorak-what else might I have missed?


----------



## Kieran

Next on the disc is #7 in F major, Lodron, *K242*. Same performers, Perahia and Lapu, and the ECO.

This one has an adagio that ticks like a timepiece, the two pianos expanding the play so that they form not two instruments, but one more deeply involved single rhythm. The closeness of the two, and the timing, are as hypnotic as the music and the rhythm. An early Mozart gem. Oh wait, he was 20 years old, so this is Middle Period Mozart, I s'pose...


----------



## Guest

Well I have a feeling the 3rd will elude me for a while but....I just did Mahler's 5th...it damn near clicked!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Vivald*i: Four Seasons; L'estro armonico; w. Europa Galante (rec.1991 - '98); La Stravaganza, w. ASMF/Marriner (rec.1973/4).

View attachment 21134
View attachment 21135
View attachment 21136


----------



## Bix

György Ligeti Études pour piano, Book 1 - played by Simon Smith at Edinburgh 2005


----------



## Ondine

More coffee. Regular please!

Dvorak's String Quartets Nos. 8 to 11 with Prager Streighquartett.


----------



## Ondine

arcaneholocaust said:


> My friend said he had one of the best musical experiences of his life listening to Mahler 3 so he's been pushing me to give it a shot. [...]


I concur with your friend, arcaneholocaust. The third is monumental. But still a 'rookie' about Mahler's stuff


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> You'd lose so much if you cut it in half! Such surgery only results in weaker constitution.


That reminds me of a statement by Herr Mahler: "Mr. Weingartner understands Wagner even less than I do and can't see that cuts make a work _longer_ rather than make it shorter."

I won't have time to listen to Beethoven's 9th tomorrow, so I'm doing it today.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, w. English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner (rec.1980); Suites for Keyboard, w. Jarrett (rec.1993); Queffelec (rec.2005).

View attachment 21139
View attachment 21140
View attachment 21141


----------



## SimonNZ

I finally managed to get a copy of Jarrett playing Handel just the other day. (loving the CPRs, btw)

playing now:









Telemann's Tafelmusik - Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Bruggen


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## brotagonist

Klasik Osmanli Müzigi by the Emirgan Assemble

(relaxing Turkish classical music...
picked it up this afternoon, used, mint condition)


----------



## korenbloem

Francesco da Milano performed by Paul O'Dette - Il Divino


----------



## Andolink

Friedrich Cerha: Spiegel
RSO Wien/Friedrich Cerha






(My 2nd time through this massive piece I'm realizing how much I underestimated it after my first listening a couple of weeks ago.)


----------



## chrisco97

*Brahms* - String Sextet No. 1: II. Andante ma moderato
_Stuttgart Soloists_

Such a powerful movement. One of my favourites.

--
*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 17, "Tempest"
_Jeno Jando_

Will be listening to this after. One of my favourite Beethoven piano sonatas.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven cello sonatas. These are awesome.


----------



## Feathers

Mozart String Quartet K 465 "Dissonance" and K 458 "The Hunt", and K 421 (Emerson Quartet)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Erik Satie.

Several years ago a group titled Camerata released several LPs of Satie realized on a Moog synthesizer. I've had this on tape, but I finally found MP3s of *The Electronic Spirit of Erik Satie. *

It's kind of weird, but with Satie's music, this actually works.


----------



## Sid James

Kieran said:


> Incredibly, Mozart could set that to music and you'd confuse it for Shakespeare...


Nah, Wolfie wouldn't do that, its not scatalogical enough!



Manxfeeder said:


> *Penderecki, Dies Irae, Aus den Psalmen Davids.*
> 
> I was at the used CD store, and there was this Penderecki box set for $11, so I snapped it up. The cashier looked at it and said, "I'm into Penderecki. How did I miss seeing that?" Now I'm feeling kind of guilty of depriving this young man of his treasure. Oh, well . . .
> 
> View attachment 21130


I got that very recording, but on the single Naxos cd (with his 8th symphony). I like the psalms of David, it makes me think of Carl Orff, but pushing things further into atonal territory. Dies Irae is pretty hard to take, written for the opening of Auschwitz as a museum and memorial, its appropriate to the memories/experiences of that site. I get spooked out by that one big time - gives me the chills. Fine piece though, before he went tonal, and the 8th symphony is like that, neoromantic song cylce reminiscent of Mahler with touches of those pushing of sonority (eg. glissandos), Penderecki's trademarks.


----------



## Ondine

Sonata said:


> Beethoven cello sonatas. These are awesome.


Not being a Beethoven fan, those are, IMHO, his most enjoyable chamber pieces. Yes Sonata, they are awesome.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F
London Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt








I'd forgotten that there was a recording of the 8th in this set. And surprise, it's a pretty good version. Sonics are a bit recessed like most early digital, and the minuet is a tad on the slow side, but the finale has plenty of fire to compensate!


----------



## aleazk

Georg Friedrich Haas - limited approximations (2010). (



)

I love Haas.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Kurfürsten Sonata #2 in F Minor, WoO 47 -- Jörg Demus

Beethoven: 6 Piano Variations in F, Op. 34 -- Emil Gilels

Sibelieus: Symphony #5 in E Flat, Op. 82 (1915 version) -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Ockeghem: Missa Quarti Toni -- Hillard Ensemble

Schumann: Der Konigssohn, Op. 116 -- Saarbrücken Kaiserlautern

Beethoven: Ruins of Athens Overture, Op. 113 -- Kurt Masur: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Mozart: Ballet Sketches, K 299C -- Neville Marriner: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields


----------



## chrisco97

*Brahms* - Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34
_Peter Agoston, Yaakov Rubinstein, Martin Janecke, Kaamel Salah-El-Din and Irina Edelstein_


----------



## aleazk

Georg Friedrich Haas - natures mortes. (



)


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1










My second favorite Beethoven symphony after No. 6.


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's For Bunita Marcus - Stephane Gainsburgh, piano


----------



## clavichorder

Beethoven Cello Sonata op. 102 no. 2, I had the pleasure of hearing it live recently and now I am giving it a rehearing with pleasant results:


----------



## ProudSquire

Today I played a guessing gaming with myself....

I put my ipod on shuffle and listened to some music.

There were three string quartets by Shostakovitch That I listened to. Of the three, I recognized one as being number 5 in b flat major, the other two I couldn't quite make out. Then there was the finale to Mozart's G minor symphony, the 40th. Shortly Schubert's impromptu in B flat major Op. 142 No. 3 followed, which I enjoyed quite a bit. 

The end. :]


----------



## SimonNZ

Harrison Birtwistle's Tragoedia - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez


----------



## korenbloem

Einojuhani Rautavaara performed by Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgårds - Modificata, Incantations, Towards the Horizon


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Overture to Orlando Paladino
_Vienna Symphony Orchestra & Antonio Janigro_

Loving this one so far. 

--
*Haydn* - Symphony No. 103, "Drumroll"
_Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Mogens Woldike_

Will be listening to this next after reading it was HaydnBearstheClock's favourite. I have yet to hear it.

--
*Haydn* - Symphony No. 22, "Philosopher"
_Vienna Symphony Orchestra & Antonio Janigro_

Listening to this after Symphony No. 103.


----------



## Conor71

*Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1, "Metamorphoses Nocturnes"*

This week I've been listening mainly to String Quartets and Violin Concertos. I started today with a first listen of Schnittke's String Quartets. I dont remember ever reading about these before so I wanted to hear what they were like. I nearly balked during the 1st Quartet as it was very discordant and chaotic but I found a lot to enjoy in the 2nd and 3rd Quartets. I have listened to Disc 1 and will save Disc 2 for tonight or tomorrow. At the moment I am listening to Ligeti's 1st Quartet from this EMI 2-fer. Next I want to listen to the Unsuk Chin Disc which is a new one - I have read good things about her on on various forums so I am eager to hear the music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Berio's Sequenzas I-XIV - Ensemble interContemporain

saying "Snap!" before Conor does to the pair of EiC and 20/21 albums


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21156
> 
> 
> Berio's Sequenzas I-XIV - Ensemble interContemporain
> 
> saying "Snap!" before Conor does to the pair of EiC and 20/21 albums


Haha - I think the 20/21 series has been on my mind this week as I have been following your listening on the forum. I downloaded a couple of these Discs today :tiphat:


----------



## adrem

Shostakovich 9 by Bernstein and New York Philharmonic.


----------



## korenbloem

Guan Xia | 关峡 - Earth Requiem


----------



## MagneticGhost

Immaculate CD

This have I done for my true love - Holst Singers.

Too fine for words 

Sample track - This isn't the same performers - Victoria Simmonds on my CD is perfection - such a crystal pure voice.
Sounds like a folk tune but Holst composed it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Between Tides - Fujita Piano Trio

edit: unfortunately i'm not really focusing on this. I've got the "Hebraic" viola theme from the last movement of Feldman's Rothko Chapel stuck in my head. Supposedly its a theme he wrote when he was fifteen, but I'm sure I've heard it - or something very close to it - as part of someones string quartet, only now I can't locate it. Its gonna keep me awake.


----------



## korenbloem

Max Bruch performed by Various Artists under Andrew Litton - Bruch Violin Concerto - Romanze [2011]


----------



## Mika

Listening first night of the Proms :

Friday 12 July
7.30pm – c10.20pm 
Royal Albert Hall
Classical for starters, Piano and organ, Proms on TV

Julian Anderson
Harmony (c4 mins)
BBC Commission, World Premiere
Britten
Four Sea Interludes from 'Peter Grimes' (17 mins)
Rachmaninov
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (23 mins)
Lutosławski
Variations on a Theme by Paganini (8 mins)
INTERVAL
Vaughan Williams
A Sea Symphony (66 mins)
Sally Matthews soprano
Roderick Williams baritone
Stephen Hough piano
BBC Proms Youth Choir
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo conductor


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mendelssohn*

Symphony No. 4 in A, "Italian" (Philarmonia, T. Vasary)

Octet in E-flat (I Musici)


----------



## jim prideaux

on a glorious Saturday afternoon ( whilst considering a leap of faith regarding an investigation of Robert Simpson) I have listened again to Dvorak 7th symphony and as with my recent experience with Schumann symphonies ( see previous posts ) the entire work appears in my imagination to have opened out and what a glorious symphony it really is-it may be seen by some as influenced by Brahms but I am beginning to believe that Dvorak may even have surpassed his 'inspiration'( (could be in real trouble here)-so with this in mind I have purchased the piano and violin concertos alongside the symphonic poems (Harnoncourt bargain on I-tunes).Dvorak-my man!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Delving amongst the jewels in my spanking new ligeti box.


----------



## EricABQ

I'm listening to some Bach partitas played on harpsichord by Christiane Jaccottet.

I'm generally not a harpsichord fan, but this is o.k.


----------



## Blancrocher

Herreweghe conducts Bach's Magnificat. A good way to start the day.


----------



## teej

jim prideaux said:


> bulletin for anyone with interest-the four Schumann symphonies are gradually opening up to me , proving to be quite delightful in their energy-further evidence that one cannot assume one ever really has the world of music 'sorted'-a week ago despite years of listening to so much music I had no experience of these works-three months ago I had never heard the Brahms sextets and one month ago I had never encountered symphonies 5 and 7 by Dvorak-what else might I have missed?


Just keep on doing what you are doing! You are on the right track with the Schumann and the Brahms. You will probably enjoy Glazunov too, for example give his symphony #3 a listen.


----------



## teej

Listening to Guridi string quartets. Very nice indeed!


----------



## teej

Also the Hindemith String Quartets (Amar Quartet). Amazing works.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*JS Bach*: Concerti for 2 & 3 Pianos, w. Casadesus et al (rec.1962 - '67); Orchestral Suites, w. English Concert/Pinnock (rec.1993/4); Brandenburg Concerti, w. OAE (rec.1987/8).

View attachment 21165
View attachment 21166
View attachment 21167


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Atmospheres.*


----------



## NightHawk

Finished the Boulez Complete Works - wonderful music and performances. Highly recommended. 6******'s.

Afterwards, I did feel like hearing something tonal so I listened to this for the first time in a long time - a great recording, I think.







Barber Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto - Slatkin, Browning, & St.Louis.


----------



## Stemahl

After Bruckner's mighty Te Deum yesterday I thought some more choral music would sound good. Starting with Mozart's Requiem - this performance:









This is the only performance of this piece I have yet heard, not sure if it is rated well, but I am really enjoying it. 
After that I am listening to a free BBC CD of music by Dvorak conducted by Vassily Sinaisky and the BBC Philharmonic - Symphony 7, Slavonic Dance 1 op.72, and the piece I have listened to maybe ten times the last couple of days (bit excessive haha), The Water Goblin.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


----------



## jim prideaux

NightHawk said:


> Finished the Boulez Complete Works - wonderful music and performances. Highly recommended. 6******'s.
> 
> Afterwards, I did feel like hearing something tonal so I listened to this for the first time in a long time - a great recording, I think.
> 
> View attachment 21171
> Barber Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto - Slatkin, Browning, & St.Louis.


magnificent-late romantic,20th century angst and even a hint of noir-well that's what I can hear!


----------



## opus55

Haydn symphonies, 26, 52, 53, 92
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major; Concerto for the Left Hand


----------



## julianoq

As recommended by Mahlerian on another thread, listening to Bruckner's 5th symphony with Welser-Möst and the LPO. It is quite faster than my go-to performance (Thielemann) but I am liking it.


----------



## Kieran

Free with this months BBC magazine, both *Carl Nielsen* and *Jean Sibelius* fifth symphonies, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thomas Sondergard.

Surprisingly, for me, the whole CD lasts only 63 minutes - and the Sibelius symph is little more than half an hour long. That's almost Old Skool...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## DaveS

Mahlerian said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
> Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Cluytens


I'm listening to it too, Mahlerian.


----------



## lunchdress

Spent the morning recovering from a long hazy night of the soul with Schubert's Quintet in C major and 5th Symphony, care of Pablo Casals








Drank my coffee with Grieg: Lyric Pieces via Emil Gilels, wonderful








Then the sun came out and Beethoven's 3rd was delivered by Cluytens








Not sure what's next-- probably more of this, either 6 or 7.

eta: Cluytens is busy today, ha!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Selby

Fauré, Gabriel - Requiem, Op. 48 
[Johanette Zomer, Stephan Genz, Philippe Herreweghe, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées]









Not sure how I feel about this interpretation yet. Everything is solid, even the soloists, but I think Herreweghe is trying to too dark a reading; it feels a little too heavy. Reminds me a lot of the Dutoit but it is far off from the more innocent and ethereal interpretations like Rutter's. Maybe I need something in between. I think I'll listen to the Gardiner again soon.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross, Il Terremoto, Presto e con tutta la forza.


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Piano Concerto no. 2 (Anda, Haitink).
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto no. 2 (and perhaps no. 3 later) (Rubinstein, Ormandy).

Wait for my reviews of Mozart Festival concerts. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Instead of Rachmaninoff's Third I will listen to Scharwenka's Fourth (Poizat, Borowicz - new on YT!).  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bix

Scriabin Piano Sonatas / Ashkenazy


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, 3. Adagio: Langsam, Feierlich (Eliahu Inbal, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt).


----------



## millionrainbows

*Handel: The 16 Organ Concertos;* E. Power Biggs, Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra (CBS Odyssey 3-CD). Ahh, yes...such darkness in the slow minor parts! The bright, major movements are simply the mechanical ego, the empty persona, going about its mundane business. But then, darkness creeps in. Still like me? ~giggle!~


----------



## Kieran

DrKilroy said:


> Wait for my reviews of Mozart Festival concerts.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Looking forward to it! Will you report in this thread or open a new one? :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Do not expect too much criticism, the performances were very good!  I may create a new thread for this one.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## GreenMamba

John Adams, My Father New Charles Ives. Adams/BBC Symphony.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 39, "The Fist"
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_

I am enjoying this one very much so far.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*JS Bach*: The Art of Fugue, w. ESQ (rec.2003), Aimard (rec.2007), GG (rec.1962 - '81).

View attachment 21185
View attachment 21186
View attachment 21187


----------



## Selby

Fauré, Gabriel - Requiem, Op. 48 
[Catherine Bott, Gilles Cachemaille, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique]


----------



## SimonNZ

GreenMamba said:


> John Adams, My Father New Charles Ives. Adams/BBC Symphony.
> 
> View attachment 21182


Heh, I think thats "knew". JA likes to tell his kids he's the New Charles Ives.

I was playing that Dharma At Big Sur the other day. Superb performance.

playing now:









Bach's Mass in B minor - Herbert von Karajan, cond (1952)

seriously considering making this another three Mass in B minors Sunday here at work


----------



## Bix

Bartók Piano Concertos 1,2 & 3 / Ashkenazy / Solti & LSO


----------



## Weston

This afternoon as I finally finished the workload I have been under, *Koechlin: Le Livre De La Jungle* - Leif Segerstam / Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic










This is all very mysterious stuff. I enjoyed the "La meditation de Purun Baghat, Op. 159" segment. Reminds me of something even more cosmic than Holst. I have no idea what it has to do with a jungle. The music is suspended like the dust clouds of interstellar space.

Koechlin is a complete enigma to me. His appearance is of someone who would be comfortable composing next to Brahms and Rimsky-Korsakov, but his music sounds more like a morphine dream crossed with recent Penderecki. He seems to have been so far ahead of his time.


----------



## Weston

TheProudSquire said:


> Today I played a guessing gaming with myself....
> 
> I put my ipod on shuffle and listened to some music.
> 
> There were three string quartets by Shostakovitch That I listened to. Of the three, I recognized one as being number 5 in b flat major, the other two I couldn't quite make out. Then there was the finale to Mozart's G minor symphony, the 40th. Shortly Schubert's impromptu in B flat major Op. 142 No. 3 followed, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
> 
> The end. :]


I LOVE doing this myself! I'm often stumped.

EDIT: Reviewing this thread shows that many of us are going through a Ligeti phase, some of us having bought boxed sets at nearly the same time. Is that some kind of synchronicity, or are these forums that influential? It's weird.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Eugene Jochum, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*JS Bach*: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba, w.Quintana & Frisch (rec.2000); Cello Suites, w. Schiff (rec.1984); Six Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin, w. Ehnes (rec.1999/0).

View attachment 21193
View attachment 21194
View attachment 21195


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Norgard's *(b. 1932) birthday, Violin Concerto, w. Astrand/Danish NRSO/Dausgaard (rec.1999).

View attachment 21197


----------



## ProudSquire

*Tchaikovsky*

Symphony No. 1 in G Minor "Winter Dream"
Symphony No. 4 in F Minor

Leonard Bernstein 
New York Philharmonic


----------



## Conor71

*Nyman: String Quartet No. 4*

Morning all - started the day listening to some movie soundtracks (Nyman, Glass) and now have these 2 recordings lined up (going to continue on with the Schnittke from yesterday and play Disc 2) :


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Sergiu Celibidache, cond.


----------



## Sid James

Started off the weekend's listening with some pieces that are *fun, whimsical and humorous*:

*Haydn* _Symphony #93 in D major_
- Dresden PO under Gunther Herbig (Berlin Classics)

I see the unnamed symphonies in Haydn's London set as dark horses and they definitely need more love. _Symphony #93_ was the first of the symphonies Haydn composed for premiere in the English capital, and its as enjoyable as any of the dozen.

Haydn composed the first six symphonies of the set (93-98) between 1791 and 1792. His first stay in London lasted 18 months, and was a great success, however both composing and premiering the symphonies took a heavy toll on him (he was in his sixties). His second visit lasted about as long, between January 1794 and August 1795. The period in between these two visits, he composed the second six of the twelve symphonies (99-104) and also took a certain Ludwig van Beethoven as his student. Haydn's second visit to London was not as arduous as the first, for he had written the symphonies in advance.

Upon his first visit to the UK, Haydn was given an Honorary Doctorate by Oxford University, and during his second visit the King of England invited him to live there permanently (but Papa declined). Upon his return home, a monument to Haydn was unveiled in his presence at his birthplace in Rohrau, Lower Austria. At the close of the 18th century, Haydn was seen by many as the greatest living composer of his time.

Like symphonies _#94 'Surprise'_ and _#103 'Drum-roll,' __*Symphony #93*_ has a pretty prominent part for the timpanist. The first movement actually starts off with a drum-roll that is underneath a chord from the whole orchestra. Haydn pretty much sets up a template that he would apply in the other symphonies to come, however at the end of the second movement Haydn makes a very profound statement. Well not really, in between gentle tappings of the timpani and other instruments quietly alternating, the bassoon lets out a massive fart! Mention should also be made of the final movement that has this recurring oboe solo that has a vocal and operatic quality.

*Rossini* _Overture to Il Signor Bruschino_
- Montreal SO under Charles Dutoit (Eloquence)

Speaking of opera, *Rossini *was the supreme humorist in that, and his overtures are tantalizing tidbits for the action to come. This overture has all the usual features such as a catchy tune or two and the classic Rossini crescendo, but here we've got a weird aspect of the string players tapping their bows on the music stands. It's the same sort of rhythm that the basses play at the very start of the piece.

As a result of his constant use of that type of crescendo in his overtures, Rossini was actually nicknamed _Il Signor Crescendo. _However strictly speaking, the crescendo was not Rossini's innovation as commonly thought, but it goes back to an earlier opera composer called Tarradella who is not known to me. However it can be said that Rossini put the technique on the musical map and really made it his own. Much like Haydn was not literally the inventor of the symphony, but he raised it to a genre which was much more than just an extension of the old overture.

*Mozart* _A Musical Joke, K522 (Ein Musikalischer Spass)_
- Vienna Mozart Ensemble under Wili Boskovsky (Award)

*Mozart's A Musical Joke* is a piece of musical humor that I think does live up to its name. The first movement has rhythms that sound kind of mechanical and weird, the horn solos in the minuet are clearly off key, whilst the violin cadenza concluding the slow movement goes so high that it sounds like its gone off the usual scale. Its totally exaggerated and ridiculous. To top it all off, the whole piece ends on the wrong key as if the orchestra is just playing badly and out of tune. Makes me laugh but of course its deliberate - but so naturally done, you'd swear it was a mistake!
*
Prokofiev* _Love for Three Oranges: Suite, Op. 33a_
- London PO under Walter Weller (Eloquence)

*Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges* is an opera with a fantasy plot that sends up the conventions of grand opera. From this commedia dell arte plot involving a play within a play, Prokofiev fashioned one of his most popular orchestral suites.

The famous wrong-note March plays around with the same off key and off beat effects Mozart used, and the scene of the card game has the trademark bell rhythms and choral harmonies common to so many Russian composers. The percussion and brass sections get a work out in this orchestral showpiece, its pretty full on but also just a lot of fun. I think of it as _A Musical Joke _on steroids.

*Berlioz* _Requiem, Op. 5 (Grand Messe des Morts)_
- John Aler, tenor; Atlanta SO & Chorus under Robert Shaw (Telarc)

Moving on to a first listen to this massive work. I especially enjoyed the _Hostias, _with the lowest note on the tuba alternating with the highest on the flute, a startling contrast which came back momentarily in the concluding _Agnus Dei. _This is the type of thing the conventions of orchestration say can't possibly work, but Berlioz was not one to follow rules anyway, and it's one thing that kind of stands out as totally unique and kind of refreshing in this piece. The_ Sanctus_ with an angelic tenor solo also stood out for me here.

*Bizet* _Te Deum_
- Sylvia Greenberg, sop., Gosta Winbergh, ten., Choirs & L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Jesus Lopez-Cobos (Eloquence)

Finishing off with *Bizet's Te Deum*. Composed during his student years, this work is not the mature Bizet we know, but already he shows his flair for vocal writing. I think that the soprano solo in the third part, _Te ergo quesumus,_ is very beautiful and it reminds me of Mozart - a composer whose influence was pivotal for Bizet, especially in one of my favourite works by him, the _Symphony in C_ which he wrote at the tender age of 17.


----------



## Selby

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21198
> 
> 
> Bach's Mass in B minor - Sergiu Celibidache, cond.


Just saw a performance of the B minor Mass last night!

Helmuth Rilling conducting; this was his last program with the Oregon Bach Festival after decades.

It was so beautiful. At one point during the Cruxificux my wife literally shed a tear.

http://oregonbachfestival.com/2013/07/bachfest-pdx-builds-to-b-minor-mass/


----------



## Selby

Now:

Szymanowski, Karol - Symphony No. 3, Op. 27, "..Lied der Nacht" 
[Stefania Woytowicz, Jan Kasprowicz, Chor & Orchester des Polnischen Rundfunds and Fernsehens, Krakau]


----------



## Guest

Korngold, Violin Concerto
Nicola Benedetti, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Sounds great!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*JS Bach*: Most Everything for Keyboard, w. GG (rec.1955 - '81).

And in lieu of a pic for every rec... 

View attachment 21201


----------



## Vaneyes

Jerome said:


> View attachment 21200
> 
> Korngold, Violin Concerto
> Nicola Benedetti, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
> 
> Sounds great!


Thank you, Jerome. You know how to get my blood boiling.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 3
Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic






This will be the second time I've ever heard this symphony and I really want to get to know it this time based on the praise it gets here on TC. I shall have the score in front of me.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> Thank you, Jerome. You know how to get my blood boiling.


Well I hope your blood pressure stays fine Van. Don't get too excited! :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Well I hope your blood pressure stays fine Van. Don't get too excited! :lol:


Thanks, Sid. Maybe more is less?

View attachment 21204


----------



## Sid James

^^Well yeah, that one has got Saint-Saens, I see. Is it his Havanaise? Or Introduction and Rondo Capricioso? Pretty hot music. Warm blooded enough for ya? The pressure's rising!


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's For John Cage - Paul Zukofsky, violin, Marianne Schroeder, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Weston said:


> I LOVE doing this myself! I'm often stumped.
> 
> EDIT: Reviewing this thread shows that many of us are going through a Ligeti phase, some of us having bought boxed sets at nearly the same time. Is that some kind of synchronicity, or are these forums that influential? It's weird.


I generally try not to buy sets with 'too much' music by one composer because it's always nice to have a variety of interpreters - it's also fun to compare them, hehe.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Sid James said:


> Started off the weekend's listening with some pieces that are *fun, whimsical and humorous*:
> 
> *Haydn* _Symphony #93 in D major_
> - Dresden PO under Gunther Herbig (Berlin Classics)
> 
> I see the unnamed symphonies in Haydn's London set as dark horses and they definitely need more love. _Symphony #93_ was the first of the symphonies Haydn composed for premiere in the English capital, and its as enjoyable as any of the dozen.
> 
> Haydn composed the first six symphonies of the set (93-98) between 1791 and 1792. His first stay in London lasted 18 months, and was a great success, however both composing and premiering the symphonies took a heavy toll on him (he was in his sixties). His second visit lasted about as long, between January 1794 and August 1795. The period in between these two visits, he composed the second six of the twelve symphonies (99-104) and also took a certain Ludwig van Beethoven as his student. Haydn's second visit to London was not as arduous as the first, for he had written the symphonies in advance.
> 
> Upon his first visit to the UK, Haydn was given an Honorary Doctorate by Oxford University, and during his second visit the King of England invited him to live there permanently (but Papa declined). Upon his return home, a monument to Haydn was unveiled in his presence at his birthplace in Rohrau, Lower Austria. At the close of the 18th century, Haydn was seen by many as the greatest living composer of his time.
> 
> Like symphonies _#94 'Surprise'_ and _#103 'Drum-roll,' __*Symphony #93*_ has a pretty prominent part for the timpanist. The first movement actually starts off with a drum-roll that is underneath a chord from the whole orchestra. Haydn pretty much sets up a template that he would apply in the other symphonies to come, however at the end of the second movement Haydn makes a very profound statement. Well not really, in between gentle tappings of the timpani and other instruments quietly alternating, the bassoon lets out a massive fart! Mention should also be made of the final movement that has this recurring oboe solo that has a vocal and operatic quality.
> 
> *Rossini* _Overture to Il Signor Bruschino_
> - Montreal SO under Charles Dutoit (Eloquence)
> 
> Speaking of opera, *Rossini *was the supreme humorist in that, and his overtures are tantalizing tidbits for the action to come. This overture has all the usual features such as a catchy tune or two and the classic Rossini crescendo, but here we've got a weird aspect of the string players tapping their bows on the music stands. It's the same sort of rhythm that the basses play at the very start of the piece.
> 
> As a result of his constant use of that type of crescendo in his overtures, Rossini was actually nicknamed _Il Signor Crescendo. _However strictly speaking, the crescendo was not Rossini's innovation as commonly thought, but it goes back to an earlier opera composer called Tarradella who is not known to me. However it can be said that Rossini put the technique on the musical map and really made it his own. Much like Haydn was not literally the inventor of the symphony, but he raised it to a genre which was much more than just an extension of the old overture.
> 
> *Mozart* _A Musical Joke, K522 (Ein Musikalischer Spass)_
> - Vienna Mozart Ensemble under Wili Boskovsky (Award)
> 
> *Mozart's A Musical Joke* is a piece of musical humor that I think does live up to its name. The first movement has rhythms that sound kind of mechanical and weird, the horn solos in the minuet are clearly off key, whilst the violin cadenza concluding the slow movement goes so high that it sounds like its gone off the usual scale. Its totally exaggerated and ridiculous. To top it all off, the whole piece ends on the wrong key as if the orchestra is just playing badly and out of tune. Makes me laugh but of course its deliberate - but so naturally done, you'd swear it was a mistake!
> *
> Prokofiev* _Love for Three Oranges: Suite, Op. 33a_
> - London PO under Walter Weller (Eloquence)
> 
> *Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges* is an opera with a fantasy plot that sends up the conventions of grand opera. From this commedia dell arte plot involving a play within a play, Prokofiev fashioned one of his most popular orchestral suites.
> 
> The famous wrong-note March plays around with the same off key and off beat effects Mozart used, and the scene of the card game has the trademark bell rhythms and choral harmonies common to so many Russian composers. The percussion and brass sections get a work out in this orchestral showpiece, its pretty full on but also just a lot of fun. I think of it as _A Musical Joke _on steroids.
> 
> *Berlioz* _Requiem, Op. 5 (Grand Messe des Morts)_
> - John Aler, tenor; Atlanta SO & Chorus under Robert Shaw (Telarc)
> 
> Moving on to a first listen to this massive work. I especially enjoyed the _Hostias, _with the lowest note on the tuba alternating with the highest on the flute, a startling contrast which came back momentarily in the concluding _Agnus Dei. _This is the type of thing the conventions of orchestration say can't possibly work, but Berlioz was not one to follow rules anyway, and it's one thing that kind of stands out as totally unique and kind of refreshing in this piece. The_ Sanctus_ with an angelic tenor solo also stood out for me here.
> 
> *Bizet* _Te Deum_
> - Sylvia Greenberg, sop., Gosta Winbergh, ten., Choirs & L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Jesus Lopez-Cobos (Eloquence)
> 
> Finishing off with *Bizet's Te Deum*. Composed during his student years, this work is not the mature Bizet we know, but already he shows his flair for vocal writing. I think that the soprano solo in the third part, _Te ergo quesumus,_ is very beautiful and it reminds me of Mozart - a composer whose influence was pivotal for Bizet, especially in one of my favourite works by him, the _Symphony in C_ which he wrote at the tender age of 17.


Speaking of humourous, Telemann should definitely not be left out of the list . Check out his Alster-Ouverture, Water music or Burlesque de Quixotte, excellent stuff.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Sheherazade - The Sea and Sinbad's Ship (Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony).


----------



## Sid James

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Speaking of humourous, Telemann should definitely not be left out of the list . Check out his *Alster-Ouverture*,.....


Yep, agreed, I got that one (on the Naxos cd with other pieces for four horns & orch. - Haydn's "Horn Signal" symphony is on it too!). Now you remind me its been ages since I'd heard it. Want to get to it soon now!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

By the way, I'm glad to see the bassoon fart get an honourary mention .


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert - Symphony 9


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Schubert - Symphony 9


hehe, cool cover.


----------



## Conor71

*Schnittke: Symphony No. 1*

I enjoyed the Schnittke Quartets so much that I decided to give his Symphonies a try too. Nearing the end of the 1st Symphony now and its quite a trip! - I think I will give this one another spin actually as theres quite a lot to take in


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Telemann: Concerto in D major for three trumpets, Quadro in B flat major, Concerto in E minor for recorder and flute, Concerto Polonois in G major, Concerto in E major for flute, oboe d'amore and viola d'amore
The Academy of Ancient Music directed from the harpsichord by Christopher Hogwood.









Brilliant performances full of life and character, Christopher Hogwood is one of my favourite conductors, especially for what he has done on this disc.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening to Granville Bantock's Celtic Symphony for Strings and Harp. It's a little bit lush.


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's Fragments pour un portrait - Ensemble interContemporain

edit: now Per Norgard's Voyage Into The Golden Screen - Giordano Bellincampi, cond.


----------



## PrimoUomo

Pergolesi's L'Olimpiade played by Academia Montis Regalis and conducted by Alessandro de Marchi.








A very long and little bit boring opera (recitative, aria, recitative, aria, recitative, aria, recitative, aria...)
But Petgolesi's music is outstanding! The same with Alessandro de Marchi's conducting!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

L. v. Beethoven, Moonlight sonata, III. Presto agitato.


----------



## SimonNZ

Valentin Silvestrov: Sacred Songs - Kiev Chamber Choir


----------



## Bix

Mozart Oboe Concerto / Oboe Randall Wolfgang / Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

at the request of my husband, yes a request.


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Trio Sonata No.4 in G Minor

Jana Brozkova and Vojtech Jouza, oboes -- Jaroslav Hubita, bassoon -- Vaclav Hoskovec, double bass -- Frantisek Thuri, harpsichord

View attachment 21212


----------



## Bix

Mozart PC 20 K466 with the Beethoven Cadenza / Ashkenazy / Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Bix

Brahms PC 2 / Ashkenazy / Haitink and VPO with Robert Scheiwein on solo cello


----------



## Andolink

Friedrich Cerha: Für K (1993)
Klangforum Wien/Friedrich Cerha








George Frideric Handel: Clori, Tirsi e Fileno
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Soprano), Jill Feldman (Soprano), 
Drew Minter (Countertenor) 
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra/Nicholas McGegan 








Walter Braunfels: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, op. 60
Auryn Quartet


----------



## Selby

Cherubini, Luigi - Requiem in C minor [Matthew Best, Corydon Singers & Orchestra]


----------



## PrimoUomo

Another little bit boring opera
Mozart's Mitridate with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques








My favorite recording of a Mozart opera and one of my favorite conductors and orchestras, and the cast is absolutely outstanding!

Cecila Bartoli as Sifare

Natalie Dessay as Aspasia

Giuseppe Sabbatini as Mitridate

Brian Asawa as Farnace

Sandrine Piau as Ismene

Hélène Le Corre as Arbate

Juan Diego Florez as Marzio


----------



## ptr

Fist quality listening for something that seems like months and Eons, hard to get anything of quality done when You are knee deep in relatives of the third cousin kind!

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Piano Sonatra No 2 Op 36 / *Alexander Scriabin* -Piano Sonata No 4 Op 30 / *Sergei Prokofiev* - Piano Sonata No 6 Op 82 (DG Debut 1969 OOP?)









Roberto Szidon, piano

And before the Cohort get back from their pointless tanning and frolicking on the beach:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 3 (Nonesuch OOP Vinyl (Licenced from Unicorn))









Norma Procter, contralto; Ambrosian Singers and London Symphony Orchestra u. Jascha Horenstein

Both recordings are sublime in their own way!

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Szymanowski - Symphony no. 3 (Stryja).
Nielsen - Symphony no. 5.

I have never heard anything by Nielsen. It's high time I changed it. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

After that, I am going to listen to Berwald's Symphony no. 3. Nielsen is quite nice.  But it definitely needs repeated listenings. I like the snare drum cadenza in the first movement.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## adrem

Faure, Requiem: Celibidache and Muncher Philhamoniker.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann - Symphony 3


----------



## PrimoUomo

Monteverdi's Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti with Jean-Paul Fouchécourt and Mark Padmore, conducted by William Christie.


----------



## Selby

adrem said:


> Faure, Requiem: Celibidache and Muncher Philhamoniker.
> View attachment 21223


How is this? This are two pieces I think very highly of; I've never heard this one.


----------



## belfastboy

Just remembered how much I love this...


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel: Oboe Quartet in G Major, Ben 394

Lajos Lencses, oboe -- Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Peter Barsony, viola -- Peter Szabo, cello

View attachment 21225


----------



## korenbloem

Karol Szymanowski performed by Christian Tetzlaff & Wiener Philharmoniker under Pierre Boulez - Violin Concerto No. 1 & Symphony No. 3 [2010]


----------



## Mahlerian

Via Spotify:
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Young


----------



## adrem

Mitchell said:


> How is this? This are two pieces I think very highly of; I've never heard this one.


For me this is the best version of these two masterpieces, but If you're not a Celibidache adherent, it may be too, hmm how to describe it?, languid. For example his interpretation of Mozart Requiem is not acceptable for me, definitely too slow. Luckily for Faure and Stravinsky it works.


----------



## Tristan

*Rachmaninov* - Etude-Tableau No. 4 in B minor, Op. 39/4 (Vladimir Ovchinikov)

My personal favorite of the etudes-tableaux.


----------



## Blancrocher

Mitchell said:


> How is this? This are two pieces I think very highly of; I've never heard this one.


In my view, these are both extraordinary live performances. The Stravinsky at least is on Youtube so you can easily give it a try; I think it stands comparison with Stravinsky and Boulez conducting the same work.

Incidentally, I see there are also lengthy clips showing Celibidache & co. rehearsing the Requiem, which I've bookmarked for later viewings. I'm very curious about what he has to say!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

Ensemble 415: Chiara Banchini and Enrico Gatti, violins -- Emilio Moreno and Irmgard Schaller, violas -- Kathi Gohl, cello

View attachment 21228


----------



## drpraetorus

MacDowell, Suite for Large Orchestra


----------



## Sonata

My first listening of Bruckner #8. I think the first move by is really great, one of my favorites by Bruckner. Haven't heard the rest of the symphony yet.


----------



## DrKilroy

Somehow I am in the mood for Mozart now! Berwald and Szymanowski have to wait. 

Mozart - Piano Concerti Nos. 26 and 27, Haffner Serenade, Symphonies Nos. 31 and 35.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mika

6th opera sunday: Purcell - Dido and Aeneas







I must admit I almost dissapointed my fans by skipping sunday opera session . BBC Proms keeps me busy now and after one week even more, because I am attending Niebelung session there.


----------



## NightHawk

This afternoon, on Youtube: Marc Hamelin's all Szymanowski Recital at Kioi Hall, Tokyo in 2003. Performed in one clip, 54:00. Very highly recommended 6******'s.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Skilmarilion

DrKilroy said:


> Mozart - Piano Concerti Nos. 26


It seems the 'Coronation' concerto is overlooked most of the time, but I think it's a really brilliant work.

Currently listening to ...

*Tchaikovsky* - Violin Concerto in D major (I. Kaler -- violin, D. Yablonsky, Russian Philarmonic)


----------



## DrKilroy

Yes, the Coronation Concerto is often accused of being unmozartian. I think it is great, however.  My father often listened to it when I was a child; I still remember the most of its melodies. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico - Fabio Biondi, cond.


----------



## millionrainbows

DVD: *Pierre Boulez conducts modern classics:* *Berg*, _Lulu-Suite (excerpts);_ *Debussy,* _Le Jet d'eau; 3 Ballades de Francois Villon;_ *Stravinsky:* _The Firebird_. (EuroArts).

For this, I chose the DTS 5.1 option, and on my receiver used the DTS neo 7.1 option, as I have added 2 rear surround speakers, for a total of 7 speakers (FL, FR, CEN, LS, RS, LRS, RRS), and the "point one," 2 separately-powered subwoofers, one under each front speaker. Played on my Denon DVD 2900, a real nice workhorse of a player.

Most impressive is the Berg; Christine Schäfer does a remarkable job, hitting the very top of soprano range. The sheer sensual quality of this music is wonderful; the complexity, the richness. For that reason alone, how could even an anti-modernist not be awestruck?

The Debussy is nice, but at times seems pitched too low, maybe better for a mezzo-soprano. 
The Stravinsky is killer, showing you what an achievement it is. I usually don't flip over watching orchestral performances, but the music here is so complex that it becomes interesting just watching the players. Boulez himself never seems to break a sweat, but here he almost gets excited. By his reaction at the end, it appears that he was genuinely pleased with all of the performances.

Was Christine Schäfer pregnant here? If not, she's getting a nice beer-gut.


----------



## Weston

drpraetorus said:


> MacDowell, Suite for Large Orchestra


I think there at least two suites. Is this the same as the "Indian" Suite? I like that one very much, and MacDowell in general is often overlooked.

(I am currently not listening, but trying to organize the massive amounts of music I have suddenly acquired due to the Amazon bargains thread and more legitimate purchases. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Saint-Saens' Septet Op.65 - Ross Pople, cond.


----------



## Ondine

Doing what I call contrast or 'impressionist' listening:

Dvorak String Quartets 10th & 11th and then, immediately, Mahler's 7th.

It is so easy to abide in his seventh... 

What the *****, I am loving this symphony!


----------



## bejart

Etienne Mehul (1763-1817): Symphony in No.4 in E Major

Michel Swierczewski leading the Orchestra of the Gulbenkian Foundation

View attachment 21235


----------



## SimonNZ

Weber's Piano Concertos 1 and 2 - Nikolai Demidenko, piano, Charles Mackerras, cond.

Curious conversation I just had with a classical enthusiast at the secondhand bins, a smart guy who clearly had many years of classical listening behind him. He was waxing lyrical about the Telarc label which he collects as he feels they are the most sonically flawless - his main criteria for acquisition, performer and repertoire being at best a secondary concern, behind showcasing his equipment. When I showed him this Weber disc he said hed never heard of Hyperion, who I consider label number one.

Each to their own of course and viva la difference, but I'm having another glance at the Telarc catalogue, still not feeling like they've got much I need, even if they have demonstration quality sound.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Nocturne No.2 in E Flat

Winterthurer Barock Quintet with Rudolf Weber on viola and Rudolf Frei on double bass: Martin Wendel, flute -- Hans Steinbeck, oboe -- Zoltan Szabo, violin -- Manfred Sax, bassoon

View attachment 21237


----------



## bejart

George Onslow (1784-1853): String Quartet in F Minor, Op.9, No.3

Mandelring Quartet: Sebastian Schmidt and Nanette Schmidt, violins -- Nora Niggeling, viola -- Bernhard Schmidt, cello

View attachment 21238


----------



## lunchdress

Stravinsky / Robert Craft cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Unsuk Chin: 6 Etudes
Mei Yi Foo, piano


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> *Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*
> 
> View attachment 21232


You've heard one Penderecki symphony you've heard them all. I'm in the midst of getting rid of all my Penderecki recordings. For me, one of the most overrated composers alive today.


----------



## Mahlerian

A little more modernist piano music to enrich the night, one inspiring the other:
Webern: Piano Variations
Charles Rosen









Takemitsu: Piano Distance
Aki Takahashi


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Cello Concerto - Pieter Wispelway, cello, Lawrence Renes, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Rossini - Famous Overtures*
La scala di seta , Semiramide , La gazza ladra , Guillaume Tell , Il barbiere di Siviglia , L'Italiana in Algeri , Il Signor Bruschino , La Cenerentola
- Montreal SO under Charles Dutoit



HaydnBearstheClock said:


> By the way, I'm glad to see the bassoon fart get an honourary mention .


So it should! That 'fart' occured over a hundred years before Ligeti's one in his 6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet and the one in a Nielsen symphony, I think his last one. Again, Haydn innovates. At a performance I went to of that Ligeti piece, the audience gave quite a chuckle at that pivotal moment, shall we say :lol: ...


----------



## Novelette

Ries: Piano Quintet in E Flat, Op. 25 -- Linos Ensemble

Dussek: Piano Sonata #24 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 61, "Elegie Harmonique" -- Masumi Nagasawa

Rosetti: Concerto for Two Horns in E Flat -- Sarah Willis, Klaus Wallendorf; Johannes Moesus: Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie

^ _Extraordinary_ music! Highly recommended.

Haydn: Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida, H 22/10, "Heiligmesse" -- Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Church Choir New York

Gluck: Ezio -- Alan Curtis: Il Complesso Barocco


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> You've heard one Penderecki symphony you've heard them all. I'm in the midst of getting rid of all my Penderecki recordings. For me, one of the most overrated composers alive today.


I've often had the same impression of Penderecki's symphonies. It's a pity. =\


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> I've often had the same impression of Penderecki's symphonies. It's a pity. =\


Yeah, thankfully there are so many other composers that are worth my time. Like Schumann or Shostakovich for example.


----------



## Selby

Machaut, Guillaume de - Messe de Nostre Dame [Paul Hillier, The Hilliard Ensemble]


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Symphonie Fantastique_. Always a fantastic work. Great performance too by Berlioz specialist Davis as well.


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's Jupiter - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez


----------



## ptr

Waking up the house!

*Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf* - Pynchon Cycle (*Neos*)









Ensemble SurPlus u. James Avery // Franklin Cox, violoncello // Peter Veale, oboe; EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR; Joachim Haas and Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, sound direction

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just time to pop on Clocks and Clouds - Ligeti - from the Teldec box - before work.
To slip into the American vernacular (cos it's more polite than what I'd say in 'English' English)
It's frickin' awesome!!


----------



## Stemahl

Mahlerian said:


> Via Spotify:
> Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
> Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Young


The like was more for the Mahler 6th because I haven't yet heard Simone Young conduct Mahler, but I have heard her Bruckner 8 and it was brilliant so I would expect good things. Hope you enjoyed it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonathan Harvey's Madonna Of Winter And Spring - George Benjamin, cond.


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (Ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata in D Major, BuxWV 267

John Holloway and Ursala Weiss, violins -- Jaap ter Linden and Mogen Rasmussen, violas -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, chamber organ

View attachment 21245


----------



## Jovian

Maula mere by Roop Kumar Rathod


----------



## Guest

This one is for Vaneyes:









Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto, Op. 64
Nicola Benedetti

Yowza!


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> This one is for Vaneyes:
> 
> View attachment 21247


And my eyes too! I bet the CD with it was a bonus. :devil:

I'm listening to Schnabel, schnaffling up a Schnubert....


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Kodaly's String Quartet No.2 - Hagen Quartet


----------



## julianoq

Decided to give a go to Norrington's Bruckner. Listening to the 4th symphony. Not enjoying at all, to finish this will be an endurance test.


----------



## julianoq

So I was unable to pass the 1st movement, sorry Mr. Norrington but I find your Bruckner terrible.

Now listening to Max Bruch's 1st Violin Concerto with Julia Fischer. I confess that I just clicked it quickly to escape from the previous record, but it is quite good.


----------



## Andolink

Louis Couperin: Suite in C major
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord








Antonio Brioschi: Symphony in B flat major (ca. 1744)
Atalanta Fugiens/ Vanni Moretto








Josquin Desprez: Missa Di Dadi
The Medieval Ensemble of London/Peter Davies & Timothy Davies 








Friedrich Cerha: Monumentum für Karl Prantl
RSO, Wien/Michael Gielen


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn Symphony #2, Hymn of Praise. I rather like this, well most of it. The opening choral part isn't to my taste but we can't have it all! Just my second listen, my first being a whole year ago I now realize.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Jerome said:


> This one is for Vaneyes:
> 
> View attachment 21247
> 
> 
> Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto, Op. 64
> Nicola Benedetti
> 
> Yowza!


Ahh, lucky you. 

Don't get too distracted by the cover art though!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I'm currently on another Mahler marathon, listening to his 4th Symphony performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Klaus Tennstedt from his studio cycle. Prior to this I had listened to his 1st and 3rd Symphonies from the same cycle.


----------



## Stemahl

Just finished listening to Verdi's Requiem which was great:









Next if I can handle a bit more religious music (it gets a bit much sometimes), I will listen to this piece I borrowed from a friend to see if I like it before buying:


----------



## Karabiner

then


----------



## millionrainbows

*DVD: Verbier Festival Highlights 2008. **Shostakovich:* *Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57. *Martha Argerich (piano), Joshua Bell, Henning Kraggerud (violins), Yuri Bashmet (viola), Mischa Maisky (cello) (Medici Arts).

I've only listened to the Shostakovich. This is Joshua Bell's first appearance with Martha. Her presence is very strong, I can see why she is a catalyst for bringing great players together. I also have her on CD with cellist Mischa Maisky, and to see him here is very impressive, and adds to my appreciation of all these artists. The performance is very good.

The sound is only PCM stereo, but at 48 kHz, it's better than CD quality. Many more selections to come on this one!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled new and recent releases...

*Bartok*: Violin Concerti 1 & 2, w. Faust/Swedish RSO/Harding; *Mahler*: Symphony 4 (arr. for chamber by Erwin Stein); *Debussy*: "Faune"; w. Grane/Royal Academy Ens./Pinnock; *Hindemith*: Violin Concerto (1939); Violin Sonatas (1918 - '39); w. Zimmermann/Pace/Frankfurt RSO/P. Jarvi.

Faust has positive history with Bartok. She brings her expertise here, with Swedish RSO/Harding in ideal accompaniment.

My first exposure to M4 chamber. A few wind and strings, piano, soprano does it, and convincingly so. What a saving on logistics! I see Mahler chamber roadshows coming. LOL Pinnock scores again.

Fresh Hindemith, courtesy of Zimmermann/Pace/P. Jarvi. This all-star lineup delivers the goods. No more need be said.

This is as good as performance and sound gets. Three thumbs up for everything! And for those interested, intro pricing is available at Presto, and maybe elsewhere.

View attachment 21257
View attachment 21258
View attachment 21259


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> My first listening of *Bruckner #8*. I think the first move by is really great, one of my favorites by Bruckner. Haven't heard the rest of the symphony yet.


Find BPO/Jochum (DG rec. 1964), and you'll be ready for another jump. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

PrimoUomo said:


> Another little bit boring opera
> Mozart's Mitridate with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My favorite recording of a Mozart opera and one of my favorite conductors and orchestras, and the cast is absolutely outstanding!
> 
> Cecila Bartoli as Sifare
> 
> Natalie Dessay as Aspasia
> 
> Giuseppe Sabbatini as Mitridate
> 
> Brian Asawa as Farnace
> 
> Sandrine Piau as Ismene
> 
> Hélène Le Corre as Arbate
> 
> Juan Diego Florez as Marzio


Never heard of it. Thanks for exposing, PU.


----------



## Mahlerian

julianoq said:


> Decided to give a go to Norrington's Bruckner. Listening to the 4th symphony. Not enjoying at all, to finish this will be an endurance test.


I've never particularly liked Norrington in anything. Haven't heard his Bruckner. On the other hand, it might be the version of the symphony that you're responding to as much as the performance. Have you heard the original 4th under a good Bruckner conductor like Young or (I suppose) Nagano?



Stemahl said:


> The like was more for the Mahler 6th because I haven't yet heard Simone Young conduct Mahler, but I have heard her Bruckner 8 and it was brilliant so I would expect good things. Hope you enjoyed it.


I did. I'm not really all that tempted to add it to my collection, but Young does a quite idiomatic Mahler, not at all simply time-beating and with a great feel for the inner dynamics of the prismatic instrumentation.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Chilling right now with the spellbinding ...

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 2 in D (P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony)


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, No. 4 in G
Alfred Brendel, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Rattle


----------



## Selby

Going Hiking, I have 5 hours so I am shooting for 10 miles. Here is the playlist, which includes right now and the drive:

1595	- Byrd - Mass for 5 Voices [Andrew Carwood, The Cardinall's Musick]

1815	- Schubert - Mass No. 2 in G major, D. 167 [Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Choruses]

1881	- Bruckner - Mass No. 3 in F minor, WAB 28 [Eugen Jochum, Chor & Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks]

1881	- Fauré - Messe basse [John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, Members of the City of London Sinfonia]

1926	- Janáček - Mša glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass) [Riccardo Chailly, Slovak Philharmonic Choir, Wiener Philharmoniker]

1948	- Stravinksy - Mass [James O'Donnell, Choir of Westminster Cathedral, The City of London Sinfonia]

1990	- Pärt - Berliner Messe [Tõnu Kaljuste, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra]


----------



## julianoq

Mahlerian said:


> I've never particularly liked Norrington in anything. Haven't heard his Bruckner. On the other hand, it might be the version of the symphony that you're responding to as much as the performance. Have you heard the original 4th under a good Bruckner conductor like Young or (I suppose) Nagano?


Yes, I listened to Young's performance and loved it. My problem with Norrington was the performance, really bad in my opinion. Strange tempos, lack of vibrato, really dry. His Beethoven cycle is not one my favorites but I think it is decent.

If you are feeling adventurous you may sample it, I wouldn't buy it even for .99 cents!


----------



## nightscape

Nezet-Seguin, Bruckner 6th. I saw a YouTube video of the first movement and thought it was great. I'm not all that familiar with Buckner, the only other symphony I've heard is the 4th, which I enjoyed.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Sampled new and recent releases...
> 
> *Bartok*: Violin Concerti 1 & 2, w. Faust/Swedish RSO/Harding
> 
> Faust has positive history with Bartok. She brings her expertise here, with Swedish RSO/Harding in ideal accompaniment.
> 
> View attachment 21257


Would you say this recording is worth buying? I've always admired Faust's playing but was just wondering how good are the performances?


----------



## julianoq

Shostakovich Symphony No.10, performed by Petrenko and the RLPO. Really love this performance and this is one my favorite symphonies. The first movement is absurd.


----------



## Mahlerian

julianoq said:


> Yes, I listened to Young's performance and loved it. My problem with Norrington was the performance, really bad in my opinion. Strange tempos, lack of vibrato, really dry. His Beethoven cycle is not one my favorites but I think it is decent.
> 
> If you are feeling adventurous you may sample it, I wouldn't buy it even for .99 cents!


Yeah, dry is exactly the word I would use. This only confirms my distaste for Norrington, whose Symphonie Fantastique was even worse than Karajan's. He gives HIP a bad name!


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> Shostakovich Symphony No.10, performed by Petrenko and the RLPO. Really love this performance and this is one my favorite symphonies. The first movement is absurd.


What do you mean by absurd?


----------



## julianoq

Neo Romanza said:


> What do you mean by absurd?


I mean absurdly good  I could listen to this on repeat for years without getting bored I guess.


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> I mean absurdly good  I could listen to this on repeat for years without getting bored I guess.


Oh, okay then I agree!  Yes, one of the greatest symphonies ever composed.


----------



## Mahlerian

Agh, Norrington has attacked Mahler as well! The results are anemic as expected...
http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-4/dp/B002VQ2400


----------



## julianoq

Mahlerian said:


> Agh, Norrington has attacked Mahler as well! The results are anemic as expected...
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-4/dp/B002VQ2400


Attack is a great word for it. He seems to be relentlessly attacking the music, with the intention of killing it.

Now listening to Bartók Violin Concerto No.2, performed by Arabella Steinbacher. First time listening this concert, very interesting theme on the 1st movement.


----------



## Kieran

*Sibelius #5*, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thomas Sondergard...


----------



## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> Agh, Norrington has attacked Mahler as well! The results are anemic as expected...
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-4/dp/B002VQ2400


Norrington makes me want to burn him in effigy


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> Never heard of it. Thanks for exposing, PU.


Glad I wasn't the only one.


----------



## millionrainbows

*DVD: Verbier Festival Highlights 2008. Sound: PCM stereo, 48kHz.

Beethoven: Symphony 6, first mvt. Manfred Honeck; UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra. *I'm glad I heard this; it's got some phrasing, tempo, and dynamic contrasts I've not heard before. I like this festival; the players all seem to be younger, less established. It brings a real freshness to it all.

*SCHUBERT: String Quartet in D minor, D810 "Death and the Maiden," movement II. Andante con moto.* *Quator Ébène.* The cellist's name is *Raphael Merlin. *Now, why couldn't I have had a fabulous name like that? He's good, too; the broken horsehairs are hanging off by the end. A prosaic little piece.

*PROKOFIEV: ROMEO and JULIET: TEN PIECES for PIANO, op. 75. No. 6: Montagues and Capulets;* Nikolai Lugansky, piano. Yes, that lugubrious Russian theme we all know, trudging through the snow.

*Erno Dohnányi: Sextet in C major, op. 37; IV: Finale. Allegro vivace, giocosco. *Now this I REALLY like. I'll have to get something by this guy! It's ebullient, bouncy, fresh, perky, full of spit and venom. I got a real charge out of watching these guys go through the changes. Wow, mom, get it today!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphonies 2 and 4.*

I probably need to hear Symphony No. 4 again. At first hearing, it's one big downer.


----------



## Mika

BBC Proms on radio:

PROM 04:

*Lully
Le bourgeois gentilhomme (11 mins)*
- overture and dances
*Rameau
Les Indes galantes (16 mins)*
- dances
*Délibes
Coppélia (15 mins)*
- excerpts
*Massenet
Le Cid (13 mins)*
- ballet music (excerpts)

*Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring (35 mins)*
---------
Les Siècles
François-Xavier Roth conductor

----------------------------------------------
Proms Chamber Music 1:

*Ravel
Violin Sonata (17 mins)*
*Mozart
Violin Sonata in G major, K379 (20 mins)*
*Lutosławski
Partita (15 mins)
*
Vilde Frang violin
Michail Lifits piano


----------



## julianoq

The work day is almost over and I haven't listened to any Sibelius today. Fixing it right now, listening to Symphony No. 3 with Maazel and the VPO.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, Sonata II, Grave.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Handel*: Concerti Grossi 1 - 12, Op. 6, w. Guildhall String Ensemble (rec.1987); *D. Scarlatti*: Keyboard Sonatas, w. Sudbin (rec.2004); Tharaud (rec.2010); Zacharias (rec.1979 - '84).

View attachment 21271
View attachment 21272
View attachment 21273
View attachment 21274


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons, Chorus of Countrymen and Hunters: Hört das laute Getön! (Wolfgang Sawallisch, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> *Penderecki, Symphonies 2 and 4.*
> 
> I probably need to hear Symphony No. 4 again. At first hearing, it's one big downer.
> 
> View attachment 21269


The whole cycle is a big downer.  Hartmann eats Penderecki for breakfast.


----------



## DrKilroy

I have to check out other symphonies by Berwald. I liked No. 3, but never tried anything else. Let's try No. 4!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> Would you say this recording is worth buying? I've always admired Faust's playing but was just wondering how good are the performances?


Qualifiers for purchasing...if I've understood you, there are no budget restrictions, or qualms about extra recs of a work (I do, about extras--Kremer and Shaham aren't going under the bus just yet). If that's the case, then this is a no-brainer quality purchase for soloist, accompaniment, and sound. Though I doubt there's a better package for these works, as always, do audition and compare. :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

Kungsbacka Trio performing *K542*, *K548 *and *K564*, by _WAM_... :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> The whole cycle is a big downer.  Hartmann eats Penderecki for breakfast.


I could see through that remark if it was wearing two sweaters and a raccoon coat.


----------



## Rangstrom

Three quartets by Gyrowetz on CPO. Interesting c1800 string music.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> Qualifiers for purchasing...if I've understood you, there are no budget restrictions, or qualms about extra recs of a work (I do, about extras--Kremer and Shaham aren't going under the bus just yet). If that's the case, then this is a no-brainer quality purchase for soloist, accompaniment, and sound. Though I doubt there's a better package for these works, as always, do audition and compare. :tiphat:


Thanks for the feedback. My favorite Bartok violinist is Kyung Wha Chung and this is after hearing many other fine violinists: Shaham, Mutter, Mullova, among others. I'll definitely wish list this Faust recording now.


----------



## Ondine

Now: Bach: 3 Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Cembalo. 
Kim Kashkashian, Viola. 
Keith Jarrett, Cembalo. 
ECM

Later, for the evening:

Dvorak String Quartets No. 12 & 13. Prager Streichquatett.

Mahler's Eight with Klaus Tennstedt.

Caution: The continued listening of this symphonies is highly addictive


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rameau's Zoroastre Suite - Jordi Savall, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> Agh, Norrington has attacked Mahler as well! The results are anemic as expected...
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-4/dp/B002VQ2400


Well, let's have a listen.

My impression is, he meant to clean the piece up, but I think he scrubbed out its soul.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ondine said:


> Now: Bach: 3 Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Cembalo.
> Kim Kashkashian, Viola.
> Keith Jarrett, Cembalo.
> ECM


following Ondine (I'd forgotten I had that album!):


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.16 in D MAjor, KV 451

Vladimir Ashkenazy on piano with the Philharmonia Orchestra

View attachment 21278


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Håkan Hardenberger (artist-only) radio on MOG.


----------



## kstanley

Sinfonia india and Xochipilla


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): String Quartet in C Major, Op.7, No.4

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balasz Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello

View attachment 21280


----------



## opus55

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major










The second movement is special.


----------



## Ondine

SimonNZ said:


> following Ondine (I'd forgotten I had that album!):
> 
> View attachment 21277


That is great, Simon!

The voice of that viola in hands of Kim is wonderful, isn't it?


----------



## SimonNZ

Ondine said:


> That is great, Simon!
> 
> The voice of that viola in hands of Kim is not like heaven but heaven in itself, isn't it?


Yes indeed. And I remembered that a local seller I get some great deals from is offering a couple of her discs at the moment, so I snapped those up this morning.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (17684-1838): Grand Sonata in C Major, Op.20, No.1

Kousay H. Mahdi Kadduri, cello -- Peter Nagy, piano

View attachment 21283


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: piano concerto no. 1


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I've not had a lot of time for listening lately but tonight I'm making a little time. I'm enjoying this wonderful recording of Joseph Jongen's Quartet for Piano Op.23 and his Piano Trio Op. 30 as performed by Ensemble Joseph Jongen. I highly recommend getting your hands on anything recorded of Jongen's works. Unfortunately too few of his many compositions have been recorded.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Chopin: 4 Scherzi -- Cécile Ousset

Haydn: Feldparthie in F, H 2/44 -- Consortium Classicum

Galuppi: Bassoon Concerto in B Flat -- Sergio Azzolini; Ivano Zanenghi: L'Opera Stravagante

Shostakovich: Symphony #11 in G Minor, Op. 103 -- Bernard Haitink: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

Kevin Pearson said:


> I've not had a lot of time for listening lately but tonight I'm making a little time. I'm enjoying this wonderful recording of Joseph Jongen's Quartet for Piano Op.23 and his Piano Trio Op. 30 as performed by Ensemble Joseph Jongen. I highly recommend getting your hands on anything recorded of Jongen's works. Unfortunately too few of his many compositions have been recorded.


Wow, I put on his Violin Concerto on YouTube. Judging from the introduction, I can tell already that I'm going to enjoy his music immensely. Thank you for the tip, Kevin!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. Absolutely sublime performance.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to the _Piano Concerto_. Absolutely sublime performance.


YES! All three are amazing works! And Perahia's performance is utterly magisterial.


----------



## neoshredder

Couldn't decide what to listen to tonight. So I decided on going with Radio Swiss Classic to decide for me what to listen to. Playing Mozart at the moment. Can't argue with their selection.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cello Suites - Miklos Perenyi, cello


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> YES! All three are amazing works! And Perahia's performance is utterly magisterial.


This performance with Abbado easily blows away Perahia's performance with Colin Davis (who isn't _right_ in my opinion for Schumann). Perahia sounds more inspired here and Abbado's accompaniment is sensitive and exciting. No wonder this recording is an actual gold disc.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm going to listen to Schoenberg's piano concerto later this evening. Havent decided on a recording but I know I'm going to listen to it!


----------



## PrimoUomo

Geminiani's La Foresta Incantata 
A surprisingly good pieces of music!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just watched this video of Mitsuko Uchida before listening to her play the Schoenberg Piano Concerto and now she is one of my favourite people ever!


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725): Sinfonia No.8

La Magnifica Comunita: Paolo Capirci, flute -- Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Alessandro Lanaro, viola -- Roberto Boarini, cello -- Pietro Perini, harpsichord

View attachment 21290


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue performed by Andre Previn & the London Symphony Orchestra.

This will be followed by Murray Perahia's recordings ofnMendelssohn's Piano Concerto 1 with th Acadamy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields & Sir Neville Marriner. If there is time, I will squeeze in the 2nd Piano Concerto too.


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's La Partition du Ciel et de l'Enfer - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: String Quartet No. 14 In G Major, K 387, "Spring"*

Comparing 2 different versions of this Quartet - the string quartets are my favourite Mozart works


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's Crytophonos - Claude Helffer, piano

edit: followed by Kaija Saariaho's Stilleben - Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Kevin Pearson said:


> I've not had a lot of time for listening lately but tonight I'm making a little time. I'm enjoying this wonderful recording of Joseph Jongen's Quartet for Piano Op.23 and his Piano Trio Op. 30 as performed by Ensemble Joseph Jongen. I highly recommend getting your hands on anything recorded of Jongen's works. Unfortunately too few of his many compositions have been recorded.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Wow. Thanks for the recommendation, listening to this record now and enjoying immensely. Never heard anything from Jongen before, I will certainly look for other works from him!


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen - Yvonne Loroid and Olivier Messiaen, pianos


----------



## Skilmarilion

Watching a recorded* Sibelius *concert on TV, with V. Sokolov -- violin, V. Ashkenazy, Chamber Orchestra of Europe:

Rakastava*

Violin Concerto in D minor

*Edit: This was my first listen of this, and it is really beautiful.


----------



## kevink

Recently I found these tapes of Glenn Gould recording Brahms in the studio, playing for fun at home, and testing pianos. It's over 9 hours long, so just thought I'd share it here (it's pretty interesting)

Full playlist here..

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1LGe9Z4KNzGGHOYCe7k5GSnc22nJHnz_


Glenn Gould's Brahms is very interesting.. He's pretty strict in tempo, plays it in a very unique way.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before work I'm listening to another great recording of Joseph Jongen. This time it's his Cello Concerto. To my ears and taste this concerto deserves to be in the standard repertoire.










Kevin


----------



## Ondine

SimonNZ said:


> Yes indeed. And I remembered that a local seller I get some great deals from is offering a couple of her discs at the moment, so I snapped those up this morning.
> 
> View attachment 21281
> View attachment 21282


Thanks, I will take note of them.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*D. Scarlatti*: Keyboard Sonatas, w. Queffelec (rec.1970); Tipo (rec.1987); Pletnev (rec.1994); Pogorelich (rec.1991).

View attachment 21296
View attachment 21297
View attachment 21298
View attachment 21299


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, Sonata VII, Largo (Paul Angerer).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, I. Allegro ma non troppo (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## NightHawk

*@Vaneyes*;494395]CPR Edition:

I really enjoy Domenico Scarlatti, and that Pogorelich recording is unbelievable. In my opine that recording puts Alexandre Tharaud in the shade.


----------



## Andolink

George Frideric Handel: Israel in Egypt
Nancy Argenta, soprano; Emily van Evera, soprano; Timothy Wilson, alto; Anthony Rolfe Johnson tenor; David Thomas, bass; 
Jeremy White, bass
Taverner Choir & Taverner Players/Andrew Parrott


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat, No. 3 in C minor
Alfred Brendel, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Rattle


----------



## DaveS

Mahler 4th. Reiner, CSO. Lisa della Casa


----------



## Vaneyes

NightHawk said:


> *@Vaneyes*;494395]CPR Edition:
> 
> I really enjoy Domenico Scarlatti, and that Pogorelich recording is unbelievable. In my opine that recording puts Alexandre Tharaud in the shade.


Yes, early Pogo can be quite enchanting.

But I think we can agree on, that at this calibre of music-making, no one's really in the shade. It's simply different artist treatment, and of course listener preference.

Personally, I enjoy variances...whether they be D. Scarlatti, Haydn, Schubert, Scriabin, Myaskovsky, Prokofiev sonatas. For Mozart, LvB, Chopin, Brahms, I'm a little more set in my ways. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*D. Scarlatti*: Keyboard Sonatas, w. Scherbakov (rec.2000); Schiff (rec.1987); Horowitz (rec.1964 - '67); Ts'ong (rec.1990).








View attachment 21304
View attachment 21305


----------



## Blancrocher

Antoine Bouchard playing Pachelbel's Magnificat Fugues--as a prelude to Bach!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 7.*

On first listen, this one isn't ringing my chimes. I need to hear it again, but right now, I think I liked Penderecki more when he was noisy.


----------



## Art Rock

Lydische Nacht, a 1913 composition by Dutch composer Alphons Diepenbrock (a radio recording).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Wooden Prince.*

This piece has two of my favorite things: Bartok and saxophones.


----------



## neoshredder

Going through the TC Top Symphonies list. Onto Mahler's 2nd. I got the first 6 on that list on my MOG Playlist.


----------



## Bix

neoshredder said:


> Going through the TC Top Symphonies list. Onto Mahler's 2nd. I got the first 6 on that list on my MOG Playlist.


Do you want to join us on a Saturday, we are working through the TC top symphonies each week.


----------



## neoshredder

Bix said:


> Do you want to join us on a Saturday, we are working through the TC top symphonies each week.


Kind of a long flight to England. :lol:


----------



## Guest

Serenades by Wolfgang Mozart and played by Sir Neville Marriner with The Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields:








The Gran Partita Serenade for 13 wind instruments is among my favorite pieces of music ever written.








Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is overplayed for a reason. What a masterpiece of elegance and beauty!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*D. Scarlatti*: Keyboard Sonatas, w. Weissenberg (rec.1985); Babayan (rec.1995); ABM (rec.1961).

View attachment 21310
View attachment 21311
View attachment 21312


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G.P. Telemann, Overture in F minor for two recorders, strings & b.c. - I. Ouverture (Gottfried von der Goltz, Freiburger Barockorchester).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Feldman, *Piano and Orchestra*, *Cello and Orchestra.*


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Maurice Ravel's Violin Sonata in G Major. Already listened to the Tzigane and Sonata for Violin and Cello, all of them very well performed by Rivinus, Neudauer and Steckel. Great record.


----------



## DrKilroy

That's a great sonata, one of my favourite chamber works. 

Now, I am going to listen to Szymanowski's Symphonies Nos. 3 (I still haven't listened to it yet) and 4 (Stryja).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 (Kissin, Davis).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mika

Proms on radio:

*Helmut Lachenmann
Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied (c36 mins)*
UK Premiere

*Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor (73 mins)*

Arditti Quartet

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
Jonathan Nott conductor

------
Some related youtube links I checked also


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* Salzburg Symphonies (Divertimenti for strings, KV. 136 - KV. 138)
- Capella Istropolitana under Richard Edlinger

*Toselli* Nightingale Serenade ; *Shostakovich* Second Waltz; *Monnot* Milord (Edith Piaf) ; *A.L.Webber* Memory (Cats) ; *Hoffmeister (attrib. Haydn)* Serenade
- Andre Rieu and his orchestra (arrangements by Rieu)

*Britten* Violin Concerto
- Rebecca Hirsch, violin with BBC Scottish SO under Takuo Yuasa

*Bernstein* Symphony #1, "Jeremiah"
- Christa Ludwig, mezzo with Israel PO under the composer


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Tartini*: Violin Concerti, w. Ughi (rec.1984); Nikolitch (rec.1996); Daskalakis (rec.2005).

View attachment 21315
View attachment 21316
View attachment 21317
View attachment 21318


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*CPE Bach*: Cello Concerti, w. Suziki (rec.1996); Symphonies, w. Haenchen (rec.1985/6); Sonatas, w. Pletnev (rec.1998).

View attachment 21319







View attachment 21320
View attachment 21321


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dohnanyi's Humoresques in the form of a suite Op 17 - Martin Roscoe, piano


----------



## Kieran

*K364*, in bed while I read. Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin Philly. I think one of the soloists is called Brandl and I can't remember the name of the other guy - might be Rumpelstiltskin, at a guess - but I ain't gettin' outta bed to discover it!


----------



## Guest

Well, just hanging gardens for now


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Clarinet Quartet in B Flat, Op.21, No.1

Jan Budin on clarinet with members of the Panocha Quartet: Jiri Panocha, violin -- Miroslav Schnoutka, viola -- Jaroslav Kulhan, cello

View attachment 21324


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*

Another downer symphony. He's making Shostakovich look positively sunny.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto - Alex Klein, oboe, Daniel Barenboim, cond.

though now I want to hear that Hanging Gardens work by Schoenberg


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Horn Concerto No. 4
_Albert Linder, Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Hans Swarowsky_


----------



## Karabiner

Lest I be seen as wholly in the "wig" camp:







then


----------



## opus55

Walton: Violin Concerto
Dvorak: Violin Concerto


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Followed by...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I like to mix things up.


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Piano Sonata No. 16, "Sonata Facile"
_Jeno Jando_

One of my favourite Mozart pieces, played by one of my favourite pianists.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Piano Quartet_. Wonderful music.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet in F major, Op. 77 No. 2
Szymanowski: Concert Overture, Op. 12
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Weston

I've been browsing YouTube looking for new compositions to explore and found a charming little *Suite for piccolo and orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski. *As it is Antoni Wit and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, that's probably a Naxos recording. It's one I'd like to get. It's quite a pleasant piece.


----------



## Novelette

A Haydn kind of day!

Haydn: La Vera Costanza Overture, H 1A/15 -- Kevin Mallon: Toronto Chamber Orchestra

Haydn: Piano Sonata #30 in D, H 16/19 -- Yours truly

Haydn: String Quartet #62 in B Flat, Op. 55/3, H 3/62 -- Kodály Quartet

Haydn: Symphony #66 in B Flat, H 1/66 -- Béla Drahos: Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia

Haydn: String Quartet #81 in G, Op. 77/1, H 3/81, "Lobkowitz I" -- Kodály Quartet

Haydn: Piano Trio #27 in C, Hob. XV: 27 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

And then, just to spice things up a bit!

Brahms: Variations on a *Theme of Haydn*, Op. 56a -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

And then, of course, I listened to the work the second movement of which is the very theme from which Brahms' variations are built!

Haydn: Feldparthie in B Flat, H 2/46 -- Consortium Classicum

_That's_ what I call a happy musical day!


----------



## neoshredder

One of those hidden gems.
Biber - Violin Sonatas. I guess I got BIber fever.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Concerto










First rate performance


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now for another Schuman:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3_. Scintillating performance.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann - Piano Quartet in E Flat


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rubbra - Symphony No.1 
Chandos - Hickox

I love this piece now. The more I get to know this cycle. The more I feel it is one of the finest of the 20th Century.








And earlier Robert Simpson - Symphony No. 10 - Handley

Early days here but dare I say his music continues to be a little one dimensional. On the surface exciting but then no moments of beauty, no lyricism.

Still got another 8 symphonies to listen to yet though so perhaps he'll surprise me.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J.S. Bach, Violin Concerto in E Major, I. Allegro (Gidon Kremer, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).


----------



## Guest

Mozart: Concertos for Two and Three Pianos
Ronald Brautigam, Alexei Lubimov, Manfred Huss - Haydn Sinfonietta. Wien

This Disc has two versions of K365 - the original from 1779, and a later version with clarinets, trumpets, and timpani added. I did not know about this alteration and can't wait to compare the two.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> This Disc has two versions of K365 - the original from 1779, and a later version with clarinets, trumpets, and timpani added. I did not know about this alteration and can't wait to compare the two.


I didn't know that either! One of my favourite PC's, I'll have to see which version I have - and which one I need!


----------



## Conor71

*Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 2, Sz 95*

Bartoks not normally a composer I listen to a lot but I have been especially enjoying him the last few weeks. Got an all-Bartok playlist for tonight:


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Overture in G Minor, TWV 55:g4

Nikolaus Harnoncourt leading Concentus musicus Wien

View attachment 21334


----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Anastenaria - Charles Bornstein, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Kodaly's Duo for Violin and Cello - Jean-Marc Phillips, violin, Xavier Phillips, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D, I. Allegro (The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock).


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Fauré's Requiem, conducted by John Rutter. A very beautiful performance of this great work.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before work I'm listening to Hakon Borresen's 1st Symphony. I've always liked this symphony, especially the 2nd and 3rd movements. Borresen has a touch of Nielsen, a touch of Sibelius and a lot of Tchaikovsky.










Kevin


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> I didn't know that either! One of my favourite PC's, I'll have to see which version I have - and which one I need!


To me, the additional instruments sound like superfluous bombast added to something that was already in perfect balance. I know that Mozart could throw in bombast with more finesse than anyone, but I'm inclined to say you can't improve on perfection. I like it better without.


----------



## Mahlerian

Jerome said:


> To me, the additional instruments sound like superfluous bombast added to something that was already in perfect balance. I know that Mozart could throw in bombast with more finesse than anyone, but I'm inclined to say you can't improve on perfection. I like it better without.


...the phrase "bombast with finesse" should be consigned to the 6th circle of Semantic Hell_(TM)_. What on earth does that even mean?

Ligeti: Etudes Books 1 and 2, Musica Ricercarta
Pierre-Laurent Aimard









Schoenberg: Six Little Pieces for Piano, Op. 19
Glenn Gould









Lest I be seen entirely as a non-wig:

Mozart: Symphony No. 16 in C, K128
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras









Haydn: Symphony No. 93 in D
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, cond. Fischer
(3 images max, sorry!)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Haydn*: Piano Concerto 11, w. Argerich (rec.1983); Symphonies 45 & 49, w. Baltic CO/Litkov (rec. 1994); Symphonies 82 - 87, w. Kuijken (rec.1989); Symphonies 92, 94, 96, w. Szell (rec.1961 - '68).

View attachment 21343
View attachment 21344
View attachment 21345
View attachment 21346


----------



## science

All on the light and sweet side, but these days I need a little new-agey music....


----------



## science

Light & Sweet Cont'd.










Ugh. Maybe it'll grow on me over time, but for the foreseeable future, when I want to hear it the way I love it, I'll stick with Klemperer.










Those Cinquecento fellas can sing. I've got two of their recordings, and I'll get more. This disk says Richafort, but there's a lot of Josquin there too, and maybe I've never enjoyed Josquin as much as I did listening to this.


----------



## Selby

Machaut, Guillaume de - Messe de Nostre Dame [Paul Hillier, The Hilliard Ensemble]


----------



## Andolink

Louis Couperin: Suite in A minor
Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord








Pierre de la Rue: Dilecta juventutis
The Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Schumann - Piano Quartet in E Flat


Nice, Neoshredder! Amazing work, all of it. As much as I love the third movement, I think the finale is my favorite. Schumann + Heavy Counterpoint? A winning recipe!


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> ...the phrase "bombast with finesse" should be consigned to the 6th circle of Semantic Hell*(TM)*. What on earth does that even mean?


Oh Mahlerian, I haven't laughed so hard in weeks. :lol:

Edit: Hmm, I emboldened the "TM", but it hardly came out. That's the funny part.


----------



## Blancrocher

Gould/Laredo/Rose in Bach sonatas. It is what it is, and I love it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Joseph Haydn, symphony 104, 'London', IV. Finale: Spirituoso (Dresdner Philharmonie, Günther Herbig).


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Joseph Jongen's Piano Trio, performed by Ensemble Joseph Jongen. Great stuff.


----------



## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> ...the phrase "bombast with finesse" should be consigned to the 6th circle of Semantic Hell_(TM)_. What on earth does that even mean?


Made I chuckle :lol:


----------



## Bix

Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, opus 7 / Nicolosi, Piano / Alma Mahler Sinfonietta with Stefania Rinaldi


----------



## julianoq

Listening for the first time Furtwangler conducting Bruckner Symphony No. 7. As usual with Furtwangler, I love the interpretation but the sound quality bothers me.


----------



## Bix

Weber: Konzertsück in F minor, op. 79 (Brendel / LSO)


----------



## Selby

Bloch, Ernest - Baal Shem: 3 Pictures of Hassidic Life [Joshua Bell, David Zinman, Baltimore Symphony]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat Major, II. Adagio ma non tanto (The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock).


----------



## SimonNZ

Turina's Gypsy Dances Op.84 - Jordi Maso, piano


----------



## aleazk

Georg Friedrich Haas - _limited approximations_


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak* Symphony #9 'From the New World'
- BBC Scottish SO under Donald Runnicles

*Bernstein (music), Comden & Green (lyrics)* On The Town
- Original cast members with Mary Martin, 1945 & 1956

*May* Heut' ist der schonste tag, *Chaplin* Limelight (Main Theme), *Rodrigo* Concierto de Aranjuez, *Stolz* Ob blond, Ob braun, *Lerner & Loewe* I could have danced all night & With a little bit of luck (from My Fair Lady)
- Andre Rieu and his orch. (arrangements: Rieu)

*Mozart* Divertimento for orch. in D major, K. 205
- Capella Istropolitana under Richard Edlinger


----------



## aleazk

Brahms - Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79.

I love the second one. It has such a strange mood. Like some kind of desperate anguish, sometimes devastating, but sometimes introspective and mysterious.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Andolink

Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 14
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sergiu Comissiona






(2nd time through this: able to put the pieces together now; this is brilliantly paced and texturally varied; top flight Pettersson!)


----------



## Selby

Milhaud, Darius - String Quartet No. 8, Op. 121 [Quatuor Parisii]


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## SimonNZ

You know that's about the twentieth time you've slapped down that screenshot of Joan Sutherland making her O-face, right?

Anyone who wanted to join you in enjoying that vid would have done so by now.

(I'm breaking two of my own rules by having to point this out)


----------



## bejart

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782): Quintet in D Major, Op.11, No.6

Concentus musicus Wien: Leopold Stastny, flute -- Jurg Schaeftlein, oboe -- Alice Harnoncourt, violin -- Kurt Theiner, viola -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cello

View attachment 21364


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure's Requiem - Accentus

from the 5-cd Accentus box I just got from a local seller, which turns out to be not so much a box as five of their cds put into a thin card outer sleeve, as Naive have also done with their Alessandrini Monteverdis - just a little warehouse clearing

nothing wrong with that, and the price was certainly right, but I'd prefer they made it a little clearer in case I was wanting a delux-y thing to give as a present


----------



## Ondine

Ignaz Pleyel: String Quartes Op. 2 Nos. 4-6. 

Being from the time of Mozart, are absolutely beautiful for Classicism String Quartet lovers. 

Enso Quartet. Naxos.


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich String Quartet no. 11
Borodins


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
Tartini: Violin Concerto in D major, Op.1 No. 4


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Goldberg Variations.*

As the old German soldier on Laugh In used to say, Very Interesting. (Does anyone even _remember_ Laugh In?)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Alicia de Larrrocha, piano

View attachment 21367


Manxfeeder says ---
".... the old German soldier on Laugh In used to say, Very Interesting. (Does anyone even remember Laugh In?)"

Sure, Arte Johnson --

View attachment 21368


----------



## SimonNZ

William Byrd Consort Songs - Emma Kirkby, Fretwork


----------



## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> Rubbra - Symphony No.1
> Chandos - Hickox
> 
> I love this piece now. The more I get to know this cycle. The more I feel it is one of the finest of the 20th Century.
> View attachment 21331
> 
> 
> And earlier Robert Simpson - Symphony No. 10 - Handley
> 
> Early days here but dare I say his music continues to be a little one dimensional. On the surface exciting but then no moments of beauty, no lyricism.
> 
> Still got another 8 symphonies to listen to yet though so perhaps he'll surprise me.
> 
> View attachment 21332


Yes, Rubbra's symphonic cycle is sadly neglected and is really fantastic all the way through.

Re: Robert Simpson

I've had your same reaction for several years now. There's just no thematic material in any of Simpson's music that sticks out or that's even memorable. There are no contrasts or variations in mood in his music. It is, as you said, one-dimensional. Of course, I admire the structural unity of his music and the strong rhythmic vitality it projects but this just isn't enough when there aren't any contrasts and strong musical ideas.


----------



## NightHawk

The Complete Mazurkas, Karol Szymanowski, pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin


----------



## lunchdress

Listening to Bach: Mass in B minor / Karl Richter - Münchener Bach-Chor & Orchester (1962)






...and now with visions of Jo Anne Worley dancing in my head, thanks Manxfeeder!


----------



## NightHawk

Great clip of Birgit Nilsson, Solti _et al_ in the finale of 'TwilightoftheGods' - my god, what a voice. Thanks for posting.



belfastboy said:


>


----------



## Neo Romanza

Currently listened to:










Listened to Disc 4 which contained _Fantasiestucke_, _Adagio and Allegro_, _Marchenbilder_, and _Violin Sonata No. 2_. I can't list all the performers (way too many), but the always enchanting Martha Argerich was at the piano for all the performances.

Now for a nice contrast to the Schumann:










Listening to _Symphony No. 3_. Great!


----------



## Novelette

Thanks to the inspiration of my friend Neo Romanza, I had to make today a Schumann day!

Schumann: Romanzen für Frauenstimmen, Heft 2, Op. 91 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Schumann: Andante & Variations for Two Pianos, Two Cellos, and Horn in B Flat, Op. 46 -- Peter Frankl, András Schiff, et al

Schumann: 12 Gedichte von Justinus Kerner, Op. 35 -- Graham Johnson: Christine Schäfer

Schumann: 5 Stücke Im Volkston, Op. 102 -- Marek Jerie, Ivan Klánský

Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17 -- Alfred Brendel

Schumann: Nachtstücke, Op. 23 -- Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 140 "Wachet Auf" - Joshua Rifkin

I've never liked the Rifkin Bach cantata recordings and its high time I let this set go. This has all the can't-see-the-woods-for-the-trees crazy decision-making that can give HIP a bad name.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel, Water Music, Suite 1 in F Major, Allegro (Karl Münchinger, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester).

J. Haydn, Symphony #42 in D Major, I. Moderato e maestoso (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Philip Glass Ensemble: A Retrospective"

or, more exactly, "A Retrospective Concert" (Mexico, 2004)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Haas: Limited Approximations






Recommended by Aleazk. I haven't heard anything from this composer before so I didn't know what to expect, but so far this is one of the best things I've heard from this century!


----------



## SimonNZ

Also listening to Haas' Limited Approximations via that link

the comments are wrong when they say its not available on cd: its part of ths very tasty looking 4-cd set: (edit: oh wait, a later comment pointed this out)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Neos/NEOS11114-17


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Trio Sonata in A Minor

Elisabeth Weinzierl and Edmund Wachter, flutes -- Eva Schieferstein, harpsichord

View attachment 21376


----------



## SimonNZ

"Ikon II" (Russian choral music) - Holst Singers, Stephen Layton, dir.


----------



## EricABQ

Haydn symphony 100.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Tristan: Siegfried Jerusalem, tenor
König Marke: Matti Salminen, bass
Isolde: Waltraud Meier, soprano
Kurwenal: Falk Struckmann, baritone
Melot: Johan Botha, tenor
Brangäne: Marjana Lipovšek, mezzo-soprano
Ein Hirt: Peter Maus, tenor
Ein Steuermann: Roman Trekel, baritone
Ein junger Seeman: Uwe Heilmann, tenor
Schiffsvolk, Ritter und Knappen: Chor der Berliner Staatsoper
Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Daniel Barenboim









I'm off to see a concert performance of this tomorrow night, got free tickets and going with friends! 
I bot this box set last year for this year being the bicentennial of Wagner's birth...I do like Barenboim's Wagner despite the fact that some people may say his conducting is rather boring. Meier and Jerusalem make the best Isolde and Tristan pair ever!


----------



## Guest

Mahlerian said:


> ...the phrase "bombast with finesse" should be consigned to the 6th circle of Semantic Hell_(TM)_. What on earth does that even mean?


Are you anti-semantic?


----------



## kevink

I'm playing ALL these pieces for a piano eisteddfod in a week and a half, so trying to listen to them a lot.

Chopin Etude Op. 25 no. 1
Brahms Rhapsody op. 79 no. 2 in G minor
Ginastera Dance of the Gaucho Matrero
Borodin Tarantella in D major
Beethoven Pathetique 1st mov.
Prokofiev Visions fugitives no. 6-10
Debussy Suite bergamasque Passepied
Bach Partita No. 2 C minor Sinfonia

***

Apart from this, just recently found these brilliant tapes of Glenn Gould recording Brahms Ballades and Rhapsodies






Check out the playlist on my channel, over 8 hours of rare Glenn Gould tapes! (not published recordings)


----------



## adrem

Lutosławski Cello Concerto by Rostropovich (Yesterday I heard excellent interpretation of this masterpiece by Paul Watkins at BBC Proms):


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

Ludwig Guttler - Telemann Trumpet Concerto in D+ TWV51; D7. (Adagio). And I'm sure everyone who plays trumpet is going to roll their eyes.


----------



## SimonNZ

Catching up on some blog entries from On An Overgrown Path I discover that about a week ago it was ECM owner/producer Manfred Eicher's 70th birthday.

Its too late tonight, but I'm pulling out a personal favorite ECM, one seemingly neglected and misunderstood, for a serious listen over the weekend. Its been way too long since I last heard it:









"The Book Of Ways" - Keith Jarrett, clavichord

and yes, I'm filing it under "classical"


----------



## NightHawk

*@musicphotogAnimal*

Not rollin' my eyes, the Telemann Adagio is beautiful and Ludwig Guttler's performance was a great way to start my day.



> Ludwig Guttler - Telemann Trumpet Concerto in D+ TWV51; D7. (Adagio). And I'm sure everyone who plays trumpet is going to roll their eyes.


----------



## lunchdress

"Listening to Bach: Mass in B minor / Karl Richter - Münchener Bach-Chor & Orchester (1962)





 "

Well the second half of the mass on Youtube was abruptly cut off during the Gloria Chorus so that was pretty much a bust 

This morning I've started listening to Rachmaninoff: Complete Piano Music - The VOX BOX Edition
Michael Ponti & Robert Leonardy

(Thanks to violadude for the hot tip in The "Crazy Good Deals @ Amazon MP3" Thread)


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Sibelius Symphony No. 2 conducted by Monteux and the LSO. Had this performance recommended and enjoying it so far!


----------



## Stemahl

Listening to the overture from this:









Then the mighty Egmont overture in this performance:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> Thanks to the inspiration of my friend Neo Romanza, I had to make today a Schumann day!
> 
> Schumann: Romanzen für Frauenstimmen, Heft 2, Op. 91 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble
> 
> Schumann: Andante & Variations for Two Pianos, Two Cellos, and Horn in B Flat, Op. 46 -- Peter Frankl, András Schiff, et al
> 
> Schumann: 12 Gedichte von Justinus Kerner, Op. 35 -- Graham Johnson: Christine Schäfer
> 
> Schumann: 5 Stücke Im Volkston, Op. 102 -- Marek Jerie, Ivan Klánský
> 
> Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17 -- Alfred Brendel
> 
> Schumann: Nachtstücke, Op. 23 -- Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy


Yes, there's nothing like a good, solid Schumann-a-thon.


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

NightHawk said:


> *@musicphotogAnimal*
> 
> Not rollin' my eyes, the Telemann Adagio is beautiful and Ludwig Guttler's performance was a great way to start my day.


Well, I'm glad. I love that piece. Found the score to Adagio... And wondering if my ol' arthritic fingers can still play the "harpsichord" accompaniment on the fortepiano after 22 years of not touching the keyboard at all. Seeing if my "trumpet playing friend" - He has a Scherzer Rotary C trumpet and is a professional orchestral and soloist trumpet-player - might be interested in doing an ad hoc recording.  Ironically, I played accompaniment for him on his first college recital back in the old days when we were music students (I was a vocal major; piano secondary) instead of a photographer.


----------



## science

Had some time today.










Really, the cover looks better than that. It's a wonderful cover. One of the Sony covers that works.










Well, that was my Vienna boys for the day. I don't know why people find them hard to listen to. It's just music, even from a romantic listener's POV.










Love that Franck. I get a little of that "I know people who despise this" joy from it. And hey, to me, it develops well.


----------



## science

... speaking of which:


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> I don't know why people find them hard to listen to. It's just music, even from a romantic listener's POV.


I like that cover also - Demuth's I Dreamed I Saw the Number 5 in Gold. This is music that is coming at you like a fire engine.

Today, another spin of *Bach's Goldberg Variations *by Murray Perahia.

This is hard to listen to as background music; Mr. Perahia always puts in little things that keep me in the moment.


----------



## Sudonim

science said:


> Really, the cover looks better than that. It's a wonderful cover. One of the Sony covers that works.


The first time I saw that cover (probably posted here somewhere) I thought it was a parody. It looks so much like Brubeck's _Time Out_, with a helping of _Mingus Ah Um_ thrown in, that I thought maybe someone had concocted a knockoff of some kind. Some art director at Columbia must have been going through a phase.

Anyway, thread duty:









Excellent reading, just as Tony Duggan said. 

I also listened to Mendelssohn's String Quintets, Opp.18 & 87 (Sharon Quartet w/Petera Vahle).


----------



## Selby

Takemitsu, Toru - A String Around Autumn and others [Tadaaki Otaka, BBC National Orchestra of Wales}


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*

I'm finally able to hear this on my home stereo as opposed to my car. The sound is much better. I'm getting more out of this piece now - fortunately. I was getting worried about my purchase.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

musicphotogAnimal said:


> Ludwig Guttler - Telemann Trumpet Concerto in D+ TWV51; D7. (Adagio). And I'm sure everyone who plays trumpet is going to roll their eyes.


I've sort of been thinking of getting that CD - it's on sale for less than 3 Euros on Amazon .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony #50 in C Major, IV. Finale. Presto (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik). 

Don't know why this symphony got bad 'reviews', it may not be extremely long but it has excellent content in my opinion.


----------



## DrKilroy

Today I am going to listen to The Planets by Holst (under Previn), as today (or perhaps yesterday, or two days ago; I am not sure  ) a year passes since my first listening of this great work. 

Apart from that, I will listen to some Hindemith. I will probably not finish my list today, but my plans include: Mathis der Maler Symphony, Konzertmusik op. 49, Violin Sonata No. 3, Horn Concerto, Concerto for Orchestra, Piano Concerto, Philharmonisches Konzert and Organ Sonatas. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Brahms, symphony #4 in E minor, I. Allegro non troppo (Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan).


----------



## Bix

Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand / Fleisher, Piano / BSO with Ozawa


----------



## julianoq

Exploring Rautavaara's music again, listening to the 1st symphony performed by Mikko Franck and the NOB. Interesting work, the first movement reminds me of Shosty and Prokofiev. Lets see how it goes.


----------



## DaveS

Seems like perfect listening for a dreadfully hot summer afternoon. Presently listening to Ravel's Tombeau.....


----------



## Bix

Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto No. 2 / Rubinstein / LSO with Previn


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Seven Last Words (Choral version) - Accentus with Akademie Fur Alte Musik Berlin


----------



## Sid James

*Copland* El Salon Mexico
- Detroit SO under Antal Dorati

*Haydn* Symphonies 95, 102 & 104 "London"
- New Philharmonia Orchestra under Otto Klemperer

*Ravel* Rapsodie Espagnole
- Melbourne SO under Hiroyuki Iwaki


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - John Barbirolli, cond.


----------



## schuberkovich

Schubert string quartet no. 14 "Death and the Maiden"
Quartetto Italiano


----------



## Schubussy

Confession time. The only baroque music I've really listened to at all is JS Bach. A situation I aim to fix this week.

Handel: Trio Sonatas Opp.2 & 5 
Richard Egarr, Academy of Ancient Music








Very impressed with this CD. I got Jordi Savall and Le Concert Des Nations playing Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks too.


----------



## Andolink

Pierre de la Rue: Missa Cum iocunditate
The Hilliard Ensemble








Alexander Goehr: Pastorals, Op. 19 (1965)
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Knussen


----------



## korenbloem

Morton Feldman - Violin and Orchestra (2013)


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, there's nothing like a good, solid Schumann-a-thon.


You said it! I think I could easily fall in love with his music all over again.


----------



## millionrainbows

*American Piano Music 1900-1930.* Richard Zimdars, piano (Albany). A nice recording of *Ives Sonata No. 1 (1909-1919)...Dane Rudhyar: Third Pentagram - Release (1926); Aaron Copland: Piano Variations (1930); Henry Cowell: Three Irish Legends (1917-1922).*

Recording is a little dark and ambient, but comes through. Richard Zimdars is an unlikely-looking virtuoso, scruffy and wiry, even grizzled, but he's got the credentials. I'm glad I found it. It's good to finally hear Copland's Piano Variations, which Bernstein raved about; and Dane Rudhyar is a pleasant surprise. Strange, emblematic music, almost mystical outsider stuff...and I always need another Ives 1 for reference.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> You said it! I think I could easily fall in love with his music all over again.


That's quite easy to do!  One listen to _Violin Sonata No. 2_ should do it.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Plain-Chant Parisien" - Ensemble Organum, Marcel Peres, dir.


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: Rêverie et Caprice, Op. 8 -- Itzhak Perlman; Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre de Paris

Tchaikovsky: Morceau, Op. 72 -- Mikhail Pletnev

Borodin: Petite Suite -- Luba Edlina

Usper: Compositioni Armoniche -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Cherubini: Horn Sonata #2 in F -- Alessio Allegrini: I Solisti Della Scala Milano

Fux: Libera Me, K 54 -- René Clemencic: Clemencic Consort


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> That's quite easy to do!  One listen to _Violin Sonata No. 2_ should do it.


YES! YES!! YES!!!

I've occasionally heard the complaint that the "refrain" appears much too often in the finale. Foolish tongues! It could easily recur twice as much and I wouldn't tire of it!


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Friedrich Gernsheim (17 July 1839-1916): Piano Quartet No.3 in F Major, Op.47

Andreas Kirpal on piano with members of the Diogenes Quartet: Stefan Kirpal, violin -- Stephanie Kraus, viola -- Stephen Ristau, cello

View attachment 21416


----------



## opus55

Boccherini: Cello Quintet in E major, G275
Schubert: Symphony No. 8


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"} Symphony No.8 in C Minor, *
both works quite lushly traversed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra. I must say here that although I like both Karajan and Bernstein's readings of these symphonies, I am finding that under Maestro Szell's precise baton and slower tempos, I am able to hear more details each time I listen to these pieces, and thus, able to enjoy them more.


----------



## Selby

Duruflé, Maurice - Requiem, Op. 9 [Petersen, Kunz-Annoff, Meldau-Dziewierz, Pyzik, Krawczynski, Krakauer Kammerchor]


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Boccherini: Cello Quintet in E major, G275
> Schubert: Symphony No. 8


Hi, Opus. I have found the Harnoncourt *Schubert Cycle* to be very rewarding. Hope you're enjoying it as well.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Foreign Bodies_. Excellent performance and excitingly colorful music from Salonen.


----------



## Blancrocher

Neo Romanza said:


> Listening to _Foreign Bodies_. Excellent performance and excitingly colorful music from Salonen.


I've been listening to his piano and violin concertos lately. I think he's an interesting composer, and look forward to what he's got in store for us next.


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> Hi, Opus. I have found the Harnoncourt *Schubert Cycle* to be very rewarding. Hope you're enjoying it as well.


Harnoncourt's recording of Schubert symphonies breathe life. The wind instruments in the early symphonies make me want to whistle along.

Time to go to bed after listening to Brahms' Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1


----------



## Feathers

I always feel like I don't listen to Schubert as much as I should, so:

Listening to Schubert's Quintet in C Major (Isaac Stern: violin-Alexander Schneider: violin-Milton Katims: alto-Pablo Casals:cello-Paul Tortelier: cello) on Youtube

I will definitely be listening to more Schubert later tonight.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Blancrocher said:


> I've been listening to his piano and violin concertos lately. I think he's an interesting composer, and look forward to what he's got in store for us next.


Indeed. I hope for a better recording of the _Violin Concerto_ soon. I don't like Josefwicz's approach to the violin. I'd love to hear someone like Batiashvili or even Hahn tackle this concerto.


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 26, "Coronation"
Performed by _Various Artists_

Bummer is that this recording (which is found on the _40 Must-Have Mozart Piano Masterpieces_ set) does not list specific performers. I am loving what I am hearing though.


----------



## SimonNZ

Berio's Rendering - Christoph Eschenbach, cond.


----------



## kevink

Gould recording Brahms Rhapsodies(The studio archive tape), I feel like I'm right next to Gould while he records. 





Sibelius' 3rd Symphony 1st Movement! Love Sibelius's use of motifs, and gradual climaxes, unique harmonies, playful melodies, totally one of a kind.


----------



## Andolink

Alessandro Scarlatti: Salve Regina
Véronique Dietschy, soprano
Alain Zaepffel, counter-tenor
Ensebmble Gradiva/Alain Zaepffel


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Anahit - Annette Bik, violin, Hans Zender, cond.


----------



## Kieran

Ah, another great hot day! Most of my listening this week is to the skin on my back sizzling in the garden while I'm reading Beckett. Turn me over, I'm done on that side!

Perfect sun umbrella music to start with: *K546*, adagio and fugue in c-minor by WAM, with HvK waving a lollipop at it...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat Major, 1st movement (The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock).


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Duo Concertant - Itzhak Perlman, violin, Bruno Canino, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann*: 
Symphony No.4
Piano Quartet

I've been listening to many stuff since I became absent. So I just factor them out and attent to now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music

oh, and once again: happy 70th Manfred Eicher - may you live (and produce) for another seventy


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, symphony #43 in E flat Major, 'Mercury' (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## MagneticGhost

For some reason - found myself singing this whilst preparing my elevenses -

2 and a half minutes of Tchaikvoskian Beauty.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F Major, BWV 1046

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields

View attachment 21427


----------



## Karabiner

then







Being a HIPster this Friday.


----------



## Kieran

MagneticGhost said:


> For some reason - found myself singing this whilst preparing my elevenses -
> 
> 2 and a half minutes of Tchaikvoskian Beauty.


It is beautiful, isn't it? :tiphat:


----------



## Guest

Shosty: Cello Concertos
Frans Helmerson, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Valeri Polyansky








Tchaikovsy and Bruch Violin Concertos
My new girlfriend Nicola Benedetti with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Andolink

C.P.E Bach: Sonata in C minor for violin and fortepiano, H 514 Wq 78 
Amandine Beyer, violin
Edna Stern, piano








Josquin des Prez: Missa 'Faisant Regretz'
The Medieval Ensemble of London/Peter Davies & Timothy Davies








Jean-Philippe Rameau: L'impatience (cantata for tenor, harpsichord and obbligato viol); Le berger fidèle (cantata for soprano, harpsichord, viola da gamba and 2 violins)
John Elwes, tenor
Isabelle Poulenard, soprano
Ensemble Baroque Les Dominos


----------



## julianoq

Starting my day with Sibelius Symphony 6, performed by Sakari Oramo and the CBSO. Good performance. Even if the orchestra is not a top one it sounds quite good to me.


----------



## Stemahl

Bruckner Symphony 6, which is turning out to be another good one. Only just came to this symphony, also bought this version of his 2nd which I am yet to listen to:


----------



## Johnsmithson

Taneyev said:


> P 5:
> 
> PIERNE Gabriel: son.flute&piano
> 
> PIJPER Willehm: string quartet Nº4
> 
> PIPKOV Lubomir: son.violin&piano.
> 
> PISTON Walter: string quartet Nº1.


Where can i find Pipkov's sonata for violin&piano?i mean the score not the cd.Thanks


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bedřich Smetana, 'Vltava' from 'Má Vlast' (conductor unknown).


----------



## Andolink

C.P.E. Bach: Die Israeliten in der Wüste
Barbara Schlick & Lena Lootens, sopranos
Hein Meens, tenor
Stephen Varcoe, bass
CORONA & CAPPELLA COLONIENSIS/William Christie


----------



## Bix

Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique / French National Orchestra with Bernstein


----------



## Karabiner

and


----------



## Skilmarilion

A few of the pieces I've listened to in the past couple of days ...

*Debussy* - Deux Arabesques (Stephen Malinowski)

*Rodrigo* - Concierto de Aranjuez (John Williams, P. Daniel, BBC Symphony Orchestra)

*Mendelssohn* - Symphony No. 3, "Scottish" in A minor (Rochester Philharmonic, D. Zinman)

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 3 in C (P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony)

-- The slow movement of this is absolutely gorgeous. So romantically haunting, yet mysterious in atmosphere.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Mahler's Symphony No. 3 performed by Haitink and the CSO, will be my last piece today and I had to choose wisely


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 20, w. Mosaiques Qt. (rec.1990 - '92); String Quartets, Op. 50, w. Lindsay Qt. (rec.2003).

View attachment 21451
View attachment 21452
View attachment 21453


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> Ah, another great hot day! Most of my listening this week is to the skin on my back sizzling in the garden while I'm reading Beckett. Turn me over, I'm done on that side!
> 
> Perfect sun umbrella music to start with: *K546*, adagio and fugue in c-minor by WAM, with HvK waving a lollipop at it...


Re HvK, eyes wide shut?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 20, w. Mosaiques Qt. (rec.1990 - '92); String Quartets, Op. 50, w. Lindsay Qt. (rec.2003).
> 
> View attachment 21451
> View attachment 21452
> View attachment 21453


cool choices.

Listening to Bedřich Smetana, 'Tábor' (Má Vlast).


----------



## TrevBus

Henri Dutilleux. Symphonies 1&2. Magnificent. Just can't get enough of them.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony #90 in C Major, I. Adagio, Allegro assai (La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken).


----------



## Mahlerian

Had a long and draining plane flight yesterday (woke up on the other side of the international date line), so I had time to listen to a few things in-between reading and other activities.

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1 in D minor
New Vienna Quartet









Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, K551
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras









Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, November Steps for Shakuhachi, Biwa, and Orchestra









Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610
Boston Baroque, cond. Perlman


----------



## DavidA

Chopin concerto 1 Anda / Galliera 1956


----------



## DrKilroy

I finished my Hindemith plans (apart from Mathis der Maler Symphony, I'll listen to it tomorrow).

Now I will listen to Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks (conducted respectively by Boulez and some Lizzio  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Takashi Yoshimatsu's White Landscapes - Sachio Fujioka, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to a new arrival, *Rachmaninov*: Preludes, Opp. 23 & 32, etc., w. Alexeev (rec. 1987 - '89).

View attachment 21464


----------



## Mika

Just saw live:

BBC proms 11:

*Stockhausen
Gesang der Jünglinge (14 mins)*
*Mittwoch aus 'Licht' - Welt-Parlament (40 mins)
London Premiere*

Kathinka Pasveer sound projection
Ex Cathedra
Jeffrey Skidmore director


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Five Pieces for Orchestra.*


----------



## SimonNZ

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21426
> 
> 
> Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music
> 
> oh, and once again: happy 70th Manfred Eicher - may you live (and produce) for another seventy


quoting myself to add: and happy 70th last November to Meredith!

A colleague and I have been discussing our favorite MM albums at work today, and I see there's also a good long article on her in the latest issue of Wire magazine

I've been thinking about Dolmen Music all day today and will be playing it again when I get home


----------



## NightHawk

*@science*

H***, I'd 'LIKE' your post just for the album covers!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann's Piano Works


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 1 in C (Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin)

*Bach* - Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor (Perahia, Academy of St Martin)

*Sibelius* -Symphony No. 5 in E-flat (P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony)


----------



## Ravndal

Falling to sleep with Arvo Part.

Fratres - Cello & Piano
Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Tabula Rasa
Symphony 3


----------



## kv466




----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Edgar Varese - Density 21.5. (I like my density at 21.5)


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Fantasy in C major, Op.posth.159, D934










Another hot day.


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 9, 10, & 11
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano

Can anyone tell me why Brautigam's "complete" set of Beethoven's solo piano works doesn't include the Diabelli Variations?


----------



## Blancrocher

Jerome said:


> Can anyone tell me why Brautigam's "complete" set of Beethoven's solo piano works doesn't include the Diabelli Variations?


My understanding is he's still working on the DV, which should be coming out fairly soon. Looking forward!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Still my favorite Mussorgsky recording of all-time. Listening to _Joshua_. Remarkable performances by Abbado/LSO.


----------



## Ondine

Mahlerian said:


> Had a long and draining plane flight yesterday (woke up on the other side of the international date line), so I had time to listen to a few things in-between reading and other activities.
> 
> Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1 in D minor
> New Vienna Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, K551
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, November Steps for Shakuhachi, Biwa, and Orchestra
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610
> Boston Baroque, cond. Perlman


Excellent selections, Mahlerian! Of them, Mozart's Symphonies with Chamber Orchestra are the best way to play them, imho.


----------



## Ondine

For this evening

_'Czech-ing'_ the Czechs, with:









plus:

Marinu String Quartets Nos. 3 & 6. Martinu Quartet. Naxos.

and,

Marinu Complete Piano Trios. Arbor Piano Trio. Naxos.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in A Major, Op.114

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 21469


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, which is coupled on this disc with Henry Cotter Nixon's Piano Trio No. 1 in C Major. Mendelssohn's Piano Trio I have heard many times and enjoy it quite a lot. This is my first listen to the Cotter piece though and it compliments the Mendelssohn quite well. I can see why the London Piano Trio coupled these two together. Nice recording with some very fine relaxing music.










Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Concerto in C Minor For Oboe & Violin, BWV 1060R -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert

Beethoven: 33 Piano Variations in C on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120 -- Daniel Barenboim

Handel: Solomon, HWV 67 -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Liszt: Paralipomènes À La Divina Commedia, S 158a -- Leslie Howard

Berlioz: Harold In Italy, Op. 16 -- Wolfram Christ; Lorin Maazel: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

Jerome said:


> View attachment 21467
> 
> Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 9, 10, & 11
> Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
> 
> Can anyone tell me why Brautigam's "complete" set of Beethoven's solo piano works doesn't include the Diabelli Variations?


Because they figured it deserved better than to be referred to by so mundane a label?

LOL, JK!

They're just cheap.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Symphonies 88, 100 "Military" & *101 "Clock"
- New Philharmonia & *Philharmonia Orchestras under Otto Klemperer

*Bernstein* - Some historic performances of his music from 1945 & 1946:
On The Town Ballet Music
- Studio orch. under the composer
On The Town Medley
- Howard 'Rack' Godwin & Eadie Griffith, duo pianists & arrangements
Fancy Free: Three Dances
- Boston Pops Orch. under Arthur Fiedler

*Grainger* Irish Tune from the County Derry (Danny Boy)
- Melbourne SO under Geoffrey Simon




julianoq said:


> Starting my day with Sibelius Symphony 6, performed by Sakari Oramo and the CBSO. Good performance. Even if the orchestra is not a top one it sounds quite good to me.


My understanding is that the CBSO is a top orchestra, at least in the UK and Europe. When Simon Rattle took it over it was already good with the work of Maestro Fremaux, but by the time he left, it was raised to an even higher level. Rattle was I think the first, or among the first, in the world to introduce continued evaluation of members of the orchestra.

In other words, every year (or at some regular interval) they had to pass an audition to keep their jobs. This system is now used all over the world. The days when orchestras where stacked with the buddies of the conductor are long gone. You can't (or shouldn't) hold your job in any professional orchestra due to the conductor or principal in your section being your mate. Well, that's the theory anyway, and the CBSO where pioneers of that approach. & it worked, I got many recordings of them with Rattle at the helm and I enjoy these just as I do eg. the Berlin Phil or Vienna Phil - another thing is Rattle put down a lot of Modern/contemporary music, esp. British.

I haven't heard that recording but I do have CBSO under Rattle doing Sibelius - but its in my 'to listen to' pile!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










A new acquisition. Listening to _Symphony No. 1 'Spring'_ and what a glorious performance from Sawallisch/Staatskapelle Dresden! I've heard good things about Sawallisch's Schumann cycle but this is absolutely top-notch. Look forward to listening to the rest of the cycle.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A new acquisition. Listening to _Symphony No. 1 'Spring'_ and what a glorious performance from Sawallisch/Staatskapelle Dresden! I've heard good things about Sawallisch's Schumann cycle but this is absolutely top-notch. Look forward to listening to the rest of the cycle.


I always think of Schumann's "Spring" Symphony as the Symphony of Fanfares.

Novelette's Golden Rule [religious creed?]: Schumann composed no bland music.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Novelette said:


> I always think of Schumann's "Spring" Symphony as the Symphony of Fanfares.
> 
> Novelette's Golden Rule [religious creed?]: Schumann composed no bland music.


Schumann certainly knew what he was doing with this symphony and showed an incredible affinity for the orchestra. In the right hands, Schumann's music ebbs and flows like it should. In the wrong hands, it lingers, falters, shudders, and eventually falls flat on it's face. Glad to report to that no such problems exist in Sawallisch's performances so far.

Thread duty:

Now listening to _Symphony No. 4_ from the Schumann orchestral EMI box.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 and 5

















Started following the score to if I can get more insight into these symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Magnificat - Karl Richter, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 2
Utah Symphony etc. conducted by Abravanel. 

A not very well known recording by a rather esoteric conductor and symphony orchestra. This recording however is sublime, the orchestra may not be of the same standard as the Vienna Philharmonic, but the playing is expressive, passionate and clear. The orchestra and singers and conductor are very dedicated to playing this symphony and they pull it off marvellously. Especially since it was recorded at a time when Mahler was only just beginning to come back into the repertoire! This recording is full of energy and excitement, it is very clear and the listener can hear all the lines of counterpoint and different layers can be distinguished easily because the string section sound isn't big and mushy as it is in some recordings. Big string sound is excellent though but there are pros and cons to everything...apart from this recording of Mahler's 2nd; it's all pro.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to a Mahler Symphony is like going to a movie. Great experience in the dark just like the movie theaters. Too bad they don't play Mahler Symphonies in the movie theater near you.  Just listened to this tonight.


----------



## chrisco97

It's a night of Mozart! 

*Mozart* - Horn Concerto No. 2
_Albert Linder, Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Hans Swarowsky_

LOVED this one. I still have the first movement's theme stuck in my head.

--
*Mozart* - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
_I Solisti di Zagreb_

*Mozart* - Piano Quartet in G Minor, K. 478
_Peter Serkin, Alexander Schneider, Michael Tree & David Soyer_

--
*Mozart* - String Quintet No. 4
_The Griller String Quartet_

Will be listening to this one next.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' German Requiem (piano reduction by Brahms) - Accentus et al, Laurence Equilbey, dir.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, Sonata V Adagio, 'Sitio' (Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto, Paul Angerer).


----------



## Selby

Medtner, Nikolai - Piano Sonata No. 7 in E minor, Op. 25-2, "Night Wind" [Marc-André Hamelin]


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Joseph Jongen's Melodies Op.25 and Op.45 - Mariette Kemmer, soprano, Pierre Bartholomée, cond.


----------



## Selby

McEwen, John Blackwood - String Quartet No. 7 in E-flat major, "Threnody" [Chilingirian Quartet]


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, symphony #41 in C Major, IV. Finale. Presto (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## Kieran

Rachmaninov piano sonata #2, performed by Horowitz...


----------



## SimonNZ

"Medieval Christmas" - Orlando Consort


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Tristan: Wolfgang Windgassen
König Marke: Martti Talvela
Isolde: Birgitt Nilsson
Kurwenal: Eberhard Waechter
Melot: Claude Haeter
Brangäne: Christa Ludwig
Ein Hirt: Erwin Wohlfahrt
Ein Steuermann: Gerd Nienschelt
Ein junger Seemann: Peter Schreier
Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiel, Karl Böhm









Brilliant, energetic, passionate, needs better audio engineers (Herr Windgassen is never loud enough!)


----------



## Guest

Today I continue with Brautigam's Beethoven Piano Set:








Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 2, 3, 19, & 20








Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 5, 6, & 7

Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Symphony No.5 - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Marcello (1668-1747): Oboe Concerto in D Minor

Andrea Marcon leading the Venice Baroque Orchestra -- Paolo Grazzi, oboe

View attachment 21483


----------



## chrisco97

*Grieg* - Piano Concerto
_Marian Lapsansky, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Bystrik Rezucha_

I never realized this was Grieg's Piano Concerto. I have heard the theme at the beginning multiple times, but never knew that. I love this piece.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Fantasy in C Major, D. 760 'Wandererfantasie', I. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## Andolink

Jean-Philippe Rameau: Aquilon et Orithie, (cantata for bass-baritone, harpsichord, viola da gamba, violin and flute)
Gregory Reinhart, bass-baritone
Ensemble Baroque Les Dominos








Pierre de la Rue: Missa "L'homme Arme"
Ensemble Clement Janequin








Arcangelo Corelli: Trio Sonatas Op. 2, Nos. 1-4
London Baroque








Antonio Brioschi: Symphony in G major, Op. 2 no. 59 (ca. 1741)
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto


----------



## millionrainbows

This is the first of my "comparison" posts.
*STRAVINSKY:* _Petroushka Suite for Piano_

Marcelle Meyer (EMI 2-CD, rec. 1953)

vs.

Bernard Ringeissen (Adès, rec.1977).

Great differences, and the female pianist Marcelle Meyer wins. Hers is an intrpretation; Ringeissen is just showing off. The sonics are much better in the newer recording, and I admit to being initially blown-over by his speed, facility, and flash; but now, it's like Marcelle Meyer's slow, sensual sex (ooh-la-la!) vs. Ringeissen's high-speed mechanical rabbit-love.

If you want to understand the musical meanings, and follow the musical lines & logic, listen to Meyer. If you want a quick hand-job in an alley, Ringeissen is your man.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 3 "The Long One" (Bernstein/NYPO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## NightHawk

Szymanowski - Symphonies No. 2, No. 4 and the Concert Overture. BBC Symphony, Edward Gardner.


----------



## science

Ok, tonight (night Seoul time) I can really do some damage in this thread. Had a day off. Haven't had a day off in so long, I got confused, started thinking it was Sunday. Anyway, I did do some mean listening:










First time hearing it. For now I'll say I like the Rogé recording better.










First time hearing it. For now I'll say I like the Manze recording better.










First time hearing it. For now - had you goin', didn't I?


----------



## science

Ok, tonight (night Seoul time) I can really do some damage in this thread. Had a day off. Haven't had a day off in so long, I got confused, started thinking it was Sunday. Anyway, I did do some mean listening:










First time hearing it. For now I'll say I like the Rogé recording better.










First time hearing it. For now I'll say I like the Manze recording better.










First time hearing it. For now - had you goin', didn't I?


----------



## Mordred

Roussel - The Spiders Banquet. Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Its a bit out of left field but I am going to give it a go!


----------



## science

I love this. Forget about "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free" etc. That's ok by me. But Copland's _Lincoln Portrait_ does me better. And James Earl Jones was the man to read it.

By the way, as long as you never actually meet me, you're free to imagine that I sound like either James Earl Jones or Sean Connery. Really. Wouldn't lie to you. As long as you never actually meet me.

(Met a pianist today in a coffee shop. The cashier was talking to her, she said she was in town to give some concerts, so I asked what she was playing. Then she asked me if I was a musician, and I said that no I was just a fan, and she acted really scared and left suddenly. I sort of suspect it was one of you! Don't be scared, folks! I'd buy you dinner, and I haven't bitten any musicians since... well, let's not go into that, but I have had my shots so that should set your mind at ease.)










Ok, I know this isn't classical in the ordinary sense, but goodness is it ever nice to me.


----------



## opus55

Bridge: Suite for String Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1


----------



## science

opus55 said:


> Bridge: Suite for String Orchestra


We can be BFFs.

But Chailly looks a bit spooky to me. Like a character in a horror movie, who opens his mouth and ghost sounds from a thousand years ago come out.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Dissonance Quartet.*


----------



## bejart

Mozart: 'Don Giovanni' arranged for String Quartet by Nicolaus Simrock ca.1798

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint Cyr, cello

View attachment 21498


----------



## Kieran

bejart said:


> Mozart: 'Don Giovanni' arranged for String Quartet by Nicolaus Simrock ca.1798
> 
> Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint Cyr, cello
> 
> View attachment 21498


That's a bizarre one! How's it sound? Do they perform the complete opera?


----------



## lunchdress

It's a dark grey gloomy morning and I thought I'd grab 3 records at random to listen to. These three came out:








So I am listening to the Ansermet Pictures and will pick again. I honestly don't remember ever listening to this Frank Perkins fellow*, I bought it for the cover no doubt 

*Mr. Perkins wrote 'Stars Fell on Alabama' and also composed the score for 'The Incredible Mr. Limpet'


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart's Piano Concerto 20 played by Mitsuko Uchida.


----------



## DrKilroy

Perhaps that will be too much Romanticism for a day after Mahler's 3rd, but I will try this Bruckner guy once again...

Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 (Giulini).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## jim prideaux

just voted on another thread for Sibelius 5 as favourite 5th symphony but inspired by other posts to dig out Vaughan Williams box set-Andrew Davis/BBC SO and listening to 5th-ignored this for far too long-will follow with Prokofiev 5th-Gergiev.


----------



## jim prideaux

at the risk of temporarily hogging this thread-RVW 5 is yet another revelation-never really appreciated how impressive-did some quick research and discovered dedicated it to Sibelius-interesting coincidence (well, it is to me anyway):tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Speaking of 5s, I'm listening to *Penderecki's 5th Symphony.*


----------



## DrKilroy

What a surprise! I am going to listen to Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 (Ormandy).  I hope this will be the last symphony today...

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838): Concertante for Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon in B Major, Op.3

Olof Boman directing the Ostgota Wind Symphony -- Dan Larsson, clarinet -- Erik Rapp, horn -- Andreas From, bassoon

View attachment 21506


Kieran --
Regarding the 'Don Giovanni' --- 
Evidently, there was quite the cottage industry in adapting large, orchestral works for chamber performances in the late classical era, and this one was written for strings. It's quite good and I believe it does cover most, if not all of the complete opera. It's on 2 discs and has 28 tracks, at least 2 of which combine short numbers from the original.

I also have another adaptation from the same era, this one for a wind ensemble. It's an abbreviated version from the original opera.

View attachment 21509


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi motets - Rene Jacobs, dir.


----------



## MagneticGhost

It's a long time since I've listened to orchestral Debussy - Marvellous!
Prelude L'apres etc and La Mer and Jeux.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ondine said:


> Excellent selections, Mahlerian! Of them, Mozart's Symphonies with Chamber Orchestra are the best way to play them, imho.


Thank you! Yes, I prefer small-group Mozart, whether on period instruments or (as here) modern ones. You need the clarity and lightness of texture.

I haven't had a chance to listen to much music for the last day, and it'll probably be the same way for the next two weeks or so. Sorry I can't take part in the Mahler Symphony No. 2 listening at the moment. I'll probably take it up in the next few days.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Lontano, Atmospheres. 
Norgard, Violin Concerto*

_The Ligeti Project _has been recommended so many times around here, I finally ordered it. Now I'm listening to selections on Spotify. I think I'm going to like this.

I also ran into Norgard's violin concerto - I didn't know he wrote one. I love the slight mistunings which create vibrations.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987),* *Symphonies 3, 4, & 7: *_Third Symphony. Op. 30 (1946) _(Albany 2-CD). Harmonically, always interesting, not "embarassing" like some harmonic modernism can be, like Bloch, or even Kirchner, yet "bolder" than Corigliano or even Harbison. I never got into Roy Harris or Walter Piston, nothing really grabbed me. Persichetti's piano Sonatas are what really drew me in; I listen to those on walks, constantly fresh and moving-forward. This is terse, dark, bold, then gets lighter (am I describing coffee?). Some of the chord voicings sound like advanced jazz, but there are no Gershwin-y jazz pretensions here; just good orchestration, good rhythmic bounce, and mucho-rich harmonic blends.


----------



## aleazk

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ligeti, Lontano, Atmospheres.
> Norgard, Violin Concerto*
> 
> _The Ligeti Project _has been recommended so many times around here, I finally ordered it. Now I'm listening to selections on Spotify. I think I'm going to like this.
> 
> I also ran into Norgard's violin concerto - I didn't know he wrote one. I love the slight mistunings which create vibrations.


Lontano, what a sublime piece. 
Now I'm going to listen to some Norgard.

-----------------------------------------

Previously, Grisey: vortex temporum.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Karl Richter, cond. (1961)


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters van Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Mircea Cristescu conducting the Cluj-Napoca Philharmonic Orchestra -- Gavril Costea, flute

View attachment 21511


----------



## Guest

Currently Kindertotenlieder


----------



## Ondine

Starting now: Mahler's Second 'Resurrection' with Klaus Tennstedt conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Twelve Contredanses for Orchestra, WoO 14: Dance No. 12
_Capella Istropolitana and Vlastimil Horak_

*Beethoven* - Die Weihe des Hauses (The Consecration of the House), Op. 124: Overture
_Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra and Fuat Mansurov_

*Beethoven* - Die Ruinen von Athen (The Ruins of Athens), Op. 113: Overture
_National Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio and Igor Gogol_

*Beethoven* - The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113: Turkish March
_Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and Andrei Lenard_

Listening to some Beethoven I have never heard before.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Karl Richter, cond. (1969)


----------



## Sid James

jim prideaux said:


> at the risk of temporarily hogging this thread-RVW 5 is yet another revelation-never really appreciated how impressive-did some quick research and discovered dedicated it to Sibelius-interesting coincidence (well, it is to me anyway):tiphat:


Sibelius was in vogue, hugely, in the English speaking world back then. I think Bax also dedicated a symphony to him (from a quick googling, looks like it was also his 5th). Another one was Walton, the ending of his 1st symphony as strong similarities to the "tenterhooks" ending of Sibelius 5th. Over in America, you had Hovhaness who was influenced by RVW as well as Sibelius. He also went on a conducting tour there and composed his Oceanides for premiere there. Even in faraway Australia, Sibelius was huge, a composer called Robert Hughes (not the art critic!) wrote a Symphony in Three Movements that comes across to me like an amalgam of Sibelius, RVW and Walton. Its kind of wierd because the sunshine and heat of the Southern Hemisphere have so little to do with the bleak Nordic landscapes imaged by Jean. But there you go - he was hugely influential in the Anglo world, even though for a while his status in continental Europe went on a bit of a dive (blame my usual target - hard core Modernism - but remember what Morton Feldman said about Sibelius' 5th? Something like the things you may think are radical are actually conservative and the things you might see as conservative might turn out to be radical).



millionrainbows said:


> ... If you want a quick hand-job in an alley, Ringeissen is your man.


...you certainly have a unique way with words, million!



science said:


> ...
> 
> By the way, as long as you never actually meet me, you're free to imagine that I sound like either James Earl Jones or Sean Connery. Really. Wouldn't lie to you. As long as you never actually meet me.
> 
> ....


Not much difference between the guy who did Darth Vader's asthmatic voice and the one who played Bond, James Bond. Well maybe a bit? If you wanna hear Sean do some heavy duty classical narrating for some highbrow comparisons, search out his recording of Britten's A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. It was done with one of the London orchestras under Antal Dorati and I like it. He does it naturally, in his own Scots accent. Coupled with that is Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.1 in G Major

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 21516


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Deodat de Severac's* birthday, Piano Works, w. Ciccolini (rec.1968 - '77).

View attachment 21517


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.28 in C, K.200; Symphony No.33 in B-Flat, K.319 and Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 {"Haffner"}. *
All three works are performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543; Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551. *
All three symphonies feature Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmonic. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60, * both performed by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under John Eliot Gardiner.


----------



## samurai

On my car radio, from WQXR, NYC: Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *featuring the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitinik.


----------



## julianoq

I love many Sibelius performers, but I always come back to Neeme Jarvi's first cycle with the GSO. It is not the best sound or the best orchestra, but there is something different in these performances, something that in my musical semi-ignorance I can't find a better way to describe than _iciness_.

Now listening to the marvelous 5th symphony.


----------



## Kleinzeit

julianoq said:


> I love many Sibelius performers, but I always come back to Neeme Jarvi's first cycle with the GSO. It is not the best sound or the best orchestra, but there is something different in these performances, something that in my musical semi-ignorance I can't find a better way to describe than _iciness_.


I feel the same way about this set, it has to be one of my top 3-- Vänskä & anyone who 'takes the Fifth' seriously --like Ole Schmidt-- being the other two. 
It's like there's a soul brother thing with Sibelius & Järvi Sr.


----------



## julianoq

Kleinzeit said:


> I feel the same way about this set, it has to be one of my top 3-- Vänskä & anyone who 'takes the Fifth' seriously --like Ole Schmidt-- being the other two.
> It's like there's a soul brother thing with Sibelius & Järvi Sr.


That's great, sadly this set is not very often cited here (maybe because it is easier to find the newer cycle these days). Vänskä is also my second favorite, Berglund coming next.


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Sonata No.1 in G Major
> 
> Jeno Jando, piano
> 
> View attachment 21516


I love that set, Bejart! Jando is a truly consummate musician, with a compelling mastery of the Classical Style. Or so I hear it.


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Regarding the 'Don Giovanni' ---
> Evidently, there was quite the cottage industry in adapting large, orchestral works for chamber performances in the late classical era, and this one was written for strings. It's quite good and I believe it does cover most, if not all of the complete opera. It's on 2 discs and has 28 tracks, at least 2 of which combine short numbers from the original.


Indeed, I remember reading that there existed string quartet transcriptions of some [perhaps all?] of Beethoven's symphonies that circulated throughout Europe in the 1830's. I will try to find the source again. It seems to have been quite a popular past-time.


----------



## Novelette

chrisco97 said:


> *Grieg* - Piano Concerto
> _Marian Lapsansky, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Bystrik Rezucha_
> 
> I never realized this was Grieg's Piano Concerto. I have heard the theme at the beginning multiple times, but never knew that. I love this piece.


When I was quite young, I listened both to Grieg's and Schumann's piano concerti. Ignorant of the histories of the both of them, but really only knowing of Grieg's fame [to an 8 year old, if you don't know of it, then it is objectively unknown to the world!], I thought Schumann ripped off the opening of Grieg's piano concerto.

Oh goodness, I hope I've made progress since then. 

Great music, at any rate!


----------



## Sid James

The weekend's long listening session started same as before, contrasting one of Haydn's London series of symphonies with other things. This time, it was three works which have *cello* - but they are not concertos!

*Haydn* _Symphony #95 in C minor_
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate with Charles Tunnell, cello solos (EMI)

*Symphony #95* is one of the most unique and innovative in the London set, but its another one that I see as a dark horse. It is the only one that starts off with a bang, all the others start off quietly. More significantly, the punchy opening motto theme is integrated into the body of the first movement, so there is no introduction here as in the other London symphonies. One writer said that in this case, there simply could not be an introduction because the quite stark and unadorned statement would be weakened by any conventional add ons such as that. In this case, expression was foremost in Haydn's mind, rather than fitting his ideas into some cookie cutter format. But that's often the case with him anyway, however in this work it is more noticeable than in others.

Another thing is the cellist, who is credited in this recording for good reason, he does solos in the second and third movements. It's the latter that grabs me the most, a quite edgy minuet encasing a trio section where the cellist plays this rustic little tune, easing the tension. However, the final movement is as usual optimistic and exuberant.

This symphony has parallels with Beethoven's _Symphony #5_, in the same key of C minor, and also conveying the same darkness to light narrative. I don't know if Beethoven paid any attention to this work or was even aware of it, but whatever the case it is clear that his teacher Haydn had predicted in embryo what the pupil would later do with the symphonic genre.

We all know how much Brahms admired Papa's music, so maybe it can be said that his _Symphony #1 in C minor,_ shares this lineage of sorts that stretches right back to Haydn. Incidentally,_ Symphony #95_ proved to be the least popular of the first set of London symphonies (Nos. 93-98). Perhaps audiences back then didn't like their angst and darkness as much as we tend to do now?

*Rossini* _Overture - William Tell_
- World Orchestra for Peace under Sir Georg Solti (BBC Music Magazine CD)

On to another composer who admired Haydn's music greatly, *Rossini*. The _*William Tell Overture*_ is one of his most famous, even if only for that galloping bit that was used in _The Lone Ranger_ television series. Its entry into popular culture and its hackneyed status belies some aspects of this overture that make it stand out - from the duet of cellos that opens it, giving this vibe of mystery and expectation, to the storm sequence that has orchestral sonorities no less daring than Berlioz, Liszt or Wagner, and to the gallop bit itself. I first heard this at a family concert and its been a favourite of mine ever since.

*Britten* _Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68_
- Tim Hugh, cello with BBC Scottish SO under Takuo Yuasa (Naxos)

Finishing the cello theme with *Britten's Cello Symphony,* which hasn't been an easy work for me to grasp, but I'm getting there. A big reason is that the cellist is less a virtuoso and has more of an obbligato role here.

As with Haydn's _Symphony #95,_ there is a darkness to light narrative here of sorts, in the last movement a trumpet call gives way to a more lighter and buoyant mood. However the mood overall is quite dark and gloomy, the orchestration being quite pared down and monochromatic. Not surprising that Shostakovich's first cello concerto was an influence here, so too Prokofiev's _ Symphony-Concerto._ Yet another Russian connection here is the man who commissioned and premiered this piece, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

What I like most about this work though is that it brings to my mind images of cloudy overcast skies and also sounds of the seashore. The coast of Britten's native Suffolk is never far away from his music, it seems. A weird thing is the cello playing these singing high notes that sound to me like whale song in the brief second movement, but I'm not sure if that's what the composer intended to put across.
*
Boito* _Prologue to Mefistofele_*
*Verdi* _Te Deum_
- Atlanta SO and Chorus under Robert Shaw *& with John Cheek, bass, The Morehouse-Spelman Chorus, The Young Singers of Callanwolde (Telarc)

On to a first listen of these works. The grandeur and over the top epic quality of the *Boito *piece grabbed me quite a bit. *Mefistofele* caused massive riots upon its initial performances in Milan in 1868, so much so that the chief of police banned further performances of it. However, seven years later in Bologna it was well received, and it has stayed in the Italian opera repertory ever since.

The cause of the stir isn't hard to imagine. Given the frankly Wagnerian nature of this music, I can see aspects of why it was so controversial. Boito threw his lot in with the progressives of his era, which also included the likes of Liszt, Berlioz and in some respects, Rossini.

The *Verdi *_*Te Deum*_ also had many interesting moments. Of course the connection between the two composers is well known, Boito wrote the librettos for Verdi's _Otello_ and _Falstaff_.

Finishing by comparing three *canons*:

*Pachelbel* _Canon in D_
- St. Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin (Telarc)

No need for an introduction to this classic warhorse. My first exposure to it was through some movie, its been much used as a soundtrack and also on television commercials and as music for weddings. The stately piece has this regal feel to it, perfect for a procession. For better or worse, its relegated *Pachelbel *to 'one hit wonder' status. But a pretty big hit it is!

*Bernard Herrmann* _Echoes for String Quartet_ (1965)
- Fine Arts Quartet (Naxos)

Over to another work that uses the canonic technique of imitation, but in a more freer and decidedly modern way. *Herrmann's Echoes for String Quartet* is in ten connected parts, flowing without a break. It presents a journey that germinates from the opening idea, going through a range of variations from an elegy, to a scherzo, a habanera, a pastorale, and so on. The mood overall is brooding and psychological, towards the end there are these psychopathic jabbing motions reminiscent of the infamous shower scene from Herrmann's score to Alfred Hitchock's horror film,_ Psycho._ The Herrmann-Hitchcock partnership did produce some great film scores, however works like this which Herrmann composed solely for the concert hall are just as great. This is one of my favourite string quartets, but its the only one he composed.

*Stravinsky *_Double Canon 'Raoul Dufy in memoriam'_ (1959)
- Goldner String Quartet (Naxos)

I don't usually associate Stravinsky with this kind of mournful darkness, but in this under two minute piece I can hear a bit of that. Shostakovich and Bartok in their darker and more eery moments come to mind in some ways. However, *Stravinsky's Double Canon* written in memory of the French painter Dufy, is much like his _Elegy for solo viola_ and other works written in memory of dead people. They are less about the composer baring his own emotions and more like tombstones marking and memorializing these people. Pretty matter of fact and calculated, but that's part of Igor's nature that's been hard for me to grasp. But he's fascinating nonetheless.


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Reger's Mozart Variations Op.132 - Karl Bohm, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's String Quintet in C.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Pulcinella - Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Overture in F minor for two Recorders, strings & b.c., IV. Sarabande (Freiburger Barockorchester, Gottfried von der Goltz). I really like this Telemann recording.


----------



## adrem

Bartók, Concerto for orchestra by Solti and CSO:







Lutosławski, String quartet by Kronos Quartet:


----------



## bejart

William Boyce (1710-1779): Symphony No.2 in A Major

Ronald Thomas leading the Bournemouth Sinfonietta

View attachment 21530


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata #62 in E flat Major
Piano Sonata #59 in E flat Major (Jeno Jando).


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.1, No.2

Quartour Joachim: Zbigniew Marc Kornowicz and Johanna Rezler, violins -- Diane Phoenix, viola -- Laurent Ranou, cello

View attachment 21532


----------



## bejart

Josef Rejcha (1752-1795): Cello Concerto in E Major

Hynek Farkac leading the Archi Boemi Chamber Orchestra -- Karel Fiala, cello

View attachment 21533


----------



## Trumpetcat

Mozart K450 Piano Concerto 15 b-dur : D


----------



## jim prideaux

todays listening-coincidentally a fine Sunday-Murray P. Mozart piano concertos 13/14,my son gave the complete box set to me last Christmas, essentially as a parallel to other individual recordings of various concertos I already possessed ie Curzon/Britten etc To my ears this set contains some of the most vivid and 'transparent' interpretations. Now returned to Dvorak piano and violin concertos-the more I listen to the piano concerto the more I wonder at the criticism it has received!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Alfred Schnittke Radio. The first 2 tracks have played from Messiaen and Ives. Last.fm is pretty cool how well they find Composers similar to the one you are interested in.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, symphony #64 in A Major, 'Tempora Mutantur' (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).
'In holder Anmut Stehn' from The Creation (Andreas Spering, VokalEnsemble Köln, Capella Augustina) - I love The Creation and this recording is excellent.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Having a relaxing Sunday morning listening to more Joseph Jongen. This time his Piano Trio Op. 10. and the Aquarelles Op. 59 and his Pieces for Trio Op 95. All these works are just beautiful. I think I prefer his Piano Trio Op. 30 over the Op. 10 but both are of brilliant pieces in their own rights.










I also really enjoyed listening to an album recorded by Angele Dubeau, Alain Marion & Marc-Andre Hamelin of various Martinu pieces for Violin, Flute and Piano. Excellent performances and the pieces on this album show the versatility of Martinu's writing even when he composes for small groups.










Kevin


----------



## MagneticGhost

Simon NZ's recommendation of Bach's Goldberg Variations on harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock.
Great stuff!! Thanks. The sound of the harpsichord has definitely grown on me.


----------



## Kazaman

Scriabin, Complete Études played by Piers Lane


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Now moving on to Bach's English Suites as performed by Vladimir Feltsman on piano. Very nice recording.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn - Symphony 52


----------



## DaveS

My favorite recording of the Symphony in Dm


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles - Oboe d'amore Sonatine, Op. 194, No. 1 [Ensemble Initium]


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Viola Concerto in D Major, Op.1

Jiri Belohlavek conducting the Prague Philharmonia -- Jan Peruska, viola

View attachment 21538


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Haydn - Symphony 52


excellent choice, hehe.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony #4 in E minor (Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan).


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Flute Concerto in D Major

Bohdan Warchal leading the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Robert Dohn, flute

View attachment 21540


----------



## Kieran

Dvorak's cello concerto, Opus 104, performed by Jacqueline Du Pre, with Daniel Barenboim conducting the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Probably because it's hot for a bit --two weeks of bad skiing we call it in Canada-- with summer lightning strobing terrifyingly like storms in horror movies but rarely in life, ten-minute monsoons, even a glimpse of the northern lights, I've gotten South America on the brain. Identifying with the idea of it. Reading Borges. Haunted, kind of, by a Discovery Channel show about driving dodgy vehicles in the world's most hellish cities, Lima this time. And soaking up Villa-Lobos. Maybe he never again looked at a score once he finished it, but I always hear a real guy in the music. I never hear Villa-Lobos as just the music, the man's always there. The guy who's written the piece and has already moved on to the next imaginative stunt.

And a stunt this one is:
Descombrimento do Brasil: Suites no 1-4 conducted by Villa-Lobos 
Orchestra/Ensemble: French National Radio Orchestra 
Written: 1937; Brazil
Date of Recording: 05/18/1956
Venue: Salle de la Mutualité, Paris

He's clearly out to wow tout de Paris with Spanish & Indian sounds packaged in Mahlerian maximalism. He's hustling, but he's not short-changing you.









(not the real cover, just a great cover. Mine's on Villa-Lobos Conducts Villa-Lobos, EMI)


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven piano sonata two for the first time. I was very kindly gifted with a digital set of Gilels sonatas by a friend. I am happy to now get started with my listening!

Also recently listened to Alicia De Larocha play Granados Goyescas and Albeniz Iberia. Great set! And cello works: Rachmaninov's wonderful cello sonata, Elgars excellent cello concerto and also Bruchs gorgeous Kol Nidrei.


----------



## ptr

Besides the Mahler Second with Stokowski & Baker reported on *here* I got some listening done today.

*Edmund Rubbra* - Symphony No. 5 in B flat Op.63 / *Arthur Bliss* - Five Dances from 'Checkmate' (*Chandos*)









Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / West Australian Symphony Orchestra u. Hans-Hubert Schönzeler

*Georg Friedrich Haas* - limited approximations (Concerto for six pianos in 12-tone tuning and orchestra (2010) World Premiere · Work commissioned by SWR (*Neos*)









Pi-hsien Chen, Christoph Grund, Florian Hoelscher, Akiko Okabe, Sven Thomas Kiebler, Julia Vogelsänger, Piano; SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg u. Sylvain Cambreling

..inspired by aleazk and all the Haas-talk that has been cooking in this thread I've found a new love for G.F. Haas music, this is a formidable piece! 

/ptr


----------



## Ondine

MagneticGhost said:


> The sound of the harpsichord has definitely grown on me.


I love it. Bach's harpsichord concerts are monumental played _with_ harpsichord.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 8.*

This sounds like his answer to Mahler's Das Lied. I've heard it called derivative, but it's a lovely piece, if kind of dark.


----------



## Ondine

Manxfeeder said:


> *Penderecki, Symphony No. 8.*
> 
> This sounds like his answer to Mahler's Das Lied. I've heard it called derivative, but it's a lovely piece, if kind of dark.
> 
> View attachment 21545


I have some Penderecki repertoire in Naxos and I like it very much. I am thinking to get his symphonic cycle.


----------



## Ondine

For this evening:

Mahler's first, second and third. Klaus Tennstedt. 

The listening of his second this last Saturday for Bix's 'Saturday Symphony' thread made me liked it very much and the mood for it is still there. So I don't want to lose it.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Ondine said:


> I have some Penderecki repertoire in Naxos and I like it very much. I am thinking to get his symphonic cycle.


Me too. I'm keeping an eye on when the prices drop, the Naxos symphonies box and also the choral music box, which is as symphonic as the symphonies.


----------



## drpraetorus

Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Vladimir Askenazy


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.25 in C Major

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

View attachment 21546


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Well-Tempered Klavier II*


----------



## drpraetorus

Rachmaninov, Symphonic Dances, Ashkenazy (conducting). Usually I hate saxes in orchestras, but this works better than any instrument I can imagine.


----------



## jim prideaux

Glazunov-4th symphony-never heard it before but it was recommended to me on a recent post-so off we go!


----------



## SimonNZ

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 21535
> 
> 
> Simon NZ's recommendation of Bach's Goldberg Variations on harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock.
> Great stuff!! Thanks. The sound of the harpsichord has definitely grown on me.


Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

If you listen to that recording on headphones at a reasonable volume you can hear birdsong twittering away in the background. I've always wanted to find out in what sort of location it was recorded. An old barn somewhere perhaps. Oh, and what sort of birds they are.

The Christian Zacharias Scarlattis also have this in the background, and you don't even need the headphones for those. (and I was pleased to see vaneyes list that set among his CPRs!)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 64, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2009); String Quartets, Op. 76, w. Tokyo Qt. (rec.1980); Piano Trios, H XV Nos. 28 - 31, w. BAT (rec.1971).

View attachment 21548
View attachment 21549
View attachment 21550


----------



## Ravndal

Ligeti etudes book 1

Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Baroque violin today:



















Somehow it made sense for an afternoon in the sweltering heat of my studio.


----------



## Mika

Prom 13 live at Royal Albert Hall:

*Sean Shepherd
Magiya (10 mins)*
BBC co-commission with Carnegie Hall: European premiere

*Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto (33 mins)*

INTERVAL

*Shostakovich
Symphony No. 10 in E minor (45 mins)*

Joshua Bell violin
National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America
Valery Gergiev conductor


----------



## bejart

George Onslow (1784-1853): String Quintet in A Minor, Op.34

Quintett Momento Musicale: Dorothee Stromberg and Andreas Trankner, violins -- Michael Claus, viola -- Hans-Jorg Pohl, cello -- Steffan Slowik, double bass

View attachment 21552


----------



## Kleinzeit

Got this cd at a sad remainder bin at a dollar store a few years ago! Thought the Shostakovich was a big deal but it's the Galina Ustvolskaya that's the gem.









Galina Ustvolskaya 
Trio For Violin, Clarinet And Piano 
St. Peters Trio

The hermetic Ustvolskaya's music couldn't be farther from the warm, extrovert suavity of someone like Villa-Lobos. It seems to come from some rigorous inner discipline, some individual fine ore being brought out from personal, idiosyncratic circumstances & methods-- the idea that there is art that many can do via formal means, and then there's art only one given person can do through a kind of practical self-knowledge. 
It's sound that is as much force as it is form, with what seems a hard-won detachment. You hear it in some of Satie, in Dane Rudhyar, and in George Gurdjieff & Thomas de Hartmann's music for their self observation dance movements 
Ustvolskaya's sound is abrasive to listen to, and if you like that kind of ear-umami (lookin at you, Ligeti) you always want more.


----------



## Guest

The next two discs in the Brautigam/Beethoven series:








Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 13, 14, & 15








Piano Sonatas Nos. 16, 17, & 18

Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano

I'm really diggin' this set!


----------



## SimonNZ

Ernest Bloch's Schelomo - Rostropovich, cello, Bernstein, cond.


----------



## Sonata

jim prideaux said:


> todays listening-coincidentally a fine Sunday-Murray P. Mozart piano concertos 13/14,my son gave the complete box set to me last Christmas, essentially as a parallel to other individual recordings of various concertos I already possessed ie Curzon/Britten etc To my ears this set contains some of the most vivid and 'transparent' interpretations. Now returned to Dvorak piano and violin concertos-the more I listen to the piano concerto the more I wonder at the criticism it has received!


I feel the same way as you regarding Dvorak's piano concerto. There are a couple spots in the middle movements that may have benefitted by being a touch more concise, but overall I really like it.


----------



## Kazaman

Brahms, Cello Sonata no. 2 in F major (Fournier, cello, and Backhaus, piano)


----------



## GreenMamba

Haydn String Quartets Opus 76, #4-6. Kodaly Qt. on Naxos.


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No.3 in D Minor, Op.49

Constance Keene, piano

View attachment 21559


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus' Penetential Psalms - Kammerchor Josquin Desprez

Listening choice suggested by a little game I play where I check out Hyperion's "Please Someone Buy Me" page and pick the weekly special I'd get if lived in the UK and didn't have to pay postage. Today its the Lassus Psalms performed by Henry's Eight (but only because I've already got the full Schubert lieder set)

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/o.asp?o=1016&vw=dc


----------



## opus55

Janacek: Suite for String Orchestra
Haydn: String Quartet in D major, Op. 76 No. 5


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons, 'Sie steigt herauf, die Sonne' (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Wolfgang Sawallisch).

I think Haydn in some way outdoes his famous sunrise in The Creation here - the beginning is more intricate plus has a chorus and the whole movement afterwards is brilliant.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Martinu.


----------



## Novelette

Hummel: Grand Rondeau Brillant in G, Op. 126 -- Carmen Picard; Lise Daoust

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Flat, K 481 -- Itzhak Perlman; Daniel Barenboim

Rameau: In Convertendo -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Schubert: Six Grandes Marches et Trios, D 819 -- Claire Aebersold; Ralph Neiweem

Brahms: Fugue for Organ in *A Flat Minor*, WoO 8 -- Peter Neumann: Kölner Kammerchor

^ Hah, old Brahms pulled a fast one. I can't say that this work is particularly imaginative, but it has its own minor interests.

Schumann: Szenen aus Goethes Faust, WoO 3 -- Claudio Abbado: Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## SimonNZ

Weber's Clarinet Concerto No.1 - Sabine Meyer, clarinet, Herbert Blomstedt, cond.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21561
> 
> 
> Weber's Clarinet Concerto No.1 - Sabine Meyer, clarinet, Herbert Blomstedt, cond.


Neato! I've been thinking of laying my hands on that very recording. I think I shall.

Weber's music is simply divine!


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Clarinet sonata in E flat major, Op. 120 No. 2
Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 73


----------



## jim prideaux

I had never heard any of the symphonies of Glazunov until last night and have started the day by listening to the fourth again. I can now understand certain aspects of the criticism he has received both by those who subsequently sought to develop the 'Russian symphonic tradition' in a more radical direction and those who have generally perceived him as being the 'arch-conservative'. Whilst I too might have my reservations-the third movement is overly long, missing opportunities for realisation-the orchestration seems on occasions to remind me of the contrived 'lushness' of for example Borodin or Rimsky Korsakov there is no denying the enjoyment and pleasure to be derived from investigating composers/works for the first time-thanks to recent posts for this opportunity as well as a fortuitous revisiting of RVW 5-have now moved on to the Glazunov fifth.:tiphat:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Driving to work music today supplied by Messiaen - The Anniversray Edition.

Les Offrandes oubliees
Et exspecto resurrectionem morturom


----------



## Kieran

Schumann cello concerto, opus 129, performed by DuPre, with Barenboim conducting the ECO.

This double disc set is marvellous. Cello concertos from Haydn, Boccherini, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Monn, Dvorak and Elgar. Not all are with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Barenboim. 

The cello is swiftly becoming my favourite instrument. It's the creaking floorboard of the string section. DuPre sucks me in closer to hear, and this Schumann, though unfamiliar, is devious and cold enough to wake me up and shift me through the gears...


----------



## SimonNZ

Erik Satie's Messe des Pauvres - Marilyn Mason, organ, David Randolph, dir.


----------



## chrisco97

*William Henry Fry* - Santa Claus Symphony
_Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Tony Rowe_










http://www.amazon.com/FRY-Santa-Cla...&ie=UTF8&qid=1374484496&sr=1-8&keywords=naxos

Okay...get this. I am in my bedroom, surfing the web when all of a sudden this giant wolf spider dashes across the room, into the cords to my tv. You cannot even see where it went since it was the same colour of the cords. I am now on my bed shaking like crazy. I am thinking to myself, "How am I going to kill this thing?"...when all of a sudden, it dashes out from under the cords and goes under my bed. Long story short, it is dead now. :lol:

Anyways, my nerves are on edge from being scared to death and I am shaking like crazy. I was on Amazon before this all happened, so I pulled my computer back up and there it was...the _Santa Claus Symphony_ by *William Henry Fry*. Anyone that knows me in real life knows I love Christmas music no matter what time of the year it is. It make me feel so happy and brightens up my mood like nearly nothing else can...so I decided to give it a listen. Sounded interesting.

I was blown away by this. It was so original. I loved it so much! The snowstorm being made by the double bass, the bells and the whip, the awesome ending (which sounded very similar to _O Come, All Ye Faithful_, one of my favourite Christmas songs)...and that is not even the beginning of it for me. Absolutely fantastic. Nothing like a fun piece of music that brightens up your mood like this did! I think I will be purchasing this album pretty soon. 

_It makes me wish Christmas would hurry up and this awful weather would leave that much more...haha!_


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Bliss' A Colour Symphony - cond. by composer


----------



## bejart

Joan Pla (ca.1720-?): Flute Concerto in B Flat

Jose Luis Garcia conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Claudi Armany, flute

View attachment 21564


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bedřich Smetana, 'Vysehrad' from 'Má Vlast'.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arnold Bax's Tintagel - David Lloyd-Jones, cond.

edit: now Milhaud's Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit - Gidon Kremer, violin, Riccardo Chailly, cond.









edit: now following kleinzeit's recommendation here and on the female composers thread:

Galina Ustvolskaya's Grand Duet For Cello And Piano - Mstislav Rostropovich, cello, Alexei Lubimov, piano









edit: last one before bed:

Stravinsky's Symphonies Of Wind Instruments - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

reflecting on 32 years as a teacher-taken voluntary redundancy-cleared my desk this morning, last week was a trip to Poland with kids, now listening to Mozart 13/14 piano concertos (Perahia) again and nothing could better reflect an inner contentment-finished with Brahms sextets and The Clash very loud as I binned any amount of accumulated detritus in what had been my room. Now-further listening to Glazunov symphonies to be considered.


----------



## Kieran

jim prideaux said:


> reflecting on 32 years as a teacher-taken voluntary redundancy-cleared my desk this morning, last week was a trip to Poland with kids, now listening to Mozart 13/14 piano concertos (Perahia) again and nothing could better reflect an inner contentment-finished with Brahms sextets and The Clash very loud as I binned any amount of accumulated detritus in what had been my room. Now-further listening to Glazunov symphonies to be considered.


Great way to finish - good luck with new beginnings! :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> reflecting on 32 years as a teacher-taken voluntary redundancy-cleared my desk this morning, last week was a trip to Poland with kids, now listening to Mozart 13/14 piano concertos (Perahia) again and nothing could better reflect an inner contentment-finished with Brahms sextets and The Clash very loud as I binned any amount of accumulated detritus in what had been my room. Now-further listening to Glazunov symphonies to be considered.


Glad to hear you're finishing with a feeling of "inner contentment". Best wishes for the future.


----------



## Stemahl

Listening to these Arias.....









...but specifically the popular title one 'Ombra mai fu', this is so different from the stuff I am usually listening to (Beethoven, Mahler, Dvorak etc) yet it is just as moving. Will be on the look out for some Handel operas now.


----------



## millionrainbows

*ERNST KRENEK (1900-1991):* _6 Motetten nach Worten von Franz Kafka, Op. 169; Choral works Op. 22, 72, 87, 97;_ RAIS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann (Harmonia Mundi 2010).

If you liked Schoenberg's _Das Chorwerk, _you'll like this. More 12-tonish choirworks, and a cantata for soprano, choir, and klavier. The _Lamentatio Jeremiæ Prophetæ_ pictured in the booklet looks interesting, too. Gotta have my atonal choir. It lends such an air of conservative legitimacy to atonal music, not unlike opera does.

Yes, we are assimilating into your canon; insidiously creeping into your most sacred rituals and places. Ha ha haaa!!! :devil:


----------



## Andolink

Arcangelo Corelli: Trio Sonatas from Op. 2, Nos. 9-12; Trio Sonatas from Op. 4, Nos. 1-4
The London Baroque 








Samuel Capricornus: Motets from "Theatrum Musicum"
Delphine Collot, soprano 
Lena Suzanne Norin, mezzo-soprano
Kai Wessel, alto
Ian Honeyman, tenor
Stephan Schreckenberger, Bass
Le Parliement de Musique/Martin Guester








Pierre de la Rue: Missa Pro Defunctus
Ensemble Clement Janequin








François Francoeur: Orchestral Suite in G minor
La Simphonie du Marais/Hugo Reyne


----------



## realdealblues

Going to spend some time with Bruckner...

View attachment 21574


Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 
Conducted by Eugen Jochum & The Staatskappelle Dreseden.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I am on a Cello tear at the moment.

Presently I am listening to disc 1 of Jacqueline Du Pre: The Complete EMI Recrdings. Just finished the Elgar Concerto with Sir John Barbirolli & the LSO and moving onto the Delius' Concerto with Sir Malcolm Sargent & the RPO.

This will be followed by Shostskovich's Concerto No. 1 with Mstislav Rostropovich, Eugene Ormandy & the Philadelphia Orchestra.

After that, I'll see where my mood takes me...


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release, *Mahler*: Symphony 7, w. Gürzenich-Orchestra Cologne/Stenz. Nothing out of the ordinary here, it's Mahler Lite. One thumb down. Perhaps only a consideration for SACD'ers.

Suggest CSO/Solti (rec. 1971), BPO/Abbado (rec. 2001). :tiphat:

View attachment 21575


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> reflecting on 32 years as a teacher-taken voluntary redundancy-cleared my desk this morning, last week was a trip to Poland with kids, now listening to Mozart 13/14 piano concertos (Perahia) again and nothing could better reflect an inner contentment-finished with Brahms sextets and The Clash very loud as I binned any amount of accumulated detritus in what had been my room. Now-further listening to Glazunov symphonies to be considered.


Congratulations, Jim, and happy listening. :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

chrisco97 said:


> *William Henry Fry* - Santa Claus Symphony
> _Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Tony Rowe_
> ...
> http://www.amazon.com/FRY-Santa-Cla...&ie=UTF8&qid=1374484496&sr=1-8&keywords=naxos
> 
> Okay...get this. I am in my bedroom, surfing the web when all of a sudden this giant wolf spider dashes across the room, into the cords to my tv. You cannot even see where it went since it was the same colour of the cords. I am now on my bed shaking like crazy. I am thinking to myself, "How am I going to kill this thing?"...when all of a sudden, it dashes out from under the cords and goes under my bed. Long story short, it is dead now. :lol:
> 
> Anyways, my nerves are on edge from being scared to death and I am shaking like crazy. I was on Amazon before this all happened, so I pulled my computer back up and there it was...the _Santa Claus Symphony_ by *William Henry Fry*. Anyone that knows me in real life knows I love Christmas music no matter what time of the year it is. It make me feel so happy and brightens up my mood like nearly nothing else can...so I decided to give it a listen. Sounded interesting.
> 
> I was blown away by this. It was so original. I loved it so much! The snowstorm being made by the double bass, the bells and the whip, the awesome ending (which sounded very similar to _O Come, All Ye Faithful_, one of my favourite Christmas songs)...and that is not even the beginning of it for me. Absolutely fantastic. Nothing like a fun piece of music that brightens up your mood like this did! I think I will be purchasing this album pretty soon.
> 
> _It makes me wish Christmas would hurry up and this awful weather would leave that much more...haha!_


Enjoyed your short story :lol:

Janacek: Suite for string orchestra (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra/Neville Marriner)
Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op.76 No. 4 (Quator Mosaiques)

Going to work after lunch because I'm too tired from attending a late Sunday night concert - my first time attending chamber music concert.


----------



## julianoq

For some odd reason I always ignored Shostakovich solo piano music. Now listening to 24 preludes and fugues performed by Scherbakov and it is an amazing work.


----------



## realdealblues

On to the next...



Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 
Conducted by Eugen Jochum & The Staatskappelle Dreseden.


----------



## Novelette

Weber: Aufforderung zum Tanz, Op. 65 -- Alexander Paley

Weber: Piano Sonata #3 in D Minor, Op. 49 -- Alexander Paley

Dussek: *Duo for Harp and Fortepiano* #3 in F -- Jacques Ogg; Teunis van der Zwart

^ Such an interesting combination! Delightful music.

Buxtehude: Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn, BuxWV 43 -- Ton Koopman: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

Balbastre: Prelude and Fugue in D Minor -- Michel Chapuis


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {A London Symphony},* performed by the Sir Adrian Boult led London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.3 {A Pastoral Symphony},* 
once again featuring Maestro Boult, this time conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"}, *both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Bix

Prokofiev Piano Sonatas - F Chiu


----------



## Blancrocher

julianoq said:


> For some odd reason I always ignored Shostakovich solo piano music. Now listening to 24 preludes and fugues performed by Scherbakov and it is an amazing work.


I've been listening to his--very different!--student, Galina Ustvolskaya, since yesterday; but youtube led me back to this classic performance:






Gilels in Shostakovich's 2nd sonata.


----------



## Bix

*Robert Schumann*

Fantasy in C, Faschingsschwank Aus Wien and Kinderszenen - played by John Lill


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Franz Schubert* - Adagio in E-Major D.459


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> I've been listening to his--very different!--student, Galina Ustvolskaya, since yesterday; but youtube led me back to this classic performance:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gilels in Shostakovich's 2nd sonata.


To read about the preludes and fugues led me to read about Galina Ustvolskaya, since the work was dedicated for her. I am planning an exploration on her music tomorrow. That Gilels performance is great, thanks for the recommendation!


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Vaughan Williams 5th symphony conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. My favorite RFW work by far (maybe because it was influenced and dedicated by Sibelius).


----------



## nightscape

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11
Bruckner - Symphony No. 4
Mahler - Symphony No. 4
Beethoven - Symphony No. 7

(you can tell I'm in a symphony kind of mood )

I've also been listening to Brahms piano pieces, most notably Op 118 (six pieces, particularly Intermezzo in A Major)


----------



## Bix

nightscape said:


> Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11


Absolutely love this.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, symphony #44 in E minor, 'Mourning' (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## nightscape

nightscape said:


> Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11





Bix said:


> Absolutely love this.


The beginning of that symphony is so amazing.


----------



## Feathers

Two pieces for the morning:

Rimsky-Korsakov - Symphony No. 2 (David Zinman and the Rotterdamn Philharmonic)

Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1 (Arditti Quartet)


----------



## Kieran

Elgar cello concerto, op. 85. J. DuPre at the wheel...


----------



## DrKilroy

I will listen to all Brahms' symphonies (Haitink) tonight.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Novelette

DrKilroy said:


> I will listen to all Brahms' symphonies (Haitink) tonight.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I think I'll join you, Dr. That sounds like exactly what I need on a Monday evening.


----------



## Kieran

Haven't listened to the Man all day:

*#25*, Dame Mitsuko of the Royal Box, Wimbledon, deciphering the dots, with Jeffrey Tate prowling the pit of the ECO with a big stick...


----------



## Guest

Giving this new one a listen and finding it difficult to avoid innuendo. She's beautiful. She plays the trumpet. I'll leave it at that.








Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra

Update: Her Haydn was the best I've ever heard. Much as I tried not to say it... She blew me away.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> Giving this new one a listen and finding it difficult to avoid innuendo. She's beautiful. She plays the trumpet. I'll leave it at that.
> 
> View attachment 21581
> 
> Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet
> Norwegian Chamber Orchestra


Someday, Jerome, I'd like to see your record collection. I wouldn't need to listen to it! I just want to sit and look at it...


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Someday, Jerome, I'd like to see your record collection. I wouldn't need to listen to it! I just want to sit and look at it...


Ha! I keep them next to the Victoria's Secret catalog collection.


----------



## NightHawk

At the moment:









Berg Violin Concerto - Anne-Sophie Mutter 
I think this concerto is one of the 'short-list' masterpieces of the 20th century.


----------



## julianoq

Saw this album recommended on Hilary Hahn's facebook profile and decided to listen to Nigunim Violin Sonata No.3 performed by Gil Shaham. What an amazing work. Very recommended.


----------



## aszkid

Short-term project: Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Long-term project: Bach.


----------



## Sid James

*Britten* Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
- Bournemouth Sinfonietta directed by Richard Studt

*J. Strauss II* Tales from the Vienna Woods
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Ponkin

*Peter Sculthorpe* Lament*, Little Suite, Night-Song
- Strings of Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn *with Sue-Ellen Paulsen, cello solo

*George Antheil* Serenade for String Orch., #1
- Philadelphia Virtuosi CO under Daniel Spalding

*Mark-Anthony Turnage* Canon Fever
- BBC SO under Andrew Gourlay
*Dvorak* Carnival Overture
- BBC Scottish SO under Michal Dworzynski


----------



## Feathers

For the afternoon, one unfamiliar work plus a familiar work: 

Pettersson - Symphony No. 8 (Thomas Sanderling and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra)

Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 (Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Dies Irae, Flourescences.*


----------



## Mika

Prom 14 today. Excellent performance Danny boy and the band. Singers did great job also.

*Wagner
Das Rheingold (160 mins)*
(concert performance; sung in German)
Iain Paterson baritone (Wotan)
Stephan Rügamer tenor (Loge)
Jan Buchwald baritone, Proms debut artist (Donner)
Marius Vlad tenor, Proms debut artist (Froh)
Ekaterina Gubanova mezzo-soprano (Fricka)
Anna Samuil soprano (Freia)
Anna Larsson mezzo-soprano (Erda)
Johannes Martin Kränzle baritone (Alberich)
Peter Bronder tenor (Mime)
Stephen Milling bass, Proms debut artist (Fasolt)
Eric Halfvarson bass (Fafner)
Aga Mikolaj soprano (Woglinde)
Maria Gortsevskaya mezzo-soprano (Wellgunde)
Anna Lapkovskaja mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Flosshilde)

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim conductor


----------



## jim prideaux

as 'announced' on previous posts listening to Glazunov symphonies-reminded me I own a recording of Borodins Prince Igor which I had ignored-so on the way to practice with the band I play bass with I listened to it whilst driving-horrible!
I suppose I have just been spoilt over the last few weeks with great listening, either new or old.


----------



## Skilmarilion

A pair of 4's in G!

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 4 (Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin)

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 4 (J. Hornstein, Dame M. Price, London Philarmonic

^ enjoying my first time listening to this recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Pascal Dusapin's Granum Sinapis - Accentus et al

can't work out what that thing on the cover is


----------



## NightHawk

And now:









Messiaen - _Quatuor pour le fin du temps_
Ensemble Walter Boeykens


----------



## aszkid

NightHawk said:


> And now:
> 
> View attachment 21587
> 
> 
> Messiaen - _Quatuor pour le fin du temps_
> Ensemble Walter Boeykens


Oh, listened that piece a few days ago. Quite impressive, i've got to listen carefully again, but there's a movement of clarinet solo (maybe not entierely, don't remember) that somehow hurts my ears! Maybe it's performance-specific, maybe the volume was too high... i don't know.


----------



## bejart

Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (1735-1792): Symphony in E Flat

Nicolas Pasquet conducting the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Weimer

View attachment 21588


----------



## opus55

Hasse: Salve Regina


----------



## Ravndal

Ligeti - Lontano


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' German Requiiem - Herbert von Karajan, cond.


----------



## Andolink

Wolfgang Rihm: Verwandlungen 1-2 (Musik für Orchester)
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart/Christian Arming, Matthias Pintscher


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II*


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Piano Sonata No.3 in F Minor, Op.5

Yefim Bronfman, piano

View attachment 21595


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Sheherazade - Teresa Berganza, mezzo, Michael Plasson, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Sid James said:


> *Peter Sculthorpe* Lament*, Little Suite, Night-Song
> - Strings of Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn *with Sue-Ellen Paulsen, cello solo


Beautiful performances of Sculthorpe, Sid. I still feel Sculthorpe is undervalued. He has written some top-notch music. From _Sun Music_ to the SQs to the _Piano Concerto_, there's nothing in his oeuvre that suggests his creativity has faltered or has become stagnant.


----------



## NightHawk

And this evening, just about to finish:









Marc-Andre Hamelin - SCRIABIN - THE COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS (10)

Comment: These are amazing works, especially the later ones and Hamelin is unbelievable.


----------



## Novelette

Brahms: Symphony #1 in C Minor, Op. 68 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Brahms: Symphony #4 in E Minor, Op. 98 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Brahms: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53 -- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61 -- Hilary Hahn; Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra

...

I'll complete my Brahms Symphonies tomorrow.


----------



## millionrainbows

*ANTHONY NEWMAN* plays _Mozart piano sonatas, K. 309, 311, 310, 330._ Fortepianos Könicke 1790; Clementi, 1803. Recorded: New York 12/1989 (Newport Classics).

It's hard to realize that this series is now over 20 years old! Newman is one of the great New England scholar/virtuosos of the XX century. Even on the clangy fortepiano, he brings forth all the drama and precision I could ever desire. He's one I'd really, really like to meet.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Kieran said:


> Someday, Jerome, I'd like to see your record collection. I wouldn't need to listen to it! I just want to sit and look at it...


Hehe, good one. The whole trumpet thing is big in YouTube as well - poor girl, why does this 'inuendo' have to surround her - she's a classical musician .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, Sonata III Grave (Paul Angerer, Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto).


----------



## chrisco97

I am now enjoying *Fry's* Macbeth Overture, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Tony Rowe. 

Afterwards I will be checking out *Hummel's* second and third piano concertos (performed by Hae Won Chang and the Budapest String Orchestra), another album I am considering purchasing.


----------



## opus55

Bernhard Molique
String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## chrisco97

Just got done listening to *Hummel's* second piano concerto. What a fantastic work! I highly enjoyed it. Next up is *Hummel's* third. Both concertos are performed by _Hae Won Chang and the Budapest String Orchestra_, as mentioned in the earlier post. 

*After Hummel's third piano concerto, I will be checking out yet another album that may become a possible purchase...*


----------



## aleazk

Gérard Grisey: Modulation.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. Schiff (rec. 1997); w. Pletnev (rec.1988); w. Brendel (rec.1979).

View attachment 21600
View attachment 21601
View attachment 21602
View attachment 21603


----------



## chrisco97

Someone on Amazon had mentioned that if they did not know any better they would have confused Hummel with Beethoven. I can see similarities. Loved both concertos very much. Another album on the to-buy list! 

Now listening to *Converse's* "The Mystic Trumpeter", performed by the _Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.7 - Utah SO, Maurice Abravanel, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> *
> Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. Schiff (rec. 1997); w. Pletnev (rec.1988); w. Brendel (rec.1979).
> 
> View attachment 21600
> View attachment 21601
> View attachment 21602
> View attachment 21603


I ordered a CD of Schiff's Haydn sonatas once, but the it didn't function on my computer (I listen on the PC with a pair of speakers) - he's good though, isn't he?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bedřich Smetana, 'Sárka' from 'Má Vlast'.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Le Groupe Des Six" - Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Tzipine, cond

side three: Georges Auric's Phedre

One of the great finds at the second hand shop today - in fact I purchased as may as I could carry and will be going back tomorrow. Some longtime collectors library they're giving away at one dollar per disc. I'm grabbing with both hands. (and me trying to cull and declutter...)


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Violin Concerto - Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violin, Frank Martin, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

during last few days have inadvertently ended up comparing Dvorak and Glazunov. Well aware of the reservations that many have about Glazunov and whilst I might consider him of greater interest and consequence than some might admit there is no doubt in my mind that Dvorak emerges from this 'process' an even more accomplished composer than I might have initially acknowledged. Well aware that some might criticise the basis for this comparison-am I indeed comparing 'like with like' etc. However if nothing else one realises that the sheer vitality and imaginative orchestration of Dvoraks symphonies and concertos can too easily be taken for granted.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D 113

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin

View attachment 21610


----------



## SimonNZ

Kodaly's Concerto For Orchestra and Summer Night - Budapest Philharmonic, Zoltan Kodaly, cond.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Chaminade Concertino


----------



## Bas

The third disc of Handels opera Admeto, Re di Tessagalia

Directed by Alan Curtis, on Virgin Classics. Part of an excellent box with four more (lesser known) opera's by Handel.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"
_Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra_

Did not actually start to like this symphony until just a little while back. Since then, it has worked it's way up to become one of my top symphonies. Like all the other recordings I have by Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade, it is one of my favourite recordings. Amazing sound and it seems as if they play everything perfectly. 

--
*Oh, and I "listened" to this earlier. Had to see what all the fuss was about...*






I in all honesty could not keep from laughing. The expressions on some of the people (both in the audience and in the orchestra) just killed me. What really killed me though is when the conductor wiped his forehead at the end of the first movement. :lol:


----------



## realdealblues

Continuing on from yesterday...



Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 
Conducted by Eugen Jochum & The Staatskappelle Dreseden.


----------



## Kleinzeit

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"
> _Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra_
> 
> --
> *Oh, and I "listened" to this earlier. Had to see what all the fuss was about...*
> 
> I in all honesty could not keep from laughing. The expressions on some of the people (both in the audience and in the orchestra) just killed me. What really killed me though is when the conductor wiped his forehead at the end of the first movement. :lol:


Seagulls. The near-violent mewing of hungry, belligerent, early-morning seagulls. A coffee grinder, and the near-subliminal hiss of an electric kettle. Crimes of outlaw bikers recited in what seems a sleepwalker's hallucinatory obliviousness on the history channel. The submarine bong sound of arriving e-mail. And always the gulls, the cats of the sky.

I am spent.


----------



## Kleinzeit

EllenBurgess said:


> till the world ends by brittney spears


_Starting_ to 'like', very very close to 'like'. Appears with the sporadic regularity of a comet or meteor shower. Suspect a gag poster, an Andy Kaufmanesque alter ego.

On the outskirts of 'like'.

/Prefer 'The End of the World' by Skeeter Davis. But chacun.


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's Symphony No.3 "Song Of The Night" - Witold Rowicki, cond


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Anyone who loves String Quartets probably loves Haydn's Op. 20 Sun Quartets. This version is performed by the Hagen Quartet. One reviewer on Amazon gives this a fairly low rating but I found it to be quite enjoyable and well performed. Of course I'm not a musician and am just a listener but to my ears this is one of the better performances of these quartets I have heard. If anyone has a suggestion for a better recording of them please make mention of it.










Kevin


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.4 for the first time. I don't know why I waited so much to try it since I really _love _ the PC No.2. The 4 is also great, will listen to the 5th next. All performed by Collard and conducted by Andre Previn.


----------



## millionrainbows

Comparison: Beethoven: Piano Sonata in D minor, Op. 131 No. 2, "Sturm" or "Tempest;"

Friedrich Gulda (Brilliant 9-CD rec. 1967) vs. Tatyana Zagorovskaya (Audiophile Classics rec. 1994)

This is close, very close, and each version has its own strengths and deficiencies. Gulda is the winner in the second mvt, where he provides a sense of continuity I don't hear in Zagorovskaya's. Gulda emphasizes that little bass "barum" figure which appears, creating a sense of progress, as if in a slow parade.

Gulda plays with the easy confidence of an Austrian who has this music in his bones. Tatyana's is more introspective, more delicately poised, while Gulda moves right along as if there were nothing to ponder; this is a walk down the familiar streets of his home.

Sonically, the deficiencies of the much older 1967 Gulda recording show up in the _forte_ passages at the end of mvt 3; some distortion, lack of clarity. The Audiophile Classics gold disc, by contrast, is infinitely clearer and more dynamically powerful.

I must say, I will be listening to Tatyana Zagorovskaya's recording more. It satisfies me greatly in every respect.


----------



## Kieran

In this month's Gramaphone magazine, there's an all too brief article by Alfred Brendel about his long recording career. In this article, he writes:



> Lately, my earliest recording of Beethoven's 32 sonatas was made available through obscure companies. Piano students who get these recordings at rock-bottom prices may now live in the illusion that they know me.


I fear he has just dissed my _Brilliant Classics _boxset, which I love.

Currently listening to Beethoven piano sonata #19 in g-minor, Opus 49, performed by Alfred Brendel (so well you'd think you know him)...


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. Pogorelich (rec.1991); Richter (rec.1987); GG (rec.1980/1).

View attachment 21622
View attachment 21623
View attachment 21624


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> In this month's Gramaphone magazine, there's an all too brief article by Alfred Brendel about his long recording career. In this article, he writes:
> 
> I fear he has just dissed my _Brilliant Classics _boxset, which I love.
> 
> Currently listening to Beethoven piano sonata #19 in g-minor, Opus 49, performed by Alfred Brendel (so well you'd think you know him)...


Don't despair, K. He's just engaging in a little business, that indirectly touts the label (Philips now Decca) that meant the most (money) to him.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Today is going to be a Sculthorpe day for me but I might throw in some Szymanowski or Janacek later on throughout the day.

Now listening:










Listening to Sculthorpe's _Nourlangie for guitar, strings, and percussion_. I own two performances of this work. I like both of them equally.


----------



## starthrower

Ligeti Project Disc 4 Hamburg Concerto; Double Concerto; Reqiem


----------



## Guest

Getting into Alban Berg, finally. Don't know what took so long, his stuff is fantastic. Diggin the three pieces for orchestra at the moment, as performed by Karajan and the Berlin Phil.


----------



## JCarmel

*Wagner*
Just started on Radio 3....part two of The Ring from the Proms...Die Walkure, following last night's excellent 'Das Rheingold'.
Most certainly worth a listen...
Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle, Berlin.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Haydn's String Quartet No. 61 "Fifths", played by Kodaly. I love Haydn string quartets, the way the instruments "blend" with each other are fantastic. I like them more than Mozart's quartets.

This set of the complete Haydn SQ's are fantastic!


----------



## Bix

Schubert's Piano Sonatas / Perahia


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Nicola Benedetti's* Fantasie.

View attachment 21626


*NB* news:

http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-...cert-cristian-macelaru-philadelphia-orchestra


----------



## TheBamf

Mozart: Symphonies #39 & 40 conducted by and performed by Claudio Abbado & Orchestra Mozart


----------



## Blancrocher

Emerson Quartet plays the Art of Fugue.


----------



## DavidH

Listening to the rather brilliant "Ainsi la nuit" for String Quartet by Dutilleux. What a genius composer.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Sonatas for Violoncello & Basso Continuo, w. Bylsma/Suzuki/Ogg (rec.1989).

View attachment 21631


----------



## Stemahl

Symphony Number 4


----------



## korenbloem

Dennis Johnson performed by R. Andrew Lee - November


----------



## Felawechoy

Currently listening to 32 variations in c minor by beethoven.....


----------



## DrKilroy

In addition to the Symphony No. 5 (Ormandy) I did not manage to listen to in full two days ago, I will listen to Piano Concerti Nos. 2 (Joselson, Ormandy) and 4 (Ashkenazy). Everything of course by Prokofiev.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

Hey Doc, did you assemble your thoughts on the Wolfie-fest yet? ;tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

I completely forgot about this!  Thanks for reminding me. I will write it tomorrow.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

_Finnishing_ my work day with some Sibelius. The symphony 3 is such an amazing work. I can't rank Sibelius symphonies anymore, to me they are all masterpieces. Performed by Neeme Jarvi and the GSO.


----------



## Bas

Recent eBay acquisition: Glenn Goulds 1955 historical recording of the Goldberg variations.
I hate to admit it, but you, mr. Gould, disappoint me this time. It is so fast... I am not quite enjoying it.

(Although I love his recording of the violin sonatas with Jaime Laredo and his Kunst der Fuge)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the Best of Boccherini. One of my favorite discs.


----------



## DaveS

TheBamf said:


> Mozart: Symphonies #39 & 40 conducted by and performed by Claudio Abbado & Orchestra Mozart


Abbado has just released the Schumann 2nd with the Orchestra Mozart. Believe it is on DG.


----------



## DaveS

Speaking of Schumann...just finished listening to the 2nd.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 161 "Komm du susse Todesstunde" - Frigyes Sandor, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## Mika

Prom15 live today. Anja Kampe and Bryn Terfel were highlights

Wagner
Die Walküre (225 mins)

(concert performance; sung in German)
Bryn Terfel bass-baritone (Wotan)
Eric Halfvarson bass (Hunding)
Simon O'Neill tenor (Siegmund)
Anja Kampe soprano, Proms debut artist (Sieglinde)
Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)
Ekaterina Gubanova mezzo-soprano (Fricka)
Sonja Mühleck soprano (Gerhilde)
Carola Höhn soprano, Proms debut artist (Ortlinde)
Ivonne Fuchs mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Waltraute)
Anaïk Morel mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Schwertleite)
Susan Foster soprano, Proms debut artist (Helmwige)
Leann Sandel-Pantaleo mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Siegrune)
Anna Lapkovskaja mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Grimgerde)
Simone Schröder mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Rossweisse)
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim conductor


----------



## bejart

Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.14, No.3

Patrice Bocquillon on flute with the Milliere String Trio: Marie-Christine Milliere, violin -- Jean-Francois Benetar, viola -- Philippe Bary, cello

View attachment 21646


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann's St Matthew Passion - Kurt Redel, cond.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842): String Quartet No.5 in F Major

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello

View attachment 21648


----------



## Andolink

Arcangelo Corelli: Trio Sonatas, Op. 4 Nos. 7 and 8
The London Baroque








Ramon Lazkano: Wintersonnenwende-3 (for violin, cello, piano and percussion)
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Neo Romanza

Manxfeeder said:


> *Penderecki, Symphony No. 3.*
> 
> View attachment 21644


What are your impressions of the music, Manxfeeder? Is Penderecki a favorite of yours? I've found his music to be trite and a dead-end street.


----------



## TheBamf

DaveS said:


> Abbado has just released the Schumann 2nd with the Orchestra Mozart. Believe it is on DG.


Will have to pick that up. Ty!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.62 in E Flat

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 21651


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Mangrove_ again. Such an evocative, wide-open, textural work.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 7
_Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra_

I love this symphony so much. The Allegretto still, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful works in all of classical music. And like the others, I feel Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade plays it perfectly. Does anyone know if the Philharmonic Promenade/Adrian Boult did a full cycle of Beethoven's symphonies?


----------



## SimonNZ

Hugo Wolf lieder - Bruce Boyce, baritone, Robert Veyron-Lacroix, piano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Symphony No. 7
> _Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra_
> 
> I love this symphony so much. The Allegretto still, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful works in all of classical music. And like the others, I feel Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade plays it perfectly. Does anyone know if the Philharmonic Promenade/Adrian Boult did a full cycle of Beethoven's symphonies?


As far as I am aware Boult only recorded symphonies 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 with the PPO. He never recorded 1. 2 or 9 with any orchestra and recorded symphony 8 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Kevin


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Port Essington_. Very cool work.


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.14, No.3
> 
> Patrice Bocquillon on flute with the Milliere String Trio: Marie-Christine Milliere, violin -- Jean-Francois Benetar, viola -- Philippe Bary, cello
> 
> View attachment 21646


NOW you're talking, Bejart! Gossec's chamber music is the greatest: flute quartets included.


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 29


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's String Quartet No.2 - Musica Vitalis Quartet

edit: now Hummel's Etudes Op.125 - Mary Loiuise Boehm, piano


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Harp Concerto in D Major by Antonio Vivaldi. This concerto was originally written for lute, but in this case is use the harp.


----------



## opus55

Lutoslawski

Symphony No. 4
Les Espaces du sommeil


----------



## SimonNZ

Josef Suk's "Asrael" Symphony - Czech Philharmonic, Vaclav Talich, cond.

edit now Arthur Bilss' Violin Concerto - Campoli, violin, Arthur Bliss, cond.


----------



## Bas

A. Scarlatti, Cantatas Volume I, by McGegan
(Christine Brandos, Soprano)


----------



## SimonNZ

Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No.1 - Zara Nelsova, cello, Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Monteverdi's second vespers for Santa Barbara
Christopher and the Sixteen et al
Hyperion


----------



## Conor71

*Byrd: Great Service*

Been listening to some Early Music the last few days - I will listen to selections from these 3 tonight:


----------



## SimonNZ

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3 - Samson Francois, piano, Andre Cluytens, cond.


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Concert Polonais in G Major

Reinhard Goebel conducting Musica Antiqua Koln

View attachment 21664


----------



## SimonNZ

Granados' Danzas Espanolas - Gonzalo Soriano, piano


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Franz Berwald (23 July 1796-1868): Piano Trio in C MAjor

Kalman Drafti, piano -- Jozsef Modrian, violin -- Gyorgy Kertesz, cello

View attachment 21667


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Card Game - Bamberg SO, Heinrich Hollreiser, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Shostakovich first Cello Concerto performed by Sol Gabetta, Lorin Maazel and the MP.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Szymanowski - Stabat Mater - Rattle.


----------



## julianoq

Haydn's The Creation, with John Eliot Gardiner. My first listen of this work.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schoenberg Piano Works - Pina Napolitano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Last night I listened to a wonderful recording of Mozart's Sonatas C major, K. 330 - A major, K. 331 - F major, K. 332 by Ogawa, Noriko. I think my favorite is No. 12 K. 332, especially love the allegro movement.










And now this morning I'm listening to her performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concert No. 1 and No. 4 before heading off to work. Very nice interpretation indeed! 










Kevin


----------



## MagneticGhost

Kevin Pearson said:


> And now this morning I'm listening to her performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concert No. 1 and No. 4 before heading off to work. Very nice interpretation indeed!


I love 1 and 4. Oft forgotten and overshadowed by 2 and 3. But just as good nonetheless.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. MAH (rec. 2005 - '11).

View attachment 21672
View attachment 21673
View attachment 21674


----------



## MagneticGhost

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:


Do you mind me asking what CPR Edition means.
In my line of work it means CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.
Just wondered if Haydn was ensuring Oxygenated Blood to your brain or whether it means something else to you


----------



## Vaneyes

Bas said:


> Recent eBay acquisition: Glenn Goulds *1955 historical recording of the Goldberg variations.
> I hate to admit it, but you, mr. Gould, disappoint me this time. It is so fast*... I am not quite enjoying it.
> 
> (Although I love his recording of the violin sonatas with Jaime Laredo and his Kunst der Fuge)


"Too fast, too fast, you say?!?!"

Well, GG aimed to please you, so try the 1981. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> Do you mind me asking what CPR Edition means.
> In my line of work it means CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.
> Just wondered if Haydn was ensuring Oxygenated Blood to your brain or whether it means something else to you


Thank you for asking. A similar meaning...Certified Perfect Recording. :tiphat:


----------



## Bix

Schubert impromptus / Mitsuko Uchida


----------



## chrisco97

Kevin Pearson said:


> As far as I am aware Boult only recorded symphonies 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 with the PPO. He never recorded 1. 2 or 9 with any orchestra and recorded symphony 8 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
> 
> Kevin


Thanks for the reply! That is a shame...I have 3, 5, 6, and 7...they are my favourite versions of those symphonies. I have yet to find ones I like better. I need to look into picking up his recordings of 8 and 4 especially.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Handel's Orchestral Works.


----------



## DrKilroy

Koechlin - Le Livre de la Jungle cycle (Zinman).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## rrudolph

Lachenmann: Interieur I/Schwankungen am Rand/Air









Xenakis: Dammerschein/Persephassa/La Deesse Athena









Stockhausen: Mantra


----------



## MagneticGhost

Vaneyes said:


> Thank you for asking. A similar meaning...Certified Perfect Recording. :tiphat:


A-ha... I've been wondering for some time but felt a bit stupid for asking. I thought it must be something obvious. Glad I asked cos I'd've never worked it out


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius 5th Symphony with the Oslo Philharmonic conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Can't get enough of this symphony.


----------



## Stemahl

This is a great performance of the fourth by Haitink; really clear, and very loud - just how music should be (at least in my headphones haha).
Nearly finished with the final movement, so next up will be a listen to a new purchase from today:









Hope its good


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21682


Bruckner: Te Deum conducted by Eugen Jochum


----------



## julianoq

julianoq said:


> Sibelius 5th Symphony with the Oslo Philharmonic conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Can't get enough of this symphony.


For those interested, after watching this great performance I found an interview of Saraste commenting the different versions of Sibelius 5th (with excerpts from the original version included). Very interesting.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Neo Romanza said:


> What are your impressions of the music, Manxfeeder? Is Penderecki a favorite of yours? I've found his music to be trite and a dead-end street.


Which of his music do you find trite, the noise-based music or the later Neo-Romantic pieces?


----------



## Sid James

*Bliss* A Colour Symphony
- English Northern Philharmonia under David Lloyd-Jones

*Holst* St. Paul's Suite
*Warlock* Capriol Suite
- Bournemouth Sinfonietta directed by Richard Studt

*Haydn* Symphonies 98* & 104 "London"
- *Philharmonia & New Philharmonia orchestras under Otto Klemperer

*George Antheil* 
Symphony for Five Instruments (Second Version)
- Philadelphia Virtuosi CO under Daniel Spalding


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Shostakovich's 10th Symphony - London Philharmonic Orchestra & Haitink.

To be followed by Shostakovich's 8th Symphony, same orchestra with the fantastic Rozhdestvensky on the podium.

Looking at a lot of my listening of late, the London Philharmonic Orchestra is becoming one of my favourite orchestras.


----------



## jim prideaux

minor result-Honegger Pastorale d'ete-only ever had it on cassette-Dutoit-and always loved it-just found it on I tunes.


----------



## bejart

Alexandre Pierre François Boëly (1785-1858): String Quartet in A Major, Op.27, No.1

String Trio of Paris with Edouard Popa on 2nd violin: Charles Frey, violin -- Michel Michalakakos, viola -- Jean Grout, cello

View attachment 21686


----------



## Manxfeeder

Haydn, Quartets Opus 33, Nos. 5 and 3.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.52, Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *
All three symphonies feature the Vienna Philharmonic led by Lorin Maazel.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia semplice"}, *
both performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under the wand of Theodore Kuchar.
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, * both traversed by Sir Adrian Boult and the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Tuma (1704-1774): Partita in D Minor

Josef Vlach directing the Suk Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 21689


----------



## NightHawk

jim prideaux said:


> minor result-Honegger Pastorale d'ete-only ever had it on cassette-Dutoit-and always loved it-just found it on I tunes.


Is that a work that features oboe and English Horn?


----------



## GreenMamba

Also listening to Sibelius 5th. Karajan/Philharmonia Orchestra, 1953.


----------



## Guest

No current listening = no likes = no good


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Grand Sonata in C Major, Op.48

Hanus Barton and Jana Macharackova, pianos

View attachment 21692


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Piano Trios, Nos 1 and 2
Chausson: Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## opus55

Alwyn: Piano Concertos, Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## neoshredder

Plan to go through all the TC list Symphonies (and other sources) in chronological order. Starting with Haydn's Symphonies 6-8 (1761), 22 (1764), and 26 (1763).


----------



## SimonNZ

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


A local seller is offering that cheap at the moment. You'd recommend it?


----------



## Bix

julianoq said:


> Sibelius 5th


You've started a trend  quite a few people have said they've listened to this in the last 24hours, I did also


----------



## neoshredder

Giving this a try.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Plan to go through all the TC list Symphonies (and other sources) in chronological order. Starting with Haydn's Symphonies 6-8 (1761), 22 (1764), and 26 (1763).


eeexcelllennnntt.....


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, 'Introduzione. Maestoso ed Adagio' (Paul Angerer, Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto).


----------



## jim prideaux

NightHawk said:


> Is that a work that features oboe and English Horn?


scored for strings, single woodwinds and horn


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Nielsen's Sleep Op.18 - Danish Radio Chorus and SO, Mogens Woldike, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Mozart-11/12 piano concertos-English Chamber Orchestra/Perahia-great start to the day!


----------



## aleazk

Georg Friedrich Haas - _natures mortes_.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 3 (Haitink and the RCO), and enjoying it. 

This is one of those symphonies I keep thinking I "know" but don't really "know".


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Les Noces - Mario Rossi, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

the morning continues-Barber Symphony number 1/Piano concerto-Slatkin/Browning/St Louis Symphony Orch-had this recording for years and whenever I listen to it I always imagine I am in Hitchcock/Chandler/noir place-not to diminish his music because I believe he is underrated but it just kinda happens.........


----------



## korenbloem

Ludwig van Beethoven performed by Various Artists under James Levine - Missa Solemnis [1992]

This is a great preformance of the mass.


----------



## SimonNZ

Janacek's Glagolitic Mass - Bretislav Bakala, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's FivePieces For Orchestra - Chicago SO, Rafael Kubelik, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988*

I have been enjoying the Fretwork box-set of English music again today and thought Id give their recording of the Goldbergs a try.
About half way through it now - its good I think, my only criticism so far is that the Aria was pretty unrecognizable. I will have to listen to it again to be sure!


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in F Major, RV 412

Nicolas Kraemer leading the City of London Sinfonia -- Raphael Wallfisch, cello

View attachment 21698


----------



## jim prideaux

the morning progresses further with Schubert 5/6th symphonies- Abbado, Chamber Orchestra of Europe-however can fel the need to change direction soon, Steely Dan, Prefab Sprout or the Blue Nile?


----------



## DrKilroy

Bix said:


> You've started a trend  quite a few people have said they've listened to this in the last 24hours, I did also


So did I before sleep yesterday. 

Best regards, Dr

PS We meant Sibelius' 5th.


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> Steely Dan, Prefab Sprout or the Blue Nile?


Steely Dan's Gaucho or Blue Nile's High, if you're putting it to a vote.

playing now:









John Field's piano Concerto No.2 - Rena Kyriakou, piano, C.A.Bunte, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Shostakovich* - Symphony No. 10
_Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko_

Lately I have been trying to branch out and try some new composers' music. Shostakovich is one of those composers I am undecided on at the moment. I enjoyed this symphony overall, but it was a little too much to bear. Honestly it had this creepy haunting sound to it and it felt like my heart was sinking time and time again. I felt like I was having anxiety. An amazing recording in terms of quality, and the playing was great. Just not sure it is my cup of tea.

--
*Glazunov* - Symphony No. 1 and 2
_Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra_

I really have enjoyed listening to these symphonies. They are not really that original, but I can say they are thoroughly enjoyable. They are also very easy listening and so far they have a lot of qualities I love in symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Honegger's Symphony No.5 "Di Tre Re" - Igor Markevitch, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Delius* Two Acquarelles (arrangements: Eric Fenby)
*Vaughan Wlliams* Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
- Bournemouth Sinfonietta directed by Richard Studt

*George Antheil*
Ballet Mecanique (rev. 1953)
Concert for Chamber Orch. (1932)
- Philadelphia Virtuosi CO under Daniel Spalding

*Haydn* Symphony #92 in G, "Oxford"
- Otto Klemperer & the New Philharmonia Orch.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21702


Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor
Sir Colin Davis & Stephen Bishop Kovachevich with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

I love the 2nd movement. That adagio is a thing of beauty.


----------



## chrisco97

*Hummel* - Piano Concerto No. 2
_Hae Won Chang and the Budapest Chamber Orchestra_

Listening to this fantastic concerto again, this time through a pair of headphones. This brings out so many little details I had missed the first listen. I am loving it that much more. Really great stuff. Probably will give the third another listen as well to see if I missed anything...


----------



## jim prideaux

notice with interest popularity of Sibelius 5


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ-interesting recommendations and thanks but............. 

went for Katy Lied/Pretzel Logic (choosing two albums over gaucho might just be reflection of age) followed by the outstanding Pete Erskine album sweet soul-will soon be returning to protracted investigation of Glazunov symphonies


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Helene Grimaud and Sol Gabetta performing Robert Schumann's Fantasiestucke, Claude Debussy's Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Johannes Brahms Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 in E minor and Dmitri Shostakovich's Sonata for Cello and Piano.


----------



## realdealblues

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor
Sir Colin Davis & Stephen Bishop Kovachevich with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

Might as well listen to the rest of the album


----------



## Sonata

Mahler 6 for the first time. New-to-me Mahler=YAY!!!!
Hit me with a wallop straight out of the gate. Along with Das Lied and Symphony #2, this feels like the most "Mahler-ish" Mahler to me, lol. Unfortunately I will be listening to this baby one movement at a time due to limited listening time. But hey I won't complain about listening to Mahler several days in a row 

Also in the last couple days:
Brahms Piano Quartet #2, Beethoven piano sonata #3, Saint-Saens cello concerto, Debussy's cello sonata.


----------



## realdealblues

Sonata said:


> Mahler 6 for the first time. New-to-me Mahler=YAY!!!!
> Hit me with a wallop straight out of the gate. Along with Das Lied and Symphony #2, this feels like the most "Mahler-ish" Mahler to me, lol. Unfortunately I will be listening to this baby one movement at a time due to limited listening time. But hey I won't complain about listening to Mahler several days in a row


Mahler's 6th was the 1st full symphony I heard from him (I had heard the Adagietto from Symphony 5 before) and it's the one that changed my life. After that Mahler became my favorite composer. The 6th is very special to me and I think holds all the secrets to Mahler and life in general. It has everything.


----------



## Neo Romanza

chrisco97 said:


> *Shostakovich* - Symphony No. 10
> _Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko_
> 
> Lately I have been trying to branch out and try some new composers' music. Shostakovich is one of those composers I am undecided on at the moment. I enjoyed this symphony overall, but it was a little too much to bear. Honestly it had this creepy haunting sound to it and it felt like my heart was sinking time and time again. I felt like I was having anxiety. An amazing recording in terms of quality, and the playing was great. Just not sure it is my cup of tea.


I can honestly say from experience that multiple listens of Shostakovich's music has secured his slot of my number one composer of all-time. Like you, I was rather put off initially by his music but as time wore on and I gained more listening experience, I came back to his music after a little hiatus and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The more exposure you have to 20th Century music, the better you understand Shostakovich's music. Give it time is my suggestion to you.


----------



## Blancrocher

jim prideaux said:


> notice with interest popularity of Sibelius 5


One of my great joys since joining the forum recently has been all the love shown to my favorite symphonist! This morning I'm listening to the wonderful Sibelius-inspired Symphony #3 of Roy Harris, before wallowing in my new Vanska set for awhile. There are some little-known (by me, anyways) gems in the Essential Sibelius collection.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21709


Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Bruno Walter & The New York Philharmonic (Mono Recording from 1947)

People complain about the sound and that it's "too fast" but I still like it.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann _Sonata 1_

Perahia

Chopin _Nocturnes_

Pires

Debussy _Masques_

Austbø

Bach _Inventions & Sinfonias_

Glenn Gould


----------



## schuberkovich

Been listening to Barber's violin concerto a lot recently. It's just so beautiful


----------



## Sonata

realdealblues said:


> Mahler's 6th was the 1st full symphony I heard from him (I had heard the Adagietto from Symphony 5 before) and it's the one that changed my life. After that Mahler became my favorite composer. The 6th is very special to me and I think holds all the secrets to Mahler and life in general. It has everything.


YES! Symphony #2 was the first symphony I heard from him and it blew me away. And I am having that experience again. RIGHT NOW with his 6th. I love it. It's remarkable and powerful and beautiful. I take back what I said about needing to listen one movement at a time for the next few days......I WILL finish this today. I can't not finish it. Wow.


----------



## Kieran

realdealblues said:


> View attachment 21709
> 
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 5
> Bruno Walter & The New York Philharmonic (Mono Recording from 1947)
> 
> People complain about the sound and that it's "too fast" but I still like it.


That's the one I have. I have nothing else to compare it to, but I love it as it is.

Currently listening to Brahms cello sonata in e-minor. Isserling and Hough at the wheel...


----------



## Stemahl

Mozart String Quartets - listening to K458 now, then the rest on the disc:









Then listening to a new purchase later - another performance of Mahler 9 (always happy to get some new Mahler):


----------



## Feathers

Some of Mozart's earlier piano concertos (Listening to No. 4 right now):


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sonata said:


> Mahler 6 for the first time. New-to-me Mahler=YAY!!!!


That reminds me of that famous scene from Educating Rita. (Playing Mahler's 6th, of course.)


----------



## Bix

chrisco97 said:


> *Shostakovich* - Symphony No. 10
> _Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko_
> 
> Lately I have been trying to branch out and try some new composers' music. Shostakovich is one of those composers I am undecided on at the moment. I enjoyed this symphony overall, but it was a little too much to bear. Honestly it had this creepy haunting sound to it and it felt like my heart was sinking time and time again. I felt like I was having anxiety. An amazing recording in terms of quality, and the playing was great. Just not sure it is my cup of tea.


Have a listen to the 11th and 5th by the same orchestra and conductor - just brilliant.


----------



## jim prideaux

Blancrocher said:


> One of my great joys since joining the forum recently has been all the love shown to my favorite symphonist! This morning I'm listening to the wonderful Sibelius-inspired Symphony #3 of Roy Harris, before wallowing in my new Vanska set for awhile. There are some little-known (by me, anyways) gems in the Essential Sibelius collection.


the Vanska set is really quite revealing-Sixth symphony seems to acquire a new life!


----------



## julianoq

Joining the contagious Mahler trend - listening this superb performance of the 6th symphony with Boulez and the VPO.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

remaining in the Haydn trend ,
J. Haydn, symphony #44 in E minor, 'Mourning', I. Allegro con brio (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## MagneticGhost

I've been blasting Xenakis's Solo Cello works out of my car window to and from work today.
I don't know if anyone noticed or was peturbed. Perhaps if they did hear, they were glad for a change from the R'n'B and Urban (C)Rap that they normally get subjected too.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21719


Wagner: Orchestral Music From "The Ring"
George Szell And The Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony #41 in C Major, 'Jupiter' (The English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner) - I really like Gardiner's interpretation - packs a punch with the period instruments .


----------



## Bix

Mozart Symphony #35 / Santa Cecilia / Pappano - proms on telly


----------



## Kieran

Wolfie's trending now, just as I put on my piano trio disc: K542, K548 and K564, performed by the Kungsbacka Trio on Naxos...


----------



## Bix

Schumann Piano Concerto / Jan Lisiecki piano / Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome / Sir Antonio Pappano conductor

Again.......... Proms on telly


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

and back to Haydn and dancing bears: J. Haydn, symphony #82 in C Major (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Cello Concerto, Clocks and Clouds, Violin Concerto, Sippal*

The Ligeti Project just arrived; I'm starting with Disc 3. This is consistently interesting music, well-recorded.


----------



## Ondine

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ligeti, Cello Concerto, Clocks and Clouds, Violin Concerto, Sippal*
> 
> The Ligeti Project just arrived; I'm starting with Disc 3. This is consistently interesting music, well-recorded.
> 
> View attachment 21720


Looks like I will order it soon. Thanks Manxfeeder.


----------



## neoshredder

Continuing with my TC List in Chronological order. 
Haydn Symphony 31 (1765)
Haydn Symphony 34 (1767)
Haydn Symphony 39 (1768)
Haydn Symphony 49 (1768)
Haydn Symphony 48 (1769)


----------



## Ondine

julianoq said:


> Joining the contagious Mahler trend - listening this superb performance of the 6th symphony with Boulez and the VPO.


Spreading Mahler's outbreak; that's great.


----------



## neoshredder

Ondine said:


> Spreading Mahler's outbreak; that's great.


I will get to all of them eventually. But I'm obsessed with organization. So chronological order just sounds right for me going through the history of the Symphonies.


----------



## Ondine

neoshredder said:


> I will get to all of them eventually. But I'm obsessed with organization. So chronological order just sounds right for me going through the history of the Symphonies.


Yes, I agree. It will be a wonderful voyage along the development of symphonic language.


----------



## jim prideaux

schuberkovich said:


> Been listening to Barber's violin concerto a lot recently. It's just so beautiful
> View attachment 21710


certainly is-alongside piano and cello concerti as well as the symphonies I can only reiterate the point that Barber deserves greater recognition-the American Walton?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, 'Pathétique' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## DaveS

Currently listening to the 5th Symphony and the Pelleas et Melisande. Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra.


----------



## cwarchc

Had the urge for some cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Ramifications, Requiem.*

I just realized my previous recording of the Requiem isn't that good. I thought it was the piece that I didn't like. But this recording is much better.


----------



## neoshredder

Manxfeeder said:


> *Ligeti, Ramifications, Requiem.*
> 
> I just realized my previous recording of the Requiem isn't that good. I thought it was the piece that I didn't like. But this recording is much better.
> 
> View attachment 21725


I need to get that one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Melodien, Chamber Concerto.*

Wow, I'm on my third disk, and I'm still very interested.


----------



## Bas

Before going to bed I am listening to a new eBay acquisition:









Der Rose Pilgerfahrt
Helen Donath is great!


----------



## SimonNZ

John Taverner's Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas - Tallis Scholars


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Reger's Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Beethoven - Leif Segerstam, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, For Frank O'Hara.*

This was a download; I'm not sure who is doing it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Satie, Danses gothiques, Ogives.*

Reinbert de Leeuw is at his best in Satie's early spiritual Rose-Croix period.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Szymanowski*: Symphonies 3 & 4, w. Polish State PO Katowice/Stryja et al (rec.1989).

View attachment 21731


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 21717
> 
> 
> I've been blasting Xenakis's Solo Cello works out of my car window to and from work today.
> I don't know if anyone noticed or was peturbed. Perhaps if they did hear, they were glad for a change from the R'n'B and Urban (C)Rap that they normally get subjected too.


Lucky you escaped a reckless driving ticket...atleast.


----------



## Kleinzeit

DaveS said:


> View attachment 21723
> 
> 
> Currently listening to the 5th Symphony and the Pelleas et Melisande. Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra.


This set is being rereleased next month. I've got just under 20 Sibelius cycles & any number of singles, including Sir John with other bands. Ought I get this one, I asks myself. Right now it would be taking food out of the mouth of my ferret Mr. Ditters Von Dittersdorf. 
The rap on this cycle is that it's broad & reflective, wise at best; constrained and weakened by Barbirolli's age & ill health at worst. Either way, when we now have Vänskä, Berglund, Järvi, Segerstam, as well as Kamu, Inkinen, Panula, & Oramo... and Davis & Collins & Ashkenazy...and Sanderling, Blomstedt, & Ole Schmidt, I wonder how often I'd return to this set.

How desert island is this for you?


----------



## Vaneyes

Neo Romanza said:


> I can honestly say from experience that multiple listens of Shostakovich's music has secured his slot of my number one composer of all-time. Like you, I was rather put off initially by his music but as time wore on and I gained more listening experience, I came back to his music after a little hiatus and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The more exposure you have to 20th Century music, the better you understand Shostakovich's music. Give it time is my suggestion to you.


So, there may be hope for *Penderecki*.


----------



## Ondine

After the great _Mahlerian_ experience I decided to give a second chance to Shostakovich's.

Some time ago I bought his complete cycle conducted by Rostropovich in a Box Set issued by Teldec. I was in my Bach's stage when I tried them and didn't work. But know it seems it is working wonderful.

Having listened to Nos. 1, 2 & 3, things are advancing pretty well.

Right now No. 4


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: quintet for piano and winds at work. Great piece of music, I really enjoy it.

And before bed, I have twenty minutes left of Mahler 6 to finish.


----------



## SimonNZ

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 21717
> 
> 
> I've been blasting Xenakis's Solo Cello works out of my car window to and from work today.
> I don't know if anyone noticed or was peturbed. Perhaps if they did hear, they were glad for a change from the R'n'B and Urban (C)Rap that they normally get subjected too.


I've only recently discovered that the Aeon label deserves much more attention than I've previously given them. I intend to hear pretty much everything I come accross by them now. I'll try to see if I can hunt that one down.

playing now:









Beethoven's Coriolan Overture - Gunter Wand, cond.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in A Major

Shizuka Ishikawa, violin -- Petr Hejny, cello -- Josef Hala, harpsichord

View attachment 21734


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vaneyes said:


> So, there may be hope for *Penderecki*.


 Penderecki's problem is he's one-dimensional. You've heard one work and that's all you need to hear, although his early experimental works are pretty darn cool.  I think he is one of the most overrated composers of the 20th/21st Centuries.


----------



## Selby

A work referenced by a poster and completely new to me:

Mozart - Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat, K. 452






My current crush on Mozart is causing me an identity crisis.


----------



## tdc

Neo Romanza said:


> Penderecki's problem is he's one-dimensional. You've heard one work and that's all you need to hear, although his early experimental works are pretty darn cool.  I think he is one of the most overrated composers of the 20th/21st Centuries.


Penderecki's music has two distinct phases, his avant-garde phase and his neo-romantic phase. I would agree that the neo-romantic works can get a little 'samey', but personally I think the same can be said for the majority of Shostakovitch's oeuvre. Regardless I consider both very good composers.


----------



## Neo Romanza

tdc said:


> Penderecki's music has two distinct phases, his avant-garde phase and his neo-romantic phase. I would agree that the neo-romantic works can get a little 'samey', but personally I think the same can be said for the majority of Shostakovitch's oeuvre. Regardless I consider both very good composers.


There's more variety, color, and emotional depth just in Shostakovich's _Symphony No. 5_ alone than any work by Penderecki.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn Symphonies 44, 45, 47, and CPE Bach's Hamburg Sinfonias.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I know this is an obvious piece, however I love it and I haven't heard this piece in years. This piece make me remember my childhood, when I went to my grandpa's house and he was listening to music. With him I had my first contact with classical music.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite Nr. 1 (Jerzy Maksymiuk, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## ProudSquire

*Franz Schubert*

Impromptu in A flat major Op. 142
Rudolf Firkunsky

To ease the pain.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gerard Grisey's "Jour, Contre-Jour" - Ensemble Itineraire

edit: followed by Berio's "A Ronne" - Theatre of Voices, Paul Hillier


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart Symphonies 25, 28, and 29.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ah, Mozart's first G minor symphony, an awesome one.


----------



## neoshredder

His only 'Sturm und Drang' Symphony imo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonathan Harvey's Speakings - Ivan Volkov, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Btw Mozart's Symphony 28 is really great. Should be higher up on the TC List imo. Love that first movement.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Carpiccio For Piano And Orchestra - Nikita Magaloff, piano, Ernest Ansermet, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert).


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 4
_Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter_

I have not paid much attention to this symphony in the past, but I love what I have heard so far! Ludwig never seems to disappoint me...


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki:*

_Symphony #8 "Songs of Transience"_
- Michaela Kaune, sop. , Agnieszka Rehlis, mezzo , Wojtek Drabowicz, tenor with Warsaw National PO & Choir under Antoni Wit

_Emanationen for two string orchestras
Partita for harpsichord and orchestra*
Cello Concerto #1**_
- Polish National Radio SO under the composer with *Felicja Blumenthal, harpsichord soloist and **Siegfried Palm, cello soloist


----------



## Andolink

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger: works for chitarrone
Paul O'Dette, chitarrone








Arcangelo Corelli: Sonate da Chiesa, Op. 1 (nos. 1-8)
The London Baroque








Ramon Lazkano: Errobi-1, for flute and piano
Ensemble Recherche








Henry Demarest: Domine ne in furore
Studio De Musique Ancienne de Montreal
Les Violons du Roy/Christopher Jackson


----------



## SimonNZ

Kodaly's Psalmus Hungaricus - Jozsef Simandy, tenor, Antal Dorati, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Symphony No. 4
> _Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter_
> 
> I have not paid much attention to this symphony in the past, but I love what I have heard so far! Ludwig never seems to disappoint me...


Actually, this is one of my favourite symphonies by him, the introductory adagio in the first movement is excellent and so is the second movement. The introduction reminds me a bit of the introduction to The Clock symphony by Haydn. The other two movements are great as well.


----------



## chrisco97

I have now listened to symphonies 1, 3, 4, and now *the 5th*...all performed by _Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra_. I love this performance of the fifth, a lot. I have chills all over at the moment...there is so much beyond those first four notes. If only more people would find that out...

Overall, I am *super* pleased with this set so far.


----------



## bejart

James Cervetto (ca.1682-1783): Cello Sonata in G Major

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli, cello -- Walter Mammerella, harpsichord -- Marcello Scandelli, cello continuo

View attachment 21756


----------



## MagneticGhost

Some spotify listening this morning














This week I've been reading 'The Rest Is Noise'. A history of 20thC music by Alex Ross. 
So I've been revisiting the 2nd Viennese School which I wrote off as an irrelevant cul de sac 20 years back.
I've heard a lot more music since then, Some much more challenging.
Some of the Webern is revelatory. I'm really enjoying it.
Pierrot Lunaire less so. But I did enjoy Schoenbergs piano works which I listened to earlier this week.


----------



## Conor71

*Gibbons: Fantasia*

Listening to these 2 tonight - lovely! 
Cant seem to find an image for 1 of the Discs - Its a disc of Orlando Gibbons by Fretwork on the Virgin/Veritas label and is certainly not rare!.


----------



## Guest

It's time to get to know Haydn's symphonies.








42 Symphonies
Franz Bruggen, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century

This will probably take a few days of listening to get through it - if I have the patience. I will probably just skip around until I've heard enough. Starting with the Sinfonia Concertante and then the Paris Symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Edmund Rubbra's String Quartet No.2 - Amici Quartet


----------



## jim prideaux

magnetic ghost-I find Alex Ross really refreshing, readable, illuminating and as with yourself an encouragement to further listening


----------



## SimonNZ

Raffaele D'Alessandro's Sinfonietta for Cor Anglais and Orchestra - Michel Rosset, cor anglais, Ronald Zollman, cond.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Saint-Saens* - Symphony No. 3 in C minor (E. Batiz, London Philarmonic)

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor (M. Argerich, Capucon brothers)


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*'s Piano Sonata No.23 & 29 'Hammerklavier'


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Most recently:


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21760


Ravel: Bolero (And a few other works from Ravel)
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 9, BWV 97 and BWV 177
Hana Blazikova (Soprano), Robin Blaze (Countertenor), Gerd Türk (Tenor), 
Peter Kooy (Bass)
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Sudonim

Still listening my way through my iPod's Cover Flow and have now reached the knights.

























Currently listening to Sir John's Mahler 5, with his Elgar Cello Concerto (w/DuPré) and Sibelius 2 to come. Barbirolli fever: catch it!


----------



## Andolink

Ramon Lazkano: Wintersonnenwende 2, for cello and piano
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## DaveS

Well, I purchased a new turntable in order to resurrect my sizable collection of LPs collected in the 70s and 80s. After virtually no success in selling, I decided to take advantage of many of these, several of which were never listened to, and quite a few still sealed in their original sleeves. I am listening to my first LP as I write:

Holst: Hymn of Jesus. BBC SO & Chorus; Sir Adrian Boult. 1962 London/Decca recording.









(Also on the record is Holst's The Perfect Fool and Egdon Heat. Boult and the LPO). Personal note: I can't say that the Hymn is particularly memorable, and I'm not that all up-to-date on Holst, for that matter.

Look forward to rediscovering many of these old gems.


----------



## Bas

Andolink said:


> J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 9, BWV 97 and BWV 177
> Hana Blazikova (Soprano), Robin Blaze (Countertenor), Gerd Türk (Tenor),
> Peter Kooy (Bass)
> Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki
> View attachment 21761


Very good choice!

I'm listening to renaissance music this afternoon:









De Leidse Koorboeken volume II, by the Egidius Quartet
(it is music from the Netherlands )


----------



## Forte




----------



## Op.123

The sound of traffic passing by the front of my house.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Burroughs said:


> The sound of traffic passing by the front of my house.







that's the folk rock version.


----------



## Forte

Kleinzeit said:


> that's the folk rock version.


That reminds me:


----------



## Kleinzeit

Forte said:


> That reminds me:
> 
> View attachment 21768











Infinite recursion of embedded 4'33" videos! Taking over like kudzu! Let's do it!


----------



## Forte

I found a rare performance of 4'33 - it takes a much faster tempo than usual though.


----------



## rrudolph

I'm not completely sure these should be classified as classical. Then again, I'm not completely sure they shouldn't. Anyway, it's what I'm listening to:


----------



## DaveS

Another find...and an artist I had not heard recalled in many years. Gina Bachauer, pianist with Antal Dorati and the LSO. Also on this recording: Chopin's Nocturne in C#m, and three Etudes.


----------



## NightHawk

I have been listening to Szymanowski's symphonies 2, 3 and 4 and I have to say that he is a better orchestrator than his great countryman Frederic Chopin, but still, like Chopin, his greatest strength, which is considerable, is in his solo piano works.

addendum: I also think that the other important influence in Szymanowski's work, Scriabin, is best represented by his solo piano works. The symphonies of both composers have good passages, but these are often highjacked by trivial material, imo.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*

I'm not really warming up to this one yet.








*
Ligeti, Hamburg Concerto, Double Concerto.*

I really like these. Especially the Double Concerto.


----------



## Kleinzeit

in other news

ATTENTION ALL MAHLERIANS!

A bit of new Mahler love-life gossip in today's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/a...-romantic-than-scholars-thought.html?ref=arts


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 1 in C Major (Quatuor Festetics).


----------



## Blancrocher

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 21777


How are you liking this set? I had planned on buying it myself, but was alarmed by this comment on Amazon: "This re-issued is great, but miss-edited. You will hear the tones between the movements are broken. For instance, the continuation from the 1st movement to the 2nd movement of Piano Sonata No. 1 are broken." I'm wondering if it's just a problem with the MP3 version.

And thanks for the gossip! I'm sure Alma is turning in her grave!


----------



## Kleinzeit

Blancrocher said:


> How are you liking this set? I had planned on buying it myself, but was alarmed by this comment on Amazon: "This re-issued is great, but miss-edited. You will hear the tones between the movements are broken. For instance, the continuation from the 1st movement to the 2nd movement of Piano Sonata No. 1 are broken." I'm wondering if it's just a problem with the MP3 version.
> 
> And thanks for the gossip! I'm sure Alma is turning in her grave!


That amazon comment sounds like somebody used to an initial release noticing some remastering difference and allowing themselves to freak out a bit. I don't hear anything amiss (and probably wouldn't even know, since i can't read a score). And maybe it is a download problem; I rarely download because I play music in my studio, rarely in the house. That's why I'm a cd stalwart-- simply cuz it works for my circumstances. But I'm going to load this Ustvolskaya on my mp3 player for walks out in the world. Like Spectralist music, it interacts with the world in really interesting ways.

Ustvolskaya's is a different approach, as you probably know from Youtubing. 
I generally feel more _judged_ by music that I feel like _I'm_ judging it...until it's become sufficiently part of me that I can say, oh....Boulez sounds like a knitting granny. Ustvolskaya, Feldman, Xenakis, Grisey, Ligeti, Scelsi, among many others judge me more than most. So i give them a lot of time, and come back often, and go through many 'tudes with them-- hate, love, hate...I take never being _sure_ as one indicator of good art.


----------



## Blancrocher

Kleinzeit, if you don't hear any problems, I doubt I will either: the Ustvolskaya is waiting on my Wish List, and I'm feeling ready to pull the trigger. I've had problems with MP3 downloads often enough that I shouldn't bother with them; but my craving for instant gratification usually wins out. Not that this is interesting, but I often transfer anything important to blank cds and store them in little sleeves; even so, it means I can never move!

I also like your judgment in listening habits. Whenever a composer comes strongly recommended by someone I trust (in this case, Shostakovich!) I tend to listen to his/her works until I've memorized them. I notice that Tom Service has a customarily enthusiastic and linked article on Ustvolskaya, by the way. 

Anyways: current listening--Nikolayeva playing Shosty; upcoming--Ustvolskaya!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata #4 in A minor (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21779


Opera Overtures
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

Forgot about having this CD. Some good stuff on here:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage Of Figaro
Otto Nicolai: The Merry Wives Of Windsor (Which I'm Currently On, Love it!)
Emil Nikolaus Reznicek: Donna Diana
Johann Strauss Jr: Die Fledermaus
Ambroise Thomas: Migon
Carl Maria Von Weber: Der Freischutz, Euryanthe, Oberon
Bedrich Smetana: The Bartered Bride


----------



## Kieran

Perfect music for mooching between pubs, I've sworn blind on this one before: K452, piano quintet by WAM, it has something that swills and droops when it should, but never drops. Proto-swing music. Drinking music to crystallise your order before the harassed barman. On my way! K452...


----------



## Kleinzeit

Blancrocher said:


> Anyways: current listening--Nikolayeva playing Shosty; upcoming--Ustvolskaya!


Next stop: Boris Tishchenko!


----------



## jim prideaux

Glazunov-symphony number 2=a lot happening but to what effect?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony #102 in B flat Major (Günther Herbig, Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Bas

Glossa, Le cantate Italiane di Handel disc III
Le Cantate per il Cardinal Ottoboni

dir. Fabio Bonizzoni









(HWV 150, 140, 165, 78)

I love this work and performance! (I currently own disc one and three from this series)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Blancrocher said:


> How are you liking this set? I had planned on buying it myself, but was alarmed by this comment on Amazon: "This re-issued is great, but miss-edited. You will hear the tones between the movements are broken. For instance, the continuation from the 1st movement to the 2nd movement of Piano Sonata No. 1 are broken." I'm wondering if it's just a problem with the MP3 version.


Okay-- due diligence on the Ustvolskaya records: I see what the amazon reviewer is on about. At the end of the first mvt. of the first sonata, the fading reverb of the final note is cut off too soon for absolute perfection. Mercy.

I'm adamant about not covering the sides of paintings with strapping or frame when they're hung in a show. I like to see the process marks showing. They're like the director's commentary on dvds. You can see the marks of the studio. They place the painting as an object in the world not cordoned off in a theoretical aesthetic space. 
I also used to be fond of my favourite skips & surface noise on 45s. 
A flaw has to be some serious flaw before it mars art irredeemably.

The Ustvolskaya flaw ain't no flaw.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer, Nocturnes, Prelude a l'apres-midid d'un faune*


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in D Major, Op.18, No.3

Melos Quartet of Stuttgart: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello

View attachment 21788


----------



## Mika

just enjoyed this concert at Royal Albert Hall:

*Wagner
Siegfried (238 mins)
(concert performance; sung in German)*

Lance Ryan tenor, Proms debut artist (Siegfried)
Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)
Terje Stensvold baritone (Wanderer)
Peter Bronder tenor (Mime)
Johannes Martin Kränzle baritone (Alberich)
Eric Halfvarson bass (Fafner)
Rinnat Moriah soprano, Proms debut artist (Woodbird)
Anna Larsson mezzo-soprano (Erda)

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim conductor


----------



## SimonNZ

"Monastic Song: 12th Century Monophonic Chant" - Theatre Of Voices, Paul Hillier


----------



## cwarchc

Finishing the day off


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major (A. Brendel, Academy of St. Martin)

*Stravinsky* - The Rite of Spring (S. Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Conor71

*Dufay: Mass For St. Anthony Of Padua*

Listening to some vocal early music - these 2 have been playing this morning (Disc 2 of the Sony box: Febus Avant!):


----------



## kv466




----------



## Selby

Shubert, Franz - Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, D. 898 [Jos Immerseel, Vera Beths, Anner Bylsma]


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Novelette

kv466 said:


>


Brendel is my model for my own playing of Schubert. Great album!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Dufay: Mass For St. Anthony Of Padua*


I really like the way they sing that one - it has a timeless feel to it. I first heard it when Tower Records gave away a cassette with the Sanctus on it. I wasn't into Renaissance music then, but eventually it hooked me in. Now I'm a fan of that period.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 21796


Sibelius: Symphony No. 1
Paavo Berglund and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Selby

Jean Cras - Quintette pour harpe, flûte, violon, alto et violoncelle


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Quartet in D Minor, KV 478

Beaux Arts Trio with Bruno Giuranna on viola: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello

View attachment 21797


----------



## Blancrocher

Mitchell said:


> Jean Cras - Quintette pour harpe, flûte, violon, alto et violoncelle


What a delightful piece of music that is--and an interesting life Cras led. I'm going to try to sneak in his Trio à cordes before guests arrive!


----------



## Conor71

Just finished the Monteverdi Disc - very nice!. Now listening to the Fretwork recording:


----------



## Sid James

*Penderecki:*

_Aus den Psalmen Davids_
- Warsaw National PO & Choir under Antoni Wit

_Three Miniatures for Clarinet & Piano
Divertimento for Solo Cello
Prelude for Solo Clarinet_
- Michel Lethiec, clarinet; Juhani Lagerspetz, piano; Arto Noras, cello

_Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima_
- Polish Radio National SO under the composer

*Bliss* _Clarinet Quintet_
- David Campbell, clarinet with the Maggini Quartet




Burroughs said:


> The sound of traffic passing by the front of my house.


Record them then, intersperse them with splicings of Schumann's _Piano Concerto_ (he's your avatar, right?), and also throw in a few propellers and buzzers (I've been listening to Antheil's _Ballet Mecanique_ this week, which has those). Then make a recording of it and call it Schumann _Piano Concerto Recomposed_. That's your homework assignment. Report here by the same time next week with a youtube clip of all the above! :lol:

(Sorry, but I have a quota to fulfil of convoluted and nerdy jokes here!)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to... 
Haydn Symphony 55 (1774)
Mozart Symphony 31 (1778)
Haydn Symphony 53 (1779)
Haydn Symphony 70 (1779)
Going on to the 1780's tomorrow.


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Reger's Hiller Variations - Berlin Philharmonic, Paul van Kampen, cond.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21798
> 
> 
> Max Reger's Hiller Variations - Berlin Philharmonic, Paul van Kampen, cond.


You have some of the most interesting records Simon! I need to start pulling some of my old LPs out again.

Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Thanks! The estates-worth that turned up at the secondhand shop last week was particularly exciting. I'll be heading back on Tuesday for another bite. 

Also glad to see them because the store had warned me they're thinking of no longer stocking classical - even if people are giving them away, because there is so little interest and they're sold at the lowest prices.


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> I really like the way they sing that one - it has a timeless feel to it. I first heard it when Tower Records gave away a cassette with the Sanctus on it. I wasn't into Renaissance music then, but eventually it hooked me in. Now I'm a fan of that period.


Its certainly a lovely piece and I can see it being a great introduction to early music for sure


----------



## Conor71

*Obrecht: Missa Caput*

I hadnt listened to this recording since last year and remember being very impressed with it - similar results today as I was quite blown away by the Missa Caput!.


----------



## SimonNZ

Love that disc, and everything else Jeremy Summerly and the Oxford Camerata did for Naxos - one of those discographies I've made a point of ticking off as close to complete as I can. Have you heard many of the others?


----------



## brotagonist

Conor71 said:


> *Missa Caput*


The _Broken Mass_?


----------



## SimonNZ

Josef Suk's Fantasy For Violin And Orchestra - Peter Rybar, violin, Henry Swoboda, cond.


----------



## aleazk

Iannis Xenakis - Keqrops. Really crazy (



)


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Alkan's Twelve Etudes In Minor Keys Op.39 - Michael Ponti, piano


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> Love that disc, and everything else Jeremy Summerly and the Oxford Camerata did for Naxos - one of those discographies I've made a point of ticking off as close to complete as I can. Have you heard many of the others?


I have a few other Summerly/Camerata Discs in my collection (maybe 4 or 5?) - I agree theyre a very good group. Of those recordings Ive heard I really like their Disc of Byrd Masses for 4 & 5 voices and their Machaut Messe De Nostre Dame.
They are definetely a good ensemble to collect - I may get more of their stuff in future.
Are there any of their Discs you would strongly recommend Simon?


----------



## SimonNZ

I've just been casting my eye down the list and damn its hard to pick favorites when they're all so good. However special mention needs to be made of Summerly's '93 recording of Bach's Magnificat which, unlike many of the repertoire he performs is competing in a very crowded field against dozens of first-rank performances, and yet still is, for my money, the number one recording of this work.

but playing now:









Kodaly's Dances Of Marosszek - Artur Rodzinski, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

Rameau, chéri, why didn't we meet when we were younger? 

Hippolyte et Aricie, 1733. Yummy!


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Dem Gerechten muss das Licht, BWV 195
Hana Blažíková (soprano), Damien Guillon (counter-tenor), Christoph Genz (tenor) & Peter Kooij (bass)
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Bas

Claudio Abado, Mozart Orchestra & Isabelle Faust
Berg Violin Concerto & Beethoven Violin Concerto
on HM









I must confess that I'm quite often guilty of skipping the Berg concerto and going directly to Beethoven...


----------



## SimonNZ

Edmund Rubbra's Symphony No.8 "Hommage a Teilhard de Chardin" - Norman Del Mar, cond.


----------



## Kleinzeit

brotagonist said:


> The _Broken Mass_?


That would be Missa Infractus or Missa Concisus. Caput refers to the Noggin, Calabash, or as we call it in the business, Snotlocker.


----------



## science

Doing my duties.




























This is part 1. I'll be back.


----------



## science

I'll be back again in a moment.


----------



## Andolink

Henry Desmarest: Usquequo Domine
Studio de Musique Ancienne
Les violons du roy/Christopher Jackson








Arcangelo Corelli: Sonate da Chiesa, Op. 1 (nos. 9-12)
The London Baroque


----------



## science

Anybody know why it's hard to find a good image of that?










And that gets me back to the last time I checked in.

Lots of great stuff there. I really, really love the Elgar cello concerto - even though there's a lot of great music there, that one does something to me.

Edit: And the Fauré - just wonderfully lovely. My favorite piano quintets (sorry to Brahms, Schubert, Dvorak, and, you know, all those other composers).

Shostakovich's violin concerto is an old friend, but somehow it struck me as being... stranger... than I remember it. It was an interesting experience.

The Gilels are from the box set, but I organized them according to those old disks, which I'd been coveting for a long time when the box set fortunately came out.

The Busoni and the Britten/Holst are new to me. I hope I will listen to them again someday....


----------



## Andolink

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21809
> 
> 
> Edmund Rubbra's Symphony No.8 "Hommage a Teilhard de Chardin" - Norman Del Mar, cond.


An extremely beautiful piece that one is and Del Mar gets it exactly right IMO!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Just bought this for nothing in a charity shop. And now listening! Lovely little collection of Russian sacred music.
Nikolskij, Chesnokov, Tcherepnin, Kedrov, Sheremetjev, Smolensky, Kastalskij, Hristov, Ionafan, Trubachev, Lvov, Golovanov, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Archangelsky.


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Also glad to see them because the store had warned me they're thinking of no longer stocking classical - even if people are giving them away, because there is so little interest and they're sold at the lowest prices.


I hate to hear that. People will usually take a chance on something unfamiliar if it's cheap. My introduction to Beethoven's string quartets came through LPs by the Quartetto Italiano I found at a second-hand store. That purchase really started something.


----------



## DaveS

Have a rather complicated concept of listening to my old LP collection. Open a box at random, and just start with the first record that comes to me (I've flipped past a few.)
Abbado & the VPO..Tchaikovsky 4th. DGG recording 1975


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Harmoniemesse (Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt).


----------



## Bas

How do you like this Desmarest work? 
I recently bought his Venus & Adonis, and it is very nice.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Bas said:


> Claudio Abado, Mozart Orchestra & Isabelle Faust
> Berg Violin Concerto & Beethoven Violin Concerto
> on HM
> 
> View attachment 21806
> 
> 
> I must confess that I'm quite often guilty of skipping the Berg concerto and going directly to Beethoven...


I usually don't listen to the Beethoven and just listen to the Berg.  For me, the Berg is a much better work.


----------



## Bas

Neo Romanza said:


> I usually don't listen to the Beethoven and just listen to the Berg.  For me, the Berg is a much better work.


Well, I can hear that it is of good musical quality. I acknowledge that the problem is me: I find it very difficult to enjoy. But perhaps I will learn to understand it someday. Isabelle Faust is wonderful, aint she?


----------



## DaveS

Dmitri Mitropoulos conducts the PSO-NY in Borodin's Sym 2 & Tchaikovsky's Suite #1. Columbia LP. Currently listening to the Borodin. So so.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Simon's post of last night inspired me to listen to Reger's Variations this morning. This is a fine recording of both the Mozart and Hiller variations.










Kevin


----------



## Sonata

Mahler, Kindertotenlieder, Ruckert lieder

Kathleen Ferrier, Wiener Philharmonic, Bruno Walter


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart Symphonies 35 and 36


----------



## bejart

Johann Kaspar Kerll (1627-1693): Trio Sonata in F Major

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, bass viol -- Terence Charleston, chamber organ

View attachment 21825


----------



## DaveS

First, I couldn't get a quick image of the LP. This photo is from the CD, but it is the same performance.
Second, I hadn't heard these works on years, but what a pleasure it was. Almost skipped listening to this one.


----------



## Wood

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. Pogorelich (rec.1991); Richter (rec.1987); GG (rec.1980/1).
> 
> View attachment 21622
> View attachment 21623
> View attachment 21624


What does 'CPR Edition' mean Vaneyes?

This has been bothering me for a little while. Indeed, I have also lost a bit of sleep over the issue.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831)String Quartet in E Minor, Op.7, No.2

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balasz Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello

View attachment 21827


----------



## brotagonist

Bach's _Goldberg Variations_ performed by Andrei Gavrilov... sublime! I had it on as I was drifting off to sleep and have listened to it all morning.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Quartet Op. 130/Gross Fugue*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn - Symphony 82


----------



## schuberkovich

Webern - string quartet op.28
LaSalle Quartet
Webern is really starting to grow on me


----------



## opus55

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major; No. 2 in B minor


----------



## DaveS

Janet Baker, Sir John Barbirolli; The Halle Orchestra: Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer & Kindertotenlieder.


----------



## Wood

*Bartok: *_Concerto for orchestra _(Reiner, Chicago SO)

*Haydn: *_Symphonies 100, 101 _(Jochum, London Phil O)


----------



## Novelette

neoshredder said:


> Listening to...
> Haydn Symphony 55 (1774)
> Mozart Symphony 31 (1778)
> Haydn Symphony 53 (1779)
> Haydn Symphony 70 (1779)
> Going on to the 1780's tomorrow.


Systematic listening... I approve!


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Nameday Overture, Op. 115 -- Kurt Masur: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Mozart: Don Giovanni - Rene Jacobs: Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor

Berlioz: La Mort De Cléopâtre -- Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre De Paris

Liszt: Beethoven: Symphony #8 in F, S 464/8 -- Leslie Howard

Time to turn to Haydn's String Quartets!


----------



## Kieran

Haven't listened to much music lately, and this week I changed the discs on my iPod. So for _that _mood, I brought in the _Haydn Quartets_, by Mozart, and I removed some Chopin and Liszt, replaced by a couple of Rachmaninov piano works. I'm heading to the beach on Tuesday, so Lana del Ray (cough) and some soul music. Can't listen to _Don Giovanni_ while I'm swaddling by the surf. Somehow, the diabolical ending is a distraction when you're watching lissome blondes bounce a beach ball and giggle in the shallow end.

So today I had the _Magic Flute _back, and I mooched about town in an alternative light to everybody else. My own daydream path. The visuals at odds with the music. I had to hold my breath at times and felt like I was withholding some terrible secret from the passers-by. Hideous buskers tried to ruin it, but the volume button was barely high enough. That's a version conducted by HvK, and I think it's marvelous...


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles - Les Chants de nectaire, Op. 198-200 [Pierre-Yves Artaud]









My beloved wife: "Did you say this is 3 hours long?"

Me: "Yeah... What kind of mad genius comes up with this. A three hour solo flute composition, holy bejesus. Beautiful though, isn't it?"

My beloved wife: (silence)

Me: (looks over at beloved wife who is unpacking groceries while I'm laying on the floor stretching)

My beloved wife: "Didn't you say you were going to go to the gym?"


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Harmoniemesse - Credo, Et Incarnatus (Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> I've just been casting my eye down the list and damn its hard to pick favorites when they're all so good. However special mention needs to be made of Summerly's '93 recording of Bach's Magnificat which, unlike many of the repertoire he performs is competing in a very crowded field against dozens of first-rank performances, and yet still is, for my money, the number one recording of this work.
> .


Thanks very much, I will check out that recording and download it soon


----------



## Novelette

Kieran said:


> Haven't listened to much music lately, and this week I changed the discs on my iPod. So for _that _mood, I brought in the _Haydn Quartets_, by Mozart, and I removed some Chopin and Liszt, replaced by a couple of Rachmaninov piano works. I'm heading to the beach on Tuesday, so Lana del Ray (cough) and some soul music. Can't listen to _Don Giovanni_ while I'm swaddling by the surf. Somehow, the diabolical ending is a distraction when you're watching lissome blondes bounce a beach ball and giggle in the shallow end.
> 
> So today I had the _Magic Flute _back, and I mooched about town in an alternative light to everybody else. My own daydream path. The visuals at odds with the music. I had to hold my breath at times and felt like I was withholding some terrible secret from the passers-by. Hideous buskers tried to ruin it, but the volume button was barely high enough. That's a version conducted by HvK, and I think it's marvelous...


Mozart's Haydn Quartets and some Magic Flute? A fine listening program, there, my friend.


----------



## Kieran

Novelette said:


> Mozart's Haydn Quartets and some Magic Flute? A fine listening program, there, my friend.


Good for browsing bookshops and supping coffee in town...


----------



## Kieran

Now listening to the *Jupiter *while writing at my desk. Where does that second movement come from? It's organic, iridescent, pulsing. And above everything, it's ceaselessly restrained, despite its intensity. It flows and folds and bends round corners and meets itself back at the beginning again. There's so many cliches and stereotypes could be written about it.

Leonard Bernstein conducting his crew, the New York Philly. There it goes arching upwards again, probably a lot of very simple devices being used to control it, but they never sound simple...


----------



## Conor71

*Lambe: Salve Regina*

Morning all - these 2 Disc are my first listens of today :


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.101 in D Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

View attachment 21843


----------



## SimonNZ

"Altre Follie: 1500-1750" - Hesperion XXI, Jordi Saval


----------



## Mika

Wagner week continues. Today live at RAH:

*Wagner
Tristan and Isolde (284 mins)*
(concert performance; sung in German)

Robert Dean Smith tenor (Tristan)
Kwangchui Youn bass, Proms debut artist (King Mark)
Violeta Urmana soprano (Isolde)
Boaz Daniel baritone (Kurwenal)
David Wilson-Johnson baritone (Melot)
Mihoko Fujimura mezzo-soprano (Brangäne)
Edward Price baritone (Steersman)
Andrew Staples tenor (Shepherd/Young Sailor)
BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov conductor

Violeta was strong today. Liked Robert also


----------



## Kieran

Mika said:


> Wagner week continues. Today live at RAH:
> 
> *Wagner
> Tristan and Isolde (284 mins)*
> (concert performance; sung in German)
> 
> Robert Dean Smith tenor (Tristan)
> Kwangchui Youn bass, Proms debut artist (King Mark)
> Violeta Urmana soprano (Isolde)
> Boaz Daniel baritone (Kurwenal)
> David Wilson-Johnson baritone (Melot)
> Mihoko Fujimura mezzo-soprano (Brangäne)
> Edward Price baritone (Steersman)
> Andrew Staples tenor (Shepherd/Young Sailor)
> BBC Singers
> BBC Symphony Chorus
> BBC Symphony Orchestra
> Semyon Bychkov conductor
> 
> Violeta was strong today. Liked Robert also


I thought Daniel Barenboim was conducting all of them...


----------



## Novelette

Kieran said:


> Good for browsing bookshops and supping coffee in town...


That's largely what I'm planning to do tomorrow morning! =)

I'll have to cook up a good playlist for doing so, myself.


----------



## Guest

"Emperor" with Ashkenazy


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 6 in D minor (P. Berglund, Bourenmouth Symphony)

So elegant in its beauty, the 6th.

In addition, I am rather unsuccessfully trying to find time this weekend to listen to Mahler's 3rd. Tomorrow it shall be done... hopefully!


----------



## DaveS

Lousy photo, but that doesn't matter. Glazunov Sym. 5 and "Suite from the Middle Ages".1977(c) Columbia Masterworks/ Melodiya pressing. Large Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio & Television; Vladimir Fedoseyev, cond. Gorgeous


----------



## GreenMamba

Music for 18 Musicians, Reich


----------



## realdealblues

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Paavo Berglund and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

Bas said:


> Claudio Abado, Mozart Orchestra & Isabelle Faust
> Berg Violin Concerto & Beethoven Violin Concerto
> on HM
> 
> View attachment 21806
> 
> 
> I must confess that I'm quite often guilty of skipping the Berg concerto and going directly to Beethoven...


Right, now you can listen to a violin concerto that was influenced by both of those - Britten's one! If you want to extend things even further, of course. I listened to it this weekend and am shorty going to do a post on it and the other things. The opening of Britten's concerto references Beethoven's (the timpani kicking it off) and the very end has a lot of similarity to the ending of Berg's. I can go on but I'll be back later with more. Other things I got thru where Beethoven's Symphony #4 and Haydn's Symphony #102, which I see people have also been posting in recent days on this thread...


----------



## opus55

Creston: Symphony No. 2
Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Suite No. 2


----------



## brotagonist

Rachmaninov Piano Concertos 1-4: Ashkenazy, Previn, LSO

I'm currently on the 2nd. Sometimes he is too lush for me, but right now it is just right


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 20 in D minor & No. 25 in C major
SaintSaens: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor


----------



## neoshredder

Mozart Symphony 38 (1786)
Haydn Symphony 88 (1787)
Mozart Symphony 39 (1788)


----------



## brotagonist

opus55 said:


> Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 20 in D minor & No. 25 in C major


I need an intermission to Rachmaninov. I just bought Mozart PC 21&23 Serkin/Abbado/LSO and haven't played it yet. No, I need something more contrasting. I picked this up a couple of months ago and have wanted to revisit it...

Shuishan Yu - The Vibrant Rhythm of Ancient Heroes
Guqin Music


----------



## Guest

Diggin some Hindemith lately, and reading some of his books too. Great composer to study for pure craftsmanship and artistry. Right now listening to Ludus Tonalis and the Piano Sonata no. 2.


----------



## SimonNZ

Poulenc's Les Mamelles De Tiresias - Andre Cluytens, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

The Breasts of Tiresias? Now, that sounds like a great late night thought 

Oh, I just looked up Tiresias. He was a man!

Perversion is not my thing. Have fun!


----------



## SimonNZ

Here he starts out as a woman named Therese. Some good, whacky Surrealist gender-bending courtesy of Apollinaire.

Synopsis from Wikipedia:

Act 1

Thérèse tires of her life as a submissive woman and becomes the male Tirésias when her breasts turn into balloons and float away. Her husband is not pleased by this, still less so when she ties him up and dresses him as a woman.
Meanwhile, a pair of drunken gamblers called Presto and Lacouf affectionately shoot one another and are mourned by the assembled townspeople. Thérèse marches off to conquer the world as General Tiresias, leaving her captive husband to the attentions of the local gendarme, who is fooled by his female attire.
Off-stage, General Tiresias starts a successful campaign against childbirth and is hailed by the populace. Fearful that France will be left sterile if women give up sex, the husband vows to find a way to bear children without women. Lacouf and Presto return from the dead and express both interest and scepticism.

Act 2

The curtain rises to cries of "Papa!" The husband's project has been a spectacular success, and he has given birth to 40,049 children in a single day. A visiting Parisian journalist asks how he can afford to feed the brood, but the husband explains that the children have all been very successful in careers in the arts, and have made him a rich man with their earnings. After chasing the journalist off, the husband decides to raise a journalist of his own, but is not completely pleased with the results.
The gendarme now arrives to report that, because of overpopulation, the citizens of Zanzibar are all dying of hunger. The husband suggests getting ration cards printed by a tarot-reading fortune-teller. Just such a fortune-teller immediately appears, looking rather familiar under her mask.
The fortune-teller prophesies that the fertile husband will be a multi-millionaire, but that the sterile gendarme will die in abject poverty. Incensed, the gendarme attempts to arrest her, but she strangles him and reveals herself as none other than Thérèse. The couple reconcile, and the whole cast gathers at the footlights to urge the audience:

Heed, o Frenchmen, the lessons of the war
And make babies, you who hardly ever make them!
Dear audience: Make babies!


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott BWV 80. (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God).


----------



## Sid James

Started this weekend with Britten, whose music I'm listening to in more depth, this being his centenary year.

*Britten* _Violin Concerto_ (1938-9, rev. 1950's)
- Rebecca Hirsch, violin with BBC Scottish SO under Takuo Yuasa (Naxos)

*Britten's Violin Concerto* draws on the rich traditions of the genre. Starting off with the timpani, as Beethoven's concerto for the instrument does, it mirrors a number of other influences before ending with reminiscences of Bach and Berg. The spirit and emotional intensity of Bach's _Chaconne for solo violin_ (from _Partita #2_) to my mind informs the Passacaglia which ends Britten's concerto. So too Berg's work in the genre, especially in terms of that high and long sustained note from the soloist that ends the Britten piece.

This piece is overall quite dark, but rather than being heavily mired in tragedy and angst, it brings to the mind images of nature. The tappings on the timpani which opens the first movement come across less to me as being militaristic and more like the rhythms of a boat bobbing up and down on the ocean. There is this feeling of the sea in so much of Britten's music.

*Britten* _Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10_ (1937)
- Bournemouth Sinfonietta directed by Richard Studt (Naxos)

On to one of my favourite pieces for string orchestra, *Britten's Bridge Variations*. Frank Bridge was Britten's teacher, and the only person able to teach atonality and serialism to Britten at a time when such people there where scarce. Britten had actually wished to study with Berg, however that didn't eventuate. The second of Bridge's _Three Idylls _was the music that inspired this piece.

This work with its pared down and monochromatic colours and textures always reminds me of an overcast and cloudy day. It is quite gloomy and has this elemental force. This musically brilliant, evocative and imaginative set of variations was immediately successful at its premiere at the Salzburg Festival and has remained in the repertoire ever since. It was one of the works that put the young Britten, only in his twenties at the time, firmly on the map on the international stage.

To talk to the work, where can I start? The_ Introduction and Theme_ has so many emotions, but brooding and suspenseful comes to mind the most. In the nine variations that follow, Britten casts the theme into the molds of various traditional forms. My favourites are the _Bourree Classique, _which comes across as something like atonal Vivaldi, the _Wiener Walzer _that has strong ties to Berg's own edgy and fragmented waltzes, and the somber _Funeral March _which to me is the emotional heart of the work.

The concluding _Fugue and Finale _is simply breathtaking, and an ingenious device used is the coming together of the theme at the end as a statement in unison by the whole orchestra. When hints of it start to come on the low strings, its as if a strong gust of wind has hit you and you have to brace yourself against its onslaught.

Britten's music is rooted in his native Suffolk. John Constable's paintings of the area, including the coastal areas where the composer lived most of his life, are the perfect equivalent in terms of visual art. Yehudi Menuhin put it very aptly when he said, "If the wind and water could write music, it would sound like Ben's."

On to *two symphonies in B flat*, by *Beethoven* and his teacher *Haydn*:

*Beethoven* _Symphony #4 in Bflat major, Op. 60_
- Dresden PO under Herbert Kegel (Capriccio)

I have not heard this in ages. In some ways its been the most difficult of *Beethoven's* symphonies to grasp, because it is so different from the two symphonies either side of it, #3 and #5. While those two works look forward and plumb the depths, this one takes a glimpse back with a kind of unaffected lightheartedness. Beethoven here employs a smaller scale orchestra, which gives added intimacy to the piece. A chamber orchestra can easily manage this work, but would be struggling a bit with the other two.

Beethoven goes back to using Haydn's old quiet introduction before starting the work in earnest with a punchy and pumped first movement. What I got from this listen is a good appreciation of the thematic links in the piece, and I loved how Beethoven kind of slyly and maybe even demurely restates the opening theme towards the end of the symphony in a brief woodwind passage. In this sort of way, this piece shows Beethoven in a more relaxed and jovial mood.

Written in 1806 during a summer vacation on the Count of Brunswick's estate in Hungary, this work was much admired by two of the most significant composers to follow in Beethoven's wake. Schumann called it "A Greek maiden in between two Norse giants," arguing it was merely different but just an effective work as the two symphonies abutting it. Berlioz said of this work that "the character is generally lively, nimble, joyous, or of a heavenly sweetness."

*Haydn*_ Symphony #102 in B flat_
- New Philharmonia Orch. under Otto Klemperer (EMI)

I see* Haydn's Symphony #102* as occupying a similar unenviable position to Beethoven's _Symphony #4._ Flanked by the _Military_ and _Clock_ symphonies on the one side, and the _Drum-roll _and _London_ symphonies on the other, unlike them #102 is nameless and thus lacks some easily identifiable 'special feature' to make it really stand out.

Nevertheless I love this symphony, it may not have any big surprises but it's got plenty in store for any listener willing to lend an ear. The very opening, with a simultaneous crescendo and diminuendo (technical jargon for this being a tonic unison), is pretty amazing for the period. The ending of the symphony too, with its continually holding off from playing the last note, has a suspenseful 'on tenterhooks' type of effect. In between you get some other interesting twists and turns, the usual contrasts in texture and mood, but unfortunately nothing nameable. Poor #102, forlorn without a name!

Finishing by contrasting some *serenades for string orchestra*:

*Tchaikovsky *_Serenade in C for strings, Op. 48_
- Saint Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin (Telarc)

*Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings*, like his _Rococo Variations_ and _'Mozartiana' Suite_, is for all intents and purposes a homage to his compositional idol, Mozart.

This piece was composed at the same time as the _1812 Overture._ Tchaikovsky's heart was evidently not in the overture, which was a commission from the Tsar of Russia. He wrote to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck, "The Overture will be very noisy. I wrote it without much warmth or enthusiasm. Therefore, it has no great artistic value." However the composer had a completely opposite feeling towards his serenade. He continued, "the serenade, on the contrary, I wrote from an inward impulse. I felt, and venture to hope that this work is not without artistic merit."

Indeed it is a fine work, from the opening bars which sound much like choral music, to the _Waltz_ which could have come from any of his ballets, to the _Elegie_ which offers more easy listening rather than anything dark as the name suggests, to the final movement with its melodies reminiscent of Russian folk music.

This piece is one of those works from the late 19th century that casts a glance back to Classicism and at the same time looks forward to Neo-Classicism. I have a strong affection for these, others like it are Saint-Saens' _Suite for cello & orchestra,_ Bizet's _Symphony in C_ and Grieg's _Holberg Suite_.

Tchaikovsky's _Serenade for Strings_ was premiered in Moscow in 1882 and was immediately accepted by critics and public alike. Like the Britten variations above, it has been in the chamber orchestra repertoire ever since.
*
George Antheil *_Serenade for String Orchestra, #1_
- Philadelphia Virtuosi CO under Daniel Spalding (Naxos)

Whereas Tchaikovsky's serenade looks forward in some ways to Neo-Classicism, *Antheil's* looks back on its heyday. Composed in 1948, by which time Neo-Classicism had kind of peaked and was openly derided by those proselytizing more experimental trends, Antheil's piece comes across as strongly American.

The outer movements have the buzz of folk music and barn dances, while the middle movement has some lovely solos that to me suggest the blues or Negro Spirituals. The easy listening aspect here may obscure some more sophisticated aspects of this piece, such as the theme from the first movement going through the whole work. Listen out for it popping up in that pivotal middle movement, but in a quite subtle way - its plucked as a counterpoint to those bluesy song-like solos.

*Peter Sculthorpe *_Little Suite for Strings_
- Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn (ABC Classics)

*Sculthorpe's Little Suite for Strings* is a group of three short pieces which where bought together from existing material in 1983. These where originally part of film scores, some of which didn't make it to film and hit the cutting room floor. The work is comprised of movements titled_ Sea Song, Little Serenade _and _Left Bank Waltz._ These are very melodic and tuneful, and are an interesting contrast to the Britten piece I started off with. These pieces radiate sunlight, warmth and a good degree of optimism. They are like a trio of small pictures hanging together in an exhibition in a pleasing way, they are simply meant for enjoyment. The beach paintings of Australian Impressionist Arthur Streeton come to mind.

On that note, to finish here are paintings by Constable and Streeton, that to me in some respects mirror these contrasting pieces of music by Britten and Sculthorpe (and contrasting hemispheres too!).


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Reger's An Die Hoffnung - Cornelia Wulkopf, alto, Martin Stephani, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

have been temporarily diverted from 'classical' by Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson; nominally referred to as 'jazz' he approaches both the instrument and composition with certain sensibilities more readily associated with broader range of influences and is arguably part of a European tradition rather than American-I can heartily recommend and would love any feedback .A welcome relief after the richly coloured and (for me) sprawling symphonies of Glazunov.
Another point that may be of interest-noticed in this mornings Sunday Times that BBC4 are showing Tuesdays prom on Thursday night-Sibelius 7th symphony. Schumann 2nd and Mozart 25th piano concerto-near to perfect programme?:tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

The Haffner Serenade, *K250*, to wake me up. The first movement is an overture to the violin concerto, but it's a brooding overture from the court musicians to Don Giovanni.

Amsterdam Baroque orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman...


----------



## SimonNZ

"Gregorian Chant For Lent And Easter" - Choir Of The Vienna Hofburgkapelle


----------



## aleazk

Conlon Nancarrow - String Quartet No. 3 (1987).
The piece starts with a very crazy canon in which the different voices enter at a faster tempo than the previous one.


----------



## SimonNZ

Edmund Rubbra's Symphony No.5 - John Barbiroli, cond.


----------



## aleazk

George Antheil - _Ballet mècanique_.






It does not sound like the noise made by machines when they are operating. Instead, it's like if machines were alive and they were asked to produce music, and they embarked with their soul to that.


----------



## Bas

It is the 9th sunday after trinity in the Lutheran year, so cantata 105 it will be.
(Cond. by Philippe Herreweghe)


----------



## Sonata

Schubert: String Quartet #10
Haydn: Symphonies 102-103
Handel: Flute sonatas


----------



## Kleinzeit

aleazk said:


> George Antheil - _Ballet mècanique_.
> 
> It does not sound like the noise made by machines when they are operating. Instead, it's like if machines were alive and they were asked to produce music, and they embarked with their soul to that.


I often think of Josef Matthias Hauer's 12-tone as dances for robots. The old kind.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Amid Nature Overture - Czech Philharmonic, Karel Sejna, cond.


----------



## bejart

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (B1644-1704): The Joyful Mystery Sonatas

Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Emilia Benjamin, viola -- Elizabeth Kenny, archlute -- Frances Kelly, harp -- Matthew Halls, chamber organ

View attachment 21858


----------



## Bix

Khachaturian piano concerto / de Larrocha, piano / de Burgos and the LPO


----------



## SiegendesLicht

This:









On a searing hot day like today this cover looks especially beautiful.


----------



## Bix

Khachaturian Violing Concerto / Ricci, violin / Fistoulari and the LPO


----------



## Andolink

Arcangelo Corelli: Sonate da Chiesa, Op. 3 (nos. 1-4)
The London Baroque








Henry Desmarest: Confitebor Tibi Domine 
Studio de Musique Ancienne
Les violons du roy/Christopher Jackson








J. S. Bach: Herr Gott, Bherrscher aller Dinge, BWV 120a
Hana Blažíková soprano
Damien Guillon counter-tenor
Christoph Genz tenor
Peter Kooij bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








J. S. Bach: Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben, BWV 102 
Hana Blažíková, Soprano, 
Gerd Türk, Tenor
Robin Blaze, Countertenor 
Peter Kooy, Bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## science

I'm growing to love the Liszt concerto... and it might be heresy here, but while Argerich is ok, to me Abbado and London tear it up.










Still haven't gotten Dvorak 7. Now 8, on the other hand, I love.










Part of me says that Pollini is my favorite pianist.


----------



## Crudblud

Gabriel Fauré - String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121 (Quatuor Via Nova)


----------



## science

This was fun. Who knew "Sleigh Ride" was Leroy Anderson? Dirty ASCAPers. They'll get you every time.


----------



## Andolink

Bas said:


> How do you like this Desmarest work?
> I recently bought his Venus & Adonis, and it is very nice.


The motet "Usquequo Domine" is utterly sublime; perhaps my favorite of the four on these discs. They're all really great though. In some ways Desmarest is more harmonically daring than Rameau and certainly more so than any of his exact comtemporaries.


----------



## Cheyenne

Xenakis' _Ata_, by Hiroaki Ooï, Arturo Tamayo and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. Apparently Xenakis applied cellular automatons here - somehow. Next up, Schönberg's piano concerto: a Schönberg piece I actually like a lot! Performed by Alfred Brendel, Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## jim prideaux

Honegger-pastorale d'ete-the most sublime 9-10 minutes on a still and sunny Sunday afternoon-why is it not heard more?


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58


----------



## DaveS

Goldmark..Rustic Wedding Symphony. Columbia ML4626. Beecham, RPO.


----------



## Wood

*Tchaikovsky *_Symphony No. 5 _(Cleveland O, George Szell, 1960)










Refreshing to hear No. 5 for a change when one version or other of No. 6 is always popping up to be played from my collection.


----------



## Wood

↑↑↑ see what I mean...

*Tchaikovsky *_Symphony No. 6 'Pathetique' _ (Vienna Phil O, Jean Martinon, 1959)










Good sonic range on this Ace of Diamonds release.


----------



## starthrower

Shostakovich-Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Trio Concertante in G Major

Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute -- Paul Hongne, bassoon -- Robert Veyron-Lacroix, piano

View attachment 21869


----------



## NightHawk

Hey Opus 55 - I own and love both these recordings - Uchida's playing of both the concertos is stunning, but there is something special about the way she plays the 3rd, one of the best. S. Richter performed and recorded the 3rd, but not the 4th or 5th (interestingly) as an aside bit of trivia. Have a great weekend. NightHawk



opus55 said:


> Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart Symphonies 40 and 41


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat Major (Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert).


----------



## DaveS

Mendelssohn's 3rd & the Octet in E flat: Scherzo. Charles Munch, BSO. RCA Red Seal LM-2520


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 2 in D Major (Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 1 in B flat Major (Quatuor Festetics).


----------



## Selby

Sonata said:


> Schubert: String Quartet #10
> Haydn: Symphonies 102-103
> Handel: Flute sonatas


I must admit I have not heard any if Schubert's SQs prior to D. 703 (#12). How is the 10th? What recordling do you have?

regards,

M


----------



## opus55

Beethoven 3rd is played superbly as well. Among the Uchida recordings I own, I like her Mozart sonatas the most.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 4.*, Federov.


----------



## bejart

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812): Symphony in D Major

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players

View attachment 21872


----------



## bejart

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801): Concerto for Two Flutes in G Major

Paul Kuentz directing the Paul Kuentz Chamber Orchestra -- Anne Utagawa and Dominique Hunziker, flutes

View attachment 21877


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 6 Karajan 1977

The best of HvK's pastorals I think. However, haven't heard the earlier 50s one.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 6 Karajan 1977

The best of HvK's pastorals I think. However, haven't heard the earlier 50s one.


----------



## Selby

Here's one that I never knew about:

RVW's Romance for Piano and Harmonica, quite lovely (of course)


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816): Piano Concerto No.6 in B Flat Major

Orchestra da Camera di Santa Cecelia -- Pietro Spada, piano

View attachment 21879


----------



## schuberkovich

Beethoven - Piano Concertos 4 & 5
Vladimir Ashkenazy, VPO cond. Zubin Mehta
The 4th is rapidly growing on me, but I still feel like the 2nd and 3rd movements don't quite live up to the amazing 1st movement. On the other hand, the Emperor still sounds incredible and fresh, and Ashkenazy and Mehta handle the exquisite slow movement beautifully.


----------



## AndyS

Brahms 2 (Klemperer) and Shostakovich 5 (Petrenko) after that


----------



## Selby

Some more music I never knew about, thanks youtube!

Enrique Granados - Piano Trio in C major, Op. 50


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, 3 Pieces for Orchestra.*


----------



## Mika

Final message from the Royal Albert Hall. This was Nina's show:

*Wagner
Götterdämmerung (259 mins)*
(concert performance; sung in German)
Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)
Andreas Schager tenor (Siegfried)
Mikhail Petrenko bass (Hagen)
Gerd Grochowski baritone (Gunther)
Anna Samuil soprano (Guntrune/ Third Norn)
Johannes Martin Kränzle baritone (Alberich)
Waltraud Meier mezzo-soprano (Waltraute/ Second Norn)
Margarita Nekrasova mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (First Norn)
Aga Mikolaj soprano (Woglinde)
Maria Gortsevskaya mezzo-soprano (Wellgunde)
Anna Lapkovskaja mezzo-soprano, Proms debut artist (Flosshilde)

Royal Opera Chorus
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim conductor


----------



## Blancrocher

Mitchell said:


> Here's one that I never knew about:
> 
> RVW's Romance for Piano and Harmonica, quite lovely (of course)


Having finished with this lovely piece, I am presently watching "Tin Sandwich, Anyone? - A History of the Harmonica." Damn you, Youtube!


----------



## Manxfeeder

DavidA said:


> Beethoven Symphony 6 Karajan 1977
> 
> The best of HvK's pastorals I think. However, haven't heard the earlier 50s one.


Hey, I have the 1977 also. I'm putting it on. (I was listening to 1963 and saw that you saw 1977.)


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Sibelius 7 & Finlandia* - P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony

*Shostakovich 10* - V. Gergiev, National Youth Orchestra of the USA

^ Proms recording from a couple of nights ago. As always, Gergiev is a joy to observe and listen to.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Lontano, Atmospheres, Apparitions*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sicilien*, w. Alagna (rec.2007/8);* Sospiri*, w. Bartoli (rec.1994 - '08); *Opera Intermezzi*, w. HvK (rec.1967).

View attachment 21885
View attachment 21886
View attachment 21887


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner 9, Gunter Wand. 

My first listen. This symphony is magnificent!!! Right up there with my favorite Mahler symphonies......and if you know me you know that's not easy for me to say. But wow. I've just listened to two first two movements, looking forward to seeing how the final movement wraps it all up before I go to bed. Many future listenings in store.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Sonata

Mitchell said:


> I must admit I have not heard any if Schubert's SQs prior to D. 703 (#12). How is the 10th? What recordling do you have?
> 
> regards,
> 
> M


The 10th is very enjoyable! Not nearly as good as Death & The Maiden or Rosamunde, but I like it. It's actually a bit Haydn-esque to me. My performance is listed as the "Yggdrasil Quartet" Which sounds quite odd to me, but it's off the Schubert: Rise of the Masters collection.


----------



## Vaneyes

hayd said:


> What does 'CPR Edition' mean Vaneyes?
> 
> This has been bothering me for a little while. Indeed, I have also lost a bit of sleep over the issue.


Nothing to do with Rapid Eye Movement. *C*ertified *P*erfect *R*ecording. :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
John Field (26 July 1782-1837): Piano Sonata in E Flat, Op.1, No.1

John O'Conor, piano

View attachment 21888


----------



## starthrower

Several Luigi Nono pieces on YouTube. Gotta get a recording or two!


----------



## aleazk

Sibelius - Symphony 7. (Bernstein)


----------



## Blancrocher

Vaneyes said:


> Nothing to do with Rapid Eye Movement. *C*ertified *P*erfect *R*ecording. :tiphat:


Even so, your recommendations make me breathe easier, Vaneyes!


----------



## Guest

Schumann + Argerich =


----------



## chrisco97

*In honor of Vivaldi (today is the day he died):*

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in G Minor for Bassoon and Strings, RV 495
_Joanna Graham, Camerata of St. Andrew, Leonard Friedman, Phillip Ledger & James Potter_

Starting out with one of my favourites.

--
*Vivaldi* - Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV317
_Jan Tomasow, Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera & Gustav Leonhardt_

*Vivaldi* - Mandolin Concerto for Guitar, Strings & Continuo in C Major, RV425
_Alirio Diaz, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

*Vivaldi* - Guitar Concerto in A Major (after Trio Sonata for violin, lute & continuo in C major, RV82)
_Alirio Diaz, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in A Major For Strings & Harpsichord, RV780
_Herbert Tachezi, Antonio Janigro & I Solisti Di Zagreb_

*Vivaldi* - Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major, RV537
_Helmut Wobisch , Adolf Holler, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

May listen to more after all of that. I never get tired of Vivaldi. Such a consistent composer! I could play his music all day long.


----------



## Feathers

Strauss - Four Last Songs


----------



## Selby

RVW's Flos campi...

I sigh with content.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I spent most of my day helping the store I work at prepare for inventory. My back is killing me and I'm extremely fatigued but unable to go right to sleep. So I decided that some Beethoven was needed to help settle my overactive mind and help me refocus. So I am listening to Roy Goodman directing The Hanover Band in performances of Symphonies Nos. 4 & 8 - Overtures King Stephen & The Ruins of Athens. Very nice period instrument recording. I especially love their interpretation of Symphony No. 4. It's just plain fun and full of punch.










Some people might think that Beethoven would be counterproductive after a trying day but I find it invigorating and yet relaxing. I wasn't really ready to go to bed anyway. 

Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's String Quartet No.1 - Copenhagen String Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 2 in B minor (Quatuor Festetics).


----------



## neoshredder

Burnt out of the Symphonies atm. Returning to one of my all-time favorite cd's.


----------



## neoshredder

chrisco97 said:


> *In honor of Vivaldi (today is the day he died):*
> 
> *Vivaldi* - Concerto in G Minor for Bassoon and Strings, RV 495
> _Joanna Graham, Camerata of St. Andrew, Leonard Friedman, Phillip Ledger & James Potter_
> 
> Starting out with one of my favourites.
> 
> --
> *Vivaldi* - Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV317
> _Jan Tomasow, Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera & Gustav Leonhardt_
> 
> *Vivaldi* - Mandolin Concerto for Guitar, Strings & Continuo in C Major, RV425
> _Alirio Diaz, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_
> 
> *Vivaldi* - Guitar Concerto in A Major (after Trio Sonata for violin, lute & continuo in C major, RV82)
> _Alirio Diaz, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_
> 
> *Vivaldi* - Concerto in A Major For Strings & Harpsichord, RV780
> _Herbert Tachezi, Antonio Janigro & I Solisti Di Zagreb_
> 
> *Vivaldi* - Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major, RV537
> _Helmut Wobisch , Adolf Holler, I Solisti di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_
> 
> May listen to more after all of that. I never get tired of Vivaldi. Such a consistent composer! I could play his music all day long.


That's awesome. Vivaldi got me into Classical Music.


----------



## Wood

Vaneyes said:


> Nothing to do with Rapid Eye Movement. *C*ertified *P*erfect *R*ecording. :tiphat:


Thanks! In that case I will follow your future CPRs with particular interest.


----------



## Bix

Bix said:


> Khachaturian Violing Concerto / Ricci, violin / Fistoulari and the LPO


Sorry I have no idea what a Violing is but it sounded good


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Tchaikovsky's 3rd Symphony 'the Polish' performed by the LSO under Gergiev.

The change of recording venue for this symphony makes a world of difference for the LSO, I really wish they did it more often.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Cantata - Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, Igor Stravinsky, cond.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello

View attachment 21899


----------



## Bas

Quickly turned off the classical radio of the Netherlands when a program called "light music" begun. Now listening to way more serious music on my work:









Antonio Caldara, Maddalena ai Piedi di Christo - Rene Jacobes et allii


----------



## SimonNZ

Benedetto Marcello's Cassandra cantata - Kai Wessel, countertenor, David Blunden, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Marcel Peres' Contemplation: The Egyptian Book Of The Dead - Marcel Peres, organ


----------



## julianoq

Taking my morning to learn more about Ernesto Nazareth, the 'Brazilian Chopin' as he was known. He was very well regarded in his time and was a major inspiration to Villa-Lobos. Sadly his life ended when he drowned trying to escape from an asylum that he was sent after a period of mental instability when his wife and daughter passed.

Listening to Tangos & Waltzes for Piano performed by Iara Behs. Lovely work.


----------



## chrisco97

Have been listening to *Vivaldi's* La Cetra set of violin concertos performed by _Paul Makanowitzky, Willi Boskowsky, Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Vladimir Golschmann_. Loving it so far!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bas said:


> View attachment 21900
> 
> 
> Antonio Caldara, Maddalena ai Piedi di Christo - Rene Jacobes et allii


The review from the Grammophone Good CD Guide in 2000 concluded with this remark: "You are urged to acquire this disk." That's what I call a recommendation.


----------



## jim prideaux

Interesting juxtaposition-returned to Dvorak 5th/7th symphonies after a few days break-at the same time reading Marci Shores Taste of Ashes which amongst other things involves consideration of political repression in Czechoslovakia between World War Two and the 'velvet revolution'-from one idealised notion of the lands of Bohemia to the oppressive reality of 'Stalinism' and post Stalinist police state?


----------



## Guest

Bach Concertos, BWV 1042, 1053, 1041, 1060
Viktoria Mullova, Ottavio Dantone, Accademia Bizantina


----------



## realdealblues

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
Paavo Berglund and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Schwingt freudig euch empor,' BWV 36; 'Wer sich selbst erhöhet,' BWV 47
Hana Blažíková, soprano 
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor 
Satoshi Mizukoshi, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Arcangelo Corelli: Sonate da Chiesa, Op. 3 (nos. 5-8)
The London Baroque








Ramon Lazkano: Wintersonnenwende-4 (for violin and piano)
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven Violin Concerto, performed by Patricia Kopatchinskaja.


----------



## Sonata

At home to start my day, Haydn symphony 104.
On the drive to work, the classical radio station was playing Dvorak: Romance in F Minor for violin and orchestra.

Great works, both!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Well, I was able to finally get to sleep last night about 1:00 AM and up at 7:20 AM. My back and legs are so sore from all that crouching, pulling, lifting I did yesterday. I'm glad that my boss let me come in today and work my regular schedule because I was originally supposed to be back at 5:00 AM. I don't think I would have made it. I find it gets harder and harder to do physical labor the older I get. Especially since my main job in the store involves very little heavy lifting.

Anyway, I thought I'd listen to some cheery and dramatic music this morning with this CD of Scandinavian String Quartets by the Copenhagen String Quartet. This is extremely well performed. I especially think the Grieg first movement is one of the best I have heard performed. I love every piece on here but I'm also a huge lover of Scandinavian music. How can you beat Kuhlau, Grieg, Berwald and SIBELUS?










Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. Xiao-Mei (rec.2008); Bavouzet (Vol. 3, rec.2011); Sudbin (rec.2009/10); Ts'ong (rec.2009).

View attachment 21907
View attachment 21908
View attachment 21909
View attachment 21910


----------



## Bas

chrisco97 said:


> *In honor of Vivaldi (today is the day he died):*
> 
> ...
> 
> May listen to more after all of that. I never get tired of Vivaldi. Such a consistent composer! I could play his music all day long.


Being so kindly reminded of the fact that this is a Vivaldi day I settle for the Concerti per Fagotto (RV 485, 502,474,480,494,475) on Naive.









And after dinner Tito Manlio!


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> I spent most of my day helping the store I work at prepare for inventory. *My back is killing me and I'm extremely fatigued but unable to go right to sleep. *So I decided that some Beethoven was needed to help settle my overactive mind and help me refocus. So I am listening to Roy Goodman directing The Hanover Band in performances of Symphonies Nos. 4 & 8 - Overtures King Stephen & The Ruins of Athens. Very nice period instrument recording. I especially love their interpretation of Symphony No. 4. It's just plain fun and full of punch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some people might think that Beethoven would be counterproductive after a trying day but I find it invigorating and yet relaxing. I wasn't really ready to go to bed anyway.
> 
> Kevin


I know that. Warm hot tub/shower/bath, gentle leg/torso exercises from flat on back position on hard surface, Ibuprofen (follow product instructions), Sleep-eze (follow product instructions). And you may feel like new. :tiphat:


----------



## science

Both good. I listened to Wand first and thought, "Well, I like this better than Böhm." Then I listened to Böhm, and he reclaimed the title.










Well, this surprised me. I have the Tenebrae recording from Hilliard and Venexiana's recording of the fourth book, so I thought, "This will be same old same old," and it wasn't. Or else I've forgotten what those others were like. I'll have to hear them again now. And so, round and round I go! This is the good life, for sure.


----------



## science

Listened to this last night to try to pick my favorite planet for that thread. I'm not sure. I still haven't actually heard Neptune. I sit there, thinking, "It's got to start soon, right?" for, oh, 8 minutes or so, and then I notice that the electronics involved believe it has finished playing. That dynamic range is incredible. I guess once Saturn's done bringing old age, we have to turn up the volume because we've lost our hearing. So it makes perfect sense after all.


----------



## Bix

Rachmaninov piano concerto #1 / Rachmaninov, piano / Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy recorded 1940


----------



## NightHawk

Cleaning house to this lineup - Hamelin plays Szymanowski Mazurkas, Hamelin plays Scriabin Sonatas, Hamelin plays Chopin (mainly the sonatas). Also just ordered this:


----------



## Bix

Rachmaninov piano concerto #4 / Rachmaninov, piano / Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy recorded 1941


----------



## Vesteralen

From the 'Early Romantic' boxed set - *Charles Munch *and the* BSO *in *Mendelssohn's "Italian" and "Reformation" symphonies*, and a full orchestra version of the *Scherzo from the Octet*.

Munch is always the "old reliable" in this repertoire. Nothing bizarre and too individualistic, but always with forward momentum and clarity.

(I can't figure out how to get pictures anymore now that Google images has changed their display method.)


----------



## Selby

Ropartz, Joseph Guy - Piano Trio in A minor [Stanislas Ensemble]


----------



## Blancrocher

Vesteralen said:


> (I can't figure out how to get pictures anymore now that Google images has changed their display method.)











If you search for small to medium-sized pictures, and copy the url when you view an original image, it should work OK.

I continue to prefer this Munch/Heifetz recording of Beethoven's concerto--though I'm looking for some new blood!


----------



## Bix

Rachmaninov RoaToP / Rachmaninov, piano / Philadelphia Orchestra with Leopoldo Stokowski recorded 1934


----------



## Il_Penseroso

From my vinyl archive:

Albeniz: Iberia/ Turina: Danzas Fantasticas

Ansermet conducting the L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande


----------



## Selby

Granados, Enrique - 12 Danzas españolas (arr. Breiner for Guitar and Orchestra)
[Norbert Kraft, Peter Breiner, Razumovsky Sinfonia]


----------



## Bix

Mitchell said:


> Granados, Enrique - 12 Danzas españolas (arr. Breiner for Guitar and Orchestra)
> [Norbert Kraft, Peter Breiner, Razumovsky Sinfonia]
> 
> View attachment 21919


Never heard these, what are they like, are they your first listening also?


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Mitchell said:


> Granados, Enrique - 12 Danzas españolas (arr. Breiner for Guitar and Orchestra)
> [Norbert Kraft, Peter Breiner, Razumovsky Sinfonia]
> 
> View attachment 21919


My absolute Granados favorite, played all 12 on piano but I'm sure it sounds still brilliant with guitar and orchestra.


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 21915
> 
> 
> I continue to prefer this Munch/Heifetz recording of Beethoven's concerto--though I'm looking for some new blood!


Have you tried Patricia Kopatchinskaja performance that I posted on previous page? If you need new blood it should work well, it is a HIP performance with the original Beethoven piano cadenza transposed for violin. I liked it a lot, specially the tempos.


----------



## Sonata

When I look to music to refresh and give me a sort of calm energy, I often look to Haydn. And since my iPod was already tuned to Haydn from my morning listening, I decided to continue with him. Divertimento in C major, followed by the first few movements of the Creation. A fantastic work so far! I especially like the prelude.


----------



## Selby

Bix said:


> Never heard these, what are they like, are they your first listening also?


Granados, Enrique - 12 Danzas españolas (arr. Breiner for Guitar and Orchestra)
[Norbert Kraft, Peter Breiner, Razumovsky Sinfonia]









They are amazing! This is not my first listen. Actually, it's not even my first listen today. It's an album I play frequently.

The guitar and orchestra arrangement gives it quit a different feel from the piano (which is also amazing). I'm not always sold on re-arrangements: for example I much prefer Albeniz on piano.

It's funny that he titled them dances because they are much for existential than almost all of his contemporaries. They are not bombastic or virtuosic. They kind of just _are_. They are sweet without being saccharine. They are peppy without being obnoxious. They _feel_ very different from the guitar music by someone like Rodrigo or Guridi.

I want to compare them to Charles Koechlin, but it's a messy comparison. For me they evoke a similar mood, using a similar pace. They are also tricksters in the sense that upon a cursory listen you could dismiss them as background music, but in reality there is so much depth and flavor and subtlety in the pieces.

I really do recommend it.


----------



## Bix

^^^^ Thanks for this Mitchell, I will give them a listen


----------



## Wood

*Tchaikovsky *_Symphony No. 4_

How much grief and angst can a man take?


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

I'd never heard Kletzki's Beethoven until now. I finally got this box set in the mail and I'm already in love with it. The sound is fantastic. The way the those Czech strings sound, especially those on the low end (Cello & Bass) is just the way I like it. I read this was an often forgot 60's Beethoven cycle and that it shouldn't be because it is easily on par with the best out there and from what I've heard so far it definitely may be a top contender for me.


----------



## realdealblues

Onto the next...



Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven Violin Sonata #3, with Mr.Perlman and Mr.Ashkenazy.


----------



## Cheyenne

Bruno Walter's recording of Haydn's symphony no. 92 with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. What is truly amazing about this recording is the speed with which the finale is played. Anyone remember when René Jacobs' recording of Haydn's symphony 91 and 92 came out? Well, everyone was shocked by the tempo he took in the finale. Here's an excerpt from a review:

_ Jacobs and his crew then go absolutely crazy in the "Oxford" Symphony, particularly its finale, taken faster than even the excellent Freiburgers can comfortably play it, and if some of the rhythmic definition and textural clarity fall by the wayside, well, who cares? Haydn's wig would have hit the floor if he could have heard it, that's for sure._

This one's from an amazon review:

_The minuets and finales of both symphonies are in keeping with the current practice of "faster is better," which might explain the ridiculous tempo Jacobs adopts for the finale of "Oxford."_

And you know what? Bruno Walter, playing this symphony here in *1938* has the _same tempo_! I played them alongside, and that of him is nearly the exact same speed - it's uncanny. What a musician! How sad this one isn't included in the new _Bruno Walter: The Edition_, then more people would hear this amazing rendition. At the beginning their drumstrokes literally match, though after the exposition Walter takes a little more breathing room, so that they 'desynch'.

Edit: It's in the Icon: Walter Early Recordings box, as well as on a CD coupled with an early Vienna 100 (not the 1954 one) and 86.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, 'Harmoniemesse' (Concentus musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt) - really like the transparent detail in Harnoncourt's recording.


----------



## DavidA

Liszt sonata Cziffra.

Before that a Purcell Birthday Ode 'Come he sons of art'


----------



## Cheyenne

Varése's Poeme Eloctronique, Xenakis's Concret PH, Boulez's Le Marteau de Sans Maître, and now Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. Found myself in a late 20th century mood, it appears.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bruckner,, Symphony No. 6, Klemperer.


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

Handel's Concerto Grossi Op. 6 No. 11
Raymond Leppard, English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Violin Concerto - Tibor Varga, violin, Jerzy Semkow, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Huang Ruo* Chamber Concerto #1 "Yueh Fei"
- International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) under the composer

*Britten* Violin Concerto
- Rebecca Hirsch, soloist with BBC Scottish SO under Takuo Yuasa

*Penderecki* Anaklasis for strings and percussion
- London SO under the composer

*Sculthorpe* Djilile
- Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn

*Tchaikovsky* Serenade for Strings in C
- Vienna CO and Philippe Entremont


----------



## chrisco97

*Currently listening to...*

*Schubert* - Symphony No. 6
_Australian Chamber Orchestra & Sir Charles Mackerras_

So far I am really enjoying this symphony. Very calming and I love the flutes and clarinets.

*Coming up next...*

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 48, "Maria Theresia"
_Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

Heard one of the movements from this today when I had my player on shuffle. Loved what I heard of it, so I want to hear the whole thing.

After that, I will probably listen to some of the *Beethoven* symphonies performed by _Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra_. Probably will end up listening to as much of them as I can, in order. I love the Beethoven symphonies almost more than anything in the world of classical music.


----------



## Wood

*Bruch* _Violin Concerto No. 1 _(Campoli, New SO, Kisch)
*
Saint-Saens *_Havanaise _and _Rondo capriccioso _(Campoli, London SO, Fistoulari)


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi's Clarinet Concerto Op.31`- John Denman, clarinet, Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 21928
> 
> 
> Finzi's Clarinet Concerto Op.31`- John Denman, clarinet, Vernon Handley, cond.


an enquiry-how does this compare with other recordings of the clarinet concerto and what do you think of 'ecologue'?


----------



## AndyS

Strauss' Daphne with Karl Bohm and Hilde Geuden in the title role (and Fritz Wunderlich and James King supporting)

Been on my pile to listen to for ages - top stuff, Geuden is wonderful


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> an enquiry-how does this compare with other recordings of the clarinet concerto and what do you think of 'ecologue'?


I've only got one other recording of the work - Emma Johnson's on ASV - and though thats a fine recording I think Denman's may have a slight edge, But this is after only one listen after getting back from the secondhand store. Haven't played the Ecologue yet. I'll try and get back with a more considered opinion of both.

Do you have a prefered recording of the concerto?

playing now:









Honegger's Pacific 231 - Ernest Ansermet, cond.


----------



## Bas

Haydn String quartets opus 71, Takács Quartet
(on Hyperion)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel, Messiah (Donath, Reynolds, Burrows, McIntyre; John Alldis Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra; Karl Richter).


----------



## Conor71

*Dowland: Collected Works*

Now playing the first Disc of the Dowland set - lovely!. Current track: Flow My Teares. Next I will play Disc 1 of the Labyrinth box - this is a Disc of medieval music (not a lot of this in my collection) and is very good:


----------



## Bas

Schubert zu vier Händen
Tal & Groethuysen, vol VI
on Sony









D 813, D617, D733, D 968


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Inventions - Czech Philharmonic, Vaclav Neumann, cond.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday --
George Onslow (27 July 1784-1853): Piano Sonata in E Minor for Four Hands, Op.7

Liu Xiao Ming and Horst Gobel, pianos

View attachment 21933


----------



## SimonNZ

Moussorgsky's Sunless Cycle - Maria Kurenko, soprano, Vsevolod Pastukhoff, piano

edit: now Rubbra's Symphony No.7 - Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

Arcangelo Corelli Concerti Grossi Op 6 N 8,1,2 - Thank God for YouTube or I would go broke on buying Baroque CDs.


----------



## Vesteralen

I still can't figure out the new Google to get the url for pictures, but...

I'm listening now to *Hopkinson Smith *playing *Bach Suites *on the *theorbo*.

This may be the perfect disc to play at work.....


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Bliss' Morning Heroes - John Westbrook, orator, Charles Groves, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Wispelwey performance of Lutoslawski Cello Concerto. Last saturday I watched his live performance playing with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and it was _awesome_. I already enjoyed this work, but his interpretation put it on another level; it was like he was inside the music. It was fierce, psychological and very intense.

And also a brief comment about dissonant music, my wife is not a big fan of classical music but she go to many concerts with me. She never liked any concerto, she says that the prefers symphonies. We watched violin concertos from Mozart and Stravinsky and she hated it. For my surprise, she liked Lutoslawski's work. I was ready to hear "I will never go to a concert again" but it was the opposite, and now she want to see more modern pieces!


----------



## realdealblues

Still loving this set...



Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in D minor (The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## julianoq

Messiaen's La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ, performed by Chung and a lot of other people.


----------



## Sonata

99 Most Essential Liszt: Symphonic Poem #3.

I have sampled a bit of this set so far, just briefly. But what I've heard makes me think that we have a new Liszt fan!


----------



## Guest

Liszt <3 Tried his Faust Symphony, concerti, and piano sonata yet?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

realdealblues said:


> Still loving this set...
> 
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
> Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


I've tried to listen to this set and it seems to lack the dynamic range and punch that I prefer in my Beethoven. It's not that it's bad I just think there are much better cycles to listen to.

Having worked inventory this weekend I have today off and a chance to play my music loud without the wife around!  This morning I'm listening to Stenhammar's String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 as performed by the Copenhagen String Quartet. Very nice recording of these pieces. Stenhammar is another one of those little known composers I love.










Kevin


----------



## Blancrocher

julianoq said:


> Have you tried Patricia Kopatchinskaja performance that I posted on previous page? If you need new blood it should work well, it is a HIP performance with the original Beethoven piano cadenza transposed for violin. I liked it a lot, specially the tempos.


I've given this a couple listens now, and like it a lot. You're right about the tempos being satisfying: the approach is actually similar in many ways to previous recordings of the concerto I favor, like Munch or Toscanini with Heifetz. I've been meaning to explore more HIP (or HIPish) performances of Beethoven.

I recently purchased Jarvi/Jansen for their op.61, but think this Herreweghe/Kopatchinskaja will serve as a replacement. That other disk is still a keeper, though, for the Britten Violin Concerto. It's a new work for me, and I'm loving it.


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra



Kevin Pearson said:


> I've tried to listen to this set and it seems to lack the dynamic range and punch that I prefer in my Beethoven. It's not that it's bad I just think there are much better cycles to listen to.


Huh...total opposite for me. Granted I've only heard 3 Symphonies and the Egmont Overture so far, but for me it sits somewhere between Karajan's 60's recordings & Klemperer with a hint of Furtwangler thrown in. Big and Bold, yet Clear and Articulate. Tempos are moderate, right where I like them. The dynamic range of the recordings themselves have been amazing too. The instruments are really clear and the overall tone/eq of the whole thing is right where I like it. I'm really loving what I'm hearing. I haven't been this excited since I heard Rudolf Kempe's Beethoven Cycle.


----------



## rrudolph

Going all Romantic today. I like listening to Mahler's 3rd in the summertime, so I built my listening program around that.

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude/Liebestod









Zemlinsky: Sinfonische Gesang Op. 20









Berg: Violin Concerto









Mahler: Symphony #3


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I am listening to this recording of Havergal Brian's 1st Symphony (The Gothic) for the second time:








So far, I am really enjoying the work. It is certainly immense and will take many more listens to truly digest but it should certainly be an enjoyable experience.


----------



## korenbloem

vivaldi - Concerti per fagotto I (L'Aura Soave Cremona / D. Cantalupi / Sergio Azzolini)


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler 3*
S. Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony, B. Remmert -- contralto, et al.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

realdealblues said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
> Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> Huh...total opposite for me. Granted I've only heard 3 Symphonies and the Egmont Overture so far, but for me it sits somewhere between Karajan's 60's recordings & Klemperer with a hint of Furtwangler thrown in. Big and Bold, yet Clear and Articulate. Tempos are moderate, right where I like them. The dynamic range of the recordings themselves have been amazing too. The instruments are really clear and the overall tone/eq of the whole thing is right where I like it. I'm really loving what I'm hearing. I haven't been this excited since I heard Rudolf Kempe's Beethoven Cycle.


Well, maybe it's the difference of the CD and the stream on Spotify. I looked on Spotify after you spoke highly of it and have listened through most of it. Glad you're enjoying it though. That's all that matters. 

Kevin


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> I've given this a couple listens now, and like it a lot. You're right about the tempos being satisfying: the approach is actually similar in many ways to previous recordings of the concerto I favor, like Munch or Toscanini with Heifetz. I've been meaning to explore more HIP (or HIPish) performances of Beethoven.
> 
> I recently purchased Jarvi/Jansen for their op.61, but think this Herreweghe/Kopatchinskaja will serve as a replacement. That other disk is still a keeper, though, for the Britten Violin Concerto. It's a new work for me, and I'm loving it.
> 
> View attachment 21939


I am glad you liked it. I also explored a lot of Beethoven different performances (got 23 cycles of the symphonies at the moment) and I noticed that what makes more difference to me on Beethoven is the size of the orchestra and the tempos, not so much the instruments. I found my favorite cycle on Paavo Jarvi's one, it is a small modern orchestra using fast, HIP tempos.

I will give a go to Britten's concerto, I have this Jansen's album on my streaming service library but never tried it.


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> I've only got one other recording of the work - Emma Johnson's on ASV - and though thats a fine recording I think Denman's may have a slight edge, But this is after only one listen after getting back from the secondhand store. Haven't played the Ecologue yet. I'll try and get back with a more considered opinion of both.
> 
> Do you have a prefered recording of the concerto?
> 
> playing now:
> 
> View attachment 21929
> 
> 
> Honegger's Pacific 231 - Ernest Ansermet, cond.


Howard Griffiths/Northern Sinfonia , Robert Plane-clarinet, Naxos recording, includes other fine but relatively unknown works.
If you have not yet heard them might I also suggest both the cello and violin concerti.
Looking forward to your opinions regarding ecologue-if only Finzi had completed intended piano concerto of which this would have been part. Good to see Honegger being listened to.


----------



## Op.123

Sibelius - Violin concerto


----------



## realdealblues

Kevin Pearson said:


> Well, maybe it's the difference of the CD and the stream on Spotify. I looked on Spotify after you spoke highly of it and have listened through most of it. Glad you're enjoying it though. That's all that matters.
> 
> Kevin


Yeah, I sampled it on Spotify first and I liked the "tempo and feel" of a few key movements which helped me determine if I'd even be interested. I've just got cheap Dell speakers on my PC so I can't ever tell how it really sounds. I saw the actual CD's on sale for $20 so I figured what the heck. Cranked up on my sound system like I said earlier, those strings just sound amazing. But yeah, I'm enjoying it immensely 










Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## julianoq

Burroughs said:


> Sibelius - Violin concerto


Care to say who is the performer? I am a little obsessed with this concerto (it is my favorite) so I am curious


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> I recently purchased Jarvi/Jansen for their op.61, but think this Herreweghe/Kopatchinskaja will serve as a replacement. That other disk is still a keeper, though, for the Britten Violin Concerto. It's a new work for me, and I'm loving it.


I just listened to Britten's concerto and it is great. I liked it a lot. I will listen to it again right now


----------



## Wood

*Sibelius *_Symphony No. 2_ (Ashkenazy, Phil O, 1980)










*Tchaikovsky *_The Voyevoda

_*Telemann *_Cantatas: 'The schoolmaster', 'The canary', 'Joys of country life' _(Hermann Prey, German Bach Soloists, 1970)

'The schoolmaster' was in fact written by C L Fehre (1718-1772)










Silly cover.

*Schumann *_Symphony No. 4_


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Enjoyed Stenhammar's string quartets and decided to also put on his Symphony No. 2. Just a beautiful symphony and recommended to any who enjoy Sibelius and Nielsen.










Kevin


----------



## julianoq

Also listening to Stenhammar following Kevin's recommendation, and enjoying it a lot. The same Symphony No.2, but with Neeme Jarvi. I will try to find the Sundkvist performance later and see how they compare.


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 20
_Denis Matthews, Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Hans Swarowsky_

Such a wonderful work! I forgot how great it was. I love every movement. The first is haunting, dark, and epic...the second is really beautiful, and the third is full of action. All throughout the piece (especially in the third movement), I was wondering what was going to happen next. Mozart is a true joy to listen to.

*Next up, a classic*...The Overture to Marriage of Figaro, performed by the _Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Felix Prohaska_.


----------



## kv466

The Mendelssohn right now...not a Tchaikovsky kinda day for me.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 8
_Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra_

Another one of Beethoven's symphonies I had not listened much to before. 
I am loving it so far! It has many of the qualities I love about Beethoven's music in it.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Eight Pieces from Musica ricercata, Sonata for Cello, The Big Turtle Fanfare, Romanian Folksongs.*

Wow, it's hard to get bored listening to this CD set; there are so many different things he's doing.


----------



## kv466




----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Violin Concerto - Bruno Belcik, violin, Vaclav Neumann, cond,


----------



## Sid James

*Tchaikovsky* Souvenir de Florence in D minor, Op. 70 (version for string orch.)
- Vienna CO under Philippe Entremont

*Penderecki* Fonogrammi (1961)
- Polish Radio National SO under the composer

*John Williams* Angela's Ashes (film score)
- Orchestra under the composer with soloists: Steve Erdody, cello; JoAnn Turovsky, harp; John Ellis, oboe; Randy Kerber, piano; Endre Granat, Concert Master

*Smetana* The Bartered Bride - Overtre
- Hungarian State Orch. under Gerhard Bozse




julianoq said:


> ...
> And also a brief comment about dissonant music, my wife is not a big fan of classical music but she go to many concerts with me. She never liked any concerto, she says that the prefers symphonies. We watched violin concertos from Mozart and Stravinsky and she hated it. For my surprise, she liked Lutoslawski's work. I was ready to hear "I will never go to a concert again" but it was the opposite, and now she want to see more modern pieces!
> 
> ...


I've had that type of reaction from people I took to concerts with unfamiliar works or types of music. More importantly, I've been the same as well. It is my firm conviction that if a listener of whatever level of experience engages with the music, takes it in in his own way - and actually turns up to a concert like that, makes an effort to go there not knowing what to expect, etc. - well, they're halfway there basically. With good music of any era, once the music starts, the rest of the job is done. The listener who is willing to lend an ear is drawn in. Its always interesting to see what people say when they hear a composer whose music is totally uncharted territory to them, and thanks for sharing that story!

Great stuff & positive- esp. since that work is reputedly among Lutoslawski's darkest and not 'easy' to take as some other things by him. I like it as well, I have not had the good fortune to hear it live (maybe one day?), but I've got the recording by Mstislav Rostropovich under the baton of the composer himself. I return to it periodically, so too the accompanying Dutilleux concerto, but it is quite dark.


----------



## SimonNZ

Constant Lambert's Eight Poems By Li-Po - Alexander Young, tenor, Charles Groves, cond.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in F Major, Op.16, No.4

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 21967


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Violin Sonatas 1 and 2 - Emil Telmanyi, violin, Victor Schioler, piano


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn!, BWV 157
Hana Blazikova (Soprano), Damien Guillon (Countertenor), Christoph Genz (Tenor), 
Peter Kooy (Bass)
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki 






(BWV 157: Utter bliss from beginning to end!)


----------



## kv466




----------



## Ravndal

Schubert: Schwanengesang and Die Schone Mullerin

Tenors: Ian Bostridge, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau


----------



## opus55

Bartok violin solos


----------



## GreenMamba

Mendelssohn Symphonies 3 and 5, Zinman/Rochester


----------



## SimonNZ

Delius' A Mass Of Life - Thomas Beecham, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Clementi*: Piano Sonatas, w. Demidenko (rec.1994); Horowitz (rec.1954 - '80); ABM (rec.1959).








View attachment 21974
View attachment 21975
View attachment 21976


----------



## bejart

Schubert: "Wanderer" Fantasy in C Major, Op.15 (D.760)

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 21977


----------



## Sonata

Shostakovich: violin concerto#1 in A Minor. First listen. Superb first movement.


----------



## opus55

Bax: Violin Concerto


----------



## Forte

Felix Weingartner's Symphony No. 7.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Sonata said:


> Shostakovich: violin concerto#1 in A Minor. First listen. Superb first movement.


What performance? Wait until you get to the _Passacaglia_. This will completely melt your heart and all of the troubles surrounding Shostakovich's life seem to be, all of a sudden, perfectly clear. This movement is like a requiem for those who have suffered under the tyranny of the Soviet government. Enjoy!


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major


----------



## Ondine

Burroughs said:


> Sibelius - Violin concerto


My favourite not being a Violin concert fan, but this one is outstanding.


----------



## SimonNZ

Cesar Franck's Piano Quintet - Eva Bernathova, piano, Janacek Quartet


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"
_Adrian Boult and the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra_

I love this version of the Eroica. It is my favourite at the moment. I love the Bruno Walter cycle but do not prefer his version of the Eroica over this one. In fact, what I have heard of it (the cycle), I find the Eroica to be the weakest link of the cycle. Not that it is a bad performance, because it most certainly is not...however, all of the other performances are fantastic and are on par with other performances I have heard, if not surpassing them. The Eroica however is just "okay" if you want to say that. Then again, that may just be because the Adrian Boult version is what made me love the Eroica... :lol:

*Beethoven* - Cello Sonatas
_Antonio Janigro & Jorg Demus_

I love these. I have always loved the cello alongside the piano.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bruckner's Symphony No.5 - Hans Knappertsbusch, cond.


----------



## Selby

Granados, Enrique - 12 Danzas españolas, Op. 37 [Angela Hewitt]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in G minor for oboe, violin and continuo (The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## SimonNZ

Mitchell said:


> Granados, Enrique - 12 Danzas españolas, Op. 37 [Angela Hewitt]
> 
> View attachment 21983


Wow. I haven't seen that one before. When did she make that?

playing now:









Following Jim Prideaux's recommendation of Finzi's Cello Concerto I picked this up at the secondhand shop today. Could have got it last week but i've generally got an aversion to Yo Yo Ma, who I've always found underwhelming. So even though this was a Penguin Rosette winner I figured I'd rather have any other version. But we'll see...


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak-symphonic poems- Harnoncourt and the Concertgebouw .Four latter works that I do not think I have heard before and this much lauded double CD appeared on I tunes for £3.99.As it is programmatic music it appears episodic, a little reminiscent in that sense of Richard Strauss tone poems but it is nonetheless very obviously Dvorak. 
SimonNZ-keep me informed regarding opinions of Finzi-must be some secondhand shop!


----------



## Sid James

bejart said:


> Schubert: "Wanderer" Fantasy in C Major, Op.15 (D.760)
> 
> Alfred Brendel, piano
> 
> View attachment 21977


A great work which I need to hear again but looks like according to that pic ol' Franz got a bit of sunburn. He must have just gotten back from the beach when he sat for that portrait


----------



## Selby

SimonNZ said:


> Wow. I haven't seen that one before. When did she make that?
> 
> playing now:
> 
> Following Jim Prideaux's recommendation of Finzi's Cello Concerto I picked this up at the secondhand shop today. Could have got it last week but i've generally got an aversion to Yo Yo Ma, who I've always found underwhelming. So even though this was a Penguin Rosette winner I figured I'd rather have any other version. But we'll see...


Hewitt's Granados recording is from the mid-90s I believe.

I love that youre listening to Finzi; doesn't get talked about a lot.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Agnus Dei, 'Harmoniemesse' (Concentus Musicus Wien).


----------



## Selby

Going for a midnight walk:

Moeran, Ernest John - String Quartet in A minor [Maggini Quartett]


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Xenakis - Complete String Quartets.


----------



## jim prideaux

:tiphat:SimonNZ/Mitchell-Nice to see Finzi getting more and more acknowledgement.:tiphat:

Mitchell-Moeran is another British composer who often appears underappreciated.-I have no interest in 'banging on' about composers just because they might be British but recently encountered bith the symphony and sinfonietta by Moeran and have a desire to investigate his cello concerto.


----------



## Guest

It's the wee bit hours. The voices are threads in a cloak of quiet meditation. I contemplate the good things in my life, and the regrets of the past. I kneel to pray. The Father. The Son. The Holy Ghost. Thank you God for my wife, for the baby inside her, and for this wonderful music.








Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli
Simon Preston, Choir of Westminster Abbey








Josquin, Missae Pange Lingua
The Tallis Scholars








Tallis, Lamentations of Jeramiah, Mass for Four Voices
The Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> :tiphat:SimonNZ/Mitchell-Nice to see Finzi getting more and more acknowledgement.:tiphat:
> 
> Mitchell-Moeran is another British composer who often appears underappreciated.-I have no interest in 'banging on' about composers just because they might be British but recently encountered bith the symphony and sinfonietta by Moeran and have a desire to investigate his cello concerto.


Decided about a year ago I had to pay closer attention to Finzi, who I knew only from a couple of Hyperion cds of his songs, after Gramophone unexpectedly surveyed all of the recordings of Dies Natalis for their "Gramophone Collection" feature, and made a strong case for him generally. I got the Susan Grafton recording the next day - because it was the easiest to find, it wasn't their choice. Picked up the Wilfred Brown recording at the shop today, but haven't played it yet.

Oh, and the secondhand shop also has some ten Moeran's I was considering. Darn it, now I'll have to get them. It ain't the money, its the _time_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jerome: best wishes for the new baby!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major (Eldar Nebolsin). I like Nebolsin's playing here.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Recorder Concerto in F Major, RV 98

Il Giardino Armonico -- Giovanni Antonini, recorder

View attachment 21991


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I have just finished Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony by Sir Adrian Boult & the London Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI cycle). Sounds fantastic and well recorded.

Now I have just started Bruckner's 8th Symphony by Wilhelm Furtwangler & the Vienna Philharmonic. Whilst showing it's Mono roots, it still sounds fantastic. I have no issues at all with Mono if as in this case, it is well recorded and mixed.


----------



## julianoq

Stenhammar's Piano Concertos 1 & 2, performed by Niklas Sivelov.


----------



## Blancrocher

Shostakovich's Viola Sonata, with Yuri Bashmet and Sviatoslav Richter. For me, this is one of Shostakovich's most haunting and extraordinary works. Great performance, too. Always gives me the shivers!


----------



## rrudolph

I'm feeling a bit Cage-y this morning.


----------



## Vesteralen

Granville Bantock - The Cyprian Goddess / The Helena Variations / Dante & Beatrice (Chandos)

Like the other Bantock discs in my collection, very listenable stuff, if not particularly memorable. Although CDs like this one probably suffer a bit from collection overload - these days I seldom give an album the kind of concentrated playing and replaying I did back when I was young.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mozart*: Violin Concertos, w. Oistrakh/BPO (rec.1970/1);Piano Concertos, w. Moravec (rec.1973/4); Brendel (rec.1973 - '75); Casadesus (rec.1961/2).

View attachment 21999
View attachment 22000







View attachment 22001


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Jerome: best wishes for the new baby!


With Nicola Benedetti?


----------



## Selby

Falla, Manuel de - 7 Canciones populares españolas (arr. Llobet & Barrueco) 
[Ann Monoylos, Manuel Barrueco, Thomas Müller-Pering]


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Shostakovich: violin concerto#1 in A Minor. First listen. Superb first movement.


And that would be performed by whom?


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Just at the start of the final movement of Bruckner's 7th Symphony, again conducted Furtwangler but this time with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to...
Haydn Symphony 92 (1792)
Haydn Symphony 94 (1792)
Haydn Symphony 97 (1792)


----------



## jhar26

View attachment 21722


It's no Figaro but it's very good. I can't imagine any recording making a better case for this opera than this one.


----------



## AlanStephenDuffy

Paul Lewis playing Mozart's Piano Concerto 25 at the Proms last night on radio 3 was most pleasing, looking forward to the tv version on thursday.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Motets.*

Lothar Hennig conducting.


----------



## DavidA

Goldberg variations - Gould - concert performance Vancouver 1958.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to all 3 great symphonies in a row!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Torelli - Concerto Grosso


----------



## jim prideaux

A while ago bought a box set of Stenhammar orchestral works-was reminded by a recent post which mentioned the composer so I am now listening to the two piano concertos-No 1-P.Jarvi/Malmo Symfoniorkester/Derwinger and No 2-N.Jarvi/Goteborgs Symfoniker/Ortiz.
Still experiencing similar reservations as I had originally and as I recently had with Glazunov. Whilst Stenhammar may be Swedish there is very little that is not obviously influenced by the central European romanticism that prevailed at the time. Must admit that I find the symphonies of Berwald much more rewarding as they seem to exhibit a greater degree of individualism-may be next 'listen' this evening


----------



## DavidA

Verdi Falstaff - Karajan / Gobbi


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> With Nicola Benedetti?


Please don't tell my wife about Nicola. She will either divorce me or take up the fiddle. Either way it won't be pretty.








RVW: The Lark Ascending


----------



## DavidA

DavidA said:


> Verdi Falstaff - Karajan / Gobbi


The most amazing work written by an old man. Pity Verdi didn't write more comic opera.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Variations, etc., w. GG (rec. 1966 - '74).

View attachment 22016


----------



## Sid James

*Khatchaturian* Spartacus (ballet highlights)
- London SO under the composer

*Penderecki* De Natura Sonoris #1
- Polish National Radio SO under the composer

*Sculthorpe* Kakadu
- Sydney SO under Stuart Challender

*Huang Ruo* Chamber Concerto #2, "The Lost Garden"
- International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) under the composer





Vesteralen said:


> Granville Bantock - The Cyprian Goddess / The Helena Variations / Dante & Beatrice (Chandos)
> 
> Like the other Bantock discs in my collection, very listenable stuff, if not particularly memorable. Although CDs like this one probably suffer a bit from collection overload - these days I seldom give an album the kind of concentrated playing and replaying I did back when I was young.


Well its got some great eye candy on the cover, at least! Anyway questionable jokes aside, welcome back to the forum. I remember we had some good discussions on threads you made a year or more back. Whenever it was, good to see you back posting here!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, Rothko Chapel.*


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann _Waldszenen_

Finghin Collins


----------



## Blancrocher

Currently listening to my Julian Bream collection.

(btw--is there a way to delete a post if you accidentally made two?)


----------



## Blancrocher

Walton - 5 Bagatelles

Julian Bream


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mozart*: Clarinet & Oboe Concerti, w. Pay/Piguet/AAM/Hogwood (rec.1984); Symphonies 24 - 34, w. ASMF/Marriner (EMI rec.1987 - '90).

View attachment 22020
View attachment 22021
View attachment 22022
View attachment 22023


----------



## cwarchc

I make no excuses for this one, again
A perfect way to relax at the end of the day
de leeuw's pace is perfect


----------



## EricABQ

Beethoven's Les Adieux played by Gilels.


----------



## Schubussy

Bach - Brandenburg Concerto 2
Jordi Savall, Le Concert Des Nations


----------



## Ravndal

Mahler symphony 3

Valery Gergiev + LSO


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Overture in A Major

Werner Ehrhardt leading Concerto Koln

View attachment 22027


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Mahler Symphony #6
Lenny & NYP


----------



## themysticcaveman

been getting into Scriabin's symphonic works lately, and i must say he is very overlooked, people tend to concentrate on his piano works, his 1st symphony is a 6 movement masterpiece, well it would be, as you wouldn't compose your 1st symphony in 6 movements if you weren't trying to make a statement, and my what a statement, i place Scriabin as one of the great romantics


----------



## bigshot

I've been enjoying Miyaskovsky's symphonies lately.


----------



## neoshredder

Finishing up the 18th Century Symphonies.
Haydn Symphonies 100, 101, 103, and 104.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition --
Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.26 in A Flat, Op.64

Markus Becker, piano

View attachment 22028


----------



## brotagonist

Liszt - _Wagner Transkriptionen_ (Barenboim)

I picked this up yesterday. I'm not an opera fan, so Wagner is barely represented in my collection. My exposure to Liszt is primarily the orchestrations of his _Hungarian Rhapsodies_ and a decades forgotten concerto on LP. This is nice to have.

So far, I hear Liszt, not Wagner, but I'm all ears


----------



## chrisco97

*Schubert* - Symphony No. 5
_Australian Chamber Orchestra & Sir Charles Mackerras_

This is such a beautiful symphony. One of those I like to turn on every now and then. Every time I listen to it, I seem to like it that much more.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Georg Philipp Telemann: Overture for Trumpet & Oboe in D Major


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify...*










Listening to the first Op. 59 quartet at the moment. This is a great one!


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich sym#4. With a score this time.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Quartet in G minor for violin, oboe, viola da gamba and continuo (The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' String Quartets - Music Group Of London


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major, 'Emperor' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Symphony No.6 "Fantaisies Symphoniques" - Charles Munch, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Scriabin's Poem Of Ecstasy - Manuel Rosenthal, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Années de Pèlerinage, Deuxième Année, 'Venezia e Napoli' (Lazar Berman).


----------



## SimonNZ

Albert Roussel's Symphony No.3 - Ernest Ansermet, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Shostakovich's first three symphonies with Barshai on wdr


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Uirapuru - Efrem Kurtz, cond.


----------



## themysticcaveman

Ravndal said:


> Mahler symphony 3
> 
> Valery Gergiev + LSO


I have never quite liked Gergiev doing Mahler, Obviously Bernstein, but the greatest alive Mahler conductor is Jansons for me, and his interpretation of 3rd Symphony is earth shattering


----------



## bejart

Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768): Overture No.1 in B Flat

Reinhard Goebel leading Musica Antiqua Koln

View attachment 22045


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto - Benny Goodman, clarinet, Morton Gould, cond.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Starting the day in style!

*Mahler 2* - Klemperer, Philarmonia, E. Schwarzkopf and H. Rossl-Majdan -- sopr./mezzo-sopr.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bax and Finzi choral works - Kings College Choir, Stephen Cleobury


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's Four Ages played by Hamelin.


----------



## musicphotogAnimal

4:39 in the morning, haven't gone to bed yet, insomnia...and I have to drive my daughter to daycare at 9:00AM this morning.  Yay... Listening to *Marcello's Oboe Concerto in C minor* to keep myself awake. Have to drive my wife into school. Then I have to go to Serpentine Fen and go shoot some ducks, maybe an osprey or two for photography.


----------



## Vesteralen

The only recording I've ever heard that comes close to matching Szell on my favorite Mozart symphony (#39 )


----------



## aleazk

Conlon Nancarrow - String Quartet No. 3.


----------



## Mordred

Rachmaninov: Prince rotislav and Capriccio on Gypsy themes followed by his 3rd symphony. BBC philharmonic. What sublime magnificence is this!


----------



## julianoq

Shostakovich's String Quartets 2, 3, 7, 8 and 12. Starting with the 2nd now, the plan is to listen them all. I love the 8th but never paid much attention to the others. Performed by the Borodin String Quartet.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rachmaninov - Trio Èlégiaque No.1 in G minor Op post
Borodin Trio
Where have you been all my life?


----------



## NightHawk

Last two days: since I can't go, my own Bayreuth Festival - Wagner & Wagner 
_Die Walkure_ - Marek Janowski, Staatskapelle Dresden, Jerusalem, Norman, Moll, Altmeyer
_Parsifal_ - Rafael Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Sym Orchestra, Weikl, Moll, Salminen, King, Mazura, Minton.

Today:






- Hamelin plays Alkan - Concerto for Solo Piano, _Troisieme recueil de chants_ - 5*****'s Highly Recommended.


----------



## rrudolph

Some Lieder for breakfast on this dreary rainy morning:

Mahler: Lieder und Gesange/Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen









Webern: Drei Gedichte/Drei Avenarius Lieder/Funf Dehmel Lieder/Funf Lieder aus "Der Siebente Ring" vn Stefan George, Op. 3/Funf George Lieder Op. 4/Vier George Lieder/Vier Lieder Op. 12/Drei Gesange aus "Viae Inviae" von Hildegard Jone Op. 23/Drei Jone Lieder Op. 25









After this, either Weill or more Second Viennese School stuff--not sure in which direction I'll go.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartets Opus 33, Nos 5, 3, 2.*


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale"
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

For some reason, the Pastorale feels really natural to start the morning with...


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles - 15 Etudes pour saxophone et piano, Op. 188 [Federico Mondelci, Kathryn Stott]









A taste, but with different performers:


----------



## Vesteralen

I don't actually have this CD, but the same recording as part of the Brilliant Brahms boxed set.

Considering that the PC #1 is probably my favorite Brahms composition of all, I thought my standards would be pretty stringent. But, I actually enjoyed this performance very much. The first movement struck me as just a tad slower than necessary, but not annoyingly so, and the slow movement in particular was very poetic.

A pleasant surprise.


----------



## schuberkovich

Webern String Quartet op.28.
Lasalle Quartet.
Studying and marvelling at the score as I listen.


----------



## Vesteralen

I have it on at work, but like most vocal music, I have it turned down so low I can barely hear it. Wonder why I bother.


----------



## Blancrocher

julianoq said:


> Shostakovich's String Quartets 2, 3, 7, 8 and 12. Starting with the 2nd now, the plan is to listen them all. I love the 8th but never paid much attention to the others. Performed by the Borodin String Quartet.


Curious to hear what you make of them when you're done with them (if you ever are!) Some of those early ones tend to get lost in the shuffle, but the 2nd is among my favorites: a very satisfying, tightly structured quartet!


----------



## rrudolph

Schoenberg: Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte/Webern: String Trio Op. 20/Movement for String Trio/Quintet for Strings and Piano/Rondo for String Quartet









Schoenberg:Verklarte Nacht/Trio Op. 45/Phantasy Op. 47


----------



## Tristan

*Donizetti* - Don Pasquale (Riccardo Muti/Leo Nucci/Gosta Winbergh)

An opera that I've heard one choral piece from and nothing else; I've been listening to this opera recently and I'm enjoying it. It's one of Donizetti's last operas.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Right now and over the course of the next hour. 
Blissing out to..
Machaut - Messe de Notre Dame
Desprez - Missa Pange lingua
Janequin - Messe "La Bataille"

From this box







Cornerstone Works of Sacred Music / Harmonia Mundi

Ensemble Clément Janequin - dir Dominique Visse


----------



## rrudolph

My initial reaction to this was lukewarm, but the more I listen to it the more I'm liking it...

Krenek: Symphony #2


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Only one left to go after this. Makes me kind of sad because discovering this set has made this a very enjoyable week, despite a lot of things in my daily life being very stressful right now.


----------



## DaveS

Schumann's Piano Concerto--Backhaus & The VPO; Gunter Wand,cond. Then Backhaus plays Schumann's Waldscenen.
London STS LP.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti: piano etudes _Pour Irina_ and _White on White_.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Relaxing before bedtime with Silvestrov's Silent Songs


----------



## jim prideaux

Excellent prom shown on BBC 4 this evening;-Mahler Chamber Orch conducted by Daniel Harding, Schumann 2,Sibelius 7 and Mozart 25th piano concerto-encore of the final movement of Jupiter symphony was remarkably invigorating-finishing the day with ECO/Perahia and the 21/22 piano concertos by Mozart.


----------



## MagneticGhost

jim prideaux said:


> Excellent prom shown on BBC 4 this evening;-Mahler Chamber Orch conducted by Daniel Harding, Schumann 2,Sibelius 7 and Mozart 25th piano concerto-encore of the final movement of Jupiter symphony was remarkably invigorating-finishing the day with ECO/Perahia and the 21/22 piano concertos by Mozart.


Forgot it was on actually. Thanks for reminding me. Will catch up on the iplayer over the weekend.


----------



## PetrB

Thomas Ades ~ Polaris (2010)





Didn't take with me very much, or very far, a kind of monothematic quasi romantic work.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132
_Yale String Quartet_

This piece is beyond beautiful. One of Beethoven's absolute best works.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart double concerto - Haskill & Anda


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann cantatas - Cantus Coln, Konrad Junghanel, dir.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Listening to Op. 95...I do not think I could put into words how much I love Beethoven's string quartets. This first movement reminds me a lot of the Grosse Fugue for some reason...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Obrecht, Missa Maria Zart.*

This guy never runs out of ideas.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Ecole Notre-Dame: Mass For Christmas Day" - Ensemble Organum, Marcel Peres


----------



## aleazk

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.2.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## EricABQ

Haydn's trumpet concerto in E flat major. 

The piece that got me to come around on Haydn.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Three Nocturnes for Flute and Piano

Mario Carbotta, flute -- Carlo Balzaretti, piano

View attachment 22078


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mozart*: Clarinet Quintet, w. De Peyer/Melos Ens. (rec.); String Quartets 18 & 19, w. Smetana Qt. (rec.1966); String Quartets 22 & 23, w. Kocian Qt. (rec.1986).

View attachment 22079
View attachment 22080
View attachment 22082


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi motets - Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano


----------



## Vaneyes

drpraetorus said:


> Shostakovich sym#4. With a score this time.


Who's playing, conducting?


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Antonio Capuzzi (1 August 1755-1818): String Quintet in D Major, Op.3, No.5

Kenneth Goldsmith and Adam La Motte, violins -- Zachary Carrettin and Gregory Ewer, violas -- Steve Estes, cello

View attachment 22083


----------



## Ondine

Shostakovich Tenth

London Symphony Orchestra; Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Britten: Simple Symphony


----------



## brotagonist

Messiaen: _Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum; Chronochromie; La Ville d'en haut_

2 old favourites and a more recent composition.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3


----------



## drpraetorus

Dizzy Fingers, Zez Confrey


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in A minor for treble recorder, oboe, violin and continuo (The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## jim prideaux

Mozart piano concertos 15/16 Perahia ECO to start the day.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rubbra's Piano Concerto Op.85 - Denis Matthews, piano, Malcolm Sargent, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Enjoying the second Op. 59 quartet at the moment. I am in love with the Rasumovsky quartets. 

After that, it will be Op. 74, "Harp"...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## Itullian

Strauss Capriccio, Bohm..............


----------



## jim prideaux

the morning continues with the much underappreciated sinfonie singuliere and sinfonie capricieuse by Franz Berwald-Jaarvi and the Gothenburg S.O.i can always hear Sibelius in an embryonic form somewhere in these works-but without formal music education would struggle to be any more precise!


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen piano works - John Ogdon, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Itullian said:


> Strauss Capriccio, Bohm..............


such a brief listing for such a mighty recording















must play that again some time soon


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> View attachment 22091
> 
> 
> Rubbra's Piano Concerto Op.85 - Denis Matthews, piano, Malcolm Sargent, cond.


could you give me a very brief idea of what this actually sounds like/compares to? Rubbra is a composer I have been encouraged to investigate and I really have no idea.


----------



## Conor71

*Josquin: Ave maria*

Listening to the Josquin works from the box and then the first Disc of the 2-fer:


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> could you give me a very brief idea of what this actually sounds like/compares to? Rubbra is a composer I have been encouraged to investigate and I really have no idea.


After only one listen my feelings are quite mixed about the piano concerto. I haven't been listening to Rubbra very long, but unlike the symphonies and choral works I've heard this work - or at least this recording - seems episodic and directionless. It does successfully convey the wide influence that went into his music: just when you think you've got him pigeon-holed he can change style without a jarring contrast. Start instead with the Hickox albums on Chandos. From my little experience I'd recommend the one with Symphony 9 and The Morning Watch, as you'll get to compare a strong symphonic work with a strong choral work.

There are others here who know him much better. Maybe MagneticGhost (whose current avatar is Rubbra, and has professed a love of his music) could weigh in. (edit: oh wait, now its Ruth Gipps)


----------



## jim prideaux

forgive ignorance but who is Ruth Gipps?


----------



## Conor71

Manxfeeder said:


> *Obrecht, Missa Maria Zart.*
> 
> This guy never runs out of ideas.


This looks like a nice Disc - I may buy this one soon, cheers!


----------



## Conor71

MagneticGhost said:


> Right now and over the course of the next hour.
> Blissing out to..
> Machaut - Messe de Notre Dame
> Desprez - Missa Pange lingua
> Janequin - Messe "La Bataille"
> 
> From this box
> View attachment 22073
> 
> Cornerstone Works of Sacred Music / Harmonia Mundi
> 
> Ensemble Clément Janequin - dir Dominique Visse


Love the Machaut and Josquin works - listening to the Missa Pange Lingua now too!


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> forgive ignorance but who is Ruth Gipps?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Gipps

playing now:









Martinu's Piano Concerto No.5 - Ales Bilek, piano, Jindrich Rohan, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Onofrio Manfredini (1684-1762): Concerto Grosso in A Minor, Op.3, No.2

Jaroslav Krcek leading the Capella Istropolitana

View attachment 22106


----------



## Art Rock

Going through all four discs.


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi orchestral works - Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> Curious to hear what you make of them when you're done with them (if you ever are!) Some of those early ones tend to get lost in the shuffle, but the 2nd is among my favorites: a very satisfying, tightly structured quartet!


I enjoyed the 2nd a lot, and also liked the 3rd. The 12 is darkest, good but I will need to listen again to form an opinion. I am about to listen to the 7th now and then I will listen to the 8th again to finish this record. Pretty satisfying performances.


----------



## Schubussy

Olivier Messiaen - Turangalila-Symphonie
Steven Osborne, Cynthia Millar, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Paul Kletzki & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## EricABQ

I had enough time this morning to listen to the first movement of Mahler's 7th from the Big Mahler Box.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Alles nur nach Gottes Willen, BWV 72; Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen, BWV 32 
Rachel Nicholls, Soprano 
Gerd Türk,Tenor 
Robin Blaze,Countertenor
Peter Kooy, Bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki 








Hans Leo Hassler: Motets-- Ad Dominum; O admirabile commercium; Usquequo; Domine Deus, Israel
Ensemble Vocal Européen de La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herrewegh








C. P. E. Bach: Sonata for Violin and Fortepiano in B minor, Wq 76
Amandine Beyer, violin
Edna Stern, piano


----------



## julianoq

First listen to Schubert's Winterreise, performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.


----------



## rrudolph

Just Weill-ing away the morning:

Weill: Symphony #2/Violin Concerto/Suite from Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny









Weill/Brecht: Threepenny Opera/Selections from Mahagonny & Happy End


----------



## Vesteralen

I've often heard Haydn's solo piano works recommended, and this disc (SACD) was highly recommended somewhere, so I got it out of the library to try.

Enjoyable - with some typical Haydn features (like the false stop). Not sure that I'd want it in my permanent collection enough to purchase it. The jury is still out on that. I'll give it one more spin.


----------



## Blancrocher

I listened to Aimard's recording of Elliott Carter's Night Fantasies--seemed like a good way to start the day!


----------



## Vesteralen

Moving on to my third listening of this CD I purchased a while ago. The first volume in this series:









was an interesting blend of impressionism with typical late romantic writing.

The one I'm listening to now (especially the 2nd symphony) is more of the latter with none of the former. Likeable, if not particularly moving.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto in D Major, I. Allegro Moderato (Nathan Milstein).


----------



## Feathers

On YouTube:
Felix Draeseke - Symphony No. 2 in F major (Orchestra: Radiosinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Conductor: Wilfried Boettcher)


----------



## Tristan

My Verdi opera listening streak had a bit of a detour yesterday with Donizetti, but today I'm back to *Verdi* and I have started _Otello_.


----------



## neoshredder

Time to start off the 19th Century. Beethoven time.  Symphonies 1 and 2.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 22125

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Arturo Toscanini & The NBC Symphony Orchestra

Neoshredder and I must be on the same page today


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## MagneticGhost

Herbert Howells - Six pieces for organ
Graham Barber - Hereford Cathedral


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Arturo Toscanini & The NBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mika

Some Pierre today.


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
Arturo Toscanini & The NBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## aleazk

John Adams - _Dharma at Big Sur_.


----------



## Guest

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 22114
> 
> 
> I've often heard Haydn's solo piano works recommended, and this disc (SACD) was highly recommended somewhere, so I got it out of the library to try.
> 
> Enjoyable - with some typical Haydn features (like the false stop). Not sure that I'd want it in my permanent collection enough to purchase it. The jury is still out on that. I'll give it one more spin.


Marc-Andre Hamelin's recordings of Haydn's piano sonatas are quite good. I have 2 of the 3 volumes. If you like period instruments, then I recommend Brautigam's recordings of Haydn's complete solo keyboard works on fortepiano.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

DrMike said:


> Marc-Andre Hamelin's recordings of Haydn's piano sonatas are quite good. I have 2 of the 3 volumes. If you like period instruments, then I recommend Brautigam's recordings of Haydn's complete solo keyboard works on fortepiano.


Hey DrMike, I was looking for a good recording of the minor mode sonatas - is Emanuel Ax's recording good? It's on at a good price on amazon, but I've been a bit more impressed (from the samples) with Asdnes' recording.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, Sonata I, Largo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dunstable motets - Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## tdc

Brahms - Symphony No. 4, Carlos Kleiber / VPO

This seems like a really good interpretation, though I haven't heard that many Brahms Symphony 4's. I'm enjoying it and this is the second listen for me in a couple of days.


----------



## Selby

Albéniz, Isaac - Iberia (arr. Dejour) [Campanella Trio]









for a taste:


----------



## bejart

Niccolo Zingarelli (1752-1837): Symphony No.2 in E Flat

Vanni Moretto conducting Atalanta Fugiens

View attachment 22139


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 7, Rattle / City of Birmingham S.O.

^ This was my first listen of the 7th. I found this one harder to grasp at first than any other. The fairly serene nature of the _Nachtmusik_ movements was enjoyable, but the rest I didn't understand at all. On to round 2, it will have to be!


----------



## Guest

Bach, Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg
Trevor Pinnock, European Brandenburg Ensemble

Pinnock's old recording of the Brandenburgs with The English Concert have long been my favorites of these works. These new recordings from 2007 bring together an all-star group of players. The sound quality is, of course, superior to the old recordings, but the performance may better too. Upon first listen I'm pretty impressed by it.


----------



## Ondine

Inspired by the 'Dvorak' thread with @Shuberkovich:


----------



## Ondine

Skilmarilion said:


> *Mahler* - Symphony No. 7, Rattle / City of Birmingham S.O.
> 
> ^ This was my first listen of the 7th. I found this one harder to grasp at first than any other. The fairly serene nature of the _Nachtmusik_ movements was enjoyable, but the rest I didn't understand at all. On to round 2, it will have to be!


I gave a first listening to Mahler's symphonic cycle and from it, seventh become my favourite by far; maybe will happen with you, @Skilmarilion


----------



## Schubussy

Reynaldo Hahn - Sonata in C major for violin & piano
Room-Music








First time listening to this. Hahn definitely knew how to write some very beautiful music.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Bliss'* (1891 - 1975) birthday, Morning Heroes, w. RLPO/Groves (rec. 1974).

View attachment 22148


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Campra, Requiem. Ligeti, Hamburg Concerto.*


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mozart*: Violin Sonatas, w. Zimmermann & Lonquich (rec. 1987 -'90); Piano Sonatas, w. Gavrilov (rec.1988); Gulda (rec.1978).

View attachment 22154
View attachment 22155
View attachment 22156
View attachment 22157


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mozart*: "Figaro" Highlights w. Bohm et al (rec.1967); "Flute" Highlights, w. Bohm et al (rec. 1964); Requiem, w. Scherchen et al (rec.1958).

View attachment 22158
View attachment 22159
View attachment 22160


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): String Quartet No.20 in A Minor, Op.74, No.1

New Budapest Quartet: Andras Kiss and Ferenc Balogh, violins -- Laszlo Barsony, viola -- Karoly Botvay, cello

View attachment 22161


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Mahler: Symphony No. 9


----------



## Conor71

*Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 In D Minor, BWV 1004*

Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 from the Biber, Partita No. 2 from the Bach (Chaccone currently playing as I type) and Sonatas 1 & 2 from the Ysaye:


----------



## chrisco97

Inspired by _realdealblues_ to listen through Beethoven's symphonies. This will be fun! 

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 1
_Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter_


----------



## PetrB

Jean-Philippe Rameau ~ Les Indes Galantes... full staged production !


----------



## PetrB

... and then on to another fully staged production, replete also with some brilliant dancing... choreography from classical, to mixed w / contemporary, street dance. Not a period production, it is one of high fantasy, projections as set, and dream like, a bit surreal (hey, its French.)

Rameau ~ Les Paladins.
If you've got the time, I'd "go to this opera"


----------



## drpraetorus

The Magnificent Seven, Elmer Bernstein. I find it interesting that easterners like Bernstein, Alfred Newman, Copeland and even a Russian, Tiomkin, created the quintessential sound of western movie music.


----------



## julianoq

I felt that I needed a new version of Bruckner 7th and bought Paavo Jarvi's performance with HRSO. Listening to the 1st movement and it is very good, let's see how it goes.


----------



## brotagonist

I took a chance on Elgar's _Second Symphony_ on Classics for Pleasure: there was no other used recording available.

Elgar _Symphony 2_ (Hadley/LPO)

Amazonians on both sides of the Atlantic swoon about it. I think I need a few listens: Elgar is pretty new to my ears.


----------



## drpraetorus

Porgy and Bess, Gershwin. And a couple extra characters


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Piano Sonatas 21 & 29 - "Waldstein" & "Hammerklavier"
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

*Huang Ruo* Chamber Concertos 3 & 4 - "Divergence" & "Confluence"
- International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) under the composer


----------



## SimonNZ

Hindemith's Cello Concerto - Paul Tortelier, cello, Karel Ancerl, cond.


----------



## opus55

Berwald: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen organ works - Grethe Krogh Christensen, organ


----------



## jim prideaux

Many continue to argue that this is 'the' recording of this particular work


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven Symphonies 3 and 4.


----------



## jim prideaux

opus55 said:


> Berwald: Symphony No. 4


My mid morning listening yesterday-I again could detect Sibelius in an embryonic form-anyone else?


----------



## jim prideaux

The complete Mozart piano concertos (Perahia/ECO) is proving to be remarkably enjoyable-15/16 again to start the day.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Bliss' Clarinet Quintet - Gervase de Peyer, clarinet, Member of the Melos Ensemble

edit: now Martinu's Symphony No.4 - Walter Weller, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Messiaen: L'Ascension*

Ok I think im done with early music for a while! - was'nt sure what to listen to next but I thought something kind of modern would hit the spot. Just finishing up copying this set of Messiaens organ works to my iPod then I will commence with Disc 1 :


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Piano Concerto - Alfred Brendel, piano, Michael Gielen, cond.


----------



## Bas

Scott Ross, Scarlatti Complete Sonatas Disc 4,
Kk 49-66









A delight!


----------



## science

My wife loves these.










I love these. Nice art too.










I expected this to strike me more than it did, but it's ok. Not going to make me forget the rags, but I'd like to listen to it again.


----------



## Bas

science said:


> I love these. Nice art too.


Is that van Gogh or Gaugain perhaps?


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Maxwell Davies' Symphony No.3 - Edward Downes, cond.


----------



## bejart

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in B Flat, Op.3, No.1

Bradley Creswick directing the Northern Sinfonia

View attachment 22173


----------



## SimonNZ

William Alwyn's Autumn Legend - David Lloyd-Jones, cond.


----------



## Guest

Probably will listen to most of these today:
































Beethoven Symphonies
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Larcher: three works: Bose Zellen, Still and Madhares - Dennis Russell Davies, cond.

Oh my! I ordered this because it featured Kim Kashkashian on viola and I expected the works would be okay - but these are jaw-dropping brilliant. I'll be hunting down the other ECMs of Larcher


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor
- Yehudi Menuhin 
- Wilhelm Furtwängler
- Berlin Philharmoniker. (1952)

Wonderful piece, powerful performance. Furtwängler & BPO are on typically fantastic form and Menuhin is mor than equal to the task.


----------



## Andolink

Bruno Maderna: Giardino religiosa, for small orchestra (1972)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo








Hans Leo Hassler: Vater unser im Himmelreich
Ensemble Vocal Européen De La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herreweghe








Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas for Harpsichord--Kk. 124, 99 and 201
Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord








Alun Hoddinott: Piano Sonatas--No. 9, Op. 134 and No. 10, Op. 136
Martin Jones, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Festive Overture.*

Gotta wake up . . . need trumpets blasting.


----------



## DaveS

Khachaturian Piano Concerto . Serge Koussevitzky, BSO
Rachmaninoff Variation on a Theme of Paganini. Fritz Reiner, Robin Hood Dell Orchestra

William Kapell, Piano
(old RCA LM recording)

Solo pieces also performed:
Albeniz: Evocacion
Liszt: Mephisto Waltz


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm currently listening to my Vanska/Lahti Essential Sibelius. After another listen to the 6th Symphony (on JimPrideux's excellent recommmendation), I've gotten into the Tempest Suites. It's a wonderful work, which I don't know very well. The next addition to my Wish List will be the complete Incidental Music for the play, which Vanska also recorded.


----------



## Bix

Bruch's Violin Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.58 / Fedotov, violin / Russian Philharmonic and Yablonsky


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques
Yvonne Loriod, Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Boulez

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 3
New Vienna Quartet

Bruckner: String Quintet in F
Fine Arts Quartet (+1)

Schumann: Kreisleriana, Kinderszenen
Alfred Brendel


----------



## DaveS

A rather uninteresting performance of the second, from 1984. I actually like the Manfred Overture better than the symphony.


----------



## opus55

jim prideaux said:


> My mid morning listening yesterday-I again could detect Sibelius in an embryonic form-anyone else?


Mostly german trandition I felt but nothing else in particular in my untrained ears.

Listening to the second movement of Mahler 9th again. Boulez/CSO


----------



## Celloissimo

Saint-Saens- Requiem

Am I the only one to find this piece criminally underrated?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: Piano Concerti, w. ABM (rec.1979); Argerich (rec.1983); Fleisher (rec.1961); Gelber (rec.1966).

View attachment 22197
View attachment 22198
View attachment 22199
View attachment 22200


----------



## MagneticGhost

Celloissimo said:


> Saint-Saens- Requiem
> 
> Am I the only one to find this piece criminally underrated?


No! You are not alone sir!
But I didn't know of it's existence until joining this site three months ago and reading the top 5 requiems thread


----------



## Ondine

Before the Saturday Simphony, just a little bit more from Dvorak:


----------



## Cheyenne

Ondine said:


> Before the Saturday Simphony


You listen to a symphony by Robert Simpson every Saturday?

I finally got myself a recording of the original version of Bruckner's third symphony


----------



## Ondine

Cheyenne said:


> You listen to a symphony by Robert Simpson every Saturday?


No, I don't know who is Robert Simpson, @Cheyene. I am referring to Bix's thread 'Saturday Symphony' here.


----------



## Cheyenne

Ondine said:


> No, I don't know who is Robert Simpson, @Cheyene. I am referring to Bix's thread 'Saturday Symphony' here.


I know, just teasing; sorry :lol: He was a British composer of the 20th century, anyhow, with a bit of a cult following.


----------



## Bix

Camille SAINT-SAËNS - Requiem Op.54 - Île de France National Orchestra - Jacques Mercier

With score, singing tenor parts.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1.*


----------



## Bix

Manxfeeder said:


> *Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1.*
> 
> View attachment 22203


Utterly brilliant Rostropovich


----------



## Weston

Good grief!!!! *Ligeti's Romanian Concerto* sounds like it could be Dvorak! Or maybe Kahchaturian.










Granted it is a very early work, but it certainly is an eye opener and puts his less melodic, more atmospheric works onto an even higher pedestal.


----------



## DaveS

This is a picture from a CD. Listening to a 1980s EMI/Pathe Marconi vinyl pressing. She was sublime. The lieder are also enjoyable.

then..............


----------



## Mika

My first ever Zelenka.


----------



## PetrB

*Prokofiev, Celibidache, Symphony No. 5*

_*Prokofiev / Celibidache; Munchner Philharmonic ~ Symphony No. 5*_
Too cool a find to keep to myself!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Beethoven Symphonies 7 and 8.


----------



## DaveS

I must have never listened to this one but really find this Rococo Variations very nice, or at least I'm acting like I never heard it. The Weber stuff is..well, Weber.

Dr. Szell leads the Cleveland in this rendition. Leonard Rose, Cellist


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mika said:


> View attachment 22208
> 
> My first ever Zelenka.


And a good beginning, I'd say.


----------



## DavidA

Dvorak Symphony 8 Guilini


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint Saens, Requiem.*

Curious; Amazon doesn't sell this as a CD, only a download.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Motets, John Eliot Gardiner (the new one, not the old one on Erato).*

What, Gardiner recorded the motets? Wow! This performance is fleet of foot and phrased with quicksilver yet intimate, as if being performed at the memorial of a loved one.

Last night I was at a Christian rock concert - it was well-intentioned, sincere, but soooo boring. But a few minutes with this makes up for it.

There are so many treasures the Christian community is missing for the sake of cultural relevancy.


----------



## Schubussy

Manxfeeder said:


> *Saint Saens, Requiem.*
> 
> Curious; Amazon doesn't sell this as a CD, only a download.
> 
> View attachment 22211


A sad indication of the future I think.


----------



## SimonNZ

Torelli's Concerti Grossi Op.8 - I Musici


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

*Don Giovanni* on DVD
Furtwangler
Siepi, Edelmann, Grummer


----------



## EricABQ

It's a Liszt afternoon for me. I listened to the first book of the Annees de Pelerinage while grilling a tri-tip, and followed that up with the sonata.


----------



## Schubussy

Joseph Haydn - Symphony No.93 in D major
George Szell, The Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## NightHawk

Today, from Helene Grimaud's 'Artist' boxed set (6 discs), the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor and the Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor. These are live concerts and each of the works for piano and orchestra is with a different ensemble and director (except for David Zinman who conducts two different orchestras) - there are also solo works by Beethoven, Brahms, & Rachmaninoff. What a player Grimaud is, and I am thoroughly enjoying the set, which I got new for $15. Other conductors are:
Sanderling, Masur, and Ashkenazy.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Larcher's My Illness Is The Medicine I Need - Andrea Lauren Brown, soprano et al


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert - Symphonies 2 and 4.


----------



## neoshredder

Loving Symphony 2 from Schubert. Should be on the top 150 Symphonies imo. It's like a hydrid Beethoven/Mozart Symphony.


----------



## elysimonoff

Earlier today I listened to four different recordings of Mozart’s Piano C Minor Piano Concerto (It seems I can never get enough of No 24). I listened to Gould and Haskil in live recordings and Barenboin, and Perahia in studio recordings. I like the Perahia recording the best. He plays and directs the English Chamber Orchestra. His technique here is of unparalleled virtuosity, his articulation, precise. His performance is bright and brilliant and the brilliance paradoxically serves to enhance this dark, somber, symphonic music.


----------



## Guest

For the Saturday Symphony thread.


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner symphony #8. As wonderful as 9!!!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Sid James

A shorter than usual weekend listening session this time, but providing for some interesting contrasts!

Starting with *two symphonies* that have a couple of things in common - a pivotal set of *variations based on a vague theme* as well as *violin solos* that really stand out:

*Haydn *_Symphony #98 in B flat_
- Philharmonia Orch. under Otto Klemperer (EMI)
*
Haydn's Symphony #98* is the final symphony coming from the first of his two visits to London. It is one of the lesser known of the twelve symphonies that he composed for that city.

A dramatic introduction gives way to the main body of the first movement, which as usual, is overall lighter in mood. Haydn wrote the slow movement just after hearing about the death of Mozart, and its poignancy and emotion points to it being a homage of sorts to a composer who Papa greatly admired (and quite humbly, put above himself, saying that he was the greatest composer then alive). This _Andante cantabile _is for me the heart of the work, and oddly enough the opening tune which provides the basis for the usual variations that follow sounds very similar to _God Save the King_. As with other moments, such as near-quotation of the _Dies Irae_ tune at the start of_ Symphony #103 _and _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ in the slow movement of _Symphony #94_, I wonder if this was coincidental or on purpose?

The minuet provides for some light relief as usual, then we have a really interesting finale. A catchy and jaunty little tune played by the lead violinist comes and goes, and finally it is joined by what sounds like the harp on this recording. In its original form, the violin solo was played by Johann Peter Salomon accompanied by Haydn on the keyboard. Salomon was the impresario who invited Papa to London for his first visit, and he co-led the orchestra in the premieres of these works. I am pretty sure that on this recording it's a harp, in any case with that concluding duo passage I am transported to a tavern or beer garden in Haydn's Vienna, having a drink with _schrammel-musik_ playing in the background. Its sounds like a duet between a fiddler and a zither player.
*
Vaughan Williams *_Symphony #8 in D minor_
- London PO under Sir Adrian Boult, with Harold Parfitt, solo violin in third movement (Belart)

Composed when the composer was around eighty years of age, *Vaughan Williams' Symphony #8* is what can be called a mature delight. Again, this is one of his least popular symphonies, however it has many aspects that are unique as well as glimpses back to the composer's younger days.

Starting with a movement that the composer called "seven variations in search of a theme," because the variations in the middle where written before those at either end, the symphony proceeds to develop these ideas quite rigorously in its 30 minute time span. The opening with the celesta, which comes back at the end of the work, gives this feeling of being in a world of fantasy (Tchaikovsky's _Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy_ comes to mind).

The second movement is for winds only, coming across as a reflection on the marching bands of the early 20th century, and the third movement is for strings alone. In this, as in the Haydn symphony, you get a violin solo, and on this recording it is even credited. Like _The Lark Ascending_ and _Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis_ from decades before, it has this beautiful contemplative and spiritual quality. Again, the composer is perhaps looking back on his long life, I'd say with some degree of contentment.

In the composer's words, the final movement is for "all available hitting instruments with a definite pitch." It has this Asiatic feel, and I wonder if Puccini's _Turandot_ was an influence here? At the same time, oddly enough, it sounds very British. In any case this fusion works well and it's a splendid conclusion to one of my favourite works by RVW.

Then contrasting some *night music pieces* and *fantasias*:

*Borodin* _Nocturne for string orch. (from String Quartet #2)_
*Vaughan Williams* _Fantasia on Greensleeves_
- Saint Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin (Telarc)

*Sculthorpe* _Night-Song for string orch._
- Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn (ABC Classics)

*Hovhaness* _Celestial Fantasy for string orch._
- Seattle SO under Gerard Schwarz (Delos)

*Borodin's Nocturne* is his biggest hit, beside the_ Polovtsian Dances, _and what a great tune it is. Reminiscent of vocal music, like that middle movement of Rachmaninov's _Piano Concerto #2, _this could have been material for turning into a pop song.

Speaking of which, *Sculthorpe's Night-Song* started life as a symphonic rock song to mark the two hundredth anniversary of Captain Cook's laying claim to Australia. The song was originally titled _The Stars Turn_, referring to Cook's voyage to the Pacific to witness the transit of Venus. He ended up getting more than he bargained for though, bumping into the east coast of the Australian continent - and the rest is history. Sculthorpe spoke in an interview of how hard it was for him, a classically trained composer, to in effect compose a pop song. As a result the focus of this five-minute piece is on melody rather than counterpoint, and the arrangement for string orchestra retains that vocal quality. But all the same, its classic Sculthorpe, can't be by anyone else.

Also contrasting another work by *Vaughan Williams*, the ever-popular *Fantasia on Greensleeves*, with a work that is less a fantasy and more a fugue by *Hovhaness*. His _*Celestial Fantasy*_ - like the Borodin piece above - started life as a work for string quartet but was later arranged for string orchestra. Hovhaness' classic drones and Middle Eastern sounding vibes are there, here providing the basis for a fugue which speaks to hope amidst darkness. The ending has the same spiritually lifting quality to the strings-only movement of Vaughan Williams' _Symphony #8_, and its no surprise he was a big influence on Hovhaness too.

Concluding with a suite, concerto and a fantasia for *saxophone*:

*Milhaud* _Scaramouche - Suite for saxophone and orch._
*Glazunov* _Concerto for alto saxophone and string orch. in E flat major, Op. 109_
- Sohre Rahbari, saxophone with BRT PO of Brussels under Alexander Rahbari (Naxos)

*Villa-Lobos *_Fantasia for soprano saxophone and chamber orch._
- John Harle, saxophone with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner (EMI)

A final contrast here between the vibrancy and fun of the *Milhaud*, with the lyricism of the *Glazunov *and the lushness of the *Villa-Lobos*.

When Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, patented the instrument in 1846 he claimed that "better than any instrument, the saxophone is capable of modifying sounds as to give them suitable qualities, and conserve their perfect equality in the entire register." Sax could not have imagined the adaptability of his invention, way beyond its humble beginnings as an addition to marching bands. Not only classical composers but the great jazz saxophonists of the 20th century would ensure that his instrument would be put to extraordinary use in many genres.

*Milhaud's Scaramouche* is a bubbly piece, from the first movement's clever quotation of the nursery rhyme _Three Green Bottles _to the concluding _Braziliera_ movement which has this infectious Latin beat. It makes me imagine being on a beach in Rio de Janeiro, a city that was very familiar to Milhaud.

Both the Glazunov and Villa-Lobos pieces come from the end of their careers.

The *Glazunov Concerto for alto saxophone* shows the composer adapting his Romantic sense of melody and lyricism to the big trend of the time, Neo-Classicism. It begins with harmonies on the strings that bring to mind choral music and presents two contrasting themes that are very gentle. This is not a virtuoso concerto, but in the end it all comes together in a fugue that is light and flows smoothly. 
*
Villa-Lobos' Fantasia for soprano saxophone* has this lush quality, and it brings to mind the rainforests of South America. It too has the spirit of light and ease at its core, but the ending is more vigorous and rhythmic than the Glazunov.

To contrast, some paintings. Glazunov's concerto was composed in Paris so perhaps the relaxed paintings of cafes by *Renoir *are something that work as a visual equivalent. As for Villa-Lobos, *Henri Rousseau's *paintings of imaginary jungle worlds come across as good equivalents. But what of Milhaud's _Scaramouche_? Maybe its like a mixture of these two images? Dunno.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: Overtures, w. Szell (rec.1963 - '67); Symphonies 3 & 4, w. HvK (rec.1963); Symphonies 4 & 6, w. Walter (rec.1958); Symphonies 5 & 7, w. C. Kleiber (rec.1974 - '76).

View attachment 22222














View attachment 22223


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4

















Bicycle ride through the forest preserve with Brahms serving as sound track.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - String Quartet No. 12
_Suske Quartett_

Listening to the cycle on Spotify and I am still thoroughly enjoying it. I love the way they play the quartets. Perfect mix of both technical and emotional playing. Love it. 

After this is over, it is off to *Beethoven's* Second Symphony, performed by _Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Clementi's Symphony No.3 "The Great National" - Francesco d'Avalos, cond.


----------



## PetrB

*Georgs Pelēcis - Revelation 2*
Showing as far as styles currently being written in, the spectrum is incredibly broad... this *plucky upbeat revelation sounds as if perhaps Charles Shultz' Schroeder grew up and had learned to compose *


----------



## SimonNZ

selections from Ockeghem's Masses - Hilliard Ensemble

which are interspersed with Cretin's Lament On The Death Of Ockeghem, read by Bob Peck


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bicycle ride through the forest preserve with Brahms serving as sound track.


Sounds awesome! - I always listen to music when I am riding too :angel:


----------



## SimonNZ

Georg Frederich Haas' Hyperion - Hans Zender, dir.

edit: now Wolfgang Rihm's Jagden und Formen - Ensemble Modern


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing recent trend-Mozart 23/24 piano concertos, Perahia/ECO- to start the day


----------



## SimonNZ

Magnus Lindberg's Graffiti - Helsinki Chamber Choir, Sakari Oramo, cond.

edit: now Lutoslawski's Chain II - Krzysztof Bakowski, violin, Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## PetrB

Allen Sapp ~ The Four Reasons; A Concerto for Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's Dancer On A Tightrope - Gidon Kremer, violin, Vadin Sakhrov, piano

edit: now Julian Anderson's Khorovod - Oliver Knussen, cond.









edit: Oliver Knussen's Prayer Bell Sketch (In Memory Of Toru Takemitsu) - Ryan Wigglesworth, piano


----------



## Bas

It is the 10th sunday after Trinity, so cantata BWV 46: Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei









Dir. Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Telemusik

edit: now Morton Feldman's For Stefan Wolpe - Harold Chaney, dir.


----------



## Bix

Sergei Nakariakov Transcriptions

1. Hummel Bassoon concerto on trumpet
2. Mozart Bassoon concerto on trumpet
3. Weber Bassoon concerto on trumpet
4. Saint-Seäns Cello concerto on flügelhorn


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Cowell's Persian Set - Leopold Stokowski, cond.

some endearing old-school orientalism

(though after doing a bit of looking around this Henry Cowell seems like a fascinating character)


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Flute Concerto in G Minor, Op.10, No.2

Ensemble La Partita with Sylvie Dambrine on flute

View attachment 22238


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Symphony 2 by Schubert again. Quickly becoming one of my favorites.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.16 in D Major, KV 451

Jeffrey Tate conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Mitsuko Uchida, piano

View attachment 22239


----------



## DaveS

Mozart's Sonatas 4 & 9; Country Dances ,K.606 Wanda Landowska, Piano. RCA Mono recording from 1956

then

Mozart's Symphonies 40 & 41. Joseph Keilberth; Bamberg SO. Telefunken Stereo vinyl pressing.


----------



## Wood

I'm listening to historic recordings of concertos today:

*Tchaikovsky *_Piano Concerto No. 1 _(Van Cliburn, RCA SO, Kondrashin, 1958)
*
Rachmaninoff *_Piano Concerto No. 2 _(Van Cliburn, Chicago SO, Reiner, 1962)

*Beethoven* _Violin Concerto in D _(Heifetz, Boston SO, Munch, 1955)

*Mendelssohn *_Violin Concerto in E minor _(As above, 1959)


----------



## opus55

Conor71 said:


> Sounds awesome! - I always listen to music when I am riding too :angel:


Just watch out for other cyclists and motorists when riding with music  I usually take out my earphone when I'm at a busy intersection.

Listening to the last disc, Piano Concerto. No. 5 of Pollini/Abbado set. I don't get tired of Beethoven!


----------



## brotagonist

Mozart: _Piano Sonatas K.283, K.284 & K.330_ (Maria João Pires)

Dvořák: _Symphony 5; Othello; Scherzo capriccioso_ (Mariss/Oslo PO)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert* - D.821, Sonata for Arpeggione & Piano, performed by Jos van Immerseel and Anner Bylsma.


----------



## schuberkovich

Recommended by Ondine, *Dvorak Quintet (with bass) in G major op.77* (on Spotify)
Berlin Philharmonic String Quintet







This was very enjoyable, and sounded very _Dvoraky _ and earthy. The addition of the bass (used bowed a lot) really added to the work so I'm surprised it's not a more common combination.

*Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor*
Pierre Fournier, BPO, George Szell







I have been listening to this a lot lately - the 2nd movement always makes me a little teary. The amount of ideas Dvorak has and the way he effortlessly brings them all together to make a work which has a very direct emotional impact I admire a lot.
Fournier's performance is by far my favourite - the famous Rostropovich one with Karajan I find less sensitive and slightly overrated.

*Mozart symphony no.41 in C major*
Leonard Bernstein, VPO for the Saturday Symphony thread








*Brahms Violin Concerto in D major*
Itzhak Perlman, Carlo Maria Giulini, CSO







Such a wonderful and uplifting concerto. My favourite is the first movement. I do find however the 2nd movement slightly less interesting, but I can see the influence it had on Barber's own violin concerto. I love Perlman's playing, especially in the ferocious sections.


----------



## Mahlerian

Birthday today:
William Schuman: Symphony No. 3
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> Birthday today:
> William Schuman: Symphony No. 3
> New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


Happy Birthday Mahlerian.


----------



## Skilmarilion

hayd said:


> I'm listening to historic recordings of concertos today:
> 
> *Tchaikovsky *_Piano Concerto No. 1 _(Van Cliburn, RCA SO, Kondrashin, 1958)
> *
> Rachmaninoff *_Piano Concerto No. 2 _(Van Cliburn, Chicago SO, Reiner, 1962)
> 
> *Beethoven* _Violin Concerto in D _(Heifetz, Boston SO, Munch, 1955)
> 
> *Mendelssohn *_Violin Concerto in E minor _(As above, 1959)


That is a sexy line-up, no doubt!

Right now...

*Debussy* - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune / G. Simon, LSO


----------



## Mika

from the top of the TC recommendation list: Ludwig no. 9


----------



## Mahlerian

Bix said:


> Happy Birthday Mahlerian.


Not mine, fortunately...


----------



## DaveS

Here's one for Mahlerian.................









Mahler's 6th. Szell & the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> Not mine, fortunately...


Oh, it's Schuman's, oops. I've wished you 'Appy Burfday all over the place.


----------



## jim prideaux

A recording I did at one time listen to rather a lot and I thought I would return to it-Franck/Symphonic Variations, Faure/Ballade and D'Indy/Symphony on a French Mountain Air-performed by National Symphony Orch of Ireland/Thiollier/de Almeida.
When I originally bought this I was in a 'strange place' and found it oddly comforting, still find it distinctly enjoyable and it is yet another advertisement for the Naxos 'policy' of presenting intriguing programming at very affordable prices.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vorisek - Symphony in D Major


----------



## TrevBus

2 cds of Hamilton Harty's music. Irish Sym. & Comedy Overture 1st disc. 
Piano Concerto in B Minor. 'In Ireland'-Fantasy piece for flute, harp and orch. 'With the Wild Geese'. 2nd disc.

I haven't heard these in a long while. Nothing great but pleasant listning music. 'With the Wild Geese' A tone Poem based on a story "of the Irish Regiments(The Wild Geese)who fought for the French in the battle of Fontenoy(1745)", being probably the best work on both cds.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 Mvmt. VI










Putting my childhood piano lessons to use :lol: No. 3 closes with magnificent horns. I now want to go to the score of the first movement.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Carnival - Geza Anda
Part of a ten disc set for less than a tender!


----------



## bejart

Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868): String Sonata No.1 in G Major

Elizabeth Wallfisch and Marshall Marcus, violins -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Chi-Chi Nwanoku, double bass

View attachment 22247


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation, Und Gott machte das Firmament (Spering).


----------



## Guest

I'm starting a new listening project to listen to my 100 or so "favorite" classical CDs in alphabetical order.

First up:









Very mellow stuff - saxophone and piano. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.


----------



## Guest

Moving briskly along...

#2) Alfano...









It was a toss-up between this one and an album of Alfano's violin sonatas.


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Cowell's The Harp Of Life - Steffen Schleiemacher, piano


----------



## Ondine

Carl Nielsen's Complete Symphonies 1-6

National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland

Adrian Leaper

Naxos.

Now: 1 and 6.


----------



## brotagonist

These suit a quiet, overcast Sunday afternoon:

















The winds are gentle and appealing.


----------



## Guest

#3) Alkan and Chopin Cello Sonatas









Very pleasant stuff. I think I like the Alkan sonata a bit more than the Chopin one.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert Symphonies 8 and 9


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1744-1798): Bassoon Quintet, Op.2, No.1

Paolo Carlini on bassoon with Sandro Materassi String Quartet: Alberto Bologni and Grazia Serradimigni, violins -- Antonello Farulli, viola -- Mauro Valli, cello

View attachment 22258


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: Symphony 9, w. CSO/Solti et al (rec.1972).

View attachment 22259


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Beethoven as well: the Takacs Quartet in the Middle and Late Quartets.


----------



## Guest

#4) Arnalds: Eulogy for Evolution









This has a nice feel to it - sounds a bit like Sigur Ros should sound. I guess you'd have to file it under pop classical or modern composition.


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Cowell's Homage To Iran - Continuum


----------



## Guest

Last selection from the A's before we get to the busy B's.

More chamber music from Koechlin and friends:









#5) Autour de la harpe by the Montreal Chamber Players.


----------



## Sid James

*Grofe* Grand Canyon Suite & Mississippi Suite
- Detroit SO under Antal Dorati & Eastman-Rochester Orch. under Howard Hanson

*Penderecki* 
De natura sonoris #2 & The Dream of Jacob
- Polish Radio National SO under the composer
Clarinet Quartet
- Michel Lethiec, clarinet; Regis Pasquier, violin; Bruno Pasquier, viola; Arto Noras, cello

*Bliss* String Quartet #2
- The Maggini Quartet


----------



## neoshredder

Mendelssohn - Symphony 1


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op.2, No.1

Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 22265


----------



## Guest

Simone Dinnerstein's Goldberg Variations -









I understand this is a rather romantic interpretation of these pieces - and I'm okay with that.
Simone really makes these variations sing.

(#6)


----------



## brotagonist

Another recent successful trade


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {Winter Reveries"} and Symphony No.2 inC Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Markevitch.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {The Four Temperaments"},* both featuring the Theodore Kuchar led Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## JCarmel

Oh Joy, I see that I've only 5, 428 missed Posts to read?!!

Anyway, just thought that I'd pop-in to say to all Sergei-lovers, that there was a very enjoyable performance at the Proms last week of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 3 by Nikolai Lugansky & the Royal Scottish N.O. conducted by Peter Oundjian...and that this is a link to the BBC site where the broadcast can be heard for the next few days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037tvrn

Have a good Monday, everybody....& here's hoping England will retain The Ashes today!!


----------



## SimonNZ

Julie! If we could have the pleasure of you company more often, you'd also have more manageable missed posts!

playing now:









Charles Koechlin's Poeme pour Cor et Orchestre - Marie Louise Neunecker, horn, Uri Mayer, cond.


----------



## ProudSquire

Tonight was a Haffner Night

*Mozart*

Serenade for orchestra in D major "Haffner"

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## SimonNZ

Lukas Foss' Time Cycle - Grace Lynne-Martin, soprano, Lukas Foss, piano and celesta

I love it when you can tell that TheWellszTheatre has had to go to some super-rare vintage vinyl to get the recording


----------



## Guest

Two more for tonight:

7) Bach: Violin and Voice









Hilary Hahn shows real class on this one.

8) Bach: Violin Concertos









Julia Fischer is solid here although I know there's lots of competition. This was actually one of my first purchases when I started listening to classical music seriously almost 4 years ago.


----------



## Guest

Ok one more to fall asleep to:

9) Bach: Flute Sonatas









Philippa Davies flute, Maggie Cole harpsichord, and Alison McGilivray on cello (?!).

Wonderfully pleasant stuff. I can't hear the cello yet though.

Edit: okay I can here the cello, but it's fairly subtle. It's playing in lockstep with the harpsichord.


----------



## Bas

Beethoven Pastorale Symphony & Symphony no. 5
Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment, conducted by the great Frans Brüggen
(On period instruments)


----------



## Conor71

*X (El Sabio): Cantigas De Santa Maria*

Seems my early music phase has been re-ignited by these 2 recordings - wonderful stuff! :


----------



## SimonNZ

Toshio Hosokawa's Circulating Ocean - Jun Markl, cond.

edit: now Hosokawa's New Seeds Of Contemplation - Ensemble YuSEI









(which is considerably more beautiful than that cover)


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758): Concerto Grosso in D Minor, FWV L:d7

Il Gardellino

View attachment 22282


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Koechlin's Les Heures Persanes - Leif Segerstam, cond.


----------



## Vesteralen

BPS said:


> Two more for tonight:
> 
> 7) Bach: Violin and Voice
> 
> View attachment 22272
> 
> 
> Hilary Hahn shows real class on this one.
> 
> 8) Bach: Violin Concertos
> 
> View attachment 22273
> 
> 
> Julia Fischer is solid here although I know there's lots of competition. This was actually one of my first purchases when I started listening to classical music seriously almost 4 years ago.


Two of my favorite violinists. Fischer isn't quite as breakneck-speed as Hahn in the Bach concertos, but she is still a little too fast for my taste. I still need to get a copy of that Violin and Voice CD.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: "Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen," BWV 123; "Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht," BWV 124; "Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin," BWV 125
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Andreas Weller, tenor
Peter Kooj, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki 








Michael Quell: Achronon, for accordion and guitar (2008/09); anisotropie - (vier) (aggregat) - zustände, for piano (2001)
Olivia Steinmel, accordion
Jürgen Ruck, guitar
Akiko Okabe, Piano 








Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas--Kk. 520, Kk. 521, Kk. 513
Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Tosjio Hosokawa's Landscapes I, II and V - Arditti Quartet


----------



## Vesteralen

*Holst - Beni Mora & Japanese Suite *- BBC Philharmonic - Andrew Davis


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy "Cinq poèmes de Charles Baudelaire" (1889)

Veronique Dietschy & Philippe Cassard


Nintendo were founded the same year. Incredible.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Saw this listed in the Latest Purchases thread and decided to check it out...I absolutely love it! Beautiful works that reminds me of composers such as Haydn and Mozart. Also has a bit of a Beethoven sound...which is always a positive in my book. 

Currently on the E Flat symphony, but will probably listen to all of the works...


----------



## Bas

Julius Röntgen - Violin Concertos, cond. David Porcelijn, violin: Liza Ferschtman

View attachment 22101


----------



## julianoq

Ravel's Gaspar de la Nuit performed by Martha. A little too much audience noise but quite enjoyable anyway.


----------



## jim prideaux

Schubert-5th/6th symphonies-Abbado/Chamber Orch. of Europe


----------



## julianoq

Franz Berwald Piano Concerto in D Major. Very interesting work, the orchestra part is optional. Performed by Sivelov.


----------



## realdealblues

I'm having a mini Glazunov marathon...

View attachment 22288


Just listened to the last 2 CD's of this set which include:

Violin Concerto
Saxophone Concerto
Reverie for Horn
Concerto Ballata
Meditation
Chant du Menestrel
Piano Concerto No. 1
Piano Concerto No. 2

Jose Serebrier & The Russian National Orchestra

I've heard the Piano Concertos before but everything else was new to me. I really love all of these works, even the Saxophone Concerto which I was skeptical about. Truly amazing stuff.


----------



## JCarmel

Songs by John Dowland, Henry Purcell et al.....very nicely sung by Barbara Bonney.









Currently listening-to it in-between the Cricket commentary, which is being disrupted by rain showers....thank goodness!!

Hang on in there, 'England'...please?!!


----------



## julianoq

Mahler 9th, performed by Boulez and the CSO. I am enjoying Boulez Mahler a lot recently.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C, K551
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I was listening to this one myself:










followed by more cello music... well, THE cello music:










then I started playing this...










... until our neighbors at my studio started blasting Christian Rap!!


----------



## Mahlerian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ... until our neighbors at my studio started blasting Christian Rap!!


My deepest condolences for the loss of your beloved sanity.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

chrisco97 said:


> *On Spotify:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Saw this listed in the Latest Purchases thread and decided to check it out...I absolutely love it! Beautiful works that reminds me of composers such as Haydn and Mozart. Also has a bit of a Beethoven sound...which is always a positive in my book.
> 
> Currently on the E Flat symphony, but will probably listen to all of the works...


Definitely look into this recording which contains Kraus' best symphonies IMO:










or here:










If he hadn't died so young Kraus would surely have become a major player in the Classical era heading toward Romanticism.


----------



## Bix

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ... until our neighbors at my studio started blasting Christian Rap!!


I don't want to even ask what THAT sounds like.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mahlerian said:


> My deepest condolences for the loss of your beloved sanity.


A black Baptist church moved into the building where my art studio is housed. Mostly they are fine neighbors. They've done much to clean the place up, adding new coats of paint, remodeling the bathrooms... which were admittedly quite disgusting, and even putting in carpeting in the halls and on the elevator. I can take the Gospel music which you only get on Sunday morning (when I'm usually still sleeping in) and Wednesday evenings after 7:30... but I guess they've started some outreach program to draw in younger members... and drive away all their neighbors. Luckily I had to leave shortly after the caterwauling started to pick the wife up from work. I'll give Weinberg another try today.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bix said:


> I don't want to even ask what THAT sounds like.


A bit like Xenakis... with a Hip-Hop beat.


----------



## Bix

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A bit like Xenakis... with a Hip-Hop beat.


I didn't actually like it because the though of Xenakis hip hop sounds like a wonderment to me, I liked your analogy


----------



## Bix

Bohuslav Martinů Piano Concerti 3 a 5 / Koukl, piano / Bohuslav Martinů Phil and Fagen


----------



## realdealblues

I listened to Symphonies 1-3 Friday...



Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4,5 & 6 (Just getting ready to start 7)
Arturo Toscanini & The NBC Symphony Orchestra

Had to go out on the road this morning and managed to get through Symphonies 4,5 & 6. Back in the office now to start 7


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Dvorak* - Cello concerto in B minor / J. Du Pre, D. Barenboim, Chicago S.O.

*Mendelssohn * - Incidental music to _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ / G. Herbig, Staatskapelle Berlin

*Faure* - Apres un reve (for cello and piano) / E. Klein and S. Melinte

*Ravel* - Piano trio in A minor / Y. Menuhin, G. Cassadó and L. Kentner


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Suites for Solo Cello 1, 3, and 5
Yo-Yo Ma


----------



## Skilmarilion

JCarmel said:


> Currently listening-to it in-between the Cricket commentary, which is being disrupted by rain showers....thank goodness!!
> 
> Hang on in there, 'England'...please?!!


The Ashes have been retained, so we can relax now! (albeit AUS really deserved to win this test)

Some celebratory listening is in order.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: "Schwingt freudig euch empor", BWV 36
Hana Blažíková (sop); Robin Blaze (ct); Satoshi Mizukoshi (ten); Peter Kooij (**)
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 64 No. 3
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## PianistFingers

'Fly'- Ludovico Einaudi. Breathtaking. :tiphat:


----------



## julianoq

First listen on the "complete" Mahler 10 (Cooke) performed by Rattle and the BPO. I listened the Adagio many times but never the other movements. Let's see how it goes!


----------



## DavidA

DavidA said:


> Schumann Carnival - Geza Anda
> Part of a ten disc set for less than a tender!


My wretched software again. I meant tenner!


----------



## jim prideaux

Mahler Symphony no.6-von Karajan/BPO
Mahler Symphony no.5-Haitink/BPO

this afternoons listening, feels funnily enough as if I have not listened to something of this magnitude for a while and have actually found it to be quite intimidating.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Glazunov The Complete Symphony Cycle

Evgeny Svetlanov and the USSR Symphony Orchestra, 1889-90


----------



## Ravndal

Mahler: Symphony 3

Valery Gergiev + LSO

Beginning on a symphony by Mahler is no joke. They take forever.


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Arturo Toscanini & The NBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mika

Symphony #2 (Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sibelius - Symphony No.2 - Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra.

Such a luscious sound on this recording.


----------



## neoshredder

In a Baroque mood. Listening to Johann Pachelbel Radio on last.fm.


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner's String Quintet in F major, performed by the Fine Arts Quartet.


----------



## Shibooty

Dvořák Cello Concerto played by Jacqueline du Pré, with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: Early String Quartets, w. Takacs (rec.2002/3); Middle String Quartets, w. Takacs (rec.2001); ESQ (rec.1994/5); Late String Quartets, w. ESQ (rec.1994/5).

View attachment 22303
View attachment 22304
View attachment 22305
View attachment 22306


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Arturo Toscanini & The NBC Symphony Orchestra

That makes two full Beethoven Cycle's (Kletzki & Toscanini) listened too in the past two weeks. Both vastly different, but both very enjoyable. That should satisfy my Beethoven Symphony fix for a couple of weeks...well, maybe :lol:


----------



## Wood

Hello Shibooty.

*Telemann *_Pimpinone _(Berliners) Philips

Early German _Opera buffa. _

It's fine.


----------



## Blancrocher

Listening through Richter's complete WTC--once again! I love what he does with the minor-key fugues, which more than makes up for a certain unevenness in the whole performance.

In the evening, I'll continue my reading of "Sviatoslav Richter: Pianist," by Karl Aage Rasmussen. As expected, it's filled with interesting anecdotes and useful insights--and, unfortunately for me, some de-mythologizing of his life and personality! It turns out that the moving ending of "Richter: The Enigma" is something of a fraud!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: "Ghost" & "Archduke", w. Istomin/Stern/Rose (rec.1965 - '69); Cello Sonatas, w. Gastinel & Guy (rec.2002); Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987).

View attachment 22308
View attachment 22309
View attachment 22310
View attachment 22311


----------



## julianoq

First listen to Berio's Sinfonia, conducted by Peter Eötvös and the GSO.


----------



## Guest

10) Balakirev: Piano Sonata, etc, played by Danny Driver.









The Piano Sonata (1905) is wonderful.


----------



## Guest

11) The Balkan Project by Cavatino Duo on Cedille Records.









Contemporary Balkan flute and guitar music.


----------



## julianoq

BPS said:


> 11) The Balkan Project by Cavatino Duo on Cedille Records.
> 
> View attachment 22313
> 
> 
> Balkan flute and guitar music.


Wow! Thanks, thats really beautiful. Just sampled and was an instant buy.


----------



## brotagonist

I was turned off to Grieg in elementary school, when we were forced to listen to _Hall of the Mountain King_, but I saw this used last week and thought it would serve as a good introduction. It's nice!


----------



## Guest

12) Bavouzet - Ravel Debussy Massenet









Includes both Ravel Piano Concertos, Debussy's Fantasie (1890), and some solo piano pieces from Massenet.

I'm not a huge fan of this or any Debussy, but the Ravel concertos are great, and the Massenet pieces are also quite nice.


----------



## Sid James

*John Williams* Memoirs of a Geisha (film score)
- Orch. under the composer, cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma, violin solos by Itzhak Perlman

*Khachaturian* Gayaneh (ballet highlights)
- London SO under the composer

*Gershwin* Porgy and Bess - A Symphonic Picture (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)
- Detroit SO under Antal Dorati

*Penderecki* Canticum canticorum salomonis
- Krakow Phil. Chorus, Polish Radio National SO under the composer


----------



## Guest

Entering the Beethoven section of my collection - and I may never get out!

#13) Complete Works for Piano and Cello - Dinnerstein (again) and Zuill Bailey.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 5.*

I'm still having a hard time warming up to this.


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - _Kammerkonzert_ (Ensemble Intercontemporain, of course).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rubbra, Missa in Honorem Sancti Dominici*


----------



## LFTBR

Eine Alpensinfonie, LA Phil, Zubin Mehta. One of the most musical Alpine Symphonies on disc!


----------



## SimonNZ

Charpentier motets - Philippe Herreweghe, dir.


----------



## PetrB

Andrea Di Paolo ~ _Das Universum_ for string quartet, in three relatively brief movements....


----------



## realdealblues

Giving Prokofiev another try...so far I like this one and his 1st the best.

View attachment 22324


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7
Neeme Jarvi & The Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Buxtehude's Violin Sonatas Op.1 - Manfredo Kraemer, violin et al


----------



## Guest

Beethoven's Piano Concertos #4 and #5, by Yevginy Sudbin and Minnesota Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.









I find this version of #4 to be incredibly crisp.

(14 of ~100; from A to Z)


----------



## PetrB

_Ostinato;_ works of various early eras composers, performed by the Hespèrion XXI ensemble with Jordi Savall


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Jan Tomasek (1774-1850): Piano Concerto No.1 in C Major, Op.18

Vladimir Valek directing the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Jan Simon, piano

View attachment 22329


chrisco97 ---
Joseph Martin Kraus is one of my favorite under-heard composers.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening mister Rostropovich playing Saint-Saens cello concerto.


----------



## Guest

Was taking a final exam through the first half of this so I don't remember much but...the finale is ofc always nice


----------



## bejart

Mozart: 'Der Schauspieldirektor' Overture, KV 486

Barry Wordswirth leading the Capella Istropolitana

View attachment 22331


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Listening to the _Violin obligato_ at the moment. I was very impressed with the first volume...I think I am going to pick it up! Can't wait to hear the rest from this series.


----------



## SimonNZ

Satie's Vexations - Cristina Ariagno, piano


----------



## tdc

John Dowland - _Forlorn Hope Fancy_, Goran Sollscher guitar


----------



## jim prideaux

started the day bright and early-Dvorak string quintet and sextet performed by Raphael Ensemble. Then decided to embark on threatened investigation of Martinu by buying 1/2/4 piano concertos from I tunes-first encounter with this composer but initially impressed by the 'neo classicism' of 1st piano concerto-will return with any further opinions later today!


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, Harpsichord Concertos. So much more satisfying when played on a harpsichord rather than a pI-ana.


----------



## PetrB

Alfredo Casella: Suite in Do Maggiore, Op.13 (1910)


----------



## SimonNZ

Rawsthorne's Symphonic Studies - Constant Lambert, cond.

and

Tippett's Concerto For Double String Orchestra - Walter Goehr, cond.


----------



## Guest

Beethoven's Symphony #9 - Vanska/Minnesota









I have four versions of this sucker -- Karajan Gold, Gardiner, Haitink, and this one. Frankly, I'm really not sure which is my favorite. I almost went with the Karajan, but then I popped over to ArchivMusic, and ArchivMusic had this one listed as their recommendation. So blame them, not me.

One other point - this music makes me wish I had a really, really awesome sound system. We may think we know this music, but to really immerse oneself in it is truly an awesome experience.

This is a masterpiece, and a fitting swan song to a glorious career.

(15 of ~100, A to Z)


----------



## Guest

16) Beethoven's Violin Concerto plus miniatures by Tsintsadze, played by Lisa Batiashvili.









When the playing is this good, it will be a long, long time before I have any interest in hearing anyone else play it. In fact, you can burn all other recordings of the VC for all I care. The violin sings with such beauty it's hard to remember there's an orchestra there as well. In fact, it's hard to remember to breathe.

Don't let unfamiliarity fool you - the Tsintsadze miniatures are awesome also.


----------



## ProudSquire

It's currently nearning half past 4 in the morn and I can't seem to find my way into the realm of dreams, so I'm up listening to some music.

*Mozart*

Piano Quartets in G minor K. 478 and in E flat Major K. 493
Les Adieux

An excellent recording of these two piano quartets. I'm enjoying it a great deal. ^^


----------



## ThePackMan

Beethoven symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral": IV. Presto - Allegro assai, "Ode to Joy"


----------



## SimonNZ

Liszt's Annees de Pelerinage - Edith Farnadi, piano


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Trio Sonatas
Mozartian Players


----------



## bejart

Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749): Invention for Solo Violin in F Major, Op.10, No.3

Chiara Banchini, violin -- Jesper Christensen, harpsichord -- Gaetano Nasillo, cello

View attachment 22347


----------



## JCarmel

Chamber Music by the Sons of Bach Les Adieux

Thanks for the Group reminder... to The Proud Squire!









Haven't listened to this cd for a wee bit now. I bought it on one of my once-in-blue-moon-trips-to-go around-The National-Gallery-in London-that-I-can't-afford-very-often-as-it-costs-a-lot-from-North-Yorkshire!
It's a really jolly cd to listen-to!


----------



## EricABQ

Some random Chopin from the Rise of the Masters set. Finished with the Barcarolle, which is one of my favorites.


----------



## Vesteralen

Another time through this excellent recording.


----------



## Vesteralen

The CD version of this, of course. Rather irritatingly split between two discs.

I've come to accept Kertesz as the unquestioned authority on the early Dvorak symphonies.

London's sound is always rich and warm.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Great Organ Works (Disc 1)
Peter Hurford









Schoenberg: Variations on a Recitative for Organ (in D), Op. 40

The latter is the only work Schoenberg finished for the instrument. It's not among his best, that's for sure. The 20th century organ literature wouldn't lose much if it disappeared all of a sudden, leaving an odd gap in the composer's oeuvre between the Kol Nidre and the Ode to Napoleon...


----------



## Vesteralen

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Variations on a Recitative for Organ (in D), Op. 40
> 
> The 20th century organ literature wouldn't lose much if it disappeared all of a sudden,


I kind of hate to say it, but that's sort of how I feel about all organ music


----------



## julianoq

Camille Saint-Saëns Requiem, performed by Gardiner and Le Madrigal de Paris. I read some comments here about this being an underrated piece a few days ago and indeed it is!


----------



## Vesteralen

Pieces for double-bass and orchestra are few and far between. Looking forward to this.

The Concerto Soiree for piano and orchestra is pretty much what you'd expect from the title. Pleasant, not too demanding.


----------



## julianoq

Thanks BPS for posting about the violinist Lisa Batiashvili, I never heard her music before. Just listened to her performance of Sibelius Violin Concerto and it is awesome. I will listen to her Beethoven later.


----------



## Guest

Juliano - what I like so much about the Batiashvili disk is that she really gets in touch with the folk/gypsy tradition of violin playing - the kind of performance you'd hear on the street or in a taverna - then she plays the Beethoven violin concerto that way. Simultaneously she conducts the orchestra to complement rather than compete with her.

The effect is as if some unwashed but incredibly talented gypsy fiddler wanders into a concert hall and just blows away the proper and respectable audience.

I haven't heard her other music - I hope it's good!


----------



## realdealblues

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6
Neeme Jarvi & The Scottish National Orchestra

I think this was my 2nd time hearing this Symphony and honestly it still really doesn't do much for me. I realize it was "written as an elegy of the tragedies of World War II" and it has a darker sombre tone and while I liked a few little bits here and there, overall it just didn't really resonate with me. I don't know if there's just too much dissonance for me or what. I'll probably give it another try in a year or two but right now it goes on my list of works I don't really care much for.


----------



## Neo Romanza

realdealblues said:


> Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6
> Neeme Jarvi & The Scottish National Orchestra
> 
> I think this was my 2nd time hearing this Symphony and honestly it still really doesn't do much for me. I realize it was "written as an elegy of the tragedies of World War II" and it has a darker sombre tone and while I liked a few little bits here and there, overall it just didn't really resonate with me. I don't know if there's just too much dissonance for me or what. I'll probably give it another try in a year or two but right now it goes on my list of works I don't really care much for.


First of all, there's never too much dissonance --- it's 20th Century music!!! Second of all, how conservative are your tastes to begin with? And lastly, you sound like you're just giving up too easily.


----------



## Vesteralen

From the Brilliant boxed set of Mendelssohn - the Concerto for piano and violin in d minor (early non-opus number work)

Mendelssohn was amazing. Even his juvenilia sounds great.


----------



## Neo Romanza

julianoq said:


> Thanks BPS for posting about the violinist Lisa Batiashvili, I never heard his music before. Just listened to her performance of Sibelius Violin Concerto and it is awesome. I will listen to her Beethoven later.


I actually liked the performance of the Lindberg _Violin Concerto_ more.


----------



## Vesteralen

julianoq said:


> Thanks BPS for posting about the violinist Lisa Batiashvili, I never heard his music before. Just listened to her performance of Sibelius Violin Concerto and it is awesome. I will listen to her Beethoven later.


This has been on my "hold for later" in my Amazon cart for a while now. Looks like it's time to get it.


----------



## realdealblues

Neo Romanza said:


> First of all, there's never too much dissonance --- it's 20th Century music!!! Second of all, how conservative are your tastes to begin with? And lastly, you sound like you're just giving up too easily.


I don't feel 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century music requires dissonance but regardless, I'm sure you would call me conservative in my listening. I also said it wasn't necessarily the dissonance that kept me from enjoying the work more.

As far as giving up too easily I can only explain it like this:

If I go on 2 dates with a woman spending an hour with her both times and at the end of the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] date I don't find her physically attractive, her personality doesn't engage me and I can find no internal connection to her, why would I seek a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] date?

I listen to each work with a clear and open mind. It's not scientific analysis for me. It's a spiritual or emotional connection I look for within a work and how it resonates with me personally and sometimes it just isn't there. Perhaps in a couple years I will find something in it but at this point there's nothing there for me.


----------



## realdealblues

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Neeme Jarvi & The Scottish National Orchestra

I enjoyed hearing this one more than I did the 6th. While Prokofiev's 1st is still my favorite I actually think I like the 7th a little more than the more popular 5th.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*









*Vivaldi, Psalms for two choirs.*

I like this more than Robert King's recording.


----------



## Neo Romanza

realdealblues said:


> I don't feel 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century music requires dissonance but regardless, I'm sure you would call me conservative in my listening. I also said it wasn't necessarily the dissonance that kept me from enjoying the work more.
> 
> As far as giving up too easily I can only explain it like this:
> 
> If I go on 2 dates with a woman spending an hour with her both times and at the end of the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] date I don't find her physically attractive, her personality doesn't engage me and I can find no internal connection to her, why would I seek a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] date?
> 
> I listen to each work with a clear and open mind. It's not scientific analysis for me. It's a spiritual or emotional connection I look for within a work and how it resonates with me personally and sometimes it just isn't there. Perhaps in a couple years I will find something in it but at this point there's nothing there for me.


Considering your favorite Prokofiev symphony is the _Classical Symphony_, I would say your tastes are pretty conservative. (In Jerry Seinfeld voice) Not that there's anything wrong with that. Anyway, who are some of your favorite 20th Century composers?

As for the dating analogy, this only applies if you're going on a 'blind date.' Most guys, myself included, are physically attracted to a woman first and then everything else happens after that initial attraction. Call it shallow, but it's hard not to be enamored with a woman's beauty.


----------



## realdealblues

Neo Romanza said:


> Considering your favorite Prokofiev symphony is the _Classical Symphony_, I would say your tastes are pretty conservative. (In Jerry Seinfeld voice) Not that there's anything wrong with that. Anyway, who are some of your favorite 20th Century composers?
> 
> As for the dating analogy, this only applies if you're going on a 'blind date.' Most guys, myself included, are physically attracted to a woman first and then everything else happens after that initial attraction. Call it shallow, but it's hard not to be enamored with a woman's beauty.


 Technically listening to a work for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time is a blind date 

As for 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century Composers, it depends on what you consider 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century Composers I guess. Going by Wikipedia's list, a few examples I like works by:

Some of the more popular examples: Saint-Saens, Dvorak, Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Copland, Ravel, Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Samual Barber, Sibelius, Richard Strauss, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Rachmaninoff, Holst, Elgar, Nielsen

Some of the less popular: Alexander Glazunov, Havergal Brian, Joly Braga Santos, Paul Ruders, Henryk Gorecki, Cyril Scott, Marc Blitzstein

I don't like every work from every composer with the exception of maybe Mahler. I love Mozart but don't like his Glass Harmonica works just because I don't care for the sound of Glass Harmonica to begin with.

I don't like any of the works that sound like (for lack of a better description) "a cat walking across a keyboard" or "a 5 year old hitting keys at random on a piano" if that's more of what you're wondering. I do like certain works like Ligeti's Atmospheres because of a certain "atmosphere" it creates. Each work is different and I take each work solely based on itself.


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## realdealblues

Back to a few favorites for a while...

View attachment 22356


Mozart: Symphony 26
Karl Bohm & The Berlin Philharmonic


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## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Symphony No. 1, Cello Concerto.*

This is lovely music. The first symphony sounds like something Ravel would write if he were American.


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## DaveS

Scenes Historiques, Rakastava, Romance in C & Symphony #6. Sir John Barbirolli. Halle Orchestra


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## Vesteralen

Sid James said:


> Vaughan Williams [/B]_Symphony #8 in D minor_
> - London PO under Sir Adrian Boult, with Harold Parfitt, solo violin in third movement (Belart)
> 
> Composed when the composer was around eighty years of age, *Vaughan Williams' Symphony #8* is what can be called a mature delight. Again, this is one of his least popular symphonies, however it has many aspects that are unique as well as glimpses back to the composer's younger days.
> 
> Starting with a movement that the composer called "seven variations in search of a theme," because the variations in the middle where written before those at either end, the symphony proceeds to develop these ideas quite rigorously in its 30 minute time span. The opening with the celesta, which comes back at the end of the work, gives this feeling of being in a world of fantasy (Tchaikovsky's _Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy_ comes to mind).
> 
> The second movement is for winds only, coming across as a reflection on the marching bands of the early 20th century, and the third movement is for strings alone. In this, as in the Haydn symphony, you get a violin solo, and on this recording it is even credited. Like _The Lark Ascending_ and _Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis_ from decades before, it has this beautiful contemplative and spiritual quality. Again, the composer is perhaps looking back on his long life, I'd say with some degree of contentment.
> 
> In the composer's words, the final movement is for "all available hitting instruments with a definite pitch." It has this Asiatic feel, and I wonder if Puccini's _Turandot_ was an influence here? At the same time, oddly enough, it sounds very British. In any case this fusion works well and it's a splendid conclusion to one of my favourite works by RVW.




I generally have a pretty good head for remembering the symphonies of RVW. In this one, I can clearly recall the themes and the sound of the first, second and last movements. But, for some reason, the third movement with the violin solo escapes me. Going to have to pull this one out and listen again.

BTW, thanks for the great synopsis, Sid.


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## Neo Romanza

realdealblues said:


> Technically listening to a work for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time is a blind date
> 
> As for 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century Composers, it depends on what you consider 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century Composers I guess. Going by Wikipedia's list, a few examples I like works by:
> 
> Some of the more popular examples: Saint-Saens, Dvorak, Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Copland, Ravel, Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Samual Barber, Sibelius, Richard Strauss, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Rachmaninoff, Holst, Elgar, Nielsen
> 
> Some of the less popular: Alexander Glazunov, Havergal Brian, Joly Braga Santos, Paul Ruders, Henryk Gorecki, Cyril Scott, Marc Blitzstein
> 
> I don't like every work from every composer with the exception of maybe Mahler. I love Mozart but don't like his Glass Harmonica works just because I don't care for the sound of Glass Harmonica to begin with.
> 
> I don't like any of the works that sound like (for lack of a better description) "a cat walking across a keyboard" or "a 5 year old hitting keys at random on a piano" if that's more of what you're wondering. I do like certain works like Ligeti's Atmospheres because of a certain "atmosphere" it creates. Each work is different and I take each work solely based on itself.


There are always going to be works by our favorite composers that we're not going to enjoy. That's just the way it is. Sounds like you've not tuned your ears into mid to late 20th Century music yet. In time, you'll appreciate many more composers from this important time in musical history.


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## Blancrocher

I'm interrupting my incessant listening of Richter recordings to listen to Gulda's Beethoven cycle for the first time in a long time (having been reminded of it in this thread), after which I'll decide whether to buy. The Hammerklavier, at any rate, is a knock-out:


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## realdealblues

Neo Romanza said:


> There are always going to be works by our favorite composers that we're not going to enjoy. That's just the way it is. Sounds like you've not tuned your ears into mid to late 20th Century music yet. In time, you'll appreciate many more composers from this important time in musical history.


There's always a possibility. I find new composers and works I like all the time, but usually they are either older or sound older. I don't think my ears will ever adapt to Cage or Webern or some of those folks, but we shall see what the future holds. Until then...some more of my favorite oldies.



Mozart: Symphony 27
Karl Bohm & The Berlin Philharmonic


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## Mahlerian

realdealblues said:


> I don't like any of the works that sound like (for lack of a better description) "a cat walking across a keyboard" or "a 5 year old hitting keys at random on a piano" if that's more of what you're wondering.


I don't like works that sound like that either.

Schoenberg, Boulez, Varese, Webern, Messiaen....that's good music, and sounds nothing whatsoever like the above description.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor
London Symphony, cond. Rostropovich









My feelings about Shostakovich's symphonies are complicated. I love the 4th, hate the 7th and 12th, and love parts of the 5th and 8th....


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## realdealblues

Mahlerian said:


> I don't like works that sound like that either.
> 
> Schoenberg, Boulez, Varese, Webern, Messiaen....that's good music, and sounds nothing whatsoever like the above description.


I'm sure they don't to a musicologist like yourself, but to someone like myself, something like Webern's Variations Op. 27 sounds exactly like that to me.


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## Mahlerian

realdealblues said:


> I'm sure they don't to a musicologist like yourself, but to someone like myself, something like Webern's Variations Op. 27 sounds exactly like that to me.


I assure you, I'm a layman whose primary experience of the Webern variations is of listening to them. I may have seen the score at one point, but I have never performed them or studied them in-depth.


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## Neo Romanza

realdealblues said:


> I'm sure they don't to a musicologist like yourself, but to someone like myself, something like Webern's Variations Op. 27 sounds exactly like that to me.


You don't have to be a musicologist to like Schoenberg, Boulez, Varese, or Webern. As I said, you haven't developed an ear for late-20th Century music.


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## julianoq

Mahlerian said:


> My feelings about Shostakovich's symphonies are complicated. I love the 4th, hate the 7th and 12th, and love parts of the 5th and 8th....


And about the 10th? I love many Shostakovich's symphonies, but the 10th is special to me. The 5, 7, 8, 11, 15 are also favorites, but the 10th is the peak in my opinion.


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## julianoq

Sibelius 5th symphony with Sakari Oramo and the CBSO.


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## realdealblues

Mahlerian said:


> I assure you, I'm a layman whose primary experience of the Webern variations is of listening to them. I may have seen the score at one point, but I have never performed them or studied them in-depth.


I understand, but where you hear some form of music in those variations, I only hear myself when I was taking piano lessons as a child and would get frustrated and just start playing random notes and chords pretending to play something. I just don't consider that "music" any more than I consider placing an empty glass upside down on a block of wood "art".

Someone hearing me banging around might go, "That's amazing, he's using the 3rd interval of a Bb scale and playing it on the 3rd beat of one measure followed by the 4th beat in the next measure and then moving it up chromatically", which is fine and dandy. I agree it's notes and it's sound and it may have some sort of structure but for myself that doesn't create what I consider "music". I know lots of people disagree with that, and that's cool, it's just my opinion, nothing more and it only matters to me and shouldn't bother everyone else.


----------



## Mahlerian

realdealblues said:


> I understand, but where you hear some form of music in those variations, I only hear myself when I was taking piano lessons as a child and would get frustrated and just start playing random notes and chords pretending to play something. I just don't consider that "music" any more than I consider placing an empty glass upside down on a block of wood "art".
> 
> Someone hearing me banging around might go, "That's amazing, he's using the 3rd interval of a Bb scale and playing it on the 3rd beat of one measure followed by the 4th beat in the next measure and then moving it up chromatically", which is fine and dandy. I agree it's notes and it's sound and it may have some sort of structure but for myself that doesn't create what I consider "music". I know lots of people disagree with that, and that's cool, it's just my opinion, nothing more and it only matters to me and shouldn't bother everyone else.


You realize how patronizing this sounds? "Maybe it's music to you, but it's noise to me." It _is_ music. Full stop. If you define music in a non-arbitrary way, either the Webern Variations will fit into that definition, or else you will be excluding many things that you would consider music, guaranteed.

I know what children banging around at a piano sounds like. I've had to put up with it more times than my sanity would like. There is no real structure, there is no coherent harmonic/melodic material, no development.

But let's go further. I've heard myself improvise at the piano. I know how to play basic melodies and harmonize them in a more or less pleasing fashion. That doesn't make those improvisations "compositions" in the same sense that the Webern variations are. They are not refined, not shaped into a coherent form. There is no amount of bribe money that could have gotten Glenn Gould, Maurizio Pollini, or Mitsuko Uchida, to name but three, to record one of my improvisations over the Webern Variations, and for good reason.


----------



## Mahlerian

julianoq said:


> And about the 10th? I love many Shostakovich's symphonies, but the 10th is special to me. The 5, 7, 8, 11, 15 are also favorites, but the 10th is the peak in my opinion.


I'm not as familiar with the 10th, but I enjoy it, just not as much as the 4th or 8th. I forgot to mention I also have an affection for the 1st.


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## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor
> London Symphony, cond. Rostropovich


This recording is superb.

What do you think of the 11th, sorry I'm forever going on about it


----------



## Guest

Post #40406 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues for not trying harder to like modernist music
Post #40411 - realdealblues responds by saying he likes what he likes
Post #40414 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues again (sorta)
Post #40417 - realdealblues repeats he likes what he likes, and doesn't like seemingly random noise
Post #40422 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues again for not (yet) liking 20th century modernist music
Post #40424 - realdealblues responds by saying he likes what he likes
Post #40425 - Mahlerian objects to realdealblues' characterization of modernist music as random
Post #40426 - realdealblues says that's what some modernist music sounds like to him
Post #40428 - more chiding (sorta)
Post #40431 - more defensiveness, emphasizing that this is just a personal opinion
Post #40425 - Mahlerian again objects to realdealblues' characterization of modernist music

It seems to me that Realdealblues is trying to express his personal opinion without making objective assertions, and is getting teamed up on for not liking modernist music. Apparently, he does like some modernist music, but not enough to satisfy others. Hmm.

Folks - the name of this thread is "Current Listening", not "What You Should Like". To each his own, live and let live, flame out elsewhere, etc.


----------



## Feathers

Ives: Symphony No. 4 

I keep telling myself to learn more about Ives but never quite carry out any action to get to know his music better. Time to sit down and listen.


----------



## Sid James

*Khachaturian* Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia (from Spartacus)
- London SO under the composer

*Dvorak* Violin Concerto
- Edith Peinemann, violin with Czech PO under Peter Maag

*Penderecki* Sextet
- Michel Lethiec, clarinet; Regis Pasquier, violin; Bruno Pasquier, viola; Arto Noras, cello; Markus Maskuniitty, french horn; Johani Lagerspetz, piano

*Holst* 
St. Paul's Suite & A Fugal Concerto*
- Saint Paul CO under Christopher Hogwood *with Julia Bogorad, flute and Kathryn Greenbank, oboe
Egdon Heath & The Perfect Fool - Ballet Music
- London PO under Sir Adrian Boult 




Vesteralen said:


> I generally have a pretty good head for remembering the symphonies of RVW. In this one, I can clearly recall the themes and the sound of the first, second and last movements. But, for some reason, the third movement with the violin solo escapes me. Going to have to pull this one out and listen again.
> 
> BTW, thanks for the great synopsis, Sid.


Well I am glad you enjoyed that run down, and I try to do one every weekend. Vaughan Williams' Symphony #8 has special significance for me. It was the first symphony I heard by him, one day quite by chance on classical radio. It was something like 15 years ago. I was home sick and resting, woke up, put the radio on and there it was. It transported me to this magical realm! I heard the Halle / Sir John Barbirolli recording (RVW dedicated the piece to him, I think) and later got that Boult one. The violin solo also holds a special place, but its a sad memory. This piece lets me get some emotions out. & the finale is a brilliant and unexpected way to end it all. Quite amazing stuff for a guy around eighty. He'd lost none of his abilities then, indeed one can argue that he improved with age, he got more confident in his work.


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## Mahlerian

Bix said:


> This recording is superb.
> 
> What do you think of the 11th, sorry I'm forever going on about it


I'm sorry to say the 11th has never really enthused me much one way or the other. I know people love it a lot, and maybe I haven't heard the right recording/performance, but it remains more or less a closed book to me at this point.


----------



## Neo Romanza

BPS said:


> Post #40406 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues for not trying harder to like modernist music
> Post #40411 - realdealblues responds by saying he likes what he likes
> Post #40414 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues again (sorta)
> Post #40417 - realdealblues repeats he likes what he likes, and doesn't like seemingly random noise
> Post #40422 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues again for not (yet) liking 20th century modernist music
> Post #40424 - realdealblues responds by saying he likes what he likes
> Post #40425 - Mahlerian objects to realdealblues' characterization of modernist music as random
> Post #40426 - realdealblues says that's what some modernist music sounds like to him
> Post #40428 - more chiding (sorta)
> Post #40431 - more defensiveness, clarifying that this is just a personal opinion
> Post #40425 - Mahlerian again objects to realdealblues' characterization of modernist music
> 
> Folks - the name of this thread is "Current Listening", not "What You Should Like". Realdealblues is carefully trying to express his personal opinion without making objective assertions, and is getting teamed up on for not liking modernist music.
> 
> To each his own, live and let live, flame out elsewhere, etc.


But it never ceases to amaze me the amount of ignorance there is in regards to the _Second Viennese School_. Yeah, I can live and let live, but I suppose inquiring minds like mine never understood why people can't get into their music and why people continue to deride these composers when it is these listeners who have the deficiency and inability to understand this music.


----------



## Bix

Feathers said:


> Ives: Symphony No. 4
> 
> I keep telling myself to learn more about Ives but never quite carry out any action to get to know his music better. Time to sit down and listen.


I don't know any of Ives work, let us know what you think?


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## Bix

Mahlerian said:


> I'm sorry to say the 11th has never really enthused me much one way or the other. I know people love it a lot, and maybe I haven't heard the right recording/performance, but it remains more or less a closed book to me at this point.


This is what I like about this site, honesty and acceptance amongst most. 
Thanks for your honesty 

I think with the 11th I get wrapped up in its history - and from the musical perspective the relentless drive in the second movement where you think the orchestra have no more to give and they just do.


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## Guest

Neo Romanza said:


> I suppose inquiring minds like mine never understood why people can't get into their music and why people continue to deride these composers when it is these listeners who have the deficiency and inability to understand this music.


Believe me, you'd be shocked at my extremely negative and baseless assumptions about the Second Viennese School. I'm sure I'd make realdealblues look like a pioneering explorer of the avant-garde by comparison. Conversely, I may never understand why others don't adore early 20th century French romantic chamber music as much as I do - is everyone else a masochist or something???

But that's a topic for another thread, and anyway I think we should be sharing our knowledge of and enthusiasm for the music we like rather than being critical of others' likes and dislikes. Just my humble opinion, for what it's worth. Now back to my music...


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## Guest

17) Berlioz - Harold in Italy, Colin Davis, LSO.









Early 19th century avant-garde! I'm a huge fan of the second movement.


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## Selby

Lorenzo Palomo - Mi jardín solitario (My Secluded Garden)
María Bayo (soprano) y Pepe Romero (guitarra)









I have been very taken with Palomo lately, these songs are so haunting and lovely. The develop with such beauty and sadness.


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## Guest

18) Bloch - Violin Concerto, Baal Shem, Suite Hebraique:









Lovely stuff. I've greatly enjoyed exploring Bloch's music as well as a number of other Jewish composers writing explicitly "Jewish" music. It seems to me that this small Jewish school of classical music is every bit as rich and rewarding as, say, Spanish classical music, but receives quite a bit less attention.

I'm sure we'll see at least a few more examples before I get to 100!


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## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Piano Trio in D Major

Lucia Negro, piano -- Jaap Schroeder, violin -- Kari Ottesen, cello

View attachment 22369


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## TrevBus

BPS said:


> Post #40406 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues for not trying harder to like modernist music
> Post #40411 - realdealblues responds by saying he likes what he likes
> Post #40414 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues again (sorta)
> Post #40417 - realdealblues repeats he likes what he likes, and doesn't like seemingly random noise
> Post #40422 - Neo Romanza chides realdealblues again for not (yet) liking 20th century modernist music
> Post #40424 - realdealblues responds by saying he likes what he likes
> Post #40425 - Mahlerian objects to realdealblues' characterization of modernist music as random
> Post #40426 - realdealblues says that's what some modernist music sounds like to him
> Post #40428 - more chiding (sorta)
> Post #40431 - more defensiveness, emphasizing that this is just a personal opinion
> Post #40425 - Mahlerian again objects to realdealblues' characterization of modernist music
> 
> It seems to me that Realdealblues is trying to express his personal opinion without making objective assertions, and is getting teamed up on for not liking modernist music. Apparently, he does like some modernist music, but not enough to satisfy others. Hmm.
> 
> Folks - the name of this thread is "Current Listening", not "What You Should Like". To each his own, live and let live, flame out elsewhere, etc.


Well stated and thank you.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: "Wer weiss, wie nahe mir mein Ende", BWV 27
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Satoshi Mizukoshi, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Bruno Maderna: Quadrivium, for four percussionists and four orchestral groups (1969)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo


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## Ravndal

Faure: Masques et bergamasques

Sir Neville


----------



## GreenMamba

Bartok Four Orchestral Pieces, Boulez/NYP


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Richard Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie - Andrè Previn & Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

All the lights off, headphones on and everyone else in bed = bliss. I do my best listening like this - devoid of interruptions, I am free to tune everything else out for an hour or two.

That said, this is my last piece before turning in for the night.

Previn's series of recordings of Strauss' tone poems with the VPO on Telarc are all fantastic.


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## SimonNZ

View attachment 22374


Liszt's Via Crucis - BBC Northern Singers, Gordon Thorne, cond.


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## Ravndal

Ravel: Piano Trio

Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy.


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## SimonNZ

View attachment 22378


Bax's The Tale The Pine Trees Knew - Vernon Handley, cond.

there are better images of this and the Liszt, including one I took myself - but its saying I've exceeded some quota and won't let me use them


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## Guest

Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #3
Nikolai Lugansky; Sakari Oramo: City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Guest

Mitchell said:


> Lorenzo Palomo - Mi jardín solitario (My Secluded Garden)
> María Bayo (soprano) y Pepe Romero (guitarra)
> 
> View attachment 22366
> 
> 
> I have been very taken with Palomo lately, these songs are so haunting and lovely. The develop with such beauty and sadness.


@Mitchell - that sounds like a wonderful find. It's going straight on to my wish list and at Naxos prices (still $6 at Classical Archives for 320 kbps) I'll probably be pulling the trigger soon. Thanks for the introduction!


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## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet in D Major, Op.3, No.2

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 22380


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## SimonNZ

View attachment 22381


John Cage's Seven - Ives Ensemble


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## Guest

19) Melanie Bonis - La Joueuse de Flute









I have no idea how I found this disc, but it's a real gem.

Allow me to quote extensively from the Fanfare review:

She led a life fit for the movies. Born to a middle-class family with no artistic proclivities, Mélanie Bonis learned to play piano very early, and was accepted to the Paris Conservatoire before she reached her twenties. There, her talent flowered, and her classmates-among whom were Pierné and Debussy-as well as her teachers, including Cesar Frank, were enthusiastic about her future career. It was never to be; in the conservatoire she had fallen in love with composition but also with a fellow student, and her traditional family decided that enough was enough. For a woman to be an artist was still acceptable, but to be married to one was not.

Mélanie was pressured into dropping out of the Conservatoire and marrying a widower 25 years her senior, Albert Domange, who was already the father of five children. For 10 years she devoted herself to these children and to her own three offspring, being the perfect housewife, as was expected of her. After that, she started seeing her old flame again, and finally became pregnant with her lover's child. The existence of this baby was kept a secret from her husband and her family, and was only revealed years later because, by one of those cruel twists of destiny, the girl, Madeleine, came to fall in love with Melanie's son Edouard, and they decided to wed. The separation from her lover, the loveless marriage, having her newborn daughter taken away from her (and raised by the lover's family), the forbidden affair with its inherent allotment of guilt and shame, the disclosure of her sin, the loss of a son, all these tragedies filled her life with grief and ultimately contributed to her failing health and to her disappearance from public view.

Her music, published under the gender-neutral name of Mel-Bonis, was highly considered by her contemporaries, but has remained largely forgotten by music historians and interpreters alike. With such a rich life story, it would be interesting to hear even if the quality of the composition were less commendable than it is. But it constitutes an agreeable surprise, being actually very good, in a style reminiscent of Franck, Fauré, and at times, Debussy. No, it is not lacking in personality. Bonis was simply permeable to the current styles of her day, as were her Conservatoire colleagues.

If her œuvre had received the public recognition it deserves, we might be saying that the music of Pierné or Chaminade resembles Bonis's. It is certainly stylistically coherent, well crafted, unashamedly lyrical, very sensitive and delicate, taking advantage of the character of each instrument for which she wrote, and displaying unusual ability in dealing with unusual combinations of instruments (how many good pieces for flute, horn, and piano do you know?)....


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Symphony No. 3.*


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## realdealblues

Mahlerian said:


> You realize how patronizing this sounds?


Just wanted to end with, I apologize if it sounded that way to you, it was not my intent. I in no way feel superior in any of my beliefs or opinions.

View attachment 22385


Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Karl Bohm & The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Tristan

*Hindemith* - Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Found it on vinyl coupled with Carmina Burana at a record store.


----------



## classicalguy

Non, je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf. Also Felicia no capicia by Louis Prima.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.3 in A Major, Op.69

Antonio Janigro, cello -- Jorg Demus, piano

View attachment 22388


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## SimonNZ

View attachment 22389


Webern's Variations Op.27 - Maurizio Pollini, piano


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## Neo Romanza

BPS said:


> Believe me, you'd be shocked at my extremely negative and baseless assumptions about the Second Viennese School. I'm sure I'd make realdealblues look like a pioneering explorer of the avant-garde by comparison. Conversely, I may never understand why others don't adore early 20th century French romantic chamber music as much as I do - is everyone else a masochist or something???
> 
> But that's a topic for another thread, and anyway I think we should be sharing our knowledge of and enthusiasm for the music we like rather than being critical of others' likes and dislikes. Just my humble opinion, for what it's worth. Now back to my music...


My complaint is about the general misconceptions regarding the _Second Viennese School_. If you have the inability to appreciate their music, then you must realize that this is your failing not anyone else's. But, yes, keep your negative opinions about Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern to yourself and I'll accept people's general closed-mindedness towards dodecaphonic music. Sound like a deal?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, w. Richter (rec.1971 - '75); Sokolov (rec.1991); Gould (rec.1966/7); Gilels (rec.1971 - '80).

View attachment 22390
View attachment 22391
View attachment 22392
View attachment 22393


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## drpraetorus

Mozart, Marriage of Figaro. Solti


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## Guest

#20) Brahms & Joachim Violin Concertos









Apparently my collection is built around young female violinists.


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## Guest

#21) Brahms - Rhapsodies, Pieces, etc - Radu Lupu









I figured I better add a hairy neanderthal to the list quick!

Appearances aside, this is great playing.


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## Guest

#22) Brahms - Piano Concertos - Friere/Chailly


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## AClockworkOrange

Driving a lot today, so I thought I would revisit some Mozart's late symphonies via this release by Karl Bohm & the Berlin Philharmoniker:








I haven't listened to these for a while, so it will be nice to listen to them with fresh ears.


----------



## SimonNZ

Okay - I keep getting a message saying I've used up my quota of images, and it wont let me add any. Has anyone else experienced this or heard of a quota?

anyway: listening to Wolfgang Rihm's Astralis - RIAS Kammerchor (Harmonia Mundi)


----------



## PetrB

I posted only the shorter second segment of this the other day. Mistake, and apologies. 
Here is the whole work in two links.

_Georgs Pelēcis ~ Revelation_ (Meaning this is as a form of praise, this piece sounds like Charles Schultz' Schroeder might have written it 









And here is another near ridiculously ebullient and bouncy piece from the same composer....
_Meeting with a friend._


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> Okay - I keep getting a message saying I've used up my quota of images, and it wont let me add any. Has anyone else experienced this or heard of a quota?
> 
> anyway: listening to Wolfgang Rihm's Astralis - RIAS Kammerchor (Harmonia Mundi)


I have not experienced it, but there is a way to manage your attachments. Go to "settings" at the top. Then scroll down and find "attachments" on the left.


----------



## Ravndal

BPS said:


> #21) Brahms - Rhapsodies, Pieces, etc - Radu Lupu
> 
> View attachment 22398
> 
> 
> I figured I better add a hairy neanderthal to the list quick!
> 
> Appearances aside, this is great playing.


Yup. My favorite version. Never heard anyone play Brahms as well as Lupu.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 75
_Esterhazy Orchestra & David Blum_

Love Haydn's symphonies. They are all so great! I have yet to hear one I did not like.

--
Afterwards, I will continue to listen through the *Beethoven* symphonies with Symphony No. 3, "Eroica" performed by _Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jerome said:


> I have not experienced it, but there is a way to manage your attachments. Go to "settings" at the top. Then scroll down and find "attachments" on the left.


Hmm...yeah there it is: I've used up my quota of attachments - in just over a year. It doesn't seem I can delete them to make space, but I wouldn't want to do that anyway - I like going back to reconsider my "listening diary". Odd that they're concerned about this when they happily drag around tens of thousands of old threads from years back with few original posts and no current interest.

Or is there another way of posting an image without making it an attachment? (sorry for the display of ignorance)

listening: Wolfgang Rihm's Sphäre um Sphäre - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## Bas

Fauré - Piano Quartets, on Hyperion by Domus Quartet








Julius Röntgen - Violin Concertos in a, f# on CPO, cond. David Porcelijn








D. Scarlatti - Keyboard sonatas, played by the *genius* Scott Ross








I'm at the 7th disc now, will perhaps listen to the 8th or 9th today.


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> Hmm...yeah there it is: I've used up my quota of attachments - in just over a year. It doesn't seem I can delete them to make space, but I wouldn't want to do that anyway - I like going back to reconsider my "listening diary". Odd that they're concerned about this when they happily drag around tens of thousands of old threads from years back with few original posts and no current interest.
> 
> Or is there another way of posting an image without making it an attachment? (sorry for the display of ignorance)
> 
> listening: Wolfgang Rihm's Sphäre um Sphäre - Ensemble Recherche


Simon you can also add images to a post using







- I usually source the image of the Disc from Amazon.
It might be a bit more difficult for you because, I believe, you have a lot of LP's and I dont think you could find images for many of them - I suggest you upload the images of your LP's to a website like photobucket (?) and the use the







tags to ling to the images - hope that helps


----------



## Conor71

*Cantemir/Anonymous: Istanbul*

Been listening to these recordings today - they are maybe more World Music than Classical im not sure? I have seen them both posted before for Classical listening so thought Id try my luck here


----------



## jim prideaux

began yesterday with Dvorak chamber music and initial investigation of Martinu piano concertos-as far as I am concerned they bear an uncanny resemblance to the keyboard works of Poulenc and I heartily enjoyed discovering these pieces as 20th century 'neoclassicism' continues to have a great appeal-in contrast to the intimidation I felt when revisiting Mahler for the first time in ages many works of this period provide a simple and often optimistic enjoyment-before anyone points it out I know I am not necessarily comparing like with like-just making a very simplistic but personal observation.
To this morning-ITunes presented me with the opportunity to buy Charles Lloyd 'The Water is Wide' featuring what initially sounds like Brad Meldhau at his best and a very lyrical performance by John Abercrombie. Then the 'big one'-I have long been aware of the fact that I have a range of (often indifferent!) performances of Mozart symphonies on CD/vinyl/cassette and I decided to finally do something about this-in the post today came Pinnock/English Concert/Complete symphonies-having carried out research it appeared to be one of the more obvious choices-have started with 40/41!


----------



## SimonNZ

testing

Aha! Conor, I'm buying you a beer if you're ever passing through this way!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1004

Nathan Milstein, violin

View attachment 22405


----------



## Skilmarilion

Neo Romanza said:


> My complaint is about the general misconceptions regarding the _Second Viennese School_. If you have the inability to appreciate their music, then you must realize that this is your failing not anyone else's.


I have not followed this argument, but not appreciating the music of the _SVS_ -- or any music for that matter, does not mean that someone has an "inability" to appreciate, and certainly it is not a "failing". People have different tastes, that is all.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Adams' Shaker Loops - Marin Alsop, cond.


----------



## EllenBurgess

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME. Backstreet Boys


----------



## Vesteralen

This is turning out to be my favorite Mercury Living Presence disc out of the first seven in Box One. It was my "commuter" CD this morning. I heard the Scythian Suite and the Love for Three Oranges Suite with Dorati and the LSO this morning. This afternoon I'll listen to the Symphony No 5 with Dorati and the Minneapolis Orch

I remember in my much younger days being totally turned off by the Scythian Suite. I probably termed it "atonal rubbish" if I know my old self. Well, it's not atonal at all, but Prokofiev did have a way of writing (deliberately, I expect) what could be called "ugly" music, and the first two minutes of the Scythian do qualify as that. After that, however, it seems to settle down into a rather attractive piece of music. Certainly anyone who has grown up listening to modern film scores could find nothing too bizarre about this music - and it's on a higher level than that. Some beautiful tone colors and orchestration when you get right down to it.

I'm familiar with the LFTO Suite mainly from Ormandy and Steinberg, but this performance took me to a different place entirely. The LSO sounded so "alive" in this music. Really a revelation.


----------



## Vesteralen

My first "at-work" CD of the day. I love Haydn, and I know a lot of people recommend his piano sonatas, but for me, the jury is still out on whether this is essential stuff or just nice background music. It probably doesn't help that I have to play it at work_ as _background music.

(Wouldn't you know, right after I posted this the opening movement of the Sonata No 50 in D came on - this *is* pretty good stuff.)


----------



## JCarmel

My fave Mercury Living Presence cd, Versteralen is this Rachmaninov/Prokofiev piano concerto double-header!....









(I've posted about it before, methinks....but it's a good'un & deserves posting about again! Hope 'youthinks' too...)


----------



## Vesteralen

JCarmel said:


> My fave Mercury Living Presence cd, Versteralen is this Rachmaninov/Prokofiev piano concerto double-header!....
> 
> View attachment 22408
> 
> 
> (I've posted about it before, methinks....but it's a good'un & deserves posting about again! Hope 'youthinks' too...)


Wow..I see that that disc is #32 in the set. At the rate I'm going, I won't be listening to that until about a year and a half from now. Guess I'll have to move it up in the rotation. 

Thanks for the recommendation.


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing with Mozart/Pinnock/English Consort box set-no.38/39-some will not necessarily like this but I was cleaning windows inside whilst listening and it is a really sunny day-dawned on me that whilst there is no doubting his 'genius' it is the humanity and indeed good humour of Mozart that can often prove so attractive-this is not to demean his work, rather to recognise that it can contribute to a sense of well being and contentment.


----------



## EricABQ

Dvorak's Legends op.59.

I've never listened to this before even though I've had it in my Dvorak set for quite awhile. 

Pretty good.


----------



## julianoq

Mahler Symphony No. 10 (Adagio), performed by Boulez and the CO.


----------



## Vesteralen

julianoq said:


> Mahler Symphony No. 10 (Adagio), performed by Boulez and the CO.


This album cover got me to wondering about how old Boulez is and if he's still alive. I can remember when he was making his first big splash in the US way back when and still looked like a fairly young man (I guess around 45 or so).

I see he's now in his late 80s and was still conducting (apparently) till his vision problems a year or so ago.


----------



## Vesteralen

Kind of sad when your main claim to fame is - a 'contemporary of Mozart' 

But, seriously - this does not seem like second-rate work to me.


----------



## julianoq

Maurice Ravel's complete piano works performed by Pascal Rogé. Starting with Gaspard de la Nuit, next will be Valses nobles et sentimentales.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: A Sermon, A Narrative, and A Prayer
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








For some reason this seems like the most Webern-like of Stravinsky's late works to me, probably because I love Webern's two Canatatas. In actuality, the most Webern-like of Stravinsky's works is most likely the Movements for Piano and Orchestra.

Bach: Great Organ Works, Disc 2
Peter Hurford


----------



## Mahlerian

realdealblues said:


> Just wanted to end with, I apologize if it sounded that way to you, it was not my intent. I in no way feel superior in any of my beliefs or opinions.


My apologies as well. I was overly sensitive yesterday and should have let the whole thing drop a lot more quickly. I want to let you know that you are entitled no more and no less than myself to listen to and not listen to whatsoever you wish. I think perhaps I should be more careful about the way I express myself in the future.


----------



## Vesteralen

A little better than most IMP books, in that this one has all complete concerti - not just random movements from same.

Includes, as expected, the entire 4 Seasons, plus concerti for mandolin, trumpet, and flute.

Performances, as usual, range from above average to very good.


----------



## realdealblues

Mahlerian said:


> My apologies as well. I was overly sensitive yesterday and should have let the whole thing drop a lot more quickly. I want to let you know that you are entitled no more and no less than myself to listen to and not listen to whatsoever you wish. I think perhaps I should be more careful about the way I express myself in the future.


I have no hard feelings. I very much respect your musical knowledge and enjoy reading many of your posts and have learned a great many things I did not know from them. I look forward to reading and I'm sure learning more in the future 

View attachment 22412


Tchaikovsky: String Sextet in D Minor "Souvenir De Florence"
Borodin Quartet

I really like this one. I've heard it's been arranged for String Orchestra, but I've never heard that. I think it would be interesting to hear it performed that way.


----------



## Guest

Pulling Liszt off the shelf today - I do from time to time, as that is about all I seem to care to hear. Anyways, my selection was his Annees de Pelerinage, as performed by Bertrand Chamayou on Naive.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas w. Gulda (rec.1967); Goode (rec.1983 - '88); Gilels (rec.1972 - '85); Pollini (rec.1975 - '77).

View attachment 22414
View attachment 22415
View attachment 22416
View attachment 22417


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Hmm...yeah there it is: I've used up my* quota of attachments *- in just over a year. It doesn't seem I can delete them to make space, but I wouldn't want to do that anyway - I like going back to reconsider my "listening diary". Odd that they're concerned about this when they happily drag around tens of thousands of old threads from years back with few original posts and no current interest.
> 
> Or is there another way of posting an image without making it an attachment? (sorry for the display of ignorance)
> 
> listening: Wolfgang Rihm's Sphäre um Sphäre - Ensemble Recherche


Didn't know about the *quota of attachments*.


----------



## Vesteralen

I didn't either. Was it in the agreement of service somewhere?

When I go to settings I can see that it tells me how many MB of attachments I've used and there is a bar graph that seems to indicate I still have a lot of room, but I'm not sure how much.


----------



## realdealblues

Seem to be in a Chamber Music mood today

View attachment 22419


Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 4
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Vesteralen

I was anxious to get any Mark Elder Elgar recording after reading the interview with him in:









This seems to be a very good reading of this score. I'm also anxious to try the Tasmin Little version (she also writes about her experiences in this book).

Of the versions I currently have, my favorite is still the old Menuhin version with Elgar himself conducting.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Pachelbel's organ works vol. 1.


----------



## Blancrocher

I just listened to Gulda's Salzburg concert from 1964, which includes performances of Beethoven's sonatas #2, 14, 31, and 32.

It's an interesting program: two of Beethoven's most lyrical sonatas sandwiched between pieces that seem like obvious candidates for showcasing Gulda's style. Gulda makes interesting decisions throughout. Worth a listen!


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Messe de la Pentecôte
Olivier Latry, organ


----------



## Neo Romanza

Skilmarilion said:


> I have not followed this argument, but not appreciating the music of the _SVS_ -- or any music for that matter, does not mean that someone has an "inability" to appreciate, and certainly it is not a "failing". People have different tastes, that is all.


Yes, I know people have different tastes. That's obvious. But who's fault is it that you don't like Schoenberg's music? His or yours? That's my point.


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy: Preludes Book 1 & Images Set 1

- Paul Crossley


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 22428


Bach: Violin Sonata No. 1
Karl Richter (Harpsichord) & Wolfgang Schneiderhan (Violin)


----------



## pianoccrtovivace

Any guys with Spotify playlist? Could have compared notes..


----------



## Ravndal

Sofia Gubaidulina: "Musical Toys"


----------



## julianoq

Now exploring Magnus Lindberg's music.

Just finished the Violin Concerto, performed by Lisa Batiashvili. I liked the concerto, a lot of different violin techniques and interesting orchestration.










Next will be the Cello Concerto performed by Anssi Karttunen.


----------



## Kieran

The Haffner Serenade, while I'm cooking. Won't get it all in the pot before she boils over, but that's okay. This is macho man music at the start, a real door-barger, then she segues into violin stuff, marches, dance tunes, etc. 

Weighs in at about an hour, and is conducted by Ton Koopman, with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra making gorgeous doe-eyes at their gaffer...


----------



## Skilmarilion

Playing back some Proms on TV ...

*Mozart * - Piano Concerto No. 25 in C / P. Lewis -- piano, D. Harding, Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Every time you think you've settled on a favourite of the 27, Wolfgang's always there to say "think again!".


----------



## julianoq

Martinu's piano concertos 2 & 3. Sadly I have a meeting in 10 minutes and will not be able to listen to the rest of the album today. Performed by Emil Leichner and Jiri Belohlavek.


----------



## Mika

Ludwig van B Symphony #3

Mozart symphony #41 from youtube :


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor
Chicago Symphony, cond. Previn


----------



## Wood

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, I know people have different tastes. That's obvious. But who's fault is it that you don't like Schoenberg's music? His or yours? That's my point.


'Scuse me butting in, but could you take this worn out debate somewhere else?

This thread is for appreciating what we are listening to, period. In any case, Realdeal & Mahlerian are sorted.


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Cantata No. 2, Five Pieces Op. 5 (arr. for string orchestra)
BBC Symphony, BBC Chorus, cond. Boulez









Takemitsu: Landscape, for string quartet without vibrato
Ensemble Takemitsu









The latter is one of the many pieces that use non-vibrato strings to imitate the distinctive sound of the Shou (笙), a Japanese reed organ used to play tone cluster-like harmonies in Gagaku music.


----------



## Stemahl

Been a little while since I posted on here, and I'm not really sure why...Haha

Well my current listening is a discussion on an old Gramophone disc between Michael Tilson Thomas and Edward Seckerson about Mahler - his life and music, which is interesting.

Seeing as I haven't been on for a while I might as well post some "recent" listening (past couple of days):

























These, plus many other works that I listen to quite regularly (Dvorak, Mozart, Beethoven etc.).


----------



## realdealblues

Finishing up...










Bach: Violin Sonata No. 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Karl Richter (Harpsichord) & Wolfgang Schneiderhan (Violin)

I really like this recording. It's a shame DG has let it go out of print and now it's only really available through ArkivMusic. A seller on the Amazon Marketplace wants $1,026.60 for an original used CD copy. WTH? How do you even come up with that specific dollar amount?


----------



## Ravndal

Brahms Serenade no 1

Claudio Abbado + Berlin philharmoniker


----------



## Guest

23) Brahms Violin Sonatas - Znaider and Bronfman:


----------



## Ravndal

Ravndal said:


> Brahms Serenade no 1
> 
> Claudio Abbado + Berlin philharmoniker


Continuing. Just heard Academic Festival Overture. Now it's the Hungarian Dances.


----------



## Sid James

*Holst* 
A Moorside Suite
- Grimethorpe Colliery Band under Elgar Howarth
Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (Third Group)* & The Evening-Watch
- The Purcell Singers under Imogen Holst, *with Osian Ellis, harp accompanist

*Grainger* Tune from the County Derry (Danny Boy)
- Melbourne SO under Geoffrey Simon

*Penderecki* Capriccio for violin and orch.
- Wanda Wikomirska, violin with Polish Radio National SO under the composer

*Dvorak* Serenade for Strings
- English CO under Rafael Kubelik


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

Ensemble Villa Musica: Rainer Kussmaul and Aki Sunahara, violins -- Enrique Santiago and Hariolf Schlichtag, violas -- Martin Ostertag, cello

View attachment 22443


----------



## Guest

24) Breville and Canteloube - Violin Sonata #1 and Suite "Dans la montagne"









The Brahms violin sonatas are very good, but these works are great! Especially the Canteloube!

But nobody's ever heard of them. Oh the injustice!

Out of 850 or so albums in my collection, this one is definitely top 5. What else can I say?


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Cello Concerto - David Geringas, cello, Jonas Alcksa, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

DrMike said:


> Pulling Liszt off the shelf today - I do from time to time, as that is about all I seem to care to hear. Anyways, my selection was his Annees de Pelerinage, as performed by Bertrand Chamayou on Naive.
> 
> View attachment 22413


After checking out some reviews, I decided to get my own copy. This is a very satisfying version of the work, which I look forward to returning to. Thanks for the tip!

For others who may be interested, the MP3 download is selling for under $10 on Amazon.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 22445


Mozart: Symphonies 40 & 41
James Levine & The Vienna Philharmonic

I've honestly never really been a fan of James Levine's recordings in general but decided to give this disc a chance (it was given to me free). Pretty straight forward interpretations. Better than I thought it would be, but nothing extraordinary. Fine playing by the Vienna Philharmonic but nothing really screams this recording is special compared to the many many recordings of these works out there.


----------



## Ravndal

Grieg - Ballade

Einar Steen-Nøkleberg


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3.*

I can't believe these aren't better known. Symphony No. 3 reminds me of David Diamond.


----------



## Guest

25) Busoni - Piano Concerto - Marc-Andre Hamelin, etc









Because sometimes way too much is just about right!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Selected Songs.*

Ned Rorem is best known for his songs. I'm trying this, but personally, I'm not a big fan of this type of thing. Nevertheless, it is interesting to hear him playing piano on his own compositions.


----------



## bejart

Antonin Reicha (1770-1836): Fugue No.3 on a theme by Haydn

Jaroslav Tuma, piano

View attachment 22449


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Absolute love Vivaldi's Bassoon Concertos. Same for this album. Love it so far!

The bassoonist is fantastic.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn Symphony 4.


----------



## Guest

26) Sharon Bezaly and Roland Pontinen - Cafe au Lait









Straight-forward pleasant, mostly French, music for flute and piano -- perfect for strolling lazily around Paris or snuggling up in front of a fire. Leave your cares behind and just relax and enjoy!


----------



## opus55

Corigliano: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Itullian

Tristan, Kleiber, DGG, Act lll


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat, Op. 12


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart, Clarinet Concerto,


----------



## brotagonist

A recent acquisition: I've done disc one a few times yesterday and today and will start on disc two in the morning.

I am very happy with this!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bax's Symphony No.2 - Myer Fredman, cond.


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D major, "The Lark"
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Andolink

SimonNZ said:


> Bax's Symphony No.2 - Myer Fredman, cond.


Easily my favorite Bax symphony. Great choice SimonNZ!


----------



## SimonNZ

Wolfgang Rihm's Lichtes Spiel - Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin

edit: now Magnus Lindberg's Engine - Oliver Knussen, cond.


----------



## Bas

Henry Purcell, Songs for Tenor voice
on Alpha, How pleasant this to Love









Reinoud van Mechelen, tenor voice


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Winter Fragments - Argento Chamber Ensemble

edit: now Murail's Les Travaux Et Les Jours - Marilyn Nonken, piano










edit: now Murail's Treize Couleurs Du Soleil Couchant - Ensemble Court-Circuit


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1787): Wind Quartet No.2 in E Minor

European Baroque Soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, flute -- Hansjorg Schellenberger, oboe -- Milan Turkovic, bassoon -- Phillip Moll, harpsichord

View attachment 22458


----------



## Bas

Radamisto - G.F. Handel
Part of a very nice box set (only bad thing is the libretto's on cd-rom instead of print...), cond. Alan Curtis
Published on the Virgin Label


----------



## Guest

27) Canciones Argentinas - Bernarda Fink et al.









If you like this, Bernarda Fink also has also released Slovenija, Canciones Espanolas, etc, in a similar vain.


----------



## Vesteralen

CD120 - Concert Arias for soprano and orchestra - my commuter CD for the day

Wide chronology here - a couple very early ones and several KV500+s.


----------



## EricABQ

Cherubini sonatas from Andrea Bacchetti's recording _Cherubini: 6 Piano Sonatas_.


----------



## Vesteralen

By the way - I finished the Mercury Living Presence recording of Dorati conducting Prokofiev on the way home yesterday. The Fifth Symphony with the Minneapolis Orchestra was surprising. The recording of this work I'm most familiar with is the Herbert von Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic DC LP from the late 60's or early 70's.







Dorati was considerably faster in the first three movements, a tad slower in the finale. As much as I grew to love the old LP years ago, Dorati's reading was more vital. The problem, however, was with the sound. I don't know if it was the recording or the orchestra or both, but the Mercury CD did not have the richness of the DG. At times it sounded a bit more like a band than an orchestra. (The earlier pieces on this disc with the London Symphony sounded much better to me.) But, overall, I still prefer Dorati's reading.

Can't remember just flat out enjoying a disc in recent memory as much as I enjoyed this one.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Chronochromie - Antal Dorati, cond.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Vesteralen

First CD at work today:

*Steve Reich - Three Movements for Orchestra / The Desert Music *(Chandos)

Before I put it on I asked myself - "What is this going to sound like?" I was pretty darn close with the first piece. Much as expected. The addition of a chorus with the "Desert Music" helped enormously, IMO.

Now, moving on to a second time through with:









since it has to go back to the library today.


----------



## jim prideaux

returned to Mozart no.40/41 from Pinnock/English Consort recordings of the complete symphonies-looks like the purchase was a masterstroke!


----------



## julianoq

Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerti 1-5 performed by Pascal Rogé and Charles Dutoit.


----------



## Wood

*Puccini / Verdi *_<Arias> _ (Leontyne Price)










*Tchaikovsky *_Romeo and Juliet, Francesca da Rimini, Capriccio Italien, 1812 Overture _(Barenboim, Chicago SO)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rorem, Pilgrims, Flute Concerto.*

More lovely pieces by Ned Rorem. This is my first run-through, and I'm not listening closely for form/thematic development, but so far, I just enjoy the _sound_ of these pieces.


----------



## Bas




----------



## JCarmel

Beethoven Piano Concerto 3.....Murray Perahia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink









Having had a heavy day touring the fleshpots of the North ('Morrison's' supermarket in Sunderland and the Curry's store in Durham City Retail Park...) I need something to soothe the agitated breast. My favourite Beethoven Piano Concerto is already working it's magic on that one (well, both breasts, actually?!!...) & putting me in the mood to listen to how Mitsuko Uchida fares with the 4th Concerto, when it's transmitted on BBC Four this evening at 7-30pm. Mariss Jansons conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony...also with a work that I have never learnt to love (though it's my brother John's favourite symphonic composition....Berlioz's 'Symphonie Fantastique.' Though as usual, I'll give it another 'go!'....


----------



## julianoq

Bartók's Cantata Profana, performed by Boulez and the CSO.


----------



## jim prideaux

JCarmel said:


> Beethoven Piano Concerto 3.....Murray Perahia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink
> 
> View attachment 22472
> 
> 
> Having had a heavy day touring the fleshpots of the North ('Morrison's' supermarket in Sunderland and the Curry's store in Durham City Retail Park...) I need something to soothe the agitated breast. My favourite Beethoven Piano Concerto is already working it's magic on that one (well, both breasts, actually?!!...) & putting me in the mood to listen to how Mitsuko Uchida fares with the 4th Concerto, when it's transmitted on BBC Four this evening at 7-30pm. Mariss Jansons conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony...also with a work that I have never learnt to love (though it's my brother John's favourite symphonic composition....Berlioz's 'Symphonie Fantastique.' Though as usual, I'll give it another 'go!'....


I also eagerly await this evenings prom as Beethovens 4th piano concerto performed by Uchida will undoubtedly be an event-but one question will continue to distract-was it the Morrisons on the sea-front or the branch at Doxford Park?


----------



## Sonata

*Beethovening *today  I've been working through my complete Beethoven symphonies set as part of my "Alphabetical listening project" through my whole collection. 5 weeks into that particular project that should last me a full two years I expect. This set is the London Symphony Orchestra with Josef Krips, and I just finished the 4th symphony. Enjoying these early ones more than previously, especially 2 and 4.

Also, Apassionata played by Carol Rosenberger.
This is thus far my favorite Beethoven piano sonata, I've listened to about twenty of the thirty two I believe. It will take an excellent sonata indeed to beat this in my favorites, though the first movement of Moonlight (how cliche, I know!) and Pathetique are not far behind.

:tiphat:


----------



## Blancrocher

julianoq said:


> Bartók's Cantata Profana, performed by Boulez and the CSO.


I'm listening to Bartok as well: the 6th Quartet, performed by the Takacs Quartet. It's my favorite of the set. A truly moving elegy for his mother.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 ver. ed. Nowak)
London Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Bas

JCarmel said:


> Beethoven Piano Concerto 3.....Murray Perahia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink


My favourite concerto from Beethoven!


----------



## aleazk

John Adams - _Dharma at Big Sur_.


----------



## JCarmel

Good on yer, Jim, for being familiar with both/either! It was the sea-front branch at Seaburn....very convenient for the Ladies Conveniences...tho' I hope that you're quite not so familiar with those? ...though that said, I have been known to unknowingly wander into The Gents on several occasions in my life. My friend Mags, who is chumping on a Tunnock's Wafer as I write...will verify that fact!
But back to the Music...in case I be accused of 'lowering the tone?!!'

A bit of 'the liquorice stick'...as my Dad used to call it

*Mozart *Clarinet Quintet K581, Clifford Curzon and members of The Vienna Octet

I'm afraid that try as I might, I cannot locate a jpeg file to post that applies-to this rather ancient cd issue that I'm currently listening-to.
It's one of Decca's 'Headline Classics' from way-back-when...& a very boring-looking item it is. Thankfully, the music-making is far from boring!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto.*

I've enjoyed every disc in this set (well, maybe not such the songs, but that's only because I'm not much into that type of thing).


----------



## science

Getting ready to listen to my new Klemperer's Matthew Passion, I gave the Richter another go. It's long, so I take breaks...










I know we're not supposed to listen to this, but I do anyway, and I'm not even tired of it. I might get cool someday, but for now I'll just keep on enjoying it with my dumb-tailed smile.










After you saw that Vivaldi, this is downright acceptable, isn't it? But it gets worse. I've been really uncool lately... (more to come...)


----------



## science

Yes, I confess I stooped this far. And I even had the indecency to thoroughly enjoy it.










At this point I'm almost afraid I'll ruin someone's opinion of my by posting such a thing as Victoria. But I enjoyed it too!










Of course that's not as bad as Cliburn or Kleiber or the Four Seasons. But it's still major label, famous musician, famous work, and I... just... can't... quite... conjure up the shame I'm supposed to feel. Lovely stuff! The clarinet may be my favorite instrument.


----------



## science

With birds! I dig it.










A great disappointment to me. Six months ago I loved these trios deeply. This time, meh. I'll give them a year or so off and see how I feel next time.










I don't listen to this nearly often enough.

That catches me up since my last check-in. See you in a few days!


----------



## Vesteralen

Sonata said:


> *Beethovening *today  I've been working through my complete Beethoven symphonies set as part of my "Alphabetical listening project" through my whole collection. 5 weeks into that particular project that should last me a full two years I expect.


Oh, Sonata....I thought I was the only one who would do something like that!


----------



## Vesteralen

science said:


> See you in a few days!


A few days???? Is it something we said?


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Messiaen's Chronochromie - Antal Dorati, cond.


Saw this album in the record store today. I have a Quatuor with Loriod on EMI, but should I get this'n too?


----------



## science

Vesteralen said:


> A few days???? Is it something we said?


No, I'm just too lazy to post album by album or day by day, so I wait till I get the urge.


----------



## julianoq

As Sibelius 2nd symphony will probably be eliminated in poll death-match I decided to listen to it for the first time since I attended a live performance of this symphony last month.

I had a sublime experience listening to it live. It is one my favorite symphonies, but I was listening to it less in favor of Sibelius later works. But at the concert it was, lets say, transcendental? In the transition from the 3rd to the 4th movement I felt like my soul wanted to fly away from my body. One of my most amazing experiences.


----------



## Sonata

And now for something different........Khachaturian: Cello concerto. This is part of my 99 Most Essential Cello Masterpieces album. And I don't know if it can live up to that or not, but I am finding that I enjoy it, the first movement anyway. The opening 30 seconds or so did nothing for me, but it's dramatic and interesting and inventive.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 22481

View attachment 22482


Beethoven: Symphonies 1, 3, 5 & 8
Paavo Jarvi & The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie

I listened to Jarvi's Beethoven Symphonies when they first came out and honestly, I didn't care much for them. It's been a while and I decided to give them another listen.

The sound is captured wonderfully and for a smaller orchestra it sounds pretty darn good. Now originally I'm certain that I was a little put off by this set because I'm used to Furtwangler/Klemperer/Bohm style tempos and big, old, grand band stuff. But now having spend some time with Toscanini and some faster tempo recordings, this set doesn't wear on me near as bad as it first did.

The playing is excellent, my only real gripe is sometimes it just feels like I'm on a see-saw. Super fast explosive playing followed by super light slow expressive playing, repeat every 30 seconds or so. I still have a few mixed emotions on this set but I have come to enjoy spending some time listening to it more as I listen with a little more "open" ears. I still feel the 9th doesn't work as well with smaller forces so I may skip the 9th, this time around but I'll be listening to the rest of this set probably tonight and tomorrow.


----------



## Mika

Jupiter one more time


----------



## Guest

28) Sol Gabetta - Cantabile









This is a nice and breezy "pops" classical album which might be a very good album for someone just getting into classical music. The works are mostly transcriptions for cello and orchestra of late-Romantic opera arias. Gabetta (i.e. her cello) has a beautiful "singing" tone.


----------



## Dimboukas

I bought the CD for his piano concerto and I discovered his piano suite too. Both are fantastic. I liked the treatment of the piano as a percussion instrument in the suite and the first part of the concerto. Sometimes it is reminiscent of Prokofiev.


----------



## DaveS

.......Mahler's das Lied von der Erde. Philips World Series LP. Ernst Haefliger, Nan Merriman...Concertgebouw Orchestra...Eduard van Beinum


----------



## Wood

Haydn's Dances and Marches are less well known. They are represented in the Brilliant Set by piano transcriptions played by Baart van Oort on fortepiano.

I have been enjoying 12 menuets HOB IX:11 and 12 German Dances HOB IX:12, the latter sounding like something between minuets and waltzes.

On the same disc (CD 147) I played the three miniature marches on several occasions, which stirred me up into seeking some Bonapartists to 'engage' with.










Does anyone else like these?


----------



## Guest

29) Georgy Catoire - Works for Violin and Piano









Fine Russian chamber music.


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> Saw this album in the record store today. I have a Quatuor with Loriod on EMI, but should I get this'n too?


I, um, can't remember what the Quartet is like on that disc, its been so long since I've played it or any version, in fact its probably the Messiaen work I listen to least - its high time I had another go. Maybe tonight. Yeah, high time.

But it is absolutely worth getting for the Chronochromie, if you don't already have one of the few recordings of this lesser-known but fascinating and exciting composition.

edit: here's the superb, but sadly deleted, Karl Anton Rickenbacher recording, if anyone who doesn't know it wishes to sample:


----------



## Sid James

*Copland* The Tender Land: Suite
- Tasmanian SO under Dobbs Franks

*Gershwin* Piano Concerto in F
- Pittsburgh SO with Andre Previn, piano/conductor

*Penderecki* Symphony #1
- London SO under the composer

*Liszt* Consolation #3
- Stephanie Mccallum, piano
*Sculthorpe* Left Bank Waltz
*Brahms* Waltz Op. 39 #15
- David Stanhope, piano


----------



## Guest

#30) Sonia Wieder-Atherton - Chant's d'Est









From the BBC review:

It's impossible to avoid an aura of profound mournfulness, once Sonia Wieder-Atherton embarks on her mission of music-gathering from Central and Eastern Europe. The Sinfonia Varsovia, from Warsaw, provides a highly sensitive surround here, for what is essentially a cello showcase.... including works by Rachmaninov, Dohnányi, Prokofiev, Martinů and Mahler. A living composer, Franck Krawczyk, provides the longest work, as a midway centrepiece. There is also a pair of traditional Jewish songs to further broaden the palette.

This one's great, but the next one is even better...


----------



## Guest

#31) Sonia Wieder-Atherton - Chant's juifs









Definitely top 5, probably top 3.

Taps into the neglected but very rich tradition of jewish chamber music.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Toccata. Richter


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner Symphony 5 
- Otto Klemperer
- New Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Skilmarilion

Finishing the day with some Freddie ...

*Chopin* - Piano Concerto No. 2 / Antonio Luchini, Gerogian Festival Orchestra


----------



## Guest

32) Chausson - Concert in D, Piano Trio









The Concert is for piano, violin, and string quartet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Satie, Three Movements in the Form of a Pear.*


----------



## aleazk

*Elliott Carter* night for me:

-_Flute Concerto_ (2008) (



)

-_Two Thoughts about the Piano_ (2005-06) (



, II-Caténaires)

-_Oboe Concerto_ (1986-1987) (



)

The Flute Concerto is so, but so well crafted that this fact alone already blows my mind. The flute seems to speak, to dialogue with the orchestra. The balance of the orchestra is incredible.


----------



## Selby

BPS said:


> #31) Sonia Wieder-Atherton - Chant's juifs
> 
> View attachment 22489
> 
> 
> Definitely top 5, probably top 3.
> 
> Taps into the neglected but very rich tradition of jewish chamber music.


Can you say any more about this album? I am very intrigued.


----------



## Guest

33) Frederic Chopin - 4 Ballades, etc - Krystian Zimerman

















I think I like the green background better. Did they really change the color of his tie?


----------



## Selby

BPS said:


> 33) Frederic Chopin - 4 Ballades, etc - Krystian Zimerman
> 
> View attachment 22498


Ah. My favorite recording of the Ballades.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl




----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in F Major, KV 533

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 22502


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Viola Sonata No.2 - Kim Kashkashian, viola, Robert Levin, piano


----------



## brotagonist

I got this this afternoon. $5, used. I'd heard the name off and on. It's my first experience of Rautavaara.

After one listening: it's an ethereal and atmospheric _mood music_, I suppose; perhaps angelic, like the inspiration for the 2 works on the disc.

It left me feeling serene, but I'm not really drawn to this quasi-minimalist stuff. It's ok for sleeping, I guess


----------



## Guest

34) Frederic Chopin - Complete Nocturnes - Nelson Freire


----------



## Selby

Up late and filled with energy after my mighty mighty Seahawks get a big win over the San Diego Chargers in their preseason debut!

Two from David Lang:

Child














Death Speaks









(couldn't find a youtube link)

I just recently finished listening to everything Lorenzo Palomo has had recorded; it feels good to be spending so much time, and _loving_, _*living*_ composers of classical music.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 35










Part of Martha Argerich The Collection 1 the solo recordings


----------



## neoshredder

No matter how dreadful my life is, I can always go to music like this that makes things seem ok.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Couleurs De La Cite Celeste - Yvonne Loroid, Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez

edit: now Wolfgang Rihm's Chiffre-Zyklus - MisikFabrik


----------



## PetrB

Jean Françaix ~ Harpsichord Concerto


----------



## brotagonist

brotagonist said:


> View attachment 22504
> 
> 
> It's my first experience of Rautavaara.


After a midnight stroll, I pushed play again. What a joy to live in this age!

There seems to be a Messiaenesque sound to the second movement, replete with bird calls! I will need to live with this for a day or two.


----------



## PetrB

*Beat Furrer ~ Piano Concerto* _(fantastic and "beautiful" _


----------



## SimonNZ

Magnus Lindberg's Sculpture - Sakari Oramo, cond.


----------



## Bas

I am in a Mozartian Mood, started with some keyboard works:








Kristian Bezuidenhout, Keyboard works volume II, sonata K330, K511, K485, K540, K457

And currently I am enjoying Cosi fan tutte, Rene Jacobs et al.









It is such a masterpiece!


----------



## SimonNZ

Georg Freidrich Haas' In Vain - Klangform Wien


----------



## chrisco97

*Bach* - Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043: II. Largo ma non tanto
_Alexander Jablokov, Takako Nishizaki, Capella Istropolitana/Oliver Dohnanyi_

This is sooo beautiful. I do not remember it sounding this beautiful the first time I listened to it...

I love how well the two violins are complimenting each other. It is amazingly beautiful.


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I was rather underwhelmed at last night's Prom....I found Mitsuko's Beethoven insufficiently pleasing to take my mind off the outfit she was wearing. I_ know _I should ignore such matters totally but I found that between the facial grimaces she constantly made and that awful black vest-type top with a sequined letter 'F' under the right arm (what does the F stand-for, I wondered....suggestions on a postcard to the Royal Albert Hall, please...) I found myself unable to relax to enjoy the music. 
I really wish that female performers and artists would present themselves for performance in more mundane outfits....we are there to concentrate on the music on-offer, not the fashion notes. Apologies for the rant....

As I didn't much enjoy 'The Four Seasons' Kennedy-style either, I'm going to start my listening off today with something very politically-incorrect in musical terms...but for me enjoyable, nevertheless!


----------



## SimonNZ

Lou Harrison's Gending Pak Chokro - Berkley Gamelan Ensemble

edit: now Harrison's Double Concerto For Violin, Cello And Gamelan - Kenneth Goldsmith, Terry King, Mills College Gamelan Ensemble










edit: now Harrison's Varied Trio - Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio


----------



## bejart

Anna Bon de Venezia (ca.1740-1770?): Flute Sonata in F Major, Op.1, No.2

Sabine Dreier, flute -- Irene Hegen, harpsichord

View attachment 22517


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner's Romantic Sketches For The Young played by Hamish Milne.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lou Harrison's Mass To St Anthony - Gilbert Seeley, dir.


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> Lou Harrison's Mass To St Anthony - Gilbert Seeley, dir.


Don't skip the part Pärt! It is beautiful!


----------



## julianoq

Starting the day with some Prokofiev's Piano Concerti. No. 2 is playing at this moment. Performed by Michel Béroff.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: "Dem Gerechten muss das Licht", BWV 195; "Nun danket alle Gott", BWV 192
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Christoph Genz, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor, Kk. 213
Virginia Black, harpsichord








Bruno Maderna: Aura, for orchestra (1972)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo








Antonio Caldara: Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo, oratorio (c. 1700)
Maria Cristina Kiehr (soprano)
Rosa Dominguez (soprano)
Bernardo Fink (mezzo)
Andreas Scholl (counter-tenor)
Ulrich Messthaler (bass)
Gerd Türk (tenor)
Orchestra of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis/René Jacobs








Michael Quell: temps et couleurs I, for flute and guitar (1995)
Martina Roth, flute
Jürgen Ruck, guitar


----------



## Vesteralen

My commuter CD for this morning.

Schumann's "Genoveva" Overture is one of my all time favorites, and the Kubelik DG version (with the Sym No 2) on LP was probably my favorite LP of all time. It makes it hard to like any other version. I find most conductors take the overture too fast for my taste, and Munch is no exception. It is a very exciting reading, though. Too bad there was something wonky about the balance in the sound.

The Brahms Piano Concerto No 2 is a horse of another color. This version with Rubenstein seems ( at least through the first three movements) very similar to the Rubenstein/Ormandy version on RCA that I used to have on LP.

Greenberg's lecture on this piece, by the way, is worth hearing if you ever get a chance.


----------



## Vesteralen

First at work CD today was:

*Bernard Herrmann - Moby Dick / Sinfonietta *(Chandos)

To me, Moby Dick was by far and away the most boring classic I ever read (and, thankfully, my high school teacher let us skip the REALLY boring chapters). The music wasn't much better, IMO.

The Sinfonietta was more what I was expecting - very Herrmannesque.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: A Sermon, A Narrative, and A Prayer
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








Stravinsky: A Sermon, A Narrative, and A Prayer
Choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street

(From their Stravinsky Sacred Works festival earlier this year.)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 ver. ed. Nowak)
London Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt








Is there a pattern to my listening, you say?


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Is there a pattern to my listening, you say?


How did you know I said that?


----------



## rrudolph

I'll be playing this in the fall. It's been a while, so I'm refreshing my memory.









Haydn: Symphony #51-one of my favorite Haydn symphonies. I love the insane horn parts...









JC Bach: Six Grand Overtures Op. 18


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Sofronitsky's Scriabin. He's probably my favorite interpreter of Scriabin, though there are other recordings I can't do without. A generous selection from youtube:


----------



## Cheyenne

Shostakovich's 4th symphony, conducted and played by Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Rautavaara's Concerto for 3 Harps (the main solo one and two additional ones for support) and Orchestra, and Concerto for Concert Flute, Piccolo, Alto Flute and Bass Flute (one for each movement) and Orchestra, with Leif Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Mozart's Symphony No. 35, "Haffner", with Jiří Bělohlávek and The Prague Philharmonia. 
Schubert's Sonatina in D major, D.384, played by Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. 
Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists playing Shostakovich's Op. 110a: the chamber orchestra version of his string quartet no. 8.


----------



## jim prideaux

Mitchell said:


> Can you say any more about this album? I am very intrigued.


so am I!

any further opinions/facts etc?


----------



## Cheyenne

Schoenberg's Drei Klavierstücke op.11, played by Frederic Chiu.. Magnificent performance, or at least strangely accessible.


----------



## Vesteralen

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 22526
> 
> 
> My commuter CD for this morning.
> 
> The Brahms Piano Concerto No 2 is a horse of another color. This version with Rubenstein seems ( at least through the first three movements) very similar to the Rubenstein/Ormandy version on RCA that I used to have on LP.


I had to go out and run some errands in my car at work this morning, and I had a chance to finish this CD. Either I wasn't paying attention before (highly likely) or something really changed in the middle of the third movement.

This version is nothing at all like the Ormandy/Rubenstein version. Well, Rubenstein sounds the same, but that's about it.
Not only does Munch take a faster pace in the last two movements, the phrasing is all different, too.

The fourth movement in the Ormandy version sounds like a couple of octogenarians sitting out on the veranda sipping iced tea. The Munch version sounds more like a couple of old friends having a brewski at the local tavern.

Maybe the ideal performance would be somewhere between.....


----------



## julianoq

Wagner's Die Walküre, conducted by Solti.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 22541


Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Nelson Freire; Rudolf Kempe & The Munich Philharmonic

I don't understand why this version isn't more popular? It's constantly moving up towards being my favorite.


----------



## Guest

I've heard the concerto with Pollini and with Zimerman and the Waldszenen with Schiff, but this is my first experience with Richter's Schumann.


----------



## Bas

Beethoven piano concerto no. 3
By Steven Lubin (fortepiano) & Christopher Hogwood (Dir.)









Also the best pathetique I've on cd!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 22547

View attachment 22548


Beethoven: Symphonies 2, 4, 6 & 7
Paavo Jarvi & The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie

Just finished off the rest of Symphonies (other than 9). I don't know why but Jarvi's interpretations work better for me on the "Even Numbered" symphonies, although I did just enjoy his 7th.


----------



## aleazk

Debussy - _Piano études_.

Ravel - _Le tombeau de Couperin_.

Ligeti - _Clocks and clouds_; _Lontano_.


----------



## Selby

Hovhaness, Alan - Cantata for Voice, Horn, and String Orchestra, Op. 19, "Angelic Song" 
[Suzanne Banister, Karen Griebling, The Hendrix College Chamber Orchestra]


----------



## realdealblues

Joseph Martin Krauss: Olympie Overture, Symphony In E-Flat, C & C Minor
Petter Sundkvist & The Swedish Chamber Orchestra

I finally got Volume 1 in the mail yesterday. I listened to it last night at bedtime but was half asleep so I am now giving it a more thorough listening. I love that Olympie Overture!


----------



## rrudolph

CPE Bach: 3 Quartets Wq. 93-95 (I really like the fortepiano sound on this recording)









Haydn: Piano Sonatas Hob. XVI 40-42, 51-52/Andante con Variazione Hob. XVII 6









Mozart: Quintet K. 452


----------



## Selby

Clips from Mizzy Mazzoli's Song From The Uproar - The Lifes And Deaths Of Isabelle Eberhardt


























Palomo, Lang, Dennehy, Saariaho, Mazzoli, Golijov, Panufnik, Tabakova, Ades - I'm seriously considering only listening to living composers for a spell; feeling very enthusiastic.


----------



## Itullian

Parsifal, Act 1, Gergiev................


----------



## Guest

35) Cornet Fantasie - Whitehouse & Novak









Although "classical" this could easily pass for jazz as well.


----------



## Kieran

Free with this month's BBC magazine, Vladimir Horrorbits performing some Scarlatti, Schumann, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Giving it a whirl while I read.

After I type this.

Ahem! :tiphat:


----------



## DavidA

Rachmaninov 3 Lugansky.

Tremendous Russian playing with Russian horns to boot!


----------



## Bix

DavidA said:


> Rachmaninov 3 Lugansky.
> 
> Tremendous Russian playing with Russian horns to boot!


Great pianist .


----------



## Guest

Edited:

I had listed three Cras albums here but I'm gonna scale this back to one selection:

36) Cras - orchestral works









64 to go!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Bruckner's 8th Symphony - Günter Wand RCA


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass In B Minor - Georg Christoph Biller, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Vier Stucke, Op 27, Drei Satiren, Op. 28, Sechs Stucke, Op. 35, Dreimal tausend Jahre, Op. 50a, De profundis, Op. 50b, Moderner Psalm I, Op. 50c (fragment), A Survivor from Warsaw, Op. 46
BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Orchestra, cond. Pierre Boulez








Many of Schoenberg's wonderful choral works. The sonics on these recordings are a bit recessed for my taste, but it's difficult to capture a chorus well without sounding muddy. I love the delicate setting of "Der Wunch des Liebhabers", from the same collection that Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde originated in, Der Chinesische Flote. The third of the three satires, "Der Neue Klassismus", is a little over-long and heavy-handed for my taste, but all of the Op. 50 pieces are excellent, and it's a shame he didn't live to finish the third of them. Finally, A Survivor from Warsaw is a truly terrifying piece of music and, in my mind, the only holocaust-themed work I know that really captures the horror of that time without diminishing it in any way, written by one who could easily have become a victim.


----------



## kv466

Dave,...Bix...wow. If you like that,...please, please, please listen to Earl Wild.


----------



## Kieran

*K563*, string trio. I think if this piece was a city, it would have everyone in it...


----------



## JCarmel

Henryk Wieniawski, Violin Concerto No 2, Jascha Heifetz









Listening to this from my laptops hard drive...so I haven't the cd at hand to record the orchestra and conductor....nor can I recall the details. But the playing by Heifetz is tremendous. 
What an enigma he was and what facility he displayed on the violin. Some say his playing lacked genuine feeling but I don't believe that for a moment. But maybe part of our appreciation for a solo performance is made-up of an awareness of the sheer difficulty involved in navigating one's way through a demanding score without major error...and Heifetz seemed to sail-through the most taxing of scores with seeming ease.


----------



## Conor71

*Sinding: Suite For Violin & Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 10*

Good morning all - Im catching up with some of the recordings in my pile today. I liked Perlmans Korngold concerto but the sound was a bit boxy. No problems with the Sinding suite and what a great work too!. Next I will play the Goldmark concerto for a first listen. Later I want to listen to some Discs of Saint-Saens chamber music I bought last month starting with the Piano Trios recording.


----------



## EricABQ

Listening to some Medtner that I downloaded this morning. Good stuff.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass In B minor - Hermann Scherchen, cond. (second of his two, 1959)


----------



## chrisco97

Sitting in my bedroom relaxing and listening to the second CD of _The A-Z of Classical Music_. Some amazing stuff! On *Schubert's* Trout Quintet: IV at the moment...like the Bach piece, I do not remember it sounding this great. Even funnier, it was the exact same performance _(Jeno Jando, Istvan Toth, and the Kodaly Quartet)_! :lol:


----------



## Tristan

*Spohr* - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 121

I'm kind of going through a Spohr phase right now; he may be my favorite underrated composer.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major (after Piano Sonata Op.14, No.1)

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikeui Okeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello

View attachment 22565


Tristan says:
"...I'm kind of going through a Spohr phase right now."

I just received a couple of his string quartet CDs today, so that will probably launch me onto another round of 'Spohr'mania ---


----------



## Guest

I believe this is the 6th harp concerto I've done today


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - _Quintet for Piano and Wind_s.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 23, 15, 21










Working remotely on Friday night


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi concertos - Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## Sid James

Spent about an hour with *Gershwin*:

_Rhapsody in Blue_* & _An American in Paris_
- Pittsburgh SO with Andre Previn, conductor *and pianist
_Rhapsody in Blue_*, _That Certain Feeling, Three Preludes_
- The composer on piano *with Paul Whiteman and his Concert Orchestra
_Cuban Overture_
- Richard Hayman and his Orchestra
_Porgy and Bess - Medley_
- Sarah Vaughan, vocals and her jazz trio with Los Angeles PO under Michael Tilson-Thomas, live in concert

Then the final *Penderecki* piece finishing this traversal of all my Penderecki cd's (bar one!). Took me about three weeks to get through all the four cd's, one work at a time. Got to take this stuff in measured doses, its basically many shades of dark. Quite draining, tbh.

*Penderecki* _Dies Irae_ (1967)
- Anna Lubanska, mezzo-sop., Ryszard Minkiewecz, tenor, Jaroslaw Brek, bass-baritone, Warsaw National Phil. Choir & Orch. under Antoni Wit

Left the *Dies Irae* till last. Reflecting on Mahlerian's comments here:



Mahlerian said:


> …Many of Schoenberg's wonderful choral works. ...Finally, A Survivor from Warsaw is a truly terrifying piece of music and, in my mind, the only holocaust-themed work I know that really captures the horror of that time without diminishing it in any way, written by one who could easily have become a victim.


 …this work has parallels with that. It was written for the opening of Auschwitz as a museum and memorial to the Shoah. This is psychopathic, the thing that comes closest to my knowing is Ligeti's Requiem. It must have been chilling to hear this upon its premiere, which took place at Auschwitz. Must have been particularly uncomfortable for those in the audience who where survivors of the death camps. Penderecki survived the war as a child, he witnessed the Jews being taken away. Undoubtedly it would have left a mark on him, judging from this and other war/conflict themed works of his.

Not a walk in the park. Part of it feels voyeuristic, in terms of the whole choir screaming and screeching at points, surely an evocation of what happened in the gas chambers? No need to explain why I seldom listen to this piece, but nonetheless I think its brilliant - but for vastly different reasons than most other music I like.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Boccherini


----------



## drpraetorus

Ippolitov-Ivanov, Caucasian Sketches #2


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven's 6th Symphony - Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Bas

Pierre Rode - Caprices en forme d'études
Elisabeth Wallfisch









Johan Baptist Vanhal - Three late string quartets
Casmenia String Quartet









Desmarest - Venus & Adonis








That is my planning for today.


----------



## Guest

K378, K377, K376
Banchini, Vesselinova


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Op.5, No.1

Collegium Musicum 90 -- Simon Standage, violin

View attachment 22585


----------



## Kieran

Ya don't wanna be stalked by an Irishman - especially if your name is Mitsuko.

On the recommendation of a few posters here, I been hiding in the shade waiting for Tower Records to source Dame Mitsuko of the Centre Court performing *Schoenberg's piano concerto, opus 42*. Today I got it!

It's a single-disc, featuring cameos from Berg (piano sonata, opus 1) and Webern (Variations, opus 27). Other Schoenberg piano stuff on it include Three Piano Pieces and Six Little Piano Pieces.

The Cleveland Orchestra is conducted by Pierre Boulez.

All this cost €14.99. Anything over a fiver is expensive if the composer's first name isn't Wolfgang, but what can you do...


----------



## SimonNZ

Wojciech Kilar's Krzesany - Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Trying something different today.
On spotify








Gliere - Duets


----------



## SimonNZ

Bechara El-Khoury's Poeme Symphonique:Le Vin Des Nuages - Vladimir Sorenko, cond


----------



## jim prideaux

spent the morning with Charles Lloyd, John Abercrombie and finally Elvis Costello-now Mozart 19th/20th piano concertos Perahia/ECO. Just read elegiac article in Guardian regarding Powell/Pressburger masterpiece 'A Canterbury Tale'-feel need to watch it again early evening-that no doubt will send me back into Finzi/Walton/Vaughan Williams territory!


----------



## SimonNZ

Love A Canterbury Tale and must see it again. Thanks for the reminder.

playing now:










Yves Prin's Ephemeres - Philippe Gaffin, violin, Bruno Ferrandis, cond.


----------



## Andolink

Georg Phlipp Telemann: Quartet in F major for treble recorder, oboe, violin and b.c.; Quartet in G minor for violin, oboe, viola da gamba and b.c.; Trio Sonata in F major for treble recorder, viola da gamba and b.c.
The Chandos Baroque Players








J. S. Bach: "Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn", BWV 157
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Christoph Genz, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in D major, Kk. 119; Sonata in D minor, Kk. 120
Virginia Black, harpsichord








Johann Christoph Bach: "Meine Freundin, du bist Schön" 
Paul Elliott (Tenor), David Cordier (Countertenor), Michael Schopper (Bass), 
Maria Zedelius (Soprano) 
Musica Antiqua Cologne/Reinhard Goebel


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's Recueil de Chants played by Stephanie McCallum.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Alexander Glazunov (10 August 1865-1936): String Quartet No.3 in G Major, Op.26

Shostokovich Quartet: Andrei Shishlov and Alexander Balashov, violins -- Alexander Galkovsky, viola -- Alexander Korchagin, cello

View attachment 22599


----------



## Andolink

Fortunato Chelleri: Six Simphonies Nouvelles--No 1 in D major, No. 2 in C major and No. 4 in A major
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Missa Solemnis.*


----------



## JCarmel

*Mozart*, Piano Sonata in C, K330 played by Mitsuko Uchida

Having a magic Mitsuko moment this time...to purge the memory of the sequined t-shirt top, a' la Proms. And its working...


----------



## JCarmel

Just a little gift for ptr....who likes a bit of Trout in his toddy?!






Hope it's to your taste.....


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields

View attachment 22610


----------



## ptr

JCarmel said:


> Just a little gift for ptr....who likes a bit of Trout in his toddy?!


I'm so grateful that You noticed my inability to correct the web-browser spellcheck on my lap-top, I'm gurgling my throat gratefully with troutoddy in Your general direction! 
Schubert is always a remedy when You're cold stricken!

/ptr


----------



## DaveS

Beethoven Piano Concerti 1-5. Backhaus, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, VPO. Decca LP set 1958. Beautiful.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

The new Metropolitan Ring Cycle!!! I've only got my copy a few days ago, and I am halfway through "Die Walküre" now. I;ve found I really like the staging (yes, and "the Machine" too). It's not perfect of course, but sometimes very beautiful, and with a bit of imagination added, Wagner's magic comes alive. It is also not "the ultimate" in terms of the singing (Solti's Ring was better) but if you consider all the elements of the performance together, they balance out to something definitely worth having.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm now finally purged of the Mitsuko experience...(I was somewhat disappointed rationally, with her *Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto*from this weeks Proms, & irrationally annoyed by her facial contortions and eccentricity of dress....mea culpa for this weakness, I really shouldn't be bothered by the latter?!)
But I've got over it now by listening to an old Ace of Clubs LP recording of the 4th ...that I grew-up listening-to, played by Wilhelm Backhaus with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Clemens Krauss, that I've always found 'hard-to-beat'....









I don't think that that performance is available to hear on the internet but I've just located this youtube video of a later performance by Backhaus...in his 80's?... conducted by Karl Bohm.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trios, Hob. XV/15,16,17
Szymanowski: Concerto Overture followed by Symphony No. 2


----------



## realdealblues

Trying something new (at least to me)

View attachment 22613


Ives: Symphonies 2 & 3
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

I've heard a few other works from Ives that didn't really do much for me, but these symphonies were ok. I liked Symphony No. 2 a little better than Symphony No. 3. I liked how he wove in some familiar melodies. I don't know that they will go into my "favorites" playlist, but I could listen to both again without hesitation.


----------



## Blancrocher

A wonderful performance of Scarlatti sonatas by Maria Tipo--and a good cover to boot!


----------



## Wood

After plenty of time chugging through the old repertoire, I've moved forward to the 20th century.

*Vaughan Williams *_Symphonies Nos 5 & 9 _(Bakels, Bournemouth SO, 1996). The one with the Sibelian tribute & the other where poor Tess gets arrested at Stonehenge.

*Birtwhistle *_Gawain's journey 
_
*Part *_Tabula Rasa 
_
*Robert Simpson *_Energy _(Played by brass band)

*Stravinsky *_Piano rag music & Circus polka
_
*Tavener *_Song for Athene
_
*Vaughan Williams *_Symphony No. 6_ (BBC SO, Boult, 1972)

*Bridge *_The sea _ (BBC National O of Wales, Brabbins, 2013)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schubert - Symphonies 4 + 6
Roger Norrington and the London Classical Players


----------



## Ingélou

Janacek's Sinfonietta & In the Mists (recommended by Schuberkovich) - really beautiful.


----------



## DaveS

I shouldn't use this cover since it is the CD of the same performances. I'm listening to the LP, sans the 7th. Sibelius Oceanides, Tapiola, and Pelleas et Melisande. Beecham and the RPO. He had a way with Sibelius. EMI HMV LP.


----------



## maestro57

Beethoven - Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 (played by Alfred Brendel)

According to Brendel, through Wikipedia, he says this is "the greatest of all piano works." It's good, but not _that_ good.


----------



## Blancrocher

maestro57 said:


> Beethoven - Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 (played by Alfred Brendel)
> 
> According to Brendel, through Wikipedia, he says this is "the greatest of all piano works." It's good, but not _that_ good.


In fairness, Brendel probably said that after hearing Pollini play them.


----------



## Bix

Glière: Harp Concerto / Elizaveta Bushueva, harp / Moscow City Orch with Tararin


----------



## DaveS

Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet Ballet Suite. Dimitri Mitropoulos and the NY philharmonic. Columbia LP.


----------



## kv466




----------



## Mika

Prokofiev, Piano music vol1.


----------



## Bix

Poulenc: Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings in G minor / Leo van Doeselaar, organ / Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw


----------



## Bas

I enjoyed the program I posted this morning. Now for the evening (what better to do on a saturday than to listen!) I shall post hat I have listened to after dinner.

Disc 10 & 11 of the Scarlatti Complete works by Scott Ross (K156-K188)








Mendelssohn - Piano sextet (skipped the octet today)







By the Praẑák Quartet, the Kocian Quartet
Excellent sacd, exquisite audio!


----------



## kv466




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5.*, Yuri Ahronovich conducting.

I'd write my thoughts for the Shostakovich 5 thread, but my hands hurt.

Ahronovich does a great job with this, but for some reason, I miss Kondrashin (even though it's supposed to be his weakest interpretation of his cycle).


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet in C Major

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello Vranicky

View attachment 22622


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 4.*

Happy birthday, Mr. Glazunov, wherever you are.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in D Major, KV 593

Griller String Quartet with William Primrose on viola: Sidney Griller and Jack O'Brien, violins -- Philip Burton, viola -- Colin Hampton, cello

View attachment 22624


----------



## Cheyenne

Brahms' Sextet Op. 18 arranged for Piano, Violin and Cello by Theodor Kirchner, a friend of Brahms. It works stupendously well!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## JCarmel

Anyone for a bit of bouncy late-night Bach?






The soloist is the oboist from the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, I think....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Organ Works for a little while. See how far I get.


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Symphony No.3 in E Flat, Wq 181/2

Andrew Manze conducting the English Concert

View attachment 22626


----------



## JCarmel

Anyone fancy a bit of bouncy late-night Mozart?


----------



## kv466




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## AClockworkOrange

I have been listening to a lot of Schubert's lieder this evening:


----------



## Joris

Handel / Marcel Tabuteau, 1952: Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor - Eugene Ormandy conducting


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Cosmos

Bruckner's 7th! with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I think I've died and gone to heaven


----------



## realdealblues

I am also in Bruckner 7th heaven...but in mine's in Mono.

View attachment 22634


Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Wilhelm Furtwangler & The Berlin Philharmonic (1951)


----------



## NightHawk

today - great cast, the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Sir Georg Solti is very exuberant. (recorded/released ~ 1981/1983)

cast: Kiri Te Kanawa, Samuel Ramey, Frederika von Stade, Thomas Allen, Lucia Popp, Kurt Moll.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## starthrower

Dutilleux's dazzling piano sonata played dazzlingly by his wife, Genevieve Joy.


----------



## Guest

25 characters........


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.11 in B Flat

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 22639


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music Of The Troubadors" - Ensemble Unicorn


----------



## Tristan

Starting yesterday, I've been listening to:

*Puccini* - La fanciulla del West


----------



## Guest

37) Czech Works for Cello and Piano


----------



## Blancrocher

Van Cliburn's great performance of Barber's Piano Sonata:


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4


----------



## chrisco97

Was busy all day today, now at home relaxing with some *Mozart*:

*Horn Concertos No. 1-4*
_Albert Linder, Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Hans Swarowsky_


----------



## aleazk

Anton Webern - _Five Movements_ (Orchestral Version).


----------



## Neo Romanza

aleazk said:


> Anton Webern - _Five Movements_ (Orchestral Version).


What performance? I still don't understand why people can't put the performance they are listening to? I mean you're already typing it out might as well type some more, right?


----------



## aleazk

Neo Romanza said:


> What performance? I still don't understand why people can't put the performance they are listening to? I mean you're already typing it out might as well type some more, right?


London Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez, of course.


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: String Quartet No. 3 In D Major, B 18*

In a Dvorak kind of mood again - currently listening to the epic SQ No. 3. Later I will listen to Cypresses from the same set. At some stage I will play Symphony No. 2 from the Jarvi box.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alfonso X: Catigas de Santa Maria - Sequentia

edit: now Stravinsky's Apollo - Herbert von Karajan, cond.










edit: now Saint-Saens' Requiem - Jacques Mercier, cond.


----------



## aleazk

Robert Moran - _Requiem: Chant du Cygne_ (1990). (



)


----------



## ptr

Last of my "summer guests" (a.k.a them f-ing ******** that invades my privacy during July every year) left this morning! After a late morning in bed I've just started cleansing the air of my library/Music room:

*Gerard Grisey* - Les Espaces Acoustiques (*Kairos*)









Garth Knox, viola; Asko Ensemble; WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln u. Stefan Asbury

/ptr


----------



## Guest

38) Danças Brasileiras


----------



## Bas

Monteverdi - Lamento d'Ariana 
Madrigals from the 7th and 9th book
Dir. Jacobs, Concerto Vocale, on HM









I unfortunately don't have the right Bach cantatas for the 11th sunday after trinity (199, 179, 113), therefore I will listen to a mass by Zelenka. 
Zelenka - Missae dei Filii
Frieder Bernus, dir. on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Handel - Le cantate per il Cardinal Ottoboni (no. III of the Glossa series)
HWV 150,140,165,78
Dir. Fabio Bonizonni


----------



## SimonNZ

Lou Harrisons Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra - Keith Jarrett, piano, Lucy Stolzman, violin


----------



## Bas

Do you know Jarett's Köln concert?


----------



## SimonNZ

Bas said:


> Do you know Jarett's Köln concert?


Oh my, yes. Got my first copy when I was 18 (in '89). An album that's been the soundtrack to various important moments in my life, and one I've introduced to many of my friends. The same would be true of another half dozen of his albums. And I've built up a pretty impressive Jarrett collection now, trying for completeness, even though its an enormous discography. Special mention for the all to few albums he made with The Belonging Band (or "European Quartet"). Do you know those?

Your Bach comment reminded me that I used to play a cantata a week following whatever they lined up on the Bach-Cantatas site. Don't know now how or why I got out of the habit.


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> Oh my, yes. Got my first copy when I was 18 (in '89). An album that's been the soundtrack to various important moments in my life, and one I've introduced to many of my friends. The same would be true of another half dozen of his albums. And I've built up a pretty impressive Jarrett collection now, trying for completeness, even though its an enormous discography. Special mention for the all to few albums he made with The Belonging Band (or "European Quartet"). Do you know those?
> 
> Your Bach comment reminded me that I used to play a cantata a week following whatever they lined up on the Bach-Cantatas site. Don't know now how or why I got out of the habit.


Jarret is fantastic, indeed (I like him expecially solo). I must say that I'm a really casual jazz listener, though. There is really a big prevalence for classical! Sometimes his music is on the tiny border between those two.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bas said:


> Jarret is fantastic, indeed (I like him expecially solo). I must say that I'm a really casual jazz listener, though. There is really a big prevalence for classical! Sometimes his music is on the tiny border between those two.


And that seems more true as time goes on. I'm often struck when listening to the early ECMs from the 70's by how many of them, especially the solo albums by many artists, now sound more classical than jazz, and how logical it now seems that they branched out into their classical "New Series". I have a pet theory that it now seems that way because contemporary classical composers have paid more attention to and learned/assimilated more from ECM than jazz composers (thus the seemingly bizarre lack of mention of ECM or any of their artists in Ken Burns Jazz, to give but one obvious example).


----------



## Guest

39) Diminuito - Rolf Lislevand et al.









I guess you can call this modern renaissance music. One of these days I gotta pick up Nuovo Musiche.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's The Deceitful Face Of Hope And Despair - Mario Venzago, cond.


----------



## Schubussy

Respighi - Chamber Works
Ambache








and

Respighi - Pini di Roma, Feste Romane, Fontane di Roma
Lorin Maazel, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Wicked_one

Atterberg - 1st symphony. 

Next, Atterberg - 2nd symphony, then the 3rd and so on.

Today is Atterberg Day.


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Studies For String Orchestra - Matthias Bamert, cond.


----------



## Guest

40) Durosoir: Works for Violin and Piano









I bet nobody here has heard this!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Fugue in E Flat, BWV 552

Helmut Walcha, organ

View attachment 22652


----------



## SimonNZ

Akira Ifukube's Pipa Xing - Keiko Nosaka, 25-string koto


----------



## Guest

K467, K482
Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Carl Czerny (1791-1857): Symphony No.6 in G Minor

Grzegorz Nowak leading the SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern

View attachment 22654


----------



## Guest

Mahler advice needed

What do all the Mahler experts think about David Zinman's cycle with Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich? Should I bother with it?


----------



## Bas

K482 Mozart's 22th Piano Concerto
(Yes, the one in Amadeus) by Malcolm Bilson, cond. Gardiner The English Baroque soloists









Really great interpretation on fortepiano


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 208 'Was Mir Behagt' ("Hunt Cantata")
Emma Kirkby & Jennifer Smith, sopranos
Simon Davies, tenor 
Michael George, bass
The Parley of Instruments/Roy Goodman, Peter Holman








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G major, Op. 54 no. 1
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## ptr

Jerome said:


> Mahler advice needed
> 
> What do all the Mahler experts think about David Zinman's cycle with Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich? Should I bother with it?


If its Your first complete set, not really! If its a compliment to the other 10 complete sets You've got, it is one of the contemporary sets one can consider. For me, Zinman is a modern kapellmeister type of conductor, on one hand he does very little wrong, on the other he brings very little excitement to the music.

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Jerome said:


> Mahler advice needed
> 
> What do all the Mahler experts think about David Zinman's cycle with Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich? Should I bother with it?


I don't think it's particularly special, and he chose the wrong version of the 10th to record. Most of the other big-name cycles are better.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Apollo, Agon
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Chicago Symphony, cond. Boulez









Beautiful cover art, and very fitting, I think. The best cover image in the Boulez DG cycle was Das Lied, though.


----------



## Andolink

*Georg Christoph Bach*: Siehe, wie fein und lieblich "Geburtstagkantate"
Hein Meens (Tenor), Stephen Varcoe (Bass), Paul Elliott (Tenor) 
*Johann Christoph Bach*: Es erhub sich ein Streit
Maria Zedelius (Soprano), Ulla Groenewold (Alto), Paul Elliott (Tenor), Stephen Varcoe (Bass)
*Johann Christoph Bach*: Ach, dass ich Wassers genug hätte
David Cordier (Countertenor) 
*Johann Christoph Bach*: Herr, wende dich und sei mir gnädig
David Cordier (Countertenor), Hein Meens (Tenor), Paul Elliott (Tenor), Michael Schopper (Bass)
Musica Antiqua Cologne/Reinhard Goebel


----------



## DaveS

Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe complete Ballet. Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Ernest Ansermet, cond. Musical Heritage Society LP


----------



## JCarmel

A bit of a break from watching a very intriguing cricket match....Honours even at the mo' & the result is in question. Might travel up to Durham with friends to see the last day...if we get that far. So...what to listen-to that will give me a Tea Break-sized, joyful 15 mins of music that's easy on the ear....CD 9, Haydn's Piano Trio no 30 in E flat...just the ticket!


----------



## annie

Rosso - Italian Baroque Arias / Patricia Petibon


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 94 and others










Sir Davis is not my favorite conductor but everyone gets several chances in my book


----------



## Sonata

Andre Previn & LSO recording of Prokofiev's Cinderella, and and as a bonus, highlights from Glazunov's Raymonda.
This was my first listen, both of this recording in particular and those works. For that matter, this is my first time hearing anything at all by Glazunov.

I am very, very happy with this. Almost two and a half hours of wonderful ballet music. I prefer Romeo & Juliet over Cinderella, but Romeo & Juliet just happens to be one of my favorite pieces of classical music. Definitely will be listening to this set again very soon!


----------



## Blancrocher

Enjoying my first listen to a recent arrival, Horowitz's Clementi.


----------



## bejart

Georg Druschetzky (1745-1819): String Quintet in G Minor

Festetics String Quartet with Krizsta Veghelyi on 2nd viola: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, violins -- Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello

View attachment 22686


----------



## Guest

41) Early Venetian Lute Music


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Oh my, yes. Got my first copy when I was 18 (in '89). An album that's been the soundtrack to various important moments in my life, and one I've introduced to many of my friends. The same would be true of another half dozen of his albums. And I've built up a pretty impressive Jarrett collection now, trying for completeness, even though its an enormous discography. Special mention for the all to few albums he made with The Belonging Band (or "European Quartet"). Do you know those?
> 
> Your Bach comment reminded me that I used to play a cantata a week following whatever they lined up on the Bach-Cantatas site. Don't know now how or why I got out of the habit.


Whilst I obviously have a great interest in 'classical music' much of my time is also spent listening to ECM recordings and I can only echo your sentiments regarding Keith Jarrett. I have been aware of much of the criticism he has received but this never diminishes the affection I have for many of his recordings-funnily enough the European Quartet in particular. There are so many great albums on this label-yes again I am aware of the criticism from 'jazz' fans but frankly I really do not care-the' sensibilities' of the label just happen to appeal to me. The debate as to the extent to which certain aspects of this music might be influenced by classical music is an interesting one but for the moment might I just make these recommendations;-
Marcin Wasilewski-both his three trio albums and his work with Tomasz Stanko-he is such a lyrical player it amazes me he is not appreciated more widely.
Bobo Stenson-Indicum/Serenity/Goodbye/Cantando-four albums that I suspect for anyone who has not heard them would be a revelation........I could keep 'banging on' but it might get tiresome


----------



## JCarmel

'I could keep 'banging on but it might get tiresome'....don't worry about that Jim....we're quite used to it!!
No...I'm just being Cheeky ole me! I don't yet know you well-enough to be find you tiresome....but ask me again on Wednesday?

Thought that I might combine 'an LP/CD cover that I like' (as in another thread...) with some music that I fancy listening-to.
So, its an Edward Elgar evening methinks....

Symphony No 2, Sir Adrian Boult conducts the LPO









Followed by Elgar's Violin Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin as soloist, with the composer conducting.









Ages really, since I've listened to these recordings....hopefully I won't struggle too much with the violin concerto. I used to really enjoy it but over the last few years....


----------



## DaveS

An interesting, rather unusual recording. A Chicago Symphony Archives recording released in 1986. It is taken from various performances during the 1957-58 season with Fritz Reiner conducting. Chicago had no formal classical station at that time so Dr. Stephen Temmer(Producer/AudioEngineer) made it a habit of going to the city on Thursdays during concert season, and made various recordings to take back to New York, and play on FM station WBAI the very next day. 
This LP features: Berlioz' Benevuto Cellini Overture; Vaughan Williams Tallis Fantasia; Schoenberg Transfigured Night; Wagner's Rienzi Overture and Schumann's 2nd symphony. Though mono, a very clear recording with good sonics...Teldec DMM pressing. Nice record.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Agnus Dei - B minor mass (Helmuth Rilling, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart).


----------



## Guest

42) Emanuel Ensemble









Starts out with some jazzy Kapustin and wanders from there.


----------



## Selby

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. S. Bach, Agnus Dei - B minor mass (Helmuth Rilling, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart).


How do you feel about Rilling's version of the Mass? I saw him conduct it last month.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, I Kyrie - Harmoniemesse (Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## Selby

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Apollo, Agon
> Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky
> View attachment 22658
> 
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 9
> Chicago Symphony, cond. Boulez
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful cover art, and very fitting, I think. The best cover image in the Boulez DG cycle was Das Lied, though.


Speaking of which, Mahlerian, what are your thoughts on Boulez's DLVDE? Out of curiosity what would be your favorite of the more recent-ish recordings?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mitchell said:


> How do you feel about Rilling's version of the Mass? I saw him conduct it last month.


Hehe, unfortunately I don't own any other versions of the work so I can't really compare - from amazon samples, I can tell you that I preferred what I heard in Rilling to a number of other versions.


----------



## Selby

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Hehe, unfortunately I don't own any other versions of the work so I can't really compare - from amazon samples, I can tell you that I preferred what I heard in Rilling to a number of other versions.


I usually default to the Herreweghe (sp?) for recordings but I can relate in a way because Rilling was the only performance I've seen - so I don't have much to compare to, but I will say, it was magnificent!


----------



## JCarmel

Just listening to the performance of Beethoven's Ninth relayed live from the Proms...
Am I the only one 'out there' who's fed-up to the back teeth with The Ode to Joy? And, to be truthful...the whole symphony itself?


----------



## Ingélou

I still like it, but I'm sure you are *not* the only one...


----------



## Selby

Radio:

Organ Concerto No. 13, The Cuckoo and the Nightingale

G. F. Handel

Alistair Reid, organ

Newport Symphony Orchestra

Adam Flatt


----------



## Guest

43) Enescu - Violin Sonatas, etc

This is a two-disc entry:









and:


----------



## Ravndal

Grieg Sonata

Einar Steen-Nøkleberg

So good.


----------



## JCarmel

Piano Quartet, Robert Schumann played by The Beaux Arts Trio

The first movement cheers me up beyond words as soon as it reaches my eardrum!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Baryton Trio in D Major, Hob XI:97

Balasz Kakuk, baryton -- Peter Lukacs, viola -- Tibor Parkanyi, cello

View attachment 22704


----------



## Sid James

The listening session for this weekend started with Glazunov and ended with jazz:

*Glazunov* Autumn (Scene IV) from "The Seasons"
- Philharmonia Orch. under Yevgeny Svetlanov (EMI)

Starting with one of *Glazunov's* most famous tunes, this vivid and colourfully orchestrated piece was made famous by ballet dancer Anna Pavlova in the early 20th century. 










*Mozart *Requiem in D minor, KV 626 (Completed by Xaver Sussmayr, new instrumentation by Franz Bayer, 1972)
- Rachel Yakar, soprano, Ortun Wenkel, alto, Kurt Equiliz, tenor, Robert Holl, bass, Vienna State Opera Chorus (Choir Master: Gerhard Deckert), Concentus musicus Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Teldec)

I have not listened to* Mozart's Requiem* in ages. I won't make any comments on it other than I enjoyed it and it was good to reacquaint with it. In any case, it needs no introduction around here!


----------



## Sid James

Talking of *Mozart's* late works, I then took in his *"Jupiter" symphony* as well as another one of *Haydn's *London symphonies - both in the key of C:

*Haydn* Symphony #97 in C
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate (EMI)

*Mozart* Symphony #41 in C major, KV 551 (Jupiter)
- SWF SO, Baden-Baden under Ernest Bour (Sony)

















*Haydn's Symphony #97* is another less famous one of his London set. Overall, the symphony has the usual contrasts in mood, texture and dynamics one comes to expect from the mature Haydn. Two things that stand out for me though is the string writing in the second (slow) movement and also the finale, which shows Haydn at his most exuberant, humorous and high-spirited. The minuet also puts the timpanist through his paces, which I quite like too.

Another work by* Mozart* that requires no introduction is his *Symphony #41.* I don't think its clear exactly how it got its nickname, but the work certainly comes off as being majestic and god-like. Again, the harmonic twists and turns here are quite daring for the time. The second (slow) movement has always hit me with its profundity and depth, while the third (minuet) has some flecks of darkness and edginess, but they quickly dispel.

However it's the final movement that gets everybody excited about its masterful counterpoint, and in this case it lives up to the hype. Three themes at the start are joined later by two others, making this a five-voice fugue. What is more amazing is the flexibility with which Mozart approaches the symphonic form here. This finale combines sonata form with fugue, and that would not be done (to my knowledge) until the finale of Bruckner's Symphony #5. Wolfie ends his final symphony in high spirits, the conductor Sir Roger Norrington said this was like a musical comedy, and I think his is a good description of it.


----------



## Sid James

Finishing this long session with *alto saxophones in Paris*:

*Debussy* Rapsodie arabe for alto saxophone and orch. (Orchestration by Roger-Ducasse)
*Ibert* Concertino da camera for alto saxophone and eleven instruments
*Mussorgsky (Orchestrated by Ravel)* The Old Castle from "Pictures at an Exhibition"
*Ryo Noda* Improvisation I for solo saxophone
- Sohre Rahbari, saxophone with BRT PO, Brussels under Alexander Rahbari (Naxos)

*Debussy's* exotic *Rapsodie arabe* has some classic characteristics of his music - that languorous quality, for instance - allied with a bit of Middle Eastern flavour. The big tutti at the end of the work has this melismatic quality, and the use of triangle and tambourine adds a bit of spice to the work too.

The work has an interesting story behind it. This work was commissioned by Mrs. Hall, an American saxophonist, but it took Debussy 13 years to complete! He was not sure to how to go about composing for the sax, saying "the saxophone is a reed instrument of whose habits I know little: does it favour the romantic sweetness of the clarinet or the slightly coarse irony of the sarrusophone, a double bassoon?" Eventually Mrs. Hall got her piece, but the orchestration was left to another composer in 1919, after Debussy's death. I think it's a job well done, sounds pretty much like Debussy to me.
*
Ibert's Concertino da camera *is quite a different proposition, coming from the jazz age of the 1930's. Jazz was big in Paris even earlier, during Debussy's time (eg. his Golliwog's Cake-Walk, a ragtime), but after World War I its following there went from strength to strength. However I would not call Ibert's piece exactly jazzy, not in the same way as say Gershwin's music is. Its outer movements have this angular and kind of Modernistic quality, whilst the slow movement provides time for reflection and emotional depth.

The Ravel arrangement of Mussorgsky and the more experimental Noda improvisation round off this excellent Naxos disc (it also includes pieces by Milhaud and Glazunov).

*Sonny Criss Quartet / Quintet* - sessions recorded in Paris, 1962 and 1963
Session 1: Standards (Mighty Low, Don't blame me, Black coffee, We'll be together again)*
Session 2: Compositions by Criss (Early and later - parts 1 and 2, Blues pour flirter No. 2)**
Sonny Criss, alto sax/leader
*with Henri Renaud, piano; Michel Gaudry, double bass; Philippe Combelle, drums 
**with Georges Arvanitas, piano & organ; Rene Thomas, guitar; Pierre Michelot, double bass; Philippe Combelle, drums
(from album "Saxophones a Saint-Germain des Pres" on Universal label)

During and after both world wars, American soldiers flooded into Paris, bringing their music with them. After 1945, Paris became one of the big centers in Europe for jazz music. Most of the big names in jazz at the time paid a trip or two, or more, to the French capital.

*Sonny Criss* was a saxophonist in the Bebop style, coming in the wake of Charlie "Bird" Parker. I quite like Criss for his breathy, song-like style, and he comes across as less full on complex than Parker. Both the jazz standards and originals are done here in a unique way, and Criss was joined in these sessions by the crème de la crème of musicians on the Paris jazz scene of the 1960's. The organ as played by Georges Arvanitas on the two Early and later pieces, which have this gospel choir quality, with Criss' saxophone responding like some preacher doing a sermon. Belgian guitarist Rene Thomas' breezy style compliments Criss' tone excellently, and the bassist Pierre Michelot at the time worked with Jacques Louissier on his now classic Bach jazz fusion albums.

Its funny though given how well this mix of improvisation and precision comes across now, Criss had doubts about his understanding of his instrument. In an interview at the time he said "you know, there are still things about the saxophone that I don't understand." But like Debussy with his doubts about the same instrument, I'm glad Criss overcame them to give us some gems to treasure forever!

As usual, a few images that have connections to this music. *Delacroix's* sketches done on his visits to Algeria, a French colony at the time, compliments Debussy's piece well. *Picasso's* picture of musicians goes well with the Modernistic aspects of the Ibert, and I also found a *photo of the Saint-Germain des Pres district in Paris* which is where Criss and other jazz musos plied the jazz clubs:


----------



## Itullian

Die Frau Ohne Schatten, Solti, Act 1


----------



## Cosmos

Stravinsky - Concerto for Piano and Winds


----------



## Cosmos

Now I'm listening to something very peculiar......a harpsichord concerto....by Manuel de Falla!


----------



## JCarmel

Inspired by Sid...Eric Coates, Saxo-Rhapsody, soloist Jack Brymer









I enjoy all of this 2 cd set but my favourite Coates piece is perhaps the saxophone rhapsody, which Brymer plays beautifully. The only problem is that the tune, the tone, the mood of it, lodges in the memory & won't depart! It means you're singing it somewhere in the back of your mind until sleep finally releases you from its quirky grip.

Jack was born in South Shields it seems!
The son of a builder, Jack started his working life as teacher. In 1947, on the recommendation of professional musicians who had played with Brymer during wartime military service, Sir Thomas Beecham invited him to audition as principal clarinettist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to succeed Reginald Kell. Brymer held the post until 1963 and, together with Gwydion Brooke (bassoon), Gerald Jackson (flute) and Terence MacDonagh (oboe), became part of the celebrated "Royal Family" of principal woodwind players with the RPO. When he left the RPO, he become a co-principal in the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1963-1971) and principal in the London Symphony Orchestra (1971-1986)...(information from Wikipedia)


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's Selva Morale E Spirituale - Michel Corboz, dir.

A desert island set, for me


----------



## Selby

Radio:

Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Opus 22

Wieniawski, Henryk



London Symphony Orchestra

Lawrence Foster


----------



## Mahlerian

Mitchell said:


> Speaking of which, Mahlerian, what are your thoughts on Boulez's DLVDE? Out of curiosity what would be your favorite of the more recent-ish recordings?


I'm sorry I can't help, but the recordings of Das Lied I know are all older ones...I haven't heard Boulez's take. I'll tell you what I think if you're interested some time in the next week.


----------



## JCarmel

I fished-out one of the first video recordings that I made, back in the 1980's...of a concert programme put-together to remember Maria Callas...& miraculously, there's a copy of part of what I have been watching on youtube...albeit a very poor quality one!

Worth watching if you can ignore the quality issues....great performance from Jessye Norman in "D'amour l'ardente flame" from Berlioz's 'La Damnation de Faust'


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Violin Sonata No.2 in E Flat, BI.291

Ruggero Marchesi, violin -- Roberto Guglielmo, piano

View attachment 22707


----------



## arpeggio

*Respighi-Complete Orchestral Music*

Respighi: Complete Orchestral Music Vol 1 thru 3/ La Vecchia, Rome Symphony Orchestra - Brilliant Classics.

It appears that Brilliant Classics is in the process of releasing recordings all of the orchestral music of Respighi. They have so far released three volumns with two discs in each volumn. So far most of the performances of the more obsure items are pretty good. I was unimpressed with the performances of the Rome Trilogy (Pines, Fountains and Feste romane)


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 10


----------



## Arsakes

been listening to...
*Dvorak*:
Piano Quartets and Quintets
Symphony No.1,2 & 3


----------



## Guest

44) Falla: El Amor Brujo, Noches en los jardines de España - Orquesta Joven De Andalucía









This is the great 1916 version of El Amor Brujo. And Esperanza Fernandez is a real gypsy who just nails her part!


----------



## Guest

45) Farrenc: Piano Quintets - The Schubert Ensemble









Everybody should know Farrenc by now as much as she has been praised in these parts.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 7


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' A Vision Of Aeroplanes - Timothy Brown, cond.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5










Well past midnight here but the speakers still slowly thumping away


----------



## ProudSquire

Dvořák

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major
Symphony No. 4 in D minor
Symphony No. 6 in D major

István Kertész
London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ptr

Morning Music:

*David Lang* - Death Speaks & depart (*Cantalupe*)









Shara Worden, vocals, bass drum; Bryce Dessner, guitar; Nico Muhly, piano; Owen Pallett, violin, vocals // Elizabeth Farnum, vocals; Katie Geissinger, vocals; Alexandra Montano, vocals; Alex Sweeton, vocals; Maya Beiser, cellos

*Luciano Berio* - Laborintus II (*Ipecac*)









Ictus & Mike Patton

Musical dreamscape's that soothes my soul !

/ptr


----------



## Conor71

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 6 In D Major, Op. 60*

2 Versions of Symphony No. 6:


----------



## Schumann

Clementi piano sonatas


----------



## Conor71

TheProudSquire said:


> Dvořák
> 
> Symphony No. 3 in E flat major
> Symphony No. 4 in D minor
> Symphony No. 6 in D major
> 
> István Kertész
> London Symphony Orchestra


Such a great set - listening to this one now too!


----------



## Bas

Camille Saint-Saëns - The organ symphony, no. 3
Boston Symphony, on living stereo









Scarlatti, complete works for keyboard disc 12, 13








J.S. Bach, Sei solo for Violin
By Christine Busch, on Phi (Christine Busch is first violinist in Herreweghe's Collegium Vocale Gent)


----------



## SimonNZ

Wolfgang Rihm's Fragmenta Passionis - Hans-Christoph Rademann, cond.

edit: now Rihm's Frage - Ensemble Recherche, Lucas Vis


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.11, No.1, RV 207

Israel Chamber Orchestra -- Shlomo Mintz, violin

View attachment 22717


----------



## Guest

K525, Serenade for Strings in G
I Musici

It's not yet dawn here, a little night music sounds right to me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Inori


----------



## ptr

*Georg Friedrich Haas* - Works for Ensemble (*Neos*)
(Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich … (1999) for percussion and ensemble // … aus freier Lust … verbunden … (1994/95/96) for bass flute, bass clarinet and two percussions // … und … (2008) First version for chamber ensemble and electronics)









Collegium Novum Zürich u. Enno Poppe; Martin Lorenz, percussion; EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR, live electronics

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Lukas Foss' Renaissance Concerto - Carol Wincenc, flute, Lukas Foss, cond.


----------



## Vesteralen

Lutoslawski - Vocal Works (Chandos) Not exactly the kind of thing that goes down very well at work. I'd probably enjoy it with headphones.


----------



## SimonNZ

Respighi's Concerto Gregoriano - Andrea Cappelletti, violin, Matthias Bamert, cond.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (12 August 1644-1704): Violin Sonata No.15, 'The Coronation of the Virgin'

Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Emila Benjamin, viola -- Elizabeth Kenny, archlute -- Frances Kelly, harp -- Matthew Halls, chamber organ

View attachment 22722


----------



## Vesteralen

JCarmel said:


> Followed by Elgar's Violin Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin as soloist, with the composer conducting.
> 
> View attachment 22693
> 
> 
> Ages really, since I've listened to these recordings....hopefully I won't struggle too much with the violin concerto. I used to really enjoy it but over the last few years....


I heard several modern recordings of the VC and never liked it. But, when I heard this historical recording - it was a revelation to me.


----------



## jim prideaux

Cecile Ousset/Rattle/CBSO-Saint-Saens piano concerto no.2-have not listened to this for a while so returning to an 'old favourite'


----------



## JCarmel

Vesteralen, I loved the recording for many years...then something changed in my perception & it seemed a bit 'oppressive' in sentiment. Just my changing tastes, I suppose...but I can understand why Elgar doesn't appeal to everyone.

Its a cracking game of Cricket, up at Chester le Street & has been enthralling viewing all morning. So, just a short break... for something musically undemanding. 
With an afternoon of bowling & fielding ahead, I think Sullivan's Overture 'Patience' _sounds_ appropriate?! But all of this cd is charming & makes for delightful listening to all who love a good tune, a sense of joy coursing through the mind & a tap or two to the feet!


----------



## JCarmel

Cecile and Simon Rattle made a good pairing but also was the musical association with Rudolf Barshai and the Bournemouth S O.

Thanks for the reminder, Jim...I've consequently dug this one out for a listen.









I 'learnt' to love Prokofiev's third concerto through this very recording and a video one, that I made c/o a BBC concert broadcast....which I still have...somewhere?!!

Hey!...just found the very one on youtube!


----------



## Andolink

Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas in G major Kk. 146, F sharp major Kks. 318 & 319 and A major Kk. 24
Virginia Black, harpsichord








J. S. Bach: "Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge", BWV120a
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Christoph Genz, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Georg Philipp Telemann: Ino (Dramatic Cantata)
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Musica Antiqua Köln/Reinhard Goebel








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 54 no. 2
The Salomon Quartet








*Johann Christoph Bach*: "Wie bist du denn, o Gott"
Michael Schopper (Bass)
Musica Antiqua Cologne/Reinard Goebel
*Johann Christoph Bach*: "Die Furcht des Herren"
Michael Schopper (Bass), Paul Elliott (Tenor), David Cordier (Countertenor), Ulla Groenewold (Alto), 
Maria Zedelius (Soprano)
Rheinische Kantorei, Musica Antiqua Cologne/Reinhard Goebel


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Quoniam tu solus sanctus, Mass in B minor (Helmuth Rilling, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart).


----------



## julianoq

Starting the week right with Sibelius Violin Concerto, performed by Pekka Kuusisto, Leif Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra on this fantastic performance.


----------



## Shibooty

Yesterday, I was listening to various minimalist composers, and I found this piece, "Jiao", by Rabinovitch-Barakovsky. It features string orchestra and some "amplified" percussion instruments.

http://archive.org/details/Jiao-AlexandreRabinovitch-barakovsky

I understand that minimalism is generally looked down upon as being extremely repetitive. I feel, however, that this piece is a bit more active, and less stagnant since it does not loop one particular sequence for an abnormally large amount of time. It has an ethereal, whimsical feel to it.


----------



## Vesteralen

From this set, the disc with the Clarinet Concerto, Wind Quintet Op 43 and Serenata in Vano.

The Clarinet Concerto is an old favorite; the Wind Quintet, if not his most adventurous compostion, is pleasant to listen to; but the Serenata in Vano for a very unusual combination (clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and double-bass) was a real surprise.

Really enjoyable disc.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: La transfiguration de notre seigneur Jesus-christ
Yvonne Loriod, Choir BRT Brussels, Radio Symphony Orchestra Hilversum, cond. de Leeuw








I can't spell those names worth anything, but it's a great recording (praised effusively by the composer, but so was every other recording of his music).


----------



## JCarmel

Rain stopped play...so time for a bit of ballet music....

Delibes, Sylvia National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge









Tchaikovsky recognised how well Delibes delivered a tune....
" having fulfilled his obligation to sit through the first complete performance of The Ring in order to report on it for a newspaper in Moscow, Tchaikovsky describes the ordeal he had endured, which was hardly compensated by the many 'symphonic' beauties of Wagner's music, and adds in a revealing note: "How many thousand times dearer to me is the ballet Sylvia!" Modest Tchaikovsky, commenting on this letter in his biography of the composer, explains that it was during this trip abroad in the summer of 1876 that his brother had first become acquainted with Delibes's music thanks to a copy of the piano score of Sylvia, and that back in Russia he had played it through enthusiastically three or four times ...


----------



## Blancrocher

Piotr Anderszewski at Carnegie Hall--a great recital with Bach's Partita #2, Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Janacek's In the Mists, Beethoven's Sonata 31, and some Bartok.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: "Alles nur nach Gottes Willen", BWV 72
Rachel Nicholls, soprano, 
Gerd Türk, tenor
Robin Blaze, countertenor
Peter Kooij, bass 
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Enno Poppe*: Keilschrift (2005/2006) for orchestra
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg 
Sylvain Cambreling, conductor
*Helmut Oehring*: GOYA I - Yo lo vi (2006) for orchestra 
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg 
Rupert Huber, conductor


----------



## Vesteralen

I started listening to the second opera in the "Romantic Operas" box by Opera d'Oro - *Fidelio* (1969 Salzburg performance).

Like the *Orfeo and Euridice *performance that preceded it, it sounds like it was recorded by someone sitting in the twentieth row with a cassette recorder.


----------



## Vesteralen

Well, Fidelio was in the car when I went to the post office.

Now that I'm back in the office, its..........*He da! He da! He do!*......*IMP's excerpts from Wagner *(at low volume). Much better recording.

But, I've learned to say no more,,,,,


----------



## julianoq

Now playing another great recommendation by Kevin Pearson, Howard Hanson's symphonies 1 & 2, conducted by himself. In the middle of the first at this moment.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl




----------



## Bas

I have had a good, productive day with the cds I posted this morning (Bach's Solo Violin is such a great piece of art). Now for the evening i will listen to the following cd's:

Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartets (in Cm and Gm), on Hyperion
The Domus Quartet







The counterpoint in these works is amazing!

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813) - Sonaten für Klarinette und Hammerklavier
Ernst Schlader [clarinet], Wolfgang Brunner [fortepiano] on Gramola







This one is also pretty interesting (both for his music, as well as for being a not too obvious name)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Richter Symphonies.


----------



## Bix

Ravel's Trio for piano, violin and cello with Menuhin, Cassadó and Kentner


----------



## JCarmel

Quick...grab* Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus*!!' Great win by England...they Win the Ashes series, with a fantastic day of Test Cricket & inspired bowling from Stuart Broad....11 wickets in the match
Well Done, England! Hurrah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## julianoq

My first listen on Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain, performed by Alicia De Larrocha.


----------



## Bix

Brahms 1st Symphony / Jansons / Vienna Phil

First time listening to this piece.


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven's 6th symphony, Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra. Excellent symphony, my favorite of Beethoven's. And ranking up with Mahler and Bruckner's 4th, 8th, and 9th for tops in the symponic reportoire in my world 

Try to be unhappy when you listen to this symphony....I dare you. I don't think it's possible!


----------



## JCarmel

Somebody opined on a Proms programme the other day that Mariss Jansons was probably 'the greatest living conductor'...or words to that effect.
I wonder what TC-ers think of that.....
Well, he certainly conducts a very good Dvorak Seventh with The Oslo Philharmonic....though the recording could be better, methinks.


----------



## Itullian

Sonata said:


> Beethoven's 6th symphony, Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra. Excellent symphony, my favorite of Beethoven's. And ranking up with Mahler and Bruckner's 4th, 8th, and 9th for tops in the symponic reportoire in my world
> 
> Try to be unhappy when you listen to this symphony....I dare you. I don't think it's possible!


The 6th is my favorite Beethoven symphony too.


----------



## julianoq

J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor. I listened to this in my first month listening to classical music and didn't liked, it made me avoid this for months. Now several months later I am listening to it again and as probably most everyone knows it is quite amazing. Performed by Herreweghe.


----------



## Wicked_one

C. Silvestri - Bacchanale


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner Symphony 5
- Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Berlin Philharmoniker (1942)


----------



## Bas

julianoq said:


> J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor. I listened to this in my first month listening to classical music and didn't liked, it made me avoid this for months. Now several months later I am listening to it again and as probably most everyone knows it is quite amazing. Performed by Herreweghe.


Very good choice and an excellent performance!


----------



## eonbird

The Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 again. Too amazing. :]


----------



## JCarmel

J S Bach, Easter Oratorio, Munchinger.....









re-acquainting myself with this somewhat neglected work, in an excellent recording here conducted by Karl Munchinger, in preparation for Friday nights Prom performance transmitted on BBC Four, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner with The Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque Soloists. Also to be performed is the Ascension Oratorio...which I didn't know I knew a note-of but now thanks to the youtube clip below, I know that I certainly do!


----------



## Itullian

I always liked Munchinger's Bach.


----------



## cwarchc

...................................


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* 
Divertimento in A Hob.X.10*
Symphony #22 in E flat 'Philosopher'
- Sinfonia Classica directed by Gernot Sussmuth *with solos by Arco van Zon, oboe & Mark Paine, horn

*Gershwin*
Porgy and Bess (selections), Girl Crazy (selections), They Can't Take That Away from Me
- Richard Hayman and his Orch. (arrangements by Hayman)
Three Preludes for piano
- Leon Bates tickling the ivories

*Britten* Cello Symphony
- Tim Hugh, cello with BBC Scottish SO under Takuo Yuasa


----------



## Blancrocher

Radu Lupu in Schubert. There are some amazing performances in this set, which I frequently come back to. I especially like the way Lupu attacks the piano in some of the sonatas, most memorably for me in #16 in A Minor.


----------



## Feathers

Listening to Moszkowski's Piano Concerto in E (Antoni Wit with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Markus Pawlik on Piano). One of the most underrated piano concertos ever.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Allegri's Miserere - The Cardinall's Misik


----------



## clavichorder

Mozart's 19th symphony's minuet, really not like many I've heard:


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781: String Quartet in C Major

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Libor Kanka, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello

View attachment 22765


----------



## SimonNZ

excerpts from Rachmaninov's Vespers and Liturgy Of St John - Accentus


----------



## realdealblues

One of Lenny's best...

View attachment 22766


Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From The New World"
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## SimonNZ

Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto - Hilary Hahn, violin, Vasily Petrenko, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.41 in C Major, KV 551

Rafael Kubelik directing the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 22770


----------



## Guest

46) Faure - Cello Sonatas, etc









Faure has several of the best melodies in classical music, in my opinion.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78

Marina Manukian, violin -- Bryan Pezzone, piano

View attachment 22772


----------



## jimsumner

Itullian said:


> The 6th is my favorite Beethoven symphony too.


The 6th is my favorite. Along with the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th.


----------



## Cosmos

Bach - The Goldberg Variations (Murray Perahia)









The best way to listen to a work like this is to sit down in the most comfortable chair you own on a summer day, open all the windows, and drink a glass of fine wine (though I am not much of a wine drinker, but this is how I plan to spend my golden years)


----------



## OboeKnight

Mahler 1

Listening and playing along...getting ready for orchestra audition!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, symphony #45 in F sharp minor, 'Farewell' (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8


----------



## chrisco97

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"
_Capella Istropolitana/Barry Wordsworth_

I love this one! One of my favourites. 

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 38, "Prague"
_SWR Symphony Orchestra/Ernest Bour_

One of Mozart's symphonies I do not think I have ever listened to...time to give it a listen!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

chrisco97 said:


> *Mozart* - Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"
> _Capella Istropolitana/Barry Wordsworth_
> 
> I love this one! One of my favourites.
> 
> *Mozart* - Symphony No. 38, "Prague"
> _SWR Symphony Orchestra/Ernest Bour_
> 
> One of Mozart's symphonies I do not think I have ever listened to...time to give it a listen!


Ah, the Prague - it's great! When I first listened to it I was surprised that it was much less known than symphony no. 40.


----------



## SimonNZ

Orchestral songs by Ravel, Ibert, Poulenc and Martin - Jose Van Dam, baritone, Kent Nagano, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mauricio Kagel's St.Bach Passion - Anne Sophie von Otter et al

"It's no exaggeration, of course, to say that Bach is one of the most revered figures in music history. But Argentine-born IRCAM mainstay Mauricio Kagel takes that adulation to a new level by putting the composer at the center of his massive 1985 work. It's not even that he pitches Bach as a saint, as the piece's title suggests; rather, according to Kagel, he's no less than a Christ figure, "hanging for decades on the cross of officials who hindered his work as a composer." While Kagel asserts that this work is the expression of his veneration of Bach, it's such a nutty premise-an idea that the deeply pious Bach surely would take as blasphemy-that you wonder if Kagel means the whole piece as an ironic commentary on those who look back rather than forward, or even as a parody of Bach himself.

But all indications are that this was meant as a serious piece of music. The narrative is a montage of texts concerning Bach's life-such items as letters the composer wrote to his patrons, his wedding banns, and snippets from 17th- and 18th-century biographies. True to passion-oratorio structure, there is a high element of theater built into the piece: often the music is subservient to the text, and the character of Bach himself never sings. (Bach is played by Peter Roggisch, whose crystalline-even musical-enunciation is a delight.) Mirroring his text, Kagel's music is a stylistic pastiche as well. While he incorporates such structural elements as chorales, recitatives, and arias, Kagel's tonal language ranges from serialist technique to more diatonically inspired harmonies."

(from ClassicsToday review)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto in D Major, I. Allegro moderato (Nathan Milstein; Claudio Abbado, Wiener Philharmoniker).


----------



## neoshredder

More Richter Symphonies. Loving this slightly obscure Composer. So quirky sounding. Full of surprises.


----------



## brotagonist

I have missed the Quartetto Italiano's album of these everlastingly captivating works since 1990. I finally replaced them with the Emerson Quartet last year. Luckily, I did not need to endure a dry spell, as I also have Boulez' first Complete Webern box.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## Guest

47) Finzi: Cello Concerto, Clarinet Concerto - Yo-Yo Ma, John Denman, etc









Young Yo-Yo!


----------



## JCarmel

*J Brahms * Violin Sonatas Pinchas Zukerman & Marc Neikrug

After all the sporting excitement of yesterday...it's back to a day of more domestic drudgery....dusting/cleaning/vacuuming. Urghh...but Needs Must. So I'm taking a leaf out of bejart's book and putting on some Brahms. 
These performances by Zukerman & Neikrug are the best that I personally have heard. I had to send to the US to get this cd. 
I'll dedicate this Listen to my Dad... as this was one of his favourite Brahms' performances too.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arvo Part's Symphony No.1 "Polyphonic" - Paavo Jarvi, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

This is my Current Listening...one for Kieran, perhaps?!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03804pk/All_Ireland_Pipe_Band_Championships_Episode_1/

I once swapped my LP copy of 'With the Beatles' (now worth a heck of a lot of money at auction) at a 2nd-hand-record Swap-Shop, for an LP of Celtic Bands!


----------



## JCarmel

Accept my apologies please...for posting the above on the wrong forum!


----------



## SimonNZ

Schnittke's Viola Concerto - Kim Kashkashian, viola, Denis Russell Davies, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): "Simphonie a 8 concertanti"

Pierre Cao directing the Ensemble Stradivaria

View attachment 22788


----------



## ptr

On the radio (Swedish P2)

*Torbjörn Iwan Lundquist* - Symfoni nr 3, "Sinfonia dolorosa" (1975) (Artemis)










Kungliga filharmonikerna, Stockholm u. Peter Maag

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Zelenka, Capriccios, Camerata Bern








Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, Weiner Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's Viola Concerto - Yuri Bashmet, viola, Valery Gergiev, cond.


----------



## Kieran

JCarmel said:


> This is my Current Listening...one for Kieran, perhaps?!
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03804pk/All_Ireland_Pipe_Band_Championships_Episode_1/
> 
> I once swapped my LP copy of 'With the Beatles' (now worth a heck of a lot of money at auction) at a 2nd-hand-record Swap-Shop, for an LP of Celtic Bands!


If it's for me, you're always in the right room, baby! 

BBC player doesn't work in Ireland, but I know the kind of music those boys play. Big and strident. Now, them boys are bagpipers, but in Ireland we have another windy noise that comes from the uilleann pipes. A lot of those marching bands have their moment on St Patrick's Day, strutting from the Garden of Remembrance through O'Connell Street with a blare that would shake the leaves off the books in Easons.

Thanks for that, JCarmel! 

Currently listening again to Schoenberg's PC, Opus 42, with Mitsuko grappling with the slippy keys...


----------



## Vesteralen

cwarchc said:


> View attachment 22759
> ...................................


Never saw this recording before. How did you like it?


----------



## Vesteralen

Feathers said:


> Listening to Moszkowski's Piano Concerto in E (Antoni Wit with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Markus Pawlik on Piano). One of the most underrated piano concertos ever.
> 
> View attachment 22764


Absolutely. First heard of it in a Greenberg lecture. Had to go out and get this disc. It's a wonder more great pianists haven't recorded it.


----------



## Vesteralen

opus55 said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 8


Is this from Giulini's super-slow period or does it move along a little?


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Gesang Der Junglinge


----------



## Vesteralen

BPS said:


> 47) Finzi: Cello Concerto, Clarinet Concerto - Yo-Yo Ma, John Denman, etc
> 
> View attachment 22780
> 
> 
> Young Yo-Yo!


I've heard the clarinet concerto. How's the cello concerto?


----------



## Vesteralen

Not for purists, maybe. Though, the performances are good. From Albinoni to Appalachian Spring to The Wand of Youth to Firebird (excerpt).

But, hey, for having on at work it's pretty ideal.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Amour - Suzanne Stephens, clarinet


----------



## JCarmel

"Is this from Giulini's super-slow period or does it move along a little?"...
Yes it does, it becomes this...









which as soon as The Andrews Sisters have finished singing 'I can dream, can't I?...will be my 'Current Listening!'


----------



## ptr

*Minimalist Dream House* (*KML Recordings*)
(Philip Glass - Four Movements for Two Pianos / Howard Skempton - Three Nocturnes / William Duckworth - The Time Curve Preludes / Howard Skempton - Images / Howard Skempton - Postlude / John Cage - Experiences, I. / David Chalmin - Gameland / Nicola Tescari - Suonar Rimembrando / Aphex Twin - Nanou2 & Avril 14th / Brian Eno - In Dark Trees / Philip Glass - he Poet Acts / Arvo Part - Hymn to a Great City / Nicola Tescari - En 4 Parenthèses / Radiohead - Pyramid Song / Raphaël Séguinier - Free to X / Suicide - Ghost Rider / Terry Riley - In C / Michael Nyman - Water Dances)









Katia & Marielle Labèque, piano; David Chalmin, vocals, guitars, bass & electronics; Raphael Seguinier, drums, percussion & electronics; Nicola Tescari, keyboards, electronics & piano

/ptr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 22795
> 
> 
> Not for purists, maybe. Though, the performances are good. From Albinoni to Appalachian Spring to The Wand of Youth to Firebird (excerpt).
> 
> But, hey, for having on at work it's pretty ideal.


Don't care about 'purists' - listen to what you enjoy .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth, Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## Vesteralen

*Arnold Bax - Symphony No 6 / Festival Overture *Bryden Thomson / LPO (Chandos)

Picked this one up at a library sale. New to me.

Have now listened to all the Bax symphonies except #3


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Schubert Piano Sonata in C Minor D958 my favourite recording of this Pollini set of The Late Piano Sonatas









In the accompanying booklet, mention is made to a possible tribute by the composer to Beethoven's Variations in C Minor but also to the piano accompaniment to Schubert's 1828 lieder...particularly to 'Der Atlas' which is just about my favourite Schubert song....but can I recognise the reference??


----------



## julianoq

Randall Thompson's 2nd symphony, conducted by Lenny. Another great recommendation from Kevin Pearson. In the middle of the 1st movement at this moment, I really like the feeling of this music.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth, Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## jim prideaux

Vesteralen said:


> I've heard the clarinet concerto. How's the cello concerto?


sorry to interrupt but I cannot recommend the cello concerto too highly!


----------



## Selby

Rautavaara, Einojuhani - Symphony No. 7, "Angel of Light" [Kari Jussila, Leif Segerstam, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra]


----------



## rrudolph

Sonically, this is probably the driest orchestral recording I've ever heard. At least I can hear everything going on in this interesting music...
Sessions: Symphony #4/Symphony #5/Rhapsody for Orchestra








Just listening to the Concerto Grosso on this one:
Bloch: Concerto Grosso








Perle:Serenade #3/Ballade/Concertino for Piano Winds and Timpani


----------



## Vesteralen

Odd pairing on this disc from the William Steinberg EMI Icons box - Bruckner's 4th and Haydn's #94.

Just started this new commuter CD today.

This version of the Bruckner 4th was one of the very first classical LPs I borrowed from the library 40 years ago.






\
This EMI version of the disc preserves the original artwork from the LP.

I've never been able to get this artwork out of my mind when I listen to the 4th. Somehow. it manages to make this piece have a certain atmosphere the other Bruckner symphonies don't.

Steinberg was a great Bruckner conductor, by the way. More people should have a chance to listen to this version.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K 545 "Sonata Facile"
Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## JCarmel

Currently listening to Fritz Wunderlich doing lovely things with Schumann's Dichterliebe on youtube!
Nice transfer. Recommended!


----------



## jim prideaux

Vesteralen said:


> Absolutely. First heard of it in a Greenberg lecture. Had to go out and get this disc. It's a wonder more great pianists haven't recorded it.


regarding the Moszkowski piano concerto-went on to ITunes and had a listen-never heard the work before but impressed enough to order the Wit/Naxos recording-so thanks for the tip. Coincidentally-debate on You tube as to the composers nationality-was he German, was he Polish?-this area of history is a particular interest of mine but even so-WILL PEOPLE EVER LEARN?


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart C Minor Mass Von Karajan conducting The Berlin Philharmonic

Listening to this on cassette & in particular...the Awesome "Qui Tollis"...it's a knockout!


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Suite Op. 25
Glenn Gould


----------



## JCarmel

Do you know, Mahlerian....if you lent your glasses to Jim...you could be Twins?!


----------



## rrudolph

Ives: Symphony #3/Orchestral Set #2








Diamond: Symphony #2/Symphony #4/Concerto for Small Orchestra








Schwantner: Percussion Concerto/Chasing Light/Morning's Embrace


----------



## Vesteralen

I'm getting a bit more used to it now. Wish I could turn up the volume, but my co-workers might get annoyed.


----------



## Bix

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 22817
> 
> 
> I'm getting a bit more used to it now. Wish I could turn up the volume, but my co-workers might get annoyed.


Haven't heard this yet, I wondering about leaving it till the symphony Saturdays get round to it or giving it a go on the weekend.


----------



## Vesteralen

Bix said:


> Haven't heard this yet, I wondering about leaving it till the symphony Saturdays get round to it or giving it a go on the weekend.


Don't know what to say on this. I'm no novice, but I found this one pretty difficult to "get".


----------



## Mahlerian

Bix said:


> Haven't heard this yet, I wondering about leaving it till the symphony Saturdays get round to it or giving it a go on the weekend.


It came easily to me, but I already knew and loved other works by him when I first heard it. It's not my favorite Messiaen, not by a long shot, but it's very much in his personal style, so maybe you should listen to other works by him first (probably the ones written before 1950).


----------



## ptr

*Peter Ablinger* - Voices and Piano (*Kairos*) (*Youtube Clip*)









Nicolas Hodges, piano



> Voices and Piano, written for Nicolas Hodges, is an extensive cycle of pieces, each written for a piano and a single, recorded voice (often of a well-known celebrity). The cycle is still in progress and should eventually include about 80 pieces/voices, totalling at around 4 hours of music. The work is always meant to occur as a selection from the whole. At present I like to write works where the whole should not be presented at once. The whole should remain the whole, and what we hear is just a part of it. (Peter Ablinger)


Very entertaining way of widening the piano repertoire!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

I've been having a grand time all day, listening to music...with a good bit of it on youtube...as fitting celebration for my Broadband supply going 'Unlimited'. I can cock a snoop at the provider & slurp-up all the megabytes I need now without getting that 'you are approaching your download limits' or whatever they used to send on occasion whenever I approached the Danger Zone.
I've just spent a fascinating hour or so comparing & contrasting interpretations of Schubert's sonata D845...which I think is one of Schubert's most haunting & intriguing works. It puts you in a very strange sound-world...sort of spookily unsettling but rhythmically compelling.

By Maurizio Pollini .... 




By Ingrid Haebler 




By Mitsuko Uchida 




and last but not least, Sviatoslav Richter


----------



## julianoq

Revisiting Brahms symphonies, currently playing the 2nd. The 1st and the 4th are favorites of mine, but I never quite get the 2nd and the 3rd. I think I listened them for the last time around 4 months ago, so maybe this will change now.

Performed by Solti with the CSO.


----------



## opus55

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man; Appalachian Spring










Not really my cup of tea. Just remembered that my vacation was actually in Appalachian mountains in spring (March) but it snowed.


----------



## drpraetorus

RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Sonata in C, K545 "Sonata Facile"
Mitsuko Uchida

Bach: Cello Suites No. 1, 3, 5
Yo-Yo Ma

Stravinsky: Piano Sonata
Victor Sangiorgio

I'm listening to the Mozart because I'm thinking of learning to play it, like every other beginner in the world. Of course, listening to Uchida play it is more likely to discourage me, because she does it so well...The Stravinsky is of course beyond me at the moment.


----------



## Exonian

Today: 

Bartok : Concerto for Orchestra ; Deux Images - Concertgebouw with Antal Dorati (Philips)

Mozart : Symphonies 39 & 41 - Staatskapelle, Dresden with Sir Colin Davis (Philips)

Hugely enojoyable and not taken from the shelves for a while!


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> I'm listening to the Mozart because I'm thinking of learning to play it, like every other beginner in the world. Of course, listening to Uchida play it is more likely to discourage me, because she does it so well...The Stravinsky is of course beyond me at the moment.


You might find Alfred Brendel to be interesting on this one, in his book, Alfred Brendel on Music. The _facile sonata for beginners _can be hell to play for even great pianists, apparently.

Currently listening to Horrorbits play Scarlatti's piano sonata in f-minor, Kk184...


----------



## Forte

Kieran said:


> You might find Alfred Brendel to be interesting on this one, in his book, Alfred Brendel on Music. The _facile sonata for beginners _can be hell to play for even great pianists, apparently.


The style is probably the most difficult part - if you don't have it, you just can't play Mozart well. You have to have complete mastery, or otherwise you sound clumsy, and if you don't figure out the often complex phrasing, you sound like a beginner just playing notes. There are technical challenges too which are often overlooked because it _sounds_ simple, but that's because you often hear a pianist who knows how to play Mozart. Try his sonatas and concertos and you realize the figurations aren't as easily glided over as they sound in performance. Basically, perfection is making something difficult look easy, and even some professional pianists don't know how to do that.

On topic: Listening to Mendelssohn's _Lieder ohne Worte_ op. 30 collection!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 9 in C Major, 'Paukenmesse' (J. Owen Burdick; Trinity Choir, Rebel Baroque Orchestra).


----------



## julianoq

Just finishing Bach's Mass in B minor performed by Blomstedt on YouTube, bought the DVD as a gift for my father (and a copy for me too) minutes after listening to the first part. Anna Larsson is one of the best altos that I ever heard, fantastic.


----------



## DaveS

Just happened to grab this one from the library of LPs. Sir Adrian Boult with the LPO...Brahms 4th and the Academic Festival Overture. Boult seemed to have a way with Brahms. EMI/Angel released in 1973.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words, Sonata I, Largo (Paul Angerer, Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto).


----------



## Pantheon

A series of Ravel's works for piano and violin, including that beautiful Tzigane. 
And also Pärt's Kanon Pokajanen (a big thank you to TC members for recommending it !)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 2 in A minor (Wilbert Hazelzet, Sonnerie).


----------



## Selby

One more time....









Lang, David - Death Speaks

for soprano, violin, electric guitar, piano - all amplified; 26'; 2012

Text - Schubert/Lang

"Inspired by Franz Schubert, Lang studied the composer's 600 songs, noting which ones disclosed a message from death personified. Lang plucked excerpts, translated their texts and recast them with his own music, creating a set of five portraits in song." (NPR)

"This frozen wood is the place from which Lang's music reaches us now, and Worden's voice has maybe been never better used than as its human embodiment. Her rounded, glowing tone remains creamy even as it ascends into its highest register, and she brings an overwhelming sadness to Worden's Death, whose loneliness as she vainly pursues her charges, or even, in "mist is rising", begs them to escape_-- "I love you/I love you/I love all of you/Your face/I love your face/Your form/I love your form ... Please don't make me make you follow me"-- _is heartbreaking. Her Death is not just human, but humane, burdened by her task and full of compassion for those she visits. She is beautiful, but troubled, and her voice, like these pieces, rings out into a stillness, harmonic and spiritual, that feels both haunted and becalmed." (Pitchfork)

This is a composition worthy of obsession. If you don't like any modern classical music, feel free to ignore. But for everyone else, you want to give this a listen. It is haunting and beautiful and original and a little bit of perfect.

$5.94 for Amazon download: http://www.amazon.com/Lang-Death-Sp...8&qid=1376432970&sr=8-1&keywords=death+speaks

$10.95 FLAC / $9.95 320bit mp3 from ClassicsOnline: http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1833578

NPR article: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/21/177644936/first-listen-david-lang-death-speaks
Pitchfork review: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18023-david-lang-death-speaks/


----------



## opus55

Piano trios by Wilms, Hummel, Czerny


----------



## SimonNZ

following Mitchell:

David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion - Theatre Of Voices, Paul Hillier


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): String Trio in F Major, Op.11, No.3

Belvedere Trio Wien: Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Elmar Landerer, viola -- Robert Nagy, cello

View attachment 22830


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in A major, Op. 55 no. 1; String Quartet in F minor, Op. 55 no. 2 "The Razor"
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## Conor71

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 1, Op. 7, FS 16*

Just finished listening to Disc 1 of the String Quartets set - now playing 2 versions of Symphony No. 1.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Violin Sonatas - Krysia Osotowicz, violin, Susan Tomes, piano


----------



## bejart

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784): Sinfonia in F Major, Falck 67

Hartmut Haenchen conducting the CPE Bach Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 22833


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schubert*: "Trout" w. Schiff/Posch/Hagen Qt.(rec.1983); String Quartets 12 - 15, w. Melos Qt. (rec.1991); Trios (Complete), w. Grumiaux/BAT (rec.1965 - '68).

View attachment 22835
View attachment 22836
View attachment 22837
View attachment 22838


----------



## neoshredder

Really enjoying this from Berlioz. Grande Symphonie Funèbre Et Triomphale


----------



## Itullian

Rheingold from the stereo Keilberth Ring.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Orchestral songs by Ravel, Ibert, Poulenc and Martin - Jose Van Dam, baritone, Kent Nagano, cond.


Reminds me of the woman on another CM forum long long ago who was enamored/addicted/fanatical with Jose Van Dam. Perhaps some codger posters might remember her name, and if she still bangs the drum for.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Mitchell said:


> One more time....
> 
> View attachment 22829
> 
> 
> Lang, David - Death Speaks
> 
> for soprano, violin, electric guitar, piano - all amplified; 26'; 2012
> 
> Text - Schubert/Lang
> 
> "Inspired by Franz Schubert, Lang studied the composer's 600 songs, noting which ones disclosed a message from death personified. Lang plucked excerpts, translated their texts and recast them with his own music, creating a set of five portraits in song." (NPR)
> 
> "This frozen wood is the place from which Lang's music reaches us now, and Worden's voice has maybe been never better used than as its human embodiment. Her rounded, glowing tone remains creamy even as it ascends into its highest register, and she brings an overwhelming sadness to Worden's Death, whose loneliness as she vainly pursues her charges, or even, in "mist is rising", begs them to escape_-- "I love you/I love you/I love all of you/Your face/I love your face/Your form/I love your form ... Please don't make me make you follow me"-- _is heartbreaking. Her Death is not just human, but humane, burdened by her task and full of compassion for those she visits. She is beautiful, but troubled, and her voice, like these pieces, rings out into a stillness, harmonic and spiritual, that feels both haunted and becalmed." (Pitchfork)
> 
> This is a composition worthy of obsession. If you don't like any modern classical music, feel free to ignore. But for everyone else, you want to give this a listen. It is haunting and beautiful and original and a little bit of perfect.
> 
> $5.94 for Amazon download: http://www.amazon.com/Lang-Death-Sp...8&qid=1376432970&sr=8-1&keywords=death+speaks
> 
> $10.95 FLAC / $9.95 320bit mp3 from ClassicsOnline: http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1833578
> 
> NPR article: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/21/177644936/first-listen-david-lang-death-speaks
> Pitchfork review: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18023-david-lang-death-speaks/


I quite like Lang's music... especially the _Little Match Girl Passion_. I had the chance to experience his music live and to hear the composer speak on his work. I most certainly must look into this disc.

Currently listening to Thomas Quasthoff performing Haydn arias. I also had the chance to hear Quasthoff perform live on three separate occasions. He was a magnificent singer. His premature retirement is a major loss.










In one of those "what if" moods I find myself wondering "what if" Mozart had taken Johann Peter Salomon up on his offer to come to London? There he might have worked alongside Haydn. Haydn only really comes into maturity as an operatic composer with his final two operas. What might he have achieved directly exposed to the example of Mozart's brilliant operas?


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 22761
> 
> 
> Radu Lupu in Schubert. There are some amazing performances in this set, which I frequently come back to. I especially like the way Lupu attacks the piano in some of the sonatas, most memorably for me in #16 in A Minor.


Only a genius. Not to slight Radu, but anyone who makes me like Schubert's Piano Sonatas is thusly adorned.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Somebody opined on a Proms programme the other day that Mariss Jansons was probably 'the greatest living conductor'...or words to that effect.
> I wonder what TC-ers think of that.....
> Well, he certainly conducts a very good Dvorak Seventh with The Oslo Philharmonic....though the recording could be better, methinks.
> 
> View attachment 22752


I'm fond of Mariss' 5th. For 7, the incomparable Lenny. :tiphat:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn Symphony 2


----------



## Vaneyes

Jerome said:


> View attachment 22718
> 
> K525, Serenade for Strings in G
> I Musici
> 
> It's not yet dawn here, a little night music sounds right to me.


I haven't heard EKN for maybe ten years. Perhaps it's time again...or not. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Jerome said:


> Mahler advice needed
> 
> What do all the Mahler experts think about David Zinman's cycle with Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich? Should I bother with it?


Listen yes, buy no.

I'm bullish on TOZ/Zinman Richard Strauss. Buy! Buy! Buy!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Listen to the Verdi album in its entirety for one week only, courtesy of NPR Music:

http://bit.ly/VerdiFirstListen


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets














Listening on Spotify. Considering the purchase of this box set.


----------



## Conor71

opus55 said:


> Haydn: String Quartets
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening on Spotify. Considering the purchase of this box set.


I have this set - its very nicely played. One drawback is that the recording appears to have an unbalanced stereo image. This is apparent when you listen through headphones (it sounds like one phone is louder than the other). I think if you were listening to it on stereo speakers it wouldnt be a problem.
Dont forget the (slightly) budget version of this recording too :


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Alfred Hill's String Quartet No.5 "The Allies" - Dominion Quartet


----------



## Kevin Pearson

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Alfred Hill's String Quartet No.5 "The Allies" - Dominion Quartet


I really enjoy Alfred Hill's quartets. Nothing innovative at all but very well crafted.

Been listening lately to this superb recording of American composer Randall Thompson's three symphonies. He was a student at Eastman while Howard Hanson was over it and you can hear some Hanson influence but Thompson has his own voice.










Also really like this recording of American Tone Poems.










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Connor71, the "post stamp" reissue is the one I'm considering. Thanks for pointing out unbalanced sound - I hope it's not too bad when I listen through ear buds outdoor. That means I can justify another box set in the future with better balance and less hall ambience (the other complaints online) :lol:

Now listening to Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

David Lang's Pierced - Gil Rose, cond.


----------



## Guest

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Listen to the Verdi album in its entirety for one week only, courtesy of NPR Music:
> 
> http://bit.ly/VerdiFirstListen


Well, the Verdi doesn't catch my attention, but I guess DG wanted me to be more interested in the scary woman on the cover anyway!


----------



## Guest

Vesteralen said:


> I've heard the clarinet concerto. How's the cello concerto?


I find Finzi's music to sound, surprise, very British. The cello concerto is fine - not the greatest but perfectly okay. The clarinet concerto may be a little more interesting.

This is not a top 10 or even top 50 album for me, but it's solid. If someone absolutely loved it I would certainly have no quarrel.

Sorry I can't offer better than that.


----------



## Guest

48) Freitas Branco - Violin Sonatas









Yummy stuff. The first sonata is from 1907, the second from 1938.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Un Sourire - Karl Anton Rickenbacher, cond.

and Un Vitrail et des Oiseaux from the same disc


----------



## jim prideaux

Was so impressed with Gunzenhauser/Slovak Phil recording of Dvorak 5th/7th symphonies that I ordered their 4th/8th on Naxos and it has just arrived.
I have not heard 4th before and this will also give me the chance to compare 8th with Kubeliks interpretation. Yesterday I found Kubelik conducting Czech Phil in a performance of Smetana's Vltava in the open air in the centre of Prague-this was on You tube and was really impressive-although Vaclav Havel sitting in the second row appeared distinctly underwhelmed!


----------



## Guest

49) French Bassoon Works - Karen Geoghegan and Philip Fisher









Another very pleasant disc.

Composers represented include Bitsch, Bountry, Debussy, Dutilleux, Faure, Gallon, Grovlez, Jancourt, Koechlin, Pierne, and Tansman.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.2, No.4, D.62

Giovanni Guglielmo directing L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Federico Guglielmo, violin

View attachment 22843


----------



## Vesteralen

Bringing this up again because I just finished listening to it in the car this morning on the way to work. Now I know why I was so entranced by this work so many years ago.

I've not listened to this particular recording in a long time. Many other interpretations have taken it's place, because I never actually owned a copy of the Steinberg performance before. The amazing thing to me is the way Steinberg decides to handle Bruckner. Steinberg could often be a fast conductor, but I never thought of him as being willing to bend the tempi like taffy. But, he does with this performance and it works. This is the most dynamic and exciting reading I've heard.

The Klemperer LP which I still own has wonderful playing and wonderful sound, but the tempos are stodgy and the feeling is remote compared to this ultra-romantic reading. This is a must have for me.

BTW, the companion piece on this disc in the EMI Icons box is not Haydn's "Surprise", but a Water Music suite by Handel. It would be hard to figure, with so many great HIP performances of this work available now, why anyone would want this old-fashioned, lushly romantic reading (I kind of like it), but if you did want one - this out-lushes Ormandy.


----------



## ptr

*Sofia Gubaidulina* - Concerto for Bassoon and Strings (1975) / Concordanza for chamber ensemble (1971) / Detto II for cello and chamber ensemble (1972) (*Bis*)









Harri Ahmas, bassoon; Ilkka Pälli, cello; Sinfonia Lahti Kamariyhtye u. Osmo Vänskä

*Sofia Gubaidulina* - Chamber Music with Double Bass (3CD's) (Neos)









Elsie Bedleem, harp; Ulrich Knörzer, viola; Heike Gneiting, piano;Elsbeth Moser, bayan; Lisa Marie Landgraf, violin;Vanessa Barkowski, mezzo-soprano; Jan Schlichte, percussion; Martin Heinze, double bass;Guitar Ensemble Quasi Fantasia

I just love the utter romantic qualities of Gubaidulina's music!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Respighi's Quartet in D minor - Quartetto d'Archi di Venezia


----------



## Vesteralen

Well, I decided I haven't listened to enough "classical" music written in the last twenty years or so. So, I found the list of 21st century composers on Wikipedia and started going down the alphabetical list and then finding what my library system had available.

The first composer on the list was Michel van der AA, and the library had two CDs with music by him. This one came first. It's really kind of an "opera" by Louis Andriessen with electronic music by van der AA, but hey....

The music is fine. I'm not a big fan of declamatory singing, but I'm trying to get accustomed to it.


----------



## EricABQ

Haydn's symphony 44 while exercising this morning and Schubert's impromptus played by Uchida after that.


----------



## SimonNZ

Michel van der Aa sounds interesting. I see there's a theatre piece he provided music for based on Fernando Pessoa's Book Of Disquiet that I'll be investigating.

but playing now:

Kaija Saariaho's Verblendungen - Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond


----------



## julianoq

Following Mitchell, first listening on David Lang's Death Speaks. I like it.


----------



## Vesteralen

After all this new and unfamiliar music, I'm taking a break to get back to an old favorite.


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Preludes, Book 1
Gordon Furgus Thompson


----------



## Guest

50) French Cello Music - Bengt Forsberg & Mats Lidström









I've now reached the halfway point of my project to listen to my 100 or so favorite albums in alphabetical order.

After this one, however, I'm taking a break. It's a little like eating 100 desserts in a row. There's something to be said for variety, including listening to less enjoyable and/or unknown works. Also the strict ordering is a little chafing - for example I'm anxious to listen to my Villa-Lobos again but that's not until almost the end.

Maybe I'll resume in a couple of months or maybe I'll post new entries at a more leisurely pace.

Ta-ta for now.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Inspired by SimonNZ I am going to re-listen through the four volumes of Alfred Hill's String Quartets. Starting this morning with Volume One:










I especially like No. 3 on this disc but the other two are also very good.

Off to work in a few and will continue with Volume Two this evening.

Kevin


----------



## julianoq

Still with David Lang. Now playing Little Match Girl Passion.










Before that I had a huge urge to listen to Dylan's Blood on the Tracks  I haven't listened Dylan for months, I was a huge fan before. It was great to listen to it again, but I am back to classical, thanks!


----------



## rrudolph

Last night, I heard a poet on the radio talking about how John Cage influenced his work. That was all I needed to get me started...

















Credo in US/A Flower/The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs/Forever and Sunsmell/Amores/Trio/Aria/Imaginary Landscape #4


----------



## Blancrocher

Stewart Goodyear in Beethoven's late sonatas. I will soon listen to his whole cycle. It's an intriguing performance, played at a fast clip. Probably a keeper.


----------



## Guest

The autumnal weather we're experiencing in Michigan calls for a heavy dose of Brahms chamber music...I stumbled upon a youtube video from IsraeliChambrProject of the String Quintet no. 2 and wanted to cry while listening to it. The musicians are perfectly in tune and play the piece like I've never heard it played before.


----------



## opus55

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 6










In third movement


----------



## Vesteralen

opus55 said:


> Rautavaara: Symphony No. 6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In third movement


Wow...those are some serious wrinkles!


----------



## Selby

Vesteralen said:


> Wow...those are some serious wrinkles!


Well, he is 84. Just sayin.


----------



## Selby

Rhys Chatham - A Crimson Grail (for 400 Electric Guitars)


----------



## opus55

Vesteralen said:


> Wow...those are some serious wrinkles!


He needs to pick up some magic cream from home shopping channel.

Mahler: Symphony No. 3


----------



## brotagonist

It just showed up in the mail, new and from usedsalesca/zoverstocks on the Amazon Marketplace.

This is not the pounding kind of Stravinsky that is so well known. I got it for L'Histoire du Soldat Suite.


----------



## rrudolph

I'll probably listen to a good bit of this today:

Amadinda Percussion Group: John Cage Music for Percussion Complete Edition (6 discs)


----------



## Vesteralen

From this set: Brahms Symphony No 1 & Tragic Overture

Nothing special about this one for me. An oddly slowed down playing of the main theme of the finale is followed by a fast-paced second part of the exposition. Then we slow down again (though not as much?) and speed up again. I don't mind people playing with tempo now and then, but this one doesn't do much for me. Outside of that part, a generally good performance.

Added: If you like your Tragic Overtures fast and lean (as opposed to slow and fat), you'll like this one.


----------



## Stemahl

Sorry about the small pic on this one, I'm listening to A Hero's Song, which is great, but doesn't quite reach the quality of his other symphonic poems such as The Water Goblin and The Golden Spinning wheel.
Then onto one of these two:

















Been going a bit mad buying CD's and I'm finding it hard to catch up with listening, I think I may need to stop buying for a while (haha, stop buying) because I'm spoiled for choice. I think this is a rather easy choice for now though, as much as I am enjoying Handel more and more lately Mahler always gets first spin. Plus this will be only the second version of Das Lied I have heard, the other is the EMI Klemperer edition.

Just as a query, approximately how many records/ CD's do any of you own? I'm up to about 200, but a friend laughed when I told him, saying "See me when you've been collecting for 20 years", haha.


----------



## Sonata

Bach: Solo cello suites 3 & 5, all of the Brandenburg concertos.
Beethoven: symphony 7
Haydn: Piano sonatas, disc 1 of the Ekaterina Derzhavina set that a lot of us seem to have purchased 
Schubert: Piano trio 1
Arvo Part: Da Pacem


----------



## Vesteralen

Stemahl said:


> Sorry about the small pic on this one,
> 
> Just as a query, approximately how many records/ CD's do any of you own? I'm up to about 200, but a friend laughed when I told him, saying "See me when you've been collecting for 20 years", haha.


I sometimes get really small pictures, too, because when I try to copy larger ones to the forum I get messages that they are either invalid or too large. No problem.

If I add in the boxed sets as individual discs, I would guess I'm up over 700 in CDs now. I cut back to about 400 two years ago when I moved, and now look at me! My LP collection is down to about a hundred, because I don't have a good system to play them on anymore.

So, cheer up. You've got a lot more to go...

Let us know how you like Handel's *Esther*


----------



## Stemahl

Vesteralen said:


> I sometimes get really small pictures, too, because when I try to copy larger ones to the forum I get messages that they are either invalid or too large. No problem.
> 
> If I add in the boxed sets as individual discs, I would guess I'm up over 700 in CDs now. I cut back to about 400 two years ago when I moved, and now look at me! My LP collection is down to about a hundred, because I don't have a good system to play them on anymore.
> 
> So, cheer up. You've got a lot more to go...
> 
> Let us know how you like Handel's *Esther*


Thanks Vesteralen I don't feel too bad now (although I now have some idea of how big my collection can get haha). I think I will enjoy the Handel, his music is sounding better every time I listen to him (you've probably gathered that I'm a bit of a beginner - only been listening to Classical music the past 7 or 8 months). Thanks for the reply on that.


----------



## Vesteralen

From this set - Symphony No 3 (last three tracks on the second disc - hate the way they split this up).

Anyway, typically super-melodic Dvorak.


----------



## Vesteralen

Stemahl said:


> Thanks Vesteralen I don't feel too bad now (although I now have some idea of how big my collection can get haha). I think I will enjoy the Handel, his music is sounding better every time I listen to him (you've probably gathered that I'm a bit of a beginner - only been listening to Classical music the past 7 or 8 months). Thanks for the reply on that.


You're welcome. Seems like you're fairly wide-ranging in your tastes for only six or seven months. I'd venture to say you're off to a good start.


----------



## Wicked_one

At the suggestion of *stomanek* in the _Mozart vs Beethoven_ dispute - where apparently I damaged my reputation with an uncomfortable remark (for some people) to Mozart's music - , I am listening now to Mozart's #23 piano concerto


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann Symphony 1.


----------



## Feathers

Boccherini - Symphonies

I'm listening to the last symphony first. It's quite delightful.


----------



## Selby

Returning to one of my favorite SQs:

Shostakovich, Dmitri - String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Op. 144

Fitzwilliam String Quartet playing.









Just came across this essay about the piece, which I found interesting:

http://www.quartets.de/compositions/ssq15.html


----------



## Blancrocher

Mitchell said:


> Just came across this essay about the piece, which I found interesting:
> 
> http://www.quartets.de/compositions/ssq15.html


Thanks a lot for the essay--very interesting indeed! I recently heard parts of this quartet when I watched Leos Carax's Holy Motors (highly recommended, if you like films about the art of film-making), where the music is used to great effect. I look forward to listening to this quartet carefully this evening.


----------



## Kieran

Mitchell said:


> View attachment 22866
> 
> 
> Just came across this essay about the piece, which I found interesting:
> 
> http://www.quartets.de/compositions/ssq15.html


Very interesting essay and beautiful music too!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Schumann Symphony 1.


That recording of Schumann led me to recognize that Schumann was indeed a great symphonist. You might also try George Szell's performances.


----------



## Mika

Youtube discovery day :

Albéric Magnard - Symphony No. 4 Op. 21 



Hermann Bischoff - Symphony No. 2 in D Minor 



Rued Langgaard: Sfærernes musik (BVN 128)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well, the Verdi doesn't catch my attention, but I guess DG wanted me to be more interested in the scary woman on the cover anyway!

I've been some time coming around to Verdi myself. I'm far more enamored of Mozart, Wagner, Handel, Wagner, Richard Strauss, and even Puccini... However I will get anything by the "scary" woman:





I have no idea, however, what the art director behind this cover was trying to do. I looks like they borrowed the team that churns out those horrific Vivaldi/Naive covers.


----------



## neoshredder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> That recording of Schumann led me to recognize that Schumann was indeed a great symphonist. You might also try George Szell's performances.


I think of Schumann's Symphonies as a continuation of Schubert's Symphony 8 and 9. The influence is obviously there.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Agnus Dei - Schöpfungsmesse (George Guest, Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge).


----------



## Kieran

*Figaro!*

Haven't listened to it in ages, and I once went _more than a year without listening to anything else_. Karl Bohm at the helm:









It is simply joyous, tuneful, highbrow and lowbrow, farcical and mysterious, simple and involved and brilliant!


----------



## Joris

I'm listening to the Sérénade Mélancolique by Tchaikovksy, a score preface with a small analysis at hand, hoping to drown the noises of my town's funfair...Call me a snob


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schubert*: Complete Works for Violin & Piano, w. Laredo & Brown (rec.1989); Arpeggione Sonata, w. Rostropovich & Britten (rec.1968); Piano Sonatas, w. Lewis (rec.2001); Lupu (rec.1970).

View attachment 22880
View attachment 22881
View attachment 22882
View attachment 22883


----------



## schuberkovich

On holiday had my phone filled with chamber music. 
Beethoven quartet in A minor op.132, Quartet to Italiano. I love the varying moods, the impossibly beautiful 3rd movement and the insane final minutes during which the cello and the violin play in A majory unison.

Brahms string sextets, Raphael Ensemble. I am slowly getting to know more and more of Brahms' music and these sextets are wonderful. I was shocked by how dissonant the second in particular is, and the "Brahmsiness" took a bit of getting used to but now I really enjoy them.

And again, Dvorak cello concerto in B minor, Fournier, Szell, BPO. I feel like I should stop listening to this but I can't - it fills me with genuine pleasure, grief and triumph every time.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.12 in E Flat, Op.127

Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- David Schwartz, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello

View attachment 22884


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit,' BWV 111; 'Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen,' BWV 123
Yukari Nonoshita, Soprano 
Robin Blaze, Countertenor 
Andreas Weller, Tenor 
Peter Kooij, Bass 








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 55 no. 3
The Salomon Quartet


----------



## bejart

Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in C Major, Bryan C11

Concerto Koln

View attachment 22887


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 18










Thinking about what to listen tonight.


----------



## Conor71

*Hovhaness: Guitar Concerto No. 1, Op. 325*

Hovhaness double play :


----------



## Sonata

First listen to Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #5 in E Minor, S 244"

Knocked my socks off!!! What a great piece! And I never hear it mentioned. This Liszt set has been a great buy, and it even lacks some of the major works, such as Dante and Faust! I've a lot to look forward to.


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No.3 in D Minor, Op. 49

Constance Keene, piano

View attachment 22888


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 49, "La Passione"
_Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

*Vivaldi* - Complete Cello Concertos


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn*
Divertimento in B flat Op. 1#1, Hob.III.1
Symphony #49 in F minor, 'La Passione'
- Sinfonia Classica directed by Gernot Sussmuth

*Gershwin*
Piano Concerto in F: II. Andante con moto - Adagio
Rhapsody in Blue
- Kathryn Selby, piano with Slovak PO under Richard Hayman

*Holst* Suites 1 & 2
- Eastman Wind Ensemble under Frederick Fennell


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schubert*: Piano Sonatas, w. Sokolov (rec.1992); Uchida (rec.2001); Impromptus Complete, w. Brendel (rec. 1972 - '74); Winterreise, w. Quasthoff & Spencer (rec.1998).

View attachment 22890







View attachment 22891
View attachment 22892


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

Stenhammar's Piano Concerto No.2 - Christina Ortiz, piano, Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's 3rd Symphony. Conducted by Abbado.


----------



## SimonNZ

Maurice Ohana's Messe - Gey Reibel, dir.


----------



## Conor71

*Yun: Symphony No. 3*

Some first listens - I really enjoyed the butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and the rest of the pieces on the Disc were nice too. I listened to the 5th and 3rd Symphonies from the Yun set - I balked at the 5th Symphony about half way though. Its quite chaotic and has a baritone soloist throughout. I didnt mind the music but I objected to the singing. I will give this one another shot soon. The 3rd Symphony was much better and a rather fun piece. This composer will be an interesting one to explore


----------



## SimonNZ

Lukas Foss' Baroque Variations - cond. by composer


----------



## Conor71

*Koehne: Elevator Music*

These 2 then off to bed - good night all


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' The Emperor Jones - Laszlo Halasz, cond.

edit: now Nino Rota's Quintet - Mario Carbotta, flute et al










edit: now Schoenberg's Erwartung - Magda Laszlo, soprano, Hermann Scherchen, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.3, No.2

Thomas Furi directing Camerata Bern

View attachment 22898


----------



## SimonNZ

Hans Werner Henze's Un Amour De Swann - cond. by composer

consider what a brass neck it takes to write "Une Petite Phrase"






(gotta say I don't remember the film having a Henze soundtrack, or it sounding anything like this, though it has been a while)


----------



## Bas

J.S. Bach - Matthäus Passion
Dunedin Consort & Players, John Butt


----------



## Vesteralen

Disc two of "Writing to Vermeer". I'm beginning to really like this work. All the sound effects are making me want to see the stage version.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kurt Weill's Four Walt Whitman Songs - Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius 4th and 5th symphonies, performed by Leif Segerstam and the HPO.


----------



## Vesteralen

Excerpts from The Magic Flute, The Cunning Little Vixen, Hansel and Gretel

(sort of for those who want the cherries without the pie)


----------



## jim prideaux

schuberkovich said:


> On holiday had my phone filled with chamber music.
> Beethoven quartet in A minor op.132, Quartet to Italiano. I love the varying moods, the impossibly beautiful 3rd movement and the insane final minutes during which the cello and the violin play in A majory unison.
> 
> Brahms string sextets, Raphael Ensemble. I am slowly getting to know more and more of Brahms' music and these sextets are wonderful. I was shocked by how dissonant the second in particular is, and the "Brahmsiness" took a bit of getting used to but now I really enjoy them.
> 
> And again, Dvorak cello concerto in B minor, Fournier, Szell, BPO. I feel like I should stop listening to this but I can't - it fills me with genuine pleasure, grief and triumph every time.


My original introduction to the Brahms sextets a few months ago was through the Raphael Ensemble and I then bought the Lindsays recordings. Although I had known both the symphonies and the Piano Concertos for years I had never really imagined the enjoyment I would derive from the mans chamber music-and then on BBC I player I listened to Julian Barnes on Desert Island discs-he chose one of the sextets and I was immediately' hooked'.
Coincidentally I seem to have been listening to a wide range of Dvorak during the past months and I also find myself repeatedly coming back to the cello concerto as well as the violin and(sadly underrated)piano concerto.Symphonies 4,5,6 and 7 have also proved to be a revelation.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

starthrower said:


>


I decided to join Starthrower in listening to this great recording. I love it!

Kevin


----------



## MagneticGhost

I'm listening to this and it's absolutely fantastic.


----------



## julianoq

MagneticGhost said:


> I'm listening to this and it's absolutely fantastic.[/QUOTE]
> 
> Great choice, Neeme Jarvi with the GSO are my all-time favorite Sibelians!
> 
> I will follow it with a different record:
> 
> [IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/412R9TQ5AKL.jpg


----------



## rrudolph

Burtner: Portals of Distortion/Fern/Split Voices/Mists/Incantation S4/Glass Phase








DeLio: though, on/as though/so again/not/...a different liquid/to make/-as/in-
Dashow:Songs from a Spiral Tree/First Tangent to the Given Curve








Nishimura: Kala/Miyoshi:Rin-sai/Takemitsu: Rain Tree/Matsushita: Airscope II/Miki: Marimba Spiritual


----------



## Mahlerian

Adams: Nixon in China
James Maddalena, Sanford Sylvan, Orchestra of St. Lukes, cond. de Waart


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Berlioz*: Harold in Italy, w. Causse/ORR/Gardiner (rec.1994); Symphonie Fantastique, w. VPO/C. Davis (rec.1990); Requiem, w. LSO/C. Davis et al(rec.1969).

View attachment 22908
View attachment 22909
View attachment 22910


----------



## jim prideaux

revisiting recently purchased Martinu piano concertos 1/2/4-remind me so much of Poulenc keyboard concertos


----------



## Vesteralen

Finally getting to listen to this CD that came a couple of days ago, albeit at work, so not with the kind of concentration I need.

So, who needs a conductor?

One wonders.

I'm love Gypsy-style music, so the minatures were delightful.

I'm now in the slow movement of the concerto, and it seems to be going as nicely as the first movement. It's probably my imagination, but even seems as if the orchestra is more "with it" than they usually seem to be with a soloist. Sort of has more of a chamber-music feel to it.

Added: I like how the orchestra copies the slightly unusual phrasing of the soloist about mid-way through the opening theme in the third movement. That copied phrasing really makes a concerto work (i.e. Lupu/Previn in the Schumann Piano Concerto).


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht,' BWV 124
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Andreas Weller, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Helmut Oerhing: GOYA I - Yo lo vi, for orchestra (2006)
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Rupert Huber








Francisco de Peñalosa: Motets
Pro Cantione Antiqua/Bruno Turner


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann: 

Three romances for piano & oboe.
Fantasy Pieces for piano & clarinet.

Brahms:

Clarinet sonata No 2


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Berwald Symphony 3


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles - Le Livre de la Jungle [David Zinman, Radio-Symphonie Orchester Berlin]


----------



## Vesteralen

Mitchell said:


> Koechlin, Charles - Le Livre de la Jungle [David Zinman, Radio-Symphonie Orchester Berlin]
> 
> View attachment 22916


I had to do an amazon search on this...sounds worth listening to.......Thanks, Mitchell


----------



## neoshredder

Schumann Symphony 2


----------



## rrudolph

Nordheim: Colorazione/Fem Kryptofonier/Link/Den Forste Sommerfugl








Cage: Ryoanji/Solo for Sliding Trombone with Fontana Mix/Two 5


----------



## Arsakes

*Brahms*:
String Sextet No.2
Viola Sonata No.1 & 2
Serenade No.1 in D major
Piano Trio No.1


----------



## julianoq

Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus, performed by Michel Beroff.


----------



## Ravndal

Schumann:

Piano Quartet

.....


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Ralph Vaughan Williams' "A London Symphony"
- Sir Adrian Boult
- London Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)

A conductor I always overlooked beyond Holst's Planets for some reason, Boult is on good form with RVW. Granted I am only two symphonies into the set but so far I am very pleasantly surprised. 

Boult's appearance on Desert Island Discs was also quite interesting and I must admit that it played a part in my choice of RVW conductor.


----------



## DaveS

I went through a period many years ago where I took an interest of piano transcriptions of Wagner's music. I remember buying one that Barenboim recorded on DGG. Then, I found the one that I'm currently listening to...Glenn Gould performing Der Meistersinger; Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey...and as I speak, Siegfried Idyll. A Columbia LP M32351. Nice.

I've gotta find the old Barenboim recording.


----------



## belfastboy

The rain is coming down here like stone balls - suggest something for me to listen to please.....


----------



## Bix

belfastboy said:


> The rain is coming down here like stone balls - suggest something for me to listen to please.....


Chopin's raindrop prelude!


----------



## belfastboy

Bix said:


> Chopin's raindrop prelude!


Thats much to nice for this kind of condition!


----------



## Bix

Totentanz by Liszt  nice and bashing


----------



## Blancrocher

This is a distinctive and interesting interpretation of op.87. Lin plays Shostakovich at satisfying tempi (avoiding the extremes I sometimes notice in other pianists, particularly a tendency to milk the "tragic" moments), and she doesn't muddy things with the pedal so that you can always hear what the composer is up to. I'd take Nikolayeva to the desert island, but this is refreshing.


----------



## belfastboy

Bix said:


> Totentanz by Liszt  nice and bashing


You've hit the nail on the head! Love Liszt!! Thank you!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

AClockworkOrange said:


> Ralph Vaughan Williams' "A London Symphony"
> - Sir Adrian Boult
> - London Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
> 
> A conductor I always overlooked beyond Holst's Planets for some reason, Boult is on good form with RVW. Granted I am only two symphonies into the set but so far I am very pleasantly surprised.
> 
> Boult's appearance on Desert Island Discs was also quite interesting and I must admit that it played a part in my choice of RVW conductor.


On to the next symphony on the disc, RVW's "Pastoral Symphony". Boult again, this time marshalling the New Philharmonia Orchestra into action. It is the first time that I have heard this symphony and so far, just going in to the second movement I am hooked. An atmospheric piece indeed.


----------



## realdealblues

AClockworkOrange said:


> Ralph Vaughan Williams' "A London Symphony"
> - Sir Adrian Boult
> - London Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
> 
> A conductor I always overlooked beyond Holst's Planets for some reason, Boult is on good form with RVW. Granted I am only two symphonies into the set but so far I am very pleasantly surprised.
> 
> Boult's appearance on Desert Island Discs was also quite interesting and I must admit that it played a part in my choice of RVW conductor.


Boult does indeed do a great job with RVW. I also have Previn, Handley & Slatkin's RVW's Symphony Cycles as well. Honestly, all 4 do amazing jobs and each have their strengths. All are different. Some recordings have the spoken words in Symphony 7, some don't which is another thing that's interesting to hear. Boult first recording on Decca had them, so did Previn.

You've also talked me into throwing on some RVW 

View attachment 22920


Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
Sir Adrian Boult & The London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Wicked_one

I love it!


----------



## Kieran

Schoenberg's PC, Opus 42, performed by Dame Mitsy, with Boulez on the podium whip-handing the plainly named "Cleveland Orchestra."

I'm kind of making distinctions in the work now...


----------



## Mahlerian

Kieran said:


> Schoenberg's PC, Opus 42, performed by Dame Mitsy, with Boulez on the podium whip-handing the plainly named "Cleveland Orchestra."
> 
> I'm kind of making distinctions in the work now...


Yeah, it can take a few listens, even for us Schoenbergians....

Takemitsu: *Voice* for flute, *Stanza II* for harp and tape, *Le Fils des Etoiles* (transcription of Satie for flute and harp), *Equinox* for guitar, *Toward the Sea* for alto flute and guitar, *In the Woods* for guitar,
*Bryce* for flute, two harps, marimba, and percussion
Hiroshi Koizumi, flute and alto flute
Norio Satoh, guitar
Ayako Shinozaki, Mari Kimura, harps
Yasunori Yamaguchi, Sumire Yoshiwara, percussion


----------



## Selby

Going for a run, on the playlist:

Adès, Thomas - Asyla [Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]









Tabakova, Dobrinka - Concerto for Violoncello and Strings [Kristina Blaumane, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra]









Koechlin, Charles - Le Buisson ardent, Opp. 203 & 171 [Heinz Holliger, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart & Vokalensemble des SWR]


----------



## bejart

Justin August Just (1750-1791): Piano Trio in B Flat, Op.2, No.3

Trio 1790: Harald Hoeren, piano -- Matthias Fischer, violin -- Philipp Bosbach, cello

View attachment 22926


One of the more arbitrary covers I've seen ---


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mendelssohn*: Violin Concerto, w. Lin/Philharmonia/MTT (rec.1982); Symphonies 3 & 4, w. SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1991); String Quintets, w. Raphael Ens. (rec.1997).

View attachment 22927
View attachment 22928
View attachment 22929


----------



## Sid James

*Holst* The Planets, Op. 32
- London PO under Bernard Herrmann

*Rachmaninov* Vocalise Op.34/14
*Elgar* Sospiri
*Respighi* The Birds: Prelude*
- Tasmanian SO under David Stanhope & *Omri Hadari

*J. Strauss II* Die Fledermaus & The Gypsy Baron (Overtures)
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Martin Sieghart


----------



## bejart

Andreas Goepfert (1768-1818): Clarinet Concerto in E Flat, Op.35

Johannes Moesus directing the Jenauer Philharmonie -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet

View attachment 22930


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> Symphonies 3 & 4, w. SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1991)


I'm glad that one made the cut. I'll put that one on after Jeno Jando's recording of Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 29.


----------



## Selby

de Falla, Manuel - Psyché, for mezzo-soprano, flute, harp & string trio, G. 67 [Dawn Upshaw]


----------



## Selby

de Falla, Manuel - Balada de Mallorca, for chorus (arr. from Chopin's Ballade No.2), G. 78 
[Carlos Fernandez Aransay, Coro Cervantes]









Takemitsu, Tōru - A Way a Lone [New Zealand String Quartet]


----------



## brotagonist

A nice disc of odds'n'ends


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich Symphony #11


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D major, K.385 {"Haffner"}; Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. n*All three works are dazzingly performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under Maestro Szell.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major, * both featuring the New York Philharmonic led by Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Guest

Stravinsky's _Fireworks_...my first hearing...a recording from the BBC Proms by the Royal Philharmonic conducted by Charles Dutoit.

For those who can access BBC programmes, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0385g4d

Boy, that was quick - it lasted as long as it took me to type this post! Next, Penderecki's _Concerto Grosso_, followed by Debussy's _La Mer_ and Ravel's _Daphnis and Chloe_ (Suite No 2)

[edit]Listening again to the Stravinsky, I wonder that it was worth writing something that seemed to be an exercise in imitation of Holst and Dukas :devil:


----------



## Guest

Well, had to give up on the Penderecki - not in the mood for something so unmelodic or so unfamiliar! Now on to _La Mer_ - a much cosier piece!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Requiem Mass, Ave Verum Corpus (Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Petroushka - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Stockhausen. This is some cool atmosphere sound effects.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Tierkreis - Peter Söderberg and Sven Åberg, lutes


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

Back on track, summer is still here and I continue:

[22] *Horowitz plays Chopin* (RCA Victor)









[23] *Petr Tchaikovsky* - Piano Concerto No 1 (RCA Victor)









With the NBC Symphony u. Arturo Toscanini

[24] *Modest Mussorgsky* - Pictures at an Exhibition (Live at Carnegie Hall) (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Conor71

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Stockhausen. This is some cool atmosphere sound effects.


I really like this one too - great set!


----------



## Conor71

*Honegger: Pacific 231*

I listened to the Ifukube Disc last night - I really like this one and found it very catchy. i will definetely play it again soon. I didnt really enjoy the Tan Dun Disc - I dont mind Avant-Garde music most of the time but this one didnt really have anything interesting to offer. I may check out Tan Duns soundtracks instead at a later date. I bought the Honegger a few months ago and only getting around to hearing it now. Very good!


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *_Stabat mater _(Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra,Stuttgart Chamber Choir,Jorg Faerber)

*Haydn *A couple of _Salve reginas

_*Haydn *_Te Deum_ 2nd one, from 1800 (Pinnock, The English Concert)


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' Robert Browning Overture - Kenneth Schermerhorn, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (ca.1690-1772): Flute Sonata in D Minor, Op.1, No.1

Arcadia: Christoph Ehrsam, flute -- Eunice Brandao, viola -- Attilio Cremonesi, harpsichord

View attachment 22948


----------



## Guest

K413, Piano Concerto in F (chamber version arranged for string quartet and piano)
Fialkowska, Janina/Chamber Players Of Canada

I think of these arrangements of K413, K414, K415, and K449 (by the maestro himself) as Mozart's piano quintets and I file them in chamber music.


----------



## Conor71

*Hovhaness: Symphony No. 23, Op. 249, "Ani"*

I plan to bliss out this weekend to Alan Hovhaness (I will probably listen to some other stuff too though) :angel:


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Bois Flotte - Fabrice Pierre, cond.


----------



## ptr

*Bela Bartok* - Musik für Saiteninstrumente, Schlazeug und Celesta Sz 106 / Divertimento für streicher Sz 113 / Zwei Porträts Sz 17 (DG Dokumente OOP)









RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester, Berlín u. Ferenc Fricsay

Fricsay rules! Every time I hear one of his recordings it is like the work is new to me, helps me discover things about the war horses I thought weren't there!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Berio's Linea - Paola Biondi and Debora Brunialti, piano, Domenico Cagnacci, vibraphone, Dario Doriani, marimba


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Legendes Urbaines - Ensemble interContemporain

world premiere concert - no commercial recording yet, alas






"In this work, Murail links together 12 vignettes, meant to evoke the form of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, which are all linked together by their thematic material. The promenades, as heard first in this work, are meant to represent the sounds of the subway, by which one "travels" to the other "exhibitions" in the works."


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Heinrich Marschner (16 August 1795-1861): Piano Trio No.2 in G Minor, Op.111

Beethoven Trio Ravensburg: Inge-Susann Romhild, piano -- Ulrich Groner, violin -- Susanne Eychmuller, cello

View attachment 22954


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin', BWV125
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Andreas Weller, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








C.P.E. Bach: Symphonies for Strings--No. 5 in B minor, No. 6 in E major
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock








Domenico Mazzocchi: Sacrae Concertationes--No. 2 Misereris omnium, Domine, No. 5 Gaudebunt labia mea, No. 6 Peccantem me quotidie, No. 7 Jesu, dulcis memoria, No. 9 Dialogo della Cantica
Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano
Barbara Borden, soprano
Andreas Scholl, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Ulrich Messthaler, bass
Netherlands Chamber Choir/René Jacobs








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B minor, Op. 33 no. 1
Quatuor Mosaïques








Hector Parra: Early Life, (for oboe, piano and string trio) 
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## Vesteralen

Listening while working makes it hard to come up with meaningful comments on new music. My mind has to keep tuning in and tuning out.

General impression - there's some good stuff here, especially in the Cello Symphony.

There, that was helpful, wasn't it?


----------



## julianoq

Haydn's Missa in Angustiis "Nelson Mass", performed by Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert and Choir. First listen on this work.


----------



## OboeKnight

Schreck Oboe Sonata
Saint-Saens Oboe Sonata
Bizet Carmen Fantasie for Flute


----------



## Mahlerian

MacLeod said:


> [edit]Listening again to the Stravinsky, I wonder that it was worth writing something that seemed to be an exercise in imitation of Holst and Dukas :devil:


Given that it was written years before Holst's most famous piece, I doubt he had Holst in mind. Probably Debussy and Rimsky-Kosakov.

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4
New Vienna Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 6, 17 & 21 / Géza Anda


----------



## rrudolph

I'm catching up on some promos sent to me by Hungaroton's US distributor. I'm acquainted with the music of Istvan Marta and Gyorgy Kurtag, but the rest of this stuff is unexplored territory for me.

Pongracz: Mariphonia/Madrigal on Petrarch's Sonnet No. LXI/Contrastes Polaires et Successifs/Concertino for Cimbalom and Electronics
Patachich: The Ballad of Jancsi Barna/Metamorphoses for Marimba/Fagotto Digitale/Water Music








Marta: The Wind Rises/Kapolcs Alarm/The Glass-blower's 7th Dream








Pinter: NightPiece/Kurtag: From Games/Zombola: Institutio No. 1/Kosa: Miniatures/Kosa: Haiku Calendar/Hollos: Apercussionata/Pocs: Maracanga/Sugar: E-GAL


----------



## musicchambernet

I am going to listen Brahms' 1st Symphony in C minor this is my first time that I a, listening this. I got this from my friend long back, but thought to give it a try now.


----------



## ptr

*Niccolò Castiglioni* - Altisonanza & Le favole di Esopo (*Neos*)










WDR Rundfunkchor & Sinfonieorchester Köln u. Emilio Pomàrico

*Helmut Lachenmann* - String Quartets (*Neos*)










stadler quartett

This label constantly surprise me with their high quality productions of contemporary music! Lachenmann is one of my favourites, Castiglioni (1932-96) is a relatively new find for me, someone I will research further, has a few similarities to compatriot Berio, early influences from Stravinsky's Neoclassism, Second Viennese and Darmstadt Schools.

/ptr


----------



## jim prideaux

as mentioned on previous posts recently acquired Martinu 1/2/4 piano concertos-have listened to them repeatedly with increasing 'delight', particularly today-a reminder of the remarkable enjoyment to be derived from encountering works for the first time


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Schöpfungsmesse - Benedictus (George Guest, Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-fields).









The Benedictus has such a smooth melody, beautifully supported by the solo singers.


----------



## Selby

Edgar Varése: Poème électronique (1958)


----------



## Kieran

The impregnable fortress that is the Haffner Serenade, *K250*. This is an unimpeachable masterwork from a young man, barely 20 years old. It contains the power of Romanticism with the virtuosity and range of whatever came before and after. A symph that holds a violin concerto in its swollen belly. Distraction music for a wedding feast, something that outshines even the shining young bride.

Ton Koopman conducts the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra...


----------



## rrudolph

Sary: Pebble Playing in a Pot/Versetti/Sunflower/Pentagram/Omphale's Spinningwheele/Miniatures








Reich: Music for Pieces of Wood/Rzewski: Coming Together-Attica/Szemo: Water-Wonder/Melis: Etude for Three Mirrors


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Early Mozart Symphonies


----------



## Conor71

*DeMeij: Symphony No. 1, "The Lord Of The Rings"*

I started the day with the Hovhaness Disc of Symphonies for wind orchestra. After the Hovhaness I felt like something similar so I remembered about the DeMeij which is for wind orchestra too. Currently listening to the Lord Of The Rings Symphony for full orchestra now:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C
Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor
Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G minor


----------



## SimonNZ

ptr said:


> This label constantly surprise me with their high quality productions of contemporary music! Lachenmann is one of my favourites, Castiglioni (1932-96) is a relatively new find for me, someone I will research further, has a few similarities to compatriot Berio, early influences from Stravinsky's Neoclassism, Second Viennese and Darmstadt Schools.
> 
> /ptr


I'm totally coveting your Neos collection. For some reason its a label I never see out my way - in fact I'm pretty sure I've never encountered an actual physical copy.

playing now:










piano works by Dutilleux, Knussen, Cardew a.o. - Isabel Chaplais and Karis Stretton, pianos


----------



## neoshredder

Decided to go back to my Symphony project. Farrenc Symphony 3 as suggested by ComposerofAvantGarde. (1847)


----------



## Tristan

*Szymanowski* - Concert Overture, Op. 12

What a lively piece of music  I only recently started listening to Szymanowski, but I like what I've heard.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

Stenhammar's Piano Concerto No.1 - Love Derwinger, piano, Paavo Jarvi, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*DeMeij: Symphony No. 2, "The Big Apple"*

Listening to Disc 1 of this newly downloaded set - really liking it so far!. Later I will play the Hovhaness Disc and listen to Disc 2 of The DeMeij:


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> I'm totally coveting your Neos collection. For some reason its a label I never see out my way - in fact I'm pretty sure I've never encountered an actual physical copy.


Neos is one of the labels I usually buy directly from the source! Dunno if they sell directly outside the EU?

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

ptr said:


> Neos is one of the labels I usually buy directly from the source! Dunno if they sell directly outside the EU?
> 
> /ptr


No doubt they would, and I could easily get them from Presto who I like supporting. I guess what bugs me is that I'm never going to find them in the secondhand bins here at prices I can afford if I'm buying a lot.

playing now:










Vladimir Vogel's Four Studies For Orchestra - Israel Yinon, cond.

edit: now John Adams' Harmonium - Edo De Waart, cond.


----------



## Pip

Heard the Borodin symphony nr 2 at the Proms the other night Gergiev/LSO and it has reawakened me to this work which I have not heard for many a year. The symphony is short 29m or so, but tremendous fun, full of marvelous rhythms and melodies.
I found a CD of Kleiber - father and son - conducting this piece.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463375153&pf_rd_i=301128


----------



## SimonNZ

Webern's Kantate II - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> The impregnable fortress that is the Haffner Serenade, *K250*. This is an unimpeachable masterwork from a young man, barely 20 years old. It contains the power of Romanticism with the virtuosity and range of whatever came before and after. A symph that holds a violin concerto in its swollen belly. Distraction music for a wedding feast, something that outshines even the shining young bride.
> 
> Ton Koopman conducts the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra...


Once again Keiran, you guide my listening. I haven't heard to this in a very long time. As the first movement unfolds, I listen with fresh ears thanks to your persuasive description.








K250, Serenade in D
Sir Neville Marriner, ASMF


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening and this morning:

Handel's Messiah 
Dunedin Consort and Players, dir. John Butt
On linn








Johann Kuhnau & Vincent Albrici Sopran cantatas 
Barbara Steude [sop.], Concerto con voce, Jan Katschzke [dir.]
On CPO









J.S. Bach, Cello Suites [tip!]
Bruno Cocset
On Alpha








J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations
Glenn Gould ('55)
On Sony Music

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content








This one is getting better after many rounds of listening. My first impression was that he was a little too speedy, and that impression remains true, whilst I'm getting less and less agitated by this fact. He is very fast, yet also extremely precise. I will buy his 1981 version someday too, I think.

After this much baroque, perhaps some more romantic works:

Beethoven, Sonatas for Piano & Violin
By Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov
On Harmonia Mundi








This one is also very highly recommended. Great recording, and Faust is at her very best. So much musicality, so much dynamic variation, diction. Fantastic.


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *_Piano Sonatas 2, 16, 32 & 41 _(Bart van Oort, fortepiano, 2000)


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 22984


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[25] Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas No 23 & 7 (RCA Victor)









[26-27] The Horowitz collection [RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33 no. 2 ('Joke'); String Quartet in C major, Op. 33 no. 3 ('Bird')
Quatuor Mosaïques








Wolfgang Rihm: Verwandlungen I, II
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Christian Arming








J. S. Bach: 'Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36; 'Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden', BWV47; 'Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende', BWV27
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Satoshi Mizukoshi, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Hector Parra: Stress Tensor, for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio (2009)
ensemble recherche: Martin Fahlenbock (flute), Shizuyo Oka (clarinet), Melise Mellinger (violin), Barbara Maurer (viola), Åsa Åkerberg (cello), Klaus Steffes-Holländer (piano)


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: *Rain Tree Sketch* for piano, *Rocking Mirror Daybreak* for violin duo, *Rain Tree Sketch II* for piano, *Masque* for two flutes, *Waves* for clarinet with two trombones, horn, and bass drum, *Cross Talk* for two bandoneons and tape








Ensemble Takemitsu

Sorry, too lazy to type up detailed performer information this time, although I know that Aki Takahashi played Rain Tree Sketch II (but not I) and Hiroshi Koizumi was one of the flutists on Masque...


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto for Sopranino Recorder, RV 433






One of my favourite pieces. I do not know about everyone else, but the Sopranino is my favourite recorder. The high pitch of it is so beautiful, in my opinion...cannot get enough of it!


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Nicola Porpora (17 August 1686-1768): Cantata "Il Tritiro"

Giorgio Sasso leading Insieme Strumentale di Roma -- Rallaella Milanesi, soprano

View attachment 23002


----------



## Selby

Another contemporary masterpiece:

Donnacha Dennehy - That the Night Come (song cycle for soprano and chamber orchestra, poems by WB Yeats)

The Crash Ensemble and Dawn Upshaw performing.









You want this album.

sample:






*I didn't watch/listen to the youtube clip (at work with no sound), listening off my iPod, so I don't/can't claim quality.


----------



## Selby

Donnacha Dennehy continued... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnacha_Dennehy#Discography

I just read that he is currently collaborating with Dawn Upshaw again on his new opera, the Hunger, "an evening-length mono-opera about the Great Irish Famine."

Couldn't be more excited.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B
Chopin: Piano Trio in G minor


----------



## Mahlerian

After listening through (most of) my Mahler set for the composer recommendation thread, from which I particularly recommend the searing account of the 10th Symphony's Adagio from Boulez/Cleveland....
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: 



Wunderhorn Lieder, "Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht": 



Ruckert Lieder, "Ich bin der welt abhanden gekommen": 



10th Symphony, Adagio: 




I'm going through others' wonderful suggestions, starting with Ingenue's Lully.


----------



## brotagonist

My only exposure to Prokofiev, for decades, had been _Peter and the Wolf_, so I had simply dismissed him from further consideration. A couple of weeks ago, I traded in some CDs and spotted his _Classical Symphony_ & _Symphony 5_ (Karajan/BPO). They turned out to be earopeners! In this short time, I have ordered 2 further Prokofiev albums.









This is the second. What a find!


----------



## DaveS

Vaughan-Williams Lark, Dives, Tallis Fantasia & Greensleeves. Old Argo LP: Neville Marriner, ASMF.


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - Trois Petites Liturgies / Couleurs de la Cite celeste / Hymne pour grand orchestre (DG)









Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Myung-Whun Chung

*Sir Arthur Bliss* - A Colour Symphony / Introduction and Allegro (Decca Ace of Spades)









London Symphony u. the Composer

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Anton Ferdinand Titz (1742-1810): String Quartet in G Major

Hoffmeister Quartet: Christoph Heidemann and Ulla Bundies, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello

View attachment 23007


----------



## DaveS

The lighter Sibelius. Sir Charles Groves, RLPO. Pix should be clear enough.


----------



## JCarmel

How can one follow a composer by the name of Titz?!!
But I've certainly enjoyed a thrill to the breast this afternoon...by listening...very loudly... to Massenet's 'Le Cid' ballet music.
It's one of those musical pieces that is thoroughly familiar in parts...to which one says upon hearing 'Oh,_ that's _what that music is, is it?!'









Anyway...it's a spirit-lifting (if not a chest-lifting!) tuneful, vivid & exotic piece of music. Recommended to those who feel a bit glum. I was feeling a bit that way before the music intervened, accompanied by a man-size serving of sherry trifle. De-Lishus!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.18 in B Flat, KV 456

The English Chamber Orchestra with Murray Perahia on piano

View attachment 23010


----------



## Selby

First listen:

Peter Lieberson - Neruda Songs, his late wife Hunt Lieberson performing.









This centuries Four Last Songs?

I read a lot of great reviews on the amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Lorraine-Lieberson-sings-Peter-Neruda/dp/B000JU8HJ2

I really love song cycles, one of my favorite genres, but this one is not immediately clicking. Although, as I read more about it's circumstance and the performance the more I am enjoying it. I was feeling that the orchestration was a little meh; there is that fine line between bland and subtle - I'm not sure which side of the line it will ultimately fall.

I have been listening to a lot of very innovative and original contemporary composers lately. Song cycles like Lang's Death Speaks, Dennehy's That the Night Come, and various cycles from Lorenzo Palomo; this feels to tame and restricted in comparison.

Nonetheless, these are beautiful love songs, written by Peter to his wife Hunt while she was battling cancer; a battle she sadly lost. I do wonder, and am beginning to believe, that I will find the work very affecting when I am looking for gentler tones. It will remain on my radar for sure.

From an amazon review.. "it is the fifth poem, "My love, if I die and you don't", which really tugs most at the heartstrings as she sings of the eternal fate of true love in spite of any earthbound limitations a couple will face. The most sublime moment comes when she repeats the word "amor" at the end with a dream-like, faraway tone. This is magnificent, transcendent work from a singer for the ages and a composer whose enduring love for his wife has inspired his most profound work."


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor K550
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Blancrocher

Gregor Piatigorsky; Charles Munch: Boston Symphony Orchestra

And though I came for the Walton, I'll stay for the Dvorak.


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in G Minor, 'La Notte,' For Flute, Bassoon, Strings & Harpsichord, Op.10, No. 2
_Julius Baker, Karl Hoffmann, Rudolf Klepac, I Solisti Di Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

This is beyond awesome. Love how well the flute and bassoon compliment each other!


----------



## JCarmel

*Vincenzo Bellini *Overture to 'Norma'
Something stirring during half-time to celebrate the goal-scoring genius of Robin Van Persie.
Great footballer...great overture, one of my favourite overtures...& I've got a few?!


----------



## JCarmel

That Vivaldi Concerto, chrisco 97 is just about my favourite work by Vivaldi. Great choice! I heard a lively performance of it once in a Venetian Church & I was singing it through in my mind, as I walked back to my hotel, through the canals and backstreets of the city.


----------



## chrisco97

JCarmel said:


> That Vivaldi Concerto, chrisco 97 is just about my favourite work by Vivaldi. Great choice! I heard a lively performance of it once in a Venetian Church & I was singing it through in my mind, as I walked back to my hotel, through the canals and backstreets of the city.


Yes, I loved it! I bet that was an awesome experience.


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ (*Decca*)









John A. C. Kane, Xylorimba, Janos Starker, Cello, Yvonne Loriod, Piano, Wallace Mann, Flute, Loren Kitt, Clarinet, Frank A Ames, Marimba, Ronald Barnett, Vibraphone, Michael Sylvester, Tenor, Paul Aquino, Baritone; Westminster Symphonic Choir & National Symphony, Washington u. Antal Dorati

/ptr


----------



## NightHawk

This is a miraculous disc in my opinion. I easily prefer Gilels' performance of these three great named sonatas over the many I own or have heard, including Richter's _Appassionata_. Very Highly recommended ******'s


----------



## bejart

Georg Anton Benda (1722-1795): Viola Concerto in F Major

Hermann Breuer directing the Landes Sinfonie Orchester of Thuringen-Gotha

View attachment 23017


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K183
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras








I felt like listening to the "other" G minor as well.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1739-1805): String Quintet in C Major, Op.25, No.4, G.298

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Mario Paladin, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos

View attachment 23020


----------



## ptr

Last record of the evening, could not help myself from getting a raving urge to hear some French non-music!

*Claude Debussy* - Images Books 1 & 2 and Children's Corner Suite (*DG*)









Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano

Yes, it is to music what the Dead Sea is to Swimming, proof that something do not need a "label" for it to flow like the clearest stream!

/ptr


----------



## Mika

Messiaen & Saariaho


----------



## opus55

Sampling some pieces from Naxos Music Library.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony again, this time performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis.

Another great performance. Between Davis & Boult (EMI), I think Vaughan Williams may become one of my favourite composers from a symphonic perspective.

If I may slip a quick question in here out of curiosity, how different are Boult's two VW cycles? As I understand, the first cycle had RVW's presence or input up until the ninth symphony due to RVW passing just before the recording. Are the differences marked enough to warrant both sets (the first and EMI) or is the EMI a good representation?


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner 8th symphony, performed by Giulini and the VPO. Amazing performance.


----------



## drpraetorus

Beethoven Sym#5 Solti, Chicago


----------



## JCarmel

Taking inspiration from chrisco97 & comparing the interpretation of the Vivaldi Concerto for sopranino recorder by Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico on my dvd here...









with the Petri performance.

Coincidentally, I listened to this cd (below) by Petri on Wednesday, well-conducted by George Malcolm.....I hadn't heard it for years!!


----------



## Conor71

*Khachaturian: Gayaneh Suite*

Khachaturian - what a great composer! Earlier I listened to the Yoshimatsu Disc - really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to exploring this composer more.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Requiem - Karajan 1976


----------



## JCarmel

Interpreti Veneziani... playing in this youtube clip, Vivaldi's La Stravaganza..






On two separate occasions I attended a concert of their music-making in Venice & enjoyed it more than words could describe. Listening to so much music from cds, LP's and cassettes as I routinely do...it is a really overwhelming experience I find, to attend a live concert when the musicians are as good as they are in this particular ensemble.
On both occasions, I sat right on the front row in the middle....& loved every minute!

One more piece of Vivaldiana for tonight...I used to play an LP of his Concerto for Mandolins to death when I was a teenager!...


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *_Piano Sonatas 1, 33, 46 _ (BvO)


----------



## Conor71

*Khachaturian: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor*

I finished the Disc of Ballet suites already - quite a few ear-worms there, Im glad I finally have a copy of this music!. Now playing another new Khachaturian Disc with his Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 on it. Ive only heard number 2 before and I do quite like that one. Almost finised the first movement now - this ones good too


----------



## SimonNZ

Christopher Tye: Laudes Deo - Hesperion XX, Jordi Savall

-

also: a local seller is offering quite a few NMC label discs very cheaply. Its not a label I'm familiar with, though it looks interesting. Does anyone know if there a particular albums of theirs I should be watching out for?


----------



## brotagonist

My first exposure to Vaughan Williams.









I haven't heard the _Pastoral Symphony_, but this one is as worthy of the moniker. I think could fall asleep ;-)

The 'Amazonians' are pretty opinionated on this disc: there is a lot of dissension.


----------



## Guest

Been too long since I did any Chopin...


----------



## JCarmel

" My first exposure to Vaughan Williams "......was he shocked, brotagonist?


----------



## Guest

Mozart K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C
Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra








Vivaldi, RV532, Concerto for 2 Mandolins in G
Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert


----------



## Mahlerian

Via radio:

Ravel: Noble and Sentimental Waltzes
Boston Symphony, cond. Haitink

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K219
Isabelle Faust, Boston Symphony, cond. Haitink


----------



## Guest

51) Gershwin by Grofe









Lots of jazzy numbers leading up to the quintessential American composition.


----------



## realdealblues

AClockworkOrange said:


> Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony again, this time performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis.
> 
> Another great performance. Between Davis & Boult (EMI), I think Vaughan Williams may become one of my favourite composers from a symphonic perspective.
> 
> If I may slip a quick question in here out of curiosity, how different are Boult's two VW cycles? As I understand, the first cycle had RVW's presence or input up until the ninth symphony due to RVW passing just before the recording. Are the differences marked enough to warrant both sets (the first and EMI) or is the EMI a good representation?


I've got both. Obviously the earlier recordings are Mono (other than Symphonies 8 & 9) so the sound quality isn't as good. The older set has the narration on Symphony 7 which is great to hear. But interpretively they are similar as far as tempo and things of that nature. I guess I would say maybe you hear a little bit more of Vaughan Williams in the music. It's hard to describe. I read a review once comparing the two sets and the how the stereo recording tries to "make the music sound great" vs just letting it speak for itself which is more of what the older Mono recordings did. I would agree with that. If you absolutely love the Symphonies, then by all means go ahead and pick up the older set and explore it, but for as the interpretations themselves and for better sound quality you've already got a great set.


----------



## Guest

52) Gorecki: Symphony #3

View attachment 23041


I like the second movement about the girl in the Zakopane prison. I've been to Zakopane, but don't recall the prison.


----------



## brotagonist

JCarmel said:


> " My first exposure to Vaughan Williams "......was he shocked, brotagonist?


Lulled, I think. I need to let it sink in a bit before I get too opinionated ;-)


----------



## Guest

53) Grieg: Violin Sonatas

View attachment 23042


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn*
_Symphonies #96 in D major, 'Miracle' & 94 in G major, 'Surprise'_
(arranged for piano trio by Johann Peter Salomon)
- Ensemble of the Classic Era: Geoffrey Lancaster, fortepiano; Paul Wright, classical violin; Susan Blake, classical cello (ABC Classics)










Starting the weekend's listening with two more of Haydn's London symphonies.

*Symphony #96* got its name by default, after a chandelier falling down but miraculously not hurting anyone, but that was during a performance of _Symphony #102_. Somehow the label got applied to the wrong symphony.

_*Symphony #94*_ is one of the most famous in the London series, the surprise coming in the Andante, a fortissimo crash which Haydn apparently put in to wake up those who tended to doze off during his slow movements. The following variations on the demure tune, which is very similar to _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_, are up to Papa's usual standard. They go through a whole array of textures and moods, my favourite is the one that sounds like a zither or cimbalom.

These arrangements for piano trio are by *Salomon*, the violinist and impresario who bought the composer to London and who co-led the orchestral premieres of these works. Salomon acquired the rights to publish these arrangements, since there was a ready market then for new works adapted for reduced forces. These could be done more cheaply at chamber soirees, and give more people a chance to hear these symphonies after the initial premiere season had passed. At that stage, large scale concerts where still few and far between, chamber music was more widely played.

Its interesting to hear a work for 20-25 (or so) piece orchestra squashed down into three players, and the pianist bears a lot of the weight here.

An interesting bit of trivia is that Salomon was born in exactly the same house in Bonn which Beethoven was, but 25 years earlier. It's a bit like how Jimi Hendrix lived in the same house Handel did in London.


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev* _Symphony #1 in D major, Op. 25 "Classical"_ (1916-17)
- London SO under Claudio Abbado (Eloquence)

*Dohnanyi* _Variations on a Nursery Song, Op. 25 _(1914)
- Eldar Nebolsin, piano with Buffalo PO under JoAnn Falletta (Naxos)

















On to two works from the 1910's which have similarities with the Haydn symphonies.

*Prokofiev's Symphony #1 'Classical' *combines things garnered from Haydn and Mozart with these motoric rhythms and a fair amount of whimsy. Despite this being an undeniably bright and cheerful work, it was written in chaotic years for Russia, during the First World War and leading up to the Bolshevik takeover of power.

*Dohnanyi's Variations on a Nursery Song *is his most popular work and it is explicitly based on _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ (or _Ah, vous Dirai-Je, Maman _in French, which Mozart based a set of his own variations on as well).

After a portentous introduction that reminds me of the opening of a Brahms concerto, the nursery tune is played by the pianist, obviously a contrast aiming at humour. It's a gentle dig at conventions, and Dohnanyi said he dedicated this work "to the enjoyment of lovers of humor, and to the annoyance of others." Cheeky!

Again, the tune goes through a whole gamut of altered states, so to speak. My favourites are the waltz-like one which is reminiscent of Tchaikovsky and the one that sounds like clock chimes. A brief fugue rounds off the work.


----------



## Sid James

Then a first listen to *Bejun Mehta's self titled debut album*. He sang six arias by *Handel*, *Schubert's* _Shepherd on the Rock_, four songs by *Brahms* and *Britten's* arrangement of _The Last Rose of Summer_. It took me a while to adjust to the boy soprano voice. I especially enjoyed the Schubert and Britten.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Double Concerto
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor


----------



## Sid James

Finishing with three brief items.

*Britten's Simple Symphony *was written when he was 12 years old. It shows immense insight into string writing and the slow movement _Sentimental Sarabande _strikes me as very emotionally deep for someone so young.

I also listened to an instrumental arrangement of one of the *Handel *arias sung by Bejun Mehta, and oddly enough it reminded me a lot of the intermezzo from Mascagni's _Cavalleria Rusticana_.

Also speaking of folk arrangements, I love *Grainger's Danny Boy*, it has this kind of bluesy undertow and such strong emotional pull.

*Percy Grainger* _Irish Tune from the County Derry (Danny Boy)_
- Melbourne SO under Geoffrey Simon (ABC Classics)

*Britten* _Simple Symphony for string orch., Op. 4_
- Slovak CO under Bohdan Warchal (Point Classics)

*Handel* _Largo, arr. Connah, from 'Serse'_
- Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner (EMI)

Finally, some historic images related to this listening session. Firstly, *London's Hanover Square Rooms*, where Haydn's London symphonies where premiered (with the chandelier!). Crowds gathering in front of the *Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1917* and *Britten as a boy*.


----------



## realdealblues

Just finished it and it's my new favorite recording of this Symphony.

View attachment 23043


Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Paul Kletzki & The Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

I was also just listening to the same work!

Via radio:
Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Camilla Tilling, Boston Symphony, cond. Haitink

I didn't think I wanted to hear this at the moment, so I missed the first 20 minutes. But the second I heard a note, I didn't want to stop listening. Mahler does that to me sometimes!


----------



## brotagonist

A change of pace:









At times stark, then singsong; less acerbic than Kronos.


----------



## Weston

realdealblues said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 4
> Paul Kletzki & The Philharmonia Orchestra


In a weird synchronicity, I too have just finished Mahler 4, continuing my exploration of Mahler in deep listening mode now that I finally had the time.










My thoughts on first hearing for anyone wanting to hear it for the first time again vicariously:

Movement 1. Far more pleasant, nostalgic and even a bit more sublte than the three previous symphonies. This may sound crazy, but parts of this movement, the orchestration and melodic gestures, remind me a little of Dvorak. This could be the nursery rhyme themes I seem to be detecting. One can almost hear a "Three Blind Mice" motive in places which also shows up in Dvorak's 9th. This has far fewer nerve wracking jangly pyrotechnic explosions than Dvorak however. The entire movement in fact flows very smoothly without seeming to rudely interupt itself as most other composers trying to demand our attention would have done. Nothing wrong with the latter, but this is a pleasant surprise. Supposedly in sonata form, the transitions are so smooth I could barely detect them.

Movement 2. Another pleasant surprise is this slightly macabre fiddle tune. It's light and still childlike as in the first movement, but the melody veers off into strange, alsmost grotesque directions similar to _Danse macabre_ with a carnival-like atmosphere, but not really -- like something one might expect to hear as the theme of a Tim Burton movie. It is hard to describe. It's my understanding a violin is downtuned for this movement. I'd be curious how that is done. Does the first violinist re-tune the instrument between movements, or does a guest violinist have a downtuned violin at hand? Again, parts of this movement remind me of Dvorak. It's the handling of the flute and reed trills and the incorporation of what sound like folk dances to me. The version I am hearing has some fairly loud solo pizzicato near the end of the movement that seem a little out of place to me. I don't think they were intended to be this loud. It's a terrifically fun movement nonetheless.

Movement 3. A stunning beautiful theme opens this movement which I can only describe as having surely inspired Rachmaninoff's lush sonorities. But it does briefly erupt into ominous forte storms with reprises of the Three Blind Mice motive (that I may be only imagining) in a slightly twisted form this time. Though there must certainly have been modulations going on in the previous movements, I notice some very nice ones here. After some lighter and faster variations the main them returns and we are treated to one very soft string glissando (or is that portamento?) that sent chills up my spine, before an explosion into a brassy climax more like what I have come to expect from Mahler. This movement feels like a tone poem that could almost stand alone to me, and I could believe Rachmaninoff and Richard Strauss both took a lot of inspiration from Mahler. Or possibly it's just the time period this was composed.

Movement 4. As I am not as fond of lieder, this movement is not quite as enjoyable to me. I like it at first when it is a flowing melody, but not as much when it gets closer to recitative. Fortunately the latter happens only once, maybe twice. The various segments are alternated with a rush of themes harkening back to the first movement. I understand much of this was composed originally for the third symphony, but I probably didn't need to know that on first hearing. Some of the faster parts remind me a lot of Bernard Hermann's North By Northwest, so we can surmise where the inspiration for that film score came. It seems odd Mahler would end his symphony with a less weighty statement than the previous movement, but I can see that it ties everything together and forms the glue of the entire symphony. We are just more used to climactic endings from this time period.

Overall this entire work is a surprise from start to finish. There is very little in the way of big brass blasts we associate with Mahler and also very little of the anguish. I am left feeling refreshed and at peace.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.61

Luca Palazzolo, piano

View attachment 23045


----------



## Weston

brotagonist said:


> Lulled, I think. I need to let it sink in a bit before I get too opinionated ;-)


I'm not sure I would recommend the 5th as a first exposure to RVW, but it's a very nice piece. The 7th is what got me into him. Every Vaughan-Williams symphony is its own very different thing. You could almost think they were all by different composers.



Sid James said:


> *Haydn*
> 
> _*Symphony #94*_ is one of the most famous in the London series, the surprise coming in the Andante, a fortissimo crash which Haydn apparently put in to wake up those who tended to doze off during his slow movements.


Still makes me jump every time.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

realdealblues said:


> I've got both. Obviously the earlier recordings are Mono (other than Symphonies 8 & 9) so the sound quality isn't as good. The older set has the narration on Symphony 7 which is great to hear. But interpretively they are similar as far as tempo and things of that nature. I guess I would say maybe you hear a little bit more of Vaughan Williams in the music. It's hard to describe. I read a review once comparing the two sets and the how the stereo recording tries to "make the music sound great" vs just letting it speak for itself which is more of what the older Mono recordings did. I would agree with that. If you absolutely love the Symphonies, then by all means go ahead and pick up the older set and explore it, but for as the interpretations themselves and for better sound quality you've already got a great set.


Thanks for that Realdealblues.


----------



## julianoq

Weston said:


> I'm not sure I would recommend the 5th as a first exposure to RVW, but it's a very nice piece.


I love the 5th symphony, but I am not sure if I love it for what it is or because it reminds me so much of Sibelius. I like all RVW symphonic cycle, but the 5th is very special to me. As Sibelius himself said:

Sibelius wrote: "I heard Dr. Ralph Vaughan Williams' new Symphony in Stockholm under the excellent leadership of Malcolm Sargent...This Symphony is a marvelous work ... the dedication made me feel proud and grateful...I wonder if Dr. Williams has any idea of the pleasure he has given me?"

Listening to it now, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Art of Fugue










I find this work to be easily enjoyable yet daunting at the same time.


----------



## brotagonist

Weston said:


> I'm not sure I would recommend the 5th as a first exposure to RVW, but it's a very nice piece. The 7th is what got me into him. Every Vaughan-Williams symphony is its own very different thing. You could almost think they were all by different composers.


I picked it up used, so I had to take what was there. I was looking for composers I wouldn't normally be interested in ;-)

It's very smooth and melodious, unlike the jagged music I tend to prefer, but I think it is going to work out for me after a few listens.

I will be able to get a better impression, since I also got:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to Esa-Pekka Salonen's recordings of Lutoslawski's symphonies with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Performance and sound quality are very good on this recording.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Savoring the Lutoslawski and am saving 3 & 4 for tomorrow. Moved on to John Pickard. I love the cover and the music is as intriguing as the cover suggests. 










Kevin


----------



## Guest

54) Griffes: The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan, etc










Never thought I'd like impressionism but this is pretty good.


----------



## Guest

55) Handel: Water Music [Pinnock]










I first bought this in 1987 or so. I still have a soft spot for it.


----------



## chrisco97

Sid James said:


> *Haydn*
> _Symphonies #96 in D major, 'Miracle' & 94 in G major, 'Surprise'_
> (arranged for piano trio by Johann Peter Salomon)
> - Ensemble of the Classic Era: Geoffrey Lancaster, fortepiano; Paul Wright, classical violin; Susan Blake, classical cello (ABC Classics)
> 
> *Symphony #96* got its name by default, after a chandelier falling down but miraculously not hurting anyone, but that was during a performance of _Symphony #102_. Somehow the label got applied to the wrong symphony.
> 
> ...
> 
> An interesting bit of trivia is that Salomon was born in exactly the same house in Bonn which Beethoven was, but 25 years earlier. It's a bit like how Jimi Hendrix lived in the same house Handel did in London.


Thanks for your detailed posts! I almost always learn something new from them. Very informative.


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Symphonies 5 and 6 - Jiri Belohlavek, cond.


----------



## starthrower

Piano Sonatas 1-3


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Gade Symphony 5


----------



## Sid James

chrisco97 said:


> Thanks for your detailed posts! I almost always learn something new from them. Very informative.


Your welcome and I'm glad to hear that! Really they are a joy to do, its good for me to record these histories and impressions, its a bit like a personal music diary. BTW I've now covered all the London symphonies of Haydn except one thats left, #99, which I aim to get to next weekend. Stay tuned...


----------



## Weston

starthrower said:


> Piano Sonatas 1-3


This one needs to go in the best covers thread if it isn't already. Astonishing artwork!


----------



## opus55

Gliere: Symphony No. 2 in C minor










Reminds me of Kalinnikov's symphony no. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Symphony In Three Movements - Georg Solti, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bizet - Symphony in C


----------



## SimonNZ

Satie: Complete Piano Works, disc two - Christina Ariagno, piano

A real dissapointment, this set. Dry and humourless and not in the least bit French. A dark cloud hangs over everything, even the Gymnopedies sound depressed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Somei Satoh's Stabat Mater - George Manahan, dir.


----------



## Wood

*Sibelius *_Symphony No. 5 _(Ashkenazy, Phil O)










*Wagner *_Orchestral music _(Barenboim, Orchestre de Paris)










*Haydn *_Piano Sonata No. 2 _(BvO, fp)

This sounds more like a harpsichord partita, & seemingly unlike Haydn. Quite fine all the same!


----------



## Vesteralen

brotagonist said:


> My first exposure to Vaughan Williams.
> 
> View attachment 23035
> 
> 
> I haven't heard the _Pastoral Symphony_, but this one is as worthy of the moniker. I think could fall asleep ;-)
> 
> The 'Amazonians' are pretty opinionated on this disc: there is a lot of dissension.


Both 3 and 5 are very sleepy symphonies. To get the real taste of RVW the symphonist, I recommend any of the others, but particularly 2, 4, 8 and 9. My personal favorite is No.7, taken from the music from the score of "Scott of the Antarctic", but it may not have the more universal appeal of the others I mentioned. No. 6 is a bit frightening (like No. 4), but the eerily quiet ending may take some getting used to. No 1 is choral - I love it, but it is not one of his best.


----------



## Mika

While listening this I got ultimatum from the rest of the family . Even Boulez doesn't have so dramatic side effects


----------



## SimonNZ

Schnittke's Choir Concerto - Valeri Polyansky, cond.


----------



## Guest

*Mozart! *
It's a bright beautiful Sunday morning and Wolfie reminds me how perfectly balanced this universe is and how lucky we are to be living in it. 
Two discs by Jos van Immerseel with Anima Eterna:








K365, Concerto for two pianos in E flat
K299, Concerto for flute and harp in C
K447, Concerto for horn in E flat








K456, Concerto for piano in B flat
K459, Concerto for piano in F


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725): Sinfonia No.1 in F Major

I Musici -- William Bennett and Lenore Smith, flutes

View attachment 23055


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[28] The Young Horowitz (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

*Wolfgang Rihm* - Orchestral & Chamber Works (Col Legno OOP?)
(Wölfli-Lieder, version for bass-baritone & orchestra // Klavierstück No. 7 // Frau / Stimme, for soprano & orchestra with second soprano // IN-SCHRIFT, for orchestra)









Richard Salter, Baritone; Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra u. Alexander Dmitriev // Bernhard Wambach, Piano // Isolde Siebert, Soprano & Carmen Fugiss, Soprano; SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra u. Michael Gielen // Bamberg Symphoniker u. Hans Zender

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arvo Part, Beatus.*


----------



## realdealblues

Sunday morning with Bach & Schiff...

View attachment 23061


Bach: Cello Suites 1-6
Heinrich Schiff


----------



## Andolink

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 33 no. 4
Quatuor Mosaïques








Arcangelo Corelli: Concerti Grossi Op. 6--No. 3 in C minor and No. 4 in D major
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock








C. P. E. Bach: The Symphonies for Strings--No. 1 in G major and No. 2 in B flat major
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock








Bernardo Pasquini: Harpsichord Sonatas
Rinaldo Alessandrini, harpsichord


----------



## opus55

Zemlinsky orchestral songs










Quite an unusual selection for my Sunday morning starter.


----------



## jim prideaux

having listened repeatedly to Naxos recording of Martinu 1/2/4 piano concertos I am now listening to the second volume which features 3/5/concertino-this has led me to dig out 'neo classical' works from Sony 'Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky' box ie Appollon Musagete/Pulcinella etc-I know this will lead me to Poulenc keyboard concertos!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade in D Major, KV 250, "Haffner"

Sir Colin Davis conducting the Symphonie Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

View attachment 23066


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 5 (Tahra rec. 1951)









Royal ConcertgebouwOrkest u. Rafael Kubelik

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

I listened to my recently acquired recordings of Perahia's English Suites and Partitas. The former is my reference recording, and I like the latter a lot (though it has Gould to compete with). I'm very pleased with all of these cds!


----------



## bejart

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842): String Quartet No.1 in E Flat

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello

View attachment 23068


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg // Wagner-Solti


----------



## brotagonist

I decided to hold off on Schnittke's _String Quartet 4_ (Quatuor Molinari) until later and have moved on to a pleasant diversion:


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening String Quartet n°2 by Leoš Janáček.


----------



## DaveS

Very old Columbia LP. Isaac Stern, Sir Thos. Beecham, RPO. Sibelius Violin Concerto; Scenes Historiques.


----------



## ptr

More!

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 7 (Orfeo d'Or Live 1950)









Wiener Symphonier u. Hermann Scherchen

And before drowning in the next episode of Antiques RoadShow UK on the local telly...

*Karlheinz Stockhausen* - Studie I & II & Gesang der Juenglinge (DG)









Performed by a traveller on his way back to Sirius...

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Luigi Gatti (1740-1817): Bassoon Concerto in F Major

Fausto Pedretti conducting the Orchestra da Camera del Conservatorio di Musica di Mantova -- Stefano Canuti, bassoon

View attachment 23075


----------



## NightHawk

Thinking about all the Wagner being heard this month in Bayreuth I thought I'd share this with you - I apologize for the length.

Here is a great bargain. An entire digital Ring recorded in 1981 (in the studio) for less than $25, and it has much to recommend it. First the Staatskapelle Dresden and conductor Marek Janowski who play splendidly, then the cast, which includes (remember, the voices are 30+ years younger) : Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegmund, Jessye Norman as Sieglinde, Kurt Moll as Hunding, Theo Adam as Wotan, Jeannine Altmeyer as Bunnhilde, Rene Kollo as Siegfried, Yvonne Minton as Fricka, Peter Schreier as Loge, Matti Salminen as Fafner, Lucia Popp as Woglinda, and Cheryl Studer as Ortlinde. California soprano Jeannine Altmeyer (yes, California) is a very good Brunnhilde with the range, stamina and brilliance required. She and her sisters are quite impressive. Packaged in a no frills cardboard box, without liner notes or libretto (easily obtainable on the internet), this is, as I said, a really good deal. I have owned and treasured the _Die Walkure_ extracted from this entire production since the 80's and very highly recommend it. Today I am listening to the entire 14 hours and am presently in the last scene of _Die Walkure_.

Certainly, it is not, overall, the Furtwangler, Knappertsbusch, Solti, or other legendary performances, although I will end this long post saying Jerusalem, Norman, Moll, Salminen, and Marek Janowski are reason enough to buy this complete Ring for this price.


----------



## Mahlerian

Varese: Deserts
National Polish Radio Symphony, cond. Lyndon-Gee









I usually listen to the Boulez version, which doesn't have the electronic interpolations. I'm not as attracted to Varese's music as to some of the composers he influenced (or was influenced by), but find it fascinating all the same.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Gounod Symphony 1


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> I usually listen to the Boulez version, which doesn't have the electronic interpolations. I'm not as attracted to Varese's music as to some of the composers he influenced (or was influenced by), but find it fascinating all the same.


I am most familiar with the Simonovich recording on Angel, but also Boulez' from Sony. Since they were LPs, I finally replaced them with both the Chailly and Boulez versions in the last half year. The Boulez certainly has something to recommend it, in particular _Ameriques_ and _Déserts_ (without the antiquated old tape, I almost feel it is better, although I am glad that Chailly used it, just for the contrast).


----------



## bejart

Domenico Dragonetti (1763?-1846): String Quintet No.18 in C Major

The Loma Mar Quartet with John Feeney on double bass: Krista Bennion, violin -- Anca Nicolau and Joanne Hood, violas

View attachment 23078


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mendelssohn*: String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Juilliard Qt.(rec.1998); Piano Trios 1 & 2, w. KLR trio (rec.1981); Music for Cello & Piano, w. Meneses & Wyss (rec.2007).

View attachment 23079
View attachment 23080
View attachment 23081


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I am most familiar with the Simonovich recording on Angel, but also Boulez' from Sony. Since they were LPs, I finally replaced them with both the Chailly and Boulez versions in the last half year. The Boulez certainly has something to recommend it, in particular _Ameriques_ and _Déserts_ (without the antiquated old tape, I almost feel it is better, although I am glad that Chailly used it, just for the contrast).


Boulez is one of the greatest conductors of modern music, no question about that, even if his repertoire is somewhat limited.

Takemitsu: *Itinerant* for flute, *Stanza I* for piano, guitar, harp, vibraphone, and female voice, *Rain Spell* for flute, clarinet, piano, and vibraphone
Ensemble Takemitsu









Stanza I is one of the many pieces of the 50s/60s that sound like they're riding the coattails of _Le marteau_, but despite a few weird bits (the voice interjecting shouts before intoning a line from Wittgenstein) it's good overall, and certainly sounds like Takemitsu rather than watered-down Boulez. The other two pieces are from his late period, of course.

Sibelius: Tapiola, Op. 112
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Feel like a change of pace, so I am listening to Haydn's Symphony 93 performed by the Royal Philharmonic under Sir Thomas Beecham. After the day I have had, I need something uplifting and this is perfect.


----------



## Selby

Arnold Bax - Éire Trilogy: Into the Twilight


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Pilgrims.*

This is a lovely work for string orchestra. (I know; every time I talk about Rorem's orchestral pieces, I use the word lovely. Maybe I'll add lyrical and pensive.)


----------



## Cheyenne

Webern's Op 28 String Quartet, played by the LaSalle Quartet, and his String Trio Op. 20 played by members by the Julliard Quartet; Schönberg's Drie Klavierstücke Op. 11 played by Frederich Chiu, his Piano Concerto played by Brendel/Kubelik, and his Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 16 conducted by Kubelik also. It's one of those days!

Edit: 
After mentioning Debussy's Nocturnes (Boulez) somewhere, I felt like listening to them myself; I'll finish up now with The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (Aimard) before bedtime.


----------



## aleazk

Mahlerian said:


> Boulez is one of the greatest conductors of modern music, no question about that, even if his repertoire is somewhat limited.
> 
> Takemitsu: *Itinerant* for flute, *Stanza I* for piano, guitar, harp, vibraphone, and female voice, *Rain Spell* for flute, clarinet, piano, and vibraphone
> Ensemble Takemitsu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stanza I is one of the many pieces of the 50s/60s that sound like they're riding the coattails of _Le marteau_, but despite a few weird bits (the voice interjecting shouts before intoning a line from Wittgenstein) it's good overall, and certainly sounds like Takemitsu rather than watered-down Boulez. The other two pieces are from his late period, of course.
> 
> Sibelius: Tapiola, Op. 112
> Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


_Rain Spell_ is one of my favorites. You forgot the harp!.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Flute Concerto No.4 in G Major

Jausz Prazbylsky directing the Gdansk Symphony Orchestra -- Claudi Armany, flute

View attachment 23087


----------



## SimonNZ

"Ancient Dances From Hungary" - Clemencic Consort


----------



## Guest

Although I might start to prefer Richter for the Schumann piece, I simply can't get enough of this disc!


----------



## opus55

Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 24


----------



## Guest

Also, I really wanna try Shelley's recording of the Schumann/Grieg/Saint-Saens...but I can't find it ANYWHERE for a download....it's not even catalogued on rateyourmusic....think I'm gonna buy it soon once I assess my true money situation tomorrow.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to another recording of John Pickard's music. This time his Piano Concerto. Really wild and very cool concerto! At times he reminds me of an out of control Bernstein. Really some amazing stuff here. Pickard is probably one of the most accessible modern composers alive today. Highly recommended!!

Oh.... and if you get a chance to hear this one play it loud. It needs the volume to have the necessary impact.









Kevin


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Rhapsody On a Theme By Paganini (18th Variation) - Sergei Rachmaninoff*
_Russian State Symphony, Daniel Petrov & Serge Tchikov (2009)_


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to an album of Ronald Corp's chamber music. It comprises his String Quartet No. 3, Clarinet Quintet and The Yellow Wallpaper (for mezzo soprano and string quintet). Corp is one of Britain's best composers alive today. I really love this string quartet piece. The second movement Cantilena and Scherzo is especially moving. I'm not all that fond of The Yellow Wallpaper but his Clarinet Quintet is a fine piece.










Kevin


----------



## jim prideaux

As mentioned yesterday-start the day with Stravinsky-composer and conductor-Apollon Musagete/Agon/Jeu de Cartes.
In this kind of 'neoclassical groove' recalled that I do have Blomstedts recording of Hindemith Mathis der Maler/Weber Variations but it is on cassette and I no longer even have a cassette player as part of my 'system'-what to do?


----------



## SimonNZ

"O Tu Chara Sciença: La Musique de la Pensée Médiévale" - La Reverdie


----------



## BlackDahlia

Kevin Pearson said:


> Listening to an album of Ronald Corp's chamber music... ...but his Clarinet Quintet is a fine piece.


I'll have to give it a listen.

*Water Music Suite: Air - George Frideric Handel*
_Academy of St. Martin In the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner_


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Liszt "Dante" Symphony (1857)


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *_Piano Sonatas G1, 3, 13, 10 _(Ursula Dutschler)










*
Haydn*_ Piano Sonata No. _ 7 (Stanley Hoogland)










In case anyone is remotely interested, this is what Baart van Oort looks like:


----------



## aleazk

Ravel - _Chansons madécasses_.


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[29] The Great Horowitz plays favourite Chopin (RCA Victor)









[30] Great Romantic Piano Favourites (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## drpraetorus

Mendelssohn string Octet in Eb


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Requiem Canticles - Neeme Jarvi, cond.

edit: now Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto - Pierre Boulrz, cond.










edit: and Stravinsky's Monumentum pro Gesualdo - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## Guest

Giovanni Henrico Albicastro (a.k.a. Johann Heinrich von Weissenburg)
12 Concerti a quattro, Op. 7


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Oboe Sonata in B Minor.

Musica Gaudens: Jiri Zelba, oboe -- Jakub Dvorak, cello

View attachment 23096


----------



## SimonNZ

Franco Donatoni's Darkness - Demoe Percussion Ensemble


----------



## ptr

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Symphony No 40 & 41 (*Archiv*)









Les Musiciens du Louvre u. Marc Minkowski

*Mathias Spahlinger* - Farben der Frühe für sieben klaviere (*Neos*)









Ensemble SurPlus u. James Avery

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Akio Yashiro's Sonata for Piano - Tomiko Tahara, piano


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart Piano Concerto's 15 and 16....a comparison.

Between my old favourite recording....Murray Perahia & the ECO









And the cd that arrived today that cost me one pence plus 1.26 p&p from Amazon....Mitsuko and Jeffrey!









Let Battle Commence!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Gottschalk - Symphonie Romantique


----------



## Vesteralen

From this set, the disc with the Serenade to Music - Partita - Symphony No 7

The "Antarctic" is probably my favorite RVW symphony (but only by a whisker over several others). This Vernon Handley conducted disc does not include the voice narrative portions which I cut my teeth on, so it's a little odd for me. But, the music is still so impressive. I would simply love to hear this done live. It's knock-your-socks-off music.


----------



## ptr

*Heiner Goebbels* - The Italian Concerto (*IDA*)









Heiner Goebbels, Piano, Percussion (1); Chris Cutler, Drums [+ Electrified Drums] (1); Sira Djebate, Voice (2); Boubacar Djebate, Kora (2); Tiziano Popoli, Sampler, Keyboards (2 & 3); Johannes Bauer, Trombone (3); Jocelyn B. Smith, Mezzo (4); Ensemble Icarus u. Yoichi Sugiyama & Orchestra Del Teatro Communale Di Bologna u. Franck Ollu (2 - 4)

*David Briggs* - Improivsation: The Illusionist's Art (Transcriptions of Pierre Cochereau's improvisations) (*Priory*)









David Briggs at the Organ of Truro Cathedral

*Mathias Spahlinger* - furioso / gegen unendlich / fugitive beauté / Apo do (von hier) (*Kairos*)









Ensemble Modern (1) / ensemble recherche (4) / Arditti Quartet (7)

/ptr


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Messiaen's Éclairs sur l'Au-delà, conducted by Rattle.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Starting my day, before heading off to work, with a very nice recording of Hans Gal's complete works for solo piano played by Leon McCawley. McCawley is really quite a good pianist and I highly recommend this recording for solo piano enthusiasts. McCawley has another recording of Mozart's Sonatas that is a gem. This Gal recording has a lot of variety in it. There are influences of everything from Bach to Beethoven to Scriabin. Gal also wrote some very fine symphonies and chamber music. He lived to be 97 years old.










Kevin


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Akio Yashiro's Sonata for Piano - Tomiko Tahara, piano


How's the Matsumura piece on that disc? I've been taking a bit of an interest in his music since I heard the Naxos disc of it.


----------



## julianoq

julianoq said:


> First listen on Messiaen's Éclairs sur l'Au-delà, conducted by Rattle.


I must comment that I am baffled by Messiaen orchestration of this work. A masterpiece in my opinion.


----------



## rrudolph

Vaughan Williams: The Wasps Overture/Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis/In the Fen Country/Variations for Orchestra/Norfolk Rhapsody #1/Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus








Bantock: Celtic Symphony/The Witch of Atlas/The Sea Reivers/A Hebridean Symphony








Elgar: Symphony #1/In the South


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate









Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4
New Vienna Quartet








I've always loved the middle movements of this work in particular, but the second, a wild dance-like piece, is my favorite at the moment. Overlapping strettos and sudden runs of harmonics are deployed ingeniously, and as always with Schoenberg's quartet writing, there is nothing extraneous; all of the parts are used to their fullest extent.

Bernstein: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Stanley Drucker, Leonid Hambro


----------



## brotagonist

Starting the morning off with a composer I know little of:









Just disc one for now:

Pavane, À la manière, Sonatine, Miroirs, Ma Mère, Habanera, Jeux d'eau


----------



## Sonata

Beethoven: piano concertos 4 & 5, with Rubinstein at the piano and Eric Leinsdorff conducting the Boston orchestra


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben', BWV 8; 'Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ', BWV 33
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, alto
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Selby

The Changing Image of Opera DvD that comes with Glass' Einstein on the Beach highlights disk.


----------



## ptr

julianoq said:


> I must comment that I am baffled by Messiaen orchestration of this work. A masterpiece in my opinion.


You are right Julian, it is a bloody beautiful piece of music!

This afternoon's play-list:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 6 'die tragische' (Vox Da Capo)









London Symphony Orchestra u. Harold Farberman

Farberman is an underrated Mahlerian! 

*John Robinson*; Organ Music from Carlisle Cathedral (*Priory*)
(*Herbert Howells* - Rhapsody in C sharp minor / *William Lloyd Webber* - Benedictus / *Frank Bridge* - Adagio in E / *John Ireland* - Capriccio / *Healey Willan* - Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue / *Percy Whitlock* - Fidelis / *Edward Elgar* - Organ Sonata in G)









John Robinson at the organ of Carlisle Cathedral

And now I'll trace Julian's ear paths!  Obrigado amigo!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Éclairs sur L'au Delà (EMI)









Berliner Philharmoniker u- Sir Simon Rattle

/ptr


----------



## Selby

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Tierkreis für Orchester


----------



## JCarmel

A couple of interesting short youtube videos... of speeches/thanks from Mitsuko Uchida & Maurizio Pollini upon receiving their RPS Music Awards...


----------



## JCarmel

F Chopin 24 Preludes Maurizio Pollini (piano)









Just wanted to hear more of Maurizio after that clip.....tickling the ivories in a Chopin-esque manner. This cd has been in my collection for many years & I still don't know a better disc of Chopin's music than this one.


----------



## Selby

Now following my peers:

Olivier Messiaen - Éclairs sur L'au Delà


----------



## AClockworkOrange

A recording I absolutely love, this is probably may favourite recording of the symphony at present.








This ill be followed by symphonies 4 and 5 (my favourite of the latter 3) from this release:








Although I prefer Furtwangler for the Pathetique, Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic is my reference point for Tchaikovsky's symphonies. I know many prefer Mravinsky with the Leningrad Philharmonic but for me, they just don't sit quite right - I like them but they don't the same impact as Jurowski's approach. I can't quite put my finger on it - it is simply a very subjective opinion based on instinct.

Note: for some reason there is a Halle picture attached to this post - I don't know why but I cannot seem to delete it so please ignore it.


----------



## Blancrocher

JCarmel said:


> Just wanted to hear more of Maurizio after that clip.....tickling the ivories in a Chopin-esque manner. This cd has been in my collection for many years & I still don't know a better disc of Chopin's music than this one.











This is probably my favorite Chopin cd, though I go through cycles. I agree, in any case, that Pollini is a wonderful interpreter of Chopin.

I look forward to viewing those interview clips you posted after getting my fix of Nocturnes!


----------



## rrudolph

Maxwell Davies: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra








Arnold: Symphony #4


----------



## JCarmel

I have the Wagner on a 2cd set, conducted by Furtwangler...AClockworkOrange. I'll listen to the Tristan now & remind myself of the conductor's wonderful way with Wagner...though I believe initially, he was not necessarily drawn-to the composer's music.









I'll also be able to listen to _part_ of his interpretation of the Tchaikovsky, I think...because being registered on Naxos.com, I can 'preview' that cd for free (about a third of each musical movement of a work, just by searching-for & clicking-onto the resulting files that are presented for possible purchase...)
All quite straight-forward...it's remembering all those online passwords, that I find difficult?!


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi "O Fortuna" - Carl Orff *
_London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir_


----------



## ptr

Music for the night and other dark moments!

*Josef Suk* - Asrael Symphony For Large Orchestra Op 27 (Panton OOP?)









Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik

A sublime interpretation!

/ptr


----------



## cwarchc

No 7 from this collection


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Pulcinella (Sanderling).

Hello after my monthly absence. I hope nothing interesting happened in the meantime. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## cwarchc

After Dimitry it was this one









Finishing with this one


----------



## Guest

56) Haydn: Piano Trios









Also listening to that cache of early music I recently bought.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Piano Trio in A major, Hob.XV:18
- Ensemble of the Classic Era: Geoffrey Lancaster, fortepiano; Paul Wright, classical violin; Susan Blake, classical cello

*Prokofiev* Symphony #3, Op. 44
- London SO under Claudio Abbado

*Akira Miyoshi* Concerto for marimba and string orch.
- Evelyn Glennie, percussion with Scottish CO under Paul Daniel


----------



## aleazk

Pierre Boulez - _Le marteau sans maître_.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in A Major, Op.18, No.5

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello.

View attachment 23151


----------



## Guest

57) Hummel: Piano Concertos









Sounds like Ludvig was moonlighting.


----------



## Guest

58) Impressions from France









Gorgeous music for clarinet and piano from Saint-Saens, Poulenc, Debussy, Francaix, Widor, Rabaud, and Pierne.


----------



## opus55

Vieuxtemps: Viola Sonata in B flat
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No 3 in E flat


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Violin Sonata in E Flat

Antoinette Lohmann, violin -- Vaughan Schlepp, piano

View attachment 23156


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *
both performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {Sinfonia antartica} and Symphony No.8 in D Minor,* both featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As well, the *Seventh *features soprano Norma Burrowes and the London Philharmonic Choir.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60; Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13. *All three symphonies are performed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Enescu's* (1881 - 1955) birthday, Octet, Quintet, w. Kremerata Baltica (rec. 2000/1).

View attachment 23157


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Chopin*: Piano Concerto 1, w. Argerich/LSO/Abbado (rec.1968); Piano Concerto 2, w. Pogo/CSO/Abbado (rec.1983); Chamber Music, w. Ma/Frank/Ax (rec.1989).

View attachment 23158
View attachment 23159
View attachment 23160


----------



## Guest

59) Ireland: Violin Sonatas, etc


----------



## opus55

Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 4


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.5 in G Major, KV 283

Heidi Lowy, piano

View attachment 23162


----------



## opus55

Beriot: Violin Concerto No. 5 in D
Fibich: Symphony No. 3 in E minor


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Continuing this evening listening to Hans Gal but moved on to his Symphony No. 4 and his Violin Concerto. I really enjoy Gal. There is a modernity that makes him sound current and yet there is a connection with the past. His music never gets so far out there that you can't follow and enjoy it. At times he reminds you of Sibelius and another minute you think of Shostakovich. Truly a unique composer and one that deserves more of a following. Kenneth Woods and the Orchestra of the Swan have been working on releasing his four symphonies. The only one left is No. 1 and they are trying to raise funds to finish the cycle. Earlier today when I looked they needed about $1700.00 to reach their goal and now they have surpassed it. So I guess that means they will be able to finish the cycle. Hurray!



















Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Raff Symphony 1. Some dense stuff here. This is about the time where it takes multiple listenings to solve the puzzle.


----------



## Guest

60) Jewish Chamber Music









Should be called Jewish Music for Viola and Piano.

Composers include Alexander Veprik, Ernest Bloch, Grigori Gamburg, Mikhail Gnesin, and Alexander Krein.

Here's an excerpt from a 10/10 review from classicstoday.com:

If there is a common aesthetic to these works, it is a shared love of melodically and harmonically complex structures, influenced by both Jewish tradition and by the contemporary evolution of tonality, as well as by a great affinity for the viola's smoky warmth. The disc goes from strength to strength, but the three works by Alexander Weprik are special joys for their sophistication and wit. Tabea Zimmerman and Jascha Nemtsov are an extraordinary duo, whose technical virtuosity is matched by the special regard that they clearly have for this music. Putting together this program was surely a labor of love. The sound is vibrant and full, and the piano doesn't overwhelm the more muted tones of Zimmerman's viola. 
[1/16/2001]
--Anastasia Tsioulcas, ClassicsToday.com


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Finished the day with some chamber music. This recording of British Trios is nice. I especially enjoyed the trio written by Rebecca Clarke. I also enjoyed this album of compositions by John Rose as performed by the Edinburgh Quartet.



















Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Dvorak Symphony 1 (1865)


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, Die Kunst der Fuge.


----------



## Wood

*Paganini *_Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 4 _(Szeryng, London SO, Gibson, 1976)










Violin gymnastics.

*
Beethoven *_Symphony No. 5, Coriolan Overture _(Boston National Phil, Ridje)

*Rodrigo *_Concierto de Aranjuaz _(Williams, English CO, Barenboim)

*Villa-Lobos *_Guitar Concerto_ (as above)


----------



## SimonNZ

Claude Vivier's Lonely Child - Reinbert De Leeuw, cond.

edit: now Vivier's Lettura di Dante - Serge Garant, cond.










edit: and Vivier's Chants - Lorraine Vaillancourt, dir.


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[31] The Horowitz Concerts 1975/76 (RCA Victor)
(*Schumann* - Grand Sonata No.3, Op.14 / *Scriabin* - Sonata No.5, Op.53)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

*Péter Eötvös 60th birthday concert 2004* (Private Bootleg)
(Eötvös: Triangel / Replica; Michel van der Aa: Here [enclosed]; Eötvös: Snatches of a conversation)









Peter Prommel, percussion; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Marco Blaauw, trumpet & Mizsei Zoltán, voice; Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra u. Eötvös Péter

/ptr


----------



## joen_cph

Beethoven: Piano Sonata no.1 / Brendel /early Vox recording.

I´m sure the notes are there, but it´s terribly pedestrian, literal playing. Will freshen up with the Richter/Melodiya, and probably Schnabel.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










I have been listening to Beethoven symphony cycles nearly all day...considering buying another one. So far I have listened to *Immerseel*, *Harnoncourt*, *Gardiner*, and *Barenboim*. I have not listened through each one, but have gotten "highlights" of my favourite parts of the Beethoven symphonies in each cycle. The standouts for me were Immerseel, Gardiner, and Barenboim. *Barenboim* would have probably been my ideal cycle if I had not heard the *Gardiner*. Gardiner gave me a whole different look at the symphonies. Very fast, brutal, action packed...I liked it a lot, aside from the fact it seemed to lose all of the emotion. Now I am listening to the *Immerseel*, which I am very pleased with! It has everything I wanted.

Since I heard Gardiner's cycle, I discovered how much I like period instruments for the Beethoven symphonies. This cycle has that. After hearing Gardiner's cycle, I discovered how I actually like them faster and more action packed...if it were not for the loss of emotion. This cycle has the exact right speed for me, and the emotion is there! I am loving this cycle very much. 

Plus it comes with all of my favourite Beethoven overtures and then some...really considering adding this one to the collection.

Enjoying the Pastoral at the moment.


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*:

Piano Concerto No.2,3,4 & 5
Piano Trios 'Erzherzogs-Trio' B-dur and 'Geister Trio' D-dur


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Orchestral Suite No.2 in B Minor, BWV 1067

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields

View attachment 23183


----------



## julianoq

chrisco97 said:


> *On Spotify:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have been listening to Beethoven symphony cycles nearly all day...considering buying another one. So far I have listened to *Immerseel*, *Harnoncourt*, *Gardiner*, and *Barenboim*. I have not listened through each one, but have gotten "highlights" of my favourite parts of the Beethoven symphonies in each cycle. The standouts for me were Immerseel, Gardiner, and Barenboim. *Barenboim* would have probably been my ideal cycle if I had not heard the *Gardiner*. Gardiner gave me a whole different look at the symphonies. Very fast, brutal, action packed...I liked it a lot, aside from the fact it seemed to lose all of the emotion. Now I am listening to the *Immerseel*, which I am very pleased with! It has everything I wanted.
> 
> Since I heard Gardiner's cycle, I discovered how much I like period instruments for the Beethoven symphonies. This cycle has that. After hearing Gardiner's cycle, I discovered how I actually like them faster and more action packed...if it were not for the loss of emotion. This cycle has the exact right speed for me, and the emotion is there! I am loving this cycle very much.
> 
> Plus it comes with all of my favourite Beethoven overtures and then some...really considering adding this one to the collection.
> 
> Enjoying the Pastoral at the moment.


I suggest that you look for Paavo Jarvi's cycle. After listening to it I noticed that what makes more difference to me is the size of the orchestra and the tempos of the music. Paavo conducts a small orchestra with modern instruments, fast tempos and a lot of attention in the details. You can check the performances on YouTube.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Looks like Immerseel gave the same treatment to Schubert! Enjoying the 5th at moment, it is really amazing! Probably the best performance I have heard of the work. 

Looks like something else I am going to have to add to the collection soon! I do not own a complete cycle of Schubert's symphonies yet. I think this would be a great first one!


----------



## Art Rock

What a find... a Dutch late romantic composer in a style influenced by Mahler and Strauss.


----------



## chrisco97

julianoq said:


> I suggest that you look for Paavo Jarvi's cycle. After listening to it I noticed that what makes more difference to me is the size of the orchestra and the tempos of the music. Paavo conducts a small orchestra with modern instruments, fast tempos and a lot of attention in the details. You can check the performances on YouTube.


Thanks for the suggestion! I will check his cycle out too.


----------



## Vesteralen

Sid James said:


> *Akira Miyoshi* Concerto for marimba and string orch.
> - Evelyn Glennie, percussion with Scottish CO under Paul Daniel


I became a big Evelyn Glennie fan after getting to see her live in performance. She's amazing.


----------



## Vesteralen

Kevin Pearson said:


> Continuing this evening listening to Hans Gal but moved on to his Symphony No. 4 and his Violin Concerto. I really enjoy Gal. There is a modernity that makes him sound current and yet there is a connection with the past. His music never gets so far out there that you can't follow and enjoy it. At times he reminds you of Sibelius and another minute you think of Shostakovich. Truly a unique composer and one that deserves more of a following. Kenneth Woods and the Orchestra of the Swan have been working on releasing his four symphonies. The only one left is No. 1 and they are trying to raise funds to finish the cycle. Earlier today when I looked they needed about $1700.00 to reach their goal and now they have surpassed it. So I guess that means they will be able to finish the cycle. Hurray!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


I've got to check this out. Thanks, Kevin.


----------



## chrisco97

chrisco97 said:


> *On Spotify:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like Immerseel gave the same treatment to Schubert! Enjoying the 5th at moment, it is really amazing! Probably the best performance I have heard of the work.
> 
> Looks like something else I am going to have to add to the collection soon! I do not own a complete cycle of Schubert's symphonies yet. I think this would be a great first one!


Now on Symphony No. 3...I have heard samples of this symphony before, but have never listened to the whole thing. I love it so far!


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Un Sourire - Myung Whun Chung, cond.


----------



## opus55

chrisco97 said:


> *On Spotify:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have been listening to Beethoven symphony cycles nearly all day...considering buying another one. So far I have listened to *Immerseel*, *Harnoncourt*, *Gardiner*, and *Barenboim*. I have not listened through each one, but have gotten "highlights" of my favourite parts of the Beethoven symphonies in each cycle. The standouts for me were Immerseel, Gardiner, and Barenboim. *Barenboim* would have probably been my ideal cycle if I had not heard the *Gardiner*. Gardiner gave me a whole different look at the symphonies. Very fast, brutal, action packed...I liked it a lot, aside from the fact it seemed to lose all of the emotion. Now I am listening to the *Immerseel*, which I am very pleased with! It has everything I wanted.
> 
> Since I heard Gardiner's cycle, I discovered how much I like period instruments for the Beethoven symphonies. This cycle has that. After hearing Gardiner's cycle, I discovered how I actually like them faster and more action packed...if it were not for the loss of emotion. This cycle has the exact right speed for me, and the emotion is there! I am loving this cycle very much.
> 
> Plus it comes with all of my favourite Beethoven overtures and then some...really considering adding this one to the collection.
> 
> Enjoying the Pastoral at the moment.


Immerseel's cycle has been suggested to me before but your review helped me see where it fits relative to other cycles. I must now search for a good used copy.



julianoq said:


> I suggest that you look for Paavo Jarvi's cycle. After listening to it I noticed that what makes more difference to me is the size of the orchestra and the tempos of the music. Paavo conducts a small orchestra with modern instruments, fast tempos and a lot of attention in the details. You can check the performances on YouTube.


I've also noticed that smaller orchestras can be more effective in classical and early romantic period symphonies. I'll definitely check out Paavo Jarvi.

I'm listening to Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243 while eating breakfast. Trying to get in habit of eating breakfast.


----------



## Vesteralen

I got in to work early today and was able to listen to most of disc one with the volume up. I *love* this work. Andriessen is somehow able to take a subject from antiquity, put it to random-sounding music that, according to the liner notes, alludes to and deconstructs melodies of earlier composers (mainly Sweelinck), and has his vocalists and chorus singing the narrative in English (at least in this recording) - and it all works beautifully. If only someone would make a DVD of this with its original staging. 
In the meantime - I'll take the recording. This is one library CD that is going to prompt me to buy.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Fete Des Belles Eaux - Sextet Jeanne Loriod


----------



## chrisco97

opus55 said:


> Immerseel's cycle has been suggested to me before but your review helped me see where it fits relative to other cycles. I must now search for a good used copy.


Glad I could help! 

--
*Schubert* - Symphony No. 6










I do not believe I have heard this one all the way through either. Let's see how this one goes!


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Trois Petites Liturgies De La Présence Divine - Terry Edwards, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Mahler's 2nd Symphony, conducted by Otto Klemperer. First listen on this famous album, quite a superb performance.


----------



## Mahlerian

Entering the English-speaking world for a rare excursion...

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, dir. Gardiner









Barber: Symphony #1, Op. 9
St. Lous Symphony, cond. Slatkin


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[32] The Golden Jubilee Recital (RCA Victor)
(*Liszt* - Sonata in B Minor / *Fauré* - Impromptu No.5, Op.102 & Nocturne No.13 in B Minor, Op.119)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

*Georg Phillip Telemann* - Burlesque de Quixotte (*Chandos Chaconne*)









Collegium Musicum 90 u. Simon Standage

*Claude Debussy* - Prélude à l'Après-Midi d'un Faune / La Mer / Images (*ZigZag*)









Anima Eterna Brügge & Jos van Immerseel

Immerseel is not half bad in the romantic repertoire as well!

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before heading off to work I'm listening through this recording of Scottish String Quartets by the Edinburgh Quartet. It's like listening to a history of quartets because the earliest one is dated 1765 (Earl of Kelly) and the last one 1978 (Thomas Wilson). I enjoyed all except the Wilson and that might be just because it's too early in the day for so much dissonance. The best quartet on here though is the McEwen.










Kevin


----------



## julianoq

Following the Immerseel trend, listening to his performance Debussy. I like it, will look for his Ravel later.


----------



## rrudolph

What's good for breakfast? Serial(-ism)!!

Boulez: Piano Sonata #3








Babbitt: Sextets/The Joy of More Sextets








Martino: String Quartet








Wuorinen: Time's Encomium/Lepton/New York Notes/Epithalamium








This playlist may be seen as a defiant poke-in-the-eye to our new-found Russian friend who started the "What's to be/not be considered music" thread (in addition to just being music I enjoy and would listen to anyway).


----------



## chrisco97

ptr said:


> *Claude Debussy* - Prélude à l'Après-Midi d'un Faune / La Mer / Images (*ZigZag*)
> 
> View attachment 23193
> 
> 
> Anima Eterna Brügge & Jos van Immerseel
> 
> Immerseel is not half bad in the romantic repertoire as well!
> 
> /ptr


Funny - I was just listening to that! 

*Now listening to Mozart's 29th Symphony on Spotify:*










More Immerseel! I love this guy's interpretations...

*Unrelated:* These Coke ads on Spotify are sooo annoying. I get it, we _Ahh_ when we drink it. Leave me alone. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Chopin**: Piano Sonata 2, w. ABM (rec.1959), Pogo (rec.1981); Piano Sonata 3, Ballades, w. Demidenko (rec.1993); Etudes, Opp. 10, 25, w. Gavrilov (rec.1987).

View attachment 23199
View attachment 23200
View attachment 23201
View attachment 23202


*In memory of L'enfer.


----------



## Blancrocher

Solomon in late Beethoven. I thought I'd return to this classic set after hearing several other musicians disputing the slow-and-profound approach to the slow movement of the Hammerklavier recently. I see their point--but Solomon still satisfies nevertheless!


----------



## AndyS

Shostakovich 7 - Petrenko


----------



## rrudolph

Been a while since I listened to Berio...

Linea


----------



## Bas

I finished this before dinner:

Brahms, String Quartet & Piano Quintet
By the Takács Quartet and Stephen Hough [piano], on Hyperion








Currently enjoying this one:

J.S. Bach - Violin sonata #4,#5,#6
Catherine Manson & Ton Koopman 
(Currently no.5, in Fm, my favourite)
Published on Challenge Classics.


----------



## rrudolph

One more Berio........:

Coro


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Quite possibly some of my favourite Brahms recordings. Right now, I am on Symphony 1 but will be going on to Symphony 3 in due course.

Only Otto Klemperer with the Philharmonia comes close, especially on the first Symphony. The performance by Tennstedt and the LPO is spellbinding.


----------



## jim prideaux

having been through 'neoclassical phase' ie Martinu,Stravinsky and Poulenc now returned to the source;-Mozart,32nd,34th,Haffner and Linz symphonies performed by Pinnock/English Consort-have ordered Martinu cello concertos however as I have really enjoyed first encounters with his piano concertos.


----------



## ptr

_ein schrecklicher Nacht Musik:_

_Vorspiel_:

*Wolfgang Rihm* - Jagden und Formen (*DG*)









Ensemble Modern u. Dominique My

_Interlude:_

*Flor Peeters* - Variationen und Finale über ein altflämisches Lied, Op. 20 (*Hyperion*)









D'Arcy Trinkwon at the organ of Tonbridge School Chapel, Kent, United Kingdom

_Hauptgericht_:

*Michael Bastian Weiß* - Sonate über die Dunkelheit Op 13, 'Symphony No. 2' (*Neos*)









Andreas Skouras, two-manual harpsichord

_Interlude II:_

*Samuel Barber* - Knoxville - Summer of 1915 (CBC)









Measha Brueggergosman, soprano; Manitoba Chamber Orchestra u. Roy Goodman

_Nach Spiel:_

*Philip Glass* - Dance II for Organ (Catalyst OOP?)









Donald Joyce, Organ

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski's Symphony No. 4, Piano Concerto, Cello Concerto and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Bartok Quartet no 1. Emerson


----------



## DaveS

Had never played this one before. Took the original shrink wrap off. Store receipt date of 7/87. EMI/HMV 2 LP set..Tchaikovsky 4th...Klemperer and the Philharmonia. Also has the 5th and 6th.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven symphonies










Listening to selected movements from my favorite Nos. 1, 3, 5, 6 to see how I like it. It is fast.. which is the main reason I'm not too fond of Gardiner cycle. Is there a cycle with a similar stylistic/orchestra approach without fast tempo?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Chopin*: Four Scherzi, w. Demidenko (rec.1990); Nocturnes, w. Barenboim (rec.1981); Waltzes, w. Tharaud (rec.2005).

View attachment 23226
View attachment 23227
View attachment 23228


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Chopin*: Preludes, w. Argerich (rec.1977); Mazurkas, w. ABM (rec.1971); Piano Works, w. Ts'ong (rec.1979 - '85).

View attachment 23229
View attachment 23230
View attachment 23231


----------



## Schumann

The _Lute Suites_ by J.S. Bach


----------



## Sid James

*Ney Rosauro* Concerto for marimba and string orch. (1986)
- Evelyn Glennie, percussion with Scottish CO under Paul Daniel

*Offenbach* Orpheus in the Underworld (Overture)
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Martin Sieghart

*Holst* Savitri, Op. 25 (chamber opera)
- Janet Baker, mezzo; Robert Tear, tenor; Thomas Hemsley, bass; The Purcell Singers; English CO under Imogen Holst


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart, Divertimento K25 and a few extra characters


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Trio No.1 in E Flat, Op.12

Voces Intimae: Riccardo Cecchetti, piano -- Luigi de Filippi, violin -- Sandra Meo, cello

View attachment 23232


----------



## Borodin

My kind of music 



Makes my little heavenly forest a place of celebration.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Borodin said:


> My kind of music
> 
> 
> 
> Makes my little heavenly forest a place of celebration.


Arch-conservatism at its finest. Chadwick hardly represents an original thought in his music nor is he even that distinctive of a composer. But the world would be a dreadfully boring place if we all liked the same things.


----------



## SimonNZ

Are you aware that in recent times you've only been visiting this thread to tell people how bad their listening is?

(that sounds snottier than I meant it to: I'm trying to say that I for one enjoy and respect your enthusiasms and recommendations much more than your prohibitions and dismissals)

playing now:










more of the Corbez Selva Morale


----------



## Tristan

*Poulenc* - Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, FP 61


----------



## Borodin

Neo Romanza said:


> Arch-conservatism at its finest. Chadwick hardly represents an original thought in his music nor is he even that distinctive of a composer. But the world would be a dreadfully boring place if we all liked the same things.


Sounds distinctive enough to me. Maybe you're seeing it through a different lens, but mine is fairly picky.

Originality, for what it's worth, has little to do with why I like a piece or composer, not sure why it would. ? I usually prefer a composer who can write one evocative phrase of music over one who can write a 30 minute original and complex sketch of nothing in particular. Evocative is the key word, as I see music through an idealistic lens. Some stuff just brings me where I need to be, where as most I could live without.


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.15 in F Major

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angela East, cello

View attachment 23235


----------



## GreenMamba

Jean Francaix Wind Quintet No. 1, Berlin Phil. Wind Quintet

Haphazardly selected on Spotify


----------



## Guest

61) Le Violon Vagabond - by Graf Mourja & Natalia Gous









A very fine, eclectic recital, and another ClassicsToday 10/10. It's easy to put this one on repeat. As best I can tell, both performers are Russian.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major, Op.99

Herre-Jan Stegenga, cello -- Philippe Entremont, piano

View attachment 23238


----------



## opus55

Listening to the new arrivals -

Mozart: Sinfonias, K97, K111, K124
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde


----------



## brotagonist

The trees may be coming down. The forested golf course is for sale, so the view from my window could soon be a sea of roofs, after a noisy and dusty period of construction... but albums from my collection will continue to captivate me.

A new arrival:









I guess Stravinsky didn't take Debussy's anti-German music posture wholly to heart. His are nice symphonies: _Symphony in C_, _Symphony in Three Movements_ and _Symphonies for Wind Instruments_. Only the _Symphony of Psalms_ made me wish it were over. I am not a fan of choruses. I also like the _Violin Concerto_. On hearing the _Ebony Concerto_, I couldn't help thinking of Kurt Weill


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.37 in D Major

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 23242


----------



## Mahlerian

Akira Miyoshi: Piano Sonata









Mozart: Symphony No. 19 in E-flat K132, Symphony No. 20 in D K133


----------



## SimonNZ

John Harbison's North And South: Six Poems By Elizabeth Bishop - Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, mezzo


----------



## Guest

62) Lekeu and Magnard - Violin Sonatas









Two of the "greats" of the violin sonata repertoire. I think this album belongs in my personal top 10.  Why I don't listen to it more frequently is a mystery to me, or rather an oversight I plan to rectify.


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Cosi Fan Tutte: Come Scoglio - W.A. Mozart*
_Veronika Dzhioeva_


----------



## SimonNZ

Elisabetta Brusa's Nittemero Symphony - Fabio Mastrangelo, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner Symphony 1


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013:

[33] Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.3 (Golden Jubilee Concert, Carnegie hall 1978) (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano; New York Philharmonic u. Eugene Ormandy

[34] The Horowitz Concerts 1978-79 (RCA Victor)
(*Schumann* - Humoreske Op 20 / *Rachmaninoff* - Barcarolle Op 10 No 3 and Humoresque Op10 No 5 / *Liszt* - Consolation No 3 and Mephisto Waltz No 1)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

..and now on to:

*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* - Symphony No 8 Op 83 'Tveti Pol'shi' (*Naxos*)









Rafal Bartminski, tenor; Magdalena Dobrowolska, soprano; Ewa Marciniec, alto; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir u. Antoni Wit

Some beautiful Polish Flowers indeed!

/ptr


----------



## Kieran

What an opener!

The Haffner Serenade, *K250*... :tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

*Glazunov: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, Op. 48*

Ive been listening to this set the last few days - Its taking me quite a few listens to get to grips with this music. In these Symphonies there dont seem to be a lot of big tunes to latch on to - nevertheless it is certainly very pleasant music. I will continue with this box till I finish it so maybe a couple more days yet.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's "Stimmen...Verstummen" - Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*John Williams* Memoirs of a Geisha (film score)
- Orchestra under the composer, with cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma & violin solos by Itzhak Perlman

*Holst* Seven Part-Songs, Op. 44
- The Purcell Singers & English CO under Imogen Holst

*Suppe* Light Cavalry Overture
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Martin Sieghart


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-17764): Flute Sonata in A Major, Op.2, No.7

Musica ad Rhenum: Jed Wentz, flute -- Tis Marang, bassetto -- Marcelo Bussi, harpsichord

View attachment 23249


----------



## Guest

Joaquin Rodrigo







Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra
Fantasia para un Gentilhombre for guitar and orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Norman Dello Joio's Variations And Cappricio - William Steck, violin, Lambert Orkis, piano


----------



## Andolink

Enno Poppe: Holz für Klarinette und Ensemble (1999/2000); Knochen für Ensemble (1999/2000)
Klangforum Wien/Stefan Asbury








Clemens non Papa: Motets--Tribulationes civitatum; Pater peccavi; Ego flos campi
The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phlllips








J. S. Bach: 'Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich', BWV17; 'Es erhub sich ein Streit', BWV19
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Giovanni Maria Trabaci: Il secondo libro de ricercate & altri varij capricci--Toccata seconda & Ligature; Gagliarda terza a 4 "detta la Talianella"; Ancidetemi pur; Gagliarda terza a 5 "sopra la Mantoana"
Andrew Lawrence King, arpa doppia








Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6 no. 7
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock


----------



## EricABQ

Dvorak' symphony 9. 

Probably only the third time I've listened to it. Very enjoyable.


----------



## Vesteralen

*Miklos Rozsa - Orchestral Works, Volume 2* (Chandos)

Barber-like neoromantic music. The Cello Concerto, in particular, was very enjoyable. I was impressed.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor, Nuages gris, La notte, La lugubre gondola II and Funérailles, all performed by Krystian Zimerman.


----------



## ptr

My imaginary Concert Season 2013

First Concert: 21 August

*Arnold Bax* - Tintagel (Chandos)









BBC Philharmonic u. Vernon Handley

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - From Jewish Folk Poetry op 79a (DG)









Soli, Gothenburg Symphony u. Neeme Järvi

Intermission

*Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No 2 (Decca)









San Francisco Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

/ptr


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> Are you aware that in recent times you've only been visiting this thread to tell people how bad their listening is?
> 
> (that sounds snottier than I meant it to: I'm trying to say that I for one enjoy and respect your enthusiasms and recommendations much more than your prohibitions and dismissals)


Well, I'm pretty sure that none of us here are that sensitive. Composers are dismissed all the time and some for very good reasons. The part of my comment that redeemed what I said was that if everyone listened to the same things, the world would be a dreadfully boring place.

As a forum, I'm completely free to make a comment on a composer or a recording that I don't particularly care for as any other member is able to do the same thing. It's not meant to degrade the member in any way. My apologies if people here took my comment personally, but do we really need to be so sensitive?


----------



## rrudolph

Horn Concertos #1-4/E-flat fragment K494A








Symphonies #34 & #41








Mass in c minor K427








I'll also be listening to the Piano Concerto #24 on YouTube later as it's one I'm not that familiar with and I'll be playing it on a program this fall along with the c minor Mass. The soloist will be our conductor, who can be pretty idiosyncratic so I have to be ready for anything...


----------



## Andolink

Courtly songs of the later fifteenth century by Robert Morton, Johannes Regis, John Bedyngham and anonymous
The Gothic Voices/Christopher Page








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G major, Op. 76 no. 1
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 25
Glenn Gould









Rameau: Pieces de Clavecin en Concert #5 for solo Harpsichord
Gustav Leonhardt

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Violetta Urmana, Michael Schede, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Boulez









For the one who asked me about my opinion on this recording (my apologies for forgetting who!), I took a listen, and after just admiring the cover art for so long, I'm very glad I did! As always with Boulez's Mahler, details that are often buried in other recordings are here clearly audible, and he has an excellent control of the group dynamics, the interplay that is crucial to any Mahler score. For this reason, he shines particularly in those movements which give others the most trouble: the first and the third through fifth, where the tone and pacing are very difficult to get right. He even follows Mahler's _a tempo subito_ direction in the fourth movement that so many conductors outright contradict, and it feels as jarring as it should. I found he fell short in the second movement, but that might simply be because the slower interpretation I am used to was always in the back of my mind throughout, and a few more listens might convince me of this version's worth. The final Abschied is paced a little faster than normal as well, but the movement builds with inevitability and grace as well as passion, and it is a very affecting reading.

I'm not quite as enamored of the soloists. Schede's thinner tone is better suited for the middle movements than the crucial opening, although he does an admirable job tackling that movement's considerable difficulties. Urmana has a lovely voice, but not enough to erase memories of some of the more famous renditions of the work, and like so many others, she doesn't have the proper lightness to render the climax of the finale as written.

Overall, I'd say it's definitely worth hearing, but because of the singing probably not a great first choice recommendation.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Rachmaninov* - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor / Yefim Bronfman, Simon Rattle, Berlin Philarmoniker


----------



## julianoq

I was not the person who asked, but thanks Mahlerian for the recommendation, just listening now Boulez performing Das Lied von der Erde. I enjoy Boulez's Mahler a lot, the orchestral details are so clear that every time I listen I got something new.


----------



## Blancrocher

Szeryng and Haebler in Mozart's violin sonatas. It's the only recording I know of these works, so I can't speak about the performances. All very charming, of course.


----------



## ptr

*Johann Jacob Froberger* - Complete Capriccios {Froberger edition Vol 7} (*Aeolus*)









Bob van Asperen @ the Organ of Ludgerikirche Norden

*Franz Peter Schubert* - Schwanengesang (*Philips*)









Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone & Imogen Cooper, piano

/ptr


----------



## ptr

Ending the evening with:

*Donaueschinger Musiktage 2006 Vol 2 *(*Neos*)
(*Georg Friedrich Haas* - Hyperion (2006) for light and orchestra // *Jörg Widmann* - Zweites Labyrinth (2006) for orchestral groups)









rosalie, light installation; SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg u. Rupert Huber (1) & Hans Zender (2)

/ptr


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Tristan und Isolde: Prelude - Richard Wagner*
_City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Richard Hein_


----------



## Wood

Neo Romanza said:


> Well, I'm pretty sure that none of us here are that sensitive. Composers are dismissed all the time and some for very good reasons. The part of my comment that redeemed what I said was that if everyone listened to the same things, the world would be a dreadfully boring place.
> 
> As a forum, I'm completely free to make a comment on a composer or a recording that I don't particularly care for as any other member is able to do the same thing. It's not meant to degrade the member in any way. My apologies if people here took my comment personally, but do we really need to be so sensitive?


I don't think it is a question of sensitivity, it is more a matter of relevance. This thread is used by members to share the music they have recently enjoyed, and that is it really. If you want to attack a composer, it is fine, but I think most here would prefer you did it on a different thread.

And now I humbly request that you post the last three pieces you have listened to, complete with album covers.


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *_Piano Sonatas 9, 9, 8, 9_ (Riko Fukuda) _& 10 _(Ursula Dutschler)

Here's Riko:


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Brahms Symphony 4 
- Rudolf Kempe
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

From the EMI Icons boxed set on Rudolf Kempe.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Rubinstein Symphony 6


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Piano Trio in E Minor, Op.16, No.5

Joachim Trio: Massimo Palumbo, piano -- Suela Mullaj, violin -- Sara Airoldi, cello

View attachment 23286


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies Nos. 35, 40 and 41.*


----------



## Guest

In light of a recent article* about the 'significance' of the key of E-flat major in Beethoven's oeuvre, I went scuttling back to listen to his "Harp" quartet Op. 74.
What a stonking yonking great quartet this is (this CD version played by the Alban Berg band)! Whilst 'only' Op 74, for me it is full of pointers to the later quartet idiom, and I'm knocked out especially by the Presto and Allegretto con Variazioni movements. I'll tell you what (and this is pure flight of fancy on my part), the third variation with the viola dominating is Beethoven himself having a chat with us.
One little quibble with the Alban Berg foursome, their _delineations_ between _p_, _pp_ and _ppp_ are sometimes left wanting.

[*] http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01411896.2013.792037#.UhVQYn9ojTc


----------



## campy

Bach: English Suite #4 in F, BWV 809 (Murray Perahia)


----------



## Guest

Today I researched Scandinavian classical music beyond that which I knew (only knew Sibelius, Grieg, Nielsen, Rautavaara, and Norgard)


----------



## teej

Currently listening to (and recently purchased) Hindemith's violin concerto - Midori/NDR Sinfonieorchester. Perhaps Midori's volume could be louder, but her gorgeously sweet tone more than compensates. Highly recommended!


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op.59, No.1

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello

View attachment 23289


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D 200; Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D 759 {"Unfinished"}. *
All three works feature Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, * performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.1 in C Major, KV 279

Carmen Piazzini, piano

View attachment 23293


----------



## Ondine

Mozart's Serenades and Divertimenti for wind ensamble.

Academy of Sn Martin in the Fields. Marriner - Laird

Hollinger Wind Ensable

Netherlands Wind Ensamble. Edo de Waart









Mozart was specially gifted for winds. He gave them presence, soul, charm and a lofty character.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann - Complete Piano Trios.


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, Two part inventions.


----------



## ptr

*ein musikalischer frühstück mit Herrn Horowitz* (VH Project 2013)

[35] Concerts 1979-80 (RCA Victor)
(Schumann / Mendelssohn /Rachmaninoff)









[36] Horowitz at the Met (RCA Victor)
(Scarlatti/Chopin/Liszt/Rachmaninoff)









[37] Horowitz on Tour 1979-80 (RCA Victor)
(Clementi/Chopin/Rachmaninoff)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Bach - Well Tempered Clavier
Angela Hewitt (2008 recording)


----------



## Conor71

*Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony*

Got these 3 fun recordings lined up for this evening:


----------



## Fermat

For this morning...


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Orchestral Suite in B Flat

Simon Standage directing Collegium Musicum 90

View attachment 23299


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Ravel's Daphne et Chloe, performed by the Montreal SO under the direction of Charles Dutoit. Hadn't heard any Ravel before this week (apart from the obvious) but very enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Just back from the op-er-ah where I saw an okay production of Don Giovanni (modern dress and attitudes, which didn't gel with the attitudes of class and virtue in the work - but it was still a good night out).

So feel like playing a couple of recordings of Liszt's Reminiscences of the opera: firstl Jorge Bolet, then John Ogdon


----------



## ptr

Mittagessen Musik

*Helmut Lachenmann* - *Nun* fur Flöte, Posaune, Orchester mit Männerstimmen (1997-99) / *Notturno* (musik fur Julia) für kleines Orchester mit Violoncello (1966-68) (*Kairos*)









Gaby Pas-Van Riet, flöte; Michael Svoboda, trombone; Neue Vocalisten Stuttgart & WDR Sinfonieorchester Koln u. Jonathan Nott (1) / Andreas Lindenbaum, violoncello; Klangforum Wien u Hans Zender conductor (2)

nach einer krume nachtisch:

*Ralph Vaughan Williams* - Tuba Concerto in F minor (1954) (*Bis*)









Øystein Baadsvik, bass tuba; Singapore Symphony Orchestra u. Anne Manson

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Egon Wellesz's Idyllen - Margarete Babinsky, piano


----------



## Kieran

*Sibelius #5.*

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thomas Sondergard... :tiphat:


----------



## julianoq

To celebrate Debussy's birthday, listening to all his piano works, performed by Bavouzet.










Also if someone haven't noticed it yet, Google made a nice Doodle to him, worth check it.


----------



## ptr

nachmittags spritzer:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Livre du Saint Sacrament (Unicorn-Kanchana/Regis OOP?)









Jennifer Bate at the organ of St. Trinite, Paris

/ptr


----------



## Sudonim

Fermat said:


> For this morning...


This one's on period instruments, I assume? 

(Makes me wonder, actually - 200 years from now, will there be a HIP movement for 20th century works? "And now, Stockhausen's _Such-and-such_, presented on an authentic 1966 theremin and reel-to-reel tape ...")

Ahem. Well, anyway:









and


----------



## ptr

Sudonim said:


> (Makes me wonder, actually - 200 years from now, will there be a HIP movement for 20th century works? "And now, Stockhausen's _Such-and-such_, presented on an authentic 1966 theremin and reel-to-reel tape ...")


I'm sure they will! As I'm such a sport, I'll specify in my will that I will have to be buried along side my Theremin and Telefunken RTR for future archaeologists to puzzle on when they excavate my neighbourhood! 

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

An all-Debussy session for the birthday of one of the 19th and early 20th century's most innovative composers!

Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp
Melos Ensemble









Debussy: Premiere Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra
Sabine Meyer, Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado









Debussy: String Quartet in G minor
Alban Berg Quartet


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 4 (Maazel).

I have already played some piano pieces by Debussy.  I will listen to some of his works in the evening.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Shibooty

At the moment - Balakirev's "Symphony no. 2" performed by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Golovschin.


----------



## Blancrocher

Souzay sings Debussy.


----------



## julianoq

More Debussy, now Nocturnes for female chorus and orchestra and next La Mer, performed by Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Preludes, Book 2
Gordon Fergus-Thompson









That's what my set looks like, anyway. Brilliant Classics has reissued the same performances, split over 5 CDs instead of 4, with _better_ cover art. This may just be a first for them....


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Jeux
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Debussy's most radical orchestral work, Jeux was famously premiered around the same time as The Rite of Spring, but didn't achieve the same fame that Stravinsky's work did. Nevertheless, post-Debussy composers, including Boulez himself, have looked to the work's constantly shifting motifs and orchestration as a model.


----------



## jim prideaux

ASMF/Perahia-Bach keyboard concerto's-wonderful, particularly as the production is so good on this particular recording


----------



## Selby

Lux Vivens: Music of Hildegard von Bingen

[Jocelyn Montgomery and David Lynch]


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - Etudes (Armengaud).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cosmos

Mozart, Symphony 40. Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra









Part of my slow, ongoing process of trying to fall in love with Mozart


----------



## ptr

Night Music, some Swedish treats:

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Ouvertura Bianca-nera (Intim Musik)









Musica Vitae u. Michael Bartosch

*Willhelm Stenhammar* - Serenade for Orchestra Op 31 (Bis)









Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

*Allan Pettersson* - Concerto for Strings No 3 (Bis)









Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Sundsvall u. Christian Lindberg

/ptr


----------



## Cosmos

And now I'm joining in on the festivities and am celebrating Debussy's birthday with La Mer. Leonard Slatkin, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Ok, instead of listing everything here, I'll tell you: I'll listen to my complete edition of Debussy's piano solo works played by Jean-Pierre Armengaud. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## rrudolph

Debussy isn't the only composer to have a birthday today...

Zyklus/Kontakte/Refrain








Japan/Wach








Aus den sieben Tagen


----------



## julianoq

OK, after a lot of Debussy, just listened to this great interpretation of Ravel's chamber music (piano trio in A minor, sonata for cello & violin, violin sonata in G major) by Trio Dali. I love Ravel's chamber music, looks like every time I listen I find a new detail.










And now listening to Rautavaara's 7th Symphony "Angel of Light", performed by Leif Segerstam.


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> played by Jean-Pierre Armengaud.


Except for Preludes - I will listen to the version by Walter Gieseking.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Boccherini: String Trios


----------



## DaveS

Horowitz with Reiner and the RCA Victor Symphony playing my personal Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto. The 3rd. Very old mono RCA LP


----------



## Joris

After concentrated listens to 'Le Sacre' led by Gustavo Dudamel I deserve a shower of placid, restrained and carefree naive tones of


----------



## Selby

Antonín Leopold Dvořák - String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96, "American" [Emerson String Quartet]









I haven't listened to this in some time... Generally speaking I am not the biggest fan of Mr. Dvořák, but there is a reason this piece is so loved. I am quite enjoying it. Not much else to say.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's String Quartet - Quartetto Italiano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, symphony #43 in E flat Major, 'Mercury' (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Symphony No. 47 in G, "Palindrome"
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, cond. Fischer

The palindrome minuet is of course fascinating, and the rest of the symphony is great as well.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mahlerian said:


> Haydn: Symphony No. 47 in G, "Palindrome"
> Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, cond. Fischer
> 
> The palindrome minuet is of course fascinating, and the rest of the symphony is great as well.


Ah yes, the Menuet al Roverso - awesome how Haydn still manages to get a great menuet out of this, considering it's a palindrome .


----------



## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49
- The Abegg Trio: Ulrich Beetz, vln., Birgit Erichson, cello, Gerrit Zitterbart, piano

*Suppe* Overtures: Morning, Noon & Night in Vienna; The Beautiful Galatea; Poet & Peasant
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Martin Sieghart

*Franck* Panis angelicus (arr. J. Wells)
- Vocals by David Hobson, tenor & Teddy Tahu Rhodes, baritone with Sinfonia Australis under Guy Noble

*Bernstein* On The Waterfront - Symphonic Suite from the Film
- Bournemouth SO under Marin Alsop


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Debussy's* (1862 - 1918) birthday, Orchestral Works, w. BPO/Abbado (rec. 1998/9).

View attachment 23350


----------



## DrKilroy

Finally, I am going to listen to La mer (Dutoit) and Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schumann*: Piano Concerto, w. Argerich (rec.2002), Lupu (rec.1973); Symphonies, w. VPO/LB (rec.1984/5); Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, w. Pressler/ESQ (rec.1993).

View attachment 23351
View attachment 23352
View attachment 23354
View attachment 23353


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Le Martyre De Saint Sebastien - Daniel Barenboim, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Brandenburg Concertos.*

Philip Pickett plays these at a fast clip. Personally, it feels rushed.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Symphony 1


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: String Quintet in F


----------



## brotagonist

A surprise find at a local shop that rarely has classical music ($5 used):


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Raff - Symphony 3


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.26 in A Flat, Op.64

Markus Becker, piano

View attachment 23359


----------



## Tristan

*Brahms* - Waltzes, Op. 39 (Idil Beret)

I had never listened to them all before, having only heard a few scattered ones, number 15 in particular. But No. 3 in G sharp minor is especially excellent in my opinion.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 92
Penderecki: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Guest

Why oh why have I neglected you...


----------



## brotagonist

I also found a second disc at the shop this afternoon. I already have the Guarneri budget reissue set on Sony... that I sort of regret buying. The Melos sound exceptional, but unfortunately only two of the six quartets are on the album. It would have been nicer to have the original cover, too, but it's not a major concern.


----------



## Ondine

Mozart String Quartets 1 through 5 - Quartetto Italiano.









Amazing his first five quartets. Sometimes we look after the highest KV's but the early ones are so fresh, windy and rested as are the case for this first ones.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rameau: Pieces de clavecin en concerts - Bruggen, Kuijken, Kuijken, Leonhardt


----------



## ptr

Only have time for one morning disc before heading to the telly to watch the Paul Hunter Memorial Snooker Comp.

VH project 2013

[38] - Horowitz in London (RCA Victor)
(God save the Queen/*Chopin* - Polonaise-Fantaisie, op. 61 & Ballade no. 1 in g Minor, op.23/*Schumann* - Kinderszenen Op 15/*Scriabin* - Etude in d-Sharp Minor, op.8, no. 12)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

*Milhaud* Concerto for percussion & small orch.
*Richard Rodney Bennett* Concerto for solo percussion & chamber orch.
- Evelyn Glennie, percussion with Scottish CO under Paul Daniel

*Mendelssohn*
Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Capriccio Brilliante for piano & orch.
- Derek Han, piano with Israel CO under Stephen Gunzenhauser

*Mascagni* 'Regina coeli latere'- Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana
- Opera Queensland Chorus & Queensland Orch. under Johannes Fritzsch

*Debussy's* Reverie (for the man's birthday)
- Original version played by Dieter Goldmann, piano
- Vocal version, arranged by Glenn Osser, "My Reverie" sung by Della Reese with Glenn Osser and his orch. (from "The Classic Della" album, 1962)


----------



## HeartofGold

I've recently been listening to Saint-Saens "The Swan" and Vivaldi's "Summer (3rd movement)" and "Winter (1st movement)".


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist', BWV45
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Raphaël Cendo: ROKH I-III for flutes, violin, cello, piano
Ensemble Alternance








Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76 no. 2 ("Fifths")
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn/Sturm und Drang symphonies-Pinnock/ English Consort-listening to the 'Farewell'symphony.My son has just given me this boxed set to me as part of my birthday present.This was alongside the Martinu symphonies as recorded by BBC Symph Orch conducted by Belohlavek-obviously going to take time to work through both sets but cannot imagine anything more musically enjoyable!


----------



## bejart

Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op.6 N.2

Adrian Shepherd conducting Cantilena

View attachment 23376


----------



## SimonNZ

Elliott Carter's Symphony Of Three Orchestras - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Starting the day the right way ...

*Bach* - Mass in B minor / Peter Schreir, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, etc.


----------



## SimonNZ

Cristobal Halffter's Planto Por Las Victimas De La Violencia - Ernest Bour, dir.


----------



## Vesteralen

*Benjamin Britten - Phaedra - A Charm of Lullabies - Lachrymae - Two Portraits - Sinfonietta* - Sarah Connolly / Maxim Rysanov / BBC Symphony Orchestra - Stephen Bryant (Chandos)

My favorite disc in this series so far. I'm starting to "get" Britten.


----------



## julianoq

Christopher Rouse fantasy for Solo Percussion and Orchestra "Der Gerettete Alberich". I will see SPSO performing it tonight coupled with Mahler 1st Symphony and conducted by Marin Alsop. First listening on this work, quite interesting.










And next:


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Sinfonia in D: Overture & No. 1 from Ascanio in Alba, K.111










I don't know what "from Ascanio in Alba" means. I'm getting in habit of eating breakfast which gives me time to listen in the morning as well before work.


----------



## Oskaar

Hello! I am back! Long time without classical music


----------



## Kevin Pearson

oskaar said:


> Hello! I am back! Long time without classical music


Welcome back Oskaar! Look forward to hearing from you.

Kevin


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to

Adam: Giselle
Orchestra, Hanspeter Gmür


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to

Adam: Giselle
Herbert von Karajan and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

I love the work, and it is a nice start after long time away from classical music. I have to train my ears again, but I think I find this better than the Gmür/nürnberg


----------



## Bas

Some listening of the past days, and this afternoon:

Mozart, Piano Concerto 24 in Cm & 25 in C - Malcolm Bilson [hammerklavier/forte-piano], John Elliot Gardiner [dir.]








D. Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonatas - Scott Ross
Disc 17, 18, 19 
That is KK 258-301
Especially this one is worth a listen!






J.S. Bach Violin Concertos (1041, 1042, 1043) - Hilary Hahn [violin]


----------



## aleazk

Ravel - _Daphnis et Chloé (suite)._


----------



## Oskaar

Abril: Seis Sonatas para Orquesta

Artists	
Orquesta Filarmònica de Màlaga, Aldo Ceccato


----------



## Blancrocher

Nocturnal after John Dowland, Op. 70 by Benjamin Britten 
All in Twilight by Toru Takemitsu 
Sonata for Guitar by Leo Brouwer 
Folk Melodies (12) for Piano by Witold Lutoslawski 
Guitare by Frank Martin

Long a favorite album of mine, with a great combination of works played by Julian Bream.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johann Michael Haydn's Requiem in C minor on YouTube:






I love that beginning.


----------



## Bas

Mozart must have been inspired by that one, don't you think?


----------



## rrudolph

Russell: Prelude, Chorale & Fugue/Four Dance Movements/Three Cuban Pieces/Trumpet Concerto/Chicago Sketches/Ogou Badagri/Made In America








Nancarrow: Studies for Player Piano/Tango/Toccata/Piece #2 for Small Orchestra/Trio/Sarabande & Scherzo








Cage: Quartet (1935)/Trio/Imaginary Landscape #1/First Construction (In Metal)/Second Construction/Living Room Music


----------



## Oskaar

Knut Sönstevold - Bassoon Concerto_ Concerto for Bassoon and Strings

Gennady Rozhdestvensky,Russian State Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

Ralph van Raat - ADAMS: Piano Music (Complete)


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1st version, 1873)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Tintner


----------



## Sudonim

oskaar said:


> Ralph van Raat - ADAMS: Piano Music (Complete)
> 
> View attachment 23390


Let me echo what Kevin said earlier, Oskaar, and welcome you back. I'd been wondering what happened to you!

As for me, I've been slogging through the siege:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bas said:


> Mozart must have been inspired by that one, don't you think?


M. Haydn's has some ferocity in it, I love the percussion. I've read that Mozart used music from this work for his Requiem.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Piano Concerto
Cello Concerto
String Quartet No.7,8,9,10 and 14


----------



## jim prideaux

Arsakes said:


> *Dvorak*:
> Piano Concerto
> Cello Concerto
> String Quartet No.7,8,9,10 and 14


as an increasingly ardent admirer of Dvorak I would be particularly interested to learn which recordings?


----------



## Arsakes

jim prideaux said:


> as an increasingly ardent admirer of Dvorak I would be particularly interested to learn which recordings?


Cello concerto, Zuill Bailey (indianapolis orchestra)
Piano concerto (Gianandrea Noseda)
String Quartets (John Ferrer)


----------



## rrudolph

Harrison: Violin Concerto/Canticle #1/Suite for Percussion/Canticle#3/Fugue/Song of Quetzalcoatl/Concerto in Slendro








Chambers: Twelve Squared


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Antheil: Serenade, for string orchestra No.1, W.189

Artists	
Daniel Spalding (Conductor), Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra


----------



## chrisco97

Man...I missed Debussy's birthday!

*Debussy* - Preludes, Book 1
_Jean-Efflam Bavouzet_

Listening on Spotify. Better late than never, right?


----------



## adrem

Now I'm listening a transmision from concert at Warsaw (Festival Chopin and his Europe) in Polish Radio (2 Program). Sinfonia Varsovia, conductor: Jerzy Maksymiuk.
Program: 
Lutosławski: IV Symphony, Cello concerto, Piano concerto,
Chopin: Piano concerto in f minor.


----------



## Oskaar

George Antheil

Work 
Antheil: Symphony No.5 ('Joyous'), W.186

Artists	
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice
Barry Kolman


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Listening to Symphony No. 40 at the moment. I am *LOVING* it. I have become obsessed with period instruments as of late. This is an amazing performance so far! This particular album also contains No. 39 and No. 41, as well as the K. 191 Bassoon Concerto. Still need to listen to all of these performances! If they are as good as this performance, I am going to have to get this album in the near future.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Die Jahreszeiten, 'Dann bricht der große Morgen an' (Wolfgang Sawallisch; Ruth Ziesak, Robert Gambill, Alfred Muff; Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## Cheyenne

Brahms' first piano trio op. 8 played by Edwin Fischer, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, and Enrico Mainardi... Wow! I think I just had an epiphany. This performance is soooo much better than any other I've ever heard -- I can't begin to emphasize how perfect it is. This is astounding, I had no idea this was possible.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## Ryan

One direction are pretty hot at the moment. I like pop music this summer.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schumann*: String Quartets, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2000); Piano Trios, w. Gringolts/Kouzov/Laul (rec.2010); Violin Sonatas, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec. 1985).

View attachment 23410
View attachment 23411
View attachment 23412


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> George Antheil
> 
> Work
> Antheil: Symphony No.5 ('Joyous'), W.186
> 
> Artists
> Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice
> Barry Kolman
> 
> View attachment 23403


Welcome back, Oskaar. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Krenek's* (1900 - 1991) birthday, Piano Sonata 3, w. GG (rec.1958).

View attachment 23413


----------



## Guest

Letting Wolfie wisk away the cobwebs...









K563, Divertimento for Violin, Viola, and Cello
The Hermitage String Trio


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Flute Quintet in B Flat

Concentus Wien: Leopold Stastny, flute -- Alice Harnoncourt, violin -- Kurt Theiner, viola -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cello -- Georg Fischer, harpsichord

View attachment 23418


----------



## Ondine

I saved time for this evening.

Again, Mozart's "Italian" string quartets Nos. 1 thorugh 7. Impossible to stop hearing them.

Hope to do the "Viennese's" Nos. 8 through 13 for this same evening.


----------



## Tristan

*Chopin* - Rondo a la Krakowiak, Op. 14


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832): Flute Sonata in E Flat, Op.64

Evyind Rafn, flute -- Ether Vagning, piano

View attachment 23420


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Das Klagende Lied - Riccardo Chailly, cond.


----------



## Celloissimo

Dvorak's 1st Symphony. I enjoy this piece very much even though it doesn't receive a lot of appreciation and is often disparaged by Dvorak fans. Even the composer himself self-critically burned it.

[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1nd-XPXNbQ‎[/video]


----------



## Mahlerian

Ligeti: Etudes for Piano, Books 1 and 2
Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in D


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 2


----------



## LindnerianSea

Bach's Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin. I do love these DG reissues ...


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1052-54 - Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord and cond.


----------



## neoshredder

SimonNZ said:


> Bach's Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1052-54 - Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord and cond.


Great cd here. Pinnock one of the my favorite conductors for Baroque.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Joaquin Rodrigo, Fantasía para un gentilhombre (John Williams; Groves, The English Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Sandor Varess' Hommage a Paul Klee - Denes Varjon, piano, Heinz Holliger, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mauro Giuliani, Concerto for Guitar and String Orchestra in A Major (John Williams, guitar & conductor).









I'm really enjoying this classical-style guitar concerto - very lively .


----------



## BlackDahlia

*"Serenade No.10 For Winds In B-flat Major" - W. A. Mozart*
_Orchestra of St. Luke's & Sir Charles Mackerras (1994)_

I was buying Serenade No. 13, and saw this, so I bought both.

On my first listen right now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Opening Of The Wells - Pavel Kuhn, dir.


----------



## Oskaar

Sir Malcolm Arnold

Work 
Arnold: 3 Shanties, for wind quintet, Op.4

Artists	
Ivor Bolton (Conductor), English Chamber Orchestra (Performer, Orchestra), Malcolm Martineau


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Frescoes Of Piero Della Francesca - Karel Ancerl, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Balakirev: Chopin Suite, Op. 11

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Hoey Choo


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Butterfly That Stamped - Jiří Bělohlávek, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Overture on a Spanish March Theme

Balakirev: Chopin Suite / Overtures









Great ouverture!


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Sonata for Two Violas in E Minor, Op.12, No.1

Sandor Papa and Janos Fejervari, violas

View attachment 23432


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Barber: Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21 for Flute, Oboe, Trumpet and Strings

Artists	
Karen Jones
John Gracie
Stephane Rancourt
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Samuel Barber


----------



## Oskaar

Balakirev: Symphony No. 1 in C major

Russian Symphony Orchestra

Yevgeny Svetlanov


----------



## Selby

Arnold Bax - Winter Legends (piano concerto) [Ashley Wass, James Judd, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra]









What a masterpiece. In Bax's usual form - symphonic in scope, a deeply evocative sense of place and time, very mystic and almost primitive - there's a reason his works are often described as pagan.

There isn't a full video on youtube, but there is the final part split into two, if you want a taste:


----------



## science

In honor of all the Wagner talk lately, broke out the ol' Solti:



















Yeah, they're long, but if it's been awhile since you've heard them, they reward you. I'll finish the set tomorrow, hopefully.

On previous days:










Maybe my new favorite Miserere.


----------



## science

Continuing...










The google led me to talkclassical, indirectly to amazon for that image. Innarestin'. A great recording.










Did this a couple days ago; wanted to hear it again before I took on the Ring.










Straight through, beginning to end, pauses for meals. Every single one is good.


----------



## science

That was back when we were doing the ECM thread.


----------



## DrKilroy

adrem said:


> Now I'm listening a transmision from concert at Warsaw (Festival Chopin and his Europe) in Polish Radio (2 Program). Sinfonia Varsovia, conductor: Jerzy Maksymiuk.
> Program:
> Lutosławski: IV Symphony, Cello concerto, Piano concerto,
> Chopin: Piano concerto in f minor.


Been there! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## science

Also during the ECM thread.

And that gets me about caught up since the last time I checked in.

I've been listening to a lot of jazz lately, so I haven't been here to check in. I got the Ella Fitzgerald "Song Books" box, and I swear by all the gods that it's hands-down the best-packaged box set I've ever seen. When I first opened it, I thought, "What is this crap?" because there was this random look to it. Then I saw, it's reproductions of all the original LP jackets, reproductions of the original boxes, everything. Miniature of course, CD-sized. But, wow. And the music is great. I'll listen to those disks many, many times. I put it off for a long time because of the price, but that was a mistake. Anyone with the cash and an interest in jazz standards cannot do better than that set.










That is the box.










And that is a sample of the VINTAGE covers inside. My goodness, it's like the 1950s all over again. Closest I got to the 1950s before this was working in a really old hardware store, where they NEVER threw anything away, so there was all this stock left over from decades before. You could just stand in the paint section looking at how the labels were in the 1950s, then in the 1960s, then in the 1970s, and so on up to the 1990s, when I was there. We had washboards, oil lamps, and a mechanical cash register that couldn't do sales larger than $100. Bunch of old people came in to relive their youth, tell me stories of the Depression and the Second World War (my co-worker, 72 at the time, was a vet too, at Normandy on the second day, met the Russians in Berlin). Great experience. Anyway, the Fitzgerald box is great too.


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Bartok: Violin Concerto No.1, BB48a, Sz.36

Artists	
Andre Gertler
Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
Janos Ferencsik









Brilliant version with strong and sensitive violin at the same time. Good sound.


----------



## campy

Bach: Goldberg Variations (Rosalyn Tureck)

Does any keyboardist take longer to play these than Tureck's 93' 48"?


----------



## Bas

J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations
Scott Ross (harpsichord) 69'31''


----------



## science

oskaar said:


> Work
> Bartok: Violin Concerto No.1, BB48a, Sz.36
> 
> Artists
> Andre Gertler
> Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
> Janos Ferencsik
> 
> View attachment 23440
> 
> 
> Brilliant version with strong and sensitive violin at the same time. Good sound.


Oskaar! Nice to have you back!


----------



## Selby

Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 [Leif Sergerstam, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra]















I just love that picture of Sergerstam!!


----------



## opus55

Mozart

Violin Sonatas, K526 in A and K547 in F
Sinfonia in G, K124

















Mozart in the morning!


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Trio Sonata in A Minor, Wq 148

Les Coucous Benevoles: Elissa Poole, flute -- David Greenberg, violin -- Sergei Istomin, viola -- Colin Tilney, harpsichord

View attachment 23445


----------



## chrisco97

*Bought another sampler from ClassicsOnline...*










http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=614449

What an amazing set! Many of the composers featured here I have never heard of. I was especially happy to get another recording of *Haydn's* 100th and *Mozart's* 40th. I was also really happy to see this set came with *Kraus'* Symphony in E Minor, VB 141! Well worth the $2.99 spent. 

I am currently enjoying *Vanhal's* Symphony in C Major, Brian C17 (performed by the Toronto Chamber Orchestra and Kevin Mallon). Loving it so far! Reminds me a lot of Haydn.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner symphonies 2 and 3.


----------



## Oskaar

science said:


> Oskaar! Nice to have you back!


Thanks! nice to be back!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Oskaar

Bartok: String Quartet No.1 in A-, Op.7, BB52, Sz.40

Keller Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schumann*: Carnaval, Papillons, Faschingsschwank aus Wien, w. Gavrilov (rec.1988); Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, Humoresque, w. Lupu (rec.1993); Etudes Symphoniques, Bunte Blatter, Fantasiestucke, Nos. 5 & 7, w. Richter (rec. 1971 - '79).

View attachment 23447
View attachment 23448
View attachment 23449


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.2, No.1

Artists	
Alfred Brendel









Not the best sound due to age, but very fine played


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Andante and Variation, Op. 46 for two pianos, two cellos and horn










Such an interesting instrumentation.


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.16

Artists	
Anna Vinnitskaya
Gilbert Varga (Conductor)


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G-, Op.16

Artists	
Anna Vinnitskaya
Gilbert Varga (Conductor)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major, IV. Allegro con spirito (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).









and now Symphony No. 4 in E minor from the same album.


----------



## Oskaar

Franz Peter Schubert

Work 
Schubert: Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821

Artists	
Charles Owen, Natalie Clein









This is so beautiful!


----------



## chrisco97

Did some research and found out the performances on these samplers are from the Naxos catalog! How great is that? I probably should have known that before...but still, pretty excited to find that out. 

Now listening to *Cannabich's* Symphony No. 51, performed by the _Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia and Uwe Grodd_.


----------



## ptr

*Iannis Xenakis* - Pleïades (Denon OOP?)









Les Percussions de Strasbourg

*William Walton* - Façade (*Decca*)









Dame Edith Sitwell & Sir Peter Pears, reciters; English Opera Group Ensemble u. Anthony Collins

*Gustav Mahler* - Kindertotenlieder (*Decca*)









Kirsten Flagstad, soprano; Wiener Philharmoniker u. Sir Adrian Boult

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> *Iannis Xenakis* - Pleïades (Denon OOP?)


Nope, still in print and quite available in Japan.

Berg: Violin Concerto
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Chicago Symphony, cond. Levine


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Schubert: Violin Sonata in A, Op.162, D.574

Artists	
Arthur Grumiaux, Robert Veyron-Lacroix


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 52 in C minor (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).


----------



## DaveS

Schumann Fantasiestucke, Op. 12, and Carnaval,Op.9. RCA LP Ania Dorfmann,piano.


----------



## Mika

Hyvä Suomi!


----------



## DavidA

Got the Horowitz 1982 London concert on a BBC release with their magazine. The old wizard not at his best (he was recovering from another breakdown, apparently, at the time) but couldn't he play!! He appeared to exercise a power over the audience. It has been called (almost) diabolical!


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert: Symphony No.1 in D, D.82

Artists	
Claudio Abbado (Conductor), Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## filepa

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.3


----------



## Selby

Alan Hovhaness - Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra, Op. 78, "Artic" 
[Robin Dauer with Karen Griebling and the Hendrix College Chamber Orchestra]


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Nope, still in print and quite available in Japan.


Quite typical, You can often find rarities in Japan that seems OOP in the rest of the world! 



> Berg: Violin Concerto
> Anne-Sophie Mutter, Chicago Symphony, cond. Levine


Thanks, this reminds me that it was along time since I listened to "the Angel Concerto"! Think I'll play my favourite recording of it to end my musical day!

*Alban Berg* - Violin Concerto „Dem Andenken eines Engels" (1935) (DG)









Henryk Szeryng, violin; Symphonie-Orchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No.1 in C-, Op.26

Artists	
London Sinfonietta, David Atherton, Antony Pay


----------



## Ravndal

Bartok - Piano Concerto 1

Claudio Abbado & Maurizio Pollini


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 (Berglund).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Ravndal

Ginastera - Harp Concerto

Great stuff. Good first impression of this composer.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes, CD 2 - Op. 37, 48, 55, 62, 72 no. 1 (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## Guest

Nothing now, but on the agenda for today/tonight:

- Beethoven 5 - Carlos Kleiber
- Moar Tchaikovsky!
- Listen to Ulver's new album again
- Whatever else strikes my fancy


----------



## DavidA

Bach (arr Busoni) Nun Komm, Der Heiden Heiland. Played by Horowitz. Mesmeric stuff!


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: *Water Music*, for two flutes, alto flute, and tape; *Rain Dreaming*, for harpsichord; *Rain Tree*, for percussion








Ensemble Takemitsu
Hiroshi Koizumi, Alto Flute
Aki Takahashi, Harpsichord

Water Music uses electronically spliced and manipulated water sounds of various kinds in imitation of a Noh percussion ensemble. The performance even has an optional Noh dance component. A lot of attention is drawn to Takemitsu's use of traditional Japanese instruments in pieces like November Steps, Green, and In an Autumn Garden, but he far more frequently used conventional Western instruments (especially the flute) in unconventional ways in order to evoke traditional music without being bound by its limitations. Also, the alto flute is just a great instrument and deserves to be used more often.

There's a small and intriguing niche for contemporary harpsichord works, like Ligeti's Continuum, or concertante works using the harpsichord, like Schnittke's Concerto Grosso 1, Dutilleux's Symphony No. 2, and Carter's Double Concerto. Rain Dreaming is a relatively low-key work, and so hasn't attracted much attention in this context, but I'm fond of it. The main motif always reminds me of one part of Pierrot lunaire...

Rain Tree (not to be confused with Tree Line, Rain Spell, Rain Tree Sketch, or Rain Tree Sketch 2) is a work for pitched percussion awash in the ringing of vibraphone and antique cymbals. The major added-tone chord ending ties it together with the Berg Violin Concerto (I suppose?).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I'm on a Beethoven marathon at present, presently I am listening to Symphony 4 performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Harnoncourt, which will be followed by Symphony 7 on the same disc.

Previously I was listening to Symphonies 1 & 6 by the Philharmonic Orchestra under Otto Klemperer and Symphonies 7 & 8 by the RIAS-Symphony Orchestra.

Symphonis 2 & 4 have really grabbed me of late. Symphony 4 in particular at present, with it's misfortune of being between Eroica and 5th really stands out, the opening movement really pulls me in. I know these will be on rotation on my iPod at work tomorrow.


----------



## Selby

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 19 in C major, KV 465, "Dissonance" [Quatuor Mosaiques on period instruments]









It is amazing how one's relationship towards a composer evolves. For example, my relationship with Mozart is at it's high point; I have never liked him more than I do today. On the other hand, my relationship with Schubert is at it's low point, but that's another story.

link to the performance:


----------



## Selby

Mahlerian said:


> Takemitsu: *Water Music*, for two flutes, alto flute, and tape; *Rain Dreaming*, for harpsichord; *Rain Tree*, for percussion
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ensemble Takemitsu
> Hiroshi Koizumi, Alto Flute
> Aki Takahashi, Harpsichord
> 
> Water Music uses electronically spliced and manipulated water sounds of various kinds in imitation of a Noh percussion ensemble. The performance even has an optional Noh dance component. A lot of attention is drawn to Takemitsu's use of traditional Japanese instruments in pieces like November Steps, Green, and In an Autumn Garden, but he far more frequently used conventional Western instruments (especially the flute) in unconventional ways in order to evoke traditional music without being bound by its limitations. Also, the alto flute is just a great instrument and deserves to be used more often.
> 
> There's a small and intriguing niche for contemporary harpsichord works, like Ligeti's Continuum, or concertante works using the harpsichord, like Schnittke's Concerto Grosso 1, Dutilleux's Symphony No. 2, and Carter's Double Concerto. Rain Dreaming is a relatively low-key work, and so hasn't attracted much attention in this context, but I'm fond of it. The main motif always reminds me of one part of Pierrot lunaire...
> 
> Rain Tree (not to be confused with Tree Line, Rain Spell, Rain Tree Sketch, or Rain Tree Sketch 2) is a work for pitched percussion awash in the ringing of vibraphone and antique cymbals. The major added-tone chord ending ties it together with the Berg Violin Concerto (I suppose?).


Mahlerian, these complete works of Takemitsu's chamber music look like must-haves.

Do you know if they are available on any US sites?

I tracked down your copies at http://homepage3.nifty.com/musicircus/main/takemitsu.htm but the links are all to Japanese retailers.


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Field Mass - Charles Mackerras, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mitchell said:


> Mahlerian, these complete works of Takemitsu's chamber music look like must-haves.
> 
> Do you know if they are available on any US sites?
> 
> I tracked down your copies at http://homepage3.nifty.com/musicircus/main/takemitsu.htm but the links are all to Japanese retailers.


They are great. Entirely idiomatic performances by people who worked with the composer during his lifetime on all of these pieces. The booklets are full of commentary, both general and from the performers, as well as interviews with Takemitsu (all in Japanese, though).

Sound quality is excellent, but the music is so quiet that every bit of audience noise from these live performances is picked up. You get used to the occasional cough, though, since everything else is so good, and Japanese crowds are relatively quiet (I know, I've been to a movie over there...).

Unfortunately, I don't think they're available anywhere else. That and volume 3 is inexplicably out of print, so I don't have it (I'm still looking, believe me!).

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Works better than I thought it would. Then again, next to the Karajan recording, anything sounds good.


----------



## Selby

Claude Debussy's Préludes, Book I, L. 117 performed by my favorite French pianist, Pascal Rogé.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven:String Quartet No.13 in B Flat, Op.133

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello

View attachment 23471


----------



## starthrower

This may take a while!


----------



## schuberkovich

Brahms: Handel Variations op.24
Stephen Kovacevich
These are amazing


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Viola Concerto in D Major, Op.1

Jiri Belohlavek directing the Prague Philharmonic -- Jan Peruska, viola

View attachment 23473


----------



## Selby

Two more from Wolfie Mozart:

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A major, KV 581, "Stadler" performed by David Shifrin and the Emerson String Quartet









Quintet for Fortepiano and Winds in E-flat major, KV 452 performed by Robert Levin and the Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Ensemble









I just adore these pieces! As well as all the "Haydn" string quartets. I have listened to the later string quartets and the string quintets, which I feel less enthusiastic about, where next Mozart advocates? Where should the Mozart chamber exploration lead me? Direct the labyrinth; or have I already gobbled up the good stuff?


----------



## Guest

A little bit of catch-up work:

63) Liszt: Harmonies du Soir - Nelson Freire









64) Loeffler, Durufle, Pierne









65) Los Parajos Perditos


----------



## Guest

Actual current listening:

66) Lyapunov: Piano Concertos, etc









The Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes is my favorite.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in G Major, Op.32, No.2

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 23481


----------



## Sid James

*Enescu* _Romanian Rhapsody #1, Op. 11 #1_
- Slovak PO under Kenneth Jean (Naxos)










Starting the weekend with a tribute to *Enescu*, whose birthday fell during the week. Enescu was well versed in gypsy fiddling, he actually studied violin with a gypsy virtuoso as a child. The tuneful, folkish and colourful *Romanian Rhapsody #1* is his most famous piece. It is amazing how he captured the spontaneity of music he heard played by gypsy bands in this work, especially in terms of the writing for the violin and wind sections.


----------



## Sid James

Concluding my weekly focus on Haydn's London symphonies, the last one I needed to cover was _Symphony #99._ I chose to listen to it alongside Shostakovich's _Symphony #10_. The connection between these is in their slow movements - both written with women in mind who where confidants of and exchanged letters with these two composers, over a century apart.

*Haydn *_Symphony #99 in E flat_
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate (EMI)










*Haydn's Symphony #99* was the first in the second set of the London symphonies (Nos. 99 to 104) that he composed on his second visit to the city in 1794. The premiere of this piece was a big event, with Haydn co-leading a 60-piece orchestra with violin virtuoso Giovanni Viotti. This was the first symphony by Haydn to include clarinets - there are two there! - which at that time was a fairly new instrument.

This is one of my favourites of the unnamed London symphonies. The slow movement (_Adagio_) comes across as a serene and lyrical piece, with none of the humour that Haydn usually injects into the slow movements of these symphonies. It was written in memory of* Marianna von Genzinger*, who was the wife of Eszterhazy's doctor, and a close friend and confidant of the composer. She had recently died of cancer, and this movement is a tribute to their friendship. I also like the final movement (_Vivace_), it has many quirky shifts in rhythm, dynamics and tone colour and is a lot of fun to hear.


----------



## Guest

Per Mitchell's recommendation, I'm trying this recording of two of the greatest harp concerti


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich *_Symphony #10 in E minor, Op. 93_
- Austrian Radio SO (ORF) under Milan Horvat (Point Classics)










A tribute to a female confidant is also at the heart of *Shostakovich's mighty Symphony #10*, but more of that a bit later. This work was most likely commenced early in 1953, a few months before Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin died, and finished after. Although this work has no specific program or name, it is difficult to separate it from the events surrounding it. Thus, it has strong parallels to one of Shostakovich's earlier great symphonies, his fifth.

The first movement is a masterpiece in itself, a modern take on sonata form. Some see this as a requiem for the victims of the dictatorship, but whatever it is, at 25 minutes it could be a symphony on its own.

The second movement is the shortest, a four-minute piece of rhythmic propulsion and brute force, it is said to be a portrait in music of the dictator. It certainly comes across as a relentless juggernaut destroying everything in its wake, which is what Stalinism amounted to.

At the heart of the work is the slow movement (_Allegretto_) which has a recurring theme played by the horn. It comes across as quite soothing, consoling and human amidst the darkness and gloom. This note sequence - E-La-Mi-Re-A - is the name in music of a student of Shostakovich called *Elmira Nazirova*, who was his confidant during the darkest days of Stalinism and with whom he exchanged hundreds of letters. This theme also has similarities to a tune from Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_.

The finale is, as ever, ambigious. The start of it is searching and vague, but towards the end the clouds are miraculously dispelled and we get a happy ending. However I always thought, ever since knowing this work, that something is wrong, this is somehow phony and hollow. Its not real optimism, at best it is guarded optimism. Like one of those Soviet propaganda posters of workers and peasants embracing eachother and marching towards some sort of 'utopia.'

In any case, Shostakovich's own name motto DSCH comes to dominate on the brass, evoking both triumph and terror in me. Some say the comment amounts to Shostakovich saying he is alive, and his music will live on forever, whilst the dictator is dead. Who knows? Nothing is straightforward in Shosty's music, is it? Speaking in codes is smart when you live in a totalitarian state, where direct speech could often get you into very hot water!

Images below: Elmira Nazirova and Stalin's body lying in state.


----------



## Sid James

*Vivaldi *_The Four Seasons, Op. 8 Nos. 1 - 4_
- Joseph Silverstein, violin with members of Boston SO under Seiji Ozawa (Telarc)

*Bax *_Summer Music_
- Royal Scottish National Orch. under David Lloyd-Jones (Naxos)

















Finishing with *two works dealing with the seasons*.

*Vivaldi's Four Seasons *needs no introduction around here, or anywhere. This was one of the first classical pieces I listened to, and it was great to hear it again after a long time. This picturesque work is great on so many levels, from arguably being the first tone poem, to many other things such as displaying Vivaldi's innovations in concerto form and string technique.

It was a work that created a sensation of sorts in its day, Vivaldi played it to the aristocracy of Europe, and even the king of France Louis XV wanted to hear it. It may be surprising, given its immediate and current fame, that this work languished in obscurity for something like 150 years until it was revived in the 1950's. But what an amazing comeback - today it is the most recorded classical piece of them all.

My favourite bit is the summer storm, but I have so many favourite bits in this!

Contrasting that with *Bax's* imaging of not all of the seasons, but one of them, in _*Summer Music*_. The work comes across as the perfect image of a mildly balmy summer's day, "a little bit of southern England under the sun" as the composer affectionately called it.


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Processional Hymn: Judicii signum: "The Sybil's Prophecy" - Anonymous 4*
_1000: A Mass for the End of Time - Medieval Chant and Polyphony for the Ascension
_


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter in Rachmaninov's solo piano works. I'm having a good time!


----------



## neoshredder

Love Mozart's Piano Concertos. Listening to PC 17 right now. Listened to discs 5 and 6 the last couple days.


----------



## SimonNZ

SimonNZ said:


> Martinu's The Opening Of The Wells - Pavel Kuhn, dir.


Just had another listen to this recording, which knocked by socks off last night, and is impressing me again today.

but playing now:










Martinu's Thunderbolt P-47 - Petr Vronsky, cond.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Closing the evening with a really nice recording of Azerbaijani Piano Concertos put out on Naxos. The first concerto by Fikret Amirov and Elmira Nazirova (yes Shostakovich's confidant) is really great. It's titled Piano Concerto after Arabian Themes and is lush with Arabian melodies. Just simply a gorgeous work! The second work on here is the 4th Piano Concerto of Vasif Adigezalov. This piece is just plain fun with it's similarities to Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Full of interesting textures and booming rhythms. If you are looking for something completely different then you might want to check out this recording. It's a 5 star effort.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's String Quartet No.7 - Stamitz Quartet


----------



## Itullian

neoshredder said:


> Love Mozart's Piano Concertos. Listening to PC 17 right now. Listened to discs 5 and 6 the last couple days.


I loved the orchestra on these, but the harpsichord is sooooo low, I had a hard time enjoying them.


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Arnold: Clarinet Sonatina, Op.29

Artists	
Ronald Van Spaendonck


----------



## neoshredder

Itullian said:


> I loved the orchestra on these, but the harpsichord is sooooo low, I had a hard time enjoying them.


You mean the piano forte. I have no problem with the volume choice here. It is the style that Mozart intended at that time. It was not meant to be Romanticized. Though I can see why some prefer the Grand Piano. I think the Piano Forte works well with Mozart's style.


----------



## Oskaar

Barber: Essay No.1 for Orchestra, Op.12

artister
Yoel Levi & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra









Barber is very good to submit small changes in mood. The music balance between pure joy and unrest, at least for me.


----------



## Tristan

*Mendelssohn* - Magnificat in D major









I had never heard of this piece before. Apparently Mendelssohn wrote it when he was 13!


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.2 in A, Op.2, No.2

Artists	
Emil Gilels


----------



## SimonNZ

Othmar Schoeck's Nachhall - Arthur Loosli, baritone, Theo Loosli, cond.


----------



## Bas

neoshredder said:


> You mean the piano forte. I have no problem with the volume choice here. It is the style that Mozart intended at that time. It was not meant to be Romanticized. Though I can see why some prefer the Grand Piano. I think the Piano Forte works well with Mozart's style.


Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that the piano part in the Mozart Concertos was not intended to be as prominent, as 'solo' as for example later piano concertos by Mendelssohn, Chopin or Liszt. In this recording the piano plays a role that is the most significant - after all it is a *piano*concerto - yet there is a quite equal balance between the orchestra and the piano, it is a reason why especially like this box.

The cadenza of the 20th piano concerto Bilson delights us with is just beyond comparisson.


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Bartok: Violin Sonata No.2 in C, BB85, Sz.76

Artists	
Anne - Sophie Mutter


----------



## SimonNZ

Othmar Schoeck lieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Margrit Weber, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 10 in B flat Major, 'Heiligmesse' (Sir Neville Marriner; Carol Vaness, Doris Soffel, Keith Lewis, Petteri Salomaa; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden)


----------



## Ravndal

John Adams - Eros Piano

............


----------



## Oskaar

Balakirev: Symphony No. 2 in D minor

Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television

Yevgeny Svetlanov









I love this symphony! Very warm, romantic and colourfull


----------



## SimonNZ

Othmar Schoeck's song-cycle Elegie - Andreas Schmidt, baritone, Werner Andreas Albert, cond.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Alessandro Marcello (24 August 1669-1747): Oboe Concerto in D Minor

Andrea Marcon conducting the Venice Baroque Orchestra --- Paolo Grazzi, oboe

View attachment 23501


----------



## SimonNZ

Alvin Lucier's Music For Piano With Amplified Sonorous Vessels - Hildegaard Kleeb, piano


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Beethoven: Piano Trio in C-, Op.1, No.3

Artists	
Grieg Trio


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Palais De Mari - Philip Howard, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## Mika

Liked this one.


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Beethoven: Opus 58: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58

Artists	
Olli Mustonen (Conductor, Performer), Tapiola Sinfonietta


----------



## Guest

A Mendelssohn morning:








String Symphonies
Concerto Köln

What I find most amazing about that these complex and beautiful works is that they were written by Mendelssohn between the ages of 12 and 14! It sounds like his compositional abilities were already fully mature.









Octet 
Daniel Hope, Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Postscript: I didn't like this recording as well as the other that I have. Too much emphasis on the first violin at the expense of all the other instruments.


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven: Symphony No.3 in Eb, Op.55 ('Eroica')	
Artists

Leonard Bernstein and New York Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Ablinger: nineteen "portraits" from the ongoing Voices And Piano series - Nicolas Hodges, piano,

...playing alongside recorded speeches and interviews by 20th century icons, mostly mimicing their vocal cadences, except, strikingly, in the the Morton Feldman piece


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concerto in B Minor, Op.89

Alexander Rahbari directing the Slovak Radio New Philharmonic Orchestra -- Dana Protopopescu, piano

View attachment 23509


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Chaminade : Op. 11, Piano Trio No. 1 in G minor

Artists
Macalester Trio









Beautiful work!


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 23 'Appassionata' / Lang Lang

*Tchaikosvky* - Symphony No. 5 / Andris Nelsons, Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## Bas

J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations, A. Staier [harp.]
80'46'' on Harmonia Mundi









New acquisitions:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Diabelli Variations, A. Staier [fortep.]
On Harmonia Mundi








Discovered this composer, "a German Paganinni", very excited about it:

Louis Spohr - Violin Concerto 10 in A, Violin Concerto 7 in Em, Violin Concerto 9 in Dm
Ulf Hoelscher [violin],
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin,
Christian Fröhlich [dir.]

on CPO








J.S. Bach - Cantata BWV 33 "Allein zu dir Herr Jesu Christ"
The cantata for this sunday, conducted by John Elliot Gardiner


----------



## DrKilroy

I'll listen to Symphony No. 10 by Shostakovich (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Sphera AntiQva & Memoria De Los Sentidos - Corpus Christi En Toledo 1751


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern', BWV 1 
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








J. S. Bach: 'Es Ist Nichts Gesundes An Meinem Leibe', BWV 25
Hana Blažiková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Thomas Hobbs, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Ghent Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe








Georg Philipp Telemann: Die Tageszeiten
Mechthild Bach, soprano 
Mechthild Georg, alto 
Hans Peter Blochwitz, tenor 
Johannes Mannov, bass
Collegium Musicum Freiburg und dem Freiburger Vokalensemble/Wolfgang Schäfer








Philipp Heinrich Erlebach: Overture No. 2 in B flat major; Overture No. 4 in D minor; Sonata Terza in A major
Capricornus Consort Basel/Peter Barczi


----------



## DeepR

I just finished listening to this Bruckner 8:






First timer. Some fantastic moments in there, but I don't know yet what to think of it as a whole. Rather obvious for something so big. I'm not sure if I'll ever return to it. Maybe just the final movement.


----------



## Guest

Yo Yo Ma and the Goat Rodeo Sessions came to Detroit the other day and I took my gf to see them since she's in with them. I ended up really enjoying the show and went out and got their cd afterwords. Progressive bluegrass is pretty fun.


----------



## Mahlerian

DeepR said:


> I just finished listening to this Bruckner 8:
> 
> First timer. Some fantastic moments in there, but I don't know yet what to think of it as a whole. Rather obvious for something so big. I'm not sure if I'll ever return to it. Maybe just the final movement.


Remember that Celibidache's interpretation of Bruckner is not standard. Other people play the music very differently.

Did you notice that the expositions of both of the outer movements were significantly altered in the recapitulations? Or that the main themes from each movement are played simultaneously in the coda of the finale? If not, was it really as obvious as you thought?


----------



## EricABQ

Kissin's recording of Prokofiev's piano concerto 3


----------



## Andolink

Richard Strauss: Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Alf Nilsson, oboe
Stockholm Sinfonietta/Neeme Järvi


----------



## AndyS

I'm listening to the Invisible City of Kitezh (Gergiev) - no libretto so I don't have the faintest clue what's going on like!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner Symphony 4


----------



## Vaneyes

For *LB's* (1918 - 1990) birthday.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to Sir Mark Elder and the Halle Symphony's version of Sibelius Symphony No. 2. I have to admit I am not impressed with this version. It lacks drama in my opinion. Mark Elder usually does a fine job with opera but it seems that recordings like this of Sibelius or even his Vaughan Williams are just not his forte. There are so many superior versions out there of the Sibelius symphonies that I have to recommend this one be avoided.


----------



## starthrower

Per Norgard-Symphony No. 6


----------



## ptr

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 15 (*Pentatone*)









Russian National orchestra u. Mikhail Pletnev

*Camille Saint-Saëns* - Symphony No 3 "Organ" (*Angel / HDTT*)









Maurice Duruflé, organ; Paris Conservatoire Orchestra u. Georges Pretre

*Sergei Prokofiev* - Symphony No 3 // *Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 9 (Philips OOP)









Rpyal Concertgebouw Orkest ui. Kirill Kondrashin

/ptr


----------



## Ravndal

Ginastera - Harp Concerto


----------



## Selby

William Mathias - Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, Op. 50

[Isaiah Jackson / English Chamber Orchestra / Ann Hobson Pilot]


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013

[39] Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Poulenc, Mozkowski, Mendelssohn, Bizet-Horowitz and Sousa (RCA Victor)









[40] Columbia Records presents Vladimir Horowitz (RCA Victor)
(Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Schumann)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter and Britten playing Schubert piano works for four hands.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento No.2 in B Flat, KV 439b

Novak Trio: Gabriela Krckova, flute -- Stepan Koutnik, clarinet -- Vladimir Lejcko, bassoon

View attachment 23529


----------



## Oskaar

Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: Cello Concerto in B-, Op.104

Artists	
Zuill Bailey
Jun Markl
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Selby

Charles Koechlin - Ballade pour piano et orchestre, Op. 50

Bruno Rigutto, pianoforte
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo diretta da Alexandre Myrat.






"Koechlin's music is like no other -- it is an art of suggestion, allusion, nuance, attenuation, luminosity, rendering an aura of the immemorial, fantastic, legendary, and archetypal with an art nouveau sensibility akin to the pictures of Maxfield Parrish or the "Poictesme fantasies" of James Branch Cabell. Koechlin never wrote a concerto, though he was lavish with music for neglected instruments, such as the bassoon, viola d'amore, and ondes martenot. The symphonic poems and symphonies never meet the expectations mustered by those titles -- one receives both more and less. The Ballade for piano and orchestra -- the closest Koechlin came to a concerto -- is a primary example. Borrowing a gambit from Heine, Koechlin prefaced the score with a poem -- 'They are singing old legends and little ancient songs in the forest of memory. See how they blend with the trouble of the present day in a grand cry towards the night...The wan night, when calm descends over the pool in the moonlight.'" -allmusic.com


----------



## schuberkovich

Beethoven op.132 Quartet in A minor
Quartetto Italiano

Does anyone know of a recording in which the cello plays the last movement part at the insanely high register (in unison with the violin) which Beethoven wrote, instead of putting it down the octave.


----------



## DeepR

DeepR said:


> I just finished listening to this Bruckner 8:
> 
> First timer. Some fantastic moments in there, but I don't know yet what to think of it as a whole. Rather obvious for something so big. I'm not sure if I'll ever return to it. Maybe just the final movement.





Mahlerian said:


> Remember that Celibidache's interpretation of Bruckner is not standard. Other people play the music very differently.
> 
> Did you notice that the expositions of both of the outer movements were significantly altered in the recapitulations? Or that the main themes from each movement are played simultaneously in the coda of the finale? If not, was it really as obvious as you thought?


Maybe you misunderstood my post. There was nothing "obvious" about the music to me. What I meant was, that after listening to such a large work for the first time, it's obvious that I don't know yet what to think about the symphony as a whole. In other words: I need to listen more before I can even start forming an opinion.


----------



## Oskaar

Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: Mazurek, for violin and orchestra, B.90, Op.49

Artists	
Alfréd Holeček
Josef Suk


----------



## Mahlerian

DeepR said:


> Maybe you misunderstood my post. There was nothing "obvious" about the music to me. What I meant was, that after listening to such a large work for the first time, it's obvious that I don't know yet what to think about the symphony as a whole. In other words: I need to listen more before I can even start forming an opinion.


Yes, I did misinterpret it. My apologies!

Via radio:
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini Fantasy, Op. 32
Boston Symphony, cond. Nelsons

I'm not sure how good Nelsons will be for this orchestra....we can hope.

Next is a live broadcast of

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Boston Symphony, Tanglewood Chorus, cond. Haitink


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Vincent d'Indy

Work 
d'Indy: Op. 17, Helvétia, three waltzes for piano

Artists	
Gérard Marie Fallour


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Vincent d'Indy

Work 
d'Indy: Op. 24, Suite dans le style ancien in D

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (ca. 1750-1792): Symphony in G Minor, Kaul 27

Concerto Koln

View attachment 23537


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Vincent d'Indy

Work 
d'Indy: Op. 24, Suite dans le style ancien in D

Artists	
Solistes de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg

View attachment 23536


----------



## DaveS

Sir Adrian Boult & the LPO. Elgar's Dream Children, Triumphal March from "Caractacus",Elegy, Carillon, Meditation from 'The Light of Life", Polonia, Inc. Music & Funeral March from "Grania & Diarmid", and the Orchestral Version of Chopin's Funeral March.

Classics for LP that I bought some 25+ years ago, and never opened until now. Released 1975. Very pleasant listening.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Vincent d'Indy

Work 
d'Indy: Op. 84, Cello Sonata in D (1924-5)

Artists	
Yvan Chiffoleau, Olivier Gardon


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Vincent d'Indy

Work 
d'Indy: Op. 50, Chansons et danses for wind instruments

Artists	
Antoinette Baehler
ensemble fidelio









Beautiful!


----------



## ptr

Last of Sunday's music:

*Florent Schmitt* - La tragédie de Salomé - Symphonic Poem, Op 50 (*Hyperion*)









BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Thierry Fischer

/ptr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Overture in F minor for two records, strings & b.c. (Gottfried von der Goltz; Freiburger Barockorchester).


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - In memoriam Dylan Thomas (Stravinsky).
Sibelius - Luonnotar, Tapiola, En Saga (Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Vincent d'Indy

Work 
d'Indy: d'Indy: Op. 12, Wallenstein, three symphonic overtures after Schiller's Wallenstein

Artists	
Prague Symphony Orchestra
Zoltan Fekete


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Violin Concerto in E Major

Libor Pesek leading the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra -- Shizuka Ishikawa, violin

View attachment 23546


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

I'm in a Telemood this evening.

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major (Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: B.17 String Quartet No.2

Artists	
Stamitz Quartet


----------



## Selby

Einojuhani Rautavaara
Piano Concerto No. 3, "Gift of Dreams"

Vladimir Ashkenazy, Piano and Conductor
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Selby

From the teacher to the student:

Kalevi Aho - Quintet for Flute, Oboe and String Trio (1977)


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B Flat

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Jozef Kopelamn, violin -- Juraj Alexander, cello Lothar Koch, oboe - Klaus Thunemann, bassoon

View attachment 23554


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816): String Quartet No.8 in G Major

Quartetto Modi: Giambattista Painezzola and Ettore Begnis, violins -- Mauro Righini, viola -- Claudio Frigerio, cello

View attachment 23555


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Salmi a Due Cori *by Tonu Kaljuste.

This is a nice collection of double-choir psalm settings by Vivaldi.


----------



## Winterreisender

Schumann Liederkreis Op. 39, by Thomas Quasthoff


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While Rode lived during the Classical Era into Romanticism... and his violin concertos are noted as influential upon the development of the Romantic concerto... these Caprices are quite Baroque in style... and as a great fan of Baroque violin sonatas (and other Baroque works for solo violin... or violin and continuo) I am quite impressed with these works. But then with Elizabeth Wallfisch performing it would be hard not to be.


----------



## ProudSquire

Dvorak 

Symphony No. 4 in D minor
Symphony No. 6 in D major

István Kertész
London Symphony Orchestra

That Scherzo from the 4th is stuck in my head; it's very pleasant to listen to.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Cambini (1746-1825): Trio Concertante in F Major, Op.45, No.3

Massimo Mercelli, flute -- Luca Vignali, oboe -- Paolo Carlini, bassoon

View attachment 23565


----------



## maestro57

Geminiani - Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 5 No. 6, (III) Grave (Heinrich Schiff, Cello; Ton Koopman, Harpsichord; Japp ter Linden, Cello continuo)


----------



## Guest

Been listening to the harp concerto, but haven't really done this symphony yet...aka let's see if the whole disc is worthy.


----------



## bejart

Another forgotten Italian --
Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Duo for Violin and Cello in C Major

Dora Bratchkova, violin -- Alina Kudelevic, cello

View attachment 23568


----------



## Mahlerian

Busoni: Piano Concerto
John Ogden, Royal Philharmonic, cond. Revenaugh









...it's a very strange work, isn't it?


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73


----------



## brotagonist

I received this from an online used CD shop by mistake. I received a refund, but I got to keep the disc. It has been here for a few months, unplayed, as I expected it to be so ghastly, that I couldn't be bothered.

I was already familiar with _October_, as it also appears on my copy of _Symphony 15_ (Järvi/Gothenburg). Along with the _Festival Overture_, they are commanding orchestral pieces. _Song of the Forests_ is over 35 minutes in duration and is an agitprop oratorio glorifying reafforestation for the socialist cause. It really drags on. Symphony 2 surprised me, however. It is a symphony in one movement, of only about 20 minutes in length, with a very interesting, restrained orchestral beginning and development that concludes with a factory whistle, before winding down with a few minutes of a choral finalé that is bearable, although for Russian speakers, is supposed to be horrid, due to the ghastly poetry.


----------



## Tristan

^Shostakovich's Symphony No. 2 is often overlooked, but I like it myself 

*Bach* - Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A major, BWV 1055 (English Consort/Pinnock)

The third movement of this concerto is just...wow. One of the most beautiful pieces of baroque music I've ever heard. Whether it's a harpsichord or piano version; it sounds excellent.


----------



## brotagonist

I have now moved on to:









Symphonies 2 & 3.

I did the first disc yesterday and will move on to the final disc tomorrow or the day after tomorrow (these will take me a few listens, before I am ready to shelve them until their next playing).


----------



## clavichorder

A Johann Christian sonata I've known for a while, but not in piano recording. Good performance.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 95 in C minor (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Oskaar

Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: Symphony No.1 in C- ('The Bells of Zlonice'),

Artists
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Vaclav Neumann


----------



## SimonNZ

"Schutz: Sacred And Secular Vocal Music, Vol.3" The Gregg Smith Singers

I was saying a while back that there didn't seem to be any recordings of the Op.5 Becker Psalter, but one side of this 3-lp Vox set offers seventeen selections from the one hundred and sixty. Just a taste, and perhaps not the most ideal performance, but better than nothing


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 3


----------



## contra7

Shostakovich: Complete Piano Music

pianist: Boris Petrushansky

Edit: I love his early works like Preludes op. 34


----------



## Andolink

*Othmar Schoeck*: Elegie Op. 36, Song cycle for Baritone and Chamber Orchestra after poems by 
Niklaus Lenau and Joseph von Eichendorff

Andreas Schmidt, baritone
Musikkollegium Winterthur/Werner Andreas Albert


----------



## jim prideaux

slow movement of Dvoraks piano concerto!-I have just returned to the concerto this morning after having spent the weekend listening to symphonies by Haydn and Martinu-this particular movement is quite remarkable-whilst on one level it appears to represent a distillation of the slow movements of both Brahms and Chopin it more importantly has literally heart stopping moments of quite intense beauty. I feel as if I have spent a considerable part of the last few months listening to pieces by Dvorak that I did not know and I am so pleased that I have!


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: B.63 Piano Concerto in G minor

Artists	
Jeno Jando
Polish national radio syphony orchestra
Antoni Wit








Great piano concerto. Very symphonic. Love the performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Oboe Concerto - ASMF, Heinz Hiolliger


----------



## DaDirkNL

At the moment listening to Symphony 38 'Prague' performed by Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. Ironic isn't it?


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1019

Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord

View attachment 23588


----------



## SimonNZ

Xavier Montsalvatge's Simfonia de Rèquiem - Ruby Hughes, soprano, Juanjo Mena, cond.


----------



## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> ...it's a very strange work, isn't it?


Yes it is, but strange is wonderful, right?

Will have to put it on right now:

*Ferruccio Busoni* - Piano Concerto in C major Op 39 (*Hyperion*)









Marc-André Hamelin, piano; City of Birmingham Chorus and Symphony Orchestra u. Mark Elder

Started the day with:

*Darius Milhaud* - La Creation du monde / Le Boeuf sur le toit / Saudades do Brasil (EMI)









French National Orchestra u. Leonard Bernstein / Concert Arts Orchestra u. Darius Milhaud

*Willem Pijper* - Symphony No 2 / Piano Concerto / Six Adagios for orchestra / String Quartets 4 & 5 (Donemus)









Theo Bruins, piano; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra u. Roelof van Driesten; Gaudeamus Quartet

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Jean-Michel Damase's Silk Rhapsody - cond. by composer


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: Symphony No.7 in D-, B.141, Op.70

Artists
Sydney Symphony
Sir Charles Mackerras


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Antonín Leopold Dvorák

Work 
Dvorák: B.40 op12 String Quartet No.6

Artists	
Panocha Quartet


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Josef Suk Asrael Symphony in C Minor. Conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Czech PO.


----------



## SimonNZ

Emmanuel Nunes' Esquisses - Ensemble interContemporain


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Willem de Fesch (1687-1761): Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op.3, No.6

Arie van Beek conducting the Orchestre d'Auvergne

View attachment 23593


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
César Franck

Work 
Franck: Piano Concerto No.2 in B-, Op.11

Artists	
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Francois-Joel Thiollier (Performer), Martijn van den Hoek









I had forgottened hov much I like this concerto. Energic and playfull, and very melodioes. Fantastic!


----------



## cagerty

Bruckner's 9th Symphony - Conducted by Gunter Wand with the now WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne. Fantastic performance and recording, although I like his later version with the Berlin Philharmonic even more!


----------



## SimonNZ

Gilbert Amy's Chant - cond. by composer

edit: now Goffredo Petrassi's Magnificat - Gianandrea Noseda, cond.


----------



## opus55

Breakfast with my morning dose of Mozart by Harnoncourt.


----------



## jim prideaux

I am currently listening to Martinu Symphonies 1/2 for the first time-part of the Belohlavek/BBC S.O. set of the complete symphonies. One thought often occurs to me-certain composers/works have an instant and often long term appeal-and this strikes me immediately with any of Martinu's compositions I have listened to recently-similarly with Dvorak, and essentially throughout much of my life with Sibelius. With Martinu there is a direct and obvious appeal and I find it very difficult to understand precisely why?-I do know that with other composers (Elgar and Richard Strauss would be two examples)I experience the complete opposite. However that is not really the purpose of this post-as I indicated earlier today I am so glad to have spent time furthering my knowledge of Dvorak, and this is also definitely the case with Martinu


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Cowell's Variations On Thirds - Alun Francis, cond.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz', BWV 138; 'Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht', BWV 105
Hana Blazikova, soprano 
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor 
Thomas Hobbs, tenor 
Peter Kooij, bass
Ghent Collegium Vocale/Phillippe Herreweghe 








Karlheinz Stockhausen: Welt-Parlament vom Mittwoch aus Licht für Chor a cappella (1995)
Südfunk-Chor Stuttgart/Rupert Huber








Gösta Nystroem: Sinfonia Seria for strings, flute and percussion (1963)
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/ Paavo Järvi


----------



## Art Rock

My favourite Mahler symphony, in a version I had not heard yet.


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak-Symphony no.6/My Home/Hussite Overture/Carnival-performed by Ancerl/Czech Phil.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

jim prideaux said:


> I am currently listening to Martinu Symphonies 1/2 for the first time-part of the Belohlavek/BBC S.O. set of the complete symphonies. One thought often occurs to me-certain composers/works have an instant and often long term appeal-and this strikes me immediately with any of Martinu's compositions I have listened to recently-similarly with Dvorak, and essentially throughout much of my life with Sibelius. With Martinu there is a direct and obvious appeal and I find it very difficult to understand precisely why?-I do know that with other composers (Elgar and Richard Strauss would be two examples)I experience the complete opposite. However that is not really the purpose of this post-as I indicated earlier today I am so glad to have spent time furthering my knowledge of Dvorak, and this is also definitely the case with Martinu


Jim I had the same reaction with Martinu! I loved him from the first notes I heard and have been a fan for many years now. His music stimulates me both emotionally and intellectually. His catalogue is varied and large and so there is a lot for you to explore. Glad you are enjoying him!

Now listening to his Complete Violin Sonatas. Wonderful stuff here!










Kevin


----------



## Mahlerian

ptr said:


> Yes it is, but strange is wonderful, right?


It certainly is. I'm not quite as fond of the concerto as some of the shorter works by Busoni I know, but I'm certainly going to listen again.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm having an afternoon with David and Jonathan, amongst others!
No, not the 1960's British Pop Group (Roger Cook & Roger Greenaway?!...) but Handel's D & J and the rest of the cast from his oratorio 'SAUL'









I got an email the other day from Amazon.co.uk...instructing me that free mp3 files were now available for me to listen-to & download...from the classical cd's that I have purchased in the past from them! 
So my iPod is newly-laden with digital files.
Some more choices hopefully, to follow....

Hope everyone is having a good day, today!


----------



## ptr

Back to Mahler!

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 1 (BBC Legends OOP?)









BBC Symphony orchestra u. Rudolf Kempe

And after a one hour intermission for afternoon tea and cucumber sandwiches:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 2 (BBC Legends OOP?)









Sheila Armstrong, soprano & Anna reynolds, mezzo; New Philharmonia Chorus & Münchener Philharmoniker u. Rudolf Kempe

There's something about the Kempe chap I quite can't put my finger on, but I quite like how he makes music! 

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Yukiko Kojima playing Akira Miyoshi. I believe it was Mahlerian who gave me the idea. In any case, it's well worth the listen!


----------



## Kieran

Anton Webern, Three Little Pieces for Piano and Cello, Op. 11.

Matt Haimovitz (cello) and Philippe Cassard (piano)... :tiphat:


----------



## jim prideaux

it is a bank holiday, it is sunny and my football team managed a creditable draw away from home on Saturday-I should be out and about-but no, the pottering continues with Haydn 42nd/44th/46th symphonies performed by the English Consort/Pinnock-preceded by Martinu and Dvorak-todays listening has been quite marvellous!


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
César Franck

Work 
Franck: Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra, M.46

Artists	
Bertrand Chamayou
Stephane Deneve (Conductor), Royal Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases.

*Mahler*: Orchestral Songs, w. Gerhaher/OSM/Nagano.

Gerhaher and forces continue from their acclaimed DLVDE rec. May there be more. Three thumbs up.

*Rachmaninov*: The Bells, Symphonic Dances, w. BPO/Rattle et al.

This Warner production is associated with Rattle's EMI association. All too confusing, as are the interps, and sound engineering. Stick with the tried and true. Two thumbs down.

View attachment 23610
View attachment 23611


Note: BPO/Rattle are in Salzburg tonight, if any TC'ers are in the area. 

http://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/konzerte/calendar/details/16926/


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
César Franck

Work 
Franck: Psyché Suite

Artists	
Sofia Symphony Orchestra
Vassil Kazandjiev









For those of you that wonder where I have been, I took a pause from classical music, and dived into jazz, indie rock, and so on. I will try to combine listening more, but at the moment, I cant stop listening to classic! You probably see that from my many posts in here!


----------



## rrudolph

Bruckner:Symphony #8








Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande Op. 5/Webern: Passacaglia Op. 1








Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde







(This is still my favorite recording of this work)


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
César Franck

Work 
Franck: Redemption

Artists	
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton


----------



## Mahlerian

A spate of B minor works.

Haydn: Quartet #31 in B minor, Op. 33 No. 1
Haydn: Quartet #49 in B minor, Op. 64 No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, "Pathetique"


----------



## Blancrocher

Inspired by oskaar, I'm listening to my desert-island Franck: Moravec in the Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Dvorak's 8th Symphony in G major 
- Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
- Vaclav Neumann 

Prior to that, it was Beethoven's 3rd Symphony in E-Flat Major 'Eroica'
- New York Philharmonic
- Leonard Bernstein 

Although Furtwangler is my favourite Beethoven conductor by a long stretch, I really enjoyed Bernstein's approach. 

After the Dvorak and short break, I'm debating between starting on one of Bernstein's cycles with the Vienna Philharmonic. I just need to decide between Beethoven and Mahler. At present the latter is the leading candidate but I'll have see later.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort', BWV126
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








J. S. Bach: 'Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei, wie mein Schmerz', BWV 46
Hana Blažiková, soprano 
Damien Guillon, alto 
Thomas Hobbs, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Collegium Vocale Gent/Phillippe Herreweghe


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Gabriel Fauré

Work 
Fauré: violin sonata op 13

Artists	
Noël Lee Gérard Poulet


----------



## aleazk

Boulez - _Le Marteau sans maître_ (Maderna).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 2, 'Lobgesang' (Reinhard Seifried; Mary Nelson, Majella Cullagh, Adrian Thompson; National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland; RTÉ Philharmonic Choir).









I want to get to know Felix Mendelssohn better - got this from the local library. I'm really enjoying this .


----------



## Art Rock

Takemitsu is one of my favourite composers, but this is a side of him that I had not explored yet. Rather different from his orchestral textures, less individual, but really beautiful.


----------



## Selby

Kalevi Aho - Symphony No. 7, "Insects"

[Max Pommer, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra]









Not sold on this yet, but it is holding my attention.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:

Drobnosti (Op.75)
Bagatelles
Serenade in D minor
Slavonic Dances Op.46
Symphony No.5,6 and 7


----------



## Winterreisender

Janacek's Glagolitic Mass, by Antoni Wit & Warsaw Philharmonic (on Naxos).


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Gabriel Fauré

Work 
Fauré:Ballade for Piano and Orchestra, Op.19

Artists	
Kun-Woo Paik









This is solo piano. Beautiful and nicely played, but I must find an orchestral version.


----------



## DrKilroy

I'll listen to Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rachmaninoff (Thibaudet, Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Gabriel Fauré

Work 
Fauré:Ballade for Piano and Orchestra, Op.19

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Jean Martinon









Old and not so good sound, but a good listening anyways. Next time I visit this piece, I will have orchestral version with good sound!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons, Introduction to Winter (Wolfgang Sawallisch; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Ruth Ziesak, Robert Gambill, Alfred Muff).









Such an excellent introduction.


----------



## Selby

More from Kalevi Aho - Violin Concerto

[Manfred Gräsbeck, Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra]


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Gabriel Fauré

Work 
Fauré: violin sonata op 108

Artists	
Pascal Devoyon


----------



## Selby

Per Nørgård: Concerto in due tempi (1996)


----------



## realdealblues

Trying something new...

View attachment 23629


Robert Simpson: Symphonies No. 3 & 5
Vernon Handley & The Royal Philharmonic

I liked Symphony No. 5 better than Symphony No. 3, but neither were really my cup of tea so to speak. I didn't hate them, but I think they're a little too modern for me.


----------



## rrudolph

Mahler: Symphony #9


----------



## Selby

Per Nørgård: Sinfonia n.3 (1972/1975)


----------



## RobinG

Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. I ordered a CD of this a couple of days back but has not yet arrived fortunately they have put it on my cloud account, some modern technology is good!


----------



## ptr

*A Phenomenon Without Equal*: Transcriptions from French Organ Improvisation (*Priory*)
(Trois Improvisations: Louis Vierne trans: Maurice Durufle / Variations on Adeste Fidelis: Marcel Dupre trans: Rollin Smith / Improvistaion sur le Te Deum: Charles Tournemire trans: Maurice Durufle / Variations sur Frere Jacques: Pierre Cochereau: trans Francois Lombard / Symphonie Improvisee (San Francisco 1972): Pierre Cochereau: trans Anthony Hammond)









Anthony Hammond @ The organ of Blackburn Cathedral

*Hafliði Hallgrímsson* - Cello Concerto & Herma for cello and Orchestra (*Ondine*)









Truls Mørk, cello; Scottish Chamber Orchestra u. John Storgårds

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
George Enescu

Work 
Enescu: Symphony No.1 in Eb, Op.13

Artists	
George Enescu State Philharmonic Orchestra
Mihai Brediceanu


----------



## maestro57

This morning, I'm listening to night music.

Mozart - Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G minor, K. 525 ("Eine kleine Nachtmusik"), (II) Romanze: Andante (Saito Kinen Orchestra, Cond. Seiji Ozawa)


----------



## julianoq

Enjoying my first day on vacation with some time out of the computer. Was in the park reading and listening to:

Messiaen's Des Canyons aux Etoiles conducted by Chung










Debussy Cello & Piano Sonata, with Sol Gabetta and Helene Grimaud










Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp


----------



## DrKilroy

This Wednesday I go to another concert of Chopin Festival in Warsaw. Can't wait to see Argerich and Freire! I am going to listen to its programme today:

Lutosławski - Concerto for Orchestra (Kletzki)
De Falla - Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Argerich/Vedernikov)
Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3 (Toradze/Gergiev)
Lutosławski - Paganini Variations - for piano and orchestra (Hoexter/Robinson), for two pianos (Argerich, Kissin).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

George Enescu

Work 
Enescu: Suite No.1 in C, Op.9

Artists	
Foster (Artist), Monte Carlo Phil Orch

platelink	
Enescu: Romanian Rhapsodies Nos 1 & 2 / 3 Suites


----------



## maestro267

*Tchaikovsky:* Sleeping Beauty (complete)
National PO/Bonynge

Took me 4 hours from beginning to end, with breaks between each act.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
George Enescu

Work 
Enescu: Violin Sonata No.1 in D, Op.2

Artists	
Mihaela Martin, Roland Pontinen


----------



## Ondine

The 'Hoffmeister' & the 'Three Purssian Quartets'.









God, what a journey!


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski's Paganini Variations are mainly known in two pianos version. The piano and orchestra version is even more interesting, though. You can listen to it here.

Now I will try Rubbra again, this time his Symphony No. 11(Hickox).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Shostakovich - Piano Quintet (Orbelian, Moscow String Quartet). I was only familar with the scherzo of this works, to which I was listening frequently lately, so I decided I should get to know the whole piece.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstucke, Op. 11 No. 2, arr. Busoni
Daniel Barenboim









Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstucke, Op. 11
Glenn Gould









Busoni: Elegien
Wolf Harden









Not hard to hear how Schoenberg became interested in Busoni's music after these intriguing miniatures, down to the odd quotation of Greensleeves in the Turandot march...


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> I'll listen to Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rachmaninoff (Thibaudet, Ashkenazy).


I should mention that finally I have chosen Piano Concerto No. 2 with Richter and Wisłocki.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## cwarchc

Todays discs









followed by









and after a stressful afternoon


----------



## Blancrocher

cwarchc said:


> and after a stressful afternoon


Hope that most of your worries are over, and you can really wallow in that Satie. I'm enjoying a listen to Barenboim conducting Sibelius's Violin Concerto, after which I'm going to listen to Bernstein in Sibelius's symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz: various works - Robert Craft, cond.

thats not the back or the liner notes - thats the front cover


----------



## Sid James

*Gershwin* Piano Concerto in F
- Pittsburgh SO with Andre Previn directing from the piano

*Ives* Symphony #1
- National SO of Ireland under James Sinclair

*Haydn* Symphony #88 in G
- New Philharmonia Orch. under Otto Klemperer


----------



## bejart

George Onslow (1784-1853): String Quintet in E Minor, Op.74

Ensemble Concertant Frankfurt: Peter Agoston and Klaus Schwamm, violins -- Wolfgang Tluck, viola -- Sabine Krams, cello -- Timm-Johannes Trapp, double bass

View attachment 23650


----------



## Manxfeeder

brotagonist said:


> I have now moved on to:
> 
> View attachment 23576
> 
> 
> Symphonies 2 & 3.


Funny; today I was listening to Nos. 1 and 4 with the overtures.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music Of Durer's Time"

a good three lps worth taken from recordings by Konrad Ruhland, Thomas Binkley and Jurgen Jurgens


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Martucci (1856-1909): Piano Trio No.1 in D Major. Op.22

Melodia: Lorenzo Baldini, piano -- Emmanuele Baldini, violin -- Marco Ferri, cello

View attachment 23652


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This is one of a number of works that put an end to any doubts I might have had concerning Schumann's rank as one of the true "greats".


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.19 in E Minor

Jeno Jando, piano

View attachment 23653


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9










Not committed to finish listening this symphony.. I rarely do. I just had to listen to Harnoncourt though.


----------



## Guest

First Busoni listen. Amagad..


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann lieder (Hyperion Edition) Vols. 7, 8 and 10 - various singers, Graham Johnson, piano

just had the good fortune to find the "full notes" issues of these at the secondhand store - and going cheap!


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Karl Goldmark

Work 
Goldmark: Piano Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 30

Artists	
Oliver Triendl


----------



## Neo Romanza

Now:










Listening to _Le buisson ardent Parts I & II_. Such a gorgeous work.


----------



## SimonNZ

I was looking forward to playing some Koechlin: the David Zinman recording of The Jungle Book I got from the secondhand store today, but it seems they forgot to put the discs in before selling it to me. So instead:










Tigran Mansurian's Viola Concerto "And Then I was In Time Again" - Kim Kashkashian, viola


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Karl Goldmark

Work 
Goldmark: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28

Artists	
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Artist), André Previn (Artist), Itzhak Perlman (Artist)


----------



## Neo Romanza

SimonNZ said:


> I was looking forward to playing some Koechlin: the David Zinman recording of The Jungle Book I got from the secondhand store today, but it seems they forgot to put the discs in before selling it to me.


Zinman's _The Jungle Book_ is an excellent recording and the best performed of the three recordings available, although Segerstam's on Marco Polo doesn't count as a the 'complete' _Jungle Book_ as it doesn't contain the _Three Poems_. Definitely go back to that store and get your discs!


----------



## SimonNZ

Neo Romanza said:


> Zinman's _The Jungle Book_ is an excellent recording and the best performed of the three recordings available, although Segerstam's on Marco Polo doesn't count as a the 'complete' _Jungle Book_ as it doesn't contain the _Three Poems_. Definitely go back to that store and get your discs!


Good to know you rate that recording. I was probably heading back tomorrow anyway as they had quite a bit of new stuff in the bins I needed to check up on (which I've been busy doing tonight).


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

Alexander Glazunov

Work 
Glazunov: Op. 13: Stenka Razin, symphonic poem in B minor

Artists
The London Symphony Orchestra 
Yondani Butt









and

Work 
Glazunov: Chant du ménéstral ('Minstrel's Song'), for cello and orchestra in F#-, Op.71

Artists
Suzanne Ramon









The last one is a very beautiful little piece!


----------



## SimonNZ

Federico Mompou piano music - Stephen Hough piano


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

Alexander Glazunov

Work 
Glazunov: Op. 12: Poème Lyrique in D-flat major for orchestra

Artists
Ussr State Symphony Orchestra & Dimitri Swetlano









and

Alexander Glazunov

Work 
Glazunov: Op. 14: Two Pieces for orchestra

Artists
Romanian State Orchestra
Horia Andreescu


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Flute Concerto in D Major, Gimo 291

Giorgio Bernasconi conducting the Accademia Strumentale Italiana

View attachment 23661


----------



## Oskaar

Composer

Alexander Glazunov

Work 
Glazunov: Op. 34: The Spring, symphonic picture in D major

Artists
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Kenneth Schermerhorn

View attachment 23662


and

Work 
Glazunov: Op. 69: Intermezzo Romantica in D major for orchestra

Artists
Antonio de Almeida, Alexander Glazunov and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 23663


----------



## Art Rock

Not for the purists, but beautiful background music to play while we open the gallery.


----------



## julianoq

Starting my day with Debussy Préludes for Piano Book 1 played by Nelson Freire.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Leoš Janácek

Work 
Janácek: Capriccio "Defiance" JW 7/12

Artists
Gilead Mishory
Solists of symfonie orchester des bayerischen rundfunks München


----------



## ptr

Morning music!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Des Canyons Aux Etoiles (Auvidis)









Marja Bon, piano; Hans Dullaert, horn; Ger de Zeeuw, xylorimba; Wim Vos, glockenspiel; Asko ensemble, Schönberg Ensemble & Salagwerkgroep den Haag u. Reinbert de Leeuw

Good to see that the Canyons get more airtime with several TC'rs!

*Hafliði Hallgrímsson* - Chamber Music (Delphian)









Fidelio Trio & Matthew Jones, viola

and now on to:

*Wolfgang Rihm* - Streichquartette Vol. 1 (No's 1 - 4) (Col Legno)









Minguet Quartett

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Franz Liszt

Work 
Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy, S.123

Artists	
Andreas Pistorius, Andras Ligeti, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Jeno Jando


----------



## Vesteralen

I know some people have a hard time getting into Elgar's music, and that's okay. But, I have a personal theory: Elgar is one of those composers whose music absolutely needs the right conductor. I've heard many very unattractive performances of some of his music myself.

For my money, Andrew Davis is the right guy for Elgar. I have his live performances of the two symphonies in my collection, and now I have to get a copy of this. The Cello Concerto, Introduction and Allegro, and Elegy are great. But it's the Pomp and Circumstance marches here that really get the royal treatment. I like these even better than Boult's. He puts in an unusual fermata in the return theme of the third that may or may not be in the score - but, whatever, it works - and that's the main thing.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Franz Liszt

Work 
Liszt: Mazeppa, S.100

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink


----------



## ptr

*Leonard Bernstein* - Symphonic Suite from "On the Waterfront" & Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (CBS)









New York Philharmonic u. Leonard Bernstein

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Symphony No. 3, "De Fyra Tidsåldrarna" (The Four Ages of Man) (Naxos Classical Archives)









Stockholm Symphony Orchestra u. Tor Mann

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Following Vesteralen, I'm listening to a cherished Elgar disk with The Dream of Gerontius and The Music Makers.


----------



## rrudolph

Liszt: Symphonic Poem #2 "Tasso Lamento e Trionfo"
(Ungarisches Staatsorchester-I can't find a cover picture for this one. It's a fairly old Aurophon rerelease)

Brahms: Double Concerto








Scriabin: Symphony #2/Symphonic Poem in d minor, Op. posth.


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Kammermusik 1~7
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado









I'm particularly fond of No. 7 for how ridiculous the organ sounds against the relatively small orchestra, and No. 1 just for how wild it is musically (with one of the best slow movements of the bunch, to boot).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Symphony No. 2 in B flat Major, 'Lobgesang' (Reinhard Seifried; Mary Nelson, Majella Cullagh, Adrian Thompson; National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland; RTÉ Philharmonic Choir)









Continuing to listen to this symphony - I really like it! The symphony is like an oratorio pretty much, a lot of choral parts, arias - some of them remind of the choral parts in Haydn's The Seasons. A great discovery .


----------



## julianoq

Ginastera's Harp Concerto, Estancia and Piano Concerto, conducted by Enrique Batiz.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schumann*: Davidsbundlertanze, Piano Sonata, Op. 22, Toccata, Op. 7, w. Berezovsky (rec.1992); Abegg Variations, Op. 1, Humoreske, Op. 20, Fantasie, Op. 17, Blumenstuck, Op. 19, w. Dalberto (rec.1980 - '86); Piano Sonatas 1 & 3, w. Demidenko (rec.1996).

View attachment 23679
View attachment 23680
View attachment 23681


----------



## rrudolph

Mahlerian said:


> Hindemith: Kammermusik 1~7
> Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm particularly fond of No. 7 for how ridiculous the organ sounds against the relatively small orchestra, and No. 1 just for how wild it is musically (with one of the best slow movements of the bunch, to boot).


Quite a tricky xylophone part in the last movement of #1-it's one of those things that shouldn't be hard but doesn't lay exactly right on the instrument. I remember being intimidated by it when I played it in my college days. At least I got to blow a siren at the end!!


----------



## rrudolph

Time for a couple of grim fairy tales...

Mahler: Das Klagende Lied








Schoenberg: Gurrelieder


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Franz Liszt

Work	
Liszt: Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne ('Bergsymphonie'), S.95, R.412

Artists	
Gábor Farkas, 
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Zoltán Kocsis









Very dramatic, expressive and full of nerve. Dark and heavy, light and tender.. Great recording,


----------



## ptr

*Georg Friedrich Haas* - Violin Concerto (*YouTube*)










Performers not mentioned... But possibly; Ernst Kovacic, violin; Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Gottfried Rabl (Pic of Composer above!)

And after this I'll raise Mahlerians Hindemith Camber Concertos and play some of them from my fave set!

*Paul Hindemith* - Kammermusiken 1 - 7 (Op 24, 36 & 46) (RCA)









Ensemble Modern u. Markus Stenz

Some of the few Hindemith works I can enjoy without having nightmares about "Unterweisung im Tonsatz"... 

/ptr


----------



## Selby

For the third time in a week:

Olivier Messiaen - Éclairs sur l'au-delà... (Illuminations of the beyond...)

[Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker]














Messiaen's best work? Maybe.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Franz Liszt

Work 
Liszt: Die Ideale

Artists	
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Haitink


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Franz Liszt

Work	
Liszt: Faust Symphony, S.108, R.425

Artists	
Riccardo Muti/Westminster Choir College/Philadelphia Orchestra/Gösta Winbergh


----------



## Winterreisender

Francois Couperin's Second livre de pièces de clavecin (Sixiéme Ordre), played by Olivier Baumont (from this terrific box set of the complete harpsichord works):


----------



## julianoq

Mitchell said:


> For the third time in a week:
> 
> Olivier Messiaen - Éclairs sur l'au-delà... (Illuminations of the beyond...)
> 
> [Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker]
> 
> View attachment 23690
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Messiaen's best work? Maybe.


This record is awesome. I also listened many times last week. I like the Turangalila symphony, but in my opinion Éclairs sur l'au-delà deserves more recognition. Will listen to it again now!


----------



## ptr

petite musique de nuit:

*Gérard Grisey* ‎- Partiels / Dérives (Erato)









Ensemble Ars Nova u. Boris De Vinogradov / Orchestre National De France u. Jacques Mercier

*Peter Ablinger* - Voices and Piano (2005) (*Kairos*)









Nicolas Hodges, piano

/ptr


----------



## realdealblues

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8
Vaclav Neumann & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

I actually listened to Kubelik's recording just before starting this one. While I love the almost frantic, excitement of Kubelik's recording this one seems far more mature. It sounds far more grand and deep in a "Mahler" sort of way.


----------



## julianoq

This guy can sing. Awesome record of Wagner tenor arias.


----------



## Mika

Symphonies 1 and 2


----------



## appoggiatura

And after this I'm going for 




for the 542758th time this summer. I love it! Dvorak is amazing.


----------



## cagerty

EJ Moeran's Cello Concerto - Raphael Wallfisch.
Conducted by Norman Del Mar with the Bournemouth Sinfionetta.


----------



## maestro267

Mitchell said:


> For the third time in a week:
> 
> Olivier Messiaen - Éclairs sur l'au-delà... (Illuminations of the beyond...)
> 
> [Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker]


I absolutely _must_ get this! Been on my wishlist for a while now.

I've spent the evening aboard the HMS Indomitable, via the Proms.

*Britten*: Billy Budd
Cast of Glyndebourne Festival Opera/London PO/Sir Andrew Davis [live]


----------



## Sid James

*Graeme Koehne* Elevator Music & Powerhouse
- Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa

*Haydn* Symphony #98 in B flat
- Philharmonia Orch. under Otto Klemperer

*Ives* Emerson Concerto, for piano & orch. (reconstructed by David G. Porter)
- Alan Feinberg, piano with National SO of Ireland under James Sinclair

*Verdi* La traviata: Act I Prelude
- Orchestra Victoria under Richard Divall


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Distance de fée
Hindemith: Sonata in E
Janácek: Sonata
Silvestrov: Five Pieces








Natascia Gazzana, violin
Raffaella Gazzana, piano

An intriguing program of 20th century music...plus Silvestrov. His Five Pieces are good examples of Neoromantic Postmodernism, but they feel very out of place in an otherwise modernist program.


----------



## Stemahl

Listening to a bit of an easier Mahler symphony, number 4 (one of my favorites, along with 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10, and Das Lied - haha you thought I was going to leave a Mahler symphony off my favorites, no chance).


----------



## Blancrocher

Stemahl said:


> Listening to a bit of an easier Mahler symphony, number 4 (one of my favorites, along with 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10, and Das Lied - haha you thought I was going to leave a Mahler symphony off my favorites, no chance).


I'm just finishing listening to Bernstein and the NY Phil performing Mahler's 9th. However, I suppose that it would take at least 15 of us listening to Mahler at the same time for it to count as an odd coincidence on this forum!


----------



## DrKilroy

Not much listening today! But I will finish my day with Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 1 in D minor (not sure about the performers, but they're good!) and Pierrot Lunaire (Schäfer/Boulez).

Best regards, Dr

PS I will have to revisit Turangalila on Thursday!


----------



## SimonNZ

Listening to the Haas Violin Concerto link that ptr provided.


----------



## Stemahl

Blancrocher said:


> I'm just finishing listening to Bernstein and the NY Phil performing Mahler's 9th. However, I suppose that it would take at least 15 of us listening to Mahler at the same time for it to count as an odd coincidence on this forum!
> 
> View attachment 23703


Good stuff Blancrocher. That's a funny coincidence, I've just been seeking advice from Mahlerian about a good Mahler cycle besides the Chailly and Rattle sets I own, and he recommended the Bernstein set on Sony. So are you a fan of his interpretations?


----------



## Blancrocher

Stemahl said:


> Good stuff Blancrocher. That's a funny coincidence, I've just been seeking advice from Mahlerian about a good Mahler cycle besides the Chailly and Rattle sets I own, and he recommended the Bernstein set on Sony. So are you a fan of his interpretations?


Bernstein is my favorite all-around conductor for Mahler, and his Sony versions are my favorites by him. I appreciate the drama and passion he brings to the music. I'm pretty tolerant of quirks in Mahler interpretations, though: there's hardly a recording or performance of this music I didn't find _something_ to get excited about. My advice would be to check out some other threads on Mahler recordings, including the current discussion of Symphony #2 in the "Weekend Symphonies" series--I've found some classics I don't know that I intend to give serious attention to this weekend.

I'd be interested to know what you think when you've given him a listen!


----------



## Ondine

The Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon KV 452

'Kegelstatt' Trio for piano, clarinet and viola KV 498

Piano Quartets KV 478 & 493

The Quintet is an outstanding ethereal gem of the most finesse craft by Mozart showing his gift for bringing winds into life.

Special mention for Quartet KV 478. I feel it can share the summit of it genre with other equal masterpieces.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Some beautifully atmospheric music tonight ...

*Prokofiev* - Violin concerto No. 2 / D. Oistrakh, A. Galleria, Philarmonia

*Tchaikovsky* - Serenade Melancolique / D. Kashimoto, A. Nelsons, Berliner Philharmoniker

*Debussy* - La Mer / D. Gatti, Orchestre National


----------



## Stemahl

Blancrocher said:


> Bernstein is my favorite all-around conductor for Mahler, and his Sony versions are my favorites by him. I appreciate the drama and passion he brings to the music. I'm pretty tolerant of quirks in Mahler interpretations, though: there's hardly a recording or performance of this music I didn't find _something_ to get excited about. My advice would be to check out some other threads on Mahler recordings, including the current discussion of Symphony #2 in the "Weekend Symphonies" series--I've found some classics I don't know that I intend to give serious attention to this weekend.
> 
> I'd be interested to know what you think when you've given him a listen!


That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for from my Mahler conductor, and now that I've gotten some good clear opinions on him I think I will invest in the set.

Thanks Blancrocher. I was thinking of checking some of the threads for advice but decided against it when I thought it might be overwhelming for a newbie like me to receive multiple views on Mahler all at once haha. It was more productive for me to get single opinions from yourself and Mahlerian.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara: Complete Works For Male Choir, disc one - Matti and Pasi Hyokki, conductors


----------



## Celloissimo

Sibelius Symphony No. 1 under Bernstein


----------



## bejart

Joseph Kuffner (1776-1856): Clarinet Quintet, Op.32

Luigi Magistrelli on clarinet with the Andriani String Quartet: Gianmario Mari and Claudio Andriani, violins -- Marco Giubileo, viola -- Alessandro Andriani, cello

View attachment 23717


----------



## Guest

Mozart
K622, Clarinet Concerto
K581, Clarinet Quintet
Martin Fröst - Amsterdam Sinfonietta - Peter Oundjian - Vertavo String Quartet

Very nice disc!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Liszt*: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec.1987); Faust Symphony, w. BSO/LB (rec.1976); Etudes d'execution transcendante, w. Berezovsky (rec.1995).

View attachment 23720
View attachment 23721
View attachment 23722


----------



## realdealblues

Dvorak: Symphony No. 7
Vaclav Neumann & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Minor, KV 406

Talich Quartet with Karel Rehak on viola: Jan Talich, Jr. and vladimir Bukac on violins -- Jan Talich, Sr., viola -- Evzen Rattay, cello

View attachment 23723


----------



## realdealblues

Dvorak: Symphony No. 5
Vaclav Neumann & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

I must say I'm really enjoying this set. Very glad I bought it.


----------



## Feathers

Mendelssohn - String Symphonies No. 9, 11, and 12
William Boughton and the English String Orchestra


----------



## brotagonist

Mitchell said:


> Olivier Messiaen - Éclairs sur l'au-delà...
> [Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker]
> 
> Messiaen's best work? Maybe.


I have:









I find it to be the most minimalist/ethereal of his major orchestral works. Try: Turangalila Symphony, Des Canyons aux Etoiles.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Liszt*: "Harmonies", "Annees", w. Ciccolini (rec.1961 - '82); Sonata, w. Demidenko (rec.1992).

View attachment 23726
View attachment 23727
View attachment 23728


----------



## GreenMamba

Andrew Imbrie Symphony #3, Farberman/London SO


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've just begun to listen to this. So far I am quite enjoying the orchestration... which shouldn't be a surprise considering that the composer spent some 10 years on this aspect of the opera alone.


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1801): Piano Sonata in D Major, Op.3, No.3

Richard Fuller, piano

View attachment 23729


----------



## opus55

Finzi: Clarinet Concerto, Op. 31


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Koechlin's The Jungle Book - David Zinman, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

I thought I'd revisit some seminal musique concrète as a nightcap.









Luc Ferrari _Tautologos and other early Electronic Works_


----------



## SimonNZ

Gregor Joseph Werner's The Curious Musical Instrument Calendar - Paul Angerer, cond.


----------



## Selby

SimonNZ said:


> Charles Koechlin's The Jungle Book - David Zinman, cond.


I wish there was another button other than _like_. Maybe a love button you are only allowed to press once daily. Koechlin is a madman, a genius, and a god. I hope you enjoyed it.


----------



## Selby

brotagonist said:


> I have:
> 
> View attachment 23725
> 
> 
> I find it to be the most minimalist/ethereal of his major orchestral works. Try: Turangalila Symphony, Des Canyons aux Etoiles.


Des canyons aux étoiles... has not clicked for me yet, but I've only listened to it maybe 3 or 4 times ever.

The Turangalîla-Symphonie definitely ranks amongst his best in my book, but I think Éclairs sur l'au-delà… is in competition for that title.

That's not to put down Sept Haïkaï, Oiseaux Exotiques, Poèmes pour mi, Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine, La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, Chronochromie, Quatour pour la fin du temps, or Saint François d'Assise.

The man is a brilliant... "I celebrate his entire catalog" (I looked for the Office Space clip but couldn't find it.)


----------



## Selby

On my run today:

Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 3 in D minor; Simon Rattle conducting

and

Tōru Takemitsu's Concerto for Percussion, From Me Flows what You Call Time; Nexus, Carl St. Clair, Pacific Symphony Orchestra


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruckner Symphony 5


----------



## drpraetorus

Schubert Eb piano trio. Yabba dabba do. ( lord what fools these extra characters make us)


----------



## SimonNZ

Its your choice, of course, but you could have made it up with performer info.

playing now:










Vaughan Williams' In Windsor Forest - Norman Del Mar, cond.

editing to say that I talked myself out of doing it last year, but when Presto do their Christmas box-set discounts this year I'm definitely grabbing the EMI complete RVW


----------



## drpraetorus

that would take all the mystery out of life.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G Major, 'Surprise' (Günther Herbig, Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Think On Me: Personal Favorites" - Elly Ameling, soprano, Dalton Baldwin, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurkas (Evgeni Koroliov).









Currently No. 1 in F sharp minor.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's The Fire Bird - Ernest Ansermet, cond.


----------



## ptr

VH Project 2013

[41] The Sound of Horowitz (RCA Victor)
(Schumann/Scarlatti/Schubert/Scriabin)









[42] Beethoven - Debussy - Chopin (RCA Victor)









[43] Scarlatti Sonatas (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Found any surprises or standouts in the Horowitz discography, ptr?

playing now:










Alkan's Concerto For Solo Piano - John Ogdon, piano

Thought this was a good find in the secondhand bins today - didn't occur to me to think it might be on one of the two volumes devoted to Ogdon in the Great Pianists series I have...which it is. Oh well, straight into the culling box after one play.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's Symphony No.4 - Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> Found any surprises or standouts in the Horowitz discography, ptr?


As I'm a fan of VH since forever there's been no real surprises so far, more reaffirmations that he is one of the greatest pianists in recorded history! One real standout is how high is lowest level is, there might be hundreds of pianists today that has a better technical prowess the Horowitz had, but very few reach his level musicality!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Arne Nordheim's Tenebrae - Truls Mork, cello, Yoav Talmi, cond.


----------



## bejart

Angelo Raggazi (1680?-1750): Sonata a Quatro in A Major, Op.1, No.5

Christoph Timpe leading Accademia per Musica

View attachment 23743


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's sonatine op. 61 played by Hamelin.


----------



## jim prideaux

Continuing to investigate the delights and depths of Martinu-Behohlavek/BBC Symph performing 3rd/4th symphonies-my son did observe that there is a very 'cinematic' aspect to this music, I can detect traces (however coincidental) of Samuel Barber-oddly enough a composer that I have often thought of as being 'cinematic'


----------



## Vesteralen

In my ubiquitous need to label things, I'd call this modern music in the neo-romantic vein.

I got the sense when listening to this disc that I often get from music of this sort: if it were written by some big name composer people would be talking about it.

"Supernova" and the piano/orchestra "The Shining One" were particularly pleasing.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 in C major; Variations on a Hussar's Song
Malmo Symphony, cond. Sinaisky









The symphony is wonderful piece of the last flowering of late Romanticism, and probably among the "heaviest" pieces in C major ever written. The variations, on the other hand, I find rather overwrought considering the relative simplicity of the tune.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Charles Villiers Stanford

Work 
Stanford: Op 013 Three Intermezzi for clarinet & piano

Artists	
Emma Johnson, Malcolm Martineau









Very entertaining! Nice listening.

and

Composer 
Charles Villiers Stanford

Work 
Stanford: Op 039 Sonata No. 2 in D minor for violoncello & piano

Artists	
varied









Nuce work, but kind of flat and uninspiering recording. Does not matter to much since artist is unknown, and I will probably not listen to this recording for a while...


----------



## jim prideaux

coincidence that is only of any real interest to me but thought I would share it. On this day(28th August) 1959 Martinu died-5 days earlier I was born-just noticed!-more important than this 'egocentric' observation-the andante from the 2nd symphony is the most beautiful piece of music I have become newly acquainted with in a while.:tiphat:


----------



## ptr

musique de tricolore..

*Gérard Grisey* - Vortex temporum / Taléa (Accord)









Ensemble Recherche

*Luc Ferrari* ‎- Didascalies (Sub Rosa)









Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, Piano & Vincent Royer, Viola

*Tristan Murail* - Gondwana, Désintégrations, Time and Again (Montaigne)









Orchestre National de France u. Yves Prin / Ensemble De l'Itinéraire u. Yves Prin / Orchestre du Beethovenhalle de Bonn u. Karl-Anton Rickenbacker

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.43 in E Flat

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

View attachment 23750


----------



## Vesteralen

Co-incidence.

Just finished this disc in the car this AM. I like this set in the series. The no-name symphonies 32 & 33 are a bit more energetic than the "alleluia" and the "hornsignal" (30, 31).


----------



## Joris

R. Strauss - 'Beim Schlafengehen' sung by Kiri Te Kanawa. Wiener Philarmoniker led by Solti


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Franck*: Symphonic Variations, w. Thibaudet/OdSR/Dutoit (rec.2007); Symphony in D minor, Le Chasseur Maudit, w. Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1982); Piano Quintet, w. Levinas/Ludwig Qt. (rec.1996); String Quartet, w. Prague Qt. (rec.1978).

View attachment 23756
View attachment 23757
View attachment 23758
View attachment 23759


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Dmitri Shostakovich

Work 
Shostakovich: Op. 126: Cello Concerto No. 2 in G major

Artists
Noras, A and Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Rasilainen, Ari


----------



## Blancrocher

Chailly's Turangalila Symphony. A good, aggressive interpretation.


----------



## Selby

Three from Per Nørgård on youtube:

Symphony No. 7 (2004/2006) 




I Ching (1982) 




Symphony No. 6, "At the End of the Day" (1998/1999) 




Followed by Tōru Takemitsu:

Takemitsu Quatrain II (1977)


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Dmitri Shostakovich

Work 
Shostakovich: Op. 10: Symphony No. 1 in F minor

Artists	
Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra), Mstislav Rostropovich (Performer)*


----------



## rrudolph

Busoni: Piano Concerto








Mahler: Kindertotenlieder








Bruckner: Symphony #5


----------



## Ravndal

John Adams - Chorus of Exiled Palestinians


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Jean Sibelius

Work 
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D-, Op.47

Artists	
William Walton, Sakari Oramo and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 23771


Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 "Pathetique"
Igor Markevitch & The London Symphony Orchestra

I still think Markevitch's Tchaikovsky recordings are some of the best.


----------



## Vesteralen

Listening to a 5-track version of this CD featuring the biblical tracks only


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Franck*: Symphonic Variations, w. Thibaudet/OdSR/Dutoit (rec.2007); Symphony in D minor, Le Chasseur Maudit, w. Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1982); Piano Quintet, w. Levinas/Ludwig Qt. (rec.1996); String Quartet, w. Prague Qt. (rec.1978).
> 
> View attachment 23756
> View attachment 23757
> View attachment 23758
> View attachment 23759


Hi, Oskaar. Welcome back! I was really worried that something bad had happened to you after you hadn't posted anything for quite a long time . I really missed your musical insights. Great to have you--and them--once again  .


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Franck*: Symphonic Variations, w. Thibaudet/OdSR/Dutoit (rec.2007); Symphony in D minor, Le Chasseur Maudit, w. Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1982); Piano Quintet, w. Levinas/Ludwig Qt. (rec.1996); String Quartet, w. Prague Qt. (rec.1978).
> 
> View attachment 23756
> View attachment 23757
> View attachment 23758
> View attachment 23759


Hi, Oskaar. Welcome back! I was really worried that something bad had happened to you after you hadn't posted anything for quite a long time . I really missed your musical insights. Great to have you--and them--once again  .
p.s. Sorry for using the wrong quote  and making a duplicate post, but it is still wonderful having you back here on the boards!


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Jean Sibelius

Work 
Sibelius: Belshazzar's Feast, Op.51

Adrian Leaper and Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra









and


Composer 
Jean Sibelius

Work 
Sibelius: 2 Earnest Melodies, for violin and orchestra, Op.77

Artists	
Arto Noras


----------



## samurai

realdealblues said:


> View attachment 23771
> 
> 
> Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 "Pathetique"
> Igor Markevitch & The London Symphony Orchestra
> 
> I still think Markevitch's Tchaikovsky recordings are some of the best.


I also really like their traversals of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies--often overlooked, I believe--as well. Have you heard these?


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in D Major, Op.12, No.2

Guy van Waas leading Les Agremens

View attachment 23776


----------



## realdealblues

samurai said:


> I also really like their traversals of Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies--often overlooked, I believe--as well. Have you heard these?


Yeah, Igor Markevitch & The London Symphony Orchestra's recordings of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 1-3 are my go to recordings. I also have Bernstein's and Muti's recordings as well, but most of the time I turn to Igor for the first 3 Symphonies.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Robert Alexander Schumann

Work 
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105

Artists	
Giacomo Miglioranzi, Riccaedo Alfare'









Loveley sonata, good sound and very nice performance!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Symphony No. 2, 'Lobgesang' (Reinhard Seifried).









An excellent piece! This is on par with Handel and Haydn's oratorios, very glad I came upon this CD in the library.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Trio in F Major, Op.14,No.6

Trio Miro: Carlo Alberto Valenti, violin -- Claudio Valenti, viola -- Carlo Benvenuti, cello

View attachment 23779


----------



## bejart

Karol Lipinski (1790-1861): Violin Concerto No.3 in E Minor, Op.24

Wojciech Rajski conducting the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Albrecht Breuninger, violin

View attachment 23790


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka No. 7 in B flat minor (Evgeni Koroliov).


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 23792


Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique"
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

I just listened to Markevitch's Tchaikovsky 6 earlier, but wanted to hear it again. I hadn't listened to this "controversial" reading in quite a while so I decided to give it another listen. It's still interesting and I still like it.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Divertimento No.5 in E Flat

Emil Klein leading the Hamburg Soloists

View attachment 23794


----------



## Ravndal

Ravel - Gaspard De La Nuit

- Sigurd Slåttebrekk

I keep falling back to this version. And it is without a doubt the deepst and lyrcal of them all in my opinion. I have heard a lot of different versions, but this is just simply fantastic.


----------



## mstar

Mozart's Requiem and Schumann's violin concerto. I do acknowledge that this is a rather unusual combination.... 

And I'm pretty sure that Isaac Stern is playing the violin in Schumann's concerto!


----------



## rrudolph

Hoffman: Modus Nodus/Barissement D'Elephant/Waterways/Geminis/O.A. (Oder Andere)/Three Short Stories


----------



## Sudonim

oskaar said:


> View attachment 23777
> 
> 
> Loveley sonata, good sound and very nice performance!


Interesting cover photo. It looks like the photographer was holding a gun on them: "Now stand still, you two, while I take your picture - _or else!"_

Inspired by the favorite-Bruckner-symphonies thread, I put this on and listened to No. 5:









And then, for some reason, was in the mood for something spikier:


----------



## Cheyenne

Barenboim, Desurmont, Yordanoff, Têtard: Messaien, Quatuor pour la fin du Temps..


----------



## Mika

Got so many likes from my previous post, I was forced to continue with same set 









Symphonies 3 & 4


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Spring sonata - Kagan / Richter


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn* Symphony #101 in D, 'The Clock'
- Philharmonia Orch. under Otto Klemperer

*Graeme Koehne* Unchained Melody
- Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa

*Wagner* Tristan und Isolde: Prelude (Act 1) & Liebestod (Act 3)
- Marilyn Richardson, soprano with Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert

*J. S. Bach* Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971
- Dubravka Tomsic tickling the ivories


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Lulu Suite
City of Birmingham Symphony, cond. Rattle


----------



## bejart

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Triple Concerto in D Major

Camerata Bern: Heinz Holliger, oboe -- Thomas Furi, violin -- Thomas Demenga, cello

View attachment 23803


----------



## Vaneyes

bejart said:


> Haydn: Divertimento No.5 in E Flat
> 
> Emil Klein leading the Hamburg Soloists
> 
> View attachment 23794


Trying to remember if Emil has a brother named Eine.


----------



## Peterinch

I'm working my way through the Vaughan Williams symphonies in the Complete EMI recordings by Sir Adrian Boult. I had only been familiar with the London Symphony, but am enjoying the rest of them immensely. No. 8 was today's choice. Very pleased with this box... The sound is fantastic despite the age of some of the recordings.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): String Quartet in B Major, Op.60, No.2

Camesina Quartet: Johannes Gebauer and Karen Walthinsen, violins -- Irina Alexandrowna, viola -- Martin Burkhardt, cello

View attachment 23806


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Franck*: Violin Sonata, w. Perlman & Ashkenazy (rec.1968); Cello Sonata, w. Isserlis & Devoyon (rec.1989); Piano Music, w. Hough (rec.1996).

View attachment 23807
View attachment 23808
View attachment 23809


----------



## Ondine

Mozartean Trios for Piano KV 254, 442*, 496, 502, 542, 548, 564.

*completed by Maximillian Stadler and edited by Constanze in 1797.









:angel: :angel: :angel:


----------



## bejart

Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1829): Divertimento in C Major, Op.18, No.2

Davide Amodio, violin

View attachment 23812


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Too bad Haydn never got around to really tackling opera in any big way. He had the ability. His great choral works alone prove he was a master of vocal music. His last two operas, _Orlando paladino_ and _Armida_ are quite good and point toward untold possibilities... that Haydn, sadly, never realized.

This collection is a marvelous collection of Haydn's arias (as well as a lovely cantata for solo voice and keyboard). The works chosen for this collection, I am quite pleased to discover, largely come from Haydn's most mature operas beyond _Orlando paladino_ and _Armida_. I say this because these final two operas are the best represented/most recorded of Haydn's oeuvre, while the selections presented here reveal any number of gems to be found in his lesser operas.

Anna Bonitatibus is a Greek mezzo-soprano of sure rich sensual voice... and the performance is solidly HIP in style. The resulting work more than whets one's appetite for more by Haydn.


----------



## clavichorder

Finale to Mozart's Piano Sonata k 283, by Mitsuko Uchida:


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *
both featuring Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *
performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven-- *Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.36 and Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major. *Both symphonies are traversed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I getting interest in classical music from other cultures, not only Europe. I''m listening this piece of turkish classical music.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms Symphony 1 and Borodin Symphony 2


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No. 6 in D major


----------



## Blancrocher

Ravndal said:


> Ravel - Gaspard De La Nuit
> 
> - Sigurd Slåttebrekk
> 
> I keep falling back to this version. And it is without a doubt the deepst and lyrcal of them all in my opinion. I have heard a lot of different versions, but this is just simply fantastic.


After a single hearing, I'm ready for another. What a great album--I look forward to trying his Schumann and Grieg. Thanks for the tip!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Sid James said:


> *Haydn* Symphony #101 in D, 'The Clock'
> - Philharmonia Orch. under Otto Klemperer
> 
> *Graeme Koehne* Unchained Melody
> - Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa
> 
> *Wagner* Tristan und Isolde: Prelude (Act 1) & Liebestod (Act 3)
> - Marilyn Richardson, soprano with Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert
> 
> *J. S. Bach* Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971
> - Dubravka Tomsic tickling the ivories


Ah yes, something from every period .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor, 'Pathétique' (Mikhail Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra).









Also got this CD at the library. So far, the interpretation seems surprisingly restrained - though I'm liking it.


----------



## Ondine

OldFashionedGirl said:


> I getting interest in classical music from other cultures, not only Europe. I''m listening this piece of turkish classical music.


That is a great idea, @OldFashionedGirl


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Robert Alexander Schumann

Work 
Schumann: 3 Phantasiestücke, for clarinet and piano, Op.73

Artists	
Hansjorg Schellenberger (Artist), Rolf Koenen









Dekightfull calm pieces. Very good sound, and I find the performance very good

Composer 
Robert Alexander Schumann

Work 
Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, for cello and piano, Op.102

Artists	
Martha Argerich
Misha Maisky









Composer 
Robert Alexander Schumann

Work 
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in Ab, for horn (or cello) and piano, Op.70

Artists	
Martha Argerich & Mstislav Rostropovich


----------



## starthrower

Just played this really loud, but I don't have children. Polymorphia would probably scare 'em.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Robert Alexander Schumann

Work 
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121

Artists	
Maria Egelhof, Mathias Weber









I like to discover many types of music in general, and classic in special. But Schumanns simple romantic melodies is high on my list!


----------



## Ravndal

Blancrocher said:


> After a single hearing, I'm ready for another. What a great album--I look forward to trying his Schumann and Grieg. Thanks for the tip!


I'm glad you like it! His recording of Schumanns Carneval is full of life and passion. It is a very romantic interpretation. Also one of my favorites. Happy listening!


----------



## SimonNZ

Delius' Requiem - Meredith Davies, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Robert Alexander Schumann

Work 
Schumann: Symphony No.4 in D-, Op.120

Artists	
Armin Jordan
Orchestre de la suisse romande


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu songs - Dominique Visse, counter-tenor, Francois Couturier, piano

edit: this is Takemitsu? I had to check the disc to see if they hadn't sold me the wrong thing. Well, if you'd given me a blindfold test with a hundred guesses I wouldn't have picked it.


----------



## Sid James

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Ah yes, something from every period .


Yeah, I usually like to mix n match periods, styles, genres. The Bach went well with the Wagner, kind of bought me down to terra firma in some ways, the last movement of the Italian Concerto having an almost jazzy feel to it. Great stuff.


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Work 
Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra in G, Op.56

Artists	
Jerome Lowenthal
London Symphony Orchestra
Sergiu Comissiona


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' "Voices" Symphony - Rudolph Werthen, cond.

edit: now Geoffrey Poole's Crossing Ohashi Bridge - Malcolm Layfield, cond.










edit: now Martinu's Butterflies And Birds Of Paradise - Giorgio Koukl, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Violin concerto in E minor (Kyung Wha Chung; Charles Dutoit, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal).


----------



## SimonNZ

Elliott Carter: Choral works - Marcus Creed, dir.


----------



## bejart

James Cervetto (ca.1682-1783): Cello Sonata No.2 in G Major

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli, cello -- Walter Scammarella, harpsichord -- Marcello Scandelli, cello continuo

View attachment 23822


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's String Quartet No.2

comparing the Royal String Quartet recording and Australian Chamber Orchestra arrangement


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner 5th Symphony, conducted by Sinopoli and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's piano sonata #3 played by Kempf.

I'm listening through the single digit sonatas.


----------



## Peterinch

Act II of Fidelio on the morning commute. Good way to start the day!


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* Symphony #40 in G minor, KV 550
- Vienna PO under Istvan Kertesz

*Schubert* Rosamunde - Incidental Music (Overture: Die Zauberharfe, Entre'acte #3, Ballet Music #2)
- Chicago SO under James Levine

*Graeme Koehne *Inflight Entertainment, for amplified oboe & orch.
- Diana Doherty, oboe with Sydney SO under Takuo Yuasa


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Charles-Marie Widor

Work 
Widor: op 07 Piano Quintet No.1

Artists	
Prunyi (Artist), New Budapest Quartet

and

Work 
Widor: op 19 Piano Trio

Artists	
Prunyi (Artist), New Budapest Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Wiegold's Earth, Receive An Honoured Guest - Melinda Maxwell, cor anglais, cond. by composer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, 'The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave)' (Christoph von Dohnányi, Wiener Philharmoniker).


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 23827


Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies 1-9
Georges Cziffra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 39 in G minor (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).


----------



## Blancrocher

Ravndal said:


> I'm glad you like it! His recording of Schumanns Carneval is full of life and passion. It is a very romantic interpretation. Also one of my favorites. Happy listening!


I'm enjoying Slattebrekk's Schumann--I'll be purchasing this and the Ravel. I'm sure you've probably come across it already, but I thought I'd mention my reference recording of Carnaval: Michelangeli's live performance in London from 1957 (



). He also did a number on Gaspard.


----------



## LouisMasterMusic

Hi,

My name is Louis Solomons. I am currently studying ATCL (Associate Trinity College London) in Singing. I undertook Grade 8 Voice with ABRSM two years ago during the summer. I am an avid fan of classical music and opera and listen to what I consider to be only the best recordings. (Oh, and I do like lighter music as well. Examples include British Light Music and Big-Band music. 

I am currently listening to the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 performed by Van Cliburn with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz Reiner. Before it, I was listening to the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with the same soloist and the RCA Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Kondrashin.


----------



## rrudolph

Carter: String Quartets 1 & 2








Feldman: String Quartet (1979)








Lutoslawski: String Quartet/Penderecki: Quartetto per Archi/Mayuzumi: Prelude for String Quartet/Cage: String Quartet in Four Parts


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Isaac Albéniz

Work 
Albéniz: Piano Concerto in A- ('Concierto fantastico'), Op.78

Artists	
Torino Orchestra, Alberto Zedda & Felicja Blumental









Very appealing concerto. Very good play and interplay. Some hiss in the sound.


----------



## nannerl

Mozart K550 G Minor Symph. Molto Allegro- so intense!


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Charles Munch & The Boston Symphony Orchestra
Violin: Jascha Heifetz


----------



## Blancrocher

That's going to my desert island, realdealblues. For now I'm going to remind myself why everyone's hyping Menuhin/Furtwanger performances on the Mendelssohn thread, though:


----------



## Vesteralen

Listened for a second time to the disc that contains two early concertos -

for Violin in d minor (1822)
for Piano & Violin in d minor (1823)

Puzzling thing about Mendelssohn juvenilia like this - though never given opus numbers, they are as attractive (or more so) as some of the later works. The concerto for piano and violin especially is both lengthy and listenable. Would it have received more performances and recordings if it had a number?


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Isaac Albéniz

Work 
Albéniz: Iberia Suite, B.47 Books 1-4

Artists	
Stefan Wojtas









Very good sound on this recording, and the music is very sensitively played.


----------



## Bas

Quite a strange disc from the BBC (acquired it via eBay):

Glenn Gould playing the Piano Trios by Beethoven, Fauré and Brahms.
It wqas originally distributed only via the BBC music magazine, but especially for the Fauré, it is a really good performance!


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Symphony No. 70


----------



## rbx

Honegger - Sept pieces breves pour piano (H25), played by Asuka Kitamura


----------



## Plum

Last night, Beethoven's Violin Sonata #3 Op. 12 performed by David Oistrakh & Lev Oborin and Schumann's Violin Sonata #2 Op. 121 performed by Ilya Gringolts & Peter Laul. For the Beethoven, the Oistrakh/Oborin set have been on my shelf since I first began listening to classical music, first in LP and then CD. It remains my favorite for those pieces. Beautiful.


----------



## rrudolph

Berg: Lyric Suite/String Quartet Op.3


----------



## mstar

I just feel so music-less all of a sudden.... My music folder is full, but my want to listen is so depleted.... Like my energy.... Slept for more than thirteen hours yesterday. I usually don't do that.... 

Might just take a nap right now....  .... 

Then perhaps I'll see to my listening to some Beethoven or Brahms....


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 6 in E flat Major (Buchberger Quartet).









Haven't listened to no. 6 in a while, time to enjoy .


----------



## realdealblues

Dvorak: Symphony No. 2
Vaclav Neumann & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## cwarchc

I haven't been able to slake my search for Satie so??


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony #82 in C Major, 'The Bear' (Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment).


----------



## aleazk

Tōru Takemitsu - _Kwaidan Suite_.


----------



## Plum

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 6 in E flat Major (Buchberger Quartet).
> 
> View attachment 23847
> 
> 
> Haven't listened to no. 6 in a while, time to enjoy .


I have this set by the Buchberger's and find it very interesting. Modern instruments but with "historical" style of play.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Lalo*: Symphonie Espagnole, w. Little/RSNO/Handley (rec.1996); Cello Concerto, w. Chang/Santa Cecilia/Pappano (rec.2005).

View attachment 23859
View attachment 23860


----------



## rrudolph

Nordheim: Response


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Plum said:


> I have this set by the Buchberger's and find it very interesting. Modern instruments but with "historical" style of play.


actually, the only modern instrument is the viola - according to the booklet notes, Hubert Buchberger plays a 1775 violin, Julia Greve a 1747, and Helmut Sohler a 1750 cello. Joachim Etzel plays a 1990 viola.


----------



## Vaneyes

Bas said:


> Quite a strange disc from the BBC (acquired it via eBay):
> 
> Glenn Gould playing the Piano Trios by Beethoven, Fauré and Brahms.
> It wqas originally distributed only via the BBC music magazine, but especially for the Fauré, it is a really good performance!


Oh, if it were only true. Would you believe Lucy Gould? 

http://www.gouldpianotrio.com/


----------



## realdealblues

Continuing on from this morning (in a way), from Piano to Orchestral 

View attachment 23858


Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 1-6
Antal Dorati & The London Symphony Orchestra

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 may be too "overplayed" or "mainstream" for some folks, but I still think it's a riot! I never get tired of hearing it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 74 in E flat Major (Helmut Müller-Brühl; Cologne Chamber Orchestra).









The development section of the 1st movement is really cool here.


----------



## AndyS

The Karajan Salomé just now - this is the first time I've had a proper listen to this recording I think. One of my favourite operas


----------



## Sudonim

Some modernist noise from Chuck Ives, by way of that decadent confirmed bachelor M.T. Thomas:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Violin Concerto in E minor, III. Allegro non troppo - Allegro molto vivace (Kyung Wha Chung; Charles Dutoit; Orchstre Symphonique de Montréal).


----------



## DavidA

Horowitz in Moscow - recital


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Sonata in D Major K448 (played on two fortepianos; Alexei Lubimov; Yuri Martynov).


----------



## cwarchc

Following on ........................


----------



## Blancrocher

realdealblues said:


> Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 may be too "overplayed" or "mainstream" for some folks, but I still think it's a riot! I never get tired of hearing it.


Have you ever heard this strange performance from Cortot? It's good for a listen--and, perhaps, a laugh!


----------



## Plum

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> actually, the only modern instrument is the viola - according to the booklet notes, Hubert Buchberger plays a 1775 violin, Julia Greve a 1747, and Helmut Sohler a 1750 cello. Joachim Etzel plays a 1990 viola.


Noted. But I guess "modern" instruments is a relative term. One of my favorite ensembles for the Haydn string quartets are the Lindsays, in which Robin Ireland plays a viola c. 1630 and Bernard Gregor-Smith and Roland Birks play a violin and cello of 1694 (in their CD of Haydn Quartets Op. 71 on ASV). The point I'm getting at really is the *style* of play, which the Buchberger's go to great lengths to describe in their liner notes, most notably in section 3, the "Sparing application of vibrato - analytical intonation" on page 3 of the rather voluminous notes. In the next section entitled "Dynamic contrast", it states, "…we make use of the possibilities of our 'modern' instruments…" What they are getting at, I believe, is although they use "modern" instruments (again, a relative term, I guess) they employ techniques which is in a more historical style of play.

When one listens to the Buchberger's, it is obvious that their approach is different from the Lindsays, the Kodaly Quartet, Quartetto Italiano, and many others who you could say employ a more "modern" interpretation. I've always preferred the "modern" interpretation for Haydn (and Mozart, and Classical period music in general), but prefer "historical" or "period" instrumentation for music of the Baroque and earlier. The Buchberger's version, however, does have both the "historical" and "modern" attributes. For this reason, I've found their interpretation very interesting and enjoyable.


----------



## Kieran

Quick blast of K570, piano sonata by WAM, performed by Mitsuko Uchida...


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Takemitsu songs - Dominique Visse, counter-tenor, Francois Couturier, piano
> 
> edit: this is Takemitsu? I had to check the disc to see if they hadn't sold me the wrong thing. Well, if you'd given me a blindfold test with a hundred guesses I wouldn't have picked it.


Most of the songs (and choral music) Takemitsu wrote were arranged from film scores and the like, and so are pretty regularly tonal (and loaded up with lots of "pretty" ninths and sixths). In Japanese popular culture these songs are very well known, actually.

He also wrote two concert works for choir, in that style: Grass and Wind Horse. Unfortunately, I haven't heard the former.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ives: Symphony No. 3 "The Camp Meeting"
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Tilson Thomas









Mozart: Symphony No. 14 in A
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras








Schmidt: Variations on a Hussar's Song
Malmo Symphony, cond. Sinaisky









Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor
Boston Baroque, dir. Perlman


----------



## Ondine

Mozartean Chamber Music for String and Winds

Clarinet Quintet KV 581

Horn Quintet KV 407

Oboe Quartet KV 360

Sonata for Bassoon and Cello KV 292









The one with the Clarinet is the most acclaimed but I suggest to try the other three -Horn, Oboe & Bassoon with Cello- which can be equally outstanding gems of chamber music, also unique for the genre.

For the case of the Oboe, it is hard to discern if it is a bird or the Oboe what is being heard; seriously.


----------



## Ondine

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> W. A. Mozart, Sonata in D Major K448 (played on two fortepianos; Alexei Lubimov; Yuri Martynov).
> 
> View attachment 23868


A complete masterpiece, @Haydn.


----------



## Selby

Someone tell me what to listen to on my long drive home from work - my iPod has 500 classical albums so you have an okay chance to hit something I have, or I'll chose the closest thing to it...


----------



## SimonNZ

First thing that come to mind was Les Noces - can't say why, perhaps I find that to be "driving" music in the other sense. Does that appeal?


----------



## Mahlerian

Mitchell said:


> Someone tell me what to listen to on my long drive home from work - my iPod has 500 classical albums so you have an okay chance to hit something I have, or I'll chose the closest thing to it...


Gesualdo's Fifth Book of Madrigals. Perfect thing to unwind after a tense day.


----------



## Selby

Sold! Have the Karel Ancerl & Czech Philharmonic recording. Thanks SimonNZ


----------



## Selby

Sorry Mahlerian, my post collided with yours (which seems to happen a lot to me), Gesualdo next time


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.58 in F Major, Op.74, No.2

Quatour Pro Arte: Alphonse Onnou and Laurent Halleux, violins -- Germain Prevost, viola -- Robert Maas, cello

View attachment 23881


----------



## Sid James

*Mendelssohn* A Midsummer Night's Dream - Overture and Incidental Music, Opp. 21 & 61
- Judith Blegen, sop., Florence Quivar, mezzo, Chicago SO & Chorus under James Levine

*J.S. Bach* 
Partita #1 in B flat major, BWV 825 & Toccata in D major, BWV 912
- Dubravka Tomsic, piano

*Tchaikovsky* The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers
- Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert

*Mozart* Symphony #41 in C, KV 551 'Jupiter'
- SWF SO, Baden-Baden under Ernest Bour


----------



## Tristan

*Gounod* - St. Cecilia Mass

A CD I got from my grandmother. Beautiful not well-known work


----------



## opus55

MacDowell: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## bejart

Johann Baptist Krumpholtz (1742-1790): Harp Sonata in E Flat, Op.12, No.2

Andrea Vigh, harp -- Vilmos Szabadi, violin -- Csaba Onczay, cello

View attachment 23882


----------



## Peterinch

For the commute home: Beethoven String Quartets 1 and 7, Alban Berg Quartett. I am just discovering the Beethoven string quartets, and while the music is beautiful I don't think I can appreciate them when I am being distracted by traffic. I need to put the headphones on and listen to these again. 







For tonight: Vaughan Williams Symphony 9, Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic. A first time hearing this for me, and as with the other symphonies in this box, I was blown away. And to think that he wrote this in his mid-80s... What a magnificent and creative career!







And finally, Sibelius Symphony 3, Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony. A great performance of a wonderful symphony; a nice way to end the day.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms Symphony 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Hoping Mitchell got home safe and sound after playing Les Noces on the journey. God knows why i suggested something that primal for the end of a work day. Gesualdo next time (obviously Mahlerian is smarter than me - what were you thinking?)

now:










Messiaen's Livre du Saint-Sacrement - Paul Jacoms, organ


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
George Antheil

Work 
Antheil: Violin Sonata No.1

Artists	
Robert Szreder
Boguslaw Jan Strobel


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Sir Malcolm Arnold

Work 
Arnold: Arnold: Clarinet Concerto No.2, Op.115

Artists	
Martin Fröst
Lan Shui (Conductor), Malmö Symphony Orchestra


----------



## drpraetorus

Offenbach, Orpheus in the Underworld. the opera not just the overture.


----------



## SimonNZ

Osvaldo Golijov's Ayre - Dawn Upshaw, soprano, The Andalucian Dogs


----------



## Oskaar

Balakirev: Chopin Suite, Op. 11

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Hoey Choo









Clarinet is an instrument that gives me associations to fairitales with trolls and talking threes. The work is very adventureous to, to strengthen the assosiation. Realy enjoyable!


----------



## Oskaar

Balakirev: Chopin Suite, Op. 11

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Hoey Choo

View attachment 23888


Clarinet is an instrument that gives me associations to fairitales with trolls and talking threes. The work is very adventureous to, to strengthen the assosiation. Realy enjoyable!


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's And Then I Knew Twas Wind - Yolanda Kondonassis, harp et al


----------



## Oskaar

Composer 
Samuel Barber

Work 
Barber: Barber: Cello Sonata, Op.6

Artists	
Alan Stepansky
Israela Margalit









I am very fond of Barber. His brilliant lyrical musical language has a very compelling effect on me.This work is a good example, very well played and good sound.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Cage's Sonatas And Interludes - John Tilbury, prepared piano


----------



## Ingélou

Rameau, The Complete Cembalo Works, Blandine Rannou

First I had to google Cembalo!  

It's lovely - so triste & thoughtful. Twangling extraordinaire.


----------



## Oskaar

Work 
Barber: Barber: Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21 for Flute, Oboe, Trumpet and Strings

Artists	
Leonard Slatkin









Lovely harmonies between the various wind instruments. and superb orchestra. Great sound! This I will return to often!


----------



## Oskaar

Samuel Barber

Work 
Barber: Barber: String Quartet in B, Op.11

Artists	
Nancy Bean
Davyd Booth
Pamela Fay
Lloyd Smith









Great. works. Rapid variations between quiet and sensitive moods and strong expressive moments. Good sound. Provides the foundation for Adagio for strings.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonty Harrison's Klang -performed by two closely microphoned earthenware casserole bowls and lids


----------



## DaDirkNL

SimonNZ said:


> Jonty Harrison's Klang -performed by two closely microphoned earthenware casserole bowls and lids


That's something I've never heard of. What is it like?


----------



## SimonNZ

Actually more serious and satisfying than the mere novelty it sounds like. A clear and continuous six part structure with tape effects alongside but complementing the various resonances of the raw material. And at nine minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome. The most successful of the six works on the disc.


----------



## Bas

J. Haydn - Hobo Divertimenti IV: 6-11 & Hobo Trio XI:82 in D
By the Ensemble Sans Souci Berlin, on CPO








J.S. Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1041,1042,1043 & the Oboe Concerto in Cm BWV 1060
By Hilary Hahn [violin], L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Allan Vogel [oboe] and Jeffrey Kahana [dir.], on DG









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 2 in Dm and no. 5 in E flat minor
By Ulf Hoescher [violin], RundFunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO








J.S. Bach - Hohe Messe in H-moll
By Collegium Vocale Ghent, under the brilliant direction of mr. Philippe Herreweghe, on φ


----------



## Kieran

*K546*, _Adagio and Fugue in c-minor_, Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Great mood music for a Friday, sitting here thinking of the passing of Seamus Heaney...


----------



## SimonNZ

Olivier Mellano's La Chair Des Anges - cond. by composer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in D minor (The Chandos Baroque Players).









I really like this disc - very lively playing and an excellent, clear sound.


----------



## bejart

Robert Woodcock (1690-1728): Oboe Concerto in E Flat

Michael Dobson leading the Thames Chamber Orchestra -- Neil Black, oboe

View attachment 23897


----------



## Vesteralen

So frustrating to keep getting "Invalid File" for every picture I try to call up.

Anyway - I was listening again to Dorati's version of *Prokofiev's Symphony No 5 *(Mercury Living Presence) on my commute yesterday. It just made me realize what a uniquely wonderful piece of music this is. That finale is so different from the ending of any other symphony I can think of. Just marvelous.

I'd love to see a performance DVD of this symphony. Does anyone know if there's a good one out there?


----------



## Selby

Tōru Takemitsu - Quotation of Dream [Paul Crossley, Peter Serkin, Oliver, Knussen, London Sinfonietta]


----------



## Sid James

*Schumann*
Symphony #4 in D minor, Op. 120
Overture: Manfred, Op. 115
Overture: Genoveva, Op. 81
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta

*Album: Horowitz in Moscow*
- Vladimir Horowitz live in concert at Moscow Conservatory, April 1986 - pieces by Scarlatti, Rachmaninov, Liszt, Scriabin, Chopin, etc.


----------



## Vesteralen

Sid James said:


> *Schumann*
> Symphony #4 in D minor, Op. 120
> Overture: Manfred, Op. 115
> Overture: Genoveva, Op. 81
> - Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta


I don't believe I've ever heard Mehta in these. Schumann is another one of those composers whose success seems to depend - more than some others do - on the performance. I've always found Munch untouchable on the Manfred Overture and Kubelik on Genoveva. Among other things, Munch is generally faster than most on Manfred, Kubelik slower than most on Genoveva. But, each of these two is a benchmark for me. I'll have to try to experience the Mehta versions some time.


----------



## Vesteralen

Vesteralen said:


> So frustrating to keep getting "Invalid File" for every picture I try to call up.
> 
> Anyway - I was listening again to Dorati's version of *Prokofiev's Symphony No 5 *(Mercury Living Presence) on my commute yesterday. It just made me realize what a uniquely wonderful piece of music this is. That finale is so different from the ending of any other symphony I can think of. Just marvelous.
> 
> I'd love to see a performance DVD of this symphony. Does anyone know if there's a good one out there?


The only one I see at Amazon is one conducted by Celibidache. Can anyone recommend it?


----------



## Sid James

Vesteralen said:


> I don't believe I've ever heard Mehta in these. Schumann is another one of those composers whose success seems to depend - more than some others do - on the performance. I've always found Munch untouchable on the Manfred Overture and Kubelik on Genoveva. Among other things, Munch is generally faster than most on Manfred, Kubelik slower than most on Genoveva. But, each of these two is a benchmark for me. I'll have to try to experience the Mehta versions some time.


This was my first listen to those works on that 2 cd set, on Eloquence label. I got it recently. I enjoyed it but its early days to give any solid impressions, I aim to of course listen to the other symphonies on the set and do repeated listening with it all over time. I am okay with Mehta as he comes across as focussing on the music rather than projecting his own ego. That can be bland for some but I tend to like some of these more low key type condutors (eg. Ansermet and Maazel are two others I find like this). These are recordings from the late 1970's and early 1980's.

One Schumann performance though that really made a big impression on me was David Zinman's on Telarc (but I think he's done another cycle). That was his symphonies 1 and 4 on Telarc with I think the Baltimore SO. Zinman really kind of made the counterpoint of Schuman feel light, crisp and clean, not kind of stodgy like it can be easily done.

I have not heard Munch do Schumann but funnily enough Kubelik is also on Eloquence reissue, he would have been my other option, but I got Mehta as its a 2 cd set and the price cheaper.


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's piano sonata #5 played by Kempf.

I liked this one. Definitely had a very Mozart feel to it to me.


----------



## Vesteralen

Sid James said:


> This was my first listen to those works on that 2 cd set, on Eloquence label. I got it recently. I enjoyed it but its early days to give any solid impressions, I aim to of course listen to the other symphonies on the set and do repeated listening with it all over time. I am okay with Mehta as he comes across as focussing on the music rather than projecting his own ego. That can be bland for some but I tend to like some of these more low key type condutors (eg. Ansermet and Maazel are two others I find like this). These are recordings from the late 1970's and early 1980's.
> 
> One Schumann performance though that really made a big impression on me was David Zinman's on Telarc (but I think he's done another cycle). That was his symphonies 1 and 4 on Telarc with I think the Baltimore SO. Zinman really kind of made the counterpoint of Schuman feel light, crisp and clean, not kind of stodgy like it can be easily done.
> 
> I have not heard Munch do Schumann but funnily enough Kubelik is also on Eloquence reissue, he would have been my other option, but I got Mehta as its a 2 cd set and the price cheaper.


I have the Zinman set as well. I'm pleased with them.

Kubelik is great on Symphony No 2. Somehow, in the slow movement he almost makes the violins sound like a chorus of female voices. I've never heard any other performance quite like it. He's also good on #4. I find his "Rhenish" and "Spring" symphonies a bit sleepy compared to other versions.


----------



## Oskaar

I have now realized that I must find a new way of exploring Classical music than the more-random conposer-random work-random composer methode, loosing track of what I like.

I will use the TC recommended works list, starting on top, and consentrate on 25 works at the time. That dont mean that I will not listen to other recommandations, but I will consentrate on those works, find good recordings on spotify, and evaluate how much I like them...

Starting with these...
1. Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
2. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
3. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115
4. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67
5. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492

6. Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)
7. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893
8. Mahler: Symphony #2 "Resurrection"
9. Schubert: Winterreise, D 911
10. Dvorák: Symphony #9 in E minor, op. 95 "From the New World"

11. Mozart: Piano Concerto #20 in D minor, K. 466
12. Beethoven: Symphony #9 in D minor, op. 125 "Choral"
13. Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6 in B minor, op. 74 "Pathétique"
14. Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
15. Brahms: Symphony #4 in E minor, op. 98

16. Brahms: Piano Concerto #2 in B-flat, op. 83
17. Beethoven: String Quartet #14 in C-sharp minor, op. 131
18. Mozart: Symphony #41 in C, K. 551 "Jupiter"
19. Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54
20. Schubert: String Quintet in C, D 956

21. Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), op. 45
22. Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
23. Beethoven: Symphony #3 in E-flat, op. 55 "Eroica"
24. Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)
25. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)


----------



## Vesteralen

oskaar said:


> I have now realized that I must find a new way of exploring Classical music than the more-random conposer-random work-random composer methode, loosing track of what I like.
> 
> I will use the TC recommended works list, starting on top, and consentrate on 25 works at the time. That dont mean that I will not listen to other recommandations, but I will consentrate on those works, find good recordings on spotify, and evaluate how much I like them...


Bon appetit!


----------



## Blancrocher

Emanuel Ax playing Haydn piano sonatas. As it says on the cover, these are great performances!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 23900
> 
> 
> Emanuel Ax playing Haydn piano sonatas. As it says on the cover, these are great performances!


I'm waiting for these to come in the mail . Which sonata do you like the most out of the set? 
More precisely, what is your favourite minor key sonata?


----------



## Blancrocher

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I'm waiting for these to come in the mail . Which sonata do you like the most out of the set?
> More precisely, what is your favourite minor key sonata?


Usually I couldn't choose a single Haydn sonata, but since there's only one minor key sonata on the disk I'll say #33!

I'm feeling uncommonly decisive this morning! :lol:


----------



## Oskaar

Well, I will consentrate on exploring five and five works, and learn them proparly to know, but allow myselfe to listen to former discovered works when I want to, not to be to systematic and monoton. But I start discovering this five works!

If you have favourite recordings as I go forward, I would be glad. There are dusins of recordings on spotify of these populare works.

First five:

1. Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
2. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
3. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115
4. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67
5. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492

At the same time I will discover Mozart more explisit, after users recomodations, so please post your favourites here, or in this thread!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6










It's really hard to enjoy classical music in my car. I wish I had a car that is sporty but quiet. Sounds like a lot of money.


----------



## Chrythes

Rubbra, 1st string quartet. Very enjoyable first movement, great theme.


----------



## Bas

oskaar said:


> Well, I will consentrate on exploring five and five works, and learn them proparly to know, but allow myselfe to listen to former discovered works when I want to, not to be to systematic and monoton. But I start discovering this five works!
> 
> If you have favourite recordings as I go forward, I would be glad. There are dusins of recordings on spotify of these populare works.
> 
> First five:
> 
> 1. Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
> 2. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
> 3. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115
> 4. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67
> 5. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492
> 
> At the same time I will discover Mozart more explisit, after users recomodations, so please post your favourites here, or in this thread!


I recommend Herreweghe's Hohe messe in B minor (I actually recommend any of his Bach recordings ) As for Le Nozze di Figaro I highly recommend Rene Jacobs.


----------



## Valkhafar

Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77. Fritz Reiner/Jascha Heifetz, Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 

Prelistening a little to Klemper now. I have my daugter so I must wait until she is in bed. I have the feeling that these five works will keep me occupied in several days, and that I will learn to love them!


----------



## Plum

Late Beethoven string quartets yesterday, #16 in F Op. 135 and #15 in A Minor Op. 132, both performed by Quartetto Italiano.

Also, last night I played a new disc that just arrived, the Novelletter for Strings by Niels Gade performed by the Arhus Chamber Orchestra & Ove Vedsten Larsen on the Brilliant Classics label. These pieces are lovely & reminiscent of Mendelssohn's String Symphonies, and the sound quality of this disc is exceptional.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Blancrocher said:


> Usually I couldn't choose a single Haydn sonata, but since there's only one minor key sonata on the disk I'll say #33!
> 
> I'm feeling uncommonly decisive this morning! :lol:


Sorry, I forgot your CD only contained the one - #33 in C minor - I mean in general from Haydn. The C minor is really good, I also like the B minor a lot and the C sharp minor. The E minor with the slow adagio in the first movement is also great.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

oskaar said:


> I have now realized that I must find a new way of exploring Classical music than the more-random conposer-random work-random composer methode, loosing track of what I like.
> 
> I will use the TC recommended works list, starting on top, and consentrate on 25 works at the time. That dont mean that I will not listen to other recommandations, but I will consentrate on those works, find good recordings on spotify, and evaluate how much I like them...
> 
> Starting with these...
> 1. Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
> 2. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
> 3. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115
> 4. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67
> 5. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492
> 
> 6. Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)
> 7. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893
> 8. Mahler: Symphony #2 "Resurrection"
> 9. Schubert: Winterreise, D 911
> 10. Dvorák: Symphony #9 in E minor, op. 95 "From the New World"
> 
> 11. Mozart: Piano Concerto #20 in D minor, K. 466
> 12. Beethoven: Symphony #9 in D minor, op. 125 "Choral"
> 13. Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6 in B minor, op. 74 "Pathétique"
> 14. Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
> 15. Brahms: Symphony #4 in E minor, op. 98
> 
> 16. Brahms: Piano Concerto #2 in B-flat, op. 83
> 17. Beethoven: String Quartet #14 in C-sharp minor, op. 131
> 18. Mozart: Symphony #41 in C, K. 551 "Jupiter"
> 19. Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54
> 20. Schubert: String Quintet in C, D 956
> 
> 21. Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), op. 45
> 22. Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
> 23. Beethoven: Symphony #3 in E-flat, op. 55 "Eroica"
> 24. Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)
> 25. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)


A top 25 list without one piece by Haydn? I'd definitely put some Haydn in there. I'd recommend the following pieces:
-The Creation/The Seasons
-The Seven Last Words
-Symphony No. 104 in D Major, 'London'
-Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor/Symphony No. 52 in C minor
-Symphony No. 49 in F minor
-String Quartet Op. 76 (any of the 6)
-Piano Sonatas 59-62 (but there are many other good ones).

Haydn could have a list all by himself actually, hehe.


----------



## julianoq

Debussy and Ravel String Quartets, played by Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C sharp minor (Jorge Bolet).









Probably my favourite piece on this album - great variety.


----------



## Ondine

Who said that Mozart disliked the flute? 

Flute Quartets KV 285, 285a*, 285b* & 298.

*unfinished works: a. A beautiful _andante_, b. A sonata _Allegro_

Mozartean Nanotechnology: mayor tiny pieces thought -or left?- for 'mayor' works:

Two original movements thought for the String Quintet KV 174
Minuet KV 168 for string quartet
Allegro KV 288 for a divertimento
Minuet KV 589 for string quartet
Movement KV 464 for a string quartet
Allegro KV 514 for a string quartet
Allegro KV 580
Allegro KV 562 for a string trio.
Allegro KV 516 for a clarinet quintet
Allegro moderato KV 515 for a string quintet*.

*Absolutely worth to be listened. Maybe it can be 'googled' in YouTube.









:angel: Absolute musical incantations :angel:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 5 in A Major (Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 23915


Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 15, & 16
Karl Bohm & The Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## Ondine

realdealblues said:


> View attachment 23915
> 
> 
> Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 15, & 16
> Karl Bohm & The Berlin Philharmonic


One and four! Oh that is a very good choice; far from his all the time warhorses. Great, @realdealblues.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Missa No 6 in E flat major, D950


----------



## realdealblues

Ondine said:


> One and four! Oh that is a very good choice; far from his all the time warhorses. Great, @realdealblues.


Thanks 

It's funny how much I love his early works. I love the war horses too but I listen to the early stuff a lot. Symphony No. 1 & Piano Sonata No. 1 are two of my absolute favorites but you usually only hear about the later ones.


----------



## Ondine

realdealblues said:


> Thanks
> 
> It's funny how much I love his early works. I love the war horses too but I listen to the early stuff a lot. Symphony No. 1 & Piano Sonata No. 1 are two of my absolute favorites but you usually only hear about the later ones.


I am of the same opinion. Maybe nobody cares but his minor KV's are delightful. Have you tried his very early string quartets? Those are the first seven.


----------



## realdealblues

Ondine said:


> I am of the same opinion. Maybe nobody cares but his minor KV's are delightful. Have you tried his very early string quartets? Those are the first seven.


Oh, yeah. I like the early string quartets too. I bought the Complete Mozart Edition from Philips many, many, years ago. I've been through all 45 Volumes twice so I've heard pretty much everything at least twice :lol:

Most of my time is spend on the Symphonies, Piano Sonatas & Concertos, String Quartets & Quintets, Masses/Requiem and a few Operas though. I own so many multiple recordings of all of those particular works (Symphonies, Piano Sonatas & Concertos, etc) it's ridiculous. I think I have over 30 Requiem Mass recordings alone.

Edit: Oh, and of course the Serenades and Divertimenti.


----------



## Ondine

realdealblues said:


> Oh, yeah. I like the early string quartets too. I bought the Complete Mozart Edition from Philips many, many, years ago. I've been through all 45 Volumes twice so I've heard pretty much everything at least twice :lol:
> 
> Most of my time is spend on the Symphonies, Piano Sonatas & Concertos, String Quartets & Quintets, Masses/Requiem and a few Operas though. I own so many multiple recordings of all of those particular works (Symphonies, Piano Sonatas & Concertos, etc) it's ridiculous. I think I have over 30 Requiem Mass recordings alone.


Wow, that is great. I have most of the first edition of the Complete Mozart Edition; the one of the big boxes. The packaging of the recent one is wonderful. Hope I would have bought that one; it saves a lot of space.


----------



## realdealblues

Ondine said:


> Wow, that is great. I have most of the first edition of the Complete Mozart Edition; the one of the big boxes. The packaging of the recent one is wonderful. Hope I would have bought that one; it saves a lot of space.


Yeah, those are the ones I have. The old big box ones. I've considered selling my old ones and buying the newer ones just to save space many times, but I don't think those new ones have the nice detailed booklets which I really like. I read through those things all the time.


----------



## DavidA

The Prom with John Wilson. Some pretty mediocre music frankly - but the Tom and Jerry was fun.


----------



## Ondine

realdealblues said:


> [...] but I don't think those new ones have the nice detailed booklets which I really like. I read through those things all the time.


That is true; it's the magic of having always 'a first edition'.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's St.Nicolai Mass - Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic

View attachment 23921


----------



## Sid James

Ondine said:


> Who said that Mozart disliked the flute?
> 
> Flute Quartets KV 285, 285a*, 285b* & 298.


I actually don't mind those too, but he really didn't like it as a "star" instrument carrying a lot of weight, in a chamber work or as a concerto. Of course it didn't stop him from composing those, and all the better for us as listeners I suppose. But its a bit like those cartoons where the character gets dollar signs in his eyes when eyeing a financially lucrative prospect, so to speak. But who cares? They where in it for the money, basically. Beethoven as well. People complain he didn't compose a cello concerto for example - well its cos he didn't commissioned to write one. Simple as that. He did what he was paid to to! So too, Wolfie (and Papa too)...


----------



## Sid James

*Wagner*
Lohengrin: Einsam in truben Tagen (Act I)
Tannhauser: Dich teure Halle (Act II)
- Marilyn Richardson, soprano, Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert

*Boccherini* String Quintet in E major, Op. 13 #5: Minuet
- Members of West Australian SO under David Measham

*Schumann* Symphony #1 in B flat major, Op. 38 "Spring"
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta

*Matthew Locke*
Seven Suites from The Little Consort, The Broken Consort & Triple Concordia
- Played by The Locke Consort


----------



## bejart

Antonio Bartolomeo Bruni (1757-1821): Viola Sonata in A Minor, Op.27, No.3

Antonello Farulli, viola -- Gabriele Micheli, harpsichord -- Francesco Dillon, cello

View attachment 23923


----------



## SimonNZ

Jacobus Vaet's Missa Ego Flos Campi - Cinquecento


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 4


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons (John Eliot Gardiner; The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Tomkins church and chamber music - Fretwork, Alamire


----------



## Oskaar

work
04. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67

artist
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Wolfgang Sawallisch









There are over 100 versions of this symphony on spotify, and I've picked out 35 I think seems promising. I will certainly not play the five selected works so I get tired of them, but return to them whenever I want. I want to play lots of other works.This version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is perfectly delightful. Savalish try not to make any extra large. The tones are large enough in themselves. But he is awake, and dramatic where required. But it's a little laid back is what I like so much with this version. But it never gets boring or dead, it is a great nerve in performing.And I use google translator when I write a lot, so my writings might seem weird.


----------



## SimonNZ

Couperin: Keyboard works - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115

artist
Members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet









It is a wonderful work, and I was recommended this version. There are brilliant performances, but I find the sound a little too close and pungent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's String Quartets 2 and 3 - Zapolski Quartet


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mendelssohn Symphony 2 in B flat major "Lobgesang"
- Berlin Philharmoniker
- Herbert Von Karajan


----------



## SimonNZ

John Field Piano Duets - David Branson and Andrew Davies, piano duo


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing to investigate Martinu-arrived in the post this morning-cello concertos and concertino-performed by Wallfisch/Belohlavek/Czech Phil-initial thoughts, more obviously inspired by origins in Bohemia than other works such as the symphonies, even at times reminiscent of Dvorak.


----------



## SimonNZ

Biber Violin Sonatas - Monica Huggett, violin et al


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op.1, No.7

Jaroslav Krecek leading the Capella Istropolitana

View attachment 23928


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's piano sonata 9 to complete my listen through of the single digit sonatas. 

This is the second time I've made it a point to listen through them in order, and I enjoyed them more this time. They provide a nice contrast to his grander later sonatas.


----------



## Andolink

*David Philip Hefti*: *Éclairs* - moments in sound for ensemble (2013); *Moments lucides* - resonances for orchestra (2012)
*Changements* - atmospheric pictures for orchestra (2011); *Gegenklang* - concerto for cello and orchestra (2010); *Klangbogen* - Music for Orchestra (2009)
Ensemble Modern/Hefti
ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna/Hefti
German Symphony-Orchestra Berlin/Hefti 
German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Saarbrücken/Hefti 








*J. S. Bach*: 'Ich habe meine Zuversicht', BWV188; 'Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe', BWV156; 'Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem', BWV159; 'Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm', BWV171
Rachel Nicholls, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*J. S. Bach*: 'Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe', BWV 25
Hana Blažiková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Thomas Hobbs, tenor 
Peter Kooij, bass
Collegium Vocale Gent /Phillippe Herreweghe


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1789): Sinfonia No.2 in G Major

Milan Munclinger conducting Ars Rediviva

View attachment 23933


----------



## Blancrocher

Listening to some Mendelssohn--including the great Octet--in performances by Hausmusik.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Concerto Grossi, Op. 6.*


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 23938


Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 "Unfinished" & 9 "The Great"
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## opus55

Barber: Cello Concerto
Debussy: Preludes Book I


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.15 in A Minor, Op.132

Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Roger Bigley, viola -- Bernard Gregor-Smith, cello

View attachment 23939


----------



## Ondine

opus55 said:


> Debussy: Preludes Book I


Arau is great. IMHO he, with Sir Colin Davis, played the best version of the Emperor I have ever heard in my life in 1988 with the LSO.


----------



## Ondine

oskaar said:


> View attachment 23926
> 
> 
> It is a wonderful work, and I was recommended this version. There are brilliant performances, but I find the sound a little too close and pungent.


I own that same box set and I agree. The performances are brilliant even though the sound hasn't the clarity of the more modern recordings. I think it is because the whole work is around the '70.


----------



## aleazk

Carter - _Flute Concerto_.
Ligeti - _Kammerkonzert_.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Bruckner*: Symphony 1, w. Bavarian SO/Sawallisch (rec.1984); Symphony 2, w. VSO/Giulini (rec.1974); Symphony 3, w. BPO/Barenboim (rec.1995).

View attachment 23940
View attachment 23941
View attachment 23942


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's really hard to enjoy classical music in my car. I wish I had a car that is sporty but quiet. Sounds like a lot of money.


Very quiet--2013 Buick Verano luxury/performance sedan, reasonably-priced. :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Plus Brahms - Symphony No. 1, Tragic Overture, Academic Festival Overture (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

Today I've listened exclusively to J.S. Bach's music:

Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent







*BWV 21 "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis"
*
The 21th cantata is my favourite one, I'm in love with the brilliant duet between a woman (soprano) and Christus (bass) "Komm mein Jesu". A very touching dialogue, both in musical as well as in lyrical, (con)textual sense.

BWV 42 "Am Abend aber dasselbigen Sabbats"
BWV 12 "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen"

Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan







BWV 137 "Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren"
BWV 168 "Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort"
BWV 79 "Gott die Herr ist Sonn und Schild"
BWV 164 "Ihr die ihre euch von Christo nennet"

The latter disc is new, I've listened to it for the first time today. Currently for a second play. This is my first recording by Suzuki, so far he and Herreweghe gave me a wonderful day (music wise, that is...)


----------



## DrKilroy

I'll listen to Stravinsky's Les Noces (Reuss) and Ives' Symphony No. 3 (Bernstein).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Saint Saens - Dans Macabre (arr Horowitz) - Horowitz (1950) 
How can fingers move that fast?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rorem, Piano Concerto No. 2.*


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Flute Quartet No.5 in A Major

Mario Carbotta on flute with members of the Erasmus Quartet: Giambattista Pianezzola, violin -- Maurizio Schaivo, viola -- Claudio Frigerio, cello

View attachment 23947


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Kleine Orgelmesse - Karl Munchinger, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: 'Die Zauberflote' Arranged for Woodwinds and Double Bass by Joseph Heidenreich (1753-1821)

Julius Rudel conducting the Amadeus Ensemble: Leonard Arner and Robert Botti, oboes -- John Moses and Mitchel Estrin, clarinets -- Stewart Rose and Debra Poole, horns -- Frank Morelli and Harry Searing, bassoons -- Jack Kulowitsch, Alvin Brehm and Richard Fredrickson, doubles basses

View attachment 23948


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Bruckner*: Symphony 4, w. BPO/Jochum (rec.1965); Symphony 5, w. BBCSO/Horenstein (rec.1971); Symphony 6, w. DSO Berlin/Nagano (rec.2005).

View attachment 23949
View attachment 23950
View attachment 23951


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonia in F Major

Prague Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 23952


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge - Ian Bostridge, tenor, Bernard Haitink, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Bruckner*; Symphony 7, w. VPO/HvK (rec.1989); Symphony 8, w. BPO/Jochum (rec.1964); Symphony 9, w. Dresden/Jochum (rec.1978).

View attachment 23954
View attachment 23955
View attachment 23956


----------



## bejart

Anton Kraft (1749-1820): Duo Concertante No.1 in D Minor

Jan Mracek, violin -- Jiri Hosek, cello

View attachment 23957


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Mahler 8th Symphony, conducted by Pierre Boulez and played by the Staatskapelle Berlin. This is not my favorite Mahler work, but I haven't heard Boulez performance previously, let's see if I change my view on it. I am addicted to Boulez Mahler, his crystal-clear way of conducting is often revealing.


----------



## bejart

Louis Massonneau (1766-1848): Oboe Quartet No.1 in F Major

Ensemble Piu: Andreas Gosling, oboe -- Eva Gosling, violin -- Martin Borner, viola -- Markus Beul, cello

View attachment 23958


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 23959


Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique"
Ferenc Fricsay & The Berlin Philharmonic (Mono 1953)

This recording to me is without a doubt the best I've ever heard! Absolutely amazing rendition!


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*:

Wind Octet (Op.108)
Cello Sonatas (Op.5 and op.69)
Piano Trio (Op.38)
The Ruin Of Athens Overture (Op. 113)


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen piano works - Christina Bjorkoe, piano


----------



## opus55

Rorem: Symphony No. 3
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

"More Divine Than Human: Music From The Eton Choirbook" - Stephen Darlington, dir.


----------



## opus55

Grieg: Lyric Pieces










First time listening to them


----------



## SimonNZ

Ludwig Senfl masses and motets - David Skinner, dir.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Henry's Music: Motets From A Royal Choirbook" - Alamire

As far as I can tell this Obsidian label have only released ten cds so far, and at a rate of one a year, but the three I found recently (the Tomkins, the Senfl and this Henry VIII) have been rosette-worthy superb in every way. I'll be keeping an eye out for the other seven.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/llf/Obsidian+Records/1


----------



## Guest

The Swingle Singers
A Cappella Amadeus

I'm not sure what Wolfie would think about this, but I'm having fun listening to these jazzy, vocalized renditions of Mozart's music recorded in the 1960's.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.50, No.2a

Brandywine Baroque: Douglas McNames, cello -- Karen Flint, harpsichord -- Vivian Barton Dozier, cello continuo

View attachment 23965


----------



## Blancrocher

I've tried it a couple times now, and this recording of Rostropovich conducting Vengerov in Britten and Walton violin concertos seems like a keeper. I've been looking for an alternative to Heifetz and Sargant in the Walton concerto for some time!


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra, The Miraculous Mandarin (Dorati).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Kyrie - Nelson Mass in D minor (Neville Marriner; Margaret Marshall, Carolyn Watkinson, Keith Lewis, Robert Holl; Rundfunkchor Leipzig).

This Kyrie is awesome.


----------



## Bas

1.00 am this morning (couldn't sleep...)
G.F. Handel - Organ Concertos opus 4
By La divina Armonia, Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], on Passacaille








At breakfast:







BWV 78 "Jesu der du meine Seele", for this sunday, the 14th after trinity
By Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [cond.], on Harmonia Mundi








J. Haydn - Große Orgelmesse
By The Academy of Ancient Music, Emma Kirkby [sop.], et alii, Simon Preston [cond.], on Decca

A work I had not listened for ages, it is delightful. (The performance is excellent, Emma Kirkby's voice is fantastic.) I should really listen more often to Haydn in general.

Afternoon:

J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variationen
By Andreas Staier, on Harmonia Mundi








I like his interpretation, but the instrument he plays is a thing one needs to learn admiring, I presume. I have yet to learn, I think. Anyone else an opinion about this recording?

Jan Baptist Vanhal - Sonatas for Fortepiano & Clarinet
Ernst Schlader [Clar.] & Wolfgang Brunner [forte.] on Granola


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bas said:


> 1.00 am this morning (couldn't sleep...)
> G.F. Handel - Organ Concertos opus 4
> By La divina Armonia, Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], on Passacaille
> View attachment 23971
> 
> 
> At breakfast:
> View attachment 23972
> 
> BWV 78 "Jesu der du meine Seele", for this sunday, the 14th after trinity
> By Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [cond.], on Harmonia Mundi
> 
> View attachment 23973
> 
> J. Haydn - Große Orgelmesse
> By The Academy of Ancient Music, Emma Kirkby [sop.], et alii, Simon Preston [cond.], on Decca
> 
> A work I had not listened for ages, it is delightful. (The performance is excellent, Emma Kirkby's voice is fantastic.) I should really listen more often to Haydn in general.
> 
> Afternoon:
> 
> J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variationen
> By Andreas Staier, on Harmonia Mundi
> View attachment 23974
> 
> 
> I like his interpretation, but the instrument he plays is a thing one needs to learn admiring, I presume. I have yet to learn, I think. Anyone else an opinion about this recording?
> 
> Jan Baptist Vanhal - Sonatas for Fortepiano & Clarinet
> Ernst Schlader [Clar.] & Wolfgang Brunner [forte.] on Granola
> View attachment 23975


Yes, I'm also a big fan of Haydn's masses, despite not being religious. I've yet to hear the Große Orgelmesse - saving that one up for later .


----------



## graaf

I've always liked arrangements (in this case, songs arranged for cello).


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.25 in C Major, Op.20, No.2

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 23987


----------



## DrKilroy

I really like Bartok - it's strange I did not discover him earlier.

Lutosławski - Concerto for Orchestra (Kletzki)
Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta [celesta is also a percussion instrument, isn't it?] (Ormandy).

Next, I am planning to listen to either Mahler's 2nd or Messiaen's Turangalila. Perhaps you could help me choose? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DaveS

Beethoven 1st & 4th Piano Concerti. Robert Casadesus, piano. ACO, Eduard van Beinum. CBS Odyssey LP. When I purchased back in the 1980s, I remembered having a devil of a time locating it, but finally did around 1985. Got it home, filed it away, and never opened until about 10 minutes ago. Casadesus.... an amazing artist in this and other recordings that I've heard. Van Beinum and the ACO are most notable accompanists.


----------



## DrKilroy

I'll settle on:

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Tennstedt).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Johann Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Flute Quintet in D Major, Op.7, No.5

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Sabine Lier, violin -- Ingeborg Scheerer, viola -- Rainer Zipperling and Julie Borsodi, cellos -- Sabine Bauer, piano

View attachment 23988


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Grieg: Lyric Pieces
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First time listening to them


Majestic, and essential listening.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


>


Bieber's name is in such small print.


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 23970
> 
> 
> I've tried it a couple times now, and this recording of Rostropovich conducting Vengerov in Britten and Walton violin concertos *seems like a keeper*. I've been looking for an alternative to Heifetz and Sargant in the Walton concerto for some time!


Yes, don't let it go anywhere. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> Listening to Mahler 8th Symphony, conducted by Pierre Boulez and played by the Staatskapelle Berlin. This is not my favorite Mahler work, but I haven't heard Boulez performance previously, let's see if I change my view on it. I am addicted to Boulez Mahler, his crystal-clear way of conducting is often revealing.


This and No. 6 are my faves from the Boulez M-cycle.


----------



## mstar

Rachmaninov - Etudes Tableaux 

Brahms - Symphonies. A whole bunch of 'em. 

Rachmaninov - Piano Sonata No. 2 

Do not ask about the etudes. I do not know why.


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> Rachmaninov - Etudes Tableux.
> 
> Do not ask. I do not know why.


Okay, then who?


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Heiligmesse - Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Symphony in G Major, Z22

Matthias Bamert conducting the London Mozart Players

View attachment 23990


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

Gery de Ghersem's Missa Ave Virgo Sanctissima - Currende, Erik Van Nevel, dir.

Van Nevel? Checking: yes, nephew of Paul.

edit: now Morley's Dances from The First Booke Of Consort Lessons - David Munrow, dir.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57


----------



## Kieran

Name 'em and shame 'em, that's what I always say.

A 23 year old to know so deep and write so much. Conducted by Bohm, the Vienna Philly with a pair of soloists whose names evade completists, performing *K364*, the defiantly ageless and precision-cursed double concerto that's certified organic and religious, holy, spiritual and whatever you're having yourself.

There she goes, listen to this: the slow movement.

Shhh...


----------



## DrKilroy

I'll listen to Stravinsky's In memoriam Dylan Thomas (Stravinsky) and Sibelius' 5th (Maazel) before sleep. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Fasch: Orchestral Works Vol.1 - Tempesta di Mare


----------



## Skilmarilion

Listened to two (rather contrasting) vocal symphonies today ...

*Gorecki* - Symphony No. 3 / Antoni Wit, Zofia Kilanowicz, Polish Nat. Radio Symphony

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 8 in E-flat / Klaus Tennstedt, London Philarmonic and others!


----------



## Sid James

*Karas* The Third Man Theme (from the film, The Third Man)
- Anton Karas, zither
*Confrey* Kitten on the Keys
- Zez Confrey and his Orch.
*Gade* Jalousie
- Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops

*Mozart* Symphony #33 in B flat major, KV 319
- Vienna PO under Istvan Kertesz

*Boccherini* Guitar Quintet #4 in D major, "Fandango"
- Karin Schaupp, guitar with the Flinders Quartet

*Schumann* Symphony #2 in C major, Op. 61 & Manfred Overture, Op. 115
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta


----------



## mstar

Vaneyes said:


> Okay, then who?


Perhaps Rach himself.... Perhaps he wrote the etudes to lure people into listening to them without knowing why.... 

You never know with Rachmaninov.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SimonNZ said:


> Haydn's Heiligmesse - Neville Marriner, cond.


I really like that recording. Plus this mass is just awesome - so tuneful and yet with wonderful, profound music as well.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 51 in B flat Major, Adagio (Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik).









One of my favourites from Haydn's Strum und Drang period.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, KV 581

Vlastimil Mares on clarinet with the Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan PEruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello

View attachment 23996


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Three Piano Pieces Op.11 - Peter Hill, piano


----------



## neoshredder

Rott - Symphony in E Major


----------



## Oskaar

work
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: K250, Haffner Serenade

Artists
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Afanasyev









This is one of the works I was reccommended from mozart, and I like it very much. Nice version.


----------



## Oskaar

2.9.13
Work
Schubert - Winterreise, D.911, Op.89

Artist
Gerald Moore
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau









Fantastic voice and fantastic work.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Every morning for the last week I have been playing Bantock's "Fifine at the Fair", the recording by Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which I have known and loved for some twenty years.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## Oskaar

Work
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G-, K.550

Artister
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## SimonNZ

Roger Sessions' String Quintet - The Group For Contemporary Music


----------



## Oskaar

work
Berg - Violin Concerto

artist
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
James Levine


----------



## SimonNZ

Lukas Foss' Orpheus And Euridice - Yehudi Menuhin and Edna Michell, violins, cond. by composer


----------



## bejart

Mauro D'Alay (ca.1687-1757): Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor

Maurizio Cadozzi, violin -- Marco Frezzato, cello -- Francesco Saverio Pedrini, harpsichord

View attachment 24002


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' Holographic Universe - Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin, Neil Thomson, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

work
04. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67

artist
Alain Lombard
Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's Das Lied Von Der Erde
- Kathleen Ferrier
- Julius Patzak
- Bruno Walter & Wiener Philharmoniker

The more I listen to this recording, the more it grows on me. Beautifully recorded, atmospheric and a fantastic paring of singers. 

The only problem is that I may now have to dip in my pocket and pick up Klemperer's Resurrection Symphony thanks to the wonderful voice of Kathleen Ferrier


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' Symphony No.8 "Indian Sounds" - Jorgen Wirrmann, dir.

Native American Indian, that is. I was expecting the other kind.


----------



## Guest

K427, "Great Mass" in C minor
John Eliot Gardiiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' Symphony No.15 "Homage To Mozart" - Michael Boder, cond.


----------



## bejart

JCF Bach (1732-1795): Cello Sonata in D Major

Philippe Foulon, viola -- Brigitte Haudebourg, piano

View attachment 24005


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's False Relationships And The Extended Ending


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825): String Quartet No.1 in E Flat

Quartetto "Le Ricardanze": Carlo De Martini and Stefano Barneschi, violins -- Livia Baldi, viola -- Caterina Dell'Agnello, cello

View attachment 24008


----------



## cagerty

Schumann's Violin Concerto in D minor.
Thomas Zehetmair - Violin
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach - Philarmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Mozart - Piano Concerto No.20 in D-, K.466

artist
Maria João Pires
Orchestra Mozart
Claudio Abbado









Absolutely fantastic listening!

And I think piano concerto is my favourite type of work.


----------



## Andolink

J. S. Bach: 'Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn', BWV92
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Jan Kobow, tenor
Dominik Wörner, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartets Op. 33--No 1. in E major, No. 2 in C major and No. 3 in G major
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








Richard Strauss: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, orchestral suite
Stockholm Sinfonietta/Neeme Järvi


----------



## Oskaar

work
Grieg - Piano Concerto in A-, Op.16

artist
Leif Ove Andsnes
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Dmitri Kitayenko


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2.*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schubert - Salve Regina in A D676
Schubert 6 Antiphons for the Blessing of the Branches on Palm Sunday D696

Wolfgang Sawallisch
from the EMI Classics Boxset - Schubert - Sacred and Secular Choral Works which dropped on my mat this morning.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Manxfeeder said:


> *Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2.*
> 
> View attachment 24016


By far my favourite interpretations


----------



## bejart

Mozart: "Don Giovanni' arranged for String Quartet by Nicolaus Simrock (1751-1832)

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques-Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint-Cyr, cello

View attachment 24017


----------



## mstar

Everything 2, because some of the best things are 2...  

- Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 
- Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No. 2 
- Brahms Symphony No. 2 
- Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 2 
- Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 
- Mozart Piano Sonata No. 2 
- Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 2 

And I even had Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 "stuck in my head...." Haven't listened to it in a while, though.... 

Perhaps I should today. It's No. 2, anyway, right?


----------



## Oskaar

Work
Achille-Claude Debussy - La Mer: 3 symphonic sketches, L.109

Artist
Anima Eterna Brugge
Jos Van Immerseel


----------



## Blancrocher

Pletnev plays CPE Bach. I enjoyed it. I'll go that far!


----------



## Bas

Primarily English composers today:

Henry Purcell - Dido & Aeneas
By Simone Kermes [sop.] - Dido, Deborah York [sop.] - Belinda, Dimitris Tiliakos [bar.] - Aeneas
The new Siberian singers, conducted by Teodor Currentzis, on Alpha







Henry Purcell - Songs
"How pleasant 'tis to Love!"
By Nicolas Achten [artistic leader and Harp, Virginal], Reinoud van Mechelen [tenor] et alii, on Alpha








The virginal is a beautiful instrument, this one is highly recommended!

G.F. Handel - Le cantate per il Cardinal Ottoboni
Italian Cantatas, volume I of the Glossa series, including the following HWV: 150,140,165,78
Fabio Bonizzoni [dir.]








D. Scarlatti - Sonatas Kk318 - Kk355 
Disc 21 & 22 of the excellent Scott Ross set, on Erato


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1/Drei Intermezzi Op. 117

Leif Ove Andsnes

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Simon Rattle









I am very found of Jan Ove Ansnes. I have just started the album and have high expectations!


----------



## Ravndal

Shostakovich Symphony 10

Vasily Petrenko & Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## deggial

making my way through Wolfie's catalogue, I just discovered *Der Schauspieldirektor*. What a pleasant little jewel


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Piano Trio No.15 in G Minor

Trio 1790: Harald Hoeren, piano -- Matthias Fischer, violin -- Philipp Bosbach, cello

View attachment 24031


----------



## aleazk

Last night I listened to *Georg Friedrich Haas*' _limited approximations_ at full volume and in the complete darkness. It was one of the most transcendent musical experiences I have had.


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: K377, violin sonata

Artists
Mitsuko Uchida
Mark Steinberg


----------



## Oskaar

Work
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G-, K.550

Artister
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Nelson Mass in D minor (J. Owen Burdick; Ann Hoyt; Luthien Brackett; Stephen Sands; Richard Lippold; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra).


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115

artist
Brandis Quartett









I have fallen in love with this work! And the version is very good, it was recommended to me.


----------



## julianoq

Mahler 5th symphony, with Claudio Abbado and the BPO.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.13 in B Flat, Op.130

Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- David Schwartz, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello

View attachment 24038


----------



## Oskaar

work
05. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492

artist
Franco Calabrese,

Vittorio Gui









I am not ready for this yet. Gives me a little headake. But one day...


----------



## bejart

Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741-1799): Symphony No.8 in G Minor

Concerto Koln

View attachment 24039


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Piano Concerti (Anda/Fricsay, Haitink, Fricsay).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## worov

Villa-Lobos : violin sonata no 2


----------



## cagerty

Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 2 - Frank Peter Zimmermann

Conducted by Antoni Wit with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## cwarchc

............................


----------



## Ravndal

Shostakovich symphony 5

Bernstein


----------



## bejart

Antonio Casimir Cartellieri (1772-1807): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in B Flat

Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet

View attachment 24043


----------



## Kieran

Torn between going to bed and staying up to watch Nadal, I'm listening to Mitsuko perform Mozart's *K533/494* piano sonata, that weltering slow set, and it's making me feel sad, but in a good way...


----------



## Kieran

bejart said:


> Mozart: "Don Giovanni' arranged for String Quartet by Nicolaus Simrock (1751-1832)
> 
> Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques-Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint-Cyr, cello
> 
> View attachment 24017


That's really interestiing. I know it was common back then to make chamber music and wind ensemble versions of popular operas, and this is obviously an example of that. Makes me wonder how they tackle so many parts of DG...


----------



## mstar

It's thundering.... Better listen to something serious.... Perhaps Tchaikovsky's Pathetique? 

Aaahhhh.... I shiver at the thought....


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Enescu's Piano Quartet No.1 - Tammuz Quartet


----------



## Valkhafar

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2. Osmo Antero Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Ondine

A Mozartean coffee with accompanying trio and duo:









Duo for violin & viola KV 423 & 424; Mozart's generosity makes the viola -commonly a subservient- share the first place with the violin.

Sonata Trio for two violins & cello KV 266; a rare precious gem of music

Trio for violin, viola and cello KV 562; a masterpiece of a forgotten genre after Beethoven and recovered early in the twentieth century.

Six Preludes and Fugues for violin, viola and cello KV 404; transcriptions from Bach's BWB 526, 527, 853, 882, 883 and a Fugue from W. F. Bach; outstanding!


----------



## JCarmel

Shostakovich Symphony No 5









Not the most suitable late-night listening I suppose...as it's searing stuff...particularly the brooding Largo on this interpretation by Haitink & the Concertgebouw. But I'm in the mood for something more than a little bit fierce?! Grrrr!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Arthur Foote's Serenade For Strings op.25 - Kypros Markou, cond.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Blancrocher

Jeremy Denk in Ligeti and Beethoven. I'm coming back to this album after a hiatus, and I still like it--although I'm considering reconstructing the playlist using performances from Aimard and Pollini for a comparison.

Denk has some interesting writing online, btw.


----------



## Sid James

*Addinsell* The Warsaw Concerto (from the film, Dangerous Moonlight)
- Louis Kenter, piano, London SO under Muir Mathieson
*Charles Williams* The Dream of Olwen (from the film, Where I Live)
- Arthur Dulay, piano, Charles Williams & his Concert Orch.
*Rozsa* Spellbound Concerto (from the film, Spellbound)
- Queens Hall Light Orch. under Charles Williams

*Philip Houghton* In Amber
- Karin Schaupp, guitar with Flinders Quartet (an earlier opinion by me on this fantastic piece here)

*Album: Two of a Kind*
- Opera arias and jazz standards sung by mother and daughter team Maggie and Katie Noonan with "Red Fish Blue" jazz trio & the Queensland Orch. under Guy Noble (I really enjoyed the duets on this album - eg. Flower Duet by Delibes, Summertime by Gershwin, the Letter Duet by Mozart and I have a Love by Bernstein)

Finishing with solo piano music tidbits (pianists names in brackets) -
*Debussy* Golliwog's Cake-Walk (Roy Howat)
*Elena Kats-Chernin* Stur in dur (Lisa Moore) & Zee Rag (Ian Munro)
*Judy Bailey* Now I'm Walkin' (Judy Bailey)
*Sibelius (arr. Stanhope) * The Tryst (David Stanhope)
*Vine* Threnody (Carl Vine)


----------



## Ondine

Beauty and Tenderness: _Ein singspiel_,

Bastien und Bastienne KV 50

:angel:






:angel:

Auch, zwei lieder mit Mandoline: Die Zufriedenheit KV 349 und Komm, liebe Zither KV 351


----------



## bejart

Jan Nepomuk Vent (1745-1801): String Quartet in C Major

Kocian Quartet: Pavel Hula and Zbynek Padourek, violins -- Jan Odstrcil, viola -- Vaclav Bernasek, cello

View attachment 24052


Kieran ---
While not every single recitative and aria is covered in this string quartet adaptation of 'Don Giovanni', there are quite a few. It's a double CD set, with 28 separate tracks.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in A Major, KV 526

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 24054


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Lelio, Or The Return To Life - John Mitchinson, tenor, John Shirley-Quirk, baritone, Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## science

Did it two times recently! Incredible stuff.



















It's nice to hear a bit more of Allegri than the Miserere, though that is one of my favorite works of all time.


----------



## science

One more:










Trying to decide whose recording of the Allegri - Palestrina stuff I like the best. Haven't decided.


----------



## Itullian

Parsifal, Gergiev...........................


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings No.1 in G Minor, RV 157

Simon Standage leading Collegium Musicum 90

View attachment 24057


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' String Quartet No.7 - Kreutzer Quartet

edit: now Coates' Symphony No.1 "Music On Open Strings" - Elgar Howarth, cond.










edit: now Norman Dello Joio's The Triumph Of Saint Joan - Robert Whitney, cond.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: 'Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir', BWV130
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Jan Kobow, tenor
Dominik Wörner, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*G. F. Handel*: Harpsichord Suites and Chaconne in G major
Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord








*Enno Poppe*: Öl für Ensemble 
Klangforum Wien/Stefan Asbury








*Gösta Nystroem*: Sinfonia Espressiva
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi


----------



## Andolink

Leif Segerstam: Streamings in the Soul (Thoughts 1992/Orchestral Diary Sheet No. 47)
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leif Segerstam








J. S. Bach: 'Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut', BWV 113
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, alto
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Bas

I'm in such a terrible down mood that I need Bach on the Organ:









Bwv 582 Passacaglia in Cm,
Bwv 672 Kyrie, got Vater in Ewigkeit


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 6 in A minor / New Philharmonia Orchestra, John Barbirolli

Interestingly, this was recorded as andante-scherzo and then switched upon release. Either way, I love both inner movements.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> I have fallen in love with this work! And the version is very good, it was recommended to me.


I'm always looking out for a good interpretation of the Brahms clarinet quintet. Thanks. I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## rrudolph

Reich: Drumming








Miki: Marim Dan-Dan/Sohmon III/Yoshitsune Daiko/Kincho Daiko/Cassiopeia Marimbana/Dotch/Z Conversion








Nishimura: Tala/Padma in Meditation/Legong/Concerto for Timpanist and Five Percussionists


----------



## Oskaar

work
Mozart - Piano Concerto No.20 in D-, K.466

artist
Maria João Pires
Orchestra Mozart
Claudio Abbado









I listened to this yesterday, and have to listen to it again, and probably will many times in days to come. Perfect! Love the work,the sound, the performance. It is a work I really want to learn, and I think I relisten to this version for a while before I go to exploring other versions, not to get konfused.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Piano Concerto No.2 in Bb, Op.83

artist
Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Karin Lechner
Eduardo Marturet


----------



## Oskaar

work
Grieg - Piano Concerto in A-, Op.16

artist
Cecile Ousset
London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7


----------



## JCarmel

I hope that Bach on the organ lifted the down mood, Bas? If not...pop round my place & have a listen to this LP....it was a favourite in our household as soon as my Dad purchased it. Excellent performances of k365, Mozart's Concerto for two pianos, the Sonata in D Major k448 & the Fugue in C Minor k426. That hopefully, will lift your mood along with a nice plate of handmade crisps? That's just what I'm about to have!

http://classicvinyl.com/files/images/IMG_1173.jpg

Can't copy/paste the actual jpg image of the LP cover I'm afraid....but on Vox's cheap Turnabout label...it was notta-lotta-money _very_ well-spent!


----------



## mstar

PHP:




Just lost the tips to my best headphones in the car.... Never mind! I have replacement tips at home. But that means that I can't listen to anything _too_ soft or I won't hear it. Speakers on mobile devices these days? Mostly terrible amidst the ear-bursting sounds of traffic.... Can't connect to the radio speakers.... I don't have the cable on me.

So I just listen to Minuet from L'Arlesienne arranged for the piano by Rachmaninov. I came upon it by chance - played by Martha Argerich....

Then for Brahms Symphony No. 1!!


----------



## Oskaar

Every time after I have listened to a longer work, and I need to clear up my mind and ears, or feel tiered after to much listening, I play a Beethoven piano sonata!


----------



## Oskaar

work
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: K250, Haffner Serenade

Artists
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Afanasyev









I am impressed by the complexity and simplisity in mudic at the same time.


----------



## Valkhafar

Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold. Sir Georg Solti, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## JCarmel

I have several pairs of these cheap Sony headphones dotted-around the place, mstar.

Sony MDR-E 818 LP Headphones

They only cost about a fiver when I bought them....admittingly some time ago now... but taking care with their use, they are giving me a really good sound at very little cost...that represent something that I _can_ afford to lose or accidentally damage. Perhaps they are no longer obtainable but nevertheless they are worth the few pounds I paid, for pretty good sound, methinks..... Anyway, I hope you found your tips....


----------



## opus55

Chopin: 4 Ballades


----------



## JCarmel

A little bit more Mozart before I get back to the US Open for my tennis....another good ole LP, that I bought when studying music theory in the 6th form....of symphonies 33 and 36 conducted by Eugen Jochum on the Heliodor label...a cheapie reissue from Deutsche Grammophon









Actually, I wasn't studying Music for an examination...as all the other members of the group were...but because I loved music so much & wanted to understand musical theory.... & so asked the teacher if I could sit at the back of the class & just listen & learn.
Those two symphonies I studied....Mozart's 33rd and 36th...both' take me back' immediately to that teenage-time, as soon as I hear any part of them...but particularly the last Presto movement of The Linz, No 36.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115

artist
Karl Leister








Amadeus Quartet

Wery well played, but I dont like the sound. it is to itchy.
I will finish listening, but next time I will go back to Brandis Quartett. That one is with Leister too.
But it is bether after turning down the volum a bit. Absolutely worth listening to.


----------



## Kieran

oskaar said:


> work
> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: K250, Haffner Serenade


Ah, it's a favourite, Oskar! Opening movement is like a great ominous overture. So much in this serenade I love.

Right now? What am I listening to? Caw!  You caught me redhanded! * Lana del Ray*._ Hey Lolita hey! Hey Lolita hey!_ It's my guilty pleasure.  

But it's almost done and next is some, er...Wolfie...singing, eh...um...


----------



## DrKilroy

Grażyna Bacewicz - Concerto for String Orchestra (Duczmal). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 16 Waltzes, Op.39

artist
Anthony Paratore & Joseph Paratore









The sound is not very good here. But work and interpretation is super.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:K452, piano quintet

Artists
Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: Violin Concerto, w. Oistrakh/ONdF/Klemperer (rec.1960); Piano Concerto 1, w. Douglas/LSO/Skrowaczewski (rec.1988); Piano Concerto 2, w. Kovacevich/LSO/C. Davis (rec.1980); Double Concerto, w. Stern/Ma/CSO/Abbado (rec.1987).

View attachment 24091
View attachment 24092
View attachment 24093


----------



## Oskaar

work
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.2, No.1

artist
Alexej Gorlatch









I have listened to several Beethoven sonatas, but I am still at number one when it comes to deeper learning. I must find a favourite version, and let it creep under my skin! ( and this is a good candidate.) Then I can go further with new versions, and new sonatas. I can listen to everything for variation, but I have a short musical memory, it is enjoy and forget. But to really enjoy my music, I use the first method, and gradually widen the horizont. I have focus on Brahms, Mozart symphonies and recommended works, and several other angles for variation. I will start exploring Schubert lieder, and look forward to that! I enjoy the music much more now,compared with the more random listening, and rarely repeated listening.


----------



## Blancrocher

As I get time, I've been listening to Mravinsky recordings, having been inspired by a thread on the topic. It's been too long since I listened to his magnificent Tchaikovsky!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kieran said:


> Right now? What am I listening to? Caw!  You caught me redhanded! * Lana del Ray*._ Hey Lolita hey! Hey Lolita hey!_ It's my guilty pleasure.


Are you the one who got me listening to her? Born to Die somehow burrowed in my head, then there was that song from Great Gatsby. But I'm chary about going further, with those parental advisories on her albums, since I no longer have my parents around, and they can't advise me about such things.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern by Boulez*, followed by *Ligeti's Melodien and Chamber Concerto.*


----------



## bejart

Pierre Vachon (1731-1803): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.5, No.2

Rasumovsky Quartet: Frances Mason and Marilyn Taylor, violins -- Christopher Wellington, viola -- Joy Hall, cello

View attachment 24104


----------



## Ondine

Miscellaneous _Mozartean_ pieces for violin and keyboard: A glimpse at the source of inspiration.

Sonata in F _'for begginers'_ KV 547, a superb piece with that speed and brilliance of Mozart's genius.

Andante in A & Fugue in A minor KV 402

Sonata in C KV 403

Andante and Allegreto KV 404

Adagio in C minor KV 396

Allegro in B flat KV 372

12 Variations in G KV 359

Sonata in C KV 46d & 46e in F









Isabelle van Keulen/Violin
Ronald Brautigam/Piano & Harpsichord (46d & 46e)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: Symphonies (Complete), w. BPO/HvK (rec. 1964).

View attachment 24108
View attachment 24109
View attachment 24110


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata in E flat, D.568










oh my..


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade in B Flat, KV 361, 'Gran Partita'

Alexander Schneider leading the Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

View attachment 24111


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120. *
Both works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Herbret von Karajan. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major. *Once again, both symphonies are performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker. The *Fifth *is fast becoming one of my "go to symphonies" by Bruckner, due to its vibrant melodies, which, especially in the *Second* movement. reminds me of his *Eighth, *another one of my favorites by him.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in A Minor

Czech Baroque Trio: Antonin Rous, violin -- Martin Jakubicek, harpsichord -- Jan Skrdlik, cello

View attachment 24118


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev* Symphony #3, Op. 44
- London SO under Claudio Abbado

*Schubert* Rosamunde - Incidental Music (Overture: Die Zauberharfe, Entre'acte #3, Ballet Music #2)
- Chicago SO under James Levine

*Pujol* Tangata de Agosto
*Haydn* Quartet in D major for concertante guitar, violin, viola & cello
- Karin Schaupp, guitar & Flinders Quartet

**Gershwin* Summertime (Porgy and Bess), *Delibes* Flower Duet (Lakme), *Mozart* Letter Duet (Marriage of Figaro), *Bernstein* I Have a Love (West Side Story)
- Katie Noonan, vocals; Maggie Noonan, soprano; Queensland Orch. under Guy Noble
* with "Red Fish Blue" jazz trio


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Duos for 2 Basset Horns K.487

Luigi Magistrelli and Laura Magistrelli

:tiphat:


----------



## science

Beautiful! Scarlatti's Iste Confessor needs to get on the Talk Classical Project list ASAP!










Do I like it better than Reiner? I think I do.... Uh oh....










Somebody got The Sixteen's Italian box set...


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' String Quartet No.6 - Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## neoshredder

Going through artists similar to Carl Stamitz


----------



## SimonNZ

Mauricio Kagel's Serenade - Ensemble L'Art Pour L'Art


----------



## Oskaar

work
04. Beethoven: Symphony #5 in C minor, op. 67

artist
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Wolfgang Sawallisch









This will be my referance point to this work. Beethoven symphonies can be to dramatic, and scare me away. This performance is calmed down, and the lyric sides come through.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rodion Shchedrin's 25 Preludes "Polyphonic Notebook" - Murray McLachlan, piano


----------



## LordHenry

Rachmaninov's piano concerto #3 in D minor; Walter Gieseking & Willem Mengelberg.


----------



## SimonNZ

Tippett's Songs For Dov - Robert Tear, tenor, David Atherton, cond.

edit: now Leslie Bassett's Echoes From An Invisible World - Sergiu Commissiona, cond.


----------



## Guest

Korngold, Violin Concerto
Nicola Benedetti


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: English Suite No.2 in A Minor, BWV 807

Murray Perahia, piano

View attachment 24125


----------



## SimonNZ

Robert Erickson's Pacific Sirens - Edwin London, dir.

edit: Fredic Myrow's Songs From The Japanese - Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano, Arthur Weisberg, cond.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Pietro Antonio Locatelli (3 September 1695-1764): Violin Concerto in A Major, Op.3, No.11

Gunter Kehr conducting the Mainz Chamber Orchestra -- Susanne Lautenbacher, violin

View attachment 24128


----------



## SimonNZ

George Perle's Three Movements For Orchestra - David Epstein, cond.


----------



## realdealblues

Spent quite a bit of time with Tchaikovsky lately...
View attachment 24129


Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia Orchestra

View attachment 24130


Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6
Evgeny Mravinsky & The Leningrad Philharmonic

View attachment 24131


Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6
Riccardo Muti & The Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

A collection of orchestral works by Busoni, conducted by Neeme Jarvi. Fans of Sibelius (or Busoni!) in particular may like it!


----------



## rrudolph

Haydn: Symphonies #100/#104








Mozart: Piano Concerto #24








J.C. Bach: Sinfonias Op. 9, 1-3/Sinfonia Concertante in A Major/Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major


----------



## Oskaar

work
Grieg - Piano Concerto in A-, Op.16

artist
Leif Ove Andsnes
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Dmitri Kitayenko


----------



## JCarmel

Just got back from the joys of jolly Whitby, where the sun was shining, the sea was sparkling & the quirky streets & lanes were full of....Pensioners!! The Telegraph informed me on it's website yesterday that apparently according to a survey newly published _the_ best place to visit in all of Europe is Yorkshire! Yep, it beat all-comers it seems....though there ought to be some distinction about which bits of Yorkshire that might mean, methinks?!

Anyway, settling on something that def isn't Yorkshire-like, I'm currently comparing two interpretations of Brahms Piano Sonata No 3. One by Murray Perahia....









And the other on my laptop....a video recording on Sky Arts of Marc-Andre Hamelin's recent Wigmore Hall performance.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Schumann - Cello Concerto in A-, Op.129

artist
Mischa Maisky
Leonard Bernstein


----------



## DrKilroy

oskaar said:


> work
> Grieg - Piano Concerto in A-, Op.16
> 
> artist
> Leif Ove Andsnes
> Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
> Dmitri Kitayenko
> 
> View attachment 24137


You listen to this work quite frequently! What is your favourite rendition?

For Bruckner's birthday, I will try him once again - Symphony No. 5 (Kempe).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Atterberg - Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 21

artist
Truls Mørk
Norrlands Operan Symphony Orchestra
Kristjan Järvi









I had forgotten how much I LOVE the cello. And sometimes impulsivity is good! After listening to Schumanns cello concerto with Maisky, I made a google search for cello concerto, found a big list on wikipedia, and started on top. This was the first that was on spotify, only this recording, but what a gem! I am in cello mood tonight!


----------



## Oskaar

DrKilroy said:


> You listen to this work quite frequently! What is your favourite rendition?


I try to get some works under my skin, sort of, and since I have just started this way of listening, I have not heard many versions. When I like a work, I try to find a favourite version out of five, that I repeatedly go back to, to learn the work. From there I can start comparing to other recordings.
But there is many ways to discover, I just jumped over to a big wikipedia list over cello concertos! I am starting at A. This list will be my evening. And I will have more and more works to go back to!


----------



## Wicked_one

I feel autumn-ish..

Joachim Raff - 10th Symphony "To Autumn Time"


----------



## rrudolph

Weber: Clarinet Quintet Op. 34








Beethoven: Fidelio "Harmoniemusik" arr. Sedlak (1814)/Variations on "La ci darem la mano"/Duo #2 for Clarinet and Bassoon








Beethoven: Clarinet Trio Op. 11/Septet Op. 20


----------



## Oskaar

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Cello Concerto in A minor

artist
Chamber orchestra "Musica Viva"









Beautiful! Fter quick-listening to the beginning of first movement, this one seemed to be the best out of four on spotify


----------



## Oskaar

Leonardo Balada Cello Concerto No. 2 New Orleans

artist
Michael Sanderling
Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra









Another gem! Modern classical music meet new orleans jazz. And the cello cries so beautifully! This travel with the cello concerto as leading star, starts to be really funny!


----------



## Bas

Mr Kilroy reminded me of the birthday of Bruckner.
I find him a very difficult composer in the sense that I really need to be in the right mood for his heavy music, but today will do.

Symphony no. 5
Sergiu Celibidache & Municher Philharmoniker


----------



## Oskaar

Barber - Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 22 (1945)

artist
Raphael Wallfisch


----------



## DrKilroy

I am not a big fan of Bruckner, but I really liked his Fifth. 

Now on to another birthday boy - Milhaud... I'll (try to) listen to: Le boeuf sur le toit, Le globetrotter, Le carnaval d'Aix, La creation du monte and Suite pour Ondes musicales Martenot et piano.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

Obeisance to Anton!









Listening to the free mp3 version delivered to my iPod, of the cd I purchased from Amazon...which is now my favourite recording of the 7th Symphony...though I'll still keep listening to the other 4 interpretations that I have to hand.


----------



## Blancrocher

Karajan conducting Bruckner's Te Deum:


----------



## Joris

Good disc  Planning to listen to Early Music more


----------



## Manxfeeder

What, it's Bruckner's birthday? And I'm listening to Beethoven? Oh, well, it's not like he's going to come in my room and thump me on the head for forgetting.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): String Quintet in D Major,. Op.80

Stamitz Quartet with Karel Plocek on 2nd viola: jindrich Pazdera and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska,viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 24155


----------



## Ondine

The _'wunderkind'_ Sonatas: The Harpsichord early brilliance.









Sontas KV 6-15 & 26-31









Blandine Verlet/Harpsichord
Gèrard Poulet/Violin

Remarkable KV's 8, 15, 13*, 26 & 31 showing amazing early _'mozartean'_ traits.

*Do you remember Love Story?


----------



## Ondine

neoshredder said:


> Going through artists similar to Carl Stamitz


Welcoming to the Classicism; Great choices, @neo!


----------



## realdealblues

Might as well join the crowd...

View attachment 24158


Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
Eugen Jochum & The Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## bejart

Ivan Yevstafyevich Khandoshkin (1747-1804): Violin Sonata in E Flat, Op.3, No.2

Anastasia Khitruk, violin -- Dmitry Yakubavsky, viola -- Kyrill Yevtushenko, cello

View attachment 24163


----------



## peeyaj

Symphony no. 3 "Organ" by Saint-Saens played by CSO, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

*The first movement is too loud.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Today:

Chopin: Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20
Emanuel Ax

Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, K551
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras

Akutagawa: Rhapsody for Orchestra
New Zealand Symphony, cond. Yuasa

Dvorak: Carnival Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Giulini

Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky

Schoenberg: Three Folk Songs, Op. 49
BBC Choir, cond. Boulez

Brahms: Schicksalslied, Op. 54
London Philharmonic, BBC Choir, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## NightHawk

The Hilliard Ensemble - Perotin _Magnus_, late 12th early 13th centuries. Especially good is the _Viderunt Omnes_ - very likely the first four-voice polyphony heard in Notre Dame Cathedral...or anywhere, for that matter.


----------



## Mahlerian

And then, via radio:

D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air
Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer, Boston Symphony, cond. Munch

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2
Gil Shaham, London Symphony, cond. Previn

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K456
Daniel Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## Kleinzeit

Back to the life of a studio rat, back to normal.

A specimen day: Put on Jordi Savall & Hesperion XX playing Cabezón, which arrived today. Though it's Spanish, and otherworldly, it sounds like winter to me and it's too soon to be reminded.

So for real caffeine it's Glenn Gould Plays Hindemith: the disc with Sonata for Bass Tuba & Piano; for Alto Horn in E-flat & Piano; for Trombone & Piano

Like a genuine introvert happy to be spending quality one-on-one time, Gould is the friendliest of accompanists.

When the real work starts it's old favourites:
Beethoven Violin Concerto, Arthur Grumiaux, Colin Davis, Royal Concertgebouw

Schumann Piano Quintet Op. 44, Christian Zacharias & Cherubini Quartet; String Quartet No. 1, Cherubini Quartet

Then, to appreciate the distance from Schumann: 
Schulhoff String Quartets 1 & 2; Five Pieces, Aviv Quartet

Then a person from Porlock arrived, and that was the end of the studio day.


----------



## peeyaj

Have anyone heard Theodor Kullak's Piano Concerto in C minor?

It's quite good!! Listening to it right now. It's classical sounding in my ears, with some romantic inspiration.


----------



## Mahlerian

And since I had forgotten an important birthday earlier, I'll retire now to:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
London Philharmonic, cond. Welser-Most


----------



## opus55

Dohnanyi: Violin Concerto No. 1
Schubert: Piano Sonata in A minor, D.537


----------



## brotagonist

An understated and stunning addition to my collection that arrived in the mail yesterday:









The _Double Sonata_ has hints of Bartok, the _1st Violin Sonata_ is alternately stealthy and playful; and the _2nd Violin Sonata_, a transcription of the _Flute Sonata_, is the most lyrical one of the set.


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Kuhnau's "Fresh Keyboard Fruits" Sonatas - John Butt, harpsichord


----------



## neoshredder

Dvorak Symphony 7 and Saint-Saens Symphony 3


----------



## Guest

J.S.Bach, Works for Lute, BWV 995-997
Konrad Junghänel, Lute


----------



## JCarmel

Starting my morning off musically-speaking, with what is one of my favourite pieces...Poulenc's Sonata for Oboe & Piano ....I just love the first movement in particular, to pieces!
I have several interpretations but the most beloved is a cd copy I made many years ago of a library disc featuring young French soloists playing all of Poulenc's works for Wind...and I've lost the details of their names. Doh!

Some notes about the piece.....c/o Wikipedia

The Sonata for oboe and piano by Francis Poulenc dates from 1962. It is his opus number 185 and is dedicated to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev. According to many oboists, the last movement "Déploration" was the last piece he wrote before he died. It sits as a kind of obituary.

The Oboe Sonata is very difficult in places, especially the Scherzo. The sorrowful Déploration also requires great skill. To express his mourning for his friend Prokofiev, Poulenc uses the extremes of the oboe. For example, in one passage the player must play a phrase at the bottom of the oboe's range including B flat, the oboe's lowest note, very loudly (fortissimo). The same phrase is then repeated but is marked to be played very quietly (pianissimo). Another obvious example of Poulenc's use of extreme scoring in the first movement is the starting theme which is very high and the player must be skilled to control the notes and keep them in tune.

http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/?fuseaction=composition&composition_id=4800


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Viola Sonata in E Minor, Op.12, No.1

Sandor Papp and Janos Fejervari, violas

View attachment 24177


----------



## JCarmel

Thanks for the opportunity to listen to some Theodor Kullak, peeyaj. I see that it's the anniversary of his birth in a weeks time but I don't think I can quite face a re-run of that piano concerto to celebrate! Instead, I'll dig out a concerto by a pupil of his that I do enjoy hearing......Xavier Scharwenka's 4th on this excellent disc.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Alto Rhapsody - Christa Ludwig, Otto Klemperer

edit: now the same work with Kathleen Ferrier and Clemens Krauss


----------



## SimonNZ

Aribert Reimann's Unrevealed - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Cherubini Quartet

edit: noe Andrew Imbrie's Violin Concerto - Carroll Glenn, violin, Zoltan Rozsnyai, cond.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
František Václav Míča (5 September 1694-1744): Symphony in D Major

Milos Formacek conducting the Czech Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 24201


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting off my day with some haunting melodies from Samuel Barber, sung by Dawn Upshaw.


----------



## Kleinzeit

first thing this morning on the tv radio: the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor. 
The caption is cut off at 'Philadelph' and it says RCA. So that's with Ormandy probably. 

No matter. I want the day to be like this, I want to be a big-time stranger in paradise, surrounded by platoons of Isadora Duncans in diaphanous negligees. Will it come to pass on the first sunny day in weeks?


----------



## rrudolph

Master and pupil (who also became a master)

Messiaen: Chronochromie/La Ville d'en Haut/Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum








Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maitre/Sonatine/Messiaen: 7 Hakai








Boulez: Pli Selon Pli


----------



## Skilmarilion

Mahlerian said:


> Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2
> Gil Shaham, London Symphony, cond. Previn


This is an absolute gem.


----------



## mstar

Dvorak - Ninth Symphony "From the New World" Conducted by Herbert Von Karajan. 

Amazing work, with an amazing conductor!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: 'Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht', BWV124
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Andreas Weller, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki 








*Karl Aage Rasmussen*: Symphony in Time
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leif Segerstam








*David Philip Hefti*: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Thomas Grossenbacher, cello
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/David Philip Hefti


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 16 Waltzes, Op.39

artist
Mikhail Rudy









An absolutely wonderful recording of this fantastic music! I had to listen twice in a row. Lyric and athmosphaeric, still powerfull.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 31, 35, 36 and 38 (Krips).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Achille-Claude Debussy - La Mer: 3 symphonic sketches, L.109

Artist
Aurora Symfony Festival Chorus & Orchestra









This kind of music could I listen to many houres in a row! I really look forward to explore Debussy. But I can not gap over to much at the time.

Great recording! The best out of five that I compared. Karajan did not reach up here!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7 and 4.*

Klemperer with the Berlin Phil on 3/9/58, a live recording on Europa Musica.

Then Klemperer with the Cologne Symphony on 5/4/1954.


----------



## Bas

Bocherinni - Harpsichord Quintets 
J.S. Bach - Clavier Ubung I & II 
BWV 830, 831, 971 (Italian Concerto)

By Staier, in the same box:








Schubert - Winterreise 
By Mark Padmore [ten.] & Paul Lewis [piano], on Harmonia Mundi








Now it is again time for Bruckner:

Bruckner - Symphony no. 6
By Die Münicher Philharmoniker, Celibidache [cond.]
On EMI. Celibidache's approach is - not without reason - controversial, but this recording has the best wind section I've ever heard!


----------



## Oskaar

Work
Brahms - Symphony No.1 in C-, Op.68

Artist
Daniel Barenboim
Chicago Symphony Orchestra









Magnicifent symfony, though I find the first movement a bit boring. It may grow on me. Fine recording!


----------



## rrudolph

Stockhausen: Aus den Sieben Tagen








Xenakis: Echange/Okho/Xas/Akrata/A la Memoire de Witold Lutoslawski


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: String Sextets, String Quintets, w. Raphael Ens. (rec.1988 - 1995); Clarinet Quintet, w. De Peyer/Melos Ens. (rec.1964); String Quartets 1 - 3, Piano Quintet, w. Fleisher/ESQ (rec.2006/7).

View attachment 24231
View attachment 24232
View attachment 24233
View attachment 24234


----------



## joen_cph

... seeing the current "Top 10 string quartet composers"-thread I realize that I´ve been neglecting the string quartet repertoire for some time.

From the LP series above: Myaskovsky: Quartet 2 c-minor (1910-11; 1930)/ Quartet 9, d-minor (1943)/ Taneyev Quartet. Melodiya LPs.


----------



## aleazk

Bach - The Art of Fugue, played by Pierre-Laurent Aimard.


----------



## Kleinzeit

joen_cph said:


> View attachment 24236
> 
> 
> ... seeing the current "Top 10 string quartet composers"-thread I realize that I´ve been neglecting the string quartet repertoire for some time.
> 
> From the LP series above: Myaskovsky: Quartet 2 c-minor (1910-11; 1930)/ Quartet 9, d-minor (1943)/ Taneyev Quartet. Melodiya LPs.


I have the symphonies set with Svetlanov, and like to immerse in them. Haven't heard the SQs, hard to get & expensive. Same situation with Robert Simpson.

To the YouTube!


----------



## Oskaar

Work
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 in Bb-, Op.23

Artist
Roland Pontinen









I struggled to find a good recording of this consert. I listened a minute of the first movement of very many versions, but it was always something that irritated me. It may be my mood, I will probabably go back to many of them later. At last I found this one.. Very good! Exelent sound and performance. I am not sure of orchestra and conductor.
Maybe someone knows?


----------



## joen_cph

Concerning *Myaskovsky*, there´s a lot of wonderful stuff and varied writing in the quartets, I think. The _2nd Quartet_, composed back in 1911 and revised in 1930, before Stalin took over control of the cultural policy as well, opens with a dark, autumnal movement of contrasting, dense/unisono passages and some peculiar, hesitating pauses also known from some of his symphony writing. The slow 2nd Movement is very intense and darkly beautiful too, with a lot of alternating, passionate monologues. I´m a bit less enthusiastic about the sudden, folksy optimism of the Finale, though there is some varied writing there and it is after all much less predictable than some of the earlier 19th-century examples.

The _9th Quartet _(1943) has a somewhat strange opening with a lot of inquietude in long-drawn melodic lines and polyphonic writing, focusing on the upper register. A lot goes on. The 2nd movement slows down some of this music, in what sounds like an Elegy at times. There´s a fascinating, airy and very fast middle section too, before the last part, also very beautiful; some phrasing brings the 1st movement of the 2nd Cello Sonata (1948) to mind. The Finale is not folksy, and relatively varied and pensive in its generally heavier and more determined expression. Overall, it seems to be a work quite far removed from stereotype, dogmatic Socialist Realism.


----------



## Blancrocher

Thanks for the recommendations, joen_cph. Having been inspired by the same thread you were, I just gave Myaskovsky's 13th quartet a try. It's a lovely piece, in what seems a good recent recording by the Borodin Quartet (though I'll look for comparisons). I'll be trying more by this composer throughout the day.


----------



## schuberkovich

.


----------



## mstar

Grieg - Piano Concerto No. 1. A classic!


----------



## Avey

Debussy. All. Repeat. Shuffle. Etc.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Delius,* orchestral works.

Beecham has spoiled me for any other conductor of these pieces.


----------



## Wicked_one

I am listening to John Field's 1st sonata in E flat major, op.1. Lovely work indeed but it sounds like either a sonata by Beethoven or a Mozart piano concerto.

Who can help me here? I know something very similar to this, but I can't put my finger on it right now.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*John Cage, Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano.*

In honor of the birthday boy . . .


----------



## Oskaar

work
Barber - Violin Concerto, Op.14

artist
Itzhak Perlman
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa









Marvelous!


----------



## Ondine

The 7 Mannheim/Paris Violin Sonatas: Ten years later from the 'Wunderkind' Sonatas.

KV's 296, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305* & 306**.

*Allegro di molto & Tema con variazioni; **D dur: both could be the awakening of the _Mozartean_ Violin Sonata.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev violin concertos


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33 Nos 1 and 2










Finally placed an order for the Kodaly box set.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Christian Bach (5 September 1735-1782): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.19, No.3

Camerata Koln

View attachment 24263


----------



## Sid James

*William Bolcom* Cabaret Songs
- Measha Brueggergosman, soprano; BBC SO under David Robertson

*Bizet* Flower Song (Carmen), *Meyerbeer* O Paradiso! (L Africaine), *Puccini* Che gelida manina (La Boheme), *Mascagni* Mamma, quel vino e generoso (Cavalleria Rusticana), *Leoncavallo* Vesti la giubba (I Pagliacci) & Mattinata
- Jussi Bjorling, tenor with orchestra conducted by Nils Grevilius (recordings 1930's & '40's)

*Wagner* Wesendonck Lieder
- Marilyn Richardson, soprano with Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert

*Kosma/Prevert* Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes)
*Strayhorn* Lush Life
- Katie Noonan, vocals; "Red Fish Blue" jazz trio; Queensland Orch. under Guy Noble

*Mozart* Zaide: Ruhe sanft (Sleep gently)
- Shu-Cheen Yu, soprano with Queensland Orch. under Brett Kelly
*Handel* Rinaldo: Lascia ch'io pianga (Let me weep)
- Yvonne Kenny, soprano with Australian Brandenburg Orch. under Paul Dyer


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazunov, Symphony No. 8, Fedoseyev.


----------



## Weston

Something amazing happened today. 

As you may have read before, I listen to a lot of my music on random play at work. This often means blasphemously breaking up works into individual movements and brutally juxtaposing Brahms with Black Sabbath or some such. I often like to play "guess the composer" or "name that tune," but today a lovely piece came on I couldn't begin to guess. It was vibrant and complex, but not so complex as to be befuddling -- no, it was still simple enough to be charming. There were marvelous conversant winds and roller coaster up and down fragmented motifs played over a continuo so I figured it for late baroque or early classical. It was amazing. Who could this be? C.P.E. Bach? Michael Haydn? 

Giving up I gave a peek at the screen. 

Mozart: Symphony No. 21 in A, K. 134, movement 3, Menuetto - Academy of Ancient Music, Berlin

No, that can't be right. Mozart usually bores me to tears. Yet there could be no escaping the charm of this piece, and when played with continuo it disguised its origin somewhat. Now I wonder how much of my slowly eroding aversion to Mozart is brought about by the name itself. Maybe I was just traumatized at a very young age listening to my sister practice that awful sonata semplice, K. 545. So add the Symphony No. 21 in A to my list of Mozart I enjoy.


----------



## brotagonist

Speaking of music I (thought I) wasn't terribly fond of (any more), Robert Greenberg, author of _How to Listen to Great Music_, convinced me to give Stravinsky's ballets another listen.

Voilà, this arrived last week!









My longtime favourite, Apollon Musagete, is unfortunately divided between the 2 discs.


----------



## Ondine

Weston said:


> Mozart usually bores me to tears.


I usually have tremendous drunkenness with his music. I spend months intoxicated; are often the most beautiful months in my life. It is called Chronic Mozartean Disease.

Hopefully you will start liking Mozart, @Weston.


----------



## samurai

Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, *
both vibrantly rendered by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, *
performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under Herbert Blomstedt. 
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *once again featuring Maestro Blomstedt and the Staatskapelle Dresden.


----------



## realdealblues

oskaar said:


> Work
> Brahms - Symphony No.1 in C-, Op.68
> 
> Artist
> Daniel Barenboim
> Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 24227
> 
> 
> Magnicifent symfony, though I find the first movement a bit boring. It may grow on me. Fine recording!


Try Otto Klemperer's recording. He made me truly LOVE the first symphony and the first movement. Klemperer's recordings of all 4 Symphonies from Brahms are my bible.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G Minor, KV 550 {chamber arrangement by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)}

Fumiko Shiraga, piano -- Henrik Wiese, flute -- Peter Clemente, violin -- Tibor Benyi, cello

View attachment 24269


----------



## aleazk

Bach - _Toccata and Fugue (Dorian)_. In the fantastic interpretation by Karl Richter. The Toccata is incredibly epic and the Fugue makes a good contrast with its contemplative nature. One of my favorite Bach pieces.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Franck - Symphony in D Minor


----------



## SimonNZ

Géry de Ghersem's Missa Ave Virgo Sanctissima - Currende, Erik Van Nevel, dir

another listen to this beautiful recording

so sad this is the only complete surviving work by this once respected and prolific composer - all the rest being lost in a fire following the great lisbon earthquake






before that I played about half of the string trio arrangement of the Goldberg Variations with Micha Maisky et al

but the less said about that the better


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Choros - John Neschling, cond.


----------



## joen_cph

Arthur Bliss: String Quartets 1 (1940) + 2 (1950)

- Delme Quartet / Hyperion LP

I probably prefer no. 2, which has a certain rhapsodic freshness (Janacek, for instance), as opposed to the more robust no. 1.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Sound Census: Endymion" - Endymion Ensemble (disc one)

"A survey of new British chamber music comissioned for the 30th anniversary of Endymion"

currently Peter Maxwell Davies' Judas Mercator


----------



## ptr

oskaar said:


> I struggled to find a good recording of this consert. I listened a minute of the first movement of very many versions, but it was always something that irritated me. It may be my mood, I will probabably go back to many of them later. At last I found this one.. Very good! Exelent sound and performance. I am not sure of orchestra and conductor.
> Maybe someone knows?


Bamberger Symphoniker u. Leif Segerstam on Bis from 1987

/ptr


----------



## joen_cph

Enescu: String Quartets 1+2 
- Quatuor Ad Libitum
- Naxos CD

These are more introvert and subdued works than the Myaskovsky and Bliss mentioned above, with an often quite barren, meditative sound picture. They demand more, and one only gets to know them slowly, but I like them.


----------



## SimonNZ

Penderecki's Symphony No.2 "Christmas Symphony" - cond. by composer

doubtless I won't be the first to suggest that this dark, troubled work _is _a more honest depiction of many people's experience of christmas

more seriously the juxtaposition immediately made me think for the first time in a long time of the episode from Kieslowski's Dekalog on "honour the sabbath day" (episode 3), set on Christmas eve


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1771): Double Flute Concerto in G Minor

Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra -- Josep-Francesc Palou and Claudi Arimany, flutes

View attachment 24277


----------



## SimonNZ

Gorecki's Three Pieces In The Old Style - I Fiamminghi

edit: now Werner Egk's French Suite After Rameau - Leopold Stokowski, cond.










edit: and now Henze's song-cycle Voices - Anna Schwarz, mezzo, Paul Sperry, tenor, David Atherton, cond.










(don't look at the cover CPO gave to their recent recording of this work, unless you want to have nightmares)


----------



## Guest

New listening today:







Mozart Wind Concertos
Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra/Rubingh, Henk


----------



## SimonNZ

Elliott Carter's Night Fantasies - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

edit: now Penderecki's String Quartet No.1 - Kohon Quartet


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> "Sound Census: Endymion" - Endymion Ensemble (disc one)
> 
> "A survey of new British chamber music comissioned for the 30th anniversary of Endymion"
> 
> currently Peter Maxwell Davies' Judas Mercator


Awesome cover -- kind of indicative of how a lot of people feel about new music, but I think it's cool.


----------



## Bas

J.S. Bach: BWV 656 - 667
Ton Koopman - Organ









J.S. Bach: Violin concertos BWV 1041,1042,1043 (double) and Oboe & Violin Concerto in Cm BWV 1060
By Hilary Hahn [violin], Allan Vogel [oboe], LA Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane [dir.]
On Deutsche Gramophone









D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas Kk 318 - Kk338 
Disc 21 of the Scott Ross set, on Erato








And his dad, A. Scarlatti: Cantatas
Volume III of the recordings by Nicholas McGegan [dir.], the Arcadian Academy and Brian Asawa [contratenor] on Sony Music


----------



## Vesteralen

Bas said:


> J.S. Bach: Violin concertos BWV 1041,1042,1043 (double) and Oboe & Violin Concerto in Cm BWV 1060
> By Hilary Hahn [violin], Allan Vogel [oboe], LA Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane [dir.]
> On Deutsche Gramophone
> 
> View attachment 24289


Could be the fastest Bach Concerti on record. My first real disappointment with Ms Hahn.


----------



## Bas

I can relate to your point. I can handle the speed in BWV 1041 in Am and the Oboe concerto, but she indeed is quite speedy, too speedy in the double concerto especially. It is not bad, but I have heard better performances, and will need to hunt down the best recording (what do you recommend?). (I once attended those concerti live with Frans Bruggen as director and Carmignola as soloist, that was exquisite!)


----------



## Mahlerian

Babbitt: All Set for jazz ensemble
cond. Gunther Schuller
Still my favorite Babbitt piece. There should be more 12-tone/jazz hybrids!

Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre
Hilary Summers, Ensemble intercontemporrain, cond. Boulez
After the Babbitt, the angular rhythms and ensemble interplay here take on a distinctly jazz-like cast...


----------



## Vesteralen

Bas said:


> I can relate to your point. I can handle the speed in BWV 1041 in Am and the Oboe concerto, but she indeed is quite speedy, too speedy in the double concerto especially. It is not bad, but I have heard better performances, and will need to hunt down the best recording (what do you recommend?). (I once attended those concerti live with Frans Bruggen as director and Carmignola as soloist, that was exquisite!)


I don't know if my recommendation is particularly authoritative, but I kind of like:


----------



## Blancrocher

Aimard playing the Vingt Regards. Desert island cds.


----------



## rrudolph

It's been quite a while since I listened to Brahms. Time to catch up!

String Quartet #1








Tragic Overture/Alto Rhapsody








Serenade #1








Piano Concerto #1








Symphony #4








I honestly did not intend for this post to look like a Deutsche Grammophon ad. It just worked out that way...


----------



## JCarmel

I've 'any amount' (as they say...) of interpretations of Bach's Violin Concertos at all sorts of tempi, Bas! If you like to linger-longer, then Mutter, Accardo & the ECO are good. If you prefer 'em Crisp n' Clean... Jeanne Lamon & Tafelmusik are in the running. But my personal recommendation for something that sounds just the right note to tap the foot-to yet that simultaneously penetrates to the inner 'spirit' that we all possess, is this one.....which I've just put on the player to listen-to. So...thanks for the reminder to brush-up on some of the loveliest music ever penned.


----------



## Vesteralen

oskaar said:


> work
> Schumann - Cello Concerto in A-, Op.129
> 
> artist
> Mischa Maisky
> Leonard Bernstein
> 
> View attachment 24139


My first impression of this cover was that Lenny was saying "What the heck was that?"


----------



## JCarmel

Why is Ingenue's picture on the Brahms disc I'm wondering, rrudolph. Well, she's picked a cracking line-up of great music to grace the cover-of!


----------



## JCarmel

Lining-up a Listen when Bach's sublime Adagio from the Violin Concerto in E has completed. Somehow after listening to this music, the only right response is total silence....?
Inspired by the sight of Edo de Waart's name on the Bach cd & of Jerome's listening choice, I'm digging-out an old LP of Mozart Wind by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble conducted by the afore-mentioned gentleman....& after a suitable period of Quietude for Inner Reflection, will be playing that. It's a case of 'Long-Time-No-Hear' for this particular one!


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata #59 in E flat Major (Emanuel Ax).









Got this in the mail recently, liking it a lot.


----------



## JCarmel

Rustling-around amongst the old LP's...I've come across this one of the great David Munrow and his band, who popularised Renaissance Music.... & convinced anybody who met him what a brilliant individual he was!
This is a super recording...









especially for anybody who likes listening to a good old Rackett?!....


----------



## Selby

It's going to be a rainy day of Mozart's chamber music while I dig into a stack of books on addiction treatment and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy...

Up first:

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, KV 478 
Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, KV 493

[Serkin, Schneider, Tree, Soyer]


----------



## JCarmel

Once again....I'm playing









by special request of my friend Mags...who's fed-up of hearing my own 'Doobey-Do' sung version of the 2nd movement!

I'm editing by request of Mags...to mention here what she thinks is an interesting read about Shostakovich...'The Conductor' by Sarah Quigley. It seems that Nina his wife, found him unbearable to live with when Composing! (Useless Fact no. 29386?)


----------



## Oskaar

work
Debussy - Fantaisie, for piano and orchestra, L.73

artist
London Festival Orchestra
George Callabrese









I am breathtaken by what I have heard of Debussy! It is like the music is made for me! Lovely work, and fine performance.


----------



## rrudolph

Brahms: Piano Quartet #1, orchestrated by Schoenberg
(included on this recording of the Mahler 10th, which I'm not listening to)








Schoenberg: Variations for Orchestra Op.31/Bach Orchestrations/Serenade Op. 24


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Joan Tower's* (b. 1938) birthday, sampling Instrumental Music, w. Tokyo Qt., Oppens, et al.


----------



## Selby

A rainy day of Mozart's chamber music, cont....

Piano Trio No. 3 in B-flat major, KV 502
Piano Trio No. 4 in E major, KV 542
Piano Trio No. 6 in G major, KV 564

[The Florestan Trio]









Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Viola in E-flat major, KV 498, "Kegelstatt"

[Beaux Arts Trio]


----------



## Vesteralen

Vaneyes said:


> For *Joan Tower's* (b. 1938) birthday, sampling Instrumental Music, w. Tokyo Qt., Oppens, et al.


Got to attend a concert a couple of years ago when Ms Tower debuted a new work and accompanied it with a pre-performance explanation for the audience. I enjoyed that experience a great deal.


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart Fantasia in C Minor K475 Mitsuko Uchida, piano









Just want to experience a composition that I can thoroughly approve-of...before settling down to watch ENGLAND play World Cup qualifier Footie against Moldova!


----------



## mstar

Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony - I tend to like the first movement just as much as the finale!!


----------



## Valkhafar

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3. Conducting by Sir Georg Solti, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Ravndal

Arvo Pärt: Symphony 3

......................


----------



## Selby

A rainy day of Mozart's chamber music, cont....

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A major, KV 581, "Stadler" [David Shifrin, Emerson String Quartet]

Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major, KV 452 [Robert Levin, The Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Ensemble]

Oboe Quartet in F major, KV 370 [Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields' Chamber Ensemble]

View attachment 24324
View attachment 24325
View attachment 24326


----------



## Oskaar

work
Mozart - Violin Sonata No.17 in C, K.296

artist
George Szell
Rafael Druian









A fine sonata. The second movement is soooooo beutiful. Stunning performance!


----------



## jim prideaux

Spent last five days in Prague-seemed the obvious place to visit having coincidentally listened to so much Czech music this summer. Had the Martinu cello concertos on I pod and grew to really know and enjoy them-may sound contrived to the more cynically inclined but somehow it just seemed so appropriate-the second concerto feels as if it directly reflects Martinu's longing for the home from which he was exiled! Also visited Dvorak museum at the Villa Amerika. Anyway before I left I placed an order with Amazon for more Martinu/Dvorak and also managed to pick up some Supraphon recordings from CD shops that reminded me of what small specialist shops used to be like. So now listening to....... 

Dvorak/Martinu Quintets for piano and strings-Peter Frankl/Lindsay Quartet-the CD is actually entitled 'Bohemians vol 6':tiphat:


----------



## imallearz

The greatest living composer of sacred music today....Arvo Part.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 24329


Raff: Symphony No. 1 "An Das Vaterland"
Hans Stadlmair & The Bamberg Symphony


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Oskaar

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54

artist
Alicia de Larrocha
London symphony orchestra
Sir Colin Davies









Really recommended recording!


----------



## NightHawk

Machaut, _Messe de Nostre Dame_ - Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Dir. Dominique Vellard


----------



## Bas

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in Em, The Hebrides Ouverture, Violin Concerto in Dm
Alina Ibragimova [solo violin], Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment, Validimir Jurowski


----------



## DaveS

Symphony #1 and Introduction & Allegro of Sir Edward Elgar. Sir John B conducting the Philharmonia in the 1st whilst conducting the Sinfonia of London and the Allegri String Quartet in the Intro. Both recorded at Kingsway Hall, 1962.


----------



## mstar

I'm listening to BDFSS.... 

Beethoven's Doubtlessly Famous Seventh Symphony.


----------



## jim prideaux

Investigation of Martinu continues with first listening of recently acquired Supraphon CD of Jiri Belohlavek conducting Czech Phil in performances of Overture for orchestra, Rhapsody for large orchestra, Sinfonia Concertante for two orchestras , Concerto Grosso and 'The Parables'. 
In my experience of listening to both classical music and jazz there appear to be certain composers or performers one has some peculiar but natural affinity for-it is as if the world they portray and the sounds that they utilise in that portrayal engender a greater sympathy-Sibelius has been the one constant in my listening for that reason-but I now believe Martinu will join that limited group of composers (that also includes to a greater or lesser extent Brahms, Dvorak, Walton and Finzi) that I know I will always return to with a sense of real 'joy' knowing that having experienced their music has actually enhanced my life.


----------



## Bas

mstar said:


> I'm listening to BDFSS....
> 
> Beethoven's Doubtlessly Famous Seventh Symphony.


If I may ask, By whom, sir?


----------



## JCarmel

One for Jim....









Martinu Frescoes of Piero Della Francesca

Brahms Symphony No 2

BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiri Belohlavek

a free disc many years ago with a copy of 'BBC Music Magazine' but a very enjoyable one nevertheless.


----------



## Ingélou

Vivaldi's Stabat Mater, in preparation for our Norwich Baroque concert tomorrow. It is astonishing. In places it sounds stylish and graceful in an elegant, fashionable way - then 'Eia Mater...' - there is a transfixing, poignant beauty that freezes tears.


----------



## EricABQ

I just listened to Sibelius' 7th symphony. 

I've learned to never say never, but right now Sibelius just isn't doing much for me. When I listen to his symphonies I always get the sense that something is about to get going, but then it doesn't.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

윤이상: Chamber Symphony I










First time listening to Yun Isang from my own home land.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm joining you, Ingenue...a great choice! And I never need an excuse to listen to David Daniels.....


----------



## Blancrocher

DrKilroy said:


> Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki).


I'd been listening to Richter in various piano concertos recently, and was very moved by his recording with Leinsdorf of Brahms's 2nd. Imagine my surprise when I came to the end of Richter's own reflections on his recording of the same concerto with Maazel in his notebooks:



> What hard work this recording was for the marvelous musician that Maazel is and for the third-rate orchestra that the Orchestre de Paris is! They all fancy themselves as soloists and constantly press ahead without paying the least attention to the conductor! That's why the quality of this recording is rather debatable, though it's still better than the one with Leinsdorf.


I actually recommended the Leinsdorf disk on the great recordings thread!


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Mircea Cristescu leading the Cluj-Napoca Philharmonic Orchestra -- Gavril Costea, flute

View attachment 24339


----------



## Mahlerian

A Boston Symphony concert from about a month ago:

Carter: Sound Fields for string orchestra
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor (Yefim Bronfman, piano)
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
Boston Symphony, cond. Dohnanyi

Why do program directors make such nonsensical decisions when it comes to programming modern repertoire? A 5-minute piece based mostly on slowly shifting textures and harmonies will inevitably be dwarfed by two heavy, minor-key Germanic repertoire works. Why not program something else by Carter, who wrote any number of short-ish pieces that would fit in here far better?

That aside, it was a good concert in all of its constituent parts.


----------



## Ondine

The five early Viennese -'Idomeneo'- Violin Sonatas: Composed at the time of the Idomeneo opera.

KV's 360*, 376, 377, 378, 379 & 380.

*six variations in G minor


----------



## aleazk

Gesualdo - _Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday_ & _Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday_.


----------



## bejart

Andre Ernest Modest Gretry (1741-1813): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.3, No.2

Haydn Quartet: Alexander Tal and Kati Sebestyen, violins -- Erwin Schiffer, viola -- Gyorgy Schiffer, cello

View attachment 24343


----------



## JohnCT

Requiems, several of them. The Recordare from the Verdi work keeps getting played on my iPod. Glorious. (My first post. Love this site. It has already opened my eyes to several wonderful compositions. Thanks.)


----------



## Ondine

The five 'Late Viennese' Violin Sonatas

KV's 403, 454*, 481, 526 & 547**.

*the Allegreto!!!
**F dur, marvellous piece because its charming simplicity.









After ploughing his entire output, finally it is reached the notable level of closeness between both instruments which gives a charming sense of musical unity.

The summit of the _Mozartean_ Violin Sonata signature: That delicate serene haughtiness.


----------



## jim prideaux

Start the day particularly early with 'Bohemians vol 4'-the Lindsay String Quartet performing Dvorak String Quartets 12/13Increasingly enjoying the vigour that seems to be apparent in the Lindsays interpretations-both in Dvorak/Martinu and Brahms.
Pondering a personal observation-in the case of both Dvorak and Martinu ( Czech composers) their time in America appears to have had a significant impact on their music and status as composers. Also noticed when reading the visitor book at Dvorak Museum in Prague the other day that in many cases Dvorak 'equals' the New World symphony more than any other work!


----------



## Weston

Whoooee -- I gotta track down a recording of this!

André Jolivet: Concerto per Onde Martenot e orchestra (1947) 
Jeanne Loriod, Onde Martenot ; Orchestre Philarmonique de l'ORTF , diretta dall'autore (conducted by the composer I'm guessing?)

Looks like it's on this rather pricey album:










or this unobtainable one:










Sigh. I'll continue searching. This piece just screams the outré and I'm starting to love the sound of the Ondes Martenot.

[Edit: This piece is giving me severe goosebumps. I am in classic sci-fi geek nirvana. Now we know where Bernard Hermann got his inspiration for _The Day the Earth Stood Still_.]


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms - Clarinet Quintet due to it being mentioned as glamorous.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Traditional Songs Of Spain" Victoria De Los Angeles, soprano, Renata Tarrago, guitar


----------



## jim prideaux

Martinu-Violin Concertos-Suk/Neumann/Czech Phil, first listening and I look forward to my understanding of these works unfolding in the same way as I lately experienced with the magisterial cello concertos!:tiphat:


----------



## aleazk

Webern - _Variations for Orchestra, Op.30_


----------



## SimonNZ

(my copy is a pinky-purple, rather than that orange)

Mozart's Litaniae De Venerabili Altaris Sacramento - Anthony Lewis, cond.

I didn't notice at the shop today, but am pleased to discover, that this features the wonderful and too-seldom recorded soprano Jennifer Vyvyan

also: opening of liner notes: "Mozart's compositions for the church are frequently dismissed as being the least important of his work...". That may be true of the organ works but surely not the choral works. Or did things look different in the mid-fifties?


----------



## Bas

JCarmel said:


> I'm joining you, Ingenue...a great choice! And I never need an excuse to listen to David Daniels.....


I'm joining you both! (And I never need an excuse to listen to Andreas Scholl)

Vivaldi - Stabat Mater, Concerto ripieno in C, Cantata "Cesatte, omai, cesatta"
Ensemble 415, Andreas Scholl [counter-tenor], Chiara Banchini [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









On the planning for later this day/evening are the following discs.

Some (post/late)romantic violin concertos:

Julius Röntgen (1855-1932) - Violin Concerto in Am, Ballad for Violin and Orchestra, Violin Concerto in f#
Liza Ferschtman [violin], Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, David Porcelijn [dir], on CPO








Louis Spohr (1784-1859) - Violin Concerto no 8, no 12 and no 13
Disc 5 of the complete set on CPO, by
Ulf Hoelscher [solo violin], Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.]









And back to my favourite period:

Antonia Maria Bononcinni (1677-1726) Messa a cinque concertata in Gm & Stabat Mater
By Concerto Italiano Choir & Orchestra, Rinaldo Allesandrini [dir.], on Naïve








G.F. Handel - Esther oratorium
By the Dunedin Consort & Players, with: Susan Hamilton, Matthew Brook, et alii. 
Directed by John Butt (he has made some exceptional recordings: A Matthäus Passion, John Passion, The Messiah, The Mass in B minor), on Linn


----------



## SimonNZ

highlights from the Joseph Krips recording of Mozarts Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail


----------



## JCarmel

One for Simon! I cannot begin to estimate the enjoyment that I derived from listening to this recording of Purcell's 'Fairy Queen'
when in my 'younger days'.....









Jennifer Vyvyan & Peter Pears are in the cast, with Thurston Dart providing harpsichord continuo! The Boyd Neel Orchestra is 
conducted by Anthony Lewis.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ooh..I've never seen (or heard) that one. Sounds very tasty. Hopefully one will come my way eventually.

playing now:










Alfonso De Sabio: Les Cantigas De Santa Maria - Clemencic Consort


----------



## Guest

K384, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail
Hogwood, AAM - Dawson, Heilman


----------



## JCarmel

You've got me on that one, Simon....never heard of Alfonso, I'm afraid to say.....

When the Fairy has fluttered-away....I'm going Organic, today. First-up....this one:









"Ad Nos, Ad Salutarem Undam" & other pieces of Lisztian fare & flare

Daniel Chorzempa, Organ of the Concert Hall 'De Doelen', Rotterdam


----------



## SimonNZ

JCarmel said:


> You've got me on that one, Simon....never heard of Alfonso, I'm afraid to say.....


Nor had I until five hours ago - but i love the Clemencic Consort and trust them to introduce me to unknown treasures.

next up:










Schubert duets - Janet Baker, mezzo, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerald Moore, piano


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Cello Sonata No.1 in E-, Op.38

artist
Adolph Baller


----------



## Guest

@ Simon and Julie.

It's cool to see you kids breakin' out the vinyl. Wish I had some to share. All I've got are these old fashioned mp3s.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Cello Sonata No.2 in F, Op.99

artist
Arto Noras









The Adagio is very fine. Lovely recording.


----------



## violadude

WOAH! Welcome back, Oskaar. I haven't seen you around here in a while.


----------



## JCarmel

Breaking-out some more Vinyl & temporarily breaking-away from today's Organ-fest...as I can't resist listening to this one c/o Simon's reminder. Haven't played it.... in half a Lifetime!! Duets from Janet Baker & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Daniel Barenboim at the piano.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Elizabeth Schwarzkopf Song Book Vol.2" with Geoffrey Parsons, piano

this might be one for the OCD thread: I've owned volumes 1, 3 and 4 for ages and it always bothered me that I was until today missing 2, even though theres really no difference between this and the many other unnumbered recital albums she released

pretty sure this is the first time i've heard Schubert's Erlkonig sung by a soprano


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1680-1762): Concerto Grosso No.2 in B Flat

I Musici

View attachment 24359


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Clarinet (or Viola) Sonata in F-, Op.120, No.1

artist
Andre Moisan
Jean Saulnier


----------



## Kleinzeit

Weston said:


> Whoooee -- I gotta track down a recording of this!
> 
> André Jolivet: Concerto per Onde Martenot e orchestra (1947)
> Jeanne Loriod, Onde Martenot ; Orchestre Philarmonique de l'ORTF , diretta dall'autore (conducted by the composer I'm guessing?)
> 
> Looks like it's on this rather pricey album:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sigh. I'll continue searching. This piece just screams the outré and I'm starting to love the sound of the Ondes Martenot.
> 
> [Edit: This piece is giving me severe goosebumps. I am in classic sci-fi geek nirvana. Now we know where Bernard Hermann got his inspiration for _The Day the Earth Stood Still_.]


I got mine for under $20 CDN. I see it's $22 US but out of stock. 22 or so for 4 discs is good. It doesn't seem to be totally OOP, it's still in play, so I'd keep an eye on availability & price flux. If it's those sounds you're looking for, they are indeed on there.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kleinzeit said:


> I got mine for under $20 CDN. I see it's $22 US but out of stock. 22 or so for 4 discs is good. It doesn't seem to be totally OOP, it's still in play, so I'd keep an eye on availability & price flux. If it's those sounds you're looking for, they are indeed on there.


Presto are quoting 4-5 days and an absuredly cheap price of 25nz (I'd be interested to know what that page and price looks like to folk from other parts:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner+Classics/2564613202

playing now:










Poulenc choral works - John Alldis, dir.


----------



## EricABQ

Scriabin's 24 Preludes, op. 11 from this set:


----------



## Kleinzeit

SimonNZ said:


> Presto are quoting 4-5 days and an absuredly cheap price of 25nz (I'd be interested to know what that page and price looks like to folk from other parts:
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner+Classics/2564613202


Oh yeah. A fiver & a bit per disc. Deal.


----------



## Kleinzeit

Weston-- There's only the one Ondes Martenot concerto on the Jolivet set.
There's this out there....


----------



## JCarmel

Having glimpsed the Black Virgin of Rocamadour , in Rocamadour.....one sunny Sunday morning many years ago, Simon...I can tell you that that is rather a Sensational picture you have on that LP sleeve! I found the statue to be a little underwhelming to view. Still, Francis Poulenc was deeply moved on his pilgrimage to see the image...sufficient to rekindle his faltering Roman Catholic Faith.

I'm currently trying to keep one eye on the second Qualifying Round for the Italian Grand Prix....two hands on my open Handel score ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Organ...sr=8-11&keywords=handel+organ+concertos+score

& both ears listening to Daniel Chorzempa's interpretations of Handel's Organ Concerti!


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonatas #15 and #21 / D. Barenboim

*Tchaikovsky* - Manfred Symphony / Xian Zhang, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano

-- Proms playback from Thurs night


----------



## Andolink

Hector Parra: Caressant l'Horizon for large ensemble (2011)
Ensemble intercontemporain, conductor: Emilio Pomárico








John Dunstable: Motets
The Hilliard Ensemble








J. S. Bach: 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern', BWV1
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Blancrocher

Pollini's complete Schumann recordings. I've always thought Pollini excelled in Schumann, and these are great cds--but I think I'm in the mood for some of my crackly older recordings from people who don't play the piano quite so well!


----------



## Selby

Beginning the day with my first classical love:

Frédéric François Chopin's 21 Nocturnes performed by Maria João Pires.


----------



## bejart

Although I listened to this just a few days ago,

in celebration of his birthday ---
Francois Andre Philidor (7 September 1726-1795): Flute Quartet No.4 in B Flat

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Ingeborg Scheerer and Verena Schoenweg, violins -- Julie Borsodi, cello -- Sabine Bauer, harpsichord

View attachment 24373


From WIKI:
".... (also) regarded as the best chess player of his age; his book Analyse du jeu des Échecs was considered a standard chess manual for at least a century, and a well-known chess opening and a checkmate method are both named after him."


----------



## starthrower

Panufnik-Autumn Music


----------



## science

Very nice. Even if it doesn't put you in mind of _Maria Christina Barcelona_, or something like that.










I cannot decide whether I like it this way better, or Richter's way, or Klemperer's way. What fine music.










Not as bad as people would have you believe. I even like it.


----------



## science

Old favorites. It was the Glazunov that stood out to me this time.










Another old favorite.










That Elgar concerto is infinite. What a great work. I have no idea whether other recordings are as good or better or what...


----------



## science

Yes, that exists. Find it if you can. Wonderful, down-to-earth, yet heavenly.










Not the highlight of the Italian box from The Sixteen. The highlight is the Scarlatti disk. That's a good'n.










I've listened to this a dozen times probably, but never listened to whatever Bernstein has to say about it.


----------



## science

Wanted to hear this again after re-watching the Andrew Preview sketch.... The Grieg is growing on me in a big way; the Schumann....










Last time I checked in I'd just listened to Dorati's disk that includes this and I loved it and wondered if I like it even more than Reiner's, and the answer is no. Reiner's is at least as good for me.

I'm all caught up. It's been a good few days. Recovering from the summer. I've got a long day off tomorrow too....


----------



## Oskaar

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No.2 in C-, Op.18

artist
Alexis Weissenberg
Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan









What a fantastic concerto! And what a fantastic recording!


----------



## science

oskaar said:


> Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No.2 in C-, Op.18
> 
> artist
> Alexis Weissenberg
> Berliner Philharmoniker
> Herbert von Karajan
> 
> View attachment 24375
> 
> 
> What a fantastic concerto! And what a fantastic recording!


I'm gonna hafta take your word for it for the next decade or so... have enough Rach 2s to get me to at least 2020.


----------



## JCarmel

Some GREAT TC-listening going-on today, methinks!

I watched a recording I took of the Proms 'Manfred' conducted by Xian Zhang last night, Skilmarilion...& I've got to say that I liked the look of her personally & the spirited 'attack' she brought to the music & was impressed by the musicianship of the orchestra at her command. I wasn't completely convinced by the interpretation though, as I felt that it was a little driven & consequently somewhat lacking in the profundity that I believe the composer wished us to experience. 
'Manfred' along with his 5th... are my two favourite of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, so I shall return to other interpretations of the work for more musical satisfaction & have wiped this recording from my HDD recorder. But nevertheless, I'm looking-forward to seeing the conductor again as I really enjoyed her Verdi!


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - 
Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58

artist
London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
Evgeny Kissin
Sir Colin Davis









At last I found a recording that sounded good in ny system, and in my ears. Very good performance


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Schubert Complete Piano Sonatas, Volume 2 Walter Klien, piano

Can't locate Volume 1 in the home at the mome.....though it's 'somewhere'..... Nor can I find the jpg for volume 2, online...which is what I'm listening-to....it's obviously one of those days today! So the jpg for Vol 1 will have to suffice.









I'm specifically listening to Klien's performance of the Sonata in A Major D959....a good performance with vivid sound.


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Presto are quoting 4-5 days and an absuredly cheap price of 25nz (I'd be interested to know what that page and price looks like to folk from other parts:
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner+Classics/2564613202


$20.25 in US currency plus VAT tax. I didn't notice it was 4 discs so this is a very good price after all.



Kleinzeit said:


> Weston-- There's only the one Ondes Martenot concerto on the Jolivet set.
> There's this out there....
> 
> View attachment 24364


Thanks very much. I didn't see this album, but I was searching for Jolivet. Presumably his other music is good too, not just the Ondes Martenot concerto. However I will check this out. The only other work I have I think is Turangalîla.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Sinfonia in E Flat, Altner Eb3

Marie Louise Oschatz leading Helios 18

View attachment 24385


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> Thanks very much. I didn't see this album, but I was searching for Jolivet. Presumably his other music is good too, not just the Ondes Martenot concerto. However I will check this out. The only other work I have I think is Turangalîla.


Messiaen also wrote a work for an ensemble of ondes Martenot, _Fete des belles eaux_, part of which was later integrated into the Quartet for the End of Time, and the excellent _Trois petites liturgies pour la presence divine_, which I wholeheartedly recommend (more than the Turangalila).


----------



## DrKilroy

I'm listening to Sailin' Tuns! by Cazazza Dan. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C, "The Great"
London Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening the symphony No. 2 by Jean Sibelius.


----------



## mstar

oskaar said:


> Beethoven -
> Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58
> 
> artist
> London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
> Evgeny Kissin
> Sir Colin Davis
> 
> View attachment 24379
> 
> 
> At last I found a recording that sounded good in ny system, and in my ears. Very good performance


Kissin is a wonderful pianist.... I have him as a soloist for several concertos! Him and Martha Argerich are great, but Argerich is too fast for Rachmaninov. With Rach's concertos, I like the not-so-well-known Boris Berezovsky (THE PIANIST! No political reference whatsoever!!!)






In fact, I'll listen to it now!


----------



## Kleinzeit

There's a wonderful _Trois petites liturgies pour la presence divine_ on this, though it seems to be OOP.

But there are many versions on YouTube.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ives - Two Contemplations (The Unanswered Question and Central Park in the Dark) (Bernstein).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## aleazk

DrKilroy said:


> I'm listening to Sailin' Tuns! by Cazazza Dan.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Earlier in this morning I listened to Cazazza Dan's Night Music.


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin (Dorati)
Stravinsky - Le sacre du printems (Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

I like this one, Dr K....conducted by Solti, in fact I'll pop it on the turntable right now!


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Cor Anglais Concerto - Normunds Šne, cor anglais and cond.

Desert Island Disc (if anyone missed me saying it the first two dozen times)


----------



## JCarmel

Go Ahead, Simon...I've never heard you say it once... plus the fact that every part of the title & anything about the work is as completely & utterly unknown to me as its possible for it to be. Yep, a Perfect Storm of ignorance, here...I feel a right ignoramus!


----------



## SimonNZ

Heh, well thats ok, I've only started loving his music after a chance encounter with a Kronos Quartet album earlier this year. No matter how much listening you've explored theres always going to be more great unknown stuff. I take a lot of comfort in that.

Lots of Vaughan Williams colourings and/or allusions in the Cor Anglais Concerto, if you like that sort of thing.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): String Quartet No.8 in F Major, Ben 338

Pleyel Quartet of Koln: Ingeborg Scheerer and Gundrun Hobold, violins -- Andreas Gerhardus, viola -- Julianne Borsodi, cello

View attachment 24394


----------



## GreenMamba

Bernhard Gander - Bunny Games (performed by Klangforum Wien)


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 9 in D major / John Barbirolli, Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich Quartet #3, Brodsky Quartet


----------



## Sid James

This weekend I took in some *Telemann*, *Janacek* and jazz arrangements of *Vivaldi and Bach*:

*Telemann*
_Concerto in F major for recorder, bassoon, strings and continuo
Concerto in E minor for recorder, flute, strings and continuo
Suite in A minor for recorder, strings and continuo_
- Michala Petri, recoder; Klaus Thunemann, bassoon; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Iona Brown (Philips)










Starting with some relaxing but still stimulating listening of *Telemann's recorder concertos*. Listening to Michala Petri playing these intricate pieces, I thought that this is a notch or two up from the simple tunes we played in school on the humble recorder! I also liked the usual mix that you get in Baroque music of slow meditative movements with more vigorous earthy dances, but also more refined courtly dances as well.

Continuing with *more Telemann *and adding* Janacek *to the mix. These two pieces present images in music of cities important to these two composers - Telemann's Hamburg in the early 18th century and Janacek's Brno in the early 20th century. They also have in common a focus on the brass section and this natural, open air feel.

*Telemann* _Overture in F major_ (1725)
- American Horn Quartet with Sinfonia Varsovia under Dariusz Wisniewski (Naxos)










The extremely prolific *Telemann* wrote something like 600 overtures, and this is one of them. The *Overture in F major *is more like a concerto for four horns, but with a twist. It presents images of Hamburg and its environs, the city in which Telemann worked as director of its churches. There are some very novel effects here, and the work comes across are quite picturesque. My favourite bits is the volley of cannons with that pounding aspect, the echo across the lake, the chimes of the Hamburg carillon and - the quirkiest of the lot! - "The Concert of the Frogs and Crows."

This work shows Telemann as an innovator, and it may be hard to believe but in his own lifetime he was considered to be a very highly regarded composer, above even Bach in reputation. Telemann was respected by fellow musicians, Handel said of him that he could write a piece of music as easily as most people could write a letter!

*Janacek* _Sinfonietta_ (1926)
- London SO under Claudio Abbado (Eloquence)










*Janacek's Sinfonietta* was derived from a series of fanfares he wrote for a sports festival in Prague. The composer subsequently expanded these short pieces to form this work, combining them with folk tunes taken from Moravian music. The piece's five movements depict scenes from Janacek's home city of Brno, taking in sights such as the castle, the monastery, the busy main street and the town hall there.

It is less a literal image and more of one rooted in Czech life, and also informed by the optimism that came with Czechoslovakian independence and democracy, which came after World War I. The political element was explained by Janacek to his muse Kamila Stosslova, he said the optimist vibe of the work was about "contemporary free man, his spiritual beauty and joy, his strength, courage and determination to fight for victory."

In its final form, _Sinfonietta _was premiered by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague in May, 1926.


----------



## Sid James

*On to fusion of Baroque with jazz in the 1960's,* arrangements and improvisations by Frenchmen Raymond Fol and Claude Bolling:

*Vivaldi arr. Raymond Fol *_Les 4 saisons _(recorded Paris, 1965)
- Raymond Fol Big Band, including: 
Roger Guerin & Ivan Jullien, trumpets; 
Georges Grenu, tenor sax & clarinet; 
Johnny Griffin, tenor sax (solo); 
Jean-Louis Chautemps, baritone sax; 
Raymond Fol, leader, piano, celesta, arrangements; 
Sadi, vibraphone, bongos; 
Jimmy Woode, double bass; 
Arthur Taylor, drums (Gitanes/Universal)










*Raymond Fol's arrangement for big band of Vivaldi's Four Seasons *is less a literal transcription and more a kind of free arrangement taking in both controlled elements and improvisation. There are many wonderful moments here, the music not only mixes classical with jazz but also mixes different types of jazz in a creative way - from the feel of swing, to smooth jazz, Latin jazz, bebop and so on. This recording is a credit to all involved but I think saxophonist Johnny Griffin is the star of the show, spinning these amazing improvised variations on The Red Priest's immortal tunes. So too vibes player Sadi who often jams with Griffin and others. Last but not least the arranger himself, Raymond Fol, who plays some very interesting cadenzas on the piano. After almost 50 years, this arrangement has aged pretty well, and its always a pleasure to listen to.

*Claude Bolling* _Bach to swing _(recorded Paris, 1961)
- Bolling on piano; Michel Gaudry, double bass; Roger Paraboschi, drums (Gitanes/Universal)










Finishing with a track from a recording of *Claude Bolling's *television show which was apparently popular in France in the 1960's._ *Bach to swing*_, based on the classic B-A-C-H motto, rounds off the set. It sounds quite like something out of the _Well Tempered Clavier_ - except it swings! The accompaniment by Roger Paraboschi on the brushes is also amazing in itself.


----------



## Ondine

Apollo et Hyacinthus, KV 38









Mozart's First Operatic Composition

It is curious how the Opera evolves into an unexpected odd tension at the end of it.

Noteworthy Duets No. 6 and 8; and Aria No. 7


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.3 in B Flat, KV 281

Christian Zacharias, piano

View attachment 24397


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm finding I really like these caprices by Rode. They are clearly Baroque in style in many ways in spite of the fact that Rode falls between the Classical and Romantic era.

After Rode... I was off to some "real" Baroque music:



















Biber is perhaps my favorite Baroque composer after Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.


----------



## Ondine

Kleinzeit said:


> Weston-- There's only the one Ondes Martenot concerto on the Jolivet set.
> There's this out there....
> 
> View attachment 24364


Looks an excellent one, @Kleinzeit. I will look for it.


----------



## Blancrocher

I think I'll settle down with some baroque music myself (having spent most of the day off and on listening to violadude's recommendations for living composers). A cherished album with Gustav Leonhardt playing Louis Couperin.


----------



## Ondine

La Finta Semplice, KV 51


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: Piano Quartets, w. Rubinstein et al (rec.1967); w. Angelich et al (rec.2007); Piano Trios: w. Fontenay Trio (rec.1988/9); Trio for Violin, Horn, Piano, w. Ashkenazy et al (rec. 1968).

View attachment 24407
View attachment 24408
View attachment 24410
View attachment 24411


----------



## opus55

Verdi: La Traviata
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Schubert: Symphony No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Symphony Of Psalms - Simon Preston, cond.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Trio No. 2 in F major
Saint-Saens: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor


----------



## SimonNZ

Charpentier's Caecilla, Virgo Et Martyr - William Christie, dir.

edit: now Purcell songs - Ian Partridge, tenor, George Malcolm, harpsichord










edit: and now Lully's Te Deum - Pierre Capdevielle, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arnold Bax choral works - Stephen Wilkinson, dir.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Harmoniemesse (Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien; Eva Mei, Elisabeth von Magnus, Herbert Lippert, Oliver Widmer; Arnold Schoenberg Choir)


----------



## SimonNZ

Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle - Stephen Cleobury, dir.


----------



## Conor71

*Schnittke: Symphony No. 5, "Concerto Grosso No. 4"*

I've been away on holidays for the last couple of weeks and just got back yesterday - over 60 pages of listening posts to read, good stuff!. Great to see people returning to the forum too . I started on a project to listen to Russian Music just before the holidays and still continuing with that one - If I can sustain my interest I can probably keep it going for a couple more weeks or so. Currently playing Symphony No. 5 from the Schnittke box - I managed to get a cursory listen to all of this one while i was away and now going back for a re-appraisal. I like the music well enough but there doesnt seem a lot of variation in style or mood between each work - maybe further listening will reveal more of the music to me. Next I will listen to the Symphony No. 3 from the Gliere set for a first listen - I made a start on this set yesterday and enjoying it so far as its pretty pleasing accessible music.


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Symphony No. 7
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen








Beethoven, Triple Concerto
Trio Poseidon - Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Neeme Järvi


----------



## SimonNZ

Purcell's Dido And Aeneas - Boston Camerata, Joel Cohen, dir

Superb early small forces / period-instruments version, but never released on cd.

The Boston Camerata are another of those groups where, after randomly hearing and rating as first rank one album after another, I'm now aiming to collect their complete discography


----------



## bejart

Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello

View attachment 24421


----------



## JCarmel

Just popped along to see wots-wot on the current Listening thread... I'm currently engrossed in another Sporting Highlight! This time it's England v Australia one day cricket international from Old Trafford. Then it's the Italian GrandPrix in 15 mins, then back to the Cricket.... before tuning-in tonight for the Ladies Single Final at the US Open tennis!

But here is a delightful bit of Rubinstein for Vaneyes....that I'm currently listening-to.






And my_ total _agreement re the choice of Simon's for Rossini's 'Petite Messe Solennelle' I love Gedda's 'Domine Deus'
on this recording!

And 'Good Luck' to bejart...for The Art of Fugue!!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Trio Sonatas - Helmut Walcha, organ


----------



## Guest

More Beethoven
Octet for Winds
Consortium Classicum


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Bach's Trio Sonatas - Helmut Walcha, organ


If I have the Preston box and $60, would you advise getting the Walcha box or getting $60 closer to retirement?


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

work
Mozart - Violin Sonata No.22 in A, K.305

artist
Pinchas Zukerman









T am diving into Mozarts violin sonatas, and this one I liked very much! Superb performance


----------



## science

Not yet started but coming up next:


----------



## JCarmel

Good choice, oskaar! They are superb in this Brahms recording too....though the recording itself could be a bit brighter.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 2 Rhapsodies, Op.79

artist
Anton Kuerti,


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Complete Symphonies
Goodman, Huggett, The Hanover Band

Yay! I'm very exited about this new aquisition and this will be all I listen to for the next few days. About 20 years ago my first recording of the 7th was Goodman and The Hanover Band. I lost it several years ago and rather than repurchase it, I decided there might be better ones out there. After acquiring five other versions, none of which makes me quite as happy as the Hanover, I finally gave in and got the full set. I will listen to the 7th first.


----------



## NightHawk

FJHaydn: 
Symphony No. 92 'Oxford' - Antal Dorati, Philharmonia Hungarica
Symphony No. 94 'Surprise' - Roy Goodman, The Hanover Band (HIP) 
Symphony No. 104 'London' - Antal Dorati, PHungarica

Director of The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman, was the magnificent boy treble at King's College Cambridge when they recorded the famous _Miserere_ of Gregorio Allegri in 1963, and I stumbled upon a surprising and interesting article about the 'High C's', (5, I think) at this address:
http://victoriasauron.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/allegri-miserere-and-some-happy-mistakes/#comment-25

edit: Wikipedia has a short page on Roy Goodman and it mentions the _Miserere_ recording.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Jerome said:


> View attachment 24426
> 
> Beethoven, Complete Symphonies
> Goodman, Huggett, The Hanover Band
> 
> Yay! I'm very exited about this new aquisition and this will be all I listen to for the next few days. About 20 years ago my first recording of the 7th was Goodman and The Hanover Band. I lost it several years ago and rather than repurchase it, I decided there might be better ones out there. After acquiring five other versions, none of which makes me quite as happy as the Hanover, I finally gave in and got the full set. I will listen to the 7th first.


Ah, I wanted to check out some Haydn symphonies by Roy Goodman, they're on at amazon now for pretty cheap prices (at least on Amazon.de). From the samples, those recordings sounded great.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: 'Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder', BWV 135; 'Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein', BWV 2; 'Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid', BWV 3; 'Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir', BWV 38
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Pascal Bertin, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Guillaume Dufay*: Missa Ecce ancilla Domini
Ensemble Gilles Binchois/Dominique Vellard








*Luigi Boccherini*: String Quartet in C major, Op. 58 no. 1
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








*J. S. Bach*: 'Selig ist der Mann', BWV57
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 3 Intermezzos, Op.117

artist
Marc Pantillon


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Thomas Hampson, David Lutz


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Kurt Moll singing Schubert's Lieder.









What a magnificent voice!


----------



## science




----------



## Bas

J.S. Bach - BWV 137 "Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren", BWV 168 "Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort"
BWV 79 "Gott die Herr ist Sonn und Schild", BWV 164 "Ihr die ihre euch von Christo nennet"
By Peter Kooij [bass], Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Bach Collegium Japan, Suzuki [dir.], on BIS








The cantata for this sunday was no. 138, a very beautiful one. I own a recording by Herreweghe:

J.S. Bach - BWV 138 "Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz"
By Deborah York [soprano], Ingeborg Danz [alto], Mark Padmore [tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Collegium Vocale Ghent Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi








A. Vivaldi - La verità in Cimento (opera)
By Philippe Jaroussky [counter tenor], Sara Mingardo [contra alto], Nathalie Stutzman [alto], Ensemble Matteus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi [dir.], on Näive









And currently in the player:

J. Haydn - Klaviersonaten Hob. XVI/35-39 & 20
By A. Staier on fortepiano, on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 4 Ballades, Op.10

artist
Gabriele Leporatti


----------



## Kleinzeit

Jerome said:


> Beethoven, Complete Symphonies
> Goodman, Huggett, The Hanover Band
> 
> Yay! I'm very exited about this new aquisition and this will be all I listen to for the next few days. About 20 years ago my first recording of the 7th was Goodman and The Hanover Band. I lost it several years ago and rather than repurchase it, I decided there might be better ones out there. After acquiring five other versions, none of which makes me quite as happy as the Hanover, I finally gave in and got the full set. I will listen to the 7th first.


Ah, I'm glad to hear thumbsup about Goodman and The Hanover Band-- their Schubert symphonies are in the mail.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Concerto for 2 Pianos
Igor Stravinsky, Soulima Stravinsky


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 4 Klavierstücke, Op.119

artist
David Korevaar


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Theme and Variations
Christoph Poppen, violin, Yvonne Loriod, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

I like the more elaborate embellishments in other recordings, but nothing beats Haim & co for drama in this music. Great way to enjoy a Sunday morning.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Dvorak's* (1841 - 1904) birthday, Piano Quintet, w. Nash Ens. (rec. 1988).

View attachment 24446


----------



## JCarmel

Was just pottering about on youtube for more Rubinstein....but got side-tracked via The Beaux Arts Trio & so am currently listening to this & thinking...'Jerome!'


----------



## jim prideaux

Diversifying in continuing exploration of Czech music by listening to Lindsays recordings of the two Janacek quartets and Dvoraks Cypresses-on first encounter the two Janacek works do not appear immediately accessible but undoubtedly possess an attractive 'otherworldliness' -the Dvorak pieces exhibit a very subtle beauty and are a little more unobtrusive than other Dvorak chamber works-the recording is to my ears exceptional.


----------



## DaveS

Rach 3rd...Van Cliburn along with Kiril Kondrashin and the Symphony of the Air. Powerful performance.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Cello Conerto in C Major, Ben 104

Zsolt Szefcsik leading the Erdody Chamber Orchestra -- Peter Szabo, cello

View attachment 24455


----------



## PetrB

Debussy ~ Pelléas et Mélisande w/ a.o. Jacques Janse / Victoria de los Angeles / Gérard Souzay / Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion / André Cluytens





One day I hope to get around to a recording -- if it exists -- with Régine Crespin singing the role of Mélisande.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - 6 Klavierstücke, Op.118

artist
Claudio Colombo


----------



## mstar

Brahms's violin concerto.... How do I describe it? Romantic? Certainly. Dreamy? Absolutely. Beautiful? DOUBTLESSLY....


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787: Symphony in B Flat, Op.10, No.2

Michael Schneider conducting La Stagione Frankfurt

View attachment 24460


----------



## cwarchc

Now listening to the "last night of the Proms"
earlier had these
disc 1 & 2, mines the 2007 version, but it doesn't like that image?








preceded by this


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - 7 Fantasias, Op.116

artist
Emil Gilels


----------



## Bas

I don't own this precious gem on cd (yet)


----------



## cwarchc

Bas said:


> I don't own this precious gem on cd (yet)


You need to get it, a great piece


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> If I have the Preston box and $60, would you advise getting the Walcha box or getting $60 closer to retirement?


Heh. You probably shouldn't ask a question like that of a spendthrift, no-retirement-plan, obsessive-collecting Bachophile like myself.

Its a great set, of course, from a great musician who understood bach's works and world about as well as anyone can hope to. Many say its the first choice, and I saw browsing in the Third Ear Guide last night they went so far as to say that any other set is a very distant second.

Well maybe, but its never been the set I've absolutely _loved_ playing - its always been one I've admired rather than enjoyed wholeheartedly. For me _that_ feeling comes from the recordings of Marie-Claire Alain.

-

edit: I could probably add that my morning listening here at work is the Savall recording of Bach's Mass in B minor, as it has been many days for the last couple of months. Not because its the best recording, but because its has an evenness and consistency of volumes, forces, voices and brisk tempos that make it play well in the shop. But those strengths are, from a more objective standpoint, also the weaknesses of this version.

So far nobody has cottoned on to the fact that I've been playing the same two hour work most mornings, nor for that matter have they complained - quite the opposite in fact.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Divertimento for String Trio in G Major

Camerata Berlininsis: Johannes Gebauer and Fiona Stevens, violins -- Ulrike Ruben, cello

View attachment 24472


----------



## Tristan

The more I listen to the _Forlane_ from _Le Tombeau de Couperin_ by *Ravel*, the more I'm convinced it's one of the greatest compositions ever written. Solo piano, orchestral versions...it's absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Symphony No. 6
Roy Goodman, Hanover Band

Diggin' this!


----------



## drpraetorus

Durufle, Requiem. Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony


----------



## maestro267

Today's listening, the first post-Proms day where I have to choose my own music to listen to.

*Penderecki:*: Cello Concerto No. 2
Tatjana Vassiljeva (cello)/Warsaw PO/Wit

*Shostakovich:* Symphony No. 11 in G minor (The Year 1905)
*Shostakovich:* Symphony No. 12 in D minor (The Year 1917)
Both RLPO/Petrenko


----------



## mstar

Okay, so I went from Brahms's violin concerto to his first piano concerto.... Can't get enough of Brahms today, I guess....


----------



## Sonata

Long time since I've posted in the current listening thread! Here's a bunch of what I've listened to lately:

-Beethoven: working through the Gilels piano sonata set, finished two discs so far. Also, complete chamber music for flute, and the triple concerto
-Brahms: String quintets, string quartets, Piano trios 1&3, horn trio, piano quintet
-Haydn: Symphony #75
-Hyperions "Romantic Piano Concerto, volume 1" Which has concertos by Moszkowski and Padrewski. First listen today to both and I enjoyed them very much!


----------



## Sonata

mstar said:


> Okay, so I went from Brahms's violin concerto to his first piano concerto.... Can't get enough of Brahms today, I guess....


Always a good thing!!!! I am Brahms binging myself lately: doing an alphabetical album listening project through my entire music collection and it appears all of my Brahms is titled listing him before the works.


----------



## brotagonist

I did the inaugural playing of my new set of the complete symphonies of Mendelssohn last week, but missed the second disc, _Symphony 2_. I'll listen to it a second time later this evening and perhaps once tomorrow morning. I like a thick _Brotaufstrich_ when I'm hearing something for the first time.


----------



## brotagonist

Sonata said:


> I am... doing an alphabetical album listening project through my entire music collection...


I used to do that  but my buying binges muddled it up so much that I could no longer keep track, so I have gone to a computer-generated random playing order for my CD collection.


----------



## SimonNZ

It occurs to me now that on the subject of Helmut Walcha I should have added that I take the unusual position of prefering his unjustly neglected harpsichord recordings to those on organ. Especially his Well-Tempered Clavier which is something quite special, but is, I believe, now deleted.










It looks like its on youtube, but I can't confirm that at work:


----------



## Blancrocher

Some favorites with Britten and Pears: the Serenade, Winter Words, and Sonnets of Michelangelo. Somebody said something about powerful uses of silence at the end of Peter Grimes on another thread, which may be enough to get me to listen to that great opera again. Things are looking up!


----------



## NightHawk

Don't know why the link from my previous post (p2836) isn't working, it was earlier - what the article said that I found was that Allegri didn't write high 'C's in the _Miserere_. It was a transposition made by Mendelssohn, which somehow became an article of faith i.e. losing the original intent somehow, which was a 4th lower - don't want to hear it! I have the old recording with Goodman singing and you couldn't knock him off those high C's with a 2x4 and the entire male choir is superb. It is, however, translated and sung in English, so you can't have everything.  Goooood night!


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.5 in E Minor

Quartetto Bernini: Marco Serino and Yoko Ichihara, violins -- Gianfranco Borrelli, viola -- Valeriano Taddeo, cello

View attachment 24484


----------



## opus55

Respighi: Six Pieces for violin and piano
Stravinsky: The Firebird


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Violin Concerto
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 6 for flute and bassoon


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Antonín Dvořák (8 September 1841-1904): String Quintet in G Major, Op.77

The Chilingarian Quartet wit Duncan McTier on double bass: Levon Chlingarian and Mark Butler, violins -- Louise William, viola -- Philip DeGroote, cello
View attachment 24485


----------



## Guest

Been jamming these symphonies most of the day.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor (Eldar Nebolsin).









The Allegretto quasi andantino has a melody which reminds me of the German Christmas song 'O Tannenbaum'.


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, WAB 108, "Apocalyptic"*

Had an urge to listen to Celibidaches Bruckner (probably because of the new Celibidache thread) and thought Id start with this one which I think is the best in the box - so lonnnnnnnnnnnng! Really love that 35 minute Adagio


----------



## SimonNZ

Jean-Marie Leclair Violin Sonatas - Monica Huggett, violin


----------



## EllenBurgess

till the world ends by Brittney spears


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Flute Sonata in G Major, Op.1, No.5

Lisa Benosiuk, flute -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

View attachment 24490


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Sheherazade

Comparing the Victoria De Los Angeles, Regine Crespin, and Teresa Berganza recordings


----------



## Conor71

*Atterberg: Symphony No. 4 In G Minor, Op. 14, "Sinfonia Piccola"*

Disc 1 of this box:


----------



## JCarmel

Michael Haydn Requiem Various soloists & the Choir & Orchestra of the King's Consort conducted by Robert King.

Here's Mike....holding his Requiem, as you do?!









Needed cheering-up so put on a Requiem, it always works! And I am mourning the death of my lower molar on the left, more of which was loosened at the weekend c/o a 'Werther's Original' toffee. The dentist said last time he patched it up that it couldn't be patched-up again, so it's only right that I give it a good send-off!

Michael Haydn enjoyed a comfortable time in Salzburg, where he was very well-regarded. "All connoisseurs of music know & have known for some time, that as a composer of sacred music Michael Haydn ranks amongst the finest of any age or nations. In this field he is fully his brothers equal...in fact by the seriousness of his concept he often surpasses him by far." a contemporary critic noted at the time. At least that's what it says in the booklet!


----------



## jim prideaux

Monday morning and for the first time in 32 years I did not return to school as a teacher and I am breaking myself into part time employment effectively by pottering and listening with arguably greater concentration than usual-it is proving to be beneficial-with certain pieces that initially appeared relatively inaccessible in the past I might have just taken the easy way out-however I have devoted the morning to the two Janacek quartets and although I would not have the audacity to claim I am even half way to fully comprehending the pieces I have really found the peculiar and invigorating beauty of both works rewarding. Funnily enough this provides an interesting contrast to the remarkably proficient band 'Nearly Dan' that I watched at the Sage Gateshead on Saturday-I also noticed an upcoming concert by the Royal Northern Sinfonia that features works by Bartok, Enescu and others who fall within the geographical notion of 'Bohemia to the Black Sea'-most importantly to me this will provide the first opportunity to hear a Martinu piece in a concert setting-Happy Days-all it needs for now is my precarious football team to get going!


----------



## JCarmel

Good Luck with the Footie & the Sage concert, Jim...Good Luck too with your retirement plans!

As for me at the moment, I'm trying to ignore the need to go & trim back a Laurel-type hedge that my neighbour has indicated to me this morning...she thinks is getting above itself?!! I'm doing this quite satisfactorily with the aid of Mr Richter, J.S Bach & his Italian Concerto.









With a bit of luck it'll rain again soon....& I'll then not be able to go a-cutting, anyway!


----------



## Oskaar

work
Mozart - Violin Sonata No.24 in F, K.376

artist
Pinchas Zukerman


----------



## realdealblues

The last week I've been pretty dominated by Brahms and Schubert...
View attachment 24496


Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia Orchestra

View attachment 24497


Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4
Claudio Abbado & The Berlin Philharmonic

View attachment 24498


Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4
Rudolf Kempe & The Munich Philharmonic


----------



## rrudolph

Parry:Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy/Symphony #2/Symphonic Variations in E








Bantock: Pagan Symphony/Fifine at the Fair/Two Heroic Ballads








Bax: Symphony #2/November Woods


----------



## realdealblues

Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9
Riccardo Muti & The Vienna Philharmonic

View attachment 24501


Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9
Nikolaus Harnoncourt & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

View attachment 24503


Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9
Leonard Bernstein & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

View attachment 24506


Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9
Charles Munch & The Boston Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Andolink

Edmund Rubbra: Lauda Sion, Op. 110 (1960); The Beatitudes, Op. 109
Voces Sacrae/Judy Martin








Luigi Boccherini: String Quartets from Op. 58--No. 2 in E flat major and No. 3 in B flat major
The Revolutionary Drawing Room








J. S. Bach: 'Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt', BWV151
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








Veli-Matti Puumala: Seeds of Time (2004)
Roland Pöntinen, piano
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra/Hannu Lintu


----------



## JCarmel

Hurrah...it's raining!! No need for anymore troubling thoughts re the hedge-clipping, neighbour-pleasing conscience.
So lets break-out some joyous music...starting with DELIBES..Sylvia






Go, Girls?!!...


----------



## Oskaar

Mozart - Violin Sonata No.25 in F, K.377

artist
Yossi Sivoni
David Ward


----------



## JCarmel

And then follow that with a nice bit of Cole Porter...to really get the shoes a-tapping!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release.

*Schumann*: Piano Music, w. Uchida.

Warmth, musicality go missing. 'Tis a harsh and forced projection of Schumann, recorded in steely sound. Two thumbs down.

View attachment 24517


----------



## Bas

J. Haydn - Sonatas Hob. XVI / 48 - 52
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
These are very nice! 









F. Mendelssohn - String Octet opus 29 and String Sextet op 110
By the Praẑák Quartet, the Kocian Quartet, on Harmonia Mundi








Pierre Rode - 24 Caprices en forme d'ètudes
By Elisabeth Wallfisch [violin], on CPO








Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartet in Cm, Piano Quartet in Gm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: Cello Sonatas, w. Mork & Lagerspetz (rec.1988); Violin Sonatas, w. Osostowicz & Tomes (rec. 1990); Piano Works, w. GG (rec. 1960 - '82); Pogorelich (rec.1991/2).

View attachment 24519
View attachment 24520
View attachment 24521
View attachment 24522


----------



## brotagonist

realdealblues said:


> Schubert...


I figured out how to get rid of the 'Attached Thumbnails'. I had it happen to me for the first time yesterday... must have spent a good 30 minutes on it :-(

Open the posting for editing, switch to the advanced editor and select the option that says 'manage attachments'. If you know the name of the offending one, delete it, close the window and save your posting.


----------



## Schubussy

Maurice Ravel - Piano Trio, Sonatas
Capucon Brothers, Frank Braley


----------



## Blancrocher

Truls Mork in some cello concertos by CPE Bach. I'll make some comparisons to be sure, but this one looks like a keeper.

Mork is also good in Britten's cello suites, by the way, though I've never really warmed up to those pieces. I'll be keeping an eye on Mork's future releases, in any case.

*edit* I see he's got a CPR--that gives me confidence!


----------



## worov

Some Schumann (again) :


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Muhly - Seeing is Believing


----------



## realdealblues

brotagonist said:


> I figured out how to get rid of the 'Attached Thumbnails'. I had it happen to me for the first time yesterday... must have spent a good 30 minutes on it :-(
> 
> Open the posting for editing, switch to the advanced editor and select the option that says 'manage attachments'. If you know the name of the offending one, delete it, close the window and save your posting.


Thanks for saving me the time 

I started to mess with it but then I had to leave the office for a bit. Just got back and was going to mess with it, but you saved me the hassle.


----------



## rrudolph

Maderna: Ausstrahlung/Nono: A Carlo Scarpa, Architetto Ai Suoi Infiniti Possibili








Maderna: Quadrivium/Aura/Boigramma


----------



## Valkhafar

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2. Conducting by Sir Georg Solti, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## julianoq

I am away from the forum these days because I am on my 30 days vacation and trying to stay away from home and the computer. Today at the park near home I listened to Schubert's Gesang der Geister über den Wassern and the 9th Symphony, conducted by Gardiner and performed by the VPO.










And Beethoven's Diabelli Variations played by Maurizio Pollini.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rather weird compilation:

Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 (Hogwood)
Ligeti - Requiem (not sure about performers, there is a new performance on YT in HD, so I'm checking it out  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Another one for the end of the day: Fine - The Choral New Yorker (Scribner).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 53 in E minor (Emanuel Ax).









I'm loving these CDs by Ax - highly recommended!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Kyrie Eleison - Mass in B minor (Helmuth Rilling; Julia Hamari; Siegmund Nimsgern; Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart)


----------



## SimonNZ

taking my own advice and listening to Book 1 of Walcha's WTC


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Young









Yet to be released on disc. I'm listening via Spotify.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer(1759-1831): Partita a 10 in B Flat, Op.45, No.1

Frantisek Vajnar leading the Collegium musicum Pragense

View attachment 24536


----------



## Ondine

The six _Mozartean_ string quintets:

KV's: 174, 515, 516, 516b*, 593 & 614.

*an exact transcription form his beautiful serenade for winds KV 388.


----------



## opus55

Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli


----------



## SimonNZ

Orlando Gibbons anthems and songs - David Wulstan, dir.

sigh...I really need to get back to using my own photos of the vinyl


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.18 in E Major, Op.17, No.1

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello

View attachment 24539


----------



## NightHawk

*@**JCarmel*;523729]Michael Haydn Requiem Various soloists & the Choir & Orchestra of the King's Consort conducted by Robert King.









A fantastic recording of a truly beautiful work. Written about 20 years before Mozart's _Requiem_ I feel a kinship in some places between the two. The 'walking bass' line that ushers in the _Introitus_ is not only solemn and regal but resembles so much the equally beautiful _Stabat Mater_ in F minor of Pergolesi who also begins his work with a walking bass line supporting suspensions in the strings. I am listening to the Requiem you have (above) and the _Stabat Mater_ is this one:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
Pleyel: Symphony in C major, Op. 66


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op.143, D.784

Michael Endres, piano

View attachment 24542


----------



## SimonNZ

selections from Monteverdi's 7th and 8th books of madrigals - William Christie, dir.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat Major (Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert).


----------



## sureshkumar

currently listening to roop kumar rathod ghazals. and i am loving it


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation - Nun Scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Andreas Spering; Im, Kobow, Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln, Capella Augustina).


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Le Vin Herbe - Victor Desarzens, cond (with composer at piano)


----------



## SimonNZ

Henze's Symphony No.8 - Markus Stenz, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Piano Sonata No.1 in C, Op.1


artist
Duncan J. Cumming


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata No.6 in G Minor, Z.807

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert, Ursala Weiss, and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Nicolas Logie, viola -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord

View attachment 24553


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Piano Sonata No.2 in F#-, Op.2

artist
Claudio Colombo


----------



## SimonNZ

Frederic Rzewski's Squares - comp. on piano

edit: now Horatiu Radulescu's Clepsydra


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Piano Sonata No.3 in F-, Op.5

artist
Idil Biret


----------



## Conor71

*Brian: Symphony No. 1, "The Gothic"*

Listened to this epic symphony today - good stuff!


----------



## JCarmel

Glad that you enjoy the Haydn too, Nighthawk!

I'm going to take your musical choice as my first Listen of the day......so it's Pergolesi, up 1st:









and then a very late-night sorting through old LP's in the early hours, produced a recording of Purcell's music played on the harpsichord by George Malcolm.... it must be 30 years since I last heard it?! That's a shame as I used to enjoy listening to it. 
It just goes to show that you need to check all your nooks, crannies and cupboards thoroughly, in case you're missing something?!! My LP was released on the 'Three Centuries of Musick' label but I couldn't find a jpg for it...only this Beulah one, below...


----------



## Lerouse

Alfred Brendel - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major Op.73 -"Emperor"









Really can't stop listening to this, only recently listened to the full thing!


----------



## JCarmel

Waiting for George Malcolm to pluck his last!.....then it's

Beethoven Piano Sonata No 30...& that wonderful third movement!


----------



## jim prideaux

Janacek string quartets are proving to be almost addictive-so Steely Dan 'Cant buy a thrill' and Pat Metheny 'First Circle'-I think it was Duke Ellington who said that there are only two types of music-'good and bad'!-no ghettos round here!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (Eugene Ormany, The Philadelphia Orchestra).


----------



## rrudolph

Henze: Prison Song/Takemitsu: Seasons/Maxwell-Davies:Turris Campanarum Sonantium








Lachenmann: Ausklang/Tableau








Takemitsu: Winter/Marginalia/Gitimalya








Pousseur: Couleurs Croisees/Robert: Aquatilis


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Natalie Dessay has quickly become one of my favourite sopranos and this album is fantastic. It was my first exposure to her after hearing her perform Bernstein's "Glitter & Be Gay" from Candide. Since I haven't listened to it for a while, now is a perfect time to revisit it.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Double Concerto in A- for Violin and Cello, Op.102

artist
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Antonio Meneses
Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter and Gilels in "Russian Piano Music":

Tchaikovsky -Sonata in G (Op. 37)
Medtner - Piano Sonata in G minor (Op. 22)
Glazunov - second sonata in E minor (Op. 75)

Amazing performances.


----------



## quack

SimonNZ said:


> edit: now Horatiu Radulescu's Clepsydra


Thanks for the mention of Radulescu I particularly like his music but I didn't know about this piece and I found it is available for free via the avant-garde project if anyone is interested http://archive.org/details/AGP111

Thread duty I suppose: Sergei Nakariakov tootling the Rococo Variations on flugelhorn


----------



## Valkhafar

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3. Martha Argerich. Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 24523
> 
> 
> Truls Mork in some cello concertos by CPE Bach. I'll make some comparisons to be sure, but this one looks like a keeper.
> 
> Mork is also good in Britten's cello suites, by the way, though I've never really warmed up to those pieces. I'll be keeping an eye on Mork's future releases, in any case.
> 
> *edit* I see he's got a CPR--that gives me confidence!


If you can do it inexpensively, don't neglect to audition Suzuki (BIS, rec. 1996) for CPE Bach Cello Concerti, and Wispelwey (Channel Classics, rec. 2001) for Britten Cello Suites. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: Piano Works, w. Sokolov (rec.1992/3); Lupu (rec.1970 - '76); Angelich (rec.2006); Grimaud (rec.1995).

View attachment 24573
View attachment 24574
View attachment 24575
View attachment 24576


----------



## Bas

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Gaude laetare ZWV 168, Missae Sanctissimae Trinititatis ZWV 17
By the Ensemble Inégal & Baroque Solists Prague, Adam Victoria [dir.], on Nibiru









Franz Schubert - 21 Lieder
By Dieterich Fischer-Dieskau [baritone], Gerald Moore [piano], on EMI








Franz Schubert - Duets for piano & violin Sonate D.574, Rondo opus 70, Fantasie D.934
Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## realdealblues

Brahms: Violin Concerto
Fritz Reiner & The Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Violinist: Jascha Heifetz


----------



## brotagonist

I'm still listening to Harnoncourt/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Haydn London Symphonies. I won't repost the picture.

It is quite an undertaking and has taken me from last week until now to get to disc 4. I might finish disc 5 (the final one) by tomorrow evening.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Brahms*: Requiem, w. Karajan (rec.1983); Herreweghe (rec.1996).

View attachment 24582
View attachment 24581


----------



## Bas

Veneyes, what do you mean by CPR edition, you use this abbreviation quite frequently? (And Brahms' requiem is an excellent choice, btw.)


----------



## rrudolph

Smith: Each Moment an Ending/Blue Too/...And Points North.../Links #11/Breath/Polka In Treblinka/Thaw/Family Portraits: Cubba (Grandfather)


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Clarinet (or Viola) Sonata in Eb, Op.120, No.2

artist
Carol Rosenberger
David Shifrin


----------



## DrKilroy

Messiaen - Turangalila-symphonie (Myung-Whun Chung).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser (Wolfgang Sawallisch).









Giving Wagner a try - liking the overture so far.


----------



## Vaneyes

Bas said:


> Veneyes, what do you mean by CPR edition, you use this abbreviation quite frequently? (And Brahms' requiem is an excellent choice, btw.)


Bes, thanks for your response, and your unconditional *like*.

I thought everyone knew by now. CPR = Cow Pie Redundant.

Just kidding...Certified Perfect Recording. :tiphat:


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm going to take a walk with this gem having seen it earlier in the thread.

p.s. When you make it through your CPR Edition, would you mind giving us all a printable summary, Vaneyes? I've forgotten some of the earlier ones!


----------



## worov

Some Hovhaness for piano :


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 8.*


----------



## JCarmel

Beethoven Sonata No 30 Ronald Brautigam









Just listening to the BBC Record Review's recommendation for Beethoven's Late Sonatas & in particular, my favourite one.


----------



## Bas

I am saving up for the complete Ronald Brautigam Beethoven recordings. He is brilliant (on youtube...)


----------



## SimonNZ

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










selections from Monteverdi's 8th book of madrigals - Rinaldo Alessandrini, dir.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm listening to the Brautigam recordings on the most-accommodating BIS website! 
Was enjoying Vanska's Sibelius Symphonies 1 & 4 there, earlier this evening....


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Clarinet Quartet in E Flat, Op.16, No.1

Jiri Krejci on clarinet with members of Pro arte antiqua Praha: Vaclav Navrat, violin -- Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 24596


----------



## kelseythepterodactyl

I have been listening to a lot of Handel opera lately. This is my current favorite (always changes, of course).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Songs from A E Housman's A Shropshire Lad" - Graham Trew, baritone, Roger Vignoles, piano

settings of Housman's poems by Bax, Butterworth, Ireland, Moeran et al


----------



## NightHawk

*@JCarmel*


JCarmel said:


> Waiting for George Malcolm to pluck his last!.....then it's
> 
> Beethoven Piano Sonata No 30...& that wonderful third movement!
> 
> View attachment 24560


I also have the same Pollini Late Beethoven sonatas presently in the car where I keep maybe 20 discs. I listened to No. 28, Op. 101 in A major while running errands just a few days ago - start-stop-start-stop - not the best way to listen but it is one of my strategies that keeps me cycling through the collection.

For the last two days, in the car, Giordano's _Andrea Chenier_ - this blazing recording w Domingo, Scotto, Milnes, Levine _et al_, all in their prime, is just about perfect.


----------



## Ondine

High caliber piano compositions: Music for Two Pianos and Piano Duets









KV 19d in C: The London -Nannerl & Mozart- Duet: an exceptional beauty gem full of tenderness and pleasing surprises.

The Salzburg Duets, KV 381 in D & 358 in B dur: The _galant_ style heading into the _Mozartean_ form.

Sonata for Two Pianos, KV 448 in D: A _Mozartean _ challenge for Mozart's student, Josepha Auernhammer.

A Larghetto and Allegro in E flat for Two Pianos* (fragments catalogue).

KV 426, Fugue in C minor for two pianos: Mozart's _Bach_ momentum.

Ingrid Haebler & Ludwig Hoffmann

*Jörg Demus & Paul Badura-Skoda


----------



## starthrower




----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Symphony in A Major

Paul Goodwin directing the Zurich Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 24601


----------



## Weston

I felt I wanted a deep listening session this evening. I don't usually try that on week nights, but I felt up to it. About an hour and half in this order:

*PART 1.*
*
Haydn: Symphony No. 93 in D*
Bela Drahos / Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia








This piece is brimming with pageantry, humor and remarkable mid to upper register bassoon writing. Evidently Stravinsky wasn't quite the first to do that. Also, who but Haydn would try (and succeed) at making a minuet sound marshal and light at the same time? The finale proves once again how much Beethoven learned from the great master. It could not be more proto-Beethovenian. A great pleasure throughout.

*
John Field - Piano Sonata No. 3 in C minor.*
Benjamin Frith, piano









I love John Field's piano works almost as much as Beethoven's. This piece is no exception. I especially love the 2nd and finale movement loaded with development of seemingly endless invention and its opening bucolic theme reminds me of bagpipes or a musette. I'd like to hear someone else play it though. I have some great Handel Suites by Frith, but on this he seems a little less than expressive let's say. Maybe even plodding. I was also distracted by an annoying thumping sound that may have been pedals or the piano inner workings. I think I miss the days when instruments were _not_ recorded so "well."


----------



## Weston

*PART 2.*

*Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 32 in A flat major *
Adrian Leaper / RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra









I hate to be a negative person, and I really did enjoy this work, but I can think of little positive to say about it. There are a bunch of instruments gathered together and they play a little of this and then some of that. Other than that I can't remember much about it. The 3rd and 4th movements, which are nearly identical, are the more enjoyable of the four, with interesting and unexpected rhythmic events and they use more contrasts than the previous two movements' experiments in drab homogeneity.

While there are very nice orchestral colors, I'm likely to relegate Brian to merely pleasant background listening than to deep listening. Or maybe he requires deeper listening than I can summon at this time.
*
Robert Schumann: Cello Concerto*
Leonard Bernstein / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Mischa Maisky, cello









This work gets dissed sometimes, so I thought I would give it more than background attention. I have to say I don't understand. I love it!

Here we are treated to memorable themes and triumphant reprises. While the development in the outer movements seem a little bit like Schumann is going though the motions at times, I could have just been getting tired by this point. There are great passionate moments throughout. I found the 3rd movement in particular very passionate, not unlike his piano concerto though without quite its optimism and joy.

My only problem again is the recording. Where did they mic this? I never heard such a volley of sniffing and sorting and explosive exhalations. I think I even heard a death rattle or snoring a couple of times! Fortunately the piece is great enough to shine through the warts-and-all style of production.

Lots of Naxos tonight. Well that was just a coincidence. Or maybe I'm just cheap.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in E Flat, KV 380

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano

View attachment 24603


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op.143, D.784
> 
> Michael Endres, piano
> 
> View attachment 24542


I know I'd love the Schubert sonatas, but I'm thinking of printing this cover, making a magnet of it and sticking it on my refrigerator door as a weight loss aid.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Higdon - Violin Concerto


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - Dann bricht der große Morgen an (John Gardiner; Barbara Bonney, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Andreas Schmidt; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn-Symphonies 45.47.50 from the 'Sturm und Drang symphonies-English Consort/Pinnock- lightness, humour, clarity and obviously a sense of the dramatic-great in the morning-planning in my mind another days listening-what oh!


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Violin Sonata No.1 in G, Op.78

artist
Boris Monoszon
Jan Marcol


----------



## SimonNZ

Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Photoptosis - Hans Zender, cond.

I've been noticing a lot recently that when I investigate interesting CPO albums a very high percentage are deleted (though not this one). Way higher than most other labels. Do they have a policy of "one batch: use it or lose it"?


----------



## Guest

Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade Op. 35
Valery Gergiev, Orchestra of the Kirov Opera, St. Petersburg


----------



## SimonNZ

Noel Lee's Caprices On The Name Schoenberg - Jean-Pierre Marty, cond.


----------



## bejart

Weston said:


> I know I'd love the Schubert sonatas, but I'm thinking of printing this cover, making a magnet of it and sticking it on my refrigerator door as a weight loss aid.


That whole series of the covers of Endres' recordings are pretty revolting, unlike his interpretations.

Now ---
JS Bach: Oboe Concerto in A Major, BWV 1055

Helmut Miller Bruhl conducting the Cologne Chamber Orchestra -- Christian Hommel, oboe

View attachment 24607


----------



## jim prideaux

planned listening disrupted by the postie delivering (rather belatedly) Domus Quartet playing the two Dvorak Piano Quartets-as ever with Antonin I am immediately entranced by his compositions!


----------



## SimonNZ

Alberto Ginastera's Cantata Para América Mágica - Stefan Asbury, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Violin Sonata No.2 in A, Op.100

artist
Igor Shernyshov
Marina Yashvili -









Fantastic violin!


----------



## SimonNZ

Alberto Ginastera's String Quartet No.2 - Cuarteto Latinoamericano


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's Preludes op. 31 played by Laurent Martin.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his baptismal day ---
William Boyce (Bap. 11 September 1711-1779): Symphony No.2 in A Major

Ronald Thomas directing the Bournemouth Sinfonietta

View attachment 24612


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Violin Sonata No.3 in D-, Op.108

artist
Ida Bieler

View attachment 24613


----------



## SimonNZ

Magnus Lindberg's Coyote Blues - Sakari Oramo, cond.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonatas 16 - 18 / D. Barenboim

*Mozart* Symphony No. 39 in E-flat / M.Honeck, Danish National Symphony


----------



## Bas

This is my program of the day:

J.S. Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014 -1019
By Glenn Gould [piano] and Jaime Laredo [violin], on Sony Classics

I also own a recording on harpsichord and baroque violin (Koopman & Manson), I like it for the clarity, for being able to hear better the brilliant structure Bach introduced in these works, yet Gould and Laredo touch me in a more emotional sense.








(I skip the cello sonatas for now, maybe later on the evening or tommorow)

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi







(Sorry Berg enthusiasts, that one will also be skipped...)

Bernhard Molique (1802-1869) - String quartet opus 18 no. 3 in E flat & String quartet opus 28 in Fm
By the Mannheimer Streichquartett, on CPO








W.A. Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 26 "Coronation" & Piano Concerto no. 27
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists and John Elliot Gardiner [dir.]
Disc 9 of the complete set, on Archiv Music








And for the end the day, my most beloved recording of the Golberg Variations (@Vaneyes: my collection is not too enormous, and I try to collect only the best recordings, however this is such an interesting work that I own 5 recordings of it. This is my own Certified Perfect Recording)

J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato
(69'31'')


----------



## Blancrocher

Robert King conducts Bach trio sonatas. A recent acquisition I'm very happy with.


----------



## aleazk

Gesualdo - _Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday_.
Possibly my favorite Gesualdo work.


----------



## Mahlerian

Lutoslawski: Symphonies No. 1 and 2
Los Angeles Philharmonic, cond. Salonen


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev:* Symphony No. 2 in D minor
London PO/Weller


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Will Boyce's* (1711 - 1779) birthday, sampling his symphonies, w. TEC/Pinnock. Delightful. :tiphat:

View attachment 24620


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 24587
> 
> 
> I'm going to take a walk with this gem having seen it earlier in the thread.
> 
> p.s. When you make it through your CPR Edition, would you mind giving us all a printable summary, Vaneyes? I've forgotten some of the earlier ones!


Thank you for your interest and request. A TC search for "CPR Edition" should bring them up.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to follow in Bas's footsteps, with Mozart's 26th. This was my Aunt Eileen's favourite & it's one of mine too.
Recently, I made myself a cd for the car with the Bilson & the Perahia versions on, with one following-on immediately to the other....to see which I definetly preferred.

I definetly prefer this one....









definetly!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Saint-Saens*: Cello Concerti, w. Isserlis (rec.1992 - '99); Violin Concerto 3, w. Kantorow (rec.2004); Piano Concerti 2 & 5, w. Thibaudet (rec.2007).

View attachment 24622
View attachment 24623
View attachment 24624


----------



## julianoq

Two first listens on Hilary Hahn records.

First the Bach Violin and Voice album, with some cantatas mixed with arias from St. Matthews Passion and the Mass in B minor. Very enjoyable record.










And now listening to Ives Violin and Piano Sonatas.


----------



## rrudolph

Thought I'd take a little Scandinavian trip today:

Berwald:Septet in B Flat Major/Serenade/Piano Quartet in E flat Major








Grieg: Holberg Suite Op. 40/Two Elegiac Melodies/Nielsen: Little Suite for Strings








Sibelius: String Quartet in d minor, Op. 56 "Voces Intimae"


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Saint-Saens*: Carnival of the Animals, w. OSM/Dutoit (rec.1980); Symphony 3, w. OdOB/Chung (rec.1991); Piano Trio 1, Septet, w. Nash Ens. (rec.1988).

View attachment 24629
View attachment 24630
View attachment 24631


----------



## julianoq

One more Hahn's record, why not? Barber & Meyer Violin Concertos. Both first listens.


----------



## JCarmel

Just Auditioning Ronald Brautigam in the 'Coronation'.....

http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-1944


----------



## Valkhafar

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3. Martha Argerich, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Clarinet Quintet in B-, Op.115

artist
David Shifrin
Chamber Music Northwest


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Pathetique, Waldstein and Appassionata Sonate (Arrau).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

JCarmel said:


> I'm going to follow in Bas's footsteps, with Mozart's 26th. This was my Aunt Eileen's favourite & it's one of mine too.
> Recently, I made myself a cd for the car with the Bilson & the Perahia versions on, with one following-on immediately to the other....to see which I definetly preferred.
> 
> I definetly prefer this one....
> 
> View attachment 24621
> 
> 
> definetly!


Is that the performance or is the instrument, primary cause for your preference?


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Complete String Quartets


----------



## rrudolph

Hamerik: Symphony #2








Stenhammar: Serenade in F Major Op. 31








Svendsen: Symphony #2


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Clarinet Trio in A-, Op.114

artist
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Blancrocher

I very much enjoyed my first listen to this Corigliano disk, featuring Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, and James Tocco. Lots of amazing melodies--but I'll see how memorable they are after I've had time to forget them!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

jim prideaux said:


> Haydn-Symphonies 45.47.50 from the 'Sturm und Drang symphonies-English Consort/Pinnock- lightness, humour, clarity and obviously a sense of the dramatic-great in the morning-planning in my mind another days listening-what oh!


ah yes, Haydn in the morning is always a great choice .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

continuing 'Tannhäuser' - I actually like this music quite a bit. There's something in Wagner's orchestration which reminds me of Haydn's Creation (which is a good thing ):


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Trio for Horn (or viola or cello), Violin and Piano in Eb, Op.40

artist
The Emory Chamber Music Society Of Atlanta









Very good performance, and perfectly ballanced sound picture!


----------



## JCarmel

It's the performance, Bas....

Actually, I've just been listening to the first movement of both versions once again.... the Bilson is better recorded & therefore more dynamic to listen-to perhaps but when Murray's begins, within moments I've got my Mozart face on. I can't quite describe what that looks like but.... raised eyebrows, yes....eye's looking upwards....repeated shaking of the head to reflect the effect of a greater degree of charming, touching, melodious music-making on my psyche.

I've just re-read that.....it sounds like someone soon should be coming to take me away?!...as in 'They're Coming to take me Away, Ha Ha?!


----------



## Joris

I became curious about this composer thanks to the 'I'm tired of Händel...' thread. As a modest fan of baroque opera this sounds very good to me so far


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Oboe Concerto (Small/Handley).
Vasks - Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra (Sne).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I couldn't care less about the negative comments. I've long loved Anna and I greatly enjoy her latest.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Symphony.*

Right now I'm leaning toward Boulez's first recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I couldn't care less about the negative comments. I've long loved Anna and I greatly enjoy her latest.


A haughty look gets me every time. I'm reduced to putty.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Cello Concerto in D Major, G 476

Vladislav Czarnecki conducting the Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim -- Julius Berger, cello

View attachment 24652


----------



## Ondine

Continuing with Sonatas for Piano Duet:

Sonata in F for Piano Duet, KV 497

Sonata in G for Piano Duet, KV 357/497a + 500a
Allegro KV 497a*(98 original bars)
Andante KV 500a*(158 original bars)
*completed by J. A. André

Andante with Five Variations in G for Piano Duet, KV 501

Sonata in G for Piano Duet, KV 521

Personally I feel that the Duet and Two Pianos Sonatas should be included in his typical set of 17 Piano Sonatas also with the numerical order of their Köchel due to the evident maturity this works show from the _'galante'_ into the _'Mozartean'_ style.


----------



## Ondine

bejart said:


> Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Cello Concerto in D Major, G 476
> 
> Vladislav Czarnecki conducting the Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim -- Julius Berger, cello
> 
> View attachment 24652


Yes! Boccherini; an underrated composer which excelled in every field he explored. His Cello Concerts should be one of the summits of the genre.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Threni
Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








Practically an anti-orchestral showpiece work, filled with spare and sparse textures, the choral and solo writing is inspired in equal measures by Renaissance motets and Webern's Cantatas, with heavy use of canons. A canon between flugelhorn and the principal tenor solo is repeated three times in the first section, against a rhythmically chanting chorus. This intense work ends with a solemn chorale for horns alone, one last wordless lamentation.

Britten: Peter Grimes
Peter Pears, Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden, cond. Britten









The modal clash in the opening chorus (A major/A minor) is but one telling example of Britten's simple but very effective ways of portraying the drama in the music. Also prominent are the different kinds of music used to portray the various characters, with the townspeople favoring simple diatonic tunes against the more chromatic music associated with both nature and the protagonist.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.62 in E Flat

Mikhail Pletnev, piano

View attachment 24655


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 1 Nos. 1-4










The center piece of my chamber music collection!


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> A haughty look gets me every time. I'm reduced to putty.


Way, way too much war paint for me. I'm sure there must be an attractive woman under all that somewhere. But to each his own and _vive la différence_.

My current background music:
Medtner - Romantic Sketches for the Young, Op.54








This is a wonderful series of albums from the late 1980s I think. They've really opened my ears to Medtner's piano works and the covers are tasteful too.


----------



## clavichorder

Scriabin Preludes

I've fallen for op. 16 no. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Arne's Harpsichord Concerto No.5 - George Malcolm, harpsichord, Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Quartet No.1 in G-, Op.25

artist
Alain Meunier
Isabelle Faust








Judith Sherman
Derek Han


----------



## SimonNZ

English catches and part-songs - Pro Cantione Antiqua


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Quartet No.2 in A, Op.26

artist
Arthur Rubinstein


----------



## Guest

Paginini, 24 Caprices for solo violin
Midori, violin








Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Nikolai Lugansky, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Magnus Lindberg's Clarinet Concerto - Kari Kriikku, clarinet, Sakari Oramo, cond.


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> It's the performance, Bas....
> 
> Actually, I've just been listening to the first movement of both versions once again.... the Bilson is better recorded & therefore more dynamic to listen-to perhaps but when Murray's begins, within moments I've got my Mozart face on. I can't quite describe what that looks like but.... raised eyebrows, yes....eye's looking upwards....repeated shaking of the head to reflect the effect of a greater degree of charming, touching, melodious music-making on my psyche.


Oh Julie! I love both those recordings also. Now I have to give at least one of them a listen. Can't wait for this Rachmaninov to wrap up so I can play:








Mozart, K537 Piano Concerto in D
Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra

I like to listen to that along with K459 since Wolfie played them both for Leopold II. I'll pull out the Bilson for that one:








Mozart, K459 Piano Concerto in F
Malcom Bilson, John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Overture in A Minor

Arte del Suonatori -- Dan Laurin, recorder

View attachment 24666


----------



## moeinamini

What is the name of this song?
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/GqdyLnvF/Music_.html


----------



## SimonNZ

Simon Emmerson's Arenas - James Gourlay, dir.

edit: Stefan Niculescu's Ison II: Concerto For Reeds And Percussion - Cristian Brâncuşi, cond.










edit: now Nicelescu's Opus Dacicum -


----------



## JCarmel

I'm currently listening to Sibelius' First Symphony (yet another E Minor work I particularly like!) conducted by Vanska via the BIS site once again...what a nice little facility it is!

I would just like to clarify a point about my 'likes'.... I do struggle somewhat sometimes in an aspect of giving them because I like the music referred-to but don't always know specific recordings that I have been' liking?!' This goes against my nature in that I like to only comment on what I know about. But because I'd either like to listen...at least... to the recording in question or I _have_ heard it & liked it.....I am now Liking it. Just thought I'd make that clear...even though it is of miniscule note to anybody, methinks.

Anyway, I do like the Sibelius I'm listening-to. My Sibelian-symphonic education began very many decades ago...with an LP of Symphony no 2 conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. A little more sedate in pace it certainly was than Mr Vanska's, nevertheless it gave us, all in my family, a lot of pleasure as we sat-around the Gram in the small space that was the living-&-dining room back in the 1960's!


----------



## EricABQ

A Giles recording that has Les Adieux, Waldstein, and Appassionata.


----------



## bejart

Johann Evangelist Brandl (1760-1837): Bassoon Quintet in F Major, Op.13

Calamus Ensemble: Rainer Schottstadt, bassoon -- Sigrid Althoff, piano -- Torsten Janicke, violin -- Mile Kosi, viola -- Joachim Griesheimer, cello

View attachment 24669


----------



## JCarmel

Bruckner's 4th....









http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-SACD-1746


----------



## Blancrocher

I think it was bejart who sent me back to this infectious album, with Pletnev playing Haydn sonatas and concertos. I'm tired and busy, but I can't help smiling.


----------



## DeepR

Jerome said:


> View attachment 24663
> 
> Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
> Nikolai Lugansky


I heard him play it live, twas great.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (Leonard Bernstein, Orchestre National de France).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 1.*

Rorem observed about Erik Satie, he knew when to stop. That can be said about these symphonies also; they are well done, and they know when to stop.


----------



## Bas

Started this morning with a nice baroque opera

Henry Desmarest - Vénus et Adonis
By Karine Deshayes [mezzo], Sébastien Droy [tenor], Anna Maria Panzarella [soprano], Henk Neven [bariton], Ingrid Perruche [soprano], Jean Teitgen [basso], Anders J. Dahlin [hautre contre], Les Talens Lyriques, Choeur de l'Opéra de Lorraine, Christophe Rousset [dir.]
On Naïve, Ambroisse








I especially like that in this work the male roles are quite prevalent. Bass and tenor are very beautiful, but a lot of operas tend to have a whole lot of soprano arias and then a minor role for the male voices...

From the baroque I went to Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 5, Symphony 1, Symphony 3
(discs 1 and 3 from the complete set) 
By The orchestra of the 18th Century, dir. Frans Brüggen, on Glossa








The first symphony is a work I should listen more often, it is brilliant!

After all this symphonic force back to something a little more subtle:

Michel-Richard Delalande (1657-1726) - Petit Motets
By Les Arts Florissants, William Christie [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi (musique d'abord)








Giovanni Batissta Pergolessi - Septem Verba a Christo
By the Akademie für alte Musik, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## jim prideaux

English Consort/Pinnock-Mozart symphonies 38 'Prague' and 39-personally I prefer their recordings of the Haydn 'Sturm and Drang' symphonies that I have been listening to recently but I am not really sure why!-The Haydn recordings seem to have a greater clarity and distinction between the individual instruments and sections of the orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, L'Histoire Du Soldat, Ragtime.*

This recording is what I think a non-narrated L'Histoire should sound like.


----------



## Blancrocher

Manxfeeder said:


> *Stravinsky, L'Histoire Du Soldat, Ragtime.*
> 
> This recording is what I think a non-narrated L'Histoire should sound like.


Who's conducting, Manxfeeder?


----------



## JCarmel

Franck Symphonic Variations.....Clifford Curzon, LSO, Szell.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Blancrocher said:


> Who's conducting, Manxfeeder?


Alexander Lazarev with members of the Bolshoi Theatre. They play with a nice, gruff Russian sound (if you can be nice and gruff at the same time.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Kodaly and Janacek, Masses.*

I'm not a fan of organ masses, but these two are very interesting and well-performed.


----------



## Mahlerian

JCarmel said:


> Bruckner's 4th....
> 
> View attachment 24672


I hate this recording with a passion, both for the version Vanska used and his interpretation of it.


----------



## Mahlerian

Lutoslawski: Symphonies 3 and 4
Los Angeles Philharmonic, cond. Salonen


----------



## rrudolph

Zappa: Strictly Genteel/Pedro's Dowry/Naval Aviation in Art?/Duke of Prunes/Bogus Pomp








Zappa: Revised Music for Guitar and Low-Budget Orchestra/RDNZL








Zappa: Bob in Dacron/Sad Jane/Mo 'n Herb's Vacation/Envelopes/Pedro's Dowry/Strictly Genteel/Bogus Pomp


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Tchaikovsky*: Violin Concerto, w. Repin (rec.2002); Symphonies 1 - 6, w. Philharmonia/Muti (rec.1975 - '79); Manfred Symphony, w. Philharmonia/Ashkenazy (rec.1977).

View attachment 24688
View attachment 24689
View attachment 24690


----------



## brotagonist

I just finished the final disc of the Harnoncourt Haydn London Symphonies set! That was a long project that took me a full week! The last one was especially nice. My (musical) memory is too short: that's what I thought after each disc ;-) All the more reason to listen to it again!

I had been reading about András Schiff this spring. I didn't realize he was so young. I had thought he was one of the legendary performers of the older generation. In any case, I wanted to have something in my collection with which to begin my listening experience. I settled on this (it has been reissued with another cover, too):









He plays Mozart's own fortepiano. Only now do I hear that the fortepiano can, in some passages, elicit the ambiance of the harpsichord. Or is that my musical memory working after all, playing a _Geister-Cembalo_ along with Schiff?


----------



## JCarmel

Listening to that Geza geezer?!....


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

brotagonist said:


> I just finished the final disc of the Harnoncourt Haydn London Symphonies set! That was a long project that took me a full week! The last one was especially nice. My (musical) memory is too short: that's what I thought after each disc ;-) All the more reason to listen to it again!
> 
> I had been reading about András Schiff this spring. I didn't realize he was so young. I had thought he was one of the legendary performers of the older generation. In any case, I wanted to have something in my collection with which to begin my listening experience. I settled on this (it has been reissued with another cover, too):
> 
> View attachment 24691
> 
> 
> He plays Mozart's own fortepiano. Only now do I hear that the fortepiano can, in some passages, elicit the ambiance of the harpsichord. Or is that my musical memory working after all, playing a _Geister-Cembalo_ along with Schiff?


I've been thinking of checking out Harnoncourt's London Symphonies set as well - I already own one by Günther Herbig which I find to be quite good but Harnoncourt is usually different from other conductors so there might be some interesting details there .


----------



## DavidA

Mozart violin concertos / Mutter - she of the gravity-defying dresses.


----------



## brotagonist

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Harnoncourt's London Symphonies set... there might be some interesting details there


I have nothing to compare it to. I believe this is not a strict period instruments recording, but somewhat a compromise: a slimmer orchestra with modern instruments. I have the confidence to suggest that HaydnBearstheClock owes it to himself ;-)


----------



## JCarmel

Chopin Sonata No 3 Maria Joao Pires









(I really enjoyed Geza's Liszt!)


----------



## Sonata

Brahm's German Requiem and Mahler's Resurrection Symphony......

I don't know if it gets any better than that!


----------



## rrudolph

Ives: Three Places in New England/Robert Browning Overture








Carter: Concerto for Orchestra/Three Occasions for Orchestra








Wuorinen: Piano Concerto #3/The Golden Dance


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Schubert 'An Die Musik'









Bryn Terfel with Malcolm Martineau, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 59 in A Major, 'Fire' (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 3 (or 4, I have not decided yet!) (Maazel). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

Brahms Symphony No 2....Dad's Favourite....(the Work rather than this particular interpretation.
Just in case he's looking-down from On High & Tut-Tutting!....)









Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic...with great recorded sound!


----------



## JCarmel

Go for no. 4, Dr K...you know you want to?!!


----------



## Blancrocher

Listening to more Mikhail Pletnev. His Scarlatti cd is my favorite so far, I think--though I don't think I've ever heard a Scarlatti cd I didn't like.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 39 in G minor (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).









Ah, the good old G minor. My favourites here are the outer movements but I like all of them.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with Mutter and Bashmet.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Claude Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Dmitri Kitayenko; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra).









A very interesting piece.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 35 in A flat Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## cwarchc

For some reason, it really doesn't like the link to the box I have?
Anyway, disc 3 & 4 of this great set


----------



## JCarmel

Ravel Piano Concertos Monique Haas, piano, Orchestre National de le RTF, Paris conducted by Paul Paray









Really enjoy these performances. They are perhaps a little slower than modern taste might have it nowadays ( Jean-Yves Thibaudet took the concerto in G at a cracking pace recently at the Proms but I didn't really enjoy it....) but the orchestral playing is full of colour & vitality.


----------



## julianoq

Bach Goldberg Variations, played by Murray Perahia. This is my first listen on this performance. I am on half of it at this moment and I think this is an amazing record!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Ballades*

One of these days, these pieces will ring my chimes, but this is not the day.


----------



## Guest

julianoq said:


> Bach Goldberg Variations, played by Murray Perahia. This is my first listen on this performance. I am on half of it at this moment and I think this is an amazing record!


I've been thinking about getting that. I have the András Schiff recording on piano and another harpsichord version. I like it on piano better. I guess you would recommend the Perahia.

Right now: Mozart, K271 Piano Concerto in E flat, Murray Perahia, The English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Jerome said:


> I've been thinking about getting that. I have the András Schiff recording on piano and another harpsichord version. I like it on piano better. I guess you would recommend the Perahia.


I think he's great, but don't take my word for it: 




I'm still on a Pletnev spree: at present it's his Scriabin. This one will take multiple listens to make up my mind, I think.


----------



## julianoq

Jerome said:


> I've been thinking about getting that. I have the András Schiff recording on piano and another harpsichord version. I like it on piano better. I guess you would recommend the Perahia.


I have only listened to both Gould's and Perahia's records, so I can't compare Perahia's with yours, but after one listen I can say that is an amazing performance, maybe my favorite. I would follow Blancrocher's advice and listen on YouTube before buy


----------



## KenOC

Schiff's new Goldbergs are due out Sept. 30 -- if they're anything like his new WTC, this should be a fabulous version.

Jeremy Denk is touring with the Goldbergs starting about now. There is a free downloadable MP3 of his very nice live performance of the Goldbergs on the net:

http://www.gardnermuseum.org/music/listen/music_library?filter=composer


----------



## Blancrocher

KenOC said:


> Jeremy Denk is touring with the Goldbergs starting about now. There is a free downloadable MP3 of his very nice live performance of the Goldbergs on the net:
> 
> http://www.gardnermuseum.org/music/listen/music_library?filter=composer


Thanks a lot for this! I've been waiting for Denk's Goldbergs since reading his amusing essays on them awhile back. Just thought I'd add this tutorial to the variations by Denk on Youtube:


----------



## Muse

__
https://soundcloud.com/sjnoerf%2Fimprovi20

Hi all,

My very shy brother is posting his tests/improvisations on sound cloud since a few days, ( after bugging him for awhile lol ) he's playing everything on his old electric piano so no fancy instruments ( be warned hehe )


----------



## JCarmel

I don't know why I'm still sitting in the lounge listening to music at 25 to 1 am when me & the car have to be out early tomorrow morning for the horrid MOT test?!
'Fraid I just like listening to this Vanska/Sibelius Symphony No.1 just too much this week!


----------



## KenOC

Denk's (hilarious) musings on the Goldbergs: "Why I Hate the Goldberg Variations" and "Hannibal Lecter's Guide to the Goldberg Variations."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/03/16/148769794/why-i-hate-the-goldberg-variations

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivec...ibal-lecters-guide-to-the-goldberg-variations


----------



## Musician




----------



## SimonNZ

KenOC said:


> Schiff's new Goldbergs are due out Sept. 30 -- if they're anything like his new WTC, this should be a fabulous version.


Are you sure about this? Schiff's second Goldbergs (on ECM) came out in 2003. I haven't seen any indication of a third.


----------



## Valkhafar

Benjamin Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66. London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

SimonNZ said:


> Are you sure about this? Schiff's second Goldbergs (on ECM) came out in 2003. I haven't seen any indication of a third.


Wishful thinking and my mistake! I was thinking about his new Diabellis! But I hope/suspect a new Schiff Goldbergs is upcoming, given his great new WTC and the fact that he is playing them around right now.

https://www.carolinaperformingarts.org/ros_perf_series/andras-schiff-goldberg-variations/


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.2, No.4

Sonare Quartet: Jacek Klimkiewicz and Laurentius Bonitz, violins -- Hideko Kobayashi, viola -- Emil Klein, cello

View attachment 24711


----------



## Ondine

The Six Munich Piano Sonatas: KV's 279-284


----------



## opus55

Struass: Sinfonia Domestica
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 42 and Op.2


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Alexander's Feast - John Eliot Gardiner

which remindes me: I got quite excited a couple of days ago when the Penguin rep showed me a new Bach book on the way written by John Eliot:










oh, and a couple of weeks ago I almost got excited when a different rep showed me another book on the way by Jeremy Summerly. Unfortunately that one is a history of christmas carols, which no doubt will be well written and insightful, but I'd much prefer to see him do something like, say, The History and Development Of Renaissance Polyphony


----------



## SimonNZ

Joseph-Guy Ropartz's Psalm 136 - Michel Piquemal, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

brotagonist said:


> I have nothing to compare it to. I believe this is not a strict period instruments recording, but somewhat a compromise: a slimmer orchestra with modern instruments. I have the confidence to suggest that HaydnBearstheClock owes it to himself ;-)


ADVICE REQUESTED-when considering which recordings to buy I have increasingly used Penguin guide in combination with Amazon reviews and if possible posts on this forum-at the moment I am really confused-Haydn 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies performed by Pinnock/English Consort (to my ears) is perfection-I now want to move on to Paris and London symphonies and I cannot 'see the wood for the trees'-no matter how much I read and consider arriving at a decision appears tricky-HELP!


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> ADVICE REQUESTED-when considering which recordings to buy I have increasingly used Penguin guide in combination with Amazon reviews and if possible posts on this forum-at the moment I am really confused-Haydn 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies performed by Pinnock/English Consort (to my ears) is perfection-I now want to move on to Paris and London symphonies and I cannot 'see the wood for the trees'-no matter how much I read and consider arriving at a decision appears tricky-HELP!


Well I'd take the advice of Penguin over Amazon reviewers any day. Penguin aren't the last word, but I've found they're usually in the ballpark - I may disagree with their top choice or reservations, but I can't remember the last time I thought they praised an awful album or vice-versa. There are many great Haydn Symphony recordings now so you can really tailor the top-shelf recordings to your subjective taste. Penguin give a rosette to the Kuijken period-instruments set of the Paris Symphonies, and if you like Pinnock then that seems a safe bet.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

jim prideaux said:


> ADVICE REQUESTED-when considering which recordings to buy I have increasingly used Penguin guide in combination with Amazon reviews and if possible posts on this forum-at the moment I am really confused-Haydn 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies performed by Pinnock/English Consort (to my ears) is perfection-I now want to move on to Paris and London symphonies and I cannot 'see the wood for the trees'-no matter how much I read and consider arriving at a decision appears tricky-HELP!


With the Paris symphonies, I have two sets - the Kuijken and the Tafelmusik with Bruno Weil conducting - both are HIP, although the Tafelmusik is a bit 'sprightlier' while the Kuijken is a bit more 'transparent', with more emphasis on the fortes. The recording quality may be a bit clearer on the Kuijken recording, but overall it's a matter of taste - both sets have their stronger and weaker points, so it's hard to decide on which is 'better'.

For the London symphonies I only have the Günther Herbig set which I find to be quite good, although sometimes I find the tempos are too quick. I've heard some of the Jochum set - overall, Jochum looks at the London symphonies as precursors to Beethoven's (at least that's how it comes across to me), so his reading isn't 'light' but I remember really liking his interpretations of symphonies 93 and 95.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 41 in C Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi's Cello Concerto - Tim Hugh, cello, Howard Griffiths, cond.


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Symphony no. 2
By The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ricardo Chailly [dir.], on Decca








Johannes Brahms - String Quartet opus 41 no 2. & Piano Quintet opus 34
By the Takàcks Quartet & Stephen Hough [piano], on Hyperion








Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 1, Piano Concerto no. 2 & Moonlight Sonata
By The Academy of Ancient Music, Steven Lubin [forte-piano], Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca








Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 1
By Anima Eterna, Jos van Immerseel [dir.], on Zigzag (via spotify)
(I don't own this recording, checking out whether it is worth to own compared to the Brüggen I posted yesterday.)


----------



## joen_cph

*Samuil Feinberg*: Piano Concerto no. 3 (1947).

The slow movement is very much in the vein of that of Rachmaninov´s 2nd Symphony and maybe Brahms´ 2nd Concerto too





 (OBS: Stanislav Bunin recording)

The rest of this often impressive concerto has more traits of Scriabin or, say, Boris Lyatoshisky.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuil_Feinberg)


----------



## jim prideaux

whilst listening to Domus performing Dvorak piano quartets I was reflecting on the increasing realisation that for much of my life I had discounted 'chamber music' imagining (or possibly being lead to believe) that you had to perhaps possess a more 'refined ear', that it was indeed an 'acquired taste',a 'higher' musical form and consequently less accessible-well that has recently proven to be a complete fallacy and I now wish I had realised earlier!-thanks in particular to Brahms and Dvorak another area of music is now opening up to me!


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Finzi's Cello Concerto - Tim Hugh, cello, Howard Griffiths, cond.


just noticed this post-'nice one'-reminds me that it is all well and good banging on about Martinu and Dvorak and Brahms chamber music etc but there comes a time when there is a need to return to established 'old friends':tiphat:


----------



## JCarmel

With all this Schiffery going-on...I'm going to have to listen to this....one of my most-favourite Mozart recordings.









I've only just managed to put it away after having played it to death!


----------



## bejart

Carolus Hacquart (1640-1701?): Chelys, Suite in D Major, Op.3, No.6

Guido Balestracci, viola -- Nicola Dal Maso, violin -- Rafael Bonavita, archlute -- Massimilano Raschetti, chamber organ

View attachment 24725


----------



## SimonNZ

"Chant Gregorien: Chants A La Vierge" - Deller Consort


----------



## EricABQ

Cherubini piano sonatas played by Andrea Bacchetti.

This recording sort of gets lost in the shuffle for me, but it shouldn't. I really enjoy it when I listen to it.


----------



## DrKilroy

JCarmel said:


> Go for no. 4, Dr K...you know you want to?!!


Sorry, I went with No. 3 finally! 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

I enjoyed listening to the link KenOC provided of Jeremy Denk playing the Goldberg Variations last evening, and am now starting my day with an old favorite recording of Charles Rosen in the same music. More Bach may follow, I fear!


----------



## maestro267

Yesterday evening, I listened to Reinhold Gliére's Symphony No. 3 in B minor, and picked up a lot more from it (in terms of recurring themes) than I have done before.

Right now, I'm on York Bowen's Symphony No. 2 in E minor (BBC Phil./A. Davis)


----------



## Kevin Pearson

jim prideaux said:


> just noticed this post-'nice one'-reminds me that it is all well and good banging on about Martinu and Dvorak and Brahms chamber music etc but there comes a time when there is a need to return to established 'old friends':tiphat:


Finzi is a fine composer. I don't think he's in the same league as Dvorak and Martinu but he has written some wonderful pieces. I really enjoy his cello concerto and his clarinet concerto.

Kevin


----------



## Winterreisender

Liszt: Les Préludes - Leipzig Gewandhaus, Kurt Masur


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Symphony No. 1 in C minor (Vladimir Ashkenazy; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn Sun Quartets Op. 20


----------



## Bas

W.A. Mozart - La Clemenza di Tito 
By The Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor, Mark Padmore [tenor], Alexandrina Pendatchanska [soprano], Bernarda Fink [mezzo], René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## brotagonist

The last of my August purchases arrived yesterday:









There is nothing warlike about this music. The _War Sonatas_ moniker is a misnomer. Most of the music was planned and composed prior to Russia's entry into the WWII conflict. Rather, the inspirations are Beethoven's _Appassionata Sonata_ and romance. The first two are spirited and the final is dreamy.


----------



## Bas

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Haydn Sun Quartets Op. 20


That one is on my to buy list.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Variations, Op. _31_
Chicago Symphony, cond. Boulez

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42
Peter Serkin, London Symphony, cond. Boulez









Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden, Op. _13_
BBC Choir, cond. Boulez








Two to celebrate the important number, forwards and backwards, and one more in the middle just because.


----------



## Blancrocher

I'll listen to op.4 (Verklarte Nacht) and op.9 (the 1st Chamber Symphony), which adds up to the coveted 13. Thanks for the reminder of the big occasion, Mahlerian!


----------



## brotagonist

A long cherished album that I turn to regularly:









vorwärts rückwärts und rückwärts vorwärts
dessus dessous et dessous dessus

I love this ♪♪ :trp:


----------



## Skilmarilion

Been listening to a pair of symphonic beauties ...

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 10 / S. Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker

*Rachmaninov* - Symphony No. 2 in E minor / T. Otaka, BBC Welsh Symphony


----------



## JCarmel

I'm afraid that I'm doing 'a COAG'....

Sibelius Symphony (1 & 4) again....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to *Sibelius*, Grieg, and Nielsen String Quartets.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Haydn Sun Quartets Op. 20


Ahh, you've got that set - it's worth quite a bundle on amazon.de, I don't know if it's that way on amazon.com. I was thinking of getting the London Quartet set, the price there is quite good.


----------



## JCarmel

Don't think there'd be any Intimate voice-ings from me in that nithering-looking Scene, neoshredder?!! Even with my Thermals on....
Something instead to _warm_ the cockles of your.....well, I'll leave the rest to you, dear Reader!...with some romantic-era melodies from Schumann & Mendelssohn. 
Love the 'Introduction & Allegro' & 'Capriccio Brillant' to bits, I do!


----------



## Vesteralen

Finally getting around to this one. The last one of this group's I listened to was:









...featuring more percussive and rhythmic songs.

I'll have to mull over it and decide which approach I like better. Certainly challenging material for this medieval newbie.


----------



## NightHawk

Earlier this morning:
Mozart Piano Concertos No. 9, in Eb, K271 - No. 14, in Eb, K449, - No. 15 in Bb, K450.









Mitsuko Uchida with Jeffrey Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Wind Quintet Op. 26
London Sinfonietta, cond. Atherton









Twice thirteen!


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Quartet No.3 in C-, Op.60

artist
Benjamin Schmid
Pro Arte Quartet of Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Now I'm listening to Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Hogwood). 

EDIT: I will listen to Mahler tomorrow and concentrate on Schoenberg today. I'll try to listen to Pierrot Lunaire, Five Pieces for Orchestra, Variations for Orchestra, Piano Concerto, Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, Chamber Symphony No. 1 and String Quartet No. 4. I might skip some if I will be sleepy.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

I was going to listen to some opera tonight, namely 'Samson et Dalila' & then a little neuron called to a dendrite nearby & they made a little spark together (aah!..) & reminded me of the Samson on the cd below (his mother seemingly named him Samson for Strength & Pascal, for Spirit says Wikipedia...) that I hadn't heard for ages. And then upon retrieving the disc from the shelves, I noted that the conductor was Louis Fremaux...a rarely-remembered-one, that I had a healthy respect-for in my younger days.









Chopin Piano Concerto 1 & 2 Samson Francois (piano) Orchestre National de l'Opera de Monte Carlo conducted by Louis Fremaux


----------



## joen_cph

Onute Narbutaite - Symphony no.2 (1998-2001)

Holy Cow, this seems to be really good ... 
http://www.mxl.lt/en/classical/info/347 '

The 1st movement somehow reminds me of Bruckner´s 9th with heavy brass, massive string formations, lots of miniature solo passages, underlying stasis, albeit a good deal more intimate and fragmented, very warmly and nicely recorded. The 2nd movement has the title "Melody", but is not overtly sweet and features a lot of string writing and a prominent trumpet solo at the end, a bit like the more elegiac moments in Petterson´s symphonies like the 6th, for instance.


----------



## joen_cph

Will join concerning Schönberg - a nice old _Verklärte Nacht_ conducted by Stokowski, on LP.


----------



## Guest

Did the two symphonies this morning....on to the Norwegian rhapsodies.


----------



## Oskaar

work
Brahms - Piano Quintet in F-, Op.34

artist
The Schubert Ensemble








William Howard


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's The 60th Parallel - David Robertson, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Grieg - 3 Concerti for Violin and Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony no. 65 in A Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









Love the humour in the 2nd movement.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony no. 50 in C Major.


----------



## Weston

Edward Elgar - Falstaff, for orchestra. Charles Dutoit / Montreal Symphony Orchestra

I've got this tone poem or orchestral suite (it's hard to tell which) in the background while doing some late night mundane computer work. To me it sounds an awful lot like Richard Strauss, without quite so much of Strauss' fascination with sudden jarring changes. As such it's a little raucous for late night, but is interesting as it seems little known. I would never have guessed it as Elgar.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Weston said:


> Edward Elgar - Falstaff, for orchestra. Charles Dutoit / Montreal Symphony Orchestra
> 
> I've got this tone poem or orchestral suite (it's hard to tell which) in the background while doing some late night mundane computer work. To me it sounds an awful lot like Richard Strauss, without quite so much of Strauss' fascination with sudden jarring changes. As such it's a little raucous for late night, but is interesting as it seems little known. I would never have guessed it as Elgar.
> 
> View attachment 24765


Are you a programmer?  (25 characters)


----------



## Weston

joen_cph said:


> View attachment 24756
> 
> 
> Onute Narbutaite - Symphony no.2 (1998-2001)
> 
> Holy Cow, this seems to be really good ...
> http://www.mxl.lt/en/classical/info/347 '
> 
> The 1st movement somehow reminds me of Bruckner´s 9th with heavy brass, massive string formations, lots of miniature solo passages, underlying stasis, albeit a good deal more intimate and fragmented, very warmly and nicely recorded. The 2nd movement has the title "Melody", but is not overtly sweet and features a lot of string writing and a prominent trumpet solo at the end, a bit like the more elegiac moments in Petterson´s symphonies like the 6th, for instance.


I checked this out on YouTube - a bit hard to find, but worth looking. One to add to my want list.


----------



## joen_cph

Malipiero: String Quartets 1-8

Overall, this is a varied and fresh-sounding quartet cycle, recommendable and well played in this super-budget Brilliant Classics release.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nicola Vicentino: vocal and instrumental works - Francis Baines and Denis Stevens, dirs.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E flat Major, 'Eroica' (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Weston

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Are you a programmer?  (25 characters)


No, just sleep issues.

Now playing, Bach - Violin Sonata No. 5, BWV 1018
Bob van Asperen, harpsichord / Lucy van Dael, violin. It's a Naxos thing, Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, Vol. 2.


----------



## Weston

And now - Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A, Op. 69
Jeno Jando, piano / Csaba Onczay, cello, also on Naxos. 

I'm embarrassed how much of my collection is on Naxos, but they really do have an astonishing selection.


----------



## Chrythes

Rubbra - Symphony No.6.


----------



## SimonNZ

Holst's Japanese Suite - JoAnne Falletta, cond.

edit: now Rodion Shchedrin's Piano Concerto No.1 - comp. at piano, Evgeny Svetlanov, cond.










edit: and now Shchedrin's Carmen Suite - Yuli Turovsky, cond.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition --
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Flute Sonata in G Minor, Op.91, No.2

Douglas Worthen, flute -- Ursala Dutschler, harpsichord

View attachment 24774


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Trio No.4 in A, Anh.4/5

artist
Trio Fontenay









This is a beautiful trio! The Brahms piano quartet and quintet was a bit to much to me with violent strings, at least at the moment. A trio seems to suit me bether. Fine version.


----------



## Vesteralen

Recent purchase from a TC recommendation.

I have and have heard the Brahms pieces many times. Nicely done here.

But, the Schubert was new to me. Very impressive.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Trio No.1 in B, Op.8

artist
Janne Fredens
Natsuki Fukasawa
Line Fredens


----------



## DrKilroy

Currently our good Aleazk's Piano Concerto. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

Hurrah! Australia all out & for not too many runs!
So, I've got a bit of listening time for 20 mins or so....
Should I delve in to the vast unknown-ness of the new downloaded Sibelius set....or go for something that I can easily hear in the kitchen whilst I'm preparing a bap but doesn't matter too much if I miss a note or two?!
The latter I think.....Massenet, here we come!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy860oVG_**

Mmm, I've heard worse?!!


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Trio No.2 in C, Op.87 73

artist
Altenberg Trio Wien


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 6 (Berglund).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## kelseythepterodactyl

I am listening to Albert Lorzing's silly operetta Zar und Zimmermann. So cute!


----------



## Weston

Back at it this morning.

*Haydn: Symphony No. 79 in F *
Nicholas Ward / Northern Chamber Orchestra, and yes, it's on Naxos.


----------



## Blancrocher

Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman & Jacqueline du Pré - Beethoven: Piano Trios

I'm used to listening to Beethoven's mature masterpieces such as the op. 2 piano sonatas, but it's good to be reminded that even his op. 1 piano trios works are worth listening to!

Looking forward to the named pieces, though.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Trio No.3 in C-, Op.101

artist
Trio Opus 8


----------



## Weston

Nice contemplative piece. Vincent Persichetti: The Hollow Men for trumpet and orchestra. Strangely, it appears as filler on this digital album of mostly Cowell music and is not listed on the cover.










I prefer it to the Cowell works at the moment.


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
London Symphony, cond. Haitink


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> Nice contemplative piece. Vincent Persichetti: The Hollow Men for trumpet and orchestra.


That looks interesting. I'll have to hunt that one down.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7


----------



## Weston

Work is done. Finishing off with Bruch: Concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra, Op. 88 from this very pleasant album.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - String Quartet No.2 in A-, Op.51, No.2

artist
New World String Quartet


----------



## NightHawk

This morning:

Mozart Piano Sonatas various from the boxed set - Christoph Eschenbach









Eschenbach won the Clara Haskil Competition in 1964 and began his first recordings of Mozart at that time. This complete collection is really fine. I'm always amazed that these sonatas are so deeply captivating. It has taken me twenty minutes or so to write this post b/c I have the earphones on and just get captured by the beauty of the music and the performance and stop 'writing'.

question: my boxed set doesn't have that ugly _AutoRip_ banner on it. What does it mean?

Good weekend to you all~


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - String Quartet No.3 in Bb, Op.67

artist
Cavani Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - String Quintet No.1 in F ('Spring'), Op.88

artist
Guarneri Quartet
Pinchas Zukerman









What a fine work! And this recording suited me best from those on spotify after some quick browsing. Eccelent!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 34 in D Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## brotagonist

NightHawk said:


> question: my boxed set doesn't have that ugly _AutoRip_ banner on it. What does it mean?


Luckily, those horrid banners do not appear on the albums  Amazon superimposes them onto the images of album covers to signify that, if you purchase directly from them, you will receive the album in the mail, but you can also download a copy _gratis_.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer 1759-1831): String Quintet, Op.70

Stamic Quartet with Karel Plocek on viola: Jindrich Pazdera and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 24793


----------



## JCarmel

Your work is done, Weston...(my cricket game is done, too...an England win but down to the last over before it was obtained!)

And so I'll take your choice of music of the Bruch too, as I've not heard it in a while....


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - String Quintet No.2 in G, Op.111

artist
Thomas Kakuska
Belcea Quartet


----------



## Valkhafar

Jean Sibelius: Concerto in D minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 47. Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Osmo Vänska, Lahti Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 33 in C minor (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - String Sextet No.1 in Bb, Op.18

artist
Luz Leskowitz


----------



## JCarmel

In memory of Ray Dolby....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obi...aries/film-obituaries/10307407/Ray-Dolby.html

& Aunt Eileen, who provided the cassette tape!









Mozart, Concerto for Flute & Harp K299, James Galway, LSO conducted by Eduardo Mata.


----------



## Schubussy

Maurice Ravel - Piano Works
Pascal Roge








and

Ludwig van Beethoven - The Late String Quartets
Tokyo String Quartet


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Previn/Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - String Sextet No.2 in G, Op.36

artist
The Alberni String Quartet
Roger Best
Moray Welsh


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Sonata for Piano and Violoncello in E minor (Mstislav Rostropovich; Rudolf Serkin).


----------



## clavichorder

Really fun sonata by Clementi in A major, op 10 no. 1.






The finale sounds like Scarlatti.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in D Major for 2 oboi d'amore, cello, strings & b.c. (Camerata Köln).


----------



## JCarmel

Sibelius again, I'm afraid...the Essential bargain set...again, I'm afraid....

Violin Concerto, soloist Leonidas Kavakos, Osmo Vanska conducting The Lahti SO.









Really enjoying this interpretation....I hadn't heard it before, I believe....I'm sure that I should have done! I think that on the original cd issue, two versions of the concerto were offered but here its just the later, revised one...which is suiting me just fine.


----------



## GreenMamba

Schubert String Quartet D804 (#13), Chilingirian Qt.


----------



## NightHawk

*@brotagonist*


brotagonist said:


> Luckily, those horrid banners do not appear on the albums  Amazon superimposes them onto the images of album covers to signify that, if you purchase directly from them, you will receive the album in the mail, but you can also download a copy _gratis_.


Thank you for the explanation - very good to know! nh


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Mariazellermesse - Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## bejart

Karl von Ordonez (1734-1786): Symphony in A Major (Brown A4)

Kevin Mallon conducting the Toronto Camerata

View attachment 24806


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Persichetti, The Hollow Men.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Orlando Gibbons: Tudor Church Music - Philip Ledger, dir.


----------



## Conor71

*Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 3*

After a few diversions later last week I am back to my Russian music listening project this weekend - Played a couple of Discs from the Myaskovsky set (Symphonies Nos. 1, 22, 25 & 26) and Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 from the Glazunov box (its taken a long time to get familiar with these works but Im getting there I think!). Earlier in the morning I listened to the Taneyev recording:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder - Astrid Varnay, soprano, Leopold Ludwig, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1


Blown away by Bruch's Violin Concerto. One of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard.


----------



## KenOC

neoshredder said:


> Blown away by Bruch's Violin Concerto. One of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard.


Bruch would angrily tell you that he wrote more than one, but nobody's listening...


----------



## SimonNZ

Edino Krieger Estro Armonico - cond. by composer

edit: now Goffredo Petrassi's Divertimento - Francesco La Vacchia, cond










edit: and now Tadeusz Baird's Four Essays - Witold Rowicki, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Conor71 said:


> *Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 3*
> 
> After a few diversions later last week I am back to my Russian music listening project this weekend - Played a couple of Discs from the Myaskovsky set (Symphonies Nos. 1, 22, 25 & 26) and Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 from the Glazunov box (its taken a long time to get familiar with these works but Im getting there I think!). Earlier in the morning I listened to the Taneyev recording:


personally impressed with anyone who persists with Glazunov-recently found bargain set (coincidentally the same set you have been listening to) of his works on I-tunes and failed to make any real 'headway'-it is not often I give up in that way but I found very little to admire,enjoy or appreciate-however having read your post it may be time to return to the symphonies!


----------



## Conor71

jim prideaux said:


> personally impressed with anyone who persists with Glazunov-recently found bargain set (coincidentally the same set you have been listening to) of his works on I-tunes and failed to make any real 'headway'-it is not often I give up in that way but I found very little to admire,enjoy or appreciate-however having read your post it may be time to return to the symphonies!


i bought the Glazunov set late last year and have given up on it several times for exactly the reasons you have cited - it just isnt very striking music i think. I was a bit suprised myself when i found myself enjoying the Symphony No. 5 today as it is about the 10th time I listened to it. I say if you are in no hurry then defintely keep trying with the music till you get something out of it - sometimes thats hard when there is so much music competing for your attention!. Edit: Sorry if youve heard them already but do give Glazunovs Violin Concerto and The Seasons a listen at some stage - they are a bit more memorable than the Symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Arc - Seiji Ozawa, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 In D Major, Op. 29, "Polish"*

Now playing the 3rd Symphony from the Tchaikovsky box (I find myself listening to this one quite often for its great slow movement) and then I will listen to the 3rd Symphony from the Gliere set - I have member opus55 to thank for bringing this composer to my attention. I have really liked what I heard from the box so far:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (Leonard Bernstein; Orchestre National de France).


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Sonata for Arpeggione (or Cello) and Piano, D.821

artist
André Navarra
Annie d' Arco


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Kwaidan Suites

Heh, I'm being naughty: I'm meant to be using these couple of hours most nights for discovery-listening. And I already know I love Takemitsu.


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> Takemitsu's Kwaidan Suites
> 
> Heh, I'm being naughty: I'm meant to be using these couple of hours most nights for discovery-listening. And I already know I love Takemitsu.


That sure is a cool looking set! Its only available for 100 quid on Amazon at the moment  Maybe I can pick up a download of it at some stage - thanks for posting it


----------



## SimonNZ

Thanks, though unfortunately I don't own it, much as I'd like to, and I certainly can't afford those prices at the moment. Mahlerian gave that set a write-up somewhere recently, but now I can't see where.

There really ought to be more - or indeed any - sizeable Takemitsu box set overviews on the market

(To the record companies lurking on this site to see whats "trending": Takemitsu Complete Sets!! Please!!)

ahem...playing now:










George Antheil's Serenade No.1 - Daniel Spalding, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - Sie steigt herauf, die Sonne (John Eliot Gardiner; Bonney, Johnson, Schmidt; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in A-, D.385, Op. posth.137, No.2

artist
Gilbert Kalish
Philip Setzer









Very fine version of a fine sonata. I love the airy, tender violin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Magnus Lindberg's UR - Ensemble interContemporain


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in D, D.384, Op.posth.137, No.1

artist
Isaac Stern


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner* _Symphony #2 in C minor (Haas Edition)_
- Vienna PO under Horst Stein (Eloquence)










Starting the weekend's listening with *Bruckner's Symphony #2 *. Earlier this year I went through a Bruckner phase and described my thoughts of his symphonies in my weekend posts, this was the last one I had to cover. The main theme that emerges in the episodic first movement courses through the whole work, a high point for me is the slow movement where Bruckner's classic combination string and brass sonorities reminded me strongly of Gregorian chant. 

*Album: Lincoln Mayorga and Amanda McBroom - Growing up in Hollywood town*
- McBroom on vocals with Mayorga directing his band and string orchestra from the piano (Sheffield Lab)










Continuing with some easy listening. *Amanda McBroom* was a singer who emerged in the early 1980's, and *Lincoln Mayorga* was a classical pianist.

In this crossover album they team up in a series of vocal and instrumental tracks of their own and others' compositions. McBroom sings some of her own songs - including _The Rose_, made famous by Bette Midler - and also show tunes like Johnny Mercer's _Hooray for Hollywood_.

Interspersed with those are instrumental tracks composed by Mayorga, featuring solos by the various instrumentalists of his band. Mayorga was a formidable classical pianist in his own right, he recorded works of the great composers like Chopin, and his arrangements for this album show a unique flair for blending the sounds of the strings with the saxophone, guitar, vibes and so on. This album is just superb, a joy to listen to. 

Then an interlude with one of the most famous *moto perpetuos* about a certain insect that makes honey - and it does its rounds collecting pollen in under two minutes!

*Rimsky-Korsakov* _Flight of the Bumble-Bee_
- Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Anthony Brammall (Naxos)


----------



## Sid James

Finishing up with two of my favourite *symphonic suites*, and continuing the *Hollywood theme* too: 

*Bernstein* _On the Waterfront - Symphonic Suite from the film_ (1954)
- Bournemouth SO under Marin Alsop (Naxos)










The film *On the Waterfront* was Bernstein's only film score. Director Elia Kazan's film about a conflict between longshoremen and their corrupt union on the New York docks broke new ground in terms of its grittiness, realism and incorporation of things like improvisation and method acting. The film featured an all-star cast - Marlon Brando, Eve Marie-Saint, Rod Steiger and Karl Malden.

Even though Lenny had success with this score in terms of it garnering an Oscar nomination, he found working in Hollywood to be quite a restrictive experience. Much of his original score literally hit the cutting room floor and didn't make it to the film. So he fashioned this piece from it, and its one of my favourite works by him.

For all intents and purposes, this is a symphony, but it also ties into the action of the film. The pivotal love theme is in effect the slow movement. Who can forget that soaring emotional melody, first played on the flute then passed to the low strings and then the trumpet? It was the scene where Eve Marie dropped her glove accidentally and Marlon picked it up and kind of toyed with it, which was not planned but the cameras kept rolling. The start of the work features this horn theme that has strong shades of the opening of Mahler's _Symphony #9_, a perfect accompaniment to the distant New York skyline seen from Hoboken. Another main idea in the work is this agitated idea with this aggressive pounding rhythm, which is the scene in the film when the church of the priest played by Malden, who sides with the workers, has its windows smashed by thugs.

The fugue that ends the work and brings all these ideas together is simply breathtaking, original and imaginative. The three themes are united together and it ends in triumph. Again, just as in the film, the corrupt union boss finds himself abandoned by the workers who follow Brando, Eve Marie and Malden.

*Gershwin (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)* Porgy and Bess- A Symphonic Picture (1941-42)
- Detroit SO under Antal Dorati (Eloquence)










The symphonic picture which *Robert Russell Bennett* fashioned from *Gershwin's* opera *Porgy and Bess* also reads like a symphony. Bennett was one of the best arrangers in the business, working on both Broadway and in Hollywood on musicals such as _Oklahoma! _, _My Fair Lady_ and _The Sound of Music_. Here, he takes key songs from the opera and gives them the full symphonic treatment, some tunes for example are hinted at first and then elaborated later, so there are all these thematic links in the whole twenty three minute piece. Bennett also used a larger orchestra than Gershwin did in the original opera, thereby adding grandeur and lushness.

My favourite moments here include _I got plenty of nuttin'_ which features a banjo solo, the _Storm Fugue_ which conveys the nature brilliantly and _I'm on my way_ which comes out sounding like some cowboy film soundtrack - but I love it! Bennett's arrangement has withstood the test of time, but of course the opera contains some of the finest songs by Gershwin, so he had top-notch material to work with, didn't he? In any case, I love this and its been a favourite of mine ever since I started listening to classical music.


----------



## JCarmel

Anything that reminds of Gregorian Chant is one for me....so I'm fishing-out my Bruckner 2 & giving it a careful hearing!

I think that I'd probably prefer your Stein recording, Sid...somehow this Naxos issue has never quite ticked all my boxes?
But then...what has! Bruckner's 2...certainly not!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Eight Variations in G Major, KV 24

Ingrid Haebler, piano

View attachment 24815


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Violin Sonata (Sonatina) in G-, D.408, Op.posth.137, No.3

artist
Arthur Grumiaux
Robert Veyron - Lacroix


----------



## SimonNZ

André Boucourechliev's Archipel II - Quatour Ysaye


----------



## bejart

Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765): Flute Concertino a 4 in D Major

Hamberger Ratsmusik: Laurence Dean, flute -- Barbara Hofmann and Simone Eckert, violas -- Ulrich Wedemeier, theorbo -- Karl Ernst Went, harpsichord

View attachment 24817


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Violin Sonata in A, Op.162, D.574

artist
Jerome Ducros
Renaud Capucon









Brilliant recording!


----------



## SimonNZ

Katsuhiro Tsubonoh's Ripple Of The Wind Concerto - Tokyo Quintet


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Adagio and Rondo concertante in F, for piano quartet, D.487 9

artist
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Fantasia in C for Violin and Piano, D.934, Op.posth.159 ('Sei mir gegrüsst!')

artist
Frédéric Pélassy
Yukari Fujino









Very fine recording!


----------



## JCarmel

Sibelius...sorry?!

This afternoon's listening....
En saga, Op.9 
Pohjola's Daughter, Op.49 
Valse triste, Op.44 No.1 
Finlandia, Op.26 
Lahti Symphony Orchestra · Osmo Vänskä

Disc 4: 
Symphony No.6 (in D minor), Op.104 
Symphony No.7 in C major, Op.105 
Tapiola, Op.112

I'm afraid I always think of tapioca when I see the title of the last piece...which inevitably reminds one of School Dinners & least favourite foods?!

http://news.sky.com/story/203321/school-dinners-top-of-the-slops


----------



## Manxfeeder

jcarmel said:


> I'm afraid I always think of tapioca when I see the title of the last piece...which inevitably reminds one of School Dinners & least favourite foods?!


Me too. And I hate the stuff. I have to tell myself "Realm of Tapio" before it initiates the gag reflex.


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Thanks, though unfortunately I don't own it, much as I'd like to, and I certainly can't afford those prices at the moment. Mahlerian gave that set a write-up somewhere recently, but now I can't see where.


Oh, you mean this post?

A little something to start the morning...
Takemitsu: Rocking Mirror Daybreak (揺れる鏡の夜明け) for two violins
Katsuya Matsubara, Rieko Suzuki


----------



## Andolink

*Vagn Holmboe*: Symphony No. 6, Op. 43
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra/Owain Arwel Hughes








*Alan Rawsthorne*: Violin Concerto No. 2
Manoug Parikian, violin
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Rudolph Schwarz








*Michel Richard Delalande*: Confitebor tibi Domine
Les Arts Florissants/William Christie








*J. S. Bach*: 'Es ist das Heil uns kommen her', BWV9
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166

artist
Budapest Schubert Ensemble









Very good performance. Fine ballance between instruments, they all come very good forward.


----------



## Blancrocher

Couperin - Leçons de ténèbres / Gens, Piau, Les talens lyriques, Rousset


----------



## JCarmel

Enuff Sibelius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For now. I'm a bigger fan as a result of all my recent listening but one can have just so much Sibelius before the heart seeks a wee bit more warmth?
I'm sure Nino Rota must've been a fan, as the Godfather theme & the beginning of the first movement of the 1st symphony sound very similar, methinks!

Anyway, I'm going to seek some 'emoting' with a bit of Verdi & some daddy/daughter duets c/o these two operas.


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Quartet in G, for flute, guitar, viola and cello (arr. from W. Matiegka's, Trio, Op.21), D.96

artist
James Levine


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Rondo for Violin and Piano in B-, D. 895, Op.70 ('Rondeau brillant')

artist
Gidon Kremer









This is very beutiful! Brilliant and sensitive play and interplay.


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Variations on 'Trockne Blumen' for Flute and Piano, D.802, Op.posth.160

artist
Kenneth Smith
Paul Rhodes









Beautiful! Flute and digital sounds are not always friends, but here the flute sounds natural most of the time.


----------



## bejart

Antonin Reicha (1770-1836): Quintet No.1 in E Flat

Members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra: Jiri Valek, flute -- Ivan Dokansky, clarinet -- Zdenek Tylsar, french horn -- Karel Spelina, viola -- Frantisek Herman, bassoon

View attachment 24838


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No.1 in Db, Op.10

artist
Yevgeny Kissin & Berliner Philharmoniker & Claudio Abbado


----------



## Musician




----------



## JCarmel

Handel Keyboard Suites Andrei Gavrilov, Sviatoslav Richter,









When I woke up this morning, I lay in bed listening to Sibelius for about an hour or so...& then I decided to pick something else from my Amazon mp3 player's menu. And I clicked on 'Saul' & the Symphony at the beginning, began. Goodness me, it suddenly felt like a shot of adrenaline to my system & within a minute I was energised to get-up & face the world, as t'were.
And I mused that Handel would be a composer that I think I would have enjoyed meeting & knowing. I think we'd have 'got on!'
His music is so direct in style...robust but with plenty of tender feeling...enthused with an energy & spirit. Spiritual but worldly at the same time?!

I wonder if forum contributors might ponder which composer they feel that they might have been compatible-with on a personal level... judging both from their music & from biographical details read about their life....& could possibly reveal this alongside their choice of music?.....


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev - Flute Sonata in D, Op.94

artist
Hans-Udo Heinzmann
Elisaveta Blumina








Exelent sound and performance


----------



## Schubussy

Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra
Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## brotagonist

A couple of months ago, I had been given about 200 albums of boring, mainstream pop. I traded them in, of course  The last remaining album of that classical windfall to be played is:









Friday and Saturday, I revelled in _Symphonies 1-4_, and today, I am hearing _Symphonies 5&6_.

What a glorious set! I cannot adequately describe the quality of the sound, the tenderness and the might from quiet to loud. It's like I am hearing these works for the first time.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation - Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Andreas Spering; Im, Kobow, Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St.Martin the Fields

View attachment 24845


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Tchaikovsky*: Music for Cello & Orchestra, w. Wallfisch/ECO/Simon (rec.1983); Sextet, w. Sarah Chang et al (rec.2001); Nutcracker, w. Kirov O./Gergiev (rec.1998).

View attachment 24846
View attachment 24847
View attachment 24848


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4










I'm also listening to this glorious symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Anything that reminds of Gregorian Chant is one for me....so I'm fishing-out my Bruckner 2 & giving it a careful hearing!
> 
> I think that I'd probably prefer your Stein recording, Sid...somehow this Naxos issue has never quite ticked all my boxes?
> But then...what has! Bruckner's 2...certainly not!
> 
> View attachment 24814


The Carragan Edition Tintner chose was important for the Bruckner archives, but if you have the opportunity, hear Giulini's shorter, more comprehensible (IMO) Nowak Edition. 58:32 vs 71:18, and listening to it now. :tiphat:

View attachment 24849


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E flat Major, 'Eroica' - IV. Finale (Allegro molto) (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Manxfeeder

brotagonist said:


> View attachment 24843


I'm pulling out my copy and listening to the 9th.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *Schoenberg*: String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Fred Sherry Qt.

View attachment 24851
View attachment 24852


Sampling a future release, *Nicola Benedetti's* "My First Decade", aka "Bon-bons for
Jerome".

View attachment 24853


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony in C (Solti).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Manuel Canales (1747-1786): String Quartet in D Major, Op.3, No.1

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simarro and Eva Maria Roll, violins -- Lothar Haass, viola -- Michael Rupprecht, cello

View attachment 24854


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Frank Martin's* (1890 - 1974) birthday, Concerto, Ballades, w. ACO/Chailly et al (rec.1991 - '94).

View attachment 24855


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Hamilton Harty's Violin Concerto Ralph Holmes/Ulster Orchestra/Bryden Thompson

A lovely work and a fine performance.


----------



## Vesteralen

*Absolutely gorgeous music!*

Another one I've had for a while and only got around to listening to now. Kuula goes to the top of my list of late romantic / pre-impressionist composers, and the top of my list of composers who died too young (shot at age 35).


----------



## Vesteralen

duplicate post...............sorry


----------



## drpraetorus

Bach, French Overture, Blandine Verlet


----------



## Vesteralen

triplicate post 

you guys are probably thinking, "this guy must really be excited about this disc!"

and you're right  .


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: String Quartets. Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## bejart

Nicolas Mehul (1763-1817): Overture to 'Horatio Cocles'

Stefan Sanderling conducting the Orchestre de Bretagne

View attachment 24862


----------



## JCarmel

Past 1 am..& listening to Sibelius again. This box set is leading to sleep loss on an Industrial scale?!
This time it's Symphony No 5 with Osmo Vanska & his Lahti band!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Trio in G, K.564 and others










By a trio ensemble you can depend on


----------



## Valkhafar

JCarmel said:


> Past 1 am..& listening to Sibelius again. This box set is leading to sleep loss on an Industrial scale?!
> This time it's Symphony No 5 with Osmo Vanska & his Lahti band!


I also have this box set (The Essential) and the same happened to me.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 8










Finally, I have time and in mood for this grand symphony.


----------



## Guest

Definitely my favorite Mahler thus far.


----------



## Blancrocher

A fine performance of Bruckner's 4th, conducted by Gunter Wand. But I'm mostly just mentioning it for the cover, which cracks me up every time. Sheesh.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.61

Luca Palazzolo, piano

View attachment 24867


----------



## JCarmel

SLTB!
Yep, still listening to Sibelius!

Sixth symphony currently On Tap! But I think I'll have to Finnish for tonight with a trip to the Bathroom before finally getting some sleep Saga in for what's left of this evening!
Taraa to all TC-ers for now!


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8

















Karajan night. No I don't care I have to get up early for work tomorrow.


----------



## JCarmel

It's almost 5am & I'm tucking-into 2 Ginger Biscuits & a packet of Cheese & Onion crisps! What the heck..who needs sleep?!
Sibelius is still coursing out of my iPod..I,m definitely liking En Saga. Perhaps he wrote if for the Over 55's?!
I did listen to a bit of Sarah Vaughan tonight, Sid..her excellent recording with Clifford Brown on the piano.
Well, I'd better dunk my last Ginger & try to fall into the arms of Morpheus, once again. Bet I don't make it?!


----------



## JCarmel

I'll def take the Bruckner! You can keep the Tchaik. though!
Good luck with Work later today...Me? I've got a Cricket match to watch!


----------



## opus55

I will try not to put on Karajan's Sibelius recordings. I will be exhausted after Bruckner 8. Don't fall asleep watching the game.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto. Now listenining to Brahms - Violin Concerto


----------



## jani




----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.5, No.2

Karoly Botvay conducting the Budapest Strings -- Bela Banfalvi, violin

View attachment 24868


----------



## SimonNZ

George Barati's Chant Of Darkness - Vladimir Valek, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Just Surfacing now! To S------s, of course, zzzz.


----------



## SimonNZ

Enescu's Dixtuor - Ion Baciu, dir.


----------



## jim prideaux

JCarmel-whilst again listening to the Domus recording of the two Dvorak piano quartets I have been pondering the question you raised earlier regarding composers that one might imagine having some form of affinity with-I would like to believe that Dvorak (although this may obviously be wishful thinking) and myself would 'hit it off'-whilst obviously a remarkable composer (arguably one of the 'greatest') he appears to have been self-effacing, 'down to earth' and I personally believe that his music is often reflective of a man very aware and at ease with his immediate environment and circumstances-he spent an inordinate time in the USA just watching steamships-I would funnily enough like to imagine that I would also enjoy my time with my 'hero' Sibelius but that may not quite be so easy-particularly the younger version who might take me off to a never ending drinking 'session' with his mates in the Hotel Kampa-I also believe I may well have struggled with certain composers who might have been more conscious of their 'status' as great artists,forever adopting stances and attitudes-prejudice I know but Stravinsky does spring to mind!


----------



## SimonNZ

André Boucourechliev's Ulysse - Pierre-Yves Artaud, flute, Jean-Pierre Drouet, percussion


----------



## Conor71

*Gliere: The Red Poppy Suite, Op. 70*

I had part of the Red Poppy stuck in my head at work today so I will play Symphony No. 1 followed by the Suite. Before bed I will listen to Disc 03 of the big Myaskovsky box (loving this one so far!) which has Symphonies Nos. 9 & 14 on it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alkan's Recueils de Chants - Jacqueline Mefano, piano


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven 9th: Wilhelm Furtwangler & Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Major, D 90

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Carlo Lazari, violin

View attachment 24870


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven piano sonatas, Alfred Brendel at the wheel...


----------



## JCarmel

What a lovely start to my day, Jani...thank you for posting that! Ah Finlandia...what a beautiful little video... & a great 'soundtrack to it....though I must admit, that being slightly insensible still after the long night of Sib, those tapping tremeloes_ did _hit home, rather?!


----------



## Vesteralen

*Der Postillon Von Lonjumeau *by Adolphe Adam - very easily appreciated opera from the man known mostly for the ballet "Giselle".

I ordered this from my library system because it was highly recommended in my AMG book.


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev - Cello Sonata in C, Op.119

artist
Arto Noras


----------



## EricABQ

Rachmaninoff preludes op. 23 played by Santiago Rodriguez.


----------



## SimonNZ

Anna Thorvaldsdottir's Streaming Arhythmia - Caput Ensemble


----------



## JCarmel

Kieran...you must be a mind-reader?!.... I have just partaken of my lunch (I've skipped Breakfast as it was after noon before I was fully up & dressed!) The lunch included Mange-tout & as I decided what I might listen to next, after the Finlandia sequence was done...& I opted for Brendel. I thought 'Mange-tout?-Peas?-....Mendel?...so... It must be Brendel!!
And it is! His excellent Liszt 'Anees' (Suisse) which on balance I slightly prefer to the Berman that I also have....









And then afterwards, it's gotta be Antonin! Thanks, Jim for the most interesting Post...


----------



## jim prideaux

JCarmel-just listening to Sibelius 1st in response to your observation regarding Nina Rota-it had never occurred to me before and yet it 'hit me right between the ears'-good spot!-had to decide between a number of recordings but Davis/LSO wins hands down every time.


----------



## JCarmel

A. Dvorak Piano Quartet in A Major Curzon & the Vienna Philharmonic Quartet

Well, after a deal of thought, I'm going for this one, Jim!









A Special Listen...to ponder all Prideaux.... & the pleasant characteristics of Dvorak's 'Virgo' placement (I have some of them somewhere too, meself...)


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev - 5 Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op.35bis

artist
Anne Akiko Meyers









and

Prokofiev - Adagio for Cello and Piano, Op.97bis

artist
Alexander Ivashkin


----------



## Vesteralen

Songs and Piano Music of Edward Elgar - Disc One

Odd to hear some famous Elgar melodies played on a Broadwood square piano.

Had this one a long time without listening to it. Hard to get a good handle on it at work since vocal music almost always requires me to turn the sound down till it's almost inaudible.


----------



## julianoq

Franz Liszt's Sonata in B minor, Nuages gris, La notte, La lugubre gondola II and Funérailles, all performed by Krystian Zimerman.


----------



## JCarmel

'...turn the sound down till its almost in-audible'...
Some on TC might think that's a preferable thing?!
Not me, though, Vesteralen.

The cricket is suspended through Rain...so it's back to Sib, Osmo & En Saga for me!


----------



## jani

JCarmel said:


> What a lovely start to my day, Jani...thank you for posting that! Ah Finlandia...what a beautiful little video... & a great 'soundtrack to it....though I must admit, that being slightly insensible still after the long night of Sib, those tapping tremeloes_ did _hit home, rather?!


Yea, i was suprised when i found it.
Its great but i like this one better


----------



## Andolink

*Alan Rawsthorne*: Improvisations on a Theme by Constant Lambert (BBC Concert Orchestra/Frank Shipway)
Divertimento (BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra/Bryden Thomson)








*J. S. Bach*: 'Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ', BWV177
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Alexander Goehr*: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 79; Since Brass, nor Stone... Fantasy for string quartet and percussion Op.80;
...around Stravinsky for violin and wind quartet Op. 72
Colin Currie, percussion
Pavel Haas Quartet
The Nash Ensemble


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with Leonhardt playing Byrd.

After that, well--I've probably seen Sibelius in this thread too often to avoid him for long.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Mass in B minor - Kyrie Eleison (Helmuth Rilling; Hamari, Nimsgern; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart; Bach-Collegium Stuttgart).


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> It's almost 5am & I'm tucking-into 2 Ginger Biscuits & a packet of Cheese & Onion crisps! What the heck..who needs sleep?!
> Sibelius is still coursing out of my iPod..I,m definitely liking En Saga. Perhaps he wrote if for the Over 55's?!
> I did listen to a bit of Sarah Vaughan tonight, Sid..her excellent recording with Clifford Brown on the piano.
> Well, I'd better dunk my last Ginger & try to fall into the arms of Morpheus, once again. Bet I don't make it?!


Reminiscent of Helene Hanff's letters to Frank P. Doel.


----------



## julianoq

Inspired by the trend, listening to Sibelius Symphonies 2 & 5 transcriptions for piano, performed by Henri Sigfridsson. Quite interesting work, but in my opinion the lack of the timpani takes away much of the Sibelius feel of the music.


----------



## Vaneyes

EricABQ said:


> Rachmaninoff preludes op. 23 played by Santiago Rodriguez.


A *like* extended, plus *Yes!

*


----------



## Vesteralen

Now, this is one I really wish I could turn up louder!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.*

So Vanska did the 9th? That slipped by me until I saw it referred to around here. I guess I need to get out more. So far (into the 3rd movement), It has the lightness, drive, and speed of a HIP performance without the sterility.


----------



## science

Bach's Mass in B minor, Richter 1962. I listen to Gardiner more often, and I enjoy it, but this one is the one I love.










Bach: The Art of Fugue, Emerson Q. Art indeed! One of the great achievements of western art (I so declare precisely as if my opinion mattered).










Bruch: Violin Concerto #1, Scottish Fantasy, Romance; Rosand. So beautiful. Usually I don't really enjoy such saccharine music, but this does it for me.


----------



## JCarmel

Enjoyed the Finlandia...played with persuasive pianism ...& one wonders, if not a goodly amount of pride...perhaps the pianist comes from those Northern climes?
I'm taking time-off from the Cricket, as we're not doing so well & I'm not the best of Losers in the Sporting sense.
So it's a perfect time for Sibelius's 'Pohjola's Daughter!' I'm enjoying getting to know her?!

An excellent resource here....

http://www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ork_pohjolantytar.htm


----------



## science

Bach: Brandenburgs; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. I need to listen to the Goebel recordings again ASAP. I need to get the Richter recordings… thanks to the "Greatest Recordings" dudes who nominated that one, as I'd forgotten about it.










Mozart: Late Symphonies. #40 is of course one of my favorites; I love the Prague more than the Jupiter, so there's my little bit of heresy for the day. (An extra bit: I like "the little G minor" more than all but 35, 48, 40. So there's my medium bit.)










Bach: Cello Suites; Fournier. Very nice. I wonder… should I get Casals? Should I get any other recording? I like Fournier.


----------



## science

Stravinsky: Petrouchka, Sacre; Dorati. I intend to go Rite shopping sometime and do some careful comparisons . For now I have only this, Ozawa, and Gergiev. Ozawa is the incumbent… but I feel like there must be a better recording out there. The Rite used to slay me, and now I could fall asleep to it.

I wonder about the jungly cover art there. I've always imagined the Rite set in something like the steppe. Maybe I've been doing it wrong.










Gershwin, Grofé; Bernstein. Tell you what. It's the Grand Canyon Suite. Now I know better than to take Grofé seriously - that'd be like so gauche, you know? and I want to enforce these orthodoxies as much as the next guy - but what the heck, it's fun.










Brahms: Piano Trios. Starker/Katchen/Suk. So I also have the Beaux Arts, which I like, but I love this one. I love all three musicians independently, and together, playing Brahms, no better combination could exist.


----------



## science

Castle of Fair Welcome. Fun early Renaissance tunes. (In my mind, "The Garden of Zephirus" and this one are a set. I'd listened to GOZ earlier, so I was wrapping it up when I came back to CFW.)



















Haydn: Op. 76, Kodály Q. I intend to try another recording some time. I do like this, but maybe it's beginning to get stale on me.

(Hope those images work out. Ordinarily I try to "borrow" the images from sources that could potentially profit from my hyperlink, so that I feel I'm virtuously advertising rather than just stealing bandwidth... but I have no idea what the source of the op. 76/1, 2, 3 disk image is.)


----------



## Blancrocher

science said:


> Bach: Cello Suites; Fournier. Very nice. I wonder… should I get Casals? Should I get any other recording? I like Fournier.


That Fournier goes to the little oasis of perfection at the best part of my desert island, science. What a deep, soulful performance it is.


----------



## science

Bach: Violin Concertos; Grumiaux. The Bach parade continues. I have about 4 recordings of this basic stuff; Julia Fischer is my favorite. This one is not bad, though. Holliger of course owns the oboe part in 1060r.










Bach: Mass. Gardiner. The one I listen to more and love less, as of now.










Vivaldi: Magnificat; Gloria. I might've posted this last time I checked in. It is a nice recording, worth the risk of mentioning twice...

(As you can see, in that incarnation of the EMI GROC series, the original LP cover is inset there in the lower right. The original one is a lovely image. Looks like St. Marks' in Venice to me. Anybody know if that's right?)


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: 12 Etudes
Gordon Fergus-Thompson









And the winner of the "blandest cover art award" goes to...

Music's great, though.


----------



## Vesteralen

You know those stories about little kids who used to have to take castor oil at bedtime?

About how I feel about having to listen to organ music.

But, I'm a completest. And, just because I subscribe to the BBC Music Magazine and it happens to be something I got from them.......


----------



## Vesteralen

science said:


> Castle of Fair Welcome. Fun early Renaissance tunes. (In my mind, "The Garden of Zephirus" and this one are a set. I'd listened to GOZ earlier, so I was wrapping it up when I came back to CFW.)


Great stuff. Gothic Voices make medieval/renaissance music fun, don't they?


----------



## science

And finally, my most recent listening:










Stravinsky: Rite, etc. Ozawa. Well, I'd prepared the earlier remarks about going to sleep at a time when either talkclassical was down or something was wrong with my internet connection. Then I listened to this again, and didn't go to sleep. Still, I remain in the market....










Sibelius, Prokofiev, Glazunov: Violin Concertos. Heifetz.

I've listened to this and posted it here probably half a dozen times in the last six months. Originally I turned to this to get a different perspective on the Sibelius and a bit more exposure to the Prokofiev. (I know that someone here would be unhappy that the Glazunov is kind of an afterthought for me. I hope to avoid detection, but just in case: I'll do a big Russian thing someday, I absolutely promise!) I still don't really get the Prokofiev, and I still prefer Mutter's sappy take on Sibelius, but Heifetz is revealing things to me.










Ok, I've got my plastic goggles on in case anyone throws tomatoes.

The single biggest gap in my appreciation of the great big great works that we're all supposed to love is Beethoven's string quartets. I dig Haydn's and Mozart's pretty well; I love Schubert's; I'm cool with Bartók and Schoenberg and Carter and Shostakovich; pretty good with Dvorak and Mendelssohn... But Beethoven eludes me, mostly. (Brahms too).

Well, the Hagen Q is coming to Seoul, and the price is right (of course I'm probably sitting so far away that they won't know if my neighbor's cell phone rings), and they're doing "All Beethoven" or "Only Beethoven" or something like that. I've got two weeks to get myself into the right frame of mind. Let's see if I can do it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 24893
> 
> 
> You know those stories about little kids who used to have to take castor oil at bedtime?
> 
> About how I feel about having to listen to organ music.


Ha! I can relate to that. Which is a shame, because I took organ lessons for four years.


----------



## science

Mahlerian said:


> Debussy: 12 Etudes
> Gordon Fergus-Thompson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the winner of the "blandest cover art award" goes to...
> 
> Music's great, though.


I think that cover looks good.

Bland is usually Philips. Someone there ought to have been fired decades ago.


----------



## science

Vesteralen said:


> Great stuff. Gothic Voices make medieval/renaissance music fun, don't they?


Yes, one of my favorite groups. I love their style and selection both. And I really love the Helios line. Never did me wrong.


----------



## science

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 24893
> 
> 
> You know those stories about little kids who used to have to take castor oil at bedtime?
> 
> About how I feel about having to listen to organ music.
> 
> But, I'm a completest. And, just because I subscribe to the BBC Music Magazine and it happens to be something I got from them.......


I'm only allowed to listen to organ music when my wife isn't home. She can't stand it. But I love it. The arena rock of the 18th century, boy. When I'm omnipotent I'm gonna sneak up behind people I don't like with a pipe organ and scare the crap out of them.

But seriously, one disk that might... put a different spin on the organ is the ECM disk by Christopher Bowers-Broadbent of organ music by Part, Glass, Maxwell-Davies. It's really light.


----------



## Vesteralen

I always found it odd that Debussy's "La Mer" is not represented, even in part, on this disc. Still, there's a lot of good stuff, and as usual with this series of discs, it's practically ideal for listening to at work.


----------



## Bas

Listening of today and the past days:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Diabelli Variations
By A. Staier [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









George Frederic Handel - Organ Concertos Opus IV
Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], la Divina Arrmonia, on Passacaille









Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 74
By the Tackàks Quartet on Hyperion








Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccatas & Fugue
By Ton Koopman, on Warner Classics








Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 7
By the Orchestra of the 18th century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Sei solo for unaccompanied violin
By Christine Busch, on φ








Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto 3, Piano Concerto 4, "Tempest" Sonata, "Moonlight Sonata"
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], the Academy of Ancient Music, Christopper Hogwood [dir.], on Decca








Domenico Mazzochi 1592-1665 - La Catena d'Adone
By Scherzi Musicali, Nicolas Achten [dir.]
A very early baroque opera, in cantando style, sometimes reminding me of the monophonic period... Really interesting release and an excellent performance/recording. On Alpha


----------



## Oskaar

Barber - Violin Concerto, Op.14

artist
Itzhak Perlman
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa


----------



## JCarmel

It's good to see a few mentions for Seiji Ozawa, I like him. He was once voted the best conductor for his style/technique by orchestral members...or something to that effect. Being one of those Virgo-ans...his attention to detail is admirable & obviously much-appreciated. And he looks a really nice man!

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201308240073

I enjoyed the film 84 Charing Cross Rd, Vaneyes!....maybe something rubbed-off!


----------



## Valkhafar

Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 & 2. Gil Shaham (Violin), Andre Previn, London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Barber - Piano Concerto, Op.38

artist
Stephen Prutsman
Marin Alsop









I love the nerve of unrest in this concerto. Barber is a master in combinding the more romantic with spooky tones.


----------



## Ondine

The three Mannheim Piano Sonatas

KV 309-311

The three Salzburg Piano Sonatas & Linz* Piano Sonata

KV 330-332 & 333*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Berlioz - Cantatas. They're fab.


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.1 in C, Op.15

artist
Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
Idil Biret
Antoni Wit









Very good performance!


----------



## DrKilroy

Some Scandinavian music for tonight:

Jon Leifs - Icelandic Folk Dances (Vanska)
Stravinsky - Four Norvegian Moods (Chailly)
Grieg - Piano Concerto (Arrau/Dohnanyi).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

oskaar said:


> Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.1 in C, Op.15
> 
> artist
> Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
> Idil Biret
> Antoni Wit
> 
> View attachment 24917
> 
> 
> Very good performance!


Currently listening to the Spotify link you provided. Indeed a very good performance!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 55 No. 2 in F minor, 'Razor' (Buchberger Quartet).









The first movement has some excellent variations of two themes.


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.1 in C, Op.15
> 
> artist
> Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
> Idil Biret
> Antoni Wit


Son of a gun; I didn't know Idil Biret was a woman. (Not that it makes a difference .) But I'm listening also.


----------



## DavidA

Purcell Ode 'Come ye sons of Art' / Gardiner

What a piece to have written for your birthday!

Better than Happy Birthday, eh?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Piano Trio in A Minor Rubinstein/Heifetz/Piatigorsky

Ye Gods but there's some passion in that last movement!


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C major
Bournemouth Symphony, cond. Berglund


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 87 in A Major (Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment).


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Dvorak*: Cello Concerto, w. Fournier/BPO/Szell (rec.1961); Violin Concerto, w. Suwanai/BudapestFO/Fischer (rec.1999); Symphony 5, w. Oslo PO/Jansons (rec.1988).

View attachment 24923
View attachment 24924
View attachment 24925


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Janacek's Sinfonietta - Charles Mackerras, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

More Jean...I thought that I'd compare this recording in the light of my latest big box interpretations.









I think I'll carry on with exploring those Sibelius works that are new to me until the anniversary of his death on Friday. You can maybe have too much of a good thing.... so I'm drawing a Finnish-line in the sand for the moment.


----------



## Blancrocher

What a satisfying album this is--with an exceptional Walton Cello Concerto.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gliere's String Sextet Op.11 - members of The Berlin Philharmonic String Octet


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Sinfonia in F Major, Op.3, No.5

Hanspeter Gmur conducting the Camerata Budapest

View attachment 24935


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Korngold's Sursum Corda - Matthias Bamert, cond.

edit: now on the radio in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of Pavarotti's first recording they're playing "E Lucivan Le Stelle" from Puccini's Tosca, on his first EP, released in 1964:


----------



## filepa

Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight Of The Bumblebee


----------



## Kleinzeit

Weber Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 11 and No. 2 Op. 32 Akiko Sagara, piano. Günter Neidlinger / Hamburg Symphony

Concerto for Bassoon & Orchestra, Op. 75
Georg Zuckermann, bassoon. Jörg Faerber / Württemberg Chamber Orchestra

The Concerto for Bassoon is especially delightful, like a movie in which a mug like Walter Matthau or Gene Hackman gets to prove he can play the romantic leading man. It's nice to see the bassoon get the girl for once.

Weber was a cousin of Mozart's wife. Listening to Weber feels like a gateway: I want to listen to more Mozart --too lax about that lately-- as well as more Weber, and more music of the early c. 19th. ( Plenty of LvB in rotation...though next-guy from Weber > Wagner I only really want to hear in live performance, and in the satellite simulcasts from the NY Met we're lucky enough to get in my town; same 50 folks at every show)









Then, thinking about Kieran returning from hot countries-- the majestic K250, by Bruno Weil & Tafelmusik.


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: Concerto for violin and Cello in A minor, Op. 102 and Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77. 
Anne-Sophie Mutter, António Meneses, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Piano Sonata in E Flat

Vaughn Schlepp, piano

View attachment 24938


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Sonata in A Major, Op.100

Frank Almond, violin -- William Wolfram, piano

View attachment 24940


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Michael Haydn, Requiem in C minor.

Youtube:


----------



## Tristan

*Palestrina* - Sicut Cervus






Absolutely beautiful choral piece. My church's choir sang this recently and I had to look it up right away.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart-Kreisler: Rondo from Divertimento No.17 Alfredo Campoli (Violin), Norihko Wada (Piano)

The final item on a superb CD of mainly Kreisler pieces on Decca Eloquence. Greater eloquence would be hard to imagine.


----------



## SimonNZ

Karel Husa's The Trojan Women - Akira Endo, cond.

edit: now Joji Yuasa's Projection for white noise and tape










edit: and now Matthjis Vermeulen's Symphony No.7 - Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in G Major, BWV 1040

Helmuth Rilling conducting the Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 24944


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Sibelius* - Violin concerto in D minor / M. Vengerov, D. Barenboim, CSO

*Beethoven* - Piano concerto No. 2 in B-flat / D. Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonathan Harvey's Towards A Pure Land - Ivan Volkov, cond.

edit: now Harvey's Cello Concerto - Frances Marie Uttli, cello, Jose Ramon Encenair, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn-Symphonies no. 35/38/39/59-Pinnock/English Consort-as stated before I presently far prefer their recordings of the Haydn 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies to their Mozart interpretations-see how that opinion evolves!

This morning I listened to the two Martinu cello concertos-first time since my return from sojourn in Prague-I had been to the city before but as I sat outside the Strahov monastery overlooking the city one evening I listened to the 2nd concerto on my I-pod-for some reason this evocative, melodic and underrated 'masterpiece' seemed to directly reflect the image of the city and also I feel the sense of longing that Martinu must have felt knowing it was becoming increasingly unlikely that he would return to his homeland as circumstances in central Europe evolved-perhaps it is yet another case of the listener 'imposing' their preconceptions or assumptions on a piece of music but it was and is still for me an example of the powerful emotional qualities in many works! Oddly enough the 'nostalgic' longing that is almost palpable in certain works by Martinu is also to be found in Dvorak-two composers who may share nationality but also I believe a sense of humility and humanity that goes some way to explaining the attraction of much of their music

Thanks to those who have referred to Myaskovsky in posts-listened to certain pieces on you tube and I intend to continue this investigation.


----------



## joen_cph

Beethoven: 32 Variations c-minor WoO 80 / Gould, Horowitz & Gilels.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wolfgang Rihm's Styx Und Lethe - lucas Fels, cello, Michael Gielen, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Now checking out a couple of not-on-cd Unsuk Chin works via Youtube:

A Concerto for Sheng and Orchestra called "Su", conducted by Myung Whun Chung






and a choral work called "Miroirs des temps" performed by the Hilliard Emsemble






Where do they find these cd-quality recordings? And why are they not available any other way?

I actually usually avoid these things. Instead of just being glad I have the opportunity to hear them, I find i get mad at the lack of more legitimate availability and the idea that it will be utterly unknown to new listeners once the chanel gets taken down.


----------



## JCarmel

Am at my pal's place & any moment now, we'll be sitting down for a wee bit o' Nosh....accompanied by the most genial Haydn...to assure Good Digestion!









In particular....No 20 in D!


----------



## julianoq

Just bought this digital set on 7digital. Listening to the 5th now. I don't know what kind of sorcery they did there, but the sound quality is superb considering the original release date! Amazing performance by Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra.


----------



## NightHawk

*@Julianoq*



> Amazing performance by Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra.


Great news! I'll have to have this one. Barbirolli and Sibelius and winter's coming (Sibelian weather )


----------



## Kleinzeit

NightHawk said:


> *@Julianoq*
> 
> Great news! I'll have to have this one. Barbirolli and Sibelius and winter's coming (Sibelian weather )


Ah, man. Been back & forth on this one. Do I really need like a 20th Sibelius cycle? (if you've already got 19 then the answer is obviously "well duh!") But Barbirolli is topnotch old-school --I've got him on vinyl-- and now that you say the sonics are good....

It's out of stock at the moment so it's moot for a while. But yeah, when the witch of November come slashing, nothing's better than the mind of the granite Finn.


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> Now checking out a couple of not-on-cd Unsuk Chin works via Youtube:
> 
> A Concerto for Sheng and Orchestra called "Su", conducted by Myung Whun Chung
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and a choral work called "Miroirs des temps" performed by the Hilliard Emsemble
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where do they find these cd-quality recordings? And why are they not available any other way?
> 
> I actually usually avoid these things. Instead of just being glad I have the opportunity to hear them, I find i get mad at the lack of more legitimate availability and the idea that it will be utterly unknown to new listeners once the chanel gets taken down.


Both are from broadcasts (Su from a concert in Korea from KBS and "Miroirs des temps" from the UK première of BBC, hence the sound quality).. (Both have been available as "highly illegal" downloads from various "blogs" that "promote" and distribute music of a contemporary classical type that originated (mostly) as air-checks...)

/ptr


----------



## julianoq

Kleinzeit said:


> Ah, man. Been back & forth on this one. Do I really need like a 20th Sibelius cycle? (if you've already got 19 then the answer is obviously "well duh!") But Barbirolli is topnotch old-school --I've got him on vinyl-- and now that you say the sonics are good....
> 
> It's out of stock at the moment so it's moot for a while. But yeah, when the witch of November come slashing, nothing's better than the mind of the granite Finn.


I had the same dilemma, do I need another Sibelius cycle? But as usual my reason failed when dealing with the finn and I bought it. But I resisted for a month!


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> A choral work called "Miroirs des temps" performed by the Hilliard Emsemble


Thanks for the link. I'm listening now. I noticed that one reviewer doesn't like the Machaut pastiche. Personally, I like the sound of it, but then again, I'm into that era anyway.


----------



## Vesteralen

Listening again to this CD. I like it more each time I hear it. At first, the lead singer's voice seemed unattractive to me, but I've really gotten used to it. There's something about this medieval music that just takes me to a completely different place.


----------



## JCarmel

Aaaah...that's better!.....









back from a shopping trip for last minute provisions for my friend to pack, that costa bomba when bought on Cyprus!
But needed some mental balm applying to the 'grey cells' after the exasperations of traffic & in particular sitting waiting for some Old Dear to decide it was safe-enough to enter the Roundabout area.....
I know I shouldn't get uptight...but occasionally I must admit, I do...a little bit only, of course.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado









No title, of course.

The finale has staggered and irregular phrasing, dense polyphony, and constant motivic saturation...no wonder Berg called it "the only sixth, despite the Pastoral".


----------



## rrudolph

Some comfort food for the ears...

Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6 #1-4








Bach: Concertos for Two Harpsichords BWV 1060, 1061, 1062








Bach: Orchestral Suite #2 BWV 1067/Orchestral Suite #3 BWV 1068/Triple Concerto BWV 1044


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm trying out one of Janson's recordings of Mahler's 7th, after which I'd intended to sample some new composers I'd lifted from a Kleinzeit post yesterday. But Mahlerian is giving me a hankering for the 6th after this.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Dvorak*: Symphonies 6 & 8, w. VPO/Chung (rec.1999); Symphony 7, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1963); Symphony 9, w. ACO/Harnoncourt (rec.1999).

View attachment 24956
View attachment 24957
View attachment 24958


----------



## Musician

So good


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 49 in F minor, 'La Passione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Piano Quintet in A, D.667, Op.posth.114 ('The Trout')

artist
Caspar Da Salo Quartet









Beautiful recording!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 38 in D Major, 'Prague' (Sir Charles Mackerras; Prague Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## Sudonim

Mahlerian said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
> Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No title, of course.
> 
> The finale has staggered and irregular phrasing, dense polyphony, and constant motivic saturation...no wonder Berg called it "the only sixth, despite the Pastoral".


Mahlerian, I know you love this symphony - is Abbado's your favorite version? If so, I may have to give it a whirl - I have several versions (Boulez, Barbirolli, Sanderling, Tilson Thomas, and a couple others), but not Abbado's.

Anyway, thread duty - right now it's this (thanks to KenOC for the heads-up!):


----------



## Mahlerian

Sudonim said:


> Mahlerian, I know you love this symphony - is Abbado's your favorite version? If so, I may have to give it a whirl - I have several versions (Boulez, Barbirolli, Sanderling, Tilson Thomas, and a couple others), but not Abbado's.


Yes, but I have yet to hear the oft-praised Sanderling version. I've heard Tennstedt's, both of Bernstein's, Boulez's, and a few others. It's a live concert, so there are a few rougher spots in it, but it is a dedicated reading that keeps the work moving (it should never sound episodic). Applause is on a separate track that can be programmed out easily, so one doesn't have to hear it. A few years ago I heard James Levine conduct it at Tanglewood (paired somewhat oddly with Mozart's 23rd concerto), and that was certainly a memorable concert, although I saw people leaving after each movement.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 5, Symphony no. 1
The orchestra of the 18th century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa








Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 8 "die Unvolendete"
By "our" Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nicholas Harnoncourt [dir.], on Warner Classics








Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas 137, 168, 79, 164
Disc 40 of the Complete Bis set by Massaaki Suzuki
Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Bach Collegium Japan, Suzuki [dir.]








Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild (BWV 79), has a very beautiful text, too.

Carl Philippe Emmanuel Bach - Sonata in Am Wq 49, Variations in Dm, Sonata in Gm, Fantasia in Fm#, Sonata in Em, Fantasia in C
By Andreas Staier [harpsichord/forte-piano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Kleinzeit

Afternoon digging up potatoes. Four days of no rain forecast to let them dry. Got no working portable CD player, don't want to be plugged into mp3 earbuds when you're gumping for spuds, so hauled out the record player on a long extension cord.









The 1968 vinyl Messiaen Turangalîla-Symphonie with Ozawa / Toronto Symphony. Yvonne Loriod on piano, Jeanne Loriod on ondes Martenot.

plus on the same 2-disc lp: Takemitsu's November Steps with Kinshi Tsuruta on biwa, Katsuya Yokoyama on shakuhachi.

4 sides X 2 plays = 3 X 6 m. Best! murphy-burrowing day ever.

If potatoes could hear, I bet they'd like Turangalîla. In some sections it's got a relentlessness that seems not to seek or need approval from human ears. It seems to be conjuring an indifferent cosmic order; not cosmic-celestial, more cosmic-chthonic.

But not the Takemitsu. Despite it being a series of incidents with no discernible left-brain pattern, it sounds very human, psychological. But from the viewpoint of a de-centered ego. It's more 'Steps' than 'November'.

I love it. Potatoes would find it a bit posh. Other music potatoes might like: Galina Ustvolskaya, Sibelius' Tapiola.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Dvorak*: String Sextet, w. Sarah Chang et al (rec.2001); Piano Quintet, "Dumky" Trio, w. Nash Ens. (rec.1988); String Quartets, Opp. 96 & 106, w. Stamitz Qt. (rec.1987).

View attachment 24977
View attachment 24978
View attachment 24979


----------



## rrudolph

Fasch:Overture Grosso in D/Concerto in B flat/Concerto in D/Andante in D








Telemann: Tafelmusik


----------



## cwarchc

followed by









A perfect way to de-stress after a day at work


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

rrudolph said:


> Fasch:Overture Grosso in D/Concerto in B flat/Concerto in D/Andante in D
> View attachment 24980
> 
> 
> Telemann: Tafelmusik
> View attachment 24981


Oooo, a Telemann from helios, you've got my saliva dripping .


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Symphony No. 1 (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*J. Haydn* - Die Schöpfung. Leonard Bernstein conducts Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony and the uncomparable Kurt Moll sings the part of Raphael.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Grieg*: Piano Concerto, w. Lupu (rec.1973); Orchestral Music, w. Gothenburg/N. Jarvi (rec.1986/7); String Quartet, w. ESQ (rec.2004); Cello Sonata, w. Mork & Thibaudet (rec. 1993); Lyric Pieces, w. Gilels (rec.1974).

View attachment 24990
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View attachment 24994


----------



## Guest

cwarchc said:


> View attachment 24986
> 
> A perfect way to de-stress after a day at work


I have that Salieri & Steffan disk too, but mine is a Das Alte Werk CD. Whatever. 
Pleasant enough music, it has to be said. What really turns me on is to hear works by contemporaries of Beethoven, to think that these were the other musicians alive and working at the same time, competing, struggling to make their respective livings, with their loves and jealousies, rivalry and the everyday grind of getting up each morning to face the world. We tend to think sometimes (or at least I do) that Vienna had just Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven swanning around. No, there were scores (hundreds, perhaps?) of composers and I just wish I had the time to give them all a listen.
Still, for a quick overview of the talent, there is available on the internet a download of the score of the music composed for Diabelli's original project (the one that Beethoven refused to collaborate on, writing his own independent set), including Hummel, Schubert, Lizst (only 10 or so at the time!), Czerny (but of course!), Mozart's son and 46 others (now long forgotten). Anyway, here's a link to the list of the original contributors to the Diabelli project, and please do download the score to study their efforts. A CD can also be purchased.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaterländischer_Künstlerverein


----------



## mstar

Basically anything Brahms, while throwing in an additional Tchaikovsky. Top that with a hint of Schumann, and there's my unique musical cake.


----------



## DaveS

Listening to 1 of 7 Volumes from Franklin Mint Record Society, released around 1980. Never got around to listening to most of these. Each box is approximately 4 albums. This is a set of Toscanini performances, almost all of which came from RCA Masters. So far this afternoon: Tchaikovsky Piano Cto 1 w/Vladimir Horowitz; Beethoven Piano Cto. 3 with Artur Rubinstein; the Strauss Don Juan, Death & T.; Respighi's Pines. Don't think I ever listened to this set. Absolutely no surface noise.


----------



## kelseythepterodactyl

I am currently listening Willaert's "Aspro core e selvaggio" from _Recordings for A History of Western Music and Norton Anthology of Western Music Album I_









It is my mom's from her university's music history class in the '80s. I am having fun comparing it to the Norton Anthology on cd that I used in music history a couple of years ago. It is interesting to see what was once used to "define" or represent a certain style/time period versus what is used now. Most of the same composers are used (it's not like history has changed), but almost all of the representative works have.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 36 in C Major, 'Linz' (Sir Charles Mackerras; Prague Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## Kieran

Mozart! #10 for 2 Joannas. Perahia and Lapu typing their excuses like fury, the English Chamber Orchestra making a mess of things behind the scenes...


----------



## PetrB

*Clever Lampoon*

Whoops, meant for another non TC place


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio No. 30 in E flat Major (Kungsbacka Piano Trio).


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): String Quartet in D Major, Op.3, No.1

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 25004


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 6. Schnittke, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Britten's Violin Concerto - Livia Sohn, violin, Luigi Piovano, cond.

the announcer said "a work that deserves to be better known", and I'm sitting here thinking the same


----------



## Ondine

SimonNZ said:


> Where do they find these cd-quality recordings? And why are they not available any other way?


@Simon, did you search at the ECM catalogue?


----------



## Ondine

The four Viennese Piano Sonatas

KV 457, 545 ('Sonata facile'), 570 & 576

Two Fantasias for Piano

KV 397 & 475









plus a bit of Uchida's enjoyable approach for:

KV 284 & 570 and Rondo KV 485









PS: Planning to plough again the whole 'Piano Sonata' cycle including Duos and Two Pianos. This has been a beautiful journey.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Twelve Duos for 2 Horns, KV 487

Members of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble: George Pieterson and Hans Mossel, horns

View attachment 25009


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schnittke, Symphony No. 2. Lovely choral writing, but I'm not sure what to make of this symphony.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Piano Concerto in D Major

Paul Goodwin directing the Zurich Chamber Orchestra -- Karl-Andreas Kolly, piano

View attachment 25011


----------



## Ondine

bejart said:


> Mozart: Twelve Duos for 2 Horns, KV 487
> 
> Members of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble: George Pieterson and Hans Mossel, horns
> 
> View attachment 25009


The winds, @bejar!!! A marvellous box set.

Mozart stand out -as a real genius- in three genres: Winds, Vocal Ensembles and Piano virtuosity.

For winds he brought their coloratura at full extreme where the line between experimentation and formal composition really thin bringing them into life; giving them _soul, character and purpose_.

Before him -mostly woodwinds- were kept in the shadow because of a lack of sensible appreciation of his contemporaries and all the development before Viennese Classicism.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schnittke, Symphony No. 3 on BIS. There's a lot going on here.


----------



## NightHawk

I wanted to hear _Canzonetta su l'aria_, the duo between the Countess and Susannah near the end of Act III and then got hooked and listened around the opera for a hour. This is a pretty amazing cast and recording, though I am thinking of getting the Giulini (one of these days).


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No.1 in C Major, Op.21

Constance Keene, piano

View attachment 25015


----------



## opus55

Bach: Sonatas and Partitas
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 3


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire
Marianne Posseur, Ensemble Musique Oblique, cond. Herreweghe









Utterly brilliant, and played with complete conviction (although those extremely rolled "r"s from Posseur irritate a few around here...).


----------



## Blancrocher

My thanks to Sudonim and Mahlerian for finally getting me to listen to this gem: Sanderling conducting Mahler's 6th. I read somewhere that it's like Mahler seen through the lens of Shostakovich--take that for what it's worth!


----------



## jim prideaux

Having stated a preference for the English Consort/Pinnock recordings of the Haydn 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies over their recordings of the complete Mozart symphonies I thought it might be time that I returned to the Mozart-early morning is (for me) often a good time to listen to music-fresh, open ears , new day etc-so starting the day with symphonies 38 'Prague' and 39.
:tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Manuel De Falla guitar pieces - Paco De Lucia, guitar


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 39 in G minor (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Christian Sinding, Frühlingsrauschen 
Edvard Grieg, Solveig's Song

(Richard Edlinger; CSSR State Philharmonic)


----------



## SimonNZ

Operetta arias - Julia Migenes, soprano, Curt Cremer, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Elgar's Sea Pictures - Felicity Palmer, contalto, Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Mancini (1672-1737): Flute Sonata No.1 in D Minor

Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Luigi Fontana, harpsichord

View attachment 25019


----------



## JCarmel

Having a lie-in this morning to try to beat-off a burgeoning Cold.
So it's just iPod time on TC with the limitations that brings for searching the forum.
So Apologies if posting in wrong place... But my current listening is Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.
Karajan conducts a stellar cast of Callas, Di Stefano, Panerai etc but some of the singing is a bit too Declamatory in style? There's a deal of 'r' rolling!


----------



## SimonNZ

Purcell's Dido And Aeneas - Ann Murray as Dido, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Hi Si! I'm putting a Like on the Purcell as it's a favourite but I'm always less-inclined to tick anything by Herr Harnoncourt?!
I'm now Up & Doing as they say, having cut-off Ronaldo Panerai in mid-Roll...& am now back on the accommodating lap-top & listening to Ravel...this one...









which I _do_ enjoy. A really good-sounding recording for it's age & enough to chase-away the Cold blues!


----------



## SimonNZ

JCarmel said:


> Hi Si! I'm putting a Like on the Purcell as it's a favourite but I'm always less-inclined to tick anything by Herr Harnoncourt?!


That used to be my attitude to Hanoncourt as well, or stronger even. But a few years back I had to do a complete u-turn in my opinion after hearing a couple of his early Bachs (a SMP and a MBM) back to back and saw the light (which is all the more surprising when you consider it was his Bach cantata albums that fed the flames of hate in me). I still find his discography frustratingly uneven, but I realise now he's certainly capable of brilliance, which often as not turns up in the most unexpected repertoire. (sadly that Purcell wasn't one of his best). His more recent Schubert Symphony cycle might convince you.

playing now:










Holst's Choral Symphony - Felicity Palmer, soprano, Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Un sospiro, No. 3 (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## Vesteralen

I was going to call this "surprisingly melodic", but since the word "melodic" has become forbidden on this site.............


----------



## jim prideaux

arrived in the post this morning-next instalment in my roughly chronological exploration of the works of Haydn-'Paris Symphonies ie 82-87,Fischer/Austro Hungarian Haydn Orchestra-immediate response, appears to be a continuation of the enjoyment to be derived from Pinnock and the 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies-it has been an odd morning-could not resist the new Clash compilation in Asda for a 'ten spot'-reminded me of being an angry student who imagined music might change the world-one of the advantages of age is there is less and less need to explain ones more idiosyncratic tastes in music, literature and (as a Sunderland AFC fan) sport!


----------



## JCarmel

"H'away the lads'...Jim! I'm a follower of The Black Cats myself...though maybe not Mr Di Canio...not yet, anyway. He's an excellent example of those Cancerian traits of caring_ too _much but he gets away with his intensity of style by the excellent sense of humour that he characteristically possesses.
I've just had to administer to the plants in pots outside, as an uncharacteristic blast of sunshine, coupled with wind (ouch!) had rendered them remarkably parched of pot. Monique has tinkled her last so its on with Sibelius.









I posted this cd many a moon ago, if I remember correctly...& commented on the fact that the recorded sound was very fine for its age...it is!


----------



## Vesteralen

JCarmel said:


> Monique has tinkled her last


thanks for that surprising turn of phrase...better watch out, though, someone on the "Words I Hate" thread will probably ban it soon


----------



## SimonNZ

"Nativity: A Christmas Concert With Robert Shaw And The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra And Chorus"


----------



## JCarmel

Thanks for the warning, Vesteralen but being a Girl Guide of old...I'm going to Be Prepared! 
Just a note re the Sibelius cd...I have several of these EMI Studio cds & they are almost uniformly excellent transfers/issues. 
And also may I mention that my 'St Matthew Passion' is conducted by Harnoncourt & is good (in fact was the BBC Record Review recommended recording at one time, not that that necessarily is a definite judgement!) but for me 'one swallow doth not a Summer make' & I think I only have one cd by him in all my collection. I just have never much enjoyed his interpretations, though I'm sure there are gems to be had.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Ignaz Holzbauer (17 September 1711-1783): Symphony in G Major

Michi Gaigg conducting L'Orfeo Barockorchester

View attachment 25028


----------



## Blancrocher

Listening to Kempff in Brahms. It's interesting to listen to so many piano works representing such diverse period's of the composer's life: single-digit opus numbers from his 20s, to some works of his middle age, to the masterpieces from op. 117, 118, and 119. What's amazing is that Brahms is so darned consistent throughout. And Kempff!


----------



## Vesteralen

JCarmel said:


> but for me 'one swallow doth not a Summer make' & I think I only have one cd by him in all my collection. I just have never much enjoyed his interpretations, though I'm sure there are gems to be had.
> View attachment 25026


I can't explain why, but I'm of like mind with you on this. I find Harnoncourt to be among the least attractive of all the HIP conductors.

Since I'm notoriously shallow, maybe it's just his mug....


----------



## Vesteralen

bejart said:


> In belated celebration of his birthday ---
> Ignaz Holzbauer (17 September 1711-1783): Symphony in G Major
> 
> Michi Gaigg conducting L'Orfeo Barockorchester










Caption for album cover: Uh...Orpheus...didn't you forget something?


----------



## julianoq

Fleisher playing Brahms Piano Concerto 1, 2, Handel Variations and Waltzes. This record is fantastic, very recommended.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Back when I first starting listening to RVW a couple of months ago, I said that I wasn't completely sold on his works. Having now had the opportunity to play the Pastoral Symphony, I'm well and truly convinced.  Perfect music to listen to while studying.


----------



## JCarmel

Am with you all the way, julianoq.. on Leon Fleisher...me like!

Currently listening to

Sibelius Violin Concerto Joshua Bell, LA Philharmonic, Salonen









Another of yer 'Record Review' best picks...
I went to sleep listening to this last night, headphones in...cd revolving in portable cd player. Woke-up this morning minus headphones & cd player (& me..) seemingly dead to the world. And despite ministering splendid new power in the form of a better class of AA battery...would it ever work?! No! But it just goes to show that a slap on the bottom can be a good thing....as after receiving one, the unit is once again passing me little digital messages that it has come back from the death. It obviously only dreamed of dying!


----------



## JCarmel

Re Harnoncourt...I'm paddling in the shallows on this one too, I'm afraid then...I think it partially is. There is just something that I don't like about the look of him.....sorry, but can't help it.

But there was one recording of his that I really enjoyed...'La Belle Helene' by Offenbach, so Let's Hear It for Nich









Though I'm reaching for this one...to listen-to now....it's good, too.

http://c3.cduniverse.ws/resized/250x500/music/288/2262288.jpg


----------



## rrudolph

Enjoying some oldies with my morning coffee:


----------



## JCarmel

Exactly who _are_ the Oldies, rrudolph...if I may be impertinent to enquire? Anyone we know?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rimsky-Korsakov*: Scheherazade, w. CSO/Reiner (rec.1960).

*Faure*: Piano Quintets, w. Domus (rec.1994); Piano Quartets, w. Nash Ens. (rec.1985); Piano Trio, w. Florestan Trio (rec.1999).

View attachment 25042
View attachment 25043
View attachment 25044
View attachment 25045


----------



## rrudolph

JCarmel said:


> Exactly who _are_ the Oldies, rrudolph...if I may be impertinent to enquire? Anyone we know?


Sorry, my sense of gentlemanly discretion prevents me from discussing that publicly.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Re Harnoncourt...I'm paddling in the shallows on this one too, I'm afraid then...I think it partially is. There is just something that I don't like about the look of him.....sorry, but can't help it.
> 
> But there was one recording of his that I really enjoyed...'La Belle Helene' by Offenbach, so Let's Hear It for Nich
> 
> View attachment 25038
> 
> 
> Though I'm reaching for this one...to listen-to now....it's good, too.
> 
> http://c3.cduniverse.ws/resized/250x500/music/288/2262288.jpg


I noticed some Harnoncourt-bashing at TC yesterday. I generally like Harnoncourt, as a person and an achiever (through limited reading, and recs. listening).

It's not uncommon once a conductor leaves "conducting school" to pick up some bad habits, or putting it nicely, idiosyncrasies.
Would it help some to know that he began his career as a cellist in an orchestra? I don't know. Would it help some to know that it's not uncommon for conductors or any artist to be put in compromising positions, thanks to recording company label marketing? I don't know.

Whatever, a little leniency (and in some cases, more knowledge) is required from the fan(atics). :tiphat:


----------



## JCarmel

Point well-made, Vaneyes!

Currently listening to excellent flautist Julius Baker c/o several youtube clips. And then next-up is one more Dvorak in honour of Jim.









Carlo Maria Giulini conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra

('Would it help some to know that he began his career as a cellist in an orchestra?'... No.)


----------



## Mahlerian

There's a recommendation thread started by our friend Musician, and he's posting some great works over there!

Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstucke
Maurizio Pollini









I recently read an essay about this piece detailing hidden references to Tristan and the ongoing crisis in Schoenberg's personal life, but of course the music's raw emotional power doesn't need any further explanation.


----------



## brotagonist

Wonderful music in the hands of the master:


----------



## Kieran

Yes, Moby in the car on the way home, bopping my head while I'm busting the red. I ain't ashamed of my populist roots no mo'.

But once in the door, _*#5*_ - by both Nielsen and Sibelius, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thomas Sondergard. There's an accent on the 'a' and an arrow through the 'o', in 'Sondergard'. I'm surprised the EU haven't legislated such nonsense things out of existence by now. Uniform typewriters, that'll learn 'em!

The Sibelius is shorter (and they're both fairly short), but I find it more interesting by far... :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 6, for piano, violin, and string orchestra
Ulf Wallin, Tapiola Sinfonietta, cond/piano Ralf Gothoni









Full of the composer's usual bitter parody, of course. I prefer some of the others in the set, personally, but Schnittke is never uninteresting!


----------



## Kieran

Mahlerian said:


> Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 6, for piano, violin, and string orchestra
> Ulf Wallin, Tapiola Sinfonietta, cond/piano Ralf Gothoni
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Full of the composer's usual bitter parody, of course. I prefer some of the others in the set, personally, but Schnittke is never uninteresting!


I love those BIS covers...


----------



## JCarmel

Just out of topical interest...was checking youtube for a good example to post of one of favourite Bach arias 'Ich folge dir gleichfalls' & this was on the resulting list.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> ....next-up is one more Dvorak in honour of Jim.
> 
> View attachment 25049
> 
> 
> Carlo Maria Giulini conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra....


Excellent recording, and brings to mind another "great" on that early 90's EMI Encore label--Dresden/Jochum Bruckner 9 (rec. 1978). :tiphat:

View attachment 25052


----------



## rrudolph

Binkley/Studio der Fruhen Musik: Troubadors and Trouveres








Ensemble Alcatraz: Visions and Miracles-Galliician and Latin Sacred Songs from 13th century Spain








Peres/Ensemble Organum: Codex Chantilly


----------



## JCarmel

Perfect for an après evening meal gaze out of the window...to see the world go by....at a distance.









*Liszt* Harmonies poetiques et religieuses Steven Osborne


----------



## Vesteralen

JCarmel said:


> Perfect for an après evening meal gaze out of the window...to see the world go by....at a distance.


You wouldn't think so if you had to look out of _my_ dining room or kitchen window..


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky's Concerto for 2 Pianos, which I just learned the composer claimed was his favorite out of his purely instrumental works. Good performance by Kontarsky, Kontarsky, and co.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Das wohltemperierte Clavier Buch II
By Glenn Gould, on Sony Classical








Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartet no. 2 in Gm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion








Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonatas for Violin and Piano no. 4 in Am, no. 5 in F, no. 10 in G & no. 9 "Kreutzer" in A
By Alexander Melnikov [piano] & Isabelle Faust [violin], on Harmonia Mundi








The 4th and 5th sonatas are my favourites. Beethoven is, for me, even greater in his works for smaller, or solo, instrumentation then he is in his concertos and symphonies! (Faust and Melnikov give a tremendous performance, btw)

That will probably be it, as I'm very tired. If I can't sleep I will listen to this one (otherwise this one will be played tomorrow):

Henry Purcell - Fantazias for violin
By the Ricerar Consort, Philippe Pierlot [dir.] on Mirare


----------



## JCarmel

I'm sorry to hear that, Vesteralen.
I'm now watching a Sibelius concert from a link provided by an esteemed member of our community

http://www.classiclive.com/Concerts/2013/September/Sibelius-Festival-Day-1

Guess what I'm having to drink, to accompany this specific concert?

A Latte.....


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Baker, King/Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Concerto No.1 in D-, Op.15

artist
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Bernard Haitink


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 29 in E flat Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Schubussy

Listening to probably my favourite symphony (though my mind changes a lot)

Mahler - Symphony no. 2
Claudio Abbado, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos #1-4
Academy of Ancient Music, dir. Hogwood


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Musician said:


> So good


I love this sonata, I play it myself, it has every emotion you could wish for. Three cheers for Edvard Grieg.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mahler: Symphony No.4 Desi Halban/Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter

Almost makes me feel as though 'tis spring again.


----------



## rrudolph

....................


----------



## Kleinzeit

Finally emptying the shed of a literal ton of cast-iron radiators to take to the scrapyard.









On vinyl: Mahler 7 Kubelik / Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

....times 3 over a long afternoon, and now I hear what a joyous breathing thing this is. I must be under some low-grade mythic curse where every time I listen to Mahler I immediately forget about it, like the guy in the movie 'Memento.' Also, the monkey/dog side of my brain instinctively & ridiculously takes the Sibelius side of their famous symphonic contention.

So three plays through in a row is the ticket to get through my thick head and now I can whistle some of it. And it's exultant and funny! Mahler 7, anybody on TC heard this one? Mahler.


----------



## Guest

Maître (*Kleinzeit*) has spoken. Apprentice (TalkingHead) will listen. This is the nature of things.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A, Op.69 Pablo Casals (Cello), Alfred Cortot (piano)

This comes from Cortot's final public concert on the 10th July, 1958 at Prades. There is something very warm and human in this final appearance by two old friends, 82 and 81 respectively.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Shostakovich's Piano Quintet - Martha Argerich et al

lightning-in-a-bottle recording - I'll be grabbing this if and when it comes my way


----------



## bejart

Antonin Kammel (1730-1784?): Sinfonia in F Major, Op.10, No.6

Vojtech Spurny conducting Ensemble 18+

View attachment 25086


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Assumpta Est Maria - George Guest, cond.


----------



## Ondine

_Adagio_ pace through Mozartean Piano Sonatas

If we put together the sonatas for Two Pianos and Duets with the Solo Piano, we have an output of a total of 25 Piano Sonatas.

It can be appreciated the notable fast maturity that the genre took into the Mozartean style.

It seems that the Piano Sonata did not reach its fullest expression, even though it can be esteemed how the genre got a high relevance for Mozart:

KV 19 is his first Sonata (Duet); after it, it took some time to compose again for the genre writing three sets for solo piano: KV 279-284; KV 309-311 & KV 330-333.

At the end of this stage the next three Sonatas were composed in Duet and tow more for Two Piano formats until number fourteen (KV 457) saw the light. Tow masterpieces -Duet- followed; -K497 & 521- as an augur for his most finesse and highly developed last and final three sonatas for Piano Solo.

I wonder how much insight into this development can gained with a second listening cycle following this precise order.

Let's see what happens.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition ---
Haydn: Piano Sonata No.50 in C Major

Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano

View attachment 25088


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Symphony No. 39


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.85 "La Riene" - Sigiswald Kuijken, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex & Les Noces / Robert Craft

Returning to all the Craft/Stravinsky recordings I've got. Highly recommended to anyone looking for good, cheap Stravinsky cds.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brian Fernyhough's Terrain - Arditti Quartet, Asko Ensemble

as recommended on a fascinating new thread

edit: and comparing with a recording of the same work by the Elision Ensemble


----------



## PetrB

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 25058
> 
> 
> Stravinsky's Concerto for 2 Pianos, which I just learned the composer claimed was his favorite out of his purely instrumental works. Good performance by Kontarsky, Kontarsky, and co.


A truly large-scale and monumental work, i.e. like many another Stravinsky larger scale piece, you feel when it is over that something substantial, an edifice, has been made, and it still stands after the last sound dies away. Really a great and highly engaging piece. (pedantic footnote: the work is the first instance of a piece with a consistent use of metric modulations.)


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Ancient Voices Of Children - Tony Arnold, soprano


----------



## peeyaj

Oh my God! I feel like there are bees buzzing in my ears.. Weird .. So weird.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gilbert Amy's Cycle - Les Percussions de Strasbourg

edit: now Helmut Lachenmann's Kontakadenz - Michael Gilean, cond.










edit: now Galina Ustvolskaya's Symphony No. 4










(with thanks to ptr for recommending these works on another thread)

gotta say i don't like this "messy covers for messy music" policy that the Contemporary labels seem to have


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligetti's Chamber Concerto - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez


----------



## Ingélou

rrudolph said:


> Binkley/Studio der Fruhen Musik: Troubadors and Trouveres
> View attachment 25054
> 
> 
> Ensemble Alcatraz: Visions and Miracles-Galliician and Latin Sacred Songs from 13th century Spain
> View attachment 25055
> 
> 
> Peres/Ensemble Organum: Codex Chantilly
> View attachment 25056


@rrudolph - these look out-of-this-world *fabulous*! :tiphat:

*Note*: This is a cunning plan to get this onto my 'posts' record, so in future I can trace & maybe buy these gorgeous cds!
Thanks!


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Trio Sonata in E Flat, Op.8, No.6

The Locatelli Trio with Rachel Isserlis on violin: Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

View attachment 25093


----------



## JCarmel

Georg Muffat Armonico Tributo Roy Goodman directing The Parley of Instruments









'Morning...(just!)


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart 'Coronation Mass' Peter Neumann conducting Kolner Kammerchor/Collegium Cartusianum









haven't listened to this set for ages!


----------



## SimonNZ

Andre Jolivet's Symphony No.3 - cond. by composer


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's symphony 5.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jean Prodromides' Les Perses


----------



## JCarmel

Can't beat a text written by a Prat?!!....

So I'll have to settle for Heinrich Heine & other poets in my favourite of Schubert's song cycles...sung by a favourite singer, Brigitte Fassbaender


----------



## jim prideaux

listening repeatedly to Fisher/Austro Hungarian Haydn Orch performing the Paris symphonies-enjoyment replicating experience with Pinnock and the 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies-now reflecting on the disconcerting thought that the Pinnock Mozart complete symphonies proved ( so far) to be less enjoyable-the Haydn symphonies have a lightness, a transparency and even possibly a humour about them-is it the performances, or is it the works?


----------



## JCarmel

Jim, please don't feel 'disconcerted' a moment more, as you are not alone. I have virtually ceased listening to my set of the Mozart Symphonies by Pinnock & if I want to hear a classical symphony , I'm much more likely to reach for Haydn. The Fischer performances are fine, aren't they!
That's not to say that I don't listen to Mozart's symphonies...but when I do, its not likely to be from the Pinnock set.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 82 in C Major, 'The Bear' (Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment).


----------



## JCarmel

When Franz is done...I'll be comparing Ravels fascinating 'Concerto for the left hand' in 3 interpretations























Written when Ravel was a member of the group 'Les Apaches' I believe.....
I wonder if they went round with their hand intermittently covering their mouths, going 'Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!" like I did when I was pretending to be Big Chief Blackcloud? (I was only 7 at the time, please note!)


----------



## Gilberto

Eugene Ormandy & Philadelphia Orch - Bizet's Carmen Suites & L'Arlesienne Suites


----------



## jim prideaux

JCarmel said:


> When Franz is done...I'll be comparing Ravels fascinating 'Concerto for the left hand' in 3 interpretations
> 
> View attachment 25100
> 
> View attachment 25101
> 
> View attachment 25102
> 
> 
> Written when Ravel was a member of the group 'Les Apaches' I believe.....
> I wonder if they went round with their hand intermittently covering their mouths, going 'Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!" like I did when I was pretending to be Big Chief Blackcloud? (I was only 7 at the time, please note!)


years ago Dutoit/Roge on audio cassette was my initial introduction to these works and I would be really interested to learn from any conclusions you might have reached (at some point I will need to get hold of a recording of the 'left hand' concerto-really enjoy Argerich in the 'other one') -thanks for the 'tip off' re Pinnock/Mozart.


----------



## Blancrocher

Ancerl conducting the Symphony of Psalms. On my short-list of favorite works of the 20th century (in fact, I think it's the only thing on it!).

Could be a lot more Stravinsky in store for me today, I'm afraid.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos No. 5 and 6
Academy of Ancient Music, dir. Hogwood


----------



## Winterreisender

Bach - Italian Concerto (Pieter Jan Belder)


----------



## Guest

I haven't listened to Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique in quite some time, so I cued this recording up from Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I also have the Gardiner and Immerseel recordings, but I think this recording is my favorite.


----------



## Vesteralen

'It was the best of discs, it was the worst of discs'

Bizet's Symphony in C is one of those super-accessible works with enough variety in it to capture my appreciation every time. Bernstein is at his best in this performance, and it's one of my favorites from this boxed set.

His own Symphony No 3, however, is another kettle of fish. I was ambivalent toward his No 1. I really enjoyed his Second. But, I actively dislike No. 3. It's the only piece of music I can think of that I just refused to listen to a third time.


----------



## JCarmel

Re the Ravel, Jim...thanks for asking me, it's always nice to have one's opinion sought but I don't think that in this specific case that I can quite tell you! All three recordings are good, sonically...with the DG/Boulez being the best. I think of all three, strangely-enough it will be the older 'Haas' that I will listen most-to from now on. I bought it recently, after hearing it on 'DG Radio' but I only paid just over 3 pounds for it with P&P from a German Amazon-Marketplace seller. But since it arrived, I've listened to it lots. After the cadenza near the end...there's a strange splice-in where the full spectrum of stereo sound suddenly returns for the concluding bars, leading to the conclusion that the cadenza was edited-in at a later time....so maybe due to the age of the recording generally, that's the least recommendable. I'd say that Haas is less-good in the wonderful Adagio of the G Major...not quite catching the transcendental quality that I think Roge captures so well but as you've your Argerich for that particular concerto...no worries. But, I like the rest of the Haas disc...it's lively wind-playing is a highlight, in particular! 
What a long-winded way of saying...I don't know?!
Anyway, I'm off to bonnie Scotland...not to catch the dancing ..but 'in my head'... to imagine the scenery that thrilled Felix!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Concerto BWV 1042, Violin Concerto BWV 1041, Oboe Concerto BWV 1060
By Hillary Hahn [violin], Allan Vogel [oboe], Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonatas for Violin and Piano no.1 in D, no. 2 in E, no. 3 in E-flat and again - yesterday it was also on my program - the Kreutzer Sonata no. 9 in A
By Alexander Melnikov [piano] and Isabelle Faust [violin], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonata for Keyboard & Violin no. 6 BWV 1019, BWV Sonatas for Keyboard & Viola da gamba BWV 1027, BWV 1028, BWV 1029
By Glenn Gould [piano] and Leonard Rose [cello], on Sony Classical









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in C K. 330, Sonata in Am K. 511, Rondo in D K. 485, Adagio in Bm K. 540, Sonata in Cm K. 457
Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## NightHawk

View attachment 25118


edit: I can't see the pic anymore, so just to be clear, the Salzburg Recital was given by Clara Haskil, a legendary Romanian born virtuoso.

From 1957, and digitally remastered, this Salzburg recital of Mozart Sonata K. 330 in C, Beethoven Sonata Op. 31 No. 3 in Eb, and the great Schubert Sonata in Bb D.960 Op. post., is very beautiful and the interpretations highly individual, though not eccentric. Haskil worked with virtually every great conductor and solo artist of her generation. The applause, retained on the album, tells it all. Highly recommended if you don't mind historic performances pre-1960 (re sonics).


----------



## JCarmel

in between the European soccer matches on tele....









Yes, I know....


----------



## Valkhafar

Franz Liszt: The Two Piano Concertos; The Piano Sonata.
Sviatoslav Richter. Kiril Kondrashin, London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Der Tag des Gerichts (Nicholas Harnoncourt; Landwehr-Herrmann; Canne-Meijer; Equiluz; van Egmond; Monteverdi Choir Hamburg; Concentus musicus Wien)


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Pulcinella (Sanderling).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

Michael Tilson Thomas in the Firebird, Le Sacre, and Persephone.


----------



## jim prideaux

Walton-violin and cello concertos-Dong-Suk Kang,Tim Hugh, English Northern Philarmonia conducted by Paul Daniel. A recording I appear to have known for a long time and return to periodically-late romantic melancholy, mid century angst, English autumnal........ whatever!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38 in F Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony in C (Solti). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky - Jeu de cartes (Neeme Jarvi)


----------



## jim prideaux

Walton night continues with The Quest, The Wise Virgins and Siesta performed by English Northern Philarmonia conducted by Lloyd-Jones-not particularly well known but all display that essential vitality and imaginative orchestral colouring one associates with Walton


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Mauren Forrester, Richard Lewis, Chicago Symphony, cond. Reiner


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Piano Sonata D960 - Imogen Cooper, piano


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to take inspiration from you, Simon...
It's 5 mins to midnight here & time to wind-down for the day...with the help of Ms Cooper playing Schumann & Brahms. Goodnight & all the best to you!


----------



## Kleinzeit

*Federico Mompou* playing his own works.
Musica Callada (Silent Music) in Cuatro Cuadernos --Four Notebooks.

Wouldn't be grossly unfair to think of Mompou as a Spanish Satie without the drollery. With something of the pianistic Janáček, also the music of Gurdjieff & de Hartmann. I have to triangulate this music by listening to more Debussy & Fauré now.

Spacious musical ideation; a mystical thinker anchored by a controlled intellectuality? It sounds simultaneously Modernist and archaic, which is something you can't just up & contrive. Like with Satie's _Socrate_. It's like looking into the eyes of a cat. You come so close to feeling you'll understand.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Haydn Flute and Oboe Concerto - Benoît Fromanger, flute, Christian Hommel, oboe, Helmut Müller-Brühl, cond.

The announcer pointing out these were transcribed from a concerto for two lire organizatte, a hurdy-gurdy like instrument. And looking on Wikipedia I see that another lire organizatte concerto had the original version of the "military" movement" of Symphony No.100.

I knocks me out that I can have gone nearly thirty years of listening to Haydn (and doing a fair amount of reading) without having heard of these. But then these always something unexpected with FJH, just when you think you've got the measure of him, hes still got a surprise or two up his sleeve.


----------



## NightHawk

I heard Maureen Forrester live and close up when I was a youngun' - she was a member of The Bach Aria Group who came to town and I went on an extra ticket. I remember only her, Julius Baker, flute, and Robert Bloom, oboe though there were maybe 5 or 6 singers and other instrumentalists, violin, cello, & harpsichord, maybe, probably. She walked with a cane and the size and richness of her voice knocked me out as I had no knowledge of classical singing. Years later I bought the recording of Handel's _Julius Caesar_ w the New York City Opera, which was the work that brought international fame to the unknown-outside-of-NYC Beverly Sills - a recording I still have and listen to. There is a mezzo/alto duo in that opera that simply has to be heard.






The other singer is mezzo Beverly Wolff and it is Forrester who begins with the short recitative _dove, dove inumani_, followed by the duet _Son nato a lagrimar_. The mezzo part is a pants role and the duo is a mother (Forrester) biding farewell to her son. Youtube has many fantastic clips of Forrester singing Mahler, Handel, Bach and numerous others. A voice of the century.



Mahlerian said:


> Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
> Mauren Forrester, Richard Lewis, Chicago Symphony, cond. Reiner


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): String Quartet No.12 in C Major, Op.45, No.1

New Budapest Quartet: Andras Kiss and Ferenc Balough, violins -- Laszlo Barsony, viola -- Karoly Botvay, cello

View attachment 25130


----------



## millionrainbows

The streaming is now Bach unaccompanied cello suites. This is for me, at present, music for a dying man. The metaphors are there; a lone voice emerging from the darkness, to return to the darkness; we inhabit these bodies, these souls, alone; and we must go alone. We think we knew each other; we tried to love; all that will be remembered is the loving acts. Cherish the simple things, like breathing, walking, warm bread, sunsets, your family; the simple pleasure of good music.


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 4.*

Let's see, it's supposed to be a set of three groups of five variations, with different chants on different keyboards at different times. Nope, I don't hear it. Oh, well, it's a nice collection of sounds. Maybe next time through I'll pick everything out.


----------



## brotagonist

It was a rainy day yesterday, which allowed me to finish listening to the unabridged _The Rest Is Noise_ by Alex Ross. I decided to take some time off from the Beethoven symphony cycle to listen to one of my earliest discoveries, Ivo Malec.

In the '70s, I had had his earopening Philips 'Prospective 21e Siècle' series album, 3L, with the silver foil cover. Regrettably, it has never been reissued on CD. A year ago, I learned of his most recent album on Timpani:









The 3 compositions date from the 1990s and superbly sum up Malec's idiom.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Faure*: Chamber Music Vol. 1, w. Collard et al (rec.1976 - '78); Nocturnes, w. Collard (rec.1973); Barcarolles, w. Collard (rec.1970 - '83); Requiem, w. OSM/Dutoit et al (rec.1987).

View attachment 25133
View attachment 25134
View attachment 25135
View attachment 25136


----------



## Vaneyes

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 25129
> 
> 
> *Federico Mompou* playing his own works.
> Musica Callada (Silent Music) in Cuatro Cuadernos --Four Notebooks.
> 
> Wouldn't be grossly unfair to think of Mompou as a Spanish Satie without the drollery. With something of the pianistic Janáček, also the music of Gurdjieff & de Hartmann. I have to triangulate this music by listening to more Debussy & Fauré now.
> 
> Spacious musical ideation; a mystical thinker anchored by a controlled intellectuality? It sounds simultaneously Modernist and archaic, which is something you can't just up & contrive. Like with Satie's _Socrate_. It's like looking into the eyes of a cat. You come so close to feeling you'll understand.


Like that album very much. And, a brilliant passage of words accompanying it today, K.

If you haven't, and if I may... Severac, in similar light. :tiphat:

View attachment 25137


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> When* Franz *is done...I'll be comparing Ravels fascinating 'Concerto for the left hand' in 3 interpretations
> 
> View attachment 25100
> 
> View attachment 25101
> 
> View attachment 25102
> 
> 
> Written when Ravel was a member of the group 'Les Apaches' I believe.....
> I wonder if they went round with their hand intermittently covering their mouths, going 'Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!" like I did when I was pretending to be Big Chief Blackcloud? (I was only 7 at the time, please note!)


Sometime, I'd like to hear how you....first name basis with so many composers!!!


----------



## bejart

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812): Parthia in D Minor

Consortium Classicum: Gernot Schmalfuss and Michael Forster, oboes -- Jan Schroeder and Rolf Jurgen Eisermann, horns -- Karl Otto Hartmann and Eberhard Buschmann, bassoons -- Jurgen Normann, double bass

View attachment 25138


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's For Stefan Wolpe - Harold Chaney, dir. and vibraphone


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening a CD of Tchaikovsky piano concertos Nos. 1 & 3. With Vladimir Feltsman in the piano and the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 25129
> 
> 
> *Federico Mompou* playing his own works.
> Musica Callada (Silent Music) in Cuatro Cuadernos --Four Notebooks.
> 
> Wouldn't be grossly unfair to think of Mompou as a Spanish Satie without the drollery. With something of the pianistic Janáček, also the music of Gurdjieff & de Hartmann. I have to triangulate this music by listening to more Debussy & Fauré now.
> 
> Spacious musical ideation; a mystical thinker anchored by a controlled intellectuality? It sounds simultaneously Modernist and archaic, which is something you can't just up & contrive. Like with Satie's _Socrate_. It's like looking into the eyes of a cat. You come so close to feeling you'll understand.


Nice analogy with the cat .


----------



## Kleinzeit

Vaneyes said:


> Like that album very much. And, a brilliant passage of words accompanying it today, K.
> 
> If you haven't, and if I may... Severac, in similar light. :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 25137











Déodat de Séverac, eh?

I haven't, Mr. V; and by all means you may: _that's_ why I loiter here. And I'm on it! I'm so taken by Mompou's way. (I see you're on a Fauré kick too)

Thanks! ...& thanks for kind words


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano

View attachment 25142


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Trio in B flat, K.254
Brahms: Lieders - Bei dir sind meine Gedanken, Op.95/2 and others


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's I Met Heine On The Rue Furstenberg - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart - The Violin Sonatas


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Richard Rodney Bennett's Songs Before Sleep - Jonathan Lemalu, bass, Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, Symphony #6


----------



## jim prideaux

Fischer/Austro Hungarian Haydn Orch-Haydn 'Paris Symphonies'-proving to be 'major' purchase!-I am finding that these particular recordings provide exactly what one might expect from 'classical' works but there also appears to be a real sense of life about them!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius - Tone Poems


----------



## isridgewell

Revisiting Delius, specifically:

Paris
Mass of Life
Eventyr


----------



## JCarmel

You know, I keep on saying this but' it's a funny old world!'
My musical choice this morning ( a perfect Stress-buster' me-thought...) was yours...opus 55!
Mozart's Kegelstatt Trio...same cd.....Strange, isn't it! I shall need some de-stressing when I come back too, as I'm just orf to Asda supermarket, to collect a Click n' Collect item, too big to bring on't bus.









For Kleinzeit to contemplate!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Pleyel's Sinfonia Concertante - Dieter Klöcker and Sandra Arnold, clarinets, Sebastian Tewinkel, cond.

(is that your cat Julie? It looks quite similar to my Stockhausen-hating one)


----------



## Vesteralen

Another listen to this one, this time early at work before anyone else gets in...crank up the volume! She needs it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D Major, 'Haffner' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## bejart

Georg Friederic Handel (1685-1759): Suite in F Major, HWV 348 (from Water Music)

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 25150


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques - Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano


----------



## Bas

Yesterday I was listening to Mozart's piano sonata in Cm K 457 and it reminded me of Beethoven's third piano concerto. Wikipedia taught me that Beethoven was inspired by Mozart's 24th concerto, and I can hear concerto 24 in the sonata K457 (all these works are in Cm). I love it when I discover such things:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 24
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.]








Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 3
Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.]








Sir Edward Elgar - Violin Concerto in Bm
By Tasmin Little [violin], The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Andrew Davis [dir.] on Chandos









Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas Hob XVI 48 - 52
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi

Carl Philippe Emmanuel Bach - Sonata in Am, 12 variations in Dm, Sonata in Gm, Rondo in Cm, Sonata in Em, Fantasia in C
From the same box, Staier [harpsichord/fortepiano]


----------



## Vesteralen

Bas said:


> Sir Edward Elgar - Violin Concerto in Bm
> By Tasmin Little [violin], The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Andrew Davis [dir.] on Chandos
> 
> View attachment 25144


I meant to bring this one to work today, but I forgot. Bummer....


----------



## Bas

Vesteralen said:


> I meant to bring this one to work today, but I forgot. Bummer....


It is a very complex work in my opinion. I like parts of it, but I have the feeling that I've not quite 'gotten' it. Maybe I will listen it again tomorrow, following along with the score.


----------



## mstar

Chopin's Scherzo (2nd movement) from his second concerto, and I've got to dowload this collection I have on CD of some of Chopin's Scherzos, Boleros, I think, and some other works of his.... 

I've also been listening to Yehudi Menuhin play Mendelssohn's violin concerto.... Great recording as well!


----------



## JCarmel

It's a work that needs to match your mood, methinks.... 
A bag of 'Twiglets' matches mine...along with some vivacity from Vivaldi!









The cat belongs to my horn-playing, Cypriotic pal...& it's a 'little monkey!' by the name of Sooty.
It seems to have no cultural leanings whatsoever...except an artistic appreciation of the label on a tin of cat food, for as soon as you show it the tin...it immediately wants to nuzzle-up to it!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Smetana's String Quartet No.1 "From My Life" - Smetana Quartet

which I needn't - given that I own that very box


----------



## Kleinzeit

JCarmel said:


> View attachment 25143
> 
> 
> For Kleinzeit to contemplate!


Why, that's the most frank & open-faced moggy I've ever seen!

/fighting every urge to turn 'current listening' into lolcats thread


----------



## JCarmel

That's because he's looking at me! You'd be so, too?!....


----------



## SimonNZ

It was kind of like he was sizing up the bird in your avatar, and the bird was keeping a careful eye turned towards him.

starting now:










Maurice Ohana's Livre des Prodiges - Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, cond.

and an edit for Kleinzeit:


----------



## JCarmel

If so, he'd have great eyesight as there was about 8 miles twixt cat & bird!

I did grow up with a cat, in the family home....one of a genial & long-suffering nature...called Nicky, short for Dominic, as like the Order's ordained, he was 'robed' in black & white....with an outer chasuble of black & an inner alb of white! I'll try to post a photo on my members page 'photos' area.....

Current Listening...the Monique Haas Ravel cd again & No, I'd definetly not recommend it for the choice for the left hand concerto.
Though I enjoy it!


----------



## Kleinzeit

lolcats floodgate open = thread apocalypse at hand. Call me Cassandra. 

As you were.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> If you haven't, and if I may... Severac, in similar light. :tiphat:


Another Mompou fan checking in. I can't find Ciccolini on Spotify, so I'm listening to Billy Eidi's version. This _is_ like Mompou - spare, with lots of spaces, but charming. Thanks for the heads-up. [I'm also listening to his Tantum Ergo. Another lovely piece.]


----------



## SimonNZ

Rebecca Saunders' Into The Blue - musikFabrik


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky - Octet, Pastorale, Rag-time, Concertino for 12 Instruments (Boston Symphony Chamber Players)


----------



## Vesteralen

Listening to the BBC Music Magazine CD of JS Bach "Great Organ Works" again. I'm trying, I'm trying.

Why is it I can't get the mental image of a forlorn Gromit in his doghouse in the rain out of my mind?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Guy Sacre, Piano Works, Melodies.*

I stumbled on this composer searching for Severac. This guy is so obscure, the only Wiki article on him is in French. 
He is interesting, continuing in the Mompou-Severac-Poulenc vein.


----------



## JCarmel

Thought I'd just post this one...of my Mum, Nicky, the long-suffering cat & one flower?! 
Entitled...The Tale of The Lonesome Lupin!









And the music...for his thread today... some Rossini, I think?


----------



## Kleinzeit

Manxfeeder said:


> *Guy Sacre, Piano Works, Melodies.*
> 
> I stumbled on this composer searching for Severac. This guy is so obscure, the only Wiki article on him is in French.
> He is interesting, continuing in the Mompou-Severac-Poulenc vein.











Like mushrooms after a rain they appear!

Imaging Prince Charles & John Cage, lost in the woods, having exhausted mushroom talk, warily broaching subject of music.


----------



## Guest

Kleinzeit said:


> View attachment 25163
> 
> Like mushrooms after a rain they appear!
> Imaging Prince Charles & John Cage, lost in the woods, having exhausted mushroom talk, warily broaching subject of music.


I feel a sketch is upon me, Maître! Please forgive me the off-the-cuff improvisatory feel to it, but I'm in the white-heat of creativity. Or something like that.

*Prince Charles* (PC): Hail, well met, fellow! What maketh thee here?
*John Cage* (JC) : Come again?
*PC*: Er, what is one, 'one' as in 'thee', doing here?
*JC*: Cool, bro', I'm hip to your groove now. I'm out for mushrooms.
*PC*: You do realize you are trespassing on my private estate? But that's OK, I know of you, you are that macrobiotic composer, are you not?
*JC*: In the flesh! What are _you_ doing here, Charlie?
*PC*: In a real and true sense I am connecting with nature whilst my minions labour with their baskets, filling them up for my dinner tonight. 
*JC*: (Saying not a word, remaining silent for about 4'33") ...
*PC*: (After about 4'33" of silence) So then, we seem to have exhausted all talk about mushrooms. Do you like music?
*JC*: ...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## DeepR

Random modern stuff I come across on youtube.

Kaija Saariaho - Orion, I like it!


----------



## Mahlerian

NightHawk said:


> I heard Maureen Forrester live and close up when I was a youngun' - she was a member of The Bach Aria Group who came to town and I went on an extra ticket. I remember only her, Julius Baker, flute, and Robert Bloom, oboe though there were maybe 5 or 6 singers and other instrumentalists, violin, cello, & harpsichord, maybe, probably. She walked with a cane and the size and richness of her voice knocked me out as I had no knowledge of classical singing. Years later I bought the recording of Handel's _Julius Caesar_ w the New York City Opera, which was the work that brought international fame to the unknown-outside-of-NYC Beverly Sills - a recording I still have and listen to. There is a mezzo/alto duo in that opera that simply has to be heard.
> 
> The other singer is mezzo Beverly Wolff and it is Forrester who begins with the short recitative _dove, dove inumani_, followed by the duet _Son nato a lagrimar_. The mezzo part is a pants role and the duo is a mother (Forrester) biding farewell to her son. Youtube has many fantastic clips of Forrester singing Mahler, Handel, Bach and numerous others. A voice of the century.


That was beautiful, thank you very much.

The Forrester/Lewis Das Lied has excellent singing (not to mention sound), but I have a hard time getting past the way Reiner interprets Mahler's music. Some of the decisions he makes (in emphasis, phrasing, etc.) make no sense to me whatsoever.


----------



## JCarmel

I shouldn't have mentioned Rossini...I feel a_ Petite Messe Solennelle _coming-on.
Never mind, hey? As I love this recording of it....Stephen Cleobury conducting with soloists Popp, Fassbaender, Gedda & Kavrakos.


----------



## Andolink

*Michel Richard Delalande*: Te Deum
Véronique Gens, soprano 
Sandrine Piau, soprano 
Arlette Steye, soprano
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, tenor I 
François Piolino, tenor II
Jérôme Corréas, bass
Les Arts Florissants/William Christie








*Alexander Goehr*: manere, for clarinet and violin, Op. 81 (2008); Largo Siciliano, for horn, violin and piano, Op. 91 (2012)
Richard Hosford, clarinet
Marianne Thorsen, violin
Richard Watkins, horn
Ian Brown, piano








*J. S. Bach*: 'Nimmt von uns Herr, du treuer Gott', BWV 101 
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Janacek*: Orchestral Music, w. SWR SO/Neumann et al (rec.1986 - '90); String Quartets, w. Prazak Qt. (rec.1997); Violin Sonata, w. Mullova & Anderszewski (rec.1993); Piano Works, w. Firkusny et al (rec.1970/1).

View attachment 25177







View attachment 25178
View attachment 25179


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> That was beautiful, thank you very much.
> 
> The Forrester/Lewis Das Lied has excellent singing (not to mention sound), but I have a hard time getting past the way Reiner interprets Mahler's music. Some of the decisions he makes (in emphasis, phrasing, etc.) make no sense to me whatsoever.


Agree. I like Fritz in most, but....

And did you know, M, he once received the Bruckner Medal award for distinguished service toward that composer...whereupon I searched for Reiner Bruckner recs. and couldn't find any.


----------



## Vesteralen

Okay, let's have a DVD of Coppieters dancing while Mullova plays. That would be weird.


----------



## JCarmel

Not to be outdone here.....









The cd is playing, whilst I press 'Post Quick Reply'


----------



## jim prideaux

recently been distracted from further investigation of the works of Martinu by listening to various Haydn symphonies (and last night by Walton concertos) so have now returned to Martinu with the sextet performed by The Raphael Ensemble-reminiscent in my mind of the Janacek quartets-the cd also contains three 'madrigals' for violin and viola and the recently rediscovered sextet by Schulhoff.
I am increasingly enjoying various chamber pieces-by the way I can heartily recommend 'Late Quartet', a film starring (amongst others) Christopher Walken which is concerned primarily with the lives of members of a string quartet.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Kathleen Ferrier, Julius Patzak, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Walter









A very famous account of this masterpiece, and with good reason!


----------



## Orpheus

Just working my way through this (more or less) complete set of Schumann's piano works lately. I've never had all that much time for Schumann's orchestral works, but I'm starting to warm to his piano music somewhat more now, if only because listening to so much at once has worn down my defenses!

This set is quite a bargain at the moment by the way; you can pick it up new for around $12 or the equivalent on Amazon Marketplace! I'm scarcely an expert on Schumann, but my ears can detect lively, expressive playing, with quite a lot of rubato, which is probably no bad thing for Schumann. It seems quite well recorded for the time (1970s I believe), though sometimes the piano tone is a bit odd on certain notes and makes me wonder if it was perfectly tuned before playing.

Anyway, I suspect that there are a lot of Schumann fans out there who would be very pleased to pick up such an attractive set (by a pianist who I believe is a renowned Schumann interpreter) so cheaply; and even people who are lukewarm about him, such as myself, aren't exactly going to make a hole in their pockets by giving this set a go!


----------



## Blancrocher

I listened to Stravinsky's 4-hand piano version of the Rite and the 4-hand Piano Concerto, performed by the Duo Villarceaux. The former was disappointing--it was soft, slow, and lyrical where I wanted more passion; however, the disk received a 10/10 from classicstoday.com, which I myself tend to find more reliable than Blancrocher. I'll give it another try when I haven't just been listening to great orchestral versions.

I did want to mention that the Rite sounds great on piano, though, in case nobody's heard it that way.






There's also a leaner, meaner version from Dag Achatz for 2 hands.


----------



## Vesteralen

Orpheus said:


> View attachment 25189
> 
> 
> Just working my way through this (more or less) complete set of Schumann's piano works lately. I've never had all that much time for Schumann's orchestral works, but I'm starting to warm to his piano music somewhat more now, if only because listening to so much at once has worn down my defenses!
> 
> This set is quite a bargain at the moment by the way; you can pick it up new for around $12 or the equivalent on Amazon Marketplace! I'm scarcely an expert on Schumann, but my ears can detect lively, expressive playing, with quite a lot of rubato, which is probably no bad thing for Schumann. It seems quite well recorded for the time (1970s I believe), though sometimes the piano tone is a bit odd on certain notes and makes me wonder if it was perfectly tuned before playing.
> 
> Anyway, I suspect that there are a lot of Schumann fans out there who would be very pleased to pick up such an attractive set (by a pianist who I believe is a renowned Schumann interpreter) so cheaply; and even people who are lukewarm about him, such as myself, aren't exactly going to make a hole in their pockets by giving this set a go!


I used to have this set on LP from the Musical Heritage Society. Serviceable performances, as I remember. I recall a reviewer in Stereo Review was absolutely ecstatic over the Kinderszenen. I fell in love with Arrau's performances of so much of the Schumann piano music and it was hard to continue to appreciate all the Demus discs. But, Arrau was pricey even back then, so the Demus sets filled a lot of gaps for me.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio No. 13 in C minor (Van Swieten Trio).









Just arrived today - 10 CDs for 10 Euros, and the playing is excellent!


----------



## JCarmel

*Glen Gould playing Bach*...The Concertos for Keyboard/Clavier & Strings. The Academic Symphony Orchestra of Leningrad/Slovak & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Golschmann









Just right for this time of night, I find...though Glenn's humming-along in the Adagio of No 3 is a wee bit _too_ loud?!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Handel Recorder Sonata in G minor - Ensemble Fitzwilliam

oh wait, it just finished

now Arvo Part's Which Was The Son Of - Paul Hillier, dir.


----------



## NightHawk

In the mail, today - the complete solo piano works of Mozart performed by Ingrid Haebler. I became acquainted with this artist's work in her celebrated collaboration with violinist Henryk Szeryng and their recording of the complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Beethoven. The marriage of the two artists in that two volume recording was not of this earth. Her facility, and her style matched and complemented Szeryng note for note. I then found a used copy of her recording of the Mozart Concerto k466 in D minor & the Concerto in F k459 and became intensely determined to find everything I could from this unassuming, even self-effacing artist. Amazon additionally has this: 






and this:






and this:






.


----------



## SimonNZ

Georg Friedrich Haas's String Quartet No.2 - Kairos Quartet

and:

Rebecca Saunders' Miniata - Hans Zender, dir.


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Clarinet Quartet in F Major, Op.16, No.3

Jiri Krejci on clarinet with members of Pro arte antiqua Praha: Vaclav Navrat, violin --
Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello

View attachment 25200


----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Keqrops - Claudio Abbado. cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Various vocal/instrumental works by Stravinsky, conducted by the composer--including repeated listening to Threni (which I was gratified to learn Mahlerian seems to like as much as I do). I'll try to listen to the Symphony of Psalms right before going to bed so that I won't be able to sleep!


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Mahlerian

Blancrocher said:


> Various vocal/instrumental works by Stravinsky, conducted by the composer--including repeated listening to Threni (which I was gratified to learn Mahlerian seems to like as much as I do).


I think that makes about...three of us on this forum. Stravinsky himself saw the _Movements_ for piano and orchestra as the work that cemented his late style, but _Threni_ is far from simply transitional, unlike _Canticum Sacrum_, which I've never felt is a quite fully realized work by comparison.

I'll join you.

Stravinsky: Threni
Columbia Symphony and chorus, cond. Stravinsky








Interestingly enough, Bethany Beardslee was one of the soloists for this recording. Milton Babbitt's _Philomel_ was written for (and using) her voice.


----------



## brotagonist

I finished listening to the Beethoven/Karajan symphony cycle this morning and, therewith, I have listened to all of my acquisitions :tiphat:

That is, until I opened the mailbox  Lo and behear, the first of my September Madness... it must be the full moon... my September Spree, has arrived!









I'm on my second consecutive listening. I love the flute in *Mémoriale*, but the _pièce de résistance_, *Dérive*, is astounding! It pulses for over 50 minutes, finally ending in a cataclysmic _stop!_ To better appreciate the complexities of the patterns, I will listen again with the lights off before going to sleep.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Georg Philipp Telemann radio on last.fm to hopefully get me through my somber mood. Baroque is always there when I need it.  Age of Enlightenment.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Caprice Bohémien - Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond

...

and don't ask me why, but for some reason I'd really like to know what site-owner Frederik Magle's current listening is


----------



## jim prideaux

to start the day back to piano quintets by Dvorak and Martinu performed by Lindsays and Peter Frankl- subconcious attempt to avert the concern that having sold Sessegnon to WBA he will score against SAFC on his debut this afternoon-yes I know-how infantile!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Georg Philipp Telemann radio on last.fm to hopefully get me through my somber mood. Baroque is always there when I need it.  Age of Enlightenment.


Excellent, excellent .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Piano Trio No. 31 in E flat minor; Piano Trio No. 21 in C Major (Van Swieten Trio).









Oh wow, I'm going to have some fun with these CDs. The 'Jacob's Dream' movement has such a hilarious anecdote about it, where Haydn made an extremely difficult passage for the violinist, who was apparently a bit snobby, to 'teach him a lesson'. And the Trio No. 21 opens with an 'adagio pastorale' ... oooh, is Haydn already hinting at the sheep from the Creation?


----------



## science

Copland - Bernstein

Staying mainstream lately. Going back over the gems of my collection.










Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream - Battle; Ozawa

And this is one of the real gems. Excellent in every way I know of. Shakespeare and Mendelssohn would both be proud.










Chausson: Concert for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet - A somewhat neglected masterpiece.


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Symphonies:
No. 1 (Stokowski)
No. 2 (Lutosławski)
No. 3 (Lutosławski)
No. 4 (Wit).

And also Concerti for Orchestra by Lutosławski (Kletzki) and Bartok (Dorati).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## science

Brahms: German Requiem - Klemperer.

Like the beer commercial says, it just doesn't get any better than this.










Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 Organ; Paray: Mass for the 500th Anniversary of the Death of Joan of Arc

Ok, this probably does not count as one of the gems of my collection, but it isn't a bad version of the organ symphony, and while the Paray mass won't change anyone's life, to me it is interesting to compare to, for example, Fauré and Duruflé.










Beethoven: String Quartets - Alban Berg Quartet

This was a project. Last time I checked in I'd started this.... The late string quartets did strike me a bit more this time. I'll do this again soon, probably this week.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rebecca Saunders' Blaauw - musikFabrik

for double-bell trumpet played into the resonating chamber of an open grand piano with the sustaining pedal down


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem
By Anna Tomowa-Sintow [soprano], José van Dam [bass-bariton], Berlin Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan [dir.], on EMI








The recording is quite bad and I don't really know what to think of the performance, but it's a real great work ("Denn alles Fleisch, est ist wie Grass", such an epic movement!). I need to do research for a better recording someday.

Joseph Haydn - Missa Sanctae Ceciliae, Nikolaimissa & Missa brevis in F
By Emma Kirkby, David Thomas, et alii, the Academy of Ancient music, Simon Preston [dir.], on Double Decca








Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variatonen BWV 988
By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi
(80'46'')








Dmitri Shostakovich - Cello Concerto no. 1 in E-flat & Cello Sonata in Dm
By Han-na Chang [cello], London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano [dir.], on EMI








The Cello Concerto is a difficult work for me, in the sense that I need to learn to enjoy it (something I never have with Bach...), but the Sonata is a work I have loved since I first heard it!


----------



## SimonNZ

Dutilleux's Cello Concerto - Mstislav Rostropovich, cello, Serge Baudo, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Boito Mefistofele the Prologue Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony









Biber Violin Sonatas Andrew Manze et al


----------



## Schubussy

Alfred Schnittke - Symphony 4
Okko Kamu, Stockholm Sinfonietta








after which I think I'm going to play
Georg Friederich Handel - Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks
Jordi Savall, Le Concert Des Nations


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Sonata in B Minor, QV 167

Benedek Csalog, flute -- Rita Papp, harpsichord

View attachment 25214


----------



## SimonNZ

Henri Dutilleux's String Quartet "Ainsi la nuit" - Belcea Quartet


----------



## JCarmel

Sorry to hear about 'the somber mood', neoshredder...maybe you'd cheer-up a little if you spelt sombre correctly?!!

I've just had a very tasty, large mug of Taylors 'Lazy Sunday' coffee...enriched generously with tsp's-full of Bailey's, so for the moment (only!) all's well with my world. My horn-playing pal is playing with the band at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus today (I think it's today...) so I shall play a bit of music in her honour & hope she doesn't fluff_ too _many notes. We're both big Bruckner 4th fans....so I think that will do nicely....but which version to choose....the Klemperer, methinks.

















Another sombre-mooded soul?!....


----------



## neoshredder

JCarmel said:


> Sorry to hear about 'the somber mood', neoshredder...maybe you'd cheer-up a little if you spelt sombre correctly?!!
> 
> I've just had a very tasty, large mug of Taylors 'Lazy Sunday' coffee...enriched generously with tsp's-full of Bailey's, so for the moment (only!) all's well with my world. My horn-playing pal is playing with the band at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus today (I think it's today...) so I shall play a bit of music in her honour & hope she doesn't fluff_ too _many notes. We're both big Bruckner 4th fans....so I think that will do nicely....but which version to choose....the Klemperer, methinks.
> 
> View attachment 25216
> 
> 
> View attachment 25217
> 
> 
> Another sombre-mooded soul?!....


You are from the UK. Somber is the correct spelling in the US.


----------



## JCarmel

I know it is...I'm just blaming you for rebelling in the first place!...& all the terrible spelling confusion that came in it's wake?!


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: String Quartets No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Andolink

*Georges Aperghis*: Triangle carré, for string quartet and percussion (1989)
The Arditti String Quartet
Trio le Cercle, percussions 








*Igor Stravinsky*: Canticum Sacrum for tenor, bariton, chorus and orchestra; Agon, Ballet for twelve dancers; Requiem Canticles for contralto, bass, chorus and orchestra
SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Michael Gielen








*Guillaume de Machaut* (1300-1377): Songs
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page








*W. A. Mozart*: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor
Malcolm Bilson, fortepiano
The English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## DavidA

Just listening to that vortex of hatred for many of this forum - Classic FM - while I did the washing. So far we have had Mars from the Planets by Holst, Bach's Canata 128 and Mozart's clarinet concerto. Not bad music, really!


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 3 in C / Yuja Wang, C. Abbado, Lucerne Festival Orchestra

I'm still persevering with the Prokofiev piano concerti even though I feel they may not be for me - #1 may be the exception. His rhythmic piano writing doesn't really speak to me.


----------



## Skilmarilion

DavidA said:


> Just listening to that vortex of hatred for many of this forum - Classic FM - while I did the washing. So far we have had Mars from the Planets by Holst, Bach's Canata 128 and Mozart's clarinet concerto. Not bad music, really!


I was more than pleasantly surprised when I turned on Classic FM the other day and they were playing the phenomenal _Trauermarsch_ from Mahler's 5th.

Great stuff.


----------



## Ingélou

Classic FM doesn't deserve the scorn poured on it. It's like a magazine as opposed to great literature. It may not ultimately satisfy, but it educates & introduces its listeners to new music - new for them, I mean.

These posts reminded me to listen to this Renaissance South American music. I first heard it on Classic FM on the car radio while waiting to pick up Taggart. I told him about it, and we bought the three cds that were out at that time. 
Thank you, Classic FM! 






This is from the cd, 'Fire Burning in Snow', by the Ex Cathedra Consort & Baroque Ensemble, conducted by Jeffrey Skidmore.


----------



## Blancrocher

Herreweghe conducting Stravinsky's Monument for Gesualdo, Mass, Chorale Variations on "Von Himmel hoch da komm' ich her," and Symphony of Psalms. Having done that I'm now listening to some Bach cantatas with Herreweghe at the helm.


----------



## science

Keeping up as I go - the wife is not home, I'm baching it (that is a real word): I'll do the dishes and laundry before she gets here, but for now it's just me, classical music, and pizza.

Having finished the Bernstein Copland album, I turned to Michelangeli's classic Rachmaninoff and Ravel concertos:










Very nice!

And now, my impulse buy of earlier today:










It's different. Interesting. Not really, really different - not Penderecki different, or Stockhausen _Stimmung_ different, just a _little_ different. Not as pretty as Fauré or Duruflé, and not quite as sweet as the Paray mass I listened to last night, but not a challenge either. _And the Kyrie of the Martin mass was phenomenal. A great recording of the double choir._


----------



## JCarmel

Verdi....Four Sacred Pieces

Riccardo Muti conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra & the Swedish Radio Chorus etc Arleen Auger (soloist)









Verdi wrote these settings of sacred texts in his 70's went he had 'retired' to his country estate to look after his estate's interests, his dogs and his horses. But I suppose with such compositional gifts it's not easy to 'retire'....& the great operas of Otello & Falstaff were the other works that formed this wonderful swan-song to his genius.


----------



## jim prideaux

Skilmarilion said:


> *Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 3 in C / Yuja Wang, C. Abbado, Lucerne Festival Orchestra
> 
> I'm still persevering with the Prokofiev piano concerti even though I feel they may not be for me - #1 may be the exception. His rhythmic piano writing doesn't really speak to me.


Reassuring to learn that I am not the only one who experiences great difficulties actually enjoying or liking the Prokofiev piano concertos


----------



## JCarmel

I know what you mean, Jim... but the 3rd is very enjoyable I think...well in the interpretations I listen to...though best not to ask me to consider 'which'... unless you want half a page?!!


----------



## Winterreisender

Hugo Wolf - Italian Serenade (Semyon Bychkov & Berlin Philharmonic)


----------



## Manxfeeder

After looking at yesterday's and today's postings here, I appreciate how my fellow TCers have such open ears, listening to such a wide range, from established repertoire to the obscure.

Speaking of obscure, I'm listening to Guy Sacre again. I wonder if anyone is familiar with him. I can't find much of anything about him. I even took a side trip to my library after work to research him, but he wasn't in any of the composers dictionaries that they had. However, he's on Facebook - how cool is that? I put in a Friend request.


----------



## joen_cph

*Hans Henkemans* plays piano pieces by *Debussy*.

This is one of Philips´ long series of classical mono LPs with covers by the famous photographer *Paul Huf*, who was quite innovative for his day and which I am collecting (Dutch Wikipedia http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Huf_(fotograaf)). And yes, "_Poissons d´Or_" is there too. Henkemans however plays too hastily and sketchy for my taste, and I doubt I´ll be listening to it again.


----------



## joen_cph

*Beethoven/Liszt Symphony 3*, version for Piano /* Roger Woodward* / RCA LP

Woodward´s fairly "normal" recording of Brahms´ 1st Piano Concerto is fabulous, so I got this one today hoping for the best, but listening to just the first movement was disappointing, it seems to be a rather pedestrian performance & I won´t be keeping it.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm writing a letter & instead of the Mozartian inspiration that I had from the letter-writing scene in The Marriage of Figaro, the other day...I'm going for Tchaikovsky's opera 'Pique Dame' now as in the narrative, Hermann writes letters to a lady whom he has seen & has become obsessed-with (Hermann's 'big' on Obsession!..) The lady's name is Lizavyeta, I'm just remembering. The person to whom I'm writing also goes by the name of Liz.....what a very odd coincidence? One for your special Thread perhaps, Ingenue?!


----------



## DrKilroy

I have to leave Lutosławski's Symphonies for another day, I got a bit tired. 


I'll listen to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki) and Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner).

Let's do not forget that it's Holst's birthday today. I will listen to The Planets (of course, though I know he didn't like it much  ) (Previn), St Paul's Suite (Hickox), Beni Mora (Lloyd-Jones) and The Hymn of Jesus (Groves).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> After looking at yesterday's and today's postings here, I appreciate how my fellow TCers have such open ears, listening to such a wide range, from established repertoire to the obscure.


That is true. Various members express scorn (ever so subtly if they're clever!) occasionally for our limitations, but I find that the community enjoys everything from really speculative recreations of medieval music up to things that were recorded for the first time last year, from the most famous recordings to recordings that no one ever heard of, from the lightest pops and crossover to music that takes itself deadly serious, from strict HIPPI to ridiculous transcriptions. It's a good community for exploration, as long as we make room for each other to explore freely.


----------



## Blancrocher

science said:


> That is true. Various members express scorn (ever so subtly if they're clever!) occasionally for our limitations, but I find that the community enjoys everything from really speculative recreations of medieval music up to things that were recorded for the first time last year, from the most famous recordings to recordings that no one ever heard of, from the lightest pops and crossover to music that takes itself deadly serious, from strict HIPPI to ridiculous transcriptions. It's a good community for exploration, as long as we make room for each other to explore freely.


I would have mentioned all the Magnus Lindberg I've been listening to recently, but I tend to post in "current listening" for a few cheap "likes" (in addition to seeing what everyone's up to). Though it means nothing, it improves my mood.

I'm a despicable person, I know! :lol:


----------



## joen_cph

*Edward Kilenyi *plays *Chopin* 14 waltzes , Remington mono LP

Got this one too today & wasn´t really expecting that much, based on the Kilenyi I own already, I just want a reasonable collection of this pianist and the LP cover designer Curt John Witt. But it turns out to be a very charming and unpredictable recording of the waltzes. If one likes say Josef Hofmann´s improvising playing style - perhaps in small doses only  - this is very nice, and it seems to be one of Kilenyi´s most interesting records.

There´s an example on you-t (LP recording wrongly centered?)


----------



## Kleinzeit

Blancrocher: Oi! There's a whole world of businesses --monkey businesses-- devoted to providing you with likes. Here's just one, with price list:

http://www.cheap-likes.com

Manx: Could be G Sacre on the FB. He's only 65.









him? --or another?
Seems he's also a poet:

http://symetrie.com/fr/auteurs/guy.sacre

/today: listening to Weber's wild Horn Concertino Op. 45. It goes from virtuosic galante daring-do to some sounds that would makeXenakis grin.


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms - Piano Concerto No.2 in Bb, Op.83

artist
Claudio Arrau
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Bernard Haitink









Brilliant recording!


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Louis-Emmanuel Jadin (21 September 1768-1853): String Quartet No.2 in F Minor

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrera Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello

View attachment 25241


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kleinzeit said:


> Manx: Could be G Sacre on the FB. He's only 65.
> 
> View attachment 25238
> 
> 
> him? --or another?


That looks like him - or _looked_ like him would be a better way of saying it, unless age has passed him by.


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## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, String Trio, Op. 45*

View attachment 25242


----------



## aleazk

Bach - _St John Passion_, Gardiner.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio No. 12 in E minor (Van Swieten Trio).









Been liking every single piano trio so far, excellent .


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Severac, Cerdanas*

What a nice discovery.


----------



## Bas

Blancrocher said:


> I would have mentioned all the Magnus Lindberg I've been listening to recently, but I tend to post in "current listening" for a few cheap "likes" (in addition to seeing what everyone's up to). Though it means nothing, it improves my mood.
> 
> I'm a despicable person, I know! :lol:


And by posting this quasi self-critic cynical post your behaviour is again a prove of your point, hence the seven cheap likes it resulted in this far


----------



## JCarmel

I hope that we're not going to start grading Likes?!
I hope we aren't going to do a 'Janice'...with a 'I'll give it Foive?!'


----------



## Blancrocher

Bas said:


> And by posting this quasi self-critic cynical post your behaviour is again a prove of your point, hence the seven cheap likes it resulted in this far


I admit to being despicable, but I do have a certain low-minded cunning. I'm feeling improved, though, with my current listening to Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (with Jeremy Irons skilfully narrating)!


----------



## Bas

I just came home from a wonderful diner with a very good friend, I'm in the mood for this heavenly work by Zelenka:

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Missa Votiva
By Joanne Lun [soprano], Daniel Taylor [alto], Johannes Kaleschke [tenor], Thomas Bauer [basso]
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius [dir.] on Carus


----------



## JCarmel

And I'm feeling improved by listening to my choice of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto...Kyril Kondrashin conducts the Moscow Philharmonic, with Byron Janis...a different Janis, please note?! I def. give this Foive!


----------



## joen_cph

*Marek Stachowsky* (1936- ): Muza CD:
"_Sapphic Odes_" for Mezzo-Soprano & Orchestra. A sombre affair very much in late-Penderecki and the Gorecki 3rd Symphony style, but not that catchy it seems, and the soprano´s voice is very dark indeed.
"_Divertimento for Strings_", somewhat neo-classical, but not extremely remarkable.
The two chamber works here, "_2nd String Quartet_" and "_Madrigali dell´Estate"_ for Soprano & String Trio were those I found most interesting, the 2nd Quartet being also the earliest and most modernistic work but still quite easy to listen to.

And now:








*Zelenka*: "_Requiem_" / Dähler / Claves LP.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Violin Concertos, Nos. 1 and 3
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn


----------



## Valkhafar

Haydn: Concertos for Cello, Jean-Guihen Queyras. Petra Müllejans, Freiburger Barockorchester.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in D Major, KV 385 ("Haffner")

Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin Philharmonic

View attachment 25261


----------



## ArtMusic

A seldom mentioned masterpiece performed very well here.


----------



## Vesteralen

bejart said:


> Mozart: Symphony No.39 in D Major, KV 385 ("Haffner")
> 
> Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin Philharmonic
> 
> View attachment 25261


Hurray for the 39th!!!!!

Not so hurray for Bohm.....

If you're going to listen to this masterpiece - better have Szell


----------



## Vesteralen

View attachment 25265









Finally listened to this one. First reading after Menuhin's that I liked.

Attachment nightmare - Below is the Alsop disc I listened to for the weekly listening thread


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telemann - Tafelmusik


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in F Major, Op.28, No.1

La Comunita Magnifica: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Massimo Piva, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Simone Tieppe, cellos

View attachment 25267


Vesteralen says ---
"Hurray for the 39th!!!!! Not so hurray for Bohm....."

Once a year, I take it out for a spin to see if I missed anything.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Lalo's Symphonie Espagnol - Maxim Vengerov, violin, Antonio Pappano, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Live broadcast:
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi

I missed the first part of the broadcast, the Brahms Double Concerto. Made it in time for this, though. Here's hoping for a good BSO season, and more consistent programming in the future with our new music director.


----------



## mstar

Tchaikovsky. TCHAIKOVSKY! The Seasons by Tchaikovsky. <3


----------



## Sid James

My usual weekend run-down:

*Walton* _Symphony #1 in B flat minor_
- Philharmonia Orch. under Louis Fremaux (alto)










Starting with *Walton's Symphony #1* that I've been listening to a lot lately. It's a brilliant work that shows off the power of the modern orchestra in full force, the first three movements being quite dark and edgy in mood and the final movement ending in triumph. It is a symphony with two wildly contrasting personalities. The work had a difficult gestation and was composed during an emotional time in the composer's life when he had just had a breakup with a partner. It was initially premiered in truncated form (the first three movements) in 1934, but the complete work was first heard the following year.

Walton doesn't really follow convention in any strict way, for example the first movement presents a kaleidoscope of ideas which at first seems chaotic, the ideas come thick and fast. He doesn't seem much interested in sonata form, the first movement develops organically from that memorable opening oboe solo, and it doesn't have a recapitulation. The second movement marked _con malizia_ (with malice) has this mix of whimsy with a kind of dark humour, bordering on the psychopathic. Walton's trademark edgy rhythms, this holding back and letting out of tension are on display here. Then the slow movement, which opens with a flute solo bringing shades of Debussy and resolving with this emotional outburst of truly tragic character, a release of pent up emotion.

The final movement is a fugue with four distinct sections, something like a combination of fugue and variation forms. It culminates in an impressive coda that someone told me reminded them of fireworks, which I think is an apt description. There is use of the gong and a kind of tenterhooks coda which has strong similarities to the ending of Sibelius' _Symphony #5_.


----------



## Sid James

Continuing with some explorations of music associated with *Vienna, city of both dreams and nightmares!*

*Album: Wiener Bonbons - New Year's Concert 1983*
- Music of *J. Strauss II *and *Josef Strauss*, played by Vienna PO under Lorin Maazel, recorded live in concert (DGG)










The music of the *Strauss waltz dynasty *- Strauss the father and his three sons - reflects the high point of Vienna, a city which was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, a city of culture and music, of glamour, excitement and fun.

This disc presents some famous but also lesser-known dance tunes and also two operetta overtures.

One of my favourites is _*Tales from the Vienna Woods*_, with that memorable zither solo (but also a juicy one for the cello). This is an image of Vienna still being small enough to make a trip to the countryside surrounding it a not too arduous affair, the traveler perhaps taking in a visit to a tavern with a beer garden where _schrammel-musik_ is being played.

The _*Hungarian Polka *(Eljen a Magyar!)_ added some Hungarian spice to proceedings and _*Free-Shooting Bullets Polka* (Freikugeln)_ bought a gun shot into the concert hall - but all just for fun and effect, of course. My favourite piece by the lesser known brother Josef Strauss was *From Afar Polka *(Aus der Ferne), which presents a very lyrical set of variations.

Then you had the two *operetta overtures*, _*A Night in Venice*_ and _*Indigo and the Forty Thieves*_. Johann Strauss II more or less initiated the tradition of Viennese operetta, and this genre in some ways encapsulated the aspirations towards unity of the fractured Habsburg Empire. The plots where formulaic and wafer thin, inevitably involving a love triangle or feuding couples - preferably a mix of guys and gals of aristocratic and lower class origins - and with some ethnic element added (eg. gypsies or Slavs, who where at the fringes of the empire). The feuds or mix ups are inevitably resolved in the end by a patriarch or matriarch sorting the lovers out. You know it's the end when a bottle of champagne is popped open, and the empire could rest assured that all the class and ethnic tensions in this neo-feudal melting pot would simply go away and everyone would live happily every after.

Well, pigs might fly, but at least it provided opportunity for some great music!

*Berg* _Lulu Suite_ (abridged version)
- Nuremberg SO under Othmar M.F. Maga with unnamed soprano singing in the section with vocals (Vienna Master Series)










Continuing with *Berg's* music, which in many ways presents different aspects of Vienna, when the many skeletons hidden during the Habsburg era began coming out of the closet en masse. The story of *Lulu*, with is suicides, murders and sordid elements, brings to bear that climate of unrest and turmoil which engulfed Mitteleuropa during the interwar period. Rather than glitz and glamour we had neuroses and decay, the façade had truly slipped and was crumbling.

Despite that, Berg's music has this late Romantic richness and the feel of Mahler - and Wagner - is never far away here. This 25 minute piece reads like a symphony, it is thematically quite tight. The soprano solo towards the end is emotionally full on, and sounds very difficult to sing with all those sudden changes in tempo and dynamic for one thing. I love the recurring theme played on the horn the most, it gives both a sense of dread and some sort of hazy night-time world.

An interesting connection I thought I'd mention is that Berg heard Walton's first string quartet (later withdrawn) at the ISCM new music festival in Salzburg during the 1920's. Berg praised the budding English composer's work.

*Godowsky* _Wine, Women and Song_ (#3 from _3 Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Johann Strauss II_)
- Konstantin Scherbakov, piano (Naxos - 3 disc set, _Easy Listening Piano Classics: Godowsky_)










Ending with *Leopold Godowsky's* tribute to Vienna, a city he worked in prior to World War I teaching master classes at the Vienna Academy of Music. These symphonic metamorphoses are easy on the ear but very difficult to play. They are showcases but the way in which Godowsky treats colouristic effects for example is unique and amazing in itself. The opening statement of the theme of Strauss' legendary waltz here, _*Wine, Women and Song*_, may well have confused Strauss. Godowsky pushes tonality quite a bit in this piece, the influence of Liszt is palpable. I don't know what Strauss would have thought, but Godowsky's piece definitely sounds fresh and is by no means a going through the motions empty virtuosic showpiece.

Godowsky was a major figure of his day in piano composition, admired by the likes of Busoni and Rachmaninov. After his death he didn't exactly slip into obscurity, but the technical challenges of his music meant that it was rarely played or recorded. Now however he has gotten some traction, not only from this series of recordings originally done for the Marco Polo (here reissued on Naxos), but also Marc Andre Hamelin who has recorded his music extensively as well.

Getting back to the Vienna theme, Godowsky's three symphonic metamorphoses on themes of Strauss in some ways look forward to *Ravel's* _La Valse_, which was composed after the war and the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire. It's a work that simultaneously pays tribute to the Strausses and uses the increased fragmentation of their waltzes as a metaphor for the political events of the period. So Godowsky's three pieces are like precursors to _La Valse _in form and content.


----------



## Itullian

Daphne, Strauss, Bohm, DGG


----------



## SimonNZ

starting up on the radio:

Britten's Billy Budd - Andrew Davis, cond

recording from this years Proms at the Royal Albert Hall a few weeks back

might just leave this blaring while I get some housework done


----------



## mstar

I went from silence to *Silencio by Beethoven.... *A classic that I used to listen to right before I went to sleep. 

As well as *Schumann's Violin Concerto.... I* now realize that i have previously underestimated it so much that I now owe Schumann himself an apology.... :lol:


----------



## NightHawk

Clara Haskil, piano, Igor Markevitch, Orchestre des Lamoureux, 1961.

In today's mail (yes, 'one click' purchasing is just too easy!). The recording is from 1961, but the sound is fantastic (96kHz 24-bit Super Digital Transfer) - much, much better than the Salzburg Recital of Haskil's I received a couple of days ago that was recorded live in 1957. And, this is a perfect Mozart concert for me; my two most loved piano concertos on one disc, No. 20, in D minor K466, and No. 24, in C minor K491. The Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux conducted by Igor Markevitch is _really_ wonderful and Haskil is simply Mozart. The urgency and fretfulness of the k466 has put it at the top of my now four fine recordings of the work, others being Haebler, R.Serkin, and Uchida.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Blancrocher

Having disparaged another 4-hand piano disk, I found one I love. The Labeque sisters playing Stravinsky's Concerto for 2 Pianos and other pieces--including Debussy's "En blanc et noir," which would have been dedicated to Stravinsky had death not intervened.

I'm winding down with my 2nd listen to this beauty, which I discovered this afternoon.


----------



## science

Dishes are done, so whatever else happens when the wife comes home, I'm physically safe. So, hittin' that Beethoven:










Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3, 5 - Serkin, Bernstein.

New to me; #3 impressed me more than #5.










Beethoven: Piano Concertos #4, 5 - Kempff, Leitner

The #4 here is much better than the #5 here, but the #5 is better than the Serkin #5 in all but one respect: the orchestra is more impressive in Serkin.


----------



## science

Brahms: Piano Concerto #2 - Richter; Leinsdorf; Piano Sonata #1










Brahms: Piano Concertos #1, 2 - Gilels, Jochum; Fantasias, op. 116

I really do like the Richter better than the Gilels. I like the speed, I like the way the orchestra is recorded (more emphasis on the low strings and horns). The one thing is that sometimes the mike seems to be a bit too far inside the piano.... Both are wonderful but I liked Richter better.

I really liked the sonata as well, though the Fantasias do a lot more too me.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## science

Lovely works of course. I used to have a crush on the clarinet, and it still has its moments.










The Prokofiev is still eluding me, as most Prokofiev does. The Ravel is nice. I suspect I'm not destined to be the biggest fan of Argerich's recordings of these works. I listened to Michelangeli's Ravel last night, and I liked it better (sharper, clearer, and prettier).










Lots of fun. I think I'll keep the Bach toccata on organ, but it was fun anyway. Everything else was superb. One thing I appreciate about Hough is his willingness not to take things too seriously, to let the music be about beauty.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Joseph Haydn* - Die Jahreszeiten (Brighton Festival Chorus and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Antal Dorati) on YouTube. I have got myself acquainted with both of Haydn's great oratorios over this week and loved both of them.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SiegendesLicht said:


> *Joseph Haydn* - Die Jahreszeiten (Brighton Festival Chorus and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Antal Dorati) on YouTube. I have got myself acquainted with both of Haydn's great oratorios over this week and loved both of them.


Hello SiegendesLicht, if you really liked The Seasons, watch Norrington's rendition on YouTube, it's very good in my opinion:


----------



## Bas

The 22th sunday after trinity, so cantata BWV 114 is the prescribed one for today:

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 114 Cantata "Ach lieben Christen sei Getrosttet"
By Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Daniel Taylor [counter-tenor], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], the Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.]
Disc 25 of the complete recordings, on BIS









Johann Sebastian Bach 
BWV 25 "Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe", 
BWV 138 "Warum betrübst du dich mein Herz?",
BWV 105 "Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht",
BWV 46 "Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei"

By Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guillon [alto], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ








Jan Dismas Zelenka - Solo Motets for Counter Tenor
By Alex Potter [counter-tenor], Cappricio Barockorchester, Dominik Kiefer [dir.], on Pan Classics








George Frederic Handel - Italian Cantatas
HWV 170 Tra le fiamme (il consiglio)
HWV 134 Pensieri notturni di filli 
HWV 90 Il delirio amorosso
HWV 113 Figlio d'alte speranze

By Roberta Invernizzi [soprano], Fabio Bonizonni [harpsichord, dir.], on Glossa (volume I of the series)








Domenico Scarlatti - Sonatas Kk 356 - Kk 391 
Disc 23 - 25 of the complete recordings
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 93 in D Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









Other than all the other magnificent details in this symphony, the noted highlight is of course the very well prepared 'fart' in the second movement .


----------



## SimonNZ

Alexander Goehr's Since Brass Nor Stone - Colin Currie, percussion, Pavel Haas Quartet

edit: now Goehr's Nonomiya - Steven Pruslin, piano










edit: and now Goehr's Romanza - Moray Welsh, cello, Oliver Knussen, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Piano Trio No.1 in Bb, D.898, Op.99

artist
Yuval Trio


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - Piano Trio No.2 in Eb, D.929, Op.100

artist
The Gryphon Trio


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Respighi's Violin Sonata in D minor - Tanja Becker-Bender, violin, Péter Nagy, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

"Metamorphosis," string quartets by Bartók, Ligeti and Kurtág played by Cuarteto Casals









Bartók's string quartets I'm not very familiar with at all, number 4 as played on this recording is the only one I've heard more than once. It has a similar (but slightly older) feel to it as Ligeti's relentlessly mood shifting First String Quartet "Metamorphisis Nocturnes" which is a work I am very familiar with and this recording of it is the best I have heard. The recording ends with Kurtág's "Microludes for String Quartet" and the whole CD is set out in a way which displays a progression of ideas and thoughts of 20th century Hungarian composition. Never a dull moment!


----------



## SimonNZ

Yay! COAG is back on Current Listening!

AndI was thinking just today that Kurtag is a composer I need to look into. Would that quartet be a good place to start?

oh, and now on the radio is:

Mattiegka's Notturno op.21 - Sérénade à trois


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Yay! COAG is back on Current Listening!
> 
> AndI was thinking just today that Kurtag is a composer I need to look into. Would that quartet be a good place to start?
> 
> oh, and now on the radio is:
> 
> Mattiegka's Notturno op.21 - Sérénade à trois


The Microludes were exactly how I started with Kurtág!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Hello SiegendesLicht, if you really liked The Seasons, watch Norrington's rendition on YouTube, it's very good in my opinion:


Thank you! It is very enjoyable indeed.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio, first of the after-midnight full-cds:

Haydn's "Fire", "Military" and "Clock" Symphonies - Neville Marriner, cond.

again I needn't be listening to these on the radio as I own these recordings

in fact one of the most Desert Island-y items in my collection is the 10-cd box of Marriner's Haydn "Name" Symphonies


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Emerson String Quartet: Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello

View attachment 25287


----------



## Oskaar

Schubert - String Quartet No.1 in G-/Bb, D.18

artist
Verdi Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

mozart Violin Concerto No.1 in Bb, K.207

artist
Benjamin Schmid
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf


----------



## Andolink

*Donald Martino*: Pianississimo
Eliza Garth, piano








*J. S. Bach*: 'Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen', BWV 43
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Catherine Patriasz, alto
Christoph Prégardien, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Violin Concerto No.2 in D, K.211

artist
Emmy Verhey
Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra
C. Jared Sacks, Channel Classics


----------



## science

Sid James said:


> Continuing with some explorations of music associated with *Vienna, city of both dreams and nightmares!*
> 
> *Album: Wiener Bonbons - New Year's Concert 1983*
> - Music of *J. Strauss II *and *Josef Strauss*, played by Vienna PO under Lorin Maazel, recorded live in concert (DGG)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The music of the *Strauss waltz dynasty *- Strauss the father and his three sons - reflects the high point of Vienna, a city which was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, a city of culture and music, of glamour, excitement and fun.
> 
> This disc presents some famous but also lesser-known dance tunes and also two operetta overtures.
> 
> One of my favourites is _*Tales from the Vienna Woods*_, with that memorable zither solo (but also a juicy one for the cello). This is an image of Vienna still being small enough to make a trip to the countryside surrounding it a not too arduous affair, the traveler perhaps taking in a visit to a tavern with a beer garden where _schrammel-musik_ is being played.
> 
> The _*Hungarian Polka *(Eljen a Magyar!)_ added some Hungarian spice to proceedings and _*Free-Shooting Bullets Polka* (Freikugeln)_ bought a gun shot into the concert hall - but all just for fun and effect, of course. My favourite piece by the lesser known brother Josef Strauss was *From Afar Polka *(Aus der Ferne), which presents a very lyrical set of variations.
> 
> Then you had the two *operetta overtures*, _*A Night in Venice*_ and _*Indigo and the Forty Thieves*_. Johann Strauss II more or less initiated the tradition of Viennese operetta, and this genre in some ways encapsulated the aspirations towards unity of the fractured Habsburg Empire. The plots where formulaic and wafer thin, inevitably involving a love triangle or feuding couples - preferably a mix of guys and gals of aristocratic and lower class origins - and with some ethnic element added (eg. gypsies or Slavs, who where at the fringes of the empire). The feuds or mix ups are inevitably resolved in the end by a patriarch or matriarch sorting the lovers out. You know it's the end when a bottle of champagne is popped open, and the empire could rest assured that all the class and ethnic tensions in this neo-feudal melting pot would simply go away and everyone would live happily every after.
> 
> Well, pigs might fly, but at least it provided opportunity for some great music!
> 
> *Berg* _Lulu Suite_ (abridged version)
> - Nuremberg SO under Othmar M.F. Maga with unnamed soprano singing in the section with vocals (Vienna Master Series)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Continuing with *Berg's* music, which in many ways presents different aspects of Vienna, when the many skeletons hidden during the Habsburg era began coming out of the closet en masse. The story of *Lulu*, with is suicides, murders and sordid elements, brings to bear that climate of unrest and turmoil which engulfed Mitteleuropa during the interwar period. Rather than glitz and glamour we had neuroses and decay, the façade had truly slipped and was crumbling.
> 
> Despite that, Berg's music has this late Romantic richness and the feel of Mahler - and Wagner - is never far away here. This 25 minute piece reads like a symphony, it is thematically quite tight. The soprano solo towards the end is emotionally full on, and sounds very difficult to sing with all those sudden changes in tempo and dynamic for one thing. I love the recurring theme played on the horn the most, it gives both a sense of dread and some sort of hazy night-time world.
> 
> An interesting connection I thought I'd mention is that Berg heard Walton's first string quartet (later withdrawn) at the ISCM new music festival in Salzburg during the 1920's. Berg praised the budding English composer's work.
> 
> *Godowsky* _Wine, Women and Song_ (#3 from _3 Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Johann Strauss II_)
> - Konstantin Scherbakov, piano (Naxos - 3 disc set, _Easy Listening Piano Classics: Godowsky_)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ending with *Leopold Godowsky's* tribute to Vienna, a city he worked in prior to World War I teaching master classes at the Vienna Academy of Music. These symphonic metamorphoses are easy on the ear but very difficult to play. They are showcases but the way in which Godowsky treats colouristic effects for example is unique and amazing in itself. The opening statement of the theme of Strauss' legendary waltz here, _*Wine, Women and Song*_, may well have confused Strauss. Godowsky pushes tonality quite a bit in this piece, the influence of Liszt is palpable. I don't know what Strauss would have thought, but Godowsky's piece definitely sounds fresh and is by no means a going through the motions empty virtuosic showpiece.
> 
> Godowsky was a major figure of his day in piano composition, admired by the likes of Busoni and Rachmaninov. After his death he didn't exactly slip into obscurity, but the technical challenges of his music meant that it was rarely played or recorded. Now however he has gotten some traction, not only from this series of recordings originally done for the Marco Polo (here reissued on Naxos), but also Marc Andre Hamelin who has recorded his music extensively as well.
> 
> Getting back to the Vienna theme, Godowsky's three symphonic metamorphoses on themes of Strauss in some ways look forward to *Ravel's* _La Valse_, which was composed after the war and the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire. It's a work that simultaneously pays tribute to the Strausses and uses the increased fragmentation of their waltzes as a metaphor for the political events of the period. So Godowsky's three pieces are like precursors to _La Valse _in form and content.


That's some serious work for a post in this thread. You should consider compiling these as a blog.


----------



## bejart

Anton Ferdinand Titz (1742-1810): String Quartet in G Major, (No.1 of 1802)

Hoffmeister Quartet: Ula Bundies and Christoph Heiddemann, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello

View attachment 25293


PS. Not to be confused with the birthday boy --- Anton Filtz AKA Fils, Filts


----------



## science

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 25269
> Clara Haskil, piano, Igor Markevitch, Orchestre des Lamoureux, 1961.
> 
> In today's mail (yes, 'one click' purchasing is just too easy!). The recording is from 1961, but the sound is fantastic (96kHz 24-bit Super Digital Transfer) - much, much better than the Salzburg Recital of Haskil's I received a couple of days ago that was recorded live in 1957. And, this is a perfect Mozart concert for me; my two most loved piano concertos on one disc, No. 20, in D minor K466, and No. 24, in C minor K491. The Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux conducted by Igor Markevitch is _really_ wonderful and Haskil is simply Mozart. The urgency and fretfulness of the k466 has put it at the top of my now four fine recordings of the work, others being Haebler, R.Serkin, and Uchida.


That looks wonderful!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

science said:


> That's some serious work for a post in this thread. You should consider compiling these as a blog.


science, I think Sid James has the right to do what he wishes in this forum - what's wrong with his post?


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Violin Concerto No.3 in G, K.216

artist
Gidon Kremer
Wiener Philharmoniker
Nikolaus Harnoncourt


----------



## Blancrocher

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> science, I think Sid James has the right to do what he wishes in this forum - what's wrong with his post?


I think science was making a friendly compliment--nothing to worry about here!

I'm in the midst of Mompou playing his own complete piano music (recommended by Kleinzeit on this thread). It's a great way to slowly wake up on a Sunday--as Kleinzeit said, you're always just on the edge of getting it!

Thought I'd also mention a good Mompou cd I bought awhile ago by Jenny Lin, who I became interested in after hearing her very fine set of Shostakovich preludes and fugues.


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Violin Concerto No.4 in D, K.218

artist
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Pinchas Zukerman


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Violin Concerto No.5 in A, K.219 ('Turkish')


artist
Itzhak Perlman
Wiener Philharmoniker
James Levine









I could listen all day to these concertos! And all the recordings I have posted is brilliant.


----------



## mstar

A lot of Mozart today, I see!

Well, I guess I'm the odd one out for today, listening to *Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1.*

Yet, I still don't know how to pronounce his name....


----------



## brotagonist

There are lushly romantic Tchaikovskian parts, parts that race with abandon into delightful cacophonies... I was so taken by this album that I purchased several other Prokofiev works on CD.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2










Just finished listening to the 2nd concerto by Grumiaux


----------



## DavidA

Rachmaninov Sonata 2 Horowitz


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.23 in A Major, KV 488

Peter Maag conducting the Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper --- Walter Klien, piano

View attachment 25298


----------



## EricABQ

Hamelin playing Alkan's "Concerto For Solo Piano."

Sometimes I just really like a nice big piano piece.


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Concertone in C for 2 Violins, Oboe, Cello and Orchestra, K.190

artist
Cho-Liang Lin
Jaime Laredo
English Chamber Orchestra
Raymond Leppard

View attachment 25299


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Chausson*: Chamber Music, w. Chilingirian Qt. et al (rec.1997); String Quartet, w. Ludwig Qt. (rec.1996).

View attachment 25300
View attachment 25301


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Grande Sestetto Concertante (after Sinfonia concertante in Eb for Violin and Viola, K.364)

artist
Orchestre d'Auvergne
Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Gordan Nicolitch


----------



## Schubussy

Olivier Messiaen - Petites esquisses d'oiseaux/Catalogue d'oiseaux
Håkon Austbø


----------



## DaveS

Finally broke down and bought this one. Have seen it referred to so many times, and have never really been acquainted with the work. So far, so good.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner; overdue from yesterday)
Ravel - Valses nobles et sentimentales (Ansermet)
Debussy - La mer (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 3.*

I like the opening - all one chord. In the second movement, there's a lot of quoting and composer signatures in the second movement, but most of it is going over my head at this point. It looks like I'm going to have to eventually chase down a book on Schnittke so I can pick up on all this.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Elgar*: Violin Concerto, w. Kennedy/LPO/Handley (rec.1983); Cello Concerto, w. duPre/Barbirolli (rec.1965); Enigma Variations, w.Halle O./Barbirolli (rec. 1956); String Music, w. SoL/NPO/Barbirolli (rec.1962 - '66).

View attachment 25307
View attachment 25308
View attachment 25309
View attachment 25310


----------



## Musician




----------



## jim prideaux

jim prideaux said:


> to start the day back to piano quintets by Dvorak and Martinu performed by Lindsays and Peter Frankl- subconcious attempt to avert the concern that having sold Sessegnon to WBA he will score against SAFC on his debut this afternoon-yes I know-how infantile!


Quoting myself now-Sessegnon did score,I spent early Sunday morning walking on the beach at Seaham listening to Martinu symphonies on my I-pod-Today I listened to Prokofiev 3rd piano concerto in response to certain posts-still do not really enjoy,technically I am sure it is impressive but.......and then I learn that Paulo di Canio has been sacked!-this may be of little import to many tc'ers but I am again going to have to turn to music whilst yet again my football club turns itself into a media joke!-coincidentally a friend of mine is looking for recommendation regarding Beethoven quartets-any advice?


----------



## bejart

Fortunato Chelleri (ca.1688-1757): Symphony No.6 in B Flat

Vanni Moretto conducting Atalanta Fugiens

View attachment 25313


Working on a review ---


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Hugues Dufourt: _L'Afrique d'après Tiepolo_ (2005) et _L'Asie d'après Tiepolo_ (2009)
Works performed by Ensemble Recherche

View attachment 25311


These two pieces by Dufourt (for an ensemble consisting of piano, various flutes, various oboes, various clarinets, percussion, violin, viola and cello) were based on two large indoor murals by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo called "Africa" and "Asia," painted in the years 1752 and '53 respectively. Hugues Dufourt writes a very slow moving piece of music inspired by "Africa" harmonically speaking. Often he'd use the same or similar chords held for long note values to create the sense of space, important in Tiepolo's depiction of Africa. What is the most important aspect of achieving this sense of space in the music comes actually from the tone colours he employs. The whole piece of music is one gradually changing idea in which the most important element is the colour. "Asia" on the other hand is vastly different. He captures the image of various worlds coexisting or in conflict, monarchies, science, slaves and prisoners, military etc. and Dufourt writes very startling and highly emotional and dramatic music for the first two thirds of the work in a sort of structured chaos that makes use of large array of additional Asian percussion instruments. The last section of the work is much calmer and based on a duet for contrabass clarinet and marimbaphone according to the composer.

Ensemble Recherche, one of my favourite contemporary music ensembles have done good commissioning and recording these two magnificent works for KAIROS! Anyone who loves French music should seriously check out this album!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in A Major, Hob. 15/18 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## Sonata

On a big Haydn kick lately!
-Trumpet Concerto
-Symphonies 60 & 70

-Mahler Symphony 3
-Dvorak Symphony 5
-Handel: Saul
-Bach: Partitas for solo violin
-Brahms: Piano Quartet #1, Cello sonata #1


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Sonata said:


> On a big Haydn kick lately!
> -Trumpet Concerto
> -Symphonies 60 & 70
> 
> -Mahler Symphony 3
> -Dvorak Symphony 5
> -Handel: Saul
> -Bach: Partitas for solo violin
> -Brahms: Piano Quartet #1, Cello sonata #1


Somehow the notion of a Haydn kick makes me think of practical jokes ...


----------



## Blancrocher

After a first hearing of Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists playing Stravinsky and Prokofiev, I'm ready to give it another go. I'd never heard the Visions Fugitives except on piano, so this album was a treat.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Jesus Guridi's Ten Basque Melodies - Juan José Mena, cond.


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): Flute Quartet

Vaclav Slivansky, flute -- Ada Slivanska, violin -- Jana Matejkova, cello -- Monika Pecikiewiczova, piano

View attachment 25316


Do not adjust your monitor. For some strange reason, the art designer deliberately decided to use an out-of-focus print for the cover of this recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's Hungarian Sketches - Miklos Erdelyi, cond.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Impromptu in E Flat, Op.90, No.2

Alfred Brendel, piano

View attachment 25318


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beat Furrer: Piano Concerto (2007)






I've been very interested by the compelling sound world and rhythmic power of Furrer's music and this is just another exploration I am taking into his diverse output. I found that he is quite a featured composer on the KAIROS label, I should look into purchasing the CD that this and "Spur" is on...."Spur" is a work for piano and string quartet and currently the only other Furrer work I know! Any other recommendations of other works by Furrer I would enjoy would be greatly appreciated! In the meantime ill be enjoying the sheer awesomeness of this piano concerto.


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Beat Furrer: Piano Concerto (2007)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been very interested by the compelling sound world and rhythmic power of Furrer's music and this is just another exploration I am taking into his diverse output. I found that he is quite a featured composer on the KAIROS label, I should look into purchasing the CD that this and "Spur" is on...."Spur" is a work for piano and string quartet and currently the only other Furrer work I know! Any other recommendations of other works by Furrer I would enjoy would be greatly appreciated! In the meantime ill be enjoying the sheer awesomeness of this piano concerto.


That's currently my favorite piece. lol


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67, * both performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alfonso el Sabio: Las Cantigas De Santa Maria - The Waverly Consort


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been listening to two great cds containing Andrew Litton and the Bergen PO playing Firebird, The Rite, Petrushka, and other works. Very highly recommended. They stack up well amongst the generally marvelous competition, in my view. However, I'm still a couple weeks away from having settled enough opinions to head into the "best recording of the Rite" thread--something to look forward to, I guess! :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

coincidentally also playing Stravinsky:










The Song Of The Nightingale - Ernest Ansermet, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beat Furrer: Spur






I'm not sure when this was composed (does it say when you click on the link? I can't remember.....:lol but this is the _other_ composition by Furrer I have familiarised myself with in the past few days. In this work, I love the rhythmic layering of constant and simple demisemiquavers over complex polyrhythms, especially at the start when the piano is keeping the constant, harmonically and rhythmically simple layer as a sort of base underneath all the very specific, colouristic and rhythmically complex layers in the string parts. This is my favourite work for piano quintet along with Leo Ornstein's.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kurtag's Stele - Michael Gielen, cond.

(its in there, though they don't list it on the cover)


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto on C Major, RV 476

Bela Drahos conducting the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Tamas Benkocs, bassoon

View attachment 25328


----------



## SimonNZ

Love those Naxos Vivaldi Bassoon discs. We play them at work regularly - and always go down well.

now:










Kurtag's Songs Of Despair And Sorrow - Marcus Creed, dir.


----------



## PetrB

Marc-Andre Dalbavie ~ Piano Quartet (2012)


----------



## Guest

Mozart
Piano Concertos K453, K595
Angela Hewitt; Orchestra Da Camera Di Mantova, Hannu Lintu


----------



## SimonNZ

Kurtag's 12 Microludes - Hagen Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Bassoon Concerto in Bb, K.191

artist
Klaus Hellmann
Vienna Mozart Ensemble
Herbert Kraus








Did not **** the first movement so much. A bit boring. But the second is very good.


----------



## mstar

Rachmaninov's Second Symphony - and I'm off to school/work/career!


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622

artist

Dresden Staatskapelle, Siegfried Kurz, Oskar Michallik


----------



## PetrB

.........................................


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Samuel Barber: Knoxville, Essays for Orchestra nos. 2 and 3, Toccata Festiva
Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop









I bought this one years ago and never bothered to listen to it properly until now, for some reason I had generally dismissed the music of Samuel Barber just because it seemed to be pretty outdated during the time it was written. However once actually listening I can hear some remarkable Romantic era music in the 20th century. Knoxville: Summer of 1915 is a beautiful setting of a very beautiful text by James Agee and I'd probably listen to it a lot more often now! What made me decide to put this CD on was half-listening to some of his music today on the radio and then afterwards hearing a letter he wrote to his mother when he was nine years old, telling her that he does _not_ want to be an athlete, he was born to be a composer.


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's 3rd symphony.

That completes a listen through of the symphonies included on the Schubert Rise of the Masters set (3, 5, 6, 8, 9.)

I enjoyed them enough to want to hear another set. I think the Harnancourt set will be my next purchase. $10 as a download on Amazon mp3 seems like a pretty good deal.


----------



## jim prideaux

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Samuel Barber: Knoxville, Essays for Orchestra nos. 2 and 3, Toccata Festiva
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop
> 
> View attachment 25333
> 
> 
> I bought this one years ago and never bothered to listen to it properly until now, for some reason I had generally dismissed the music of Samuel Barber just because it seemed to be pretty outdated during the time it was written. However once actually listening I can hear some remarkable Romantic era music in the 20th century. Knoxville: Summer of 1915 is a beautiful setting of a very beautiful text by James Agee and I'd probably listen to it a lot more often now! What made me decide to put this CD on was half-listening to some of his music today on the radio and then afterwards hearing a letter he wrote to his mother when he was nine years old, telling her that he does _not_ want to be an athlete, he was born to be a composer.


personally enjoy much of Barbers music exactly for the reason you have alluded to-his music was arguably' dated' when composed but it has that 'late romantic' flourish combined with an inherent anxiety that I believe is reflective of the 'age', something that I can also detect and equally enjoy in the works of Walton-I also find Barbers music to be oddly cinematic


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Konx-Om-Pax


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Concerto in C for Flute and Harp, K.299

artist

Anima Eterna
Frank Theuns
Marjan de Haer









Fantastic sound and performance!


----------



## SimonNZ

Maryanne Amacher's Living Sound


----------



## julianoq

I am on a Brahms phase again recently, it is impressive how much amazing music he created. Now playing the violin sonatas performed by Stefan Jackiw.


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Flute Concerto No.1 in G, K.313

artist
Bernhard Krabatsch


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Boccherini*: String Quintet in A major, Op. 28 no. 2
La Magnifica Comunità








*J. S. Bach*: 'Sie werden euch in den Bann tun', BWV 44; 'Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen', BWV 11 "Ascension Oratorio"
Barbara Schlick (Soprano), Catherine Patriasz (Alto), Christoph Prégardien (Tenor), Peter Kooy (Bass), 
Ghent Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe








*Marc-Antoine Charpentier*: Le Massacre des Innocents H. 411
La Simphone du Marais
Ensemble Vocal Contrepoint/Olivier Schneebeli








*Raphaël Cendo*: Rokh I, for flutes, violin, cello and piano
Ensemble Alternance/Jean-Luc Menet


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - The seven last words of Christ from the Cross (Orchestral version 1786)
By le concert des Nations, Jordi Savall [direction], on Alliavox








A wonderful and very powerful piece. Especially the earthquake at the end is very powerful and this specific performance - I have not yet decided whether that lays in the work regardless of by whom it is performed - reminds me quite a lot of Beethoven.

Johann Ladislaus Dussek (1760 - 1812) - Fantasia and Fugue in Fm, Sonata in A-flat, Sonata in Fm#
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano] on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi








It is interesting music, with a quite a complex structure and fascinating counter point!

George Frederic Handel - HWV 36 Arminio
By Il Compesso Barocco, Alan Curtis [dir.], on Virgin Classics


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Flute Concerto No.2 in D, K.314

artist
Jaime Martin
Orquestra De Cadaqués
Sir Neville Marriner


----------



## rrudolph

Zappa: Moggio/What Will Rumi Do?/Night School/Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra/The Beltway Bandits/A Pig With Wings/Put a Motor in Yourself/Peaches en Regalia/Naval Aviation in Art?/The Adventures of Greggery Peccary


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Cello Concerto, etc.*

I've been having a hard time getting into his symphonies, but this CD is keeping my attention.


----------



## Gilberto

2 albums by Milos Karadaglic
- Pasion
- Mediterraneo

I've been disappointed by much of current classical guitar performers. This man puts some soul and fire back into the music.


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Horn Concerto No.1 in D, K.412

artist
Ernst Mühlbacher
Franz Bauer-Theussl
Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper









A short but very nice concerto, nicely performed


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Horn Concerto No.2 in Eb, K.417

artist
Peter Damm
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner









Brilliant! I am not shure if it is the concerto, or the performance, but this recording brings to me a lot of melancolic and joyfull feelings. Wonderfull!


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Das Lied von der Erde / O. Klemperer, C. Ludwig, F. Wunderlich, New Philarmonia


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Horn Concerto No.3 in Eb, K.447

artist
Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Michael Thompson









I am impressed of a lot that I have discovered from Mozart, but these two last horn consertos (2 and 3) must be some of the best so far!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2 (Jerzy Maksymiuk; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## brotagonist

Melodies one can hum: a great way to start the day!









I heard disc 1 a few weeks back; today I'll revel in disc 2 (PT op1#3, PT op70#2).


----------



## Oskaar

mozart - Horn Concerto No.4 in Eb, K.495

artist
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Martin Owen
Nicholas Cleobury









And the 4th is amazing as well. The humouristic horn solo at the end of first movement is fantastic!


----------



## rrudolph

Penderecki: Anaklasis/Fonogrammi/De Natura Sonoris # 1/De Natura Sonoris #2/The Dream of Jacob/Canticum Canticorum Salomonis/Capriccio (not listening to the Threnody)
















Thursday night, I played a late night performance in a two-room venue. The first show, in the outer room (a nightclub type setup with a bar and tables) was a neo-burlesque show with strippers and comedians (I was not involved, unfortunately). After midnight, my chamber group and I did our thing in the inner room (a more or less conventional rows-of-seats kind of thing). In between the two shows, the management played the above Penderecki recording over the house system! It was a little unnerving to see people drinking, smoking and laughing while the Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima blasted out of the speakers...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rorem, Symphony No. 1.*

Sure, there is some formal structure here I need to be listening for in the future, but right now, it just sounds good, and that's enough.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Cello Sonata in Eb (arr. of String Trio, Op.3), Op.64

artist
Ian Fountain
David Geringas


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F Major, Hob 15/6 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Respighi/Strauss Violin Sonatas


----------



## Bas

The Leiden Choirbooks - Codex A
By the Egidius Quartet on Et'Cetera









Beautiful recording, and mindcalming music. I should really listen too medieval/renaissance music more often.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Requiem in D minor (Sir Neville Marriner; McNair, Watkinson, Araiza, Lloyd; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).


----------



## DrKilroy

Górecki - Symphony No. 2 "Copernican" (Wit).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37
Arditti String Quartet


----------



## Muse

__
https://soundcloud.com/


----------



## JCarmel

I'm almost too tired to listen to music tonight, having been wandering around the seaside at Whitby, North Yorkshire for most of the day. But I think that a little bit of the 'Essential Sibelius' that I've now downloaded onto my iPod, will assist me in seeking 'Mr Sandman'... when I'm retiring to bed, any moment now.
I'll be starting with the last movement of the 5th Symphony & then onto The Violin Concerto, which will hopefully make me sleepy but not too sleepy, so that I get to turn off the iPod before commencing my journey to the Finnish Land of Nod?!


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor
David Shifrin, Emerson String Quartet









An Autumnal work to welcome the season.


----------



## bharbeke

I'm listening to the Beethoven piano sonatas by various artists on YouTube. Some speak to me more than others, but it is a strong body of work. Just #30 and #31 to go!


----------



## Valkhafar

Mahlerian said:


> Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor
> David Shifrin, Emerson String Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An Autumnal work to welcome the season.


I am listening the exactly same CD.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3 - Freddy Kempf, piano, Andrew Litton, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Flute Concerto No.3 in G Major

Duschan Mihailovic leading the Russian Chamber Orchestra -- Claudi Armany, flute

View attachment 25382


----------



## Blancrocher

Midori Seiler and Jos van Immerseel in Beethoven's "Spring" and "Kreutzer" violin sonatas. KenOC said somewhere that these musicians made the violin sonatas sound new to him, and they certainly sound new to me. Part of the reason in my case is I hadn't heard the pieces on period instruments, but these seem to me like exceptional performances even so. I plan to listen to their complete set of the sonatas when I have time for a proper hearing.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Czech Suite - Vaclav Neumann, cond.


----------



## Ondine

The Catalysis for Greatness: Mozart Piano Variations

I am not sure if Piano Variations have a special place in Mozart's Solo Piano works. He wrote a set of fourteen, starting in 1766 at La Hague and ending his mature masterpieces in Vienna.

Mozart, again, had an especial gift and joy writing 'Variations'; a form that fitted well his temper and his ease to improve. This temptation and hunger to improve is at the core of his musical abilities and tells us how much he needed to compose free form the demand of 'pleasing people'. Thus, 'variations' invites us to see how a theme evolves in myriad ways never loosing its centre as a chain reaction which leads to musical emergent properties.

It is not a coincidence that the variations were commonly followed by masterpieces:

The 'La Hague' ones -K 24 & 25- were followed by his earlier 'Violin Sonatas'.

The Salzburg and his first Viennese -K 179 & 180- followed Symphonies No. 23 - 26 composed in an evident -and common- infatuated momentum of inspiration.

The first Paris and second Viennese Variations -K 264 & 265- were followed by his Sonata Trio for two violins and bass K266.

In the same way -his late set of four variations- K 455 was followed by the Piano Concerto No. 18, the Piano Sonata No. 14, maybe the most impressive of the late ones; and the String Quartet 'The Hunt'.

K 500 was followed by the Piano Trio in B flat, K 502, Piano Concert No. 25, K 503 and the Prague Symphony, in another infatuated momentum of inspiration.

K 573 was followed by the Purssian Quartet No. 1 and the last of his Piano Sonatas.

K 613 was followed by his last String Quintet.









Current listening:

K 24, 25, 179, 180, 264, 265, 352 - 354, 398.


----------



## Ondine

PetrB said:


> .........................................


That piece is really impressive, PetrB


----------



## SimonNZ

I believe that was PtrB giving me some very useful advice re Stravinsky recordings, but choosing instead to send it as a PM so as not to clutter the thread with chit-chat. I assured him that I (and I believe we) enjoy any intelligent non-derailing talk alongside the current listening posts.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Flute Trio in D Major

In Camera Caritatis: Dana Mimrova, flute -- Renata Machcova, viola -- Bohumil Malotin, cello

View attachment 25387


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaughan Williams' Hodie Cantata - David Willcocks, cond.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.1 in F Major, Op.18, No.1

Melos Quartet of Stuttgart: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- PEter Buck, cello

View attachment 25388


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Carter: Clarinet Concerto and Symphonia









Carter's concertos are always an enjoyable and fun listen, this one is my all time favourite clarinet concerto. I'm in a very cheerful mood today so I thought I'd listen to some equally cheery music, this seemed fitting! 

Actually, come to think of it....I think if I was a conductor I might program this concerto with Mozart's symphony no. 41. The Mozart probably heavier in the first movement but still a very light hearted symphony might go well after this light and bubbly concerto....

I'm a great fan of Carter and I like his music just as much as I like Mozart's actually (and I even though neither of them are in my top 5 at this moment I still love em lots!)

Add on: listening to the Symphonia again, I don't really like this pairing. It's a big contrast in character, after listening to the concerto the Symphonia feels too "serious" without anything in between to link the two. But still, great music from Elliott Carter!


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op.41

Apollon Quartet with Hanus Barton on piano: Martin Valek and Radek Krizanovsky, violins -- Vladimir Kroupa, viola -- Pavel Verner, cello

View attachment 25394


----------



## Sonata

The superb first movement of Brahms' first string sextet. I kind of like this guy. 

Handel: Flute sonatas. Interesting.....I find that I enjoy his less popular works much more than the "big" stuff. Give me his flute sonatas, oboe concertos, and chandos anthems. You can keep the Messiah, Water Music and the like. I admit it's strange, but there it is. Second interesting note. Flute sonatas are perhaps the one and only place where I actually prefer the harpsichord over the piano. The "peppiness" of the flute combines with the piano in an almost over the top way for me. Somehow the harpsichord lends just a bit of austerity that make them more enjoyable. Or something. I think I did a terrible job explaining that. :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky/Sibelius Violin Concertos.


----------



## brotagonist

Not to trivialize or mock Shostakovich's suffering under Stalin... Could he perform under pressure!

I plucked this from my mailbox today (the second of my September booty to arrive):









Gone is the modernist "farrago of chaotic, nonsensical sounds" (Pravda, January 28, 1936) of his Fourth Symphony. The Fifth is elegiac, sometimes smirking, lyrical and thoroughly elegant. The Ninth, a short symphony filling out this disc, is, in the composer's words, "a joyful little piece" that affected me just like that.

It's on its second spin, winding its way in...


----------



## aleazk

Yesterday, I listened to Mahler's sixth.
Today, Mahler's ninth.


----------



## KenOC

Under pressure indeed! He famously wrote "Tahiti Trot" in 45 minutes. He wrote his popular "Festive Overture" in three days. It was later used as the theme for the 1980 Summer Olympics.


----------



## aleazk

Ken Ueno - ...blood blossoms... (from the list of recommended living composers by @violadude)


----------



## drpraetorus

Allegri, Miserere Dei, The Sixteen. A work of crystalline beauty


----------



## SimonNZ

here's the plan for various points of this evening:

the five recordings of Chopins Preludes Op.28 included in the Great Pianists series:

Martha Argerich, Claudio Arrau, Shura Cherkassky, Alfred Cortot and Friedrich Gulda (three image limit)

only the five complete sets considered - there are probably bits and pieces scattered throughout other sets (having just typed this it occurs to me to remind myself that this insistence on the _integrale_ is an invention of the lp era)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Overture in G Major, 'Burlesque de Quixotte', Overture in F minor for two recorders, strings & b.c. (Gottfried von der Goltz; Freiburger Barockorchester).


----------



## drpraetorus

Siegfried Idyll, Kubelik, Berlin Phil


----------



## jim prideaux

Domus performing the Piano Quartets by Dvorak to start the day-I have decided that today I will be making a conscious effort to listen to works that I have not listened to, either for a long time or particularly closely.


----------



## jim prideaux

Bartok-Divertimento
Britten -Simple Symphony
Walton-2 pieces from Henry V
Stravinsky-Concerto in D Major

A collection entitled '20th Century String Music' performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta conducted by Richard Studt


----------



## jim prideaux

Copland-Appalachian Spring
William Schuman-American Festival Overture
Barber-Adagio
Bernstein-Candide Overture

Bernstein-LAPO
One of the first classical CD's I bought and have ignored for too long!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This afternoon I listened to disc 2 of a set called "Transfiguration" which contained....
Strauss: Tod und Verklärung
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra (revised version)
Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra (original version)
Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra (original version)
James Levine conducting the MET Orchestra

Can't find an image!

Of everything on this disc I think my favourites would be no. 2 from Webern's pieces and no. 1 from Schoenberg's. I remember the first time I heard the first of Schoenberg's five pieces, at the end of it I had to turn it off and go  "Wow!!! That. Was. Amazing." and I listened to that track another fifteen times. :lol: It is quite possibly _the_ most dramatic thing Schoenberg has ever written and constantly wows me every time I hear it! The 2nd piece of the Webern set is another piece which has more recently gotten to the "wow factor" for me because of the suspenseful build up, the intense brass writing in combination with the persistent rhythmic pulse from the cymbals at the end. Webern is brief, but he sure is concise with what he wants to say in these works and by golly it's good!


----------



## jim prideaux

with reference to the post above-Tod und Verklarung is one of the few pieces by R Strauss that I have ever really appreciated and may have to dig out Karajan/BPO vinyl copy-I am now beginning to think I may have to pay greater attention to the works of Berg etc. as it is an area I feel I have unnecessarily avoided.

ironing done,more housework-Arvo Part, Tabula Rasa, Symph no3 and Collage-Ulster Orch conducted by Takuo Yuasa.


----------



## jim prideaux

just remembered that a few years ago I attended the opening concert of the season given by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Helsinki-the main 'draw' was a fine performance of Brahms 4 and it was accompanied by Pierrott Luniaire (spelling?)-If I am honest I recall having little real grasp of the piece as I had not listened to much Schoenberg (other than Verklarte Nacht)-I was amazed however that one of the people sitting next to me fell asleep!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

jim prideaux said:


> just remembered that a few years ago I attended the opening concert of the season given by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Helsinki-the main 'draw' was a fine performance of Brahms 4 and it was accompanied by Pierrott Luniaire (spelling?)-If I am honest I recall having little real grasp of the piece as I had not listened to much Schoenberg (other than Verklarte Nacht)-I was amazed however that one of the people sitting next to me fell asleep!


Pierrot Lunaire is a brilliant synthesis of expressionist poetry and music, the beautifully weird topics of the poetry and how Schoenberg cleverly sets this to music I've always found attractive. What is interesting about it is the fact that in each poem the first line is repeated as line *seven*, and also the final line, to fit with the composer's obsession with numbers. Another couple of number things in the way this piece is constructed: there are *3* parts each with *7* songs within them (*21* in total, the opus number is also *21* and he began working on composing this on the *12th* of March 19*12*), and the instrumentation calls for 5 instrumentalists and 1 singer to be conducted, so that is *7* people in total.


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata in B Flat, Op.2, No.1, Bux WV 259

Johan Holloway, violin -- Jaap ter Linden, viola -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord

View attachment 25405


----------



## jim prideaux

a favourite recording I have not listened to for a while.....
Nielsen -Symphonies no2 (The Four Temperaments) and no3(Sinfonia espansive)
Adrian Leaper conducting National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland-I am aware that critically there are better recordings but I have a real loyalty to this disc...I imagine these works as being some kind of 'scandanavian' link between the earlier compositions of Berwald and the latter works of Sibelius-there is also one point in the final movement of one of the symphonies where I am always reminded of the soundtrack to Ice Cold in Alex!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's A Musical Offering - Karl Munchinger, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Cello Sonata in F, Op.5, No.1

artist
Anthony Cooke
Armin Watkins


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

oskaar said:


> beethoven - Cello Sonata in F, Op.5, No.1
> 
> artist
> Anthony Cooke
> Armin Watkins
> 
> View attachment 25406


What did they do to Beethoven's face in that picture? Hehe.


----------



## Vesteralen

Not so much because it's Schoenberg as because it's Accentus/Laurence Equilbey about which I read an article recently in LISTEN.

So, I'm listening.....................and I like it


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in A Major, Hob. 15/18 (Van Swieten Trio).









I was missing out on quite a bit without these piano trios. So much wit, humour and unexpected twists here - I might even think Haydn's trios equal his quartets for quality.


----------



## EricABQ

Haydn's 82nd symphony.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Cello Sonata in G-, Op.5, No.2

artist
Csaba Onczay








Jeno Jando


----------



## Oskaar

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> What did they do to Beethoven's face in that picture? Hehe.


It is after climbing down the cimney on christmas eve...


----------



## JCarmel

to empty that chamberpot, hopefully?!....

Magic Mendelsohn for me.............Symphony No 2/Abbado/LSO


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Purcell: Music For The Chapel Royal - Christopher Guest, cond.

an inspectors ticket flutters to the ground as I pull the lp out

i.e. never once played by previous owners


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Cello Sonata No.3 in A, Op.69

artist
Friedrich Kleinhapl
Andreas Woyke









Brilliant performance!


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Cello Sonata No.4 in C, Op.102, No.1

artist
Mischa Maisky
Martha Argerich


----------



## Blancrocher

Bach's Matthew Passion, conduced by Herreweghe.






Strongly recommend trying the clip if you haven't heard it--I was able to give away all my other recordings of this music as soon as I acquired the Herreweghe (though of course I didn't really :lol.


----------



## Vesteralen

At first glance, I thought I was getting The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Now that would have been something.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Cello Sonata No.5 in D, Op.102, No.2

artist
Maxim Rysanov
Kristina Blaumane


----------



## SimonNZ

Blancrocher said:


> Bach's Matthew Passion, conduced by Herreweghe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Strongly recommend trying the clip if you haven't heard it--I was able to give away all my other recordings of this music as soon as I acquired the Herreweghe (though of course I didn't really :lol.


Is it one of his two studio recordings on HM that you have (the '84 with Howard Crook as the Evangelist or the '98 with Ian Bostridge) or have you managed to find a physical copy of that concert?

I ask because Herreweghe with Ian Bostridge could well be my Desert Island SMP










playing now: the live version in the link above

Thats a lovely concert btw, I hadn't heard it before - thanks for the link


----------



## rrudolph

Paul D'Odette-Early Italian Renaisance Lute Music: Music by Milano/Borrono/L'Aquila/De Rippe
A reissue with a really weird cover (note the Volkswagens at the bottom)


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 in F-sharp minor
Dawn Upshaw, Arditti String Quartet









A very passionate reading of one of Schoenberg's most outwardly passionate pieces.


----------



## Vesteralen

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 in F-sharp minor
> Dawn Upshaw, Arditti String Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A very passionate reading of one of Schoenberg's most outwardly passionate pieces.


So, does the soprano part involve a lyric or is it more like a vocalise?


----------



## Mahlerian

Vesteralen said:


> So, does the soprano part involve a lyric or is it more like a vocalise?


The latter two movements (of four, following a sonata-form opening and a scherzo) are settings of two poems by Stefan George; Schoenberg took a keen interest in George's erotically-inflected verses around this time, probably because of their extreme expressive content (he also set a song cycle on George poems that he began before the quartet was finished).

The texts can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartets_(Schoenberg)#String_Quartet_No._2


----------



## Blancrocher

SimonNZ said:


> Is it one of his two studio recordings on HM that you have (the '84 with Howard Crook as the Evangelist or the '98 with Ian Bostridge) or have you managed to find a physical copy of that concert?


I own the 98 with Bostridge, which is desert island material for me, too. I'd actually assumed that's what I was posting, not having looked carefully at the details (shame on me), since it never occurred to me that someone would post a different performance on youtube than the one I happened to be listening to on itunes. Anyways, I'm now taking your advice and listening to my own link! :lol:


----------



## JCarmel

A bit of Bach's Well-Tempered Wot-Not, for me............with Angela Hewitt playing the Wot-Not,


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Cello Concerto.*


----------



## Bas

A re listening of yesterday:

Johann Ladislaus Dussek (1760 - 1812) - Fantasia and Fugue in Fm, Sonata in A-flat, Sonata in Fm#
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano] on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Mauerische Trauermusik K 477, Requiem in Dm K 626
By Montserrat Figueras [soprano], Claudia Schubert [alto], Gerd Türk [tenor], Stephan Schrekenberger [bass], la Capella Reial de Catalunya, le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall [dir.] on Alliavox









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014 - 1019
Ton Koopman [harpsichord], Catherine Manson [violin], on Challenge Classics









A cd I lend from a friend (I often lend him cd's and have now received a suggestion in return):

Benjamin Britten - Les Illuminations opus 18, Serenade opus 31
I'm curious (as I don't know other Britten works besides his War Reauiem)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 38 in D Major, 'Prague' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).









Got this CD by Kubelik recently - symphonies 35, 38, 39 - I really like his approach. His symphony 39 is played 'slower than usual', but this allows me to pay more attention to the orchestration.


----------



## rrudolph

Italian Renaissance Harp Music: Trabaci/Negri/Mayone/Fillimarino/Caccini and a couple anonymous pieces:








Early Italian Baroque (recorder & continuo): Castello/Cima/Fontana/Merula/Frescobaldi








Caccini/Bottrigari/Ferrari/Melii/Purcell/Johnson/Monteverdi/Steffani/Weiss/Schein/Hammerschmidt/Krieger/Grafe-Bach/Mozart


----------



## JCarmel

Reminding myself of Kyung Wha Chung's way with the Sibelius Concerto, with Andre Previn conducting the LSO


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeti, Requiem.*


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Nono*: La lontananza nostalgica utopia futura, w. Irvine Arditti and Andre Richard (rec. 1988).

View attachment 25439


----------



## JCarmel

Vaneyes...that's a No-No for me?!


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 (Hogwood). The Adagio at the beginning of No. 4 reminds me a bit of the beginning of Mahler's 1st.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Elgar*: Symphonies 1 - 3 (w.Payne), w. Halle O./Judd (rec. 1990), LPO/Handley (rec. 1980), BBCSO/A. Davis (rec. 1997).

View attachment 25440
View attachment 25441


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: Piano Concertos and Fantasias (7 Piano Pieces) Op. 116, Emil Gilels. Eugen Jochum, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mehul, Symphony No. 1*


----------



## julianoq

Brahms Piano Trio No.2 in C, played by Suk, Katchen and Starker.


----------



## Schubussy

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Trio in D major 'Ghost'
The Florestan Trio








Sometimes in my haste to discover new composers I miss classics that I should be ashamed of myself for not listening to before. Going to skip straight to the 'Archduke' next. I can see this CD becoming one of my most listened to, it's amazing so far.

And after that if I don't go off and do something else I am going to listen to someone new to me:
Georg Muffat - 5 Sonatas
The Parley of Instruments, Roy Goodman, Peter Holman


----------



## OboeKnight

Shumann Piano Concerto in a minor. So beautiful. I'd had the privilege of listening to it live twice a week for the past month because we are playing it in orchestra! Our main piano professor is the soloist...it's breathtaking.


----------



## julianoq

Villa-Lobos String Quartet No. 4, performed by Cuarteto Sudamericano. What a great piece!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

oskaar said:


> It is after climbing down the cimney on christmas eve...


Isn't it too early for Christmas? Poor Beethoven, hehe .


----------



## Tristan

*Duruflé* - Requiem, Op. 9









This is a work I've liked for a long time; the first time I heard it was on the radio and I was just surprised by it; I had never heard anything like it. Then I found out my grandmother had this CD in her collection and I soon discovered what it was that I had heard that day. An amazing work and certainly my favorite requiem


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth; Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Vaneyes...[re Nono]that's a No-No for me?!


Plenty of time for Yes-Yes conversion. No worry, if you would only remember...

"*Pilgrim*, *there is no pathway*, *there is only travelling itself."

*


----------



## brotagonist

The lowly mailbox, harbinger of...









This is my first and only Feldman album. Like other music of this style, it has pretty much said all it will after the first few notes. It sounds a bit like a squeaky, out-of-tune accordion accompanied by a sleepy pianist. It has a sublime restful quality, however, if you try _not_ to listen to it :lol:

realdealblues, best to stay away from this atmospheric "soundscape" ;-)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Elgar*: String Quartet, w. Coull Qt. (rec.1993); Piano Quintet, Violin Sonata, w. Nash Ens. (rec.1992); Piano Works, w. Garzon (rec.1998).

View attachment 25450
View attachment 25451
View attachment 25452


----------



## Manxfeeder

brotagonist said:


> This is my first and only Feldman album. Like other music of this style, it has pretty much said all it will after the first few notes.


I kind of see where you're coming from, but personally, that hasn't been my experience with Morton Feldman's music. He makes subtle changes throughout his pieces, so you are rewarded by paying attention - or better put, by staying in the moment. But if you want to zone out, it does facilitate that also.

If you've got some time, there's an analysis of the piece at http://www.cnvill.net/mfsani2.htm.

Anyway, I'm listening to this one.


----------



## brotagonist

This is the first Feldman piece I have _ever_ heard in it's entirety. I hope I didn't imply that I am disappointed with my purchase. I chose it, after listening to many samples, because it recalled drone à la La Monte Young. Having skimmed the article, I can see that there is a colossal complexity that has escaped my first listen. Like Feldman, the article, too, deserves critical attention. I have abandoned my initial 'I haven't got the time for all of that' impulse. Thanks, Manxfeeder, for the link.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mahler (arr: Stein) Symphony No.4 (chamber reduction) - Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Oh God, why it took me so much time to dig into Villa-Lobos chamber music? After being mesmerized by some string quartets, now listening to the piano trios and they are fantastic too. I am quite happy that I found a lot of new music for the next weeks!


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): Viola Concerto in C Major

Andreas Sebastian Weiser conducting the Chamber Orchestra of the Czech Philharmonic -- Jan Peruska, viola

View attachment 25456


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms (arr.Schoenberg) Piano Quartet No.1 (for orchestra) - Edo de Waart, cond.


----------



## bejart

Thomas Arne (1710-1778): Trio Sonata in D Major, Op.3, No.5

Le Nouveau Quatour: Utako Ikeda, flute -- Catherine Weiss, violin -- Mark Caudle, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

View attachment 25458


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Violin Concerto Op. Posthumous (No. 1)
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Pesek









A very romantic early work dedicated to a violinist with whom the composer was in love. She rejected both him and the concerto, and it was not performed within the composer's lifetime. The first movement was reused, albeit in a modified version, as the first of his Two Portraits.

Schoenberg/Monn: Cello Concerto (after a Harpsichord Concerto original)
Fred Sherry, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Craft









Far from just a transcription like the above Brahms, this cello concerto is more akin to Stravinsky's Pulcinella in its radical changes to the original.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in F Major, KV 332

Mitsuko Uchida, piano

View attachment 25466


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Steve Reich: Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards
John Adams: Shaker Loops
SFSO/Edo de Waart









I'm listening to the variations as sort of motivation to continue composing my own variations I'm writing at the moment which is colouristically similar. My own compositions draws on aspects of the gradually changing music or Steve Reich and also in some parts the exploration of upper partials in the opening and closing sections can be linked with Nørgård's "Voyage Into the Golden Screen," the first real acoustic spectral composition.

However, I also just love the soundscape and the unchanging mood of Reich's music despite the constantly quickly changing rhythmic and harmonic motifs.

I might listen to that Nørgård piece after this but who knows.....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Respighi


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.88 - Karl Munchinger, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. 15/40 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## SimonNZ

Olga Neuwirth's Vampyrotheone - Klangforum Wien


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Williams: Violin Concerto






Neoromantic excellence with very typically 20th century ideas and harmonies thrown in the mix. Very idiomatic violin writing but still remains refreshingly new. It's not overly experimental, but it's edgy while still old style harmonies always get me. This is the second time I've listened to this great concerto, I should listen to more of Williams's stuff. The concerto never spends too long on one idea and always has something interesting to listen to at different points. It's not my favourite concerto, but it is a good one, worthy of more performances imo.


----------



## Sid James

*Surinach* Piano Concerto
- Alicia de Larrocha, piano with Royal PO under Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos

Some mid week listening, starting with *Carlos Surinach's* piano concerto from the 1970's which combines rhythms and drama of flamenco with a kind of Modern take on Bachian counterpoint in the final movement. Incidentally, if you like Bartok's piano concertos you may like this one.










*Album: The Lyrebird Duo - Beautiful, relaxing, romantic music for harp and flute*
- Light classical, show tunes, movie themes, evergreens and folk tunes played & arranged by Ann Cecil on flute & David Cundy on harp

Then to some lyrical but sometimes sad music for flute and harp with Australia's *Lyrebird Duo*. This duo won an ARIA, Australia's equivalent of a Grammy, about 20 years ago but I don't know what they are doing now. All of these arrangments where great but I especially enjoyed Piaf's _La Vie En Rose_, the _Cavatina from The Deer Hunter _by Myers and Ravel's _Piece en forme de Habanera_.










*Weiss* Sonatas Nos. 14 & 20 for Lute and Mandolin
*Hoffmann* Sonatas in G major & D minor for Mandolin and Archlute
- Birgit Schwab, Baroque Lute & Archlute; Daniel Ahlert, Mandolin

Then to finish some pretty serious plucking with music from the Baroque and Classical eras, some exquisite pieces by the German master lutist *Sylvius Leopold Weiss* and the lesser known Viennese *Johann Hoffmann*.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 1






Whenever I don't know what I'm in the mood for, chances are I'd always find something enjoyable in Schnittke's music since it is basically a whole heap of styles all bundled up with a typical Schnittkerian sound. 

Loving this so far, I want to buy some Schnittke, I wish I had money. 

Actually all the money I'm saving is going to be emptied out on me by December when I go to Paris and London on a school trip for two weeks....I wonder if Schnittke has written $900 worth of music. 

All the Schnittke I have heard so far: symphonies 0-9, viola concerto, and now I'm going to go through all the concerti grossi.


----------



## Schubussy

You should check out his Piano Trio and Quintet too, they're some of my favourite Schnittke pieces.

Alban Berg - Orchestral Works
Mario Venzago, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 2






Some more music for pure enjoyment.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Arthur Bliss' Piano Quartet in A minor - Chamber Domaine


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie LeClair (1697-1764): Trio Sonata in B Flat, Op.4, No.2

London Baroque: Irmgard Schaller and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord

View attachment 25473


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 3






All I can say at this moment is, gosh that opening sure took me by surprise!


----------



## JCarmel

Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No 1, CBSO, Hough/Oramo.









Doesn't often get an airing but I really enjoy hearing this recording, when it does!


----------



## jim prideaux

arrived in the post -bargain-Haydn-cello concertos C Major and D major, adagio from symphony no.13 and Sinfonia concertante B flat major-Isserlis,Norrington,COE,
initially sounds really well recorded-space and clarity etc


----------



## Winterreisender

John Dowland: Clear or Cloudy (from Second Booke of Songes) - Emma Kirkby and the Consort of Musicke


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 4/Symphony no. 5






This I have heard before, this one is a biggie in the cycle of concerti grossi. It's a good one too, but I prefer the earlier ones I think.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Adam Valentin Volckmar's Clarinet Quartet in F - Arte Ensemble


----------



## DrKilroy

Today, in honour of Shostakovich, I am going to listen to his Symphonies Nos. 1, 5 (Haitink) and...

One more.  I am only familiar with the two above. *What do you recommend?* 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

I've just had an enjoyable meal & am now partaking of an excellent coffee...so my music choice just has to be Bach's Coffee Cantata...









And then afterwards, I'll be listening to Haydn's The Seasons...not just because I love the work but because I really must check the inner depths of the freezer more often...i.e. at least once a Season? And this might help drive that message, home!
My meal was jolly tasty but as the 'Quorn Mince' that I selected dated from December 2011 & the tin of 'Heinz Mulligatawny Soup' that it & my medley of vedg. was casseroled-in, dated from the month before....I might yet be heading for severe food-poisoning/premature demise?!'
I'm not concerned overly about _that_...but I may well begin to worry which member of TC I ought to leave my copy of 'Marche Slave' too?!...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 5






Continuing the journey.....I'm almost finished now.


----------



## EricABQ

In honor of the current poll I listened to Brahms' 4th. 

I enjoyed it more than I remember enjoying it from the last time I listened to it. 

There is still something about Brahms I don't fully click with, but I've learned to never say never.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Let's have a look at this post now.....



EricABQ said:


> In honor of the current poll I listened to Brahms' 4th.
> 
> I enjoyed it more than I remember enjoying it from the last time I listened to it.
> 
> There is still something about Brahms I don't fully click with, but I've learned to never say never.


Johannes Brahms, eh? Somehow I get the feeling you are trying to avoid Brahms because he doesn't "click" with you.

Never say never, eh? Well what does that remind you of? Associate this with someone else who has the same initials.

*JB*. You really should have posted the above post in the secrets thread, or confessions thread or whatever! Anywhere but here! 

Toughen up, princess, it's time to listen to some Brahms. ut:


----------



## Schubussy

DrKilroy said:


> Today, in honour of Shostakovich, I am going to listen to his Symphonies Nos. 1, 5 (Haitink) and...
> 
> One more.  I am only familiar with the two above. *What do you recommend?*
> 
> Best regards, Dr


5 again!

Or 10, that'd be a good choice too. 

Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto in G
Martha Argerich


----------



## julianoq

DrKilroy said:


> Today, in honour of Shostakovich, I am going to listen to his Symphonies Nos. 1, 5 (Haitink) and...
> 
> One more.  I am only familiar with the two above. *What do you recommend?*
> 
> Best regards, Dr


The 10th is my favorite, so I obviously recommend it a lot. I suggest the Petrenko/RLPO record, you can't go wrong with it!


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Brahms Piano Quartet No.1 orchestrated by Schoenberg and performed by Rattle and the BPO.


----------



## Vesteralen

I was listening to *Adam Fisher's Haydn *again on my commute this morning, and I've officially decided that *No 32 *is on my Top 10 list of early Haydn symphonies - I love every movement of it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 6






Last one and I've heard them all.  after this one I'm going to listen to them all over again!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vesteralen said:


> I was listening to *Adam Fisher's Haydn *again on my commute this morning, and I've officially decided that *No 32 *is on my Top 10 list of early Haydn symphonies - I love every movement of it.


Really? Is that the D minor?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, 'Singt dem Herren alle Stimmen!'; 'Gleich öffnet sich der Erde Schoß' (Andreas Spering; Im, Kobow, Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).


----------



## DavidA

Holst Mars from the Planets VPO / Karajan

The recording was made in 1962 but still sounds astonishing. A tribute to Culshaw and his engineers.


----------



## Vesteralen

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Really? Is that the D minor?


No, actually it's in C major. I've heard it said that Fischer recorded some of the mid-number symphonies later in his project when he was a bit more expert at it. I wonder if that's part of the reason why this one really sparkles?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

I'll have to listen to this symphony now .


----------



## julianoq

In hommage of Shosty's birthday, listening to Hilary Hahn performing his Violin Concerto No.1. I am not very familiar with this work, listened only one or two times a long time ago.


----------



## Blancrocher

Shosty's birthday, huh? For now he'll just have to accept my good wishes and appreciate all the little kindnesses I do for him throughout the year. I'm in the midst of Blomstedt's Sibelius cycle and couldn't stop even if I wanted to!









Not much to say about the performances accept they're giving me what I need.


----------



## DrKilroy

Schubussy said:


> Or 10, that'd be a good choice too.





julianoq said:


> The 10th is my favorite, so I obviously recommend it a lot. I suggest the Petrenko/RLPO record, you can't go wrong with it!


Thanks, but I would like to listen to something in a mood different to the mood of 5th Symphony, so I think No. 10 is not my choice. I think I will listen to Symphony No. 9 and No. 15, as well as the Concerto for Piano and Trumpet. I hope I will have time. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> Shosty's birthday, huh? For now he'll just have to accept my good wishes and appreciate all the little kindnesses I do for him throughout the year. I'm in the midst of Blomstedt's Sibelius cycle and couldn't stop even if I wanted to!
> 
> Not much to say about the performances accept they're giving me what I need.


You are right Blancrocher, nothing should stop a Sibelius cycle 

I am curious about this cycle. Having just bought the Barbirolli/Hallé cycle I will probably wait.. a few.. days to buy another one. I will take a look at this!


----------



## Vesteralen

Getting more and more familiar with this every day. Some parts of this madrigal comedy are heart-breakingly beautiful - as for example, Act 3 Scene 4 "Lassa che veggio".


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Last one and I've heard them all.  after this one I'm going to listen to them all over again!


Jeez... thank God Schnittke composed only a finite number of symphonies and concerts...


----------



## Guest

I picked this up from my library - Nielsen's 4th, 5th, and 6th symphonies recorded by Blomstedt with the SFSO. I have been meaning to give Nielsen a shot. I am not familiar with anything by him, to be honest. What little I have heard so far definitely conjures up images of Mahler. The jury is still out, but time for me to branch out a bit more . . .


----------



## Andolink

*Luciano Berio*: Notturno (String Quartet No. 3)
Alban Berg Quartet








*Luigi Boccherini*: String Quintets from Op. 28--No. 3 in E flat and No. 4 in C
La Magnifica Comunità ‎








*Michel Richard Delalande*: Symphonies pour les Soupers du Roy-- 4th Suite
Ensemble "La Simphonie du Marais"/Hugo Reyne


----------



## Vesteralen

Choral music is definitely one of my favorite genres (as long as there is no organ accompaniment ).

Another beautiful disc. *Richard Strauss a cappella / Latvian Radio Choir - Accentus - Laurence Equilbey*


----------



## rrudolph




----------



## JCarmel

No 32 in C Major it is then, Vesteralen!


----------



## JCarmel

Need to get into a Spiritual frame of mind...ready for a possible period of alone-ness.









that can set the general tone...& then for quieter, Contemplative chanting:









I should be all-ready for Isolation!


----------



## julianoq

Shostakovich's violin concerto amazed me. I have no idea why it took me so much time to listen to it again.

Now listening Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - beethoven - Violin Sonata No.1 in D, Op.12, No.1

artist
Sophie Moser









It took me time to find a good recording of this work, but I have been rewarded! Brilliant fresh,young unpolished performance, and clear colourfull and deep sound.The richness in modern sound recording is soo good that you almost can hear what kind of floor it is when a needle drop, and wich end that hit the floor. Really recommended!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: Symphony 1, w. Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1984, EMI Japan remastered); CSO/Solti (rec.1983); Symphony 2, w. VSOO/Scherchen (rec.1958, Universal remastered); Staats. Berlin/Suitner (rec.1983).

View attachment 25497
View attachment 25498
View attachment 25499
View attachment 25500


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Violin Sonata No.10 in G, Op.96 ('The Cockcrow')

artist
Marc Neikrug
Pinchas Zukerman









Very solid performance, but a bit dated in sound... (I am starting to be very picky when it comes to sound.)


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Turangalila Symphonie
Yvonne Loriod, Jeanne Loriod, London Symphony, cond. Previn


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Shostakovich's *(1906 - 1975) birthday, Preludes & Fugues (6), Op.87, w. Richter (rec.1963), 24 Preludes, Op. 34, w. Mustonen (rec.1990), Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87, w. Scherbakov (rec.1999).

View attachment 25502







View attachment 25503


----------



## Vesteralen

Gloriously mushy stuff! I say, if you're going to go romantic, why not go all the way? Always loved this symphony.


----------



## jim prideaux

DrMike said:


> View attachment 25486
> 
> I picked this up from my library - Nielsen's 4th, 5th, and 6th symphonies recorded by Blomstedt with the SFSO. I have been meaning to give Nielsen a shot. I am not familiar with anything by him, to be honest. What little I have heard so far definitely conjures up images of Mahler. The jury is still out, but time for me to branch out a bit more . . .


suggest (in my humble opinion)that you also try 2nd and 3rd symphonies-listened to them for the first time in ages yesterday and remain surprised that they do not receive greater acclaim.......


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: Laß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl "Trauerode", BWV 198
Soprano: Ingrid Schmithüsen 
Alto: Charles Brett 
Tenor: Howard Crook 
Bass: Peter Kooy
La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Violin Sonata No.2 in A, Op.12, No.2

artist
Cédric Tiberghien
Alina Ibragimova


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites 
By Bruno Cocset [cello], on Alpha









Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel, Für Alina
By Vladimir Spivakov [violin], Dietmar Schwalke [violincello], Serge Bezrodny [piano], Alexander Malter [piano], on ECM









Dieterich Buxtehude - Membra Jesu Nostri
By Concerto Vocale, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi Musique d'Abord


----------



## brotagonist

I am a fervent fan of art music. As we all know, art music is not only a European/Western form. Japanese Gagaku traces its origins back 1000 years. I recently expanded my Gagaku collection with this gem, performed by Tokyo Gakuso, a _Japanese_ HIP ensemble ;-)


----------



## rrudolph




----------



## Blancrocher

It's typical of Shostakovich to share the limelight with another composer on his own birthday. I enjoyed this disk--Kwetzinsky playing Shostakovich and Shchedrin--as an introduction to Shchedrin, who was inspired by Shostakovich's op.87. I'll seek out more by this composer. When I spin Shosty's Preludes and Fugues, though, I like to go around the entire circle of fifths: the progression from fugue to fugue and the architecture of the whole set is very powerful.

It is accordingly with some ambivalence I notice Richter on Vaneyes' CPR list. He does some of those pieces better than anyone, in my view--those big hands of his must have helped with the 14th prelude, for example--but it's hard not to think of what might have been had he recorded the whole set. Shosty never forgave him for that as far as I know--but hopefully they've reconciled by now!


----------



## Valkhafar

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 with Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic.


----------



## KenOC

Blancrocher said:


> It is accordingly with some ambivalence I notice Richter on Vaneyes' CPR list. He does some of those pieces better than anyone, in my view--those big hands of his must have helped with the 14th prelude, for example--but it's hard not to think of what might have been had he recorded the whole set. Shosty never forgave him for that as far as I know--but hopefully they've reconciled by now!


Yesterday I listened to Melnikov's version of DSCH's Op. 87, beginning to end. Tremendous! This recording just made the BBC's top 50 list of all time -- I don't feel Richter-deprived at all. Happy birthday, Dmitri!


----------



## Guest

Setting Nielsen aside - and going in the opposite direction. From large symphony to sublime angelic monophony - Hildegard von Bingen's Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula, from the 11,000 Virgins recording by the Anonymous 4.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, Piano and Orchestra.*


----------



## jim prideaux

jim prideaux said:


> arrived in the post -bargain-Haydn-cello concertos C Major and D major, adagio from symphony no.13 and Sinfonia concertante B flat major-Isserlis,Norrington,COE,
> initially sounds really well recorded-space and clarity etc


This summer I have had the good fortune to have listened to a lot of music, much of it for the first time and have purchased a number of recordings I know I will enjoy for many years to come (the exception being Mozart symphonies performed by Pinnock and the English Consort which I continue to have reservations about)-I have listened to this Haydn recording repeatedly today and to my ears it is outstanding, particularly the playing of Isserlis-quite simply lovely-Haydn manages to create such a sense of well-being in his music!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concertos 2 and 5.*

I saw the Melvyn Tan set at my used CD store. I've been disappointed with Norrington's Beethoven symphony cycle, but are there any opinions on the concertos?


----------



## julianoq

Monteverdi's Vespro Della Beata Vergine, performed by Gardiner. Beautiful.


----------



## Schubussy

Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Quintet, Piano Trio No 2
Elisabeth Leonskaja, Borodin Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

julianoq said:


> Monteverdi's Vespro Della Beata Vergine, performed by Gardiner. Beautiful.


That's one instance where I have both his HIP and non-HIP recordings and like them equally.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Remembering Shosty's birthday with this CD.


----------



## DrKilroy

I like the cover!

Unfortunately I have to skip No. 9 as I want to go to bed before midnight.  I'm finishing No. 5 at the moment and I'm enjoying myself very much. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Schubussy

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Concertos etc
Bryden Thomson, London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5.*

My first exposure to Shostakovich was an old recording on 78s by Arthur Rodzinski and the Cleveland Orchestra recorded in 1942 which my uncle left behind. My uncle passed away before I could meet him, but if he were into Shostakovich back in 1942, he must have been pretty discerning. I used to listen to that recording a lot in my college days, so I think that's why I like hearing Shostakovich with less-than-perfect sound.

Anyway, I'm listening to Kondrashin. It's been said that it's his weakest interpretation of his cycle, but it sounds fine to me.


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 for soprano, bass, and chamber orchestra
Theresa Kubiak, Isser Bushkin, New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein









Is it a symphony? Not in terms of form, or in terms of the type of ensemble used (no winds, just strings and percussion). It does have a length and scope that put it above the typical song cycle. Shostakovich makes use of themes in this work that include all of the notes of the chromatic scale, but the style is not very far removed overall from the rest of his work.


----------



## SimonNZ

joining in with the Haydn 32 listening - Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mozart String Quartet No. 16, KV 428 / Leipzig String Quartet


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 for soprano, bass, and chamber orchestra


I've long wanted to acquire it. Has it been translated into German or English... or French?


----------



## SimonNZ

Hello new member TurnaboutVox

I like the username - I used to collect the Turnabout series from the Vox label, and at one point might have had near 200 (possibly more, now that I think about it). But with all the decluttering and culling I've had to do its been with a heavy heart that all but the Medieval and Renaissance stuff has been let go. *sigh*


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I've long wanted to acquire it. Has it been translated into German or English... or French?


There are versions performed in the original languages of the poems (German, French, and Spanish), rather than in Russian. Simon Rattle's recording comes to mind. Or were you looking for translations of the poems? You can find those here.


----------



## JCarmel

Listening in bed to Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand...whilst tapping this posting out on my iPod keypad, in the dark...with my Right!
And wishing all TC-ers 'Happy Listening' tomorrow.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

SimonNZ said:


> Hello new member TurnaboutVox
> 
> I like the username - I used to collect the Turnabout series from the Vox label, and at one point might have had near 200 (possibly more, now that I think about it). But with all the decluttering and culling I've had to do its been with a heavy heart that all but the Medieval and Renaissance stuff has been let go. *sigh*


Thanks for the welcome - the username is a reference to the Vox Brendel Beethoven recordings with which I started out my classical music record collecting in the early 1970s.

On to KV 458 now!


----------



## rrudolph

Mahlerian said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 for soprano, bass, and chamber orchestra
> Theresa Kubiak, Isser Bushkin, New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is it a symphony? Not in terms of form, or in terms of the type of ensemble used (no winds, just strings and percussion). It does have a length and scope that put it above the typical song cycle. Shostakovich makes use of themes in this work that include all of the notes of the chromatic scale, but the style is not very far removed overall from the rest of his work.


And it's such a light, happy work!

"[My critics] read this idea in the Fourteenth Symphony: "death is all-powerful." They wanted the finale to be comforting, to say that death is only the beginning. But it's not a beginning, it's the real end, there will be nothing afterwards, nothing. I feel you must look truth right in the eyes ... To deny death and its power is useless. Deny it or not, you'll die anyway ... It's stupid to protest against death as such, but you can and must protest against violent death. It's bad when people die before their time from disease or poverty, but it's worse when a man is killed by another man."

-DSCH, "Testimony", 1971-74


----------



## KenOC

rrudolph said:


> And it's such a light, happy work!


Yes, I usually follow it up with the Viola Sonata. The cherry on the top of the sundae!


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> There are versions performed in the original languages of the poems (German, French, and Spanish), rather than in Russian. Simon Rattle's recording comes to mind.


The reason I had not bought this work is because it is not sung in either German, French or English. I had looked at a number of recordings, but none had made mention of the languages sung in. I just picked up the Haitink with Dieskau, very good used, for $8.28 dispatched.



KenOC said:


> I usually follow it up with the Viola Sonata. The cherry on the top of the sundae!


People sure seem to have a hate-on for the Viola Sonata. I don't find it in the least depressing! I adore that piece. The first movement starts out kind of playful and then gets wistful, reflective; the second movement is a very lively dance. It is an extremely thoughtful piece.


----------



## Ondine

*A Sort of Fatal Attraction*

Piano Variations K 455, 500, 573, 613.

Minuet in D, K 355
Fantasia in D minor K 397
Fantasia in C minor K 475
Rondo in D, K 485
Rondo in A minor, K 511
Adagio in B minor, K 450
Eine kleine Gugue in G, K 574

Movement in F, K 33
Capriccio in C, K 395
March in C K 408
Prelude and Fugue in C, K 394
Allegro in C, K 5
Allegro in G minor, K 312
Suit in C, K 399
Allegro in B flat, K 400
Two Variations in A, K 460
Kleine Trauermarch in C minor, K 453

Minuet in F, K 4
Minuet in D, K 94

Andante in C, K 1a
Allegro in C, K 1b
Allegro in F, K 1c
Minuet in F, K 1d
Minuet in F, K 2
Allegro in B flat, K 3
Minuet in F, K 5
Minuet in G, K 1e
Minuet in C, K 1f
Fugue in G minor, K 401









With this current listening comes to an end a fabulous journey through Mozart's Piano works with include his 25 Piano Sonatas, 14 Piano Variations and a worthy number of other scattered forms for piano. From these, the two Rondos and the two Fantasias are outstanding Solo Piano gems.

The 'worthy' number of scattered forms for piano, amazingly, have the kind of sound or coloratura that remembers me that of Chopin. Thus, I have been tempted to have a parenthesis in order to listen, for a while, some of the exceptional oeuvres composed by Frederic.

It can be noticed, too, that nearly half of this scattered 'small' pieces -excluding the early ones- are in minor tones. The richness in ideas and in depth of this 'small' pieces have an astonishing brilliance of a not very common Mozart.

There is a sort of _'fatal attraction'_ to abide in this oeuvre a little more, but now, with Frederic as an special guest.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Vaclav Pichl (25 September 1741-1805): String Trio in E Flat, Op.7, No.4

Ensemble Agora: Margarete Adorf, violin -- Antje Sabinski, viola -- Matthias Hofmann, cello

View attachment 25526


----------



## brotagonist

My mailman didn't know how today's delivery coincided:









I've been perusing this, mostly as background to rather perturbing questions on other threads  but now that calm reigns again, I will give it a more serious listening.


----------



## KenOC

More Shostakovich: Symphony #12, "The Year 1917." I never listen to this one, but since it's DSCH's birthday...BTW that Shipway 10th is superb!


----------



## Mahlerian

For Rameau's birthday:

Rameau: Pieces de clavecin en concerts
Gustav Leonhardt, Lars Fryden, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt

and for Glenn Gould's birthday:

Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstucke Op. 11, Funf Klavierstucke Op. 23, Sechs Kleine Klavierstucke Op. 19, Suite Op. 25, Klavierstucke Op. 33a and Op. 33b
Glenn Gould


----------



## Blancrocher

Because of the hours of preludes and fugues he composed, the 2nd piano sonata tends to get left out in the cold:






I'm sorry, but I love Shostakovich.


----------



## SimonNZ

calculating that nine months before September 25 is December 25...

playing now:










Holst's The Planets - John Eliot Gardiner, cond.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.7 in C Minor, Op.30, No.1

Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Clara Haskil, piano

View attachment 25528


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto in D Major for Violin, RV 222
_Giuliano Carmignola/Venice Baroque Orchestra_

Love what I have heard of this so far. The slow movement is beautiful!


----------



## Celloman

Currently listening to Elliot Carter's _Variations for Orchestra_. As always, Carter's rhythmic strata is fascinating.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ravel's Orchestral Works


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Schnittke: Concerto Grosso no. 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whenever I don't know what I'm in the mood for, chances are I'd always find something enjoyable in Schnittke's music since it is basically a whole heap of styles all bundled up with a typical Schnittkerian sound.
> 
> Loving this so far, I want to buy some Schnittke, I wish I had money.
> 
> Actually all the money I'm saving is going to be emptied out on me by December when I go to Paris and London on a school trip for two weeks....I wonder if Schnittke has written $900 worth of music.
> 
> All the Schnittke I have heard so far: symphonies 0-9, viola concerto, and now I'm going to go through all the concerti grossi.


This one again. I think with Schnittke I find that I can connect with his compositional style very well, even before I knew his music I tended to write music with a similar mashup of styles (my chamber concerto, for example, starts off with a very slow moving succession of chords with an increasing level of dissonance and at the climactic chord built on minor 7ths it resolves itself in a way very typical of Mahler, also there are jazz and Baroque influences in the concerto and at the end even a sort of 2nd Viennese school inspired klangfarbenmelodic, monophonic melody). It was a sort of way I could celebrate the music already written, come up with competing new and fittingly complex for today's musical world.

This first concerto grosso is my favourite of the six at the moment.


----------



## mstar

Listening to some classic *Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite*, hoping it'll ward off the flu or something.... :lol:


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - Concerto No. 1 in E Major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269, "Spring"
_Giuliano Carmignola, Venice Baroque Orchestra/Andrea Marcon_

The Four Seasons never fail to make me smile. They are such beautifully amazing pieces. This is my favourite version of them I have heard.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich's birthday is almost over! Listening to Chamber Symphony Op.73a, from String Quartet #3. Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Rudolf Barshai cond. I'm a sucker for all the chamber symphonies.


----------



## drpraetorus

Pfitzner (sp?) Symphony in C


----------



## joen_cph

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring / Markevitch, PO /EMI-cfp LP

One of the best recordings, no doubt. EMI´s cfp-series employed a lot of well-known British artists/illustrators of the day for their cover designs; this one is by Ian Beck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Beck.

(There´s nothing like stumbling out of bed in the morning with a good, noisy _Sacre_ - certainly makes you wake up!)


----------



## KenOC

Last Shostakovich tonight: Cello Concerto #1, Yo-Yo Ma and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting.


----------



## SimonNZ

La Monte Young's The Second Dream of the High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schnittke: Viola Concerto, Yuri Bashmet soloist 

This is my favourite viola concerto and the viola concerto I've become most familiar with recently. The second movement is full of...everything as is usual of Schnittke! The earlier musical references in the music aren't as clear as in the concerti grossi but are still recognisable even if they are slightly more covered up, still a defining factor of Schnittke's very exciting music!


----------



## Kieran

[SUB]*K364*[/SUB] in bed, while I read about it Nicholas Kenyon's Pocket Guide. I'm getting up in a minute! Sheesh! I'll listen to Drill Seargant Beethoven then, a wet slap across the mush with the fourth symph, conducted by Lennie Bernstein, no less a gentleman for all the crudeness.

Karl Bohm is tickling me in bed. Ahem. And the Vienna Philharmonic Gangsta Bash orchestra fellers and their skittish fiddle-sticking broads...


----------



## jim prideaux

this morning happened to have a look on I tunes-Haydn is a composer I am spending more and more time listening to and have also began to explore chamber music with greater interest-found the Lindsays recording of Haydn string quartets op74 for just over £2-now listening and is living up to expectations.


----------



## SimonNZ

Per Norgard's Symphony No.5 - Leif Segerstram, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Messiah, 'He trusted in God' (Karl Richter; Donath, Reynolds, Burrows, McIntyre; London Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Per Norgard's Frostsalme - Danish National Choir, Stefan Parkman, dir.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, 'Harmoniemesse' in B flat Major, 'Benedictus' (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Mei, von Magnus, Lippert, Widmer; Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Concentus Musicus Wien).


----------



## JCarmel

I'll join you with a Haydn 'Benedictus', HBTC!....I do love this particular one....from Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo









And then I'm catching-up on my Rameau....Pieces De Clavecin/Rousset


----------



## jim prideaux

time for vinyl-have nearly forgotten what albums I have and remembered Walter Klein and the Amadeus Quartet performing the two Mozart Piano Quartets (DG 1982). Have also the opportunity to embark on a little comparison with the Pinnock/English Consort Mozart symphonies as I have also just rediscovered AAM/Hogwood/Schroder recording of symphonies 35/36 (Haffner/Linz),again on vinyl (L'0iseau-Lyre)


----------



## jim prideaux

Repeat request-any salient recommendations regarding Beethoven Quartets-I have been extolling the virtues of this forum so it would be nice to pass on some info/opinions


----------



## dgee

Can't stop the Schoenberg Five Pieces at the moment - electric!


----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1712-1786): Symphony in G Major

Hartmut Haenchen conducting the CPE Bach Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 25536


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> Repeat request-any salient recommendations regarding Beethoven Quartets-I have been extolling the virtues of this forum so it would be nice to pass on some info/opinions


After much weighing of options I've settled on Quartetto Italiano set as my Desert Island Beethoven Quartets. I should say _settled back_ as it was my introduction to the repertoire, many years ago.

Just went looking for a Youtube sample to give you a taste and found, dear me, that someone has put this set up as one big nine hour hit (with time/index codes for each work) so sample to your hearts content. (the cds sound even better, natch)


----------



## DavidA

Holst Saturn the bringer of old age from The Planets. HvK / VPO
Don't know whether I qualify?


----------



## Bas

Pasquale Anfossi (1727-1797) - La finta Giardiniera
By Nuria Rial [soprano], Krystian Adam [tenor], María Espada [soprano], Katja Stuber [soprano], Miljenko Turk [bariton], Florian Götz [bariton], Monika Reinhard [soprano], l'arte del mondo, Werner Ehrhardt [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonatas no. 6, no. 7, no. 8
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Ouvertüren BWV 1066 - 1069
By the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Jean Francaix's Octet "A huit" - Gaudier Ensemble

according to the announcer a homage to Schubert, using the same forces as his octet


----------



## JCarmel

On 'Current Listening' posting?...probably, DaveA!

Michala Petri...The Virtuoso Recorder









she sure toots-a-mean-'flute'


----------



## SimonNZ

hmm...I pulled out a Michela Petri album last night, but then put it back for no good reason

i'll take this as a sign that I should play it:










haven't heard her one with Keith Jarrett in a long time either, should find out where that has disappeared to


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ginastera: Concerto for Strings

This piece has become a favourite of mine this year, ever since I saw it performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra directed by Patricia Kopatchinskaya. Ginastera is now my favourite South American composer (along with Villa-Lobos). The Concerto for Strings is something of a perfect introduction to the music of Ginastera (although perhaps not when it comes to his earlier music, I was slightly miffed that Estancia wasn't the same sort of style no matter how good the piece is) which an incredible array of beautifully hypnotic sustained chords, disjunct melodic lines, hypnotic fast passages....basically the best of Ginastera! 

After this I'll listen to his two cello concertos, which are probably my next two favourite works by Ginastera.


----------



## JCarmel

Is that their Bach or Handel disc, Simon?

I'm pulling-out this cd, myself...it's an enjoyable 'listen' & I haven't listened for a long time.


----------



## SimonNZ

JCarmel said:


> Is that their Bach or Handel disc, Simon?


Thats interesting: I have the Handel - I didn't know they did a Bach follow-up. Yet another item to add to the wishlist.

playing now, on the radio:

Dvorak's In Nature's Realm - John Farrer, cond.


----------



## Vesteralen

Just listening again on my commute this morning to *Mendelssohn's* early *Violin Concerto in d minor *and I noticed how much the slow movement sounds (for the first ten notes) almost exactly like the slow movement of Beethoven's Second Symphony. Unconscious imitation by the young Felix, or deliberate homage? Regardless, it's a beautiful movement in either work.


----------



## JCarmel

Will check that out, Vestaralen!
I don't know how well they can view the Northern Lights in Moscow...but I'm heading off to the Kirov now, just as they've dimmed the house lights to perform this excellent cd of excerpts from the repertoire...starting-off with the Coronation Scene from Boris Godounov...complete with some serious-sounding Bell-bonging!









" Naslazhdat'sya! " as Boris might say!


----------



## Bas

Vesteralen said:


> Just listening again on my commute this morning to *Mendelssohn's* early *Violin Concerto in d minor *and I noticed how much the slow movement sounds (for the first ten notes) almost exactly like the slow movement of Beethoven's Second Symphony. Unconscious imitation by the young Felix, or deliberate homage? Regardless, it's a beautiful movement in either work.


Mendelssohn's violin concerto in Dm is one of my most precious gems of the genre (together with his famous violin concerto). I'm gonna checkout your discovery soon. (The 2nd symphony of Beethoven is a piece I can't hum right from the head, so I need to listen it again to verify if I recognize it too!)


----------



## julianoq

First listen on the three George Enescu symphonies, performed by Foster. In the first movement of the 1st at this moment, it sounds quite pleasant.


----------



## Vesteralen

This one's for you kv..................


----------



## joen_cph

Händel: 6 Concerti Grossi op.3 / Max Pommer, Leipzig Bach Collegium

Pommer is absolutely delightful in the two Händel concerti grossi sets. I really like his controversial, HIP Bach as well, which includes the Brandenburgs. The man did some good Hans Eisler too - a multi-facetted conductor, it seems.


----------



## Vesteralen

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 25544
> 
> 
> This one's for you kv..................


As a follow up. Nice disc - performance was fine.

But, too much Gershwin-based music for my taste. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a big Gershwin fan. I think it's because I'm not partial to blues chords unless they're accompanied with a hard driving rhythm. Just a matter of personal preference.


----------



## rrudolph

Gorecki: Symphony #3








Schoenberg: A Survivor From Warsaw/Van de Vate: Katyn/Krakow Concerto/Penderecki: Dies Irae








Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem


----------



## Blancrocher

Jordi Savall & co. in the Brandenburg Concertos. A good way to start the day!


----------



## DavidA

Elgar Violin Concerto - Perlman


----------



## JCarmel

I've just finished mowing the extensive lawns at Maison Carmel & as I was wielding Le Flymo, my mind was turning to what music I might listen to when all the Up & Downing & Back & Forth-ing was completed. I thought, as I surveyed the green scene all-around me, that a non-operatic piece by Verdi might be in order but then I spontaneously began to sing the concluding pages to Elgar's 'Introduction & Allegro' as if I were listening to this old LP, which, including the _Serenade for Strings _& the Vaughan Williams_ Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis_, was a favourite in the family home of my younger days....when the lawn was the size of a large postage stamp, at the top of the yard!


----------



## DrKilroy

Today, for Gershwin's birthday, I'm going to listen to The Complete Gershwin Works for Orchestra/Piano and Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin (Jeffrey Siegel at the piano).










Best regards, Dr


----------



## mstar

*S*chumann, *S*chubert, *S*hostakovich, *S*travinsky.

My music to-do list for today.


----------



## JCarmel

A portrait of Segovia...('As seen on TV')....My favourite Works.









This is a lovely cd to listen-to when the day is winding-down. I also have the same recording on cassette tape.... which I recalled buying the other day as I wandered-past the place in Whitby where the 'Woolworths' once stood....because one Saturday morning many years ago, I purchased it from there in one of their special Sales. 
I still miss Woolies, 'cos I grew up so much engaged with the Leicester stores (there were two of them within half a mile of each other in the city centre), as I used to love going in there & gazing at the extensive counters of items, that if I only had more Pocket Money, I then could buy?
Q."Can I have one of those, Mummy?" I'd request.
A. No.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation, 'Rollend in schäumenden Wellen', 'Nun beut die Flur das frische Grün' (Andreas Spering; Im, Kobow, Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).


----------



## Valkhafar

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas. Lambert Orkis and Anne-Sophie Mutter.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 3.*

I'm warming up to this one.


----------



## rrudolph

Brahms: Serenade #2








Brahms; Piano Concerto #2








Brahms: Symphony #3


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], on Decca









Gabriel Fauré - Cello Sonata No. 2, Berceusse op. 16, Romance op. 69, Élégie op. 24, Sicilienne op. 78, Papillon op. 77
By Steven Isserlis [cello], Pascal Devoyon [piano], on Hyperion


----------



## Winterreisender

Hildegard von Bingen - Columba Aspexit (from "Feather on the Breath of God"), sung by Emma Kirkby and the Gothic Voices.









one of my favourite early music CDs


----------



## Joris

Enchanting.
thanks to TC I discovered Nørgård ^^


----------



## Vaneyes

For *George Gershwin's* (1898 - 1937) birthday, An American in Paris, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1959).

View attachment 25566


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> *S*chumann, *S*chubert, *S*hostakovich, *S*travinsky.
> 
> My music to-do list for today.


Don't forget *S*choenberg, *S*criabin, and *S*chnittke.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Is that their Bach or Handel disc, Simon?
> 
> I'm pulling-out this cd, myself*...it's an enjoyable 'listen' *& I haven't listened for a long time.
> 
> View attachment 25541


And a *Certified Perfect Recording,* as well.


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Repeat request-any salient recommendations regarding Beethoven Quartets-I have been extolling the virtues of this forum so it would be nice to pass on some info/opinions


I've espoused my LvB SQs workability a coupla times before...that is Takacs recs. for the first half, and ESQ recs. for the latter half...a progression from finesse to toughness. :tiphat:


----------



## mstar

Vaneyes said:


> I've espoused my LvB SQs workability a coupla times before...that is Takacs recs. for the first half, and ESQ recs. for the latter half...a progression from finesse to toughness. :tiphat:


I like your diction - especially with "coupla" (sounds like a car) and "recs." I'm not exactly into recreational activities myself, especially not when it's art!


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> I like your diction - especially with "coupla" (sounds like a car) and "recs." I'm not exactly into recreational activities myself, especially not when it's art!


I thought it sounded like the film director. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: Symphony 2, w. Philharmonia/Klemperer (rec.1961/2); Symphony 3, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1961); LSO/Horenstein (rec. 1971); DSO Berlin/Nagano (rec.1999).

View attachment 25572
View attachment 25573
View attachment 25574


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> LSO/Horenstein (rec. 1971)


Horenstein's Mahler 3 hasn't clicked with me, and it bothers me. I must be missing something.


----------



## Manxfeeder

In honor of George Gershwin,* Rhapsody in Blue* - the original 1924 version.

Though I've played the sax part in the later revised version (anytime I could play with an orchestra was cool), I prefer this version; it sounds closer to white jazz from the '20s (well, because it was - if you can call it jazz). Also, this version doesn't make me want to hop into a United Airlines jet.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Current listening - Bridge - The Hourglass / Ashley Wass



jim prideaux said:


> Repeat request-any salient recommendations regarding Beethoven Quartets-I have been extolling the virtues of this forum so it would be nice to pass on some info/opinions


I also like the Quartetto Italiano (my introduction to the Beethoven Quartets also) and the Takács Quartet sets, but my current favourite is the Quatuor Talich in Op. 59 - 135. I haven't heard them in Op. 18.

I've seen the Endellion Quartet recommended and I expect it is good if their disc of the LvB Quintets is anything to go by.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Missa Brevis - Philippe Herreweghe, dir.


----------



## Sid James

Continuing the Concertos from Spain album. Its been a while since I'd heard this piece by *Albeniz*, and this time I more clearly heard his indebtedness to Liszt and similarities to Rachmaninov (who was also influenced by Liszt). I really liked the colourful orchestration and use of castanets, a kind of Spanish cliche.

On to the* Saffire album *which is an hour of great guitar playing. A relaxing mix of tangos, folkish things and also the piece imaging different types of fish by *Nigel Westlake* written specifically for this group.

Finishing with an old favourite, *Ravi Shankar.* I continually return to this double album and was quite happy to get this reissue. Its one of the things that sparked my interest in crossover type music when I started listening to classical.










*Albeniz (arr. C. Halffter)* Rapsodia Espanola
- Alicia de Larrocha, pno. With London PO under Rafael Frubeck de Burgos










*Album: Nostalgica - "Saffire" Australian Guitar Quartet*
Pieces by J. Martin, Bartok, Piazzolla, Dyens, Bill Whelan, Celtic traditional tunes, Deep Purple, & a premiere of Nigel Westlake's Six Fish
- "Saffire" Australian Guitar Quartet: Antony Field, Slava Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp, Gareth Koch (arrangements by members of the group)










*Ravi Shankar *Morning Love
- Shankar on sitar, with Alla Rakha, tabla, Kamala Chakrarti, tanpura, Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute


----------



## Sid James

JCarmel said:


> A portrait of Segovia...('As seen on TV')....My favourite Works.
> 
> View attachment 25554
> 
> 
> This is a lovely cd to listen-to when the day is winding-down. I also have the same recording on cassette tape.... which I recalled buying the other day as I wandered-past the place in Whitby where the 'Woolworths' once stood....because one Saturday morning many years ago, I purchased it from there in one of their special Sales.
> I still miss Woolies, 'cos I grew up so much engaged with the Leicester stores (there were two of them within half a mile of each other in the city centre), as I used to love going in there & gazing at the extensive counters of items, that if I only had more Pocket Money, I then could buy?
> Q."Can I have one of those, Mummy?" I'd request.
> A. No.


Woolworths used to sell classical cd's here too. I still got some good ones I got from there. Now they don't sell cd's at all, not classical, not even pop etc. Times have certainly changed!



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ginastera: Concerto for Strings
> 
> This piece has become a favourite of mine this year, ever since I saw it performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra directed by Patricia Kopatchinskaya. Ginastera is now my favourite South American composer (along with Villa-Lobos). The Concerto for Strings is something of a perfect introduction to the music of Ginastera (although perhaps not when it comes to his earlier music, I was slightly miffed that Estancia wasn't the same sort of style no matter how good the piece is) which an incredible array of beautifully hypnotic sustained chords, disjunct melodic lines, hypnotic fast passages....basically the best of Ginastera!
> 
> After this I'll listen to his two cello concertos, which are probably my next two favourite works by Ginastera.


I heard the ACO playing that Ginastera piece back in the 90's when I fairly regularly attended their concerts. It was the first piece I heard by this composer. I currently got some of his things on Naxos, his piano concertos are the works that I listen to most often, the first one especially and I gave my thoughts on it here: http://www.talkclassical.com/11807-exploring-modern-contemporary-music-8.html#post186130



Vesteralen said:


> Just listening again on my commute this morning to *Mendelssohn's* early *Violin Concerto in d minor *and I noticed how much the slow movement sounds (for the first ten notes) almost exactly like the slow movement of Beethoven's Second Symphony. Unconscious imitation by the young Felix, or deliberate homage? Regardless, it's a beautiful movement in either work.


I also think that the last movement of Mendelssohn's D minor concerto sounds a bit like gypsy fiddling. Don't know it that's what he meant or if it was an actual influence, but I hear it in there.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Barber, Souvenirs*

This is an interesting piece, a ballet about various parts of the Plaza Hotel. He speaks of the piece as "remembering in amused tenderness." But Walter Simmons points out "Instead of the bittersweet poignancy . . . here there is a certain delight in exalting the essential banality of the concept through . . . the quality known as 'camp.'"


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> Horenstein's Mahler 3 hasn't clicked with me, and it bothers me. I must be missing something.


Don't know what, but JH's progression *is* more patient than many...each movement building...stronger than the preceding. Too, accents are more carefully measured, than say LB's Sony.

The World, The Universe, wasn't built in a day (sorry for that).


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bengraf (1745-1791): String Quartet No.1 in A Major

Festetics Quartet: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, violins -- Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello

View attachment 25577


----------



## Manxfeeder

Vaneyes said:


> Don't know what, but JH's progression *is* more patient than many...each movement building...stronger than the preceding. Too, accents are more carefully measured, than say LB's Sony.
> 
> The World, The Universe, wasn't built in a day (sorry for that).


Thanks for responding! I'll print this off for the next time I give the CD a spin.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Nielsen Symphony 1


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm listening to a Schnittke playlist I made. Three of my favourite concertos of his: Concerto Grosso no. 1, no. 3 and his Viola Concerto. 

Really inspirational music, one day I hope to have written music as awesome as this.


----------



## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm listening to a Schnittke playlist I made. Three of my favourite concertos of his: Concerto Grosso no. 1, no. 3 and his Viola Concerto.
> 
> Really inspirational music, one day I hope to have written music as awesome as this.


Yeah Concerto Grosso no. 1 is a classic.


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: The Art Of Fugue for String Quartet. Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Ondine

Frederic Chopin

Ballade nos. 1-4
Fantaisie Op. 49

Krystian Zimerman, Piano

3 Nouvelle Etudes
Funeral March op. posth. 72 no. 2
3 Ecossiases op. posth. 72 no. 3

Anatol Ugorski, Piano

Wolfgang G. Mozart:

Minuet in D, K 355
Fantasia in D minor, K 397
Fantasia in C minor, K 475
Rondo in D, K 485
Rondo in A minor, K 511
Adagio in B minor, K 540
Eine kleine Gigue in G, K 574 

Mitsuko Uchida, Piano


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quintet in C Major

Alessio Vlad directing the Orchestra da Camera di Santa Cecilia

View attachment 25578


----------



## Tristan

*Gervaise* - Danceries

Don't have a CD, just listening to it on YouTube: 




I had a harp version of some of these "Danceries" before. It's a good collection


----------



## brotagonist

Hindemith wrote a lot of music that features less common instruments. The gripping _Organ Concerto_, his final orchestral work, evokes the _Mathis der Maler Symphony_; the _3 Organ Sonatas_, from about 30 years prior, challenge me more, so I'll have to pay more attention on the next few spins.









It's just the thing for a quiet evening.


----------



## brotagonist

neoshredder said:


> Yeah Concerto Grosso no. 1 is a classic.


Am I reading right? neoshredder likes Schnittke?


----------



## aleazk

brotagonist said:


> Am I reading right? neoshredder likes Schnittke?


He has some kind of love/hate relationship with modern music. Or at least that's my impression.


----------



## drpraetorus

Wagner, Gotterdammerung, Solti, Vienna Phil.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

brotagonist said:


> Am I reading right? neoshredder likes Schnittke?


I think he bought a CD of Xenakis string quartets once....I think it just depends on if he feels like a sudden change of pace every now and then. Usually it's not Xenakis and Schnittke etc. but every now and then he'd go and listen to some of these bad boys...


----------



## SimonNZ

Helmut Lachenmann's Concertini - Ensemble Klangforum Wien

edit: now Lachenmann's Accanto for clarinet and orchestra - Hans Zender, dir.

Theres a bit halfway through were Mozart's Clarinet Concerto starts up suddenly - its not the orchestra playing it, its like somebody turned on a radio - and theres an angry riot of tapping on the music stands from the orchestra, like bringing a meeting to order or like a judges gavel. I can't decide if its funny or creepy.










edit: now Lachenmann's Grido for string quartet - Arditti Quartet

Christ this is bleak. I know that's a standard ignorant cliche about much contemporary classical, and please note I don't buy into that at all. But this quietly articulates deep spiritual or philosophical anxiety and hopelessness in a way that some mere existentialist-poseor fit-of-rage never could.

And its not like I have to look far for confirmation: here's the programme notes for his work Mouvement: "A music of dead movements … pseudo-activity which consists of nothing more than rubble … like a beetle floundering on its back".










now I need some Scarlatti


----------



## Wicked_one

Going wild today, lol.









If there's time I'll go through all the suites, but for now: suite no. 1, 2 and 5.


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr (1784 - 1859) - Violin Concerto no. 2 in Dm op. 2, Violin Concerto no. 5 in E-flat op. 17, Violin Concerto no. 4 in Bm op. 10, Violin Concerto no. 11 in G
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], complete violin concertos on CPO









Johannes Brahms - 3rd Piano Quartet in Cm, opus 60
Robert Schumann - Piano Quartet in E-flat, opus 47
By The Pro Arte Piano Quartet, on Decca Eloquence









Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonatas for Viola de Gamba and Keyboard BWV 1027-1029
By Glenn Gould [piano] and Leonard Rose [cello], on Sony Classics









Allesandro Scarlatti - Cantatas 
By Christine Brandes [soprano], Arcadian Academy, Nicholas McGegan [dir.] on Conifer Classics


----------



## jim prideaux

and so it continues.......today Austrian Hungarian Haydn orch conducted by Fischer performing London symphonies arrives in the post-second hand and pristine from Amazon-real bargain-started listening immediately-and is the equal of their recordings of the Paris symphonies-clarity, warmth and a vivacity that is infectious at this early stage in the day-now in the back of my mind I have a niggling question-Mozart's symphonies-one way or another they have directly or indirectly 'been there' for most of my life-but do I really enjoy them in the same way?-probably a heresy to some and I will continue to enjoy much of his music-the chamber works and in particular the piano concertos-but even yesterday when I listened to Linz and Haffner symphonies performed by AAM/Hogwood I had the same feeling that I recently encountered listening to Pinnock/English Consort.......


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (ca.1690-1772): Flute Sonata in D Minor, Op.1, No.1

Arcadia: Christoph Ehrsam, flute -- Eunice Brandao, viola -- Attilio Cremosi, harpsichord

View attachment 25592


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gliere's Harp Concerto - Emmanuel Ceysson harp, Lawrence Renes,dir.


----------



## JCarmel

Just posting my last Listening choice on TC









I wish all TC-ers & visitors to the website 'all the best' & 'Happy Listening' in the future. This is my last post.


----------



## SimonNZ

Well I can't "like" that, and I hope it turns out to not be true.

please come back if and when you're ready.


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Well I can't "like" that, and I hope it turns out to not be true.
> 
> please come back if and when you're ready.


can only agree with the above!


----------



## Vesteralen

jcarmel said:


> just posting my last listening choice on tc
> 
> i wish all tc-ers & visitors to the website 'all the best' & 'happy listening' in the future. This is my last post.


what?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Antonio Casimir Cartellieri (27 September 1772-1807): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in B Flat

Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet

View attachment 25595


----------



## Vesteralen

So glad I started on this project. I've really been enjoying this disc to start my morning every day this week.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Paul Taffanel's Wind Quintet in G minor - Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet


----------



## EricABQ

Albinoni's trumpet concerto 5 from this set (actually an oboe conterto played on trumpet I should say):


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
MinneapolisSO/Dorati






The first time I listened to this earlier this year I was kinda surprised at the running time (less than 30 minutes), but this is a great recording no matter how fast. My favourite now.


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F "Spring" performed by Midori and Immerseel. Will probably proceed to the rest of the sonatas since I am enjoying this performance a lot.


----------



## Vesteralen

Continuing my journey through the CHANDOS catalog with the help of my library system.

I wonder how to pronounce "Geoghegan"?

Anyhow, about once a year everyone should listen to some bassoon concertos.


----------



## Sudonim

JCarmel said:


> Just posting my last Listening choice on TC
> 
> View attachment 25593
> 
> 
> I wish all TC-ers & visitors to the website 'all the best' & 'Happy Listening' in the future. This is my last post.


Uh ... what??

Was it something we said?


----------



## Blancrocher

David Hurwitz doesn't like this album:



> Naxos has made some very fine recordings in New Zealand, and some not so fine. Unfortunately this new release falls into the latter category. James Judd leads a frankly weird performance of the stunningly beautiful Tallis Fantasia. The second string orchestra sounds miles away when contrasted to the main body, making their exchanges excessively disjointed, but when interacting with the solo quartet the smaller group suddenly pops up loudly front and center. And the soloists are far too close; the violist's breathing is quite audible. Interpretively, the problems start right at the beginning: Judd's "largo sostenuto" is certainly slow, but hardly well sustained. He plods through the introduction and initial statement of Tallis' theme, and then practically double-times the fortissimo counterstatement-a needlessly cheap tactic. "Appassionato" does not mean "play it faster."


And yet, despite it all, I think it's up there among my favorite recordings of the incomparable Tallis Fantasia. I suppose there really is no accounting for taste, sometimes. Mine, at least!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Blancrocher said:


> David Hurwitz doesn't like this album . . . and yet, despite it all, I think it's up there among my favorite recordings of the incomparable Tallis Fantasia. I suppose there really is no accounting for taste, sometimes. Mine, at least!


Congratulations for letting your own ears do the deciding for you.

When I began listening, I was intimidated by the critics, and I ended up listening to recordings I didn't particularly care for just because some critic said it was great and not listening to others I liked for the same reason. But I discovered that we all come from different areas of life experience, and some things will speak to us individually that might not speak to others. In the end, it's your head you're feeding, so fill it with what speaks to you. (But still keep your ears open.)

This morning, *Beethoven's 3rd piano concert*o by Norrington and Melvyn Tan. I'm much of a fan of Norrington nor fortepianos, but Mr. Tan seems to be able to find a soul in this instrument.









And that has got to be one of ugliest album covers I've seen. I understand piano keys are black and white, but this is just creepy.


----------



## Guest

Manxfeeder said:


> This morning, *Beethoven's 3rd piano concert*o by Norrington and Melvyn Tan. *I'm much of a fan* of Norrington nor fortepianos, but Mr. Tan seems to be able to find a soul in this instrument.
> View attachment 25600


Dear Manxfeeder, you *are* a fan of Tan and Norrington, you just don't realize it yet! Nah, I'm just kidding you because of a slight grammatical hiccup above... Seriously, I really rather appreciate 'our 'Melv' Tan's playing.


----------



## rrudolph

Korngold: Piano Trio Op. 1/Ives: Piano Trio (1911)








Piston: Sonatina for Violin & Piano/Copland: Sonata for Violin & Piano/Nocturne/Ives: Sonata No. 4 for Violin & Piano "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting"/Baker: Blues







(Not sure what they were thinking with the cover shot on this one. To me it looks like it should be a country music album)

Feldman: Something Wild in the City: Mary Ann's Theme/Jackson Pollock/Samoa/For Aaron Copland/The Sin of Jesus/Untitled Film Music/De Kooning


----------



## Guest

Recently for me (recent live concerts):
(a) *Pierre Henry* : _Une tour de Babel_, _Fantaisie Messe pour le Temps présent_;
(b) *George Benjamin* : _Written on Skin_;
(c) *Marc Monnet* : _Mouvement, imprévus, et ..._;
(d) *Yann Robin* : _Monumenta_;
(e) *Georg Friedrich Haas* : _Limited approximations_.

The above are a mix of Y2013 French state commissions, world and French premiers (with the exception of the Benjamin piece).


----------



## Guest

Today I am listening to an excellent recording of Brahms' String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18, from the Verdi Quartett, supplemented with members of the Melos Quartett, on Hanssler.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: 'Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt', BWV68; 'Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen', BWV175; 'Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende', BWV28
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## jim prideaux

whilst listening to recently acquired recordings of the latter Haydn symphonies I suddenly had this fleeting notion that I could sense the origins of Bruckner in certain aspects of Haydn-a continuity in their use of the orchestra, rhythm etc so have now been listening to Klemperer conducting the Philarmonia in a 1965 performance of the 4th-this also reminds me of the old Bohm/VPO interpretations of the 7th and 8th that I used to have on vinyl-may have to check out the availability of these interpretations as I remember enjoying them so much
Before anyone takes me to task about the idea of a continuity between Haydn and Bruckner I did state it was fleeting, although I do believe that idea did not just spring out of 'nowhere'...............


----------



## Manxfeeder

TalkingHead said:


> Dear Manxfeeder, you *are* a fan of Tan and Norrington, you just don't realize it yet! Nah, I'm just kidding you because of a slight grammatical hiccup above... Seriously, I really rather appreciate 'our 'Melv' Tan's playing.


Oops! Thanks for the eagle eyes.

On to Beethoven's 5th piano concerto. The back of the cover looks much better than the front.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Wand









The third movement doesn't feel like a real ending to me, and never will. It's a great fragment, but a fragment all the same.


----------



## Bas

I'm enjoying Haydn's Symphonies at the moment. Two new acquisitions:

Joseph Haydn - "Londoner Sinfonien" Symphony no. 93 in D, Symphony no. 94 in G "mit dem Paukenschlag", Symphony 103 in E-flat 
By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone








Thanks for the excellent recommendation mr. HaydnBearsTheClock!

Joseph Haydn - "Sturm und Drang Sinfonien" Symphony no. 45 in F#m, Symphony no. 47 in G, Symphony no. 50 in C
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## jim prideaux

Bas said:


> I'm enjoying Haydn's Symphonies at the moment. Two new acquisitions:
> 
> Joseph Haydn - "Londoner Sinfonien" Symphony no. 93 in D, Symphony no. 94 in G "mit dem Paukenschlag", Symphony 103 in E-flat
> By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone
> View attachment 25608
> 
> 
> Thanks for the excellent recommendation mr. HaydnBearsTheClock!
> 
> Joseph Haydn - "Sturm und Drang Sinfonien" Symphony no. 45 in F#m, Symphony no. 47 in G, Symphony no. 50 in C
> By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv
> View attachment 25609


Being given this particular set of the 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies as a birthday present by my son earlier in August has resulted in my continuing investigation of a composer I had really paid little attention to....


----------



## Tylerish

I know it's nothing out of the ordinary, but recently I've been listening through Mozart's late symphonies and 25.

I have to say, 39 might be my favorite of his at the moment.


----------



## mstar

My new obsession - *Beethoven's Piano Sonatas!*

I love 4, 5, and Op. 13.


----------



## Vesteralen

Tylerish said:


> I know it's nothing out of the ordinary, but recently I've been listening through Mozart's late symphonies and 25.
> 
> I have to say, 39 might be my favorite of his at the moment.


You have *excellent* taste............


----------



## Manxfeeder

I'm listening to CD 4 of the Melvyn Tan Beethoven concerto set with Variations on God Save the King, Rule Brittania, etc.

I don't know what this guy is doing that's different, but he sure makes a fortepiano sound good.


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven Late String Quartets, performed by Emerson String Quartet. Obviously started with Quartet No. 13, since I was having a big urge to listen to the Grosse Fuge.


----------



## Valkhafar

Bruckner: Symphony No. 2. Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Guest

Nice symphony, Valkhafer, and not so often played. Which is a great shame.


----------



## Valkhafar

TalkingHead said:


> Nice symphony, Valkhafer, and not so often played. Which is a great shame.


You are right, it's really a shame.


----------



## Winterreisender

Charpentier - Te Deum (William Christie & Les Arts Florissants)


----------



## rrudolph

Part: Passio








Gasparyan: I Will Not Be Sad in This World







(OK, I know that Armenian duduk music is not necessarily something we would classify as classical, but it pairs very well with the Part recording)


----------



## cwarchc

Not my normal fare, but very good for the commute


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A bit out of my usual era tonight


Handel - Complete Violin Sonatas / Andrew Manze (Violin) & Richard Egarr (Harpsichord)


btw, I 'liked' JCarmel's listening choice, obviously, not....you get the picture!


----------



## DrKilroy

Schoenberg - Five Pieces for Orchestra (Dohnanyi)
Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Fischer-Dieskau/King/Bernstein).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Horowitz in Moscow. .


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

One of the joys of having all my CDs (and some of my digitised vinyl - though I must get on with the rest) on a PC hard drive is being able to decide to listen more or less at random to...


Rossini - Stabat Mater / Wiener Philharmoniker, Myung-Whun Chung


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphonies 26 in D minor, 'Lamentatione'; 35 in B flat Major; 49 in F minor, 'La Passione'
(Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## Blancrocher

Still feeling the effects of Shosty's birthday. Listening to the Pacifica Quartet's fine versions of his (and a few others') quartets.

I can't wait till they finish the set!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's The Art Of fugue - ASMF, Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A nightcap (and because I'm curious to see what, if anything, happens when I reach my first 10 posts)


Schumann - Kreisleriana Op. 16 / Dina Ugorskaja


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> A nightcap (and because I'm curious to see what, if anything, happens when I reach my first 10 posts)
> 
> Schumann - Kreisleriana Op. 16 / Dina Ugorskaja


I don't think anything happens .


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: Symphony 4, w. Price/LPO/Horenstein (rec.1970); Roschmann/Mahler CO/Harding (rec.2004); Symphony 5, w. RPO/Shipway (rec.1996, 32-bit remastered); VPO/LB (rec.1987).

View attachment 25628
View attachment 25629
View attachment 25630
View attachment 25631


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I don't think anything happens .


It does, actually! I can access and edit my profile and see 'notifications'


----------



## Vaneyes

rrudolph said:


> View attachment 25602
> 
> (Not sure what they were thinking with the cover shot [w. Anne Akiko Meyers]on this one. To me it looks like it should be a country music album)/QUOTE]
> 
> Reminds me of when the marketing people for another Anne (Anne-Sophie Mutter's DG Four Seasons), decided she'd look better in firm-fitting jeans. On album launch, an appreciative male journalist approached the subject of sexing up the cover, and was summarily dismissed. End of interview.
> 
> View attachment 25634


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 25599
> 
> 
> David Hurwitz doesn't like this album:
> 
> And yet, despite it all, I think it's up there among my favorite recordings of the incomparable Tallis Fantasia. I suppose there really is no accounting for taste, sometimes. Mine, at least!


Maestro Judd's underappreciated...but then again, so is the Hurwitzer.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6










First Bruckner recording I purchased back in the day..


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Just posting my last Listening choice on TC
> 
> View attachment 25593
> 
> 
> I wish all TC-ers & visitors to the website 'all the best' & 'Happy Listening' in the future. This is my last post.


"Get back here this minute, soldier! You're only dismissed, when I say you're dismissed."


----------



## Itullian

JCarmel said:


> Just posting my last Listening choice on TC
> 
> View attachment 25593
> 
> 
> I wish all TC-ers & visitors to the website 'all the best' & 'Happy Listening' in the future. *This is my last post.*


Say it ain't so ....................


----------



## Sid James

jim prideaux said:


> whilst listening to recently acquired recordings of the latter Haydn symphonies I suddenly had this fleeting notion that I could sense the origins of Bruckner in certain aspects of Haydn-a continuity in their use of the orchestra, rhythm etc so have now been listening to Klemperer conducting the Philarmonia in a 1965 performance of the 4th-this also reminds me of the old Bohm/VPO interpretations of the 7th and 8th that I used to have on vinyl-may have to check out the availability of these interpretations as I remember enjoying them so much
> Before anyone takes me to task about the idea of a continuity between Haydn and Bruckner I did state it was fleeting, although I do believe that idea did not just spring out of 'nowhere'...............


The openings of Haydn's London series of symphonies, most of them being quiet and vague - before the inevitable turn towards a more emphatic and optimistic mood - prefigure not only the opening of Beethoven's 9th and Schubert's 8th (that searching quality) but also Bruckner's and Mahler's. Make no mistake, late Haydn (and late Mozart) anticipated most of Beethoven's innovations (not only in embryonic form, but sometimes doing the same things outright), and both of them looked far ahead, right into the 20th century in fact (eg. the Neo-Classical fad which came into vogue between the two world wars). I recently put a lot of time into Haydn's London series alone and this article kind of cemented that (even though I focussed on the London series only - there's so much else besides that he did, particularly late in the piece, that was nothing if not innovative and fresh). Now I can say without any fear at all that he's my favourite composer - or at least among my most favourite and cherished composers.

http://www.talkclassical.com/27585-haydn-s-true-place.html


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: Goldberg Variations. Murray Perahia.


----------



## nightscape

Am I the only one that thought that Günter Wand looked like Dr. Evil on that cover? Even if just for a second?


----------



## nightscape

Yannick was gracious enough to sign the new release for audience members immediately after finishing Beethoven's 9th.


----------



## Vaneyes

nightscape said:


> Yannick was gracious enough to sign the new release for audience members immediately after finishing Beethoven's 9th.


Well he better be, pilgrim.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Orient-Occident 1200-1700" - Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall


----------



## mstar

*LIGETI.* For the first time. Ever. 

Lux Aeterna.... T'was a suggestion! 

He is very... *Ligeti*mate.


----------



## Itullian

Hansel and Gretel, Runnicles


----------



## Mahlerian

Chopin: Sonata No. 3 in B minor
Maurizio Pollini


----------



## opus55

nightscape said:


> Am I the only one that thought that Günter Wand looked like Dr. Evil on that cover? Even if just for a second?


Ahahaha :lol: now I know why that hand position looks familiar.

Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra










I now have a Sinfonia Concertante recording that sounds awesome.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Trio Sonata in C Major

Monika Knoblochova, piano -- Jana Semeradova, flute -- Hana Flekova, cello

View attachment 25637


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok. Metal before there was metal. Very hardcore.


----------



## spradlig

Why didn't Mozart just call his "Sinfonia Concertante" for violin and viola a double concerto? That's really what it is. I looked up "sinfonia concertante" on Wikipedia on they described the medium as a mixture of the symphony and concerto genres. I have heard the piece several times and the roles of the soloists seem much too prominent to describe the work as anything but a concerto. By contrast, the Wikipedia article suggests that Berlioz's _Harold In Italy_ "approaches the genre", and I agree, since the viola solo part is not as much as one would expect in a concerto (especially in the last movement, if memory serves).

Regardless of what you call it, I love the piece.


----------



## neoshredder

mstar said:


> *LIGETI.* For the first time. Ever.
> 
> Lux Aeterna.... T'was a suggestion!
> 
> He is very... *Ligeti*mate.


Brings back memories.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Piano Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052










Piano version of BWV1052 is sometimes fun to listen to, for a change.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Not had time for much or any music lately but tonight I am enjoying Beethoven's Rasumowsky String Quartets as performed by the Melos Quartet. I have always really enjoyed this performance. Melos play the pieces with such passion and ferocity at times that it really makes the quartets come alive. As Vaneyes would say this is a certified perfect recording (CPR)! 










Kevin


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Itullian

mstar said:


> *LIGETI.* For the first time. Ever.
> 
> Lux Aeterna.... T'was a suggestion!
> 
> He is very... *Ligeti*mate.


"Atmospheres" is good as well.


----------



## neoshredder

Itullian said:


> "Atmospheres" is good as well.


I prefer Lontano though.


----------



## SimonNZ

Joseph Jongen's Messe en l'honneur du Saint-Sacrement - David Hill, dir.


----------



## Sid James

*Turina* Rapsodia sinfonica, Op. 66
*Montsalvatge* Concerto Breve for piano & orch.
- Alicia de Larrocha, piano with London PO & Royal PO under Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos

*Shankar* 
Sitar Concerto #1 (a)
Raga Piloo & Prahbati (b)
- Ravi Shankar, sitar (a) with Terence Emery on bongos & London SO under Andre Previn (b) with Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Alla Rakha, tabla; Kamala Chakravarti, tanpura


----------



## SimonNZ

"Jerusalem: Vision Of Peace" - Gothic Voices


----------



## Bas

For the saturday symphony listening (yes I'm in a timezone where it is 11 am...) I start the listening day with Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 6 "Pastorale"
By the Orchestra of the 18th century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa









Then my planning continues as follows:

Joseph Haydn - "Sturm und Drang Sinfonien" no. 45 in Fm#, no. 47 in G, no. 50 in C,
no. 26 in Dm, no. 49 in Fm, no. 58 in F
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir. / harpsichord], on Archiv









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / trans. Peter Lichtenthal (1780-1853) - Requiem transcribed for string quartet
By Quartetto Aglàia, on Stradivarius








Antonio Vivaldi - Vespro a San Marco
Deus in adjutorium, Dixit dominus RV 807, Confitebor tibi Domine RV 596, Beatus Vir RV 795, Laudate pueri, RV 600, Laudate Jerusalem RV 609, Magnificat RV 610, Laetus sum RV 607
By Choeur de chambre de Namur, Les Agrémens, Leonardo García Alarcón [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Arvo Pärt - Creator Spiritus
Veni Creator, The Deer's cry, Psalom, Most Holy Mother of God, Solfeggio, My heart is in the Highlands, Peace upon you Jerusalem, Ein Wallfahrtslied, Morning Star, Stabat Mater 
By Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Kopenhagen, Paul Hiller [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Blancrocher

One of NPR's best of 2012, the Brooklyn Rider group plays their own Seven Steps, Christopher Tignor's Together into this Unknowable Night, and Beethoven's op. 131. As the smattering of reviews I've looked at say, it's a quirky and interesting interpretation of Beethoven. It's not going to break into my regular rotation, but it's a nice thing to have around. It's worth giving a shot!


----------



## dgee

An album of George Benjamin orchestral music. Beginning to quite like him


----------



## SimonNZ

"Conductus: Music And Poetry From Thirteenth Century France" - Potter, O'Gorman, Covey-Crump


----------



## Guest

This sounds exceptionally good:








Mozart, Piano Sonatas
Malcomb Bilson, Fortepiano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (Leonard Bernstein; Orchestre National de France).


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in C Major, RV 448

Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum Leipzig -- Burkhard Glaetzner, oboe

View attachment 25656


----------



## Winterreisender

Dufay: O Gemma Lux (Huelgas Ensemble)


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Jan Václav Stich-Punto (28 September 1746-1803): Horn Quartet in F Major, Op.18, No.1

Jiri Fousek, horn -- Dagmar Valentova, violin -- Josef Fiala, viola -- Petr Skalka, cello

View attachment 25660


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

neoshredder said:


> I prefer Lontano though.


Melodien is the best!


----------



## DrKilroy

Penderecki - Symphony No. 2 (Penderecki). Despite what some say about his neoromantic style, I kind of like it; it needs more listenings, but I am encouraged.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: 'Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet', BWV164
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Makoto Sakurada, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Luigi Boccherini*: String Quintets from Op. 28--No. 5 in D minor and No. 6 in B flat major
La Magnifica Comunità








*J. S. Bach*: 'Komm, du süße Todesstunde', BWV 161
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Matthew White, countertenor
Hans Jörg Mammel, tenor
Thomas E. Bauer, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Gilberto

Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue; Piano Concerto In F; An American In Paris - Pittsburgh S.O. & Andre Previn


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.22 in G major, Op.17, No.5

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello

View attachment 25668


----------



## drpraetorus

Wagner Symphony in C Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, Heinz Roegner. Good performance of this early Wagner work (He was 18 at the time he wrote it).


----------



## DrKilroy

I'm going to watch Abbado conduct Mahler's 9th on Mezzo. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, 'Emperor', III. Rondo: Allegro (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth; Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> I'm going to watch Abbado conduct Mahler's 9th on Mezzo.


But before that, Bringuier conducting Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DaveS

Bruckner's 5th. Eduard van Beinum; ACO Mono Philips


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: Symphony 6, w. Philharmonia/Barbirolli (rec.1967); VPO/Boulez (rec.1994); Symphony 7, w. BPO/Abbado (rec.2001); CSO/Solti (rec.1971).

View attachment 25675
View attachment 25676







View attachment 25677


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F "Pastoral"
London Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Overture in D Major for three oboes, strings & b.c. (Gottfried von der Goltz; Freiburger Barockorchester).


----------



## DavidA

Prokofiev Symphony 5 - BPO / Karajan

Orchestral wonder!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Lois V Vierk - Jagged Mesa for 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 2 bass trombones / Gary Trosclair, trumpets; Bruce Eidem, trombones; Christopher Banks, bass trombones


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms lieder - Robert Holl, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Ernst Fesca (1789-1826): Symphony No.1 in E Flat, Op.6

Frank Beermann conducting the NDR Radiophilharmonie

View attachment 25680


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Sinfonia Concertante in F Major

Bela Banfalvi leading the Budapest Strings -- Lajos Lencses and Emilia Csanky, oboe -- Karoly Botvay, cello

View attachment 25681


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 3.*

I'm finally grasping what he's doing here. But I'll be a monkey's uncle if I can identify all the "monogram motives" in the second movement. There's one for Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Weber, all the way up to Stockhausen. I'm going to have to hunt down a score. Which irritates me: if music is _auditory_, why do I have to hunt down the_ score_ to pick up the arcane references? (i.e., Bruckner is A, Bb, C, E, while Reger is A, E, G, E.) They should be at least _somewhat_ obvious to the ear. Otherwise, just publish a book and get it over with.

Or maybe I'm just cranky because I haven't slept well all week.


----------



## starthrower

^^^^
Get some sleep, lol!

NP:


----------



## Blancrocher

After binging on the Pacifica SQ playing Shosty yesterday, I'm listening to their versions of Elliot Carter 1-5 (on two customarily affordable Naxos disks). It's probably time for me to sniff around for other albums of theirs as well. I really like this group!


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening Malinconia by Jean Sibelius.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Piano Quartet / Quintet night. The Schumann is a new CD - I'm not aware of having heard these works before

Schumann - Piano Quartets Op. 47 & WoO 32 / Trio Parnassus, Schlichtig (Viola)

Bridge - Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F# minor / Maggini Quartet, Martin Roscoe (Piano) (who is the Artistic Director of the annual Ribble Valley International Piano Week in Lancashire)

Bridge - Piano Quintet in D minor, H49a / Ashley Wass, Tippett Quartet

Bax - Piano Quintet in G minor / Ashley Wass, Tippett Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> ....I'll be a monkey's uncle....


I haven't heard that expression in a ****'s age.


----------



## Sid James

This weekend's listening started with some *contrasting concertos by Gershwin, Walton and Wolfie*:










*Gershwin* _Piano Concerto in F_ (1925)
- Andre Previn on piano & directing the Pittsburgh SO (Decca)

*Gershwin's* *Piano Concerto in F* is one of those works which typifies the roaring twenties. After the success of _Rhapsody in Blue _the previous year, conductor Walter Damrosch suggested Gershwin tackle a full-scale concerto. This idea appealed to Gershwin, however he had to overcome a lack of technical knowledge regarding the concerto form in particular. So he bought a textbook and studied some of these technical aspects. This work was fully orchestrated by him, unlike the rhapsody, which was done by Ferde Grofe.

I really like this concerto, its got a kind of pizzazz and zing. The opening timpani riff ushers in this Charleston rhythm that dominates the first movement. The Charleston dance craze was massive in the 1920's. It was associated with the Flappers like Zelda Fitzgerald and you even had a youngster by the name of Mildred Unger doing this dance as a stunt on the top of the wings of a flying plane. This would not be allowed to happen today, but little Miss Unger survived to tell the tale!

The slow movement has this bluesy feel, with some great solos for muted trumpet. The final movement comes across as a combination of Modernisms a la Bartok - all that banging! - and tunes that could have come out of any of Gershwin's Broadway shows. You'd think this kind of combination wouldn't work but it does. The coda speaks to a kind of American optimism, but its also kind of hams up the pizzazz factor. I just love it!

This premiere of the work took place in New York on December 3, 1925 with the composer as soloist and Damrosch conducting the orchestra. I just love Damrosch's description of this work, they simply don't do music write ups like this anymore!:

"He [Gershwin] had done it boldly by dressing this extremely independent and up-to-date young lady in the classic garb of a concerto. Yet he has not detracted one whit from her fascinating personality. He is the Prince who has taken Cinderella by the hand and openly proclaimed her a princess to the astonished world, no doubt to the fury of her envious sisters."










*Walton* _Violin Concerto in B minor _(1939)
- Salvatore Accardo, violin with London SO under Richard Hickox (alto)

On to *Walton's Violin Concerto*, contrasting in mood and style to the Gershwin.

The work was written for Jascha Heifetz who was not exactly the easiest violinist to work with. Walton complained to the violinist who premiered Britten's concerto at the time, Antonio Brosa, that he would rather work with him than Heifetz. Brosa replied that Walton had an asset in Heifetz due to the violinists' fame and star quality. "He can play it where he likes. He can make records," Brosa said. This turned out to be prophetic, because to his credit Heifetz not only recorded this work but played it many times, he became a great advocate for it despite his misgivings about new music. Same can be said about Korngold's concerto, which was also written for Heifetz.

Like all of Walton's three string concertos, this one is based on the template set down by Prokofiev in his _Violin Concerto #1_. It has this spiky and edgy middle movement encased by two more lyrical movements. Nonetheless there are many rhythm changes throughout the piece, a Walton trademark, sometimes its as if the conductor needs not two but four hands to do his job! At one point during rehearsal, Sir Adrian Boult advised the orchestra to just "fish about" and do their best as he tried to "keep a steady two" beat going.

The concerto received a mixed critical reception upon its premiere in America. Virgil Thomson said it was a rehash of Sibelius, Stravinsky and Richard Strauss, likening it to watered down mish mash of them all. Of course he would say that, he was an avowed classicist, and an anti-Romantic if there ever was one!

My favourite bit is the middle movement, a kind of modern take on Neopolitan dances. I wonder what Rossini would think of it? Some really hard double stopping for the soloist here, and contrasting with those more crazy elements is a horn solo that ushers in a gentler waltz-like tune in the middle section. I love these wild contrasts in Walton's music.










*Mozart* _Horn Concertos Nos. 3, K447 & 4, K495 _(Cadenzas by Tuckwell)
- Barry Tuckwell on horn & directing the English CO (Decca)

Speaking of horns, a couple of *Wolfie's concertos *for the instrument here. Some great relaxing listening here, and so well crafted. The galloping and hunting allusions come here aplenty, especially in the sprightly final movements. These have been old favourites of mine too!


----------



## Sid James

Continuing with two of *Wagner's* stand alone (non opera) works. I have so far not commemorated the old boy for his bicentenary, so here goes. I am not the hugest fan of his music, however I have a special fondness for these two works.










_Wesendonck Lieder_
- Marilyn Richardson, soprano with Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert (Eloquence)

*Wagner* wrote his *Wesendonck Lieder *at the same time as he was working on _Tristan und Isolde _in the 1850's. This was during an affair he was having with Mathilde Wesendonck, her husband Otto being a wealthy merchant who was a benefactor of the composer. Wagner had this way of bedding the wives of his supporters, but I won't linger on that too much.

Although the poetry written by Mathilde is not particularly significant, Wagner's setting of them as music is nothing short of amazing. For one thing there is that sense of rapture and big emotions, and many aspects of these songs look forward to Mahler and Richard Strauss. They also have connections to _Tristan_, this is like a study for the opera, and the final song_ Traume _reads like a mini Liebestod. The first four songs where orchestrated by the conductor Felix Mottl, and the final one was done by Wagner himself.

_Siegfried Idyll_ (1870)
- The Estado de Mexico SO under Enrique Batiz (Rainbow - Concerto Digital Classics)

*Siegfried Idyll *also has a personal story attached to it, this being written as a present to *Wagner's* wife Cosima. The piece is named after their son. It was played to her as she woke up one Christmas morning by a small group of string players and a horn player.

Listening to this, one does think of sunrise and the earth being born. Images of nature come to mind in this work, which is in effect an impressionistic tone poem. Here Wagner anticipates the innovations of the likes of Debussy and Ravel by decades in terms of things like those delicate layerings and fuzzy sonority. I have many favourite bits in this but again the horn solo comes out and seems to draw it all together.

Concluding with some tickling of the ivories by *Vladimir Horowitz *in his return home after a sixty year absence:










*Album: Horowitz in Moscow*
- Vladimir Horowitz on piano playing pieces by Scarlatti, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Liszt, Schumann, etc., recorded live at the Moscow Conservatory in April 1986 (DGG)

I only listened to this album for the first time recently and I love it for many reasons, the main one being the choice of pieces here. There is a great mix of works and its quite relaxing to listen to.

*Horowitz's* playing is also amazing to hear, especially considering he was 82 at the time. This man's story is inspiring in terms of him making this big comeback late in his career. It was a career marred by many setbacks, principally due to depression and the bad effects of combining prescription drugs with alcohol. There where many interruptions to the concert appearances of this pianist, the longest being between 1953 and 1965, during which time he avoided the stage and only made recordings.

This recital, which shows Horowitz really ramping up the aspect of colour in his playing, is not only inspiring in terms of him personally coming back to Russia but also the politics behind it all. This was a moment just before the end of the Cold War when those on both sides of the Iron Curtain watched this concert - either live or on television - and united in appreciation of this man and his art. It kind of shows that music can unite people, and can be used as part of the solution to the world's problems rather than adding to them.

*Well guys that wraps up my final long weekend post here, at least for now. *Due to various reasons I am retiring from doing these. I thank you all for reading them, and the "likes" which encouraged me to continue them. *I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing these in-depth posts. *I have compiled them on my blog at the back end of this forum, for those interested. I now aim to put my energies here into contributing more articles in the *articles section *of the forum, so look do out for that!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven: Symphony no. 6






This comes from my favourite Beethoven symphony cycle and I'm listening to it for Saturday Symphonies. The huge (almost _Brucknerian_ ) sound that comes of this orchestra and the amazing colouristic effects that come from the orchestra's size, the energy and the passion the musicality and the clarity make this set by far the best!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in E Flat, KV 282

Alicia de Larrocha, piano

View attachment 25685


----------



## mnsCA

JD Zelenka's melodrama _Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis conspicua orbi regia Bohemiae Corona: Melodrama de Sancto Wenceslao_

See the Wikipedia article on the work for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_olea_pacis_et_palma_virtutis


----------



## starthrower

Carl Nielsen Hymnus Amoris Danish National Radio Symphony & Choir Ulf Schirmer


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Chausson: Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' String Quartet No.9 - Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Beethoven: Symphony no. 6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This comes from my favourite Beethoven symphony cycle and I'm listening to it for Saturday Symphonies. The huge (almost _Brucknerian_ ) sound that comes of this orchestra and the amazing colouristic effects that come from the orchestra's size, the energy and the passion the musicality and the clarity make this set by far the best!


the conductor looks like Beethoven .


----------



## drpraetorus

de Falla, El Amor Brujo. Ormandy


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in A minor for 2 recorders, strings & b.c.; Concerto in B minor for transverse flute, strings & b.c. (Camerata Köln).


----------



## Itullian

Wagner, Rheingold, Gergiev.
A disappointment. Brief review in Wagner on cd.


----------



## tdc

Joaquin Rodrigo - Dos Preludios, Carlos Perez guitar

Great pieces, great interpretation.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sid James said:


> _Wesendonck Lieder_
> - Marilyn Richardson, soprano with Queensland SO under Werner Andreas Albert (Eloquence)
> 
> _Siegfried Idyll_ (1870)
> - The Estado de Mexico SO under Enrique Batiz (Rainbow - Concerto Digital Classics)


Hmm. I've been looking for a 'way into' Wagner - I wonder if these would fit the bill?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TurnaboutVox said:


> Hmm. I've been looking for a 'way into' Wagner - I wonder if these would fit the bill?


They would definitely be a great way to get into Wagner, some of the material in these works are used in Tristan und Isolde and also parts of the Ring of the Nibelung. Have a look around for some famous scenes from operas as well, and some orchestral excerpts if you like (Maazel has done a wonderful version of the Ring for orchestra that fits all on one disc, you can find a performance of this on YouTube if you like). Also if you really want some fantastic recommendations then TC's Wagner fanatic (Couchie) would have excellent suggestions.


----------



## Guest

Haydn's Symphony No. 99 - yet again. I'm trying to spot the 'Beethoven' in it.


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - "Abschieds-Symphonie" no. 45 in Fm#
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir], on Archiv








Joseph Haydn - "Londoner Sinfonien" Symphony no. 95 in Cm, Symphony no. 99 in E-flat, Symphony no. 104 in D "Londoner"
By the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Missa in Bm
By Collegium Vocale Gent, Dorothee Mields [soprano], Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guillon [countertenor],
Thomass Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ









Franz Schubert - Goethe Lieder
By Dietrich Fischer Dieskau [tenor], Gerald Moore [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

MacLeod said:


> Haydn's Symphony No. 99 - yet again. I'm trying to spot the 'Beethoven' in it.


One can do that, but why not spot the Haydn in it?  But it's true though, this symphony does look forward quite a bit.


----------



## Guest

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> One can do that, but why not spot the Haydn in it?  But it's true though, this symphony does look forward quite a bit.


Don't worry, I'm only looking for the Beethoven this time around...but what about it is typically Haydn: what should I be looking for?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

The first things that come to mind are the humourous, sprightly menuet and the dense counterpoint in the finale - plus the development of it out of a single theme. You're making me want to listen to it now . Who's conducting, by the way? Now that I'm listening to the finale - everything about it is like Haydn - cheerful, fast, full of life. That's Haydn, hehe.

Finale: Vivace
listen to the witty solo passages popping in and out, that's pure Haydn.

Menuet: Allegretto: 
question and answer - the first melody is wittily answered by the orchestra, for example. That's typical of Haydn's humour. The contrast of the major and minor part - the minor sounds more 'learned'. Trio: the smooth, calming melody - it has a wonderful, optimistic sound, there seems to be no 'darkness' there - a little bit of a frown in the middle, but Haydn comes back smiling afterwards. Also the fortes and stops, where a moment of suspense arises.

Adagio: 
this is one of the most emotional adagios Haydn's written - the flute solos coming in are typical, they add a witty touch. At the end of the melody comes a small, bouncy theme - also Haydnesque. Ahh, the question and answer is here as well - strings then flute. Man oh man, you always notice new things here. Also typical: Haydn adds ornaments to the main theme instead of introducing a new one. This happens after the forte burst in the middle. The rhythmic line in the last melody is also Haydnesque. 

Adagio. Vivace assai:
Element of 'surprise' - the fast part in the adagio, then the stop - Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique doesn't sound too different from this. The cheerful rhythm of the vivace assai is typical of Haydn - the counterpoint of course. The witty 2nd melody: again, question and answer. And listen to the bassoon - the way it burps slightly like a frog, another humourous element. The 'stopping' theme from the adagio also comes into the vivace assai, there's a short part in the minor which Haydn inserts. The interplay of solo passages in the development section. Ah, notice in the fast bit - a similar rhythmic line to the 'burping frogs' from before. Again question and answer in the strings with the main theme. And the optimism of the end, of course . 

Funny to do this in backward order, hehe.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Wolf - Orchesterlieder (Mörike Lieder; Goethe-Lieder; Spanisches Liederbuch) / Deutsches SO Berlin, Kent Nagano, Banse (Soprano), Henschel (Baritone) 

Mahler - Kindertotenlieder, Rückert-Lieder / Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Christa Ludwig (Mezzosoprano)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Currently listening on the radio to Ross Edwards's Violin Concerto (Adele Anthony and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra). 

I'm not a huge fan of Edwards, pretty much all of his music is just lots of trills and fancy little motifs in the mixolydian mode, but the violin concerto is probably the one work of his that I could listen to all the time due to the fact that the writing for violin is very suited to the instrument but gives it almost a new sound because of the Edwards's unique style.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Guest

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Who's conducting, by the way?


Davis, Royal Concertgebouw.

Thanks for your analysis. I find it interesting that we spot many of the same things as prominent, though I wonder how much of it is distinctly Haydn (we need to know what went before, not what came after for that). Yet I think that I begin to know what characterises Haydn, though I may not be able to express this in technical terms.


----------



## Winterreisender

Mozart String Quartet #19 - Amadeus Quartet


----------



## Schubussy

Olivier Messiaen - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps
Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang, Myung-Whun Chung


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Jiranek (1698-1778): Bassoon Concerto in G Minor

Jana Semerodova conducting the Collegium Marianum -- Sergio Azzolini, bassoon

View attachment 25709


----------



## Sonata

Haydn morning coffee 
Symphonies 45-47

Last night I listened to some wonderful Brahms chamber music: Clarinet trio and piano trio #2. Very near perfection.


----------



## joen_cph

starthrower said:


> ^^^^
> Get some sleep, lol!
> 
> NP:


This recording of the 5th represents a somewhat alternative, but also less intense reading than most others, IMHO. Check out the legendary Bernstein/NYPO, or Blomstedt/SF SO, for instance. Schønwandt also later stated that he regretted parts of it.

Concerning his 5th, Blomstedt said that he had strived - yet not totally successfully - to reach the string playing level in the Bernstein recording.


----------



## Wicked_one

Alkan - Concerto for Solo Piano


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Prelude in C Minor

Robert Hill, lute harpsichord

View attachment 25711


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Symphony No. 99 in E-flat


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying out Gianluca Luisi's set of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier--halfway through book 1 and so far so good. Great music for a Sunday morning!


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Klemperer).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Schoenberg - Variations for Orchestra BPO / Karajan. Karajan reportedly felt so strongly about his recordings of the Second Viennese School that he agreed to finance them himself when DG balked at picking up the tab.


----------



## Gilberto

Mendelssohn - Complete String Symphonies - Roy Goodman & The Hanover Band 

never heard these before and borrowed from the library yesterday; grand, very grand


----------



## nightscape

DrKilroy said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Klemperer).


I've been listening to Jansons' live version of this for about a week straight. I'm gearing up for a performance of Mahler's 4th next Saturday.


----------



## Schubussy

Olivier Messiaen - Turangalîla-Symphonie
Juanjo Mena, Steven Osborne, Cynthia Millar; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mahlerian said:


> Haydn: Symphony No. 99 in E-flat


I had to listen to that puppy too today .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mahlerian said:


> Haydn: Symphony No. 99 in E-flat


conductor? I own the Günther Herbig set and I think his No. 99 is very good.

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 58 in C Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## nightscape

Schubussy said:


> Olivier Messiaen - Turangalîla-Symphonie
> Juanjo Mena, Steven Osborne, Cynthia Millar; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
> View attachment 25716


Shame about the Ondes Martenot, though. Sucks me out of the work every time I hear it.


----------



## Schubussy

Really? The piece in general or that specific recording? It's my favourite interpretation, though I only know that one and the Antoni Wit/Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra... the Ondes is definitely more prominent in this one but I like it.


----------



## Guest

Busy preparing chicken parmesan for eight. Company will arrive in about an hour. Just enough time for:

Mozart, K550 and K551 Symphonies 40 & 41
Sir Charles Mackarras - Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## AndyS

Du Pre playing Bach's Cello Suites (1&2) in advance of the Casals recording arriving


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Blancrocher

Steffani, huh? Go figure--I just heard him for the first time last night in this other disk involving Bartoli:









I don't know the music well yet, but I loved it. Looking forward to the Stabat Mater!


----------



## Guest

AndyS said:


> Du Pre playing Bach's Cello Suites (1&2) in advance of the Casals recording arriving


I think you're going to be disappointed, AndyS, not least for the difference in recording quality.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Symphony No.41 "Jupiter" - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem and his Fourth Symphony from this set by Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia:








This was followed by Brahms' First Symphony by Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Fauré - Piano Quintets No. 1, Op. 89 & No. 2, Op. 115 / Domus, Anthony Marwood (Violin)

Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Cage, Mayuzumi: String Quartets / LaSalle Quartet
I like this for late night listening!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Holst: The Planets, Op.32 London Choral Society/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult.
This is a live recording from the Henry Wood Proms in 1973. It's very good, but thus far (currently on No.4) hasn't displaced Sir Malcolm Sargent's performance in my affections. Sargent did this supremely well- in my opinion of course- and that's sufficient for I!


----------



## nightscape

Schubussy said:


> Really? The piece in general or that specific recording?


The instrument itself. It's like trying to take the kazoo or zeusaphone seriously. Some instruments just don't fit into the soundscape of an orchestra. I'm not putting down those people who may enjoy it, but I can't count myself among them.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: DLVDE, w. Tennstedt et al (rec.1982 - '84); DLVDE arr. by Schoenberg, w.Herreweghe et al (rec.1993); Symphony 8, w. Boulez et al (rec.2007); LB et al (rec.1966).

View attachment 25732
View attachment 25733
View attachment 25734
View attachment 25735


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Triple Concerto
Strauss, R: Also Sprach Zarathustra


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41. Karl Böhm, Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I just picked this one up a few days back. This is my first listen. I'm liking what I hear so far... but then I have liked most of what I've heard by Kodaly and Fischer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Hummel's Mass in E flat - Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

SimonNZ said:


> Hummel's Mass in E flat - Richard Hickox, cond.


That gargoyle looks like it just had a taste of mstar's fried tarantulas :devil:


----------



## starthrower

Vagn Holmboe Symphony No. 5


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Gonna put on an old favourite: Ligeti's _Le Grand Macabre_









A quirky post-apocalyptic opera, the closest to reality it gets would be sort of political satires.....:lol: Strange humour and bizarre but great characters and a fittingly funny score by Ligeti. Always to be one of the best and most original operas written in the 20th century, and this recording on Wergo is highly recommended and based on the excerpts I have heard of other recordings I would say that this one is probably the best. This, I believe, is the original unrevised version and is performed in German. I bought this recording at the first chance I could last year for about $40 on amazon as the stock was very low (also very hard to find elsewhere) and I do not regret spending that much money on it! Wergo is a fairly expensive label but probably has most of the best Ligeti recordings I know.


----------



## SimonNZ

brotagonist said:


> That gargoyle looks like it just had a taste of mstar's fried tarantulas :devil:


egad!...I think I'd eat Soylent Green before I ate tarantullas (with a nice chianti and some fava beans, of course)

playing now:

Bach Keyboard Concertos - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 9


----------



## Bradius

Verdi's La Traviata. Kastelanetz without words. Good music without all the annoying caterwauling :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Philip Glass' Symphony No.2 - Dennis Russell Davies, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Philip Glass' Symphony No.2 - Dennis Russell Davies, cond.


This symphony is under-appreciated in the Glass symphony cycle, but I think it is actually one of the best. The first movement in particular is a magnificent opening for any symphony, and the coda at the very end of the whole work is probably the most joyful thing Glass has ever composed. I might listen to this symphony later today.


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Gonna put on an old favourite: Ligeti's _Le Grand Macabre_
> 
> View attachment 25738
> 
> 
> A quirky post-apocalyptic opera, the closest to reality it gets would be sort of political satires.....:lol: Strange humour and bizarre but great characters and a fittingly funny score by Ligeti. Always to be one of the best and most original operas written in the 20th century, and this recording on Wergo is highly recommended and based on the excerpts I have heard of other recordings I would say that this one is probably the best. This, I believe, is the original unrevised version and is performed in German. I bought this recording at the first chance I could last year for about $40 on amazon as the stock was very low (also very hard to find elsewhere) and I do not regret spending that much money on it! Wergo is a fairly expensive label but probably has most of the best Ligeti recordings I know.


$40?! .


----------



## jim prideaux

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This symphony is under-appreciated in the Glass symphony cycle, but I think it is actually one of the best. The first movement in particular is a magnificent opening for any symphony, and the coda at the very end of the whole work is probably the most joyful thing Glass has ever composed. I might listen to this symphony later today.


thanks to both for the idea-have it 'stuck away' largely ignored for a few years now so today................


----------



## joen_cph

*Kuhnau*: *6 Biblical Sonatas* / *Aniko Horvath, harpsichord* / Hungaroton LP

One of the better Hungaroton productions of early music - fine sound, good playing, extremely comprehensive liner notes.
As for the music itself, I have a certain ambivalent relationship to its simplicity, but visualizing Baroque interiors now and then, such as those of Vermeer´s paintings etc., usually enriches the experience.


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This symphony is under-appreciated in the Glass symphony cycle, but I think it is actually one of the best. The first movement in particular is a magnificent opening for any symphony, and the coda at the very end of the whole work is probably the most joyful thing Glass has ever composed. I might listen to this symphony later today.


Thanks for that. I was a little tired and distracted when I got home, so I almost dismissed it as a "generic Philip" after the first play. Just gave it another closer listen after an evening out and reading your comments and I warmed more to its subtle charms.

But my vote for "most joyful PG moment" still goes to Dance IX from In The Upper Room:






and now I might as well play the other Glass disc I got from the bargain bins today, filling a couple of gaps in the collection:

String Quartets 2-5 - Kronos Quartet


----------



## bejart

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Trio Sonata in F Major, Op.1, No.1

Purcell Quartet with Jakob Lindberg on theorbo: Catherine Macintosh and Elizabeth Wallfisch, violins -- Richard Boothby, cello -- Robert Woolley, chamber organ

View attachment 25744


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> $40?! .


I got it when it was at its cheapest! But remember I was a hardcore Ligeti fan back then, willing to pay anything to get that recording!


----------



## Winterreisender

Holst - Egdon Heath (LSO & Andre Previn)


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I got it when it was at its cheapest! But remember I was a hardcore Ligeti fan back then, willing to pay anything to get that recording!


Oh, yeah, I forgot you are a D now.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Just listened to the _Laudate Dominium_ from Mozart's _Vesperae _ for the first time in a long time, and gosh ... I'd forgotten just how beautiful it is. I was even getting a little teary-eyed!

Also ...

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata #29, 'hammerklavier' / D. Barenboim


----------



## EricABQ

Mozart's piano concerto 12 from a set by Carmen Piazzini. 

I'm currently listening through the set.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Glass: Symphonies on this disc:









For symphony no. 2 in particular, for another listen. Glass states that this symphony looks back towards experiments in polytonality earlier in the century, but not in the usual manner of sticking one key on top of another. Glass looks into a new direction for polytonality, in particular the tonal ambiguity. Rather than keeping with all the "by the book" tonal progressions with extra dissonance from the more than 1 tonal centre, Glass looks into creating a sound world in which stranger harmonic functions are employed, a less recognisable dissonance but never a full resolution onto any landing point for any key.......it's sort of always going to be a different harmonic direction in each of the tonal centres the lines (or groups of lines) in the music hover around....


----------



## Andolink

Various Bach cantatas, Boccherini string trios and a Handel oratorio:


----------



## julianoq

Brahms Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor. In my opinion a masterpiece, one of my favorite works by any composer. Performed by Domus ensemble.


----------



## joen_cph

EricABQ said:


> Mozart's piano concerto 12 from a set by Carmen Piazzini.
> 
> I'm currently listening through the set.


What I´ve heard from her seems to be OK or good (Concerto for 2 Pianos, Concerto for 3 Pianos, Concerto 24, with Gantvarg as a conductor... ) ?


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to "Basically Bull," Alan Feinberg playing John Bull and a few other contemporaries. It includes some pieces I'd never heard on the piano before (and some I'd never heard at all) and it all sounds great.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn









There's that other thing on here too, but the ballet is the real attraction...


----------



## EricABQ

joen_cph said:


> What I´ve heard from her seems to be OK or good (Concerto for 2 Pianos, Concerto for 3 Pianos, Concerto 24, with Gantvarg as a conductor... ) ?


This set sounds pretty good. I think it compares favorably to other performances of his concertos that I've heard (which is admittedly not very many.)

It was a very good bargain, though. If I remember correctly it was about $7 from iTunes for the complete set.


----------



## julianoq

I finally managed to get the famous Sibelius Symphony 2 with Barbirolli and the RPO record. I am in the end of the fourth movement and I have the feeling that it is indeed the best recording of this work available. Amazing.


----------



## Bas

Excellent choices, Andolink (can't vouch for the Bocherinni as I don't know that work, but the rest is very good)

Inspired by a thread on best recordings of Bach's Magnum Opus I gave one of my recordings another listen today:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Matthäus-Passion
Ian Bostridge [Evangelista], Franz Josef Selig [Christus], Sibylla Rubens [sop.], Andreas Scholl [counter-tenor, singing alto roles], Werner Güra [alt.], Dietrich Henschel [bass], Choir and Orchestra Collegium Vocale Gent, dir. Philippe Herreweghe, on Harmonia Mundi
(It is Herreweghe's second, 1998 recording)









Great recording, fine interpretation and it never fails to touch me. I always get emotional at the end choral "Wir setzen uns, mit Tränen nieder." When you have listened to an enormous amount of beautiful arias and Bach's fantastic chorals, when you have followed along the story and then all of this is concluded, contemplated in this finale: Sit down, let your tears go. Bach is, for me, a fifth preacher of the Gospel (evangelist).

Something I bought, that arrived this afternoon, because I saw a fellow member had been listening to it in this thread. (I am sorry, I don't recall who, but thank you for the inspiration, it is excellent - Oh I love Kirkby's voice!)

Hildegard Von Bingen 1179 - Sequences and Hymns
Gothic Voices, Emma Kirkby, on Hyperion









Arvo Pärt - Fratres, Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten, Fratres, Tabula Rasa
Keith Jarret [piano], Gideon Kremer [violin], Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Dennis Russel Davies, 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmoniker, Alfred Schnittke [piano], Tatjana Gridenko [violin], Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra Saulius Sondeckis [dir.], on ECM


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: Symphony 9, w. BPO/Barbirolli (rec.1964); BPO/HvK (rec.1979/80); NYPO/LB (rec.1965).

View attachment 25761







View attachment 25762


----------



## zamplify

Boyce - 8 Symphonies by The English Concert 

This record sounds absolutely fantastic and the music is transcendent. I never listened to Boyce before 2 days ago.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, 'Sheherazade' (Gerard Schwarz; Maria Larinoff, violin; Seattle Symphony).


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 25773


Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

View attachment 25775


Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Bruno Walter & The Columbia Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.4 in A-, Op.23

artist
Pamela Frank


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.5 in F, Op.24 ('Spring')

artist
Nora Chastain
Friedemann Rieger


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets. Amadeus Quartet.


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Sibelius's Violin Concerto in D minor.
Osmo Vanska.
Leonidas Kavakos.


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.6 in A, Op.30, No.1

artist
Benjamin Schmid
Alfredo Perl


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Symphonies 68, 93, 100, w. ACO/Harnoncourt (rec.1986 - '92); Piano Sonatas, w. Xiao-Mei (rec.2008).

View attachment 25793
View attachment 25794


----------



## Wicked_one

Alkan - Symphony for Solo Piano.

I love his etudes. I knew his work and after a while it gets better and better. Yay!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1 in G Major (Buchberger Quartet).









Somehow I don't think the Buchbergers have the best Op. 76 out there, been thinking of getting another set. The adagio with gut strings sounds very good though. Actually, the trio in the Menuet is really well done here too.


----------



## Blancrocher

I just finished the Borodin String Quartet's set of Haydn's op. 33.









Lovely (and hilarious) music, and well performed.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Blancrocher said:


> I just finished the Borodin String Quartet's set of Haydn's op. 33.
> 
> View attachment 25797
> 
> 
> Lovely (and hilarious) music, and well performed.


The Buchbergers are actually very good in Op. 33, I find. I really like that set as well, lots of variety in it.


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.7 in C-, Op.30, No.2 ('Eroica')

artist
Gary Levinson & Daredjan Baya Kakouberi


----------



## D'Addario

One of my favorites: Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D minor. Spotify has a great recording with a powerhouse group of musicians, Yo-Yo Ma, Perlman, and Emanuel Ax!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's listening:

Fauré - String Quartet In E Minor; Franck - String Quartet In D / Dante Quartet

This is a new recording to me; the delicate Fauré quartet is growing on me.

Bartók - String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7, SZ 40; String Quartet No. 3, SZ 85 / Tokyo String Quartet

I have not yet found a reading of the excellent Bartok quartets to match these LP's (released in 1977 I think)[Edit: nope, 1981]


----------



## chrisco97

*Vivaldi* - La Stravaganza
_Simon Standage, The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock_

On Concerto No. 2 right now. Love these concertos! It is a shame they are not better known.


----------



## Ondine

Frederic Chopin

Complete Mazurkas with Opus Numbers

Jean Marc Luisada, Piano

Complete Mazurkas without Opus Numbers

Lilya Zilberstein, Piano


Wolfgang G. Mozart

Piano Variations K 352, 353, 354 & 398

Ingrid Haebler, Piano


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Saint-Saens' Symphony No.2 - Marek Janowski, cond.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Flute Trio No.28 in D Major

Gamerith Consort: Maria Rose, piano -- Linde Brunmayr, flute -- Alojsij Mordej, cello

View attachment 25804


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Late night listening, lights off and headphones on. With no distractions it is the perfect setting for lieder.

The singer of choice tonight is the wonderful Irmgard Seefried:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 3.*

Still hearing new things in this one.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Saint-Saens' Symphony No.2 - Marek Janowski, cond.


A most enjoyable symphony. I love the D'Indy that is on the disc you show, if you ever get the chance do listen to Jeanne-Marie Darre's recording of this with the Lamoureux Orchestra/Albert Wolff, it's wonderful! So full of life and vitality.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Walter Susskind
The tunes just flooded into my head a few moments ago, so I sorted out the record and away we go...........


----------



## chrisco97

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> the conductor looks like Beethoven .


How did I never notice that? :lol:



HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Funny to do this in backward order, hehe.


Now you have made me want to listen to it! Will probably do so later. 



Sid James said:


> *Gershwin* _Piano Concerto in F_ (1925)
> - Andre Previn on piano & directing the Pittsburgh SO (Decca)


I never knew he wrote a piano concerto...I will have to check it out!


----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius songs - karita Mattila, soprano, Ilmo Ranta, piano


----------



## Sid James

TurnaboutVox said:


> Hmm. I've been looking for a 'way into' Wagner - I wonder if these would fit the bill?


Well, it can be a good place to start, however _Siegfried Idyll _is unique amongst Wagner's works. He didn't want it to be performed publicly but in the late 1870's, running into financial troubles, he sold it to the publishers. I find it has this intimate quality which is unique in his output. The work also has a unique history in that it started out as part of an unfinished string quartet, then got changed into Cosima's birthday present. I must correct an error to that post, it was first perfomed by a mixed chamber group of about 15 musicians (not only strings and horn as I indicated). Hans Richter, a conductor who did a number of Wagner premieres, played trumpet on that ocassion (not horn as I'd wrongly remembered, but some sources erroneously say horn). The work was later scored for full orchestra.

In terms of _Wesendonck Lieder_, Wagner did other song cycles like this, but this is the most famous one and the only one to enter the repertoire.

Connections here abound. Liszt's _Les Preludes _often comes to my mind when listening to _Siegfried Idyll_. So too Dvorak's _Serenade for Strings_, which also came out in the 1870's. Then you got Wagner's own _Siegfried's Rhine Journey _from _Gotterdammerung _which similarly paints these impressionistic nature scenes. Another one is the prelude to _Lohengrin_, the strings giving this fuzzy sunlit golden sound.

As for _Wesendonck Lieder_, since it was composed at the same time as _Tristan und Isolde_, the _Liebestod_ is a good one to go to. Its very similar and is the coupling on the disc I have of the songs, Wagner also called the _Wesendonck Lieder _to be a study for _Tristan_.

Other composer's similar works (but composed long after it, after Wagner's death in fact and into the 20th century) are Richard Strauss' _Four Last Songs_, Mahler's _Songs of a Wayfarer _and Zemlinsky's _Six Songs, Op. 13 (Maeterlinck Songs)_. You might already know these since I just saw you posted some lieder you where listening to.

But as indicated by ComposerOfAvantGarde, the resident Wagner specialist Couchie is your best bet for all things Wagner.

As for my listening, I listened to that *Gershwin album *with his _Concerto in F_, this time taking in _Rhapsody in Blue _and _An American in Paris _as well. Andre Previn tickled the ivories and directed the Pittsburgh SO.










Speaking of Gershwin, *Earl "Fatha" Hines *played a couple of his songs in this *live studio recording *made in *Paris in 1970*. _Foggy Day_ was brilliantly done, as was _You're driving me crazy_ with that unique way in which Fatha was able to make the piano sound like a trumpet. No wonder they dubbed him "the Louis Armstrong of the piano." Fatha was equally a great improviser as well. He was accompanied here by Larry Richardson on double bass and Richie Goldberg on the drums.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: 'Die Elenden sollen essen', BWV 75
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Mark Padmore, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe








*J. S. Bach*: 'O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort', BWV 20
Johannette Zomer, soprano
Ingeborg Danz, alto
Jan Kobow, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## bejart

Pierre Rode (1774-1830): String Quartet No.2 in C Major

Debussy Quartet: Christophe Collette and Dominique Lonca, violins -- Vincent Deprecq, viola -- Yannick Callier, cello

View attachment 25811


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Concerto No. 5.*


----------



## KenOC

Mozart's 25th Piano Concerto, streamed from KMozart. Just discovered this -- it used to be a commercial FM classical station (KMZT), and it's still available on AM (!) and streaming...Perahia by the way.


----------



## cDeanSharon

The Firebird (1919 version) by Igor Stravinsky. Claudio Abbado, LSO; 1975.


----------



## Gilberto

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/316594-johann-johannsson-and-angelica-negron-at-le-poisson-rouge/

On Tuesday, September 10, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson shares the stage at (Le) Poisson Rouge with Puerto Rican-born multi-instrumentalist composer Angélica Negrón for a double bill of contemplative electronica and indie-classical experimentation. Jóhannsson, who will be playing the piano and triggering electronics on his laptop for his set, will be joined by the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME).

Drawing from a palette of ambient music, post-rock and orchestral music, Jóhannsson's work ranges from film scores, music composed for dance and concert music that blends electronics with classical orchestration. Interested in creating simple, intricate narratives that evoke a sort of magical realism, Angélica Negrón writes music for accordions, toys and electronics as well as chamber ensembles and orchestras.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous disc!


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Agon
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








Mozart: Ein musikalischer spass, K522
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields









Satie: Parade
Luxembourg Radio Orchestra, cond. de Froment









Stravinsky's late period ballet and Mozart's intentionally amateurish divertimento don't have very much in common, but they do share a sense of amusement at the intentionally obtuse, and Satie's absurdist ballet score provides a link here between them.


----------



## Sonata

Mahler symphony #4, a real treat


----------



## Itullian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A marvelous disc!


I love these guys.


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Horn sonata in E Flat, Op.28

Michael Thompson, horn -- Philip Fowke, piano

View attachment 25816


----------



## Valkhafar

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7. Carlos Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Mitsuko Uchida, piano

View attachment 25817


----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with a listen to Denk's new recording of the Goldberg Variations. I've heard it a few times now and I like it a lot.


----------



## cDeanSharon

_Das Rheingold_, WWV 86a, Richard Wagner; cond. Hans Knappertsbusch, Bayreuth, 1956.


----------



## KenOC

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 25818
> 
> 
> Winding down with a listen to Denk's new recording of the Goldberg Variations. I've heard it a few times now and I like it a lot.


Maybe you could past a review on Amazon? Only one review so far and it's not very specific.

Jeremy Denk has generated a bit of excitement on another forum. I attended a recital of his not long ago, and he's really something special (although he didn't play the Goldbergs).


----------



## Blancrocher

KenOC said:


> Maybe you could past a review on Amazon? Only one review so far and it's not very specific.
> 
> Jeremy Denk has generated a bit of excitement on another forum. I attended a recital of his not long ago, and he's really something special (although he didn't play the Goldbergs).


Maybe if I could write half as well as he can I would! :lol: I've got to say it's fun to have a young pianist generating this level of excitement. The only unfortunate thing about the "genius" grant and the awards that are doubtless to follow is that we won't be able to see him so cheaply and easily anymore, KenOC. Still, credit where credit is due, of course.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Piano Concerto - Steven Osborne, piano, Ilan Volkov, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 7









This is my favourite symphony by Mahler and one of my favourites of all time, the first movement in particular is like a huge journey in itself! The very opening (which was inspired by the rhythm of the oars of his row boat in the water) starts on a dissonant chord, and then a melody in the tenor horn that doesn't seem to fit in any key, so the music always feels like it needs to go somewhere rather than be an atmospheric haze like the opening of the 1st symphony. The music does go somewhere, gradually increasing and decreasing intensity of the harmonies with fragmented melodies trying to find a proper place to begin and end finally builds up to the _allegro risoluto, ma non troppo_ where the first subject of the sonata form starts. *Mahlerian, take notes! Is this on your blog yet?* Anyhow, the brilliant, part heroic and part villainous main theme brings in all the action and the events that follow...are just so well linked and at the perfect pace that it is impossible to lose attention to the music!

In this reading by Boulez and the Cleveland orchestra, the first movement is a little slow but the grandeur and attention to detail and the precision and clarity (the coda of the first movement is a ripper!!! Amazing!!!) makes the whole work fantastic and is one of the reasons this is one of my favourite recordings of the symphony. Also, the two Nachtmusik movements (II and IV) are the best ever in this recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Symphony No.4 - Kent Nagano, cond.

probably followed by the Schoenberg Variations from the same disc


----------



## Guest

Haydn on headphones! Grado SR60i










into an Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard.










Perfection: the stereo separation enables me to listen properly to what each part of the orchestra is up to.

I'm beginning to think that my friend Josef is about to overtake Ludwig as my favourite symphonist.

Listening to second movements of the 99, 100, 101...I think I might stay at home and listen all day.


----------



## Sonata

Nice! My two favorite composers (Brahms and Mahler) followed by my current addiction (Haydn)
Happy listening indeed!


----------



## SimonNZ

Glazunov's Violin Concerto - Oscar Schumsky, violin, Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

I can totally relate - recently got new headphones as well, and the Londoners sparkle in them, don't they!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Sonata said:


> Nice! My two favorite composers (Brahms and Mahler) followed by my current addiction (Haydn)
> Happy listening indeed!


Yum, Haydn on headphones, plus Sir Colin Davis - how do you like his set, by the way? Do you own several?

Currently listening to W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D Major, 'Haffner' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## korenbloem

This morning I seem to be preoccupied by Tristan, so switching between the following recordings:

Mostly listing to the second act and beginning of the third act


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Claude Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Dmitri Kitayenko; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's In Tempus Praesens - Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, Valery Gergiev, cond.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.50, No.2a

Brandywine Baroque: Douglas McNames, cello -- Karen Flint, harpsichord -- Vivian Barton Dozor, cello continuo

View attachment 25829


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Vent Nocturne - Meta4


----------



## Guest

Paul Dukas, Symphony in C, Sorcerer's Apprentice
Jean Fournet: Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Parables - Jiri Bilohlavek, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Martinu's The Parables - Jiri Bilohlavek, cond.


this is one of the recordings I bought recently in Prague whilst I was going through my big Martinu phase-this morning as I read this post I am listening to the two violin concertos performed by Suk/Neumann and the Czech Phil


----------



## Blancrocher

A great new version of Britten's War Requiem, with Noseda, Bostridge, Cvilak, and co. Highly recommended if you're alone in the dark!


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: String Quartets K. 465 "Dissonance"; K. 458 "The Hunt"; K. 421. Emerson String Quartet.


----------



## Sudonim

A little music for pianner:









followed by


----------



## rrudolph

Balakirev: Symphony #1/Islamey/Tamara








Glazunov: The Seasons/Scenes de Ballet Op. 52








Gliere: Symphony #3, "Ilya Murometz"


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Mahler*: Symphony 10, w. Ormandy (rec.1965); Wigglesworth (rec.1993); Harding (rec.2007); DKW, Herreweghe et al(rec.2006); Lieder, w. Hampson/LB (rec.1988 - '90).

View attachment 25839
View attachment 25840
View attachment 25841
View attachment 25842


----------



## aleazk

Brahms' Clarinet Sonata No.1, Op.120.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Idomeneo
By Richard Croft [tenor], Bernarda Fink [mezzo soprano], Sunhae Im (soprano), Alexandrina Pendatchanska [soprano], Kenneth Tarver [tenor], Nicolas Rivenq [bariton], Luca Titotto [bass], RIAS Kammerchor, Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 6 in E flat Major (Quatuor Festetics).









Franz Liszt, Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4.*


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - Images pour orchestre (Haitink)
Debussy - Trois ballades de Francois Villon (Maurane/Fournet)
Satie - Parade (Plasson)
Ravel - Don Quichotte a Dulcinee (Souzay; Fischer-Dieskau)
Lutosławski - Les Espaces du Sommeil (Fischer-Dieskau/Lutosławski)
Various composers - L'eventail de Jeanne (Simon).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, The Four Seasons.*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 4 in G Major (Quatuor Festetics).









Always liked this somewhat lesser known quartet - very optimistic, humourous - the pizzicato in the minuet's trio is one of my favourite parts.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 1.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Sept Haïkaï
Yvonne Loriod, Ensemble intercontemporrain, cond. Boulez









Takemitsu: Distance








Hiroshi Shibayama, oboe; Mayumi Miyata, sho

Debussy: Estampes
Gordon Fergus-Thompson


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sid James said:


> As for _Wesendonck Lieder_, since it was composed at the same time as _Tristan und Isolde_, the _Liebestod_ is a good one to go to. Its very similar and is the coupling on the disc I have of the songs, Wagner also called the _Wesendonck Lieder _to be a study for _Tristan_.
> 
> Other composer's similar works (but composed long after it, after Wagner's death in fact and into the 20th century) are Richard Strauss' _Four Last Songs_, Mahler's _Songs of a Wayfarer _and Zemlinsky's _Six Songs, Op. 13 (Maeterlinck Songs)_. You might already know these since I just saw you posted some lieder you where listening to.
> 
> But as indicated by ComposerOfAvantGarde, the resident Wagner specialist Couchie is your best bet for all things Wagner.


Thank you for your comments and recommendations. I do indeed know (and love) the Strauss and Mahler songs well, though not the Zemlinsky (I know only one of his string Quartets). I am a fully paid up admirer of Mahler, Strauss and Hugo Wolf.

I have never really got to grips with Wagner: I was going to take my family to an Opera North performance of Die Walkure at the Lowry in Manchester last year but chickened out when I saw it was 5 hours 30 minutes long. I did say I was searching for a 'way in'!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bartók - String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, SZ 67, String Quartet No. 6, SZ 114/ Tokyo String Quartet

Two more quartets from this wonderful cycle. I hadn't listened to these for years but have now ripped digital copies from my LPs. I am being reminded of just how much I liked them when I first discovered them in the early 80's


----------



## Gilberto

Úlfur Eldjárn - Ash

soundtrack to a new documentary, just released today

Eldjárn’s minimalistic score was partly inspired by a combination of Bernard Herrmann’s score for Journey to the Center of the Earth and Jón Leifs’ epic symphonic poem in praise of the volcano Hekla. The score features percussion performances by Finnish percussionist wonder Samuli Kosminen (of Múm, Hauschka, Kimmo Pohjonen. The orchestral parts were performed by the East Connection Symphony Orchestra in Hungary, directed by Peter Pejtsik while Úlfur himself performs on celesta, and piano, along with prepared and bowed pianos.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Durufle's Messe Cum Jubilo - Richard Marlowe, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Piano Sonatas Nos. 21 "Waldstein" & 29 "Hammerklavier"
- Vladimir Ashkenzy on piano












TurnaboutVox said:


> Thank you for your comments and recommendations.


Your very welcome.



> I do indeed know (and love) the Strauss and Mahler songs well, though not the Zemlinsky (I know only one of his string Quartets). I am a fully paid up admirer of Mahler, Strauss and Hugo Wolf.


Well I thought you'd know them, as for Zemlinsky's song cycles, they look like a good fit for you, he was in that same sort of milieu and a contemporary of those guys. After WWI he also pushed into other directions, his orchestral songs for baritone and orchestra take in jazz and blues as an influence for example. He comes across as a versatile composer, going from an early Brahmsian mode, taking in Wagner's influence as well and further on branching out into things like sprechtstimme and Orientalism in the Lyric Symphony. I'd also recommend his Sinfonietta, from between the wars, as he was grappling with influences of Modernism (eg. Stravinsky) but the feel of Mahler is never far away in this piece either.



> I have never really got to grips with Wagner: I was going to take my family to an Opera North performance of Die Walkure at the Lowry in Manchester last year but chickened out when I saw it was 5 hours 30 minutes long. I did say I was searching for a 'way in'!


Yes its the time factor that is daunting to me with Wagner as well. However I just enjoy what I enjoy of his things, but keep in mind my least favourite genre overall is opera. However this year I have listened to some of his music and largely gotten over various hang ups about his politics and so on. Siegfried Idyll and Wesendonch Lieder have been the works I'd call Desert Island material from him.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Delius*: Violin Concerto, w. Holmes/Handley (rec.1984); Orchestral Music, w. Little/Wallfisch/Mackeras (rec.1991); Groves (rec.1971 - '74); Beecham (rec.1956/7); Barbirolli (rec.1956 - '70).








View attachment 25854
View attachment 25855
View attachment 25856
View attachment 25857


----------



## Valkhafar

Bartók: 6 String Quartets. Hungarian String Quartet.


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): Symphony No.6 in C Major, Perger 4

Harold Farberman conducting the Bournemouth Sinfonietta


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer*

I just went through the Cambridge Companion on La Mer and marked up the score. I think it was a waste of time; it's a hard piece to classify beyond "here the flute plays; here the trombone plays." Nevertheless, it's wonderful just to watch the score and see all these events happen.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's String Quartet No.1 - Arditti Quartet


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brett Dean: Movements II-IV from _Polysomnography_






This work was written in 2007 by one of my favourite composers. His music has a very remarkable sound and he has been quite an inspiration for my own compositions. To me it seems all his music just has....the right notes! If anyone was to alter even one note in any of his pieces by a semitone then it would jus sound completely wrong! This is the first time I'm hearing this work, but it is as brilliant as everything else I've heard! So far I can hear things that may have similar sounds to Boulez's shorter _Derive[/I. (I can't remember which one exactly) but also a very distinctive individual sound that I can't seem to put in words......well you just have to hear it for yourself I guess! The link is right there, have a listen if you're interested. _


----------



## hreichgott

Respighi, Ancient Airs and Dances, the Ireland National Symphony via Naxos via Spotify. A decent balance of romanticism and courtly dignity. I am a sucker for the simple yet gorgeous Siciliana!


----------



## bejart

Andre-Ernest-Modeste Gretry (1741-1813): Duet in C Major for 2 Flutes

The Hanoverian Ensemble: John Solum and Richard Wyton, flutes


----------



## Blancrocher

I'll take you up on some Respighi, hreichgott--I love the man. The Brodsky SQ with Mutter in the Quartetto dorico & Il tramonto.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.61

Hans Barton, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's String Quartet No,2 - Quatour Diotima, Sandrine Piau, soprano


----------



## clavichorder

An obscure Clementi sonata:


----------



## Ondine

Frederic Chopin

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1

Krystian Zimerman, Piano

Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam

Kyrill Kondrashin

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 2

Krystian Zimerman, Piano

Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam

Carlo Marian Giulini

Who said that the orchestration of Chopin was... lacking something?

God! The orchestration is brilliant and with strength while both developments -piano & orchestra- are in perfect balance; it do not overwhelms even though the richly coloured themes at the piano and the orchestra.

Well, at least is what I am listening. Maybe it is not this way.


----------



## Sonata

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Yum, Haydn on headphones, plus Sir Colin Davis - how do you like his set, by the way? Do you own several?
> 
> Currently listening to W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D Major, 'Haffner' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).
> 
> View attachment 25822


Not sure if you were talking to me or MacLeod but I'll give my answer anyway!  I have the Big Haydn Box MP3 set from Amazon (I'm not a purist or audiophile I must confess) and the Haydn Symphonies set by the Guild. Haven't heard the latter yet as I just purchased it, but in my humble opinion the Big Haydn Box is fantastic. I honestly *shamefaced* couldn't say who does the performances without looking it up, but I enjoy them. I AM considering the highly regarded Pinnock set of the Sturm and Drang symphonies, as those seem to be my favorites so far. I do have Pinnock's Nelson mass and that's very good


----------



## Ondine

SimonNZ said:


> Schoenberg's String Quartet No,2 - Quatour Diotima, Sandrine Piau, soprano


Good Quartet, even better if having those chocolate cakes... Double 'like', @SimonNZ


----------



## Sonata

Handel: Judas Macabeus: from the Big Handel Box

Haydn: (of course!) string quartets 57-59

Mahler: (obviously!) Symphony #5 

Beethoven: Piano sonata #5


----------



## Sonata

TurnaboutVox said:


> Thank you for your comments and recommendations. I do indeed know (and love) the Strauss and Mahler songs well, though not the Zemlinsky (I know only one of his string Quartets). I am a fully paid up admirer of *Mahler, Strauss *and Hugo Wolf.
> 
> I have never really got to grips with Wagner: I was going to take my family to an Opera North performance of Die Walkure at the Lowry in Manchester last year but chickened out when I saw it was 5 hours 30 minutes long. I did say I was searching for a 'way in'!


You have fine taste! I'm a big fan of Mahler and Strauss! I haven't delved into Hugo Wolf yet, but I shall eventually remedy that.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony #26 in D minor, 'Lamentatione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).









Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Nielsen's Concertos


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Nielsen's Concertos


I'm not familiar with Nielsen yet, maybe it's time to check his music out .


----------



## Guest

Sonata said:


> Not sure if you were talking to me or MacLeod


I wasn't sure either! I've only got the Davis, and only the 'London', though I will have to move on to others when I've some spare cash. But Beethoven's 9 lasted me the last three years (since I started listening to them all in depth) so Haydn's 12 should last me another three of four before I need to move on!


----------



## SimonNZ

Alberto Ginastera's Panambi - Gisèle Ben-Dor, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Ondine said:


> Frederic Chopin
> 
> Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1
> 
> Krystian Zimerman, Piano
> 
> Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam
> 
> Kyrill Kondrashin
> 
> Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 2
> 
> Krystian Zimerman, Piano
> 
> Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam
> 
> Carlo Marian Giulini
> 
> Who said that the orchestration of Chopin was... lacking something?
> 
> God! The orchestration is brilliant and with strength while both developments -piano & orchestra- are in perfect balance; it do not overwhelms even though the richly coloured themes at the piano and the orchestra.
> 
> Well, at least is what I am listening. Maybe it is not this way.


I also am frequently disconcerted regarding the criticism of the orchestration in the two concertos-sometimes it is possible to conclude that there exists a 'received wisdom' concerning certain works-for example I also do not understand the dismissive attitude a lot of 'critics' seem to have adopted towards the Dvorak piano concerto.......


----------



## SimonNZ

Bruno Maderna's Ausstrahlung - Arturo Tamayo, dir.


----------



## korenbloem

Vivaldi - 'L quattro Stagioni (Somary, Omega 1989)


----------



## SimonNZ

Louis Andriessen's Symphony For Open Strings

edit: now Andriessen's La Passione - Gil Rose, cond.


----------



## bejart

Anna Bon de Venezia (1740-ca.1775): Flute Sonata in F Major, Op.1, No.2

Sabine Dreier, flute -- Irene Hegen, piano


----------



## aleazk

Ligeti - Concert Romanesc.


----------



## SimonNZ

Louis Andriessen's De Staat - Reinbert De Leeuw, cond.


----------



## Winterreisender

Mahler Symphony #1 - Chigago Symphony Orchestra & Carlo Maria Giulini


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Dean: Ariel's Music (1995)
Piston: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (1967)
Veale: Clarinet Concerto (1953)
Lutosławski: Dance Preludes (1954-55)
Sabin: An Australian Holiday (1997)









Listening to this CD mainly for the Brett Dean clarinet concerto "Ariel's Music" as played by his brother and an orchestra conducted by their pal Richard Mills (also a composer, might listen to some of his music tomorrow). This very moving work was written in memory of a young girl named Ariel who died of AIDS aged 7 years old in 1988 and her mother who died of AIDS in 1994 after becoming a campaigner to increase awareness in the public of the disease. The concerto is in two movements, each about 13 and a half minutes long, and give very different treatment to motifs that unite the entire work. There are a lot of very hushed sounds in the entire concerto but often lead to fiery tutti sections, rapid mini-cadenzas before dying down into the plaintive and somewhat mysterious sound from whence it came. A great work, slow moving and atmospheric, brilliant! There is always something new I hear in each listen to the work, and it becomes more and more engaging each time!


----------



## Itullian

Winterreisender said:


> Mahler Symphony #1 - Chigago Symphony Orchestra & Carlo Maria Giulini


Interesting. Didn't know Giulini did any Mahler symphonies.


----------



## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Dean: Ariel's Music (1995)
> ...
> 
> Listening to this CD mainly for the Brett Dean clarinet concerto "Ariel's Music" as played by his brother and an orchestra conducted by their pal Richard Mills (also a composer, might listen to some of his music tomorrow). *This very moving work was written in memory of a young girl named Ariel who died of AIDS aged 7 years old in 1988 and her mother who died of AIDS in 1994 after becoming a campaigner to increase awareness in the public of the disease.* ...


I remember that case pretty well. I didn't know a piece of music was written about it. That's very interesting. Along similar lines, Richard Mills who you mention, wrote a very moving piece for large orchestra titled Tenebrae. It was in memory of the conductor Stuart Challender who died of AIDS in the early 1990's. Mills was the first person Challender told that he had AIDS when he was diagnosed with the virus. I reviewed it here: http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-3.html#post262038, but the whole 2 cd set of Mills' music is something I cherish and have listen to many times since I got it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> I remember that case pretty well. I didn't know a piece of music was written about it. That's very interesting. Along similar lines, Richard Mills who you mention, wrote a very moving piece for large orchestra titled Tenebrae. It was in memory of the conductor Stuart Challender who died of AIDS in the early 1990's. Mills was the first person Challender told that he had AIDS when he was diagnosed with the virus. I reviewed it here: http://www.talkclassical.com/5632-australian-composers-3.html#post262038, but the whole 2 cd set of Mills' music is something I cherish and have listen to many times since I got it.


Ah, Tenebrae, I know the piece but I never knew the history behind its composition!


----------



## Sonata

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Symphony #26 in D minor, 'Lamentatione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).
> 
> View attachment 25867
> 
> 
> Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).
> 
> View attachment 25868


Symphony 44 just might be my favorite Haydn symphony!


----------



## Sonata

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Dean: Ariel's Music (1995)
> Piston: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (1967)
> Veale: Clarinet Concerto (1953)
> Lutosławski: Dance Preludes (1954-55)
> Sabin: An Australian Holiday (1997)
> 
> View attachment 25878
> 
> 
> Listening to this CD mainly for the Brett Dean clarinet concerto "Ariel's Music" as played by his brother and an orchestra conducted by their pal Richard Mills (also a composer, might listen to some of his music tomorrow). This very moving work was written in memory of a young girl named Ariel who died of AIDS aged 7 years old in 1988 and her mother who died of AIDS in 1994 after becoming a campaigner to increase awareness in the public of the disease. The concerto is in two movements, each about 13 and a half minutes long, and give very different treatment to motifs that unite the entire work. There are a lot of very hushed sounds in the entire concerto but often lead to fiery tutti sections, rapid mini-cadenzas before dying down into the plaintive and somewhat mysterious sound from whence it came. A great work, slow moving and atmospheric, brilliant! There is always something new I hear in each listen to the work, and it becomes more and more engaging each time!


You sold me, I have to look into this one


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
František Ignác Antonín Tůma (2 October 1704-1774): Sinfonia No.11 in B Flat

Antiquarius Consort Praga: Vaclav Navrat and Simona Peskova, violins -- Petr Hejny, cello -- Premysl Vacek, archlute -- Vaclav Luks, harpsichord


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Reginald Smith Brindle: El Polifemo de Oro
Britten: Nocturnal
Frank Martin: Quatre pièces brèves
Henze: Drei Tentos
Villa-Lobos: Études 5, 7









Paying close attention to the Brindle work on here, probably his most well known work (also known as "Four Fragments for Guitar"). Brindle writes atonal music, something normally unsuited to the guitar due to its tuning and design and very very difficult to write for this instrument. However, his works all fit under the guitarist's fingers very comfortably, nothing awkward at all, and also just sounds like great atonal music to listen to! Reginald Smith Brindle is a composer who I had rather been intimidated by when I was about 10 years old and my guitar teacher showed me one of his works. A page full of accidentals and constantly changing time signatures (called "Cantilena") scared the **** out of me, but my teacher played it and I thought it sounded awesome....but not what I felt like I could play at the moment! :lol: Anyway, I had been looking at Brindle's second guitar sonata today, played through it under-tempo and decided that Reginald Smith Brindle is my favourite composer for guitar. So now I'm getting to know more of his guitar music, and hopefully I can learn his second sonata after my next guitar assessment! 

The Henze on this I have played before, such a fun little suite!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Sonata said:


> Symphony 44 just might be my favorite Haydn symphony!


Yes, it's a great one - the finale is excellent! One of the symphonies that got me into J. Haydn's music.


----------



## Andolink

*Gordon Crosse*: Some Marches on a Ground
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins








*John McCabe*: String Quartet No. 4
Vanbrugh Quartet








*Oliver Knussen*: Symphony No. 2, for soprano and chamber orchestra, op. 7; Coursing, for chamber orchestra, Op. 17
Elaine Barry, soprano
London Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen








*Pascal Dusapin*: String Quartet No. 3
Arditti String Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

Hahn and Lisitsa in Ives Violin Sonatas. Beautiful music.


----------



## rrudolph

Schnittke: Piano Concerto #2/Shostakovich: Dance of the Dolls/Three Fantastic Dances/Piano Concerto #1








Gubaidulina: Glorious Percussion/In Tempus Praesens








Scriabin: Symphony #3 "Divine Poem" 







I have to get a better recording of this symphony-Soviet recording technology circa 1980 was not exactly the pinnacle of sonic clarity...


----------



## Bas

Two new acquisitions (of father and son)

Johann Christian Bach - Missa de Requiem
By Lenneke Ruiten [soprano], Ruth Sandhoff [alto], Colin Balzer [tenor], Thomas Bauer [bass]
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
By Dorothee Mields [soprano], Matthew White [counter tenor signing alto parts], Jan Kobow [tenor], Peter Kooij [Bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn - Complete Symphonies CD 1


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Debussy*: Orchestral Music, w. Abbado (rec.1998/9); Dutoit (rec.1988 - '94); Piano Music, w. ABM (rec.1971 - '78).

View attachment 25894







View attachment 25895


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in E Flat, Op.127

Cleveland Quartet: William Preusil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 25896


Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Andrew Lawrence-King & The Harp Consort-Freiburger Barockorchester
Violinist: Gottfried von der Goltz

View attachment 25898


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 13, 14 & 15
Pianist: Andras Schiff


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Opp. 1~12
Various









I've heard some criticism of the recorded sound of this set, and I agree that a less claustrophobic space is far more suitable for Webern's very "open" music, but the performances are good considering there wasn't much familiarity with the style at the time. Newer performances are more nuanced, I find.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Pia o concerto Brendel


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.8 in G, Op.30, No.3

artist
Sophie Moser


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814): Violin Concerto in E Flat

RIAS Sinfonietta Berlin -- Erno Sebestyn, violin


----------



## rrudolph

Strauss: Festliches Praludium/Sinfonia Domestica








Brahms: Violin Concerto








Mahler: Symphony #2


----------



## joen_cph

Mahlerian said:


> Webern: Opp. 1~12
> Various
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've heard some criticism of the recorded sound of this set, and I agree that a less claustrophobic space is far more suitable for Webern's very "open" music, but the performances are good considering there wasn't much familiarity with the style at the time. Newer performances are more nuanced, I find.


The recording from that set I remember is the _Passacaglia_ for orchestra, which I find better and more engaged than the later Boulez/DG, and one of the best available. Otherwise, I prefer the DG set, though my knowledge on Webern is quite superficial (I own both, however).


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Violin Sonata No.9 in A, Op.47 ('Kreutzer')

artist
Frédéric Pélassy
Yukio Yokoyama


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 25911


Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 42, 43 "Mercury" & 44 "Trauer"
Antal Dorati & The Philharmonia Hungarica


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dobrinka Tabakova - String Paths.
Sensational.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Piano Trio in Bb, Op.97 ('Archduke')

artist
Colin Carr
Jeffrey Kahane
Philip Setzer









Beautiful work, and a very good performance!


----------



## bejart

Thomas Erskine (1732-1781): Overture No.17 in E Flat

Graham Lea Cox leading the Hanover Band


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 25914


Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 10-19
Pianist: Misha Dichter


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concertos 2 and 5.*


----------



## Cheyenne

Schnittke's Concerto for Oboe, Harp and String Orchestra, with Lev Markiz conducting the New Stockholm Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Blancrocher

I've returned to Gulda's Beethoven after a long hiatus, mostly thanks to Vaneyes' frequent mentions of it. Gulda is one of those pianists--like Pollini--who seems to draw suspicion because he's such a good player. You rarely hear people talk about how much they love his performances by comparison with Schnabel, Arrau, Kempff, and the like. But I'm loving hearing a guy who can cut through even the toughest sonatas like a hot knife through butter.

And he was cool.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sonata said:


> You have fine taste!


I like to think so


----------



## Musician




----------



## TurnaboutVox

Morton Feldman - Trio (1980) / Rohan de Saram (Cello), Marc Sabat (Violin), Aki Takahashi (Piano)

An intriguing (minimalist?) piece, this, languorous and free-floating. I believe that he called his style 'indeterminate music' so I suppose that's what it is.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.67 in F Major, Op.77, No.1

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins -- Jurgen Kussmaul, viola -- Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer - Karajan. Pelleas et Melisande. *


----------



## cwarchc

Symphony no 4 from this set


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 50 in C Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









A very energetic symphony, always liked it.


----------



## cwarchc

Streaming this from Grooveshark


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Debussy*: Piano Music, w. Jacobs (rec.1970 - '78); Boffard (rec.2000).

View attachment 25926
View attachment 25927
View attachment 25928


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1889 mutilation)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, cond. Nelsons

A BBC music magazine disc available at the local library. I figured I should listen to it because Nelsons is the new music director of the Boston Symphony. I've been largely unimpressed so far. The finale of this symphony doesn't work in this version at all, and the rest of the movements are weakened, despite the improvements in orchestration throughout, so it may not be entirely Nelsons' fault here, other than the fact that he could have chosen a better version...


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Sei Solo for unaccompanied violin BWV 1001 - 1006
By Christine Busch [violin], on φ









Pierre Rode - 24 Caprices (Caprice 1-12)
By Elisabeth Wallfisch [violin], on CPO








Joseph Haydn - Klaviersonaten Hob. XVI/35-39 & 20
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Guest

Mozart's Coronation Mass - Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, KV 581

Andrew Marriner on clarinet with the Chilingirian Quartet: Levon Chilingirian and Mark Butler, violins -- Simon Rowland-Jones, viola -- Philip de Groote, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Debussy*: Piano Music, w. Weissenberg (rec.1985); Bavouzet Vol. 3 (rec.2008); Crossley Vol. 4 (rec.1992).

View attachment 25936
View attachment 25937
View attachment 25939


----------



## Valkhafar

Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Hamilton Harty: "In Ireland"- fantasy for flute, harp and orchestra/ With The Wild Geese. Ulster Orchestra/Bryden Thomson
I love Harty's music, and this Chandos set of most of his orchestral works is a constant joy, I just wish he'd had the time to write more.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Richard Mills: 
Bamaga Diptych
Tenebrae
Pages from a Secret Journal
Symphony of Nocturnes










Not as familiar with Richard Mills as I am with Brett Dean. Bamaga Diptych is probably my favourite work on this 2 disc set, reminds me somewhat of Debussy crossed with early Stravinsky and a bit of...I don't know what! Tenebrae isn't as dark sounding or mournful as the other work by Brett Dean written in response to the deaths of Ariel and Elisabeth Glaser from AIDS, but it's still a nice work.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.48 in C Major

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Ondine

Frederic Chopin

Variations on 'Là ci darem la mano'
Fantasy on Polish Airs
Claudio Arrau, Piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Eliahu Inbal

Rondó a la karkoviak
Stefan Askenase, Piano
Residentie Orkest Den Haag
Willem Van Otterloo

Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise
Krystian Zimerman, Piano
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini

I insist... Chopin's orchestration is unique and haunting.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Trios, Op. 1


----------



## Weston

Mozart, Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 314 (K. 285d) / Paavo Berglund / The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Douglass Boyd, oboe

I obtained this recording for the (unusual, in my opinion) Strauss oboe concerto, but the Mozart K. 314 is growing on me as is Mozart in general.









I don't think I have heard the flute version, but I have to say the oboe timbre fits this music well. Also the recording and performance here is far better than the mediocre album cover might suggest.


----------



## Weston

*Gian Carlo Menotti -- Apocalypse for orchestra*, Richard Hickox / Spoleto Festival Orchestra (2001)

I had mixed feelings about this music at first, but finally reached a verdict at its conclusion. It has a fairly modern feel (though blessedly free of woodblocks), but is not in any remote way challenging. Quite the contrary. Few pieces have given me such clear and memorable themes and then to develop them in such a straightforward way. Also the recording here is astonishingly good, but I wonder if it sometimes borders on the realm of the Hollywood blockbuster soundtrack with its sweet strings, thundering brass and bass drums. So should I allow myself to like it?

Yes, I should!

It's not a guilty pleasure. The main theme fanfare makes me wonder why it's not ranked with Fanfare for the Common Man, the La Peri Fanfare, or even the Beethoven Symphony 5 fate theme. The themes and developments give me goosebumps at times, just as Dvorak used to do, just as Beethoven and Vaughan-Williams still often do. Just because there is clarity does not make it inferior. It's actually refreshing and quite inspiring music -- inspiring enough for it to be the climax of my evening's listening session as I am now satiated and ready for bed. Amazing work! I really needed this.


----------



## starthrower

I heard this on the radio today, and then found it on YouTube.
American composer Ron Nelson's piece performed by the Dallas 
Wind Symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brett Dean's Carlo - Hans Karl Gruber, dir.

edit: now Richard Mills' Soundscapes for percussion and orchestra - Werner Andreas Albert, cond.










edit: and now Gian Carlo Menotti's Apocalypse - Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 1
_Anima Eterna/Jos van Immerseel_

I do not know if it is just this performance or that I did not give this symphony a good enough listen when I first listened to it, but I am really, really enjoying this symphony. I have loved every bit of it so far. What is funny is I do not even know if I would say it sounds Beethoven. Sounds more like a mixture of Beethoven and Haydn's music. Either way, it is very enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alberto Ginastera's Variaciones Concertantes - Gisèle Ben-Dor, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schnittke


----------



## SimonNZ

Brian Ferneyhough's Epicycle for 20 strings - Ernest Bour, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

chrisco97 said:


> *Beethoven* - Symphony No. 1
> _Anima Eterna/Jos van Immerseel_
> 
> I do not know if it is just this performance or that I did not give this symphony a good enough listen when I first listened to it, but I am really, really enjoying this symphony. I have loved every bit of it so far. What is funny is I do not even know if I would say it sounds Beethoven. Sounds more like a mixture of Beethoven and Haydn's music. Either way, it is very enjoyable.


Actually, I always thought there was also quite a bit of Mozart in Beethoven's 1st. The finale sounds similar to Haydn though .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 59 in A Major, 'Fire', Symphony No. 39 in G minor , Symphony No. 45 in 
F Sharp minor, 'Farewell' (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Brett Dean: 
Viola Concerto
Twelve Angry Men 
Intimate Decisions
Komarov's Fall










One thing that isn't on this disc that I have wanted to hear time and time again is Dean's Violin Concerto no. 1 "The Lost Art of Letter Writing" which has won a Grawemeyer Award, just about the most prestigious award any composer could get. In the meantime, because I can't listen to that work (don't have a recording) I shall listen to his Viola Concerto. Typically intense and atmospheric and very very rhythmic, everything by Dean I find immediately likeable. _Twelve Angry Men_ is a work I first heard on the radio and the first work I ever heard by this composer, so it will probably always stay with me as a work I am very much connected with. The rest of the music on this disc is a work for solo viola, played by the composer (he is a brilliant violist and was a member of the Berlin Phil for quite some time (he might still be with them sometimes but I'm not sure)), and also a a work for orchetsra entitled _Komarov's Fall._ This work was written on commission was to be part of a series of works by a few composers (Saariaho and Turnage were two other composers also commissioned, can't remember the others if there were any...) as accompanying works to Holst's _The Planets._ This work by Dean was inspired by the first astronaut who ever died in space (yes another rather morbid inspiration, another thing characteristic of the composer), Vladimir Komarov, who died upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere in 1967.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Haydn Variations LSO/Pierre Monteux
What a joyous performance. Monteux was a marvellous musician, and his policy of having his 1st and 2nd fiddles on either side of the platform makes music such as this all the more enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> .. a Grawemeyer Award, just about the most prestigious award any composer could get.


Hadn't heard of this, but its a very interesting list of works that have won.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grawemeyer_Award_(Music_Composition)

I've heard maybe half of them (though some only once) and will try to hear the others as soon as possible. Thanks.

and so:

Chinary Ung's Inner Voices - Dennis Ressell Davies, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Actually, I always thought there was also quite a bit of Mozart in Beethoven's 1st. The finale sounds similar to Haydn though .


I find his 1st to have similarities with both Mozart and Haydn. I heard more Haydn than Mozart though. That could just be because I have not listened to much Mozart as of late. :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Chinary Ung's Spiral III - New Zealand String Quartet


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Simphonie a 8 concertanti

Pierre Cao conducting the Ensemble Stradivaria


----------



## Gilberto

I found this while browsing gogoyoko

HARMONICA AND ORGAN - AN UNUSUAL DUO. The world's smallest and the world's largest musical instrument; "David and Goliath" together in stunning baroque pieces and Norwegian folk music.Sigmund Groven and Iver Kleive have collaborated for more than 30 years and have built a repertoire consisting mainly of baroque pieces and Norwegian music, most of which they have composed and arranged themselves.


----------



## Blancrocher

Up too early--listening to George Crumb, Makrokosmos III and Black Angels. Interested in exploring the award winners on the list SimonNZ and COAG mentioned: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grawemeyer_Award_(Music_Composition)


----------



## EricABQ

This morning it was Beethoven's 1st symphony by the LSO and Josef Krips.


----------



## Ravndal

Michael Nyman: Piano Concerto

Kind of like it.



Though he uses plenty of old material in it. It's like a reprise.


----------



## rrudolph

Berg: Sonata fur Klavier Op. 1








Berg: Streichquartett Op. 3








Berg: Lulu Suite/Lyric Suite








Berg: 3 Orchesterstucke Op. 6


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Hadn't heard of this, but its a very interesting list of works that have won.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grawemeyer_Award_(Music_Composition)
> 
> I've heard maybe half of them (though some only once) and will try to hear the others as soon as possible. Thanks.


I've found the Grawemeyer Award a much better indicator of quality than the Pulitzer Prize for Music, which seems to award the composer more than the composition.

Webern: Lieder Opp. 13~19
Francoise Pollet, Christiane Oelze, Ensemble intercontemporrain, cond. Boulez









The tone of the soloists on the Sony recording on the later songs is simply unpleasant, because all of the high notes are given equal emphasis. Here the performance is more nuanced and musical, and shows how far performances of Webern have come in the intervening 30 or so years.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Camilla Tilling, Sarah Connolly, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi

Streaming last Saturday's concert.


----------



## Blancrocher

I just gave my last few hours to Peter Lieberson. Interesting composer--and an interesting man. I like how after studying at Columbia he went to Colorado to apprentice under a Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist master.

I listened to four albums featuring his work. The first--"Tashi Quartet"--was interesting. Composed for the ensemble of that name (though played on this album by the Antares Quartet), it uses the same instruments as Messiaen's famous quartet. I'll give it another listen--in the meantime I'm intrigued by the gesture, and the kind of influences at work here. Messiaen seems to shadow other works by Lieberson as well.

I listened to two recordings of his Neruda Songs (the Grawemeyer Award winner). At the moment, it's my favorite of his works--especially in the version by his wife, the brilliant Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.

LHL is on another fine compilation of his works, where she sings his "Rilke Songs." I also liked the two instrumental works on it, "The Six Realms" and "Horn Concerto."

It's all easy listening, and not in a bad way. All in all--time well spent!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 25957


Scriabin: Symphony No. 3 "Le Divin Poeme", Le Poem De L'Extase
Giuseppe Sinopoli & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## Kivimees

This CD has a mix of some nice works:









(BTW: It's good to be back here on TC again. I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer - except of course my friends in the southern hemisphere, who should read "winter" instead)


----------



## rrudolph

Berg: Kammerkonzert/Stravinsky: Dumbarton Oaks/8 Instrumental Miniatures/Ebony Concerto








Schoenberg: Kammersymphonie Op. 9








Schoenberg: Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene Op.34/Kammersymphonie #2 Op. 38


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Piano Trio in C-, Op.1, No.3

artist
Eisenstadt Haydn Trio


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata & Fugue in Dm, Toccata & Fugue in Cm, Schuebler Chorales BWV 645 - 650 
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Warner Classics









This arrived with the mail today:
Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures
The legendary performance of Jacqueline du Pré, The LSO, Janet Baker [mezo], John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI









Pierre Rode - 24 Caprices (Caprice 12-24)
By Elisabeth Wallfisch [violin], on CPO









Joseph Haydn - Symphony 42 in D, Symphony 44 in Em, Symphony 46 in B
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## jani

My current workout music.


----------



## rrudolph

Berg: Violin Concerto/Schoenberg: Piano Concerto Op. 42/Violin Concerto Op. 36


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*R. Strauss*: Burleske, w. Argerich/Abbado (rec.1992); Don Quixote, w. Rostropovich/HvK (rec.1975); "ASZ", w. HvK (rec.1983); "Till, DJ, D&T", w. HvK (rec.1972).

View attachment 25968
View attachment 25969
View attachment 25970
View attachment 25971


----------



## jani

Ok, for the rest of my workout i am gonna have this piece on repeat!


----------



## Vaneyes

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


Brett a homeless person now?


----------



## korenbloem

(On vinyl)


----------



## Blancrocher

I think I'll listen to a favorite work of the birthday boy's.

Original idea, huh? :lol:


----------



## jim prideaux

listening to Mahler 6th BPO/von Karajan-have not actually listened to this for a very long time and it is arguably very different to much of the music that has dominated my listening recently-am immediately reminded of how unsettling and 'haunting' this symphony can be-might be a little clichéd but I often imagine that Mahler's work often reflected some form of premonition concerned with the more 'grotesque' aspects of the 20th century.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Antonio Vivaldi, 6 Flute Concertos - 'La Tempesta di Mare'; 'La Notte'; 'Il Cordellino'; Concerto G Nr. 4; Concerto F Nr. 5; Concerto G Nr. 6 (Daniel Rothert; Helmut Müller-Brühl; Kölner Kammerorchester).

Listening to some Vivaldi, one of the composers who got me into classical.


----------



## Manxfeeder

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Listening to some Vivaldi, one of the composers who got me into classical.


Hey, me too! Except I didn't start listening to Vivaldi until a few years ago. I thought I was too "sophisticated" for such things. I'm feeling a little silly about that now.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Manxfeeder said:


> Hey, me too! Except I didn't start listening to Vivaldi until a few years ago. I thought I was too "sophisticated" for such things. I'm feeling a little silly about that now.
> 
> View attachment 25977


No way, Vivaldi knows how to kick *ss, and that's what matters .


----------



## Manxfeeder

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> No way, Vivaldi knows how to kick *ss, and that's what matters .


Then I'm listening to some double-choir music from Vivaldi and protecting my backside.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Gerald Moore - The Unashamed Accompanist. 

A great audio essay, for want of a better term. In some ways, his approach makes me think of Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 / Zehetmair Quartett

Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 / Juilliard Quartet

Hindemith - String Quartet No. 7 / Juilliard Quartet

Elliot Carter - Elegy (for String Quartet) / Arditti String Quartet

The Hindemith #4 is a favourite of mine - I have a very tired cassette of the Prague City Quartet on Supraphon playing this. It is wonderful and is the first piece of 20th century chamber music I got to know.

Neither of these two recordings quite recreates the magic for me, though the Juilliard are very good (maybe it's just that I know and love the old recording so well).

The Zehetmair (a recent purchase, highly recommended) I just do not get (nor the Bartok #5 with it) - the ensemble doesn't seem to me to 'get it together' at all. And the recording is strangely reverberant, which makes it even harder to discern what's going on. Very disappointing. I'd be interested to hear others' opinions, if people know this recording.

Hindemith - String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10 / Amar Quartet

This is the best modern Hindemith cycle I have found yet. They released a disc of #5,6 & 7 in 2011 and #2 & 3 last year. I'm hoping they intend to complete the cycle soon...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

oskaar said:


> beethoven - Violin Sonata No.9 in A, Op.47 ('Kreutzer')
> 
> artist
> Frédéric Pélassy
> Yukio Yokoyama


I've been intrigued by your sequence of Beethoven Violin Sonatas. None are recordings I know (nor have I previously heard of some of the performers). Are they personal favourites, or why did you choose them?

Ah, just seen 'Spotify' in your postings

And - no Op. 96 (yet)? I do like those Beethoven works that stand just before / at the transition to his late style.


----------



## Manxfeeder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


I've got to try that one. I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## Blancrocher

I listened to Aksel Schiotz in Die Schone Mullerin twice today, having been inspired to give it a try as a result of the "great recordings thread" (thanks again for keeping it limping along, Science). I'll see how it wears over the coming weeks and months, but this one looks destined for the desert island.

*edit* Having just seen AClockworkOrange's post, I should mention the disk also features Gerald Moore.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Minor, KV 406

Talich Quartet with Karel Rehak on 2nd viola: Jan Talich, Jr. and Vladimir Bukac, violins -- Jan Talich, Sr., viola -- Evzen Rattay, cello


----------



## NightHawk

In this boxed set Maria Joao Pires performs on an instrument that makes a very bright sound. Her playing is crisp and brilliant. This is quite a contrast to Uchida's creamier sound and often ultra-legato. I really like both approaches and am glad to discover Pires, a pianist of great reputation but new to me. Highly recommended, 5*****'s.

Set contains: Concerto Nos. 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, & 27. Rondos in A and D


----------



## SimonNZ

Joining in the Beethoven's 1st listening, with the Hanover Band


----------



## brotagonist

It has been a day of musical riches:

Schostakovich's 7[SUP]th[/SUP] Symphony
Berg's Complete Chamber Music
Scelsi's Natura Renovatur


----------



## Weston

Manxfeeder said:


> I've got to try that one. I'm listening on Spotify.


My Rhapsody account (since Spotify frightened me when I installed it) does not have that Brett Dean album at the moment, but it has this one:









Interesting. He has achieved some very strange timbres I can't identify. There are lots of real bird calls involved too I think. I'm not sure it will be very high on my want list yet, but maybe . . . I'll give it time.

The beauty of this forum (when people are not sending me scathing PM's) is being introduced to so many amazing unfamiliar works. You folks rock! Um, I mean emote -- or whatever it is classical people do.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Birtwistle: Pulse Shadows









I got this recently and this is my first time listening to it. I'm only a little of the way through it, so far it has many engaging and interesting ideas, I never expect the next thing that happens, so it's also rather full of little surprises here and there. It's rather fast paced too, so I might need to listen to it a few times to get used to it. I've never actually heard anything by Birtwistle before, so again this is very new and interesting for me. I'll probably check out some more of his music now that I'm getting to know this one!


----------



## chrisco97

NightHawk said:


> View attachment 25983
> 
> In this boxed set Maria Joao Pires performs on an instrument that makes a very bright sound. Her playing is crisp and brilliant. This is quite a contrast to Uchida's creamier sound and often ultra-legato. I really like both approaches and am glad to discover Pires, a pianist of great reputation but new to me. Highly recommended, 5*****'s.
> 
> Set contains: Concerto Nos. 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, & 27. Rondos in A and D


I love that album cover.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms 
-Clarinet Quintet
-Piano Concerto #2

Two of the most jaw-dropping, wonderful, incredible compositions in my collection. It's been months since I've listened to either one. That will not be the case this time around, I'll give both another go in a few days time!

Beethoven:
Piano sonatas 7 and 11


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (ca.1750-1792): Horn Concerto in E Flat

Ondrej Kukal conducting the Czech Chamber Orchestra -- Zdenek Divoky, french horn


----------



## Sonata

Haydn Keyboard concerto in D Major


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Schoenberg:
Pierrot Lunaire
Herzgewächse
Ode to Napoleon









Pierrot Lunaire, my favourite song cycles ever, some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life. I first came across this work in 2010 when I was 12 or 13 years old for a composition competition/workshop I wanted to enter. I had to study this work, the techniques used in this work and apply the techniques in my own way for my own composition. We were given a few poems to choose from, we were told the instrumentation (we didn't have to use all instruments) and I wrote a song called "Alone" for mezzo (sprechstimme), violin, flute and piano using some of the compositional devices used in Pierrot Lunaire. Well, anyway, that's how I discovered this work.

This performance is definitely much more musical than the recording of excerpts I was given when studying it, although I don't know all the recordings available (Robert Craft has done terrific Schoenberg apparently) I can tell that this one is brilliant and my favourite of the ones I have heard.

Some things about sprechstimme: Schoenberg initially wanted sprechstimme to be a style of singing with one's speaking voice. His first notation style was to write the approximate pitches on the staff with a cross through the note's stem as a marking to mean "sprechstimme." Pierrot Lunaire uses this first notation system, the pitches that the singer sings are touched on at the start and immediately left to glissando to the next pitch in a sort of speaking voice. The second version of sprechstimme was developed later and was much more spoken than sung. There'd be a single line on the staff, rather than 5 lines, and this one line meant the middle register of the speaking voice. The note heads would be on this line, slightly above or below, or further above or below, depending on what register he wanted. The rhythm would be notated and performed accurately whilst the pitches were much more approximate. He used this version of sprechstimme in his cantata _A Survivor from Warsaw_ and I believe also in _Ode to Napoleon_ for piano quintet and male voice, the last piece heard on this disc.


----------



## EricABQ

Ending my day with Scriabn's sonata 2 by Maria Lettberg.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Brahms: Haydn Variations
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 17


----------



## Valkhafar

Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck: Five Symphonies. Michi Gaigg, L'Orfeo Barockorchester.









I am listening for the first time. So far very enjoyable.


----------



## Sid James

*Wolfie's 4 horn concertos* as with Barry Tuckwell as soloist and directing the English CO (Cadenzas by Monsieur Tuckwell)


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78

Itzhak Perlman, violin -- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Brett Dean:
> Viola Concerto
> Twelve Angry Men
> Intimate Decisions
> Komarov's Fall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One thing that isn't on this disc that I have wanted to hear time and time again is Dean's Violin Concerto no. 1 "The Lost Art of Letter Writing" which has won a Grawemeyer Award, just about the most prestigious award any composer could get. In the meantime, because I can't listen to that work (don't have a recording) I shall listen to his Viola Concerto. Typically intense and atmospheric and very very rhythmic, everything by Dean I find immediately likeable. _Twelve Angry Men_ is a work I first heard on the radio and the first work I ever heard by this composer, so it will probably always stay with me as a work I am very much connected with. The rest of the music on this disc is a work for solo viola, played by the composer (he is a brilliant violist and was a member of the Berlin Phil for quite some time (he might still be with them sometimes but I'm not sure)), and also a a work for orchetsra entitled _Komarov's Fall._ This work was written on commission was to be part of a series of works by a few composers (Saariaho and Turnage were two other composers also commissioned, can't remember the others if there were any...) as accompanying works to Holst's _The Planets._ This work by Dean was inspired by the first astronaut who ever died in space (yes another rather morbid inspiration, another thing characteristic of the composer), Vladimir Komarov, who died upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere in 1967.


This one again. The Viola Concerto is an amazingly powerful work....anyone interested in Brett Dean really should hear this CD. I'm looking forward to when I can get his opera _Bliss_ on CD, that was an awesome opera!


----------



## brotagonist

The religion/politics and music taste thread occupied much of my activity today. It would seem appropriate to revisit this Schnittke work, _Psalms of Repentance_, for SATB chorus:









It is not exactly a favourite, but suits the advanced hour. Maybe it will grow on me with time.

Afterthought: I think I just found an opening into this work. Psalm XII, performed _bocca chiusa_, wordless, hummed with closed mouth. Hmmmm...


----------



## Kivimees

I don't care for the cover of this CD - I'd rather a photograph than this caricature. But the contents are wonderful. The cello concerto is one of my favourites, the second movement especially.


----------



## Weston

*Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Sinfonia diatonica, for orchestra*. 
José Serebrier / Weimar Staatskapelle (2008)










After the wonder of the Menotti I heard last night, I had trouble getting into anything tonight. This piece is pleasant enough but did not hold my full attention for a while. Throughout much of it I felt I was listening to a string orchestra only. He certainly loves his string sonorities. Finally in the last movement it begins to shine with lots of unexpected turns and interesting orchestral color. So, not a top shelf piece perhaps (at least in my present state of mind), but certainly worth a listen.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 38 in D Major, 'Prague' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## SimonNZ

number one on the Grawemeyer list:

Lutoslawski's Symphony No.3 - Esa Pekka Salonen, cond,

(if you'd shown me just the left side of that photo and said "who's this" I would have said Aung San Suu Kyi)

I'm going to have to pace myself a bit more with the contemporary listening. Looking over the last four or five months of "discovery-listening" I find theres a number of things that have blurred together in my memory and a few things I couldn't describe now with a gun to my head. Still, its been good to get a sense of the terrain and a sense of how much more I'm now open to.

Oh, and I don't know if anyone's aware of it, but looking over the thread to reconsider my listening and to see what I've picked up on from others, I've noticed that the above image is one of the most common, possibly _the_ most common, image on this thread.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in in D Major Hob. 15/24 (Van Swieten Trio).









One of my favourite piano trios by Haydn - the 1st movement is contrasting, whereas the 2nd is rigid and 'learned', the 3rd lyrical. The light/dark contrast remains throughout the whole piece and gives it depth.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Symphony No.3 - cond. composer


----------



## korenbloem

Just recently:









Wolfgang Rihm performed by Luzerner Sinfonieorchester under James Gaffigan - Symphonie "Nähe fern" [2013] [Album]

Currently









Frank Bridge performed by The Nash Ensemble - Bridge: Phantasy Piano Quarter & Sonatas


----------



## ShropshireMoose

AClockworkOrange said:


> Gerald Moore - The Unashamed Accompanist.
> 
> A great audio essay, for want of a better term. In some ways, his approach makes me think of Leonard Bernstein.


It's a great record this, his three books of autobiography, plus his book of the same title are just as enjoyable too.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar:Cockaigne Overture/ Chanson de Matin/Chanson de Nuit RPO/George Weldon
This is part of a marvellous LP on the World Record Club label, that never seems to have been reissued, despite containing, in my opinion, the finest recorded performance of Cockaigne. Absolutely superb. What a sadly underrated conductor Weldon was.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Cinq Rechants - Terry Edwards, dir.


----------



## Kivimees

So I'm looking for Cello Concerto no 2 by Mr S and find this:









Now we get a photograph of the composer, but I'm still not very keen on the CD cover.

(The CC no 2 remains great.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Cantéyodjayâ - Martin Zehn, piano


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto No.138 in D Major

Israel Chamber Orchestra -- Shlomo Mintz, violin


----------



## jim prideaux

late morning listening-return to recently acquired Isserlis/Norrington/COE recording of the Haydn cello concertos, sinfonia concertante and movement from symphony no.13-this is a quite marvellous recording in a number of ways, not least the playing of Isserlis-I am well aware that many might regard this as obvious but I increasingly find any time invested in Haydn only continues to reap disproportionate rewards.Might now have to consider recently released Isserlis recording of Dvorak concerto.
Enquiry-anyone considering newly released Chailly/Leipzig Brahms symphonies?-it would appear from an article in the Sunday Times that he approaches the works now with a real 'respect' for Brahms as a 'classical' composer-when I listened to brief excerpts of 4th on I tunes it appeared to closely resemble Kleiber/VPO.


----------



## Sonata

bejart said:


> Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78
> 
> Itzhak Perlman, violin -- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
> 
> View attachment 25998


I love this set of works.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bunch of works by Adès:
Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face
Mazurkas for Piano
Arcadiana
Piano Quintet
Chamber Symphony
Living Toys
America, a Prophecy
These Premises are Alarmed
Violin Concerto










Something else I got recently. Prior to this I only knew a few Adès works (_The Tempest,_ piano quintet, violin concerto and _Living Toys,_ the last one I knew from being given a copy of the score (well, actually, half of it! :lol by Australian conductor Richard Gill who rates Adès's music very highly and I believe has stated that Adès is the logical continuation of music from Stravinsky (or something along those lines)) and I had never really owned any recordings of his music, only from what I had heard on the radio and on YouTube could I know what his music sounded like. For as long as I can remember I have always known _about_ Adès but I've never gotten to know much of his music until this year really. A fair amount of the music on these discs are completely new to me and three of them I already know, so it's a perfect mix of Adès for me and for indeed any newcomer to his music as it seems to have all the really good stuff and a variety of stuff but also the full works rather than excerpts.

Adès's Violin Concerto is a terrific work and quite possibly my favourite of the few things I've heard so far, I like it almost as much as the *Sibelius* concerto. The first movement, for me, is the best thing that has ever been written for violin and orchestra in the last 50 years. The other movements don't seem to be at the level of ethereal beauty that the first movement is at, but still the whole thing adds up to quite simply a terrific piece of music.


----------



## korenbloem

works:

Concerto for Violin no 2, Sz 112 by Béla Bartók 
Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja (Violin) 
Conductor: Peter Eötvös 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra 
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1937-1938; Budapest, Hungary

2. Seven by Peter Eötvös 
Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja (Violin) 
Conductor: Peter Eötvös 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Ensemble Modern

3. Concerto for Violin by György Ligeti 
Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja (Violin) 
Conductor: Peter Eötvös 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra 
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1991-1993

Just finished the Bartok's concerto and I read in an comment on Arkivmusic:
"Those thinking of buying the set for the Bartók should be warned that Kopatchinskaja's reading is idiosyncratic and bypasses much of the classical sophistication heard on other recordings." Boy, it seems I love Idiosyncratic reading :tiphat:
)


----------



## julianoq

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Bunch of works by Adès:
> Concert Paraphrase on Powde Her Face
> Mazurkas for Piano
> Arcadiana
> Piano Quintet
> Chamber Symphony
> Living Toys
> America, a Prophecy
> These Premises are Alarmed
> Violin Concerto
> 
> Something else I got recently. Prior to this I only knew a few Adès works (_The Tempest,_ piano quintet, violin concerto and _Living Toys,_ the last one I knew from being given a copy of the score (well, actually, half of it! :lol by Australian conductor Richare Gill who rates Adès's music very highly and I believe has stated that Adès is the logical continuation of music from Stravinsky (or something along those lines)) and I had never really owned any recordings of his music, only from what I had heard on the radio and on YouTube could I know what his music sounded like. For as long as I can remember I have always known _about_ Adès but I've never gotten to know much of his music until this year really. A fair amount of the music on these discs are completely new to me and three of them I already know, so it's a perfect mix of Adès for me and for indeed any newcomer to his music as it seems to have all the really good stuff and a variety of stuff but also the full works rather than excerpts.
> 
> Adès's Violin Concerto is a terrific work and quite possibly my favourite of the few things I've heard so far, I like it almost as much as the *Sibelius* concerto. The first movement, for me, is the best thing that has ever been written for violin and orchestra in the last 50 years. The other movements don't seem to be at the level of ethereal beauty that the first movement is at, but still the whole thing adds up to quite simply a terrific piece of music.


Thanks COAG, I knew nothing of Adès before. Maybe it was the Sibelius mentioning but you inspired me to explore his music!

Now listening his Violin Concerto.


----------



## korenbloem

julianoq said:


> Thanks COAG, I knew nothing of Adès before. Maybe it was the Sibelius mentioning but you inspired me to explore his music!
> 
> Now listening his Violin Concerto.


I really love that record, btw!


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 3 (my favourite)
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca









Ludwig van Beethoven - Missa Solemnis
By Rosa Mannion [soprano], Birgit Remmert [alto], James Taylor [tenor], Cornelius Hauptmann [bass], Choeur de la Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champ Elysées, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









This one arrived yesterday, I knew the cello concerto and the performance, but the 'sea pictures' came as a very pleasant surprise:

Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures
By Jacqueline du Pré [cello], Jannet Baker [mezzo], the LSO, Sir John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI









Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) - Keyboard Quintet opus 57 no. 3 in Em, Keyboard Quintet opus 56, no. 2 in Am, Keyboard Quintet opus 56 no. 3 in E-flat, Keyboard Quintet opus 56 no. 4 in C
By Mary Utiger, Paula Kibildis [violin], Hajo Bäss [viola], Christina Kyprianides [violincello], Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## julianoq

korenbloem said:


> I really love that record, btw!


Indeed it is awesome! Just finished it and found the violin concerto breathtaking.

Now listening some Messiaen's piano music. Starting with Canteyodjaya and next will be the Preludes and Etudes, played by Austbo.


----------



## jim prideaux

thanks for the 'pointer 'regarding Ades violin concerto-will find it somewhere. On a far more conservative note am currently listening to vinyl recording of parts of Ma Vlast performed by Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting the RPO-vinyl copy I unearthed-may well be followed by Marriner conducting the ASMF in a number of Mozart overtures-again vinyl!


----------



## korenbloem

Morton Feldman performed by Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin & Martha Cluver under Brad Lubman - Feldman Edition 11: Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

korenbloem said:


> Just finished the Bartok's concerto and I read in an comment on Arkivmusic:
> "Those thinking of buying the set for the Bartók should be warned that Kopatchinskaja's reading is idiosyncratic and bypasses much of the classical sophistication heard on other recordings." Boy, it seems I love Idiosyncratic reading :tiphat:
> )


I thought "idiosyncratic" was an adjective for Bartok in general. I'll have to check this one out. I'm listening on Spotify.


----------



## korenbloem

Manxfeeder said:


> I thought "idiosyncratic" was an adjective for Bartok in general. I'll have to check this one out. I'm listening on Spotify.


And, what is your vision on this reading compaired with 'classical' recordings?


----------



## Blancrocher

Nathan Milstein in Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, 'Emperor' (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth; Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## rrudolph

Getting myself into the proper frame of mind for next week's Mozart recording date:

Divertimento #7 K205
Divertimento #15 K287
Quintet in E flat K452
All the above are on my iPod; I no longer remember which specific recordings they come from.

Piano Concerto #24








Symphonies #38 & #39








Mass in c minor K427


----------



## Manxfeeder

korenbloem said:


> And, what is your vision on this reading compaired with 'classical' recordings?


I hadn't heard this particular piece before, so I have no frame of reference yet as far as classical recordings.


----------



## Mahlerian

Finishing up my Webern-a-thon.

Webern: Opp. 26~31, Op. 5 arr. for string orchestra
London Symphony, Charles Rosen, Halina Lukomska, John Alldis Choir, etc., cond. Boulez

Bach: Ricercar a 6, (orchestrated by Anton Webern)
London Symphony, cond. Boulez

Schubert: Deutsche Tanze (orchestrated by Anton Webern)
Frankfurt Orchestra, cond. Webern


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Violin Concerto
BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Anton Webern


----------



## Winterreisender

I am listening to this CD of Strauss tone poems (Till Eulenspiegel, Don Juan & Metamorphosen) performed by Rudolf Kempe and Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## cwarchc

Elgar for todays commute


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 26042


Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Scottish", 4 "Italian" & 5 "Reformation"
Leonard Bernstein & The Israel Philharmonic


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Impromptu Nr. 4 in C-sharp minor, 'Fantasie-Impromptu' (Anatol Ugorski).


----------



## Guest

Gidon Kremer always looks like such a creeper. Poor Martha


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements (Solti), Oedipus Rex (Stravinsky).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, 'Schöpfungsmesse' (George Guest; Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge).


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 54 - Kurt Thomas, cond. (1959)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Berg: Violin Concerto
> BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Anton Webern


What's Webern like as a conductor?


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat Major
_English Chamber Orchestra, Johannes Somary & Martin Berinbaum_

Starting out the listening of today with some Haydn. Can never go wrong with his music.


----------



## Blancrocher

Mahler's 5th--Barbirolli conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonia in C Major, Op.1, No.3

Vojtech Spurny conducting the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> What's Webern like as a conductor?


Based on the recordings I've heard, he used a flexible beat with a healthy amount of rubato (in line with the methods of the time), and had a good ear for bringing out contrasts of sonority (would you expect anything less?). If only we had a Mahler symphony from him! Berg called him the best Mahler conductor after Mahler himself.


----------



## Conor71

*Haydn: Symphony No. 15 In D Major, H 1/15*

Some Haydn for me too - only scratched the surface of the Symphonies set so far. Some more feelgood music for the rest of the day - Poulenc (not pictured - its the Complete Works set on EMI) and Malcolm Arnolds chamber music:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quintet in E Flat, Op.4

Zurich String quiuntet: Boris Livschitz and Matyus Bartha, violins -- Zvi Livschitz and Dominick Ostertag, violas -- Mikayel Hakhnazaryan, cello


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The stuff on this set again:










Particularly for the work _Living Toys._ This is a great work, I am going to read along with my photocopy of the score of the first three movements (I wish I had the whole thing!). Adès has written in the conductor's notes a few interesting things about his _triplet_ time signatures. An example of a triplet time signature would be 7/12. Imagine a bar of 2/4, this would be divided into two crotchets or four quavers. It is possible to have _six_ quavers in the bar like this: the composer goes to the first division of the bar (two crotchets) and writes three quavers within the time of each crotchet with a small "3" above each one, basically 3 quavers in the time of two. So there we have 6 quavers in a 2/4 bar, or two triplets in a 2/4 bar. However, in a time signature where the bottom number is a 12, this means that the subdivisions of the bar is counted in what would normally be triplets in bars where the time signature has a 4 as the bottom number. A 7/12 bar means that there would be _two and a third_ crotchets in the bar divided up as triplets: 7 triplet quavers. Cool stuff this, it would be a pain to conduct though! I might use some of these weird fancy time signatures in my own compositions every now and then.


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Adès has written in the conductor's notes a few interesting things about his _triplet_ time signatures. An example of a triplet time signature would be 7/12.


Reminds me of the time I came across this example in Peter Burt's excellent _The Music of Toru Takemitsu_.








Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Masaaki Suzuki, harpsichord


----------



## aleazk

That's a really old trick, CoAG!. I use it all the time. I normally use time signatures with a 8 in the denominator. In 12/8, for example, the pulse is the dotted crotchet (3 quavers, so 4 pulses per bar) and so the quavers of this are like the triplet quavers of a 4/4 time signature (I mean in the sense of the relation between the crotchet and triplet quaver in the 4/4 and the dotted crotchet and the quaver in the 12/8; I'm NOT saying that the quaver in the 12/8 has the same duration that the triplet quaver in 4/4, like in the 4/4 and 7/12; you would have to have different metronome settings for each time signature if you want that in my example). Of course, that's not the most interesting thing, since it will sound like a 4/4. The cool thing is when you take those fractions like 7/8. 
Most of the time I use polymeter combinations, like 12/8 against a 7/8 (unrelated comment with respect to the above ).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> That's a really old trick, CoAG!. I use it all the time. I normally use time signatures with a 8 in the denominator. In 12/8, for example, the pulse is the dotted crotchet (3 quavers, so 4 pulses per bar) and so the quavers of this are like the triplet quavers of a 4/4 time signature. Of course, that's not the most interesting thing, since it will sound like a 4/4. The cool thing is when you take those fractions like 7/8.
> Most of the time I use polymeter combinations, like 12/8 against a 7/8.


But you see, triplets quavers are essentially quavers in a different tempo to fit more in the same amount of time, thus being written as 7/12 whilst the actual tempo of the piece hasn't changed. Its quite different and its intent is to allow triplets to basically have their own pulse and and complex subdivions rather than being triplets restricted to staying within a crotchet. Time signatures with denominators of 8 are old hat. 

They're called irrational meters, you might be thinking of complex meters in metric modulation?


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> But you see, triplets quavers are essentially quavers in a different tempo to fit more in the same amount of time, thus being written as 7/12 whilst the actual tempo of the piece hasn't changed. Its quite different and its intent is to allow triplets to basically have their own pulse and and complex subdivions rather than being triplets restricted to staying within a crotchet. Time signatures with denominators of 8 are old hat.
> 
> They're called irrational meters, you might be thinking of complex meters in metric modulation?


No, no. You are right in all your comments. I was thinking in writing the 2/4 followed by the 7/12 as a 6/8 followed by a 7/8, something like that.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> No, no. You are right in all your comments. I was thinking in writing the 2/4 followed by the 7/12 as a 6/8 followed by a 7/8, something like that.


Henry Cowell wrote a lot of irrational time signatures in his piano music, check out some of his stuff!


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening to Pavane for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel. The interpretation that I listening is really moving, not too slow and sounds great.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Satie piano works - Reinbert De Leeuw, piano


----------



## Weston

I've listened to an awful lot of second or third tier, or even downright esoteric works lately. It's well past time to come home to Beethoven. Tonight I've streamed part of this John Lill boxed set - the *Beethoven Piano Sonatas Nos. 5 and 6 (Op. 10, Nos. 1 and 2)* to be precise. The cover may be ill advised, but the performances are fiery and quite enjoyable. I think the No. 6 isn't quite as humorous here as the Schiff set I usually enjoy, being a little too fortissimo in the first movement maybe, but soon I forget all that and just get lost in Beethoven -- always a joy!


----------



## clavichorder

Medtner's Third Piano Concerto, by Demidenko and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 103, "Drumroll"
_Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Mogens Woldike_

Listening to more Haydn. This is one of my favourite Haydn symphonies, and this is a great performance.

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 101, "The Clock"
_Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Mogens Woldike_

Next up we have more Haydn. This, at the moment, I would say is my favourite of Haydn's symphonies. Love it.


----------



## KenOC

Woldike's coupling of 100/101 on a Vanguard LP was one of my father's favorite records. Few have heard of him today. But he had the touch, no doubt about it.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bruckner: Apocalyptic









I find that the last movement isn't as heavy as I would like it. But everything else is magnificent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2010:

York Holler's Spharen - Semyon Bychkov, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 8, "Pathetique"
_Jeno Jando_

One of my favourite Beethoven works. All three movements are great! We have an exciting first movement, a beautiful second movement and a great finale, almost exciting as that of the first movement. I would have to say overall my favourite movement is the second movement, but hearing the first one again makes it a close contest for me.


----------



## Bas

Another arrival in the post (I've been buying way too much cds lately - although on hearing I've justified them all for myself):

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - La Finta Giardienera
By Sophie Karthäuser [soprano], Jeremey Ovenden [tenor], Alex Penda [soprano], Marie-Claude Chappuis [mezzo], Nicolas Rivenq [bariton], Sunhae Im [soprano], Michael Nagy [bass], Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









It is a very interesting reading of this opera, but not exactly what we are used too, would expect from this work.

Joseph Haydn - "Londoner Sinfonien" no. 93 in D, no. 94 in G, no. 103 in E-flat, no. 100 in G, no 101 in D, No 102
By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir], on Deutsche Gramophone









Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartets no. 1 in Cm, no. 2 in Gm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ramteen Sazegari: Albumblatttt






Why isn't this composer more famous? Just in this short piece Sazegari packs in some brilliant ideas, paced paced and structurally couldn't be improved imo. I like the alternation between the loud outbursts of sound and the very sparse, soft sections hilighting very small intervals that come from it, it's like the outbursts melt away and these softer sections are what remain. Really cool piece! I wonder if anyone else knows this composer?


----------



## SimonNZ

York Holler's Schwarze Halbinseln - Volker Müller, dir.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

York Holler's Arcus - Ensemble interContemporain


----------



## EllenBurgess

till the world ends by Brittney spears................


----------



## SimonNZ

^Another thing I noticed looking back over the thread is that all posts like the above are wiped away without a trace.

still listening to York Holler

and torturing myself by looking at the tour schedule and programmes for Ensemble interContemporain

they all look amazing but on December 14 in Paris they'll be doing the entire Espaces Acoustiques by Gerard Grisey

if I win the lottery before then and you're looking to hit me up for a loan, thats where you'll find me

http://www.ensembleinter.com/fr/calendrier.php?cal=concerts


----------



## bejart

Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730): Flute Sonata No.1 in D Major

Accademie Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Die Walkure / Karajan

My wife is out so the volume can be adjusted up!


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1740-1798): String Quartet in A Major

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Steck and Christoph Mayer, violins -- Jane Oldham, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

I've got a lot of Glenn Gould on my ipod today. I'm especially looking forward to hearing him in Haydn's piano sonatas and Bach's violin sonatas. And his Bach 1052, which is a treasure.


----------



## Bas

Blancrocher said:


> I've got a lot of Glenn Gould on my ipod today. I'm especially looking forward to hearing him in Haydn's piano sonatas and Bach's violin sonatas. And his Bach 1052, which is a treasure.


Do you have the violin sonatas 1015-1019 with Gould?


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Original version)
Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Young









I still think it's a fine rendition.


----------



## starthrower

^^^
I'm gonna buy that one just for the cover! :devil:


----------



## DrKilroy

Some minimalist music today. I was so put down by Philip Glass that I didn't even know that Reich is much better.  

Adams
Short Ride in a Fast Machine (Tilson Thomas)
The Chairman Dances (de Waart)
Harmonielehre (de Waart)
Violin Concerto (Hanslip/Slatkin)

Reich:
The Desert Music (Tilson Thomas)
Music for 18 Musicians (a bunch of players including Reich  )
Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings (Reich and Reich Ensemble).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## NightHawk

Mitsuko Uchida piano
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mariss Jansons conductor
Proms festival 2013, London
Royal Albert Hall

The entire concerto in one clip - a wonderful pre-concert interview, and a memorable performance from Uchida, Jansons and the BRSO - be sure to stay tuned for the short encore.


----------



## brotagonist

There is another way to hear Wagner:









Unwagnerian Wagnerian accompaniment: this music is a gentle rhapsody to my morning.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concert no. 20, Piano Concert no. 21, Piano Concerto no. 25, Piano Concerto no. 27
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Gulda is a true genius!

For the saturday symphony listening: 
Pjotr Illjitsch Tschaikovsky - Symphony no. 6
By the Berliner Philharmoniker, Ferenc Frisay [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone, via spotify

(I am not very familiar with the work, as is the case with many Russian music. This recording was recommended by several of you and therefore is the one I'll listen after mr. Gulda is finished)


----------



## Ravndal

Alf Hurum - String Quartet

Breathtaking...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 101 in D Major, 'The Clock' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









Been a while since I've heard the clock tick . Herbig's first movement is a tad too quick here, in my opinion, although very animated. But this symphony is always a joy to hear.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Five Movements for String Quartet.
Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*, Simone Young conducting


----------



## ptr

First quality liste for eons:

*York Höller *- Sphären -& Der ewige Tag (*Neos*)










WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln & WDR Rundfunkchor Köln u. Semyon Bychkov

Thanks for reminding me Simon! A beautiful sonorous Odyssey these two works are!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Absolutely! Make sure to check out Schwarze Halbinseln as well. I played that through a couple of times last night.

playing now:

Bach's Cantata 79 - Karl Ristempart, cond. (1950)


----------



## aleazk

Pierre Henry - Divinités Paisibles. (



)


----------



## DavidA

Bizet Carmen - Karajan 1

Corelli's French teacher didn't do him much good but what a sound!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm listening to this Birtwistle work again









I find that I've already gotten used to the fast pace of the music, Birtwistle is an excellent composer I am surprised I had not heard nay of his works prior to this.


----------



## Blancrocher

Bas said:


> Do you have the violin sonatas 1015-1019 with Gould?


Yep--this is the set I've got:









It's not to everyone's taste, perhaps, but it's very popular in my household!

*edit* Currently listening to Gould's final recording of the Goldbergs, btw--I prefer his faster performances, but the man's a genius.


----------



## Bas

Blancrocher said:


> Yep--this is the set I've got:
> 
> View attachment 26080
> 
> 
> It's not to everyone's taste, perhaps, but it's very popular in my household!
> 
> *edit* Currently listening to Gould's final recording of the Goldbergs, btw--I prefer his faster performances, but the man's a genius.


 Oh I know. I have a "correct" HIP recording too - as these are my favourite violin sonatas and they are high in my favourite compositions of Bach list - but Gould and Laredo did something magical with the works. 





Watch the last 3 minutes and hear how much of this work Gould understood!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer.*

Karajan with his 16 cellos and listening with a marked-up score. I'm happy.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in A Major, Bryan A2

Oldrich Vlcek conducting the Prague Chamber Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Based upon his marvelous overtures, the three great operas that I am familiar with (Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, and Guillaume Tell), the Petite Messe Solennelle & Stabat Mater, and such collections of arias as my current listening selection... as well as...



















... I find myself wondering why Rossini isn't a name one hears bantered about more often on TC (outside of the general TC bias against opera and vocal music in general). I really need to look into a few more operas by the composer. I'm thinking _Le Comte Ory_, _Il Turco in Italia_, and _L'Italiana in Algeri_.

Anyone familiar with the various recordings available? Input would be most appreciated.


----------



## starthrower

Disc one. Mathis der Maler; Trauermusik; Symphonic Metamorphoses


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm listening to this Birtwistle work again
> 
> View attachment 26079
> 
> 
> I find that I've already gotten used to the fast pace of the music, Birtwistle is an excellent composer I am surprised I had not heard nay of his works prior to this.


That disc simply irritated me. Of course I just might have been in a bad mood, so I'm not ready to give up on Birtwistle just yet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

My two favourite works by Michael Nyman: _And Do They Do_ and _Musique a Grande Vitesse_









_And Do They Do_ is a work written for a dance production by Siobhan Davies in 1986. It's a work in 4 linked movements for the Michael Nyman Band which consists of variations of these instruments: piano, string quartet with double bass, trumpet, trombone, horn, tuba, flute/piccolo, a couple of saxophones/clarinets, bass guitar or electric guitar. Instruments double, especially the brass and the reed instruments, but it is essentially made up of those instruments and amplified in live performance (very very loud music!) His style is often labelled "minimalist" or "post-minimalist" because of the way the music develops over a period of time.









_MGV_ is a piece for the Michael Nyman Band and orchestra (the orchestra here is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra) written in 1993 for the opening of the TGV northern train line in France. It is influenced by what one would experience on a high speed train journey across the country, different landscapes stretching on for a while before they suddenly change, a constant rhythm keeping the train constantly at high speed etc. There are 5 movements, or "regions" as they are labelled in the piece, each with a distinctive character and at the end it has a variation of the melody to fit the character of each region only heard in full at the end of the 5th region. I became addicted to this piece a few years ago and listened to it non-stop for two months. Since then, even though I don't listen to it as much any more, it is still listed at the top of the iTunes "most played" playlist on the computer, miles ahead of anything else!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.61 in D Minor, Op.76, No.2

The Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Robin Ireland, viola -- Bernard Gregor-Smith, cello


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StlukesguildOhio said:


> That disc simply irritated me. Of course I just might have been in a bad mood, so I'm not ready to give up on Birtwistle just yet.


I find this disc is perfect for listening in the morning around breakfast, fresh start to a new day!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Sonatas in A minor K.310 and C major K.330
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Debussy: Preludes, Book II


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I find this disc is perfect for listening in the morning around breakfast, fresh start to a new day!

I'm not a morning person. Anything irritating might just end up run through the credit-card slot of the paper shredder.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some more Rossini... and Donizetti, Verdi, Massenet, Offenbach, Dvorak, Puccini, and Strauss (Johann). Part of a recent effort at exploring recordings by younger, less-well-known singers.


----------



## bejart

Andreas Jakob Romberg (1767-1821): Flute Quintet in A Minor, Op.21, No.4

William Bennett on flute with Mile Kosi on viola with the Novsak Trio: Primoz Novsak, violin -- Michel Rouilly, viola -- Susanne Basler, cello


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sculthorpe: 
Port Essington (1977)
Sonata for Strings no. 1 (1983)
Lament for Strings (1976)
Sonata for Strings no. 2 (1988)
Sonata for Strings no. 3 (1994)
Irkanda IV (1961)









Listening to _Port Essington_ to see if I like it yet.....ahhh not really. It seems to be a mix of just two ideas repeated. It would be nice if the music took different turns here and there and develop the ideas more! There are 6 movements in the suite, all the music is derived from a score he wrote for a TV documentary by the Austrlian Broadcasting Company about a failed military settlement attempt made by white people in the far north of Australia in 1838. I can't help but feel like the music is in some ways making a musical caricature of the people and events at that time. I suppose I would have to hear it in its original context though!

The real gem on this disc is the _Lament for Strings_, written a year before _Port Essington._ It was written for the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which had been founded only the year before. The work wasn't written as a lamentation on anyone's death, but a reflection on the type of inspiration the Australian landscape had to white Australian artists and writers, a "melancholic despair." The _Lament for Strings_ is in some ways a farewell to this concept, there is a particularly beautiful and hopeful ending to the piece.

What I do love about this disc is the fact that each piece links so well with the one next on it, one who listens to the disc could be fooled into thinking it was one whole work for string orchestra rather than a series of six!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Very nice background music.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.5 in D Major, Op.102, No.2

Antonio Janigro, cello -- Jörg Demus, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2002:

Aaron Jay Kernis' Colored Field - Truls Mork, cello, Eiji Oeu, cond.


----------



## Itullian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Based upon his marvelous overtures, the three great operas that I am familiar with (Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, and Guillaume Tell), the Petite Messe Solennelle & Stabat Mater, and such collections of arias as my current listening selection... as well as...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... I find myself wondering why Rossini isn't a name one hears bantered about more often on TC (outside of the general TC bias against opera and vocal music in general). I really need to look into a few more operas by the composer. I'm thinking _Le Comte Ory_, _Il Turco in Italia_, and _L'Italiana in Algeri_.
> 
> *Anyone familiar with the various recordings available? Input would be most appreciated.*




L'Italiana in Algeri is one of his finest operas and one of my favorites.
The best recordings are the Varviso which has a couple of small cuts and the one on Teldec which is about as good and is complete.
It's a great opera.


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.5 in D Major, Op.102, No.2


The Op. 102 are not very well-known, but they are superb.


----------



## Itullian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Some more Rossini... and Donizetti, Verdi, Massenet, Offenbach, Dvorak, Puccini, and Strauss (Johann). Part of a recent effort at exploring recordings by younger, less-well-known singers.


Don't blame you for trying this one.


----------



## Itullian

Walkure, Barenboim
excellent.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Arnold - Symphony 4 (1960)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Messiaen: _Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà_ (1987-1991)









A beautiful work commissioned for the 150th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, first performed posthumously by the orchestra in 1992 conducted by Zubin Mehta. This work is programmatic, portraying Messiaen's Catholicism in his understanding and musical representation of reality, from a simple birdsong (yeahhh Messiaen ) to the awesomeness of stars and galaxies. What I think is cool is that parts of this work include native Australian birdsong he heard in the wild (in addition to birdsong from some other birds in France, Greece, Singapore, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea) during his visit here in 1988. Australian birds in this work: the third movement, _L'Oiseau et la Ville-fiancée,_ includes birdsong from the Superb Lyrebird heard in the bush at Tidbnilla, near Canberra; the fourth movement, _Les Élus marqués du sceau,_ includes birdsong from the Pied Butcherbird; the eighth movement, _Les Étoiles et la Gloire,_ uses birdsong from Prince Albert's Lyrebird (notated in Queensland in the Gold Coast hinterland), the Mallee Ringneck, the Eastern Whipbird, Lewin's Honeyeater, the Kookaburra and again the Pied Butcherbird; the ninth movement, _Plusieurs Oiseaux des arbres de Vie,_ has birdsong from the White-Winged Wren. Now, these are only just all the _Australian_ birds featured, the guys bird-obsessed! :lol:


----------



## Musician

Chopin Etudes, Olsen


----------



## Bas

I've planned a day with extra attention for my favourite composer (and his son)!

Johann Sebastian Bach - Preludes and Fugas (BWV 546, BWV 575, BWV 568, BWV 589, BWV 535, BWV 550, BWV 533, BWV 569, BWV 537 fantasia), Schuebler Koralen
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Wardner Classics









George Frederic Handel - Organ Concertos HWV 295, HWV 296, HWV 287, HWV 343b, HWV 304, HWV 310
By Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], La divina Armonia, on Passacaille









Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variationen
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato









Johann Christian Bach - Requiem, Misserere
By Lenneke Ruiten [soprano], Ruth Sandhoff [alto], Colin Balzer [tenor], Thomas Bauer [bass]
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
By Dorothee Mields [soprano], Matthew White [counter tenor signing alto parts], Jan Kobow [tenor], Peter Kooij [Bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## ptr

Morning music!

*Bela Bartok* - Concerto for Orchestra (Orfeo)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u, Rafael Kubelik

*Marius Constant* - 14 Stations (Erato)









Elisabeth Chojnacka, Harpsichord; Ensemble Ars Nova u. Marius Constant

*Naji Hakim* - Rubaiyat (Priory)









Naji Hakim plays the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Sacré-Coeur, Paris

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Susumu Yoshida's Utsu-Semi - Hikotaro Yataki, dir.


----------



## ptr

*Vagn Holmboe* - Four Symphonic Metamorphoses (BIS)









AAlborg Symphony u. Owain Arvel Hughes

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Nancy Van De Vate's Chernobyl - Szymon Kawalla, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I always seem to be returning to this to listen to at least _Concentric Paths_ and _Living Toys!_










_Concentric Paths_ is a much cooler name than simply "Violin Concerto," works by Adès seem to have great titles! :lol:
And breathtaking sound! 
Been looking at the score of _Living Toys_ again and Aleazk might be interested to hear of its somewhat spectral influence in the harmonies, a lot of it seem to be structured around upper partials in the harmonic overtone series. The horn writing is quite interesting as well in this way because it often asks the performer to play melodies as if it were a natural horn with different crooks in order to get the very particular microtones found in the unevenness of the overtone series. After these works I'll probably end up listening to more Adès on this set. _America: a Prophecy_ is an amazing choral work!


----------



## SimonNZ

Do you know anything about Ades as a pianist? The secondhand shop near work has a disc of him playing works by other composers which I've been toying with grabbing. Something by Nancarow is, I think, the main work on the disc.

edit:"Highlights include Busoni's Third Sonatina, Nancarrow's Canons, Stanchinsky's Second Sonata and, a particular treat, some delectable nuggets of Kurtág. "


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Do you know anything about Ades as a pianist? The secondhand shop near work has a disc of him playing works by other composers which I've been toying with grabbing. Something by Nancarow is, I think, the main work on the disc.
> 
> edit:"Highlights include Busoni's Third Sonatina, Nancarrow's Canons, Stanchinsky's Second Sonata and, a particular treat, some delectable nuggets of Kurtág. "


I've only ever heard him play his own music, very impressive of course!


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in E Major, D 47

Gyorgy Vasheghi conducting the Orfeo Orchestra -- Laszlo Paulik, violin


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Keyboard Sonata in G Major, Op.17, No.4

Judit Peteri, harpsichord


----------



## Mahlerian

Carter: Clarinet Concerto, Symphonia
Michael Collins, London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony, cond. Knussen


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Nancy Van De Vate's Chernobyl - Szymon Kawalla, cond.


I have one of this Music from Six Continents series (featuring Carbon, Cronin, and Heard) and I love it. It seems like a great way to introduce newer music. I just wish they were easier to find. Some are available to me digitally.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: November Steps
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, cond. Wakasugi


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been listening to Karl Erb's lieder recordings, and will finish up with another hearing of Erb & co. in the Matthew Passion. A fine recommendation from Moody.









If you don't mind listening to a great tenor in a crackly recording, it's worth seeking out.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Itullian said:


> Don't blame you for trying this one.


Her looks certainly don't hurt... although she appears a little too young/girlish for me... at least in this photo. But in all seriousness, I gave the disc a try due to the recommendations of a couple of members whose opinions I very much respect over at that forum devoted to opera. One member referred to her as "Baby Netrebko"... That was certainly enough to pique my interest.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some beautiful (and although I hate to say it... "relaxing") music immaculately played. Perfect for a quiet Sunday morning.


----------



## Andolink

*Svend Nielsen*: _Carillons_ for Sinfonietta (1995); _Sinfonia concertante_ for Cello and Chamber Orchestra (1994)
_Nightfall_ for Chamber Orchestra (1989)
Århus Sinfonietta/Elgar Howarth








*Luigi Boccherini*: Piano Quintets from Op. 57--No. 2 in B flat major and No. 3 in E minor
Patrick Cohen, fortepiano
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Ramon Lazkano*: Winterssonenwende IV for violin and piano
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## Valkhafar

Schubert: String Quintet in C, D 956. Emerson String Quartet, Mstislav Rostropovich.


----------



## DrKilroy

For Szymanowski' birthday:

Symphonies (Stryja)
Violin Concerti (Mordkovich/Sinaisky)
Harnasie (Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

TurnaboutVox said:


> I've been intrigued by your sequence of Beethoven Violin Sonatas. None are recordings I know (nor have I previously heard of some of the performers). Are they personal favourites, or why did you choose them?
> 
> Ah, just seen 'Spotify' in your postings


I search the work up in spotify, and browse the first movement for best sound. when I have 5-6 recordings with good sound, I go for performance. I also try to find different performers for each work in a composers group of works, all to explore more. Exploring is fun, and spotify let you do it!

The more famous recordings are mostly on spotify to, but often the sound is not up to date, or it dont suit my headphones. But I can go back to them later when I know the work more.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Piano Trio in D (transcr. of Symphony No.2, Op.36, by composer)

artist
Xyrion Trio


----------



## DaveS

Bruckner 3rd. Karl Bohm; VPO.


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> For Szymanowski' birthday:
> 
> Symphonies (Stryja)
> Violin Concerti (Mordkovich/Sinaisky)
> Harnasie (Rattle).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


A few corrections because of time restrictions (I was buying tickets for concert in this season  ): I won't listen to Symphony No. 1 (as Szymanowski didn't like it). Also, I do not promise that I will listen to the violin concerti.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Piano Trio in D, Op.70, No.1 ('Ghost')

artist
Itzhak Perlman
Lynn Harrell
Vladimir Ashkenazy

View attachment 26122


It seems like there is many brilliant recordings of this very nice trio on spotify. I pick this one to listen to fully.. Superb performance and quite good sound.

Myung-Whun Chung
Myung-Wha Chung
Kyung-Wha Chung seemed also to have a good version. I will listen to them later!


----------



## Ravndal

Marco Uccelini - Tre Sonate, Op IV


----------



## brotagonist

I noticed I was listening to a lot of 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Century music lately, since I had replaced/acquired a number of albums recently.

Time for a change of pace:









Is it just me, or does anyone else hear a Tchaikovskian romanticism in the andante movement of _Piano Concerto 21_? This entire album is magnifico, herrlich, великолепный


----------



## ptr

Night music!

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 2 (EMI)









Kate Royal & Magdalena Kozená; Rundfunkchor Berlin & Berliner Philharmoniker u Sir Simon Rattle

Wunderheavenlyjäklakiihottavaacerddoriaeth!

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven -Piano Trio in Eb, Op.1, No.1

artist
beaux art trio

View attachment 26127


Exelent sound and performance! And I like the light and optimistic tone in the trio. Reminds me of mozart


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Eliahu Inbal; Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt).









I hear some details here which remind me of Beethoven's 9th - the beginning especially.


----------



## drpraetorus

Ruddygore, G&S "Painted Emblems"


----------



## ptr

Closing the day with:

*Luc Ferrari* - Didascalies (SubRosa)









Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, Piano & Vincent Royer, Viola & Luc Ferrari, Electronics

Thanks PG for the inspiration to go Ferrari!

/ptr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major; Paris Quartet No. 2 in A minor 
(Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## AndyS

Casals playing the Bach Cello Suites

It arrived yesterday so having my first listen now and I'm absolutely gobsmacked at the quality of the sound considering they were recorded in the 1930s


----------



## Itullian

Wagner, Lohengrin, Colin Davis, RCA Red Seal
Beautiful recording


----------



## tdc

Going through the music selections of the Classical Music Project that are currently being voted on and listening to the pieces I haven't heard.

At the moment it is Harrison Birtwistle's _Triumph of Time_, BBC Symphony Orchestra - Boulez


----------



## Blancrocher

I enjoyed this album from Jennifer Koh. The 2nd and 3rd Bach partitas are well played, and I had an introduction to a few interesting modern works for solo violin: Eugène Ysaÿe's 6 sonatas; Kaija Saariaho's Nocturne; and Missy Mazzoli's (horribly titled!) "Dissolve, O my heart."


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven -Piano Trio in Eb, Op.70, No.2

artist
Eugene Istomin
Isaac Stern
Leonard Rose









Superb recording! And I love Beethovens piano trios!


----------



## DavidA

Brahms Piano concerto 2 - Richter / Maazel

Tremendously exciting performance despite the Paris Orchestra being not quite up to par.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Alkan - 25 Preludes Op. 31 / Olli Mustonen (piano)


----------



## starthrower

Ives-Universe Symphony


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 in F-sharp minor
Kolisch Quartet









Supervised by the composer. The soloist's words are barely distinguishable, but she copes very well with the difficulties of her part.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Clementi: Sonata in C, Op. 33, No.3 played by meself! A recording of a recital I gave three years ago, having always enjoyed Horowitz's recording of it, I learned it for this recital, and revisiting it after three years am actually rather enjoying it!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mozart - String Quintet No. 3 in C major KV 515 & No. 4 in G minor KV 516 / Quatuor Talich, Rehak (Viola II)

Mannheim rockets and all the rest!

I like the Talich Quartet's approach to music making, which is very direct, fresh and idiomatic. This seems to me less reverential than their Beethoven, which doesn't harm these interpretations at all


----------



## Crudblud

Hector Berlioz - _Benvenuto Cellini, Op. 23/Paris I_ (Nelson)

I have come to appreciate old Ectairrrr a lot more over the past year.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

oskaar said:


> beethoven -Piano Trio in Eb, Op.70, No.2
> 
> artist
> Eugene Istomin
> Isaac Stern
> Leonard Rose
> 
> View attachment 26135
> 
> 
> Superb recording! And I love Beethovens piano trios!


Yes... I stumbled upon this recording some months ago. I put in an order through an Amazon Marketplace dealer, but was notified that the disc was out of stock. I ended up ordering it through another dealer... after listening to it a second time on Spotify.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Exploring the work of another singer well before my time.


----------



## brotagonist

ptr said:


> *Luc Ferrari* - Didascalies (SubRosa)
> 
> Thanks PG for the inspiration to go Ferrari!


That one comes with a Parental Guidance warning


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Dutilleux - String Quartet 'Ainsi La Nuit' / Belcea Quartet

Which is coupled (tripled?) with the under-recorded Debussy and Ravel quartets, on the grounds that it's also French!

An odd coupling, and I think anyone who's not got beyond the fin-de-siècle is in for a bit of a shock, but this is an interesting modern work.


----------



## brotagonist

TurnaboutVox said:


> Dutilleux... An odd coupling....


Odd?

From Wikipedia:

His work... followed in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in an idiosyncratic style.


----------



## Weston

Well, I don't hear much similarity to Ravel in Dutilleux, but then I've only heard a couple of symphonies. What I've heard I enjoy a tiny bit more than Ravel.

My current listening - Violin Concerto No. 5, K.219 / Monica Huggett, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment from a $3.00 used 2 CD set purchased from an antique mall of all places. Well, I've just ripped the CD to mp3 files and am listening while sorting and labeling. A good bargain as I did not have most of these works.


----------



## mstar

Manfred Symphony by Tchaikovsky. Is that an organ I hear, or are my ears playing tricks on me? :lol: 

Yes, it is! I like it very much if it has an organ in it.  

Now no one please tell me there is no organ....


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*R.Strauss*: "Italien", w. Muti (rec.1989); "Alpine", w. Blomstedt (rec.1988); "Heldenleben", w. Ashkenazy (rec.1984); "Domestica", w. Zinman (rec.2002).

View attachment 26141
View attachment 26142
View attachment 26143
View attachment 26144


----------



## Vaneyes

OldFashionedGirl said:


> I'm listening to Pavane for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel. The interpretation that I listening is really moving, not too slow and sounds great.


And performed by whom, may I ask.


----------



## Sid James

mstar said:


> Manfred Symphony by Tchaikovsky. Is that an organ I hear, or are my ears playing tricks on me? :lol:
> 
> Yes, it is! I like it very much if it has an organ in it.
> 
> Now no one please tell me there is no organ....


Its been ages since I've heard that piece, but one work where I get a similar feel is Puccini's Messa di Gloria. It has no organ credited on the recording I got of it, nor can I find anything online which indicates it has an organ. But I hear organ! Maybe Puccini could replicate these sounds without the instrument, it would not be surprising since the first instrument he learnt to play was organ. So maybe that's it, and that sound is not limited to his Messa, it happens throughout his famous operas. Its such a unique sound and wierd how he could write music like that.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Warsaw Concerto and other Piano Concertos from The Movies*
- Philip Fowke, piano with RTE Concert Orch. under Proinnsias O Duinn










There was a trend in cinema during the mid 20th century of incorporating music for piano and orchestra into film scores, sometimes with pieces played by the lead actor on the screen. These *"Denham Concertos,"* named after the studio in the UK where many of these films where shot, generated enormous record and sheet music sales.

I love all the concertos on this album, but a number of them really stand out. Its been a long time since I'd heard this disc.

One of my constant favourites, *Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto*, was the most popular of all of them. Initially, the producers of the film wanted Rachmaninov to do the score, but that didn't eventuate. So Addinsell was called on to do something similar to Rach, and if someone had told me that Sergei had done this, I would believed it. This is for all intents and purposes a mini Rachmaninov concerto, with the same memorable tunes, the brooding emotions and the eventual triumphant coda.

*Miklos Rozsa's Spellbound Concerto*, with the evocation of spooky vibes by the use of the theremin, an early electronic instrument that was often used in scores of the period.

Another is *Bernard Herrmann's Concerto Macabre*, which has strong overtones of Liszt's _Totentanz_ and _Funerailles_. The concerto ends quite oddly with a cadenza solo by the pianist, it misses the usual rousing orchestral coda. The reason is because the end of the movie involved a crazy pianist who locks himself into a concert hall, sets fire to it, and dies playing his concerto. The police have tracked him down for his murders, but they can't take him alive.

That speaks to the plots of these films, many are love stories, others involving the war, others with some psychological and criminal element. A number of these pieces correspondingly contrast the banal, like swing tunes or popular ditties sung in music halls, with darker and more serious vibes. Its kind of using lightness and banality as a wild contrast to the darker side of the human psyche which is what film noir often does.

*Nino Rota's The Legend of the Glass Mountain* speaks to his Italian heritage, it comes across as like some Neopolitan song.

The last piece in terms of chronology here is *Richard Rodney Bennett's Theme and Waltz*, composed for the1974 film _Murder on the Orient Express_. It's a recreation of music of the 1930's, the period in which the film is set. In effect, the "Denham Concerto" which started off cannibalising the music of Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, itself became a symbol of a bygone era. A number of these concertos where turned into pop songs, others where quoted in film scores of subsequent decades.

I have a couple of these pieces in their original recordings that are a joy to hear, but so is this modern recording in terms of the superior sound and the works being presented in their full (uncut) versions. It's a great nostalgia trip and just great music to listen to in many ways.


----------



## brotagonist

Arabic secular art music, performed by Amer Ammouri, an ud master from Aleppo, Syria.

His first album of various taksimler:


----------



## Gilberto

Vladimir Horowitz - The Celebrated Scarlatti Recordings 

I haven't heard this in awhile but starting to read one of his biographies has inspired me to pull this one up.


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> Arabic secular art music, performed by Amer Ammouri, an ud master from Aleppo, Syria.


I recently heard some oud music at a concert, my first exposure. I really liked it -- but I'm already familiar with Indian classical music and suspect that helped. Do you recommend the album you showed?


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> I recently heard some oud music... Do you recommend the album you showed?


Very highly  His second album, _Eastern Strings_, is supposed to be like this one, more taksimler (I try to standardize my usage to the Turkish forms, because I am fascinated by Turkish language and culture), which are improvisations on classical modes, or makamlar (maqams, anglicized Arabic plural form). His third album, _Oud Mosaics_, is an album of popular melodies, arranged for the ud.

I would compare ud music to the lute music of the troubadours and to Bach's lute music. Although Indian ragas are also modal, I don't think they have much in common with the music of the Mid-East (although Northern India was influenced by the Persians during the time of the Mughal Empire), as far as the listener is concerned, although perhaps for the musician and music theorist, there will be similarities.

I have been listening to Persian, Arabic and Turkish/Ottoman musics for a number of decades, but the language barrier makes it difficult to separate the classical from the popular artists. Primarily, I have relied on excellent labels, such as VDE Gallo, Ocora Radio-France and Auvidis/Unesco to guide me.

As a result, my collection in the genre is small, but I can also recommend, _most highly_:

Munir Bashir - _L'art du Ud_ (Iranian style)
Murat Aydemir & Derya Türkan - _Ahenk_ and _Ahenk 2_ (Turkish/Ottoman style, Turkish violin and fretted lute duets)
Münir Nurettin Beken - _The Art of the Turkish Ud_
Necati Çelik - _Yasemin: Classical Turkish Oud Music_
Abdi Coşkun & Fahreddin Çimenli - _L'Art du Tanbur Ottoman_ (both bowed and plucked tanbur, on VDE Gallo)
Kudsi Erguner Ensemble - _Peshrev & Semai of Tanburi Djemil Bey_
Göksel Kartal - _The Art of Taksim_ (Turkish zither)
Burhan Öçal & Istanbul Oriental Ensemble - _Gypsy Rum_, _Sultan's Secret Door_... (Turkish gypsy and Ottoman classical fusion)
Talip Özkan - _The Art of Tanbur_ (vocals on a couple of tracks, meditative, acceptable to Western ears, but not in large doses)
Ali Jihad Racy & Simon Shaheen - _Taqasim: Improvisation on Arab Music_ (not my top choice)


----------



## cDeanSharon

Vivaldi's Four Seasons; Salvatore Accardo, Orchestra da Camera Italiana; rec. 1968.









As luck would have it, I just so happened to stumble upon this gem in a used book/CD shop today. Little did I know that this would be one of the finest "Four Seasons" I would have the pleasure of owning, let alone listening to. I keep trying to research this particular recording and am constantly getting confused as to whether this is the particular recording featuring Stradivarius' violins. If it is, I think I just hit the mother load!


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> Very highly  His second album, _Eastern Strings_, is supposed to be like this one...


Many thanks. I'll assault my poverty yet further and buy the album you referenced first. Isn't Western music sufficient for a decent bankruptcy?


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> Many thanks. I'll assault my poverty yet further and buy the album you referenced first. Isn't Western music sufficient for a decent bankruptcy?


Musicophiles are destined to eternal poverty  but eternal happiness, too 

If you like meditative and introspective music, definitely _don't_ overlook Bashir, Beken and Çelik. The latter two are Turkish, so have a slightly different approach to the same instrument. And the VDE Gallo album with the three yaylı (bowed) tanbur tracks is _priceless_.


----------



## Guest

Bavouzet's playing... <3


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Szymanowski's* (1882 - 1937) birthday, Music for Violin & Piano, w. Kramer & Durcan (rec. 2005).

View attachment 26150


----------



## Blancrocher

Good call--I'll celebrate with Simon Rattle conducting Szymanowski's Violin Concertos 1&2.


----------



## chrisco97

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 82, "The Bear"
_Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra/Adam Fischer_

Have never really paid much attention to this symphony, but I have to say I am loving it! Cannot quit listening to the first movement...


----------



## chrisco97

*Brahms* - Sonata No. 1 in F Minor for Viola and Piano
_Roberto Diaz, Jeremy Denk_

This is so beyond beautiful! I have yet to get why the viola gets so much crap from people. It is the perfect mixture of the violin and the cello. Not too high, but not too deep either. Not sure I would say I like the viola more than the cello, but it is a beautiful instrument nonetheless. One of my favourites. 

This specific sonata (cannot say anything for the other two sonatas on this cd, listening on Spotify) really shows off the beauty of both instruments. This is so great!


----------



## SimonNZ

​









Grawemeyer 2006:

Kurtag's Concertante - Hiromi Kikuchi, violin, Ken Hakii, viola, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.


----------



## moody

mstar said:


> Manfred Symphony by Tchaikovsky. Is that an organ I hear, or are my ears playing tricks on me? :lol:
> 
> Yes, it is! I like it very much if it has an organ in it.
> 
> Now no one please tell me there is no organ....


It's supposed to be a harmonium ,but often it is an organ.


----------



## Turangalîla

*Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2* performed by Her Majesty *Beatrice Rana* and the *Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra*.


----------



## Kivimees

Inspired by another recent thread:


----------



## korenbloem

Bun-Ching Lam Heidelberg Concerts


----------



## Kivimees

This is great:
















A big "tak" to joen_cph for the introduction on another thread! :tiphat:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Pabst: Paraphrase on Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin"- Shura Cherkassky. This is the from the recital he gave at BBC Pebble Mill 28th January, 1992. I was there and dad recorded it for me at home. Nice to be able to relive the experience- I've played the whole programme this morning, it being the anniversary of his birth. For the record, the rest of the programme was: 
Bach-Busoni: Chaconne
Schumann: Symphonic Studies
Chopin: Ballade No.4/Nocturne in F Minor, Op.55 No.1/Scherzo No.4
Ives: Three Page Sonata
Pabst: as above
Then the inimitable encores:
Cherkassky: Prelude Pathetique
Chopin: Tarantella
Morton Gould: Boogie Woogie Etude.

Where, oh where, would you find someone to give such an enjoyably diverse offering today? Never mind someone who would make it as endlessly fascinating as Cherkassky. I still miss him.


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Suite No.8 "Bot-Ba" - Marianne Schroder, piano

edit: now Beat Furrer's Phasma - Nicolas Hodges, piano


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner's Seventh Symphony:


----------



## jim prideaux

tension!-budget constraints coupled with an increasing desire to expand range of listening ie new works and also alternate interpretations of 'favourite' pieces-solution seems to be amazon 2nd hand-recently bought Haydn London symphonies performed by Fischer and Austro-Hungarian 'mob' for minimal outlay and what a 'result' that is proving to be.
This morning (again at little cost) 2nd hand copy of Haydn masses (Nelson, Theresien and Te Deum) performed by Gardiner/English Baroque soloists/Monteverdi choir turned up-there does appear to be some debate regarding these interpretations but I need to start somewhere.........
Long had a loyalty to Nielsen 2nd/3rd symphonies as performed by Leaper and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland but noticed that the recording by Schonwandt and Danish National Symphony Orchestra previously available on Dacapo label had been released on Naxos and was available second hand, again for next to nothing-listening to it now and it is almost as if I am hearing the symphonies for the first time-had long regarded the two works as favourites, was happy with Leaper so.....but Schonwandt finds an urgency that is really disconcerting and 'vital'-the recording has a transparency-the symphonies feel as if they have been 'lit up'.........

the finale/allegro of the 3rd has been one of those 'favourites' for a long time and always brings a smile to my face-the link between Berwald and Sibelius-rugged, noble and 'northern'( a possible cliché I allow myself living as I do on the coast of north east England)-this recording only goes to amplify those sentiments...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Messe de la Pentecote - Olivier Latry, organ


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven -Piano Trio in Eb, WoO38

artist
The Castle Trio


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven -Piano Trio in G, Op.1, No.2

artist
European Fine Arts Trio
Francois Killian
Pi-Chin Chien
Tomasz Tomaszewski


----------



## maestro267

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven -Variations in G on Müller's Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu, for piano trio, Op.121a

artist
Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Boccherini*: Piano Quintet in D major, Op. 56 no. 5
Patrick Cohen, piano
Quatuor Mosaïques








*J. S. Bach*: 'Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut', BWV 199
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Andreas Scholl, countertenor
Christoph Pregardien, tenor
Gotthold Schwarz, bass
Concerto Vocale Leipzig
Ensemble Baroque de Limoges/Christophe Coin








*J. S. Bach*: 'Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit', BWV14; 'Gott ist unsre Zuversicht', BWV197
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Donald Martino*: Fantasies and Impromptus (1981)
Eliza Garth, piano








*Friedrich Cerha*: Für K, for chamber orchestra
Klangforum Wien/Michael Gielen


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven -Variations on an Original Theme in Eb for Piano Trio, Op.44

artist
Arcadia Trio


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - Grosse Fuge for String Quartet in Bb, Op.133

artist
Alexander String Quartet









I have never heard Beethoven with such modern ekspression. I like it!


----------



## rrudolph

Camerata Hungarica--some of my favorite versions of the Susato and Phalese collections, along with some other contemporaneous stuff. Choreae et Carmina is a particular favorite.


----------



## Musician

Intense Beauty


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet in F (based on Piano Sonata, Op.14, No.1), Hess34

artist
Kodaly Quartet


----------



## Gilberto

Kim Heindel - Aufs Lautenwerck - Music By Bach


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.1 in F, Op.18, No.1

artist
Alban Berg Quartett


----------



## Blancrocher

Gardiner conducting Anne Sofie von Otter as Alceste. Great music, in a great performance (though there's not a lot of competition).


----------



## Winterreisender

Mozart: Missa Brevis, "Organ Solo," K.259 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Concertus Musicus Wien

from this box set of Mozart's complete sacred music:


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto, played by Valentina Lisitsa. Now on the second movement, may be the best "modern" record of this piece that I ever listened.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.2 in G, Op.18, No.2

artist
Endellion String Quartet









A good string quartet is among works that gives me most pleasure. But the sound and performance has to be good, otherwise I get quickly exhausted. This recording is very good!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Just arrived in the mail - J. Haydn, Symphonies No. 70 in D Major, 71 in B flat Major, 72 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).









More Haydn symphonies to explore is always a good thing . Also a HIP performance, let's see how it will measure up with the rest of my Haydn CDs.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 4, Piano Concerto no. 5
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 26 "Kronüngskonzert", Piano Concerto no. 27
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv









Johannes Brahms - String Quartet opus 51. no. 2, Piano Quintet opus 34
By the Takács Quartet, Stephen Hough [piano], on Hyperion









Louis Sphor (1784 - 1859) - Violin Concerto no. 8 in in A, Violin Concerto no. 12 in A, Violin Concerto no. 13 in E
By Ulf Hoelscher [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christin Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.3 in D, Op.18, No.3

artist
Brodsky Quartet









Very tender and beautiful recording! And I think I like this quartet best so far from opus 18


----------



## DrKilroy

Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 82-84 (Menuhin).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
Chicago Symphony, cond. Tennstedt









A DVD performance. Terrible washed-out and blurry video quality, but the sound and performance are top-notch!


----------



## rrudolph

................................


----------



## Mahlerian

Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges (suite)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Denève

Last Saturday's concert opener.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.4 in C-, Op.18, No.4

artist
RTV Moscow
Vladimir Fedoseyev









Brilliant!


----------



## Kieran

Still love that title about the oranges. 

Mozart sinfonia concertante, the disputed one, *K297b*. I know a lot of people on the seemingly late and much lamented Mozart forum who are convinced this isn't Wolfie's. They back it up with hard science and the allegation that every movement is in the same key, etc, a route the maestro would surely avoid.

But I'm enjoying it, for all that... :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.5 in A, Op.18, No.5

artist
Belcea Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
Yo-Yo Ma, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Denève

Continuing the concert.


----------



## Mahlerian

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Denève

Last item on the concert. An orchestral showpiece to be sure, but I've never much cared for it as music.


----------



## brotagonist

This and the second volume have been longtime favourites. I like Hindemith's early expressionist works.


----------



## realdealblues

I've been spending some time with my new Murray Perahia: The First Forty Years Box Set:

View attachment 26189


Chopin: Impromptus, Barcarolle, Berceuse, Fantaisie Op. 49

View attachment 26190


Bach: Concerto For Flute, Violin & Piano, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Italian Concerto

View attachment 26191


Beethoven: 32 Variations On An Original Theme
Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wein, Op. 26
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12, Consolation No. 3
Rachmaninov: Etude Op. 33 No. 2, Etudes Op. 39 Nos. 5, 6, & 9

View attachment 26192


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Just started picking out CD's at random...


----------



## maestro267

My evening concert:

*Parry:* Symphony No. 5 in B minor (Symphonic Fantasia 1912)
LPO/Bamert


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*R. Strauss*: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, w. COE/Leinsdorf (rec.1987); Songs, w. Schafer/BPO/Abbado (rec.1997); Metamorphosen, w. Philharmonia/Barbirolli (rec.1967).

View attachment 26194
View attachment 26195
View attachment 26196


----------



## ptr

*Mauricio Kagel* - Music for Renaissance Instruments and '1898' (DG 20/21)









Children of the "Hauptschule Peter-Griess-Strasse"/Köln-Flittard & Collegium Instrumentale

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Schutz: Musikalische Exequien/Deutsches Magnificat/Herr, nun lassest deinen Diener/Vater unser, der du bist im Himmel


----------



## Blancrocher

I've progressed from Gardiner's recording of Alceste to his version of La Clemenza di Tito. I recognize that this is unjustifiable, but it's my favorite of Mozart's operas. 

Laugh out loud funny :lol:


----------



## ptr

Night cap!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Turangalîla-Symphonie (CBS)









Tristan Murail, Ondes Martenot; Paul Crossley, Piano; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Esa-Pekka Salonen

Utterly soothing!

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Adams - Road Movies (Novacek, Josefowicz).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Beethoven

Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2 no.1
Piano Sonata No.25 in G major, Op.79 
Piano Sonata No.5 in C minor, Op.10 no.1
Piano Sonata No.6 in F major, Op.10 no.2
Piano Sonata No.9 in E major, Op.14 no.1

Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Vox 1962-64 recordings]


----------



## ptr

après après,

*Franz Peter Schubert* - Winterreise (Columbia)









Hans Hotter, bass-baritone & Gerald Moore, piano

Anyone that can do what ole' Gerry does behind the scenes has divine hands! :angel:

/ptr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Beethoven - 12 Variations on 'See the conqu'ring hero comes', WoO45 / Alfred Brendel (piano) & Adrian Brendel (cello)


----------



## DavidA

Schubert sonata D664. Richter 1961


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's String Quartet Op.18 No.5 - Emerson Quartet


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Schubert - Piano Sonatas No. 1 in E, D. 157 & No. 9 in F# minor D571 / D604 / D570 (completed by Tirimo) / Martino Tirimo (Piano)


----------



## Blancrocher

Another Gluck opera: Nino Sanzogno conducting Callas in Iphigenie en Tauride. Not a great production in my view, but I was interested to hear Callas in the role. 

I'd show you the cover but it's a little risque!


----------



## SimonNZ

It is? Or is there one that hasn't come up on the search?










playing now, on the radio:

Mussorgsky (orch.Ravel) Pictures At An Exhibition - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to a pianist from my conservatory playing a beautiful piece by a "modern" armenian composer.


----------



## Blancrocher

SimonNZ said:


> It is?


http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=670105

If you're offended, SimonNZ, don't say I didn't warn you!


----------



## clavichorder

Mozart Symphony no. 28, Jaap Ter Linden and Mozart Akademie Amsterdam.


----------



## SimonNZ

*gasp!* Where are the moderators when we need them!?


----------



## Blancrocher

SimonNZ said:


> *gasp!* Where are the moderators when we need them!?




I'm so ashamed of myself.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Haydn

Piano Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:50 (1794-1795)
Piano Sonata in D, Hob. XVI:51 (1794) 
Piano Sonata in E flat, Hob. XVI: 52 (1794)
Piano Sonata in G, Hob. XVI:40 (1784)

Alfred Brendel (piano)

I came to Haydn's piano sonatas much later than those of Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart when I heard Brendel play some interspersed with Liszt and Busoni works. I think that the roots of much early Beethoven lie here.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Love this CD. I am going to have to add it to the collection soon! Listening to *the first violin sonata arranged for viola* right now. Great stuff!


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Piano Trio - Florestan Trio


----------



## Ondine

Frederic Chopin

Nocturnes (Complete)

Daniel Barenboim, Piano

Chopin's Nocturnes share the summit -along with Keith Jarrett Solo Piano Concerts- of the 'Solo Piano' musical language. Each of his 21 pieces are a masterpiece in its own.


----------



## Ondine

Kieran said:


> But I'm enjoying it, for all that... :tiphat:


That is what matters, @Kieran


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to John Lill's recording of Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata Op.36, Six Moments Musicaux, and Variations On a Theme of Corelli. By far the most interesting piece is the Corelli Variations. It's amazing how "modern" Corelli can sound in the hands of Rachmaninov. Just a wonderful work and worth the effort to seek out this recording.










Kevin


----------



## Musician




----------



## Itullian




----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with a second listen to James Dillon's "Elements" for solo piano--having just listened to it for the first time. I expect I'll give it plenty more tries in the near future.

I love it.


----------



## Weston

TurnaboutVox said:


> Beethoven - 12 Variations on 'See the conqu'ring hero comes', WoO45 / Alfred Brendel (piano) & Adrian Brendel (cello)


A Beethoven piece I do *not* have any version of in my collection? Now I'm on a quest.

Tomorrow, that is.


----------



## Weston

A musical nightcap, then to bed. Since a slight chill is finally in the air in middle Tennessee, I'm listening to *Takemitsu - A String Around Autumn (viola concerto)*, Tadaaki Otaka / BBC National Orchestra of Wales (2002), and reading myself to sleep. Really quite lovely. I'm not sure if this was one of the works with a Debussy influence, but it certainly sounds like it. I'd like to learn to recognize the motif he allegedly uses a lot in his later works.


----------



## mnsCA

JD Zelenka's Ouverture a 7 Concertanti in F Major (ZWV 188), Performed by Il Fondamento and directed by Paul Dombrecht


----------



## Sid James

Kevin Pearson said:


> Listening to John Lill's recording of Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata Op.36, Six Moments Musicaux, and Variations On a Theme of Corelli. By far the most interesting piece is the Corelli Variations. *It's amazing how "modern" Corelli can sound in the hands of Rachmaninov*. Just a wonderful work and worth the effort to seek out this recording....


That's right. Its a late work, If I recall correctly. I love those jazzy bits, it shares this sense of rhythmic bounce and those amazing colours with Rach's Symphonic Dances (the version for two pianos is my favorite but the orchestral one is great too). And then there's the influence of Stravinsky which Rach was absorbing - funny that, since Rach influenced Stravinsky then was in turn influenced by him. Its interesting, those connections, but Rach's music is always interesting in this way and a pleasure to hear. Gotta love RACH!


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2004:

Unsuk Chin's Violin Concerto - Viviene Hagner, violin, Kent Nagano, cond.


----------



## dgee

This is a nice album - Unsuk Chin is very good


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Scherzo: Bewegt, lebhaft - Trio: Schnell (Eliahu Inbal; Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt).


----------



## Sid James

*Two contrasting imaging of landscapes - from Northern and Southern Hemispheres.*

*Elgar's Serenade for Strings *evokes an English pastoral mood. I love Elgar's string writing, its got something unique. Interesting to read in the notes that he was influenced by Handel, because I love Handel's string sonorities for that sunny and warm quality. Sometimes I find out connections like this way after the fact of forming my own connections with pure "gut feeling." This time it was confirmed.

On to *Ross Edwards' Violin Concerto "Maninyas"* which is like a soundscape of the Australian bush. Like Vivaldi's _Four Seasons_, this violin concerto has that bouncy and repetitive quality. The orchestration is quite lush and the melodies catchy and memorable. The middle movement evokes a serene place of quiet contemplation with a cadenza solo for the violinist and a chorale tune emerging.

*Elgar* _Serenade in E minor for strings, Op. 20_
- Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Heinze conductor

*Ross Edwards* _"Maninyas" - Concerto for violin and orchestra_
- Dene Olding, violin with Sydney SO under Stuart Challender


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Walton Symphony 2


----------



## Turangalîla

These interpretations are good but not spectacular (a little bland), even though I usually love Mr. Li's playing.


----------



## Kivimees

Rautavaara's Autumn Gardens seems to fit perfectly for the kind of autumnal day we have here.

(The piano concerto is a nice bonus.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Reveil Des Oiseaux - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano, Pierre Boulez, cond.

edit: now Messiaen's Quartet For The End Of Time - Matthew Schellhorn, piano, Soloists of the Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## EricABQ

Hamelin's recording of Catoire piano music.


----------



## Gilberto

Sergei Lyapunov Symphony #1 - Moscow State Symphony Orchestra

Lyapunov mentioned in the V Horowitz bio I am reading now. Never heard his work before so I pulled this up on spotify.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.6 in Bb, Op.18, No.6

artist
Borodin String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.7 in F, Op.59, No.1 ('Rasumovsky' 1)

artist
Guarneri Quartet









The guarneri quartet seem to have a very high standard. Lovely recording, and a fine work.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Adès: Traced Overhead






A work for piano, played by the composer himself. I've been exploring Adès's music over the past few days and really getting to know his distinctive sound. One characteristic Adès thing that I love is his use of quartal/quintal harmonies thrown about disjunctively resulting in a very hazy fog of quasi-tonal atonality. This piece has a fair bit of that especially towards the end.


----------



## julianoq

Thanks for the tip SimonNZ, now listening to Unsuk Chin's Violin Concerto. This thread is great, a few days ago COAG recommended Thomas Adès concerto and it is already one of my favorites. I really appreciate your recommendations about less played works!


----------



## Weston

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Adès: Traced Overhead
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . . . a very hazy fog of quasi-tonal atonality.


This I gotta hear, though I usually prefer quasi-atonal tonality.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.8 in E-, Op.59, No.2 ('Rasumovsky' 2)

artist
Kodaly Quartet


----------



## realdealblues

Some more from the Perahia box.

View attachment 26229


Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3

View attachment 26230


Bach: Goldberg Variations

View attachment 26231


Brahms: Piano Quartet, Op. 25

View attachment 26232


Schumann: Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6; Fantasiestucke, Op. 12


----------



## julianoq

Usuk Chin's concerto was great. Now listening to George Tsontakis Violin Concerto, I read about this on an Amazon review of Chin's and became curious. Performed by Steven Copes.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Getting to know _America: a Prophecy_










Incredible choral work, some of seems to be perhaps a little more neoromantic than his other works, but still a terrific piece! Adès is one of my favourite living composers, if not my favourite! After this I'm going to listen to the other works in this set, probably _Living Toys_ and _Concentric Paths_ again (two of the best ever )


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.9 in C, Op.59, No.3 ('Rasumovsky' 3)

artist
Alexander String Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

Getting started with Mitropoulos's classic recording of Mahler's 6th with the NYP.


----------



## Sudonim

Just finished this one:









and just about to begin this one:









As you can see, I've reached the Stevens in my iPod's Cover Flow ...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert - Moments Musicaux, D 780.
(Folke Nauta).


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Nielsen*: Symphonies (Complete), w. SFSO/Blomstedt (rec.1987 - '89); Symphonies 1 & 6, w. Danish NSO/Schonwandt (rec.2000); Violin Concerto, w. Lin/Swedish RSO/Salonen (rec.1988); String Quartet, Op. 58, w. ESQ. (rec.2004).

View attachment 26238
View attachment 26239
View attachment 26240
View attachment 26241


----------



## Gilberto

I found this recording while browsing gogoyoko and absolutely love it. And I'm finding it is almost like pulling teeth to get any quality information about the composer or performers in an internet search.


----------



## Bas

Louis Sphor (1784 - 1859) - Violin Concerto no. 4 in Bm, Violin Concerto no. 11 in G
By Ulf Hoelscher [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christin Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 5, Piano Concerto no. 20
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], Robert Levin [fortepiano], Melvin Tan [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv









Julius Röntgen - Violin Concerto in Am, Violin Concerto in Fm#
By Liza Ferschtman [violin], Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, David Porcelijn [dir.], on CPO









Ludwig van Beethoven - Kreutzer Sonata
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Takemitsu's* (1930 - 1996) birthday, Orchestral Music, w. Barenboim (rec.1993), Knussen (rec.1996), Piano Music, w. Tateno (rec.1996).

View attachment 26248
View attachment 26249
View attachment 26250


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven's Sixth Symphony by Klaus Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

This may be my one of my favourite readings of this Piece. The pacing feels wonderful, wonderful momentum and fantastic playing from the LPO.


----------



## brotagonist

Great music for my usual morning home-made porridge, yoghurt and black tea:









Disc one, Trios Ops 8 and 40 only for today.


----------



## Blancrocher

Hiroshi Wakasugi conducting Takemitsu's orchestral works on a couple great disks. Thanks for the birthday reminder, Vaneyes. It's great to have the excuse to listen to him: it's been too long!


----------



## Winterreisender

Beethoven: Violin Sonata #10 - Renaud Capuçon & Frank Braley


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner 8th symphony, performed by Wand and the NDR Symphony Orchestra. I love this record, one of the best 8ths in my opinion.


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.14

artist
Matti Raekallio


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Piano Music
Kotaro Fukuma


----------



## Oskaar

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No.4 in C-, Op.29

artist
Steffen Horn


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Vaneyes said:


> String Quartet, Op. 58, Emerson String Quartet (rec.2004).


 - [Nielsen - 'At the bier of a young artist', Op. 58]

I have this recording also, but as far as the Sibelius Quartet is concerned I much prefer the version on my 1980s LP by the Fitzwilliam Quartet, which is coupled with the (startlingly characteristic) Delius String Quartet


----------



## brotagonist

I had read very positive reviews of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen earlier this year and was also wanting some smaller scale Richard Strauss pieces (I'm somewhat _iffy_ on his tone poems), when I chanced upon this:









The first piece is the _Suite for Der Bürger als Edelmann_, which is a bit like Strauss does Stravinsky's _Suite for L'histoire du Soldat_. What I mean is that it is thematic, but not overblown, like his large-scale tone poems.

Then, there is a nice concerto for clarinet and bassoon, _Duett-Concertino_. Wrapping up the programme is the _Sextett_ from Strauss' last opera, _Capriccio_.

This is a fine disc for those wishing to hear a lesser-known side of Strauss.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's listening:

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op.31 no.1 / Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips 1996 version]

Shostakovich - From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79 / Concertgebouw Orch., Bernard Haitink, Soderstrom, Wenkel, Karczykowski

Sibelius - songs

Seven Songs, Op. 17
Souda, souda, sinisorsa (1899)
Six Songs, Op. 36
Five Songs, Op. 37
Les Trois Soeurs aveugles, Op. 46, No. 4
Six Songs, Op.88
Arioso, Op. 3
Narciss (1918)

Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg (Piano)


----------



## Oskaar

Liszt - Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb, S.124

artist
Nareh Arghamanyan
Rundfunk-sinfonieorkester Berlin
Alain Altinoglu


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Nine Slavonic Dances Orchestre National de la RTF/Paul Kletzki 

I haven't played this LP for years and had forgotten what swagger and panache Kletzki brings to these wonderful pieces, a cross section of both sets that works extremely well. Smashing.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Sibelius*: Violin Concerto, w. Lin/Swedish RSO/Salonen (rec.1987); Tone Poems, w. Ormandy, LB (rec.1959 - '68); Symphonies 1, 4, 5, 6, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1976 - '81); Symphonies 2 & 5, w. Philharmonia/HvK (rec.1960).

View attachment 26269
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View attachment 26271


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rossini's Stabat Mater - Antonio Pappano, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> - [Nielsen - 'At the bier of a young artist', Op. 58]
> 
> I have this recording also, but as far as the Sibelius Quartet is concerned I much prefer the version on my 1980s LP by the Fitzwilliam Quartet, which is coupled with the (startlingly characteristic) Delius String Quartet


Haven't heard Fitz's Sibelius. I shall seek.
And back at yuh, give the three BIS volumes of Tempera Qt.'s Sibelius, an audition, if you haven't already. :tiphat:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Vaneyes said:


> And back at yuh, give the three BIS volumes of Tempera Qt.'s Sibelius, an audition, if you haven't already. :tiphat:


Why thank you, Mr. Vaneyes, sir! I shall endeavour to do so, but there's a fearsome stack of unheard CDs waiting for me (and my other half glowering at it).

Tonight's further listening:

Messiaen - Quatour pour la Fin du Temps / Yordanoff (Violin), Tetard ('Cello), Desurmont (Clarinet), Barenboim (Piano)

Ignored for a long time in my collection, when I got around to listening I heard a deeply moving masterpiece. I've been listening regularly ever since

Before bed:

Haydn - String Quartet in D minor Op. 103 (Hob. III:83) / Smithson String Quartet

I'm sure I have an old cassette of a much better version of this and the Op 77 quartets coupled with it than the Smithson manage, but I have mislaid it somewhere amid the last three decades of house-moves. Ah well, I might be in the market for a new one.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Vaneyes said:


> give the three BIS volumes of Tempera Qt.'s Sibelius, an audition, if you haven't already.


Actually this (and the Tempera's previous Sibelius disc) look extremely interesting on Googling them so, thanks, perhaps I will try to hear these sooner rather than later. Many thanks for the tip.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Chabrier's Bourrée Fantasque - Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

Tonight's redolent (candlelight) dinner music...









Münir Nurettin Beken: _The Art of the Turkish Ud_


----------



## Valkhafar

Dvořák: String Quartets 12 "American" and 13.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

oskaar said:


> beethoven -Piano Trio in Eb, Op.70, No.2
> 
> artist
> Eugene Istomin
> Isaac Stern
> Leonard Rose
> 
> View attachment 26135
> 
> 
> Superb recording! And I love Beethovens piano trios!


I thought I'd ordered this... but discovered it was Volume One...










That's fine... because the Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Schubert trios are just as marvelously played. Volume 2 (Beethoven) is currently selling for $39 US... but then I found this:










It includes the Beethoven trios, the violin sonatas, and quite a bit more (9 discs) for less than half of what the volume two was selling for.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

oskaar said:


> beethoven - String Quartet No.9 in C, Op.59, No.3 ('Rasumovsky' 3)
> 
> artist
> Alexander String Quartet
> 
> View attachment 26233


I have had this set in my radar for some time. I probably just haven't gotten it yet because I'm not a big chamber music fan... but what I've heard of this has been excellent and I need a more recent recording of the Beethoven Quartets.


----------



## Mahlerian

Going through various Ravel works in conjunction with the book I'm reading on his music.

Songs









String Quartet in F
Emerson Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

Just had a look at the tracklist for that. I don't think Renee needs to feel too guilty about those. I was expecting it to be Abba or Seven Brides For Seven Brothers or stuff like that.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4785107


----------



## Musician




----------



## Andolink

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I have had this set in my radar for some time. I probably just haven't gotten it yet because I'm not a big chamber music fan... but what I've heard of this has been excellent and I need a more recent recording of the Beethoven Quartets.


Dont' hesitate. I've got the middle and late Beethoven quartets from the Alexanders' cycle and totally love it!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Sibelius*: Symphony 3, w. Oslo PO/Jansons (rec.1994); Symphony 7, etc., w. RPO/Beecham (rec.1955); Piano Music, w. GG (rec.1976/7).

View attachment 26277







View attachment 26278


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Sibelius*: String Quartets, w. Tempera Qt. (3 Vols. rec.2004).

View attachment 26280
View attachment 26281
View attachment 26282


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Nostalghia - Yuri Bashmet, violin, Roman Balashov, cond.

come to think of it i should also do this:

Grawemeyer 1994:

Takemitsu's Fantasma/Cantos - Sabine Meyer, clarinet, Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Gardiner conducting Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride. Keep conducting this piece, please! But this is a good recording in the meantime.


----------



## jim prideaux

start the day with further consideration of Nielsen-as mentioned in earlier posts have been listening to newly purchased alternate interpretations of 2nd/3rd symphonies so am now listening to violin concerto performed by Znaider/Foster/LPO-the CD also features the Bruch violin concerto, a work I have never really enjoyed but..............


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar* 
Variations on an Original Theme "Enigma," Op. 36
Dream Children, Op. 43
- Sydney SO under Myer Fredman & Queensland SO under Bernard Heinze











A listen to *Elgar's Enigma Variations*. I'd forgotten the sheer emotion of this, particularly the pivotal Nimrod variation. There is humour here too though, the first variation with its ordered Baroque fugue aspect coming across quite aptly as a portrayal of Elgar's wife Caroline Alice. This daughter of a military man was the guiding light in the composer's life. Not many believed this son of a music shop owner would make it big as a composer in his difficult early days, but she certainly did. The piece was written around the time Elgar was forty, it was his first big success and established him as a major composer of the period.

*Dream Children* is one of Elgar's lighter salon-type pieces. These earnt the composer some money and gave him some deal of financial security. Elgar programmed these works at concerts he conducted alongside his serious symphonic works.


*Album: The film music of George Dreyfus*
Includes themes from Rush, Power Without Glory, Marion & suites from Break of Day, Mary Gilmore goes to Paraguay, Dimboola
- Melbourne SO & Queensland SO under the composer










I also listened to the *album of film music by George Dreyfus*. He was quite prolific as a film composer in Australia during the 1960's and '70's. His music incorporates tunes from the colonial and goldrush days, as well as vibes of the popular music of the early 20th century, imaging the history of the country. This disc includes short themes as well as longer suites drawn from film scores. My favourite was the suite to *Break of Day* which mostly consists of music in some ways reminiscent of Copland's open air feel, but at the end you get this more Modernistic and jazzy theme tune which reads more like Bernstein. There are interesting contrasts like that in this music, as well as mastery of theme and variation.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bruno Maderna's Quadrivium - Guisippi Sinipoli, cond.

edit: now Kaija Saariaho's "Du cristal...a la fumee" - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.










edit: and now Stockhausen's Oberlippentanz


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Loving this. As an Amazon reviewer stated, these sound like miniature symphonies. Awesome stuff! Another one that needs to be added to the collection soon. Listening to the *Septet* now.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Luther Adams' Songbirdsongs - Callithumpian Consort

edit: now John Luther Adams' Dark Waves - Jaap Van Zweden, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Winterreise - Auf dem Flusse (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## Oskaar

Liszt - Malédiction, for piano and string orchestra, S.121

artist
Alfred Brendel
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Michael Gielen


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 9









I only managed to listen to the first movement of this while I was doing homework this evening around where the record player-_my_ record player-is located. It was quite late by the time side 1 was over so I went to my room where my record player is not located, and neither are any of my LPs (I paid for all the classical LPs in the house with my own money and I don't get to listen to them much anyway :lol. That's my excuse for not listening to the whole thing! A great first movement though, this symphony is my second favourite of Mahler's, right after the 7th.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Takemitsu: All in Twilight






Because of my time zone, I'm a little late for the Takemitsu celebrations. But I'll listen to his works anyway just because they're great! Takemitsu is a terrific guitarist-composer, I hope to play some of his works soon!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Dean:
Viola Concerto
12 Angry Men (for 12 cellos)
Intimate decisions (for solo viola) 
Komarov's Fall (for orchestra)










My favourite viola concerto, my favourite work for multiple cellos, my favourite viola work, and my favourite tone poem (by a composer other than *Sibelius*)!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 72 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).









Love those horns in the beginning of the 1st movement. A very nice, concertante-style symphony.


----------



## Guest

A rare day off by myself. It's a Haydn morning:








Trumpet Concerto, Tine Thing Helseth/Norwegian Chamber Orchestra








Sinfonia Concertante, Franz Bruggen, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century








Harpsichord Concerto in D, S. Montanari, O. Dantone / Accademia Bizantina


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, performed by Pekka Kuusisto and conducted by Segerstam. One of my favorite records.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 1, Piano Concerto no. 2, Tempest Sonata in Dm opus 31, no. 2
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], on Decca









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1042, BWV 1043, Double Violin Concerto BWV 1041, Oboe Concerto BWV 1060
By Hillary Hahn [violin], Allan Vogel [Oboe], LA Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane [dir.], on Deutsche Grammophone









Allesandro Scarlatti - Cantatas
By Brian Asawa [counter tenor], The Arcadian Academy, Nicholas McGegan [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures
By Jacqueline du Pré [cello], Janet Baker [soprano], The London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbiolli [dir.], on EMI









Sir Edward Elgar - Violin Concerto in Bm
By Tasmin Little [violin], Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis [dir.], on Chandos


----------



## julianoq

Now exploring some early Sibelius chamber music. Starting with the Piano Quintet performed by Goldstone and the Gabrieli String Quartet.










Next will be the Piano Trios:


----------



## rrudolph

Xenakis: Ais/Gendy3/Taurhiphanie/Thallein








Lachenmann: Interieur I/Schwankungen am Rand/Air


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Sheherezade
Anne Sophie von Otter, Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Ravel: Miroirs
Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Pollini's latest recording of Beethoven's piano sonatas, which includes 4, 9, 10, and 11. I wish he hadn't left unfinished business to this point, but so far so good in any case. I look forward to his finishing the complete cycle!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 8.*


----------



## jim prideaux

having repeatedly listened to Nielsen over the last three days am now listening to Berwald Symphonies 4/1-Jarvi/Gothenburg SO-whilst I have no doubt many might question the observation I sense again a continuity between Berwald and Nielsen-difficult to support objectively but it is as if the world they portray, whilst 'rugged' and challenging is also one of clarity , both composers retaining an optimistic humility-I believe this can then be identified in certain areas of the music of Sibelius....I did imagine that Stenhammar might also have written music within this 'vein' and was actually disappointed recently to discover that his music appears to be less individual than I had imagined


----------



## DrKilroy

My playlist for birthdays of Saint-Saens:

Piano Concerto No. 2 (Sokolov/Jarvi)
Piano Concerto No. 5 (Roge/Dutoit)
Symphony No. 3 (Bernstein)
Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon Sonate (Thomsen/Westenholz; Hosford/Brown; Leveeaux/Brown)
Organ Fantasia in E-flat major (Christensen).

Later I'll try some Rautavaara...

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Forgot to put in my favourite works: Wedding Cake (Chorzempa/de Waart) and Africa (Hough/Oramo)!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Rhapsodie espagnole
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## brotagonist

I began the day with Haydn...









...and I will return to it again today.


----------



## Blancrocher

Gluck's Armide, conducted by Minkowski. Don't worry, Ingenue: I intend no slight to Lully, who will be coming up in my playlist soon!


----------



## Itullian

No. 2
All these are excellent.


----------



## maestro267

Commemorating two of today's three major composer anniversaries. Unfortunately I have no music by Rautavaara in my collection, so I can't commemorate that properly. But still.

*Saint-Saëns*: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major
Pascal Rogé/Philharmonia Orchestra/Dutoit

*Verdi*: Requiem
Soloists/Bach Choir/London Philharmonic Choir/BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Sir John Pritchard


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mahlerian said:


> Ravel: Sheherezade
> Anne Sophie von Otter, Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ravel: Miroirs
> Pierre-Laurent Aimard


Didn't know Ravel also had a Sheherazade - I've heard Rimsky-Korsakov's, would be interesting to compare .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Winterreise - Rast (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## Tristan

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 5 in Eb major, Op. 73 "Emperor"









It's funny; I think I heard someone on this site say the first movement of Beethoven's 5th piano concerto is "too long". I don't think I could come up with a falser statement


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Joseph Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major, 'Emperor' (Buchberger Quartet).









Time for some joyous, royal conversation .


----------



## Mahlerian

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Didn't know Ravel also had a Sheherazade - I've heard Rimsky-Korsakov's, would be interesting to compare .


Ravel wrote two works by that name, a short song cycle for voice and orchestra (or piano), as above, and an overture that was his first orchestral work. Both are in the tradition of Oriental exoticism that Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel loved.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

"Giunse alfin il momento ... Al desio di chi t'adora"

Teresa Berganza
Wiener, György Fischer


----------



## Blancrocher

"The Very Best" of Jon Vickers--a fine way to hear from two of the birthday boys. I'd be more interested in the 2-disk compilation that contains Saint-Saens, Verdi, _and_ Rautavaara, however--but strangely I haven't been able to find it!


----------



## bejart

Haydn : Piano Trio No.7 in G Major

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas No. 17 in D minor, Op.31 no.2 'Tempest' / Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips 1996 version]

Busoni - Piano Music Vol. 1 / Wolf Harden (Piano)

Bach-Busoni: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Prelude and Fugue in C minor
An die Jugend (1909)
Fantasia Contrappuntistica

A strange and beautiful fusion of Bach-like fugal writing and atonality - I've been fascinated by Busoni's piano works for a while now.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Liszt* - Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat / Lang Lang, Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor / Rudolf Serkin, Eugene Ormandy, Columbia Symphony

*Ravel* - Ma mere L'Oye / Edward Gardner, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Currently listening to the *Ghost* trio...one of my favourite pieces. Funnily enough, I do not have this piece in my collection. I have been looking for a good version of it, and this is an amazing version. I love the speed and the recorded sound is amazing! Very much considering getting this version.


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar* Nursery Suite
- Sydney SO under Myer Fredman










*Elgar* Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39
- London PO under Vernon Handley










*George Dreyfus* Break of Day & Dimboola - film suites
- Melbourne SO & Queensland SO under the composer










BTW a *correction* to my last post:



Sid James said:


> A listen to *Elgar's Enigma Variations*. ... There is humour here too though, the first variation with its ordered Baroque fugue aspect coming across quite aptly as a portrayal of Elgar's wife Caroline Alice.


The variation I was talking about there was not the first but the second variation of *Enigma Variations*. It's a portrait of Hew David Steuart-Powell, a pianist in Elgar's trio. The allusion to Baroque fugues is a musical joke about him practising his scales, a thing all pianists love (not!). Its similar in vibe to Saint-Saens' Pianists bit of Carnival of the Animals. The reason I thought it was the second movement (Elgar's wife, the first variation) is that the opening theme and that variation blend into another, both have this lyrical vibe, then follows the more busy fugue bit.


----------



## Guest

I've read one member's criticism of Tchaikovsky's music as "emotional banality and bad taste pomposity". Another wrote they "would probably best listen... in private. And not too loudly."

Well I for one am proud to turn it up and say that I love this music:








Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23 - Alice Sara Ott, Thomas Hengelbrock, Muchner Philharmoniker








Violin Concerto, Op. 35 - Nicola Benedetti, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach-Busoni: Chaconne for solo violin, BWV1004* / Wolf Harden (Piano!) [Busoni - Piano Music Vol. 2]

*Beethoven - Works for String Quintet:*

Prelude and Fugue fragment for string quintet in D minor, Hess 40

Fugue for string quintet in D major, Op.137: Allegretto / Endellion String Quartet, David Adams (Viola)

Tantalising fragments of late Beethoven (you want there to be more)


----------



## bejart

EDIT: I can't figure a way to cancel a post entirely ---


----------



## bejart

Johann Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Flute Quintet in D Major, Op.7, No.3

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Sabine Lier, violin -- Rainer Zipperling and Julie Barsodi, cellos -- Sabine Bauer, piano


----------



## Ravndal

Arvo Part - Symphony 4


----------



## Winterreisender

Liszt - Piano Sonata in B Minor - Peter Donohoe


----------



## SimonNZ

"Wayfaring Stranger: Folksongs" - Andreas Scholl, countertenor

heard "She Moved Through The Fair" on the radio as I woke up this morning and was so impressed I just went and grabbed this from the secondhand shop near work


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Satie*: Piano Works, w. Ciccolini (rec.1966 - '76).

*Zemlinsky*: String Quartets (Complete), w. LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980).

View attachment 26329
View attachment 26330


----------



## Guest

Ok so I'm not actually listening to anything right now but I just want to say damn this hit me like a truck in many awesome ways earlier.


----------



## Valkhafar

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Brahms trio no. 3 & Schubert trio no. 2


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D, No. 39 in E-flat
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## KenOC

Mendelssohn's Piano Sonata in E, Op. 6. An astonishing and quite fine work, written by the 17-year old Mendelssohn in 1826. He was feeling inspired by Beethoven's Op. 101 sonata, and it shows. I'd never heard this, but glad I did.


----------



## Musician

KenOC said:


> Mendelssohn's Piano Sonata in E, Op. 6. An astonishing and quite fine work, written by the 17-year old Mendelssohn in 1826. He was feeling inspired by Beethoven's Op. 101 sonata, and it shows. I'd never heard this, but glad I did.


Heard it like 12 years ago, awesome work...composed at 16 if I'm not mistaken

first page
http://javanese.imslp.info/files/im...71-Mendelssohn_-_Op.6_-_Sonata_in_E_Major.pdf


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to an ROIO recording of Osmo Vanska's farwell performance with the Minnesota Orchestra. Too bad that the musicians have not been able to come to a salary agreement and the result has forced Vanska to move on. He was probably one the best things to happen to Minnesota. Anyway, this recording was broadcasted on KSJN 99.5FM 10/05/2013. The program was as follows:

Star Spangled Banner
Overture to Egmont, Op. 84 (Beethoven)
Concerto No. 3 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op.37 Emanuel Ax, piano (Beethoven)
Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major for Piano and Orchestra, K.595 Emanuel Ax, piano (Mozart)
Suite from The Firebird (1919) (Stravinsky)
Valse Triste (Sibelius)

The recording quality is very good with the exception of the FM hiss and the performance is superb by all.

I've also been enjoying delving into the symphonies of Swiss composer Fritz Brun. I'm undecided as to whether I really like his symphonies but I certainly have enjoyed moments in them and I think I just need to hear them more to appreciate them fully.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 1995:

John Adams' Violin Concerto - Chloe Hanslip, violin, Leonard Slatkin, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

I listened this morning, but was just too distracted to give the pieces due attention. I just spent the better part of an hour on the living room floor. Oh my  Lynn Harrell is sensational! And those cadenzas...


----------



## brotagonist

Coming home to old friends:









Chamber works from 1953-91.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piaon Sonata No.21 "Waldstein" - Melvyn Tan, fortepiano


----------



## jim prideaux

you tube-Bernstein 1965 conducting Royal Danish Orch. on visit to Copenhagen in performance of Nielsen no.3
Apparently he was responsible for bringing the works of the composer to a wider public during this period and this particular performance seems to reflect his enthusiasm for, and belief in the symphony-absolute blast, nice one Lenny:tiphat:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 70 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).









Another relatively uknown Haydn symphony with some very good content, imo. The 1st movement is sprightly, with question and answer segments. The 2nd movement is 'learned' and in the minor, apparently also a two-part canon. The 3rd movement is a sprightly Menuet: Allegretto, very much in the mood of the 1st movement. The 4th movement is fugal and in the minor, more specifically a triple fugue in double counterpoint. This movement is in the vein of the finale of Symphony no. 52 in C minor.
Plus, it starts and ends with something similar to the beginning of Beethoven's 5th symphony - the knocks of fate. The symphony was composed for the occassion of the beginning of construction works for a new, even grander opera after the fires at Esterhaza, so this would fit the context.


----------



## SimonNZ

Katheryn Woodward's Lyric Suite - comp., prepared piano

edit: now John Adams' Common Tones In Simple Time - Edo De Waart, cond.


----------



## pwdemars

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5!


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Gilbert's Revealing Distant Cities - White Rabbit

edit: now Gloria Coates' Lyric Suite for piano trio - Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin, Neil Heyde, cello, Roderick Chadwick, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ross Edwards: Blackwattle Caprices
Phillip Houghton: Stélé
Peter Sculthorpe: From Kakadu
Ross Edwards: Guitar Dances (after Marimba Dances)
Graeme Koehne: A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design
Brett Dean: Three Caprichos after Goya
Peter Sculthorpe: Into the Dreaming
Peter Sculthorpe: Djilile









Music performed on a Smallman guitar by a friend of my guitar teacher. _Stélé_ and _Three Caprichos_ are the best thing on the disc! The Ross Edwards pieces are just his typically predictable myxolidian mode music. :lol:


----------



## EricABQ

Poulenc's Les soirees de Nazelles played by Pascal Roge.


----------



## jim prideaux

as the weather begins to change and the sea appears to be increasingly 'lively' (just been for my daily walk along the beach) the elemental Nielsen appears even more appropriate-4th/5th symphonies-Blomstedt and the San Francisco S.O. on my return home.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: English Suite No.4 in F Major

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ligeti:
The Big Turtle Fanfare from the South China Sea
Three Pieces for Two Pianos
Étude no. 2 "Cordes à Vide"
Étude no. 4 "Fanfares"
Piano Concerto
Violin Concerto









I never really got to know the violin concerto very well, recently I've been wanting to listen to more and more 20th and 21st century violin concertos...I guess listening to as many violin concertos from the 20th and 21st centuries is a project I will undertake! The Adès and the *Sibelius* concertos I know right away as breathtaking and stunning, the Berg is very good, Schoenberg phenomenal, one of Tedesco's (I think I know no. 2) is also brilliant, Rautavaara was very good, I like Unsuk Chin's but I think I should listen to it again sometimes soon, I like Glass's first more than the second, I've seen a performance of Brett Dean's second violin concerto (_Electric Preludes_ for electric violin and strings), .....and that's all I can think of that I've listened to! I'm know many violin concertos have been written since 1900, I just haven't listened to them yet! I know I must buy Dean's first violin concerto when it's available on CD!


----------



## Weston

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Mahler: Symphony no. 9
> 
> View attachment 26288
> 
> 
> I only managed to listen to the first movement of this while I was doing homework this evening around where the record player-_my_ record player-is located. It was quite late by the time side 1 was over so I went to my room where my record player is not located, and neither are any of my LPs (I paid for all the classical LPs in the house with my own money and I don't get to listen to them much anyway :lol. That's my excuse for not listening to the whole thing! A great first movement though, this symphony is my second favourite of Mahler's, right after the 7th.


I am reminded of latter day Jethro Tull concerts. "Here's another song off side one of our -- latest --- CD . . . Whatever happened to side two?"

It's been a long time since I've heard anyone mention sides.



TurnaboutVox said:


> Beethoven - Piano Sonatas No. 17 in D minor, Op.31 no.2 'Tempest' / Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips 1996 version]
> 
> Busoni - Piano Music Vol. 1 / Wolf Harden (Piano)
> 
> Bach-Busoni: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
> Prelude and Fugue in C minor
> An die Jugend (1909)
> Fantasia Contrappuntistica
> 
> A strange and beautiful fusion of Bach-like fugal writing and atonality - I've been fascinated by Busoni's piano works for a while now.


That Fantasia Contrapuntista is an amazing work. I've never heard anything quite like it except maybe some of Stravinsky's Bach homages.



SimonNZ said:


> "Wayfaring Stranger: Folksongs" - Andreas Scholl, countertenor
> 
> heard "She Moved Through The Fair" on the radio as I woke up this morning and was so impressed I just went and grabbed this from the secondhand shop near work


What an amazing fun cover! I have enjoyed the Fairport Convention / Sandy Denny version of "She Moved Through the Fair" for some years.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Rimsky-Korsakov - The Tsar's Bride, Overture (Andrey Chistiakov; Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra; Sveshnikov Russian Academic Choir; Ekaterina Kudriavchenko, Arkady Mishenkin, Vladislav Verestnikov).









This just arrived in the mail, I'm quite excited about hearing a full opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. From the samples, it sounded excellent.


----------



## DrKilroy

SimonNZ said:


> edit: now John Adams' Common Tones In Simple Time - Edo De Waart, cond.


That's a great CD! I really have to buy it. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## realdealblues

A few more from the Perahia Box Set:

View attachment 26346


Bach: English Suites Nos. 1, 3 & 6

View attachment 26345


Bach: English Suites Nos. 2, 4 & 5

And since I was still in the Bach mood...

View attachment 26347


Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6
Rinaldo Alessandrini & The Concerto Italiano


----------



## science

Going through the Ring again. I'm almost done with Siegfried. I guess the fourth one will be for tomorrow.

Previously:










I love Rigoletto. Up there with Don Giovanni and Figaro as my favorite operas. From a purely musical POV, it's good, but it wouldn't be that high - a lot of Wagner would get in the way. But considering the plot and libretto as well, it's at the top. (Hey, and get the Chailly DVD. It's worth the price to see Pavarotti's eyes when he sings _La donna è mobile_.










Someday, I swear, I'm going to listen to what Bernstein says at the end. But I've never done that yet. I don't have a better recording of this work - does anybody?


----------



## realdealblues

science said:


> Someday, I swear, I'm going to listen to what Bernstein says at the end. But I've never done that yet. I don't have a better recording of this work - does anybody?


That's a highly regarded recording of that work. I like Bernstein's 68 recording a little better, but it's still very fine. Charles Munch's is also highly regarded, you might look at that one.


----------



## Blancrocher

A little collection of some favorite Bach music from the Passions of John & Matthew, and the Mass in B minor.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to three pieces of Stravinsky's Pétrouchka on piano performed by Yuja Wang.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: L'heure espagnole
Anna Steiger, Francois le Roux, London Philharmonic, cond. Sian Edwards


----------



## Gilberto

I've had this box set on my HD for years and never listened to it until this morning. The first 3 discs. It just hasn't been my favorite period of music (I always preferred Baroque) but reading this forum and seeing all the Haydn talk I thought I'd give it a spin. Pleasantly surprised.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.10 in Eb, Op.74 ('Harp')

artist
Colorado String Quartet


----------



## julianoq

science said:


> Someday, I swear, I'm going to listen to what Bernstein says at the end. But I've never done that yet. I don't have a better recording of this work - does anybody?


My favorite is the Sir Colin Davis with the Concertgebouw record. Actually I like it so much that I will listen to it right now!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Gilberto said:


> View attachment 26350
> 
> 
> I've had this box set on my HD for years and never listened to it until this morning. The first 3 discs. It just hasn't been my favorite period of music (I always preferred Baroque) but reading this forum and seeing all the Haydn talk I thought I'd give it a spin. Pleasantly surprised.


In my opinion, Haydn's best sonatas are 59-62 and also the ones in the minor mode (C minor, C-Sharp minor, 2x E minor and B minor). The B minor is the most 'learned', I guess. If you like baroque, you should definitely try that one out. There are other great sonatas, like No. 37 in D Major, with a solemn, baroque-like Largo in the 2nd movement. The rest of the Sonata is very witty, so that the Largo forms a nice contrast. Sonata #58 is very nice as well. But I still have to explore them further . The F minor variations are also very nice.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

julianoq said:


> My favorite is the Sir Colin Davis with the Concertgebouw record. Actually I like it so much that I will listen to it right now!


Strangely enough, Bernstein's Interpretation seemed to me as if he was 'holding back' a lot. Especially in the Dies Irae part, something was missing, the menacing melody didn't grab as much as when I first heard it, with an Interpreter whom I can't remember right now. I own this Interpretation:









(1977)

Which other recordings would you recommend for this symphony? This is subjective though, of course.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.11 in F-, Op.95 ('Serioso')

artist
Quartetto Italiano


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.12 in Eb, Op.127

artist
Lydian String Quartet


----------



## Itullian

science said:


> Going through the Ring again. I'm almost done with Siegfried. I guess the fourth one will be for tomorrow.
> 
> Previously:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love Rigoletto. Up there with Don Giovanni and Figaro as my favorite operas. From a purely musical POV, it's good, but it wouldn't be that high - a lot of Wagner would get in the way. But considering the plot and libretto as well, it's at the top. (Hey, and get the Chailly DVD. It's worth the price to see Pavarotti's eyes when he sings _La donna è mobile_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Someday, I swear, I'm going to listen to what Bernstein says at the end*. But I've never done that yet. I don't have a better recording of this work - does anybody?


Berlioz Takes a Trip is a classic. Do listen.


----------



## Vesteralen

Three discs of chamber and solo piano music of Grazyna Bacewicz. Varied and impressive.


----------



## Vesteralen

Kirkby and Tubb with the music of Orazio Vecchi - doesn't get much better than this. A live performance with a lot of audience clapping, but I'll take it anyway.


----------



## science

julianoq said:


> My favorite is the Sir Colin Davis with the Concertgebouw record. Actually I like it so much that I will listen to it right now!


Years ago I intended to buy this one, didn't pay attention, and got Davis with the LSO. So disappointing!


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Septem Verba Cristi Cruce Prolatis (orchestra version)
By Les Concerts des Nations, Jordi Savall [dir.], on Alliavox









Gioacchino Rossini - Petite Messe Sollenelle (orchestra version)
By Daniella Dessi [soprano], Gloria Scalschi [mezzo-soprano], Giuseppe Sabbatini [tenor], Michele Pertusi [bass], Orchestra Rosinni, Coro del Teatro Communale di Bolonga, Ricardo Chailly [dir.], on Decca









It is an intriguing work. Almost as if it was an opera. I really like it (and it reminds me that I have to dig into italian classical/romantic opera)!

Johann Sebastian Bach - Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony Classics









Johann Sebastian Bach - Clavier Ubüng III 
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Verdi's* (1813 - 1901) birthday, arias w. The Pav.

View attachment 26366


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Years ago I intended to buy this one, didn't pay attention, and got Davis with the LSO. So disappointing!


My favorite...

View attachment 26367


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> as the weather begins to change and the sea appears to be increasingly 'lively' (just been for my daily walk along the beach) the elemental Nielsen appears even more appropriate-4th/5th symphonies-Blomstedt and the San Francisco S.O. on my return home.


Another for lively seas...

View attachment 26368


----------



## brotagonist

Disc One: Works for Piano and Orchestra:









I never thought I 'd get this, but I really do like it!


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Ligeti:
> The Big Turtle Fanfare from the South China Sea
> Three Pieces for Two Pianos
> Étude no. 2 "Cordes à Vide"
> Étude no. 4 "Fanfares"
> Piano Concerto
> Violin Concerto
> 
> View attachment 26343
> 
> 
> I never really got to know the violin concerto very well, recently I've been wanting to listen to more and more 20th and 21st century violin concertos...I guess listening to as many violin concertos from the 20th and 21st centuries is a project I will undertake! The Adès and the *Sibelius* concertos I know right away as breathtaking and stunning, the Berg is very good, Schoenberg phenomenal, one of Tedesco's (I think I know no. 2) is also brilliant, Rautavaara was very good, I like Unsuk Chin's but I think I should listen to it again sometimes soon, I like Glass's first more than the second, I've seen a performance of Brett Dean's second violin concerto (_Electric Preludes_ for electric violin and strings), .....and that's all I can think of that I've listened to! I'm know many violin concertos have been written since 1900, I just haven't listened to them yet! I know I must buy Dean's first violin concerto when it's available on CD!


The Violin Concerto is one of my favorite pieces by Ligeti. The first movement is my favorite in the piece.


----------



## DrKilroy

Kapustin - Etudes, Sonata Fantasy, Suite in Old Style, Variations op. 41 (Kapustin)
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki)

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Roussel*: Symphony 1, w. Eschenbach (rec. 2005); Symphony 2, etc., w. Martinon (rec.1968); Symphony 3, w. LB (rec.1961); Symphony 4, w. Verrot (rec.1993); Chamber Music (Complete), w. Schonberg Qt. et al (rec.1994).

View attachment 26371
View attachment 26372
View attachment 26373
View attachment 26374
View attachment 26375


----------



## Gilberto

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> In my opinion, Haydn's best sonatas are 59-62 and also the ones in the minor mode (C minor, C-Sharp minor, 2x E minor and B minor). The B minor is the most 'learned', I guess. If you like baroque, you should definitely try that one out. There are other great sonatas, like No. 34 in D Major, with a solemn, baroque-like Largo in the 2nd movement. The rest of the Sonata is very witty, so that the Largo forms a nice contrast. Sonata #58 is very nice as well. But I still have to explore them further . The F minor variations are also very nice.


Thanks. I'll listen for those coming up. I have resumed the sequence!


----------



## aleazk

Thomas Adès - In Seven Days.

- Polaris.

Nice.


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Walkure Act 1 - Krauss Bayreuth 1951.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 102 in B-Flat Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









I think the conducting by Herbig is excellent in the Adagio, the way the solo passages come through is great.


----------



## Blancrocher

Uchida's latest Schumann album, with Waldszenen, Gesange der Fruhe, Piano Sonata #2, and Im Herbste. Like her other Schumann disks, it's quirky--and I like it!


----------



## Sid James

*Rimsky-Korsakov* The Tale of the Tsar Sultan - Little Pictures
*Prokofiev* Lieutentant Kije: Suite, Op. 60
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Verbitsky










*Elgar* Sea Pictures, Op. 37
- Bernadette Greevy, contralto with London PO under Vernon Handley










*George Dreyfus*
Rush - versions for full orch. & string orch.
A Steam Train Passes - music from the short film
Mary Gilmore Goes to Paraguay - suite from the film "And their ghosts may be heard"
- Melbourne SO & Queensland SO under the composer


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 in G BWV 1007; No. 4 in E flat BWV 1010* / Maurice Gendron (Cello)

All that Busoni yesterday has sent me back to his original source of inspiration. This recording sounds pretty good for its age.

*Robert Simpson - String Quartet No. 15 (1991) / Vanbrugh Quartet*

I'm still getting to know this quartet after 9 months on my CD player and my hard drives


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 Solomon/Halle Orchestra/Sir Hamilton Harty

A classic performance by one of the 20th century's finest pianists. When I was an aspiring pianist of 17, I wrote him a fan letter, and got a signed photograph by return of post, I treasure it still.


----------



## Inceptionist

Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C Minor (Op.110) Mov.2

Absolutely terrifying piece


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Sonata for Piano and Violin No.10 G-dur Op. 96* / Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich

A favourite. Serene and elegaic, a masterpiece. What a pity LvB didn't write a truly late period Piano and Violin chamber work.

*Beethoven - Große Fuge for String Quartet, Op. 133* / Lindsay Quartet

A favourite quartet (Op. 130 / 133 that is), but not my favourite recording. I keep trying to like it better but despite its reputation I find it hard and dissonant (OK, I listen to a lot of dissonant music but I wasn't expecting it here!) and I'm not too sure about the intonation sometimes. I prefer the Talich Quartet's version.

*Beethoven - String Quartet No. 13 in B, Op. 130 - (Cavatina; Finale - Allegro)* / Lindsay Quartet

There is undoubtedly great poetry in this but also some quite quirky viola (I think) playing.


----------



## Adagietto

Morton Feldman's Piano And String Quartet (1985). Just listened to this on Youtube last night. It's not the kind of music I normally listen to, but I loved it, and can see myself seeking out more of it.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Inceptionist said:


> Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C Minor (Op.110) Mov.2
> 
> Absolutely terrifying piece


Yes, it's a fantastic quartet, very chilling. Who is playing it on your recording?


----------



## aleazk

Adagietto said:


> Morton Feldman's Piano And String Quartet (1985). Just listened to this on Youtube last night. It's not the kind of music I normally listen to, but I loved it, and can see myself seeking out more of it.


I was listening to that piece just a while ago.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: String Quartet No.8 in B Flat, D.112

Takacs Quartet: Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Karoly Schranz, violins -- Gabor Ormai, viola -- Andras Fejer, cello


----------



## Weston

Very compelling chamber music by Bernard Stevens and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

The Fantasia on a Theme of Dowland, for violin & piano, Op. 23, uses "Can She Excuse My Wrongs" as the theme, no doubt my favorite Dowland song.

The Piano Trio, Op. 3 is like a weird amalgamation of Bach and Shostakovich. But the standout piece is the Trio for horn, violin & piano, Op. 38. There is nothing I can compare it to. It is in a very accessible but idiosyncratic motive driven world of its own.

This is a wonderful album all around, some of the nicest chamber works that are new to me I've heard in a long time. I'll even forgive the inclusion of a solo violin improvisation, not normally to my taste.


----------



## Inceptionist

TurnaboutVox said:


> Yes, it's a fantastic quartet, very chilling. Who is playing it on your recording?


The Emerson Quartet, you can listen here if you like


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mahler Symphony 9.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Penderecki, Dies Irae.
Egon Wellesz, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 8.


----------



## Blancrocher

Eliza Garth playing solo works by Donald Martino. I saw his name a couple times around the forum, but it was his Wikipedia bio that made me curious:



> The pianist Easley Blackwood commissioned Martino's sonata Pianississimo, explicitly requesting that it be one of the most difficult pieces ever written. The resulting work is indeed of epic difficulty, but has been recorded several times. (Blackwood declined to perform it.)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Martino

No complaints about the album, but it didn't make my heart beat faster. I'll look into more of his work.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beside Ms. DiDonato... who is marvelous... I find that a good many of my favorite contemporary singers are mezzo-sopranos:

Joyce DiDonato
Cecilia Bartoli
Elīna Garanča
Susan Graham
Magdalena Kožená
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Anne Sofie von Otter
Frederica von Stade
Waltraud Meier

A majority of these women are among the most intelligent and discerning when it comes to musical selection... often at the heart of the rediscovery of forgotten or less-well-known works. But then there's also a richness to the mezzo voice... a sensuality... like chocolate... akin to the clarinet.


----------



## bejart

Johann Evangelist Brandl (1760-1837): Bassoon Quintet in C Major, Op.61

Calamus Ensemble: Rainer Schottstadt, bassoon -- Sigrid Althoff, piano -- Torsten Janicke, violin -- Mile Kosi, viola -- Joachim Griesheimer, cello


----------



## EricABQ

Von Weber's piano sonata #2 played by Hamish Milne.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Viola Sonata in E Flat, Op.3, No.1

Jennifer Stumm, viola -- Connie Shih, piano


----------



## mstar

*Sibelius violin concerto in d minor....*

Wonderful, how did this composer pass by my ears unnoticed before now?!


----------



## Itullian

mstar said:


> *Sibelius violin concerto in d minor....*
> 
> Wonderful, how did this composer pass by my ears unnoticed before now?!


Sibelius is awesome. Try his symphonies. 2 is very accessible.


----------



## Itullian

Excellent!


----------



## Blancrocher

Having recently immersed myself in Sibelius's incidental music for The Tempest, I'm enjoying another hearing of Ades's treatment of the same subject.

*p.s.* Welcome to the fold, mstar. Sibelius is a way of life.


----------



## Weston

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Sinfonietta on Russian Themes in A minor, Op. 31*
Andre Anichanov / St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra

Since one of my earliest exposures to classical was an LP of instrumental music from operas, including Rimsky-Korsakov's Le Coq d'Or Suite when I was very young, this sinfonietta sounds comfortable and nostalgic to me, great for the fall weather (we are no longer having at the moment). Sweet sounds.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, * performed by the James Levine led Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Weston

^ I have that Ives CD. It's a great collection.

My current listening and last for the evening.

*Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5*
Idil Biret, piano

What a massive ambitious work! I love the way the five movements seem to be interconnected, more closely so than many other classical works. Variations on the opening theme seem to pop up throughout -- or at least very similar themes. This is clearly a young composer with big ideas taking on the world.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to another great sounding ROIO recording of Philadelphia Orchestra with Jaap van Zweden guest conducting. This is an FM recording of a live performance from April of this year and included:

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky/arr. Drew Lucas - Souvenir de Florence, for string orchestra in D minor, Op. 70 
Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100

The Tchaikovsky piece I have never heard before and it is quite a gem of a piece. The Prokofiev is one of my favorite pieces of all time and van Zweden and the Philadelphia Orchestra nailed this one. One superb performance. The sound quality for an FM broadcast was exceptional.

Now listening once again to the 6th and 7th symphonies of Fritz Brun. I am getting much more out them this time around and I think these will get regular play for a while.










Kevin


----------



## starthrower

Weston said:


> ^ I have that Ives CD. It's a great collection.


I like the several short pieces better than the symphony! And it's one of the best sounding DG recordings I've heard.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Moved onto Brun's 1st symphony. Really lovely piece and easily more accessible than the other symphonies released.










Kevin


----------



## starthrower

First time listening to these symphonies in 30 years. I used to listen to the Bohm DG cycle
on vinyl back then. Got this CD out of the B&N cheapo bin.


----------



## brotagonist

This is my only album of Shostakovich's vocal music. It is a symphony, but I would consider it to be more aptly described as a song cycle. It just showed up today; this is my first listening. It's charms are enticing, despite the morbid theme of death. I take that in a poetic sense, so it is not a depressing work.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Rimsky-Korsakov, The Tsar's Bride, Disc 2 (Andrey Chistiakov; Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra; Sveshnikov Russian Academic Choir; Ekaterina Kudriavchenko, Arkady Mishenkin, Vladislav Verestnikov).









I guess it's the language barrier which prevents this opera from being more popular outside of Russia, it can't be the music .


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeryer 2012:

Esa-Pekka Salonen's Viiolin Concerto - Leila Josefowicz, violin, cond. composer


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Feldman: Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello






Despite having a Feldman quote as my signature (he was talking about *Sibelius* at the time), I don't actually know his music very well. His name popped up in another thread, so I've decided to listen to his music for the first time in ages. I've just started on this work and so far I like it! The length of the work may be slightly daunting (well, I suppose it isn't longer than most Mahler symphonies), but the pace is perfect for me.


----------



## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Feldman: Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Despite having a Feldman quote as my signature (he was talking about *Sibelius* at the time), I don't actually know his music very well. His name popped up in another thread, so I've decided to listen to his music for the first time in ages. I've just started on this work and so far I like it! The length of the work may be slightly daunting (well, I suppose it isn't longer than most Mahler symphonies), but the pace is perfect for me.


LOL!!, that video is extremely annoying!! (the video part, I mean, of course).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> LOL!!, that video is extremely annoying!! (the video part, I mean, of course).


Ha  yeah


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 49 in F minor, 'La Passione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Bliss' Adam Zero - David Lloyd-Jones, cond.


----------



## Kivimees

Kevin Pearson posted this the other day, so I just gave it a listen myself...









...and I really liked it. No. 5 more than no. 10, but both are enjoyable. (And I like the cover).

Not the first time that Kevin Pearson has led me on the path to something I enjoy. :tiphat:


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Listening to the *Concerto in D major for Transverse Flute* at the moment. Absolutely love it! Listened to it earlier, and later I was sitting down in a chair listening to someone talk and I noticed I was tapping the melody from the first movement with my fingers on the side of the chair. That was an awesome moment. :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Bridge's The Hour Glass - Kathryn Stott, piano


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Clarinet Concerto
Martin Fröst-Amsterdam Sinfonietta - Peter Oundjian

It's not my favorite performance, but it's pretty good. The sound quality is amazing!


----------



## bejart

Willem de Fesch (1687-1761): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.2, No.5

Arie van Beek conducting the Orchestra d'Auverine o.l.v. --- Gordon Nikolitch, violin


----------



## julianoq

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2, performed by Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel and the Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. This is a new release, I watched a making of video a few days ago and got interested. Sounding pretty good so far!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Schübler & Leipzig Chorales
By Ton Koopman [organ], Amsterdam Baroque Choir, on Teldec









Joseph Haydn - Symphony 26 "Lamentatione", Symphony 49 "La Passione", Symphony 58
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv









Antonio Vivaldi - Concerti per Fagotto RV 485, 502, 474, 480, 494, 475
By Sergio Azzolini [fagotto], l'Aura soave Cremona, on Näive









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in Em, The Hebrides Ouverture, Violin Concerto in Dm
By Alina Ibragimova [violin], Orchestra of the age of Enlightment, Vladimir Jurowski [dir.], on Hyperion


----------



## korenbloem

Franz Schubert performed by Daniel Barenboim & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - Winterreise









edit:

and now









(24-bit Remaster)


----------



## Blancrocher

Corelli's Violin Sonatas. I won't throw away my Manze, but this is a great performance from Stefano Montanari and the Accademia Bizantina. I'm looking forward to their performance of Corelli's setting of the Follia!


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: Cello Suites, Janos Starker.


----------



## Celloman

Bach: English Suites
Richard Egarr, harpsichord


----------



## Gilberto

It has been a Chopin morning here.


----------



## korenbloem

César Franck performed by Simon Johnson - Franck: Symphonic organ works [2013]


----------



## starthrower

Disc 2 The Rite Of Spring


----------



## Guest

and now on to...


----------



## pwdemars

Mozart Requiem with John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Bas

George Frederic Handel - Esther 
By Robin Blaze [tenor], Matthew Brook [bass baritone], Ashley Turnell [tenor], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Electra Lochhead [alto], Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Susan Hamilton [soprano], Nicholas Mulroy [tenor], Dunedin Consort and Players, John Butt [dir.], on Linn


----------



## realdealblues

A couple more from the Perahia Box Set...

View attachment 26421


Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4

View attachment 26422


Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6 & 7

Followed by some more Baroque.

View attachment 26423


Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Op. 8; Concerto No. 10, Op. 3; Concerto No. 11, Op. 3
Andrea Marcon & The Venice Baroque Orchestra
Violinist: Giuliano Carmignola


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Recently purchased that same 'Winterreise' album . I'm liking it a lot.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio No. 27 in C Major, Hob. 15/27 (Van Swieten Trio).









I had Trios No. 27-30 by the Kungsbacka Trio, and now listening to this work interpreted by the Van Swieten Trio. I have to say I prefer the Van Swieten Trio by far, the period instruments fit very well here, imo.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Faure

Nocturnes

No. 1 In E Flat Minor Op. 33 No. 1
No. 2 In B Major Op. 33 No. 2
No. 3 In A Flat Major Op. 33 No. 3
No. 4 In E Flat Major Op. 36
No. 5 In B Flat Major Op. 37
No. 6 In D Flat Major Op. 63
No. 7 In C Sharp Minor Op. 74

Paul Crossley (Piano)


----------



## Itullian

Excellent.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









I like how Haydn evokes 'shadow' in the 1st movement using the strings.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Ma mère l'oye (ballet version)
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Boulez


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli - Tallis Scholars

looking forward to the Tallis Scholars being in town next Saturday, giving a performance which will include this work


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Fauré - Piano Quintet No.1 in D minor Op.89* / Domus, Anthony Marwood (Violin)

*Ligeti - Streichquartette I */ Artemis Quartett


----------



## Sid James

*Lyadov* The Enchanted Lake, Op. 62
*Rachmaninov* Capriccio on Gypsy Themes, Op. 12
*Shostakovich* Tahiti Trot, Op. 16 (arr. of "Tea for Two" by Vincent Youmans)
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Verbitsky










*Elgar* 
Variations on an Original Theme "Enigma," Op. 36
- Sydney SO under Myer Fredman
Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20
- Queensland SO under Bernard Heinze











*Rachmaninov* 
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
- Zoltan Kocsis, piano with San Francisco SO under Edo de Waart
Prelude in G minor Op. 23 #5
- Rafael Orozco, piano
Romance in F minor (arr. Lloyd Webber)
- Julian Lloyd Webber, cello / John Lenehan, piano
Liebesfreud (Kreisler, arr. Rachmaninov)
- The composer on piano, recorded from a 1926 Ampico piano roll


----------



## TurnaboutVox

To wind down my listening for the evening, some easy-on-the-ear works from Schubert and Haydn

*Schubert - Fantasy in C major, D.934* / Renaud Capuçon (violin), Jérome Ducros (piano)

*Haydn - Piano Trio in E minor, Hob. XV: 12* / Schiff, Shiokawa, Pergamenschikow


----------



## Andolink

*Jonathan Harvey*: Percussion Concerto
Peter Prommel, percussion
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Peter Eötvös








*J. S. Bach*: 'Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt', BWV 68
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Vinko Globokar*: Les Otages (2003)
Symfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Scriabin*: Symphonies (Complete), etc. w. Alexeev/Muti et al (rec.1985 - '90); Symphony 3, etc., w. Barenboim (rec.1986); Piano Sonatas (Complete), etc., w. Alexeev (rec.2008 - '11); Hamelin (rec.1995); Ashkenazy (rec.1974 - '84).

View attachment 26434
View attachment 26435
View attachment 26436
View attachment 26437
View attachment 26438


----------



## bejart

Wenzeslaus Matiegka (1773-1830): Notturno in G Major, Op.21

Serenade a trois: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Petra Mullejans, viola-- Sonja Prunnbauer, guitar


----------



## korenbloem

Written on Skin (favorite classical release of 2013?)


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Arthur Bliss' Adam Zero - David Lloyd-Jones, cond.


I've had my eye on these works for some time, but then find it an unfair advantage a composer should be named Bliss.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Cecilia Bartoli singing Salieri. Let's have some more recordings of this composer, please!


----------



## EricABQ

Faure nocturnes played by Kathryn Stott.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Min**or, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.107 {"Reformation"}, *
both works featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major, *both performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic. Comparing and contrasting Maestro Levine's and Bernstein's respective traversal of the wonderful Mahler *9*, to my ears, it sounds as if Levine conducts it at a somewhat slower pace than his counterpart, which brings out much more of its eloquence, most especially in its transcendent final movement.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Feldman: For Philip Guston






This is my afternoon


----------



## Sonata

Handel: Messiah
Mahler: Symphony #5
Haydn: The Clock symphony


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just want to update saying that I'm now a little over a fifth of the way through the Feldman piece I started listening to (listened to about an hour of it now). So far it's brilliant. Morton Feldman has become one of my favourite composers ever! His music is just _never_ boring! There's always great stuff all the way through his works. I bet I could attend a performance of _For Philip Guston_ and _String Quartet 2_ and not fall asleep.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 1986:

Ligeti's Etudes Book One - Idil Biret, piano


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Grawemeyer 1986:
> 
> Ligeti's Etudes Book One - Idil Biret, piano


Not a fan of that version of The Devil's Staircase.


----------



## SimonNZ

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Not a fan of that version of The Devil's Staircase.


Which is your preferred recording?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> Which is your preferred recording?


This is the best one I've heard:


----------



## Itullian

Love these historical recordings. Great singing and conducting.
Good mono sound here.
libretto enclosed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Bridge's The Sea - Imogen Holst, cond.


----------



## Weston

Sonata said:


> Handel: Messiah


Nice to see someone else plays this any time of year. It is not overtly Christmas related.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6 and 7 - Melvyn Tan, fortepiano


----------



## Sonata

Weston said:


> Nice to see someone else plays this any time of year. It is not overtly Christmas related.


I agree. And I'll add that every now and then "Oh Holy Night" and "The First Noel" can sometimes be heard wafting from my speakers in July  I listen whenever the mood strikes!

Speaking of the mood striking, in a Brahms mood! His superb first string sextet!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Finally finished that Morton Feldman piece! (I took a break in there somewhere to make and eat dinner)
What an experience that was! I'll be sure to listen to the whole thing AGAIN another day!

But now I was to listen to Mahler, either the 6th or the 9th symphonies. I don't know yet. However much I love Mahler and I listen to his music often, I have to say that I'm not familiar with much of his work other than symphonies 1, 2, and 7. I've heard them all but I just haven't explored them further.....so I'll listen to either 6 or 9 this evening, not sure which one yet, maybe both. 

I do love this version of no. 6 




Actually, I think I'll listen to Tennstedt instead:


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> This is the best one I've heard:


That version certainly has the best intro ever.


----------



## Bas

Weston said:


> Nice to see someone else plays this any time of year. It is not overtly Christmas related.


Actually, the second part is more easter related. I know people that listen the second half of the Messiah on Holy Saterday, after the service in the evening. And musically it is a master piece that can off course - when parted from it's liturgy - be enjoyed the whole year.


----------



## SimonNZ

another listen to Esa-Pekka Salonen's Violin Concerto

and noticing for the first time this detail on the Wikipedia entry for the Grawemeyer award:

"The selection process includes three panels of judges. The first is a panel of faculty from the University of Louisville, who hosts and maintains the perpetuity of the award. The second is a panel of music professionals, often involving conductors, performers, and composers (most frequently the previous winner). The final decision is made by a lay committee of new music enthusiasts who are highly knowledgeable about the state of new music. *This final committee of amateurs makes the final prize determination because Grawemeyer insisted that great ideas are not exclusively the domain of academic experts*."


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Couleurs De La Cite Celeste - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez

there's meant to be five NZ birds in this, but I can't pick them...yet.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Feldman: Crippled Symmetry






The ensemble made up of flute, piano/celesta and percussion is my favourite type of ensemble today.


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie LeClair (1697-1764): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.7, No.4

Collegium Musicum 90 -- Simon Standage, violin


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _St. John Passion_, BWV 245
Ruth Holton, soprano
Nancy Argenta, soprano
Michael Chance, countertenor
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor
Rufus Müller, tenor 
Neill Archer, tenor
Stephen Varcoe, bass 
Cornelius Hauptmann, bass 
The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## DrKilroy

Today is the birthday of *Ralph Vaughan Williams*! :trp: This means I'm going to listen to all of his symphonies (Handley), Oboe Concerto (Small/Handley), Tuba Concerto (Harrild/Thomson), Piano Concerto (Shelley/Thomson), Violin Concerto (not sure about the performers) and as many other minor works I will be able to. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition --
Antonio Casimir Cartellieri (1772-1807): Clarinet Quartet No.2 in E Flat

Consortium Classicum with Dieter Klocker on clarinet: Andreas Knecher, violin -- Niklas Schwartz, viola -- Armin Fromm, cello


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Symphony no. 100 "Military", Symphony no. 101 "The Clock", Symphony no. 102, Symphony no. 95, Symphony no. 99, Symphony 104 "London"
By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Franz Schubert - Fantasie in C D.934, Sonata in A, D.574, Rondo in Bm D.895
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Lasdislaus Dussek (1760 - 1812) - Fantasia and Fuga in Fm, Sonata in A-flat, Sonata in Fm-sharp
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Domenico Scarlatti - Piano Sonatas Kv 372 - Kv 391, Piano Sonatas Kv 410 - Kv 427
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This afternoon's listening

*Gabriel Faure - Cello Sonata No. 1 in D minor Op. 109 (1917); No. 2 in G minor Op. 117 (1921)

Elegie Op. 24; Romance Op. 69; Papillon Op. 77; Serenade Op. 98; Siciliane Op. 78* / Alban Gerhardt (VC); Cecile Licad (Pno) [Hyperion]

This is a newly acquired disc (the top one of the aforementioned fearsome stack!). My goodness, how have I avoided hearing these magnificent works for so long? Like all mature Faure they are complex and subtle and are going to need a lot of listening to, which I am going to enjoy.
*
Gabriel Faure - Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op 13 (1875); No. 2 in E minor, Op. 108 (1916-7)* / Arthur Grumiaux (Vn); Paul Crossley (Pno) [Philips]

An LP (in the Philips 'Musica da Camera' series) and an old friend. I could not do without some Faure on a desert island, but which work / works? I think really this is the period in musical history that I'm most interested in, that transition from tonality to atonality and alternative tonalities in Western Art Music. I don't know any other interpretation of these works well but this one is very good indeed.

I've just noticed that both the 1984 LP and the 2010 CD use Renoir paintings as cover art


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Cool! MamaScarlatti has a record out!


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony in B minor "Unfinished"
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, cond. Abbado


----------



## shangoyal

Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues for Piano, played by Tatiana Nikolayeva.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Egon Wellesz, Symphony No. 4.*

As with other Wellesz symphonies, this is easy to follow the first time through. I really appreciate that in a composer.


----------



## Valkhafar

Beethoven: Fidelio. It's been a long time since I've heard this opera.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Violin Concerto* / David Oistrakh; LSO, Claudio Abbado [Decca London]
*
Bartok - Violin Concerto No. 2* / Iona Brown; Philharmonia Orch., Simon Rattle [Decca Argo]

Two of my four favourite violin concertos (Beethoven and Sibelius the other two; I don't know the Berg but should try it as I suspect it would be up my street).

I dropped the lid of a friend's turntable on the Bartok disc when it was new giving it some unwanted percussion effects. Time to rip and repair, or replace, methinks.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 6.*

This is my favorite of his cycle so far. I'll probably hang in for the 7th.


----------



## Blancrocher

Alessandrini leading a fine cast in a performance of Orfeo. I don't think any of you can blame me, really.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quartet in C Minor, Op.2, No.1

Sonare Quartet: Jacek Klimkiewicz and Laurentius Bonitz, violins -- Hideko Kobayashi, viola -- Emil Klein, cello


----------



## maestro267

For the Saturday Symphonies project over on the Orchestral forum:

*Schubert*: Symphony No. 8 in B minor (Unfinished)
Philharmonia Orchestra/Sinopoli


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Three Poems of Stéphane Mallarmé
Felicity Palmer, Nash Ensemble, cond. Rattle

Debussy: Three Poems of Stéphane Mallarmé
Sandrine Piau, Jos von Immerseel

Stravinsky: Three Japanese Lyrics (set in Russian)
Evelyn Lear, Columbia Symphony, cond. Craft

The connection between the first two is obvious, although they were composed practically at the same time, which led to accusations that Ravel was imitating Debussy. In actuality, Ravel was inspired by Stravinsky's Three Japanese Lyrics for soprano and chamber ensemble, which was itself inspired by Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire. The third of Ravel's songs is, according to the book I'm reading, Ravel's only truly "atonal" piece.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Frank Bridge - Sonata for Cello and Piano (1913 - 17)* / Mstislav Rostropovich (VC), Benjamin Britten (Pno) [Decca]

*Haydn - String Quartet in C, Op. 76/3 Hob. III: 77 'Emperor'* / Quartetto Italiano [Philips]

Bridge is a terribly under-rated composer. This is the disc that led to me discovering his music. In my 20s I 'discovered' chamber music for the first time, first Beethoven and then Schubert and beyond. The first side of this disc features Rostropovich and Britten playing Schubert's Arpeggione sonata, D. 821. The Bridge sonata is the more important work IMHO.

The Haydn / Italians disc was the first of my still incomplete Haydn string quartet / chamber music collection. (I've got to Op. 20 so far, going back in time). I don't know of a poor Quartetto Italiano interpretation.


----------



## ptr

A night with:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - The Orchestral Songs Vol 1 & 2 (DG)




























Larissa Diadkova; Philip Langridge; Luba Orgonasova; Nathalie Stutzmann; Elena Zaremba; Ilya Levinsky; Sergei Leiferkus; Women's voices of the Gothenburg Opera Choir & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra u. Neeme Järvi

Like being there!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in D Major, Bryan D4

Olrich Vlcek conducting the Prague Chamber Orchestra









Finishing a review on Amazon ---


----------



## jim prideaux

Moeran-symphony-David Lloyd Jones/Bournemouth S.O.-have listened to this repeatedly over the last few days and it is now beginning to 'open up' to me-increasingly impressed!


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar:* Violin Concerto in B minor
Znaider/Staatskapelle Dresden/Sir Colin Davis

*Penderecki:* Symphony No. 7, "Seven Gates of Jerusalem"
Soloists (2 sopranos, alto, tenor, bass and speaker), Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit


----------



## Weston

jim prideaux said:


> Moeran-symphony-David Lloyd Jones/Bournemouth S.O.-have listened to this repeatedly over the last few days and it is now beginning to 'open up' to me-increasingly impressed!


I would really like to explore some Morean. Many people have recommended him to me, but sadly there is a lack of good streaming available for me to try before I buy. I had tried an album of chamber works and the instruments sounded out of tune! Drove me nuts. I suppose I should buckle down and just shell out funds for a good CD, but haven't taken the time to shop much yet.


----------



## Weston

I am adding to my Rubbra collection, currently listening to Symphony No. 10, Op 145 "Sinfonia Da Camera" in this Richard Hickox recording. I am puzzled how Rubbra got away with this much pleasant sonority in 1975. Almost anything conducted by Hickox I am guaranteed to enjoy. Well, I guess I am just partial to English composers.

One complaint: the No. 10 is a four movement piece of continuous music, so I have to concatenate the mp3s into one if I want it work on random play mode. I'm probably loosing a little audio quality when I do that, but hey! It's still light years beyond the vinyl pops and crackles of my youth.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 18 in B flat, K. 456* Alfred Brendel; ASMF, Neville Marriner [Philips]

*Beethoven - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61* Kyung-Wha Chung; VPO, Kirill Kondrashin [Decca]

Quite mainstream for me but both are great works. The Beethoven recording may belong to my other half, in fact!


----------



## EricABQ

Faure's barcarolles played by Kathryn Stott. 

I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to Faure because his piano music is right up my alley.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

EricABQ said:


> Faure's barcarolles played by Kathryn Stott.
> 
> I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to Faure because his piano music is right up my alley.


His solo piano works deserve to be known better, the Nocturnes and Barcarolles especially, though the Preludes, Impromptus and the Pieces Breves are worth exploring too. I don't know the Kathryn Stott interpretations though I've seen and heard good things about them.


----------



## chrisco97

Sonata said:


> I agree. And I'll add that every now and then "Oh Holy Night" and "The First Noel" can sometimes be heard wafting from my speakers in July  I listen whenever the mood strikes!


I listen to Christmas music all throughout the year. Some of my absolute favourite music!


----------



## Blancrocher

Dorati conducting Haydn's "Paris" Symphonies. 

All is well!


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.14 in C Sharp Minor, Op.131

Vegh Quartet: Sandor Vegh and Sandor Zoldy, violins -- Georges Janzer, viola -- Paul Szabo, cello


----------



## Bas

Ssst. It's officially sunday here (and 00:11), but for the saturday symphony listening, with headphones to avoid waking people that live saner hours than I...



Franz Schubert - Die Unvolendete Sinfonie no. 8 in Bm, Sinfonie no. 5 in B-flat
By The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Franz Schubert - Sinfonie 3 in D, Sinfonie 5 in B, Sinfonie 8 in Bm
By the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [dir.], on Warner Classics


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C, Op. 87


----------



## jim prideaux

Weston said:


> I am adding to my Rubbra collection, currently listening to Symphony No. 10, Op 145 "Sinfonia Da Camera" in this Richard Hickox recording. I am puzzled how Rubbra got away with this much pleasant sonority in 1975. Almost anything conducted by Hickox I am guaranteed to enjoy. Well, I guess I am just partial to English composers.
> 
> One complaint: the No. 10 is a four movement piece of continuous music, so I have to concatenate the mp3s into one if I want it work on random play mode. I'm probably loosing a little audio quality when I do that, but hey! It's still light years beyond the vinyl pops and crackles of my youth.
> 
> View attachment 26469


Coincidence-have been listening to Rubbra on youtube with intention of buying-has been recommended frequently, not least by certain other 'members'-I really liked the excerpts that I listened to (symphony no.4) but did not want to spoil the anticipation of sitting down and listening to the CD when it arrives. Moeran-limited number of recordings but never really that expensive ie the one I mentioned is on Naxos as is the recent recording of the cello concerto-can I take this opportunity (British 20th century) to recommend (although I appreciate this may be too late) the orchestral music of Finzi, particularly the cello, violin and clarinet concertos.
:tiphat:


----------



## Itullian

Great singing and conducting. Uhde an excellent Wotan.
Excellent mono sound.
A GREAT Rheingold.
Love it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Missa Brevis.*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

A short work by Morton Feldman (well...half an hour is short for Feldman!): Why Patterns






I love the sounds that come from flute, glockenspiel and piano!


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar* Nursery Suite & Dream Children
- Sydney SO under Myer Fredman & Queensland SO under Bernard Heinze










*Rachmaninov*
Piano Concerto #2 in C minor, Op. 18*
Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3 #2
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano *with Concertgebouw Orch. under Bernard Haitink
Vocalise, Op. 34 #14 (transcr. Braden)
- Rene Fleming, soprano with English CO under Jeffrey Tate










*Ross Edwards* Yarrageh - Nocturne for solo percussion & orch.
- Ian Cleworth, perc., Anthony Baldwin, piano, Sydney SO under David Porcelijn










*Puccini* Nessun Dorma from Turandot
*Mascagni* Mamma, quel vino e generoso from Cavalleria Rusticana
*Leoncavallo* Vesti la giubba from Pagliacci
- Placido Domingo, tenor with Orch. of the German Opera under Nello Santi
(from Album: The Greatest Tenors - Placido Domingo on Award label - sorry, can't find image!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Welles, Symphony No. 1.*

Lovely Brucknerian last movement. Sounds great on headphones.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ross Edwards, Symphony No. 1.*

This is my first exposure to Ross Edwards. It's reflecting how I've been feeling lately. Thanks for the heads-up, Sid!


----------



## starthrower

Bernstein-Kaddish Symphony Israel Philharmonic


----------



## Weston

jim prideaux said:


> Coincidence-have been listening to Rubbra on youtube with intention of buying-has been recommended frequently, not least by certain other 'members'-I really liked the excerpts that I listened to (symphony no.4) but did not want to spoil the anticipation of sitting down and listening to the CD when it arrives. Moeran-limited number of recordings but never really that expensive ie the one I mentioned is on Naxos as is the recent recording of the cello concerto-can I take this opportunity (British 20th century) to recommend (although I appreciate this may be too late) the orchestral music of Finzi, particularly the cello, violin and clarinet concertos.
> :tiphat:


You are not too late. I have some Finzi on Naxos, but I don't remember much about it. I don't have the concertos yet. I'll look into the Naxos Morean recordings. And thanks!


----------



## Weston

As someone earlier mentioned today is Vaughan-Williams birthday, I am celebrating with this marvelous video of the Tallis Fantasia, recorded in Gloucester Cathedral where it was originally played in 1910, conducted by Vaughan-Williams himself. Oh, my goodness! What a performance! The bit at about 11:17 where all the strings finally come together in unison never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Still the most moving work I have ever heard.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Horowitz (rec.1962 - '76); Mustonen (rec.2011); Feltsman (rec.2011); Melnikov (rec.2006).

View attachment 26482
View attachment 26483
View attachment 26484
View attachment 26486
View attachment 26487


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quintet No. 6 in E flat, K.614


----------



## starthrower

Bernstein - Age Of Anxiety Original 1950 mono recording


----------



## Vaneyes

For *RVW's* (1872 - 1958) birthday, Piano Concerto, w. Lane/Handley (rec.1994).

View attachment 26488


----------



## brotagonist

Prokofiev's 2 Violin Concertos.

I'm about to repeat it, since I wasn't paying attention during the second concerto ;-)


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Impromptus, D.899










It'd be interesting to hear Brendel's recording which I haven't played for months.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2013:

Michel Van Der Aa's Up-Close - Sol Gabetta, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling. I'm a *Penderecki* fan, and Douglas, and Wit, but these works don't do anything for me. I'll pass on this rec.

View attachment 26490


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E Minor, * featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Blancrocher

I enjoyed my first listen to Norgard's Symphony 6 and Terrains Vagues, having read many rave reviews of this composer on the forum. I look forward to sampling more of his work in the coming days and weeks.

For the present, I'm allowing cover art to guide my choice of recordings, I'm sorry to say.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73
Mozart: Flute Quartet in D, K.285


----------



## shangoyal

Schubert: Piano Sonata in C minor D. 958, played by Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## SimonNZ

Unsuk Chin's Rocana - Kent Nagano, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 72 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).









I find the first movement here to be very fun - the development section is interesting and dynamic. The movement also has some nice contrasts between a rough-sounding 'learned' melody and a more 'galant' one. I like the solo parts for winds and the small moments of dissonance.

The 4th movement is also very joyous, quick-paced and humourous. The 2nd movement has a very calm melody and some interesting dissonant parts in the winds which get inserted throughout the movement. The 3rd movement has a trio with pizzicato accompagniment which is also quite nice. Overall, another Haydn symphony which I find very enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Erhard Karkoshka's Quattrologe - Westphal Quartet

edit: now Andrei Eshpai's Symphony No.6 "Liturgica" - Vladimir Fedosyev, cond.


----------



## Andolink

Such joy each time I bring this disc out to get re-acquainted with this masterpiece; such amazing harmonies flooding my listening space!

*Michael Tippett*: Concerto for Orchestra
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Winterreise - Täuschung (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## SimonNZ

Andrei Eshpai's Viola Concerto - Yuri Bashmet, viola and cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahler: Symphony no. 6






I'm still getting to know this symphony better and better. And the recording is my favourite of the ones I've heard so far! Tennstedt truly is a magnificent Mahler conductor!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Preludes & Fugues BWV 548, 561, 553-560, Fantasia in G BWV 571, Kleines Harmonisches Labyrinth BWV 591, Concerto in C BWV 594
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Antonio Caldara (1670-1736) - Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo
By Maria Kiehr [soprano], Rosa Dominguez [soprano], Bernarda Fink [alto], Andreas Scholl [counter], Ulrich Meßthaler [bass], Gerd Türk [tenor], Orchestra de la Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Orchestral Suites BWV 1066 - 1069
By Die Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 25, BWV 138, BWV 105, BWV 46
By Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guilon [alto], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 8, 125, 138
By Deborah York [soprano], Ingeborg Danz [alto], Mark Padmore [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Back to familiar Mahler territory: 




I haven't heard Tennstedt's recording of my favourite Mahler symphony, but from what I know of his 6th and 9th recordings I'm expecting something phenomenal!


----------



## Bix

*Robert Simpson* - Symphony No 3 & Symphony No 5 / Vernon Handley / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Bix

Bix said:


> *Robert Simpson* - Symphony No 3 & Symphony No 5 / Vernon Handley / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


Well after the First movement of S5, which nearly blew my head off I'm listening to some Alwyn (PC 1 with Donohoe / Bournemouth Symphony and James Judd).

I do recommend the Simpson to all - superb.


----------



## jim prideaux

autumnal Sunday afternoon-Finzi-a number of shorter orchestral pieces but arguably more importantly choral works including Dies natalis performed by James Gilchrist/David Hill and the Bournemouth S.O.


----------



## Andolink

*Pierre Boulez*: _Derive 2_, for 11 instruments
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez


----------



## Guest

What's with all the Tchaikovsky bashing around here lately? I love this stuff.








Souvenir de Florence, Op.70
Recorded in the Soviet Union on the Melodiya label by the original Borodin Quartet








Sérénade Mélancolique, Op. 26
Julia Fischer, violin; Russian National Orchestra; Yakov Kreizberg directing








Sleeping Beauty Suite from Op. 66
Riccardo Muti; The Philadelphia Orchestra








Serenade For String Orchestra In C Major, Op.48
Vassil Razadjiev directing; Sofia Chamber Orchestra








1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49
Sir Georg Solti directing; Chicago Symphony Orchestra
RECORDING USING REAL CANONS!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Variations on the Christmas Carol "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" BWV 769

Helmut Walcha, organ


----------



## Art Rock

Saint-Saens, the five piano concertos.


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with Cecilia Bartoli singing Vivaldi. What an infectious album this is.


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> Just posting my last Listening choice on TC
> 
> View attachment 25593
> 
> 
> I wish all TC-ers & visitors to the website 'all the best' & 'Happy Listening' in the future. This is my last post.


It shows how seldom I am online lately that I just noticed you are gone. I will miss you Julie.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture, Op. 26
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Ades

The opening piece from last night's concert.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet in E flat, Op. 20 No. 1
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat, Op. 82
Alfven: Bergakungen Suite, Op. 37


----------



## Weston

I really love the cover of that Sibelius symphony boxed set.^ Might be worth getting for that alone.

My current listening is Granville Bantock: A Celtic Symphony, for string orchestra & 6 harps, Vernon Handley / Royal Philharmonic. It's perfect for a hazy Autumn Sunday morning.


----------



## Evoken

Been spinning this all morning.


----------



## ptr

Chillin' with Schiff!

*Bach* - Goldberg variations (Decca)










Andras Schiff, Bösendorfer

/ptr


----------



## Weston

*Dvorák: The Water Goblin (Vodnik), Op. 107*. Antoni Wit / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

I wore out Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 way back when it was called the No. 5, and most Dvorák sounds just like that symphony to me. So I don't listen often, but I have to admit there is some nice brass going on here. Still the same Dvorák flutey trills and triangle tingalinging. I wish I would not get so distracted by those.


----------



## shangoyal

This is just wow.

Mozart: *Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191/186e*

Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Neville Marriner/Klaus Thunemann


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Richard Strauss* - Eine Alpensinfonie (Georg Solti & Bavarian Radio Orchestra)









Next one: *Beethoven's* Sixth (Pastoral) Symphony (Berliner Philarmoniker & Herbert von Karajan)









Mountains and countryside for me today...


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.16 in B Minor

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Peter Collyer, viola -- Angela East, cello


----------



## brotagonist

Is this music merely randomness or is it music of a seemingly insurmountable complexity? After more than two decades, I'm still not sure, so I'll just have to keep on listening until I know the answer ;-)









One time it sounds like a child playing a toy piano, another time it sounds like the Balinese _gong gede_ gamelan orchestras... there are times when it appears hyper-organized and times when it appears disjoint.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mozart - String Quintet in D, KV. 593; String Quintet in E flat, KV. 614 / Quatuor Talich, Rehak (Viola II) [Harmonia Mundi]

Out and about today so this has been on earphones and trusty old CD Walkman

Reger - String Quartets in G minor, Op. 54/1; in A, Op. 54/2; in E flat Op. 109 / Drolc Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon]

A recent acquisition, I'm still absorbing this cycle but enjoying it very much.


----------



## ptr

Music to get lost with!

*Bela Bartok* - Kossuth (Decca)









San Francisco Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

*Raphaël Cendo* - Introduction aux Ténèbres (2009) (Neos Donaueshinger Musiktage 2009 Vol 2)









Romain Bischoff, bass-baritone; Nicolas Crosse, double bass; Ictus Ensemble u. Georges-Elie Octors

..Amazing Crudbludish like music, deep, dark, evocative, slow, perfect in candle light when you are feeding your pet vampire!

*Bela Bartok* - Concerto for Orchestra (Decca)









San Francisco Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Ives: Orchestral Set No. 2
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Ades

Continuing the concert. Not as well-known a piece as the first set, by far. Not very often played on BSO programs, either. Last Ives they programmed on a subscription concert was the Fourth Symphony a few years ago, if I remember correctly.

Ades: Polaris
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Ades


----------



## mstar

*Brahms - Four Pieces for Piano *

These are excellent! They sound a little like Chopin, though. I've never seen this from Brahms before, though....


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent addition ---
Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Duet in E Flat, Op.15, No.1

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Luigi Alberto Bianchi, viola


----------



## Kieran

A big chunky fistful of Beethoven violin sonatas, Grimiaux & Haskill at the wheel...


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 4 (Wild/Horenstein).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in D minor for 2 violins, viola and B.c.; Concerto in F Major for recorder, bassoon, 2 violins, viola and B.c.; Sonata in F minor for 2 violins, 2 violas and B.c. 
(Musica Alta Ripa).


----------



## Blancrocher

Tabea Zimmermann and Kirill Gerstein playing works for viola and piano by Brahms, Vieuxtemps, and Clarke. I came for the Rebecca Clarke piece, which I'd never heard before klavierspieler mentioned it on a thread about viola works--and I now see it's famous, so I have no excuse. It's great when you can find a new, top-drawer composition like this one on a sunny Sunday afternoon!


----------



## ptr

A second time tonight!

*Raphaël Cendo* - Introduction aux Ténèbres (2009) (Neos Donaueshinger Musiktage 2009 Vol 2)

View attachment 26527


Romain Bischoff, bass-baritone; Nicolas Crosse, double bass; Ictus Ensemble u. Georges-Elie Octors

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Oboe Concerto in C Major

Trevor Pinnock conducting the English Concert -- Paul Goodwin, oboe


----------



## TurnaboutVox

mstar said:


> *Brahms - Four Pieces for Piano *
> 
> These are excellent! They sound a little like Chopin, though. I've never seen this from Brahms before, though....


These aren't the Four Piano Pieces Op. 119, by any chance? I ask because I'm not terribly fond of Brahms' music but to my surprise I like these very much!


----------



## Mahlerian

Franck: Symphony in D minor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Ades

Last item on the concert program.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 2.*

Wow, it's like he channeled Anton Bruckner in this one. But it's not pastische; it stands on its own.


----------



## SimonNZ

SimonNZ said:


> Grawemeyer 2013:
> 
> Michel Van Der Aa's Up-Close - Sol Gabetta, cello


Quoting myself to say that I played this through three times yesterday and once this morning. I should say "played and watched" because the multimedia film aspect is of fundamental importance, not at all the "art school" affectation I feard it was going to be for the first few minutes. Standing ovation to cellist Soil Gabetta for a performance that involves not only passionate playing but some acting and much body-language.

This isn't necessarily the best item on the hugely rewarding Grawemeyer list, but so far its the one that has stirred me up the most.

Here's a quote from the Guardian which gives only one of many possible readings:

"Written for Argentinian cellist Sol Gabetta, this hauntingly beautiful work is among Van der Aa's finest. Gabetta, in a print frock, sits among the black-clad orchestra, spinning out a rapturous song without words, while on screen a similarly dressed older woman creeps furtively to a disused house to use an old, unspecified piece of electronic equipment.

Black-out screens cover the windows and the machine communicates in code. The woman may be reliving wartime memories, possibly as a member of the Dutch resistance. But we will never know for certain. Being "up-close" can never give us the bigger picture, and we are left with a mystery that continues to resonate after the music has faded."


----------



## Mika

Excellent new discovery

Martynov: Lamentations of Jeremiah


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Max Reger - String Quartet in D minor, Op.74; String Quartet No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op.121* - Drolc Quartet

*Reger - Clarinet Quintet in A major, Op.146* - Drolc Quartet with Karl Leister (clarinet)
[Deutsche Grammophon]


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 9.*


----------



## bejart

Franz Alexander Possinger (1767-1827): String Trio in D Major, Op.36, No.2

Kontraste Koln: Sylvie Kraus, violin -- Christian Goosses, viola -- Werner Matzke, cello


----------



## jim prideaux

have now repeatedly listened to the first movement of Moerans symphony and I am beginning to understand and comprehend-at the risk of over enthusiasm it is remarkable in its drama, energy and intensity-that anxiety that informs works by Barber and Walton can be heard clearly-so pleased I invested the time, now awaiting delivery of my first Rubbra symphonies..........


----------



## Sid James

*Rachmaninov*
Piano Concerto #1 in F sharp minor
- Peter Katin, piano w. London PO under Sir Adrian Boult
Piano Concerto #3 in D minor
- Alicia de Larrocha, piano w. London SO under Andre Previn










*Rachmaninov*
Symphony #3 in A minor, Op. 44 (II. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro vivace)
- Concertgebouw Orch. under Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vespers, Op. 37 (Nyne otpushchayshi - Kievian melody)
- Vladimir Mostovoy, tenor w. St. Petersburg Chamber Choir under Nikolai Korniev
Suite #1 for two pianos, Op.5 (IV. Paques: Allegro maestoso)
- Vladimir Ashkenazy and Andre Previn on the bones










*Ross Edwards* Symphony #1 "Da pacem Domine"
- Sydney SO under David Porcelijn












Manxfeeder said:


> *Ross Edwards, Symphony No. 1.*
> 
> This is my first exposure to Ross Edwards. It's reflecting how I've been feeling lately. Thanks for the heads-up, Sid!
> 
> View attachment 26480


Well good to hear that. I just got this reissue myself, and just heard the symphony on it. The cd also includes his violin concerto "Maninyas" and Nocturne for percussion and orchestra, "Yarrageh." I first heard the concerto around 20 years ago on a doco about the man. He developed an interest in the patterns of nature, in the Australian bush.

But the Symphony #1 "Da pacem Domine" is quite a different thing. To my ears its more like Arvo Part's _Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten_, that Holy Minimalist vibe is there. I quite like Edwards' modern take on Gregorian chant. Another work from the same period is Richard Mills' Tenebrae. Both of these works where profoundly affected by the illness and death of Stuart Challender, the Australian conductor who died of the AIDS virus at that time, the early 1990's. Both composers turned to ancient Christian music to express their grief and have some sort of outlet. Edwards is more consoling and peacful while Mills piece has a fair amount of angst and even maybe anger.

I quite like Ross Edwards' music, the other things I have by him in my collection is his guitar music. He tends to do images of places, the piece on that Naxos album of Australian guitar music called _Blackwattle Caprices_ is a great portrait of that part of Sydney Harbour. I have also come across his choral music which is interesting.

Given time I do plan to do a review of that orchestral album on the Australian composers thread I set up a while back on this forum.


----------



## Weston

*John Harbison: The Most Often Used Chords.* Actually I'm streaming this entire album and it is interesting enough to buy, but I am unable to find it available except through streaming. I'm anxious to get to the Symphony No. 3 which is the last piece I think.

One thing bugging me though. Composers and performers, how am I to take you seriously if you grin at me from the album cover like that? You really should practice The Serious Artist Look in the mirror before committing to an album cover however disgustingly handsome you might be. You gotta look _tormented_ for my hard earned dollars. 










[Edit: Aha! I did find it on Amazon after all. I just didn't keep hitting Next. I thought the list was finished.]


----------



## SimonNZ

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Max Reger - String Quartet in D minor, Op.74; String Quartet No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op.121* - Drolc Quartet
> 
> *Reger - Clarinet Quintet in A major, Op.146* - Drolc Quartet with Karl Leister (clarinet)
> [Deutsche Grammophon]


A local seller is offering that set fairly cheaply at the moment. You'd recommend it?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

jim prideaux said:


> have now repeatedly listened to the first movement of Moerans symphony and I am beginning to understand and comprehend-at the risk of over enthusiasm it is remarkable in its drama, energy and intensity-that anxiety that informs works by Barber and Walton can be heard clearly-so pleased I invested the time, now awaiting delivery of my first Rubbra symphonies..........


I love this symphony, why it has never found a regular place in the concert repertoire is beyond me. Whose recording have you got? I have three, conducted by Leslie Heward, Sir Adrian Boult and Vernon Handley respectively, and I wouldn't be without any of 'em!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

J.S.Bach: Partita No.1 in B Minor Georges Enesco.

A fascinating document of a marvellous musician.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A quick look at Presto Classical's website suggests that the market's not exactly saturated with Reger string quartet recordings.

I heard four of these performances before I bought the box set, from a specialist second hand Classical CD dealer in the UK

I like them, yes; they seem to be very good performances and decent recordings, especially for 1969-71. I don't have anything to compare them to, to make a more informed recommendation.

You may have seen that Archiv music suggests Reger afficionados will want both this set and the more recent Mannheim Quartet discs on MDG (this is available at Presto, I see)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Piano Trio No. 1 D. 898, Notturno D. 897* / The Florestan Trio

To wind down with after the excitement and astringency of Max Reger. Schubert is always rewarding to return to, I find.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5.*

What's the deal with Melvn Tan? He's got me actually _liking _the sound of a fortepiano. That's what I call talent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.83 "The Hen" - Leslie Jones, cond.


----------



## starthrower

Webern Complete Works on DG disc one


----------



## brotagonist

Weston said:


> [H]ow am I to take you seriously if you grin at me from the album cover like that?


I think that would almost be worth starting a thread for


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony No.6 in E Flat

Adrian Shepherd conducting Cantilena


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hovhaness - Mysterious Mountain


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.


----------



## Blancrocher

Finishing up an afternoon of listening to viola performances with a first try at a Brett Dean disk with the Viola Concerto, 12 Angry Men, Komarov's Fall, and Intimate Decisions. Thanks for the recommendation, COAG--I like it!


----------



## starthrower

Webern: Bach Fuga 

Listening to this beautiful arrangement two more times, but on the earlier Boulez CBS recording.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Pulcinella, Orpheus*
Columbia Symphony, *Chicago Symphony, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## bejart

First listen to another recent acquisition ---
Mozart: Piano Sonata No.7 in C Major, KV 309

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Sudbin (rec.2006); Pletnev (rec.1996); Crossley (rec.2007); Le Van (rec.2002); Amoyel (rec.2005).

View attachment 26551
View attachment 26552
View attachment 26553
View attachment 26554
View attachment 26555


----------



## Mahlerian

Continuing the theme from above...

Harbison: Symphony No. 5
Sasha Cooke, Gerald Finley, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Jiří Bělohlávek

The only recording available is at the BSO's website. I heard this performance a few years ago when the BSO was going through a complete series of Harbison's symphonies. The first two movements tell the story of Orpheus (translated from a poem by Czesław Miłlosz), the third is sung from Euridice's perspective from a poem by Louise Glück, and the final movement sets one of Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus.

One interesting choice the composer made was to use an electric guitar for Orpheus's harp, to reflect the mixture of old and new in the text he set.


----------



## Weston

I simply MUST try to hear that^.
[Edit: That BSO site has lots of good stuff available and it looks like most or all of Harbison's symphonies, and at reasonable prices. I am unable to play samples somehow, but have it bookmarked. Thank you for the suggestion!]

*Franck: Symphonic Variations*
Antonio Carlos Nobrega d Almeida / National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland / Francois-Joel Thiollier, piano

I love works for piano and orchestra that are not necessarily concertos. The piano can lend a timbre blending in naturally with the orchestra. Here it does take the starring role however in a solid, no nonsense romantic work.


----------



## starthrower

Hindemith - Harp Sonata

I have this on an MDG recording, but here's a really good recital performance. I checked out a few different ones 
on YouTube, and this woman and room has the best sound and feel.


----------



## Blancrocher

Closing out a second evening with Norgard--this time symphonies #4 & 5. I was going to listen with my eyes closed and really take it easy, but I may be tempted to peek at the recently bumped guest-book thread about him.


----------



## jurianbai

simply listening to this video, Paganini in Debussy style


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert Symphony 1 and Symphony 2.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, * featuring James Levine and the Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Enough said! 

Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 1992:

Penderecki's Symphony No.4 - Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

ShropshireMoose said:


> I love this symphony, why it has never found a regular place in the concert repertoire is beyond me. Whose recording have you got? I have three, conducted by Leslie Heward, Sir Adrian Boult and Vernon Handley respectively, and I wouldn't be without any of 'em!


David Lloyd-Jones conducting Bournemouth S.O.-with the Sinfonietta-Naxos release, because it was a 'bargain' I felt confident about a composer I had never heard but had read about-sometimes I wonder whether these fortunate 'whims' are not the most rewarding aspect of taking a real interest in music........


----------



## jim prideaux

Weston said:


> I simply MUST try to hear that^.
> [Edit: That BSO site has lots of good stuff available and it looks like most or all of Harbison's symphonies, and at reasonable prices. I am unable to play samples somehow, but have it bookmarked. Thank you for the suggestion!]
> 
> *Franck: Symphonic Variations*
> Antonio Carlos Nobrega d Almeida / National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland / Francois-Joel Thiollier, piano
> 
> I love works for piano and orchestra that are not necessarily concertos. The piano can lend a timbre blending in naturally with the orchestra. Here it does take the starring role however in a solid, no nonsense romantic work.
> 
> View attachment 26557


I had the good fortune to purchase this recording quite a long time ago and it really is quite marvellous-your point about the piano is really interesting-Martinu uses the instrument to great effect in this way in his symphonies.


----------



## Weston

jim prideaux said:


> I had the good fortune to purchase this recording quite a long time ago and it really is quite marvellous-your point about the piano is really interesting-Martinu uses the instrument to great effect in this way in his symphonies.


 I love Martinu's symphonies for that reason. I was trying to remember Martinu. That is who I was thinking of, but I could only come up with Medtner for some reason. Too much music, too few brain cells.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Handel's Keyboard Suites Nos. 1 and 4 - Lisa Smirnova, piano


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: String Quartet in C Minor, Op.18 No.4 The Paganini Quartet

The first Beethoven string quartet I ever heard, when I bought the 78s of this very performance for 5p each from a junk shop in my home town! It's a great performance, and how nice to now have all their Beethoven quartet recordings in one bargain box on the United Archives label (NUA 11 for those of you who are interested!).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Suk's Serenade For Strings op.6 - Jirí Belohlávek, cond.


----------



## Rapide

Son of Richard Wagner, Siegfried. Orchestral works, half of which were overtures from operas. Beautiful music, which as one might expect was heavily influenced by his father. But yet there is less of that Wagner intensity. Siegfried must have carried a lot of weight on his shoulders composing music very much in the same idiom.


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening on youtube, preparation for next sunday, going to see this magnificent work live (Ed Spanjaard, Orchestra of the 18th century, Lenneke Ruiten e.a.):

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte





Today:

Henry Desmarest (1661-1741) - Venus et Adonis
By Karin Deshayes [mezzo], Sébastien Droy [tenor], Anna-Maria Panzarella [soprano], Henk Neven [bariton], Ingrid Perruche [sopranp], Jean Teitgen [basse], Anders Dahlin [hautre contre], Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset [dir.], on Naïve









Johann Baptist Vanhal - String Quartets opus 33 no. 2 and no. 3, "Hoffmeister" quartet no. 2
By the Camesina Quartet, on Musicmanufactur Berlin









George Philipp Telemann - Tafelmusik Concerto for 3 violins in F, Trio in Em, Violin sonata in A 
By the Freiburger Barockorchester, soloists: Petra Müllejans [violin], Godfried von der Goltz [violin], on Harmonia Mundi









Gabriel Fauré - Missa de Requiem
By Agnès Mellon [soprano], Peter Kooij [bass], La chappelle Royale, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.13 in Bb, Op.130 ('Lieb')

artist
Wihan Quartet









eccelent! (All I post here when I discover is prelistened to, and specialy selected as a referance recording to that work for me, and is reccomended, even if T not always write comments)


----------



## SimonNZ

Penderecki's Polymorphia and De Natura Sonoris - Henrik Czyz, cond.

Much more what I think of when I think of Penderecki. Gotta say I was a little surprised by the Symphony 4 Grawemeyer winner - the first one on the list I've felt was indifferent or pedestrian.


----------



## DrKilroy

Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.14 in C#-, Op.131

artist
Colorado Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Steve Reich - Clapping Music

Somebody made a "scrolling score" of this on Youtube, and its put a big silly grin on my face:






came to it via a scrolling score for Penderecki's Threnody, which is also fascinating and hypnotic (though somewhat less fun)


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.15 in A-, Op.132 ('Heiliger Dankgesang')

artist
The Fry Street Quartet


----------



## julianoq

I was not much into Mozart in the past months, maybe because I was listening too much previously. Now listening to the Divertimento for violin, viola & cello in E flat major, performed by the Grumiaux Trio. Amazing work and performance. Next will probably go to the String Quintets..


----------



## EricABQ

Volume 20 of Naxos' Liszt series. 

William Wolfram playing the douze etudes S136. 

This volume also has the concert etudes. 

I think this might be my favorite Liszt recording that I have heard.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753): Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op.7, No.10

Chiara Bianchini leading Ensemble 415 -- Olivia Centurioni, violin


----------



## jim prideaux

Moeran and Nielsen through I-POD whilst walking beach this morning-particularly threatening north sea-return home to find Nielsen 4/5 Schonwandt/Danish National Radio S.O has arrived-far prefer these particular recordings to Blomstedt-less 'sheen'.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - String Quartet No.16 in F, Op.135

artist
Jupiter String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - 10 National Airs with Variations for Flute (or Violin) and Piano, Op.107

artist
Severino Gazzelloni
Bruno Canino









This is a nice and refreshing listening! Light, child-like, and often humoristic pieces. Nice recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten in Schubert's Die Schone Mullerin.


----------



## Oskaar

beethoven - 11 Mödlinger Tänze, for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 violins and double bass, WoO17

artist
Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, L'


----------



## maestro267

*Walton:* Symphony No. 2
Orchestre National de Lille/Owain Arwel Hughes


----------



## Itullian

This is a really good Meistersinger. The Sachs is a little unconventional with a little higher baritone than most who play the part, but sings with feeling. Jess Thomas and the rest are wonderful.
Keilberth conducts in a moderate tempo that lets things breath.
Very good stereo sound. Nice booklet, pictures, libretto.
This is also available in a budget version from Sony for a song.


----------



## Bas

Antonio Vivaldi - l'Olympiade
By Marianna Kulikova [mezzo], Sergio Foresti [bass], Laura Giordano [soprano], Riccardo Novaro [baritone], Sonia Prina [alto], Sara Mingardo [alto], Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Allesandrini [dir.], on Naïve


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Gerhard Symphony 3


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Piano Trio
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## brotagonist

My replacement copy arrived Friday. I am finally getting to hear it this Thanksgiving Day.









I detect a similarity with Boulez's later works. No doubt, I am influenced by both Carter's _Clarinet Concerto_ and Boulez's _Dialogue de l'Ombre double_, written within about 10 years of one another, but theirs seem to be languages of many commonalities. Their major works, too, like Carter's _Symphonia_ and Boulez's _Dérive_, have a pulsing, bubbling freshness, carried by colourful palettes of rich instrumentations. Is this the legacy of Ravel and Debussy?


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.41 in C, K.551 ('Jupiter')

Artister
Berliner Philharmoniker
Itzhak Perlman


----------



## mstar

The first work posted right after this message I will listen to and add to my music folder.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Concerto in E-flat "Dumbarton Oaks" (Ward). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Valkhafar

Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos.


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten in Schubert's Die Schone Mullerin.


Pears German is awful and I can't stand his voice ever. Which is a pity because Britten (his boy-friend) is a very fine accompanist.


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.42 in F, K.75

Artister
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner









I love the innocence and simplicity of Mozarts early symphonies


----------



## Blancrocher

moody said:


> Pears German is awful and I can't stand his voice ever. Which is a pity because Britten (his boy-friend) is a very fine accompanist.


Now I'm listening to Bostridge singing some Britten songs. Knowing Pears as I do, I'm sure he's jealous!


----------



## rrudolph

I just bought this 2-disc set a couple days ago and am listening to it for the first time. The recordings are from the late '60's; what i've heard so far sounds really nice (if I may use that word as a descriptor for this type of music!) both sonically and interpretively.

Xenakis: Atrees/Morsima-Amorsima/Nomos Alpha/Herma/ ST/4 /Polla Ta Dhina/ ST/10-1080262 /Akrata/Achorripsis


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to William Schuman Symphony 7 (1960)


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.43 in F, K.76

Artister
The English Concert & Trevor Pinnock


----------



## maestro267

Re. #44836:

That's a fantastic set! My recording of choice for my favourite piano concerto of all time, No. 2 in G minor.

Meantime, to my music this evening:

*Shostakovich:* Cello Concerto No. 2
Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit

_*interval*_

*Messiaen:* Turangalila-Symphonie
Beroff (piano), Loriod (ondes-martenot)/LSO/Previn


----------



## OldFashionedGirl




----------



## Guest

This morning I drove to school mostly in silence because I had some theme stuck in my head and couldn't recall the piece. 30 minutes later it turned out to be Sibelius' Karelia Suite, and I've played it about 4 times since


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.44 in D, K.81

Artister
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Hans Graf


----------



## brotagonist

rrudolph said:


> Xenakis: Atrees/Morsima-Amorsima/Nomos Alpha/Herma/ ST/4 /Polla Ta Dhina/ ST/10-1080262 /Akrata/Achorripsis


These are among the first Xenakis pieces I ever heard, back in the mid-'70s, when I first became interested in classical music. As always, I love every piece except _Polla ta Dhina_, but I can tolerate it on that fine disc of enduring favourites. When will I outgrow my aversion to choral?


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Zemlinsky's* (1871-1942) birthday, String Quartets (Complete), w. LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980).

View attachment 26590


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 (Segerstam). I never really got into this one, let's try once again!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Korobeinikov (rec.2008); GG (rec.1968); Sokolov (rec.1984); Sofronitsky (rec.1946 - '51).

View attachment 26591
View attachment 26592
View attachment 26593
View attachment 26594


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a new release, *LvB* Sonatas 4, 9-11, w. Pollini. It's a disappointment, and surprisingly so, since his 1-3, and 5-8 releases are exceptional.

4 is better served by Richter or Sokolov, while Schiff (ECM) gets the nod for 9 - 11. :tiphat:

View attachment 26595


----------



## KenOC

Some tracks from Schiff's brand new 2-CD recording of the Diabellis etc. from the ECM site. Somewhat different from the usual fare...the music plays automatically.

http://player.ecmrecords.com/andras-schiff--beethoven--diabelli-variationen


----------



## mstar

*Raff Symphony No. 1! *

Wow, first Shostakovich, then Sibelius, then Mahler, and now Raff! So many new composers....


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## ptr

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony № 6 (Real Sound)









St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra u. Thomas Sanderling

Tony Duggan ILM!

/ptr


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Some tracks from Schiff's brand new 2-CD recording of the Diabellis etc. from the ECM site. Somewhat different from the usual fare...the music plays automatically.
> http://player.ecmrecords.com/andras-schiff--beethoven--diabelli-variationen


Thanks for the heads up there, Ken. On first listening (the link you gave) it does rather seem to be a quite idiosyncratic interpretation, but I'm going to order it anyway! Did you ever hear the *Andreas Staier* _Diabelli Variations_?


----------



## opus55

julianoq said:


> I was not much into Mozart in the past months, maybe because I was listening too much previously. Now listening to the Divertimento for violin, viola & cello in E flat major, performed by the Grumiaux Trio. Amazing work and performance. Next will probably go to the String Quintets..


Grumiaux's string quintet recordings on Philips label are great as well. They're my favorite Mozart chamber works besides violin sonatas.

Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44


----------



## KenOC

TalkingHead said:


> Thanks for the heads up there, Ken. On first listening (the link you gave) it does rather seem to be a quite idiosyncratic interpretation, but I'm going to order it anyway! Did you ever hear the *Andreas Staier* _Diabelli Variations_?


No, never heard Staier, but will see if I can find a preview. My fave Diabellis right now are Paul Lewis's... But Schiff's Beethoven Sonatas are one of my two or three go-to sets, though hardly idiosyncratic!

Schiff seems to be mutating -- his new WTC is tremendous, very different (and superior to) his old set, to my ears.


----------



## Blancrocher

KenOC said:


> Schiff seems to be mutating -- his new WTC is tremendous, very different (and superior to) his old set, to my ears.


I'm not sure if I mentioned that I picked up that set on your advice, and have enjoyed it very much.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

What may be considered the definitive version of the late Jon Lord's fantastic Concerto for Group and Orchestra. An excellent recording indeed, committed and powerful performances from all involved and an excellent choice of soloists.


----------



## KenOC

Blancrocher said:


> I'm not sure if I mentioned that I picked up that set on your advice, and have enjoyed it very much.


Very glad you enjoy it! Right now the two pianists I'm following most closely are Schiff and Jeremy Denk, both of whom seem to bring something new to the music they play. Not for all tastes, probably!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Nielsen's Aladdin Suite - Herbert Blomsted,cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.18 in E flat major, op.31 no.3* / Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips 1996]

I'm working my way through Brendel's third Beethoven piano sonata cycle for the first time - his Vox and first Philips sets have been my 'go to' cycles for 40+ years!

*Fauré: Cello Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 109* / Alban Gerhardt, Cecile Licad

A second hearing for this new Fauré CD acquisition


----------



## Sid James

*Rachmaninov*
Symphonic Dances: I. Non allegro
Symphony #1: IV. Allegro con fuoco
- Concertgebouw Orch. under Vladimir Ashkenazy
Piano Concerto #3: I. Allegro ma non tanto
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano. w. London SO under Anatole Fistoulari
Symphony #2: III. Adagio
- Kirov Orch., Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg under Valery Gergiev
Piano Concerto #4: II. Largo (Three Blind Mice!)
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, pno. w. Concertgebouw Orch. under Bernard Haitink










*Ravel* String Quartet in F major
- Quartetto Italiano doing the bowing










*Takemitsu*
Spirit Garden,
Solitude Sonore,
Three Film Scores for String Orch.
- Bournemouth SO under Marin Alsop


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Parthia in C Major

Novak Trio: Gabriela Krekova, oboe -- Stepan Koutnik, clarinet -- Vladimir Lejcko, bassoon


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Beethoven's Violin Sonata Op. 12 #2, Immerseel and Seiler. Very interesting heard on original instruments! I like it... On YouTube.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Excellent performance of Saint-Saens piano trio and a couple of sonatas. Some really beautiful melodies in these works.










Kevin


----------



## shangoyal

Chopin: Complete Nocturnes, played by Maurizio Pollini


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's piano sonata 17 played by Uchida.

If some higher power forced me to say what was my favorite single movement of music, I would probably say the second movement of this sonata.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op.59, No.1

The Fine Arts Quartet: Leonard Sorkin and Abram Loft, violins -- Gerald Stanick, viola -- George Sopkin, cello


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op.59, No.1
> 
> The Fine Arts Quartet: Leonard Sorkin and Abram Loft, violins -- Gerald Stanick, viola -- George Sopkin, cello


Haven't heard the Fine Arts Quartet for more years than I would ever admit! Used to have their late quartets in the blue box -- was it Concert-Disc? They were very very good.


----------



## opus55

Bantock: Celtic Symphony 
Mahler: Symphony No. 7


----------



## Blancrocher

Enjoying a first listen to Norgard's 8th Symphony (from a link kindly supplied by joen_cph on the Norgard thread). I'd recommend it, but it seems like I'm the last person on this site to get into this composer. So thank _you_ all for the recommendation :tiphat:


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Walton Symphony 2


----------



## GreenMamba

Stravinsky Octet for Wind Instruments, Eastman Wind Ensemble


----------



## Mahlerian

Harbison: Symphony No. 6
Paula Murrihy, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Zinman

This four-movement work opens with a song for mezzo-soprano and small orchestra, followed by three instrumental movements, more or less expanded outwards from the material of the first. The very foreign timbre of the cimbalom lends a unique color to the work.


----------



## Tristan

*Hindemith* - Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes of Weber

I've probably already posted this several times in this thread, but what can I say?  It's one of my most favorite works.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 1991:

John Corigliano's Symphony No.1 - Daniel Barenboim, cond

A timely discovery at the secondhand shop today

(actually it might have been there for months without me making any connection until this listening project started)


----------



## Kivimees

Silvestrov - Piano Works









Lots of short pieces on this CD, including "3 Waltzes" titled Schoenberg, Webern and Berg, respectively.


----------



## Weston

*Handel: Suite No. 1 in Bb, HWV434* and other works
Andras Schiff, piano (live recording)

Almost too lively for a nightcap, but nature will take its course anyway.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










*Bach* - Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043

I have never been much of a Bach fan aside from the Brandenburg Concertos, the third in which got me into classical music the way that I am now. I have read countless people who have cried from this piece (the Double Violin Concerto), and it has never touched me in the least little bit. It is a nice piece and all, but never was "great" to me.

I have a completely different mindset on this piece and Bach in general now. Before listening to this performance, I had listened to _Trevor Pinnock and the European Brandenburg Ensemble's_ performance of the Brandenburgs and realized they were way better than I thought they were, even though I loved them so much already. I mean, they are what got me into classical music. These performances gave me a whole new love for those works, and made me rethink my overall dislike of Bach. Maybe he was not as bad as I had thought. I was still not that crazy about his other works though.

Later, I was going around Amazon and saw _Julia Fischer's_ album of the Violin Concertos, which I had seen beforehand. It was cheap and was critically acclaimed, so I checked it out. Still was not getting anything from these pieces though. Nice pieces, but still was not something I saw as great or worthy of the praise they get. I did enjoy how _Fischer_ was faster than most though, and they did make the works more enjoyable for me. Still not something I would probably listen to again though.

In the sidebar, I saw an album that had an awesomely designed cover. I am a graphic designer, and when I see a good cover I am immediately attracted to the album. This album had awesome typography, a great photo of the soloist and was from *DG*...so I was going to give it a look. Many people said this was too fast for them. That was a good sign for me. I turned this album on *Spotify*, and was absolutely blown away. These performances gave me such a different look at the works and I have listened to them nearly nonstop since I first heard them yesterday. I cannot get enough of these recordings! They are fantastic. The speed is just right in my opinion, and the sound is amazing on top of things. I am never disappointed with DG's recordings. I am still not in the least bit tired of this album. Every time I listen, I hear something I did not hear before then.

I have come to the conclusion that Bach is way better than I ever thought he was. I have always had a dislike for him for many reasons. The main one being the fact he is given so much praise and is put above all of my favourite composers, and I have never gotten his music. I think what it comes down to is the performances. Every one of the Bach recordings that I own and have heard come from budget box sets. Stuff like *Rise of the Masters* and such. They are good performances and all, but are not very satisfying. Because of _Hahn's_ performances, I can now listen to even these budget box recordings and really enjoy them because I "get" the pieces now. I have listened to Bach almost continuously since yesterday. I cannot wait to check out the rest of Bach's works!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in E flat Major, Hob. 15/29; Piano Trio in E flat Major, Hob. 15/30 
(Van Swieten Trio).









J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).


----------



## Kivimees

More Silvestrov: moving from solo piano to orchestra


----------



## dgee

Julian Anderson, The Book of Hours (BCMG) - still going on an ensemble + electronics binge


----------



## SimonNZ

Penderecki's String Quartet Nos. 1 and 2 - Tale Quartet


----------



## Bas

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Trio Sonatas
By Heinz Holliger [oboe], Maurice Bourgue [oboe], Thomaz Zehetmair [violin], Klaus Thunemann [bassoon], Klaus Stoll [double bass], Jonathan Rubin [lute], Christian Jaccottet [harpsichord], on ECM









Sir Edward Elgar - Sea Pictures
By Janet Baker [soprano], The London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbiolli [dir.], on EMI









Johann Sebastian Bach - Das Wohltemperierte Klavier I
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony Classical


----------



## SimonNZ

Franco Mannino's Violin Concerto No.2 - Francesco Manara, violin, Umberto Bruno, cond.

edit: now John Cage's Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle - Margaret Leng Tan, prepared piano


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.37 in G, K.444

Artister
Northern Chamber Orchestra
Nicholas Ward


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Saint Francis - Kent Nagano, cond.

possibly just disc one tonight


----------



## Kieran

Arvo Part, Fratres.

Don't know who the players are - it's on the radio...


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.38 in D, K.504 ('Prague')

Artister
English Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Skilmarilion

oskaar said:


> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.37 in G, K.444


Mike Haydn deserves a shout-out on this one too, I reckon.


----------



## Oskaar

are you up for a little game inside currently listening? I know that not everybody has spotify, but you all seem to have substantial record collections. It is very easy; just pick up the last entry in the game, and chose a recording following eather composer,artist or conductor in the previous game entry. Someone can start with my last entry.

Start your entry with *GAME following xxxx*

ex: "GAME following Daniel Barenboim" Then your Barenboim entry. Let the entry be part of your currently listening (preferably)


----------



## SimonNZ

I like the idea, but I've usually got three or four listening projects on the go at any given time as well as just keeping up with the acquisitions, so I'd have to pass (also, I already follow the suggestions from the listening of other here in more oblique ways)

playing now:










Jonathan Harvey's Run Before Lightning - Florian Hölscher, piano, Pirmin Grehl, flute


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.39 in Eb, K.543

Artister
Orchestra of st. Lukes
Donald Runnicles


----------



## Oskaar

SimonNZ said:


> I like the idea, but I've usually got three or four listening projects on the go at any given time as well as just keeping up with the acquisitions, so I'd have to pass (also, I already follow the suggestions from the listening of other here in more oblique ways)


That is ok, it must not be a pressure on anyone.


----------



## EricABQ

Debussy's Ballade, Mazurka, and Nocturne played by Larissa Dedova from her complete Debussy set.

This is the first time I've heard these particular pieces.


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.46 in C, K.96

Artister
Prague Chamber Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Quartet No5 in C Major

Mary Oleskiewicz, flute -- Elizabeth Field, violin -- Daniel Elyar, viola -- Stephanie Vial, cello -- David Schulenberg, harpsichord


----------



## julianoq

Another great recommendation from Kevin, thanks! Listening now to Saint-Saens Piano Trio No.2, performed by The Australian Trio.


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.33 in Bb, K.319

Artister
The danish national chamber orchestra
Adam Fischer


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.34 in C, K.338

Artister
Mozarteum orchester Salzburg
Ivor Bolton
Hubert Soudant


----------



## Oskaar

Some of Mozarts symphonies are very short. I dont post often to get likes! (hehe) But I am very caotic, so it is the best way for me to avoid further caos.

Some of the mozart symphonies are a bit boring, and some are very good. But I still find mozart bether with concertos and chamber music. Not heard much piano music so far.

I am trying to find a good recording from every mozart symphony. They are all very good so far!


----------



## Guest

The Giulini performance of Don Giovanni. I may still not understand opera, but this is at least more accessible than Wagner.


----------



## Vaneyes

View attachment 26628
CPR Edition:

*RVW*: Orchestral Music, w. Barbirolli (rec.1962); Handley (rec.1994); Boughton (rec.1984); Symphonies 3 & 4, w. Previn (rec.1969 - '72); Symphony 5, etc., w. Handley (rec.1986 - '90).

View attachment 26624
View attachment 26625
View attachment 26626
View attachment 26627


----------



## Blancrocher

Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto (Richter/Leinsdorf) and 2nd (Fleisher/Szell). It was a great way to start a Tuesday morning!


----------



## julianoq

What a coincidence Blancrocher, also listening to Richter's records, but different works.

Just listened to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.29 'Hammerklavier'. Got tears in my eyes and that is not common to me. Amazing performance of an amazing piece.










Now playing Brahms Piano Concerto No.2.


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 ('Haffner')

Artister
Bonn Classical Philharmonic
Heribert Beissel


----------



## Blancrocher

julianoq said:


> What a coincidence Blancrocher, also listening to Richter's records, but different works.
> 
> ...
> 
> Now playing Brahms Piano Concerto No.2.


Nope--same one. I mislabeled who was playing what :lol: I need to listen to less music and drink more coffee!

By the way, they can be tough to find but I'd recommend tracking down Richter's other recordings of the Hammerklavier if you can find them. All the performances are different--none of them perfect, though at times he's _better_ than perfect. I tend to listen to them on the basis of what kind of recording quality I'm in the mood for. I recall his London performances having a kind of airless feel thanks to some overzealous engineering, though that Hammerklavier is magnificent.

A piece of trivia: at the end of the famous scene at the end of Richter: The Enigma, where the 80+ year old Richter puts his face in his hands and says "I don't like myself," it appears it's taken out of context and he was actually talking about that performance of the Hammerklavier (being overly hard on himself, as usual). According to a lousy biography of him I read, anyways.


----------



## Bas

Game following Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 25 in C
By Friederich Gulda [piano], The Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone


----------



## Oskaar

Mozart:Symphony No.47 in D, K.97

Artister
Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana
Alessandro Arigoni


----------



## Oskaar

Game following Bas (Wiener Philharmoniker)

*Schnittke*: Concerto Grosso No.5

*Wiener Philharmoniker
Christoph von Dohnanyi*









(Bold: Options to follow)


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> *Schnittke*: Concerto Grosso No.5


Fascinating listening! I like it. Quite good version


----------



## rrudolph

Various and sundry Bach:

Partita #1, BWV1002/#2 BWV 1004/#3 BWV 1006








Concerto in d minor for two violins BWV 1043/Concerto in a minor for violin BWV 1041/Concerto in E Major for violin BWV 1042/Concerto in d minor for two violins BWV 1060








Concerto in c minor for two harpsichords BWV 1060/Concerto in C Major for two harpsichords BWV 1061/Concerto in c minor for two harpsichords BWV 1062








Cantatas BWV 79/BWV 137/BWV 164/BWV 168








No doubt there will be more to follow. Once I get rolling on this stuff, it's hard to stop.


----------



## Winterreisender

Evgeny Kissin plays Schumann's Carnaval Op. 9

Part of my Schumann marathon. Also had Emanuel Ax and the Cleveland Quartet play the Piano Quintet And Piano Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Game following oskaar via Dohnanyi:

Schoenberg: 5 Orchestral Pieces
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi


----------



## Blancrocher

I just finished Britten conducting Richter in his own piano concerto (highly recommended!), and now:

Game following Mahlerian: Boulez conducting Schoenberg's Moses and Aaron.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I have the following queued up for this afternoon:


----------



## Mahlerian

Blancrocher said:


> I just finished Britten conducting Richter in his own piano concerto (highly recommended!), and now:
> 
> Game following Mahlerian: Boulez conducting Schoenberg's Moses and Aaron.


Full performers for those interested: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, David Pittmann-Jennings, Chris Merritt, Chorus of the Netherlands Opera.

I think perhaps it might be interesting if the same link was not allowed to be used twice in a row. For example, one person listens to Mozart, and the next person chooses Mozart based on that, but the person after them has to listen to something other than Mozart by the same performers/conductor etc.

I think Dohnanyi is a great conductor, by the way. His appearances with the Boston Symphony this year have been excellent all-around.


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:Symphony No.31 in D, K.297 ('Paris')

Artister
Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Kreutzer









This is a good one! Both work and recording


----------



## Oskaar

game following blancrocher via Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Bernard Haitink









I had forgotten how great bartok can be! I take a pause from mozart, and discover bartok a little...


----------



## Kieran

Wolfie hammering the tusks, *#24*!

We're into the third movement and Mitsuko is levitating mysteriously above the variations, Jeffrey Tate is ferociously jabbing his wand and the English Chamber Orchestra are gurning and gyrating on their stools.

To be followed wholly unpredictably by K503 - *#25*!

:tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

Bela Bartok:String Quartet No.1 in A-, Op.7, BB52, Sz.40

Artister
Belcea Quartet


----------



## realdealblues

A couple more from the Perahia Box.

View attachment 26649


Chopin: Ballades Nos. 1-4, Valses, Nocturne, Mazurkas & Etudes

View attachment 26651


Brahms: Handel Variations, Rhapsodies, Piano Pieces


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Siegfried Act 3 - Krauss

What frisson Krauss and Hotter create!


----------



## Valkhafar

Ravel: The Piano Concertos - Valses nobles et sentimentales.


----------



## Oskaar

Bela Bartokiano Concerto No.1 in A, BB91, Sz.83

Artister
Pierre Boulez
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Krystian Zimerman


----------



## Blancrocher

game following oskaar via Haitink: 

Haitink conducting Shostakovich's 4th Symphony with the Chicago SO. 

By the way, I'd also like to mention a pretty interesting interview Vaneyes posted in which Haitink discusses Shostakovich (I believe on the Conductor News thread).


----------



## ptr

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - Symphony No 14 (BBC Legends)









Mark Rezhetin and Galina Vishnevskaya; English Chamber Orchestra u. Benjamin Britten

Tear wrecking!

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Solo cantatas BWV 84/BWV 209 (Italian Cantata)/BWV 202 (Wedding Cantata)


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 26658

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances From Prince Igor

Herbert Von Karajan & The Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## ptr

*Jean Sibelius* - Symphony No 4 (Decca)









SF Symphony u. Herbert Blomstedt

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, *Haydn*: Symphonies 93, 95, 97, w. Cleveland O./Szell (rec. 1968/9).

View attachment 26660


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vaneyes said:


> A recent arrival, *Haydn*: Symphonies 93, 95, 97, w. Cleveland O./Szell (rec. 1968/9).
> 
> View attachment 26660


and how do you like Szell's Haydn?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 5 in A Major; Paris Quartet No. 6 in E minor 
(Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).









No. 5 is a very joyful quartet . Now listening to No. 6.


----------



## Blancrocher

A desert-island disk with Gilels playing Shosty's 2nd Piano Sonata and Ormandy conducting the 15th Symphony.

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...qid=1381872235&sr=8-1&keywords=gilels+ormandy


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Fauré

Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 117 
Cello Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 109 - 3. Allegro Commodo (Faster Version)

Élégie, Op. 24
Romance, Op. 69
Papillon, Op. 77
Sérénade, Op. 98
Sicilienne, Op. 78

Alban Gerhardt (Cello), Cecile Licad (Piano)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Beethoven -

Piano Sonata No.21 in C major, Op.53 'Waldstein'

Piano Sonata No.19 in G minor, Op.49 no.1

Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Vox 1962-64]

Op. 53 is a sublime masterpiece. I am very fond of all of LvB's early period piano sonatas, but the 'Waldstein' is a step beyond them. I find the two little 'sonatas facile' of Op. 49 surprisingly complex and always enjoyable. Brendel played the early works especially well in his first cycle for Vox.

Czerny - Piano Sonata No. 11 in D-flat Op. 730 (1843) / Martin Jones (Piano)

I'm still mulling this set of Czerny sonatas over [Czerny - Piano Sonatas No. 1, Op. 7 No. 2, Op. 13, No. 7, Op. 143 & No. 11, Op. 730; Sonatine Op. 167, Chanson sans Paroles, Character Etude Op. 795][Nimbus] - brilliant and inventive music in places, pedestrian in others. Is Czerny a forgotten master? I'm not sure. For me the jury is still out.


----------



## Sid James

*Debussy* String Quartet in G minor
- Quartetto Italiano doing the bowing










I have not heard the *Debussy and Ravel quartets* for years, I am happy with this purchase (to replace an ageing tape). Its hard to believe that the academics of Paris rejected these scores when they where premiered. I remember hearing a radio program years back about this, about how for example they said the first movement of Ravel's quartet mangles sonata form. Cesar Franck slammed Debussy's effort and Gabriel Faure did the same to Ravel's. Faure called the last movement a "failure," funny how Ravel dedicating the piece to him didn't help. The other irony is that Faure was an innovator in sonority and Franck was considered a dangerous radical before becoming establishment later. Its easy to forget how much of a struggle things where at the start for Debussy and Ravel, especially since they themselves became establishment figures at the end of their careers.

*Takemitsu*
Dreamtime
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
- Bournemouth SO under Marin Alsop










This foray into Takemitsu's music has had its rewards. I have come to hear some theme running through *Spirit Garden.* It has similarities to my ears with Berg's music which I was listening to a few weeks before. There is thematic unity there, but it is quite fragmented and changing. There's also that same switching between lushness and harshness, between the opposing worlds of dreams and nightmares. I also was able to hear for the first time the bell-like sonorities in Takemitsu's music. I had read about these in the notes before but never realised that they where there in the music. Its similar to how Rachmaninov and Arvo Part often replicate the sounds of bells in their scores. Of course Debussy did it as well, which might have influenced Takemitsu.

The other work I thoroughly enjoyed this time was *A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden.* That was mainly for its uniquely weird and wonderful textures.

I have enjoyed the *Three Film Scores for String Orchestra* since getting this disc, it is a pretty accessible piece. But even with that I just realised that its middle movement Funeral Music has similarities with the other purely concert hall works on the disc. 

*Dvorak* Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22
- English CO under Rafael Kubelik

*Dvorak's Serenade for Strings* is an old favourite, reading as a tribute to the world of Mozart and Haydn with added Czech warmth. There are similarities here in terms of that near-impressionistic golden string sound to Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, which is also a favourite.


----------



## SimonNZ

rrudolph said:


> View attachment 26657


An extra "like" for Rogier Van Der Weyden

playing now, on the radio:

Handel's Silete Venti - Jeremy Summerly, cond


----------



## opus55

Berg: Violin Concerto


----------



## mstar

Mahler Symphony No. 7! For the first time. I'm on the second movement now....


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Czerny - Piano Sonata No. 1 in A-flat Op. 7*

The second movement is most interesting: a headlong rush which is the Prestissimo agitato

The sonata seems to have come to an end with a conventional rondo: allegretto when it suddenly bursts back into life with a 'Capriccio Fugato: Tempo moderato' which suggests that Czerny has been studying late Beethoven piano sonatas carefully...

*Czerny - Chanson sans Paroles Op. 795/1*

Martin Jones (Piano)[Nimbus]

*Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band* - a selection of tracks from '*Trout Mask Replica*' (1969)

Well, it's different from Czerny, but fine music all the same! My nightcap.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges
Cynthia Buchan, London Philharmonic, cond. Rattle


----------



## SimonNZ

Which study of Ravel is it that you're reading, Mahlerian?


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.28 in E Flat, Op.20, No.1

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Which study of Ravel is it that you're reading, Mahlerian?


The 70s print of Orenstein's Ravel: Man and Musician. The newer version has been expanded significantly, so I wish I had that available to me, but I had just pulled it off of the library shelf without looking that up beforehand.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Grieg's Piano Concerto - Lief Ove Andsnes, piano, Mariss Jansons, cond.


----------



## ccravens

Schuman's _Fantasie in C_.


----------



## EricABQ

Some Messiaen piano music played by Angela Hewitt. 

I can't tell if I like this or not, but I'm intrigued enough to keep listening.


----------



## bejart

Gaspard Fritz (1716-1783): Sinfonia in A Major, Op.6, No.6

Michael Schneider conducting La Stagione Frankfurt


----------



## Valkhafar

Bartók: The Two Sonatas for Violin and Piano. Gidon Kremer, Iury Smirnov.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Grand Sonata in C Major, Op. 20, No.1

Kousay H. Mahdi Khadduri, cello -- Peter Nagy, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Canticum Canticorum Solomonis - Bruno Turner, dir.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven- -*Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {"Pastoral"}, *
performed by the Karl Bohm led Vienna Philharmonic.
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.5 in B Major, D 485, * once again featuring Maestro Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Chrisco97s earlier enthusiastic post about this Hilary Hahn album reminded about how much I too love this album. Her performance is exquisite and delightful. Full of verve and passion and yet at times deeply moving. Considering she was only 23 when this was recorded shows how very talented she was and is. Would she perform these at a slower pace today? Probably but I never get the feeling that she plays these pieces too fast. Her skill and talent is a joy to listen to. I also love the cover! 










Right now I'm listening to Egon Wellesz' Symphonies 4, 6 and 7. I really love these pieces. At times Wellesz can seem like he's meandering but to me that is part of the charm and beauty of his music.










Kevin


----------



## Evoken

Just finished listening to this:









Truly fantastic, it is right there with the Brandenburg Concertos and The Well-Tempered Clavier among the best of what I've listened of Bach so far.


----------



## starthrower

Hindemith for the past few days.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2008:

Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs - Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, mezzo


----------



## Itullian

I think these are superbly done.
And the sound is absolutely beautiful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Chantefleurs et Chantefables - Olga Pasiecznik, soprano, Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Sonata in D Major for Violoncello and B.c.; Overture in B minor for violin solo, 2 violins, viola and B.c. 
(Musica Alta Ripa).









Came back to this disc recently - very rewarding .


----------



## Bas

Game following blancrocher, via Haitink

Anton Bruckner - Symphony 4
By the London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink [cond.]


----------



## SimonNZ

Salvatore Sciarrino's Shadow Of Sound - Tito Ceccherini, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Richard Hickox-Northern Sinfonia of England (1994 recording so the name of the orch has evolved since then);-
Finzi;-The Fall of the Leaf
Nocturne
Moeran;-Sinfonietta 
Serenade in G


----------



## Oskaar

Game following Bas via London symphony orchestra

Antheil: Symphony No. 4

London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Eugene Goossens


----------



## SimonNZ

Douglas Lilburn's Song Of Islands - William Southgate, cond.


----------



## Jos

Mendelssohn violinconcerto, David Oistrach with Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugène Ormandy 

After that , Dvorak, serenade in E for stringorchstra, Israël philharmonic conducted by Kubelik

Pretty romantic for a wednesdaymorning methinks

Cheers,

Jos


----------



## Oskaar

Hector Berlioz - Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op.15

artist
Musique des Gardiens de la Paix, La
Philippe Ferro


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Sonata for Piano and Violoncello in E minor, op. 38 (Mstislav Rostropovich; Rudolf Serkin).


----------



## SimonNZ

Penderecki's Canticum Canticorum Salomonis - cond. composer


----------



## Jos

Hopefully this works, pasting pics directly from iPad. I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to digital tricks, well that's what my children say. Got some help from my 10year old whizzkid ... 
Anyhow: nice 10" Philips minigroove, old vinyl, a domain I'm more comfortable in....

Cheers, Jos


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with David Oistrach on 10"? Very cool - but it might be better to do the photo as just a close-up of the cover for clarity and we'll take the turntable as read.


----------



## Oskaar

Hector Berlioz - Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), H.68, Op.16

artist
Wolfram Christ
Lorin Maazel


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Avitrano (1670-1756): Sonata a Quatro No.8 in A Major

Christoph Timpe conducting the Accademia per Musica


----------



## Kivimees

One more Silvestrov CD:


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variationen
By Andereass Staier [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi









Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 74
By the Takács Quartet, on Hyperion









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 9, Piano Concerto no. 10
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.]









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - La Clemenza di Tito 
By The Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor, Mark Padmore [tenor], Alexandrina Pendatchanska [soprano], Bernarda Fink [mezzo], René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## julianoq

I am going through all Beethoven's Piano Sonatas due to an online course that I am attending on Coursera. Now listening to the Piano Sonata No.4 in E flat, played by Claudio Arrau.


----------



## Jos

Mozart pianoconcerto in C minor aka nr 24.
And some practice in pic taking with the IPad. This way the text on the covers should be readable ( thnx for the tip SimonNZ :tiphat: ).
Hmm, must work on cameraskills......

Cheers, Jos


----------



## Oskaar

Schumann:Violin Sonata No.1 in A-, Op.105

Artister
Ulf Wallin
Roland Pontinen









A very fine performance of a great sonata!


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Jan Dismas Zelenka (16 October 1679-1745): Trio Sonata No.4 in G Minor

Jana Brozkova and Vojtich Jouza, oboes -- Vaclav Hoskovec, double bass -- Jaroslav Kubita, bassoon -- FX Thuri, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

Schumann:Violin Sonata No.2 in D-, Op.121

Artister
Fabrizio von Arx


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Ich habe meine Zuversicht_, BWV188; _Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe_, BWV156; _Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem_, BWV159; _Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm_, BWV171 
Rachel Nicholls, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Alessandro Stradella*: _Amanti, olà, olà!_, Academia d'Amore a 5 voci
Alessandro Stradella Consort/Estevan Velardi


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening through this set of Szell conducting Beethoven's complete symphonies--something I don't do everyday! I like the "classical" precision Szell brings to these performances, and the occasional oddness that results: you could dance to the slow movement of the 7th, for example.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to hours of Szell and Beethoven!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*RVW*: Symphonies 6 & 9, etc., w. A. Davis (rec.1990 - '95);String Quartets 1 & 2, Phantasy, w. Jackson/Maggini Qt.(rec.2000); Violin Sonata, w. Bean & Parkhouse (rec.1972).

View attachment 26700
View attachment 26701
View attachment 26702


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> and how do you like Szell's Haydn {Syms. 93,95,97}?


CPR, of course.


----------



## Mahlerian

Game following oskaar via Antheil:

Antheil: String Quartet No. 3
Fine Arts Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin Etudes.*

I'm not a fan of Chopin, but Murray Perahia has a way of playing that always draws me in. Music Web International pretty well trashed this recording, but it works for me.


----------



## Itullian

I'm not a huge Barenboim fan, but occasionally he does hit on something.
These Schubert symphonies are as good, if not better than anything out there.
And the digitally recorded sound is gorgeous.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Beethoven

Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 in F major, Op.5 No.1 
Sonata for Cello and Piano No.2 in G minor, Op.5 No.2
Sonata for Cello and Piano No.3 in A major, Op.69
Sonata for Cello and Piano No.4 in C major, Op.102 No.1
Sonata for Cello and Piano No.5 in D major, Op.102 No.2

12 Variations on 'See the conqu'ring hero comes', WoO45
7 Variations on Mozart's 'Bei Männern, welche liebe fuhlen', WoO46
12 Variations on 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen' from Die Zauberflote, Op.66

Alfred Brendel (piano) & Adrian Brendel (cello)


I marginally prefer my earlier Beethoven Cello + Piano works cycle recording by Paul Tortellier / Eric Heidsieck for the performances, but unfortunately the LP discs got a bit damaged some time in the 1980s. This is also good. Op. 102/1 and Op. 102/2 are harbingers of Beethoven's late style and are excellent works.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Alwyn, Harp Concerto.*

This is my first exposure to Alwyn. On first hearing, this recording makes me feel like it can be done differently, more laid back, spacious, or, I don't know, lambent. I would like to hear what Sir Thomas Beacham would have done with it.


----------



## Oskaar

Game following Malerian via Fine Arts Quartet

Beethoven

Fine Arts Quartet - String Quartet No. 7 In F Major


----------



## shangoyal

Debussy: *Preludes Book I*, played by Walter Gieseking


----------



## Jos

@TurnaboutVox:

Hi TurnaboutVox, your username intrigues me. Are you a big fan of this recordlabel ? I am, and have a little over a hundred of their albums. Intended to open a dedicated thread on another forum, but maybe here's more apropriate. I especially like them for the obscure works like the concerto for glassharmonica by Mozart and bringing the lesser known composers into the light; also some interesting electronica.
I'll dig through the crates to find them all and maybe start the thread, including the "candide-issues", another imprint of the Vox-corporation.

Cheers,

Jos


----------



## maestro267

Manxfeeder said:


> *Alwyn, Harp Concerto.*
> 
> View attachment 26706


Hahaha! On Page 3000, we come full circle to the very first post in this thread! 

Congratulations on the combined efforts in reaching this milestone!

---------------

My music for the evening:

*Maw:* Odyssey
CBSO/Rattle


----------



## Manxfeeder

maestro267 said:


> Hahaha! On Page 3000, we come full circle to the very first post in this thread!
> 
> Congratulations on the combined efforts in reaching this milestone!


How funny! Well, I'm glad to be a part of history.

On to more of Alwyn's music.


----------



## Bas

Game following Oskaar via Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Mozart Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









(as soon as the one mentioned below finishes)

Louis Spohr - Violin Concero no. 1, Violin Concerto no. 14, Violin Concero no. 15
By Ulf Hoelscher [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## DavidA

Bas said:


> Game following Oskaar via Beethoven
> 
> Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
> By Isabelle Faust [violin], Mozart Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi
> 
> View attachment 26713
> 
> 
> (as soon as the one mentioned below finishes)
> 
> Louis Spohr - Violin Concero no. 1, Violin Concerto no. 14, Violin Concero no. 15
> By Ulf Hoelscher [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO
> 
> View attachment 26714


Faust's is the best Beethoven concerto of recent years.


----------



## Bas

DavidA said:


> Faust's is the best Beethoven concerto of recent years.


She really is (and I have the honour to see her live with Frans Brüggen, playing this very Concerto this march! Can't wait.) By the way do you know this disc with the Beethoven Sonatas of her? A fantastic performance too (with an amazing dynamic range from really soft too very outrageous). I am a great fan of Faust.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Schumann - Piano Quartet in E flat, Op. 47 / Trio Parnassus, Hariolf (what a name!) Schlichtig (viola)

A new-ish acquisition, and a very fine early romantic chamber work. Ths is very well recorded indeed (I haven't found a duff MDG recording yet).

Schumann - Piano Quartet (1829) / Trio Parnassus, Schlichtig

Which makes Schumann 19 at the time he wrote it. His raw talent is very clear here.




PS Jos - have sent you a PM


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Faure, Dolly.*

Oh, man, I'm having a grandfather moment. My two-year-old is with me, and when I put this on and asked her what she thought, her eyes lit up, she put on a big smile, and started humming along with the melody.


----------



## DavidA

Schubert - 'unfinished ' symphony - Klemperer.


----------



## DavidA

Just gone on to Parsifal Act 1 prelude. Klemperer was extraordinary!


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn string quartets op 74-The Lindsays-Brahms,Dvorak and now Haydn,I have not heard a recording by the Lindsays yet that has been anything less than really impressive-any work is played with an enthusiasm that readily communicates itself directly......


----------



## Valkhafar

Wagner: Parsifal.


----------



## Sudonim

This must be a fairly rare disc - this was the best (almost the _only_) picture of it I could find:









_Czech Music of the 20th Century: Alois Hába_, if you find it hard to read. I'm not too familiar with the man, but it seems Hába was interested in microtonal composition. I found this to be quite pleasant music. It's definitely "modern" - something like early Schoenberg, maybe - but not at all inaccessible, to my ears.

And speaking of that troublemaker, Arnie - this is what I'm on to next. Just started and loving it so far:


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Anda/Haitink). I have just decided that Bartok should be one of my favourite composers. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 41 in C Major; Symphony No. 43 in E flat Major, 'Mercury' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak* 
Violin Concerto
- Edith Peinemann, violin w. Czech PO under Peter Maag
Serenade for Strings
- English CO under Rafael Kubelik










*Beethoven* String Quartet #9 'Razumovsky #3'
- Amadeus SQ doing the bowing










*Rachmaninov* Piano Concerto #2
- Georges Cziffra scorching the ivories, w. New Philharmonia Orch. under Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr. 










Regarding the discussions that I've taken part in on this forum about composers getting criticism (more recently, mmsbls thread on comaparing Mozart to Stockhausen), the notes to cd's I'm buying these days do relate how canonical warhorse type works got flack when they had their first airings.

A few days ago I listened to *Rachmaninov's* third concerto, and it was criticised at the time for being too long and complex. Then it was the quartets of *Debussy and Ravel *which got poo-pooed by Franck and Faure. Now *Dvorak's* violin concerto was criticised for not having a recapitulation at the end of the sonata form first movement (and that movement segues into the second slow movement without pause). Then *Beethoven's* Razumovsky quartets, which where criticised as being too much for expert highbrow type listeners, but this third one I just listened to was commended for being more accessible than the other two at the time.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It seems that musicologists have finally jettisoned the notion that this sort of thing only happened in the 20th century. The difference being I suppose that now these works are solidly in 'the canon.' By the time these composers reached the end of their careers, they where lauded and where welcomed into the arms of the establishment, more or less. But I think whe're getting a more balanced view of history now more than ever, the composer as perpetually rejected struggling hero myth has kind of reached its use by date. Things are more complex than that, and now its really apparent even in cd liner notes, music writers are putting it out there for all to see. I think that's good, finally we are getting a bit of music history minus the ideology, or at least more related to fact rather than heavy bias.


----------



## Taggart

Absolutely gorgeous - Corelli Op5, Vivaldi Concert for the Prince of Poland, Rebel Violin Sonatas 1 and 3 - 9, Mozart Violin Concertos K216, K218 and K219. Just been listening to the Mozart and it's absolutely delightful.


----------



## KenOC

Lollapalooza!


----------



## Taggart

KenOC said:


> Lollapalooza!


LOL when I clicked on the link, the ad on you tube was for this. Given the music title, it seemed singularly appropriate!


----------



## Mahlerian

Game following Bas via Abbado:

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
Martha Argerich, Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado


----------



## Blancrocher

*Edit* Having listened to a lovely recording of Argerich in Schumann's piano concerto, I've decided to amend my entry in the game to allow more opportunities to my successor!

Game following Mahlerian, via the Berlin Philharmonic:

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in Sibelius's 4th Symphony (on DG).


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende_, BWV27
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Satoshi Mizukoshi, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Ton de Leeuw*: _Hommage à Henri_, for clarinet & piano
Sjef Douwes, clarinet
Jan Gruithuyzen, piano


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): String Trio in D Major

Werner String Trio: Jan Pospichal, violin -- Wolfgang Klos, viola -- Wilfred Rehm, cello


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's Esquisses played by Steven Osbourne. 

I think I've said it before in this thread, but I consider this to be among a handful of indispensable recordings that I've purchased. 

Easily a top ten for me.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Pieter van Maldere (16 October 1729-1768): Symphony in G Minor, Op.4, No.1

Jorg Faeber conducting the European Community Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Following on the heels of Sibelius's 4th, I'm listening to Thomas Dausgaard conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in the 3rd and 7th symphonies of Per Norgard. Time permitting, I will also give his 8th another listen later tonight as well.

I worship Sibelius, and am quickly becoming enamored of Norgard--these composers sound nothing alike, but Norgard himself knows the connection. It's worth looking around on youtube for interviews with Norgard, though he's as cagey as is prudent with reporters, I'm sorry to say. At least he admits his deep love for Sibelius's music.


----------



## GreenMamba

Weinberg Violin Concertino. Ostrovsky,Sanderling/Bournemouth SO


----------



## Evoken

Been spinning Mozart's Serenade #13 In G, K 525, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - 1. Allegro

Can't get enough of it.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I continued today with some more Hilary Hahn. I just love her playing and emotional depth she gives to pieces. You can tell that performance is very important to her. Her Beethoven Violin Concerto is one of the best I have heard. I also really love her disc of Mozart Violin Sonatas she recorded with Natalie Zhu who is a superb performer as well.



















Then I changed direction completely and listened to Maria Lettberg's recordings of the Scriabin Piano Sonatas 1 & 2. I love this recording and keep returning to it. I usually work my way through the set over the course of a week.










Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

And then on to Lettberg's recording of Schnittke's Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Piano Quintet. I mean is the quintet one of the wildest and insane pieces you ever heard or what?.... I loved it!!!! ....I mean if I can listen to Schnittke I must really be making some progress! I used to hate him! LOL 










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Ludwig van Beethoven-- *Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, * both featuring Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto, Pollini/Abbado.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2000:

Thomas Ades' Asyla - Simon Rattle, cond.

edit: now Ades' Tevot - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Morton Subotnick: The Double Life of Amphibians. Good luck finding this! Here's part 1, Axolotl:


----------



## aleazk

12-tone night for me:

-Webern: Piano variations op.27; String Quartet, Op. 28; Variations for orchestra, Op. 30; Sinfonia, Op.21; Five Movements (version for string orchestra).
-Stravinsky: Variations: Aldous Huxley in Memoriam; Movements for Piano and Orchestra
-Boulez: Piano Sonata No.2.

Those three composers are my favorite for dodecaphonic music. I'm not very fond of Berg and Schoenberg, on the other hand.
I find Webern's ascetic and crystal clear style of more appeal to me than Schoenberg's dense style. Berg's "down to Earth dodecaphonism" fails to move me for some reason. His winks to tonality don't appeal to me. I prefer the more "objective world" of Webern.
I see Stravinsky and Boulez as continuators of Webern.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, 'Eroica'; Overture 'Leonore III' (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).









I remember listening to an interpretation of the Eroica by Herreweghe and finding it at least as good as Karajan's.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Symphony No.2 - George Szell, cond.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Sonatas BWV 525-530
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 10, no.7, no. 9
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Sonatas BWV 1027-1029
By Glenn Gould [piano], Leonard Rose [cello], on Sony Classics









Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas Hob XVI 48 - 52, Hob XVI 35-39 & 20
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Felicien David (1810-1876) - String Quartet no. in Fm, String Quartet no. 2 in A, String Quartet no. 4 in Fm
By Quator Cambini-Paris, on Naïve


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligeti's Aventures - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez

edit: now Kaija Saariaho's Orion - Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn-symphonies 96,97,98-Fischer/Austro Hungarian Haydn Orch.
I have decided this morning to stop purchasing new /second hand recordings until I have really listened to what I have already-the Moeran symphony that I have spent so much time listeneing to recently was something I had bought recently and not really paid enough attention to-what else on closer listening might also reveal unacknowledged depths?...........
:tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Orion - Christoph Eschenbach, cond.


----------



## pwdemars

Dvorák (really struggling to get the accent on the r, apologies): Stabat Mater with Neeme Järvi and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. Fantastic work.


----------



## korenbloem

Richard Wagner performed by Various Artists under Giuseppe Sinopoli - Der fliegende Holländer (Weikl, Studer, Domingo, Sotin, Seiffert)


----------



## EricABQ

Gould playing WTC via youtube.


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Oboe Concerto in D Major, Op.7, No.6

I Musici -- Heinz Holliger, oboe


----------



## EricABQ

Finished up the morning with Alkan's Le Festin D'esope played by Bernard Ringeissen.


----------



## Winterreisender

Mendelssohn Symphony #1 - Claudio Abbado and LSO


----------



## julianoq

In the risk of becoming repetitive, I am listening to the Piano Sonata No.29 Hammerklavier again but this time with Brendel playing on his second cycle. I know that much people don't like Brendel playing the sonatas, but I am enjoying it a lot. I probably still like Arrau's interpretation more, but the sound quality here is better and the playing is also good in my opinion. I think I will spin the Sonata No.32 next.


----------



## Couac Addict

Mahler's 6th Symphony (Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic)

*STOP!*

*HAMMER TIME!*


----------



## Weston

I needed some wake up fanfares with my morning coffee. I am celebrating a long weekend mini-vacation (or holiday to you folks in the other hemisphere).

*Michael Praetorius: Terpsichore selections*
St. Louis Brass Quintet


----------



## maestro267

*Vaughan Williams:* Symphony No. 8 in D minor (preceded by the brief Flourish for Glorious John)
Philharmonia/Slatkin


----------



## Weston

samurai said:


> Ludwig van Beethoven-- *Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, * both featuring Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


How do you react to Szell? I'm finding his Beethoven a little like going through the motions. Or maybe he is too subtle for me.



SimonNZ said:


> Brahms' Symphony No.2 - George Szell, cond.


I'm also curious how Szell's Brahms compares to his Beethoven.


----------



## Weston

Okay, now the morning is getting heavy and mysterious. I'm not a huge violin concerto fan, but this work is quite -- I don't know, mystical may be the tone I'm looking for. Of course there are lots of other emotions and feelings coming across too.

*Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35*
Pierre Boulez / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

View attachment 26740


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/5; Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. 15/C1 (Van Swieten Trio).









There's something interesting around every corner in these trios, I don't know how Haydn managed to keep things fresh, composition after composition.


----------



## rrudolph

Only 2 more shopping days until Charles Ives' birthday.

Ives: Holidays Symphony/The Unanswered Question/Central Park In the Dark








Ives: Symphony #4








Carter: Piano Concerto/Variations for Orchestra








Carter: Concerto for Orchestra/Three Occasions for Orchestra


----------



## Neil

Beethoven - Symphony No.6


----------



## Blancrocher

Sviatoslav Richter in Liszt's 1st and 2nd Piano Concertos, and the Piano Sonata in B minor. A fine way to start the day!

*edit* And now I'm going to spend a good share of the day sampling Lettberg's complete Scriabin. Thanks for the reminder about that one, Keven Pearson.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Concerti, 1 w. Janis/Kondrashin (rec.1962); 2 w. Ashkenazy/Previn (rec. 1970/1); 3 w. Argerich/Chailly (rec.1982); 4 w. ABM/Gracis (rec.1957).

View attachment 26751
View attachment 26752
View attachment 26753
View attachment 26754


----------



## Oskaar

game following Mahlerian via Ravel

Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto In G

Pierre-Laurent Aimard
The Cleveland Orchestra
Pierre Boulez









The Abbado performance is good, but I prefer this one (Only listened to each one time in my life,so that can change)


----------



## rrudolph

Carter: Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello & Harpsichord/Sonata for Cello & Piano/Double Concerto for Harpsichord & Piano with Two Chamber Orchestras








Wuorinen:Tashi/Percussion Quartet/Fortune








Smith: Women in Meeting/Polka in Treblinka/Over/Wounded/Magdelene/Notebook


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A, K.581.
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115.
Emerson String Quartet, David Shifrin.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 97 in C Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Itullian

Extraordinary singing, acceptable mono, sensitive conducting.
You just don't hear singing like this any more.
Very moving.


----------



## Manxfeeder

rrudolph said:


> Wuorinen:Tashi/Percussion Quartet/Fortune
> View attachment 26757


I heard Tashi once, and it went to the bottom of my CD stack. If you have any thoughts to compel me to hear it again, I'm interested; I'm painfully aware that I miss a lot of things that should be evident (I hated Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and most of Webern after the first go-round also, but I've since completely turned around). Plus, I don't like to think I wasted money on a CD.

Today, * Beethoven, Symphony No. 3. *

This recording stays near the top of my CD stack.


----------



## DrKilroy

Ravel - Piano Trio (I think it is the version by Kantorow, Rouvier and Muller).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

julianoq said:


> I know that much people don't like Brendel playing the sonatas, but I am enjoying it a lot. I probably still like Arrau's interpretation more, but the sound quality here is better and the playing is also good in my opinion. I think I will spin the Sonata No.32 next.


Well, Brendel is my yardstick for Beethoven's sonatas on disc, and I heard him live on three occasions too. Andras Schiff I also like a lot, Louis Lortie too although the recordings seem very reverberant and that has put me off.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Modernist but essentially tonal programme for me tonight:

Poulenc -

*Le Bal Masque* (Cantata for Baritone and chamber orchestra)

*Le Bestiare* (Six songs for voice and chamber ensemble)

Thomas Allen (Baritone), the Nash Ensemble, cond. Lionel Friend

*Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon

Sextet for piano, flute, bassoon, oboe, clarinet and horn*

The Nash Ensemble [CRD]
*
Shostakovich - Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 40; Prokofiev - Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 119*

Luba Edlina, Piano; Yuli Turovsky, Cello [Chandos]

I haven't listened to any of these recordings in 20 years as they are on LP and tidied away from sight...the Shostakovich Sonata, in particular, is a work of great power and beauty.


----------



## Guest

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/5; Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. 15/C1 (Van Swieten Trio).
> View attachment 26742
> 
> *There's something interesting around every corner in these trios, I don't know how Haydn managed to keep things fresh, composition after composition*.


Absolutely, HaydnBearstheClock (henceforth HBTC for the sake of concision, or can I just call you 'Joe'?)! These trios are such a joy. Nice name for the Trio ensemble too (The Van Swieten Swingers).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TalkingHead said:


> Absolutely, HaydnBearstheClock (henceforth HBTC for the sake of concision, or can I just call you 'Joe'?)! These trios are such a joy. Nice name for the Trio ensemble too (The Van Swieten Swingers).


Do you own the set, TalkingHead? Hehe, actually, I tend to dislike the name 'Joe' - just call me HBTC . I'm very happy with the set too, I got it for 10 Euros, still can't believe the price (for 10 CDs!).

Now listening to: Franz Schubert, 3 Klavierstücke - Allegro molto, in E flat minor; Allegretto in E flat Major (Pieter van Winkel).









Really like these interpretations on the Brilliant label, the pianists don't seem to have world-renown, but play extremely well imo.


----------



## Guest

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Do you own the set, TalkingHead? Hehe, actually, I tend to dislike the name 'Joe' - just call me HBTC . I'm very happy with the set too, I got it for 10 Euros, still can't believe the price (for 10 CDs!).


10€? Bloody hell HBTC, that is nothing to pay for their weight in gold! No, I don't have the box set, but I've played a bunch of them and they are (like the quartets) a joy. You know what, I'm going to get me that set right now. Amazon, I suppose?


----------



## korenbloem

Philip Glass & Robert Wilson - Einstein on the Beach [1979] (vinyl)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TalkingHead said:


> 10€? Bloody hell HBTC, that is nothing to pay for their weight in gold! No, I don't have the box set, but I've played a bunch of them and they are (like the quartets) a joy. You know what, I'm going to get me that set right now. Amazon, I suppose?


Yessir! Glad I could inspire you to get them - actually they were worth 7 Euros something on amazon.de, only that the delivery costs 3 Euros.


----------



## Guest

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Do you own the set, TalkingHead? Hehe, actually, I tend to dislike the name 'Joe' - just call me HBTC . I'm very happy with the set too, I got it for 10 Euros, still can't believe the price (for 10 CDs!) [...]
> View attachment 26767


Dear HBTC, just checked on Amazon (UK) - nearly 40 smakeroos. Do you have a cheaper source?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TalkingHead said:


> Dear HBTC, just checked on Amazon (UK) - nearly 40 smakeroos. Do you have a cheaper source?


Try www.amazon.de? That's where I got it from.


----------



## Guest

And almost 50€ from Amazon.fr. 
Do Naxos have them, HBTC?


----------



## Guest

And 39,99€ from Amazon.de.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rachmaninov*: Symphonies 1 w. Jansons (rec.1998); 2 w. Rozhdestvensky (rec.1988); 3 w. Jansons (rec.1988); Piano Trios 1 & 2, w. Borodin Trio (rec.1983).

View attachment 26769
View attachment 26770
View attachment 26771
View attachment 26772


----------



## KenOC

Just finished watching Jeremy Denk hold forth on the Goldbergs from his piano for about an hour -- fascinating! This DVD is included with his new recording. It's worth the price of admission by itself IMO.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> ....Today, *Beethoven, Symphony No. 3. *
> 
> This recording stays near the top of my CD stack.
> 
> View attachment 26763


Just how big is that stack? 

View attachment 26774


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seven Last Words (Paul Angerer; Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto).


----------



## SimonNZ

Weston said:


> How do you react to Szell? I'm finding his Beethoven a little like going through the motions. Or maybe he is too subtle for me.
> 
> I'm also curious how Szell's Brahms compares to his Beethoven.


Sorry, can't answer that - I've never owned his Beethoven set, and probably won't be keeping the Brahms. Like you it seems, I've yet to understand what it is that others hear in Szell. Last night I heard a live performance of Brahms 2 on the radio by the Auckland Philharmonic, and I played the Szell for comparison. The Aucklanders live were better in every way, imo. (acually it was a pretty impressive concert - they opened with a superb Brahms Variations On A Theme (Not Really By) Haydn, a work I'm usually indifferent towards. Hats off to 27 year old French conductor Lionel Bringuier - a name to watch it seems).


----------



## DavidA

Strauss - Die Fledermaus - the Karajan with the Gala. Just heard Birgiit Nilsson singing 'I could have danced all night.' I mean, who would dare refuse her!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Ligeti - String Quartet II* / Artemis Quartet [EMI]

Bartokian...

*Bridge - String Quartet No. 2 in G minor* / Maggini Quartet [Naxos]

Debussian!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

B*ridge - String Quartet No. 4, H188* / Maggini Quartet [Naxos]

*Bridge - Piano Quintet in D minor, H49a* / Ashley Wass, Tippett Quartet [Naxos]

Different composers have taken my interest at different points in my life, but nowadays I'd be wanting to take a Frank Bridge work with me to the desert island, and why not the String Quartet No. 4 (1937)?

This sounds forged in the Second Viennese school (there are some moments in the first two movements that sound rather Webern-like) but also demonstrates Bridge's personal idiom. There is always something unsettling and intriguing in my emotional response to Bridge. I think his music is well worth investigating.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Wellesz, Symphony 4.


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms: Sonatas for Clarinet.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Liszt's wonderful Transcendental etude #8, with Boris Berezovsky at the helm.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842): String Quartet No.5 in F Major

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello


----------



## Sid James

*Grieg* Piano Concerto
- Georges Cziffra scorching the ivories, w. Budapest SO under Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr. 










*Takemitsu*
Spirit Garden
Three Film Scores for String Orch.
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
- Bournemouth SO under Marin Alsop










*Beethoven* String Quartet #10 'Harp'
- Amadeus SQ doing the bowing


----------



## shangoyal

Schumann: *Kinderszenen, Op. 15*, played by Martha Argerich


----------



## mstar

Hmhmmhmhmmhmhmhmmm..... HmhmhmHMMMhmhmHMMMMM(duh-nun), hmHMhmHMhmhmhmmm! Hm hm hm hm hm hmmmm, hm hmmm hm hmmmmmmmmm! DA NA NA NAAAAANANAAAAA, NA NAA *NAANAAAA!*(do, do do do, dodododo!) Hmhmhmhmhmhmmmm, hmhmhmhmhmhmm(dun dun) hmhmhmhmhmhmm (dun dun) hmhm(dun dun) hmhm (dun dun)....

Humming *Rachmaninov's fifth concerto.* Don't ask.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphonies, disc one, Nos. 1-5 - Patrick Gallois, cond.

speaking of insane Haydn bargains, I just picked up this 34-cd box from a boot-sale for $20nz ($17us)


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

Just finished:









And now on to:


----------



## Blancrocher

Munch conducting Ravel's Bolero, Rapsodie Espagnol, Pavane pour une infante defunte, La valse, and Mother Goose Suite.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Vorisek (1791-1825): Piano Sonata in B Flat Minor, Op.20

Artur Pizarro, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Game following Bas via Cleveland Orchestra:

Haydn: Symphony No. 92 in G major "Oxford"
The Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Szell


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann and Carl Stamitz Clarinet Concertos - Sabine Meyer, clarinet, Iona Brown, cond.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

In a recent issue of BBC magazine (July I think) they had an article about forgotten gems of piano concertos and one mentioned was Busoni's. I listened through the John Ogden version on EMI records but the sound quality was distracting to me and it just seemed like the piano was not miked properly. Then I found a version with Pietro Massa playing and it was like night and day! If more people are aware of the Ogden version it might contribute as to why it's not performed very often. The Massa version is passionate and inspiring.



















Kevin


----------



## Blancrocher

Bruno Walter conducting Don Giovanni. A first listen to Ezio Pinza, who gets high praise on a "Best Don Giovanni" thread.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2001:

Boulez's Sur Incises - Ensemble interContermporain


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.28 in C, K.200; Symphony No.33 in B-Flat, K.319 and Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 {"Haffner"}. * All three works feature Maestro Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #4, Op. 7, Gilels. A wonderful piece. Beethoven said, "This sonata will wash."


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Preludes Book 1 -Livia Rev, piano


----------



## Andolink

*Friedrich Cerha*: _ Instants_, for orchestra (2006/7); _Neun Bagatellen_, for string trio (2008)
_Bruchstück geträumt_, for ensemble (2009)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Peter Rundel


----------



## korenbloem

Herbert Howells performed by Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge under Stephen Layton - Howells: Requiem and other works


----------



## Kivimees

I happened to come across this CD by Aubert Lemeland...









... and found it a very pleasant listen.


----------



## korenbloem

SimonNZ said:


> Grawemeyer 2001:
> 
> Boulez's Sur Incises - Ensemble interContermporain


This got me really curious, so: currently listing:


----------



## SimonNZ

Chausson's Piano Trio Op.3 - Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## science

I couldn't possibly go all the way back to the last time I checked in, but here's some of what I've been up to lately:




























This last one is not a great recording - rather muddy, shows its age - but it is performed the old, stately way and I love it.


----------



## science

I come as a uniter, not a divider.




























I want to get another recording of Mozart's piano quartets. I heard one a few weeks ago in a bar that I preferred to this one.


----------



## Couac Addict

Schubert's Death and the Maiden

Here's a picture of Franz when he was the 3yrs-running European Darts Champion 1821-1823.


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata No.3 in B Flat of 3 Parts

Accademia Farnese -- Claudio Ferrarini, flute


----------



## jim prideaux

Mozart-Piano Concerto 19 and then 20-Murray Perahia/ECO-niggling thought that I just might not derive the same enjoyment from the symphonies as I do when listening to the works for piano or the chamber music..heresy?.....


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm going to try out two or three of Ivan Fischer's Mahler recordings today, starting with the 1st Symphony.


----------



## starthrower

Disc 7 from the Membran Box Set.

Nielsen- Wind Quintet, Op. 43; Serenata In Vano for 3 winds, cello, and bass

By the Scandinavian Chamber Players


----------



## Manxfeeder

jim prideaux said:


> Mozart-Piano Concerto 19 and then 20-Murray Perahia/ECO-niggling thought that I just might not derive the same enjoyment from the symphonies as I do when listening to the works for piano or the chamber music..heresy?.....


Heresy? Well, when the multitudes assemble with pitchforks and torches, you can seek refuge in my listening room.

Today, *Haydn, Symphony No. 103.*


----------



## maestro267

*Messiaen:* Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus (mvts. I-X)
Hakon Austbo, piano

Just tackling the first half of this epic cycle right now. Will do the rest tomorrow.


----------



## julianoq

KenOC said:


> Beethoven: Piano Sonata #4, Op. 7, Gilels. A wonderful piece. Beethoven said, "This sonata will wash."


Hi Ken, I also just listened/studied to this sonata. The things that most attracted my attention were the entire first movement, the beautiful second movement (that is in a distant key from the home key of the sonata and not in the expected dominant/sub-dominant or relative minor) and the unexpected coda in the fourth movement, when again Beethoven uses a totally unexpected key to completely change the "light" aspect of the first theme. Absolutely marvelous stuff.


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 and 5 (Handley).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 26804


Respighi: Pines Of Rome, Roman Festivals
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

I've heard Pines Of Rome before, but this is my first time hearing Roman Festivals.


----------



## Itullian

One of my favorite operas.
Nice to hear it in full digital sound.


----------



## brotagonist

I got sidetracked by an opera (really!) yesterday, but I am back on track.

Although I used to have the second of these 2 discs on LP, I barely knew it. I decided to give Dutilleux another try, so I recently bought this album:









I have only listened to the first disc, so far, but I am already hooked on the cello concerto, _Tout un Monde Lointain_, and the violin concerto, _L'Arbre des Songes_. Dutilluex's works are considered idiosyncratic: the Ravel/Debussy influence is evident, but tinged with subtle rhythms and serialist passages.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

jim prideaux said:


> Mozart-niggling thought that I just might not derive the same enjoyment from the symphonies as I do when listening to the works for piano or the chamber music..heresy?.....


Well, if so you're in a heretical sect of at least two...

Beethoven - Bagatelles Op. 119 & Op. 126 / Alfred Brendel [Vox 1961-64]

The recorded sound on these LPs wasn't so great as memory suggests. My favourite set of the bagatelles is the Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich (1975)


----------



## shangoyal

Bach: *Goldberg Variations*, played by Gustav Leonhardt on the harpsichord

Favourite variations: 1, 3, 11, *13*, 15, 21

I like them better on the harpsichord than on the piano. Anybody else agrees with me?


----------



## Turangalîla

maestro267 said:


> *Messiaen:* Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus (mvts. I-X)
> Hakon Austbo, piano
> 
> Just tackling the first half of this epic cycle right now. Will do the rest tomorrow.


Austbo does a great job of this masterpiece-I don't own it but a friend lent it to me and I listened to it three times that day.
I would also recommend Pierre-Laurent Aimard's recording, it is beyond remarkable.


----------



## Turangalîla

These came in the mail this week and I haven't been able to get more than two minutes' worth before my family tells me to turn them off!


----------



## Kieran

^^ The blimmin' philistines! :devil:

*K546*, adagio and fugue in c-minor, performed ably by H_v_K and his well-mannered crew...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 2.* *Bax, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## deggial

The Passacaglia from Purcell's _King Arthur_ (current obsession). Why did this chap have to die so young, eh?


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Singt dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225
Bach Collegium Japan, dir. Suzuki


----------



## Kieran

*K457*, Mitsuko... :tiphat:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Cesar Franck - Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major (1886)

Claude Debussy - Sonata for Violin and Piano (1917)*

Kyung Wha-Chung, Violin; Radu Lupu, Piano [Decca]

Another long filed-away vinyl disc.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Respighi - Pines of Rome


----------



## KenOC

Bartok's Violin Concerto #2, Patricia Kopatchinskaja with Peter Eötvös conducting. This is a very compelling, very Gypsy-like performance. (Sorry for the big picture!)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor; Liebestraum No. 3 in A flat Major; 'La Campanella', No. 3 in A flat minor; Consolation No. 3 - Lento placido (Jorge Bolet).









G. P. Telemann, Concerto in E minor for recorder, transverse flute, strings & b.c. (Camerata Köln)


----------



## Kieran

*K540*, adagio in b-minor, Mitsuko at the wheel...


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rachmaninov*: Cello Sonata, w. Gorokhov & Demidenko (rec.2004); Piano Works, w. Angelich (rec.1994); Richter (rec.1971 - '88) Gavrilov (rec.1984); Sofronitsky (rec. 1946 - '51).

View attachment 26813
View attachment 26814
View attachment 26815
View attachment 26816
View attachment 26817


----------



## Vaneyes

brotagonist said:


> *I got sidetracked by an opera* (really!) yesterday, but I am back on track....


Okay, but don't let it happen again.


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> I'm going to try out two or three of Ivan Fischer's Mahler recordings today, starting with the 1st Symphony.


When you get through with that, try any from *Janowski's Bruckner *cycle. My nod for the best Bruckner set since Jochum. :tiphat:


----------



## dgee

Fans of the Bartok second violin concerto may be interested in the fact that it was sampled by Dr Octagon for his song Blue Flowers - the most stunning occurrence of a classical sample in hip-hop that I know of


----------



## Vaneyes

Couac Addict said:


> Schubert's Death and the Maiden
> 
> Here's a picture of Franz when he was the 3yrs-running European Darts Champion 1821-1823.
> 
> View attachment 26797


Impressive, but pales beside WAM's Vienna fart-lighting championships.


----------



## SimonNZ

KenOC said:


> Bartok's Violin Concerto #2, Patricia Kopatchinskaja with Peter Eötvös conducting. This is a very compelling, very Gypsy-like performance. (Sorry for the big picture!)


Big pictures are okay when they're of Patricia Kopatchinskaja...imo.

playing now:










Haydn Symphonies, disc three, Nos. 9-12 - Patrick Gallois, cond.


----------



## DavidA

Haydn Symphony 101 - Klemperer


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Barber, Violin Concerto, etc.*


----------



## Bas

Pasquale Anfossi (1727-1797) - La finta Giardiniera
By Nuria Rial [soprano], Krystian Adam [tenor], María Espada [soprano], Katja Stuber [soprano], Miljenko Turk [bariton], Florian Götz [bariton], Monika Reinhard [soprano], l'arte del mondo, Werner Ehrhardt [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Franz Schubert - Sonata in A D.574
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no.8, no. 12, no. 13
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Domenico Mazzochi (1592-1665)- La Catena d'Adone (opera)
By Scherzi Musicali, Nicolas Achten [dir.], on Alpha









I had to travel for four and a half consecutive hours in the train today (and back), so there was enough time for two operas and an intermezzo of a violin sonata and three violin concerti


----------



## Valkhafar

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde.


----------



## Andolink

*Wolfgang Fortner*: _Sieben Elegien für Klavier_
Moritz Eggert, piano








*Ton de Leeuw*: _Trio for flute, bass clarinet & piano_
Het Trio:
Harrie Starreveld, flute
Harry Sparnaay, bass clarinet
René Eckhardt, piano


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Baldassare Galuppi (18 October 1706-1785): Concerto a Quattro in B Flat

Quartetto Aglaia: Cinzia Barbagelata and Simona Gilardi, violins -- Marco Diatto, viola -- Jorge Alberto Guerrero, cello


----------



## moody

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> These came in the mail this week and I haven't been able to get more than two minutes' worth before my family tells me to turn them off!


Haven't you got facilities in your room to listen ?


----------



## Blancrocher

Taking a bath in Bohm's Tristan und Isolde this Friday evening. I wouldn't have it any other way!


----------



## mstar

"Songs of the Sea" on the flute, live, at my old school's talent show. Cute!  

Can anyone tell me who it's by? I have no idea....


----------



## mstar

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 26831
> 
> 
> Taking a bath in Bohm's Tristan und Isolde this Friday evening. I wouldn't have it any other way!


Tristan had better give that a "like"....  jk


----------



## Turangalîla

moody said:


> Haven't you got facilities in your room to listen ?


Yes, bu I we don't have that kind of time...I need to clean house or something while I listen....


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Stamitz Clarinet Concertos - Sabine Meyer, clarinet, Iona Brown, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Haydn*
Symphony #22 in E flat 'Philosopher'
Symphony #49 in F minor, 'La Passione'
- Sinfonia Classica directed by Gernot Sussmuth










*Rachmaninov* Piano Concerto #4
- Vladimir Ashkenazy doing the honours with London SO under Andre Previn










*Bloch* Baal Shem & Suite Hebraique
- Zina Schiff, violin w. Royal Scottish NO under Jose Serebrier










& also these tidbits:

*Shostakovich* Polka & Elegy
- Australian CO directed by Richard Tognetti

*Debussy* Clair de lune (from Suite Bergamasque)
- Peter Schmalfuss on the bones


----------



## SimonNZ

Arvo Part choral works - Paul Hillier, dir.

edit: now Schumann's Violin Sonatas 1 and 2 - martha Argerich, piano, Gidon Kremer, violin


----------



## jim prideaux

early morning-Raphael Ensemble playing the two Brahms String Quintets-fell asleep listening to the piano quintets of Dvorak and Martinu performed by the Lindsays and Peter Frankl-about to go to the beach to get battered by the north sea-Moeran symphony, sinfonietta and shorter works of Finzi on the play list............


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Double Concerto - Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Karajan


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2009:

Brett Dean's Violin Concerto "The Lost Art Of Letter Writing" - Sophie Rowell, violin






less than ideal (in fact near bootleg) sound capture from what seems to be an officially filmed live performance in Adelaide


----------



## dgee

Spiegel for large orchestra (1961) - Friedrich Cerha - wow!


----------



## Couac Addict

Debussy's La Mer - Dutoit/Montreal Symphony


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Rachmaninov - Sonata for 'cello and piano in G minor Op. 19; Two pieces for cello and piano Op. 2

Debussy - Sonata for 'cello and piano (1915)*

Julian Lloyd-Webber, Cello; Yitkin Seow, Piano [ASV]

*Elgar Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84*

Chilingirian String Quartet, Bernard Roberts (Piano)[EMI]

The Rachmaninov is not really my cup of tea; it's pleasant enough music but too lacking in any 'bite' or innovation. I bought the disc for the mercurial Debussy sonata back in the early 80s when I first discovered his music.

Did I really purchase this Elgar disc? I have no memory of this! So I'm enjoying the piano quintet as if I had never heard it before.


----------



## aleazk

Webern - _Concerto for 9 instruments, Op. 24._


----------



## Oskaar

Game following Mahlerian via Haydn

Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob.VIIb

Scottish Chamber Orchestra
János Starker
Gerard Schwarz


----------



## Joris

D. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 4


----------



## Bas

Something entirely new for me (since I have not been listening opera much older then Mozart's):

Vincenzo Bellinni - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
By Anna Netrebko, Elina Garanca, Joseph Calleja, Robert Gleadow, Tiziano Bracci, Wiener Singakademie, Wiener Symphoniker
Fabio Luisi [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new arrival ---
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in D Major, D 21

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin


----------



## Weston

Having music withdrawal on a weekend trip. I brought scarecely anything with me to listen to. :-(


----------



## Jos

No 43 and 46 got an extra spinning ! John McCabe plays these beatifully.

@turnaboutvox; nice avatar ! 

Cheers,

Jos


----------



## opus55

Verdi: La Traviata
Barber: Violin Concerto

















In one of the rare times I listened to entire opera without stopping last night.. feeling of accomplishment(!). Starting Saturday morning with a romantic piece by Barber.


----------



## Oskaar

Ricardo Sciammarella - Alberto Ginastera, Serenata Op.42, Sonata Para Violoncello Y Piano Op.49, Pampeana Nº 2 Para Violoncello Y Piano Op.21









Fun and challenging lisening, with very nice sound and performance!

The serenata is with Quinteto Filarmónico de Buenos Aires
together with Guillermo Scarabino


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Cambini (1746-1825): Duet in E Major, for Flute and Viola, Op.4, No.1

Claudio Ferarrini, flute -- Jody Leskowitz, viola


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Elgar and Delius - Songs* / Benjamin Luxon, Baritone; David Willison, Piano [Chandos]

I'm not sure why Delius is so disregarded as a composer of songs; these are typically idiomatic and powerful.

*Shostakovich - Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67* */ Beaux Arts Trio* [Philips M. da C.]

Spendid stuff! I haven't listened to this in a long time. Quite a long way from the BAT's usual Viennese fare, I'd have thought (one of you is now going to post to tell me that they recorded all the important 20th century repertoire).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Penderecki, Symphony No. 5, Anthony Witt conducting.

This is neoromantic, but it didn't stop my wife from walking into my office thinking one of the piece's ostonati was my printer acting up.


----------



## maestro267

*Messiaen:* Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus (Movts. XI-XX)
Hakon Austbo, piano

Finishing off what I started yesterday. Also, good choice of music Manxfeeder (post above). I'm a massive fan of Penderecki.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Charles Ives - Piano Trio (1911)* Beaux Arts Trio [Philips]

I must listen to more Ives as this is an arresting work. All sorts of quotations from popular songs etc. are woven into a dense, otherwise atonal piece.

*Pierre Boulez - 'Pli Selon Pli' for Soprano and Orchestra* / Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Soprano; BBC SO, Boulez [Erato]

*I - Don
II - Improvisation I sur Mallarme "Le vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd'hui"*

I was given this many years ago but it hasn't made many trips to my turntable...maybe I have not been ready for it until now but under my son's musical influence I have been listening to more contemporary / experimental music of all types in the last year or two. I like this a great deal, on reflection.

*III - Improvisation II sur Mallarme 'Une dentelle s'abolit'

IV - Improvisation III sur Mallarme

V - Tombeau*

I stayed with the whole thing in the end - magnificent. My son joined me half way through. "If you like this, why don't you like Mozart or Richard Strauss?" quoth I. "Boring" replied the youth...


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Pierre Boulez - 'Pli Selon Pli' for Soprano and Orchestra* / Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Soprano; BBC SO, Boulez [Erato]
> 
> *I - Don
> II - Improvisation I sur Mallarme "Le vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd'hui"*


It's a stunningly beautiful piece at times. I don't love it as much as I do _Le marteau sans maitre_, _Repons_, or _Sur incises_, but great music nonetheless.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Chicago Symphony, cond. Solti


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with Janowski's Bruckner 8, so I can't really complain! Thanks for the recommendation, Vaneyes.


----------



## jim prideaux

this morning...shorter pieces by Finzi including the 'elegy for orchestra' entitled 'The Fall of the Leaf ' which was to be part of a chamber symphony-a recurring theme with Finzi apears to his reluctance (if that is indeed the right word) to complete works as he originally envisaged and it is such a shame-one wonders what his piano concerto would have amounted to when one listens to both the Grand Toccata and Ecologue....this afternoon;- Sunderland away to Swansea........


----------



## Oskaar

The Lark Quartet - Schoenberg & Zemlinsky String Quartets


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Clavierübung I & II: Partita BWV 830, Italienisches Konzert, Partita BWV 831
By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Bernhard Molique (1802-1869) - String Quartet no. 1 in G, String Quartet no. 2 in Cm
By the Mannheimer Streichquartett, on CPO









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonata no. 6 in A, Violin Sonata no. 7 in Cm, Violin Sonata no 8 in G
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## starthrower




----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony in B Flat, Op.17, No.2

Anthony Halstead leading the Hanover Band


----------



## starthrower

Hans Werner Henze Violin Concertos 1-3


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Pierre Boulez - Répons* / Alain Damiens, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Thanks for the tip, Mahlerian. The youth also likes this (along with Incises, which I 've not heard, his favourite Boulez). Actually this recording is his. I wasn't as taken with it as with Pli Selon Pli, but perhaps I have Boulez fatigue this afternoon.

*Richard Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier* Te Kanawa, von Otter, Hendricks, Rydl; Dresden Staatskapelle + State Opera Chorus; Haitink

Another one for the Desert Island (and I'm no great opera fan). I got taken to a performance in Manchester a few years ago which blew me away.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1789): Violin Concerto in A Major

Antonin Hradil directing the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Roman Patocka, violin


----------



## maestro267

Tonight's 'concert' consists of the Saturday Symphony, preceded by a piece whose finale's 'big tune' has been lodged in my head for several hours now, and the only way to 'satisfy' it is to give it a full listen.

*Rachmaninov:* Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
Mikhail Rudy (piano)/Leningrad PO/Jansons

*Mahler:* Symphony No. 5
Berlin PO/Karajan


----------



## Blancrocher

Norgard's "Concerto in due tempi" and Symphony 3, conducted by Segerstam.


----------



## DavidA

Holst Planets - BPO / Karajan


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in E Flat

Stamic Quartet: Viteslav Cernoch and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

Debussy, Nocturnes, Jean Martinon.


----------



## DaveS

Two old stalwarts: Mendelssohn's Italian & Schubert's Unfinished. Van Beinum, Concertgebouw. Philips LP set


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Violin Concerto and two Romances for Violin and Orchestra


----------



## Itullian

Love this set.
Listening to the overtures today.


----------



## Valkhafar

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Op. 99 - Cello Concerto, Op. 107.


----------



## Jos

A recording from 1935 !

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## KenOC

Jeremy Denk's new recording of the Goldbergs. This is very very good.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Choral Fantasy Barenboim / Klemperer


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Spmphonies, disc four, Nos.13, 36 and "105" - Helmut Muller-Bruhl, cond.


----------



## Guest

You know Simon NZ what I like about you? You just keep on listening to music. I will try to follow your example more and more, because it is the healthiest thing to do. I thank you.


----------



## Blancrocher

TalkingHead said:


> You know Simon NZ what I like about you? You just keep on listening to music. I will try to follow your example more and more, because it is the healthiest thing to do. I thank you.


I've got a growing list of 80 or 90 cds I've been meaning to listen to, most of which were culled from Simon NZ's posts on this thread.

Which reminds me, I'll soon be checking out Michel van der Aa's "Up - Close."


----------



## SimonNZ

Wow! Thanks very much to both of you for that!

I should probably make clear, though, that a certain number of my postings - especially the very modern stuff will be first listens, and though interesting may not necessarily be recommendations. On the other hand I wouldn't post stuff that I turn off after two minutes. It would probably help both myself and potentially others if I got past my natural lethargy and added just a sentence or two of reaction with most CLs.

But "Up-Close" really pulled me in once it got going. I'll be interested to hear what you think


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - String Quintet No.1 in Bb, K.174; String Quintet No.2 in C, K.406* / Quatuor Talich, Rehak (Viola II)

My late night choice tonight. I decided to spend some time with the less obviously glittering quintets in Mozart's œuvre, though there 's nothing inferior about these.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Poul Ruders: Violin Concerto






Whoa what is this? It's like...not baroque but I can hear it!


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Evoken

*Mozart - Adagio. Allegro, Symphony No. 38 in D 'Prague', K504*

First time listening to this symphony.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Busoni - Piano Works

Sonatina No. 6 "Chamber-Fantasy after Bizet's Carmen"
Sechs Stücke, K.241 (Op.33b): 6. Exeunt omnes
Elegies No. 2: All'Italia! (In modo Napolitano)
Elegies No. 4: Turandots Frauengemach
Elegies No. 7: Berceuse
Fantasia nach J.S. Bach
An die Jugend, KiV 254 No. 3: Giga Bolero e Variazione
Sonatina Seconda
Indianisches Tagebuch
Toccata K. 287: 1. Preludio; 2. Fantasia; 3. Ciaccona
Bach-Busoni: Prelude and Fugue in D, BWV 532*

Geoffrey Tozer (Piano)









_Just to see if I could work out how to attach an image!_


----------



## Valkhafar

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor".
Rudolf Serkin. Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Blancrocher

SimonNZ said:


> But "Up-Close" really pulled me in once it got going. I'll be interested to hear what you think


Yep--me too. It's similar to other combined music-and-video-art performances I've seen, except the music part was a lot better. It's interesting to see on youtube: I liked the close-up shots of Sol Gabetta and the video screen, but I wonder what it would be like to have a view of the whole stage from an audience member's perspective. I guess I'll find out if this show passes through town.

Thanks for the recommendation.


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's String Quartet No.15. The third movement's name 'Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart' (A Convalescent's Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode) makes perfect sense when you listen to it.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor,* featuring James Levine and the Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

From Bloch to Haydn and a bit of Aussie music in between.

I quite like the spiritual vibes of *Bloch's music*, it does have this sense of a Biblical epic movie about it. There is a sense of landscape here as well as some feeling of ceremony, ritual and worship. The violin concerto's thematic material is drawn from native American musics, but the notes point out that the main theme is very similar to the other two wholly "Jewish" works on the cd. I suppose composers go within themselves no matter what their inspiration?

Then to *Ross Edwards*, whose *violin concerto "Maninyas"* has the sunny quality as well as solitude of the Australian bush.

Finally a couple of* Haydn's divertimentos *- bits of which sound pretty much indistinguishable from his one-time student, Mozart. The second one I heard here also exists in the form of a string quartet and guitar quartet, but this version is for chamber orchestra.

*Bloch* Violin Concerto
- Zina Schiff, soloist w. Royal Scottish NO under Jose Serebrier










*Ross Edwards* Violin Concerto, "Maninyas"
- Dene Olding, soloist w. Sydney SO under Stuart Challender











*Haydn* 
Divertimento in A Hob.X.10*
Divertimento in B flat Op. 1 #1, Hob.III.1
- Sinfonia Classica directed by Gernot Sussmuth *solos by Arco van Zon, oboe & Mark Paine, horn


----------



## opus55

Beethoven overtures


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Fantasy in C Major, Op.17

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening this:


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich, The Gadfly, film music


----------



## Evoken

Listening to this...


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## senza sordino

Alban Berg violin concerto, performed by Gidon Kremer, I bought the cd today in possibly the last remaining cd store in town.


----------



## Itullian

Beautiful playing and recording highlight this Ring.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Piano Trios 1 and 2 - Julius Katchen, Josef Suk, Janos Starker


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20 Nos. 1 in E flat; No. 5 in F minor, No. 6 in A* Quartet Mosaiques [Astree]

A new, freshly opened CD for Sunday morning. Fine performances and exemplary recording, this is living up to its reputation.


----------



## aleazk

Webern - Op.21 to Op.31. (



)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, The Magic Flute - 'Marsch der Priester', 'O Isis und Osiris' (Sir Colin Davis; Kurt Moll, Luciana Serra, Peter Schreier, Margaret Price, Mikael Melbye, Maria Venuti; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden).


----------



## SimonNZ

Aaron Copland's The Tender Land Suite - cond. composer


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










Love these performances. These are faster and seem to be more "alive" than any other performances I have heard of Telemann's Tafelmusik and the audio quality is fantastic, though that is not really a shock considering this is a Deutsche Grammophon set we are speaking of here...

I have really developed a love for Telemann's music over the past few weeks. I hear similarities with both Bach and Vivaldi and that is great to hear. His melodies are really catchy too. Not something I usually look for in my classical listening, but it is nice to catch myself humming one of his melodies I heard earlier in the day.


----------



## Jos

There is something very solemn about some of these baroque harmonies on a grey sundaymorning.
Must do some digging in the crates to find Corelli's originals.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartets op. 20 No. 2 in C, No. 3 in G minor and No. 4 in D* / Quatuor Mosaiques [Naive/Astree]

I decided not to get off the sofa!


----------



## Guest

Bach Before Sunrise:








Suite #1 in G for Solo Cello, BWV 1007
Pierre Fournier








Partita #2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004
Itzhak Perlman








English Suite #3 in G minor on Piano, BWV 808
Murray Perahia








Sonata in A minor for Solo Flute, BWV 1013
Stephen Preston








Trio Sonata #6 in G for Organ, BWV 530
Hans Fagius


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in F Minor, Op.1, No.8

Jaroslav Krecek directing the Capella Istropolitana


----------



## Jos

More Bach !

My ears always need a minute or two to calibrate to the sound of the harpsichord, but i really like it once that's happened. Completely different phrasing than the other renditions I have of Goldbergs.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten_, BWV 202; _Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn_, BWV 152; 
_Ich habe genug_, BWV 82
Greta de Reyghere, soprano
Max van Egmond, bass
Ricercar Consort








*Mathias Spahlinger*: _furioso_ for ensemble (1991/92); 
_gegen unendlich_ for bass clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (1995);
_fugitive beauté_ for ensemble (2006); _Apo do (von hier)_ for string quartet (1982)
Ensemble Modern
ensemble recherche
Arditti Quartet


----------



## maestro267

*Rimsky-Korsakov:* Scheherazade
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Kondrashin

One of those pieces that, whenever I listen, I wonder why I don't listen to it more often. Utterly brilliant piece!


----------



## chalkpie

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Dec06/essential_sibelius_biscd1697.jpg


----------



## Evoken

Currently on this...


----------



## Guest

*Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra*
*Yannick Nézet-Séguin* conductor
Prokofiev 5th Symphony

Performed at this year's Proms.


----------



## cwarchc

followed by


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

chrisco97 said:


> *On Spotify:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Love these performances. These are faster and seem to be more "alive" than any other performances I have heard of Telemann's Tafelmusik and the audio quality is fantastic, though that is not really a shock considering this is a Deutsche Grammophon set we are speaking of here...
> 
> I have really developed a love for Telemann's music over the past few weeks. I hear similarities with both Bach and Vivaldi and that is great to hear. His melodies are really catchy too. Not something I usually look for in my classical listening, but it is nice to catch myself humming one of his melodies I heard earlier in the day.


I love Telemann as well and also have some 'ear worms' from him. I think his melodies are excellent and have a direct quality to them. The variety of genres in which he wrote in is also awesome, plenty of different types of chamber music (trio, quartet), larger orchestral suites, concertos for all kinds of instruments and often more than one, very interesting solo pieces (for eg. the 12 Fantasias for solo transverse flute), there's a lot to discover.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Motets BWV 225~230
Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Drottingholm Baroque Ensemble


----------



## Blancrocher

Barbirolli conducting Mahler's 9th.


----------



## bejart

Johannes Matthias Sperger (1750-1812): Symphony in C Major

Peter Zajicek conducting the Musica Aeterna Bratislava


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20
Mahler: Symphony No. 9


----------



## moody

Jos said:


> View attachment 26877
> 
> 
> More Bach !
> 
> My ears always need a minute or two to calibrate to the sound of the harpsichord, but i really like it once that's happened. Completely different phrasing than the other renditions I have of Goldbergs.


She once said to another pianist :"I'll tell you what,you play your version of Bach and I'll play Bach's".


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Nelsons

Nelsons' first concert with the BSO since he was selected as the next music director. I'm afraid of what he's going to do to the repertoire that Levine had specialized in...


----------



## Valkhafar

Rachmaninoff: Symphonies - Symphonic Dances - Isle of the Dead - Scherzo in D minor - Vocalise.
Mariss Jansons, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K503
Paul Lewis, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Nelsons

Continuing the concert...


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, Op.62

Kurt Masur leading the Gewandhausorchester of Leipzig


----------



## starthrower

Nielsen-Concerto for Flute and Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F major
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Nelsons

Last item on the program.


----------



## Blancrocher

Julius Patzak singing Winterreise, with Jörg Demus on piano. A first listen to this classic performance.


----------



## aleazk

*Beat Furrer* - _Piano Concerto_.
What an impressive piece!.


----------



## DrKilroy

For Charles Ives' birthday I am going to listen to his Two Contemplations (The Unanswered Question and Central Park in the Dark) (Bernstein) and Symphony No. 4 (Tilson Thomas).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Badinerie

Winter is here....I have new Speakers and this in on the turntable.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Trio in E Flat, Op.17, No.2

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Stefano Marcocchi, viola -- Stefano Veggetti, cello


----------



## starthrower

Nielsen-Violin Concerto Malcolm Stewart-violin Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Bostock


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor, 'Fifths' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736): Flute Concerto in G Major

Bruno Giuranna conducting the Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Venuto -- Peter Lukas Graf, flute


----------



## DeepR

I just listened to:

Schoenberg - Ode to Napoleon
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5
Beethoven - Symphony No. 3

I was offered a free ticket to go to a concert with this program. I only knew the Piano Concerto very well. The Schoenberg is not my thing, but Beethoven will more than make up for that.


----------



## Jos

One of the highs of the romantic era. 
Oldie in mono with lots of hiss, crackle and pop.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## cwarchc

The first 2 discs of this set,
It has to be one of my favourites


----------



## Bas

This was a beautiful semi concertante performance of Mozart's masterpiece. (Ed Spanjaard is a genius, the soloists were top class - especially the women and Don Alfonso. The orchestra of the 18th century was brilliant. I don't know enough superlatives in the English language to express how great it was ) I have had a wonderful afternoon!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Trio in E Flat

Camerata Berolinensis: Johannes Gebauer and Fiona Stevens, violins -- Katie Rietman, cello


----------



## Jos

Last one for today. After this it's nite-nite for me...

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 17 in B flat, KV 458 "The Hunt" *

While I was cooking, so maybe I should post this in the 'What are (were) you doing now (then)" thread too

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 19 in C, KV 465 ("Dissonance" Quartet)*

This one is the real deal, Mozart's finest String Quartet, perhaps.

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 18 in A, KV 464 *

The miraculous final variation in the Andante always gets me!

*"Haydn" Quartets*

Leipziger Streichquartett - [MD&G Gold]


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc five, Nos. 14-17 - Kevin Mallon, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Santiago Rodriguez playing Rachmaninov's op. 23 preludes, Variations on a Theme by Corelli, and a couple other little pieces.


----------



## Ravndal

I'm trying out Bruckner's 6th symphony.

Otto Klemperer & The new philharmonia orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Works, w. Rodriguez (Vols. 1 - 3, rec. 1993 - '94); Demidenko (rec.1994).

View attachment 26909
View attachment 26910
View attachment 26911
View attachment 26912


----------



## bejart

William Shield (1748-1829): String Quartet in C Minor, Op.3, No.6

Salomon Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward-Clarke, cello


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 20 in D, KV 499 "Hoffmeister" Quartet* / Leipziger Streichquartett [MD&G Gold]

*Villa-Lobos - 5 Préludes (1940)* / Norbert Kraft (guitar) [Naxos]

and so to bed...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Alwyn, Symphony No. 4. Ligeti, Lontano.*


----------



## Ravndal

Ravndal said:


> I'm trying out Bruckner's 6th symphony.
> 
> Otto Klemperer & The new philharmonia orchestra


It was a very nice fit. Been listening to his 9th all day as well. One of my favorite symphonies. Listening to his 8th while i try to get some sleep. Too bad there is a incredible amount of coughing on this version. Must have been during the winter season.


----------



## starthrower

Nielsen violin sonata no. 1


----------



## Blancrocher

Ravndal said:


> Too bad there is a incredible amount of coughing on this version. Must have been during the winter season.


If you change your mind and take a liking to the coughing, I'd recommend this recording of Richter playing Ravel's "Pavane pour une Infante Defunte":






There are numerous interesting comments on the quality of the coughing in the comments section as well.


----------



## Sid James

From Verdi to Chopin this time, with some Bruch as well.

I really enjoyed this first cd of the *Verdi compilation*, one that stood out was the _Bolero_ from _I Vespri Siciliani_. But all where good, & I will continue with disc 2 soon.

Onto *Chopin's waltzes*, imaging not only the joy but also the melancholy and bittersweet qualities of the ballroom. Maybe like all those broken hearts!

To end, *Bruch's Violin Concerto #1* that has been a hit since its first performance in the late 19th century. Violinists since Joseph Joachim who premiered it have played it. The similarities with the Brahms concerto, which Joachim also premired, are obvious (eg. that ending, laden with 'Hungarianisms'), and the influence of Mendelssohn is never far away either. One of today's violinists, James Ehnes says of it that "it has everything one could want in a Romantic violin concerto: beautiful melodies, dazzling pyrotechnics, great orchestral writing and perfect proportion."

Disc 1 of *"the number 1 Verdi album" *on Decca label
- Opera highlights - orchestral, choral, arias performed by Sutherland, Pavorotti, Bergonzi, etc. 










*Chopin* Waltzes Nos. 3, 8, 9, 10, 13
- Alexis Weissenberg on the bones (Seraphim cd - can't find image!)

*Bruch* Violin Concerto #1
- Arthur Grumiaux, violin w. New Philharmonia Orch. under Heinz Wallberg


----------



## mstar

Sid James, you are a top poster! Nice to have you on TC!!! 

IM ON THE FREEEEEEEEEEEWAY LISTENING TO THIS SONG THAT'S LIKE: If you fall on your catch and remaking the making, then time after time time after time time after time," etc.. Then the lady whispers "time after time" once or twice. Please ignore this post, as I'm very tired.


----------



## clavichorder

Beethoven, the 1st three sonatas by Perahia


----------



## KenOC

Bach in the grand style! Bach-Busoni Toccata Adagio & Fugue in C, Egon Petri on the ivories.


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): String Quartet No.3 in G Major

Gewandhaus Quartet: Karl Suske and Giorgio Krohner, violins -- Dietmar Hallmann, viola -- Jurnjakob Timm, cello


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Piano Trio #2 Op. 1 No. 2, played by Patrick Cohen, Erich Höbart and Cristophe Coin. I'm getting more and more fond of early Beethoven on period instruments...more so than Haydn and Mozart, for whatever reason!


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> Sid James, you are a top poster! Nice to have you on TC!!!
> 
> IM ON THE FREEEEEEEEEEEWAY LISTENING TO THIS SONG THAT'S LIKE: If you fall on your catch and remaking the making, then time after time time after time time after time," etc.. Then the lady whispers "time after time" once or twice. Please ignore this post, as I'm very tired.


Got the car on auto-pilot?


----------



## Weston

*Frank Bridge: Suite for strings*
Nicholas Braithwaite / New Zealand Chamber Orchestra

I'm not sure this fits with the chill in the air here in Nashville, but I don't know what does exactly. Sorry for the garish cover.










[Edit: a bit later on.]

*Haydn: Symphony No. 77 in B flat, Hob.I:77*
Nicholas Ward / Northern Chamber Orchestra

The second movement surely has some strange stuff going on for Haydn. I think Beethoven and the unborn spirit of Stravinsky sneaked in and tweaked a couple of notes in the manuscript.


----------



## Itullian

mstar said:


> Sid James, you are a top poster! Nice to have you on TC!!!
> 
> IM ON THE FREEEEEEEEEEEWAY LISTENING TO THIS SONG THAT'S LIKE: If you fall on your catch and remaking the making, then time after time time after time time after time," etc.. Then the lady whispers "time after time" once or twice. Please ignore this post, as I'm very tired.


Cyndi Lauper ..................


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Serenade for Flute and Piano, Op.23, No.6

Mario Carbotta, flute -- Carlo Balzaretti, piano


----------



## KenOC

Elgar, Introduction and Allegro for Strings (on the radio). Several composers wrote string-only works near the turn of the 20th century, usually just one, and usually very successful. Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Dvorak, and probably others! More names are welcome...


----------



## starthrower

I'm a bit unclear concerning the two numbering systems of Hindemith's quartets, but I'm listening to no. 3 as performed by the Danish Quartet. Love this one! 

I hear the Kocian Quartet is more intense, but in less polished sound.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Rautavaara Symphonies to unwind.


----------



## Evoken

Continuing the journey through Mozart's symphonies...


----------



## Guest

Never actually listened to early Mozart symphonies (I started with late and eventually worked backwards as far back as No. 25)...Let me know how that goes man.


----------



## Evoken

I haven't been going in order with his symphonies. The first one I heard was #41 then it was 40, 38, 39 and I am now going through that first CD which starts with #1 but then it kind of jumps around.


----------



## neoshredder

arcaneholocaust said:


> Never actually listened to early Mozart symphonies (I started with late and eventually worked backwards as far back as No. 25)...Let me know how that goes man.
> 
> View attachment 26928


Try the first 5. Though they maybe in the style of Leopold Mozart's writing. Doesn't quite sound like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Enjoyable nonetheless.


----------



## Sonata

Shostakovich String quartet 3


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 19 20 21 23 24.
Alfred Brendel. Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.


----------



## KenOC

Sonata said:


> Shostakovich String quartet 3


A great work. Which string quartet is playing?


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich's Piano Quintet, Martha Argerich and crew. Fantastic!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Cherubini's Medea Overture - Lawrence Foster, cond.

edit: heh, over the next hour they've lined up a number of short pieces on the theme of Medea. Its kind of an interesting listt:

6:00 CHERUBINI: Medea, Overture - CBSO/Lawrence Foster (Claves CD 50-9513)

VIVALDI: Se fido rivedrò, from Medea e Giasone - Ann Hallenberg (mezzo), Modo Antiquo/Federico Maria Sardelli (dir) (Opus 111 OP 30411)

DUPHLY: Médée, from Pièces de Clavecin, Book 3 - Elisabeth Joyé (hpschd) (Alpha 150)

D'INDY Médée & Jason, from Médée Op 47 - Iceland SO/Rumon Gamba (Chandos CHAN 10760)

CHARPENTIER: Overture, from Médée; Princesse, c'est sur vous, from Médée - Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo), Les Arts Florissants/William Christie (Archiv 477 8610)

BARBER: Medea's Meditation & Dance of Vengeance - Boston SO/Charles Munch (RCA 74321 98704)

THOMSON: Seven Songs from the Medea of Euripides - San Francisco Girls' Chorus/Sharon J Paul (Private Recording SFGC 9601)

HERRMANN: Prelude, from Jason & the Argonauts - National Phil/Bernard Herrmann (Decca 417 852)


----------



## ProudSquire

*J.N.Hummel *

Grand Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra
Robert Rønnes: Bassoon
Stavanger: Radio orchestra.
Conductor: Frank Shipway


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2003

Kaija Saariaho's L'Amour de Loin - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *Symphony No. 9 in D minor*

Berliner Statskapelle / Daniel Barenboim

Excellent rendition, could be my favourite.


----------



## SimonNZ

^Meant to say that I like the Aparajito avatar. Apur Sansar has been one of my top ten favorite films for over twenty years now.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Winterreisender

Dowland: Lute Music - Anthony Rooley

from this set:


----------



## shangoyal

SimonNZ said:


> ^Meant to say that I like the Aparajito avatar. Apur Sansar has been one of my top ten favorite films for over twenty years now.


 

I haven't even seen Aparajito and Apur Sansar! This is from the first film, Pather Panchali... I think I will watch the other two very soon.


----------



## SimonNZ

shangoyal said:


> I haven't even seen Aparajito and Apur Sansar! This is from the first film, Pather Panchali... I think I will watch the other two very soon.


That still is from the first film? My mistake - I've only seen the first two a couple of times, the third maybe twenty. You're in for a real treat.

which makes me want to dig this out for another play:










Ravi Shankar's Improvisations On Pather Panchali


----------



## Ingélou

The Ravi Shankar looks great - I hear the tinkling bells of my hippy youth. 

But for the moment, I just can't stop playing Hildegard of Bingen. Beyond words beautiful.


----------



## pwdemars

Dvorak Symphony No. 8: Rafael Kubelik with Berlin Phil


----------



## EricABQ

A couple of old favorites this morning. Haydn's trumpet concerto and Beethoven's 6th symphony.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Nielsen: Symphony no. 6






Whenever I want to listen to Nielsen I always just seem to turn to this work.


----------



## Gilberto

Jean-Henri d'Anglebert - Harpsichord Suites by Byron Schenkman


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

The Delme Quartet: Galina Solodchin and John Trusler, violin -- John Underwood, viola -- Jonathan Williams, cello


----------



## DrKilroy

SimonNZ said:


> which makes me want to dig this out for another play:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ravi Shankar's Improvisations On Pather Panchali


By the way, in John Adams' Slonimsky's Earbox there is a great imitation of a sitar (I suppose it is intentional!) - I believe it is a harp pluck combined with muted trumpet (trombone?). Listen here. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev:* Symphony No. 4 in C major (Revised version, even though the tracklist gives the opus number of the original version)
*London PO/Weller*


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with Peter Anders singing Winterreise, a recording particularly recommended by moody:






It's like an icepick to the heart!


----------



## Bas

Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartets
By The Domus Quartet, on Hyperion









Joseph Haydn - "Londoner Sinfonien" no. 96 in D, no. 98 in B-flat
By the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 2 
By The Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa









Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas Hob. XVI 35 - 39 & 20
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 198, BWV 78, BWV 120, BWV 119, BWV 29
By Charolyn Sampson, Ingrid Schmithüsen, Deborah York [sopranos], Charles Brett, Ingeborg Danz [altos], Howard Crook, Mark Padmore [tenors], Peter Kooij [bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rachmaninov*: Symphonic Dances, Isle of the Dead, w. St. Petersburg PO/Jansons (rec.1992 - '98); Piano Works, w. Sokolov (rec.1988); Alexeev (rec.1987 - '89); Kempf (rec.1999).

View attachment 26949
View attachment 26950
View attachment 26951
View attachment 26952
View attachment 26953


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Tuba Concerto (Harrild/Thomson), Symphonies Nos. 6 and 8 (Handley).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

Ingenue said:


> The Ravi Shankar looks great - I hear the tinkling bells of *my hippy youth*.
> 
> But for the moment, I just can't stop playing Hildegard of Bingen. Beyond words beautiful.


Hmmm, that may bring into play, Hendrix at Isle of Wight, August 1970. 

View attachment 26954


----------



## shangoyal

Schumann: *Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6*, played by Claudio Arrau


----------



## Vaneyes

starthrower said:


> I'm a bit unclear concerning the two numbering systems of Hindemith's quartets, but I'm listening to no. 3 as performed by the Danish Quartet. Love this one!
> 
> I hear the Kocian Quartet is more intense, but in less polished sound.


Kocian's good on all accounts. Like the Danish's Gubaidulina. :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Reger: String Quartet No. 5 in F-sharp minor
Drolc Quartet









Whenever I listen to Reger, it reminds me of Schoenberg without the genius. Thick and contrapuntal, but to what end?


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Sibelius' Symphony 2 by the Philharmonia under Vladimir Ashkenazy.


----------



## Sudonim

AClockworkOrange said:


> Sibelius' Symphony 2 by the Philharmonia under Vladimir Ashkenazy.


_Moi aussi!_ - but mine is Sir John Barbirolli/RPO.

Also still listening to the Schoenberg chamber music set that I mentioned the other day.


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Whenever I listen to Reger, it reminds me of Schoenberg without the genius. Thick and contrapuntal, but to what end?


Why listen (or buy), then?


----------



## Blancrocher

brotagonist said:


> Why listen (or buy), then?


For the same reason I listen to Hindemith's Ludus Tonalis, probably--though it's hard for me to say why that is, exactly!

*edit* In fact, up next: Sviatoslav Richter playing the Ludus Tonalis!


----------



## Bas

Some more symphonies, I am in the mood:

Joseph Haydn - Symphony no. 95 in Cm, no. 99 in E-flat, no. 104 "London" in D
By The London Symphony Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 3 in D, Symphony no. 4 in Cm "Tragic"
By The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [dir.], on Warner Classics









Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 3 "Eroica"
By The Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## mstar

Mahlerian said:


> Reger: String Quartet No. 5 in F-sharp minor
> Drolc Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whenever I listen to Reger, it reminds me of Schoenberg without the genius. Thick and contrapuntal, but to what end?


Fungi.

When I listen to Reger.... Well, I don't.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 26962


Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade, Capriccio Espagnol
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## maestro267

*Villa-Lobos:* Symphony No. 4 ("Victory")
Sao Paulo SO/Karabtchevsky


----------



## Manxfeeder

Rorem, Flute Concerto.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Mahlerian said:


> Reger: String Quartet No. 5 in F-sharp minor
> Drolc Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whenever I listen to Reger, it reminds me of Schoenberg without the genius. Thick and contrapuntal, but to what end?


Do you know why they chose mushrooms for the cover?


----------



## Guest

Today my listening has been all over the map:








*Mozart*, Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K219
Anne-Sophie Mutter, London Philharmonic Orchestra
These are my new favorite recordings of the Mozart Violin Concertos.








Felix *Mendelssohn*, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Alina Ibragimova; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Vladimir Jurowski
She's just hot. It's hard for me to judge the music but I think it's pretty good.








*Beethoven*, Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61
Itzhak Perlman, Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
An old and highly-acclaimed performance. But I'm spoiled by newer and better recording techniques and this lacks the clarity I need to hear to love it.








*Beethoven*, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 (wrong picture)
Murray Perahia - Bernard Haitink - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Again an old recording but a great performance.








*Wagner*, Orchestral Exerpts from The Ring
Geoge Solti, Weiner Philharmoniker
I don't get in a Wagner mood very often so Solti is all I have.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Mass in F minor and Violin Concerto.*

The Mass is nice. I'm not sure if I'm going to hear it again. But the violin concerto is more compelling - spiky, Bergian, more intense.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Fauré: Cello Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 109* / Alban Gerhardt, Cecile Licad
*
Haydn - String Quartets Opus 20 No. 1 in E flat; No. 5 in F minor and No. 6 in A* / Quatuor Mosaïques

A second spin for these newly acquired discs, this time using 'cans' in deference to the family. Interesting fugal finales in Haydn's Op. 20/5 and 6


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Michael Haydn, Symphony No. 29 in D minor (Harold Faberman; Bournemouth Sinfonietta).

(On YouTube).

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor Gregor Piatigorsky/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

A warm, emotional performance. Thoroughly enjoying it. This is a nice bonus on the boxed set of Artur Rubinstein's complete recordings. Original jacket reissues can come up trumps after all.


----------



## DavidA

Holst the Planets - Neptune - Karajan BPO

The music nearly freezes in my earphones! It is so bleak!


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> Why listen (or buy), then?


Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think that my impressions are necessarily reflective of how I would feel if I gave it more of a chance...



Haydnbearstheclock said:


> Do you know why they chose mushrooms for the cover?


Not a clue...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Haydn: 11 Piano Sonatas

*Sonata in C minor Hob. XVI:20
Sonata in E flat Hob. XVI:49
Sonata in C Hob XVI: 48*

Alfred Brendel, who introduced me to the works of a composer I really could not imagine becoming interested in back then (I own a fair number of Haydn chamber music recordings now). Strange how our tastes evolve.

These are 1979 recordings with the distortion to prove it. I could stand to invest in a digital set of Haydn's piano sonatas.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## mstar

*Brahms - Piano Quartet in G Minor.* It's stunning! I was reading Night by Elie Wiesel, the part of Chapter 6 when Juliek plays a German concerto (Beethoven) in the dark room of an old concentration camp, Elie sleeps to the violin which Juliek has managed to save from the Nazis the whole time. Elie wakes up and finds Juliek dead, with the "little corpse" of the violin lying next to the latter, which has "died" with Juliek! 
I was honestly almost in tears, the symbolism in that book, the recurring motifs, just overwhelming. Especially while listening to Brahms. :')


----------



## mstar

KenOC said:


> Beethoven's Piano Trio #2 Op. 1 No. 2, played by Patrick Cohen, Erich Höbart and Cristophe Coin. I'm getting more and more fond of early Beethoven on period instruments...more so than Haydn and Mozart, for whatever reason!


Have you listened to No. 16, lately? I find it so wonderful....


----------



## mstar

Vaneyes said:


> Got the car on auto-pilot?


Oh, yeah, I was flying.  jk


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Reger*: Orchestral Works, w. Jarvi (rec.1989), Salonen, Zagrosek (rec.1989); Piano Works, w. MAH (rec.1998).








View attachment 26971
View attachment 26972


----------



## Sid James

*Copland & Aldridge* Clarinet Concertos*
*Aldridge* Samba**
- David Singer, clarinet *with A Far Cry Orchestra, **with The Shanghai Quartet










The ghost of Mahler inhabits these *two American clarinet concertos*, but there is much else besides.

*Copland's concerto* was composed in 1948 for the "King of Swing," Benny Goodman. No surprises that jazz is a strong influence here, especially the final movement that goes in the direction of Latin jazz, to the heart of Brazil. Here, my favourite bit is when the clarinetist jams with the double bass and pianist, as in a jazz trio. The quirky rhythms of Stravinsky are there too.

The opening of this work though streches right back to the sublime and song-like aspects of Mozart's concerto, and emerges through the lens of the opening bit of Mahler's Symphony #9. The harp is there, but imagine the clarinet replacing the horn with its poignant and nostalgic melody. The two-movement work is unified by a central cadenza, and goes without break.

While the Copland piece is scored for strings, harp and piano accompanying the soloist, *Robert L. Aldridge's concerto* has the involvement of a 40 piece orchestra. So the sound is bigger, more lush and kind of filmic. The outer movements are bouncy and highly vigorous, while the central movement is like a blues. The more lyrical vibes in that are interrupted by reminiscences of marching bands, and that klezmer-like feel of the third 'Frere Jacques' movement of Maher's Symphony #1 comes to mind here quite strongly. The clarinetist plays out of tune here, deliberately.

Rounding off this great disc is a short encore piece by Aldridge called *Samba*, again it incorporates a Latin jazz feel.

This collaboration between clarinet virtuoso David Singer and Aldridge, was seven years in the making. The success of the Aldridge concerto in 2004 got both the composer and clarinetist thinking of doing a disc coupling it with the Copland, a concert staple. I think the two works compliment eachother well.



mstar said:


> Sid James, you are a top poster! Nice to have you on TC!!!


Flattery will get you everywhere!



> IM ON THE FREEEEEEEEEEEWAY LISTENING TO THIS SONG THAT'S LIKE: If you fall on your catch and remaking the making, then time after time time after time time after time," etc.. Then the lady whispers "time after time" once or twice. Please ignore this post, as I'm very tired.


This one by brother Ray might be good for accompaniment there. Keep movin' on!...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Weber's Symphony No.2 - Juanjo Mena, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> For the same reason I listen to *Hindemith's Ludus Tonalis*, probably--though it's hard for me to say why that is, exactly!
> 
> *edit* In fact, up next: Sviatoslav Richter playing the Ludus Tonalis!


The only rec. of it that I've briefly owned was Berezovsky. Didn't like the work, and I don't plan to investigate other recs. of it. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think that my impressions are necessarily reflective of how I would feel if I gave it more of a chance...


The three I put up are the extent of my *Reger* likings. They have been for some time. His chamber and concerti are blank stares for me. :tiphat:


----------



## EricABQ

I was looking for some contemporary (as in still alive) piano composers and came upon Pascal Dusapin, who I had never heard before, so I was listening to some of his stuff on YouTube. 

Probably a bridge too far for me at the moment, but it was interesting to hear.


----------



## Valkhafar

Wagner: Tannhäuser.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc seven, Nos. 22 "Philosopher", 29 and 60 "Il Distratto" - Nicholas Ward, cond.


----------



## PetrB

Atypical John Adams: Eros Piano, for piano and chamber orchestra. The piece is a tribute to the late Toru Takemitsu, and harmonically and in its plasticity of shapes (= form) it is very much in the spirit of.

The piece is somewhat favored by pianists, and is programmed "around" rather frequently.

It is also redolent with that near ever-present sensual quality so much of Takemitsu's has, i.e. sheer visceral appeal.


----------



## mstar

*Liszt's Mephisto Waltz* is the first work ever, perhaps, which can definitely convince me that I think, even if for a short period of time, that it is the greatest work in all of music!! Oh, how I want to play it....


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> *Liszt's Mephitso Waltz* is the first work ever, perhaps, which can definitely convince me that I think, even if for a short period of time, that it is the greatest work in all of music!! Oh, how I want to play it....


But you're gonna hafta spell it right first. :devil:


----------



## KenOC

PetrB said:


> Atypical John Adams: Eros Piano, for piano and chamber orchestra. The piece is a tribute to the late Toru Takemitsu, and harmonically and in its plasticity of shapes (= form) it is very much in the spirit of.


Thanks PetrB, I was unaware of this piece. It seems to have only one recording, and Grady Harp's Amazon review says it was a tribute on the passing of Morton Feldman. But the YouTube clip says it's a 1947 piece, which seems very unlikely*, and anyway Feldman didn't die until 1987! To my ears, it's pure Takemitsu as you suggest, and very nice indeed.

Checked and it's 1989. But Takemitsu didn't die until 1996. Now I'm really confused.

Added again: You said "tribute" not "elegy," so I guess that's the explanation.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent addition ---.
Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Flute Quartet in B Flat, Op. 22, No.1

The Mannheim Quartet: Douglas Worthen, flute -- Julie Leven, violin -- Anne Black, viola -- Joan Esch, cello


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner's Forgotten Melodies op. 38 played by Hamelin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Violin Concerto - Viktoria Mullova, violin, Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## mstar

Vaneyes said:


> But you're gonna hafta spell it right first. :devil:


Whoops, I accidentally made Liszt Japanese right there.... :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> Whoops, I accidentally made Liszt Japanese right there.... :lol:


You're okay, kid, er gaki.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Frank Bridge, The Sea and Enter Spring.*

Aaugh! I'm just not connecting with this guy.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Frank Bridge, The Sea and Enter Spring.*
> 
> Aaugh! I'm just not connecting with this guy.
> 
> View attachment 26978


I hear you. I'm down to The Sea w. Handley, Three Idylls w. Coull, and Cello Sonata w. Rostropovich & Britten (Bridge's student).


----------



## Weston

Mahlerian said:


> Reger: String Quartet No. 5 in F-sharp minor
> Drolc Quartet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whenever I listen to Reger, it reminds me of Schoenberg without the genius. Thick and contrapuntal, but to what end?


Reger is one of the many composers I enjoy quite a bit while his music is playing, but then I all but forget it afterward. I do appreciate his several "Variations on a theme by some famous composer or other" works, if in the hands of a really expressive pianist.

As for the mushrooms, I say it beats goofy mug shots on the cover. Actually I'd love to hear these works some day.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Frank Bridge, The Sea and Enter Spring.*
> 
> Aaugh! I'm just not connecting with this guy.
> 
> View attachment 26978


Agreed. I find him sort of in Delius territory but with interesting, slightly weird sonorities. I don't connect much with Delius either, though I have some of both in my collection. I have to be in the mood.


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Messaien, Quartet for the End of Time.*

I have two recordings of this piece - my first wasn't that good, but after I heard this recording, I stopped looking.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Maskarade - John Frandsen, cond.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.3 in E Flat, Op.55

Simon Rattle conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3










Woofers hard at work tonight


----------



## Tristan

*Pugni* - Pas de Quatre (arr. Peter March)

I love this mini-ballet. I wish more of Pugni's music were available on recording. Sadly very difficult to come by.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Now here's something different! A piano transcription of Sibelius Symphonies, No. 2 & 5 performed by Henri Sigfridsson. Interesting way to listen to these works. I still prefer the symphonic versions but these do help you notice some melodic details you might have missed. It makes them seem more like piano sonatas performed this way.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St Mathew Passion - Peter Schreier, cond.(and Evangelist!)


----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with some favorite Horowitz tracks, including a comparison of a couple versions of the Vallee d'Obermann from this youtube page:


----------



## drpraetorus

Gottschalk, La Savane. The melody is from the same original source as "Shortnin' Bread"


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2007:

Sebastian Currier's Static - Music From Copland House


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Asterism - Yuji Takahashi, piano, Seiji Ozawa, cond.

edit: now Frank Martin's Five Ariel Songs - Daniel Reuss, cond.


----------



## Guest

Today's Lineup:








*Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61*
Isabelle Faust, J. Belohlavek / Prague Philharmonia








*Brahms, Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77*
Nikolaj Znaider, Vienner Philharmonic








*Brahms, Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102*
Trio Poseidon - Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Neeme Järvi








*Mozart, Requiem in D minor, K626*
Frans Bruggen, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Netherlands Chamber Choir


----------



## chrisco97

Jerome said:


> View attachment 26982
> 
> *Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61*
> Isabelle Faust, J. Belohlavek / Prague Philharmonia


That is *such* an epic cover.


----------



## SimonNZ

Per Norgard's Symphony No,6 "At The End Of The Day" - Thomas Dausgaard, cond.


----------



## EricABQ

During the workout this morning it was Schubert's third symphony and now at breakfast it is William Wolfram playing Liszt's concert etudes.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata No.23 in C Minor

Hans-Joachim Berg, violin -- Naoko Akutagawa, harpsichord


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 26987


Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Berlioz Takes A Trip
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## Oskaar

Alexander Ivashkin - Prokofiev: Cello Concerto in E Minor / Cello Concertino in G Minor









What a beautiful album!


----------



## Blancrocher

Started the day with some Saariaho, and am following it up with another listen to Norgard's 8th.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Trois Melodies, Harawi
Hetna Regitze Bruun, Kristhoffer Hyldig


----------



## rrudolph

Xenakis: Polytope de Cluny/Hibiki Hana Ma








Wuorinen: Time's Encomium/Lepton/New York Notes/Epithalamium








Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens/Xenakis: Rebonds/Ferneyhough: Bone Alphabet/Reynolds: Watershed I








Stockhausen: Mantra


----------



## maestro267

Focusing on *Liszt* today, as it's 202 years since he was born. Attempting to listen to the 12 symphonic poems. All of them are the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Noseda. Doing it in two "sessions", Nos. 1-6 now, and 7-12 this evening.

No. 1: Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne
No. 2: Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo
No. 3: Les Préludes
No. 4: Orpheus
No. 5: Prometheus
No. 6: Mazeppa


----------



## Vaneyes

A belated birthday play for *Malcolm Arnold* (1921 - 2006), Symphonies 7 & 8, w. RPO/Handley (rec.1990).

View attachment 26995


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Liszt's* (1811 - 1886) birthday, Totentanz, w. Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec.1987).

View attachment 26998


----------



## Bas

This morning, some Bach:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas no. 4, no. 5, no. 6 BWV 1017-1019
By Glenn Gould [piano], Jaime Laredo [violin], on Sonny Classics









Two new arrivals (spectacular) :

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Cm K. 475, Sonata in F K. 533, Sonata in B-flat K. 570, Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint"
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi
Vol. 1








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi
Vol. 4









And being in the Mozartian mood:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 24 in Cm, Piano Concerto no. 25 in C, Piano Concerto no. 26 in D "Coronation", Piano Concerto no. 27 in B-flat
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Holst*: The Perfect Fool, Egdon Heath, w. LSO/Previn (rec.1974); The Planets, w. Atlanta SO/Levi (rec.1997).

View attachment 27000
View attachment 27001


----------



## Oskaar

Anders Nilsson - Nilsson: Ariel,
5 Orchestral Pieces
Cadenze
Organ Concerto

Tapiola Sinfonietta, Helen Jahren, Roland Pontinen, KammarensembleN, Erik Lundkvist, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Valkhafar

Beethoven: Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op. 61.
Bernstein: Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion.
Hilary Hahn. David Zinman, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Blancrocher

Game following oskaar, via Gerard Schwarz

William Schuman, Symphony 8

Schwarz leading the Seattle Symphony Orchestra


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Sibelius


----------



## Oskaar

Shostakovich:Symphony No.1 in F-, Op.10

Artister
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Karel Ancerl


----------



## Oskaar

Shostakovich:String Quartet No.1 in C, Op.49

Artister
Alexander String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

Shostakovich:String Quartet No.2 in A, Op.68

Artister
Georgian State String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

Shostakovich:String Quartet No.3 in F, Op.73

Artister
Jerusalem Quartet









A quick new post since the last was listened to a while ago. Listening to this one now.

It is a true pleasure to explore shostas string quartets, and great performers as well. Many great performances of each quartet, and it is difficult to chose. I tend to chose newer performances because of the sound. The performance is often a subject of mood, but sound is a more solide rock parameter.


----------



## maestro267

Continuing my journey through *Liszt*'s group of 12 symphonic poems. Again, all are BBC Philharmonic conducted by Noseda.

No. 7: Festklänge
No. 8: Héroide funebre
No. 9: Hungaria

_interval_

No. 10: Hamlet
No. 11: Hunnenschlacht
No. 12: Die Ideale


----------



## Oskaar

Shostakovich:String Quartet No.4 in D, Op.83

Artister
Alexander String Quartet









Not many good performances of this one, so I chose Alexander quartet again as my reference to the work.

Actually I like this quartet a lot!


----------



## Oskaar

Shostakovich:String Quartet No.5 in Bb, Op.92

Artister
Emerson String Quartet









The soundscape of Emerson String Quartets performances here are a bit dark and distant. I am not sure if I like it. It is a mood thing, and in some places it suits very well, in other places it may suit not so good. But they play very good!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Respighi and Debussy


----------



## jani

This is a best version i have heard of this piece!
Finally a performance with ENOUGH POWER&FIRE!


----------



## shangoyal

Bruckner: *Symphony No. 4*

Berliner Philharmoniker / Gunter Wand

Enigmatic music.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schoenberg*: Piano Concerto, w. Brendel/Kubelik (rec.1972); Violin Concerto, w. Zeitlin/Kubelik (rec.1972); Variations, Op. 31, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1972);"Pell & Mel", Verklarte Nacht, w. Philharmonia/Sinopoli (rec.1994);Five Pieces, Op.16, w. LSO/Dorati (rec.1962); Gurrelieder, etc., w. DSO Berlin/Chailly (rec.1985).

View attachment 27019
View attachment 27020
View attachment 27021
View attachment 27022
View attachment 27023


----------



## Vaneyes

shangoyal said:


> Bruckner: *Symphony No. 4*
> 
> Berliner Philharmoniker / Gunter Ward
> 
> Enigmatic music.


The late Gunter Wand?


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - Norma
With Callas & Corelli (1997), via Spotify









17th - 18th century Italian Opera is my current exploration project. (Coming from a primary baroque and renaissance guy that up until now was not very fond of anything further then Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven, it is quite the expedition - to keep using the metaphor. I am far away from my comfort zone, but so far I like this work, the boundaries of my comfort zone are stretching.)


----------



## PetrB

Thomas Ades ~ In Seven Days; for piano, video-installation and orchestra _[Add: I find the vids extraneous, just minimize or don't watch.]
_


----------



## mstar

*Piano Sonata No. 1* by Liszt. 
The second movement appeals to me much more than the first, though it is altogether excellent!


----------



## Itullian

Sorry HIP crowd, to me, there's nothing like Beethoven done like this,
grand, craggy and monumental.
And feeling.
LOVE IT.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka in A minor Op. 68 No. 2 (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli); 
Prélude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45 (Martha Argerich);
Andante Spianato in E flat Major (Yundi Li).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Fauré: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 117; Élégie, Op. 24* / Alban Gerhardt, Cecile Licad

Another hearing for the Op. 119 sonata on a newly acquired disc.

*Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin D. 795* / Christopher Maltman, Baritone - Graham Johnson, Piano

I've come rather late in my listening 'career' to Schubert Lieder. These are fine (live) performances but to my ears there's something a bit lacking in the recording.


----------



## shangoyal

Vaneyes said:


> The late Gunter Wand?


Yes. It's a 1998 recording.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartets, Op. 20 No. 2 in C, No. 4 in D and No. 3 in G minor* / Quatuor Mosaïques

Written in 1772 so these are the earliest string quartets in my collection, so far.

Oh look, I get to be a 'senior member' now. After one month posting in the forum!


----------



## Evoken

*Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C 'Jupiter', K551*

Really can't get enough of this one.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Haydn - String Quartets, Op. 20 No. 2 in C, No. 4 in D and No. 3 in G minor* / Quatuor Mosaïques
> 
> Written in 1772 so these are the earliest string quartets in my collection, so far.
> 
> Oh look, I get to be a 'senior member' now. After one month posting in the forum!


Ah, but you must also check out Haydn's Op. 9 and Op. 17, plenty of good music there as well .

Current listening: J. Haydn, Symphony No. 72 in B flat Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Don Giovanni. Is there a greater opera? Maybe not - but the we think of Figaro, the Flute and Cosi. 

Abandon the debate and enjoy the ultimate genius of opera.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Ah, but you must also check out Haydn's Op. 9 and Op. 17, plenty of good music there as well .


I will get around to Op. 17 and Op. 9 eventually, but it'll be Op. 51 next, I think.

I absorb new works quite slowly!


----------



## Blancrocher

Holmboe's chamber symphonies, with John Storgards conducting the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. A first listen, but I can tell it won't be the last!


----------



## SimonNZ

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin D. 795* / Christopher Maltman, Baritone - Graham Johnson, Piano
> 
> I've come rather late in my listening 'career' to Schubert Lieder. These are fine (live) performances but to my ears there's something a bit lacking in the recording.


Make sure to check out the studio recording Johnson made with Ian Bostridge. A desert island disc, for me.

playing now, on the radio:

Dvorak's Cello Concerto - Mischa Maisky, cello, Zubin Mehta, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Telemann. Great sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka in A minor Op. 68 No. 2 (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli);
> Prélude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45 (Martha Argerich);
> Andante Spianato in E flat Major (Yundi Li).
> 
> View attachment 27026


HBtC, you can shorten it to ABM.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mendelssohn's Symphony No.5 "Reformation" - Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.


----------



## EricABQ

Improvisations by Poulenc played by Eric Parkin from his complete set of Poulenc solo piano.

I'm really enjoying this set quite a bit. At $10 for the .mp3s, a real steal.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Respighi and Debussy


If there are better versions of the Respighi pieces, then I'd like to hear them! Yet, the Debussy "La Mer" leaves me cold, I really find it extremely dull and turgid, give me Toscanini or Ansermet (1957) any day!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Totentanz Jose Vianna da Motta/National Symphony Orchestra of Portugal/Pedro de Freitas Branco.

I've spent the latter part of the evening listening to Liszt pupils performing Liszt- having spent the former entertaining a very dear friend of mine. This is a broadcast of 19th January, 1945, and it's superb! What a tragedy that Vianna da Motta didn't record more.


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> *If there are better versions of the Respighi pieces, then I'd like to hear them!* Yet, the Debussy "La Mer" leaves me cold, I really find it extremely dull and turgid, give me Toscanini or Ansermet (1957) any day!


Dutoit then Muti then Reiner, for me. Remember when the drum was being banged quite loudly for Gatti (RCA)? Couldn't understand that.

Slightly off topic...

I had to know, so I went to answers.com

*Are moose in England?*

Answer:

*
No, currently there are not any wild Moose living in England.

*
That was not entirely helpful. Tame moose perhaps, ShropshireMoose.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's War Requiem - Helmuth Rilling, cond.


----------



## Guest

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 5 In D Major

From this beast:


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Britten's War Requiem - Helmuth Rilling, cond.


Ah yes, Simon, 'tis the season of War Requiems. Three new uns that I know of--Pappano, Jansons, and HIPster McCreesh.


----------



## KenOC

Schubert's "Tragic" Symphony, Minkowski (not all that tragic really, but this is a great recording).


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Schubert's "Tragic" Symphony, Minkowski (not all that tragic really, but this is a great recording).


Well, Giulini made it tragic enough for Sony. Haven't heard Mink's. Does he take any liberties with Schubert? Not always a bad idea with Schubert.


----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> Well, Giulini made it tragic enough for Sony. Haven't heard Mink's. Does he take any liberties with Schubert? Not always a bad idea with Schubert.


Well, it's as tragic as it is, certainly! Minkowski's is my go-to set out of several I have. Somebody said this is a HIP performance, but I wouldn't know about that. Nor am I expert enough to reliably spot liberties...


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.6 in G Minor

Quartetto Bernini: Marco Serino and Yoko Ichihara, violins -- Gianfranco Borrelli, viola -- Valerino Tadeo, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Well, it's as tragic as it is, certainly! Minkowski's is my go-to set out of several I have. Somebody said this is a HIP performance, but I wouldn't know about that. Nor am I expert enough to reliably spot liberties...


I was kidding re Giulini's slow tempi, making it even more tragic. Actually, it wasn't that bad with the accompanying power and passion.

I've had a chance to re-sample the Minkowski. I realized soon after I started that I'd heard this before...probably not long after it was released last year. The "liberties" I would suggest he's taken, are slower than usual tempi, and a lack of power when needed.

He seems to have gone the other way with this collection, versus the too fast Mozart...which is the tendency with HIP.


----------



## Sonata

Bach English suite 6, perahia


----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> The "liberties" I would suggest he's taken, are slower than usual tempi, and a lack of power when needed. He seems to have gone the other way with this collection, versus the too fast Mozart...which is the tendency with HIP.


Well, tastes vary of course! Just on a quick check, Minkowski's Schubert symphonies have shorter timings (in general and in total) than those of Harnoncourt, so I can't really see the "slow tempi". At the same time, they have a lyricism and lack of histrionics that for me suit the music very well.


----------



## Evoken

Currently on...


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Suite for strings in G major
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Mauceri









Stravinsky disparaged this work as being "as dull as the Reger it's inspired by", and that's how I recalled it from the last time I listened a few years ago. I'm glad I took the time to listen again. The overture/fugue is a bit on the dry, academic side, but the middle movements are quite good. It is filled with the ambiguities and irregularities beloved of the composer, but within an overtly archaic tonal framework.

The piece was written with amateur/school groups in mind (like the Theme and Variations for band), but it never caught on.


----------



## moody

mstar said:


> *Piano Sonata No. 1* by Liszt.
> The second movement appeals to me much more than the first, though it is altogether excellent!


It's actually all in one movement but has four motifs.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc eight, Nos. 23, 24 and 61 - Nicholas Ward, cond.


----------



## samurai

Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.3 in F Major, *both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. I did not recall the* 3rd* being so lyrical and uplifting. Very nice indeed!


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky disparaged this work as being "as dull as the Reger it's inspired by"...


No love lost? Schoenberg making fun of Stravinsky: "But who's this beating the drum? It's little Modernsky! He's had his hair cut in an old-fashioned queue And it looks quite nice, like real false hair -- like a wig -- just like (at least little Modernsky thinks so) just like Father Bach!"


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> No love lost? Schoenberg making fun of Stravinsky: "But who's this beating the drum? It's little Modernsky! He's had his hair cut in an old-fashioned queue And it looks quite nice, like real false hair -- like a wig -- just like (at least little Modernsky thinks so) just like Father Bach!"


Well, Schoenberg hated Stravinsky's Neoclassical style (hence the dumb poem), but loved Petrushka. Stravinsky considered Schoenberg a genius and a great composer (he even praised the clever canonic setting given to that above poem), but too closely tied to Romanticism in style. They lived near each other in Hollywood, but never once met after moving to America.

Continuing on with old-new works:
Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 29
Ensemble InterContemporain









Last one for the night:
Bach: Orchestral Suite in B minor, BWV 1067
Boston Baroque, dir. Pearlman


----------



## Sonata

Mozart violin sonatas, Mahler Ruckert lieder


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> They lived near each other in Hollywood, but never once met after moving to America.


That seems unimaginable. Some French person (Debussy?) said that when artists get together, they don't talk about art, they talk about the price of paint. I would think that Schoenberg and Stravinsky would have had some common interests...


----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with Allan Petterson's 7th symphony, which I hadn't heard in years.


----------



## Valkhafar

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen - Kindertotenlieder - Rückert-Lieder.
Thomas Hampson. Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## starthrower

Nielsen-symphony no. 6


----------



## Tristan

*Schubert* - Piano Sonata No. 9 in B major, D. 575 (Jeno Jandó)

I've never listened to many of Schubert's piano sonatas, save the latest ones. But this sonata is excellent; it's full of beautiful melodies and it is in one of my favorite keys  If this one is that good, I am looking forward to hearing the other earlier sonatas.


----------



## PetrB

Stravinsky (or Tchaikovsky / Stravinsky) ~ Le Baiser de la Fée, 
Stravinsky's story ballet [Hans Christian Anderson, The Ice Maiden], an Hommage to Tchaikovsky, whose music he so loved.


----------



## starthrower

The Age Of Anxiety


----------



## Kivimees

The first movement alone is worth the price.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor Alfred Cortot

A fascinating traversal of this endlessly fascinating piece. Cortot always gives you the bigger picture, one senses that he knows exactly where he's going, his grip on the overall structure of whatever he plays is always sure, even when he gets into a muddle (which he does on occasion, let's be honest), I wouldn't be without his recordings for the world.


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Les Rondes - Klaus Simon, cond. and piano


----------



## dgee

Philippe Jaroussky singing, of all things, J C Bach - really enjoying a refreshing change with some consummate technique and musicianship


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Estampes - Jiří Bělohlávek, cond.


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> Liszt: Sonata in B Minor Alfred Cortot
> 
> A fascinating traversal of this endlessly fascinating piece. Cortot always gives you the bigger picture, one senses that he knows exactly where he's going, his grip on the overall structure of whatever he plays is always sure, even when he gets into a muddle (which he does on occasion, let's be honest), I wouldn't be without his recordings for the world.


Cortot's muddles were mostly latterly and the recording you refer to was made in 1929 and is a terrific performance, pretty fast and with no problems of technique. I am not a pianist but have heard no negative comments from those who are.
Edit : I think he made a later version,do you know which one you actually heard ?


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Sonata

KenOC said:


> A great work. Which string quartet is playing?


Borodin Quartet. It was my first listen to that work and I enjoyed it very much!


----------



## Sonata

KenOC said:


> Shostakovich's Piano Quintet, Martha Argerich and crew. Fantastic!


I have that wish listed on Amazon....you've convinced me to definitely buy it. Well, when I have spare money anyway!! Lol


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Mantra - Alfons and Aloys Kontrasky, pianos


----------



## julianoq

Per Nørgård's Symphony No.3, conducted by Leif Segerstam.


----------



## Guest

*Dvorak, Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104*
Tomás Jamník, cello - Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tomás Netopil








*Beethoven, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A, Op. 47*
Isabelle Faust, violin - Alexander Melnikov, piano








*Mozart Sonata for Violin and Piano in A, K526*
Chiara Banchini, violin - Temenuschka Vesselinova, piano








*Mozart, Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat, K452*
James Levine, Ensemble Wien-Berlin








*Piazolla, Concerto for Bandoneon and Guitar*
Daniel Banelli, bandoneon - Eduardo Isaac, guitar - Charles Dutoit, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal


----------



## EricABQ

Tchaikovsky's 2nd symphony.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in C Major, Op.8, No.12, RV 449

Alberto Martini conducting I Filarmonica -- Paolo Pollastri, oboe









Scored for the violin, this same concerto is RV 178.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi

Especially the fugue is very nice.









Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 6 "Pastorale"
By The Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa









Joseph Haydn - Symphony no. 100 "military", Symphony no. 101, Symphony no. 102
By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Concertos.


----------



## Valkhafar

Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn.
Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Quasthoff.
Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Blancrocher

A little Bach to start the day, with old Edwin Fischer on the piano.


----------



## maestro267

*York Bowen*: Symphony No. 1 in G major
BBC Philharmonic/A. Davis

*Mathias*: Symphony No. 2 ("Summer Music")
BBC NOW/Mathias


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Symphony 1 - Chailly 

Fast and furious.


----------



## shangoyal

Handel: *Water Music*

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner

I didn't expect to like this, but it's great music!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schoenberg*: Orchestral and Chamber Music, w. Boulez et al(rec.1982/3); Craft et al (rec.1994 - '09); Kremer et al (rec.1994); Piano Works, w. Pollini (rec.1974).

View attachment 27056
View attachment 27057
View attachment 27058







View attachment 27059


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Well, tastes vary of course! Just on a quick check, Minkowski's Schubert symphonies have shorter timings (in general and in total) than those of Harnoncourt, so I can't really see the "slow tempi". At the same time, they have a lyricism and lack of histrionics that for me suit the music very well.


TTs are only part of the story with Schubert. You'd have to investigate the repeats.


----------



## rrudolph

Elgar: In the South (Alassio) Op. 50 








Rosza: Concerto for Cello & Orchestra/Theme & Variations for Violin, Cello & Orchestra








Bartok: Miraculous Mandarin/Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste








Arnold: Symphony #9


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 5.*

I had an early job in Jackson, Tennessee, so I'm in a historic coffee shop catching up on work, listening to Beethoven's 5th, loving the brisk fall air. This is one of those Life is Good moments.


----------



## realdealblues

Vaneyes said:


> TTs are only part of the story with Schubert. You'd have to investigate the repeats.


Definitely. Some guys take all the repeats, some don't. Also with KenOC pointing out Harnoncourt who I know is generally considered HIP, I've found Harnoncourt kind of slow on a couple of his Schubert symphonies compared to others who are not considered HIP. Schubert symphonies seem to vary a lot in tempo and in taking repeats...especially in the early ones.


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Tristan Act 3 Vickers / Karajan


----------



## realdealblues

Another from the Perahia box.

View attachment 27065


Bartok: Piano Sonata, Improvisations On Hungarian Peasant Songs, Suite, Out Of Doors

I'm not a fan of Bartok, but I hadn't heard any of these works before so I wanted to give them a listen. Like a lot of Bartok I have heard, there are some brilliant bits and pieces I really like, but on the whole they just don't seem to go anywhere for me.

View attachment 27066


Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, An American In Paris
Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## maestro267

*Sauer*: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor
Hough (piano)/CBSO/Foster

Oh my...The slow movement of this concerto is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard! It should go right up there with Mahler's Adagietto and the slow movt. of both Rach 2s as utterly gorgeous love songs!


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Yoshimatsu. The Saxophone Concerto is happy and infectious, which makes me hopeful about the 3rd Symphony that's coming up next.

*edit* The 3rd Symphony is weirder, but I like it!


----------



## rrudolph

Schuller: Symphony 1965/Hanson: Symphony #6/MacDowell: Suite #2 Op. 48 (Indian Suite)








Revueltas: Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca/Sensemaya/Ocho X Radio/Toccata/Alcancias/Planos/La Noche de los Mayas








Chavez: Sinfonia India/Sinfonia de Antigona/Third Symphony


----------



## DrKilroy

Steve Reich - The Desert Music (Jarvi)
John Adams - Harmonielehre (de Waart).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Purcell Indian Queen / Gardiner


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Poulenc -

Concerto for two pianos* / Ringeissen, Tacchino (pianos);

*Concert Champetre for Harpsichord and Orchestra* / Jean-Patrice Brosse (Harpsichord)

Orch. Phil. de Monte Carlo, Georges Pretre

Don't quite know why I've played this tonight: curiosity to know what was on the disc, perhaps? I'm not sure that I like this very much now.


----------



## Oskaar

I have startet to go through classicalarchieves 12000 composers starting on A. Surprisingly many are representated, and searching for Arno Babadjanian, I found this gem!

Armenian Piano Trios

View attachment 27075


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 54 No. 2 in C Major; String Quartet Op. 54 No. 3 in E Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## Blancrocher

oskaar said:


> I have startet to go through classicalarchieves 12000 composers starting on A. Surprisingly many are representated, and searching for Arno Babadjanian, I found this gem!
> 
> Armenian Piano Trios


I'm really interested in what comes of this, oskaar.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc ten, Nos.26 "Lamentatione", 35 and 49 "La Passione" - Nicholas Ward, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SimonNZ said:


> Haydn Symphonies, disc ten, Nos.26 "Lamentatione", 35 and 49 "La Passione" - Nicholas Ward, cond.


I have that disc - always a great listen.


----------



## Jos

Recorded in 1958.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 6.*

Not exactly feeling the love for this one yet.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> Edit : I think he made a later version,do you know which one you actually heard ?


He only made one version, the 1929 one- and it is terrific. In his "building a library" on the Liszt Sonata, Kenneth Hamilton inaccurately stated that there were two versions (he also stated that Horowitz's first version dated from 1928!), but there is only one. I only mentioned Cortot's muddles because in some of his recordings that show such wonderful grip on the structure there are some fairly bad ones, I'm thinking of the Chopin F Minor Fantasy from 1933 to be specific. This I think is the finest performance as an interpretation that I've ever heard, but there are a couple of very bad scrambles, still, to quote Leopold Godowsky when someone criticized Josef Hofmann for playing wrong notes, "why look for spots on the sun?"


----------



## Vivaldi

After my dose of Handel's Dixit Dominus; in particular Gloria Partri Et Fillio, I have naturally returned to Vivaldi for now. I discovered a particularly enlightening concerto in a posthumous documentary that evaluated his significance as directer to the women at the Pieta.


----------



## Mahlerian

Game following Blancrocher via Schuman

Schuman: Symphony No. 3
New York Philharmonic, cond Bernstein









I had to go back a few pages to find that last one!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schoenberg*: Suite for Piano, Op. 25, w. GG (rec.1959); *Webern*:Orchestral and Chamber Music, w. BPO/Boulez (rec.1993/4); w. GG et al (rec.1964 - '77).

View attachment 27079
View attachment 27080
View attachment 27081


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Sibelius - Symphonies No. 3 in C, Op. 52 & No. 7 in C, Op. 105* / City of Birmingham SO, Simon Rattle

These are old favourites.


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> He only made one version, the 1929 one- and it is terrific. In his "building a library" on the Liszt Sonata, Kenneth Hamilton inaccurately stated that there were two versions (he also stated that Horowitz's first version dated from 1928!), but there is only one. I only mentioned Cortot's muddles because in some of his recordings that show such wonderful grip on the structure there are some fairly bad ones, I'm thinking of the Chopin F Minor Fantasy from 1933 to be specific. This I think is the finest performance as an interpretation that I've ever heard, but there are a couple of very bad scrambles, still, to quote Leopold Godowsky when someone criticized Josef Hofmann for playing wrong notes, "why look for spots on the sun?"


Well I had a look around and found that he made a version in 1939 in the Small Queen's Hall, London
It's on Naxos Historical , Great Pianists. 8112012 £6.25.


----------



## Vivaldi

This is a incredibly striking re-composition of Vivaldi's "La primavera" by Max Richter who has recomposed all of the movements to "Le quattro stagioni". The complete album is available on itunes for a fairly modest price.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Schubert* - Wanderer Fantasy (performed by Maurizio Pollini) on YouTube.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> Well I had a look around and found that he made a version in 1939 in the Small Queen's Hall, London
> It's on Naxos Historical , Great Pianists. 8112012 £6.25.


I think Naxos have the wrong date. The 1929 recording was made in the Small Queen's Hall, by 1939 HMV were using Abbey Road studios for solo piano recordings. I have the 40 cd EMI Cortot box, which does have a few previously unreleased items (1957 versions of Chopin's Preludes and Ballades for example), but only the one Liszt Sonata. Would that there were two, but there ain't!


----------



## Blancrocher

Rattle conducting Adams' Harmonielehre and other works.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Symphonic Variations, Op.78 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham

I love this piece, only ever heard it once in concert, I suspect because it's not long enough to fill half a programme, but is too long for an overture, though such it was in the concert I attended. Actually it was coupled with the Glazounow Violin Concerto, which is on the short side as concertos go, so it was a good combination! Beecham's is a whale of a performance. Yay!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Schubert* - Sonata in B Flat D. 960 (performed by Alicia de Larrocha).


----------



## Sid James

From Schubert to Bruch this time, via Vaughan Williams.

I have not listened to *Schubert's String Quintet* for quite a while. Someone wrote that this piece encapsulates every aspect of life - the sufferings and joys and everything in between. The contrasts in mood of this piece speak to that, for example that switch you get in the two inner movements, the middle sections of them quite disturbing, in contrast to the more lyrical and song like aspects. The same vocal feel inhabits *Wolfie's Oboe Quartet*, particularly the slow movement.

Onto *Vaughan Williams' Partita for Double String Orchestra*, which like a number of his later works takes a glance at the past. The third movement is a tribute to a band leader of days gone by called Henry Hall. The colours of the massed strings have this autumnal quality, whilst the string quartet soloists indeed sound like the fiddlers who played in street bands of the old days, before the many social, political and economic changes in the UK and elsewhere in the Western world largely swept these types of local traditions away.

Finishing with *Bruch's Scottish Fantasy*, which presents a kind of picture postcard image of Scotland. It's more or less a medley of popular Scottish songs written for the violin virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate. The mystical opening with the harp was described by Bruch as being like "an old bard contemplating a ruined castle, and lamenting the glorious times of old." The rousing conclusion, based on a patriotic poem by Robbie Burns, captures the Scots fighting spirit well.

*Schubert* String Quintet
- Arthur Grumiaux & Arpad Gerecz, violins ; Max Lesueur, viola ; Paul Szabo & Philippe Mermoud, cellos
*Mozart* Oboe Quartet
- Pierre Pierlot, oboe ; Arthur Grumiaux, violin ; Max Lesueur, viola ; Janos Scholz, cello










*Vaughan Williams* Partita for Double String Orch.
- Royal Liverpool PO under Vernon Handley, w. Malcolm Stewart & Susan Henderson, violins ; Roger Benedict, viola ; Timothy Walden, cello featured in third movement 'Intermezzo: Homage to Henry Hall'










*Bruch* Scottish Fantasy
- Arthur Grumiaux, violin w. New Philharmonia Orch. under Heinz Wallberg


----------



## Bas

Gaetano Donizetti - Lucia di Lamermoor





I actually prefer this over Norma (but since it was/is the first time for both works that I listen with full attention to the whole works, this opinion may change...)


----------



## Vivaldi

Handel's Dixit Dominus and Nisi Dominus.


----------



## Vivaldi




----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Liszt - Années de pèlerinage II Deuxieme annee: Italie S161*

Sposalizio
Il penseroso
Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa
Sonetto del Petrarca no.47
Sonetto del Petrarca no.104
Sonetto del Petrarca no.123

*Gondoliera (from Venezia e Napoli S162)*

*Deux Legendes S175 *

Des heiligen Franziskus von Assisi Vogelpredikt
Der heilige Franziskus von Paula über die Wogen schreitend

Wilhelm Kempff (Piano)

I used to think of Liszt as an uninteresting composer of bombastic piano concertos, but then I heard some of the works from Années de pèlerinage in concert and discovered a poetic genius


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by SimonNZ, *Britten*: War Requiem, w. CBSO/Rattle et al (rec.1983).

View attachment 27084


For those who'd find an up-to-date WR review index handy. :tiphat:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/mwork_index/britten_req.htm


----------



## Cnote11

Screw the midterms! Dvorak is much more compelling! 

I'm having a night of studying, and yet I find myself pulled into the String Quartets! This will not do.


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Symphony No.2 in E Flat, Wq 183/2

Andrew Manze conducting the English Concert


----------



## Vaneyes

Goodta see you back, Cnote11.


----------



## bejart

Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga (1806-1826): String Quartet No.1 in D Minor

Guarneri Quartet: Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins -- Michael Tree, viola -- David Soyer, cello


----------



## Valkhafar

Haydn: London Symphonies (Nos. 95, 96, 98, 102, 103, 104).
Sir Colin Davis, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Blancrocher

Shostakovich's op.87, admirably played by Konstantin Scherbakov.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## Weston

Kivimees said:


> View attachment 27043
> 
> 
> The first movement alone is worth the price.


This is far easier on the eyes than the cover of the Rostropovich version I have. I had to make a new one it was so hideous.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 32

I never paid much attention to HJ Lim's cycle when I was shopping for a sonata cycle because it was not technically "complete"...but listening to it now, I honestly regret I have not listened to it before now. These performances feel so much like I think Beethoven would have intended them to sound like. Loud, exciting and full of emotion. Plus I respect her decision to exclude the Op. 49 sonatas, since they were published against Beethoven's will.

I love this sonata so much. Every time I listen to it I get chills all over. This is something that does not happen to me often when listening to solo piano music. Do not ask me why, because I absolutely love the piano. It is a part of me. I am not exactly sure why so few solo piano pieces send chills all over like this one does. Even if you asked me how I would describe this sonata, I honestly do not know how I would. All that I know is how breathtakingly beautiful it is.

I am going to have to pick up this cycle soon.


----------



## Weston

*Wojciech Kilar: Krzesany*
Antoni Wit / Polish National Radio Symphony

I think this is rearranging my DNA and trying to force me to evolve. He's found the most unearthly sonorities! Kilar often reminds me of what we used to call "sword and sandal" movies, Biblical epics or sweeping historical saga soundtracks. But this piece is like "sword and sandal -- and space aliens."


----------



## Weston

*Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata for keyboard in something major or minor, K. some number between 1 and 555. *(Yes, that one.)
Colleen Lee, piano
I've grown to enjoy these more on an expressive modern piano than on a jangly harpsichord.

And a nice mostly slower one (K. 81 in E minor) will serve as the nightcap.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 2










These overtures are perfect pieces to listen to while trying to decide what to play next.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"}, * both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Nos 5 and 6










Haven't listened to much baroque recently so this should provide a good refill of baroque spirit.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Nos 5 and 6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haven't listened to much baroque recently so this should provide a good refill of baroque spirit.


Drink deeply, my friend, and enjoy! :cheers:


----------



## brotagonist

I am still actively pursuing my campaign to flesh out my collection of some of the major modern composers.







​
A sensational new addition, with 4 'concertos', if I may call them such, one from each of the years 2000-20003. These are not the works of a doddering centenarian, but of a master composer at his peak.


----------



## Sonata

My favorite opera arias: Song to the Moon from Rusalka, and Senza Mama from Suor Angelica.
And not, Gorecki's heartbreakingly gorgeous Symphony of Sorrowful Songs


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven quartet Op. 18 #4, Petersens. I very much like the Petersens in the early quartets.


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> I think Naxos have the wrong date. The 1929 recording was made in the Small Queen's Hall, by 1939 HMV were using Abbey Road studios for solo piano recordings. I have the 40 cd EMI Cortot box, which does have a few previously unreleased items (1957 versions of Chopin's Preludes and Ballades for example), but only the one Liszt Sonata. Would that there were two, but there ain't!


You would think that a company issuing "Historical" recordings would try to get it right,but nothing surprises me.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

maestro267 mentioned Emil von Sauer's Piano Concerto No. 1, which I had not heard, and so I tried to find it on Spoify to no success. I did find a recording of his Piano Concerto No. 2 and other various solo pieces by Oleg Marshev. A very nice concerto and now I'm curious to hear the first and thus I will have to order a copy.










Now on to the Sibelius and Walton Violin Concertos as performed by Akiko Suwanai. Very good performances on this disc!










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

"Thomas Ades: Piano"

works by Castiglioni, Grieg, Stanchinsky, Kurtag, Janacek, Busoni, Stravinksy and Nancarrow

edit: wondering if Kurtag was deliberately quoting Debussy just then I see that the piece in question is called "The Mad Girl With The Flaxen Hair". So that's a yes


----------



## Sonata

Tchaikovsky: The Seasons. Performed by Michael Ponti


----------



## science

Someday I'll do a Messiah binge. There are two or three more recordings I'd really like to hear. But this is a good one!










I'm not a huge Chopin fan - his music is generally pretty & interesting, but outside of the Nocturnes I don't really get into it for some reason. I have the Ballades by Pollini, Perahia, and Rubinstein as well; I'm not sure which I prefer. Maybe I'll try to figure that out someday….










I have the one with the impromptus added at the end as well. I've only heard this twice. Tonight or tomorrow I plan to compare this with recordings by Pollini, Lugansky, and Cortot.


----------



## starthrower

Alfred Schnittke-Requiem


----------



## science

This is wonderful. Janacek never disappoints.










Been in a Nevel mood lately, and this is one of my favorite recordings by him. Dufay is amazing, and these are some of my favorite works by him.










Second time in a row this has disappointed me. I think I'll stick to Argerich, Richter, Horowitz, Cliburn…. But of course Janis will get more chances.


----------



## science

If you like medieval music, or think you would, this is probably a top 20 selection.










The only reason to put up with such bad sound is Callas.










It's ok. I like Klemperer better. I have Solti as well but haven't listened to it for a long time.


----------



## Kivimees

Weston said:


> This is far easier on the eyes than the cover of the Rostropovich version I have. I had to make a new one it was so hideous.


I like the cover as well - Shostakovich's face in the clouds.


----------



## SimonNZ

following Weston:

Wojciech Kilar's Krzesany - Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## Andolink

brotagonist said:


> I am still actively pursuing my campaign to flesh out my collection of some of the major modern composers.
> 
> View attachment 27097
> ​
> A sensational new addition, with 4 'concertos', if I may call them such, one from each of the years 2000-20003. These are not the works of a doddering centenarian, but of a master composer at his peak.


One of my all time favorinte Carter discs--superlative music/performances/sound!


----------



## SimonNZ

Frederick Bedrossian's It - Ensemble 2E2M

edit: now Stefano Gervasoni's Antiterra - MDI Ensemble


----------



## KenOC

Segerstam: Symphony #212, dedicated to Gustavo Dudamel. So how does he find the time to conduct? He's over 260 now...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

chrisco97 said:


> . Plus I respect her decision to exclude the Op. 49 sonatas, since they were published against Beethoven's will.


Maybe so, but they are exquisite miniature masterpieces! If they hadn't been pubished, we'd never have known them


----------



## SimonNZ

Roberto Gerhard's String Quartet No.2 - Arditti Quartet


----------



## DavidA

science said:


> Someday I'll do a Messiah binge. There are two or three more recordings I'd really like to hear. But this is a good one!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not a huge Chopin fan - his music is generally pretty & interesting, but outside of the Nocturnes I don't really get into it for some reason. I have the Ballades by Pollini, Perahia, and Rubinstein as well; I'm not sure which I prefer. Maybe I'll try to figure that out someday….
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have the one with the impromptus added at the end as well. I've only heard this twice. Tonight or tomorrow I plan to compare this with recordings by Pollini, Lugansky, and Cortot.


The Beecham Messiah is good to put on when you want to annoy people who are HIP purists!


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Sept Papillons - Alexis Descharmes, cello


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Roscobeck - Arne Deforce, cello, Lode Leire, double bass

edit: now Morton Feldman's Patterns In A Chromatic Field - Arne Deforce, cello, Yutaka Oya, piano


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Guest

*Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57*
Edward Auer, Paul Rosenthal, Christiaan Bor, Marcus Thompson, Godried Hoogeveen








*Shostakovich, Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello in E minor, Op. 67*Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky








*Shostakovich, Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134*
Sergey Khachatryan, Lusine Khachatryan








*Ives, Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3*
Hilary Hahn & Valentina Lisitsa








*Dvorák, Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90*
The Borodin Trio


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Wassermusik - Overture - Grave - Allegro (Philipp Pickett; New London Consort).









This just came in the mail. Such a classic by Telemann.


----------



## SimonNZ

Oscar Strasnoy's The End (Sum No.4) - Jacek Kaspszyk, cond.


----------



## Sonata

Fantastic way to start my day musically: my first listen to Mahler 7 :guitar:


----------



## SimonNZ

Raphael Cendo's Furia - Ensemble Cairn

edit: final one for the night - I should be in bed already:

Bruno Mantovani's Time Stretch - Pascal Rophe, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Mancini (1672-1737): Flute Concerto No.14

Fete Rustique with Giorgio Matteoli on flute


----------



## shangoyal

What a gem.

Beethoven: *Symphony No. 8 in F major*

Berlin Philharmonic / Herbert von Karajan (1963)


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> following Weston:
> 
> Wojciech Kilar's Krzesany - Antoni Wit, cond.


Wow! I thought I was the only person outside of his immediate family who listens to Kilar. Deserves to be much better known!


----------



## Vesteralen

Vagn Holmboe - Concertos
Highly recommended. It's nice to have something for the viola repertoire, but the 1929 Concerto for Orchestra is the standout piece here, IMO.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.17 in B Flat, KV 458

Vegh Quartet: Sandor Vegh and Sandor Zoldy, violins -- Georges Janzer, viola -- Paul Szabo, cello


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Anda/Fricsay), Concerto for Orchestra (Dorati).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## maestro267

*Paderewski*: Symphony in B minor (Polonia)
BBC SSO/Maksymiuk

Love this piece! A colossal work. Three movements, but lasting 75 minutes, and including in its orchestra three contrabass sarrusophones, a thunder sheet, and (at the end of the first movement) a brief appearance by the organ.


----------



## rrudolph

Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6 #9-12








JS Bach: Musical Offering BWV 1079








Vivaldi: Viola d'Amore Concertos RV 393-396


----------



## Guest

I am on a Tallis Scholars kick, so I have several of their albums in a playlist on my iPod. They include:

The Tallis Christmas Mass
Spem in alium
Allegri: Miserere; Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli; Mundy: Vox Patris Caelestis
Browne: Music from the Eton Choir Book
The Essential Tallis Scholars
Live in Oxford
Ockeghem: Missa de Plus en Plus
Palestrina: Missa Assumpta est Maria
Tallis: The Complete English Anthems
Taverner: 450th Anniversary Album
Victoria: Lamentations of Jeremiah

According to iTunes, that is just 3 minutes shy of 12 hours worth of the Tallis Scholars!


----------



## Oskaar

Bruckner - Symphony No.0, in D-, WAB100 ('Die Nullte')

Artists
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with the Talich Quartet playing Smetana--good morning!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Ravel*: Piano Concerti, etc., w. ABM (rec.1957), Argerich (rec.1967), de Larrocha (rec.1972), Crossley (rec.1983); Orchestral Music, w. Dutoit (rec.1983).

View attachment 27120
View attachment 27121
View attachment 27122
View attachment 27123
View attachment 27124


----------



## rrudolph

Some older, bargain-bin recordings of repertoire I don't listen to very often, just for a change of pace...

Vivaldi:Concerto for Flute in D "Il Gardellino"/Bassoon Concerto in B flat, "La Notte"/Concerto in d minor for Two Oboes and Strings/Concerto in C Major for Two Oboes, Two Clarinets and Strings







(REALLY stuffy, compressed old timey sound quality, but the performances are good)

Scarlatti: Stabat Mater/Salve Regina/Sonatas for Organ K288/L57, K328/LS27, K254/L219, K287/LS9, K255/L439








Vivaldi: Concerto in a minor/Concerto in d minor/Corelli: Concerto Op. 6 #4/Locatelli: Concerto in c minor Op.1 #2/Albinoni: Concerto a Cinque


----------



## Bas

Sir Edward Elgar - Sea Pictures 
By Janet Baker [soprano], The London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI









Johann Kuhnau, Vincent Albrici - Sopran cantatas 
Barbara Steude [soprano], Concerto con voce, Jan Katschzke [dir.], on CPO









George Frederic Handel - Esther 
By Robin Blaze [tenor], Matthew Brook [bass baritone], Ashley Turnell [tenor], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Electra Lochhead [alto], Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Susan Hamilton [soprano], Nicholas Mulroy [tenor], Dunedin Consort and Players, John Butt [dir.], on Linn









These natural trumpet solos are delicious!


----------



## Oskaar

Blancrocher said:


> I'm really interested in what comes of this, oskaar.


I have filled up a spotify playlist, max 9999 tracks, and will no start listening to the goodies. In fact I have filled up 2 lists, the second has a lot of reneissance music, since I searched among others for the term *anonymeous*.I have not searched for more famous artists, since searching only for mozart will freeze the program. I have to discover them through the exact work, or more spesific terms or word combinations. I have only added recordings back to 2000, but most of the artists have not so many recordings before that. I think recordings of the more rare and obscure was more of a risk earlier, compared with now when people love to discover new music,artists and segments.


----------



## Valkhafar

Ravel: Piano Trio - Sonata for Violin and Piano - Sonata for Violin and Cello - Sonata Posthume for Violin and Piano.
Renaud Capuçon (Violin), Gautier Capuçon (Cello), Frank Braley (Piano).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Egon Wellesz, Symphony No. 7.*


----------



## Oskaar

The Hanover Band & Graham Lea-Cox - 18th Century British Symphonies









more information


----------



## Blancrocher

Robert Casadesus playing Jean-Philippe Rameau. Lovely music.


----------



## Oskaar

Daniel Bortz - Bezaly: Solo Flute From A To Z, Vol. 2









Solo flute may sound boring, but it is not here! Wonderful sound and performing.

More information


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Debussy, La Mer.*

I like Karajan's sound on this one.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Richard Wagner* - Piano Sonata in A flat "In the album of Mathilde Wesendonck" on YouTube (performer not specified).


----------



## korenbloem

Boulez's Sur Incises - Ensemble interContermporain


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: The Art of Fugue
Pierre-Laurent Aimard


----------



## ShropshireMoose

maestro267 said:


> *Paderewski*: Symphony in B minor (Polonia)
> BBC SSO/Maksymiuk
> 
> Love this piece! A colossal work. Three movements, but lasting 75 minutes, and including in its orchestra three contrabass sarrusophones, a thunder sheet, and (at the end of the first movement) a brief appearance by the organ.


Got it! It's tremendous. I love the Piano Concerto and the Fantaisie-Polonaise too, in the wonderful performances by Earl Wild/London Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Fiedler.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Schubert - Piano Sonatas

*Piano Sonata in C sharp minor D655 (fragment)*

*Piano Sonata in E minor D769a (fragment)*

These two really are just tantalising fragments at just under 3 and just over one minute respectively. Indubitably Schubertian fragments, though.

*Piano Sonata No 15 in C major D840 - (including the incomplete movements III Menuetto: Allegretto & IV Rondo: Allegro*

This is fascinating as the incomplete movements are really quite close to completion, but are seldom recorded.

Gottlieb Wallisch (Piano) [Naxos]


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert* - Piano Sonata in A Major D959 (performed by Wilhelm Kempff).


----------



## Blancrocher

I've put on Jochum's Bruckner set on DG, and intend to let it run for the foreseeable future. Sometimes one just gets in the mood to listen to some Bruckner.


----------



## PetrB

of which I am very very fond:
Stravinsky ~ Pulcinella _Complete...[Aw, c'mon y'all, stop listening to nuthin' but them thar suites extracted from complete works!]_


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Schubert - Piano Sonatas
*
Piano Sonata No 2 in C, D 279* (with the *Allegretto D346* played as the missing finale)

*Piano Sonata No 3 in E, D459/459a* thought to be an amalgam of different works and sometimes just listed as '5 piano pieces'

*Piano Sonata No 6 in e, D566* (with the *Rondo; Allegretto moto, D506* played as the missing finale)

Another of the Wallisch / Naxos collection of orphans and ugly ducklings from Schubert's early piano sonatas and related works. All very delightful and inventive, actually

Gottlieb Wallisch, Piano


----------



## Oskaar

Alexandre Brussilovsky - Achron, Podgaïtz : "Koletchko - Le petit anneau de fiançailles" - Musique juive du XXe ciècle pour violon - volume II









This is a wonderful album from 2 composers I have never heard about, from a violinist I have never heard about. Both the solo violin, and the violin-piano works are heavenly performed with very good sound. And I think I have a weak spot for violin music from this periode of time, late 19th century I think.

more info


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, The Tsar's Bride - End of Act 2; Act 3 (Andrey Chistiakov; Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra; Sveshnikov Russian Academic Choir; Ekaterina Kudriavchenko; Arkady Mishenkin; Vladimir Verestnikov).


----------



## DTut

QUOTE=Weston;547342]*Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata for keyboard in something major or minor, K. some number between 1 and 555. *(Yes, that one.)
Colleen Lee, piano
I've grown to enjoy these more on an expressive modern piano than on a jangly harpsichord.

And a nice mostly slower one (K. 81 in E minor) will serve as the nightcap.

View attachment 27096
[/QUOTE]

I agree wholeheartedly. That one is outstanding. But seriously, I like them played on the piano much more than the harpsichord. George Bernard Shaw: "A harpsichord sounds like two skeletons copulating on a tin roof."


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert arr. Liszt* - Songs Without Words

*Auf dem Wasser zu singen
Erlkönig*

Murray Perahia (Piano)
*
Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 13 in A, D. 664* / Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)

Budapest recital: Sviatoslav Richter Archives

Richter is accompanied by rather a lot of 'crowd noise', especially in the (glacially slowly taken) Andante! (Richter takes 5:35 compared to Kempff's 4:33)


----------



## Sid James

Vaughan Williams, Verdi and Wolfie this time.

Its been a long time for me since hearing these works by *Vaughan Williams*. I connect strongly to his combination of folk, church and old classical models such as the concerto grosso in these diverse works. I see RVW as an evolutionist rather than a revolutionist in music, building on the past rather than jettisoning it entirely, or almost entirely.

Nonetheless, works like the *Tallis Fantasia *where nothing short of radical in terms of those ethereal choral-like sounds that he garners from the strings being without much precedent (the only similar thing from before is Bruckner's string harmonies in his symphonies, and in some cases Mendelssohn did similar things). However this piece is unique and easily amongst the finest works for string orchestra. It influenced many composers of the time, and looks way forward to the likes of Arvo Part and Sofia Gubaidulina, to name two established contemporary composers.

Onto finishing the *Verdi *double album which I thoroughly enjoyed (and I wonder if Giuseppe had a Maltese Terrier as the caricature on the cover suggests?), so too the first flute quartet by *Wolfie* on this disc featuring Arthur Grumiaux in various chamber formations. Funny how the second movement of this piece, with the plucked strings underpinning the flute, sounded quite similar in terms of texture to RVW's Greensleeves.

*Vaughan Williams*
Oboe Concerto*
Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
English Folk-Song Suite (arr. Jacob)
Fantasia on 'Greensleeves' (arr. Greaves)**
- Royal Liverpool PO under Vernon Handley, w. *Jonathan Small, oboe; **Colin Chambers, flute and Mair Jones, harp










Disc 2 of *"the number 1 Verdi album" *on Decca label
- Opera highlights - orchestral, choral, arias performed by Sutherland, Pavorotti, Bergonzi, etc. with Maestros Solti, Gardelli & others conducting 










*Mozart* Flute Quartet in D major, KV 285
- William Bennett on flute w. the Grumiaux Trio: Arthur Grumiaux, violin ; George Janzer, viola ; Eva Czako, cello


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Waldstein, Michael Korstick. That guy sure can play!


----------



## Guest

String Quartet No. 10 In E-Flat Major


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: St. Matthew Passion.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Badley Bb1

Nicholas Ward conducting the Northern Chamber Orchestra -- Lorranie MsAslan, violin


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc eleven, Nos.27, 28 and 31 "Hornsignal" - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## GreenMamba

Bartok String Quartet #3, Chilingirian Qt


----------



## Guest

*It was Mozart most of the day:*








*Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A, K581*
Bohuslav Zahradnik, Clarinet - Le Quartuor Talich








*Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E flat, K364*
Anne-Sophie Mutter,violin, Yuri Bashmet, viola - London Philharmonic Orchestra








*Symphony No. 41 in C, K551*
Sir Charles Mackarras - Scottish Chamber Orchestra








*Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K467*
Malcom Bilson, fortepiano, John Eliott Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists








*Serenade No. 13 in G "Eine kleine Nachtmusik", K525*
Chamber Players of Canada


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition --
Johann Samuel Schroeter (7152-1788): Piano Sonata in E Flat, Op.1, No.2

Luigi Gerosa, piano


----------



## Evoken

Coming up next...








*arcaneholocaust* suggested I include some Chopin into my classical mix


----------



## opus55

Barber: Cello Concerto


----------



## moody

Evoken said:


> Coming up next...
> View attachment 27164
> 
> 
> *arcaneholocaust* suggested I include some Chopin into my classical mix


How ridiculous putting the French version of his name on the cover !!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

More Akiko Suwanai this evening. Her album Poème has some really nice French showpieces on it by Saint Saens, Lalo, Chausson, Kreisler, Berlioz and Ravel. A very fine album and a delight to hear her play. She's a very expressive and sensitive player with great virtuosity. And not bad on the old eyes either! 










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Pascal Dusapin's String Quartet No.2 "Time Zones" - Arditti Quartet

edit: now Berio's Sequenza VI - Christophe Desjardins, viola










edit: and now Gerard Passon's Aggravations And Final - Kölner Philharmonie.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonathan Harvey's String Quartet No.2 - Arditti Quartet

edit: now Brice Pauset's Eight Canons - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## ShropshireMoose

George Bernard Shaw: "A harpsichord sounds like two skeletons copulating on a tin roof."[/QUOTE]

That's Sir Thomas Beecham, me dear fellow, not Shaw!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen Sir George Thalben-Ball (at the organ of St. George's Church, Stockport)

This is from the recital given on the restored organ 12th May, 1981. The BBC broadcast part of it later that year, and verily, 'tis wond'rous good! I've transferred my old cassette over to CD and it doesn't sound too bad. The other items- on the off-chance that anyone's interested are:

Stanley: Minuet and Trumpet Tune
de Monfred: In Paradisum
de Severac: Divertimento

And jolly nice they are too!


----------



## SimonNZ

Tristan Murail's Winter Fragments - Argento Chamber Ensemble


----------



## dgee

SimonNZ said:


> Tristan Murail's Winter Fragments - Argento Chamber Ensemble


A gorgeous piece of music!


----------



## SimonNZ

Johannes Schöllhorn's Liu-Yi-Wasser - Johannes Kalitze, dir.


----------



## Oskaar

Consortium Hafniense - Music At Hamlet's Castle










more info


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op.3, No.1

Thomas Furi leading the Camerata Bern


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Oraison - Ensemble D'Ondes De Montréal


----------



## shangoyal

Shostakovich: *String Quartet No. 4 in D major*

Emerson String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

Cuarteto Canales - Chapi, Palau, Asencio, String Quartets









more info


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor; 
Introduction and Allegro appassionato in G Major, Op. 92 (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra)


----------



## Sonata

morning started off a little tense, so I countered that with the charming effervescence of Cosi fan Tutte


----------



## Kieran

Lying in bed sick for days - more a carcass than a man now, really - but recovering sufficient to finally suffer some music, was almost swept into next week to hear the opening strains of the _*Cosi*_ overture. The huzzah! Very healing, balming, soothing, uplifting. The music moves across the spirit like wind across the waves. It's stupendous, Godly, and ridiculously life-affirming.

And now they're going to sing _Soave_.

Karl Bohm gurning with a stick. I think it's the Viennese thingummy performing, but doubtless wishing they were all at home watching the football instead...


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Ignaz Antonin Tuma (1704-1774): Partita No.2 in A Minor

Antiquarius Consort Praga: Vaclav Navrat and Simona Paskova, violins -- Petr Hejny, cello Premysl Vacek, archlute -- Vaclav Luks, harpsichord


----------



## julianoq

Following KenOC on Michael Korstick

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.4 Op.7 in E Flat Major (now my standard sonata to sample a cycle)


----------



## shangoyal

Kieran said:


> Lying in bed sick for days - more a carcass than a man now, really - but recovering sufficient to finally suffer some music, was almost swept into next week to hear the opening strains of the _*Cosi*_ overture. The huzzah! Very healing, balming, soothing, uplifting. The music moves across the spirit like wind across the waves. It's stupendous, Godly, and ridiculously life-affirming.
> 
> And now they're going to sing _Soave_.
> 
> Karl Bohm gurning with a stick. I think it's the Viennese thingummy performing, but doubtless wishing they were all at home watching the football instead...


Get well very soon, man! Let Mozart work his magic...


----------



## Moombah

Just saying, I hadn't heard this before. I love it! Thank you for the introduction


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 8 (Handley), Violin and Piano Concerti (Thomson, I suppose).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125*
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
This symphony can never be over-played or over-recorded!








*J.S.Bach, Concerto in D minor for Organ and Oboes*, reconstructed from BWV 1052, 146, & 188
Giorgio Sasso, Insieme Strumentale di Roma - Salvatore Carchiolo, organ
Magnificent CD!








*Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A, K331*
Malcom Bilson, fortepiano
The Bilson cycle is, by a mile, my favorite Mozart sonata set of the three I have. Barenboim and Brautigam are the other two. The three B's.








*Stravinsky, Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 3 & Fireworks, Op. 4*
Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra
I got this CD back in the 80's and still love it. The two early works of Igor's are mini-masterpieces that foretell the style of his great ballets to come later.








*Mozart, Concerto for Basset Clarinet in A, K622*
Antony Pay, Basset Clarinet - Christopher Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music
I have a lot of the Hogwood recordings of Wolfie, but they are generally not my favorites because I don't like to hear harpsichord continuo in my Mozart. However if he is playing it on this one I can't hear it.


----------



## Oskaar

game following Mahlerian via Bernstein

Barber Adagio for Strings from the String Quartet, Op. 11

Bernstein
New york philharmonic


----------



## Oskaar

Walter Boeykens - Bernstein, Pierné, Schumann, Poulenc ... Clarinet Masterclass Vol 1









more info


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I'm listening to an ROIO of a FM broadcast of:

Metropolis Soundtrack, played by Staatsorchester Kassel, conducted by Helmut Imig - 2011-09-16 Opernhaus Kassel

Very nice live recording of this soundtrack I would love to see Metopolis with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack. I need to watch my copy of it and see if this recording can be synced up the version I have.










Kevin


----------



## Bas

Antonio Vivaldi - Griselda RV718
By Iestyn Davies [countertenor], Stefano Ferrari [tenor], Simone Kermes [soprano], Philippe Jaroussky [countertenor], Veronica Cangemi [soprano], Marie-Nicole Lemieux [alto], Ensemble Matteus, Jean-Christophe Spinossi [dir.], on Naïve









Probably my favourite Vivaldi opera (with Juditha and l'Olympiade). A delight!

And a new arrival:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in B-flat K333, Variations on "Ein weib ist das herrlichsten Ding" K613, Fantasia in Cm K396, Sonata in F K332
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Blancrocher

I listened to symphonies 1-5 yesterday, and they were so great I've decided to start the day by listening to 6-9!


----------



## realdealblues

julianoq said:


> Following KenOC on Michael Korstick
> 
> Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.4 Op.7 in E Flat Major (now my standard sonata to sample a cycle)


I just sampled that set last night. Although Sonata No. 1 is my standard go to. I feel few get it correct because they seem to just breeze over it because it's not as "important" as the more famous sonatas. I usually follow it with Sonata No. 3 which is more popular and gives me a good idea on how the rest of the set will flow.

Overall, I found his playing is very proficient, but I found the tempos FAR too fast. If you want your Beethoven played at absolute "breakneck speed" then this is the set you want.


----------



## Evoken

Marching on through Mozart's symphonies...








Loving the ride!


----------



## julianoq

realdealblues said:


> I just sampled that set last night. Although Sonata No. 1 is my standard go to. I feel few get it correct because they seem to just breeze over it because it's not as "important" as the more famous sonatas. I usually follow it with Sonata No. 3 which is more popular and gives me a good idea on how the rest of the set will flow.
> 
> Overall, I found his playing is very proficient, but I found the tempos FAR too fast. If you want your Beethoven played at absolute "breakneck speed" then this is the set you want.


Yes, I also thought it was a little fast (except for the adagios that are too slow). Then next I listened to Goodyear's performance of the 1st movement of the Hammerklavier, and oh my god, *this* is fast! I am not sure that I can handle it.


----------



## science

That gray stuff is the cover of the Hilliard Ensemble's recording of Lassus for ECM. Two of my favorite works, one of my favorite recordings.

















Felt romantic and sentimental tonight, so I treated myself to a couple hours of Renaissance madrigals.


----------



## science

Nice! I really like the Orchestral Suites in this set.










Another one of my favorite works (the requiem) and recordings.










This is a work that hasn't really hit me yet.


----------



## realdealblues

Thinking about the Saturday Symphony made me want to listen to some Sibelius before then.

View attachment 27186


Sibelius: Symphony No. 1
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

This is still one of the best recordings of Symphony No. 1. Lenny just gets it right.


----------



## Evoken

science said:


> Nice! I really like the Orchestral Suites in this set.


That's a good one


----------



## Oskaar

Vasif Adigezalov - Azerbaijani Piano Concertos









more info


----------



## realdealblues

As long as I have this set out...I might as well splurge.



Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: 12 Notations
Pierre-Laurent Aimard









Boulez may have wanted to eliminate any reminiscences of earlier styles from his later work, but here in this earliest of his acknowledged pieces he owes a clear debt to Messiaen and Webern, almost equally.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Kaspszyk) (live internet broadcast at www.filharmonia.pl  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## mstar

*Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2* during chorus this morning after our substitute told us to use our headphones to listen to two short songs. After that, no one suspected a thing....


----------



## Bas

Another new arrival:

Alessandro Scarlatti - Il primo omicidio
By Antonio Abete [bass], Bernarda Fink [mezzo], Graciela Oddone [mezzo), Dorothea Röschmann [soprano], Richard Croft [tenor], René Jacobs [alto], Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Kieran

Well, I shake my head now and don't hear that fuzzy drummer from the Muppet Show, so that's good.

*Don Giovanni*. The full bells and whistles. Fellers in tights, girls giggling coquettishly as the lascivious Don swoops through the CD. Giulini conducts this one, with all the gall and blind good fortune needed to get your WAM done correctly. There's a cast too. They're all quite famous, including Dame Donald Sutherland...


----------



## Evoken

mstar said:


> *Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2* during chorus this morning after our substitute told us to use our headphones to listen to two short songs. After that, no one suspected a thing....


Heard this one yesterday, very nice


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Ravel*: Orchestral Music, w. HvK (rec.1971 - '77); Chung et al (rec.2004); Chamber Music, w. Parkanyi Qt. (rec.2003); Florestan Trio (rec.1999); Little & Lane (rec.1991 - '95).

View attachment 27205







View attachment 27206
View attachment 27207
View attachment 27208


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Handel - Concerti Grossi op. 3* ASMF,Neville Marriner


----------



## cwarchc

wonderful stuff


----------



## Oskaar

Nikolai Rimsky-Korasakov - Thème russe - Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Glazunov, Scriabin, Rimsky Korsakov etc

Kuss Quartet









more info


----------



## Vaneyes

For a gravely ill Dubliner, who's also a WAM addict, Requiem, w. VSOO/Scherchen et al (rec.1958).

View attachment 27211


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - In memoriam Dylan Thomas (Stravinsky), Movements for Piano and Orchestra (Rosen/Stravinsky).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Valkhafar

Haydn: String Quartets No.1, No.2 "Fifths", No. 3 "Emperor".
Kodály Quartet.


----------



## Oskaar

Musicke & Mirth - Division Musick









Johannes Strobl, Amandine Beyer

Lovely laid back barock music. 
If you click on the more info, you come to arkive music. They have reviews and very good info! I will use them more

more info


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

julianoq said:


> Yes, I also thought it was a little fast (except for the adagios that are too slow). Then next I listened to Goodyear's performance of the 1st movement of the Hammerklavier, and oh my god, *this* is fast! I am not sure that I can handle it.


The font on the CD looks like something a racing videogame would use - is it just me?

Current listening: J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 42 in D minor (Buchberger Quartet).









The only quartet in this opus number is a short gem .

Piano Sonata No. 60 in C Major (Emanuel Ax).









Ax plays the first movement quite slowly, I probably prefer Jando's quicker tempo but Ax's playing is also very good, plus the more variety, the better.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Schubert* - Piano Sonata D.960, performed by Claudio Arrau.

I am going through all of them, one per night, and two or three listens for each.


----------



## SimonNZ

Locatelli's Concerti Grossi Op.1 - Freiburger Barockorchester


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata Jascha Heifetz/Arpad Sandor

Passion, poetry and bloody good musicianship, what more d'ye want, eh??


----------



## EricABQ

Scriabin's piano sonata #1 played by Maria Lettberg.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Handel: Chaconne in C/Gigue in D Minor/Prelude in D Minor 
Buxtehude: Aria in D Minor/Sarabande d'Amour in D Minor/La Capricciosa in G
Arranged for harp and played by Henrik Boye.

This is a 10" Decca LP I picked up for a pound in a charity shop last week, it's making a very pleasant "just before bed" listen!


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Concerti Grossi Op.6 - Avison Ensemble


----------



## SimonNZ

ShropshireMoose said:


> Handel: Chaconne in C/Gigue in D Minor/Prelude in D Minor
> Buxtehude: Aria in D Minor/Sarabande d'Amour in D Minor/La Capricciosa in G
> Arranged for harp and played by Henrik Boye.
> 
> This is a 10" Decca LP I picked up for a pound in a charity shop last week, it's making a very pleasant "just before bed" listen!


This one? Looks nice.


----------



## julianoq

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> The font on the CD looks like something a racing videogame would use - is it just me?


Indeed, clever observation! I don't know if they tried to pass a "fast as hell" but it would suit this record well.

Also listened to sonatas 8, 14, 15, 21 and 23 played by Goodyear. Not as absurdly fast as the Hammerklavier (that I ended up enjoying) but also probably the fastest version that I listened. Probably not my favorite performances but quite good and worth listening, the clarity of his playing is impressive.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

SimonNZ said:


> This one? Looks nice.


That's the one! It's great!


----------



## schuberkovich

Beethoven - Kreutzer Sonata
Ashkenazy and Perlman







The first movement is so intense and emotionally charged, it's like Beethoven's ink when he was writing it was liquid fire...


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.16, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir, Leixner, cello









Some scholars believe that Pavel Vranicky's string quartet output, given the high quality and sheer number -- 71 have survived, surpass that of Mozart. It's a pity that only 9 have been recorded ---


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Stravinsky -

Trois pieces pour quatuor a cordes (1914)
Concertino pour quatuor a cordes (1920)
Double canon - Raoul Dufy in Memoriam (1959)*

*Gottfried von Einem - First String Quartet, Op. 45*

Alban Berg Quartet [EMI]

The von Einem quartet is clearly influenced by the 2nd Viennese School, but there is something 'Mahlerian' about the Adagio Molto central movement.


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to *RVW's Oboe Concerto*. This time I heard the main theme going through the three movements and I'd guess that this work must have influenced Ennio Morricone's piece _Gabriel's Oboe _from his score for the film starring Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons, _The Mission_. Its now just as much a classic as the RVW is, and is likely to be played as an encore live in concert following it!

*Vaughan Williams* _Oboe Concerto_
- Royal Liverpool PO under Vernon Handley, w. Jonathan Small, oboe










Completing *Wolfie's flute quartets*, great stuff showing his usual craftsmanship and invention, despite him disliking composing for flute in a solo or leading role. Wolfie was always at the forefront of the latest developments in music, no wonder he was among the first to write for the newly invented clarinet. I love his *Clarinet Quintet*, the theme and variations finale is amazing in itself for its variety of invention. Wolfie also broke with convention by putting two trios in the minuet movement, one without clarinet and the other with it. 

*Mozart* 
_Four Flute Quartets_
- William Bennett on flute w. the Grumiaux Trio: Arthur Grumiaux, violin ; George Janzer, viola ; Eva Czako, cello
_Clarinet Quintet_
- George Pieterson, clarinet ; Arthur Grumiaux & Koji Toyoda, violins ; Max Lesueur, viola ; Janos Scholz, cello










The cover of this album is really suited to *Varese's *music - a SONIC BOOM if there ever was one. My favourite work here is the short and sweet *Ionisation*, only 5 minutes. But an amazing 5 minutes at that - taking in the classic lion's roar to marching rhythms and bell sounds. Someone dared Varese to compose a piece entirely for percussion, therefore with no melody. The composer was always one to take on such challenges, and this work is now a classic for percussion ensemble.

*Varese* _Arcana, Integrales_ & _Ionisation_*
- Los Angeles PO ; *Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble ; Zubin Mehta, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Ravel*: "Valses nobles", w. Pogo (rec.1995); "Gaspard", w. Pogo (rec.1982); Argerich(rec.1974 - '78); La Valse, w. GG (rec.1974).

View attachment 27225







View attachment 27226
View attachment 27227
View attachment 27228


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier.
Sviatoslav Richter.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Wiederstehe doch der Sunde, BWV 54
Bach Collegium Japan, dir. Suzuki


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> Cuarteto Canales - Chapi, Palau, Asencio, String Quartets
> 
> View attachment 27170
> 
> 
> more info


One thing is certain - your method is unearthing some very esoteric works. I wish I too had time to explore more of them.



Mahlerian said:


> Boulez: 12 Notations
> Pierre-Laurent Aimard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Boulez may have wanted to eliminate any reminiscences of earlier styles from his later work, but here in this earliest of his acknowledged pieces he owes a clear debt to Messiaen and Webern, almost equally.


This is going to sound completely shallow and frivolous (because it is), but Boulez _looks_ like a composer, doesn't he? There is just something very composerly about him, whatever that means.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Shostakovich, Quartet No. 14, Fitzwilliam Quartet.


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> This is going to sound completely shallow and frivolous (because it is), but Boulez _looks_ like a composer, doesn't he? There is just something very composerly about him, whatever that means.


I once came to a realization that many of the modernist titans of the 20th century lost their hair at an early age. It's no surprise Schoenberg is among the biggest of them all; his hair was gone before he hit 30!


----------



## Extremophile

Just finished watching Madame Butterfly, the 2009 performance at the Metropolitan Opera house. Patricia Racette is brilliant. Her voice and powerful expressions do wonders for the role of Butterfly. What a moving performance ! Was moved to tears in every single act. I highly recommend.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G Minor, KV 550

John Eliot Gardner conducting the English Baroque Soloists


----------



## senza sordino

Only the Dvorak Serenade for Strings today.








And while having dinner, Britten Violin Concerto and Cello Symphony


----------



## opus55

Friedrich Kiel: Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 43 in A minor


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Pelleas et Melisande


----------



## Blancrocher

After listening to Bruckner's complete symphonies in the last couple of days, I'm turning to another symphonic cycle I haven't heard in awhile. I've long enjoyed Blomstedt's versions of Nielsen, but I'm interested in hearing the competition--starting with Vanska.


----------



## SimonNZ

Noel Lee's Convergences - András Adorján, flute, Noël Lee, harpsichord

now: Otto Luening's Sonata in Memorium Ferruccio Busoni - Ursula Oppens, piano










edit: now Spohr's Violin Concerto No.8 - Hilary Hahn, violin


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Maxwell Davies' Five Klee Pictures - cond. composer

edit: now Valentin Silvestrov's Mysteres - Les percussions De Strasbourg










edit: now Toshio Hosokawa's Koto-Uta - Sumi Tani, voice, Makiko Gotô, koto


----------



## SimonNZ

Respighi's Christus cantata - Marco Balderi, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - String Quartet No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 131* / various quartets

'Building a library', BBC Radio 3

A fascinating analysis of various recordings

Confirms Talich and Italian versions remain the best to my ears


----------



## Conor71

*Webern: 5 Movements For String Quartet, Op. 5*


----------



## Conor71

*Mozart: Symphony No. 40 In G Minor, K 550*

Been listening to a lot of Classical Era music this month especially Mozart and Haydn:


----------



## Oskaar

Sergey Prokofiev - Prokofiev: Works for Violin & Piano









amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Novellette in F Major, Op. 21 No. 1; Toccata in C Major, Op. 7; 
Waldszenen, Op. 82 (Sviatoslav Richter).









By the way, where's Novelette?

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. 15/6 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## SimonNZ

Pascal Dusapin's Clam - Pascal Rophe, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Hughes Dufourt's L'Afrique d'apres Tiepolo - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## Guest

*Mozart in the morning:*








*Twelve Variations in C-dur on 'Ah, Vous Dirai-Je Maman', K.265*
Ronald Braudigam, fortepiano








*Andante & 5 Variations in G for 4 hands, K501*
Christopher Hogwood, Derek Adlam, clavichord








*Andante in D for small mechanical organ, K616*
E. Power Biggs, small mechanical organ








*Adagio for Glass Harmonica in C, K356 (617a)*
Bruno Hoffman, glass harmonica








*K617 Adagio and Rondo in C* for Glass Harmonica (played here on fortepiano), Flute, Oboe, Viola, Violin
Marcelo Bussi, Jed Wentz, Nico de Gier, Christoph Mayer, Anton Steck


----------



## SimonNZ

Isabel Mundry's Dufay-Bearbeitugen - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## Oskaar

Trio Voronezh









This is a very fine and quite fun and lively album, from an unusual trio performing dances from russian composers.
The instruments are (accordion), domra (similar to a mandolin), and double bass. If you have a chanse, pick up this album! It is very uplifting!

amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Varese's Ionisation - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Kivimees

Something for a rainy afternoon:


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in B-flat K333, Variations on "Ein weib ist das herrlichsten Ding" K613, Fantasia in Cm K396, Sonata in F K332
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Das Wohltemperierte Klavier Buch I, Buch II
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony Classics

















Hildegard von Bingen - A feather from the breath of God (cd title)
By Emma Kirkby [soprano], Gothic Voices, Christopher Page [dir.], on Hyperion


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki:* Te Deum (1979-80)
SATB soloists/Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit

*Maxwell Davies:* Symphony No. 6 (1996)
Royal PO/Maxwell Davies


----------



## nannerl

Mozart JeuneHomme - Mitsuko Uchida x


----------



## bejart

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757): Sinfonia in C Major

Fabio Biondi leading Europa Galante


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in D Minor, Bryan d1

Concerto Koln


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Frank Bridge - Piano trios

Phantasie Trio (Trio No. 1) in C minor (1907)
Piano Trio No. 2 (1928-9)
Nine miniatures for piano trio (1908)*

Jack Liebeck, Vn; Alexander Chaushian, VC; Ashley Wass, Pno. [Naxos]

One of a group of Bridge CDs waiting to be opened. I'm determined to get to grips with this composer's work this year!


----------



## joen_cph

Among the recent LP finds, this recording of *Martinu´s 3rd Piano Concerto (1948) with Panenka and Ancerl* is really lovely, with a certain "cantabile" and lyrical quality to it. It is coupled with the 2nd Violin Concerto with Belcik, which I haven´t heard yet. 
Regarding his concertante works with piano, I have mostly been drawn to the 4th Concerto "Incantation" and also the Concerto for 2 Pianos & Orchestra (with the Lejskova Duo) so far.


----------



## Oskaar

Stamitz, Bach, Abel, Haydn & Abingdon: Chamber Music for two Flutes, Viola and Cello (Destination London - Music for the Earl of Abingdon

Wilbert Hazelzet, Marion Moonen, Bernadette Verhagen, Barbara Kernig









Absolutely a pleasent and charming chamber recording, quite peicefull and laid back, but the music come often more intens to me when it is over-equipped with effects and tecniches. Wery recommended! (Samples on the amazon page)

amazon


----------



## Weston

*Telemann: Concerto for viola, strings & continuo in G major, TWV 51:G9*
Richard Edlinger / Capella Istropolitana

Telemann and coffee getting me ready for a pleasant productive weekend.


----------



## opus55

Bach, C.P.E: Symphony for Strings No. 5, Wq.182


----------



## maestro267

This week's Saturday Symphony:

*Sibelius*: Symphony No. 5 in E flat major
Berlin PO/Karajan


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.32, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 5 in B flat* / Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chailly [Decca]

First symphony of the weekend for me!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

More Akiko  This time her recording of the Beethoven Violin Sonatas No. 7 & No. 9










Kevin


----------



## starthrower

Damn! I don't know how Schnittke put it all together, but this symphony is glorious fun!


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## starthrower

^^^
Looking forward to that set!


----------



## Valkhafar

Sibelius: Finlandia - Tone Poems.


----------



## Mahlerian

starthrower said:


> ^^^
> Looking forward to that set!


I am quite satisfied with it, although some of the fillers are just fragments...


----------



## starthrower

I almost went for the Helsinki recordings, but on comparison of no. 5, the Bournemouth has a bit more kick to it. I tend to prefer greater accentuation and detail to softened edges. The Barbirolli recording sounded good as well, but with a different character and flair. But the whole set was only 12 dollars from an Amazon vendor. Ridiculous good deal!

Brilliant Classics has a new comprehensive 7 CD set. http://www.brilliantclassics.com/release.aspx?id=FM00436283


----------



## Oskaar

Thomas Ades - Adès: Piano Quintet & Schubert: Piano Quintet of Abingdon)

Arditti Quartet / Belcea Quartet









two very fine piano quintets from two different epoques, brilliant performed, and good sound.

arkivmusic with samples

amazon with user-reviews


----------



## Blancrocher

Whew--that Vanska/Nielsen cycle was great. Nothing like the 4th and 5th symphonies to get the heart racing on a Saturday morning! (Not to slight 1-3 and 6.)

Figure I'll just keep indulging in symphonies for the time being: a first listen to Ashkenazy conducting Mahler's 9th.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Poulenc

Sonata for four hands
Capriccio
Elegie
L'embarquement pour Cythere
Sonata for two pianos*

Seta Tanyel, Jeremy Brown (Pianos) [Chandos]

My mission to re-evaluate my 1980s Poulenc LP collection continues...


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras








Today just seems like an E-flat day. I listened to Bach's Cantata BWV 54 again earlier, and Sibelius's Fifth...


----------



## maestro267

*Brahms*: Symphony No. 4 in E minor

I can't get over how fantastic the finale of this work is!


----------



## starthrower

Nielsen-symphony no. 3 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

A grand work! Maybe my favorite of the six.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 9 No. 2 in E flat Major; Op. 9 No. 5 in B flat Major (Buchberger Quartet).









Always nice to come back to Op. 9, I actually enjoy it just as much as Haydn's later quartet sets.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Nielsen Symphony 5


----------



## senza sordino

maestro267 said:


> *Brahms*: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
> 
> I can't get over how fantastic the finale of this work is!


What a coincidence, I just finished listening to this, Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Also this morning, Saint Saens #3 and Wieniawski #2 violin concerti, Perlman on violin with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Orchestre de Paris.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75
Bach Collegium Japan, dir. Suzuki


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, The Creation.*

I haven't heard this recording in a while. It seems rushed.


----------



## Valkhafar

Britten: Cello Suites 1-3.
Truls Mørk.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, The Creation.*
> 
> I haven't heard this recording in a while. It seems rushed.
> 
> View attachment 27280


I've heard some of the Amazon samples - the tempos in the choruses seemed to be a bit too fast - I think it's best to let the details come through in those parts.


----------



## DrKilroy

Some Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 (Maazel), 6; Tapiola; Valse Triste (Berglund).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich Symphony #15, Petrenko and the RLPO. My favorite performance of this.


----------



## starthrower

I'm forty years late getting around to this one. There was a time when I wouldn't touch
this theatrical type stuff with a ten foot pole. The older generation embracing the 60s
crowd and all. But I don't care anymore. Bernstein had the balls to jut go for it. He's
the all American musician and composer!


----------



## DrKilroy

But before Sibelius, today's birthday boy - Johan Helmich Roman and his Lilla Drottningholmsmusiken.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm really getting away with a lot today--is there anything more intensely moving than Winterreise sung properly (as here, by Josef Greindl)? Thanks to Moody for this recommendation. A 3rd-party seller on Amazon thanks you too!


----------



## Oskaar

Neeme Järvi - Kapp, A.: Don Carlos / Kapp, E.: Kalevipoeg Suite / Kapp, V.: Symphony No. 2

Willem Kapp, Arthur Kapp, Eugen Kapp









BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Great orchestral works from this estonian family. Beautiful performance.

amazon with samples

arkivmusic


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Flute Concerto "L'Aile du Songe" - Jukke-Pekka Saraste, cond.


----------



## starthrower

Magnus Lindberg-Cantigas


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben, BWV 77
Bach Collegium Japan, dir Suzuki


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's "Colloredo" Serenade - Collegium Aureum


----------



## Blancrocher

Game following oskaar, via New York Philharmonic.

John Corigliano, Concerto for Clarinet: Zubin Mehta conducting Stanley Drucker (Clarinet) and Sidney Harth (Violin) with the NY Phil.


----------



## Andolink

*Michael Tippett*: _Triple Concerto_
Levon Chilingirian, violin
Simon Rowland-Jones, viola
Philip de Groote, cello
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox








*J. S. Bach*: _Herr Gott, dich loben wir_, BWV16; _Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen_, BWV13
Rachel Nicholls, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Raphaël Cendo*: _Charge_, for seven instruments and electronics (2009); _Furia_, for piano and cello (2009-10);_Décombres_, for tubax and electronics (2006); _In Vivo_, for string quartet (2008-10)
Ensemble Cairn/Guillaume Bourgogne








*Philipp Heinrich Erlebach*: _Die Liebe Gottes ist ausgegossen_; _Unruhige Gedanken, stellt alles Sorgen ein_; _Held, du hast den Feind gebunden_
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Margaret C. Hunter, soprano
Alexander Schneider, countertenor
Andreas Post, tenor
Matthias Vieweg, bass
Les Amis de Philippe/Ludger Rémy


----------



## starthrower

I've been spinning this CD most often this week.


----------



## korenbloem

Shostakovich - voilin concerto 1


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique.


----------



## chalkpie

Berglunds 3rd reading on Spotify


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## bejart

Christian Joseph Lidarti (1730-1795): Violin Concerto in D Minor

Auser Musici -- Francesco D'Orazio, violin


----------



## Itullian

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, The Creation.*
> 
> I haven't heard this recording in a while. It seems rushed.
> 
> View attachment 27280


Typical Gardner.
remove warmth and emotion.


----------



## SimonNZ

Andolink said:


> *Raphaël Cendo*: _Charge_, for seven instruments and electronics (2009); _Furia_, for piano and cello (2009-10)
> _Décombres_, for tubax and electronics (2006); _In Vivo_, for string quartet (2008-10)
> Ensemble Cairn/Guillaume Bourgogne
> View attachment 27288


"Furia" was one of the most interesting of all the Aeon pieces I've been playing recently.

Also love that cover photo. I thought it must have been Robert Polidori, but it seems that all of Aeons distinctive cover images are from the same photographer: Dolores Marat. If you've got a copy of the physical cd can you confirm that from the liner notes?


----------



## Mahlerian

Via radio:
Mahler: Ruckert Lieder
Christianne Stotijn, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, cond. Shinozaki









Next up is the live broadcast of tonight's concert, beginning with:

Turnage: Speranza
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Harding


----------



## Conor71

Gran Partita Serenade and Coronation Piano Concerto:


----------



## Itullian

Unbelievable singing!
Great conducting
Excellent mono sound.
Live from 1960 Bayreuth.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Mahlerian

Last item on the concert program:
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Christianne Stotijn, Michael Schade, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Harding


----------



## julianoq

Enjoying a rare moment in the weekends that I am able to enjoy some music alone. Listening to Ravel's Gaspar de la Nuit, performed by Pascal Roge. Will probably listen to Valses nobles et sentimentales next, and then maybe Miroirs. I love this record.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *D. Scarlatti's* (1685 - 1757) birthday, Sonatas for Keyboard, w. Pogorelich (rec.1991); Ts'ong (rec.1990).

View attachment 27291
View attachment 27292


----------



## starthrower

Vaughan Williams-Oboe Concerto


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent acquisition ---
Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in C Major, Op.9, No.2

Geoffrey Govier, piano


----------



## Valkhafar

Elgar: Symphonies 1 & 2 - Cockaigne Overture - Sospiri.
Jeffrey Tate, London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Le Son Calligraphie


----------



## Blancrocher

Pettersson's 6th--trying to put myself in a black mood this evening!

:lol:


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Alan Hovhaness' Mystery Of The Holy Martyrs - Vakhtang Jordania, cond.


----------



## Weston

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras
> View attachment 27278
> 
> 
> Today just seems like an E-flat day. I listened to Bach's Cantata BWV 54 again earlier, and Sibelius's Fifth...


No. 39 is my favorite Mozart symphony, maybe my favorite Mozart piece, but that third movement menuetto has _got_ to be taken fast enough. Otherwise I feel like I'm stuck in molasses. Most versions I hear are downright glacial for some reason. I guess I heard it taken fast the first time, and it stuck.



bejart said:


> First listen to a recent acquisition ---
> Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in C Major, Op.9, No.2
> 
> Geoffrey Govier, piano
> 
> View attachment 27293


The Dussek piano sonatas are alarmingly underrated. They rank nearly up there with Beethoven's for me. Well, the three I've heard anyway. And also a flute sonata.


----------



## KenOC

Schumann's Symphony No. 2 -- don't know who's playing, it's on the radio. As I get older, I seem to like Schumann's symphonies better.


----------



## Weston

*Hans Werner Henze - Sonata for strings*
Paul Sacher / Collegium Musicum Zürich

Remarkable music, modern but accessible, from a composer the internet sources vaguely hint at being controversial. I don't know much about that, but I do enjoy the music. This piece has fairly ominous themes with interesting cello or double bass glissandos in the 32 variations segment. Or would it be portamento? Whatever. The notes slide around.

View attachment 27296


----------



## starthrower

^^^^
Will give 'er a listen. I'm a big Henze fan.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra - Claes Gunnarsson, violin, Thord Svedlund, cond.

edit: now Gerhard Stabler's Traum - Johannes Kalitzke, cond.










edit: noe Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Violin Concerto - Pamela Frank, violin, Michael Stern, cond.


----------



## moody

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/
> 
> The last concert I attended or will attend was five years ago and it was Marek Janowski with his orchestra at the time,the Suisse Romande Orchestra. This was at Birmingham's Symphony Hall and I thought him most impressive as was the orchestra ,but then it always is.


----------



## SimonNZ

Maurice Ohana's Syllabaire pour Phèdre - Marius Constant, cond.

edit: now Sylvie Bodorova's Concierto de Estío - Maria Isabel Siewers, guitar, Martinu Quartet


----------



## chrisco97

*Mendelssohn* - Symphony No. 4, "Italian"
_Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Vladimir Goldschmann_

My first listen to a Mendelssohn symphony. What an experience! I have a feeling I am going to have the melody from the first movement stuck in my head for a couple of days...if not more... :lol:


----------



## Sid James

Another listen to *Schubert's String Quintet*, and also *Brahms' String Sextet #1*. There are parallels between these two pieces, for example the addition of cellos and Hungarian vibes as well. Big difference is that while Schubert plumbs the depths a lot, Brahms does it less - nevertheless the slow movements are the emotional pivots of these works.

Over to a first listen within living memory to *Ives' Symphony #2*. Funnily enough the strings give similar Baroque contrapuntal feel at the start of the work, but the tunes sound as if they come from American hymns. I recognized some tunes in this symphony but can't go so far as to name them. There are parallels with Mahler's contemporaneous symphonies here (eg. incorporating vernacular tunes and a suite-like layout of five movements).

The coda of this work, composed between 1897 and 1902, was just as astounding and kind of weird as Wolfie's "wrong note" ending to his _A Musical Joke_. It was quite a shock and I can understand Ives'famous quote justifying why he went into banking and not composing as his day job (something to the effect that he didn't want his wife and children to "starve on my dissonances"). I would bet that Wagner's influence was strong on Ives as regards this symphony as well, by the sound of it anyway (another common lineage Ives shared with Mahler).

*Brahms* String Sextet #1
- Stuttgart Soloists










*Ives* Symphony #2
- Los Angeles PO ; Zubin Mehta at the helm (this symphony appears complete as a bonus on the Varese disc I was listening to and posted here last time)


----------



## Sid James

Speaking of *Wolfie*, another listen to his delightful *Oboe Quartet* and also his two *piano quartets*, the latter have been favourites of mine since I first got into classical - and my enjoyment of them has increased since I got this cd in recent years.

*Schubert* String Quintet
- Arthur Grumiaux & Arpad Gerecz, violins ; Max Lesueur, viola ; Paul Szabo & Philippe Mermoud, cellos
*Mozart* Oboe Quartet
- Pierre Pierlot, oboe ; Arthur Grumiaux, violin ; Max Lesueur, viola ; Janos Scholz, cello











*Mozart* Two Piano Quartets
- The Mozartean Players


----------



## chrisco97

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> The font on the CD looks like something a racing videogame would use - is it just me?





julianoq said:


> ...played by *Goodyear*...


Hehe... :lol:


----------



## Andolink

ArtMusic said:


>


One of the most distinctively original and rewarding symphony cycles in all of 20th century music, IMO!


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's String Quartet No.4 - Kronos Quartet


----------



## Conor71

Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3

Just downloaded this set today - listening to the Opus for the first time!


----------



## SimonNZ

Jean Langlais' Messe Solennelle - Michel Corboz, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic

Andolink said:


> One of the most distinctively original and rewarding symphony cycles in all of 20th century music, IMO!


The symphonies had a nice balance between tonality and atonality, which I liked. None had the extremes of dissonance that verge on being nothing but scientific noise.


----------



## chrisco97

Loved the Mendelssohn symphony I just listened to, especially the first movement. Now I am going to try another symphony new to me...

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 2
_Utah Symphony Orchestra & Maurice Abravanel_

I have never really listened to Sibelius in my life, so I am excited to hear what all the fuss is about! Will update after I have listened once or twice through...


----------



## Oskaar

game following Blancrocher via Stanley Drucker

Aaron Copland: Concerto For Clarinet

Stanley Drucker
Leonard Bernstein
New York Philharmonic Orchestra









deutche gramophon


----------



## ptr

Sunday Morning Munch (Musical+Lunch):

*Malcolm Arnold* - Symphony No 9 / Concertino for Oboe (Conifer)









Nicolas Daniel, oboe; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra u. Vernon Handley

*Cornelius Cardew* - We sing for the future! / Thälmann Variations (New Albion)









Frederic Rzewski, piano

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Richard Tognetti - Sculthorpe: Irkanda I and Iv / Lament / Sonata No. 2 / Cello Dreaming / Djilile

Australian chamber orchestra









amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Toivo Tulev's Jusquez au printemps - Paul Hillier, dir.

edit: now Arne Nordheim's Tenebrae - Truls Mork, cello, Yoav Talmi, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat, Op.130 Lener Quartet

This is, to my mind, one of the most beautiful and profound pieces of chamber music ever written. It seems to cover the whole range of human emotions in fact. This performance I adore. The Lener's were the first group to record all the Beethoven Quartets, and I do wish that some enterprising company would bring them out again. Or even better, a collected Lener edition! Their recording of the Schubert Octet with Aubrey Brain, Charles Draper et al is wonderful too, then there are some Mozart Quartets.......oh well, it's a nice pipe dream.


----------



## Oskaar

Sebastian Fagerlund - Fagerlund: Isola

Christoffer Sundqvist (clarinet)
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Dima Slobodeniouk









amazon

prestoclassic

arkivmusic


----------



## Art Rock

My second version, inherited from my father. I already had Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin/Chailly (Decca).


----------



## SimonNZ

Arne Nordheim's Epitaffio - Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.

edit: now Arne Nordheim's Kryptofonier I-V - Elizabeth Holmertz, sopran, Cikada Duo


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann -

Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105

Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, WoO 2*

Nicolas Chumachenko (violin), Kalle Randalu (piano) [MD&G]

From their disc of all three Schumann Violin + Piano duo sonatas. I love these.

"Signs of Schumann's impending collapse are certainly evident in the A minor Violin Sonata [Op. 105], but not through any deficiency of musical value; the work's dramatic and psychological complexities speak for themselves" writes critic Blair Johnston. I can't say that I can spot the signs!


----------



## Oskaar

Manuel de Falla - Rodrigo: Concierto De Aranjuez / Granados: 12 Danzas Espanolas (Excerpts)









Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice
Gerald Garcia
Peter Breiner

Presto Classical


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Itullian said:


> Typical Gardner.
> remove warmth and emotion.


Well, I wouldn't say that for his recording of Haydn's The Seasons, of which I have a CD with the most important arias and choruses. I also really like his recordings of Mozart's 40th and 41st symphonies, I think period instruments work very well there.


----------



## Guest

*Preparing my soul for Sunday morning mass. 
Mozart:
*







*Exsultate Jubilate, K165
*Emma Kirkby - The Academy of Ancient Music - Christopher Hogwood








*"Coronation" Mass in C, K317 & Epistle Sonata, K278
*Hogwood, Winchester Cathedral Choir, Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## Bas

George Frederic Handel - Organ Concertos opus 4
By La divina Armonia, Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], on Passacaille









Johann Sebastian Bach - Schübler Chorales BWV 635 - 650, Clavier Übung III
By Ton Koopman [organ], The Amsterdam Baroque Choir, on Teldec









(for his birthday)
Domenico Scarlatti - Sonatas Kk 449 - Kk 484
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Warner Classics / Erato


----------



## Art Rock

Another CD left to me by my father. I have not listened to Mozart symphonies in ages.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV988 (Arranged for String Trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)

Trio Echnaton: Mayra Saligas, violin -- Sebastian Krunnies, viola -- Frank-Michael Guthmann, cello


----------



## Oskaar

Lynn Harrell & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner - Victor Herbert: Cello Concertos









arkiv music with samples, Notes and Editorial Reviews


----------



## Blancrocher

Korstick playing Beethoven's last 3 sonatas (which seems to have gotten pretty good reviews), and Curzon playing Schubert and Schumann.

*ps* Some were worried about Korstick playing Beethoven too quickly, but that doesn't seem an issue here--very sensitive, tactful playing, in my opinion.


----------



## Art Rock

Sticking with the stack of CD's I selected from my late father's collection, and now for something completely different.


----------



## Oskaar

Ernest Bloch - Violin Works









amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Ihr Menschen, ruhmet Gottes Liebe, BWV 167
Bach Collegium Japan, dir. Suzuki


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I have been listening to Schubert's piano sonatas all weekend.









Most of them I have heard for the first time in my life.


----------



## DavidA

SiegendesLicht said:


> I have been listening to Schubert's piano sonatas all weekend.
> 
> View attachment 27317
> 
> 
> Most of them I have heard for the first time in my life.


I've got that set too. Hours of pleasure from one of the great pianists playing great music.


----------



## Guest

It's been a chamber music morning. So far consisting of:

Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 15
Bartok - String Quartet No. 4
Bartok - String Quartet No. 3
Haydn - String Quartet No. 61 (I guess that's Op. 76/2?)


----------



## bejart

Johan Joachim Agrell (1701-1765): Flute Concerto in D Major

Andrew Manze conducting the Conerto Copenhagen -- Maria Bania, flute


----------



## DeepR

WOW, that was great. I have to listen again, this time with headphones.


----------



## Oskaar

Tasmin Little: Violin Showpieces









Delightfull! Another young lady with that fresh and tender grip on the violin! I have not finished listening yet, but it looks that the works are well chosen

Amazon

Arkiv music


----------



## Jos

No young lady here, but a very lyrical Bronislaw Huberman. Recording from 1934, doctored in 1983. A bit of noise couldn't be cured but a wonderful oldschool sound and way of playing.
Symphonie Espagnol and chambermusic by Bruch and Sarasate e.a.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Guest

*Mozart is so PC!*








*No. 21 in C, K467*
Lars Vogt, piano - Paavo Jarvi, Frankfurt Radio Symphony
The middle movement is nearly perfect on this, but not the outer ones. The third, in particular, is much faster than I like it.








*No. 22 in E flat, K482*
Robert Levin, fortepiano - Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music








*No. 23 in A, K488*
Hélène Grimaud, piano - Radoslaw Szulcl, Hélène Grimaud, Radoslaw Szulcl, Kammerorchester des Symphonieorchesters des Bayerischen Rundfunks


----------



## moody

chrisco97 said:


> *Mendelssohn* - Symphony No. 4, "Italian"
> _Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Vladimir Goldschmann_
> 
> My first listen to a Mendelssohn symphony. What an experience! I have a feeling I am going to have the melody from the first movement stuck in my head for a couple of days...if not more... :lol:


That's an old one early 60s ?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rodrigo, Villa-Lobos, Castelnuovo-Tedesco*: Concerti, w. Kraft/Ward (rec.1992); *Falla, Albeniz, Turina, Granados*: Orchestral and Instrumental, w. de Larrocha/de Burgos (rec.1964 - '83).

View attachment 27329
View attachment 27330
View attachment 27331
View attachment 27332


----------



## DrKilroy

How about some more Sibelius today? Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 (Maazel/VPO); 5 (Berglund/Chamber Orchestra of Europe); 6 (Berglund/Helsinki PO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

Maazel conducting some Ravel and Stravinsky.


----------



## Oskaar

Sharon Bezaly - Bezaly, Sharon: French Delights









amazon with samples

arkivmusik


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, 'Pathétique' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## KenOC

Siegmund von Hausegger: Natursymphonie (1911). This is a big brawny post-romantic work from 1911, and quite good. If you like that kind of stuff, well worth a listen! Thanks to Edgar for the tip.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.21 in A Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> Sharon Bezaly - Bezaly, Sharon: French Delights
> 
> View attachment 27335
> 
> 
> amazon with samples
> 
> arkivmusik


I didn't know much about her so I looked her up on Google. Wow! What a stunning lady! I think it best I listen without video so my higher brain functions have a chance of working.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's 4th symphony from the Harnoncourt set.


----------



## Oskaar

Weston said:


> I didn't know much about her so I looked her up on Google. Wow! What a stunning lady! I think it best I listen without video so my higher brain functions have a chance of working.


Last time I had a classical periode, I presented a performance of Vilde Frang.., and I was urged to post som PIN ups of her. She was also stunning...


----------



## Oskaar

Martin Fröst - Nielsen / Aho: Clarinet Concertos









arkiv musik with samples


----------



## AndyS

Brain/Karajan - Mozart horn concertos


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner's Seventh Symphony - Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Six Preludes and Fugues for Violin, Viola and Cello, K.404a


----------



## maestro267

*Mahler*: Symphony No. 1 in D major
Sao Paulo SO/Alsop

Live from Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, on Radio 3. Was watching NFL, so only came in for the 2nd half of this concert.


----------



## Bas

Donizetti - Lucia Di Lammermoor


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Evoken

Beethoven - Symphony #5 In C Minor, Op. 67 - 1. Allegro Con Brio


----------



## Oskaar

Friedrich Hermann - Hermann: 3 Capriccios - Grand Duo Brillant - Suite in D minor









Composer: Friedrich Hermann, Johann Paul Eichhorn 
Performer: Friedemann Eichhorn, Reto Kuppel, Alexia Eichhorn, Alexander Hülshoff

arkiv music


----------



## Blancrocher

Yuri Bashmet and Valery Gergiev with the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater playing Gubaidulina's Violin Concerto and Kancheli's Styx.


----------



## Joris

Symphony No. 6 Tchaikovsky - First Movement

I still startle unexpectedly at the outburst at +/- 11.00 after the lyrical solo part :lol:


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Pastorale Sonata, Gilels. One of the best.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in E Flat, Op.12, No.5

Guy van Waas directing Les Agremens


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Franz Vinvenz Krommer's Oboe Concerto Op.37 - Sarah Francis, oboe, Howard Shelly, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, Psalm 13.*


----------



## Valkhafar

Igor Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps - Symphonies of Wind Instruments - Apollon musagète.
Simon Ratttle, Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Gaspard de la nuit*


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Litolff's Concerto Symphonique No.4 - Peter Donohoe, piano, Andrew litton, cond.


----------



## Aramis

Michael Haydn strikes again. Not definitely, but by some means, I think his cello concerto in B major here might be considered as superior to two more famous cello concertos by his more famous brother.

And the CD has more neat stuff, such as concerto by CPE Bach and two world premiere recordings (Hasse, Graf).


----------



## Oskaar

Antonio Vivaldi - Vivaldi: Vivaldi Concerti









WISPELWEY, PIETER
FLORILEGIUM

www.channelclassics.com


----------



## KenOC

SimonNZ said:


> Litolff's Concerto Symphonique No.4 - Peter Donohoe, piano, Andrew litton, cond.


For a treat, read Litolff's entry in Wikipedia He was a total wild man, put Berlioz to shame...


----------



## Schubussy

Lou Harrison - Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Javanese Gamelan
The Mirecourt Trio


----------



## bejart

Karel Kohout (1726-1784): Symphony in F Minor

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Symphony No.8 Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

I love it, and this is a cracking performance. Dvorak always makes you glad to be alive- not that I wasn't anyway, I hasten to add.


----------



## Itullian

I'm not really a fortepiano guy, but i'm really enjoying these.
Impeccable BIS sound, as usual.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.1 in C Major, Op.15

James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## brotagonist

Mahler : Second Symphony/Kubelik

This is an easy one to get into.


----------



## starthrower

Vaughan Williams-A Sea Symphony Handley/RLP


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800): String Trio in G Major, Op.2, No.2

Ensemble Les Adieux: Mary Utiger, violin -- Hajo Bass, viola -- Nicholas Selo, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Shosty's 1st and 7th, Bernstein conducting.


----------



## Weston

Listening to the "Serioso" Beethoven quartet arranged for orchestra by Mahler with an ear toward purchasing. I often love this, blasphemous to some, practice of orchestral arrangements of chamber works, especially Beethoven's. It can be like you have a whole new Beethoven symphony. With Mahler arranging, this should be great - but it still sounds like a quartet here. Hmmmm . . . Maybe Mahler knew you can't really improve on the original texture. I think I prefer Bernstein's arrangements of some of the late quartets.


----------



## starthrower

Arnold Bax-Symphony No. 5 Thomson/LPO


----------



## SimonNZ

Following Jerome:

My desert island recording of Mozart's Exultate Jubilate, featuring one of the very greatest performances of Emma Kirkby from her impressive discography.


----------



## opus55

Bartok: String Quartet No. 5
Sibelius: Symphony No. 6


----------



## senza sordino

Manuel de Falla, Three Cornered Hat, & Love the Magician

Shostakovich String Quartets









And this morning
Faure Requiem, seemed nice for a Sunday morning. It was on TV this past week as well


----------



## senza sordino

opus55 said:


> Bartok: String Quartet No. 5
> Sibelius: Symphony No. 6


I need to get my hands and ears on the Bartok Sting Quartets


----------



## opus55

Bach, C.P.E.: Cello Concertos, Wq.170,171,172










Exhilarating performance


----------



## opus55

senza sordino said:


> I need to get my hands and ears on the Bartok Sting Quartets


I'm still not quite liking the Bartok quartets but time will come..


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Minor, KV 310

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## chrisco97

moody said:


> That's an old one early 60s ?


Not exactly sure, but I do believe it is.

--
Update on the Sibelius symphony...was not either way about it in all honesty. Did not dislike it, but it was not really something I would want to listen to again either. Maybe it is just going to take a few more listens to get the piece. If it is anything like my experience with Bach, it may take a while before I find that one performance that just makes that composer click with me...which is often the case with composers I am not familiar with. If we take someone like Beethoven, I could listen to an awful performance of his music but because I love it so much, I still enjoy it because of how much I love the music itself. Performance does not really matter for me. I am going to come back to Sibelius soon, but for now, on to some of my favourite music:

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 45, "Farewell"
_Radio Symphony Orchestra of Zagreb & Antonio Janigro_

I love this symphony. Every movement. I especially love how in the final adagio each player leaves in turn until there are only two violins left. In the original performance, the two remaining violins were played by Haydn himself and the concertmaster. How awesome would it have been to be able to attend this performance? I would have loved to have seen it!


----------



## SimonNZ

Ernest Toch's The Chinese Flute - Manuel Compinsky, cond.


----------



## dgee

Uaxuctum (1969) - Giacinto Scelsi. High intensity chorus and orchestra blowout


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).









Antonio Vivaldi - Recorder concerto in F Major, 'La Tempesta di Mare'; Concerto in G minor, 'La Notte'; Concerto in D Major, 'Il Cardellino'; Concerto in G Major for transverse flute (Daniel Rothert; Helmut Müller-Brühl; Kölner Kammerorchester).


----------



## SimonNZ

Allan Petterson's Violin Concerto No.2 - Ida Haendel, violin, Herbert Blomstedt, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Can't sleep. I did many mistakes in my life and they are culminating now. Listened to Schubert's Quintet and prayed a lot in the past hour, it helped.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arne Nordheim's Solitaire


----------



## Kivimees

To me "Gimini" is the highlight of this CD.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

An LP a friend gave me - Highlights from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker performed by L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under the baton of Ernest Ansermet on Decca.

The LP was cared for so sounds great and the music is superb. I cannot believe it was recorded in 1958. It is times like this I realise what was lost when analogue was phased out.


----------



## SimonNZ

Edgar Vaeese's Arcana - Jean Martinon, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Paul Mefano's Gradiva - Pierre-Yves Artaud, bass flute

edit: now Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Kivimees

More Gerhard:









Nothing like a fine harpsichord concerto.


----------



## SimonNZ

William Schuman's Symphony No.9 "The Ardeatine Caves" - Eugene Ormandy, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève - Ernest Bloch: Œuvres pour orchestre









amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's String Quartet No.3 - The Danish Quartet


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven String Quartet No.14 in C# minor. Played by the Takács Quartet.


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Quartet No.3 in A Major

European Baroque Soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, flute -- Hansjorg Schellenberger, oboe -- Milan Turkovic, bassoon -- Phillip Moll, harpsichord


----------



## Winterreisender

Mahler Symphony #2 - Otto Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

From this excellent set:


----------



## Oskaar

Roman Mints plays Mozetich, Langer, Schnittke









allmusic


----------



## maestro267

On a bit of a piano concerto session at the moment.

*Grieg*: Piano Concerto in A minor
O'Hora/Royal PO/Judd

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor
Rudy/St. Petersburg PO/Jansons


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Probably not the best of choices for the first thing in the morning but I'm enjoying Allan Pettersson's 8th Symphony. Very dark and brooding music but powerfully moving.










Kevin


----------



## Blancrocher

Kevin Pearson said:


> Probably not the best of choices for the first thing in the morning but I'm enjoying Allan Pettersson's 8th Symphony. Very dark and brooding music but powerfully moving.Kevin


Must be that time of year! Last night I listened to Britten's Turn of the Screw (cond. Harding), and now I'm finishing up Pettersson's 9th (cond. Alun Francis).

Perhaps after this I'll listen to that Mozart album with Emma Kirkby that SimonNZ mentioned to brighten my mood!

*ps* I am now in fact listening to Kirkby singing "Exsultate, jubilate," and it's fabulous.


----------



## realdealblues

I've listened to about 5 different Vivaldi "Four Seasons" Recordings in the past month...figured one more wouldn't hurt as I hadn't heard this one in a couple years.

View attachment 27377


Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Europa Galante
Violinist: Fabio Biondi


----------



## Bas

I began this morning with some Elgar:

Sir Edward Elgar - Violin Concerto in Bm
By Tasmin Little [violin], Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [dir], on Chandos









Currently in the player:

Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel, Für Alina
By Vladimir Spivakov [violin], Dietmar Schwalke [violincello], Serge Bezrodny [piano], Alexander Malter [piano], on ECM









I like the combination of this work with Bach's Cello Suites, for reasons I can't explain very well as these works vary immensely in terms of structure and musical substance, but nevertheless that will be the next cd's.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites
By Bruno Cocset [cello], on Alpha


----------



## realdealblues

Hadn't "Watched" this one in a couple years.

View attachment 27381


Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Leonard Bernstein & The Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Winds, Movements for Piano and Orchestra*, Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, Violin Concerto
Philippe Entremont, *Charles Rosen, Isaac Stern, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## Celloman

Beethoven Piano Sonatas - Daniel Barenboim (listening to the first one right now)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Respighi*: Roman Trilogy, w. OSM/Dutoit (rec.1982); Church Windows, Brazilian Impressions, w. Philharmonia/Simon (rec.1984).

View attachment 27384
View attachment 27385


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> Can't sleep. I did many mistakes in my life and they are culminating now. Listened to Schubert's Quintet and prayed a lot in the past hour, it helped.


julianoq, *just say no* to guilt trip, and keep listening. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

senza sordino said:


> I need to get my hands and ears on the Bartok Sting Quartets


This one will do nicely, and inexpensive. :tiphat:

View attachment 27386


----------



## julianoq

Vaneyes said:


> julianoq, *just say no* to guilt trip, and keep listening. :tiphat:


Thanks 

Now listening to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.30 in E, Op.109. The first movement is already very beautiful, as the theme of the third movement. But is starting on the fourth variation that this sonata becomes sublime and by the sixth I feel that I have to hold my soul or it will fly.


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 27347
> 
> 
> Yuri Bashmet and Valery Gergiev with the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater playing *Gubaidulina's Violin Concerto *and Kancheli's Styx.


Should read Gubaidulina's Viola Concerto. :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

Sue Mossop / Alison Stephens 
Music for Mandolin









allmusic

This album is great, some really nice melodies, to make you jolly and uplifted, or sad and melancolic. Different composers, click on the allmusic link to see all facts, and listen to samples. and I like especially in companiom with piano.
Different composers, click on the allmusic link to see all facts, and listen to samples.


----------



## Blancrocher

Vaneyes said:


> Should read Gubaidulina's Viola Concerto. :tiphat:


Good catch! The album is worth listening to, by the way--I'm going to look out for more Kancheli as well.

At present, I'm finishing an album with Boulez conducting various Schoenberg works.









After that, I may depart from my queue to see where we are in the game!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartet 20, No. 1.*

These are very well done, even for those who don't like HIP recordings.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Waldszenen, Op. 82 (Sviatoslav Richter).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Quartet 20, No. 1.*
> 
> These are very well done, even for those who don't like HIP recordings.
> 
> View attachment 27389


I was thinking of getting the London Quartet recordings - have you heard those? They sounded quite interesting in the samples. They sometimes choose slower tempos but this could work very well in this set I think.


----------



## Vesteralen

I prefer the songs that feature Catherine King, though I have to say, there is something almost countertenor-like about her voice sometimes.


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Today I'v been hunting Cello Concertos

from Shostakovich's 1st to Dvorak's, which i'm listening to right now.


----------



## AdmiralSilver

*Grieg*: Piano Concerto in A minor
O'Hora/Royal PO/Judd

I believe that O'Hara's interpretation of this concerto is the best.


----------



## Oskaar

Brentano String Quartet - Beethoven: The Late String Quartets Op. 135 & Op. 132









Brilliant piecefull performanco of 2 mature and loveley string quartets

allmusic


----------



## Manxfeeder

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I was thinking of getting the London Quartet recordings - have you heard those? They sounded quite interesting in the samples. They sometimes choose slower tempos but this could work very well in this set I think.


I haven't. I'll see if I can check them out.

Today, Bruckner's 8th with Karajan and Klemperer (Can't find a picture of this; it's a live performance from 7/6/1957).


----------



## maestro267

*Britten:* The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Saraste

The fugue of this (especially the woodwind sections) kindled in my mind the opening descending chord progression of the following work, so I had to listen to it afterwards (right now as I'm writing).

*Britten*: Piano Concerto
Richter/English Chamber Orchestra/Britten

And after a brief interval:

*Dvorak:* Stabat Mater
SATB soloists/choirs/RSO Ljubljana/Munih


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Bas

We stay with Elgar, and keep the Cello

Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures 
By Jacqueline du Pré [cello], Janet Baker [soprano], The London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI









I love the cello concerto and this cd taught me to love the Sea Pictures too!


----------



## Kieran

The *Jupiter*.

Leonard Bernstein conducting the NYP...


----------



## Mahlerian

Ignoring the conductor's comments about his colleagues...

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 in C minor
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, cond, Petrenko









One of the better symphonies the composer wrote, but isn't that first movement perhaps a tad too long? The finale is intriguing, although the reappearance of the crisis chords from the first movement could be integrated better, I feel.


----------



## Blancrocher

I gave a first listen to Alessandrini and the Concerto Italiano performing Gesualdo, and have now turned to an old favorite with the Tallis Scholars.


----------



## Oskaar

Zodiac Trio plays Stravinsky, Bacri, Ustvolskaya & Bartók









Mystic and trolly album, brilliant to hear laying on the sofa with eyes closed.

allmusic


----------



## Kieran

Final movement of the *Jupiter*, that sword-swishing provocation, where Neal Zaslaw has counted seven themes swirling in the air, layer upon dizzying layer, without the edifice even once teetering on the brink and toppling over. Heading into the coda now, even I can recognise this one...dar she blows!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

SiegendesLicht said:


> I have been listening to Schubert's piano sonatas all weekend.
> 
> View attachment 27317
> 
> 
> Most of them I have heard for the first time in my life.


That post has gathered more likes than any other one of mine ever. Schubert's piano sonatas seem to have a lot of admirers on these boards. Thank you all!


----------



## Oskaar

Nicolas Bacri - Bacri: Symphony No. 4, "Classique Sturm Und Drang" - Flute Concerto - Concertos, Op. 80









Jean-Jacques Kantorow / Tapiola Sinfonietta

Very romantic and listenable to be so new music. (2004) I may fall in love with this one!

allmusic


----------



## Bas

And to finish the day:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently, Bruckner's 8th Symphony: 








Next up, Bruckner's 9th Symphony:


----------



## AClockworkOrange

The pictures in the lower part of the post were what I had been listening to over the course of the afternoon/evening but the Cat got on the keyboard and in the page got reloaded resulting in my previous post being lost… or so I thought.

To quickly comment on the albums:

Tennstedt - Fantastic recording of the Brahms, Tennstedt is definitely my favourite conductor of this piece. I think I prefer the LPO Live recording by a hair but that should in no way be seen as an insult. More the difference between a 4.5 and a 5. I am not overly familiar with Martinu's symphonies (yet) but I really enjoyed this piece too.

Furtwangler - I've said it frequently but I'll say it again - my go to conductor for Beethoven and this is a fantastic 9th. Great sound quality, superb soloists and as always with Furtwangler, a great interpretation.

Bernstein - A great performance and the discussion at the end of the CD is interesting too.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 2.*

This is his tribute to Bruckner's St. Florian monastery - chant interspersed with modern noise. I'm not sure it's 100 percent successful, but I see where he's going.


----------



## Valkhafar

Stravinsky: Firebird - Scherzo a la Russe - Fireworks - Scherzo Fantastique.


----------



## Oskaar

Attracting Opposites









Rawlins Piano Trio

Very well played music for piano trio by five different modern composers. Those are:

Stephen Yarbrough 
Emma Lou Diemer
Timothy Hoekman
James Lentini
Miquel Angel Roig-Francolí

I am listening now, and so far it is very good. I am not so buisy findig out who composed what now, just soaking in the impressions.

allmusic


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Chill with Rachmaninov*
- Slow movements from Piano Concerto #2, Symphonies 1 & 2, Cello Sonata, Variations 16-18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Vocalise (piano/cello duet and orchestral versions). etc., performers incl. pianists Idil Biret, Jeno Jando and Bernd Glemser

*Ives* Symphony #2
- Los Angeles Phil. under Zubin Mehta (coupled with music by Varese)

This second listen to the *Ives Symphony #2* made me think of Dvorak with regards to the slow movement and Tchaikovsky with regards to the march rhythms in the finale. Its logical since both those guys paid a visit to America, both made an impact with concerts of their music at Carnegie Hall in the late 19th century. Dvorak had influence on Ives and other younger composer at the time, advising them at lectures he gave there to investigate the music of America and use it as a base for their own music, rather than simply rehashing what was going on in Europe. Nevertheless, I think the daring harmonies of Wagner also influenced Ives in this second symphony, which was my initial impression after coming back to it with that first relisten last time.

Also taking in the *Chill with Rachmaninov album,* and it wasn't just relaxing but made me hear those bell chords and choral harmonies underneath what's going on in the surface of those slow movements from the longer works. I got plenty of time for Rach, I think in many ways his music is hard to appreciate more deeply basically because he was such a great tunesmith. But I think he was much much more than that, and I continually get more out of his music.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 21, Op. 53 in C 'Waldstein'
Piano Sonata No. 22, Op. 54 in F*

Alfred Brendel, Piano [Philips 2nd cycle / Decca re-release]

*Schumann - Grand Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano (Violin Sonata No. 2), Op. 121*/ Nicolas Chumachenko (violin), Kalle Randalu (piano)

I'm still working through Brendel's digitally recorded Beethoven cycle which I acquired a few weeks ago.


----------



## DavidA

Schubert Sonata D960 - Kempff


----------



## Schubussy

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 2
Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## EricABQ

Various pieces from this Louis Lortie set of Ravel solo piano:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Bartok*: Concerti, w.
Anda/Stefanovich/Thomas/Kremer/Bashmet/Shaham/Argerich/Freire/Labordus/Justpens/Fricsay/Boulez/Dorati/Zinman (rec.1959 - '08); Orchestral Music, w. Dutoit et al (rec.1988 - '93).

View attachment 27424
View attachment 27425
View attachment 27426
View attachment 27427
View attachment 27428


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 14, Nos. 37-40 - Helmut Muller-Bruhl, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Quintet in E Flat, KV 452

Murray Perahia on piano with members of the English Chamber Orchestra: Neil Black, oboe -- Thea King, clarinet -- Tony Halstead, horn -- Graham Sheen, bassoon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - The Piano Sonatas

Fantasia in C minor, K 475
Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K 457
Sonata No. 15 in F major, K 533/K 494*

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)

I think that K. 457 is the apogee of Mozart's cycle but that might be because, as a long time fan of Beethoven's early piano sonatas, it seems to me the closest to his in style (I await your reproaches for this comment...)


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I was thinking of getting the London Quartet recordings - have you heard those? They sounded quite interesting in the samples. They sometimes choose slower tempos but this could work very well in this set I think.


Re Haydn, get the Mosaiques Op. 20. I'm surprised you hafta be told.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> ....Today, Bruckner's 8th with Karajan and Klemperer (Can't find a picture of this; it's a live performance from 7/6/1957).
> 
> View attachment 27397


There are several covers, if not more, for this particular OK B8. Here's the Medici Arts. :tiphat:

View attachment 27430


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Bartok*: String Quartets, w. ABQ (rec.1984 - '86); Sonata for two pianos and percussion, etc., w. Argerich/Kovacevich/Goudswaard/de Roo (rec.1977); Piano Works, w. Kocsis (rec.1991 - '96); Solchany (rec.1973 - '75); Solo Violin Sonata, w. Mullova (rec.1993).

View attachment 27431
View attachment 27432
View attachment 27433
View attachment 27434
View attachment 27435


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Violin Concerto - Hilary Hahn, violin, Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

More Mahler for me this evening:









It just showed up Friday


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - Piano Sonatas

Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K331
Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K332
Piano Sonata No. 13 in B flat major, K333*

Andras Schiff (piano)

More Mozart piano sonatas to finish off tonight's listening

Oh, go on then, just one more...
This little one is quite delightful!

*Mozart Piano Sonata No. 9 in D major, K311* / Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C, BWV 564
Peter Hurford


----------



## Blancrocher

After a first listen to Heggie's "Here/After," I'm in the mood for something a little different--Solti and company in Figaro!


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (c. 1750-1792): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.6, No.3

Arioso Quartet: Kay Petersen and Wolfgang Albrecht, violins -- Susanne Bauer, viola -- Stefan Kraut, cello


----------



## opus55

Kiel, Friedrich: Piano Quartet No. 2
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7


----------



## opus55

Very upset to find out the last symphony in Vanska cycle skips so badly, I stopped it half way through the 7th symphony. 

Moving on to Beethoven 8th


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Works for String Quartet
Emerson Quartet









It's fascinating to hear all of the unpublished works alongside the published ones. The Five Movements for String Quartet may be my favorite piece by Webern, period.


----------



## tdc

Mahlerian said:


> Bach: Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C, BWV 564
> Peter Hurford


One of my favorite Bach organ works, I don't see it mentioned around here too often, why the Toccata and Fugue in D minor seems to be more popular in general remains a mystery to me. 

Currently listening to Elliot Carter's Cello Sonata, performed by Andrew Rosenblum and Sam Ericsson.


----------



## Mahlerian

tdc said:


> One of my favorite Bach organ works, I don't see it mentioned around here too often, why the Toccata and Fugue in D minor seems to be more popular in general remains a mystery to me.


Exposure. Bach wrote any number of organ works that far outclass BWV 565, whether it was him who wrote it or not, but that one remains the most famous. I suppose it's more...direct than is usual for Bach, which helps.



tdc said:


> Currently listening to Elliot Carter's Cello Sonata, performed by Andrew Rosenblum and Sam Ericsson.


A "like" for that as well! One of the works that shows the links between his early and later style very clearly.


----------



## Itullian

These are very good.
And the sound is rich and full.


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> Exposure. Bach wrote any number of organ works that far outclass BWV 565, whether it was him who wrote it or not...


I'm a bit surprised about the lack of love for the T&F in D minor. Whether Bach wrote it or not (and if not Bach, who?), it has been enormously popular ever since it re-entered the repertoire about 1830 courtesy of Mendelssohn. Some might place other Bach organ works above it -- the TA&F in C, the Passacaglia and Fugue, the Wedge, whatever. But there's no doubt that the BWV 565 is immediately appealing and is, in fact, a very fine work.


----------



## tdc

KenOC said:


> I'm a bit surprised about the lack of love for the T&F in D minor. Whether Bach wrote it or not (and if not Bach, who?), it has been enormously popular ever since it re-entered the repertoire about 1830 courtesy of Mendelssohn. Some might place other Bach organ works above it -- the TA&F in C, the Passacaglia and Fugue, the Wedge, whatever. *But there's no doubt that the BWV 565 is* immediately appealing and is, in fact, *a very fine work*.


I don't disagree with this...even Bach's lesser works are very fine works.


----------



## tdc

Ravel - Piano Trio, Beaux Arts Trio

I never tire of this work, it is my personal favorite Ravel piece and among my favorite pieces in the repertoire.


----------



## jim prideaux

AdmiralSilver said:


> Today I'v been hunting Cello Concertos
> 
> from Shostakovich's 1st to Dvorak's, which i'm listening to right now.


Can I respectfully recommend Martinu-2 cello concertos and the magnificent but under appreciated concerto by Gerald Finzi.

Early start to the day-Schumann 3rd/4th symphonies Zinman/Tonhalle Zurich-beginning to appreciate works I had previously paid little real attention to.


----------



## SimonNZ

Helena Tulve's Lijnen - Arianna Savall, soprano, Olari Elts, dir.


----------



## BlackDahlia

*"Tristan und Isolde" - Richard Wagner*
_City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Richard Hein, 2011_


----------



## SimonNZ

Andre Jolivet's Yin-Yang - Mark Foster, cond.

edit: now William Schuman's String Quartet No.3 - Gordon String Quartet (1946)


----------



## science

In the following dialogue, "A" and "B" represent parts of myself, whether or not they accurately speak for anyone else as well. Be sure they both speak with a sneer.

A: WTH? Helikopter Quartett? What kind of snobby, arrogant nonsense is that? A helicopter. That's it. Is that art? Is that what you call art music? You need therapy. If you enjoy that, you absolutely need therapy.

B: I enjoy it. Shut up.

A: No, you shut up.

B: No, you shut up.










A: More crap. I can't believe this light crap you listen to. Why can't you listen to serious music, like any respectable person would. You disgust me. You disappoint and disgust me. Get out of my sight.

B: Well, it's not that bad.

A: So you admit it's bad? You admit it's bad, and you listen to it, and you even enjoy it, don't you, you vile worm?

B: Yeah, I enjoy it.

A: Hold still. I'm going to get a pistol to put you out of your pathetic middle-brow misery.

B: But you'll have to clean up the mess.

A: It'll be a labor of love.

B: I've always thought that _Tintagel_ was mis-titled. It's a lovely little tone poem, but is it really _Tintagel_? It's not what Tintagel is to me. Tintagel, to me, has a dark side. It's not all banners flapping in a romantic breeze. Maybe _Fairy Land_ or something would be a better title.

A: You admit you like a work that in your worthless opinion ought to be titled something like _Fairy Land_.

B: It's like a rough draft. Just a suggestion.

A: You suck. Actually "Fairy Land" is perfect. Because it sucks too. A sucky name for a sucky "light" music. And you suck for liking it. My poop has better taste in music than you.

B: I'm very sorry.

A: You are.

B: Actually I like everything else on this album too.

A: I'm stuck in here with you, you know that? The least you could do is listen to something decent now and then.










A: That's a little better. Not great, but a little better. At least it's a tiny little baby step off the beaten path, but it's still too sweet and inexcusably conservative.

B: But we were talking about Dohnányi the other day and

A: Shut up. But I'll give you this. It's not the variations on some stupid nursery song. At least you haven't sunk that low. But this is still just one level above crap. I still can't stand being in the same brain with you. If it'd actually been the variations, I swear I'd've burst out of here like Athena and left us all dead.


----------



## science

A: Oh dear lord god, you didn't listen to these back to back, did you?

B: I like them.

A: Once again, I beg you, please for the love of all goodness, shut up.










A: That's not even classical. I don't care what exotic little culture it's from, it's pop music, music of the trash people with their pathetic worthless and most of all tasteless little lives. Intellectually vapid crap, and your postmodern multicultural posturing is revolting.

B: Yeah, but people are just people and this is their art.

A: Please kill me now! Do I have to suffer this tripe day after day after day?

B: She's a good singer.

A: Right. Whatever you say. Let's hear her do _Pierrot Lunaire_ before we continue this little apotheosis.

B: There's no need to be sarcastic, and it's not like _Pierrot Lunaire_ is all that…

A: Granted, it's become cliche, and the only people who like it are poseurs. But at least it was novel once. It has been a masterpiece, even if it's been played to death.

B: But anyway, not everyone needs to be able to sing that way. There are different traditions.

A: Oh, that's lovely, you open-minded little snot. Get a life. Stop spouting PC BS all the time.

B: Listen you. I'm going to listen to this crap no matter what people like you think. You're going to have to get used to it.

A: No, I don't have to get used to it. You do whatever horrible thing you want to do to yourself, but don't make me pretend to approve. Because I don't. There are no indie labels here, for example.

B: La la la la! I can't hear you! I'm putting on Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture!

A: YOU WOULDN'T DARE!

B: Not just any recording of it either! Take this, you arrogant little twerp!










A: I'm melting! I'm melting!

B: Bwhahahahahaha!

A: Tell my mother I….

B: For worms, brave Percy. Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk!


----------



## Kivimees

Mahlerian said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 in C minor
> 
> One of the better symphonies the composer wrote, but isn't that first movement perhaps a tad too long?


No, no, no. It's just right.


----------



## SimonNZ

Good to see someone standing up to bullies, science.

I didnt get Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet (or his humour) until I saw this performance and realized what a hoot everyone was having:






playing now:










Schnittke's Symphony No.2 "St. Florian" - Leif Segerstram, cond.

edit: now Philip Glass' The Photographer


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Good to see someone standing up to bullies, science.
> 
> I didnt get Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet (or his humour) until I saw this performance and realized what a hoot everyone was having:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> playing now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schnittke's Symphony No.2 "St. Florian" - Leif Segerstram, cond.
> 
> edit: now Philip Glass' The Photographer


Wow, that's some awesome listening you're doing. I ought to visit you. I'd bring good wine.


----------



## SimonNZ

Absolutely! If you're ever visiting NZ drop me a line! (Sadly, on a humble bookseller's wage I don't get to travel to often myself.)


----------



## joen_cph

Before cycling to work -
Kubelik 1959 in Smetana "Ma Vlast". This is in mono, but the recording was also released in stereo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brian Eno's Music For Airports - Bang On A Can


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Brian Eno's Music For Airports - Bang On A Can


good to see presumed 'barriers' between areas of music being ignored-often listen to Bobo Stenson Trio (and other similar artists -Marcin Wasilewski,John Taylor) and I believe that even though his music might be referred to as jazz that many who ignore that area of music might actually really appreciate his work.

On a more 'conservative' note-Perahia/ECO performing Mozart 19th/20th piano concertos-Increasingly appreciate his concertos for the very reason I have doubts about the symphonies (only a personal perspective before the shells start raining down)-with the concertos there is a lightness, momentum and grace-whilst I am not saying these qualities are not to be found in the symphonies I do find them to be more obvious in the concertos.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Off work this week and mostly away from home- but not today, so:

*Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 22 in F, Op. 54*

This is an under-rated little sonata

*Piano Sonata No. 28 in A, Op. 101*

My favourite of the cycle

*Andante Favori in F, WoO 57*

There are a couple of wrong notes in here, I think, which is interesting for Brendel who takes a much freer approach to the Andante favori than he took in the first Philips set.

Alfred Brendel [Philips / Decca digital cycle]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

And now for something completely different

*Berg

Violin Concerto
Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite, for String Orchestra
Three Orchestral Pieces, Op 6*

Rebecca Hirsch, Vn; Netherlands RSO, Eri Klas

A brand new acquisition today - the Violin Concerto is new to me, the Lyric Suite I know very well in its chamber music form. As with all modernist music, it will take repeated listening to the new works to begin to understand and fully appreciate them. I like what I'm hearing on first audition, though.

*Bridge - Piano Trio No. 2* / Liebeck, Chaushian, Wass [Naxos]

Second hearing for this powerful Bridge chamber work.


----------



## science

A pretty little work. In case the image blurs the label too much, that is Bun-Ching Lam's "…Like Water."










During the first movement I couldn't get over the sound quality, but then I got used to it or forgot about it or got caught up in the music or something. This is such a wonderful, exciting work; I really feel sorry for the people who've listened to it too much and can no longer appreciate it (assuming they're being honest about that). I hope I never do that to myself!










All three of the works on this recording, but especially the Stabat Mater and the Litany, are really lovely. Szymanowski had a gift for timbre and harmony.


----------



## science

One of the great covers of all time. Plus, a great work and a great recording.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Absolutely! If you're ever visiting NZ drop me a line! (Sadly, on a humble bookseller's wage I don't get to travel to often myself.)


If you were joking and then posted this:



SimonNZ said:


>


then you done screwed up, because I'm shopping for tickets now.


----------



## Weston

At work early this morning enjoying some Fasch oboe concertos (Burkhard Glaetzner). When the other office folks arrive I'll have to switch to hard rock or metal to drown out the chaos.

I am unable to post a picture link in this accursed Internet Explorer thing:
http://www.amazon.com/Johann-Friedrich-Fasch-Chamber-Glaetzner/dp/B004XZUJ6I/ref=sr_1_2?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-2&keywords=fasch+oboe


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.26, No.3

Brandywine Baroque: Douglas McNames, cello -- Karen Flint, harpsichord -- Vivian Barton Dozor, cello continuo









Weston ---
Here you go:


----------



## science

jim prideaux said:


> good to see presumed 'barriers' between areas of music being ignored-often listen to Bobo Stenson Trio (and other similar artists -Marcin Wasilewski,John Taylor) and I believe that even though his music might be referred to as jazz that many who ignore that area of music might actually really appreciate his work.
> 
> On a more 'conservative' note-Perahia/ECO performing Mozart 19th/20th piano concertos-Increasingly appreciate his concertos for the very reason I have doubts about the symphonies (only a personal perspective before the shells start raining down)-with the concertos there is a lightness, momentum and grace-whilst I am not saying these qualities are not to be found in the symphonies I do find them to be more obvious in the concertos.


No shells for your thoughts about Mozart's symphonies, but "whilst" is punishable. Just in case you're tempted, "betwixt" is also verboten. ("Verboten" is allowed but frowned upon.)


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.26, No.3
> 
> Brandywine Baroque: Douglas McNames, cello -- Karen Flint, harpsichord -- Vivian Barton Dozor, cello continuo
> 
> View attachment 27442
> 
> 
> Weston ---
> Here you go:
> 
> View attachment 27443


Thanks! That's the one.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> I'm a bit surprised about the lack of love for the T&F in D minor. Whether Bach wrote it or not (and if not Bach, who?), it has been enormously popular ever since it re-entered the repertoire about 1830 courtesy of Mendelssohn. Some might place other Bach organ works above it -- the TA&F in C, the Passacaglia and Fugue, the Wedge, whatever. But there's no doubt that the BWV 565 is immediately appealing and is, in fact, a very fine work.


I've often thought the Toccata part rambles on too long before getting to the good stff which for me is the fugue. Of course that may just be over exposure.


----------



## Sudonim

Currently, this:









All those pounding chords (especially in the Rachmaninov) always make me think of waves crashing over the lovers on the shore, like in _From Here to Eternity_.


----------



## Blancrocher

Rostropovich and co in Lutoslawski and Dutilleux.


----------



## maestro267

*Schubert*: Mass in E flat
SATB soloists/Bavarian Radio Chorus & Orch./Sawallisch


----------



## Vesteralen

Should be called The AirBOREn Symphony.

I don't mean to be nasty, or anything, but the actual words out of my mouth when this disc ended in my car were, "Thank GOODNESS that's over!"


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Enescu*: Orchestral Music, w.Foster et al (rec.1983 - '92); Chamber Music, w. Kremerata Baltica (rec.2000/1).

View attachment 27451
View attachment 27452
View attachment 27453
View attachment 27454


----------



## Oskaar

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble - Bax: Octet / String Quintet / Threnody and Scherzo / In Memoriam









amazon


----------



## realdealblues

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 27450
> 
> 
> Should be called The AirBOREn Symphony.
> 
> I don't mean to be nasty, or anything, but the actual words out of my mouth when this disc ended in my car were, "Thank GOODNESS that's over!"


Huh, I've never heard that one get that kind of reaction. That's one of my favorite "modern" works. Gives me almost the complete opposite reaction. I'm pumped up and ready to run off and jump in a B-17 after hearing that one.


----------



## brotagonist

The Mahler symphonies are beginning to trickle in:









Kara-YEAH! This is beautiful. I am still on disc 1. The symphony wraps onto the second disc for the final movement, so I will listen to the Kindertoten- and Rückert-Lieder, too. It is a nice set, all by the same director, orchestra and singer.


----------



## Vesteralen

realdealblues said:


> Huh, I've never heard that one get that kind of reaction. That's one of my favorite "modern" works. Gives me almost the complete opposite reaction. I'm pumped up and ready to run off and jump in a B-17 after hearing that one.


I was afraid I might offend somebody with that - I usually don't post negative reactions in that manner. Maybe it was the mood I was in, but it just did not speak to me at all. Too much spoken word, too many male voices in unison singing, too much 1960's style Copland-influenced classical music for me.

But, hey, it gets two more cycles on the car stereo in the next month or so, so you never know.....


----------



## realdealblues

Vesteralen said:


> I was afraid I might offend somebody with that - I usually don't post negative reactions in that manner. Maybe it was the mood I was in, but it just did not speak to me at all. Too much spoken word, too many male voices in unison singing, too much 1960's style Copland-influenced classical music for me.
> 
> But, hey, it gets two more cycles on the car stereo in the next month or so, so you never know.....


I'm not offended. Different strokes for different folks, but I love that one. I'm a huge Orson Welles fan and hearing him speak just adds to the excitement for me. He could talk for hours and I'd be happy just hearing his voice. It was written between 1943-45 and it's WWII propaganda is lost these days, but I also love that time period which also works in its favor for me.


----------



## Blancrocher

Game following oskaar, via Aaron Copland:

Eiji Oue conducting the Minnesota Orchestra in Copland's 3rd Symphony.


----------



## Mookalafalas

Toscanini conducting Haydn (Vol. 12 from the RCA box)


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582, Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major "St. Anne", BWV 552
Peter Hurford









Bach: Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major "St. Anne", BWV 552, arr. Schoenberg
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Slatkin


----------



## julianoq

After watching the movie A Late Quartet (a very fine movie in my opinion) I had to listen to the whole Opus 131 (the subject of the movie). Performed by the Busch Quartet.


----------



## Oskaar

Pepe Romero & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble - Boccherini: Quintets for Guitar & Strings









amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Light music for the afternoon

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 12 in E flat, Op.127
String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135*

Alban Berg Quartett [EMI]

A still more or less immaculate LP. These are fine, if emotionally cool, readings and are very different to the Talich Quartet ,who I prefer in Op. 130 - 133 inclusive.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Prokofiev

String Quartet No. 1, Op. 50
String Quartet No. 2, Op. 92 'On Kabardinian Themes'*

Novak Quartett [Philips Musica da Camera]

I'd forgotten how good these are as I've not listened to them for a long while, though oddly enough the themes were very familiar to me on hearing them again and I could have hummed along if I'd wanted! These are really quite conservative works for 1930 and 1941, no doubt for good reasons of Prokofiev's self-preservation once he'd returned to Russia.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 27465


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 16, 17 & 18
Pianist: Andras Schiff


----------



## Oskaar

Daedalus Quartet - George Perle: String Quartets









Looks very good!

Allmusic (editorial review and samples)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

And finally as others want the 'listening gallery' for watching soap opera

*Beethoven - Quatuor a cordes 14e en ut diese mineur, Op. 131* / Quatuor Talich [Caliope]

I have nothing to add...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Georg Friedrich Händel, Feuerwerkmusik; Wassermusik (Karl Münchinger; Stuttgartger Kammerorchester).


----------



## Bas

Robert Schumann - Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Requiem für Mignon, Missa opus 147, Requiem
By various artists, including: Helen Donath, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, on EMI









Franz Schubert - Goethe Lieder
By Dietrich Fischer Dieskau [bariton], Gerald Moore [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 8, 125, 138
By Deborah York [soprano], Ingeborg Danz [alto], Mark Padmore [tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Collegium Vocale Gent Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Blancrocher

I decided to give the 8th another listen since reading Mahlerian's mixed (but to my mind fair) review from the other day, and am now listening to my favorite symphony from the set.

Incidentally, Mravinsky's performance of 8 is good, but the coughing in the 1st movement in particular is quite distracting. I can't help but feel sorry for all those folks suffering through a cold Russian winter! :lol:


----------



## DaveS

Vaughan Williams 'A Sea Symphony" LPO, Sir Adrian Boult


----------



## Jos

I have had this record for a very long time and almost played it daily for a period in my early twenties. Glad it resurfaced!

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

oskaar said:


> Daedalus Quartet - George Perle: String Quartets
> Allmusic (editorial review and samples)


These look (and the samples sound) interesting - what did you make of them?


----------



## Valkhafar

Händel: Compete Violin Sonatas.
Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr.


----------



## Oskaar

Baker / Barnes / Eccles: Works for Double Bass









Joel Quarrington

Amazon with some good user reviews


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Enescu*: String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Ad Libitum Qt.(rec.1999); Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, w. Zank & Sulzen (rec.1997); Piano Works, w. Borac (rec.2003 - '05).

View attachment 27480
View attachment 27481
View attachment 27482
View attachment 27483


----------



## DrKilroy

Today, it's time for Baroque:

J. S. Bach - Concerto for Oboe d'Amore BWV 1055 (Hommel/Muller-Bruhl)
G. B. Pergolesi - Stabat Mater (Ricercar Consort/Pierlot)
I. Stravinsky - Pulcinella (Sanderling)

Best regards, Dr


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn-Paris symphonies-Fischer/Austro Hungarian Haydn Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## Bas

DrKilroy said:


> Today, it's time for Baroque:
> 
> J. S. Bach - Concerto for Oboe d'Amore BWV 1055 (Hommel/Muller-Bruhl)
> G. B. Pergolesi - Stabat Mater (Ricercar Consort/Pierlot)
> I. Stravinsky - Pulcinella (Sanderling)
> 
> Best regards, Dr


That Ricerar disc of the Stabat Mater is a fantastic rendition.
Have you already heard the Seven last words by G.B Pergolessi?



















Valkhafar said:


> Händel: Compete Violin Sonatas.
> Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr.
> 
> View attachment 27476


I just ordered that one (after listening some samples). Thank for the inspiration


----------



## DrKilroy

Bas said:


> That Ricerar disc of the Stabat Mater is a fantastic rendition.
> Have you already heard the Seven last words by G.B Pergolessi?


Not yet! I am not at all familiar with Pergolesi, I only know Stabat Mater, so thanks for recommendation. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Jose Evangelista - Carte Postale









Composer: Jose Vieira Brandao, Alessandro Annunziata, José Evangelista, Miguel Del Aguila, ++

Alcan String Quartet
David Ellis (Cello)

arkivmusic

Edit: I feel lucky,able to listen to such a gem!


----------



## Valkhafar

Bas said:


> I just ordered that one (after listening some samples). Thank for the inspiration


It really is a great CD. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, 'Pathétique' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## Oskaar

Christopher Parkening - Vivaldi, Warlock & Praetoruis

View attachment 27501


Vivaldi and guitar...very good for relaxation before going to bed!

amazon

arkivmusic (much better than amazon when it comes to product details)


----------



## Blancrocher

I've thrown caution to the winds and am just going ahead and listening to a classic performance of Don Giovanni. I'm sorry, but that's just how it's going to be.


----------



## KenOC

Mozart's unnumbered "Old Lambach" symphony. Think he wrote nothing worth hearing when he was a child? He wrote this at ten! Here's the very beautiful and striking slow movement:


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony No.2 in B Flat

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena


----------



## Andolink

*Friedrich Cerha*: _Neun Bagatellen_, for string trio (2008); 
_Instants_, for orchestra (2006/7)
Zebra Trio
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Peter Rundel


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Vaughan Williams: Aristophanic Suite "The Wasps" London Symphony Orchestra/George Weldon

This 1953 recording sounds as fresh as a new pin in Dutton's wond'rous transfer. This is a very pleasing end to a nice evening, which also included Tasmin Little's new recording of the Moeran Violin Concerto with the B.B.C. Philharmonic/Sir Andrew Davis. That is a superb performance, which I heartily recommend to you all.


----------



## EricABQ

Cyprian Katsaris playing Lizst's transcription of Beethoven's 6th.

One of my absolute favorite pieces to listen to.


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart *Piano Concertos 20 & 21
- Geza Anda with Salzburg Mozarteum Orch. (Eloquence)

A joy revisiting these. In some ways these provide similar contrasts as the symphonies 40 and 41 by Wolfie. PC#20, one of his few works in a minor key, has this sense of melancholy about it, Chopin came to mind. This work was the most successful of Wolfie's concertos penned for Viennese audiences during the mid 1780's, and it continued to dominate the repertoire throughout the next centruy - Beethoven, Brahms and Clara Schumann all favoured playing it. By contrast, the PC#21 became a huge hit after the slow movement was used in a now forgotten film, Elvira Madigan. The last movement of this piece does have that uplifting and majestic quality of the Jupiter symphony. As usual, Wolfie's many twists and turns provide interest within the templates of the late 18th century concerto format.

*Varese* Ionisation
- Los Angeles Percussion Ens. under Zubin Mehta (Decca)

Another listen to this, my favourite work by *Varese* on this cd, and I must dig out the two Naxos cd's of his music soon for a relisten!

*Lyadov *The Enchanted Lake
*Rachmaninov *Capriccio on Gypsy Themes
*Shostakovich *Tahiti Trot (arr. of Vincent Youmans' Tea for Two)
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Verbitsky (ABC Classics - from "Russian Extravaganza" album)

Some Russian classics to finish off.

*Lyadov's Enchanted Lake *is a study in subtlety and a masterpiece in miniature. Stravinsky derided Lyadov for being a miniaturist, and Debussy put down Grieg for the same reason, however these types of works are great because they showcase the other side of the orchestra, the more delicate and nuanced side.

*Rachmaninov's Capriccio on Gypsy themes *is for the most part dirge-like. The first part's peak point is a trio between flute, harp and clarinet, while the middle has this brooding and surging emotional bit, and the last bit is colourful and upbeat with use of tambourine, muted trumpets and triangles to add exotic flavours.

Finally, *Shostakovich's arrangement of Tea for Two*. He was dared by a conductor colleague to do an arrangement of the then famous ditty in under an hour, and from memory. Shostakovich obliged and did it in 40 minutes! This is great light music, similar to what Broadway and Hollywood arrangers where doing in the roaring 1920's. Of course this type of thing in the USSR wouldn't last with Stalin, but later under Khrushchev light music got a boost, Nikita backed Shostakovich's only operetta Moscow Cheryomushki, his biggest hit in his lifetime.



TurnaboutVox said:


> *Prokofiev
> 
> String Quartet No. 1, Op. 50
> String Quartet No. 2, Op. 92 'On Kabardinian Themes'*
> 
> Novak Quartett [Philips Musica da Camera]
> 
> I'd forgotten how good these are as I've not listened to them for a long while, though oddly enough the themes were very familiar to me on hearing them again and I could have hummed along if I'd wanted! These are really quite conservative works for 1930 and 1941, no doubt for good reasons of Prokofiev's self-preservation once he'd returned to Russia.


I thik the first quartet was modern for its time, done before he went back to Russia in the mid 1930's. So its like at the end of his "bad boy" phase. The second quartet indeed is more in line with Soviet ideology, written during WWII when he and others where evacuated to the Eastern part of USSR. Some place (or Soviet Republic?) named Kabirdinia, in fact. He got the material from folk tunes there, apparently. I haven't heard it in years, but I can still remember one of its tunes clearly. If there's a case to be made for compromising and yet turning out good music during the oppressive Stalin era, then that is one of them.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.15 in A Minor, Op.132

Budapest String Quartet: Joseph Roisman and Jac Gorodetzki, violins -- Boris Kroyt, viola -- Mischa Schneider, cello


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 9 and 10
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases.

*Dvorak*: Violin Concerto, etc., w. ASM/BPO/Honeck; *Vivaldi*: Concerti, w. Minasi/Sinkovsky/Il Pomo d'Oro; *Autograph*, w. Tharaud; *Turnage*: Speranza, From the Wreckage, w. Hardenberger/LSO/Harding.

It's the 2010 Mutter/LSO/C.Davis Dvorak VC that should've been released, not this one. LSO Live vs DG? We knew who was going to win that.

This Vivaldi may be the worst Vivaldi I've heard. Some ridiculously quick tempi, featuring closely-miked screeching soloists. Their orchestra was formed in 2012, and sounds like it.

Autograph contains bits 'n pieces of many (I lost count) famous composers. So what? Tharaud doesn't need this theme stuff, and we don't either.

Best for last, a LSO Live that did make it to the gate. Turnage's brass exploits are handled admirably by Hardenberger and orchestra. Direction comes from, I hope, the LSO's next commander. Daniel Harding.

View attachment 27506
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View attachment 27509


----------



## bejart

Anton Eberl (1765-1807): Grand Quintetto in G Minor, Op.41

Consortium Classicum: Thomas Duis, piano -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet -- Niklas Schwarz and Ludwig Hampe, violas -- Armin Fromm, cello


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet Op.20 No. 6 in A major
Dvorak: Cello Concerto

















I've been enjoying cello concertos this week. I think cello voice matches autumn season perfectly.


----------



## Blancrocher

Tom Service's enthusiastic appreciation for the first symphony put me in a mood to listen to it.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/to...-guide-peter-maxwell-davies-first-tom-service

I see that he takes on Schumann's 2nd next, so I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!


----------



## SimonNZ

Adam De La Halle's Le Jeu De Robin Et Marion - Tonus Peregrinus

heh, an outrageously "Panto" performance

all its lacking is children yelling "he's behind you!" "What, where is he?" "Behind you!!"


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the New Philharmonia Orchestra. For me--right now--the* 6th *is amongst RVW's most haunting and lyrical works--along with his *2nd "London"}, 7th {Antartica"}* and the *" theme based on a melody of Thomas Tallis." *
 All are beautiful, and yet chilling, at the same time.
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}. * Both works are performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Joseph Haydn*-- Symphony No.93 in D Major; Symphony No.94 in G Major "Surprise"} and Symphony No.95 in C Minor. *All three symphonies feature Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## SimonNZ

Adam De La Halle's Le Jeu De Robin Et Marion - Thomas Binkley, dir

much closer to the modern taste


----------



## Weston

Oh my goodness! I think I have found a new favorite piece, one I'm going to keep spinning (or whatever they do now) in the iPod for a long while. 
*
Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38 *
Marin Alsop / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stephen Prutsman, piano









I had written a lengthy description, but I suppose this is a very well known piece. I had simply never paid much attention to this work before. I'll just edit it down to say the rhythms and complexity are bewildering and amazing, in places angry and aggressive, in others lyrical and quite beautiful. I think there is some kind of throbbing polyrhythm going on in the third movement that is hurting my head in a good way -- or else this orchestra is not entirely together. Amazing!


----------



## SimonNZ

George Pelecis' Nevertheless - Gidon Kremer, violin, Vadim Archarov, piano


----------



## dgee

Weston said:


> Oh my goodness! I think I have found a new favorite piece, one I'm going to keep spinning (or whatever they do now) in the iPod for a long while.
> *
> Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38 *
> Marin Alsop / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stephen Prutsman, piano
> 
> View attachment 27512
> 
> 
> I had written a lengthy description, but I suppose this is a very well known piece. I had simply never paid much attention to this work before. I'll just edit it down to say the rhythms and complexity are bewildering and amazing, in places angry and aggressive, in others lyrical and quite beautiful. I think there is some kind of throbbing polyrhythm going on in the third movement that is hurting my head in a good way -- or else this orchestra is not entirely together. Amazing!


The last movement is mostly in 5/8 with some triplets and septuplets thrown in


----------



## SimonNZ

Marius Constant's 14 Stations - cond. composer

edit: now Enescu's Symphonie Concertante - Alban Gerhardt, cello, Carlos Kalmar, cond.










edit: now Penderecki's De Natura Sonoris No.s 1 and 2 - cond. composer


----------



## joen_cph

Maurice Ohana: 3 Caprices & 24 Preludes, for piano.

(( Listening to the 1st Caprice now, I wonder where there´s been a tiny bit of (unconscious?) influence from the slow movement of Roussel´s Piano Concerto
Ohana 



Roussel 



 ))


----------



## Tristan

*Tchaikovsky* - 6 Duets, Op. 46

I'll admit that I only originally listened to this work because it was obscure and I wanted to hear some Tchaikovsky music that no one else knew about. But I ended up liking this set, particularly the 4th in the set. Only one recording available on Spotify:


----------



## jim prideaux

Weston said:


> Oh my goodness! I think I have found a new favorite piece, one I'm going to keep spinning (or whatever they do now) in the iPod for a long while.
> *
> Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38 *
> Marin Alsop / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stephen Prutsman, piano
> 
> View attachment 27512
> 
> 
> I had written a lengthy description, but I suppose this is a very well known piece. I had simply never paid much attention to this work before. I'll just edit it down to say the rhythms and complexity are bewildering and amazing, in places angry and aggressive, in others lyrical and quite beautiful. I think there is some kind of throbbing polyrhythm going on in the third movement that is hurting my head in a good way -- or else this orchestra is not entirely together. Amazing!


I also have a great regard for this piece, and always imagine that Barber is 'tapping into' that same sense of anxiety that Walton and other late romantics appear to reflect during the middle of the 20th century. I recently concluded that this 'atmosphere' can also be found in works by Martinu and Moerans symphony.......maybe wishful thinking on my behalf, an attempt to impose (with the benefit of hindsight) a unifying 'zeitgeist' on very disparate composers but there you go.......
Barbers concerto also has a very cinematic feel...film noir etc...


----------



## SimonNZ

"The World Of Adam De La Halle" (incl. Le Jeu De Robin Et Marion) - Joel Cohen, dir


----------



## korenbloem

Brahms - violin Concerto 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Jacques Charpentier's Concertino " Alla Francese" for Ondes Martenot, strings and percussion - Albert Beaucamp, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic

Often verging on cacophony, but interesting enough from an "observation" point of view.


----------



## dgee

Have to look out for it! Have you come across the Jolivet Ondes Martenot Concerto? It's quite enjoyable, there's an old recording on spotify


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Grave - Paul Watkins, cello, Edward Gardner, cond.


----------



## dgee

ArtMusic said:


> Often verging on cacophony, but interesting enough from an "observation" point of view.


Oh you poor chicken! It was very courageous of you to listen none the less!


----------



## Oskaar

Roy Harris - The Great American Ninth

Roy Harris: Symphony No. 9 / Symphony No. 8

David Alan Miller (Conductor), Albany Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Alan Feinberg (Performer)









allmusic


----------



## SimonNZ

dgee said:


> Have to look out for it! Have you come across the Jolivet Ondes Martenot Concerto? It's quite enjoyable, there's an old recording on spotify


I'm not sure i have heard that, but I see one of my favorite youtube chanels has it so I'll play it next:















The Charpentier is also on youtube, if you want to sample, from an interesting chanel I've only just stumbled across:


----------



## ArtMusic

dgee said:


> Oh you poor chicken! It was very courageous of you to listen none the less!


Thanks. I will also give his symphonies a listen next.


----------



## SimonNZ

Somei Satoh's Kyokoku - Katsunori Kono, baritone, Tetsuji Honna, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Mariusz Smolij - Panufnik: Old Polish Suite / Concerto in Modo Antico / Jagiellonian Triptych / Hommage A Chopin









Igor Cecocho Trumpet
Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
Mariusz Smolij Conductor
Hanna Turonek Flute

allmusic


----------



## EricABQ

Mozart's symphony 38 from the dirt cheap (.99) set that KenOC mentioned in the bargain thread.

Sounds good. Much better than I would think a 99 cent complete set download would sound.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Cello Suite No.3 in C Major, BWV 1009

Jaap ter Linden, cello


----------



## Vesteralen

Fortunately for us, though the orchestral parts are typically "tubby" sounding for the era of recording, there are places where the voice just shines through regardless.


----------



## worov

Just discovered David Diamond symphony no 2 :






How I have not heard this before ? This is amazing !


----------



## Oskaar

Eliane Reyes - Bacri: Piano Works









arkiv music


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Londoner Sinfonien no. 100 "Military", no. 101 "The Clock"
By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014 - 1019
By Ton Koopman [harpsichord], Catherine Manson [violin], on Challenge Classics









George Frederic Handel - Radamisto
By Zachary Stains [tenor], Patrizia Ciofi [soprano], Carlo Lepore [bass], Dominique Labelle [soprano], Maité Beaumont [alto], Laura Cherici [soprano], Joyce DiDonato [mezzo], Il complesso Barocco, Allan Curtis [dir.], on Virgin Classics


----------



## Weston

worov said:


> Just discovered David Diamond symphony no 2 :
> 
> . . . [/video]
> 
> How I have not heard this before ? This is amazing !


I haven't heard this one yet, but I do have his symphonies 1 and 4, also quite remarkable.


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with the Budapest SQ playing Beethoven's late quartets.


----------



## maestro267

worov said:


> Just discovered David Diamond symphony no 2 :
> 
> How I have not heard this before ? This is amazing !


A fantastic piece! I bought the original issue of this disc on Delos second-hand last year, and I love it! It also contains the 4th Symphony and the Concerto for Small Orchestra. The recordings have since been reissued on Naxos.

In fact, this has made me want to listen to it right now.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book II
Masaaki Suzuki









Perhaps the constant use of dissonances in these pieces verges on cacophony. We must find a way to objectively measure this!

Parallel tritones are definitely out.








As are uncovered minor seconds.








What else has to go? We have to edit the classics quick before someone gets hurt, or worse, _*alienated*_!


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Rain Dreaming
Aki Takahashi, harpsichord


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's String Quartet No.15 Opus 132 played by the Brentano String Quartet. Great interpretations and outstanding sound quality, highly recommended.


----------



## korenbloem

Louis Andriessen performed by Asko Ensemble & Schönberg Ensemble under Reinbert de Leeuw - De Tijd
Live recording Concertgebouw Amsterdam
Opening Night Holland Festival, June 1, 2005


----------



## korenbloem

julianoq said:


> Beethoven's String Quartet No.15 Opus 132 played by the Brentano String Quartet. Great interpretations and outstanding sound quality, highly recommended.


I wasn't impressed by this record, but I will give it an other swing in the near future.


----------



## Vesteralen

Beautifully played. Very enjoyable disc.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Myaskovsky*: Orchestral Music, w. MNOO/Samoilov (rec.1993); Symphonies 5 & 9, w. BBC PO/Downes (rec.1992); Symphony 6, w. Gothenburg SO/Jarvi (rec.1998); Symphonies 15 & 27, w. RFA SO/Svetlanov (rec.1991 - '93); Symphonies 24 & 25, w. Moscow PO/Yablonsky (rec.2000).

View attachment 27529
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----------



## Kivimees

Now that the storm is over, I'm making a short and nice trip to my neighbours to the south.









That first symphony "Balsis" (Voices) is a gem. Highly recommended.


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> Oh my goodness! I think I have found a new favorite piece, one I'm going to keep spinning (or whatever they do now) in the iPod for a long while.
> *
> Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38 *
> Marin Alsop / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stephen Prutsman, piano
> 
> View attachment 27512
> 
> 
> I had written a lengthy description, but I suppose this is a very well known piece. I had simply never paid much attention to this work before. I'll just edit it down to say the rhythms and complexity are bewildering and amazing, in places angry and aggressive, in others lyrical and quite beautiful. I think there is some kind of throbbing polyrhythm going on in the third movement that is hurting my head in a good way -- or else this orchestra is not entirely together. Amazing!


Marvelous work. For additional perspective, do listen to *Joselson/LSO/Schenck (ASV, rec. 1995),* if you have the opportunity. :tiphat:


----------



## Valkhafar

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater - Salve Regina.
Emma Kirkby, James Bowman.
Christopher Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 96 in D Major, 'Miracle' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









The opening adagio is excellent and the Allegro has a great forward drive. One of my favourites by Haydn, as are all the London symphonies .


----------



## brotagonist

More Mahlers have arrived. The Tennstedt, finally. I discovered that Symphony 3 had been reissued with Symphony 4, so I got it, even though I already have the 4th (Jordan/Suisse Romande):









I love the sleighbell motif in the first movement of Symphony 4  I am sure glad I picked up all of the symphonies. I didn't realize that the first four were this good.


----------



## Oskaar

Flute Recital: Bezaly, Sharon(flute) - Handel, G.F. / Bach, J.S. / Telemann, G.P. (Barocking Together)









amazon


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonata no. 9 in A "Kreutzer", Violin sonata no. 4 in Am, no. 5 in f, no. 10 in G
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 27538
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Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1

Claudio Abbado & The London Symphony Orchestral
Christoph Von Dohnanyi & The Vienna Philharmonic
Herbert Von Karajan & The Berlin Philharmonic
Wolfgang Sawallisch & The New Philharmonia Orchestra

I love Mendelssohn's 1st Symphony although it never seems to get much attention. 
I've been comparing these 4 recordings of Symphony No. 1 and rather surprisingly, I think I prefer Wolfgang Sawallisch's recording over the others. He seems to capture Mendelssohn's youth and spirit best for me. He keeps the passion and tempo of Dohnanyi, but controls it with just an ever so slightly better overall flow throughout the work.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to this very strange opera. It's not very good background music, though, because it's hard to know what's going on at any given time and I'm liking it enough that I want to know what's going on!

:lol:


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}. *
Both works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor {1865/1866 "Linz"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major. *Once again, both works feature Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Oskaar

Martin Rummel - Zani: Complete Cello Concertos









Die Kölner Akademie / Martin Rummel / Michael Alexander Willens

Allmusic


----------



## maestro267

Live on Radio 3, from London's Royal Festival Hall. London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michail Jurowski (father of their principal conductor Vladimir):

*Ligeti*: Lontano
*Lutoslawski*: Cello Concerto (Johannes Moser, cello)

interval

*Schnittke*: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Orchestral Suites (Overtures)
Boston Baroque, dir. Pearlman


----------



## Mahlerian

Game following Blancrocher via Minnesota Orchestra:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major
Minnesota Orchestra, cond. Vanska


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 51 in B-flat Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Oskaar

Alexander Ivashkin - Schnittke: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Musica Nostalgica / Peer Gynt: Epilogue









I am in the mood! Brilliant performance!

amazon


----------



## Joris

Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 ("Spring") - Robert Schumann


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 6 (Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Myaskovsky*: Violin Concerto, w. Repin/Kirov O./Gergiev (rec.2002); Cello Concerto, w.Rodin/Russian PO/Krimets (rec.1996).

View attachment 27555
View attachment 27556


----------



## Bas

I stay in the string & piano duet mood:

Gabriel Fauré - Cello Sonata 2, Berceusse op. 16, Romance op. 69, Élégie op. 24, Sicilienne op.78, Papillon op.77
By Steven Isserlis [cello], Pascal Devoyon [piano], on Hyperion









The Elegie is one of my funeral pieces. It is beautiful!


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Myaskovsky*: String Quartets 3, 10, 13, w. LTQ (rec.1987); Piano Sonatas, w. McLachlan (rec.1988); Hegedus (rec.1988).

View attachment 27557
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----------



## Blancrocher

I enjoyed Weber's Oberon, and now almost feel guilty for it having learned that it pretty much killed the composer:



> Against his doctor's advice, Weber undertook the project commissioned by the actor-impresario Charles Kemble for financial reasons.[1] Having been offered the choice of Faust or Oberon as subject matter, he travelled to London to complete the music, learning English to be better able to follow the libretto, before the premiere of the opera. However, the pressure of rehearsals, social engagements and composing extra numbers destroyed his health, and Weber died in London on June 5, 1826


These Romantics!

I'm now letting Vaneyes direct me towards an album I've been meaning to listen to for awhile: Valery Gergiev conducting Vadim Repin and the Kirov Theater Orchestra in Tchaikovsky and Myaskovsky:









I also look forward to tracking down some of those other CPRs of Myaskovsky--I'm new to this composer and I love what I've heard!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner's Symphony 9 - Munich Philharmonic & Sergiu Celibidache

This is competing with Gunter Wand & the Berlin Philharmonic for my top spot on this Symphony. To put it in the simplest and plainest terms, it just feels right. Bernstein I believe speaks of inevitability in Beethoven's Symphonies - that they are written as though that were the only true outcome. From my experience so farm the same can be said of Celibidache's Bruckner interpretation - with Munich anyhow. I haven't heard the cycle on DGG nor am I familiar enough with the Berlin Philharmonic 7th.

A very powerful recording.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

AClockworkOrange said:


> Bruckner's Symphony 9 - Munich Philharmonic & Sergiu Celibidache
> 
> This is competing with Gunter Wand & the Berlin Philharmonic for my top spot on this Symphony. To put it in the *simply*, it just feels right. Bernstein*,* I believe*,* speaks of inevitability in Beethoven's Symphonies - that they are written as though *there is* only *one natural* outcome. From my experience so *far*, the same can be said of Celibidache's Bruckner interpretation - with Munich anyhow. I haven't heard the cycle on DGG nor am I familiar enough with the Berlin Philharmonic 7th *to comment further*.
> 
> A very powerful recording.


Wow, I shouldn't post tired. Typos corrected and a quick tightening up of my wording


----------



## Blancrocher

A couple of Stravinsky albums. I never need a reason to listen to Le Sacre, but I've had the other pieces on my mind as a result of various "absolute music" debates on the forum. I'm going to go out on a limb here and admit I think Stravinsky's an interesting composer!


----------



## Sid James

*Rimsky-Korsakov *The Tsar Saltan (Orchestral excerpts)
*Prokofiev *Lieutenant Kije - Suite
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Verbitsky

Finishing this listen to this album.

*Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar Saltan *has many points of interest, the main one being those disturbing ostinatos bringing to mind the sea in the second movement, _Tsarina Adrift at Sea in a Barrel_. This is similar to the corresponding sea sequence in the composer's own _Scheherazade_ and there are parallels with Rachmaninov's _Isle of the Dead _here too. The famous _Flight of the Bumble-Bee _rounds off this set.

As for *Prokofiev's Lieutentant Kije*, its an old favourite of mine. I especially like the use of the saxophone, which brings to mind Kodaly's _Hary Janos Suite _composed around the same time, between the two world wars.










Later on I plan to listen to this, *Mozart's symphonies 39 and 40 *with Istvan Kertesz at the helm of Vienna Phil:


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Divertimento for String Trio in E Major

Camerata Berolinensis: Johannes Gebauer and Fiona Stevens, violins -- Katie Rietman, cello


----------



## Valkhafar

Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte.
Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> ....I'm now letting Vaneyes direct me towards an album I've been meaning to listen to for awhile: Valery Gergiev conducting Vadim Repin and the Kirov Theater Orchestra in Tchaikovsky and Myaskovsky:
> 
> View attachment 27561
> 
> 
> I also look forward to tracking down some of those other CPRs of Myaskovsky--I'm new to this composer and I love what I've heard!


Blancrocher, I'm pleased to hear of your enthusiasm for Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky. Collecting tips. Be sure to search for both spellings at Amazon Marketplace (if that retailer is your thing for new and used). Also, many of this composer's same recorded works are available on several labels, such as Olympia, Melodiya, Alto, Regis. It's tricky and somewhat time consuming, but a few extra moments can save you money. :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.3 in B Flat, KV 281

Christian Zacharias, piano


----------



## opus55

Martinu: String Quartet No. 1










First listen of this work. Not liking it.. or maybe I'm just tired from working for 11 hours.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Some Kabalevsky to tickle me ears! I love how the first Piano Concerto is so romantic and powerful and yet hints toward modernism. Some really fine playing on this disc by Michael Korstick and CPOs engineering is impeccable as always.










Kevin


----------



## Evoken

Beethoven - Symphony #3 In E Flat, Op. 55, "Eroica" - 3. Scherzo: Allegro Vivace


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Benedicta Es - Tallis Scholars


----------



## aleazk

John Adams - _Slonimsky's Earbox_. (



)


----------



## KenOC

Wranitzky's Grand Characteristic Symphony for Peace with the French Republic, Op. 31. Includes some pre-Wellington's Victory battle music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Following Vesteralen:

Rosa Ponselle - Nimbus Prima Voce series


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in B minor for transverse flute, strings & b.c. (Camerata Köln).


----------



## SimonNZ

Dohnányi's Serenade For String Trio - Jascha Heifetz, William Primrose, Emanuel Feuermann

edit: now Reinhard David Flender's Memorare - Mark Lubotsky, violin, Grazina Filipajtis, viola, Gerhard Kleinert, double bass, Julija Botchkovskaia, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Etude in E Major, Op. 10 No. 3, 'In mir klingt ein Lied' (Nelson Freire); Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2 (Maria Joao Pires); Etude in G-flat Major Op. 10 No. 5, 'Schwarze Tasten' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## Itullian

My favorite recording of these works in excellent stereo sound.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schnittke's Yellow Sound - Alexander Lazarev, cond.

edit: now Roger Sessions' Violin Concerto - Paul Zukofsky, violin, Gunther Schuller, cond.










edit: now Rudolph Eschen's Songs Of Love And Eternity (from Emily Dickinson) - Ed Spanjaard, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alberto Ginastera's Variaciones Concertantes - Gisèle Ben-Dor, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2/Scherzi Nos. 2 & 3 Alfred Cortot

These are recordings made in Japan in 1952. The interpretation of the second scherzo is particularly good, no-one seems to have the gift of bringing out Chopin's bass lines like Cortot, giving the lie to Wagner's ridiculous claim that Chopin was "a composer for the right hand only." What a load of unadulterated tosh, coming from someone who only wrote dull uninteresting trite pieces for the piano, this is a bit thick! (I must add that I love Wagner's orchestral writing, but his piano music is uniformly dull). Back to Cortot, how I wish he'd recorded all four scherzi in the 1930s. Oh well, I'm grateful for these two at any rate.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dror Feiler's Music For Dead Europeans - Ensemble Gageego

edit: now Giacinto Scelsi's Natura Renovatur - Christoph Poppen, cond.










after this its off to bed where I'll be listening to this on the radio:

Mozart's Symphonies 34, 35 and 39 - Jane Glover, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

prior to my decision to reduce purchases I ordered Hickox//Nat Orch Wales recording of Rubbra Symph. 4/10/11-I am now about to embark on listening-after the recent experience of discovery of Moerans symphony I am very optimistic-repeated listening has uncovered for me a work that needs to be given the acknowledgement it so obviously deserves.
On that note of optimism I have just restored Glazunov symphonies to my I-pod-but after initial listening a couple of months ago I do believe this may be a triumph of hope over experience.......
Listened to a couple of pieces by Kabalevsky and Myaskovsky this morning on you tube as I had no real idea-interesting and obviously worth further investigation......


----------



## Oskaar

Game following Mahlerian via Vanska

Kalevi Aho - Aho: Piano Concerto No. 2









Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä

Prestoclassics


----------



## Itullian

Great Lohengrin.


----------



## bejart

Jiri Cart (1708-1778): Flute Sonata in D Minor

Petr Pomkla, flute -- Lucie Fiserova, harpsichord -- Dalibor Pimek, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Mass in B minor (Helmuth Rilling; Julia Hamari; Siegmund Nimsgern; Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart).


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I think Darius Milhaud is quickly becoming one of my favorites. His symphonies are just wonderfully interesting. I honestly don't know how he even thought of some of his stuff. Some of it is just so weirdly quirky that you can't let your mind wander too easily. He really grabs you and keeps your attention.



















Kevin


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Solti - Bartok.*

I've been sampling this on Spotify. Does anyone have any thoughts on Solti's Bartok?


----------



## jim prideaux

Rubbra 4th proved initially impressive and I will continue to listen to it,much in the same way as I have with Moerans symphony recently -but for the time being have returned to a recording that I recently became acquainted with and has proven to be a definite favourite-Isserlis/Norrington/COE-Haydn cello concertos-everything about this performance is to me perfect.....there is a lightness, even arguably a humour that clearly reflects Haydns character-I increasingly imagine him to be a man of both humanity and humility-it would prove a shock to learn otherwise...........


----------



## Blancrocher

Having reread Alex Ross on Sibelius last evening, I couldn't resist:


----------



## brotagonist

I had no idea  Charles Ives really was great. It's no wonder Elliott Carter looked to him for inspiration in his early years.









I just heard the first disc and am about to move on to the other. This will keep me busy for most of the day, as I want to steep in it to absorb the mood.


----------



## jim prideaux

as mentioned earlier today have returned to Glazunov-4th symphony-according to his daughter it was for European audiences their favourite symphony of his-I still have massive reservations-performed initially in 1893 it feels like the work of a man who is set on ignoring the world around him-in my mind I can see nothing but minor Russian aristocracy enjoying time at their dacha-yes I know this is a stereotype and overly critical-it is after all remarkably well orchestrated and reflects a real mastery of the orchestra........but is just too damned sweet......I keep hearing 'The King and I'....what's going on?
Back to Rubbra!


----------



## Oskaar

Ravel / Barnes / Tournier : Harp Music









Erica Goodman

classicsonline


----------



## Vesteralen

Only the Thais Meditation was already familiar to me on this disc. I liked it.


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: The 5 Violin Concertos.
Itzhak Perlman.
James Levine, Wiener Philharmoniker.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 2 in D Major; Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major; Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major (Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).


----------



## Bas

A recent eBay acquisition:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 3 in Cm
By Friederich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Horst Stein [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Oskaar

Psophos Quartet - Nicolas Bacri: String Quartets Nos. 3, 4, 5 & 6









This is great! all kinds of moods, tempos and changes very nicely performed with great sound. And Bacri is a nice acnowledgement

allmusic (good editorial review and samples)


----------



## Bas

Leos Janácek - String Quartets "Kreutzer Sonata", "Intimate letters"
By Melos Quartet, on Harmonia Mundi Gold









Domenico Scarlatti - Kk 485 - 500
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato/Warner Classics


----------



## shangoyal

Amazing piece of work.

Debussy: *Nocturnes*

The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez


----------



## Oskaar

Cygnus Ensemble - Andy Teirstein: Open Crossings - Kopanitza / Invention / What Is Left Of Us / Suite / Maramures









This record is just fantastic! Modern, but very listenable and fun. And surprises around every corner. The *3 Movements for String Quartet and Folk Musician* (Harmonium, but the folkmusician is credited as the instrument) is just so good. Try this one out if you can!

Cygnus Ensemble

arkivmusic with samples, good album info, and editorial reviews


----------



## DavidA

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique 

Just got two new additions to my collection, both dirt cheap. Karajan (1964) and Davis (1975). 

I expected Davis to be miles ahead but HvK is really good as well.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-.-*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K. 385 {"Haffner"}; Symphony No.36 in C Major, K .425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K. 504 {"Prague"}. *
All three works feature the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D Major. * Both symphonies are performed by the Leonard Berntstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Oskaar

Riccardo Muti - Cherubini: Masses, Overtures, Motets









allmusic


----------



## Blancrocher

Game following oskaar via Aho:

Kalevi Aho: Max Pommer conducting the Leipzig Radio Orchestra in Symphony 5


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra and Music for Strings and a lot of other stuff.*

I'm used to Bernstein's indulgent phrasing. Solti is more direct. This has great sound - you can distinguish between the parts. I'm hearing things I haven't heard before.


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: Violin Concertos.
Julia Fischer, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Andrey Rubtsov.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.


----------



## KenOC

Itullian said:


> My favorite recording of these works in excellent stereo sound.


You are a person of the finest taste and most exquisite refinement, :tiphat: seeing as your preferences correspond so closely with my own.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Dance Suite.*


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Kodaly*: Orchestral Music, w. Budapest PO/Joo (rec.1982).

View attachment 27600


----------



## Sid James

*Prokofiev* Lieutenant Kije - Suite
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Verbitsky (ABC Classics)

*Bartok* Violin Concerto #2
- Gyorgy Pauk, violin with National Polish Radio SO under Antoni Wit (Naxos)

*Mozart* Symphony #33
- Vienna PO under Istvan Kertesz (Eloquence)

*Varese* Arcana ; Integrales ; *Ionisation
- Los Angeles PO ; *Los Angeles Percussion Ens. under Zubin Mehta (Decca)


----------



## Blancrocher

In the spirit of the holiday:









:lol:


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): Double Concerto in B Flat for Violin and Cello

Jaroslav Krcek conducting Musica Bohemia -- Shizuka Ishikawa, violin -- Karel Fiala, cello


----------



## opus55

Britten: Violin Concerto


----------



## bejart

First listen to new arrival --
JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

To be played at various points this afternoon/evening:

Three Martinu discs I just found at the secondhand store - slowly but surely beefing my Martinu collection up to where I want it


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Szymanowski*: Violin Concerti 1 & 2, w. Zehetmair/CBSO/Rattle (rec.1995); Symphonies 3 & 4, w. Polish State PO/Stryja et al (rec.1988/9); String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1993).

View attachment 27605
View attachment 27606
View attachment 27607


----------



## opus55

Martinu: String Quartet No. 2
Shostakovich: Cello Concereto No. 1


----------



## bejart

Nicola Porpora (1686-1768): Violin Sonata No.9 in D Major

Anton Steck, violin -- Christian Rieger, harpsichord


----------



## Blancrocher

Finishing the night and (unless I get carried away) the morning with Solti conducting Das Rheingold and Die Walkure.


----------



## brotagonist

Yup, it's finally here  I used to have a TurnaboutVox recording decades ago, so this is really nice to have again. Interesting is that an early version of Dérive fills out the disc, so I can compare it with the newer 50-minute version one of these days... a winter project ;-)


----------



## GreenMamba

Schubert Piano Sonata in A, D. 959 / Brendel


----------



## Mahlerian

And despite my post raining on everyone's parade over on the Halloween/evil thread, I still listened to:

Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on the Bare Mountain
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> To be played at various points this afternoon/evening:
> 
> Three Martinu discs I just found at the secondhand store - slowly but surely beefing my Martinu collection up to where I want it


What d'Indy piece on that first album? I can't quite descry it. Weird thing to pair with Martinu.



Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Szymanowski*: Violin Concerti 1 & 2, w. Zehetmair/CBSO/Rattle (rec.1995); Symphonies 3 & 4, w. Polish State PO/Stryja et al (rec.1988/9); String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1993).
> 
> View attachment 27605
> View attachment 27606
> View attachment 27607


Nice to see a Marco Polo get the CPR certification. I don't feel quite so cheap any more. Actually I don't have this one.


----------



## science

I follow what seems to be the consensus: the Kertesz 8 is better and the Kubelik 9 is better. But it's all good enough.










That gets better every time I hear it.


----------



## science

Beautiful late Medieval English chant.










One of my favorite albums. Victoria may be my favorite Renaissance composer, or second favorite after Dufay. Brumel is up there. Hard to say. But I do like Victoria, and the Hill recordings are all excellent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Weston said:


> What d'Indy piece on that first album? I can't quite descry it. Weird thing to pair with Martinu.


Martinu's Rhapsody Concerto for viola and orchestra is paired with D'Indy's Symphony On French Mountain Air. The Martinu piece is kind of nostalgic and wistful, so its not as odd as it may at first seem.

playing now:










Philip Glass' Naqoyqatsi

edit: Oh! And I've just discovered there's a new Godfrey Reggio / Philip Glass collaboration just released that I hadn't been aware of:










Check out the trailer:


----------



## jim prideaux

start the day with Brahms quintets-Raphael Ensemble.


----------



## Kivimees

SimonNZ said:


> To be played at various points this afternoon/evening:
> 
> Three Martinu discs I just found at the secondhand store


How is it that Christchurch has such great secondhand stores?


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Kivimees said:


> How is it that Christchurch has such great secondhand stores?


Heh. Its probably more that I put in the time to trawl through the indifferent stuff to find the gems, and do so fairly regularly. If you walked into one of these stores you _wouldn't_ be immediately overwhelmed by amazing bargains, if thats how I'm making it seem. Also most of the ones who sell classical know me and let me know when new stock arrives, so I often get first look.

playing now:










Brahms' Symphony No.3 - Herbert von Karajan, cond.


----------



## Andolink

*Bernd Alois Zimmermann*: _Antiphonen_, for viola and 25 instrumentalists (1961)
Eckart Schloifer, viola
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Saarbrucken/Hans Zender








*J. S. Bach*: _Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir_, BWV130; _Jesu, nun sei gepreiset_, BWV41
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Jan Kobow, tenor
Dominik Wörner, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Beat Furrer*: _Stimmen_, for choir and percussion (1995-99)
Schlagquartett Köln
SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart/Rupert Huber


----------



## SimonNZ

brotagonist said:


> View attachment 27612
> 
> 
> Yup, it's finally here  I used to have a TurnaboutVox recording decades ago, so this is really nice to have again. Interesting is that an early version of Dérive fills out the disc, so I can compare it with the newer 50-minute version one of these days... a winter project ;-)


This one? Interesting - I've never seen a physical copy of that.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


>


My favorite set of Brahms symphonies. I have a few others - Klemperer, Abbado, the Karajan digital set of 1-3, bits of Alsop, bits of Szell, Kleiber 4, probably some others… -

But in every single case, I think I prefer that Karajan 1970s recording.


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 7th by Celibidache and Berliner. I started listening +/- two weeks ago and simply can't stop. I'm doing it over and over...
Bruckner - what an incredible genius! (Celi as well). There is something indescribable, mystical in his music. Totally out of this world.


----------



## science

Andolink said:


> *Bernd Alois Zimmermann*: _Antiphonen_, for viola and 25 instrumentalists (1961)
> Eckart Schloifer, viola
> Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Saarbrucken/Hans Zender
> View attachment 27615
> 
> 
> *Beat Furrer*: _Stimmen_, for choir and percussion (1995-99)
> Schlagquartett Köln
> SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart/Rupert Huber
> View attachment 27617


I'd like to know what you think of these two. I don't have and haven't heard either of them. How much am I missing?


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Ives' Three Places In New England - Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Symphonies 3 and 4 Philharmonia Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

This Brahms cycle from the Festival Hall, 1952 is really wonderful- this is one of my favourite Brahms 4ths, a shame that the last movement is spoiled by some idiots letting firecrackers off on the Festival Hall roof at a couple of points- though this is proof that wanton stupidity and vandalism is nothing new. A useful corrective to the "it was never like this in the old days" way of thinking.


----------



## DrKilroy

For today's All Saints' Day, I am going to listen to following Requiem Masses:

Palestrina
Mozart
Cherubini
Brahms
Faure
Britten
Durufle
Stravinsky (Canticles)
Ligeti
Penderecki
Schnittke

Leaving Ligeti, Faure and Mozart for end as they are my favourites.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

GAME FOLLOWING Blancrocher via Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra

rautavaara symphony 4
Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
Max Pommer


----------



## jim prideaux

Kivimees said:


> How is it that Christchurch has such great secondhand stores?


glad someone asked because its been bugging me for weeks-I even mentioned it to my mother and in her mid 80's I do not think she was particularly interested..............


----------



## Andolink

science said:


> I'd like to know what you think of these two. I don't have and haven't heard either of them. How much am I missing?


The Zimmermann presents music very much of it's time--1960's avantgarde-- and is very well performed and recorded. _Antiphonen_, in addition to viola and ensemble includes a vocal ensemble reciting various poetic texts in multiple languages in the penultimate movement.

The Beat Furrer disc is indispensible for fans of this composer. The compositions feature voices and percussion and are all quite fascinating in stunning sound quality. Furrer is representative of some of the very best of the current crop of Austrian composers influenced by Lachenmann. Don't hesitate getting this recording if you're into this kind of thing.


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> glad someone asked because its been bugging me for weeks-I even mentioned it to my mother and in her mid 80's I do not think she was particularly interested..............


Is the bargain-hunting situation really that grim everywhere else? Do I not realize how good I've got it?


----------



## SimonNZ

John Cage's The Perilous Night - Tzenka Daniova, prepared piano

followed by:

Tzenka Daniova and Charlotte Rose's First DeConstruction (The Perilous Night) for "unpreparing" piano and electronics


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Is the bargain-hunting situation really that grim everywhere else? Do I not realize how good I've got it?


as much as I would defend my home town against criticism, particularly after having defeated the 'Mags' 2-1 last Sunday I would find it very difficult to claim one has any chance of coming across three Martinu discs in a local second hand shop-make the most of it,I can imagine the resulting temptations of your good fortune must be disconcerting at times!


----------



## jim prideaux

returned to Glazunov 4th this morning-have learned to persist.......... I keep returning to the idea that European composers and their music, often those working at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century had a direct influence on film scores as cinema developed...frequently used Brigham Young, a film c.1937 in my last teaching job and each time was amazed how the score sounded as if it had absorbed so much influence from Dvorak.....Glazunov 4th creates the impression that it might have reappeared as a score for a film.....


----------



## science

Andolink said:


> The Zimmermann presents music very much of it's time--1960's avantgarde-- and is very well performed and recorded. _Antiphonen_, in addition to viola and ensemble includes a vocal ensemble reciting various poetic texts in multiple languages in the penultimate movement.
> 
> The Beat Furrer disc is indispensible for fans of this composer. The compositions feature voices and percussion and are all quite fascinating in stunning sound quality. Furrer is representative of some of the very best of the current crop of Austrian composers influenced by Lachenmann. Don't hesitate getting this recording if you're into this kind of thing.


Thank you! I've been wondering where to start with Beat Furrer.


----------



## Oskaar

Vadim Repin & Boris Berezovsky - Strauss, Stravinsky & Bartók : Violin Sonatas









arkivmusic


----------



## rrudolph

My listening sessions usually have some sort of unifying theme, some sort of common thread that connects the various individual works I'm listening to. Today, not so much. I'm just making it up as I go along.

Josquin Desprez: Motets








Lully/Marais/CouperinSainte-Colombe: Tous les Matins du Monde (soundtrack)








Mozart: Requiem







(I have to play this first thing tomorrow morning with no rehearsal)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in D Major, Hob. 15/24 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## jim prideaux

whilst working-Martinu symphony no.1 BBC Symph/Belohlavek. The Largo particularly-comes from that same well of mid century angst that can be heard in so many diverse works of that period-Walton, Barber, Moeran and as I recently discovered Rubbra 4th symphony-whilst the anxiety and anguish might be more obvious and immediate in the works of composers such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich this feeling of threat often coupled with some notion of latent optimism seems more insidious in western composers...I only wish I had the theoretical understanding of composition to be able to attempt to translate this 'feeling' into a more precise analysis......if indeed it is possible!


----------



## Blancrocher

Solti conducting Siegried.


----------



## realdealblues

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 19, 20, 21 "Waldstein" & 22
Pianist: Andras Schiff


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Is the bargain-hunting situation really that grim everywhere else? Do I not realize how good I've got it?


We've got it pretty good out in Nashville. I found the complete set of Egon Wellesz symphonies, Snittke's 10 symphonies, and The Ligeti Project in our local used CD store in the last six months.

I also picked up Solti's Bartok set. I'm listening to *The Miraculous Mandarin*. Somehow I've obtained five different recordings of this piece; I'm not sure how that happened. I'm not sure which one is at the top of my preferences, but I appreciate how Solti makes sense of the jumble of noises at the beginning.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Violin Concertos
Simon Standage, Elizabeth Wilcock, English Concert, dir. Pinnock


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Szymanowski*: Music for Violin & Piano, w. Kramer & Durcan (rec.2005); Piano Music, w. MAH (rec.2002); Anderszewski (rec.2004).

View attachment 27630
View attachment 27631
View attachment 27632


----------



## brotagonist

I'm going to finish up with the Mahler symphonies today, by listening to all the recent arrivals one more time (I'm expecting up to 4 arrivals in my mailbox this afternoon, hopefully, as they are all due by Monday).



















​


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> glad someone asked because its been bugging me for weeks-I even mentioned it to my mother and in her mid 80's I do not think she was particularly interested..............


Jim, next time you're down to Buck Palace for a meal, pop into Gramex (25 Lower Marsh). :tiphat:

Gramex YT link:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Divertimento, Hungarian Sketches, Romanian Folk Dances.*

Everything Bartok wrote wasn't noisy. These are lovely and something you could hear on any FM classical station.


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> ....Nice to see a Marco Polo get the CPR certification. I don't feel quite so cheap any more. Actually I don't have this one.


Weston, for *Myaskovsky* Piano Music, both Hegedus (Marco Polo), and MacLachlan (Olympia, Regis) are dependable in performance and sound. But it is a shame that more pianists haven't taken up the cause. MAH, for instance. He could do a three-volume *Myaskovsky* journey easily.

Killing two birds with one post...Mahlerian, have you noticed the Mahler appreciation in *Myaskovsky's* Symphony 25? Do listen, if you haven't.


----------



## Oskaar

Marie-Annick Nicolas - Virtuose









Beutiful and sensitive performances!

allmusic


----------



## Valkhafar

Schubert: Impromptus D. 899 Op. 90 - Impromptus D. 935 Op. 142.
Murray Perahia.


----------



## julianoq

Bartók's String Quartets 1-6, performed by the Hungarian String Quartet. I am very into String Quartets recently, it was never my favorite chamber music genre (I always preferred anything with a piano in the mix, from trios to sonatas to piano quintets) but after really embracing Beethoven's Late Quartets I have the feeling that they are where a lot of the true feelings and intimacy of some composers are expressed.


----------



## Manxfeeder

julianoq said:


> Bartók's String Quartets 1-6, performed by the Hungarian String Quartet. I am very into String Quartets recently, it was never my favorite chamber music genre (I always preferred anything with a piano in the mix, from trios to sonatas to piano quintets) but after really embracing Beethoven's Late Quartets I have the feeling that they are where a lot of the true feelings and intimacy of some composers are expressed.


My first string quartet exposure happened the same way: I went from Beethoven to Bartok. Those two composers really open you up to the possibilities of the genre.

I just finished *Bartok's Cantata Profana. * Another lovely piece, well-recorded.


----------



## rrudolph

Nordheim: Colorazione/Fem Kryptofonier/Link/Den Forste Sommerfugl








Cage: Ryoanji/Solo for Sliding Trombone/Two5


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Piano Concerto No. 1.*

I'm liking how Solti/Ashkenazy are doing this: very rhythmic. The recording is also very transparent, revealing the voices. I've had the Davis/Kovacevich for a while and haven't played it very much. Solti is keeping my attention.


----------



## Blancrocher

I just entered the final installment into my ipod and will fire it up shortly. I wouldn't consider myself a perfect Wagnerite, but every now and again I need my fix!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 27649


Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic"
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D Major, 'Haffner' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 70 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 2 & Piano Concerto no. 3
By Friederich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Horst Stein [dir.], on Decca









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Cm K. 475, Sonata in F K. 533, Sonata in B-flat K. 570, Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint"
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Johannes Brahms, String Quartet & Piano Quintet
By the Takács Quartet and Stephen Hough [piano], on Hyperion









Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 25 "Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe", BWV 138 "Warum betrübst du dich mein Herz?", BWV 105 "Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht", BWV 46 "Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei"

By Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guillon [alto], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ









This is actually the first time, since I've been keeping track of what I listen to consequently in this thread, that I have a day with all of the three great B's!


----------



## LancsMan

Monteverdi 'Selva morale e spirituale'. 3 CD set from harmonia mundi performed by Cantus Colln, Concerto Palatino, Konrad Junghanel.

Delightful


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 54 No. 1 in G Major; No. 2 in C Major (Buchberger Quartet).









No.1: That 1st movement is one of the most rhythmatic in all of Haydn's quartets imo. The Buchbergers capture the forward drive really well here .

No. 2: really love that baroque-style adagio in the minor.

String Quartet Op. 64 No. 5 in D Major, 'Lark' (Quatuor Festetics).









The Quatuor Festetics also play on period instruments, but have a thicker and more restrained sound than the Buchbergers. I might prefer the Buchberger sound but these CDs are also great.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3.*

I can't give a fair impression; while I was listening, I was trying to catch up on work at home while the grandkids were trying to distract me. Such a sweet annoyance.


----------



## Valkhafar

Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 - Totentanz.
Krystian Zimerman.
Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.14 in F Minor

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello


----------



## Sid James

*Shostakovich*
Symphony #5
The Gadfly Suite (excerpts)
- London SO under Maxim Shostakovich (alto)










A first listen to *Shostakovich's Symphony #5* in years. I really honed in on the strong influence of Mahler here, especially the sarcasm of the second movement (Allegretto) and the troubled angsty vibes of the third movement (Largo). That kind of floating uncertain quality stays on in the final movement, which the composer later said was like a man beating you with a stick and telling you to be happy, and so you are happy. Or the perfect picture of it.

The conductor here, the composer's son Maxim, milks that last movement for all the irony its worth. There are two broad approaches to this piece - take it slowly or take it quickly. The former is used here, whilst American conductors tend to take the quicker option, which ironically makes the finale triumphant as the march of Socialist man to some imagined utopia. Europeans tend to take it slower, and on this recording the piece plays for almost an hour (around 53 minutes).

Shostakovich did many film scores, this being his "bread and butter" music in the Soviet era when others more in favour with the party where usually given the most prestigious commissions. In some ways, it was a happy coincidence, since he was an avid cinema fan and had a knack for the territory, having been around when silent films where screened and working as a pianist in playing "live" soundtracks. *The Gadfly *is the most famous, chiefly for its Romance. But there is much else to savour here, especially the finale which is very similar to those found in his symphonies, but of course shorter.

*Mozart*
Salzburg Symphonies (Divertimentos K.136-K.138)
Divertimento in D major, K.205
- Capella Istropolitana under Richard Edlinger (Naxos)










Finishing with some *Mozart*, who I have been listening to a lot lately. His *Salzburg Symphonies *have always been favourites, particularly K.136 in D major. The longer one in the same key here (K.205) attests to the versatility of this music. There's a couple of minuets in there, perfect for partygoers to do a little dance to, as well as purely relaxing bits good for relaxation and as background for a meal and a chat.


----------



## Novelette

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Sonata No.48 in C Major
> 
> Alfred Brendel, piano
> 
> View attachment 25944


Bejart, your choices in great music never cease to astonish.


----------



## Novelette

Taking up my old post as Schumann devotee....

Schumann: Piano Quartet in C Minor, Anhang E1 -- Thomas Selditz; Trio Parnassus

Schumann: Liederalbum für die Jugend, Op. 79 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Cherubini: Medea -- Gwyneth Jones; Bruno Prevedi; Lamberto Gardelli: Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma

^ I cannot say enough how much I admire and adore this opera. I fondly remember reading the great tragedy of Euripides [translated by Gilbert Murray]. Cherubini has rendered a particularly compelling homage to the great Greek. The final two scenes are chilling.


----------



## Weston

*Leonard Bernstein
Serenade (after Plato: Symposium), for violin, harp, percussion & strings*
Seiji Ozawa / Boston Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman, violin

Here's a piece for people, like me, who have never gotten much out of Bernstein the composer. It's a bit light in places, but also soaring and serene. Well, I guess it _would_ be serene after all.

The other pieces on the album are interesting too. The Bernstein just grabbed me because few of his other works I've heard do.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, *
both performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Maurice Abravanel.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, * both featuring Theodore Kuchar and the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Novelette said:


> Bejart, your choices in great music never cease to astonish.


Glad you approve. Now --
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Violin Sonata in F Major, Op.5, No.2

Paul Luchow, violin -- Michael Jarvis, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Taking up my old post as Schumann devotee....


Novelette, you're back!

The radio's selection wasn't interesting me much. I'll move on to:

Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16
Alfred Brendel


----------



## Kevin Pearson

jim prideaux said:


> returned to Glazunov 4th this morning-have learned to persist.......... I keep returning to the idea that European composers and their music, often those working at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century had a direct influence on film scores as cinema developed...frequently used Brigham Young, a film c.1937 in my last teaching job and each time was amazed how the score sounded as if it had absorbed so much influence from Dvorak.....Glazunov 4th creates the impression that it might have reappeared as a score for a film.....


Well, I'm sure that Alfred Newman cut his teeth on many of the late 19th and early 20th century composers. He was a student of Schoenberg at one point. Worked with all the great Broadway composers like Gershwin, Berlin, Kern and Rodgers and many more. Film scores of the 30s and 40s borrowed much of their material from classical composers and Hollywood hired many composers who were well acquainted with classical music. Some of the studio heads felt it was also their duty to bring classical music to the attention of a wider audience and movies were the perfect vehicle to do just that. The movie you refer to, if it is the Tyrone Power film, was actually released in 1940 and has a tremendous cast. Not one of Power's best films but a fine film none the less.

Just as a side note I run a social network exclusive to fans of classic films called The Golden Age of Hollywood. Classic films are one of my passions in life and I just love them. Not that I don't find many modern films entertaining but in my opinion they really had "stars" back then. Not just a bunch of pretty faces who couldn't act their way out of a paper bag. Not many modern actors would not have ever cut the mustard back then. The only thing that saves most of them is that their screen time actually acting is minimal in most films today as special effects carry most of the plots. Anyway, sorry for the diversion but I just wanted to comment on Newman and the Tyrone Power film.

Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Zemlinsky Quartets 2 and 4 - Zemlinsky Quartet

thought I was going blind looking for the name of the group

edit: now Philip Glass' Symphony No.3 - Dennis Russel Davies, cond.


----------



## starthrower

Bax-piano sonata no. 2


----------



## tdc

R. Strauss - _Four Last Songs_

Schwarzkopf / Szell

These works start out with so much potential, and actually I quite like them, but not as much as I want to somehow. In a way somewhat like when I listen to _Also Sprach Zarathustra_, I'm immediately captivated and drawn in, yet as I continue to listen at times left unsure of Strauss' ability to really deliver. Perhaps I need to listen to them more. Overall I do feel they are lovely works.


----------



## SimonNZ

Also listening to Richard Strauss:

Violin Concerto - Boris Belkin, violin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.










edit: Poulenc's Sonata for horn trumpet and trombone - Alan Civil, John Iveson, John Wilbraham


----------



## science

Doing the MLP Box…










I have no love for this recording. Unless something has gone wrong with my speakers in the last hour or so, the sound is awful. Maybe it's historically valuable and maybe her playing is just really outstanding, but I'll stick with, Kempff, Serkin, Barenboim, Gilels, Bronfman.


----------



## Conor71

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125, "Choral"*

I have a few different Beethoven cycles on the go at the moment. I finished the Gardiner, Vanska and Karajan cycle this week. The Barenboim set is new just listening to the 9th now. I liked all the cycles - they were quite different in their approach. I really like the Karajan Digital cycle - its much the same as the 60's set, which I have owned for a few years but has much more pleasing sound.
I had a look at the timings for the Barenboim set - they are quite slow with 18 minute slow movements for the Eroica and the Choral. I am impressed with what i have heard so far. i plan to listen to the Vanska, Karajan and Barenboim some more tomorrow:


----------



## Art Rock

It's been a while since I last listened to some Scriabin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jennifer Higdon's Cityscape - Roberto Spano, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Piano Concerto (Shelley/Thomson)
Delius - Piano Concerto (Humby/Beecham).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 21, BWV 42, BWV 12, BWV 38, BWV 75
Daniel Taylor [countertenor], Peter Kooy [bass], Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Mark Padmore [tenor], La Chappele Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Philipppe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Christian Bach - Missa de Requiem
By Lenneke Ruiten [soprano], Ruth Sandhoff [alto], Colin Balzer [tenor], Thomas Bauer [bass]
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Lenneke Ruiten has such an amazing voice, I melt when I hear it. Would love to hear a Mattheus with her.

Allesandro Scarlatti - Il primo Ommicido
By Antonio Abete [bass], Bernarda Fink [mezzo], Graciela Oddone [mezzo), Dorothea Röschmann [soprano], Richard Croft [tenor], René Jacobs [alto], Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
By Dorothee Mields [soprano], Matthew White [counter tenor signing alto parts], Jan Kobow [tenor], Peter Kooij [Bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Art Rock

More Scriabin. I like it.


----------



## bejart

William Flackton (1709-1798): Viola Sonata in G Major, Op.2, No.6

Kathryn Steely, viola -- Vincent De Vries, harpsichord


----------



## Andolink

*Ingvar Lidholm*: _Ett drömspel_ (Opera in a prelude and two acts after the play by August Strindberg) 
Hillevi Martinpelto, soprano
Håkan Hagegård, baritone
Curt Appelgren, baritone
Sten Wahlund, baritone
Lars Kullenbo, tenor
Rolf Cederlöf, bass
The Royal Choir, Stockholm
The Adolf Fredriks Girls' Choir & The Adolf Fredriks Boys' Choir
The Royal Orchestra of Stockholm/ Kjell Ingebretsen


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.68 in D Minor, Op.103

Salomon String Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward-Clarke, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Gesualdo's first book of madrigals.


----------



## Oskaar

Marianne Piketty - Ysaye: Six Sonates pour violon seul Opus 27









Amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

This week's Saturday Symphony:

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado


----------



## starthrower

On spotify:










Bax's piano sonatas are very fine, indeed!


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Flute Sonata in D Major

Vaclav Kunt, flute -- Ales Barta, harpsichord -- Frantisek Slama, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm about to start a couple Schoenberg albums--particularly to remind myself of a couple works from his California period, the Suite in G and the String Trio of 1946.


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: Requiem.
Sylvia McNair, Carolyn Watkinson, Francisco Araiza, Robert Lloyd.
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.4 in B Flat, Op.60

Wilhelm Furtwangler directing the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

25 characters


----------



## shangoyal

An amazing symphony, a favourite of mine.

Beethoven: *Symphony No. 1 in C major*

Berliner Staatskapelle / Daniel Barenboim


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Agustín Barrios Mangoré - Valses Op. 8, No. 3; Heitor Villa-Lobos - Prelude No. 1 in E minor (Göran Söllscher).









Just bought this disc today - excellent pieces.


----------



## Blancrocher

Ross's handling of Strauss's life and character is one of the best things about his remarkable book. I'm having a listen to Kiri Te Kanawa singing the 4 Last Songs.


----------



## DaveS

Dvorak Symphony #1 "Bells of Zlonice" Istvan Kertesz, LPO


----------



## opus55

Verdi: Nabucco
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat, Op. 12


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Stravinsky*: Violin Concerto, w. Chung/Previn (rec.1972); Le Sacre du Printemps, w. Muti (rec.1978); LB (rec.1958); Boulez (rec.1969); HvK (rec.1964).








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----------



## Cheyenne

Giulini's Philharmonia Orchestra version of Brahms 1 - it's great! How could I have waited so long to listen to his conducting?


----------



## Itullian

Cheyenne said:


> Giulini's Philharmonia Orchestra version of Brahms 1 - it's great! How could I have waited so long to listen to his conducting?


GREAT conductor..........................


----------



## Itullian

Rheingold spinning today.


----------



## Vaneyes

A *Mahler 6* listening requirement today?

Okay, Boulez (rec. 1994) and Barbirolli (rec. 1967).

View attachment 27711
View attachment 27712


*Mahlerian*, did you see my remark to you yesterday on this thread, whether you knew of the Myaskovsky 25's Mahler appreciations or borrowings? If not, listen if you have the opportunity. :tiphat:


----------



## ptr

Vaneyes said:


> A *Mahler 6* listening requirement today?


Might as well be!

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 6 (Real Sound)









St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra u. Thomas Sanderling

To my own delightful surprise a very, very good 6th!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Just listened to

Turnage: Speranza
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Daniel Harding









Better performance than the BSO's last week, but I still find the piece a little content-free at times...



Vaneyes said:


> *Mahlerian*, did you see my remark to you yesterday on this thread, whether you knew of the Myaskovsky 25's Mahler appreciations or borrowings? If not, listen if you have the opportunity. :tiphat:


Must have missed it. I'll have to listen now. I skim this thread while handing out likes near-indiscriminately...

Via Spotify,

Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 25 in D-flat major
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Yablonsky


----------



## Andolink

errror error error error


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc16, Nos. 43 "Mercury", 46 and 47 - Helmut Muller-Bruhl, cond.


----------



## Andolink

ptr said:


> Might as well be!
> 
> *Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 6 (Real Sound)
> 
> View attachment 27713
> 
> 
> St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra u. Thomas Sanderling
> 
> To my own delightful surprise a very, very good 6th!
> 
> /ptr


Considered by many, including me, to be the greatest ever recording of the 6th. Glad you enjoyed it so much ptr.


----------



## LancsMan

Pandolfi: - Complete violin sonatas played by Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr on harmonia mundi.

Virtuosic violin in Italian baroque sonatas - avant-garde circa 1660 - plenty of interesting harmonic twists and turns in the rhapsodic sections.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Duke Bluebeard's Castle.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> *Mahlerian*, did you see my remark to you yesterday on this thread, whether you knew of the Myaskovsky 25's Mahler appreciations or borrowings? If not, listen if you have the opportunity. :tiphat:


I've only heard a few of Myaskovsky's symphonies to this point, so I don't have a clear impression of his style overall (other than to say it sounds Russian, but that's a little pointless). In the first movement, I was reminded mostly of Strauss, but in the finale, Mahler-esque motifs are all over the place, resembling the finales of the 1st and 6th in particular. Maybe not borrowing, but certainly homage. The triumphant coda reminded me again of Strauss, specifically Death and Transfiguration.


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Novelette, you're back!
> 
> The radio's selection wasn't interesting me much. I'll move on to:
> 
> Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16
> Alfred Brendel


Hi Mahlerian! It's good to be back. 

And that's a marvelous idea, Kreisleriana is next on the program!


----------



## joen_cph

*Mahler Symphony 6 / Kondrashin*
Heard the very controversial Scherchen yesterday, and now Kondrashin, likewise with an unusually fast first and second movement.









*Prokofiev Piano Concertos 1-5, Ouverture on Jewish Themes f. Ensemble; Vision Fugitives / Beroff, Masur*
Got this box set recently very cheaply. It is always a joy to listen to these works in lively, dedicated recordings, also here. Beroff has some interesting things to say now and then. But the 4+5 Concertos seem a bit under-rehearsed concerning the coordination with the orchestra at times, the finale of the wonderful 4th concerto (my favourite in the set) being an example, where the piano and the orchestra seem to play much too separately and the orchestra moreover too receded in the background. My favourite complete set is Krainev/Kitayenko, secondarily Ashkenazy/Previn, among individual recordings some by Yundi Li, Argerich, Vedernikov and Kapell.









*Juan del Encina: Complete Works - 72 Songs, Villancicos etc. (15th Century)*

Another recent find, a 4 LP box for 2€. This recording by a Madrid Ensemble, issued by the Spanish cultural ministry, has nothing dusty to it, with spacious sound, decent musicianship and varied content concerning the ensembles.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Evening all.

Repeat listening for various new acquisitions:

Berg: Violin Concerto, Lyric Suite and Orchestral pieces Op. 6 (Hirsch, Netherlands RSO, Klas) and Haydn, String Quartets Op. 20 / Quatuor Mosaiques.

Also:

Mozart - String Quartets No. 21 in D major K. 575; No. 23 in F major K. 590 ('Prussian') / Leipzig String Quartet [MD&G]

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas No. 23 in F minor op. 57; No. 24 in F, Op. 78; No. 25 in G, Op. 79 and No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90 / Alfred Brendel [Philips / Decca]


----------



## Novelette

Scarani: Sonatae Concertante - Sonata À 3 -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Schubert: Sonata in C Major, D. 812, "Grand Duo" -- Claire Aebersold, Ralph Neiweem

Beethoven: Ah perfido!, Op. 65 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta*

The Solti box has two recordings of this piece. This one is mono from 1955. So far it's intense - the mono sound with a more driving tempo reminds me of Kondrashin's Shostakovich.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 6 in E-flat Major (Quatuor Festetics).









I like the cello sound in this quartet - definitely has some substance considering this is a period performance.


----------



## Guest

This particular record has been getting some good play time. After this I may play Mahler 6 again or possibly get off my *** and get around to the Beethoven violin sonatas.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

arcaneholocaust said:


> View attachment 27721
> 
> 
> This particular record has been getting some good play time. After this I may play Mahler 6 again or possibly get off my *** and get around to the Beethoven violin sonatas.


Hehe, a good schedule .


----------



## SimonNZ

joen_cph said:


> View attachment 27717
> 
> 
> *Juan del Encina: Complete Works - 72 Songs, Villancios etc. (15th Century)*
> 
> Another recent find, a 4 LP box for 2€. This recording by a Madrid Ensemble, issued by the Spanish cultural ministry, has nothing dusty to it, with spacious sound, decent musicianship and varied content concerning the ensembles.


Damn, I'm green with envy at that find.

Investigating Juan del Encina I see I've got some scattered works on some Jordi Savall, Gothic Voices and Philip Pickett discs. Tonight I might try playing all these selections in a row to get a better picture of him.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Partita No.1

Academia Wind Quintet of Prague: Jiri Marsalek, flute -- Otto Trnka, oboe -- Petr Donek, clarinet -- Frantisek Rok, French horn -- Josef Janda, bassoon


----------



## Evoken

Currently on this...


----------



## Guest

I choose you, Ludwig!


----------



## tdc

Ligeti - _6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet_

Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Boulez

Really nice pieces, they seem like pretty easy listening, accessible, traditional sounding stuff for Ligeti. Very well composed little miniatures. 6 pieces extracted from his _Musica Ricercata_ for keyboard.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dutoit

Live broadcast via radio.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Stravinsky*: Orchestral Music, w. Stravinsky (rec.1962/3); Chailly (rec.1994); Dutoit (rec.1985); Abbado (rec.1975 - '79); Reiner (rec.1956).








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----------



## Blancrocher

Myung-Whun Chung conducting Messiaen's "From the canyons to the stars."


----------



## Valkhafar

Paganini: The 6 Violin Concertos.
Salvatore Accardo.
Charles Dutoit, London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Evoken

Of the Vivaldi CD I just listened to I think my favorite is:

*The 4 Seasons, Op. 8/2, RV 315, "Summer" - 3. Presto*

Playing it again now. Great stuff.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> I've only heard a few of Myaskovsky's symphonies to this point, so I don't have a clear impression of his style overall (other than to say it sounds Russian, but that's a little pointless). In the first movement, I was reminded mostly of Strauss, *but in the finale, Mahler-esque motifs are all over the place, resembling the finales of the 1st and 6th in particular. Maybe not borrowing, but certainly homage.* The triumphant coda reminded me again of Strauss, specifically Death and Transfiguration.


Right on. Re homage, I almost think Myaskovsky had to consider this symphony a throwaway. It just isn't as good comparatively. 27's the masterpiece of the lates IMO. :tiphat:


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82; Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.105. *
All three works feature Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia semplice"}. * Both pieces are performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been enjoying listening to highlighted works from The Rest is Noise as I've reread it today. Rothko Chapel (and Why Patterns?) will be the last piece I hear before finishing the book. It's been a pleasure!

Just thought I'd mention the single best quote about the 20th century from the book, which comes from Feldman: "Innovations be damned--it's a boring century."

:lol:


----------



## Schubussy

Friedrich Nietzsche - Eine Sylvesternacht, for violin and piano 

Nietzsche actually wrote some pretty nice music.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.7 in C Major, KV 309

Carmen Piazzini, piano


----------



## brotagonist

My longed-for packages did not arrive yesterday :-{( but there is no shortage of new and old assets to keep me occupied.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Mi-Parti - Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## Itullian

Small orchestra Sibelius in impeccable digital sound.
Excellent performances. You can hear everything.


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Mozart: Serenade In B-Flat For 13 Winds*
_Orchestra of St. Luke's & Sir Charles Mackerras_


----------



## neoshredder

Going through the Nielsen Symphony Cycle.


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's Neither - Sarah Leonard, soprano, Zoltan Pesco, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 1 in C Major (Quatuor Festetics)









Symphony No. 50 in C Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









Stanley Myers - Cavatina (Göran Söllscher).









Solo guitar music has a lot to offer - really liking this CD.


----------



## SimonNZ

William Schuman's Viiolin Concerto - Philip Quint, violin, Jose Serebrier, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

A Sunday morning with Jorge Bolet:

Franck: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
Beethoven: Sonata in F Minor, Op.57 "Appassionata"
Liszt: Sonetti del Petrarca 104 and 123
Liszt: Reminiscenses of Bellini's "Norma"

These are from two broadcasts of live performances given in 1988, the playing is wonderful. The beautiful sonorous sound he gets from the piano in the Chorale of the Franck is a miracle that demands to be heard! I love it all- and it's especially nice to have the "Appassionata", which he didn't record commercially.


----------



## SimonNZ

Matthias Georg Monn's Cello Concerto - Jacqueline Du Pre, cello, John Barbirolli, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Robert Schumann - Schumann: String Quartets 1-3, Piano Quintet









Gringolts String Quartet
Peter Laul

Allmusic


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth; Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## Andolink

*George Frideric Hande*l: _L'allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Moderato_ (Pastoral Ode)
Michael Ginn (Boy Soprano), Patrizia Kwella (Soprano) 
Marie McLaughlin (Soprano), Jennifer Smith (Soprano) 
Maldwyn Davies (Tenor), Martyn Hill (Tenor)
Stephen Varcoe (Baritone)
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 137 "Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren", BWV 168 "Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort"
BWV 79 "Gott die Herr ist Sonn und Schild", BWV 164 "Ihr die ihre euch von Christo nennet"
By Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Makoto Sakurada [tenor] Peter Kooij [bass], Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Slightly inspired by Dr.Kilroy's mentioning of the disc I thought it was time to give this disc a listening again:

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Stabat Mater, Salve Regina
By Nuria Rial [soprano], Carlos Mena [counter], Ricerar Consort, Philippe Pierlot [dir.], on Mirare









Jan Dismas Zelenka - Missa dei Filii, Litaniae Lauretanae 
By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter tenor singing alto parts], Christope Prégardien [tenor], Gordon Jones [bass], Stuttgarter Kammerchor, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## SimonNZ

Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No.63 "Loon Lake" - Stewart Robertson, cond.


----------



## ptr

Morning music!

*Bolet reDiscovered* - Liszt Recital (RCA)









Jorge Bolet, piano

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 6 (Haenssler)









SWR Symphony Orchestra u. Kirill Kondrashin

Someone mentioned Kondrashin Mahler 6 earlier this weekend, and KK is a mean Mahlerian! 

*Wolfgang Rihm* - Jagden und Formen (DG)









Ensemble Modern u. Dominique May

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Roberto Sawicki, Michel Westphal, Robert Thuillier & Orchestre de Lancy-Genève - *Ernest Bloch*: Œuvres pour orchestre









Very romantic and colourfull music

amazon


----------



## AndyS

The Solti Rosenkavalier


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Delius - Sonatas for Violin and Piano

Sonata No. 1 (1914)
Sonata No. 2 (c. 1923)
Sonata no. 3 (1930)

Ralph Holmes, Violin; Eric Fenby, Piano. [Unicorn]

These are deeply lyrical works of great beauty. For the first time I can hear the links with the music of Debussy (and, I think, Faure)

This recording has a spoken intoroduction by Eric Fenby on the dictation of the third sonata to him by Delius. I have just noticed that the 1973 LP cover features a Stanley Spencer painting, the original of which hangs in Rochdale Art Gallery not far from here.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg*.









I find myself particularly enjoying the beginning of Act I, the conversation between Eva, Walther, David and Magdalene. The music flows so nicely there.


----------



## Oskaar

*Quatuor Ludwig* - Alban Berg: Lyrische Suite Henri Dutilleux: Ainsi la nuit Anton Webern: Langsamer Satz









Allmusic


----------



## maestro267

*Dvorák:* Symphonic Variations
Bavarian RSO/Kubelik

*Brian:* Symphony No. 3 in C sharp minor
BBC SO/Friend


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A day of Delius chamber music, so far!
*
Delius - String Quartet (1916)* / Fitzwilliam Quartet [Decca L'Oiseau-Lyre]

OK, I have to break the sequence now as I don't have any more to hand

*Sibelius - String Quartet in D minor, Op. 56 'Voces intimae'* / Fitzwilliam Quartet [Decca L'O-L]


----------



## Mahlerian

Roussel: Symphony No. 3 in G minor
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Denève









Reminded of this by the 20th century symphonies thread.


----------



## Oskaar

Michel Tirabosco, George Vassilev, Antonio Dominguez, Kalina Goudeva - Kordépan

Michel Tirabosco, George Vassilev, Antonio Dominguez, Kalina Goudeva









arkivmusic

Absolutely a fine record, with lots of personality. I love the guitar-flute combination here, very well balaced.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in F Major, RV 457

Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum Leipzig -- Burkhard Glaetzner, oboe


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No.63 "Loon Lake" - Stewart Robertson, cond.


I really love one Hovhaness piece and it doesn't seem to matter which one.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

My first listen to Jake Heggie's latest work. IMO Heggie is Ned Rorem's most obvious heir as composer of "art song".


----------



## Blancrocher

Serafin's Aida. Not the best recording, perhaps--but oh the passion!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Frank Bridge - Piano Music*, Volume 2 / Ashley Wass

Piano Sonata (1921-24)
Lament for Catherine (1915)
Three Improvisations for the left hand (1918)
Three sketches (1906)
Moderato (1903)
Pensees fugitives (1902)
Scherzettino (1902)

This weekend's newly opened disc. The piano sonata seems a thorny, complex work on first hearing.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenata Notturna in D Major, KV 239

Sir Colin Davis conducting the Symphonie-orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks


----------



## Oskaar

Dimitri Shostakovich - Shostakovich: Concerto No. 2 in G Major for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 126 - Britten: Third Suite for Cello Solo, Op. 87

Pieter Wispelwey Cello
Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra
Jurgen Hempel Conductor









allmusic


----------



## Schubussy

Gustav Mahler - Symphony no. 9
Sir John Barbirolli, Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## GioCar

*Benjamin Britten*: String Quartet No.2 in C Major.
Emperor Quartet
BIS


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Ravel -

Piano concerto in G

Piano concerto in D for the left hand*

Jean-Philippe Collard, Orch. Nat. de France, Maazel [EMI]


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in G Major, Op.23, No.5

Pro Arte Antiqua Praga: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## ptr

Musique de Table!

*Alberto Ginastera* - Popul Vuh & Cantata para América Mágica (*Neos*)









Rayanne Dupuis, soprano; Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo; Ensemble S; Schlagzeugensemble der Musikhochschule Köln; WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln u. Stefan Asbury

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33 No. 2 in E flat major and No. 1 in B minor


----------



## Blancrocher

An old favorite--Gardiner conducting Monteverdi's Vespers.


----------



## MrTortoise

Bach Cantata "Wachet Auf" and "Magnificat"


----------



## Valkhafar

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World".
Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Wassermusik (Philip Pickett; New London Consort).









I like how Pickett lets the overture ring out here - the somewhat slower pace is very enjoyable.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Britten

Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68* / Rostropovich, ECO, Britten

*Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20* / New Phil. O., Britten

*Cantata Misericordum, Op. 69* / Pears, tenor; Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; LS Orch. & Chorus, Britten

[Decca London]

I'm not such a big fan of Britten (maybe because he was the one modernist composer pushed relentlessly at us at school? - a long time ago!), but I do try again from time to time.

These are certainly persuasive readings and an excellent 1964-65 recording.


----------



## bejart

Federigo Fiorillo (1755-1823?): Violin Concerto No.1 in F Major

Jorg Faeber leading the European Union Chamber Orchestra -- Adelina Oprean, violin


----------



## starthrower

Plucked this out of a bargain bin for old time sake. I didn't have any Rimsky on CD.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven Symphony 8 - Chailly & the Gewandhausorchester

This is my first chance to listen to something from this cycle and two things immediately grab me:
1) The tempi are much swifter than I am used to, it was a surprise in the first movement - a pleasant one. As I tend to listen to older, none-HIP recordings, this pace will take some getting used to.
2) The sound quality is fantastic, well recorded and mixed.

If the 8th is anything to go by, this set will be very interesting indeed.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Feuerwerksmusik (Karl Münchinger; Stuttgarter Kammerorchester).


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Symphony No.2 in B Flat, D.125 ..

Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Having listened to Monteverdi's Vespers, I'm finding it hard to get away from this composer. Hickox & co in L'Incoronazione di Poppea.


----------



## DrKilroy

Reich - Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings (Steve Reich and Steve Reich Ensemble)
Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements (Solti).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## starthrower

My other bargain CD for today. Includes The Harmonious Blacksmith, and
other 16th, 17th, and 18th century chestnuts.


----------



## jim prideaux

early in the summer I discovered the big box set of Sibelius works conducted by Vanska on I-tunes for some ridiculously cheap price and have now found Paavo Berglund and the COE recordings of the symphonies on the Finlandia label on I-tunes for £7.99-I believe it would be irresponsible were I to ignore this further opportunity to investigate interpretations of the great mans work......off we go
:tiphat:


----------



## ptr

Night Music!

*Morton Feldman* - The Ecstasy of the Moment (Etcetera)









The Barton Workshop

/ptr


----------



## jim prideaux

jim prideaux said:


> early in the summer I discovered the big box set of Sibelius works conducted by Vanska on I-tunes for some ridiculously cheap price and have now found Paavo Berglund and the COE recordings of the symphonies on the Finlandia label on I-tunes for £7.99-I believe it would be irresponsible were I to ignore this further opportunity to investigate interpretations of the great mans work......off we go
> :tiphat:


quoting myself......listened to the 3rd symphony first and I believe anyone with an interest in Sibelius would be intrigued....Berglund is one of the more prominent interpreters of his fellow country mans works...coupled with a smaller orchestra, the sound being more 'intimate' I can only now look forward to listening to their interpretation of the 5th(my own personal favourite symphony by any composer) with real excitement...


----------



## LancsMan

Charpentier:- Medee performed by Les Arts Florissants under William Christie on Erato.

I've struggled a bit with baroque opera - so this was one of my very occasional purchases (a few years ago) in the genre. Luckily this piece is not under the grip of the recitative and da capo aria tyranny. I think I prefer 17th century to 18th century baroque opera - on a very limited sampling. 

This is the only Charpentier I know and I was very happy to make his acquaintance, although at three and a quarter hours it's a bit demanding of time. 

I'm a sucker for the fast and breathless instrumental and choral sections in this. 

Very well performed.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in A Flat, Bryan Ab1

Kevin Mallon directing the Toronto Camerata


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*The Juliet Letters (song sequence for string quartet and voice) - Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet* / Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet [Warner Brothers]

To quote from the 'All Music' review, "This is a distinctive, unusual affair that, at its best, effectively marries chamber music with Beatlesque art pop. And there are a number of moments that work remarkably well on the record...it's easy to intellectualize, even appreciate, what it intends to be, but it's never compelling enough to return to."

However, I have been returning to it!

I managed to hear this work (and other songs given a similar treatment by EC and the Brodskys) live a few years ago at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall.


----------



## Valkhafar

Schubert: Winterreise.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jörg Demus.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Manxfeeder

ptr said:


> *Morton Feldman* - The Ecstasy of the Moment (Etcetera)
> The Barton Workshop


That looks interesting. But on Amazon it's going for $599! Wow! Fortunately, other Barton Workshop CDs are more reasonable. I'm listening to this one.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Busoni - Piano Music*

Etude en forme de variations, Op.17 K.206
Variations on 'Kommt ein Vogel geflogen', K.222
Theme and Variations in C major, K.6 (1873)
Inno Variations, K.16 (1874)
Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prélude in C minor, Op.22 K.213 - 1. Theme and Variations
Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prélude in C minor, Op.22 K.213 - 2. Fugue

Wolf Harden (Piano)

Eine kleine nacht musik...

*Busoni - Toccata K. 287: Preludio; Fantasia; Ciaccona*

Geoffrey Tozer (Piano)

I am very tempted by Marc-Andre Hamelin's newly released 3CD set of late Busoni, but it's a bit pricey.


----------



## starthrower

Chausson-Poeme, Op. 25 Perlman/NYP

Thanks to Aramis!


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Flute Concerto in D Major

Bohdan Warchal leading the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Robert Dohan, flute


----------



## BlackDahlia

*V. Bellini - Norma - Casta Diva* _Veronika Dzhioeva

_


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Mark Padmore and Paul Lewis in Schubert's Schwanengesang.

p.s. I'm not sure I like that Hickox recording of Poppea--a little short on sleaze for my taste! There's some beautiful singing, however.


----------



## Novelette

Campra: Requiem -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Beethoven: 24 Variations on Righini's Arietta "Venni Amore", WoO 65 -- Mikhail Pletnev

Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44 -- Vadim Repin; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

Debussy: Images #2, L 111 -- Pierre-Laurent Aimard

And finally, the obligatory...

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2 -- Murray Perahia


----------



## dgee

Had a bit of a Berio marathon so decompressing with Brahms Cello Sonata 1 (Schiff/Oppitz)


----------



## Vaneyes

For *John Barry's* (1933 - 2011) birthday, Out of Africa soundtrack.

View attachment 27781


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.93 in D Major

Jack Martin Handler directing the Solistes Europeens of Luxembourg


----------



## Sonata

The first act of Madama Butterfly last night


----------



## EricABQ

Henselt's etudes op. 2 played by Piers Lane.


----------



## Schubussy

Einojuhani Rautavaara - Cantus Arcticus
Robin Ticciati, Rotterdam Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

yum.


----------



## opus55

Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 & 2


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Violin sonatas


----------



## bejart

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Fugue No.3 on a Theme by Haydn

Jaroslav Tuma, piano


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Valkhafar

Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2.
Krystian Zimerman, Polish Festival Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D 200; Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485 and Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D 759 {"Unfinished"}. *
All three works feature Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, * both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## senza sordino

Bach Mass in Bm and Monteverdi 1610 Vespers this Sunday morning. 
Lang Lang plays Prokofiev 3rd and Bartok 2nd Piano Concerti with Simon Rattle

Bartok, Eotvos, Ligeti violin concerti

and Lutoslawski Symphonies 1 and 2 Conducts his own works


----------



## Andolink

*Christoph Willibald Gluck*: _Orfeo ed Euridice_
Euridice----Nancy Argenta
Orfeo------Michael Chance
Amore-----Stefan Beckerbauer
Kammerchor Stuttgart
Tafelmusik/Frieder Bernius


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).









Beethoven's 4th symphony is one of my favourites by him.


----------



## SimonNZ

Harri Vuori's Symphony No.2 - Tuomas Pirila, cond.

edit: now Elena Firsova's String Quartet No.4 "Amorosa" - Chilingirian Quartet










edit: now Nikos Skalkottas' Largo Sinfonico - Nikos Christodoulou, cond.


----------



## Bas

Andolink said:


> *Christoph Willibald Gluck*: _Orfeo ed Euridice_
> Euridice----Nancy Argenta
> Orfeo------Michael Chance
> Amore-----Stefan Beckerbauer
> Kammerchor Stuttgart
> Tafelmusik/Frieder Bernius
> View attachment 27798


How is this recording in terms of sound quality? (I like the performers, am interested in the work, but as a very critic listener for recording quality I'm always a bit concerned with older cds...)

Now to stay on topic, I'm currently enjoying Mozart:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 24 in Cm, Piano Concerto no. 25 in C, Piano Concerto no. 17 in G, Piano Concerto no. 20 in Dm
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Solists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## SimonNZ

Penderecki's Utrenja - Andrzej Markowski, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

my own personal 'touchstone' with any Sibelius cycle is the 3rd and I have just spent a considerable amount of time listening to the recording by Berglund with the COE-and it is certainly impressive,the smaller string section giving it a real rhythmic vitality-I have also listened to the 6th-in the summer I posted the observation that under the baton of Vanska the work appeared anew and now with Berglund it also has a life about it that I personally had not really been aware of-it leads me to believe that the interpretations I had heard up to that point had not really done the work justice.......I would humbly suggest that anyone with a real interest in Sibelius might find the Berglund COE recordings really rather enjoyable.


----------



## EricABQ

Henselt's piano concerto in F minor, op. 16.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G Major, BWV 1048

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## Andolink

Bas said:


> How is this recording in terms of sound quality? (I like the performers, am interested in the work, but as a very critic listener for recording quality I'm always a bit concerned with older cds...)


The recorded sound is extremely good. I listened using a very highly resolving headphone rig and got a strong sense of "being there". Very clear, vivid and full frequency. Also excellent, realistic balance between voices and orchestra. Don't hesitate!


----------



## Valkhafar

Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4.
Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - "Sturm und Drang Sinfonien" no. 42 in D, no. 44 in Em "Trauer", no. 46 in B, 
no. 35 in B-flat, no. 38 in C, no. 39 in Gm, no. 59 in A "Feuer"
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv









Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 6 "Pastorale"
By The Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## realdealblues

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting my day with a couple of favorite Takemitsu albums.


----------



## brotagonist

I'm still working through the new arrivals from last week, giving them another few playings until I feel that I know them well enough to be considered part of my collection. Hence my morning is looking like this:


----------



## Oskaar

Monica Huggett - Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin









allmusic


----------



## Mahlerian

Returning to Saturday's BSO concert:

Penderecki: Concerto Grosso No. 1 for three cellos and orchestra
Gautier Capuçon, Daniel Müller-Schott, Arto Noras, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dutoit


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Requiem*


----------



## Blancrocher

Game following oskaar, via Rautavaara:

Einojuhani Rautavaara's 7th symphony, with Hannu Koivula conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## Bas

How can one stop the cd player when after the applause of the Pastorale the first four notes of the 5th strike?

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 5
By The Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Martin*: Violin, Cello Concerti, w. Kling, Kates (rec.1963 - '73); Orchestral Music, w. Chailly (rec.1991 - '94), Bamert (rec.1993).

*Martinu*: Orchestral Music, w. Hickox et al (rec.1989); Cello Sonatas, w. Starker & Firkusny (rec.1990).

View attachment 27820
View attachment 27821
View attachment 27822
View attachment 27823
View attachment 27824


----------



## Mahlerian

Last item on the concert program:

Elgar: Enigma Variations
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dutoit


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Rudolf Kempe conducting Brahms:
- Symphony 3 with the Berlin Philharmonic
- Symphony 4 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra









Absolutely fantastic on both pieces.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Saint-Saens, Requiem*
> 
> View attachment 27813


Inspired by Manx's listening...

View attachment 27826


----------



## Blancrocher

For the anniversary of his death, I'll listen to Faure's Requiem (and Durufle's while I'm at it).


----------



## rrudolph

Kapsberger: Various pieces for lute & chitarrone








Monteverdi/Ferrari: Lamento d'Arianna/Zefiro Torna etc.








Purcell: Ode on St. Cecelia's Day


----------



## moody

From a 1994 Promenade Concert :

Anne Evans,soprano . Wagner ,Wesendonck Lieder.
" Goetterdaemerung" . Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey.
 Siegfried's Funeral Music. 
Bruennhilde's Immolation Scene.
BBC National Orchestra of Wales cond.Tadaaki Otaka.

This looked nothing like this when I typed it out.


----------



## Oskaar

Playing from

Sebastian Benda - Martinu: Works For Cello And Piano, Vol. 2









Works
Pastorales (6) for cello & piano, H. 190
Nocturnes (4) for cello & piano, H. 189
Suite Miniature for cello & piano, H. 192

Christian Benda Cello
Sebastian Benda Piano

Allmusic


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico


----------



## jim prideaux

Glazunov 3rd symphony-Otaka BBC Nat Orch of Wales....still so unsure, I have listened to the 4th a number of times and I still feel as if there is something missing......as I said before there is no doubting the mans ability to fully utilise the orchestra and he also has a great sense of melody...his music undoubtedly exudes an obvious charm...but I have spent today with Berglund and the COE Sibelius symphonies....perhaps the comparison is unfortunate...


----------



## Oskaar

Brahms: Four-Hand Piano Music, Vol. 1

Christian Kohn / Silke-Thora Matthies









Allmusic


----------



## MrCello

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Valkhafar

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet.
Lorin Maazel, The Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Stenhammar: piano works


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony of Wind Instruments (Boulez).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Catching up with a radio show I missed on Sunday devoted to Meredith Monk - the current Composer Of The Week on the radio


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn - Harmoniemesse in B-flat Major (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Mei; Von Magnus; Lippert; Widmer; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler's 4th Symphony: Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic

Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic simply glow in this recording. There was always a great synergy between the two and it is truly a shame that it did not last longer. Lucia Popp is a definite highlight on this recording, (as always) in beautiful form.


----------



## DrKilroy

Irving Fine - Partita for Wind Quintet (Boehm Quintette).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Evoken

Currently on...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Leo Weiner, Serenade for Small Orchestra* and *Prince Csonsgor und die Kobolde.*

This is my first exposure to this composer. Solti pays loving tribute to his teacher. He's not as radical as his contemporary, Bela Bartok, but after all this time has passed, it doesn't really matter anymore; it's just fun to hear.


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Busoni - Six Etudes Op. 16; Etude en forme de Variation Op. 17* / Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)

I know that Busoni's work is a bit uneven by the highest standards but there's often something harmonically and rhythmically unusual going on in his solo piano music - I find it mesmerising.

I go back again and again to Busoni. (I must listen to Alkan and Erik Satie again too)


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been enjoying some Cage and Ligeti.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68

Sit Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## EricABQ

Hummel's trumpet concerto.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Bunte Blatter Op. 99* / Finghin Collins (Piano) [Claves]

I went a bit overboard on Schumann 2 - 3 years ago and acquired all (except the Drei Sonaten für die Jugend Op. 118) of his solo piano works on CD. I'd only known the Op. 12 Fantasiestucke and Op. 17 Fantasia in my LP-collecting days.

And this was one of the gems I discovered.


----------



## Sid James

This will be the first post here, I hope of many, called *Contrasts and Connections in Music*. These will compare and contrast various works with I like, many of them key works in the repertoire. I am compiling them in a blog of the same name which I have put in my footer below. They are aimed at all listeners of classical music on this forum, of all levels and interests. What I'm hoping to do is link things as well as share my thoughts. I am aiming to avoid jargon and just focus on the music and its history, the composer's lives and stylistic focus, innovations, etc.

*Two Devlishly Difficult French Piano Sonatas - Alkan & Boulez*

Comparing two piano sonatas by French composers written almost exactly 100 years apart. Alkan's is from 1847 and Boulez's from 1948.

There are similarities here. Both are frighteningly difficult for even the best pianists. Liszt baulked at playing Alkan's music, and pianist Yvonne Loriod literally cried when she first saw the score of Boulez's new sonata.

Another similarity is the wild contrast in moods in these pieces. Both start off with a bang, immediately grabbing the listener's attention, but they both end quietly. In between, there are many changes in emotion and atmosphere in Alkan's sonata, whilst Boulez's sonata is like a kaleidoscope of varying textures, shapes and sounds in musical form.

In terms of the two men's personalities, there are contrasts, Alkan being a semi-recluse and eccentric in music, and Boulez being the very public face of Modernism in the post-1945 decades both as a composer, theorist and conductor.










*Alkan* _Grande Sonate, "Les quatre Ages," Op. 33_
- Alan Weiss, piano (Brilliant Classics)

*Alkan's sonata "The Four Ages of Man" *puts to music the life of a man with all its highs and lows, joys and sorrows. The initial outburst of the first movement is contrasted with a tender love theme. In the second movement, there is the same contrast between passion and drama, the inspiration here being Goethe's play _Faust_. In comparison, the third movement has at its heart a flowing tender melody, and the finale mixes bells tolling and choral harmonies in an ending tending towards a pretty bleak and despairing view of old age. Keep in mind that the sonata ends in a person's fifties, which we would not consider old age now.










*Boulez* _Piano Sonata #2 (Deuxieme Sonate)_
- Idil Biret, piano (Naxos)

*Boulez's second sonata *is a mix of influences, principally Messiaen and Webern. Unlike Alkan's sonata, it doesn't follow any program or tell any story. Despite his more objective aesthetic, Boulez conveys images and moods just as Alkan does. The energetic moments relate a kind of elemental force and maybe even a kind of jazzy grooviness, whilst the slow movement (Lent) conveys the feel of a night-time world, of shadows and vagueness, the unknown.

At first I was confused by this Boulez piece, but as I realised it was fruitless to search for a melody or theme, I got further with it. I learnt to let go and simply go with where it takes me in terms of images and moods. I found it more useful to listen to the contrasts in dynamics (loud and soft) as well as for that pointillist aspect, the silences as well - comparing the parts where the texture is sparse and parts where things are busy and crowded. Idil Biret's fiery interpretation has really worked with me, although Maurizio Pollini's account gives a more objective account of the piece that is also interesting to hear.

Also looking at a bit of what went on between Alkan and Boulez:

*Liszt* _Funerailles_ 
*Chopin* _Selection of Nocturnes, Mazurkas & Etudes_ 
*Debussy* _Etude #11_
- Vladimir Horowitz, piano (EMI)










In a sense, while composers in the mid 19th century like Alkan, Chopin and Liszt where pioneering new directions in piano technique, Boulez was by the mid 20th century looking back and building upon their innovations.

*Liszt's Funerailles*, with its tolling bells and macabre feel, provides a good parallel with the finale of Alkan's sonata. *Chopin's nocturnes *in some ways look forward to the night time aspects of Boulez's sonata which I garnered. The sudden rushes and also aspects of fine gradations of colour of *Debussy's etudes *also present parallels with Alkan and Boulez. Debussy, one of Boulez's compositional idols, was influenced by both Chopin and Liszt, so there is that link there too.


----------



## ProudSquire

*J.N Hummel*

Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 104
Jiří Bárta - Cello. 
Hamish Milne - Piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Lulu Suite
Arleen Auger, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, cond. Rattle


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Nachtstucke Op. 23* / Finghin Collins (Piano)

I think the 'Nachtstucke' are amongst Schumann's great solo piano works


----------



## chrisco97

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 4
_Anima Eterna Orchestra/Jos van Immerseel_

Have never cared for this Beethoven symphony as much as the others, so I decided to give Immerseel's version a listen. I loved his version of the first symphony, which was another one I was not crazy about and absolutely loved it. Already, I am hearing things I have never heard before in this symphony. I love this cycle so much words cannot explain it.


----------



## Andolink

*George Frideric Handel*: _Judas Maccabeus_
Guy de Mey, tenor
Lisa Saffer, soprano
Patricia Spence, mezzo-soprano
David Thomas, bass
University of California Berkeley Chamber Chorus/John Butt
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra/Nicholas McGegan


----------



## Itullian

Wonderful recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

Berg's Wozzeck. I've been looking forward to this one since reading Alex Ross's loving analysis of it. Incidentally, Georg Büchner (from whom Berg adapted his libretto) is among my favorite playwrights.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

AClockworkOrange said:


> Rudolf Kempe conducting Brahms:
> - Symphony 3 with the Berlin Philharmonic
> - Symphony 4 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 27825
> 
> 
> Absolutely fantastic on both pieces.


I love these performances. This was the first performance I ever heard of the Third Symphony- coupled with the Tragic Overture and I couldn't have had a better introduction! In fact, it was also the first Brahms Symphony I'd heard! On HMV Concert Classics it was, £1.75 in a post-Christmas sale at W.H. Smiths in 1981!


----------



## brotagonist

My longed-for delivery arrived today  5 albums (8 CDs)... and I think another order of 4 albums should be due this week! I can hardly contain myself. Stay tuned for the unveiling  I will start listening tomorrow, as I am still winding up Ives, Boulez, Carter tonight


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Major, KV 331

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## Weston

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Busoni - Piano Music*
> 
> Etude en forme de variations, Op.17 K.206
> Variations on 'Kommt ein Vogel geflogen', K.222
> Theme and Variations in C major, K.6 (1873)
> Inno Variations, K.16 (1874)
> Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prélude in C minor, Op.22 K.213 - 1. Theme and Variations
> Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prélude in C minor, Op.22 K.213 - 2. Fugue
> 
> Wolf Harden (Piano)
> 
> Eine kleine nacht musik...
> 
> *Busoni - Toccata K. 287: Preludio; Fantasia; Ciaccona*
> 
> Geoffrey Tozer (Piano)
> 
> I am very tempted by Marc-Andre Hamelin's newly released 3CD set of late Busoni, but it's a bit pricey.


And I thought Busoni mostly reworked Bach pieces. Hmmm. I'd like to hear what he does for Chopin.



Vaneyes said:


> For *John Barry's* (1933 - 2011) birthday, Out of Africa soundtrack.
> 
> View attachment 27781


I used to have his film score for The Lion in Winter. Never saw the film, but the music is archetypal. Just perfect on its own.



Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Martin*: Violin, Cello Concerti, w. Kling, Kates (rec.1963 - '73); Orchestral Music, w. Chailly (rec.1991 - '94), Bamert (rec.1993).


The Martin / Bamert recording on Chandos is very good indeed, though I can't say I like Purple Pegasus much. It's sad when the main work is labeled merely "Symphonie" meaning there is only one I guess. Martin is among my favorite 20th century composers even if he pronounced his name funny.



Manxfeeder said:


> *Leo Weiner, Serenade for Small Orchestra* and *Prince Csonsgor und die Kobolde.*
> 
> This is my first exposure to this composer. Solti pays loving tribute to his teacher. He's not as radical as his contemporary, Bela Bartok, but after all this time has passed, it doesn't really matter anymore; it's just fun to hear.
> 
> View attachment 27847


Weiner's Romance for cello, harp & string orchestra is just about the most beautiful piece of music in my collection. I never tire of it!

You folks have astounding taste.


----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with something a little lighter: Hickox conducting Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream.


----------



## Weston

*Dora Pejacevic: Symphony in F sharp minor, Op. 41*
Ari Rasilainen / Rheinland-Pfalz Staatsphilharmonie
($4.95 in Amazon's MP3 store!)









I had never heard of this composer but the beautiful cover drew my eye (doing its job!) and the samples sounded good. It is fairly light romantic or post-romantic, sounding similar at times to Strauss' _Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks_ only not jumping around so much. Maybe not quite that light, but there is no war-time angst here. There is also a hint of 1930s or 40s Hollywood film score, but that could be said of all post-romantic. Not earth shattering maybe, but must it always be? I'd give it three and half out of five stars. I'm not disappointed.

[Edit: After looking her up on Wikipedia I see she was fairly prolific. She wrote a bit of everything. The Symphony was composed in 1917, so closer to romantic maybe. Nice.]


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's Mikrokosmos - Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## Valkhafar

Bach: The Toccatas, BWV 910 - 916.
Angela Hewitt.


----------



## Weston

Staying up late tonight doing a little artwork. Got a very eclectic mix going.

*Telemann: Viola Concerto in G major, TWV 51:G9*
Richard Edlinger / Capella Istropolitana









*Samuel Barber: Capricorn Concerto, for flute, oboe, trumpet & strings, Op. 21*
Donald Barra / The San Diego Chamber Orchestra









This last one has me a little jittery with its spiky rhythms. Good thing I'm not doing detail work. I'm loving some of the articulations on the trumpet in this. It sounds a lot less shrill than many trumpets, a bit windy of embrasure. I don't know the technical term for what I'm trying to say. I'm starting to really enjoy Barber more and more.


----------



## SimonNZ

Adriana Holszky's String Quartet To Schubert No.1 - Nomos Quartet

edit: now Andrzej Panufnik's Sinfonia Votiva - Lukasz Borowicz, cond.










edit: now Harrison Birtwistle's Night's Black Bird - Ryan Wigglesworth, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

to start the day-Martinu-piano quintet performed by Lindsays/Frankl


----------



## SimonNZ

Harrison Birtwistle's Five Distances For Five Instruments - Ensemble interContemporain, Pierre Boulez


----------



## ptr

Something to get the morning juices flowing!

*Ligeti & Reich* - African Rhythms (Teldec)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano & AKA Pygmies (interludes)

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

James Dillon's The Book Of Elements - Noriko Kawai, piano

edit: now Barbara Kolb's Soundings - Ensemble interContemporain


----------



## dgee

Berg Violin Concerto (Watanabe/Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden). Never been my favourite Berg (a bit syrupy in places) but it's growing on me


----------



## SimonNZ

Boris Tishchenko's Sonata For Piano And Bells


----------



## jim prideaux

later 'n the morning-another return to Glazunov-5th-Otaka and the Welsh BBC outfit......


----------



## aleazk

Morton Feldman - _Rothko Chapel_.


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Star Child - Thomas Conlin, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

just arrived in the post-various recordings of Russian cello concertos that I have not heard but felt an increasing desire to investigate and I happened to find cheap second hand copies on Amazon-last night I found a copy of the Lindsays performing the Death and the Maiden quartet for 10p!
to start-Kabalevsky 1st cello concerto-Tarasova/Duderova-Symph Orch of Russia-initial reaction-thank goodness I took the opportunity........


----------



## bejart

Francesco Manfredini (1684-1762): Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.3, No.10

Jaroslav Krcek conducting Capella Istropolitana


----------



## EricABQ

Prokofiev piano sonatas 1 and 2 played by Boris Berman.


----------



## shangoyal

Handel: *Messiah*

The English Concert and Choir / Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin_, BWV125
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Andreas Weller, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Schubussy

Toru Takemitsu - Orchestral Works
Hiroshi Wakasugi, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Bas

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - l'Olympiade
By Rafaella Millanesi [soprano], Ann-Beth Solvang [mezzo], Olga Paschnyk [soprano], Martin Oro [tenor], Jeffrey Francis [tenor], Markus Brutscher [tenor], Academia Montis Regalis, Allesandro de Marchi [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

Cypress String Quartet - The American Album

Barber, S:	
String Quartet, Op. 11

Dvorak:	
String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'

Griffes:	
Two Sketches on Indian Themes

Puts:	
Lento assai









prestoclassics


----------



## Blancrocher

Schubert's Schwanengesang, and a first listen to Loewe's Ballads, both sung by Thomas Quasthoff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Glazunov, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## brotagonist

It's odd how some composers can become world sensations and then fall into the shadow of others over the passage of time. I think this has been, to some degree, the fate of Prokofiev. For decades, my only knowledge of his music was the children's tale, _Peter and the Wolf_, which I thought was cute, but it also killed my interest in exploring his music further. This summer, I chanced upon his _Piano Concertos 1, 4 & 5_ and his _Symphonies 1 & 5_ at a used CD store. I was so impressed, and surprised that I could have ignored him for so many decades, that I began a campaign to get a few albums of his great works. I now have 8.

I was after his _Symphony 4_, which intrigued me, as he had so painstakingly rewritten it many years later, that it is now considered to be, de facto, an entirely different symphony from the original _Symphony 4_. An added treat on this disc, that fills it out to near capacity, is the presence of _Symphony 3_.









Mstislav Rostropovich/Orchestre National de France


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 in D minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









The tonal logic of this work is bizarre. The first movement seems to drive towards C major, and then it adds a seemingly perfunctory 4 bars over a D pedal to pull it back, no cadence or anything.


----------



## Kieran

Isserlis and Hough performing Brahms cello in e-minor...


----------



## ptr

Afternoon treat on the commuter train:

*Luciano Berio* - Sinfonia & Ekphrasis (DG 20/21)









London Voices & Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Peter Eötvös

*Grazyna Bacewicz* - Violin Concertos 4, 5 & 2 (Chandos)









Joanna Kurkowicz, violin; Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Lukasz Borowicz

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Beethoven and Schumann, by Biss and Quasthoff respectively. I'm enjoying these performers.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Prokofiev*: Violin Concerti, w. Vengerov (rec.1994 - '96); Symphony-Concerto, w. Chang (rec.2003); Piano Concerti, w. Berman (rec.1989); Argerich (rec.1967); Richter (rec.1959).

View attachment 27888
View attachment 27889
View attachment 27890
View attachment 27891
View attachment 27892


----------



## Vaneyes

ptr said:


> Afternoon treat on the commuter train:
> 
> *Luciano Berio* - Sinfonia & Ekphrasis (DG 20/21)
> 
> View attachment 27882
> 
> 
> London Voices & Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Peter Eötvös
> 
> *Grazyna Bacewicz* - Violin Concertos 4, 5 & 2 (Chandos)
> 
> View attachment 27883
> 
> 
> Joanna Kurkowicz, violin; Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Lukasz Borowicz
> 
> /ptr


On the train, ptr? Hopefully you opened speakers, so everyone could enjoy them. A little Nono goes a long way, too. :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Catching up with a radio show I missed on Sunday devoted to Meredith Monk - the current Composer Of The Week on the radio


Don't know about the hair.


----------



## DrKilroy

My plans:

Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements, Symphony in C (Solti)
Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 5 (Berglund/COE) and 6 (Vanska).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kopachris

Good ol' Dvorak.


----------



## ptr

Vaneyes said:


> On the train, ptr? Hopefully you opened speakers, so everyone could enjoy them. A little Nono goes a long way, too. :lol:


Well, that would be Shure in-ear-speakers for solitary confinement in noisy environments, will load some Nono on the AK-player as a future treat! 

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Horowitz* (1989) and *Carter's *(2012) death day, November 5.

View attachment 27894
View attachment 27895


----------



## millionrainbows

So many new things; here is a small report:
Ilhan Mimaroglu: Agitation...A collection of 4 electromagnetic tape compositions from 1968-1972, originally on Folkways, around the time of Sing Me A Song of Songmy (look under Freddie Hubbard). Mimaroglu was a staff producer at Atlantic in the 70's, hired by fellow Turk and all-around great guy mogul Ahmet Ertegun. Yes, these guys actually liked music...it shows. Not just corporate heads (headless corpse?) Ahh, the political creepiness...death squads, assassination, executions, the State, mindless war machines, people shot in the back.
Idil Biret: Archive Edition 3 and 4. A turkish pianist, again the doings of Ahmet Ertegun, this stuff was on the obscure Finnadar LP label, back in the early 1970s. I graduated HS in 1971, so this stuff really imprinted on me. Her Berg Op. 1 Sonata is impeccable. Feminists alert. The Edition 4 has more radical, obscure works by Mimaroglu, Castiglioni, Brouwer (Cuban), and Boucourechliev.
MarescottiGrammont/KOCH import).Born in 1902, Swiss.The songs on here are the draw...piano and bass voice, recorded well. He's non-tonal, and more.
Michel Block plays Robert Schumann (O.M. Records International, Dallas). Oh, man, this is a great, poetic rendering of Schumann! The liner notes say it all: "What he is telling us...we were innocent children once, and we too carried this child into "adulthood"...and we too, like Schumann, fell once upon a time in love with Love and then with the object of love...we too walked arms outstretched into that land...So we can, and shall, go on hearing him with a tear, and a constriction in our hearts that will move us deeply and cause us ineffable "pain"...He did, indeed, die for these, our "sins"..." Yeah, recorded at Indiana University, that's what alerted me, so much good modern music has emerged from there...


----------



## ptr

..abendmusik:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - Symphony No 8 (Phillips)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Semyon Mayevich Bychkov

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Strauss: Horn Concertos Nos.1 & 2 / Duet Concertino / Serenade

Britten Sinfonia / Nicholas Cleobury / David Pyatt









Allmusic


----------



## brotagonist

Another composer who seems to have drifted under the radar, given his fame, is Penderecki. There are quite a number of interesting albums on the Dux label, but they are slightly pricey, so I have hesitated. One day, I noticed that this album was listed twice on the Amazon site, despite both being Dux issues from 2007, but the second listing sold for under $5 new. Sold, I thought without thinking!









I enjoy music that features an instrument, that's what concertos usually do  and this combination of the _Clarinet Concerto_ (a transcription of the _Viola Concerto_) and the _Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra_ (a transcription of the _Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra_, not the same as the _Clarinet Concerto_) followed by _Agnus Dei_ in an orchestra version was just what I was looking for to reacquaint myself with Penderecki through his more recent works.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 4 in G Major (Quatuor Festetics).









Piano Sonata No. 29 in E-flat Major (Emanuel Ax).









I really enjoy Emanuel Ax's crisp style of playing Haydn's sonatas.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 27902


Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake: Acts Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4
Andre Previn & The London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Organ Sonatas No. 1 & 2* (both 1936) and *No. 3 (1940)*

"Neo-Baroque...in a thoroughly 20th century context...[with] grandeur, wit, energy and tenderness" says Calum MacDonald's sleeve note. And so they are.

*Hugo Distler - 4 Spielstucke Op. 18/1* (1938)

*Augustinus Kropfreiter - Toccata Francese* (1961)

Peter Hurford, Reiger organ in Ratzeburg Cathedral, 'West Germany' [Decca Argo]


----------



## Oskaar

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco Concerti for Strings - Opp. 2, 6

Cappella Coloniensis

View attachment 27903


This is great barock music with good, but a little "hard" sound

http://www.google.no/url?sa=t&rct=j...xYHQDQ&usg=AFQjCNHzwGBrTZJ77MNAQrBTeY63yhowCA


----------



## SimonNZ

On the radio:

The third episode devoted to Composerf Of The Week Meredith Monk

Turtle Dreams and Facing North


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, "Pastoral"
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt








For some reason, it's all about Sixths* lately...

*Incidentally, I believe that this is the hardest word in the English language to pronounce correctly...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*J. S. Bach

Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BWV 904
Toccata in E minor, BWV 914
Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E flat, BWV 998*

Gustav Leonhardt (Harpsichord) [Philips]

Wow, this is a startlingly vivid vinyl era recording.


----------



## jim prideaux

DrKilroy said:


> My plans:
> 
> Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements, Symphony in C (Solti)
> Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 5 (Berglund/COE) and 6 (Vanska).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


would be really interested to hear your opinions regarding both Sibelius recordings.......


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak - Slavonic Dances


----------



## Valkhafar

Mozart: Flute Concerto Nos. 1 & 2 - Concerto for Flute and Harp.
James Galway, Marisa Robles.
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.


----------



## jim prideaux

Miaskovsky- Cello Sonatas 1/2 and Cello Concerto performed by Tarasova/Polezhaev/Samoilov and Moscow New Opera Orch.
Regis release ,licensed from Olympia, really nice production.....


----------



## DrKilroy

jim prideaux said:


> would be really interested to hear your opinions regarding both Sibelius recordings.......


I have listened to both of these before, so I can tell you now. 

I do not really care for Vanska's recording, it was just the best I could find online. I like the Berglund/Helsinki recording I have, but I cannot listen to it now. Vanska is OK, but I do not really think it is the best, as some claim.

On the other hand, Sibelius 5 with Berglund and Chamber Orchestra of Europe recording is the best recording of the symphony, if you ask me. The clarity and transparency of a smaller ensemble really makes the music sound more beautiful (this sound kind of stupid, but I cannot put in in other words  ).

My opinion based on samples and fragments of recordings (and of course the entirety of Sibelius 5) is that Berglund/COE is a way to go when it comes to symphonies Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Other numbers are also excellent, I believe, but for numbers 1-4 I prefer the somewhat heavier, often despised Maazel recordings.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Carlos Baguer's Symphony No.18 - Matthias Bamert, cond.

edit: now on the radio: Respighi's Concerto in modo misolidio - Konstantin Scherbakov, piano, Howard Griffiths, cond.










continuing to feel that Respighi is an interesting character whose lesser-known music deserves a reevaluation at some point


----------



## Blancrocher

First listens to Block playing Schumann, which I think was mentioned by MillionRainbows, and to Jurinac singing Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben, Liederkreis, and Respighi's Il tramonto (my favorite work by Respighi). I'll conclude with the only Nono album I own (excepting an old Pachelbel album I keep for sentimental reasons :lol--at least until I see some CPRs of his music.


----------



## joen_cph

SimonNZ said:


> edit: now on the radio: Respighi's Concerto in modo misolidio - Konstantin Scherbakov, piano, Howard Griffiths, cond.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> continuing to feel that Respighi is an interesting character whose lesser-known music deserves a reevaluation at some point


Definitely so. The other Naxos cd with concerto pieces played by Scherbachov is really good, the Toccata for Piano & Orchestra there has a sweeping theme, and the early Piano Concerto is fresh and rhapsodical. Whereas in the Misolodio I have a slight preference for the Chandos recording with Toperzer, very different from Scherbachov and generally slower/more meditative.

Scherbachov´s Naxos issue with solo piano works also has some attractive pieces.


----------



## joen_cph

Manxfeeder said:


> *Glazunov, Symphony No. 4.*


Best recording I know of the 4th ... Serebrier isn´t bad either ;-)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Egon Wellesz, Symphony No. 9. Faure, Requiem*

Wellesz's 9th has a Webern-like sound, which I find attractive, though it is somewhat dark. 
I'm used to Marriner's recording of Faure's Requiem, so I'm making adjustments for Corboz's style - more indulgent in tempi.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Furtwangler & the Philharmonia - Beethoven's Ninth Symphony









I have had this on back order for a relatively long time. It has finally arrived and this is certainly the best quality recording of Beethoven's Ninth under Furtwangler I have ever heard.

Great soloists, strong choir and a strong showing from the Philharmonia.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Prokofiev*: Romeo & Juliet Suites 1 & 2 excerpts, w. Cleveland O./Levi (rec.1983); Symphonies 1 & 5, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1968 - '81); String Quartets, Quintet in G minor, w. Russian Qt. et al (rec.1996); Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, w. Mullova/Anderszewski/Canino (rec.1989); Cello Sonata, w. Chang & Pappano (rec.2003).

View attachment 27915
View attachment 27916
View attachment 27917







View attachment 27918


----------



## Vaneyes

brotagonist said:


> Another composer who seems to have drifted under the radar, given his fame, is Penderecki. There are quite a number of interesting albums on the Dux label, but they are slightly pricey, so I have hesitated. One day, I noticed that *this album was listed twice on the Amazon site, despite both being Dux issues from 2007, but the second listing sold for under $5 new.* Sold, I thought without thinking!
> 
> View attachment 27897
> 
> 
> I enjoy music that features an instrument, that's what concertos usually do  and this combination of the _Clarinet Concerto_ (a transcription of the _Viola Concerto_) and the _Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra_ (a transcription of the _Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra_, not the same as the _Clarinet Concerto_) followed by _Agnus Dei_ in an orchestra version was just what I was looking for to reacquaint myself with Penderecki through his more recent works.


Another smart and satisfied buyer!

If we only had the time to peruse each and every CM CD offering at Amazon Marketplace. No telling how many gems are improperly listed, and will never find their rightful home.


----------



## GioCar

John Cage's 4'33".
I'm in my bed trying to fall asleep.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Berg - Violin Concerto, Lyric Suite & Three Orchestral Pieces, Op.6* / Rebecca Hirsch (violin), Radio-Filharmonisch Orkest Hilversum, Eri Klas

Again!


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder_, BWV 135
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Pascal Bertin, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Bruno Maderna*: _Quadrivium_, for four percussionists and four orchestra groups (1969)
Percussion:
Konrad Graf
Andreas Hepp
Burkhard Roggenbruck
Andreas Boettger
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening to this CD: Yo-Yo Ma and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante and Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme and Andante Cantabile.


----------



## jim prideaux

middle of the night, should be asleep-Janacek 2 Quartets and Dvorak Cypresses-Lindsay Quartet


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Fine Arts Quartet with Francis Tursi on 2nd viola: Leonard Sorkin and Abram Loft, violins -- Bernard Zaslav, viola -- George Sopkin, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

Okay, I'm jumping the gun a little. Hey! Can yuh beat Ella's "Sleigh Ride"? I don't think so. Andy who?

View attachment 27925


----------



## Weston

GioCar said:


> John Cage's 4'33".
> I'm in my bed trying to fall asleep.


Which performer(s)?


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 17, Nos. 44 "Mourning", 88 and 104 "London" - Barry Wordsworth, cond.


----------



## senza sordino

Prokofiev Violin Concerto #1, Vengerov violin with Rostropovich conducting LSO
Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra and Till Eulenspiegel, Karajan conducts Berlin Phil
Tchaikovsky and Dvorak Serenade for Strings (again) Karajan conducts Berlin Phil
Last night is was Bartok Violin Concerto #2, Kopatchinskaya violin


----------



## brotagonist

GioCar said:


> John Cage's 4'33".
> I'm in my bed trying to fall asleep.


You probably have the volume turned up too high


----------



## clavichorder

Murray Perahia playing Beethoven's 2nd piano sonata. Its a very wacky piece, I love it!


----------



## SimonNZ

GioCar said:


> John Cage's 4'33".
> I'm in my bed trying to fall asleep.


What you really need is 8:00:00


----------



## Mahlerian

Berio: Sinfonia
Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra, cond. Eötvös









I know as a Mahler fan I should either love or be outrageously offended by the omnivorous postmodern third movement collage compiled on top of the Scherzo from his Second Symphony, but actually the movement I feel drawn to most is the second, developed from a memorial piece for Martin Luther King. It has an almost impressionist whole-tone scale sonority to it.


----------



## bejart

Nicolaus Kraft (1778-1853): Cello Concerto No.1 in E Minor, Op.3

Jiri Malat leading the Plzen Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Jiri Hosek, cello


----------



## hreichgott

Peter Takacs performing Beethoven's piano sonata Op. 106 "Hammerklavier." 
All the movements are great but I keep going back and replaying the slow movement. Takacs is so perfect for this piece. He plays with all the expressiveness in Beethoven's music but doesn't over-act it or get sentimental in any way. There is a genial, strong and noble quality to Takacs that comes out especially well here.


----------



## GreenMamba

Mahler Symphony #2, Klemperer/Philharmonia


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Douglas Lilburn--*Symphonies Nos.1-3, *performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under John Hopkins. 
Charles Ives--*Symphony No.4, * featuring the Leon Botstein led American Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Christian Lindberg's The World Of Montuagretta - Sharon Bezaly, flute, Christian Lindberg, cond.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Davidsbundlertanze










My listening goal for the rest of 2013 is to go through all of Haydn String Quartets (Kodaly) and Perahia box sets.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Trio Sonata in C Major

Monika Knoblochova, piano -- Jana Semeradova, flute -- Hana Flekova, cello


----------



## Blake

Tintner's Bruckner, Symphony 4. I'm enjoying it, for sure. But I must say that Wand's Bruckner is the one that really blows me away.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jon Leifs' Dettifoss - En Shao, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Jean-Pierre Ferey playing Rameau


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Itullian

Love this recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Axel Borup-Jørgensen's Musica Autumnalis - Leif Segerstam, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

DrKilroy said:


> I have listened to both of these before, so I can tell you now.
> 
> I do not really care for Vanska's recording, it was just the best I could find online. I like the Berglund/Helsinki recording I have, but I cannot listen to it now. Vanska is OK, but I do not really think it is the best, as some claim.
> 
> On the other hand, Sibelius 5 with Berglund and Chamber Orchestra of Europe recording is the best recording of the symphony, if you ask me. The clarity and transparency of a smaller ensemble really makes the music sound more beautiful (this sound kind of stupid, but I cannot put in in other words  ).
> 
> My opinion based on samples and fragments of recordings (and of course the entirety of Sibelius 5) is that Berglund/COE is a way to go when it comes to symphonies Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Other numbers are also excellent, I believe, but for numbers 1-4 I prefer the somewhat heavier, often despised Maazel recordings.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Thanks for that-as I stated in an earlier post Berglund and COE cycle is new to me and I am similarly impressed although I have initially concerned myself with 3rd/6th-there is a clarity and a momentum about these interpretations-possibly down to the smaller number of strings that is really impressive.....
To start the day-Dvorak Cypresses-Lindsay Quartet-I am increasingly finding that I enjoy recordings by the Lindsays more and more and this particular piece has an immediacy and a lyricism that really lends itself to their playing.......


----------



## GioCar

Streaming from Qobuz:
Poulenc - Stabat Mater
Orchestre & Choeur de Paris, Paavo Jarvi


----------



## SimonNZ

Alan Hovhaness' Magnificat - Donald Pearson, cond.


----------



## chrisco97

*On Spotify:*










*Dvorak* - Symphony No. 1

I fell in love with Dvorak's music back when I was around 8 years old or so, not too long after I had gotten my first classical CD (the one that I mentioned in this thread). I was learning how to play _The New World Symphony Theme_ (from the second movement of the ninth symphony) on the piano and absolutely loved it. The emotion I felt from this piece was amazing. It is such a simple piece/melody but I felt like I was in a whole different world playing this piece. I still play it today for the fun of it. Such a beautiful piece.

Last year, I was shown _Hooked on Classics_ by a friend. I enjoyed listening to it, especially when working out. I heard a very familiar melody in one of the tracks and found out it was _Humoresque No. 7_...this meant that two of my favourite pieces were written by the same composer! I had to check out some more of this guy's music. I have loved pretty much all of it I have listened to since then, especially pieces like _the American quartet_...

Anyways, I have never heard any of Dvorak's symphonies except for the ninth. I found this cycle on Spotify and thought I would listen to the first symphony and see what it was like. I loved it and I have now decided I am going to listen through all of them. This should be an awesome experience!


----------



## dgee

GioCar said:


> Streaming from Qobuz:
> Poulenc - Stabat Mater
> Orchestre & Choeur de Paris, Paavo Jarvi


So lovely. His catholic neo-classicism is about the only neo-classicism I really enjoy (Gloria, Carmelites adn even the Organ Concerto!)


----------



## SimonNZ

Brian Ferneyhough's On Stellar Magnitudes - Luisa Castellani, soprano, Zsolt Nagy, cond.


----------



## dgee

Wer, wenn ich schriee, horte mich... Georg Friedrich Haas - Klangforum Wien/Cambreling 

Haas was strongly recommended by a friend and I can see why. Vivid, interesting music!


----------



## aleazk

dgee said:


> Wer, wenn ich schriee, horte mich... Georg Friedrich Haas - Klangforum Wien/Cambreling
> 
> Haas was strongly recommended by a friend and I can see why. Vivid, interesting music!


Check this also:


----------



## SimonNZ

Julian Anderson's Harmony - World Premiere, 2013 Proms

Beginning a new listening project - going through the many "Premieres" from the last four years of BBC Proms, courtesy of the fiveagainstfour chanel


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Violin Concerto in A Major, 'Die Relinge' (Philip Pickett; Pavol Beznosiuk, violin; New London Consort).


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Flute Concerto in D Major

Giorgio Bernasconi leading the Accademia Strumentale Italiana -- Marzio Conti, flute


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Messiah - 'And With His Stripes' (Karl Richter; Donath; Reynolds; Burrows; McIntyre; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## shangoyal

Schumann: *Fantasiestucke, Op. 12*, played by Martha Argerich


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## bejart

Just in from Slovkia ---
Nicolaus Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet No.6 in A Major

Zmeskall Quartet : Milos Valent and Dagmar Valentova, violins -- Peter Vrbincik, viola -- Juraj Kovac, cello


----------



## Mahlerian

Nielsen: Symphony No. 6
San Francisco Symphony, cond. Blomstedt









Another sixth!


----------



## Oskaar

Richard Tognetti - Janacek: String Quartet No. 1 / Haas: String Quartet No. 2 / Szymanowski: String Quartet No. 2

Australian Chamber Orchestra / Richard Tognetti









Brilliant,dreamy performances, and very good sound. The arrangements of the string quartets for small orchestra is very successfull in my oppinion.

allmusic


----------



## realdealblues

Klemperer: Merry Waltz, String Quartet No. 7
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia Orchestra

Since I got my new set in the mail, I'm exploring Klemperer's own compositions. I loved the Merry Waltz. The String Quartet No. 7 is a little more modern and may take another listen. A note or two sounded a little sour but overall it was enjoyable. I'm really excited to check out his Symphony No. 2.


----------



## Winterreisender

A while ago I bought this box set, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore doing 21 discs of Schubert lieder. This has to be one of the best purchases I've ever made. I'm about half-way through it so far.

At the moment I can't stop listening to the song "Der Alpenjäger" which is a wonderful setting of a Schiller poem.


----------



## Manxfeeder

realdealblues said:


> Klemperer: Merry Waltz


At first I thought you mistyped the Merry Widow Waltz, but sure enough, that's its name. I didn't think Klemps did_ anything_ merry. I'm listening now on Spotify. It sounds more loopy than merry. Now, that's restoring my faith in Klemps.


----------



## Bas

Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartet in Cm, Piano Quartet in Gm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonata no. 9 "Kreutzer"
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

Schumann: Works For Clarinet And Piano

Martin Fröst (clarinet), Roland Pöntinen (piano)









amazon


----------



## brotagonist

I also have Blomstedt on:









This finally replaces _Nobilissima Visione_, _Mathis der Maler Symphony_ and _Symphonic Metamorphosis_, that I once had on LP, and adds lots more to my collection.

I have always had a certain fondness for Hindemith. Mostly, I know his earlier expressionist works. Here, we have symphonic works from his later period in the USA.


----------



## maestro267

*Tchaikovsky*: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major
Donohoe (piano)/Bournemouth SO/Barshai

*Walton*: Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor
CBSO/Rattle


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Myaskovsky, Symphony No. 6.*

I've seen this symphony mentioned a few times around here, so I'm seeing what all the fuss is about. I started listening to another recording, but when I saw Kondrashin on Spotify, I started over with him; his version grabbed me from the beginning.


----------



## Blancrocher

Eberhard Wächter singing Carl Loewe.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Prokofiev*: Piano Sonatas, w. Richter (rec.1961 - '89); Pogorelich (rec.1982); Argerich (rec.1979).

View attachment 27950














View attachment 27952


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Prokofiev*: Piano Sonatas, w. GG (rec.1967); Bronfman (rec.1995); Sokolov (rec.1984).

View attachment 27956
View attachment 27957
View attachment 27958


----------



## Oskaar

Cypress String Quartet - Haydn, Ravel, Schulhoff









String Quartet No. 64 in D major *Joseph Haydn*
String Quartet in F major *Maurice Ravel*
Pieces (5) for string quartet *Erwin Schulhoff*

allmusic

Listen to the Haydn string quartet now. Very beautiful, and some times quite original. Full of moods and colours, very well expressed by Cypress String Quartet Brilliant sound


----------



## rrudolph

Nishimura: Ketiak/Tala/Padma in Meditation/Legong/Concerto for Timpanist and Five Percussionists








Ishii: Concertante Op. 79/Xenakis: Pleiades








Nishimura: Kala/Miyoshi: Rin-sai/Takemitsu: Rain Tree/Matsushita: Airscope II/Miki: Marimba Spiritual








Cage: Four 4


----------



## opus55

Bartok: String Quartet No. 6


----------



## Mahlerian

Seems that other people are going to "sixths" as well!

Berg: 7 Early Songs, Piano Sonata Op. 1 (in B minor), 4 Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Wozzeck Interlude, Lyric Suite
Alban Berg Quartet, various









Well, the Lyric Suite has six movements, at least...


----------



## starthrower

^^^^
Great 2 disc compilation of Berg's music! I bought a copy a couple years back. I've since picked up the 5 disc Boulez Edition on Sony. I need to get listening to that set.


----------



## Mahlerian

starthrower said:


> ^^^^
> Great 2 disc compilation of Berg's music! I bought a copy a couple years back. I've since picked up the 5 disc Boulez Edition on Sony. I need to get listening to that set.


I also own the complete Deutsche Grammophon set and a few other versions of certain pieces (and heard numerous others), but I enjoy some of these recordings more.


----------



## Blancrocher

Beethoven's 1st Piano Concerto and Les Adieux--such happy music!

Makes me happy! :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Tchaikovsky* (1893) and *Varese's* (1965) death day, November 6.

View attachment 27965
View attachment 27966


----------



## Bas

An arrival I am very happy with:

Vincenzo Bellini - Norma
By Maria Callas [soprano], Christa Ludwig [alto], Franco Corelli [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Orchestra and Choir of the Theatre de Scala, Tullio Serafin [dir.] on EMI









Now that I'm following along with the text I get why she is such a legend: not only is her singing superb, she makes her whole role credible, meaningful, with emotion (even very noticeable from a cd recording). I am very happy!


----------



## Oskaar

Cypress String Quartet - Debussy, Suk, Cotton

String Quartet, L. 85 (Op. 10) *Claude Debussy*
Barcarolle for string quartet *Josef Suk *
Ballade for string quartet in D minor *Josef Suk*
String Quartet No.1 *Jeffery Cotton*









allmusic


----------



## starthrower

Mahlerian said:


> I also own the complete Deutsche Grammophon set and a few other versions of certain pieces (and heard numerous others), but I enjoy some of these recordings more.


I'm a big fan of the EMI 2 & 3 disc comps. They've been very helpful in familiarizing myself with the modern repertoire. I have the Ravel, Lutoslawski, Henze, Dutilleux, Schoenberg, Szymanowski, Hindemith, Penderecki, Hartmann, Xenakis, Milhaud, and Berg.


----------



## Blancrocher

Gardiner conducting Bach's Mass in B minor.

All is well!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Book of Days / Meredith Monk *(with vocal / instrumental ensemble) / [ECM new series, 1990]


----------



## Vesteralen

I forgot just how much I enjoy the music of Howard Hanson till I listened to this disc today in the car. I'm not sure about the relative depth of his music, but he does make an immediate impact as far as I'm concerned. A very "listenable" composer, and that can't be all bad.


----------



## Oskaar

Norbert Burgmuller - Burgmuller: Symp[honies Nos. 1 & 2

Frieder Bernius / Hofkapelle Stuttgart









allmusic


----------



## mstar

*Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 4*. It's really been a while since I've heard this one, though it's quite a masterpiece! Near the end of the first movement, I've always thought it sounds Heavenly.

And now *Rach's Piano Concerto No. 5* is playing, since it's next in the list. Compliments the fourth very well. Nevertheless, in all, I find it a little ironic that I would listen to the No. 4 on such a day as this one! November the sixth. Why I cannot forget that date, I do not know! All that I _do_ know about this is that I will NOT be listening to any Tchiakovsky today. That's just the way it goes.


----------



## mstar

Vaneyes said:


> For *Tchaikovsky* (1893) and *Varese's* (1965) death day, November 6.
> 
> View attachment 27965
> View attachment 27966


Manfred, a good one. I haven't touched the sixth on Nov. 6th in years, though. That would be unnecessarily irrational, and in fact, I do not listen to any Tchiakovsky on the sixth (of Nov.)! So keep with Manfred, I think.


----------



## Oskaar

Stephane Sylvestre - Carl Reinecke And Friends Chamber Music Of The Romantic Era

James Campbell Clarinet
Rena Sharon Piano 
James Sommerville Horn 
Stéphan Sylvestre Piano









allmusic


----------



## Dustin

Listening to a few of the bazillion Scarlatti sonatas. Not sure if I'll ever become familiar with them all.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Richard Strauss - Don Quixote Op.35* / BPO, Herbert von Karajan, Fournier ('cello), Cappone (viola) [Deutsche Grammophon]


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.27 in D Major, Op.20. No.4

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1~5
Academy of Ancient Music, dir. Hogwood


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques*

Well, at least the Prologue and Modulations. This is only $5.99 as a download on Amazon. I'm getting tempted here.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 8










Beautiful middle movement as usual


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mozart Piano Sonatas

Sonata in C major, K545
Sonata in B flat major, K570
Sonata in D major, K576

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano) [Philips]


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Piano Concerto #4
- Stefan Vladar, piano with Capella Istropolitana under Barry Wordsworth - Naxos

*Dvorak* Symphony #7
- Israel PO under Zubin Mehta - Decca Eloquence

*Haydn* Piano Trios #26 in F sharp minor & #25 in G major, "Gypsy Rondo"
- Kungsbacka Trio - Naxos


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Honegger*: Symphonies, etc., w. HvK (rec.1969); LB (rec.1962);Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990); Jarvi (rec.1992); Dutoit (rec.1984 - '86).

View attachment 27982
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View attachment 27985


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Alwyn, Sinfonietta.*

This is a lovely piece with enough little twists that your mind doesn't drift off to Neverland.


----------



## Valkhafar

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé - La Valse.
Pierre Boulez, Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Blancrocher

Greindl singing Loewe's Balladen; Hotter singing Schubert's Schwanengesang, Winterreise, and selected others.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Liszt - Au lac de Wallenstadt; Au bord d'une source; Les Cloches de Geneve* (from Annees de Pelerinage Premiere Annee: Suisse S160) / Jorge Bolet (Piano) [Decca]

*Liszt - Schlaflos! Frage und Antwort S203; Mosonyis Grabgeleit S194* / Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips]

*Liszt - Trube Wolken (Nuages gris) S199; Toccata S197a* / Leslie Howard (Piano) [Hyperion]


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Miasovsky, Symphony No. 6.*

Another go today at Miasovsky's 6th. I had forgotten I had this CD in my collection.


----------



## bejart

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in E Flat, Op.1

Gerard Korsten leading the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra -- Per Billman, clarinet


----------



## Weston

Not currently, but today at work I listened to *Roy Harris, Symphony No. 4, "Folk Song,"* Marin Alsop / Colorado Symphony and Chorus.

Sigh . . . Classical music shouldn't come across as dated, but this certainly does! I get the feeling I was listening to _Sing Along With Mitch_ (and let's see if we can spot the over 50s out there who remember _that_ cultural reference). And so it is next to non-listenable to me. "The Girl I left Behind Me" seemingly sung by a bunch of burly lumberjacks summoning images of ancient Monty Python skits. Shuddering, I shut it off and switched to hard rock as a form of ear bleach.

Avoid if you too find such things cringe worthy.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A Major, Op.69

Mischa Maisky, cello -- Martha Argerich, piano


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15
Haydn: String Quartet in D major, Op. 33 No. 6


----------



## Weston

Tonight I enjoyed this new acquisition:

*Haydn: The Creation*
Paul McCreesh / Gabrieli Consort and players / Various soloists

I worried a bit about the English version but have been assured Haydn intended it that way. Also some liberties were taken with the dynamics on this recording, but it sounded the most impressive to my rock assaulted ears (and within my budget).

One can tell immediately he is trying to channel Handel here, but in a good way. It's as if Handel had been transported to the end of the 18th century, plus enough emotional bombast (at least in this recording) to embarrass the most raging of the romantics. I'm making it sound bad, but it is a very enjoyable performance for all of these reasons.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gunther Schuller's Where The Word Ends - 2010 Proms, UK Premiere

and probably later tonight:

Hans Abrahamson's Wald - UK Premiere
Stephen Montague's Willful Chants - World Premiere
Alissa Frisova's Bach Allegro - World Premiere


----------



## SimonNZ

Hans Abrahamsen's Schnee - Ensemble Recherche


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

a very good Sibelius 7th live from the Auckland Town Hall, Eckehard Stier conducting


----------



## dgee

Just kicked off the Levine Siegfried recording - the orchestra sounds so great (best paid band in the world - and they're worth it) it almost makes up for Mime and Ziggy whining at each other for the first couple of scenes


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Debussy (orch.Koechlin) Khamma - Jun Märkl, cond.


----------



## science

One of my recent purchases. I'm hitting it for the second time tonight; the singing is beautiful.


----------



## EricABQ

Prokofiev pinao sonatas 6 and 7 played by Boris Berman.

I'm listening through this complete set and am so far very happy. I was unfamiliar with these sonatas prior, and I am enjoying them quite a bit.


----------



## shangoyal

Berlioz: *Symphonie Fantastique*

I don't know who's playing, but they're good!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Emerson String Quartet: Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello


----------



## jim prideaux

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Honegger*: Symphonies, etc., w. HvK (rec.1969); LB (rec.1962);Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990); Jarvi (rec.1992); Dutoit (rec.1984 - '86).
> 
> View attachment 27982
> View attachment 27983
> View attachment 27984
> View attachment 27985


When the Dutoit recording was re released as part of a double cd bargain Pastorale d'ete was not included-I will always remember coming across this piece for the first time when I bought the Dutoit Honegger 1 on pre recorded cassette 30 years ago-I still think it is one of the most wonderful yet brief pieces I have ever had the good fortune to encounter-and yet so difficult to find!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> *Roy Harris, Symphony No. 4, "Folk Song,"* Marin Alsop / Colorado Symphony and Chorus.
> 
> I get the feeling I was listening to _Sing Along With Mitch_ (and let's see if we can spot the over 50s out there who remember _that_ cultural reference). And so it is next to non-listenable to me. "The Girl I left Behind Me" seemingly sung by a bunch of burly lumberjacks summoning images of ancient Monty Python skits.


Wow, with a description like that, now I _have_ to hear it!


----------



## Oskaar

Arso Ensemble - Rossini: 6 Sonatas for Strings









First I was struck by the wonderful clear sound in this recording. Then the great performance, and the fine slightly melancolic sonatas. It will absolutely be put in my favourites folder.


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quattro No.5 in A Major

Christoph Timpe directing the Accademia Per Musica


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F-sharp minor, Hob. 15/26; Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/32
(Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Moeran*: Cello Concerto, etc. w. Johnston/Falletta (rec.2012); Orchestral Works, w. Fingerhut/Handley (rec.1987); String Quartets, String Trio, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1995).








View attachment 28012
View attachment 28013


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> When the Dutoit recording was re released as part of a double cd bargain *Pastorale d'ete* was not included-I will always remember coming across this piece for the first time when I bought the Dutoit Honegger 1 on pre recorded cassette 30 years ago-I still think it is one of the most wonderful yet brief pieces I have ever had the good fortune to encounter-and yet so difficult to find!


We're in complete agreement, Jim. It's startling how good it is. The main theme, some exploration midway, then full-circle to that hauntingly beautiful theme.

Dutoit's is 8:14, Lopez-Cobos 8:13. Give the latter a try, if you haven't. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Debussy (orch.Koechlin) Khamma - Jun *Märkl*, cond.


For those interested, senza sordino recently reviewed a *Markl* (& Benedetti) concert in Vancouver. :tiphat:

http://www.talkclassical.com/5564-latest-concerts.html


----------



## Blancrocher

Karajan conducting Otello, with Del Monaco, Tebaldi, etc.


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: 3 Orchestral Pieces, Violin Concerto
Frank Peter Zimmerman, violin, various


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Concerti 3 & 4, w. Fleisher/Szell (rec. 1959 - '61); Symphonies 4 & 6, w. Walter (rec.1958); Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987).

View attachment 28015







View attachment 28016


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev*: Symphony No. 2 in D minor
London PO/Weller

This is such a fascinating piece! It's structure is similar to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111. A stormy (or in this case, motoric) first movement followed by a theme & variations finale that's about twice as long as the first movement.

*Grofé*: Niagara Falls Suite
Bournemouth SO/Stromberg


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Honneger, Pastorale d'ete.
*


----------



## Oskaar

The Academy of Ancient Music & Christopher Hogwood - Haydn: Symphonies Nos.94 & 96

View attachment 28018


I have had some strange thaughts that haydns symphonires was boring second hand work since there was so many of them. What a mistake! The little I have heard is beautiful and exiting, whih a lot of room for the artists to paint out their submitment.
This record is very nice!

amazon


----------



## Oskaar

Academy Of Ancient Music - Vivaldi: Concert for the Prince of Poland

Performer: Andrew Manze, Nigel North, Trevor [viola da gamba] Jones, William Thorpe, ... 
Conductor: Andrew Manze 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Academy of Ancient Music









arkivmusic


----------



## Bas

George Philipp Telemann - Tafelmusik: Trio in E-flat, Flute Sonata in Bm, Sinfonia in E, Ouverture in D, Quartet in Dm (From Part I & Part II of the Tafelmusik)
By The Freiburger Barockorchester, on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 2 in B, Piano Concerto no. 3 in Cm
By Friederich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Horst Stein [dir.]


----------



## realdealblues

I've been exploring some more works from this box set.

*Klemperer: Symphony No. 2*

I liked it. The 1st and 4th movements are fairly angst ridden. The two middle movements were quite melodic and nice. I can hear the Mahler influence. It would be interesting to hear his other symphonies but 4-6 have never been recorded.
*
Humperdinck: Hansel Und Gretel: Overture & Dream Pantomime*

I've heard these before but didn't remember much about them. I really liked the Overture and the Dream Pantomime was quite nice.
*
Hindemith: Nobilissima Visione Suite*

I've never heard these pieces before. They were ok. Nothing that really struck a chord with me but they were interesting to listen to.
*
Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite*

I admit I do not know much from Stravinsky and much of what I have heard hasn't done much for me, but I had never heard these pieces and wanted to give them a listen. I'm glad I did, these are wonderful pieces! Probably the best I've heard so far from Stravinsky. Some wonderful moments of humor and depth.


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm enjoying Corigliano's 1st Symphony at the moment, to be followed by Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, Mississippi Suite, and a couple of pieces I haven't heard: Victor Herbert's 2nd Cello Concerto (recommended by Ukko) and Langaard's 1st Symphony (which I lifted off the "sounds like Sibelius" thread).

*edit* Nope--I had heard Herbert's Concerto, as I recalled when I put it on. There's a good album with Marriner conducting Herbert concertos, which I believe I learned about from oskaar on this thread. Anyways, it's still good the 2nd time around!


----------



## Oskaar

Isasi Quartet - Isasi: String Quartets, Vol. 1









Amazon


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28025
> View attachment 28026
> View attachment 28027
> 
> 
> I'm enjoying Corigliano's 1st Symphony at the moment, to be followed by Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, Mississippi Suite, and a couple of pieces I haven't heard: Victor Herbert's 2nd Cello Concerto (recommended by Ukko) and Langaard's 1st Symphony (which I lifted off the "sounds like Sibelius" thread).
> 
> *edit* Nope--I had heard Herbert's Concerto, as I recalled when I put it on. There's a good album with Marriner conducting Herbert concertos, which I believe I learned about from oskaar on this thread. Anyways, it's still good the 2nd time around!


At this rate your ears will mutiny due to aural fatigue.


----------



## Blancrocher

moody said:


> At this rate your ears will mutiny due to aural fatigue.


It's sounding a bit like laaaaaaaanggaard, now that you mention it.


----------



## joen_cph

The short movement "Mountain Flowers" is perhaps the most beautiful in Langgaard´s long First. It also exists as a Piano Trio. He tried a lot of different concepts for his symphonies; no.11 lasts 6 mins.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 19, Nos. 50, 51 and 52 - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Moeran*: Cello Concerto, etc. w. Johnston/Falletta (rec.2012); Orchestral Works, w. Fingerhut/Handley (rec.1987); String Quartets, String Trio, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1995).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 28012
> View attachment 28013


Moeran symphony is for me one of the most significant discoveries of the past few months-the first movement is remarkable, the invention, momentum and development of atmosphere-whilst I am a great admirer of Walton first symphony Moeran seems to 'take it up a notch'-on a very personal level Moeran evokes an England, an environment and circumstance that I understand and recognise..........


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*J. S. Bach

Suite in E minor BWV 996
Capriccio in B flat BWV 992*

Gustav Leonhardt (Harpsichord) [Philips]


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, Concertos BWV 1060, 1062, 1064
Academy of Ancient Music, dir. Hogwood


----------



## DavidA

Bartok - piano concerto 2 - Anda


----------



## Bas

From the Goldberg's to the Diabelli's

Ludwig van Beethoven - Diabelli Variations
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## GioCar

Andreas Staier on harpsichord:


----------



## EricABQ

Prokofiev's piano concerto 2 with Kissin on piano.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Dvořák - Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53* / Frank Peter Zimmermann (Violin); London Philharmonic, Welser-Möst [EMI]

*Dvořák - String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op.106* / Pavel Haas Quartet [Supraphon]

*Ravel - Trois chansons (for unaccompanied mixed choir)

1. Nicolette
2. Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis
3. Ronde (Roundelay)*

Orch. Révolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner, Bott (Sopr.), Cachemaille (Bar.), Monteverdi Choir [Philips]


----------



## EricABQ

I finished the concerto, and now I'm on to Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin played by Louis Lortie from his complete set of Ravel solo piano (for U.S customers a real bargain at Amazon mp3 for only $10, BTW.)


----------



## Blancrocher

Hans Hotter singing Bach's Cantata 82 and some Brahms.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Hindemith*: Orchestral Works, w. Blomstedt (rec.1987 - '97); Hindemith (rec.1962); Abbado (rec.1969); Kletzki (rec.1969);String Quartets, w. Kocian Qt. (rec.1995); Violin Sonata, w. Kremer & Gavrilov (rec.1979); Piano Sonatas, w. GG (rec.1966 - '73).

View attachment 28039
View attachment 28040
View attachment 28041
View attachment 28042


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> *Moeran symphony* is for me one of the most significant discoveries of the past few months-the first movement is remarkable, the invention, momentum and development of atmosphere-whilst I am a great admirer of Walton first symphony Moeran seems to 'take it up a notch'-on a very personal level Moeran evokes an England, an environment and circumstance that I understand and recognise..........


I'm partial to the Handley. My first was Dilkes. I've not heard Boult. :tiphat:

View attachment 28044


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Academy Of Ancient Music - *Vivaldi*: Concert for the Prince of Poland
> 
> Performer: Andrew Manze, Nigel North, Trevor [viola da gamba] Jones, William Thorpe, ...
> Conductor: Andrew Manze
> Orchestra/Ensemble: Academy of Ancient Music
> 
> View attachment 28020
> 
> 
> arkivmusic


This is so good. One of the very best *Vivaldi* recs. :tiphat:


----------



## Sid James

*Vaughan Williams* Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
- Royal Liverpool PO under Vernon Handley (EMI)

*Schumann* Manfred Overture
- Suisse Romande Orch. under Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

*The Glory of Venice: The music of Andrea & Giovanni Gabrieli*
- King's College Choir, Cambridge & Philip Jones Brass Ensemble under Stephen Cleobury & Philip Jones (Decca Eloquence)


----------



## Dustin

Gospel kinda evening!! Man I love some gospel music. I just found these albums. The golden gate quartet is a classic gospel quartet and the other album is more modern with a full choir and slightly classical sounding.

For anyone interested, I strongly suggest giving these albums a try. I can't describe how great they are.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Nicolas Flagello, Symphony No. 1.* * Douglas Lilburn, Symphony No. 1.*

Two pieces off the beaten path which should turn into a road less traveled. Walter Simmons calls Flagello's first symphony "a work of consummate compositional mastery" and "a definitive statement of his artistic and personal identity," and Neil Horner calls the Lilburn CD "one of the most important Naxos have so far released."


----------



## Mahlerian

Zemlinsky: String Quartets
LaSalle Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

Hotter singing Carl Loewe. I've been enjoying my first experience of Loewe's music, and will continue to sample recordings. For what it's worth, Josef Greindl's album has made the biggest impression on me so far, so that's the one I bought--though it won't be the last, I assure you!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel, Messiah - 'Let us break their bonds asunder' (Karl Richter; Donath; Reynolds; Burrows; McIntyre; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra).









J. Haydn, Piano Trio in E Major, Hob. 15/28 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## senza sordino

Elgar Symphony #1, LSO with Jeffery Tate and Elgar Serenade for Strings LPO with Barenboim
Beethoven Triple Concerto, Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter and Karajan Conducts
Brahms Double Concerto


----------



## brotagonist

I used to have some Takemitsu on LP; now, I have a few on CD


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Piano Concerto No. 24 In C Minor - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*
_Imogen Cooper & Northern Sinfonia (2008)_


----------



## SimonNZ

Bizet's Carmen - Julia Migenes, soprano, Placido Domingo, tenor, Lorin Maazel, cond.

when I was 16 I used to play a side or two of this set every single day


----------



## Oskaar

Kammerensemble de Paris & Armin Jordan - Dohnányi: Sextet - Strauss: Métamorphosen









Listening to the sextet now. Dark, dreamy and quite intense. But very nice

amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Messiah - 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' (Karl Richter; Donath; Reynolds; Burrows; McIntyre; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## science

That was… ok. Just ok. Actually, I might never listen to that again. Maybe once more, just to be nice. But with so much really good music out there….


----------



## Oskaar

Heinrich Schiff & Pinchas Zukerman & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner - Haydn: Cello Concertos Nos.1 & 2; Violin Concerto









Brilliant!

allmusic


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation - Vollendet ist das große Werk; Singt dem Herren, alle Stimmen (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Turangalila Symphomy - Riccardo Chaily, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

Beethoven Symphony number 2, from the Proms 2012...

Need to splash about in the Quiddity for a while!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Pieter Hellendaal's Concerti Grossi op.3 - Andrew Manze, violin, Roy Goodman, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Lydia Mordkovitch - Wieniawski / Vieuxtemps / Glazunov / Rachmaninov / Prokofiev / Ernst: Works for Violin and Piano









What a violin! Rough and tender..full of passion. The piano is wisely put in the background of the soundscape. Lydia Mordkovitch is the star here. The selection of works seems carefully picked. Great Record!

amazon


----------



## Skilmarilion

Listening to Beethoven's absolutely sublime *Waldstein Sonata*, played by the phenomenal talent and story that is James Rhodes.


----------



## EricABQ

Was in the mood for something a little bouncy this morning, so I went with Mendelssohn's string symphony #9.


----------



## EricABQ

Bridge's piano sonata played by Ashley Wass.

The first time I've listened to this and it's a really interesting work. Very enjoyable.


----------



## GioCar

Streaming from Qobuz

Mozart: Kegelstatt trio K.498 
Martin Frost, Clarinet (I don't know who the other players are)
BIS


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Vaneyes said:


> I'm partial to the Handley. My first was Dilkes. I've not heard Boult. :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 28044


Boult is excellent and can be thoroughly recommended. I've never heard a bad performance of this on record in fact. I have both Dilkes and Handley. No collection is complete though without Leslie Heward's recording, this is a searing and white-hot performance of this wonderful score, by the man who conducted its premiere. It's available in a superb transfer on Dutton, bargain price and coupled with Eileen Joyce's outstanding performance of the Ireland Piano Concerto. Well worth buying- and if you love this Symphony a prerequisite methinks.
You can get the latest incarnation from Dutton for £5.99 on Amazon, 2nd hand copies of their original issue from £4.90. Not to be missed!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Albeniz: Iberia Alicia de Larrocha Decca 1973

Warming me up on a cold, damp day.


----------



## Oskaar

Galimathias Musicum - Boccherini: Sonate a tre per clavicembalo o per fortepiano con accompagnamento di violino e violoncello









Strange but lovely soundscape on this one.. violin and flute very in front of the soundpicture, but very tender and laid back. And the piano when it comes in, distant, like your daughter doing rehersals in the room asside. I like it. Gives me the feel of a house full of music. Boccerinis music is also lovely.

prestoclassical


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Naxos being a prime example of a store of some superlative DDD performances and oft well recorded BUT at a bargain basement price point ... I have the Karajan version (*** Penguin Guide) dating from 1969 and reputed as unsurpassed at the turn of the millennium.

I meant to add 'and am listening to this version of The Creation on the back of reading a post


----------



## realdealblues

Finished off the last of this box set.

*Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements*

Another work I've not heard. This sounds more like the Stravinsky I'm used to. Interesting at times, but not something that really does much for me. If the majority of his music were more like the Pulcinella Suite I'd be a raving fan.
*
Weill: **Kleine Dreigroschenmusik*

Another I'm glad I listened to for the first time. I don't really think of this as Classical so much as more Big Band of the 20's & 30's. Almost like the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Very enjoyable.

*Otto Klemperer: A Biographical Memoir
*
Very interesting documentary. I really enjoy listening to these kinds of things. I knew most of the things that happened to him in his life but it's interesting to hear him described by those that knew and or saw him live.


----------



## shangoyal

Taking some time off and delving properly into Haydn's symphonies, they are such an unbelievable treasure. Gluttony!


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: L'estro armonico










Enjoying classical newbie music. I like the "classical" sound of I Musici.


----------



## Blancrocher

Monteverdi's "Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria."


----------



## Kevin Pearson

It's rare to find a film score composer who is also a fine classical music composer and Erich Wolfgang Korngold was both. His scores to films like Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, Between Two Worlds, and others can hardly be beat. This recording on CPO of his piano quintet and three string quartets is a superb discovery. The performance and engineering sound quality is impeccable. Not many years back it was almost impossible to find much of Korngold's serious music recorded, with the exception of his violin concerto. Fortunately for us quite a bit of it is now on CD. If you like post romantic chamber music with hints of modernism then you would probably really enjoy Korngold.










Kevin


----------



## science

I didn't enjoy this as much I've been enjoying the recording by Diabolus in Musica. I didn't appreciate the addition of instruments to the mass, though I do wonder whether there was any historical justification for that - I doubt it, but I might be wrong - when would instruments other than bells have been introduced to the mass?

Also, I think Munrow does the temperament differently, though I don't have good enough ears to be sure that's what it was; anyway, there's a lot more dissonance and a lot less consonance in Munrow than in DiM. I suspect that DiM adjusted their temperament so that the fifths are perfectly justified…. Do not take this as anything other than the random mutterings of a crazy old man, though. If you really want to know, ask someone who knows this stuff!










Oh, but did I love this! I really do appreciate the HIPPI approach, but it's nice to hear the old-fashioned unabashedly romantic approach now and then as well. A new favorite! I'll be listening to this again soon.


----------



## Oskaar

Alban Berg Quartett - Bartok: String Quartets 1-6

I have qued up no 1 and 2.









A bit into no 1 I am already impressed by the intense nerve and tention committed by the Alban Berg Quartett

amazon


----------



## Andolink

*Per Nørgård*: _Helle Nacht_, violin concerto no. 1 (1986)
Christina Åstrand, violin
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Inventions and Sinfonias
Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3 Martha Argerich/RSO Berlin/Riccardo Chailly

I know of no better performance than this. It is on a par with Horowitz, and in my book, praise can go no higher.


----------



## Oskaar

The Lark Quartet - Schoenberg & Zemlinsky String Quartets









amazon


----------



## science

A very nice production by Hyperion. Best label in the world at the moment.

Two of these fine works (including Enescu's - the highlight of this recording IMO) are up for voting right now in the talkclassical Classical Music Project.


----------



## Blancrocher

Oh dear--I just learned it's the anniversary of my beloved Cesar Franck's death. I'll listen to his String Quartet in D (and Smetana's 1st SQ), performed by the Juilliard SQ. At some point today I'll probably also listen to my desert-island performance of his Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue:


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Symphony No. 79 in F
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, cond. Fischer


----------



## DrKilroy

Rzewski - The People United Will Never be Defeated! (Oppens).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Gerhard*: Symphony 2, etc., w. Bamert (rec.1997/8); Chamber Music, w. Kreutzer Qt., Cantamen (rec.1996 - '98).

View attachment 28076
View attachment 28077
View attachment 28078


----------



## Oskaar

Allmusic is thorough an honist,because they get more money from rewiews (spotify use them), than for selling records. They have not reviews ob everything of course, they are coveribg every inch of the music world.

I came over this review, and had to smile a little. I am NOT listening to this record...

Budapest Quartet 
Franck: Piano Quartet in F minor; Fauré: Piano Quartet in C minor









Review by James Leonard [-]

This disc is wrong in just about every way possibly. First and most, reissuing recordings made and paid for by Columbia on an Italian label with no financial or artistic ties to Columbia is ethically wrong. Second, having the Russian-Hungarian Budapest Quartet play music by French composers César Franck and Gabriel Fauré is aesthetically wrong. With a fat tone, wide vibrato, and heart-on-the-sleeve interpretations, the Budapest players' performances make Franck's Piano Quintet and Fauré's first Piano Quartet sound more like an overweight and overly sentimental German composer than lean and expressive French composers. Third, once the disc starts, the sound here is thick and turgid. Recorded live in the Library of Congress in 1956 and 1957, the original monaural sound was gray and lumpy, and this minimally remastered Italian release make the recordings sound nearly opaque. There are dozens of better performed and better recorded versions of these works available. Considering these flaws, this Urania disc will likely appeal only to those fans of the Budapest Quartet who do not already have the LPs.


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> Also, I think Munrow does the temperament differently, though I don't have good enough ears to be sure that's what it was; anyway, there's a lot more dissonance and a lot less consonance in Munrow than in DiM. I suspect that DiM adjusted their temperament so that the fifths are perfectly justified….


I haven't studied Renaissance music in a while, but when I was into it, I heard that in the German areas, they resolved dissonances, whereas in other areas, they liked the crunchy sounds. When the HIP movement took hold, people started dismissing the Tallis Scholars for their smoothed-out approach, and someone had to point out that their style did have a historical precedent.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Douglas Lilburn, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Gardiner's interpretation of Bach's St Matthew's Passion


----------



## Oskaar

Antonín Dvořák - Dvorak: Cypresses for String Quartet, String Quartet No. 13 Op. 106

*Cypress String Quartet*









Allmusic


----------



## Oskaar

Jean-Pierre Rampal, Claudio Scimone & English Chamber Orchestra - Mercadante : Flute Concertos & Sinfonia on Themes from Rossini's Stabat Mater









The recording is from 1973, but it is nicely remastered, so the sound is ok. Fine, sensitive flute.

allmusic


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 9, Op. 15, Op. 27, Op. 32 (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## jim prideaux

First encounter with newly purchased CD of Kabalevsky Piano Concertos 1/4 and symphony no2 performed by Kathryn Stott, Neeme Jarvi and the BBC Philarmonic........yet to arrive at any observation although the production is immediately impressive!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SimonNZ said:


> Bizet's Carmen - Julia Migenes, soprano, Placido Domingo, tenor, Lorin Maazel, cond.
> 
> when I was 16 I used to play a side or two of this set every single day


Is it just me or does she look like cher from the 80s?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Ingélou said:


> Need to splash about in the Quiddity for a while!


Splash? Isn't that played up in the air, with broomsticks?

OK, tonight, I continue with forgotten (only by me, I hasten to add) Dvořák works in my LP cupboard
*
Dvořák

Piano Quintet in A Op. 81
String Quintet in E flat Op. 97*

Members of the Philharmonic Octet of Berlin, Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich (Piano) [Philips M. da C.]

These are great. I can't believe I haven't played this disc in nearly 20 years. The Berlinners play with a very 'sweet' timbre and in perfect harmonic accord creating a (stereo)typical 'Viennese' sound but actually this seems to suit these works. Issued on Philips' miraculous 'Musica da Camera' series which almost single handedly introduced me to chamber music in my 20s.


----------



## Manxfeeder

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Is it just me or does she look like cher from the 80s?


I was thinking the same thing. :lol:

Today, *Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony.*


----------



## LancsMan

Vivaldi:L'Estro Armonica performed by Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields under Neville Marriner on Decca.

Easy listening music. 

These days I tend to prefer Vivaldi on period instruments. However I have a soft spot for the Academy and Neville Marriner partly because their recordings introduced me to a lot of baroque music.


----------



## SimonNZ

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Is it just me or does she look like cher from the 80s?





Manxfeeder said:


> I was thinking the same thing. :lol:


Does this mean you haven't seen Francesco Rosi's amazing 1984 film of Carmen from which that set was taken? Ahh, you absolutely should!

playing now:










Jean Mouton's Missa Tu Es Petrus - Stephen Rice, dir.


----------



## Valkhafar

Brahms and Schumann: The String Quartets.
Melos Quartett.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SimonNZ said:


> Does this mean you haven't seen Francesco Rosi's amazing 1984 film of Carmen from which that set was taken? Ahh, you absolutely should!
> 
> playing now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jean Mouton's Missa Tu Es Petrus - Stephen Rice, dir.


Hehe, no, I haven't seen that film - but do you deny that woman looks like cher?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 92 in G Major, 'Oxford'; Symphony No. 88 in G Major 
(Sigiswald Kuijken; La Petite Bande).









No. 92: Been a while since I've pumped out this puppy. I should get around to getting a modern instrument performance, it seems to fit better here, considering No. 92 is pretty much a London symphony stylistically.


----------



## Bas

Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartet no. 1 in Cm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion









Robert Schumann - Piano Quartet in E-flat, opus 47
By The Pro Arte Piano Quartet, on Decca Eloquence









I have almost finished the complete sonata cycle of Scarlatti by Scott Ross, now playing Disc 32/34

Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas Kk. 520 - Kk. 539
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato/Warner Classics









After that, to finish the day

Julius Röntgen - Violin Concerto in Am 
By Liza Ferschtman [violin], Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, David Porcelijn [dir.], on CPO


----------



## SimonNZ

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Hehe, no, I haven't seen that film - but do you deny that woman looks like cher?


On the poster, yes. Here's a rather famous bit, if you'd like a taste of the film:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Horowitz at Carnegie Hall 21st February, 1949.

Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words 33/35/40
Beethoven: Sonata No.7 in D Op.10 No.3
Scriabin: Poeme in F-sharp Op.32 No.1/Vers la flamme Op.72
Kabalevsky: Preludes Op.38 Nos.1/17/22/16/8/24
Chopin: Mazurkas Op.41 No.2/Op.30 No.4/Op.7 No.3 Ballade No.3 in A-flat, Op.47
Liszt: Sonetto del Petrarca 104/Valse Oubliee No.1
Liszt-Horowitz: Hungarian Rhapsody No.15
Scriabin: Etude in C-sharp Minor Op.2 No.1
Clementi: Sonata Op.24 No.2 3rd Movement
Brahms: Waltz in A-flat, Op.39 No.15
Moszkowski: Etude in A-flat, Op.72 No.11
Sousa-Horowitz: The Stars and Stripes

A veritable feast of wonderful music/piano playing/musicianship etc. The Beethoven is superb- and so, I dare say, will the rest of it be.
And I must add how amazing the sound quality is. This is from the Sony/RCA set of Horowitz's Carnegie Hall recitals and concerts that was released this year.


----------



## realdealblues

Delving back into the Perahia box set after a little break.

View attachment 28098


Bartok: Sonata For 2 Pianos & Percussion, Haydn Variations
Pianists: Murray Perahia, Georg Solti

You know, I'm not a fan of Bartok and haven't found much from him I have enjoyed but I actually enjoyed this CD quite a bit.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dvorak, Symphony No. 8.*


----------



## Blancrocher

The 2nd and 3rd books of Gesualdo's madrigals. I read a critical review of the latter, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jul/14/gesualdo-madrigals-review


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## ProudSquire

*Lefebure Wely*

Les Cloches Du Monestere

*Schumann *

Nocturne In F Major

*Edmond Weber*

Premiere Pensee

Piano - Bart Van Oort


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - Partita No. 2, BWV 826* / Grigory Sokolov (Piano) [Opus III]

This (coupled with the Art of Fugue) was recommended to me by a pianist friend. It didn't disappoint.

*Bach

Italian Concerto in F, BWV 971
Choral prelude ''Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ'', BWV 639 (arr. Busoni)
Prelude (Fantasy) in A minor, BWV 922
Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903
Choral prelude ''Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland'', BWV 659 (arr. Busoni)
Fantasy and Fugue in A minor, BWV 904*

Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips]

This is also very fine.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Poulenc*: Concerto for Two Pianos, etc., w. Sage/Braley/Deneve (rec.2003); Chamber Music (Vol. 1), w. Tharaud et al (rec.1995 - '97); Violin Sonata, w. Little & Lane (rec.1985); Cello Sonata, w. Isserlis & Devoyon (rec.1989); Piano Music, w. Roge (rec.1986 - '98).

View attachment 28105
View attachment 28106
View attachment 28107
View attachment 28108
View attachment 28109


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Glazunov - Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 82* / London Philharmonic, Welser-Möst, Frank Peter Zimmermann (Violin) [EMI]

I remembered this yesterday when I listened to the (coupled) Dvorak VC. And I need something to listen to whilst downloading the Tube map for tomorrow (call this _Broadband...?!)_


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Concerto in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64 Felix Mendelssohn*
_Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Hilary Hahn (2002)_


----------



## Vaneyes

realdealblues said:


> Delving back into the Perahia box set after a little break.
> 
> View attachment 28098
> 
> 
> Bartok: Sonata For 2 Pianos & Percussion, Haydn Variations
> Pianists: Murray Perahia, Georg Solti
> 
> You know, I'm not a fan of Bartok and haven't found much from him I have enjoyed but I actually enjoyed this CD quite a bit.


Sometimes different recordings can make a difference. Two Bartok CDs you or others may be interested in. Thanks again to Sid for the Argerich & Kovacevich recommendation. Also, Anda/Fricsay's three PCs (DG) are more musical than many, but you may not be ready for that jump. :tiphat:

View attachment 28110
View attachment 28111


----------



## Novelette

Bach, C.P.E.: Flute Concerto in D Minor, H 426 -- James Galway; Jörg Faerber: Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn

Rameau: La Guirlande -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Victoria: Missa Salve Regina -- Michael Noone: Ensemble Plus Ultra

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #18 in E Flat, Op. 31/3 -- Daniel Barenboim

Liszt: Glanes De Woronince, S 249 -- Leslie Howard


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Verdi: Overtures/Preludes to: Nabucco/Ernani/I due Foscari/Giovanna d'Arco/Alzira/Attila
B.B.C. Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Edward Downes

As good a way as any to end the day.


----------



## brotagonist

I am new to Ravel's orchestral music (I only just got the piano works this summer, too), so I picked this one up:









Jean Martinon/Orchestre de Paris

I confess that I enjoyed Boléro immensely. Mother Goose was a surprise 

It's been remastered, but I got this for about $3, so I couldn't resist.

I'm still working on:















Boy, are they something! The Penderecki is stunning. I love these wind concertos. And Prokofiev: first I was taken with Symphony 4 and now Symphony 3 is sinking in :gasp:


----------



## GreenMamba

Schubert 9th Symphony


----------



## KenOC

A disc of Scarlatti sonatas played by Dubravka Tomšič. This excellent disc started life in the $5 bin at the drug store as part of the "Vienna Master Series" many years ago. Its connection with Vienna is, of course, tenuous. I see you can get it now for a penny...


----------



## chalkpie

The Wood Nymph!!!!!

Vanska/Lahti. Amazing recording full of dynamics and perfect intonation, articulations, the goods. 

What a piece this is. Almost a psychedelic Nordic jam in the woods around a fire, with various mayhem and activities. Never read the program, so that's what it is in my mind!


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi Munera - James O'Donnell, dir.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Charles Ives-*-Symphony No.2 {Central Park In The Dark}, *
featuring Leonard Berntsein and the New York Philharmonic. 
Johannes Brahms-.-*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73.* Both works are performed by the Roger Norrington led Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Blancrocher

Bostridge singing Hugo Wolf.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SimonNZ said:


> On the poster, yes. Here's a rather famous bit, if you'd like a taste of the film:


Thanks for the link SimonNZ, will check it out! 

Currently listening to: J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 61 in D Major; 
Piano Sonata No. 62 in E-flat Major. (Jeno Jando).









No. 61: This sonata has parts that sound sort of like Schubert.


----------



## SimonNZ

following Blancrocher:

Hugo Wolf lieder - Ian Bostridge, tenor, Antonio Pappano, piano

though I've actually got it as disc 4 of this 8-cd box:


----------



## starthrower

Borodin-Prince Igor Sofia National Opera on Brilliant Classics


----------



## Weston

It seemed to be piano concerto day for me. Some memorable pieces I listened to include:

*Paderewski: Piano Concerto in A minor*
Antoni Wit / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra / Janina Fialkowska, piano









While this is unashamedly romantic, it also seems to be channeling Beethoven similar to the way Anton Rubinstein did. There is something about the themes that remind me of Beethoven, especially the panoramic opening movement. This was quite a joy to wallow in today. Not bad for a prime minister.
*
Samuel Barber: Piano Concerto* 
Marin Alsop / Royal Scottish National Orchestra 
(Again. I've let this one play about three times in the last week. That is nearly unheard of for me.)

*Howard Hanson: Piano Concerto in G major, Op. 36*
Gerard Schwarz / Seattle Symphony Orchestra /Carol Rosenberger, piano









Don't let the dubiously designed cover fool you. This piece was the high point of my afternoon. It's just loaded with beautiful themes, musical acrobatics, thrills and spills. Trills too, I reckon. And it has a slightly unusual but logical four movement outline of Slow - Fast - Slow - Fast. I rarely hear any Howard Hanson work that is less than riveting.


----------



## starthrower

Ernst Kreneck-Symphony No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony - Myung-Whun Chung, cond.

edit: interesting...I had way more fun with the Chailly recording last night - this sounds really buttoned-down and earnest by comparison


----------



## dgee

Peter Eotvos - Seven (Violin solo and orchestra) from the Bartok/Eotvos/Ligeti violiin concerti disc that I hear so much about with Patricia Kopatchinskaja. A really involving work and the Ligeti Concerto will now have to wait until I've had another listen to Eotvos' stunning Three Sisters (opera)


----------



## KenOC

dgee said:


> Peter Eotvos - Seven (Violin solo and orchestra) from the Bartok/Eotvos/Ligeti violiin concerti disc that I hear so much about with Patricia Kopatchinskaja. A really involving work and the Ligeti Concerto will now have to wait until I've had another listen to Eotvos' stunning Three Sisters (opera)


I don't care so much for Eotvos's work on this disk, but K's Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto must be heard to be believed.


----------



## dgee

Thanks Ken - I'll have to give it a go!


----------



## Andolink

*Milton Babbitt*: _String Quartet No. 5_ (1982)
The Composers Quartet








*J. S. Bach*: _Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit_, BWV14; _Gott ist unsre Zuversicht_, BWV197
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Simon Bainbridge*: _Four Primo Levi Settings_
Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano
The Nash Ensemble


----------



## jim prideaux

jim prideaux said:


> First encounter with newly purchased CD of Kabalevsky Piano Concertos 1/4 and symphony no2 performed by Kathryn Stott, Neeme Jarvi and the BBC Philarmonic........yet to arrive at any observation although the production is immediately impressive!


just thought I would comment regarding this new purchase-I can almost instinctively recognise the limitations-this is not 'great music' but that does not detract from enjoyment-I also find it intriguing in terms of the circumstances in which Kabalevsky worked-reading that much of is music is determined by the ideology of social realism and yet even within those constraints the man is capable of a degree of personal artistic expression.....perhaps there might be something heroic in that?
Anyway its back to Moeran first symphony-aware that he may have been involved in portraying his environment in this work but the rugged, rhythmic and at times austere beauty somehow seems to reflect my environment......maybe that is one of the reasons I am so drawn to the work....I have a similar perception of Rubbra 4th.......


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 6 in E minor; Paris Quartet No. 4 in B minor
(Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## DrKilroy

L'eventail de Jeanne (Simon).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Orgel-Büchlein
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Jan Baptist Vanhal - Sonatas for Fortepiano & Clarinet
Ernst Schlader [clarinet] & Wolfgang Brunner [fortepiano] on Granola









Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - l'Olimpiade
By Rafaella Millanesi [soprano], Ann-Beth Solvang [mezzo], Olga Paschnyk [soprano], Martin Oro [tenor], Jeffrey Francis [tenor], Markus Brutscher [tenor], Academia Montis Regalis, Allesandro de Marchi [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

Copland & Aldridge: Clarinet Concerto









allmusic


----------



## Andolink

*Wolfgang Fortner*: _Trio for violin, cello and piano_ (1978)
Albrecht Breuninger, violin
Sebastian Hess, cello
Moritz Eggert, piano


----------



## Guest

Villa-Lobos- Guitar Concerto
Norbert Kraft


----------



## Guest

Later I'll be listening to this:









Brahms Symphonies
Riccardo Chailly

Does it look like he is slipping us all the middle finger?


----------



## Oskaar

Ann Schein Plays Carter, Copland, & Patitucci

Ann Schein, Earl Carlyss









amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Fantasy in C Major, 'Wandererfantasie' (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent arrival ---
Anton Eberl (1756-1807): Symphony in C Major, won.7

Concerto Koln


----------



## Andolink

*Artur Schnabel*: _String Quartet No. 5_
Pellegrini Quartett


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A second listen to this.


----------



## jim prideaux

Jerome said:


> Later I'll be listening to this:
> 
> View attachment 28135
> 
> 
> Brahms Symphonies
> Riccardo Chailly
> 
> Does it look like he is slipping us all the middle finger?


read a lot recently about this release-would really like to know what opinions you have,or conclusions you might have reached about these interpretations.

This morning courtesy of amazon marketplace which never ceases to throw up a bargain or two-Lindsays recording of Schubert Quartets 12/14..............


----------



## SiegendesLicht

chalkpie said:


> The Wood Nymph!!!!!
> 
> Vanska/Lahti. Amazing recording full of dynamics and perfect intonation, articulations, the goods.
> 
> What a piece this is. Almost a psychedelic Nordic jam in the woods around a fire, with various mayhem and activities. Never read the program, so that's what it is in my mind!


That's one Sibelius piece I've never heard, but on reading this I definitely want to check it out!


----------



## Andolink

*Edmond Rubbra*: _Sonata No. 2 op. 31_ for violin and piano
Krysia Osostowicz, violin
Michael Dussek, piano


----------



## chalkpie

SiegendesLicht said:


> That's one Sibelius piece I've never heard, but on reading this I definitely want to check it out!


It's up there for me. It gets almost "trance" like - a very unique piece even for JS.

It's top 10 Sib for me alongside S4, S5, S7, Tapiola, Pohjola's Daughter, Lemminkainen, En Saga, Snofrid, Spring Song/improv (early version), Nightride and Sunset.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Sibelius for life! :guitar:


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Op.13

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Today's Saturday Symphony:

Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Two Mahler in a row is a little draining, especially the double header of the 6th and 9th. I don't hear the pessimism in this work that some do, but it is certainly music in a continual struggle.


----------



## Oskaar

Music From Copland House - The Chamber Music Of Aaron Copland

Borromeo String Quartet Group 
Lustig Dunkel Flute 
Jennifer Frautschi Violin 
Hsin-Yun Huang Viola 
Nicholas Kitchen Violin 
Curtis Macomber Violin









allmusic


----------



## chalkpie

Possibly my favorite 1st mvt of M9 right here. The rest isn't quite as stellar, but still fantastic.
..................................................................


----------



## jim prideaux

Saturday afternoon pottering, ignoring the emotional turmoil that will be Man City visit tomorrow-vinyl time,Sargent/RPO,parts of Smetana Ma Vlast-EMI label,apparently in a series referred to by the label as 'Die Meisterwerke' and the record is entitled Die Moldau.......ironic considering the music is often portrayed as an essential point of reference for burgeoning Czech nationalism......


----------



## Weston

Woke up this morning with a sinus headache, so no rambunctious stuff for me. I'm nursing it with these *6 Epigraphes antiques (arr. for single piano) by Debussy*, Francois-Joel Thiollier, piano.









I've read up on how these were performed to erotic or pagan poetry with diaphanously clad dancers, raising eyebrows and objections at the time. For me they are closer to the ambient works of Harold Budd -- or vice versa I guess. Though I often say I don't understand modal music when it is medieval, somehow more modern modal pieces seem fine. I wish I understood the difference, but these seem to hover in a soothing non-space / non-direction. Just what the doctor ordered until after coffee.


----------



## Mahlerian

chalkpie said:


> Possibly my favorite 1st mvt of M9 right here. The rest isn't quite as stellar, but still fantastic.


I find that drawing out the finale to nearly 30 minutes, as some conductors do, is the wrong way to go. Contrary to what some seem to think, Boulez's Mahler is not at all academic or unfeeling, and it shows a sensitive and flexible tempo.


----------



## Blancrocher

Horowitz and Reiner in Beethoven's Emperor Concerto--and a little Czerny to boot!


----------



## starthrower

Rubbra-symphony no. 6 Hickox/BBC


----------



## Oskaar

The Phoenix Ensemble - Stockhausen/Schoenberg

*Zeitmasze *
Karlheinz Stockhausen

*Wind Quintet, Op. 26 *
Arnold Schoenberg









allmusic


----------



## Blancrocher

Bostridge and Uchida in Die Schone Mullerin; Bostridge and Andsnes in Winterreise. 

Happy weekend to everyone!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockeghem, Missa Ma Maistresse*


----------



## starthrower

I've been listening to this box all week. No. 3 at the moment.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bridge - Piano Music. Vol. 2* - Ashley Wass

*Piano sonata, Lament for Catherine, Three sketches, Three improvisations for left hand,Pensees fugitives I, Moderato, Scherzettino*

A second spin for this new disc

(On Spotify)
*Berg - Piano Sonata Op. 1
Schoenberg - Klavierstucke Op. 11
6 Kleine Klavierstucke Op. 19
5 Klavierstucke Op. 23
Piano Suite Op. 25
Klavierstucke Op. 33
Webern - Variations for Piano, Op. 27*

Peter Hill [Naxos]

I have been very slow to extend my solo piano collection into the modern era, tentative steps into Ravel, Bartok and Shostakovich's repertoires being the only evidence until recently.

I have really been enjoying the Bridge sonata, though, and I thought I'd give the usual suspects Berg, Webern and Schoenberg a go today. This collection is excellent, and contains nothing likely to frighten the horses!


----------



## Weston

Still nursing a headache so keeping the bombast to a minimum.

*Vaughan-Williams: Riders to the Sea*
Richard Hickox / the Northern Sinfonia and Chorus









I don't have this album in my collection. I'm just streaming it on Rhapsody (with ugly gaps between continuous movements ). This is a completely unfamiliar Vaughan-Williams work for me. I was probably put off by its subtitle "An Opera in One Act." But it's nothing like an opera as far as I can tell. It's more like Debussy's Three Nocturnes than anything. Very much like them in fact with lots of "Ahh-ah -- Oh-ahh" chorus, which I love! And it has some pleasant solo strings and I think a celeste to boot. Adding to my want list.


----------



## chalkpie

I'll be hitting this thing in it's entirety over the next _X_ amount of time.

Right now it's "Dance Suite" on disc 2, which is beyond killer. Melodies, modes, rhythms, harmonies, counterpoint, orchestration.....it's all here done masterfully. I'm realizing that Bartok is like Ravel (for me) in the sense that everything he wrote is an utter gem, even down to the most obscure piano work.


----------



## starthrower

^^^^
Looks like a great set, overall. I have the Cantata Profana/Wooden Prince, and Two Pianos & Percussion CDs.


----------



## Conor71

*Brahms: Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68*

I am listening to all the Brahms Symphony Cycles in my collection this weekend - currently playing Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4 from the following recordings (not pictured - Gardiner/ORR Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4, HVK/BPO Symphonies Nos. 1-4, 70's set):


----------



## Oskaar

Various Artists - Adams, J.: Violin Concerto / Corigliano: Chaconne From The Red Violin

Conductor(s):
Slatkin, Leonard

Orchestra(s):
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Artist(s):
Hanslip, Chloe; Owen, Charles









naxos


----------



## joen_cph

*Bruckner 9 symphonies /Wand, Köln RSO / RCA 10 CD*

Have been listening to this set the last couple of days. Symphonies 5 and 3 were disappointing recordings IMO, the 4th a mixed experience especially due to a much too fast yet somewhat routinely played 1st movement (I´d rather hear an eccentric like Abendoth in that tempo), whereas the rest of the symphonies are fine or excellent here. The sound picture varies quite a lot in the recordings. Luckily, symphonies 8+9 are very good in every way. The CD cover says "original version" about the 8th, but this is wrong; it´s the Haas version.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat for 3 Basset Horns, KV 229

Edo De Waart directing the Netherlands Wind Ensemble: George Pieterson, Geert van Keulen, and Aart Rozenbbom, basset horns


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major; 'Egmont' Overture, Op. 84 
(Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Joris

Schumann - Violin Concerto in D minor Op. posth. // Gidon Kremer with Riccardo Muti


----------



## DrKilroy

Terry Riley - A Rainbow in Curved Air.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

Zarębski's Piano Quintet in G minor, op.34 -- which just received a strong recommendation on the "best 6 chamber works" thread.


----------



## starthrower

What a great disc! And I'm not even a massive string quartet fan.


----------



## LancsMan

Handel:- Sonata in G major HWV 358 played by Andrew Manze & Richard Egarr in their recording of the complete Handel violin sonatas on Harmonia Mundi. 
Debatable whether this early Handel sonata was intended for the violin. Only really notable for a handful of absurd high notes in the final few bars that do not fit with the accompanying harmony. A joke? Otherwise fairly run of the mill baroque sonata - though well played.


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar*: Cello Concerto in E minor
Thedéen/Malmö SO/Markiz

And this week's Saturday Symphony:

*Mahler*: Symphony No. 9 in D major
Berlin PO/Barbirolli


----------



## Oskaar

Dmitry Sitkovetsky/Neschamber Orchestra - Brahms: Serenade Op. 10 / Dohnanyi: Sextet No. 2









Never heard the Brahms serenade before. Realy beautiful music! Nice performance. Looking forward to listen to the rest.

Amazon


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition ---
Anton Fils 1733-1760): Sinfonia in G Minor

Concerto Koln


----------



## GioCar

One of my favourite.

At least once a month.

There is always something new to discover...


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major "Hammerklavier", Op. 106*

Claudio Arrau


----------



## joen_cph

*Bruckner 4th Symphony / Abendroth 1949 / Berlin Classics*

Following the complete Wand set, a very different take on that symphony - and great!


----------



## jim prideaux

Last few days have included first encounters with Kabalevsky and Miaskovsky-now returning to Shostakovich and a favourite work I have not listened to for a while-Piano Quintet, Ashkenazy and the Fitzwilliams.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Monastic Chant" - Theatre Of Voices, Paul Hillier


----------



## Blancrocher

jim prideaux said:


> Last few days have included first encounters with Kabalevsky and Miaskovsky-now returning to Shostakovich and a favourite work I have not listened to for a while-Piano Quintet, Ashkenazy and the Fitzwilliams.


I was just thinking about whether that one would crack my list of 6 favorite chamber works, jim prideaux (though I think the Viola Sonata would be my entry from Shosty).

I'm listening to Holmboe's string quartets, performed by the Kontra Quartet.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

jim prideaux said:


> Saturday afternoon pottering, ignoring the emotional turmoil that will be Man City visit tomorrow-vinyl time,Sargent/RPO,parts of Smetana Ma Vlast-EMI label,apparently in a series referred to by the label as 'Die Meisterwerke' and the record is entitled Die Moldau.......ironic considering the music is often portrayed as an essential point of reference for burgeoning Czech nationalism......


This version of Ma Vlast is a favourite of mine, it seems to me that Sargent really has the measure of it, and the RPO of 1964 was a splendid orchestra, in essence still Beecham's I suppose. This set was originally issued to mark Sargent's 70th birthday, EMI brought it out on CD in the early 90s, and it sounds amazingly good.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

shangoyal said:


> Beethoven: *Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major "Hammerklavier", Op. 106*
> 
> Claudio Arrau


Which version is this? I recently bought the DG set "The Liszt Legacy" which has Arrau's previously unissued "Hammerklavier" from 1954 on it, and it is one of the finest versions that I've ever heard. That whole set is a treasure trove, mind you, with Moiseiwitsch's stereo American Decca recordings, and Egon Petri's Bach-Busoni and Liszt recordings for Westminster on it, plus fascinating things from Alicia de Larrocha, other previously unreleased Arrau stuff and some unusual repertoire from Raymond Lewenthal. Highly recommended.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 49 in F minor, 'La Passione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).









Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) (Christoph von Dohnányi; Wiener Philharmoniker).


----------



## LancsMan

Corelli:- 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6 played by The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock on Archiv.
Excellent playing of joyous music. 
Corelli is just so tasteful - I sometimes wish he had a few rougher edges - but then I suppose he wouldn't be Corelli.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

GioCar said:


> One of my favourite.
> 
> At least once a month.
> 
> There is always something new to discover...
> 
> View attachment 28163


Yevgeny Sudbin is one of my favourite pianists in the younger generation, and this album is absolutely superb. I too play it frequently. He is quite electrifying live too. Marvellous.


----------



## joen_cph

*Schnittke Piano Quintet / Doelen Ensemble / Erasmus CD*

A good recording of this sad work, also containing lesser known music by Ustvolskaya, Polovinkin and Deshevov.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Grieg: Ballade Op.24/Lyric Pieces Arthur Rubinstein

This Grieg Ballade is a masterwork, no question about it. Rubinstein gives a wonderful interpretation of it. I listened yesterday to his performance of the Brahms 1st Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner, and was absolutely bowled over by it. Funny that generally people tend to think mostly of Chopin when Rubinstein's name is mentioned, yet for my money he plays many other composers equally as well, if not better. He is one of the finest Brahms players I know of. His recordings of the 3rd Sonata are outstanding, yet when folks are after definitive Brahms performances, it's always Curzon/Gilels/Brendel/Arrau et al who are mentioned, but I'd put Rubinstein's Brahms as equal to, and in some instances, superior to these. Wouldn't do for us all to be the same, but I shall always fly the flag for Brahms as played by Rubinstein- and if you've never heard him, that 1st Concerto with Reiner would be a good place to start.


----------



## Ingélou

Telemann Violin Sonatas played by Elizabeth Wallfisch.
To-die-for lyrical...


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in G Minor, Bryan g1

Concerto Koln


----------



## Cajonera

well... this days are "Mozart days" for me... some Piano sonatas by Arrau and Kempf


----------



## opus55

Puccini: Turandot
Verdi: Nabucco

















Learning to enjoy operas these days.


----------



## jim prideaux

Martinu-2nd Piano Quintet-Lindsays/Frankl.This will be followed by their performance of the latter Dvorak quintet and I shall finish the evening with a return to newly acquired Schubert 12/14 quartets by the same outfit-I am beginning to believe that the piano quartet/quintet may be one of my favourite musical forms........


----------



## hreichgott

Forum member Mahlerian just alerted me to the existence of a large collection of BSO concerts available on demand so now I'm happily listening to this
http://www.wgbh.org/programs/The-Boston-Symphony-Orchestra-in-Concert-1641/episodes/A-Musical-Voyage-with-Thomas-Ades-47546
Mendelssohn - Hebrides overture
Ives - Orchestral Set no. 2
Ades - Polaris
Franck - Symphony in D minor

I'm on the Ives now, and I've heard a fair amount of Ives, but nevertheless I keep looking around trying to figure out who else has music on... and then I remember it's also Ives :lol:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Martinu: Piano Concerto No.2 Rudolf Firkusny/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Libor Pesek

This is gorgeous. I've not heard it before, picked up this CD, of three of his piano concertos, for a fiver in a local shop. Good choice methinks.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: L'estro Armonico


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Symphony in D Major

Concerto Koln


----------



## Aramis

Anybody fond of mature Beethoven piano concertos (nos. 4 and 5) should hear that of Dobrzyński. One of these rare works where the influence is evident and yet there is much originality to be traced (especially in the unusual last movement) and simply the verve that makes it great to listen. Much like Brahms at his most Beethovenian (though he was late romantic, while here we got work from 20's of XIXth century). And for those who don't know (that is, for everybody here), Dobrzyński was a good mate of Chopin from the school days.


----------



## Novelette

Endeavoring to listen to Schubert's string quartets, first to last, over the next two days. Melos Quartet.

Looking forward to it!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphonies 4 and 8










The best symphony cycle in my collection.


----------



## Vaneyes

For Saturday's symphony listening requirement...

View attachment 28175


And something inspired by the Moose of Shropshire...Grieg: Cello Sonata, w. Mork & Thibaudet (rec. 1993).

View attachment 28176


----------



## aleazk

All the pieces by Webern from the period 1928-1945, i.e., late Webern.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques - Modulations
*


----------



## starthrower

Dusted off this old CD this evening.


----------



## KenOC

On the wireless: Haydn's Trumpet Concerto, Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Jahja Ling, Rolf Smedvig trumpet. Did somebody say the other day that Haydn was a second-rate composer of concertos? Don't think so... :lol:


----------



## Sid James

*A gentle tickle of the ivories - Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4 and its impacts on Liszt & Tippett*

Recently I've been listening to Beethoven's _Piano Concerto #4_, one of my favourites of his five works in the genre. So I thought I'd listen to two other piano concertos that it influenced, by Liszt and Tippett, and link it all up for my weekly blog post (link under my signature at bottom of this post). The main link is the emphasis on song-like melody and lyricism in these pieces, as opposed to concertos in the more dramatic virtuoso style.

*Beethoven* _Piano Concerto #4 in G Major, Op. 58 _(1806)
- Stefan Vladar, piano with Cappella Istropolitana conducted by Barry Wordsworth (Naxos)

*Liszt* _Piano Concerto #2 in A, S.125 _(1861)
- Georges Cziffra, piano with Orchestre de Paris conducted by Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr. (EMI)

*Tippett* _Piano Concerto _(1956)
- John Ogdon, piano with Philharmonia Orch. conducted by Sir Colin Davis (EMI)










*The connections:*

*Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4* emphasises lyricism and flowing melody, and rather than it being a battle between the pianist and orchestra, its more like a dialogue amongst equals.

*Liszt's Piano Concerto #2* similarly contrasts a poetic idea at the start with others, and same as the Beethoven it ends with an optimistic march. Beethoven's fourth concerto reminded Liszt of the legened of Orpheus singing to the Furies in the Underworld.

Beethoven's concerto proved a turning point for him, it being the last concerto he would perform. It effectively ended his career as a concert pianist, due to advancing deafness. Similarly, Liszt's two piano concertos where both begun in the 1840's, a period when he stopped work as a touring pianist and took up a post as conductor at Weimar. His time at the court opera there would prove to be fruitful, leading to premieres of not only his own music but also those by Berlioz and Wagner.

*Tippett* was inspired to write his _*Piano Concerto *_after conducting Beethoven's _Piano Concerto #4_ in London during the 1940's.










*The innovations:*

*Beethoven's* concerto begins with a quiet revolution. Rather than the conventional orchestral introduction, Beethoven lets the pianist have his say first. This lyrical idea is then extrapolated by the orchestra.

*Liszt's* concerto pays no attention to the conventions of separationing movements and goes without a break. Liszt's trademark flexible and creative development of a work's main ideas is here too, reflecting the freer quality of his Hungarian Rhapsodies.

*Tippett's* concerto was initially considered to be unplayable, but that impression was eventually proven wrong.










*My favourite bits:*

I love how the hushed piano contrasts with the bare chords played by the strings in the second movement (Andante con moto) of the *Beethoven* concerto. This movement acts as a pivot in the piece, leading without break to the last movement (love that mix of march rhythms and the tunes that are a bit like opera without words).

My favourite part in the *Liszt* comes in the third movement (Allegretto Vivace), that dreamy and nostalgic duet between piano and cello.

The introduction of the *Tippett* piece is magical, making me think of a garden straight out of children's fairy tales. The piano part is very much like Asian music, of gamelan. The third movement (Allegretto grazioso - quasi andante) grabs my attention for the trumpet solo that introduces the celesta, which ushers in a rhythmically vigorous solo by the piano that is like ragtime.


----------



## starthrower

^^^
By coincidence, I caught a bit of the Beethoven concerto on the radio last night. I just remember some long, graceful, and fluid piano runs that sounded effortless.


----------



## Sid James

starthrower said:


> ^^^
> By coincidence, I caught a bit of the Beethoven concerto on the radio last night. I just remember some long, graceful, and fluid piano runs that sounded effortless.


Yes, and that's what makes it unique amongst his concertos, I think its my favourite (although I like them all, its great to listen to them again after quite a while).


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Krenek*: String Quartets 5 & 8, w. Thouvenel Qt. (rec.1983); Piano Sonata 3, w. GG (rec.1958).

View attachment 28178
View attachment 28179


----------



## Blancrocher

Schnittke's 2nd Cello Concerto and In Memoriam


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Horn Concertos


----------



## chalkpie

Mahlerian said:


> I find that drawing out the finale to nearly 30 minutes, as some conductors do, is the wrong way to go. Contrary to what some seem to think, Boulez's Mahler is not at all academic or unfeeling, and it shows a sensitive and flexible tempo.


It can work both ways me thinks. How can one not be moved by the Chailly, Bernstein, and Von Karajan recordings?

As for Boulez, count me in as a HUGE fan. Probably my favorite conductor (certainly part of my favorite repertoire) overall, period. I love his Mahler, especially M1, M2 (but have my problems), M3, M6, M7!!!, M8, Das Lied, and M9 (1st mvt), and his adagio is stellar. Favorite Boulez Mahler moment: M7 1st movement, the so-called "Moonlit" episode (starts around the 12:20) mark).

Listen to how perfect the harp glissando at 12:53 melts into the trilling flute....perfection. Most conductors overlook little details like that but that crazy French cat is all over the minute details like those.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.51 in D Major

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, cond.


----------



## opus55

Beriot: Violin Concertos










I love Naxos label


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Christus, S3/R478 -- Henriette Bonde-Hansen; Helmuth Rilling: Radio-Sinfonicorchester Stuttgart

Enough said.


----------



## Arsakes

been listening to some *Dvorak*'s chamber and symphonies lately, plus *Bruckner* symphonies no. 5,6,7 and 8.

yesterday...
*Schumann*'s 1-3 symphonies.

I'm really busy. I wish I could be more on TC.


----------



## Mahlerian

chalkpie said:


> It can work both ways me thinks. How can one not be moved by the Chailly, Bernstein, and Von Karajan recordings?


I can't stand Karajan's Mahler, but I do enjoy Bernstein (in the Sony/NY years more so). I would add Tennstedt as well, who turned in slower readings of Mahler's symphonies that don't _feel_ slower. Chailly I'm not crazy about, but not overly negative, either.


----------



## senza sordino

This morning it was Shostakovich tenth symphony, but the cd died. Then I put on Poulenc Piano Concerto with Pascal Roge, also on that disk is the sextet winds and piano, very nice. I listened to Mahler 9th with Claudio Abbado, but I fell asleep, but this says more about my fatigue than it does about Mahler, I'll try again later.


----------



## Conor71

*Schumann: Violin Concerto In D Minor, WoO 23*

Schumann Violin concerto then Symphony No. 1 and No. 2 (Gardiner & Sawallisch):


----------



## Blancrocher

Jonathan Harvey: The Essential Works


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Andolink

*Per Nørgård*: _Symphony No. 7_ (2006)
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard








*Karl Agge Rasmussen*: _Sinking Through the Dream Mirror_, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1993)
Niels Christian Øllgaard, violin
Esbjerg Ensemlbe, Ole Schmidt


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Piano Sonata D960 - Maria Joao Pires, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words - Introduzione. Maestoso ed Adagio. (Paul Angerer; Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto).









Symphony No. 82 in C Major, 'The Bear' (Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

D'Indy's Tableaux de Voyage - Rumon Gamba, cond.


----------



## joen_cph

*Medtner: Piano sonatas etc. / Hamish Milne / CRD-Brilliant Classics 7CD*

It´s a day with a good deal of monotonous computer work at home, so I´ll supplement with these ...

Splendid recordings, cf. http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2008/Apr08/Medtner_sonatas_8851.htm


----------



## dgee

Ligeti Violin Concerto which comes with a big rep but didn't quite blow me away (the later Ligeti style and very folkloric). Impeccably played by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Ensemble Moderne tho and plenty of pyrotechnic excitement. I preferred the Eotvos on the album so I guess I'm just hardcore AG


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Richard Rodney Bennett's Reflections On A 16th Century Tune - Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Stanley Myers - Cavatina (Göran Söllscher).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Franck: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
Medtner: Two Pieces, Op.20 Egon Petri

These are radio broadcasts from 1958, the playing is wonderful, Medtner, it seems to me, has still not taken the place he so richly deserves in the pantheon.

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 2 and 11
Mendelssohn: Variations Serieuses, Op.54
Saint-Saens: Etude for left-hand, Op.135 No.4
Schubert: Litanei, D.343 (arr. Cortot)/Moment Musical in F Minor D.780 No.3
Brahms-Cortot: Cradle Song Op.49 No.4
Chopin: Waltz in G-flat, Op.70 No.1
Alfred Cortot

These are recordings made in Tokyo in 1952, and they're jolly good, let me tell you.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Violin Sonata Op.57 - Jack Liebeck, violin, Katya Apekisheva, piano


----------



## Oskaar

Jutta Zoff, Staatskapelle Dresden & Siegfried Kurz - Ginastera & Boïeldieu: Harp Concertos









I often find harp music a bit boring and uninspiering, but in a concert setting like this, it is absolutely worth listening to. The composers represented here, are from 2 different ereas, I am listening to Boïeldieu (1775 - 1834) now, and it is very beautiful, and mozart-like. I am glad that the new erea of musical recordings brings to life such gems like this.

Dont know what the Ginastera (1916-1983) concert will be like, really looking forward to it.

The sound is very good, and the performance is flewless, with a harp that is tender and carefull, not overplaying, and an orchestra that follow up with expressive play when is is needed, and laid-back, almost un-appearing when it is needed. (sorry for my clumsy way in describing music, maybe I should start to use google translater. But describing music is difficult in norweegian to.)

Read the descripsion in Brilliant classics instead here. The Ginastera concert has started, and it is very promising!


----------



## Oskaar

Ginastera: Cello Concertos

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra / Mark Kosower / Lothar Zagrosek









allmusic


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonatas 11 - 13 / D. Barenboim

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat / D. Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin

*Mahler* - Piano Quartet in A minor / Domus Ensemble

*Mendelssohn* - Symphony No. 3 in A minor / D. Zinman, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben_, BWV 8
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, alto
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Alessandro Scarlatti*: _Cain overo Il Primo Omicidio_
CONCERTO ITALIANO/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Gloria Banditelli--Caino
Cristina Miatello--Abel
Marinella Pennicchi--Eva
Giampaolo Fagotto--Adamo
Claudio Cavina--Voce di Dio
EUROPA GALANTE/Fabio Biondi


----------



## Oskaar

Alexander Gibson - Sibelius: Tone Poems

Conductor: Sir Alexander Gibson 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra

reccorded 1977, remastered 1994









allmusic


----------



## bejart

Another recent addition ---
Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco (1674-1742): Concerto a Quattro da Chiesa in D Minor, Op.2, No.1

Concerto Koln


----------



## Valkhafar

Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2.
Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Itzhak Perlman.


----------



## Weston

Breakfast with Mozart!

I know it's shocking. No headache today.*

Symphony No. 36 in C, "Linz," K. 425* - Jukka-Pekka Saraste / Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Another evening of piano sonatas for me, this time *Beethoven's*. The ones I have heard so far:

15 "Pastorale" 
14 "Moonlight" 
8 "Pathetique"
29 "Hammerklavier"

all four performed by Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Blancrocher

We're on the same wavelength, Weston. Mozart's 24th and 21st, with Anderszewski and the Sinfonia Varsovia. I read some lukewarm reviews of this one, but I'm going to keep on ear on every move Anderszewski makes nonetheless.

Can't beat Mozart on a Sunday morning!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques: Periodes and Transitories.*

I'm really liking this. One thing that has frustrated me about contemporary music, going back to serial music, is, on first listen, many times it is difficult to follow the idea: there is a melodic-rhythmic pattern somewhere, but it's hard to track down, and I have to force myself to listen repeatedly until I finally figure it out.

Spectralism removes the melodic pattern so you can focus on the sounds. It doesn't require any less concentration, but the frustration factor is removed, at least for me.


----------



## GioCar

Here is Sunday afternoon. No project for the rest of the day, so it's time for a demanding listening:

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Weston

Manxfeeder said:


> *Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques: Periodes and Transitories.*
> 
> I'm really liking this. One thing that has frustrated me about contemporary music, going back to serial music, is, on first listen, many times it is difficult to follow the idea: there is a melodic-rhythmic pattern somewhere, but it's hard to track down, and I have to force myself to listen repeatedly until I finally figure it out.
> 
> Spectralism removes the melodic pattern so you can focus on the sounds. It doesn't require any less concentration, but the frustration factor is removed, at least for me.
> 
> View attachment 28210


This is one I did not stumble upon while browsing Amazon's mp3 site of more modern works. The samples do sound interesting, especially the first "disc." But the thing is, I DO hear repeated rhythmic patterns, even in the short samples. In some of them anyway. But I agree it's very frustrating to hear these in a lot o other works and that is why I enjoy Ligeti. This seems to be sort of in Ligeti's world if I am hearing it correctly. I have it bookmarked.


----------



## Oskaar

Paul Polivnick - ALBERT, S.: RiverRun / Symphony No. 2

Conductor: Paul Polivnick 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Russian Philharmonic Orchestra









This is exiting, enjoyable and compelling. full of varying moods and colors. brilliantly mediated by Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and Paul Polivnick

arkivmusic


----------



## Weston

Spending the morning listening again to Paul McCreesh / Gabrieli Consort English version of *Haydn's The Creation oratorio*. I am archiving the original mp3 download and concatenating the monster into reasonable segments. Why, oh why would a record company think we need an isolated 10 second recitative track? And one that clearly is meant to resolve its V chord with the opening note of the next chorus at that? Exasperation!

So I have reduced 32 tracks into 3, the 3 parts of the oratorio. I know I' may have lost a tiny bit of quality re-saving the files, but not enough for me to notice. Part 1 is done. Still working at the rest.


----------



## Blancrocher

Sorry to hear about your sorting issues, Weston, but I'll continue to follow your listening habits for the present. Colin Davis conducting The Creation.


----------



## brotagonist

To commemorate Remembrance Day:









I was also considering Järvi's performance on Chandos with the Royal Scottish, but theirs has only 3 of the 6 waltzes from Op. 110, despite there being ample space on the disc. I'm glad I got this one. The symphony is great, but so are the waltzes.

Subwoofer alert: There's a lot of bass in this, I was thinking as it played the first time earlier this morning


----------



## Kevin Pearson

The more I listen to Medtner the more I believe he is one of the greatest little known composers for piano ever. This recording which has some of his sonatas, two pieces for two pianos, and one of my favorite piano quintets ever is really worth adding to a collection. Hamish Milne has several recordings of Medtner's solo material (maybe all) and is a fine pianist and interpretter of Medtner.










I've also spend some time listening to these fine piano quintets performed by the Warsaw Quintet. The Zarebski is especially notable but I really enjoy the Bacewicz more with each listen.










Kevin


----------



## Oskaar

*Baker / Barnes / Eccles: Works for Double Bass*

Eccles, Henry--*Double Bass Sonata-
*
Baker, Michael Conway--*Contours-*

Bottesini, Giovanni--*Grand Duo Concertant for Violin and Double Bass-*

Borghi, Giovanni Battista--*Sonata No. 1 for Viola and Double Bass-*

Mannino, Franco--*Sonatina Tropicale, Op. 222-*

Sarasate, Pablo de--Z*igeunerweisen, Op. 20-*

Artist(s):
Burashko, Andrew • Dann, Steven • *Quarrington, Joel*double bass • Toronto Symphony Orchestra • Vernon, Timothy









I am going to take a nap on the sofa to this one.

amazon with 4 very positive costomer reviews


----------



## Weston

Kevin Pearson said:


> The more I listen to Medtner the more I believe he is one of the greatest little known composers for piano ever. This recording which has some of his sonatas, two pieces for two pianos, and one of my favorite piano quintets ever is really worth adding to a collection. Hamish Milne has several recordings of Medtner's solo material (maybe all) and is a fine pianist and interpretter of Medtner.


I have three installments of that Hamish Milne / Medtner cycle (solo piano only) and they are of very high quality, both the performances and the compositions. I never seem to tire of Medtner. I love the covers too. I wish I could get them all. Eventually I probably will.


----------



## Mahlerian

Siblelius: Symphony No. 7, Tapiola
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## DaveS

Sibelius festival this weekend...Symphonies 1-5, Karelia Suite, Valse Triste. Gothenberg; N. Jarvi


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify: 
*
Joseph Haydn-*-Symphony No.6 in D {"Le Matin"}; Symphony No.7 in C {"Le Midi"}; Symphony No.8 in G {"Le Soir"}. *
All three symphonies feature the Trevor Pinnock led English Concert.
Gyorgy Ligeti--*Lontano and Atmospheres,* both featuring Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Gyorgy Ligeti--*Volumina and Organ Study # 1: "Harmonies", *
both performed by Gerd Zacher.
Gyorgy Ligeti--*Ruminations for String Orchestra or 12 solo Strings, *
featuring Pierre Boulez and the Ensemble Contemporarian. 
Gyorgy Liget*i*--*Melodien for Orchestra, *
performed by the London Sinfonietta under David Atherton.
Johannes Brahms--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68; Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.73; Symphony No.3 in F, Op.90 and Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98. * All four works feature Roger Norrington conducting the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 20, Nos. 53 "L'Imperiale", 86 and 87 - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Quintet for Piano and Winds in D Major, Op.54

Love Derwanger on piano with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet: Michael Hasel, flute -- Andreas Wittmann, oboe -- Walter Seyfarth, clarinet -- Henning Trog, bassoon


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): Symphony in C Minor

Vojtech Spurny conducting the Czech Chamber Orchestra


----------



## joen_cph

*Roussel: Padmavati, oriental opera / Plasson /EMI 2LP*

First listen to that opera.


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: War Requiem
Tatiana Pavlovskaya, John Mark Ainsley, Matthias Goerne, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dutoit

Last night's concert.


----------



## LancsMan

*Handel:- Acis and Galatea *performed by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants on Erato

Splendid performances no doubt and much charming music in the pastoral vein, but sorry to say I'm not that gripped by Handel operas.

*Telemann: Overtures 'La Bizarre', 'Les Nations', Concerto 'Les Rainettes' & Suite in D major*. played by Akademie Fur Alte Musik Berlin on harmonia mundi.

This is much more to my taste - lively playing and lively music. Great fun.


----------



## DavidA

Brahms Concerto 1 Serkin & Szell 

Titanic performance that sees off most of the opposition. What a great player Serkin was!


----------



## mstar

DavidA said:


> Brahms Concerto 1 Serkin & Szell
> 
> Titanic performance that sees off most of the opposition. What a great player Serkin was!


Piano, I assume?


----------



## mstar

*Bizet Symphony No. 1*! I haven't realized how great it was until I was captivated by the first movement.... Althroughout, I can see a whole story unfolding in front of my eyes!  I think Bizet was a wonderful composer, and it's sad to know he probably died thinking himself a failure. What, it's the opposite of failure that Bizet was!


----------



## Blancrocher

Furtwangler conducting The Magic Flute. I'm in a mood to indulge myself.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Walton*: Concerti,etc., w. Imai/Mordkovitch/Latham-Koenig (rec.1991/2); Symphonies, etc., w. Rattle (rec.1990/1), Szell (rec.1959 - '64); String Quartets, w. Gabrieli Qt. (rec.1986 - '90).

View attachment 28222
View attachment 28223
View attachment 28224
View attachment 28225
View attachment 28226


----------



## Sid James

*Britten* Serenade for tenor, horn and strings & Les Illuminations
- John Mark Ainsley, tenor ; David Pyatt, horn ; Britten Sinfonia cond. by Nicholas Cleobury (EMI)

*Holst* St. Paul's Suite
- St. Paul's CO cond. by Christopher Hogwood (Eloquence)

*Berg* String Quartet Op. 3
- New Zealand Quartet (Naxos)


----------



## shangoyal

Mahler: *Symphony No. 4 in G major*

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischer Rundfunks / Rafael Kubelik


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.18 in B Flat, KV 456

English Chamber Orchestra with Murray Perahia conducting from the piano


----------



## brotagonist

I have to test my new subwoofer, speakers and amp. This is absolutely celestial:









Daniel Chorzempa
BWV 565, 582, 532, 543, 552


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28221
> 
> 
> Furtwangler conducting The Magic Flute. I'm in a mood to indulge myself.


Look at those three names--Erich Kunz,wonderful.


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto No.18 in B Flat, KV 456
> 
> English Chamber Orchestra with Murray Perahia conducting from the piano
> 
> View attachment 28230


I have this album. What an unfortunate hairdo! Great performance though.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.26 in A Flat, Op.64

Markus Becker, piano









Weston says ---
"...What an unfortunate hairdo!..."

Long live the '70s !!!


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 6


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

André Jolivet, _Concerto pour percussion_


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor "Voces intimae"
Tempera Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Even a bit more raucous... and it employs the electronic instrument, the Ondes Martenot:










... quite like the Theremin:


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Bohuslav Martinu*--Symphony No.1, H.289 and Symphony No.2, H.295, *both featuring Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Edward Elgar--*Symphony No.1 in A-Flat Major, Op.55, *
performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under Sir Colin Davis.
Hector Berlioz--*Symphonie Fantastique,* traversed by the Berliner Philharmoniker led by Sir Simon Rattle.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Vivaldi: Gloria


----------



## Bas

Yesterday's listening:

George Frederic Handel - Acis & Galathea
By Matthew Brook [bass], Susan Hamilton [soprano], Nicholas Mulroy [tenor], Thomass Hobbs [tenor], Nicholas Hurndall Smith [tenor], Dunedin Consort & Players, John Butt [dir.], on Linn Records









Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas HOB. XVI 48-52
By Andreas Staier [fortepiano], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Not currently listening, but last evening:

Steve Reich

Clapping music
Come out
Music for pieces of wood
Pendulum music
Music for 18 musicians

Steve Reich and the Colin Currie group
(Royal Festival Hall, London)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Un sospiro (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## Kivimees

Riding of the Medtner bandwagon this morning:









It's a pleasant smooth ride.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Serenade in D minor - Nash Ensemble

to be followed on the radio by Arensky's String Quartet No.2 - Nash Ensemble

deliberately programmed to show the flexibility in size, instruments and repertoire of the group


----------



## Kivimees

If someone starts a "Your favourite obscure 4th symphony" thread, I might nominate Mr. Englund.


----------



## science

Continuing the MLP box sweep. I also have Kubelik on DG, which I think I like better, but I haven't done a careful comparison and this could be nothing more than the bias of having heard Kubelik first.

This is the only music I've listened to for a couple of days! Saturday morning I destroyed my computer with coffee - this was a complete accident, and it didn't make me happy, but it didn't break my heart either because that computer was getting rather old and troublesome. So I got a new computer, got everything transferred, and I'm back up and running.

It's funny, being without a computer for about 36 hours, almost the only real bite of it was that I couldn't easily listen to music. I do have an old CD player _somewhere_... and I was nearly driven to the sort of desperation that searching for it would've been. If I'd started that, I'd probably still be shoulder-high in the laundry room telling my wife things like, "Hey, I just found that stuffed pink monkey I bought you when we were dating! What do you think it was doing under the old ironing board?"


----------



## julianoq

Bartók's String Quartet No.4. I love this one. Perfomed by the Hungarian String Quartet.


----------



## jim prideaux

realised that although there was a Medtner 'bandwagon' going on I was aware that I knew nothing of his music-went on to Youtube but if I am honest I could not really 'process' what I was hearing-possibly too much new music recently and I am becoming increasingly aware that whether it be a good thing or bad I benefit enormously from concentrating on certain pieces for a time-even Glazunov is starting to have a greater appeal after repeated listening.......need to just slow down......


----------



## Manxfeeder

jim prideaux said:


> . . . even Glazunov is starting to have a greater appeal after repeated listening.......need to just slow down......


Great!

Today, for Memorial Day, *Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobas Pacem. *


----------



## Blancrocher

Sudbin playing Scarlatti.


----------



## Bas

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Litaniae Lauretanae
By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter tenor singing alto parts], Christope Prégardien [tenor], Gordon Jones [bass], Stuttgarter Kammerchor, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









George Philipp Telemann - Solo 6 for Harpsichord, Trio 8 for Recorder flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 12 (same), Trio 2 for Viola da Gamba, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 4 for Transverse flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Solo 12 for Harpsichord

By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], Paolo Pandolfo [viola], Oskar Peter [transverse], Michel Piguet [oboe], Conrad Steinmann [recorder], Imker David [viola], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 9
By the Orchestra of the 18th Century, singers of the Laurens Cantorij, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Holst's First Choral Symphony & The Mystic Trumpeter by the BBC Symphony Orchestra/Davis.

This has been my introduction to the pieces and I gave listened to this CD three times back to back. I have really enjoyed both pieces and it is really interesting to dig deeper than The Planets. There is nothing wrong with the Planets of course but the more I hear of Holst, the more impressed by him I am.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 83 in G minor, 'The Hen'; Symphony No. 84 in E-flat Major, 'In Nomine Domini' (Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment).









Coming back to the Paris symphonies . Been a while since I've heard No. 84, such a joyous first movement.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Douglas Lilburn, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## science

I've had DFD / Moore on DG for a long time, and listened to it a lot, but this was my first time with DFD / Demus. I might like Demus a bit more than Moore, but that'd take a few more listenings to verify. Demus struck me as a bit more passive with the music, less assertive. In general, this struck me as wallowing a bit more in the melancholy than DFD / Moore does. All this is just a first impression of course.


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 (Karajan).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Poulenc's Stabat Mater, conducted by Paavo Jarvi with the soprano Patricia Petibon as soloist.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Kabalevsky*: Concerti, w. Tarasova/Dudarova (rec.1993), Mordkovitch/Jarvi (rec.1990).

*Khachaturian*: Concerti, w. Berezovsky/Liss (rec.2006), Mordkovitch/Jarvi (rec.1990), Tarasova/Dudarova (rec.1994).

View attachment 28252
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View attachment 28254
View attachment 28255


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28244
> 
> 
> Sudbin playing Scarlatti.


For a moment I thought that you was listening to The Godfather's soundtrack


----------



## Blancrocher

Savall and company playing Dowland.


----------



## brotagonist

I spent the last 5 days obsessed with upgrading my rig; now it's time to get back to the reason I have it 

Another new acquisition. I finished disc 1 a couple of days ago; I am now listening to disc 2:









Jean Martinon/O Paris

Ravel is a composer I never knew much about. I felt this would be a good introduction, as it contains almost all of Ravel's orchestral output, with the exception of _Daphnis et Chloé_.


----------



## senza sordino

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Kabalevsky*: Concerti, w. Tarasova/Dudarova (rec.1993), Mordkovitch/Jarvi (rec.1990).
> 
> *Khachaturian*: Concerti, w. Berezovsky/Liss (rec.2006), Mordkovitch/Jarvi (rec.1990), Tarasova/Dudarova (rec.1994).


I've been looking for a version of the Kabelvsky violin concerto. Thanks. I've noted down the particulars and will ask my local cd store to order it.

My current listening is Shostakovich Symphony no 8, Vasily Petrenko Royal Liverpool Orchestra, on Naxos


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (the good version)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Tintner


----------



## joen_cph

*Janacek: Sinfonietta & Taras Bulba / Rögner / eterna LP*

Decided to try this cheap recording of those glorious works, on the basis of Rögner´s great Mahler 3rd and good Bruckner 9th. Good and extremely detailed sound, but otherwise very disappointing; "_Taras Bulba_" doesn´t get off the ground, and "_Sinfonietta_", though at times livelier, isn´t very captivating either. Unfortunately no match for the classic recordings by Ancerl or Neumann, or the more obscure "Sinfonietta" with Bakala, or "Taras Bulba" with either Swoboda or Talich.


----------



## brotagonist

Dmitri Shostakovich: It seems like no matter what he did, I like it.

_Symphony 11, October, Russian and Kirghiz Themes;
Symphony 12, Hamlet - Suite, Age of Gold - Suite
_
Neeme Järvi/Gothenburg SO









These are war-inspired works, fitting today's Remembrance Day sentiments.

With the acquisition of this set, I am missing only symphonies 1, 3, 6 and 13. I think the latter two might be worth considering.


----------



## Oskaar

Yesterday I discovered a fantastic piano trio!

Piano Trio No.1, Op.1 (Andreae, Volkmar) spotify link

Absolut Trio
Bettina Boller, violin
Judith Gerster, violoncello
Stefka Perifanova, piano


----------



## jim prideaux

have realised increasingly that repeated listening leads to pieces almost 'revealing themselves'-so listening again to Kabalevsky piano concertos 1/4 and 2nd symphony-Stott,Jarvi and BBC Phil-as I have stated not 'great music' but there is a really attractive autumnal feel and it would be very easy to fail to appreciate these pieces if one were to almost underestimate their quality.......


----------



## Blancrocher

Savall again, this time in the Art of Fugue. I can't believe I'm listening to this very satisfying recording for the first time.

And following this up with an anthology of Il Giardino Armonico recordings, which includes some Baroque music that's new to me.

And P.S. -- Thanks to Vaneyes and others who mentioned that album with Manze conducting Vivaldi's "Concert for the Prince of Poland." I really love that one.

Enjoying some Renaissance/Baroque music today!


----------



## Bas

I am working this evening 

But there is great piano music to help me through it:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Clavierfantasien
By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in B-flat K333, Variations on "Ein weib ist das herrlichsten Ding" K613, Fantasia in Cm K396, Sonata in F K332
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Rawsthorne*: Concerti, etc. w. Baillie/Lloyd-Jones et al (rec.1999), Tozer/Bamert (rec.1992), Hirsch/Friend (rec.1996); Chamber Music, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.2005), Rogeri Trio et al (rec.1997).

View attachment 28267
View attachment 28268
View attachment 28269







View attachment 28270


----------



## YiQue

Rachmaninoff's 24 predule


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 29 in E-flat Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## DavidA

Brahms German Requiem / Klemperer


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mahler's Symphony No.6 - Simone Young, cond.


----------



## mstar

I'm determined to listen to the *2nd and 3rd of Liszt's Mephisto Valses.*...

Also, I listened to *Mendelssohn's Octet* today, and noticed that only now do I really appreciate the changes from Major to minor keys - something simple, though very powerful, I find, in the Octet!


----------



## Sid James

*Schumann* Symphony #4
- Vienna PO cond. by Zubin Mehta

*Haydn *Symphony #92, "Oxford"
- Baroque Orch., Freiburg cond. by Rene Jacobs


----------



## EricABQ

Scriabin's 12 etudes op. 8 played by Maria Lettberg. 

Great stuff.


----------



## Schubussy

Claude Debussy - Chamber Music


----------



## Andolink

*Sylvano Bussotti*: _Il catalogo è questo_, for speaker, 2 voices, chorus & orchestra (1979-88)
Olivier Lallouette, baritone
Philippe Kahn, bass
Syvano Bussotti, recitation
Ensemble vocal Aquarius
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques.*

Loving the sounds he gets here. Even from just the solo viola.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos










Period instruments sound clumsy today. I must be tired.


----------



## Andolink

opus55 said:


> Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
> 
> Period instruments sound clumsy today. I must be tired.


Is it the period instruments that sound clumsy or the way they are being played? Why blame the instruments?


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.85

Bryden Thomson conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Stephen Hough, piano


----------



## opus55

Schubert D.960


----------



## Vaneyes

mstar said:


> I'm determined to listen to the *2nd and 3rd of Liszt's Mephisto Valses.*...
> 
> Also, I listened to *Mendelssohn's Octet* today, and noticed that only now do I really appreciate the changes from Major to minor keys - something simple, though very powerful, I find, in the Octet!


The only Octet I like is *Enescu's*, but I gave you a "like" anyway.


----------



## opus55

Andolink said:


> Is it the period instruments that sound clumsy or the way they are being played? Why blame the instruments?


At least at the time of my writing, it sounded as if both were true. I normally prefer period instruments, for the record.


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Period instruments sound clumsy today. I must be tired.


That recording's my preference for those works, so it's the latter. Double Scotch and off to bed, you. :tiphat:


----------



## Valkhafar

Chopin: Études.
Maurizio Pollini.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Mahler's Symphony No.6 - Simone Young, cond.


When she goes grey, she may look like George Washington...or Ben Franklin. Sorry.


----------



## Schubussy

opus55 said:


> Schubert D.960


Great CD, might have to put it on after...

Bela Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra
Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Concerto No. 26.*







z


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 in F minor
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Motet - Antifona sul canto fermo 8. tono per coro misto a 6 voci -- Riccardo Muti: Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Haydn: Symphony #61 in D, H 1/61 -- Nicholas Ward: Northern Chamber Orchestra

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes -- Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta

Brahms: Concerto in A Minor For Violin & Cello, Op. 102, "Double" -- Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony #2, Op. 9, "Antar" -- David Zinman: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Sinfonia in G Minor, Op.6, No.6

David Zinman leading the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Kevin Pearson

bejart said:


> Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.85
> 
> Bryden Thomson conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Stephen Hough, piano
> 
> View attachment 28279


Don't you miss The Musical Heritage Society? They used to have some really high quality, and often obscure, recordings at deep discounted prices. I was a member for many years back in the LP collecting days but they lost me when they moved to all CDs because their pricing was no longer deep discount.

Kevin


----------



## brotagonist

Ukko had suggested I hear the double basses in Strauss' _Also Sprach Zarathustra_. sub[SUB]woof[/SUB]! sub[SUB]woof[/SUB]! Yup, that's deep 









Lorin Maazel/Wiener Philharmoniker
It's nice to dig into the collection


----------



## bejart

Kevin Pearson says ---

"Don't you miss The Musical Heritage Society?..."

I do. I was a member for many years, after LPs and before CDs, smack dab in the middle of ... 
audio cassettes. I still have a few tucked away somewhere in my car. They were the gateway for the beginning of my CM conversion from jazz and reggae-tinged rock.

Now ---
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.11 in B Flat, Op.22

Wilhelm Kempff, piano


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.3, H.299 and Symphony No.4, H.305, * both featuring Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. So far, I am finding these latter 2 symphonies to be much more dynamic and "layered"{?} than his first two symphonies. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, K.16 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, K.17, * both performed by the Northern Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Nicholas Ward.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Marc-André Dalbavie's Sonnets sur un poème de Louise Labé.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to a couple Baltimore Symphony Orchestra recordings of two American composers. First off Christopher Rouse's 1st Symphony. A very dark but brilliant symphony and one I thoroughly loved. Wasn't quite prepared for that first minute though. Wow!










The other recording I'm listening to is Mark O'Connor's Americana Symphony. Good choice after the Rouse as it's a little more uplifting. Really good use of percussion in this work and has a distinctive American sound. Very tonal and neo-romantic in nature. Very nice work though and shows that O'Connor is not JUST a great fiddle/violin player. He's a gifted classical composer as well and Americana Symphony is both powerful and moving. As soon as I finish this recording I'm going to check out his Fiddle Concerto.



















Kevin


----------



## samurai

Hi, Kevin. That Rouse work sounds quite intriguing; I shall have to give it a spin on *Spotify.* Thanks--as you always do --for sharing your musical finds with the rest of us! :cheers:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> Hi, Kevin. That Rouse work sounds quite intriguing; I shall have to give it a spin on *Spotify.* Thanks--as you always do --for sharing your musical finds with the rest of us! :cheers:


 Happy to be of service!

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Glass: String Quartet No. 2
Mozart: Violin Sonata in G major, K.301


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have to say that the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Concerto was extremely fun and delightful! I think I'll listen to it again tomorrow. Highly recommended for it's unusual coloring of fiddle playing and the O'Connor method as compared to the usual violin playing of the Suzuki method. Really really fun piece!

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Bach: English Suites


----------



## GioCar

On Qobuz

Bach: Sonata in A Minor for solo violin (BWV 1003)
Isabelle Faust
Harmonia Mundi

A good kick-off for my working day.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Violin Concerto in E minor (Kyung Wha Chung; Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal/ Charles Dutoit).


----------



## SimonNZ

Rued Langgaard's From The Song Of Solomon - Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.

edit: now Per Norgaard's String Quartet No.10 "Harvest Timeless" - Kroger Quartet


----------



## dgee

Bernard Hermann's Vertigo soundtrack - guilty pleasures!


----------



## SimonNZ

Aaron Avshalomov: Piano Concerto On Chinese Themes And Rhythms - Jacob Avshalomov, cond.

edit: now Arthur Levering's Catena - Dinosaur Annex Chamber Orchestra (heh, cool!)










edit: now Serge Garant's Circuit I - McGill Percussion Ensemble


----------



## SimonNZ

Sofia Gubaidulina's Rejoice! - Gidon Kremer, violin, Yo Yo Ma, cello


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent arrival ---
Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in B Flat, Op.1, No.3

Concerto Koln


----------



## EricABQ

Rachmaninoff's etude tableau. 

Definitely in the group of my favorite short piano pieces.


----------



## jim prideaux

jim prideaux said:


> just thought I would comment regarding this new purchase-I can almost instinctively recognise the limitations-this is not 'great music' but that does not detract from enjoyment-I also find it intriguing in terms of the circumstances in which Kabalevsky worked-reading that much of is music is determined by the ideology of social realism and yet even within those constraints the man is capable of a degree of personal artistic expression.....perhaps there might be something heroic in that?
> 
> have spent the last few hours looking at a copy of Stanley Krebs 'Soviet Composers and the development of Soviet Music'=it would appear that I may have been a little too generous and possibly simplistic-Krebs would appear to imply that Kabalevsky did compromise with the regime, primarily as a result of self interest and a desire to progress, rather than because of any artistic motive-Krebs is also very critical of the mans music and seems to doubt whether the man had any significant talent-the book was published in 1970,have attitudes changed?. I am also left with the niggling question-if Kovalevsky's music is essentially second rate why would esteemed performers such as Kathryn Stott and Neeme Jarvi even bother?-surely not just as a historical document!


----------



## realdealblues

Lots of listening over this weekend for me. Started off with a few more from the Perahia Box.

View attachment 28303


Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 9
Murray Perahia & The English Chamber Orchestra

View attachment 28304


Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 27
Murray Perahia & The Chamber Orchestra Of Europe

View attachment 28305


Bach: Partitas Nos. 1, 5 & 6
Pianist: Murray Perahia

View attachment 28306


Bach: Partitas Nos. 2, 3 & 4
Pianist: Murray Perahia

Now that I've finished the Partitas, I've finished listening to all of Perahia's Bach Recordings (many of which I had not heard) and I can now say I enjoyed them almost as much as Glenn Gould. For years I never had any interest to own any other recordings of many of Bach's keyboard works because Glenn Gould left me completely fulfilled. I have listened to many other recordings but the only ones that I've bought and kept were Gould.

It's kind of funny for me that I own 50 different Beethoven Symphony Cycles on CD, but was completely content with owning only one or recordings of Bach's keyboard works, primarily all with Gould for the last 15-20 years. Anyway, the Perahia box set now gives me a nice alternative to many of Bach's keyboard works and I think I'm probably set for life.


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to Hilary Hahn's In 27 Pieces, a series of short pieces for violin and piano. Enjoying it a lot.


----------



## joen_cph

*Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste / Fricsay, RIAS SO / DG LP*

Nice and lively performance, with a comparatively good and detailed sound for its age.


----------



## science

Only the Cherubini, but it's a wonderful work.










I had an experience with this today. I've never really appreciated the Messiah. It's never lived up to its hype for me. But today it did. I really enjoyed it.

One of my old friends used to say that Bach made him want to go to church. (He, an atheist, meant that as praise for Bach.) Well, today Handel made me want to believe in God. I suppose I'd even be willing to live under an old monarchy.... Well, maybe I would. Of course I'd have to if I found myself there. But if the music were like this, it wouldn't be so bad.










This is a fun recording.


----------



## science

That is a lovely set of piano concertos. I love the timbre of Brendel's piano. I don't know why it pleases me more than other pianos.


----------



## science

Unapologetically fun music.


----------



## Blancrocher

Starting the day with some favorite Bach cantatas, including Herreweghe and co in "Ich hatte viel Bekümmerniss." After that I'll continue exploring in the Il Giardino Armonico collection.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 28312


Milhaud: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4
Alun Francis & The RSO Basel

I've seen Milhaud's name posted on here quite a bit, but had never heard any of his works so this was my first exposure to his music. Not sure exactly what I think yet, so I might have to take another listen in another week or two. I really liked the first movement of Symphony No. 1 but he seemed to lose me a little by the end of the 4th movement. Kind of the same thing with Symphony No. 4. I liked how it started out, but then it kind of lost me at the end of the work again. I'll gradually work my way through all his Symphonies though. Overall, there were many enjoyable spots in what I heard (I'll admit it was playing in the background while doing some work so it didn't get my absolute full attention).


----------



## Guest

*A bright, sunny but crisp November morning calls for Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert:*








*George Frederic Handel*
Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 1 in G








*Antonio Vivaldi*
Concerto for 2 Violins and 2 Cellos in G, RV575








*Johann Sebastian Bach*
Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor BWV1043








*Tomaso Albinoni*
Concerto A Cinque Op. 9 No. 2 In D Minor








*Arcangelo Corelli*
Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 8 in F minor


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, For Bunita Marcus*

This is basically three notes played with the sustain pedal on, but there's still something compelling about it. This recording is only 89 cents on Amazon. I'd snatch it up, but Sabine Liebner's recording is turning my head;it has better sound, and the sound of the piano much more resonant. Rats.


----------



## Oskaar

Cuarteto Canales - Chapi, Palau, Asencio, String Quartets

*Chapí* Quarteto No. 2
*Palau* Cuarteto En Estilo Popular
*Asencio* Cuarteto En Fa









amazon


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1041,1042,1043 & the Oboe Concerto in Cm BWV 1060
By Hilary Hahn [violin], L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Allan Vogel [oboe] and Jeffrey Kahana [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony Classical









George Philipp Telemann - Solo 6 for Harpsichord, Trio 8 for Recorder flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 12 (same), Trio 2 for Viola da Gamba, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 4 for Transverse flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Solo 12 for Harpsichord

By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], Paolo Pandolfo [viola], Oskar Peter [transverse], Michel Piguet [oboe], Conrad Steinmann [recorder], Imker David [viola], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









I was impressed by these works yesterday (one of the few discs of this excellent and highly recommended box I had not listened to since I bought it.)

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Missa Votiva
By Joanne Lun [soprano], Daniel Taylor [alto], Johannes Kaleschke [tenor], Thomas Bauer [basso]
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius [dir.] on Carus


----------



## brotagonist

One of the two last recordings to arrive last week:









After all my tinkering with bass the last few days, this is a gentle way to wake up to the day


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 (Kleiber). Just to see what everyone is so excited about...  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stockhausen, Kontra-Punkte.*

This is another one of those ridiculously cheap Amazon downloads at $3.96. I'm listening on Spotify. So far, this ensemble's recording is very musical.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Dance Suite. Kodaly, Psalmus Hungaricus.*


----------



## realdealblues

Just finished listening to a mini Perahia Beethoven marathon.

View attachment 28343


View attachment 28344


View attachment 28345


Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 "Emperor"
Bernard Haitink & The Concertgebouw Orchestra
Pianist: Murray Perahia


----------



## DavidA

Britten War Requiem - Britten


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps (Bernstein/NYPO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

Ferrier and others in highlights from Bach's Matthew Passion and Mass in B minor.


----------



## joen_cph

*Bruckner 3rd / Celibidache, München PO/ EMI*

It´s been a while since I sampled this, and it´s too early to say anything definitive ... I prefer Inbal/Teldec´s ecstatic recording of the original version of this symphony, where the early-digital sound picture however lacks some of the orchestral details in a recording such as this. The build-up of the 1st movement does sound very slow, and the orchestral playing is not always perfectly integrated, but I might like it anyway, as a different view of the symphony. Celibidache´s DG recording of it is lively and playful, on the other hand.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 28412


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 23 "Appassionata", 24, 25 & 26 "Les Adieux"
Pianist: Andras Schiff


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat, "Romantic" (1874 version)
Bayerisches Staatsorchester, cond. Nagano


----------



## Oskaar

*Israel Yinon - Alfano: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2*

Franco Alfano
Symphony No. 1 ("Sinfonia Classica")
Symphony No. 2

Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt
Israel Yinon









These 2 symphonies are a pleasure to listen to. They are quite light, but I dont find them boring. Somethings happens all the time, they dont lack exitement, but maybe some may find them "body-less". Some experiences?

allmusic with review


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.8 "Pathetique" - Gerhard Oppitz, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, Piano and Orchestra, Cello and Orchestra.* Then on to* Ligeti's Hamburg Concerto.*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words - Consummatum est (Paul Angerer; Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto).









One of my favourite parts of the Seven Last Words.

Mass No. 9 in C Major, 'Paukenmesse' - Kyrie (J. Owen Burdick; Hoyt; Nafziger; Sollek; Davis; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra)









The 'Et incarnatus est' is one of the highlights for me.


----------



## Wood

*Beethoven *Piano Sonatas 1-26 _Kempff

_









1950s set. Rest to follow.


----------



## Winterreisender

Scott Ross - Scarlatti Sonatas (K 287 to be specific)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Shostakovich*: Piano Concerti w. List/G. Jochum (rec.1960); Cello Concerti w. Schiff/M.Shostakovich (rec.1984); Violin Concerti w. Vengerov/Rostropovich (rec.1994); Jazz Suite 1, w. Rozhdestvensky (rec.1985); Jazz Suite 2, w. Chailly (rec.1990).

View attachment 28421
View attachment 28422
View attachment 28423







View attachment 28424


----------



## Sid James

*Sibelius* Symphony #4 & Tapiola
*Rachmaninov* The Isle of the Dead*
- Suisse Romande Orch. & *Paris Conservatoire Orch. conducted by Ernest Ansermet

*Haydn* Symphony #92 "Oxford"
- Freiburg Baroque Orch. conducted by Rene Jacobs


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - String Quintets and fragments

String Quintet in E flat major Op. 4* (arrangement of Beethoven's wind octet, Opus 103)
*String Quintet in C major Op. 29
Prelude and Fugue fragment for string quintet in D minor, Hess 40
Fugue for string quintet in D major, Op. 137*

Endellion String Quartet, David Adams (Viola) [Warner Classics]

For those, like me, who crave auditioning every last serious Beethoven chamber work. The Endellion Quartet are spot on in these quintets and quintet transcriptions, ranging over much of Beethoven's creative lifespan.

*Beethoven - String Quintet in C minor, Op. 104* (arrangement of the Piano Trio, Op. 1, No. 3) / Fine Arts Quartet, Gill Sharon (Viola) [Naxos]

This is the one the Endellion Quartet disc unaccountably misses out of their 'Complete Beethoven String Quartets and Quintets' box set.


----------



## Guest

DrKilroy said:


> Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 (Kleiber). Just to see what everyone is so excited about...
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Kleiber set the bar for performance on No. 5. I with the recording was not so old. I still think its the best performance but I don't listen to it because I prefer the crystal clear sound of modern recording technology.

Right now:







Mozart, Horn Concertos
Lowell Greer, natural horn - Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Jerome said:


> Kleiber set the bar for performance on No. 5. I with the recording was not so old. I still think its the best performance *but I don't listen to it because I prefer the crystal clear sound of modern recording technology.
> 
> *Right now:
> View attachment 28425
> 
> Mozart, Horn Concertos
> Lowell Greer, natural horn - Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra


Re Kleiber LvB 5 & 7, c'mon, '74 - '76 analogue ain't chopped liver...and DG engineers didn't get confused on this one.


----------



## KenOC

TurnaboutVox said:


> *String Quintet in E flat major Op. 4* (arrangement of Beethoven's wind octet, Opus 103)


Just for the record, the Op. 4 Quintet is a pretty thoroughgoing re-write, and a very successful one, of the earlier Wind Octet. It should certainly be better known -- IMO of course!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Agreed, a thoroughgoing re-write of the Octet I understand (c1792 despite high opus number 103).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Alwyn, Symphony No. 4.*

Enjoying the moment where this piece finally clicks with me.


----------



## KenOC

TurnaboutVox said:


> Agreed, a thoroughgoing re-write of the Octet I understand (c1792 despite high opus number 103).


Ahem. Octet! Yes... Thanks for not memorializing my error by quoting my post (which has been corrected).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Piano Sonatas 1 & 3 w. Demidenko (rec.1996), 2 w. Berezovsky (rec. 1992).

View attachment 28429
View attachment 28430


----------



## Blancrocher

De Maria in Clementi, and Sudbin in Haydn.


----------



## Blake

Handley's Bax. I'm enjoying this much more than I anticipated.


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Piano Quartet #2.

Back to Brahms


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Concerto For Orchestra - Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C Minor, Op.37

Otto Klemperer conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra -- Daniel Barenboim, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Reminded of that review of Brahms's Second that compared it unfavorably with Rubinstein's "Dramatic" Symphony in D minor, I thought I'd remind myself of how his "genius" was.

Turns out it's even duller than I remembered or could have imagined...


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> Turns out it's even duller than I remembered or could have imagined...


That's kind of been my experience with Rubinstein.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gesualdo's Third Book Of Madrigals - Marco Longhini, dir.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify: 
*
Christopher Rouse-*-Symphony No.1, *
featuring David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.5, H.310 and Symphony No.6, H.343 {Fantaisies Symphonique"}. *
Both works are performed by the Vaclav Neumann led Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, K.18; Symphony No.4 in D Major, K.19 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, K.22*. All three symphonies feature the Northern Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Ward.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Oboe Quartet No.3 in F Major

Nancy Ambrose King, oboe -- Solomia Soroka, violin -- Eva Stern, viola -- Natalia Khoma, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould, piano (1981)


----------



## Blancrocher

Mark Padmore singing Ralph Vaughan Williams, Jonathan Dove, and Peter Warlock.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in F Major, KV 376

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

John Tavener's Funeral Canticle - Paul Goodwin, dir.


----------



## joen_cph

Mahlerian said:


> Reminded of that review of Brahms's Second that compared it unfavorably with Rubinstein's "Dramatic" Symphony in D minor, I thought I'd remind myself of how his "genius" was.
> 
> Turns out it's even duller than I remembered or could have imagined...


Quite agree with the views, especially concerning his very long "Ocean" symphony - a few good ideas, but much too elaborated and repetitive. The best Rubinstein I´ve heard so far are the piano concertos 1-4 and the music for cello & piano.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Tavener's The Whale (Apple, 1968)


----------



## starthrower

Scored a mint used copy of this beautiful edition with 225 page booklet for 4 dollars. 
I never cared much for opera until I heard Boris Godunov.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major; No. 2 in F Major (Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 93 in D Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Il_Penseroso

William Walton: Belshazzar's Feast from this:


----------



## Oskaar

*Max Reger*: Sonatas for Viola and Piano

*Barbara Westphal * viola
*Jeffrey Swann * Piano









allmusic


----------



## GioCar

DrKilroy said:


> Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 (Kleiber). Just to see what everyone is so excited about...
> 
> Best regards, Dr


To see the excitement, you'll have just to listen to the 4th mov of the 7th... IMO it's just unbelievable the tension and climax Kleiber was able to reach.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Hanacpachap Cussicuinin" - Ex Cathedra, Jeffrey Skidmore


----------



## GioCar

As usual, to clean up my mind before a hard working day

On Qobuz

Bach: Ciaccona from Partita in D Minor for solo violin
Isabelle Faust
Harmonia Mundi

Chilling me everytime...


----------



## SimonNZ

"Codex Calixtinus" - Ensemble Organum, Marcel Peres


----------



## dgee

Der Ferne Klang - Franz Schreker. Very enjoyable - appears to be as solidly competent and richly sonorous as his better known Die Gezeichneten. Recommended for lovers of late romantic opera. Even a bit of cimbalon in Act 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Seven Last Words - Jordi Savall, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Cello Recital: *Rummel, Martin(cello)* - Rogl, H. / Dallinger, F. / Sulzer, B. / Waldek, G. (Mixed Cello)

*Rogl*, Helmut Meditation-
*Dallinger*, Fridolin Sonata for Cello and Accordion-
*Verdi*, Giuseppe La traviata, Act II: Tu non sai, quanto soffri il tuo vecchio genitor, "Scena affettuosa" (arr. B. Sulzer)-
Waldek, Gunther Mixed Double-
*Rogl*, Helmut cello Concerto, Op. 24, "ViolonChallenges"-









Great sound and performance on this exiting record. And cello and accordeon is a surprisingly good combination!

naxos


----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1712-1786): Flute Concerto No.1 in G Major

Pro Arte Orchestra of Munich -- Kurt Redel, flute


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> Re Kleiber LvB 5 & 7, c'mon, '74 - '76 analogue ain't chopped liver...and DG engineers didn't get confused on this one.


I respectfully disagree. That past forty years have witnessed a dramatic improvement in recording technology - as did the forty years before that. DG did a great job for the era and the technology at hand, but because of my experience in recording I hear the hiss and the lack of definition in sound more than most people do.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
London Philharmonic, cond. Welser-Most









The composer never had a chance to hear this work during his lifetime. Unfortunate, for it is one of his two symphonies that truly works from start to finish.


----------



## Manxfeeder

dgee said:


> Der Ferne Klang - Franz Schreker. Very enjoyable - appears to be as solidly competent and richly sonorous as his better known Die Gezeichneten. Recommended for lovers of late romantic opera. Even a bit of cimbalon in Act 2


Not only opera lovers. I don't care much for opera, but I do enjoy this one.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> The composer never had a chance to hear this work during his lifetime. Unfortunate, for it is one of his two symphonies that truly works from start to finish.


This explains why it is the only one I like really much so far.  What is the other one?

Best regards, Dr


----------



## moody

Jerome said:


> I respectfully disagree. That past forty years have witnessed a dramatic improvement in recording technology - as did the forty years before that. DG did a great job for the era and the technology at hand, but because of my experience in recording I hear the hiss and the lack of definition in sound more than most people do.


Pity the performances haven't kept pace. Do you wan't performance excellence or recording excellence ?
I don't know why I bother,how often does this same thing come up ---all the time.


----------



## moody

New York Met. Live 1946.

"Tosca" with Grace Moore, Jan Peerce, Lawrence Tibbett and Salvatore Baccaloni
Plus Lawrence Tibbett Sings Verdi.

Grace Moore died in an aircraft crash along with the Crown Prince of Sweden in 1947.

God know's what Jerome --above--would say about this, but where are you going to hear the like ?


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> This explains why it is the only one I like really much so far.  What is the other one?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


The 8th, particularly in its revised version.  I think the 9th's great as well, but it loses something because it doesn't have a finale.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*JC Bach, Quintet in D Major, Op. 11, No. 6, and Ignaz Holzbauer, Quintet in B Flat.*


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Pathetique Sonata, Waldstein Sonata, Piano Concerto no 3 in Cm
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca









This is such a great disc, my favourite Beethoven sonata (Waldstein) with one of my all time favourite piano concertos, ands the Pathetique, all in an excellent rendition! I love these dark Beethoven works.

A new arrival, then: 
On the recommendation of member Andolink I bought this disc via eBay.

Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice
By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter], Stutgarter Kamerchor, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Sony Classical


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Two of my purchases arrived today so I have been listening to:















I haven't listened to the Schubert enough to comment too far beyond saying that I am enjoying the performances very much indeed.

The Celibidache recording of Brahms' Symphony 1 however is very enjoyable. Although there are some limitations on the sound quality given that it is a 1952 recording, it still sounds good and the interpretation is very interesting. The actual sound quality is surprisingly good though. I hope the Vienna Symphony Orchestra has the material to continue a cycle.

I haven't yet listened to his Munich recording so it will be interesting to see how his interpretation has changed.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Donizetti's Requiem, in a performance from 1961 conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni.

*p.s.* My thanks to Aramis for the mention of this work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rossini: Complete Overtures, Vol. 1
*
Christian Benda / Prague Philharmonic Choir / Prague Sinfonia Orchestra









allmusic


----------



## moody

AClockworkOrange said:


> Two of my purchases arrived today so I have been listening to:
> 
> View attachment 28452
> View attachment 28453
> 
> 
> I haven't listened to the Schubert enough to comment too far beyond saying that I am enjoying the performances very much indeed.
> 
> The Celibidache recording of Brahms' Symphony 1 however is very enjoyable. Although there are some limitations on the sound quality given that it is a 1952 recording, it still sounds good and the interpretation is very interesting. The actual sound quality is surprisingly good though. I hope the Vienna Symphony Orchestra has the material to continue a cycle.
> 
> I haven't yet listened to his Munich recording so it will be interesting to see how his interpretation has changed.


He also plays all four plus the Alto Rhapsody on a 1958/9 live recording with the Italian Radio Television Symphony,Milan.
Don't worry about orchestras because he demanded and got huge rehearsal time so they all sound good.
I have these discs and they are very good also soundwise.
See Andromeda ,Three Discs at £14.00 at that price you should buy them regardless.


----------



## Oskaar

Well, I had to put on something else..Rossini is not my cup of tea..

Kyung Wha Chung & Krystian Zimerman - R. Strauss / Respighi: Violin Sonatas









This was better!

What a violin! Chung seems to put all her emotions and energy into the beautiful tones,and pauses as well. Zimerman is steady as a rock, but also very empatic in his piano accompagnement.

J must filter spotify for all Kyung Wha Chung right away!

Arkivmusic with review

Edit: I love chamber music, and listen to it mostly. I love piano and orchestal music, but that is more mood-dependent. But according to my latest post, it seems like i only listen to chamber music. But it is a world outside it, and I have just not reached so far in my exploring yet..


----------



## Dusan

Ludovico Einaudi - Nuvolo Bianche

used in one short duration in Horror movie Insidious


----------



## Blake

One of the composers clouded by Sibelius... which is a shame because Melartin is great. Beyond his own excellent work, he was the first in Scandinavia to perform Mahler. You can pick up some of Mahler's influence in Melartin's work... though he surely has his own style.


----------



## Ravndal

Sofia Gubaidulina - Fachwerk

Trondheim Symphony orchestra, Anders Loguin & Geir Draugsvoll

One of her newest pieces. So lovely.


----------



## DrKilroy

Simply speaking - some J. S. Bach concerti. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Abe: Symphony No. 1 / Divertimento / Sinfonietta

Russian Philharmonic Orchestra
Dmitry Yablonsky -









The symphony is short, and a quite enjoyable listen. Romantic and modern at the same time. And it looks that there are plenty other stuff from Abe on this record to enjoy. Quite new recording, released 2007, it says (but I have learned that it is absolutely no warranty tha the recording is new, but the sound is brilliant. Arkivmusic often have discription of the actual place and date of recordings. and amazon sometimes to.

allmusic


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 28468

View attachment 28467


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 27-32
Pianist: Andras Schiff

Finished off the Schiff Beethoven sonata cycle this morning.

Now just finishing the last few minutes of:

View attachment 28465


Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Michael Gielen & The Museumorchester Frankfurt (Live 1981)

I really think this is a wonderful rendition. I like it much better than Solti and some of the more popular recordings. Many people have a hard enough time with this Symphony because of the singing and honestly it's not hard find a dull recording of the 8th. There are a number where I just start thinking, is it over yet? This one is anything but dull. I've never felt bored or hoped it would finish. In fact, I usually can't believe it's over already when it finishes, and not because it is taken at a fairly brisk pacing. It's just that good!


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki)

And recreating a concert I have been to some time ago:

Lutosławski - Paganini Variations (Hoexter/Robertson)
Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner)
Sibelius - Symphony No. 5 (Berglund/COE)

Of course the performers were not the same. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

DFD singing Mendelssohn and Loewe. I'm saving another listen to Greindl's Winterreise for my evening walk.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - String Trios

Serenade in D major, Op. 8
String Trio in E flat major, Op. 3*

Leopold String Trio [Hyperion]

More slightly obscure chamber music for me tonight (this is where I spend a lot of my time!)


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28471
> View attachment 28472
> 
> 
> DFD singing Mendelssohn and Loewe. I'm saving another listen to Greindl's Winterreise for my evening walk.


DFD is not bad at Loewe it suits him because he can be over the top in a way that ruins his Schubert.


----------



## Blake

Enjoying a bit of Holmboe.


----------



## Bas

moody said:


> DFD is not bad at Loewe it suits him because he can be over the top in a way that ruins his Schubert.


 Who is your preferred Schubert performer, if I may ask? (Winterreise, Goethe-Lieder, Die schöne Mullerin)


----------



## AClockworkOrange

moody said:


> He also plays all four plus the Alto Rhapsody on a 1958/9 live recording with the Italian Radio Television Symphony,Milan.
> Don't worry about orchestras because he demanded and got huge rehearsal time so they all sound good.
> I have these discs and they are very good also soundwise.
> See Andromeda ,Three Discs at £14.00 at that price you should buy them regardless.


Thank you for the recommendation Moody. I'll definitely look into these.


----------



## Guest

moody said:


> Pity the performances haven't kept pace. Do you wan't performance excellence or recording excellence ?
> I don't know why I bother,how often does this same thing come up ---all the time.


I think you know that answer to that. I want both. Maybe I put more weight on sound quality than you do, but If I give Kleiber a perfect 10 for performance but only a 6 for sound quality, that's an overall 8 for me. If I find another recording that I can rate an 8 in performance but a 10 in sound, then I'll choose the overall 9 everytime. And to me that recording is:








Beethoven, Symphonies 5 & 1
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
*Excellent!*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Robert Schumann - Novelletten Op. 21* / Andras Schiff (Piano) [ECM]

I can't see that the Novelletten are inferior to contemporary Schumann works for solo piano, but they seem relatively under-recorded, at least as a complete set of 8. Andras Schiff is highly impressive (and poetical) in this live recording. Being ECM, the recording is exemplary.


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner's piano sonata 1 played by Hamelin. 

One of my favorite sonatas.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Richard Strauss, 2 Stucke, Piano Quartet*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 35 in A-flat Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## moody

Bas said:


> Who is your preferred Schubert performer, if I may ask? (Winterreise, Goethe-Lieder, Die schöne Mullerin)


"Winterreise". Peter Anders, tenor. Live October 1948. Josef Greindel, bass. DG 1957. Hans Hotter, bass-baritone, EMI 1955.

"Die Schoene Mullerin". Aksel Schiotz, tenor. EMI 1945. Gerard Souzay, baritone. Philipps.1961. Gerhard Huesch, baritone . EMI, 1935.

Goethe Lieder do not stand as a cycle.

The best lieder singer that I know of was Karl Erb the tenor, born 1873--died 1958. He was still singing into his late 70s with no apparent change to his voice. He was a very famous singer of Wolf.


----------



## Sid James

*Sibelius *Symphonies 2 & 4
- Suisse Romande Orch. with Ernest Ansermet at the helm

*Dvorak* The Wood Dove
- Los Angeles PO conducted by Zubin Mehta

*Elgar* String Quartet in E minor
- Played by Maggini Quartet

*Mozart* Symphony #41 "Jupiter"
- Baroque Orch., Freiburg with Rene Jacobs at the helm


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More Schumann...
*
Schumann - Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133, Geistervariationen WoO 24* / Dina Ugorskaja (Piano) [Cavi Music]

*Schumann - Intermezzi Op. 4* / Finghin Collins (Piano) [Claves]

These are excellent interpretations by young pianists. I do not have 'classic' recordings with which to compare them, though, as I am more than a bit put off by the sound quality of some I have heard (Richter playing a selection from the 'Novelletten', for instance)


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Sinfonia in C Sharp Minor, VB 140

Petter Sundkvist conducting the Swedish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Sonata

Mahlerian said:


> The 8th, particularly in its revised version. I think the 9th's great as well, but it loses something because it doesn't have a finale.


8th and 9th are the pinnacle of Bruckner for me.  The two symphonies in his ouvre I regard as highly as Mahler's work!


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven Piano Trio Op. 70 No. 2, Beaux Arts Trio. Not as well known as its sibling but certainly not short in quality or enjoyment.


----------



## Blake

Sonata said:


> 8th and 9th are the pinnacle of Bruckner for me.  The two symphonies in his ouvre I regard as highly as Mahler's work!


I regard everything Bruckner does as highly as Mahler. Both are masters... so I wouldn't be comfortable saying one is higher than the other to begin with.


----------



## Blancrocher

For this evening, an old favorite and hopefully a new one: Moravec playing Franck, Ravel, and Debussy; and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in Debussy, Stucky, Saariaho, and Dalbavie.


----------



## chalkpie

Mahlerian said:


> I can't stand Karajan's Mahler, but I do enjoy Bernstein (in the Sony/NY years more so). I would add Tennstedt as well, who turned in slower readings of Mahler's symphonies that don't _feel_ slower. Chailly I'm not crazy about, but not overly negative, either.


I really only know his M9, but I certainly dig it. (Karajan)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in C Major, KV 279

Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Joseph Haydn*--Symphony No.45 in F-Sharp Minor {"Farewell"} and Symphony No.94 in G Major {"Surprise"}. *
Both works are performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Fritz Lehmann. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major, * again featuring the Berlin Philharmonic, on this occasion led by Wilhelm Furtwangler.


----------



## SimonNZ

Huw Watkins' Violin Concerto - Alina Ibragimova, violin, Edward Gardner, cond.

World premiere from 2010 Proms

edit: followed by the UK premiere of James Dillon's La Navette


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 85 in B-flat Major, 'La Reine'; Symphony No. 86 in D Major
(Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment).









Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64; selection (Sir Georg Solti; Chicago Symphony Orchestra).

Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, 'Hammerklavier' (Jenő Jandó).


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem in Dm
By Helen Donath [soprano], Christa Ludwig [mezzo-soprano], Robert Tear [tenor], Robert Loyd [bass], Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Dusan

Yiruma - Kiss the Rain (btw great composer and musician)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 33 No. 5 in G Major, 'How do you do?' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

"L'Amor de Lonh: Medieval Songs of Love and Loss" - Ensemble Gilles Binchois


----------



## Sonata

Dusan said:


> Yiruma - Kiss the Rain (btw great composer and musician)


River Flows in You by Yiruma is one of my favorite New Age piano pieces. Other musician/composers in similar style that you should check out: Michele McLaughlin, David Nevue, and Philip Wesley. The music of the latter two especially was one of my biggest motivators to finally start learning to play piano (not that I can play their music yet, lol)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 9, No. 1 in B-flat minor (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie LeClair (1697-1764): Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op.7, No.5

Concerto Amsterdam -- Jaap Schröder, violin


----------



## Flamme

Maxim puts so much soul into it...


----------



## julianoq

Brahms 4th Symphony, performed by Carlos Kleiber and the VPO. Long time since I listened to this symphony, it was one my favorite pieces on the beginning of my classical music journey and I over-listened it. Feel good to return to it after so many months.


----------



## Dusan

Hans Zimmer - Time
This gives pictuers in head


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Symphony No. 4 in A Major, 'Italian' (Christoph von Dohnányi; Wiener Philharmoniker).


----------



## Copperears

John Dowland, The Collected Works, the Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley, on L'Oiseau-Lyre.

Christmas has already started for me, there's three inches of snow on the ground in my mind's eye, frost on the window-pane, a cold wind blowing outside, a crackling fire inside, and the naked branches clicking arhythmically on the bedroom window as I sleep.

Too bad global warming has killed all that, oh well, I can still live in my head.


----------



## Evoken

Currently on...








Working my way through his symphonies, listening to No. 2 now...have heard 1,3,5 and 9 so far.


----------



## science

Head to head, Starker won. But Queyras is good too!










I hate that clown. The music is ok. Circus stuff. Plus something from the 18th century.


----------



## science

Ok, Grofé does something for me. I'll admit that. Call it pops all you want, I can only hang my head in guilty admission.










This (Capricorn's disk of Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov) on the other hand did nothing at all.


----------



## joen_cph

*Mahler: Symphony no.7 / Bernstein, NYPO /sony*

... renewed Mahler interest, due to reading Donald Mitchell´s classic "Gustav Mahler - The Early Years". So far I´ve liked Kubelik´s DG recording of this symphony the most.


----------



## Blancrocher

Alison Balsom and the Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic in Haydn, Hummel, Neruda, and Torelli. I mention this in part because the download is selling for $2.50. Not sure if there's a catch, but this is baroque for the broke.

http://www.amazon.com/Trumpet-Conce...384444415&sr=1-1&keywords=balsom+haydn+hummel

(Sorry.)


----------



## opus55

Pleyel: Symphonies


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Shostakovich*: Symphonies, 4 w. Rozhdestvensky (rec.1984), 5 , 6, 8, 9, 12 w. Haitink (rec.1980 - '83), 7 w. Jarvi (rec.1988).

View attachment 28501
View attachment 28502
View attachment 28504
View attachment 28505
View attachment 28506


----------



## brotagonist

I'm listening to...









...as I prepare myself for...









I think I will sip this latter one slowly over a few days


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, cond. Lopez-Cobos









Good sound quality, but doesn't stand up to the best competition.


----------



## Oskaar

The Cleveland Orchestra & Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Ensemble Intercontemporain & Berliner Philharmoniker & Pierre Boulez - Pierre Boulez conducts Bartók / Debussy / Ravel / Stravinsky / Webern

*Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune *
Claude Debussy

*Hungarian Sketches, Sz. 97 *
Béla Bartók

*Concerto for 9 instruments, Op. 24 *
Anton Webern

* Petrushka *
Igor Stravinsky









allmusic


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25
Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 1

















Really good listening day at work.


----------



## Copperears

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Shostakovich*: Symphonies, 4 w. Rozhdestvensky (rec.1984), 5 , 6, 8, 9, 12 w. Haitink (rec.1980 - '83), 7 w. Jarvi (rec.1988).
> 
> View attachment 28501
> View attachment 28502
> View attachment 28504
> View attachment 28505
> View attachment 28506


If you like Shostakovitch, you haven't lived until you've heard The Execution of Stepan Razin. Had a Melodiya recording of that a long time ago, absolutely thrilling, now long out of print, I think. There are few out there, Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Socialists are pretty good, though.

Aha! Wait, though: re-released, fantastic!

http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/shostakovich-complete-symphonies-mr0002674731

Kiril Kondrashin's performance makes the Seattle Symphony's sound sleepy and tame by comparison.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Knudt Nystedt's choral music.


----------



## Oskaar

Aalborg Symphony Orchestra - *Vagn Holmboe* - Concertos For Recorder And Flute









Fantastic music with great sound! I love the freshness and romantic feel of a flute in romantic/modern orchestral music!

Classical Net Review


----------



## Keith

Schubert; complete piano sonatas by Martino Tirimo, with his own completions of the uncompleted sonatas. This set is newly available on Warner Classics for less than £20 - and it's sublime.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Partita No. 5 in G, BWV829
Haydn: String Quartet in G, Op. 33 No. 5


----------



## Blancrocher

Hermann Prey singing Carl Loewe.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 104 in D Major, 'London' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









Haydn's last - what a way to end his symphonic career.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Keith said:


> Schubert; complete piano sonatas by Martino Tirimo, with his own completions of the uncompleted sonatas. This set is newly available on Warner Classics for less than £20 - and it's sublime.


Martino Tirimo's performances are sublime but I find the recordings very hard to live with (soft-focus and very reverberant). I also like Wilhelm Kempff and Brendel (in the 'standard' cycle), and Gottlieb Wallisch on Naxos has done a good and well-recorded survey of the fragments and incomplete sonatas.

I had the good fortune to hear Tirimo play a largely Mozart programme at our local piano festival a few years ago.


----------



## Guest

science said:


>


I agree totally! Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite is fabulous and don't forget that Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue might have been a forgotten piece for piano if Grofé had not orchestrated it. I'm giving my copy a listen:








Ferde Grofé, Grand Canyon Suite
Gerard Schwartz, Seattle Symphony








George Gershwin (orch. Ferde Grofé), Rhapsody in Blue
Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra


----------



## GioCar

John Taverner:
Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas.
The Tallis Scholars

A revelation for me.


----------



## Bas

Antonia Maria Bononcinni (1677-1726) Messa a cinque concertata in Gm & Stabat Mater
By Concerto Italiano Choir & Orchestra, Rinaldo Allesandrini [dir.], on Naïve


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Symphony No.5 - Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel, cond.

the announcer just said: "Simon Rattle refered to this combination of orchestra and conductor as The Most Important Thing Currently Happening In Classical Music Anywhere"

I thought it was a perfectly average recording, dullard that I am


----------



## contra7

Darius Milhaud: Symphony no. 2 and no. 3 ("Te Deum")

Fantastic pieces and composer that I've discovered recently.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Janáček - String Quartet No. 1 ("Kreuzer Sonata"); String Quartet No. 2 ("Intimate pages")*

Janáček Quartet [Supraphon]

* Janáček - "Youth" (Suite for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon and bass clarinet;

Martinů - Sextet for flute, oboe, clarinet, two bassoons and piano

Kabeláč - Sextet Op. 8, for flute, oboe, two clarinets, French horn and bassoon*

Prague Wind Quintet [Supraphon]

The sleeve notes say this disc is "a condensed examination of the development of Czech chamber music for wind instruments in the first half of the 20th century". And no doubt it is. The Martinů sextet is my pick of these.


----------



## Blake

Skrowaczewski's Bruckner: Symphony No. 2


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Bach's Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C minor, in this case "reconstructed" as the supposedly original version for violin and oboe. Great stuff! The album cover has Janine Jansen all over it, but it's the oboist Ramon Ortega Quero who's the star of this show. Big picture only, sorry!


----------



## Blancrocher

Moravec playing Mozart and Beethoven.


----------



## Blake

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28517
> View attachment 28518
> 
> 
> Moravec playing Mozart and Beethoven.


Have you heard Moravec play Chopin's Nocturnes? Most wonderful.


----------



## KenOC

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Symphony No. 104 in D Major, 'London' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).
> 
> Haydn's last - what a way to end his symphonic career.


Nice to quit at the top of your game! But it's a shame that he quit at all.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gustav Charpentier's Italian Impressions - Marco Guidarni, cond.


----------



## starthrower

No. 7 at the moment. This one sounds the best to my ears so far, but I'm just getting started.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

starthrower said:


>


This is on my 'to acquire list'. Mr. Wass can do no wrong at present, it seems!

PS splendid cover art...
which appears to be by Max Klinger (1857 - 1920) who also did this:







Torso of Beethoven, 1902
(from Wikipedia)


----------



## moody

EUGENE YSAYE. The Opus 27 Violin Sonatas. Vadim Brodsky. ( present from Yukko.)


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Shostakovich*: Symphonies, 10 w.HvK (rec.1981), 11 w. Bychkov (rec.1987), 15 w. Ormandy (rec.1972).















View attachment 28520


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> This is on my 'to acquire list'. Mr. Wass can do no wrong at present, it seems!
> 
> PS splendid cover art...
> which appears to be by Max Klinger (1857 - 1920) who also did this:
> View attachment 28519
> 
> Torso of Beethoven, 1902
> (from Wikipedia)


But should we be thinking about LvB's six-pack?


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonia in F Major

Prague Chamber Orchestra


----------



## KenOC

Just finished Shostakovich Symphony No. 8, Haitink. Hadn't heard it for a long time. An inexorable march from tragedy to gloom. Might be a while before I hear it again... 










Why can't this guy write symphonies with happy endings?


----------



## Vaneyes

Copperears said:


> If you like Shostakovitch, you haven't lived until you've heard The Execution of Stepan Razin. Had a Melodiya recording of that a long time ago, absolutely thrilling, now long out of print, I think. There are few out there, Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Socialists are pretty good, though.
> 
> Aha! Wait, though: re-released, fantastic!
> 
> http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/shostakovich-complete-symphonies-mr0002674731
> 
> Kiril Kondrashin's performance makes the Seattle Symphony's sound sleepy and tame by comparison.


Thanks for that, but the recent Ondine release w. Shenyang/Ashkenazy goes to the head of the line. :tiphat:

FYI:

http://www.ondine.net/?lid=en&cid=2.2&oid=5061

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/o/ond01225a.php

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/an-exciting-new-recording-of-shostakovichs-stepan-razin/


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Boccherini


----------



## Blancrocher

Vesuvius said:


> Have you heard Moravec play Chopin's Nocturnes? Most wonderful.


Yes, I know them well--Moravec is a remarkable pianist. I think all of his recordings are worth hearing.

I've just been listening to Joonas Kokkonen's "...durch einen Spiegel..."--a fascinating work I intend to return to.















It was mentioned by joen_cph on a very useful thread about modern harpsichord music.

*edit* To be followed by a first listen to Gubaidulina's Fachwerk.


----------



## science

With apologies to the Allegri / Palestrina disk (I have only one of the two they've done), this may be my new favorite Tallis Scholars recording.


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> Just finished Shostakovich Symphony No. 8, Haitink. Hadn't heard it for a long time. An inexorable march from tragedy to gloom. Might be a while before I hear it again...


But it ends in C major! It's gotta be the happiest, lightest thing in the world, right?


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> But it ends in C major! It's gotta be the happiest, lightest thing in the world, right?


Well, I guess the 6th has a happy ending. Problem is, you're suicidal by the time you get out of the first movement!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Quartet in G Minor, KV 478

Beaux Arts Trio with Bruno Giuranna on viola: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello


----------



## Blake

Medtner piano concertos, by way of Tozer/Jarvi.


----------



## KenOC

Christopher Rouse, Flute Concerto. First listen. Attractive, interesting, fluent, even (in the slow movement) approaching tragedy. Like so much contemporary American music, though, polished but maybe a bit light in weight. Or am I being too critical?


----------



## starthrower

Sibelius symphony no. 2 Bournemouth/Berglund

I didn't quite make it all the way through this mushy symphony.
I felt compelled to put on the Goldberg Variations for an antidote.


----------



## KenOC

starthrower said:


> Sibelius symphony no. 2 Bournemouth/Berglund
> 
> I didn't quite make it all the way through this mushy symphony.


Suggest you stay well away from Anton Rubinstein.

Reminds me of Steinberg's "Sibelian slush" remark about Howard Hanson's 2nd Symphony. Hanson nicely turned the table on Steinberg later (and even Steinberg had to chuckle).


----------



## Mahlerian

starthrower said:


> Sibelius symphony no. 2 Bournemouth/Berglund
> 
> I didn't quite make it all the way through this mushy symphony.


If you think _that_ one is "mushy", you might want to wait a while before going to the later ones...


----------



## starthrower

Mahlerian said:


> If you think _that_ one is "mushy", you might want to wait a while before going to the later ones...


I checked a Sibelius thread, and decided to put on your favorite, no. 4. Great intro on the low strings! This will be my last one for tonight. I'll go through the whole set over the weekend.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.20 in B Flat

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.28, K.200; Symphony No.31, K.297 {"Paris"}; Symphony No.32, K.318 and Symphony No.33, K.319. * All four works are magnificently rendered by the Prague Chamber Orchestra under the lively baton of Sir Charles Mackerras.


----------



## Mahlerian

Starthrower said:


> I checked a Sibelius thread, and decided to put on your favorite, no. 4. Great intro on the low strings! This will be my last one for tonight. I'll go through the whole set over the weekend.


Indeed. It's a bleak one, but powerful.

A fresh reading of Slonimsky's _Lexicon of Musical Invective_ revealed that the "cat running up and down a piano" barb has been around since the mid-19th century, when it was thrown at Wagner's Tannhauser overture. I had figured that one might be newer, but nope.

Incidentally, Sibelius's Fourth attracted a good deal of critical ire:

"In the ninth bar of the last movement the second violins move from D sharp to E natural; the violas meanwhile go from the lower D sharp to E _sharp_; it sounds like a misprint. If this sort of thing continues, there will be no such thing as correcting mistakes in parts at a rehearsal--the composer will have to furnish an affidavit with every individual note. As the modern ear becomes accustomed to these things all standards will be swept away."

Here are a few more critically maligned works.

Webern: Quartet, Op. 22
Ensemble intercontemporain









"If modernism depended for progress upon the Weberns, it would get nowhere."

Varese: Ionisation, Ameriques, Density 21.5, Offrandes, Arcana, Octandre, Integrales
New York Philharmonic, Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Boulez









"This tonal monster is entitled _Arcana_; devoid of spiritual discipline and artistic imagination, it belabors the listeners with horsewhips and transforms peaceable concertgoers into hyenas. Great Arnold Schoenberg, you are with your famous Five Orchestral Pieces brilliantly vindicated! They are utterances of modern classicism beside this barbarous insanity."


----------



## Sid James

starthrower said:


> Sibelius symphony no. 2 Bournemouth/Berglund
> 
> I didn't quite make it all the way through this mushy symphony.
> I felt compelled to put on the Goldberg Variations for an antidote.


Sibelius' 2nd got flack even in the mid 20th century for the happy ending and compared to his 1st symphony, its more kind of formulaic in that regard. However, its just as innovative as any of his symphonies, especially in terms of the themes being so tightly related to one another and those layerings that so easy bring to mind patterns of nature.

I've been listening to that piece as well as his 4th symphony this week. The 4th is bleak, austere, depressing. The ending seems to go towards happy but then in the last couple of minutes he pulls the rug from beneath your feet - you're borne to some summit and then plunged down to an abyss. Its without any resolution, you are given this false sense of security. Its also his most tonally ambigious symphony. I have been fascinated by this piece as a portrait of depression, but its not literal, and there is also that natural element. I want to do a blog post on it at some stage, his music has gripped me again after so long.

But ironically, if the 2nd was pulled down as too Romantic and happy at the end (although its been popular virtually from the time it was premiered, apart from the dip Sibelius' music got in the 1950's and '60's), the 4th was greeted by one critic I read as too difficult and dissonant. However, he didn't deny it was a masterpiece, he just didn't like it or understand it. I think its an interesting comparison, the critical reception between the two.

I think I regard the 4th as many do to be out of this world, but in terms of it not being so bleak, I prefer to listen to the 2nd, its not as hard to take. But not much is in the whole mainstream symphonic repertoire, I think.


----------



## KenOC

Re Christopher Rouse: Maybe this kind of music reminds me of the old Soviet saying: "In Russia, nothing is possible but everything matters. In America, everything is possible but nothing matters."

Or maybe I'm still being unfair.


----------



## Blake

Same thing, really.


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Prokofiev's Cello Sonata, Janos Starker with Gyorgy Sebok on piano. A wonderful work. I'll give it the nod in preference to Shostakovich's sonata. Although Prokofiev was the older of the two, he wrote his sonata in 1949, in his old age really, while Shostakovich wrote his much earlier, in 1934. To me, Prokofiev carries the day easily. Your opinion?


----------



## SimonNZ

Arvo Part's Symphony No.4 "Los Angeles" - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.

UK premiere from 2010 Proms


----------



## Itullian

Far from HIP , but so beautifully played.
I love this set.


----------



## GioCar

Recently Mahlerian started a thread on contemporary music for harpsichord.
Well, this morning I woke up with a "desire" for harpsichord music... IMO these are among the most beautiful (and underrated) pieces for harpsichord, played on a marvellous instrument.

Jacques Duphly - Pièces pour clavecin.
Christopher Rousset


----------



## SimonNZ

Henri Dutilleux's Ainsi La Nuit - Belcea Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> Nice to quit at the top of your game! But it's a shame that he quit at all.


Ah yes, but Haydn did all he could have, I think .

J. Haydn, The Creation - Die Vorstellung des Chaos (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).









Franz Liszt, Années de pèlerinage - Les jeux d'eau à la Ville d'Este (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## Guest

Mozart, K622, Clarinet Concerto
Martin Frost, Basset Clarinet

The 2002 recording has been my recent favorite, but I just found out that Martin Frost has recorded this work again. Today I will compare them and decide which I like best.








2002 with Amsterdam Sinfonietta








2013 with Deutche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen


----------



## Keith

Bejart - Was listening to Jando play Haydn yesterday. I like his playing better than the other two sets that I own, by Ronald Brautigam and Christine Schornsheim.


----------



## Andolink

*Francesco Cavalli*: _La Calisto_
Maria Bayo, soprano
Alessandra Mantovani, soprano 
Graham Pushee, counter-tenor 
Gilles Ragon, tenor
Marcello Lippi, baritone
Simon Keenlyside, baritone
Concerto Vocale/René Jacobs


----------



## Skilmarilion

Trying to become more familiar with PIT's 2nd. I find it mostly unengaging, entirely unlike the rest of the cycle.... so far anyway.

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 2 in C minor / V. Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra


----------



## DeepR

Richter playing Scriabin Etudes.

Something magical about the music, Richter's playing and the low quality sound.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso, Op.3, No.7

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musica


----------



## belfastboy

I've been away from the site for ages - my old friend depression has been visiting.....:-( .....anyway - listened to a lot of Chopin 1,2,3 & 4......I should stop really....!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor
Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A Moura Lympany/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Two great concerto performances, from a marvellous pianist, what a shame that she was so neglected by record companies in later life. Especially when she played so much unusual repertoire. She played the Ireland Concerto in London in the early 90s, should have been recorded. This disc (an excellent remastering from Ivory Classics) also reminds us what a superb accompanist Sargent was, he really matches perfectly everything that Miss Lympany does. Wish we had more recordings of him in some of his key repertoire- especially the Elgar Symphonies and Falstaff. There is a superb live performance of the Elgar 2nd from the Colston Hall in 1964, the sound is a bit murky, but for my money, it's the best I've heard- and I've heard a lot!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

belfastboy said:


> I've been away from the site for ages - my old friend depression has been visiting.....:-( .....anyway - listened to a lot of Chopin 1,2,3 & 4......I should stop really....!


If you need to lift depression, you should really listen to some Eric Coates, his music is so uplifting and well scored that, in my experience, you always come away feeling happier and refreshed, and some of his longer works eg. "Cinderella" and "The Enchanted Garden" really take you into another world. Hope you're beginning to feel better, anyway.


----------



## belfastboy

Thanks for the reply - I've found my self reaching for Gershwin as of late....an American in Paris and Girl Crazy etc...not been much of a fan - but the music seems to make me smile!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Something to be said for smiling, especially when you've been down. The world can be- and is- a funny place, but music remains a great consolation and can get us through some very dark patches.


----------



## belfastboy

My mood can be very influenced by music (mainly classical) and vice versa. Elijah - Es Ist Genug - Mendelssohn, Felix...is a bad day for me!! I find myself reading over the English translation and .....well.....enough said!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three
Currently Verdi's operas


----------



## Blancrocher

Frederic Ledroit and Jean-Pierre Ferey in a set of 19th-20th century works for piano and organ, including Samuel Barber's great Toccata Festiva.

Quite the wake-up call!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: In the South Overture/Sea Pictures (with Gladys Ripley)/Enigma Variations 
London Symphony Orchestra/Philharmonia Orchestra (Variations)/George Weldon

I love these performances, this is my favourite "In the South" of all time, it just seems to hold everything in the balance, and there is an inevitability about it that I don't find in any other performance. Gladys Ripley seems to me the perfect Elgarian contralto (she is the Angel in Sargent's unsurpassed "Gerontius" of 1945) and in a pretty crowded field, the "Enigma" holds up well too. Full marks to Somm for reissuing these superb performances and Brian Culverhouse pays a very touching tribute to Weldon too, another conductor who should have recorded more- he was first rate, from all accounts in the Walton 1st Symphony.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Welser-Most









"Everything is as cold as a problem in mathematics. Herr Bruckner realized and extended the acoustician Euler's belief that it is possible to figure out a sonata. He revels in discords."


----------



## DavidA

Brahms piano concerto no 1. Fleischer / Szell

Part of a mammoth bargain box of Fleischer's recordings for (then) CBS

This is electrifying playing of a high order. He was truly a great pianist before sidelined by his hand injury. I've listened to two of the CDs but cannot wait to listen to the rest. But as there are 23 CDs this might take a little time.

And just how good an accompanist was Szell!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 28547


Dvorak: Symphony No. 5
Vaclav Neumann & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphonies 7-9 get all the praise, but this is such a great little symphony. Wonderful stuff.


----------



## Blancrocher

Ukko's thread on Charles Rosen inspired me to return to his Art of Fugue (and maybe also his Goldberg Variations after that). I've heard other piano performances of this work, but Rosen's remains my favorite (I think :lol.

It's about time for some Rosen re-issues, by the way. I see his recording of Beethoven's late sonatas is selling for $75 used.


----------



## DavidA

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28548
> 
> 
> Ukko's thread on Charles Rosen inspired me to return to his Art of Fugue (and maybe also his Goldberg Variations after that). I've heard other piano performances of this work, but Rosen's remains my favorite (I think :lol.
> 
> .


Agreed! Just wish Gould had recorded it all on the piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*Osvaldas Balakauskas - Concertos*

Balakauskas:	
*Concerto Brio for violin and chamber orchestra*

Rusne Mataityte (violin)

*Concerto for Oboe, Harpsichord and Strings*

Romualdas Staskus (oboe), Sergejus Okrusko (harpsichord)

*Ludus modorum for cello and chamber orchestra*

Edmundas Kulikauskas (cello)

*Concertino for Piano and Strings*

Margrit Julia Zimmermann (piano)

*St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Donatas Katkus*









I love orchestral music in the span between romantic and modern classical music. I have just finished the lovely violin concerto, and have started on work nr 2. I have never heard the harpiscord in so modern music before, but I think it works! This record seems to be another gem, from to me, a new composer. The sound and performances is brilliant.

prestoclassical


----------



## Mahlerian

Adams: Slonimsky's Earbox
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi









Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Craft








"...intolerable cacophony, an accumulation of strange harmonies that succeed each other without rhythm or sense; this music sounds like a wager that one could make the simple-minded public and the snobs of our concert halls swallow anything at all."

(In reference to the opera version.)


----------



## Oskaar

The Locrian Ensemble Of London - *Volkmar Andreae* - String Quartets









arkivmusic


----------



## opus55

Looking forward to hearing Sibelius songs in this disc


----------



## Stemahl

Listening to, and really enjoying, Tchaikovsky Symphony number 4 conducted by Haitink in this set:


----------



## Bas

A single cd for this day, as I'm going to bed very early.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 20 in Dm
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Arkiv


----------



## joen_cph

*Lutoslawski: Symphony no.3 / Wit / Naxos CD*

A beautiful work, probably my favourite together with Symphony no.4 and the Piano Concerto.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Back home fom work, dog tired, glass of Bordeaux red to hand, Delius on the turntable:

*Delius - songs from:

Seven songs from the Norwegian
Five songs from the Norwegian
Three Shelley settings
Four old English Lyrics
etc.*

Luxon (Baritone) / Willison (Piano) [Chandos]

Beautiful and melancholic


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 4 in D Major; No. 5 in F minor (The London Haydn Quartet).









These just arrived in the mail. The packaging was broken though, nice job guys, hehe. At first listen the interpretations seemed a bit slow paced, but the period instruments sound so interesting.

No. 4: The ensemble does an excellent job with the Menuetto: Allegretto alla Zingarese, it actually sounds like Hungarian music, whereas if one listens to The Quatuor Mosaiques, this doesn't come through as clearly imo.

No. 5: The allegro moderato is done at a slower pace than is chosen by most ensembles. But the London Quartet really bring out the depth of this movement imo. It becomes almost like the Adagio from the 'La Passione' symphony or the first movement of the C minor sonata. The final 'fuga a 2 soggeti' is also done at a slower pace - I think a quicker pace would have fit more, but repeated listens will tell if The London Quartet were 'right' . Still though, this ensemble should be praised for trying new things and exploiting the period instrument sound.


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony (Handley).










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

Bela Bartok - *Bartok*, B.: Viola Concerto / *Bloch*, E.: Viola Suite

Thompson, Slovenian Radio Symphony, Freeman









naxos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*J. S. Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988* / Andras Schiff [Decca]

The purest of pure music, a palate and mind cleanser, a rejuvinator of spirit (all right, maybe too much Bordeaux red) rejuvenator, then.


----------



## mstar

I suppose it was *Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1* that got me in the mood to listen to *Mendelssohn Octet*, which then led me to listening to *Rachmaninov Preludes.*

The connection? I had a, say, ROMANTIC day. Speaking of which, I do in fact consider Rach to be of the Romantic era.... Though his music certainly is more modern than Brahms's or Mendelssohn's, I still feel that Rach is closer to Tchaikovsky than to Stravinsky. Then again, Tchaik was on the line between Modern and Romantic....


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Shostakovich*: Piano Quintet, w. Berman/Vermeer Qt. (rec.2000); String Quartets, w. Borodin Qt. (rec.1990); Piano Trio 2, w. Bolzano Trio (rec.1960); Cello Sonata, w. Gorokhov & Demidenko (rec.2004); Violin Sonata, w. Rachlin & Golan (rec.2004).

View attachment 28563
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View attachment 28565
View attachment 28566
View attachment 28567


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## LancsMan

*Bach: Concerto for 2 violins in D minor* played by Arthur Grumiaux and Herman Krebbers with Les Solistes Romands under Arpad Gerecz on Philips.

Normally in baroque I prefer the original instruments approach, but I am equally happy to hear Bach on modern instruments, assuming it is played well, as it is here. This is one of my favourite performances of one of my favourite concertos.

*Telemann: Chamber music* played by The Chandos Baroque Players on hyperion.

A selection of Trio sonatas, Quartets and a Concerto. Archetypal baroque chamber music tastefully played. Pleasant but maybe somewhat bland?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

LancsMan said:


> *Bach: Concerto for 2 violins in D minor* played by Arthur Grumiaux and Herman Krebbers with Les Solistes Romands under Arpad Gerecz on Philips.
> 
> Normally in baroque I prefer the original instruments approach, but I am equally happy to hear Bach on modern instruments, assuming it is played well, as it is here. This is one of my favourite performances of one of my favourite concertos.
> 
> *Telemann: Chamber music* played by The Chandos Baroque Players on hyperion.
> 
> A selection of Trio sonatas, Quartets and a Concerto. Archetypal baroque chamber music tastefully played. Pleasant but maybe somewhat bland?


I have this disc by Telemann - I really like it. There are some great adagios there and Telemann's expertise in combining instrumental sounds makes him one of my favourite composers.


----------



## Oskaar

Chostakovitch, Stravinsky, Bartok & Ligeti

*Chostakovitch* (The french are something for themselfes...) / *Stravinsky* / *Bartok* / *Ligeti*: *Orchestre de Chambre de Wallonie 
Georges Octors (Conductor)*

Igor Stravinsky - *Concerto in D for String Orchestra*
Dimitri Chostakovitch - *Chamber Symphony Op 110a*
Bela Bartok - *Divertimento For String Orchestra*
Györgi Ligeti - *Ramifiications*









This is great stuff! Brilliant performance, and very up to date sound.

Amazon


----------



## LancsMan

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I have this disc by Telemann - I really like it. There are some great adagios there and Telemann's expertise in combining instrumental sounds makes him one of my favourite composers.


I am not a Telemann specialist (shamefully I only have one other Telemann disc in my collection - Overtures which I thoroughly enjoy) and I need to explore more of his music.

My comment on this music being bland is more a comment on baroque chamber music in general rather than Telemann in particular. To my ear there is a uniformity of style in much baroque chamber music and if I was played an unfamiliar trio sonata I think I would struggle to identify the composer.

Maybe I need to educate my ear more in this repertoire. I do enjoy listening to baroque chamber music despite my not being as 'gripped' by it as say baroque orchestral or classical chamber music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5*

Last night at Barnes & Noble, I noticed this on the shelf and remembered how well these concertos have been regarded around here. As I was doing my usual dithering about whether to get it or not, my wife took it to the counter and bought it for me. She's something else.

Today I had a 1.5-hour drive to work with paid mileage, so I listened to all five. Technically, I got paid to listen. Sometimes my job has perks like that.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Shostakovich*: Piano Sonata 2, w. Gilels (rec.1965); 24 Preludes, Op. 34, w. Mustonen (rec.1990); Preludes & Fugues, op. 87, w. Scherbakov (rec.1999); Preludes & Fugues (6), Op. 87, w. Richter (rec.1963).

View attachment 28576
View attachment 28577
View attachment 28578


----------



## opus55

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26


----------



## Vaneyes

Due to my CPR pilgrimage, I was cast into the *Shostakovich* storm by default. It'd been a while since I bathed in the full brunt of this composer. I had to step back, as I do with many, to once again fully appreciate their worth. The past few days has been a powerful and glorious revisit.* DS* is great in every sense of the word. He displays the full gamut of emotion. In spite of unique composing climate, as best as I can tell he remained true to himself. Hats off. :tiphat:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 1 and 6 Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leopold Ludwig

Characterful performances on an HMV Concert Classics LP. Nice to hear Ludwig other than as Gilel's accompanist on that classic recording of the Beethoven 4th. Then to finish the evening off:

Liszt orch. Wood: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 
Bach orch. Wood: Partita in E- Preludio New Queen's Hall Orchestra/Sir Henry J. Wood

These are from my own Columbia 78s. Wood's orchestration of the Rhapsody is brilliant, flamboyant, over the top and I love it! I got the second disc when I was 12 for 15 pence from a junk shop, the first disc I bought online for a pound a few months ago! A wait of 37 years to be able to revel in the whole Rhapsody, I am however nothing if not patient, and so, voila! Much enjoyment is being had from it!


----------



## Sid James

*A remote and lonely place - Music by Sibelius, Holst & Sculthorpe*

This week I have been intensively listening to* Sibelius' Symphony #4*. In this blog entry, I join it up with two other pieces that suggest places of remoteness, desolation and loneliness, whether in reality or the mind or both.










*Jean Sibelius* _Symphony #4 in A minor, Op. 63 _(1911-12)
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

One of the bleakest symphonies in the repertoire, the *Symphony #4 by Sibelius *goes against the trends of his day, rejecting both the vestiges of Wagnerism and newer trends like atonality. The work came into being after difficult years in the composer's life which included a cancer operation and financial troubles. He had also traveled and saw the rugged and remote Karelia region of Finland, as well as personally met composers such as Mahler, Debussy and Bax. Sibelius had also came into contact with much new music through the study of scores by composers such as Stravinsky, Bartok and Schoenberg.

Whatever the effects of all this on the content of this work, its message remains elusive. The spooky opening with the muted low strings and bassoons playing a four note theme forms the basis of the material of the whole piece. As usual, Sibelius gives clues as the motto is transformed, fragments of one movement becoming more fully fleshed out as the symphony progresses. This was a central aspect of the composer's organic method of thematic development.

With blasts from the brass suggesting a barren windswept landscape, to instrumental solos suggesting loneliness, to repetitive patterns that at once speak to a kind of comforting rocking motion and psychological obsessions, this symphony is no walk in the park.

A culmination point is reached in the third movement (_Il tempo largo_) with a despairing and emotional outburst from the strings, woodwind and brass.

In the final movement (_Allegro_) Sibelius suggests there is hope, with colourful writing which includes bells. As with Bruckner's symphonies, the fifth of which Sibelius so admired, there is suggestions of climbing a summit to reach some emotional peak. There are also similarities to Tchaikovsky's music, which Sibelius was influenced by too. However the epic boost ends in a sudden plunge into some abyss - the low strings play the motto with questioning phrases from the flute and oboe. It peters out from there without much resolution, an ending which conductor Herbert Blomstedt aptly called "an essay in trying to be happy which fails - on purpose."

The reception of the symphony by critics in particular was not positive. Even the conductors of the American premieres, Walter Damrosch and Karl Muck, where puzzled at how this piece had differed so much from what had gone before. One critic, W. J. Henderson, was very scathing of the piece for its dissonance and ugliness, but at the same time pronounced it as "a noteworthy composition," filled with "elemental imagination, courage of utterance and fearlessness of style."










*Gustav Holst* _Egdon Heath, Op. 47 _(1927)
- London PO under Sir Adrian Boult (Decca Eloquence)

Composed in the last decade of *Holst's *life, when he had become increasingly withdrawn, *Egdon Heath *was another work that got a puzzled reception upon its premiere. Similar to Sibelius' _Symphony #4_, there was criticism of its ugliness and monotony. However, the composer considered this to be his finest work.

Holst composed the piece after being driven around Dorset by novelist Thomas Hardy. I see this imaginary heath as less about a place and more a state of mind. In his final decade, Holst had according to his daughter Imogen, sunken into "a cold region of utter despair…a grey isolation."

Whatever this tone poem represents, it has an uncompromising and direct quality to it which I like. The pared down and exposed writing for strings and winds give it the feel of a black and white photograph. A somewhat uplifting melody finally emerges towards the middle on the brass, but the piece returns to the generally introspective mood in its conclusion.










*Peter Sculthorpe* _Irkanda IV for violin, strings and percussion _(1961)
- Leonard Dommett, violin with Melbourne SO under John Hopkins (ABC Classics)

The title of this work, originating in Aborignal language, means a remote and lonely place. *Irkanda IV *was a breakthrough work for *Sculthorpe*, then in his early thirties. Upon its premiere the work received unanimous acclaim. It contains trademarks of Sculthorpe's mature style, such as drones and glissandi, fragmentary ideas that build as blocks that accumulate rather than develop in the traditional way, and an ending that is song-like and melodic.

I really like the haunting quality of this work, and the contrast with those shifting layers with differing rhythms and the rumble of the timpani with a distorted tango tune. Sculthorpe talked of a sense of expressiveness, nostalgia and yearning connected to this tune. The piece is in effect a requiem for his father, who was dying when he composed it. There is a sense of lamentation and ritual here too, a kind of letting things out.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Sibelius* - Songs Vol. 2

*Seven Songs, Op.13
Six Songs, Op.50
Six Songs, Op.90

The Wood Nymph
The Jewish Girl's Song
Alikeness
A Song
Serenade 
The Thought*

Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg (Piano) [BIS]

I've had this for a while without giving it sufficient attention.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Saint-Saens Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5*
> 
> Last night at Barnes & Noble, I noticed this on the shelf and remembered how well these concertos have been regarded around here. As I was doing my usual dithering about whether to get it or not, my wife took it to the counter and bought it for me. She's something else.
> 
> Today I had a 1.5-hour drive to work with paid mileage, so I listened to all five. Technically, I got paid to listen. Sometimes my job has perks like that.
> 
> View attachment 28575


Thanx for the good laugh, Manx...your wife taking command. And rightly so. Apart from you wasting time, Chas. has a way with this composer.

Thusly, I'm inspired.

View attachment 28579


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Sid James said:


> *A remote and lonely place - Music by Sibelius, Holst & Sculthorpe*
> 
> This week I have been intensively listening to* Sibelius' Symphony #4*. In this blog entry, I join it up with two other pieces that suggest places of remoteness, desolation and loneliness, whether in reality or the mind or both.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Jean Sibelius* _Symphony #4 in A minor, Op. 63 _(1911-12)
> - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)
> 
> One of the bleakest symphonies in the repertoire, the *Symphony #4 by Sibelius *goes against the trends of his day, rejecting both the vestiges of Wagnerism and newer trends like atonality. The work came into being after difficult years in the composer's life which included a cancer operation and financial troubles. He had also traveled and saw the rugged and remote Karelia region of Finland, as well as personally met composers such as Mahler, Debussy and Bax. Sibelius had also came into contact with much new music through the study of scores by composers such as Stravinsky, Bartok and Schoenberg.
> 
> Whatever the effects of all this on the content of this work, its message remains elusive. The spooky opening with the muted low strings and bassoons playing a four note theme forms the basis of the material of the whole piece. As usual, Sibelius gives clues as the motto is transformed, fragments of one movement becoming more fully fleshed out as the symphony progresses. This was a central aspect of the composer's organic method of thematic development.
> 
> With blasts from the brass suggesting a barren windswept landscape, to instrumental solos suggesting loneliness, to repetitive patterns that at once speak to a kind of comforting rocking motion and psychological obsessions, this symphony is no walk in the park.
> 
> A culmination point is reached in the third movement (_Il tempo largo_) with a despairing and emotional outburst from the strings, woodwind and brass.
> 
> In the final movement (_Allegro_) Sibelius suggests there is hope, with colourful writing which includes bells. As with Bruckner's symphonies, the fifth of which Sibelius so admired, there is suggestions of climbing a summit to reach some emotional peak. There are also similarities to Tchaikovsky's music, which Sibelius was influenced by too. However the epic boost ends in a sudden plunge into some abyss - the low strings play the motto with questioning phrases from the flute and oboe. It peters out from there without much resolution, an ending which conductor Herbert Blomstedt aptly called "an essay in trying to be happy which fails - on purpose."
> 
> The reception of the symphony by critics in particular was not positive. Even the conductors of the American premieres, Walter Damrosch and Karl Muck, where puzzled at how this piece had differed so much from what had gone before. One critic, W. J. Henderson, was very scathing of the piece for its dissonance and ugliness, but at the same time pronounced it as "a noteworthy composition," filled with "elemental imagination, courage of utterance and fearlessness of style."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Gustav Holst* _Egdon Heath, Op. 47 _(1927)
> - London PO under Sir Adrian Boult (Decca Eloquence)
> 
> Composed in the last decade of *Holst's *life, when he had become increasingly withdrawn, *Egdon Heath *was another work that got a puzzled reception upon its premiere. Similar to Sibelius' _Symphony #4_, there was criticism of its ugliness and monotony. However, the composer considered this to be his finest work.
> 
> I've never heard Ansermet in Sibelius, I bet that's interesting. I have that recording of "The Isle of the Dead", and jolly good it is too. Also I have Boult's recording of "Egdon Heath", second to none.


----------



## Blancrocher

Charles Rosen playing music by his friend Elliott Carter.


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> Mozart, K622, Clarinet Concerto
> Martin Frost, Basset Clarinet
> 
> The 2002 recording has been my recent favorite, but I just found out that Martin Frost has recorded this work again. Today I will compare them and decide which I like best.
> 
> View attachment 28540
> 
> 2002 with Amsterdam Sinfonietta
> 
> View attachment 28541
> 
> 2013 with Deutche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen


Sorry Mr. Frost, but your older recording was better.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Songs from Das Knaben Wunderhorn* / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink; Jesseye Norman (Soprano), John Shirley-Quick (Bass) [Philips]


----------



## Blake

Jarvi's Prokofiev, Symphony 6.


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## Schubussy

Camille Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto no. 5
Jean-Phillipe Collard, André Previn, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## EricABQ

Poulenc's nocturnes played by Eric Parkin.


----------



## senza sordino

Tchaikovsky Symphony #5, Lorin Maazal
Ravel Gaspard de la nuit Anna Vinnitskaya
Bartok Violin Concerto #2 Particia Kopatchinskaya 
Bartok Piano Concerto #2 Lang Lang
Faure Violin Sonata #1 Chee Yun


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.2 in E Minor and C Major, and Symphony No.3, *both featuring the David Lloyd-Jones led Royal Scottish National Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Debussy: Premiere Rhapsodie


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.34, K.338; Symphony No.35, K.385 {"Haffner"} and Symphony No.36, K.425 {"Linz"}. *
All three works feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, * both performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Maestro Karajan.


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Hummel's Trumpet Concerto, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields / Sir Neville Marriner with Hakan Hardenberger, trumpet. A fine concerto, though Hummel does rip off the Haffner Symphony in the beginning. Well, if you need to rip off something, choose the best!


----------



## Blancrocher

Mark Padmore and the guitarist Morgan Szymanski in music by Alec Roth.

*Edit* And now Matthew Rose and Gary Matthewman in Winterreise.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Arnold Bax*--Tintagel, *
performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vanska.
Serge Rachmaninov--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.44, * once again featuring Maestro Vanska and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Chopin*

Ballade No. 4 in F Minor Op. 52
Scherzo No. 4 in E Major Op. 54

A. Rubinstein


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Ives' Variations on "America (My Country Tis Of Thee)" - E.Power Biggs, organ

Oh, the irreverence!

heard a recording of William Schuman's orchestration of this on the radio last night, thinking "what the hell...?"

last night it was the Carmen-esque variation that gave me the biggest laugh - today its the "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" parody


----------



## SimonNZ

from the 2010 Proms:

Mark-Anthony Turnage's Hammered Out - world premiere

and

Graham Fitkin's PK - world premiere


----------



## joen_cph

Vesuvius said:


> Jarvi's Prokofiev, Symphony 6.
> 
> View attachment 28583


An excellent recording of that overlooked, beautiful symphony ...


----------



## Conor71

*Elgar: Piano Quintet In A Minor, Op. 84*

Really enjoyed the Quintet! - next I am playing Symphony No. 2:


----------



## Ingélou

Have just listened to extracts from Henry Purcell, The Indian Queen, :angel: and some time today I will listen to a 'complete version'. While I listened, I read his biog on Wiki. What a shame that he had to die so young... 

If only I hadn't left returning to the violin so late; by this time, I could have been playing beautiful baroque violin, but I don't suppose I have the capability (or time) left now.


----------



## Oskaar

*Neeme Järvi* - *Barber*: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 / The School for Scandal / Adagio for Strings

*Detroit Symphony Orchestra*









allmusic


----------



## ShropshireMoose

belfastboy said:


>


This is brilliant, I love it! Have you heard Earl Wild's Etudes on Gershwin songs? Most of them are on youtube in some form or other, they're great fun too.


----------



## Conor71

*Delius: Sea Drift*

:angel:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Castelnuovo-Tedesco's The Well-Tempered Guitar, Preludes and fugues 1-4 - Brazil Guitar Duo


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Medtner's Three Dithyrambs Op.10 - Hamish Milne, piano


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bridge - String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, H. 70 'Bologna'; String Quartet No. 3, H. 157* / Maggini Quartet [Naxos]









A newly opened disc for Saturday morning. I had every expectation of these being distinctive, powerful works from my acquaintance with the 2nd and 4th quartets. The 3rd is especially interesting: dissonant, spiky and agitated


----------



## Guest

*Mozart, K563 Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cella in E flat*The Hermitage String Trio
Boris Garlitsky, violin; Alexander Zemtsov, Viola; Leonid Gorokhov, cello

This is an excellent recording from 2011. Great sound and performance.


----------



## Guest

Mozart, K502 Trio for Piano, Cello, and Violin in B flat
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; Daniel Müller-Schott, cello; André Previn, piano


----------



## opus55

Songs by Bach, JS and Schubert sung by piano


----------



## Gilberto

Tianwa Yang - violin
Pablo de Sarasate Music for Violin & Orchestra volumes 1&2


----------



## GioCar

Schubert - Quintet in C Major
Pavel Haas Quartet + Danjulo Ishizaka cello

To cheer me up, because in an hour I'll have to go out shopping with my wife...


----------



## GioCar

"The server is too busy at the moment. Please try again later."

Today's hit


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - Four Duets BWV 802 - 805; Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903* / Andras Schiff (Piano) [Decca]

Great music. Quite phenomenally crackly vinyl!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sorry - accidental double post


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Concerto a Cinque in D Minor, Op.5, No.7

Simon Standage leading Collegium Musicum 90


----------



## Blancrocher

Suzuki and co in Bach motets.


----------



## Oskaar

Various Artists - *Bantock*: Hebridean Symphony / Old English Suite

*Adrian Leaper* (Artist, Conductor), *Granville Bantock* (Composer), *Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice)* (Orchestra)









Adventuros music, with wals-like, and millitary band influenses. I like it in smaller portiones.

The first work seems to be composed by multipal composers, Bantoc the rest.

Old English Suite (15:29) 
1 *Orlando Gibbons*: Fantasia

2 *John Dowland*: Lachrymae Pavan

3 * John Bull*: The King's Hunt

4 *Giles Farnaby*: Quodling's Delight

5 *William Byrd*: Sellinger's Round

The Hebridean Symphony is very nice!

discogs


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Egon Wellsz, Symphony No. 1.*

The first four symphonies of this composer are as if Bruckner woke up in 1945 and started writing again; this isn't pastiche but a reviving of his spirit.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1887 version)
Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Young


----------



## Oskaar

*Sharon Bezaly* - *Rodrigo*: Concierto Pastoral / *Ibert*: Flute Concerto / *Borne*: Carmen Fantasy

Bezaly, Sharon • Neschling, John • Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra









I have a relatively short history of exploting classical music, but I have noticed Sharon Bezaly as a very good flute performer! Flute and orchestra is facinating and very nice listening, as long as the orchestra plays carefull and on the flutes premisses. It is done here, and it is lovely! The music of Rodrigo, the first concerto on the album, is beautiful and romantic, and that is so far I have listened.

naxos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concerto No. 5.*

Lovely, evocative piece.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 9 (Four movement version)* / BPO, Rattle [EMI Classics]

I don't know this terribly well yet, and, the impressively violent scherzo apart, it isn't that easy to approach being 'tonally evasive...a drama of uncertainty and alienation' (sleeve notes) . As I get older and deafer I guess I find it harder to discriminate what is going on in such a complex orchestral work, but I will keep trying as this seems to me to be a great and important fin-de-siecle symphony. A very enjoyable listen.


----------



## science

Getting ready to go to bed... there isn't a better way to do it.










I don't really get the Lutoslawski, but Dutilleux does it for me. One of the greatest composers.










I needed this to wash out the flavor of...


----------



## science

This is my least favorite disk of this repertoire. I have similar disks by Preston/Westminster (which I used to purge my ears), the Sixteen, and the Tallis Scholars, and all are better than poor Willcocks (who's great of course in other things). But I'll try it yet again someday...










This was the surprise of my day. This may be my new favorite Bizet suites disk. Paray Unapologetic!










First time I've heard this disk. I really don't know the ballades, so I plan to listen to them a lot in the coming days.


----------



## science

Cheating a bit on the Christmas season...










Today (this morning) was my first listen to this, and it's great!


----------



## Blancrocher

Mozarts quintets in C and G minor, and a first listen to Pleyel's clarinet concertos.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

A nice quiet Saturday morning. The wife has been out of town the last few days and it's been fun being able to play what I want on the good stereo instead of my headphones. She comes home today and so it will be back to the ol' routine. This morning I'm listening to a lovely version of Quartets No. 1 and No. 2 by Camille Saint-Saens as performed by the Fine Arts Quartet. This is an exceptionally fine recording. You can always count on Fine Arts Quartet to deliver fine preformances and this is no exception. I think I prefer the first quartet but the second has some fine moments, especially the 2nd movement.










Kevin


----------



## maestro267

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1887 version)
NSO Ireland/Tintner


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner's Eighth Symphony under Wilhelm Furtwangler & the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## starthrower

Penderecki-Symphony no. 1


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven- String trios Op. 9

No. 1 in G major
No. 2 in D major
No. 3 in C minor*

Leopold String Trio [Hyperion]

These are the real deal, mature early period Beethoven and I think almost (quite?) the equal of the Op. 2 sonatas and Op. 18 quartets. This is a great performance and recording too, highly recommendable.


----------



## moody

Lecuona "Andalucía".
Albeniz "Songs of Spain." Leonard Pennario, Piano.

Haven't listened to this recording for a long time,it's marvellous.


----------



## brotagonist

I am savouring disc one today...









This is a beautiful set of the 2 Denon albums from the '90s, reissued by Brilliant Classics. It spans works from 1957-94.

Wakasugi/Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra


----------



## ptr

A bit of listening this afternoon, in order of playing:

*Beat Furrer* - Aria for soprano and ensemble / Solo for violoncello / Gaspra for ensemble (Kairos)









Petra Hoffmann, soprano; Lucas Fels, violoncello; Ensemble Recherche

*Wilhelm Stenhammar* - String Quartets No 3 & 4 (BIS)









The Stenhammar Quartet

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Symphonic Dances (Emergo)









ConcertgebouwOrkest u. Kirill Kondrashin

And now playing:

*Hugues Dufourt* - L'Afrique et L'Asie d'apres Tiepolo (Kairos)









Ensemble Recherche

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Antoine Mahaut (1719-1774): Sinfonia No.1 in F Major

Hubert Schoonbroodt leading the Camerata Leodiensis


----------



## Oskaar

Ryszard Karcykowski & Kenneth Jewell Chorale & Detroit Symphony Orchestra & Antal Doráti - *Szymanowski*: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 / *Bartok*: Two Pictures









Amazon


----------



## Manxfeeder

bejart said:


> Mahaut


Did anyone else glance at this and think "Mahaut" was a typo?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:
*
Messiaen*: "Quartet", w. Brunner/Trio Fontenay (rec.1991).

*Carter*: Orchestral Music, w. Boulez (rec.1977), Knussen (rec.1998 - '04).

View attachment 28619
View attachment 28620
View attachment 28621
View attachment 28622


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concerto No. 4.*

This has an interesting two-part structure.


----------



## Vaneyes

GioCar said:


> "The server is too busy at the moment. Please try again later."
> 
> Today's hit


I did advise them to go bigger.


----------



## Vaneyes

GioCar said:


> View attachment 28593
> 
> 
> Schubert - Quintet in C Major
> Pavel Haas Quartet + Danjulo Ishizaka cello
> 
> To cheer me up, because in an hour *I'll have to go out shopping with my wife*...


That is an owie.


----------



## ptr

Music before bouncing of to bed!

*Petr Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No 2 'lil Russian' (Canyon; Live in Tokyo)









USSR State Symphony Orchestra u. Evgeny Svetlanov

*Olivier Messiaen* - La nativité du Seigneur (Swedish Radio Aircheck from 1996)










Jean Boyer @ the Willis Organ (then) at the Organ Hall of "Artisten" (School of Music) at the University of Gothenburg (this organ is now situated at Örgryte Nya Kyrka, Göteborg)

The late Jean Boyer (1948 - 2004) was one of the finest French organists or his generation, unfortunately he left very little recorded material behind, this concert recording is one of the finest interpretations of Messiaen's LNDS, and it is quite unusual sonically as it was played on an English Willis Organ in a small Organ Hall in Sweden. I have about 20 versions of this work and this is the one I listen to most often!

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

For Hindemith's (1895 - 1963) birthday.


----------



## GioCar

Manxfeeder said:


> Did anyone else glance at this and think "Mahaut" was a typo?


I did, but then I couldn't remember of any symphony by GdM


----------



## Blancrocher

For the birthday boy: Kammermusik no 1 for Orchestra, Op. 24 no 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 22, Nos.62, "107", "108", Overture to La Vera Costanza and Overture to Lo Speziale - Kevin Mallon, cond.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Oskaar

Jean-Michel Tanguy - Mozart: *The Complete Works for Flute & Orchestra*

Composer: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart *
Performer: *Jean-Michel Tanguy, Benoit Wery *
Conductor: *Philippe Bender *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Wallonia Royal Chamber Orchestra*









Arkivmusic

Edit: I especially like the *Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra in G Major, KV. 299: *
It is more flowing, gentle and romantic, and less repetitive and recepie-driven than Mozart often can be.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No.16 in C Major, K.128; Symphony No.17 in G Major, K.129; Symphony No.18 in F Major, K.130; Symphony No.19 in E-Flat Major, K.132 and Symphony No.20 in D Major, K.133. *
All five symphonies feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60; Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13. * These works are traversed by the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Flamme

I can smell the snow and the cold air...


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Overture to Tannhauser
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Tennstedt








"The overture to Tannhauser does not improve on closer acquaintance. So much incessant noise, so uninterrupted and singular an exhibition of pure cacophony, was never heard before.....We sincerely hope that no execution, however superb, will ever make such senseless discord pass, in England, for a manifestation of art and genius." - JW Davison


----------



## LancsMan

*Bach: St John Passion* performed by the Bach Collegium Japan under Masaaki Suzuki recorded on BIS.

One of the great peaks of Western music - well in my book. Fine performances on period instruments by this Japanese group - albeit with mainly European soloists.

Gerd Turk makes for an excellent Evangelist - with a tonally secure and flexible delivery. Both he and the chorus navigate the at times tortuous harmonic progressions with aplomb. Can't find any weakness in the performers.

As a non religious person maybe this music brings me close as I can get to the Lutheran religious sensibility.


----------



## aleazk

Steve Reich - _New York Counterpoint_. (



)

Possibly my favorite piece by Reich.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## jim prideaux

After repeated listening have concluded that the recording of Sibelius 3rd by Berglund with the COE is my own personal choice-Rattle ,Davis, Vanska do not have the same degree of clarity and precision that becomes apparent in this recording-that is not to criticise them it is just that to my ears Berglund has something new to say-tomorrow is the turn of the 5th........


----------



## Flamme




----------



## KenOC

Martinu, Sinfonietta "La Jolla." New to me. Very nice.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bartók

String Quartet No. 4, SZ 91*

I think this is my favourite of the Bartók quartets...

*String Quartet No. 5, SZ 102*

...though #5 isn't far behind.

Tokyo String Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon]









I have not seen the need to augment this excellent cycle from 1981 - any thoughts on more recent interpretations?


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Bostridge singing Hans Werner Henze.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 in A Major, KV 219

Chamber Orchestra of Santa Cecelia -- Uto Ughi, violin


----------



## KenOC

More Martinu! Concertino for Piano Trio and String Orchestra -- an earlier work, a bit Stravinskian. I'm getting to like this guy.


----------



## KenOC

Still listening (lacking gainful employment). Dvorak's Symphonic Variations, Op. 78. A work that should be much better known IMO. Most might see this as a companion to Brahms's Haydn Variations, but it nestles in my mind next to Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations for some reason. Kubelik and his Bavarians here!


----------



## Sid James

*Holst* A Moorside Suite
- Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Elgar Howarth

*Dvorak* Carnival Overture
- Los Angeles PO cond. by Zubin Mehta

*Shostakovich* The Gadfly Suite (excerpts)
- London SO under Maxim Shostakovich

Vale *John Tavener* The Protecting Veil
- Maria Kliegel, cello with Ulster Orch. cond. by Takuo Yuasa


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Vorisek (1791-1825): Twelve Rhapsodies, Op.1

Artur Pizarro, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

from the 2010 Proms:

Martin Matalon's Lignes De Fuite - UK premiere

and

Thea Musgrave's Ithaca - world premiere


----------



## Blake

Svetlanov's Myaskovsky: Symphonies 15, 16, 17


----------



## BlackDahlia

*Piano Concerto No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58** - Ludwig van Beethoven*
_London Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz & Pacato Beethoven Quintet (2010)







_


----------



## ProudSquire

A. Dvořák

Symphonic Variations on an Original Theme

Slovak Philharmonic
S. Gunzenhauser


----------



## SimonNZ

William Duckworth's Time Curve Preludes - Bruce Brubaker, piano

edit: now Xenakis' Jonchaies - Gilbert Amy, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble - *Mendelssohn / Raff*: *String Octets*









amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Quattro Pezzi - Hans Zender, cond.

edit: selections from Ivan Wyschnegradsky's 24 Preludes In Quarter-Tone System - Josef Christof and Steffen Schleiermacher, pianos


----------



## Oskaar

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble - *Mendelssohn / Raff*: *String Octets*

View attachment 28641


amazon


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven: *Symphonies 5 & 7, Coriolan Overture, Op.62, Fidelio Overture Op. 72b*

*Fritz Reiner* *- Chicago Symphony Orchestra*









amazon (many positive users reviews)

I have a little problem with bethovens symphonies, I guess it is me. I will maybe find the key some day. I love the symphony as a medium for ekspression, for composer and conductor/orchestra. But many others, often unnknown composers express themself bether, both earlier, and later. It is of course a matter of taste, and what reaches out to the listener. Take beethoven no 5. I dont like the first and most famous movement at all. Beethoven is hammering on with expressive violent themes, again and again, just if he want to make sure that we get it. I find that way of ekspression to often in all his symphonies. But parts of the second movement is beautiful and lyrical. I dont say that I dont like epressive and violent parts in symphonies. The symphony gives room for all types of moods and expressions. But I say that for me Beethovens hammering is overblown and kind of hollow. And these parts is repeated much to much. That is my feelings and oppinions right now. But some conductors tone down the hammering elements, and paint out broadly the more lyrical parts. Then it is much more enjoyable for me to listen to.

But he was brave in his time, using the symphony to more than pleasent expression of melodies. And I guess he made a big room for later development of the symphony.

I feel like spitting on the holy grale! But taste and the adaption of music change all the time.

But I have more pleasure of the 5. and 7. this time now than before. Exept 5. first movement.

And I feel that Rainer is very good in taking out the potential, and maybe tone down instead of trippel-paint everything.

I am not scolared in music, and play no instrument, this is only stomack-feelings and quasi-intellectual bla-bla....


----------



## SimonNZ

Alois Hába's Sonata for quarter tone piano - Vladimir Koula, piano


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Die elenden sollen essen_, BWV 75
Carolyn Samson, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Mark Padmore, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Hereweghe








*Alexander Goehr*: _Largo Siciliano_, Op. 91 (2012)
Richard Watkins, horn
Marianne Thorsen, violin
Ian Brown, piano


----------



## Oskaar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - *Mozart: Divertimenti*

*Suk Chamber Orchestra, Josef Vlach*









Divertimento for Two Violins, Viola, Double Bass and Two French Horns in D major, K. 334

Divertimento for Two Violins, Viola, Double Bass in B flat major, K. 137

amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bartók - String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102* / Zehetmair Quartet [ECM New Series]

I listened to this right after my favoured Tokyo Quartet interpretation, and the Zehetmair's is now slowly growing on me. It's a pity it has been recorded in such a reverberant acoustic, though.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Tocata in G Minor, BWV 915

Peter Watchorn, harpsichord


----------



## Flamme




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to all JS Bach on Calm Radio. Gotta love the variety of Internet Radio.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter and Rostropovich in Beethoven's cello sonatas.


----------



## bejart

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Sinfonia in E Flat

Concerto Koln


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 version)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt








"Interminable, disorganized, and violent, Bruckner's Eighth Symphony stretches out into a hideous length...It is not impossible that the future belongs to this nightmarish Katzenjammer style, a future which we therefore do not envy." - Eduard Hanslick


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 3 in G minor; No. 1 in E-flat Major 
(The London Haydn Quartet).









I'm coming to the conclusion that these are excellent performances by the London Quartet. Even though their tempos may be slower than usual in some movements, they make up for it with depth and attention to detail. This Op. 20 disc definitely has a different tone than my other Haydn quartet recordings by the Buchbergers, who have a more witty, sprightly approach. The ensemble also uses the 1801 Artaria Edition - I'm no specialist on where the specific differences are, though.


----------



## Weston

I have not been to this thread in a while and have a lot of catching up to do - always enjoyable. But while the server is letting me in, here is the beginning of my deep listening from last night:

*Ernest Chausson - Symphony in B flat major, Op. 20*
Jérôme Kaltenbach / Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy









This is a fiery performance (for Naxos) but the recording is a bit noisy in places. The Allmusic review states his mentor was Franck and with its three movement format and cyclic themes this symphony can be compared to Franck's famous D minor symphony. Maybe, but I hear more of the orchestral colors and even some musical gestures of Dvorak than of Franck. Of special interest is the unexpected brass chorale that seems to interrupt the finale in a sudden and wonderful way.

[Woo-hoo! I made it in to post.]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 2 (1915)*

Juilliard String Quartet [Wergo, 1998]

Sonare Quartett [CPO, 1991]

Both of these are good, but there's something especially fresh and idiomatic about the Sonare Quartett's reading (both are well recorded). I think this a pretty good first quartet, despite Hindemith apparently not wanting to acknowledge it as part of his string quartet cycle.

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 2 in F minor, Op. 10 (1918)*

Amar Quartet [Naxos, 2010]

This quartet is pithier and more chromatic than #1. The Amar Quartet studied with the Alban Berg Quartet, and specialise in Hindemith and in contemporary music.


----------



## Blake

Karajan's Bruckner: Symphony 1. 
I haven't been too crazy about Karajan, but his bombastic style really works with Bruckner. I love those horns.


----------



## brotagonist

I have finally _really_ heard Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera, _Die Soldaten_. I am in the mood for some relaxing music to accompany a late breakfast...









Handel : _Organ Concertos_, Op4
Bob van Asperen
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment


----------



## ptr

I'm having a furious cold that is driving me insane, I noticed that my attention span becomes very short with this nasal condition... 





​
Only listened to a few Vladimir Horowitz discs in the back ground today, and that is not a good way to give him any justice:







...






...








AH Project 2013 Discs 44 t0 48:

An Historic Return at Carnegie Hall (RCA)

Horowitz in Concert (RCA)

On Television (RCA)

Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Carter*: Orchestral Music w. Oppens/Gielen (rec.1992), Barenboim (rec.1994); String Quartets, w. Pacifica Qt. (rec.2007/8).

View attachment 28669
View attachment 28670







View attachment 28671


----------



## Flamme

neoshredder said:


> Listening to all JS Bach on Calm Radio. Gotta love the variety of Internet Radio.


I use I tunes but it gets messy from time to time lately


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 23, Nos.64 "Tempora Mutantur", 84 and 90 - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

Keep your shirts on, boys! I sneaked a listen to disc one yesterday, so I'm on disc two today 









I'm listening to the quartets in order, to get the feeling of the progression from middle period to late period Shostakovich.

I also have the Borodin Quartet album of SQ 2, 3, 7, 8 & 12, but I wanted the whole set. These are works I don't mind having more than one performance of.


----------



## Blancrocher

Members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet in Beethoven's Septet (op.20) and Sextet (op.81B), and a first listen to Stephen Hough and co in Hummel's 2nd and 3rd piano concertos.


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony in B Flat, Op.17, No.5

Anthony Halstead conducting the Hanover Band


----------



## Flamme




----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Vladimir Ashkenazy).


----------



## DaveS

More Sibelius this weekend. Jarvi and the Goteborg SO. Later, DGG version.

Tapiola, Swan of T, Lemminkainen, En Saga, The Bard, Spring Song, and several others. Familiar with most, and all enjoyable.


----------



## KenOC

Bach's Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1059, arranged as a concerto for organ and oboe. A very nice performance by Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. Amazing what you can do with Bach arrangements!


----------



## Oskaar

Ulf Hoelscher spielt *Schumann & Szymanowski*

*Michel Béroff / Ulf Hoelscher*

*Sonata for violin and piano No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121 * Robert Schumann

*Sonata for violin and piano No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105 * Robert Schumann

*Romance pour violon et piano, Op. 23 *  Karol Szymanowski

*Mythes - Trois Poèmes pour violon et piano, Op. 30 * Karol Szymanowski









considered recorded 1975-82, I must say that the sound is very clear and warm. Very good listening

amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 3, Op. 16 (1920)*

Amar Quartet [Naxos] (2012)

For me Quartets 3,4 and 5 are the most important works in the Hindemith cycle. More chromatic and dissonant than #1and #2, this work has been described as 'austere' but here it's played with much warmth and expressiveness. I like the Amar Quartet's recordings a lot, and this will apparently be a complete cycle.

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 (1921)*

This is a product of Hindemith's early maturity and is my favourite of the cycle (and the only one of Hindemith's quartets I knew until fairly recently). Described as 'severely contrapuntal, simple and unadorned and expanding tonal relationships almost to breaking point' it is a very fine work.

Zehetmair Quartett [ECM New Series, 2007]

To my ears, this is not a competitive recording; it seems too diffuse and rhythmically too 'loose' somehow.

Sadly I seem to have lost a cassette I had of the Prague City Quartet playing this (Supraphon, 1963) as if their lives depended on it - at least as my memory has it. It seems to me that the Sonare and Amar Quartets have something of that approach to music making: tightly integrated, passionate, the rhythms are 'right'. (I haven't the technical language to express the differences I perceive). I am looking forward to the Amar Quartet recording #4.

Juilliard Quartet [Wergo, 1998]

This interpretation is much more to my liking. but the Juilliard account still seems a little emotionally reserved despite their clear technical excellence.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, *
both performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker.

Whilst driving, on *WQXR*, I heard Haydn's *Symphony No.94 in G {"Surprise"}, *featuring William Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Jacques Christophe Naudot (ca.1690-1762): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Capella Savaria with Pal Nemeth on flute


----------



## Manxfeeder

Listening to some Obrecht.


----------



## Aramis

After first listening, big disappointment. I dislike the tone of instrument and some interpretations seem cold and numb. Here and there an attempt to play with more nuance where others go loud and intense, but to no great effect and not even with proper balance between leading and secondary voices (to my sense). I might change my mind after more careful listening, I liked Lisiecki doing two Chopin etudes in concert (seen on YouTube) and his previous Mozart CD was very good. But I'm not sure if this will happen, the first impression was really negative - perhaps he has nothing interesting to say after Chopin etudes being recorded 309452042528426636 times before by 54753901345 powerful masters.


----------



## LancsMan

*Rameau: Pieces de Clavecin en Concerts* played by Catherine Mackintosh, Laurence Dreyfus and Ketil Haugsand on SIMAX.

Late baroque chamber music for violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord. Some charming and at times melancholy tinged music here, with nice harmonic touches as expected with Rameau, played with style.

I must admit the more I hear of Rameau the more I want to hear.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

A gentle reminder to those it may concern. *Please put YT videos and other videos on the "Current Listening with Youtube Videos" thread.* Links to are okay. Thank you. :tiphat:

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html


----------



## nightscape

Probably my favorite version of Dvorak's 8th.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Barber*: Orchestral Music, w. Joselson/Schenck et al (rec.1995 - '01), Ma/Zinman (rec.1988), Oliveira/Slatkin et al (rec.1986 - '94); Piano Sonata, w. MAH (rec.2004).

View attachment 28685
View attachment 28686







View attachment 28687


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* Symphony #40
- Vienna PO cond. by Istvan Kertesz

*Elena Kats-Chernin* Piano Concerto #2
- Ian Munro, piano with Tasmanian SO cond. by Ola Rudner

*John Tavener* In Alium for soprano, tape & orch.
- Eileen Hulse, sop. with Ulster Orch. cond. by Takuo Yuasa

*Beethoven* Piano Concerto #5 "Emperor"
- Stefan Vladar on the bones with Capella Istropolitana cond. by Barry Wordsworth


----------



## mstar

Mr. Armstrong changes the repertoire for the concert slightly, to be:

-*Schumann Fantasie in C* in all its G7 chord glory, 
-*Beethoven Piano Sonata Op. 10 No. 2*, which I was about to play but then chose No. 5 over it! Both beautiful, though. Played to perfection today! 
-Intermission: *Fauré Impromptu for Harp* played by Alix Raspé, very spontaneous, 
-Back to the program, * Liszt Vallée d'Obermann*. One can hear Liszt weeping through the chords;'I was listening and thinking, "who is this composer, who is this man?" The whole thing was too disturbingly painful for tears - at one point, the pianist turned the page with such vigor it almost tore; we could hear it from the loft. ...I would certainly not like to hear that beautifully disturbing, as only can describe it, work for perhaps a long time yet. 
-*Liszt Ballad No. 2* ended the program for the night, a wonderful performance.

And here I am attempting in such vain not to be heavy-hearted and simply disturbed after the Vallée d'Obermann.


----------



## KenOC

Lalo, Piano Concerto -- his last major work. Obscure but really quite good.


----------



## starthrower

Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 live recording by Segerstam


----------



## bejart

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757): Sinfonia a Quattro in D Major

Simon Murphy conducting the Chamber Orchestra of the New Dutch Academy


----------



## bejart

Been locked out for awhile --- 
Mozart: Requiem, KV 626 {Arranged for String Quartet by Peter Lichtenthal (1780-1853)}

Kuijken String Quartet: Sigiswald Kuijken and Francois Fernandez, violins -- Marleen Thiers, viola -- Wieland Kuijken, cello


----------



## bejart

And now ---
Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78

Frank Almond, violin -- William Wolfram, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

A good Schnittke album from Naxos, and now some Holmboe string quartets. I don't know Holmboe's work well, but I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with his music.

*p.s.* Great to see that the site seems to be working again--thanks mods!


----------



## senza sordino

Strauss Metamorphosen, Four Last Songs and Death and Transfiguration with Berlin Phil and Karajan - fantastic and mesmorizing
Holst: Cotswold Symphony, Japanese Suite and Walt Whitman Overture with Ulster Orchestra and JoAnn Falleta - nice to hear Holst that isn't the Planets!
Dvorak Symphony #6 - Gerard Schwartz and the Seattle Symphony. Nice to hear some Dvorak that isn't the New World. I've seen Schartz and the Seattle Symphony more than a couple of times, just a short train trip south.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Egon Wellesz--*Symphony No.3, Op.68, *
featuring Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra. 
Arnold Bax--*Symphony No.5, * performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the baton of David Lloyd-Jones.


----------



## Blake

Bernstein. Mahler. Sweet.


----------



## samurai

Vesuvius said:


> Bernstein. Mahler. Sweet.


Which symphony?


----------



## jim prideaux

awake, start the day with Suk/Neumann/CPO-Martinu , two violin concertos and the Rhapsody for viola.......


----------



## KenOC

Today's my Lalo day. Right now, his Cello Concerto with Janos Starker on the big fiddle, Stanislaw Skrowaczeski waving his baton at the London Symphony Orchestra. I have a much later Yo-yo Ma recording, but this one is better.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus' Le Lagrime Di San Pietro - Consort Of Musicke, Anthony Rooley

edit: now Ivan Wyschnegradsky's La Journée de l'Existence - Alexandre Myrat, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Juliusz Zarebski's Piano Quintet Op.34 -Jonathan plowright, piano, Szymanowski Quartet


----------



## Aramis

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Juliusz Zarebski's Piano Quintet Op.34 -Jonathan plowright, piano, Szymanowski Quartet


Pretty kewl they're putting this on radio.


----------



## EricABQ

The Hayden and Richter from this set:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 96 in D Major, 'Miracle' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Komm, du süße Todesstunde_, BWV 161
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Matthew White, counter-tenor
Hans Jörg Mammel, Tenor
Thomas E. Bauer, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe








*Georg Friedrich Haas*: _In Vain_
Klangforum Wien/Sylvain Cambreling


----------



## bejart

From last night, after I was locked out ---
Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.65

Hanus Barton, piano


----------



## bejart

Now ---
Dietrich Buxtehude (ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata in B Flat, BWV 273

John Holloway and Ursala Weiss, violins -- Jaap ter Linden and Mogens Rasmussen, violas -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, chamber organ


----------



## Flamme

Oh my i can almost feel the sharpness and the heat of the bow


----------



## Oskaar

*Arthur Grumiaux & Paul Crossley & György Sebök* - *Fauré*: Violin Sonata in E minor / *Franc*k: Violin Sonata in A etc.









amazon


----------



## Il_Penseroso

*Franck's Le chasseur maudit* from my vinyl archive (one of my favorite symphonic poems).


----------



## Oskaar

*Richard Franck: Piano Trio, Op. 20 & Op. 32 
Bernhard Fograscher, Christoph Schickedanz & Thomas Blees*









*Trio for Piano and Strings in E flat major*, Op. 32 by Richard Franck 
Performer: Christoph *Schickedanz* (Violin), Thomas *Blees* (Cello), Bernhard *Fograscher* (Piano)
Period: *Romantic *
Written: by *1900*; Germany

*Trio for Piano and Strings in B minor, Op. 20* by Richard Franck 
Performer: Christoph *Schickedanz* (Violin), Thomas *Blees* (Cello), Bernhard *Fograscher* (Piano) 
Period: *Romantic *
Written: by *1893*; Germany

arkivmusic


----------



## Blancrocher

Richard Egarr playing solo harpsichord works by Purcell, and Jordi Savall and co in Purcell's "Fantasias for the Viols."


----------



## Blake

samurai said:


> Which symphony?


Making my way through them all. That night was 8.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Wand


----------



## Blancrocher

Savall and co in Haydn's 7 Last Words.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Bacewicz*:Chamber Music, w. Zimerman et al (rec.2009), Maggini Qt. (rec.1993).

*Hovhaness*: Symphony 50, w. Schwarz (rec.1992).

View attachment 28707
View attachment 28708
View attachment 28709


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Blake

Chailly's Bruckner: Symphony 1. Chailly definitely deserves to be ranked up there with the best of the Bruckner cycles. Articulate and dynamic.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Britten*: Cello Concerto, w. Ma/Zinman (rec.1988); Orchestral Works, w. Previn (rec.1973/4), Handley (rec.1986), Csaba (rec.1988).

View attachment 28713
View attachment 28714
View attachment 28715


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Britten*: String Quartets, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1996/7); Cello Suites, w. Wispelwey (rec.2001).

View attachment 28717
View attachment 28718
View attachment 28719


----------



## maestro267

*George Lloyd*: A Symphonic Mass
Brighton Festival Chorus/Bournemouth SO/Lloyd

Oh my. What a masterpiece! Some beautiful choral harmonies, and some wonderful orchestral colours. The fifth movt. (Sanctus/Benedictus) has an overwhelmingly powerful fortissimo climax with choirs, orchestra and organ on full power. And to think someone was still making this music in the great English tradition as recently as the 1990s.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Blancrocher

I found this album heavy-handed the first time I heard it, but it's grown on me over the years apparently. I especially enjoyed the Fantasia and Fugue in A minor this time around, even if 9 minutes is a bit much for it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28721
> 
> 
> I found this album heavy-handed the first time I heard it, but it's grown on me over the years apparently. I especially enjoyed the Fantasia and Fugue in A minor this time around, even if 9 minutes is a bit much for it.


I find it interesting how tastes change sometimes or how one notices new things about a recording one's heard before. It's quite surprising at times, hehe.


----------



## opus55

Bach: English Suites


----------



## Flamme

This can be considered a rare gem


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Il_Penseroso said:


> *Franck's Le chasseur maudit* from my vinyl archive (one of my favorite symphonic poems).


Whose performance is it? I love Beecham's with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and also Albert Wolff and the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra- then there's Andre Cluytens and the Belgian National Orchestra. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I've got this on CD! I'd love to hear it live- with the proviso that it's done by someone who can bring the flair of a Beecham/Wolff or Cluytens to it!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Debussy: Children's Corner
Schumann: Symphonic Etudes/Carnaval Alfred Cortot

The 1953 recordings for HMV, now marvellously transferred in a 40 CD set on EMI, which you can get for under fifty quid on Amazon. Must be one of the greatest bargains available. Cortot's interpretations never grow stale, however often you hear them, some of the recordings in this box have been familiar to me for 37 years and I still get fresh insights from listening to them. His 1934 Schumann Concerto with LPO/Ronald was my introduction to that work, and I still don't think there's a finer recording ever been made. Likewise his recording of Saint-Saens 4th Piano Concerto is unquestionably one of the greatest recordings of any piece by Saint-Saens that has ever been recorded. Wonderful, wonderful musician.


----------



## Bas

*16/11/13 i*

I hope the forum is working better right now, since I had no chance to post here the past two days. However, I kept an offline list in my diary.

Arvo Pärt - Adam's Lament
By the Latvian Radio Choir, Sinfonietta Riga, Vox Clamantis, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Talinn Chamber Orchestra, on ECM









Fascinating music, beautiful, but more of a challenge to enjoy then other works by this composer.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
By Dorothee Mields [soprano], Matthew White [counter tenor signing alto parts], Jan Kobow [tenor], Peter Kooij 
[Bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Bwv 159 has an amazing aria combined with a choral. It is a very interesting work.

Various composers - The Leiden Choirbooks Codex C
By The Egidius Quartet & College,on Et'Cetera









Johann Sebastian Bach - Sei Solo Sonatas & Partitas for unaccompanied Violin BWV 1001-1006
By Christine Busch [violin], on Phi









For the Saturday Symphony Listening of that day:

Anton Bruckner - Symphony no. 8
By the Muncher Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Manxfeeder

maestro267 said:


> *George Lloyd*: A Symphonic Mass
> Brighton Festival Chorus/Bournemouth SO/Lloyd


I'm listening on Spotify. Thanks for the heads-up!


----------



## Bas

*16/11/13 ii & 17/11/13 i*

The last cd of saturday was:

Franz Schubert - Goethe Lieder
By Gerald Moore [piano], Dieter Fischer Dieskau [bariton], on Deutsche Gramophone









And the sunday morning started with:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 4 & Piano Concerto no. 5 "emperor"
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca









Joseph Haydn - "Sturm und Drang" Symphony 41, 48 & 65
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [harpsichord/direction], on Archiv









Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Tocatas & Fugues & Fantasias BWV 542, 578, 588, 544, 543, 562, 531, 572, 570, 582, 540, 565, 564, 538, 566, 532
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









And I was still in the Bruckner mood from saturday:

Anton Bruckner - Symphony 6
By the Muncher Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Bas

*Last sunday disc, Today*

And the last disc from sunday was:

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Then for today:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Wohltemperierte Klavier Buch II
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014 - 1019
By Glenn Gould [piano], Jaime Laredo [violin], on Sony









One of the most beloved records I possess!

Antonio Vivaldi - Concerti per Fagotti (RV 485, 502,474,480,494,475)
By Sergio Azzolin [***.], L'Aura Soave Cremona









I missed you, talkclassical


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Britten's War Requiem - Martyn Brabbins, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 5, Op. 32 (1923)*

"The music is chromatic and relentlessly contrapuntal, but also brilliant and even fun... It culminates in an imposing passacaglia that, like the opening double fugue, is remarkably easy to follow while at the same time sounding amazingly modern". (Classics Today)

Sonare Quartet [CPO, 1995]









Amar Quartet [Naxos, 2012]









I think the Amar Quartet has the edge in the 5th Quartet, with a lighter touch and greater clarity of line, but the Sonare version is also good, though more serious and imposing.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mozart: Mass in C Minor - Ferenc Fricsay , Berlin Radio Symphonie Orchestra, Maria Stader, Ernst Hafliger et al.








Just a minor tangent, but I stumbled upon Ferenc Fricsay by accident. Yesterday evening 'A Clockwork Orange' came on one of the movie channels and I flicked on just at the point that introduced me to Fricsay and lead me to look into the conductor further. I'm afraid I have to plead ignorance to the format (too small to be a standard cassette) but it was literally at the point where the performer details are shown clearly on screen.

Fricsay was the second conductor I discovered by accident who left a big impression on me. Furtwangler was the first. Funny how luck works


----------



## ShropshireMoose

AClockworkOrange said:


> Mozart: Mass in C Minor - Ferenc Fricsay , Berlin Radio Symphonie Orchestra, Maria Stader, Ernst Hafliger et al.
> View attachment 28741
> 
> 
> Just a minor tangent, but I stumbled upon Ferenc Fricsay by accident. Yesterday evening 'A Clockwork Orange' came on one of the movie channels and I flicked on just at the point that introduced me to Fricsay and lead me to look into the conductor further. I'm afraid I have to plead ignorance to the format (too small to be a standard cassette) but it was literally at the point where the performer details are shown clearly on screen.
> 
> Fricsay was the second conductor I discovered by accident who left a big impression on me. Furtwangler was the first. Funny how luck works


I love Fricsay's performance of Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG. Well worth searching out.


----------



## Rhombic

Mily Balakirev's 1st Symphony in C Major.
Such a beauty, it's like finding a somewhat rounded diamond inside a pool filled with small glass shards pointing out in all directions. The Andante (3rd movement) is sooo great. The fourth one is OK too. I hadn't listened to the entire symphony until today.


----------



## GioCar

Just downloaded from eClassical at a bargain price of 6.96 $.

J.S. Bach - Cantatas, Vol.3 (BWV 12, 54, 162, 182)
Bach Collegium Japan, Maasaki Suzuki

Now listening to Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12

I'm acquainted with the Leonardth/Harnoncourt cycle, but these (Suzuki's) performances have deeper emotional insights indeed.
They worth much more what I paid...


----------



## Mahlerian

It seems no one has recorded Charles Villiers Stanford's attempted parody of modern music (by which he means first and foremost Richard Strauss), _Ode to Discord_. Like all such reactionary pieces, it comes off as extremely heavy-handed and embarrassingly naive about its purported subject.

The score can be found here.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

ShropshireMoose said:


> I love Fricsay's performance of Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG. Well worth searching out.


I'll keep an eye open for it. Thank you for the recommendation ShropshireMoose.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bridge - Phantasm for Piano and Orchestra
Ireland - Piano Concerto
Walton - Sinfonia Concertante for Piano and Orchestra*

RPO, Vernon Handley, Kathryn Stott (Piano) [Conifer, 1990]


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Borodin's String Quartet No.2 - Borodin Quartet


----------



## Il_Penseroso

ShropshireMoose said:


> Whose performance is it? I love Beecham's with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and also Albert Wolff and the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra- then there's Andre Cluytens and the Belgian National Orchestra.


It's Ansermet and L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande, from 60s...



> Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I've got this on CD! I'd love to hear it live- with the proviso that it's done by someone who can bring the flair of a Beecham/Wolff or Cluytens to it!


Well I doubt if anyone among of the new generation of the conductors can ever get near the atmosphere you except especially at the introduction crescendo: those splendid sounds made by the old masters such as Beecham, Ansermet or Cluytens - whether we like them or not - are unique!


----------



## Sonata

Long drive, enough time for Bruckner's 2nd  liking it more than I remembered.....however it usually takes time for me to absorb his massive works!!

Wand + Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Lutoslawski*: Orchestral Music, w. Lutoslawski (rec.1974 - '90), Barenboim (rec.1992), Wit (rec.1994); String Quartet, w. Royal Qt. (rec.2012).

View attachment 28745
View attachment 28746







View attachment 28747
View attachment 28748


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Symphony #9 "Choral"
- Sharon Prero, soprano; Elizabeth Campbell, mezzo-soprano; Keith Lewis, tenor; Bruce Martin, baritone; Opera Australia Chorus; Tasmanian SO; David Porcelijn conducting

*Lhoyer *Duos Concertants
- Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli, guitars

This listen to *Beethoven's Choral* moved me to tears. Tears of sadness in the slow movement, tears of joy in the finale. Its been a long time since I have heard this, years in fact. *Antoine de Lhoyer* was a contemporary of Beethoven, and his specialty was the guuitar. These duos are excellent, the catchy tunes could have come out of some Mozart piece, and the counterpoint is very well crafted too. Funnily enough the slow movement of the _Duo Concertante in C major _had a tune that reminded me of _Happy Birthday to You_.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Bruckner*

Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major

Karajan
Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2.*


----------



## Blancrocher

Trevor Pinnock in Bach, BWV 910-916.


----------



## KenOC

Anton Eberl, Symphony in E-flat, Op. 33. Eberl was the guy who was asked to complete Mozart's Requiem but couldn't do it. His symphony must have been considered quite grandiose in its day -- the Eroica didn't just arise in a vacuum! Sorry for the big picture, one of those magnifying images... BTW this 6-CD set is a bargain if you like the lesser classical-period composers.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): String Quintet No.2 in E Flat

Leos Svarovsky leading the Czech Chamber Soloists









KenOC says:
"....BTW this 6-CD set is a bargain if you like the lesser classical-period composers."

It has my favorite rendition of Vanhal's D Minor (Bryan d1), done with snap and precision.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berg, Piano Sonata Opus 1*


----------



## Blake

Celibidache's Brahms (EMI): Symphony 2. Lovely


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> It has my favorite rendition of Vanhal's D Minor (Bryan d1), done with snap and precision.


I suspect that, even here, the number of people who can speak of their "favorite rendition" of the Vanhal D Minor is vanishingly small! :lol: I'm listening to it now, on your recommendation. Currently in movement 2, the Arioso. It was a more civilized age.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Vespers - Sigvards Klava, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in D Major, KV 136

Florian Heyerick conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4.*

Amazon is selling this set ridiculously cheaply, so I'm checking this out to see if I need another Tchaikovsky cycle.


----------



## SarahO

Mozart : Concerto pour piano No. 23 en La Majeur, K.488 : II. Adagio
Performed by Les Siècles
Conducted by François-Xavier Roth
Piano soloist : Vanessa Wagner

Performed adagissimo. Cool interpretation, IMHO.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Sonata

Brahms piano trio #1


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Christopher Marshall's L'homme Arme Variations - John Boyd, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jean Baptiste Breval (1753-1823): Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.12, No.5

Reiner Ginzel, cello -- Konrad Richter, piano


----------



## Weston

*Einar Englund: Symphony No. 4, "Nostalgic"*
Jorma Panula / Turku Philharmonic Orchestra










Seems very nicely recorded and played with much passion. Every time I hear these Englund works I wonder why they are not better known. Maybe they are too quirky. This one for instance doesn't sound remotely nostalgic to me unless in its harmonic language. It begins in a Shostakovich mood of dread, progresses through several emotions not entirely nameable, then ends on a rather ambiguous note of uncertainty. It is among the most peculiar of the genre, at least that I have heard and noticed, but still highly satisfying.


----------



## samurai

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.1 in D Major; Symphony No.37 in C Major; Symphony No.18 in G Major and Symphony No.2 in C Major.* All four symphonies feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Blancrocher

Holmboe's 10th string quartet.


----------



## Blake

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28762
> 
> 
> Holmboe's 10th string quartet.


How are you liking Holmboe? I created a guestbook for him, but the only occupants are a few tumbleweeds, haha. I think he's excellent.


----------



## Weston

Feeling a little silly tonight.



Vaneyes said:


> *Hovhaness*: Symphony 50, w. Schwarz (rec.1992).


I like a Hovhaness symphony a lot - I forget the number. It's about a mountain.



bejart said:


> Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): String Quintet No.2 in E Flat
> 
> Leos Svarovsky leading the Czech Chamber Soloists





Vesuvius said:


> Celibidache's Brahms (EMI): Symphony 2. Lovely


Some days this forum reads like a string of dolphin curse words in my head. But how wonderful to have it back!


----------



## Blancrocher

Vesuvius said:


> How are you liking Holmboe? I created a guestbook for him, but the only occupants are a few tumbleweeds, haha. I think he's excellent.


I'm enjoying them a lot on this first run-through the cycle, though I'm picking through them slowly. I've also been returning to the chamber symphonies (with John Storgards conducting), which are what originally piqued my interest in Holmboe. He's a prolific composer so there's a lot to look forward to!

I also look forward to reading your guestbook soon--thanks for the heads-up about it.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9


----------



## jim prideaux

initial listen yesterday to Rubbra symphonies 2/6-Hickox and BBC Wales Orch-stark and austere but beautiful at the same time....
Last night-Martinu/Dvorak Piano Quintets-Lindsays/Frankl


----------



## brotagonist

Winding down for today...









...with a _grand cru_ from my collection.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Bruckner*

Symphony No. 4 in E flat Major "Romantic"

Karajan
Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

samurai said:


> Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.1 in D Major; Symphony No.37 in C Major; Symphony No.18 in G Major and Symphony No.2 in C Major.* All four symphonies feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


Excellent, some early Haydn symphonies - and how do you like 1-5? I remember hearing parts of them and liking them a lot.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Violin Concerto in E minor (Kyung Wha Chung; Charles Dutoit; Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal).


----------



## SimonNZ

Henk Badings' Dialogues For Man And Machine

edit: Ligeti's Ramifications - Pierre Boulez, cond.










edit: Claude Ballif's Phrases Sur La Souffle - Amélia Salvetti, mezzo, Charles Ravier, cond.


----------



## PetrB

Lukas Foss ~ Renaissance Concerto, for flute and orchestra.
Such pleasurably listenable and seriously intelligent music... the notion of the genre of old-new pieces being pastiche flies out the window with this one. Foss, it seems, was seriously intimate with "the rep."


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's French Suite No.6 - Emil Gilels, piano


----------



## belfastboy

So I am auditing my Advent / Christmas music files and revisiting a few very special, outstanding (this make me feel festive) tracks and fingered out Bethlehem Down - I now have that warm fuzzy, love the classical & choral tunes of the season feeling. I'll press on....


----------



## Oskaar

*Balakirev*: Symphony No 1. Piano Concerto No 1. Tamara

*Marshev, Aarhus Symphony, Loughran*









emusic


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Lohn - Dawn Upshaw, soprano


----------



## Flamme

belfastboy said:


> So I am auditing my Advent / Christmas music files and revisiting a few very special, outstanding (this make me feel festive) tracks and fingered out Bethlehem Down - I now have that warm fuzzy, love the classical & choral tunes of the season feeling. I'll press on....


So peaceful...


----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

Manuel Pla (?-1766): Flute Concerto in B Flat

Jose Luis Garcia directing the English Chamber Orchestra -- Claudi Armany, flute


----------



## Kieran

Mozart's very earliest symphs: the Cot Symphonies, written when he was six months old. They say he remembered them from his time in the womb and uttered them between sucks on a soother for his daddy to write preserve on sheet music. Of course, daddy Leopold was nay fool: he scribbled them in the manner of a six month old. Thumb print stains and all. Dribbled milk stains and all. Cigar smoke stains and everything.

Wolfie wrote twenty seven symphs before he was two, though very little survives. There's the _Action Man Behind the Cushion_ Symphony, The _Nanny Kissed a Boy_ Symphony and the _Battle _symphony, much beloved by Beethoven, who tried to replicate its success about sixty years later.

Karl Bohm conducts, wearing a silly wig, and the Viennese Philly mime playing their instruments. We're up to Middle Period Mozart now: *K19*...


----------



## AClockworkOrange

This fantastic recording featuring Brahms' Symphony 1 and Martinu's Symphony 4 by Klaus Tennstedt & the Radio-Symphoniorchester Stuttgart des SWR.


----------



## Flamme

I have heard Mozz once with i think seven years old went to Vatican with his dad and remembered by heart one of the Church's sacred and most secret melodies and reproduced it back home...


----------



## Kieran

Flamme said:


> I have heard Mozz once with i think seven years old went to Vatican with his dad and remembered by heart one of the Church's sacred and most secret melodies and reproduced it back home...


Apparently, he did. From memory. Clever kid, eh? Not sure if he was seven, but he was incredibly naturally gifted for music. I'm listening to his infant symphs and they're astonishing...


----------



## EricABQ

Ligeti etudes played by Fredrik Ullen.


----------



## Flamme

Kieran said:


> Apparently, he did. From memory. Clever kid, eh? Not sure if he was seven, but he was incredibly naturally gifted for music. I'm listening to his infant symphs and they're astonishing...


I remember his dad made some funny kids music...:angel:


----------



## Oskaar

London Philharmonic Orchestra - *Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In B-flat Major*
*Leon Botstein*









amazon


----------



## Vesteralen

I really enjoyed the collaboration on this disc. It helps that I enjoy Prokofiev a great deal, as well.


----------



## Oskaar

Michail Jurowski - *Peterson-Berger*: Symphony No. 1, 'Banéret' & Suite, 'Last Summer'

*Michail Jurowski* Conductor
*Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra* Orchestra









amazon


----------



## Blancrocher

The final volume of the Pacifica Quartet's traversal of Shosty's and contemporaries' string quartets (Shosty's 13th-15th, and Schnittke's 3rd). I've been waiting for this one!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Emperor Concerto*. Then *Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4. *

I'm always amazed at how Melvin Tan breathes life into the fortepiano; he plays HIP with a soul.

I just found Zinman's Tchaikovsky in my CD pile. I forgot I had it. So far, into the first movement, it's nice, but it seems like it could have more bite to it. Or maybe I'm just remembering what Jarvi did to it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Anyone had that salt-in-the-wounds feeling when you don't have enough spare change to see the symphony perform, then you open Facebook and see two of your friends are actually there and posting pictures of the view from their seats? Oh, well, I'm, uh, happy for them. 

Anyway, I'm having that concert in my head today.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rubbra*: Symphony No 5; *Bliss*, *Tippett* /

*Little Music* by Michael Tippett 
Conductor: *Ronald Thomas *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Soloists of Australia *
Date of Recording: 1986

*Symphony no 5 in in Bb, Op. 63* by Edmund Rubbra 
Conductor: *Hans-Hubert Schönzeler *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Melbourne Symphony Orchestra *
Date of Recording: 1978

*Checkmate, F 2: Suite* by Sir Arthur Bliss 
Conductor: *Hans-Hubert Schönzeler *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *West Australian Symphony Orchestra *
Date of Recording: 1978









arkivmusic


----------



## maestro267

*Schumann*: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (Rhenish)
Staatskapelle Dresden/Sawallisch


----------



## Mahlerian

oskaar said:


> London Philharmonic Orchestra - *Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 In B-flat Major*
> *Leon Botstein*


The tainted Schalk version that cuts the finale by about half and adds an off-stage brass band? No like from me, sorry!

Messiaen: Sept haikai, Couleurs de la cite celeste, Un vitrail et des oiseaux, Oiseaux exotiques
Yvonne Loriod, Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Boulez








This was a live concert for the composer's 80th birthday, and the third work was a premiere. Unfortunately, it's the weakest of the bunch by a good margin. I've encountered this rendition of Oiseaux exotiques on Youtube as well, and it's easy to recognize by a very prominent cough that occurs in one of the brief pauses...


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr - Violin Concerto no. 8, 12, 13, 10, 17, 9 
By Ulf Hoelscher [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.]









Franz Schubert - Fantasie in C D.934, Sonata in A, D.574, Rondo in Bm D.895
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in Em, The Hebrides Ouverture, Violin Concerto in Dm
By Alina Ibragimova, Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment, Vladimir Jurowski [dir.], on Hyperion









The best violin concerto ever written for me!


----------



## Oskaar

Mahlerian said:


> The tainted Schalk version that cuts the finale by about half and adds an off-stage brass band?
> [


I stumble sometime in my exploration, but I did not find it too bad.


----------



## Mahlerian

oskaar said:


> I stumble sometime in my exploration, but I did not find it too bad.


Nothing wrong with that, either. I'm just against anyone performing that version, but if you want to listen to it, that's fine.


----------



## Oskaar

*Borealis String Quartet* - Chatman, *S.: Lawren S. Harris Suite for Piano Quintet / Varley Suite for Solo Violin / 5 Songs / Black and White Fantasy*









naxos

New attempt to get a like from Mahlerian. I have a shiny collection!


----------



## Oskaar

Mahlerian said:


> Nothing wrong with that, either. I'm just against anyone performing that version, but if you want to listen to it, that's fine.


There is so much to learn, I did not know there was more than one version


----------



## Celloman

My second trip through _Der Rosenkavalier_. Always enchanting.


----------



## Blancrocher

Glenn Gould in Bach's English Suites.


----------



## Sonata

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Excellent, some early Haydn symphonies - and how do you like 1-5? I remember hearing parts of them and liking them a lot.


Any recommendations for a good recording of a survey of some of the earlier symphonies?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 through 10*


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Dutilleux*: Orchestral Music, w. Baudo et al (rec.1974 - '85), Graf (rec.2000); String Quartet, w. Arditti Qt. (rec.1993). Piano Works, w. Queffelec (rec. 1996).

View attachment 28788
View attachment 28789
View attachment 28790







View attachment 28791


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Dutilleux*: Orchestral Music, w. Dutoit et al (rec. 1993).

View attachment 28794


----------



## Oskaar

Budapest Symphony Orchestra - Barati: *Symphony No. 1 / Chant Of Darkness / Chant Of Light*

*Budapest Symphony Orchestra • Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra • Kovacs, Laszlo • Valek, Vladimir*









naxos


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Any recommendations for a good recording of a survey of some of the earlier symphonies?


You said some, so I don't know if Fischer 1 - 20 would be overkill. Reasonably priced used at Amazon Marketplace.

Of smaller considerations, Symphonies 6 - 8 are essential. Pinnock or St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble for these, also at the aforementioned retailer. :tiphat:


----------



## kon

Chung's Mahler!


----------



## Blake

Ashkenazy's Scriabin


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Schubert's* death day (November 19, 1828), String Quintet in C, w. Haimovitz/Miro Qt. (rec. 2003).

View attachment 28801


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Sylvia Capova).

I find her interpretation to be very good, although she doesn't seem to be too well known.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Sonata said:


> Any recommendations for a good recording of a survey of some of the earlier symphonies?


Do you like period instruments? I'd think the Goodman recordings with the Hanover Band would be quite good. Symphonies 6-8 are very good, definitely hear some samples to see what sound you like best for them, that's always subjective .

I'd also check out symphony #13, the finale is fugal and is based on the same notes as the finale of Mozart's Jupiter symphony.


----------



## Steptotheplate

Listening to a piece on a old basketball film I had when I was a kid and this piece was the first ever classical composition I ever heard. however I don't know who wrote this and would dearly like to find out.

starts at 32.48 




Any help finding out who did this would be amazing!


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony (Handley)
Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 (Berglund/COE).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

London Baroque in Bach trio sonatas. This is a first listen to this recording, and truth be told I don't really know the works on it either. Beautiful, in any case.


----------



## Oskaar

Bach, Vivaldi: *Concertos for Two Violins *
Isaac *Stern*, Pinchas *Zukerman*, Richard *Killmer*, Layton *James*, *Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra *
October 25, 1990









amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 5 in F minor (The London Haydn Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Britten's Symphony For Cello And Orchestra - Yo-Yo Ma, cello, David Zinman, cond.


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> For *Schubert's* death day (November 19, 1828), String Quintet in C, w. Haimovitz/Miro Qt. (rec. 2003).
> 
> View attachment 28801


Great choice! I'm listening to Schnabel perform the final piano sonata. It sounds ominous and proud and fearful. My favourite piano sonata by anyone...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, 'The Tempest' (Sylvia Capova).


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4










Enjoying the even ones


----------



## Blake

Boult's Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony and beyond....


----------



## jim prideaux

further listening to Rubbra 2nd/6th symphonies-Hickox/BBC Wales-really impressed as I was earlier with the 4th......


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 6 in E flat (1943)*

Amar Quartet [Naxos]

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 7 in E flat (1945)*

Amar Quartet [Naxos]

Juilliard Quartet [Wergo]















These last two quartets are more relaxed and lyrical-sounding than their precursors: in fact both are quite accessible. The readings by both quartets are very fine but I have a slight preference for the Juilliard who play #7 with finesse but real fire.

I'd be interested to hear from forumists who know and like readings by the Danish, Kocian, Pacifica, Hollywood, Brandis quartets or others (It's mostly #4, that is, 'old' #3, Op. 22, that has been recorded, but the Danish did a complete cycle).


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano concerto 4. Fleischer / Szell

Interesting that it is quite different to another recording I have with Fleischer and Klemperer.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Tapiola
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









Sibelius: Tapiola
Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Berglund









I prefer the later recording, but Berglund certainly knew his way around Sibelius's last and bleakest orchestral work.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schinttke, Symphony No. 8.*

I got sidetracked from my Schnittke symphony journey a couple weeks ago, but CoAG mentioned this on the Greatest 8ths thread, so I'm getting back on track.


----------



## opus55

Dutilleux: L'arbre des songes










Refreshing work this is.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Leonora Overture No.3 New York Philharmonic/Bruno Walter
Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8 Columbia Symphony Orchestra/New York Philharmonic/Bruno Walter

Just a coincidence that on the anniversary of Schubert's death I've reached this disc in the boxed set of Walter's recordings that I'm currently working through- and, I might add, thoroughly enjoying.


----------



## Blake

Segerstam's Sibelius: Symphony 6. One of my favorite Sibelius cycles.


----------



## Blancrocher

For Schubert, the Impromptus played by Radu Lupu.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.49 in F Minor

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## dgee

More Schubert - Trio 2 in E Flat with the Frank Braley and the Brothers Capucon. I'm not overly big on Schubert songs or piano music but the chamber works just sound like so much fun to play


----------



## EricABQ

Sampling all the tracks from this:



Definitely on my "to purchase soon" list.


----------



## ProudSquire

*J.S Bach*

French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV816 - III. Sarabande

Angela Hewitt


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht (string sextet in D minor), Op. 4
Ensemble intercontemporain


----------



## senza sordino

oskaar said:


> Bach, Vivaldi: *Concertos for Two Violins *
> Isaac *Stern*, Pinchas *Zukerman*, Richard *Killmer*, Layton *James*, *Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra *
> October 25, 1990


I remember some years ago on the radio, it was Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving is in October. On the radio they were playing music to be thankful for. And this was one of their choices. It's a truly wonderful piece, possibly my favorite Baroque piece of music. The slow second movement is sublime. Music to be truly thankful for.


----------



## Blake

Hickox's Alwyn: Harp Concerto, Symphonies, etc...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert: String Quintet in C D.956/String Trio in B-flat D.471
Vienna Philharmonic Quartet with Richard Harand (2nd Cello)

The perfect music to conclude this evening.........or any evening.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rameau's Zais Overture - Christophe Rousset, cond.


----------



## Novelette

My hearing has been disturbed by the first inner ear infection in almost 17 years.

Still, Brahms' Symphony #4 in E Minor, when conducted by Klemperer, shines through remarkably clearly.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): String Quartet in G Major, Op.60, No.1

Camesina Quartet: Johannes Gebauer and Karen Walthinsen, violins -- Irina Alexandrowa, viola -- Martin Burkhardt, cello


----------



## Weston

TheProudSquire said:


> *J.S Bach*
> 
> French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV816 - III. Sarabande
> 
> Angela Hewitt


How is her interpretation?

I'd love to find a set of Bach for piano that doesn't try to sound like Chopin with all the faltering "poignant" pauses that detract from the sublime structure of the music. Andras Schiff comes close to what I'm looking for. Gould does not . . .


----------



## SarahO

Maksim Mrvica playing Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2






And to paraphrase violinist Ivry Gitlis' response to the charge that Heifetz was cold,

"If you don't like the way Maksim Mrvica looks, close your eyes, for God's sake!"


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder
BBC Singers et al, Jess Thomas, Marita Napier, Yvonne Minton, BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez








This massive oratorio requires a larger orchestra than Mahler's Eighth, including a violin section that divides into 20 parts, 8 flutes, 10 horns, and a massive percussion ensemble including iron chains.

Its belated premiere (some 13 years after he did the bulk of the composition) gave Schoenberg his first and only public success, which served only to aggravate him because he knew it would not help the success of the music he was then writing. It remains among his most popular works to this day.


----------



## dgee

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder
> BBC Singers et al, Jess Thomas, Marita Napier, Yvonne Minton, BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez
> View attachment 28821
> 
> 
> This massive oratorio requires a larger orchestra than Mahler's Eighth, including a violin section that divides into 20 parts, 8 flutes, 10 horns, and a massive percussion ensemble including iron chains.
> 
> Its belated premiere (some 13 years after he did the bulk of the composition) gave Schoenberg his first and only public success, which served only to aggravate him because he knew it would not help the success of the music he was then writing. It remains among his most popular works to this day.


10 horns, Herr Gansfuss! I once played 9th.


----------



## shangoyal

I was looking for a symphony in B major, and landed here. This is some intriguing music.

Shostakovich: *Symphony No. 2 in B major 'To October'*

London Voices / London Symphony Orchestra / Mstislav Rostropovich


----------



## opus55

Boccherini: Cello Concerti


----------



## Weston

SarahO said:


> Maksim Mrvica playing Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And to paraphrase violinist Ivry Gitlis' response to the charge that Heifetz was cold,
> 
> "If you don't like the way Maksim Mrvica looks, close your eyes, for God's sake!"


I for one am glad to see the ubiquitous penguin costumes gone for a change.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Back to take another listen to the Fritz Brun symphony cycle. I enjoy these more with each new listen.










Also working my way through Erkki Melartin's six symphonies. These are real gems and fun works to listen to. Unfortunately the sound quality on the Ondine set is not the greatest. I suppose it's better than not having them at all but I would love it if someone else would record these. Melartin's musical ideas are just wonderful and it's a pity the production suffers a bit. Still worth adding to your collection though as we are unlikely to see/hear another version.










Kevin


----------



## ProudSquire

Weston said:


> How is her interpretation?
> 
> I'd love to find a set of Bach for piano that doesn't try to sound like Chopin with all the faltering "poignant" pauses that detract from the sublime structure of the music. Andras Schiff comes close to what I'm looking for. Gould does not . . .


She's very talented and her interpretation is very nice, though not anywhere near Schiff's. I didn't think badly of her playing, but I think Andras just might be a little better.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Piano Concerto


----------



## Mahlerian

dgee said:


> 10 horns, Herr Gansfuss! I once played 9th.


It's a glorious piece. It would be even more popular if Schoenberg's name wasn't attached to it...



shangoyal said:


> I was looking for a symphony in B major, and landed here. This is some intriguing music.
> 
> Shostakovich: *Symphony No. 2 in B major 'To October'*


Make sure to check out Haydn's B major Symphony as well!


----------



## samurai

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.4 in D Major; Symphony No.27 in G Major; Symphony No.10 in D Major and Symphony No.20 in C Major. *All four works are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47, *
performed by the Bernard Haitink led Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70, * once again featuring Maestro Haitink, on this occasion at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## shangoyal

samurai said:


> Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.4 in D Major; Symphony No.27 in G Major; Symphony No.10 in D Major and Symphony No.20 in C Major. *All four works are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47, *
> performed by the Bernard Haitink led Concertgebouw Orchestra.
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70, * once again featuring Maestro Haitink, on this occasion at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


Love the prosaic style in which you put down the details.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in D minor for treble recorder, violin and continuo;
Trio Sonata in G minor for oboe, violin and continuo (The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## Shoebert

Exciting discovery, Grieg's second piano concerto in B minor :


----------



## Kivimees

There's much positive to say about Prokofiev's piano concertos, but let's not forget his wonderful cello concerto:


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' Three Quarter-Tone Pieces - George C Pappastavrou and Stuart Warren Lanning, pianos


----------



## aleazk

I have been listening only to late Webern, serial Stravinsky, and early Boulez in these past days.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ned Rorem's Cor Anglais Concerto - Thomas Stacy, cor anglais, Michael Palmer, cond.

edit: Samuel Barber's Reincarnations - Douglas Lawrence, dir.










edit: Richard Danielpour's Toward The Splendid City - cond.composer


----------



## maestro267

*Schmitt*: Psaume XLVII
Bullock/Sao Paulo SO & Choir/Tortelier


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Gould's Fall River Legend - Howard Hanson, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 26 in A Major, 'Les Adieux' (Sylvia Capova).


----------



## Ingélou

Boccherini, Op 5 no 4, Sonata for Harpsichord & Violin - elegant and joyous; beautifully sprigged & patterned. 
Found lurking behind the YouTube 'Fandango' I put on my FB page. A neat way of making discoveries.


----------



## SimonNZ

Virgil Thomson's Filling Station - David Allan Miller, cond.

edit: Walter Piston's The Incredible Flutist - Howard Hanson, cond.










edit: Walter Piston's Flute Sonata - Robert Stallman, flute, David Buechner, piano


----------



## jim prideaux

Belohlavek/Czech Phil-Martinu, Overture/Rhapsody for large orch/Sinfonia Concertante/Concerto Grosso/The Parables
as I have frequently commented Martinu is very much the 'main man 'these days although for very different reasons I am increasingly drawn to the symphonies of Rubbra-both composers who have a very distinct and individual sound.....


----------



## maestro267

*Brian*: Symphony No. 4 (Das Siegeslied)
Valásková (soprano), choirs/Slovak Radio SO/Leaper


----------



## ShropshireMoose

A morning with the 78s of Wilhelm Backhaus:

Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor with the New Symphony Orchestra/John Barbirolli
Chopin: Fantasie-Impromptu Op.66/Prelude Op.28 No.1/Etude Op.10 No.1/Waltz in D-flat Op.64 No.1/Etude Op.10 No.7
Brahms: Scherzo in E-flat Op.4
Schubert: Moment Musical No.3 in F Minor
Schubert-Liszt: Hark, Hark The Lark
Liszt: Waldesrauchen
Mozart-Backhaus: "Don Juan"- Serenade
Schuman-Liszt: Dedication (Love Song)
Smetana: Bohemian Dance
Moszkowski: Caprice Espagnol Op.37

I transferred all these across to mini-disc some years ago, they make a very satisfying programme. Backhaus' playing is wonderful. The last two items are played with marvellous panache and virtuosic abandon that would possibly be quite a surprise to those of you who have only come across him as the elder statesman of Brahms and Beethoven on his Decca recordings of the 50s and 60s. His transcription of the Mozart Serenade is a delight too, I wonder if it was published? Something to look into methinks.


----------



## EricABQ

Mozart symphonies 27 and 28 from this practically free .mp3 set.

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complete-Symphonies-VoxBox-Edition/dp/B00FUS050W/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=mozart+voxbox


----------



## Flamme




----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (Mahler 1895 re-orchestration) - Tiboris/BRNO Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Flamme




----------



## maestro267

*Mendelssohn*: Symphony No. 3 in A minor (Scottish)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Ashkenazy

*Beethoven*: Symphony No. 7 in A major
Philadelphia Orchestra/Muti


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in D Major, D 34

Gyorgy Vashegyi conducting the Orfeo Orchestra -- Laszlo Paulik, violin


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ShropshireMoose

ShropshireMoose said:


> Schubert: String Quintet in C D.956/String Trio in B-flat D.471
> Vienna Philharmonic Quartet with Richard Harand (2nd Cello)
> 
> The perfect music to conclude this evening.........or any evening.


Reading the sleeve note of this record this morning, it ends with a quote from Keats' "Hyperion", which I would like to share with you all. The goddess Mnemosyne is addressing Apollo:

Thou hast dream'd of me; and awaking up
Didst find a lyre all golden by thy side,
Whose strings touch'd by thy fingers, all the vast
Unwearied ear of the whole universe
Listen'd in pain and pleasure at the birth
Of such new tuneful wonder.


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg (Act 1)
Fischer-Dieskau, Ludwig, Domingo, Orchestra and Chorus of the Berlin Opera, cond. Jochum









Gurre-Lieder ends in C major, Meistersinger begins in C major...


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/ via I tunes


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.4 in C Minor, Op.18, No.4

Prazak Quartet: Vaclav Remes and Vlastimil Holek, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michal Kanka, cello


----------



## maestro267

*Stravinsky*: The Firebird
Philharmonia Orchestra/Craft

(I'm on a roll today! )


----------



## Stemahl

Listening to two different interpretations of Bach's cantata BWV 172:

The Rilling version








The Rotzsch version








Both are amazing, but they sound quite different to each other. The way I would describe it - the Rilling is the better for waking you up and getting ready for the day. The Rotzsch version is more of an evening Bach, just relaxing and enjoying. Well that's my silly view on it haha. Both are great.

Then a listen to a symphony from this borrowed set conducted by Roy Goodman, for the most, plus Monica Huggett:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Ginastera*: Orchestral Music, w. Noguera/Grohs (rec.1996), Kosower/Zagrosek (rec.2009).

View attachment 28837
View attachment 28838


----------



## Vaneyes

Novelette said:


> My hearing has been disturbed by the first inner ear infection in almost 17 years.
> 
> Still, Brahms' Symphony #4 in E Minor, when conducted by Klemperer, shines through remarkably clearly.


Get well soon. Sending you a third ear.


----------



## Blancrocher

Marc Minkowski conducting "Une Symphonie Imaginaire," by Jean-Philippe Rameau.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=103564


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major; No. 34 in D Major; No. 29 in E-flat Major 
(Emanuel Ax).


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variationen BWV 988
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony (1955)


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content









Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice
By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter], Stutgarter Kamerchor, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Sony Classical


----------



## ahammel

I don't know if I'm imperilling my street cred by saying this, but I really really enjoy Mendelssohn's 4th symphony. 

Like, a lot.


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Hindemith - String Quartet No. 6 in E flat (1943)*
> 
> Amar Quartet [Naxos]
> 
> *Hindemith - String Quartet No. 7 in E flat (1945)*
> 
> Amar Quartet [Naxos]
> 
> Juilliard Quartet [Wergo]
> 
> View attachment 28810
> View attachment 28811
> 
> 
> These last two quartets are more relaxed and lyrical-sounding than their precursors: in fact both are quite accessible. The readings by both quartets are very fine but I have a slight preference for the Juilliard who play #7 with finesse but real fire.
> 
> I'd be interested to hear from forumists who know and like readings by the Danish, Kocian, Pacifica, Hollywood, Brandis quartets or others (It's mostly #4, that is, 'old' #3, Op. 22, that has been recorded, but the Danish did a complete cycle).


TV, thank you for presenting this interesting dilemma. I've experienced all. As well, am waiting for the Amar series conclusion, though their style and interp at this point, are in stone.

First, I say eliminate consideration for Hollywood, Pacifica, and Brandis compilations. These are not competitive in my view. Stay with the set specialists, who pour their hearts 'n souls into the body of Hindemith quartet work.

JSQ offers the best playing with very good sound. Amar offers the best sound, and perhaps nuance, partly because of the luxury of the former. Kocian and Danish offer the best energy, and the best interps.

The listener must decide whether he or she wants user-friendly, or tightrope. In my view, the former choice can at times dangerously approach a Schubert or Dvorak sound. Austereness can suffer.

My final vote remains Kocian. I think they effortlessly apply edginess. Provide more dynamics, while still telling the story as a group. IOW chance-taking without disruption. :tiphat:


----------



## Bas

Mr. Vaneyes, I don't know these works (yet). I liked your reaction anyway, just to express how I respect your knowledge. One day I hope to have as much listening experience with different composers, performers as you.


----------



## samurai

ahammel said:


> I don't know if I'm imperilling my street cred by saying this, but I really really enjoy Mendelssohn's 4th symphony.
> 
> Like, a lot.


 Not with me. Your street cred is impeccable!


----------



## Oskaar

*Visions in Metaphor*

(2001)

Works by John *Adams*, Milton *Babbit*, Karel *Husa*, Pauline *Oliberos*, William *Albright*, Samuel *Adler*, Marylin *Shrude*, Bernard *Rands*, Philip *Glass*, Joan *Tower *

J*ohn Sampen*, saxophone 
*Marilyn Shrude*, piano









Very interresting and delightful music!

info and samples: allmusic


----------



## Blake

Handley's Bax: Tone Poems. Bax really takes you on a mystical journey. It's amazing.


----------



## samurai

shangoyal said:


> Love the prosaic style in which you put down the details.


I know. All these works are basically first time listening experiences for me. As I become more familiar with them, I hope to be able to use more descriptive language. Thanks for the critique, though. :wave:


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Ginastera*: Chamber Music, w.Henschel Qt. (rec.1999), Kosower & Oh (rec.2006); Danzas argentinas, w. Argerich (rec.1978); Danza de la Moza Donoso, w. Barenboim (rec. 1995).

View attachment 28850
View attachment 28851
View attachment 28852
View attachment 28853


----------



## Vaneyes

Bas said:


> Mr. Vaneyes, I don't know these works (yet). I liked your reaction anyway, just to express how I respect your knowledge. One day I hope to have as much listening experience with different composers, performers as you.


Bas, thank you for those kind words, but I'm still listening and learning. 

Much of *it* is simply preference. As long as the recording wasn't in a cave, and the performers aren't hitting wrong notes one after another, there are often several releases of each work that will do fine. 

Passion, tempi, tone, are the biggies for me. :tiphat:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Sylvia Capova).

Her interpretations flow smoothly, there aren't many mannerisms. I really like the way Capova plays but couldn't find much of her recordings on amazon.de.

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 47 in B minor (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Sylvia Capova).
> 
> Her interpretations flow smoothly, there aren't many mannerisms. I really like the way Capova plays but couldn't find much of her recordings on amazon.de.


Beginning to suspect you and Sylvia have a thing going on.


----------



## GreenMamba

Henry Cowell Symphony #16, "Icelandic," Strickland/Iceland SO


----------



## Aramis

Pianistic release of the year.

Not that I would hear others.

Well, some I did hear.

But I no longer bother.


----------



## Ravndal

Prokofiev - Visions Fugitives

Leonard Pennario


----------



## Blancrocher

Argerich playing Bach's Toccata in C minor BWV 911, Partita #2, and English Suite #2; and a first listen to Vladimir Feltsman in the Partitas.


----------



## Tristan

*Bach* - Cantata No. 29 "Wir danken dir, Gott" (Nikolaus Harnoncourt)









It's cool to see where Bach obtained some motifs for the B Minor Mass


----------



## ProudSquire

*Brahms*

Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78

David Oistrach & Frida Bauer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Tristan said:


> *Bach* - Cantata No. 29 "Wir danken dir, Gott" (Nikolaus Harnoncourt)
> 
> View attachment 28857


Harnoncourt looks a bit pissed on that cover, hehe.


----------



## Winterreisender

Perotin - Hilliard Ensemble










This is one of my favourite "early music" CDs. I partciularly enjoy the piece _Viderunt omnes_. I love the contrast between the unpredictable melismatic melodic line and the simple drones underneath.


----------



## DavidA

Liszt Sonata - Leon Fleischer


----------



## DavidA

Aramis said:


> Pianistic release of the year.
> 
> Not that I would hear others.
> 
> Well, some I did hear.
> 
> But I no longer bother.


This release seemed to get very mixed reviews. What line does she take in these works?


----------



## Bas

I once bought this one cd of the series on eBay a year ago (it was more a gamble then anything else, I knew only Schubert's lieder and his symphonies) and I was listening today and thought, whenever there is room again in the cd budget I'm buying the other six. What a genius music:

Franz Schubert - Für Vier Handen D813, Sonata in B-flat D617, Trois Marches Militaires, Deux Marches Caracteristiques
By Tal & Groethuysen Piano Duo (volume 6 of their series), on Sony


----------



## Blake

jim prideaux said:


> Belohlavek/Czech Phil-Martinu, Overture/Rhapsody for large orch/Sinfonia Concertante/Concerto Grosso/The Parables
> as I have frequently commented Martinu is very much the 'main man 'these days although for very different reasons I am increasingly drawn to the symphonies of *Rubbra*-both composers who have a very distinct and individual sound.....


I know there are a few people who are on the fence with Rubbra, but they shouldn't be. His compositions ooze intelligence and vision. His symphonies can be hard to narrow down, but that's the joy of his work. It's uniqueness done well, and his contrapuntal style always peaks my interest.

... and thanks for bringing Martinu to my attention again. :tiphat:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Another spin for...

*Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20

No. 1 in E flat
No. 5 in F minor
No. 6 in A *

Quatuor Mosaiques [Naive]









I typed 'Bach' instead of 'Haydn'. I can tell them apart, honestly!

Is it possible to admit that, good as these performances are 'technically', I'm actually left a little cold by them? I find I prefer the Takacs Quartet's Haydn (not in Op 20 which I don't think they've recorded). Perhaps I just don't have experience in this repertoire, yet.


----------



## Sid James

*Mussorgsky (transcribed by Leopold Stokowski)*
Pictures at an Exhibition
A Night on Bare Mountain
- Bournemouth SO cond. by Jose Serebrier

*Glinka* Rulsan and Ludmilla - Overture
- Slovak Radio SO cond. by Anthony Bramall

*Shostakovich* Jazz Suite #1 & Romance from 'The Gadfly'
- Russian State SO cond. by Dimitry Yablonsky & Ukraine National SO cond. by Theodore Kuchar

*Mussorgsky* 
Pictures at an Exhibition (original piano version)
Meditation (Largamente)
- Gerhard Eckle on the bones


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 1.*

The Penguin Guide said this piece may have passed its time, but I think it still has validity in its sense of abandon.


----------



## Winterreisender

Carrying on with my evening of early music, I'm now listening to Ockeghem's Requiem, performed by the Hilliard Ensemble


----------



## Wood

I've been spinning a fair bit of vinyl recently:

*Telemann & Vivaldi:*_ Music for recorder and Orchestra _(Krainis Baroque Ensemble) Ace of Clubs, 1963.

*Susato, Byrd, Dowland, Nicholson & Morley:*_<Rennaissance dance music> _(Early Music Consort of London) HMV, 1971. Here I found that the recorder and lute sound great played together.

*Greig:*_ Peer Gynt Suite No.2, Holberg Suite _(London Pro Musica Symphony, Bowers) SAGA, 1963.










etc, etc


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Ravel - Gaspard de la nuit*

Piano Works I - Pascal Rogé [Decca]









I'm having a break from music after this to listen to the Ashes instead (I may be some time...)


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> Another spin for...
> 
> *Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20
> 
> No. 1 in E flat
> No. 5 in F minor
> No. 6 in A *
> 
> Quatuor Mosaiques [Naive]
> 
> View attachment 28859
> 
> 
> I typed 'Bach' instead of 'Haydn'. I can tell them apart, honestly!
> 
> Is it possible to admit that, good as these performances are 'technically', I'm actually left a little cold by them? I find I prefer the Takacs Quartet's Haydn (not in Op 20 which I don't think they've recorded). Perhaps I just don't have experience in this repertoire, yet.


Hang onto the QM Op. 20, TV. It's a treasure for rediscovery.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Arnold*: Symphonies 3 & 4 w. Hickox (rec.1993), 7 & 8 w. Handley(rec.1990); Chamber Music w. McCapra Qt. (rec.1992), Nash Ens. (rec.1984).

View attachment 28863
View attachment 28864
View attachment 28865
View attachment 28866


----------



## KenOC

Just finished Ligeti's string quartets played by the Keller Quartett. No. 1 is very enjoyable, quite evocative and Bartok-like. No. 2 less so, a bit too scratch-plonk for me!


----------



## KenOC

TurnaboutVox said:


> Is it possible to admit that, good as these performances are 'technically', I'm actually left a little cold by them? I find I prefer the Takacs Quartet's Haydn (not in Op 20 which I don't think they've recorded).


I also find the QM a bit thin and cool in Haydn. But so many disagree!


----------



## Blake

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> *Arnold*: Symphonies 3 & 4 w. Hickox (rec.1993), 7 & 8 w. Handley(rec.1990); Chamber Music w. McCapra Qt. (rec.1992), Nash Ens. (rec.1984).


Have you heard Penny's cycle? I read it was pretty outstanding.


----------



## KenOC

More Ligeti, this time his Violin Concerto -- Patricia Kopatchinskaja on the fiddle, Peter Eötvös conducting the Ensemble Moderne. Fabulous, an absolute kick in the pants, and it gets even better near the end. Again, only a big picture available...


----------



## Sonata

Brahms Requiem. My favorite choral work!
Bruckner: symphony 3. He's cracked my "top 15"'composers, maybe even top 10


----------



## BillT

Something I listened to long ago, when I was a kid just getting into classical music, and WQZR used to play this as I fell into sleep. Back in the days of AM radio! "Here is the music", the announcer would say.

And I still love it.

- Bill


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4 in D, K218
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonidas Kavakos, violinist and conductor

Last Saturday's concert.


----------



## Blancrocher

Rattle and the City of Birmingham Orchestra in Asyla, the Concerto Conciso, The Premises are Alarmed, the Chamber Symphony, and "...but all shall be well."


----------



## Mahlerian

Continuing on:

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D, "Classical"
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Kavakos

More critical vituperation!
"Those who do not believe that genius is evident in superabundance of noise looked in vain for a new musical message in Mr. Prokofiev's work. Nor in the _Classical Symphony_, which the composer conducted, was there any cessation from the orgy of discordant sounds."


----------



## Sid James

^^That's a classic critique, I've read it elsewhere. Prokofiev's first symphony was the first neo-classical piece (well, from that second wave of neo-classicism occuring in the 20th century, if we include the first wave in 19th century with Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens and so on). To some people at least it must have been like sacrilege against the old masters. The equivalent of peeing on Haydn's grave, maybe?


----------



## Mahlerian

Sid James said:


> ^^That's a classic critique, I've read it elsewhere. Prokofiev's first symphony was the first neo-classical piece (well, from that second wave of neo-classicism occuring in the 20th century, if we include the first wave in 19th century with Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens and so on). To some people at least it must have been like sacrilege against the old masters. The equivalent of peeing on Haydn's grave, maybe?


I'm kind of surprised that the critic was so negative. I understand that Prokofiev's main mode at the time was rather aggressive (like the Symphony No. 2, for instance), but the First just seems so light and witty...

Anyway, Neoclassicism seems very much to have been an artistic response to World War I. Yes, Stravinsky didn't turn to writing in this style until the 20s, but he was already beginning to pare down his scores to the bare essentials. To a degree, even the works of the 2nd Viennese School post-WWI reflect the same trend, using smaller ensembles and less extreme emotional outbursts.

Last item on the program:

Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C
Boston Symphony, cond. Kavakos

This might be my favorite of Schumann's symphonies.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Brahms Requiem. My favorite choral work!
> *Bruckner*: symphony 3. *He's cracked my "top 15"'composers, maybe even top 10*


Uh...yeah.


----------



## ahammel

Mahlerian said:


> More critical vituperation!
> "Those who do not believe that genius is evident in superabundance of noise looked in vain for a new musical message in Mr. Prokofiev's work. Nor in the _Classical Symphony_, which the composer conducted, was there any cessation from the orgy of discordant sounds."


I...buh...wha?

Was the orchestra out of tune that night or what?


----------



## Mahlerian

ahammel said:


> I...buh...wha?
> 
> Was the orchestra out of tune that night or what?


Probably not, they just heard the music as having no recognizable melody or harmony. It's happened with all sorts of new works, from Schumann to Verdi to Wagner (oh, very much Wagner) to Brahms to Debussy...


----------



## Novelette

Hummel: Piano Concerto #2 in A Minor, Op. 85 -- Tamas Pal; Hae-won Chang: Budapest Chamber Orchestra

Praetorius: Venite Exultemus Domino -- Paul Van Nevel: Huelgas Ensemble

Sibelius: Symphony #5 in E Flat, Op. 82 (1915 version) -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Liszt: Auber: Tarentelle Di Bravura D'Après La Tarentelle De La Muette De Portici, S 386iii -- Leslie Howard

Mozart: String Quartet #13 in D Minor, K 173 -- Hagen Quartet

And in fulfillment of my duty as Mssr. Resident Schu-maniac:

Schumann: Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Op. 112 -- Hartmut Schmidt: Düsseldorfer Symphoniker


----------



## Blake

Mahlerian said:


> Probably not, they just heard the music as having no recognizable melody or harmony. It's happened with all sorts of new works, from Schumann to Verdi to Wagner (oh, very much Wagner) to Brahms to Debussy...


Haha, no recognizable melody? Seriously, I could get a child to find the melody in these works.


----------



## opus55

Dutilleux: L`Arbe des songes










Don't know why but I keep listening to this work


----------



## Mahlerian

Vesuvius said:


> Haha, no recognizable melody? Seriously, I could get a child to find the melody in these works.


You haven't ever read reviews like this?

"M. Debussy wrote three tonal pictures under the general title of _The Sea_...It is safe to say that few understood what they heard and few heard anything they understood...There are no themes distinct and strong enough to be called themes. There is nothing in the way of even a brief motif that can be grasped securely enough by the ear and brain to serve as a guiding line through the tonal maze. There is no end of queer and unusual effects in orchestration, no end of harmonic combinations and progressions that are so unusual that they sound hideously ugly."


----------



## KenOC

More on La Mer: "The audience seemed rather disappointed: they expected the ocean, something big, something colossal, but they were served instead with some agitated water in a saucer." -- Louis Schneider


----------



## Blake

Mahlerian said:


> You haven't ever read reviews like this?
> 
> "M. Debussy wrote three tonal pictures under the general title of _The Sea_...It is safe to say that few understood what they heard and few heard anything they understood...There are no themes distinct and strong enough to be called themes. There is nothing in the way of even a brief motif that can be grasped securely enough by the ear and brain to serve as a guiding line through the tonal maze. There is no end of queer and unusual effects in orchestration, no end of harmonic combinations and progressions that are so unusual that they sound hideously ugly."


I hardly ever pay attention to what critics say. There are too many knowledgeable and genuine people out there to be occupied with nonsense.


----------



## Sonata

More Brahms, piano trio 3. So many reasons why this man is my favorite composer!


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> I hardly ever pay attention to what critics say. There are too many knowledgeable and genuine people out there to be occupied with nonsense.


Sibelius said that nobody ever erected a statue to a critic. But of course he was wrong.


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> Sibelius said that nobody ever erected a statue to a critic. But of course he was wrong.


How was he wrong?


----------



## Vaneyes

Vesuvius said:


> Have you heard Penny's cycle? I read it was pretty outstanding.


Some of, not all.


----------



## SimonNZ

Statue of a critic: Sainte-Beuve


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> How was he wrong?


One example: George Bernard Shaw, one of the late 19th century's great music critics. He wouldn't give Brahms the time of day!


----------



## Blake

Oh, dear. :lol:


----------



## SarahO

Mendelssohn D Minor Trio, Op.49 - 1. Molto allegro ed agitato. Casals formed a trio with Thibaud and Cortot in the teens. This was recorded on June, 20 - 21, 1927, Large Queen's Hall, London.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music For Cardinal Wolsey" - Stephen Darlington, dir.

Richard Pygott's Missa Veni Sancte Spiritus and John Mason's O Rex Gloriose


----------



## Weston

I've been trying to continue my exploration of Mahler symphonies with the No. 5 coming up next, but they require commitment and focus I just don't have at the moment. Maybe this weekend. Meanwhile some easier works:

*Mozart: Concerto for Oboe, Ubiquitous Unnecessary Appoggiaturas and Orchestra in C, K 314* 
Johannes Wildner / Vienna Mozart Academy / Martin Gabriel, oboe









I'm finding the oboe in the cadenza of movement 2 a bit wonky in this performance. It's as if its voice cracks like a young boy about to enter adolescence with weird octave-leap grace notes. Is it supposed to do that? It doesn't sound entirely intentional. The third movement is quite charming, but I think I'd be more interested in the timbres of the flute version rather than this original oboe setting.
*

Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite, Op. 22: II. The Swan of Tuonela*
Kenneth Schermerhorn / Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra










Beautiful sonorities with a feeling of time suspended. I felt this exact same way in the presence of a lone black swan I encountered in a New Orleans lake, but out of the water these things are living dinosaurs - rather formidable! I fear this is a sub par recording. The strings sound scratchy to me.

Man, I'm overly critical tonight! Or I'm not in the right mood. Bedtime for angry middle aged men.


----------



## Weston

Vesuvius said:


> I hardly ever pay attention to what critics say. There are too many knowledgeable and genuine people out there to be occupied with nonsense.


But it does put things into perspective historically. Currently even.


----------



## SarahO

Bach - Allemande
BWV 996 - Three Lute Pieces played by Andrés Segovia






I love Segovia's Bach :guitar:.


----------



## Blake

Weston said:


> But it does put things into perspective historically. Currently even.


I suppose. As long as you touch fire with a long stick then you'll be alright. Critics have free reign to dump out as much trash as their mind cares to make up. Of course there are some out their with integrity, so I don't want to sound like a complete bigot....


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7
New Vienna String Quartet








One of the longer quartets in the repertoire at some 47 minutes, but still not nearly as long as Dvorak's 70 minute Third! Like many of the composer's works from this era, it fuses multiple movements into a single continuous sonata form.


----------



## Blake

Barshai's Shosty: Symphony 10.


----------



## SarahO

Malaguena & Andalucia by Ernesto Lecuona

played by Ernesto Lecuona

1954






:clap:


----------



## Dustin

My first time hearing this but I had a nice first impression.


----------



## KenOC

Need a change from Ligeti. Now it's C.P.E. Bach, Concerti a flauto traverso obligato. Kossenko's two discs are tremendous!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to the symphonies of French composer Alberic Magnard. These are very nice works. I don't think he falls into the typical French melodic style of Debussy, D'Indy, Franck etc. as his music seems to fall more into the German school of Mahler, Bruckner, Wagner etc. Rather than lilting lovely melodies his music is strong, powerfully emotional romanticism. Maybe others have a different opinion. Quite enjoyable and his fist symphony especially is impressive for a first. It has a really cool motif played by the bass string section.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's "God Save The King" and "Rule Britannia" Variations and Bagatelles Op.33, 119 and 126 - Melvyn Tan, fortepiano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Hoping I can stay awake long enough to completely listen to Hans Rott's long Symphony in E Major. This is a wonderful symphony and really should be performed in the standard repertoire. Unfortunately Rott only finished this symphony. A second was begun but never completed due to his struggle with mental illness and early death by tuberculosis at only 25 years of age. Anyone who loves romantic period music like Mahler and Bruckner would really love this symphony.










Kevin


----------



## Blake

Kevin Pearson said:


> Listening to the symphonies of French composer Alberic Magnard. These are very nice works. I don't think he falls into the typical French melodic style of Debussy, D'Indy, Franck etc. as his music seems to fall more into the German school of Mahler, Bruckner, Wagner etc. Rather than lilting lovely melodies his music is strong, powerfully emotional romanticism. Maybe others have a different opinion. Quite enjoyable and his fist symphony especially is impressive for a first. It has a really cool motif played by the bass string section.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


"The French Bruckner"


----------



## senza sordino

Shostakovich
Chamber Symphony for String Orchestra, arranged by Rudolf Barshai of his #8 String Quartet
and Symphony #14 for soprano, bass, string orchestra and percussion.

Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, conductor Lazarev


----------



## starthrower




----------



## KenOC

Brahms Violin Concerto, Mutter/Karajan with the Berliners. I think my wife listens to this every other night.


----------



## KenOC

senza sordino said:


> Shostakovich
> Chamber Symphony for String Orchestra, arranged by Rudolf Barshai of his #8 String Quartet
> and Symphony #14 for soprano, bass, string orchestra and percussion.


There are five Barshai-arranged chamber symphonies available, all from Shostakovich quartets (with the composer's blessing). I am very fond of all of them. The whole set can be had as MP3s pretty cheaply.

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...&sr=1-1&keywords=shostakovich+barshai+chamber


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4 - Emil Gilels, piano, Leopold Ludwig, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

Lully, Pieces de Symphonies. Grand and measured, inspiriting. 

Yesterday, in the car, going to check out a country pub (The Wenhaston Star), we played our new cd of Lully excerpts, L'Orchestre du Roi Soleil with Jordi Savall, and bowling through the shining November greenworld, I was in heaven.

England is a fair land indeed, though for a while my heart was in La France...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> Another spin for...
> 
> *Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20
> 
> No. 1 in E flat
> No. 5 in F minor
> No. 6 in A *
> 
> Quatuor Mosaiques [Naive]
> 
> View attachment 28859
> 
> 
> I typed 'Bach' instead of 'Haydn'. I can tell them apart, honestly!
> 
> Is it possible to admit that, good as these performances are 'technically', I'm actually left a little cold by them? I find I prefer the Takacs Quartet's Haydn (not in Op 20 which I don't think they've recorded). Perhaps I just don't have experience in this repertoire, yet.


I've recently purchased the set by the London Quartet and think it's excellent! It might take a little to get used to the slower paces in some of the movements, but they make up for it with detail. The first movement of No. 5 becomes like a sort of 'La Passione' adagio no. 2 . They also play the fuga slowly and almost 'dissect' it, you can hear all the musical lines blending, and at the end they turn up the intensity. I think some of Op. 20 by them is on Youtube and there are some samples online.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> One example: George Bernard Shaw, one of the late 19th century's great music critics. He wouldn't give Brahms the time of day!


I think I went to that restaurant! Is that in Canada?


----------



## KenOC

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I think I went to that restaurant! Is that in Canada?


The statue seems to be in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Southern Ontario.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> The statue seems to be in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Southern Ontario.


Awesome, I dined in that restaurant. How unexpected, I haven't been to Canada in ages actually. But nevermind, that's not a very musical subject (I'm actually a Canadian citizen).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor (Ronald Brautigam).









Always liked this somewhat lesser known sonata - the melody in the finale is excellent. Sounds like something Schubert would later compose.


----------



## GioCar

On Qobuz

John Dowland: Lachrimae or Seaven Teares
Hesperion XX, Jordi Savall


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G Major, 'Surprise' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Bas

Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas Kk 540 - Kk 555
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato/Wardner









George Frederic Handel - Le cantate per il Cardinal Ottoboni
By Rafaella Milanesi [soprano], Salvo Vitale [bass], Fabio Bonizzoni [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## dgee

Lots of Luigi Dallapiccola - just a beautiful, expressive writer for the voice. This at the moment:


----------



## Winterreisender

Janet Baker & Geoffrey Parsons - Schubert Lieder


----------



## EricABQ

Book 2 from this set:



For me, these works are up there among my very favorite solo piano pieces.


----------



## Oskaar

Kyung Wha Chung - The Great Violin Concertos - *Mendelssohn*, *Beethoven*, *Tchaikovsky*, *Sibelius*

*Kyung Wha Chung
Wiener Philharmoniker
Kirill Kondrashin*
14 Oct 1996









I really love the violin of Chung! She is obviously very clever tecnically, but for me it is more importent that she hold again a little with those skills, and use her sensitivity to paint out the lyrical moments. She is very good with that!

amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words (Vladimir Jurowski; Milne; Donose; Kennedy; Maltman; London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir).









Just came upon a copy of this for 1 (!) Euro (brand new too), had to purchase it. I already have Angerer's version. Let's see how this version compares.

Apparently, this interpretation has met with mostly unfavourable reviews, but I must say that I liked it quite a bit, maybe even more than my purely orchestral version played by Paul Angerer. The Performance sounds as if it's HIP, the tempi are lively and quicker than in the Angerer. I would say it's a 'graceful' HIP sound, rounded at the edges but still with enough rhythmic power. I found the singers to be very good, I don't really see what the 'problem' with the interpretation is. The conductor apparently arranged the piece somewhat differently, but it's still the same piece. My Angerer version also didn't have the 2nd Introduzione, played entirely with winds. So for 1 Euro, this was quite a bargain .


----------



## science

Democracy deserves a better song.


----------



## Vesteralen

Everybody knows about the Byrd. Byrd, Byrd, Byrd....Byrd is the word.

Good stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Schnittke, Symphkny No. 2


----------



## Aramis

science said:


> Democracy deserves a better song.


You mean that Hanson managed to compose a song which is even worse than democracy deserves?

Another peak in music has been conquered then. Or was it chasm.


----------



## Oskaar

Alexander Ivashkin - Shostakovich

Artist(s):
*Ivashkin*-cello, Alexander • *Polyansky*, Valery • *Russian State Symphony Orchestra*

*2 Pieces* for E. Dressel`s Opera Der arme Columbus, Op. 23: Overture (Entr'acte)-
*Cello Concerto* (arr. of Rishchenko's Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 23)-
*Cello Concerto* in A minor, Op. 125 (arr. of R. Schumann, Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129)-
*8 Preludes, Op. 2* (orch. A. Schnittke) (excerpts)-









amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg (Act II)
Fischer-Dieskau, Domingo, Ludwig, Berlin Opera Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Jochum


----------



## Evoken

Currently on...


----------



## Vesteralen

Delightful music that just flows. Perfect for my plebian taste.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven* : Piano Trios Nos *2, 5 & 6 *- Apex 
*Haydn Trio Wien *
April 23, 2001









amazon


----------



## pianissimus

Polish pianist Jozef Kapustka playing Chopin on different 19c. pianos:


----------



## Vesteralen

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 28892
> 
> 
> Delightful music that just flows. Perfect for my plebian taste.


That extends to art as well. Corot is my favorite painter, which gives me another reason to like this disc. So there................


----------



## rrudolph

Feeling a little violin-ish this morning.


----------



## science

science said:


> Democracy deserves a better song.












And in #4 we got it! (Maybe not a song, but something. And it's democratic alright. Sorry, Aramis. You can take your anti-democratic snorts to North Korea or Somalia or Russia or Saudi Arabia. [I'm full of advice today about where people should live. Let me know a tiny bit about you, and I'll tell you where you ought to live.])


----------



## maestro267

*Arnold*: Symphony No. 5
NSO Ireland/Penny

*Schumann*: Symphony No. 1 in B flat major (Spring)
Staatskapelle Dresden/Sawallisch


----------



## Oskaar

*Bach, Beethoven, Barber 
Lee Richey/Craig Richey *
January 1, 2003

*Suite for solo cello No. 2 in D minor*, Johann Sebastian Bach
*Sonata for cello & piano No. 3 in A major, Op. 69* Ludwig van Beethoven
*Cello Sonata, for cello & piano, Op. 6* Samuel Barber









allmusic


----------



## Aramis

science said:


> And it's democratic alright. Sorry, Aramis. You can take your anti-democratic snorts to North Korea or Somalia or Russia or Saudi Arabia.


What do you mean I can take them somewhere, this is displacement in the totalitarian manner, as they used to say in Russia: "you can take your anti-soviet snorts to Siberia... or to your afterlife"

PSEUDO-DEMOCRATE


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Maderna*: Orchestral Music, w. Sinopoli (rec.1979); Chamber Music, w. Arditti Qt. (rec.1992 - '95).

View attachment 28898
View attachment 28899


----------



## science

Aramis said:


> What do you mean I can take them somewhere, this is displacement in the totalitarian manner, as they used to say in Russia: "you can take your anti-soviet snorts to Siberia... or to your afterlife"
> 
> PSEUDO-DEMOCRATE


That's a good point. Heaven is also an option for someone who hates democracy. Supposedly it has a benign ruler, though.










I'm thinking Mr. Partch won't be there, so that I sympathize with the young Finn:

"She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn't think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and, she said, not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together."


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Moeran: Symphony in G minor, Overture to a Masque, and Rhapsody in F sharp major.


----------



## Vaneyes

Ingélou said:


> Lully, Pieces de Symphonies. Grand and measured, inspiriting.
> 
> Yesterday, in the car, going to check out a country pub (The Wenhaston Star), we played our new cd of Lully excerpts, L'Orchestre du Roi Soleil with Jordi Savall, and bowling through the shining November greenworld, I was in heaven.
> 
> England is a fair land indeed, *though for a while my heart was in La France*...


Nevertheless, sounds like the woman reached epiphany.


----------



## Blake

Almeida's Tournemire: Symphonies 2 & 4. One of those neglected, yet wonderful French composers....


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano concerto 3 - Fleischer / Szell


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E, Op. 9
Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, cond. Mehta









Simon Rattle's recent recording of the full orchestra arrangement with the Berlin Philharmonic might be easier to recommend to people who don't already love this piece, but the original has a wonderfully virtuosic character, and this is my favorite rendition.


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - La mer (Haitink).










Best regards, Dr


----------



## millionrainbows

Horowitz: The Celebrated Scarlatti Recordings (Sony). Very good, although I find Gould more interesting. Horowitz really has that one-note repeating thing down flawlessly.

Roger Sessions: Piano Sonata No. 3 (New World), the definitive version by Robert Helps, orig. rel. on DG/Acoustic Research for $1.99 thru Stereo Review magazine. This was my first exposure to hard-core American modernism, including Babbitt's Philomel and Arthur Berger. Mvt III is In Memoriam: November 22, 1963, and I listen in honor of that tragic event's 50th.

Messiaen: Peter Hill (Unicorn/Kanchana), Preludes (1929), Quatre etudes de rythme (1949-50), and Canteyodjaya (1949).

Rameau: Suites from Platee and Dardanus (Conifer), McGegan. Wonderful vibratoless string sound.

Pelleas et Melisande, versions by Schoenberg, Sibelius, and Faure. Zubin Mehta, Israel PO (Sony). Very good, clear recording of the very dense Schoenberg orchestration. The other 2 works, also based on this theme, are very good as well.

Handel: The 16 Organ Concertos (Odyssey), E. Power Biggs, Sir Adrian Boult. Nice listening. This set is becoming an oft-played selection, next to my Haydn symphonies set, whenever I'm in the mood for balanced, restrained classical perfection.


----------



## Joris

Grieg - Lyric Pieces


----------



## maestro267

Tournemire is one of my recent discoveries. I don't have any of his symphonies yet, but I'd like to get them. Wonder if Naxos will ever reissue the Marco Polo discs.

To my music this evening so far:

*Vaughan Williams*: Job - A Masque for Dancing
English Northern Philharmonia/Lloyd-Jones

A London Symphony (Original 1913 version)
LSO/Hickox


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> Horowitz: The Celebrated Scarlatti Recordings (Sony). Very good, although I find Gould more interesting. Horowitz really has that one-note repeating thing down flawlessly....


Though I couldn't possibly disagree, D. Scarlatti Sonatas for Keyboard are like potato chips to my mind. You can't eat just a few. And with that analogy (with agreeable artistry, of course) VH trumps GG. GG needed to do way more. Atleast one volume.


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 (Berglund/HelsinkiPO; CEO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vesteralen

Not your typical selection of arias. Heavy emphasis on 20th-21st century music. Intriguing.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Tchaikovsky*

Manfred Symphony in B Minor, Op.58

Haitink
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Kinderszenen
Alfred Brendel


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 24, Nos. 66, 67 and 68 - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/Metamenu/RCO-Radio/
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons - Krassimira Stoyanova - Marianne Cornetti - Robert Dean Smith - Franz-Josef Selig - Netherlands Radio Choir (25.12.2006)


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Ingélou said:


> Lully, Pieces de Symphonies. Grand and measured, inspiriting.
> 
> Yesterday, in the car, going to check out a country pub (The Wenhaston Star), we played our new cd of Lully excerpts, L'Orchestre du Roi Soleil with Jordi Savall, and bowling through the shining November greenworld, I was in heaven.
> 
> England is a fair land indeed, though for a while my heart was in La France...


You should really try listening to Wagner. We'll see where your heart will relocate then 

As for my current listening... Schubert and Dietrich Fischer-Diskau right now...
... yesterday...
... tomorrow...
... and forever!


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Elgar* - Cello Concerto in E minor / J. Du Pre, J Barbirolli, BBC Symphony


----------



## jim prideaux

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 28900
> 
> 
> A first listen to Moeran: Symphony in G minor, Overture to a Masque, and Rhapsody in F sharp major.


Particularly intrigued to hear what opinions you may have formulated............


----------



## SarahO

Gustavo Dudamel presents Bernstein's Mambo.

It doesn't get any better.


----------



## Bas




----------



## Mahlerian

Roussel: Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Deneve


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 4.*

Let's see, three themes - Jewish, Lutheran, and another one - with five variations each. I got lost somewhere between the second them and the third variation. Rats.


----------



## Blancrocher

jim prideaux said:


> Particularly intrigued to hear what opinions you may have formulated............


I liked the Symphony in G minor so much that I listened to it again after having finished it. It is written in a post-Sibelian idiom I'm always inclined to appreciate: it put me in a mood to listen to Vaughan-Williams' 5th and Roy Harris's 3rd again (which I've now done). The Lento movement is very affecting. It's certainly a work I'll be returning to in the course of exploring more by Moeran.

*p.s.* The Wikipedia page devoted to Moeran reveals an interesting and likeable character:



> Although English and middle-class, Moeran was at ease in a bar surrounded by local characters from local farms. Indeed, until 2007, "Moeran's Bar" at the hotel in Kenmare where he lived was named after him. He was looked on with affection by all who knew him, and his gauche, bumbling personality belied a very sharp-witted character who was quick to learn and take up new approaches to music. He also had an encyclopaedic knowledge of trains and train timetables.


Not that it really matters, but I'm always pleased to know that I may have liked the composer of music that I like.


----------



## Schubussy

Grieg & Schumann Piano Concertos (skipping the Dvorak)
Sviatoslav Richter, Lovro Von Matačić, Monte Carlo National Opera Orchestra


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20

No. 2 in C
No. 4 in D*

Quatuor Mosaiques

Well, thanks for all your comments! Fear not, this disc is not bound for the charity shop quite yet, though the next time I buy Haydn Quartets I may well try the London Quartet.

Op. 20/2 is a real gem, isn't it?


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Boulez*: Orchestral Music, w. Boulez et al (rec.1999), Robertson (rec.2002); Piano Sonatas, w. Jumppanen (rec.2004).

View attachment 28912
View attachment 28913
View attachment 28914


----------



## Vaneyes

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 28908
> 
> 
> Not your typical selection of arias. Heavy emphasis on 20th-21st century music. Intriguing.


She better stop looking at me *that way*.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Ligeti*: Concerti, w. Astrand/Dausgaard (rec.1999), Perenyi/Wiget/Eotvos (rec.1990 - '92); Orchestral Music, w. Nott (rec.2001); String Quartets, etc., w. Arditti Qt.(rec.1994); Piano Works, w. Aimard (rec.1995/6).

View attachment 28915
View attachment 28916
View attachment 28917
View attachment 28918
View attachment 28919


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F# minor, Op. 11

Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14*

Bernd Glemser (Piano) [Naxos]









Bought on recommendation by the Gramophone Classical Music Guide, I like this a good deal: it's an exuberant and 'romantic' reading. I must say, though, that I haven't yet heard any rival interpretation to date.


----------



## Blancrocher

Perahia in Bach's English Suites.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Frank Martin's* death day (November 21, 1974), Concerto for 7 wind instruments, timpani, percussion and strings.

View attachment 28923


----------



## KenOC

Sibelius Symphony No. 3, Segerstam. A fine performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Schumann
> 
> Piano Sonata No. 1 in F# minor, Op. 11
> 
> Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14*
> 
> Bernd Glemser (Piano) [Naxos]
> 
> View attachment 28920
> 
> 
> Bought on recommendation by the Gramophone Classical Music Guide, I like this a good deal: it's an exuberant and 'romantic' reading. I must say, though, that* I haven't yet heard any rival interpretation to date*.


One for comparison. :tiphat:

View attachment 28924


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Vaneyes

That'll teach be to be more exact in my posts. Apologies; I added in Schumann's Op. 14 after writing "I haven't yet heard any rival interpretation to date".

I know Andras Schiff's Op. 14 on ECM and Mi-Joo Lee's on MD&G

I have not yet heard any other reading of Op.11, so thank you for the suggestion of Demidenko


----------



## SarahO

Jascha Heifetz plays Paganini Caprice No. 24






This performance never fails to give me goosebumps.

Listen particularly to the pizzicato variation at 3:48, and the harmonics that follow it.

Astounding!

:kiss:


----------



## brotagonist

Shostakovich : _Symphony 6 / Execution of Stepan Razin_









I've listened to the album twice today and both times I never noticed Symphony 6  but the orchestral setting of Yevtushenko's poem is spectacularly moving.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden (in D major), Op. 13
BBC Choir, cond. Boulez








Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 10
Evelyn Lear, New Vienna String Quartet








The choral work was actually written first, though it was published about 6 years later. Maybe he wanted to foist something off on the number 13 so he didn't have to think about writing a work for that opus number!


----------



## Weston

maestro267 said:


> Tournemire is one of my recent discoveries. I don't have any of his symphonies yet, but I'd like to get them. Wonder if Naxos will ever reissue the Marco Polo discs.


I think the Marco Polos are available as mp3s. I have several Tournemire symphonies, but the No. 3 "Moscow" is astonishing to me. It's quite a journey.


----------



## senza sordino

*Grieg Violin Sonata # 1 Op 8*, downloaded onto my iPod from iTunes, not sure who's playing. It's a very nice piece. So nice I'm considering buying an actual physical CD. 
*Metamorphosen* with Berlin Phil and Karajan. 
I listened to these two during the middle of the work day, during my free block in the empty classroom, but school still in session next door. A bit more quiet. But after school to do my marking I closed my doors and cranked the volume, while no one was around.
*Mahler Symphony #2*, Zubin Mehta and Vienna Phil. My computer / iPod speakers were inadequate.


----------



## Blake

maestro267 said:


> Tournemire is one of my recent discoveries. I don't have any of his symphonies yet, but I'd like to get them. Wonder if Naxos will ever reissue the Marco Polo discs.
> 
> To my music this evening so far:
> 
> *Vaughan Williams*: Job - A Masque for Dancing
> English Northern Philharmonia/Lloyd-Jones
> 
> A London Symphony (Original 1913 version)
> LSO/Hickox


All in audio cd or mp3 format:

3 & 8:
http://www.amazon.com/TOURNEMIRE-Symphonies-Nos-3-8/dp/B00000464Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385090543&sr=8-2&keywords=tournemire

1 & 5:
http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-1-5-Charles-Tournemire/dp/B0000045Z9/ref=pd_sim_m_2

2 & 4:
http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-2-4-Tournemire/dp/B0000045ZB/ref=pd_sim_m_3

7:
http://www.amazon.com/TOURNEMIRE-Symphony-No-Les-Danses/dp/B00000465L/ref=pd_sim_m_1


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Piano Trio in G major, Hob. XV/25


----------



## Mahlerian

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 in D minor
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Weller









It's been a while since I've heard this beast. Let's see if it's become any tamer in the meantime.


----------



## samurai

Mahlerian, I highly doubt that! :devil:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Another of my favorite more obscure composers is Ukranian born Boris Lyatoshynsky. His symphonies are very interesting. Usually with a lot going on in them and so benefit from repeated listens. And since his five symphonies span from 1918 to 1966 they are pretty varied but worth spending some time with each of them.










Kevin


----------



## samurai

Kevin, he is going on my "next to check into" composer on *Spotify!*


----------



## SimonNZ

Veljo Tormis' choral works - Cecilia Rydinger Alin, cond.


----------



## starthrower

Moses und Aaron


----------



## Blake

Seriously... I think someone put crack in these Shostakovich symphonies. I've been listening for hours, haha....


----------



## samurai

They are very addicting, at that.


----------



## SimonNZ

Douglas Lilburn: The Complete Electro-Acoistic Works

Fascinating. I just stumbled on this 4-disc set at the secondhand store today. I'd never heard - or heard of - this side of Lilburn's work.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20
> 
> No. 2 in C
> No. 4 in D*
> 
> Quatuor Mosaiques
> 
> Well, thanks for all your comments! Fear not, this disc is not bound for the charity shop quite yet, though the next time I buy Haydn Quartets I may well try the London Quartet.
> 
> Op. 20/2 is a real gem, isn't it?


Indeed, the capriccio is excellent, love that baroque atmosphere and the experimental structure of it. I'm actually thinking of getting the Op. 17 set by them as well.


----------



## dgee

SimonNZ said:


> Douglas Lilburn: The Complete Electro-Acoistic Works
> 
> Fascinating. I just stumbled on this 4-disc set at the secondhand store today. I'd never heard - or heard of - this side of Lilburn's work.


Yep - he founded the Victoria University electroacoustic studio which was a first for Aus/NZ - very important for NZ music! His electronic stuff is considered to be pretty good and amongst the most interesting stuff he did


----------



## Kivimees

An excellent performance:









The CD even offers George Butterworth's The Banks of Green Willow as a warm-up.

Sad to think what the musical world lost with Butterworth being killed in WWI.


----------



## science

This is a very nice disk. Three interesting pieces. I guess (afaict) the playing is great.










I try to put myself into a time where these were shockingly fast, and I just can't do it.


----------



## joen_cph

*Lutoslawski: Piano Concerto & orchestral works / Paleczny, Wit / Naxos CD*

Recently got the remaining CDs of the six in the Naxos series with Luto´s complete orchestral works/concertos & am enjoying it a lot. In the case of the _Piano Concerto_, the Zimmerman/Lutoslawski on DG is probably a little better (or Andsnes/EMI), but it´s still a fine recording, as the rest of the series.


----------



## Ingélou

Jean-Féry Rebel, Les Caracteres de la Danse, by Tempesta di Mare - a serene way to rejoice in the friendship of this site, the joy of a new day, and the glories of classical music.
To be followed by Rebel's magnificent 'Chaos & the Elements', played by Musiqua Antiqua of Cologne.


----------



## shangoyal

Ingélou said:


> Jean-Féry Rebel, Les Caracteres de la Danse, by Tempesta di Mare - a serene way to rejoice in the friendship of this site, the joy of a new day, and the glories of classical music.
> To be followed by Rebel's magnificent 'Chaos & the Elements', played by Musiqua Antiqua of Cologne.


Hey, welcome to this weird thread!  :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Moses und Aron - Daniele Gatti, cond.


----------



## shangoyal

Haydn is so groovy!

Haydn: *Symphony No. 48 in C major 'Maria Theresia'*

Antal Dorati / Philharmonia Hungarica


----------



## science

My god. Wonderful.


----------



## aleazk

Debussy - _Piano Préludes_ (Aimard).

Great pieces to listen at the morning, with a bright day outside. I can almost smell the music in the fresh morning breeze.


----------



## science

This is actually a really interesting disk. I particularly enjoyed the Strauss, which is interesting because aside from his operas Strauss has rarely come so easily to me.


----------



## Gilberto

Pieter Hellendaal's Six Concerti Grossi by Roy Goodman & European Community Baroque Orchestra

Never heard anything by the composer until this. A shame there isn't more recordings available of his work.


----------



## Dusan

Patchebel - Canon in D


----------



## Flamme

Gilberto said:


> Pieter Hellendaal's Six Concerti Grossi by Roy Goodman & European Community Baroque Orchestra
> 
> Never heard anything by the composer until this. A shame there isn't more recordings available of his work.


Good idea


----------



## Oskaar

shangoyal said:


> Hey, welcome to this weird thread!  :tiphat:


we are all acting like angels in here!
Welcome!

I recently came from escforum with 70 % gay eurovision contest fanatics. I was not interrested in eurowision but their numerious contests. (you participate with sending an mp3 in 60s, seventees, ballads, folk-etno ++ with monthly sycluses for each contests. That was fun)

But peoples behavour was crasy. One person supported north corea in everything, and posted propaganda. I was nearly thrown out pointing on that. Crazy. So here are all angels!


----------



## DavidA

Prokofiev - Piano concerto 5 Richter / Maazel


----------



## EricABQ

Went with an old favorite this morning - Konstantin Scherbakov playing the Liszt transcription of Beethoven's 9th.


----------



## Flamme

oskaar said:


> we are all acting like angels in here!
> Welcome!
> 
> I recently came from escforum with 70 % gay eurovision contest fanatics. I was not interrested in eurowision but their numerious contests. (you participate with sending an mp3 in 60s, seventees, ballads, folk-etno ++ with monthly sycluses for each contests. That was fun)
> 
> But peoples behavour was crasy. *One person supported north corea* in everything, and posted propaganda. I was nearly thrown out pointing on that. Crazy. So here are all angels!


World is again full of commie demagogy supporters...Lets hope there will be no new Cold war


----------



## Oskaar

*BOCCHERINI*, L.: Symphony, Op. 43 / Cello Concertos - G. 477, 479 / Divertimento notturno, Op. 41 (G*oritzki, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra*)
January 1, 2009









amazon


----------



## Oskaar

*BRAHMS, J.: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 (German Radio Saarbrucken-Kaiserslautern Philharmonic, Skrowaczewski)*









arkivmusic

Classical Net Review


----------



## rrudolph

I love the sound of the bass clarinet.

Schoeck: Sonata for Bass Clarinet & Piano, Op. 41/Messiaen: Abime des Oiseaux/Celis: Da Uno a Cingue for Bass Clarinet & String Quartet, Op. 27/Genzmer: Sonata for Bass Clarinet Solo/Erdmann: Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra








Xenakis: Echange for Bass Clarinet & Ensemble/Okho/Xas/Akrata/A la Memoire de Witold Lutoslawski








I'm interested in hearing recommendations for other bass clarinet recordings if anybody here has any suggestions.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Smetana SQ playing Mozart's 14th and 16th string quartets. It's going to be a good day!


----------



## Flamme




----------



## realdealblues

I picked up this boxset the other day for $8 on a whim.

View attachment 28947


Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 "Hymn Of Praise" & 3 "Scottish"
Kurt Masur & The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

So far I've only listened to the first three symphonies and while I know Kurt Masur is generally thought of as "bland", "boring" and "unexciting", I have to say his Mendelssohn is pretty much anything but. My understanding is he recorded two Symphony Cycles. One in the 70's and this one from the late 80's on Teldec. I have not heard the first cycle but may have to check it out one day. I haven't made it to the Piano Concerto's yet, but am interested to hear Cyprien Katsaris. I've got a few other recordings with him that I enjoy and Murray Perahia and Andras Schiff are my only other recordings of the Piano Concertos.

Anyway, I'm enjoying this set. Tempos and phrasing are very much like Christoph Von Dohnanyi's much revered recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic.


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg (Act III)
Domingo, Ligendza, Fischer-Dieskau, Orchestra and Chorus of the Berlin Opera, cond. Jochum


----------



## Oskaar

*Trio Élégiaque - Reber: Trios Nos. 3, 5 & 7*
Recording Date
December, 2012









Beautiful! Reber is new to me, but these trios are great. Very good performance and sound.

arkivmusic


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *
both performed by the Prague Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.5 and Symphony No.6 {"Fantaisies symphoniques"}, *
both rendered by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.91 in E-Flat Major; Symphony No.92 in G Major {"Oxford"}; Symphony No.80 in D Minor; Symphony No.81 in G Major and Symphony No.79 in F Major. * All five symphonies feature the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.


----------



## starthrower

Moses und Aaron blew me away, so continuing with more Schoenberg.


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin
By Mark Padmore [tenor], Paul Lewis [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









I have a felling that here must be better recordings of this work (Padmore is great in baroque and his Winterreise is quite fine, but I'm not to fond of this one)

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Again? Yes. I have been studying this awesome work the past two weeks. It is amazing.

Arvo Pärt - Te Deum, Silouans Song, Magnificat, Berliner Messe
By the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallin Chamber Orchestra, on ECM









Then I got into a Mozartean mood:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto 22, Piano Concerto 23, Piano Concerto 17, Piano Concerto 20, Piano Concerto no. 9, Piano Concerto no 8 and Double Piano Concerto no. 10

By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], Robert Levin [fortepiano, 10], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Arkiv









No. 8 & 9 are fine, but considering it's Mozart we might expect better. Any other composer then him would have gotten a great mark, it is under Mozart's standards. No. 10 however is great (and the reason to pick the lower numbered concerti from the box)!


----------



## DrKilroy

Reich - Music for 18 Musicians (some people, Reich among them  ).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cheyenne

I liked Chailly more when he focused on modern works. A lot more.


----------



## Guest

I am working my way through the Hanssler Edition Bachakademie comprehensive Bach set that I found at my local library. I check out 10 discs at a time. Right now it is the Organ Chorales from the Neumeister Collection. Probably more organ work later as well - the New Ideas in Weimar disc.


----------



## Blake

Cheyenne said:


> View attachment 28961
> 
> 
> I liked Chailly more when he focused on modern works. A lot more.


I don't know. His Bruckner is incredible.


----------



## Cheyenne

Well, his Brahms isn't doing it for me. I'll listen to the Beethoven and Bruckner next then.


----------



## Blake

Cheyenne said:


> Well, his Brahms isn't doing it for me. I'll listen to the Beethoven and Bruckner next then.


I don't know how his Beethoven is, but I know his Bruckner is excellent.


----------



## science

I shall venture to use the word "cycle" here: I listened to the cycle over the past few hours.

1 & 2 passed as usual, pleasantly, without making strong impressions.

3 is really settling in with me (I've listened to Bernstein's repeatedly) but the funeral march still has something elusive to it. I still couldn't hum it. It just doesn't stick in my head. While I listen, I constantly feel something like, "What is going on here?"

I enjoyed 4 even more than I usually do.

5 is my favorite symphony, bar none, and Karajan doesn't spoil it. Still I like it sharper, harder, faster.

6, 7, & 8 didn't make an impression on me this time.

I enjoyed 9 more than I usually do. This (Karajan 63) is probably my favorite 9th at this point (though I've probably only heard 4-5 others).










And now for something completely different. I'm tired of working hard! This kind of music is seriously underrated because it doesn't aspire to be Bruckner or Mahler (i.e. to elevate us to sublime contemplation of the most profound depths of our souls). But at least it has clear structures! Not to mention fun beats. I might parade around my room... I need the exercise....


----------



## samurai

Hi, Science. Have you heard Kleiber's reading of the Fifth?


----------



## samurai

Cheyenne said:


> View attachment 28961
> 
> 
> I liked Chailly more when he focused on modern works. A lot more.


Cheyenne, I am just wondering what you don't like about this conductor's traversal of Brahm's Symphonies. Thanks.


----------



## Guest

samurai said:


> Hi, Science. Have you heard Kleiber's reading of the Fifth?


Hello Samurai. I have never heard the complete Kleiber / LvB 5th, only extracts on a radio programme. Pretty dynamic and taut it seemed to me. Maybe I'll have to invest a box set of his Beethoven. Hey, it's Christmas soon, and I love giving presents to myself!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartet in G minor, Op. 20 No. 3* / Quatuor Mosaiques

*Mozart - Prussian Quartets No. 1 & 3

String Quartet No 21 in D, KV 575

String Quartet No. 23 in F, KV 590*

Leipziger Streichquartett [MD&G]









A return to my trusted Leipzig set of the later Mozart quartets. These are elegant and polished performances but they get right to the heart of Mozart's work too. I have found myself listening again and again to them.


----------



## samurai

Hi, TH; I have Kleiber's recording in which he traverses both the Fifth and Seventh LVB Symphonies. You can't go wrong if you were to make this purchase.


----------



## maestro267

In honour of *Benjamin Britten*'s centenary today:

Sinfonia da Requiem
LSO/Bedford

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Czecho-Slovak RSO/Lenárd

Piano Concerto
Richter/English Chamber Orchestra/Britten

(interval)

*War Requiem*
Guryakova/Padmore/Gerhaher
Ed. Fest. Chorus/National Youth Choir of Scotland
BBC Scottish SO/Volkov


----------



## beetzart

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet. It's beautiful.


----------



## Kieran

*K200*, symph #28 in C, by WAM.

Karl Bohm conducting the Vienna Philly...


----------



## science

samurai said:


> Hi, Science. Have you heard Kleiber's reading of the Fifth?


Of course! It's my favorite, by far.


----------



## samurai

Kieran said:


> *K200*, symph #28 in C, by WAM.
> 
> Karl Bohm conducting the Vienna Philly...


Hi, Kieran. Is that the "Paris"? I have grown vey fond of this work since my recent acquisition of my Mozart set of complete symphonies with Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Malipiero / Casella*: Violin Concertos

*André Gertler * Primary Artist, Violin
*Prague Symphony Orchestra * Orchestra
*Vaclav Smetacek * Conductor
2007









allmusic


----------



## DrKilroy

Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra (Solti)
Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Anda/Fricsay)
Szymanowski - Symphony No. 4 - Sinfonia concertante (Żmudziński/Stryja).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Kieran

samurai said:


> Hi, Kieran. Is that the "Paris"? I have grown vey fond of this work since my recent acquisition of my Mozart set of complete symphonies with Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.


The Paris #31, which I'll be docking at shortly.

They're very rich and pleasing, aren't they? I put them on when I'm writing and get nothing done because i always stop to listen...


----------



## Winterreisender

After a recent thread discussing popular 8th Symphonies, I've been inspired to give Vaughan Williams' 8th another listen.









performed by Bernard Haitink conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## science

The Sousa wasn't enough, so I'm back for more 'long those lines.

(Includes Fučík's immortal classic "Entrance of the Gladiators," listed as "Thunder and Blazes" on the track listing. Knowing the title of this piece makes me a much richer man.)


----------



## samurai

Kieran said:


> The Paris #31, which I'll be docking at shortly.
> 
> They're very rich and pleasing, aren't they? I put them on when I'm writing and get nothing done because i always stop to listen...


Yes, indeed; both of them are very pleasing to the ear--and the mind--as so much of Mozart's music is


----------



## Cheyenne

samurai said:


> Cheyenne, I am just wondering what you don't like about this conductor's traversal of Brahm's Symphonies. Thanks.


Chailly's Brahms is like a man admiring a mountain from afar with a pair of binoculars; he may describe everything with extraordinary detail, but he will never communicate the excitement of climbing it.

I'm sorry that I can't get any further than that awkward metaphor - it's a difficult phenomenon to describe. Everything seems to be right, but I don't feel a thing.


----------



## Blake

Cheyenne said:


> Chailly's Brahms is like a man admiring a mountain from afar with a pair of binoculars; he may describe everything with extraordinary detail, but he will never communicate the excitement of climbing it.
> 
> I'm sorry that I can't get any further than that awkward metaphor - it's a difficult phenomenon to describe. Everything seems to be right, but I don't feel a thing.


That's actually a pretty great metaphor. I've felt that before with certain conductors. Technically everything is there, but the soul is missing... I don't feel that way about Chailly, but I appreciate the metaphor.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 25, Nos.69 "Laudon", 89 and 91 - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Piano concerto 25 Fleischer / Szell

A very exciting performance that keeps you on the edge of your seat.


----------



## rrudolph

science said:


> The Sousa wasn't enough, so I'm back for more 'long those lines.
> 
> (Includes Fučík's immortal classic "Entrance of the Gladiators," listed as "Thunder and Blazes" on the track listing. Knowing the title of this piece makes me a much richer man.)


If you enjoy that sort of thing, I played on this recording of KL King's music about 15 or 20 years ago:









It was released on the Vox Classics label, catalog #7541. Not sure if it's still in print. I haven't listened to it for many years. And I'm not going to now.


----------



## bejart

Nicolaus Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet No.12 in G Minor

Zmeskall Quartet: Milos Valent and Dagmar Valenkova, violins -- Peter Vrbincik, viola -- Juraj Kovac, cello


----------



## LancsMan

*Bach: Goldberg Variations* played by Angela Hewitt (piano) on hyperion.

These are well played here, although I am not as riveted to the performance as I am in some others hands. To me Glen Gould is much more characteristic. However it is a pretty safe recommendation for those who find Glen Gould difficult to accept. Think I'll try Glen tomorrow!


----------



## Mahlerian

For the anniversary:
Britten: Four Sea Interludes
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn









Of course, he ripped the most famous bit of the storm movement ("What harbor shelters peace...") directly out of Mahler's Fifth, either consciously or not...

Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Dohnanyi









On the other hand, Varese ripped bits of the fourth of these for his Ameriques...


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 8 in C / V. Ashkenazy, Philarmonia

*Prokofiev* - Symphony No. 1 in D, "Classical / D. Robertson, Royal Concertgebouw

*Haydn* - Symphony No. 88 in G / L. Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

For *Rodrigo* (1901 - 1999) and *Britten* (1913 - 1976) birthdays.

View attachment 28970
View attachment 28971
View attachment 28972


----------



## Mahlerian

One more:
Britten: Violin Concerto
Mark Lubotsky, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Britten


----------



## ShropshireMoose

SarahO said:


> Mendelssohn D Minor Trio, Op.49 - 1. Molto allegro ed agitato. Casals formed a trio with Thibaud and Cortot in the teens. This was recorded on June, 20 - 21, 1927, Large Queen's Hall, London.


Equalled maybe, surpassed, never.


----------



## science

rrudolph said:


> If you enjoy that sort of thing, I played on this recording of KL King's music about 15 or 20 years ago:
> 
> View attachment 28969
> 
> 
> It was released on the Vox Classics label, catalog #7541. Not sure if it's still in print. I haven't listened to it for many years. And I'm not going to now.


Thanks, but I suspect I have enough of it!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Rondo in A Minor K.511/Sonata in B-flat K. 57o
Schubert: Impromptus D.899 Nos.2 and 4
Weber: Invitation to the Dance
Brahms: Rhapsody in G Minor Op.79 No.2/Intermezzi Op.116 No.2 and Op.117 No.1 Artur Schnabel

Sublime pianism from a master.


----------



## Winterreisender

Charpentier: Te Deum - William Christie & Les Arts Florissants


----------



## Novelette

Winterreisender said:


> Charpentier: Te Deum - William Christie & Les Arts Florissants
> 
> View attachment 28974


Ah, Charpentier... Wonderful! Christie's focus on the French Baroque has done the musical listening world [or maybe it's just me] an immeasurable service!

I know that Ingelou agrees.


----------



## Guest

Novelette said:


> [...]Christie's focus on the French Baroque has done the musical listening world [or maybe it's just me] an immeasurable service! I know that Ingelou agrees.


I agree, too! William Christie - I believe the first and only American professor ever to have a post at the Paris Conservatoire. That's saying something!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann

Piano Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22
Nachtstucke Op. 23
Arabeske Op. 18
Vier Klavierstucke, Op. 32
Toccata, Op. 7
Presto Passionato (original finale of Piano Sonata No. 2)*

Bernd Glemser [Naxos]


----------



## Guest

Listening again - because of Novelette and Winterreisender - to this :




I can't help rocking along as I listen to this! Is this not a piece that you just want to get up and start playing with? This is how baroque music should be played - with fun, with passion, with 'rock'.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Walton: Cello Concerto
Gregor Piatigorsky/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Charles Munch

A last spin of the turntable before meandering off in the direction of bed. This is a gorgeous concerto. Beautifully played.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Nono*: La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura, w. Arditti & Richard (rec.1988).

*Berio*: Sinfonia; Ekphrasis, w. London Voices/Gothenburg SO/Eotvos (rec.2004); Concerto for two pianos and orchestra; Formazioni, etc.w. Vienna RSO/Asbury et al (rec. 2007).

View attachment 28976
View attachment 28977
View attachment 28978


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra, The Miraculous Mandarin*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Villa-Lobos - 12 Etudes A. 235 (1929)* / Complete Music for Solo Guitar - Norbert Kraft (guitar)









"Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) can be considered the personification of creative genious. He was at once an extremely prolific composer of profound originality, a passionate innovator, an incomparable musical performer and a visionary of inextinguishable thirst, capable of expressing himself with all the means available to his extremely fertile imagination. He was born March 5, 1887, immediately before the revolution which led his native Brazil to the abolition of slavery and the end of monarchy."

I couldn't resist posting this extraordinary anonymous encomium to Villa-Lobos I found on the interwebs. Clearly he wasn't just Brasil's finest composer...


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> Equalled maybe, surpassed, never.



View attachment 28981


Re Mendelssohn D minor Trio, Op. 49 w. Casals/Thibaud/Cortot (rec. 1927), I'll put forth Kalichstein/Laredo/Robinson Trio (rec. 1981), and Swiss Piano Trio (rec. 2010). :tiphat:


----------



## Conor71

*Langgaard: Symphony No. 1*

At the moment some very old videogame music but later I will listen to Langgaards Symphony No. 1


----------



## opus55

Puccini: La Boheme


----------



## Sid James

This week I listened to Beethoven's _Symphony #9, 'Choral.'_ So for the blog entry this time, I offer my insights into that as well as two works connected in some way with it, by Dvorak and Ginastera. This is a long post, but I hope you like it (and I'm not the best editor!).

*Ode to Joy and its impacts on a Czech and an Argentinean - Music by Beethoven, Dvorak & Ginastera*

*Beethoven* _Symphony #9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral' _(1824)
- Sharon Prero, soprano; Elizabeth Campbell, mezzo-soprano; Keith Lewis, tenor; Bruce Martin, baritone; Opera Australia Chorus; Tasmanian SO; David Porcelijn, conductor (ABC Classics)

*Dvorak* _Symphony #7 in D minor, Op. 70_ (1885)
- Israel PO conducted by Zubin Mehta (Decca Eloquence)

*Ginastera* _Piano Concerto #2, Op. 39 _(1972)
- Dora De Marinis, piano with Slovak Radio SO cond. by Julio Malaval (Naxos)










*The connections*


*Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony #9 'Choral' *was written to fulfill a commission from the London Philharmonic Society. It originated in two separate works, one a symphony, the other a cantata. The finished work was premiered in Vienna, but London got exclusive rights to perform it for 18 months.

*Antonin Dvorak's Symphony #7* was also commissioned by the London Philharmonic Society. Another connection here is the key of D minor, which these works share with other that are similarly expressive and plumb the depths, from Mozart's _Piano Concerto #20_, to Brahms' _Piano Concerto #1_, to Bruckner's _Symphony #9_. In that regard, Dvorak's opting for this key signifies an aspiration to write truly profound music, he said that with this work he wanted to shake the world.

The first movement of *Alberto Ginastera's Piano Concerto #2 *is based on a chord taken from the final movement of Beethoven's _Symphony #9_. Ginastera combined those notes with others to form a 12 note row which goes through 32 variations. The chord itself can be heard at the end of the movement, and this orchestral outburst does indeed sound like Beethoven!










*Culmination points in history and in music*


*Beethoven's Symphony #9* was highly influential. So many composers - chiefly Bruckner - have imitated the vague opening of this work, itself going back to the introductions to Haydn's London symphonies and his oratorio, _The Creation_. As to the integration of solo voices and choir into a symphony, that too had marked influence on composers such as Mahler and Shostakovich. Composers like Bruckner and Mahler also took note of how this work has the scherzo coming before the slow movement. None other than Richard Wagner was an admirer of this piece, both as a composer and conductor.

Beethoven had toyed with the idea of setting the Schiller ode to music since the early part of his career. The commission from London was in this regard a blessing, the English seeking a choral work. The English shared with Beethoven a love of Handel, his choral masterpiece _The Messiah _casting its own shadow on this symphony.

The text of the symphony was also in some ways subversive. There is evidence that back in 1785 Schiller, had originally wanted to write an ode to freedom ('An die Freiheit') rather than what it became, ode to joy. In Europe before the French Revolution, seemingly inconsequential semantic issues mattered a lot. In a strange twist of history, Leonard Bernstein restored 'freedom' to the text when he conducted this symphony under the Brandenburg Gate, after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

*Dvorak's Symphony #7* was also a culmination point for him in many ways. It was the first large-scale work which he wrote after being accepted into the Simrock publishing house. Dvorak demanded double the fee they offered him for this piece, and got it. The work cemented his acclaim in the UK, just as his_ Symphony #9 'From the New World' _would do in the USA some years later. At this time, his music was getting increased exposure outside Central Europe.

In terms of politics, Dvorak's symphony is not a programmatic work, however he did comment that the main theme of the first movement came to him when he saw Hungarian patriots arriving on a train in Prague for a political meeting. In this work, Dvorak mixes the thematic tightness of Brahms, his mentor, with the sense of harmonic freedom taken from Wagner and also that strong Czech character which is a hallmark of his music.

*Ginastera* also wrote his _*Piano Concerto #2*_ as a synthesis of modern trends. He wrote that in this work it was his "desire to create new forms related to the musical requirements of our time." Like many composers of the 20th century, Ginastera draws from the past with a musical voice that could only be of the present. Beethoven is not only an inspiration but so too Argentinean music as well as innovations in serialism, microtonality and chance techniques.










*The pieces in depth*


Its hard to express what *Beethoven's *symphony means to me in words, even harder to say which part I like the most. There is the struggles between darkness and light in the first movement , then the second movement which had what Wagner called a sense of "wild delight." Wagner's description of the slow movement as being "celestially soothing" and also imparting a "melancholy feeling" at the same time rings true to me. In terms of the final movement, I like it how at the start Beethoven dismisses the earlier themes then introduces the Ode to Joy theme. It's a masterstroke.

There have been criticisms of the Beethoven symphony being an uneasy combination of symphony and cantata, and given its history this is understandable. If you want to hear something of how the original purely instrumental finale would have sounded like, listen to the final movement of his _String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132_. Beethoven recycled it into that.

I like many aspects of the *Dvorak* symphony, one being that it has a dark edge but still retains his usual sense of optimism. The opening with its drum roll and double basses is unusual, and ushers in a wistful idea that quickly turns dramatic. A secondary lyrical theme also comes, and it has a dancy folkish feel to it. This movement doesn't attempt to strongly delineate the various components of sonata form, and Tchaikovsky was influenced by it in the first movement of his _Symphony #6, 'Pathetique.'_

In the second movement (_Poco Adagio_), Dvorak features tight ensemble writing for the winds, and a tune with a gypsy flavour ushered in by the string provides contrast. The climax of this movement has a sense of Wagnerian grandeur about it.

The pounding beats of the third movement (_Vivace_) does bring to mind the second movement of Beethoven's 9th, and the tendency towards vigorousness continues in the final movement (_Allegro_) which transforms the initial main theme to end the work.

*Ginastera's* _Piano Concerto #2_ has an episodic nature to it, for example the first three movements end quietly, as if detached from what comes after. Dreams come to mind here, as well as images of nature. For example, the glissandos on muted trumpets, flutes and strings in the first movement accompany the piano playing these jagged note patterns which suggest waves crashing, or maybe a waterfall. The piano part in this movement is atonal while the orchestral part is tonal.

Throughout the work there are rhythms from the percussion and timpani which suggest tribal beats, as if coming from the jungles of South America. There is also a sense of tension building up and then being released. In the piano part, hard-edged and percussive sounds contrast with delicately spun patterns. There is an aspect of mystery here, of otherworldliness and also a certain dramatic force.

I think both of Ginastera's piano concertos are brilliant, and I reviewed _Piano Concerto #1_ HERE.


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## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Berio*: "Ritorno", "Points", "Sequenzas" (Selected), w. EIC/Boulez (rec.1989); String Quartets, w. Arditti Qt. (rec.2002); Sequenzas I - XIV, w. Various (rec.1998 - '04); Piano Works, w. Schlime (rec.2005); Mahler Lieder transcriptions, w. Hampson/Berio (rec.1992).

View attachment 28982
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## KenOC

Shostakovich Symphony No. 6, Petrenko. A very good performance. But what a wild contrast between the first movement and what follows!


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## Blake

Kevin Pearson said:


> Another of my favorite more obscure composers is Ukranian born Boris Lyatoshynsky. His symphonies are very interesting. Usually with a lot going on in them and so benefit from repeated listens. And since his five symphonies span from 1918 to 1966 they are pretty varied but worth spending some time with each of them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


This is really great, K. I went and grabbed all the symphonies, and will make my rounds.


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## Blancrocher

I'm listening to some Shosty too, KenOC (I think Britten would have approved, even though it's his anniversary day). I'd been meaning to listen to The Execution of Stepan Razin again since Brotagonist's enthusiastic recommendation the other day. A fine performance from Ashkenazy leading the Helsinki PO and Latvian State Choir.

Also included: the Zoya Suite, and Suite on Finnish Themes.


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## Weston

I felt lucid enough for a deep listening session tonight, so here is a play by play of my first attentive listen to the following (probably a lot more than you want to read):
*
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor *
Simon Rattle / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra









1. The opening "fanfare" is said to be a funeral march, but is of such cosmic proportions one is reminded of Wagner's _Siegfried's Death and Funeral March_ with a bit of the march from Beethoven's 3rd thrown into the mix. A fantastic unexpected modulation almost exactly halfway through caught me off guard. These are the moments in music I live for. This for me seems the most cohesive and enjoyable Mahler movement I have experienced so far, holding together so well, by the end of it I felt it could be a stand-alone composition, a tone poem perhaps.

2. This is supposed to be sonata form sharing some themes from the opening movement?. If you say so. I may need more listens to get that. However the themes are lovely, except when they begin to border on Richard Strauss' jumbled phrases territory. The development in fact I might mistake for Strauss on a cold hearing. However this is more palatable to me than much of Strauss. There are some very nice unusual orchestral colors near the end of this movement.

3. More Straussian horn calls. I'm beginning to think Strauss simply ripped off Mahler wholesale! Or vice versa. They were contemporaries, were they not? This movement offers a great many unusual orchestral colors, some hard to define. I became more alert with a VERY loud horn solo toward the middle of this movement. It has the beautiful timbre of the soft horn, yet with ear defying distortion as well. It appears again toward the end. You just don't hear horn played this way very often. Pizzicato delicate moods follow, but unusual sounding nonetheless. There is something more going on besides mere pizzicato. There is also a very brief "Rakakack tick Rakakack tick" rhythmic passage. I cannot identify how it is achieved. It's very forward looking, sounding more like later 20th century works.

4, Pretty, but this particular recording has an odd buzzy nasal stringed instrument that, in headphones, seems to be located just above my right ear. It's a bit distracting. The other movements do not feature this as far as I can tell. It does not seem to be distortion, just some weird effect of the way it is recorded. I think someone got a little heavy handed with the stereo separation. It needed more spatial ambiance.

5. Ahh - joy! Mahler finally shares a little rare happiness. I'm glad he found some in his life to share. Interesting form to this movement. I can't quite place it. Rondo maybe. Memorable themes and motives abound. I notice Mahler has a habit of throwing in little decorations or phrases now and then in an unusual orchestral color that is never heard again! Frustrating yet intriguing. Where would that path have lead? We'll never get to know. Beethoven did this to an extent too. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying.

Overall I'd say I enjoyed this symphony more than the previous 4. Unfortunately I remember only their high points, and this one may turn out the same. Perhaps I should not have explored the symphonies in order, but now I may as well continue. But I need to give it month or so before moving on to the 6th.


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## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Ernest Bloch's Poems Of The Sea - Dalia Atlas, cond.


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## opus55

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Ernest Bloch's Poems Of The Sea - Dalia Atlas, cond.


I'd buy the CD for the cover art alone!


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## Conor71

*Rautavaara: Symphony No. 5*

Atterberg: Alven (The River) and Symphony No. 8. Rautavaara Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 (I particularly like the 6th)


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## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 5 in F minor (The London Haydn Quartet).


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## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Ernest Bloch's Poems Of The Sea - Dalia Atlas, cond.


Has Naxos changed their cover format then? I thought they used this layout on their releases of older material. Is this an older recording? If the layout has changed it is a vast improvement.


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## SimonNZ

Weston said:


> Has Naxos changed their cover format then? I thought they used this layout on their releases of older material. Is this an older recording? If the layout has changed it is a vast improvement.


Just had a quick look at the recent-release Naxos discs at presto and it seems to be 50/50 of old and new styles. Here's a few more of the new-looking ones:


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## Kevin Pearson

I don't see Granados mentioned very often in this thread and I don't think I have ever seen his works for solo piano ever mentioned. Anyway, I really love his solo piano pieces. Every piece is unique and some of the pieces extremely beautiful. VoxBox put out an LP set back in 1975 performed by Marylene Dosse of his complete piano solo material. I have listened to my my LPs many times over the years and I still prefer this performance. My records are a little crackly now but the music still shines through. I see that Vox has released these on CDs now and someday I might upgrade. I can't find an image of the original LP box set so I have to use the CD cover.










Kevin


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## Blake

Barenboim's Beethoven: Symphony 6. I know Barenboim can be a bore for some people, but his Beethoven is really nice. There's a rich and oaky presence to it.


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## SimonNZ

Kevin Pearson said:


> I don't see Granados mentioned very often in this thread and I don't think I have ever seen his works for solo piano ever mentioned.


Not true - I know I've posted at least this one at some time or other:










...which was probably accompanied by my standard rant that Decca still haven't put out an Alicia De Larrocha Spanish Repertoire box-set. Surely one of the most obvious and desirable boxes they could easily do.

edit: and now thats made me want to go grab her Goyescas recording and give it another spin:


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## Kevin Pearson

SimonNZ said:


> Not true - I know I've posted at least this one at some time or other:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...which was probably accompanied by my standard rant that Decca still haven't put out an Alicia De Larrocha Spanish Repertoire box-set. Surely one of the most obvious and desirable boxes they could easily do.
> 
> edit: and now thas made me want to grab her Goyescas recording and give it another spin:


Sorry Simon I must have missed that. De Larrocha is an excellent pianist and her version of the Spanish Dances is a superb recording.

Kevin


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## Tristan

*Hummel* - Variations on the March from Isouard's Cendrillon, Op. 40

Don't ask me how I find these obscure pieces.  But I really like this one.


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## ShropshireMoose

Walton: Johannesburg Festival Overture
Delius: Piano Concerto (soloist: Benno Moiseiwitsch)/Brigg Fair
Walton: Façade Suites excerpts
Britten: Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra Op.34
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Façade)/Sir Malcolm Sargent

A nice concert of English music, on what is, here, a beautiful November morning, the Shropshire countryside white over with a frost that glitters in the morning sunshine, as though Brown Clee had been magically dusted with icing sugar.


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## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dohnanyi's String Quartet No.1 - Aviv Quartet


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## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 in E* / VPO, von Karajan [Deutsche Grammophon]









I gather this was HvK's last recording: it is grand and serene, and this is perhaps my favourite symphony (for now anyway).


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## Pip

Manfred symphony by Tchaikovsky - Philharmonia Muti 1981


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## Ingélou

I am just on my second listen to Charpentier's *Te Deum* after the little nudge given me above (Posts 47729 & 47730, Novelette & Talking Head). Thanks, guys. 
Oh it is sublime.

SimonNZ, you are an omnivorous listener, totally magnifique! I have to confess  that I never heard of Dohnanyi, but I am going to 'like' your post anyway, because a) you are so cool  and b) what a fabulous cd sleeve!


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## SimonNZ

Goodness! That's very kind of you! But don't let me impress you with just passive listening, even if it does cover a wide area - make me shake off my lethargy and prove I'm finding connections or formulating and articulating fresh ideas before I'm awarded the elusive "cool". (In actual fact I'm in every way terribly uncool - but I made a happy peace with that years ago).


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## DrKilroy

I think I will listen to some Penderecki works today for his 80th birthday.

Saint Luke Passion (Wit)
Symphony No. 2 (Penderecki)
Piano Concerto (Douglas/Penderecki).

If I like them, I will try some more pieces by him. As a bonus, a cool Penderecki picture I found on his website:










Best regards, Dr


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## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Symphonic metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (1943)* / LSO, Abbado [Decca London]









Whilst I'm still in an orchestral mood...an old LP favourite (I couldn't find an image of the original cover to post)


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## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 98 in B-flat Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









1st movement: Always liked the heavy, almost Beethoven-esque Adagio introduction and the joyous allegro that follows.

Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major (Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Charles Dutoit; Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal).


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## DavidA

Faure Requiem et al

Rutter


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## Oskaar

I am stunned by Brucners 6. symphony! I hope I am able to make a good post later about how ! like the different performances. Until then, I only rank them after listening to them.

so far: 1-*Cantieri* (Baltic New Philharmonia
2-*Karajan*
3-*Solti* (Chicago s.o.)


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## TurnaboutVox

*Bax

String Quartet No. 3 in F (1936)
Lyrical interlude for String Quintet(1923)
Adagio for String Quartet "Cathaleen-ni-Houlihan" (?1903) *

Maggini Quartet, Garfield Jackson (viola)

My new CD for the week








"A recording of warmth and detail, with intimacy yet beautifully captured ambience."

Andrew McGregor 2003, BBC Review


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## DrKilroy

Before Penderecki, Mahler - Symphony No. 10 - Adagio (Boulez).

Best regards, Dr


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## Andolink

*Johann Adolf Hasse*: _Gentes barbarae, Tartarae turbae_ 
Jennifer Lane, alto
Le Parlement de Musique/Martin Gester








*Buxton Orr*: _Piano Trio No. 1_; _Piano Trio No. 2_
Jeremy Williams, violin
Christine Jackson, cello
John York, piano


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## Oskaar

My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:

1-*Cantieri* (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.

2-*Karajan* Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid

3-*Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden(new)*--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.

4-*Solti* (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, staticunengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.

I have over 30 well acclaimed versions to listen to, so this project may take some weeks! And I wiill try to come up with some superlatieves and key-words to each performance. I will copy my last post when I post a new listening. So the posts will be large after a while.. Hope you forgive me, maybe some like to see it all in the same post instead of finding earlier posts. Uninterrested? Just jump over it.


----------



## Blancrocher

Irmgard Seefried's Liederabend - featuring Schumann's Fraunliebe und -leben, and songs by Schubert, Brahms, Mussorgsky, Wolf, and Strauss.


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: Lélio ou le retour à la vie, Op.14b -- Sir Colin Davis: London Symphony Chorus, et al

Couperin: Nouveaux Concerts, Les Goûts-Réünis, Onzième Concert -- Musica Ad Rhenum

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde -- John Elwes, Russell Braun; Kenneth Slowik: Smithsonian Chamber Players, Santa Fe Pro Musica

Haydn: Double Concerto in F For Violin & Fortepiano, H 18/6 -- Helmut Muller-Bruhl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Bruch: Serenade for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 75 -- Salvatore Accardo: Leipzig Gewandhausorchester


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## Weston

It is rare that I listen to an entire album these days, but this fairly newish album is an exception. I am spending the morning with orchestral music by Kurt Atterberg. (Caution: Pleasant accessible melodies and lush sonorities ahead.)









[Edit: The weirdest thing about this music is much of it sounds Spanish influenced to me.  ]


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## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - St. Matthew Passion BWV 244* / The English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardner; The Monteverdi Choir, The London Oratory Junior Choir


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## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in E Flat, Op.7, No.6

Concerto Koln


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## Kevin Pearson

Weston said:


> It is rare that I listen to an entire album these days, but this fairly newish album is an exception. I am spending the morning with orchestral music by Kurt Atterberg. (Caution: Pleasant accessible melodies and lush sonorities ahead.)
> 
> View attachment 29002
> 
> 
> [Edit: The weirdest thing about this music is much of it sounds Spanish influenced to me.  ]


Atterberg is a fantastic composer and one who deserves more notoriety and attention by classical music fans. However, since CPO has already issued a top level performance of the complete symphonies I wish Jarvi would have concentrated his efforts on other composers whose works have not yet been recorded. Still, this is a fine recording, and maybe some people will become aware of Atterberg just because of Jarvi.

Spending more time with my dusty record collection and this VoxBox recording of Martin Galling's recording of some of Haydn's Sonatas for Keyboard.










Kevin


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## Blake

Bohm's Mozart: Symphony 39. Fresh and ethereal.


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## Oskaar

My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:

1-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.

2-*Jochum Statskapelle Dresden* (new) mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.

3-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid

4-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.

5-Solti (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.

I have over 30 well acclaimed versions to listen to, so this project may take some weeks! And I wiill try to come up with some superlatieves and key-words to each performance. I will copy my last post when I post a new listening. So the posts will be large after a while.. Hope you forgive me, maybe some like to see it all in the same post instead of finding earlier posts. Uninterrested? Just jump over it.


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki* Day today, as he turns 80. All of these are from Antoni Wit's Naxos recordings.

Credo (1998)
Fluorescences (1962)
Hymne an den heiligen Daniel (1997)
Flute Concerto (1992)

Got a full "concert" planned for this evening.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Lucia Popp, London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt









I didn't listen to the filler. I'm against using the Adagietto outside of the Fifth. Anyway, I love this symphony and the recording as well! Not every critic was so kind to this work upon a first hearing, though...

"The drooling and emasculated simplicity of Gustav Mahler! It is not fair to the readers of the _Musical Courier_ to take up their time with a detailed description of that musical monstrosity, which masquerades under the title of Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony. There is nothing in the design, content, or execution of the work to impress the musician, except its grotesquerie...The writer of the present review frankly admits that...to him it was one hour or more of the most painful musical torture to which he has been compelled to submit."


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Mahlerian said:


> "The drooling and emasculated simplicity of Gustav Mahler! It is not fair to the readers of the _Musical Courier_ to take up their time with a detailed description of that musical monstrosity, which masquerades under the title of Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony. There is nothing in the design, content, or execution of the work to impress the musician, except its grotesquerie...The writer of the present review frankly admits that...to him it was one hour or more of the most painful musical torture to which he has been compelled to submit."


Wow!  That was harsh!! Now the 4th is considered a masterpiece and one of Mahler's best works. My how time changes things eh?

Kevin


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> 2. This is supposed to be sonata form sharing some themes from the opening movement?. If you say so. I may need more listens to get that.


Yes indeed it is.



Weston said:


> However the themes are lovely, except when they begin to border on Richard Strauss' jumbled phrases territory. The development in fact I might mistake for Strauss on a cold hearing. However this is more palatable to me than much of Strauss.


Mahler and Strauss had a strained relationship, and they only cared for a few of the other's works. Mahler enjoyed Til Eulenspiegel and Salome, but didn't care for Elektra, Sinfonia Domestica, and Ein Heldenleben. Strauss loved Mahler's First and Fourth symphonies, but was never interested in any of the others.

Mahler's famous line "My time will come" was originally followed by "when his [Strauss's] is up".



Weston said:


> There is also a very brief "Rakakack tick Rakakack tick" rhythmic passage. I cannot identify how it is achieved.


The rute. Mahler also used it in the Second and Sixth.



Weston said:


> 4, Pretty, but this particular recording has an odd buzzy nasal stringed instrument that, in headphones, seems to be located just above my right ear.


The harp?


----------



## GioCar

Streaming on Qobuz









Daniil Trifonov - The Carnegie Recital

His Liszt sonata is outstanding.


----------



## Mahlerian

Kevin Pearson said:


> Wow!  That was harsh!! Now the 4th is considered a masterpiece and one of Mahler's best works. My how time changes things eh?


Mahler regularly attracted this kind of review until the 1960s. He still is misunderstood and poorly understood by many, unfortunately.


----------



## GioCar

oskaar said:


> My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:
> 
> 1-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.
> 
> 2-*Jochum Statskapelle Dresden* (new) mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.
> 
> 3-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid
> 
> 4-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.
> 
> 5-Solti (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.
> 
> I have over 30 well acclaimed versions to listen to, so this project may take some weeks! And I wiill try to come up with some superlatieves and key-words to each performance. I will copy my last post when I post a new listening. So the posts will be large after a while.. Hope you forgive me, maybe some like to see it all in the same post instead of finding earlier posts. Uninterrested? Just jump over it.


Eagerly waiting for your thoughts when you'll reach the Celibidache one...


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Demidenko in Schumann's Humoreske and Novelletten. I appreciate all the mentions of Demidenko on this thread--this one's a gem.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.3 in G Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


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## Itullian

These are beautifully recorded direct style readings.
I prefer a more romantic approach, but still enjoying them.


----------



## Blake

oskaar said:


> My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:
> 
> 1-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.
> 
> 2-*Jochum Statskapelle Dresden* (new) mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.
> 
> 3-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid
> 
> 4-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.
> 
> 5-Solti (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.
> 
> I have over 30 well acclaimed versions to listen to, so this project may take some weeks! And I wiill try to come up with some superlatieves and key-words to each performance. I will copy my last post when I post a new listening. So the posts will be large after a while.. Hope you forgive me, maybe some like to see it all in the same post instead of finding earlier posts. Uninterrested? Just jump over it.


Wait until Wand, Chailly, and Skrowaczewski. :tiphat:


----------



## Cheyenne

Max Reger's Variations and Fugue in A major on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 132; Karl Böhm conducting the BPO. Wonderful!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/Metamenu/RCO-Radio/
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G major - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Bernard Haitink - Christine Schäfer (7.11.2006)


----------



## Oskaar

*Italian Oboe Concertos, Vol. 2*

Concerto for oboe & orchestra in G minor *Platti*
Concerto for Flute, Oboe & Orchestra in C major *Salieri*
Concerto No. 1 in C major for oboe & orchestra *Besozzi*
Oboe Concerto in F major, C34/K 3:3 *Rosetti*

*Anthony Camden *(oboe) *Ward, Nicholas* (conductor)*City of London Sinfonia *









arkivmusic


----------



## Oskaar

Vesuvius said:


> Wait until Wand, Chailly, and Skrowaczewski. :tiphat:


Jesus Lopez-Cobos tonight. Then wand!


----------



## Oskaar

GioCar said:


> Eagerly waiting for your thoughts when you'll reach the Celibidache one...


I try to post some que words, but I am absolutely no expert in music, it is subjective impressions there and then, so many will of course disagree. I actually thaught I should skip Celibidache because of age (when was it recorded?) but it is on spotify, and I will add it to the playlist now.


----------



## starthrower

I blow hot and cold on these pieces, but today they are sounding great. Especially the cantata.


----------



## Oskaar

GioCar said:


> Eagerly waiting for your thoughts when you'll reach the Celibidache one...


oh, it looks like it is only 3,4,5,7,8 and 9 with Celibidache


----------



## brotagonist

The complete Shostakovich String Quartets is a massive listening project. After about a week, I have finally gotten pretty familiar with the first four discs and will work on the final two this weekend.









And what should show up in my mailbox yesterday?









I was totally _wowed_ by disc one, _Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross_, late last night... another living room floor event :kiss:


----------



## samurai

oskaar said:


> I try to post some que words, but I am absolutely no expert in music, it is subjective impressions there and then, so many will of course disagree. I actually thaught I should skip Celibidache because of age (when was it recorded?) but it is on spotify, and I will add it to the playlist now.


Hi, Oskar. Just make sure you have plenty of coffee and some food on hand with which to sustain yourself, as Celibidache's tempi can be slow as molasses!


----------



## Oskaar

samurai said:


> Hi, Oskar. Just make sure you have plenty of coffee and some food on hand with which to sustain yourself, as Celibidache's tempi can be slow as molasses!


Hehe.. if there is a nerve in the slowness, then I like slowness... But sadly Celibidache is not represented with no. 6 on spotify. only 345789


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.12 in E Flat, Op.127

Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- Walter Trampler, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Erwartung, Op. 17 (Monodrama for soprano and orchestra)
Norman, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, cond. Levine









Considered by many the most extreme music Schoenberg ever wrote, this piece of expressionist theater was penned in a mere seventeen days. Its kaleidoscopic stream-of-consciousness style is a reflection of the libretto by Marie Pappenheim, a medical student, in which a woman is in a forest, and after seeing phantoms in the shadows and shapes around her, stumbles across the body of her dead lover. This is not presented as a narrative plot; it is intended to be the extension of all of the feelings at a single moment into a very intense half-hour. It ends with an evaporation of the whole orchestra into a chromatic bubble that bursts in an instant.


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Beethoven: String Quartet No.12 in E Flat, Op.127
> 
> Yale Quartet: Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki, violins -- Walter Trampler, viola -- Aldo Parisot, cello


I really like the Yale Quartet in late Beethoven. Got mine in the now-departed Big Beethoven Box...


----------



## Winterreisender

Tchaikovsky Symphony #6 - Russian National Orchestra and Mikhail Pletnev


----------



## maestro267

My main 'concert' to commemorate *Penderecki*'s 80th birthday.

All conducted by Antoni Wit.

Symphony No. 3

Interval

Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima
Polymorphia

Interval

St. Luke Passion

Bit of a marathon, this one!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Impromptu in C minor, Op. 90 No. 1 - Allegro molto moderato (Martijn van den Hoek).


----------



## Blancrocher

Gould and Laredo in the Violin Sonatas. I've enjoyed returning to Gould's Bach recordings in the last couple weeks--especially his English Suites, which has surprises that are still surprising to me.


----------



## Weston

Mahlerian said:


> Yes indeed it is.
> 
> Mahler and Strauss had a strained relationship, and they only cared for a few of the other's works. Mahler enjoyed Til Eulenspiegel and Salome, but didn't care for Elektra, Sinfonia Domestica, and Ein Heldenleben. Strauss loved Mahler's First and Fourth symphonies, but was never interested in any of the others.
> 
> Mahler's famous line "My time will come" was originally followed by "when his [Strauss's] is up".
> 
> The rute. Mahler also used it in the Second and Sixth.
> 
> The harp?


Thanks as always, Mahlerian.

Oh - the distracting stringed instrument is bowed, like a solo violin with no vibrato. It may have been someone not blending in with the others or sitting too close to the mic for this recording. Odd that it comes from the right. Maybe a viola.


----------



## Bas

oskaar said:


> I try to post some que words, but I am absolutely no expert in music, it is subjective impressions there and then, so many will of course disagree. I actually thaught I should skip Celibidache because of age (when was it recorded?) but it is on spotify, and I will add it to the playlist now.


You should definitely not skip Celibidache's Bruckner. It has the most amazing woodwinds I've ever heard recorded. (And Celibidache also has an at the very least interesting reading of the work.)

My listening of yesterday late evening:

Felicien David (1810-1876) - String Quartet no. in Fm, String Quartet no. 2 in A, String Quartet no. 4 in Fm
By Quator Cambini-Paris, on Naïve









Frederic Francois Couperin - Various Piano Sonatas
By Alexandre Tharaud [modern piano], on Harmonia Mundi









--

I was in a business meeting all day, so this is my first cd of the day:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 18, 19, 20, 21 "Waldstein", 22
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Damnit Gulda, you are a marvellous genius, fierce, aggresive, precise, controlled, this is very nice!

After this perhaps something of a cd I have bought before my meeting in Amsterdam:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas "Pathetique", "Moonlight", "Appasionanta"
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









I am in a solo piano mood (since quite some time, if you don't count the harpsichord.) I enjoy it a lot!


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> Thanks as always, Mahlerian.
> 
> Oh - the distracting stringed instrument is bowed, like a solo violin with no vibrato. It may have been someone not blending in with the others or sitting too close to the mic for this recording. Odd that it comes from the right. Maybe a viola.


Whoops, it was a whip, not a rute....

Yeah, as far as I can tell, what you're describing sounds like a mistake rather than something in the music.


----------



## Oskaar

My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:

1-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.

2-Jochum Statskapelle Dresden mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.

*3-Jesus Lopez-Cobos - Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra* (new)--- "thick" sound in a positive way (Very good brass section), seeking and lyrical, a bit still-standing sometimes, as if the nerve is lost, I think this one has a great growing potential on me!, but my first impression is a bit on-and off-feeling. Conservative and a bit under-played(wich I often like, that is why I say it can grow on me.) romantic , sensitive feel, but not deering enough?

4-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid

5-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.

6-Solti (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.

*Note..*This is first impressions! And it is mood dependent, time of day-dependent, ++. But this symphony impressed me much, and I need training in expressing my musical impressions. But many of you are the experts, I have mountains of things to learn and explore, in classical music in general, and ex Bruckner in special. Exploring is so exiting! I have very short musical memory, that is a shame. I might explore the same things over and over again...Or different things.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Takemitsu*: Orchestral Music, w. Knussen et al (rec.1996), Barenboim (rec.1993); Piano Works, w. Tateno (rec.1996).

View attachment 29028
View attachment 29029
View attachment 29030


----------



## jim prideaux

Vasary/Bournemouth Sinfonietta-Martinu,Sinfonietta Giocosa,Toccata e Duo Canzoni,Sinfonietta La Jolla..........
found a second hand copy on amazon, apparently Vasary had a period in Bournemouth and the pianist made recordings of certain less than well known works...initial impression is very positive, melodic, charming and stripped down pieces that exhibit the composers renowned facility with rhythm.......


----------



## DaveS

Brahms 1st Piano Cto. Claudio Arrau; Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw. Sort of rough in the opening movement, soloist-wise, but evened out in the 2nd and 3rd.


----------



## Jos

Sibelius violinconcerto.

Maxim Vengerov flexes his muscles.....big tone, lots of power.
First time I hear this version, not clear yet if I like it played this way....

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## SimonNZ

Earlier:










Haydn Symphonies, disc 26, Nos. 70, 71 and 73 "La Chasse" - Bela Drahos, cond.

And now:

The ever-popular (at work) Savall recording of Bach's B Minor Mass


----------



## DavidA

Just listening to Caroline Ashtons singing of the Pie Jesu from Faure's Requiem. Must be one of the most beautiful pieces of singing ever put on record. Amazing!


----------



## Vaneyes

Jos said:


> Sibelius violinconcerto.
> 
> Maxim Vengerov flexes his muscles.....big tone, lots of power.
> First time I hear this version, not clear yet if I like it played this way....
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


*Vengerov* is one of a relative few that I give a blank check to. Whenever there's a chance to see him in concert, do so. :tiphat:


----------



## DaveS

Earlier, 'Flamme' referenced a recording of Mahler's 4th from the Royal Concertgebouw Webradio. I clocked the link and happened onto the RCO's latest version with Mariss Jansons of the Symphony of a Thousand. Find this work eerie, yet mesmerizing, and enjoyed this performance. Solti's was my first introduction to the work, but I enjoyed Janson's interpretation. This piece, oddly enough, is probably my 3rd favorite behind the 1st and 4th.


----------



## Guest

This is a wonderful organ recording with Andrea Marcon at work. This is part of my discovery of the Hanssler Edition Bachakademie series at my local library. The Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543, that kicks this disc off, is incredible! I am already a Bach organ fan, and this disc is absolutely wonderful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahlerian said:


> "The drooling and emasculated simplicity of Gustav Mahler! *It is not fair to the readers of the Musical Courier to take up their time with a detailed description of that musical monstrosity*, which masquerades under the title of Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony. There is nothing in the design, content, or execution of the work to impress the musician, except its grotesquerie...The writer of the present review frankly admits that...to him it was one hour or more of the most painful musical torture to which he has been compelled to submit."


As justly worried as we are about the state of journalism today, even a Murdoch-owned paper would have caned a reporter for so obviously not even bothering to attend the concert.


----------



## leepee

I'm working my way through the complete FRITZ REINER edition! Over 50 CD's for 100 bucks on Amazon.ca.

Wow! Just listened to his Beethoven 5th and it ranks right up there with Carlos Klieber and von Karajan's 1977 version.
Stunning sound and marvelous performance. Thank you RCA and SONY !!!!

Hugs Leepee


----------



## Mahlerian

On the radio
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 100
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, cond. Levi


----------



## Jos

Thanks for the tip, Vaneyes. I'll keep an eye on the "Concertgebouw"programme, it will probably expensive seats, so your blank check might come in handy..... 
I haven't heard a lot of modern violinists (mostly have Oistrakh, Millstein etc;oldschool) so I was surprised by this powerhouse. I'll check out other concerto's he played. Any you can recommend especially? Thnx.

Cheers
Jos


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Violin Concerto in A minor; Violin Concerto in E Major 
(Gidon Kremer; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).


----------



## KenOC

Inspired by another thread, Beethoven's Pastoral, Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. It doesn't get better than this.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bach: Goldberg Variations* played by Glenn Gould on Sony -the 1982 recording.

Gobsmackingly good. I enjoyed Angela Hewitt last night, but playing Glenn tonight I have to say I find this so much more riveting. I also have Rosalyn Tureck's version of the Goldbergs - I can't decide whether I prefer her or Glenn's version! She almost makes the piano sound like a harpsichord. Glad I've got both! 
Seems all my versions of the Goldberg variations on piano are played by North Americans!

*Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks* played by the English Baroque Soloists under John Eliot Gardiner. 
Exhilarating music played well here.

*Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas * played by Andrew Manze & Richard Egarr. 
Pleasant baroque violin sonatas by Handel to chill out to as it's approaching 11 at night.


----------



## Taggart

Blancrocher said:


> Gould and Laredo in the Violin Sonatas. I've enjoyed returning to Gould's Bach recordings in the last couple weeks--especially his English Suites, which has surprises that are still surprising to me.


Some of his tempi are are a little fast. I find his treatments of jigs in particular to be a little eccentric - not to say that they aren't good, just that they lack the feel of a dance. He plays brilliantly but sometimes seems to forget that these are _dance _suites.



LancsMan said:


> *Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas * played by Andrew Manze & Richard Egarr.
> Pleasant baroque violin sonatas by Handel to chill out to as it's approaching 11 at night.


Another brilliant performance.


----------



## GioCar

oskaar said:


> oh, it looks like it is only 3,4,5,7,8 and 9 with Celibidache











Symphony no 6 in A major by Anton Bruckner

Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra 
Date of Recording: 11/29/1991

IMO it is the most unconventional reading of this work. Don't trust those who say it's just slow and uninteresting.
The cover helps in suggesting the Celibidache interpretation key...


----------



## Manxfeeder

KenOC said:


> Inspired by another thread, Beethoven's Pastoral, Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. It doesn't get better than this.


I totally agree.

I'm listening to another nature-inspired work - less Beethovenian but more Sibelian - Douglas Lilburn's Symphony No. 1.


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> As justly worried as we are about the state of journalism today, even a Murdoch-owned paper would have caned a reporter for so obviously not even bothering to attend the concert.


The _Lexicon of Musical Invective_ actually records this happening, when the following review was published:
"One of the main attractions of the concert was the first performance of the _Scythian Suite_ by a young composer, Prokofiev. If one would say that this music is bad, cacophonous, that no person with a differentiated auditory organ can listen to it, he would be told that this is a 'barbaric suite.' And the critic would have to retreat in shame. So I shall not criticize this music; quite to the contrary, I will say that this is wonderful barbaric music, the best barbaric music in the world. But when I am asked whether this music gives me pleasure or an artistic satisfaction, whether it makes a deep impression, I must categorically say: 'No!' The composer conducted himself with barbaric abandon."

The performance in question had been cancelled, and thus never took place, but the review was published anyway, having been written beforehand.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68

Adrian Boult conducting the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra London


----------



## jim prideaux

more newly arrived Martinu-Harpsichord Concerto, Oboe Concerto and cello Concertino-Czech Phil conducted by Skvor and Neumann and various soloists...never disappointed by Martinu works, this appears to be very much a reflection of his interest in the neo-classical-not surprisingly the harpsichord concerto is reminiscent of Poulenc...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 *(Prelude I in C to Fugue XII in F minor), *BWV 846-857* / Wanda Landowska (Harpsichord) 
[RCA Victor, 1949]









A very lo-fi recording but what playing!


----------



## starthrower

Mahlerian said:


> The _Lexicon of Musical Invective_ actually records this happening, when the following review was published:
> "One of the main attractions of the concert was the first performance of the _Scythian Suite_ by a young composer, Prokofiev. If one would say that this music is bad, cacophonous, that no person with a differentiated auditory organ can listen to it, he would be told that this is a 'barbaric suite.' And the critic would have to retreat in shame. So I shall not criticize this music; quite to the contrary, I will say that this is wonderful barbaric music, the best barbaric music in the world. But when I am asked whether this music gives me pleasure or an artistic satisfaction, whether it makes a deep impression, I must categorically say: 'No!' The composer conducted himself with barbaric abandon."
> 
> The performance in question had been cancelled, and thus never took place, but the review was published anyway, having been written beforehand.


I have the Slonimsky book. Lots of hilarious stuff in there! His autobiography, Perfect Pitch, is also a wonderful read.

Got this from the library today. A very good recording, although he slips right into the Beethoven C Minor sonata half way through the Ligeti Etudes, which caught me off guard. But hey, they are two great piano composers that sound fine together.


----------



## Blancrocher

Taggart said:


> Some of his tempi are are a little fast. I find his treatments of jigs in particular to be a little eccentric - not to say that they aren't good, just that they lack the feel of a dance. He plays brilliantly but sometimes seems to forget that these are _dance _suites.


His tempi can be a little fast, or occasionally (for dramatic effect) unusually slow, and in either case I can understand people running hot or cold on them. You might enjoy Vladimir Feltsman in the English Suites, who I just listened to a day or two ago: in his version he tries to bring out that feel of a dance that you're talking about, I think. In any case, it's a good recording.

*p.s.* Current listening: selections from Karl Richter's Bach:


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832): Flute Sonata in E Flat, Op.64

Eyvind Rafn, flute --- Esther Vagning, piano


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Vache Sharafyan (born 1966), Suite for Cello and Orchestra. From a very nice BIS disc of Armenian cello music.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Des Müllers Blumen, Tränenregen, Mein!, Mit dem grünen, Lautenbande, Der Jäger, Eifersucht und Stolz, Die böse Farbe and Die liebe Farbe

from:

*Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795* / Christopher Maltman, Baritone - Graham Johnson, Piano [Wigmore Hall Live]


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Falla* (1876 - 1946) and *Penderecki* (b. 1933) birthdays.

View attachment 29040
View attachment 29041


----------



## dgee

The Janacek string 4tets played by the Pavel Haas Quartet. Forgotten how fun these are. Great recording with a big sound and strong technique


----------



## Vaneyes

Jos said:


> Thanks for the tip, Vaneyes. I'll keep an eye on the "Concertgebouw"programme, it will probably expensive seats, so your blank check might come in handy.....
> I haven't heard a lot of modern violinists (mostly have Oistrakh, Millstein etc;oldschool) so I was surprised by this powerhouse. I'll check out other concerto's he played. *Any you can recommend especially? *Thnx.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Jos


Vengerov - Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Walton, Britten, Dvorak, Glazunov, Saint-Saens, Lalo.

Other violinists - Kremer, Lin, Mullova, Rachlin, Koh, Suwanai, Ehnes, Little, Mordkovitch, Imai. :tiphat:


----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> Vengerov - Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Walton, Britten, Dvorak, Glazunov, Saint-Saens, Lalo.
> Other violinists - Kremer, Lin, Mullova, Rachlin, Koh, Suwanai, Ehnes, Little, Mordkovitch, Imai. :tiphat:


Vengerov is top o' the heap in Prokofiev. But in Shostakovich, Ms. Mordkovitch edges him IMO.


----------



## Weston

*Eduard Tubin - Symphony No. 7*
Neeme Järvi / Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra









Not sure what the tree has to do with this, but whatever. Not nearly as interesting as his Atterberg I listened to earlier. I'm only listening as background while I try to decide how to spend my weekly music "allowance." I may get help in another thread to make a decision.


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Vengerov is top o' the heap in Prokofiev. But in Shostakovich, Ms. Mordkovitch edges him IMO.


I wouldn't disagree too strongly, since I had Mordkovitch's for a lengthy period, before switching over to Vengerov's. :tiphat:


----------



## Blake

About to dig into some of Kuchar's Nielson... I'm thinking Symphony 4.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockeghem, Missa De Plus en Plus*

It's a pity this ensemble stopped at this work. They have a way with Ockeghem: clear, sensitive, with all voices able to speak.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## senza sordino

On DVD Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Donald Runnicles cond and Anthony Dean Griffey as Peter Grimes.

It's a Live from the Met production rented from my local library.

This is my Britten Centenary commemoration


----------



## samurai

Vesuvius said:


> About to dig into some of Kuchar's Nielson... I'm thinking Symphony 4.
> 
> View attachment 29043


I have this set as well; I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! :cheers:


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No. 28 in C Major, K.200; Symphony No.31 in D Major, K.297 {"Paris" , Thanks, Kieran!}; Symphony No.32 in G Major, K.318 and Symphony No.33 in B-Flat Major, K.319. *All four works feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.96 in D Major {"The Miracle"}; Symphony No.95 in C Minor and Symphony No.93 in D Major. * All three symphonies are performed by the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> I wouldn't disagree too strongly, since I had Mordkovitch's for a lengthy period, before switching over to Vengerov's. :tiphat:


We'll take a page from the speaker thread and have a double-blind A-B listen-off! :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19
Maurizio Pollini









And the same, played by Glenn Gould:









The author of the book I'm reading was introduced to Schoenberg's music through these pieces, and he gives a wonderful description in his introduction of how their concise poetry attracted him from the beginning. In his chapter specifically dedicated to them, he describes each one as follows: "rich and romantic," "cold and economical," "broadly lyrical," "choleric and compressed," "fleeting and sadly retrospective," and (lastly) "bell-like."

The last of these is particularly meaningful, as it was inspired by the funeral of the composer's friend and benefactor Gustav Mahler, and the inspiration can be clearly heard in the quartal chords that reverberate throughout its nine measures. On top of that, though, the author draws a convincing parallel between the ending of this piece (marked "like a breath") and the quiet close of Mahler's Ninth Symphony.

This event gave rise to another work from Schoenberg as well, a painting:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

live performance of Wagner's Lohengrin recorded by Italian Radio at La Scala - Daniel Barenboim, cond.

turned on the radio midway through, heard three notes - literally three notes - and thought "ok, so its Wagner, but which one?"


----------



## Novelette

Rameau: Zoroastre -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Stunningly dramatic music. An opera that I've enjoyed for years; yet I've always been astonished by the extremes to which the story is prone--from extreme innocence and naïveté to unmitigated wickedness and malevolence--all at a moment's notice alternating wildly. The music is absolutely superb, though. I've long been amazed by [what I perceive to be] his bold inventiveness, and consider him among my favorites of the great Baroque masters.


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> I've long been amazed by [what I perceive to be] his bold inventiveness, and consider him among my favorites of the great Baroque masters.


People at this forum have gotten me to pay closer attention to Rameau's music, and the rewards have been ample!

One more for the night. For some reason, I find Schoenberg works very well at night, when the mind is very active, but more open to suggestion, to finding the connections that our more conscious self might miss. Night is a very creative time, certainly....

Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21
Marianne Pousseur, Ensemble Musique Oblique, dir Herreweghe









The famous Boulez/Schafer recording is excellent of course, but I find Pousseur's less "operatic" voice suits the pseudo-Cabaret nature of the work better, and Herreweghe seems to excel at this music as well as Baroque.


----------



## brotagonist

Mahler : Das Lied von der Erde
Rattle / Birmingham O









This version is unfairly panned. A criticism is that the two male voices sound alike. I think it is a strong point, as it gives the impression that the composer himself is speaking to us throughout.

Afterthought: Mahler allowed for two male singers. Listeners and professionals alike are so uncompromisingly fixated, that reviews of the (few) double male versions are nearly universally scathing, crushing the saleability of many great albums. I picked this one up this summer for £1,50


----------



## SimonNZ

following Mahlerian:

Schoenberg's Erwartung - Jessye Norman, soprano, James Levine, cond.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50


----------



## SimonNZ

Carlos Chavez's Paisajes Mexicanos - Enriqur Batiz, cond.


----------



## science

Going straight through. I've heard 1-16 now. The surprise for me was #11, a hidden gem back there in the low numbers. I know #9 is very popular and #12 is fairly popular, but I don't know of anyone touting #11 very enthusiastically.


----------



## SimonNZ

following science:

Mozart's Piano Concerto No.11 - Geza Anda, piano and cond.


----------



## dgee

Jagden und Formen by Wolfgang Rihm (Ensemble Modern) - Rihm is so prolific and somewhat inconsistent that I've heard a few dreary works by him. But this is very interesting - a headlong rush that doesn't let up. Watch out for the crackling cor anglais


----------



## SimonNZ

Carlos Chavez's Violin Concerto - Pablo Roberto Diemecke, violin, Enrique Arturo Diemecke, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 38 in D Major, 'Prague' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 100 in G Major, 'Military' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Conor71

*Gliere: Symphony No. 3*

Langgaard: Symphonies Nos. 1, 4 & 11. lGliere: Symphony No. 3.


----------



## SimonNZ

Carlos Chavez's symphony No.2 "Sinfonia India" - Enrique Batiz, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

Bax, Eire Trilogy. Charming - maybe a bit too much so? But the man was in love with Ireland, and who can blame him!


----------



## GioCar

Brahms: Symphony n.1
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly

Here is a very good example of what an outstanding conductor with his marvellous orchestra can do with this so played work.
New discoveries every now and then...and the finale is so full of tension, I have never experieced before.

Following the unconfirmed rumors that Chailly will join La Scala in 2015, I really hope he will transform the (averagely) good orchestra in an oustanding one, as he has done with the Gewandhaus...


----------



## SimonNZ

Carlos Chavez's Xochipilli - Eduardo Mata, cond.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> following science:
> 
> Mozart's Piano Concerto No.11 - Geza Anda, piano and cond.


How did you find it?


----------



## GioCar

SimonNZ said:


> Carlos Chavez's Xochipilli - Eduardo Mata, cond.


Hi SimonNZ, just wondering where do you find all the recordings you are listening to...:tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> How did you find it?


Its flawlessly crafted and absolutely beautiful, but this being Mozart i wasn't surprised by that. I'd like to hear it again in the way you have - following on from nos. 8, 9 and 10 to get a better sense of how it stands out from the works of a similar time. I don't own the Perahia set, but see its on YT - I'd like to see if its something extra special he is bringing as well.

Always fun to have one's curiosity sparked like this.

playing now:










Carlos Chavez's String Quartet No.3 - Cuarteto Latinoamericano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Totentanz - Paraphrase über 'Dies irae' (Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal).









It's fascinating how Liszt plays around with this one melody. Really a masterful composition imo.


----------



## SimonNZ

GioCar said:


> Hi SimonNZ, just wondering where do you find all the recordings you are listening to...:tiphat:


For the Carlos Chavez stuff, and for a fair amount of "discovery-listening" I've been doing of mid-to-late 20th-century works, the starting point has been three or four laudible Youtube chanels set up to promote exposure and enthusiasm for the somewhat lesser-known modern composers.

Two of the main ones I've been systematically/whimsically going through are TheWelleszTheatre and Wellesz&Co:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWelleszTheatre/videos?sort=dd&shelf_id=1&view=0

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWelleszCompany/videos?sort=p&shelf_index=1&view=0

another very good one with a little more 21st century stuff is NewMusicXX:

http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMusicXX/videos?sort=dd&view=0&shelf_id=2

and also Tractatus 6.54:

http://www.youtube.com/user/John11inch/videos?shelf_id=1&view=0&sort=dd

There are other good ones, and I'll often whimsically follow the trail of suggestions on the side.

This isn't me just enjoying free music (I must emphasize this in case any labels or artists read this and it confirms their worst fears) - for me this serves the same function as the listening booth of ye olde record stores, and after assessing/educating I order what I love or make note of what to grab when it presents itself.

I'll be really sad when those chanels inevitably get taken down, because it has absolutely fasttracked and focused my purchasing in a way that 20 second soundbites from more legitimate sources simply don't do.

(sorry, that was probably more rant than you wanted)

playing now:










Lou Harrison's Threnody For Carlos Chavez - Susan Bates, violino; Gamelan Sekar Kembar

Exhibit A: how long would it have taken me to discover this little beauty without TheWelleszTheatre?






plenty of people here, of course, give good reliable recommendations, but its so wonderful and important to be able to follow them up immediately

rant, rant, rant...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert

Piano Sonatas

Sonata No. 1 in E major, D. 157 (incomplete)
Sonata No. 4 in A minor, D. 537
Sonata No. 5 in A flat, D. 557 (possibly missing finale)
Sonata No. 6 in E minor, D. 566 (incomplete)
Sonata No. 8 in E flat, D. 568*

Wilhelm Kempff [Deutsche Grammophon]









I can't tell you how good these early Schubert piano sonatas are, nor how well they sound in Kempff's hands. They are just full of sublime poetry. Schubert must have recycled many of their themes into his later works: I recognise several of them (there's the germ of a late impromptu, I think, in the slow movement of D. 537).

The third movement 'Allegro' of D. 557, to take just one example, is up with anything Schubert ever wrote for piano!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Schubert
> 
> Piano Sonatas
> 
> Sonata No. 1 in E major, D. 157 (incomplete)
> Sonata No. 4 in A minor, D. 537
> Sonata No. 5 in A flat, D. 557 (possibly missing finale)
> Sonata No. 6 in E minor, D. 566 (incomplete)
> Sonata No. 8 in E flat, D. 568*
> 
> Wilhelm Kempff [Deutsche Grammophon]
> 
> View attachment 29066
> 
> 
> I can't tell you how good these early Schubert piano sonatas are, nor how well they sound in Kempff's hands. They are just full of sublime poetry. Schubert must have recycled many of their themes into his later works: I recognise several of them (there's the germ of a late impromptu, I think, in the slow movement of D. 537).


The melody of the slow movement in the A minor sonata reminds me of the German Christmas song, 'O Tannenbaum' .


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Liszt

Sonata in B minor, S. 178
St. Francis of Assisi preaches to the birds, S. 175/1
St. Francis of Paola walking on the water, S. 175/2
La lugubre gondola I, S. 200/1
La lugubre gondola II, S. 200/2
*Alfred Brendel [Philips]









A change of mood from early Schubert. This is magnificent playing from Brendel.

What strange and austere (but deeply affecting) pieces the 'mourning gondolas' are. I have become very fond of late Liszt over the last few years.


----------



## aleazk

Aldous Huxley died 50 years ago (actually, the 22 of this month, but I forgot! ).
Stravinsky was a close friend of him, and he wrote the serial "Variations: Aldous Huxley in Memoriam" as an homage after Huxley's death.


----------



## ptr

pre Sunday lunch:

*Bernhard Lang* - the theatre of repetitions (kairos)









Renate Wicke, mezzosoprano; Anna Maria Pammer, soprano; David Cordier & Martin Wölfel, countertenors; Alfred Werner & Ekkehard Abele, bass; Ensemble les jeunes solistes & Klangforum Wien u. Johannes Kalitzke

post Sunday lunch:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 4 (EMI)









Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, mezzo; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Otto Klemperer

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:

1- *wand - Kölner rundfunk sinfonie orchester* *new* --- floating, great nerve, magical, lyrical, 
I early gave up "listening" and alloved myself carry through the adventurous journey, if Wand have failed to deliver some place, it had hurt, but he never did. Brilliant use of any tool, and perfectly glued together. Clearly the best interpretation so far! J cant think of anything negative- maybe the sound quality, but it is good enough, and is far less important to me than in chamber or piano works. Marvelous!

2-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.

3-Jochum Statskapelle Dresden mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.

4-Jesus Lopez-Cobos - Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (new)--- "thick" sound in a positive way (Very good brass section), seeking and lyrical, a bit still-standing sometimes, as if the nerve is lost, I think this one has a great growing potential on me!, but my first impression is a bit on-and off-feeling. Conservative and a bit under-played(wich I often like, that is why I say it can grow on me.) romantic , sensitive feel, but not deering enough?

5-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid

6-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.

7-Solti (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.


----------



## Taggart

Now that's what I call Lieder. A lovely collection of Middle English song and some instrumental music.

We bought this fourteen years ago in Walsingham, and when I went looking for a picture, I was surprised at the current price up at least 250% - still well worth it.


----------



## Guest

Just got this and... *WOW!* So far it's excellent








Franz *Schubert*
Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667* 'The Trout'*
Jos van *Immerseel*, L'Archibudelli


----------



## Winterreisender

Taggart said:


> Now that's what I call Lieder. A lovely collection of Middle English song and some instrumental music.
> 
> We bought this fourteen years ago in Walsingham, and when I went looking for a picture, I was surprised at the current price up at least 250% - still well worth it.


I'd love to get my hands on this. Sequentia are one of my favourite early music groups; I love their complete Hildegard recordings as well as their CD of Icelandic music. I'll have to start saving up for their out-of-print back-catalogue


----------



## bejart

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a quattro da chiesa in A Minor, Op.2, No.4

Concerto Koln


----------



## Oskaar

About Bruckner 6 Wand

Here is a interresting reeding about Wands version, written by one that obviously know what he talks about. It is mainly about tempo in the first movement, and the writer finds Wand to quick. I understand what he is saying, but I did not feel that. The symphony gives obviously a great room for giving a good result in different ways. I think versions that give more room for painting out what lays in the symphony, not neccesarily makes it bether, only different. By doing this test, I learn a lot, and get more and more obsessed by this wonderfull symphony!

link to the reading


----------



## Andolink

*Raphaël Cendo*: _Charge_ for seven instruments and electronics (2009)
Ensemble Cairn/Guillaume Bourgogne








*J. S. Bach*: _Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe_, BWV 25; 
_Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?_, BWV 138
Hana Blažiková, soprano
Damien Guillon, alto
Thomas Hobbs, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## DaveS

Faure Requiem. ASMF Chorus et al, Neville Marriner; Sylvia McNair;Sir ThomasAllen. via Spotify.


----------



## Couac Addict

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique - Davis Philharmonic.

What a hipster...he was doing motifs before Wagner made them cool.


----------



## Oskaar

Accademia Bizantina & Ottavio Dantone - Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico op. 3, Vol. 2: Concertos Nos. 7-12









I love barock music, especially when it is delicately and not to pompeuse presented. Vivaldi was a genious, and the last six of these brilliant concertos are brilliant presented here!

amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I am in the mood for more Liszt after lunch...

*Liszt - Annees de Pelerinage: Second Year: Italy, S. 161

Spozalizio
Il Pensieroso
Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa
Sonetto 47 del Petrarcha
Sonetto 104 del Petrarcha
Sonetto 123 del Petrarcha
After reading Dante: fantasia quasi una sonata*

*Venezia e Napoli, S. 162 (Supplement to Annees de Pelerinage 2nd year)
Gondoliera
Canzone
Tarantella*

Jenő Jandó (piano) [Naxos]









Jando is a pretty decent interpreter of Liszt too, with a less 'structural' and more impressionistic approach than Brendel. He doesn't have the limpid beauty of tone which Kempff and Bolet possess in the 'Annees', though.

(No, don't ask me why the cover image appears twice. I don't know! I've tried deleting it and re-uploading it without effect.)


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Lilburn's 3 symphonies, with John Hopkins conducting the New Zealand SO.


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> For the Carlos Chavez stuff, and for a fair amount of "discovery-listening" I've been doing of mid-to-late 20th-century works, the starting point has been three or four laudible Youtube chanels set up to promote exposure and enthusiasm for the somewhat lesser-known modern composers.
> 
> Two of the main ones I've been systematically/whimsically going through are TheWelleszTheatre and Wellesz&Co:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWelleszTheatre/videos?sort=dd&shelf_id=1&view=0
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWelleszCompany/videos?sort=p&shelf_index=1&view=0
> 
> another very good one with a little more 21st century stuff is NewMusicXX:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMusicXX/videos?sort=dd&view=0&shelf_id=2
> 
> and also Tractatus 6.54:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/user/John11inch/videos?shelf_id=1&view=0&sort=dd
> 
> There are other good ones, and I'll often whimsically follow the trail of suggestions on the side.
> 
> This isn't me just enjoying free music (I must emphasize this in case any labels or artists read this and it confirms their worst fears) - for me this serves the same function as the listening booth of ye olde record stores, and after assessing/educating I order what I love or make note of what to grab when it presents itself.
> 
> I'll be really sad when those chanels inevitably get taken down, because it has absolutely fasttracked and focused my purchasing in a way that 20 second soundbites from more legitimate sources simply don't do.


I agree with this in principle. The YT sound quality is rarely very good, and I would need to purchase at least the mp3s in order to listen at work where I do the bulk of my background listening anyway. But I think these Wellesz folks take it a bit too far. There is scarcely anything they haven't already uploaded. It's as if they are automating it somehow. I'd rather someone uploaded a little known work they love and tell me why in the description and invite discussion. Just my opinion. Of course it is handy to have examples to post on forums like this when we want to discuss.


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev*: Romeo and Juliet (complete ballet)
Cleveland Orchestra/Maazel


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Die Gluckliche Hand, Op. 18
Siegmund Nimsgern, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Among the less-familiar Schoenberg pieces, this short bit of expressionist theater (under 25 minutes!) is a sort of male counterpart to Erwartung, in which the man (unnamed) is mocked by a chorus upon his inability to find worldly success (symbolized by a beautiful woman who runs off with another man). The composer/librettist also devised a staging full of special colored lighting effects, akin to some of the things Scriabin was also interested in at the time. It's most similar to Moses und Aron in style, and the author of the book I'm reading calls it that work's secular counterpart.


----------



## Weston

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 11 in Bb, Op. 22
Mikulás Skuta, piano (Digital Musicworks ?)

I have no idea the source of this file. It says it's from 2006. Possibly downloaded from my old eMusic account. I am unable to find albums or much info about Mikulás Skuta although he does have a brief Wikipedia page. This is a very clear precise (if a bit heavy handed) performance of this sunny work for a nice sunny Sunday morning.


----------



## bejart

George Lickl (1769-1843): String Quartet No.3 in C Minor

Authentic Quartet: Balazs Bozzai and Zsolt Kallo, violins -- Gabor Ra, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to a recent release of Bostridge singing Britten. I've loved all of Bostridge's work in Britten, so this one's a sure thing for me.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=925259


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Once I get started with Liszt I find it very difficult to stop (I spent a few months a couple of years ago just absorbed in getting to know his solo piano music). So more Liszt, then:

*Liszt - Harmonies poetic et Religieuses, S. 173* / PhilipThompson [Naxos]















The main draws here are 'Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude', S. 173/3, 'Pensee de morts', S. 173/4 and the wonderful 'Funerailles', S. 173/7 (I also have a live Richter interpretation of this but the recording quality is _filthy_ so it's almost painful to listen to) Philip Thompson is good enough in this.

also (from the same discs):

*Liszt:
Six Consolations S. 172
Les morts, S. 516
Resignazione, S. 187a
Ave Maria in D flat; in G; in E and Ave Maria d'Arcedelt
Ungarns Gott, S. 543a and S. 543b*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Gubaidulina*: Violin Concerti, "Hommage", w. Kremer/Dutoit (rec.1988), Mutter/Gergiev (rec.2008);Orchestral Works, w. Trondheim SO/Gimse et al (rec.2011); String Quartets, String Trio, w. Danish Qt. (rec.1992).

View attachment 29084
View attachment 29085
View attachment 29086
View attachment 29087


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> We'll take a page from the speaker thread and have a double-blind A-B listen-off! :lol:


On chance they would've reviewed them, too bad Stereo Review wasn't around for both Mordkovitch and Vengerov releases.


----------



## Oskaar

My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:

1- wand - Kölner rundfunk sinfonie orchester --- floating, great nerve, magical, lyrical, 
I early gave up "listening" and alloved myself carry through the adventurous journey, if Wand have failed to deliver some place, it had hurt, but he never did. Brilliant use of any tool, and perfectly glued together. Clearly the best interpretation so far! J cant think of anything negative- maybe the sound quality, but it is good enough, and is far less important to me than in chamber or piano works. Marvelous!

2-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.
*
 3- Norrington-SWR Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart new --- I started to listen to this ammediately after Wand, and it felt like a gigantic anticlimax. Luckily I waited som hours, and started again. And I really like it! I find it clean,almost minimalistic, a bit one dimentional, very romantic. Sentimentale. The dramatic potential is maybe a bit under-played, but I dont find it unengaging. A positive surprise!*

4-Jochum Statskapelle Dresden mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.

5-Jesus Lopez-Cobos - Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (new)--- "thick" sound in a positive way (Very good brass section), seeking and lyrical, a bit still-standing sometimes, as if the nerve is lost, I think this one has a great growing potential on me!, but my first impression is a bit on-and off-feeling. Conservative and a bit under-played(wich I often like, that is why I say it can grow on me.) romantic , sensitive feel, but not deering enough?

6-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid

7-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.

8-Solti (Chicago s.o.) A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam. 
Last edited by oskaar; Today at 13:40.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/Metamenu/RCO-Radio/
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major, KV 551 'Jupiter' - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Trevor Pinnock (25.3.2012)


----------



## brotagonist

Weston said:


> I agree with this in principle. The YT sound quality is rarely very good... But I think these Wellesz folks take it a bit too far. There is scarcely anything they haven't already uploaded.... Of course it is handy to have examples to post on forums like this when we want to discuss.


I disagree with it. It is difficult to determine the principle... and that is the true principle. There are countless such channels on YT and the quality isn't all that bad, considering most will be listening with earbuds. They all claim to be uploading for educational purposes. Of course, it is educational, but I think it is for the purpose of distributing music for free, aka piracy. I love being able to hear a piece of music in its entirety before I buy it, when I am not quite sure about it, and this has helped loosen my purse strings considerably. However, a survey of the comments to such uploads suggests that I am in the minority: most are interested in downloading the video and have no interest in subsequently buying the album. I rarely link to videos that appear to be posted without permission.


----------



## Blake

Love me some Prokofiev. Jarvi - Symphony 5. I think I'd rate Proko and Shosty equally at this point in time.... Funny I started off not liking either. Thus, life.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Schnittke's* (1934 - 1998) birthday.

View attachment 29090


----------



## Oskaar

Mischa *Maisky* & Martha *Argerich* - *Beethoven*: Cello Sonatas Op.69 & 102; Variations









amazon


----------



## science

Probably shouldn't count as classical, but since I'm listening to it I may as well confess.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 23 "Appasionata", 24 "A therese", 24, 26 "Les Adieux", 27, 28, 29 "Hammerklavier"
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 28, 29 "Hammerklavier", 4, 9, 10, 26 "Les Adieux", 27
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata in Cm D958, Piano Sonata in A D959
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## SimonNZ

brotagonist said:


> I disagree with it. It is difficult to determine the principle... and that is the true principle. There are countless such channels on YT and the quality isn't all that bad, considering most will be listening with earbuds. They all claim to be uploading for educational purposes. Of course, it is educational, but I think it is for the purpose of distributing music for free, aka piracy. I love being able to hear a piece of music in its entirety before I buy it, when I am not quite sure about it, and this has helped loosen my purse strings considerably. *However, a survey of the comments to such uploads suggests that I am in the minority: most are interested in downloading the video and have no interest in subsequently buying the album*. I rarely link to videos that appear to be posted without permission.


But a survey was done here a little while ago and it was unanimously agreed (apart from the person who started the thread) that their YT use was for assessment before purchasing.

Its an interesting, thorny issue I'd like to see thrashed out on a thread with wider scope than that one asked for.

playing now:










Haydn Symphonies, disc 27, Nos. 72, 93 and 95 - Bela Drahos, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 6 (Berglund/Helsinki PO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*John Cage - Four Walls* / Margaret Leng Tan (Piano), Joan la Barbera (soprano) [New Albion]









*Music of Webern arranged for jazz quartet - 5 Movements for string quartet Op 5* / Spooky Actions









Webern's opus 5: each movement is played, and then they improvise, recognisably on the original. I am in avant-garde heaven!

My son's choice this evening. Most interesting... he's much more adventurous than I am in this kind of music. Less so with conventional stuff, but he was impressed with 'Funerailles' earlier on.


----------



## Oskaar

*Domenico Nordio - Brahms / Sonate per violino e pianoforte 1,2 and 3
*








almost painfully intense and beautiful...

amazon


----------



## EricABQ

It's been quite some time since I listened to the Chopin sonatas, so I'm starting with #1 played by V. Ashkenazy.


----------



## Blancrocher

Britten's "Curlew River," with Britten conducting Pears, John Shirley-Quick, Harold Blackburn, and Bryan Drake. I wish Pappano and Bostridge would get around to putting out a recording of this strange work.


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 11 in D* played by Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra on EMI.
Very entertaining piano concerto, and what a good performance! Plenty of meat in the first movement, and the slow movement is rather good. Typical Haydn fun in the finale.

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No 19 in F.* played by Alfred Brendel and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields under Neville Mariner on Philips.
I suppose it's not fair following Haydn in a genre not central to him with this from Mozart. It's just so natural and brimming with hummable melodies. It's like a Mozart opera minus the singing. Quite a beautiful and poetic slow movement. And an amusing finale with contrapuntal episodes trying to elbow in on the fun.
Naturally played by Brendel and the ASMF.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

To wind down before bedtime:

*J. S. Bach

Concerto for Oboe d'Amore, Strings, and Continuo in D, BWV 1053* - Reconstruction; Arnold Mehl
*Sinfonia from the Cantata 'Ich steh' mit einem Fuss im Grabe', BWV156
Canonic Trio in F, BWV1040

C. P. E. Bach

Oboe Concerto in E flat, Wq165
Oboe Concerto in B flat, Wq164*

Heinz Holliger (Oboe), Camerata Bern









What can I say - this is a delight


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Op. 68, "Pastoral"
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Frühbeck de Burgos

Last night's concert's opener.


----------



## Sid James

*Mussorgsky (transcribed by Leopold Stokowski)*
Entr'acte to Act IV of Khovanschina
Symphonic Synthesis of Boris Godunov
- Bournemouth SO cond. by Jose Serebrier

*Borodin* String Quartet #2: Nocturne
- Budapest Haydn Quartet
*Prokofiev* Romeo and Juliet Suite #2: Montagues and Capulets
- Ukraine National SO cond. by Andrew Mongrelia
*Tchaikovsky* Symphony #2: Andantino
- Polish National Radio SO cond. by Adrian Leaper

*Boccherini* Guitar Quinet in C Major, "La Ritirata di Madrid"
- Zoltan Tokos, guitar with Danubius String Quartet

*Peter Sculthorpe* Kakadu
- Sydney SO cond. by Stuart Challender


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Brixi (1732-1771): Symphony in D Major

Vojtech Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Winterreisender

Beethoven Piano Sonata #31 - Friedrich Gulda

Came across Gulda's recordings in the Brilliant Classics complete Beethoven set. He definitely ranks among my favourite interpreters of these works.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: 24 Preludes Op.28/Four Ballades Alfred Cortot

These are performances recorded for HMV in 1957 and unreleased before this EMI set that came out last year. I am enjoying them very much. Not the perhaps what you'd want as your sole performances of this repertoire, but never less than enjoyable and any way, who, once they've really got into these pieces, would only want one performance of them anyway??


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Winterreisender said:


> Beethoven Piano Sonata #31 - Friedrich Gulda
> 
> Came across Gulda's recordings in the Brilliant Classics complete Beethoven set. He definitely ranks among my favourite interpreters of these works.


I've never heard Gulda playing Beethoven, when a boy we had an LP of him playing Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Swarovsky, I loved it- and playing it recently after a gap of many years, I love it still. He plays along with the orchestral introduction of the concerto. It's a wonderful performance by a great individualist. Why haven't I investigated more Gulda? I confess that I am disappointed in me, thanks Winter for making me think.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet No.5 in D Major

Arthur Grumiaux and Arpad Gerecz, violins -- Georges Janzer and Max Lesueur, violas -- Eva Czako, cello


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Billy Mayerl: Autumn Crocus/Wistaria/Evening Primrose/Aquarium Suite/Marigold/From A Spanish Lattice/Puppets Suite/Weeping Willow/Railroad Rhythm
Philip Martin

Not sure whether I'm on the right thread with this, here or on the "Non-classical music I'm Currently Listening to", I think that it perhaps fits best here. This is a new disc on Somm. Fascinating to me, who has played Billy Mayerl's music for years (dad played much of it- and played it very well), and listened over the years to many respected pianists playing it and making a total hash of it. Thus far Philip Martin- a pianist I admire very much- is making a very good job of it! I heard him a few years ago in Cork, he gave, with the violinist Ruxandra Colan, one of the finest performances of the Elgar Violin Sonata that I've ever heard. Ha! Now contrary to what I said earlier, on the first movement of the Aquarium Suite, at the point where the main theme goes into syncopated rhythm, he's slowed down considerably and it sounds stodgy and earthbound as a result. Oh dear!
Oh glory, now "Moorish Idol" the second movement is so painfully slow that I really don't know what to say, I realise that at this speed it will help with the accuracy of the playing, but surely 'twere best left alone if it had to go so slow as to render it incredibly dull??
Well, I must say that the lack of rhythmic impetus in this has left me, after the first three pieces, singularly unimpressed. "Punch" the final movement of "Puppets Suite" is marked "giocoso", well, it was anything but giocoso. Blast it, thumbs down I fear.
The result of a commission by the record company rather than a love of the music by the pianist I suspect. Not happy.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert - The Late String Quartets


----------



## starthrower

I bought this for the orchestrated version of the two pianos/percussion sonata, but I'm enjoying the violin/viola concertos just as much. All three feature world class soloists, and the recorded sound is top flight.


----------



## GreenMamba

Deleted (responded to something that was a lot older than I thought)


----------



## senza sordino

As I'm reading The Rest is Noise, Listening to the 20th Century by Alex Ross, I'm listening to my own small sample of music. I'm up to Les Six, so here's today's listening:
*Poulenc Organ Concerto and Concert Champetre*, with George Malcolm soloist, with Academy of St Martin in the Fields, 
*Poulenc Gloria*, Swiss Radio Orchestra all from my 2CD set
&
*Milhaud The Creation of the World*, Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne, Alberto Zedda conducts. Lots of fun

And still on my *Ben Britten* commemoration 
*Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Les Illuminations, Nocturne* with Ian Bostridge singing, Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Phil.


----------



## GreenMamba

Handel's Water Music, Pinnock/The English Concert


----------



## Blake

Hickox's Rubbra: Symphony 4. A constantly evolving stream of consciousness.


----------



## Novelette

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo -- Emmanuelle Haim: Le Concert d'Astrée

Brahms: Sonata for 2 Pianos in F Minor, Op. 34B -- Silke-Thora Matthies, Christian Köhn

Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony #2, Op. 9, "Antar" -- David Zinman: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

Dvořák: String Quartet #3 in D, B 18 -- Prague Quartet

Corelli: Violin Sonata #9 in A, Op. 5/9 -- Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr


----------



## Blancrocher

Joseph Keilberth and company in La clemenza di Tito. I'm having a great time!

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Gerhard-Gröschel/Performer/78196-2

*p.s.* Great choices as usual, Novelette--I particularly hope you enjoyed that Orfeo!


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.16 in C Major, K.128; Symphony No.17 in G Major, K.129; Symphony No.18 in F Major, K. 130; Symphony No.19 in E-Flat Major, K.132 and Symphony No.20 in D Major, K.133. *
All five works feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.97 in C Major and Symphony No.99 in E-Flat Major, * both performed by the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## shangoyal

Haydn: *String Quartets Op. 20*


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Serenade, Op 24
London Sinfonietta, cond. Atherton









Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 25
Glenn Gould









In these earliest of pieces composed with the 12-tone method (although not consistently so), Schoenberg penned some of the least angst-ridden music of his career. These pieces are filled with rhythmic and tonal games of all kinds. That's not to say the music won't strike the Schoenberg-suspicious as immediately "accessible", but in the barrages of guitar and mandolin strumming in the march, for example, there's a good deal of humor that belies the idea that Schoenberg's music is always dark.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gareth Farr's Three Etudes - Jeremy Fitzsimons, marimba


----------



## science

Tabuh-Tabuhan is very fun.

Edit: That entire disk is great. That is undoubtedly one of the best things I've heard in the MLP boxes. I know it's merely pseudo-modernist populism but it's great.


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Much folk music is as much about performance, the "acting out" of playing music, as it is about the sounds produced.


This seems to illustrate...

Baritone Steven Kimbrough transports us to the world of the cowboy on the range in the American Wild West. The "marvellous artistic settings" (liner notes) of familiar western tunes and traditional texts by Oscar J. Fox, David W. Guion, Charles Ives and others come to life through an "'acting out' of playing music" as the frontier cowboy balladeer.









This album of traditional cowboy songs, raised to the level of art song, accompanied on piano by Dalton Baldwin, is a rare find


----------



## dgee

Anthemes II - Boulez (Hae-Sun Kang - violin). It's for violin and live electronics and it's immediately amazing and thoroughly virtuosic - quite suitable for those squeamish about contemporary music. 

I was listening to the album for the Gramophone Award winning recording of the highly touted Sur Incises (where he takes material from an earlier piano work and deconstructs it with 3 harps, 3 pianos and percussion) which, after repeated listening and a bit of reading, is coming into focus (still struggling with one steel drums moment which is jarringly Jamaican street band)


----------



## SimonNZ

Robin Holloway's Reliquary: Scenes From The Life Of Mary Queen Of Scots - Dorothea Röschmann, soprano, Gianandrea Noseda, cond

World premiere from the 2010 Proms


----------



## Ingélou

*Lully fils*, *Concert Donné au Souper du Roy*.

I'm an old friend of the family - and 'Monsieur Baptiste' is indeed a chip off the old block. 
Here I am, stocking up on elegance, élan, joie de vivre, joie d'esprit, savoir faire, insouciance, ooh la la & all other Gallic commodities...

*Vive la France!*


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Charles Villiers Stanford's Cello Concerto in D minor - Gemma Rosefield, cello, Andrew Manze, cond.


----------



## Taggart

Bach - Double Violin Concerto - Andrew Manze and Rachel Podger from the BBC Proms. Excellent performance of a beautiful piece. In some ways it shows how things have changed in HIP music. One of the first cd's I bought (1984) was










and there, there was practically more about the cd system than about either the music or the instruments. If you get one of Manze's discs now, you practically get a biography of the instruments used. It's a lovely performance although the tempi are a little more extreme - both fast and slow.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Edouard Lalo's Piano Trio No.3 - Trio Salomon


----------



## Kieran

Arvo Part, Fratres, from 1995. Don't know who's playing, it's a copy disc...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Howard Goodall's The Seasons: Autumn - Bozidar Vukotic, cello, Tippett Quartet, Marianna Szymanowska, harp


----------



## Winterreisender

Schubert Symphony #5 - Roy Goodman and Hanover Band









excellent recording on period instruments.


----------



## Andolink

*George Frideric Handel*: _Ariodante_, an opera in 3 acts
Ariodante..........Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano
Ginevra.............Juliana Gondek, soprano
Dalinda..............Lisa Saffer, soprano
Polinesso...........Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano
Il Re.................Nicolas Cavallier, bass
Lurcanio............Rufus Müller, tenor
Odoardo............Jörn Lindemann, tenor
Freiburger Barockorchester/Nicholas McGegan


----------



## Schubussy

Chabrier - Orchestral Works
Neeme Järvi, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande








And next

Handel - Trio Sonatas
Richard Egarr, Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## EricABQ

Saint-Saens piano concerto 3 with Charles Dutoit and Pascal Roge.


----------



## Oskaar

*ROUSSEL, A.: Symphonies Nos. 1-4*

Composer(s):
*Roussel, Albert *

Conductor(s):
*Janowski, Marek *

Orchestra(s):
*Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra*









I am in for all four! Only played first movement in 1. symphony, but it gives high expectations!

amazon


----------



## science

Let's see if I survive this sugar rush! (What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right?)


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Charles Villiers Stanford's Cello Concerto in D minor - Gemma Rosefield, cello, Andrew Manze, cond.


It's too bad that series doesn't seem to be getting off the ground. Looks like it's one edition every three years or so. But at least at that rate I can keep up! I've given up on the piano concerto series. I'll get more when one intrigues me, but I don't have the time or energy to get to know so many piano concertos.


----------



## maestro267

*Vaughan Williams*: Dona nobis pacem
Sop., bar. soloists, Bach Choir, Bournemouth SO/Hill

*Dvorák*: Symphony No. 7 in D minor
LSO/Sir Colin Davis


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Havergal Brian's Symphonies 22-4 & English Suite 1 under Alexander Walker & the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra on Naxos.

Fantastic quality recordings, great performances of a sadly neglected British composer.


----------



## Kopachris

Shut up, it's still classical!


----------



## moody

Taggart said:


> Now that's what I call Lieder. A lovely collection of Middle English song and some instrumental music.
> 
> We bought this fourteen years ago in Walsingham, and when I went looking for a picture, I was surprised at the current price up at least 250% - still well worth it.


Yes,but it's not lieder. It says English Songs Of the Middle Ages.
Lieder when you use it in an English sentence means German Art Songs ie Schubert ,etc.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Penderecki*: Concerti, w. Noras/Penderecki (rec.2000/1), Kulka/Yun/Wit (rec.2000), Mutter/Penderecki (rec.1997); Orchestral Works, w. Wit et al (rec.2008 - '10), Penderecki et al (rec.1972 - '75).

View attachment 29123
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View attachment 29125
View attachment 29126
View attachment 29127


----------



## Blake

Serebrier's Glazunov: Symphony 7. Lusciously Romantic with a Russian vibrancy.


----------



## Oskaar

*Nurit Stark (Violin), Cédric Pescia (Piano) *
*Music for Violin & Piano by Ferruccio Busoni & George Enescu*

Sonata for Violin and Piano no 2 in E minor, Op. 36a/K 244 by Ferruccio Busoni
Sonata for Violin and Piano no 3 in A minor, Op. 25 by George Enescu









allmusic with review


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Penderecki*: Chamber Music, w. Lethiec/Noras et al (rec.2001), Royal Qt. (rec.2012), Bieler & Tichman (rec.2003).

*Antheil/Lourie/Ornstein*: Piano Works, w. Lombardi (rec.1995).

View attachment 29130
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View attachment 29132
View attachment 29133


----------



## Blancrocher

Bostridge singing Schumann.


----------



## opus55

Donezetti: L'Elisir D'Amore










Is it ok to post operas here? I see opera currently listening thread but I like it better here


----------



## Rocco

At the moment I'm listening to Vivaldi's Gloria. Wonderful work! On my way into work I'll be listening to Handel's Messiah. I only wish my drive to work was longer...:lol:


----------



## maestro267

*Mathias*: Symphony No. 2 (Summer Music)
BBC Welsh SO/Mathias

One of my favourite discoveries of 2013, this. The colours Mathias conjures up are enchanting. Definitely in the Ravellian and Baxian spirit. Harps and tuned percussion aplenty. The finale is as exuberant as you can get, with an ecstatic conclusion.


----------



## Oskaar

*Respighi, Martucci: Works For Cello & Piano*

Sonata for Cello and Piano in F sharp minor, Op. 52 by Giuseppe Martucci 
Performer: *Arturo Bonucci (Cello), Antonio Bacchelli (Piano)*

Romances (2) for Cello and Piano, Op. 72 by Giuseppe Martucci 
Performer: *Arturo Bonucci (Cello), Antonio Bacchelli (Piano)*

Pieces (3) for Cello and Piano, Op. 69 by Giuseppe Martucci 
Performer: *Arturo Bonucci (Cello), Antonio Bacchelli (Piano)*

Adagio con variazioni for Cello and Orchestra by Ottorino Respighi 
Performer: A*rturo Bonucci (Cello), Pietro Spada (Piano)*









amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Is it ok to post operas here? I see opera currently listening thread but I like it better here


I do it all the time! In fact...

Schoenberg: Moses und Aron
Gunter Reich, Richard Cassily, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## opus55

Bach: English Suite No. 3


----------



## joen_cph

*Mozart Piano Concertos 9 & 17 /Schiff, Vegh / Decca*

The only box set of the concertos I have on CD, together with LP boxes of Barenboim/EMI, Brendel/Marriner and Perahia/ECO (skipped Han/Freeman), plus a good many individual recordings.

At times nice, with engaged and varied orchestral playing in particular, but Schiff tends to downplay the various moods and contrasts now and then. This is quite apparent in the Finale of no.17, for example, where they only really sort of "wake up" at the end. No doubt a conscious choice, but not so much to my taste.

I plan to supplement with the Anda/DG CD set, and that should pretty much finish off my Mozart piano concerto CD collection. I suspect that Anda will be my favourite among the box sets, judging from what I know of his recordings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Virgil Thompson.*


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Taneyev's *(1856 - 1915) birthday, Piano Quintet, w. Alikhanov/Moscow Qt.

View attachment 29138


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Inspired by Kopachris and his "Fur Elise in Ragtime" posting, how about this? Felix Arndt's "Desecration Rag- A Classic Nightmare". Arndt (1889-1918) is probably best known for his solo "Nola", he died in the Spanish flu epidemic. He did record this piece, but here's a young pianist who's certainly got the measure of it!


----------



## science

Slummin' it again and I have to admit that I like this more than I'm supposed to.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Dark Side of Vivaldi *
Various artists 
October 26, 2012









amazon


----------



## brotagonist

The bright side of Vivaldi:









I am interspersing the remainder of my new acquisitions with randomly selected albums from my collection. This one is next. I find the Spanish guitar to be especially appealing in this performance of some of Vivaldi's Concertos.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to an interesting disk with Ravel conducting his own works.

http://www.classicalcdreview.com/bolero.htm


----------



## Blake

Svetlanov's Myaskovsky: Symphony 15. Expansive, yet nostalgic. Rustic, yet sweet.


----------



## ptr

..for the night:

*Clemens Gadenstätter* - Comic Sense (Kairos)









Florian Müller piano; Klangforum Wien u. Mark Foster

/ptr


----------



## science

I figure I better get to something like this before I lose my street cred. Plus - I love it!


----------



## Manxfeeder

ShropshireMoose said:


> Inspired by Kopachris and his "Fur Elise in Ragtime" posting, how about this?


Nice pastiche of Scott Joplin.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Scott Joplin rags.*

All this talk about ragtime has got me to pull out some Joplin. William Albright is a good second recording of the rags. While Joshua Rifkin plays them they way you expect them to sound, Albright's recording is full of unexpected quirky things.


----------



## Blake

Jansons' Tchaikovsky: Symphony 6. Adjectives unnecessary.


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto










Feels very much like Paganini's concerto.


----------



## jim prideaux

as previously recounted bought Berglund and COE recordings of Sibelius symphonies from I-tunes for bargain price....really impressed and then because of an innate distrust of technology and the fact there was a second hand copy for £1.26p on Amazonia I bought 4th/6th symphonies on a Finlandia CD....Berglund really seems to find the essence of these great works..


----------



## shangoyal

Mahler: *Symphony No. 5*

Actually listening to just the Adagietto. Honestly, before today I was not taken with it too much - but today, it has struck me in the guts - I have "got" it, I have! It is the work of a true master - and perhaps an anguished soul...


----------



## Guest

*Nelson Riddle *was an American composer mostly known for his arrangements of popular songs for singers such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and many others. He was paid well enough for that work that he didn't often cross over into more serious music. But on two occasions he did. The music blends classical and jazz. I enjoy these works very much and would recommend them to anyone looking for another American composer, or jazz-infused classical music like Gershwin.








*Cross Country Suite*
Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra, featuring Buddy DeFranco on clarinet
Riddle earned a Grammy Award for this *1958 *recording. The work is a series of impressionist movements that represent places in America such as "Smokey Mountain Country", "The Great Lakes", and "Mississippi".








*British Columbia Suite*
Nelson Riddle and His 60 Piece Orchestra
This work was commissioned in *1969 *to commemorate the Canadian province's centennial year and celebration. Like the Cross Country Suite, it is a series of picturesque movements with titles like "Route Of The Haidas" and "Vancouver Nights".


----------



## DrKilroy

Saint Saens - Africa (Collard/Previn), Wedding Cake (Chorzempa/de Waart).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Richard Strauss' Rosenkavalier Concert Suite - Andris Nelsons, cond


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter and Gavrilov in Handel's keyboard suites.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bridge - String Quartets

No. 1 in E minor, H. 70 (1906)
No. 2 in G minor, H. 115 (1914-15)
No. 3, H 175 (1924-26)
No. 4, H. 188 (1937)*

Maggini Quartet [Naxos]















This is the first time I've listened to the four numbered quartets back to back. Together they make up a significant and satisfying early 20th century string quartet cycle. The two earlier quartets (especially #2) are suffused with a disquieting melancholy lyricism whilst the later two are more heavily chromatic and dissonant. I'm very taken with these (I'm sure some of you will have noticed this!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Spaces Acoustiques (5th movement, Transitories)*


----------



## GioCar

Bach: Cantata No. 196 Der Herr denket an uns (BWV196)
BCJ, Masaaki Suzuki

A little jewel by a young Bach.

It has commonly been believed that it was used at the wedding of the minister who celebrated Bach’s own wedding ceremony in Arnstadt, Pastor J. R. Stauber, and the aunt of Bach’s wife Barbara (5th June 1708).


----------



## ticovanzant

Kalevi Aho: Symphony No 13


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Corelli's Violin Sonata in F - Pavlo Beznosiuk, violin, Richard Tunnicliffe, cello, Avison Ensemble


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major, K.16; Symphony in F Major, K.19a; Symphony No.4 in D Major, K.19; Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, K.22; Symphony No.6 in F Major, K.43; Symphony No."55" in B-Flat Major, K.45b; Symphony No.7 in D Major, K.45 and Symphony No.8 in D Major, K.48. *
All eight symphonies are performed by the Sir Charles Mackerras led Prague Chamber Orchestra.
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2,* both featuring Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Boulez conducting his own works.

I don't have any Boulez in my collection. This is an inexpensive download on Amazon. I'm deciding between this and his Memoriale/Derive Album, another inexpensive download.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Violin Concerto


----------



## Centropolis

Beethoven violin sonatas


----------



## Blake

Hughes' Holmboe: Symphony 3. I've come to the conclusion that Holmboe was one of the greatest 20th century composers. For anyone who hasn't checked out this symphony cycle... do so:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Egmont Overture
Schumann: Symphony No.3
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.2
New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Leonore)/Bruno Walter

The Beethoven is great and the Schumann, vigorous! Just as it should be. I can hardly credit now that I used to feel indifferent to Schumann's symphonies. Now I love them with a passion that delights me more than I can say! Especially those wild performances that First Hand records recently reissued by the London Philharmonic and Sir Adrian Boult. Passion a-plenty there, and a fervour that many reviewers used to suggest Boult lacked. Well worth searching out.


----------



## SarahO

What else?

Nutcracker Suite - Tchaikovsky
Berlin Philharmonic - Semyon Bychkov


----------



## Sid James

*Franck* Symphony in D minor
- Royal Flanders PO cond. by Gunter Neuhold

*Copland* Clarinet Concerto
- David Singer, clarinet with A Far Cry Orchestra

*Boccherini* Guitar Quintet in E minor
- Zoltan Tokos, guitar with the Danubius String Quartet

*Mancini* Pink Panther Theme, Peter Gunn, Charade (Opening Titles)
- Henry Mancini and his orchestra

*Wagner* Gotterdammerung: Act 3, Scene 3 (Immolation Scene)
- Margaret Jane Wray, soprano w. Russian State SO cond. by John McGlinn


----------



## Rocco

Currently listening to Beethoven's Choral Fantasy in C minor. Absolutely wonderful music!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This is an exceptional recording by the Montreal Wind Society of two Quintets for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano. The first is by French composer André Caplet and is the highlight of this album but the second is almost as good by the French composer Alberic Magnard. Magnard is one of my new favorites and I have not heard any other pieces by Caplet before but I'm certainly going to look for some. This combination of instruments for a quintet is just delightful and candy for the ears. Check it out if you can!










Kevin


----------



## science

I'm rockin' now.


----------



## senza sordino

Jerome said:


> *Nelson Riddle *
> 
> View attachment 29152
> 
> *British Columbia Suite*
> Nelson Riddle and His 60 Piece Orchestra
> This work was commissioned in *1969 *to commemorate the Canadian province's centennial year and celebration. Like the Cross Country Suite, it is a series of picturesque movements with titles like "Route Of The Haidas" and "Vancouver Nights".


I'll have to check this out, I've never heard of this piece. But 1969 was a long time ago, I was four and not living here in BC


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Violin Sonata in B 

Felix Ayo, violin -- Corrado De Bernart, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

Pierre Dervaux conducting Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=13433


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Miracles Of St. Kentigern: Scottish Medieval Plainchant" - Capella Nova

Thought I was going to leave emptyhanded from the secondhand store today until I spotted this tasty treat misfiled and underpriced in the Folk section


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 54
Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro


----------



## KenOC

Just finishing up Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto, Patricia Kopatchinskaja on the fiddle, Peter Eötvös conducting the Ensemble Modern. A wild and wooly performance.

http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Eötvös...438882&sr=1-1&keywords=bartok+concerto+eotvos


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Corelli's Violin Sonata in F - Pavlo Beznosiuk, violin, Richard Tunnicliffe, cello, Avison Ensemble


Good random listening, Simon. This Avison Ens. rec. is one of my Top 10 purchases for 2013. The other nine will be announced soon...after my CPR journey is done...I'm nearly there. :tiphat:


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> "The Miracles Of St. Kentigern: Scottish Medieval Plainchant" - Capella Nova
> 
> Thought I was going to leave emptyhanded from the secondhand store today until I spotted this tasty treat misfiled and underpriced in the Folk section


Wow! Good find.


----------



## ticovanzant

A little Schubert lieder from the great Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Daphnis And Chloe - Charles Dutoit, cond.


----------



## KenOC

More Bartok! Concerto for Orchestra, Fritz Reiner and the Chicagoans. A grand old recording that pushes all the right buttons.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









A tour Deforce to send Xenakis and cello fans into delighted throes


----------



## Couac Addict

Brahms' 3rd - Walter/Columbia SO

Now and then, everyone needs a little Brahms in them....but not in a Clara Schumann kind of way.
Nice one Brahms. You steal Schumann's theme _and_ his missus. What a _playa!
_

This is the only recording I've heard where the theme leaps off the page. Everything else sounds muddy and dull.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.9 "Kreutzer" - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin, Fazil Say, piano

courtesy of Faliz Say's own YT channel, a treasure trove of not-on-cd live or live-in-the-studio recordings of his work as both composer and pianist, including many such as this full blooded Kreutzer with my future wife Patricia Kopatchinskaja

http://www.youtube.com/user/farabi80/videos?sort=p&view=0&shelf_id=2


----------



## Ingélou

SimonNZ said:


> "The Miracles Of St. Kentigern: Scottish Medieval Plainchant" - Capella Nova
> 
> Thought I was going to leave emptyhanded from the secondhand store today until I spotted this tasty treat misfiled and underpriced in the Folk section


That makes me go *green* -what a find, Simon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Soup of the Day* for me is *Sammartini*. Made creamy rich with *two* varieties of *carrot*.

*Giuseppe Sammartini*, Oboe Concerto in E flat - chic and tuneful.

*Giovanni Battista Sammartini*, Sonata no 3 for 2 Violoncellos in A minor - a stately, mellow sound, like two Suffolk Punch horses galloping in tandem over a meadow.

Also by *Giovanni*, his Symphonie no 1 en Ré JC11 - elegant - with a tang of some spice that's almost like Wolfgang...

_(PS - Don't ask what horses are doing in my soup.)_


----------



## GioCar

SimonNZ said:


> Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.9 "Kreutzer" - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin, Fazil Say, piano
> 
> ... with my future wife Patricia Kopatchinskaja
> 
> [/url]


Congratulations!


----------



## dgee

Future wife!? I had to check to see if she was even "of age" but it turns out she's older than me - a great surprise


----------



## SimonNZ

Heh. Speaking of whom...

Can anyone identify the wacky piece she's playing and vocalizing in this very brief video?:






I could ask her myself, of course, only we haven't actually met yet.


----------



## GioCar

SimonNZ said:


> Heh. Speaking of whom...
> 
> Can anyone identify the wacky piece she's playing and vocalizing in this very brief video?:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I could ask her myself, of course, only we haven't actually met yet.


She says it...

here's the facebook page of the composer

https://www.facebook.com/sanchezchiong

Maybe a competitor of you?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Couac Addict said:


> Brahms' 3rd - Walter/CSO
> 
> This is the only recording I've heard where the theme leaps off the page. Everything else sounds muddy and dull.


Try Rudolf Kempe/Berlin Philharmonic, that has a similar quality.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jorge Sanchez-Choing's Used Future - Ensemble XX Jahrhundert

fascinating work, but not a trace of the playfulness in the piece PK was performing


----------



## ptr

Tuesday morning frühstücksmusik:

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphopny No 11 (Philips)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Semyon Bychkov

...übermäßig interpretation!

/ptr


----------



## Taggart

Found in a charity shop, much to my surprise - an excellent, lively version, historically performed.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> my future wife Patricia Kopatchinskaja


I admire your ability to commit. Without a doubt she'd catch me listening to Julia Fischer or Leila Josefowicz one day (or both at once, perhaps), and faced with the inevitable ultimatum, I'd have to choose my freedom.


----------



## science

ah, the old favorites…


----------



## ptr

..afternoon delight:

*George Gershwin* - Earl Wild plays his Transcriptions (Chesky)









Earl Wild, piano

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

* Komei Abe*: Symphony No. 1; Divertimento; Sinfonietta

*Dmitry Yablonsky *
*Russian Philharmonic Orchestra*









allmusic with review


----------



## science




----------



## science




----------



## Evoken

Currently on...








Last stop on the journey through this awesome 10 CDs set (had listened to CDs 9 & 10 previously).


----------



## Blancrocher

Colin Davis conducting Handel's Messiah.


----------



## maestro267

*Strauss*: Symphonia Domestica
Scottish National Orchestra/N. Järvi


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in G Major, D 84

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Federico Guglielmo on violin


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/Metamenu/RCO-Radio/
Magnus Lindberg: Kraft - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Susanna Mälkki - Kari Kriikku - Anssi Karttunen - Ralph van Raat (23.6.2012)
Well, this is some creepy modern classic for sure...


----------



## Andolink

*Edmund Rubbra*: _Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in A flat_, Op. 65
Gloriae Dei Cantores / Elizabeth C. Patterson
James E. Jordan Jr., organist








*Michael Tippett*: _String Quartet No. 4_
Lindsay String Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schnittke*: Violin Concerto 4, w. Kremer/Eschenbach (rec.1996); Cello Concerto 1, w. Ivashkin/Polyansky (rec.1999), Gutman/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1986); Cello Concerto 2, w. Rostropovich/Ozawa (rec.1991); Piano Concerti, w. Postnikova/I. Schnittke/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1992).

View attachment 29180
View attachment 29181
View attachment 29182
View attachment 29183
View attachment 29184


----------



## maestro267

Can I ask what CPR stands for?


----------



## ptr

Take Your pick:



> CPR	Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
> CPR	Canadian Pacific Railway
> CPR	Colorado Public Radio
> CPR	Copper (plumbing drawings)
> CPR	Civil Procedure Rules (rules governing civil litigation procedure; UK)
> CPR	Chopper
> CPR	Center for Policy Research
> CPR	Centre for Performance Research (UK)
> CPR	International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (Boulder, CO)
> CPR	'Copter
> CPR	Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
> CPR	Det Centrale Personregister (Danish government databases)
> CPR	Computer-based Patient Record
> CPR	Contraceptive Prevalence Rate
> CPR	Constant Prepayment Rate (finance)
> CPR	Committee of Permanent Representatives
> CPR	Common-Pool Resource
> CPR	California Performance Review
> CPR	Cloud Profiling Radar
> CPR	Center for Public Resources
> CPR	Calibrated Peer Review
> CPR	Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
> CPR	Continuous Plankton Recorder
> CPR	Critique of Pure Reason
> CPR	Computer Personnel Research
> CPR	Contract Performance Report
> CPR	Contemporary Poetry Review
> CPR	Common Property Resource
> CPR	Cytochrome P450 Reductase
> CPR	Conditional Prepayment Rate
> CPR	Californians for Pesticide Reform
> CPR	Coalition for Patients' Rights
> CPR	Calibrated Preemptive Response (riot control)
> CPR	Checkpoint/Restart
> CPR	Current Periodicals
> CPR	Center for Paralysis Research
> CPR	Competent Persons Report
> CPR	Congrès pour la République (French; Tunisia)
> CPR	Crosby, Pevar & Raymond (band)
> CPR	Camborne-Pool-Redruth (Cornwall, UK conurbation)
> CPR	Cook Political Report
> CPR	Continuing Property Records
> CPR	Customary, Prevailing, and Reasonable
> CPR	Center for Progressive Regulation
> CPR	Center for Preventing Roads
> CPR	Catch Photograph Release (fishing)
> CPR	Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
> CPR	Coalition for Property Rights (Orlando, FL)
> CPR	Construction Products Regulation (EU)
> CPR	Cornelius Pass Roadhouse (Oregon)
> CPR	Controlled Products Regulation
> CPR	Contractor Performance Report
> CPR	Coalition for Patient Rights
> CPR	Communication Processor
> CPR	Computer Patient Record
> CPR	Commander, Amphibious Squadron
> CPR	Controlled Pattern Release
> CPR	Canadian Patent Reporter
> CPR	Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect (NYPD Motto)
> CPR	Critical Power Ratio
> CPR	Critical Path Reduction
> CPR	Complete Patient Record
> CPR	Continuous Product Replenishment (logistics)
> CPR	Construction Programs and Results
> CPR	Community Public Radio
> CPR	Current Population Report
> CPR	Christian Pirate Radio
> CPR	National Center for Policy Research for Women and Families
> CPR	Consumer Protection Regulation (various locations)
> CPR	Critical Problem Report (NASA)
> CPR	Chairman's program recommendation (US DoD)
> CPR	Call Processing Record (Telcordia)
> CPR	Coalition for Parole Restoration
> CPR	Comprehensive Psychiatric Resources
> CPR	Civilian Personnel Regulation
> CPR	Connect Presentation Reject (Telcordia)
> CPR	Compressor Pressure Ratio (gas turbines)
> CPR	Company Performance Report
> CPR	Campus Printer Repair (UC Davis)
> CPR	Crash Pulse Recorder
> CPR	Capital Project Request (finance)
> CPR	Carl, Pete, and Ringo (comedy improvisation group)
> CPR	Coverage Per Room (robotic vacuums)
> CPR	Cancer Pain Release (WHO publication)
> CPR	Contract Progress Report
> CPR	Center for Protease Research
> CPR	Child Permanence Report (UK)
> CPR	Community Planned Renewal
> CPR	Customer Product Requirements
> CPR	Civilian Personnel Regionalization
> CPR	Center for Peace and Reconciliation
> CPR	Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome (UK; est. 2006)
> CPR	Critical Program Review
> CPR	Co-Operative Peer Response
> CPR	Carrier Performance Rating
> CPR	Cooperative Programs for Reinvestment
> CPR	Chairman's Program Review
> CPR	Canadian Patent Rules
> CPR	Center for Philippine Raptors
> CPR	Crisis Plan Writer
> CPR	Construction Permit Review
> CPR	Comparative Planetary Research
> CPR	Carrier Phase Recovery
> CPR	Contacting Prospects Regularly (marketing)
> CPR	Cyberspace Product Reviews
> CPR	Consumer and Professional Research
> CPR	Calibration Problem Report
> CPR	Cost Performance Review
> CPR	Christians Pray the Rosary
> CPR	Cloud Physics Radiometer
> CPR	Cobourg Peterborough Railway (Canada)
> CPR	Common Processing Resource (avionics)
> CPR	Community Planning and Research LLC
> CPR	Comprehensive Plan Refinement
> CPR	Chiropractic Peer Review
> CPR	Campaign for Progressive Radio (San Diego, CA)
> CPR	Combinatorial Phase Requirement
> CPR	Christians Pumped and Ready
> CPR	Critical Point Region
> CPR	Coupon Percentage Rate
> CPR	Common Problem Reporting System
> CPR	Cost Performance Report/ing
> CPR	Complex Protective Regimen
> CPR	Cellular Packet Radio
> CPR	Cost of Preventive Replacement
> CPR	Correction Pause Recovery
> CPR	Contract Progress Review
> CPR	Comprehensive Product Record
> CPR	Collaborative Problem Review
> CPR	Conventional Paper Record
> CPR	Contract Problem Report
> CPR	Claim Payout Rate (Insurance)
> CPR	Consolidated Position Report (situational awareness)
> CPR	Control Plane Router
> CPR	Canadian Photonics Repository
> CPR	Command Performance Review
> CPR	Command Programmer's Report
> CPR	Casper, WY, USA - Natrona County International Airport (Airport Code)
> CPR	CECOM Performance Review
> CPR	Contract Payment Redesign
> CPR	Coupler Power Ratio
> CPR	Cybercharge Priority Response
> CPR	Cancel Purchase Request
> CPR	Coalition for Pesticide Reform
> CPR	CommonWealth Professional Group (Reading, Pennsylvania)
> CPR	Cleans Protects Revives
> CPR	Cultural Preservation and Restoration, Inc.
> CPR	Center of Preparation and Retraining
> CPR	Customer and Product Requirements
> CPR	CAC (Common Access Card) PIN (Personal Identification Number) Reset (DoD)
> CPR	Calipers, Pads, Rotors (automotive repair)
> CPR	Crash Prevention Recorder (aviation)
> CPR	Combat Power Ratio
> CPR	Cyberlaw, Policies and Regulations
> CPR	Corach-Porta-Recht (mathematics)
> CPR	Collection Performance Report
> CPR	Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research (University of Illinois at Chicago)
> CPR	Centre Pédagogique Régional (French: Regional Education Center; Morocco)
> CPR	Chemicals Policy Review (European Chemical Industry Council)
> CPR	Civil Partnership Registration (relationship status)
> CPR	Club des Patineurs de Roubaix (French: Roubaix Skaters Club; Roubaix, France)
> CPR	Centre Parisien de Recyclage (French: Parisian Recycling Center; Paris, France)
> CPR	Coalition to Promote Research (public health)
> CPR	Chart Pattern Recognition (software)
> CPR	Company Profile Report (various locations)
> CPR	Conseiller Pédagogique Régional (French: Regional Educational Adviser)
> CPR	Club de Patinage à Roulettes (French: Roller Skating Club)
> CPR	Chauffage-Plomberie-Régulation (French: Plumbing-Heating-Regulation)
> CPR	Community Patent Review (intellectual property)
> CPR	Capital Public Radio (California)
> CPR	Chronic Pain Relief
> CPR	Communications and Public Relations (Australia)
> CPR	Cornerstone Professional Services (various locations)
> CPR	Clinical Prediction Rule (medical research study)


I know, totally OT, but I can't help myself! 

/ptr


----------



## Blake

Vanksa's Beethoven: Symphony 2. This is some good Beethoven.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 3, Op. 20 & No. 14, Op. 135 *
Coro Sinfonico Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi & Oleg Caetani 
1 Jan 2006









Amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Manxfeeder

ptr said:


> Take Your pick:


I like CPR: Chronic Pain Relief. A great recording can help take pain away.

I'm listening to Boulez's* Derive 2. * It's a long work but manages to keep my attention.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Another randomly generated choice. I was so bowled over yesterday, like I was hearing it for the first time (I was, on this new stereo, and that goes for everything in my collection), that I had to hear it again this morning 



Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening to Boulez's* Derive 2. * It's a long work but manages to keep my attention.


A favourite :kiss:


----------



## Bas

Listening of yesterday:

Franz Schubert - Sonata in Am D 845, Sonata in C D840, Sonata in Am D784, Sonata in G D 984, Sonata in D D850
By Wilhelm Kempf [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano sonatas 5, 6, 7, 22
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









--

Today:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 4, Piano Concerto no. 5 "Emperor"
By Friederich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Stein Horst [dir.], on Decca









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms*: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2; Tragic Overture; Variations on a Theme of Haydn - *London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev*









audiophilia

Hmm, something tells me that I dont do Brahms justice by listening to this one.. I will find a new record with no 2...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor (Ronald Brautigam).


----------



## opus55

Bruch: Violin Concertos, Nos. 1 and 2
Boulez: Piano Sonata No. 1

















I will be listening to some modern works via Spotify.


----------



## Blake

That Bruch is so nice. Enjoy.


----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Bruch: Violin Concertos, Nos. 1 and 2
> Boulez: Piano Sonata No. 1


Bit of a jump there, don't you think? Most people find Boulez's post-60s works more accessible (though I love the second sonata and Le marteau myself).

Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D major
Koln Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Wand









I don't know if I'm "accustomed to the music of the future" to the point of being able to understand such works "bereft of all tonality"...


----------



## Blancrocher

Glenn Gould playing Haydn.


----------



## AndyS

Petrenko's Shostakovich 4


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms: Symphonies No 1-4*
Conductor: *Günter Wand *
Orchestra/Ensemble: North *German Radio Symphony Orchestra*

View attachment 29207


This was something else! I take a marathon!

arkivmusic


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition ---
Anton Reicha (1770-1836): String Quintet No.3 in G Major

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins --- Jurgen Kussmaul, viola -- Anner Bylsma and Kenneth Slowik, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Passacaglia.*

Confession time: I've avoided a lot of Boulez's conducting because I prejudged that he was too cold and emotionless. (I should have taken a clue, because I think his latest Webern set is great.) Anyway, the Boulez thread has encouraged me to open my ears.

Today I'm pulling out his first recording of the Passacaglia. If I were to hear this recording in a blind test, I wouldn't guess Boulez. It's pretty intense.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in G minor, Hob. 15/19; Piano Trio in A Major, Hob. 15/18 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin.*

If this isn't the best recording of the piece, it sure comes very close.


----------



## maestro267

*Bartók*: Concerto for Orchestra
Budapest Festival Orchestra/Fischer

*Shostakovich*: Symphony No. 7 in C major (Leningrad)
Royal Liverpool PO/Petrenko


----------



## opus55

Mahlerian said:


> Bit of a jump there, don't you think? Most people find Boulez's post-60s works more accessible (though I love the second sonata and Le marteau myself).
> 
> Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D major
> Koln Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Wand
> 
> I don't know if I'm "accustomed to the music of the future" to the point of being able to understand such works "bereft of all tonality"...


Yeah tell me about it. I posted Boulez sonata before I clicked play. It was meant to give myself exposure to different music; turns out it was the music from different world.

Still continuing modern sound..

Messiaen: Chronochromie for large orchestra
Webern: 3 songs


----------



## ProudSquire

*J.S. Bach*

Cello Suite No. 4 in E flat Major, BWV 1010

Yo-Yo Ma


----------



## opus55

Berg: Wozzeck










Langsam, Wozzeck, Langsam


----------



## Manxfeeder




----------



## Mahlerian

opus55 said:


> Langsam, Wozzeck, Langsam


You truly are listening to modern pieces _eins nach dem andern_...


----------



## Blancrocher

Steve Reich's NY Counterpoint, 8 Lines, and 4 Organs.

http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/new-york-counterpoint-eight-lines-four-organs


----------



## Itullian

Great singing. Excellent mono sound.


----------



## opus55

Mahlerian said:


> You truly are listening to modern pieces _eins nach dem andern_...


ja

(that's all I can manage to say after running those words through google translate )


----------



## Oskaar

I have qued up *4 piano-cocertos* that I am going to njoy on the sofa

*Mozart no 1 Peraia
Brahms no 2 Ungar
Beethoven no 2 Levine
Lizt no 2 Banowetz*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

tonight:

*Berg

Violin Concerto 
Lyric Suite
Three orchestral Pieces*

Rebecca Hirsch (Vn); Netherlands RSO, Klas [Naxos]








*Bridge

Piano sonata 
Lament for Catherine
Three Improvisations for the left hand
Three Sketches
Pensees fugitives I
Scherzettino*

Ashley Wass (Pno) [Naxos]








Another listen to these fairly recent acquisitions. I can't recall now who recommended the Berg VC to me, and the thread is too long to check back, but thank you - I do like it very much. The orchestral version of the Lyric Suite has been a revelation too.


----------



## DavidA

Bach - St Matthew Passion / Harnoncourt

What incredible music!


----------



## SimonNZ

just finished on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Piano Trio No.2 - Moscow Rachmaninov Trio

starting now:

Wolf-Ferrari's Venetian Suite - Ulf Schirmer, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

science said:


>


I love this recording, if it were possible to wear out a cd, my copy would have gone west ages ago.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vaclav Knezek (1745-1806): Clarinet Concerto in E Flat

Gernot Schmalfuss conducting the Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim --- Dieter Klocker, clarinet


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat Minor, Op.32
Earl Wild/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Erich Leinsdorf

For the great Mr. Wild's birthday, born today in 1915. This is a concerto that grabs you by the throat the moment it starts, well, it certainly does in a firecracker of a performance like this. Terrific.


----------



## GioCar

Inspired by some TC thread, I started again the Bach Cantatas listening adventure, the BCJ & Suzuki edition.
One each night, before sleeping - no better way to finish my day.

Tonight is the turn of:
Cantata No.77: Gott ist mein Koenig BWV 71.
Belonging to the early Muhlhausen cantatas cycle, it was commissioned to celebrate the inauguration of the newly-elected city council.

Lively, joyful, a very beautiful fugato in the middle section.


----------



## GioCar

oskaar said:


> *Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 3, Op. 20 & No. 14, Op. 135 *
> Coro Sinfonico Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppe Verdi & Oleg Caetani
> 1 Jan 2006
> 
> View attachment 29186
> 
> 
> Amazon


Ooooh... very happy you are listening to my home orchestra with a powerful conductor such as Caetani - son of Igor Markevitch.
Their complete cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies are among my favourites.


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schnittke*: Concerti Grossi, 1 etc.w. Markiz (rec.1987), 5 w. Dohnanyi (rec.1991); In memoriam, w. Rostropovich (rec.1991); Symphony 2, w. Segerstam (rec.1994); Symphony 7, w. Polyansky (rec.1999).

View attachment 29216
View attachment 29217
View attachment 29218
View attachment 29219
View attachment 29220


----------



## Vaneyes

ptr said:


> Take Your pick:
> 
> I know, totally OT, but I can't help myself!
> 
> /ptr


Dat's just bloody mahvellous, ptr. But scanning quickly, I did not see *Cow Pie Redundant*--an option I've kindly allowed for dissenters. * *


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Gorecki, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's French Suites - Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Robert Aldridge* Clarinet Concerto* & Samba**
- David Singer, clarinet *with A Far Cry Orchestra, **with The Shanghai Quartet

*Mancini* Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, A Shot in the Dark, Mr. Lucky, Experiment in Terror, Baby Elephant Walk, Theme from Hatari!, Blue Satin, Moment to Moment
- Henry Mancini and his Orchestra

*Wagner* Tristan und Isolde: Act 2, Scenes 1 & 2 (Concert ending, 1862)
- Margaret Jane Wray, sop., John Horton Murray, ten., Nancy Maultsby, mezzo, w. Russian State SO cond. by John McGlinn

*Rachmaninov* The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29
- Suisse Romande Orch. cond. by Ernest Ansermet


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Bruno Walter conducting Johann Strauss, with a little Brahms and Smetana thrown in. How nice that I have, purely coincidentally, reached this disc in my Bruno Walter box on what would have been dad's 92nd birthday. He bought the LP of the Strauss as a birthday present for mum before I was born, and it was his favourite record of Strauss! Great to hear it in excellent sound on this CD, would that BW had recorded more Strauss.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More Ravel at bedtime: I'm working my way through Rogé's survey of the works for piano

*Ravel

Valses nobles et sentimentales
Jeux d'eau
Miroirs*

Pascal Rogé (Piano)









and...

*Busoni - Toccata K. 287* / Geoffrey Tozer, Piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Scriabin's Piano Concerto - Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano, Lorin Maazel, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter in Myaskovsky's 3rd Sonata, and Polyansky and company in the 27th Symphony and Cello Concerto. I've heard various performances of the Cello Concerto now and look forward to another one, but the others are new to me.


----------



## EricABQ

Tonight I went with a double shot of Beethoven pastorale. First, the symphony from Bruno Walter and then the sonata from Brendel.


----------



## KenOC

CPE Bach's Concerto for harpsichord & strings in A minor, Wq1, H403 -- from Spanyi's 20-disc (!) collection of all of CPE's keyboard concertos. Lots of good stuff here.


----------



## bejart

Pierre Vachon (1738-1803): String Quartet in C Minor, Op.2, No.6

String Trio of Paris with Edouard Popa on 2nd violin: Charles Frey, violin -- Michal Michalakakos, viola -- Jean Grout, cello


----------



## ProudSquire

*Glazunov*

Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 5 'Slavyanskaya'

Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Anissimov


----------



## samurai

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in C Major and Symphony No.102 in B-Flat Major. *
Both works are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies. 
Piotr Chaikovskii-- *Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dream"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. * All three symphonies feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Blancrocher

An old favorite with Richter in Prokofiev's 8th sonata and 5th concerto, to be followed at some point this evening with a first listen to Semyon Kotko.

*p.s.* I had no intentions except to hear a favorite disk and an opera I'd been meaning to listen to for some time, but it turns out Richter and Semyon Kotko belong together:



> The reception of Semyon Kotko at its premiere was moderately enthusiastic, but at that time ideology took precedence over all other considerations, and discussions in the press focused exclusively around Semyon Kotko's importance as a "Soviet Opera". The inherent quality of the music was simply ignored. Yet the production made a deep impression on the pianist Sviatoslav Richter, who recalled: "The premiere of the opera was a momentous event in my life [...] That evening, when I first heard Semyon Kotko, I understood that Prokofiev was a great composer.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semyon_Kotko

Now I'm really looking forward to it!


----------



## Rocco

Beethoven Missa Solemnis in D op. 123 and Mass in C op. 86 Giulini


----------



## Weston

science said:


> Tabuh-Tabuhan is very fun.
> 
> Edit: That entire disk is great. That is undoubtedly one of the best things I've heard in the MLP boxes. I know it's merely pseudo-modernist populism but it's great.


Mere pseudo-modernist populism. You have implied this before. What makes you say that?

Sessions is in the Cambridge category 1 (Well known, high priority) list of contemporary composer acquisitions. Thomson is in their acquisition category 6. (Less well known: lower priority: we would hope to have one or two of their most important works).

One could almost label Shostakovish this way. Or perhaps you do . . .

To me it is good if it sounds good.


----------



## ticovanzant

A classic in high def sound, courtesy of HDTracks...


----------



## Weston

I'm a bit too stressed tonight for listening, but today I heard a couple of significant works -- when people weren't in my face stressing me.

*Ligeti: Lontano, for orchestra

Ligeti: Clocks and Clouds, for female voices & orchestra *









Both are amazing works. Lontano, I notice again, uses the same theme or phrase as Lux Aeterna, at least in the opening. Not many years ago I would have thought it crazy to suggest Ligeti uses themes. Clock and Clouds is possibly even more amazing with its distant chanting coming across as some kind of rhythmic cricket song -- or more likely a clock ticking, but to me it sounds like something from nature. This reinforces my feeling that Ligeti was the perhaps the greatest of the 20th/21st century composers.

I also listened to my first Moeran piece.
*
Moeran: Overture for a Masque* 
Vernon Handley / Ulster Orchestra









This is very inspiring music, the kind that fills one with pride at the human condition, the kind one would want to use to open a National Geographic style awesome TV documentary. I am also intrigued by his clever use of abrupt and quite startling silence. The silence is a significant part of the piece.

My apologies to jim prideaux in that I have not had time to hear the Moeran symphony yet. I want to save that for when I have better focus.


----------



## SixFootScowl

ClutchDisc said:


> Beethoven Missa Solemnis in D op. 123 and Mass in C op. 86 Giulini
> 
> View attachment 29235


Nice package. Both Beethoven Masses in one set. That one has Elly Ameling, soprano, on the Mass in C and so should be excellent. I have Rilling's Mass in C and my favorite of about six Missa Solemnis' I have listened to is this one:


----------



## bejart

Wenzel Wilhelm Wurfel (1790-1832): Polonaise, Op.27, No.1

Martin Vojtisek, piano


----------



## Couac Addict

The neighbourhood can sleep some other time.


----------



## science

Weston said:


> Mere pseudo-modernist populism. You have implied this before. What makes you say that?
> 
> Sessions is in the Cambridge category 1 (Well known, high priority) list of contemporary composer acquisitions. Thomson is in their acquisition category 6. (Less well known: lower priority: we would hope to have one or two of their most important works).
> 
> One could almost label Shostakovish this way. Or perhaps you do . . .
> 
> To me it is good if it sounds good.


Don't take it seriously. I'm mocking people - including to some degree myself - in all such comments.


----------



## opus55

Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore
Mozart: Piano Concerto Nos 1 and 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Sibelius' Violin Concerto - Ginette Neveu, violin, Walter Susskind, cond. (1945)


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Kyrie, K.341
Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces, Op. 6


----------



## opus55

Britten: String Quartet No. 3










I will be sleeping before this quartet ends...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

samurai said:


> Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in C Major and Symphony No.102 in B-Flat Major. *
> Both works are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.
> Piotr Chaikovskii-- *Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dream"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. * All three symphonies feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


Hello samurai, how are you liking the Haydn symphony set so far?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

opus55 said:


> Britten: String Quartet No. 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I will be sleeping before this quartet ends...


That can't be a good thing, hehe.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Glazunov*

Symphony No. 2 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 16

Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Anissimov


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 3 in G minor (The London Haydn Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

Luigi Nono's La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura - Gidon Kremer, violin


----------



## Andolink

*Benjamin Britten*: _A Midsummer Night's Dream_
Oberon, King of the Fairies............ Alfred Deller, countertenor
Tytania, Queen of the Fairies........	Elizabeth Harwood, soprano
Puck......................................... Stephen Tarry, speaking role
Lysander................................... Peter Pears, tenor
Demetrius.................................. Thomas Hemsley, baritone
Hermia, in love with Lysander........ Josephine Veasey, mezzo-soprano
Helena, in love with Demetrius........ Heather Harper, soprano
Theseus, Duke of Athens............... John Shirley-Quirk, bass
Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.... Helen Watts, contralto
Bottom, a weaver........................ Owen Brannigan, bass baritone
Quince, a carpenter..................... Norman Lumsden, bass
Flute, a bellows-mender................ Kenneth MacDonald, tenor
Snug, a joiner............................. David Kelly, bass
Snout, a tinker............................ Robert Tear, tenor
Starveling, a tailor....................... Keith Raggett, baritone
Choirs of Downside and Emanuel Schools
London Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Britten


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, 'Les Adieux' (Sylvia Capova).


----------



## SimonNZ

Michael Tippett's The Ice Break - David Atherton, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 101 in D Major, 'The Clock' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## SimonNZ

John Harbison's Ulysses' Bow - Andre Previn, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Requiem in D minor (Sir Neville Marriner; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus; McNair; Watkinson; Araiza; Lloyd; Hetlay).


----------



## SimonNZ

Jacob Druckman's Prism - Zubin Mehta, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

irrespective of how great an interest I have taken in the music of Sibelius over the past decades I have always considered the 6th symphony to be the most elusive....whilst I may have admired it I never felt that I had actually engaged with the work...and now, particularly after repeated listening to firstly Vanska/Lahti and now more significantly Berglund/COE the symphony has 'clicked' to the extent that I almost find it overwhelming-there is a melancholy at the heart of the work that although tempered by great beauty and at times almost wistful seems to lie at the heart of much of ........oh well!


----------



## SimonNZ

George Rochberg's Imago Mundi - Christopher Lyndon-Gee, cond.


----------



## Guest

*On a rondo binge with heir Mozart:*








*K371*, Rondo for Horn and Orchestra in E flat
*Anthony Halstead*, Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music








*K373*, Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in C
*Nicola Benedetti*, James McMillan, Academy of Saint Martin In The Fields








*K269*, Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in B flat
*Julia Fischer*, Yakov Kriezberg, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra








*K382*, Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in D
*Malcolm Bilson*, John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists








*K386*, Rondo for Piano and Orcestra in A
*Murray Perahia*, English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Conor71

*Pettersson: Symphony No. 9*

Exploring this composers Symphonies the last few days - most impressed!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/Metamenu/RCO-Radio/
Magnus Lindberg: Era - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - David Robertson (18.1.2013)


----------



## Oskaar

*Gertrud Schilde* - *Schnittke*, A.: Violin Sonata No. 3 / *Schumann*, R.: Violin Sonata No. 2 / *Busoni*, F.: Violin Sonata No. 2









Amazon


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent arrival --
Gaetano Pugnani (1731-1798): Overture No.1 in D Major

Ensemble L'Astree


----------



## Guest

*Playing these for my 8-year-old stepdaughter to get her familiar with the best of Mozart:*








K622, Clarinet Concerto in A
Martin Fröst-Amsterdam Sinfonietta - Peter Oundjian








K525, Serenade in G "Eine kleine Nachtmusik"
I Musici








K482, Piano Concerto in E flat
Geza Anda, Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteum


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.3 in E Flat, Op.55

Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Andolink

*Alexander Goehr*: _Clarinet Quintet_, Op. 79 (2007)
Richard Hosford, clarinet
David Alberman, violin
Laura Samuel, violin
Lawrence Power, viola
Paul Watkins, cello








*Edmund Rubbra*: _Tenebrae-- Nocturns I-III_, Op. 72
Gloriae Dei Cantores/Elizabeth C. Patterson


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schnittke*: Concerto Grosso 6, Symphony 8, w. Rozhdestvensky (rec.1994); Piano Quintet, w. Berman/Vermeer Qt. (rec.2000), w. Graffman/Lark Qt. (rec.1997); String Quartets 1, 3, 4, etc., w. Kapralova Qt. (rec.2002), 2 & 3 w. Lark Qt. (rec.2002); Piano Trio, Piano Sonata 2, Quasi Una Sonata, w. Lubotsky/Rostropovich/I. Schnittke/ECO (rec. 1992).

View attachment 29265
View attachment 29266







View attachment 29267
View attachment 29268


----------



## maestro267

*Beethoven*: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (Eroica)
Philadelphia Orchestra/Muti


----------



## Manxfeeder

Conor71 said:


> *Pettersson: Symphony No. 9*
> 
> Exploring this composers Symphonies the last few days - most impressed!


My used CD store has this set, and they've been giving me the siren call. I've been holding back because I've heard mixed reviews about Pettersson. Thanks for your input.

Now I'm listening to Malcom Arnold's 8th symphony.


----------



## Blancrocher

J. C. Bach: Piano Concertos: Op. 7, 1-6 / Halstead, The Hanover Band

Mozart: The Horn Concertos 1-4 / Halstead and Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Liszt* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in A / N. Freire, M. Plasson, Dresden Philharmonic

*Brahms* - Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor / Center Piano Quartet

*Mendelssohn* - String Quartet No. 4 in E minor / Cherubini SQ


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Diamond, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Schnittke*: Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, etc., w. Wallin & Pontinen (rec.1991); Violin Sonata 2, w. Kremer & Gavrilov (rec.1979); Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, etc., w. Geringas & Geringas (rec.1998/9); Suite in the Old Style, w. Gorokhov & Demidenko (rec.2004); Piano Sonatas 1 - 3, etc., w. Tchetuev (rec.2004).

View attachment 29276
View attachment 29277
View attachment 29278
View attachment 29279
View attachment 29280


----------



## moody

LISZT.....MUSIC FOR TWO PIANOS.

Concerto Pathetique....Rakoczi March....Hungarian Rhapsody No. 16....Two Episodes From Lenau's Faust.
Erzsebet Tusa and Istvan Lantos.


----------



## science

The musical equivalent of a Christmas cookie sugar high (shugar hi!). But with a bit of milk, it goes down fine!


----------



## Guest

Preparing for our Thanksgiving Day celebration here in the U.S. which is tomorrow. It is also the traditional start of the Christmas season and so I will start with this:








Mozart/Handel
K572, Mozart's arrangement of Handel's Messiah
Jean-Claude Malgoire, direction

It's interesting to hear the arrangement differences in this work, but as I listen to it I wish it were in English and not German so that I could connect more with the text. I will have to listen to the original as Christmas approaches.


----------



## GreenMamba

Lennox Berkeley, Symphony #4. Nat'l Orch of Wales/Hickox

Courtesy of YouTube while I'm at work.


----------



## ptr

*Benjamin Britten* - War Requiem (SR P2 Live from a Concert Friday November 22 @ Göteborgs Konserthus)










Emma Bell, soprano; Lance Ryan, tenor; Russel Braun, baritone; Göteborgs symfoniska kör, Göteborgs domkyrkas goss- och flickkörer; Göteborgs symfoniker u. Kent Nagano

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Pettersson, Symphony No. 6.*

I'm not sure this was the best intro to his music. It's kind of a downer.


----------



## ptr

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm not sure this was the best intro to his music. It's kind of a downer


Most of his (Symphonic)music is, it is ailing the self destructive Nordic mentality, I find it very emotionally relaxing, it sort of creeps under Your skin and multiplies like a virus ! 

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to an interesting new release: Sandro Russo playing a set of transcriptions of and homages to Scarlatti, including works by Tausig, Brassin, Granados, Czerny, Friedman, Alkan, Hamelin, Françaix, Lewenthal, and Habermann.

It's lots of fun!

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/delectable-scarlatti-recreations/


----------



## Oskaar

*Czech Philharmonic Orchestra - Zemlinsky: Symphony No. 3 / Sinfonietta / Preludes*

Artist(s):
*Beaumont, Antony* • *Czech Philharmonic Orchestra*
May 1, 2004

*Symphony No. 3 in B flat major-
Es war einmal…: Prelude-
Sinfonietta, Op. 23-
Der Konig Kandaules, Act III: Prelude-*









amazon


----------



## DrKilroy

I am on some sort of Sibelius kick lately. 

Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 (Berglund/HelsinkiPO; CEO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 Artur Rubinstein/Symphony of the Air/Josef Krips

Very enjoyable version of one of my favourite Beethoven Concertos. I love the Busoni cadenza that Rubinstein uses. In his recording of the Beethoven 4th, with Beecham, he uses Saint-Saens cadenzas, now they are wild!


----------



## ProudSquire

*Haydn*

String Quartet in C Major, Op. 64, No. 1

Quatour Mosaïques

Delightful and full of warmth. There's something exquisite about Haydn's harmonies, which I find rather delectable. Good stuff. :}

*Edit:*

String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op.64, No. 3
String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op.64, No. 6

I figured I'd continue listening. :]


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.38 in C Major

Trevor Pinnock leading the English Consort


----------



## Vaneyes

CPR Edition:

*Wuorinen*: String Sextet, Piano Quintets, String Quartets, etc. w. P. Serkin, Ohlsson, Brentano Qt., et al (rec.1988 - 2009).

View attachment 29297
View attachment 29298
View attachment 29299


And this concludes my CPR Edition, which I believe began in July '13. Thank you for your attentiveness, questions, and kind words. Special thanks to SimonNZ. :tiphat:


----------



## Blancrocher

Vaneyes said:


> And this concludes my CPR Edition, which I believe began in July '13. Thank you for your attentiveness, questions, and kind words. Special thanks to SimonNZ. :tiphat:


Thanks so much for all the recommendations, Vaneyes--I copied most of them out, so don't be surprised to see all of them mentioned again in this thread in the coming months!


----------



## Sid James

*Mahler* Symphony #8: Part I, Veni creator spiritus
- Soloists, choirs and Chicago SO cond. by Sir Georg Solti

*Francis Lai* Theme from Love Story, *Michel Legrand* The Windmills of your Mind, *John Barry* Midnight Cowboy & other themes from the movies (arrangements by Mancini)
- Henry Mancini and his orch.

*Copland* El salon Mexico
- Detroit SO cond. by Antal Dorati

*Dvorak* The Wood Dove, Op. 110
- Los Angeles PO cond. by Zubin Mehta

*Rachmaninov* Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini: 18th variation
- Idil Biret on the bones with Polish National SO cond. by Antoni Wit

*Tchaikovsky* Serenade for Strings: Waltz
- Vienna CO cond. by Philippe Entremont

*Khatchaturian* Gayaneh: Sabre Dance
- St Petersburg State SO cond. by Andre Anichanov


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080* Grigory Sokolov (Piano) [Opus 111]


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 1.*

Berglund, Helsinki


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Symphony in E Flat, VB 144

Peter Sundkvist directing the Swedish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt









No title.


----------



## DavidA

Working my way through the box of Leon Fleischer recordings.

At Beethoven Piano concerto 3 with Szell.

Very fine performance indeed. All round Fleischer up there with the best.


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Jacob Druckman's Prism - Zubin Mehta, cond.


I wonder why we don't hear as much about Mehta as we used to. Age often doesn't slow classical performers.



TurnaboutVox said:


> *Bach - Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080* Grigory Sokolov (Piano) [Opus 111]
> 
> View attachment 29300


Never heard this on a piano. That should be interesting, expressive, and painfully difficult to pull off!


----------



## GioCar

SimonNZ said:


> Luigi Nono's La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura - Gidon Kremer, violin


Hi SimonNZ, I have never listened to a recording of it, but I attended a performance (performance is the right word indeed!) many years ago. Just wondering how they could manage to translate in a recording the sense of freedom and casuality a live concert can trasmit, with the various loudspeakers all around the stage, and the soloist violin playing (randomly?) beside them...


----------



## SimonNZ

GioCar said:


> Hi SimonNZ, I have never listened to a recording of it, but I attended a performance (performance is the right word indeed!) many years ago. Just wondering how they could manage to translate in a recording the sense of freedom and casuality a live concert can trasmit, with the various loudspeakers all around the stage, and the soloist violin playing (randomly?) beside them...


I'm going to have to chicken out of answering that question, for the moment at least (last night was the first time I'd heard the piece - though I was immediately fascinated by it). Instead I'll direct you to this interesting Guardian article on the work I found after I played it:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/apr/23/luigi-nono-future-creative-utopia


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> And this concludes my CPR Edition, which I believe began in July '13. Thank you for your attentiveness, questions, and kind words. Special thanks to SimonNZ. :tiphat:


Thanks very much for taking the time and effort, Vaneyes! Its been fascinating watching that unfold. Many things I might have overlooked that I'll be looking twice at should they present themselves.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> I'm going to have to chicken out of answering that question, for the moment at least (last night was the first time I'd heard the piece - though I was immediately fascinated by it). Instead I'll direct you to this interesting Guardian article on the work I found after I played it:
> 
> http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/apr/23/luigi-nono-future-creative-utopia


Yes, yes, my favorite Nono.

In addition...

http://www.lafolia.com/nonos-shrug-at-immortality-la-lontananza-nostalgica-utopica-futura/


----------



## bejart

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Double Concerto in C Major

Jorg Faeber conducting the Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn -- Dagmar Becker, flute -- Lajos Lenczes, oboe


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> Never heard this on a piano. That should be interesting, expressive, and painfully difficult to pull off!


Re The Art of Fugue w. piano, there's also Aimard, and GG (selections). :tiphat:


----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> Re The Art of Fugue w. piano, there's also Aimard, and GG (selections). :tiphat:


GG seems to have done the AoF half on piano, half on organ. The organ selections are not at all good and don't suit his keyboard style at all (IMO of course). The piano selections are excellent.

BTW my favorite version is the one by the Canadian Brass. Lots of variety and it's very easy to follow the individual lines.

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Art-Fugu...5596600&sr=1-1&keywords=art+of+fugue+canadian


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Weston said:


> Never heard this on a piano. That should be interesting, expressive, and painfully difficult to pull off!


It is very long! In fact I am still listening, at 'Contrapunctus 19 (unfinished)', though I got interrupted by a phone call from my daughter mid-way through.

This was recommended to me by a friend and to be honest, I admire it more than I love it.


----------



## jim prideaux

Lindsays-Janacek string quartets and Dvorak Cypresses-the contrast in atmospheres make this a particularly beguiling disc...


----------



## Blancrocher

For Koechlin's birthday: Juliane Banse and Heinz Holliger in Koechlin's vocal works with orchestra. My second listen to these lovely disks, having recently learned about them on the "guestbook" thread.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Apr06/Koechlin_93159.htm


----------



## Blake

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29304
> 
> 
> For Koechlin's birthday: Juliane Banse and Heinz Holliger in Koechlin's vocal works with orchestra. My second listen to these lovely disks, having recently learned about them on the "guestbook" thread.
> 
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Apr06/Koechlin_93159.htm


Lovely indeed. That disc is a jewel.

Edit: 2 discs - 2 jewels.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach arr. Busoni

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659
Nun freut euch, lieben Christen, BWV 734
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639

Mendelssohn

Lieder ohne Worte (selection from Op. 19, 30, 38, 53, 62, 67, 102)*

Murray Perahia (Piano) [Sony]


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Honegger's* death day (November 27, 1955), Pastorale d'ete.

View attachment 29306


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Das Paradies und die Peri, Op. 50 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

Stravinsky: Apollo (1947 Version) -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Haydn: String Quartet #19 in C, Op. 9/1, H 3/19 -- Kodály Quartet


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich Symphony #3, Haitink/London Phil. Really, not as bad as everybody says!


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Symphony in D Major, Op.3, No.4

Michi Gaigg directing L'Orfeo Barockorchester


----------



## samurai

I had a relisten last night to Martinu's *Second Symphony. *As my fellow member Jim Prideaux so aptly pointed out in one of his posts, its second movement is especially expressive and quite elegiac. Some of this movement's sections remind me somewhat of Aaron Copland, with their broad and lush orchestral textures. Martinu's stunning and haunting use of the piano simply sends it over the top for me. Wow! I am now so glad I had read Jim's post and decided to make the purchase of Martinu's Complete Symphonies. Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra are fantastic in their readings of his symphonies.
Thanks again, Jim! :cheers:


----------



## Blake

Gilels' Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28.


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> Gilels' Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28.


Yeah! Hard to beat Gilels. I have also recently discovered Buchbinder, who has a truly awesome sonata cycle.


----------



## samurai

William Walton--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, *
featuring the Andre Previn led London Symphony Orchestra. 
William Walton--*Sinfonia Concertante-orchestra with piano obbligato, *
performed by pianist Kathryn Stott and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vernon Handley. 
Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *both featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the New Philharmonia Orchestra.


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> Yeah! Hard to beat Gilels. I have also recently discovered Buchbinder, who has a truly awesome sonata cycle.


Gilels is amazing. I'll have to check out Buchbinder. I just came across Korstick's cycle, and his playing is superb.


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> CPR Edition:
> 
> ...
> 
> And this concludes my CPR Edition, which I believe began in July '13. Thank you for your attentiveness, questions, and kind words. Special thanks to SimonNZ. :tiphat:


! I thought CPR Edition series was an ongoing project of some sort. Thank you for the series.


----------



## Centropolis

Disc 1 of:


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Sonata No.2 in E Flat, Op.13

Ian Hobson, piano


----------



## senza sordino

*Edgard Varese Ameriques, Arcana, Ionisation, Deserts* Pierre Boulez cond Chicago Symphony on DG

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought this cd a few years ago, I listened and didn't like it and put it aside. But now that I'm reading The Rest is Noise, Alex Ross, Varese starts to make more sense. Listening to this music is still a challenge, but in context, it makes more sense, think beyond The Rite of Spring. It sounds like a 60s or 70s sound track to a sci if movie, so in a sense, Ameriques and Arcana are well ahead of their time.


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> Yeah! Hard to beat Gilels. I have also recently discovered Buchbinder, who has a truly awesome sonata cycle.


By the way, I just heard Buchbinder's Beethoven Sonata 28. It was excellent. Thanks. :cheers:


----------



## Bulldog

bejart said:


> Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Sonata No.2 in E Flat, Op.13
> 
> Ian Hobson, piano
> 
> View attachment 29311


That brings back memories. Quite a few years ago, I found the above disc with its two companions at a local record store. I had never heard of Hummel but decided to get the three discs. Glad I did so; it's excellent "bridge" music between the classical and romantic period.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, Piano Sonata #16 Op. 31 No. 1, Buchbinder. What a wonderful piece, what a wonderful performance!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Edward Elgar--*Symphony No.1 in A-Flat Major, Op.55, *
performed by the Leon Botstein led American Symphony Orchestra.
Edward Elgar--*Nimrod, * featuring Carl Davis and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Couac Addict

Beethoven - Takacs Quartet...because Starbucks won't play the Grosse Fuge.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Rejoice In The Lamb: Festival Cantata - Philip Ledger, cond.


----------



## science

Scarlatti was made for the harpsichord and the harpsichord for Scarlatti, but I can't resist trying out these hyped up piano versions. This is my first time listening to it, but so far….

I'll have to get past knowing what this would sound like on a harpsichord and then I'd probably enjoy it as much on a piano. But still, Scarlatti, I love.


----------



## KenOC

Couac Addict said:


> Beethoven - Takacs Quartet...because Starbucks won't play the Grosse Fuge.


Takacs are the best! And phooey on Starbucks. But if they did play it, those laid-back Starbucks types with their five-buck cuppas would probably run out onto the street screaming in terror. :lol:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to French Belgian composer Jacques Leduc and his album of Symphonic Works. Really good stuff here. Although modern it is not overly dissonant. In fact very tonal. His music is always flowing and changing time signatures. Although you won't come away with any beautiful melodies that stick in your brain you will come away satisfied and knowing you listened to something special here. I especially like the Symphonie (fa - si b - mi b). You know you're in for a ride because three of the four movements are various allegros. A true feast for the ears! I also like the last piece Le printemps Op. 25, Esquisse Symphonique. It's slower but has some very interesting mood changes and color in the orchestra.

I don't really know anything about Jacques Leduc but I hope more of his music comes to be recorded. If Debussy lived in modern times I think his music might have sounded a lot like Leduc's.










Moved on to an album of symphonic pieces by another Belgian composer - Adolphe Biarent. Biarnet's music is very beautiful and would fall into the late Romantic period. Wikipedia lists only seven works, one of which on this album is not on the list. It appears he wrote a symphony so I'll have to seek that one out. This recording is a keeper though!










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Ravel: Piano Concerto










.. for two hands


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann lieder - Dorothea Roschmann, soprano, Ian Bostridge, tenor, Graham Johnson, piano

had to revisit this after I heard Dorothea Roschman sing the Proms premiere of Robin Holloway's Reliquary the other day - no composer could have asked for a more commited, heartfelt performance


----------



## jim prideaux

samurai said:


> I had a relisten last night to Martinu's *Second Symphony. *As my fellow member Jim Prideaux so aptly pointed out in one of his posts, its second movement is especially expressive and quite elegiac. Some of this movement's sections remind me somewhat of Aaron Copland, with their broad and lush orchestral textures. Martinu's stunning and haunting use of the piano simply sends it over the top for me. Wow! I am now so glad I had read Jim's post and decided to make the purchase of Martinu's Complete Symphonies. Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra are fantastic in their readings of his symphonies.
> Thanks again, Jim! :cheers:


gratifying to know that I may have contributed in a small way to the reconsideration of a symphony that seems at best to be neglected and at worst to be heavily criticised......I listened again to work and I again concluded that the second movement is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard...'elegiac' is so appropriate....the final movement positively 'dances'..as my son pointed out West Side Story does not appear that original once you have heard certain parts of the Martinu symphonies..
Starting the day where I left off last night.....Lindsays interpretation of Janacek quartets and Dvorak Cypresses...lets hear it for the Czechs!!!!!!


----------



## Flamme




----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde










Back to German opera


----------



## Taggart

Apologies about the image size - the Amazon one is flawed. Gorgeous set. Some lovely tender moments especially on CD 3. We bought this in our local Naxos shop in Southwold - a treasure trove. We have the same group doing Lully as well (PS Happy Birthday Mr Lully!) Lovely to hear these in contrast to the Corelli.


----------



## GioCar

science said:


> Scarlatti was made for the harpsichord and the harpsichord for Scarlatti, but I can't resist trying out these hyped up piano versions. This is my first time listening to it, but so far….
> 
> I'll have to get past knowing what this would sound like on a harpsichord and then I'd probably enjoy it as much on a piano. But still, Scarlatti, I love.


I would suggest you listen to Yevgeny Sudbin as well:









IMO one of the best Scarlatti recording in recent years


----------



## GioCar

Taggart said:


> Apologies about the image size....


Directly proportional to the beauty of Handel's Op.6


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Koechlin's Offrande Musicale Sur Le Nom Bach - Heinz Holliger, cond.


----------



## ptr

Morning Music:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Des Canyons aux étoiles, pour piano solo, cor, xylorimba, glockenspiel et orchestre (1971-74) (*DG*)









Roger Muraro, Jean-Jacques Justafré, Francis Petit, Renaud Muzzolini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Myung-Whun Chung

What a magnificent journey to the stars!

/ptr


----------



## ProudSquire

*Chopin*

Impromptu No. 1 in A Flat Major, Op. 29
Impromptu No. 2 in F Sharp Major, Op. 36
Impromptu No. 3 in G Flat Major, Op. 51

Rubinstein


----------



## SimonNZ

Lejaren Hiller: Computer Cantata - Helen Hamm, soprano


----------



## Flamme




----------



## SimonNZ

Arne Nordheim's Solitaire

edit: now Karel Husa's Two Sonnets From Michelangelo - Robert Whitney, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*KAYSER: Divertimento II / ABRAHAMSEN: Flowersongs / BUCK: Estampie* ++

*Agerbo, Karina • Wood`N`Flutes*

Hans Abrahamsen: Flowersongs
Ib Norholm: Trio I, Op. 16: Andande
Ib Norholm: Trio II, Op. 16: Allegretto
Ole Buck: Estampie
Hans Abrahamsen: 2 Schneetanze
Leif Kayser: Divertimento II
Morten Nyord: Flojteskove (Flute Forests)
Hans Henrik Brandt: Farven bla









*prestoclassics*


----------



## SimonNZ

Wallingford Riegger's Variatiions For Piano And Orchestra - Benjamin Owen, piano, Robert Whitney, cond.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## science

This is what happens when wife and I compromise on music.










Still a compromise, but I got a little more say in this one.










Shhhhh! I think I've got her fooled on this one.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, 'Waldstein' (Alred Brendel).









The set came in the mail yesterday - very excited to discover Brendel's interpretations, so far I'm liking them a lot. I really like his vibrant touch and the rich piano sound in the recording.


----------



## Couac Addict

The Flying Dutchman - Klemperer
Only because Anja Silja's _Johohoes_ in Senta's Ballad sounds like one of those chickens from the Muppets.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 43 in E-flat Major, 'Mercury' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## science

One of my best recent purchases.


----------



## Blancrocher

Victoria: Tenebrae Responsories / Nigel Short

This one seems to have gotten great reviews everywhere, and I can hear why.


----------



## Novelette

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29318
> 
> 
> Victoria: Tenebrae Responsories / Nigel Short
> 
> This one seems to have gotten great reviews everywhere, and I can hear why.


Ah Victoria--such an exquisite composer. Enjoy!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2.*

Maybe this is a strange choice to begin Thanksgiving Day. But I'm thankful there are people who can play like that.


----------



## Oskaar

*Garcia Abril: Guitar Music

Francisco Bernier [Guitar]*

Fantasía Mediterránea
Evocaciones: Suite para Guitarra - Homenaje a Andrés Segovia
Sonata Del Portico
3 Preludios Urbanos









naxos


----------



## bejart

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Trio Sonata in D Major, Op.2, No.1

The Purcell Quartet: Catherine Mackintosh and Elizabeth Wallfisch, violins -- Richard Boothby, cello -- Jakob Lindberg, theorbo -- Robert Woolley, harpsichord


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, 'The Tempest' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## Guest

*A Baroque Playlist for Thanksgiving Day:*








Giovanni Gabrieli, Sacrae Symphoniae
Canadian Brass








Antonio Vivaldi, "Autumn" from The Four Seasons, Op. 8 No. 3
Monica Huggett; Nicholas Kraemer: Raglan Baroque Players








Georg Philipp Telemann, Concerto for 3 Trumpets
Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music








George Frideric Handel, Concerto Grosso "Alexander's Feast"
Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert








Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields

*Happy Thanksgiving my TC friends!* 
I am thankful to have this forum in which to excersize my love of Classical Music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A lovely recording










Violin Sonatas 6, 7 & 10

I've drastically curtailed my purchases of new recordings, reorganized my whole collection, and now I'm working my way through the collection... giving special attention to a lot of music/recordings that I'm less familiar with (although I really can't say that of the two Mozart pieces which are among my all time favorite works).


----------



## Blancrocher

Glenn Gould playing Beethoven's last 3 sonatas.


----------



## Oskaar

*Carson Cooman: Symphonies Nos. 2 And 3 / Violin Sonata*

Conductor(s):
*Trevor, Kirk *

Orchestra(s):
*Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra *

Artist(s):
*Gough, Rachel; Gough, Rupert; Schultz, Stephen; Skuta, Nora*









Amazon


----------



## Gilberto

Marin Marais - Pieces De Viole Book II performed by Cem Duruoz on guitar


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for this death day of *Havergal Brian *(1972), and Baby Face Nelson (1934).

View attachment 29331


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Schumann lieder - Dorothea Roschmann, soprano, Ian Bostridge, tenor, Graham Johnson, piano
> 
> had to revisit this after I heard Dorothea Roschman sing the Proms premiere of Robin Holloway's Reliquary the other day - no composer could have asked for a more commited, heartfelt performance


Thank you for that cover, SimonNZ. It's the first photo I remember seeing of Dorothea Roschmann.

Dorothea's also excellent on Harding's Mahler 4, which I will play now. :tiphat:

View attachment 29332


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony "No.47" in D Major, KV 97

Alessandro Arigoni conducting the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Concerto No. 20 in D minor
Maria Joao Pires, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Boulez

Via Youtube, and much better than I had expected.


----------



## Kieran

Ya ever have a Wolf for dinner? I have, every day for about three years. Sometimes '_Gangerl_ with organic brown rice, other times just plain old WAM balls. Dessert? Some Don Giovanni tart. 

Tonight I must be in Mahlerians kitchen cos as I cook, I have The Doyen helping me stir: #20, performed by Barenboim, conducted by Barenboim, with the Berlin Philly mashing the spuds. Haven't heard this one in a while. I know it twenty odd years, and still it grows and wants me to play it louder and sit and stir the hot pot on my lap. It's trance-making!

While I'm dinner-making...*K466*!


----------



## Oskaar

*The Emory Chamber Music Society Of Atlanta* - *Chamber Music Of Johannes Brahms*

Trio for horn (or viola or cello), violin & piano in E flat major, Op. 40
Sonata for clarinet (or viola) & piano No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 120/2
Hungarian Dances (21) for piano, 4 hands (or piano solo), WoO 1 (5 and 6)









amazon


----------



## Kieran

Ah, #21, by the same as above. Only trouble is, my dinner's almost cooked. I'll have to behead this during the first movement...


----------



## Blake

Moravec's Chopin: A few Nocturnes. I've been in a piano kinda' mood lately.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> Ya ever have a Wolf for dinner? I have, every day for about three years. Sometimes '_Gangerl_ with organic brown rice, other times just plain old WAM balls. Dessert? Some Don Giovanni tart.
> 
> Tonight I must be in Mahlerians kitchen cos as I cook, I have The Doyen helping me stir: #20, performed by Barenboim, conducted by Barenboim, with the Berlin Philly mashing the spuds. Haven't heard this one in a while. I know it twenty odd years, and still it grows and wants me to play it louder and sit and stir the hot pot on my lap. It's trance-making!
> 
> While I'm dinner-making...*K466*!


K., your menu sounds like Salzburg offerings, always at the ready. If only there were WAM family left, to get a piece-of-the-action.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): Flute Quartet, Op.28, No.2

Loic Poulain on flute with members of the Quatour Dolezal de Prague: Jiri Fiser, violin -- Karel Dolezal, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata 11, 12, 13, "Moonlight" 14
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Decca









What a magnificent piece is no. 12!

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata in B flat D960, Sonata in E 
By Wilhelm Kempf [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









And a new eBay arrival:

George Fredric Handel - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Taggart

The Handel violin sonatas are absolutely superb.


----------



## Blake

Arrau's Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21, "Waldstein". Glorious.


----------



## maestro267

To mark his passing this day in 1972:

*Brian*: Symphony No. 12
Slovak RSO/Leaper

To mark Thanksgiving:

*Barber*: Toccata Festiva, for organ and orchestra
Trotter/RSNO/Alsop


----------



## Novelette

Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict -- Sir Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra

Mendelssohn: Te Deum, WoO 29 -- Nicol Matt: Chamber Choir of Europe

^ Remarkably masterly choral writing considering that Mendelssohn was only 17 when he composed this.

Haydn: Feldparthie in E Flat, H 2/41 -- Consortium Classicum

Haydn: Fantasia in C, H 17/4 -- Jenö Jandó

*Liszt: Faust Symphony, S108 -- Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra*

^ This is a fascinating work.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Sinfonia in B Flat, Altner Bb2

Aapo Hakkinen leading the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra


----------



## Centropolis

Just got this cheapo Membran set and listening to the first disc.


----------



## Blancrocher

Rutter in Poulenc's sacred music, and now Gilels in Prokofiev's 2nd, 3rd, and 8th sonatas.


----------



## joen_cph

*Schönberg*: _Pelleas & Melisande_ + *Webern*: _Passacaglia_ / *Swarowsky, Czech PO* / supraphon LP

A fine performance, the only one of the few Swarowsky discs I´ve heard that I´ve liked that much, so far. (I also have Karajan, Scherchen, Rozhdestvensky, Barbirolli and Cambreling in the Schönberg work).


----------



## mstar

*Hexameron!* An amazing work. Also, I can tell which parts Liszt wrote - how unique his style is, we all can tell.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

GioCar said:


> I would suggest you listen to Yevgeny Sudbin as well:
> 
> View attachment 29312
> 
> 
> IMO one of the best Scarlatti recording in recent years


Three hearty cheers for the man Sudbin. One of the finest pianists of his generation. I heard him play a marvellous recital at the Oundle Festival a couple of years ago. Wonderfully witty Haydn playing, Chopin and Scriabin Mazurkas, and a performance of "Gaspard de la Nuit" that was breathtaking. His Scarlatti ranks, in my estimation, with Horowitz, and for me, praise can go no higher.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Piano Trio #3 in G Minor, Op. 110 -- Israel Piano Trio

Schumann: 12 Gedichte Aus Liebesfrühling, Op. 37 -- Graham Johnson; Oliver Widmer


----------



## Rocco

Right now I'm listening to Beethoven's Meeresstille und Glückliche fahrt in D major. It's pretty good.


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Bernhard Bach's Four Orchestral Suites - Freiburger Barockorchester


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Listening to this superb album of Albeniz and Granados played by Jose Iturbi, who was born on this day in 1895. It really ought to be reissued on CD. There is a school of thought that says that Iturbi's playing deteriorated badly in his later years, but this album (1960) utterly refutes that idea. Pshaw! What do these idiots know? A similar school of thought concerning Louis Kentner operates too, but they are wrong, WRONG, WRONG!


----------



## Blancrocher

Kondrashin in Boris Tchaikovsky's 2nd Symphony, and the composer playing various of his own piano works.

I like the album, and for what it's worth it hasn't garnered any bad reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Boris-Tchaiko...words=boris+tchaikovsky+symphony+2+kondrashin


----------



## Ravndal

Shostakovich preludes & fugues

Tatiana Nikolayeva


----------



## Blake

Simon's Ravel: Solo Piano, Valses Nobles Et Sentimentale.


----------



## moody

HEINRICH SCHLUSNUS ,the great German baritone performing Mahler's "Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen".
He recorded this with the Hessian Radio Orchestra within a year of his death.
Where Fischer-Dieskau tends to emphasize the rough edges in the music, Schlusnus goes for lyricism and unforced beauty of tone.


----------



## GioCar

Bach: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, (Actus tragicus), BWV 106
Masaaki Suzuki, BCJ

from the CD booklet: "This small cantata for use at funerals (the oldest copy made in 1768 bears the title 'Actus tragicus') is particularly well-loved among Bach's cantata compositions. Spelled out in simplicity with a feeling of peaceful tranquillity, it also contains the inner drama and intensity of the 22-year-old Bach's perspective on life and Death..."

Just hear the recorders playing at the beginning...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach

Violin concerto in A minor, BWV 1041
Violin concerto in E, BWV 1042
Double concerto in D minor, BWV 1043*

Anne-Sophie Mutter, Salvatore Accardo, violins; ECO, Accardo [EMI]


----------



## hreichgott

Been on a twice-in-a-row listening kick today. Berg's Lyric Suite and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. There's always more to hear the second time around...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Barber: Symphony No.1, Op.9
Dvorak: Slavonic Dance in C, Op.46 No.1 New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Bruno Walter

I've never heard the Barber before, it's very enjoyable on first hearing, I look forward to getting to know it better.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

mstar said:


> *Hexameron!* An amazing work. Also, I can tell which parts Liszt wrote - how unique his style is, we all can tell.


I heard this at a recital in London in 1983, in which that doyen of Lisztians Louis Kentner played Liszt's Introduction, theme and finale, then each of the variations was played by different pupils of his. It worked very well. Whose recording is it that you have? Mine is Raymond Lewenthal's, which came with prodigious notes- 4 LP pages worth! -by Mr. Lewenthal, a pianist who ought to be remembered far better than he is.


----------



## DavidA

Ravel - concerto for left hand - Fleischer / Osawa


----------



## Itullian

This is an outstanding set of most of Strauss's works.
In beautiful digital recordings.
I found myself listening straight through.
Maybe not Kempe or Karajan, but excellent in their own right.
Great sound.


----------



## KenOC

Posted in another thread, and very nice! Bach's French Overture, Andras Schiff playing. Can somebody tell me, though, why this is called an "overture"?

I asked Berlioz, who's pretty familiar with French overtures. He listened a bit and tugged the brim of his Stetson. "Heck, boy, that ain't no overture. Where I come from, we call that sort of thing a pahr-teeta!"


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert arr. Philipp: Deux Valses Caprices
Saint-Saens: Toccata, Op.111 No.6 Monique de la Bruchollerie

These on an HMV 78. The Saint-Saens has to be heard to be believed. I don't have any other recordings by this amazing French pianist. I have a complete set of Saint-Saens Op.111 by someone or other, but it's anaemic by comparison with this. I see that there are a couple of double CD sets of Miss de la Bruchollerie available, has anyone heard any of her other recordings? If she plays the big concertos with the same reckless abandon that she applies to this Saint-Saens piece, then they should be very exciting indeed!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mendelssohn

String Quartet in E flat (1823)
String Quartet No. 4 in E flat, Op.44 No. 2*

Coull String Quartet [Hyperion]









The 1823 work is good, with an interesting Fugal finale, but it seems a student work. The Op. 44/2 quartet (1837) has a romantic sensibility and strikes me as quite different to anything that had gone before it. I think this quartet cycle is due a revisit from me.


----------



## Taggart

KenOC said:


> Posted in another thread, and very nice! Bach's French Overture, Andras Schiff playing. Can somebody tell me, though, why this is called an "overture"?


No, but try wiki. The important word is "French" - giving it two parts as opposed to the three of the Italian, which is quick, slow, quick not to be confused with the foxtrot which is quick, quick, slow.


----------



## Schubussy

Beethoven - Cello Sonatas 4 & 5
Andras Schiff, Miklos Perenyi


----------



## ProudSquire

*J.N. Hummel*

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 85

Stephen Hough 
English Chamber Orchestra
Bryden Thomson


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Carl Maria Von Weber
Piano Concerto in C Major.

For me, its better than Mozart's 20th.


----------



## Sid James

Another post for my blog, drawing together some recent listening.

*Two Russians in Dresden, and The Master - Music by Rachmaninov, Shostakovich and Wagner*

*Rachmaninov* _The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29_ (1909)
- Paris Conservatoire Orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansermet (Decca Eloquence)

*Shostakovich* _Chamber Symphony (String Quartet #8) in C minor, Op. 110a (arr. Rudolf Barshai)_ (1960)
- Dalgat String Ensemble, St Petersburg cond. by Roland Melia (Naxos)

*Wagner* 
_Tristan und Isolde: Act 2, Scenes 1 & 2 (Concert ending, 1862)
Gotterdammerung: Act 3, Scene 3 (Immolation Scene)_
- Margaret Jane Wray, soprano (in both), John Horton Murray, ten., Nancy Maultsby, mezzo (in Tristan und Isolde only), w. Russian State SO cond. by John McGlinn (Naxos)

*Dresden - connections across German history*

During the 1840's, *Richard Wagner* worked as conductor of the court opera in Dresden, a number of his operas being produced there. *Sergei Rachmaninov* spent time in Dresden between 1906 and 1908, composing his tone poem _The Isle of the Dead_ there. *Dmitri Shostakovich* visited the city in 1960, initially working on the score of the film _Five Days - Five Nights_.

The three composer's visits traverse particular times in the city's history. Wagner took part in the revolution of 1848 that attempted to unify Germany, and had to leave Dresden and go into exile when that attempt failed. By the time of Rachmaninov's visit, German unification had been achieved for some three decades, when he visited the city it was a center of culture and the arts prior to World War I. He experienced a production of Richard Strauss' opera _Salome_ there, which impressed him. Shostakovich's visit occurred after World War II, by then Dresden was part of East Germany, the Soviet side of a divided Germany.
*
Pictures from top to bottom:* Dresden during the revolutions of 1848, Bocklin's _Isle of the Dead _and the city in the early 20th century.










*Symbolism, images and meaning in the music*

*Rachmaninov's The Isle of the Dead* was inspired by Arnold Bocklin's mysterious painting of the same title. The composer first saw the painting reproduced as a black and white photograph in a book, and the music itself brings to my mind grainy images contrasting the light of the sky with the darkness of the water. The ostinatos played by the basses that move through the piece bring to mind the rowing motions of oars. As in a number of his works, Rachmaninov uses a theme similar to the _Dies Irae_ plainchant in the Catholic Requiem. There are also sounds that bring to mind tolling bells, another Rachmaninov trademark.

*Shostakovich's String Quartet #8* quotes a number of his own works, including _Piano Trio #2_ and _Cello Concerto #1_. The _Funeral March_ from *Wagner's* _*Gotterdammerung*_ is also quoted, as is a revolutionary song. Shostakovich's motto tune DSCH starts off the work and recurs throughout it. I find the second movement (_Molto Allegro_) with the crazy psychopathic dance from the piano trio most chilling, whilst the third movement (_Allegretto_) has a theme from the cello concerto which is somewhat consoling amidst what is otherwise a macabre waltz. The fourth movement (_Largo_) has a drone sound that makes me think of an air raid siren. The five-movement work goes without pause and ends in what I interpret as being weeping.










*Musical influences and biographical events*

The chief influence *Rachmaninov's* piece is Liszt, especially that watery and fluid feel of piano pieces such as a number of items from his _Years of Pilgrimage_. I'd also argue that *Wagner's influence* is here as well. In terms of *Tristan und Isolde*, there is that same journey on water to a land of death. The same flowing feel is there too, the blaring brass and lushness of orchestration. Like many other composers, Rachmaninov paid a visit to Bayreuth, but that was in 1932.

Although his *String Quartet #8* was ostensibly dedicated "to the victims of Fascism and war," in a letter to a friend *Shostakovich* revealed the true nature of the work. Shostakovich was depressed due to having been made to bow to political pressure and join the Communist party, an act that he saw as being moral death. Another friend said the composer stated that he was in tears when composing it and intended it to be his epitaph, suggesting suicide (but this didn't happen). Apart from quoting *Wagner's Gotterdammerung*, Shostakovich also makes reference to part of Tchaikovsky's _Symphony #6, 'Pathetique_.'


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My final disc for the day:

*Grieg - Lyric Pieces* (selection) / Emil Gilels (piano) [Deutsche Grammophon]









Intimate and lovely miniature gems


----------



## Evoken

*Beethoven's 4th Symphony*

Continuing the journey through his symphonies.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues Op. 87, played by Alexander Melnikov. Just finished the great F-sharp minor. This is by far my favorite recording of these.


----------



## EricABQ

Faure's valse-caprice 1-4 played by Kathryn Stott. 

Her complete set of Faure solo piano has become one of my most listened to recordings.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

KenOC said:


> Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues Op. 87, played by Alexander Melnikov. Just finished the great F-sharp minor. This is by far my favorite recording of these.


Yes, I quite like that recording as well... but seriously... they couldn't fit it all on two discs? They needed a third disc for a single prelude and fugue?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

moody said:


> HEINRICH SCHLUSNUS ,the great German baritone performing Mahler's "Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen".
> He recorded this with the Hessian Radio Orchestra within a year of his death.
> Where Fischer-Dieskau tends to emphasize the rough edges in the music, Schlusnus goes for lyricism and unforced beauty of tone.


I just found this recording on Dutton... and put in an order for it. I know I've broken my promise to avoid any new purchases for the time being... but these Dutton recordings of older singers have proven to be consistently good.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

For those who love Bach's works for solo violin... such as myself... this is surely another oeuvre to explore... works for solo violin by Bach's great peer:



















Prokofiev- Symphony-Concerto & Miaskovsky- Cello Concerto


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas (Vols. III, IV, VI) Opp. 14, 22, 26, 27, 28, 49, 54, 57, 78, 79, 81a, w. Schiff (rec.2005/6).

View attachment 29359
View attachment 29360
View attachment 29361


----------



## Couac Addict

I prefer her work for the nocturnes. Sometimes, a more gentle approach is required.


----------



## Evoken

*Chopin - Piano Concerto #2 In F Minor, Op. 21, B 43 - 3. Allegro Vivace*

Good one.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Biblical oratorio similar to the Chandos Anthems:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Well... after all that "mushy" Russian stuff its back to some solid (stolid?) Germanic structure:



















Schubert & Mendelssohn Trios no.s 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Peteris Vasks' Piano Quartet - Ensemble Raro

edit: now Vasks' The Book - Sol Gabetta, cello










edit: Frank Martin's Six Monologues From "Jedermann" - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone


----------



## Ravndal

Couac Addict said:


> I prefer her work for the nocturnes. Sometimes, a more gentle approach is required.


I like that version as well, but i wouldn't call it gentle!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Poulenc's Concerto For Two Pianos - François-René Duchâble and Jean-Philippe Collard, piano duo, James Conlon, cond.


----------



## joen_cph

*Reger*:"_Beethoven-Variations" op.86_, version for 2 pianos / *Lerche-Herkomer Duo */ Eterna LP

Unexpectedly lively and excellent playing, and a good, powerful work, comparable to the composer´s "_Introduction, Passacaglia & Fugue_", also for 2 pianos.


----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Metastaseis - Arturo Tamayo, cond.


----------



## joen_cph

^^^^
I´ll have to re-listen to that apparently iconic work.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 32 in G minor (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## SimonNZ

Webern's Passacaglia - Herbert von Karajan, cond.

edit: now Ives' The Unanswered Question - Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.










followed by Lenny's recording of The Unanswered Question


----------



## Oskaar

*St Petersburg*

*Balakirev:* 
Octet, Op. 3

*Glazunov:* 
String Quintet Op.39

*Glinka:* 
Trio Pathetique in D minor

*Shostakovich:* 
Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8









prestoclassical

orchidclassics


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' The Unanswered Question - Morton Gould, cond.


----------



## Conor71

*Bax: Symphony No. 6*

Pettersson: Symphony No. 13 and Bax: Symphony No. 6
Ive been in the mood for quite serious music this week - these composers are really hitting the spot:


----------



## Andolink

*Henry Purcell*: _The summer's absence unconcerned we bear_, Z 337; _Great parent, hail_, Z 327
Evelyn Tubb, soprano
Gillian Fisher, soprano
James Bowman, countertenor
Nigel Short, countertenor
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor
Charles Pott, bass
Michael George, bass
King's Consort/Robert King








*Michael Tippett*: _String Quartets Nos. 3 and 5_
Kreutzer Quartet








Music from 13th Century Spain of the _Codex Las Huelgas_
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul Van Nevel


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Keyboard Concerto No.3 in D Major, BWV 1054

Murray Perahia on piano with the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Janet Baker [soprano], Beverly Sills [soprano], Robert Lloyd [tenor], Nicolai Gedda [tenor], Raimund Herincx [bariton], John Alldis Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Patanè [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Flamme




----------



## DavidA

Wagner Die Walkure / Karajan

Vickers & Janowitz amazing!


----------



## Winterreisender

Brahms - Ein deutsches Requiem by Paris Champs-lyses Orchestra and Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok Violin Concerto No. 1.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Kammermusik 1~4
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado


----------



## Sudonim

Now that Turkey Day is behind us, it's permissible to pull this one out:









Has there ever been a warmer, friendlier sound than Satchmo singing?

More apropos for this thread, however, and our taste for that snooty highbrow stuff, is this:


----------



## Flamme




----------



## jim prideaux

Rubbra-2nd/6th symphonies-Hickox/BBC Wales, this morning and now the 4th-stating the obvious but why are these works not more widely known......last night and early this morning returned to recently acquired Kabalevsky collection (Stott/Jarvi etc) and while I can understand the general reservations regarding this composer I really do find the pieces interesting/enjoyable although I do suspect this may be more as 'documents' reflective of a historical circumstance...........
began to listen to the latter Glazunov symphonies and I can detect aspects that are redolent of certain Prokofiev works ie 7th symphony.....
Miaskovsky cello sonatas..magic!
p.s.-I was listening to Rubbra while reading Duff Cooper diaries -section concerning Munich 1938-and yes I know purists are probably going daft at the thought of reading while listening but in this instance the book and music felt inextricably linked........what to do!


----------



## Oskaar

*Reger*: *String Quartet in E flat, Op. 109; Clarinet Quintet in A, Op. 146 
*
Performer:
*Karl Leister (clarinet); Vogler Quartet*









classical-music.com/review


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Funeral Music
Ives - The Unanswered Question (Tilson Thomas)
Stravinsky - Dumbarton Oaks Concerto (Ward).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## moody

Evoken said:


> *Chopin - Piano Concerto #2 In F Minor, Op. 21, B 43 - 3. Allegro Vivace*
> 
> Good one.


Please include the artists in your posts.


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> Schubert arr. Philipp: Deux Valses Caprices
> Saint-Saens: Toccata, Op.111 No.6 Monique de la Bruchollerie
> 
> These on an HMV 78. The Saint-Saens has to be heard to be believed. I don't have any other recordings by this amazing French pianist. I have a complete set of Saint-Saens Op.111 by someone or other, but it's anaemic by comparison with this. I see that there are a couple of double CD sets of Miss de la Bruchollerie available, has anyone heard any of her other recordings? If she plays the big concertos with the same reckless abandon that she applies to this Saint-Saens piece, then they should be very exciting indeed!


She was a pupil of Isidor Philipp, Cortot and von Sauer , that establishes her credentials .
You should buy the Doremi cd's quickly---they're only £20.25 per double album.


----------



## DrKilroy

Also:

Lutosławski's Mi-parti and Symphony No. 2, both conducted by the composer. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Blancrocher

I've been enjoying early piano concertos in Geza Anda's set, including the great "Jeunehomme."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concerto No. 1.*


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludwig van Beethoven:* 
Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale), Egmont Overture - Incidental Music, Op. 84,
*London Symphony Orchestra,Josef Krips, Conductor, *

Fidelio Overture/March, Op. 72, 
*Frankfurt Opera Orchestra, Lovro von Matacic, Conductor*

Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
*Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Armin Jordan, Conductor*









Amazon


----------



## Guest

Nice looking CD jacket, Oskaar! Why it shows a 'cellist playing in a higher thumb position when no such position is called for in any of the pieces featured is beyond me. Ah me, what heights of pedantry I can reach !!!!!!


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Guest

@ Flamme just above (post #48315): Kind of how I feel when I can't quite manage a passage - hit the thing until it bends to my will ...


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Julius Harrison's Bredon Hill - Lorraine McAslan, violin, Nicholas Braithwaite, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Flamme said:


>


I'd be liking a lot more of these things if they wern't being posted as full youtube videos - which many other members here have repeatedly asked that people please not do.


----------



## Guest

So, in response to the thread about the 'thisness' of Beethoven, I've been listening to a Harmonia Mundi CD featuring HIP practitioner *Andreas Staier* playing Beethoven's Diabelli Variations (DVs) on a reproduction Graf fortepiano (and not, MillionR, a pianoforte - unless you live in France!). Anyway, the joy of this CD is that Staier opens the CD with the original Diabelli 'cobbler's patch of a theme', then goes on to play contributions to the original project by luminaries such as Carl Czerny, Hummel, Kalkbrenner, Liszt (aged ten or so at the time!), Moscheles, Mozart's son Franz Xavier and Schubert before going on to play the entire LvB DV set...
Now, here is a great opportunity to compare their contributions (single variations only, admittedly) with those of Beethoven to explore what is the 'thisness' of LvB. I'd be interested to hear your views.
Here's a link to the Harmonia Mundi site and the CD in question : http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#/albums?id=1809


----------



## Oskaar

TalkingHead said:


> Nice looking CD jacket, Oskaar! Why it shows a 'cellist playing in a higher thumb position when no such position is called for in any of the pieces featured is beyond me. Ah me, what heights of pedantry I can reach !!!!!!


I made it yesterday... , listening to a cello concerto :tiphat:


----------



## Novelette

Dvořák: Symphony #8 in G, Op. 88, B 163 -- Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 -- Richard Egarr

Schubert: String Quartet #12 in C Minor, Op. Posth, D 703, "Quartettsatz" -- Melos Quartet

Mozart: Piano Concerto #24 in C Minor, K 491 -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Haydn: Baryton Trio #96 in B Minor, H 11/96 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Liszt: Auber: Tarentelle di Bravura d'après la Tarentelle de "La Muette De Portici", S 386iii -- Leslie Howard


----------



## Guest

oskaar said:


> I made it yesterday... , listening to a cello concerto :tiphat:


Hah! Let me guess (given the position on the jacket) : Haydn 1, in C ?


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 64, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2009); *Mozart*: String Quintets, K.593, 614, w. Fehervari/Eder Qt. (rec.1996); *LvB*: Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987).

View attachment 29385
View attachment 29386
View attachment 29387


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro* with the Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Vittorio Gui on EMI.

The perfect 'light' comic opera - the finale of Act 1 is a bedroom farce that's difficult to beat for 'light' comedy in opera. It is so natural that it easily appeals to people not well versed in opera. Any way I prefer it to Cosi Fan Tutti as theatre. And Don Giovanni is too dark for me to class as 'light' comedy. Of course in Figaro there are many sections of deeper feeling that raise this out of the ordinary realm of light comedy - this is Mozart not Rossini! This is the Mozart opera I most enjoy seeing as well as hearing, it's such good theatre.

This recording dates from the year before I was born and seems to be widely regarded as a classic. Hugely enjoyable.


----------



## Blancrocher

Christa Ludwig and Sviatoslav Richter in Schubert, and a first listen to Kuschnerova in Scriabin.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Sept04/Scriabin_Kuschnerova.htm


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vaneyes said:


> *Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 64, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2009); *Mozart*: String Quintets, K.593, 614, w. Fehervari/Eder Qt. (rec.1996); *LvB*: Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987).
> 
> View attachment 29385
> View attachment 29386
> View attachment 29387


ooo, you have the Op. 64 by the Auryn Quartet - verdict?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 90 in C Major; Symphony No. 91 in E-flat Major
(Sigiswald Kuijken; La Petite Bande).









Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major; Fantasy in C Major, 'Wandererfantasie'
(Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing the Coull Quartet's survey of Felix Mendelssohn's String Quartets:

*Mendelssohn

String Quartet No. 1 in E flat, Op. 12 (1829)
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 (1827)
*
Coull String Quartet [Hyperion]









Two more splendid early works, sounding rather Beethovenian but with some original touches that could only have come from Mendelssohn.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations
By Glenn Gould (1981), on Sony

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonatas 1,2,3, 15 "Pastorale", 21 "Waldstein", 19, 20, 17 "Tempest", 18
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Diabellis, from the new recording by Andras Schiff on a Hammerflugel fortepiano. Just hitting the big Handelian fugue near the end!

No cover, it's too big (one of those magnifying ones).


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> ooo, you have the Op. 64 by the Auryn Quartet - verdict?


Dynomite. :tiphat:


----------



## Bas

KenOC said:


> Beethoven's Diabellis, from the new recording by Andras Schiff on a Hammerflugel fortepiano. Just hitting the big Handelian fugue near the end!
> 
> No cover, it's too big (one of those magnifying ones).


 Do you know Staier's rendition? And if so, how do they compare?


----------



## KenOC

Bas said:


> Do you know Staier's rendition? And if so, how do they compare?


Negative, but I see it's on YouTube. I'll give it a listen and maybe start a Diabellis thread. The work is certainly worth discussing.


----------



## Schubussy

Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 24
Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra








Feels like I've been waiting a decade for this to arrive. Was going to go from the beginning but I couldn't resist skipping straight to the 24th.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

the last two quartets in the Leipzig Streichquartett late Mozart box...

*Mozart

String Quartet No. 22 in B flat, KV 589 "Prussian" Quartet No.2
String Quartet No. 20 in D, KV 499 "Hoffmeister"*

Leipziger Streichquartett [MD&G]









These are the real thing, superbly played and recorded


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some lovely vocal music... followed by:










Far too often the tired complaint that all of Vivaldi sounds the same is based solely upon his concertos. These were quite often written for the all-female music ensemble of the _Ospedale della Pietà_, a home for abandoned children. He was not only limited to writing for the abilities of the students on hand, but he was also under pressure to compose a new concerto and/or new oratorio for each feast day as well as act as violin instructor and teach music theory. A good deal of his strongest work is found in collections written for publication, such as _Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione_ which included _Le quattro stagioni_, _L'estro armonico_, and _La stravaganza_. One will also find a great wealth among the composers operas and sacred vocal music, as well as his violin and cello sonatas (the former written for his own use as well as publication).


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I have recently listened to Liszt's First Piano Concerto, a couple of Chopin's Piano Etudes and the first movement to Beethoven's Sextet for Two Horns and String Quartet.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Pavel Haas - String Quartet No 2 Op 7 (1925) - From The Monkey Mountains / Hawthorne String Quartet [Decca]









*Ravel

Sonatine
Le Tombeau de Couperin
Prelude
Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn
Menuet antique
A la maniere de Borodine
*
Pascal Rogé (Piano)


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Symphony in E Flat, Z24

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players


----------



## senza sordino

My report cards are done for this term, and it involved many hours after school with the music, and here's my playlist:
*Sibelius Symphonies 4, 6, and 7, Colin Davis with Boston Symphony*, the often over looked symphonies

At one point my colleague walked into my room and exclaimed " O my god, what's going on here?" I replied "world war two",
*Shostakovich Symphony #8 Vasily Petrenko with Liverpool Phil*

My newly purchased
*Ravel Daphnis and Chloe with Charles Munch and Boston Symphony*

And to rest from all the noise while I really need to concentrate on my work
*Schubert Trout Quintet with Amadeus Quartet and Hephzibah Menuhin * and the *Mendelsohn Octet with Primavera Chamber Ensemble*


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Die Zauberflote
Beethoven: Violin Concerto


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Symphony in E Flat, Z24, Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players


Bejart, if you keep listening to this stuff you'll find yourself back in 1783 with no place to recharge your iPod. Just sayin'.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening to this:


----------



## SimonNZ

Georg Christoph Wagenseil: Concerts Choisis - Alexander Weimann, cond


----------



## Weston

Been away from home a couple of days, so I'm trying to catch up on both this thread (because I enjoy it) and my listening.

*Martinu: Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani*
Charles Mackerras / Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra








As usual I enjoy the piano as just one feature of the concerto, but I have to say I felt like I had an action adventure spy movie going on in the background. The second movement is the highpoint here for me. I did not listen to the "Field Mass" tonight.

*Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 21: Overture / A Midsummer Night's Dream Incidental Music, Op. 61*
Anthony Bramall / Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra









Ahhhhh. This is classical music. It's nice to come home (physically and metaphorically) to something this familiar.

*Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Suite II*
Geoffrey Simon / The Philharmonia









This too is a comforting piece. Its mysterious Debussy dream-like tones summon me to sleep, but I am not quite ready.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Joly Braga Santos*--Symphony No.4, *
performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under Alvaro Cassuto.
Edward Elgar--*Nimrod, *
featuring Adrian Leaper and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Edward Elgar--*Symphony No.1 in A-Flat Major, * traversed by Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> Bejart, if you keep listening to this stuff you'll find yourself back in 1783 with no place to recharge your iPod. Just sayin'.


Oh c'mon KenOC - people listen to what they like.


----------



## Blancrocher

Rudolf Serkin with Szell in Bartok's first Piano Concerto and with Ormandy in Prokofiev's 4th, followed by some Morton Feldman.

*p.s.* I hope you enjoyed your holiday traveling, Weston.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Georg Christoph Wagenseil: Concerts Choisis - Alexander Weimann, cond


Wonderful! I adore Wagenseil; enjoy, Simon! 

...

Schumann: Symphony #1 in B Flat, Op. 38, "Spring" -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique

Tallis: Missa Puer Natus Est Nobis -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Ockeghem: Missa Quarti Toni -- Hillard Ensemble


----------



## samurai

Joseph Haydn- -*Symphony No.101 in D Major {"The Clock"}; Symphony No.105 in B- Major; Symphony No. 103 in E-Flat Major {"Drum Roll"} and Symphony No.104 in D Major {"Salomon"}. * All four works feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Reinhold

*Mahler - Symphony No. 3* with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Bernstein


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 1 in D Major; Adam Fischer, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra (YouTube).


----------



## SimonNZ

Novelette said:


> Wonderful! I adore Wagenseil; enjoy, Simon!


Thanks! Its part of this weeks homework from the 240 list.


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: Piano Sonatas (Vols. III, IV, VI) Opp. 14, 22, 26, 27, 28, 49, 54, 57, 78, 79, 81a, w. Schiff (rec.2005/6).
> 
> View attachment 29359
> View attachment 29360
> View attachment 29361


Probably my favorite set. I love the covers too.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Thanks! Its part of this weeks homework from the 240 list.


The whole Mannheim School deserves greater notoriety. That whole era, the fascinatingly nebulous transition between Baroque and Classical styles, is a period of astounding prolificness by some very interesting composers.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jacopo Peri's Euridice - Roberto De Caro, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Saturday morning-as autumn may well begin to evolve into winter-the warmth of Haydn to start the day-Symphonies 96-98 performed by Fischer as part of the 'Esterhazy recordings'.....coincidence, Toby Esterhazy was the name adopted by one of the leading characters in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' when he arrived in Britain as a refugee from Hungary.....anyway this is one of the sets that has lead me to conclude I derive a far greater pleasure from the symphonies of Haydn than from Mozart...


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Friedrich Abel: The Drexel Manuscript - Paolo Pandolfo, viola da gamba


----------



## Conor71

*Glazunov: The Seasons, Op. 67*

Inspired by discussions on another thread I downloaded this set and listening through the first few discs this evening - very good so far. I also have Otaka's set of the Symphonies which I think is good but this one seems a bit more nuanced and has slightly better sound quality (thats not saying much as the Bis box has excellent SQ as you would expect).










Edit: Apologies for the large image size, I dont know how to reduce it on this forum


----------



## Ingélou

I have just started listening to *The Magic Flute *- a YouTube link, The Metropolitan Opera conducted by James Levine.

Why? Because 
a) um ...  I _never have_! (Everyone has to start somewhere.)
and b) *English Touring Opera* is bringing it to places near us next year - Norwich & Snape Maltings.  Yummy!

It's lovely so far - and I'm sure it will have *Loveliness* stamped through it like Brighton Rock.


----------



## SimonNZ

I hpoe you enjoy it! Its probably my favorite opera.

That makes me want to see Ingmar Bergman's film of The Magic Flute again - my introduction to the opera back in my early twenties, and only because I was ticking off all of Bergman's film. But it won me over immediately.

I see its also on YT - but without subtitles.


----------



## SimonNZ

Elliott Carter's Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei - Oliver Knussen, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Dutilleux - String Quartet 'Ainsi La Nuit'* / Belcea Quartet









Just the thing to wake me up on a Saturday morning before a trip to Manchester


----------



## SimonNZ

Michael Torke's Green - David Zinman, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mmmmm Mendelssohn


----------



## SimonNZ

Harrison Birtwistle's Earth Dances - Pierre Boulez, cond


----------



## shangoyal

My first listen to Prokofiev, and I quite like it already! 

Prokofiev: *Symphony No. 1 in D major 'Classical'*

Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra / Stephen Gunzenhauser


----------



## Guest

shangoyal said:


> My first listen to Prokofiev, and I quite like it already!
> 
> Prokofiev: *Symphony No. 1 in D major 'Classical'*
> 
> Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra / Stephen Gunzenhauser


The 1st is lively and memorable and finishes way too soon.

The 5th is his next most popular. It takes a little more effort to absord and appreciate. I have them both recorded by James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra:









I will give it a listen after this finishes:








Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050
Cafe Zimmermann


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ Work for two pianists, 1958
Plush timbre and harmony, and perhaps too short :-(


----------



## MagneticGhost

Berlioz - Grande Messe des Morts - Slatkin / Lyon etc


----------



## Bas

Jerome said:


> The 1st is lively and memorable and finishes way too soon.
> 
> The 5th is his next most popular. It takes a little more effort to absord and appreciate. I have them both recorded by James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra:
> 
> View attachment 29412
> 
> 
> I will give it a listen after this finishes:
> 
> View attachment 29413
> 
> Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050
> Cafe Zimmermann


That Zimmerman recording is fantastic! I heard it, high on my "wanted" list.

I myself am currently listening to:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas "Pathetique" 8, "Moonlight" 14, "Appasionata" 23, 30, 31, 32
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









Which finishes my cycle of this week of all the Sonatas of Beethoven by Barenboim in quite random order. (With some intermezzos: Gulda's Beethoven, Brahms Concerto, Goldberg variations, Handel Violin Sonatas, Schubert Sonatas) It was great relistening all this works.

Laid the week out on the couch:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis_, BWV 21
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Gérard Lesne, countertenor
Howard Crook, tenor
Peter Harvey, bass
La Chapelle Royale Paris, Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe








*Ernst Toch*: _String Quartet No. 11_, op. 34
Buchberger Quartet








*Henry Purcell*: _Welcome, welcome, glorious morn_ Z338 (1691)
Evelyn Tubb, soprano
Gillian Fisher, soprano
James Bowman, countertenor
Nigel Short, countertenor
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor
Charles Pott, bass
Michael George, bass
King's Consort/Robert King


----------



## Guest

Prokofiev's light and energetic 1st symphony blended so nicely with the Bach that preceded it that I must return and let inertia carry me.








Concerto in G for Viola da Braccio, reconstructed from BWV 1055R
Giorgio Sasso, Insieme Strumentale di Roma








Orchestral Suite #3, BWV 1068
Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert


----------



## bejart

KenOC said:


> Bejart, if you keep listening to this stuff you'll find yourself back in 1783 with no place to recharge your iPod. Just sayin'.


No fear. I have a specially made Delorean.

Now ---
Vivaldi: Trio Sonata in E Minor, Op.1, No.2, RV 67

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 20 in B-flat Major; Piano Sonata No. 32 in G minor (Jenő Jandó).









G. P. Telemann, Overture in B minor for violin solo, 2 violins, viola and B.c. (Musica Alta Ripa).


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Ferdinand Ries (28 November 1784-1838): Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.115

Howard Griffiths conducting the Zurcher Kammerorchester


----------



## Taggart

Two of the earliest CD's I bought. We moved over into Baroque from early music - David Munrow and Musica Reservata so we went HIP. Pinnock's Bach is middle of the road, yet uses lean textures and period instruments to create a clear, bright texture. Allegros are spritely without being breathless, and the recorded sound is excellent.


----------



## Weston

Jerome said:


> Prokofiev's light and energetic 1st symphony blended so nicely with the Bach that preceded it that I must return and let inertia carry me.
> 
> View attachment 29416
> 
> Concerto in G for Viola da Braccio, reconstructed from BWV 1055R
> Giorgio Sasso, Insieme Strumentale di Roma


Ummm. Who was Viola da Braccio? I can't find any Wikipedia references for her.



bejart said:


> In belated celebration of his birthday ---
> Ferdinand Ries (28 November 1784-1838): Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.115
> 
> Howard Griffiths conducting the Zurcher Kammerorchester
> 
> View attachment 29425


I've been wanting to explore Ries. There's evidently a lot available now. The snippets I've heard sound _so much_ like Beethoven as to make him a Beethoven tribute act, perhaps understandably given his close association.


----------



## ptr

Carl Nielsen for the afternoon:







---








Works for String Quartet and String Quintet (Dacapo 6.220521 / 6.220522)

Den Unge Danske Strygekvartet og Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin (Quintet)

Reference versions of each work!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> Ummm. Who was Viola da Braccio? I can't find any Wikipedia references for her.


Ha! That one woke me up. :lol:


----------



## joen_cph

ptr said:


> Carl Nielsen for the afternoon:
> 
> View attachment 29426
> ---
> View attachment 29427
> 
> 
> Works for String Quartet and String Quintet (Dacapo 6.220521 / 6.220522)
> 
> Den Unge Danske Strygekvartet og Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin (Quintet)
> 
> Reference versions of each work!
> 
> /ptr


I agree. A fresh and superb approach in many cases.


----------



## Blancrocher

Charles Rosen playing Liszt's "Reminiscences of Don Juan," and more of Geza Anda's set of Mozart's piano concertos (presently #18).


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Kammermusik 5~7, Der Swanendreher
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Abbado; Bavarian Radio Symphony, cond. Shallon









I enjoy No. 7, for the odd pairing of organ and small orchestra, quite a bit. I find much of Hindemith's later music to be bland and very dry, but Der Swanendreher has some charm to it.


----------



## ticovanzant

Not one to normally buy and listen to "greatest hits" CD's, I can make an exception for one of the greats:


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorff (1739-1799): Sinfonia No.4 in F Major

Hanspeter Gmur leading the Failoni Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Eleven Concerti, w. Bylsma et al (rec.1989); Concert for the Prince of Poland, w. Manze et al (rec.1996); Double Concerti, w. Mullova et al (rec.2007).

View attachment 29446
View attachment 29447
View attachment 29448


----------



## Weston

*Olivier Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time*
Myung-Whun Chung / Paul Meyer / Gil Shaham / Jian Wang









First real listen to this work other than excerpts in samples. I'm not sure it fits with a sunny Saturday morning. Maybe I'd better switch to Rameau and try this again tonight. I also wonder if DG tried to stretch this out closer to an hour by adding a lot of silent lead-in and tail on each track. :-/


----------



## Blake

Celibidache's Bruckner: Symphony No. 3. A special interpretation.


----------



## Vaneyes

Bas said:


> That Zimmerman recording is fantastic! I heard it, high on my "wanted" list.
> 
> I myself am currently listening to:
> 
> Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas "Pathetique" 8, "Moonlight" 14, "Appasionata" 23, 30, 31, 32
> By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI
> 
> View attachment 29414
> 
> 
> Which finishes my cycle of this week of all the Sonatas of Beethoven by Barenboim in quite random order. (With some intermezzos: Gulda's Beethoven, Brahms Concerto, Goldberg variations, Handel Violin Sonatas, Schubert Sonatas) It was great relistening all this works.
> 
> Laid the week out on the couch:


"Egads!" for the couch. Like otherwise.


----------



## science

I suspect I'll never love this as much as Winterreise, but I like it better this time than I have before. Perhaps that's because of the recording - previously I've only heard Bostridge/Johnson, but I haven't heard that in a long time now so I ought to give it another go as well.


----------



## science

Vaneyes said:


> "Egads!" for the couch. Like otherwise.


You never know when you're gonna need to confuse a predatory cat. Props to Bas for preparedness.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/Metamenu/RCO-Radio/
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 'The Year 1905' - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Semyon Bychkov (7.1.2011)


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in D Major, Op.18, No.3

Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Roger Bigley, viola -- Bernard Gregor-Smith, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *"Furt"* on his death day, November 30, 1954.

View attachment 29451


----------



## NightHawk

This recording, made in Stocksund Church, Sweden and released in 1986, by Clas Pehrsson, recorder, and Jakob Lindberg, Bass Lute, of music from early to late 17th century creates a wondrous atmospheric experience of composers such as de Selma y Salaverde, Melii, Montalbano, Bassano, Castello, Piccinini, Parcham, Anon, Purcell, Pepusch, Finger, and Croft. I have listened to it for days, now, in cold bleak weather and it is mesmerizing. Very intimate music and highly recommended. *****

Belated Happy Holidays just past and coming up! nh


----------



## maestro267

A Scottish first half, followed by this week's Saturday Symphony.

*Peter Maxwell Davies*: An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/composer

*Wallace*: Sir William Wallace, symphonic poem No. 5
BBCSSO/Brabbins

*Mackenzie*: Scottish Concerto
Osborne (piano)/BBCSSO/Brabbins

_interval_

*Berlioz*: Symphonie Fantastique
Berlin PO/Kempe


----------



## ptr

For the Saturday Symphonies Tradition

*Hector Berlioz* - Symphonie Fantastique (Royal)









Hallé Orchestra u. Sir John Barbirolli

/ptr


----------



## PetrB

Francisco Guerrero Marín ~ _Coma Berenices_ (1996)


----------



## Weston

*J. S. Bach: French Suite No. 1 in D minor, BWV 812 / French Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV 813*
Monica Leone, piano









I love Bach on piano, but this rendition is just okay. Something about the ornamentation bothers me. Could be the sub-par cover has put me in a critical mood. On the other hand the Allemande from French Suite 2 sounds great even when _I_ try to play it!

[Edit: the Suite No. 2 is MUCH better than the first. Quite enjoyable.]

[Edit 2: Oh, and Beethoven may not have been the first to accidentally "invent" something that sounds like ragtime or boogie-woogie. The Gigue in the Suite No. 2 is so syncopated it too has a jazzy feel.]


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in G minor* played by the Grumiaux Trio with Arpad Gerecz and Max Lesueur on Philips.

I prefer the Mozart String Quintets to his String Quartets, and this G minor work is quite outstanding - well until the last movement. I've never been able to persuade myself that the last movement proper (following on from it's sad introduction) is quite fitting as a conclusion. The three earlier movements are full of profound almost fatalistic music and it's almost as if Mozart has tried making the work more palatable commercially by finishing on a much lighter upbeat note. Or perhaps I just don't get it.

It's very well played here.


----------



## bejart

LancsMan said:


> *Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in G minor* played by the Grumiaux Trio with Arpad Gerecz and Max Lesueur on Philips.
> 
> I prefer the Mozart String Quintets to his String Quartets, .... It's very well played here.


So do I, and the Grumiuax recording is my favorite rendition.

Now ---
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Trio in E Flat, Op.12

Voces Intimae: Riccardo Cecchetti, piano -- Luigi de Filippi, violin -- Sandro Meo, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 72 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).


----------



## Blake

Penny's Arnold: Symphony 5.


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Requiem* performed by Margaret Price, Trudeliese Schmidt, Francisco Araiza, Theo Adam, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Peter Schreier.

A very musical performance here of a masterpiece that needs no introduction.

And just to think that, much as I admire him, naughty Glen Gould claimed Mozart died too old, not too young!


----------



## maestro267

Vesuvius said:


> Penny's Arnold: Symphony 5.


My favourite of an incredible cycle of symphonies. The slow movement's main theme is achingly beautiful, and it's a wonderful moment when that theme returns at the climax of the finale.


----------



## Kieran

LancsMan said:


> *Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in G minor* played by the Grumiaux Trio with Arpad Gerecz and Max Lesueur on Philips.
> 
> I prefer the Mozart String Quintets to his String Quartets, and this G minor work is quite outstanding - well until the last movement. I've never been able to persuade myself that the last movement proper (following on from it's sad introduction) is quite fitting as a conclusion. The three earlier movements are full of profound almost fatalistic music and it's almost as if Mozart has tried making the work more palatable commercially by finishing on a much lighter upbeat note. Or perhaps I just don't get it.
> 
> It's very well played here.


Hey LancsMan,

I prefer the quintets too, and the string trio, K563. For some reason, the quartets haven't gripped me yet. I think it's the form, for some reason. or it could be just me! 

As to the ending of K516, David cairns wrote lucidly on this in his excellent book, Mozart and His Operas:



> As for the G minor quintet, who had ever encountered anything remotely like it before: the tormented first movement, with its almost unrelieved darkness of mood, its compulsive chromaticism, the constantly falling melody lines, the dissonant harmonies, the persistent feverish throb of the accompaniment, which, near the end, stops abruptly, as though exhausted by suffering (to us a wonderful effect)? Or the angular, pathetic minuet, its melodic lines , descending as before, interrupted by sudden brusque offbeat chords and wisps of phrase that aspire weakly upwards only to fall back, disconsolate? And then, after yet more morbid introspection and falling melodies, the manic gaiety of the major-key finale!
> 
> That finale, subsequently, raised many eyebrows. How, following the tensions and poignant ironies of the slow movement, could the darkness of the even more sombre fourth-movement adagio suddenly give way, after more than thirty uncompromisingly tragic bars, to light and to a bounding rondo in 6/8 time and in an almost unclouded G major (whose chromaticisms, one might add, are now an expression of vitality, of endless possibility)? The answer to us is obvious: because Mozart was not a Victorian moralist; because in music, above all in music as ambiguous as his, animal spirits do not have to be justified; because his instinct, as a human being and a dramatist, is for reconciliation and renewal. The finale does not negate the suffering of the previous movements: they become the springboards to fresh life...


I think he's right, and I particularly love the "Victorian moralist" remark... :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, cond. Gardiner









"Berlioz is, in our opinion, by far the least respectable of the composers of the new school...He has no breath of inspiration and no spark of creative genius...A knowledge of the principles of composition will no more make a composer than an acquaintance with etymology a poet...It needs no gift of prophecy to predict that he will be utterly unknown a hundred years hence to everybody but the encyclopedists and the antiquarians." Boston _Daily Advertiser_, October 29, 1874


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
> Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, cond. Gardiner
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Berlioz is, in our opinion, by far the least respectable of the composers of the new school...He has no breath of inspiration and no spark of creative genius...A knowledge of the principles of composition will no more make a composer than an acquaintance with etymology a poet...It needs no gift of prophecy to predict that he will be utterly unknown a hundred years hence to everybody but the encyclopedists and the antiquarians." Boston _Daily Advertiser_, October 29, 1874


::Cringe:: Thank goodness that prediction came to nought! "Least respectable"? "No spark of creative genius..."? Bah!


----------



## KenOC

Novelette said:


> ::Cringe:: Thank goodness that prediction came to nought! "Least respectable"? "No spark of creative genius..."? Bah!


Berlioz was not always appreciated, even among the luminaries.

"The worst musician among the musical geniuses." --Maurice Ravel, on Hector Berlioz

"Thus Auber, who had so much talent and few ideas, was almost always understood, while Berlioz, who had genius but no talent at all, was almost never understood." --Georges Bizet

"I can compare Le Carnival Romain by Berlioz to nothing but the caperings and gibberings of a big baboon, over-excited by a dose of alcoholic stimulus." --George Templeton Strong, British critic


----------



## Blake

Guarneri's Beethoven: String Quartet B-Flat, Op. 130.


----------



## bejart

In a belated celebration of his birthday ---
Gaetano Donizetti (29 November 1797-1848): String Quartet No.13 in A Major

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angela East, cello


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 'Emperor'* played by The Lindsays on ASV.

Although I rate Mozart higher than Haydn, I've got to admit I prefer Haydn's string quartets to Mozart's. The Emperor quartet isn't my favourite Haydn quartet - but what a first movement! Full of life and folksy too - complete with drone effects. Love it.

You can rely on the Lindsays to give a good performance.


----------



## Weston

Novelette said:


> ::Cringe:: Thank goodness that prediction came to nought! "Least respectable"? "No spark of creative genius..."? Bah!


It has merely taken longer than they predicted.


----------



## Nevum

*Glinca*


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries


----------



## KenOC

First listen to John Corigliano's "Conjurer," a big percussion concerto -- but not like any I've ever heard. I'm very impressed by this and recommend it, especially if you have a good stereo and no near neighbors.


----------



## joen_cph

*Argerich: Lugano Concertos / DG 4 CD*

A good set of course, with a lot of content; only the Schumann and Beethoven Concerto 1 were a bit less interesting than expected, at least the first time I heard them. Very good Bartok 3rd Concerto and Poulenc Double Concerto, for example.


----------



## Blancrocher

Glenn Gould in sets of variations and bagatelles by Beethoven.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mendelssohn

String Quartet No. 3 in D, Op. 44 No. 1 (1838)
String Quartet No. 5 in E flat, Op. 44 No. 3 (1838)
*
Coull String Quartet









Two more Mendelssohn quartets, full of early romantic sensibility. The Opus 44 set have quite an affinity with Schumann's three string quartets, it occurs to me on this listening.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

ptr said:


> Carl Nielsen for the afternoon:
> 
> View attachment 29426
> ---
> View attachment 29427
> 
> 
> Works for String Quartet and String Quintet (Dacapo 6.220521 / 6.220522)
> 
> Den Unge Danske Strygekvartet og Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin (Quintet)
> 
> Reference versions of each work!
> 
> /ptr


Interesting to learn that these are good.

Most of my 20+ year old Deutsche Grammophon recordings on CD of the Nielsen string quartets, string quintet and wind quintet, by the Carl Nielsen Quartet and the Vestjysk Ensemble are now rendered unlistenable by 'bronzing' deterioration.

You'd recommend these as replacements, I imagine?


----------



## Manxfeeder

Today was lucky for me; Gardiner's Brahms symphonies never show up at my used CD store, and I've been looking for a couple years now. I finally came at the right time.

I'm really enjoying the non-4th symphony pieces here (though I think Gardiner's earlier recording of Schutz's Saul, Saul is a better interpretation). I'll get to the 4th eventually.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Martinů - String Quartets

String Quartet No. 1, H. 117 (1918)
String Quartet No. 2, H. 150 (1925)
*
Panocha Quartet [Supraphon]









Quite a long time has elapsed since my last dip into the Martinů string quartet cycle - these two are very rewarding.

*Ravel - Piano Works

Menuet antique
Pavane pour une infante defunte
A la maniere de Chabrier
Ma mere l'oye
*

Pascal Rogé (Piano) [Decca]


----------



## GreenMamba

One of my favorite CDs: Vaughan Williams' 5th, Previn/LSO


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Pelleas und Mellisande, Op. 4 (tone poem in D minor after Maeterlinck)
New York Philharmonic, cond. Gilbert

I listen to the links I give others.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bartok - String Quartets No. 3 and No. 5* / Prague String Quartet (1967)

These are not nearly so well recorded as my reference set by the Tokyo Quartet, but they are terrific performances

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4 (then numbered 3), Op. 22* / Prague Quartet [Supraphon, 1963]

This is a quite wonderful reading of Hindemith's Op. 22 quartet!


----------



## EricABQ

Roland Pontinen playing Satie's Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Larrocha and Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos with the LPO in a favorite work, Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain."


----------



## Tristan

*Praetorius* - Psallite

Already in a Christmas mood. I've been listening to multiple recordings. Some are WAY too fast!

This is my favorite version so far:


----------



## SixFootScowl

Excellent soprano here:


----------



## Novelette

Clementi: Symphony #4 in D, WoO 35 -- Francesco d'Avalos: Philharmonia Orchestra

Purcell: Dido & Aeneas -- Dame Janet Baker, Anthony Lewis: English Chamber Orchestra

Weber: Oberon, J 306 -- Birgit Nilsson, Plácido Domingo; Rafael Kubelik: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Couperin: Les Nations, 4ème Ordre, "La Piémontoise" -- Musica Ad Rhenum


----------



## SimonNZ

more homework from the 240 list:










Giacomo Carissimi motets - Consortium Carissimi


----------



## KenOC

Brooklyn Rider's "Dominant Curve," a performance of several compositions ranging from Debussy's Quartet to Cage and beyond. Kind of a "concept album" I guess, reminds me a lot of the Kronos Quartet. Fascinating stuff, in any event.


----------



## nightscape




----------



## SimonNZ

Carissimi's Jonas - Diego Fasolis, cond.

edit: heh, it turns out I have heard Carissimi before, and in fact I now remember I've had a discussion with some one on this very thread about this work:










(is there any way of refining a keyword search here to an exact post - whenever I use the search it just seems to tell me that someone on this thread once used those keywords, which isn't very helpful)


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Die Walküre


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Brooklyn Rider's "Dominant Curve," a performance of several compositions ranging from Debussy's Quartet to Cage and beyond. Kind of a "concept album" I guess, reminds me a lot of the Kronos Quartet. Fascinating stuff, in any event.


My like is for the cover at the very least. They rarely make them that evocative and mysterious.


----------



## SimonNZ

Xenakis' Aurora - Elgar Howarth, cond.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Vaughan Williams*

*A Pastoral Symphony No. 3 *

Richard Hickox
London Symphony Orchestra

*The Lark Ascending*

Sir Colin Davis
London Symphony Orchestra

*Phantasy Quintet*

Maggini Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Paroles Tissees - Peter Pears, tenor, cond. composer


----------



## Couac Addict

Tchaikovsky's Violin concerto in Dmaj
If you listen very carefully, you can hear the hopes and dreams of every young violinist's parent being crushed.


----------



## Andolink

*Henry Purcell*: _Te Deum and Jubilate Deo in D_, Z232
Nicholas Witcomb, Daniel Lochmann, trebles
James Bowman, countertenor
Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor
Michael George, bass
Choir of New College Oxford
The King's Consort
Robert King, conductor 








*Ernst Toch*: _Piano Quintet, Op. 64_ (1938), _Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, Op.44_ (1928)
Spectrum Concerts Berlin








*J. S. Bach*: _Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats_, BWV 42
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Gérard Lesne, alto
Howard Crook, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
La Chapelle Royale
Collegium Vocale
Philippe Herreweghe, conductor


----------



## SimonNZ

Hindemith's Octet - Vienna Octet


----------



## Conor71

*Alwyn: Harp Concerto, "Lyra Angelica"*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Mass in B Minor - Kyrie Eleison (Helmuth Rilling; Hamari; Nimsgern; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart; Bach-Collegium Stuttgart).


----------



## SimonNZ

Jacopo Da Balogna madrigals - Ensemble Project Ars Nova


----------



## ptr

TurnaboutVox said:


> You'd recommend these as replacements, I imagine?


Indeed I do! They are very vibrant!

/ptr


----------



## dgee

Mining the Donaueschinger Musiktage (contemporary music festival established in 1921) recordings on spotify - there's a bit there and I may be listening through it for some time! Sciarrino "Libro notturno delle voci" for flute and orchestra right now. He's such a distinct voice and can maintain such a level of intensity with so little


----------



## Bas

All those remarks on my couch tempt me for more pictures in the future 

Yesterday's listening continued:

George Fredric Handel - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi









This is an exceptionally great record of this joyful sonatas. We listened this disc before visiting this concert in Antwerp:










On our way home my good friend and I listened this one in his car:

George Philipp Telemann - Solo 6 for Harpsichord, Trio 8 for Recorder flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 12 (same), Trio 2 for Viola da Gamba, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 4 for Transverse flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Solo 12 for Harpsichord

By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], Paolo Pandolfo [viola], Oskar Peter [transverse], Michel Piguet [oboe], Conrad Steinmann [recorder], Imker David [viola], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









--

Today I started with the following disc:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 30, 31, 32
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca

View attachment 29340


Which will be followed by:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Schübler Choralen
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas 137, 168, 79, 164
Disc 40 of the Complete Bis set by Massaaki Suzuki
Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Bach Collegium Japan, Suzuki [dir.]









Johann Christian Bach - Missa de Requiem
By Lenneke Ruiten [soprano], Ruth Sandhoff [alto], Colin Balzer [tenor], Thomas Bauer [bass]
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

*Borresen: Symphony No. 1 / Violin Concerto in G Major
*
*Hakon Børresen *
Symphony No. 1; Violin Concerto

*Aalborg Symphony Orchestra
Rebecca Hirsch, violin
Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor*









dacapo-records.dk


----------



## Guest

Bach before sunrise:








Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 101-106
Viktoria Mullova


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My new disc of the week:

*Mozart

Clarinet Quintet K. 581
Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Fortepiano K.498 'Kegelstatt'
*
Quatuor Mosaiques, Wolfgang Meyer (Clarinet), Patrick Cohen (Fortepiano) [Naive]









Very interesting: I am obviously not yet in tune with such HIP's - an approach I will need to get used to hearing. It is a superlative recording (I'm giving it a second auditioning this afternoon).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On BBC Radio 3:

*Beethoven - 32 Variations on a Theme in C minor, WoO 80* / Horowitz (Piano)

I somehow managed to get through my life without hearing this before. Well, now I have!


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Divertimenti, K. 252 & 287
New Classical Orchestra, St. Petersburg, Alexander Titov*









amazon


----------



## Oskaar

*Artists of the Royal Conservatory - Two Roads to Exile (Braunfels: String Quintet & Busch: String Sextet)*









This is great!

Amazon


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in D Major, D 99

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Federico Guglielmo on violin


----------



## Oskaar

*Maxim Fedotov / Dmitry Yablonsky 
 Sergey Lyapunov: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 1*









allmusic


----------



## Oskaar

*Levon Ambartsumian & Evgeny Rivkin - Brahms: The Sonata for Violin & Piano*









http://www.google.no/url?sa=t&rct=j...8ligomZyVuP5rL0r7dCpdVQ&bvm=bv.57155469,d.bGQ

ps some terrible noice in the beginning of this album. I did not notice when I chose it, I randomly hit another movement wich was very good. If you skip to 2.30 in first movement it starts normally, and I hope the rest is ok. Seldom I hit this problem. NOO It skipped again... I dont trust this... I find another recording of this masterpiece 1th sonata


----------



## EricABQ

Alkan's symphony for solo piano played by Hamelin.


----------



## ticovanzant

A little Morton Feldman for a Sunday morning.


----------



## Oskaar

*Anne-Sophie Mutter & Lambert Orkis - Brahms: The Violin Sonatas*









I have got the impression that Mutter often is overplaying ( I dont know why, I ave not listened that much to her) but here she seems very delicate and sensitive. Maybe she is very young here. I have another stupid thaught: Female violinists are more sensitive and empatic when they are young, male when they are old...)

amazon


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ptr said:


> Indeed I do! They are very vibrant!
> 
> /ptr


As would I. I think the Young Danish String Quartet recordings are very good indeed. You won't go wrong there.

Listening to a recording of Paganini Works for Guitar. He was apparently not only a superb violinist but a very good guitarist as well. He only played guitar in private and as far as we know never gave a public performance. So we only have stories about his guitar talents. This recording has some very nice pieces. Quite relaxing for a Sunday morning!










Kevin


----------



## brotagonist

To think  that I had initially thought that I would be weeding out the deadwood by not getting this... gasp!









Haitink/Concertgebouw

DSCH/13


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Flute Concertos










Thinking about what to listen today.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Listening to Mozart on a small scale piqued my interest in listening to one of his works on a slightly larger stage.

*Mozart - The Magic Flute, KV 620*

Te Kanawa, Studer, Araiza, Ramey, Bar, Lind, van Dam; Ambrosian Opera Chorus, ASMF, Marriner [Philips]


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Jan Tomasek (1774-1850): Symphony in D Major

Vladimir Valek conducting the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Blake

Paolo Pandolfo playing Bach and Abel on the Viola da Gamba. I love the voice of the Viol, and Pandolfo plays it incredibly. It's interesting to see him play Bach's Cello Suites with this partly forgotten instrument. The Drexel Manuscript by Abel is amazing... Again, Paolo plays exceptionally.


----------



## Blancrocher

Schubert's Sonata for Arpeggione & Piano, Schumann's 5 Pieces in the Popular Style, and Debussy's Cello Sonata.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Palestrina with the Hilliard Ensemble... ideal for a quiet Sunday morning. Looking up the image on Amazon I find that The Sixteen has released a four volume set of Palestrina...

The temptation... must... resist...!


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams-- *Symphony No.5 in D and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, *both performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult.
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *
both works again featuring Maestro Boult, on this occasion conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra.
Carl Nielsen-- *Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *
both traversed by the Ole Schmidt led London Symphony Orchestra.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in G Major and Symphony No.102 in B-Flat Major, * both featuring Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
American music from the twenties pleases my ears...


----------



## Aramis

Double bass fest. After two concertos even double-double-bass fest with duo concertante for two of them and orchestra. I have little comparison for these works but the playing on this recording seems very good.


----------



## DaveS

Leon Fleischer, George Szell, Cleveland SO. Beethoven Concerti: Nas. 3 & 4.


----------



## SimonNZ

Baldassare Galuppi: Concerti a Quattro - Ensemble Il Falcone


----------



## LancsMan

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29516
> 
> 
> Schubert's Sonata for Arpeggione & Piano, Schumann's 5 Pieces in the Popular Style, and Debussy's Cello Sonata.


Wonderful playing from Britten in this (and of course Rostropovich).


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

Ensemble Villa Musica: Rainer Kussmaul and Aki Sunahara, violins -- Enrique Santiago and Hariolf Schlichtig, violas -- Martin Ostertag, cello


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: The Creation * Karajan, BPO and Vierner Singverein, and soloists including Gundula Janowitz and Fritz Wunderlich on DG.

The opening section of The Creation has to be one of the most arresting in the classical period (or romantic come to that). Let There Be Light!

Must admit I'm in love with Gundula Janowitz's voice.


----------



## Kieran

A bunch of Mozart piano sonatas performed by Mitsuko...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Her nick-name may be "Draculette"... but the woman can sing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Baldassare Galuppi's Gloria Per La Ducal Cappella Di San Marco - Guilio Prandi, cond.


----------



## Novelette

Bach: Violin Sonata #7 in G, BWV 1019A -- Trevor Pinnock & Rachel Podger

Mendelssohn: Vespergesang 'Adspice domine', Op. 121 -- Nicol Matt: Chamber Choir of Europe

Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81 -- Tokyo Quartet & Hiroko Nakamura

Liszt: Les Préludes, S 97 -- Solti: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Lully: Atys, LWV 53 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

^ Shoutout to Ingelou and Taggart :cheers:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in D minor for 2 violins, viola and B.c.; 
Concerto in F Major for recorder, bassoon, 2 violins, viola and B.c.; 
Sonata in F minor for 2 violins, 2 violas and B.c. (Musica Alta Ripa).









Listening to this disc, I can't comprehend the statements about Telemann not writing emotional music - some of these adagios are absolutely brilliant and are as emotional as anything Bach wrote, imo.


----------



## Novelette

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Palestrina with the Hilliard Ensemble... ideal for a quiet Sunday morning. Looking up the image on Amazon I find that The Sixteen has released a four volume set of Palestrina...
> 
> The temptation... must... resist...!


Palestrina shouldn't be resisted.


----------



## DeepR

Dvorak - Symphony No. 8 (Kubelik)

First time


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Henk Spruit conducting Erna Spoorenberg, Fritz Wunderlich, and Hermann Schey in "Christ on the Mount of Olives." I'm not familiar with the work, which was mentioned on the "underrated Beethoven" thread. This one really was underrated, by me at least!


----------



## bejart

Joseph Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonia in C Major, Op.1, No.3

Vojtech Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Fest und Gedenspruche.*

Creed presents a spacious reading, more flowing; Gardiner is more energetic.


----------



## KenOC

More Beethoven choral music, and a piece that's almost never heard. Still in Bonn, Beethoven wrote his Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II at age 19. Here's the opening chorus. "Death! Death!" Pretty powerful stuff -- give it a listen.


----------



## nightscape




----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Symphonies 1 & 2* played by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich conducted by David Zinman on Arte Nova Classics.

Music that is full of life. The playing is rhythmically alert. Not sure which is my favourite recording of these works - suspect not these - but they are recommendable non the less.


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29524
> 
> 
> A first listen to Henk Spruit conducting Erna Spoorenberg, Fritz Wunderlich, and Hermann Schey in "Christ on the Mount of Olives." I'm not familiar with the work, which was mentioned on the "underrated Beethoven" thread. This one really was underrated, by me at least!


It was I who made mention of said work. My version is with Jan Peerce a great favourite of mine.


----------



## opus55

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1










Ended up working on my car instead of listening to music. Winter wheels are ready for the season!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

KenOC


> "Beethoven wrote his Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II at age 19. Here's the opening chorus. "Death! Death!" Pretty powerful stuff -- give it a listen".


OK, I will, then!

Last FLAC files of the weekend (I do own the discs, btw!) and co-incidentally the last of the Coull Quartet's Mendelssohn works for String Quartet. Op. 80 is the best of the series, but there's some excellent music in the collection of pieces published posthumously in 1850 as Op. 81.

*Mendelssohn

String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op.80* (Requiem for Fanny Mendelssohn)

*Four pieces for String Quartet Op. 81

1.Tema con Variazioni in E (1847)
2.Scherzo in A minor (1847)
3.Capriccio in E minor (1843)
4.Fugue in E flat (1827)*

Coull String Quartet [Hyperion]


----------



## EricABQ

Mahler's 5th from the Utah Symphony (from Amazon's "Big Mahler Box download.) 

I actually have enough uninterrupted time this evening to get all the way through it.


----------



## maestro267

*Arnold*: Symphony No. 7
NSO Ireland/Penny

*Casella*: Symphony No. 2 in C minor
Rome SO/La Vecchia


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Hubay: Violin Concerto No.3 in G Minor, Op.99
Aaron Rosand/Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg/Louis de Froment

This is a most enjoyable concerto, reminding me in some ways of Lalo's Symphonie-Espagnole, but with a Hungarian flavour. Very well played too.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Concerto in D Major

Prague Chamber Orchestra with Roman Patocka on violin


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Moeran's* death day, December 1, 1950.

View attachment 29533


----------



## Blancrocher

Abbado conducting Schubert's 9th.


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Her nick-name may be "Draculette"... but the woman can sing.


On again with Roberto Alagna?


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Mozart: Divertimenti, K. 252 & 287
> New Classical Orchestra, St. Petersburg, Alexander Titov*
> 
> View attachment 29499
> 
> 
> amazon


If you have the opportunity, try *Haydn *Symphonies 45 & 49 w. Baltic CO/Litkov on that label. :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

George Druschetzky (!745-1819): Partita No3 for 3 Basset Horns

Trio Lotz: Robert Sebesta, Ronald Sebesta and Andreas Fink, basset horns


----------



## Vaneyes

*Arcangelo Corelli

View attachment 29536
View attachment 29537
View attachment 29538
*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Op.2 Nos.1-3 Friedrich Gulda

Superb playing, razor-sharp articulation, marvellous dynamic contrasts, I love it! This is the start of working my through the set of Gulda's 1968 recordings of these wonderful works, plus the five Piano Concertos, a journey that will be enjoyable, enlightening and thoroughly entrancing if this first disc is anything to go by.


----------



## hreichgott

Mahler 2. OH THE DRAMA

(via the BSO's concert archive)


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, w. Gilels (rec.1972 - '85), Pollini (rec.1975 - '77).

View attachment 29539
View attachment 29540


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, KV 545

Christian Zacharias, piano


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Duets


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Die Walkure


----------



## SimonNZ

Elizabeth Jacquet De La Guerre's Harpsichord Suites - Elizabeth Farr, harpsichord


----------



## Couac Addict

Dvorak's Carnival Overture - Szell/Cleveland SO










You know what to do.


----------



## SimonNZ

Elizabeth Jacquet De La Guerre Violin Sonatas - Lina Tur Bonet, violín, Barroco.
Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord, Patxi Montero, viola da Gamba.


----------



## senza sordino

Dvorak American String Quartet and Tchaikovsky Quartet #1, Emerson String Quartet
Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky, Scythian Suite and Lt Kiji Abbado with Chicago Symphony Orchestra 
Shostakovich Symphony #10 HvK with Berlin Phil

all new purchases!


----------



## science

Didn't care much for orchestral Albéniz - I love his stuff on piano and even classical guitar, but this was just ok.

I enjoyed Dorati's 5 as much as anyone's, but won't get a chance to listen to the 6th until later tonight.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Winterreise - Gute Nacht (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Daniel Barenboim).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, 'Drumroll' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Foote's String Quartet No.2 - Da Vinci Quartet


----------



## dgee

Kraft (1985) - Magnus Lindberg. Grunty, serious and intense; but you can also enjoy the dirty Finnish death metal vibe, speaking voice/proto beatboxing and found objects percussion - definitely a young man's work! Shame he's gone a bit soft in the last decade or so


----------



## SimonNZ

Elisabeth Jacquet De La Guerre's Le Sommeil d'Ulisse - Isabelle Desrochers, soprano, Christine Payeux, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Prélude in D-flat Major, 'Regentropfen-Prélude' (Rafal Blechacz).


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Foote's Francesca Da Rimini - Gerard Schwartz, cond.

edit: now Arthur Foote's Piano Quintet - Mary Louise Boehm, piano, et al


----------



## Oskaar

*Isasi: Symphony No. 2, Op. 23 / Suite No. 2, Op. 21*

Conductor(s):
*Mena, Juan Jose *

Orchestra(s):
*Bilbao Symphony Orchestra*









musicweb


----------



## MagneticGhost

Having trouble with my image today
Handley and the Liverpool Phil
Vaughan Williams - Symphony no. 2

Bam - bababa bum bum.
The London Symphony. What a work.


----------



## Andolink

*Berthold Goldschmidt*: _Beatrice Cenci_
Roberta Alexander (Soprano)
Della Jones (Mezzo Soprano)
Fiona Kimm (Mezzo Soprano)
Simon Estes (Bass)
Berlin Radio Chorus
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Lothar Zagrosek


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's first symphony conducted by Harnoncourt.

I find the early Schubert symphonies to be great morning music.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> If you have the opportunity, try *Haydn *Symphonies 45 & 49 w. Baltic CO/Litkov on that label. :tiphat:


Thank you! Listening now.

*Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 45 & 49*

*Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Samuel Litkov*









Beautiful performanc, but I find the sound a bit "metallic"

amazon


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1680-1762): Concerto Grosso No.4 in F Major

I Musici


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll/"The Mastersingers" Overture Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter

I think that this is the most moving and heartfelt performance of the Siegfried Idyll that I've ever heard. Beautiful.


----------



## Oskaar

*TOCH, ERNST

Die chinesische Flote, Egon und Emilie, Five Pieces, Quartett. Mutare Ensemble / Gerhard Mueller-Hornbach.*
*Maria Karb, Soprano*
*Britta Stroeher, Soprano*









amazon

Amazon


----------



## Winterreisender

Couperin: Second livre de pièces de clavecin: Olivier Baumont


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Prelude to Lohengrin
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Britten, Serenate for Tenor, Horn, and Strings.*

This is my favorite piece from Benjamin Britten. Well, to be more precise, it's about the only piece by him that I've connected with.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Piano Music
Maurizio Pollini (plus Abbado leading the Berlin Philharmonic in the concerto)









Between Pollini and Gould, I get two great perspectives on this unique set of works. Schoenberg tended to write for the piano at the beginning of each new stage in his career, so the pieces are always full of the inspiration of discovery.


----------



## Oskaar

*Boris Berezovsky, Dmitri Liss & Ural Philharmonic Orchestra - Tchaikovsky : Piano Concerto No.1 & 
*








Khachaturian is not on this streaming from spotify, as the cover indicates, only Tchaikovsky

amazon

edit... I dislike the sound so much that I have to quit it..


----------



## Blancrocher

Fleisher and Szell in Beethoven's 1st Piano Concerto. Good morning!


----------



## rrudolph

Starting my day off with Anonymous 4 (and a couple cups of coffee and an onion bagel).


----------



## Oskaar

*Farkas: Complete Wind Quintets*

Composer: *Ferenc Farkas *
Performer: *Dieter Lange, Martin Roos, Ulrike Schneider, Christoph Bösch, * ... 
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Phoebus Quintet, Phoebus Woodwind Quintet*

works: 
Serenade for wind quintet, 
Four pieces for double bass and wind quintet, 
Gyümölcskosár (Fruit Basket Songs), for soprano & wind quintet
Early Hungarian Dances (5) from the 17th Century, for wind quintet
Rondo capriccio for violin & wind quintet
Lavottiana, for wind quintet









This record seems very exiting!

arkivmusic


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven Symphony No. 8 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## MagneticGhost

Glazunov - Symphony No. 4


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Feldman, For Bunita Marcus.*


----------



## Flamme




----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3
Tennstedt: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Concertos For Flute, Oboe & Clarinet*

*Joy Farrall, Kate Hill, Nicholas Daniel
Britten Sinfonia-Nicholas Cleobury*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Stanley Myers, Cavatina (Göran Söllscher); Francisco Tárrega, Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Narciso Yepes).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphonies 1 - 6; Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture; w. Philharmonia/Muti (rec.1975 - '79).

View attachment 29578


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Boris Berezovsky, Dmitri Liss & Ural Philharmonic Orchestra - Tchaikovsky : Piano Concerto No.1 &
> *
> View attachment 29556
> 
> 
> Khachaturian is not on this streaming from spotify, as the cover indicates, only Tchaikovsky
> 
> amazon
> 
> edit... I dislike the sound so much that I have to quit it..




Great performances. Agree re sound. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> Thank you! Listening now.
> 
> *Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 45 & 49*
> 
> *Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Samuel Litkov*
> 
> View attachment 29550
> 
> 
> Beautiful performanc, but I find the sound a bit "metallic"
> 
> amazon


Re sound, this CD's fine. :tiphat:

View attachment 29579


----------



## rrudolph




----------



## DrKilroy

Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 1 (Kohon Quartet) and Pierrot Lunaire (Schafer/Boulez) from my newest acquisition:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## maestro267

*Maxwell Davies*: Symphony No. 1
BBC Philharmonic/Maxwell Davies

There was an interview with Max on Radio 3 last week, which I listened to earlier. Absolutely fantastic to see him doing so well (and clearly glad to be alive) after his illness. Can't wait to hear his (choral) Tenth Symphony next year. One of our great living composers.

A few thoughts on the First Symphony: At first, I couldn't comprehend the work at all. But a few listens (spaced several months apart, it has to be said), along with more detailed programme notes on PMD's excellent website, have helped me to appreciate the work a bit more. And the fact I bought the Naxos reissue of his Sixth Symphony and "got it" pretty much immediately, made me give the First another crack. Proof that a little persistence is sometimes needed with some music, and it can be rewarding.


----------



## kv466

Been a long time since I pulled this out...can't believe I'd forgotten how good it is!!


----------



## Aramis

Kull sonata by C. SS. Only the slow movement was somewhat disappointing, but you get your share of lyricism in the opening one. The cover listing of composer forgets to say that there's Milhaud, Poulenc and Honegger too, taking some half of the CD, if not more.










Awful, intrusive continuo. If you want to hear these works, I suggest other recordings.


----------



## Aramis

.......................


----------



## Bas

More piano music:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 1, Sonata no. 23 "Appasionata", Sonata no. 24 "A Therese"
By Friederich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Horst Stein [dir.], on Decca








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Cm K. 475, Sonata in F K. 533, Sonata in B-flat K. 570, Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint"
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Mahlerian

Berio: Il Ritorno degli Snovidenia, Chemins II, Chemins IV, Chorale, Points on the Curve to Find...
Soloists, Ensemble intercontemporain, cond. Boulez









The middle three works were orchestral spin-offs from the Sequenzas, virtuosic works for solo instruments (viola, oboe, and violin respectively), while the outer two were written as concerto works from the beginning (for cello and piano).


----------



## Jos

Bach- toccata's 910, 911, 912 played by Marcelle Meyer 1946. (Youtube)

Well played, very enjoyable , but she seems to be in a bit of a hurry every now and then especially in the 911...

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## samurai

Lately, I have been doing some really "intense" listening to the symphonies of Vaughan Williams, especially his Fourth and Sixth. I have been feeling from these works a similar sense of angst and turbulence which I more usually associate with some of the symphonies of Nielsen, Shostakovich or Mahler. Has anyone else experienced this "sturm und drang" sensation in these RVW works? I know his Seventh Symphony is quite bleak, as it is depicting Antartica and man's solitude against the elements, and I have now come to believe that the Sixth is a direct gateway or springboard into the Seventh. Has anyone else amongst my fellow TC members come to feel this way about these symphonies?


----------



## brotagonist

I picked this version, since it also comes with the 33-minute movement from the unfinished Symphony 10 to soften the blow  I'll definitely need to give it a few listens...









...and I'm still working on the last few discs of both the 6CD Shotakovich and the 7CD Haydn string quartet boxed sets. That is an immense undertaking that requires a lot of concentration. I am so glad I got them, so that I can take my time in doing so.


----------



## Blake

Verdi's Schubert: String Quartet No. 13. Very nice.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Keyboard Suites, w. Queffelec (rec.2005); Acis & Galatea arr. Mendelssohn, w. Darlington et al (rec.2012).

View attachment 29595
View attachment 29596


----------



## Guest

Really enjoying this 6-CD set of *JS Bach's Orchestral Works by Cafe Zimmermann*. I like to skip around in my iTunes playlists based on my preferences at the time. Listening to the reconstructions now:








From Vol. I:
Concerto for Oboe in A
Reconstructed from BWV1055








From Vol. II:
Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor
Reconstructed from BWV1060








From Vol. III:
Concerto for Oboe D'Amore in D
Reconstructed from BWV1053


----------



## Bas

Acis & Galathea is one of my favourite Handel operas. This is a perfect recording, definitely worth checking out by the Dunedin consortium:


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Lately, I have really been doing some "intense" listening to the symphonies of Vaughan Williams, especially his Fourth and Sixth. I have been feeling from these works a similar sense of angst and turbulence which I more usually associate with some of the symphonies of Nielsen, Shostakovich or Mahler. Has anyone else experienced this "sturm und drang" sensation in these RVW works? I know his Seventh Symphony is quite bleak, as it is depicting Antartica and man's solitude against the elements, and I have now come to believe that the Sixth is a direct gateway or springboard into the Seventh. Has anyone else amongst my fellow TC members come to feel this way about these symphonies?


poptart kindly posted a YT in Composer's Guestbook for RVW. It may help. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Bas said:


> Acis & Galathea is one of my favourite Handel operas. This is a *perfect recording*, definitely worth checking out by the Dunedin consortium:
> 
> View attachment 29597


But, has it been *certified*?


----------



## kv466

Jos said:


> Bach- toccata's 910, 911, 912 played by Marcelle Meyer 1946. (Youtube)
> 
> Well played, very enjoyable , but she seems to be in a bit of a hurry every now and then especially in the 911...
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


I rarely agree with things being rushed but in this case you are completely correct...give Martha's version a try. Perhaps, the best one out there.

Bach - toccata in c-minor, bwv911, Martha Argerich al piano


----------



## kv466

kv466 said:


> I rarely agree with things being rushed but in this case you are completely correct...give Martha's version a try. Perhaps, the best one out there.
> 
> Bach - toccata in c-minor, bwv911, Martha Argerich al piano


p.s. - crazy how I just went back and listened to Glenn's, too, and it doesn't sound at all rushed yet it is three minutes shorter than Marcelle's. Some can pull it off, some can't, I reckon. Just the same, Martha's is pretty awesome.


----------



## Vaneyes

kv466 said:


> I rarely agree with things being rushed but in this case you are completely correct...give Martha's version a try. Perhaps, the best one out there.
> 
> Bach - toccata in c-minor, bwv911, Martha Argerich al piano


And, a chap named GG.

Edit: Yuv gotta be quick to post in these parts.


----------



## Blake

Pacifica's Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2. Most splendid.


----------



## Guest

*Continuing with Cafe Zimmermann playing Bach. On to the Brandenburgs:*








Concerto No. 1 in F, BWV 1046








Concerto No. 2 in F, BWV 1047


----------



## Vaneyes

For Maria Callous' 90th.

View attachment 29602


----------



## Oskaar

*Christoffer Sundqvist - Levitation*

Composer: *Carl Nielsen, Peter Eötvös, Aulis Sallinen *
Performer: *Christoffer Sundqvist, Kullervo Kojo, Tommi Aalto *
Conductor: *Hannu Lintu, Okko Kamu *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra*

works:

*Concerto for Clarinet*, FS 129/Op. 57 by Carl Nielsen

*Levitation* by Peter Eötvös

*Concerto for Clarinet and Viola*, Op. 91 by Aulis Sallinen









Brilliant contemporary music!

A lot of info and rewiews here:
Allmusic


----------



## GioCar

Carrying on my new adventure in Bach Cantatas with the Suzuki version (thanks to Itullian, who inspired me)

Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199. 
My hearth swims in blood...at the beggining a sorrowful mood, developping little by little in a bright and full-of-grace message. The last aria is a joyful dance.

This is Genius, that brings tears into one's eyes.

This is the miracle of great music.


----------



## Blancrocher

Perlman and Ashkenazy in Beethoven's 5th and 9th violin sonatas.


----------



## SimonNZ

On the radio earlier:

Two works by Composer Of The Week Luciano Berio:

Différences - Contempoartensemble, Mauro Ceccanti, cond

and

Sinfonia - London Voices, Gothenburg SO, Péter Eötvös, cond


















now on the radio:

Joseph Holbrooke's Saxophone Concerto - Amy Dickson, alto and soprano sax, George Vass, cond.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Das Rheingold
Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 K.421


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> On the radio earlier:
> 
> Two works by Composer Of The Week Luciano Berio:
> 
> Différences - Contempoartensemble, Mauro Ceccanti, cond


Okay, I can see a couch being *that *color.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas (Vol.1), w. GG (rec.1968 - '72).

View attachment 29605


----------



## DavidA

Handel Messiah

The trumpet shall sound

Tomlinson / Pinnock

How inspiring!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Symphony No.2 - Yoel Levi, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Grawemeyer 2014 (just heard them announce it on the radio):










Djuro Zivkovic's On The Guarding Of The Heart - Klangforum Wien


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Another play for:

*Mozart

Clarinet Quintet K. 581
Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Fortepiano K.498 'Kegelstatt'*

Quatuor Mosaiques, Wolfgang Meyer (Clarinet), Patrick Cohen (Fortepiano) [Naive]

then:

*Schumann

String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41/1
String Quartet No. 2 in F, Op. 41/2*

Quartetto Italiano [Philips M. da C.]







My amateur LP to FLAC file transfers which have not come out at all well, unfortunately.


----------



## kv466

Vaneyes said:


> *Mozart*: Piano Sonatas (Vol.1), w. GG (rec.1968 - '72).
> 
> View attachment 29605


I miss my Odyssey Mozart sonatas!! Can't believe I lost most of my Odyssey stuff to an ex that I just didn't care to come back and ask for them back; prolly should have! Still got my Beethoven but it was cool to have all the Mozart sonatas in one cool double disc set. Guess I'm gonna pop some on now but they're all separated. My Sony set is buried in a box so I'll just use the Original Jackets


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3.*


----------



## Blancrocher

Glenn Gould in Beethoven's op.31 sonatas, and the Tokyo SQ in Brahms.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

And before bed - as promised yesterday: KenOC's recommendation

*Beethoven - Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II, WoO 87 (I. Tot! Tot, stöhnt es durch die öde Nacht)* on YouTube

"Awesome!" as I believe you Americans say, especially for a 19 year old. Still sounds like Beethoven.

* Beethoven

12 Variations on 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen' from Die Zauberflote, Op.66
12 Variations on 'See the conqu'ring hero comes', WoO45
7 Variations on 'Be mannern, welche liebe fuhlen', WoO46*

Alfred Brendel (piano) & Adrian Brendel (cello) [Philips]

Fantastico!


----------



## Schubussy

Toru Takemitsu: Orchestral works
Hiroshi Wakasugi, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Joseph Schmitt (1734-1791): Symphony in B Flat, Op.6, No.2

Simon Murphy conducting the New Dutch Academy Chamber Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Earlier listening:










Right now:










As I'm digging through my collection and trying to avoid more and more new purchases I find that I have a lot of marvelous chamber works that I am not all that familiar with.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Impromptus (Complete), w. Brendel (rec.1972 - '74); Piano Sonatas, etc., w. Uchida (rec.2001); Winterreise, w. Quasthoff & Spencer (rec.1998).

View attachment 29617







View attachment 29618


----------



## Guest

*More Bach by Cafe Zimmermann*







Concerto for Violin in A, BWV1041








Concerto for Violin in E, BWV1042








Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV1043


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Major, D 959

Michael Endres, piano


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening a special about Benjamin Britten on the radio.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 2 in C Major (The London Haydn Quartet).









I love the experimental capriccio.


----------



## samurai

Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos 1 and 2, *
both performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.101 in D Major {"The Clock"} and Symphony No.105 in B-Flat Major, *
both featuring Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, * both traversed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Ole Schmidt's baton.


----------



## Mahlerian

Japanese Piano Music played by Yukie Nagai









The pieces here are all from composers of the third generation of Japanese composers, of whom Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) is the most well-known internationally.

Yuji Takahashi: Kwanju, May 1980
Toshi Ichiyanagi: Cloud Atlas 1~3
Akira Miyoshi: 4 Piano Pieces
Akio Yashiro: Sonata
Toru Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch, For Away

Miyoshi, as I just learned, passed away this past October, at the age of 80. Ichiyanagi and Takahashi are still alive today. Japanese music tends towards French and Russian influences, and it has something of a tendency towards repetition of short ideas and "added-note" harmonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Tomasso Treatta's Stabat Mater - Fabio Ciulla, cond.

edit: Howard Hanson's Song Of Democracy - cond. composer










edit: Niccolo Jommelli's Mass in D major - Hilary Griffiths, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Louis Moreau Gottschalk's A Night In The Tropics Symphony - Maurice Abravanel, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Fazil Say's Violin Sonata - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin, Fazil Say, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Frank Martin - Mass for Double Choir


----------



## Couac Addict

The best part about playing Zadok the Priest is cranking it up a couple of hours before the _Champions League_ kick-off. The neighborhood will think that they're getting a delayed telecast.


----------



## SimonNZ

Enescu's Violin Sonata No.3 - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin, Mihaela Ursuleasa, piano


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Tchaikovsky Symphon No. 5 & Schumann's Piano Concerto
Ferenc Fricsay, Alfred Cortot & RIAS-Symphonie Orch/DSO


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Couac Addict said:


> The best part about playing Zadok the Priest is cranking it up a couple of hours before the _Champions League_ kick-off. The neighborhood will think that they're getting a delayed telecast.


You do have a passion for cranking things up, don't you?  Are you into metal?


----------



## Oskaar

*Danish Wind Octets*

Composer(s):
*Christiansen*, Asger Lund; *Graugaard*, Lars; *Koppel*, Herman D.; *Schultz*, Svend S.; *Werner*, Sven Erik

Ensemble(s):
*Danish Wind Octet*

Works:
Christiansen, A L:	
*Octet for Winds, Op. 34*

Graugaard:	
*Seven Summerscapes*

Koppel, H D:	
*Music for Wind Octet, Op. 123*

Schultz, S:	
*Divertimento for Wind Octet*

Werner, S E:	
*Catch*









Fun and uplifting brass music!

clasicalarchieves info and samples


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition ---
Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709): Sinfonia in D Major, Op.5, No.5

Giorgio Sasso conducting the Insieme Strumentale di Roma


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Oskaar

*Dukas*: L'apprenti sorcier - *Ravel*: Ma mere l'oye - *Koechlin*: Les bandar-log, Op. 176

Artist(s) *Albrecht*, Marc, Conductor • *Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra*









Allmusic


----------



## Rocco

I've been listening to the CD I just picked up, Vivaldi The Great Choral Masterpieces. Excellent CD, the music is simply amazing!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Impromptu in F minor, Op. 142 No. 1 (Martijn van den Hoek).


----------



## Oskaar

*Antal Dorati: Night Music (2002) *

by Sharon Bezaly (flute), Ålborg Symphony Orchestra, Moshe Atzmon (conductor)

works:

*7 Pezzi
Night Music
American Serenade*









classicsonline


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2.*


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Im Sommerwind
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Boulez









This very early tone poem sounds more like Strauss than anyone else. Webern might have developed quite differently if it had not been for Schoenberg's teaching and friendship, although I can't imagine that his mature style would have been anything but modernist in the end.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Webern* (1883 - 1945) and *Rota* (1911 - 1979) birthdays.

View attachment 29638
View attachment 29639


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Passacaglia, Op. 1 (in D minor)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Here Schoenberg's influence is quite evident, both in the Brahms-inspired use of a ground bass form and in the expressive scope attained in such a short movement. The latter trend, of course, would be carried even further in later years. The voice of the mature Webern can here clearly be heard.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jan Maegaard: Violin and Cello Concerto*

Maegaard:	
*Triptykon for Violin and String Orchestra, Op. 72

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra Op. 98

Orchestration (op. 68) of Arnold Schoenberg, "Variations on a Recitative" for organ, Op. 40*

Erling Blöndal Bengtsson (cello), Anton Kontra (violin)

Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Tamás Vetö









prestoclassical


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been listening to Moravec in Chopin's nocturnes, and when I'm done with those I'll try out Bronfman playing Prokofiev's complete piano sonatas (which Edward Bast just mentioned on another thread).

*p.s.* On a first hearing, Bronfman sounds great in these early sonatas. If he keeps it up for the whole set, I'll definitely be purchasing a copy.


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Boulez









Now fully into the mature Webern idiom of maximal compression for maximal expressive effect, these pieces marked the last time the composer ever scored for full orchestra, and he uses the ensemble sparingly throughout, only reaching a tutti at the climax of the funeral march. Long after Webern's death, it was discovered that this supposedly abstract composer had had programmatic associations in mind for each movement, relating to the death of his mother and the aftermath.


----------



## Guest

Listening to three very excellent recordings today. These are favorites of mine that I would recommend to anyone.








Mozart, "Gran Partita" Serenade for 13 Winds
Charles Mackerras, Orchestra of St. Luke's








Schubert, "Trout" Quintet
Jose van Imerseel and friends








Schubert, Octet 
Viktoria Mullova and friends


----------



## clavichorder

Schumann Spring Symphony conducted by John Elliot Gardiner. Great stuff.


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Janet Baker [soprano], Beverly Sills [soprano], Robert Lloyd [tenor], Nicolai Gedda [tenor], Raimund Herincx [bariton], John Alldis Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Patanè [dir.], on EMI


----------



## tmbrig

I currently have this thing with Chopin's nocturnes.


----------



## Oskaar

*Koppel: Concertos*

*Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola, clarinet, bassoon and orchestra
Concerto for flute, harp and orchestra
Concerto for tuba and orchestra*

*Ålborg Symphony Orchestra * Orchestra, Primary Artist 
*Matthias Aeschbacher * Conductor, Primary Artist
*Anna Maria D. Dahl* Viola 
*Yana Deshkova* Violin
Mette Nielsen Harp 
*Randi Østergaard* Clarinet 
*Sheila Popkin * Bassoon









amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 59 in A Major, 'Fire' (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).


----------



## maestro267

*Vaughan Williams*: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
New Zealand SO/Judd

*Mendelssohn*: Violin Concerto in E minor
Kyung Wha Chung (violin)/Montreal SO/Dutoit

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
RSNO/Tintner


----------



## scratchgolf

Mahler's 5th. Very pleased with it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 33 No. 5 in G Major, 'How do you do?' (Buchberger Quartet).









I love how you can sing along: 'How... do you do?' with the last melody of the 1st movement.


----------



## Blake

Korstick's Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. Making my way through the whole set. This is some excellent Beethoven.


----------



## Jos

Vocalise by Rachmaninov, in pianoarrangement. Didn't know that it was arranged for different instruments.
Have it in violinrendition only by Milstein and absolutely love that. To my ears, the dreamy quality of this work comes out better when played on violin. But I'll explore more pianoversions on the Tube.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Cantatas 140 and 147.*

This is from Gardiner's first go-round with the cantatas.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Berio's Concerto For Two Pianos And Orchestra - Antonio Ballista, Bruno Canino, piano duo, Riccardo Chailly, cond


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Handel's Dixit Dominus - Emmanuelle Haïm, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak & Schumann: Cello Concertos*

Performer: *Jamie Walton *
Conductor: *Vladimir Ashkenazy *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Philharmonia Orchestra*

works

*Concerto for Cello in B minor, Op. 104/B 191* by Antonín Dvorák

*Silent woods, B182 (Op. 68/5)* by Antonín Dvorák

*Concerto for Cello in A minor*, Op. 129 by Robert Schumann









arkivmusic


----------



## Blancrocher

CPE Bach's Magnificat, and Johann Ludwig Bach's Missa Brevis.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mendelssohn's String Quartet No.2 - Quatuor Ebène


----------



## GioCar

Tonight, as usual:

Bach: Nur jedem das Seine, BWV 163
BCJ, Suzuki (who else?)

From the Weimar period, a little and charming piece of theatre. 
Just listen to the aria for basso and cellos, or the following recitativo/duetto soprano-alto. Suddenly a string choral jumps in, adding perspective to everything... brrrr...


----------



## Flamme

Helps me collect my thoughts after an exhausting and a bit chaotic working day


----------



## GioCar

scratchgolf said:


> Mahler's 5th. Very pleased with it.


Of course! Conductor & Orcherstra?


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {A London Symphony}*, performed by the Sir Adrian Boult led London Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Vaughan Williams-- *Symphony No.3 {A Pastoral Symphony}, *this time featuring the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Maestro Boult. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 4, *
both traversed by Neeme Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.25 in G Major, K.183; Symphony No.29 in A Major, K.201 and Symphony No.3o in D Major, K.201. *
All three works feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.59 in A Major; Symphony No.49 in F Minor {"La passione"} and Symphony No.26 in D Minor {Lamentatione"}. * All three symphonies are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.


----------



## belfastboy

Currently listening....lump in throat.....


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mendelssohn*: Chamber Music, w. Raphael Ens. (rec.1997), w. KLR Trio (rec.1981), w. Meneses & Wyss (rec.2007).

View attachment 29667
View attachment 29668
View attachment 29669


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Palleas And Melisande - Paavo jarvi, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Fazil Say, Symphony No. 2 "Mesopotamia." Written in 2011, the symphony features a concertante group of bass flute, bass recorder, and Theremin. Interesting and evocative.


----------



## Sid James

Mahlerian said:


> Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Boulez
> ....
> Now fully into the mature Webern idiom of maximal compression for maximal expressive effect, these pieces marked the last time the composer ever scored for full orchestra, and he uses the ensemble sparingly throughout, only reaching a tutti at the climax of the funeral march. Long after Webern's death, it was discovered that this supposedly abstract composer had had programmatic associations in mind for each movement, relating to the death of his mother and the aftermath.


That is interesting and I clearly remember reading a book by Arnold Whittall in which he criticised Webern for doing that, for projecting his own emotions in a piece (eg. being too Romantic). In another part of the book, Whittall outrightly said that Bartok's first three string quartets where better than the last three, because in the last three he returned to more traditional structure, counterpoint and unbroken melodies. I see these as assessments more to do with ideology than music. In fact, in terms of that very Webern piece, its the only thing I connect with that I know by him on a deep emotional level. So its a plus that he did that, I think, it stands out as different. But that book was written in the 1970's, when that kind of more hard line Modernist thinking still held sway.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Sibelius' Seventh Symphony - Berglund & the Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## Guest

Needing quiet meditation and the music *Niccolò Paganini *will help:








*Paganini for Two*
This lovely CD is filled with duets for guitar and violin played by *Gil Shaham and Göran Söllscher*.








*24 Caprices for Solo Violin*
This was Paganini's first Opus, which including the inspiration for Rachmaninov's Rhapsody. I just got this new recording by *James Ehnes *and I'm giving it a first run through.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Concertos with Titles
*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Debussy

Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un faune
La Mer
Children's Corner
La plus que lente
Petite Suite
*
LSO, Andre Previn; French Radio National Orch, Jean Martinon [EMI]









*Bridge - Piano Trios

Nine miniatures for Piano Trio (1908) *

Jack Liebeck (Violin); Alexander Chaushian ('Cello); Ashley Wass (Piano) [Naxos]


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 30, Nos. 80, 81 and 99 - Helmut Muller-Bruhl, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento No.2 in B Flat, KV 439b

Novak Trio: Gabriela Krckova, oboe -- Stepan Koutnik, clarinet -- Vladimir Lejcko, bassoon


----------



## Flamme

For my sleep...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Delving through the deeper recesses of my music library... This was an old favorite: Brahms Clarinet Sonatas 1 & 2, Schumann's _Fantasiestücke_, and Vier stücke for clarinet and piano. I bought this shortly after first coming upon Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and Clarinet Concerto. I simply loved (and still love) the sound of the clarinet. As the liner notes on one Mozart disc suggested, it has the sensuality and richness of chocolate. Perhaps it is not surprising that many of my favorite female singers are Mezzo-sopranos... whose voices have a similar tonality and sensuality. The Berg pieces were among the first "atonal" pieces that I truly liked.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Blancrocher said:


> CPE Bach's Magnificat, and Johann Ludwig Bach's Missa Brevis.


The original edition of this recording by Helmuth Rilling credits the Missa Brevis to Johann Nikolaus Bach. I wonder if the piece was re-attributed?


----------



## Couac Addict

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> You do have a passion for cranking things up, don't you?  Are you into metal?


Sure, why not. One man's _Deep Purple - Burn_ is another man's _Gershwin - Fascinating Rhythm_


----------



## TurnaboutVox

accidental double post


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I should really hit the sack but I've squeezed in a brooding, chromatic late romantic favourite of mine:

*Frank Bridge - Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F# minor*

Maggini Quartet, Martin Roscoe (Piano)


----------



## Blancrocher

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The original edition of this recording by Helmuth Rilling credits the Missa Brevis to Johann Nikolaus Bach. I wonder if the piece was re-attributed?


It looks like the piece had been attributed to J.N. Bach previously, though I don't know why or why the attribution was changed. I pity the poor scholars who have to keep everyone in the extended Bach family straight!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Gieseking was known for his almost "French" elegance and finesse which made him the ideal interpreter of Ravel and Debussy... but Beethoven? Honestly Gieseking would not be my first choice... but with an oeuvre like Beethoven's sonatas I'm not sure I could limit myself to a single "first choice" and exclude unique "voices" like Gieseking.


----------



## KenOC

In checking, it seems that Bach wrote four Missae breves (yes, a proper plural!) BWVs 233 through 236. I couldn't find anything immediately in Wiki suggesting a controversy over any attribution other than to Sebastian Bach.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm speaking of the attribution of this particular Missa Brevis to Johann Nikolaus Bach on the initial Rilling release:










... which has been now attributed to Johann Ludwig Bach:


----------



## KenOC

Ah, missed that. Thanks!

BTW, for something quite beautiful and more than passing unusual -- CPE Bach's vocal arrangement of his father's Contrapunctus XIV from the Art of Fugue.


----------



## Blancrocher

Oistrakh and Oborin in Beethoven's Violin Sonatas--an old favorite.

*p.s.* This acknowledges the change in attribution, but provides no details into the mystery over the Missa Brevis in E minor: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWVAnh166.htm


----------



## SixFootScowl

Whoops, wrong thread. Moved to Non-Classical I'm Currently Listening To Thread.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842): String Quartet No.5 in F Major

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello


----------



## Weston

*Bloch: Three Nocturnes for piano, violin, and cello*
Kairos Trio (or Trio Kairos)









To my credit, I only briefly wondered why one of the group isn't carrying her instrument. The Bloch Nocturnes are short and sweet and fit my convalescent mood. However the third is not terribly nocturnal.

*Dvorak: The Wild Dove*
Stephen Gunzenhauser / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra








The trouble with symphonic poems is it's helpful to know the story they are based on in detail. Otherwise they can come across as just episodic without much connection between the events. That's the feeling I've always gotten with this piece. This is my fourth or fifth listen. It's certainly pleasant enough music, but seems to wander from event to event. I must say there are some very nice sonorities at the end I would never have guessed Dvorak of trying. One could almost say they are in Rautavaara territory.


----------



## SimonNZ

Josef Mysliveček's La Passione di Nostro Signore Gesu Cristo - Christoph Spering, cond.


----------



## Novelette

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande -- Charles Dutoit: Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Twice day.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition --
Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Major, KV 331

Richard Fuller, piano


----------



## Blake

Weston said:


> *Bloch: Three Nocturnes for piano, violin, and cello*
> Kairos Trio (or Trio Kairos)
> 
> View attachment 29680
> 
> 
> To my credit, I only briefly wondered why one of the group isn't carrying her instrument. The Bloch Nocturnes are short and sweet and fit my convalescent mood. However the third is not terribly nocturnal.


Why isn't this woman carrying her grand piano on her back? Hahaha


----------



## NightHawk

Petri and Keith Jarrett - blinding virtuosity!


----------



## opus55

Khachaturian: Violin Concerto in D minor










First time listening to this composer


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quartets
Beethoven: Sonata No. 9

















I'm playing some random selections from Spotify. Fine playing by Quartetto Italiano. Then listening to Brendel's version of my favorite Beethoven sonata this year.

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande










I want to listen more but time to go to bed..


----------



## Couac Addict

Schubert's 8th - Kleiber/VPO

Ideal listening when you're trying to solve a precrime.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio - Jascha Heifetz, violin, Gregor Piatigorsky, cello, Leonard Pennario, piano


----------



## Weston

opus55 said:


> Khachaturian: Violin Concerto in D minor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First time listening to this composer


Call me shallow, but I might have trouble focusing on the music if she were playing. Mercy!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Cello Suite No1 in G Major, BWV 1007

Jaap ter Linden, cello


----------



## MagneticGhost

I'm Spartacus!

The Full ballet landed on my mat this morning. And it's thrilling. 
Difficult to understand why there is only one recording of the complete ballet available.


----------



## Andolink

*Raphaël Cendo*: _Furia_ for piano and cello (2009-2010)
Ensemble Cairn/Guillaume Bourgogne








*Andrew Imbrie*: _Piano Concerto No. 3_ (1991)
Alan Feinberg, piano
Riverside Symphony
George Rothman, conductor


----------



## jim prideaux

in complete contrast to much of my recent listening, on this fine autumnal lunchtime where I am not at work I am currently listening to Bach,two cantatas 'Wachet auf' and 'Herz und Mund' performed by John Eliot Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists/Monteverdii choir and a number of soloist.....

help-years ago I had a vinyl recording of two Bach cantatas and I really enjoyed them but have no idea what they were, who the performers were but the cover is imprinted on my memory-three/four tall thin stain glass windows on a black background-HMV/EMI-I know its a shot in the dark but........


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Janacek's Kreutzer String Quartet: The Lindsays


----------



## Andolink

Elliott Carter: Duo (1974)
Rolfe Schulte, violin
Martin Goldray, piano


----------



## bejart

Evaristo Felice Dell'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a quattro da chiesa in C Major, Op.2, No.7

Concerto Koln


----------



## jim prideaux

AClockworkOrange said:


> Janacek's Kreutzer String Quartet: The Lindsays
> View attachment 29693


This is one of the stand out recordings of a summer/autumn of discovering great music-The Lindsays bring such life to their interpretations......


----------



## ptr

Afternoon snack:

*Allan Pettersson* - Concerto No 1, 2 & 3 for String Orchestra (Bis *1690* / *1590*)







...








Nordic Chamber Orchestra u. Christian Lindberg

And now:

*Helena Tulve* - Lijnen (*ECM* 2008)
(à travers for ensemble; Lijnen for voice and ensemble with poems by Roland Jooris; Öö for saxophone quartet; abysses for flutes and ensemble; cendres for ensemble; nec ros, nec pluvia… for string quartet)









Arianna Savall, voice (2); Stockholm Saxophone Quartet (3); Emmanuelle Ophèle-Gaubert & Mihkel Peäske, flutes (4); NYYD Ensemble u. Olari Elts (1,2,4,5); Silesian String Quartet (6)

/ptr


----------



## jim prideaux

Whilst listening to Kabalevsky piano concerto no1 performed by Stott/Jarvi and BBC Phil I have decided in this instance to disregard completely those critics and writers who while far more knowledgeable than me have little time for the mans music-I really enjoy the work, particularly the atmospheric opening of the first movement....


----------



## Kevin Pearson

jim prideaux said:


> Whilst listening to Kabalevsky piano concerto no1 performed by Stott/Jarvi and BBC Phil I have decided in this instance to disregard completely those critics and writers who while far more knowledgeable than me have little time for the mans music-I really enjoy the work, particularly the atmospheric opening of the first movement....


Jim - I have found that critics can be a help in regard to the quality of a recording and/or performance but they cannot be relied on as to whether I will like a piece of music or not. I'm with you in that I love the Kabelevsky.

Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Britten's* death day, December 4, 1976.

View attachment 29707


----------



## Vesteralen

Though I've stopped sharing most of the things I'm listening to these days, I felt it was worthwhile to jump back on the thread for this one.

I read a recommendation in one of the music magazines I get for this disc, and it is every bit as great as they said it was. A thrilling reading of the old warhorse, and a fine performance of the rarely heard Op. 111 as well.

This is an exceptional disc.


----------



## Blancrocher

Peter Pears singing Britten's Holy Sonnets of John Donne.


----------



## opus55

Weston said:


> Call me shallow, but I might have trouble focusing on the music if she were playing. Mercy!


I would be sitting closer to the stage if I ever see her perform :devil:

--

Restarted listening Pelleas et Melisande by Debussy










I'd like to hear Boulez recording of this opera but cannot find it on Spotify.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Waltzes, w. Tharaud (rec.2005); Piano Works, w. Ts'ong (rec.1979 - '85).

View attachment 29712
View attachment 29713


----------



## MagneticGhost

Evgeny Kissin playing Mussourgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition on Sky Arts 2


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Images for Piano #1 and 2
Gordon Fergus-Thompson


----------



## Bas

A new arrival, another recording of the Winterreise

Franz Schubert - Winterreise
Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta









A mono 1945 recording, but what a voice, what a diction. Thanks for the advice (I don't exactly recall whom here recommended it, but it is magnificent signing - the piano sound is not perfect, but his voice is great.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Passacaglia. Brahms, Symphony No. 4.*

I was going to spend the day with Webern, listening in the car going to the doctor. But at the doctor's office, the doorbell was a descending minor third. After hearing a few of these, I couldn't get the opening of Brahms' 4th out of my head, so it's on to Kleiber's recording.


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Tristan / Karajan


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Chamber Music, w. Pressler/ESQ (rec.1993), w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2000), w. Gringolts/Kouzov/Laul (rec.2010).

View attachment 29720
View attachment 29721
View attachment 29722


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mozart Piano Concertos 15-18 played by Geza Anda.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 29723


Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 26 "Lamentatione", 27, 28 & 29
Antal Dorati & The Philharmonia Hungarica


----------



## Blancrocher

The Brodsky Quartet playing Britten's 2nd and 3rd string quartets. I'm looking forward to hearing the Takacs's new set, btw.


----------



## ptr

*Béla Bartók* - Sonata for Violin and Piano No 1 (Sz 75) & 2 (Sz 76) (Hungaroton)









Gidon Kremer, violin & Iury Smirnov, piano

followed by:

*Edison Denissov* - Musique pour Percussions, Saxophone et piano (Pierre Verany)









Percussions de Strasbourg et Claude Delangle

/ptr


----------



## Weston

jim prideaux said:


> Whilst listening to Kabalevsky piano concerto no1 performed by Stott/Jarvi and BBC Phil I have decided in this instance to disregard completely those critics and writers who while far more knowledgeable than me have little time for the mans music-I really enjoy the work, particularly the atmospheric opening of the first movement....


And another vote from me! I love this work too, as well the No. 2 Concerto. I have not heard the No. 3 or No. 4.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dohnanyi - Konzertstuck for cello and orchestra Op15

Seriously neglected masterpiece if ever I've heard one -(and I've heard loads  )


----------



## Cosmos

Strauss - Piano Quartet in C minor. It's a nice work. Not the most interesting Strauss, but it still has its moments . Sounds a lot like Brahms' quartets.


----------



## Oskaar

If you want to fresh up your danish I recommend this...:lol: (I am norwegian, but even if our writing language is almost simular, I dont understand much. A norwegian humor group made a brilliant number on the of danish language. Make special notice on the milkmans methode to sell more milk.....The video is in english language that they have to turn to when they dont understand each other, and the accent is norwegian ironic approuch to danish, and the other words is parodic fantasy words. Wach the video here, even danes with self irony think it is funny.So to the brilliant music

*Delius: Danish Masterworks*

An Arabesque

Five Danish Songs

Seven Danish Songs

Two Danish Songs

Sakuntala

Lebenstanz









*Johan Reuter, Henriette Bonde Hansen

Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Bo Holten*

prestoclassical

*PS; The danish language sounds beautiful on this record, and suit the songs well!*


----------



## SimonNZ

Josef Myslivecek's Abramo Ed Isacco - Peter Maag, cond.


----------



## Bas

Alessandro Scarlatti - Il primo omicidio
By Antonio Abete [bass], Bernarda Fink [mezzo], Graciela Oddone [mezzo), Dorothea Röschmann [soprano], Richard Croft [tenor], René Jacobs [alto], Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques - Transitories, Epilogue*


----------



## DrKilroy

I've listened to Beethoven's Pathetique, Waldstein and Appasionata Sonate played by Arrau.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to this album featuring Mark Padmore singing Britten, including the Holy Sonnets of John Donne and Winter Words. Bostridge is probably my favorite interpreter of Britten, but it's nice to have some alternatives in this repertoire, in any case.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words - Es ist vollbracht (Vladimir Jurowski; Milne; Donose; Kennedy; Maltman; London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir).









This is one of my favourite sonatas in the work.

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major (Alred Brendel; Sir Neville Marriner; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).


----------



## Bas

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Seven Last Words - Es ist vollbracht (Vladimir Jurowski; Milne; Donose; Kennedy; Maltman; London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir).
> 
> View attachment 29735
> 
> 
> This is one of my favourite sonatas in the work.
> 
> W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major (Alred Brendel; Sir Neville Marriner; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).
> 
> View attachment 29739


A choir in Haydn's last words? Can you elaborate on that?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Boulez, Derive 2*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47* / Trio Parnassus with Hariolf Schlichtig (viola) [MD&G]








*Fauré: Cello Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 109; No. 2 in G minor, Op. 117* / Alban Gerhardt ('cello), Cecile Licad (piano) {Hyperion}








*Bridge - Piano Trio No. 1 (Phantasie trio) in C minor*
Jack Liebeck (Violin); Alexander Chaushian ('Cello); Ashley Wass (Piano) [Naxos]








*Martinů - String Quartets No. 3, H. 183 (1929); No. 4, H. 256 (1937)*
Panocha Quartet [Supraphon]








Martinů's third and fourth String Quartets occupy not dissimilar territory to Hindemith's contemporary works, except that there is something more playful about them. The Panocha Quartet accounts are excellent.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Sid James

Weston said:


> *Bloch: Three Nocturnes for piano, violin, and cello*
> Kairos Trio (or Trio Kairos)
> 
> ...
> ... The Bloch Nocturnes are short and sweet and fit my convalescent mood. However the third is not terribly nocturnal.


I think that's true, the final movement is quite energetic, someone said its like a picture of some busy American city - the USA being Bloch's adopted home. & to my memory of this, which I heard years ago, one of the other two movements has that classic American pastoral vibe, a la Copland. But its been years.



> *Dvorak: The Wild Dove*
> Stephen Gunzenhauser / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
> ...
> The trouble with symphonic poems is it's helpful to know the story they are based on in detail. Otherwise they can come across as just episodic without much connection between the events. That's the feeling I've always gotten with this piece. This is my fourth or fifth listen. It's certainly pleasant enough music, but seems to wander from event to event. I must say there are some very nice sonorities at the end I would never have guessed Dvorak of trying. One could almost say they are in Rautavaara territory.


I have returned to Dvorak's music recently and I too am surprised of his often daring harmonies. He was of course greatly influenced by Brahms, but also by Wagner. Another thing is he seldom treated the sonata form prescriptively. He often played around with it and broke the rules, such as blurring the lines between its different components, or cutting out or shortening things like recapitulation. I like the slightly creepy edge in The Wood Dove too, his symphonic poems are based on Slavic folk tales which often carry a component of a kind of horror and grisly fantasy. The Russians have got this as well.



MagneticGhost said:


> Dohnanyi - Konzertstuck for cello and orchestra Op15
> 
> Seriously neglected masterpiece if ever I've heard one -(and I've heard loads  )


Its been said to be like the cello concerto that Brahms never composed, and its an apt description. I quite like it as well, and he could have called it a concerto if he'd wanted to - is certainly got enough substance in it to warrant that.


----------



## moody

Bas said:


> A new arrival, another recording of the Winterreise
> 
> Franz Schubert - Winterreise
> Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta
> 
> View attachment 29714
> 
> 
> A mono 1945 recording, but what a voice, what a diction. Thanks for the advice (I don't exactly recall whom here recommended it, but it is magnificent signing - the piano sound is not perfect, but his voice is great.)


The one I recommended was actually his 1948 live recording from Cologne.
The one you have was recorded in Berlin in 1945.


----------



## SimonNZ

Niels Gade's String Quartets - Copenhagen String Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 7*


----------



## SimonNZ

Ethel Smyth String Quartets - Mannheim String Quartet


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Piano Sonata #14 in C Minor

Alfred Brendel


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Piano Quartet in E Flat, Op.40, No.1

Richard Fuller on piano with members of the Musica Aeterna Bratislava: Peter Zajicek, violin -- Jan Grener, viola -- Peter Kiral, cello


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A choir in Haydn's last words? Can you elaborate on that?

Haydn originally wrote the Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross as an orchestral work in 1785/6. Two years later he scored the work for string quartet. During his trip to London in 1794/5 he heard a choral setting of the work scored by the Passau Kapellmeister, Joseph Friebert. He was suitably impressed, but felt the setting could be improved upon, and set about creating his own choral setting which premiered in Vienna on 26 March 1796 before an audience of the nobility. It had a public premier two years later.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another old favorite from the vault.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I quite like this alternative to Callas... and Sutherland, who I have never been overly fond of.


----------



## Schubussy

Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Quintet
Elisabeth Leonskaja, Borodin Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Earl Wild playing Chopin, trying to decide whether or not to order a copy of his memoir, "A Walk on the Wild Side."

*Edit* ~900 pages, mind you, so it's no easy decision!


----------



## senza sordino

*Grieg Sonata #2 for Violin and piano* Not sure who's playing, I downloaded it from iTunes, names are there but I don't know who plays which instrument. These three violin sonatas are lovely, I should buy myself a real physical CD, it seems more permanent to my collection than a download. 
*Grieg Book 1 Lyric Pieces Zoltan Kocsis on the piano*
*Franck Violin Sonata with Grumiaux on the violin*
This is my chamber music afternoon between classes. I don't have the music on during class because the students will only push their own earbud headphones deeper into their ears.


----------



## Weston

If ya'll would listen to stuff I know, I could "Like" more of it. Ah know what ah laick.


----------



## science

I haven't been holding out on you folks. I actually haven't been able to listen to much music for several days. Damn the holiday season! But when I got around to a bit, I treated myself:










When the beer commercial guys say, "It just doesn't get any better than this," they're talking about Dutilleux.


----------



## SimonNZ

Louis Moreau Gottschalk piano works - Philip Martin, piano


----------



## science

opus55 said:


> I would be sitting closer to the stage if I ever see her perform :devil:
> 
> --
> 
> Restarted listening Pelleas et Melisande by Debussy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd like to hear Boulez recording of this opera but cannot find it on Spotify.


I've heard that Karajan recording and didn't know that Boulez did it. I'd like to hear Abbado - and I'd like to see a DVD as well. For some reason I never really get an opera until I see it.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Duet for Two Violas No.6 in F Minor

Francesco Lattuada and Carlo Barato, violas


----------



## opus55

science said:


> I've heard that Karajan recording and didn't know that Boulez did it. I'd like to hear Abbado - and I'd like to see a DVD as well. For some reason I never really get an opera until I see it.


Watching videos really helped me "get" operas. One of the previews in La Traviata Blu-ray was Debussy's opera - it immediately got me interested.
------

Haydn:

String Quartets, Op. 55
Symphony No. 94


----------



## SimonNZ

Niels Gade's Piano Trio Op.42 - Trio Parnassus


----------



## ptr

Morning Kick-off:

*Dmitri Shostakovich* - Symphony No 14 (Tokyo FM Live 1975)









Makvala Karashvili, soprano; Evgeny Nesterenko, bass; Moscow Chamber Orchestra u Rudolf Barshai

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Hugo Wolf lieder - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano, Wilhelm Furtwangler, piano


----------



## ptr

Continuing:

*Gustav Mahler* - Totenfeier & Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Signum 2012)









Sarah Connoly, mezzo; Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment u. Vladimir Jurowski

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi's Dies Natalis - Martyn Hill, tenor, Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bas said:


> A choir in Haydn's last words? Can you elaborate on that?


Hello Bas,

yes, Haydn actually made an oratorio version of the Seven Last Words. There are many recordings, for example:

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B000000SDC/ref=dm_rogue_cd

or

http://www.amazon.de/Musica-Sacra-H...4&sr=1-53&keywords=Haydn+Sieben+letzten+Worte

I was lucky to find the CD I listened to for 1 Euro at a local store, hehe. I find it very good, actually. This version by Jurowski is of course the exact same music, only that instead of the choir coming in right away, he leaves space for an introduction with the orchestra only, and when it is repeated for the first time the choir actually comes in. Personally, I like his choice, it sort of gives you both the 'instrumental' and 'oratorio' feeling of the work at the same time. The singers are also very good on the CD, imo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Fazil Say's Violin Concerto "1001 Nights In The Harem" - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin, John Axelrod, cond.


----------



## Kieran

The day the music really died: 5th December.

Mozart's 14th piano sonata in c-minor, Mitsuko at the the wheel...


----------



## jim prideaux

Not at work again this morning so have had chance to listen to a number of works-Kabalevsky 1st piano concerto (again-Stott/Jarvi/BBC Phil) and then the two cello concertos by the same composer performed by TarasovA/Duderova and the Symph Orch of Russia.Just arrived in post-Martinu string quartets 1 and 2 performed by the Martinu Quartet. Later in the day will be my first listening to Suk Asrael Symphony-Pesek/RLPO-hopefully this will be another instance of a Czech composer 'delivering'...


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligetti's Violin Concerto - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin, Peter Eotvos, cond.


----------



## Kieran

K377, Barenboim and Perlman...


----------



## EricABQ

Hamish Milne playing Von Weber's piano sonata 4.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto in G Minor, RV 105

Il Guardino Armonico


----------



## Joris

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 20 (A. Rubinstein, A. Wallenstein: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra)


----------



## Oskaar

Various Artists - *Finnish Orchestral Classics*

*Jean Sibelius:*
Finlandia
Valse triste
*Leevi Madetoja:* Elegy for Strings
*Oskar Merikanto:*
Romance
Valse lente
*Heikki Aaltoila:* 
Wedding Waltz of Akseli & Elina
*Heino Kaski:* 
Prélude in G Flat Major
*Einojuhani Rautavaara:* 
Fiddlers
*Toivo Kuula:* 
Wedding March
*Erkki Melartin:* 
Festive March
*Aulis Sallinen:* 
Sunrise Serenade *
*Armas Järnefelt:*
Prélude for Orchestra
Berceuse
*Uuno Klami:* 
Nocturne (from Sea Pictures)
*Ilkka Kuusisto:* 
Finnish Prayer

*Turku Philharmonic Orchestra/Jorma Panula
 * Finnish Chamber Orchestra/Okko Kamu*









classical net reviews (I find this page extraordinary good with 7000 thorough expert reviews. I have started to sometimes read good reviews lately before or during listening. For me such expert reviews help me to see things in addition to what I experiance without it. It makes a new depth with layers in my listening, and make the experiance bether. It dont tell me what to think, but gives more dimentions. Every listeners have their own experiance, so I may not agree, but it is a good addition.

Other sights that I find usefull with good editorial reviews is

Arkivmusic

BBC

allmusic

Classical archives

classicsonline (You need subscription for access to some stuff, and i found that very expencive..)


----------



## Oskaar

*Rawsthorne: Symphonies Nos. 1-3*

*Charlotte Ellett* (soprano)

*Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Lloyd Jones*









allmusic


----------



## rrudolph

Sort of a miscellaneous program this morning:

Ives: Robert Browning Overture








Shchedrin: Concerto Cantabile








Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes Op. 33








Brahms: Piano Concerto #1








Mahler: Symphony #4


----------



## Blancrocher

Skrowaczewski and the LPO in Bruckner's 7th.


----------



## DavidA

Dvorak Violin concerto / Mutter 

Just bought it half price offer from HMV


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 29770


Bach: Mass In B Minor
Otto Klemperer & The New Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Winterreisender

Rachmaninoff Symphony #2 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Vaneyes

For *WAM's* death day, December 5, 1791.

View attachment 29772
View attachment 29773


----------



## Vaneyes

Kieran said:


> The day the music really died: 5th December.
> 
> Mozart's 14th piano sonata in c-minor, Mitsuko at the the wheel...


In my view, the most tragic passing of any composer, considering his age, volume of work, and continued no-questions-asked greatness that was to come and never would. R.I.P. WAM :angel:


----------



## Vaneyes

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I quite like this alternative to Callas... and Sutherland, who I have never been overly fond of.


*
Cecilia* has never looked so radiant. Much better than her bald-headed pic.


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms: Piano Trios*

Performer: *Renaud Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Gautier Capuçon*









What I have heard of Brahm`s orchestral music is great, perhaps even more the piano music, but his chamber music speeks to me instantly, hit me right in my heart, every time I listen! I have a very bad musical memory, but that can be a good thing, feeling i discover the music every time! :lol:

His piano trios is just great, and this recording I find superb. I feel like they are playing for me, the next move, the variations in mood, strength and tempo, the intimaty, the melancoly, all seems like I would never wish something different. The only thing is, like mentioned in the allmusic reviw, the cello is a bit week in the mix. But the cello performance here is perhaps the best, and maybe it had been to dominent if it had been stronger.

arkivmusic

allmusic


----------



## Kieran

Vaneyes said:


> In my view, the most tragic passing of any composer, considering his age, volume of work, and continued no-questions-asked greatness that was to come and never would. R.I.P. WAM :angel:


Absolutely. His completeness was only growing, if that's even possible. His music was becoming more sparing and almost ethereal. Heaven knows what a forty year old Mozart might have produced, let alone a seventy year old!

On a roll: *K425*, the Linz symphony, Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin philly...


----------



## DavidA

DavidA said:


> Dvorak Violin concerto / Mutter
> 
> Just bought it half price offer from HMV


Just listening second time round. The violin playing is absolutely bewitching!


----------



## Joris

Mozart - Horn Concertos (Peter Damm; Neville Marriner)


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3, op. 73
Fitzwilliam Quartet









Among 20th century string quartet cycles, I'd place this one below Bartok's and Schoenberg's for sure, and probably one or two others as well, but among Shostakovich's body of work, this was probably his most consistent genre.


----------



## science

Going back a bit -










First time I've heard this old recording - I got it in the DHM 50 box but was never able to upload it successfully until tonight! I'm glad it finally worked. Time to back up the hard drives.

Loved the music, though I couldn't enjoy it properly because I kept waiting for the scratching to begin. Next time through will be more enjoyable.


----------



## science

Mahlerian said:


> Among 20th century string quartet cycles, I'd place this one below Bartok's and Schoenberg's for sure, and probably one or two others as well, but among Shostakovich's body of work, this was probably his most consistent genre.


I often think he should've stopped after #8 and then withdrawn #s 1-7, but the best part is that none of them sound all that different from #8.

[hides under the table]


----------



## Blancrocher

For Mozart: Uchida playing the Adagio in B minor.


----------



## opus55

oskaar said:


> *Brahms: Piano Trios*
> 
> Performer: *Renaud Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Gautier Capuçon*
> 
> What I have heard of Brahm`s orchestral music is great, perhaps even more the piano music, but his chamber music speeks to me instantly, hit me right in my heart, every time I listen! I have a very bad musical memory, but that can be a good thing, feeling i discover the music every time! :lol:
> ...


Your memory seem to have the same advantage as mine does. I have the Capucon/Angelich recording too but only heard it twice - meaning that I don't remember how good/so-so it was. I'll listen to it again soon.

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33
Puccini: Turandot

















I think I'm going through a similar process with operas. When I first started listening to orchestral music, Karajan recordings were the most satisfying. Now as an opera newbie, the singer that really stands out to me is Pavarotti.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi: Cello Concertos*
*
Han-Na Chang/London Chamber Orchestra/Christopher Warren-Green*









Nice sound, and quite good performance, but I miss a little more nerve and personality from chang. It is like some brakes are on, especially in slower parts. (but it gets bether while I am listening) But still a nice listen, the music is great, it stands out in itself. Maybe the nerv will be more obvious on later listenings. I have not listened much to Vivaldi, exept 4 seasons, until recently, but everything I hear now impress me a lot, He is far from the one-dimentional composer I thaught he was.

arkivmusic


----------



## rrudolph

Catching up with some used CDs I've bought over the past few weeks and not listened to yet:

Liszt: Les Preludes/Orpheus/Ungarische Rhapsodie #5/Tasso Lamento e Trionfo








Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez/Gerhard: Dances From Don Quixote/Falla: Three-Cornered Hat Suite #1/Granados: Three Spanish Dances








Copland: Music for the Theatre/Three Latin American Sketches/Quiet City/Appalachian Spring (original version for 13 players)


----------



## Vaneyes

*WAM*: Orchestral Works, w. Gilels/Bohm (rec.1973), Allegrini/Abbado (rec.2005 - '07), BPO/HvK (rec.1975 - '77).

View attachment 29789
View attachment 29790
View attachment 29791


----------



## Blancrocher

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in the 2nd and 3rd Horn Concertos, Bassoon Concerto, and Oboe Concerto.

*p.s.* Vaneyes, would you mind telling me what year those Gulda performances of the sonatas you mentioned earlier are from, if it's not too much trouble?


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Blake

Capucon and Braley's Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano. Journeying through the whole set, and so far it's very nice.


----------



## maestro267

Two epic heroes whose tales are told in the key of B minor:

*Bantock*: Thalaba the Destroyer
Royal PO/Handley

*Gliére*: Symphony No. 3 (Il'ya Muromets)
Czecho-Slovak RSO/Johanos


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 31, Nos.82 "The Bear", 96 "Miracle" and 100 "Military" - Barry Wordsworth, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach - Weihnachtsoratorium - Cantata I, Chorus - Jauchzet, frolocket! (Diego Fasolis; Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; Barocchisti).


----------



## shangoyal

Tchaikovsky: *Symphony No. 4 in F minor*

The pizzicato scherzo is genius! GENIUS!


----------



## Blake

Rubenstein's Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 17, 20 21, 23, 24. Oh my, this is marvelous.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Child, Sacred Choral Music*

I've never heard of this guy outside of a brief mention in Howard Brown's _Music in the Renaissance_. He comes from the Byrd-Gibbons-Purcell era. He wrote lovely music, but what strikes me most about him is that he lived to be 91.


----------



## Sudonim

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29781
> 
> 
> For Mozart: Uchida playing the Adagio in B minor.


That's a fetching photo of Ms. Uchida, even if it does look like she's wearing some kind of spacesuit ... 

Anyway - since it's now snowing/sleeting here, it seemed appropriate for a little Sibelius:









Specifically, the 3rd, the 5th, and now Kullervo ...

Have also begun scaling this edifice:


----------



## Vaneyes

*WAM*: Piano Sonatas, etc., w. Gavrilov (rec.1988), Pires (rec.1989).

View attachment 29804
View attachment 29805


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concerto No. 3.*


----------



## Blancrocher

Lupu and Perahia in Mozart and Schubert.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2.*

Listening and trying not to look at that creepy cover.


----------



## Sid James

This week's blog post takes in a number of things, but the overall theme is music that emphasizes a humorous quality.

*Comic escapades, more imagined than real - Music by Richard Strauss, Kodály, Prokofiev, Walton and Mancini*

*Richard Strauss* _Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Op. 28_ (1895)
- Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam conducted by Eugen Jochum (Deutsche Grammophon Eloquence)

*Richard Strauss'* tone poem _*Till Eulenspiegel*_ is the quintessential roguish piece. Its full title bears this out - _Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, after an old rogue's tune - in rondo form - set for full orchestra._ The piece centers on Till, a German folk hero from the 14th century, a cheeky fellow who causes mayhem wherever he goes.

Strauss didn't provide any description of this work, he said that he'd let listeners "guess at the musical joke that a Rogue has offered them." He even kills off Till at the gallows, even though legend has it that the rogue escaped from punishment. Nijinsky turned the piece into a ballet and composers for film have replicated the rogue's leitmotif many times (one that I remember as similar is the tune representing detective played by Humphrey Bogart in Adolph Deutsch's score for _The Maltese Falcon_).

Speaking of leitmotifs, two main ones recur in the piece, both being presented at the start. One is played on the French horn, another on the clarinet. These frame the cheeky and mischievous escapades of the rogue. My favourite parts include the romantic love theme played on the strings and also the announcement of Till's demise at the end by the brass. The clarinet theme comes back in the coda, as if to say that Till's ghost is still around somewhere.

(*Pictures from top to bottom:* the cover of the Kodaly/Prokofiev vinyl I owned, showing military costumes of the 19th century; the etching of Scapino by Callot; Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Clouseau).










*Kodály* _Háry János: Suite_ (1925)
- Berlin Radio SO (RIAS) cond. by Ferenc Fricsay, with John Leach, cimbalom (Deutsche Grammophon)

The orchestral suite drawn from *Zoltán Kodály's* comic opera _*Háry János*_ earned him international acclaim. Here, the rogue is a teller of tall tales and in some ways represents the Hungarian national character. He does all manner of things, from wooing Napoleon's wife, Josephine, to singlehandedly defeating the French army and being given an award by the Austrian emperor.

As with the Strauss piece, there is humour here as well as brilliant handling of the capabilities of the modern orchestra. The massive 'sneeze' that opens the piece represents the Hungarian superstition that if one sneezes whilst telling a story, then it is proof that it is true. It's the unique aspects that grab me the most, one being the use of the cimbalom in the third movement (_Song_) and its delicate blending with woodwinds, flutes and viola. This is Háry's love song to his sweetheart, Orzse. Another is the use of the saxophone in the next movement (_The battle and defeat of Napoleon_) where it sounds like a smart alek comeback to the trombone and tuba that play a distorted parody of the _Marseillaise_.

*Prokofiev* _Lieutenant Kijé: Suite, Op. 60_ (1934)
- Queensland SO cond. by Vladimir Verbitsky (ABC Classics)

Another work that incorporates the sax is *Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite*, drawn from the film of the same name. The plot lampoons the ineptitude of Tsarist bureaucracy in creating a lieutenant who only exists on paper. In its original form, the suite incorporated two vocal items sung by baritone (the _Romance_ and _Troika_ movements), but the version more often played replaces the voice with the tenor saxophone.

Again, I like the way Prokofiev combines instruments, from the solemn trumpet tune that introduces the piece to the punchy march headed by the piccolo that follows. The _Romance_ movement, where our paper-man Kijé falls in love, has this exquisite blending of cello, saxophone and celesta. The final movement (_Burial of Kijé_) brings all that came before together in some very skillful counterpoint. The trumpet tune from the beginning ends the piece, framing it neatly.










*Walton* _Scapino - A Comedy Overture_ (1940)
- London PO cond. by Sir Adrian Boult (Decca Eloquence)

*William Walton* was inspired to compose *Scapino* by Callot's etching of the commedia dell'arte figure, which he put on the front page of the score. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on occasion of its fiftieth anniversary, commissioned the piece.

Two main ideas course through the work, one vivacious and colourful, the other romantic and yearning. A march appears towards the end of the piece, giving the atmosphere of some Italian carnival. I love the use of tambourine here, as well as distinctively jazzy writing for the trumpet and a brief cello solo that presents the romantic theme. It's a riot of colour and an effective showpiece for the orchestra.











*Mancini *_Pink Panther Theme, Peter Gunn, Baby Elephant Walk and other themes_
- Henry Mancini and his Orchestra (Camden-BMG)

*Henry Mancini's* use of the sax to create a bumbling detective, as hilariously portrayed by Peter Sellers in _*The Pink Panther *_movies, has been imitated many times. Others like his _*Peter Gunn*_ theme became so cliché that it was used 'as is' in the original _Blues Brothers_ movie. Mancini's combination of memorable tunes, solid beats and brassy outbursts would not only garner him four Oscars, but also influence 'highbrow' classical composers working in Post-Modernist styles.

Mancini had an eclectic background bringing together classical training and work as a pianist in the jazz world, towards the close of the big band era. His studies at Julliard where interrupted by service in World War II. After the war, he continued his studies and eventually came to working as an arranger in Hollywood. It is there that his partnership with director Blake Edwards began. This resulted in a number of famous scores, including _Breakfast at Tiffany's _and _The Pink Panther_.


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Piano Sonata #1
Glenn Gould


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## Schubussy

Stravinsky - Symphony in C
Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: The Firebird, Scherzo a la Russe, Scherzo Fantastique, Fireworks
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, CBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Martinů - String Quartet No. 5, H. 268 (1938)* Panocha Quartet [Supraphon]









This quartet seems to have a mild flavour of Bartok that I hadn't noticed before.

*Faure

Preludes Op. 103 (1909 - 10)

Impromptu for piano No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 25 (1881)
Impromptu for piano No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31 (1883)
Impromptu for piano No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 34 (1883)
Impromptu for piano No. 4 in D flat major, Op. 91 (1906)
Impromptu for piano No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 102 (1909)*

Paul Crossley (Piano) [CRD]









Faure's piano music is subtly adventurous, especially the late, harmonically ambiguous works (here, the 9 Preludes and the Impromptus Nos. 4 & 5). I love these uneasy, melancholy pieces.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Serenade for Flute and Piano, Op.23, No.5

Mario Carbotta, flute -- Carlo Balzaretti, piano


----------



## opus55

Bach: 'Christ Lag In Todesbanden' BWV 4


----------



## opus55

Bach: Inventions


----------



## bejart

Nikolaus Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet No.10 in D Minor

Zmeskall Quartet: Milos Valent and Dagmar Valentova, violins -- Peter Vrbincik, viola -- Juraj Kovac, cello


----------



## Blake

Perahia's Mozart: Piano Concertos. Another set I'll venture through it's entirety. Descriptives unnecessary.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.20 in C Minor

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Petrushka, The Rite of Spring
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








The Petrushka on this set is the 1947 revision, so I'm going to finish the night with:

Stravinsky: Petrushka (1911 original version)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## SimonNZ

Niels Gade's Symphony No.1 - Michael Schønwandt, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

cn://new









Showed up today. I already have this performance of the Symphony-Concerto, one of my favourites, but that leaves 1½ discs of new works for me to explore.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen- -*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, * both evocatively rendered by Ole Schmidt and the London Symphony Orchestra. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.5 and Symphony No.6 {"Fantaisies symphoniques"}, *both featuring Neeme Jarvi and the Bamberg SYmphony Orchestra. 
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64. *The two works are performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.


----------



## SimonNZ

Caccini's Le Nuove Musiche - Jordi Savall, dir.

okay, i've actually got it in the DHM 50 box - but I like that cover better


----------



## NightHawk

MagneticGhost said:


> I'm Spartacus!
> 
> The Full ballet landed on my mat this morning. And it's thrilling.
> Difficult to understand why there is only one recording of the complete ballet available.


I saw the American Premiere of this work in New York City when the Bolshoi visited in 1974 or 75 - I lived in Manhattan for two years and it was a Golden Age of Dance - Baryshnikov's fabled escape to the West - saw him dance Coppelia and Giselle with American Ballet Theater, and also in the young Twyla Tharp's company and her famous break out work 'Push Comes to Shove' - he often partnered another famous Russian defector Natalia Makarova, his co-star in the Giselle, I saw - they were ethereal. The Bolshoi production of 'Spartacus' was massive and muscular - not to my taste, really, but the music was wonderful. I am glad to see this recording of the entire work.


----------



## Andolink

*Hanns Eisler*: _Deutsche Sinfonie_, op. 50
Hendrikje Wangemann, soprano
Annette Markert, alto
Matthias Görne, baritone
Peter Lika, bass
Gert Gütschow & Volker Schwarz, speakers
Ernst Senff Chor Berlin
Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig/Lothar Zagrosek


----------



## SimonNZ

"Thy Kiss Of A Divine Nature: The Contemporary Perotin"

Documentary on Perotin by Uli Aumuller with performances by The Hilliard Ensemble throughout


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2.*
> 
> Listening and trying not to look at that creepy cover.
> 
> View attachment 29810


What's with that cover? They could've picked something more aesthetically appealing, hehe.

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in D Major for 2 oboi d'amore, cello, strings & b.c.; 
Concerto in B-flat Major for oboe, violin, 2 transverse flute, 2 violas & b.c.;
Concerto in A minor for 2 recorders, strings & b.c. (Camerata Köln).


----------



## SimonNZ

Lieder recital - Irmgard Seefried, soprano, Erik Werba, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68 No. 2 (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli).


----------



## SimonNZ

Arne Nordheim's Monolith - Rolf Gupta, cond.


----------



## scratchgolf

Nothing beats a little Impromptus when you wake at 3am and can't sleep.


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Rossi*: Roman cantatas for two and three sopranos
Suzie Le Blanc, soprano
Emily Van Evera, soprano
Barbara Borden, soprano
Tragicomedia/Stephen Stubbs








*Henry Purcell*: Verse Anthems
Philip Hallchurch, Jerome Finnis, Nicolas Witcomb, (trebles)
James Bowman, countertenor
Charles Daniels, tenor
Michael George, bass
Robert Evans, bass
The Choir of New College, Oxford
The King's Consort/Robert King


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Bliss' Metamorphic Variations - David Lloyd-Jones, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

scratchgolf said:


> Nothing beats a little Impromptus when you wake at 3am and can't sleep.


You mean Schubert's?


----------



## scratchgolf

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> You mean Schubert's?


Yes. It's subtlety goes quite well with insomnia and coffee.

Also quite fitting by definition as "Something not planned in advance".


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

scratchgolf said:


> Yes. It's subtlety goes quite well with insomnia and coffee.
> 
> Also quite fitting by definition as "Something not planned in advance".


Hehe, they are awesome pieces, that is true.


----------



## scratchgolf

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Hehe, they are awesome pieces, that is true.


I just realized you realized how appropriate a choice this was before I did. Forgive me, as it's very early


----------



## bejart

NightHawk says ---
".... in 1974 or 75 - I lived in Manhattan for two years and it was a Golden Age of Dance - Baryshnikov's fabled escape to the West - saw him dance Coppelia and Giselle with American Ballet Theater, and also in the young Twyla Tharp's company and her famous break out work 'Push Comes to Shove' ..."

And it was a Golden Age of Dance -- and that's why I moved there in 1975, to study with the Joffrey Ballet, before they moved to Chicago. I saw many of the same performances you list, although my own performing career was limited to Broadway and modern dance. I did work with some of Twyla's dancers.

Now ---
James Cervetto (ca.1682-1783): Cello Sonata No.4 in C Minor

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli , cello -- Walter Mammarella, harpsichord -- Marcello Scandelli, cello continuo


----------



## Andolink

*Hugo Wolf*: _Italienisches Liederbuch_
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano
Gerald Moore, piano


----------



## science

I am already viciously accused of being conservative, but I know better than to admit liking this as much as I do. It's merely pretty melodies, great orchestration, etc. - horrible stuff, I can't stand it, but it's Christmas and I'm constrained to listen to it by an oppressive tradition under which I struggle in vain.


----------



## science

But in all seriousness I was recently told that the Nutcracker is "too cultural" to be enjoyed sincerely. So it's good to have some perspective. We do get all tangled up in our own hierarchies, it's easy to forget how the rest of the world sees things.


----------



## scratchgolf

science said:


> But in all seriousness I was recently told that the Nutcracker is "too cultural" to be enjoyed sincerely. So it's good to have some perspective. We do get all tangled up in our own hierarchies, it's easy to forget how the rest of the world sees things.


It is a tradition. I don't love the entire piece but love portions. I grab the 5 or 6 songs I like, plus the 5 or 6 I like from the Messiah and put them on shuffle with my other Christmas tunes.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

science said:


> I am already viciously accused of being conservative, but I know better than to admit liking this as much as I do. It's merely pretty melodies, great orchestration, etc. - horrible stuff, I can't stand it, but it's Christmas and I'm constrained to listen to it by an oppressive tradition under which I struggle in vain.


What's wrong with liking the Nutcracker? That's some of Tchaikovsky's best music imo. I've also recently bought Bach's Christmas Oratorio, liking it a lot so far .


----------



## MagneticGhost

science said:


> But in all seriousness I was recently told that the Nutcracker is "too cultural" to be enjoyed sincerely. So it's good to have some perspective. We do get all tangled up in our own hierarchies, it's easy to forget how the rest of the world sees things.


Quite frankly - I don't ever care anymore what the rest of the world likes. Deems cool, politic, cultural, worthwhile.

There are two types of music - the stuff I enjoy, which moves me, which speaks to me.
And then there's the stuff I don't.


----------



## rrudolph

Stockhausen: Gruppen/Kurtag: Grabstein fur Stephan/Stele








Maderna: Quadrivium/Aura/Biogramma








Ligeti: Atmospheres/Ichiyanagi: Life Music/Takemitsu: Arc for Piano & Orchestra/Xenakis: Strategie


----------



## Couac Addict

Mahler's 3rd - Horenstein/LSO 
...trippin' like Syd Barrett over that album cover.

This one goes for a while...don't wait up for me.


----------



## science

MagneticGhost said:


> Quite frankly - I don't ever care anymore what the rest of the world likes. Deems cool, politic, cultural, worthwhile.
> 
> There are two types of music - the stuff I enjoy, which moves me, which speaks to me.
> And then there's the stuff I don't.


Madness. Utter madness.










Doesn't speak to me, I promise. I admire the skill of the singers, etc., as is politic, but my enjoyment of it is strictly as camp.


----------



## Blancrocher

Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Schreier cond.)


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29854
> 
> 
> Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Schreier cond.)


Getting in the mood are we ?


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> Lieder recital - Irmgard Seefried, soprano, Erik Werba, piano


She is absolutely wonderful always.


----------



## Blancrocher

moody said:


> Getting in the mood are we ?


Sure--though my family gatherings tend to be more like noise music.


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> Sure--though my family gatherings tend to be more like noise music.


Half the time mine aren't talking to each other!

Did you see mention of Irmgard Seefried above, if you don't have her do so as fast as possible !


----------



## maestro267

*Lloyd*: Symphonic Mass
Three Spires Singers/BBCNOW/Brabbins (on Radio 3)


----------



## science

Here is one that I believe we're all allowed to enjoy unapologetically.


----------



## Blancrocher

Enjoying a first listen to Markevitch conducting Berwald's 3rd and 4th symphonies (with which I'm not familiar), and Schubert's 4th.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Poulenc, Chamber Music.*


----------



## rrudolph

Pousseur: Couleurs Croises/Robert: Aquatilis








Dutilleux: L'Arbre des Songes/Maxwell Davies: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra








Penderecki: Cello Concerto #2/Partita








Berio: Coro


----------



## DavidA

Bach - St John Passion / Gardiner


----------



## DavidA

science said:


> Madness. Utter madness.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Doesn't speak to me, I promise. I admire the skill of the singers, etc., as is politic, but my enjoyment of it is strictly as camp.


Music is to be enjoyed!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Les Noces
Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Amadinda Percussion Ensemble, cond. Eötvös









Stravinsky: Renard, The Soldier's Tale
Columbia Chamber Ensemble, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## science

DavidA said:


> Music is to be enjoyed!


Not if you can help it!

I'm kidding, BTW. If you want to understand what I really think about anything, you have to take the opposite of what I post, combine that with what I actually did post, and then divide it all by zero twice. I know it's hard, but it's the only way. I'm not able to get all the way from here (whatever is going on in my head) to there (the English language), so I settle for being silly. Mostly I'm mocking myself. It's a spiritual discipline, in a sense.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3.*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

science said:


> Not if you can help it!
> 
> I'm kidding, BTW. If you want to understand what I really think about anything, you have to take the opposite of what I post, combine that with what I actually did post, and then divide it all by zero twice. I know it's hard, but it's the only way. I'm not able to get all the way from here (whatever is going on in my head) to there (the English language), so I settle for being silly. Mostly I'm mocking myself. It's a spiritual discipline, in a sense.


science, can you explain your avatar? It doesn't look too 'classical' (which is fine) but I was wondering about its meaning.


----------



## Blake

He likes to wear women's shoes and sway back-and-forth in a tutu while listening to classical... Problem?



Love ya', Science.


----------



## Winterreisender

Lully: Grand Motets - Le Concert Spirtuel & Hervé Niquet


----------



## science

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> science, can you explain your avatar? It doesn't look too 'classical' (which is fine) but I was wondering about its meaning.


I adopted it to make fun of the idea that as an atheist I would be shallow, hedonistic, and materialistic. It represents everything for which I would be scorned. (In real life I'm the kind of guy whose idea of a wild Saturday night is reading something by a French or Russian intellectual.) Plus, it was really absurd and unique and I've grown to enjoy allowing it to personify me. Perhaps there is a little pink stiletto in all of us.


----------



## science

Vesuvius said:


> He likes to wear women's shoes and sway back-and-forth in a tutu while listening to classical... Problem?
> 
> Love ya', Science.


Anyone who knows what I look like and visualize that scene will feel far more uncomfortable than I will.


----------



## DrKilroy

I have to choose something with constantly high dynamic level because I want to drown the stupid comedy my family is watching. 

Reich - Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich and Steve Reich Ensemble).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## science

DrKilroy said:


> I have to choose something with constantly high dynamic level because I want to drown the stupid comedy my family is watching.
> 
> Reich - Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich and Steve Reich Ensemble).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I been there, brother.


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127*

Lasalle Quartet


----------



## Bas

Alessandro Scarlatti - Messa per il santissimo natale
Gioviani Battista Pergolesi - Messa di s. emidio (Messa Romana)
By Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Allesandrini [dir.], on Naïve









Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], John Toll [harpsichord, organ], Nigel North [archlute, theorbo, guitar], on HM Gold


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> I have to choose something with constantly high dynamic level because I want to drown the stupid comedy my family is watching.


Headphones are your friend at such times.


----------



## MagneticGhost

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> science, can you explain your avatar? It doesn't look too 'classical' (which is fine) but I was wondering about its meaning.


His name is Bert and he likes shoes. They call him Shoe-Bert
or something like that


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

science said:


> I adopted it to make fun of the idea that as an atheist I would be shallow, hedonistic, and materialistic. It represents everything for which I would be scorned. (In real life I'm the kind of guy whose idea of a wild Saturday night is reading something by a French or Russian intellectual.) Plus, it was really absurd and unique and I've grown to enjoy allowing it to personify me. Perhaps there is a little pink stiletto in all of us.


It is truly a symbol of hedonism.

Now listening to: J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio - Immanuel, o süßes Wort/Jesus, du mein liebstes Leben (Diego Fasolis; Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; Barocchisti).


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahlerian said:


> Headphones are your friend at such times.


Actually, I used headphones, but they unfortunately do not isolate me from the world completely.  But now the movie is over, so I can listen to The Rite of Spring conducted by Fricsay.

Best regards, Dr

PS Oh well, perhaps I will precede it by Schubert's Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 conducted by Bohm.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three
Bach - Christmas Oratorio

Live from Oslo, Bach's Christmas Oratorio in a new version arranged for wind orchestra.
Nice


----------



## DavidA

Brahms - Variations and fugue on a theme of Handel. Leon Fleisher 1956

Playing is in readily clean de fogging Brahms dense textures.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Symphonies 3 & 4* played by the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich conducted by David Zinman on Arte Nova.

These performances, on modern instruments, have something of the period instrument style about them. Tempos are on the fast side and rhythmically alert, and transparent in texture.

In the Eroica the first movement zips along so fast that I miss the impact that the repeated dissonant chords have when they are delivered at a slightly slower tempo. The slow movement I think benefits in some respects from the faster than usual tempo. The scherzo and finale are fine. Overall a fresh sounding account, and I suspect more in line with what Beethoven had in mind than later 19th and 20th century performance practise. However I miss the emotional punch / shock impact present in the most successful performances of this work.

In the 4th symphony I have fewer hesitations in recommending this recording - it's pretty good.


----------



## jim prideaux

first listening to Martinu 3rd/6th string quartets, the three madrigals for violin and viola and the duo for violin and cello performed by the Martinu Quartet-Martinu chamber works appear to possess the same capacity to disconcert as Janacek.
Listened to Pesek/RLPO recording of Suk Asrael symphony and as this was my first encounter with the work will obviously have to return to it repeatedly but unfortunately I was constantly reminded of Richard Strauss and his 'tone poems', music which I quite frankly cannot stand!
Later this evening I will be listening to Maris Janssons/Oslo Phil performing Dvorak 7th/8th-two symphonies which are amongst my favourites and in performances which have been critically acclaimed....
To those members who offered support in my positive comments regarding Kabalevskys 1st piano concerto I would like to point out that I have continued to listen to the work and find it really impressive.......thanks!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 32, Nos. 83 "The Hen", 94 "The Surprise" and 101 "The Clock" - Barry Wordsworth, cond.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Dvorak's Violin Concerto: Anne-Sophie Mutter/Berlin Philharmoniker/Manfred Honeck


----------



## Guest

*Bach, Suites for Solo Cello, BWV1007-1012
Antonio Meneses, Cello

*I'm giving this fine recording a first listen and it is quite pleasing. Meneses take a perfect meloncholy approach that fits what should be a solitary kind of music. It is a dreary, frozen day here in Cicero, Indiana, USA and this music comforts me like a bowl of hot soup.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Blake

d'Avalos and Spada's Clementi: Piano Concerto in C-major. It's a beauty.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Symphonies No. 5 & 6* performed by the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich conducted by David Zinman on Arte Nova.

Well this makes 4 Beethoven symphonies in one evening for me. These are similar in style (unsurprising) to their performances of Symphonies 3 and 4.

Very attractive performances, although I found the first movement of the Pastoral a bit too driven.


----------



## Wood

*Mahler *Symphonies 5 & 6 _Boston SO / Erich Leinsdorf_

Energetic and tumultuous recording of these great works from RCA (Italy) on an immaculate 3 LP box set from the Sixties.

*Haydn *L'infedelta delusa _Hungarians _(1975)

Lovely warm recording of this opera.










Little Wasp is deceived, vows revenge and adopts several disguises. It works out alright. The end.


----------



## Joris

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 _San Francisco Symphony_ _Michael Tilson-Thomas_


----------



## Winterreisender

Mozart: Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K 339 - Christopher Hogwood & The Academy of Ancient Music









"Laudate Dominum" sung by Emma Kirkby = superb!!!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Blancrocher said:


> I'm listening to Earl Wild playing Chopin, trying to decide whether or not to order a copy of his memoir, "A Walk on the Wild Side."
> 
> *Edit* ~900 pages, mind you, so it's no easy decision!


It's a very amusing and easy book to read, though there's some repetition and it could have done with being tidied up by an editor, that said, he spares no one, himself included, and he does take a good healthy swipe at some of the sacred cows of our times, which is refreshingly different from the cringeworthy attitude adopted lately by the Gramophone, Radio 3 (on occasions) et al.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dohnanyi: Variations on a Nursery Theme, Op.25 Ernst Von Dohnanyi/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult
A terrifically witty and nicely pointed version of this most enjoyable work- and Boult's direction of the orchestra is a great joy too.

Ravel: Mother Goose Suite Suisse Romande Orchestra/Ernest Ansermet 
Lovely performance and recording.

Schubert: Piano Trio No.1 in B-flat, D.898 Cortot/Thibaud/Casals
I love all of their trio recordings, but this is, perhaps, my favourite (until I put another one on).

Paganini: Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.6 Michael Rabin/Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Eugene Goossens
The first time I've heard Rabin, and what a terrific violinist he is- on the evidence of this at any rate, and another 5 CDs to go in this box! Wonderful.


----------



## Blancrocher

ShropshireMoose said:


> It's a very amusing and easy book to read, though there's some repetition and it could have done with being tidied up by an editor, that said, he spares no one, himself included, and he does take a good healthy swipe at some of the sacred cows of our times, which is refreshingly different from the cringeworthy attitude adopted lately by the Gramophone, Radio 3 (on occasions) et al.


Thanks for the review--I'll check it out as soon as I get the chance. It will be a good excuse to re-immerse myself in Wild's discography as well.

Current listening: Haydn's 32nd, 33rd, and 34th symphonies.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Martinů - String Quartets

String Quartet No. 5, H. 268 (1938)
String Quartet No. 6, H. 312 (1946)
String Quartet No. 7 (Concerto da camera) H. 314 (1947)
*
Panocha Quartet [Supraphon]


----------



## shangoyal

As good as music gets.

Josquin des Prez: *Missa Pange Lingua*

Tallis Scholars


----------



## Manxfeeder

*George Templeton Strong, Symphony No. 2., Chorale on a Theme of Leo Hassler*


----------



## Manxfeeder

On to *Beethoven's 9th.*

Finally getting around to hearing Fricsay's version.


----------



## KenOC

Martinu, Symphony No. 3, Thomson/Royal Scottish Nat'l Orchestra. BTW this set of all the symphonies is a great bargain at twelve bucks new (3rd party) and worth considering.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.15 in D Minor, KV 421

American String Quartet: Peter Winograd and Laurie Carney, violins -- Daniel Avshalomov, viola -- David Gerber, cello


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert* Symphony #4 "Tragic"
- Israel PO cond. by Zubin Mehta

*Dvorak* The Wood Dove & Carnival Overture
- Los Angeles PO cond. by Zubin Mehta

*Haydn* Cello Concertos in C and in D
- Lynn Harrell, soloist with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields cond. by Sir Neville Marriner

*Mozart *Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, K. 364
- Alan Loveday (violin), Stephen Shingles (viola) with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields cond. by Sir Neville Marriner

*Janacek* In The Mists (Im Nebel)
- Rudolf Firkusny on the bones


----------



## scratchgolf

It's a Haydn night for me. String quartets on repeat. I'll fall asleep to them and (hopefully) wake up to them as well.


----------



## Blake

Zinman and Bronfman's Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2. Ooohh, yes. I'm piano concerting my way to the clouds tonight.


----------



## opus55

Telemann: Oboe Concertos


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

opus55 said:


> Telemann: Oboe Concertos


Finally Telemann - hehe, there don't seem to be too many fans on TC. Recently ordered his St. Matthew Passion (1746), looking forward to hearing it. Joining you on that one -

G. P. Telemann, Wassermusik (Philip Pickett; New London Consort).


----------



## Conor71

Listening randomly to quite a few different recordings today - These 3 sets have been especially enjoyable:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

More times than I like to admit I have made the mistake of ordering a duplicate of a recording I already own. Luckily I have friends who are also classical music fans... yet with collections far less "deep" in numbers... that I can give these to as Christmas gifts. Today, however, I came upon a totally unique experience. I was struck after listening to _La Sonnambula_ the other day with just how consistently beautiful Bellini's operas were. Then again... _bel canto_ should be a clue. Thus I decided to give _Norma_ a listen. I popped in my recording from 1960 with Callas, Franco Corelli, and Christa Ludwig. I found myself thinking that I quite prefer this Callas recording to that of Sutherland... but then I prefer most of Callas' work to Sutherland, who I have never really warmed up to. But then looking on my shelves what do I discover? I don't even own a copy of _Norma_ with Sutherland. Yet I'm 100% certain I listened to it earlier this year... and I could have sworn it was on CD. Either I misplaced this disc somewhere... or I actually listened to it on Spotify. Nevertheless...










,,, marvelous music... and marvelous recording. Still... if I don't find the Sutherland _Norma_ I do think I ought to pick one up... if only for the duets between Sutherland and Horne.


----------



## SimonNZ

Conor: Absolutely love the second and third of those sets - and still kicking myself for not grabbing the first when it was available.

playing now:










Henze's Royal Winter Music: Sonatas On Shakespearean Characters - David Tanenbaum, guitar


----------



## opus55

(My) Premier listening of Copland's 3rd symphony


----------



## Novelette

Stravinsky: Persephone -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Liszt: 2 Légendes, G 173 - St. Francois D`Assise: La Prédication Aux Oiseaux & St. Francois De Paule Marchant Sur Les Flots -- Leslie Howard

Tallis: Music at the Reformation -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Mozart: Symphony #10 in G, K 74 -- Trevor Pinnock: The English Concert


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition ---
Johann Friedrich Edelmann (1749-1794): Piano Sonata in E Major, Op.1, No.2

Sylvie Pecot-Douatte, piano


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.25 in G Minor, K.183; Symphony No.29 in A Major, K.201; Symphony No.30 in D Major, K.202; Symphony No.34 in C Major, K.338; Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {Haffner"} and Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"}. *
All six works feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.47 in G Major {"Palindrom"}; Symphony No.45 in F-Sharp Major and Symphony No.46 in B Major. *All three symphonies are performed by the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"} and Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543. *Once again, these works feature Maestro Davis and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Horn Concertos


----------



## Blake

Uchida's Mozart: Piano Sonatas. She's simply delightful... Reminiscent of the wind.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Considering the age, this recording sounds quite good... no better than good. And of course Beecham was a master of French elegance. Roger Rico as Mephistopheles may lack the fiery, howling, devilishness... that Gounod likely would have found quite vulgar and foreign. Rico's Mephistopheles is more of an elegant, suave, seducer.

Beyond this recording, I have three other versions of _Faust_... but surprising only a single _Romeo et Juliette_... but then there seems but only a single clear choice for that opera... in spite of being a romantic and melodious masterwork based upon Shakespeare's classic play.


----------



## SimonNZ

Following Conor:

disc one of "Music Of The Middle Ages" - Studio Der Fruhen Musik

which is the "Estampie: Instrumental Music From The Middle Ages" album


----------



## Mahlerian

Novelette said:


> Stravinsky...Lisz:...Tallis....Mozart


We demand Schumann! We demand consistency!

Stravinsky: Apollo, Agon, Card Game, Scenes de Ballet, Bluebird Pas de deux (arrangement of Tchaikovsky from Sleeping Beauty)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








All over the Stravinskian map here, from the grace of Apollo to the "freeze-dried Schoenberg" (to quote a phrase from a book I recently read) of Agon to the wonderful melting pot of references in Card Game (Rossini and Beethoven's Fifth are the most obvious, but I wonder what I've missed along the way) and the Broadway-inspired Scenes de Ballet, finishing off with his unmistakably Stravinskian arrangement of Tchaikovsky.


----------



## Novelette

Mahlerian said:


> We demand Schumann! We demand consistency!


Does it count that I played some Schumann myself today?


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> (My) Premier listening of Copland's 3rd symphony


Hi, Opus. Have you listened to Copland's *First Symphony {"Organ"}? *It is one of my all-time favorites.


----------



## Conor71

*Reich: Tehillim*

Awesome set! :


----------



## senza sordino

*Prokofiev Symphony #5 HvK and Berlin Phil* I love this, it reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. 
*Glazunov Violin Concerto Ilya Kaler on violin with polish Radio Symphony on Naxos* I got to share this with one of my young students who listened along with me as we worked on some extra curriculum stuff
*Swan Lake Suite with Zubin Mehta and Isreal Phil* Friday after school with no one around so I cranked the volume up to 11.


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss' Josephs Legende - Hiroshi Wakasugi, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

SimonNZ said:


> Following Conor:
> 
> disc one of "Music Of The Middle Ages" - Studio Der Fruhen Musik
> 
> which is the "Estampie: Instrumental Music From The Middle Ages" album


Now *that* looks fabulous. (Santa - are you listening?)


----------



## SimonNZ

Ingélou said:


> Now *that* looks fabulous. (Santa - are you listening?)


It is a superb set! And it was already budget-priced, but with Presto's current Xmas boxset deals its absurdly cheap:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Virgin/3381372


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. 15/40; Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/41 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Manxfeeder said:


> On to *Beethoven's 9th.*
> 
> Finally getting around to hearing Fricsay's version.
> 
> View attachment 29883


I love that recording very, very much. The only recording I hold in the same esteem as Furtwangler's recordings of the piece.

The first stereo recording of the piece and the version used in the film of a 'A Clockwork Orange'. A truly classic recording.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Brahms' Piano Concertos
Grimaud/Nelsons/Wiener Philharmoniker/Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am celebrating the coming of real winter here with the symphonies of *Jean Sibelius* - all of them, starting with the first, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and sir Colin Davis.









I am listening to them while standing at the window and watching folks dig their cars from under the snow and kids making a snowman.


----------



## Wood

*R. Strauss *_Eine Alpensinfonie_ Berlin Phil / Karajan (DG dig. 1981)










It's great that these fine old records can be picked up for a few pennies. Back in the Seventies I had to work for almost a day to buy one, so was reduced to borrowing any that I could get my hands on.


----------



## Andolink

*Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber*: _The Mystery Sonatas I-VII_
John Holloway, violin
Davitt Maroney, chamber organ & harpsichord
Tragicomedia: 
Stephen Stubbs, lute
Erin Headly, viola da gamba, lirone
Andrew Lawrence-King, double harp, regal


----------



## SimonNZ

Wilhelm Grosz's Afrika Songs - Cynthia Clarey, mezzo, Jake Gardner, baritone, Robert Ziegler, cond.


----------



## Gilberto

J.S. Bach BWV 1,2,3,4,5,6 - Helmuth Rilling

As much as I love Bach, I've only heard a handful of cantatas up until now. I figured since I have that complete works box set I'd run through these.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A good Saturday morning to all. 
My first (and second) listen to a new disc I've been looking forward to:









György Kurtág - Hommage à R. Sch. - Robert Schumann [ECM New Series]

Kim Kashkashian, Viola; Robert Levin, Piano; Eduard Brunner, Clarinet

*György Kurtág

Neun Stücke für Viola solo
Jelek, Op. 5* (for solo Viola)
*Hommage à R. Sch., Op. 15d* (for Piano, Viola & Clarinet trio)

Exquisite. I am reminded of Bach in the solo viola works, but this is a completely modernist idiom. I can see the 'Neun stücke', especially, and 'Jelek' becoming favourites. (I am just having a second listen now)

*Robert Schumann

Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132*

I don't really know Op. 113 or Op. 132 so I look forward to getting to know them. I can hear similarities and parallels with Schumann's late solo piano works and the violin duo sonatas.

Brunner and Levin's performance of Op. 73 is faster, more sinuous and more obviously 'romantic' than the classic account I know (Brendel / Holliger) but it's an interesting alternative. Not sure I'm using the terminology correctly here, but it seems to me that Brunner and Levine employ a great deal of rubato where Brendel and Holliger keep to stricter tempi.


----------



## science

I listened to it all the way through, so it's too late for apologies.










And then, as if to discredit myself still further, I did this and I even enjoyed the Totentanz. Soon I will take up drink.


----------



## jim prideaux

This morning I have listened to Martinu's Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani for the first time-a highly acclaimed work, it comes as a shock when compared to much of his other work-in this performance by Hickox and City of London Sinfonia there is an all pervading anxiety which is unrelenting-I am well aware of those who argue that one must endeavour to appreciate music in an absolute sense but in this case an awareness that this was written by Martinu whilst staying with Paul Sacher in Switzerland during the 'Munich crisis' of 1938 perhaps goes some way to explaining the piece-it is also worth considering that Martinu's anxiety did prove prescient-he never returned home!


----------



## science

jim prideaux said:


> This morning I have listened to Martinu's Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani for the first time-a highly acclaimed work, it comes as a shock when compared to much of his other work-in this performance by Hickox and City of London Sinfonia there is an all pervading anxiety which is unrelenting-I am well aware of those who argue that one must endeavour to appreciate music in an absolute sense but in this case an awareness that this was written by Martinu whilst staying with Paul Sacher in Switzerland during the 'Munich crisis' of 1938 perhaps goes some way to explaining the piece-it is also worth considering that Martinu's anxiety did prove prescient-he never returned home!


I love that work, and most of everything else I've heard by Martinu. I hope his popularity/status rises with time.


----------



## science

One of my new favorites. Six months ago this was still a mystery to me, but I'm now an enthusiastic convert.










I even listened to the Haydn! But this time the highlight for me was the Ravel. Another work that is growing on me quickly. Maybe even my favorite piano concerto between Brahms and Prokofiev. (Sorry Bartók. You know I love you, but I'm weak sometimes.)


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Trio Sonata No.4 in G Minor

Jana Brozkova and Vojtech Jouza, oboes -- Jaroslav Kubita, bassoon -- Vaclav Hoskevec, double bass -- Franz Xaver Thuri, harpsichord


----------



## starthrower

Playing this one all week. Love it!


----------



## ptr

Petr Ilitch Tchaikovsky - String Quartets No 1 & 2 (Melodiya)









The Borodin String Quartet

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dvorak - Requiem


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 77 No. 1 in G Major (Buchberger Quartet).









These puppies just came in the mail .


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Hammerklavier Sonata*

This is a "nice" interpretation. That isn't pejorative; by that I mean I'm not necessarily grabbed by the throat and thrown around by this. I think he is more concerned with clarity than drama.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 5 in B flat, WAB 105* / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chailly [Decca]









I have only one each of those Bruckner Symphonies I own recordings of, so unlike some members here I cannot compare, but I always find this version very satsifying.


----------



## Doc

Gilels' playing of the Appassionata is stunning. It's a shame he didn't record a full sonata cycle.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Welcome to the forum, Doc. I also admire Gilels' playing of Beethoven.

You can, if you wish, delete the second copy of your CD cover image by clicking on the 'go advanced' tab at the bottom; scroll down and you'll see a tab marked 'manage attachments' Click on that and you'll be able to remove the double image (I've had occasion to do this once or twice, let's say!)

(I'm assuming you can do this as a new poster but actually I don't know if you can.)


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): String Quartet in G Major, Op.1, No.6

Salagon Quartet: Christine Busch and Kathrin Troger, violins -- Claudia Hofert, viola -- Gesine Queyras, cello


----------



## opus55

samurai said:


> Hi, Opus. Have you listened to Copland's *First Symphony {"Organ"}? *It is one of my all-time favorites.


No, I haven't. I read about it in liner notes of No.3. Any particular recording you'd recommend?



HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. 15/40; Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/41 (Van Swieten Trio).
> 
> View attachment 29894


After repeated listening, I still have difficult time getting used to fortepiano. I don't hate it but it's taking me long time to appreciate the tone.

-------------

Schubert: Piano Sonata, No. 21 D.960


----------



## Doc

TurnaboutVox said:


> Welcome to the forum, Doc. I also admire Gilels' playing of Beethoven.
> 
> You can, if you wish, delete the second copy of your CD cover image by clicking on the 'go advanced' tab at the bottom; scroll down and you'll see a tab marked 'manage attachments' Click on that and you'll be able to remove the double image (I've had occasion to do this once or twice, let's say!)
> 
> (I'm assuming you can do this as a new poster but actually I don't know if you can.)


Thanks for the advice, Turnabout! It's much appreciated.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

The result of my latest dive into the back of the LP cupboard -

*Mozart - Requiem, KV. 626* completed by Franz Süssmayer

Price (sop.), Schmidt (mez-s.), Araiza (ten), Adam (bass)
Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden; Peter Schreier [Philips]
(I can't go and read the date of the recording on the LP label 'cos I'd have to disturb the cat!)









I don't think I need to tell you how wonderful this is.


----------



## science

My last treat before turning in for the night. It's been a wonderful day of music for me.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky/Tchaikovsky: The Fairy's Kiss
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








A ballet Stravinsky wrote based on Tchaikovsky's melodies (mostly early works, all unorchestrated). It ends up sounding somewhere between the two composers, because Stravinsky removes many sequences and repetitions and treats the orchestra in his own inimitable way. He also composed some bridge passages between various sections, but eventually he forgot which ones and even he couldn't tell where Tchaikovsky left off and he began!


----------



## Blancrocher

Bach's cello suites with Fournier. I'm indulging myself.


----------



## bejart

Federigo Fiorillo (1755-1821): Symphony Concertante fro 2 Flutes in G Major

Paul Kuentz leading the Paul Kuentz Chamber Orchestra -- Anne Utagawa and Dominique Hunziker, flutes


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Pange Lingua*

Today, some seasonal music. Okay, it is for me. I bought this a few years ago on the way to pick up items of Christmas cheer for a holiday party, so I've associated this with Christmas ever since.


----------



## starthrower

Manxfeeder said:


> *Beethoven, Hammerklavier Sonata*
> 
> This is a "nice" interpretation. That isn't pejorative; by that I mean I'm not necessarily grabbed by the throat and thrown around by this. I think he is more concerned with clarity than drama.
> 
> View attachment 29904


I find that regardless who is playing Beethoven, I have my favorite sonatas. For instance, I love the Appassionata, and I've listened to Lortie, Kempff, Backhaus, Arrau, Gould, Schnabel, and Pollini. Some think Gould's version is weird, but it sounds good to me.


----------



## BillT

I love listening to the Beethoven Late Sonatas, Richard Goode, Op. 109. (Sorry the cover photo is not coming out.)

Especially the third movement, the Variations. Good God, how does he THINK of this? I am just stunned by the creativity of this music! 

I was trying to think of something to say about the music itself, and I gave up. Just listen. 

- Bill


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

opus55 said:


> No, I haven't. I read about it in liner notes of No.3. Any particular recording you'd recommend?
> 
> After repeated listening, I still have difficult time getting used to fortepiano. I don't hate it but it's taking me long time to appreciate the tone.
> 
> -------------
> 
> Schubert: Piano Sonata, No. 21 D.960


Hm, well, I guess it's a matter of taste - personally, I like the rhythmatic aspect of Haydn and think the fortepiano to be appropriate. The pianist is also very good, I find, although he could've been a bit more lyrical in some areas. Generally, though, I'm very happy with the set. The adagio in the G Major trio is excellent imo .


----------



## MagneticGhost

TurnaboutVox said:


> Welcome to the forum, Doc. I also admire Gilels' playing of Beethoven.
> 
> You can, if you wish, delete the second copy of your CD cover image by clicking on the 'go advanced' tab at the bottom; scroll down and you'll see a tab marked 'manage attachments' Click on that and you'll be able to remove the double image (I've had occasion to do this once or twice, let's say!)
> 
> (I'm assuming you can do this as a new poster but actually I don't know if you can.)


Well! You can learn something new everyday


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.13 in B Flat, Op.130

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thomas Kakuska, viola -- Vantentin Erben, cello


----------



## ptr

Night Music!

*Anders Brødsgaard* - Galaxy & Monk's Mixtures (DaCapo)









Odense Symphony Orchestra u. Christopher Austin

*Friedrich Cerha* - Cello Concerto & *Franz Schreker* - Chamber Symphony (ECM)









Heinrich Schiff, cello; Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra u. Peter Eötvös

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Symphony of the week:

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
Montreal Symphony Orchestra, cond. Dutoit


----------



## Tristan

*Berlioz* - Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (Boulez)









You can never have too many recordings of the _Symphonie fantastique_...and I think this might be my favorite one yet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 9.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Oh, yes, the 70's Alban Berg Quartet late Beethoven recordings are serenely wonderful.

Last music before guests arrive:

*Dvořak - String Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96 'American'
Borodin - String Quartet No. 2 in D *

Quartetto Italiano [Philips]








(This isn't the cover of the LP, which has the Borodin No. 2 complete)

The miraculous Italian Quartet beat all digital era accounts of the Dvořak Op. 96 I have heard so far.

Another spin also for:

*Mozart

Clarinet Quintet in A, K. 581
Kegelstatt Trio in E flat, K. 498*

Quatuor Mosaïques [naïve]


----------



## MagneticGhost

My favourite boxset

Beethoven - Missa Solemnis (Herreweghe)


----------



## brotagonist

I know Cathy Berberian's renditions better...


----------



## Doc

I don't hear a lot about Zinman's Beethoven, but his 8th is hugely enjoyable.


----------



## Blake

Doc said:


> View attachment 29925
> 
> 
> I don't hear a lot about Zinman's Beethoven, but his 8th is hugely enjoyable.


You might want to check out Beethoven's Piano Concertos with Zinman and Bronfman. Absolutely lovely.

Actually, listening to No. 4 right now:


----------



## maestro267

*Rimsky-Korsakov*: Russian Easter Festival Overture
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Markevitch

*Tchaikovsky*: Violin Concerto in D major
Kyung Wha Chung/LSO/Previn

And, for Saturday Symphonies:

*Prokofiev*: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
LSO/Weller


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: 'Spring' Violin Sonata* played by Perlman and Ashkenazy on Decca.

Surely one of the most memorable openings of any violin sonata. Beethoven in a sunny and relaxed mood. He may have been an 'angry composer' but he sure knew how to relax as well. And as I grow older I find myself returning with greater pleasure to Beethoven in these less heaven storming moods.

Well played here.


----------



## Blancrocher

Falla's La Vida Breve, with Victoria de los Angeles.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 103 in D minor; String Quartet Op. 77 No. 1 in G Major 
(Buchberger Quartet).









There's something intriguing about the Op. 77 and Op. 103 - maybe it's the rhythmic complexity. Definitely evidence of the fact that Haydn's creativity could've gone on and on if health had permitted it.

Anyone familiar with other Op. 77/103 sets? opinions? I definitely like this set but it would be interesting to compare.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*, *Haydn*, *Scriabin* Piano Works, with Sudbin (rec.2004 - '10).

View attachment 29933
View attachment 29934
View attachment 29935


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 33, Nos.85 "La Reine", 92 "Oxford" and 103 "Drum Roll" - Barry Wordsworth, cond.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartets 'Razumvsky' Op. 59 Nos. 1-3 and the 'Harp' Op 74 * played by the Takacs Quartet on Decca.

Beethoven expanding the boundaries of the string quartet in Op. 59 No 1 & 2 - pretty serious fare here. Parts of the slow movement of the No. 2 have something of the slow movement of Op 132 about them. Op. 59 No. 3 is less challenging but very enjoyable.

The 'Harp' quartet is a delightful work (maybe not quite the right word for the third movement). Perhaps a good introduction to Beethoven quartets (along with Op. 59 No. 3) for those not familiar with this potentially daunting repertoire?

These are all magnificently played by the Takacs Quartet. They certainly know how to play Beethoven.


----------



## opus55

Puccini: La Boheme










It's wonderful to start exploring a new genre, with so many great recordings so easily found!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

science said:


> And then, as if to discredit myself still further, I did this and I even enjoyed the Totentanz. Soon I will take up drink.


Have you heard Cziffra's performance of Totentanz with Philharmonia/Vandernoot?? If not then you MUST!!!!


----------



## aakermit

I have most recently watched/listened to Glenn Gould's 1981 studio video of him playing Bach's Goldberg variations. I am relatively new to classical music, being far more knowledgeable about jazz. In some ways GG reminds me of Keith Jarrett both in physical and musical style. Does anyone else see that similarity? I'm particularly thinking of Jarrett's _Koln Concert_. Also maybe it is Bach I hear in _The Koln Concert._


----------



## GreenMamba

Penderecki Symphony #2 ("Christmas"), Wit / Nat'l Polish Radio SO


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - 'So lohnet die Natur den Fleiß', 'Seht auf die breiten Wiesen hin!', 'Juche! Juche! Der Wein ist da'; 'Knurre, schnurre, knurre' 
(John Eliot Gardiner; Bonney; Rolfe Johnson; Schmidt; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Kodaly: Dances of Marosszek Philharmonia Hungarica/Antal Dorati
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No.2/Franck: Symphonic Variations Artur Rubinstein/Symphony of the Air/Alfred Wallenstein
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Scenes from Concert Suites Nos. 1 and 2 Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Karel Ancerl

This latter is a new recording to me, Ancerl seems to have a real feel for this score, it seems to be done with more flair than I've heard previously. Like it- and this on an old MFP LP! 12/- 6d very well spent by whoever first bought it!


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky/Various: Pulcinella
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, unnamed soloists, cond. Stravinsky

Stravinsky here works with music that had been attributed to Pergolesi at the time, remaining true to the melodies even while sustaining harmonies into dissonances and adding and subtracting from the rhythms. Not anything approaching HIP, of course, but quite enjoyable. Even Boulez thinks it's fun!

Stravinsky: Orpheus
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








An odd pairing for the disc, this later Neoclassical ballet (anything Stravinsky with a Greek subject is Neoclassical) contains some of his more emotionally expressive music. Like Apollo, he focuses more on the strings than usual, but here with the added color of the harp. The brass outbursts representing Orpheus's death at the hands of the furies have significant impact.


----------



## Joris




----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Violin Concerto* played by Thomas Zehetmair and the Orchestra of the 18th Century conducted by Frans Bruggen on Philips.

This period instrument performance has caused me to reconsider this work. Somehow it never used to strike me as Beethoven at his best. However the period instruments give it much more bite and edge than modern instruments do and in this particular work I favour them over modern.

Over all I heartily recommend this recording.


----------



## Guest

Sibelius, Symphony No. 3
Vanska

Sitting in my vehicle and posting from my iPhone so I have no graphics available. This music is vivid enough without it.


----------



## Novelette

Elgar: Coronation March, Op. 65 -- Yehudi Menuhin: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Victoria: Magnificat Sexti Toni -- Michael Noone: Ensemble Plus Ultra

Victoria: Salve Regina -- Michael Noone: Ensemble Plus Ultra

Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 111 -- Ronald Brautigam

Rameau: Quam Dilecta -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Hofmann: Violin Concerto in A -- Lorraine McAslan; Nicholas Ward: Northern Chamber Orchestra


----------



## LancsMan

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky/Various: Pulcinella
> Columbia Symphony Orchestra, unnamed soloists, cond. Stravinsky
> 
> Stravinsky here works with music that had been attributed to Pergolesi at the time, remaining true to the melodies even while sustaining harmonies into dissonances and adding and subtracting from the rhythms. Not anything approaching HIP, of course, but quite enjoyable. Even Boulez thinks it's fun!
> 
> Stravinsky: Orpheus
> Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky
> View attachment 29938
> 
> 
> An odd pairing for the disc, this later Neoclassical ballet (anything Stravinsky with a Greek subject is Neoclassical) contains some of his more emotionally expressive music. Like Apollo, he focuses more on the strings than usual, but here with the added color of the harp. The brass outbursts representing Orpheus's death at the hands of the furies have significant impact.


I love both of these works (and the performances seem spot on). Whilst Orpheus may not be the greatest Stravinsky piece it may be my favourite - there are many truly beautiful passages in it.


----------



## Blake

Aeolian's Haydn: String Quartets. Currently on Op. 2, which is very nice. Although I will make my way through this whole set before my time is done.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Schubert* - Symphony No. 5 in B-flat / N. Harnoncourt, Vienna Philarmonic

*Sibelius* - Valse Triste / P. Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

*Sibelius* - Violin Concerto / M. Vengerov, D. Barenboim, Chicago Symphony


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Op.7/Op.10 Nos. 1 and 2 Friedrich Gulda

More marvellous Gulda, this set was a real bargain, but it would I suspect have been a bargain even at double the price, I know I've said it before, but dash it all I shall say it again, we really are lucky to have so many marvellous recordings available by master musicians at such ridiculously low prices. How good it is to be alive.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 103 in D minor; String Quartet Op. 77 No. 1 in G Major
> (Buchberger Quartet).
> 
> There's something intriguing about the Op. 77 and Op. 103 - maybe it's the rhythmic complexity. Definitely evidence of the fact that Haydn's creativity could've gone on and on if health had permitted it.
> 
> Anyone familiar with other Op. 77/103 sets? opinions? I definitely like this set but it would be interesting to compare.


Yes, the Smithson Quartet on Harmonia Mundi, which must have been amongst my first ever CD purchases. It's OK but doesn't set my world alight. Would you recommend the Buchbergers?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Orff: Carmina Burana Harsanyi/Petrak/Presnell/Rutgers University Choir/Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy

Something wild and full of abandon, 'mongst other things, for Saturday night. This is a terrific performance- and it's on nice and loud! This is one of the many advantages of living in the middle of nowhere, with no neighbours. More advantages? Well, if I want to play the piano at 4.00am, I can!


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83
Peter Serkin, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Frühbeck de Burgos

Last week's concert.


----------



## KenOC

To honor the day, and in recognition of the real composer of the work, Robert Russell Bennett: Victory at Sea. This was Richard Nixon's favorite music.


----------



## Blancrocher

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson in Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben and Brahms.


----------



## bejart

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868): Overture to 'La Gazza Ladra"

Riccardo Chailly conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## KenOC

Can't find the CD on Amazon, but listening to Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, an incredible Indian flautist, playing Raga Desi: Alap, Jod, and Gat in Jhuptal.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lou Harrison's Varied Trios - Abel Steinberg Winant Trio


----------



## Sid James

*Castelnunov-Tedesco* Guitar Concerto #1
- Flavio Sala, guitar with Samaro PO cond. by Mikhail Scherbakov (on youtube)

*Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann* Two movements (Hunting & Metamorphosis) from Hommage a Nelson M.
- Konstantinos Botinis-percussion, Alexandros Botinis-cello, "DUET TABZ" (on youtube)

*Kodaly* Missa Brevis
- Soloists with Hungarian State Orch. & Chorus cond. by the composer (on youtube)

Vale *Nelson Mandela*.

There is a link between *Kaiser-Lindemann's *tribute to Mandela and the *Kodaly* piece, in that both men where in hiding for a period. Kodaly during WWII as he was part of the resistance (which is when he wrote his Missa Brevis) and Mandela during his early years as an anti-apartheid activist. Of course, hiding would give way to imprisonment for 27 years once Mandela was caught and tried by the regime for sedition.

After the war, Kodaly said he had nothing else left except a suit and a half destroyed apartment. But both these men came out of their ordeals with the most important thing intact: their integrity.



science said:


> ...
> And then, as if to discredit myself still further, I did this and I even enjoyed the Totentanz. Soon I will take up drink.





ShropshireMoose said:


> Have you heard Cziffra's performance of Totentanz with Philharmonia/Vandernoot?? If not then you MUST!!!!


I love Liszt's _Totentanz _and read recently it influenced Rachmaninov's _Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini _(he was also influenced by another great set of piano variations in writing that - Franck's _Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra_). Given such links I want to to a blog post on all this some time. Incidentally I've got the Georges Cziffra recording done with Orchestre de Paris conducted by his son, Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A, op. 92
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Frühbeck de Burgos

The rest of last week's concert.


----------



## Conor71

*Eton Choirbook*

Some more early music this morning:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words (Buchberger Quartet).









Now going through the string quartet version of the piece.


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying out a recent release: Sunleif Rasmussen's Motion/Emotion (Storgards cond.)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 29944
> 
> 
> Trying out a recent release: Sunleif Rasmussen's Motion/Emotion (Storgards cond.)


And how is it so far?


----------



## Blake

Vanska's Beethoven: Symphony 7. I love this cycle.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sally Beamish's String Quartet No.3 "Reed Stanzas" - Elias Quartet

World Premiere from the 2011 Proms

edit: dammit...since I started listening to, and posting, these Proms premieres about a third so far have been deleted - including ones i haven't heard yet


----------



## Blancrocher

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> And how is it so far?


I listened to the title track a couple times, and am still progressing through the rest of the album. I enjoyed it--but I've also enjoyed other Rasmussen albums. I'm afraid I can't find any clips on youtube, but there is other work by the composer. Here's his bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunleif_Rasmussen


----------



## brotagonist

Saturday Symphonies:

Prokofiev's _5th Symphony_ (+ _1st Symphony_)
Karajan/BPO









The 5th is truly a marvel. I'm going to restart the disc as soon as I get back to my easy chair and listen to the 1st and 5th all over again


----------



## SimonNZ

Kevin Volans' String Quartet No.2 "Hunting, Gathering" - Kronos Quartet


----------



## jim prideaux

aakermit said:


> I have most recently watched/listened to Glenn Gould's 1981 studio video of him playing Bach's Goldberg variations. I am relatively new to classical music, being far more knowledgeable about jazz. In some ways GG reminds me of Keith Jarrett both in physical and musical style. Does anyone else see that similarity? I'm particularly thinking of Jarrett's _Koln Concert_. Also maybe it is Bach I hear in _The Koln Concert._


A particularly interesting post from my perspective as on reflection and on an almost intuitive level I can see and hear similarities-I have personally often considered certain apparent affinities between aspects of 'jazz' and 'classical', particularly certain artists associated with the ECM label-the book about the label 'Horizons Touched' makes specific reference to a sound and atmosphere that owe something to the northern European environment that is arguably the inspiration for composers such as Sibelius. When I listen to the most recent album by the Bobo Stenson Trio, the outstanding Indicum I am unable really to differentiate between this music and what might be recognised in a formal sense as 'chamber music'.......just realised I am meandering....apologies if somehow I have 'hi-jacked' original post but am still recoiling from another defeat in the Premier League, this time at the hands of Spurs........


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's A Haunted Landscape - Thomas Conlin, cond.

edit: Rudolf Escher's Univers De Rimbaud - Lode Devos, tenor, Lucas Vis, cond.










edit: on the radio

Schumann's Violin Concerto - Ulf Wallin, violin, Frank Beermann, cond.


----------



## DaveS

Sibelius 1. Vanska, Minnesota


----------



## Doc

Continuing the Beethoven weekend. If I wasn't awake before I listened to this, I certainly am now!


----------



## PavelC

The sunny morning warms it up even more.


----------



## ptr

Morning Music:

*György Ligeti* - String Quartets 1 & 2 / *Samuel Barber* - Adagio (ECM)









Keller Quartet

*John Adams* - Chamber Symphony (1992) / *Arnold Schönberg* - Kammersinfonie Nr 1 Op 9 (CCnC)









Absolute Ensemble u. Kristjan Järvi

/ptr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Overture in F Major, 'Alster-Ouvertüre' (Philip Pickett; New London Consort).


----------



## ptr

For Lunch:

*Albert Roussel* - Petite suite for orchestra Op 39 / Concerto for piano & orchestra in G major Op 36 / Concerto for Small Orchestra Op 34 / Concertino for cello & orchestra Op 57 (Valois)









Alexandre Tharaud, piano; Jean-Guihen Queras, cello; Ensemble Orchestral de Paris u. David Stern

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Ginastera / Sol Gabetta*

Performer: *Sol Gabetta (Cello) *
Conductor: *Ari Rasilainen *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra*

works
*Variations for Cello and Orchestra on a Rococo theme, Op. 33* by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
*Andante cantabile for Cello and Strings, Op. 11 *by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
*Pezzo capriccioso for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 62* by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
*Nocturne for Cello and small Orchestra in D minor, Op. 19 no 4* by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
*Concerto for Cello no 1 in A minor, Op. 33* by Camille Saint-Saëns
*Pampeana no 2 for Cello and Piano, Op. 21* by Alberto Ginastera









Heavenly beautiful, and a selection of works that suits Sols tecnically brilliantness, but first of all colourfull and intense empathy and sensitivity. The orchesta wraps gently around it all, never in conflict with, but rather lifting up all details in Sols playing.
Very good sound..I can not reccomend this record enough...http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bad_boys_20.gif[/img

The review below from allmusic is not so positive, but I dont care. I like cello playing where the artist dont fight with the instrument like it was your enemy. For me much more exiting lanscapes open up eith more gentle and lyrical approach. Often, and not always, and depending on a lot of factors, the music frame itself naturally, but also my mood, state of mind etc. Musical ejoyment is very subjectiv, still reviews can be very helpfull, if you let it browden, not narrow your experiance.

[URL="http://www.google.no/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allmusic.com%2Falbum%2Fsol-gabetta-plays-tchaikovsky-saint-sa%25C3%25ABns-ginastera-mw0001853754&ei=hE2kUq2hFIb_ygOZyoHoCQ&usg=AFQjCNHXV3WdVg1uAWxDJyXTn4Yo9-zPBw&bvm=bv.57752919,d.bGQ"]Allmusic[/URL]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 12 in E flat, op. 127
String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135*

Alban Berg Quartett [EMI Electrola]









This is the first version of Op. 127 & Op. 135 I bought and it is the most grave, the smoothest and most polished version of these works I have. Technically their playing is precise and refined, intonation perfect. I had forgotten how good the Alban Berg Quartet were in this repertoire as I've concentrated on other performances long since.

What great sound the EMI engineers managed to get out of the LP format in 1982!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Transcriptions by Liszt, Busoni, Rachmaninov, Bauer, Vaughan Williams, Grainger
By Hannes Minnaar [piano], on Cobra Records









Recital: Andreas Scholl Songs "Wanderer" (Brahms, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart)
By Andreas Scholl [counter tenor], Tamar Halperin [piano], on Decca


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach - Christmas Oratorio - Flöst, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen (Diego Fasolis; Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; Barocchisti).


----------



## Guest

*Johann Sebastian Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV1008*
*Fretwork:* Richard Boothby, Richard Campbell, Wendy Gillespie, Julia Hodgson, William Hunt, Susanna Pell

I fell asleep with this last night. I have three versions of this work: on brass instruments, on harpsichord, and this one on strings. They all do the same thing to me. I have given up trying to listen to the music and just let my subconscious absorb it while I dream instead.








*Franz Lizst: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat*
*Alice Sara Ott*, Piano - Thomas Hengelbrock, Muchner Philharmoniker

Waking up with the lovely Miss Ott was wonderful. I should do it more often. This recording is crystal clear. The orchestra is tight and Ott's playing is both precise and emotional.








*Aram Il'yich Khachaturian, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Constantine Orbelian*, Piano - Neeme Järvi, Scottish National Orchestra

This is the first time I've listened to this piece all the way through and it's very good. The composition fits into the Romantic mold, but with a few modern techniques tossed in for flavor. The performances on this recording are fabulous, but I find my self wishing the sound was more defined... then I notice it was recorded in 1987, the dawn of the digital age. It's DDD but probably 16 bit.








*Francis Poulenc, Piano Concerto
Pascal Rogé*, Charles Dutoit, Philharmonia Orchestra

I've loved this concerto for a long time. To me it has the feel of Shostakovich without the sharp edges. Less modern and more romantic I suppose. The French-ness of it appeals to my heritage. It makes me think of my grandmother who came to the USA after WWI. From her I got my love of wine, good food, my Catholic faith, and music. I miss her.


----------



## Doc

This trio's playing shines through the smog of audio infidelity.


----------



## Andolink

*Arnold Schönberg*: _Von Heute Auf Morgen_ Op. 32 (Opera in one act)
Richard Salter, baritone
Claudia Barainsky, soprano
Christine Whittlesey, Soprano
Ryszard Karczykowski, tenor
Annabelle Hahn, spoken vocals
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Michael Gielen


----------



## Guest

Time to break out the Christmas stalwarts. These two are Georg Solti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra:








*The Nutcracker Suite*








*Messiah* - Listening to a playlist of excerpts that I created with my favorite tracks:
Sinfonia
And the glory of The Lord
And He shall purify
For unto us a child is born
Glory to God in the highest
All we like sheep
Lift up your heads
Why do the nations so furiously...
Hallelujah chorus
Behold... I tell you a mystery
Worthy is the lamb - Amen

Both of these are CDs I purchased in the 80s when I first began my journey into classical music. I still love them.


----------



## Weston

I had the wall outlet for my computer catch fire. It scared me nearly to death! Minimal damage other than I have to have the room rewired. I had been without a computer or internet until I figured how to run a temporary cable extension and set up in another room. Now everything is up and running again, if a bit awkwardly.

It could have been much worse because I used to leave the computer on doing tasks while I slept. Never again! In relief I felt I needed some reverential music this Sunday morning:
*
Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610 
Gabrieli: Motets*
John Eliot Gardiner / Monteverdi Choir, Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Monteverdi Orchestra, et al.










So now to browse what I've missed the past few days in this thread.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Flute Sonata in G Minor, Op.91, No.2

Douglas Worthen, flute -- Ursala Dutschler, harpsichord


----------



## SiegendesLicht

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> G. P. Telemann, Overture in F Major, 'Alster-Ouvertüre' (Philip Pickett; New London Consort).
> 
> View attachment 29953


I put this one on my to-check-out list. Music that is connected to one of my favorite places in my favorite city out of all the world, will most likely be enjoyable. That photo of the Außenalster on the cover is a very nice one too.


----------



## Taggart

The first half seems a bit lack luster, then it warms up. Munrow was one of the innovators in early music and introduced us to art music.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
František Xaver Dušek (8 December 1731-1799): Sinfonia in B Flat, Altner Bb2

Aapo Hakkinen conducting the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra


----------



## contra7

Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique

Charles Munch/Boston Symphony Orchestra


----------



## maestro267

*Bax*: Symphony No. 1
LPO/Fredman


----------



## Doc

Some people seem to dislike the Amadeus Quartet's playing of the later compositions, but I can't hear it myself.


----------



## Weston

*Haydn: Symphony No. 73 in D major, "La chasse," H. 1/73*
Thomas Fey / Heidelberger Sinfoniker









Thank you, Maestro Haydn, for giving us symphonies one can enjoy in the morning -- well, except for that abusive horn shredding in the final movement when the cavalry (or hunters, I guess) stampede all over my tea and biscuits. I must say though, this symphony has one of the weirdest endings I've ever heard. It just sort of quietly quits on the tonic unexpectedly. Beethoven would have reminded us for several pages of measures that it is about to end, then smash each listener over the head with a final fortissimo tutti blast. Sometimes I think Herr Haydn had a lot more finesse than his famous pupil.


----------



## Wood

More DG LPs.

*Richard Strauss *_Ein Heldenleben _Vienna Phil, Bohm (1977)










The life of Moody?

*Mozart *_Symphony No. 39, Violin Concerto No. 4 _Bavarians, Jochum, Johanna Martzy










Violin concertos from the repertory seem to be particularly enjoyable to me these days. I imagine this must be one of the first orchestral concertos.

*Tchaikovsky* _Symphonies 4-6 _Leningrad PO, Mravinsky (1961)










Interesting version of these very familiar pieces, eg the way no. 6 fades out in a feeling of resignation to fate rather than acceptance.

Are there any other recommendable performances by Mravinsky, or should I just hit the boxsets?


----------



## Mahlerian

Andolink said:


> *Arnold Schönberg*: _Von Heute Auf Morgen_ Op. 32 (Opera in one act)


I've heard that the Gielen recording is the one to get. Is it worth it? I've always considered "Von Heute" among Schoenberg's most minor works.

Ives: Three Places in New England
San Francisco Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Tilson Thomas


----------



## Guest

Sibelius No. 2
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

For today's birthday:

*Sibelius*: Symphony No. 7 in C, Op. 105
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## DrKilroy

Saint-Saens - Wedding Cake (Chorzempa/de Waart)
Stravinsky - In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (Stravinsky)
Lutosławski - Symphony No. 4 (Wit)

And later proceeding to Sibelius. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

Sibelius No. 3
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

For today's other birthday...

Martinů: Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Piano, and Timpani
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Belohlavek


----------



## Gilberto

Donizetti's Parasina ...1974 Carnegie Hall ...Montserrat Caballe, Eve Queler


----------



## Guest

Next up:








Sibelius No. 4
Paavo Berglund: Chamber Orchestra Of Europe

Who cares about today's other birthday.


----------



## Blake

Some more Gaurneri's Beethoven: Rasumovsky No. 2. They have such a great balance between precision and warmth.


----------



## Blancrocher

Herreweghe's most recent recording of the Mass in B minor.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Been in an opera mood over the last week and digging out a number of discs in my collection that I haven't heard in a while, or that... like this one... I haven't played at all yet.


----------



## Pip

Sibelius symphony 4 - Colin Davis and the Bavarian Radio Symphony orchestra live 2006


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Messiah.*


----------



## Doc

Vesuvius said:


> Some more Gaurneri's Beethoven: Rasumovsky No. 2. They have such a great balance between precision and warmth.


I've been looking out for these. Amazon has been out of stock for a while. 









Going to follow this up with a listen to Klemperer's 9th:


----------



## Oskaar

*SWEDISH ORCHESTRAL FAVOURITES -VOLUME 2*

*Lars-Erik LARSSON* (1908-1986) Lyric Fantasy Op. 54 (1966); Little Serenade for String Orchestra Op. 12 (1934) Adagio for string orchestra Op. 48 (1960)
*Gunnar DE FRUMERIE* (1908-1987) Pastoral Suite for flute, string orchestra & harp Op. 13B (1933)
*Karl-Birger BLOMDAHL* (1916-1968) Adagio from 'The Wakeful Night' (1945)
*Kurt ATTERBERG* (1887-1974) Suite No.3 for violin, viola and string orchestra Op.19 No.1 (c1921)
*Ture RANGSTRÖM* (1884-1947) Divertimento elegiaco for string orchestra (1918)

*Sara Troback* (Violin); *Johanna Persson* (Viola); *Sarah Lindloff* (Flute).
Swedish Chamber Orchestra/Petter Sundkvist
Rec 9th-11th November 1995
NAXOS 8.553715 [71.42]









musicweb-international.com


----------



## Blake

Laplante's Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor. Wow.


----------



## senza sordino

oskaar said:


> *SWEDISH ORCHESTRAL FAVOURITES -VOLUME 2*
> 
> *Lars-Erik LARSSON* (1908-1986) Lyric Fantasy Op. 54 (1966); Little Serenade for String Orchestra Op. 12 (1934) Adagio for string orchestra Op. 48 (1960)
> *Gunnar DE FRUMERIE* (1908-1987) Pastoral Suite for flute, string orchestra & harp Op. 13B (1933)
> *Karl-Birger BLOMDAHL* (1916-1968) Adagio from 'The Wakeful Night' (1945)
> *Kurt ATTERBERG* (1887-1974) Suite No.3 for violin, viola and string orchestra Op.19 No.1 (c1921)
> *Ture RANGSTRÖM* (1884-1947) Divertimento elegiaco for string orchestra (1918)
> 
> *Sara Troback* (Violin); *Johanna Persson* (Viola); *Sarah Lindloff* (Flute).
> Swedish Chamber Orchestra/Petter Sundkvist
> Rec 9th-11th November 1995
> NAXOS 8.553715 [71.42]
> 
> View attachment 29985
> 
> 
> musicweb-international.com


I have that CD! It's lovely. I got it specifically for the Atterberg Suite #3 because I played that at a summer music camp some years ago. I learned a lot playing it. I was a beginner violin player in the back up orchestra not a soloist. I learned how to play a series of half notes in three quarter time, some syncopation. So there's a myth that's been around for a while: that jazz invented syncopation.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - 33 variations on a theme of Diabelli, Op. 120*

Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich (Piano) [Philips Sequenza, recorded 1968]









A listening inspired by the recent Diabelli variations thread. I read along (approximately!) to the score on Wikipedia as S B-K played. I have always admired it, but I could learn to love this work too, I think. the Fuga:allegro, variation 32, is phenomenal.

*Dvořák -Piano trio No. 4 in E minor 'Dumky'*

Beaux Arts Trio [Philips M. da C., recorded 1969]









As ever, fresh and lively but immensely civilised playing from the Beaux Arts Trio. I couldn't get enough of these inexpensive Philips reissues as an impecunious student in the 80's.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Quartets, Op. 76.*

Another seasonal CD. A few years ago I was working briefly in New York in December, and I purchased this CD, so it reminds me of Christmas. It also reminds me of how incredibly cold it is when the wind whips down on the sidewalk between those huge buildings.


----------



## DrKilroy

I decided I won't tell you what I nam going to listen to for Sibelius birthday as plans are one thing and reality is another. I just let you know that I will listen to some of his symphonies, tone poems and possibly the Violin Concerto. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## brotagonist

An impressive counterpoint to the rising sun: the master gives a lesson in syncopation.









The rhythms are jaw-dropping. Among the many favourites (there's barely anything available any longer), this one is my favourite.


----------



## Blancrocher

Now that Bach has set me up, I'm going to let Sibelius knock me down:






The composer conducting his own Andante Festivo.

Happy Birthday, Sibelius!


----------



## bejart

Anton Fils (1733-1760): Symphony in E Flat

Michi Gaigg leading L'Orfeo Barockorchester


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 13 in B flat, Op. 130* sans finale as my son wants the
*Grosse fugue for String Quartet, Op. 133* instead.

This is my favourite version. The LP (which I have also) has Op. 130 + 133 on a single disc, so who was it at Caliope who didn't think to do this for the CD's?

*String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat, Op. 127*

Well, having listened to the Alban Berg's op. 127 earlier today, this is a different kettle of viols, I must say. Intimate, communicative of pain and joy, and just exceptionally musical ensemble playing.

Quatuor Talich [Caliope]


----------



## Doc

Shostakovich playing 11 of his 24 preludes. Strikingly evocative.


----------



## Oskaar

*Clara Rodriguez - Venezuela*









Delightfull easy piano with colourfull folklore packing.








Details and review:
Allmusic


----------



## BillT

Blancrocher said:


> Happy Birthday, Sibelius!


Even if you were a Nazi, I guess.

- Bill


----------



## BillT

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41d78jzX7TL._SX300_.jpg

Beethoven, Piano Sonata #31, Op 110, esp. the third movement. Richard Goode. Hope this image comes out.

- Bill


----------



## ptr

In a very romantic mood tonight!

*Morton Feldman* - Violin and Orchestra (Col Legno)









Isabelle Faust, violin; Sinfonieorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks u. Peter Rundel

then:

*Wojciech Kilar* - Piano Concerto (1997) (CD Accord)









Waldemar Malicki, piano; Warsaw Philharmonic u. Anthoni Wit

Then:

*Luigi Nono* - Variazioni canoniche (sulla serie dell' Op 41 di Arnold Schoenberg (1950) per orchestra da camera) (Col Legno)









Sinfonieorchester Basel u. Mario Venzago

All this whilst eating frozen wild raspberry's picked last summer!

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

BillT said:


> Even if you were a Nazi, I guess.
> 
> - Bill


Gee!! Even this innocuous thread falls victim to Godwin's Law :lol:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Revising for my forthcoming trip (to the cinema) to watch Wagner's Parsifal.

This one today with Von Karajan


----------



## bejart

Schubert: String Quartet in E Flat, D87

Verdi Quartet: Susanne Rabenschlag and Peter Stein, violins -- Karin Wolf, viola -- Didier Poskin, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

brotagonist said:


> An impressive counterpoint to the rising sun: the master gives a lesson in syncopation.
> 
> View attachment 29990
> 
> 
> The rhythms are jaw-dropping. Among the many favourites (there's barely anything available any longer), this one is my favourite.


Right now I'm following your lead and listening to Kontra-Punkte, then Schlagtrio.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony Classical









George Fredric Handel - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn Trumpet Concerto.*

I didn't see this one coming: Karlheinz Stockhausen conducting Haydn, writing the cadenzas, and his son playing the trumpet.


----------



## starthrower

Audio DVD of previously unreleased quadrophonic mixes of orchestral, ensemble, and guitar pieces.


----------



## Guest

Making his birthday a reason to get better acquainted with the symphonies I've neglected. (Shamefully, that means all but No. 2)








Sibelius, No. 1
Vladimir Ashkenazy: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Flamme




----------



## jim prideaux

BillT said:


> Even if you were a Nazi, I guess.
> 
> - Bill


What exactly is this a reference to?


----------



## science

Jerome said:


> Making his birthday a reason to get better acquainted with the symphonies I've neglected. (Shamefully, that means all but No. 2)
> 
> View attachment 30005
> 
> Sibelius, No. 1
> Vladimir Ashkenazy: Philharmonia Orchestra


Relatively speaking, #2 is the one I've neglected.


----------



## cantante

Brahms : Violin Concerto in D major op.77


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words - Sonata 6 - Consummatum est: lento (Buchberger Quartet).









'Nikolaimesse' in G Major, Hob. 22:6 (J. Owen Burdick; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra).









Haven't listened to this mass in a while, it definitely has some wonderful melodies.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Flamme

jim prideaux said:


> What exactly is this a reference to?


Ashke nazi?


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Symphony No 6 'Pastoral'* played by The London Classical Players conducted by Roger Norrington on EMI.

I listened to David Zinman's version of the 'Pastoral' (with the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich) on modern instruments on Friday evening, and I thought their playing had hints of period instrument style about it. Well tonight I am listening to this account from Roger Norrington and The London Classical Players actually on period instruments. There timings are slightly slower (except in the last movement where Norrington is somewhat faster). The first movement under David Zinman seemed a bit too driven to my ear where as this is that bit more relaxed.

Both are very enjoyable but overall I prefer the Norrington over the Zinman - the period instruments are a plus here too. Excellent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Symphonies, disc 34 (of 34), Nos.97 and 98 - Bela Drahos, cond.

badda bing, badda boom...


----------



## bejart

George Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777): Symphony in A Major, WV 432

Tamas Pal directing the Orchestra de Camera 'Salieri'


----------



## Cheyenne

Boccherini's Op. 5 duets for String Instrument and Piano/Harpsichord played by Fute (Luca Bacci) and Harp (Rosella Isola). Charming, delightfully charming!


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 5* with the Vienna Philharmonic under Carlos Kleiber on DG.

One of the best recordings of the fifth I've heard.


----------



## Blancrocher

Haydn's 6th and Sibelius's 6th.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I'm feeling nostalgic at the moment so I'm going with the soundtrack to a certain film…


----------



## Mika

Brahms No. 1


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 95 'Serioso'* played by the Busch Quartet on EMI.

Yes this is serious - not quite late but so close - terse and very much to the point. One of Beethoven's shortest. Fantastic piece.

The recording dates from 1932 - so not exactly hi-fi. Do I mind? Not when the performances are as good as they are here.


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Glazunov's Symphony #1, Jarvi. Not very familiar with these symphonies, but it's pretty good!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sospiri* (Various), w. Bartoli (rec.1997 - '09); *JS Bach* Brandenburg Concerti, w. OAE (1987/8); *Haydn *String Quartets, Op. 71, w. Lindsay Qt. (rec.2002); *Verdi* Requiem, w. VPO/HvK et al (rec. 1984).

View attachment 30022
View attachment 30023
View attachment 30024
View attachment 30025


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mahler, Symphony No. 6.*

I'm used to Karajan. With Boulez, there are parts I don't think I've heard before.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven:- Symphony No. 7* played by the Vienna Philharmonic under Carlos Kleiber on DG.

Having earlier this evening listened to Kleiber's performance of the Fifth, and just repeat myself as say one of the best recordings of the seventh I've heard. Two fantastic performances on one disc.


----------



## opus55

Puccini: Turandot


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm used to Karajan.


I forgive you. And you too, that forum that requires character limits...


----------



## Sid James

*MacCunn* The Land of the Mountain and the Flood Overture
- Royal Scottish National Orch. cond. by Sir Alexander Gibson

*Hovhaness* Guitar Concerto #2
- Javier Calderon, guitar with Royal Scottish NO cond. by Stewart Robertson

*Schubert* Symphony #8, "Unfinished"
- Israel PO cond. by Zubin Mehta

*Janacek* Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, "From the Street"
- Rudolf Firkusny on the bones

*Rachmaninov* Piano Concerto #3
- Alicia de Larrocha, soloist with London SO cond. by André Previn

*Holst* Egdon Heath
London PO cond. by Sir Adrian Boult


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Sibelius: Finlandia BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sargent, Violin Concerto David Oistrakh/Stockholm Festival Orchestra/Sixten Ehrling
Symphony No.2 BBC Symphony Orchestra/Beecham

Three of my favourite Sibelius performances, the Beecham is absolutely stupendous, the way he whips the orchestra up is unsurpassed in this symphony. A performance that should be in everyone's collection, no matter who else you've got doing it!


----------



## contra7

For a good night!

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Opus 10

Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, Conductor


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahlerian said:


> I forgive you. And you too, that forum that requires character limits...


I've got Karajan's 6th at home, but that's mainly for Christa Ludwig singing Kindertotenlieder on disc two. Where does he go wrong?


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> I've got Karajan's 6th at home, but that's mainly for Christa Ludwig singing Kindertotenlieder on disc two. Where does he go wrong?


His sense of Mahler seems very off to me in general.


----------



## Sid James

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 30029
> 
> 
> Sibelius: ... Symphony No.2 BBC Symphony Orchestra/Beecham
> 
> Three of my favourite Sibelius performances, the Beecham is absolutely stupendous, the way he whips the orchestra up is unsurpassed in this symphony. A performance that should be in everyone's collection, no matter who else you've got doing it!


I had that very recording on tape, Beecham conducting Sibelius 2 and Dvorak 8. Yes stupendous is the word! I remember the maestro getting so emotional that he was kind of grunting towards the end of the Sibelius. & the ovation from the audience was massive. Its been years since I heard it now, and I am slowly replacing tapes and vinyls with cd's, I recently got some of Ansermet's Sibelius including #2.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by ptr...

*Roussel*: Le Festin De L'Araignee, Op.17; Concert pour petit orchestre, Op.34; Sinfonietta, Op.52; 4th Symphony, w. Quebec SO/Verrot (rec.1993).

View attachment 30031

And for Sibelius' birthday...

View attachment 30032


----------



## BillT

jim prideaux said:


> What exactly is this a reference to?


It was said on another thread that Sibelius was a Nazi, and a pic of him giving the Nazi salute was posted. I'm afraid it turned my stomach, even though I know intellectually that many good people joined the Nazi party for various reasons.

- Bill


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart

Sonata in C major, K279/KV 189d
Sonata in F major, K280/KV 189e
Sonata in B flat major, K281/KV 189f
Sonata in E flat major, K282/KV 189g
Sonata in G major, K283/KV 189h*

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)









To end the weekend


----------



## KenOC

BillT said:


> It was said on another thread that Sibelius was a Nazi, and a pic of him giving the Nazi salute was posted. I'm afraid it turned my stomach, even though I know intellectually that many good people joined the Nazi party for various reasons.


Sibelius's attitude has to be understood in terms of his time. The Soviet Union had invaded Finland and taken (or retaken) parts of that country that had been part of Russia prior to WW I. When Germany invaded the USSR, the Finns took advantage of that to re-take their territory up to their previous border with Russia about 30 km from Leningrad. In response, Great Britain and Canada declared war on Finland in support of the USSR. If you were Finnish, which side would you be on?

Sorry, OT.


----------



## SimonNZ

BillT said:


> It was said on another thread that Sibelius was a Nazi, and a pic of him giving the Nazi salute was posted. I'm afraid it turned my stomach, even though I know intellectually that many good people joined the Nazi party for various reasons.
> 
> - Bill


I also don't with to take this thread off-topic, but...

_Someone_ on _some thread_ made _one comment_ and now you're certain Sibelius is a nazi?

You should probably have a read of this:

http://www.toqonline.com/blog/sibelius-and-the-nazis/


----------



## SimonNZ

"Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta" - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano, Otto Ackerman, cond.

Are people still discovering this wonderful album? It used to have one of the most glowing buy-it now, run-don't-walk rosette-reviews in the Penguin Guide, which is how I, and I suspect many others were led to it. But the Penguin Guide haven't had recital reviews for over a decade now.

(have I asked this before? I fear I may be repeating myself)


----------



## bejart

Jan Krumpholtz (1747-1790): Harp Concerto No.4 in D Major, Op.6, No.2

Jiri Belohlavek conducting the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra -- Jana Bouskova, harp


----------



## Blancrocher

Clara Haskil in Schumann.


----------



## Andolink

Mahlerian said:


> I've heard that the Gielen recording is the one to get. Is it worth it? I've always considered "Von Heute" among Schoenberg's most minor works.
> 
> Ives: Three Places in New England
> San Francisco Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Tilson Thomas


It's definitely worth getting. This is absolutely not a minor work for Schoenberg and has impressed me more with each listening. It positively teems with invention. Sure the story is a bit trite but listen to this for the masterful way Schoenberg maintains the lightness and transparency of some very complex orchestral polyphony and the masterful way he weaves in the vocal parts. I'm sure following along with a score would be very fascinating if you're able to find one. Haven't heard any other perfomances so can't compare but the Gielen sounds marvelous to me.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Humphrey Searle, Symphony No. 4.*

12-tone with a nice use of klangfarbenmelodie. It sounds like something you'd hear in 1962.


----------



## Itullian

Man, is this set beautiful.
Breathtaking recordings.
And Chailly at his best.
Not rushing like his Beethoven and Brahms.
These are so beautiful.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.1 in D Minor, Op.49 Cortot/Thibaud/Casals

From this wonderful box. One of the first chamber music recordings I ever bought, it is spellbinding, they were three musicians who understood each other supremely well. I have known this recording for at least 32 years and it rewards me with intense pleasure yet. This box retails for just over £50 on Amazon, with 40 CDs containing some of the most musically rewarding recordings ever made, it must rank as one of the bargains of this century. Anyone who is not put off by older recordings would give themselves a lifetime of pleasure by purchasing this, I guarantee it.


----------



## leepee

Haydn's Symphony 93 Listened to SIX recordings: began with George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra, then Sir Colin Davis: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Frans Brüggen: Orchestra Of The 18th Century, Dennis Russell Davies: Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein: New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and finished with Roy Goodman: The Hanover Band.

Best Sound: DAVIS and the Concertgebouw Best Performance: GOODMAN and the Hanover with SZELL a very close second and BRUGGEN a close third All very enjoyable and so different ... amazing !!!


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Martinu's* birthday.

View attachment 30040


----------



## Itullian

I LOVE these.


----------



## samurai

SimonNZ said:


> I also don't with to take this thread off-topic, but...
> 
> _Someone_ on _some thread_ made _one comment_ and now you're certain Sibelius is a nazi?
> 
> You should probably have a read of this:
> 
> http://www.toqonline.com/blog/sibelius-and-the-nazis/


 I think it is quite obvious from the opening lines of this article {"As a *Jew wise *racial nationalist"} that the author of this article is himself a Neo-Nazi white supremacist. Jew wise--really? As somebody who grew up fighting people like this who made comments such as this about my family, friends and me, I would really take a second look at the source--and motivation--of what this man is writing. BTW, I still love the music of Sibelius, no matter what his politics were. Maybe Sibelius wasn't an anti-semite, but this guy Johnson sure as hell is.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> I also don't with to take this thread off-topic, but...
> 
> _Someone_ on _some thread_ made _one comment_ and now you're certain Sibelius is a nazi?
> 
> You should probably have a read of this:
> 
> http://www.toqonline.com/blog/sibelius-and-the-nazis/


Thanks for clarifying, SimonNZ. :tiphat:


----------



## samurai

BillT said:


> It was said on another thread that Sibelius was a Nazi, and a pic of him giving the Nazi salute was posted. I'm afraid it turned my stomach, even though I know intellectually that many good people joined the Nazi party for various reasons.
> 
> - Bill


And many* bad people *as well! In fact, I would posit that more bad people *voluntarily* joined than good people.


----------



## SimonNZ

samurai said:


> I think it is quite obvious after the opening lines of this article {"As a *Jew wise *racial nationalist"} that the author of this article is himself a Neo-Nazi white supremacist. Jew wise--really? As somebody who grew up fighting people like this who made comments such as this about my family, friends and me, I would really take a second look at the source--and motivation--of what this man is writing. BTW, I still love the music of Sibelius, no matter what his politics were. Maybe Sibelius wasn't an anti-semite, but this guy Johnson sure as hell is.


Eek! I missed that bit! I was focusing on his point-by-point critisism of the "academic" who was calling Sibelius a nazi, further down. Good call, apologies for not quoting a more trustworthy source. (it would be worth my while making this one of my internet rules: No.7 - avoid all discussions that throw the word nazi about, no matter what.)

sigh...playing now:










Martinu's Field Mass - Charles Mackerras, cond.


----------



## samurai

@ SimonNZ :cheers:


----------



## Rocco

Vivaldi- The great choal masterpieces again....Why? Well it was still queued up in the media player minimized at the bottom on my computer, so I thought why not? :lol:


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.33 in C Minor

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

Jitka Hosprova and the Prague Chamber Orchestra in Carl Stamitz,Zdenek Lukas, and birthday boy Bohuslav Martinu.


----------



## senza sordino

*Sibelius Violin Concerto with Gidon Kremer and Berlin Phil with Riccardo Muti conducting* and for comparison immediately after *Sibelius Violin Concerto with Salvatore Accardo and London Symphony Orchestra with Colin Davis conducting*. I'm not sure which I preferred, probably Kremer. Gidon Kremer seemed more present and direct, often more attacking and alive than Salvatore Accardo. But there were a couple of passages at the end of the first movement that Accardo was more clear. I love this piece, it's one of only a few things I own two different versions.

For more of Sibelius birthday celebrations:
*Sibelius Symphonies 1 & 4 with Colin Davis and the Boston Phil*

*Ligeti violin Concerto with Patricia Kopatchinskaya with Peter Eotvos conducting Ensemble Modern*. Out of this world, is Ms Kopatchinskaya humming at the end during the cadenza?

*Carl Nielsen Symphonies 5&6 with Herbert Blomstedt and Danish Radio Symphony* I liked the fifth ( who doesn't write a good fifth?) but the sixth is too fragmented, too many themes that come and go. I need another listen.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich Symphony #9, Haitink.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Joly Braga Santos--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 5 {"Virtus Lusitaniae"}, *both featuring the Alvaro Cassuto led Portuguese Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro










Opera is so time consuming to enjoy. Listening to Act 4 by itself this time.


----------



## drpraetorus

Der Freischutz, Overture


----------



## cantante

Vivaldi created the best melody for an EDM song, before EDM was ever created. This melody will not leave my head!!!


----------



## opus55

Stenhammar: Sensommarnätter, Op. 33


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
Wagner: Götterdämmerung

















It's getting late but who cares about work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Harrison Birtwistle's "Angel Fighter" Cantata - David Atherton, cond.

UK Premiere from 2011 Proms


----------



## Winterreisender

Peter Schreier - Beethoven Lieder


----------



## Andolink

*Antonio Vivaldi*: Various concertos and chamber works featuring lute and mandolin
Paul Odette, lute and mandolin
The Parley of Instruments/Roy Goodwin and Peter Holman


----------



## Oskaar

My intensive listening to Brucner 6 so far:

* 1- wand - Kölner rundfunk sinfonie orchester *--- floating, great nerve, magical, lyrical, 
I early gave up "listening" and alloved myself carry through the adventurous journey, if Wand have failed to deliver some place, it had hurt, but he never did. Brilliant use of any tool, and perfectly glued together. Clearly the best interpretation so far! J cant think of anything negative- maybe the sound quality, but it is good enough, and is far less important to me than in chamber or piano works. Marvelous!

* 2-Cantieri (Baltic New Philharmonia*--- Dreamy, adventurous, a bit messy in the beginning of first movement, colourfull, very creative.

* 3- Norrington-SWR Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart* --- I started to listen to this ammediately after Wand, and it felt like a gigantic anticlimax. Luckily I waited som hours, and started again. And I really like it! I find it clean,almost minimalistic, a bit one dimentional, very romantic. Sentimentale. The dramatic potential is maybe a bit under-played, but I dont find it unengaging. A positive surprise!

* 4-Jochum Statskapelle* Dresden mystical, clever,solid, a bit "safe", a bit uneaven, there are some really strong parts(that gives me goosebumps), mostly in the more intense and loud parties. Fail a bit in more lyrical parts. but nat always....very sensitive and seeking in the second movement. More lyrical and creative than Karajan, so I put him before Karajan with a very small margine. But It dont reach up to the colourfull Cantieri.

* 5-Jesus Lopez-Cobos - Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (new)*--- "thick" sound in a positive way (Very good brass section), seeking and lyrical, a bit still-standing sometimes, as if the nerve is lost, I think this one has a great growing potential on me!, but my first impression is a bit on-and off-feeling. Conservative and a bit under-played(wich I often like, that is why I say it can grow on me.) romantic , sensitive feel, but not deering enough?

* 6-Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker*--- razorsharp, strong, intense, accurate, a bit static, presition, supersolid

* 7-Haitink Staatskapelle Dresden*--warm, a bit static, lyrical, a bit passive. Solid. Great finale.

*8-Solti **(Chicago s.o.)* A millitary feel in the bottom..parampapam, did not hook me at all, static, unengaged, unengaging, the lyrical parts gave a feeling of STAND BY before he could continue with the barampapam.

*9-Georg Tintner* - *New Zealand Symphony Orchestra*-*-new--







**No magic. I have difficulties getting engaged. I find it heavy and slow in expressive parts, and unstructured and without intensitivity and nerve ib slower parts. Dull..*


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Oboe Concerto in F Major, Op.7, No.9

I Musici -- Heinz Holliger, oboe


----------



## EricABQ

Schubert's 5th from Harnoncourt.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## ShropshireMoose

Butterworth: A Shropshire Lad-Rhapsody Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 Monique de la Bruchollerie/Pro Musica Orchestra Vienna/Rudolf Moralt
Smetana: Ma Vlast Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik

A late-morning concert. The Butterworth is ravishing and beautiful, I played it, inspired by the beautiful countryside I live in, having had a good walk this morning. It was bright, sunny, and strolling along the top road from here, you look down on Wenlock Edge and across to the Long Mynd. If there's a more beautiful or tranquil spot to be found, then I've yet to find it. Miss de la Bruchollerie is wonderful in the Tchaikovsky, and now Ma Vlast- ah, heaven.


----------



## Oskaar

*Cypress String Quartet - Debussy, Suk, Cotton*

works

*Quartet for Strings in G minor, Op. 10* by Claude Debussy
*Barcarolle for String Quartet in D minor* by Josef Suk
*Ballade for String Quartet in D minor* by Josef Suk
*Quartet for Strings no 1* by Jeffery Cotton









Nice mix of works, and brilliant performance and sound!









arkivmusic


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Gilberto

Vivaldi's Teuzzone - Jordi Savall


----------



## Andolink

*Henry Purcell*: _Celestial music did the gods inspire_, Z322 (1689)
Gillian Fisher, Tessa Bonner soprano, James Bowman, Jonathan Kenny countertenor, Rogers Covey-Crump high tenor, Charles Daniels tenor, Michael George, Charles Pott bass, The King's Consort / Robert King








Music from Renaissance Portugal 
Polyphony from the Royal Monastery of Santa Cruz, Coimbra
Magnificat: *Pedro de Cristo*
Ave Regina cæorum: *Pedro de Cristo*
Alma redemptoris mater: *Aires Fernandez*


----------



## bejart

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787): Symphony in G Major, Chen G3

Michi Gaigg leading L'Orfeo Barockorchester


----------



## Oskaar

*George Antheil - Ballet Mecanique / Serenade For String Orchestra*

















Conductor: *Daniel Spalding *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra*

Allmusic


----------



## csacks

Beethoven´s 7th String Quartet, Amadeus Quartet, 1999, bought from iTunes with all the String Quartets.


----------



## maestro267

*Bloch*: Symphony in C sharp minor
LSO/Atlas

*Zemlinsky*: Die Seejungfrau, symphonic fantasia
New Zealand SO/Judd


----------



## Manxfeeder

Stravinsky, Violin Concerto, Hilary Hahn.


----------



## Blancrocher

Pinnock in the Brandenburg Concertos--good morning!


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## Andolink

*Franz Schreker*: _Der Schatzgräber_
Tijl Faveyts (The King), Alasdair Elliott (Der Schreiber/der Kanzler), André Morsch (Herold/der Graf), Kurt Gysen (Der Schultheiss/der Magister), Graham Clark (Der Narr), Kay Stiefermann (Der Vogt), Mattijs van de Woerd (Der Junker), 
Raymond Very (Elis), Andrew Greenan (Der Wirt), Manuela Uhl (Els), Gordon Gietz (Albi)
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Opera Chorus, Marc Albrecht, conductor








Caveat emptor: libretto in German only


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## Doc

Shostakovich's 11th, conducted by Rostropovich.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Turina's* (1882 - 1949) birthday.

View attachment 30064


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## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major (Trevor Pinnock; Beznosiuk; Standage; The English Concert).


----------



## Oskaar

*JACOB / ATTERBERG: Horn Concertos*

Composer(s):
*Atterberg*, Kurt; *Jacob*, Gordon; *Larsson*, Lars-Erik; *Reger*, Max; *Seiber*, Matyas

Conductor(s):
*Tjivzjel, Edvard *

Orchestra(s):
*Umea Sinfonietta *

Artist(s):
*Hermansson, Soren*

works
*Concerto for Horn and Strings* by Gordon Jacob
*Concertino for Horn, Op. 45 no 5* by Lars-Erik Larsson
*Notturno for Horn and Strings* by Mátyás Seiber
*Scherzino for Horn and Strings* by Max Reger
*Concerto for Horn in A major, Op. 28* by Kurt Atterberg

















arkivmusic
amazon


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## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
''Classically Scottish''


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## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, 1 - 12, w. Guildhall String Ensemble (rec.1987/8). This CPR material was recorded by the great Mike Hatch.

View attachment 30068
View attachment 30069
View attachment 30070


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## Doc

I'm a fan of both Gilels and the Amadeus Quartet, so this is always a joy.


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## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements*, Symphony in C, Symphony of Psalms
Festival Singers of Toronto, CBC Symphony Orchestra, *Columbia Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Bas

Recital: Philippe Jaroussky Vivaldi Virtuoso Aria's
By Philippe Jaroussky [counter tenor], Ensemble Artaserse, on Veritas









Joseph Haydn - Die Schopfüng
By Lucia Popp [soprano], Werner Hollweg [tenor], Kurt Moll [bass], Helena Döse [soprano], Benjamin Luxon [Bariton], Bright Festival Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [continuo, dir.], on Double Decca


----------



## moody

PETER ANDERS. Singing lieder with orchestra by Richard Strauss. 1940's.
von Schillings : Glockenlieder (Bell Songs) with orchestra. 1953.


----------



## Vasks

I spun some vinyl this morning:

1) Mennin - Symphony No. 4 "The Cycle" (Kaplan/Desto)
2) Maxwell Davies - Eight Songs for a Mad King (Eastman/Nonesuch)


----------



## PetrB

After having recommending it, and extolled its virtues, decided to listen to it again.
Prokofiev ~ Piano Concerto No. 1
Martha Argerich, Alexandre Rabinovitch; La Roque d'Anthéron festival orchestra 
(In an outdoor summer concert -- _Prokofiev with Crickets_


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## Blake

Barenboim's Beethoven. Piano Sonatas. Another entire set I'll venture through. I'm really impressed with this, and a little disappointed that I allowed my bias against Barenboim to delay this foray. This is really great.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Guitar Concertos


----------



## Blancrocher

Igor Levit in Beethoven's late piano sonatas. This one's been getting great reviews.


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar*: The Dream of Gerontius
Lewis/Baker/Borg
Hallé Choir/Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus/Ambrosian Singers
Hallé Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli


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## Aramis

Rossini's _Stabat Mater_ is musically a masterpiece, though I don't think the music always goes with the text that perfectly. There are some moments where contemplative and mournful mood fits the subject very well, then at some points it keeps being superb as music while somewhat failing as text setting. Then again, isn't it Mozart whose "Agnus Dei" sounds just like the aria of countess complaining about her husband chasing other women? Well, there you go, Rossini, you're absolved.

_Cuius animam gementem_ is easily one of the most exciting solo numbers in all sacred repertoire. So is the bass number, _Pro peccatis_:


----------



## PetrB

Flamme said:


>


Anton Eberl ~ Symphony in C, w.o.n. 7 (1785)

Thanks. This is delightful.


----------



## PetrB

Aramis said:


> Rossini's _Stabat Mater_ is musically a masterpiece, though I don't think the music always goes with the text that perfectly. There are some moments where contemplative and mournful mood fits the subject very well, then at some points it keeps being superb as music while somewhat failing as text setting. Then again, isn't it Mozart whose "Agnus Dei" sounds just like the aria of countess complaining about her husband chasing other women? Well, there you go, Rossini, you're absolved.
> 
> _Cuius animam gementem_ is easily one of the most exciting vocal numbers in all sacred repertoire:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So is the bass number:


I'd call the _Petite Messe Solennelle_ another masterpiece, not nearly enough known, nor performed enough. It is a great work.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Symphonies 101 - 104, w. ACO/Harnoncourt (rec. 1987/8).

View attachment 30083


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## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - The Piano Sonatas

Piano Sonata No.6 in D major, K.284/ KV.205b 'Dürnitz'
Piano Sonata No.7 in C major, K.309/ KV.284b 
Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310/ KV.300d
*
Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)


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## csacks

J. Brahms, string quartet 2, Amadeus Quartet. Very strong


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Vaneyes said:


> For *Turina's* (1882 - 1949) birthday.
> 
> View attachment 30064


My favourite recording of Turina's solo piano music. Bravo!
Inspired by this I have now dug out......

Turina: Rapsodia Sinfonica Eileen Joyce/Orchestra/Clarence Raybould

What a lovely piece this is. I heard Miss de Larrocha play it in concert 11 years ago, but Eileen Joyce has more than got the measure of it. Bravo again!


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert* Symphony #3
- Israel PO under Zubin Mehta

*Dvorak* Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65
- Played by Rosamunde Trio

*Rachmaninov* Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
- Zoltan Kocsis, piano with San Francisco Symphony under Edo de Waart

*Webern* Variations, Op. 30
- Ulster Orch. under Takuo Yuasa

*Verdi* 5 arias from "Macbeth" (Nel di della vittoria, Vieni? T'affretta, Duncano sara qui?, La luce langue, Una macchia e qui tuttora)
- Maria Callas, soprano w. Philharmonia Orch. under Nicola Rescigno


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

Sweetness!









It is no surprise that this recording of Brahms' 3 Violin Sonatas by Zukerman/Barenboim has been reissued so many times.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio (Diego Fasolis; Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; Barocchisti).









I really like this interpretation, the trumpets come through very clearly and the playing is brisk and dynamic. The singing is also very good.


----------



## DrKilroy

Haydn - Trumpet Concerto (Johnson/Ormandy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8










This is used as a part of my smoke cessation program


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major (Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Spohr's Clarinet Concerto No.3 - Paul Meyer, clarinet and cond.

the announcer mentioned in passing that Spohr invented the violin chin rest and also the rehearsal note system


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On t'radio:

*Xaver Scharwenka (1850-1924) - Piano Concerto No.4 in F minor Op. 82*

Stephen Hough; Lawrence Foster, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra [Hyperion]

*Sibelius - En Saga, Op. 9
*
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philharmonia Orchestra [Decca]


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Piano Sonatas, w. Lupu (rec.1970), Lewis (rec.2001), Sokolov (rec.1992).

View attachment 30091
View attachment 30092
View attachment 30093


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## DrKilroy

Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 31 and 35 (Krips, I believe).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Aramis

Sid James said:


> *Verdi* 5 arias from "Macbeth" (Nel di della vittoria, Vieni? T'affretta, Duncano sara qui?, La luce langue, Una macchia e qui tuttora)[/COLOR]


These are three arias dude lol xDD xDDDD xDDDDD


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.6 - Thomas Dausgaard, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Norgard, Symphony No. 3. *


----------



## Blancrocher

I just read Tom Service's appreciation of Haydn's 102nd in his "Symphony Guide," and am trying out one of the recommended recordings I hadn't heard.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Couperin: Pieces pour clavecin Wanda Landowska

Couperin, ah me, what wond'rous musical variety he provides. And Mme. Landowska realizes it all to the full. These recordings are 79 years old, but HMVs transfer from the 1980s is a good 'un, and Landowska's musicianship is timeless.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*from: Handel - Complete Violin Sonatas









Sonata in D major Op. 1 No. 13
Sonata in F major 'Walsh' Op. 1 No. 12

*
Andrew Manze (Violin) & Richard Egarr (Harpsichord) [Harmonia Mundi]


----------



## Blake

Jando's Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 59-62. Oh, so nice.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No.2 Michael Rabin/Phiharmonia Orchestra/Sir Eugene Goossens
Ravel: Pavane pour une Infante Defunte/Scheherezade Regine Crespin/L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet

Rabin is brilliant, Crespin is divine, Goossens and Ansermet are more than equal to the occasion, and this is one contented Moose.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: March in D Major, KV 445

Hans Graf conducting the Mozarteum-Orchester of Salzburg


----------



## aakermit

Arnold Schoenberg "Verklarte Nacht" (Transfigured Night) Op. 4 for String Orchestra (Chamber Orchestra Kremlin)
Misha Rachlevsky, conductor. I am going see this performed next month at the Cal State University-Northridge Performing Arts Center by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra- Pinchas Zucherman conducting and performing. I am relatively new to classical music and completely new to Schoenberg. Looking forward to it. I understand it is one of Schoenberg's earlier and more popular works. Liked it on first hearing.


----------



## KenOC

Brahms, Piano Concerto #2 (the good one!), Nelson Freire and Riccardo Chailly. An excellent performance.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Messiah


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schumann's Dichterliebe - Peter Schreier, tenor, Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): String Quartet No.13 in E Minor, Op.45, No.2

New Budapest Quartet: Andras Kiss and Ferenc Balough, violins -- Laszlo Barsony, viola -- Karoly Botvay, cello


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *
Both works feature Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *
both performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Ole Schmidt. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2. * The two symphonies are performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Rocco

opus55 said:


> Handel: Messiah


Very nice! That's by far my favorite work ever....never heard that particular performance before, how is it?


----------



## KenOC

Sticking with piano concertos. Mozart's #17 kv 453, Uchida and Tate. This performance needs no comment.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Michael Tippett's The Blue Guitar - Julian Bream, guitar


----------



## Blancrocher

Poulenc's Gloria (Ozawa cond.)


----------



## opus55

ClutchDisc said:


> Very nice! That's by far my favorite work ever....never heard that particular performance before, how is it?


The recording is nice but probably not the best. I don't have any other reference to compare but my guess is that this is a middle-of-the-road interpretation. That's been my opinion of Sir Colin Davis.

I enjoy the ornamentations on voice and orchestra. They're beautifully done.


----------



## cantante

G. Rozhdestvensky / Tchaikovsky/ The Sleeping Beauty


----------



## Tristan

*Berlioz* - Requiem, Op. 5 (Colin Davis)









And usually only dubstep can blow out my speakers like that... 

I've been on a Berlioz kick lately.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Sonata No.6 in D Major, Op.106

Ian Hobson, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

aakermit said:


> Arnold Schoenberg "Verklarte Nacht" (Transfigured Night) Op. 4 for String Orchestra (Chamber Orchestra Kremlin)
> Misha Rachlevsky, conductor. I am going see this performed next month at the Cal State University-Northridge Performing Arts Center by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra- Pinchas Zucherman conducting and performing. I am relatively new to classical music and completely new to Schoenberg. Looking forward to it. I understand it is one of Schoenberg's earlier and more popular works. Liked it on first hearing.


It's one of his two works that have made it to truly "popular" status (although both do actually "sound like" Schoenberg to people who actually enjoy his later music). The other one is the cantata Gurrelieder (for super-sized orchestra, soloists, reciter, and men's chorus). If you're interested, check that out as well! Actually, you might be interested in the original version of Verklarte Nacht for string sextet, which has a more intimate feel.

Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Winds, Movements for Piano and Orchestra*, Capriccio+
Philippe Entremont, *Charles Rosen, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky (+cond. Craft)

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
Isaac Stern, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








This recording of the Piano and Winds concerto has been spoiled for me by a live performance I heard about two years ago with Peter Serkin. The orchestra has a difficult time navigating the score's cross rhythms, and Entremont more or less barrels ahead without much nuance.

The Movements for Piano and Orchestra was the first piece of 12-tone music I ever heard, and it struck me as quite strange. It took a long time (and familiarity with Webern) for that impression to wear off.


----------



## Blake

Back to my Gilels... Beethoven: _Appassionata_. This is so excellent.


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> Back to my Gilels... Beethoven: _Appassionata_. This is so excellent.


The not-quite-complete Gilels set is one of my very very favorites.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.7 - Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## moody

PROKOFIEV. Film Music. "Ivan the Terrible", "Lieutenant Kije" and "Alexander Nevsky".
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Cond: Leonard Slatkin.
There's been a lot of rambling on about "Harry Potter" in another thread...now this is real film music !!


----------



## science

It's wrong to enjoy this. Old Dvorzy took sacred music and rendered it as a Disney soundtrack. But I enjoy it anyway, wallowing luxuriously in my sin.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 5 in F minor (The London Haydn Quartet).


----------



## science

From sin to sin, but at least this one is popular.


----------



## cantante

Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No. 2


----------



## dgee

Maurice Ohana - Piano Concerto (1981) now and then some other stuff of his lined up. Off the beaten path of the avant garde but still a uniquely modern voice with some interesting influences (French Sephardi born in and having an affinity with Morocco) - plenty of colour, intensity and microtones!


----------



## SimonNZ

Aribert Reimann's Lear (highlights) - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerd Albrecht, cond


----------



## science

I'm almost allowed to really enjoy this, so I'm going to.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Aribert Reimann's Ausschnitt aus Lear-Fragmente - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Gerd Albrecht, cond


Let me know what you think of that. I've listened to it a few times, though probably not for 3 years or so.


----------



## SimonNZ

Don't laugh, but my first impression is how for much of it Dietrich sounds like he's doing the ironical intoning of the "Abbots Song" (Ego sum abbas) from Carmina Burana, with the same crashing punctuations from the orchestra.

I really need to hear the whole work, or better yet find a dvd.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 Alfred Cortot/Orchestra/John Barbirolli
Chopin: Piano Sonata No.3/Prelude Op.28 No.17/Etudes Op.25 Nos. 10 and 12 Percy Grainger
Chopin: Nocturne Op.27 No.2/Maiden's Wish (transcr.Liszt)/Mazurkas Op.50 No.2, Op.33 No.2, Op.63 No.1, Op.67 No.1, Op.24 No.3/Prelude Op.28 No.13 Moriz Rosenthal

A morning of vintage Chopin playing. Cortot is incomparable in the concerto, and for my money no one but no one has a way with the rhythm of Chopin's Mazurkas like Rosenthal, no, not even those famed Friedman recordings. But....the one I want to focus on here is Grainger's performance of the 3rd Sonata. It really is an extraordinary performance. Completely different from anyone else's, it is surging, impetuous, a performance that carries you along in a maelstrom of wond'rous creativity. I guarantee that you've never heard anything like it, yet it is one of those rare performances that whilst you are listening to it you feel that this is the only way it can be played. For my money it is a performance that should be lauded as much as other celebrated performances of this piece, such as that by Lipatti, for it is totally different, yet every bit as good and equally valid. Wonderful- and you can pick up Grainger's complete recordings for around £20 for the 5 CD set on APR. Incidentally, these performances give the lie to the oft repeated myth (not least by the man himself) that until Arthur Rubinstein came along nobody played Chopin in a masculine forthright way, since all of these pianists were older than AR. Ah me, the old publicity machines eh? Anyway I do seriously urge anyone who's not heard Grainger to do yourself a favour and try and hear the Sonata. It is on youtube, and if after that you don't go out and buy the set, I'd be very much surprised.


----------



## EricABQ

Beethoven's 8th piano sonata played by HJ Lim.

The Lim set was the first of the sonata sets that I bought back when it was prominently featured on iTunes for weeks for just $10. I haven't listened to her for quite some time but wanted to check it out again.

She does a good job on the 8th. Lots of energy.

I would still recommend this to someone who didn't want to spend more than $10.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in D Major for 2 oboi d'amore, cello, strings & b.c. (Camerata Köln).


----------



## bejart

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in D Minor, Op.3, No.5

Bradley Creswick conducting the Northern Sinfonia


----------



## csacks

Eric Satie, Piano Music, by Stephany Mc Callum, recorded in 2007. Very nice CD, from iTunes. At the moment, the Gymnopédie Nº 2


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak 5th symphony, Scherzo Capriccioso and the Othello overture-Mariss Jansons conducting the Oslo Philarmonic-have read both positive and negative reviews of these performances but there is no doubting (on first listen) the degree of 'commitment'....


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> It's one of his two works that have made it to truly "popular" status (although both do actually "sound like" Schoenberg to people who actually enjoy his later music). The other one is the cantata Gurrelieder (for super-sized orchestra, soloists, reciter, and men's chorus). If you're interested, check that out as well!


A few years ago, I never bothered with Schoenberg (you know, I thought his music was Brahms with wrong notes) until a lawyer I was working with suggested I listen to those two pieces. That hooked me into his world, and I've been hanging out there ever since.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richard Stoltzman and the Tokyo SQ playing string quintets by Weber and Brahms.


----------



## science




----------



## Couac Addict

...because I have to know it backwards by Friday. Newsflash! The vixen gets blown away at the end.
Highly recommended if you like to watch children cry.


----------



## Doc

Mariss Jansons conducting Mahler's 6th. A fair account of the symphony, methinks.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Franck* (1822 - 1890) and *Messiaen* (1908 - 1992) birthdays.

View attachment 30119
View attachment 30120


----------



## Vasks

_More turntable activity this morning. In fact, I think it will be spinning daily for another week or more._

1) Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time (composer supervised/Musical Heritage Society)
2) Moevs - Concerto Grosso (Weisberg/CRI)


----------



## Mahlerian

Manxfeeder said:


> A few years ago, I never bothered with Schoenberg (you know, *I thought his music was Brahms with wrong notes*) until a lawyer I was working with suggested I listen to those two pieces. That hooked me into his world, and I've been hanging out there ever since.


This comparison makes me sad.

First, because I don't hear "wrong notes" in Schoenberg, and secondly, because he thankfully doesn't have the over-thickness of Brahms or Reger, both of whom I take in small doses. Finally, too, because it's this kind of preconception that prevents people from ever hearing the music behind the polemics surrounding it.

I'm glad you came around.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Greeting Prelude, "Dumbarton Oaks" Concerto, "Basle" Concerto, Eight Instrumental Miniatures, Four Etudes for Orchestra
Columbia Symphony Orchestra/CBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








Lots of miscellaneous works, some of which are arrangements of earlier pieces for simple piano (Eight Instrumental Miniatures is an arrangement of Les Cinq Doigts). The Dumbarton Oaks Concerto is the most important piece here, of course.


----------



## Bas

Recital: Andreas Scholl Songs "Wanderer" (Brahms, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart)
By Andreas Scholl [counter tenor], Tamar Halperin [piano], on Decca









I really like this disc. Scholl is a fantastic singer.

Franz Schubert - Winterreise
Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonatas no. 1 in D, no. 2 in A, no. 3 in E-flat, No. 9 in A "Kreutzer"
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









The Kreutzer Sonata is the most magnificent violin sonata ever written, I love it.


----------



## belfastboy

This does it for me....the brass and strings tell me 'Christmas is here"!! Grab a sleigh, wrap up warm and.....journey into the festive period!!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec.1987); *Lalo*: Symphonie espagnole, w. Little/RSNO/Handley (rec.1996); Cello Concerto, w. Chang/Santa Cecilia/Pappano (rec.2005).

View attachment 30126
View attachment 30127


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto and Dumbarton Oaks (Boulez cond.), and The Rake's Progress (Gardiner cond.)


----------



## DrKilroy

For Messiaen's birthday, I'll listen to the Turangalila-Symphonie conducted by Myung-Whun Chung.

Best regards, Dr

EDIT: Unfortunately, it seems that I have no time to listen to the entire work. I'll listen to my first Messiaen piece, then - Oiseaux exotiques conducted by Boulez.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Wellesz, Symphony No. 2


----------



## Tristan

*Verdi* - Requiem - Sanctus









I love Verdi's Requiem as a whole, but I often listen to the _Sanctus_ as a stand-alone piece; it's just too much fun 

And the recording I like is this obscure recording I got from my grandmother.


----------



## maestro267

*Messiaen*: Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum
Orchestre National de Lyon/Märkl

*Hakim*: Le Tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen
Naji Hakim, organ

*Messiaen*: Turangalîla-Symphonie
Thibaudet (piano)/Harada (ondes Martenot)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Chailly


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Éric Satie
Complete Music for Piano Duo
Jordans/van Doeselaar


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









I got these early symphonies by Shostakovich, No.1 and No. 3, in order to have all fifteen. There's quite a remarkable change between these and the great No. 4!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphonies 3 & 4, w. BPO/Barenboim (rec.1995), BPO/Jochum (rec.1965).

View attachment 30140
View attachment 30141


----------



## samurai

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> View attachment 30139
> 
> 
> I got these early symphonies by Shostakovich, No.1 and No. 3, in order to have all fifteen. There's quite a remarkable change between these and the great No. 4!


In a good or bad sense?


----------



## rockmeoff

Listened to Mozart's Jupiter Symphony a few minutes ago. I plan to lay back with the headphones and listen to Haydn's Opus 33 string quartets in a little bit.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 45 in F-Sharp minor, 'Farewell' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## brotagonist

samurai said:


> In a good or bad sense?


Well, they were his first and third symphonies. The First was written as a graduation piece at the age of 19; the Third four years later. The Fourth was completed 7 years after that, at the age of 30. What I hear of the unmistakable Shostakovich sound is heard from the Fourth onward.

I'm also finishing off with the last of the new arrivals from last week (I sure hope some of the Messiaen's start showing up today  )...


----------



## Jos

Violinconcerto by Strawinsky, Perlmann playing. Love the 20th century madness combined with lyrical beauty and touch of melancholy. A short but great concerto.
Next is Walton's concerto.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

science said:


> I'm almost allowed to really enjoy this, so I'm going to.


'allowed'? C'mon science, don't think so much, just enjoy listening .


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich, String Quartet #14, the Fitzwilliams.


----------



## Blancrocher

More Stravinsky: The Firebird, 4 Etudes, and Fireworks (Boulez cond.)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - Violin Concerti

No. 3 in G., KV 216

No. 5 in A., KV 219*









Kim Sjögren; Michael Schønwandt, Collegium Musicum [BIS, recorded 1983]

An excellent performance from Prof. Sjögren and an excellent LP-era recording from BIS


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I haven't heard the Brandenburgs in a while... and they always strike me a perfectly suited to listening indoors on a frigid day like today... a warm drink in hand... the holidays just around the corner.

The Brandenburg Concertos were actually my first ever purchase of classical music... albeit the version I bought wasn't quite so brilliant as Jordi Savall's. My version was conducted by Jörg Faerber with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra:


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Reveil des oiseaux, Trois petites liturgies de la presence divine
Yvonne Loriod, Jeanne Loriod, women of the chorus of Radio France, Orchestre National de France, cond. Nagano








105th anniversary.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 37, No. 1 in G minor; No. 2 in G Major; 
Nocturnes Op. 48, No. 1 in C minor (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## Blake

Corelli: Sonate per Viola da Gamba & basso continuo, Op. 5. Most righteous.


----------



## Vasks

science said:


> I'm almost allowed to really enjoy this, so I'm going to.


I bought this disc about a half year ago to replace an old mono LP. I allowed myself to enjoy it.


----------



## Flamme




----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bax

String Quartet No. 3 in F (1936)
Lyrical Interlude for String Quintet
Adagio ma non troppo "Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan" (from String Quartet in E major) *

Maggini Quartet [Naxos]

I opened this a few weeks ago but hadn't got round to hearing it a second time until tonight. The main work (SQ 3) is a very 'English' style lyrical late-romantic work given a superb performance by the excellent Maggini Quartet.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Piano Quintet - Kathryn Stott, piano, Skampa Quartet


----------



## Gilberto

Leopold Godowsky - Studies after the Etudes of Chopin - Carlo Grante

I've listened to my fair share of Chopin over the years but I ran into this at the local library the other day and holy smokes, this is wild!


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63. *
Both works are performed by the Maurice Abravanel led Utah Symphony. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.1 in D Major; Symphony No.37 in C Major; Symphony No.18 in G Major and Symphony No.2 in C Major. *
All four symphonies feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.20 in D major, K.133; Symphony No.21 in A Major, K.134; Symphony No.26 in E-Flat Major, K.184; Symphony No.27 in G Major, K.199; Symphony No.22 in C Major, K.162; Symphony No.23 in D Major, K.181 and Symphony No.24 in B-Flat Major, K.182. * The seven symphonies are performed by the Prague Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras.


----------



## SimonNZ

EMI RVW Edition, disc one, Symphony No.1 "A Sea Symphony" - Vernon Handley, cond


----------



## Blancrocher

Herreweghe in the Symphony of Psalms, Monumentum pro Gesualdo, Mass, and Choral Variations on Bach's "Vom Himmel hoch." I've also been digging around in Boulez's Stravinsky box looking for works I don't know very well: I'm particularly looking forward to getting to know some of these little songs I'd never really paid attention to.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Arnold Bax: Folk-Tale for Cello & Piano
Alice Neary (Cello) & Benjamin Frith (Piano) of the Gould Piano Trio

I really love this piece, Arnold Bax may be one of the best composers I have had the fortune to find. As much as I love his symphonic works - tone poems especially - I think his chamber works are just as distinctive and of an equally high standard.


----------



## Guest

Karol Szymanowski, Violin Concerto No. 1
Nicola Benedetti - violin; Daniel Harding - London Symphony Orchestra

This is the first time I've listened to any work by Szymanowski. The first few bars bring to mind Dukas, Sorcerer's Apprentice. The textures and orchestral techniques are similar. Then the violin comes in. The beautiful and talented Nicola Benedetti in her debut album. I love this recording already.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: String Symphony No.7 in D Minor

Roy Goodman leading the Hanover Band


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho: Works For Orchestra, disc one

"Lichtbogen" and "Grammaire Des Reves" conducted by Hannu Lintu

"Du Cristal" and "...A La Fumee" conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen


----------



## Sid James

*Lutoslawski* Paganini Variations
- Bernd Glemser on the bones with Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) under Antoni Wit

*Album: 36 Golden Strings - The Mantovani Orchestra*
- Light classical, evergreens, jazz standards, movie themes, traditional songs, etc. played by The Mantovani Orchestra

*Britten* Serenade for tenor, horn and strings
- John Mark Ainsley, tenor; David Pyatt, horn; Britten Sinfonia with Nicholas Cleobury at the helm

*Mozart* Concertone in C major for Two Violins & Orch., KV 190
- Emanuel Hurwitz & Eli Goren, violins; English CO under Sir Colin Davis


----------



## brotagonist

Not one of the 3 Messiaen albums I have on order showed up today  but I've got lots here anyway  I will sit up and hear this next:


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *Album: 36 Golden Strings - The Mantovani Orchestra*
> - Light classical, evergreens, jazz standards, movie themes, traditional songs, etc. played by The Mantovani Orchestra


Wow, you admitted to that! Mantovani is a guilty pleasure for me. I'm not sure why.

Right now, Satie's Sarabandes by Aldo Ciccolini.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I have both Bohm and Karajan... as well as Colin Davis' Both Bohm and Karajan's big, romantic, old-school interpretations offer a Haydn that points the way toward Beethoven. Both recordings resulted in an increased admiration for this oratorio that is often forgotten in the shadow of _The Creation._ Down the road, I think I'd be interested in hearing either Gardiner's or René Jacobs' HIP recordings. By the way... soloists: Walter Berry, Gundula Janowitz, Werner Hollweg.


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Pugnani (1731-1798): Overture No.1 in D Major

Ensemble L'Astree


----------



## PetrB

_stunning musicianship - playing._ I was ignorant, a chance search find via youtube stroll.

Maria Grinberg ~ pianist

Grieg Holberg Suite


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti ( 1750-1792): String Quartet in D Major, Op.6, No.5

Arioso Quartet: Kay Petersen and Wolfgang Albrecht, violins -- Susanne Bauer, viola -- Stefan Kraut, cello


----------



## KenOC

bejart, interested in that period as you are, you may be interested in Weber's mention of Gyrowetz and Pleyel in his attack on Beethoven's 4th Symphony.

https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/weber-on-beethoven-s-fourth-symphony


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Chamber Music, w. L'Archibudelli Qt. (rec.1994); *Korngold, Goldmark* Violin Concerti, w. Tsu/Razumovsky Sinfonia/Long (rec.1995).

Bruckner's chamber music is quite delicate when compared to his symphonies. Surpised me, the first time I heard it.

I saw/heard Sarah Chang do the Goldmark once upon a time. Vera Tsu does not take a backseat to. The Korngold is just dreamy, and we so need those now and then. Classical Music listening...it's a tough life. 

View attachment 30164
View attachment 30165


----------



## opus55

Handel: Messiah (Part III)
Mozart: Symphony No. 35


----------



## PetrB

François Couperin ~ Divers Ordres, including lastly, No.18: Le tic toc choc ou les maillotins;

_Marcelle Meyer, piano_





_Marcelle Meyer_
Stravinsky ~ Serenade en La


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky's Symphony in 3 Movements. To be followed by those Marcelle Meyer links PetrB just posted.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nino Rota chamber music - Ex Novo Ensemble


----------



## DavidA

Handel Messiah - Rejoice greatly! - Auger makes you feel like dancing round the room!


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' String Quartet No.1 - Kruetzer Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 9 - No. 1 in B-flat minor, No. 2 in E-flat Major; 
No. 3 in B Major (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## science

I believe this is my last Nutcracker of this holiday season.


----------



## MagneticGhost

science said:


> I believe this is my last Nutcracker of this holiday season.


lol... It hasn't actually started yet. The first day of xmas is 25th


----------



## jim prideaux

no work until 5pm today so on a fine December morning Advent Cantatas-J.S.Bach performed by Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists ,the Monteverdi Choir and soloists and a fine recording it is too...sometimes Bach can seem so appropriate, and for some reason it is often the morning!.......


----------



## MagneticGhost

Scarlatti - Cain - Il Primo Omicidio (The First Murder)

Fink - Oddone - Roschmann - Croft - Jacobs - Aberte
Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin


----------



## Guest

jim prideaux said:


> no work until 5pm today so on a fine December morning Advent Cantatas-J.S.Bach performed by Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists ,the Monteverdi Choir and soloists and a fine recording it is too...sometimes Bach can seem so appropriate, and for some reason it is often the morning!.......


I could not agree more! Thanks for the listening suggestion.








Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, Vol. 13
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir


----------



## maestro267

*Berlioz*: Harold en Italie, symphony for viola and orchestra
Bratislava RSO/Lenard


----------



## EricABQ

Went with a warhorse this morning. The Schumann piano concerto with Karajan conducting and Zimerman on piano.


----------



## science

My snob credit has fallen deeply in the red - if this can't help me make up a bit of it, at least it won't hurt too badly.


----------



## science

MagneticGhost said:


> lol... It hasn't actually started yet. The first day of xmas is 25th


For me the season begins with Thanksgiving. (Also if I wait until Christmas for this stuff, I'll never get it done. I'll have almost no time for music until at least the 5th or 6th of January.)


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Trio Sonata in A Major

Musica Gaudeans: Katerina Kopecka, flute -- Jiri Zelba, oboe -- Jakub Dvorak, cello


----------



## MagneticGhost

Messiaen - Turangalila symphony. Rattle.

Warms you up on a cold and foggy winter's day.


----------



## Dom

Notturno - Giuseppe Martucci

I'm reminded of Mahler's famous Adagietto. Martucci is so neglected, it's a shame.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dom said:


> Notturno - Giuseppe Martucci
> 
> I'm reminded of Mahler's famous Adagietto. Martucci is so neglected, it's a shame.


Welcome to TC Dom. Never heard of Martucci until now. Will put him on my 'must listen' list forthwith.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Radio Revisited


----------



## Dom

MagneticGhost said:


> Welcome to TC Dom. Never heard of Martucci until now. Will put him on my 'must listen' list forthwith.


Thanks! And oh, do, do. He's been accused of being faux-Germanic, though I think he does well to imbue his compositions with a distinctly Italianate flavour. He has very beautiful melodies, especially in his 'Canzone dei ricordi'.


----------



## science

I can't fault Janis's playing - I wouldn't even if I thought I could - but I was spoiled a few days ago by listening to Zimerman, who got recorded in better sound. Still, it's a pleasure, and I wouldn't want to choose one or the other.


----------



## Blancrocher

I've always had affection for these performances of Mozart's sonatas (but then I'm a Richter fanatic). Half of the performances are from the 60s, and the other half from when he was an old man in 1991.


----------



## Sudonim

science said:


> For me the season begins with Thanksgiving. (Also if I wait until Christmas for this stuff, I'll never get it done. I'll have almost no time for music until at least the 5th or 6th of January.)


You're both wrong. The Christmas season starts as soon as the last trick-or-treater leaves your front porch.  Or so it seems ...

(Actually, I dislike hearing or seeing anything Christmas-related until after Thanksgiving is over. That being the case, at the moment I'm listening to Der Bingle singing "Snow" and "The First Noel")

Anyhoo, my current in-car listening:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Concerti, w. Douglas/Skrowaczewski (rec.1988), Kovacevich/C.Davis (rec.1980), Ma/Stern/Abbado (rec.1987), Oistrakh/Klemperer (rec.1960), Kremer/HvK (rec.1976).

View attachment 30175
View attachment 30176
View attachment 30177
View attachment 30178
View attachment 30179


----------



## Vasks

_An LP that's not gotten a playing in about 20 years because (1) it's not top drawer Berlioz (2) the performance is just OK & (3) the sonics are just OK. But mentioning the term "LP" reminds of a scene that took place about 7 years ago while I was teaching a music class. Apparently I used that term and a student immediately asked what was it. Fortunately in the room was a shelving unit with plenty of LPs on them, so I pointed to it and then gave a one minute history of 78's, 45's and 33 and a third records._

Berlioz - Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale (Dondeyne/Westminster)


----------



## Oskaar

*Three Russian Piano Concertos by Pabst, Rimsky Korsakov and Scriabin*

*Pabst*:	
Concerto for piano and orchestra in E flat major, op. 82

*Rimsky Korsakov*:	
Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 30

*Scriabin*:	
Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op. 20

*Oleg Marshev

South Jutland Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Ziva*









This album is really recommended, the works, the sound and performances!

allmusic


----------



## Doc

I haven't heard the stereo, 'Klemperer Legacy' version of Beethoven's 3rd, but I've always been more than satisfied with this.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bartok, Piano Concerto No. 2, Solti


----------



## Blake

Alban Berg's Beethoven: String Quartet No. 16. Just right.


----------



## rrudolph

Elliott Carter's birthday!!! He would have been 105 today.

Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello & Harpsichord/Sonata for Cello & Piano/Double Concerto for Harpsichord & Piano with Two Chamber Orchestras








String Quartets #1 & #2








Piano Concerto/Variations for Orchestra


----------



## DaDirkNL

Der Taubenpost, from Schubert's Schwanengesang. DFD as usual.


----------



## Mahlerian

Carter: Cello Concerto
Alisa Weilerstein, Staskapelle Dresden, cond. Barenboim


----------



## Tristan

*Rachmaninov* - Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43 (Matsuev)









Should be seeing this in concert in February


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Weihnachtsoratorium BWV 248
Dorothea Roschman [soprano], Andreass Scholl [counter tenor singing alto parts], Werner Güra [tenor], Klaus Häger [bass], RIAS-Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 62 in E-flat Major; Piano Sonata No. 61 in D Major (Jenő Jandó).









String Quartet Op. 64, No. 2 in B minor (Quatuor Festetics).


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Orchestral Works Volume 2*









Cello Concerto, Op. 22

*Wendy Warner (cello)*

Medea Orchestral Suite, Op. 23

Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

*Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Marin Alsop*









Barbers music is really adventurous, and I cant think of anyone that so masterly paint out a romantic landscape with an underlaying spookyness, like him. (but there is a lot in the world of classical music that I have not heard) Wonderfull cd!
classical.net (Review)
prestoclassical (samples)


----------



## PetrB

jim prideaux said:


> ...sometimes Bach can seem so appropriate, and for some reason it is often the morning!


Maybe that is why I don't "get" so much of it, I'm almost never awake then


----------



## Blancrocher

Perlemuter playing Faure--I became curious as a result of the Faure VS Brahms thread.


----------



## Doc

I believe it was Blancrocher who mentioned Richter's Mozart a few posts back.
Inspired a listen to his wonderful Beethoven recordings.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sir Malcolm Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 5 And 6








*
Artist(s) *Penny, Andrew, Conductor • Ireland National Symphony Orchestra
*








classicsonline


----------



## Flamme




----------



## shangoyal

Debussy: *Complete Works for Piano*

Walter Gieseking

Listening to odds and previously unknown pieces. Delightful journey.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - Piano sonatas etc.

Sonata No. 12 in F major, K332/KV300k
Sonata No. 13 in B flat major, K333/KV315c
Fantasia in C minor, K475
Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K457*

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Octet, Tango, Septet, Ebony Concerto*
Various Columbia Ensembles, cond. Stravinsky
*Benny Goodman, clarinet








The Septet is a particularly interesting work from that time between his Neoclassical and Late periods when he was making use of serial techniques in diatonic or pseudo-diatonic settings.


----------



## moody

Charles Ives : Music For Chorus. inc.General William Booth Enters Into Heaven. conducted by Gregg Smith.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 4.*

I still don't know what to make of this yet, but so far, hearing his interpretation is like going from black coffee to herb tea.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Richard Strauss

Four Last Songs (1948)

Orchestral Songs:

Cäcilie, Op. 27/2
Morgen, Op. 27/4
Weigenlied Op. 41/1
Ruhe, mein Seele, Op. 27/1
Meinem kinde, Op.37/3
Zueignung Op. 10/1*

Jessye Norman, soprano; Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig [Philips, recorded 1983]


----------



## Blancrocher

Arrau in the Diabelli Variations. I'll probably also try out some other recordings of the work I'm not familiar with that were brought up on the Diabelli thread (and in the article joen_cph posted on it) in the coming weeks.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On BBC Radio 3

I joined this broadcast for the beginning of Act III:

*Wagner's Parsifal*, in a new production by Stephen Langridge, live from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Parsifal.....Simon O'Neill (tenor)
Kundry.....Angela Denoke (soprano)
Gurnemanz.....Rene Pape (bass)
Amfortas.....Gerald Finley (baritone)
Klingsor.....Willard W. White (bass)
Titurel.....Robert Lloyd (bass)

Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conducted by Antonio Pappano

Ha! I think this may be the first time I have ever sat down and deliberately listened to Wagner for an extended period (well, it's only taken me 50 years!) I gather this is a very late work, completed just before his death, in 1882. Very interesting and somewhat akin to Richard Strauss, perhaps?


----------



## Vasks

TurnaboutVox said:


> View attachment 30203
> 
> 
> *Richard Strauss
> 
> Four Last Songs (1948)
> 
> Jessye Norman, soprano; Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig [Philips, recorded 1983]*


*

Oh yeah. One of my favorite discs. Jessye does Strauss so right.*


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Sibelius: Symphony 7
Paavo Berglund & the London Philharmonic Orchestra
View attachment sibelius-symphonies-nos-2-7.jpg


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Violin Sonatas, w. Osostowicz & Tomes (rec.1990); Piano Pieces, Opp. 116 - 119, w. Angelich (rec.2006), Grimaud (rec.1995).

View attachment 30212
View attachment 30213
View attachment 30214


----------



## ProudSquire

To celebrate my 464th and 465th posts, I'll be listening to two of my favorite quartets.

*Mozart*

String Quartet No. 18 in A Major "Drum" 
String Quartet No. 19 in C Major "Dissonant"

As always performed by: Quatuor Mosaïques ^.^


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Even though I have to be up is about four hours for a thirteen hour shift, I cannot sleep so I have queued up the following discs. I will either listen to them tonight on headphones or in the car travelling. It is going to be a long night and a longer day 

Bax: Boult Conducts Bax/London Philharmonic Orchestra








Schubert Symphonies 3 & 8: Kleiber/Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









I find him a bit mixed, sometimes great, sometimes not so much. All of the works on this disc are great!


----------



## PetrB

Manxfeeder said:


> Bartok, Piano Concerto No. 2, Solti


Squawk! Solti knew all the piano repertoire, it seems, including instrumental chamber work, songs, just all of it.

Is he the pianist here, or does the piano just play itself?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Last listen of the day:

*Handel - Violin Duo sonatas

Sonata in D minor HWV 359a
Sonata in A major Op. 1 No. 3.
Sonata in G minor Op. 1 No. 6. 
Sonata in A major 'Roger' Op. 1 No. 10
Sonata in E major 'Roger' Op. 1 No. 12*

Andrew Manze (Violin) & Richard Egarr (Harpsichord)









Also Pennypacker's 'Variations' for piano (see 'Today's composers' > Variations)


----------



## Dustin

Excellent album!


----------



## ProudSquire

And it continues as I reach my 466th and 467th posts. :]

*Mozart*

*Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor*

Friedrich Gulda
Munich Philharmoni

*Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major*

Alfred Brendel
Neville Marriner 
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

*Edit:*

*Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major*

From the same DVD as the D minor concerto. ^.^


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 9 and 21.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Symphony and Cantata No. 1*


----------



## Vaneyes

I see some of my album covers were taken, and replaced with numbers. That's not very Xmasy. :lol:


----------



## Evoken

Currently going through *Handel's Water Music Suite #1 In F*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tchaikovsky's 1st remains a favorite... after long ago it became one of the first Romantic-era works that I came to love.


----------



## Dom

I heard Rachmaninoff's Vespers on the radio about a year ago, and have loved them since.


----------



## jimsumner

The Tchaikovsky has long been my favorite album cover.

The performance is pretty good, also.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> Tchaikovsky's 1st remains a favorite... after long ago it became one of the first Romantic-era works that I came to love.


----------



## bejart

Jean Frederic Edelmann (1749 - executed by guillotine in 1794): Piano Sonata in G Minor, Op.5, No.2

Sylvie Pecot-Douatte, piano

PS. How many CM composers do you know that were beheaded?


----------



## GreenMamba

Milhaud Concerto for Marimba and Vibraphone. Zivkovic, Theis / Austrian Chamber Orch.

Certainly one of the better Concertos for Marimba and Vibraphone out there.


----------



## Blancrocher

Moravec in Chopin and Debussy.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.21 in A Major, K.134; Symphony No.26 in E-Flat Major, K.184; Symphony No.27 in G Major, K.199; Symphony No.22 in C Major, K.162; Symphony No.23 in D Major, K.181 and Symphony No.24 in B-Flat Major, K.182. *
All six works are performed by the Sir Charles Mackerras led Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.4 in D Major; Symphony No.27 in G Major; Symphony No.10 in D Major and Symphony No.20 in C Major. *
These four symphonies feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. 
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.3 in D Major, D 200; Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, D 485; Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D 759 {"Unfinished"} and Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944 {"Great"}. * All four works are performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.


----------



## Sid James

This week's blog entry takes in some recent listening as usual.

*Paganini's famous caprice, dances of death, and variations for piano and orchestra to boot! - Music by Liszt, Franck, Rachmaninov and Lutoslawski*

*Liszt* _Totentanz, paraphrase on the 'Dies Irae', S.126 _(1849/1859)
- Georges Cziffra, piano w. Orchestre de Paris conducted by Georges Cziffra Jr. (EMI)

*Franz Liszt's Totentanz* brings together a number of his preoccupations. The big one of course is death, another one is travel because he was inspired to compose the piece after seeing a 14th century fresco in Pisa. Yet another is to do with him being a virtuoso pianist, and that is related to Paganini, whose dazzling pyrotechnics Liszt aimed to replicate on the piano.

Thumping chords by the pianist open the piece, as the brass presents the _Dies Irae_ plainchant theme, which is part of the Catholic mass for the dead. Five contrasting variations follow. I love the wild contrasts in this work, with little or no transition between them, from the dreamy part that reminds me of the salon feel of _Liebestraum_, to another that is like a fugue of Bach gone crazy (sounds like four hands, not two!), to one that can be straight out of the _Hungarian Rhapsodies_. The coda speaks to a sense of heightened frenzy and delirium, a big Romantic ending if there ever was one!

*Images from top to bottom:* a detail of _The Triumph of Death_ by Francesco Traini that inspired Liszt to write _Totentanz_; a photo of Paganini; former piano duo partners Panufnik and Lutoslawski reunite long after the war.










*Franck* _Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra_ (1885)
- Philippe Entremont, piano w. Philharmonia Orch. cond. by Charles Dutoit (Sony)

*César Franck* was a composer who was supported by Liszt - and also Saint-Saens - despite attracting opposition from conservatives such as Cherubini.

One reason for that opposition was Franck's highly unorthodox treatment of form. His innovation of cyclical form is evident in the * Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra* as it is in his other major works. Here, the introduction and finale contain fragmentary ideas that only vaguely relate to the theme of the six variations that appear in the middle section of the work. Franck's variations are more enmeshed with eachother than Liszt's are, there is a sense of the organic here, its more a dialogue than a showpiece with much ebb and flow between its components.

What I like best is the sense of chamber-like textures in the variations, which are quite delicate. Different sections of the orchestra come to the fore when accompanying the pianist. Despite the outwardly traditional darkness to light narrative presented in this work, Franck's individuality is strongly apparent. Like Liszt and Wagner, he was a progressive, and would influence many others, including D'Indy, Chausson and Debussy.










*Rachmaninov* _Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43_ (1934)
- Zoltan Kocsis, piano w. San Francisco Symphony cond. by Edo de Waart (Decca)

*Sergei Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini * was to be his final work for piano and orchestra, and it bears the influence of the two works above. Rachmaninov admired Liszt's _Totentanz_ in particular, which is not surprising since his own variations incorporates the _Dies Irae_ motto.

Following the success of this work at its premiere, choreographer Mikhail Fokine suggested creating a ballet out of it. Rachmaninov replied with a scenario, involving the struggle between death and life, with Paganini representing a Faust-like figure selling his soul to the devil to achieve perfection in his art. In light of these preoccupations, if Liszt was among the first Romantics, in a sense Rachmaninov can be seen as being amongst the very last of them.

What strikes me most about this work is its blending of many things, not only _Dies Irae_ and Paganini's 24th caprice, but also how they are often hard to distinguish from eachother. My favourite of many moments is the transition from the 17th variation - which has a quality that's dreamy but with a dark undertow at the same time - to the 'love music' of the famous 18th, which has been copied numerous times in film scores. Overall I also like how Rachmaninov moved with the times and incorporated the rhythms of jazz and also a bit of the pizzazz of Broadway in his orchestration.










*Lutoslawski* _Paganini Variations_ (originally composed for two pianos in 1941, orchestrated in 1978-9)
- Bernd Glemser on the bones with Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) under Antoni Wit (Naxos)

*Witold Lutoslawski's Paganini Variations * also take in the rhythms of jazz, and also its colours such as in use of muted trumpets. Lutoslawski played this piece in its original piano duet form with his colleague Andrzej Panufnik during World War II, when they worked in the cafes of Warsaw. Lutoslawski composed many pieces and also did transcriptions of other composer's music, but this was the only one that survived the final battles of the war.

Of all the pieces surveyed in this post, Lutoslawski's is most like a concerto, with the colourful and vibrant outer variations encasing a dreamy one that reads like a slow movement. The pianist also gets a cadenza towards the end of the work.

I like the way Lutoslawski combines many influences here, from the quirky 'wrong note' feel of Prokofiev's concertos to the earthy primitivism of Bartok's and the jazziness of Ravel's. Liszt and Rachmaninov also served as Lutoslawski's models, but if they represented the Romantic age, the young Polish composer was brimming with new ideas inspired by the giants of Modernism as well.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc two, Symphony No.2 "A London Symphony and No.8 - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## moody

PetrB said:


> Squawk! Solti knew all the piano repertoire, it seems, including instrumental chamber work, songs, just all of it.
> 
> Is he the pianist here, or does the piano just play itself?


I wondered about that .


----------



## opus55

Bizet: Carmen










At least half of my listening these days consists of operas.


----------



## moody

CHARLES IVES. More crazy stuff. "Old Songs Deranged" inc. Gyp the Blood or Hearst, Which Is Worst ?,Chromatimeloadtune, Fugue In 4 Keys On "The Shining Shore". The Yale Theatre Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' Cantata Da Requiem - Teri Dunn, soprano, Talisker Players


----------



## science

I will admit that this is a favorite.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ives' The Celestial Country - Stephen Cleobury, cond.


----------



## dgee

Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms - Rattle, Berlin. An old fave and one of the only Stravinsky neo-classical works that has struck a chord with me (Symphonies of Winds and Oedipus Rex are the others). Maybe it's the liturgical/modal element as I also enjoy Poulenc's neoclassical sacred work and Carmelites... 

Interesting fact - no clarinets, violins or violas!


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold - Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8*

Symphony No. 7, Op. 113

Symphony No. 8, Op. 124

*Ireland National Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Penny*









Absolutely brilliant!

prestoclassical
classicstoday


----------



## SimonNZ

Ruth Crawford Seeger's String Quartet

Marjike van Kooten, violin
Heleen Hulst, violin
Karin Dolman, viola
Hans Woudenberg, cello


----------



## PetrB

Vaneyes said:


> I see some of my album covers were taken, and replaced with numbers. That's not very Xmasy. :lol:


The quicker to scan them at the cash register, my friend. ~ It's "Christmas" you know.


----------



## jim prideaux

re-examination of my hypothesis that Bach and in particular his Cantatas somehow appear particularly appropriate in the morning has proven successful-am currently listening to the Advent Cantatas again and it is just 'one big blast'!......
i am off to buy my Xmas tree and when I am 'dressing 'it will listen to my seasonal favourites-Prokofiev 1st and 7th because they both sound like snow-I expect to be reprimanded for this infantile observation but that's just the way it is.........:tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Cristobal Halffter's Cello Concerto No.2 - Mstislav Rostropovich, cello, cond. composer


----------



## Oskaar

*ALFVEN: Symphony No. 2 / The Prodigal Son *

Artist(s) *Willen, Niklas*, Conductor • *Ireland National Symphony Orchestra*

















amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Cristóbal Halffter's Symposion - Gunter Reich, baritone, Michael Gielen, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

every so often one piece of music suddenly 'knocks you sideways', that process where you become increasingly aware of something about a work that just happens to 'click'-Bach BWV 62,one of the Advent Cantatas, particularly the opening chorus 'Nun komm,der Heiden Heiland -Gardiner etc 1992 Arkiv recording-oh yeah!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Oskaar

*Artemis Quartett 
Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18/3, Op. 18/5, Op. 135*









allmusic


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Villiers Stanford's Cello Sonata No.2 - Julian Lloyd Webber, cello, John McCabe, piano


----------



## bejart

George Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Flute Quartet No.4 in B Minor

Wilbert Hazelzet on flute with Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Sarah Cunningham, viola -- Mitzi Meyerson, harpsichord


----------



## Gilberto

Kazuhito Yamashita, guitar - 5 Sonatas by M. Ponce


----------



## EricABQ

Second morning in a row I've gone with some Schumann. This time the Davidsbündlertänze played by Christian Zacharias


----------



## science

I think I admit listening to this one without doing further damage to my reputation. (We all must love Bartók. He's not "neglected" exactly, but does anyone really get the love they deserve? I wouldn't say Bartók does.)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

bejart said:


> George Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Flute Quartet No.4 in B Minor
> 
> Wilbert Hazelzet on flute with Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Sarah Cunningham, viola -- Mitzi Meyerson, harpsichord
> 
> View attachment 30240


Ah, bejart, you also have those discs - excellent . They're very good.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Wassermusik (Philip Pickett; Beznosiuk; Clark; New London Consort).


----------



## Blancrocher

Graffman in Prokofiev's 2nd & 3rd piano sonatas, and Graffman & Szell in the 1st and 3rd piano concertos.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Joaquin Nin...Interesting original approach


----------



## Andolink

*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartets in A major, K. 464 and C major, K 465 "Dissonance"_
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Arnold Bax*: _Symphony No. 2 in E minor & C_
London Philharmonic/Bryden Thomson


----------



## brotagonist

I still keep on remembering things I used to have on LP or wanting yet another disc by a favourite composer... there's just never enough... but my buying has slowed down enough that I am finally beginning to be able listen to some of my collection on my (still new) stereo.

c'n://random









Holst's _The Planets_ has sure bowled me over this morning! In the past, it was all Mars and the rest was background. This is really a remarkable work!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ works BWV 542, 578, 588, 544, 543, 562, 531, 572, 570 582
Organ Sonatas BWV 525 - 530
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Johann Sebastian Bach - Ouvertüren BWV 1066 - 1069
By the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, on Harmonia Mundi








Johann Sebastian Bach - Transcriptions by Liszt, Busoni, Rachmaninov, Bauer, Vaughan Williams, Grainger
By Hannes Minnaar [piano], on Cobra Records









(Received this one from my girlfriend. Very sweet, she is much less into classical then me and consulted a friend to get me this present, so it has a very special value to me. There are some pretty interesting transcriptions on the disc: a piano transcritption of Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme by Bussoni for example)

Quite a Bach day!


----------



## DrKilroy

Walton - Orb and Sceptre (Boult)
Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Menuhin).

Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments (Boulez).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

More Karajan/BPO, with Gerd Seifert
Mozart: _Horn Concertos 1-4_









I picked this one up at a local shop, used, early this year. Like so many others, it got played a few times, then filed. It's nice to have the time to listen


----------



## Vaneyes

*Saint-Saens*: Concerti, w. Isserlis/MTT/Eschenbach (rec.1992 - '99), Kantorow/Bakels (rec. 2004), Thibaudet/Dutoit (rec.2007).

View attachment 30264
View attachment 30265
View attachment 30266


----------



## Blancrocher

I've enjoyed this well-reviewed Naxos recording of Berg's Lyric Suite and op.3 String Quartet, and Wolf's Italian Serenade, all with the New Zealand String Quartet.


----------



## Doc

I can't listen to anything for at least a few hours now.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Crazy about Kalinnikov


----------



## DrKilroy

Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 1 (Kohon Quartet). I really like this one, so I should also try the Quartet in D Major and No. 2, shouldn't I? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartets, Nos. 12 and 10


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach - Suite for Lute in E Major, BMV 1006a - 5. Bourrée (John Williams, guitar);
French Suite No. 2 in C minor, BMV 813 (Glenn Gould).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 100 in G Major, 'Military' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Federico Mompou (1893 - 1987)

Cançons i Dansas

Prelude No.5
Prelude No.6 (for the left hand)
Prelude No.7 'Fireworks'
Prelude No.11 (dedicated to Alicia de Larrocha)*

Alicia de Larrocha (Piano) [RCA, 1992]









The 'Songs and dances' are nice enough but the extraordinary, highly chromatic preludes are a revelation (I'd forgotten this disc, it is so long since i last played it). There is apparently a Stephen Hough disc of Mompou worth having as well: I might investigate that.


----------



## Mahlerian

DrKilroy said:


> Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 1 (Kohon Quartet). I really like this one, so I should also try the Quartet in D Major and No. 2, shouldn't I?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Of course! Verklarte Nacht in its sextet version as well, if you haven't heard it.

Stravinsky: The Nightingale (opera after Hans Christian Andersen)
Loren Driscoll, Fisherman, Reri Grist, Nightingale, Marina Picassi, Cook, Kenneth Smith, Chamberlaine, Herbert Beattie, Bonze, Donald Gramm, Emperor, Elaine Bonazzi, Death, Stanley Kolk, Walter Murphy, Carl Kaiser, Envoys, Washington DC Opera Chorus and Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky

Stravinsky: Mavra (comic opera in one act after Pushkin)
Susan Belnick, Parasha, Mary Simmons, Mother, Stanley Kolk, Hussar, CBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








The first act of The Nightingale was composed before The Firebird, and the other two acts after The Rite of Spring, which accounts for the disparity in style. The fisherman's song helps to tie it together, and the music is fine, but it doesn't hold together as a complete work. Fortunately, the composer extracted most of the latter acts into a symphonic poem, The Song of the Nightingale, which holds up far better.

Mavra is a short comic opera that in some ways heralds the beginning of Stravinsky's neoclassical style. It is also, along with Les Noces, though in a very different way, one of the most "Russian" pieces in his oeuvre.


----------



## Winterreisender

Getting into a Christmassy mood with Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium, performed by Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs, Andreas Scholl et al.









Once again, Harmonia Mundi does not disappoint!


----------



## Aramis

Haydn's _Stabat Mater_. Worst of all his sacred works I've heard. Plain boring and unparticular in every possible way, you certainly don't need to hear it ever - stick to the masses.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Aramis said:


> Haydn's _Stabat Mater_. Worst of all his sacred works I've heard. Plain boring and unparticular in every way, you certainly don't need to hear it ever, better stick to the masses.


Now you're making me want to hear it - and now I'm listening to it.

Listened to the Stabat Mater Dolorosa: verdict - I liked it and will definitely check out the piece now.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mozart - The Piano Sonatas

Sonata in D major, K311/KV 284c
Sonata in C major, K330/KV 300h
Sonata in A major, K331/KV 300i*

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)

The last of the divine Mitsuko Ushida's Mozart cycle I listened to this time around.

I had lost this disc, but it turned up in a box-set of Schumann works! As I don't have any other recording of K. 311 I'm not very familiar with it and was pleasantly surprised at Mozart's inventiveness.


----------



## Blancrocher

Geza Anda and Ferenc Fricsay in Bartok's piano concertos.


----------



## asp

into Sibelius night ride, sunrise:


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Federico Mompou (1893 - 1987)
> 
> Cançons i Dansas
> 
> Prelude No.5
> Prelude No.6 (for the left hand)
> Prelude No.7 'Fireworks'
> Prelude No.11 (dedicated to Alicia de Larrocha)*
> 
> Alicia de Larrocha (Piano) [RCA, 1992]
> 
> View attachment 30277
> 
> 
> The 'Songs and dances' are nice enough but the extraordinary, highly chromatic preludes are a revelation (I'd forgotten this disc, it is so long since i last played it). There is apparently a Stephen Hough disc of Mompou worth having as well: I might investigate that.


And another for your consideration. :tiphat:

View attachment 30283


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rimsky-Korsakov*: Scheherazade, w. CSO/Reiner (rec.1960); *Faure*: Piano Quartets, w. Nash Ens. (rec.1985).

View attachment 30284
View attachment 30285


----------



## AClockworkOrange

William Henry Fry: Santa Claus Symphony (Naxos)
Tony Rowe & the Royal Scottish National Orchestra 

Presently up to the 'Niagara Symphony' having just finished the 'Overture to Macbeth' as I type, The pieces up to now are really interesting and the performances are excellent as they always seem to be with this Orchestra.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Gracias!

Next up:
*Haydn - String Quartets, Op. 71

String Quartet In B Flat, Op. 71/1
String Quartet In D, Op. 71/2
String Quartet In E Flat, Op. 71/3*

Takács Quartet


----------



## PetrB

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 30282
> 
> 
> Geza Anda and Ferenc Fricsay in Bartok's piano concertos.


With Anda and Fricsay, these must be rock-solid and totally electrifying! Helluva pool of musicianship there


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Songs
Mary Simmons, Donald Gramm, Evelyn Lear, Cathy Berberian, Adrienne Albert, Alexander Young, various Columbia ensembles








It's always odd that this disc jumps right from the end of his Russian period into his pre-late period. Stravinsky wrote plenty of vocal music in his Neoclassical period, of course, but not in the form of short songs. This disc also has his final composition, The Owl and the Pussycat (1967), a little 12-tone cubist rendering of the Edward Lear poem.


----------



## PetrB

Youtubing it, I came across this stunning performance with Bernstein & Vienna Phil, chorus, boys chorus, Christa Ludwig....

Mahler 3rd.





Incredible writing, playing, everything, really 

Which prompted me to wonder why, instead of saying Shostakovitch was like a third pressing of..., Boulez didn't just say, "Why bother with Shostakovitch _at all_ when there is Mahler? <g>

[ADD: anyone commenting at all upon a few clams from the wind or brass players in the last movement -- after extensive playing for nearly two hours -- will be immediately escorted out of the concert hall by two armed ushers and summarily shot. END ADD]


----------



## SimonNZ

Aramis said:


> Haydn's _Stabat Mater_. Worst of all his sacred works I've heard. Plain boring and unparticular in every possible way, you certainly don't need to hear it ever - stick to the masses.


Sure its not Harnoncourt you're responding to?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

After admitting in the Brahms vs Faure thread to being less-than-familiar with Brahms' solo piano work, I popped in this disc.










Now I'm listening to some music that I am more-than-familiar with.


----------



## Aramis

SimonNZ said:


> Sure its not Harnoncourt you're responding to?


I did get some negative feelings about the performance indeed (not about the solists though), but overally I really do feel that it's nothing special as the work of composer.


----------



## Andolink

*Per Nørgård*: _Symphony No. 6 "At the End of the Day"_ (1998/9)
Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









Messiaen : _Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité_
Daniel Beilschmidt

This monster work will keep me occupied during the wintery evenings  The volume range on this disc is extreme: I have it turned way up for the lengthy quiet passages (hence the 'mystère', I presume) and feel the thunderous roar of the loud passages through my spine. Deep listening is requisite


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins -- Jurgen Kussmaul and Gijs Beths, violas -- Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of my favorite discs of the past several years. The absolutely brilliant counter-tenor, Philippe Jaroussky performs a collection of 19th/20th century French Art Songs. Of course none of these songs were written for counter-tenor... or even with the counter-tenor in mind... but the result is deliciously decadent and magical.


----------



## PetrB

Flamme said:


> http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
> Joaquin Nin...Interesting original approach


Footnote ~ father of author Anaïs Nin


----------



## PetrB

moody said:


> I wondered about that .


His recorded performance of the two Mozart Piano Quartets is legendary -- and worthy of that legend.


----------



## bejart

Franz Alexander Possinger (1767-1827): String Trio in F Major

Vienna String Trio: Jan Pospichal, violin -- Wolfgang Klos, viola -- Wilfred Rehm, cello


----------



## Vasks

Andolink said:


> *Per Nørgård*: _Symphony No. 6 "At the End of the Day"_ (1998/9)
> Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard
> View attachment 30289


Hmmmm....Looks familiar.....where I have I seen this disc?.......oh yeah!.....in my own collection....nice choice


----------



## Katie

Reveling in the Furtwangler Legacy box that arrived today (a Christmas selfie ) - astounding big orchestra sound vivifies Bach (so far through 4 discs from the 1st box which is largely devoted to JSB) in a way I'm not familiar; I'm a classical newbie and my first serious (and ostensibly recent) entanglement with Bach entailed Pinnock's BC and OC renditions with The English Concert, a clearly smaller ensemble! Mercy!


----------



## opus55

Scriabin: Symphony No. 2


----------



## moody

PetrB said:


> His recorded performance of the two Mozart Piano Quartets is legendary -- and worthy of that legend.


I wondered about the absence of a soloist's name.


----------



## moody

PetrB said:


> With Anda and Fricsay, these must be rock-solid and totally electrifying! Helluva pool of musicianship there


It is thought by many that this recording set the standard.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Rubinstein was best known for his performances of Chopin, but the pianist admitted that his greatest musical love was Brahms.


----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with Bavouzet in Debussy. I can hear why these disks have been getting so much attention on the forum.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Partita for Solo Violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 - Chaconne (Henryk Szeryng);
'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme' (John Williams, Guitar; Peter Hurford, Organ);
Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, Vol. I - Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846 (Glenn Gould).


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No4 in F Minor, Op.70

Constance Keene, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Sonata in E-flat major, op. 81a "Les adieux"
Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Stabat Mater - Michel Corboz, cond.


----------



## Weston

Today and and yesterday both I once again experienced the awe of *Hugo Alfven's Symphony No. 4 in C minor ("Fran Havsbandet"), Op. 39, R93* - Niklas Willen / 
Iceland Symphony Orchestra









The anguish in the soloist's voices is uncanny!


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Jean Frederic Edelmann (1749 - executed by guillotine in 1794): Piano Sonata in G Minor, Op.5, No.2
> 
> Sylvie Pecot-Douatte, piano
> [
> PS. How many CM composers do you know that were beheaded?
> 
> View attachment 30232


Now see, this just ticks me off. To loose an artist to politics . . .! It's intolerable.

______________

Another interesting work for today was *Barber's Die natali, Op. 37*, Marin Alsop / Royal Scottish National Orchestra









As a rule I'm pretty cold and scathing to the Christmas season (you CANNOT tell me what to feel and when to feel it just because it's expected at a certain time of year), this piece came up purely by accident and I found myself greatly enjoying the wild things Barber does with the old familiar Christmas carol melodies, and even my aversion to Christmas did not stop his clever musical acrobatics from shining through. I highly recommend this piece to folks who enjoy the season and to fellow Scrooges alike.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc three, Symphonies No.3 "A Pastoral Symphony" and No.4 - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## science

Truth is, I fell asleep sometime during Book 1, and woke up when it was over. Like a baseball game.


----------



## Andolink

*Vinko Globokar*: _Der Engel der Geschichte, Part One: Zerfall_
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Fabrice Bollon; Martyn Brabbins
ExperimentalStudio des SWR, Freiburg








Overhearing this music from across the hall my wife announced, upon my emerging from my listening room, that she "HATED that" pointing to where I had just left. She was quite vehement saying it had creeped her out. I on the other hand thoroughly loved it. The piece is rather chaotic sounding and my first exposure to it many months ago left me ambivalent about it. My appreciation has grown with repeated listenings. Globokar makes much use of collage techniques including field recordings of archaic folk singing from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia, et. al. I can certainly understand my wife's reaction. This is definitely not music for mass appeal. But it's exactly that anarchic quality (which repeat listenings reveal to be actually quite calculatedly so) that makes this kind of music exciting to me. The performance and recorded sound are superbly done too.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Music For Goethe's Egmont - Gundula Janowitz, soprano, Herbert von Karajan, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Bach-Concertos BWV 1041-1043=violin/two violins, The English Consort/Pinnock.I thought I would continue my investigation into the effect that listening to Bach early on a December morning might have on the state of mind-I can heartily recommend it although this approach will appear a little utilitarian fleeting images through windows appear to be imbued with a certain spirit-and this is in the context of a 'post-industrial' city in north east England.........


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho: Works For Orchestra, disc two

"Caliban's Dream", "Solar", "Graal Theatre" and "Miranda's Lament" - Hannu Lintu, cond.

taken from:


----------



## jim prideaux

this morning features my first encounter with Holmboe-symphonies no 6/7 performed by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arwel Hughes


----------



## SimonNZ

Cristobal Halffter's Versus - cond. composer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's The Art Of Fugue - Emerson String Quartet


----------



## Andolink

Courtly songs of the early fifteenth century by:
*Guillaume Dufay, Anthonello da Caserta, Briquet, Bartholomeus Brollo, Franco de Insulis, Francesco Landini, J. Matheus de Sancto, Gacien Reyneau, Anonymous* 
Margaret Philpot, Rogers Covey-Crump
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page 








*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in G major, K. 387_ 
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Oskaar

*TELEMANN: Don Quixote / La Lyra / Ouverture in D Minor*

Composer(s):
*Telemann, Georg Philipp *

Conductor(s):
*Ward, Nicholas *









Naxosdirect

Orchestra(s):
*Northern Chamber Orchestra*


----------



## bejart

Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): Concert No.2

Trio Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Mitzi Meyerson, harpsichord -- Sarah Cunningham, viola


----------



## EricABQ

Third Schumann morning in a row. This time the Fantasie in C played by Leif Ove Andsnes from this release:


----------



## aleazk

Debussy - _La mer_.


----------



## Weston

Andolink said:


> *Vinko Globokar*: _Der Engel der Geschichte, Part One: Zerfall_
> SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Fabrice Bollon; Martyn Brabbins
> ExperimentalStudio des SWR, Freiburg
> View attachment 30310
> 
> 
> Overhearing this music from across the hall my wife announced, upon my emerging from my listening room, that she "HATED that" pointing to where I had just left. She was quite vehement saying it had creeped her out. . .


Ordering a copy right away!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 096 - Classically Irish


----------



## rrudolph

OK, I give up, it's finally time for some Christmas music (ignoring the fact that I've already played Messiah three times in the past week and will play it again tonight-it was never intended as Christmas music anyway)

Bach: Christmas Oratorio (Gardiner)


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms (Solti) and Symphonies of Wind Instruments (Boulez).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Sudonim

My first encounter with Pettersson. It begins with Symphony No. 2 (apparently the 1st has been lost). Not as "radical" as I had expected, actually - it's unmistakably a "modern" work, but it strikes me as no more so than, say, Prokofiev. I have a feeling that may change, though, as I progress through these. (Probably won't listen to all of them straight through - I'll return to some later, as I've done with my Complete Bartók set.)


----------



## Vasks

_331/3 rpm_

Berlioz - Requiem (Davis/Philips)


----------



## Blancrocher

Edwin Fischer in Schubert's Moments musicaux. Good morning!


----------



## moody

CARL CZERNY. Variations On a Theme of Haydn. Felicja Blumental with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.

This is real show-off stuff,the theme is what we recognise as "Deutschland Ueber Alles " .


----------



## starthrower

Hindemith - Mathis der Maler symphonic version Blomstedt

Mathis der Maler opera conducted by Kubelik


----------



## maestro267

*Arnold*: Symphony No. 3
NSO Ireland/Penny

*Berwald*: Symphony No. 1 in G minor (Sinfonie sérieuse)
Malmö SO/Ehrling


----------



## Guest

*Mozart Symphonies #25 in g minor and #29 in A
Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music*

Can someone tell me why Hogwood thinks it's appropriate to play harpsichord continuo with Mozart?


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









...And now for something completely different: _more_ Karajan, but with the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

*W.A.Mozart
K365, Concerto for Two Pianos in E flat
K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C
K447, Concerto for Horn in E flat
ANIMA ETERNA, Jos van Immersee*


----------



## Oskaar

*BALADA: Piano Concerto No. 3 / Concierto Magico*

*Serebrier, Jose*, Conductor • *Martinez, Magdalena*, flute • *Fisk, Eliot*, guitar • *Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra* • *Torres-Pardo, Rosa*, piano









classicsonline


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress
_Judith Raskin_, Anne,_ Alexander Young_, Tom,_ John Reardon_, Nick Shadow
Sadler's Wells Opera Chorus, Royal Philharmonic, cond. Stravinsky








One of the few performances from this set that I can't imagine being improved much. I've seen the Haitink/Glyndebourne DVD and heard part of Gardiner's, but the cast and conducting in this one seem to fit perfectly.

The Rake's Progress was the last work of Stravinsky's Neoclassical period. During its long gestation, the composer met Robert Craft, his friend and sycophant to the end of his life. Also a mediocre conductor, Craft introduced Stravinsky to the music of Schoenberg, Webern, and Gesualdo, influences that would be important for his late period.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to this album featuring the Trout Quintet, with Martin Helmchen (piano), Christian Tetzlaff (violin), Antoine Tamestit (viola), Marie-Elisabeth Hecker (cello), Alois Posch (double bass), and Aldo Baerten (wooden flute). It has received exceptional reviews.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/Apr10/Schubert_Trout_PTC5186334.htm

*p.s.* I've been enjoying your comments on that Stravinsky set, Mahlerian--one of my first musical loves. I saw some clips of Stravinsky in rehearsal some time ago, and remember thinking I wouldn't enjoy being a member of his orchestra!


----------



## scratchgolf

This arrived in the mail today and I just finished my first listen. I love the 2nd and 3rd movements. Very unique interpretation. The 4th, however, has me scratching my head. There were moments where the vocalists seemed out of sync with the music and other times where it felt as if the entire thing was about to fall apart. I'm sure I'll require additional listenings but I must say I'm extremely disappointed with the 4th movement.


----------



## DrKilroy

Today is Friday the 13th, so I figured out it would be appropriate to listen to Schoenberg.  Following Mahlerian's suggestions, I'll listen to Schoenberg's String Quartet in D major (LaSalle Quartet), String Quartets Nos. 1 (Kohon Quartet) and 2 (New Vienna String Quartet, Evelyn Lear), Verklärte Nacht (Boulez; the string sextette version) and Pierrot Lunaire (Boulez/Schäfer). I do not know if I will manage to listen to it all at once, but we'll see.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Blancrocher said:


> *p.s.* I've been enjoying your comments on that Stravinsky set, Mahlerian--one of my first musical loves. I saw some clips of Stravinsky in rehearsal some time ago, and remember thinking I wouldn't enjoy being a member of his orchestra!


He could be very exacting and specific about what he wanted, which makes it all the more unfortunate that his relative lack of technique prevented him from producing many truly definitive recordings. That said, I've really enjoyed going through the whole set; it had been probably about two years since the last time.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2*

*Maggini Quartet*









Amazon


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Fidelio* Ludwig, Vickers, Philharmonia Orch & chorus conducted by Klemperer on EMI.

OK Beethoven isn't a natural opera composer, and Fidelio is missing the subtleties of a Mozart opera. However after some routine scene setting (mind you the first act quartet is a joy) the music becomes quite gripping.

This performance is very good. Vickers is pretty well ideal as Fidelio and Ludwig makes an excellent Leonore.


----------



## Oskaar

*Samuel Barber*

Violin Concerto
Souvenirs (Ballet Suite)
Serenade for Strings
Music for a Scene from Shelley

*James Buswell, violin
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Marin Alsop*









allmusic
classical.net


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 50 in C Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









A nice, energetic performance for this symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach motets - Michel Corboz, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

So...which one is going to happen first on this thread: fifty thousand posts, two hundred thousand likes or one million views?


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival...

*Nono*: Variazioni canoniche...., etc., w. SWRSO/Gielen (rec.1989).

View attachment 30342


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> So...which one is going to happen first on this thread: fifty thousand posts, two hundred thousand likes or one million views?


Some need to get with *The Like Program*. This thread should be over a million.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: String Quartet No.11/Schubert: String Quartet No.13*

*Alban Berg Quartett*









Super sound, and a very good and intense performance!!

amazon


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Diabelli Variations* played by Stephen Kovacevich on Philips.

Well there been a lot of posts on the Diabelli recently. No question a magnificent work, and a compositional tour de force. Whilst the tour de force that is the Goldberg variations seem like a natural outpouring from Bach, these are more wilful than natural. Beethoven is making the effort. But that is a large part of what makes Beethoven Beethoven. It shouldn't sound like it's that easy.

Kovacevich delivers a musical performance here that feels coherent.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann

Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47
Piano Quartet in C minor WoO 32 (1829)*

Trio Parnassus with Hariolf Schlichtig (viola)









*Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras

Bachianas Brasileiras No.1 for cellos (1930)
Bachianas Brasileiras No.2 for orchestra (1930)
Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 for soprano and 8 cellos (1938/1945)
Bachianas Brasileiras No.9 for string orchestra (1945)*

Victoria de los Angeles (soprano); Heitor Villa-Lobos, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française,









Great music, really scratchy 1959 mono recording. Sacrilege as the composer is conducting, but maybe I should get a modern rendition as well.


----------



## DrKilroy

Today was the first time I listened to a piece twice on one day. It was Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms conducted by Solti.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I've listened to a ton of Rimsky-Korsakov this afternoon, maybe an hour's worth of stuff. The complete Antar Symphony, excerpts from Opera suites, etc.

Currently enjoying this:


----------



## EricABQ

Medtner's sonaten-triade played by Hamelin.


----------



## Sid James

*Peter Maxwell Davies*
Sinfonia Concertante*
Sinfonia
- Scottish CO under the composer, *with soloists: David Nicholson, flute; Robin Miller, oboe; Lewis Morrison, clarinet; Gareth Newman, bassoon; Robert Cook, Fr. horn; Tristan Fry, timpani

*Lutoslawski* Symphonic Variations
- Polish National Radio SO (Katowice) under Antoni Wit

*Schubert* Symphony #1
- Israel PO under Zubin Mehta

*Franck* Prelude, Choral et Fugue (Orchestrated by Pierné)
- Royal Flanders PO under Gunter Neuhold

*Grofé* Mississippi Suite
- Eastman Rochester Orch. under Howard Hanson

*Serge Gainsbourg* Les Loups dans la bergerie (Wolves in the Sheepfold) - music from the 1959 film
- Orch. led by Alain Gouraguer (piano, arrangements), incl. Roger Guérin, tpt; Raymond Guiot, fl.; Georges Grenu, alto sax; Willian Boucaya, bar. sax; Pierre Michelot, bass; Christian Garros, dr.


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Gould in Bach's keyboard suites on my ipod--a little calm in the midst of a hectic day.

If you can ever call Gould calm :lol:

*p.s.* I'm interested to hear that orchestration of the Prelude, Choral, and Fugue--thanks for the mention of it, Sid James.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3










Weekend opener


----------



## TurnaboutVox

* Villa-Lobos - Complete Music for Solo Guitar

12 Etudes (1929)
5 Préludes (1940)*

Norbert Kraft (guitar) [Naxos]

Once I start listening to Villa-Lobos I crave more!


----------



## senza sordino

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras
> 
> Bachianas Brasileiras No.1 for cellos (1930)
> Bachianas Brasileiras No.2 for orchestra (1930)
> Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 for soprano and 8 cellos (1938/1945)
> Bachianas Brasileiras No.9 for string orchestra (1945)*
> 
> Victoria de los Angeles (soprano); Heitor Villa-Lobos, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française,
> 
> View attachment 30344
> 
> 
> Great music, really scratchy 1959 mono recording. Sacrilege as the composer is conducting, but maybe I should get a modern rendition as well.


I have the same recording I can't imagine life without it. 35 yrs ago, my mother bought this LP, I bought a cd 20 years ago. it is the only recording I know, I am not sure I want to hear another.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random*









Armin Jordan/Suisse Romande

The sleigh bells in this recording make this symphony feel wintery. I will have to compare it with my other recording, by Tennstedt/LPO.

*Not "true randomness," as Weston pointed out, since I pick another random number, if the first random choice has a high play count, compared to other albums. Essentially, I am picking only from those not yet picked, so it is a non-repeating random sequence or a random permutation of a finite set.


----------



## Blake

Lewis' Beethoven: Hammerklavier. This is an excellent cycle.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I know we have all the Russian lovers... but after the Austro-Germanic Hegemony the 19th century music I love most comes from France... No the music of any era that I admire most (with the above stated exception) is that of the French. Faust is certainly one of the truly marvelous operas... and one is saddened that Gounod never came close to matching it again.


----------



## Weston

*Alexander Grechaninov - Symphony No. 2 in A minor ("Pastoral"), Op. 27*
Johannes Wildner / Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice)









A bit of a disappointing performance of what might have been a fiery homage to Dvorak with Russian orchestration. The resemblance to Dvorak is so great to me, I would certainly have guessed him as the composer on a cold hearing. Many of the themes even resemble those of Dvorak's 9th. Though there are some dramatic moments and clever musical acrobatics, overall I felt the work lighter than what I was hoping for.

Sadly the composition is marred by a subtly out of tune orchestra, especially in the brass. It must have been cold wherever it was recorded, but it was enough to distract me. I'm also not sure if the rhythmic aspects are captured correctly. Either some of the rhythmic phrases are awkwardly written or they are muddled in performance. This comes across almost like a passable youth orchestra. Okay for background atmosphere, not okay for deep listening. But who am I to judge? I can't get a single note out of a flute or a clarinet, only wet hissing sounds.


----------



## brotagonist

I am listening to Mahler Symphony 4 (Tennstedt/LPO) now. I think I'd have to play a movement of each version, or even alternate a few sections to be able to compare. I just don't have that kind of musical memory. Luckily, I bought them, so I have years to do comparisons


----------



## moody

scratchgolf said:


> View attachment 30334
> 
> 
> This arrived in the mail today and I just finished my first listen. I love the 2nd and 3rd movements. Very unique interpretation. The 4th, however, has me scratching my head. There were moments where the vocalists seemed out of sync with the music and other times where it felt as if the entire thing was about to fall apart. I'm sure I'll require additional listenings but I must say I'm extremely disappointed with the 4th movement.


I'm very surprised at your impressions of the fourth movement.I have known it more or less since it was first issued and don't recognize the description. Nothing ever fell apart when Toscanini was conducting.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"}; Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543; Symphony No.25 in G Minor, K.183; Symphony No.29 in A Major, K.201 and Symphony No.30 in D Major, K.202.*
All five symphonies are performed by the Charles Mackerras led Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.17 in F Major; Symphony No.19 in D Major; Symphony No.107 in B-Flat Major and Symphony No.25 in C Major. * These four works feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc four, Oboe Concerto and Symphony No.5 - Jonathan Small, oboe, Vernon Handley, cond.

taken from:


----------



## Blake

I've calculated that Mendelssohn has written some of the greatest quartets of all time, and Pacifica plays them exceptionally.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6


----------



## Itullian

Better than Gardiner imho.
At least there's some warmth here.


----------



## SimonNZ

Brian Ferneyhough's Études Trascendentales - Brenda Mitchell, mezzo, Ed Spanjaard, cond.

edit: now Alfredo Casella's Concerto For Strings - Alun Francis, cond.










edit: Peter Maxwell Davies' Eight Songs For A Mad King - cond. composer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 38 in D Major, 'Prague' (Rafael Kubelik; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Maxwell Davies' Mavis In Las Vegas - cond. composer


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 In Eb Major, WAB 104, "Romantic"*

I seen Bruckner posted on the web several times today so I figured I should join the party :lol: - I havent listened to this set that much but I remember being impressed with it when I made a first listen of it. The 4th is very good - most imposing. Just playing it now for a second time :


----------



## Conor71

SimonNZ said:


> Peter Maxwell Davies' Mavis In Las Vegas - cond. composer


This is a composer i need to check out at some stage! - I am particularly interested in hearing his String Quartets


----------



## SimonNZ

Presto have the Naxos 5-disc set of the Quartets going super cheap at the moment, and its on my wish-list - along with about a thousand other things.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Naxos/8505225

playing now:










Peter Maxwell Davies' Five Klee Pictures - cond. composer

edit: Darius Milhaud's Symphony No.12 "Rurale" - Alun Francis, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Niels Wilhelm Gade: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3*

*Torbianelli, Edoardo*, piano • *Irnberger, Thomas Albertus*, violin









arkivmusic


----------



## Doc

Took yesterday out to listen to Mahler's 1st, 2nd and 5th by Bernstein, Klemperer and Barbirolli respectively.


----------



## Gilberto

Bach Cantatas BWV 7,8,9 - Helmuth Rilling ...I'm slowly playing through the cantatas. Doing a bit of reading up first before listening at http://www.bach-cantatas.com/index.htm ...I find the information and discussion of great benefit.


----------



## Andolink

*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in D minor, K. 421_
Quatuor Mosaïques








Music in Italy, 1330-1430
*Andreas de Florentia*, *Johannes de Florentia*, *Francesco Landini*, *Richard Loqueville*, et. al.
Andrew Lawrence-King, medieval harp
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page


----------



## Gilberto

Yolanda Kondonassis - harp
Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Mixed feelings about this type of recording. I do love the harp but the sound of it seems to disappear during the lively passages.


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - Norma
By Maria Callas [soprano], Christa Ludwig [alto], Franco Corelli [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Orchestra and Choir of the Theatre de Scala, Tullio Serafin [dir.] on EMI


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 071 - Tarantellas


----------



## DrKilroy

I will listen to both of Mozart's G minor symphonies conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Andolink

*David Felder*: _Coleccion Nocturna_ (1982-83)
Jean Kopperud, clarinet, bass clarinet
James Winn, piano
4-channel tape








*Brian Ferneyhough*: _String Trio_ (1995)
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Asger Hamerik: Symphony No. 6
and works by Niels Gade*

Gade, N:	
*Novellette No. 1 in F, Op. 53
*
*Novellette No. 2 in E, Op. 58*

Hamerik, A:	
*Symphony No. 6 in G major, Op. 38 'Symphonie spirituelle'
*

*Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss, Johannes Goritzki*









arkivmusic


----------



## bejart

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Symphony No.63 in D Major

Viktor Lukas leading the Lukas Consort


----------



## DrKilroy

Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 83 (Menuhin) and 104 (Dorati).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Couac Addict

Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary - Monteverdi/Gardiner

Gardiner applies just the right amount of woe in the march. Often, it's too bombastic for the occasion.
Beautiful work.


----------



## Blancrocher

Bach's Trio Sonatas, with E. Power Biggs playing harpsichord.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

Nice music to wake up to...









DIsc One today.


----------



## Vasks

_Two Columbia records that I've had since the late 60's_

Bartok - Violin Concerto (Stern & Bernstein)
Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra (Ormandy)


----------



## Oskaar

*Violin Recital: Ivanov, Yossif - FRANCK, C. / YSAYE, E. / D'HAENE, R.*

*Blumenthal*, Daniel, piano • *Ivanov*, Yossif, violin

Franck, Cesar - Violin Sonata in A major
Ysaye, Eugene - Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 27, No. 5
Ysaye, Eugene - Violin Sonata in E major, Op. 27, No. 6
D'Haene, Rafael - Violin Sonata-









Only four stars on allmusic. I think I would rate it higher. Maybe a bit unmature Ivanov(19 here), but that often gives to me an unpolished sharm.

allmusic


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Gustav Mahler

Symphony No.1 in D major*

Solti, London SO









[Decca, recorded 1964]

OK, so I've not listened to any Mahler Symphonies for a while - time to remedy that. My LP is the 1986 remastered re-release on Decca Ovation. Solti and the LSO still sound great.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex
_George Shirley_, Oedipus, _Shirley Verrett_, Jochasta, _Donald Gramm_, Creon, _Chester Watson_, Tiresias, _John Reardon_, Messenger, _John Westbrook_, Narrator, Washington DC Opera Chorus and Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky

Stravinsky: The Flood
_Laurence Harvey_, narrator, _John Reardon_, _Robert Oliver_, God, _Richard Robinson_, Lucifer, Gregg Smith Singers, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Craft








A bit of an odd pairing, but I suppose this "opera-oratorio" in a language "turned to stone" and this TV opera (more of a melodrama, really, as most lines are spoken) have a similar archaic aura about them. Oedipus Rex draws on Verdi in particular for inspiration (all those bouncy rhythms paired with tragic scenes!), and The Flood on Schoenberg (who had set the words of God for multiple voices in Moses und Aron). Neither is given a definitive performance here. The delivery of the narration in both works sounds pretty dated, and more modern performances conform better with contemporary taste.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Anton Bruckner

Symphony No. 1 in C minor* (Linz version)

Solti, Chicago SO









[Decca, recorded 1996]

So this was what Solti was doing 32 years later. Magnificent. I think this is my favourite amongst the Bruckner symphonies I know (I must get to know the rest).


----------



## bejart

Leonardo Leo (1694-1744): Cello Concerto in D Major, L10

Vladislav Czarnicki conducting the Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim -- Julius Berger, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*The 20th-Century Clarinet Concerto*

*Daniel Wolff*: Concerto for Clarinet & String Orchestra (1999)
*John Bavicchi*: Concerto for Clarinet & String Orchestra, Op. 11 (1954)
*Paul Hindemith*: Concerto for Clarinet in A Major (1947)*

*Gary Dranch*, clarinet
*Orquestra de Cámara da Ulbra/Tiago Flores
* Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires/Arkady Leytush*









classical net


----------



## jani

My favorite performance i have heard so far of this movement.
It has fire like no other.


----------



## Blake

Schiff's Schubert: Piano Sonatas/Impromptus, Sonata No. 13. I've read some mixed reviews about this. But what some see as blandness, I see as a tender heart. I feel Schiff really understands Schubert.


----------



## Doc

Enjoying some chamber music after yesterday's indulging in Mahler.


----------



## Jos

CBS masterworks, 1982 reissue, the actual recordingdates are earlier.
Glenn Gould, Mozart pianosonatas 
5 elpees of bliss, although mr. Gould is a bit fast for my taste in some parts. On the other hand, what he does is technically amazing. (In sofar I can judge that...)








Cheers,
Jos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Alban Berg - Piano Sonata, Op. 1

Arnold Schönberg

Three piano pieces, Op. 11
Six little piano pieces, Op. 19
Five piano pieces, Op. 23
Suite for piano, Op.25
Piano piece, Op. 33A
Piano piece, Op. 33B

Anton Webern - Variations, Op. 27*

Peter Hill [Naxos, rec. 1996]









I liked this recording when I heard it on Spotify. It's my new disc this week - hearing it on my hi-fi is a whole different experience to hearing it on a lap-top's tinny speakers on my travels in London last month.

The excellent pianist is Professor Peter Hill, Emeritus Professor of Music at The University of Sheffield in northern England.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Trio in E Flat

Camerata Berolinensis: Johannes Gebauer and Fiona Stevens, violins -- Ulrike Ruben, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter in the Diabelli Variations.

*p.s.* Vesuvius, you may enjoy this Schubert documentary featuring Andras Schiff. There's nothing of musical interest, but Schiff makes the passion for the composer plain, and I at least enjoyed seeing Schubert's family's house and various other landmarks.


----------



## Mahlerian

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E minor
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, cond. Petrenko









Today's symphony of the week. I've always had rather mixed feelings about this one.


----------



## Oskaar

*Feld: Complete Works for Flute and Orchestra*

Carlo Jans / Daniel Blumenthal / Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra / Vladimir Valek









amazon


----------



## MagneticGhost

Martinu - The Epic of Gilgamesh - Cantata on the words of the Old Babylonian epic for Soloists, Speaker, Mixed Chorus and Orchestra
Jiri Belohlavek - Prague Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Blake

Talich's Mozart: String Quintet No. 4. Mmm, so sweet...


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartok: Piano Music, Vol. 1: Suite For Piano - 7 Sketches - Piano Sonata*

Artist: Jeno Jando









amazon


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Piano Concerto No.4 in E Major, Op.110

Howard Shelley on piano with the London Mozart Players


----------



## LancsMan

*Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1* played by the Beaux Arts Trio on Philips.

Late Schubert - wistful rather than dark. Is this romantic classical or classical romantic music? It certainly benefits in my opinion from it's classical clarity and restraint. A joy in the hands of the Beaux Arts Trio.


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar*: Introduction & Allegro, for strings
Hallé Orchestra/Barbirolli

*Daugherty*: Deus ex Machina, for piano and orchestra
Wilson (piano)/Nashville SO/Guerrero

And, as usual now, the Saturday Symphony:

*Shostakovich*: Symphony No. 10 in E minor
Czecho-Slovak RSO/L. Slovák


----------



## ptr

for SS 14.12.13 - Shostakovich #10:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - Symphony No 10 (RCA)









kɔnɪnklək kɔnˈsɛrtɣəbʌu̯ɔrˌkɛst u. Claus Peter Flor

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Thought I'd join the Shosty fun.
Unlike Mahlerian - I have always been very sure about this symphony. 
Listening to the recording I first heard. I bought back the complete cycle on vinyl from a visit to Russia with the youth orchestra of which I was a member.
Gennady Rozhdestvensky - USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra.


----------



## LancsMan

*Schumann: Davidbundlertanze* played by Benjamin Frith on Naxos.

Much as I like Schumann's larger scale pieces, I think the essential Schumann is in collections of short 'character' piano pieces like this, along with his lieder. This is unmistakable Schumann, and full of whimsy and melancholy as well as a certain intimate vigour.

I'm quite happy with Benjamin Frith's playing and as it's on a budget label I've got to give it a big thumbs up.


----------



## Bas

François Couperin - Diverse Piano works
By Alexandre Tharaud [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## LancsMan

*Schumann: Dichterliebe* sung by Ian Bostridge with Julius Drake on piano - EMI.

The archetypal early romantic song cycle at it's best. I really struggle to decide whose song writing I prefer - Schubert or Schumann.

Really well sung by Ian Bostridge with Julius Drake providing excellent support.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schumann: Fantasiestücke op. 73, Dichterliebe op. 48, Andante und Variationen op. 46*

Jan Vogler - Hélène Grimaud - Moritzburg Festival Ensemble









amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Boccherini String Quintets - La Magnifica Comunita


----------



## LancsMan

*Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream - complete incidental music* played by the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre Previn on EMI.

When it comes to Mendelssohn this is the vein I prefer - light, innocent and fairy tale like. I have misgivings about Mendelssohn in a more earnest mood - and I've got a large dose of that on tomorrow night's listening list. So for now I'll sit back and enjoy this magic from Previn and the LSO.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Zemlinsky*: String Quartets, w. LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980); *Scriabin*: Symphony 3, w. OdP/Barenboim (rec.1986).

View attachment 30416


----------



## Vaneyes

For *CPE Bach's* death day, December 14, 1788.

View attachment 30417


----------



## bejart

Nicolas Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet No.15 in G Minor

Zmeskall Quartet: Milos Valent and Dagmar Valenkova, violins -- Peter Vrbincik, viola -- Jaraj Kovac, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Pollini in Chopin's Etudes.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This is good to start Sunday off!

*Louis van

15 Variations & Fugue in E flat Op.35, 'Eroica'
6 Variations in F, Op. 34
2 Rondos Op. 51
'Fur Elise' WoO 59*

Louis Lortie (Piano) [Chandos, rec. 1986-88]









Lortie is an impressive Beethovenian


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B Flat, KV 191

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Frank Morrelli on bassoon


----------



## Conor71

Listening to random symphonies from these 2 sets:


----------



## EricABQ

Rachmaninoff piano sonata 2 played by Santiago Rodriguez.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

After watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, I decide to listen Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, the whole work.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://selected

I'll join y'all in listening to Shostakovich's _Symphony 10_ (Shipway/RoyalPO)









This is one of my favourites.


----------



## bejart

Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga (1806-1826): String Quartet No.1 in D Minor

Guarneri Quartet: Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins -- Michael Tree, viola -- David Soyer, cello


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> I'll join y'all in listening to Shostakovich's _Symphony 10_ (Shipway/RoyalPO)


The best 10th by a conductor you've never heard of!


----------



## starthrower

Messiaen Turangalila Symphony
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain/Vasily Petrenko






Haven't listened to this monster in a few years, so...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Martucci: Piano Concerto in B-flat Minor Mieczyslaw Horszowski/NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

Inspired to dig this out by an earlier post that I've just read. What a smashing piece of music, and what a stunning performance, this from Carnegie Hall, 17th January, 1953. Toscanini had performed this with the composer as soloist, and coached MH in the performance. I bought this when it came out on dell'Arte in 1986, sadly it doesn't appear to be available at present. Worth snapping up if ever you see a copy.


----------



## bejart

John Field (1782-1837): Nocturne No.2 in C Minor

Miceal O'Rourke, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mozart's Don Giovanni - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, cond.


----------



## KenOC

J.C. Bach, 15 Symphonies, Zinman, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Big pic, sorry!


----------



## Weston

*Joseph Rheinberger: Piano Sonata No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 135*
Antonio Pompa-Baldi, piano









Nice piece, fairly understated for the time it was written (1883). the opening movement relies heavily on a ba-DUMP ba-DUMP rhythm that kind of feels like we are limping after a while. The second movement Scherzo has wonderful contrasts between staccato and legato passages, galloping and gliding, which is great fun and may be the most enjoyable movement here for me. The 3rd movement seems to "borrow" one of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words (one of the gondolier's songs I think) or maybe it just reminds me of it, but then it also seems to be a pensive waltz. The Finale might be a set of variations, or maybe it's one long cadenza -- it's hard to tell. It is full of Schumannesque arpeggios and Lisztian virtuoso chromatic ornaments, ending a bit unexpectedly.

Overall a pleasant listen. 3.5 of 5 stars.


----------



## Blake

Beaux's Haydn: Piano Trios (CD 1). This is so nice.


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> Beaux's Haydn: Piano Trios (CD 1). This is so nice.


Great works, great performances.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to this recent recording of Daniel Harding conducting Isabelle Faust and the Swedish RSO in Bartok's violin concertos. This sounds great.


----------



## SimonNZ

Leon Kirchner's String Quartet No.3 - Concord Quartet

edit: Stefan Wolpe's Suite im Hexachord - Speculum Musicae


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc five, Symphonies Nos. 6 and 9 - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Götterdämmerung










Magnificent brass and horn. It's as manly as music can get!


----------



## SimonNZ

Francois-Joseph Gossec's Te Deum - Jacques Grimbert, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Erik Satie - Piano Music

Trois Gymnopédies* (1887)
* Trois Morceaux en forme de poire* (1903)
*Passacaille* (1906)
*Trois Gnossienes* (1888)

*La Belle Excentrique* (1920)
*Préludes flasques (pour un chien)* (1912)
*Véritables Préludes flasques (pour un chien)* (1912)
*Le Piège de Médusa* (1913)
*Descriptions Automatiques* (1913)
*Embryons Desséchés* (1913)
*Trois Avant-Dernières Pensées* (1915)

Aldo Ciccolini [EMI, rec. 1964-7]









Rum stuff, mostly wistful melancholy but there are some surprisingly powerful and even bombastic moments here too - no doubt meant ironically.

This LP is a reminder of just how bad a vinyl pressing could be in the bad old days. Satie accompanied by snap, crackle and pop.

A second listen also for *Berg - Piano Sonata, Op. 1* and *Webern - Variations, Op. 27* - Peter Hill [Naxos], both of which are very striking.


----------



## Guest

*Felix Mendelssohn*, String Symphony #7 in D minor
*Concerto Köln*








*W.A.Mozart*, K250 Serenade #7 in D "Haffner"
*Sir Neville Marriner*, Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields; Iona Brown, violin solo








*Antonio Vivaldi*, Concerto in A minor, RV 358 "La cetra" 
Nic*ola Benedetti*, violin; Scottish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## ptr

Various Composers, see below (Ligia 2CDs)







...








Oliver Vernet @ Les Grandes Orgues Thomas de la Cathedrales de Monaco

and now:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - Symphony No 10 (CBS/Sony)









Philadelphia Orchestra u. Eugene Ormandy

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Georg Muffat (1653-1704): Concerto Grosso No.9 in C Minor

Peter Zajicek conducting Musica Aeterna Bratislava


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 147 - Classic Dreams


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr - Violin Concerto 10 in A, Violin Concerto 7 in Em, Violin Concerto 9 in Dm
By Ulf Hoelscher [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## Andolink

French songs and motets of the 14th century by:
*Machaut*, *Pycard*, *Solage* and anonymous
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page








French and English Music, 1350-1420 by:
*Machaut*, *Solage*, *Pycard* and anonymous
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page








*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in B flat major, K. 458_ 'The Hunt'
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Guest

Just listening to my favorite excerpts from this:







Handel, Messiah
Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Jiri Antonin Benda (1722-1795): Harpsichord Concerto in G Major

Josef Hala on harpsichord with Ard Rediva Ensemble


----------



## Vasks

_"Keep Going!"_ 

Bazelon - Propulsions (composer conducting 7 percussionists/CRI - LP)
Berio - Sinfonia (composer conducting Swingle Singers & NY Phil/Columbia - LP)


----------



## Oskaar

*BARTOK, B.: String Quartets Nos. 2, 4, 6 (Euclid Quartet)*









Fantastic sound and performance, and I really enjoy the vast specter of exitement, moods and lanscape in these Bartok quartets.

allmusic
arkivmusik


----------



## cihlomorka

Balys Dvarionas - Violin Concerto in B minor (Vadim Gluzman violin, Residentie Orkest Den Haag, BIS). yummy!


----------



## Blancrocher

Moravec in Chopin's ballades and some mazurkas; Pollini and Kletzki in the 1st Piano Concerto.


----------



## Andolink

*Frank Corcoran*: _Symphony No. 2_ (1981)
National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland/Coleman Pearce


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries

Compact Discoveries 039 - Leftover Birds
Pretty neat


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Frederick Delius

Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody
A Song before Sunrise
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
A Song of Summer
In a Summer Garden
Summer Night on the River*

Philharmonia Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes [ASV, rec. 1988]









*Delius

Appalachia
A Song of the High Hills
Over the Hills and Far Away*

Rebecca Evans (soprano), Peter Hoare (tenor), Daniel Washington (baritone); Welsh National Opera Orchestra & Chorus -Sir Charles Mackerras [Decca London, 1994]









A Delian afternoon in the North of England (probably the wrong side of the Pennines for Delius, strictly)


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

An old favourite...









I've had this since the '70s, when it used to be on Deutsche Grammophon. I have yet to check out some other works by Maderna.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Maderna: Oboe Concerto 1 and Oboe Concerto 2

This is a live recording from Neos, with some coughing and audience noise.

In my offsite holdings, I have over 91 thousand (mostly classical) albums from all (?) labels on the Naxos Music Library. Music Online/Alexander Street Press is much more limited, with over 14 thousand classical albums. Sound quality is standard, which is noticeably lacklustre, compared to my physical collection. 

Although I have been aware of existing access to these meta-collections, or "advanced collections", as Wood calls them, I have had a preference for listening to my own albums, for a number of reasons: sound quality, convenience, wanting to become deeply familiar with works chosen by me, rather than glossing over an encyclopedic resource. Still, it certainly has its advantages, that I plan on making more use of (as an addendum to my physical collection, which is rapidly approaching its limits).


----------



## moody

FOUR GREAT SOPRANOS. Recordings from 1905-1911,

Geraldine Farrar ( with Caruso and Louise Homer), Felia Litvinne, Emmy Destinn, Maria Barrientos.


----------



## Oskaar

*BEETHOVEN:** String Quartets Opp. 135 and 131 (Ibolya Toth/ Kodaly Quartet)*









amazon


----------



## Guest

W.A.Mozart - K250, Serenade #7 in D "Haffner"
Saarland Radio Chamber Orchestra, Karl Ristenpart


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Helmut Lachenmann : String Quartet 2 'Reigen seliger Geister' (Arditti Quartet)
Luigi Nono : Risonanze erranti and Post-prae-ludium No. 1, "per Donau"

It's kind of boring  just seeing a list of titles, instead of album covers, isn't it? Whenever I listen to music online, either choices on Naxos, You Tube, etc, or streaming services, I very soon become impatient and distracted with what I am listening to and with what I am doing. I feel a restless need to get back to actually listening, by putting on a CD ;-)


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in C Minor, Op.18, No.4

Melos Quartet: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello


----------



## Bas

Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas Kk1 - Kk19
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato









I restarted the Scarlatti cycle from the beginning, since I finished the 34 disc set!

Gabriel Fauré - Cello Sonata No. 2, Berceusse op. 16, Romance op. 69, Élégie op. 24, Sicilienne op. 78, Papillon op. 77
By Steven Isserlis [cello], Pascal Devoyon [piano], on Hyperion









Edward Elgar - Sea Pictures
By Janet Baker [soprano], London Symphony Orchestra, John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - Klaviersonaten

Klaviersonate c-moll Hob. XVI:20 (1771)
Klaviersonate Es-dur Hob. XVI:49 (1789-1790)
Klaviersonate e-moll Hob.XVI:34 (1778)
Klaviersonate h-moll Hob.XVI:32 (1774-1776)
Klaviersonate D-dur Hob.XVI:42 (1784)*

Alfred Brendel (piano) [Philips]









Apologies, the FLAC file tags are in German.

I don't usually play these at a good volume on a pair of loudspeakers but today's been an exception as I sit writing Christmas cards in my office. These are good recordings, despite their age, and excellent performances of course, from Alfred Brendel who made Haydn one of his specialities.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite, c'n://tentative

Per Nørgård : Symphony 3 (Segerstam/Danish NRSO)

I have been intrigued enough by this composer to invest in an initial album. This is the one I have been contemplating.

Maybe I should just contemplate the external DAC?  KenOC?


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Missa in Tempore Belli, H 22/9, "Paukenmesse" -- Tom Krause: Academy of Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields

Paganini: Violin Concerto #1 in D, Op. 6 -- Itzhak Perlman; Lawrence Foster: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Gossec: Symphonie A 17 Parties in F -- Diego Fasolis: Lugano Radio Orchestra

Liszt: Festklänge, "Poème Symphonique #7", S 511D -- Leslie Howard

Porpora: Or che d'orrido verno -- Massimo Mercelli; Stefania Donzelli; Elisabetta Maschio: Orchestra Benedetto Marcello di Teramo


----------



## SimonNZ

Francois-Joseph Gossec's Symphony "Pastorella" - Matthias Bamert, cond.


----------



## Novelette

SimonNZ said:


> Francois-Joseph Gossec's Symphony "Pastorella" - Matthias Bamert, cond.


Poor Gossec has to be specified as a contemporary of Mozart on CD frontispieces?


----------



## bejart

Samuel Wesley (1766-1837): Violin No.2 Concerto in D Major

Peter Holman leading the Parley of Instruments -- Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin


----------



## Blancrocher

Holmboe's 15th String Quartet.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

brotagonist said:


> Per Nørgård : Symphony 3 (Segerstam/Danish NRSO)
> I have been intrigued enough by this composer to invest in an initial album. This is the one I have been contemplating.
> Maybe I should just contemplate the external DAC?  KenOC?


I have been listening all afternoon to FLAC and .mp3 files on a PC played through an external sound card (= DAC) - a Behringer UFO202 - into a decent refurbished amplifier and a decent pair of bookshelf speakers. The sound is really pretty good.

Next up:

*Debussy

Children's Corner 
La Plus que lente
Nocturne
Valse romantique
Ballade (Ballade slave)
Le petit nègre *(not a title that looks good today)*
Élégie
Pièce pour piano (Morceau de concours)
Mazurka
Danse (Tarantelle styrienne)*

Zoltán Kocsis (Piano) [Decca]









Kocsis is electrifying in these Debussy works (the Preludes books I and II are on the same discs which seem to have been re-released in 2012)


----------



## Aramis

Faure and Moscheles were pleasant, Saint-Saens wasn't executed well enough, Mouquet sounds like good movie music, Donizetti's concerto must have been some cheesy composing excercise from his salad days. And then...

... then...

...then there's Damare...

An amazing masterpiece of flute repertoire, emotionally profound, deeply moving and passionate piece of thrilling music:


----------



## brotagonist

TurnaboutVox said:


> I have been listening all afternoon to FLAC and .mp3 files on a PC played through an external sound card (= DAC) - a Behringer UFO202 - into a decent refurbished amplifier and a decent pair of bookshelf speakers. The sound is really pretty good.


Thanks. That one was recommended last night on another thread. I am presently browsing Amazon to see the options. So far, it looks like the best deal. Don't know about Canadian price yet.


----------



## KenOC

Novelette said:


> Poor Gossec has to be specified as a contemporary of Mozart on CD frontispieces?


Chandos issued a set of (I think) 40 CDs under the general title of "Contemporaries of Mozart," all from Matthias Bamert. Most of the CDs seem out of print now. Bamert, of course, is also responsible (if that's the word) for this video:


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> Thanks. That one was recommended last night on another thread. I am presently browsing Amazon to see the options. So far, it looks like the best deal. Don't know about Canadian price yet.


The one I have is the UCA202, which is ten bucks cheaper. You may want to compare features to see if you need what the extra ten bucks is buying.


----------



## Sid James

*Album: A Romantic Christmas*
Piano music by Tchaikovsky (Nutcracker Suite, transcribed by Taneyev), Liszt (Christmas Tree, S.186), incl. shorter works by Grainger, Bach, Schumann, Dohnányi & Yu
- Stephanie McCallum on the bones

*Holst* The Planets, Op. 32
- London PO under Bernard Herrmann

*Freddie Redd* The Connection - Soundtrack of Jack Gelber's play, 1961
- Daniel Humair Soultet: Sonny Grey, tpt.; Luis Fuentes, trombone; Jean-Louis Chautemps, tenor sax; Eddy Louiss, pno.; Guy Pedersen, bass; Daniel Humair, leader/drums; René Urtreger, arrangements

*D'Indy* Symphony on a French Mountaineer's Song, Op. 25 (Symphonie cévenole)
- Jean-Yves Thibuadet, piano w. Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal under Charles Dutoit


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Chandos issued a set of (I think) 40 CDs under the general title of "Contemporaries of Mozart," all from Matthias Bamert. Most of the CDs seem out of print now.

They all still seem available on Amazon.com?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Just picked this one up today at Dearborn Music:








Whoops, meant to post this in the thread on recent purchases, but no matter, it is also what I ma currently listening to.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I was listening to this one on Spotify... and tempted to pick it up... being quite a fan of Podger.










I also have the recording with Glenn Gould and Jamie Laredo, but I'm tempted to pick up the more recent version with Ton Koopman and Jordi Savall... after all, you can never have too much Bach!


----------



## LancsMan

*Mendelssohn: Elijah* Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, Patricia Bardon, John Mark Ainsley, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment, conducted by Paul Daniel on Decca.

Mendelssohn should have been an English man. He wrote this for the respectable English audience of the mid nineteenth century who tended to think of the oratorio as the highest form of musical attainment. I believe Mendelssohn was more appreciated in England than his native Germany.

After enjoying the incidental music to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' last night, tonight this is on the bill. To be honest this is not a work I warm to. It's lacking in both memorable melody and real bite. No doubt it's well crafted. On balance it's pleasant enough but I find it somewhat dull.

However I've no reason to blame the performers as they are very good.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in D Major, Op.10, No.6, G.270

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Daniel Formentelli, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos


----------



## KenOC

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Chandos issued a set of (I think) 40 CDs under the general title of "Contemporaries of Mozart," all from Matthias Bamert. Most of the CDs seem out of print now.
> 
> They all still seem available on Amazon.com?


I can find only a single 5-CD box, a small subset of the original edition.


----------



## SimonNZ

Twenty-five of the "Contemporaries Of Mozart" series currently available new from Presto:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/llf/-/Contemporaries+of+Mozart/1

I have a freind with a huge collection of this sort of thing, and will almost certainly have the full Chandos series (for a while I've suspected this friend of being our bejart). I may start slowly borrowing them.


----------



## Gilberto

Bach cantatas BWV 10,12,13 Helmuth Rilling


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Just one page with links to various volumes from the "Contemporaries of Mozart" set:


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Karlheinz Stockhausen : Helikopter-Streichquartett

You can sure waste a lot of time on Naxos 

PS: I was sceptical about this work when I first heard about it, but, after having finally heard it, I liked it _inNaxosly_. How well the droning helicopter engines harmonize with the strings! I wouldn't order it on CD, but it's definitely worth a listen or three


----------



## Blancrocher

Cortot playing Chopin's Preludes.

By the way, I was also just reading about Cortot and came across this curious information about his approach to Chopin:



> CORTOT PREPARED STUDY SCORES OF Chopin's music, which show the kind of preparation that went into these performances and suggest why Chopinists might be an extinct species. Along with suggestions for phrasing and pedaling, they include overwrought descriptions of the music. In the Opus 42 Waltz, Cortot hears the dancing of a coquettish countess and "the casual swagger of her dashing cavalier." Each prelude is given an emotional title: No. 6, "Homesickness"; No. 24, "Blood, Passion and Death."


http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/12/arts/classical-view-how-to-play-chopin-cortot-had-answers.html

Pretty foolish, perhaps--but I want a look at those study scores!


----------



## LancsMan

*Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3* played by Idel Biret on Naxos.

All the Brahms piano sonatas are early works and not really essential Brahms. His later collections of smaller pieces including the Intermezzos are where Brahms distinguished himself in the field of music for piano solo.

Having said that this sonata is interesting and couldn't be by any body else but Brahms. The nineteenth century after Beethoven and Schubert wasn't too distinguished when it comes to piano sonatas. I enjoy the Brahms piano sonatas as much as any other piano sonatas from this period.

Well played and on a budget label too.


----------



## KenOC

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Just one page with links to various volumes from the "Contemporaries of Mozart" set:


Can you post the URL of that page, or the search term you used? Thanks!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Cello Concerto, w. Fournier/BPO/Szell (rec.1961); Symphony 7, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1963).

View attachment 30480
View attachment 30481


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (1744-1798): Symphony No.36 in A Major

Concerto Koln


----------



## EricABQ

Grieg's lyric pieces books 1 - 4 played by Einar Steen-Nockleberg.

Fantastic stuff.


----------



## dgee

Because I needed something reliably lush and lovely


----------



## TurnaboutVox

KenOC said:


> The one I have is the UCA202, which is ten bucks cheaper. You may want to compare features to see if you need what the extra ten bucks is buying.


.

You're quite correct, of course - my model is an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) for ripping from Vinyl etc, as well as being a DAC. I imagine that the DAC is the same in both.


----------



## Mahlerian

Carter: String Quartet No. 3
Pacifica Quartet


----------



## starthrower

I wanted to see what this was all about.


----------



## KenOC

LancsMan said:


> *Mendelssohn: Elijah* ... No doubt it's well crafted. On balance it's pleasant enough but I find it somewhat dull.


Mendelssohn invented the tradition of dull English oratorios. But listen to the opening of the overture to see where John Williams got his "Jaws" music! BTW the overture is very fine, very Beethovenian. Sadly, very short.


----------



## bejart

Pieter van Maldere (1729-1768): Symphony in D Major, Op.5, No.1

Filip Bral conducting the Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## Blancrocher

Rubinstein in Chopin's 2nd & 3rd piano sonatas, Fantasie in F minor, Berceuse, and Barcarolle.


----------



## LancsMan

KenOC said:


> Mendelssohn invented the tradition of dull English oratorios. But listen to the opening of the overture to see where John Williams got his "Jaws" music! BTW the overture is very fine, very Beethovenian. Sadly, very short.


Yes, the overture is the best part - but I also like the final chorus in Part 1.


----------



## Mahlerian

Back to my Stravinsky trek, though I enjoyed the Carter excursion!








Stravinsky: Persephone
Vera Zorina, Persephone, Michele Molese, Eumolpus, Ithica College Concert Choir, Texas Boys Choir of Fort Worth, Gregg Smith Singers, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky

In the much-despised genre of melodrama (music paired with spoken word), Stravinsky penned this work, one of his lushest scores. I'll admit it's not my favorite Stravinsky (and the composer didn't say much good about it in the Craft conversation books), but it has plenty of great moments in it.

Stravinsky: Ode
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky

This work, written for a commission by Serge Koussevitzky in commemoration of his wife's passing, pairs two outer solemn movements with an inner movement originating in music Stravinsky proposed to write for a film based on _Jane Eyre_ (which never ended up being made).

Gesualdo/Stravinsky: Monumentum Pro Gesualdo Di Venosa Ad CD Annum
Columbia Symphony Orchestra

Stravinsky's arrangement of Gesualdo ends up sounding surprisingly like Stravinsky, but don't all of his arrangements?


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev-*-Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. * Both works feature the Mstislav Rostropovich led Orchestre National de France. 
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.1 {Symphony for Organ and Orchestra}, * both performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. The organist in the *First Symphony* is E. Power Biggs 
Camille Saint-Saens--*Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, * featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under the baton of Eugene Ormandy.


----------



## Blake

Grumiaux with Davis/Leppard's Mozart: Violin Concertos. Most lovely.


----------



## KenOC

samurai said:


> I also had wanted to air* Saint-Saen's Organ Symphony,* then realized it is nowhere to be found in my collection; I intend to remedy this gap posthaste! :scold:


This super-cheapo "big box" download of Saint-Saens includes one of the finest Organ Symphonies I have heard, plus a whole bunch more Saint-Saens. Probably more than you'll ever need. Most originally on BIS in very good recordings and performances. It used to be 99 cents, now it's still a bargain at six bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Most-Esse...?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=saint-saens


----------



## KenOC

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Atlanta SO, Robert Spano. Essentially his last work, from 1940. But so fresh and imaginative!


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major, D.664; Piano Sonata in F minor, D.625


----------



## Rocco

Mozart 5 Divertimenti Amadeus Winds. This is my favorite non-vocal work of Mozart!


----------



## samurai

KenOC said:


> This super-cheapo "big box" download of Saint-Saens includes one of the finest Organ Symphonies I have heard, plus a whole bunch more Saint-Saens. Probably more than you'll ever need. Most originally on BIS in very good recordings and performances. It used to be 99 cents, now it's still a bargain at six bucks.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/The-Most-Esse...?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=saint-saens


It turns out that I in fact do have a copy of the *Organ Symphony,* traversed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under Eugene Ormandy. Thanks for your suggestion though, I'll look into it on *Amazon.*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Can you post the URL of that page, or the search term you used? Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/Gossec-Symphonies-Francois-Joseph/dp/B00000IYMV/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1387162690&sr=1-3&keywords=Gossec

The obvious question is... are you in the US... or the UK or elsewhere? I am looking on the US homesite: Amazon.com. I just looked under "Gossec".


----------



## KenOC

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The obvious question is... are you in the US... or the UK or elsewhere? I am looking on the US homesite: Amazon.com. I just looked under "Gossec".


I'm in the US. I tried several search terms but none brought up the results. How strange! Anyway, it looks like quite a few CDs in this series are still available, most though at ruinous prices. Thanks!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The prices aren't bad if you go through Amazon Marketplace Dealers. Even so... Chandos is always one of the higher priced labels... but generally worth the price.


----------



## senza sordino

*Prokofiev 3rd piano and Bartok 2nd piano concerti* Lang Lang performs with Simon Rattle and Berlin Phil. 
I don't own many piano concerti, these two are great.

*Stravinsky and Martin violin concerti* Baiba Skride performs with BBC Orchestra of Wales with Thierry Fischer.
I bought it yesterday. My first impressions are wonderful. Bonus pieces are *Honegger Pacific 231 and Rugby* and *Stravinsky Circus Polka*

*Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time* Serkin piano, Kavafian violin, Sherry cello, Stoltzman clarinet
Mesmorizing

*Bax Phantasy for viola and orchestra; Holland Ellingham Marshes for Viola and Orchestra; Vaughan Williams Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra; Harvey reflections for viola and small orchestra*. Roger Chase performs with BBC concert orchestra and Stephen Bell.
Very nice, I have very little music for viola. Purchased yesterday.

*Beethoven Violin Concerto* Gidon Kremer performs with Chamber Orchestra of Europe with Nikolaus Harnoncourt. I don't like it that much because the cadenza is piano and violin. What's that about? According to the liner notes, it's the piano cadenza written by LvB for the piano version of this piece. It's all violin until the cadenza when a piano comes crashing in.


----------



## Blake

Verdi's Schubert: String Quartets, Death and the Maiden. Most excellent. There's something so unique about Schubert that I can't quite put my finger on... but oh, does it satisfy.


----------



## hreichgott

Beethoven piano sonatas Op. 109, 110 and 111 in honor of the master's birthday. Peter Takacs' recording.

Was playing Op. 28 today myself


----------



## Novelette

KenOC said:


> Chandos issued a set of (I think) 40 CDs under the general title of "Contemporaries of Mozart," all from Matthias Bamert. Most of the CDs seem out of print now. Bamert, of course, is also responsible (if that's the word) for this video:


I never heard of the series. It would have been a great collection to have had when I was younger and trying to expand my collection beyond only Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Stravinsky has always been a composer I have struggled to come to terms with... beyond the great early works culminating with the Rite of Spring. Having said that I must admit I am quite enthralled with his violin concerto performed here by Arthur Grumiaux. What I am coming to appreciate is the sophistication... play... wit... and humor of his work... which in many ways reminds me of Mozart. Coming at the tail-end of Romanticism/Post-Romanticism and following his own Post-Romantic-Expressionist efforts (such as the Rite)... I suspect that for too long I have been looking for something... the wrong something in Stravinsky... much in the same way as those enamored of Beethoven often look for the wrong something in Mozart. I think I'm going to have to give Stravinsky another listen .


----------



## Sid James

Mahlerian said:


> ...Stravinsky: Persephone
> Vera Zorina, Persephone, Michele Molese, Eumolpus, Ithica College Concert Choir, *Texas Boys Choir of Fort Worth*, Gregg Smith Singers, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky...


That reminds me of this video clip of Igor's visit to Texas, which is kind of funny. Looks like he had a great time there! Have you seen this? I remember seeing it years ago and your post reminded me to look again. ITs been very interesting to read your recent posts on Igor.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> Stravinsky has always been a composer I have struggled to come to terms with... beyond the great early works culminating with the Rite of Spring. Having said that I must admit I am quite enthralled with his violin concerto performed here by Arthur Grumiaux. What I am coming to appreciate is the sophistication... play... wit... and humor of his work... which in many ways reminds me of Mozart. Coming at the tail-end of Romanticism/Post-Romanticism and following his own Post-Romantic-Expressionist efforts (such as the Rite)... I suspect that for too long I have been looking for something... the wrong something in Stravinsky... much in the same way as those enamored of Beethoven often look for the wrong something in Mozart. I think I'm going to have to give Stravinsky another listen .


I like it too, there's a touch (or more than a touch) of Russian folkishness in Igor's VC (kind of similar to bits of The Soldier's Tale) and a lot of Bach, since he studied JSB's concertos as "homework" for his own one. Igor wasn't fully comforable composing a concerto for violin, so this is a case where he sought advice from the violinist he composed it for, as well as concertos of the past. I think the middle two slow movements have that aspect of Bach and something else that's uniquely Stravinsky's own. It brings together a sense of timelessness and emotion, the aesthetic is still distanced but you've got that aspect of paring down thoughts into basics, little or no extraneous stuff. That's also what gets me with this.


----------



## Rocco

More Mozart! I'm really liking this CD. Well worth the $5.99 I paid for it!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://recent









I've been listening 1-2 times a day for the last few. The first couple of times I thought that I ought to have given it a listen before buying. It wasn't that I disliked it, but it just sounded like nothing special. We talked about this in a recent thread. From time to time, some of the most powerful music takes me a few listens. This is beginning to blossom


----------



## Blake

The Tallis Scholars' Palistrina: Missa Papae Marcelli. Simply beautiful... Nearly heart-wrenching.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc six, Serenade To Music, Partita For Double String Orchestra and Sinfonia Antarctica - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## moody

RENATO SCOTTO. There has been a thread regarding her elsewhere, I've been listening to her performing :
Rossini's SOIREES MUSICALES. WITH Bianca Marta Cason, Mezzo, Giuseppe Nait, tenor. and Tedoro Rovetta,bass.
Very entertaing stuff.


----------



## SimonNZ

Meredith Monk's Songs Of Ascension


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 074 - Catchy Khachaturian, Part 1


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schumann's Requiem


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonate a Quattro No.3 in G Major

Christoph Timpe leading the Accademia per Musica


----------



## Guest

_Cold Heat_, by Anders Hillborg.

(Skip to 2:30 for the actual music)


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat, op. 60
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Walter


----------



## realdealblues

I received this one and got a chance to listen to it this weekend...



Mozart: Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail
Eugen Jochum & The Bavarian State Opera Orchestra
Singers: Erika Koth, Fritz Wunderlich, Kurt Bohme

While I am no opera expert, I do know what I like. When deciding on which recording to get for this particular opera (after being forced to sell off my other recordings many years ago) I decided to go with this seemingly lost recording. There was very little written about it other than the wonderful performance of Fritz Wunderlich. Everybody seems to say that Gardiner is the one to own (which I did own years ago) but I wanted something else. In a sense I wanted more. I wanted a warmer recording and the Gardiner one leaves me a bit cold.

There were very few reviews out there for this recording and the only negative I read about this set was Erika Koth had a "smallish" voice that some didn't feel had the "weight" it needed for the role. While I now understand what was meant by "smallish" voice after hearing Erika Koth for the first time, I have to say I totally disagree with how it fills the role. I found it perfect.

Unlike most "weighty voiced women" Erika Koth sang and spoke clearly. I had no trouble hearing her enunciate every word which really detracts me from a lot of operas and singers in particular. Fritz Wunderlich also has that supreme ability and between the two of them I found this recording most enjoyable.

As I expected, Eugen Jochum was perfect (as he usually is for me) and the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra & Choir played and sang wonderfully.

This is indeed the recording I was looking for. The sound quality is excellent, it's very warm sounding, the playing and singing were excellent. The only thing I could want more is a libretto (which isn't included in many of these newer style releases), but for $9 I won't complain as I can always look one up on the internet, but honestly I usually don't follow along with the libretto very often. I usually just listen


----------



## MagneticGhost

Ropartz - Prelude, Marine and Chanson

On Spotify


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I am continuing my exploration of English composers with Delius' 'Over the Hills and Far Away' under the baton of Delius' greatest champion Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It is the start of disc 1 of this very, very rewarding boxed set:









I must admit, I was sceptical about English composers - I don't know why but there it is.

The more I have looked however, the more I find to enjoy. Beecham and his championing of Delius' works opened the door for me to English composers. For this, I will be eternally grateful.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have not been able to listen to much music lately as I have been very busy. I work in retail and that should explain it all.

Anyway, I am sneaking in a quick listen to this wonderful 5th Symphony of Russian composer Alexander Grechaninov before heading off to work. This was his last symphony and even though it was written in 1936 it stays strictly in the Romantic style. Nothing innovative or ground breaking here. Just beautiful, gorgeous, lush melodies. Chandos has recorded all five of his symphonies and I would say that they are worth hearing if not owning.










Kevin


----------



## altom

Gabriel Faure - Complete Works for Piano (CD 1-4) played by Kathryn Stott

something i missed from the past (1995), probably unsurpassed

altom


----------



## Itullian

realdealblues said:


> I received this one and got a chance to listen to it this weekend...
> 
> 
> 
> Mozart: Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail
> Eugen Jochum & The Bavarian State Opera Orchestra
> Singers: Erika Koth, Fritz Wunderlich, Kurt Bohme
> 
> While I am no opera expert, I do know what I like. When deciding on which recording to get for this particular opera (after being forced to sell off my other recordings many years ago) I decided to go with this seemingly lost recording. There was very little written about it other than the wonderful performance of Fritz Wunderlich. Everybody seems to say that Gardiner is the one to own (which I did own years ago) but I wanted something else. In a sense I wanted more. I wanted a warmer recording and the Gardiner one leaves me a bit cold.
> 
> There were very few reviews out there for this recording and the only negative I read about this set was Erika Koth had a "smallish" voice that some didn't feel had the "weight" it needed for the role. While I now understand what was meant by "smallish" voice after hearing Erika Koth for the first time, I have to say I totally disagree with how it fills the role. I found it perfect.
> 
> Unlike most "weighty voiced women" Erika Koth sang and spoke clearly. I had no trouble hearing her enunciate every word which really detracts me from a lot of operas and singers in particular. Fritz Wunderlich also has that supreme ability and between the two of them I found this recording most enjoyable.
> 
> As I expected, Eugen Jochum was perfect (as he usually is for me) and the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra & Choir played and sang wonderfully.
> 
> This is indeed the recording I was looking for. The sound quality is excellent, it's very warm sounding, the playing and singing were excellent. The only thing I could want more is a libretto (which isn't included in many of these newer style releases), but for $9 I won't complain as I can always look one up on the internet, but honestly I usually don't follow along with the libretto very often. I usually just listen


Jochum's Cosi is fantastic too.


----------



## Oskaar

*Martinu: Le Raid merveilleux, La Revue de cuisine, On tourne! *

Daniel Wiesner, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Christopher Hogwood









allmusic


----------



## rrudolph

Celebrating Beethoven's birthday today. I'm starting out small, but eventually heading toward the Missa Solemnis...

Works for Mandolin & Piano/Six National Airs with Variations for Violin & Piano Op. 105/Six German Dances WoO 42








Piano Sonatas 8-11








Septet Op. 20/Clarinet Trio Op. 11








String Quartets Op. 18 #6/Op. 59 #1


----------



## Blancrocher

Currently listening to Feldman's Piano and String Quartet, and after that (having discovered it's Beethoven's b-day!) I'll move on after to Pollini in the Diabelli Variations.


----------



## Vasks

_For the big boy's birthday today_

Beethoven - Symphony #7 (Walter/Columbia LP)


----------



## Vaneyes

An eventful day, December 16.

For *LvB* (1770) and *Kodaly* (1882) birthdays, and *Saint-Saens* (1921) death day.

View attachment 30519
View attachment 30520
View attachment 30521


----------



## Blake

I've decided to claim another set for an auditory expedition. I'm not religious, but this is heavenly.


----------



## Bomkihl

The last couple of days i´ve been into Haydn..hm.. So impressed by the freshness and aliveness of the London symphonies by Colin Davis. Explicit, marvellous..


----------



## Benny

Now? Mompou's piano works.
Not bad at all.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Beethoven, Symphony No. 6. Walter


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/play/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 135 - Score 2 for Virgil


----------



## millionrainbows

Elliott Carter: Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello, & Harpsichord (1952). The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Arthur Weisberg, cond. (Elektra/Nonesuch). Excellent classic version. I'm sure many others imprinted on this as an LP (at least 43 people).


----------



## Bas

Cheers Ludwig!

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 4 & Piano Concerto no. 5 "Emperror"
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopper Hogwood [dir.], on Decca








Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 11, 12, 13
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Mozart: Piano Concertos 15 & 22
Serkin/Abbado/LSO

I picked it up used this summer for $5. I'm glad I did.

-3° and the world is covered in a thick, fluffy layer of snow white and sunshine: this music is cosy and warm.

It seems that some reviewers find Serkin's playing, at the age of 81 and 82, to be diminished. A reviewer on the Classical Music Guide notes Serkins' "lovely, singing, totally non-strident piano tone, reminiscent of his early recordings."


----------



## Blake

London Symphony Brass' Gabrieli: Music for Brass, Vol. 1. I love my brass, and this is glorious. Glorious, I say.


----------



## Doc

An evening of variety, it seems.


----------



## rrudolph

Continuing with Beethoven...

Symphony #3 (Hogwod/AAM)


----------



## maestro267

Joining the *Beethoven* party:

Symphony No. 6 in F major ("Pastoral")
Philadelphia Orchestra/Muti

Triple Concerto
Oistrakh/Rostropovich/Richter
Berlin PO/Karajan

Missa Solemnis
Arroyo/Forrester/Lewis/Siepi
Singing City Choirs
Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy


----------



## Alfacharger

Horatio Parker, a Northern Ballad along with Chadwick's Symphony #2.


----------



## Blancrocher

Michelangeli in Beethoven's 4th piano sonata, and a first listen to Nagano, Domingo, and co. in Christ on the Mount of Olives.


----------



## ptr

*Magnard & Fauré* - String Quartets (Ysaÿe Records)









Quatuor Ysaÿe

*Olivier Messiaen* - Des Canyons aux Etoiles (DG)









Roger Muraro, Jean-Jacques Justafré, Francis Petit, Renaud Muzzolini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France u. Myung-Whun Chung

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*HAYDN: Cello Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 4*

*Kliegel, Maria*, cello • *Muller-Bruhl, Helmut*, Conductor • *Cologne Chamber Orchestra*









amazon


----------



## DrKilroy

For Beethoven' birthday:

Symphony No. 3 (Karajan)
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Arrau/Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More * Debussy - Piano Works 1888 - 1910

Suite Bergamasque
Danse (Tarantelle Styrienne)
Deux Arabesques
Pour le piano
La plus que lente
L'isle joyeux
Masques*

Tamàs Vàsàry (piano) [Deutsche Grammophon, rec. 1970]









Vasary is a good Debussy interpreter, full of nervous, scurrying energy. The recording is showing its age (but the LP surface is flawless, which just goes to show how _good_ vinyl pressings could be in the old days!)

*Debussy

Images (I)
Images (II)
Children's Corner*

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano) [Deutsche Grammophon, rec. 1971)









This is absolutely top class. "Asked when it was that the tonal world of Debussy's had disclosed itself to Benedetti Michelangeli, he answered without the slightest hesitation: `It has always been my world; this music has always been my music from the very start.' " (K. H. Ruppel, LP sleeve note)


----------



## KenOC

Betraying Beethoven: Haydn String Quartet in G Op. 33 No. 5 -- called the "How do you do?" for some reason. Another big picture!


----------



## Wandering

Brahms symphony no. 3 and Haydn Variations - Bernstein Vienna Phil. DG 

I love his way with the Poco allegretto 3rd movement along with the rich bass in the strings.


----------



## brotagonist

^ Beautiful picture on the Haydn Quartets album.


----------



## Oskaar

*SAINT-GEORGES: Violin Concertos Op. 5, Nos. 1-2 and Op. 8*

Composer(s):
*Saint-Georges, Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de *

Conductor(s):
*Muller-Bruhl, Helmut *

Orchestra(s):
*Cologne Chamber Orchestra *

Artist(s):
*Nishizaki, Takako*









amazon


----------



## opus55

KenOC said:


> Betraying Beethoven: Haydn String Quartet in G Op. 33 No. 5 -- called the "How do you do?" for some reason. Another big picture!


Nice quartet with a corny title.

Donizetti: L'elisir D'amore
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Charles Stanford's Clarinet Sonata - Murray Khouri, clarinet, John McCabe, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Yesterday I listened to a disc of violin concertos performed by Arthur Grumiaux which featured Stravinsky's violin concert sandwiched in between those of Tchaikovsky and Berg. The contrast between Tchaikovsky's classic Romanticism and Berg's Post-Romantic Expressionism and the sophistication, wit, quirkiness... and even humor of Stravinsky's work was quite an ear-opening experience. I found myself thinking that in a way Stravinsky is a composer not unlike Mozart... and yet his early works... especially culminating with the Rite... are far closer to Post-Romanticism and Expressionism... which sets up an expectation of sorts that isn't always fulfilled in the later works... one of the reasons I have struggled with the later Stravinsky.

Right now I'm listening to Jeu des cartes... and must admit that I am finding myself intrigued with the rhythmic playfulness, the sudden shifts, the orchestration and much more.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bax's Symphony No.5 - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## Sid James

*André Hodeir* Les tripes au soleil (Guts in the Sun) - Original soundtrack of Claude Bernard-Aubert's movie, 1959
- Vocal group including Christiane Legrand, soprano; Le Jazz Group de Paris incl. Roger Guérin, trumpet; Pierre Gossez, alto sax, the composer conducting

*R. Strauss* Metamorphosen, study for 23 solo strings
- Staatskapelle Dresden under Giuseppe Sinopoli

*Peter Sculthorpe* 
Port Arthur: In Memoriam (2 versions, with trumpet and oboe solo)
Little Suite for String Orch.
- Mark Skillington, trumpet; Joseph Ortuso, oboe; Barbara Jane Gilby, violin; w. Tasmanian SO under David Porcelijn

*Franck* Violin Sonata in A
- Nadja Sallerno-Sonnenberg, violin; Cecile Licad, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 1
Antal Dorati - London Symphony Orchestra
Mercury Living Presence


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, of course. Piano Sonata in A-flat Op. 110, Rudolf Buchbinder.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter in Beethoven's 3rd piano sonata, and Ormandy with Eugene Istomin, Isaac Stern, and Leonard Rose in the Triple Concerto.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Sonata in D, Op.10 No.3 Friedrich Gulda

The end of a long tiring day, but this sends me off to rest feeling very happy and content. Gulda is superb, and in the last movement, ethereal in a way that I've not heard in any other performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Piano Trio, w. Florestan (rec.1999); Piano Works, w. Collard (rec.1973 - '83).

View attachment 30559
View attachment 30560
View attachment 30561


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 2, 10, 13, w. Pollini (rec.2002 - '06); Variations, Bagatelles, w. GG (rec.1966 - '74).

View attachment 30562
View attachment 30563
View attachment 30564


----------



## Vaneyes

How bad is this...

View attachment 30565


----------



## KenOC

Something a little different...Raga Patdip. This guy is just unbelievable.


----------



## bejart

Pierre Vachon (1738-1803): String Quartet in C Minor, Op.11, No.6

Paris String Trio with Edouard Popa on 2nd violin: Charles Frey, violin -- Michel Michalakakos, viola -- Jean Grout, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Thanks to PetrB for recommending Harrison's Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra on another thread. This one's a gem.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://selected

To honour Beethoven's birthday and the full moon, which officially occurs in 8 hours (0230), I have chosen this album, that includes the Moonlight, Pathétique, Waldstein and Appassionata Sonatas, for part of my evening listening.


----------



## Katie

Boo-yah!!! If you think the listening has grown stale, then (re)visit Bruno's manipulation of Beethoven...He is the Johnny Rotten of conductors..."I am an antichrist, I am an anarchist, don't know what I want, but I know how to get it"; monster performances here.../K









The Fast and The Bold!


----------



## EricABQ

Ashley Wass playing Bridge's piano sonata.


----------



## senza sordino

*Beethoven 3rd Symphony HvK and Berlin Phil (1962)*

Possibly my favorite of LvB


----------



## rockmeoff

Just finished listened to Schubert's string quartet no 14 in D minor Death And The Maiden for the third time today.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new arrival, just in time for his birthday ---
Beethoven: Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op.120

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Blake

The Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin. Most beautiful.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite









Continuing on in the nocturnal theme, some works by Birtwistle, to finish my day.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc seven

The Wasps Suite
Prelude And Fugue in C minor - David Bell, organ
Piano Concerto - Piers Lane, piano

Vernon Handley, cond


----------



## dgee

Enno Poppe's brilliant "Rad" for two microtonal keyboards. A taster below:


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho: Works For Orchestra, disc three

Oltra Maar, Nymphea Reflection and Cinq Reflets de l'Amour de Loin - Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.


----------



## ptr

*Béla Bartók* - Music for Strings, Percursion and Celesta (Sz 106) & Divertimento (Sz 113) (RCA)









Chamber Orchestra of Europe u. Nikolaus Harnoncourt

followed by:

*Georges Aperghis* - Sextuor; L'Origine des Espèces (MFA)









ATEM (Atelier Théâtre et Musique) : Elena Andreyev (violoncelle), Emmanuelle Zoll (soprano 1), Donatienne Michel-Dansac (soprano 2), Françoise Degeorges (soprano 3), Valérie Joly (mezzo-soprano), Frédérique Wolf-Michaux (contralto)

/ptr


----------



## Gilberto

J.S. Bach cantatas 14,16,17,18 - Rilling ... I'm starting to enjoy listening to the cantatas early in the morning


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 Shura Cherkassky/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox (proms 1983)
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 Shura Cherkassky/Scottish National Orchestra/Sir Alexander Gibson (Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 1983)
Beethoven: Pathetique Sonata/Sonatas Op.14 Nos. 1 and 2 Friedrich Gulda

Two live Cherkassky performances, the Chopin is lovely, and the Tchaikovsky is a delight, what a wonderful pianist he was, always unpredictable, but, for those with an open mind, never less than enjoyable. I'm beginning to think that much the same applies to Mr. Gulda, whose Beethoven performances I am revelling in at the moment. Music, ah verily 'tis ambrosia for we mortals.


----------



## Andolink

*Henry Purcell*: _King Arthur_
Jennifer Smith, Gillian Fisher, Elisabeth Priday, Gill Ross, sopranos
Ashley Stafford, alto
Paul Elliott, tenor
Stephen Varcoe, baritone
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner








*Brian Ferneyhough*: _Incipits_ (1997)
Ensemble Recherche


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Cello Sonata No.7 in G Minor, RV 42

L'Ecole D'Orphee: Susan Sheppard, cello -- Lucy Carolan, harpsichord -- Jane Coe, cello continuo


----------



## science

The wife is away, so señor gets to enjoy modernist stuff such as:










And:


----------



## Oskaar

*RAUTAVAARA: Cantus Arcticus / Piano Concerto No. 1 / Symphony No. 3*

Composer(s):
*Rautavaara, Einojuhani *

Conductor(s):
*Lintu, Hannu *

Orchestra(s):
*Royal Scottish National Orchestra *

Artist(s):
*Mikkola, Laura*









Fantastic adventurous music! Wery rich soundscape.

allmusic


----------



## Guest

Berlioz, Harold in Italy
David Aaron Carpenter, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy








Beethoven, Creatures of Prometheus
Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra








Spohr, Violin Concerto #8 in A
Hilary Hahn & Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## MagneticGhost

Gibbons - Choral and Organ Music
Jeremy Summerly, Oxford Camerata
Laurence Cummings


----------



## bejart

Francois Couperin (1668-1733): Quatrieme Concert from 'Concerts Rouyaux'

Jed Wentz leading Musica Ad Rhenum


----------



## Oskaar

*ALWYN, W.: Chamber Music - Sonatas / Suite / String Trio / Conversations*

*Artist(s) *
Plane, Robert, clarinet • Hermitage String Trio, Ensemble • Wakeford, Lucy, harp • Francis, Sarah, oboe • Rahman, Sophia, piano • Bradley, Sarah-Jane, viola • Gould, Lucy, violin









arkivmusic
classicsonline.com


----------



## science

Continuing with the wife-is-not-home music:










The orchestral parts of the Bartók concerto benefit very much from having a better recording (than the MLP Living Stereo one with Dorati I listened to earlier).


----------



## MagneticGhost

Pergolesi - Stabat Mater

Concerto Italiano


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: 
String Quartet No. 3 in F major*

Lyrical Interlude for string quintet

Adagio ma non troppo 'Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan', from String Quartet in E major

Ensemble(s):
*Maggini Quartet *

Artist(s):
*Jackson, Garfield*









prestoclassical
classical-music.com (bbc)


----------



## science




----------



## rrudolph

A little Ives to start off today's listening:

Ives: Piano Trio








Ives: Largo for Violin, Clarinet & Piano








Ives: Piano Sonata #2, "Concord, Mass., 1840-1860"








Ives: Symphony #4


----------



## Vasks

_Starting today through Dec. 24, I'll be listening to Christmas and other seasonal selections_

*Berlioz - L'enfance du Christ * (Davis/London CD)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Boulez, Memoriale, Derive 1, Derive 2.*

This is a super-cheap download on Amazon and my first Boulez recording.

I don't know if I get what the composer intended, but I'm sensing a pattern which I personally can hear in this music, which is interesting enough that it kept my attention even through the 50 minutes of Derive 2.

I'm listening again today in the background, which is not something I'd recommend for these pieces, but I'm appreciating the sound he gets from his ensemble.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Art Of The Oboe - Famous Oboe Concerti / Anthony Camden*

Composer: George Frideric Handel, Vincenzo Righini, Arcangelo Corelli, Vincenzo Bellini, ... 
Performer: Anthony Camden 
Conductor: Nicholas Ward, John Georgiadis 
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of London Sinfonia, London Virtuosi









arkivmusic
amazon
naxos


----------



## opus55

Ives: 3 Places in New England
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber: Capricorn Concerto / A Hand of Bridge / Canzonetta / Intermezzo*

Stéphane Rancourt (oboe); John Gracie (trumpet); Karen Jones (flute) 
Lesley Craigie (sop); Roderick Williams (bass); Louise Winter (mezzo); Simon Wall, (ten) (A Hand of Bridge) 
* Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Marin Alsop*









Naxos seems to never fail me...

musicweb-international
naxos
amazon


----------



## rrudolph

Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras/Varese: Deserts/Equatorial/Hyperprism








Stravinsky: Symphony in 3 Movements/Symphony in C/Symphonies of Wind Instruments








And a gratuitous picture that seems appropriate to connect these two recordings...


----------



## Kieran

Symphony #39 in e-flat major, K543, by Mozart. Karl Bohm conducting the Berlin Philly...


----------



## Vasks

rrudolph said:


> Ives: Largo for Violin, Clarinet & Piano











Is this a CD, because I have had the LP of this album for many years?


----------



## Oskaar

*BLISS: Clarinet Quintet / String Quartet No. 2*

*Artist(s) * Campbell, David, clarinet • Maggini Quartet, Ensemble









naxos
allmusic
classicsonline


----------



## ptr

*Josef Matthias Hauer* - Siebten Suite für Orchester Op 48, Violinkonzert and other Orchestral Works (CPO)









Thomas Christian, violin; Radio-Sinfonieorchester Wien u. Gottfried Rabl

and then:

*Alexandre Guilmant *- Ausgewählte Orgelwerke Vol 3 (Motette)
(Sonatas No 5 (Op 80) & 6 (Op 86), 09 - Grand Choeur g-Moll op.84, Choral: Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan op.93)









Daniel Roth @ the Cavaillé-Coll Organ of Saint-Sulpice, Paris

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Vasks said:


> View attachment 30620
> 
> 
> Is this a CD, because I have had the LP of this album for many years?


Yes, it is. I'm not sure if it's still available, as I've had the CD for at least 20 years and perhaps even longer.


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2










I keep forgetting to listen to this forgotten concerto.


----------



## maestro267

*Maxwell Davies*: Worldes Blis
Royal PO/Maxwell Davies

*Shostakovich*: Symphony No. 11 in G minor (The Year 1905)
Royal Liverpool PO/Petrenko


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Petrushka (Bernstein)
Satie - Parade (Plasson).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*BRAHMS / JENNER: Trios*

Campbell, David, clarinet • Hackleman, Martin, horn • Coop, Jane, piano • Beaver, Martin, violin

Brahms, Johannes-*Trio for Violin, French Horn and Piano, Op. 40-*
Jenner, Gustav Uwe-*Trio in E flat Major-*
Brahms, Johannes-*6 songs (arr. for horn and piano)-*









classicsonline.com


----------



## Manxfeeder

Oh, I'm a terrible person because I'm not listening to Christmas music. Oh, well, I just found this in my CD stack; it's another recording I picked up at my used CD store and forgot that I had.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 97 in C Major; Symphony No. 98 in B-flat Major
(Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1 in G Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## Aramis

Love Jacobs doing classical period stuff. Even if this G major symphony here is tremendously boring for most of it's lenght. Dramatic scene is the highlight of recording.










Turns out there are two versions of KV 365, from '79 and '82. You get both here, in excellent HIP performance. The work is rarely mentioned around, but I'll take it over many regular piano concertos by Mozart, and I mean the renowned late numbers.


----------



## Oskaar

*Douglas Bostock / Chamber Philharmonic of Bohemia 
 French Orchestral Miniatures, Vol. 3*









allmusic


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Piano Trio in D Minor, Op.63 Cortot/Thibaud/Casals
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.9 "Kreutzer" Thibaud/Cortot

Heavenly music-making from another age that, thankfully, can still be part of ours.


----------



## Sid James

*Barney Wilen* Un témoin dans la ville (A witness in the city ) - Original soundrack of Edouard Molinaro's film, 1959
- Wilen (leader), tenor & alto saxes; Kenny Dorham, trumpet; Duke Jordan, piano; Paul Rovere, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums

*Schubert* Symphony #2
- Israel PO under Zubin Mehta

*Tchaikovsky transcribed by Taneyev* The Nutcracker Suite
*Liszt* Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree), S.186
- Stephanie McCallum, piano

*Peter Maxwell Davies* Sinfonia Concertante
- Scottish CO under the composer, with soloists: David Nicholson, flute; Robin Miller, oboe; Lewis Morrison, clarinet; Gareth Newman, bassoon; Robert Cook, Fr. horn; Tristan Fry, timpani

Going through my jazz film soundtracks bit by bit, as well as *Schubert's* symphonies. This one by *Barney Wilen *is a favourite, not the least for the all star lineup, esp. the man in the drum chair Kenny "Klook" Clarke. Also throwing in some music for the Silly Season, which I plan to do a blog on around the big day. *Liszt's* _Christmas Tree _is the centrepiece of this very enjoyable disc, and the 12 pieces have the variety and innovations found in his _Years of Pilgramage_.

I've also been enjoying this *Peter Maxwell Davies* album. His _Sinfonia Concertante _was inspired by Mozart's work in the same genre (K.297b - an attributed work) but has more in common with the pared down and quite monochromatic colour world of Sibelius, also the aspect of Nordic atmosphere (Maxwell Davies moved to the Orkney Islands in the 1970's, and works like this to some extent mirror his environment there).


----------



## Blake

The Hilliard Ensemble's Ockeghem: Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis). Wonderful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Music For The Ritterballett WoO1 - Hubert Reichert, cond.

At some point I'd like to make a project of going through all the Beethoven WoOs


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tartini *and martini (rec. 1984 - 2005).

View attachment 30640
View attachment 30641
View attachment 30642
View attachment 30643


----------



## KenOC

Bach: The Art of Fugue, Calefax Reed Quintet. A nice performance and maybe a good substitute for the great Canadian Brass version. All the threads are brought out clearly but the reed quintet doesn't wear on the ears quite so much. The quick parts are, of course, more nimble.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Two and Three Part Inventions - Robert Veyron-Lacroix, harpsichord


----------



## moody

opus55 said:


> Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I keep forgetting to listen to this forgotten concerto.


I hope it's the complete version.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Et encore plus de Debussy

Debussy - Preludes Livre 1 / Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sid James said:


> I've also been enjoying this *Peter Maxwell Davies* album. His _Sinfonia Concertante _was inspired by Mozart's work in the same genre (K.297b - an attributed work) but has more in common with the pared down and quite monochromatic colour world of Sibelius, also the aspect of Nordic atmosphere (Maxwell Davies moved to the Orkney Islands in the 1970's, and works like this to some extent mirror his environment there).
> [/COLOR]


Not sure the Orcadians would think of themselves or their landscape as Nordic, Sid!

A belated happy birthday to LvB:

*Beethoven - Fugue in D for String Quintet, Op. 137* / Fine Arts Quartet, Gill Sharon (Viola)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rochberg, Symphony No. 2.*

Wow, a 12-tone piece that's easy to follow.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Sergei Prokofiev--*The War Sonatas--Piano Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 and 8. *
All three sonatas are traversed by pianist Denis Kozhukhin.
Sergei Prokofiev--*Scythian Suite, Op.20 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100,* both featuring the City of Birmingham Orchestra under Simon Rattle.


----------



## SimonNZ

Hey, TurnaboutVox! You didn't like my TurnaboutVox record!

(kidding, of course, like whatever you want)

still listening to Bach...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati

Tall stories a-plenty, just right to go to bed on. Should dream well tonight.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Violin Concerti 1 - 5, w. Oistrakh/BPO (rec.1970/1).

View attachment 30647
View attachment 30648


----------



## TurnaboutVox

SimonNZ said:


> Hey, TurnaboutVox! You didn't like my TurnaboutVox record!


Ha! I was so busy being self righteous about Orcadians that I didn't see your post or the one above. I've 'liked' it now (how could I not?) I haven't heard or heard of Beethoven's Music For The Ritterballett WoO1 before. Any good? There's much good music salted away amongst the WoO's and Hess catalogue, I know.


----------



## EricABQ




----------



## bejart

Theodor von Schacht (1748-1823): Triple Clarinet Concerto in B Major

Hans Stadlmair conducting the Bamberger Symphoniker -- Dieter Klocker, Oliver Link, and Waldemar Wandel, clarinets


----------



## opus55

moody said:


> I hope it's the complete version.


I don't know anything about the No.2. How can I tell if it's the complete version? This recording has three movements.

Britten: The Turn of the Screw










Listened to the first disc on the way home from work. It's got an eerie feel to it which is perfect for the story of the opera.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Gardiner's 4th Brahms CD. I still prefer the vocal music on this.


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Orff's Trionfo Di Afrodite - Eugene Jochum, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Chorale Variations on "Von Himmel hoch" (orch. of Bach)*, Zvezdoliki*, Cantata, Mass, Babel*
*CBC Symphony/Toronto Singers, Columbia Symphony/Gregg Smith Singers








The set lists this disc as "Sacred Works, Volume 1", but these works date from all over Stravinsky's career and *Zvezdoliki* is not based on a religious text. That same work is a curious little setting of a Balmont poem for men's chorus and orchestra, and its harmonies are quite odd at times. It dates from that period between The Rite of Spring and Pulcinella when Stravinsky was searching for his own language. The *Mass* is one of the very few Stravinsky works that was not a commission; he wrote it out of belief, and this is borne out in its solemn setting. *Babel* was written for the multi-composer Genesis Suite, of which only Stravinsky's and Schoenberg's (Prelude for orchestra and chorus, op. 44) contributions are much recorded today.

Stravinsky's *Cantata* dates from the period between The Rake's Progress and Agon when Stravinsky was again in the process of finding a new language, this time one that incorporated serialism. Cantata's one serial movement is the exceedingly lengthy setting of the famous poem on the life of Christ, "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day". The piece as a whole is attractive in parts but quite repetitive. The last work here (chronologically) is Stravinsky's arrangement of Bach's late contrapuntal masterpiece for organ. The arrangement is for orchestra and choir, the latter singing the chorale itself under the contrapuntal elaboration. It's an excellent arrangement that holds up far better in the HIP era than most Bach transcriptions of the time (as it doesn't take a Romantic view of Bach).


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in D Major, B 86

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Art Of The Prima Donna" - Joan Sutherland


----------



## bejart

Pietro Nardini (1722-1793): Flute Sonata in G Major

Alain Marion, flute -- Daniele Roi, harpsichord


----------



## KenOC

Haydn String Quartet Op. 33 No. 6 in D, the Lindsays.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Arthur Bliss--*A Colour Symphony,* featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Charles Groves.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Minor, KV 310

Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## Blake

Some more Palestrina by The Tallis Scholars: Missa Assumpta est Maria. I've been on a serious Renaissance kick lately. I think reverberations from a past life have shaken the fabric of time... calling my attention to that which I cannot ignore.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc eight

Piano Concerto (arr. two pianos) - Vitya Vronsky and Victor Babin, pianos
Job: A Masque For Dancing

Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Messiah, Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic, 1959. I thought Beecham had re-orchestrated this, but I think Jim Svejda just said Goosens did. In any event, gloriously non-HIP -- cymbals, tubas, and all! Not your lo-cal Messiah.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.2 in in D, Op.43 and Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52. *Both works are precisely and elegantly 
rendered by the by the Paavo Berglund led Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The *Third *literally seems to come alive in this traversal. This is truly a tremendously uplifting and majestic performance! 
Carl Nielsen- -*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"}, *both performed by the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Herbert Blomstedt.


----------



## DavidA

KenOC said:


> On the radio: Messiah, Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic, 1959. I thought Beecham had re-orchestrated this, but I think Jim Svejda just said Goosens did. In any event, gloriously non-HIP -- cymbals, tubas, and all! Not your lo-cal Messiah.


It's officially Goosen's re-orchestration but there are some who feel that Beecham did some reorchestration himself. As you say gloriously non HIP. I wouldn't want to be without Vickers' singing Thou Shalt a Break Them!


----------



## moody

TurnaboutVox said:


> Not sure the Orcadians would think of themselves or their landscape as Nordic, Sid!
> 
> A belated happy birthday to LvB:
> 
> *Beethoven - Fugue in D for String Quintet, Op. 137* / Fine Arts Quartet, Gill Sharon (Viola)


Well, it was annexed by Norway and settled by the Norse.


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> Beethoven's Music For The Ritterballett WoO1 - Hubert Reichert, cond.
> 
> At some point I'd like to make a project of going through all the Beethoven WoOs


What are you--some kind of owl ??


----------



## moody

opus55 said:


> I don't know anything about the No.2. How can I tell if it's the complete version? This recording has three movements.
> 
> Britten: The Turn of the Screw
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listened to the first disc on the way home from work. It's got an eerie feel to it which is perfect for the story of the opera.


The second movement should be long and almost like a mini-concerto for violin and cello. Siloti cut it and, in my opinion,ruined it. But,take heart, there are a number of complete version available--one good one is conducted by Rudolf Barshai with Peter Donohoe and youngsters Steven Isserliss and Nigel Kennedy in the second movement.


----------



## moody

MUSSORGSKY SONGS. KIM BORG, BASS.

1. "Songs and Dances of Death". with the Prague Radio symphony : Alois Klima.
2. Four Songs with the Prague National Theatre Orchestra : Zdenek Chalabala.
3. Three songs with : Alfred Holecek, piano.

The orchestrations were specially done anew. Terrific performance, I've always likes Kim Borg.


----------



## SimonNZ

For my money nobody sings "O Isis Und Osiris" better than Kim Borg

playing now:

















Kaija Saariaho: Works For Orchestra, disc four

Orion, Notes On Light and Mirage - Christoph Eschenbach, cond


----------



## SimonNZ

Boris Blacher's Piano Concerto No.2 - Horst Göbel, piano, Takao Ukigaya, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Unearthing*

Arnold:	
*Five pieces for violin and piano, Op. 84*

Bacewicz:	
*Violin Sonata No. 4*

Poulenc:	
*Violin Sonata, FP 119*

Rodrigo:	
*Sonata Pimpante*

*Duo Figer-Khanina: Guy Figer (violin), Anna Khanina (piano)*









arkivmusic


----------



## dgee

Prokofiev Symphony 3, Rozhdestvendky, USSR State - I know this piece back to front and it hits the sweet spot in a way the Fiery Angel (opera from same material) does not. However, there still does not appear to be the dgee recording of Prok 3 and that seems a shame because I would rip ****** and bust with great clarity at all the climaxes and extreme prejudice within mid tempo exactitude and and hold back some of the build-up in a way Seiji, Neemi and Gennady just don't quite - Seiji gets closest to maintaining unbearable tension throughout (what this rep is all about)

Generally, this is always my contender for "most intense" symphony


----------



## Oskaar

*Smetana/Suk/Janacek*

Quartet for Strings no 1 in E minor, T 116 "From my life" by Bedrich Smetana

Quartet for Strings no 2 in D minor, T 131 by Bedrich Smetana

Meditation on an old Czech hymn "St Wenceslas", Op. 35a by Josef Suk

Quartet for Strings no 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" by Leos Janácek

*Talich Quartet / Vanbrugh Quartet*

Fantastic energetic,still sensitive performance from both quartets. Vanbrugh Quartet performs only the Janacek quartet.









arkivmusic


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in E Minor, Op1, No.4

Jaroslav Krecek conducting the Capella Istropolitana


----------



## maestro267

*Strauss*: Aus Italien
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich/Zinman

Wow! This piece is amazing! First time hearing it, and the opening chord sequence is so beautiful! Imagine the sound world of RVW's Tallis Fantasia, but with woodwinds and harps added to the strings. A real Romantic treat!

*Walton*: Symphony No. 2
Orchestre National de Lille/Owain Arwel Hughes


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 159 - Musical Devils


----------



## Vasks

*Rolle - Christmas Oratorio (Remy/cpo CD)*

View attachment 30679


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2/Fantasy in F Minor Witold Malcuzynski/Philharmonia Orchestra/Paul Kletzki
Bartok: Roumanian Folk Dances: Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
Kodaly: Marrosszek Dances/Dances of Galanta Philharmonia Hungarica/Antal Dorati

I seem to have a fixation on Chopin No.2 at the moment and am thus working my way through various performances of it. Hadn't heard this one for years, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Malcuzynski seems to be scarcely remembered at all now, rather a pity it seems to me.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 37 in D Major (Walter Olbertz).









Been waiting for these puppies for a while and now they're here .


----------



## Doc

I'm a fan of Kremer, though I'm only really familiar with his playing of Schnittke and Glass. 
I've been eyeing up the Schubert Violin Works box set from DG for a while however, which he plays. Any thoughts?


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









A random choice that seems to fit the season. I am listening to disc one only, with Overture: Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, Symphony 1 and Symphony 5 "Reformation". The latter has a decided Christmas feeling to it.


----------



## realdealblues

Still slowly making my way through the Perahia Box Set.

View attachment 30694


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17, 18 & 26

View attachment 30695


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 9, 10, 12 & 15


----------



## opus55

maestro267 said:


> *Strauss*: Aus Italien
> Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich/Zinman
> 
> Wow! This piece is amazing! First time hearing it, and the opening chord sequence is so beautiful! Imagine the sound world of RVW's Tallis Fantasia, but with woodwinds and harps added to the strings. A real Romantic treat!
> 
> *Walton*: Symphony No. 2
> Orchestre National de Lille/Owain Arwel Hughes


I don't know if you have the box set of Strauss orchestral works but yeah, 'Aus Italien' is great and made me read the liner notes about it when I heard it the first time.

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1

















Then Strauss' Aus Italien


----------



## realdealblues

Just finishing another from the Perahia Box.

View attachment 30696


Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 11

Then I think I'll jump on the Richard Strauss bandwagon for a little bit.

View attachment 30697


Strauss: Aus Italien
Rudolf Kempe & The Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphony No. 2.*

This is also called the Christmas Symphony, but it's more like the Nightmare Before Christmas - pretty intense.


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 (Karajan).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Trios, w. BAT (rec.1971), KLR Trio (rec.1991); Piano Sonatas, w. Pogo (rec.1991).

View attachment 30702
View attachment 30703
View attachment 30704


----------



## Vasks

Manxfeeder said:


> View attachment 30701
> 
> 
> This is also called the Christmas Symphony, but it's more like the Nightmare Before Christmas - pretty intense.


Yeah, it's mood is far from being Christmassy at all in my book too and some writers point to this piece as one of Penderecki's early renewed interests in composing tonally, but I find that a stretch too


----------



## Tristan

*Tchaikovsky* - The Nutcracker, Op. 71 - No. 9 - Waltz of the Snowflakes









This part with the wordless chorus has always been one of my favorite parts of the Nutcracker, even when I was a little kid. I've noticed in some versions you can barely hear the chorus, but in this recording by Rattle, the chorus really stands out.


----------



## Vaneyes

Doc said:


> I'm a fan of Kremer, though I'm only really familiar with his playing of Schnittke and Glass.
> I've been eyeing up the *Schubert Violin Works box set* from DG for a while however, which he plays. Any thoughts?


Re Kremer & Maisenberg Schubert, it's too bad DG doesn't offer a 2fer with discs 1 & 2 (Sonatines, Sonata, etc.) . The rest of the stuff (orchestral and octet) isn't needed IMO. But if you like it all, and/or can get the box inexpensively* enough....

Recommended options. Newton's inexpensive* single disc reissue of Kremer & Maisenberg. Just the Sonatines. This is the majesty of their set, IMO.

I also like/own Laredo & Brown, an original Dorian release now available inexpensively on Brilliant Classics. 2CDs containing Sonatines, Sonata, Rondo, Fantasy. This is the one many overlook because of the big names elsewhere. It does not take a backseat.

*For the "record", when I speak of inexpensive, I usually mean what one can find it for now at Amazon Marketplace. Not necessarily the original or reissue price. :tiphat:

View attachment 30707
View attachment 30708


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Canticum Sacrum+, Introitus*, A Sermon, a Narrative, and a Prayer, Anthem
+Los Angeles Festival Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, *Gregg Smith Singers, CBC Orchestra and Festival Singers of Toronto








Stravinsky's late music is excellent, but the recordings on this set don't do it full justice. Aside from a very beautiful rendition of the Anthem "The Dove Descending" (text by TS Eliot), the choirs and players have difficulty with this unfamiliar idiom and the phrasing is frequently very awkward.

*Canticum Sacrum* is Stravinsky's first piece to include a full movement (the second) based on a tone row. Nadia Boulanger used the work as a model for her classes, but even in better performances (eg Gielen's) it feels weaker than Stravinsky's other late choral works to me.

*A Sermon, a Narrative, and a Prayer* is a work of a very solemn cast, and the final prayer is accompanied by the continuous reverberation of gongs. The ensemble writing (for moderate-sized orchestra) is chamber-like throughout and there is a dedicated part for the alto flute, an instrument I love.

*Anthem* is probably one of the most purely beautiful 12-tone works I have ever heard, a very straightforward setting of two stanzas for a capella choir, but rich in detail. I've loved it from the very first time I heard it.

*Introitus*, written in memory of TS Eliot, is a very dark-hued work centered entirely in the bass/contrabass region of the ensemble (much as Le marteau sans maitre, a work Stravinsky much admired, takes place in the alto/mezzo range). The funereal gongs and piano echo together with the thudding of the bass drum as the men's chorus sings and whispers.

I'm saving Threni for a bit later.


----------



## Sid James

This listening session took in some interesting things, including a very pumped Maestro Scherchen both in rehearsal and performance of *Beethoven's *music, to another *Alain Goraguer* film score which has shades of everything from blues, to smooth jazz to bebop, to Janacek's first and final opuses (he died before he could complete the _Reminiscence_, 50 seconds is all we have of it), and also contrasting some American favourites, *Copland* and *Gershwin*.


*Beethoven*
Great Fugue (Grosse Fuge), Op. 133 (live in concert, 1962)
Symphony #7 (in rehearsal, 1965)
- Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen

*Alain Goraguer* J'irai cracher sur vos tombes (I Spit on Your Graves) - Original soundtrack of Michel Gast's film, 1959
- Orchestra including: Goraguer, piano, arrangements, conducting; Roger Guérin, trumpet; Raymond Guiot, flute; Georges Grenu, tenor sax; Michel Hausser, vibes; Claude Garden, harmonica; Pierre Michelot, bass; Christian Garros, drums

*Beethoven* Symphony #7
- Radio SO, Ljubljana under Anton Nanut

*Janacek*
Theme and variations (Zdenka Variations)
Reminiscence (Erinnerung)
- Rudolf Firkusny, piano

*Copland* Piano Concerto
- Benjamin Pasternack, piano; Elgin SO under Robert Hanson

*Gershwin*
Cuban Overture
- Richard Hayman & his Symphony Orch.
Three Preludes
- Leon Bates on the bones


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 35 in C Major (Walter Olbertz).









What a wonderful sonata. I love the Haydnesque first movement. The adagio is calming and very singable. The finale is another fast number with an interesting minor part in the middle. Olbertz is an excellent interpreter of Haydn, imo .


----------



## Aramis

CD 10: Piano Sextet in D major

I forgot I have this box and dig it up to listen to piano sextet in D major, op. 110. Very solid position in Mendelssohn's chamber catalogue. Weights towards classical at times, even has menuetto as 3rd movement.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*William Child, Sacred Music*, then *Boulez, Memoriale*.

Yeah, that's a non sequitur.


----------



## Blake

Ensemble Plus Ultra's Victoria: Lamentationes Jeremiae. Wonderful.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Vesuvius said:


> Ensemble Plus Ultra's Victoria: Lamentationes Jeremiae. Wonderful.
> 
> View attachment 30720


Desperately hoping for this box for xmas. 
If I don't get it, I'll be buying it myself in January


----------



## MagneticGhost

Buzzing after an absolutely wonderful performance of Parsifal (live cinema relay) from the Royal Opera House!

Calming my mind with JEG's Mozart Mass in C Minor.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn String Quartet Op. 64 No. 6 in B-flat, the Lindsays again.


----------



## Vaneyes

With this listening, enjoying/celebrating Maestro Antal Dorati.

*Bartok*: Concerto for Orchestra, w. ACO (rec.1983); *Berg/Schoenberg/Webern*: Orchestral Works, w. LSO (rec.1961/2);* Orff*: Carmina Burana, w. RPO (rec.1976).

View attachment 30721
View attachment 30722
View attachment 30723


----------



## Blake

MagneticGhost said:


> Desperately hoping for this box for xmas.
> If I don't get it, I'll be buying it myself in January


I've been through two cds so far and it's most excellent.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Cyril Scott: Overture "Pelleas and Melisanda" Op.5/Piano Concerto in D Op.10 Peter Donohoe/BBC Concert Orchestra/Martin Yates

A first hearing for me, this. I very much like the overture, which is very atmospheric, and is certainly a piece that I want to get to know better (being written in 1900, it predates Debussy's opera by two years). The concerto is certainly enjoyable, though my initial impression is that the first movement doesn't seem to settle somehow, so you get the feeling that it doesn't quite know where it's going (or where it wants to go), but there's no such problem with the last two movements, which are immediately attractive, the whole ending with a flourish that is very like Rachmaninoff. It may well be that greater familiarity will put the first movement into some kind of perspective, we shall see. Full marks though to all concerned for such passionately committed performances.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://favourite









Disc One this evening... Aïs, Tracées, Empreintes, Noomena, Roaï

One of the best buys I've made, among hundreds of others  I love this music.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, Vol. I - Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846 
(Glenn Gould);

Suite for Orchestra No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 - Air (Pablo Casals, Marlboro Festival Orchestra).

Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582 (E. Power Biggs, organ).


----------



## Blake

Oxford Camerata's Lassus: Missa Susanne un jour. Beautiful.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat, Op.82 and Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104, *
both featuring Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"}, *
both performed by the Theodore Kuchar led Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.5 and SYmphony No.6 {"Fantaisies symphoniques"}, * both works traversed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc nine

Serenade To Music
English Folk Songs Suite
Norfolk Rhapsody No.1
Fantasia On Greensleeves
In The Fen Country
The Lark Ascending - Hugh Beam, violin

Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Threni
Soloists, Columbia Symphony, cond. Stravinsky








*Threni* is one of the most obscure works in Stravinsky's oeuvre. There exist only 4 recordings ever released on CD that I'm aware of: this one, one by Robert Craft, the premiere performance in Venice, and a live performance by the Royal Concertgebouw. The latter three are out of print, and I have never heard the live ones.

Why is it so little performed and recorded? I think it's because the piece, which has no flashy elements whatsoever, nevertheless requires a good deal of effort and rehearsal time, as well as six soloists up to the demands of the music. By all accounts, the first performances were a disaster, and the Columbia account is riddled with problems in intonation and balance.

In spite of all that, I'm convinced that the work is a genuine masterpiece of Stravinsky's late style. Here he takes in the sparse scoring and canonic textures of Webern, the quartal chords of Schoenberg, and the inspirations of similar Lamentations settings from Tallis as well as Krenek's recent piece on the same subject. At many points, the parts move extremely freely against each other, so an unaccompanied canon between tenor and bass for example will see their parts having entirely different rhythmic accents and inflections. Some of the harmonies he draws out of his tone row are positively luminous in this dark-hued work.

I'm still waiting for a recording that truly reveals this work for all to hear, but even in the Columbia recording, it has a good deal of power.


----------



## dgee

Mahlerian - I'm enjoying your accounts of these Stravinsky recordings greatly. I've been perusing the Stravinsky neoclassical period lately and quite enjoying it so am looking forward to getting into these later period works. I do like his writing for voice


----------



## Mahlerian

dgee said:


> Mahlerian - I'm enjoying your accounts of these Stravinsky recordings greatly. I've been perusing the Stravinsky neoclassical period lately and quite enjoying it so am looking forward to getting into these later period works. I do like his writing for voice


Stravinsky has long been one of my favorite composers, and unfortunately few people are really familiar with the breadth of his output (of course one could say the same for Bach or Mozart as well, despite their canonical status!). Threni actually took a while for me to come around to. I first heard the Columbia recording and found it pretty tedious with its seemingly endless a capella sections, but coming back to it after a greater familiarity with pre-Baroque music as well as the choral works of Webern and Schoenberg, I came to love it very quickly.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Grand Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op.121

Sonata in a minor for Violin and Piano, Op.105*

Nicolas Chumachenko (violin), Kalle Randalu (piano)

Schumann to wake me up to a cold and dark morning, with a day of bureaucratic trainee progress reviews to look forward to at work....(maybe should have chosen Satie's Sonatine Bureaucratique!)


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 111 - CATalog of Music, Part 2
Even one composition made by a cat itself!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://favourite









Shuishan Yu : The Vibrant Rhythm of Ancient Heroes

The classical guqin (the instrument of the sages, favoured by scholars and literati) is a Chinese zither that dates back to at least 3000 years. It's calming and meditative influence is especially welcome at night, but suits any time of repose.


----------



## Taggart

This is the second cd of:










Weird is not the word, but very powerful. Echoes of Flamenco, and strong links to Gaelic singing styles. :tiphat: to @SimonNZ for recommending the set.


----------



## moody

Must get in the mood, so: "THE TOLZ BOYS' CHOIR OF BAVARIA " with Hermann Prey, baritone. "O TANNENBAUM" and others.
KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD. "GREAT SACRED SONGS" with the London Philharmonic cond: Sir Adrian Boult 
I find boys' choirs quite wonderful and there's not much more to be said about Kirsten Flagstad.


----------



## SimonNZ

Hope you're enjoying them, Taggart! I'd be interested to hear what you make of the other discs!


----------



## Guest

*Camille Saint-Saëns:*
Tarentelle in A minor op. 6, for Fl, Cl, Pno
Sonata for Bassoon and Pno in G, Op. 168
*The Nash Ensemble*








*Pablo De Sarasate:*
Spanish Dances Opp. 21, 22, 23, 26
*Edvin Csury , Bela Simon*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Delius: In A Summer Garden/Over the Hills and Far Away
Massenet: The Last Sleep of the Virgin
Gretry: Air de Ballet from "Zemire et Azor"
Mehul: Overture "La Chasse de Jeune Henri" Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham

A great start to the day, this is a wonderful programme of some of Beecham's favourites, they are all impeccably performed, his phrasing in "The Last Sleep of the Virgin" is ravishing, and the way he ratchets up the excitement at the end of the Mehul overture makes a thoroughly exciting finish to the record. Yay!


----------



## Andolink

*Giuseppe Valentini*: _Concerti Grossi_, Op. VII 
No. 11 in A minor (for 4 violins) and No. 7 in G major
Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini








*J. C. Bach*: _Quintet in C major for flute, oboe, violin, viola & continuo_ Op. 11 no. 6
The English Concert








*Fortunato Chelleri*: _Six Simphonies Nouvelles_
No. 1 in D major; No. 2 in C major; No. 3 in B flat major; No. 4 in A major
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto








*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in D major_, K. 575 'Prussian Quartet No. 1'
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Oskaar

*MENDELSSOHN: String Symphonies, Vol. 3*

Conductor(s):
*Ward, Nicholas *

Orchestra(s):
*Northern Chamber Orchestra*









amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Matthäus-Passion, 1746 (Wolgang Seeliger; Konzertchor Darmstadt; Kammerorchester Darmstadt; Zedelius; Browner; Blochwitz; Scharinger; Schmidt).









A work with some very good music in it. The Passion is not as dramatic as Händel, but has its dramatic moments and lots of Telemann's joyous melodies and use of orchestral colour. Really like this.


----------



## Gilberto

on Spotify ... Vathek Symphonic Poem by Horatio Parker - Karl Krueger & Royal Philharmonic

someone was just lamenting classical radio recently...thanks to my regional WRTI Temple University, they played this piece yesterday and I was made aware of a composer I never heard before; lovely piece of sound...


----------



## maestro267

*Brahms*: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor
Gilels/Berlin PO/Jochum

The first movement especially fitting the bill as a dramatic and (to me at least) unexpected storm of thunder and hail is happening as I write this.


----------



## Taggart

SimonNZ said:


> Hope you're enjoying them, Taggart! I'd be interested to hear what you make of the other discs!


We tried the estampie (CD 1) and found the tempi and treatment a little odd. There were tunes we recognised (just) but not played the way we were used to. The planctus, however, blew us away.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries

Compact Discoveries 054 - From Norway to Broadway


----------



## Manxfeeder

Gilberto said:


> on Spotify ... Vathek Symphonic Poem by Horatio Parker - Karl Krueger & Royal Philharmonic
> 
> someone was just lamenting classical radio recently...thanks to my regional WRTI Temple University, they played this piece yesterday and I was made aware of a composer I never heard before; lovely piece of sound...


I'm listening on Spotify.

Maybe sometime you can look up his oratorio Hora Novissima; that was a huge hit of his.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ives, C: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-4

Hilary Hahn (violin) & Valentina Lisitsa (piano)*









prestoclassical
amazon
naxos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Gloria Coates, Quartet No. 5.*

Not exactly Christmas music, except one of the themes used is Fling out the Banner, also known as I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.


----------



## Vasks

Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker (Mackerras/Telarc)

View attachment 30755


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## realdealblues

View attachment 30756


Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
Gunter Wand & The NDR Symphony Orchestra


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new arrival ----
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in D Minor, D 43

L'Arte Dell'Arco: Giovanni Guglielmo, violin


----------



## Blake

Collegium Vocale Gent's Lassus: Psalmi Davidis Poenitentiales. Superbio. 
Really, this is amazing. Go grab a copy.


----------



## Gilberto

Manxfeeder said:


> I'm listening on Spotify.
> 
> Maybe sometime you can look up his oratorio Hora Novissima; that was a huge hit of his.


I'll look for it. Apparently, the date of his death was yesterday. Directly afterward was a recording of Elegy, a memoriam to Parker by a contemporary, George Whitefield Chadwick. That too was excellent but I can't find it on Spotify.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Florian Gassmann (1729-1774): Symphony in C Minor

Petr Chromcak conducting the Czech Chamber Orchestra

Schimpke/Gassmann/Gyrowetz: 3 Symphonies - Baroque Bohemia & Beyond VI


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Cello Concerto, w. Rostropovich/LB (rec.1976), Violin Sonatas, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1985); *R. Strauss*: Don Quixote, w. Rostropovich/HvK (rec.1975).

View attachment 30767
View attachment 30768


----------



## Doc

Vaneyes said:


> Re Kremer & Maisenberg Schubert, it's too bad DG doesn't offer a 2fer with discs 1 & 2 (Sonatines, Sonata, etc.) . The rest of the stuff (orchestral and octet) isn't needed IMO. But if you like it all, and/or can get the box inexpensively* enough....
> 
> Recommended options. Newton's inexpensive* single disc reissue of Kremer & Maisenberg. Just the Sonatines. This is the majesty of their set, IMO.
> 
> I also like/own Laredo & Brown, an original Dorian release now available inexpensively on Brilliant Classics. 2CDs containing Sonatines, Sonata, Rondo, Fantasy. This is the one many overlook because of the big names elsewhere. It does not take a backseat.


Thanks for the recommendations. I'll be sure to check out both!

Meanwhile, spending this evening with Hewitt's Bach and Brendel's Beethoven:


----------



## julianoq

I am away from the forum and not listening to a lot of classical music recently. Since my divorce I am having a hard time dealing with the full range of emotions that CM exposes me, so I was listening more rock/pop/metal instead, but I was missing this thread particularly!

Now listening to Nielsen's 4th Symphony, performed by Sir Colin Davis and the LSO.


----------



## Oskaar

*Standford: A Christmas Carol Symphony*

Hely-Hutchinson:	
A Carol Symphony

Kelly, B:	
Improvisations on Christmas Carols

Lane, P:	
Wassail Dances

Standford:	
A Christmas Carol Symphony

Warlock:	
Bethlehem Down

*City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Gavin Sutherland*









classicsonline


----------



## DrKilroy

CD 1 - String Quartets Nos. 1, 3, 5.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## KenOC

oskaar said:


> *Standford: A Christmas Carol Symphony etc.*


I listen to this CD every Christmas at least once! It's a gem.


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> I am away from the forum and not listening to a lot of classical music recently. Since my divorce I am having a hard time dealing with the full range of emotions that CM exposes me, so I was listening more rock/pop/metal instead, but I was missing this thread particularly!
> 
> Now listening to Nielsen's 4th Symphony, performed by Sir Colin Davis and the LSO.


Be well and happy holidays, julianoq. Look ahead to a brighter 2014. :tiphat:


----------



## samurai

julianoq said:


> I am away from the forum and not listening to a lot of classical music recently. Since my divorce I am having a hard time dealing with the full range of emotions that CM exposes me, so I was listening more rock/pop/metal instead, but I was missing this thread particularly!
> 
> Now listening to Nielsen's 4th Symphony, performed by Sir Colin Davis and the LSO.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/
> Hi, Julian. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through such tough emotional times. Nielsen is one of my favorite composers, and the Fourth Symphony ("The Inextinguishable"), is one of my favorite works in the whole classical canon.


----------



## Vasks

KenOC said:


> I listen to this CD every Christmas at least once! It's a gem.


Count me as another


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in D Major, KV 593

Arthur Grumiaux and Arpad Gerecz, violins -- Georges Janzer and Max Lesueur, violas -- Eva Czako, cello

Mozart: String Quintets (Philips Complete Mozart Edition, Vol. 11)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony 'B' in B-flat Major, No. 108;
Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Mark Ermler; The USSR Bolshoi Theatre Chamber Music Ensemble).









Symphony No. 108 - I really liked the Andante in the minor, has that 'La Passione' feel to it.

Symphony No. 1 - really like the Andante, has a lyrical feel to it. Interesting how Haydn started and ended his symphonic career in D Major.


----------



## Jos

Poulenc, Stabat mater and Gloria.
find them very similar in athmosphere, and I think there are also some literal similarities in them. 
Listening to them streaming altough I have a very nice Turnabout/vox recordalbum of these works. Ghee, I really must start this thread on this recordlabel. Christmas holiday seems like a good time to start this project.
Anyways, Poulenc has written some great music !

Cheers,
jos


----------



## brotagonist

samurai said:


> Nielsen is one of my favorite composers, and the Fourth Symphony ("The Inextinguishable"), is one of my favorite works in the whole classical canon.


I read the article on Wikipedia: it sounds interesting.

Christmas CDs: this is where internet radio comes in


----------



## TurnaboutVox

György Kurtág - Hommage à R. Sch. - Robert Schumann [ECM New Series]

*Kurtág

Neun Stücke für Viola solo
Jelek, Op. 5 (for solo Viola)
Hommage à R. Sch., Op. 15d *(for Piano, Viola & Clarinet trio)

*Schumann

Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132*

Kim Kashkashian, Viola; Robert Levin, Piano; Eduard Brunner, Clarinet

Another spin for this recent acquisition tonight.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Giuseppe Giordani's *(1745 - 1798) birthday, Caro mio ben, w. Cecilia Bartoli


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832): Flute Sonata in E Flat, Op.64

Eyvind Rafn, flute -- Esther Vagning, piano

Kuhlau: Complete Sonatas for Flute & Piano


----------



## Doc

Sibelius's Kullervo, played by the LSO, conducted by Colin Davis. Fantastic artwork too, I might add.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Zauberflote - Jacobs


----------



## ticovanzant

I had never heard of ten Holt until I read a review in Fanfare. Excellent piano music...sort of minimalism...reminds me of Morton Feldman but not as sparse.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Symphony No. 1 Op. 38 in B flat, 'Spring'* / Berlin PO, Rafael Kubelik









*Schubert - Symphony No. 5 in Bb, D485* / Orchestra of the 18th century, Frans Brüggen









*Berg - Lyric (Lyrische) Suite* / Rebecca Hirsch (violin), Radio-Filharmonisch Orkest Hilversum, Eri Klas









Well, I was enjoying the Schumann 'Spring' symphony until the 2nd and subsequent movements turned out to be silent (flac files ripped from my CD. I'll need to have another go).

I've not listened to the Brüggen Schubert symphonies for a while - wonderfully transparent textures.

The Berg is my bedtime listening.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Clementi: Piano Sonata in B-flat Op.24 No.2-1st Movement/Piano Sonata in C Op.34 No.1-2nd Movement/Piano Sonata in B-flat Op.24 No.2-3rd Movement
Mendelssohn: Variations Serieuses Op.54
Schumann: Blumenstuck Op.19
Barber: Piano Sonata in E-flat Minor Op.26
Chopin: Ballade No.3/Etude Op.25 No.7/Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise in E-flat Op.22/Nocturne Op.55 No.1
Prokofiev: Toccata in D Minor Op.11
Scarlatti: Sonata in E K.380
Scriabin: Etude in C-sharp Minor Op.2 No.1
Chopin: Waltz in C-sharp Minor Op.64 No.2
Horowitz: Variations on themes from Bizet's "Carmen" Vladimir Horowitz, Carnegie Hall, 20th March,1950.

This is from the Sony box of Horowitz's Carnegie Hall recitals. They are superbly re-mastered, and I am really enjoying each recital. So that I don't overdo it, I am restricting myself to one a month, and listening to it as often as I am able within that month. This is December's and as ever, with Horowitz, it is fascinating. It seems a bit odd that he substitutes the second movement from another Clementi sonata into the B-flat sonata, but it works, and better that I suppose than that he didn't play any Clementi at all. It's rare enough now, never mind in 1950!


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale, Danses Concertantes, Epitaphium, Double Canon, Abraham and Isaac, Variations, Requiem Canticles
Columbia Ensembles, cond. Robert Craft








This miscellany of items is unified only by the fact that Stravinsky himself did not conduct these performances. For the last few years of his professional life, he became unable to conduct himself, and thus Robert Craft stepped in to take over.

*Song of the Nightingale* dates from Stravinsky's Russian period, and it is derived entirely from the second and third acts of his opera The Nightingale. Although a bit episodic, the music's riot of color has endeared it to John Adams (who pointed to it as the inspiration for his Slonimsky's Earbox), among others. Craft leads a decent performance. *Danses Concertantes* for chamber orchestra is among the later Neoclassical works, consisting of a number of tableaux stuck end-to-end, as it were. It's cut from similar cloth to Card Game.

*Epitaphium*, for flute, clarinet, and harp, is an intriguing and compact 12-tone miniature. It and *Double Canon* reflect the influence of Webern above all, and are well-played here. The performance of *Abraham and Isaac*, however, is very awkward, possibly because the vocal and chamber ensemble did not record at the same time (a retake was spliced in, apparently). Thankfully, more recent performances by baritones such as Sanford Sylvan and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau have revealed this "sacred history" set in Hebrew as a far richer work than this performance indicates.

The *Variations* is a disaster. The players seem to have no idea what they're trying to do, and all of the _sul ponticello_ in the strings is screeched out against a ragged ensemble. If anything, though, the performance of *Requiem Canticles* manages to be even worse, with poor singing from the two soloists as well as poor playing from the orchestra and a speaking choir that overwhelms the singing in the final Libera Me. It's a shame, too, because the work itself is quite worthy.

Stravinsky: Variations, Requiem Canticles
London Sinfonietta, cond. Knussen









These performances are far better, and the clean modern sound reveals much of the nuance that was covered over, especially in the three interludes, the first of which is for strings alone, the second for winds, and the third primarily for celesta, bells, and vibraphone (with occasional interjected chords from other instruments). This postlude is a fascinating little movement in which the sequences of chords seem to rotate in air without ever coming back to the same location, and it makes a fitting end to a journey through Stravinsky's works.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Haitink. Listened while reading the analysis in Hurwitz's book, to understand the forms of the movements better. Yeah, I'm impressed!


----------



## Manxfeeder

julianoq said:


> I am away from the forum and not listening to a lot of classical music recently. Since my divorce I am having a hard time dealing with the full range of emotions that CM exposes me, so I was listening more rock/pop/metal instead, but I was missing this thread particularly!


That's so sad. Give yourself time to heal; there are better days ahead for you.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Symphony in A Major

Concerto Koln

Kozeluch: Symphonies In C, D, A, & B Flat Major


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky... For the last few years of his professional life, he became unable to conduct himself...


Why, the beast 

c'n://random









Brahms : Complete Quintets

Only disc one today. Werner Haas wraps them around his fingers on the Piano Quintet. Also, String Quartet 1. This set of great performances on Philips from the early 1970s is sublime.


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Symphony in A Major
> 
> Concerto Koln
> 
> Kozeluch: Symphonies In C, D, A, & B Flat Major


For the record, Kozeluch seems to have been of a sour disposition and not popular among his composer associates. Beethoven gave him the nickname "Miserablis."


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Haitink. Listened while reading the analysis in Hurwitz's book, to understand the forms of the movements better. Yeah, I'm impressed!


The memory is foggy, but IIRC The Hurwitzer didn't think much of Haitink's Decca Shostakovich cycle, which of course I disagree with. It's the finest of all recorded cycles. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

It had to happen...

View attachment 30799


----------



## Weston

Mahlerian said:


> Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale, Danses Concertantes, Epitaphium, Double Canon, Abraham and Isaac, Variations, Requiem Canticles
> Columbia Ensembles, cond. Robert Craft
> View attachment 30795


This Stravinsky package seems inexhaustible! I thought I had a fairly extensive Stravinsky collection. Now I think I may not have scratched the surface. I too have been enjoying these reviews. They make me want to explore more Stravinsky. From my own collection I am torn between A Card Game, Ballet in Three Deals or Symphony in Three Movements as my favorite work, aside from the ubiquitous Rite.


----------



## GreenMamba

Prokofiev Lt. Kije Suite, Mogrelia/Czecho-Slovak Orchestra


----------



## nightscape




----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> The memory is foggy, but IIRC The Hurwitzer didn't think much of Haitink's Decca Shostakovich cycle, which of course I disagree with. It's the finest of all recorded cycles. :tiphat:


I agree that the Haitink cycle is very good. Hurwitz's book on Shostakovich is also quite good.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 70 in D Major; Symphony No. 71 in B-flat Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).









-The 1st movement of symphony 71 is quite complex and offers very good variety.


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> The memory is foggy, but IIRC The Hurwitzer didn't think much of Haitink's Decca Shostakovich cycle, which of course I disagree with. It's the finest of all recorded cycles. :tiphat:


You mean *The Howitzer,* don't you? :scold:


----------



## brotagonist

Vaneyes said:


> Haitink's Decca Shostakovich cycle... It's the finest of all recorded cycles.


Järvi/Gothenburg and Rostropovich/National are very fine, but I feel that Haitink/Concertgebouw trumps them.



Weston said:


> This Stravinsky package seems inexhaustible! I thought I had a fairly extensive Stravinsky collection. Now I think I may not have scratched the surface. I too have been enjoying these reviews. They make me want to explore more Stravinsky.


Same here. I have a number, but I see that I _have_ only scratched the surface.


----------



## brotagonist

[see above: I dislike having 2 posts in a row  ]


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {Pastoral}. *
Both works are traversed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *
both featuring Ole Schmidt and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *
both performed by the Lorin Maazel led Vienna Philharmonic. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2, *both done by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc ten

Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Constantin Silvestri, cond
English Folk Songs Suite (original version) - Eric Banks, cond.
Dawn Patrol - Charles Groves, cond.
Concerto Grosso - Adrian Boult, cond.
Romance in D flat - Malcolm Sargent, cond.
Tuba Concerto- Philip Catelinet, tuba, John Barbirolli, cond.

taken from various albums


----------



## senza sordino

In class today with my students, the first class was the youngest group so we listened to *Pop Christmas*. They liked it, not me. The second class was older so we listened to *The #1 Christmas Album, with Pavarotti, Kiri Re Kanawa, Kings College*. The third class today listened to *The Nutcracker with Gergiev and Kirov Orchestra*. We all enjoyed this.

After work *Janacek Idyll performed by Seattle Symphony with Gerard Schwarz* and because I wanted more of his work *Janacek Sinfonietta with Previn conducting LA Phil*


----------



## Fried fifer

Listening to a lot of piano/flute work. Specifically Bach - BWV 1031 and Widor - Suite for Flute And Piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Moments Musicaux (Folke Nauta).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105* / City of Birmingham SO, Simon Rattle









To start a cold, dark winter's morning

*Schumann - Symphonies No. 1 in B flat, Op. 38 'Spring'* / Berlin PO, Rafael Kubelik









OK, this time all of Schumann's 'Spring' symphony with Kubelik et al


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









It's amazing what jewels I have tucked away on the shelves  I've had this since about 1990, one of the first albums I got on CD. For some reason, Tchaikovsky had never garnered my ardent appreciation, so this became an album to play once every few years. I am hearing it with open ears tonight! It is too late, so I have been able to listen only to disc one, ie., Symphony One and the first two movements of Symphony Two (I will need to continue with disc two in the morning). Tchaikovsky is at his most appealing today. These symphonies are more than just beautiful melodies.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Gliere's Harp Concerto - Osian Ellis, Richard Bonynge, cond.


----------



## dgee

Some late Liszt. It's interesting - some ruminations on quite a life, I guess. The album cover is unfortunate


----------



## Andolink

*Georg Christoph Wagenseil*: _Six Quartets for Low Strings_-- Sonata III in C and Sonata II in F
Piccolo Concerto Wien/Roberto Sensi


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Symphony No.8/Scherzo Capriccioso/Legends Op.59 Nos. 4,6,7. Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
Cyril Scott: Cello Concerto Op.19. Raphael Wallfisch/BBC Concert Orchestra/Martin Yates

It's a bright clear morning here on Brown Clee in Shropshire, and we are covered in snow! The Dvorak Symphony was in my head when I awoke, it seemed to match the morning perfectly, so out came the record and lo, the Moose was decidedly contented with the sounds he heard! The Scott Cello Concerto is a beautiful piece, never recorded before, it was not quite complete as Scott left it, and Martin Yates has revised it to make it work, for which cellists are eternally in his debt, it being a most rewarding work to listen to, and, I'd guess, to play.


----------



## Andolink

*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in F major_, K. 590
Quatuor Mosaïques








My favorite performance of one of Mozart's most inspired works. Utterly sublime!


----------



## moody

WALTER GIESEKING AND SIR HENRY WOOD IN 1932.

Cesar Franck : Symphonic Variations.
Sir Henry was of course the initiator of the Promenade Concerts.


----------



## EricABQ

This morning I continued through my re-listen of HJ Lim's Beethoven sonata set with #5 and #16.

I'm not sure why this set is so maligned. As for my opinion, she plays with passion and energy and it all makes for an overall enjoyable set. She plays fast, but that tends to lean towards my tastes, so that's not a negative for me.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp minor, 'Moonlight' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## mstar

Besides the usual (Liszt piano works), it's *Brahms Violin Concerto* No. 1 and *Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2.* Looks like I've been into the Romantic classics lately.


----------



## jim prideaux

Prokofiev 7th-Gergiev and the LSO-My symphony of choice at this time of year for longer than I care to remember-along with his 1st it always sounds distinctly winter like and imbued with a sense of nostalgia.....Prokofiev being a composer I do not particularly enjoy usually!


----------



## Winterreisender

Handel: Complete Harpsichord Suites - Michael Borgstede









...going for complete marathon.


----------



## moody

mstar said:


> Besides the usual (Liszt piano works), it's *Brahms Violin Concerto* No. 1 and *Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2.* Looks like I've been into the Romantic classics lately.


You need to list the artists or we can't give a like.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Palestrina - O magnum mysterium (Ledger/Angel)
Praetorius - Puer natus in Bethlehem (Ehmann/Nonesuch)
Ryba - Czech Christmas Mass* (Matl/Supraphon)*

_*This has to be the most cheery, upbeat mass ever written_


----------



## samurai

jim prideaux said:


> Prokofiev 7th-Gergiev and the LSO-My symphony of choice at this time of year for longer than I care to remember-along with his 1st it always sounds distinctly winter like and imbued with a sense of nostalgia.....Prokofiev being a composer I do not particularly enjoy usually!


Along these lines, I think that Tchaikovski's Symphony No.1 ( "Winter Daydreams"), would fit in perfectly with this motif.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich - Cello Concerto No. 2*

Britten:	
Suite No. 3 for cello solo, Op. 87

Shostakovich:	
Cello Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 126

*Pieter Wispelwey (cello)

Sinfonietta Cracovia, Jurjen Hempel*









prestoclassical


----------



## MagneticGhost

Ippolitiv-Ivanov's Liturgy of St.John Chrysostum and Vespers. - Chamber Choir Lege Artis
Absolutely beautiful. I think it was Moody who pointed me in the direction of these.
I've said it before and I'll say it many times again - You've gotta love some Russian Liturgy - and it makes me feel all seasonal too, for some unknown reason


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in E Flat, Op.7, No.6

Concerto Koln


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 200 - Around the World in 60 Minutes
Kalinka now


----------



## Itullian

Listening to the piano quartets from this wonderful box set.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.28 in E Flat, Op.20, No.1

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto /  SINDING:  Violin Concerto No. 1*

*Engeset*, Bjarte, Conductor • *Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra* • *Kraggerud*, Henning, violin









classicsonline


----------



## Guest

LvB
"Kreuzter"
Faust, Melnikov

nuf sed


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 25 in C / R. Goode, Orpheous Chamber Orchestra

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 8 in F / D. Barenboim, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor / D. Barenboim

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor / K. Tennstedt, London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812): Flute Concerto in D Major

Janus Rolla directing the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra -- Claudia Armany, flute

Hoffmeister / Mozart / Vranicky: Flute Concertos


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Mi-parti (Wit).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Katie

I cracked the Berlin Philly 100-year box yesterday and must confess a degree of rapturous preoccupation that makes focusing on anything else problematic. My sequential first listen has already progressed to disc 12, at which point I'm currently entertaining Bohm's divine interpretation of Missa Solemnis from 1955 w/ the angelic vocals of the Choir of St. Hedwigs-Katherdale, and a notable individual performance by soprano Maria Stader. Joy!/K


----------



## Oskaar

*SZYMANOWSKI: String Quartets / STRAVINSKY: Concertino*

*Goldner String Quartet*









Strong and intense works, and very good and passionate performance! Only 3 stars on amazon in average costomer reviews, but there *MEDITATION* or *CLASSICAL MUSIC TO CUT YOUR TONAILS WITH* - like albums are granted five stars...

NAXOS

By the way, have anyone good ideas of titles like *CLASSICAL MUSIC TO CUT YOUR TONAILS WITH* to help the record companies in their intense reissuing of old material to milk the cow to last drop. These records flourish on spotify, but luckily not in stead of all the other issues. I am amazed over the fact that I can find almost everything that I find on reccourse pages, or advices here, at least as a premium subscriber.

Another try: *Classical music before visiting the dentist.*


----------



## Vasks

oskaar said:


> *CLASSICAL MUSIC TO CUT YOUR TONAILS WITH*


That's just so wrong on so many levels. LOL!


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Partitas, Preludes, Fugues, WTC I, WTC II, w. GG (rec.1957 - '80).

View attachment 30823
View attachment 30824
View attachment 30825


----------



## Vaneyes

moody said:


> You need to list the artists or we can't give a like.


And album covers get extra credit.


----------



## Vaneyes

senza sordino said:


> In class today with my students, the first class was the youngest group so we listened to *Pop Christmas*. They liked it, not me. The second class was older so we listened to *The #1 Christmas Album, with Pavarotti, Kiri Re Kanawa, Kings College*. The third class today listened to *The Nutcracker with Gergiev and Kirov Orchestra*. We all enjoyed this.
> 
> After work *Janacek Idyll performed by Seattle Symphony with Gerard Schwarz* and because I wanted more of his work *Janacek Sinfonietta with Previn conducting LA Phil*


Try some all-season *Nono* and *Schnittke* next time. :tiphat:


----------



## LancsMan

*Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor* played by Nikolai Demidenko on hyperion.

Well it may not conform to my expectations of what a piano sonata should be, but it rivets my attention and is in the typical flamboyant Liszt manner, including poetry as well as virtuosity. This is a satisfying performance.


----------



## Vaneyes

nightscape said:


>


Lotsa folk are listening to this. She'll be able to purchase more wolves.


----------



## Vaneyes

LancsMan said:


> *Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor* played by Nikolai Demidenko on hyperion.
> 
> Well it may not conform to my expectations of what a piano sonata should be, but it rivets my attention and is in the typical flamboyant Liszt manner, including poetry as well as virtuosity. This is a satisfying performance.


That's my favorite rec. for that work, so you have good accidental taste. :tiphat:


----------



## Doc

Angela Hewitt playing Bach, Du Pre and Barenboim playing Haydn's first two cello concertos, and (inspired by LancsMan) Demidenko's playing of Liszt's piano sonata in B Minor. All four musicians are hugely enjoyable.



LancsMan said:


> *Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor* played by Nikolai Demidenko on hyperion.


----------



## Sudonim

To go back a little ways, my kudos also to our man Mahlerian for his running commentary on the Stravinsky box. Always enjoyable reading - though I continue to feel ambivalent about that set (I don't own it - it's in my Amazon Wishlist) because I continue to hear that there are so many subpar performances. Think I may just continue picking up individual recordings by other performers instead. I always appreciate Mahlerian's advocacy of Stravinsky's later work, of which I've heard next to nothing.

Current listening:









The lone Amazon review of this one is somewhat lukewarm - the reviewer ("Santa Fe Listener," who seems pretty perceptive) is so-so toward the Schoenberg and the Veress, but loves the final (Bartók) piece - so I'm looking forward to hearing it, which I will do later today. (For my part, I enjoyed this rendition of Verklärte Nacht and the little Veress pieces are very nice too.)


----------



## Oskaar

*BARTOK, B: Concerto for Orchestra / Dance Suite / PROKOFIEV, S.: Love for the Three Oranges Suite*

Skrowaczewski, Stanislaw, Conductor • Minnesota Orchestra









classicsonline


----------



## Mahlerian

Sudonim said:


> To go back a little ways, my kudos also to our man Mahlerian for his running commentary on the Stravinsky box. Always enjoyable reading - though I continue to feel ambivalent about that set (I don't own it - it's in my Amazon Wishlist) because I continue to hear that there are so many subpar performances. Think I may just continue picking up individual recordings by other performers instead. I always appreciate Mahlerian's advocacy of Stravinsky's later work, of which I've heard next to nothing.


Stravinsky's late works are under-championed, but, as it's taken a while for many of his Neoclassical works to enter the concert and recording repertoire (Stravinsky once commented that he was the only one performing his Symphony in C), there is of course still hope in some time when the silly battles of the 20th century are as long forgotten as the Brahms-Wagner divide.

Individual performances of Stravinsky's works by other conductors tend to outshine Stravinsky's own, but I find the set invaluable nonetheless.

Anyway, today's birthday:
Harbison: Symphony No. 1
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Ozawa









Ozawa and Levine both performed Harbison's music, but I'm doubtful that Nelsons will continue the trend. His tastes seem more conservative in general. I just hope that he programs _some_ manner of contemporary music with regularity, even if it is more conservative (and yes, I mean _more conservative than Harbison_!).


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Concerto for Orchestra (Kletzki)
Szymanowski - Symphony No. 4 (Żmudziński/Stryja).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Christmas Oratorio - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond.


----------



## Itullian

Gorgeous recordings.
Listening to the Christmas Oratorio.
If you can afford this set, snap it up.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Symphony 9, w. NYPO/Masur (rec. 1991). One of the better performed/recorded New Worlds. Re sound, a tall task, considering the concrete barn aka Avery Fisher Hall. Kudos to Teldec engineers Sengpiel and Brammann. Teldec was less successful there six years later...the Vengerov/Masur Dvorak VC being a heavily-compressed product.

*Schubert*: Symphonies (Complete), w. VPO/Muti (rec.1987 - '93). I'm not an avid supporter of these works, but when they're in my vicinity, I like them spanked with a firm hand. Godfather and Vienna Phil succeed.

View attachment 30835
View attachment 30836


----------



## Blake

On CD6 of the Ensemble Plus Ultra's Victoria set: Hymns & Motets; Missa O Quam Gloriosum. This is so good.


----------



## jim prideaux

Having spent time with the Kabalevsky and Maiskovsky cello concertos over recent weeks am busy revisiting a recording I have not listened to for a while-Shostakovich cello concertos performed by Heinrich Schiff,Bavarian Radio Symphony Orch conducted by Maxim Shostakovich-I had forgotten how unsettling these works can be!


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Having spent time with the Kabalevsky and Maiskovsky cello concertos over recent weeks am busy revisiting a recording I have not listened to for a while-*Shostakovich cello concertos performed by Heinrich Schiff,Bavarian Radio Symphony Orch conducted by Maxim Shostakovich*-I had forgotten how unsettling these works can be!


A big fat "BRAVO!" for that.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition ---
Aloisio Luigi Tomasini (1741-1808): String Quartet in D Major, Ko5

Quartet Luigi Tomasini: Laszlo Paulik and Erzsebet Racz, violins -- Eva Posvanecz, viola -- Balasz Mate, cello


----------



## LancsMan

*Saint-Saens: The complete works for piano and orchestra* Stephen Hough with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo on hyperion.

All the piano concertos with a handful of smaller works for piano and orchestra. Any one looking for profundity should look elsewhere. However these piano concertos are lucid and naturally virtuosic. Plenty to enjoy in these pieces.

I remember my parents had a recording of the fourth piano concerto - and it was my earliest experience of Saint-Saens. Have to admit it may still be my favourite work of his.

Excellent performance and recording here.


----------



## jim prideaux

LancsMan said:


> *Saint-Saens: The complete works for piano and orchestra* Stephen Hough with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo on hyperion.
> 
> All the piano concertos with a handful of smaller works for piano and orchestra. Any one looking for profundity should look elsewhere. However these piano concertos are lucid and naturally virtuosic. Plenty to enjoy in these pieces.
> 
> I remember my parents had a recording of the fourth piano concerto - and it was my earliest experience of Saint-Saens. Have to admit it may still be my favourite work of his.
> 
> Excellent performance and recording here.


Have always really enjoyed the second piano concerto after having bought vinyl recording with Cecile Oussett years ago..........


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Boulez, Memoriale.*


----------



## ticovanzant

The latest of several recent purchases of this great work.


----------



## Vaneyes

Assorteds from The Pav, and Bartoli.

View attachment 30842
View attachment 30843


----------



## Oskaar

*Peter Whish-Wilson, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, David Stanhope*









Very fun to listen to!

amazon


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Concerti, w. Europa Galante (rec.1993 - '98).








View attachment 30845


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57
Piano Sonata No. 24 in F#, Op. 78
Piano Sonata No. 25 in G, Op. 79
Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90*

Alfred Brendel [Decca, 1993 - 96]









'Lucidity itself'

*Mozart

Clarinet Quintet K. 581
Kegelstatt Trio, K. 498*

Quatuor Mosaiques, Cohen (fortepiano), Meyer (clarinet) [Naïve, 1992]








*Beethoven

Variations (12) for Cello and Piano in G major on a theme by Handel, WoO 45
Variations (7) for Cello and Piano on Mozart's "Bei Männern", WoO 46*

Daniel Müller-Schott and Angela Hewitt [Hyperion]

That is, * 'Hewitt: two WoO's'* ('Are you some kind of owl?')


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68

Sir Adrian Boult directing the London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## brotagonist

Picking up from where I left off last night:

Continuing with Tchaikovsky's first 3 numbered symphonies: #2 and #3 today.









They're not sappy, like I always think Tchaikovsky is


----------



## Sid James

This week's blog entry draws together some of my recent listening as usual. It's a long one, but I aimed to really flesh out the strong connections between these composers and their music.

*Three progressives in Paris, and three symphonies in cyclic form - Music by Franck, D'Indy and Saint-Säens*

*Franck* _Symphony in D minor_ (1886-88)
- Royal Flanders Philharmonic conducted by Günter Neuhold (Naxos)

*D'Indy* _Symphony on a French Mountaneer's Song, Op. 25 (Symphonie cévenole)_ (1886)
- Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal conducted by Charles Dutoit (Decca Eloquence)

*Saint-Saëns* _Symphony #3 in C minor, Op. 78 (Organ Symphony)_ (1886)
- Imrich Szabo, organ with Czech Radio SO (Bratislava) conducted by Stephen Gunzenhauser (Naxos)

(*Images below, from top to bottom*: Staircase of the Schola Cantorum in Paris, D'Indy on a commemorative postage stamp, and one of Paul Cezanne's paintings of Mont Sainte-Victoire which reads like a visual equivalent of D'Indy's _Symphonie cévenole_).

*Reformers of the French music scene*

In the mid 19th century, the Paris Conservatoire was a highly conservative institution, unwilling to accept the changes occurring in music at the time. New currents where coming into French music via composers from outside France, such as Liszt, Wagner and Chopin. French composers began to take in their innovations and build upon them, thus rebelling against the establishment.

In his student days at the Conservatoire, *César Franck* had many conflicts with its retrograde director, Cherubini. However, he eventually came to taking up a teaching post there in 1872. Although Franck was organ professor, his classes there became the only place where the latest trends in music could be discussed. His students included D'Indy, Duparc and Chausson.
*
Vincent D'Indy* initially entered the Conservatoire but quickly became disillusioned and began private lessons with Franck. D'Indy later sought to reform the institution, but was unsuccessful. In 1894, he set up his own music school called the Schola Cantorum, a more progressive place where the latest techniques could be taught. His students included Satie, Honegger and Roussel.

In 1871, *Saint-Säens* helped set up the Société National de Musique which aimed to raise the profile of French composers, both in terms of publication and performance. He was also one of the great pianists of his time and in his brief years as a piano teacher he taught Messager, Godowsky and Fauré.









*
The Franco-Prussian war of 1870 - a pivotal year?*

All of *Franck's* significant works come from the last twenty years of his life (1870-1890). One writer asked if the war of 1870 released some creative urge from him that had lain dormant until he was almost fifty years of age. In any case, he took up his teaching post at the Conservatoire in 1872, also worked as a church organist and composed and taught privately in his spare time.

*D'Indy* had a closer connection to the war, he actually fought in it as a member of the French army. The nineteen year old also wrote his first piece of music at this time and decided to become a composer. After the war, D'Indy gave up his legal studies and started musical studies with Franck.

During 1870, *Saint-Säens* gave charity concerts in aid of the war effort. During the ensuing Paris Commune of 1871, Saint-Säens was sent to London by his family who feared for his safety amidst the civil war that engulfed the city. During his stay in London, he gave an organ recital at the Crysal Palace. It was to be the first of many visits to the English capital, which became the place where the _Organ Symphony_ was premiered in 1886.

*Cyclic form*

One of the main contributions of these three composers to music, in terms of innovation, was developing themes organically within a *cyclic form*. The cyclic method involves the repetition, variation and elaboration of themes in all movements of a large scale work. The technique is effective in imparting added unity, and it encourages reworking, combining or abandoning traditional forms (such as sonata form).

A metaphor that applies to cyclic form is that its much like a relay race. Another writer compared it to being like modular furniture. Whatever the case, it's a matter of organizing components in ways that are flexible and creative.










*The music in depth*

In terms of *Franck's Symphony in D minor*, the seeds are sown in the theme presented in two parts, played at the beginning of the first movement by the low strings. Other themes germinate from this idea, two in the first movement, the pivotal one with cor anglais solo underpinned by strings in the central movement (which combines slow movement and scherzo forms) and two new themes at the start of the final movement. Throughout the work there are references to earlier ideas and suggestions of later ones.

Upon the premiere of Franck's work, a professor at the Conservatoire exclaimed "That a symphony! Whoever heard of a cor anglais being used in a symphony? Speaking to that, *D'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountaineer's Song* begins with the theme played on the cor anglais. The work is also called _Symphonie Cévenole_, because the song came from the Cévennes region.

Even though D'Indy seemingly goes with tradition and starts with the theme at the beginning, this is really a clever conceit because by the end of the work it is totally transformed. It is with the ingenious device of ostinato patterns played by the pianist in all three movements, accompanied by different instruments, that D'Indy unifies the work. The recurring brass tuttis in the piece bear influence of Wagner, and can be said to represent mountainous peaks.

In his *Organ Symphony*, *Saint-Säens* used cyclic form within an unusual structure. The work is in two movements further divided into two parts each. The first movement (_Adagio - Allegro moderato - Poco adagio_), a compression of sonata form, acts as an introduction to the adagio. The second movement (_Allegro moderato - Presto_) starts with a scherzo, which in the same preemptory manner leads to the finale.

The _Organ Symphony_ opens with a slow introduction that is reminiscent of Wagner's Prelude to _Tristan und Isolde_. This recurs throughout the piece, as does another theme which is similar to the _Dies Irae_ plainchant in the Catholic mass for the dead. These fragments come together in the finale, their elaboration being a huge release of anticipation, as the whole symphony up till then only gives hints of what is to follow.

Being the craftsman that he was, Saint-Säens gave a perfectly rational and pragmatic explanation for using this compressed structure, he said he had "sought to shun in a certain measure the interminable repetitions which are more and more disappearing from instrumental music."










*Homages to other composers of influence?*

All three symphonies have melodies that are reminiscent of other composers.

The opening of *Franck's* symphony is uncannily similar to the same part of Liszt's _Les Preludes_. The opening of *Saint-Säens'* symphony has an introduction similar to Wagner's prelude to _Tristan und Isolde_ and the agitated idea played on strings coming after it sounds much like a sped up version of the start of Schubert's _Symphony #8, "Unfinished."_ The atmosphere of the first movement of *D'Indy's* symphony is very similar to the corresponding movement of Saint-Säens' _Piano Concerto #3_.

It is unclear whether these are intentional homages or not, but its hard to ignore these parallels.

A more tangible connection is the _Organ Symphony_ being dedicated to Liszt after his death. Saint-Säens had played a large part of the symphony to Liszt on piano when it was still being composed.

*Critical reception and acceptance into the repertoire*

*Franck's* symphony was a failure at its premiere. One critic made the cor anglais comment, another made things personal with the quip "Why play this symphony here? Who is Professor Franck? An organ professor - I believe."

The disastrous reception didn't perturb the composer. One of Franck's students recalled that he was happy to have simply heard it, and when his wife asked him how the premiere had gone, the composer replied "It sounded well, just as I thought it would."

Today, few would challenge the opinion that Franck's symphony is comparable in quality and vision to any of Bruckner's finest symphonies. Franck's opinion of his own work has been vindicated, and in it has been in the repertoire most consistently of the three works in my discussion here, although it wasn't accepted as quickly as them.

*D'Indy's* _Symphonie Cévenole_ was an unqualified success at its premiere and it put him on the map as a notable composer on the French scene. In the early 20th century, D'Indy was regarded with as high esteem as the likes of Debussy, however his reputation has varied with the tides of fashion since.

*Saint-Säens'* _Organ Symphony_ was initially praised for its fine workmanship, skillfull development of themes and elegance of proportion. However, like D'Indy, by the end of his life he was considered to be nothing much more than a mere technician in music. Later on, conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and also Charles Munch put their weight behind the _Organ Symphony_, and paved the way for greater appreciation of French music in general.


----------



## Weston

Dashing in, muddying up the floor and shaking my pelt dry to say again I really enjoy this thread. "Why?" I wonder. Why should I care what others listen to? But it is among the most relaxing things I do after a grueling day's work.


----------



## Blake

Weston said:


> Dashing in, muddying up the floor and shaking my pelt dry to say again I really enjoy this thread. "Why?" I wonder. Why should I care what others listen to? But it is among the most relaxing things I do after a grueling day's work.


... and we all have exquisite taste, of course.


----------



## brotagonist

Sid James said:


> *Three progressives in Paris, and three symphonies in cyclic form - Music by Franck, D'Indy and Saint-Säens*


Yours is a worthwhile and interesting write-up on three composers I barely know and am now motivated to give more credence to. Thanks!


----------



## samurai

Hi, Sid. Great analyses and in depth breakdowns of these three composers and their seminal works. Congratulations on a job well done!:cheers:


----------



## Rocco

Currently listening to Handel's Israel in Egypt.


----------



## EricABQ

Prokofiev piano sonata 1 played by Boris Berman.


----------



## Blake

Vivaldi: Cello Concertos Vol 1. Harnoy, Robinson; Toronto Chamber Orchestra. Great stuff.


----------



## Blake

Telemann: Violin Concertos Vol.2. Wallfisch, Gaigg; Orfeo Baroque Orchestra. Ye great 'ole one.


----------



## bejart

Louis Emmanuel Jadin (1768-1853): Flute Sonata in G Major, Op.13, No.1

Frederic Chatoux, flute -- Bertrand Giraud, piano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

One of your best posts Sid! Thanks very much for taking the time. 

Kevin


----------



## Blake

Pinnock's Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 3. Wonderful.


----------



## brotagonist

Time for a nightcap:









This is a fine album. I really like the oboe, the clarinet and the ensemble of the final piece. I suppose I should follow along with the texts for the songs some time


----------



## Mahlerian

Takano: Flute Concerto
Sharon Bezaly, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, cond. Anne Marson


----------



## KenOC

More Haydn Op. 64 Quartets from the Lindsays. I won't even specify which or show the albums. This is absolutely wonderful! So what's all the fuss about the Op. 76?


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc eleven

Serenade To Music (orchestral version)
The Poisoned Kiss Overture
Old King Cole ballet
Five Mystical Songs - Stephen Roberts, baritone
Prelude On An Old Carol Tune
The Running Set
Prelude: The 49th Parallel

Richard Hickox, cond.

taken from:










and free-associating a little to say that I like that the word "parallel" has two parallel lines next to each other in it


----------



## Mahlerian

Sometimes you make unexpected discoveries jumping around on Spotify. This recording of Schoenberg's "Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene", a piece that makes an excellent introduction to his 12-tone idiom, is one of the better ones I've heard.

Schoenberg: Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene Op. 34
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, cond. de Waart


----------



## jim prideaux

achieved the unimaginable last night by falling asleep listening to Shostakovich 7th-Barshai conducting-so started the day with the two piano concertos-Alexeev/ECO/Maksymiuk-as the year draws to a close feel the need to reacquaint myself with works and recordings I have known for a long time-the 'nostalgie' inherent in Christmas-next step will be early Yes, watching Diva (again!) and.......well, you get the picture!


----------



## Andolink

*Jean Barraqué*: _Concerto_
Rémi Lerner, clarinet 
Ensemble 2e2m/Paul Mefano


----------



## Guest

This morning my playlist is sort of *a brief history of music*. These composers are, in my opinion, pillars in the evolution of counterpoint and harmony leading to the perfection of Mozart. It was a quest for devine balance in imitation of God's creation.








*Josquin des Pres* 
Missa Pange Lingua
The Tallis Scholars








*Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina*
Missa Assumpta est Maria
The Tallis Scholars








*Arcangelo Corelli*
Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 No. 8 in F minor
Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert








*Johann Sebastian Bach*
Concert Brandebourgeois No. 3 en Sol Majeur, BWV 1048
Cafe Zimmermann








*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*
Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364
Iona Brown, Josef Suk, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

After Mozart, music theory began to de-evolve. Again, this is my opinion. Beethoven took the first big steps away from devine universal balance and toward the expression human struggle and imperfection. Which eventually lead to the expression of chaos in music which is what much of modern music sounds like to me.


----------



## Guest

Johann Sebastian Bach
Weihnachts-Oratorium, BWV 248
René Jacobs


----------



## opus55

Mozart in the morning.


----------



## Andolink

*John Sheppard*: _Spiritus sanctus procedens_; _Justi in perpetuum vivent_; _Libera nos, salva nos_
The Sixteen/Harry Christophers








*Guiseppe Valentini*: _Concerti Grossi_, Op. VII-- No. 3 in D minor and No. 1 in A major
Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini








*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in B flat major, K. 589_ 'Prussian Quartet No. 2'
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Georg Christoph Wagenseil*: _Quartets for low strings_-- Sonata V in B and Sonata I in D
Piccolo Concerto Wien/Roberto Sensi


----------



## DrKilroy

CD 2 - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Nocturnes, La mer, Rhapsodie pour orchestre et clarinette principale (Pieterson), Danses sacrée et profane (Badings).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a Quattro de chiesa in D Minor, Op.2, No.1

Concerto Koln


----------



## Oskaar

*GABRIELI: Music for Brass, Vol. 3*

Conductor(s):
*Crees*, Eric

Ensemble(s):
*London Symphony Brass*









naxos


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sid James said:


> *Three progressives in Paris, and three symphonies in cyclic form - Music by Franck, D'Indy and Saint-Säens*


Another post thanking you for your insights. I haven't paid much attention to these three, only recently warming to Saint-Saens.

Now I appreciate the sentiments behind Peter Schikele's love song to Cindy: "Oh Cindy, you're like a symphony by D'Indy."


----------



## Vasks

_CDs_

*Charpentier - Pastorale sur la naissance de N. S. Jesus-Christ (Christie/Harmonia Mundi)
Stradella - Si apra al riso [Cantata per la Notte del Santissimo Natale] (Gatti/Arcana)*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Finally a break from work (although I suspect I'll be called in either today or tomorrow). In the meantime I'm going to try and relax and enjoy myself. Starting the day listening to one of my favorite LP box sets of Martin Galling playing Haydn's Sonatas for Keyboard. This is Volume IV of an old Vox Box set. I wish I owned the companion volumes but I have not been able to locate them used.










Kevin


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries
Compact Discoveries 110 - CATalog of Music, Part 1


----------



## Bas

Yesterday:
Gaetano Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor
By Joan Sutherland [soprano], Renato Cioni [tenor], Robert Merrill [baritone], Cesarre Siepi [tenor], Kenneth MacDonald [tenor], Rinaldo Pelizoni [tenor], Orchestra and Choir Academia di Santa Cecilia Roma, Sir John Pritchard [dir.], on Decca









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Cm K. 475, Sonata in F K. 533, Sonata in B-flat K. 570, Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint"
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Today, continuing Mozart by Bezuidenhout:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in C K. 330, Sonata in Am K. 511, Rondo in D K. 485, Adagio in Bm K. 540, Sonata in Cm K. 457
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in B-flat K333, Variations on "Ein weib ist das herrlichsten Ding" K613, Fantasia in Cm K396, Sonata in F K332
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Doc

Bas said:


> Today, continuing Mozart by Bezuidenhout:


I don't want to derail the thread with talk of sexualisation in classical music, but it's interesting to see how over time Bezuidenhout has lost both weight and glasses.

That being said, spent today with Bach, played by Hewitt and Gould:


















​


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

It arrived 8 days late. I couldn't contain myself, but it was after midnight on the longest night of this year, so I listened to disc one before I went to bed and am now listening to disc two 









This is a subtle and reverent work that, on first listening, sounds like an ensemble with choral interludes. It describes one of the miracles of Jesus, the Transfiguration, "the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth" (Wikipedia). It makes full use of Messiaen's gestural palette: serialism, gongs, bird calls, brass, etc. At first, I was somewhat reticent to get a 'choral work', but the chorus is subdued, not shrill, and accents the music, rather than the music accompanying the chorus.


----------



## maestro267

That Messiaen recording (La Transfiguration) has been on my wishlist for a long long time, but I haven't been able to find a copy at a decent price.


----------



## Weston

*Edgar Bainton: Concerto fantasia, for piano & orchestra*
Paul Daniel / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Margaret Fingerhut, piano









This is remarkable for a Rachmaninoff piece not composed by Rachmaninoff.


----------



## Oskaar

*Australian Piano Concertos*

Ross *EDWARDS* (b.1943). Queensland Symphony Orchestra/Myer Fredman, Dennis Hennig (piano) 
Malcolm *WILLIAMSON* (b.1931). Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra/Barry Tuckwell, Malcolm Williamson and Simon Campion (pianos) 
Peter *SCULTHORPE* (b. 1929). Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Myer Fredman, Anthony Fogg (piano)









Powerfull and lyric performanceses! Delightfull works and very good sound.

musicweb-international
Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Mar02/Australian.htm#ixzz2o8EKsqys


----------



## mstar

The classics lately, perhaps that is my form of Christmas/holiday music?? *Chopin Polonaise Op. 53 with Kissin playing*, almost full volume on my favorite headphones.... First day of break, and I've been listening to classical music all day, dreaming with classical music in the background, posting like my usual old TC self, and doing science, then listening to more classical music. What a memorable vacation this will be! I am quite excited to listen to the *Liszt Transcendental Études with either Bolet or Cziffra playing*, the *Chopin Nocturnes with Rubenstein*, *Chopin Études with Cziffra*, and *everyhting Brahms*, with perhaps a few *Haydn Trios* scattered here and there.... :lol: THIS WILL BE THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS!!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Symphony No. 2 in C minor 'Resurrection'*

Arleen Augér, Janet Baker, CBSO Chorus, CBSO, Simon Rattle [EMI, 1987]









If this wasn't the last LP I bought it must have been one of the last, in 1988 or 89. The sound is quite superb, the performance by turns spacious and measured, stirring and magnificent, fresh and intensely poetic. This is a very satisfying interpretation, though it seems to have split the reviewers.


----------



## maestro267

I have that Mahler 2 on CD, but it's still definitely my go-to choice for what is, imo, the greatest symphony ever composed.

To my music this evening. Usually on a Saturday, I build a programme around the Saturday Symphony, and this week is no different, except I'm listening to the symphony first, as it's shorter than the symphonies chosen in recent weeks, and too short for a post-interval "main course" in my view.

*Mendelssohn*: Symphony No. 4 in A major (Italian)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Ashkenazy

*Busoni*: Piano Concerto
Cappello (piano)/Rome SO/La Vecchia


----------



## Weston

*Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F, K. 370*
Kodály Quartet / József Kiss, oboe (I wonder which of the quartet gets booted out for the oboe.)









The second movement is sweet, the oboe timbre almost sounding like a flute, at least in this performance. The finale movement Rondo is supposed to feature a brief segment of polyrhythms, 4/4 against 6/8, but it is so smoothly integrated one hardly notices unless listening for it. Once in a while I enjoy a nice bit of Mozart. but I still sometimes cringe at the profusion of teasing notes.


----------



## Jos

Prokofiev violinconcerto 2 played by Janine Jansen.
second movement is too good to be true. Amazingly evocative andante. The orchestra is much heavier than the oldschoolrendition that I have on vinyl. The modern aproach seem to emphasize the orchestral part more. Must compare soon, I've left this concerto unplayed for too long !!

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Blake

Preston and Pinnock's Handel: Organ Concertos CD1. I'm running out of adjectives here.


----------



## brotagonist

maestro267 said:


> That Messiaen recording (La Transfiguration) has been on my wishlist for a long long time, but I haven't been able to find a copy at a decent price.


I was lucky to find a new copy on Amazon Marketplace for about $23.50 delivered  I snapped it up the moment I saw it; other sellers are asking double and more. This is why I was so distressed when it was 8 days overdue. I had feared it had gotten lost.


----------



## Tristan

*Daquin* - Noel IX (Olivier Baumont)









It seems like Noel VIII (Noel etranger) and Noel X are much more popular Christmas-themed organ pieces, and I love them, but in my opinion, #9 is underrated and very beautiful


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Neilsen's _Symphony 4 "The Inextinguishable"_ had been mentioned in the last few days. I was intrigued enough to read the Wikipedia article, which solidified my interest.

I am listening to Blomstedt/DRSO.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Berg - Piano Sonata Op.1
Schoenberg - Piano works Op.11 & Op. 19
*
Peter Hill [Naxos]

*Dvořák - Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81*

Members of the Philharmonic Octet, Berlin; Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich [rec. 12/72, Philips M. da C. re-issue 1987]


----------



## Mahlerian

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A, op. 90
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## LancsMan

*Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E minor* Eugen Jochum conducting the Choir and members of the Bayerischen Rundfunks on DG.

This is a somewhat stripped down Bruckner as it is for 8 part choir and wind instruments, and the choir dominates most of the time. This sounds, appropriately for Bruckner, catholic and sincere. A rather different side of Bruckner to that encountered in the symphonies, and maybe appealing to those who find the symphonies a touch too bombastic (as to me, I like a bit of bombast). Interesting but I'm not sure I'm in love with the piece.

As can be expected Eugen Jochum is at home in this music.


----------



## bejart

Franz Ignaz Beck (1734-1809): Symphony in B Flat, Op.4, No.2

Michael Schneider conducting La Stagione Frankfurt


----------



## Vaneyes

A listening tribute to *Maestro Herbert Blomstedt* (rec. 1987 - '97).

View attachment 30904
View attachment 30906
View attachment 30907


----------



## LancsMan

*Grieg: Lyric Pieces* played by Leif Ove Andsnes on EMI.

This selection from Grieg's Lyric Pieces is performed here on Grieg's own piano in his own villa - so pretty authentic. Charming, fresh sounding and with a touch of naivety here and there. Rather superior light music and a pleasant antidote to the christmasy light music I've had to endure over the last few days whilst out shopping, so I'm enjoying it.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Saint-Saëns _Danse Macabre_ (Ormandy/Philadelphia)
d'Indy _Symphonie sur un chant montagnard francais "Symphonie cevenole"_ (TasmanianSO/Lang-Lessing)
Franck _Symphony in D Minor_ (Sanderling/Staatskapelle Dresden)
Franck _Violin Sonata in A Major_ (Schunk, Schmidt)

I already knew Danse Macabre (I used to have it on LP). The d'Indy leaves me neither enamoured nor disenchanted. Franck has grabbed my interest from the first note


----------



## DaveS

W's Siegfried Idyll. Colin Davis/Sinfonia of London


----------



## jim prideaux

Prokofiev-Piano Concertos 1-5 performed by Ashkenazy/LSO/Previn-while I have always had reservations about this particular composer I have spent quite a lot of time recently listening to 'Russians' ie Kabalevsky, Miaskovsky and of course Shostakovich-I therefore thought this may be a good time to listen again !


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): Piano Trio in E Flat, Op.23, No.2

Trio Fortepiano: Miriam Altmann, piano -- Julia Huber, violin -- Anja Enderle, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 64 - Helmuth Rilling, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

On my quest to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of the current board over at the TC Project...

Chausson: Piano Quartet in A, op. 30
Quartet Schumann









That and the cover art was really nice...


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Prokofiev-*Piano Concertos 1-5 performed by Ashkenazy/LSO/Previn*-while I have always had reservations about this particular composer I have spent quite a lot of time recently listening to 'Russians' ie Kabalevsky, Miaskovsky and of course Shostakovich-I therefore thought this may be a good time to listen again !


Re Prokofiev PCs, it may be the performances. The Ashkenazy set's convenient, but that's about all. Better to seek others singles, such as Richter 5, Argerich 3, Berman 1, 4, Feltsman 2. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

brotagonist said:


> I was lucky to find a new copy on Amazon Marketplace for about $23.50 delivered  I snapped it up the moment I saw it; other sellers are asking double and more. This is why I was so distressed when it was 8 days overdue. I had feared it had gotten lost.


Re La Transfiguration.... many would be better off buying the Messiaen 10 CD box for $30+ at AM or ebay.

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/us/cat/4790114

For gluttons, there's also a 32 CD box available. :tiphat:

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/us/cat/4801333


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Christmas Oratorio - Kurt Thomas, cond (1951)

L'Oiseau-Lyre's first album, as far as I can tell, and still a fascinating non-modern document. But sadly never released on cd.

This is exactly the kind of thing I wish they'd do in something like the "Originals" series, but there seems to be a disinclination to reevaluate recordings of performance practices that have fallen out of favour to see if, as I often feel, that we too often throw the baby out with the bathwater when fashion and scholarship changes.


----------



## LancsMan

*Grieg: Piano Concerto* played by Radu Lupu and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn on Decca.

Well it's on my listening list (I'm going through recordings I own recommended on the Radio 3 Building a Library). I struggle to listen to this with fresh ears as I'm rather too familiar with the piece. And my snobbish instincts rail against enjoying a work so popular with the plebs! Shame on me!! But I understand it's popularity and have a sneaking regard for it, even if I try and keep this to myself.


----------



## Oskaar

*Viktoria Mullova plays 20th Century Concertos*

*Bartók:* 
Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz 112

*Prokofiev:	*
Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63

*Shostakovich:* 
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 99

*Stravinsky:* 
Violin Concerto in D

*Viktoria Mullova (violin)

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen & Andre Previn*









Great recording, especially inpressing is the perfection and balance in the interplay between Mullova and the orchestra. That makes a vibrant nerve all the way,as long as I have heard. *Brilliant!*

prestoclassical
musicweb-international


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Schoenberg:

5 Orchestral Pieces (Barenboim/Chicago SO)
Begleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene (Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden)
Suite in G Major (Ferencsik/Del Mar)

Online listening is tedious. I will take a break after the Suite


----------



## DrKilroy

Tailleferre - Piano Concerto (performers unknown, alas).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Schumann - Kreisleriana - Horowitz 1986


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Faure Requiem: Giulini & the Philharmonia*








:angel:


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.82 in C Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## senza sordino

Walton Symphony #1 Previn and LSO and Violin Concerto with Heifetz and Walton Conducting Philharmonia Orchestra









Mendelssohn Symphony #4 Haitink and London Phil









Works for viola and orchestra by Bax, Holland, Vaughn Williams and Harvey, Roger Chase (viola) and Stephen Bell conducting BBC Concert Orchestra, Richard Harvey conducts his own piece.


----------



## LancsMan

*The Songs of Henri Duparc* with Sarah Walker and Thomas Allen accompanied by Roger Vignoles on hyperion.

Henri Duparc lived a long life, but stopped composing in his mid thirties - possibly due to illness - and he was blind for much of his later life. Being very self critical he destroyed much of his work and is only known for a small body of music.

This is a disc of refined songs from the last half of the 19th century. OK it's a musical byway rather than essential, but as performed here it's very enjoyable.


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Viktoria Mullova plays 20th Century Concertos....*
> View attachment 30919
> 
> 
> Great recording, especially inpressing is the perfection and balance in the interplay between Mullova and the orchestra. That makes a vibrant nerve all the way,as long as I have heard. *Brilliant!....*


This one's good, too. Inspired. Playing selections now. :tiphat:

View attachment 30926


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Cello Concerto. Alwyn, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## cwarchc




----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825): Wind Quintet in B Flat, Op.4, No.1

Quintetto Arnold: Renato Rivolta, flute -- Francesco Pomarico, oboe -- Maurizio Longoni, clarinet -- Sebatiano Paneblanco, horn -- Leonardo Dosso, bassoon


----------



## Sonata

Needed a pick me up. Haydn fit the bill nicely. Symphony 59, quartets 54 and 55


----------



## Alfacharger

Zinman's recording of Koechlin's "The Jungle Book".


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Brahms* - Symphony No. 1 in C minor / O. Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 24 in F# major, "A Therese" / D. Barenboim


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/compactdiscoveries

Compact Discoveries 039 - Leftover Birds


----------



## Blake

A Sei Voci's Josquin: Missa Ave Maris Stella. Beautiful.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Arthur Honegger

String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, H. 15
String Quartet No. 2 in D (nominally) H. 103
String Quartet No. 3 in E (also nominally) H. 114*

Erato Quartet [Aura Classics, rec. 2000]









Highly chromatic yet lyrical and even romantic in style (there are passages in the adagio of #1 which sound like Debussy), these are excellent and little known (I think, though there will be people here on TC who are well acquainted, I imagine).

I have known #2 since my late teens (Dvorak Quartet, Supraphon), thanks to Aberdeen's municipal record library - a librarian there in the late 70s had great taste and knowledge of off the beaten track classical music and ECM euro-jazz.

These are good readings but #2 doesn't match up to the version I've long known (new interpretations rarely do, do they?)


----------



## EricABQ

Debussy's images book one played by Larissa Dedova.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I believe it was member Moody who recommended Schlusnus with regard to Mahler's lieder. I must say that the sound of this disc is quite impressive... considering that many of the recordings date from the 20s and 30s. Beyond that... Schlusnus is quite a singer (baritone): effortless... smooth... fluid... refined... more "classical" than "romantic". I am more than tempted to pick up the other Dutton volume of his work:


----------



## GreenMamba

Akiro Yashiro's Symphony, Yuasa/Ulster Orchestra


----------



## Rocco

Currently listening to Credo helene grimaud. I just found the CD under a pile of other stuff.....I had forgotten I even had it. I like the Choral Fantasy off of it.....but I'm not sure about some of the other tracks...it's interesting anyway.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chausson*: Chamber Music; *Elgar*: Cello Concerto.

View attachment 30941
View attachment 30942
View attachment 30943


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twelve

Variations For Orchestra
Two Hymn-Tune Preludes
Concerto Accademico
Three Preludes Founded On Welsh Hymn Tunes

^Richard Hickox, cond

String Quartet No.1

^Britten Quartet

taken from various albums


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both featuring George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No.28 in C Major, K.200; Symphony No.33 in B-Flat Major, K.319 and Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}. *
Once again, all three works are performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under Maestro Szell. 
Joseph Haydn---*Symphony No.11 in E-Flat Major; Symphony No.5 in A Major and Symphony No.32 in C Major. *The three symphonies feature the Dennis Russel Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Eroica Variations, Emil Gilels. A fine performance.


----------



## KenOC

Michael Torke: December. (On the radio.)


----------



## brotagonist

Tonight is shorter than last night, so I put this one on quickly 









Haydn : Symphony 100 and 104
Brüggen/OXVIII


----------



## jim prideaux

early start to visit a brother in Northumberland so for the car-this time of year and very very 'English',a collection I only discovered recently-Moeran Sinfonietta and his Serenade in G with the superb Fall of the Leaf and Nocturne by Finzi-all performed by Hickox and the Northern Sinfonia


----------



## Oskaar

*Le Coq d'Or - Les miniatures russes pour violon*

*Alexandre Brussilovsky, Igor Lazko, Nathanaelle Marie, Katia*









Yesterday I was blown away by the beauty of this album. Some of the most beautiful I have ever heard!!

amazon


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms On Brass / Canadian Brass*

*Orchestra/Ensemble: Canadian Brass*

Works, all piano-pieces transcribed for brass

Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39

Ballades (4) for Piano, Op. 10: no 1 in D minor "Edward"

Chorale Preludes (11) for Organ, Op. 122









Loveley christmas feel comes while playing this fine record.

arkivmusic


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Poulenc

Sonata for violin and piano
Bagatelle in B minor for violin and piano*

Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Graf Mourja (violin)

*Sonata in B flat for clarinet and piano*

Alexandre Tharaud, Ronald van Spaendonck (clarinet)

*Sonata for piano and 'cello*

Alexandre Tharaud, Françoise Groben ('cello)

[Naxos, rec. 1995-7]









More French chamber music. My new disc of the week, from a local charity 'books and music' shop where my son works. I spotted this yesterday. I had a real love affair with Poulenc's music 25 years ago, this is my first acquisition since then.

The violin and clarinet sonatas demonstrate familiar Poulenc tropes and gestures and are none the worse for that. This music is in parts frankly nostalgic, in others modernist (especially the little bagatelle).

Excellent sound and performances.


----------



## Jos

Stabat mater, Pergolesi.
Anna Netrebko and Marianna Pizzolato, first hit on Youtube.
I'm finding myself listening to religious vocal music more and more. 
Next on the list is Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine. Harnoncourt.
This one on good ol' vinyl: Das Alte Werk, Telefunken









Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Oskaar

*BARATI: Symphony No. 1 / Chant of Darkness / Chant of Light*

*Kovacs*, Laszlo, Conductor • *Valek*, Vladimir, Conductor • *Budapest Symphony Orchestra* • *Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra*









classicsonline.com


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Keyboard Concerto in B Minor (on a theme by Torelli), BWV 979

Peter Watchorn, harpsichord


----------



## MagneticGhost

Britten - The Collector's Edition - EMI Classics

Disc 1

Sinfonia Da Requiem
Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from 'Peter Grimes'
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - Libor Pesek


----------



## Taggart

Just been listening to










which is disc 3 of










The songs and playing are excellent. The influence of Ars Nova is clear where you hear two sets of voices singing against each other. The spoken bits in medieval French stretched us more than a little. Wiki is going to take a pounding.

What I missed was the full apparatus critici that we got with some of the early Munrow, where you got a full text of the songs plus an English translation and notes on sources. The joys of the 12" LP and the large page size it enabled for notes.


----------



## AndyS

The Solti La Traviata

The conducting and orchestra are great. The singing is pretty poor all round though


----------



## Andolink

*W. A. Mozart*: _String Quartet in D major, K. 499_ "Hoffmeister"
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Louis-Gabriel Guillemain*: _Six sonates en quatuors, ou, Conversations galantes et amusantes, Op. XII_
Sonata II in B minor and Sonata V in E major
Ensemble Mirable








*Georg Christoph Wagenseil*: _Quartets for low strings_-- Sonata III in C and Sonata II in F
Piccolo Concerto Wien/Roberto Sensi






really loving these pieces!! impeccable performances beautifully recorded!!


----------



## bejart

Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730): Flute Sonata No.10 in E Minor

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord


----------



## Itullian

My favorite modern recording of the Schumann concerto.
I also love Anda's and Kempe's.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sweet Remembrance*

*Rudens Turku* (violin) & *Yumiko Urabe* (piano)

Brahms:	
Sonatensatz (Scherzo from the F.A.E. sonata), WoO 2

Elgar:	
Salut d'amour, Op. 12

Glazunov:	
Meditation, Op. 32

Kreisler:	
Schön Rosmarin

Massenet:	
Meditation (from Thaïs)

Mendelssohn:	
Song without Words, Op. 19b No. 1 in E major 'Sweet Remembrance'

arr. Jascha Heifetz

Mussorgsky:	
Sorochintsy Fair: Gopak

Paganini:	
Cantabile for violin & piano/guitar in D major, Op. 17, MS 109

Moto perpetuo, Op. 11, MS 72

La Campanella

Paradis:	
Sicilienne

Sarasate:	
Danza Española No. 1: Malagueña, Op. 21, No. 1

Ysaye:	
Sonata for solo violin in A minor, Op. 27 No. 2

plus:

Henryk Wieniawski: Mazurka

Dmitri Shostakovich: Preludium









Another very good listening.

prestoclassical
arkivmusic


----------



## DrKilroy

Paganini - Violin Concerto No. 2 (Gitlis/Wisłocki).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mika

Mahler 8 with Nagano


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Symphony No. 3 in D minor* / Birgit Remmert, (contralto); City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Women's Choir and Youth Chorus/ Simon Rattle [EMI, rec. 1997]









The latest in my intended review of all my recordings of the Mahler symphonies


----------



## Vasks

_Christmas via Ralphie on LPs_

*Vaughn-Williams - Fantasia on Greensleeves (Ormandy/Columbia)
Vaughn-Williams - Hodie (Willcocks/Angel)*


----------



## Blake

On CD3 of Preston and Pinnock's Handel: Organ Concertos. This set is absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in A major, Op. 2 no. 1_, Hob.III:7
Piccolo Concerto Wien


----------



## Itullian




----------



## MagneticGhost

Durufle's Organ Works
Henry Fairs


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730): Flute Sonata No.10 in E Minor
> 
> Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord
> 
> View attachment 30959


A near Bach contemporary I haven't heard of is unusual. I'd be interested in exploring his non-opera music.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rubinstein/Reiner), Piano Concerto No. 3 (Thibaudet/Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## mstar

Kevin Pearson said:


> Finally a break from work (although I suspect I'll be called in either today or tomorrow). In the meantime I'm going to try and relax and enjoy myself. Starting the day listening to one of my favorite LP box sets of Martin Galling playing Haydn's Sonatas for Keyboard. This is Volume IV of an old Vox Box set. I wish I owned the companion volumes but I have not been able to locate them used.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


1,000th post!!  Congrats

As for me, I'm listening to *Mendelssohn's Songs without Words*, played by a variety of pianists. Must listen to *Bolet or Cziffra play the Liszt Nocturnes Liebestraum Nos. 1&2* as well.


----------



## Oskaar

*Takemitsu: A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden*

Marin Alsop Conductor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Orchestra









Magic, wawing soundscapes

allmusic


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

"The _Casse-noisette Suite_ of Tchaikovsky..."

Beecham/Royal Philharmonic, 9 December 1958

This recording sounds like it's from a brittle 78rpm and a nail for a needle  It made me think of an old Disney movie. Maybe they (over)used it somewhere?

Oh, and also...

Tchaikovsky _Manfred Symphony_ (Masur/Leipzig Gewandhaus)

I hazard to presume that Manfred was not of the calibre of his other symphonies...?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A few repeat listens for recent acquisitions:

*Berg* - Violin Concerto, Lyric Suite, 3 pieces for orchestra / Hirsch, RPO Hilversum, Klas [Naxos]

*Hindemith* - String Quartet No. 4, Op 22 / Prague Quartet
and
*Honegger* - String Quartet No. 2 / Dvořák Quartet

[Supraphon] (Recorded 1963)









and whilst cooking:

*Bridge - Piano trios No. 1, No. 2; Nine miniatures for piano trio*

Liebeck (vn.), Chaushian (VC), Wass (pno)[Naxos]


----------



## bejart

Weston says of Leonardo Vinci (ca.1690-1730) ---
"A near Bach contemporary I haven't heard of is unusual. I'd be interested in exploring his non-opera music."

His instrumental work for flute and recorder can be found on a number of anthologies, but the CD I have I bought from a Swiss seller on eBay several years ago.

Now ---
Anton Reicha (1770-1836): String Quintet No.2 in F Major

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins -- Jurgen Kussmaul, viola -- Anner Bylsma and Kenneth Slowik, cellos









These are written almost like cello concertos for a chamber ensemble. Anner Bylsma gives a bravura reading on 1st cello ---


----------



## Blake

Pinnock's Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6. There's a lot of greatness here.


----------



## Oskaar

*TORKE: Rapture / An American Abroad / Jasper*

An American Abroad
Jasper
Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra "Rapture"

*Colin Currie*, percussion
* Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Marin Alsop*









naxos
amazon
classical.net


----------



## ptr

Three first volumes of Chandos' Berkeley Edition: The Music of Lennox and Michael.

Vol 1; (LB) Symphony No 1 / (MB) Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra / (LB) Serenade / (MB) Coronach









David Pyatt, horn; BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Richard Hickox

Vol 2; (LB) Symphony No 3 & Sinfonia Concertante Op 84 / (MB) Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra & Secret Garden









Nicholas Daniel, oboe; BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Richard Hickox

Vol 3; (LB) Symphony No 4 / (MB) The Garden of Earthly Delights & Cello Concerto









Nicholas Whiting, violin, Martin Robertson, soprano saxophone, Mark Eager, trombone; (All doubling on claves, rattles and tam-tams) Alban Gerhardt, cello; BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Richard Hickox

/ptr


----------



## brotagonist

^ I tried to give you 3 likes, one for each Pinnock album, Vesuvius 

c'n://offsite

Despite inferior sound quality, the wealth of music to explore is monumental. I decided to listen to Bax's String Quartet 3 (Maggini Quartet). It's a good one.

Next, I'll move back to my wonderful stereo and super sound and relaxing CDs, where I don't have to pore over lists to make a selection  ...and I can change the volume and pause without having to go to the computer and locate a hidden window somewhere ;-)


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723-1787): Symphony in D Major, Op.17, No.3

Anthony Halstead conducting the Hanover Band


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Heavens, I found another one, but then I'm taking a break. Really 

Zemlinsky : _Lyric Symphony_
Gürzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker/James Conlon

I've been interested in Zemlinsky for a number of years, but had never gotten around to listening. This is impressive!


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Symphony No.1 in B Flat, Op.38

Sir Neville Marriner directing the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields


----------



## LancsMan

*Wagner: Das Rheingold* Solti - plus one or two others - on Decca.

My real love of Wagner starts with Das Rheingold. The earlier operas are good in parts - but I keep wishing they'd get a move on. However I'm a pretty enthusiastic Wagner fan from The Ring onwards. I find myself pulled into the Ring cycle from the first note, and it rarely lets up. I'm planning on listening to the whole Solti cycle - it certainly won't be over by Christmas - and I guess Gotterdammerung will have to wait till the new year.

Of course the Solti Rheingold is very well known. George London makes for a great Wotan. My only grumble is I that my first recording of Das Rheingold was the 1967 Karajan recording which had Gerhard Stolze in the role of Loge. Despite losing this LP many years ago I can still bring Stolze's Loge to mind, and I miss his really sarcastic mocking tone. In the Solti Set Svanholm takes the role of Loge, and despite being pretty good, can't quite match Stolze's characterisation.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Richard Strauss: Rosenkavalier Waltzes: Herbert Blomstedt, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Decca). *I'm always up for this work.

*Elliott Carter; String Quartet No. 4 (1986); Arditti Quartet (Etcetera). *A nice listen. As I hear & understand more about Carter, the more I hear him as a contrapuntalist above all. The lines seem to wander independently, with their own agenda. His "metric modulation" and complex rhythmic relations, influenced by the rhythmic concepts of Conlon Nancarrow, seem designed to enable this sort of multiplicity of different lines, while retaining a precision which keeps the whole thing from becoming Ligeti-like or too aleatoric. The "all interval sets" Carter uses here (0,1,4,6 is one of them) are inherently flexible and harmonically impartial, and provide maximal variety, but I feel may be more useful as structural entities more than having any appealing harmonic results, so that's the way I have to listen to Carter, as contrapuntal lines. With Schoenberg's_ Wind Quintet,_ I can savor the strange harmonies which result. Not so much with Carter; the rhythmic independence of the lines seem to discourage this, not only by their independence, but by the "character" Carter has imparted to them. It's as if the two high-register violins are blithely ignoring the viola and cello ramblings below, and are off in their own disconnect, in the stratosphere of harmonics. All this comes from Charles Ives, of course: the "conversations and arguments" of Ives' _Second String Quartet,_ so central to Carter's influences; and also, Ives'_ Central Park in the Dark,_ where the underlying string section continues independently of the chaos which occurs around it.

New purchase:* Bartok, Complete String Quartets, Guarneri (2-CD, Newton Classics). *Revelation! This is my new favorite. Yes, I have the Takis, and the Emerson...but Guarneri holds their own, even out-gypsying the Takis, in these ADD remasters, recorded in 1974-1976. Were these on RCA? They sound like my earlier RCA Guarneri Beethoven set, replete with chair-creaking, wood-floor-groaning, foot-shuffling analog detritus, and the ubiquitous analog underpinning of background noise, which can get bothersome if the subwoofers are turned-up too high. But beyond that, the warmth and character comes through as in the Beethoven set. I knew there was a reason I liked these guys.


----------



## DrKilroy

Once again... Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, La mer and Danse sacrée et danse profane (Badings/Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> Zemlinsky : _Lyric Symphony_
> I've been interested in Zemlinsky for a number of years, but had never gotten around to listening. This is impressive!


I'm glad you got around to it. :tiphat:

Today, *Charpentier's Te Deum.*


----------



## moody

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> "The _Casse-noisette Suite_ of Tchaikovsky..."
> 
> Beecham/Royal Philharmonic, 9 December 1958
> 
> This recording sounds like it's from a brittle 78rpm and a nail for a needle  It made me think of an old Disney movie. Maybe they (over)used it somewhere?
> 
> Oh, and also...
> 
> Tchaikovsky _Manfred Symphony_ (Masur/Leipzig Gewandhaus)
> 
> I hazard to presume that Manfred was not of the calibre of his other symphonies...?


The Manfred Symphony is the only programmatic work by Tchaikovsky in more than one movement.
It is based on lord Byron's poem of the same name and was a request from Balakirev who included a detailed programme.
Tchaikovsky was not keen at first but eventually wrote the work which is for huge forces.
Afterwards Tchaikovsky said :"I think this is the best I've ever written."
As for the "Nutcracker" HMV include it in one of their "Great Recordings of the Century " issues,so presuming it's the one you have maybe it is your equipment .


----------



## TurnaboutVox

oskaar said:


> An American Abroad
> Jasper
> Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra "Rapture"
> 
> *Colin Currie*, percussion
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Marin Alsop


I heard Colin Currie and his percussion group earlier in the year, in a concert of Steve Reich works - they were marvellous

Current listening, and last of the day

*Bartók - String Quartet No. 3 SZ.85* / Prague Quartet [Supraphon]









These players are seriously good in Bartok - recorded in 1967


----------



## moody

IT'S HIS BIRTHDAY ON CHRISTMAS DAY, SO I THOUGHT I SHOULD LISTEN TO SOMETHING OF HIS.

SCRIABIN. Twenty Four Preludes, Op.11. Julius Isserlis, piano. Russian composer and pianist also the grandfather of Steven Isserlis the cellist.
I am not sure whether or not I like Scriabin.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

DavidA said:


> Schumann - Kreisleriana - Horowitz 1986


Superb, saw him play it at the Festival Hall, London, that very year. What a musician.


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Mahler #2's finale... chills 


Bernstein and the NYP


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): Symphony in C Minor, Op.31

Howard Griffiths conducting the NDR Radiophilharmonie


----------



## Itullian

Number 3 today.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

This is a wonderful LP. Issay Dobrowen is hardly remembered at all today, but he was a great conductor. These two Rimsky-Korsakov suites are superbly interpreted by the Philharmonia Orchestra, and it's still a good sounding recording too.


----------



## Mahlerian

Elgar: Falstaff, op. 68
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Gibson









A very Straussian work. I enjoy it more than his Symphonies, which I've never been fond of.


----------



## Sid James

brotagonist said:


> Yours is a worthwhile and interesting write-up on three composers I barely know and am now motivated to give more credence to. Thanks!





samurai said:


> Hi, Sid. Great analyses and in depth breakdowns of these three composers and their seminal works. Congratulations on a job well done!:cheers:





Kevin Pearson said:


> One of your best posts Sid! Thanks very much for taking the time.
> 
> Kevin





Manxfeeder said:


> Another post thanking you for your insights. I haven't paid much attention to these three, only recently warming to Saint-Saens.
> 
> Now I appreciate the sentiments behind Peter Schikele's love song to Cindy: "Oh Cindy, you're like a symphony by D'Indy."


Thanks to you all, as well as for the "likes" from everyone else. I'm aiming to appeal to as many people as I can with these posts, including those who know these pieces, and those who don't but might be intersted in them. It got longer and longer, so I edited and put in headings to make it more readable (I know staring at a screen for a long time can be hard on the eyes). & in light of that Brotagonist, Franck's violin sonata is another great one by him, kudos for you listening to it. Its one of the most significant works in its genre of the 19th century, also uses cyclic form, I recently rediscoverd it and aim to cover it in depth at some stage. D'Indy was there at its premiere and did a great write up on it.

Now to thread duty, listening of recent couple of days:

*Saint-Saëns* Le Rouet d'Omphale & Bacchanale from 'Samson et Delilah'
- Czech Radio SO (Bratislava) under Stephen Gunzenhauser

*Copland*
The Tender Land (Suite)
Piano Concerto* 
Old American Songs**
- *Benjamin Pasternack, piano ; **St Charles Singers ; Elgin SO under Robert Hanson

*Gonzalo Fernandez / Martial Solal* Les ennemis (A Touch of Treason), soundtrack of Edouard Molinaro's film, 1961
- Opening titles music played by Solal (on piano) with his orch.; other items by Orchestre du cabaret Keur Samba conducted by Fernandez

*Martial Solal* Le proces (The Trial), extract (Sentimental slow) from soundtrack of Orson Welles'film, 1962
- Solal on piano/arrangements; Guy Pedersen, bass; Daniel Humair, drums

*Dvorak* Cello Concerto, Op. 104
- Pierre Fournier, soloist w. Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mahlerian said:


> Elgar: Falstaff, op. 68
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Gibson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A very Straussian work. I enjoy it more than his Symphonies, which I've never been fond of.


Elgar himself told Eric Fenby that he thought it was his best work, and if you enjoy it, then I would urge you to listen to Elgar's own performance if you can, I don't think it's ever been bettered, though Gibson is very fine. The EMI transfer is best, the Dutton one loses a lot of orchestral detail and is really not terribly good (I should add that in general, I like Dutton's transfers, but this is a poor one, in my opinion). Another brilliant performance is Anthony Collins and the LSO. It's all food for thought.


----------



## brotagonist

moody said:


> The Manfred Symphony... Tchaikovsky said :"I think this is the best I've ever written."
> 
> As for the "Nutcracker"... maybe it is your equipment .


No, equipment exceeds highest expectations. It's Naxos Music Library  There are numerous other Nutcracker recordings to choose from, so I might give it another go sometime. I'm surprised how well I already knew it, considering I'd never listened to it previously.

On the subject of Manfred, Wikipedia says:

"He initially considered the work one of his best, and in a typical reversal of opinion later considered destroying all but the opening movement. The symphony was greeted with mixed reviews... _Manfred_ remained rarely performed for many years... It has been recorded with increasing frequency but is still seldom heard in the concert hall."

Once again, I could select a different performance sometime.


----------



## EricABQ

Starting with sonata 3 from this set. Will probably get through a few of them before I switch to something else:


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Caprice ou Etude -- Davide Cabassi

^ I just came across this astonishing work today! Composed in 1789 yet only rediscovered in 1977, it still has yet to cause a widespread re-examination of the composer's place in the keyboard literature. An extraordinarily bold work, brimming with harmonic inventiveness, which, while not necessarily revolutionary for its era, belies Cherubini's legacy for always having been a dogmatic reactionary.

Onslow: String Quintet #51 in G Minor, Op. 51 -- Diogenes Quartet & Manuel van der Nahmer

Cima: Sonata A 3 Per Violino, Cornetto E Violone -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Schein: Padouana À 5 -- Gabrielli Consort & Players

Tallis: Videte Miraculum -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Schubert: Variations on an Original Theme in A Flat Major, D. 813 -- Claire Aebersold, Ralph Neiweem


----------



## mstar

*Mendelssohn's Octet*, and *Kissin improvising on Happy Birthday* while I deleted all works by liszt from my music folder. My favorite composer is Rachmaninov, anyway.


----------



## Blake

More Handel from Pinnock: Water Music. Handel easily makes it into my top 5 composers of all time... probably top 3. And Pinnock does him incredible justice.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Flute Quartet in D Major, Op.41, No.1

The Mannheim Quartet: Douglas Worthen, flute -- Julie Leven, violin -- Anne Black, viola -- Joan Esch, cello


----------



## moody

brotagonist said:


> No, equipment exceeds highest expectations. It's Naxos Music Library  There are numerous other Nutcracker recordings to choose from, so I might give it another go sometime. I'm surprised how well I already knew it, considering I'd never listened to it previously.
> 
> On the subject of Manfred, Wikipedia says:
> 
> "He initially considered the work one of his best, and in a typical reversal of opinion later considered destroying all but the opening movement. The symphony was greeted with mixed reviews... _Manfred_ remained rarely performed for many years... It has been recorded with increasing frequency but is still seldom heard in the concert hall."
> 
> Once again, I could select a different performance sometime.


Your question on Manfred was that you wondered should it be considered as inferior to the other symphonies.
I have tried to tndicate that it shouldn't be considered alongside them at all.
My preferred version is Toscanini live in New York in 1953, it's white hot and as I'm not much interested in anything ever but performance I'm not interested in the sound standard. ,But I am sure there are a number of really hi-fi boring performances available.


----------



## mstar

moody said:


> Your question on Manfred was that you wondered should it be considered as inferior to the other symphonies.
> I have tried to tndicate that it shouldn't be considered alongside them at all.
> My preferred version is Toscanini live in New York in 1953, it's white hot and as I'm not much interested in anything ever but performance I'm not interested in the sound standard. Ihe performance is white hot,but I am sure there are a number of really hi-fi boring performances available.


I've never liked Manfred much. In my personal opinion, Tchaikovsky does significantly better with intrinsic programs, such as with his fourth, fifth, and especially _sixth._ 
Looks like I'll soon be listening to *Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 with conductor Myung Whun-Chung w/ the Seoul Philharmonic,* my absolute favorite recording of it!


----------



## brotagonist

^ I just finished listening to Tchaikovsky's 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the latter part of last week and I was mightily impressed. I've had the set since about 1990, but never got much into them. This has changed, at least as far as these 6 symphonies go.


----------



## Winterreisender

Hildegard von Bingen, "Canticles of Ecstasy" performed by Sequentia. I am particularly liking the track "Ave Maria, O Auctrix Vite." Seriously, these melodies are sublime!!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 10, w. VPO/Harding (rec.2007);* Delius*: Violin Concerto, w. Holmes/RPO/Handley (rec.1984).

View attachment 30995


----------



## Weston

*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia espansiva," FS 60 (Op. 27)* 
Michael Schønwandt / Danish National Symphony Orchestra









I had not listened to Nielsen in quite a while. I rediscovered I really enjoy him, at least this piece. It's majestic, dramatic without resorting to the hand wringing anguish of romantic works that came before it, and it has a few wonderful surprise twists for the unwary. I love it!

The performance is exhilerating but this recording is in serious need of filtering. The audible hiss like an old fashioned tape is a little distracting in the quieter sections.


----------



## senza sordino

A new CD acquisition. 








On the CD is
*Symphony in Bb Major*, performed by Charles Dutoit and Montreal Symphony (OSM)
*Poeme for Violin and Orchestra*, performed by Chantal Juillet on vn and Dutoit with OSM
*Poeme de l'amour et de la mer*, performed by Baritone Francoise Le Roux and Dutoit with OSM
*Piano Quartet *with Richards Piano Quartet
*Concert* for violin, piano and string quartet, Ysaye Quartet, Pierre Amoyal on violin, Pascal Roge on piano


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Varese's* (1883 - 1965) birthday.

View attachment 30996


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in B Major, KV 333

Richard Fuller, piano


----------



## senza sordino

Vaneyes said:


> * Delius*: Violin Concerto, w. Holmes/RPO/Handley (rec.1984).
> 
> View attachment 30995
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/SIZE][/FONT]


How is the Delius violin concerto? I didn't know he wrote one. Not that I know about every violin concerto written. I know some of the works of Delius, he okay, but not my favorite composer. Dreamy can be nice and calm, but some of his work can be "Drearius".


----------



## samurai

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111 and Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}, *
both performed by the Orchestre National de France under Mstislav Rostropovich. Is anybody here familiar with the complete set of Prokofiev Symphonies as done by Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic. If so, what is your opinion of them; I have been toying with the idea of buying this on Amazon for about twenty bucks. Thanks in advance for your input on this. 
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.12 in G Major, K.110; Symphony No."46" in C Major, K.96; Symphony No.13 in F Major, K.112; Symphony No.14 in A Major, K.114 and Symphony No.15 in G Major, K.124. * All five works feature the Prague Chamber Orchestra led by Charles Mackerras.


----------



## KenOC

I'll take the opportunity to suggest the Rozhdestvensky set of Prokofiev symphonies. Vigorous, a bit rough around the edges, lots of fire, energy, and detail. His 6th especially is wonderful. Ten bucks more.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...&keywords=prokofiev+rozhdestvensky+symphonies


----------



## samurai

KenOC said:


> I'll take the opportunity to suggest the Rozhdestvensky set of Prokofiev symphonies. Vigorous, a bit rough around the edges, lots of fire, energy, and detail. His 6th especially is wonderful. Ten bucks more.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sym...&keywords=prokofiev+rozhdestvensky+symphonies


Thanks, Ken. I guess the Russian conductors are usually a better bet for interpreting their fellow Russians. Have you sampled the Ozawa set?


----------



## KenOC

samurai said:


> Thanks, Ken. I guess the Russian conductors are usually a better bet for interpreting their fellow Russians. Have you sampled the Ozawa set?


Sorry, I have never heard any of the Ozawa set. You may want to start a new thread asking for opinions!


----------



## Mahlerian

For today's birthday:
Varèse: Ionisation, Amériques, Equatorial*
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, *Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Boulez


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc thirteen

Violin Sonata
Phantasy Quintet
Six Studies In English Folk Song
String Quartet No.2

Music Group Of London


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

I might as well hear what the fuss is about 

Chausson : Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet
Perlman/Bolet/Juillard SQ









Bon, ça me plaît bien.

Now that I've heard the first movement, it sounds gushingly romantic, not all that unlike the early works of Schoenberg and Berg, although perhaps slightly more so, if I may be excused for saying so. Oui, ça me plaît bien à cette heure assez avancée.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tannhäuser


----------



## brotagonist

I liked it so much, that I have decided to finish my online listening session with another work by Chausson, _Poeme_, op. 25.









C'est une musique vraiment impressionnante, avec des gestes émotives du violon. Il y a quelque chose très doux qui me fait penser au _1er concert pour violon_ de Max Bruch.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stevie Wishart's Out Of This World (to text by Hildegard of Bingen) - cond. composer

World premiere from 2011 Proms


----------



## SimonNZ

Aaron Copland's Sextet - Vanbrugh Quartet with Michael Collins and Martin Roscoe

edit: Leo Kraft's String Quartet No.2 - Audubon Quartet


----------



## moody

Mahlerian said:


> Elgar: Falstaff, op. 68
> Royal Scottish National Orchestra, cond. Gibson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A very Straussian work. I enjoy it more than his Symphonies, which I've never been fond of.


He and Strauss were on friendly terms.


----------



## moody

HOW ABOUT A GRAND ORGAN SPECTACULAR ?!

E.Power Biggs plays "Two Centuries of Heroic Music In America."
The music includesAD 1620 "The Mayflower", The Battle of Trenton, General Washington's March and (of course) Variations On the Star Spangled Banner.

The organs include the Great Organ at Methuen Memorial Hall and the Fisk Organ in the Old West Church ,Boston.
This is all very stirring and should be played very loudly and you need great base for organs.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Verily I am become a seasonal Moose! Two old favourites. "The Bells of Christmas" I had as a present when I was six, and every year out it comes and I feel a rosy glow of comfort around me, Eddie Dunstedter (1897-1974) was an American organist, and composer. The Malcolm Sargent record contains one of my favourite carols the Zither Carol, which Sargent wrote the words for and arranged from an old Czech tune, I'm also fond of his racy arrangement of the Cowboy Carol. Merry Christmas to you all. :cheers:


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in A Minor, Op.6, No.4

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Bas

Antonio Vivaldi - Atenaide 
By Guillemette Laurens [mezzo], Nathalie Stutzmann [contralto], Paul Agnew [tenor], Romina Basso [mezzo], Sandrine Piau [soprano], Stefano Ferrari [tenor], Vivica Genaux [soprano], Modo Antiquo Orchestra, Federico Maria Sardelli [dir.], on Naïve









Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldbergvariationen BWV 988
By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi









Alessandro Scarlatti - Messa per il santissimo natale
Gioviani Battista Pergolesi - Messa di s. emidio (Messa Romana)
By Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Allesandrini [dir.], on Naïve









George Fredric Handel - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Jos

Vivaldi, Magnificat and Te Deum

First recording, mono, 1964 in the Cathedral of St. Mark in Venice.
Very luxurious edition with extensive linernotes, both on history and musicolgy.









Cheers,
Jos


----------



## rrudolph

The used CD bin at my local thrift store offered up these this past weekend:

Glazunov: Introduction and Dance of Salome Op. 90/The King of the Jews (Tsar Iudeyskiy) Op. 95








Beethoven: Violin Sonatas #5, #9, #10








Copland: John Henry/Lincoln Portrait/The Promise of Living (from The Tender Land)/Old American Songs Set 1/Jubilee Variations/Ceremonial Fanfare/An Outdoor Overture


----------



## Vasks

_CDs_

*J.S. Bach - Cantata #133 "I rejoice in You and bid You welcome my dearest Jesus" (Smith/Koch)
Biber - Mystery Sonatas #1-3 (Lautenbacher/Vox)
Daquin - Noels #1 and 2 (Bardon/Pierre Verany)
Schiassi - Sinfonia Pastorale per il santissimo natale di nostro Jesu (Francis/Helios)*


----------



## Itullian

Number 5


----------



## mstar

Nothing as of now!!

I will listen to *the next work posted on this thread.*


----------



## Blancrocher

Rudolf Serkin playing Beethoven's op.77 Fantasy (which I considered putting on the underrated Beethoven thread, but chickened out :lol. I recommend the whole album, which also has good performances of the Diabelli Variations and op.119 Bagatelles.


----------



## Mahlerian

moody said:


> He and Strauss were on friendly terms.


I recall that when people were coming to Elgar asking him to protest the production of Salome, he refused, saying that Strauss was the greatest genius of the age.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Alfons Kontarsky, Aloys Kontarsky


----------



## Couac Addict

Mahler's 8th - Solti/Chicago SO

...just have it playing through a few speakers. Now, the neighbours can enjoy it as well - as can most of Western Europe.

Click to enlarge.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rorem, Piano Concerto No. 2.*


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://onsite

We're having a Chinook: goodbye -19° (yesterday) and hello +4° (now). It is an ideal time for a _Winterreise_:









Dietrich Henschel & Irwin Gage

This Schubert work has always seemed special in its austerity and dissimilarity to the richly romantic Schubert. There are numerous favourites on this album (_Der Lindenbaum_, _Irrlicht_, _Die Krähe_ and I discover others each time I listen), but I especially like _Der Leiermann_.


----------



## julianoq

Slowly coming back to Classical Music, it was about time! Now listening to Sibelius 6th on my favorite cycle. I am pretty sure that the 7th will follow.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Once As I Remember*, John Eliot Gardiner

This is a great CD of choral Christmas pieces from the ages, from Palestrina to Herbert Howells. The Monteverdi Choir brings them to life.


----------



## Oskaar

*CRUSELL, B.H.: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1-3*

*Kriikku*, Kari, clarinet • *Oramo*, Sakari, Conductor • *Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra*









Nice joyfull concertos brilliantly performed!

amazon 2 quite thorougfull user reviews.


----------



## Cosmos

Shostakovich, Cello Concerto in E flat









As Yo Yo Ma stares into my soul


----------



## Weston

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> I might as well hear what the fuss is about
> 
> Chausson : Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet
> Perlman/Bolet/Juillard SQ
> 
> View attachment 31002
> 
> 
> Bon, ça me plaît bien.
> 
> Now that I've heard the first movement, it sounds gushingly romantic, not all that unlike the early works of Schoenberg and Berg, although perhaps slightly more so, if I may be excused for saying so. Oui, ça me plaît bien à cette heure assez avancée.


This album is a bargain bin item at Amazon's MP3 store. I've been tempted to get it, but sometimes I'm not overly fond of Perlman's playing. I'm probably the only person in the world who feels this way, so I doubt he'll miss my support. I like and appreciate the man himself, just not his playing style. But Chausson is usually fantastic.


----------



## rrudolph

Varese: Ionisation/Density 21.5/Integrales/Octandre/Hyperprism/Poeme Electronique


----------



## Jos

Johannes Brahms, stringsextet no1 in B flat major, Amadeus quartet with an extra Viola and Cello.

Very "dense" and complicated music, this is no divertisemento in the background, but very rewarding with "close" listening.








Deutsche Grammophon, but the pressing is done in England.

Cheers
Jos


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three
Prom 14: Wagner - Das Rheingold

Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin in Wagner's Das Rheingold.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Delius*: Orchestral Music, w. RPO/RLPO/Groves (rec.1971 - '74); *Debussy*: Orchestral Works, w. BPO/Abbado (rec.1998/9).

View attachment 31033
View attachment 31034


----------



## Vasks

rrudolph said:


> View attachment 31029


Now there's an album cover I know really, really well as I have had that since c. 1970. However, in comparing it to the complete London set by Chailly I have to confess that Chailly's players are superior; so I am debating tossing out my Robert Craft Columbia LP.


----------



## ptr

Continued my Berkeley odyssey with the three remaining volumes today:

*Vol 4*; (MB) Concerto for Organ and Orchestra / (LB)Voices of the Night Op 86 / (MB) Viola Concerto / (LB) Symphony No 2









Paul Silverthorne, viola / Thomas Trotter, organ; BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Richard Hickox

*Vol 5*; (LB) Piano Concerto, Op. 29 / (MB) Gethsemane Fragment / (LB) Four Poems of St Teresa of Ávila Op 27 for Contralto and String Orchestra / (MB) Tristessa









Catherine Wyn-Rogers contralto; Celia Craig cor anglais; Steven Burnard viola; Howard Shelley piano; BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Richard Hickox

*Vol 6*; (MB) Concerto for Orchestra 'Seascapes' to R.H / (LB) Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra Op 30 / (MB) Gregorian Variations for Orchestra









Philippe Schartz trumpet; Kathryn Stott & Howard Shelley piano; BBC National Orchestra of Wales u. Richard Hickox

Even if I am a romantic at heart, I slightly gravitate more towards young Michaels music!

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*Wen-Sinn Yang - Virtuoso - Works for Solo Cello By Bottermund, Klengel, Ysaÿe, et al*









What this man can do with the instrument!

amazon


----------



## Jos

Ludwig van Beethoven
Septet opus 20 and fugue opus 137
Chambermusic with almost a whole orchestra
Much more in the classical idiom and, to be honest, more accessible than the previous spinner by Brahms , more lighthearted, joyfull.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Vaneyes

senza sordino said:


> *How is the Delius violin concerto?* I didn't know he wrote one. Not that I know about every violin concerto written. I know some of the works of Delius, he okay, but not my favorite composer. Dreamy can be nice and calm, but some of his work can be "Drearius".


Re classical music listening, I find it very attractive to psychologically have a little down time. Delius represents a lovely oasis for me. I could not do without him. Also, there is another level to enjoy once the nut is cracked. So...you're talking to the wrong person about a "Drearius" perception. 

That said, based on your thinking thus far, the Violin Concerto may surprise. Maybe not. I'll say no more, other than it's performed by the late great Ralph Holmes. A life ended too soon. :angel:


----------



## brotagonist

Weston said:


> This album is a bargain bin item at Amazon's MP3 store. I've been tempted to get it, but sometimes I'm not overly fond of Perlman's playing. I'm probably the only person in the world who feels this way, so I doubt he'll miss my support. I like and appreciate the man himself, just not his playing style. But Chausson is usually fantastic.


I am not qualified to judge Perlman's pianistic abilities and deficits, but this recording is truly a fine one. It's the first Chausson work I have ever heard and it made a deep impression on me. One wouldn't go off the path to pick it up  If you like the work that much and dislike Perlman that much  then there might be another recording of the work that you might like


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> *Wen-Sinn Yang - Virtuoso - Works for Solo Cello By Bottermund, Klengel, Ysaÿe, et al*
> 
> View attachment 31037
> 
> 
> What this man can do with the instrument!
> 
> amazon


I like his glasses.


----------



## rrudolph

Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens/Xenakis: Rebonds/Ferneyhough: Bone Alphabet/Reynolds: Watershed I


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 7, 8 "Pathetique", 9, 10, 30, 31, 32
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Decca









After this I got into a Schubertian mood (I am currently playing my fourth Schubert piano disc):

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 960, D 845, D 840, D 784, D 664, D 625 (one of my preferred ones), D 575, D 537 (a masterpiece), D 279, D 157
By Willhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## millionrainbows

Just to see, got (used) *Brahms 4 Symphony *set by *Neville Marriner, Academy Etc. (hannsler)*. Not much different than any of the others I've heard. _*Symphony nr. 2*_ just slides under the radar, pretty, but not emotionally committed; those Brahms "motives" string-together melodies with good expressive potential into chains of modulating, wandering structure. Always musical, crafted well, going nowhere.


----------



## millionrainbows

Bartok: Complete Solo Piano Music; Gyorgy Sandor (5-CD VOX). the Mikrokosmos take up almost two whole discs. Starting out super-simply, things begin to get interesting by volumes 5 & 6. I haven't gone in to the rest of the 3 discs yet. Not much of a solo piano writer, was he? Not as far as adding anything virtuosic or overwhelmingly important. His strengths obviously lay elsewhere, in the Sonatas for violin & piano, concertos, and orchestral works.


----------



## ptr

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Music for Piano (Capriccio)
(Suite Op 20 / Plastiska Scener Op 10 / Sonatina / Improvisationer / Tema med variationer)









Anna Christensson, piano

*Richard Addinsell* - The Film Music (Chandos)









BBC Philharmonic u. Rumon Gamba

/ptr


----------



## schuberkovich

Brahms Piano Quartet no.3 in C minor
Capucon Quartet

Beethoven String Quartet op.127
Quartetto Italiano

Both supreme works and performances - the third movement of the Brahms is simply incredible.


----------



## Oskaar

*Goldmark: Complete Works for Violin & Piano, Vol. 2*

Bruno Canino (piano), Ulf Wallin (violin)









Sonata for Violin and Piano in D, Op. 25
Ballad for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 54
Romance for Violin and Piano in A major
Pieces (6) for Piano, Op. 52

I have only prelistned, but it souns good. I will get som chocolade and enjoy it verticaly with earphones on my sofa.

amazon
arkivmusik


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tallis, Christmas Mass.*


----------



## hpowders

William Schuman-symphonies numbers 9 (Le Fosse Ardeatine) and 10 (American Muse). 

Arguably the greatest of the American symphonists.


----------



## DrKilroy

Sonatas Nos. 1 - 4.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Faure, Requiem*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Piano Works w. Jacobs (rec.1978), Weissenberg (rec.1985), Boffard (rec.2000), ABM (rec.1971 - '78)

View attachment 31052
View attachment 31053
View attachment 31054
View attachment 31055


----------



## Sid James

*Alain Goraguer* _Le piege (No Escape), soundtrack of Charles Brabant's film, 1958_
- Goraguer on piano, with band probably incl. Raymond Guiot, flute; Michel Hausser, vibes; Pierre Michelot, bass; Christian Garros, drums

*Paul Durand* _Le Saint mene la danse (The Dance of Death), soundtrack of Jacques Nahum's film, 1960_
- Michel de Villers, alto & baritone saxes w. his orchestra

*Dukas* _Symphony in C major_
- London PO under Walter Weller

*Ives* _Symphony #2_
- Los Angeles PO ; Zubin Mehta at the helm

*Copland* _Piano Concerto_
- Benjamin Pasternack, piano w. Elgin SO under Robert Hanson


----------



## Alfacharger

hpowders said:


> William Schuman-symphonies numbers 9 (Le Fosse Ardeatine) and 10 (American Muse).
> 
> Arguably the greatest of the American symphonists.


I just finished listening to the Naxos recording of William Schuman's 4th and 9th.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

mstar said:


> Mendelssohn's Octet, and Kissin improvising on Happy Birthday *while I deleted all works by liszt from my music folder*. My favorite composer is Rachmaninov, anyway.


mstar, why would you do such a thing? What has poor Ferenc ever done to you? 



Couac Addict said:


> Mahler's 8th - Solti/Chicago SO
> ...just have it playing through a few speakers. Now, the neighbours can enjoy it as well - as can most of Western Europe.


I'm a bit disappointed not to have heard this in Lancashire. Are you sure your speaker array was pointed north-west?



millionrainbows said:


> Brahms... always musical, crafted well, going nowhere.


Yes, I feel like this about Brahms too. I cannot crack this man's music

Anyway, current listening, that's the title of the thread:

*Robert Schumann

4 Marches, Op. 76
Waldscenen Op. 82
4 Fugues Op. 72
4 Studies for Pedal piano, Op. 56
Sketches and Fragments (Dresdner Taschennotizbuch)*

Tobias Koch (Fortepiano) [Genuin, rec. 2010]









Apart from the better known Waldscenen, the 'Four Marches' and the 'Studies for Pedal-Piano' are inventive and are worth hearing. Good as Koch's playing is, I can't help but wish for the sound of a concert grand here...

*Clara Schumann - 3 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 16* / Tobias Koch

Three little preludes and fugues amounting to a total of 11 minutes of music, a fascinating glimpse of her talent as a composer.









*Robert Schumann

Etudes in the form of Free Variations on a theme of Beethoven, WoO 31
Sehnsuchtswalzer Variationen: Scènes musicales sur un thème connu de Fr. Schubert* (Completed by Andreas Boyde)

Andreas Boyde (piano) [Divine Art]

Not well recorded (the piano sound is vague and clangorous and there's too much pitch instability for a modern recording) but the repertoire is interesting. The Beethoven theme is from the allegretto of the 7th Symphony, Op. 92.

Finally...

*Schumann - Nachtstucke Op.23 - IV. Ad libitum - einfach* / Andras Schiff (Piano) [ECM]

Gute nacht!


----------



## samurai

Based on the glowing reviews I have read about William Schuman posted by my fellow members, I have made it my New Year's solution to get acquainted with his symphonic output. Thanks go to those who have posted about him as well as to this wondeful forum-and Spotify! :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Aus Italien, Don Juan, w. BPO/Muti (rec.1989), ASZ, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1983), Songs, w. Schafer/BPO/Abbado (rec.1997).

View attachment 31059
View attachment 31060
View attachment 31061


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> Based on the glowing reviews I have read about William Schuman posted by my fellow members, I have made it my New Year's solution to get acquainted with his symphonic output. Thanks go to those who have posted about him as well as to this wondeful forum-and Spotify! :tiphat:


It took me a long time to "hear" what he had to say. Took me months. Over and over. I can now proclaim, it was well worth it!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## KenOC

Messiah, Christopher Hogwood and friends. I'm usually not much of a Hogwood fan, but then I've never heard a Messiah I didn't like. Right now, "Why do the nations so furiously rage together?"


----------



## hpowders

Alfacharger said:


> I just finished listening to the Naxos recording of William Schuman's 4th and 9th.


Yes! I have it too! The 4th along with the 3rd are his most accessible symphonies. The 9th took me months to "get". It's difficult. Now that I am on top of it, I am ready to proclaim it to be a very great work!


----------



## Katie

I've had a glorious day at work courtesy Herr Furtwangler and the LVB box of The Legacy set - the real surprise among the 7 discs completed was Fidelo, comprised of performances from mid-October 1953. To (once again) boldly advertise my noviceship, I was not even aware that LVB composed an opera! Though I'm completely lost in translation, and not primarily an operatic fan, I found myself moved by the sheer emotive vocal intensity - particularly of the leads, which the program indicates were sung by Martha Modl and Wolfgang Windgassen (names that, before today, I was unfamiliar with - though I'm sure many of you are).

I know long posts can be a drag, but I just want to mention my first exposure to Dvorak's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, conducted by Szell with the Berlin Philly in '62 (in the car over the last 2 days); the booming orchestral cycles left me with the sensation of a rolling-thunder-journey across wide spaces punctuated by these delicate, yet intense, pastoral interludes comprising Fournier's cello solos. I am in awe./thanks for reading, feedback welcomed, K


----------



## KenOC

Katie said:


> ...thanks for reading, feedback welcomed, K


My feedback: You're absolutely right! Happy holidays.


----------



## Alfacharger

After posting to the Concert Overture thread in the Orchestral Music forum, I decided to have a little John Knowles Paine concert with these two recordings.


----------



## Vaneyes

Katie said:


> ....I know long posts can be a drag, but I just want to mention my first exposure to *Dvorak's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, conducted by Szell with the Berlin Philly in '62 *(in the car over the last 2 days); the booming orchestral cycles left me with the sensation of a rolling-thunder-journey across wide spaces punctuated by these delicate, yet intense, pastoral interludes comprising Fournier's cello solos. I am in awe./thanks for reading, feedback welcomed, K


'61, w. Fournier. A certified perfect recording. 
:tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis On Themes By Weber - Eugene Ormandy, cond.


----------



## hpowders

SimonNZ said:


> Aaron Copland's Sextet - Vanbrugh Quartet with Michael Collins and Martin Roscoe
> 
> edit: Leo Kraft's String Quartet No.2 - Audubon Quartet


Yes! I have the same Copland album and I played it two days ago!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mahler's Ruckert Lieder - Christa Ludwig, mezzo, Otto Klemperer, cond.


----------



## RedRum

Tchaikovsky Valse Sentimentale, Op.51, No.6


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Minor, KV 310

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## opus55

Messenet: Thaïs


----------



## Blake

Some Telemann by Musica Antiqua Koln and Goebel: String Concertos. Some Geminiani by Academy of Ancient Music and Manze: Concerti Grossi (After Corelli Op. 5). Pretty sweet, dudes.


----------



## KenOC

Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, and Till Eulenspiegel. Pittsburgh SO with Manfred Honeck. A very fine recording and three bucks for the download. Recommended!


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc fourteen

Towards The Unknown Region
Dona Nobis Pacem
Fantasia On The Old 104th Psalm Tune

^Adrian Boult, cond.

Magnificat

^Meredith Davies, cond.

taken from:










Getting into the stuff I love most of all from RVW, and just in time for Christmas - which it will be here in four and a half hours. So at some point tomorrow, along with other activities, I'll have the pleasure of hearing An Oxford Elegy, Flos Campi and the wonderful Sancta Civitas, courtesy of David Willcocks, on disc fifteen.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, and Tell Eulenspiegel. Pittsburgh SO with Manfred Honeck. A very fine recording and three bucks for the download. Recommended!


I can't believe it, but looking at my catalog I see I don't have Till Eulenspiegel! It was among my favorites as a kid. I'm not finding it for $3.00 though or for download. Maybe you have to be a member? Anyway, I need to find any good version.


----------



## KenOC

Weston said:


> I can't believe it, but looking at my catalog I see I don't have Till Eulenspiegel! It was among my favorites as a kid. I'm not finding it for $3.00 though or for download. Maybe you have to be a member? Anyway, I need to find any good version.


Here.

http://www.amazon.com/Strauss-Poems...binding_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1387867687&sr=1-1


----------



## Weston

Woooooooow!!! ^

Many thanks! The CD is $20.00 at the Pittsburgh Symphony site.

Downloaded and listening now. A nice super clear recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Little Suite For Christmas - Lambert Orkis, piano


----------



## moody

brotagonist said:


> I am not qualified to judge Perlman's pianistic abilities and deficits, but this recording is truly a fine one. It's the first Chausson work I have ever heard and it made a deep impression on me. One wouldn't go off the path to pick it up  If you like the work that much and dislike Perlman that much  then there might be another recording of the work that you might like


It doesn't matter much because he's the violinist.


----------



## moody

THE WEATHER HAS BEEN LOUSY IN THE UK.
So I thought it would be pleasant to visit warmer climes.
Why not with the Detroit symphony and Paul Paray playing Ibert's "Escales" (Ports Of Call).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Gregorian Chants For Christmas" - Josef Schabasser, dir.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## TurnaboutVox

It was a lovely sunny winter morning here earlier, so I thought I'd play something lovely and sunny (but wintry) to match...

*Mahler

Symphony No. 4 in G*

Edith Mathis (soprano); BPO, von Karajan (DG, rec. 1979)









This might be my favourite Mahler work (OK so really I'm a traditionalist* at heart) and it's certainly (the most?) accessible. I think this might have been where I started with Mahler, and my dad might even have had an interpretation on LP in the 70s. "Das himmlische Leben" from the final movement is transcendentally beautiful.

*though this certainly wasn't seen as 'traditional' at its first performances in 1901:

"Mahler himself conducted the first performances in Berlin and Vienna. On each occasion he was accused of 'posing insoluble problems', 'amusing himself by using thematic material alien to his nature', 'taking pleasure in shattering the eardrums of his audiences with atrocious and unimaginable cacophonies' and of being incapable of writing anything other than stale and insipid music lacking in style and melody, music that, artificial and hysterical, was a 'medley' of 'symphonic cabaret acts' ". (Henry-Louis de La Grange)

Funny how things change with familiarity.


----------



## bejart

Pieter van Maldere (1729-1768): Sinfonia in G Minor. Op.4, No.1

Filip Bral conducting the Academy of Ancient Music









I'm really liking this, a fine example of the many little known composers who wrote 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies at the same time as Haydn and Mozart.


----------



## Jos

Baroque era violaconcerto's. 
The recording of Telemann and Handel is not great, it sounds as if everything is at it's limit, especially in the full orchestra parts.
The b-Side is much much better, a very enjoyable Johann Christian Bach concerto.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## bejart

In keeping with the 'Sturm und Drang' theme ---
Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Sinfonia in G Minor

Hans Martin Linde leading the Cappella Coloniensis


----------



## Vasks

_Final day of seasonal selections. Christmas Eve & Day are way too busy for listening_

*Bruckner - Ave Maria (Jochum/DG)
Respighi - L'adorazione dei Magi from "Trittico Botticelliano" (Vasary/Chandos)
Britten - Christ's Nativity [Christmas Suite for Chorus] (Bedford/Collins Classics)
Jongen -Fantaisie sur deux noels populaires wallons (Kofman/Cypres)*

MERRY XMAS


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Symphony in D Major, VB 143

Petter Sundkvist directing the Swedish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## EricABQ

I find these pieces to be alternately cheerful and melancholic. They are sort of like those pictures that look like one thing, but then your focus changes slightly and they look like someone else.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Parthia in C Major

Novak Trio: Gabriela Krckova, oboe -- Stepan Koutnik, clarinet -- Vladimir Lejcko, bassoon


----------



## mstar

Have just discovered *Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela* and *Sibelius Valse Triste (Ashkenazy/ChamberOrch.ofEurope*. Absolutely wonderful, I have been listening since first thing in the morning!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel, Death and Transfiguration, Don Juan*

Strauss' tone poems don't usually ring my chimes, but so far, this recording is keeping my attention. In fact, I'm staying for Death and Transfiguration to see what he does with it. I'd love for that piece to shake a few bells with me.

[Update]: Looks like I'll be hanging around for Don Juan. So far, this is an interesting CD.


----------



## Itullian

WOW, What voices.


----------



## bejart

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757): Sinfonia a Quattro in F Major

Simon Murphy conducting the Chamber Orchestra of the New Dutch Academy


----------



## GioCar

Bach - Christmas Oratorio - BCJ, Suzuki









Listening now to Part II: Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend (And there were in the same country shepherds abiding)

It's for the second day of Christmas (26th December), but I find it perfectly suited for Christmas Eve as well.

Merry Christmas to you all!


----------



## Notung

Vivaldi's "concerto per fagotto in sol maggiore (RV 493)"


----------



## jim prideaux

Returned to Glazunov symphonies performed by BBC Wales conducted by Otaka-at certain times these works do have a distinct appeal-I have personally expressed a degree of scepticism (and I appear not to be the only one!)-there is an obvious conservatism about these symphonies but I do increasingly find them to be attractive and enjoyable-and sometimes that is just what one is looking for!.........

have mentioned recently that Prokofiev 1st/7th are my symphonies for this time of year and have been for years.....but wait!.....Glazunov 5th has exactly the 'magic' I am looking for...to the extent that I did not lose my temper as I usually would while changing duvet covers on Christmas Eve......I know....a rather disappointingly utilitarian view of 'art'


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Corelli, Concerti Grossi Op. 6, Nos. 7-12*

Coffee, a good book, and Corelli in the background. That's making for a lovely Christmas Eve.


----------



## Rocco

Just got a CD for Christmas! I've been wanting this CD for some time....it's amazing!!!


----------



## Itullian

A TRUE classic.


----------



## SixFootScowl

ClutchDisc said:


> Just got a CD for Christmas! I've been wanting this CD for some time....it's amazing!!!
> 
> View attachment 31098


Very nice! I have volumes 1 and 4 which include anthems 1,2,3,10 and 11. I'll have to fill in the missing gap. Until then I can listen to yours if you play it in the living room. Now you need Handel's Music for Chapel Royal which is more of the same.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Itullian said:


> A TRUE classic.


I didn't know this existed but you have me curious. I'm going to see if they have clips on Amazon. Those were my two favorite characters on Star Trek. When they did the new versions with different actors I quit watching.


----------



## bejart

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Messiah, HMV 56

Richard Hickox conducting Collegium Musicum 90: Joan Rodgers, soprano -- Della Jones, mezzo-soprano -- Christopher Robson, counter-tenor -- Rhilip Langridge, tenor -- Bryn Terful, bass baritone


----------



## Itullian

TallPaul said:


> I didn't know this existed but you have me curious. I'm going to see if they have clips on Amazon. Those were my two favorite characters on Star Trek. When they did the new versions with different actors I quit watching.


Same here. Not nearly the charm of the original.


----------



## Cosmos

Rach Symph 3


----------



## KenOC

Magnus Lindberg, Violin Concerto. This one will be remembered.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. MAH (rec.1995); Alexeev (rec.2008 - '11 ), Horowitz (rec.1962 - '76), Feltsman (rec.2011).

View attachment 31101
View attachment 31102
View attachment 31103







View attachment 31104


----------



## hpowders

Another dose of William Schuman, symphonies 9 and 10.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Beethoven* - the 6th Symphony ("Pastoral"), performed by Berliner Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## DaveS

Not exactly for this holiday, but notable listening.


----------



## Manxfeeder

TallPaul said:


> I didn't know this existed but you have me curious. I'm going to see if they have clips on Amazon.


You're in for a treat. Here's a sample from YouTube.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rachmaninov's 1st Symphony - Recording of the month in the latest edition of BBC Music Magazine.
Petrenko - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

More Christmas Eve reading, herb tea, with Feldman in the background.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Melnikov (rec.2006), Mustonen (rec.2011), Sudbin (rec.2006).








View attachment 31111
View attachment 31112


----------



## DaveS

Onto some Brahms:

Symphony 1 Furtwangler, BPO (DGG)
Double Concerto Brabec, Menuhin,Boskovsky, F'wangler,VPO (EMI)

Both superb performances.


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Hodie (Hickox).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Steffani: Stabat Mater
Bartoli, I Barocchisti, cond. Fasolis









Weinberg: Symphony No. 8 "Polish Flowers"
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, cond. Wit









Shades of Shostakovich (and premonitions of his 14th?) in this grim work for tenor, chorus, and orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 1 (Haitink). I'm following along in Hurwitz's book to get a clearer idea of the forms involved -- part of a longer project -- which is proving quite rewarding. And it's a great symphony anyway. Written at 19!


----------



## senza sordino

*Saint Saens* various shorts such as *Danse Bacchanale, Le Rouet d'Omphale, Phaeton, Danse Macabre, La Jeuness d'Hercule, March Militaire francaise, Overture to Yellow Princess, One night in Lisbon, Spartacus* Royal Scottish National Orchestra Neeme Jarvis conducting. I only know two pieces on this disk, but it's overall quite good.

*William Walton First Symphony* Andre Previn conducts LSO

*Beethoven Violin Concerto* Zino Francescatti vn with Bruno Walter cond Columbia Symphony. It's not my favorite concerto, because to me it's no more than D major scales, but I like the cadenzas here much more than my two other recordings, Heifetz and Kremer.
*Sibelius Violin Concerto* Oistrakh with Eugene Ormandy, lots of energy and rhythmic drive.

*Manuel de Falla El Amor Brujo, The three cornered hat, Danza from La Vidal Breve* Asturias Symphony Orchestra with Maximiano Valdes conducting.


----------



## hpowders

DaveS said:


> Onto some Brahms:
> 
> Symphony 1 Furtwangler, BPO (DGG)
> Double Concerto Brabec, Menuhin,Boskovsky, F'wangler,VPO (EMI)
> 
> Both superb performances.


Yes! I often play the Furtwangler BPO Brahms First. It's my favorite recording of this music. A brilliant performance; all 48 minutes of it!


----------



## Taggart

We definitely prefer the old-fashioned arrangements. We also prefer the simple bible texts. Still, it's a lovely way to start the Christmas season.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## hpowders

Brahms Symphony #1 with Furtwangler/Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's The Christmas Story - Robert King, dir.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On Christmas Eve:

*Dvořák - Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81; String Quintet No. 3, Op. 97* / Members of the Philharmonic Octet, Berlin; Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich [Philips]

*Poulenc - Sonata for violin and piano, Bagatelle in B minor for violin and piano* / Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Graf Mourja (violin)
*Sonata in B flat for clarinet and piano* / Alexandre Tharaud, Ronald van Spaendonck (clarinet)
*Sonata for piano and 'cello* / Alexandre Tharaud, Françoise Groben ('cello) [Naxos]

*Mozart - String Quintet No. 3, K. 515* / Quatuor Talich, Rehak (Viola II) [Caliope]





















First listening on Christmas Day (not very seasonal but an old favourite!)

*Schubert - String Quartet No. 14, D. 810 'Death and the Maiden'* / Quartetto Italiano [Philips]









And a Merry Christmas to everyone on TC

TurnaboutVox


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Medieval Christmas" - Boston Camerata, Joel Cohen, dir.


----------



## Blake

Guglielmo's Tartini: Violin Concertos Op. 1. There's something about Tartini that stands apart. Really great.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*William Schuman--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony No.5 {"Symphony for Strings"}, *
both performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under Gerard Schwarz. 
William Schuman--*Symphony No.4, *
featuring the David Alan Miller led Albany Symphony Orchestra. 
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}. * Both works once again feature Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## nightscape




----------



## SimonNZ

"Noel: Christmas At King's" - King's College Choir


----------



## science




----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Rocco

Thought this would be a good choice for Christmas!


----------



## jim prideaux

Happy Christmas to everyone-started the day with Glazunov 5th.


----------



## dgee

Bartok quartet 4 with the Hungarian Quartet with this excellent music/score syncro video on youtube - stunning channel!


----------



## jim prideaux

have just realised that my enjoyment of Glazunov 5th may reflect the fact that in the first movement one can detect the possible origins of Prokofiev 7th-until now my seasonal favourite-there is something in the orchestration!........


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Max Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor; Scottish Fantasy for Violin with Orchestra and Harp (Yuzuko Horigome; Yuri Simonov, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).









My first time listening to these pieces - I was very impressed! To me, Bruch sounded something like a mixture between Bruckner and Mendelssohn.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Merry Christmas everyone.
Had these two beauties blasting around the house this morning.


----------



## Guest

Merry Christmas TC friends! 
Starting the day with two CDs of Baroque Christmas concertos. Surprisingly there is only one repeat between them and that is Corelli.








*Gionanni Antonini, Il Giardino Armonico*








*Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert*


----------



## SixFootScowl




----------



## Flamme




----------



## Andolink

*Michael Finnissy*: _The History of Photography in Sound_-- I. Le démon de l'analogie; II. Le réveil de l'intraitable réalité; III. North American Spirituals;
IV. My parents' generation thought War meant something
Ian Pace, piano


----------



## hpowders

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Max Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor; Scottish Fantasy for Violin with Orchestra and Harp (Yuzuko Horigome; Yuri Simonov, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).
> 
> View attachment 31129
> 
> 
> My first time listening to these pieces - I was very impressed! To me, Bruch sounded something like a mixture between Bruckner and Mendelssohn.


Try to hear Jascha Heifetz in this music.


----------



## science

Closing out Christmas in fine style. I recommend this to any fans of the Hilliard Ensemble's Perotin disk for a really different take on that music.


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 31132
> 
> 
> Merry Christmas everyone.


I love those. I'll join you in the Paetorius.


----------



## jim prideaux

for a number of related reasons the Glazunov 5th is now my Christmas symphony of choice-so have just ordered Serebrier and the RSNO recording of the 5th with The Seasons on Warner as I have only the Otaka which I bought as a bargain on I tunes-managed to fit consideration of which recording to order around cleaning the house, visiting parents etc.......the scherzo form the 5th is just outstanding to my ears!


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Weihnachts-Oratorium, Part I (Gardiner).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

Merry Christmas!

Got it just in time... so perhaps it is a little Christmas present of sorts.









I recognize some passages. They must also have been used in Visions de l'Amen. This is a major early work and the last of my 3 new Messiaen acquisitions.


----------



## Orfeo

Glazunov "The Seasons" (Neemi Jarvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
_And later:_
Tchaikovsky "The Nutcracker" (Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra)
Lehar "Der Zarewitsch" (Heinz Wallberg / Popp - Kollo - Hobarth)
-_a tradition of mine around this time of the year._


----------



## Orfeo

jim prideaux said:


> for a number of related reasons the Glazunov 5th is now my Christmas symphony of choice-so have just ordered Serebrier and the RSNO recording of the 5th with The Seasons on Warner as I have only the Otaka which I bought as a bargain on I tunes-managed to fit consideration of which recording to order around cleaning the house, visiting parents etc.......the scherzo form the 5th is just outstanding to my ears!


I totally agree. I'm playing "The Seasons" right now and this composer has never ceased to amaze me.


----------



## hpowders

Way back in 2001, Ozawa recorded the Prokofiev 7 symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Given this unlikely combination, the set actually received good reviews.


----------



## DrKilroy

I'll listen to one of my Christmas gifts... There are some little scratches on one of the CDs - I hope it won't sound too bad.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> Way back in 2001, Ozawa recorded the Prokofiev 7 symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic.
> Given this unlikely combination, the set actually received good reviews.


I've been thinking about "pulling the trigger" on this one for awhile now.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> I've been thinking about "pulling the trigger" on this one for awhile now.


I probably will too! :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Christmas Oratorio, parts three and four - Gerhard Wilhelm, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Various Christmas and holiday-related pieces on the local Classical station.

Merry Christmas, everybody!


----------



## samurai

What I intend to do is listen to these readings on Spotify first, and then make a decision. I already have the Rostropovich set with the Orchestre National de France doing these works, and am quite satisfied; however, for twenty bucks on Amazon, I could always go for another set. :devil:


----------



## hpowders

^^^ Sounds like you and I will clean out Amazon just by ourselves!


----------



## Jos

Martinu, pianoconcerto nr.5 and concerto for two piano's and orchestra
Cheers,
Jos


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Waldstein Sonata - Gary Graffman

He was a very interesting pianist. I had a recording of him playing Beethoven 3 years ago. Fine performance. Now reappeared in the complete Sony reissue.


----------



## hpowders

DavidA said:


> Beethoven Waldstein Sonata - Gary Graffman
> 
> He was a very interesting pianist. I had a recording of him playing Beethoven 3 years ago. Fine performance. Now reappeared in the Colette Sony reissue.


I have him doing the Prokofiev 3rd concerto with Szell back when he was in his prime.


----------



## bejart

Merry Christmas to all !!

First listen to a Christmas present ---
JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## EricABQ

Sorabji's Fantasie Espagnole from Michael Haberman. 

Really great stuff. Pretty representative of where my taste in piano music has been evolving.


----------



## Jos

Not much appreciation from the rest of the family for Martinu as Christmasmusic....
So I dug out this one instead.
No.8 should ofcourse have been played yesterday but I hope to get away with it....
I musici with Felix Ayo first violin. Great !

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Sid James

Past couple of days its been these:

*Jean Wiener* Touchez pas au grisbi (Grisbi), original soundtrack of Jacque's Becker's film, 1954
- Jean Wetzel, harmonica; Jean Wiener, piano; Henri Crolla, guitar; w. unknown rhythm section

*Brahms* Symphony #3
- Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen

*Ariel Ramirez* Navidad Nuestra (Our Nativity)
- Tenors: Manuel Melendez, José Sacin, Pablo Talamante; Instrumental and Percussion Ensembles; The Choral Arts Society of Washington; Joseph Holt conducting

*Ravel* Trois Poemes de Stéphane Mallarmé
- Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano w. members of Melos Ensemble directed by Bernard Keeffe

*Art Blakey and Benny Golson* Des femmes disparaissent, original soundtrack of Eduoard Molinaro's film, 1958
- Lee Morgan, trumpet; Benny Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie Merrit, bass; Art Blakey, drums

*Schütz*
Weihnachts-historie (The Nativity), SWV 435
Kleine geistliche Konzerte (Anderer Theil, Op. 9)
Heute ist Christus geboren, SWV 439
- Concerto Vocale directed by René Jacobs

*Schubert* Ave Maria
- Maria Lanza, tenor w. unnamed organ accompanist




Jos said:


> Martinu, pianoconcerto nr.5 and concerto for two piano's and orchestra
> Cheers,
> Jos


Those works where my intros to Martinu. Had them on a Supraphon tape ages back, I now have got the 5th concerto (coupled with two other concertos) on Naxos. I like the "Hollywood" feel of the 5th concerto, and as for the one for two pianos, I haven't heard it for ages, but I seem to remember a bit that bought to my mind two bulls locking horns. The two pianos going into battle, that kind of thing. But its style was more Neo-Classical, Bachian than the 5th concerto.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## bejart

First listen to another Christmas present --
Haydn: String Quartet No.34 in B Flat, Op.33, No.4

Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Robin Ireland, viola -- Bernard Gregor, cello


----------



## KenOC

bejart, I've lately become quite a fan of the Lindsays in Haydn. But I like modern performances of Haydn's quartets more than HIP, so others may well feel otherwise (bless their dry, pinched, vibratoless souls).


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://favourite









Hanns Eisler : Orchestral Works
Husmann/Magdeburg Philharmonic

A fine album showcasing Eisler's orchestral works.


----------



## DrKilroy

DrKilroy said:


> I'll listen to one of my Christmas gifts... There are some little scratches on one of the CDs - I hope it won't sound too bad.


After listening to the whole set - it is surprisingly good. 

The Violin Concerto in D, played by Arthur Grumiaux and Concertgebouw under Ernest Bour, was my main reason to buy this album. Grumiaux's playing is exquisite and his charasterictic tone is also there. The balance between the soloist and orchestra is perfect. I doubt I could find any drawbacks here - this is my definitive version.

Next comes the Ebony Concerto played by George Pieterson (clarinet) and Netherlands Wind Ensemble directed by Edo de Waart. I know the conductor because of his very good recordings of John Adams' music, so I expected much from him. I was a bit disappointed though, because characteristic jazzy rhythms of the concerto, very well executed in my favourite Boulez recording, were played rather sloppily. On the other hand, some nice harmonies and timbres, not present in Boulez, can be heard, so the performance isn't ruined. I'd say that the first movement is sub-par, but the other two are fine.

The last on the CD is the Symphony of Psalms conducted by Igor Markevitch with Russian State Academy Chorus and Russian State Symphony Orchestra of Moscow. I was afraid of this performance as I read a negative comment on it on Amazon, plus I have heard some samples that showed it in a bad light. The beginning can put off because of a rather poorly executed horn solo. Sometimes the choir's intonation isn't perfect, too, but otherwise the recording is enjoyable. The choir has a very interesting sound, as a boys' chorus is used for soprano and alto voices; the basses sound very profound, quite like Orthodox chant singers. The second movement is a bit rushed.

Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements conducted by Sir Colin Davis are excellent renditions of these pieces. They are a tad slower than my usual Solti versions, but, surprisingly, I enjoyed them no less (I am usually disappointed to hear a piece played slower than I am used to hear it). I found the ending of Symphony in C a bit too abrupt, but otherwise, these recordings are recommended.

The last on the programme are Symphonies of Wind Instruments, played by Netherland Wind Ensemble under de Waart. I am only making myself acquainted with this piece, so I do not have a strong opinion about any recording, but I enjoyed this one very much.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## EricABQ

Polishing off my Christmas wine and listening to Medtner's "Nightwind" sonata played by Hamelin.


----------



## bejart

Ken OC ---
What is striking the Lindsays' series of the Haydn Quartets is the lack of audience noise. As I'm listening, I forget that that are live recordings until the applause bursts forth after the final notes.

Now ---
In celebration of his birthday, another Christmas present ---
Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de St.George ( 25 December 1745-1799): Symphony No.1 in G Major, Op.11, No.1

Bernard Wahl conducing the Orchestre de Chambre de Versailles


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Debussy - Complete Works for Piano performed by Bavouzet. 
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Work...1-6&keywords=debussy+complete+works+for+music


----------



## Rocco

TallPaul said:


>


Wow....that's my favorite Christmas song. Great choice.


----------



## Blake

Pinnock's Corelli: Concerti Gorssi Op. 6. Y'all know this is good.


----------



## hpowders

I can finally relax with Furtwangler/BPO Brahms First!


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1745-1805): Flute Quintet No.5 in G Major, G 441

Jean Pierre Rampal, flute -- Regis Pasquier, violin -- Bruno Pasquier, viola -- Roland Pidoux and Mathilde Sternat, cellos


----------



## Blake

Rasilainen's Atterberg: Symphony No. 5. This guy's good... real good.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 64


----------



## bejart

First listen to my final Christmas present for the night ---
Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Clarinet Sonata in E Flat

Luigi Magistrelli, clarinet -- Chiara Nicora, piano


----------



## GreenMamba

Ravel La Valse, Ma mère l'Oye and Le Tombeau de Couperin

Martinon/Orchestre de Paris


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich Symphony #4, Haitink. Still following along in Hurwitz's book, which seems to make this *almost* make sense. What a monster!


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc sixteen

Five Tudor Portraits
Benedicite
Five Variants Of Dives And Lazarus

David Willcocks, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Nielsen : Symphony 5
Bernstein/NYPhil

I had previewed Nielsen's 4 "The Inextinguishable" a few days ago and thought it was, but not much more than that. I have now decided to try this one. I'm about one third into it, likely the first movement just ended and now a pastoral one has begun. I liked the first one!


----------



## Katie

I always have so much to say, but don't know quite how to say it. As some of you may recall, I raved a few days ago about Fricsay's rendition of LVB's 9th with the Berlin Philly ('58); additionally, I described my unmitigated joy with van Karajan's interpretations of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben and Lizst's Symphonic Poem and Hungarian Rhapsody #4.

Soooooo, today's selection (fortunately excellent as I was working OFF THE CLOCK on Christmas morning) featured HVK conducting the all-inclusive 9th (BP/'63 w/ overture Coriolan and conclusory O Fruende, etc.)...left me entirely distracted and replaying entire movements - particularly the Molto vivace, Adagio, and the aforementioned O Freunde - out of sheer awe for both the emotive quality of the performance and highly disciplined control of all the instrumental factions. Does this make sense? Yet, I think I might actually prefer Fricsay's allowance of the band (yeah, I know) to run a bit more freely without such distinctive divisions between colliding components, which, at times, resulted in a joyous mayhem that I found absent in HVK and Furtwangler's performances.

The beauty, however, is that no single version need be exclusive, but rather all are representative threads in the glorious and ongoing tapestry of interpretative performance. You couldn't have told this Deadhead otherwise a few months ago, but this is truly the supreme genre.../K


----------



## Blake

Katie said:


> I always have so much to say, but don't know quite how to say it. As some of you may recall, I raved a few days ago about Fricsay's rendition of LVB's 9th with the Berlin Philly ('58); additionally, I described my unmitigated joy with van Karajan's interpretations of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben and Lizst's Symphonic Poem and Hungarian Rhapsody #4.
> 
> Soooooo, today's selection (fortunately excellent as I was working OFF THE CLOCK on Christmas morning) featured HVK conducting the all-inclusive 9th (BP/'63 w/ overture Coriolan and conclusory O Fruende, etc.)...left me entirely distracted and replaying entire movements - particularly the Molto vivace, Adagio, and the aforementioned O Freunde - out of sheer awe for both the emotive quality of the performance and highly disciplined control of all the instrumental factions. Does this make sense? Yet, I think I might actually prefer Fricsay's allowance of the band (yeah, I know) to run a bit more freely without such distinctive divisions between colliding components, which, at times, resulted in a joyous mayhem that I found absent in HVK and Furtwangler's performances.
> 
> The beauty, however, is that no single version need be exclusive, but rather all are representative threads in the glorious and ongoing tapestry of interpretative performance. You couldn't have told this Deadhead otherwise a few months ago, but this is truly the supreme genre.../K


Stay open, my friend.


----------



## Mahlerian

After a long but enjoyable holiday,

Schoenberg: Wind Quartet op. 26, (arr. for strings)
Schoenberg Quartet









I actually prefer this arrangement over the original, because it's difficult to find a recording where the players aren't constantly squawking their notes (because of the huge leaps in the writing).


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Wind Quartet op. 26, (arr. for strings)
> Schoenberg Quartet
> 
> I actually prefer this arrangement over the original, because it's difficult to find a recording where the players aren't constantly squawking their notes...


Are they squawking on the Atherton/London Sinfonietta performance?  I can't say I ever noticed any squawking and that one is a favourite. I'm blessed to have both albums.

That's right, ArtMusic! CPO has a lot of intriguing stuff  I hope to hear them someday.


----------



## Ingélou

*Rameau: L'Orchestre de Louis XV (Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall)* - spirited & elegant, though to my ears not as 'tuneful' as Lully.  Hélas, I have yet to really 'get into' Rameau & hope this instrumental compilation will sort out the wood from the trees...


----------



## KenOC

Another read-along with Hurwitz: Shostakovich Symphony No. 6. I know this one well -- always a pleasure to hear it again! Petrenko this time, with the first movement even slower than usual.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in F Major, RV 455

Pier Giorgio Morandi conducting the Failoni Chamber Orchestra of Budapest -- Stefan Schilli, oboe


----------



## Bas

Recital: Andreas Scholl Songs "Wanderer" (Brahms, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart)
By Andreas Scholl [counter tenor], Tamar Halperin [piano], on Decca









Anton Bruckner - Symphony 6
By Municher Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Andolink

Continuing through this massive (5 disc) solo piano work...

*Michael Finnissy*: _The History of Photography in Sound_-- V. Alkan-Paganini; 
VI. Seventeen Immortal Homosexual Poets; VII. Eadweard Muybridge-Edvard Munch
Ian Pace, piano


----------



## Guest

A christmas gift from santa:








_Les Heures Persanes_, by Charles Koechlin

I had never heard anything by this composer, which is surprising considering my love of Faure. This is fascinating music, though, and certainly a composer I'll be getting more music by.


----------



## samurai

On Spotify: 

William Schuman--Symphonies Nos.4 and 9, both featuring Gerard Schwartz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## hpowders

Just got finished with another dose of Brahms 1st symphony with Furtwangler/BPO.


----------



## Rocco

Still listening to the new four CD set of Handel's Chandos Anthems. I'm on the forth CD now. Just absolutely wonderful music!


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> Are they squawking on the Atherton/London Sinfonietta performance?  I can't say I ever noticed any squawking and that one is a favourite. I'm blessed to have both albums.


That is the best recording of the original version I've heard. I admit that I'm not overly fond of the work compared to a lot of his others, but it is certainly not negligible.


----------



## csacks

Just finished Mahler´s 9th, by von Karajan and BPO. First time to me. 
To be honest, I will resume energy enough and will listen it again (not today certainly). I would not call it first sight love, but Mahler is not intended for that isn´t it?


----------



## hpowders

csacks said:


> Just finished Mahler´s 9th, by von Karajan and BPO. First time to me.
> To be honest, I will resume energy enough and will listen it again (not today certainly). I would not call it first sight love, but Mahler is not intended for that isn´t it?


This is my favorite version of the Mahler #9. A tremendously fine performance!


----------



## maestro267

Over the next few evenings, I'll be picking through some of my favourite classical discoveries of 2013. Starting tonight with:

*Diamond*: Symphony No. 2
Seattle Symphony/Schwarz

One of the first discs I bought this year. Quite a powerful work by an American composer (1915-2005), with two slow movements (at 14 mins each taking up the bulk of the symphony), alternating with 2 fast and lively movements.

*Maw*: Odyssey
CBSO/Rattle

I've been fascinated by this work for a while now, and this year I finally took the plunge and got it. I was unable to find any audio clips of it beyond the usual 30-second samples. That leaves an awful lot of this piece unheard, as it is one of the longest orchestral works in the repertoire. 95 minutes, "officially" without any pauses in the music. To me, the overall structure is similar to Bruckner 8, with the Prologue and Part I forming the first "movement" (total length 20 minutes), Part II forming a lighter, contrasting "scherzo" (12 mins), then a massive slow movement (Part III; 30 mins) and an equally massive finale (Part IV/Epilogue; 31 mins). It's quite a fascinating journey, with a few recurring ideas to tie this huge piece together.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Trios, w. Borodin Trio (rec.1983); Piano Works, w. Freddy Kempf (rec.1999).

View attachment 31198
View attachment 31199


----------



## Vaneyes

Katie said:


> I always have so much to say, but don't know quite how to say it. As some of you may recall, I raved a few days ago about Fricsay's rendition of LVB's 9th with the Berlin Philly ('58); additionally, I described my unmitigated joy with van Karajan's interpretations of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben and Lizst's Symphonic Poem and Hungarian Rhapsody #4.
> 
> Soooooo, today's selection (fortunately excellent as I was working OFF THE CLOCK on Christmas morning) featured HVK conducting the all-inclusive 9th (BP/'63 w/ overture Coriolan and conclusory O Fruende, etc.)...left me entirely distracted and replaying entire movements - particularly the Molto vivace, Adagio, and the aforementioned O Freunde - out of sheer awe for both the emotive quality of the performance and highly disciplined control of all the instrumental factions. Does this make sense? Yet, I think I might actually prefer Fricsay's allowance of the band (yeah, I know) to run a bit more freely without such distinctive divisions between colliding components, which, at times, resulted in a joyous mayhem that I found absent in HVK and Furtwangler's performances.
> 
> The beauty, however, is that no single version need be exclusive, but rather all are representative threads in the glorious and ongoing tapestry of interpretative performance. You couldn't have told this Deadhead otherwise a few months ago, but this is truly the supreme genre.../K


Good LvB 9 selections. Others--Chicago SO/Solti (Decca, 1972), Cleveland O./Szell (Sony, 1961), BPO/HvK (DG, 1977).

Solti's my favorite. :tiphat:


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Weihnachts-Oratorium, Part II (Gardiner). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blake

Standage's Leclair: Violin Concertos Vol 2. Most beautiful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi violin concertos - Giorgio Sasso, violin, Insieme Strumentale di Roma


----------



## hpowders

I'm about to disappear for 45 minutes and listen to Brahms first symphony with Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony.


----------



## csacks

hpowders said:


> This is my favorite version of the Mahler #9. A tremendously fine performance!


So I can not blame von Karajan. It is just Mahler. That is bad news!!!


----------



## hpowders

csacks said:


> So I can not blame von Karajan. It is just Mahler. That is bad news!!!


Stay with this. After a couple of weeks, it should move you like few other pieces. Don't blame me if it doesn't!


----------



## csacks

Schubert´s Death and the Maiden, Quartetto Italiano, from Philips. By far my favorite quartet


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Petrushka (Bernstein).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Bach St Matthew Passion - Jacobs new recording. Opening chorus rapt devotional.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Grisey, Les Espaces Acoustiques.* Then on to the first disk of an incredible deal I found today: Mozart's complete sacred music for $12. It must have fallen out of Santa's bag.


----------



## Mahlerian

csacks said:


> So I can not blame von Karajan. It is just Mahler. That is bad news!!!


I think Karajan is terrible in Mahler. He has no sense of the music. Others disagree.

Tennstedt is my go-to for Mahler interpretation, and Boulez makes for an interesting listen (I love his Ninth in particular).

Mahler: Symphony No. 9
SWR Orchestra, cond. Gielen


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* _Symphony #3_
- Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen (live in concert, 1962)

*Martinu* _Piano Concerto #5 (Fantasia concertante)_
- Giorgio Koukl, piano with Bohuslav Martinu PO (Zlin) under Arthur Fagen

*Getz/Eldridge/Hawkins/Gillespie* _Les Tricheurs, original soundtrack of Marcel Carné's film, 1958_
- Jazz at the Philharmonic: Roy Eldridge & Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet; Stan Getz & Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax; Oscar Peterson, piano; Herb Ellis, guitar; Ray Brown, bass; Gus Johnson, drums

*Ross Edwards* _Violin Concerto "Maninyas"_
- Dene Olding, violin with Sydney SO under Stuart Challender

*Brahms* _Sonatensatz (Sonata Movement) - Scherzo in C minor_
- Nadja Sallerno-Sonnenberg, violin; Cecile Licad, piano

*Shostakovich* _Tahiti Trot, Op. 16 (arr. of "Tea for Two" by Vincent Youmans)_
- Queensland SO under Vladimir Verbitsky

(*Martinu's PC#5 *was not as "Hollywood" as I'd rememberd in my previous post here, but the last movement did have the epic feel akin to film score writing. However there was influence of Bartok and Martinu's classic static, kind of prototype Minimalist, vibes in the middle movement & of course plenty of Czech folk feel too. On this hearing I got more inklings of the thematic links between the movements, so can't complain!)


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Rocco

Chopin Impromptus. Going back into some of the music I used to listen to a couple years ago. I had forgotten how good some of this instrumental music is.


----------



## opus55

Some songs by Richard Strauss.


----------



## Rocco

More good stuff. I unearthed a box of instrumental music from the basement and found a lot of really good stuff.

Liszt Hungarian Fantasy...


----------



## mstar

*Mendelssohn Songs without Words Book 1*, after the first movement of his *Piano Trio No. 1*. Debating the 1st *Bruch or Sibelius Violin Concerto (Stern)* next....


----------



## KenOC

#7 in my Shostakovich Hurwitz read-along. This has always been a tough nut for me, but in fact it's only the development section of the 1st movement that's irritating. The rest is pretty good (if maybe a bit too long). And it ends in the proper way, though possibly with an eviction notice as well. Hurwitz refers to the ending as the "big payoff". :lol:


----------



## opus55

ClutchDisc said:


> More good stuff. I unearthed a box of instrumental music from the basement and found a lot of really good stuff.
> 
> Liszt Hungarian Fantasy...


Wow. How does that happen? Are they from the previous owner of the house?


----------



## Rocco

opus55 said:


> Wow. How does that happen? Are they from the previous owner of the house?


:lol: No....it's called getting away from instrumental for a couple years and then getting back into it. There are about 60 CDs in the box....just full of good symphonies, piano sonatas and concertos..etc


----------



## TurnaboutVox

We have various members of the family, none especially keen on classical music, staying with us at the moment, so there hasn't been much space and time for listening.

However, all were amenable to hearing The Messiah on Christmas morning

*Handel - The Messiah*

Emma Kirkby, Paul Elliott, Carolyn Watkinson, David Thomas; Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music, Oxford choir of Christ Church Cathedral [Decca L'Oiseau Lyre]









Tonight:

*Beethoven - Septet Op. 20

Weber - Clarinet quintet, Op. 34*

The Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Ensemble, Anthony Pay [Decca L'Oiseau Lyre]


----------



## Vaneyes

*Reger*: Piano Works, w. MAH (rec.1998); *Schoenberg*: Orchestral Works, w. Craft et al (rec.1994 - '00), String Quartets 3 & 4, w. Sherry Qt. (rec.2005 - '09).

View attachment 31214
View attachment 31215
View attachment 31216


----------



## senza sordino

William Schuman *Symphonies 3&5; Judith Choreographic Poem for Orchestra* performed by Seattle Symphony and Gerard Schwarz. Someone here told me to check out the String Symphony #5, so I did.

Ravel *Piano Concerto in G, Piano Concerto for left hand, Valse nobles et sentimentales, Gaspard de la nuit *tickling the ivories is Samson Francois and leading the Orchestre de la Societe des concerts du conservatoir is Andre Cluytens.

Shostakovich *Piano Concerti 1&2* with Yefim Bronfman with LA Phil and Esa Pekka Salonen, extra bonus with this CD is *Piano Quintet in G* with Bronfman and Juilliard String Quartet. BTW, the second piano concerto recording is the one used in Fantasia 2.

Lots of piano for me today!


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> I think Karajan is terrible in Mahler. He has no sense of the music. Others disagree.
> 
> Tennstedt is my go-to for Mahler interpretation, and Boulez makes for an interesting listen (I love his Ninth in particular).
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 9
> SWR Orchestra, cond. Gielen


I like HvK's M9s. :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Johannes Spech (ca.1767-1836): String Quartet in C Major, Op.2, No.3

Festetics Quartet: Istvan Kertesz ad Erika Petofi, violins --Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello


----------



## EricABQ

I'm finishing up my re-listen of the HJ Lim Beethoven sonatas with the Hammerklavier.


----------



## SixFootScowl

ClutchDisc said:


> :lol: No....it's called getting away from instrumental for a couple years and then getting back into it. There are about 60 CDs in the box....just full of good symphonies, piano sonatas and concertos..etc


Yeah, I remember back when we were mainly listening to Beethoven piano sonatas back when we found a couple dozen classical CDs at a garage sale and as I recall the guy let us have them all for $10 if not less. We took them home and stashed them on a shelf. Good stuff!


----------



## Rocco

Liszt Etudes. I found some really good stuff in that box.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Sinfonia Concertante in D Major

Moscow Concertino with Evgeni Bushkov on violin and Viktor Kozodov on cello


----------



## eyeman

Brahms symphonies by Berliner Philharmoniker and Karajan, my latest discovery. Can't quite figure out where he's going with his music but something about his sound just keeps drawing me in. Kinda stuck on nos. 2 and 3, I think 3 is my favorite...I think!


----------



## Manxfeeder

CD 10 of the complete Mozart sacred works - shorter works, like Venite populi, which Brahms seemed to have liked, Regina Coeli, Tantum ergo, etc.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

Melos Quartet with Franz Beyer on 2nd viola : Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello


----------



## hpowders

Love the Mozart string quintets! Chamber music at its best!


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich*--Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43, *
featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by Bernard Haitink. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, * performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.37 in F Major

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## SixFootScowl

Rilling conducting Beethoven's Mass in C and Christ on the Mount of Olives


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc seventeen

Fantasia On Christmas Carols - Barry Rose, cond.
Hodie: A Christmas Cantata - David Wilcocks, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Death and Transfiguration! Honeck with the Pittsburghers on a real bargain download...


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://onsite









Some light listening to wind down the celebrations.


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: 12 Notations for Piano
Pierre-Laurent Aimard









Boulez: Notations I-IV, VII for orchestra
SWR Orchestra, cond. Gielen









The piano versions of these works were written during Boulez's tutelage under Leibowitz, whom the young radical found rather pedantic. As both a demonstration and parody of the 12-tone method, he wrote 12 short pieces of 12 bars each, miniatures that betray the influence of Messiaen and Webern as much as the as of yet not fully formed Boulez. When he revisited them many years later, he revised and expanded on them, so that the minute and a half of No. 7 becomes four times as long. The later Boulez makes use of all his coloristic expertise. Hopefully he eventually finishes the set.


----------



## dgee

Mahlerian said:


> Boulez: 12 Notations for Piano
> Pierre-Laurent Aimard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Boulez: Notations I-IV, VII for orchestra
> SWR Orchestra, cond. Gielen


I was listening to this the other day! And I went on to listen to the Mahler 9 as well - I've enjoyed Gielen's direct sort of take on Mahler in the past and I must say the it worked reasonably well for me. The playing was crisp and accurate and it was unfussily musical (there was little hamming up of the landler music for instance). That second movement is still a major struggle for me tho (I skipped half of it :-(). Is this even on the map for great/competent Mahler 9s?


----------



## jim prideaux

early start-Haydn Paris symphonies,82-84,Fischer conducting the Austro Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. One of my own personal 'discoveries' of the past year has been the symphonies of Haydn, mainly through various recordings by this orchestra and the Pinnock 'Sturm und Drang' set. Haydns optimistic good humour seems particularly appropriate this morning as I await the arrival of my son......and consider the possibility of Premier League survival following surprise away Boxing day victory at Goodison Park.........


----------



## Mahlerian

dgee said:


> I was listening to this the other day! And I went on to listen to the Mahler 9 as well - I've enjoyed Gielen's direct sort of take on Mahler in the past and I must say the it worked reasonably well for me. The playing was crisp and accurate and it was unfussily musical (there was little hamming up of the landler music for instance). That second movement is still a major struggle for me tho (I skipped half of it :-(). Is this even on the map for great/competent Mahler 9s?


I enjoy it. As you said, it is crisp and accurate and yet not at all mechanical. I'm not overly fond of Gielen's Sixth, so I was a little wary of listening to this one, but was pleasantly surprised. I personally like a less over-the-top take on the Ninth, so Boulez and Gielen are among my preferred versions.

The second movement is one of the oddest ones Mahler ever wrote, and Gielen actually takes it a bit slower than I am used to, but I find it fascinating how the various kinds of dance music are superimposed and juxtaposed (and as with the other movements in the Ninth, phrases and motifs overlap and cut each other off throughout). The whole movement, despite its outwardly chipper opening, tends towards flat keys and thus towards the minor region, and the coda is constantly flipping back and forth between major and minor, leaving the resolution at the end feeling somewhat perfunctory or tentative.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Fantasia On Christmas Carols - Barry Rose, cond.
> Hodie: A Christmas Cantata - David Wilcocks, cond.


How you feel about this one?


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## dgee

George Benjamin's Written on Skin (Opera) - I gorged on it earlier in the year because of the massive acclaim and it's just really exciting and interesting, and... it's still awesome!









Completely approachable too for those for feel like dipping their toes into contemporary opera


----------



## Oskaar

*Britten & Shostakovich: Violin Concertos*

Britten:	
Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 15

Shostakovich:	
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 99

*James Ehnes (violin)*

*Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits*









.prestoclassical.
allmusic


----------



## Guest

Waking up to these two extraordinarily talented and beautiful women would make anyone's day:




















*Spanish Landscapes*
Music for Violin and Piano by Turine, Falla, Granados, etc.
*Leticia Morena, violin; Ana-Maria Vera, piano*

This is really a beautiful sounding CD even without the pictures.


----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1723-1786): Symphony No.1 in G Major

Kurt Redel conducting the Pro Arte Orchestra of Munich


----------



## eyeman

hpowders said:


> Love the Mozart string quintets! Chamber music at its best!


I'm just now beginning to explore his quartets and quintets. Will you tell me a few of your favorites and which musicians renditions as well? Thx!


----------



## Guest

Another pair of beautiful and talented ladies to continue my morning with:




















*Duo*
Sonatas for Cello and Piano by Shumann, Brahms, Debussy, and Shostokovich
*Hélène Grimaud, piano; Sol Gabetta, cello*


----------



## dgee

Oh, they're so talented aren't they - dude, you may need a cold shower and a run around the block. Or national service and some Ruggles


----------



## Oskaar

*Satoh, Debussy, Messiaen, Etc / Anne Akiko Meyers, Li Jian*

Birds in Warped Time 2 by Somei Satoh
Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor by Claude Debussy
Thème et Variations for Violin and Piano by Olivier Messiaen
Distance de fée by Toru Takemitsu
Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major by Maurice Ravel









arkivmusic


----------



## science

dgee said:


> Oh, they're so talented aren't they - dude, you may need a cold shower and a run around the block. Or national service and some Ruggles


Talent sells more CDs.

(So does "talent.")


----------



## csacks

Beethoven´s sonatas for violin and piano (1,2 and 3), Marta Argerich and Gidon Kremer, 1985, DG
And a question: How to add the cover to the reply?


----------



## science

csacks said:


> Beethoven´s sonatas for violin and piano (1,2 and 3), Marta Argerich and Gidon Kremer, 1985, DG
> And a question: How to add the cover to the reply?


There is a fancy way that I don't understand. What I do is type [ I M G ] and [ / I M G ] without the spaces, and put the URL of the image inside. Hopefully someone will explain the fancy way.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Beethoven - String Quartet in E Flat Op.127
Borodin String Quartet


----------



## jim prideaux

Russian music has for some reason dominated the 'festive season' and so it continues-Kabalevsky cello concertos performed by Tarasova with the Symphony Orchestra of Russia conducted by Duderova-only black spot on the horizon is the fact that I appear to have lost my copy of Doctor Zhivago-a book I have not read since university but feel the need to again after many years......


----------



## scratchgolf

Glenn Gould - The Well Tempered Clavier

on deck

Gould's complete Goldberg Variations


----------



## Vasks

*John Adams - Eros Piano (Crossley/Nonesuch)
Sallinen - Symphony #4 (Kamu/Finlandia)*


----------



## Andolink

*Michael Finnissy*: _The History of Photography in Sound_-- VIII. Kapitalistich Realisme;
IX. Wachtend op de volgende uitbarsting van repressie en censuur; X. Unsere Afrikareise
XI. Etched bright with sunlight
Ian Pace, piano








*Michael Finnissy*: _À propos de Nice_, for violin, cello and piano
New Music Players/Ed Hughes


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner 9th Symphony, conducted by Giulini and played by the VPO.


----------



## hpowders

^^^I have this. One of the best!


----------



## Rocco

science said:


> There is a fancy way that I don't understand. What I do is type [ I M G ] and [ / I M G ] without the spaces, and put the URL of the image inside. Hopefully someone will explain the fancy way.


----------



## Rocco

Now, for what I'm actually listening to....

*Saint Saens - The 5 Piano Concertos* His piano is excellent in my opinion. I think that Saint Saens is typically underrated, his music is up there with the best of them.


----------



## Katie

That edited screen image is a great way to answer Science and Csaks' questions; a really thoughtful contribution, Clutch!/K


----------



## Andolink

*James Dillon*: _helle Nacht_
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## Rocco

Katie said:


> That edited screen image is a great way to answer Science and Csaks' questions; a really thoughtful contribution, Clutch!/K


:tiphat: Thanks Katie. It's much, much easier than trying to explain it only in words.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing with Mahler's symphonies:

*Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor* / Chicago SO, Sir Georg Solti [Decca, rec. 1991]


----------



## julianoq

After listening to the great Bruckner 9th with Giulini, now starting Mahler 9th with Boulez and the CSO. Also a favorite record!


----------



## csacks

julianoq said:


> After listening to the great Bruckner 9th with Giulini, now starting Mahler 9th with Boulez and the CSO. Also a favorite record!


2 times in a row. Julianoq, you are my hero!!!!! O mais grande do mundo


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Weihnachts-Oratorium, Part III (Gardiner).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## MagneticGhost

First dip into my Grainger box.
This is joyful, ebullient music. Love it.


----------



## Itullian

Pickin' N Choosin'


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven Symphony #9 Furtwangler, Lucerne Festival, 1954.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A Christmas present:









*György Ligeti

Études pour piano (premiere livre)
Études pour piano (deuxième livre)
Musica Ricercata
Études pour piano - extrait - troisième livre, No. XV 'White on White'*

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano) [Sony Classical, rec. 1996]

Fantastic music and electrifying performance


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









I'd been into Lutosławski since the '70s through only a few pieces. I decided that I'd like to know more. This is a nice résumé of the familiar and the unfamiliar.


----------



## julianoq

Sorry for the posts flood today, but I'm unstoppable 

Now listening to Beethoven's String Quartet No.14 Op 131 played by Quartetto Italiano.


----------



## maestro267

Day 2 of my "Year in Review" sessions:

*Villa-Lobos*: Symphony No. 4 (Victory)
Sao Paulo SO/Karabtchevsky

This has become a real favourite of mine from this year. It makes a brilliant pairing with the 3rd Symphony that it shares the disc with, the first movement of No. 4 continuing the "battle" mood set in the finale of No. 3. It's very interestingly orchestrated, with several saxophones called for, along with offstage brass and percussion.

*Shostakovich*: Cello Concerto No. 2
Kliegel/Polish NRSO/Wit

Probably the most popular, mainstream composer to appear in my "Year in Review". The 1st is the more popular of the two Cello Concertos, but I've just gotten into No. 2 much more. It's more interesting in the orchestra department. It also contains the longest tambourine roll I've ever heard in a work! How the percussionist can keep it going for that long I'll never know! The ending is similar to the Fifteenth Symphony, with a long note (held by the cello) and "clockwork" percussion. In fact, to me the 2nd Cello Concerto is in the same mood as the 15th Symphony throughout.

*Penderecki*: Symphony No. 7 (Seven Gates of Jerusalem)
SSATB soloists, speaker
Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit

And we come to my composer of the year, Krzysztof Penderecki. My collection of his music has grown massively over the year, and it started with this epic choral work from 1996. Full of amazing moments, from the acapella 3rd movement, to the dramatic climax and dissonance that bridges the fifth and sixth movements. The 6th movement is for the speaker, in Hebrew, and it also includes some long solos for an offstage bass trumpet.


----------



## hpowders

Just caught Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony with Daniele Gatti on KUSC.


----------



## beetzart

Chopin's Etudes Op. 10 Ashkenazy


----------



## senza sordino

My last post for about a week. A friend will be staying with me, so it's 80's pop for the next seven days. Perhaps I can sneak in some classical for my own sanity.

Before her arrival I've been listening to:
*Charles Ives Three Places in New England, The Unanswered Question, Symphony #3, A Set of Pieces, Set no 1* all on one CD performed by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

*Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances* and on the same CD *Janacek Taras Bulba* performed by North German Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Rocco

Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 9


----------



## LancsMan

*Wagner: Die Walkure* Solti on Decca.

Being swept along with Wagner. Pretty stirring!


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's Fourth Book of Madrigals - Rinaldo Alassandrini, dir.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Oskaar

*Joaquín Turina: Integral de las sonatas para violín y piano*

Sonata española, 1908
Sonata núm. 1 en re, op. 51
Variaciones clásicas, op. 72
Sonata núm. 2 en sol op. 82
Homenaje a Navarra, op. 102









amazon


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mussorgsky/Ravel*: "Pictures", w. BPO/HvK (rec.1965), Pogo (rec.1995).

View attachment 31268
View attachment 31270


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Blake

Ashkenazy's Mozart: Piano Concertos, 20. There's a sweetness to Ashkenazy's playing that I think the Wolf would approve. Most delightful.


----------



## Vasks

ArtMusic said:


>


Oh yeah.She's a good disc


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Exsultate, Jubliate.*


----------



## Andolink

*Richard Barrett*: _Vanity_
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo


----------



## Mahlerian

Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op.41
National Choir of the Ukraine


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I still seem to be in a mood for Ligeti tonight:









*Ligeti - Streichquartettes I und II

Streichquartett Nr. I (1953-54) 'Métamorphoses nocturnes'
Streichquartett Nr. II (1968)*

Artemis Quartett [Virgin Classics, rec. 2005]


----------



## Blake

Wand's Bruckner: Symphony 2. Oh, how I love this.


----------



## ArtMusic

These are pretty good so far.


----------



## Rocco

*Saint Saens Symphony No. 3 Organ Symphony -* Just put it in and so far really good. I haven't listened to it in a long time.

Couldn't find a picture of my disc anywhere on the internet.


----------



## Sid James

*Brahms* Symphony #3
- Slovak PO under Ludovit Rajter

*Beethoven*
Great Fugue (Grosse Fuge), Op. 133 
- Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen (live in concert, 1962)

*Bernstein* Symphony #2 "The Age of Anxiety"
- Lukas Foss, piano with Israel PO under the composer (live in Berlin, 1977)

*Malcolm Arnold* Guitar Concerto, Op. 67
- Julian Bream, guitar with the Melos Ensemble under the composer

*James Campbell* Le bride sur le cou, original soundtrack of Roger Vadim's film, 1961
- Georges Arvanitas and his quintet: Bernard Vitet, flugelhorn; Francois Jeanneau, tenor sax; Arvanitas, piano/leader; Louis Trussardi, bass; Michel Babault, drums




senza sordino said:


> My last post for about a week. A friend will be staying with me, so it's 80's pop for the next seven days.


...and earworms stuck in your head for the next couple of weeks after that, probably?


----------



## aleazk

Tristan Murail - _Les Sept Paroles_ (



).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

To finish:









*Haydn - String Quartets

String Quartet No. 25 in C major, Op. 20 No. 2 Hob. III:32 (1772)
String Quartet No. 26 in G minor, Op. 20 No. 3 Hob. III:33 (1772)
*
Quatuor Mosaïques [Naïve]


----------



## Novelette

A Liszt evening:

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor, S 178 -- Leslie Howard

Liszt: Totentanz, S 525 -- Leslie Howard

Liszt: Prometheus, S 99 -- Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Liszt: Christus, S3/R478 -- Henriette Bonde-Hansen; Helmuth Rilling: Radio-Sinfonicorchester Stuttgart


----------



## KenOC

Bach, Brandenburg Concerto #5, Consort of London. Really quite a nice performance!


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Sinfonia Concertante in B Flat

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester -- Gunhild Ott, flute -- Karl Schlechta, clarinet


----------



## Blake

Going at the Second Viennese School again. Schoenberg Quartet's Schoenberg: Chamber Music. I'm enjoying this much more than I thought I would. Will voyage through the whole set.


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven Missa Solemnis-Toscanini with Bjorling, Milanov, Castagna and Kipnis, 1940. WOW!


----------



## SixFootScowl

Vaneyes said:


> *Mussorgsky/Ravel*: "Pictures", w. BPO/HvK (rec.1965), Pogo (rec.1995).
> 
> View attachment 31270


I like Ivo and I like Pictures at an Exhibition, but I don't have this one.

Love this Ivo comparison though (and have both these albums):


----------



## julianoq

Florestan said:


> I like Ivo and I like Pictures at an Exhibition, but I don't have this one.
> 
> Love this Ivo comparison though (and have both these albums):


Dylan, not something often seen here. Love it


----------



## SixFootScowl

julianoq said:


> Dylan, not something often seen here. Love it


Yes, Dylan belongs in the non-classical forum but I took the liberty given the strikingly similar poses, and the story on Ivo is that he had(has) about as much attitude as Dylan!


----------



## Orfeo

Vesuvius said:


> Wand's Bruckner: Symphony 2. Oh, how I love this.
> 
> View attachment 31281


Me too. The Wand Bruckner set is pretty self-recommending.


----------



## Orfeo

*Kabalevsky*: Piano Concerto no. I (Kathryn Stott/Jarvi/BBC Philharmonic under Chandos). While not quite a masterpiece, it's mouth-watering beautiful and soulful (autumnal a la Myaskovsky and maybe Ireland).


----------



## Cadenza

Cleaning some old stuff out my office for the new year while the Emerson plays Debussy and Ravel string quartets in the background.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Impromptu in C Minor, Op.90, No.1

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc eighteen

Fantasia On Christmas Carols (full orchestra version) - Richard Hickox, cond.
Yorkshire Wassail Song - David Wilcocks, cond.
In Windsor Forest - Norman Del Mar, cond.
Songs Of Travel - Thomas Allen, baritone, Simon Rattle, cond
On Wenlock Edge - Robert Tear, tenor, Simon Rattle, cond.

taken from various albums, including:


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54 and Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}, *
both performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko. 
Howard Hanson-- *Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.21 {"Nordic"}; Symphony No.2, Op.30 {"Romantic"}; Symphony No.4, Op.34 {"The Requiem"} and Symphony No.5 {"Sinfonia Sacra"}. * All four works feature Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Blake

Standage's Leclair: Violin Concertos Vol. 1. Along with Tartini, he's got to be one of my favorite violinist.


----------



## KenOC

samurai said:


> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.54 and Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"The Year 1917"}*


I listened to this recording a couple of days ago (the 6th). A great performance for sure. My earworm is the theme that pretty much closes the last movement -- I always hear the words, "There's a man with a gun over there" from Buffalo Springfield's "For what it's worth". If you listen you might hear it too! Once you do, of course, you'll never get rid of it (sorry!)


----------



## SimonNZ

Matthias Pintscher's Herodiade-Fragmente - Claudia Barainsky, soprano, Christoph Eschenbach, cond.

edit: Takemitsu's From Me Flows What You Call Time - Andrew Davis, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

dholling said:


> *Kabalevsky*: Piano Concerto no. I (Kathryn Stott/Jarvi/BBC Philharmonic under Chandos). While not quite a masterpiece, it's mouth-watering beautiful and soulful (autumnal a la Myaskovsky and maybe Ireland).


may well agree that this is not quite a 'masterpiece'-whatever that term actually means-but like your good self I too find this work to be really impressive and have consequently listened to the same recording over and over......the term 'autumnal' is so appropriate....coincidentally have started the day with the same composers cello concertos....


----------



## Andolink

*Matthew Locke*: _Curtain Tune in C major_; _Suite in G minor_
*Matthew Lock & Robert Smith*: _incidental music to 'The Tempest'_
The Parley of Instruments Renaissance Violin Band/Peter Holman








*J. C. Bach*: _Sextet in C major_ for oboe, 2 horns, violin, cello and keyboard
The English Concert


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Palestrina's Missa O Magnum Mysterium - The Sixteen


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Howard Shore* - The Lord of the Rings Symphony, performed by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, a beautiful musical tapestry made of the themes from the film OST. For some reason this music makes me feel like I am back in my childhood. A lot of my tastes and attitudes have changed since then, but a love for all things Tolkien still remains.


----------



## Andolink

*Alexander Zemlinsky*: _String Quartet No. 3_, Op. 19 (1924)
Escher String Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*CRESTON: Symphonies Nos. 1- 3*

Conductor(s):
Kuchar, Theodore

Orchestra(s):
Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra









amazon


----------



## Doc

Mahler's 4th with Szell, the Cleveland Orchestra and Judith Raskin.
The 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' with Andrew Davis, the London Phil and Frederica von Stade.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D 113

L'Arte Dell'Arco with Giovanni Guglielmo on violin


----------



## maestro267

The Saturday Symphony, a bit earlier than usual so I can fit my Year in Review this evening.

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Berlin PO/Karajan


----------



## Andolink

Music of the later Middle Ages for Court and Church
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page


----------



## Bas

I have no family members that are appreciators, and therefore, two days late, alone:

George Frederic Handel - Messiah (Dublin)
By the Dunedin Consort & Players, Susan Hamilton [soprano], Annie Gill [contralto], Clare Wilkinson [contralto], Nicholas Mullroy [tenor], Matthew Brooks [bass], John Butt [dir.], on LINN records


----------



## Weston

It's been a while since I've gotten to enjoy this thread due to internet connection problems. Evidently I'm okay when everyone else is asleep or early in the AM. 



dholling said:


> *Kabalevsky*: Piano Concerto no. I (Kathryn Stott/Jarvi/BBC Philharmonic under Chandos). While not quite a masterpiece, it's mouth-watering beautiful and soulful (autumnal a la Myaskovsky and maybe Ireland).


I love the concertos I've heard of his, both piano and cello. The themes don't exactly stay with me, but that's okay. They're great while you are listening.



KenOC said:


> I listened to this recording a couple of days ago (the 6th). A great performance for sure. My earworm is the theme that pretty much closes the last movement -- I always hear the words, "There's a man with a gun over there" from Buffalo Springfield's "For what it's worth". If you listen you might hear it too! Once you do, of course, you'll never get rid of it (sorry!)


Now I must check this out! Wonder if Stills is Shostakovich fan.



SiegendesLicht said:


> *Howard Shore* - The Lord of the Rings Symphony, performed by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, a beautiful musical tapestry made of the themes from the film OST. For some reason this music makes me feel like I am back in my childhood. A lot of my tastes and attitudes have changed since then, but a love for all things Tolkien still remains.


I have to admit Shore did a great job with these soundtracks. The music had to be a little derivative to fit the archetypal saga, and for me he strikes the perfect balance of just familiar enough and just new enough. Oh, and it does pull on the heartstrings doesn't it?



Bas said:


> I have no family members that are appreciators, and therefore, two days late, alone:


Bummer (as we aging American counter-culture wannabes like to say). I'd have to go for a polite after dinner walk with headphones.


----------



## science




----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Sinfonia No.63 in B Flat

Aapo Hakkinen leading the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Some good old *Johann Sebastian* - BWV132 "Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn", performed by Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Edith Mathis, Anna Reynolds, Münchener Bach-Chor and Münchener Bach-Orchester under Karl Richter.









A great collection of cantatas, and the performers include some of my favorite singers: Kurt Moll and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.


----------



## Weston

*Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37* 
Otto Klemperer / New Philharmonia Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim, piano









It's a bit early in the morning here for Beethoven, but I recently realized my Beethoven PC3 is (was rather; I deleted it) a horrible version by some pops ensemble or other, sounding like it was played in a giant empty warehouse basement and recorded over a telephone line. I thought, why not get a complete set and have them all together? This recording is a little old and has some noticeable tape hiss in the quiet sections, but I don't mind that. Beethoven's music is larger than life so it's good to hear it played with a pointedly non-HIP larger than life head bangin' orchestra. Most of my other Beethoven concertos are with Ashkenazy, and I enjoy his playing, but these will be good alternative go to performances I think.


----------



## Doc

Listened to Liszt's first nine Hungarian Rhapsodies, played by the inimitable Cziffra.


----------



## Vasks

*Carter - Piano Concerto (Wait/Naxos)
C. Matthews - Memorial (Thomas/NMC)
Baird - Oboe Concerto (Leek/Koch)*


----------



## Blake

Bernstein's Mahler: Symphony 2. Mahler has such an amazing balance of modernity and romance. The more I listen, the more it blooms.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> Beethoven's music is larger than life so it's good to hear it played with a pointedly non-HIP larger than life head bangin' orchestra.


Ha! Very descriptive.

This morning, Solti's take on Mussorgsky and Ravel.


----------



## Rocco

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimenti Nos. 7-15 - St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble 
*
Three CD set from the Musical Heritage Society


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.11 in F Major, KV 413

Philharmonia Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy on piano


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Sound of Cinema
Music and Walt Disney

Matthew Sweet explores music and Walt Disney.


----------



## Oskaar

*CRAMER, J.B.: Piano Concerto No. 5 / HUMMEL, J.N.: Piano Sonata No. 5 / Fantasy in G Minor (Sagara)*

*Faerber*, Jorg, Conductor • *Cao*, Pierre, Conductor • *Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra* • *Luxembourg Radio Orchestra* • *Sagara, Akiko*, piano • *Wallfisch*, Ernst, viola









amazon


----------



## Orfeo

*Right now?*
*Glazunov's "The Sea" (Jarvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchesrta/Chandos). Superb!!!
*Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini" (Svetlanov and the Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/ Canyon Classics). The best version yet in my humble opinion.
*Janis Medins' Piano Concerto (Reinis Zarins & the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Youtube).
*And later?*
*Sainton's "The Island" (Matthias Bamert and Philharmonia Orchestra/Chandos). Love it.
*Sainton's "Moby Dick" (William T. Stromberg and Moscow Symphony Orchestra/Marco Polo). Love it too.


----------



## Orfeo

jim prideaux said:


> may well agree that this is not quite a 'masterpiece'-whatever that term actually means-but like your good self I too find this work to be really impressive and have consequently listened to the same recording over and over......the term 'autumnal' is so appropriate....coincidentally have started the day with the same composers cello concertos....


Kabalevsky's Cello Concerti are indeed wonderfully written (I always have a softer spot for the Second somehow, although the First grew on me quite appreciatively). I'll always cherish Daniil Borisovich Shafran's Melodiya recording of the Second Concerto (with the composer on the podium), although I'd found myself warmed up to Wallfisch's Chandos recording more than I'd anticipated. Wallfisch may not have as much of the Russian soul as Shafran, but he's never short of profundity. Thomson and his orchestra are excellent in their support.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Amadeus Quartet in Haydn's op.76 quartets.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Missa Brevis in G. *

Charming music, but it's so short, you blink and you miss it. (The Sanctus lasts 55 seconds.)


----------



## hpowders

Charles Ives Concord Piano Sonata with Easley Blackwood


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold, M.: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6*

Conductor(s):
*Hickox, Richard*

Orchestra(s):
*London Symphony Orchestra*









amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My listening had to be interrupted for a family meal yesterday. Our guests left today, so to resume:

*György Ligeti

(*Yesterday* - Études pour piano - premiere livre; deuxième livre)

*Today:*

Musica Ricercata
Études pour piano - extrait - troisième livre, No. XV 'White on White'*

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano) [Sony Classical, rec. 1996]

Fantastic music and electrifying performance - at thunderous volume in my 'office' / listening room (in a hut in the garden)!















Moving on to the next in the sequence of Mahler Symphonies:

*Mahler - Symphony No. 6 in A minor* / Berlin PO, Herbert von Karajan [DG, rec. 1998]

And nice to see you back and in fine posting form today, M. Blancrocher! I don't know the Amadeus' Haydn string quartet recordings.


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): String Quartet in G Major, Op.29, No.2

Pleyel Quartet of Koln: Ingeborg Scheerer and Milena Schuster, violins -- Andreas Gerhardus, viola -- Nicolas Selo, cello


----------



## maestro267

Year in Review, Day 3.

*Prokofiev*: Symphony No. 4 in C major
London PO/Weller

This complete symphony cycle was one of my major purchases this year, and the Fourth is the one that grabbed me instantly the first time I heard it. I also enjoy the Second, with its unusual structure and contrast between the two movements. But the Fourth is definitely my favourite. And this recording of it is spectacular. I have several recordings of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from the 70s/80s, and the thing I notice among them is how the string section sounds so full-bodied. It's a really satisfying sound to hear, and the nicest-sounding string section I've ever heard.

*Bliss*: Checkmate
RSNO/Lloyd-Jones

A work I've been really interested in for a while now, and it's good to have the complete score in my collection. Much of the ballet is devoted to introducing the characters, but the action kicks in when the game (of chess) itself commences. The final climax gives me goosebumps, and you really feel the stabs in the orchestra as Checkmate is achieved.

*Brian*: Symphony No. 3 in C sharp minor
BBC SO/Friend

Having owned the Gothic Symphony for a few years now, I finally added to my Havergal Brian collection this year with two discs. The other one contains the Fourth Symphony (a choral work with an orchestra that's almost as large as the Gothic), and the 11-minute Twelfth Symphony. The Third Symphony is the longest among the other 31 symphonies besides the two-hour First, and it calls for a pretty large orchestra in its own right, including two pianos that are quite prominent, especially during the 20-minute first movement. The brass is quite forceful throughout this work, especially at the end of the third movement. Another highlight for me is the mysterious passage for offstage trumpet and horn in the finale.


----------



## starthrower

I finally opened this CD I bought about a month ago. Brilliant!


----------



## Bas

Anton Bruckner - Symphony 9 (for the Saturday Symphony Listening)
By The Municher Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI









I like the work, but a general problem with me and Bruckner's symphonies persists: I don't get any closer to the feeling that I understand the music, on the same level that I can and do understand music by much other composers. I have far les difficulty with understanding Bach, or other baroque composers.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano sonatas 24, 25, 26, "Les Adieux", 27
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## LancsMan

*Wagner: Siegfried: *Solti on Decca

I see from a recent thread on TC that the scenes of Siegfried that include Mime are not universally liked. Well I love them, and revel in their darkness. Maybe it requires a singer of Gerhard Stolze character to bring the part fully to life. He's just so good in the part I find it difficult to imagine anyone else equalling his interpretation.

The rhythmic drive is compulsive, the melodic line easy to follow, and the orchestration never muddy. I think I can hear pre-echoes of expressionist music.

Glorious stuff!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frederic Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor (Martha Argerich; Claudio Abbado; London Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## hpowders

Prokofiev First and Third Piano Concertos-Graffman/Szell


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's String Quintets K515 and K516 - Kuijken String Quartet with Ryo Terakado


----------



## Novelette

A polyphonic/choral day:

Rameau: Quam Dilecta -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Tallis: Veni Redemptor Gentium -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Lobo, Aloso: Versa Est in Luctum Cithara Mea -- Peter Phillips: The Tallis Scholars

Victoria: Lamentatio Jeremiae -- Michael Noone: Ensemble Plus Ultra

Brahms: Missa Canonica, WoO 18 -- Peter Neumann: Kölner Kammerchor

Victoria: Aurea Luce Et Decore -- Michael Noone: Ensemble Plus Ultra

Ockeghem: Missa Prolationum -- Hillard Ensemble


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 4 in G / D. Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin

*Mozart* - Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat / R Goode, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

*Sibelius* - Symphony No. 3 in C / P. Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

Just cleaning the bathroom and had to dash back into the living room as the Suite, Op. 29 was starting 









I already have all of the material on about 5-6 of these discs and used to have the material of an additional 3 of these discs on LP, so only about 3 discs are entirely new music to me. Still, I don't mind having alternate versions of this music. Admittedly, what really swayed me was when I realized that if I buy directly from Amazon, I get free shipping, which brought the price of this one and another disc (stay tuned  ) down to $5 less than if I had purchased via the Amazon Marketplace... and I didn't have to wait 3 weeks for delivery, but got them in 6 days, and that, despite the weekends and holidays! Although both albums were a single order, Amazon sent one via Canada Post and the other via UPS. The Canada Post album, this one, arrived 4 hours earlier. Ta da!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux, Symphony No. 1.*

This is my first exposure to this composer. I bought the _Henri Dutilleux 1916-2013_ box set on a whim a couple days ago (okay, it was real cheap) and have hesitated to open it in case I don't like it and want to resell it.

If the first symphony is any indication of what's to come, it looks like I'll be breaking open the box pretty soon.


----------



## brotagonist

^ I had been hesitant with Dutilleux, too. This summer, I took a chance and picked up:









I am now convinced


----------



## Guest

*I am seeking perfection today. The three finest composers in history. One of the most perfect works from each. And each one recorded and performed nearly as perfectly as is possible by human beings.

The feeling I get listening to this music recalls the feeling I had some years ago standing, for the very first time, in awe of the Grand Canyon. It humbles me.*







*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
K622, Clarinet Concerto in A
Martin Fröst-Amsterdam Sinfonietta - Peter Oundjian*








*Johann Sebastian Bach
BWV1042, Violin Concerto in E
Cafe Zimmermann*








*Ludwig van Beethoven
Op. 68, Symphony No. 6 in F
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen*


----------



## Flamme




----------



## Vaneyes

Andolink said:


> *Richard Barrett*: _Vanity_
> BBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo
> View attachment 31279


Bravo, Andolink. My favorite cover of '13.


----------



## Manxfeeder

brotagonist said:


> ^ I had been hesitant with Dutilleux, too. This summer, I took a chance and picked up:
> 
> View attachment 31340
> 
> 
> I am now convinced


Cool! I'm moving on to Metaboles, from your disc. I'm liking this composer more and more.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: String Quartets, w. ABQ (rec.1984 - '86); Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussian, w. Argerich/Kovacevich/Goudswaard/Roo (rec.1977); Piano Works, w. Kocsis (rec.1991 - '96), Solchany (rec.1973 - '75).

View attachment 31345
View attachment 31346
View attachment 31347
View attachment 31348


----------



## Vaneyes

senza sordino said:


> My last post for about a week. A friend will be staying with me, so *it's 80's pop for the next seven days*. Perhaps I can sneak in some classical for my own sanity....


"The horror, the horror, the horror."

View attachment 31350


----------



## ShropshireMoose

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 31255
> 
> 
> First dip into my Grainger box.
> This is joyful, ebullient music. Love it.


If you can, do think about this:









Grainger's complete commercial piano recordings, a five CD set available on amazon for £21. His performances of Chopin and Schumann are superb, and his Bach-Liszt recordings are a model of clarity and inspired logic in the way he points the fugues, and of course in his own music he is incomparable. An essential appendix to your set I would say.


----------



## cwarchc

This one from a local charity shop this afternoon


----------



## ShropshireMoose

What a superb record. Menuhin on good form, and who better than Dorati in this repertoire?? The Second Suite is terrific, what a performance- and what a recording! Wha-hey! (as one might be tempted to say in an unbuttoned mood!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, missa in honorem Ssmae Trinitatis*

With music like this, people must have left church in a good mood.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Yesterday was Oscar Levant's birthday, so from this disc, Rhapsody in Blue (with Philadelphia/Ormandy) and the three preludes. Levant was a superb wit as well as a wonderful pianist, he it was who said: "A politician is a man who will double-cross that bridge when he comes to it." And also: "Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel."


----------



## maestro267

brotagonist said:


> ^ I had been hesitant with Dutilleux, too. This summer, I took a chance and picked up:
> 
> View attachment 31340
> 
> 
> I am now convinced


Going slightly ahead of myself here.

I got my first Dutilleux disc this year as well, the Chandos recording of the two Symphonies. I've been interested in Dutilleux for a while now, since I heard Tout un monde lointain on a Proms concert a few years ago, and also due to the remarkable age that he lived to. It was a sad coincidence that we lost the two "elder statesmen" of music (Carter and Dutilleux) within a few months of each other.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman Overture/Lohengrin Prelude Act 1/Parsifal Prelude Act 1 and Karfreitagszauber/Tannhauser Overture and Baccanale 
Occidental College Concert Choir/Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter

The final disc in Sony's Bruno Walter box, a real treasure trove of wonderful interpretations, one to which I have already returned again and again and will continue so to do. Walter was a real master, who lavishes the same love and affection on a Strauss Waltz as he does on symphonies by Bruckner, Mahler, Beethoven, Brahms etc., and the results he obtains are superb in all cases. Ah me, the wonder of having all this beautiful music readily available, it really is a miracle, I know I've said it before, but it does bear repeating how lucky we are.


----------



## Vaneyes

For December 28, the death day of *Ravel *(1937) and *Hindemith* (1963).

View attachment 31355


----------



## bejart

Josef Barta (ca.1746-1787): Sinfonia in F Minor

Vojtech Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri
Schoenberg: Moses und Aron


----------



## KenOC

Holmboe's Clarinet Concerto.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning' (Ton Koopman; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra).


----------



## MagneticGhost

Beethoven - String Quartet in F Major Op. 135
Borodin String Quartet


----------



## Rocco

Currently listening to *Beethoven's Fidelio *from the Black Dog Opera Library.


----------



## neoshredder

Created a massive playlist (set to shuffle) that includes the Complete Symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Sibelius, and Berlioz.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37; No. 4 in G, Op. 58*

Maurizio Pollini, BPO, Abbado [DG, live recording, 1994]









Beethoven's piano concertos are almost too familiar to me; I feel I know every note. I don't play them very often as a result. This is a very good interpretation of #3 and 4, though.


----------



## hpowders

Taking me through the night:






Beethoven 9 Symphonies, Toscanini, NBC, 1939.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by The Moose of Shropshire, an epic performance of *Khachaturian* PC, w. Oscar Levant/NYPO/Mitropoulos (rec. 1950).


----------



## science




----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Walter Piston*--Symphonies Nos.4, 2 and 6. *
All three symphonies feature Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, WAB 105, * performed by the Georg Tintner led Royal Scottish National Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty

Four Hymns
Merciless Beauty
Ten Blake Songs
On Wenlock Edge (chamber version)

Ian Partridge, tenor, Music Group Of London

taken from:


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550; Symphony No. 41 in C, K551
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Guest

Just discovered Bolcom's _Twelve New Etudes_:






Wow. Had such an impact on me that I scrapped a piece I was writing for a friend so I could start fresh.


----------



## Blake

Jarvi's Prokofiev: Symphony 4. Most excellent.


----------



## science




----------



## Rapide




----------



## brotagonist

Vesuvius said:


> Jarvi's Prokofiev: Symphony 4. Most excellent.


Op. 47 or Op. 112? I'm only familiar with Op. 112 presently, but should be getting familiar with Op. 47 by New Year, if the postman is cooperative 



science said:


> Cage : Book of Changes


Silly me. I used to have that one and pawned it in my infamous purge of the late '90s


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto In E Minor, Op. 125*

I havent been listening to much Classical Music the last few weeks but I got enthusiastic again over the Christmas break and today have been listening to some Russian music. I have a bit of unlistened Prokofiev in my collection (not sure why, I really like Prokofiev but I dont think to listen to him often!) so starting with this Disc of the Symphpny-Concerto. Onto the second movement already - good recording! :


----------



## Conor71

Some more unlistened Prokofiev - Symphony No. 1 from the Philips 2-fer and Symphony No. 7 from the Ozawa box:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frederic Chopin, Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major (Vladimir Horowitz).


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* Symphony #10 (completed and realised by Dr. Barry Cooper)
- London SO under Wyn Morris

*Giuliani* Guitar Concerto in A
- Julian Bream, guitar & the Nash Ens.

*Schubert* Symphony #3
- Israel PO under Zubin Mehta

*Khatchaturian*
The Valencian Widow, suite
Masquarade, suite
- Armenian PO under Loris Tjeknavorian


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Echoes Of Time And The River - Jorge Mester, cond.

edit: now George Crumb's A Haunted Landscape - Thomas Conlin, cond.


----------



## science




----------



## science

brotagonist said:


> Silly me. I used to have that one and pawned it in my infamous purge of the late '90s


This is exactly why I will never do one of those purges, nor understand those who do.


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Zeitgeist - Susan Grace and Alice Rybak, amplified pianos


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 Moriz Rosenthal/Berlin State Opera Orchestra/Frieder Weissmann
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2/Libestraume No.3
Chopin: Berceuse/Waltz Op.42/Nocturne Op.9 No.2/Etudes Op.10 No.5 & Op.25 No.2/Nouvelle Etude No.3/Mazurka Op.50 No.2
Chopin-Liszt-Rosenthal: Chants Polonais No.1
Rosenthal: New Carnaval de Vienne (on themes from Johann Strauss) Moriz Rosenthal

Start the day with a prince among pianists. It's a shame that the introduction to the concerto is cut so drastically, though this was de rigueur in 1930 when this was recorded, and indeed for a good while after. Even in the 1950s with the advent of the LP, it was often dispensed with. However, Rosenthal's performance is very enjoyable, especially the delicate way he floats gently above the orchestra in the slow movement. His cadenza to the rhapsody is fascinating. Liszt marks it ad lib before the final coda, and a good many pianists pre-1939 used to put in something of their own at this point. The Strauss fantasy is great fun, Rosenthal turns and twists the themes with great panache, though parts of it are indebted to Grunfeld's Soiree de Vienne, nonetheless Rosenthal takes it much further harmonically. The other thing to note, is that he never loses sight of the waltz rhythm, so the essential character of Strauss' music is never lost, unlike in Godowsky's paraphrases. I recall reading that a young pianist went and played the Godowsky "Wine, Women and Song" paraphrase to Horowitz, who didn't like it and commented "I was waiting for the waltz to begin."- or words to that effect, and I know what he meant, fond as I am of the Godowsky, the whole spirit of Strauss is far better captured by Rosenthal.


----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Ancient Voices Of Children - Arthur Weisberg, dir.


----------



## Jos

Schubert, piano trios
Beaux Arts Trio









Cheers,
Jos


----------



## SimonNZ

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










George Crumb's Makrokosmos III: Music For A Summer Evening - Pablo Izquierdo, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in C Major, Op.9, No.2

Geoffrey Govier, piano


----------



## SiegendesLicht

A collection of Prussian and Austrian marches, performed by the brass of the Berliner Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan. Nice, upbeat music that makes your blood flow faster in your veins.


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Becker (1623--1697): Trio Sonata No.26 in A Major

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, bass viol -- Terence Charlston, chamber organ


----------



## moody

SiegendesLicht said:


> A collection of Prussian and Austrian marches, performed by the brass of the Berliner Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan. Nice, upbeat music that makes your blood flow faster in your veins.
> 
> View attachment 31380


At last,something that suits him absolutely !!!


----------



## Oskaar

*Bax: Symphony No 4, Nympholept / Lloyd-jones*

Conductor: David Lloyd-Jones 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Symphony no 4

Overture to a Picaresque Comedy

Nympholept









amazon


----------



## SiegendesLicht

moody said:


> At last,something that suits him absolutely !!!


Suits who? Von Karajan or me?

PS. _Alte Kameraden_ is absolutely lovely!


----------



## opus55

C.P.E. Bach: Flute Concertos


----------



## Aramis

SiegendesLicht said:


> Suits who? Von Karajan or me?


I think he meant to say that cheesy military marches are suited for Karajan's conducting qualities and thus express his disregard for this gentleman by suggesting that he ruins music he conducts by approaching everything as if it would such cheesy German military march, whether it's Ravel, Verdi or Mozart.


----------



## science




----------



## Weston

*Benjamin Britten: Gloriana, symphonic suite for tenor (or oboe) & orchestra, Op. 53a*
Steuart Bedford / London Symphony Orchestra









Wow, the LSO on Naxos? Is that THE LSO?

For some reason there are two composers I have a terrible time keeping straight in my head, Frank Bridge and Benjamin Britten. One makes me ecstatic and the other does next nothing for me so I wind up purchasing a little of both. After listening to this I think it must be Britten that I enjoy.

Our local classical station often played the Courtly Dances from this Gloriana Suite as nice morning music and I wanted to hear it again this morning to lighten the dreary damp Sunday. Now I wonder why the station excerpted just the Courtly Dances segment. Those are a fantastic mini-suite unto themselves for certain, similar to Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, but there are three other parts / movements equally pleasant, especially "The Tournament" opener.

Now if I could just remember - Britten, not Bridge. Britten, not Bridge. . .


----------



## moody

Vaneyes said:


> Inspired by The Moose of Shropshire, an epic performance of *Khachaturian* PC, w. Oscar Levant/NYPO/Mitropoulos (rec. 1950).


What a coincidence, I noticed his name in KenOc's signature recently. This made me wonder whether people knew much about him. He was Gene Kelly's droll friend in "An American In Paris" and a droll friend to various actors in various films.
But he was actually a brilliant pianist,he studied under Zygmunt Stojowski and under Schoenberg for composition.
He was a good friend to George Gershwin and appeared with him in the film "Rhapsody In Blue "'
He appeared on TV often and hosted his own chat-show, his wit was acerbic to say the least.
Unfortunately he was a hypochondriac and his mental condition caused him to be admitted to mental institutions from time to time.
When he died he was only 65 and his epitaph was : "I told them I was ill", later misappropriated by Spike Milligan.
Last night I listened to his recording of Rubistein's Op.70 Concerto with the New Yorkers under Mitropoulos, 1952.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 15, 17 "Tempest", 18, 15 "Pastorale", 21 "Waldstein", 19, 20
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Joseph Haydn - Symphonies 96 in D "Miracle", 97 in C, 98 in B-flat
By the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## ptr

*Alvin Curran* - Endangered Species (ATOPOS)









Alvin Curran, manipulator

*Brian Ferneyhough* - Shadowtime (NMC 2006)









Nicholas Hodges, piano & speaker; Mats Scheidegger, guitar; Neue Vokalsoliosten, Studtgart & Nieuw Ensemble u. Jurien Hempel

/ptr


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Violin Sonata in B Flat, Wq 77

Amandine Beyer, violin -- Edna Stern, piano


----------



## hpowders

To take me to football game time:

Wagner, Die Walküre, Furtwangler, 1954.

"Du bist der Lenz...."


----------



## Vasks

Into Giacinto Scelsi today:
*
1) Pranam II
2) Wo Ma
3) Trio
4) Rotativa *

from this album


----------



## Oskaar

*AMADEUS GUITAR DUO: Bach / Scarlatti / Giuliani / Praetorius*

Amadeus Guitar Duo • Eden-Stell Guitar Duo • Kavanagh, Dale









amazon


----------



## SiegendesLicht

And now back to *Johann Sebastian* - BWV82 "Ich habe genug", performed by Dietrich Fischer Dieskau as part of this set:


----------



## hpowders

SiegendesLicht said:


> A collection of Prussian and Austrian marches, performed by the brass of the Berliner Philarmoniker and Herbert von Karajan. Nice, upbeat music that makes your blood flow faster in your veins.
> 
> View attachment 31380


That's the spirit!!!


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

I'm currently listening to my favorite version of Pachelbel's Canon, by Winton Marsalis


----------



## bejart

Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St.George (1739-1799): String Quartet in G Major, Op.1, No.3

Antares Quartet: Ruggero Caprinico and Dania Draga, violins -- Agnes Domergue, viola -- Cecile Nicolas, cello


----------



## ptr

*Arnold Schönberg* - Pierrot lunaire & *Charles Ives* - Songs (RCA 1974)









Cleo Lane, voice; The Nash ensemble u. Elgar Howarth / Anthony Hymas, piano

Awesome! 

/ptr


----------



## Yardrax

I discovered this while flicking through George Benjamin pieces on Youtube. I think it is an amazing piece, reassuringly expressionistic, it reminds me in places of the early Stravinsky.


----------



## Gilberto

Onward! through Rilling's Bach cantatas ...BWV 19 & 20


----------



## Blake

More Mahler by Bernstein: Symphony "Tragic". I've been on a serious Mahler kick the past couple of days. It seems my understanding of what he's trying to say suddenly erupted like Mount Vesuvius.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.16 in C Major, KV 128

Alessandro Arigoni leading the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana


----------



## Oskaar

*Hans Abrahamsen: Walden/Wald*

Conductor: Reinbert De Leeuw 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Calefax Reed Quintet, Asko Schonberg Ensemble









arkivmusic


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Not all that fond of the Schoenberg but Hahn's Sibelius is one of the best I have heard!










Kevin


----------



## Oskaar

*DALL'ABACO: Violin Sonatas in D major / D minor / A minor / G minor / B flat major / B minor*

Fabrizio Haim Cipriani (violin), Antonio Fantinuoli (cello), Sergio Ciomei (harpsichord)









naxos


----------



## Jos

Oskaar, you listen to composers I have never even heard of. I'm keeping a list!
I'm not going to "like" music that I've never heard, but it is very much appreciated!
Just wanted you to know.....

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*LaMonte Young - The Well Tuned Piano Parts 1 and 2* LaMonte Young









Quite attractive at first, by the end of an hour this had become somewhat tedious...
Thank heavens, the jangling has stopped now!

*Haydn - Piano Trios Vol. 2

Trio in C major, H.XV. 27
Trio in E flat minor, H.XV. 31
Trio in A flat minor, H.XV. 14
Trio in A flat major, H.XV. 29*

Schiff, Shiokawa, Pergamenschikow [Decca, rec. 2004]









Delightfully witty performances, beautifully recorded as usual by Decca. The Presto of H.XV 27 is sublime.


----------



## Oskaar

*MOERAN: Symphony in G Minor / Sinfonietta*

Conductor(s):
*Lloyd-Jones, David *

Orchestra(s):
*Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra*

Amazon
classical.net


----------



## maestro267

The final part of my Year in Review. Three more symphonies.

*Mathias*: Symphony No. 2 (Summer Music)
BBC Welsh SO/Mathias

I've decided this is my Discovery of the Year. I can't praise it highly enough. All the more exciting is the fact that this is a symphony from my homeland, Wales. I've been finding out more this year about classical composers from Wales, and Mathias (1934-92) is one of the most prominent figures, alongside Daniel Jones, Grace Williams and Alun Hoddinott. Anyway, to this symphony, written in the early 1980s. The first and second movements have a really mysterious vibe to them, and the finale uses vibrant rhythms, with a thrilling ending.

*Dutilleux*: Symphony No. 2 (Le Double)
BBC Philharmonic/Tortelier

I've added this to my programme at short notice. I finally got my first Dutilleux recording this year, a short time after he passed away at the remarkable age of 97. The 2nd Symphony is scored for a large orchestra, with a separate group of 12 instruments placed away from the main group. This chamber group includes celesta, timpani and harpsichord, which makes for some interesting sounds. Dutilleux's sound world definitely conjures up other great French composers like Debussy and Ravel. Definitely looking forward to getting more of his music.

*Paderewski*: Symphony in B minor (Polonia)
BBC Scottish SO/Maksymiuk

Finally, an epic work in my favourite key. This is a huge symphony. In three movements, but it lasts around 75 minutes! Both the outer movements are close to half an hour each, and the middle movement is around 17 minutes. The orchestra has some unusual instruments in it too, including 3 contrabass sarrusophones, thunder sheet and organ. The symphony makes subtle reference to the Polish national anthem in the finale.


----------



## Oskaar

Jos said:


> Oskaar, you listen to composers I have never even heard of. I'm keeping a list!
> I'm not going to "like" music that I've never heard, but it is very much appreciated!
> Just wanted you to know.....
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


I am stumbeling arround in the world of spotify (With premium you find almost everything.it is my best spend 99 kr a mounth) I am making vast playlists out of different angles, like composer, artist, instrument,opus, labels, +++. When I shall find new music to listen to, i pick a list, and skip randomly till I find music of good sound, that suit my mood there and then. It is a fun way to discover!


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Piano Quintet in F Major, Op.53

Das Reicha'sche Quintet with Christine Schornsheim on piano: Michael Schmidt-Casdorff, flute -- Hans-Peter Westermann, oboe -- Guy van Waas, clarinet -- Wilhelm Bruns, horn -- Christian Beuse, bassoon


----------



## Blake

Some Schoenberg from the Schoenberg Quartet: "Transfigured Night." This is a beautiful piece.


----------



## hpowders

Brahms First Symphony. Furtwangler, North German Radio Symphony, 1951.


----------



## hpowders

moody said:


> What a coincidence, I noticed his name in KenOc's signature recently. This made me wonder whether people knew much about him. He was Gene Kelly's droll friend in "An American In Paris" and a droll friend to various actors in various films.
> But he was actually a brilliant pianist,he studied under Zygmunt Stojowski and under Schoenberg for composition.
> He was a good friend to George Gershwin and appeared with him in the film "Rhapsody In Blue "'
> He appeared on TV often and hosted his own chat-show, his wit was acerbic to say the least.
> Unfortunately he was a hypochondriac and his mental condition caused him to be admitted to mental institutions from time to time.
> When he died he was only 65 and his epitaph was : "I told them I was ill", later misappropriated by Spike Milligan.
> Last night I listened to his recording of Rubistein's Op.70 Concerto with the New Yorkers under Mitropoulos, 1952.


I grew up on* my father's LP recording of Oscar Levant playing Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. He was a fine pianist and a real bon vivant.

(*Well, not really literally on top of it)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major (Murray Perahia; English Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos - Freiburger Barockorchester


----------



## hpowders

bejart said:


> Mozart: Symphony No.16 in C Major, KV 128
> 
> Alessandro Arigoni leading the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana
> 
> View attachment 31410


Love those sparkling early Mozart symphonies!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: Chamber Music, w. Kremerata Baltica (rec.2000/1), Ad Libitum Qt. (rec.1999), Zank & Sulzen (rec.1997) ; Piano Works, w. Borac (rec.2003 - '05).

View attachment 31423
View attachment 31424
View attachment 31425
View attachment 31426
View attachment 31427


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 92 in G Major, 'Oxford' (Otto Klemperer; New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## Vaneyes

Jos said:


> Oskaar, you listen to composers I have never even heard of. I'm keeping a list!
> *I'm not going to "like" music that I've never heard*, but it is very much appreciated!
> Just wanted you to know.....


If *Likes* cost me money, I'd probably be arm-in-arm with your stance. Different strokes.

My thinking most of the time, not always, is that if a listener takes the time to list works, performers, and often add an album cover, then the least I can do is reciprocate with a *Like*.

Of course I don't like this form of appreciation to be too much of a one-way street.


----------



## Vaneyes

ptr said:


> *Arnold Schönberg* - Pierrot lunaire & *Charles Ives* - Songs (RCA 1974)
> 
> View attachment 31402
> 
> 
> Cleo Lane, voice; The Nash ensemble u. Elgar Howarth / Anthony Hymas, piano
> 
> Awesome!
> 
> /ptr


I saw Cleo and her late husband John Dankworth in-concert three times. A lovely songstress in all respects. Gracious stage presence. Unique things with her instrument, calling to mind Ella Fitzgerald and Al Jarreau. :tiphat:


----------



## Orfeo

*Édouard Lalo's "Le roi d'Ys" ("The King of Ys")* 
Performers: Janine Micheau, Rita Gorr, Henri Legay, Jean Borthayre, Orchestra of Radiodiffusion Française/André Cluytens (Pathé/EMI LP). A spectacular 1957 recording that is shockingly not (widely) available as we speak.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartets, Op. 74

String Quartet In C, Op. 74/1
String Quartet In F, Op. 74/2
String Quartet In G Minor, Op. 74/3, 'Rider'*

Takács Quartet [Hyperion, rec. 2011]









Fine, high powered readings of Haydn's Op. 74 set. I do find myself more in tune with these than with some other (HIP) recordings.


----------



## ptr

Vaneyes said:


> I saw Cleo and her late husband John Dankworth in-concert three times. A lovely songstress in all respects. Gracious stage presence. Unique things with her instrument, calling to mind Ella Fitzgerald and Al Jarreau. :tiphat:


Yea, hers are one of those voices that arouses me mentally in a way perhaps not suitable to mention on this forum! 

/ptr


----------



## ptr

*Hans Werner Henze* - Violinkonzert No 1, 2 & 3 (MDG)









Torsten Janicke, violin; Magdeburger Philharmonisches Orchester u. Christian Ehwald

/ptr


----------



## Jos

> Originally Posted by Jos
> Oskaar, you listen to composers I have never even heard of. I'm keeping a list!
> I'm not going to "like" music that I've never heard, but it is very much appreciated!
> Just wanted you to know.....
> If Likes cost me money, I'd probably be arm-in-arm with your stance. Different strokes.
> 
> My thinking most of the time, not always, is that if a listener takes the time to list works, performers, and often add an album cover, then the least I can do is reciprocate with a Like.
> 
> Of course I don't like this form of appreciation to be too much of a one-way street.


I think I agree with you Vaneyes. It just feels weird to "like" music that I don't know. Oh well, I'm just very new to this whole likingbusiness. I do like the forum and particularly this section! So "likes" all around, I'd say!!

Back to the matter at hand: D'Indy, Symphony on a French mountain air, opus 25
Jean Doyen, piano
Orchestre des concerts lamoureux, Jean Fournet

Opening theme is Dvorakian, the rest sounds like a black&white Walt Disney familymovie.
Don't like it a lot.....







Cheers,
Jos


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









My Bartok collection was a bit lean, so I got three albums. This is the first one to arrive.

The recordings date from '66-'69 (Menuhin's early 50s), except for the sonata, which is from '77 (about age 60). It is a nice set of Bartók's great violin masterpieces, as well as the unfinished _Viola Concerto_ (completed by Serly).

Paired with another purchase, I got this for free shipping... a super deal 



Jos said:


> It just feels weird to "like" music that I don't know.


Often, I _like_ music I don't know by composers I am familiar with or composers I think I might like to know. Often I _like_ unfamiliar versions of pieces I know, etc. Once in a while, I might _like_ the performers, the cover, or even the poster for bringing the music to my attention.


----------



## Vaneyes

moody said:


> What a coincidence, I noticed his name in KenOc's signature recently. This made me wonder whether people knew much about him. He was Gene Kelly's droll friend in "An American In Paris" and a droll friend to various actors in various films.
> But he was actually a brilliant pianist,he studied under Zygmunt Stojowski and under Schoenberg for composition.
> He was a good friend to George Gershwin and appeared with him in the film "Rhapsody In Blue "'
> He appeared on TV often and hosted his own chat-show, his wit was acerbic to say the least.
> Unfortunately he was a hypochondriac and his mental condition caused him to be admitted to mental institutions from time to time.
> When he died he was only 65 and his epitaph was : "I told them I was ill", later misappropriated by Spike Milligan.
> Last night I listened to his recording of Rubistein's Op.70 Concerto with the New Yorkers under Mitropoulos, 1952.


Oscar Levant was a frequent guest during the 60's on The Merv Griffin Show. I watched many of his appearances. Amazingly, none are on YT. Of similar consequence, only a Jack Paar Show appearance can be found.






There weren't too many guests on talk shows that didn't give a s_ _ _ . Most were there to sell something. As I recall, Levant's "delivery" was sullen with some wit, but mostly sarcasm. Not too unlike comedian Jackie Vernon, whom also frequently-guested The Merv Griffin Show. As did Orson Welles, another great wit, though he loved to laugh.


----------



## DaveS

Ma Vlast(the whole thing)....Vaclav Talich, Czech PO


----------



## DrKilroy

In memoriam Wojciech Kilar, I'll listen to his Tatra Cycle, consisting of Krzesany, Kościelec 1909, Siwa Mgła and Orawa, all conducted by Antoni Wit, I believe.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Clayton

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1
Martha Argerich
Claudio Abbado
London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Clayton

Actually second time in as many days...


----------



## hpowders

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> View attachment 31433
> 
> 
> My Bartok collection was a bit lean, so I got three albums. This is the first one to arrive.
> 
> The recordings date from '66-'69 (Menuhin's early 50s), except for the sonata, which is from '77 (about age 60). It is a nice set of Bartók's great violin masterpieces, as well as the unfinished _Viola Concerto_ (completed by Serly).
> 
> Paired with another purchase, I got this for free shipping... a super deal
> 
> Often, I _like_ music I don't know by composers I am familiar with or composers I think I might like to know. Often I _like_ unfamiliar versions of pieces I know, etc. Once in a while, I might _like_ the performers, the cover, or even the poster for bringing the music to my attention.


One can't get enough Bartok, IMO!!


----------



## starthrower

Tristan und Isolde - Herbie von Karajan 1972


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 9.*

Furtwangler, 1944. Holy smokes.


----------



## ahammel

Schnittke Symphony no. 1.

I'm never quite sure whether or not I enjoy Schnittke's polystylism.


----------



## Clayton

Britten: Peter Grimes
Peter Pears, Claire Watson, James Pease,
Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House, 
Benjamin Britten


----------



## hpowders

Clayton said:


> Britten: Peter Grimes
> Peter Pears, Claire Watson, James Pease,
> Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House,
> Benjamin Britten


My favorite performance of one of my all-time favorite operas. Saw it twice at the Met the same season.


----------



## jim prideaux

oskaar said:


> *MOERAN: Symphony in G Minor / Sinfonietta*
> 
> Conductor(s):
> *Lloyd-Jones, David *
> 
> Orchestra(s):
> *Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra*
> 
> Amazon
> classical.net


would be interested in your opinion regarding this symphony as it is one of my personal discoveries of the last year....


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4, op. 37
LaSalle Quartet


----------



## Manxfeeder

*M**ozart, Missa Solemnis in C Minor*


----------



## Sid James

*Khatchaturian*
Dance Suite (excerpts: Caucasian Dance & Uzbek Dance)
The Battle of Stalingrad - Suite
- Armenian PO under Loris Tjeknavorian

*Lennox Berkeley* Sonatina, Op. 51
*Ravel* Pavane pour une Infante défunte*
*Roussel* Segovia, Op. 29
*Cimarosa* Sonatas in C sharp minor & in A*
- Julian Bream, guitar and *arrangements

*Offenbach* Orphée aux enfers - Overture
- Philharmonia Orch. under Neville Marriner

*Godowsky*
Selections from:
Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Measures
Walzermasken*
Java Suite
Schubert Song Transcriptions (Das Wandern, Heidenröslein, Am Meer, An Mignon)
Baroque Transcriptions and Settings (Lully & Rameau)
Piano Music for Four Hands, Miscellaneous II**
Piano Sonata in E minor
- Kostantin Scherbakov, piano in all except *played by Ilona Prunyi / **Joseph Banowetz & Alton Chung Ming Chin, duo pianists
(disc 1 of 3 on Naxos label, "Easy-Listening Piano Classics: Godowsky")




Sid James said:


> *Giuliani* Guitar Concerto in A
> - Julian Bream, guitar & the *Nash Ens.*


Correction: that should have been the *Melos Ensemble*, not the Nash!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Notturno No.2 in F Major

Dieter Klocker leading the Consortium Classicum


----------



## Sid James

*@ moody, hpowder and Vaneyes, *yes *Oscar Levant* was a legend. In my mind a bit like Mae West, giving biting one liners in an era before political correctness got a bit too out off hand. I did see the Gershwin biopic when he played himself. Look up some of his quotes online - they're still very good, quite funny in a sarcastic way. I used to have his recording of Gershwin's three preludes for piano - and they oozes a sense of wit and humour that's rare, the composer's own recording conveys these works in a more 'straight' kind of manner, Levant obviously had his own ideas about George's music.



Jos said:


> Back to the matter at hand: D'Indy, Symphony on a French mountain air, opus 25
> Jean Doyen, piano
> Orchestre des concerts lamoureux, Jean Fournet
> 
> Opening theme is Dvorakian, the rest sounds like a black&white Walt Disney familymovie.
> Don't like it a lot.....
> 
> ...


I quite like that work, but don't stop at that, D'Indy did much else, but I have heard little of it. His Istar Variations is one I hope to get to, in that he did something very much beyond his time (or not typical in his time), a work that is a series of variations on a hidden theme. I have only read of that recently, not heard it, however I have heard a couple of his chamber works but that was way back. Kind of unfair how he's a 'one hit wonder' type composer, nonetheless Symphony on a French Mountain Air is as fine a work as any restricted to that kind of category.


----------



## hpowders

Sid James said:


> *@ moody, hpowder and Vaneyes, *yes *Oscar Levant* was a legend. In my mind a bit like Mae West, giving biting one liners in an era before political correctness got a bit too out off hand. I did see the Gershwin biopic when he played himself. Look up some of his quotes online - they're still very good, quite funny in a sarcastic way. I used to have his recording of Gershwin's three preludes for piano - and they oozes a sense of wit and humour that's rare, the composer's own recording conveys these works in a more 'straight' kind of manner, Levant obviously had his own ideas about George's music.
> 
> I quite like that work, but don't stop at that, D'Indy did much else, but I have heard little of it. His Istar Variations is one I hope to get to, in that he did something very much beyond his time (or not typical in his time), a work that is a series of variations on a hidden theme. I have only read of that recently, not heard it, however I have heard a couple of his chamber works but that was way back. Kind of unfair how he's a 'one hit wonder' type composer, nonetheless Symphony on a French Mountain Air is as fine a work as any restricted to that kind of category.


Seeing Oscar Levant's name again brought back a flood of good memories. Would have loved to hear him do Rhapsody In Blue.


----------



## Blake

Boulez's Webern: Another set I'm digging into... and diggin' indeed.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Busoni - Fantasia Contrappuntistica* / Wolf Harden (Piano) [Naxos, rec. 2001]















Mighty chords!

*Bach-Busoni: Chaconne for solo violin, BWV1004 (transcription: F. Busoni)* / Wolf Harden (Piano) also [Naxos, 2001]


----------



## EDaddy

Listening to Vladimir Ashkenazy's masterful readings of Chopin's Mazurkas. Truly unique and fascinating compositions in the literature...hard to define. They definitely have that Slavic bravado, replete with unusual block chords and rhythmic accents... and yet somehow it all flows in a very logical and natural way. At times the music even takes turns of unexpected delicacy and tenderness, with a lyricism that is utterly unique. I must say I've never heard anything quite like them.

Really captivating work by perhaps the greatest composer of solo piano works in the history of the instrument.

_"Bach is an astronomer, discovering the most marvellous stars. Beethoven challenges the universe. I only try to express the soul and the heart of man." _― Frédéric Chopin


----------



## Rocco

Well, after changing both my avatar and my username to Rocco from Beethoven's Fidelio, it is only fitting to listen to Fidelio itself....

So Fidelio it is!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Karlheinz Stockhausen : _Cosmic Pulses_

A marvellous piece from 2007 that I am hearing for the first time.


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> If *Likes* cost me money, I'd probably be arm-in-arm with your stance. Different strokes.
> 
> My thinking most of the time, not always, is that if a listener takes the time to list works, performers, and often add an album cover, then the least I can do is reciprocate with a *Like*.
> 
> Of course I don't like this form of appreciation to be too much of a one-way street.


My trouble is, so many fine contributors list three our four items, half of which I'll like, but then there's an unacceptable clunker:

Faure: Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 45 in G minor - Quartetto Faure di Roma 
Schnittke: Symphony No. 8 - Lu Jia / Norrköping Symphony Orchestra 
Barry: Born Free Soundtrack - Arthur Fiedler / Boston Pops

I cannot in good conscience "like" this, even though the first two are pretty cool.



DrKilroy said:


> In memoriam Wojciech Kilar, I'll listen to his Tatra Cycle, consisting of Krzesany, Kościelec 1909, Siwa Mgła and Orawa, all conducted by Antoni Wit, I believe.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Awwwww. Darn.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor (unfinished 3-mvt version)
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Wand









Finally got some free time for a listen to this week's symphony.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Isn't this charming???  Positively jolly at times!


----------



## KenOC

Right now, Messiah, this time performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon conducting. Mozart's arrangement! On the radio. Is this live?


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.9 in D Major, *
performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.9 in D Minor, * featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 71


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-one

The House Of Life
Songs Of Travel

Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor, David Willison, piano

taken from:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Weston said:


> My trouble is, so many fine contributors list three our four items, half of which I'll like, but then there's an unacceptable clunker:


I tend to give a 'like' if there's a piece I know and like, or am interested in, in the group of works listened to.

But then, as Jos posted yesterday, what do you do when somone posts something quite unknown to you? I tend to hit 'like' again if someone's gone to the trouble of saying something interesting (or witty, or heartfelt) about it. I end up 'liking' a lot as a result!

I often feel regretful about not 'liking' posts by contibutors who clearly know a lot about baroque music as I don't: as Vaneyes points out, people go to some trouble to make informative posts here.


----------



## SimonNZ

Arthur Lourie's Anna Akhmatova Songs - Natalia Gerassimova, soprano


----------



## Ingélou

TurnaboutVox said:


> I tend to give a 'like' if there's a piece I know and like, or am interested in, in the group of works listened to.
> 
> But then, as Jos posted yesterday, what do you do when somone posts something quite unknown to you? I tend to hit 'like' again if someone's gone to the trouble of saying something interesting (or witty, or heartfelt) about it. I end up 'liking' a lot as a result!
> 
> I often feel regretful about not 'liking' posts by contibutors who clearly know a lot about baroque music as I don't: as Vaneyes points out, people go to some trouble to make informative posts here.


I agree. I started by only putting 'like' on things I knew & liked, but then I realised that *this brilliant thread *is the way to educate myself. So now I also put 'like' on interesting or enthusiastic or witty posts - which means I do an awful lot of 'liking'.

But then, I *like* 'liking'...

At present, just to find out what she is like, I am listening to *Fanny Mendelssohn* (Adagio ma non troppo - allegretto - romanze - allegro motto vivace) played by the string quartet *Quatuor Ébène*, which is apparently quite famous. :lol: I am so ignorant that I thought at first that *Quatuor Ébène* was the name of Fanny Mendelssohn's piece of music.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

George Crumb's Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) - The International Contemporary Ensemble

edit: George Crumb's Lux Aeterna - The Penn Contemporary Players


----------



## Gilberto

last hour ... J.S. Bach BWV 21 & 22 Rilling

and now...

Terry Riley - The Harp Of New Albion


----------



## ptr

*Iannis Xenakis* - Percussion Works (Mode 2006)









Percussion Ensemble red fish blue fish and Friends

/ptr


----------



## Gilberto

G.I. Gurdjieff - Sacred Hymns - Keith Jarrett, piano


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms (Solti).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Jos

SidJames:

I quite like that work, but don't stop at that, D'Indy did much else, but I have heard little of it. His Istar Variations is one I hope to get to, in that he did something very much beyond his time (or not typical in his time), a work that is a series of variations on a hidden theme. I have only read of that recently, not heard it, however I have heard a couple of his chamber works but that was way back. Kind of unfair how he's a 'one hit wonder' type composer, nonetheless Symphony on a French Mountain Air is as fine a work as any restricted to that kind of category.


Maybe I was a bit unfair to D'Indy, it was only my second listening of this work, so I will give it some more spinnings. It recently worked for Saint Saens' 3rd violinconcerto.....

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Oskaar

jim prideaux said:


> would be interested in your opinion regarding this symphony as it is one of my personal discoveries of the last year....


*
MOERAN: Symphony in G Minor / Sinfonietta*

I find the symphony very rich, many and frequent mood changes. I am not very good in describing, but I like it a lot! Very strong meloldies, and very creative in use of all tools the orchestra gives. It is a symphony that never gives me rest, since small and bigger events happen all the time.


----------



## hpowders

Shostakovich Violin Concerto #1-David Oistrakh, Dimitri Mitropoulos, NY Philharmonic; January 1st, 1956. American premiere performance.


----------



## Oskaar

*PUNTO, G.: Horn Concerto No. 5 / ROSETTI, A.: Horn Concerto in E flat major / FORSTER, C.: Horn Concerto in E flat major (Francomb)*

*Griffiths*, Howard, Conductor • *Francomb*, Peter, horn • *Northern Sinfonia*









It says *Stich* on the cover, and *Punto* in all track-lists... Never the less, a fine listening!

classicalonline


----------



## Schubussy

Juliusz Zarębski - Piano Quintet in G minor
Władysław Żeleński - Piano Quartet in C minor
Jonathan Plowright, Szymanowski Quartet


----------



## Vasks

_Tuneful 20th Century_
*
Halvorsen - Symphony #2 (Ruud/Simax)
Khachaturian - Cello Concerto (Wallfisch/Chandos)*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Missa Brevis in F. (Harnoncourt)*


----------



## Doc

Demidenko playing Busoni's transcriptions of Bach's organ music to piano.
Peter Katin playing Mozart's piano sonatas in C major (K279 & K309), F major and E flat major.


----------



## Blancrocher

Thomas Quasthoff singing Haydn.


----------



## Wandering

J.S. Bach - BWV 615 - In dir ist Freude - _on repeat mode_!


----------



## Oskaar

*Bach, J.S.: Sonatas And Partitas For Solo Violin. Vol. 2*

Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004

Sonata for solo violin No. 3 in C major, BWV1005

Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV1006

*Lucy van Dael (violin)*









Soloviolin is never boaring with such material, and performed with such empati, almost in a curiouse way.

prestoclassical


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

Right now, I've returned to an old favorite, Mitsuko Uchida playing the Mozart Piano Concerto #20 in D Minor, K466. Here is the second movement


----------



## Winterreisender

John Tavener - Prayer of the Heart (sung by Björk)










Tavener + Björk = beautiful combination!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Missa Longa in C*.

I'm up to CD 6 of 13. I don't think I've ever had this much fun with Mozart.


----------



## OboeKnight

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, performed by the Boston Symphony, and a lot of old 1940 recordings of Mahler's symphonies...either the oboist cared nothing for quality of tone, or the recording equipment of the time was not flattering for the oboe (I'd bet on the second explanation). Still enjoyable though.


----------



## Oskaar

*HAMEENNIEMI, E.: Symphony No. 3 / Viola Concerto *

*Lintu*, Hannu, Conductor • *Oramo*, Sakari, Conductor • *Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra* • *Aalto*, Tommi, viola









I love findings like this! Innovative modern/contemporary style music with strong romantic roots. Majestic!

Two good reedings here:

arkivmusic
audaud.com


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









I''m still working through this. Since it's new, I'm going to give it lots of attention today, perhaps even tomorrow yet. I am only just beginning to feel it. From disc one, now playing, the 2 Rhapsodies are outstanding  To think that I almost bought a disc with only the 2 Violin Concertos, just to shave $3-$4 off my total!


----------



## Oskaar

*Haydn: London Symphonies, Vol. 1*

Collegium Musicum 90
Richard Hickox









Brilliant! I am quite new to Haydens symphonies. I really appreciate what I have heard.

amazon


----------



## MagneticGhost

Robert Simpson - Symphony No. 9
Vernon Handley

Well it's exuberant and feisty, but I'll have to listen to it a few more times to see if it actually goes anywhere.


----------



## Blake

Pollini's Schoenberg. Piano Music. I'm really taking a shine to this guy.


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's L'incoronazione Di Poppea (sung in English) - Raymond Leppard, cond.


----------



## moody

hpowders said:


> Seeing Oscar Levant's name again brought back a flood of good memories. Would have loved to hear him do Rhapsody In Blue.


You can on the Naxos Nostalgia label.


----------



## hpowders

William Schuman's underrated Violin Concerto with Phillipe Quint.


----------



## hpowders

moody said:


> You can on the Naxos Nostalgia label.


Hey, thanks! I will investigate!


----------



## Sid James

*Offenbach (arr. Rosenthal)* Gaité parisienne
- Pittsburgh SO under André Previn

*Philip Glass* Facades & Company
- London CO under Christoper Warren-Green

*Schubert* Symphonies #4 "Tragic" and #8 "Unfinished"
- Israel PO under Zubin Mehta

*Malcolm Arnold* Guitar Concerto, Op. 67
- Julian Bream, guitar w. Melos Ensemble under the composer




hpowders said:


> Seeing Oscar Levant's name again brought back a flood of good memories. Would have loved to hear him do Rhapsody In Blue.





moody said:


> You can on the Naxos Nostalgia label.


I did have an EP of Levant playing Rhapsody in Blue, you remind me hpowders. From memory it was with Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. I found it too fast though, maybe they where rushing to fit it on both sides (it had a break and was the only piece played on the EP). However it looks like the one you mention Moody (shown here) on Naxos Nostalgia is Levant performing with two others, incl. Paul Whiteman. Looks like he had a dig at it several times. But I loved Levant's playing of Three Preludes which I had on tape.



Jos said:


> Maybe I was a bit unfair to D'Indy, it was only my second listening of this work, so I will give it some more spinnings. It recently worked for Saint Saens' 3rd violinconcerto.....
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


I don't think you where really being unfair, its fine and its okay to give your first impressions. Why not? Your likening it to Dvorak is apt in a way because of the folk element and Dvorak also doing things similar to cyclic form.

But if you listen again to the Symphony on a Mountaineer's Song, I did a recent entry on my blog (link below "Contrasts and Connections in Music") dicussing that as well as symphonies of Franck and Saint-Saens. It might be useful in linking him with what Saint-Saens was doing at the same time, for example. I myself am aiming to listen to more pieces by D'Indy as well as the other two particularly his chamber music, but it will have to wait. I've really gotten into Franck lately, D'Indy was his protege. I have known this piece for a long time but its only recently I realised through reading about it how it was a groundbreaking work for its era. Its place in the performance repertoire is less prominent than it used to be, however there are plenty of recordings of it around as well as others by D'Indy.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major (Murray Perahia; English Chamber Orchestra).









Really enjoying this recording, Perahia's playing is elegant but also has great depth - his touch is wonderfully fluid and he varies his dynamics so that the performance doesn't lose spontaneity.


----------



## Oskaar

*Wind Octets*

Christiansen, A L:	
*Octet for Winds, Op. 34*

Graugaard:	
*Seven Summerscapes*

Koppel, H D:	
*Music for Wind Octet, Op. 123*

Schultz, S:	
*Divertimento for Wind Octet*

Werner, S E:	
*Catch*

*The Danish Wind Octet*









Some fantasy-rich, and really enjoyable music on this recording

dacapo-records


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier


----------



## hpowders

Designated to take me through this night: Beethoven's 9 Symphonies, Riccardo Chailly and an absolutely astonishing Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.


----------



## Blake

The Flux Quartet's Feldman: String Quartet No. 2. A 6 hour string quartet... this'll take a while.


----------



## jim prideaux

Gilberto said:


> G.I. Gurdjieff - Sacred Hymns - Keith Jarrett, piano


have wondered on occasions if it is acceptable to mention recordings by Jarrett on this thread as he is essentially regarded as a 'jazz' musician but my son has just given me Bregenz/Munchen concerts as a Christmas present and what an album it is....so thought I might mention it.........in terms of Jarretts career it follows both chronologically and 'stylistically' Bremen/Lausanne,Sun Bear concerts and on initial listening is equally impressive.....


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> have wondered on occasions if it is acceptable to mention recordings by Jarrett on this thread as he is essentially regarded as a 'jazz' musician but my son has just given me Bregenz/Munchen concerts as a Christmas present and what an album it is....so thought I might mention it.........in terms of Jarretts career it follows both chronologically and 'stylistically' Bremen/Lausanne,Sun Bear concerts and on initial listening is equally impressive.....


I think I've offered my two cents worth on this before, but: looking back at Jarrett's solo concerts from the current date they now sound far more classical than jazz, partly because ECM were blurring lines from the beginning, but also because since those recordings were made they appear to have had a greater influence on recent classical composers than jazz composers. And thats even more true of the more experimental albums like The Book Of Ways.

playing now, on the radio:










George Lloyd's Piano Concerto No.1 "Scapegoat" - Martin Roscoe, piano, cond.composer


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: DLVDE, w. Tennstedt et al (rec.1983 - '84), w. Herreweghe et al (rec.1993); DKW, w. Herreweghe et al (rec.2005); Lieder w. Hampson et al (rec.1988 - '92).

View attachment 31497
View attachment 31498
View attachment 31499







View attachment 31501


----------



## bejart

Leopold Florian Gassmann (1729-1774): Symphony in C Minor

Petr Chromcak directing the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Blake

Volkov's Harvey: Body Mandala. Greatness.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.8 in D Major, K.48; Symphony No.9 in C Major, K.75a; Symphony No."44" in D Major, K.81; Symphony No."47" in D Major, K.97: Symphony No."45" in D Major, K.95; Symphony No.11 in D Major, K.84; Symphony No.10 in G Major, K.74 and Symphony No."42" in F Major, K.75. *All eight symphonies feature Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.76 in E-Flat Major; Symphony No.77 in B-Flat Major; Symphony No.78 in C Minor; Symphony No.80 in D Minor; Symphony No.81 in G Major and Symphony No.79 in F Major. *
All six works are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russel Davies. 
Anton Bruckner-- *Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Haas Version} and Symphony No.6 in A Major, * both traversed by the Roberto Paternostro led Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Continuing my read-along with Hurwitz: Shostakovich Symphony No. 9, Haitink. What a delightful work! A pity that it cost Dmitri such grief. (But, I've gotta say, what an idiot he was! Did he really, totally, forget who was writing his paycheck? And the big news of the day?)


----------



## science

Vesuvius said:


> The Flux Quartet's Feldman: String Quartet No. 2. A 6 hour string quartet... this'll take a while.
> 
> View attachment 31494


I can't imagine playing that.


----------



## BlackDahlia

Listening to my newest classical purchase:

*Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39 - Jean Sibelius*
_Minnesota Orchestra & Osmo Vanska (2013)









_


----------



## KenOC

BTW re Haitink's Shostakovich cycle, which is very good. Amazon prices the MP3s at "$62.49. Buy the CD album for $48.99 and get the MP3 version for FREE." A big "Duh!" to that!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann Symphony 1 performed by Gardiner. Love this symphony.


----------



## KenOC

Gardiner's Schumann Symphonies are unbeatable.


----------



## samurai

science said:


> I can't imagine playing that.


Nor listening to it--at least all in one sitting--either.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

I'm going to be preoccupied with this one for a good two weeks, but it is time spent pleasurably  I have been an ardent fan of the New Viennese School since my first exposure in the mid-'70s. I am through disc one now and have previewed disc two once.









It was nice to hear different performances of the _Suite_, Op. 29, and the _Serenade_, Op. 24, two of my favourites, these played by Pierre Boulez' Ensemble Intercontemporain. The _Suite_, in particular, revealed some aspects I had never noticed previously. Also, Boulez' EI perform the sextet version of _Verklärte Nacht_, which I know best by the Schoenberg Quartet. The _3 Pieces for Chamber Orchestra_ and the _5 Pieces for Orchestra_, Op. 16, are entirely new to me. That's already about 18 minutes of new music on the first 2 of 11 discs. Schoenberg sounds very Webernian in these latter works.

I now have two versions of _Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte_, but neither is the one I know best (from LP, of course): the Lasalle Quartet/Kenneth Griffiths version (I think he has a Scottish accent and his voice had been the one I associated with the piece). Although I have had it for slightly over a year, I don't know the Schoenberg Quartet/Michael Grandage version that well yet, but the EI/David Wilson-Johnson recitation of Byron on this disc is great (I think he has an English accent).


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-two

the first half of the disc is miscellaneous songs from a variety of sources

the second half is folksong arrangements sung by the London Madrigal Singers. Including this recording was an important part part in the decision to buy this set to replace my scattered RVW albums. A desert island disc I wouldn't ever want to be without:


----------



## Conor71

*Grieg: Lyric Pieces*

Playing selections from some nice discs of Piano music - these ones:


----------



## Conor71

and this one :


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord

No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014
No. 2 in A major, BWV 1015
No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016*

Glenn Gould, Jaime Laredo [Sony Classical, 1995]

Ton Koopman, Catherine Manson [Challenge, 2012]

Bob van Asperen, Lucy van Dael [Naxos, 2001]





















A Bach marathon this morning. On Spotify


----------



## ptr

Inspired by the Sinfonietta by Janacek thread

*Leoš Janáček* - Symphonic Works including Taras Bulba and the Sinfonietta (Supraphon)









Czech Philharmonic Orchestra u. Charles Mackerras

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Rubbra stringy stuff


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 170 - Janet Baker, mezzo, Neville Marriner

Happy New Year in a few minutes time to everyone here

Having a brief musical interlude in a Hitchcock marathon with my friend who has been staying over Xmas. Just finished Saboteur and Lifeboat and will soon start up Notorious and The Paradine Case before he heads to the airport at 4 AM.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971

Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 14, 21 and 29*

Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl









amazon


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps (RCA)









Tashi

/ptr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Jonas Kaufmann singing German operatic arias.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 88 in G Major (Otto Klemperer: New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

György Kurtág - Hommage à R. Sch. - Robert Schumann [ECM New Series]

*Kurtág

Neun Stücke für Viola solo
Jelek, Op. 5 (for solo Viola)
Hommage à R. Sch., Op. 15d (for Piano, Viola & Clarinet trio)*

There's considerable austere beauty in these Kurtag works which are fast becoming favourites for me.
*
Schumann

Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132*

I'm beginning to 'get' the Marchenbilder and Marchenerzahlungen. I wonder if these readings are quite heavy and 'four-square': I have nothing to compare them to but I might try on Spotify

Kim Kashkashian, Viola; Robert Levin, Piano; Eduard Brunner, Clarinet


----------



## moody

SERGEI BORTKIEVICH. 
PIANO CONCERTO,OP.16 MARJORIE MITCHELL, VIENNA STATE OPERA ORCHESTRA, COND. WILLIAM STRICKLAND

When I first heard this I thought it was probably one of the worst pieces of music ever written.
But thought I should check again---I was right the first time !!


----------



## Doc

Highlights from Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Colin Davis.


----------



## Clayton

Fortinbras Armstrong said:


> Right now, I've returned to an old favorite, Mitsuko Uchida playing the Mozart Piano Concerto #20 in D Minor, K466...


Having seen your post I had to take this out of the tea cabinet for a listen again too.


----------



## Oskaar

*Stamitz: Viola Concertos *

Composer: *Carl Stamitz, Johann Wenzel Stamitz, Anton Stamitz *
Performer: *Jan Peruska *
Conductor: *Jiri Belohlávek *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Prague Philharmonia, Prague Chamber Orchestra
*

Concerto for Viola no 1 in D major by Carl Stamitz
Concerto for Viola in G major by Johann Wenzel Stamitz
Concerto for Viola in B flat major by Anton Stamitz









arkivmusic
allmusic


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Jan Tomasek (1774-1850): Symphony in D Major

Vladimir Valek conducting the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Gilberto

jim prideaux said:


> have wondered on occasions if it is acceptable to mention recordings by Jarrett on this thread as he is essentially regarded as a 'jazz' musician but my son has just given me Bregenz/Munchen concerts as a Christmas present and what an album it is....so thought I might mention it.........in terms of Jarretts career it follows both chronologically and 'stylistically' Bremen/Lausanne,Sun Bear concerts and on initial listening is equally impressive.....


As great as those Jarrett solo recordings are, I don't view them as either classical or jazz. I did listen to Riley's The Harp Of New Albion before the Jarrett album listed. Even though it was an improvised performance, each piece had a defined structure and various composed elements mapped out ahead of time. For that and all of the tinkering around with his ratios of intonation I consider it "classical".


----------



## csacks

E. Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Janos Sandor.


----------



## Doc

Stokowski conducting Elgar's Enigma Variations and Brahms's 1st symphony.


----------



## Andolink

*Guillaume de Machaut*: _Messe de Notre Dame_; _Le Lai de la Fonteinne_;
_Ma fin est mon commencement_
The Hilliard Ensemble








*Thomas Simpson*: _Consort music_ 
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman








*Benjamin Britten*: _The Holy Sonnets of John Donne_, Op. 35
Peter Pears, tenor
Benjamin Britten, piano


----------



## hpowders

Bach: WTC, Book One-Keith Jarrett-piano. My favorite piano version.


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Double Concerto in G Major for Two Violas

Musica Antiqua Koln -- Reinhard Goebel and Florian Deuter, violas


----------



## Oskaar

*John Adams:* Violin Concerto
*John Corigliano:* Chaconne from The Red Violin
*George Enescu:* Romanian Rhapsody #1 (arr. Franz Waxman)
*Franz Waxman:* Tristan and Isolde Fantasia *

* Chloë Hanslip, violin
* Charles Owen, piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin*









This is great! Varied and fun to listen to. Brilliant performances.

something to read:

classicsonline.com
naxos.com
allmusic.com
classical.net


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in C Minor, Op.18, No.1

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Alberto Salomon, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Credo Mass in C.*

This kind of music is a good way to start a day.


----------



## beetzart

Brahms Double Concerto. Quite sublime.


----------



## scratchgolf

After much procrastination, I'm finally listening to Messiaen, much in part to Mahlerian's recommendations. I imagine it will be some time before I've formed an opinion. I've chosen the Quartet for the End of Time as my starting point.


----------



## techniquest

I'm listening to Janacek's 'Sinfonietta', inspired by the 'Do you like Janacek's Sinfonietta' thread


----------



## Oskaar

*Anders Koppel: Concertos*

Performer: *Yana Deshkova, Anna Maria D. Dahl, Claus Ettrup Larsen, Mette Nielsen, *... 
Conductor: *Matthias Aeschbacher *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Aalborg Symphony Orchestra*

1. 
Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, Clarinet, Bassoon and Orchestra by Anders Koppel 
Performer: Yana Deshkova (Violin), Anna Maria D. Dahl (Viola)

2. 
Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra by Anders Koppel 
Performer: Claus Ettrup Larsen (Flute), Mette Nielsen (Harp)

3. 
Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra by Anders Koppel 
Performer: Mattias Johansson (Tuba)









Fantastic record, very good sound and performances, and Koppels music is rich and advenureous. The danes has a lot to offer!

arkivmusic


----------



## Vasks

_The giants of Classicism_

*Beethoven - String Quintet in E-flat, Op. 4 (Leipzig Quartet +/MDG)
F.J. Haydn - Piano Trio in E, Hob. XV:34 (Beaux Arts/Philips)
W. A. Mozart - Symphony #16 in C (Mackerras/Telarc)*


----------



## Blake

The Alban Berg Collection, Disc 1. Another great one.


----------



## bejart

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Piano Quintet in C Minor

Kocian Quartet with Jaroslav Tuma on piano: Pavel Hula and Milos Czerny, violins -- Zbynek Padourek, viola -- Vaclav Bernasek, cello


----------



## Itullian

Number 2.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Missa Brevis in C, "Spaur"*


----------



## techniquest

Now I'm listening to this excellent Kilar disc because he died the other day and I'm reminded how much I enjoy his music.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hildegard von Bingen: Marriage of the Heavens and the Earth*

Performer: *Joseph Rowe* (Mbira), *Catherine Braslavsky* (Voice), *Catherine Braslavsky* (Dulcimer)









gorgeous!

amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Berg - Piano Sonata Op.1

Schoenberg

Three Piano Pieces, Op.11
Seven little piano pieces, Op. 19
5 piano pieces, Op. 23
Suite for Piano, Op. 25*

Peter Hill [Naxos]









*J S Bach - Sonatas for violin & keyboard

No. 4 in C minor, BWV 1017
No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1018
No. 6 in G major, BWV 1019; (variant), BWV 1019a*

Micaela Comberti (Vn.) / Colin Tilney (Harpsichord) [Dorian, rec. 2000]









I rather like these understated performances. They don't seem to have been all that well critically received, though.


----------



## ptr

*Alfredo Casella* - Serenata, Concerto per archi, Divertimento per Fulvia (CPO)









Haydn Orchestra Bolzano e Trento u. Alun Francis

Happened on this by chance, reminds me much of the Swedish Composer Lars-Erik Larsson, light, entertaining, capricious in the same ways... Perfect when You need some light entertainment that is not wholly predictable... :tiphat:

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Gardiner's recording of "Thamos, King of Egypt" (which I think I prefer over Harnoncourt's, the only other I've heard). I recommend this one for the brilliant plot, if nothing else.

*edit* And now I'm trying out Rene Jacob's well-reviewed recording of La finta Giardiniera.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.12 in E Flat, Op.127

Cleveland String Quartet: William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello


----------



## hpowders

Stravinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps, Valery Gergiev, Kirov Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*MUSIC FROM ESTONIA - Tobias, Lemba, Eller, Riad, Tormis, Part*

Jarvi, Neeme, Conductor • Pierce, Eluned, harp • Digney, John, oboe • Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Tobias, Rudolf Julius Caesar-
Lemba, Artur Symphony in C sharp minor-
Eller, Heino Videvik (Twilight)-
Eller, Heino Koit (Dawn)-
Eller, Heino Elegy-
Raid, Kaljo Symphony No. 1-
Eller, Heino 5 Pieces-
Tormis, Veljo Overture No. 2-
Part, Arvo Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten-









Very interresting and varied listen.

amazon


----------



## opus55

Schumann: String Quartets










Listening to the first quartet. Then I'll see if I want to listen to 2nd or 3rd quartet.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Stravinsky*: Song of the Nightingale, w. CSO/Reiner (rec.1956); Firebird Suite, w. ACO/Chailly (rec.1994); Pulcinella, Jeux de Cartes, w. LSO/Abbado (rec.1975 - '79).

View attachment 31574
View attachment 31575
View attachment 31576


----------



## Vasks

oskaar said:


> *MUSIC FROM ESTONIA - Tobias, Lemba, Eller, Riad, Tormis, Part*
> 
> View attachment 31573
> 
> 
> amazon


Curiously, I have that same CD but with an entirely different cover


----------



## Vaneyes

Conor71 said:


>


Thank you, Conor71, for my second favorite album cover for 2013.

A *Happy 2014* for all my listening buddies. :tiphat:


----------



## MagneticGhost

Disc 2

1. Metastaseis (Iannis Xenakis) - Iannis Xenakis
2. Ionisation (Edgard Varèse) - Edgard Varese
3. Williams Mix (John Cage) - John Cage
4. The Forbidden Planet (Louis and Bebe Barron) - Louis & Bebe Barron
5. Interferenzen (Giselher Klebe) - Giselher Klebe
6. Gesang der Jünglinge (Karlheinz Stockhausen) - Karlheinz Stockhausen
7. Le Voile d'Orphée (Pierre Henry) - Pierre Henry
8. The Feathered Serpent of the Aztecs (Les Baxter) - Les Baxter
9. Leiyla and the Poet (Halim El-Dabh) - Halim El-Dabh
10. Gargoyles (Otto Luening) - Otto Luening

Freaking the Mrs out - but it's some great stuff


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Mane Giornorvichi (1735-1804): Violin Concerto No.6 in F Major

Kurt Sassmannshaus leading the Starling Chamber Orchestra -- Tania Davison, violin


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select









While awaiting the arrival of two Bartók albums, I am exploring the traditional roots of his music. Muzsikás, the internationally known Hungarian folk ensemble, are here joined by violinist Alexander Balanescu (of the Balanescu Quartet). The album is a study in Bartók's roots, including: a number of Bartók's original field recordings from the early 1900s; some of Bartók's violin duos based on the melodies from the field recordings, performed by Alexander Balanescu and Mihály Sipos, one of the group's violinists; other songs performed by Muzsikás used by Bartók in his works, etc. Márta Sebastyén, the vocalist, known for her performance in the film _The English Patient_, is a regular guest on Muzsikás' albums.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

opus55 said:


> Schumann: String Quartets
> Listening to the first quartet. Then I'll see if I want to listen to 2nd or 3rd quartet.


I predict that you will want to...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Max Bruch, Scottish Fantasy for Violin with Orchestra and Harp (Yuzuko Horigome; Yuri Simonov; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).









Excellent music!


----------



## Ingélou

*Halvorsen - Symphony no 2 in D minor *- 'Fatum', 1924 - on the recommendation of a nice TC member, senior moment, can't remember who  but *gramercy*! :tiphat:

Recommended as '20th century tuneful' and *definitely* does what it says on the tin!


----------



## opus55

TurnaboutVox said:


> I predict that you will want to...


 I left work then I continued to listen to the rest in my car.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.26 in D Minor

Trevor Pinnock conducting the English Concert


----------



## Blake

Volkov's Harvey: Tranquil Abiding. Most excellent.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Ingélou said:


> *Halvorsen - Symphony no 2 in D minor *- 'Fatum', 1924 - on the recommendation of a nice TC member, senior moment, can't remember who  but *gramercy*! :tiphat:


Besides the park in New York and Artie Shaw's quintet, I didn't know gramercy was a word. Thanks for bringing that up.

Now, Mozart's* Missa brevis in C, Spatzenmesse*, Harnoncourt. According to Wicki, this is quoted somewhere in Mozart's Requiem. I think the quote slipped by me.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Claude Debussy, Deux arabesques - Allegretto scherzando (Philippe Entremont).
Reverie (Paul Crossley).









Getting to know Debussy and liking it a lot so far :D. His style reminds me quite a bit of Chopin but he definitely still has a sound of his own.


----------



## Blake

Boulez: Rituel, Eclat, & Multiples.









Knox's Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Marcello (1668-1747): Oboe Concerto in D Minor

Andrea Marcon leading the Venice Baroque Orchestra -- Paolo Grazzi, oboe


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1948 in the Shostakovich Hurwitz read-along. Violin Concerto No. 1. Is this DSCH's finest work? It's gotta be close. And this is a VERY fine reading.


----------



## Vasks

Vesuvius said:


> Knox's Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques.
> 
> View attachment 31586


LOL! I've been patiently watching & waiting for a cheap used one of these to show up for a few years now. And the wait continues...


----------



## Clayton

Yeahh!

much wine flowing in Berkhamsted for a few hours now...









great fun, fun fun!

good health and happiness to all (with a good measure of music)!


----------



## Flamme

A CD of music of Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra under Von Karajan with ''Blue danube...'',''Radetzky March'' and such...Got it for free with newspapers today, nice gesture of a publisher...


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner); Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki)
Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 (Berglund/COE).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## hpowders

To take me to the final countdown to 2014: Bach's Keyboard Partitas performed by the one and only Trevor Pinnock on harpsichord, with all glorious repeats taken.

*Happy 2014 to all my music loving friends!!!*


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Hans Rott's symphony, recorded by the Radio Symphonieorchester Wien under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies. A fine recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Mackerras and co in Janacek's Sinfonietta--having been inspired by the thread on the topic.


----------



## Aramis

I was tempted by the cover without much hunger for the composers at the moment (Berlioz/Liszt/Reber) by this is blow-away CD. The ensamble is HIP orchestra of best possible format.

Now, HIP Liszt. How does that sound? With him, nobody thinks about historical accuracy and consideratrion and it seems alright not to worry about HIP aspect. Well, not really. We got a historical piano here too, and it turns out that this instrument gives the advanced harmonies WAAAAAAAAY differently than the modern piano. Similiar revelations occur when you listen to Chopin on period piano. The orchestra offers clarity of symphonic score as no other recording of E flat major concerto I've heard. Similiarly, the early op. 8 of Berlioz is very refreshing (though it's not a work that people tend to overlisten, including me).

As a bonus you get enjoyeable and at times weird symphony by Napoleon. Funny enough, the composer with this name mimics the coda of Beethoven's Eroica in analogical part of his work (at least that was my impression).


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1953 now. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, Petrenko. The greatest symphony of the last 100 years? Certainly a great recording.


----------



## hpowders

Scheduled for 12:01 AM, EST, January 1st, 2014 is Mahler Symphony #9 with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan. The greatest performance of the greatest symphony I know.

*HAPPY 2014 EVERYBODY*!!!


----------



## Conor71

Some random Piano music from these 2 box-sets (Aldo Ciccolini and Zoltan Kocsis playing):










*Not pictured: Debussy Edition (DG)*


----------



## KenOC

Conor71 said:


> Some random Piano music from these 2 box-sets (Aldo Ciccolini and Zoltan Kocsis playing):


At midnight you can play Sonata Bureaucratique -- the version with cannons, if you've got it!


----------



## Itullian

The KUSC NEW YEARS EVE BASH from 7pm west coast time to 2am tonight.
Jokes, comedy, music. A great listen , live, for tonight.
kusc.org
commercial free classical radio on the net.

A lot of fun


----------



## Blake

Arditti's Harvey: String Quartets and Trio.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

I've gotten to disc three already 









_Die Glückliche Hand_ is entirely new to me. I need a few more listens to be able to place it.

_Variations for Orchestra_ is an old favourite that I know from Karajan/BPO (on a former LP) and more recently from Boulez/Chicago SO (on an Apex CD I bought in the last 1-2 years). This Boulez/BBC SO performance is magnificent. I will have to try comparing some day 

The piece that I feel captures the evening is _Verklärte Nacht_ in this string orchestra version from Boulez/NY Phil. I am not that familiar with my other version by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Holliger on an Apex CD I got last summer. Once again, it is the Karajan/BPO performance from an old LP I owned until about 25 years ago that I am most familiar with (I like to think I have a good memory  ).


----------



## Blake

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> I've gotten to disc three already
> 
> View attachment 31608
> 
> 
> _Die Glückliche Hand_ is entirely new to me. I need a few more listens to be able to place it.
> 
> _Variations for Orchestra_ is an old favourite that I know from Karajan/BPO (on a former LP) and more recently from Boulez/Chicago SO (on an Apex CD I bought in the last 1-2 years). This Boulez/BBC SO performance is magnificent. I will have to try comparing some day
> 
> The piece that I feel captures the evening is _Verklärte Nacht_ in this string orchestra version from Boulez/NY Phil. I am not that familiar with my other version by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Holliger on an Apex CD I got last summer. Once again, it is the Karajan/BPO performance from an old LP I owned until about 25 years ago that I am most familiar with (I like to think I have a good memory  ).


Schoenberg is amazing. His quartets are some of the best I've heard. That Boulez set is on my list, for sure.


----------



## opus55

Bach, CPE: Oboe Concertos
Salieri: Concerto for Oboe, Violin and Cello in D major


----------



## Weston

I finally got around to a deep listening session with *Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor, "Tragic,"* Antoni Wit / Polish National Symphony Orchestra.

All I had available at the moment is a Naxos performance though it seems powerful enough to me.









I had started writing lengthy impressions of each movement, but found the world getting blurry by the fourth movement. One thing I have learned about Mahler, his instrumentation and orchestral colors are unusual even today. I love all the bell-like sounds, celestes, glockenspiels? Weird cowbell tree things? I'm not sure. I just know they are very different.

This version places the scherzo second, but it is so similar in tempo and mood (at first) to the first movement, I see it working better as a third movement. The Andante is one of the finest and moving slow movements I've ever heard, somehow combining nostalgia, beauty and regret all at the same time. The fourth is a monster perhaps best heard on a following evening when one is not already exhausted from the previous three --though an explosion halfway through rather woke me up. Sounded like a cherry bomb used as a percussion instrument. Perhaps Mahler knew we would need this.

Somehow I do not find it tragic enough to be called "Tragic." It's just a really well cooked sweet and savory stew of abstract music which for me is the essence of what a symphony should be.

(By the way, Maestro Mahler. Thanks for the second and last explosion to let me know the end has arrived. Trying to give us all a heart condition too?)


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No.12 in G Major, K.110; Symphony No."46 " in C Major, K.96; Symphony No.13 in F Major, K.112; Symphony No.14 in A Major, K.114 and Symphony No.15 in G Major, K.124. *All five works are performed by the Sir Charles Mackerras led Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn-- *Symphony No.59 in A Major; Symphony No.49 in F Minor {"La pasione"}; Symphony No.26 in D Minor {Lamentatione"}; Symphony No.87 in A Major; Symphony No.85 in B-Flat Major {"La Reine"} and Symphony No.83 in G Minor {"La Poule"}. * All six symphonies feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> ...
> 
> A *Happy 2014* for all my listening buddies. :tiphat:





hpowders said:


> *Happy 2014 to all my music loving friends!!!*


*

Best wishes for 2014 to all TC "current listeners" too!

*


----------



## Sid James

Drawing some parallels with recent listening as usual for my regular blog entry. Before I start, the images (top to bottom) are: Cover of the score of Scott Joplin's 'Maple Leaf Rag'; one of Edward Hopper's paintings of loneliness in the city ('Automat,' 1927); photo of New York in the 1920's.

*Ives, ragtime and American music - Music by Ives, Copland, Cage and Bernstein*

*Ives' innovations*

*Charles Ives* was one of the great innovators in American music, anticipating many techniques and trends by as much as half a century or more. Most of his works where written between 1890 and 1918, when he largely retired from composing, yet not many people knew about or cared for his music. Working as a successful insurance broker, he composed in his spare time and sporadically published his music at his own expense. However, towards the end of his life his music did gain traction, in part thanks to the emerging conductor and musical polymath Leonard Bernstein.

In this entry I am focusing on some aspects of Ives' music that influenced succeeding generations of American composers. His bringing the American vernacular - namely ragtime - into classical music is the main commonality here. Ives anticipated aspects of the works of the composers on my play list, and many others. He used techniques such as the tone clusters of Cowell, the chance techniques of Cage, the combination of jazz and classical in Copland, Gershwin and Bernstein, the rhythmic complexity and atonality of Carter, the microtonality of Partch and the repetitive aspects of Minimalists like Glass and Reich.

*The pivotal element of ragtime*

*Ragtime*, which had its heyday between the 1890's and mid 1910's, is a type of syncopated music using symmetrical three-part structures. Scott Joplin and James P. Johnson where the most famous composers of ragtime.

All of these works have ragtime serving as a pivotal element. It is present in the middle movement of the Ives piece, and Copland, Cage and Bernstein all include solo piano passages (cadenzas) reminiscent of ragtime in these works. All four works also feature the piano in a soloist role, even though only one is actually called a concerto.










*Charles Ives* _Set for Theater or Chamber Orchestra (I. In the Cage, II. In the Inn, III. In the Night) _ (1906-11)
- Ensemble Modern conducted by Ingo Metzmacher (EMI)

*Ives'* _Piano Sonata #1_ was groundbreaking in incorporating ragtime into a classical piece. The composer took _In the Inn_ directly from this work, adding orchestral accompaniment to make it the middle movement of the *Set for Theatre or Chamber Orchestra.* The first movement is an orchestral transcription of one of his songs, _In the Cage._ The song, about a bored leopard in a zoo going round and round his cage, is perfectly mirrored by the repetitiveness of the music. The vague final movement _In the Night_ imparts an eerie and hazy night-time world.

*Aaron Copland* _Piano Concerto_ (also called _Jazz Concerto_) (1926)
- Benjamin Pasternack, piano with Elgin SO conducted by Robert Hanson (Naxos)

*Copland* was influenced by two European composers who incorporated ragtime into their music, Debussy and Stravinsky. Copland had spent time in Paris studying under Nadia Boulanger in the 1920's. The city was the center of European jazz between the wars, American soldiers had bought their music with them at the end of World War I.

Copland's *Piano Concerto* shows a side of the composer that is not very well known. Parallels have been drawn between Copland's concerto and Gershwin's one, written only in the previous year. However to my ears, if Gershwin's concerto presents 'The Roaring Twenties' with its use of the rhythms of the Charleston dance craze, the pizzazz of the flapper era and a hint of Broadway glitz, Copland's comes across as showing the seedier side of New York City. Like the composer's later _Piano Sonata_, it conveys a sense of the city as not only a place of frenetic activity and millions of people having a good time, but also psychological emptiness and loneliness.

The work opens with an imposing fanfare that is followed by an emotional bluesy tune. The pivotal ragtime piano solo comes in the middle of the concerto, it is a lively piece but there is a sense of something wrong, its rhythms are bizarre and sound as if a machine is playing them (the score here is marked _molto rubato_). The end of the work sees all three ideas combined contrapuntally, with added jazzy elements such as muted trumpets. It ends quite triumphantly, but I still find it to be a dark work overall.

One anecdote speaks volumes to Copland's approach here. During the 1920's or '30's, he met Gershwin at a party. After exchanging pleasantries, the composers had nothing much else to say to eachother. The conversation quickly ended. Years later Copland reminisced that he and Gershwin had nothing in common.

Another issue speaking to this is the critical failure of Copland's concerto at its premiere with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitzky, the composer as soloist. Gershwin's concerto had a mixed reception, but Copland's provoked outright hostility. The audience was inattentive and laughed, critics compared it to things like a child bashing the piano and the noises of farm animals. Sadly, unlike Gershwin's concerto, Copland's has not become more accepted since.










*John Cage* _Credo in Us_ (1942)
- Burkhard Wissemann, Michael Dietz, percussion ; Christoph Keller, piano ; Johann-Nikolaus Mattes, turntables (phonograph), electronics (radio) ; Rainer Riehn, conductor (EMI)

*Credo in Us* is a work I have a lot of time for, I enjoy listening to it and have even had a chance to hear it live. I like the zany contrasts in this piece, between old and new, between the ordered and the anarchic.

This early work combines notated elements for the percussionists and pianist with the chance element of recorded sound entering the fray. In this recording, Dvorak's 'New World' symphony is used, however any 'warhorse' type classical piece can be used as a counterpoint to the notated parts. In this recording voices coming from a radio are also thrown into the mix. The pivotal moment for the pianist is the ragtime-like cadenza, and listening to this you'd swear Ives wrote it, its very similar to _In the Inn_.

Cage studied under Cowell, who began composing using the modern techniques Ives had pioneered, such as chance elements and tone clusters. Elliott Carter, who knew Ives and worked with him, said that Ives "sometimes wrote remarks in the score directed to the performer to encourage him to give a free reign to his fantasy." This gives a clue to the connection at least by default between Ives and Cowell, and directly between Cowell and Cage.










*Leonard Bernstein* _Symphony #2, "The Age of Anxiety"_ (1949)
- Lukas Foss, piano with Israel PO conducted by the composer (Deutsche Grammophon)

If Copland's concerto hints at the alienation of people living in the cities of the 20th century, *Bernstein's Symphony #2 "Age of Anxiety"* is inspired by a poem that is exactly about that. W. H. Auden's poem forms the subtitle of the symphony. Its about a group of people who meet in a bar and end up having a boozy party in an apartment which opens them up to questions of faith and existence. In the composer's words, "the characters go on an inner and highly symbolic journey…[and] are closely united through a common experience (and through alcohol) and begin to function as one organism."

The work has an unusual structure, combining symphony, variations, and concerto forms. It is in two parts consisting of three movements per part. The lyrical and emotional solo for clarinets that opens the work does come across as very much like Ravel. That theme as well as a ragtime-like one and a funeral march (strong shades of _Dies Irae_ there) are suggested at in the first part and then elaborated in the second part.

The ragtime fully emerges in the middle movement of the second part, called _The Masque._ There is much rhythmic propulsion here and even joy, the xylophonist joining the fray to accompany the pianist, adding to the rhythmic contrasts as well.

Due to his busy work as a conductor, Bernstein completed the symphony whilst traveling. He used any place or time he could find, aboard planes or waiting in airport lounges or hotel lobbies. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Bernstein's mentor Serge Koussevitzky conducting and the composer at the piano. The premiere was successful, and the work received a prestigious award, just like Lenny's first symphony had.

Its no surprise that, given its essentially dramatic nature, _Age of Anxiety_ was turned into a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins in 1950. They where to work together later that decade on Lenny's biggest hit, _West Side Story_.


----------



## samurai

Sid James said:


> Best wishes for 2014 to all TC "current listeners" too!


To Sid, hpowders and all of my fellow TC members, thanks for all of your wonderful posts and insights during the past year; just keep 'em coming!
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year, one and all. :kiss:


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 1


----------



## Conor71

KenOC said:


> At midnight you can play Sonata Bureaucratique -- the version with cannons, if you've got it!


Just downloaded the box today and havent heard this work yet! - I will play it next


----------



## Blake

Arditti's Ligeti: String Quartets and Duets.


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier


----------



## brotagonist

Wishing everyone a Transfigured Night to start an even better New Year


----------



## science




----------



## TurnaboutVox

Good morning from a damp and dreich north-west England, and a happy new year to everyone who posts in this thread. My passion for classical music, especially for exploring the heretofore unknown, has got nicely refreshed here over the last few months: thank you all.

Starting as I mean to go on in 2014:

Haydn:

Piano Sonata No. 1 in G major, Hob.XVI:8
Piano Sonata No. 2 in C major, Hob.XVI:7
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F major, Hob.XVI:9
Piano Sonata No. 4 in G major, Hob.XVI:G1
Piano Sonata No. 5 in G major, Hob.XVI:11
Piano Sonata No. 6 in C major, Hob.XVI:10
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Hob.XVII: D1
Piano Sonata No. 8 in A major, Hob.XVI:5
Piano Sonata No. 9 in D major, Hob.XVI:4
Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major, Hob.XVI:1

Jenö Jandó (piano) [Naxos]









This set contains some delightful music. I have not previously heard Haydn's earliest keyboard sonatas. I had to remove a bizarre smiley which appeared above: the intended Hoboken listing for Sonata #7 is Hob:XVII:capital d 1, which the website sees as )


----------



## Oskaar

Vasks said:


> Curiously, I have that same CD but with an entirely different cover


Yes I saw it while checking out info.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-three

Folksong Arrangements - Robert Tear, tenor, Philip Ledger, piano
A Song Of Thanksgiving - Adrian Boult, cond.

taken from:


----------



## Oskaar

And Happy New Year to all fellow tc-people!


----------



## ptr

Some EAM!

*Luc Ferrari* - L'Oeuvre Electronique CD 7 & 8; Far-West News 1 - 3 (10cds ina grm, 2009)









/ptr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! 

J. S. Bach, Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major (Preludio) 
D. Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in G Major,
W. A. Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major - Andante grazioso e variazioni 
J. Haydn, Piano Sonata Hob. 16/23 in F Major 
Ludwig van Beethoven, 32 variations in C minor on an original theme - Thema. Allegretto 
Frederic Chopin, Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major - Allegretto (Vladimir Horowitz).


----------



## Oskaar

*FERNSTROM, J.: Symphony No. 6 / Flute Concertino / Den kapriciose trubaduren*

Swedish Radio Chorus, female section, Choir • Franck, Mikko, Conductor • Solyom, Stefan, Conductor • Horberg, Susanne, flute • Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra









Not very complicated, but strong, adventurous music. Good!

prestoclassical


----------



## SimonNZ

"Medieval Paris: Music Of The City" - Christopher Ball, dir.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3
Piano Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 13
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 20*

Antonio Pompa-Baldi (piano) [Centaur, 2011]









These classical era sonatas are very competent (if I may be so presumptuous) and also very enjoyable. They are somewhat Mozartian without quite having Mozart's facility with a melody, with just a little that is reminiscent of Beethoven too. I was surprised to hear something reminiscent of Chopin in the Adagio Maestoso of #3, Op. 20 as well.

(Edit: Wikipedia tells me that Chopin may have heard Hummel play, so maybe this is not so surprising. Jed Distler in Classics Today comments: "(Op. 20) reveals Johann Nepomuk Hummel as a plausible "missing link" between Beethoven and Chopin, but also as a formidable, creative force in his own right.")

First time listening for me. I've previously tried Czerny's piano sonatas, but I think I like these more as they seem better crafted as whole works.


----------



## moody

ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA. Saxon State Orchestra cond : Rudolf Kempe.

"For too long we have dreamt music---now let us awake". Richard Strauss placed these words at the head of this composition and I thought it would be suitable for a new beginning as in a sunrise or new year.


----------



## maestro267

*R. Strauss*: Don Quixote
Chicago SO/Reiner


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 101 in D Major, 'The Clock' (Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## Guest

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

Piano Concerto #9 In E Flat, K 271, "Jeunehomme"
Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Concerto (#10) In E Flat For 2 Pianos, K 365 (K316a)
Malcolm Bilson, Robert Levin; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists








Max Bruch
Violin Concerto No.1. in G minor, op. 26
Nicola Benedetti, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Andolink

*Alexander Zemlinsky*: _String Quartet No. 4, 'Suite', Op. 25_ (1936)
Escher String Quartet








*Elliott Carter*: _Sonata for Violoncello and Piano_ (1948)
Fred Sherry, cello
Charles Wuorinen, piano








*Christopher Tye*: _Omne gentes, plaudite_; _Peccavimus cum patribus nostris_
Choir of Winchester Cathedral/David Hill


----------



## science




----------



## hpowders

To celebrate the New Year, I will bypass the latest televised Vienna Philharmonic New Year concert and go with the 1992 affair with Carlos Kleiber instead. Unsurpassed assortment of the usual waltzes, polkas and marches!


----------



## science

All three works I could afford to know better. (I have the CD with both Haydn cello concertos.)


----------



## bejart

Anna Bon di Venezia (ca.1740-1767?): Flute Sonata No.4 in D Major

Christiane Meininger, flute -- Traud Kloft, harpsichord


----------



## maestro267

*Rimsky-Korsakov*: Scheherazade
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Kondrashin


----------



## Doc

Vivaldi: Complete recorder concerti / Laszlo Kecskemeti and Laszlo Czidra
Brahms: Double concerto and 2nd symphony / Haitink and the LSO
Brahms: 2nd symphony, Tragic overture and Festival overture /Brahms and the Berlin Phil


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Grabmusik.*

I'm not sure what they're singing - they provide absolutely no liner notes in this box set - but it sounds nice.


----------



## ptr

*Knudåge Riisager* - The Symphonic Edition Vol. 1 & 2 (DaCapo)
(Vol 1; Overture for Erasmus Montanus, op. 1 (c. 1918-1920) Danish Pictures no. 1 / Klods Hans (Jack the Dullard), op. 18 (1929) Danish Pictures no. 2 / Symphony no. 1, op. 8 (1925) / Comoedie, Danish Pictures no. 4, op. 21 (1930) Danish Pictures no. 4 / Fastelavn (Carnival), op. 20 (1930) Danish Pictures no. 3
Vol 2; T-DOXC (poème mécanique) for orchestra op. 13 (1926) / Symphony no. 2, op. 14 (1927) / Concerto for Orchestra op. 24 (1931) / Primavera, Concert Overture, op. 31 (1934) / Sinfonia (Symphony no. 3), op. 30 (1935))







---








Aarhus Symphony Orchestra u. Bo Holten

/ptr


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Sergiu Celibidache & the Münchner Philharmoniker
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major

I received this DVD of a 1985 performance for Christmas and have finally had chance to watch it. Currently on the Third Movement - *Scherzo, molto vivace*.

Celibidache once again shines with *His* orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

* Nielsen : Clarinet Concerto - Englund : Clarinet Concerto - Crusell : Introduction et Air Suédois Varié*

*Kullervo Kojo and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra*
*Jukka-Peka Saraste*









I have only almost finished the fantastic 1-movement Nielsen concerto. It change between slover romantic moods, and faster, at time almost jazzy sequences. Brilliant played by Kojo, and steady backed up by the orchestra. Hope the rest is as good as this. Quite new recording,so the sound is rich and clear through my Beyerdynamic headphones.

amazon


----------



## bejart

Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Concerto Grosso in C Minor, Op.6, No.3

Robert Salter leading the Guildhall String Ensemble


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing my listening sequence of Mahler's symphonies. I can confidently say, this is the one I know least well, having not heard it until given this recording in 2012.

*Mahler - Symphony No. 7* / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [DG, rec. 1984]









Well, this is very fine indeed.


----------



## Sonata

Chopin piano concerto 2, Bruckner symphony 6


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*J. Strauss, Jr. - Die Fledermaus (Danon/RCA)*


----------



## Oskaar

*Maurice Emmanuel: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2, Le poème du Rhône*

Conductor(s):
*Lockhart, James; Nopre, Gilles *

Orchestra(s):
*Rhenish Philharmonic Orchestra*









Another gem! I

naxos


----------



## hpowders

Blocked out 5 hours this afternoon to listen to an old friend, Berlioz' great masterpiece, Les Troyens.


----------



## Oskaar

*George Enescu: Symphony No. 3; Ouverture de Concert*

Conductor: *Hannu Lintu *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra*









I had forgotten how much I liked Enescu. Brilliant recording,and very new.

arkivmusik


----------



## Mahlerian

Brought in the new year with some early Mozart:

Mozart: Symphonies #12-15, "#46"
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras








The A major #14 is the most well-known here, and it's a very memorable work. All of the others have their own moments though.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three
_
New Generation Artists
Kitty Whately, Mark Simpson, Lise Berthaud, Zha...

With performances from Kitty Whately, Mark Simpson, Lise Berthaud and Zhang Zho._


----------



## Blancrocher

Solti conducting Liszt's "Les Preludes." Happy New Year, everyone.


----------



## Rocco

Just listened to the first three discs of Handel's Chandos Anthems during a 3 and a half hour drive yesterday....Wonderful.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Unknown Enescu Vol 1* *Sherban Lupu-violin*

*Aubade* in C major

Ian Hobson (piano)

*Pastorale, menuet triste et nocturne*

Enescu Ensemble of the University of Illinois, Sherban Lupu

*Sarabande*

*Sérénade lointaine*

Marin Cazacu (cello), Ilinca Dumitrescu (piano)

*Andante malinconico for violin & piano*

Ilinca Dumitrescu (piano)

*Prelude and Gavotte*

Samir Golescu (piano), Dmitry Kouzov (cello)

*Airs dans le genre roumain*

*Légende*

Masumi Per Rostad (viola)

*Sérénade en sourdine*

Dmitry Kouzov (cello)

*Fantaisie concertante*

*Nocturne 'Villa d'Avrayen'*

*Hora Unirei*

*Aria and Scherzino*

Enescu Ensemble of the University of Illinois, Sherban Lupu-violin









Now, or at least when I have finished this record I can die happily with a smile on my face. What a reliase! All kinds of small and bigger elements that lays in these pearles are perfectly painted out by Lupu. And what an instrument violin is in the hands of musicians like him. This is very very recommended!

arkivmusic


----------



## MagneticGhost

Disc 11

Messiaen plays Messiaen

Messe de la Pentecote
Livre d'orgue


----------



## starthrower

Disc 4:

Hamburg Concerto
Double Concerto for Flute & Oboe
Ramifications
Requiem


----------



## bejart

Nicolas Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet No.9 in G Major

Zmeskall Quartet: Milos Valent and Dagmar Valentova, violins -- Peter Vrbincik, viola -- Juraj Kovac, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major (Murray Perahia; English Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Weihnachts-Oratorium, Part IV (Gardiner).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*Mathaes, Jessica - Suites and Sweets*

Waters, Rodney, piano • Mathaes, Jessica, violin

*Cowell, Henry • Falla, Manuel de • Korngold, Erich Wolfgang • Massenet, Jules • Ravel, Maurice • Stravinsky, Igor*









Not so intense as my last post, but still a gem! Jessicas slightly laid back style suits the works.

classicsonline.com


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Mahler - Symphony No. 3. First time I listen a complete Mahler symphony. I am taking advantage that I'm in the mood to listen it complete. I confess that I feel intimidated. It's much longer that the others symphonies that I have listened.


----------



## Itullian

OldFashionedGirl said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 3. First time I listen a complete Mahler symphony. I am taking advantage that I'm in the mood to listen it complete. I confess that I feel intimidated. It's much longer that the others symphonies that I have listened.


Try 1 as well. Very enjoyable.


----------



## Novelette

hpowders said:


> Blocked out 5 hours this afternoon to listen to an old friend, Berlioz' great masterpiece, Les Troyens.


Sounds like a marvelous afternoon!!

My own day's listening:

Haydn: Orfeo ed Euridice, H 28/13 -- Cecilia Bartoli; Christopher Hogwood: Academy Of Ancient Music & Chorus

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## hpowders

Novelette said:


> Sounds like a marvelous afternoon!!
> 
> My own day's listening:
> 
> Haydn: Orfeo ed Euridice, H 28/13 -- Cecilia Bartoli; Christopher Hogwood: Academy Of Ancient Music & Chorus
> 
> Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 -- Vasily Petrenko: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra


Thank you! It was. You chose some stimulating pieces!


----------



## DavidA

Tchaikovsky Piano concerto 1 - Graffman / Szell

Incidentally shows what a great accompanist Szell was. How he brings out the orchestration is worth hearing in itself. Amazing one critic described it as too rigid and buttoned up for Tchaikovsky. Reflects on the critics more than Szell, I think.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 95 in C minor (Otto Klemperer; New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## DavidA

hpowders said:


> Blocked out 5 hours this afternoon to listen to an old friend, Berlioz' great masterpiece, Les Troyens.


I have this. Must dust it down some time when I have the time to spare.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This holiday classic can slip into schmaltz in the wrong hands... but Valery Gergiev's interpretation is fierce, fiery, and taken at lightning speed.


----------



## starthrower

Messiaen- L'Ascension for organ. Olivier Latry


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Marcel Khalife - Jadal


----------



## Oskaar

*FRANCK, C.: Symphony, M. 48 / Psyche*

Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Vassil Kazandjiev









amazon


----------



## Itullian




----------



## bejart

Luigi Gatti (1740-1817): Duet No.5 in E Flat for Violin and Viola

Emmanuele Baldini, violin -- Thomas Cavuoto, viola


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Dvorak - String Quartets

No. 9 in D minor, Op 34 */ Wihan Quartet [Nimbus, 2011]
*
No. 10 in E flat, Op. 51 & No. 11 in E flat, Op. 61* / Chilingirian Quartet [Chandos, 1989]















I'm always surprised that such attractive works are so much less popular than the Op. 96 'American' quartet.


----------



## starthrower

Messiaen - Fete des belles eaux for Ondes Martenot.

Never heard anything like this before!


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Listening for the first time to Sibelius 7 (Vänskä/Lahti). It's magnificent.


----------



## hpowders

Stravinsky Le Sacre Du Printemps Pierre Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm continuing with my music of the season:










Michael Praetorius' _Awaiting the Messiah: A Lutheran Advent Service_ and _A Vespers for Christmas Day_
performed by Apollo's Fire, my home-town Baroque orchestra, and a collection of marvelous vocal soloists.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Herbert - Cello concerto no.2 in E minor
Yo Yo Ma


----------



## SimonNZ

"Flemish Composers In Renaissance Italy" - Boston Camerata, Joel Cohen, dir.


----------



## Blancrocher

Faure's string quartet, op.121, performed by the Medici SQ.


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1957 and the 11th Symphony, "The Year 1905". The wonderful old Stokowski recording.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C Minor, Op.37

James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra -- Alfred Brendel, piano









--- not exactly sure what 3 polished stones on the cover have to do with the music ???


----------



## KenOC

Still 1957, and Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 -- some light-hearted relief after the 11th Symphony -- Alexander Melnkov doing the honors at the keyboard. And quite nicely too!


----------



## Blake

Schiff's Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 13. Beautiful stuff.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Thomas Weelkes' Gloria In Excelsis Deo - John Eliot Gardiner, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jacques Christian Michel Widerkehr (1759-1823): Duet in E Minor for Oboe and Piano

Omar Zoboli, oboe -- Jean-Jacques Dunki, piano


----------



## Tristan

*Beethoven* - Piano Trio No. 6 in Eb major, Op. 70/2 (Beaux Arts Trio)









Love the 4th movement. I had never heard this work before; in fact, the only trio I had heard of Beethoven's before this week was the 7th. Love the Beaux Arts Trio too. All my Brahms' chamber is by them as well


----------



## KenOC

Tristan said:


> *Beethoven* - Piano Trio No. 6 in Eb major, Op. 70/2 (Beaux Arts Trio)
> 
> Love the 4th movement. I had never heard this work before; in fact, the only trio I had heard of Beethoven's before this week was the 7th. Love the Beaux Arts Trio too. All my Brahms' chamber is by them as well


All of LvB's piano trios (starting with the Op. 1) are absolute wizard. And the Beaux Arts are hard to beat.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Rachmaninov's Symphony No.2 - Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in D Major, KV 284

Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

This piece is weird! And beautiful! Both! All the way through, except for some sunny parts, it's really chilling...


----------



## nightscape




----------



## Blake

Hughes' Holmboe: Symphony 3. I really dig this guy.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

nightscape said:


>


Ahhhhh exceptional symphony. There are few recordings on par with that one. Good times, good times...


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-four

Epithalamion - David Wilcocks, cond.
Riders To The Sea - Meredith Davies, cond

taken from:


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

Surprise, I'm still attacking the monster 11CD set  I'm loving it!









Erwartung, from disc 4, a piece I had not previously known, turns out to be a gem. Pierre Lunaire is an old favourite. Yvonne Minton is great, of course, but I imprinted on Helga Pilarczyk and hers remains my favourite (I knew it as an LP and got it in early 1990 on CD, so the new recording serves as a nice comparison recording). Lied der Waldtaube is one of those soprano and orchestra songs and Jessye Norman has never been a favourite. I will give it a chance. After all, I like Berg's Altenberg Lieder and this one isn't that much of a stretch from those.

Disc 5 is all choral. It should be no surprise that I had never heard any of it before: Frieden auf Erden, Kol Nidre, 6 Folk Songs, 2 Canons. Choral still doesn't wow me, but I suppose I can handle it. It's not like I'm planning on skipping this disc when it's turn comes around, but I might not go for a second helping. None of these sound dodecaphonic, so those who love choral music will likely find these works to be very accessible. Consolation: it's only one disc out of eleven and if I'm going to try to like choral music, I might as well start with choral works by a favourite composer.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

bejart said:


> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C Minor, Op.37
> James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra -- Alfred Brendel, piano
> --- not exactly sure what 3 polished stones on the cover have to do with the music ???


Max Reger's String Quartets got an equally incomprehensible three mushrooms!


----------



## Oskaar

*GAUBERT, P.: Orchestral Music, Vol. 1*

Symphony
world premiere recording

Les Chants de la Mer

Concert en fa
world premiere recording

*Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Marc Soustrot*









amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

Eric Zeisl's Requiem Ebraico - Lawrence Foster, cond.

edit: Karl-Birger Blomdahl's Symphony No.2 - Leif Segerstam, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

after starting the new year with the ignominy of a home defeat, a lines man 'ruling off' a legitimate goal and our position at the foot of the table established, the unbridled vitality, optimism and simple humanity of Haydn will 'balance ones humours'-Fischer,Austro Hungarian Haydn Orch. performing 82-84-again!............


----------



## Guest

Bach before sunrise:














English Suites
Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Nicole Lizee's Golden Age Of The Radiophonic Workshop - Kronos Quartet

World Premiere from 2012 Proms

(edit: this sounded very similar to something I heard the Kronos Quartet perform live here about a year ago, and after checking, yes, they did another Nicole Lizee piece called Death To Kosmiche, also involving lots of 60s and 70s gadgets to be played by the quartet at various moments)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Coleridge-Taylor Piano and Clarinet Quintets
Nash Ensemble


----------



## Bas

Listening of the past couple of days (I was not home during new years eve, and the days before it neither, so this is not very much and I don't really recall the order)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Idomeneo
By Richard Croft [tenor], Bernarda Fink [mezzo soprano], Sunhae Im (soprano), Alexandrina Pendatchanska [soprano], Kenneth Tarver [tenor], Nicolas Rivenq [bariton], Luca Titotto [bass], RIAS Kammerchor, Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas no. 4, no. 5, no. 6 BWV 1017-1019
By Glenn Gould [piano], Jaime Laredo [violin], on Sonny Classics









Probably my all time favourite classical works, these violin sonatas by Bach. This disc is one of my "would grab in case of fire"-discs.

As for today, while working:

Felicien David (1810-1876) - String Quartet no. in Fm, String Quartet no. 2 in A, String Quartet no. 4 in Fm
By Quator Cambini-Paris, on Naïve









Leos Janácek - String Quartets "Kreutzer Sonata", "Intimate letters"
By Melos Quartet, on Harmonia Mundi Gold









Hildegard von Bingen - A feather from the breath of God (cd title)
By Emma Kirkby [soprano], Gothic Voices, Christopher Page [dir.], on Hyperion


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Claude Debussy, Images I: I. Reflets dans L'eau (Philippe Entremont).


----------



## SimonNZ

Brian Elias' Electra Mourns - Susan Bickley, mezzo, Clark Rundell, cond.

World Premiere from 2012 Proms


----------



## MagneticGhost

Bruckner 7 with Herbie.


----------



## Andolink

*George Frideric Handel*: _Joshua_
Emma Kirkby, soprano 
Aidan Oliver, treble 
James Bowman, countertenor 
John Mark Ainsley, tenor 
Michael George, bass 
Choir of New College Oxford
The King's Consort
Robert King conductor


----------



## moody

HISTORIC KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM.

The museum has a fantastic collection that includes : Virginals, spinets, harpsichords, square pianos and grand pianos.
Also the extraordinary van der Hoef "Giraffe" Piano (it looks rather like one). This has six pedals and for the effects ,bassoon, drum, piano, triangle, una corda and forte.
When you hear period instruments it highlights the wrong-headedness of playing early music on a modern grand piano---whoever the artist might be !
Thanks to my friend Bob--Ukko--who transferred my LPs onto CD.


----------



## hpowders

Handel Giulio Cesare playing in fits and starts throughout the day. Alan Curtis directing.


----------



## Oskaar

*ALWYN: Concerto grosso No. 1 / Pastoral Fantasia / 5 Preludes / Autumn Legend*

*Lloyd-Jones, David*, Conductor • *Pankhurst, Rachel*, cor anglais • *Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra* • *Dukes, Philip*, viola









naxos
classicalonline


----------



## Vasks

_A load of Lieder_


----------



## beetzart

Clementi Capriccio in E minor Op. 47


----------



## MagneticGhost

Postprandial listening - thought I'd treat myself to one of my Desert Island discs.
Gardiner conducting Brahms


----------



## Manxfeeder

CD 10 of Mozart's Sacred Works: Various pieces like Venite populi, Regina Coeli, Tantum Ergo.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 21, no. 24, no. 25 
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv









New arrival:
Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto 
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Kind of lost where it was going somewhere in the cadenza (in the first part), but the third part grabbed me again, really interesting music.


----------



## Clayton

Found by accident lying at the back of the tea cabinet, the other day.

Alfred Cortot plays Chopin
Etudes op.10 & op.25
4 Impromtus
(1933)


----------



## julianoq

Messiaen's La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ, conducted by Chung.


----------



## Rocco

*Fidelio 1978 Bernstein - *My favorite recording of Fidelio.


----------



## ptr

*Philip Jones Brass Ensemble* - Lollipops (Claves)
(Gordon Langford - London Miniatures / Rimsky-Korsakov (Arr Fletcher) - Flight of the Bumble Bee / Trad. Japanese (Arr Iveson) - Hamabe No Uta - 'Song of the Seashore' / J-B Arban (Arr Harvey) - Variations on a Tyrolean Theme / Jan Koetsier - Kleiner Zirkusmarsch, Op 79 / Edvard Grieg (Arr Harvey) - Norwegian Dance Op 35 No 2 / Scott Joplin (Iveson) - Bethena - concert waltz / Jim Parker - A Londoner in New York)









Philip Jones Brass Ensemble

*Bruno Maderna* - Ausstrahlung, for mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, tape recorder & orchestra / Concerto for oboe & orchestra, No 2 / Giardino religioso, for small orchestra (Col Legno)









Claudia Eder, mezzo, Pietro Borgonovo, flute, Roberto Fabbriciani, oboe; SWF Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden u. Arturo Tamayo / Lothar Faber, oboe; SWF Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden u. Bruno Maderna / Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra u. Hans Zender

/ptr


----------



## Doc

>








Mahler's 2nd, played by Bernstein and the New York Phil. Observed the five minute break between the first and second movements, for curiosity's sake.


----------



## csacks

Shostakovich,s 5th, Leningrad Philharmonic, Mravisnky. (Thanks to this forum, Shostakovich was not in my lists before)


----------



## julianoq

Following Doc on Mahler 2nd symphony, played by FRSO and conducted by Paavo Jarvi.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major (1880/81 version, ed. Nowak)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt








Away from the stereo for a few weeks, I felt like breaking it in again with something that would give it more of a workout. One interesting thing about this studio recording is that there's a very noticeable mistake in the brass during the first tutti that was kept in. Apparently, Tennstedt allowed it because he recognized how difficult the passage was and didn't want to tax his brass any more than they already were.


----------



## DrKilroy

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 (Karajan).

I have read Schoenberg's _Fundamentals of Musical Composition_ today, so I am also going to listen to all of Beethoven's scherzi to analyse their form roughly.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Claude Debussy, Poissons d'Or; Danseuses de Delphs; Des Pas sur la neige (Robert Casadesus).









Frederic Chopin, Polonaise Op. 26 No. 1 in C Sharp minor; No. 2 in E flat minor (Maurizio Pollini).


----------



## hpowders

Copland's Appalachian Spring, Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic. Still the most heartfelt version of this music.


----------



## DrKilroy

Oh well, I am also going to listen to Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, as its scherzo ends with attacca. And Symphony No. 8, as I am not sure which movement should be the scherzo. And No. 3, just because I feel like it.  All conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blake

Saariaho: Works for Orchestra. Digging into this set. I love this lady.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Back at work today, but I was able to work at home (bureaucratic tasks compatible with simultaneous listening) over the last three hours. Very envious of those of you who are still off work!

My office at home is equipped with a PC-based sound system, so, continuing my review of Mahler's symphonies

*Mahler - Symphony No. 8 in E flat 'Symphonie der Tausend'*

John Shirley-Quirk, Lucia Popp, René Kollo, Martti Talvela; Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Singverein, Sir Georg Solti [Decca London, 1971]









(So, this is my favourite Mahler symphony today!)









*Shostakovich

Jazz Suite No. 1
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 35
Jazz Suite No. 2
Tahiti Trot*

Ronald Brautigam, (piano); Peter Masseurs, (trumpet); Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly, cond. [Decca London, 1993]

Entertaining musical fluff, mostly, the Piano Concerto apart!


----------



## brotagonist

*And the beat goes on...*

c'n://new









I'm really focussing on this set now, so I am progressing more rapidly than I had initially expected. I thought I was out of the woods :lol: (CD5, all choral), but it turns out that CD6 is pretty much all choral, too. There was some respite with the 3 Satires, the Modern Psalm and the only piece I had previously known, A Survivor from Warsaw. I suppose I would do much better with these choral works, were I to look up the texts in order to follow along and gain a deeper understanding.

CD7 and CD8, however, are the lights at the end of the tunnel  For months, I had been contemplating reacquiring Gurrelieder, which I used to own on LP. This was one of my primary motivations in buying this set, as well as getting some of the other previously unknown orchestral works that showed up on CD1-CD4. This version features Yvonne Minton. I have no problem in getting into this work. Filling out CD8 are the 4 Orchestral Songs, with texts by Rainer Maria Rilke and Stefan George, two poets I am well acquainted with. Yvonne sings 

This is a great set (I paid barely more than $2.35 per disc), even if I am not ecstatic about every last piece.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Well, I've packed a lot of listening in today. 
Now I'm feeling cold, achy and feverish. ( not because of the music)
Inspired by various contributors on this forum - I'm settling down in bed with the headphones on listening to Lenny conduct Mahler 7 (Sony). 
Only previously been bored by Abbado. This is phenomenally better!!


----------



## hpowders

William Schuman 6th Symphony-Schwarz, Seattle. One of his masterpieces.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franck, Respighi & Ravel: Piano Concertos*

Wit, Antoni, Conductor • Almeida, Antonio de, Conductor • Griffiths, Howard, Conductor • Ireland National Symphony Orchestra • Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra • Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra • Thiollier, Francois-Joel, piano • Scherbakov, Konstantin, piano









Antoni Wit Talks to Jeremy Siepmann


----------



## ptr

*Jim Fox* - Descansos, past (cold blue music 2005)









Barry Newton, Bass; Aniela Perry, Erika Duke Kirkpatrick, Jessica Catron, Rachel Arnold, Celli

*Dai Fujikura* - Secret Forest (NMC 2012)









Art Respirant / Kate Romano / Lucerne Festival Percussion Group u. Michael Cerutti / Adrian Bradbury / Okeanos

*John Cage* - The Works for Organ (Mode 2013)









Gary Verkade @ the Grönlund organ of Gammelstad Church, Sweden

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to a Brendel performance of the Waldstein--but for a change I switched in the original middle movement, the Andante favori.


----------



## KenOC

Blancrocher said:


> I'm listening to a Brendel performance of the Waldstein--but for a change I switched in the original middle movement, the Andante favori.


And? And? C'mon, how was it?


----------



## Blancrocher

KenOC said:


> And? And? C'mon, how was it?


Beethoven's buddies were quite courageous for asking him to change it, in my opinion, even if they were right. In any case, now that I've got itunes I wish they'd been harder on him: I'd love to have 2 or 3 adagios to choose from for all the sonatas :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 5 in D, K175
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## TurnaboutVox

* Elliott Carter - String Quartet No. 1 * / Arditti String Quartet [Et Cetera, 2005]









*Robert Simpson

String Quartet No. 14
String Quartet No. 15* / Vanbrugh Quartet

*Quintet For Clarinet, Bass Clarinet & String Trio* / Vanbrugh Quartet, Joy Farrall (Clarinet), Fiona Cross (Bass clarinet)

[Hyperion, 2000]









Fine, compelling chamber works from these two masters


----------



## Taggart

Alessandro Scarlatti Sinfonias from You Tube.










Having listened to some Avison transcriptions, @Ingélou thought she'd like a little more. We've both enjoyed this by Domenico's dad. We'll have to look out for his older bother Pietro Filippo Scarlatti although there's very little recorded by him. Luciano Sgrizzi has done a set of Domenico and some of Pietro.


----------



## EDaddy

Listening to a new two composer CD that just came in the mail today (Don't you love it when that happens?!). Playing now is Grieg: Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 16. So far it's sublime... and completely fresh as it's my first time hearing it. On deck is Schumann: Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 54, which will also be a first time for me. And it's a perfect, cold snowy afternoon with the wind whistling as it rattles the window panes. This is the stuff of life!


----------



## Blake

Sirmais' Gubiadulina: _The Lyre of Orpheus_ from _Canticle of the Sun_. Oh, these Avant-Garde women, what have ye done to my heart?


----------



## DavidA

Volodos plays Liszt. Amazing!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## ArtMusic

The music is quite wonderful:


----------



## KenOC

Suggested by ArtMusic: Dan Visconti's Ramshackle Songs for String Quartet.


----------



## Sid James

*Schubert* Symphonies 5 & 6 "Little C major"
- Westdeutsche Sinfonia under Dirk Joeres

*Brecht/Weill* - Songs from The Threepenny Opera
"The Ballad of Mack the Knife"
- Bertolt Brecht, vocals with Theo Mackeben's Jazz Orch., 1929
- Louis Armstrong, vocals/trumpet with his All Stars, 1955*
"Pirate Jenny"
- Lotte Lenya, vocals with orch. conducted by Samuel Matlowsky, 1954*
- Nina Simone, vocals/piano with Rudy Stevenson, guitar; Lisle Atkinson, bass; Bobby Hamilton, drums, 1964 (live in concert)*
*Version in English by Marc Blitzstein

*Janacek*
Concertino for piano & chamber orch.
- Rudolf Firkusny, piano with members of Bavarian Radio SO under Rafael Kubelik

*Godowsky*
Menuet #1
Airs of theEighteenth Century
Two Waltz Poems
Schubert Song Transcriptions: Die Forelle, Wiegenlied, Litanei
Selections from: Twilight Thoughts, Four Poems, Three Pieces Op. 14, Three Pieces Op. 12, Three Pieces Op. 15, Five Miniatures, Java Suite
- Kostantin Scherbakov, piano




TurnaboutVox said:


> Max Reger's String Quartets got an equally incomprehensible three mushrooms!


Maybe Herr Reger was into mycology, like John Cage? You never know... :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 6 in B-flat, K238
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## Rachmanijohn

I just picked up a set of complete Shostakovich Symphonies conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich and am greedily going through it. Just listened to the 5th, and I must say, it's one of the best I've heard.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, w. Schiff (rec.1987).

And a new arrival, *Chopin*: Piano Concerto 2, etc., w. Argerich/NSO/Rostropovich (rec. 1967 - '78).

View attachment 31763
View attachment 31764


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> Well, I've packed a lot of listening in today.
> Now I'm feeling cold, achy and feverish. ( not because of the music)
> Inspired by various contributors on this forum - I'm settling down in bed with the headphones on listening to Lenny conduct Mahler 7 (Sony).
> Only previously been bored by Abbado. This is phenomenally better!!


Lenny's Sony is very good. His DG drags.

To my knowledge, Abbado has three M7 recordings. I dislike the CSO, love the BPO, and have not heard the Lucerne. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> All of LvB's piano trios (starting with the Op. 1) are absolute wizard. And the *Beaux Arts are hard to beat*.


But *Istomin/Rose/Stern* managed to.


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820) String Quartet, Op.13, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Jindrich Pazdera and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## GreenMamba

Ravel Daphinis et Chloe, Martinon/Orch. de Paris


----------



## Cadenza

I've been on a strings/chamber music jag lately, and have sought out the Emerson Quartet in particular.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

I'm taking a break from my new Schoenberg set (das muß auch mal sein) to listen to some spontaneous discoveries on YT:

Milton Babbitt: Composition for Four Instruments (allegedly a bootleg)
Brian Ferneyhough: Terrain (Elision Ens)
Tristan Murail : Terre d'Ombre (allegedly a bootleg)
Elliott Carter: Double Concerto, for harpsichord and piano (English Chamber Orchestra/Frederik Prausnitz, Paul Jacobs, Charles Rosen)


----------



## bejart

Anton Eberl (1765-1807): Piano Trio in C Minor, Op.8, No.3

Playel Trio of St. Petersburg: Yury Matynov, piano -- Sergej Filtchenko, violin -- Dmitri Sokolov, cello


----------



## Blake

Saraste's Kurtag: _Concertante_. Way cool.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Op. 127 String Quartet, the Yale Quartet. Available recently as part of the complete set of late quartets in the Bach Guild's 99-cent Big Beethoven Box, which has since disappeared. A great performance! What's the Bach Guild thinking???

Oh, guess you can still get the set, and at a reasonable price indeed.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A rather beautiful sounding recording... considering the age (1947/48). Beecham was in his element in this Romantic French music. Only Monteaux and Ansermet (and perhaps Cluytens) brought the same sort of elegance... and "classicism" that is needed for this repertoire. Georges Noré is "a paragon of elegance" in the title-role of Faust... while Roger Rico lacks the dark, sneering, vulgarity and howling manner common to many more Germanic/Anglo interpretations. But _Faust_ is a seduction tale... the seduction of Faust by Mephistopheles as much as of Marguerite by Faust... and Rico's is a most elegant, French seducer.

I've become quite seduced by this opera, myself. I now have 4 different recordings. Unfortunately Gounod really seems a "one-opera" composer... rather like Humperdinck... even in spite of _Romeo et Juliette_.


----------



## hpowders

Brahms First Violin Sonata in G Major to take me to bedtime,






with Augustin Dumay and Maria Joao Pires.


----------



## Weston

*Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77*
Otto Klemperer / French National Orchestra / David Oistrakh, violin









I had paid very little attention to this fairly well known work in the past, but tonight I gave it a deep listening session to the best of my abilities. After a shaky start I find I truly enjoyed it.

*Movement 1.*
From AllMusic's review of the first movement:

"When the violin enters, it is with an extended display over horns in octaves and a timpani roll before playing the main theme and a 'secondary' group, from which one melody is outright gorgeous."

I must have missed that last bit somehow. The themes are nice enough, but "outright gorgeous?" I confess I had trouble connecting with the 1st movement at all until perhaps the development wherein some tasteful modulations abound. To my ears this movement has a very blatant nod toward themes from Beethoven's 5th piano concerto. There are astonishing soaring violin tones in the cadenza -- but then there's Beethoven's 5th again even here! I cannot find this mentioned anywhere, but it is so obvious I wonder if it is another Brahms homage to Beethoven as his first symphony was. Maybe I'm just hearing a ubiquitous kind of reversed Manheim rocket phrase.

*Movement 2.*
Closer to what I was yearning for this evening with a prominent oboe rather than violin melody at first. Far more Brahmsian sounding, whatever that means. This is what I would call "outright gorgeous."
*
Movement 3.*
Hungarian Dance No. 22 it seems. I love the hint of swing the soloist and orchestra pull off in this movement. Outright gorgeous rousing (if somewhat Beethovenian again) recapitulation and conclusion.

Oistrakh's violin tone is quite lovely throughout, with none of the scritchy-scratchy squawkiness I sometimes endure in more renowned solo violin works.

(Now to catch up on this thread after losing internet access for a day or so.)


----------



## Sonata

Nielsen flute concerto


----------



## Rachmanijohn

I also like the set that Barenboim, Zukerman, and Dupre did of the compete Beethoven trios.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.34 in C Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## Weston

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 31648
> 
> 
> Solti conducting Liszt's "Les Preludes." Happy New Year, everyone.


Now _that's_ a good way to welcome in the new year. And wake up the neighbors.



Bas said:


> New arrival:
> Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto
> By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI
> 
> View attachment 31725
> 
> 
> Kind of lost where it was going somewhere in the cadenza (in the first part), but the third part grabbed me again, really interesting music.


Succinctly sums up what I had spent several hundred words trying to say after I heard listened to a different performance of this work.


----------



## aberooski

Trio for oboe, bassoon, and Piano by Poulenc.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Leos Janacek*--Sinfonietta, *
performed by the Leon Botstein led American Symphony Orchestra. 
Hugo Alfven--*Symphony No.1 in F Major, Op.7; Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.11 and Symphony No.3 in E Major, Op.23. *
All three works feature Neeme Jarvi and the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic", 1880 Version} and Symphony No.9 in D Minor, * both traversed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-five

Hugh The Drover, act 1 - Charles Groves, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Ligeti, Eotvos and Bartok Violin Concertos performed by Patricia Kopatchinskaja

The first in a series of programes on the radio where they will be playing all of the recent Gramophone Award winners in their entirety.

Tonights is both the Recording Of The Year and Best Concerto Recording winner.


----------



## KenOC

SimonNZ, a great disc! My listenining now: Schubert's 4th Symphony, Immerseel and the Anima Eterna Brugge. Rough and ready Schubert!


----------



## Itullian

StlukesguildOhio said:


> A rather beautiful sounding recording... considering the age (1947/48). Beecham was in his element in this Romantic French music. Only Monteaux and Ansermet (and perhaps Cluytens) brought the same sort of elegance... and "classicism" that is needed for this repertoire. Georges Noré is "a paragon of elegance" in the title-role of Faust... while Roger Rico lacks the dark, sneering, vulgarity and howling manner common to many more Germanic/Anglo interpretations. But _Faust_ is a seduction tale... the seduction of Faust by Mephistopheles as much as of Marguerite by Faust... and Rico's is a most elegant, French seducer.
> 
> I've become quite seduced by this opera, myself. I now have 4 different recordings. Unfortunately Gounod really seems a "one-opera" composer... rather like Humperdinck... even in spite of _Romeo et Juliette_.


One of my all time favorite operas. 
One beautiful piece after another.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 12 and 9


----------



## science

That, plus another Savall disk that I can't find a good image for, "Canciones y danzas de España: Songs and Dances from the time of Cervantes."


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Die Zauberflote


----------



## science




----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin - Angela Hewitt, piano

edit: now Richard Harvey's Concerto Antico - John Williams, guitar, Paul Daniel, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Nielsen - Symphony No. 3
Stuck in bed with aches, pains, shivers and lower back pain.
This is a great pick me up
First listen of many, I'm sure.


----------



## science

I wanted to hear this, but I'm disappointed. I like it better on modern instruments. You know I hate to say something so anti-ideological as that - I really prefer to follow the unwritten rules when I can - but this just doesn't have the power of Abbado's recording. Alas! I will eventually perform some ideological purification on myself to compensate. (Maybe I'll try Jacob's later. I have it but I've forgotten how I feel about it.)


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


>


I don't need that at all but it's such a great cover....


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> I don't need that at all but it's such a great cover....


Ah, I too have Ravel many times over, but I'd always make room for Hewitt.

playing now, on the radio:

Joseph Marx's Quartetto chromatico - Thomas Christian Ensemble


----------



## science

The wife left so now I'm having fun!


----------



## moody

science said:


>


A terrific record.


----------



## moody

edaddy said:


> listening to a new two composer cd that just came in the mail today (don't you love it when that happens?!). Playing now is grieg: Piano concerto in a minor, op. 16. So far it's sublime... And completely fresh as it's my first time hearing it. On deck is schumann: Piano concerto in a minor, op. 54, which will also be a first time for me. And it's a perfect, cold snowy afternoon with the wind whistling as it rattles the window panes. This is the stuff of life!


who are the artists ?


----------



## moody

Clayton said:


> Found by accident lying at the back of the tea cabinet, the other day.
> 
> Alfred Cortot plays Chopin
> Etudes op.10 & op.25
> 4 Impromtus
> (1933)
> 
> View attachment 31726


Do I dare ask what it was doing in the tea cabinet ?


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Chaminade's Piano Trio No 2 - Trio Chausson


----------



## Guest

Once again it's Bach before sunrise:








French Suites
Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## MagneticGhost

Moved from no.3 to no.4 but with different performers.









Then the Sanguine Fan came into my mind, somewhat randomly. I played it years ago in some youth orchestra or other. Deciding that I had to hear it again straight away, I searched up this disc on Spotify.
I enjoyed it muchly.... BUT the real treat was Grania and Diarmid Op.42 - a glorious sweeping funeral march and an exquisite little song that barely passes 2 minutes.









http://www.elgar.org/3grania.htm

That's what I love about Classical Music. You can still be surprised even by your favourites after 30 years.


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Salve Regina, Die Schopfüng
By Lucia Popp [soprano], Werner Hollweg [tenor], Kurt Moll [bass], Helena Döse [soprano], Benjamin Luxon [Bariton], Bright Festival Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [continuo, dir.], on Decca









Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 25 "Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe", BWV 138 "Warum betrübst du dich mein Herz?", BWV 105 "Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht", BWV 46 "Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei"

By Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guillon [alto], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014-1019
By Ton Koopman [harpsichord], Catherine Manson [violin], on Challenge Classics


----------



## contra7

Just finished listening:









Shostakovich: Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor
(The Moscow Trio)

This is some good stuff!!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Bernstein conducting the VPO - Mahler's 3rd


----------



## DrKilroy

Subotnick - Silver Apples of the Moon. Inspired by "Favorite electronic compositions" thread.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## csacks

Liszt Piano Concerts, by Daniel Barenboim and Piere Boulez. Besides all that I like Brahms, I must confess that Liszt sounds so fresh and I love his creativity


----------



## jim prideaux

continue to come across various references to Kabalevsky,both on line and in books/articles that are very disparaging,both about his music and his character ie his responses to totalitarianism-and yet alongside many of the memorable pieces that were new to me during 2013 was his 1st piano concerto-so listening again-Stott/Jarvi and the BBC Philarmonic.....
spent summer with Czechs ie Dvorak and Martinu and winter with Russians ie Glazunov, Kabalevsky, Myaskovsky......


----------



## hpowders

Brahms Fourth Symphony with Charles Munch leading the Boston Symphony.
Known primarily as a French music specialist, Munch was also terrific in Brahms!


----------



## julianoq

Mahler 5th Symphony, conducted by Sir Georg Solti and played by the CSO.


----------



## Weston

jim prideaux said:


> continue to come across various references to Kabalevsky,both on line and in books/articles that are very disparaging,both about his music and his character ie his responses to totalitarianism-and yet alongside many of the memorable pieces that were new to me during 2013 was his 1st piano concerto-so listening again-Stott/Jarvi and the BBC Philarmonic.....
> spent summer with Czechs ie Dvorak and Martinu and winter with Russians ie Glazunov, Kabalevsky, Myaskovsky......


Maybe it's best if I don't know too much about Kabalevsky. I too enjoy his music and there have been times I have trouble separating the music from the composer.


----------



## jim prideaux

jim prideaux said:


> continue to come across various references to Kabalevsky,both on line and in books/articles that are very disparaging,both about his music and his character ie his responses to totalitarianism-and yet alongside many of the memorable pieces that were new to me during 2013 was his 1st piano concerto-so listening again-Stott/Jarvi and the BBC Philarmonic.....
> spent summer with Czechs ie Dvorak and Martinu and winter with Russians ie Glazunov, Kabalevsky, Myaskovsky......


I do find it a little egotistical to quote myself but have continued by listening to the same 'collection' of Kabalevsky and I am also increasingly impressed with the 2nd symphony-but for those with a concern for Russian music I find it interesting to note that in the highly acclaimed Natasha's Dance, a history of Russian culture by Orlando Figes there is no mention of Glazunov in particular and there is also an absence of Kabalevsky , Myaskovsky and others......


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*Borodin Quartet play Borodin, Stravinsky & Miaskovsky*

*Borodin:	*
String Quartet No. 1 in A major

*Miaskovsky:* 
String Quartet No.13 in A minor, Op. 86

*Stravinsky:* 
Concertino for String Quartet

Very fine and sensitive performances

allmusic


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartets from Op. 64-- No. 1 in C major, No. 2 in B minor and No. 3 in B flat major_
Quatuor Mosaïques














*Robert Johnson & William Lawes*: _Orpheus I Am_ (an idealized masque)
Barbara Borden, soprano
David Cordier, countertenor
John Potter, tenor
Harry van der Kamp, bass
Tragicomedia/Stephen Stubbs


----------



## Sudonim

This:









On period instruments, natch. Delightful and delovely!


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Vasks

_Put on my big boy ears today_

*Chaynes - Au-Dela de l'esperance (Jossoud/REM)
Chin -Xi (Ensemble Intercontemporain/DG)*


----------



## opus55

Bach: Cello Suite, Nos. 4-6










Disc 2 gets played less often


----------



## julianoq

Sibelius 2nd symphony with Barbirolli and the RLPO. A very romantic performance, different than the way that I use to like my Sibelius, but very good anyway!


----------



## brotagonist

opus55 said:


> Disc 2 gets played less often


That's why I made a column to keep track in my spreadsheet listing of all my albums  There's so much great music on discs 2-∞


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Schoenberg's Book of Hanging Gardens, featuring--as the cover indicates--Glenn Gould on piano and Helen Vanni singing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Niels W. Gade 
Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2*

Conductor(s):
Schonwandt, Michael

Orchestra(s):
Copenhagen Collegium Musicum









dacapo


----------



## MagneticGhost

Following the Mahler 3 - thought I'd go back to Elgar and start paying proper attention to my boxset. Started with some old favourites and then the disc of rare (to me) stuff.

Have to reiterate about the Grania and Diarmid Op. 42 - it's wonderful; and add Polonia Op. 76 to the list of Elgarian wonders.









CD1 [67:54]
Symphony No. 1 in A flat Op. 55, Introduction and Allegro
Philharmonia Orchestra, Allegri Quartet, Sinfonia of London/Sir John Barbirolli

CD10 [49:46]
Carillon Op. 75, Chopin orch.Elgar - Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor Op. 35, Grania and Diarmid Op. 42, Polonia Op. 76, Caractacus Op. 35, Imperial March Op. 32, Empire March (1924)
David Bell, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

CD13 [38:49]
The Dream of Gerontius Op. 38 - Part I
CD14 [70:40]
The Dream of Gerontius Op. 38 - Part II
Janet Baker (mezzo); Richard Lewis (tenor); Kim Borg (bass); Halle Choir; Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus; Ambrosian Singers/Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Gretry: La Caravane du Caire

Marc Minkowski and the Ricercar Academy Orchestra


----------



## EDaddy

Brahms: A German Requiem (Klemperer). All I can say is WOW. "Ziemlich langsam - Selig sind, die da Leid tragen" has to be one of the most hauntingly beautiful first movements in the literature.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frederic Chopin, Polonaise Op. 40 No. 1 in A Major: No. 2 in C minor (Maurizio Pollini).


----------



## opus55

Raff, Joachim - Piano Concerto in C minor
Medtner, Nikolai - Piano Concerto No. 3 in E minor


----------



## Oskaar

*ENGLUND, E.: Cello Concerto / Symphony No. 6*

Performer: *Jan-Erik Gustafsson *
Conductor: *Eri Klas *
Orchestra/Ensemble: *Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra*









arkivmusic


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still focused on listening to works that I am less-than-truly-familiar with from my sizable music library... as opposed to constantly buying new work... faster than I can listen to it. Perfect music for a lazy Friday afternoon... as my Holiday vacation winds down.


----------



## Arsakes

Few hours ago from SRG - Swiss satellite Radio:
*Wagner *symphony C-Dur
*Rosetti* symphony C-Dur

for the first time. Wagner symphony is almost as good as Dvorak's early symphonies.


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, op. 26
Mahler: Piano Quartet movement in A minor
Domus


----------



## joen_cph

opus55 said:


> Raff, Joachim - Piano Concerto in C minor
> *Medtner, Nikolai - Piano Concerto No. 3 in E minor*


The great and unusually played recording with _Ponti_!


----------



## Doc

Brahms's 3rd symphony, played by the Berlin Phil under Harnoncourt.
Shostakovich's 1st symphony, played by Rostropovich and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Solo piano music from Poulenc, played by the fantastic Pascal Roge.


----------



## realdealblues

Listened to this one last night:

View attachment 31809


Mozart: Don Giovanni
Josef Krips & The Vienna Philharmonic
Performers: Siepi, Delia Casa, Danco, Guedon, Corena, Dermota


----------



## hpowders

^^^ An old classic!!!


----------



## hpowders

Bartok's Fourth String Quartet, performed by the Emerson Quartet-needed to psych me up to full alertness in order to encounter all the road rage on the highway, anticipated to begin in a few minutes!


----------



## brotagonist

*The Home Stretch, Without A Stretch...*

c'n://new

I am winding up my première of the new set.









_Die Jakobsleiter_ is new to me. I certainly enjoyed it. At times, I felt that I was listening to the soundtrack of an old silent film  I think it was the singing of die Seele, or was it der Sterbende that made me think of the two sisters in _Die Soldaten_ by B. A. Zimmermann.

An old favourite, _Kammersymphonie 1_, is now duplicated in my collection. It's nice to hear Boulez and his EI performing. Previously, I had only the Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Holliger version, which is also a fine recording. I have been scanning covers on discogs, but I am unable to identify my old LP version ;-) Something tells me it was greenish with reflective foil spots.

_Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene_ is new to me (although I did listen to it once on Naxos about 2 weeks ago).

I used to own the Michael Gielen/SOÖ version of _Moses und Aron_ on LP on Philips, so it has been over 25 years since I last heard it. I was not planning to replace it on CD, so it is a bonus to get it in this set.

And finishing the set is _Kammersymphonie 2_, again by Boulez/EI, and again, a duplicate now, as I already have the Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Holliger recording. I don't mind having it duplicated, as it is a piece I listen to with regularity (whatever that means ;-) considering how long it takes to get through all my albums).

I certainly have no regrets about having purchased this, despite the considerable duplication, the 2CDs of choral music, the opera I had not intended to replace, etc. There is a lot of new material that I had long wanted to collect, and... Schoenberg is an old friend I have known for over 35 years.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still focused on listening to works that I am less-than-truly-familiar with from my sizable music library... as opposed to constantly buying new work...


That's the fun of collecting


----------



## ptr

Doc said:


> Shostakovich's 1st symphony, played by Rostropovich and the National Orchestra of France.


Hmm, isn't that National Symphony Orchestra based in the US capital?

/ptr


----------



## Blake

Poppen's Scelsi: Natura Renovatur. Scelsi's music is so hauntingly beautiful. It seems a complex voyage was needed to get back to this simplicity.


----------



## Doc

ptr said:


> Hmm, isn't that National Symphony Orchestra based in the US capital?
> 
> /ptr


Sorry, it is the National Symphony Orchestra, yes. Picked up the complete Prokoviev symphonies when checking the credentials. Those two boxes look so alike:















Thanks for noticing, ptr. Have edited the post.


----------



## brotagonist

^ Vesuvius: I picked it (Scelsi) up a year ago. Highest accolades


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Ignaz Beck: Symphonies*

*Beck, F I:* 
Sinfonia in D major (Callen 30)

Sinfonia in D major, Op. 10. No. 2 (Callen 34)

Sinfonia in E major, Op. 13, No. 1

*Gossec:	*
Sinfonia in B flat major

Sinfonia in G major

*Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Ward*









amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 104 in D Major, 'London' - IV. Finale: Allegro Spiritoso; Symphony No. 95 in C minor (Otto Klemperer; New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## Mahlerian

Benjamin: Duet for Piano and Orchestra
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, cond. Benjamin









Somewhere between Messiaen and Boulez stylistically perhaps? I've been meaning to get around to listening to Benjamin's highly acclaimed opera on this set, but haven't as of yet.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mahlerian said:


> Benjamin: Duet for Piano and Orchestra
> Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, cond. Benjamin
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Somewhere between Messiaen and Boulez stylistically perhaps? I've been meaning to get around to listening to Benjamin's highly acclaimed opera on this set, but haven't as of yet.


I've got a recently broadcast Written on Skin on my HD waiting to be watched. Must get round to it myself.


----------



## Blake

Roth's Posadas: _Glossopoeia_. Really cool things from a younger Avant-Garde composer.


----------



## DavidA

Prokofiev concerto 3 Graffman / Szell
The virtuosity is incredible! And not just from the pianist!


----------



## Oskaar

*Albinoni: 6 Sinfonie a cinque, Op. 2*

Sonata No. 1 in G major

Sonata No. 2 in C major

Sonata No. 3 in A major

Sonata No. 4 in C minor

Sonata No. 5 in B-flat major

Sonata No. 6 in G minor

*Chiara Banchini (violin and direction)

Ensemble 415*









Fantastic music, and very good performance!

allmusic
amazon
prestoclassics
arkivmusic


----------



## apricissimus

I'm one of only two people in the office today, due to snow. So without all the usual disturbances, I'm listening to all nine Beethoven Symphonies. Just started the ninth.

They're all from Karajan 1980's cycle from this box set:










I wish I could do something like this every workday.


----------



## samurai

apricissimus said:


> I'm one of only two people in the office today, due to snow. So without all the usual disturbances, I'm listening to all nine Beethoven Symphonies. Just started the ninth.
> 
> They're all from Karajan 1980's cycle from this box set:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wish I could do something like this every workday.


Sounds like a really cool office, at least for today. Enjoy!


----------



## SimonNZ

Robert Fayrfax's Missa O Quam Glorifica - The Cardinal's Musick


----------



## Vaneyes

*Nielsen*: Violin Concerto, w. Lin/Swedish RSO/Salonen (rec.1988); Symphonies 1 - 3, w. SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1988/9); String Quartet, Op. 58, w. ESQ (rec.2004).

View attachment 31823
View attachment 31824
View attachment 31825


----------



## jim prideaux

Martinu-Double Concerto for 2 string orchestras/Concerto for string quartet and orchestra/Sinfonia Concertante-all performed by City of London Sinfonia conducted by Richard Hickox...vigorous, direct and uncompromising throughout, these works represent in part the 'bleaker' aspect of the Czech composers work......


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1959 in my Hurwitz read-along after a day off. Right now, Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1, Ma and Ormandy. A favorite for years.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Earlier this evening:

*Musio Clementi - Piano works

6 Sonatines progressives pour piano, Op. 36
Sonates Op.24/2, Op.25/2 & 5
Sonate Op.37/2*

Balazs Szokolay, piano [Naxos, 1993]

Great music: I can quite see why Beethoven rated Clementi's piano sonatas so highly if this is representative. I don't care very much for the instrument Szokolay's playing them on, though I suppose that it's authentic to Clementi's time.


----------



## LancsMan

*Wagner:- Gotterdammerung* Solti on Decca.

Bringing the Ring to it's conclusion. It's quite a journey from Das Rheingold to Gotterdammerung. I know you keep hearing the same motif's over and over again, but they are just so strong they keep their freshness. The music takes it's own time, and it's magic certainly works on me.


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: A German Requiem, op. 45
Jessye Norman, Jorma Hynninen, London Philharmonic Choir, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt








Bruckner: Te Deum
London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Welser-Most


----------



## Oskaar

*Nordic Clarinet Concertos*

*Fernström:* 
Clarinet Concerto, Op.30

*Kaipainen:* 
Carpe diem!, Clarinet Concerto, Op. 38

*Nielsen:	*
Clarinet Concerto Op. 57 (FS129)

*Karin Dornbusch (clarinet)

Gavle Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari*









prestoclassical


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 59*

I got *Buchbinder's* set, but I'm waiting to hear it on Spotify before I break the seal and actually open it. I'm comparing it with *Schornsheim*. If anyone has any input either way, I'd welcome it.

So far, Buchbinder sounds dry, like he's trying to make a piano sound like a fortepiano. Schornsheim's piano has a lovely sound to it.


----------



## Sid James

*Dvorak* Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
- Pierre Fournier, cello w. Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen (live in concert, 1962)

*Kander & Ebb* Cabaret (original film soundtrack)
- Joel Grey as Emcee, Liza Minelli as Sally Bowles, Musical direction/orchestrations by Ralph Burns

*William Bolcom* Cabaret Songs
- Measha Brueggergosman, soprano with BBC SO under David Robertson

*Janacek* On the Overgrown Path
- Rudolf Firkusny, piano

*Offenbach* 
Overtures: Orphée aux enfers, La belle Hélene, La Périchole, La vie parisienne
- Philharmonia Orch. under Neville Marriner


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Violin Concerto in G Major, Op.3, No.9

Gunter Kehr directing the Mainz Chamber Orchestra -- Susanne Lautenbacher, violin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Prokofiev Symphony 2 performed by Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Clayton

Rostropovich

Cello concerto, op. 104 - Dvorak
Cello concerto, op. 129 - Schumann
Andante cantabile for cello and string orchestra, op. posth. - Tchaikovsky
Chant du menestrel, op. 71 - Glazunov
Cello sonata, op. 19 - Rachmaninov
Introduction and polonaise brillante for cello and piano, op. 3 - Chopin
Vocalise, op. 34 no. 14 (version for cello and piano) - Rachmaninov
Impromptu, D.899 no. 3 - Schubert (trans. Heifetz/Rostropovich)
Traumerei, op. 15 no. 7 - Schumann


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Prokofiev Symphony 2 performed by Neeme Jarvi.


While you rock out to that, I'm rocking out to this:

Some context: Dodon's about to have his wedding, and is dancing, when this guy (who owns the Golden Cockerel) demands to have his betrothed, they fight, and the Golden Cockerel kills Dodon in mid-fight/dance. What a great dancing segment!!! Perfectly drunken!


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Derive 2
Ensemble orchestral contemporain, cond. Kawka









Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre
Hillary Summers, Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Boulez









You know, I'm starting to miss the era when cover art looked more like this...









...or maybe not.


----------



## bejart

Anton Eberl (1765-1807): Symphony in D Minor, Op.34

Concerto Koln


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonata 39.*


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Getting around to the piece that must be heard during the holiday season. Damn! Harry Christophers and the Sixteen can be hair-raising.


----------



## Sid James

Mahlerian said:


> ...
> You know, I'm starting to miss the era when cover art looked more like this...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...or maybe not.


Its like the result of Pierre being put into a blender with a zebra :lol:

If they made a smoothie out of it, we can call it The French Serial-Zebra.

Or is that a cocktail? Would this be better in French?


----------



## guy

Beethoven
-Piano Sonata No. 1
-Piano Sonata No. 8 (Mvmt 3)
-Piano Sonata No. 21 (Mvmt 1)
-Piano Sonata No. 31 (Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo)
-Piano Sonata No. 29 (Fuga: Allegro risoluto)
-Symphony No. 9
-Grosse Fuge

Bach
-Kunst der Fuge
-Toccata and Fugue in D minor
-Little and Great Fugues in G minor
-Prelude and Fugue in A minor
-Double Violin Concerto (Mvmt 1)

Mozart
-Requiem

Haydn
-Farewell Symphony (Mvmt 1)

Schubert
-Piano Trio in C minor (Mvmt 1)
-Piano Trio in B-flat Major (Mvmt 1)

Brahms
-Piano Quintet (Mvmt 1)
-Piano Quartet in C minor (Mvmt 4)

Saint-Saens
-Organ Symphony (Mvmt 1)

Debussy
-Arabesque No.1
-Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
-Claire de Lune

I have many tastes, don't I?


----------



## Blake

Richard's Nono: Io, Frammento Dal Prometeo. So good.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.30 in E Flat, Op.33, No.2

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1961! Shostakovich Symphony No. 12, Petrenko. I don't hear this often.


----------



## science




----------



## Clayton

moody said:


> Do I dare ask what it was doing in the tea cabinet ?


The tea cabinet (no.1) is redundant from it's original design, now employed to hold CD's!


----------



## Weston

Tonight I have acquired and listened to some wonderful chamber music.
*
Kuhlau: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32 and
Kuhlau: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 50*
Ilona Prunyi / New Budapest Quartet









For some reason I had it in my head that Kuhlau was a Mozart contemporary writing music more in keeping with the Mannheim school of major triad melodies suitable for Grey Poupon commercials. I'm not sure how I got mixed up on this. These piano quartets are beautifully haunting and the playing / recording in this old Marco Polo edition is smoooooth and lovely. No screeching. I love it! Why can't other chamber performances sound this pleasant in timbre?

I think I'll need to re-evaluate Kuhlau's music and put it as a high priority on my want list. Hmmm - maybe he wrote some great piano sonatas? Symphonies? I'm looking forward to finding out.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-six

Hugh The Drover, act two - Charles Groves, cond.


----------



## Blake

Miotto's Maderna: Quadrivium. An interesting piece here.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

KenOC said:


> Up to 1961! Shostakovich Symphony No. 12, Petrenko. I don't hear this often.


The 12th is so underrated, imo. I think it's because it's so conservative. But I think it holds some great thematic material that unifies the whole symphony.


----------



## KenOC

Huilunsoittaja said:


> The 12th is so underrated, imo. I think it's because it's so conservative. But I think it holds some great thematic material that unifies the whole symphony.


Hurwitz would agree with you. He starts out by saying, "I'm certainly not going to rock the critical boat and claim that this symphony is a neglected masterpiece." Which of course he more or less proceeds to do! My own judgment is suspended...


----------



## SimonNZ

Allan Petterson's Violin Concerto No.2 - Ida Haendel, violin, Herbert Blomstedt, cond.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *
both performed by the Ole Schmidt led London Symphony Orchestra. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 4, *
both featuring Neeme Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Haas Version}, * traversed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Maestro Karajan.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Huilunsoittaja said:


> While you rock out to that, I'm rocking out to this:
> 
> Some context: Dodon's about to have his wedding, and is dancing, when this guy (who owns the Golden Cockerel) demands to have his betrothed, they fight, and the Golden Cockerel kills Dodon in mid-fight/dance. What a great dancing segment!!! Perfectly drunken!


Thanks for sharing. Now I'm interested in listening to the whole opera .


----------



## dgee

Krol Roger - it's two hours of highly charged, exotic/erotic Szymanowski with big orchestra and chorus so it's raunchy as all get-out (and a fitting follow-up to his Symphony 3)


----------



## SimonNZ

Charles Chaynes' Organ Concerto - Marie-Clare Alain, organ, Serge Baudo, cond.

edit: Nico Muhly's From Here On Out - Edwin Outwater, cond.










edit: now Nico Muhly's Drones In Large Cycles


----------



## SimonNZ

Misato Mochizuki's Si Bleu, Si Calme - Klangforum Wien


----------



## science

I think I can do all 7.5 hours. Let's see!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bach - Goldberg Variations* / Glenn Gould (piano and vocalise) [1981 Studio video, You tube]

I know some regard Glenn Gould as a genius, especially in Bach, but this is pretty idiosyncratic, with bizarrely fast and slow tempi in some variations. Give me Brendel or Schiff in Bach any day.

I do not like this, Sam-I-am.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kovacevich has made a recording of the Goldbergs? Or did you mean you generally prefer him over Gould?

edit: actually, come to to think of it I don't know of a Brendel Goldbergs either. Guess I'm answering my own question.

playing now:










Helen Grime's Night Songs - Oliver Knussen, cond.

World Premiere from 2012 Proms

edit: ha, it isn't sixteen minutes long, its only eight - but after the first run Knussen addresses the audience; "I have no idea what happened in that performance because my glasses fell off. I think we did alright, but lets have another go."


----------



## MagneticGhost

Late chrimbo present.
Perfect music for decluttering the house and my mind.


----------



## Art Rock

First part of a Nielsen re-discovery project (his 6 symphonies and 3 concertos are scheduled).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

SimonNZ said:


> Kovacevich has made a recording of the Goldbergs? Or did you mean you generally prefer him over Gould?
> edit: actually, come to to think of it I don't know of a Brendel Goldbergs either. Guess I'm answering my own question.


I shot from the hip, hastily and none too accurately as you point out!

I had mis-remembered that my own recording of the Goldbergs was by Kovacevich who hasn't in fact recorded it: it was Andras Schiff. (I was confusing that recording with Kovacevich's Diabelli variations).

I have recordings of other Bach works played by Brendel which are favourites, so I should have clarified that.

Currently listening again to:
*
Berg - Piano Sonata Op. 1
Schoenberg - 3 piano pieces Op. 11
Webern - Variations Op. 27*

Peter Hill [Naxos]


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Bedford & the English Chamber Orchestra

My first listen and I am really enjoying it so far, this is a perfect reminder as to why I like Britten's work.

I may also have to look into the Orchestra's catalogue because the performance here is fantastic. I couldn't have picked a better recording to listen to for an introduction to these Variations.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Bolero - Herbert von Karajan, cond.

no apologies


----------



## DavidA

SimonNZ said:


> Ravel's Bolero - Herbert von Karajan, cond.
> 
> no apologies


None needed!!! .


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Concerto No.256 in A Major

Roy Goodman leading the Brandenburg Consort -- Rachel Brown, flute


----------



## ptr

*Ludwig van Beethoven* and *Jean Sibelius* - Violin Concertos (Testament)









David Oistrakh, violin; Stockholm Festval Orchestra u. Sixten Ehrling

and after these two warhorses:

*Carl Nielsen* - Symphony No 5 (Philips)









Concertgebouw Orkest u. Kirill Kondrashin

/ptr


----------



## Guest

Mozart this morning.
Concertos recorded by Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra








Horn Concerto #4 In E Flat, K 495
Lowell Greer, natural horn








Piano Concerto #19 in F Major, K459
Melvyn Tan, fortepiano


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Gotterdamerung / Karajan

Incredible BPO!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A second listen to this disc from a charity shop, which must be the best £2.99 I've spent in a long time

Poulenc

Sonata for violin and piano
Bagatelle in B minor for violin and piano
Sonata in B flat for clarinet and piano
Sonata for piano and 'cello

Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Graf Mourja (violin), Ronald van Spaendonck (clarinet), Françoise Groben ('cello)
[Naxos, rec. 1995-7]









Familiar Poulenc, mostly. This CD replaces some recordings on cassettes I made from local record library LPs in the 80s. I'm encouraged to seek out more of this Naxos set of complete Poulenc chamber music. 
Excellent sound and performances


----------



## Gilberto

Rameau - Ouvertures - Christophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques

I haven't listened to Rameau in a long time and now I'm wondering why.


----------



## jim prideaux

Martinu-Sinfonietta Giocosa, performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta conducted by Tamas Vasary with Julian Jacobson-integration of the piano into orchestral pieces always delights and yet there appears to be a limited number of composers who avail themselves of this opportunity.....
by the way....on Classic FM this morning (driving,nothing else in the car because I had stupidly had a 'sort out') Maris Janssons conducting the Concertgebouw in a performance of Dvorak 9th-3rd movement and I suddenly realised that certain string parts reminded me for the first time of Mahler-more particularly 1st and 4th symphonies.......well there you go!......it might just have been the triangle!!!!!!!!


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> Ravel's Bolero - Herbert von Karajan, cond.
> 
> no apologies


For Bolero or Karajan ?


----------



## jim prideaux

Prokofiev 5th-Gergiev and the LSO-Sergei's 'wartime' symphony-planned appropriate accompaniment to the annual 'conflict' that is the taking down of the Christmas tree...........


----------



## moody

THREE GRAND FANTAISIES FOR CELLO AND PIANO. By A.F.Servais.

1. Souvenir de Spa.
2. On Rossini's "Barber of Seville".
3. On Donizetti's "Daughter of the Regiment".

Joel Krosnick, cello and Cameron Grant,piano.

This is all quite delightful, Servais the Belgian Paganini of the cello, gets the cello to actually "sing" the well known arias. "Souvenir de Spa" is an original composition but also very operatic.


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Harpsichord Concerto in E Flat

The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra -- Ton Koopman, harpsichord


----------



## Bas

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - l'Olimpiade
By Rafaella Millanesi [soprano], Ann-Beth Solvang [mezzo], Olga Paschnyk [soprano], Martin Oro [tenor], Jeffrey Francis [tenor], Markus Brutscher [tenor], Academia Montis Regalis, Allesandro de Marchi [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 74
By the Takács Quartet, on Hyperion


----------



## Blancrocher

Melnikov playing Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Beethoven* - Symphony No. 5 in C minor / D. Barenboim, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

*Rachmaninov* - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor / Y. Bronfman, S. Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 9 in D / J. Barbirolli, Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1717-1757): Viola Concerto in D Major, Op.1

Jiri Belohlavek conducting the Prague Philharmonia -- Jan Peruska, viola









In response to the 'Violas - seriously, now!' thread, I realized that there are a number of fine viola works composed during the Classical era, including this one. Carl Stamitz is credited with originating the left hand pizzicato specifically written into a musical score, I believe in this concerto --


----------



## Vasks

_Basically Bach_

*Fasch - Orchestral Suite in F (Nemeth/Dynamic)
J.S. Bach - Sonata #3 for Solo Violin, BWV 1005 (Sitkovetsky/Orfeo)
J.S. Bach - Toccata in F# minor, BWV. 910 (Hewitt/Hyperion)
J.S. Bach/Ormandy - Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (Ormandy/Odyssey)*


----------



## hpowders

JS Bach French Suites, Blandine Rannou, harpsichord. Stylish rendition, all repeats taken with brilliant embellishments.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.7 in A Major

Emil Klein leading the Hamburg Soloists


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Symphony No. 8 in E flat 'Symphony of a Thousand'*

Christine Brewer, Soile Isokoski, Juliane Banse (sopranos), Birgit Remmert, Jane Henschel (mezzos), Jon Villars (tenor), David Wilson-Johnson (baritone), John Relyea (bass)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle [EMI, 2004]









Continuing with my review of Mahler's symphonies. I already had the 1971 Solti / Chicago SO disc (am I sure of conductor and orchestra...yes, checked!) but I saw this on sale second hand for a song a couple of years ago and it is very good too.


----------



## Jos

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Bach - Goldberg Variations* / Glenn Gould (piano and vocalise) [1981 Studio video, You tube]
> 
> I know some regard Glenn Gould as a genius, especially in Bach, but this is pretty idiosyncratic, with bizarrely fast and slow tempi in some variations. Give me Brendel or Schiff in Bach any day.
> 
> I do not like this, Sam-I-am.


Hi TurnaboutVox, 
Although I do like Gould I can recommend something completely different: Murray Periah's rendition of the GV. I only discovered this quite recently and he plays them wonderfully. I believe i've red somewhere on the net that it was "romantic", that wasn't meant as a compliment:lol: give me romance every day!!
Readily available on youtube.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Gilberto

Philip Glass - Symphony no.4 "Heroes"


----------



## Rachmanijohn

Been enjoying this recording of Stravinsky ballet music. Just about finished with The Rite of Spring and am astounded at the clarity and sound. I highly recommend it.


----------



## ptr

*Cathy Berberian* - Beatles Arias (Polydor)









Hilariously Fun!

/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, No. 3 in C minor
Domus


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Chopin - Piano Concerto 1 performed by Zimerman.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening to Dvorak's cello concerto.


----------



## hpowders

Listening to Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel while cleaning my oven. There's irony in there somewhere!

(Frederica von Stade and Judith Blegen).


----------



## bejart

First listen to belated Christmas present --
Franz Ignaz Beck (1734-1809): Sinfonia in F Major, Op.1, No.2

Donald Armstrong conducting the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Paris
The Spirit of Cocteau, Diaghilev and Stravinsky*

*Milhaud:	*
*Le Boeuf sur le toit, Op. 58*

*Poulenc:* 
*Violin Sonata, FP 119*

*Stravinsky:* 
*Suite italienne*
version for violin and piano
*Chanson Russe*
arr. I. Stravinsky and S. Dushkin for violin and piano
*Tango*
arr. S. Dushkin for violin and piano
*Pastorale*
arr. I. Stravinsky and S. Dushkin for violin and piano

*Maya Koch (violin) & Julian Milford (piano)*









beautiful, tender, but also intense romantic music

prestoclassical.


----------



## Rachmanijohn

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Chopin - Piano Concerto 1 performed by Zimerman.


I love Zimmerman's Chopin Concerti! What he does with the tempi does wonderful things. So many poignant moments brought out that I never noticed before.


----------



## Mahlerian

This week's symphony:

Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Davis


----------



## Jos

I felt an episode of intens listening to baroquemusic coming up (happens quite frequently) but decided to counter that with this (inspired by the "avoid thread") :







.






.

When much younger I found it more easy to listen to atonal music, and did so regularly.
The first album is more easy to get into, not too dissonant, and even lyrical from time to time. The suite for stringorchstra is even tonal: G major. A quote from the linernotes: "in fact, Schoenberg has replied to his detractors, not without humor, on the subject of a purported "tonality error"........"from time to time I give in to this need"

The second album is a whole different matter. I'll listen to it some more and will try to put into words what happens inside my head listening to this. At least it is never dull !!

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony in G Major, Op.7, No.1

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena


----------



## Vasks

hpowders said:


> Listening while cleaning my oven. There's irony in there somewhere!


Yes there is, but please don't climb into the oven to find it. :lol:


----------



## hpowders

Vasks said:


> Yes there is, but please don't climb into the oven to find it. :lol:


 Good advice!


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Mahlerian

Jos said:


> The second album is a whole different matter. I'll listen to it some more and will try to put into words what happens inside my head listening to this. At least it is never dull !!


You know that the Ode to Napoleon also contains tonal elements, right? It even ends on an E-flat major triad (a reference to Beethoven's Eroica).


----------



## Oskaar

*Ravel & Gershwin: Piano Concertos*

*Gershwin:* 
Piano Concerto in F major

*Ravel:	*
Piano Concerto in G major

*Stravinsky:* 
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra

*Ian Parker (piano)

London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Francis*

allmusic
arkivmusic


----------



## maestro267

A Scandinavian programme, built around this week's Saturday Symphony:

*Sibelius*: The Wood-Nymph (Ballad for orchestra)
Lahti SO/Vänskä

*Grieg*: Piano Concerto in A minor
Royal PO/Judd

*Nielsen*: Symphony No. 5
Danish National SO/Schonwandt


----------



## hpowders

Peter Mennin Seventh Symphony. Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony. Brooding and downright terrifying at times, this is one of the most profound of American symphonies. Not intended for the musically squeamish.


----------



## Jos

Mahlerian said:


> You know that the Ode to Napoleon also contains tonal elements, right? It even ends on an E-flat major triad (a reference to Beethoven's Eroica).


I didn't, Mahlerian. This issue is one of those expensive DGG's . Very extensive linernotes, with annotation and Byron's poem integrally printed. Tonight, as I am sitting here with my missus, I'll be playing other music, but tomorrow I will dig into it.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## MagneticGhost

Onwards with the Elgar box.
Great chamber music. Shame he didn't write more really.
I've played in the String Quartet in the past. But the Piano Quintet is new to me.

CD12 [77:09]
Piano Quintet in A minor Op. 84, String Quartet in E minor Op. 83, Serenade, Concert Allegro Op. 46
John Ogdon, Allegri Quartet, Music Group of London


----------



## adrem

0 symphony by Anton Bruckner and Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by great Polish conductor and "brucknerian" Stanisław Skrowaczewski. (What a modesty to call such great symphony like that!)


----------



## DaveS

Stravinsky's Pulcinella Ballet. 1947 recording (streamed). Concertgebouw, Stravinsky


----------



## LancsMan

*Mahler: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection* City of Birmingham SO conducted by Simon Rattle on EMI.

Of the symphonies prior to No. 6 this is my favourite. I prefer it to No. 8 as well. It's also the Mahler symphony I've heard most frequently at live concerts. It usually comes off really well in live performance, but I did attend a performance of it in the Liverpool Anglican cathedral where it was rather 'lost in space'.

I think it's the best introduction (when seen and heard live in the flesh) to Mahler's world - and I know from a friend it was the work that first attracted him to Mahler. There is such variety here - all the World so to speak.

Any way this is a fine performance (and I'm a sucker for Janet Baker who is the soloist in the fourth movement). I only have two recordings of this work, the other being the Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic on CBS. Obviously the Rattle has the edge in recording quality, but in some ways I prefer the Bruno Walter (particularly in the dramatic climax of the first movement). But I am glad to have both versions.


----------



## bejart

Another Christmas present --
Alessandro Besozzi (1702-ca.1793): Trio Sonata in A Minor

Ensemble Barocco Sans Souci: Giuseppe Nalin and Ruggero Vartolo, oboes -- Paolo Tognon, bassoon -- Enrico Corbi, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

CPE Bach's Magnificat - Michael Schneider, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

moody said:


> For Bolero or Karajan ?


I wasn't really being serious, I guess for the juxtaposition of slightly silly warhorse and the absolute unsmiling earnestness with which Karajan treats them. Actually my honest opinion is that no-one does the lolipops better (to say nothing of his many other great recordings). Karajan correctly viewed them as an entrance point for the classicaly curious, and to his own catalogue, and the high polish and seriousness reflects that.


----------



## LancsMan

*Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1* Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Ashkenazy on Decca.

Well I enjoy the ride, but Rachmaninov is not really a front rank symphonist - even Elgar's symphonies are superior in my book. But there is plenty to enjoy in the music - and certainly Rachmaninov deserves more respect than I was willing to give him in my youthful arrogance (when I had no time at all for his music).

There is a typical Russian melancholy / nostalgia present in this music (as in much of Rachmaninov). Melancholy and nostalgia is also a common trait in much English music that I enjoy, although in a rather different accent.


----------



## Novelette

Gluck: Alceste -- John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

Schubert: Rondo in B Minor, Op. 70, D 895, "Rondo Brillant" -- Isaac Ster & Daniel Barenboim

Haydn: Symphony #46 in B, H 1/46 -- Helmut Müller-Brühl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Elgar: Symphony #2 in E flat, Op. 63 -- Yehudi Menuhin: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Sibelius: Symphony #3 in C, Op. 52 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Berlioz: Le Roi Lear Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1962 in the Hurwitz read-along, and the merry strains of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13, "Babi Yar." Well, it ends on a somewhat positive note...


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Crossley (rec.2007), Pletnev (rec.1996).

View attachment 31885
View attachment 31886


----------



## LancsMan

*Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra* Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karajan on DG.

Glorious stuff. Just why do I enjoy Richard Strauss's music so much? He's a self confessed 'first class second rate composer' whose music is rarely profound. But it is so frequently over the top and downright sensuous (even vulgar) that I can't help loving it even if I shouldn't.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 41*

I'm still waffling between Buchbinder and Schornsheim on these pieces.


----------



## contra7

Domenico Scarlatti: Harpsichord sonats

Ursula Deutschler


----------



## DavidA

moody said:


> For Bolero or Karajan ?


Neither Ravel or Karajan needed anyone to apologise for them - as far as their music making was concerned, anyway!


----------



## bejart

Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Cello Concerto in A Major

Marta Abraham leading the Sinfonietta Pannonica -- Peter Szabo, cello


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Just arrived- from Canada! My LP copy of the Walton was rather worn, and so, voila! It is such a wonderful performance, and such a beautiful concerto. The Dvorak I'd not heard before, but I like it, and it can take its place alongside Casals, Tortelier and Fournier. Marvellous.


----------



## hpowders

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 31893
> 
> 
> Just arrived- from Canada! My LP copy of the Walton was rather worn, and so, voila! It is such a wonderful performance, and such a beautiful concerto. The Dvorak I'd not heard before, but I like it, and it can take its place alongside Casals, Tortelier and Fournier. Marvellous.


Yes! The Piatigorsky/Munch BSO Dvorak is one of my all time favorites!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Kyrie in D minor.*


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1966 and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2. A most singular work! Also a curative for those who doubt that DSCH was capable of great subtlety.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux, Mystere de l'instant.*

I finally opened the seal on this box set and am diving in.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Two old favourites. Jakob Gimpel was, and remains, a very underrated pianist, this is a splendid version of the "Emperor", and what more could ye want than Kempe and the Berlin Philharmonic as your support? Then the Pro Arte Orchestra and Sargent with the overtures to "The Pirates of Penzance","H.M.S. Pinafore" and "Iolanthe". All jolly good stuff.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: String Symphony No.7 in D Minor

Lev Markiz conducting the Mieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam









Bursting with youthful energy and enthusiasm ---


----------



## Blancrocher

Julian Bream playing William Walton's 5 Bagatelles.


----------



## hpowders

Shostakovich Symphony #8, Haitink, Concertgebouw. One of the saddest, bleakest, most tragic symphonies ever written. Stands as one of the greatest pacifist statements of the 20th century.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Our neighbors at my studio are an Evangelical Ministry. Today they were blasting something that sounded like a cross between Hip-Hop Gospel and an inebriated attempt at Free Jazz. I tried to drown the noise out with this...










... but not even the thunder and lightning of the turbo-charged performance of Liszt could rectify the situation. I', tempted to blast the Sex Pistols, _Never Mind the ********..._ during their Sunday service tomorrow.

Right now I'm listening to this:










Tchaikovsky always seems suited to Winter... especially considering the Siberian-like Arctic weather we have coming. That might explain why I've been listening to ol' Piotr so much recently.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: In questa tomba oscura, WoO133 -- Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau & Jörg Demus

^ This is one of the most ethereal lieder I've ever heard. I adore Beethoven's lieder.

Liszt: Prometheus, S 99 -- Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto #4 in D Minor, Op. 31 -- Lorenzo Gatto; Patrick Davin: Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61 -- Hilary Hahn; Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some absolutely lush... exotic... even "erotic" Post-Romantic music. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed this disc.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.9 in E Flat, KV 271

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Weston

*Zoltán Kodály: Variations on a Hungarian folksong, "The Peacock" ("Felszállott a páva"), for orchestra*
Adrian Leaper / Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra









Exoticism about 80 years out of fashion when written, but we can enjoy it with impunity. I love the weird brass sonorities in one of the middle variations.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-seven

Sir John In Love, acts one and two - Meredith Davies, cond.


----------



## samurai

Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"}, *
performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, *
both traversed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Maestro Karajan. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2, *both featuring Neeme Jarvi at the Bamberg Symphony's helm.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

The Eighth arrived a few weeks ago, but I didn't get the Fourth until yesterday, even though they had been ordered on the same day...









Bruckner : Symphony 4 (Haitink/Concertgebouw)

Why do I know the third movement? The trumpets have been used in some movie, song or advertisement. So far, after 1½ listenings, I like this one better than the Eighth (which I thought kept repeating melodies just a bit too often).


----------



## Weston

Robert Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, "Concerto Without Orchestra," Op. 14
Bernd Glemser, piano









While I prefer his concerto that _is_ with an orchestra, this is pretty awe inspiring. The over the top Beethovenian first movement and scherzo movement 2 are my favorite parts, I think. The 4th movement just hurts my fingers even to listen.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartók: String Quartet No. 2
Takács Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

I think I'll take another pass at that one as well:










Bartok's String Quartet No.2 - Novak Quartet


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Peter Mennin--*Symphonies Nos.8 and 9, * both performed by the Christian Badea led Columbus Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Blake

Guglielmo's Tartini: Violin Concertos Vol. 10. Very nice, I say.


----------



## guy

Mahlerian said:


> Bartók: String Quartet No. 2
> Takács Quartet


I'm not sure if you're doing this to spite me or not :B (joking, of course)


----------



## Blake

Hauschka - _Ferndorf._ This guy's pretty cool. He does prepared piano works with strings, but incorporates a rock/pop groove to his music.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Works (Fantasias, Preludes & Fugues, Toccatas BWV 542, 578, 588, 544, 543, 562, 531, 572, 570, 582, 545, 577, 583, 598, 541, 539, 534, 590, 547, 540, 565, 564, 538, 566, 532)
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









George Philipp Telemann - Double & Triple Concertos
By The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## ShropshireMoose

German: Gipsy Suite
Bantock: Fifine at the Fair
Bax: The Garden of Fand
Berners: The Triumph of Neptune-Excerpts 
Royal and London Philharmonic Orchestras/Sir Thomas Beecham

A feast of wonderful orchestral music. Beecham is the absolute master in all these pieces, not that so many others have recorded them, never mind essaying them in the concert hall. With regard to the Bantock, the only other recording that I know of, by Vernon Handley, sounds sluggish and passionless by comparison with this. Why is it that so few these days seem able to just let themselves go and revel in a score like this for all it's worth? Proof, if proof were needed, that you can have the most well engineered and beautifully recorded performance in the world, but it's all for naught if the performance ain't up to it!


----------



## Oskaar

*AMERICAN PREMIERES - DORIAN WIND QUINTET*

*Night Journey*
Composer: Bruce Adolphe

Island Prelude for oboe & string orchestra
Composer: Joan Tower

*Quintet for winds *("La Nouvelle Orleans")
Composer: Lalo Schifrin

*Variations on "La Folia" for wind quintet*
Composer: Conrad de Jong

*Sextet for piano & wind quintet*
Composer: Lee Hoiby

Performers: *Dorian Wind Quintet *(Ensemble), Elizabeth Mann (Flute), Gerard Reuter (Oboe), Jane Taylor (Bassoon), Jerry Kirkbride (Clarinet), Stewart Rose (Horn)









amazon


----------



## jim prideaux

Endellion Quartet performing Smetana 'From my life' and Dvorak 'American' quartets....


----------



## ptr

*Danish Violin Concertos* Vol 7 & 8 (Danacord)
(N.W. Gade, A. Gade, O. Malling, C. Nielsen & Knudaage Riisager)









Kai Laursen violin; Southern Jutland and Aarhus Symphony Orchestra's u. Ole Schmidt / Mariss Jansons / Jorma Panula / Aksel Wellejus

/ptr


----------



## Doc

Mozart violin sonatas, played by Shiokawa and Schiff on Wolfgang's own instruments.
Various Elgar compositions, played by orchestras conducted by Marriner and Collingwood.


----------



## Oskaar

*Alexander Moyzes: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2*

Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 31

Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 16

*Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ladislav Slovak*









prestoclassical
classicstoday


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> *AMERICAN PREMIERES - DORIAN WIND QUINTET*
> 
> *Night Journey*
> Composer: Bruce Adolphe


I'd be interested in hearing something by Bruce Adolphe. I enjoy his"Piano Puzzler" show wherein he takes a familiar folk or pop tune and plays it in the style of a classical composer. He does those brilliantly, often playfully. I've always wondered how his real work compares.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A collection of Schumann chamber music for Sunday morning:

*Schumann

Märchenbilder, Op.113
Fantasiestücke, Op.73
Märchenerzählungen, Op.132*

Kim Kashkashian (viola), Robert Levin (piano), Eduard Brunner (clarinet) [ECM]

*Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47* / Trio Parnassus with Hariolf Schlichtig (viola)[MD&G]

*Grand Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op.121* / Nicolas Chumachenko (violin), Kalle Randalu (piano) [MD&G]


----------



## Andolink

*Heinrich Schutz*: _Musikalische Exequien_ (motets and concertos)
The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
His Majesties Sagbutts and Cornetts
John Eliot Gardiner








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in E flat major, op. 64 no. 6_
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Ib Nørholm*: _Medusa's Shadow_, for flute, guitar, viola & cello, Op. 105
Toke Lund Christiansen, flute
Ingolf Olsen, guitar
Henrik Olsen, viola
Niels Ullner, cello


----------



## Guest

*Serenades for Wind Octet, K375 in E flat and K388 in C minor
Holliger Wind Ensemble*


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Beethoven* - Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique", performed by Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold - Wind Chamber Music*

Wind Quintet, Op. 2

Duo for Two Clarinets, Op. 135

Dream City

World Première recording

Hobson's Choice Overture

Grand Fantasia

World Première recording

Overture (1940)

World Première recording

Suite Bourgeoise for flute, oboe & piano

Scherzetto for Clarinet and Orchestra from 'You Know What Sailors Are'

Fantasy for Clarinet Op. 87

Fantasy for Flute and Clarinet

World Première recording

Divertimento for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet Op. 37

Sea Shanties for Wind Quintet, Op. 4

*East Winds*









classicalnet
classicsonline


----------



## LouisMasterMusic

riverbank said:


> Been listening to Tchaikovsky last hour - Piano Concerto No 1, )


Currently I'm listening to Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 (it's almost finished) and the Khachaturian Piano Concerto (a piece I don't know at all) in a recording with Boris Berezovsky and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dmitri Liss.


----------



## ptr

Go Noreg!

*Arne Nordheim* - Epitaffio (Simax)









Marius Hesby, trombone; Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra u. Jukka-Pekka Saraste & Rolf Gupta

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Kirsten Flagstad singing Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder.


----------



## Andolink

Music from the court of King Janus at Nicosia (1374-1432)
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul van Nevel


----------



## moody

THE DOUBLE BASS, THE CINDERELLA OF THE ORCHESTRA.

My last offering was for cello and piano, but how about the double bass as it doesn't get considered often as a solo instrument.
So here's Gary Karr and the Berlin Radio Symphony under Ures Lajovic.

Koussevitzky : Concerto, Op.3. (The great conductor Koussevitzky was a double bassist himself ).
Dragonetti : Concerto In A Major.
Paganini :Variations On a theme From Rossini's "Moses In Egypt".


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent arrival ---
Carlo Tessarini (ca.1690-1766?): Grand Sinfonie No.3 in F Major

Francesco Baroni leading the Compagnia de Musici


----------



## altom

Our memory is really short, or let me better state it, many of us allow the new "fashions" to take our attention, preventing us to enjoy the goods of the (recent) past.

So, I dedicated the week end to listen to forgotten ( or about to be) big pianists of the recent past.
Geza Anda and John Ogdon.
Obviosuly Bartok for the first, but for me Ogdon was the surprise. Listen him playing Liszt (Mefisto e.g., not to forget the sonata in B Minor), and just compared to some of the best known Pianists of today.... You'll be surprised. what do we miss.

The recording I have, can not be defined the best for quality, but good enough to understand.
Don't miss this 



 , 1975 recital in Moscow.


----------



## Vasks

_Listening to the New World in the New World (although it doesn't feel so new)_
*
Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 (Macal/Delos)*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More Dvořák, the other three of his late string quartets (I listened to #9, 10 and 11 the other evening)

*Dvořák - String Quartets

No.12 in F major, Op.96 "American"
No.13 in G major, Op.106* / both played by the Pavel Haas Quartet [Supraphon, 2010]

*No. 14 in A flat, Op. 105* / Wihan Quartet [Nimbus, 2011]

Very attractive works, especially Op. 105

*Schoenberg - String Quartet No.1 in D minor, Op.7* / LaSalle Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon, 1968]

...because I like it!

*Schoenberg - String Quartet No. '0' (1897)* / LaSalle Quartet

And here is the 'missing link' between Dvořák and Schoenberg - this has extremely clear Dvořákian themes and influences (listen to the final movement, for example). It's extraordinary I'd not noticed this before, but I'd never played the Dvořák and early Schoenberg quartets back to back previously.


----------



## Mahlerian

guy said:


> I'm not sure if you're doing this to spite me or not :B (joking, of course)


If a piece comes up in a discussion, I often end up listening to it, as long as it's not too long. No spite involved.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Sinfonie Concertante in B Flat for 2 Clarinets, Op.25

Wolf-Dieter Hauschild conducting the Rundfunforchester Hannover des NDR -- Dieter Klocker and Waldemar Wandel, clarinets


----------



## hpowders

William Schuman Symphony #10 (American Muse), Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony, to take me to the first NFL wildcard game of the day.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Peter Mennin--*Symphonies Nos.8 and 9, * both performed by the Christian Badea led Columbus Symphony Orchestra.


I just ordered this very CD yesterday!!!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, "Scottish"
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Levine









Via the radio. Edit: Performers added.


----------



## ptr

Some very nostalgic old recordings with the King of Mozart Pianism:

*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart* - Piano Concertos 17, 20, 22, 24 (APR)







---








Edwin Fischer, piano. various orchestras and conductors

/ptr


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> I just ordered this very CD yesterday!!!


Thanks to your mentioning of this composer in one of your prior posts, l have started listening to him on* Spotify.*
My only complaint about that right now is I can't seem to find the Moby Dick Symphony which you had cited in your post. Perhaps *YouTube* might have it.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> Thanks to your mentioning of this composer in one of your prior posts, l have started listening to him on Spotify.
> My only complaint about that right now is I can't seem to find the Moby Dick Symphony which you had cited in your post. Perhaps YouTube might have it.


It's on the same CD with the Mennin 7th. The Moby Dick work isn't a symphony, by the way. He called it a "Concertato" of some 11 minutes in length.


----------



## Doc

Brahms's fourth, played by the Berlin Philharmonic under Harnoncourt.
Bruckner's 1st and 2nd symphonies, played by the Berlin Phil under Barenboim.
Anne Sofie von Otter singing a selection of Greig's Lieder. It's raining here, and the 'Haugtussa' is wonderful.


----------



## samurai

Having listened to Janacek's *Sinfonietta * for the first time last night, overall, I was very impressed with its triumphant mood and sonority as established by the horn section, especially in the opening movement. I was also of the distinct impression that I have heard that opening theme before,although I would have never associated it with this piece; it reminded me of something along the lines of what Aaron Copland would have written, such as *Fanfare for the Common** Man. *


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My new disc of the week (as suggested by forum members posting on this thread, sorry that I can't remember exactly who)

*Haydn -

String Quartet Op. 51, Hob. III: 50-56 The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ
String Quartet in D minor (fragment) Op. 103, Hob. III: 83*

Kodaly Quartet [Naxos, 1989]









Thanks for the suggestion, I do like the Kodalys' approach to Haydn very much (this is my first exposure to that ensemble). This probably won't be my last Haydn / KQ purchase, though I will give the Buchbergers and the London Haydn Quartet a listen too (thanks to HBtC for those recommendations).

I didn't know Op 51 before and it is certainly an interesting and arresting work. The Kodaly's account of Op 103 is really excellent, warm, elegaic and passionate.


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> It's on the same CD with the Mennin 7th. The Moby Dick work isn't a symphony, by the way. He called it a "Concertato" of some 11 minutes in length.


Thanks so much for the information; I have seen that on Spotify, and now I shall be able to sample it as well. Based on your excellent review of this work, I am really looking--or hearing--forward to the experience.


----------



## Blake

St. Clair's Takemitsu: _From Me Flows What You Call Time_. This is an amazingly colorful piece.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> Thanks so much for the information; I have seen that on Spotify, and now I shall be able to sample it as well. Based on your excellent review of this work, I am really looking--or hearing--forward to the experience.


Thanks. I hope you like it. Just don't listen to the Mennin 7th in the dark!


----------



## DaveS

Concerto for Flute,Violin & Harpsichord
Brandenburg #5
Italian Concerto
Murray Perahia, Academy of St.Martin in-the-Fields


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> Thanks. I hope you like it. Just don't listen to the Mennin 7th in the dark!


Okay, I'll be sure to keep that in mind! :tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.57 in C Major, Op.74, No.1

Salomon String Quartet: Simon Standage and Micaela Comberti, violins -- Trevor Jones, viola -- Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello


----------



## kdeen

*Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis*

I think I've found it at last!!! I love Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (ugh, one of the longest and most academic [boring] titles I know). It is brilliant orchestral writing, very upbeat, and just loads of fun to listen to when done well. But with most performances I usually feel like it could have been done better. Well, I recently acquired the Blomstedt / San Francisco version (in a 3-CD set of Hindemith orchestral works), and, by golly, I feel like they NAILED it! Such fun! This is only one half of one of 3 CDs. I haven't heard the rest of this set yet, so can't comment, but I couldn't resist sharing my bubbles ...


----------



## kdeen

*Boston Symphony concerts*

I also highly recommend the concerts of the Boston Symphony. Many concerts from the past 12 months are available for streaming in quite good sound … for free.

http://www.wgbh.org/995/bsoconcertchannelplaylist.cfm

Does any other major symphony do this? This is quite a wonderful service.


----------



## brotagonist

kdeen said:


> I recently acquired the Blomstedt / San Francisco version (in a 3-CD set of Hindemith orchestral works)... This is only one half of one of 3 CDs.


I picked that one up myself, a couple of months back. A great choice, I think. Covers pretty much all of Hindemith's orchestral works. Fine music


----------



## hpowders

Bach Concerto in A for Oboe d'amore, Heinz Holliger. Bach at his happiest!


----------



## hpowders

kdeen said:


> I also highly recommend the concerts of the Boston Symphony. Many concerts from the past 12 months are available for streaming in quite good sound … for free.
> 
> http://www.wgbh.org/995/bsoconcertchannelplaylist.cfm
> 
> Does any other major symphony do this? This is quite a wonderful service.


Perhaps, Chicago. Boston and Chicago seem to be the only major US cities to take Classical Music listening seriously.


----------



## KenOC

hpowders said:


> View attachment 31964
> 
> 
> Bach Concerto in A for Oboe d'amore, Heinz Holliger. Bach at his happiest!


Me too! Different performance.


----------



## LancsMan

*Elgar: Enigma Variations* conducted by Elgar (1926 recording) on EMI.

Despite his rather old fashioned appearance, Elgar was up to date enough to become the first significant composer to take a serious interest in recording. And despite the limited nature of the sound this 1926 performance comes across very well. That's once you get over the frequent slides - modern orchestras are more disciplined and accurate, thank goodness. Elgar seems to have been a pretty good conductor of his own works from what I hear in this historic recording.


----------



## PetrB

Prompted by the zeal of discovery by a fan for whom it is new and for whom it took some work to find their way in, an old friend, holding up very well after decades since we last visited:
William Schuman ~ Symphony No. 6 -- the same recorded performance I owned as a 'youth.' Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy. 
_(Oh, and they play the hell out of it _





*ADD: "Modern" music ~ sixty-six years old this year *


----------



## KenOC

hpowders said:


> Perhaps, Chicago. Boston and Chicago seem to be the only major US cities to take Classical Music listening seriously.


LA has more notes. That counts.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Works, w. Angelich (rec.1994); *Reger*: Piano Works, w. MAH (rec.1998).








View attachment 31965


----------



## SimonNZ

JC Bach's Symphonies Concertantes - Anthony Halstead, cond.


----------



## PetrB

KenOC said:


> LA has more notes. That counts.


Isn't that a titch Arithomaniac?


----------



## Mahlerian

PetrB said:


> Prompted by the zeal of discovery by a fan for whom it is new and for whom it took some work to find their way in, an old friend, holding up very well after decades since we last visited:
> William Schuman ~ Symphony No. 6 -- the same recorded performance I owned as a 'youth.' Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy.
> _(Oh, and they play the hell out of it _


I'm checking this out as well. The only Schuman symphony I really know is the 3rd.

Schuman: Symphony No. 6
Philadelphia Orchestra, cond. Ormandy


----------



## senza sordino

*Nielsen Symphonies #5 & 6, and violin concerto*
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Herbert Blomstedt
vn soloist Arve Tellefsen


----------



## PetrB

And now, reminded of it by a link just to the right, another old favorite piece of "modern music" fifty-two years old this year.

Irving Fine ~ Symphony (1962); Boston Symphony, Erich Leinsdorf


----------



## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> I'm checking this out as well. The only Schuman symphony I really know is the 3rd.
> 
> Schuman: Symphony No. 6
> Philadelphia Orchestra, cond. Ormandy


Check out Gerard Schwarz Seattle of the Schuman 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th. All very good works. You can thank me in the morning.


----------



## LancsMan

*Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius* Halle orchestra and choir (+ Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus) with Janet Baker, Richard Lewis and Kim Borg conducted by John Barbirolli on EMI.

'Holy water in a German beer barrel' according to Beecham who was not an Elgar fan from what I hear. The comment is of course accurate! The catholic subject matter reveals that Elgar was quite a long way from holding conventional English religious attitudes.

Any way I think the work is one of Elgar's greatest, despite it's subject matter being somewhat alien to me. There is a wonderful sensitivity to the writing, and the piece is full of impressive moments. Elgar doesn't do demons very well though - the weakest music in the work!

As to the performance, well it's Barbirolli at his finest. Is it possible to improve on Janet Baker as The Angel?. I don't think so! In this performance there is a tremendous, rapt emotional intensity that I love.


----------



## Blancrocher

Boulez and company in Mozart's "Gran Partita" and Berg's Chamber Concerto.


----------



## brotagonist

PetrB said:


> William Schuman ~ Symphony No. 6


Never heard of him until a few days ago, when his name started to appear here. I'm listening now. I would never have stood for this as a youth  It's just not Darmstadt enough!

Well, 10 minutes later and I'm still listening... It is slightly reminiscent of Takemitsu, not his Feldmanesque, but his Debussian work, due to the sweeping gestures of Gelassenheit. Oh, wait! The steam engine section (about 20 minutes in) just started. So much for serenity  It almost sounds jazzy.

I made it through to the end without skipping. No offence, but I guess I have no taste


----------



## hpowders

brotagonist said:


> Never heard of him until a few days ago, when his name started to appear here. I'm listening now. I would never have stood for this as a youth  It's just not Darmstadt enough!
> 
> Well, 10 minutes later and I'm still listening... It is slightly reminiscent of Takemitsu, not his Feldmanesque, but his Debussian work, due to the sweeping gestures of Gelassenheit. Oh, wait! The steam engine section (about 20 minutes in) just started. So much for serenity  It almost sounds jazzy.
> 
> I made it through to the end without skipping. No offence, but I guess I have no taste


 Hope you are listening to a stereo performance, not the old Ormandy mono. Listen to it many more times over the next few weeks. I didn't get it either the first few times, but now I recognize it as a great piece.


----------



## brotagonist

hpowders said:


> Hope you are listening to a stereo performance, not the old Ormandy mono. Listen to it many more times over the next few weeks. I didn't get it either the first few times, but now I recognize it as a great piece.


I listened to the YT link. I don't know if it is mono or stereo. I will _not_ listen "many more times over the next few weeks." I have lots to listen to and about 8 stragglers from my 2013 buying still in the mail. I have not written it off, it just grabs me in a Rautavaarian way, i.e., it left me feeling generally indifferent.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in G Major, Op.23, No.5

Pro Arte Antiqua Praga: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello









One of the best string quartets you've never heard ---


----------



## Oskaar

*Alwyn:	
Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2*

*Howard Shelley (piano)*

Overture to a Masque

Elizabethan Dances

*London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hickox*









amazon


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Regardless of how "new" it is... or isn't... the Adagio for Strings surely remains one of the most achingly beautiful works of music ever written.


----------



## adrem

Górecki and his 2 Symphony, for me more important than famous 3.


----------



## DrKilroy

adrem said:


> Górecki and his 2 Symphony, for me more important than famous 3.


For me too! And this is an excellent rendition.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Regina Coeli, K108*


----------



## jim prideaux

as I have frequently commented over the last few months the symphonies of Dvorak are increasingly amongst my favourite works-I recently acquired a second hand copy of the apparently revered recording by Jansons and the Oslo Phil-on close listening this evening I realised that to me personally the recording sounds 'compressed' and while the interpretation may be great the actual sound lacks something, particularly in comparison with the Gunzenhauser/Slovak Phil recording on Naxos......result-justification for ordering the Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw recording...does any one have any other recommendations?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet KV 428 in E-flat Major, KV 464 in A Major (Leipziger Streichquartett).

It doesn't let me upload the picture, unfortunately.


----------



## Manxfeeder

TurnaboutVox said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, I do like the Kodalys' approach to Haydn very much (this is my first exposure to that ensemble). This probably won't be my last Haydn / KQ purchase, though I will give the Buchbergers and the London Haydn Quartet a listen too (thanks to HBtC for those recommendations).


If you like the Seven Last Words, see if you can hear the Lindsay Quartet's recording. To my ears, it gets closest to the intent of the piece. The liner notes are worth reading also.


----------



## LancsMan

*Debussy: La Mer* Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on Philips.

Composed in Eastbourne, England (well not quite, but completed in Eastbourne). Seems a somewhat mundane place for such inspired impressionistic music. (OK Eastbourne is not that bad - I've been once - hiking along the cliffs was pretty good actually - it's my somewhat tenuous connection to the music ).

Great performance.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Bruckner: Te Deum
Jochum/Berliner Philharminiker/Various Soloists








I got so caught up in the piece that it seemed to fly by in about five minutes  :lol:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Sonata in Eb, No. 52.*

I've been dithering between Buchbinder and Schorsteim, because they're both at my local CD store at a reduced price. Schorsteim is excellent, but the sound of the pianos/harpischord/clavichord wear on me after a while. Unless I get an overnight epiphany, I think I'll go with Buchbinder.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: String Quartet No. 1* Takacs Quartet on Decca.

There's something about Bartok's sound world that just sucks me in. This early Bartok work is an impressive start to what to me is the most impressive String Quartet cycle of the 20th century - although the Shostakovich cycle is stiff competition. In the first two movements Bartok has yet to find his mature style - but the last movement couldn't be by anyone else.

Excellent performance.


----------



## moody

LancsMan said:


> *Debussy: La Mer* Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on Philips.
> 
> Composed in Eastbourne, England (well not quite, but completed in Eastbourne). Seems a somewhat mundane place for such inspired impressionistic music. (OK Eastbourne is not that bad - I've been once - hiking along the cliffs was pretty good actually - it's my somewhat tenuous connection to the music ).
> 
> Great performance.


It's called "The Sea", Eastbourne's on the sea,so why tenuous ?


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying a first listen to Frank Bridge's String Quartets, performed by the Brindisi Quartet.

*p.s.* Many thanks to TurnaboutVox for the mention of these fine works!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

bejart said:


> Pavel Vranicky (*1756-1898*): String Quartet in G Major, Op.23, No.5
> One of the best string quartets you've never heard ---


By 'eck he had a good innings, though, didn't he? Seriously, I wish I did know more about the composers and their works you regularly post about. Maybe in my retirement I'll catch up with the chamber music of that era.



HaydnBearstheClock said:


> W. A. Mozart, String Quartet KV 428 in E-flat Major, KV 464 in A Major (Leipziger Streichquartett). It doesn't let me upload the picture, unfortunately.


I thought I'd posted a picture of this disc previously, but I can't find it now either, Odd. These are rather good readings / recordings of the later Mozart quartets, though, aren't they.



Manxfeeder said:


> If you like the Seven Last Words, see if you can hear the Lindsay Quartet's recording. To my ears, it gets closest to the intent of the piece. The liner notes are worth reading also.


Thanks, Manxfeeder, for the recommendation but I was a bit disappointed with my last Lindsay Q. recording (Beethoven Op. 130 / 133).



Blancrocher said:


> Trying a first listen to Frank Bridge's String Quartets, performed by the Brindisi Quartet.


I'll be interested to hear what you think - I've been advocating these, you may have noticed!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> By 'eck he had a good innings, though, didn't he? Seriously, I wish I did know more about the composers and their works you regularly post about. Maybe in my retirement I'll catch up with the chamber music of that era.
> 
> This one?
> 
> View attachment 31977
> 
> 
> Thanks, Manxfeeder, for the recommendation but I was a bit disappointed with my last Lindsay Q. recording (Beethoven Op. 130 / 133).
> 
> I'll be interested to hear what you think - I've been advocating these, you may have noticed!


Hello TurnAboutVox,

no, unfortunately not that one, but it's from this series . I'm always glad if my recommendation may help.

J. Haydn, Die Schöpfung - Die Vorstellung des Chaos (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> no, unfortunately not that one, but it's from this series . I'm always glad if my recommendation may help.


Hi HaydnBearstheClock,

No, sorry, I realised I had the wrong one about a microsecond after posting.


----------



## LancsMan

moody said:


> It's called "The Sea", Eastbourne's on the sea,so why tenuous ?


It's my connection to the piece - having once visited Eastbourne - that's tenuous - not the piece's connection to Eastbourne. I do tend to picture the English channel as a rather grey a body of water compared to the colourful music. But of course the sun does shine at Eastbourne, rather more frequently than in my native Lancashire.


----------



## kdeen

hpowders said:


> Perhaps, Chicago. Boston and Chicago seem to be the only major US cities to take Classical Music listening seriously.


I can't find Chicago concerts ... Can you post a link?


----------



## kdeen

I mentioned Boston Symphony concerts earlier today. Here's a specific recommendation. Dutoit conducting Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, complete, with chorus. An hour of rapturous music. It's the last piece on the program:

http://tinyurl.com/l3srspg

I'm guessing this link should be good until July or August 2014.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Bohdan Warchal directing the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eugenia Zukermanova, flute


----------



## Itullian

Sublime


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Roberto Gerhard's* death day, January 5, 1970.

View attachment 31981


----------



## samurai

Via *Spotify:

*Peter Mennin--*Concertato "Moby Dick"; Symphonies Nos.5 and 6. *
All three works are performed by the Albany Symphony Orchestra under David Allan Miller. 
Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major, Op.48 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.55, *both featuring the Moscow Radio and TV Orchestra led by Vladimir Fedoseyev.


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> as I have frequently commented over the last few months the *symphonies of Dvorak* are increasingly amongst my favourite works-I recently acquired a second hand copy of the apparently revered recording by* Jansons and the Oslo Phil*-on close listening this evening I realised that to me personally the recording sounds 'compressed' and while the interpretation may be great the actual sound lacks something, particularly in comparison with the Gunzenhauser/Slovak Phil recording on Naxos......result-justification for ordering the Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw recording...does any one have any other recommendations?


Which CD(s)? I own their Symphony 5, Scherzo Capriccioso, Othello Overture, and recommend it for performance and sound.

View attachment 31982


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

Ensemble Villa Musica: Rainer Kussmaul and Aki Sunahara, violins -- Enrique Santiago and Hariof Schlichtig, violas -- Martin Ostertag, cello


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

jim prideaux said:


> as I have frequently commented over the last few months the symphonies of Dvorak are increasingly amongst my favourite works-I recently acquired a second hand copy of the apparently revered recording by Jansons and the Oslo Phil-on close listening this evening I realised that to me personally the recording sounds 'compressed' and while the interpretation may be great the actual sound lacks something, particularly in comparison with the Gunzenhauser/Slovak Phil recording on Naxos......result-justification for ordering the Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw recording...does any one have any other recommendations?


Kubelik, Talich, Suitner


----------



## Vasks

brotagonist said:


> It almost sounds jazzy.


If you knew Schuman's humble musical beginnings* the idea of some jazziness slipping in is not surprising.

If you want to hear more obvious jazz in Schuman you need to listen to the last movement of his 8th symphony.

_*I heard him tell a cute story about one incident but I'm not in position to write it down right now_


----------



## Weston

*Richard Wetz: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 57*
Werner Andreas Albert / Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz / Ulf Wallin, violin









From the AllMusic scathing review of the album:

". . . a rather formless concatenation of Romantic clichés -- nervous tremolos, doom-laden chords, Wagnerian fanfares, Brucknerian chorales, etc. -- surmounted by a violin part of endlessly cycling arpeggios and snippets of melodies . . ."

Why, yes. That sounds positively repugnant!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

I used to be quite a Roberto Gerhard fan back in the '70s/'80s, having had collected a number of LPs as proof of my devotion. Today is apropos to reacquaint myself with this lesser known master.

Symphony 4 "New York" (Bambert/BBCSO)
String Quartet 2 (Arditti Quartet)



Weston said:


> ". . . a rather formless concatenation of Romantic clichés -- nervous tremolos, doom-laden chords, Wagnerian fanfares, Brucknerian chorales, etc. -- surmounted by a violin part of endlessly cycling arpeggios and snippets of melodies . . ."


Thanks for the tip. I'm going to see if I can find it on Naxos 

Yup, they have it  The same CPO recording, even. I have it cued right after the 2 Gerhard works.


----------



## samurai

jim prideaux said:


> as I have frequently commented over the last few months the symphonies of Dvorak are increasingly amongst my favourite works-I recently acquired a second hand copy of the apparently revered recording by Jansons and the Oslo Phil-on close listening this evening I realised that to me personally the recording sounds 'compressed' and while the interpretation may be great the actual sound lacks something, particularly in comparison with the Gunzenhauser/Slovak Phil recording on Naxos......result-justification for ordering the Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw recording...does any one have any other recommendations?


Hi, Jim. I have the *Dvorak Complete Symphonies Box Set* as rendered by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Witold Rowicki, and have been quite satisfied with it. As I also have Maestro Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra's Box Set of *Franz Schubert's Symphonies*, I am quite sure you will not be disappointed in his Dvorak traversals either.


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> Check out Gerard Schwarz Seattle of the Schuman 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th. All very good works. You can thank me in the morning.



Yeah, but will he still respect you? :lol:


----------



## samurai

samurai said:


> Having listened to Janacek's *Sinfonietta * for the first time last night, overall, I was very impressed with its triumphant mood and sonority as established by the horn section, especially in the opening movement. I was also of the distinct impression that I have heard that opening theme before,although I would have never associated it with this piece; it reminded me of something along the lines of what Aaron Copland would have written, such as *Fanfare for the Common** Man. *



After having done a little research--very little, mind you :lol: --I have come to realize that perhaps Copland was influenced by Janacek, rather than the other way around, given the fact that Janacek had died by the time Copland arrived on the musical scene. DOH! :scold:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Symphonies 6 & 7. I forgot just how good these were... and how good Suitner's interpretations are.


----------



## samurai

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Symphonies 6 & 7. I forgot just how good these were... and how good Suitner's interpretations are.


I often find myself thinking that these two--plus his *Eighth-*-is every bit as compelling as his much more famous *Ninth. *


----------



## Weston

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> I used to be quite a Roberto Gerhard fan back in the '70s/'80s, having had collected a number of LPs as proof of my devotion. Today is apropos to reacquaint myself with this lesser known master.
> 
> Symphony 4 "New York" (Bambert/BBCSO)
> String Quartet 2 (Arditti Quartet)
> 
> Thanks for the tip. I'm going to see if I can find it on Naxos
> 
> Yup, they have it  The same CPO recording, even. I have it cued right after the 2 Gerhard works.


Well, it isn't life changing. It's merely okay, but certainly not bad enough for the scathing review AllMusic gave.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: 5 Rechants
Stuttgart SWR Vocal Ensemble









A bit of an odd work here, calling for all sorts of unorthodox sounds out of the chorus (a capella).

Schuman: Symphony No. 6
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, cond. Schwarz









Another listen, this time in the recent stereo recording (the only other one?).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A really muscular Brahms' 4th that rocks... along with Beethoven's _Coriolan Overture_... performed with such spitfire intensity that I am led to believe it really is a major work. This... along with choral works by Gabrieli, Schutz, Bach, and Brahms.

Its also interesting... at least to myself... to note that I've been listening to a lot of symphonies lately (Haydn, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner...)


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76
Rossini: La Cenerentola


----------



## brotagonist

Weston said:


> Well, it isn't life changing. It's merely okay, but certainly not bad enough for the scathing review AllMusic gave.


Agreed. I was really getting into the fin-de-siècle Jugendstil violin à la Webern "Langsamer Satz", but at the end of the second movement transitioning into the third, it became so violently tempestuous that I was literally taken aback and dashed to the computer to see what had gone wrong


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

samurai said:


> I often find myself thinking that these two--plus his *Eighth-*-is every bit as compelling as his much more famous *Ninth. *


Its just that catchy "name". :lol: Seriously... there is undoubtedly a degree of truth to that. What are Beethoven's most popular Piano sonatas: Pathetique, Moonlight, Tempest, Apassionata, etc...


----------



## hpowders

After 2 exciting American football games and dizzying debates on TC, time to unwind with Copland's Appalachian Spring with Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

Well, back to my albums... the other arrival from Friday:







​
Sibelius : Symphonies 4-7, Schwan von Tuonela, Tapiola (I have only heard disc one so far)

These (particularly Symphony 4) must be the slowest symphonies in existence and unlike unlike any I have heard before.







​


----------



## samurai

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> Well, back to my albums... the other arrival from Friday:
> 
> View attachment 31987
> 
> ​
> Sibelius : Symphonies 4-7, Schwan von Tuonela, Tapiola (I have only heard disc one so far)
> 
> These (particularly Symphony 4) must be the slowest symphonies in existence and unlike unlike any I have heard before.
> 
> View attachment 31988
> ​



Really love the emoticon--as well as your musical taste evinced here. Nice! 
Your friend looks quite serious, and seems like he knows what he's doing with them thar pistolas.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Carl Nielsen-*-Symphony No.3, Op.27 {Sinfonia espansiva} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *Both works feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. 
Roy Harris--*Symphonies Nos.7 and 9, *
both performed by the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra under Theodore Kuchar. 
Paul Creston--*Symphonies Nos.1-3, * once again featuring Maestro Kuchar and the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> View attachment 31986
> 
> 
> After 2 exciting American football games and dizzying debates on TC, time to unwind with Copland's Appalachian Spring with Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic.


Tremendous, evocative performances by the Maestro and the New York Philharmonic; as with his Mahler readings, I get the impression that Bernstein truly loved these composers and their music, with all his heart and soul. One of my all-time favorites.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition ---
Anton Eberl (1765-1807): Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op.1

John Khouri, piano


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Still another in my current exploration/obsession with the symphonic form. I'm far more familiar with nos. 4,5,7,8 & 9.


----------



## samurai

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Still another in my current exploration/obsession with the symphonic form. I'm far more familiar with nos. 4,5,7,8 & 9.


 I have this set as well, and have really enjoyed Maestro Karajan's readings of Bruckner with the Berliner Philharmoniker. 
Interesting that you and I are completely opposite in our classical music forays: basically, I listen to nothing but symphonies. I guess at some point, I should also try to expand my musical horizons somewhat.


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1967 in the Hurwitz read-along -- Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 2, Mordkovich. The last of the six concertos. I think I'm going to have to hear this one again.


----------



## opus55

Roussel: Piano Concerto in G
Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor


----------



## Blancrocher

Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, with Sinopoli conducting Baltsa, Domingo, and co.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> Tremendous, evocative performances by the Maestro and the New York Philharmonic; as with his Mahler readings, I get the impression that Bernstein truly loved these composers and their music, with all his heart and soul. One of my all-time favorites.


Yes. There is no doubt he loved Mahler and Copland very much.


----------



## Itullian

Phenomenal set.


----------



## KenOC

Itullian said:


> Phenomenal set.


I saw the Tokyo SQ early last year in concert. Some changes in personnel, and older! They are disbanding (or have disbanded) at the end of the 2013 season, more's the pity.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Haven't been on here much lately. Been too busy and the Playoffs took up most of my weekend. However, I have had time today to listen to Petrenko's Rachmaninov's Symphonys No. 2 & 3 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Like his Shostakovich series these are very fine performances and well recorded too! He releases Symphony No. 1 this month and I can't wait to hear it!!



















Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-eight

Sir John In Love, acts three and four - Meredith Davies, cond.










edit: Hey! Its got yet another RVW version of "Greensleeves"!


----------



## samurai

Kevin Pearson said:


> Haven't been on here much lately. Been too busy and the Playoffs took up most of my weekend. However, I have had time today to listen to Petrenko's Rachmaninov's Symphonys No. 2 & 3 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Like his Shostakovich series these are very fine performances and well recorded too! He releases Symphony No. 1 this month and I can't wait to hear it!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


I only wish Petrenko and the RLPO would record a complete set of Shostakovich Symphonies already, available in one box set!


----------



## KenOC

samurai said:


> I only wish Petrenko and the RLPO would record a complete set of Shostakovich Symphonies already, available in one box set!


I'm sure that box will be along in a bit. And I hope it costs $5.99. But it won't!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

samurai said:


> I only wish Petrenko and the RLPO would record a complete set of Shostakovich Symphonies already, available in one box set!


I imagine Naxos will release a box set when the cycle is complete. I think he only has 13 & 14 left to go. I would think those will be released this year sometime.

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No. 6


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.4 - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano, Otto klemperer, cond.


----------



## dgee

Hans Zender's "Schubert's Winterreise: a composed interpretation" (1993)






Song with piano has always been my massive musical blindspot - with the occasional exception of some Brahms, late romantic and modernist/avant garde songs I just haven't been able to get into the genre at all. This is proving to be a bit more exciting and may yet help me appreciate the originals


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## ptr

*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Piano Concertos No 2 & 3 (Archipel)









Walter Gieseking, piano; Concergeboiuw Orkester u. Willem Mengelberg

/ptr


----------



## bejart

James Cervetto (1682-1783): Cello Sonata No.2 in G Major

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli, cello -- Walter Mammarella, harpsichord -- Marcello Scandelli, cello continuo


----------



## SimonNZ

Karl-Birger Blomdahl's I Speglarnas Sal - Sixten Ehrling, cond.

edit: now Marc Blitzstein's String Quartet "Italian" - Del Sol String Quartet


----------



## bejart

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Trio Sonata in E Minor, Op.1, No.2, RV 67

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord


----------



## MagneticGhost

I've had the Beethoven Sonatas 1+2 playing in the background. No chance to sit down and really listen today.


----------



## MagneticGhost

SimonNZ said:


> RVW Edition, disc twenty-eight
> 
> Sir John In Love, acts three and four - Meredith Davies, cond.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit: Hey! Its got yet another RVW version of "Greensleeves"!


Well of course, the Fantasia incorporates - "Lovely Joan" from the Opera too.
And according to Wiki (this is completely new to me) - RVW didn't even write the fantasia. It was an arrangement by Ralph Greaves. It is cited twice - so maybe true. In any event, the fantasia came after the opera and is sourced from the opera. 

I hope you give your overall verdict on this boxset when you finish. 
I've got mine to go through once I've finished my Elgar. 
#somuchmusicsolittletime


----------



## Couac Addict

Have to learn the 3rd by Friday. *sound of whip cracking*


----------



## Guest

Indianapolis is not known for severe winters. Today is as bad as I have ever seen it. Yesterday we got 12 inches - not too bad. But this morning the temp it -15 and the county is shut down to traffic. All school and most businesses are closed. I'm enjoying the day off with some music:








Mozart arias sung by Diana Damrau








Elgar, Cello Concerto
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim

This is the first time I've listened to the Elgar piece. Until now I thought the Dvorak was the best cello concerto. This is fantastic!

Edit: That's -15 degrees Fahrenheit. For all you not in the US that would be -26 Celsius.


----------



## Andolink

*Ib Nørholm*: _Essai Prismatique_ for violin, cello and piano, Op. 77
Anne Øland, piano
Bodil Robech, violin
Niels Ullner, cello








*Marin Marais*: Pièces à deux violes from the _Pièces de viole, Livre I_ (1686/9)-- Suite in D Minor
Kenneth Slowik, bass viol
Jaap ter Linden, bass viol
Konrad Junghänel, theorbo


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 3 in G minor (The London Haydn Quartet).


----------



## jim prideaux

as the new year begins my decision to investigate 'lesser known' Russian/Soviet composers has been facilitated by the arrival of Myaskovsky 24th/25th symphonies performed by the Moscow Phil. conducted by Yablonsky-initial reaction,cannot help but be drawn to this music,there is a momentum and at certain points an imposing sense of something of significance.......then again as I have commented on a number of occasions I am impressed by the much maligned Kabalevsky.......


first movements of both symphonies are really impressive, at times Russian 19th century 'masters' at others perhaps Bruckner, but all through the modifying filter of the circumstances in which Myaskovsky lived and composed-but really all that might matter is the excitement of discovering music of this quality......


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Violin Concerto in A, K219
Anne-Sophie Mutter, London Philharmonic Orchestra








Beethoven, Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
Andreas Staier
This is a fabulous recording, highly acclaimed. Staier uses an unusual period instrument equiped with some special effects pedals. One creates a reed like sound which he uses sparingly and mostly to good effect. However, when I first heard Variation XXIII it sounded like he broke the instrument on that first powerful chord. It was shocking, so I listened again and decided I liked it.


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Weihnachts-Oratorium, Parts V and VI (Gardiner). I forgot to listen to part V yesterday. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphonies No. 6, 7, 2 and 3, in that order, performed by Raphael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.


----------



## hpowders

SiegendesLicht said:


> *Gustav Mahler* - Symphonies No. 6, 7, 2 and 3, in that order, performed by Raphael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.
> 
> View attachment 32009


Wow! All four Mahler symphonies? That's a busy day!


----------



## Sonata

I listened to some Vivaldi concertos last night while preparing and eating dinner. I'm not often in the mood for Vivaldi, but every now and again he is very refreshing.


----------



## hpowders

Sonata said:


> I listened to some Vivaldi concertos last night while preparing and eating dinner. I'm not often in the mood for Vivaldi, but every now and again he is very refreshing.


I feel the same way. Once in a while is more than enough Vivaldi.


----------



## moody

FRANZ LISZT----A GOOD CROSS SECTION .

When I was a kid I heard two fine Lisztians, Cyril Smith and Louis Kentner, on 78s. I've been hooked ever since.

Two Legends : St.Francis of Assissi Preaching To The Birds and St.Francis of Paul Walking On the Water.
Ballads Nos. 1 and 2. The second one tells the same story as Weber's Konzertstueck about the lady waiting for her knight's return. Three Liebestraume ( yes ,there are three),.

Edith Farnadi, piano. Amazing pianist she won the Franz Liszt Prize twice as a teenager. Then became a professor at the Franz Liszt Academy.

Reminiscences From Halevy's Opera ""La Juive". Fantaise and Fugue on the Name B.A.C.H. Mazurka (S384), Romanesca (S. 247)

Gregor Weichert,piano. Pupil of Conrad Hansen and Alfred Cortot.

This has been brought on by Mstar's unwise remarks that all Liszt sounds the same.,


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening:

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], John Toll [harpsichord, organ], Nigel North [archlute, theorbo, guitar], on HM Gold









My favourite non-named sonatas by Beethoven:
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 30, 31, 32
In two performances:

By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca








By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI








I have not yet determined which I prefer, I like the forte, the attack, the (very controlled) force of Gulda, but the slightly more gentle, romantic approach of Barenboim is also delightful. The last part of the last sonata is magnificent, with some slight jazzy touches (a feeling I get from both versions, although Gulda's is generally more jazzy.) I really lack the vocabulary to explain this very right. Anyway, beautiful music, great performances.

Today:

Franz Schubert - Goethe Lieder
By Gerald Moore [piano], Dieter Fischer Dieskau [bariton], on Deutsche Gramophone









Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 664, D 624, D 575, D 568, D 557, D 566
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet KV 428 in E-flat Major (Leipziger Streichquartett).

Getting to know Mozart's quartet oeuvre better - excellent works for sure.


----------



## Vasks

_Between 1700-1800_

*Veracini - Overture No. 6 (Martini/Naxos)
Vivaldi - Bassoon Concerto, RV 497 (Thunemann/Philips)
F.J.Haydn - String Quartet No. 46 (Kodaly/Naxos)
Winter - Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn and Orchestra (Brown/cpo)*


----------



## ptr

Movie Night at my neighbour's barn conversion "home" cinema (He's away on holiday so I have the room all by myself!)

A 2cd and 3 DVD's documentary on: *The Genius of Cavaillé-Coll* (Fugue State Films)









There's not a Hollywood flick that can touch this on pure excitement! 

/ptr


----------



## julianoq

All that talk about Boulez and Shosty inspired me to listen one of my favorite symphonies, the 10th. Performed by Petrenko and the RLPO.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: String Quartets 3 & 4, etc., w. Fred Sherry Qt. (rec.2005 - '09); String Trio, w. Kremerata Musica (rec.1994); Piano Works, w. Pollini (rec.1974).

View attachment 32019







View attachment 32020


----------



## Blancrocher

Leonidas Kavakos and the Camerata Salzburg in Mozart's Violin Concertos.


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Arias for Aloysia Weber
Cyndia Sieden, Franz Bruggen, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century








Mozart, Piano Concerto #14 in E Flat, K 449 and #13 in C, K415 
Fialkowska, Janina/Chamber Players Of Canada
These are performances of arrangements (by Mozart himself) for piano and string quartet. The only liberty taken was to double the cello with a bass to help support the arrangement at the low end. In effect these are piano sextets, and nicely done.


----------



## rrudolph

Mozart: Piano Concerto #24/Grand Mass in c minor (just released recording--I'm the timpanist on this one)








JC Bach: Six Grand Overtures Op. 18








CPE Bach: Quartet in a minor Wq.93/Quartet in D Major, Wq94/Quartet in G Major, Wq. 95/Fantasy in C Major








Haydn: Symphonies #49/#58/#59


----------



## Bas

For the feast of Ephiphany today:

Johann Sebastian Bach - 6th cantata of the Weinachtsoratorium
Dorothea Roschman [soprano], Andreass Scholl [counter tenor singing alto parts], Werner Güra [tenor], Klaus Häger [bass], RIAS-Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









And some more music (this is gonna be a long working night, then I better take good care for myself musically)

George Philipp Telemann - Solo 6 for Harpsichord, Trio 8 for Recorder flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 12 (same), Trio 2 for Viola da Gamba, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 4 for Transverse flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Solo 12 for Harpsichord

By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], Paolo Pandolfo [viola], Oskar Peter [transverse], Michel Piguet [oboe], Conrad Steinmann [recorder], Imker David [viola], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice
By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter], Stutgarter Kamerchor, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Sony Classical


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet KV 464 in A Major (Leipziger Streichquartett).


----------



## jim prideaux

and so my investigation of Russian/Soviet music continues-Kalinnikov 1/2 symphonies performed by the Nat. Symph. Orch of Ukraine conducted by T. Kuchar....late romanticism, individual, immediately attractive and reminiscent of Glazunov....the production of this Naxos CD is bright and at times arguably a little transparent but the fact that one can just follow ones 'nose', availing oneself of such recordings easily is a big,big bonus!


----------



## Vasks

rrudolph said:


> Haydn: Symphonies #49/#58/#59
> View attachment 32028


Have had that nice 2 CD set for many years now. Glad to see someone else has it too.


----------



## Blancrocher

Aimard's "Liszt Project," juxtaposing works by Liszt and some that are influenced by him, including birthday boy Scriabin's "Black Mass" Sonata.


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Bruch* (1838) and *Scriabin *(1872) birthdays.

View attachment 32036
View attachment 32037


Sampling a new thematic release, *Delius in Norway*. Well presented by Moen/BergenPO/A. Davis. Two thumbs up.

View attachment 32034


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio Hob. 16/24 in D Major (Van Swieten Trio).









One of Haydn's best piano trios imo.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm still fixated on symphonies. Its sad how few recordings there are of composers as strong as Walter Piston. Luckily Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony offer solid performances here.


----------



## Guest

*Mozart Double Concertos:*








K364, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat for violin, viola and orchestra
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yuri Bashmet, London Philharmonic Orchestra








K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C
Emanuel Pahud, Marie-Pierre Langlament, Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker








K365, Concerto in E flat for 2 Pianos
Ronald Brautigam, Alexei Lubimov, Haydn Sinfonietta Wien


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jerome said:


> *Mozart Double Concertos:*
> 
> View attachment 32040
> 
> K364, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat for violin, viola and orchestra
> Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yuri Bashmet, London Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 32041
> 
> K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C
> Emanuel Pahud, Marie-Pierre Langlament, Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker
> 
> View attachment 32042
> 
> K365, Concerto in E flat for 2 Pianos
> Ronald Brautigam, Alexei Lubimov, Haydn Sinfonietta Wien


Any mentions... especially with pictures... of Anne Sophie Mutter immediately earn likes from me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Continuing on my way exploring the realm of the symphony:


----------



## SimonNZ

MagneticGhost said:


> Well of course, the Fantasia incorporates - "Lovely Joan" from the Opera too.
> And according to Wiki (this is completely new to me) - RVW didn't even write the fantasia. It was an arrangement by Ralph Greaves. It is cited twice - so maybe true. In any event, the fantasia came after the opera and is sourced from the opera.


Ah, the bit I was actually reacting to was a little earlier in the opera where Mrs Ford and Falstaff sing Greensleeves to each other as a duet. But, yes, the brief Fantasia bit later was also a surprise. Thanks for the info - I wasn't aware of a deliberate connection.

My fave RVW Greensleves, though, is still the one for acapella chorus (as sung by the London Madrigal Singers.


----------



## samurai

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Continuing on my way exploring the realm of the symphony:


If you like this work, I'd also recommend that you give Copland's Symphony for Organ and Orchestra (First Symphony) a listen.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ib Norholm's Symphony No.3 "Day's Nightmare" - Eduard Serov, cond.


----------



## hpowders

The 10th Symphony by William Schuman has become my favorite work as of late. Another dose scheduled for this evening!


----------



## SimonNZ

Webern's Symphony op.21 - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> Messiaen: 5 Rechants
> Stuttgart SWR Vocal Ensemble
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A bit of an odd work here, calling for all sorts of unorthodox sounds out of the chorus (a capella).
> 
> Schuman: Symphony No. 6
> Seattle Symphony Orchestra, cond. Schwarz
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another listen, this time in the recent stereo recording (the only other one?).


Nope! There's also a stereo performance on Koch with Hugh Keelan leading the New Zealand Symphony, a very good performance too. It's accompanied by Roy Harris' 7th Symphony.

It's hard to listen to the Schuman in the Ormandy due to the cramped mono.

My biggest regret is that Leonard Bernstein didn't record an integral set of the Schuman symphonies. He recorded the 3rd, 5th and 8th (a live performance) on one CD. The 8th is the only one I find stimulating.

Happy listening!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn -

String Quartet Op. 51, Hob. III: 50-56 The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ
String Quartet in D minor (fragment) Op. 103, Hob. III: 83
*
Kodaly Quartet [Naxos, 1989]

I'm shattered after work today, so I've had energy only to listen to my newest disc again (fell asleep briefly therein...woke up at sudden 'Il terremoto (Presto e con tutta la forza'!) Good stuff, this.

Now wide awake again...
On Spotify:

*Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas* (Disc 1) / Mikhail Pletnev (Piano) [EMI, 2001)

1. Sonata in D major Kk 443
2. Sonata in D minor Kk 1
3. Sonata in G major Kk 283
4. Sonata in G major Kk 284
5. Sonata in B minor Kk 27
6. Sonata in E major Kk 380
7. Sonata in A major Kk 24
8. Sonata in C sharp minor Kk 247
9. Sonata in F minor Kk 519
10. Sonata in F major Kk 17
11. Sonata in D minor Kk 9
12. Sonata in A minor Kk 3
13. Sonata in A major Kk 404
14. Sonata in D minor Kk 213
15. Sonata in D major Kk 214









Unexpectedly wonderful. I haven't listened to Scarlatti on a modern piano before.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Winterreise - Gute Nacht (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Daniel Barenboim).


----------



## EricABQ

Mahler's 6th from the Utah Symphony (from Amazon's Big Mahler Box, which is still the best $3 bargain I've found.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux: Symphonies 1 and 2, Mystere De L'Instant, Metaboles*

Music to bring me out and back in from the freezing weather.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

We had a former member here who swore that Myaskovsky's symphonies were every bit as worthy as Tchaikovsky's He kept pushing for me to pick up the complete symphonies in the Evgeny Svetlanov. This was asking a bit much, considering I knew nothing of Myaskovsky. I eventually picked up a couple of the individual discs of the symphonies by Svetlanov. A few of them struck me as nice enough... but none of them really blew me away... let alone rivaled Tchaikovsky. This disc, however, was something different. The symphony, the composer's last, is quite special. The cello concerto is even better... truly moving.


----------



## KenOC

Up to 1969 now with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14, Haitink. It is certainly, absolutely, and thoroughly depressing! Fortunately the 15th is coming next.


----------



## brotagonist

^ Shostakovich said:

"I want listeners to reflect upon my new symphony ... to realise that they must lead pure and fruitful lives for the glory of their Motherland, their people and the most progressive ideas motivating our socialist society. That is what I was thinking about as I wrote my new work. I want my listeners, as they leave the hall after hearing my symphony, to think that life is truly beautiful."


----------



## SimonNZ

Joly Braga Santos' Symphony No.4 "To the Portuguese Musical Youth" - Álvaro Cassuto, cond.


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> ^ Shostakovich said:
> 
> "I want listeners to reflect upon my new symphony ... to realise that they must lead pure and fruitful lives for the glory of their Motherland, their people and the most progressive ideas motivating our socialist society. That is what I was thinking about as I wrote my new work. I want my listeners, as they leave the hall after hearing my symphony, to think that life is truly beautiful."


After listening to the symphony, I have to believe that DSCH was havin' us on a bit. He did that sometimes. Well, actually pretty often. I mean, skip the music and just read the words...

Before the premiere it was auditioned before a select audience of artists and party functionaries to determine if it was "safe". One of DSCH's chief enemies on the Central Committee, Pavel Apostolov, died of a heart attack during the performance. DSCH was supposed to have said, "Well, I didn't want *that* to happen." I'm not sure of the moral of this story.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Blancrocher

Nezet-Seguin's Don Giovanni. This one got mixed reviews, and I can understand why--but it's a great pleasure nonetheless.


----------



## opus55

Jerome said:


> Indianapolis is not known for severe winters. Today is as bad as I have ever seen it. Yesterday we got 12 inches - not too bad. But this morning the temp it -15 and the county is shut down to traffic. All school and most businesses are closed. I'm enjoying the day off with some music:
> ...snip...
> Edit: That's -15 degrees Fahrenheit. For all you not in the US that would be -26 Celsius.


I stopped keeping track of snow last week. It was almost -15 deg F in Chicago area today. I was very disappointed that they didn't close office today. It is fatally cold! Fortunately, I'll be working from home tomorrow with plenty of music.

Verdi: Nabucco


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Dvorak is quite likely the "greatest"... most important composer that I need to explore in the most depth. I am of course familiar with the symphonies, and as a lover of vocal music I am versed in his songs and choral works... but I really do need to delve deeper into his oeuvre... especially the chamber works... especially if they are in any way as strong as the symphonic and vocal work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Michael Nyman's MGV - cond. composer


----------



## Weston

*Haydn: Symphony No. 53 in D major, Hob. 1:53 "L'Impériale"
Haydn: Symphony No. 54 in G major, Hob. 1:54*
Thomas Fey / Heidelberger Sinfoniker









This is a semi-HIP performance using period instruments and low vibrato string style, but no continuo. All that seemed perfect for me, but I'm afraid the tempos drag a bit. I'm not familiar with these symphonies and had no expectations; I just felt they needed more energy.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 in D Minor, Op.31, No.2

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## Blake

A bit o' Ludwig van by Alban Berg Quartet: No. 6. Always an excellent acquaintance. I'll probably listen to a few more.


----------



## Rocco

Listened to Handel's Messiah while I shoveled the driveway today. I later went for a drive and listened to Handel's Chandos Anthems......oh, and yea I listened to Beethoven's Fidelio this morning....:lol:


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I'm currently listening to Schubert's Der Winterabend D. 938.


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> After listening to the symphony, I have to believe that DSCH was havin' us on a bit. He did that sometimes. Well, actually pretty often. I mean, skip the music and just read the words...


I think he _was_ having us on. I just scanned the texts: morbid stuff, most of it. I didn't realize it, as I hadn't followed along, except for the Lorelei song. Still, death has always figured in poetry and art, particularly surrealists like Apollinaire and mystics like Rilke. They cast Death in a romantic light, as the Trickster. Rilke says:

"Death is immense.
Laughing
we belong to him.
When we think we are in the midst of life,
he dares to weep
in our midst."

I don't feel we are to take it morbidly, or seriously. I think _that_ was DSCH's joke on us. The liner notes to the Haitink recording I have say that the XIVth Symphony is "dark with despair," but it "also blazes with defiance." Shostakovich: "I don't protest against death in it, I protest against those butchers who execute people...". Being familiar with the poets, I see it more from the poetic side, than the morbid or political.


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> ... Being familiar with the poets, I see it more from the poetic side, than the political.


Certainly not political except maybe for #8! But how about this? "The Suicide":

"Three tall lilies on my grave without a cross
Three tall lilies gold-dusted tossed by the wind
Watered only by showers from the black sky
Majestic and beautiful as scepters of kings

One springs from my wound and when touched by a ray
Rises bloodstained, it is the lily of fear.

Three tall lilies on my grave without a cross
Three tall lilies gold-dusted tossed by the wind

Another springs from my heart which suffers on the bed
where it is gnawed by worms. The other springs from my mouth
Upon my isolated grave all three stand

Solitary solitary and cursed I believe like me
Three tall lilies on my grave without a cross."

How can we not take this morbidly, or seriously?


----------



## PetrB

Stravinsky ~ Le Rossignol, scene 1 (I just found this, don't know if this uploader has the complete opera up -- which is at the moment my wish and wont -- There is a recording with Natalie Dessay as the Nightingale, but I found the production regie-gimmicky enough to be a turn off


----------



## Rachmanijohn

Recently discovered this box set and am just now getting around to listening to it, from the top. Great sound!


----------



## neoshredder

Put together an all Schumann playlist on MOG Streaming Service. Listening to Piano Trio No. 1 right now performed by the Beaux Arts Trios.


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> Certainly not political except maybe for #8! But how about this? "The Suicide":
> 
> "Three tall lilies on my grave without a cross
> Three tall lilies gold-dusted tossed by the wind
> Watered only by showers from the black sky
> Majestic and beautiful as scepters of kings
> 
> One springs from my wound and when touched by a ray
> Rises bloodstained, it is the lily of fear.
> 
> Three tall lilies on my grave without a cross
> Three tall lilies gold-dusted tossed by the wind
> 
> Another springs from my heart which suffers on the bed
> where it is gnawed by worms. The other springs from my mouth
> Upon my isolated grave all three stand
> 
> Solitary solitary and cursed I believe like me
> Three tall lilies on my grave without a cross."
> 
> How can we not take this morbidly, or seriously?


The "black sky" is the surrounding climate, the "scepters of kings" represent the power of the rulers...? Then, there are the scepters of fear, the broken heart, and the silenced voice. Yes, this cannot but be autobiographical. He is buried without a cross, i.e., has no name, no epitaph, no existence. He has committed suicide by submitting.

I concede! And yet, for all of his supposed despair and grief, I cannot imagine that he didn't realize that he was writing masterpieces. He was great in spite of, because of the pressure.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 6 and 10


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to Simon Rattle and the Birmingham Symphony recording of Syzmanowski's Symphony No. 4 and his Violin Concerto's No. 1 & 2. The highlights on this album are the 4th Symphony and the 2nd Violin Concerto. It's not that the first Violin Concerto is bad it's just that it's sandwiched between two really great pieces and kind of gets lost because of that, but I did enjoy the entire album. It's unfortunate that Syzmanowski isn't heard more often. I know I need to listen to him more often that's for sure! 










Kevin


----------



## Sid James

A bit of an overview of things since I last posted here!

*Giuliani* Guitar Concerto in A
*Malcolm Arnold* Guitar Concerto Op. 67
*Lennox Berkeley* Sonatina
*Roussel* Segovia Op. 29
*Ravel* Pavane pur une Infante défunte*
*Cimarosa* Sonatas in C sharp minor & in A* (*arrangements by Bream)
- Julian Bream, guitar (with the Melos Ensemble in concertos, Arnold conducting his own concerto)

A listen to this one in full, great album, *the Guitar Concerto by* *Malcolm Arnold *is really interesting. The bluesy middle movement a tribute to jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt, one of Arnold's musical idols, and the busy outer movements do give a sense of "gypsy swing" too.










*Godowsky*
Selections from:
_Piano Sonata #3
Piano Music for Four Hands - Miscellaneous III & Suite #1*
Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Measures
Baroque Transcriptions and Settings (Corelli, Schobert, Rameau, Dandreau)
Three Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Johann Strauss II (#3 Wine, Women and Song)_
- Konstantin Scherbakov, piano / *Joseph Banowetz and Alton Chung Ming Chan, duo pianists (Cd #3 of 3 cd set of Godowsky's music on Naxos label)

Got thru this 3 cd set. *Godowsky* was admired by his contemporaries Busoni and Rachmaninov, and like them was a progressive in the piano scene around the turn of the 20th century. This set gives an overview of his music, which is stylistically quite diverse, covering things such as music inspired by gamelan, transcriptions of other composers' pieces, easy listening music such as waltzes and the amazing metamorphosis on themes by the waltz king himself, J. Strauss II.










*Janacek* _Capriccio for piano (left hand) & wind instruments_
- Rudolf Firkusny, pno. with mbrs. of Bavarian Radio SO under Rafael Kubelik

Also finishing my traversal of *Janacek's piano music*, no less enjoyable than Godowsky's. Again, a good deal of diversity here, the composer's first opus *Zdenka Variations *was a piano piece dedicated to his young wife, and his last unfinished opus *Reminiscence* was also for the instrument. It's hard to name a favourite work on this set, I love them all. There is a poignancy here, especially in the works marked by a sense of tragedy, such as *On the Overgrown Path *which was written in memory of the composer's daughter who died at around only twenty. But there's fun here too, the *Capriccio* sounds decidedly quirky, Janacek's constantly changing rhythms and unorthodox block-like structures kind of give me a jolt and you never know where the music is going to go next.


----------



## SimonNZ

RVW Edition, disc twenty-nine

The Pilgrims Progress, acts 1-3 - Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## Gilberto

Sid James said:


>


Breath taking artwork on that one!


----------



## SimonNZ

Heh. I must admit I was thinking the same thing. I try not to be snobby about these things, but that one crosses the line (also, given that those recordings come from the twenties and thirties, that disc must surprise more than a few unwary customers)- bad Naxos!. An artist of the stature of Godowsky deserves a little more respect:










...in fact I'm going to go and put on that very set now

edit: I chose to play Schumann's Carnival from disc two

edit: and Beethoven's Les Adieux


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

Salvatore Sciarrino's Infinito Nero - Ensemble Recherche

edit: now Sciarrino's Sei Quartetti Brevi - Quartetto Prometeo


----------



## Oskaar

jim prideaux said:


> does any one have any other recommendations?


When regards the no 2 I really like London symphony with Witold Rowicki. (Dvorak symphony)


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Trio Sonata in D Minor, Op.4, No.3

London Baroque: Irmgard Schaller and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, cello -- Terence Charlston, harpsichord


----------



## hpowders

William Schuman Symphony #6, Schwarz, Seattle. The second of his greatest five symphonies (3, 6, 8, 9, 10).


----------



## Oskaar

*Stravinsky - Symphony in C*

Symphony in C

Concerto in E flat for chamber orchestra 'Dumbarton Oaks'

Symphony in 3 movements

Octet for Wind Instruments

*Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble, Orchestra of St Luke's & Philharmonia Orchestra, Robert Craft*









This is great! The playfullness of Stravinsky is very well submitted, and the sound is very good. I link to some pages for good reading.

naxos (bic collection of external reviews)
classical.net
classicsonline
prestoclassical


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - Des Canyons aux Étoiles (CBS)









London Sinfonietta u. Esa-Pekka Salonen

/ptr


----------



## Guest

opus55 said:


> I stopped keeping track of snow last week. It was almost -15 deg F in Chicago area today. I was very disappointed that they didn't close office today. It is fatally cold! Fortunately, I'll be working from home tomorrow with plenty of music.


They have given me a second day off due to the cold which is not surprising considering a large part of my job is outside work. It's -15F again this morning. I'll be working Sunday to make up for it, but today it's Mozart Mozart Mozart!








Concert Arias K538, 418, 419, 83, 416, 316, 298, 368
Natalie Dessay








Flute Concertos K313 in G, K314 in D, K315 Andante in C, K373 Rondo in D
Sharon Bezaly, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas








Divertimento KV563 for Violin, Viola, Cello
The Hermitage String Trio








Symphonies K504 in D, K543 in E flat, K550 in G minor, and K551 in C
Sir Charles Mackarras - Scottish Chamber Orchestra








Serenade K361 in B flat
Charles Mackerras: Orchestra Of St. Luke's


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Robert Schumann* - Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenische"), performed by Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim.









I have not listened to it for quite a while and forgotten, just how delightful it is.


----------



## Oskaar

*BARTOK: Piano Concertos Nos 1-3*

Conductor(s):
*Ligeti, Andras *

Orchestra(s):
*Budapest Symphony Orchestra *

Artist(s):
*Jando, Jeno*









naxos
classical online


----------



## rrudolph

Ives: The Celestial Country








Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande Op. 5/Webern: Passacaglia for Orchestra Op. 1








Schoenberg:Concerto for Piano & Orchestra Op. 42/Berg: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra








Mahler: Symphony #7


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Concert piece for violin and orchestra in D Major, D 345 - Adagio, Allegro (Gidon Kremer; Emil Tchakarov; London Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## Vasks

_All American_

*Persichetti - Piano Sonata #12 (Burleson/New World)
Reich - Violin Phase (Mistry/RCA)
Gould - Fall River Legend Suite (composer/RCA)*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio Hob. 16/25 in G Major, 'Gypsy' (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## Jos

Inspired by the violinconcertothread I'm going to play my good old favourites. Love them all. Lists like in that thread are a bit silly, good fun nevertheless 'cause they make you play them all again.







Mendelssohn and Glazunov
Oistrakh and Kondrashin on Melodiya 1973







Strawinsky and Mozart1 (odd combination btw)
Again Oistrakh and Haitink on Philips.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Oskaar

*Gilse: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2*

*Netherlands Symphony Orchestra* Orchestra, *David Porcelijn* Conductor









classicstoday
classicalarchives

edit- There must be something wrong with this one on spotify, the music repeating itself to much to be correct. Rare fault...


----------



## starthrower

Disc 2 Ives/Ligeti


----------



## Oskaar

*English Music for Viola and Piano*

*Bainton*, E:	
Sonata for Viola and Piano

World Première CD Recording

*Bantock*:	
Sonata in F major for Viola and Piano 'Colleen'

*Bowen*:	
Piece for Viola

World Première CD Recording

*Holland*, T:	
Suite in D for Viola and Piano

*
Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola) & Christian Wilson (piano)*

Great, and very relaxing music, very sensitive viola.









theguardian
naxos
arkivmusic
prestoclassical


----------



## julianoq

Stressful day at work, trying to relax a little with my reliable Brendel record. Now playing the sonata No.8 in C Minor (also known as ''Pathétique"). Next will probably go to the four last ones (29, 30, 31, 32).


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









I feel the finale of the first is rather weak overall, but the fourth is a masterpiece through and through. A gloomy masterpiece, though...


----------



## opus55

Christian Sinding: Piano Concerto in D flat










I have too much music to listen to. This box set alone needs weeks of re-listening.


----------



## opus55

Jerome said:


> They have given me a second day off due to the cold which is not surprising considering a large part of my job is outside work. It's -15F again this morning. I'll be working Sunday to make up for it, but today it's Mozart Mozart Mozart!


I'm enjoying my day working from home. It's above zero but still extremely cold.



Rocco said:


> Listened to Handel's Messiah while I shoveled the driveway today. I later went for a drive and listened to Handel's Chandos Anthems......oh, and yea I listened to Beethoven's Fidelio this morning....:lol:


Hopefully, you finished shovelling before Messiah ended!


----------



## julianoq

Mahlerian said:


> ...but the fourth is a masterpiece through and through. A gloomy masterpiece, though...


I agree, it is the only Sibelius symphony that I need to be in a specific mood (overall happy) to listen or it can drag me down. But it is indeed a masterpiece and I may listen to it later today!


----------



## Clayton

Finally arrived and well worth the wait; absolutely delightful.


----------



## millionrainbows

Brahms: Third Symphony; Sir Neville Marriner & the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; hannsler Classic; 1997 recording.

Brahms' Third is the most "Brahmsian" of them; I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Nonetheless, I like it better than the others, even the Fourth. Excellent recording, too. That always helps.

Picked up used: two-piano transcriptions of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony 1, with Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin reduction. (Quintana/harmoni mundi France; Zoltan Kocsis & Adrienne Hauser, pianos) Good, vey good.


----------



## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> Barber: Violin Concerto
> Isaac Stern, New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


I have this and love this performance.


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Symphony No. 3 (Lutosławski).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Janet Baker [soprano], Beverly Sills [soprano], Robert Lloyd [tenor], Nicolai Gedda [tenor], Raimund Herincx [bariton], John Alldis Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Patanè [dir.], on EMI









Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 950, D 951
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Oskaar

*Einar Englund: Orchestral Works*

Symphony No. 2

Piano Concerto No. 1

Symphony No. 4

*Niklas Sivelov (piano)

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Jorma Panula*









prestoclassical
amazon


----------



## adrem

And who is playing this masterpiece If may I know? Wit and Salonen are the best for me.


DrKilroy said:


> Lutosławski - Symphony No. 3 (Lutosławski).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


----------



## DrKilroy

Wielka Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia w Katowicach directed by Lutosławski. 

There's a great site threecomposers.pl devoted to music of Lutosławski, Górecki and Penderecki. There are loads of recordings on the website, including the one I have just listened to.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 42 in D Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Jos

More violinconcerto's







At this moment on the vinylengine: Brahms,
Played by Nathan Milstein, WienerPhilharmoniker, Eugen Jochum. Recorded in 1975








This one was played earlier, one of my desertislanddisks.
Concerto in D minor, opus 47
Jascha Heifetz, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham. Recorded in 1935, transfered and remastered, but thankfully they didn't doctor it to death.
On the other side is the Andante Festivo from 1924, it is a live recording from 1939 and the composer is conducting the Finnish Radio Orchestra!!
Don't know why but I really love those old recordings.








Last one for this evening, Tschaikowsky
Again Heifetz with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner. 1957

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Oskaar

*Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14*

*San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Yoav Talmi*









classical.net


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Concerti, w. Anda/Fricsay (rec.1959/0), Shaham/Boulez (rec.1998), Aimard/Stefanovich/Kremer/Boulez (rec.2008).








View attachment 32105
View attachment 32106


----------



## Clayton

Bas said:


> Vincenzo Bellini - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
> Janet Baker [soprano], Beverly Sills [soprano], Robert Lloyd [tenor], Nicolai Gedda [tenor], Raimund Herincx [bariton], John Alldis Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Patanè [dir.], on EMI
> 
> View attachment 32096


A fantastic recording, strong "Shakespearean" drama and romance especially 2nd scene act 2; Baker and Gedda make this a top choice for me (next to _blah, blah, blah..._)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More Scarlatti, more Pletnev:

*Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas* / Mikhail Pletnev (piano) [EMI, 2001]

Disc 2:

1. Sonata in D major Kk 96
2. Sonata in G major Kk 146
3. Sonata in B minor Kk 87
4. Sonata in G major Kk 520
5. Sonata in C minor Kk 11
6. Sonata in F minor Kk 386
7. Sonata in F minor Kk 387
8. Sonata in A major Kk 268
9. Sonata in D minor Kk 141
10. Sonata in A major Kk 113
11. Sonata in F sharp minor Kk 25
12. Sonata in B minor Kk 173
13. Sonata in G major Kk 523
14. Sonata in G minor Kk 8
15. Sonata in G major Kk 259
16. Sonata in D major Kk 29















*Jan Ladislav DUSSEK (1760-1812)

Piano Sonata in F minor, L'Invocation, Op.77* (1809)
*Piano Sonata in Bb, Op.9/1
Piano Sonata in C, Op.9/2 
Piano Sonata in D, Op.9/3* (all 1789)

Markus Becker (piano) [CPO, rec. 2007]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1 in G Major (Buchberger Quartet).









The dynamic variety in this work is amazing, always been one of my favourites from Op. 76.

Mass No. 14 in B-flat Major, 'Harmoniemesse' - Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis Deo (Nicolas Harnoncourt; Mei; von Magnus; Lippert; Widmer; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## Jos

The really last one, I needed a jumpstart for the brain after soo much Great Emotional Feelingsconcerto's. Pphhhwww, Brahms and Tschaikowsky in one row, you can get enough of a good thing....
Something completely different







Schönberg 
Zvi Zeitlin, violin
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rafaël Kubelik, 1972

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Oskaar

*Arensky: Symphony No. 1 in B minor Op. 4, etc.*

Symphony No. 1 in B minor Op. 4

Cantata on the Tenth Anniversary of the Coronation Op. 26

*Tatiana Sharova (soprano), Andrei Baturkin (baritone)*

Fantasia on Themes by I.T. Ryabinin Op. 48

*Tatiana Polyanskaya (piano)*

Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a

Three Vocal Quartets with cello accompaniment Op. 57

*Dmitri Miller (cello)*

*Russian State Symphonic Cappella & Symphony Orchestra, Valeri Polyansky*









amazon
classical.net


----------



## KenOC

The Hurwitz read-along ends in 1971 after 21 works: Shostakovich Symphony No. 15. One of my favorites for years. Petrenko leads a marvellous performance, though some might be bothered by his measured pace in the finale.


----------



## julianoq

After a bad day at work, went for a looong walk to clear my mind with some help from a finnish friend. Listened to symphonies 4, 5, 6, and just arrived at home in the middle of the 7th. Performed by Neeme Jarvi and the GSO.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Myakovsky's Symphony No 9 - Evgeny Svetlanov, cond.


----------



## bejart

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840): Violin Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op.6

Lovro von Matacic conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra -- Michael Rabin, violin


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Poulenc's* birthday (1899), Cello Sonata, w. Isserlis & Devoyon (rec. 1989).

View attachment 32114


----------



## contra7

Prokofiev: Symphony no. 4, op. 112 (revised)


London Symphony Orchestra (Gergiev)


----------



## hpowders

Handel's Rodelinda with the fabulous Simone Kermes; Il Complesso Barocco directed by Alan Curtis.
I needed something to fill 3 hours now that the American college football bowl games are over and I believe I found it!!


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 77


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas 1 thorugh 7.*


----------



## Guest

My sister is going to a summer acting program in New York this year, so to get her all pumped up I got her Woody Allen's _Manhattan_ for Christmas. We watched it the other day and it got me going on a Gershwin kick:









One of my first and most treasured recordings.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.18, No.3

Quartetto di Milano: Thomas Wicky-Borner and Manrico Padovani, violins -- Claudio Pavolini, viola -- Graziano Beluffi, cello


----------



## Sid James

Gilberto said:


> Breath taking artwork on that one!


True, even the colour coordination is off (blue and pink t-shirts and light green paint?), but you know what they say "don't judge a book by its cover."



SimonNZ said:


> Heh. I must admit I was thinking the same thing. I try not to be snobby about these things, but that one crosses the line (also, given that those recordings come from the twenties and thirties, that disc must surprise more than a few unwary customers)- bad Naxos!. An artist of the stature of Godowsky deserves a little more respect:


The Naxos 3 cd set is taken from recordings done for Marco Polo in the last 20-30 years. So its DDD, modern recordings. I have enjoyed this compilation, and each 2 or 3 cd set in this "Easy-Listening Piano Classics" series focuses on one (or sometimes two) composers. It is a good intro to Godowsky. Well, was for me. I especially enjoyed how diverse he was, and it leaves room to explore him more later (his Symphonic Metamorphosis on Die Fledermaus is also great, but its the Wine, Women and Song one that they included on this compilation, I've heard the recording of the others by Marc Andre Hamelin).


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


> The Naxos 3 cd set is taken from recordings done for Marco Polo in the last 20-30 years. So its DDD, modern recordings. I have enjoyed this compilation, and each 2 or 3 cd set in this "Easy-Listening Piano Classics" series focuses on one (or sometimes two) composers. It is a good intro to Godowsky. Well, was for me. I especially enjoyed how diverse he was, and it leaves room to explore him more later (his Symphonic Metamorphosis on Die Fledermaus is also great, but its the Wine, Women and Song one that they included on this compilation, I've heard the recording of the others by Marc Andre Hamelin).


Ah - I had the wrong end on the stick. i thought they were Godowsky's own recordings (and he died in 1938), but they're his transcriptions as played by other pianists. Apologies for not paying attention, the cover makes slightly more sense now.


----------



## Itullian

Love this cd. Great playing all around. Great sound.
And a wonderful new cadenza for the Katchaturian.
This is a wonderful cd.
Includes both violin concertos
and the Adagio for strings.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Biber's Violin Sonata No.2 - Monica Hugget, Sonnerie


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> *Einar Englund: Orchestral Works*
> 
> Symphony No. 2
> 
> Piano Concerto No. 1
> 
> Symphony No. 4
> 
> *Niklas Sivelov (piano)
> 
> Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Jorma Panula*
> 
> View attachment 32098
> 
> 
> prestoclassical
> amazon


Great album. One of my favorites.


----------



## hpowders

Scheduled for tomorrow morning: Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, Nathan Milstein.
The summit in this music even though he wimps out on some of the repeats.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.42 in G Major

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.2 - Georg Solti, cond.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60; Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13. *
All three works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki. 
Franz Schubert--*Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, D 125 and Symphony No.6 in C Major, D 589, *
both featuring the Nikolaus Harnoncourt led Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D, * both traversed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Repons
Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Pierre Boulez









Grammy-award winning album, indeed. Anyway, the piece is fascinating, one of the first to emerge from IRCAM.


----------



## GMSS

I just this box set a few months.
I have just learn to listening this kind of music.


----------



## SimonNZ

last one:

RVW Edition, disc thirty

The Pilgrims Progress, act four - Adrian Boult, cond:

and: "Sir Adrian In Rehearsal" (five scenes from Pilgrims Progress)


----------



## neoshredder

edit. Double post.


----------



## neoshredder

Rachmanijohn said:


> Recently discovered this box set and am just now getting around to listening to it, from the top. Great sound!
> 
> View attachment 32058


Listening to SQ 1 right now off that set.


----------



## SimonNZ

"English Madrigals From The Courts Of Elizabeth I and James I" Grayston Burgess, dir.


----------



## dgee

Martha Argerich playing Noches en los Jardines de Espana in Lugano - warming up an unseasonably chilly summer night with an unctuous but slightly silly treat


----------



## MagneticGhost

SimonNZ said:


> last one:
> 
> RVW Edition, disc thirty
> 
> The Pilgrims Progress, act four - Adrian Boult, cond:
> 
> and: "Sir Adrian In Rehearsal" (five scenes from Pilgrims Progress)


So what's your verdict on the set on the whole?; strengths, weaknesses, hideous omissions etc.


----------



## SimonNZ

MagneticGhost said:


> So what's your verdict on the set on the whole?; strengths, weaknesses, hideous omissions etc.


No hideous omissions - it isn't quite complete, but it is comprehensive. Perhaps they could have commissioned or liscenced a few pieces to make it definitive, but there's nothing important missing, unless you're a big fan of the film and radio scores. Most of these recordings I knew already on vinyl, so there were few surprises, but then I respected them enough to commit to the set. Odd that they chose the Handley cycle of symphonies rather than the Boult, given that most elsewhere they were following the "British Composers" series editions, but thats ok too. I had hoped the orchestral On Wenlock Edge was going to be the Bostridge/Haitink recording which it isn't, but I can just hold on to that single disc as well as the Naxos disc A Vision Of Aeroplanes, which has rarer choral items, only one of which is included.

Really no weaknesses besides those, the dollars to discs ratio can't be argued with, and I never heard a single recording that was a misfire, even warhorses where solid if not necessarily my favorites. I could, of course say its a drag not having the libtettos to the operas, or even a few sketchy notes throughout besides tracklisting, but I expected that from this kind of bargain box. The "Boult In Rehearsal" thing turned out to be an unexpected treat, not just filler, and if EMI were to put together a set of just that kind of thing I'd certainly buy it.

Recommended , then, at any price, but at super-bargain...

Oh, perhaps I should add that it was never a chore to play all thirty discs in thirty days, as either too easy or too like a failed expiriment. Never same old same old, never peaks and valleys, never too arch or clever - remarkably consistent level of inspiration without lapsing into self-parody or "phoning in", or so it seemed to me.


----------



## dgee

Chillin with Marie-Claire Alain playing La Nativite du Seigneur by Messiaen - a thoroughly gorgeous and mellow work which I may have imbibe in the cathedral just 5 mins stroll from my work one lunch hour soon


----------



## dgee

And following in the French organ theme the Poulenc concerto played by Gillian Weir who hailed from just over the hill from where I am now - Poulenc knew how to have fun and his neo-classicism or whatever it is is still among the only neo-classicism that I find appealing


----------



## MagneticGhost

SimonNZ said:


> No hideous omissions - it isn't quite complete, but it is comprehensive. Perhaps they could have commissioned or liscenced a few pieces to make it definitive, but there's nothing important missing, unless you're a big fan of the film and radio scores. Most of these recordings I knew already on vinyl, so there were few surprises, but then I respected them enough to commit to the set. Odd that they chose the Handley cycle of symphonies rather than the Boult, given that most elsewhere they were following the "British Composers" series editions, but thats ok too. I had hoped the orchestral On Wenlock Edge was going to be the Bostridge/Haitink recording which it isn't, but I can just hold on to that single disc as well as the Naxos disc A Vision Of Aeroplanes, which has rarer choral items, only one of which is included.
> 
> Really no weaknesses besides those, the dollars to discs ratio can't be argued with, and I never heard a single recording that was a misfire, even warhorses where solid if not necessarily my favorites. I could, of course say its a drag not having the libtettos to the operas, or even a few sketchy notes throughout besides tracklisting, but I expected that from this kind of bargain box. The "Boult In Rehearsal" thing turned out to be an unexpected treat, not just filler, and if EMI were to put together a set of just that kind of thing I'd certainly buy it.
> 
> Recommended , then, at any price, but at super-bargain...
> 
> Oh, perhaps I should add that it was never a chore to play all thirty discs in thirty days, as either too easy or too like a failed expiriment. Never same old same old, never peaks and valleys, never too arch or clever - remarkably consistent level of inspiration without lapsing into self-parody or "phoning in", or so it seemed to me.


Thanks for that. Most interesting and illuminating. And you've given me another disc to add to my wish list 
I'm more eager now to start on mine. 
It's taken me this long because I don't want to take the paper sleeves into my car, which is where I often get an hours uninterrupted listening a day. I can live without libretti and notes but I wish they'd used cardboard as they did with the Britten set.


----------



## Oskaar

*Attracting Opposites - New Music For Piano Trio*

Composer: Emma Lou Diemer, James Lentini, Timothy Hoekman, Miguel Roig-Francoli,

*Rawlins Piano Trio*









amazon


----------



## dgee

Any gems? What sort of style on compositions did they perform?


----------



## julianoq

Ravel's Piano Concerto For The Left Hand In D, played by Aimard/CO and conducted by Boulez.


----------



## bejart

George Friedrich Handel (1685-1759) : Trio Sonata No.5 in G Major

The Aulos Ensemble: Marc Schachman, oboe -- Linda Quan, violin -- Charles Sherman, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

dgee said:


> Any gems? What sort of style on compositions did they perform?


If you meen Rawlins Piano Trio, they performed modern piano trios, but not very difficult. Some trios were added with female vocals. I specially liked Roig-Francoli`s Songs of Light and Darkness. Dark and mystic.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold: Orchestral Works*

Cello Concerto, Op. 136 (1988/2000; ed. Ellis) *
Concertino for Flute & Strings, Op. 19a (1948/2000; orch. Ellis)
Fantasy for Recorder & String Quartet, Op. 140 (1990/2001; ed. Ellis)
Saxophone Concerto (1942/1994; arr. & orch. Ellis)
Symphony for Strings, Op. 13 (1946) *
* Raphael Wallfisch, cello
Esther Ingham, flute
John Turner, recorder
Carl Raven, alto saxophone
Northern Chamber Orchestra/Nicholas Ward
* Manchester Sinfonia/Richard Howarth*
Naxos 8.572640 73:17









Especially Wallfish and the cello impress me, but throughout it is a very solid record, and the music of Arnold is magic, and full of small surprises.

naxos
classical net


----------



## Jos

Bela Bartok, violinconcerto
Yehudi Menuhin
Philharmonia Orchestra London, Wilhelm Furtwangler, 1953


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Afternoon on 3
Episode 3

With Katie Derham. Strauss: Deutsche motette. Reznicek: Der Sieger. Schumann: Kinderszenen


----------



## Vasks

*Verdi - Overture to "Les Vepres siciliennes" (Muti/Sony)
d'Indy - Symphony No. 2 (DePriest/Koch)*


----------



## realdealblues

Just finished spending some time exploring a new composer, new to me that is.

View attachment 32133
View attachment 32134
View attachment 32135


Alfredo Casella
Orchestral Works, Vol. 1, 2 & 3
Gianandrea Noseda & The BBC Philharmonic

I listened to all three of these discs over the past couple days. Some interesting bits with only one or two works that I didn't care for. I wouldn't say any of them blew me away per say, but most of them were pretty enjoyable. Italia & Scarlattiana probably stood out the most. A few works reminded of Richard Strauss and after reading a little bit about Alfredo I see that he was influenced by him so that makes sense. Like I said, nothing really grabbed me to the point where my ears perked up and went "Wow" like other composers who have become favorites of mine, so I don't know how often I will revisit him, but he's probably worth a listen if you enjoy orchestral works in a similar vein as Richard Strauss and have not heard of Alfredo Casella.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tannhäuser


----------



## rrudolph

Some short symphonies from around the middle of the 20th century:

Martinu: Symphony #3 (1944)/Symphony #4 (1945)








Weill: Symphony #2 (1933)/Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra Op 12 (1924)/Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Suite from the opera)








Honegger: Symphonie #3 (1946)/Symphony #5 (1950)-one of my favorites!


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Jeux
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Symphonies 5, 6, w. BPO/HvK (rec. 1976/7); Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987).

View attachment 32139
View attachment 32140


----------



## Sudonim

Actually, right now it's this:









More jazz than classical, though, innit?

However, on my _other_ iPod (yes: it's come to that), a little storm and stress:









... which is a kind of funny term, come to think of it, when applied to the sunny Haydn. Good stuff!


----------



## Blake

Jando's Haydn: Piano Sonatas 36-41. Excellent.


----------



## Orfeo

*Bruckner's Symphonies nos. 2, 3, & 5*
Gunter Wand and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra.

*Erno Von Dohnanyi's Symphony no. 1*
Leon Botstein and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## moody

bejart said:


> Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840): Violin Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op.6
> 
> Lovro von Matacic conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra -- Michael Rabin, violin
> 
> View attachment 32113


Such a famous recording.


----------



## Mahlerian

Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor (orch. Schoenberg)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Symphonies no. 25, 28, 29, 59 "Fire", no. 41, 48 "Maria Theresia", no. 65
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [harpsichord, dir.], on Archiv









Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas K 31 - 66
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato/Wanderer


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Beethoven: Symphony #5
Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia (1955 recording)

This is leagues ahead of his subsequent recordings of the piece. The sound quality is fantastic and Philharmonia itself sounds superb.

Klemperer & the Philharmonia are certainly synergetic much like Celibidache and Münchner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte

Or I WAS until my son swiped my iPod. Now he's listening. My little rocker boy is listening to opera. Mommy is so proud


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Fantasia for violin and piano in C Major, D 934 (Gidon Kremer; Valery Afanassiev).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 52 in C minor; Symphony No. 51 in B-flat Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Doc

Verdi's Messa da Requiem, played by the Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala under Riccardo Muti.
Studer, Zajick, Pavarotti and Samuel Ramey are the soloists.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arthur Foote: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2*

Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor

Piano Trio No. 2 in B flat

Melody

Ballade in F minor

*Arden Trio*









Wery sweet, melodious music. Somtimes uplifting, somtimes very melancolic, reminding of Brahms in minor. I like it! Brilliant performance and sound.

naxos
amazon
classicsonline
arkivmusic


----------



## clara s

today it's a winter sunny day, the sea from my window

looks incredibly bright blue and the horizon is very clear

so *Casta Diva from Norma with great Maria*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Shostakovich Symphony 10 - WDR Sinfonieorchester - Barshai


----------



## Headphone Hermit

clara s said:


> today it's a winter sunny day, the sea from my window
> 
> looks incredibly bright blue and the horizon is very clear
> 
> so *Casta Diva from Norma with great Maria*


good choice - was listening to this yesterday (in heavy rain, wind, gales and the dark of an English winter!)


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I'm currently listening to Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony performed by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## clara s

Headphone Hermit said:


> good choice - was listening to this yesterday (in heavy rain, wind, gales and the dark of an English winter!)


so, Casta Diva and Maria Callas go with any mood of the weather


----------



## Itullian

Wonderful


----------



## jim prideaux

having spent a considerable amount of time listening to Kalinnikov and Myaskovsky over the last few days it is time for a further reconsideration of both the 2nd and 3rd piano concertos of Prokofiev performed by Ashkenazy and Previn with the LSO....


----------



## Oskaar

*Donald Erb: Concertos *
*Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin, Lynn Harrell*

Cello Concerto, Concerto For Brass, Ritual Observances









This is surprisingly interresting music. Modern, and a well of different sounds, more or less in a system. I have only listened to the brass concerto so far, and ther it is elements of jazz and spsalms. It is often shifting between calm and beauty, and stress and unrest. Looking forward to the rest.
amazon


----------



## Headphone Hermit

to my ears, they do ...... but I'd rather like it to be 25 degrees (Celcius, of course) and sunny .... though I'd have to have my headphones on in the garden so as not to upset the neighbours


----------



## Guest

Stravinsky, L'Oiseau de feu
Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra








Debussy, La Mer
Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*J. S. Bach

Sonata for Violin solo no 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Partita for Violin solo no 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
Sonata for Violin solo no 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
Partita for Violin solo no 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Sonata for Violin solo no 3 in C major, BWV 1005
Partita for Violin solo no 3 in E major, BWV 1006*

Julia Fischer (Vn.) [Pentatone, 2005]









Sublime, if austere, music (I do like that) and performance


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Schubert: Symphony #8 'Unfinished'
Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia*

After listening to Kleiber's recording of this piece for a while, I needed a different approach.

Klemperer once again delivers a strong and decisive interpretation. The Philharmonia sound great and as one would expect of the time period are very well recorded. Normally I tend to go for live recordings but Maestro Klemperer makes a compelling case for studio recordings.


----------



## DavidA

Brahms First piano concerto - Graffman / Munch

When it first came out it was criticised by critics who liked a broad and solemn view of Brahms. Now we're coming round to the view that it might have been nearer to what Brahms wanted - ie tempi that don't drag.


----------



## Oskaar

*Daedalus Quartet*

*SIBELIUS: String Quartet in D minor / STRAVINSKY: 3 Pieces for String Quartet / RAVEL: String Quartet in F major*









Long time since I have heard a string quartet! It was refreshing. Fine record!

amazon
allmusic
arkivmusic


----------



## Vasks

oskaar said:


> *Donald Erb: Concertos *
> *Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin, Lynn Harrell*
> 
> Cello Concerto, Concerto For Brass, Ritual Observances
> 
> View attachment 32166
> 
> 
> amazon


I've had that disc for quite some time and enjoy it


----------



## clara s

Headphone Hermit said:


> to my ears, they do ...... but I'd rather like it to be 25 degrees (Celcius, of course) and sunny .... though I'd have to have my headphones on in the garden so as not to upset the neighbours


25 degrees C in the northern hemisphere, this time of year, is a bit difficult 

for wind, gale and rain, try Nabucco and "Va pensiero" for today


----------



## hpowders

Peter Mennin Symphonies #'s 8 and 9. Columbus Symphony, Christian Badea.
Absolutely astonishing playing from this provincial orchestra of this very difficult music.
These highly dramatic, terse works are not for the musically squeamish!
The very moving second movement adagio of the 9th symphony must be heard!


----------



## Vasks

hpowders said:


> View attachment 32172
> 
> 
> These highly dramatic, terse works are not for the musically squeamish!
> The very moving second movement adagio of the 9th symphony must be heard!


The 8th is his most "advanced" (i.e. highly dissonant) sounding. Notice how #9 backs away from that of the 8th.


----------



## hpowders

Vasks said:


> The 8th is his most "advanced" (i.e. highly dissonant) sounding. Notice how #9 backs away from that of the 8th.


Yes. Number 9 is more traditional. Love the second movement adagio.

His 7th is quite dissonant too, and I like it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Mass in C Minor, Mass in C "Dominicus"*

These are nice recordings, but I prefer Gardiner in the Mass in C minor.


----------



## Sid James

*Schoenberg & Satie* Cabaret Songs
- Measha Brueggergosman, soprano with BBC SO under David Robertson (w. piano accompanist William Bolcom in three of the Satie songs)

*Henze* Violin Concerto #1
- Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin with Saarbücken Radio SO under Christopher Lyndon-Gee

*Beethoven* Symphony #10: First movement, Andante-Allegro-Andante (completed and realized by Dr. Barry Cooper)
- London SO under Wyn Morris

*Kurt Weill* 
Speak Low, from Touch of Venus (words: Ogden Nash)
- The composer, vocals & piano, 1942
- Mary Martin & Kenny Baker, vocals w. orch. under Maurice Abravanel, 1943
My Ship & The Saga of Jenny, from Lady in the Dark (words: Ira Gershwin)
- Gertrude Lawrence w. orch. & chorus under Leonard Joy, 1941
Tchaikovsky (And Other Russians), from Lady in the Dark
- Danny Kaye w. orch. & chorus under Maurice Abravanel, 1941

*Copland*
The Tender Land (Suite)
Old American Songs, Volumes I & II* 
- Elgin SO under Robert Hanson *w. St Charles Singers (transcriptions & arrangments by Irving Fine and others)


----------



## Vaneyes

Sonata said:


> Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte
> 
> Or I WAS until my son swiped my iPod. Now he's listening. *My little rocker boy is listening to opera.* Mommy is so proud


That's only because he did a lid. Just kidding, mom.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Off again on an "elitist" binge... listening to only that which I like... whether it makes this or that Hot 100 list... and opera at that!


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (ca.1750-1792): Partita in F Major, Murray B18

Swiss Wind Soloists


----------



## KenOC

Smetana: From Bohemia's Woods and Meadows, Neumann (on the radio). Part 4 of Ma Vlast.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major (Murray Perahia; English Chamber Orchestra).









J. Haydn, Piano Trio Hob. 16/25 in G Major, 'Gypsy'; Hob. 16/26 in F-Sharp minor; 
Hob. 15/32 in G Major (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## revdrdave

In response to AClockworkOrange's post about listening to Klemperer's recording of the Schubert 8th...I'm a huge Klemperer fan. I remember the first time I heard his EMI recording of the Schubert 9th w/Philharmonia and how much it sounded like Bruckner. I'd never realized until that moment how Bruckner-like Schubert's 9th is, and not just because of how Klemperer interpreted it. Whenever I hear most any performance of the 9th now, I can hear Bruckner.


----------



## brotagonist

I finished off Sibelius 4-7 this morning. I'm getting peeved that a couple of orders are overdue :scold: so I'm exploring some recent mentions. I must be in a fin de siècle mood.

c'n://offsite

Nielsen - Symphony 4 "Inextringuishable" (Schønwandt/Danish NSO)
Nielsen - Symphony 5 (Schønwandt/Danish NSO)
Franck - Symphony in D minor (Bernstein/NY Phil)

Of the two Nielsen's, I definitely have a preference for Nr. 5, but Nr. 4 is good, too. It reminds me of Shostakovich's 11th and 12th, due to the use of the military drumming theme. Also, the 2nd movement fades out with hints of Ravel's Bolero, which is catchy.


----------



## Vaneyes

January 8, 1713, for *Corelli's *death day.

View attachment 32191


----------



## hpowders

Mozart Keyboard Sonatas performed by the brilliant South African fortepianist, Kristian Bezuidenhout. A lovely change of pace to take me to the wee small hours.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Caught another one that went around here lately... a-ha-ha-choo!

Rachmaninov's Symphony Nr. 2 (Jansons/StPetersburg)

Still fin de siècle


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Fantasy in C Minor, KV 475

Walter Klien, piano









A day without Mozart is like a day without sunshine --


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Comprehensive Selection From The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book" - Joseph Payne, organ and harpsichord


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Das Rheingold


----------



## senza sordino

I haven't listened to much lately, but this evening I did squeeze in

*Hugo Alfven Swedish Rhapsody #1 Midsommer Vigil * Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. A recent CD acquisition purchased second hand at my local cd shop. Seems appropriate for the very dark, rainy week mid winter we are having here in Vancouver.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dai Fujikura's Phantom Splinter - International Contemporary Ensemble


----------



## Bas

Julius Röntgen - Piano Concerto no 2, Piano Concerto no. 4
By Matthias Kirschnereit [piano], NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, David Porcelijn [dir.], on CPO


----------



## SimonNZ

Georges Aperghis' Quatre Pieces Febriles - Ensemble Accroche Note

edit: Mathias Spahlinger's Und Als Wir - Lothar Zagrosek, cond.










edit: Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf's Solitude Serenade - Ensemble SurPlus


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## PetrB

Fazil Say ~ Universe Symphony
starts @ 34'50'' -- the theremin is used in this, along with hang drums, other instruments.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - Overture and recitative: Seht, wie der strenge Winter flieht (Wolfgang Sawallisch; Ruth Ziesak; Robert Gambill; Alfred Muff; Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## Guest

Each Thursday I awake at 4 am - a requirement of my work. I make strong coffee and as the caffeine seeps into my neurons I play some quiet music. There is something about bach that helps. Clear, organized, and logical. Only 10 minutes in and I'm beginning to feel better already.








The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Friedrich Cerha's Instants - Peter Rundel, cond.

edit: Debussy's Jeux - Bernard Haitink, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Trio Sonata in F Minor

Jana Brozkova and Vojtech Jouza, oboes -- Jaroslav Kubita, bassoon -- Vaclav Hoskovec, double bass -- Frantisek Xaver Thuri, harpsichord


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - Norma
By Maria Callas [soprano], Christa Ludwig [alto], Franco Corelli [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Orchestra and Choir of the Theatre de Scala, Tullio Serafin [dir.] on EMI









Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 8 "Unfinished", Symphony no. 3, Symphony no. 4, Symphony no. 5, Symphony no. 9 "Great"
By The Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [dir.], on Warner Classics


----------



## ptr

*vom himmel zur hölle*; music by Martin Smolka / Mauricio Kagel / Louis Andriessen (Wergo)
(Rush (Hour in Celestial Streets) for ensemble / Orchestrion-Straat for chamber ensemble / Racconto dall'Inferno for voice and ensemble)









Cristina Zavalloni, voice; Ensemble musikFabrik u. Reinbert de Leeuw et Peter Rundel

*Iannis Xenakis* - Persephassa (Philips)









Les Percussions de Strasbourg

*Louis Andriessen* - De Tijd (Nonesuch)









Schönberg Ensemble, Percussion Group The Haue and The Netherlands Chamber Choir u. Reinbert de Leeuw

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*Jeanne Baxtresser: Chamber Music for flute*

Composer: François Devienne, Madeleine Dring, Philippe Gaubert, Samuel Barber,

Performer: Jeanne Baxtresser, Cynthia Phelps, Pedja Muzijevic, Joseph Robinson









musicweb-international


----------



## julianoq

Now listening to one of my favorites symphonies from Vaughan Williams, the 5th, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and played by the LPO. It is probably one of the pieces of music closest to Sibelius that were not composed by him. If it was composed by Sibelius I would put it chronologically right before the 6th!


----------



## hpowders

Schubert's 9th Symphony, Georg Solti, Vienna Philharmonic. One of the great performances of this score.


----------



## Oskaar

*Timo-Juhani Kyllönen : Elegia for Violin and Piano; Trio No.1 for Accordion, Violin and Cello; Trilogy for Two Pianos; String Quartet No.1*

Sibelius Academy Quartet









Strange, schizofrenic, almost mathematic if you can say so, music..but facinating. Must relisten soon too see if it is music for me.

amazon


----------



## science

Through my niece's little earphones, this is ridiculous. But it's better than nothing. I've been up in the country away from my music for five days now, and I was beginning to go nuts.


----------



## DavidA

Bruckner Symphony 7 Karajan / BPO (1971)

The playing is almost supernatural in its beauty.


----------



## rrudolph

Easing my way into the morning with piano music and coffee:

Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstuck Op. 11/Sechs Kleine Klavierstucke Op. 19/Funf Klavierstuck Op. 23/Suite fur Klavier Op. 25/Klavierstucke Op. 33a/Klavierstucke Op. 33b








Perle: Pantomime, Interlude and Fugue/Fantasy Variations/Six New Etudes/Suite in C/Short Sonata








Boulez: 3 Sonatas








Babbitt: Three Compositions/Duet/Semi-Simple Variations/Partitions/Post Partitions/Tableaux/Reflections/Canonical Form/Lagniappe


----------



## Vasks

_LP_

*Grieg - Peer Gynt (Barbirolli/Angel)*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas 10 and 11*


----------



## Sonata

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Off again on an "elitist" binge... *listening to only that which I like... whether it makes this or that Hot 100 list..*. and opera at that!


The very best way to listen!


----------



## millionrainbows

At last! The *Juilliard Quartet'*s 1966-1967 recording, originally released on Columbia Masterworks, of *Charles Ives string quartets* (both of 'em), unavailable on CD until now. It's about time. These are the ones I imprinted on, so for me they are definitive. I noticed some other interesting releases on this label (Newton Classics). I saw a Zubin Mehta title; maybe they'll release his London recordings with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Lizst's Mazeppa, Varese). One can only hope.


----------



## hpowders

Sibelius Violin Concerto, Jascha Heifetz, Walter Hendl, Chicago Symphony.
Heifetz owned this great concerto and as far as I'm concerned, he still does!


----------



## Sudonim

millionrainbows said:


> At last! The *Juilliard Quartet'*s 1966-1967 recording, originally released on Columbia Masterworks, of *Charles Ives string quartets* (both of 'em), unavailable on CD until now. It's about time. These are the ones I imprinted on, so for me they are definitive. I noticed some other interesting releases on this label (Newton Classics). I saw a Zubin Mehta title; maybe they'll release his London recordings with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Lizst's Mazeppa, Varese). One can only hope.


Looks like the Columbia version of the Ives is available as a download, too, for those interested (I've wishlisted it):

http://www.amazon.com/Ives-String-Quartets-digital-booklet/dp/B0041ZTD5I/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp


----------



## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Symphony 6, w. Gothenburg SO/Jarvi et al (rec.1998); String Quartets 3, 10, 13, w. Taneyev Qt. (rec.1987).

View attachment 32221
View attachment 32222


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> At last! The *Juilliard Quartet'*s 1966-1967 recording, originally released on Columbia Masterworks, of *Charles Ives string quartets* (both of 'em), unavailable on CD until now. It's about time.


That is good news and clearly this recording is definitive for you. As for me, I don't have any recording of the Ives' Quartets, so my question is there any other ensembles that do these pieces really well? If not, I guess I'll be getting this disc.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphonies No. 21~27 (minus 25)
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras








A nice collection of some of the later early symphonies, with Kochel numbers in the high 100s. Among these, #27 in G, K. 199, stuck out somewhat.


----------



## millionrainbows

Vasks said:


> That is good news and clearly this recording is definitive for you. As for me, I don't have any recording of the Ives' Quartets, so my question is there any other ensembles that do these pieces really well? If not, I guess I'll be getting this disc.


Not that I know of. These quartets didn't get that many recordings to begin with. There's a German quartet who does them, but it doesn't cut it.

The Sonatas for Violin & Piano are another sadly under-recorded Ives item. For me, the definitive will always be Gilbert Kalish and Paul Zukofsky on Columbia (unrel. on CD). This pair did make another newer recording, available on Folkways on two separate discs. Watch out if you want access to the files from CD: the discs are copy-protected, and would not download into I-tunes.

The Hillary Hahn version looks interesting. Anybody heard that one?


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> The Hillary Hahn version looks interesting. Anybody heard that one?


That's the one that's on my "Future Purchase List"


----------



## samurai

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Symphonies No. 21~27 (minus 25)
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras
> View attachment 32223
> 
> 
> A nice collection of some of the later early symphonies, with Kochel numbers in the high 100s. Among these, #27 in G, K. 199, stuck out somewhat.


Hi, Mahlerian. Overall, what's your "take" on these readings by Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra?


----------



## Mahlerian

samurai said:


> Hi, Mahlerian.Overall, what's your "take" on these readings by Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra?


I enjoy them as light-footed performances (modern instruments), but the sonics feel a bit odd at times to me (though I'm no audiophile). Harpsichord continuo is used throughout, but extremely recessed and so easy to ignore if you dislike it.

For the earlier symphonies, one really only "needs" one set, but I wouldn't want to give up various readings of the later works, though I enjoy the ones here just fine.


----------



## Bas

Anton Bruckner - Symphony 7
By Die Münchner Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## hpowders

Another dose of Mennin's Ninth Symphony! Columbus Symphony, Badea.


----------



## hpowders

clara s said:


> today it's a winter sunny day, the sea from my window
> 
> looks incredibly bright blue and the horizon is very clear
> 
> so *Casta Diva from Norma with great Maria*


Ah yes! Casta Diva! Made memorable for me from the film Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster.


----------



## Oskaar

*American String Quartet 
Schubert's Echo*

Quartet for Strings no 15 in G major, D 887/Op. 161 by *Franz Schubert*

Quartet for Strings, Op. 3 by *Alban Berg*

Movements (5) for string quartet, Op. 5 by *Anton Webern*









americanstringquartet
allmusic
oregonmusicnews


----------



## Vaneyes

hpowders said:


> Ah yes! Casta Diva! Made memorable for me from the film *Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster*.


OT: See his *Local Hero* (1983), if you have not. :tiphat:


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> OT: See his *Local Hero* (1983), if you have not. :tiphat:


Thanks, but it's not available on Netflix. Burt's one of my all-time favorites!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 in F-sharp major (completed by Cooke)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Harding


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Edward Grieg* - the cycle of lieder "Haugtussa", performed by Anne Sofie von Otter, soprano, and Bengt Forsberg, piano, on YouTube. And thanks go to *Winterreisender*, for attracting my attention to this piece :tiphat:


----------



## Itullian

Ahhh, Love this man's Mozart


----------



## maestro267

*Respighi*: Vetrate di chiesa
Buffalo PO/Falletta

*Maxwell Davies*: Piano Concerto
Stott (piano)/Royal PO/Maxwell Davies


----------



## clara s

hpowders said:


> Ah yes! Casta Diva! Made memorable for me from the film Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster.


good film

Elizabeth Harwood sang in this

try listening this






Maria Calas is unbeaten


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet in A Major, KV 464 (Leipziger Streichquartett).


----------



## SimonNZ

Henrico Albicastro's 12 Concerti Op.7 - Collegium 1704


----------



## DrKilroy

CD 4 - Descriptions automatiques, Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois, Sports and divertissements, Sonatine bureaucratique.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## lupinix

Honegger pacific 231 <3


----------



## hpowders

clara s said:


> good film
> 
> Elizabeth Harwood sang in this
> 
> try listening this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maria Calas is unbeaten


Yes. Thanks for that! I have some Maria Callas recordings. Her Tosca with Tito Gobbi is unrivaled, IMO.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Berlioz - Les Troyens (original Davis set on Phiipps) - Act IV - the storm has just abated and there's the best ppart of two hours of pure pleasure to go!


----------



## lupinix

Varese Arcana, it's somethings a bit too modern for me but i do like it


----------



## hpowders

Headphone Hermit said:


> Berlioz - Les Troyens (original Davis set on Phiipps) - Act IV - the storm has just abated and there's the best ppart of two hours of pure pleasure to go!


One of my favorite operas. I have the newer Davis. Absolutely Berlioz' greatest work!


----------



## Sudonim

millionrainbows said:


> Not that I know of. These quartets didn't get that many recordings to begin with. There's a German quartet who does them, but it doesn't cut it.
> 
> The Sonatas for Violin & Piano are another sadly under-recorded Ives item. For me, the definitive will always be Gilbert Kalish and Paul Zukofsky on Columbia (unrel. on CD). This pair did make another newer recording, available on Folkways on two separate discs. Watch out if you want access to the files from CD: the discs are copy-protected, and would not download into I-tunes.
> 
> The Hillary Hahn version looks interesting. Anybody heard that one?


I have the Hahn/Lisitsa version but haven't listened to it yet. Good reviews on Amazon, for what that's worth. I also have a version of the sonatas by Hansheinz Schneeberger and Daniel Cholette - also as-yet-unheard! It's on ECM so you know at least the sound should be good. Now that we're discussing it I wish I had listened to at least one of them! 

Concerning the quartets, the Emerson SQ recorded them as well. Have you heard those, millionrainbows?


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I have that as well (and Beecham's 1947 set) and whilst I agree that the sound quality is much better on the newer set and that many of the performances are better honed as well, I still have a great soft spot for the older Davis set .... if only for the wonderful thrashing of the armour to accompany the call to "Italy! Italy!" that is on its way later on (I find the one on the newer version to be a bit underwhelming)


----------



## lupinix

Solage Joier de cuer en seumellant estoye


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Sergei Rachmaninov* - Trio élégiaque No.2


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Alkan - Grande sonate: Les quatre ages Op. 33* / Vincenzo Maltempo (Piano) [Piano Classics, 2012]

*James McMillan - The Confession of Isobel Gowdie* / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Marin Alsop [LPO, rec 2006]

*Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - 24 Negro Melodies, Op. 59* / Frances Walker (piano) [Orion, 2006]





















I find 'Isobel Gowdie' an immensely powerful work, and I should listen more to MacMillan who I think of as Scotland's greatest living composer.

The Coleridge-Taylor is new to me; maybe not top drawer pianism on this disc but a highly enjoyable collection of African and African-American 'spiritual' melodies treated in high romantic style.


----------



## jim prideaux

Vaneyes said:


> *Myaskovsky*: Symphony 6, w. Gothenburg SO/Jarvi et al (rec.1998); String Quartets 3, 10, 13, w. Taneyev Qt. (rec.1987).
> 
> View attachment 32221
> View attachment 32222


As well as enjoying discovery of two Kalinnikov symphonies I have been rather taken aback at the quality of the 24th and 25th symphonies of Myaskovsky,particularly the first movements in both cases....would be really interested in your opinions of the 6th


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven Diabelli Variations-Vladamir Ashkenazy, piano. An unlikely source for what turns out to be a great performance of this underrated masterpiece. A real sleeper, this one!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: one of the A major sonatas
Puccini: Madama Butterfly
Handel: Water Music


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

A couple of months ago, I was completing my Prokofiev symphonies collection. Missing was only 7 and the original version of 4. I felt that both were somewhat iffy (without actually hearing them beforehand), but I was curious enough to seek out this album:









Prokofiev extensively revised 4, so I felt that this was more a curiosity, but it did have a unique opus number, so it had to be considered a unique symphony. Some had suggested that Prokofiev had exhausted his creative forces by the time he was to write the 7th, but Shostakovich thought highly enough of it to be inspired to write his own 15th. So, the hunt was on for a disc that would provide both à la fois. I see now that for about twice what I paid for this disc, I could have had Rostropovich's entire cycle, but I had all of the rest already and I'm not yet familiar enough with them to look for alternate versions, so this was my best bet.

I'm 5 minutes into it and I couldn't possibly say how this early version of the 4th differs from the later one


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Major, D 90

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin


----------



## hpowders

Mozart, solo keyboard works, Kristian Bezuidenhout, fortepiano.
Continuing my rather pleasant journey; my second CD by this interesting artist.


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> *American String Quartet
> Schubert's Echo*
> 
> Quartet for Strings no 15 in G major, D 887/Op. 161 by *Franz Schubert*
> 
> Quartet for Strings, Op. 3 by *Alban Berg*
> 
> Movements (5) for string quartet, Op. 5 by *Anton Webern*
> 
> View attachment 32227
> 
> 
> americanstringquartet
> allmusic
> oregonmusicnews


That coupling makes sense, although I didn't know of that cd. Schubert's SQ#15 was one of the most innovative of its time, on par with Beethoven's efforts around the same time. Makes sense to put it together on the same bill with Berg and Webern, I love it when things are put together with such strong links, not just throwing things together in an ad hoc way which sometimes happens. Interesting stuff, thanks for posting it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Recorded in 1952... the sound of the old East Bloc recording engineering is a bit rough... and the Czech orchestra certainly lacks the polish of the Berlin Philharmonic or the London Symphony under Kubelik and Kertész... but Talich is able to bring a real emotional impact out of his performers... and the native Czech singers bring real passion to this Czech repertoire. I may not recommend this as a first choice... but it is certainly an essential alternative for anyone really passionate about Dvorak... or Suk.


----------



## hpowders

Bach Partitas for solo violin.

Absolutely astonishing playing by the rising superstar of the baroque violin, Midori Seiler.
Waiting with eagerness for the three solo Sonatas.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint Saens, Piano Concerto No. 1.*

This sure has an evocative beginning.


----------



## lupinix

Elgar enigma variations


----------



## bejart

Warming up for Saturday's concert which I'm hopeful I can attend ---
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in C Minor, Op.37

Otto Klemperer conducting the New Philharmonia -- Daniel Barenboim, piano


----------



## KenOC

Cimarosa: Overture to The Chinese Hero. Sorry, no Grammy for this one.


----------



## brotagonist

My new Prokofiev Symphonies 4(1) and 7 disc will need a few more spins over the next 2-3 days for it to sink in enough to make an impression. 4(1) did remind me a bit of stuff I knew (likely from 4(2)). 7 is totally new to me.

I don't want to give away everything the postman brought today (2 others, leaving only 5 left from my 2013 purchasing and there have been no purchases in 2014, yet), so I just finished listening to:









Heavenly! What else is there to say? It is a live recording: I don't generally like them, but this one is exquisitely recorded and the audience doesn't make a peep until a few seconds after each sonata is played. I also got it for a mere $5 at a local shop last summer.

So, moving on to:









I'm only listening to CD1, Cello Concerto 1 and Cello Sonatas 1 & 2 tonight. This marvellous album, from the Chandos 2 for 1 series, is well worth having.


----------



## Rocco

*Vivaldi - The Great Choral Masterpieces *- I love this album!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Vasks said:


> That is good news and clearly this recording is definitive for you. As for me, I don't have any recording of the Ives' Quartets, so my question is there any other ensembles that do these pieces really well? If not, I guess I'll be getting this disc.


There is the Emerson Quartet recording of the two quartets and they are paired with Barber's quartet. I like it but I would have to hear the Julliard to compare.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

The last couple of days I have been listening to a very fine recording of Benjamin Britten's three String Quartets and his three Divertimenti. According to this article the Queen doesn't like dissonance, and she probably would have hated these quartets, but I really liked them. I'm not sure which I like best as they are all unique and quite bizarre in and almost humorous way at times. I don't know if Britten intended them to be amusing but they are to me. The 3rd being more so than the first two. Anyway, these are very good performances and worth a listen.










Kevin


----------



## lupinix

Lennox Berkeley Piano Concerto, sounds nice so far, still have to get to know it better though


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Suite Op.29 - London Sinfonietta


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde


----------



## senza sordino

*Britten String Quartet #1* performed by the Takacs Quartet
*Dvorak Symphony #6* performed by Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz
*Szymanowski Concert Overture and Symphony #4 "concertante"* performed by BBC Symphony conducted by Edward Gardner, with Louis Lortie on piano. I got this from my local library, I might have to get my own copy sometime in the future.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Now listening to this since the Julliard version was mentioned earlier, which prompted me to dust off this disc! 










Kevin


----------



## KenOC

Gareth Farr (hails from New Zealand): From the Depths Sound The Great Sea Gongs, on the radio. Noisy but nice.

A first for a composer? "In December 2005 Farr visited Antarctica as part of Antarctica New Zealand's artist programme."


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

The second program devoted to playing each of the recent Gramophone winners . Tonight is the Best Baroque Instrumental winner:










"... pour passer la mélancolie" - Andreas Staier, harpsichord


----------



## starthrower

Elliott Carter-Night Fantasies 
Aimard - piano


----------



## ArtMusic

Complete wind music. Not a bad collection but at times I think the group (Consortium Classicum on modern instruments) rushed through passages without accentuating the Calssical idiom especially with some of the earlier pieces.


----------



## SimonNZ

Elliott Carter's Quintet For Piano And Strings - Ursula Oppens, piano, Arditti Quartet

edit: Sofia Gubaidulina's Quarternion - Alexander Ivashkin, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Rachel Johnston, Miranda Wilson, cellos










edit: Richard Barrett's Codex I - Elision


----------



## science

Both in the same delightful <sarcasm, friends> sound offered by my niece's poor earphones. I suppose this is what it's like to drink Tokaji through one of those tiny little straws that people stir coffee with.

I cannot wait to go back home.


----------



## SimonNZ

James Tenney's Spectrum 3 - The Barton Workshop


----------



## dgee

This guy was recommended to me by a mate today who reckons "he never quite does what you expect". So I dived in at random and in Altisonanza all sorts of cool and interesting things happened - witty, attractive stuff and highly approachable


----------



## SimonNZ

Mario Davidovsky's Festino - International Contemporary Ensemble, Daniel Lippel, guitar


----------



## ptr

*Kevin Volans* - Hunting Gathering (BlackBox 2002)
(String Quartets 1 "White man Sleeps", 2 "Hunting Gathering" & 6)









The Smith Quartet

*Tōru Takemitsu* - November Steps (RCA 2008)
(November Steps / Asterism for Piano and Orchestra / Green for Orchestra / Requiem for String Orchestra / The Dorian Horizon for 17 Strings)









Yuji Takahashi, piano; Kinshi Tauryta, biwa; Katsuya Yokoyama, shakuhachi; Toronto Symphony Orchestra u. Seiji Ozawa

/ptr


----------



## Sid James

KenOC said:


> Gareth Farr (hails from New Zealand): From the Depths Sound The Great Sea Gongs, on the radio. Noisy but nice.
> 
> A first for a composer? "In December 2005 Farr visited Antarctica as part of Antarctica New Zealand's artist programme."


I got that one, quite like that piece as well as Tabuh Pacific (Concerto for gamelan and orch.). I like that fusion of East and West. Farr is also unusual in that he does cabaret, he's a drag queen. He also got the Order of Merit so I guess her Maj approves of that, despite disliking dissonance as Kevin has said? Dunno, maybe I'm streching things there :lol:...


----------



## SimonNZ

Wolfgang Rihm's Phantom Und Eskapade - Tianwa Yang, violin, Nicholas Rimmer, piano

edit: Jacques Lejeune's - Trois apercus du jardin qui s'eveille


----------



## Andolink

*Michael Finnissy*: _Kapitalistich Realisme_, part VIII of The History of Photography in Sound
Ian Pace, piano
(currently, at 67+ minutes, the longest uninterrupted span of solo piano in my CD collection)








*Ib Nørholm*: _Trio for clarinet, cello and piano_ Op. 13; _Essai réfléchi_, for clarinet, cello and piano Op. 100; _Øjeblikke_, for soprano, clarinet, trumpet, cello and piano Op. 118
LINensemble


----------



## Guest

Shosty 10
Petrenko


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Orchestral Suite No.e in D Major, BWV 1068

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## Andolink

*Christer Lindwall*: _Wenn sie so, dann ich so und Pferd fliegt_
Kulchural Archipelagos Quintet: Stefan Östersjö [electric guitar] - Björn Lovén [trumpet] - Jan Emil Kuisma [double bass] - Olle Sjöberg [piano] - Jonny Axelsson [percussion]








Music to commemorate the eighth centenary of the coronation of King Richard I of England in Westminster Abbey, 3 September 1189
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page


----------



## Bas

On my way home today I listened to this gem. A desert island composition (it is the only performance I own, and it is quite good, but I don't have heard enough performances to call it a desert island disc.)

Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in Em, The Hebrides Ouverture, Violin Concerto in Dm
By Alina Ibragimova, Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment, Vladimir Jurowski [dir.], on Hyperion









New acquisition: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K 301, K 306, K 378, K 379
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









After that one is finished I am going to give Brahms another listen.

Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto 
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Op. 55, Symphony No. 3 in E flat, "Eroica"
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen








Haydn, Symphony No. 101 in D, "Clock"
Franz Bruggen, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century


----------



## lupinix

vaughan williams london symphony


----------



## Oskaar

*American Classics - Amy Beach*

Symphony No. 2 in E minor 'Gaelic'

Piano Concerto, Op. 45

*Alan Feinberg (piano)

Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Schermerhorn*









Delightfull recording!

allmusic
amazon
naxos
classicstoday
prestoclassical


----------



## Oskaar

edit, double post


----------



## lupinix

faure the preludes


----------



## ptr

*Morton Feldman* - (Last Composition 28 May 1987) 34 Pages for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello (BVHaast 2011)









Aki Takahashi, piano; Mifune Tsuji, violin; Matthijs Bunschoten, viola; Tadashi Tanaka, cello

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1993); Music for Violin & Piano, w. Kramer & Durcan (rec. 2005); Piano Works, w. Anderszewski (rec.2004).

View attachment 32268
View attachment 32269
View attachment 32270


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> Both in the same delightful <sarcasm, friends> sound offered by my niece's poor earphones. I suppose this is what it's like to drink Tokaji through one of those tiny little straws that people stir coffee with.
> 
> I cannot wait to go back home.


I dislike earphones/headphones for lengthy listening. I like music to breathe. I've found a micro system is the way to go, if I'm somewhere for more than a few days. It and CDs fit in a duffel bag. :tiphat:


----------



## Vasks

_LP_

*Holst - The Planets (Boult/Angel/c.1967)*


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> As well as enjoying discovery of two Kalinnikov symphonies I have been rather taken aback at the quality of the 24th and 25th symphonies of Myaskovsky,particularly the first movements in both cases....would be really interested in your opinions of the 6th


Jim, I've had the Jarvi Myaskovsky 6th for years, and am still discovering. Yesterday, I heard breaths of Elgar and Rachmaninov. It's a long meandering symphonic journey (with some choral). I guess letting it age, with periodic listens, was the answer for me. Recommended also of the earliers, is Myaskovsky 5 & 9, w. BBCPO/Downes (Marco Polo, 1992). These are more approachable than the aforementioned. :tiphat:


----------



## lupinix

john field nocturnes


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven keyboard sonatas with Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano.
Beethoven's sonatas on replicas of instruments made to Beethoven's own specifications. 
Ear-opening performances from a great artist!


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> Not that I know of. These *quartets* didn't get that many recordings to begin with. There's a German quartet who does them, but it doesn't cut it.
> 
> The *Sonatas for Violin & Piano* are another sadly under-recorded Ives item. For me, the definitive will always be Gilbert Kalish and Paul Zukofsky on Columbia (unrel. on CD). This pair did make another newer recording, available on Folkways on two separate discs. Watch out if you want access to the files from CD: the discs are copy-protected, and would not download into I-tunes.
> 
> The *Hillary Hahn version* looks interesting. Anybody heard that one?


The readily available contenders, as I see/hear it...

Re Quartets, as already mentioned the Juilliard Qt.(1960's) on Sony or Newton are the performances to get. However, those who would like modern sound with nice cello tone should consider Blair Qt. (Naxos). Their performances are respectable.

Similar can be said for the Violin Sonatas. Hahn & Lisitsa (DG) should be recognized for their performances. However, Thompson & Waters (Naxos) are mic'd better for a more pleasing sound over 70-something minutes.

H & L's interps are probably more honest, with the piano emphasis. But again, some may find the more balanced instruments of T & W more to their preference. Your ears can make that decision.

Hope this helps some. :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Françaix, Matthus et al : Music for Piano, Clarinet & Viola *

*Trio Apollon*

Francaix : Trio for Clarinet, Viola and piano

Enescu : Konzertstück

Poulenc : Clarinet Sonata in B flat

Kurtag : Hommage à R Sch Op.15d

*Matthus* : Wasserspiele for Clarinet









This is really a gem! Quite modern music, but full of harmonies and lyrical emotions. Beautifully played, and balanced performance.

amazon


----------



## belfastboy




----------



## lupinix

Carpentier Te Deum


----------



## Oskaar

*Bridge & Roslavetz 
Trio a Piacere*

Piano Trio No. 2 *Frank Bridge*
Trio for piano & strings No. 3 Nikolai Roslavets









amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphonies 25 in G minor K183, 29 in A major K201, and 30 in D major K202
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Vasks

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Symphonies 25 in G minor K183, 29 in A major K201, and 30 in D major K202
> Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras
> View attachment 32275


Nos. 25 and 29 are quite impressive symphonies given their time frame for the developing Mozart


----------



## Mahlerian

Vasks said:


> Nos. 25 and 29 are quite impressive symphonies given their time frame for the developing Mozart


Agreed. Some of the earlier symphonies are certainly enjoyable, but this is the point in the cycle where he reaches his (rather early) compositional maturity.


----------



## Flamme

...


----------



## Vaneyes

Vasks said:


> Nos. 25 and 29 are quite impressive symphonies given their time frame for the developing Mozart


Yes, I think WAM's seriously-good symphonic game began with 24 or 25. :tiphat:


----------



## jim prideaux

great listening ahead this weekend-have listened to Kalinnikov symphonies repeatedly and they are remarkable-real pure enjoyment to be derived from these works-arrived in the post however-more Myaskovsky and an alternate recording of the wonderful Glazunov 5th...
not interested in necessarily in banging on about how great a piece of music is....after all it is down to the individual but esteemed 'colleagues' I can really recommend Kalinnikov to those who have not heard him-not going to change the world, cause a revolution or question any preconceptions about symphonic form and language ...just a great example of tuneful, atmospheric late 19th century Russian music...and that is it!


----------



## Flamme

From my old friends stash...


----------



## schuberkovich

Brahms: Symphony no.4
Carlos Kleiber & VPO







I love it so much! Especially the 1st and 4th movements


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

British composers have been somewhat neglected by me. When I spotted this used last summer, I thought I'd give it a try. I used to have Elgar's Enigma Variations on LP, but they never really left much of a mark on me. Maybe that's why they're called enigmas? 









Elgar - Symphony 2 (Handley/London Philharmonic)

This is my second session with it (a 'session' means numerous playings in a 2-3-day period); the first was last summer when I got it. It is starting to get somewhat familiar... at least, when the CD changes, I recognize it immediately by the Victorian sound  I think I'll need many, many more sessions before I get anywhere near to having a feeling for the whole piece. I read a bit about it last night and learned that this Handley recording is considered one of the finest, which surprised me, as back in the day of LP, Classics for Pleasure was EMI's budget line.


----------



## Oskaar

*William Hurlstone: Piano Concerto; Variations; Piano Quartet; Piano Trio*

Piano Concerto in D

Fantasie-Variations on a Swedish Air

Piano Trio in G

Piano Quartet in E minor, Op. 43

*Eric Parkin (piano)

London Philharmonic Orchestra & Tunnell Piano Quartet, Nicholas Braithwaite*









allmusic
amazon
music web
arkivmusic
prestoclassical


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

I'm back on my home continent  musically speaking.









I used to have the DG LP of the Kontarsky's in the '70s and, sometime in the '80s, I also got the LP on New Albion, but it was the Kontarsky performance that I knew best. I'm partway through my first playing of this disc, the second of my three arrivals from yesterday  It's been a long time since I last heard Stockhausen's Mantra, but I don't recall the electronic treatments being as dominant as they are on this album. That's not a bad thing, however. And I also never recognized how much similarity there is to Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano. And that's not a bad thing, either  I have often mentioned that I got into CM via the Darmstadt School, via Stockhausen, via '70s alternative rock. I can't help but think of Brian Eno's Discrete Music and his ambient music as I listen to this.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Strauss | Ligeti | Mozart

*Richard Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra Op. 30

György Ligeti - Atmosphères

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C, KV. 551 "Jupiter"*

Kay Johannson (Organ); Matthias Wächter, Konzertmeister
Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Gabriel Feltz









A nice contrast between the three scores, I've thoroughly enjoyed each of these performances


----------



## Clayton

I am not sure if I have emotions confused as I lost my father (many years ago so no more tears) to ALS but this recording I always find so full of emotional content.

Jacqueline du Pré
Elgar:
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
(recorded live in Prague)
Testament label


----------



## Mahlerian

Sessions: Symphony No. 3
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Buketoff









Not a great cover, but the LP this was taken from isn't much better...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Clayton, am I mistaken, or is your avatar Boycs in uncharacteristic 'hitting out' mode?

Maybe we need a cricket thread on TC to rival the American football one! (I suspect we could count on Cyril Washbrook as well)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I doubt many of us will own up to following cricket after the recent disaster, but who knows?

Berlioz - Grande symphonie funebre et triomphale ..... if only to check out my scepticism about the number of recommendations for it on the Berlioz thread. Nope - even as a huge Berlioz fan, I don't really see this as being in the first division of his compositions ..... unless you are into demonstrating the capability of your Hi-Fi equipment


----------



## hpowders

Benjamin Britten, Peter Grimes, with Jon Vickers and Heather Harper, conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
I was fortunate enough to see Jon Vickers twice in one season at the Metropolitan Opera doing Peter Grimes. After the composer's own recording with Peter Pears, this one is my favorite.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 2-5* Takacs Quartet on Decca.

Superb. Not that difficult in the main when you've got your ear attuned to Bartok's style - although the third quartet is very dense.

Some fantastic sonorities, particularly in the second and fourth movements of the 5th quartet. Is this the greatest string quartet of the twentieth century? I'm listening to the 6th quartet tomorrow and I struggle to decide whether it or the 5th is my favourite.


----------



## jim prideaux

Myaskovsky-Symphonies 17/21 and the Salutary Overture performed by the Russian Federation Academic Festival Orchestra conducted by Svetlanov......first listening


----------



## Flamme

After Mozart. Gidon Kremer - Kremerata Baltica


----------



## Taggart

Headphone Hermit said:


> I doubt many of us will own up to following cricket after the recent disaster, but who knows?
> 
> Berlioz - Grande symphonie funebre et triomphale ..... if only to check out my scepticism about the number of recommendations for it on the Berlioz thread. Nope - even as a huge Berlioz fan, I don't really see this as being in the first division of his compositions ..... unless you are into demonstrating the capability of your Hi-Fi equipment


I presume this is a comment on the cricket?


----------



## DavidA

Brahms Handel Variations - Graffman


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Frank Bridge's* death day (January 10, 1941), his Cello Sonata, w. Rostropovich & Britten (rec.1968).

View attachment 32299


----------



## Schubussy

Lou Harrison - La Koro Sutro/Varied Trio/Suite for Violin and American Gamelan


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas 17 through 20 and 29.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Monteverdi: Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi - Libro Ottavo

I. Altri canti d'amor (Canto Guerriero)
II. Gira il nemico (Canto Guerriero)
III. Ballo: Volgendo il ciel - Movete al mio bel suon (Canto Guerriero)
IV. Sinfonia a Cinque
V. Altri canti di marte (Canto Amoroso)
VI. Lamento della ninfa (Canto Amoroso)
VII Sinfonia a sei (from Cantate Domino)
VIII. Hor che'l ciel e la terra (Canto Guerriero)*

Performers:
La Capella Reial de Catalunya [Montserrat Figueras (soprano), Elisabetta Tiso (soprano), Gloria Banditelli (mezzo-soprano), Paolo Costa (counter-tenor), Lambert Climent (tenor), Francesc Garrigosa (tenor), Daniele Carnovich (bass)] Jordi Savall, dir.

[Astrée (Auvidis) 1994]









Well out of terra cognita here, but this is very beautiful.

Is it me or are there some connections to minimalism here (hypnotic near-repetitions of subtly shifting phrases?)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

suppose so - must have been subconscious, but entirely apposite


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Taggart said:


> I presume this is a comment on the cricket?


hadn't thought about iit, but it must have been subconscious (and entirely apposite)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 6, w. BBCPO/Noseda (Proms, August 5, 2009).


----------



## KenOC

New arrival: Gavriil Popov, Symphony No. 1. A big noisy work and evidently a major one. Popov spent three years writing it, and it was banned the day after its 1935 premier and never heard again in his lifetime. Fans of DSCH's 4th will enjoy this.


----------



## lupinix

Philippe de Vitry In arboris


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in F Major, Op.16, No.4

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Jan Simon, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann's piano works played by Pollini.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: Symphony 7, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1963); Symphony 8, w. VPO/Chung (rec.1999).

View attachment 32311
View attachment 32312


----------



## Sid James

LancsMan said:


> *Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 2-5* Takacs Quartet on Decca.
> 
> Superb. Not that difficult in the main when you've got your ear attuned to Bartok's style - although the third quartet is very dense.
> 
> Some fantastic sonorities, particularly in the second and fourth movements of the 5th quartet. Is this the greatest string quartet of the twentieth century? I'm listening to the 6th quartet tomorrow and I struggle to decide whether it or the 5th is my favourite.


Bartok's 3rd quartet was a bit of a breakthrough for me, before that I only understood what he was doing in the 6th (thematically speaking). Someone who was on TC recommended I focus on the 3rd, as its his most shortest one. Its been a while since I've heard it but what I remember is that two themes emerge at the start, then they kind of tussle and collide but right at the end they kind of combine, the journey comes full circle, but not exactly the way it was at the beginning.

The 5th stands out for me as well, I agree that the 'night music' slow movements you mention are very memorable. Kind of giving the impression of not all is well, this paranoia of things going wrong at night, the fatal knock on your door from who knows what or who or why? The pivotal Bulgarian movement right in the middle acts like a foil to this darkness, its a ray of light amidst the darkness.

I got the Alban Berg Quartett's interp, took time to warm to it but I did succeed, and revisiting them now after ages would be great!


----------



## KenOC

Still on my Russian kick -- Prokofiev's 6th Symphony (my favorite), Rozhdestvensky. If you need a set, this is a great one. This symphony caused Prokofiev a great deal of grief, as it turned out.

Why did the best Soviet symphonies always screw up somebody's career? Popov's 1st, Prokofiev's 6th, Shostakovich's 9th...


----------



## hpowders

DavidA said:


> Brahms Handel Variations - Graffman


My favorite Brahms solo piano work!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Catching up on some extracurriculars:

Gavriil Popov - Symphony 1 (St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony, Titov)

Roger Sessions - Symphony 3 (Eastman Rochester Symphony Orchestra; Hanson, Howard; Mitropoulos, Dimitri; New York Philharmonic Orchestra - It is not clear from the information which conductor and orchestra performed this work that appears on Naxos Classical Archives)

Nikolay Myaskovsky - Symphony 19 (Russian Federation Academic Symphony Orchestra; Svetlanov, Evgeny)
Nikolay Myaskovsky - Symphony 23 (St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra; Titov, Alexander)

Yes, Popov does indeed share some of Shostakovich's compositional idiom. I admit I was getting somewhat impatient with it. Perhaps I have chosen a bit too much for one session ;-)

I knew what to expect of Sessions. It is interesting, but seems somewhat harsh for my tender ears tonight. I am listening through my computer speakers, which are actually quite good active speakers (Acoustic Research AV-570 Powered Partners), but no comparison to my JBL towers. Ah... the second and third movements are more Schoenbergian, more schwungvoll and less explosive.

But it might also be my impatience. Myaskovsky has piqued my interest  hence I have chosen two symphonies:

Symphony 19 is a patriotic brass/wind band composition, not what I was hoping for. Still, the second movement is more delicate and lyrical, albeit with the circus wanting to come out. Fortunately, it doesn't succeed. In the third movement, we have left the carnival tent and have stepped outside for a breather, with some of the excitement still dreamily drifting through our minds. In the final movement, who knows... I made it up. It is carnevalesque, prancing again ;-)

Symphony 23... This is the Myaskovsky I have read about! It begins with a beautiful lento introduction that gradually develops into Kabardinian folk tunes. I guess you'll just have to hear it for yourselves ;-)


----------



## SimonNZ

lupinix said:


> Philippe de Vitry In arboris


Sequentia, Orlando Consort or some other group?


----------



## GGluek

The Beethoven 4 and the Tippett are two of my absolute favorite piano concerti.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner*-- **Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Original Version}, *
performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Daniel Barenboim. 
Christopher Rouse--*Symphony No.1 and Phantasmata, *
both traversed by the David Zinman led Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major, Op.48 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.55, *
both featuring Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Moscow Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra. 
John Alden Carpenter--*Symphony No.1 {Sermons in Stones"} and Symphony No.2, * both rendered by the Ukraine National SYmphony Orchestra under the baton of John McLaughlin Williams.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Anton Bruckner*-- **Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major {Original Version}, *
performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Daniel Barenboim. 
Christopher Rouse--*Symphony No.1 and Phantasmata, *
both traversed by the David Zinman led Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Alexander Glazunov--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major, Op.48 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.55, *
both featuring Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra. 
John Alden Carpenter--*Symphony No.1 {Sermons in Stones"} and Symphony No.2, *both rendered by the Ukraine National SYmphony Orchestra under the baton of John McLaughlin Williams.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 34 in E Minor

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Blake

Vanska's Beethoven: Symphony No. 7. Marvelous.


----------



## senza sordino

Today after work I stayed for about two hours marking some tests. What made the time go by nicely was the following
*Ravel Piano Concerto in G* Samson Francois piano with Andre Cluytens and Orchestra de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire
*Bartok Piano Concerto #2* Lang Lang performs with Simon Rattle and Berlin Phil
*Rachmaninov Piano Concerto #2* Vladimir Ashkenazy with LSO and Andre Previn
*Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3* Lang Lang performs with Simon Rattle and Berlin Phil

Lots of piano for me, and it was a terrific listen. No one around, new speakers in my classroom, makes marking almost enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.10 - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## Weston

*Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht Op. 4; Chamber Symphony No. 1 Op. 9; Chamber Symphony No.2, Op.38*
Simon Rattle / English Chamber Orchestra (?) maybe; Artemis Quartet (on Rhapsody streaming)









I don't know. There are undoubtedly some interesting things happening in these works, but I'm beginning to think that shying away from Schoenberg has nothing to do with serialism. Maybe I just haven't warmed to the phrasing and musical gestures. I certainly have trouble with the over-the-top violin vibrato in these performances. If I wanted a theremin I'd listen to an old sci-fi movie soundtrack. Actually that's not a bad idea.

I'm not giving up on him, just tabling the matter again for a while.


----------



## KenOC

Working backwards -- now Prokofiev's 5th, Rozhdestvensky. This guy was a friggin' genius!


----------



## Weston

LancsMan said:


> *Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 2-5* Takacs Quartet on Decca.
> 
> Superb. Not that difficult in the main when you've got your ear attuned to Bartok's style - although the third quartet is very dense.
> 
> Some fantastic sonorities, particularly in the second and fourth movements of the 5th quartet. Is this the greatest string quartet of the twentieth century? I'm listening to the 6th quartet tomorrow and I struggle to decide whether it or the 5th is my favourite.


I recently acquired the Bartok complete string quartets (can't remember the performers now). I settled down earlier this evening to listen to the No. 4, but first I wanted to read a review and annotations on Allmusic. Even the annotations hurt my head! It seems too complicated at the moment, although it sounds as though it will be highly motivic, which I love. I'm looking forward to trying again in the morning after coffee.

Ah - now I remember! The Julliard Quartet.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Genoveva, Op. 81 -- Kurt Masur: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Schumann, Clara: Variations de Concert sur la Cavatine du Pirate de Bellini, Op. 8 -- Jozef De Beenhouwer

Praetorius: Venite Exultemus Domino -- Paul van Nevel: Huelgas Ensemble


----------



## Rachmanijohn

Currently listening to this. I just can't get enough of it, I keep coming back to it.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

TGIF! Spending this evening listening to some works by Czech composer Josef Bohuslav Foerster. His String Quartets 1-5 and his Symphony No. 4. Foerster's music appeals to me a lot but I'm also inclined toward Czech music. He has a real sense of melody and is a delight to listen to.



















Kevin


----------



## SixFootScowl

One of my two favorite Messiahs:







The other being the Dublin Version by the Dunedin Consort.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gilbert Amy's Trajectories - cond. composer


----------



## jim prideaux

starting the day with first listen to Serebrier conducting the Royal Scottish National Orch in a performance of Glazunov 5th and The Seasons-this symphony became prominent in my 'world' during the Christmas period and this recording confirms quite simply that for me it is a wonderful work........after discovering Myaskovsky and particularly Kalinnikov during the last week this feels again like another 'golden' period in my journey through music, similar to last summers Martinu 'experience'......one cannot help but feel fortunate, having the means and opportunity.......enough of this, off to the beach for early morning walk......


----------



## SimonNZ

Brahms' Alto Rhapsody - Christianne Stotijn, mezzo, Jac van Steen, cond.

edit: Jacques Lejeunes' Fantasmes: ou l'histoire de Blanche-Neige










edit: Martinu's Mirandolina - Riccardo Frizza, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Olga Neuwith's Remnants Of Songs - Lawrence Power, viola, Susanna Mälkki, cond.

UK Premiere from the 2012 Proms


----------



## Guest

Bach, Suites for Lute BWV995-997
Konrad Junghänel


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Vodicka (ca.1720-1774): Trio Sonata in B Flat

Jaroslav Sveceny, violin -- Miroslav Petras, cello -- Josef Popelka, chamber organ


----------



## Joris

Schubert - 8 Variations on an Original Theme, D.813


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Tippett - String Quartets

No. 1 in A major (1934-35, rev. 1943)
No. 2 in F sharp major (1941-42)
No. 4 (1977-78)
*
Tippett Quartet [Naxos, 2008]









I don't know if there's anything which makes these quartets stand out from the mid 20th century crowd, though they're fair enough. There are sections which sound like other composers, but I'm not sure that I hear anything that proclaims 'this could only be by Michael Tippett'. (Maybe I should reserve judgement and listen to more Tippett.)


----------



## Andolink

*Michael Finnissy*: _Wachtend op de volgende uitbarsting van repressie en censuur_, part IX of 
The History of Photography in Sound
Ian Pace, piano








*Orlandus Lassus*: _Missa Osculetur me_
The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips








*Henry Purcell*: _Now does the glorious day appear_, Z332, Birthday Ode for Queen Mary, 1689
Charles Daniels (Tenor), John Mark Ainsley (Tenor), Charles Pott (Bass), 
Michael George (Bass), Gillian Fisher (Soprano), James Bowman (Countertenor) 
The King's Consort/Robert King


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Sinfonia in C Major, Zakin 11

Kevin Mallon conducting the Toronto Chamber Orchestra


----------



## hpowders

Schuman Symphony #10 (American Muse)-Schwarz, Seattle, to celebrate Saturday! 

Happy Weekend everyone!!!


----------



## Flamme

Amours amours amours · Lautenduos c. 1500


----------



## clara s

quite melancholic day, sunny, but with this pale colour of the horizon

so for today, Mahler's no 5, especially Adagietto

I wonder...

Ricardo Chailly or Evgeni Svetlanov?

not again George Solti


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Bernstein/NYPhil/Columbia)*

_I still get goose bumps in the final 2 minutes_


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in B minor, Op. 33 no. 1_
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## lupinix




----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Gérard Grisey - Les espaces acoustiques

I - Prologue, for viola and optional live electronics (1976)
II - Périodes, for flute, clarinet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, and double bass (1974)
III - Partiels, for 18 musicians (1975)
IV - Modulations, for orchestra (1976-77)
V - Transitoires, for large orchestra (1980)
VI - Epilogue, for 4 solo horns and large orchestra (1985)
*
Ensemble Court-Circuit, Pierre-André Valade; Frankfurter Museumsorchester, Sylvain Cambreling [Accord, 1999]









This is the real deal, something really original. I wasn't expecting to find this music to be so accessible, either. These discs are from my son's collection.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Enjoyed listening to J. B. Foerster so much last night I am listening to more this morning. First his Piano Trios and then his two Violin Concertos.


----------



## hpowders

clara s said:


> quite melancholic day, sunny, but with this pale colour of the horizon
> 
> so for today, Mahler's no 5, especially Adagietto
> 
> I wonder...
> 
> Ricardo Chailly or Evgeni Svetlanov?
> 
> not again George Solti


There is a sensational performance of the Mahler 5th with Klaus Tennstedt conducting the NY Philharmonic in a live performance. Hope you get to hear it one day!


----------



## hpowders

Berg Violin Concerto-Mutter/ Chicago, Levine.
Not my favorite performance. I've always believed Mutter to be over-rated and extremely mannered in her playing, but do not have my favorite performance of this music at hand, Arthur Grumiaux's performance, so this one will have to do!


----------



## clara s

hpowders said:


> There is a sensational performance of the Mahler 5th with Klaus Tennstedt conducting the NY Philharmonic in a live performance. Hope you get to hear it one day!


not one day

I will look for it, very soon

thanks


----------



## Blake

The Hilliard Ensemble's Perotin: _Beata Viscera_. Such an amazing piece.


----------



## millionrainbows

Sudonim said:


> I have the Hahn/Lisitsa version but haven't listened to it yet. Good reviews on Amazon, for what that's worth. I also have a version of the sonatas by Hansheinz Schneeberger and Daniel Cholette - also as-yet-unheard! It's on ECM so you know at least the sound should be good. Now that we're discussing it I wish I had listened to at least one of them!
> 
> Concerning the quartets, the Emerson SQ recorded them as well. Have you heard those, millionrainbows?


I didn't know about the ECM version. I'll give it a try when I find it. I'm leery of non-American quartets who tackle Ives, because of all the hymn and popular song references in the first, but maybe that's because of the quartet on MGD (?)

Yes, the Emerson are very good, my sustaining version until now. That's from the American Originals CD. That's well worth having, as it has the original string quartet by Samuel Barber where the "Adagio for Strings" was taken. Excellent sonics, too.

That NAXOS version of the Piano/violin sonatas is good, too. A guy from Lubbock, Texas? It must be that Bible-belt influence.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ligeto, Cello Concerto.
*

Maybe there's something wrong with me. Yesterday I was looking at Sheldon Morgenstern's _No Vivaldi in the Garage_, and it told of an accomplished first violinist, who loved playing Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, lambasting the cello concerto as basically excrement. Personally, I think it's evocative. Oh, well, one man's poison . . .


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> That NAXOS version of the Piano/violin sonatas is good, too. A guy from Lubbock, Texas? It must be that Bible-belt influence.


Ha! Yeah, here in the South, we loves our Ives.


----------



## Blake

I'm in a vocal mood today. Collegium Vocale Gent's Lassus: _Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales_. Again, amazing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Clara Schumann: Piano Trio; Franz Schubert: Quartet Rosamunde; Trio D471*

*Antje Weithaas, Tanja Tetzlaff, Christian Tetzlaff & Volker Jacobsen*









Brilliant!

amazon


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Sessions: Symphony No. 3
> Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Buketoff
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not a great cover, but the LP this was taken from isn't much better...


I have the vinyl as well, thanks for reproducing that cover, I always liked it. The LP actually sounds better to me than the CD. I got this one out to listen to Symphony 2, after hearing the Composer's Datebook segment on NPR, on Thursday, I think. I couldn't make it through because of the poor mastering, and went to my Blomstedt/SFO version. Sounds totally different! And after all, the SFO premiered it. At the time, it bombed badly.


----------



## DavidA

Handel Messiah - Gardiner


----------



## ptr

*25 Years Experimentalstudio Freiburg* (Col Legno)
(CD 1; *Brian Ferneyhough* - Time and Motion Study II (1976/77); *Cristobal Halffter* - Variaciones sobre la resonancia de un grito (1976/77); *Dieter Schnebel* - Monotonien I, IV, V (1988/89) / CD 2; *Marc Andre* - AB II (1997); *Emmanuel Nunes* - Wandlungen (1985/86); *Andre Richard* - Echanges (1985/86) / CD 3; *Diego Minciacchi* - Klavierstiick Nr.4: Vae Victis (1996); *Luigi Nono* - Quando stanno morendo, Diario Polacco No. 2 (1982); *Isabel Mundry* - Gesichter (1997))









Werner Taube / Mitglieder des SWF-SO Baden-Baden u. Ernest Bour / Marianne Schroeder / Ensemble Recherche / Ensemble Modern / SWF-SO Baden-Baden u. Lothar Zagrosek / Ortwin Stürmer / Monika Bair-Ivenz, Petra Hoffmann, Elisabeth Rave, Susanne Otto, Martin Fahlenbock, Lukas Fels / Salome Kammer, Claudia Barainsky, Christian Dierstein, Francoise Rivalland and on all "Experimentalstudio Freiburg"

And now for some percussive after dinner mints:

*Japanese Works For Marimba And Percussion* (BIS 1989)
(*Akira Nishimura* - Kala for solo marimba and six percussion players (1989; *Akira Miyoshi* - Rin-sai for solo marimba and six percussion player;* Tōru Takemitsu* - Rain-tree for three percussion players (1981); *Isao Matsushita* - Airscope II for solo marimba and tape (1984); *Minoru Miki* - Marimba Spiritual (1983/84))









Keiko Abe, marimba & Kroumata Percussion Ensemble

Very Minty indeed!

/ptr


----------



## lupinix

Missa l'homme armé by Guillaume Dufay


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Symphony No. 9 in D major* / Chicago SO, Pierre Boulez [Deutsche Grammophon, 1998]









I don't think I've listened to this very often as Mahler #9 seems largely unfamiliar, so, fresh to my ears today. This reading seems quite cool and detached.


----------



## hpowders

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Mahler - Symphony No. 9 in D major* / Chicago SO, Pierre Boulez [Deutsche Grammophon, 1998]
> 
> View attachment 32357
> 
> 
> I don't think I've listened to this very often as Mahler #9 seems largely unfamiliar, so, fresh to my ears today. This reading seems quite cool and detached.


Too detatched, IMO.


----------



## bejart

In preparation for tonight's concert ---
Beethoven: Piano Concerto in C Minor, Op.37

James Levine leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## hpowders

Bartok Violin Concerto #2, Gil Shaham, Pierre Boulez, Chicago.

Still searching for the ideal performance of this great work.


----------



## ptr

hpowders said:


> Still searching for the ideal performance of this great work.


I still treasure Kyung Wha Chung in both the Bartók concertos! (On Decca with Solti)

/ptr


----------



## hpowders

ptr said:


> I still treasure Kyung Wha Chung in both the Bartók concertos! (On Decca with Solti)
> 
> /ptr


I have it, but don't share your enthusiasm. Still waiting for "the one".


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms: Haydn Variations & Serenade No. 1*

Variations on a theme by Haydn for orchestra, Op. 56a 'St Anthony Variations'

Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11

Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor

Hungarian Dance No. 3 in F major

Hungarian Dance No. 10 in F major

*Bamberger Symphoniker, Robin Ticciati*









A lot of facts and reviews about this really enjoyable issue here:

musicweb-international
prestoclassical
amazon
arkivmusic


----------



## TurnaboutVox

hpowders said:


> Too detatched, IMO.


(Mahler #9, cond. Boulez, Chicago SO)

You may well be right, but I don't have an alternative recording to compare it to. This is one of the Penguin Guide's top recommendations and I think it may have been praised in a recent thread on TC too (I may be wrong, I can't find it now). It isn't at all bad, just cool and precise...

Current listening:

*Beethoven - Symphonies

Symphony #2 in D, Op.36
Symphony #7 in A, Op.92*

Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan [Deutsche Grammophon, 1987]


----------



## hpowders

TurnaboutVox said:


> (Mahler #9, cond. Boulez, Chicago SO)
> 
> You may well be right, but I don't have an alternative recording to compare it to. This is one of the Penguin Guide's top recommendations and I think it may have been praised in a recent thread on TC too (I may be wrong, I can't find it now)


Boulez seems to be the "anti-Bernstein" in Mahler. My favorite is Karajan in this music-to me he strikes just the right balance-not too hot, not too cold.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 52 in C minor; No. 51 in B-flat Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









No. 52: The harsh chords in the beginning and the conflict throughout the first movement definitely draw the parallel to Beethoven's 5th symphony, imo.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

hpowders said:


> View attachment 32345
> 
> 
> Berg Violin Concerto-Mutter/ Chicago, Levine.
> Not my favorite performance. I've always believed Mutter to be over-rated and extremely mannered in her playing, but do not have my favorite performance of this music at hand, Arthur Grumiaux's performance, so this one will have to do!


absolutely with you on prefering Grumiaux to Mutter


----------



## hpowders

Headphone Hermit said:


> absolutely with you on prefering Grumiaux to Mutter


Yes. Where's the energy? The last 5 minutes is like a turkish taffy pull. Highly disappointing. When I saw the performance time at 27 minutes, I already knew I wasn't going to like it-much too slow!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

TurnaboutVox said:


> (Mahler #9, cond. Boulez, Chicago SO)
> 
> You may well be right, but I don't have an alternative recording to compare it to. This is one of the Penguin Guide's top recommendations and I think it may have been praised in a recent thread on TC too (I may be wrong, I can't find it now). It isn't at all bad, just cool and precise...
> 
> Current listening:
> 
> *Beethoven - Symphonies
> 
> Symphony #2 in D, Op.36
> Symphony #7 in A, Op.92*
> 
> Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan [Deutsche Grammophon, 1987]
> 
> View attachment 32361


I very strongly recommend the version by Carlos Kleiber with the Wiener Phil (also on DG) - I'd be astonished if you don'ty prefer it to Karajan (good as it is)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Schubert - Der Tod und Madchen - Kodaly Quartet

one of the peaks of classical music, surely?


----------



## lupinix

honegger symphony 2 <3


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some time last year I set about filling in my collection of Stravinsky. I picked up most of the Robert Craft recordings on Naxos... but for whatever reason missed the disc with the _Symphony in C_ and the _Dumbarton Oaks_ concerto. I have since rectified this... first picking up the above highly-rated disc for next to nothing... and then the missing Robert Craft recording as well.

I am starting to really come around to Stravinsky. I should say that I have never "disliked" his music. Indeed, I loved the _Rite of Spring_ and other early "Russian" works immediately. I was also immediately enthralled with _Le Rossignol_ when I picked this up last year... but with regard to many other pieces... I found myself "appreciating" the music... but rarely "loving" it... like our Beethoven fans who admire but don't love Mozart or Bach. That analogy led me to a realization that I was doing the same as they... I was expecting Stravinsky to be a certain type of composer... based upon his early works such as the Rite. I was expecting a Post-Romantic or Expressionist gushing with emotion... not unlike Beethoven... and what I got instead was a composer of the utmost sophistication, formal playfulness, wit, and brilliance... not unlike Mozart.

I am in the middle of re-exploring Stravinsky with these thoughts in mind.


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> (Mahler #9, cond. Boulez, Chicago SO)
> 
> You may well be right, but I don't have an alternative recording to compare it to. This is one of the Penguin Guide's top recommendations and I think it may have been praised in a recent thread on TC too (I may be wrong, I can't find it now). It isn't at all bad, just cool and precise...


I like it. I enjoy Boulez's Mahler, though my go-to Mahlerian is usually Tennstedt. I think all of the criticism of Boulez as detached and unemotional is overstated.

Striggio: Missa _Ecco si beato giorno_ and various other works, Tallis: Spem in alium
I Fagiolini, dir Hollingworth


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

hpowders said:


> View attachment 32345
> 
> 
> Berg Violin Concerto-Mutter/ Chicago, Levine.
> Not my favorite performance. I've always believed Mutter to be over-rated and extremely mannered in her playing, but do not have my favorite performance of this music at hand, Arthur Grumiaux's performance, so this one will have to do!


Blaspheme! Get thee to a hearing specialist, toot sweet. An obvious hearing impairment is nothing to trifle with.


----------



## lupinix

Varese Ionisations


----------



## maestro267

*Tippett*: Concerto for Double String Orchestra
BBC SO/Sir Andrew Davis

*Dvorák*: Cello Concerto in B minor
Kliegel (cello)/Royal PO/Halász

And the Saturday Symphony for this week:

*Brahms*: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Philharmonia Orchestra/Klemperer


----------



## hpowders

lupinix said:


> Varese Ionisations


Now you're talkin'!!!!


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening today to four recs. that benefited significantly from newer remastering.

*Mahler*: Symphony 2, w. VSOO/Scherchen et al (rec.1958); Symphony 9, w. BPO/Barbirolli (rec.1964); *Stravinsky*: Le Sacre du Printemps, w. NYPO/LB (rec.1958), w. Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1978).

View attachment 32363







View attachment 32364
View attachment 32365


----------



## hpowders

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Blaspheme! Get thee to a hearing specialist, toot sweet. An obvious hearing impairment is nothing to trifle with.


I know what I like and she ain't it. She seems to confuse "slow" with "emotionally moving" as did Bernstein late in life. Arthur Grumiaux takes the last 5 minutes of the Berg faster than Mutter and in so doing makes it into an unforgettable musical experience, unlike the misguided Mutter who simply bored me.

Admit it: you simply fell in love with that beautiful face! On this point, I would not blame anybody.


----------



## brotagonist

Once again, I feel exhausted by my offsite forays. I did discover a Russian with considerable appeal, Nikolay Myaskovsky, and will venture beyond his symphonies to some chamber works prochainement. In the meantime, it is good to return home...

c'n://revisited









An album I had picked up last year, as I was filling out the gaps in my Mahler Symphonies collection:

Symphony 2 "Resurrection"
Kubelik/BR

Majestic


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: String Quartet No. 6* Takacs Quartet on Decca.

Completing my Bartok string quartet journey with the sixth quartet. Wonderful music. Still finding it difficult to decide if I prefer this to the fifth quartet or not.


----------



## hpowders

LancsMan said:


> *Bartok: String Quartet No. 6* Takacs Quartet on Decca.
> 
> Completing my Bartok string quartet journey with the sixth quartet. Wonderful music. Still finding it difficult to decide if I prefer this to the fifth quartet or not.


 The Takacs. One of the best. This music's in their blood!


----------



## lupinix

Messiaen la merle noir =D


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Working backwards -- now Prokofiev's 5th, Rozhdestvensky. This guy was a *friggin' *genius!


"Friggin', sir? You say, friggin'?"

View attachment 32367


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ives, Symphony No. 4.*

I just realized I've been neglecting Ives recently. I'll have to fix that.


----------



## Vasks

Mahlerian said:


> Striggio: Missa _Ecco si beato giorno_ and various other works, Tallis: Spem in alium
> I Fagiolini, dir Hollingworth


Wow! I haven't played my copy of this disc in awhile. "He" sort of gets overlooked being alphabetically squeezed between all that Stravinsky and Suk.


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> "Friggin', sir? You say, friggin'?"
> 
> View attachment 32367


You got a friggin' problem with that? :devil:


----------



## SimonNZ

Andolink said:


> *Michael Finnissy*: _Wachtend op de volgende uitbarsting van repressie en censuur_, part IX of
> The History of Photography in Sound
> Ian Pace, piano
> View attachment 32334
> 
> 
> *Orlandus Lassus*: _Missa Osculetur me_
> The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips
> View attachment 32335


Following Andolink and listening to Lassus' Missa Osculetur me sung by the Tallis Scholars

and wishing I could also be listening to the Finnissy


----------



## LancsMan

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9* Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado on DG.

My favourite Mahler symphony! Although it baffled me when I first heard it many years ago (I had only heard the Mahler sixth prior to hearing the ninth). The aspects that baffled me then - the groping and 'congested' harmonies in the first movement, and the chamber like sections that initially appeared somewhat meandering - are what makes it so distinctive to me now.

I first heard it live in my home town of Preston. Somewhat adventurous programming by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as Preston classical audiences tend to know what they like, and like what they know. But the performance was surprisingly good and well received.


----------



## SimonNZ

lupinix said:


> Messiaen la merle noir =D


It would be very interesting to know who's playing these great works you're posting.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor; Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major (Martha Argerich; Claudio Abbado; London Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Robert Carver's Missa Dum Sacrum Mysterium - Capella Nova


----------



## KenOC

Haydn's Harmoniemesse, Hickox. I don't think I've ever really listened to this work. It's tremendous!


----------



## DavidA

Margaret Marshall singing 'I know that my redeemer liveth' from Gardiner's Messiah. Really good singing but cannot quite match the radiance of Auger on the Pinnock version.


----------



## LancsMan

*Rachmaninov: The Isle of The Dead* Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Ashkenazy on Decca.

A very atmospheric piece and possibly my favourite work by Rachmaninov. Morbid to the point of hysteria in sections. Love it!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014-1019
By Glenn Gould [piano], Jaime Laredo [violin], on Sony Classics









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K301, K302, K303, K305, K 296, K376, K377, K380, K454
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









New arrival:

Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 20: no. 1 in E-flat, no. 2 in Fm
By Quatuor Mosaiques [on period instruments], on Naïve









I have the complete quartets now.
This is great! Superb sound quality, a delight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ives, Variations on America - Schuman orchestration.*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> Haydn's Harmoniemesse, Hickox. I don't think I've ever really listened to this work. It's tremendous!


Yes, comparable to the Creation, actually. Amazing how Haydn's creativity peaked in old age. I think he also said something along the lines of "Now that I have finally understood how to truly use the winds, I must leave this earth". I must disagree with him, however, I think he always knew how to use them .


----------



## Manxfeeder

Bas said:


> J
> I have the complete quartets now.
> This is great! Superb sound quality, a delight.


You have the complete Quatuor Mosaiques Haydn quartets? Can I come over sometime? :tiphat:


----------



## Flamme

Gregori-Stradella


----------



## bejart

After the 'Egmont Overture, the concluding work on the all Beethoven program I'm attending tonight is Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68. So for my final warm up, I'm listening to Claudio Abbado lead the Berlin Philharmonic --


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Headphone Hermit said:


> Schubert - Der Tod und Madchen - Kodaly Quartet


Allow me to recommend to you the (1968?) version by the Quartetto Italiano on Philips (now Decca) - it will blow you away! I'll be astonished if...etc.!

Thanks for your LvB recommendation by the way.

T-V

Current listening:

*Jean-Philippe Rameau

La naissance d'Osiris
Abaris ou les Boreades
*
Capella Savaria; Mary Terey-Smith [Naxos, 1996]


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









Preliminary hearings:

CD1 (Ein Heldenleben; Metamorphosen) now;
CD2 (Don Quixote; Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme) this evening.

Beecham/Royal Phil'ic; Barbirolli/New Phil'ia

Two of these recordings date from the late 1940s, one from the late 1950s and one from the late 1960s. I thought there was some scritchy-scratchiness at the start of Heldenleben, during the high notes, and there seemed to be a barely audible shrill echo (an artifact of remastering?) in the highs of Metamorphosen. Still, this is a pretty good recording. I don't usually go for these vintage recordings, but I was after the best album with the first three of these pieces at the lowest price. I just wasn't sure how committed I was to Strauss.

After only one half of the album and about 25 years since I was listening to much Richard Strauss, I'd say I need to revisit this fine music  I had become too focussed on the programmatic aspect, which I felt had detracted from my enjoyment of the music for its own sake.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

hpowders- I know what I like and she ain't it. She seems to confuse "slow" with "emotionally moving" as did Bernstein late in life. Arthur Grumiaux takes the last 5 minutes of the Berg faster than Mutter and in so doing makes it into an unforgettable musical experience, unlike the misguided Mutter who simply bored me.

Admit it: you simply fell in love with that beautiful face! On this point, I would not blame anybody.

The last bit is certainly true......

Honestly, Mutter would not be my first choice for the Berg... but then the "slow" tempo may have as much to do with the conductor (Levine) as Mutter. My other recordings include: Henryk Szeryng/Rafael Kubelik, Arthur Grumiaux/Igor Markevitch, and Daniel Hope/Paul Watkins. I think all four, including Mutter, bring something unique to a repertoire "big" enough not to ever be exhausted by a single interpretation.

Still searching for the ideal performance of this great work (Bartok).

There is no such thing.


----------



## lupinix

Guillaume de Machaut Messe de Nostre Dame (Sung by Taverner Consort)


----------



## hpowders

StlukesguildOhio said:


> hpowders- I know what I like and she ain't it. She seems to confuse "slow" with "emotionally moving" as did Bernstein late in life. Arthur Grumiaux takes the last 5 minutes of the Berg faster than Mutter and in so doing makes it into an unforgettable musical experience, unlike the misguided Mutter who simply bored me.
> 
> Admit it: you simply fell in love with that beautiful face! On this point, I would not blame anybody.
> 
> The last bit is certainly true......
> 
> Honestly, Mutter would not be my first choice for the Berg... but then the "slow" tempo may have as much to do with the conductor (Levine) as Mutter. My other recordings include: Henryk Szeryng/Rafael Kubelik, Arthur Grumiaux/Igor Markevitch, and Daniel Hope/Paul Watkins. I think all four, including Mutter, bring something unique to a repertoire "big" enough not to ever be exhausted by a single interpretation.
> 
> Still searching for the ideal performance of this great work (Bartok).
> 
> There is no such thing.


"Ideal" to me. Whenever I use the words ideal or perfect, I mean from my point of view, given my musical perception, not anyone else's. For me Karajan is perfect in the Mahler #9. That means "just right" for me. Same with the Bartok-when I hear it I will know it. So far I've not been satisfied with any performance of Bartok's 2nd violin concerto.

I agree-James Levine can be a problem. I've never liked him.


----------



## science

Once more and for the last time with the niece's earphones. I'll be home tonight!


----------



## brotagonist

The covers for this work


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Vasily Kalinnikov--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor and Symphony No.2 in A Major. *
Both works feature the Theodore Kuchar led Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra. 
Leos Janacek--*Sinfonietta, *
performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. 
William Schuman--*Symphony No.7 and Symphony No.10 {"American Muse"}. *Both works feature Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Itullian

Awesome set.


----------



## samurai

I just finished listening to Glazunov's *Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, *and am very impressed, especially with the latter and its different timbres and colors. At points, it reminds me somewhat of Prokofiev, in his style {don't know if they were contemporaries or not}either from his *Fifth and/or Seventh Symphonies.* Has anyone else heard this in his music, or am I truly crazy? :scold:


----------



## SayMozart

Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), last movement. It a hauntingly beautiful and powerful piece and I really like the last movement. The conductor Michael Tilson Thomas said in an interview about Mahler's music that he divides his life into two parts. Before he heard that piece and after. This is because it hit him right in the heart. This made me interested in listening to it again.


----------



## Tristan

*Hummel* - Piano Sonata No. 6 in D major, Op. 106










The more I listen to Hummel, the more I realize how awesome he is and how overlooked he is. Hummel, Spohr, and Weber: three transtional-period composers who are maybe not give as much attention as they should be. But I absolutely love their works, and I'm lucky I can even find as much of it as I can.


----------



## Guest

This is my first time to combine marijuana with classical music, because i haven't had pot in a long time...probably not since I was just starting to like classical music.

Naturally that implies two things:

1) It took me a while to locate this thread 

2) I am currently listening to Saint-Saens Organ Symphony and it sounds more brilliant than ever.

That's the Levine/Preston recording for those who might wonder.


----------



## brotagonist

samurai said:


> ...or am I truly crazy? :scold:


Either that, or you've been hanging with arcaneholocaust


----------



## Blake

Rafael Irisarri: _Daydreaming._ Ambient/Contemporary Classical. Beautifully somber.


----------



## Guest

Silence foo, I'm moving on to some Wagner now. If I can't fall in love with Wagner this way, he truly must be overrated.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Alun Hoddinott* - A Contemplation upon Flowers


----------



## guy




----------



## scratchgolf

An entire evening's worth. Worth every penny and second.


----------



## bejart

Just back from an all Beethoven concert, and listening to guest soloist on the one CD I have on his --

John Field (1782-1837): Piano Sonata No.4 in B Major

John O'Conor, piano


----------



## opus55

Bas said:


> ...
> New arrival:
> 
> Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 20: no. 1 in E-flat, no. 2 in Fm
> By Quatuor Mosaiques [on period instruments], on Naïve
> 
> View attachment 32376
> 
> 
> I have the complete quartets now.
> This is great! Superb sound quality, a delight.


I'm glad that the individual sets are now released as one big box. Very high on my wish list!

Mozart: Die Zauberflote
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

















German operas have become somewhat of an obsession for me at this point.


----------



## SimonNZ

Simon Bainbridge's The Garden Of Earthly Delights - Lucy Schauffer, mezzo, Andrew Watts, counter-tenor, Nicholas Collon, cond.

World Premiere from 2012 Proms


----------



## Rachmanijohn

I've got this in the CD player currently


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 77 No. 2 in F Major (Buchberger Quartet).









Johannes Brahms, Sonata for Piano and Violoncello in E minor; Sonata for Piano and Violoncello in F Major (Mstislav Rostropovich; Rudolf Serkin).


----------



## SimonNZ

-one million views!!-


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Exxcelllennnt.... 

Antonio Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, Op. 8 (Roberto Michelucci, I Musici).









One of the pieces that got me into classical - go Vivaldi!


----------



## dgee

Some Honegger. Fun with the Symphonic Movement No.3 (even some nice sax in there - I can't believe I just said that!) and then the lovely Symphony 4. SPOILER ALERT - the ending is a bit sad :-(


----------



## SimonNZ

William Kraft's Of Ceremonies, Pageants And Celebrations - Christopher Wilkins, cond.

edit: Boris Blacher's String Quartet No.5 - Neues Leipziger Streichquartett


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet KV 464 in A Major (Leipziger Streichquartett).


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Trios K502, K542, K548
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Müller-Schott, André Previn


----------



## ptr

Started the day with some concertos:

*György Ligeti* - Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra (DG)









Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Ensemble Intercontemporain u. Pierre Boulez

*Alban Berg* - Violinkonzert „Dem Andenken eines Engels" (DG)









Henryk Szerying, violin; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik

continuing with

*Bruno Mantovani *- D'un rêve parti (SEON 2002)
(Jazz Connotation (1998), for piano / Les Danses interrompues (2000), for ensemble / D'un rêve parti (1999), for ensemble / Bug (1997), for clarinet / Appel d'air (2000), for flute and piano / Früh (1998), for flute)









Jay Gottlieb, piano; Jean-Luc Menet, flute; Takashi Yamane, clarinet (2-3); Philippe Berrod, clarinet (4); Ensemble Alternance u. Bruno Mantovani

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorák: Sonatine Op.100 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio Op.50 *

Lars Vogt/Antje Weithaas/Claudio Bohórquez









amazon


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 20. no. 6 in A, no. 2 in C, no. 4 in D, no. 3 in Gm
By Quator Mosaïques, on Naïve









Johannes Brahms - Symphony no. 1 (for the saturday symphony listening, I'm too late)
By the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, on Decca









I have the felling that it "does not breath" on this recording, but I don't know whether that is the recording or a thing with Brahms' music composed for ensembles that out-scale chamber music formations (I have had this feeling with other Brahms music in the past.) Maybe someone more into Brahms could elaborate on this? The recording itself got good reviews and was praised for it's audio, maybe it is me?


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in E flat major ('Joke'), Op. 33 no. 2_; _String Quartet in C major ('Bird'), Op. 33 no. 3_
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Michael Finnissy*: Choral Works--_Palm Sunday_; _Vertue_; _Forget-me-not_; _Descriptive Jottings of London_
EXAUDI/James Weeks








*J. S. Bach*: _Christmas Oratorio_, BWV 248--Part One
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Evangelist
Nancy Argenta, soprano
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Hans Peter Blochwitz, tenor
Olaf Bär, bass
The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## hpowders

Haydn, Paris Symphonies, Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic
One of Bernstein's greatest achievements. Stylish performances and terrific playing from the orchestra. Completely satisfying!
These symphonies will take me to the beginning of the American National Football League playoffs this afternoon, a very big deal in the USA!


----------



## hpowders

Rachmanijohn said:


> I've got this in the CD player currently
> 
> View attachment 32401


In my opinion this is the greatest of all requiems. A fine choice!


----------



## Winterreisender

Jón Leifs - Söngvar (Songs), performed by Finnur Bjarnason and Örn Magnússon


----------



## Vasks

*Wagner - Overture and Venusberg Music from "Tannhauser" (Karajan/DG)
Rheinberger - Sextet for Winds & Piano, Op. 191b (Consortium Classicum /MDG)
Dvorak - Festive March, Op. 54 (Neumann/Orfeo)*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Handel - Violin Sonatas

Sonata in D major Op. 1 No. 13
Sonata in F major 'Walsh' Op. 1 No. 12
Sonata in D minor HWV 359a
Sonata in A major Op. 1 No. 3
Sonata in G minor Op. 1 No. 6
Sonata in A major 'Roger' Op. 1 No. 10
Sonata in E major 'Roger' Op. 1 No. 12
Sonata in G major HWV 358
Andante in A minor HWV 412
Allegro in C minor HWV 408*

Andrew Manze (Violin) & Richard Egarr (Harpsichord) [Harmonia Mundi France, 2001]

I'm afraid I used this as very high quality musical wallpaper as I worked on a paper for work tomorrow.

*Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106* 'Hammerklavier' / Emil Gilels (Piano) [Deutsche Grammophon, 1984]

I'm 'imprinted', as someone said here recently of another work, with Brendel's first two recordings of Op. 106 (the Turnabout Vox version since about 1970), but even though he's not Brendel I think this is a spacious and magisterial reading and I continue to reserve a special place for it in my collection. (I forgive the wrong notes which aren't few in number!) I can't find the original CD cover on-line, it's the tiny image in the bottom left quarter of the current one.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755): Cello Sonata in C Minor, Op.50, No.4

Brandywine Baroque: Douglas McNames, cello -- Karen Flint, harpsichord -- Vivian Barton Dozor, cello continuo


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Mass in F, "Di Chimay" -- Ruth Ziesak; Herbert Libbert; Riccardo Muti: Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

^ A very frustrated Cherubini, disillusioned by the exclusion to which he was the target by an Emperor who preferred what he perceived to be the lighter music of Paisiello and Zingarelli, forswore composition in favor of his other great love--botany [studying under Des Fontaines] and drawing. Repairing to the domain of the Prince of Chimay, the needs of a small local church prevailed upon a reluctant Cherubini to take up his pen again, but instead of the opera house, he would compose for the church. Of course, he had composed four masses [now lost] under his master Sarti, and spent many years musing over his gigantic Credo, but this was the first great mass he composed in his illustrious career. It is no coincidence that the Kyrie opens with a placid 16-measure orchestral prelude, exactly as Haydn's "Harmoniemesse" does. Cherubini was devoted to Haydn's music. I find this mass to be magnificent.

Stravinsky: Concerto for Strings in D -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #5 in B Flat -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Rimsky-Korsakov: May Night Overture -- David Zinman: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Landscapes - Japanese String Quartets
Lotus String Quartet: Sachiko Kobayashi, Maki Mogitate, Tomoko Yamasaki, Chihiro Saito









An Apex reprint of a disc dropped by Teldec, apparently, featuring an all-Japanese (and all-female) string quartet playing Japanese works from the second half of the 20th century.

The _Quatuor a cordes_ (1955) by *Akio Yashiro* (矢代秋雄) was likely chosen to start this disc because it is the most traditionally oriented work here, written while the composer was studying in Paris (he won a prize in harmony). The liner notes cite Hindemith, Prokofiev, and Bartok as influences, but I can also hear elements of Berg (especially in the scherzo, which was probably modeled on the "Allegro misterioso" from the Lyric Suite) and Debussy.

*Akira Nishimura* (西村朗) wrote _String Quartet No. 2 "Pulse of the Lights"_ in 1992, on a commission from the Arditti Quartet, who specialize in contemporary and avant-garde music. The main influence on this two movement work is Ligeti. Also an Arditti commission is _Landscape No. 1_ (1992) by *Toshio Hosokawa* (細川俊夫), a work full of silences and extended performance techniques.

Hosokawa's work was likely inspired by *Toru Takemitsu* (武満徹), who wrote his own _Landscape_ (1960) for string quartet without vibrato. This is the only work on the disc that I knew previously. The liner notes cite John Cage's String Quartet in Four Parts as an inspiration for the vibratoless writing, and this is not unlikely, given how much of an impact Cage's Concert for Prepared Piano and Orchestra had had on Takemitsu's thinking about sound and music in general, but the main thing one well-versed in Japanese music notices when listening to this work is the way in which Takemitsu uses his static but shifting harmonies to evoke the sho, a mouth organ that plays cluster-like sonorities.

*Akira Miyoshi's* (三善晃) _String Quartet No. 3 "Constellation in Black"_ (1992) rounds out the disc. Originally written for string quartet and guitar, this five-minute work is more traditional in orientation than the few that preceded it. Wikipedia cites Dutilleux as an influence on his writing. Miyoshi passed away last October.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Symphony No. 10 in F sharp (Performing version I, Deryck Cooke)* / Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
[rec. CBS, 1965; now Sony Classical, 2006]









This is a very fine performance and recording, apart from the rather strident treble most obvious with the strings (this prompted me to buy the Rattle version which I'll get to next). This is my favourite of the later Mahler symphonies, even if it is 'Mahler as imagined by Cooke' for the most part.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Prokofiev's Piano Concertos performed by Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Prokofiev's Piano Concertos performed by Neeme Jarvi.


Who's the pianist?


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Cello Sonata No.2

Philippe Foulon, Cello -- Brigitte Haudebourg, piano


----------



## neoshredder

hpowders said:


> Who's the pianist?


Boris Berman and Horacio Gutierrez.


----------



## ptr

I'm very Franck tonight! :clap:

*César Franck* - Historical Recordings 1929-1942 (Timpani 2011)
Cd1 - *Pastorale* - Marcel Dupre / *Prelude, aria et final* - Alfred Cortot / *Variations symphoniques* - Yves Nat, piano; Orchestre des Concerts Pierne u. Gaston Poulet - *Prelude, chorale et fugue* - Blanche Selva / *Cantabile* - Charles Tournemire
Cd2 - *Quatuor a Cordes en Re* - Quatuor Pro Arte / *Sonate pour violon et piano* - Jacques Thibaud & Alfred Cortot
Cd3 - *Quintette pour Piano et Cordes* en Fa mineur - Marcel Ciampi & Quatuor Capet / *Symphonie en Re mineur* - Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire u. Philippe Gaubert
Cd4 - *Le Chasseur Maudit* - Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux - Albert Wolff / *Nocturne* - Arthur d'Endreze; Orchestre Defosse / Redemption - Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux u. Albert Wolff / *Panis Angelicus* - Andre d'Arkor / *Procession* - Charles Panzera; Orchestre Piero Coppola / *Psyche* - Orchestre des Concert Colonne u. Gabriel Pierne / *Nocturne *& *Mater Dolorosa* - Germaine Martinelli; Orchestre (Lamoureux) u. Albert Wolff / *Choral* - Orchestre des Concerts Colonne u. Gabriel Pierne / *Le mariage des roses* & *S'il est un charmant gazon* (Georges Thill et Maurice Faure))









Artists as above

/ptr


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> Boris Berman and Horacio Gutierrez.


Not familiar with Berman but Gutierrez has proven chops!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 43 in E-flat Major, 'Mercury' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









Franz Schubert, Impromptu in C minor, Op. 90 No. 1 - Allegro molto moderato (Martijn van den Hoek)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No18 in B Flat, KV 456

English Chamber Orchestra -- Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Ockeghem - Missa Cuiusvis Toni - The Clerks' Group - cleanses my ears and gets me ready for the week ahead


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas 35 and 36.*


----------



## Flamme

Gluck - Armide (Minkowski)


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Feldman's* (1926 - 1987) birthday, sampling Violin and Orchestra.

View attachment 32439


----------



## LancsMan

*Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony* London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Felicity Lott and Jonathan Summers conducted by Bernard Haitink on EMI.

A symphony of Mahlerian length. But possibly a symphony in name only. It seems to me more like a grand choral work more related to Elgar's Dream of Gerontius than a conventional symphony. I have to admit I prefer the Elgar. But it's an interesting work from a period in which VW was still developing his particular style. There's plenty of VW touches in it, but it does go on a bit!

Well performed, and I love Felicity Lott's voice in this.


----------



## SimonNZ

JC Bach's Requiem - Hans-Christoph Rademann, cond.


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> JC Bach's Requiem - Hans-Christoph Rademann, cond.


That one is really great (Lenneke Ruiten is fantastic, is she not?)

I am currently listening to the first half of this set:

Dimitri Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues no. 1 - 12
By Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## clara s

a while ago i was driving next to the seaside,

looking at the light clouds playing their game with the daylight

As i was listening to *Scriabin's Piano Sonata No 2 in G sharp minor, the Sonata Fantasy*,

I had the perception that the clouds would start dancing slowly


----------



## clara s

hpowders said:


> View attachment 32420
> 
> 
> Haydn, Paris Symphonies, Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic
> One of Bernstein's greatest achievements. Stylish performances and terrific playing from the orchestra. Completely satisfying!
> These symphonies will take me to the beginning of the American National Football League playoffs this afternoon, a very big deal in the USA!


excellent choice to start the playoffs


----------



## LancsMan

*Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis:* London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bryden Thomson on Chandos.

Ah! After 'A Sea Symphony' I have chosen this, VW at his greatest. I still remember my parents buying a record of the VW Tallis fantasia coupled with Elgar's Enigma variations. They preferred the Elgar but I was instantly wowed by my first experience of VW's music. Of course today this has become a very popular piece. Deservedly so!

Good performance here.


----------



## hpowders

clara s said:


> excellent choice to start the playoffs


Thank you! I hope you had a nice weekend observing the light clouds. Sounds like something right out of Debussy's preludes for piano.

I answered your post on the Bach Chaconne. Let's see if you can find it! No hints as to where it might be!


----------



## KenOC

Listening to the final (unfinished) contrapunctus from the Art of Fugue. An unusual vocal arrangement by C.P.E. Bach.


----------



## Mahlerian

Symphony of the week:

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op.68
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## clara s

hpowders said:


> Thank you! I hope you had a nice weekend observing the light clouds. Sounds like something right out of Debussy's preludes for piano.
> 
> I answered your post on the Bach Chaconne. Let's see if you can find it! No hints as to where it might be!


all right, Debussy's preludes compete to win my Scriabin 

proceed with more proposals

I am going to Bach's Chaconne now


----------



## hpowders

clara s said:


> all right, Debussy's preludes compete to win my Scriabin
> 
> proceed with more proposals
> 
> I am going to Bach's Chaconne now


............Enjoy it!


----------



## clara s

Mahlerian said:


> Symphony of the week:
> 
> Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op.68
> London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt
> View attachment 32443


very powerful symphony and performance


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in C Major, Op.33, No.1

Static Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## millionrainbows

Bartok: Violin Sonatas; Tetzlaff/Andsnes (Virgin Classics).

Bartok: Complete String Quartets; Guarneri Quartet 1975-1976 (Newton Classics 2-CD) Excellent sonics; I love old noisy analog.

Ives: Concord Sonata (1904-1915); Maurice Wright: Sonata (1982); Marc Andre Hamelin (New World). A very good pairing. Both composers exhibit a concern with pure sonics, verging on Spectralism. Ives' weird arpeggiated mega-chords in the Hawthorne movement never fail to amaze me. Wright is much more rhythmically-driven, making Ives seem even more evanescent.

Bartok has to be the best composer of the early 20th century. Not encumbered by serialism, he was free to make chromatic excursions and create ear-friendly harmonic music while at the same time jettisoning all of the traditional functions of tonality. His "tonality" was flexible and made perfect use of the 12-note scale.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

I'm listening to the _İstanbul Symphony_ by the Turkish-German composer Fazıl Say, performed by the Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester under the direction of Howard Griffiths. It is a modern Western symphony with the addition of Turkish classical instruments, such as the kanun, ney and others. One commenter compares it (unfavourably) to Khachaturian, with whom I am familiar only in name: I can hear Russian influences, too.


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> I'm listening to the _İstanbul Symphony_ by the Turkish-German composer Fazıl Say, performed by the Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester under the direction of Howard Griffiths. It is a modern Western symphony with the addition of Turkish classical instruments, such as the kanun, ney and others. One commenter compares it (unfavourably) to Khachaturian, with whom I am familiar only in name: I can hear Russian influences, too.


I recently got the recording of Fazil Say's "Universe" and "Mesopotamia" symphonies. My high hopes were not entirely fulfilled.


----------



## DavidA

Handel Messiah 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' - Auger / Pinnock

Absolutely radiant singing!


----------



## hpowders

millionrainbows said:


> Bartok: Violin Sonatas; Tetzlaff/Andsnes (Virgin Classics).
> 
> Bartok: Complete String Quartets; Guarneri Quartet 1975-1976 (Newton Classics 2-CD) Excellent sonics; I love old noisy analog.
> 
> Ives: Concord Sonata (1904-1915); Maurice Wright: Sonata (1982); Marc Andre Hamelin (New World). A very good pairing. Both composers exhibit a concern with pure sonics, verging on Spectralism. Ives' weird arpeggiated mega-chords in the Hawthorne movement never fail to amaze me. Wright is much more rhythmically-driven, making Ives seem even more evanescent.
> 
> Bartok has to be the best composer of the early 20th century. Not encumbered by serialism, he was free to make chromatic excursions and create ear-friendly harmonic music while at the same time jettisoning all of the traditional functions of tonality. His "tonality" was flexible and made perfect use of the 12-note scale.


Have you heard the Easley Blackwood performance of the Ives Concord Sonata? I have 3 different performances of this wonderful music including the Hamelin.


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> I recently got the recording of Fazil Say's "Universe" and "Mesopotamia" symphonies. My high hopes were not entirely fulfilled.


I was searching for Ottoman music on Amazon when I chanced upon it. I thought I'd better see if it was on YT. You should have done the same  My "high hopes" were entirely dashed  but it is pleasant enough. On a scale of 1-5, I have given it a 3.5: I am a polite listener.


----------



## hpowders

Shostakovich, Leningrad Symphony, Bernstein Chicago Symphony.
Marching into Monday with Dmitri! :cheers:


----------



## starthrower

Schoenberg String Quartet No. 2
New Vienna Quartet/Evelyn Lear


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.34 in B Flat, Op.33, No.4

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Sonatas (Sonatinas) for Violin and Piano

Fantasy in C major, D. 934

Sonata in D major D. 384
Sonata in A minor, D. 385
Sonata in G minor, D. 408*

Dong-Suk Kang (Vn), Pascal Devoyon (Pno) [Naxos, 1990]









This is my new disc of the week - from the local charity books & music shop for a very few of our British pounds.

As I think Vaneyes opined a few million pages back, the three sonatinas (Schubert called them sonatas, though, according to the CD insert notes) contain all the essential Schubert for violin and piano - these are absolutely great, authentic early Schubert. I have certainly heard parts of D. 384 before one afternoon on the radio in the car, but all three seem vaguely familiar.

D. 934 is a curate's egg: now I have two recordings of it, which might be more than are strictly necessary except for completists. We learn that at its first performance the audience steadily left, including the critic who wrote that he hadn't heard the end of it...


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Octet in C Major

Consortium Classicum


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Wasserflut


----------



## Blake

Wakasugi's Takemitsu: _Gameaux, Dream Window, Spirit Garden._ I'm quite fond of this guy.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vesuvius said:


> Wakasugi's Takemitsu: _Gameaux, Dream Window, Spirit Garden._ I'm quite fond of this guy.
> 
> View attachment 32452


Yes, a very cool composer. One of my all-time favorite works of Takmitsu's is _A String Around Autumn_. Do you know this work? It's essential his 'viola concerto.'


----------



## Blake

Neo Romanza said:


> Yes, a very cool composer. One of my all-time favorite works of Takmitsu's is _A String Around Autumn_. Do you know this work? It's essential his 'viola concerto.'


That's one I haven't heard yet. I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks!


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in C Major, Op.9, No.2

Geoffrey Govier, piano


----------



## science

Bach on harpsichord (as it was meant to be) at a gentle, relaxed pace (which, meant to be or not, is nice now and then).


----------



## Sid James

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Tippett - String Quartets
> 
> No. 1 in A major (1934-35, rev. 1943)
> No. 2 in F sharp major (1941-42)
> No. 4 (1977-78)
> *
> Tippett Quartet [Naxos, 2008]
> 
> View attachment 32332
> 
> 
> I don't know if there's anything which makes these quartets stand out from the mid 20th century crowd, though they're fair enough. There are sections which sound like other composers, but I'm not sure that I hear anything that proclaims 'this could only be by Michael Tippett'. (Maybe I should reserve judgement and listen to more Tippett.)


I've got both those cd's, I find his String Quartet #3 to be the peak. He takes in, develops and puts his personal stamp on things found in the earlier two quartets (old English courtly dance rhythms and feel of choral music) and of course the influence of his compositional hero, Beethoven, is profound too. Apart from his third, I also like the other one on the second cd of that series, the SQ#5.

I agree that the first two have been slower to grab me, but the 4th stands out as Tippett grappling with newer ideas of the avant-garde a bit, some more spiky writing there, and you get that dancy distorted quote of the Grosse Fuge at the end, the fragments come together as usual.

Overall I think its a great cycle, an interesting one, spanning something like 60 years. I have put some of my ideas at length on them on the Tippett thread here.



TurnaboutVox said:


> *Schubert - Sonatas (Sonatinas) for Violin and Piano
> 
> Fantasy in C major, D. 934
> 
> Sonata in D major D. 384
> Sonata in A minor, D. 385
> Sonata in G minor, D. 408*
> 
> Dong-Suk Kang (Vn), Pascal Devoyon (Pno) [Naxos, 1990]
> ...
> D. 934 is a curate's egg: now I have two recordings of it, which might be more than are strictly necessary except for completists. *We learn that at its first performance the audience steadily left, including the critic who wrote that he hadn't heard the end of it*...


Sounds like that was a common occurence. I read that same thing happened during premiere of his Grand Duo D.574. Some people thought him too long. Schumann talked of Schubert's "heavenly length." I personally am so-so about Schubert with all the repeats. Can be tedious but like some other repetitive things - eg. Satie, Glass piano works - once I get in the mood and listen to the recurring patterns, I am in this special zone.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vesuvius said:


> That's one I haven't heard yet. I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks!


Well, here's your chance!


----------



## Mahlerian

Adams: Violin Concerto
Chloë Hanslip, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Slatkin


----------



## Blake

Neo Romanza said:


> Well, here's your chance!


Thanks, my friend. Wonderful stuff. :tiphat:


----------



## Neo Romanza

Vesuvius said:


> Thanks, my friend. Wonderful stuff. :tiphat:


You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.


----------



## science

I especially love the Lalo.


----------



## Rocco

*Handel's Messiah - Trevor Pinnock*


----------



## SimonNZ

Georg Friedrich Haas' In Vain - Klangforum Wien

A very well written short piece on this work in the November issue of Gramophone:

http://www.exacteditions.com/read/gramophone/november-2013-37423/25/3/

"First masterpiece of the 21st century" says Simon Rattle


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I really love these symphonies of Alexander Gretchaninov! His melodies are quite beautiful, rich and full of colorful texture. It's ear candy, which is what I need after watching the playoffs yesterday and today. If you like Russian Romantic era music you would probably love Gretchaninov (hint hint Jim Prideaux).




























Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

And here's the other two volumes:



















Kevin


----------



## dgee

SimonNZ said:


> Georg Friedrich Haas' In Vain - Klangforum Wien
> 
> A very well written short piece on this work in the November issue of Gramophone:
> 
> http://www.exacteditions.com/read/gramophone/november-2013-37423/25/3/
> 
> "First masterpiece of the 21st century" says Simon Rattle


Yep - it's a biggie alright. Thanks for the link too

I found this article last year about a conductor's experience of performing it really fascinating - "the performance space should be so dark that nobody can see anything except black." Includes youtube version, sections of score and some spectral technicalities!

http://musicofourepoch.wordpress.co...ghts-into-the-text-and-execution-part-1-of-2/

(Good addition to your blogroll!)


----------



## dgee

............................................................................


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Before bed I've listened to Philip Glass' Symphony No. 3 and No. 2 respectively. I still prefer No. 2 over No. 3 as I think it's a far more interesting piece of music and has much more emotional impact.










Kevin


----------



## moody

ptr said:


> I'm very Franck tonight! :clap:
> 
> *César Franck* - Historical Recordings 1929-1942 (Timpani 2011)
> Cd1 - *Pastorale* - Marcel Dupre / *Prelude, aria et final* - Alfred Cortot / *Variations symphoniques* - Yves Nat, piano; Orchestre des Concerts Pierne u. Gaston Poulet - *Prelude, chorale et fugue* - Blanche Selva / *Cantabile* - Charles Tournemire
> Cd2 - *Quatuor a Cordes en Re* - Quatuor Pro Arte / *Sonate pour violon et piano* - Jacques Thibaud & Alfred Cortot
> Cd3 - *Quintette pour Piano et Cordes* en Fa mineur - Marcel Ciampi & Quatuor Capet / *Symphonie en Re mineur* - Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire u. Philippe Gaubert
> Cd4 - *Le Chasseur Maudit* - Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux - Albert Wolff / *Nocturne* - Arthur d'Endreze; Orchestre Defosse / Redemption - Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux u. Albert Wolff / *Panis Angelicus* - Andre d'Arkor / *Procession* - Charles Panzera; Orchestre Piero Coppola / *Psyche* - Orchestre des Concert Colonne u. Gabriel Pierne / *Nocturne *& *Mater Dolorosa* - Germaine Martinelli; Orchestre (Lamoureux) u. Albert Wolff / *Choral* - Orchestre des Concerts Colonne u. Gabriel Pierne / *Le mariage des roses* & *S'il est un charmant gazon* (Georges Thill et Maurice Faure))
> 
> View attachment 32429
> 
> 
> Artists as above
> 
> /ptr


What a great collection of performers.


----------



## moody

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Handel - Violin Sonatas
> 
> Sonata in D major Op. 1 No. 13
> Sonata in F major 'Walsh' Op. 1 No. 12
> Sonata in D minor HWV 359a
> Sonata in A major Op. 1 No. 3
> Sonata in G minor Op. 1 No. 6
> Sonata in A major 'Roger' Op. 1 No. 10
> Sonata in E major 'Roger' Op. 1 No. 12
> Sonata in G major HWV 358
> Andante in A minor HWV 412
> Allegro in C minor HWV 408*
> 
> Andrew Manze (Violin) & Richard Egarr (Harpsichord) [Harmonia Mundi France, 2001]
> 
> I'm afraid I used this as very high quality musical wallpaper as I worked on a paper for work tomorrow.
> 
> *Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106* 'Hammerklavier' / Emil Gilels (Piano) [Deutsche Grammophon, 1984]
> 
> I'm 'imprinted', as someone said here recently of another work, with Brendel's first two recordings of Op. 106 (the Turnabout Vox version since about 1970), but even though he's not Brendel I think this is a spacious and magisterial reading and I continue to reserve a special place for it in my collection. (I forgive the wrong notes which aren't few in number!) I can't find the original CD cover on-line, it's the tiny image in the bottom left quarter of the current one.
> 
> View attachment 32422
> View attachment 32424


Are you putting out a message that you consider Brendel to be superior to Gilels playing Beethoven ?---if so I'm amazed !!!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

moody said:


> Are you putting out a message that you consider Brendel to be superior to Gilels playing Beethoven ?---if so I'm amazed !!!


I'm trying to say that I've been listening to Brendel's Vox (and then his analague Philips) Beethoven sonata cycles ever since I was about 7 years old, so I'm very familiar with how Brendel 'does it'. In those circumstances it can be difficult, I find, to assimilate new readings by people with different ideas, though I've enjoyed Schiff, and Lortie (what I've heard so far).

I have always found Brendel's Beethoven deeply engaging, profound and musical and I've been content to return again and again to that. It's Proust's madeleine in musical form.

I recently got Brendel's Philips digital set, and I'm still working my way through that: very good it is too.

I don't know Gilels' Beethoven sonatas, this one (Op 106) apart.


----------



## ArtMusic

Another one of The Metropolitan traditional opera productions - everything just feels right - nothing outrageously modern that distracts the plot (I'm talking about the staging).


----------



## Conor71

*Glass: Music In 12 Parts*

Some Glass for me too - dont think ill listen to the entire work, just a few movements:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio: 

Debussy's Etudes books 1 and 2 and Ligeti's Etudes books 1, 2 and 3 - Xiang Zou and Jian Liu, pianos

recorded live in the Music Theatre, University of Auckland by RadioNZ


----------



## dgee

A very alt-pop cover for a composer who looks alt-pop himself. And _maybe_ it even sounds a bit alt-pop in places, but I'm not complaining. A cycle for soprano (in parts 2+3) and chamber orchestra with some striking electronics (including LP skips, tape hiss, some live stuff - if you like that kinda thing, very cool). Hints of Andriessen


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758): Violin Concerto in A Major

Il Gardellino -- Ryo Terakado, violin


----------



## Itullian

ArtMusic said:


> Another one of The Metropolitan traditional opera productions - everything just feels right - nothing outrageously modern that distracts the plot (I'm talking about the staging).


I love this Lohengrin. Everything DOES just feel right.


----------



## Andolink

*Christoph Graupner*: Kantate _Angst und Jammer_ GWV 1145/11; 
Kantate _Furcht und Zagen_ GWV 1102/11b
Miriam Feuersinger Sopran, soprano
Capricornus Consort Basel
Peter Barczi, Eva Borhi: violin 
Matthias Jäggi: viol 
Daniel Rosin: cello 
Michael Bürgin: Violone
David Blunden: organ & harpsichord 
Julian Behr: theorbo
Xenia Löffler: oboe
Peter Barczi Leitung / direction 








Graupner was hardworking and prolific. There are about 2,000 surviving works in his catalog, including 113 sinfonias, 85 ouvertures (suites), 44 concertos, 8 operas, 1,418 religious and 24 secular cantatas, 66 sonatas and 40 harpsichord partitas.


----------



## Oskaar

*Britten: String Quartets No. 3 / Simple Symphony *

*Maggini Quartet*









amazon
naxos
classicsonline
prestoclassical
classicstoday


----------



## Vasks

*Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Twelfth Night Overture, Op. 73 (Penny/Naxos)
Zwillich - Prologue and Variations (Nelson/New World)
Bergsma - Concerto for Wind Quintet (Westwood WQ/Crystal)
Torke - Ecstatic Orange (Zinman/Argo)*


----------



## Bas

Finished this one (from yesterday, when I played the first half):

Dimitri Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues no. 12 - 24
By Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 30, 31, 32
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 33 no. 5 in G, no. 3 in C, no 2 in E-flat
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve









Johann Baptist Vanhal - String Quartets opus 33 no. 2 and no. 3, "Hoffmeister" quartet no. 2
By the Camesina Quartet, on Musicmanufactur Berlin









Johann Sebastian Bach - Orchestral Ouvertüren BWV 1066 - 1069
By the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## ptr

*Mattias Wager* - Hymne à l'univers (Opus 3)
*Jehan Alain* - Trois Danses / *Joseph Ermend Bonnal* - Paysages Euskariens / *Maurice Duruflé* - Scherzo Op 2 /n*André Jolivet* - Hymme à l'univers 









Mattias Wager Plays the Grand Organ in Stockholm City Hall

/ptr


----------



## rrudolph

Sometimes I just need a Bach fix. I'm sure others on this site are familiar with this phenomenon.

Cantatas BWV111/123/124/125








Brandenburg Concertos 4,5,6








Violin Concertos BWV 1041/1042/Concertos for two violins BWV1043/1060








St. John Passion BWV245


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 32477


Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Night On The Bare Mountain, 
Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic

Mussorgsky: Songs And Dances Of Death
Soloist: Jennie Tourel
Pianist: Leonard Bernstein


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berg*: Violin Concerto, w. Szeryng/Kubelik (rec.1971), Chamber Concerto, w. LSO Members/Abbado (rec.1985), Piano Sonata, w. GG (rec.1958).

View attachment 32478







View attachment 32479


----------



## Andolink

*Allan Pettersson*: _Symphony No. 9_
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/Christian Lindberg








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 33 no. 4_
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Rocco

Currently listening to *Bach: Easter Oratorio and Magnificat. 
*Never been much of a Bach person, not really sure why, but this CD is really good!


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Der Wein
Anne Sophie von Otter, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado








A very lyrical piece.


----------



## stevederekson

Itullian said:


> I love this Lohengrin. Everything DOES just feel right.


Every opera I have gone to see in the past year has been disgustingly staged. I do not understand why they are out to destroy opera.


----------



## hpowders

Shostakovich 10th Symphony, Karajan BPO.
Given this performance, I wish Karajan recorded more Shostakovich.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Luigi Cherubini Missa Solemnis No 2 D minor: 
Watch it here, conducted by Helmuth Rilling


----------



## Mahlerian

Palestrina: Lamentations for Holy Saturday, Missa Brevis
Tallis Scholars


----------



## Jos

Guillaume Lekeu, sonate for violin and piano.
Short pieces by Ysaye and Vieuxtemps.
This one was retrieved from the crates for the fun and games department yesterday.
It gets to stay on the deck for a bit. Wonderful music, with a dreamy quality.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Orfeo

*Latvian Classics for me today*
*Adolfs Skulte: Symphonies nos. I, IV, V, VI, VII.
*Janis Ivanovs: Symphony no. VI.
*Janis Medins: "At the Church" for strings.

*Earlier, the Russian*
*Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov: Symphony no. I


----------



## Oskaar

*Echoes Of Paris
Augustin Hadelich, Robert Kulek*

Sonata for Violin and Piano by Francis Poulenc

Suite d'après thèmes, fragments et pièces de Giambattista Pergolesi for Violin and Piano by Igor Stravinsky

Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor by Claude Debussy

Sonata for Flute and Piano in D major, Op. 94 by Sergei Prokofiev









amazon
allmusic
arkivmusic


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Götterdämmerung, George Solti and the Wiener Philarmoniker


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Berg - Der Wien (Kupper/Scherchen)
Kurtág - József Attila Fragments, Op. 20 (Adrienne Csengery)

The latter is for solo soprano: Impressive!


----------



## hpowders

Interesting choices.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Haitink/RCO).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## realdealblues

I'm using this one to prepare myself for some exploring I will be doing of some more modern works.

View attachment 32492


Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring, The Firebird (Suite, 1919)
Leonard Bernstein & either the London Symphony Orchestra or The New York Philharmonic.

(There seems to be some debate as to whether this is actually the London performance from 1972 or the New York performance from 1958. The CD says it's the London performance, but one listener claims to have purchased an actual LP of Bernstein with the London Symphony Orchestra and says this is in fact the New York Performance from 1958 and not the London performance from 1972)


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartók:	
Violin Concerto No. 1, BB48a, Sz 36
Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz 112
*

*Gyorgy Pauk (violin)

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit*









naxos
presto
classicsonline
amazon
classicstoday


----------



## Flamme

http://www.king.org/pages/5250722.php?
Johann Sebastian Bach - Flute Sonata in A, BWV 1032


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Piano Sonatas 35 and 36.*
> 
> View attachment 32437


Ah, I love the main theme of 35's first movement - completely Haydnesque! 

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## adrem

Lutosławski - Chain II, BBC Symphony Orchestra under composer and Anne-Sophie Mutter


----------



## Blake

Sanderling's Brahms: Symphonies 1-4. Most excellent.


----------



## worov

Just discovered this :


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev*: Scythian Suite
LPO/Weller

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor
Glemser (piano)/Polish NRSO/Wit

*Smetana*: Má Vlast
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Dorati


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms: Complete Violin Sonatas*

Performer: Stefan Jackiw, Max Levinson









amazon
arkivmusic


----------



## clara s

I was reading the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri

the best music to go on this journey,

*Vivaldi Concerto for two cellos in G minor*

pure pleasure


----------



## worov

> I was reading the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri


One of my favourite books.


----------



## Itullian

stevederekson said:


> Every opera I have gone to see in the past year has been disgustingly staged. I do not understand why they are out to destroy opera.


I'm thinking the new breed deep down doesn't really love these works.
They would rather shock than elevate.
Shock is their ideal.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sid James said:


> Overall I think it [Tippett's String Quartets] is a great cycle, an interesting one, spanning something like 60 years. I have put some of my ideas at length on them on the Tippett thread


Thanks for your comments. I will have to give the cycle more listening time. It wouldn't be the first time something hasn't grabbed me first time around that has proved rewarding in the long run.



moody said:


> Are you putting out a message that you consider Brendel to be superior to Gilels playing Beethoven ?---_*if so I'm amazed*_ !!!


Would you care to elaborate on why? I'd be interested to learn.



SimonNZ said:


> on the radio: Debussy's Etudes books 1 and 2 and Ligeti's Etudes books 1, 2 and 3 - Xiang Zou and Jian Liu, pianos, recorded live in the Music Theatre, University of Auckland by RadioNZ


 Sounds like excellent, adventurous programming!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.king.org/pages/5250722.php?
Antonin Dvorzak - String Quartet No.12 in F, Op.96 "American"


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 49 in F minor, 'La Passione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).









Always loved this symphony, especially the opening Adagio.

J. S. Bach, Oboe Concerto in D Major (Heinz Holliger; Camerata Bern).









Christmas Oratorio - Chorus: Jauchzet, frohlocket! (Diego Fasolis; Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano).


----------



## DavidA

Chopin Piano concerto 1 - Graffman

One of the best of this concerto despite Tausig's truncated orchestral intro. After that just listen to Graffman play! Wonderful!


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Masque, for two flutes
Hiroshi Koizumi, Naomi Orita(?)









Takemitsu always wrote very well for flute, even in these early pieces. Here the writing makes extensive use of extended technique, and the effect is of something close to the ensemble in a Noh performance.


----------



## KenOC

Schuman Symphony #10 "American Muse", Schwarz. A very interesting work!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartets

The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ, Op 51, Hob. III: 50-56
String Quartet No. 68 in D minor, Op. 103, Hob. III: 83*

Kodály Quartet [Naxos]















*Rebecca Clarke - Viola Works*

*Viola Sonata
I'll Bid My Heart Be Still
Midsummer Moon for viola & piano
Passacaglia on an Old English Tune for viola and piano
Morpheus
Lullaby for Viola & Piano
Lullaby (1913) - an arrangement of an ancient Irish tune
Chinese Puzzle for Violin & Piano*

Daniela Kohnen (viola), Holger Bluder (piano) [Coviello, 2001]

Rebecca Clarke's Viola Sonata is quite a find. If I'd listened 'blind', I'd have thought it was a lost work by Frank Bridge. I'm really impressed by this, it's a wonder it's not better known. Thanks to whoever nominated it in the Classical Music Project thread. I've been curious ever since.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Haydn - String Quartets op 74/1-3 - Kodaly Quartet 

nice stuff without being too challenging after a busy day's work. First time I've listened to this since 2011


----------



## Blake

I'm feeling a serious Brahms kick coming on. Beaux Arts Trio: _Complete Piano Quartets_.


----------



## hpowders

KenOC said:


> Schuman Symphony #10 "American Muse", Schwarz. A very interesting work!


Yes. I've been championing it on this forum for quite a while. Glad that you may like it. The first movement has infectious rhythms and the second, larghissimo shows that hauntingly beautiful music does not have to be tonal.


----------



## KenOC

hpowders said:


> Yes. I've been championing it on this forum for quite a while. Glad that you may like it. The first movement has infectious rhythms and the second, larghissimo shows that hauntingly beautiful music does not have to be tonal.


Yes, it was your post that called this to mind -- I'd never listened to it. Many thanks!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Headphone Hermit said:


> Haydn - String Quartets op 74/1-3 - Kodaly Quartet
> 
> nice stuff without being too challenging after a busy day's work. First time I've listened to this since 2011


Ahh, but Haydn always challenges.


----------



## Sid James

*Gareth Farr* Tabuh Pacific
- New Zealand SO under the composer, with University of Canterbury (NZ) gamelan ensemble

*Copland* Billy the Kid
- Saint Louis SO under Leonard Slatkin

*Bartók* String Quartet #3
- Alban Berg Quartett

*Addinsell* Warsaw Concerto; *Rozsa* Spellbound Concerto; *Herrmann* Concerto Macabre
- Philip Fowke, piano with RTÉ Concert Orch. under Proinnsías Ó Duinn




science said:


> ...
> I especially love the Lalo.


I quite like it as well, amazing how Lalo manages not to smother the cello despite using a large orchestra. He balances everything out well in the orchestration. The last movement of that has the same tune as Sarasate's _Habanera_. Here it is on yt, from one of my fav albums of all time, Itzhak Perlman and Sam Sanders playing Spanish encores for violin and piano on EMI. Music that's on fire! No wonder when they where on tour as a duo, they'd bring the house down with these.



TurnaboutVox said:


> Thanks for your comments. I will have to give the cycle more listening time. It wouldn't be the first time something hasn't grabbed me first time around that has proved rewarding in the long run. ...


Took me a while to come around to him too. I think some of my earlier comments on that same Tippett thread show evidence of that. A writer said that Tippett often has lofty ambitions, he sometimes reaches them and sometimes only gets halfway there. He was comparing him to Britten who usually always got there, achieved what he wanted to, but in that writer's opinion he admired how Tippett kind of aimed higher. His goals where big, he had vision. But I like them both, the commonality there being both from that Suffolk/East Anglia region, a feel in terms of landscape and that natural/elemental vibe I think which permeates much of their music that I am familiar with. They where unique.


----------



## hpowders

KenOC said:


> Yes, it was your post that called this to mind -- I'd never listened to it. Many thanks!


You are certainly welcome! I will now listen to it too!

William Schumann 10th Symphony (American Muse), Schwarz, Seattle.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Ahh, but Haydn always challenges.


indeed so ..... but I always feel he is on 'my' side when he does so!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Fairy Tale Pictures - Masterworks for Viola and Piano

Bartók - Rhapsody for Viola & Piano No. 1, Sz.86
Rebecca Clarke - Viola Sonata
Falla - Suite populaire espagnole
Kodály - Adagio for viola (or cello or violin) & piano

Vidor Nagy (viola) & Günter Schmidt (piano) [Audite]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Headphone Hermit said:


> indeed so ..... but I always feel he is on 'my' side when he does so!


hehe, well said - so do I .


----------



## KenOC

BTW I don't hear Schuman's music as atonal, and I think most of it isn't. Thus this famous story:

"William Schuman often told the story of a concert in Macon, Georgia, after which he was approached by a member of the audience who told him she liked his piece even though she did not generally like atonal music. Schuman tried to explain that the work indeed was not atonal, but tonal, even though the harmony may be complex. Finally she interrupted his explanation with the comment, "That's very well, Mr. Schuman, but in Macon, Georgia, your piece is atonal."


----------



## hpowders

KenOC said:


> BTW I don't hear Schuman's music as atonal, and I think most of it isn't. Thus this famous story:
> 
> "William Schuman often told the story of a concert in Macon, Georgia, after which he was approached by a member of the audience who told him she liked his piece even though she did not generally like atonal music. Schuman tried to explain that the work indeed was not atonal, but tonal, even though the harmony may be complex. Finally she interrupted his explanation with the comment, "That's very well, Mr. Schuman, but in Macon, Georgia, your piece is atonal."


Yes. It's got tonality camouflaged by a lot of harmonic dissonance. Not very hummable and modern enough for the conservatives among us to be turned off by it and considered to be "noise", hence "atonal".


----------



## KenOC

Headphone Hermit said:


> indeed so ..... but I always feel he is on 'my' side when he does so!


An interesting remark! Haydn is certainly one of the most welcoming and gracious composers. BTW the dumb remark on Haydn for the day is from Schumann, who called Haydn "an old family friend whom one receives gladly and respectfully but who has nothing new to tell us."


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> An interesting remark! Haydn is certainly one of the most welcoming and gracious composers. BTW the dumb remark on Haydn for the day is from *Schumann, who called Haydn "an old family friend whom one receives gladly and respectfully but who has nothing new to tell us."*


There is something to what he said though. Haydn was exceptional at what he did, but it was the turn of a new era... so I see what Schumann was getting at.


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> There is something to what he said though. Haydn was exceptional at what he did, but it was the turn of a new era... so I see what Schumann was getting at.


Well, if Schumann had considered that Haydn might have something helpful to say after all, maybe we'd be listening to his quartets instead! :lol:


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> Well, if Schumann had considered that Haydn might have something helpful to say after all, maybe we'd be listening to his quartets instead! :lol:


Many people are listening to Schumann, and his quote implies that he had respect for Haydn. I can imagine he saw that music was progressing quite rapidly, and Haydn's style was very much in the traditional, classical, "bourgeois" era.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St John Passion - Masaaki Suzuki, cond.


----------



## EricABQ

Bartok's piano concerto 3 with Grimaud on piano and Boulez conducting.


----------



## Mahlerian

hpowders said:


> Yes. It's got a bit of tonality combined with a lot of dissonance. Not very hummable and modern enough for the conservatives among us to be turned off by it and considered to be "noise", hence "atonal".


I don't hear Schoenberg as "atonal". I can hum plenty of it. Some Boulez, too. Of course, I don't hear Debussy as "tonal" for that matter.


----------



## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> I don't hear Schoenberg as "atonal". I can hum plenty of it. Some Boulez, too. Of course, I don't hear Debussy as "tonal" for that matter.


I can hum some of Schuman's music, but not comfortably. Cathy Berberian, I'm not! Prokofiev and Stravinsky are much easier for me.


----------



## Mahlerian

hpowders said:


> I can hum some of Schuman's music, but not comfortably. Cathy Berberian, I'm not! Prokofiev and Stravinsky are much easier for me.


Anyway, I don't care about labels, just music. I'll have to listen to that Schuman 10th soon.


----------



## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> Anyway, I don't care about labels, just music. I'll have to listen to that Schuman 10th soon.


Let me know what you think after you get a chance to hear it. Hum along if you must! 

If folks here didn't label, the total daily post count might average around 16.


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Malediction


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.65 in A Major

Trevor Pinnock conducting the English Concert


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.0 in D Minor {1869 Version}, *featuring the Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.6 in A Major, *
performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker. 
Sergei Prokofiev-- *Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111; Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"}; Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, op.131 and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100. * All four symphonies feature Mstislav Rostropovich and the Orchestre National de France.


----------



## Blake

Berlin Philharmonic Octet's Brahms: The Complete Quintets. Rich and powerful.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in E Flat, Op.11, No.1

Susan Kagan, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Albert Dietrich's Violin Concerto - Elisabeth Kufferath, violin, Alexander Rumpf, cond.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Mahlerian said:


> I don't hear Schoenberg as "atonal". I can hum plenty of it. Some Boulez, too.


That I'd like to hear and hearing is believing.


----------



## Mahlerian

Neo Romanza said:


> That I'd like to hear and hearing is believing.


Actually, I think most people do just fine in this world without hearing me hum...my pitch is fine, my tone is...not great.

Rest assured that concertgoers around me don't have to hear it either!


----------



## Itullian

Great Dresden version.


----------



## SimonNZ

Starting a new listening project: all 16 L'Oiseau-Lyre lps of Ruggero Gerlin performing the complete Francois Couperin on Pleyel harpsichord. And so...

sides 1 and 2: Premier Livre, Premier Ordre


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> Starting a new listening project: all 16 L'Oiseau-Lyre lps of Ruggero Gerlin performing the complete Francois Couperin on Pleyel harpsichord. And so...
> 
> sides 1 and 2: Premier Livre, Premier Ordre


This tempts me for a new buying project...


----------



## SimonNZ

Good luck finding that set. I don't think its ever been put out on cd, and I only found my 16 lps through wildly improbable good luck. (and near mint condition! and ten dollars for the lot!!). Can't even see it on ebay.

Christophe Rousset's superb sets on the other hand...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor (Martha Argerich; Claudio Abbado; London Symphony Orchestra).









Such awesome playing from Argerich.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Ingélou

Albert Dietrich, Violin Concerto in D minor Op 30 (1873) 
- a link posted on my 'Stepping Stones' thread






by fabulous Simon NZ :tiphat:

This composer was unknown to me previously; the music is utterly beautiful; like a living being with moods unfolding, spirited & then poignant.

Thank you, Simon.


----------



## SimonNZ

Well, thank _you_ for creating such a fun thread!

A link for anyone who might not have spotted it:

http://www.talkclassical.com/30029-stepping-stones.html


----------



## SimonNZ

Milton Babbitt's String Quartet No.2 - The Composer Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 95 in C minor (Otto Klemperer; New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Milton Babbitt's Whirled Series - The Group For Contemporary Music


----------



## Guest

Mozart, Bassoon Concerto in B flat, K191
Karen Geoghegan, bassoon 
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda


----------



## SimonNZ

Milton Babbitt's Philomel - Bethany Beardslee, soprano

edit: Babbitt's All Set - The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble


----------



## Oskaar

*Wieniawski - Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2*

Violin Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 14

Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22

Fantaisie brillante on themes from Gounod's Faust, Op. 20

Mazurka in A minor, Op. 3 No. 2 'Kujawiak'

Mazurka in G major, Op. 19 No. 1 'Obertas'

*Vadim Brodsky (violin)

National Polish Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Antoni Wit & Tomasz Micholok*

presto


----------



## Couac Addict

Bloch's Schelomo and Korngold's Sinfonietta.


----------



## science

When the wife is away, the mice will play Lachenmann.


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie LeClair (1687-1754): Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op.3, No.5

Harmonie Universelle: Florian Deuter and Monica Waisman, violins


----------



## Oskaar

*Obseción*

Bernstein:	
Piano trio

Colón:	
N - tango for violin, cello & piano

Copland:	
Vitebsk - study on a Jewish theme for violin, cello & piano

Piazzólla:	
Cuarto Estaciones Porteñas

arranged for piano trio

*Trio Amadé*









Brilliantly played, very good sound, and exiting works.

presto


----------



## hpowders

Elgar Violin Concerto, Kennedy, Handley.
A nice change of pace!


----------



## csacks

Beethoven´s 27th Piano Sonata, Daniel Barenboim


----------



## realdealblues

Listened to this one last night:

View attachment 32526


Berg: Violin Concerto
Igor Markevitch & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
*Violinist:* Arthur Grumiaux

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
Ernest Bour & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
*Violinist:* Arthur Grumiaux

This was I believe my second time hearing the _*Berg Violin Concerto*_, although it had been so long it might as well have been the first. The first time I heard it I remember finding it unlistenable. This time around I found it to be listenable, but overall I just didn't find it all that interesting. I started with this work because I know it's his most popular work, but it just didn't blow me away like it seems to a lot of other folks. Maybe I'll revisit it again in a few more years.

On the other side, this was my first time hearing the _*Stravinsky Violin Concerto*_ and I found it very enjoyable. I was surprised by how much I was enjoying myself while listening to it. I will definitely be listening to this one again!


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert: String Quartets 'Rosamunde' & 'Death and the Maiden'*

String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden'

String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D804 'Rosamunde'

String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D887

*Artemis Quartet*









Very rough played, and sometimes a little caotic, but I like it. Lots of energy, and a nice variation to other, more gently played quartets.

presto
allmusic
arkiv
guardian
emi


----------



## hpowders

realdealblues said:


> Listened to this one last night:
> 
> View attachment 32526
> 
> 
> Berg: Violin Concerto
> Igor Markevitch & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> *Violinist:* Arthur Grumiaux
> 
> Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
> Ernest Bour & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> *Violinist:* Arthur Grumiaux
> 
> This was I believe my second time hearing the _*Berg Violin Concerto*_, although it had been so long it might as well have been the first. The first time I heard it I remember finding it unlistenable. This time around I found it to be listenable, but overall I just didn't find it all that interesting. I started with this work because I know it's his most popular work, but it just didn't blow me away like it seems to a lot of other folks. Maybe I'll revisit it again in a few more years.
> 
> On the other side, this was my first time hearing the _*Stravinsky Violin Concerto*_ and I found it very enjoyable. I was surprised by how much I was enjoying myself while listening to it. I will definitely be listening to this one again!


My favorite performance of the Berg violin concerto.


----------



## Vasks

_Solar Sofia_

*The Canticle of the Sun (Rostropovich/EMI)*


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Turina's* death day (January 14, 1949).

View attachment 32534


----------



## realdealblues

hpowders said:


> My favorite performance of the Berg violin concerto.


At least I know I've got a good recording of it then. I'll give it another listen a few months down the road maybe. I figured I like Markevitch and I like Grumiaux so if I'm going to enjoy it, they are my best chance. As always I did enjoy Grumiaux's playing and tone.


----------



## Jos

Ingélou said:


> Albert Dietrich, Violin Concerto in D minor Op 30 (1873)
> - a link posted on my 'Stepping Stones' thread
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by fabulous Simon NZ :tiphat:
> 
> This composer was unknown to me previously; the music is utterly beautiful; like a living being with moods unfolding, spirited & then poignant.
> 
> Thank you, Simon.


Seconded!! :tiphat:

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## hpowders

realdealblues said:


> At least I know I've got a good recording of it then. I'll give it another listen a few months down the road maybe. I figured I like Markevitch and I like Grumiaux so if I'm going to enjoy it, they are my best chance. As always I did enjoy Grumiaux's playing and tone.


I'm not saying you have to like it. I am not a member of the Most Democratic Republic of North Korea's Classical Music For The People Mandatory Listening Pleasure Committee.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 53 in D Major, 'L'Imperiale' (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus Musicus Wien).









Ah, the good old Impériale - just arrived in the mail.  I've always been a fan of the first movement - an intricate structure, dynamic contrasts, orchestral colour, rhythmic drive, catchiness - Haydn gets everything right here, imo.


----------



## Vaneyes

realdealblues said:


> I'm using this one to prepare myself for some exploring I will be doing of some more modern works.
> 
> View attachment 32492
> 
> 
> Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring, The Firebird (Suite, 1919)
> Leonard Bernstein & either the London Symphony Orchestra or The New York Philharmonic.
> 
> (*There seems to be some debate as to whether this is actually the London performance from 1972 or the New York performance from 1958.* The CD says it's the London performance, but one listener claims to have purchased an actual LP of Bernstein with the London Symphony Orchestra and says this is in fact the New York Performance from 1958 and not the London performance from 1972)


That's how urban legends begin. 

No debate really, if it's the Amazon reviewer you're referring to. His logic was that his LSO/LB LP sounded better, therefore this CD must be the NYPO/LB. Wrong. Performances notwithstanding, TTs will often sort things out.

IIRC, there are only five instances of the 1958. LP, Sony Royal Edition CD, Original Jackets Boxset, Urania, Sony CD (2013).

1982 - Israel/LB (36 minutes plus*)
1972 - LSO/LB (35 minutes plus*)
1958 - NYPO/LB (34 minutes plus*)

* Accounting for few seconds difference with format and issue.


----------



## hpowders

Brahms Symphony #4 Charles Munch, Boston Symphony.
One of the more satisfying performances of this great work.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Overtures / Harding, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie*









arkivmusic


----------



## ShropshireMoose

LancsMan said:


> *Debussy: La Mer* Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on Philips.
> 
> Composed in Eastbourne, England (well not quite, but completed in Eastbourne). Seems a somewhat mundane place for such inspired impressionistic music. (OK Eastbourne is not that bad - I've been once - hiking along the cliffs was pretty good actually - it's my somewhat tenuous connection to the music ).
> 
> Great performance.


A friend of mine swore that he once saw a sign, "Folkestone for the continent" under which some wag had written, "Eastbourne for the incontinent."


----------



## millionrainbows

Pachelbel Canon; Orchestre de Chambre Jean-Francois Paillard (ERATO). My go-to verion, recorded in 1968. Eno mentions (and uses) this version in his *Discreet Music.*


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 1127 Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn
By Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 78 Jesu der du meine Seele, BWV 99 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 114 Ach lieben Christen, sei getrost
By Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Daniel Taylor [counter], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Massaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS


----------



## brotagonist

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Symphony No. 53 in D Major, 'L'Imperiale' (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus Musicus Wien).


I love those Apex reissues! I might pick that one up, too 

c'n://new

This arrived in the mail yesterday, but I wanted to hold off so that I could start the day with a new album...









I was wanting to expand my Bartók collection to include more than just the well known violin and orchestral works, when I chanced upon this. Apparently, Béla and Ditta used to perform these pieces together.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Symphony 9/Serenade for Wind Instruments Op.44

Barbirolli's performances of Dvorak are absolutely superb, full of life and vigour, a real red-blooded approach. That said, I think this is the most moving version of the famous Largo that I know of. This set cost all of £5 on ebay and was worth a great deal more for the enjoyment it has given me. Wonderful stuff!


----------



## realdealblues

Vaneyes said:


> That's how urban legends begin.
> 
> No debate really, if it's the Amazon reviewer you're referring to. His logic was that his LSO/LB LP sounded better, therefore this CD must be the NYPO/LB. Wrong. Performances notwithstanding, TTs will often sort things out.
> 
> IIRC, there are only five instances of the 1958. LP, Sony Royal Edition CD, Original Jackets Boxset, Urania, Sony CD (2013).
> 
> 1982 - Israel/LB (36 minutes plus*)
> 1972 - LSO/LB (35 minutes plus*)
> 1958 - NYPO/LB (34 minutes plus*)
> 
> * Accounting for few seconds difference with format and issue.


Yeah, I figured it probably was correct, but you never know. "The Royal Edition" said the Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique was the 68 recording in the booklet but it wasn't, it was the 63. You could tell by the like 3 minute difference in the 3rd movement. When the "Bernstein Century" release came out it said it was the first time the 63 was on CD but it was actually released before on the Royal Edition.


----------



## rrudolph

Short 20th century American symphonies:

Barber: Symphony #2








Diamond: Symphonies #2 & #4








Sessions: Symphonies #4 & #5








Hovhaness: Symphony #11 "All Men Are Brothers"








Schuman: Symphony #7


----------



## julianoq

Ives 1st symphony, conducted by Tilson Thomas and played by the CSO.


----------



## Oskaar

*Schumann - The Violin Concertos*

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 (arranged from the Cello Concerto)

Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23

*Thomas Albertus Irnberger (violin)

Spirit of Europe, Martin Sieghart*









Very good!

presto


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 30 in C Major, 'Alleluja'; Symphony No. 69 in C Major, 'Laudon' 
(Nikolaus Harnocourt; Concentus Musicus Wien).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ligeti: Violin Concerto /Norgard: Helle Nacht / The Secret Melody (2000) - Christina Astrand


----------



## Mika

Jordi @ Istanbul


----------



## csacks

J. Brahms 3rd Symphony[
ATTACH=CONFIG]32554[/ATTACH]
One of my favorites (as only everything from Brahms)


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Wozzeck
Franz Grundheber, Hildegard Behrens, Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Abbado


----------



## Ravndal

Someone recommended this in another thread, and It's one of the most wonderful pieces I have ever heard.

Takashi YOSHIMATSU - Threnody to Toki


----------



## TurnaboutVox

_"Quick, he's coming round, get the citizens moving on the amplifier's treadmill and put the stylus down on the record"_

*Brahms - String Quartet No. 3 in B flat, Op. 67* [Philips Musica da Camera, 1970]

Quartetto Italiano









_Wha'...what's happening? What is that music? Isn't that aria like slow movement in F in broad ABA form with powerful double stops adding drama familiar? Is it 1983 in Edinburgh again? I remember the fateful purchase in Bauermeisters' Booksellers...*Brahms?!?* Oh no! I must have been kidnapped again by the... _

The Most Democratic Republic of North Korea's Classical Music For The People Mandatory Listening Pleasure Committee strikes again!


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 33 no. 5 in G, no. 3 in C, no. 2 in E-flat
By Quatuor Mosaiques, on Naïve









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K 301, 302, 303, 305, 296
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Takashi YOSHIMATSU - _Threnody to Toki_ for piano and string orchestra
(performers unknown)

It's difficult not to make the comparison, but it sounds a bit like Toru Takemitsu.

To hear another work to get a better impression of the composer, I am now in the middle of:

Takashi YOSHIMATSU - _Symphony 3_
(Sachio Fujioka/BBC SO)

What am I hearing here? A mixture of Tubular Bells, Star Wars, Messiaen-like birds, Debussy...? It's kind of a pastiche of all kinds of things.


----------



## Oskaar

*Turina: Trios & Quartet for Piano and Strings*

Círculo - fantasia for piano, violin & cello, Op. 91

Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 35

Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 76

Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 67

*Damocles Trio Lawrence Dutton (violin)*









arkivmusic


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Bernstein/VPO). I am finally starting to get Mahler!  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Webern - Complete Music for String Quartet

Langsamer satz für streichquartett
Streichquartett (1905)

Fünf Satz für streichquartett Op. 5
Sechs bagatellen für streichquartett Op. 9
Streichquartett Op. 28*

Quartetto Italiano [Philips Musica da Camera, 1970]









The Quartetto Italiano were wonderful interpreters of Webern; this is my favourite reading of these works even over the LaSalle Quartet's. I can still remember my delight and amazement on flipping from side 1 to side 2 for the first time: no You Tube then, I had no real idea what this music would sound like.


----------



## Ravndal

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> Takashi YOSHIMATSU - _Threnody to Toki_ for piano and string orchestra
> (performers unknown)
> 
> It's difficult not to make the comparison, but it sounds a bit like Toru Takemitsu.
> 
> To hear another work to get a better impression of the composer, I am now in the middle of:
> 
> Takashi YOSHIMATSU - _Symphony 3_
> (Sachio Fujioka/BBC SO)
> 
> What am I hearing here? A mixture of Tubular Bells, Star Wars, Messiaen-like birds, Debussy...? It's kind of a pastiche of all kinds of things.


_He was a fan of the Walker Brothers and the Ventures when he was 13, but symphonies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky fascinated him when he was 14. Since then he composed a number of pieces before making his name with the serialist 'Threnody for Toki' in 1981.[1] Soon afterwards, he became disenchanted with atonal music, and began to compose in a free neo-romantic style with strong influences from jazz, rock and Japanese classical music,_

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Yoshimatsu

Perhaps he shouldn't have stopped being a serialist...


----------



## maestro267

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Little Russian)
BBC Philharmonic/Noseda

*Villa-Lobos*: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 3, for piano and orchestra
Feghali (piano)/Nashville SO/Schermerhorn

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 3 in D major (Polish)
BBC Philharmonic/Noseda


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> What am I hearing here? A mixture of Tubular Bells, Star Wars, Messiaen-like birds, Debussy...? It's kind of a pastiche of all kinds of things.


Yeah, that's why I've never really liked Yoshimatsu...at all.


----------



## realdealblues

Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-9
Pianist: Yefim Bronfman

Just finished making my way through all of Prokofiev's Piano Sonatas. The only one I had heard before was Sonata 7 which a few years ago I remember absolutely hating, but now I actually kind of like it. Sonatas 1-5 were pretty easy to get into. Sonatas 6, 8 & 9 are a bit more complex and may take a little longer, but there were some interesting bits towards the end Sonata 9 that I particularily liked. I'm pretty happy with this set. I haven't listened to the Piano Concertos yet from this set, but I'm looking forward to comparing them with Ashkenazy's recordings.


----------



## DavidA

Prokofiev sinfonia concertante Chang / Pappano

Never heard this before. It's an electrifying work. Well worth investigating.


----------



## Ravndal

Mahlerian said:


> Yeah, that's why I've never really liked Yoshimatsu...at all.


Not even the Threnody?


----------



## Flamme

Hayes, Symphonies & Concertos


----------



## Orfeo

*Sir Edward Elgar: Symphony no. II (Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony).
*George Lloyd: Symphonies 4, 5, 8, & 11* (Downes and the Philharmonia, Lloyd and the Albany Symphony*). 
*Sir Arnold Bax: Fantasy Sonata for Viola and Harp (Ivo-Jan van der Werff-Viola & Hugh Webb-Harp).


----------



## Mahlerian

Ravndal said:


> Not even the Threnody?


Not really...I can listen to it, but his harmony strikes me as cheap and cloying, even there.

...Not that I'm consistent about such things....


----------



## clara s

for tonight, I open my window and look at the stars of January

the spirit leaves the mundane, when this music spreads in the air

*Recuerdos de la Alhambra, by Francisco Tarrega

Andres Segovia, the giant, plays*


----------



## hpowders

Granados: Goyescas, Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Late, great and sorely missed!


----------



## dgee

La Mer. One of the best things ever


----------



## science

hpowders said:


> View attachment 32566
> 
> 
> Granados: Goyescas, Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Late, great and sorely missed!


I love that album. One of my favorites.


----------



## hpowders

science said:


> I love that album. One of my favorites.


I was fortunate to see Ms. De Larrocha perform Mozart piano concertos several times at NYC's Mostly Mozart Festival.
Nobody had a more diverse repertoire, but in Spanish piano music, she reigned supreme!


----------



## Sid James

*Bartók* String Quartet #5
- Alban Berg Quartett

*Richard Rodney Bennet* Murder on the Orient Express (Theme & Waltz); 
*Charles Williams* The Dream of Olwen; 
*Jack Beaver* Portrait of Isla
- Philip Fowke, piano with RTÉ Concert Orch. under Proinnsías Ó Duinn

*J.S. Bach* Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott (from the St Matthew Passion)
*Scarlatti* Sonata in C
*Mozart* Fantasia in D minor (Andante, Adagio, Allegretto)
- Eugen Cicero, piano & arrangements; Peter Witte, bass; Charly Antolini, drums (rec. 1965)

*Schumann* Symphony #3, "Rhenish"
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Franck: Violin Sonata (1923 recording) Jacques Thibaud/Alfred Cortot
Franck: Piano Quintet Alfred Cortot/International String Quartet

These recordings are both new to me, I've known the 1929 recording of the sonata by these two for years, but the Piano Quintet is a revelation, so passionate and full blooded, it makes my Vienna Quartet/Curzon version sound tame by comparison!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Symphony No.101 "The Clock" - Hermann Scherchen, cond.


----------



## lupinix

Chopin first sonata [= performed by Idil Biret


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas Nos. 33 and 34.*


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 6
Bloch: Violin Concerto


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Symphony No.1 "Spring" LSO/J.Krips

Finally, afore bed, this new purchase from a charity shop (well, one side of it anyway), in a spirit of hope that it's not too far away! I am enjoying this performance very much. Good old Krips say I.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Clarke - Viola Sonata*

Günter Schmidt, Vidor Nagy









*Chopin - Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, B 160/Op. 65
Franck - Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, M 8 *

Jacqueline Du Pré (Cello), Daniel Barenboim (Piano) [EMI, 1968]


----------



## Blake

Tamayo's Xenakis: _Orchestral Works, Disc 1_. I've had a sudden intrigue come up for Xenekis, so I'll voyage through this set. Very cool so far.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's "Trout" Quintet - The Schubert Ensemble Of London


----------



## lupinix

chopin cello sonata played by jacqueline du pré


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): String Trio in B Major, Op.7, No.3

Ensemble Agora: Margarete Adorf, violin -- Antje Sabinski, viola -- Matthias Hofmann, cello


----------



## Guest

All you purists out there might hate me for this, but the Schubert 'Arpeggione' Sonata has never been more enjoyable to me than this arrangement for bassoon and piano. 
Karen Geoghegan, bassoon
Phillip Edward Fisher, piano


----------



## KenOC

Penderecki Symphony No. 3, Penderecki cond. This is new to me. Impressive!


----------



## Blake

Ictus perfoms Harvey: _Wheel of Emptiness_. I'm fond of Harvey.


----------



## senza sordino

Last week, I had an afternoon of piano concerti, so today I had an afternoon of violin concerti
*Stravinsky Violin Concerto * Baiba Skride vn with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer cond
This piece is new to me, I love how each movement starts with the same chord.
*Barber Concerto for Violin and Orchestra* Gil Shaham with LSO and Andre Previn cond. You can hear the piano in the orchestra adding some colour. I first heard the VSO perform this 20 years ago, I've loved this piece ever since.
*Bartok Violin Concerto #2* Patricia Kopatchinskaya with Frankfort Radio Symphony Orchestra with Peter Eotvos cond.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Mozart PC 21 & 32
Serkin/Abbado/LSO

I can't always be listening to new albums  This is a wondrous performance of exquisite pianistic virtuosity combined with orchestral accompaniment: a match of such delicacy and precision that it could only be made in Heaven.



KenOC said:


> Penderecki Symphony No. 3, Penderecki cond.


As a longtime Penderecki fan, it is sinful that I have not heard his symphonies


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat for Three Basset Horns, KV 439b

Members of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble: George Pieterson, Geert Van Keulen, and Aart Rozenboom, basset horns


----------



## Orpheus

Kapsberger's first book of lute music.










Kapsberger is not exactly a household name even among early music fans, but he probably deserves to be heard more. I find his music charming, lively, fluent, and redolent with a quirky, mischief-ridden musical individualism and fondness for subtle experimentation that is better heard than described. This may not be the _best_ lute recording I possess - Kapsberger seems to have received a lot of criticism for his music's structure (or rather, the frequent lack of it) over the years, and I would concur with this to some extent; the music seems quite erratic at times - but it is nevertheless very enjoyable to listen to, particularly if one is not in the mood for conducting in-depth analysis. The young lutenist on this recording seems pretty skilled too.


----------



## opus55

Donizetti: La Fille Du Regiment










Purchased another Donizetti opera after enjoying L'Elisir D'Amore. Beautiful melodies and brightly colored orchestration are easy on my ears.


----------



## bejart

Anton Eberl (1765-1807): Grand Sonata in G Minor, Op.27

John Khouri, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Ockeghem's Missa Pro Defunctis - Hilliard Ensemble

also: sides three and four of the Gerlin Couperin edition

(I won't bother to continue posting each lp of that, there's no new info to offer along the way, but I'll be playing one each day)


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tannhauser










I start listening to Wagner again, knowing that I will not finish listening to the whole opera. Wagner wrote really grand overtures!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartók: The Piano Concertos; Violin Concerto No.2; Concerto For Orchestra (2 Cds) (1993) - Various Artists


----------



## science




----------



## SimonNZ

William Schuman's Violin Concerto - Philip Quint, violin, Jose Serebrier, cond.


----------



## science

Wow! From the very first bars this is different. It's not Richter, it's not Gardiner, it's nothing I've heard before. Very interesting! So this is what Bach sounded like way back when. (Richter's 1962 recording is his famous one, Klemperer is actually from 1967. But Richter is noticeably faster, even though he's nothing like Gardiner.

I also have Hengelbrock and Müller-Brühl. Of those, I suspect devoted HIPPIsters would like M-B the best, although he's a touch slower than Gardiner.


----------



## Itullian

A very touching tribute with excellent notes from AB.


----------



## ptr

_Last night:_

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 2 (EMI/Warner)










Kate Royal (soprano); Magdalena Kožená (mezzo); Rundfunkchor Berlin & Berliner Philharmoniker u. Sir Simon Rattle

_this morning: slight mourning_

*Zbigniew Karkowski* ‎- Uexkull (Anckarström)










Just realised that Karkowski died 12 December last year in Peru*, met the him when I was at University in Gothenburg years ago, my, my, times flies by and he was only 55... :angel:

/ptr

* Wonder if one should hope that it is one of his crazy gags or that life really caught up with him at last?


----------



## SimonNZ

Milton Babbitt's The Joy Of More Sextets - Rolf Schulte, violin, Alan Feinberg, piano


----------



## dgee

^^^^^^^^^^^unbelievable cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going Maazel/Bavarian in Strauss's MacBeth. Good little piece and Maazel kills in this rep


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Triple Concerto - Kolja Blacher, violin, Johannes Moser, cello, Mari Kodama, piano, Kent Nagano, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schreker: Ekkehard,Symphonic Overture Op.12/Symphonic Interlude from "Der Schatzgraber" BBCPO/Sinaisky

This is a very enjoyable disc of late romantic music by a composer I'd never heard of until last month, when I heard a broadcast of his "Prelude to a Drama" on Radio 3. It quite blew me away, he's clearly heavily influenced by Wagner (well, who wasn't in the early years of the 20th century?) with something of a Mahlerian tendency too. It's a very heady mix, which I find really quite intoxicating.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Reynaldo Hahn's String Quartet in F - Quatuor Parisii


----------



## Conor71

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 105, "Wagner"*

Listening to 2 versions of Bruckners Wagner Symphony :


----------



## The nose

Camille Saint-Saëns _Samson et Dalila_


----------



## Guest

Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A
Roy Goodman, The Hanover Band


----------



## bejart

Georg Muffat (1653-1704): Concerto Grosso No.9 in C Minor

Peter Zajicek conducting the Musica Aeterna Bratislava


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 21 "Waldstein", performed by Gilels. Trying Gilels playing the sonatas for the first time and finding it quite awesome, will probably listen to many others today.


----------



## Winterreisender

Schubert Piano Sonata D.958 - Andras Schiff


----------



## jim prideaux

been missing for a couple of days with 'technical difficulties' but have a number of new recordings to comment on-Glazunov 5th conducted by Serebrier is proving particularly impressive and have had delivery of Jarvi interpretations of the Kalinnikov symphonies which will augment the Naxos recording in my collection.....Myaskovsky 17th and 21st Symphonies will require more listening!
have expressed doubts regarding Jansons recordings of Dvorak-primarily because of the sound so have just begun listening to Harnoncourt and the Concertgebouw interpretation of the 7th-on initial listening I would estimate that it will quickly become my first choice-vivid, with depth and a clarity which to my ears is not fully present in the Jansons....


----------



## hpowders

SimonNZ said:


> William Schuman's Violin Concerto - Philip Quint, violin, Jose Serebrier, cond.


I have this and will play it sometime today. An underrated violin concerto!


----------



## Vasks

_French fragrances_

*Debussy - Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (Ashkenazy/London)
Hahn - Piano Quartet No. 3 (Room-Music/Hyperion)
Cras - Ames d'enfants (Antonioli/Timpani)*


----------



## whiteroses

opus55 said:


> Dutilleux: L`Arbe des songes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Don't know why but I keep listening to this work


I don't know why you do either  It was broadcast live from Berlin performed by the BPO/Rattle/Kavakos...whom I all adore...but had to turn it off. I keep trying to listen to it in full to understand the praise heaped on it....but could not get through to finish it. If I can sit still through a Lutowslavski Cello concerto (but do not ask me to do it again just yet) why couldn't I do it with Dutilleux? Possibly just me and my unsophisticated ears.


----------



## whiteroses

Itullian said:


> A very touching tribute with excellent notes from AB.



Now there's one impressive giant of a musician!

Was very privileged to be at the Verbier Festival last summer to see Mr Brendel TURNING PAGES (!) for Emmanuel Ax in the performance of the first movement of Schumann's piano quintet. An illustrious page turner to a no-less illustrious quintet made up of Emmanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Antoine Tamestit and Gautier Capucon. How cool was that !!!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 28 in C K200, No. 31 in D K297 "Paris", No. 32 in G K318, No. 33 in B-flat K319
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## whiteroses

Mahlerian said:


> I'm kind of surprised that the critic was so negative. I understand that Prokofiev's main mode at the time was rather aggressive (like the Symphony No. 2, for instance), but the First just seems so light and witty...
> 
> Anyway, Neoclassicism seems very much to have been an artistic response to World War I. Yes, Stravinsky didn't turn to writing in this style until the 20s, but he was already beginning to pare down his scores to the bare essentials. To a degree, even the works of the 2nd Viennese School post-WWI reflect the same trend, using smaller ensembles and less extreme emotional outbursts.
> 
> Last item on the program:
> 
> Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C
> Boston Symphony, cond. Kavakos
> 
> This might be my favorite of Schumann's symphonies.


I listened to the radio broadcast of this BSO concert and what I heard was competent, unburnished and spirited musicmaking that sounded as if the musicians enjoyed what they were doing. I loved the sparkle in the Prokofiev and made me re-discover Schumann whose music I seem to appreciate more in my more mature years. It made me more brave to invest in a ticket to see Mr Kavakos conduct a similar programme with the Orchestre Phil de Radio France later this month in Paris. Mozart 3, Prokofiev Classic, Schubert 9. Mr Kavakos is, without a doubt a top soloist but not easy to watch his unorthodox way of conducting which detracts from the listening pleasure. But what I heard from that BSO broadcast is quite promising and so is the fact that tickets are sold out weeks before the concert ... fingers crossed then....


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 32606
View attachment 32607


Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 "October"
Kirill Kondrashin & The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 "October"
Rudolf Barshai & The WDR Symphony Orchestra

For no particular reason, I just wanted to compare these two recordings so I listened to them back to back. Barshai is my usual go to for this one but I really do love Kondrashin's take on this one. It might just be because of the clip he takes it at. It clocks in with a track time of just 16:45. Most are between 18-21. Barshai clocks in at around 19:00. I only wish Kondrashin had Barshai's sound quality as the sonics are kind of scrappy sounding.


----------



## rrudolph

Stockhausen: Gruppen/Kurtag: Grabstein fur Stephan/Stele








Lachenmann: Ausklang/Tableau








Xenakis: Oresteia


----------



## hpowders

Schuman Violin Concerto, Philip Quint, violin.
Finally found some time today to listen to this under-appreciated concerto!


----------



## Mahlerian

Webern: Passacaglia, op. 1 (in D minor), Berg: 3 Pieces from "Lyric Suite" for String Orchestra
Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Karajan









Yashiro: Quatuor a cordes
Lotus Quartet









The scherzo of this quartet reminds me of the Berg, which is why I've paired them.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Piano Concerto 3, w. Argerich/BPO/Abbado (rec.1967); Piano Concerto 5, w. Richter/Warsaw NPO/Rowicki (rec.1959).

View attachment 32614
View attachment 32615


----------



## millionrainbows

Boulez conducts: Messiaen: Et Exspecto/Couleurs de la Cite celeste; Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments (Sony).

I wish I could find the Et Exspecto that Boulez conducted on vinyl (Columbia Masterworks) with the New York Philharmonic. Am I remembering this disc incorrectly? It was the one I "imprinted" on. A whitish cover with large lettering. I found an image of the LP cover, but the orchestra is not listed on the front. Can anybody help with this?

While searching, I noticed that Sony is releasing boxed sets of important piano legacies. I'd like to get the Gary Graffman box, which contains both RCA and Columbia recordings by him. I remember in particular the RCA LP of Prokofiev, which was electrifying.


----------



## Vaneyes

brotagonist said:


> c'n://random
> ....Mozart PC 21 & 32
> Serkin/Abbado/LSO....


Newly-discovered PC 32.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

Again, I wanted to begin the day with a new arrival.









Gidon Kremer treats us to grand performances of _Concerti Grossi Nos.1 & 5_ and _Quasi una Sonata_. He performs with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Vienna Philharmonic. Schnittke reuses some of his themes from other works. He also borrows from other styles and composers. This lends the music a curious air of familiarity, while being entirely new compositions. I had a terrible time finding a copy and had to pay about $22, delivered. I rarely go to such lengths for a single disc, but this one is a XXth Century classic.


----------



## Vaneyes

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata 7, w. Argerich (rec.1979), w. GG (rec.1967).

View attachment 32617
View attachment 32618


----------



## hpowders

Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto, Cliburn, Hendl, Chicago Symphony.
My introductory recording of this music way back when and still my favorite performance.


----------



## hpowders

Love that Prokofiev 7th Sonata too, Vaneyes!


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> Newly-discovered PC 32.


Ha! Ha! LOL!!!.............


----------



## millionrainbows

Alan Hovhaness (KOCH). This disc is interesting, and features 2 symphonic works and 3 trumpet works.

*Mountains and Rivers Without End,* a chamber symphony, illustrates for me Hovhaness' shortcomings. The piece is in G throughout, never changes key, and really has no "development" to speak of; it's just a series of different "tableaux" which feature different instrument combinations. There are trombones throughout which do glissandos, and while I realize that Indian music is microtonal (I presume this is what Hovhaness is invoking), the trombone glissandos sound humorous rather than exotic, as if a drunk has wandered in to a raga. Maybe it's the players, but the glissandos are too measured; they should be faster, and "target" the note, rather than gliding drunkenly to their destination. I think the trombones could have been replaced with strings, a la The Beatles' *Within You Without You. *As it is, they sound ridiculous.

The other orchestral work here, *Symphony No. 6 -Celestial Gate*, is more sucessful and believable. It reminds me of the descriptions of "near death" experiences, in which the people are drawn to a cosmic light. Rather creepy on one level, yet spiritual on another.

The trumpet pieces are interesting. I don't usually go for trumpets, but the playing here by Chris Gekker is very good; a dark, full tone, not overly bright, and not too much vibrato. *Prayer of St. Gregory *is simple and hymn-like. *Aria from Haroutiun *is along the same lines, both for trumpet and string orchestra. Not very adventurous harmonically, but simple & listenable.

The most impressive piece for me is *Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places*, a concerto for trumpet and wind symphony. The brief first movement poses the trumpet against a background of "spectral" harmonic clusters, played by the winds. This is very effective, as it is a good example of American "proto-Spectralism." I am reminded of Charles Ives' *From the Steeples and the Mountains, *with the clangong harmonics of bells & chimes against two trumpets...very moving and effective.


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> I wish I could find the Et Exspecto that Boulez conducted on vinyl (Columbia Masterworks) with the New York Philharmonic. Am I remembering this disc incorrectly? It was the one I "imprinted" on. A whitish cover with large lettering. I found an image of the LP cover, but the orchestra is not listed on the front. Can anybody help with this?


_Vasks to the rescue (since I have that LP)_: *Orchestre du Domaine Musical*


----------



## Kieran

#22 while I cook: *K481*.

Mitsuko is sleeping this one off so it's one from the Boyo: Daniel Barenboim, macho man, with the Berlin Philly. Here they groove into the slow set, described by some as a wind concerto movement, with piano accompaniment. I'd oft neglected this one in favour of a cheap lazy listen of #21, but really, this is both stark and immense stuff, right here and now!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 32622


Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Anonymous: Etenraku (arranged for orchestra by Hidemaru Konoye)
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, cond. Numajiri









Etenraku is one of the classic pieces of the gagaku (court music) repertoire. Even with the arrangement for conventional western instruments, it still sounds very "foreign" to European ears.


----------



## Oskaar

*BOCCHERINI: String Quartets, Opp. 32 and 39*

* Borciani Quartet*









Very delecately performed, and delightfull music!

amazon
naxos
classicsonline


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the Day:

*Dmitry Shostakovich* - Symphony No 15 op 141 (Erato)









Cleveland Orchestra u. Kurt Sanderling

Night music:

*Olivier Messiaen* - Éclairs sur l'au-delà (DG)









Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille u. Myung-Whun Chung

/ptr


----------



## Orfeo

Conor71 said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor, WAB 105, "Wagner"*
> 
> Listening to 2 versions of Bruckners Wagner Symphony :


The 1889 version versus the original in one day. Mighty interesting. I wonder what HvK thought of the original version. Just a thought.


----------



## Guest

Today we're kickin' back to some old tunes with Mr. Felix Mendelssohn.


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven, 32 Piano Sonatas, Annie Fischer, Piano
One of the most important sets ever recorded. As close to definitive as 32 performances could ever get. I'll choose 5-6 sonatas for tonight.


----------



## Oskaar

*Concertos & Fairytales 
Pk Svensen & Malmö Symfoniorkester*

*Wolfgang Plagge:* Concerto For Trombone & Orchestra, Op.138

*Egil Hovland:* Concerto For Trombone & Orchestra, Op.76

*Magne Amdahl:* Elegi For Trombone Og Orkester

* Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen:* Fanfares And Fairytales









Some trobone music from norwegian composers you may not have heard of, performed by swedes. I recognise some names, since I am norwegian myself, but it but have never hear music from them before. But it is interresting, contemporary music, I am listening to Plagges work now. Wonderfull sound, and a brilliant, presise and also serching an curious trombone in front.

amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*

Beethoven - Complete Piano Sonatas, CD 7 (of 10)

Sonata No. 21 in C, Op. 53
Sonata No. 22 in F, Op. 54
Sonata No. 28 in A, Op. 101
Andante Favori in F, WoO 57*

Alfred Brendel [Decca, originally Philips, rec 1993-6]

Slowly (_very_ slowly) I am working my way through this box set. I shall have to listen back to back with his earlier versions of some of the sonatas to try to get a clearer sense of the changes in Brendel's approach over time.


----------



## Guest

Dvořák, Violin Concerto in A minor
Isabelle Faust, violin
Jiri Belohlavek, The Prague Philharmonia


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Gotterdamerung narrated by Karajan and the BPO

The Immolation is utterly breathtaking. I have never heard anything like it! 

Dernesch pretty good too but the real star is the fabulous orchestra.


----------



## opus55

whiteroses said:


> I don't know why you do either  It was broadcast live from Berlin performed by the BPO/Rattle/Kavakos...whom I all adore...but had to turn it off. I keep trying to listen to it in full to understand the praise heaped on it....but could not get through to finish it. If I can sit still through a Lutowslavski Cello concerto (but do not ask me to do it again just yet) why couldn't I do it with Dutilleux? Possibly just me and my unsophisticated ears.


I was actually enjoying it but could not express how or why.

Verdi: La Traviata


----------



## Itullian

Havent made up my mind about this yet...................


----------



## clara s

last night after a tiring day, I sat on a comfortable armchair,

I drank a sip of Jack Daniels,

I put the CD on the stereo, I closed my eyes

and i just felt the music of Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky to play with the senses

"Pictures at an exhibition" under Claudio Abbado


ps alternatively for non-classical fans, you can hear it with Emerson Lake and Palmer


----------



## hpowders

^^^^Long live JD!!!!!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Teizo Matsumura - _Hymn to Aurora_

Vocal music is not a major interest, but this piece is really spectacular, Mahlerian. It has sort of a Debussian dreamlike quality, replete with harps, a flute with a decided mid-Eastern sound and the haunting piano in the background... wow! There is kind of a foreboding eeriness... or better, just dreaminess. I hear nothing Japanese in this music, which surprises me. I will definitely see if I can locate some instrumental (orchestral or chamber) works by this composer for further listening.

I YTed a bit and wasn't drawn to a number of choices, early works from the 60s, but then I discovered:

Teizo Matsumura - _Prélude pour orchestre_
(Kenichiro Kobayashi / Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra)

This has that wonderful dreaminess, again. Shhhh...  Oh, my! Incredible.


----------



## clara s

hpowders said:


> ^^^^Long live JD!!!!!


what?

I had only a sip hahaha

is JD the King?


----------



## hpowders

clara s said:


> what?
> 
> I had only a sip hahaha
> 
> is JD the King?


The King of Moods! A sip of JD can go a long way. I used to drink it listening to Frank Sinatra's albums, singing of lost love. Those were the days!

It's a miracle you are still standing, clara s!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*William Schuman - Symphony for Strings (Symphony No. 5)* / Schwarz, Seattle SO [Naxos, 2006]
*
Frank Bridge - Enter Spring; Summer* / Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner [Decca]















Well, thank you, folks, for putting up with my first 500 eccentric and variably informed posts. It's been a rewarding four months of posting, conversing and learning. Unfortunately for you, there's more where that came from!

I've been listening to some Bridge and some Schuman tonight, and both have been very fine - all works are first hearings (I tend to approach composers slowly via their chamber music and solo instrumental works nowadays, before moving on, as here, to full orchestras. William Schuman is going to take more listening exposure, although there are passages I can pick out here as engagingly individual. Bridge is a much better known quantity for me, and already I can tell that I'm going to be firm friends with 'Enter Spring' (I'm having a second listen just now), a late 'post-tonal' work. The more traditional tone poem 'Summer' is a typical finely wrought Bridge work.

Bonus tracks (on the same download):

*Bridge - Cello Sonata in D minor, H125* / Mstislav Rostropovich, Benjamin Britten

*Go Not, Happy Day* / Kathleen Ferrier, Frederick Stone (Pno)


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> Teizo Matsumura - _Hymn to Aurora_
> 
> Vocal music is not a major interest, but this piece is really spectacular, Mahlerian. It has sort of a Debussian dreamlike quality, replete with harps, a flute with a decided mid-Eastern sound and the haunting piano in the background... wow! There is kind of a foreboding eeriness... or better, just dreaminess. I hear nothing Japanese in this music, which surprises me. I will definitely see if I can locate some instrumental (orchestral or chamber) works by this composer for further listening.


Really? It sounds very Japanese to me...Anyway, glad I could help. That wind is actually an oboe d'amore, which is not usually heard after the Baroque period. I'd heard a few of his works on a Naxos disc. You might want to check it out.

Bruckner: Mass in E minor, Motets
La Chapelle Royale, Ensemble Musique Oblique, cond. Herreweghe


----------



## Sid James

*Chopin*
_Grande Valse Brilliante in E flat, Op. 18
Prélude in C minor, Op. 28, #20
Valse in C Sharp Minor, Op. 64, #2
;Prélude in E minor, Op. 28, #4_
*Liszt*
_Liebestraum
Hungarian Rhapsody #2_
*Tchaikovsky*
_Andante and Theme from Swan Lake, Act II, Op. 20
Mélodie Antique Française_
- Eugen Cicero, piano & arrangements; Peter Witte, bass; Charly Antolini, drums (rec. 1960's)

*Bartók* _String Quartet #6_
- Alban Berg Quartett

*Nino Rota* _The Legend of the Glass Mountain_
*Hubert Bath* _Cornish Rhapsody_
*Leonard Pennario* _Midnight on the Cliffs_
- Philip Fowke, piano with RTÉ Concert Orch. under Proinnsías Ó Duinn

*Sibelius* _Symphony #7_
- City of Birmingham SO under Simon Rattle

*Frank Martin* _Petite Symphonie concertante_
- Osian Ellis, harp; Simon Preston, harpsichord; Sir Philip Ledger, piano; Academy of St Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner

Finishing the *Eugen Cicero *album, some great classical-jazz fusion, the Liszt in particular swings and displays the musicians' powers of improv, spinning out imaginative variations.

Continuing with *Bartok's *string quartets, the sixth being his swan song in the genre, and a farewell to Europe which he left not long after. The bitter and ironic *Burletta* movement had shades of the Burlesque movement of Mahler's 9th symphony, that laughing in the face of horror and brutality that life can bring up, its beyond psychopathic.

Also finishing the *Piano Concertos from the Movies *disc, a favourite of mine for years.

Then revisiting *Sibelius'* final symphony, and the *Frank Martin *piece which has this jazzy harpsichord part. When I first got to know this I didn't hear jazz in it at all, but now I can hear nothing but jazz in the solos - as well as this dark kind of Gothic vibe - almost as if one of the jazz greats like Earl 'Fatha' Hines had stepped into the concert hall by error, then started jamming on this ancient instrument.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rameau keyboard suites - Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## Itullian

Never tire of the Meister


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mahler: Symphony 10
Harding & the Vienna Philharmonic

Much preferable to Rattle's Berlin recording, beautifully recorded and well played. The Adagio is remarkable - on par with that of Bruckner's own Adagio in his Ninth symphony.


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Really? It sounds very Japanese to me...


I'll have to listen again  What I was thinking of as a mid-eastern flute (ney) could have been the oboe d'amore (sounding like a shakuhachi).


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Oboe Quintet No.1 in C Major

Nancy Ambrose, oboe -- Solomoa Soroka, violin -- Eva Stern and Joseph Kam, violas -- Natalia Khoma, cello


----------



## Guest

They should rename this thread "Post here if you need 'likes' - something classical related though, plz"


----------



## Guest

I mean seriously, I post a slew of Mendelssohn records and I suddenly feel all bubbly and socially accepted. #yolo <3


----------



## senza sordino

More violin concerti today for me:
*Erich Wolfgang Korngold Violin Concerto in D* performed by Gil Shaham vn with Andre Previn and LSO
*Prokofiev Violin Concerto #1* performed by Maxim Vengerov vn with Rostropovich conducting LSO. Terrific piece.
*Shostakovich Violin Concerto #2* performed by Vengerov and Rostropovich with LSO, a different CD as the previous piece. I much prefer DSCH #1 vn concerto.


----------



## hpowders

I agree. I prefer Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto. I have the American premiere performance from 1956 with David Oistrakh and the NY Philharmonic led by Dimitri Mitropoulos (live). Electric!


----------



## bejart

Louis Emmanuel Jadin (1768-1853): Flute Sonata in G Major, Op.13, No.1

Frederic Chatoux, flute -- Bertrand Giraud, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Ingvar Lidholm's Ritornell - Lu Jia, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn Quartets Op. 77 1 & 2, Mosaiques. His last two completed quartets.


----------



## Weston

Earlier today.

*Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques*
Garth Knox, Asko Ensemble, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Stefan Asbury









I finally got around to giving this some time. I particularly enjoyed part 3, Partials which is pretty much a one note composition, weirdly not boring in the least.


----------



## Weston

arcaneholocaust said:


> I mean seriously, I post a slew of Mendelssohn records and I suddenly feel all bubbly and socially accepted. #yolo <3


I think "like" here has lots of different meanings. We like a composer, or a composition, or a performance, or the album cover(s), or the poster's taste, or the poster's time spent introducing us to new works, or the poster's attempt to enjoy the work, or the poster's opinion on the work, or we just want to dole out random blessings a la Salieri at the end of _Amadeus_.


----------



## hpowders

I've never "liked" anything so much in my life as the 3 weeks or so I've spent on TC.
Every forum should have the "like" thing. It's a great idea.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms - Piano Quartets performed by the Beaux Arts Trio.


----------



## neoshredder

arcaneholocaust said:


> They should rename this thread "Post here if you need 'likes' - something classical related though, plz"


It's a great feature.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Fantasia for Violin and Piano in C Major; Violin Sonata in A Major
(Gidon Kremer; Valery Afanassiev).


----------



## Blake

arcaneholocaust said:


> They should rename this thread "Post here if you need 'likes' - something classical related though, plz"


Sometimes I think people get too busy with arguing nonsense that they forget to listen to music. So when they do, it calls for a lot of likes.


----------



## Weston

science said:


>


Pssst. Hey - record labels. This work was never really about space. Let's move on from that, shall we?


----------



## opus55

Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ, Op. 51
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier


----------



## opus55

arcaneholocaust said:


> I mean seriously, I post a slew of Mendelssohn records and I suddenly feel all bubbly and socially accepted. #yolo <3


I gave you a like for liking the likes. Would you like some more likes? :lol:


----------



## neoshredder

I need more likes for my self-esteem.


----------



## KenOC

neoshredder said:


> I need more likes for my self-esteem.


Gave you one. Don't know how to give two! Anyway, maybe you don't deserve another? Just sayin'...


----------



## neoshredder

If only we can like twice. Therefore, an emphatic like.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I like the like system because it lets a fellow member know that you like a particular work, choice or comment without having to quote and reply in order to do so. I do find that on somedays my likes are more generously given than on other days. What can I say I'm a moody guy! :tiphat:

Been enjoying this little gem of Romantic Violin Sonatas by Strauss, Dietrich, Schumann and Brahms.










Kevin


----------



## opus55

Why can't I like my own post though


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

opus55 said:


> Why can't I like my own post though


I guess it's assumed that you do like your own post .


----------



## Kevin Pearson

At least you can "share" your own post!


----------



## Guest

I like this whole page! I know that sometimes our e-likes are superficial, but the over-the-top like fest just lifted my spirits. 

You win the internet TalkClassical. At least for the next 15 minutes.

NP? Nothing...yet


----------



## Guest

My time (years) on metal forums has ranged from hilarious to unpleasant. 

You lot are a bunch of straight shooters with middle management written all over ya.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Weston said:


> Pssst. Hey - record labels. This work was never really about space. Let's move on from that, shall we?


I guess space sells?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

arcaneholocaust said:


> My time (years) on metal forums has ranged from hilarious to unpleasant.
> 
> You lot are a bunch of straight shooters with middle management written all over ya.


hehe, what do you mean? Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about your nickname, arcane, and if it has to do with a metal background.

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 30 in C Major, 'Alleluja'; Symphony No. 53 in D Major, 'L'Impériale' (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus Musicus Wien).









Some very sprightly performances by Harnoncourt - light, graceful, transparent sound, with clear winds and the necessary power when the music calls for it.


----------



## Guest

Before I finally decided to look into it (and yeah, obviously my knowledge of philosophy sucks as much as my knowledge of classical), the covers actually had me convinced that "Zarathustra" was some sort of folk-legend about the first alien lifeform or something. 

So naturally, I say the space themes can stay.


----------



## Guest

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> hehe, what do you mean? Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about your nickname, arcane, and if it has to do with a metal background.


Well, yes and no. I have a bigtime metal background, but at the time I came up with this name I was just trying to pull a new last.fm name out of a hat (my last.fm at the time was the same name as some AOL screenname from long ago). I basically clicked my "top tracks" and started looking at the list for "neat" words with a "metal" sound/mentality but the first ones that caught my eye were not from metal bands at all! My eyes quickly fell upon Dead Can Dance's "The Arcane" and Death In June's "Rose Clouds Of Holocaust" and arcaneholocaust was born 

All the same, as I said, it WAS still inspired by a desire to "appear 'metal'".


----------



## Andolink

*Michael Finnissy*: _The History of Photography in Sound_-- _Unsere Afrikareise_ (Part 10); _Etched bright with sunlight_ (part 11)
Ian Pace, piano






(I'm stupified by the superhuman playing of Ian Pace!)

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in G major, Op. 33 no. 5_; _String Quartet in D major, Op. 33 no.6_
Quatuor Mosaïques








*Christoph Graupner*: Cantatas-- _Furcht un Zagen_ GWV 1102/11b; _Ich bliebe Gott getreu_ GWV 1106/19; 
_Ach Gott und Herr_ GWV 1144/11
Miriam Feuersinger, soprano
Capricornus Consort Basel/Peter Barczi


----------



## SimonNZ

Luigi Dallapiccola's Variations For Orchestra - Gianandrea Noseda, cond.

edit Lazar Nikolov's String Quartet No.3 - Alexander Ilchev and Kevork Mikaelian, violins, Valentin Gerov, viola, Geoffrey Dean, cello


----------



## Guest

Janine Jansen
It's one of those fluffy albums intended to get attention for the label's newest talent by showing off her beauty and tickling the casual listener with short, lyrical pieces. It worked for me, but I'm shallow that way.


----------



## Oskaar

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> hehe, what do you mean? Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about your nickname, arcane, and if it has to do with a metal background.


I have a prog rock background, not as a performer, but as a 1000nds houres listener to all subgenres of progressive rock, included krautrock and zeul+++. I have experienced that that is a good background to epreciate all genres and time periodes of classical music, and make me more open and curious than if I had only listened to symphonic prog rock or symfonic metall. Jazz is also a good ear-trainer.


----------



## Oskaar

arcaneholocaust said:


> They should rename this thread "Post here if you need 'likes' - something classical related though, plz"


It should be "post mozart or brahms if you want likes"

No seriously! I like the system. It is a good way to show that you like an artist or piece++, or that you like the effort, agree, or like anything else. In a forum full of immature teens, I would question the system, but I dont think anyone in here, appart from the immature teens post with the thought of getting more likes. It is just a part of the communication. I appreciate thousand times more when people comment, or say that they have the album, say that it is an interresting pairing of works, or so on. If you critisise the system, I get the feeling that you want to mark distance from, and show that you are to old for "fishes and stars" in the sunday scool-net. I like fishes and stars! But when you are between 18 and 22 it is important to mark distanse to childhood. I am to old for that. (49 *and a half!*)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet - Jon Manasse, clarinet, Tokyo String Quartet

edit: now A.Scarlatti's "Rose Garden" Sinfonias and Concertos - Ottavio Dantone, cond.


----------



## bejart

Joan Pla (ca.1720-1770?) and Josep Pla (1728-1762): Trio Sonata No.29 in G Major

Barcelona Consort: Jordi Colomer, flute -- Jordi Argelaga, oboe -- Jordi Comellas, viola -- Madrona Elias, chamber organ


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor (Sir John Eliot Gardiner; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Brahms' Clarinet Quintet - Jon Manasse, clarinet, Tokyo String Quartet
> 
> edit: now A.Scarlatti's "Rose Garden" Sinfonias and Concertos - Ottavio Dantone, cond.


Both of these discs are - solely based upon the composers - on my to buy list now (a long, ever growing list that is.)

I myself am currently listening some Bach, as a medicine for the soul that recently went to unpleasant personal experiences.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Schübler Choralen & Leipzig Choralen
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 1127 Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn
By Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 24 Ein ungefärbt Gemütte, BWV 76 Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 167 Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe
By Midori Suzuki [soprano], Robin Blaze [counter], Gerd Türk [tenor], Chiyuki Urano [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 32673


Halvorsen: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Neeme Jarvi & The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Wonderful stuff! The Mascarade Suite and Symphony No. 1 are both excellent! The three short works were very good too. I'm becoming an even greater fan of Halvorsen with each listen.


----------



## csacks

Bruckner´s 7th symphony. It has not been an automatic connection, but it is becoming stronger and stronger.
Like Shostakovich, another consequence of this forum


----------



## hpowders

Ives Third Symphony. Sinclair, Northern Sinfonia.
Hauntingly beautiful and nostalgic of days long gone.


----------



## Vasks

*Schreker - Fantastic Overture (Seipenbusch/Marco Polo)
Messiaen - Petite esquisses d'oiseaux (Austbo/Naxos)
Norgard - Symphony No. 6 (Dausgaard/Chandos)*


----------



## Oskaar

*BRITTEN, B.: String Quartets Nos. 2 and 3 *

*Philharmonia Quartet Berlin*









arkivmusic


----------



## Andolink

*Christoph Graupner*: Orchestral Suites-- _Suite for transverse flute, viola d'amore, chalumeau, strings and cembalo in F major_, GWV 450; _Suite for viola d'amore, bassoon, strings and cembalo in G major_, GWV 458; _Suite for transverse flute, viola d'amore, two chalumeaus, baroque horn, strings and cembalo in F major_, GWV 451
Petra Aminoff, flute
Tindaro Capuano, chalumeau
Asko Heiskanen, chalumeau
Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, violin
Krzysztof Stencel, baroque horn
Jani Sunnarborg, bassoon
Finnish Baroque Orchestra/Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch


----------



## Orfeo

*Glazunov:*
Tsar Iudeyskiy (King of the Jews); Rozhdestvensky/Russian State Symphony Orchestra & Cappella.
Symphony no. II; Fedoseyev/The USSR Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra
*Tchaikovsky:*
Symphony no. II (Original 1872 version); Geoffrey Simon & the London Symphony
*Kabalevsky:*
String Quartets I & II; The Glazunov Quartet
Sonata for Cello & Piano op. 71; Marina Tarasova (piano), Alexander Polezhaez (cello)
*Balakirev:*
Symphony no. I & Symphonic Poem "Russia"; Svetlanov and the USSR State Symphony.
*Myaskovsky:*
Piano Sonata no. IV & Prelude op. 58; Murray McLachlan (piano)


----------



## maestro267

*MacMillan*: Viola Concerto
Laurence Power (viola)/London PO/Jurowski

The world premiere of this work, from last night's live concert on BBC Radio 3. Another wonderful work from this great composer. I particularly enjoyed the percussion work in the second movement, the tam-tam rolls left to reverberate over a xylophone solo.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schnittke*: Viola Concerto, w. Bashmet/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1986); Piano Concerti 2 & 3, w. Postnikova/I. Schnittke/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1992); Symphony 8, Concerto Grosso 6, w. RSPO/Rozhdestvensky et al (rec.1994).

View attachment 32681
View attachment 32682
View attachment 32683


----------



## Winterreisender

Stabat Mater by John Browne

from the Sixteen's box set of music from the Eton Choirbook.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vogner*, w. Fritz (rec.1959) & GG (rec.1973 - '82).

View attachment 32685
View attachment 32686


----------



## Blancrocher

Yefim Bronfman playing Esa-Pekka Salonen's "Dichotomie." I have continued to enjoy this work since I first heard it years ago.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 *

*Gerhard Oppitz

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with Marek Janowski*









The precise and sensitive orchestration, and the very good sound, is for me the most impressive with this great recording. But Oppitz does marvelous work as well.
I also want to check out Buchbinder, Mustonen, and Fleischer, wich I also found good browsing and sampling nr. 3 on spotify.

arkivmusic
After


----------



## millionrainbows

David Chaitkin (CRI). *Summersong* features the* Sylvan Winds,* and is conducted by *Arthur Weisburg.* This disc also has* John Harbison* conducting *Seasons such As These *(1976).* David Burge *(remember his contemporary piano column in *Keyboard *magazine?) plays* Chaitkin's Etudes *(1974). Very good performances from very respected figures. Chaitkin's music is very modern-sounding, yet is based on harmonic considerations, and is always melodic. In this sense, it is much easier on the ears than Boulez, Schoenberg, or hard-core serialism, if I may be so bold in making such broad generalizations. It's okay, though, because I like those composers and this kind of music.


----------



## GreenMamba

Schubert's C-minor sonata, D958. Brendel


----------



## csacks

WA Mozart, Quartet Nº 15 y 19. Alban Berg Quartet


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 34 in C K338, Symphony No. 35 in D K385 "Haffner", Symphony No. 36 in C K425 "Linz"
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## hpowders

Aaron Copland, Connotations for Orchestra, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic
Copland tries his hand at twelve-tone technique. Pass the Smirnoff!


----------



## Mahlerian

hpowders said:


> View attachment 32695
> 
> 
> Aaron Copland, Connotations for Orchestra, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic
> Copland tries his hand at twelve-tone technique. Pass the Smirnoff!


I actually prefer Inscape, myself.

Maybe I'll listen to that right now...
Copland: Inscape
American Symphony Orchestra, cond. Botstein


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruckner: Symphony No 1 *

*Conductor: Georg Tintner 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra*









I get confused about the versions.., And if you tell me, Mahlerian, I will soon forget it.. But I enjoy listening to this one, that also come with adagio to symphony 3.

arkivmusic
music web international (interresting reading by Terry Barfoot about th whole Tintner cycle, but I soon forget..)


----------



## Bas

After Bach, other soul medicines:

Concert: Maria Callas "1957 Athens Concert"
By Maria Callas e.a. on Gala









Sound quality is unbearable, anyway, it is Callas, I'm crying.

Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures
By Jacqueline du Pré [cello], Jannet Baker [mezzo], the LSO, Sir John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms - Sonatas & Trios*

Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1

Clarinet Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 120 No. 2

Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114

*Sharon Kam (clarinet), Martin Helmchen (piano) & Gustav Rivinius (cello)*









Delightfull and playfull!

allmusic
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=255062


----------



## Sonata

I've been on a Schubert kick lately. His impromptus (Perahia) and Piano Trios 1 &2. Good stuff! Plan to listen to some more of him this upcoming week.

Also Mozart: La clemenza di tito, horn concerto #1, lieder and notturni

And Verdi: La Traviata


----------



## Vaneyes

*Honegger*: Symphonies 2 & 3, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1969); Symphony 4, w. Lausanne CO/Lopez-Cobos (rec.1990).

View attachment 32699
View attachment 32700


----------



## brotagonist

"I am not trapped in the need for the perpetual new...", but I like to hear something unexpected now and again 

c'n://offsite

Salvatore Sciarrino : _Piano Sonata 4_; _Lo Spazio Inverso_; _String Quartet 8_

I had never heard this composer before, but he seems to fit into the Luigi Nono/Helmut Lachenmann style. The latter 2 pieces are clearly so, with a lot of silent noise (oxymoron  ), quiet scraping and unusual sound from the instruments. The first is quite different from the others, being a joyful piano piece that recalls Ligeti's _Piano Concerto_ in it's playful, childlike exuberant playing... but don't be fooled, as it is remarkably complex.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schuman: Symphony No. 10
Seattle Symphony, cond. Schwarz


----------



## hpowders

^^^ Hooray for Schuman!!!


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Rachmaninov Symphony #2, Russian Nat'l Orchestra, Pletnev conducting. Not my favorite music, but a committed performance.


----------



## hpowders

^^^^^^^Too long!!!


----------



## brotagonist

^ Geez, you guys sure are pushing William Schuman lately  I guess I'll have to give him a listen one of these days


----------



## Vaneyes

January 16, 1891, *Leo Delibes'* death day. Leo might arise for Renee singing, Les Filles de Cadix.

View attachment 32702


----------



## Guest

Vivaldi, "La Cetra" 12 violin concertos, Op. 9
I Solista Veneti, Claudio Scimone


----------



## MagneticGhost

John Cage - Music of Changes
Martine Joste


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Luciano Berio* - Sinfonia (Erato)









New Swingle Singers; Orchestra National de France u. Pierre Boulez

Most bang for the buck:

*Various *- Light in Darkness (RCA)
(Ney Rosauro - Cenas amerisdias: no 2, Eldorado / Keiko Abe - Dream of the Cherry Blossoms / Ross Edwards - Marimba Dances / Minoru Miki - Marimba Spiritual / Evelyn Glennie - Light in Darkness / Toshimitsu Tanaka - Movements (2) for Marimba / John McLeod - The Song of Dionysius)









The Evelyn Glennie Percussion Experience

While waiting for Godot:

*Fazil Say* - 1001 Nights In The Harem (Naive)









Fazil Say, piano; Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; Luzerner Sinfonieorchester u. John Axelrod; Burcu Soysev, soprano;Aykut Köselerli, drum; Celalettin Biçer, ney

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 26 (Haebler/Rowicki).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Clayton

Shostakovich
String Quartet No.8 in C minor, op.110
String Quartet No.9 in E flat major, op.117
String Quartet No.10 in A flat major, op.118
Fitzwilliam String Quartet


----------



## hpowders

^^^^The Shostakovich 8th quartet is a profound work!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet in E-flat Major, KV 428 (Leipziger Streichquartett).









Mozart's quartets are becoming some of my favourite works by him.


----------



## adrem

I'm listening all of these great Scriabin masterpieces interpreted by Boulez:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I've been listening a lot recently to Dvorak who I quite underestimated in the past. Today its the iconic 9th with Kubelik.


----------



## DaveS

Elgar 1st. Boult;LPO


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mahlerian said:


> I actually prefer Inscape, myself.


Just for a moment I wondered if that was a rival brand of vodka...


Mahlerian said:


> Maybe I'll listen to that right now...
> Copland: Inscape
> American Symphony Orchestra, cond. Botstein


But no! *displays shocking ignorance of Copland* 



HaydnBearstheClock said:


> W. A. Mozart, String Quartet in E-flat Major, KV 428 (Leipziger Streichquartett).
> Mozart's quartets are becoming some of my favourite works by him.


I'm not surprised that you're enjoying the Leipziger Quartett's box set - it is _excellent!_

Current listening:

*Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 2 Op. 10* / LaSalle Quartet, Margaret Price, Soprano 
*Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 3 Op. 30* / LaSalle Quartet
[Deutsche Grammophon, 1971]









I've been exiled to the office-in-the-garden by my OH's book club, but that's given me the opportunity to play Schoenberg REALLY LOUDLY which was perhaps a missing ingredient in the past because I am really enjoying Schoenberg's boldly original work tonight.


----------



## KenOC

Poulenc: Concert champêtre. Filarmonica '900, Jan Latham-Koenig cond, Stefano Bollani piano. Fun! Amazon doesn't have it, so here's another Bollani performance.


----------



## Clayton

TurnaboutVox said:


> ...I've been exiled to the office-in-the-garden...


Potting shed with heating and music facilities?
_Wonderful..._
In mine I only have my Pure one radio for the cricket in the summer!


----------



## ptr

Emotional spice!

*Sergei Prokofieff* - Violin Concerto No 2 (EMI GROC)









David Oistrakh, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Alceo Galliera

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Zelenski's Piano Concerto Op 60 - Jonathan Plowright, piano, Lukasz Borowicz, cond.


----------



## DavidA

Handel - I know that my Redeemer liveth. Jennifer Vivyenn /Beecham


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

I'm going through this one presently and I'll give it a few more spins on the weekend. I am especially fond of Schnittke's _Concerti Grossi_ (_Numbers 1 and 5_ appear here). _Quasi una sonata_ owes its existence to Beethoven's _Piano Sonatas Op. 27 Nr. 1 & 2_. This is definitely a fine acquisition  and it is starting to feel familiar.









I am hoping the postman will bring some of the remaining three 2013 purchases today. Otherwise, I will try that William Schuman next


----------



## nightscape

Been on a Dvorak kick lately. His underrated 6th. Mackerras and the Czech Phil.


----------



## Vasks

SimonNZ said:


>


Top ZZ!......


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven -

7 Bagatelles for piano, Op 33
11 Bagatelles for piano, Op. 119
6 Bagatelles for piano, Op. 126
Rondo in C, Op. 51 no. 1
Allegretto in C minor, WoO 53
Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 ('Fur Elise')
Klavierstucke in B flat, WoO 60 *

Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips 1997]









*Berg - Violin Concerto, Lyric Suite* / Rebecca Hirsch (violin), Radio-Filharmonisch Orkest Hilversum, Eri Klas [Naxos]


----------



## clavichorder

Handel Keyboard Suite no. 9 in G minor. Ragna Schirmer. All lovely, especially the Gigue.


----------



## brotagonist

The mailbox was empty, but there is still a possibility 

I just put on:

William Schuman - _Symphony 7_
Schwarz/Seattle Symphony

Am I hearing familiar influences? I am unable to place them exactly. Could there be influences of Messiaen, like those long ethereal passages, kind of _Éclairs sur l'au-delà_-ish? And the second 'vigoroso' movement sure sounds a lot like Varèse, but not so harsh, softened, but _Amériques_ is in there, ja?

I've also cued _Symphony 10_, from the same Naxos album, same performers.

I am going to have to revisit his _Symphony 6_, which I was pretty cool on the other time I heard it.


----------



## clara s

January full moon tonight

memories purple, yellow, blue, dark

moonlight sonata? no

something to match the untraceable night

the silence of the confession

*Franz Schmidt Piano Quintet in G Major*


----------



## Winterreisender

William Byrd: Keyboard Music - Davitt Moroney


----------



## Blancrocher

Salvatore Sciarrino's "Macbeth." I enjoyed my first listen to this powerful work, and will hope to see a live performance before too long.


----------



## bejart

Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (1735-1792): Symphony in F Major

Nicolas Pasquet leading the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Weimar


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Back to Bach... always.


----------



## KenOC

Rautavaara, Symphony No. 7, "Angel of Light." A very beautiful work.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok - Piano Works played by Kocsis.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in F Major, Op.6, No.1

Kubin Quartet: Ludek Cap and Jan Niederle, violins -- Pavel Vitek, viola -- Jiri Zednicek, cello


----------



## hpowders

William Schuman Symphony #4, Schwarz, Seattle.
Another breath of fresh air from the greatest of American symphonists.


----------



## neoshredder

bejart said:


> Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in F Major, Op.6, No.1
> 
> Kubin Quartet: Ludek Cap and Jan Niederle, violins -- Pavel Vitek, viola -- Jiri Zednicek, cello
> 
> View attachment 32727


Gotta love someone that is as passionate about the classical era as you are.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Clarinet Sonata No.2 - Richard Stoltzman, clarinet, Richard Goode, piano


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> I need more likes for my self-esteem.


Ha! Ha! Very funny!!


----------



## hpowders

Some people just say "okay" and they get 12 "likes"!


----------



## hpowders

Duplicate post.


----------



## neoshredder

hpowders said:


> Some people just say "okay" and they get 12 "likes"!


Bartok is cool btw. He's tonal but still way out there.


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> Bartok is cool btw. He's tonal but still way out there.


His quartets, especially 3, 4 and 5 are insane!! Intense, driving rhythms!


----------



## neoshredder

hpowders said:


> His quartets, especially 3, 4 and 5 are insane!! Intense, driving rhythms!


His Bagatelles are interesting as well. I think I found my favorite Modern Composer.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart Piano Sonatas Nos. K279, 280, and 281.*


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> His Bagatelles are interesting as well. I think I found my favorite Modern Composer.


Have you heard his piano concertos? Very, very good stuff!!!
He uses the piano like a percussive instrument.


----------



## Weston

clara s said:


> January full moon tonight
> 
> memories purple, yellow, blue, dark
> 
> moonlight sonata? no
> 
> something to match the untraceable night
> 
> the silence of the confession
> 
> *Franz Schmidt Piano Quintet in G Major*


I've never heard it, but now feel I nearly have. Lovely introduction.


----------



## neoshredder

hpowders said:


> Have you heard his piano concertos? Very, very good stuff!!!
> He uses the piano like a percussive instrument.


Yeah. It's been awhile though. His Concerto for Orchestra is awesome.


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> Yeah. It's been awhile though. His Concerto for Orchestra is awesome.


That's a great piece. One of his last pieces. I think the third piano concerto was actually his last piece, unfinished at his death.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio;

Berg's Violin Concerto - Isabelle Faust, violin, Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## stevederekson




----------



## Weston

Today an interesting rather Avant-garde piece came up on random play at work. Knowing I had just loaded some Gérard Grisey I settled back for an adventure in spectralism. Imagine my surprise when I looked down at the display and found I was listening to the Belgian RIO band Univers Zero. I was totally fooled.

Well if it fooled me into thinking it was Grisey, and Grisey is classical, then Univers Zero is classical and I can post it here.









I cannot find an example of the piece "Complainte" exactly as it was recorded, however here is a YouTube link to a live co-performance with another RIO band, Art Zoyd.

Univers Zero & Art Zoyd - Complainte


----------



## hpowders

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio;
> 
> Berg's Violin Concerto - Isabelle Faust, violin, Claudio Abbado, cond.


I'm not familiar with this performance. She is impressive in other things. Let me know how you like the Berg performance. My standard up to this point is Arthur Grumiaux.


----------



## OboeKnight

Bartok String Quartet No.3 ...its sexy.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vanhal - String Quartets performed by the Stamic Quartet.


----------



## lupinix

Byrd consort songs like the 5 v In nomine's and fantasia a 4


----------



## KenOC

Vasks, Landscape with Birds.


----------



## SimonNZ

hpowders said:


> I'm not familiar with this performance. She is impressive in other things. Let me know how you like the Berg performance. My standard up to this point is Arthur Grumiaux.


That was probably the best Berg VC I've heard (though I haven't heard as many as some here - i had a bad run of second-rate performances in my younger years which has left me always a little wary of the work). This one was a Gramophone winner a year or two ago, I believe.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.1 in F Minor, Op.2, No.1

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## bejart

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Vanhal - String Quartets performed by the Stamic Quartet.


This one?


----------



## neoshredder

bejart said:


> This one?
> 
> View attachment 32732


Yep that's the only one on MOG Radio Streaming Service I pay for monthly.


----------



## ArtMusic

This is apparently the first CD out a complete series to record the sonatas of Leopold Kozeluch.


----------



## KenOC

Poulenc, Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon (among other works). When you really, really need a break from Bruckner.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert: The Late Piano Sonatas D 958, 959 & 960; 3 Piano Pieces D 946; Allegretto D 915 (2005) - Maurizio Pollini. http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Piano-Sonatas-Pieces-Allegretto/dp/B0015MFEIA


----------



## tdc

_Homenaje A La Guitarra_ - E. Sainz De La Maza

A gorgeous impressionistic piece, I often listen to this, its on my playlist of favorite solo guitar pieces.


----------



## hpowders

SimonNZ said:


> That was probably the best Berg VC I've heard (though I haven't heard as many as some here - i had a bad run of second-rate performances in my younger years which has left me always a little wary of the work). This one was a Gramophone winner a year or two ago, I believe.


I know she's really impressive. I'm due for a modern upgrade. Thanks!!!


----------



## hpowders

brotagonist said:


> The mailbox was empty, but there is still a possibility
> 
> I just put on:
> 
> *William Schuman *- _Symphony 7_
> Schwarz/Seattle Symphony
> 
> Am I hearing familiar influences? I am unable to place them exactly. Could there be influences of Messiaen, like those long ethereal passages, kind of _Éclairs sur l'au-delà_-ish? And the second 'vigoroso' movement sure sounds a lot like Varèse, but not so harsh, softened, but _Amériques_ is in there, ja?
> 
> I've also cued _Symphony 10_, from the same Naxos album, same performers.
> 
> I am going to have to revisit his _*Symphony 6*_*, which I was pretty cool on the other time I heard it.*


Next time listen with your air conditioner switched off!!


----------



## Mahlerian

Walton: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor; Violin Concerto in B minor
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn; Jascha Heifetz, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Walton









I was disappointed to find a theme from a composition I am working on at the moment was unceremoniously stolen by Walton back in the late 30s. He even managed to make a recording over 60 years before I got to assert copyright on it!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

The third program of the recent Gramophone Winners. Tonight: the Best Chamber Recording

Bartok Violin Sonatas - Barnabás Kelemen, violin, Zoltán Kocsis, piano


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









I am fond of this album: my computer chose it to end the day  I'm only listening to _String Quartets 1 and 3_ tonight. The performers are the Quartetto Italiano.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) (Christoph von Dohnányi; Wiener Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schumann's Violin Sonata No.3 - Christian Tetzlaff, violin, Lars Vogt, piano

edit: now Saint-Saens' Bassoon Sonata - members of The Nash Ensemble










edit: now Schubert's Symphony No.3 - Pablo Heras-Casado, cond.


----------



## dgee

Spotify! It asked, innocent like, if I'd like to listen to some Jake Heggie Dead Man Walking (as it does). And curiosity got the better of me. So ten mins later, as I scramble back onto the "Discover" page, it tells me I haven't listened to Pierre Boulez for a while (rubbish!) - but I take it anyway. Notations now (Aimard) and while I'm here another Pli selon Pli - on the DG "complete" set


----------



## science

I have the house to myself.


----------



## Gilberto

Johann Johannsson - Virthulegu Forsetar
The Caput Ensemble, Guðni Franzson - conductor

perfect morning music


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Flute Concerto in D Major, Gimo 291

Giorgio Bernasconi conducting the Accademia Strumentale Italiana -- Marzio Conti, flute


----------



## science




----------



## csacks

Rachmaninov Piano Conc 2 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Ashkenazy and André Previn


----------



## Andolink

*Earle Brown*: _Event Synergy II_ (1967-68)
the san francisco contemporary music players/stephen l. mosko








*Michael Finnissy*: _Second String Quartet_ (2006-07)
Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## julianoq

Schubert's Piano Sonata No.21 In B Flat, D.960, magnificently played by Brendel in his farewell album. Amazing performance.


----------



## lupinix

The pathétique! (Tchaikovsky)


----------



## Andolink

*György Ligeti*: _Ramifications_ for 12 solo strings
Schönberg Ensemble/Reinbert De Leeuw


----------



## Oskaar

*American Élégies*

*Charles Ives*:
The Unanswered Question (late version)
5 Songs (orch. by John Adams)
*Ingram Marshall:* Fog Tropes
*Morton Feldman:* Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety
*John Adams:* Eros Piano
*David Diamond:* Elegy in Memory of Maurice Ravel

* Dawn Upshaw, soprano
Paul Crossley, piano
Orchestra of St. Luke's/John Adams*









amazon
classical net


----------



## Orfeo

*Kurt Atterberg:*
Symphonies nos. II*, III, & VI.
-Rasilainen and the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt.*
-Rasilainen and the Radio-Philharmonie Hanover des NDR.

*Hugo Alfven:*
Ballet Pantomine "The Mountain King."
-Svetlanov and the Swedish Radio Symphony.

*Wilhelm Stenhammar:*
Serenade, op. 31 (complete original).
-Jarvi and the Gothenburg Symphony.

*Bohuslav Martinu:*
Puppets (Books I, II, III), Spring in the Garden, Butterflies & Birds of Paradise all for pianoforte.
- Giorgio Koukl, Pianist.


----------



## science

I listened to the first trio with my wife last night, and did the rest of this myself tonight. Now I'm on to Feldman:


----------



## hpowders

Franz Schmidt Symphony Number 4. Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic.
What a lovely symphony! Lovers of Richard Strauss should respond well to this.
One of Zubin Mehta's most convincing efforts.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: String Quartets, w. Kocian Qt. (rec.1995); Piano Sonatas, w. GG (rec. 1966 - '73).

View attachment 32775


----------



## Vasks

_The Three B's? _

*Brahms - Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118 (Lupu/London)
Biarent - Contes d'Orient (Bartholomee/Cypres)
Bolcom - Session I (ensemble/New World)*


----------



## hpowders

stevederekson said:


>


Kathleen Ferrier was one in a million. Taken away from us much too soon!


----------



## Andolink

*Earle Brown*: _Centering_ (1973)
san francisco contemporary music players/earle brown








*Christoph Graupner*: Orchestral Suites-- 
_Suite for transverse flute, viola d'amore, chalumeau, strings and cembalo in F major_, GWV 450
Finnish Baroque Orchestra/Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch


----------



## worov




----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Nocturnes, Premiere Rhapsodie*, Jeux, La Mer
*Franklin Cohen, Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez









An excellent performance of Jeux, which many see as almost proto-Webern in its fragmentation. Boulez was certainly inspired by it. The rest of the disc is great as well.


----------



## science

I can already tell that I prefer the urgency and angst of Töpper and DFD with Fricsay. But this one is definitely lower-keyed, probably more to many people's liking.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major (Peter Rösel; Kurt Masur; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig),

Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor (Annerose Schmidt; Kurt Masur; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 9 (Giulini). Let's see how I will sit through the last movement!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## science

THIS is some good stuff!


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Erkki-Sven Tüür - Flamma
Erkki-Sven Tüür - Insula Deserta

The first had some elements of Ligeti. I'd file it under 'light classical'. Perhaps I need more experience, but it sounds a lot like most of _this sort of thing_, which isn't really saying much, and I know it


----------



## Blake

Segerstam's Schnittke: Symphony 1. This guy is absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Taneyev's *(1850 - 1918) birthday, and *Albinoni *(1671 - 1751) and *Bacewicz's* (1909 - 1969) death days.








View attachment 32786
View attachment 32787


----------



## science

I think _Le marteau_ is my favorite Boulez work. I like some other stuff, particularly the second piano sonata, but marteau is so good that I can't understand people not enjoying this kind of music.


----------



## hpowders

^^^^At least you know the performances will be definitive!


----------



## science

hpowders said:


> ^^^^At least you know the performances will be definitive!


It's a good guess, but not something I'll take for granted....


----------



## Winterreisender

Mozart: Gran Partita - Harmonie de l Orchestre des Champs-Élysées and Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Bas

Franz Liszt - Élégie, Romance Oubliée, La lugubre gondole, Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, Deuxiéme Élégie
Charles Alkan - Sonate de Concert op. 47 in E
By Emmanuelle Bertrand [cello], Pascal Annoyel [piano], on Harmonia Mundi Gold









Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, Pathetique Sonata, Tempest Sonata
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], on Decca


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi Concertos*

*John Williams(guitar), Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, János Rolla*









So beautiful!

amazon


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein









This recording is a bit of an old friend. A familiar work, a very dramatic reading, and nice old-fashioned analogue sound that saturates at the frequent climaxes.


----------



## Blake

Lazarev's Schnittke: _Yellow Sound._


----------



## LancsMan

*Schoenberg: Gurrelieder* Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Simon Rattle on EMI.

All change - it's the end of the line! The late romantic line that is.

I'll admit now that I have limited experience of Schoenberg - a composer I have found difficult to love (in contrast to say Berg). I really should explore more of his music, but it rarely appears on concert programmes in north west England.

Obviously this piece is not typical Schoenberg. Very lush late romantic, and a tremendous number of notes! Maybe too many for my taste (although I don't hold this against Richard Strauss). The piece is in three parts, and it's only in the third part that I find really memorable music that I warm to. Well more than warm to - Part three is very good!


----------



## SimonNZ

Palestrina's Missa ***** Sum - The Tallis Scholars


----------



## brotagonist

LancsMan said:


> *Schoenberg: Gurrelieder*
> The piece is in three parts, and it's only in the third part that I find really memorable music that I warm to. Well more than warm to - Part three is very good!


I read on Wikipedia that Schoenberg wrote parts 2 and 3 approximately a decade later than part 1. He had gotten strongly influenced by Mahler, which explains the difference.

I am fond of it, too, and I also like the 3rd part best, which can stand as a work on its own, as the storyline is only vaguely related to part 1. Part 2 can also be seen as a separate song for the same reason. And Part 3 is, in itself, really 2 parts, as _Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd_ seems tacked on.

It is not really so well thought out in structure, it would appear to me  but it is fine music nonetheless.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: BlueBeard's Castle* Anne Sofie von Otter, John Tomlinson and the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Bernard Haitink on EMI.

Well in contrast to Schoenberg's Gurrelieder I have no reservations about this. I love it from beginning to end. What glorious music this is, and crammed with so many unforgettable passages. The orchestral writing is incredible. I've heard the piece live in a concert performance to which it is well suited. A stage performance almost seems superfluous.

The performance here is top notch.


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I read on Wikipedia that Schoenberg wrote parts 2 and 3 approximately a decade later than part 1. He had gotten strongly influenced by Mahler, which explains the difference.


Not quite. The composition was done at the same time, but the orchestration was completed over a decade later. That's the difference. It _does_ make a big difference, though!

Gurrelieder was composed between Verklarte Nacht and the large tone poem Pelleas und Melisande. If you're interested in more pre-pantonal Schoenberg, check that one out. Really, it all sounds like Schoenberg to me...


----------



## Oskaar

*Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. XV: 18, 24, 29 & 25 'Gypsy' *

*Vienna Piano Trio*









Very elegant and carefull sound-picture that make allthe nuances in the instruments and the wonderfull music come through.

amazon
presto


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

oskaar said:


> *Haydn: Piano Trios Hob. XV: 18, 24, 29 & 25 'Gypsy' *
> 
> *Vienna Piano Trio*
> 
> View attachment 32796
> 
> 
> Very elegant and carefull sound-picture that make allthe nuances in the instruments and the wonderfull music come through.
> 
> amazon
> presto


Ah, excellent - Haydn's piano trios. Awesome music.


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Really, it all sounds like Schoenberg to me...


To me, too 

With Gurrelieder, I always felt that the sections seemed not to be strongly related. Part 1 is the story of Tove and Waldemar. No problem with that. Then, Part 2 is an interlude. Fine, again. But Part 3 starts to get tenuous. No more Tove: she is dead. Waldemar is now talking to the spirits of his dead vassals. I guess it sort of fits, but we now have a chorus and a narrator, neither of which appeared in the first part. Like I said, I can still accept this as being part of the same work, somewhat tenuous as it appears to me  But what's with _Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd_? How does that fit in? That's why I said that I didn't feel the construction of the piece was well thought out: it appears poorly stitched together... but I still like each part and tend to want to listen to them as separate works :lol:


----------



## lupinix

elgar enigma variations


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> To me, too
> 
> With Gurrelieder, I always felt that the sections seemed not to be strongly related. Part 1 is the story of Tove and Waldemar. No problem with that. Then, Part 2 is an interlude. Fine, again. But Part 3 starts to get tenuous. No more Tove: she is dead. Waldemar is now talking to the spirits of his dead vassals. I guess it sort of fits, but we now have a chorus and a narrator, neither of which appeared in the first part. Like I said, I can still accept this as being part of the same work, somewhat tenuous as it appears to me  But what's with _Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd_? How does that fit in? That's why I said that I didn't feel the construction of the piece was well thought out: it appears poorly stitched together... but I still like each part and tend to want to listen to them as separate works :lol:


Yeah, as a dramatic narrative, it's a bit unfocused, because the scope keeps widening, and there's no resolution (Waldemar just kind of disappears with the sunrise). As I've heard it interpreted, the piece as a whole is a journey from day into night into day again. Musically it makes sense, going from the pure E-flat major of the opening to the radiant C major of the finale, but the inconsistent orchestral treatment still leaves it feeling less than whole.

Of course, the reason why it doesn't have an opus number is because then it would be number 22, after Pierrot lunaire, which doesn't make sense in terms of stylistic chronology. Neither Moses und Aron nor Der Jakobsleiter have opus numbers either, though, and Schoenberg considered them very important works.


----------



## Guest

Today I had some driving and some yardwork to do, both of which can involve music, so I got in plenty of listening...

Started the day with:

Faure - Piano Quintet No. 2
Faure - Piano Quintet No. 1

Then quickly ran with a random piano concerto theme:

Pierne - Piano Concerto
Rubinstein - Piano Concerto No. 4
Stenhammar - Piano Concerto No. 1
Schnittke - Piano Concerto
Dvorak - Piano Concerto
Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3
Ravel - Piano Concerto For The Left Hand


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schnittke: Fuga / Klingende Buchstaben / Piano Quintet / Stille Musik / String Trio
http://www.amazon.com/Schnittke-Kli...UTF8&qid=1390005870&sr=1-5&keywords=schnittke


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Sonatas for Violin and Piano

D major, D. 384, A minor, D. 385, G minor, D. 408
Fantasy in C, D. 934*

Dong-Suk Kang (Vn), Pascal Devoyen, (Pno) [Naxos]









*Webern

Passacaglia, Op. 1
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 30 
Fuga (Ricercata) a 6 voci [Fugue No. 2] from J. S. Bach's "Musical Offering"*

Pierre Boulez, LSO [Sony Classical, 1991]


----------



## senza sordino

The three B's:
*Britten Violin Concerto* Rebecca Hirsch vn and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra cond Takuo Yuasa
*Bartok String Quartet #4* Emerson Quartet
Through the speakers in my classroom I had *Bach Cello Suite #1* performed by Yo Yo Ma, a student came in to finish some homework and asked about the music. This 17 yr old had never heard of Bach!


----------



## hpowders

I'm sure Bach never heard of him either!


----------



## neoshredder

I think the 3 B's are Beethoven, Bach, and Bartok.


----------



## OboeKnight

Elgar Cello Concerto. Gets me emotional.


----------



## Novelette

Thalberg: Fantaisie sur des motifs de La Donna del Lago, Op.40 -- Stefan Imer

Sibelius: Symphony #6 in D Minor, Op. 104 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44 -- Vadim Repin; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

Liszt: Le Triomphe Funèbre du Tasse, S 517 -- Leslie Howard

Berlioz: Lélio ou le retour à la vie, Op.14b -- Sir Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra

Tchaikovsky: String Quartet #3 in E Minor, Op. 30 -- Ying Quartet


----------



## Sonata

I'm still Schuberting I've enjoyed various pieces of his for some time but never stayed on him long enough to really hear his "voice" I am starting to now. Currently on symphony four. I really like the first two movements so far!

Also: Mozart. Horn concerto 2 and Prussian quartet. And string quartet 15.....spectacular piece which I really must listen to more often.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842): Sinfonia in D Major

Donato Renzetti directing the Orchestra della Toscana


----------



## Blancrocher

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's "Concerto Grosso," which was written for Handel's 300th anniversary, and a first listen to Richard Egarr's performance of some "great" Handel suites (yes, the wimps put "great" in quotation marks on the cover--though I'll forgive them if their caution is the result of reading threads on TC).

Lovely interpretation by Egarr.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday --
Francois-Joseph Gossec (17 January 1734-1829): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.14, No.2

Patrice Bocquillon on flute with the Milliere String Trio: Marie-Christine Milliere, violin -- Jean-Francois Benatar, viola -- Philippe Bary, cello


----------



## neoshredder

Enjoyed Schnittke. His teases of Baroque music got me wanting the real thing. Now listening to Handel - Concerti Grossi Op. 6 performed by the Avison Ensemble. http://www.amazon.com/George-Frider...015724&sr=1-1&keywords=handel+avison+ensemble


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> I think the 3 B's are Beethoven, Bach, and Bartok.


Well at least you got one of them right!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.6 in D Major, KV 284

Christian Zacharias, piano


----------



## neoshredder

hpowders said:


> Well at least you got one of them right!


I got all 3 right!


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Parables - Karel Ancerl, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/25, 'Gypsy' (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Samuel Barber songs - Cheryl Studer, soprano, Thomas Hampson, baritone


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select

I'll listen to it both to finish the day tonight and to start the day in the morning, to impart a sense of continuity 









Only disc 1 at this time:

Berceuse héroïque*; Images; Jeux; Marche écossaise
[*van Beinum/Haitink conducting Royal Concertgebouw]

Debussy is a bit neglected chez moi. It is time to rectify the deficit.


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the (yester)day;

*Petr Eben* - Symphonia Gregoriana - Organ Concerto No 1 (Oehms)









Gunther Rost, organ; Bamberger Symphoniker u. Gabriel Feltz

Frühstücksmusik:

*Claude Debussy* - Boulez Conducts Debussy Disc 1 (Sony)
(La Mer (Trois Esquisses Symphoniques); Nocturnes (Triptyque Symphonique); Printemps (Suite Symphonique); Rhapsodie No. 1 Pour Orchestre Avec Clarinette)









Gervase de Peyer, clarinet (9); John Alldis Choir (4-6); New Philharmonia Orchestra u. Pierre Boulez

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Michael Finnisy's String Quartet No.2 - Kreutzer Quartet


----------



## Guest

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Symphony No. 2 "Antar"
Evgeny Svetlanov: USSR Symphony Orchestra








Alexander Borodin
Symphony No. 2 in B minor
Sir Andrew Davis: Toronto Symphony Orchestra


----------



## science




----------



## MagneticGhost

It's the weekend huzzah!! Music for an extended dog walk.
No! That says Lassus, not Lassie!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Three 'B's to start the morning:

*Bridge* - Piano Sonata / Ashley Wass (Piano) [Naxos, 2005]

*Busoni* - Etudes Op 16; Etude en forme de Variation, Op 17 / Daniel Blumenthal (Piano) [Pavane, 1995]

*Bartók* - Mikrokosmos Book VI / Jenö Jandó (Piano) [Naxos, 2005]


----------



## Guest

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Sonatas K378, K301, K481
WoAnne-Sophie Mutter & Lambert Orkis


----------



## SimonNZ

Dutilleux's String Quartet "Ainsi La Nuit" - Belcea Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven: String Quartets No 2, 9, 14 & 15*

* Artemis String Quartet*









Wonderfull listening on an (for me) early saturday. I have problems to enjoy Beethovens symphonies. I SEE that they are groundbraking works, and can understand the value, and that people set them high in every sence. But it is MEE. I get depressed by them. And i find Beethoven trying to hammer into me repeatedly his inner struggel. That can be good and interresting music, but Brucner, Sibelieus, Mahler and Brahms, for example, when we talk about the "serious" symphony, speaks to me perfectly. I have not given up Beethovens symphonies though. Everything else beethoven made, I really love (though I have to be in a special mood to listen to solo piano, and that is in general.)

About this record..Artemis quartet really gives the music justice, and the sound is very good.

allmusic
amazon


----------



## Andolink

*George Frideric Handel*: _Semele_
Catherine Denley (Alto), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Tenor), Robert Lloyd (Bass), 
Patrizia Kwella (Soprano), David Thomas (Bass), Timothy Penrose (Countertenor), 
Norma Burrowes (Soprano), Della Jones (Mezzo Soprano), Maldwyn Davies (Tenor), 
Elisabeth Priday (Soprano) 
Monteverdi Choir 
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner


----------



## Oskaar

*French Fantasy*

Debussy:	
Beau Soir

arr. J. Heifetz

Violin Sonata

Franck, C:	
Violin Sonata in A major

Saint-Saëns:	
Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75

*Maria Bachmann (violin) & Adam Neiman (piano)*

arkivmusic
musicweb-international
prestoclassical


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - String quartets opus 33, no. 1 in D, no. 5 in Bm, no. 4 in B
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K. 304, K.306, K378, K. 379, K. 376, K. 377, K. 380, K. 354
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Sonatas BWV 1027-1029
By Glenn Gould [piano], Leonard Rose [cello], on Sony Classical


----------



## Couac Addict




----------



## Andolink

*Peter Maxwell Davies*: _Strathclyde Concerto No. 5 for violin, viola and string orchestra_
James Clark, violin
Catherine Marwood, viola
Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Peter Maxwell Davies


----------



## hpowders

D Scarlatti Sonatas, Kenneth Weiss, Harpsichord.

A fine varied assortment by this prolific composer.
Mr Weiss is a poet of the harpsichord.


----------



## brotagonist

Meine heutige Frühstücksmusik (nur die erste Platte):









Just because it was so nice to wind down with 

To be followed by today's Saturday Symphony*:









Mozart _Symphony 39_* and _Symphony 41 "Jupiter"_
Colin Davis/Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I am currently listening to Christopher Hogwood's recording of Handel's Op. 6 Concerti Grossi.


----------



## Oskaar

*Russian Serenade*

Glazunov:	
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82

Prokofiev:	
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19

Tchaikovsky:	
Sérénade Mélancolique for Violin & Orchestra in B minor, Op. 26

Valse-scherzo in C major for violin & orchestra (or violin & piano), Op. 34

Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42

*Martin Beaver (violin)

Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Chosei Komatsu*









classicsonline


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 9


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9*

Furtwangler, 1937. The sound isn't great, but so far, into the first movement, this is a compelling performance. But I understand the record company cut a couple repeats in the adagio to fit this collection onto two discs.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major "Prague" K504

And this week's Symphony:
Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major K543
Prgaue Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Blake

More Schnittke! _Concerto per pianoforte e archi_. Igor Khudolei, pianoforte - Russian State Symphony Orchestra diretta da Valeri Polyansky


----------



## Doc

After a week and a bit I've finally completed my listen of George Szell's Beethoven symphony cycle. 
Szell is fast becoming one of my favourite conductors; his faith in the score is strangely refreshing.


----------



## lupinix

Honegger 2nd symphony (Karajan)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major (Peter Rösel; Kurt Masur; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig).









Some epic stuff here, excellent. The interpretation by Peter Rösel is also very good, imo.


----------



## Vasks

_Wooden you have like to have heard this one like I did today?_

*Bartok - Wooden Prince (Dorati/Mercury LP)*


----------



## starthrower

Penderecki - Kosmogonia

Interestingly, last night before I left work, I met a Polish truck driver who told me he was a church vocalist. I mentioned Penderecki, and he knew exactly who I was talking about.


----------



## hpowders

Leonard Bernstein's Final Concert, Tanglewood Massachusetts, Summer of 1990: Peter Grimes, Britten, 4 Sea Interludes. Beethoven 7th Symphony.

A difficult listening experience. Bernstein was dying and the performances are slow and labored. Great sentimental value, if little else.


----------



## The nose

Sound of traffic.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 132 Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 172 Erschallet ihr Lieder
By Ingrid Schmithüsen [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS


----------



## starthrower

Sofia Gubaidulina-Concerto For Bassoon and Low Strings


----------



## opus55

Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243; Cantate, BWV 80
Harris: Symphony No. 7


----------



## hpowders

^^^Harris was a fine composer, but not in the same league as Wiliam Schuman, in my opinion.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 9*

Furtwangler, 1942. Quite a contrast from the 1937 version.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven -Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, Op. 15* / Wilhelm Kempff, BPO, Leitner [Deutsche Grammophon, LP, 1961]

*Ligeti - Works For Piano

Études (Book One, 1988)
Études (Book Two, 1989-94)
Musica Ricercata (1951-1953)
Études (From Book Three) - White On White (1995)*

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)















This isn't the correct cover image: the closest I could find on t'internet was the same team's Beethoven PC 3 & 4. I can't think how long it is since I played Op. 15, but it's so familiar from childhood that I almost don't need to hear it again. This is a good performance, but the LP is a bit noisy so if I could find an inexpensive CD version of all 5 Beethoven PC's I'd probably get that.

The Ligeti Etudes are very powerful and individual works, not at all difficult music to get into.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart & Stadler: Basset Horn Divertimenti*

Mozart:	
Divertimento in B flat major, K. Anh. 229 (K. 439b) No. 1

Divertimento in B flat major, K. Anh. 229 (K. 439b) No. 2

Divertimento in B flat major, K. Anh. 229 (K. 439b) No. 4

Stadler, A:	
Terzetti (5) for three basset horns

Duettino No. 4 in B flat for two clarinets

Colin Lawson (clarinet/basset horn), Michael Harris (clarinet/basset horn), Timothy Lines (basset horn)









amazon
arkivmusic


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

I will replay the Mozart Saturday Symphony again this evening to impregnate myself with its magic  but my random algorithm has said that I must hear this one next:









Concerti in G major (532), D major (93), A minor (108), G minor (439) : Philip Pickett/New London Consort
Concerto in D major (208) : Joshua Rifkin/Bach Ensemble

The second disc will have to wait for another day, but I keep track of such things in my spreadsheet, so it will _not_ get missed


----------



## bejart

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Concerto in C Major, RV87

Il Guardino Armonico: Giovanni Antonini, recorder -- Paolo Grazzi, oboe -- Enrico Onofri and Marco Bianchi, violins -- Paolo Rizzi, double bass -- Luca Pianca, theorbo -- Lorenzo Ghielmi, harpsichord


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Hilding Rosenberg* - Symphony No 3 "The Four Ages of Man" (Caprice)









Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (?) u. Hilding Rosenberg

und jetzt, Lieder Abend;

*Franz Peter Schubert* - Heliopolis (Harmonia Mundi)









Matthias Goerne, baryton & Ingo Metzmacher, piano

*Anton Webern* - Lieder und Chöre (DG)









Françoise Pollet, Christiane Oelze, Pierre-Laurent Aimard; BBC Singers & Ensemble Intercontemporain u. Pierre Boulez

/ptr


----------



## lupinix

Machaut Messe de Nostre Dame <3


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Meine heutige Abendsmusik:

*Mahler - Symphony No. 10 in F sharp (Completed Deryck Cooke, Performing version III)*

Berlin PO, Sir Simon Rattle









The last of my Mahler symphony recordings. I know this recording has come in for some criticism (as well as praise) on these pages but I find this eloquent - I found it easier to make sense of Rattle's reading of this huge work than with say Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, though that's a fine version too.

Next the songs, orchestral and otherwise.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Debussy: Solo Piano Music Vol. 1; Peter Frankl, piano (VOX 2-CD). *Good versions. The sound is without problems, unlike other Vox offerings I've heard (the Charles Ives sounds like DBX encoded tapes that are not properly tracking...drop-outs, etc.).

The Images and Arabesques sound so commercial, lovely, and tonal! To get radical, one must go to Book II of the Preludes. Little old lady territory, otherwise.

*International Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik, Darmstadt 1998 (col legno 2-CD). A* nice collection. I was most impressed by Ernstalbrecht Stiebler's piece, *Quart plus...*(1997/98). It's like Iancu Dumitrecu's contra-bass stuff, lots of spectral harmonics.


----------



## brotagonist

TurnaboutVox said:


> Meine heutige Abendsmusik


Schon Abend? I just watched the sunrise a little over 2 hours ago :lol:


----------



## bejart

Jacques Christophe Naudot (ca.1690-1762): Flute Concerto in E Minor, Op.11, No.5

Capella Savaria -- Pal Nemeth, flute


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Ja, es ist 18.35 Uhr hier und die Nacht ist sehr dunkel! Schon Abend, Herr Brotagonist.

*Mahler - Das Klagende Lied* (1878-80, rev. 1893 - 98)

City of Birmingham SO, CBSO Chorus, Simon Rattle, Döse (Soprano), Hodgson (Mezzo), Tear (Tenor), Rea (Baritone)
[EMI, 1993]









This is great orchestral lied already, from the teenage Mahler. Makes me very envious of his talent!


----------



## starthrower

Maurice Ohana - cello concerto


----------



## starthrower

^^^^
Just discovered it on YouTube. Great piece! I believe it's the Tympani recording.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini*

Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

*Simon Trpčeski (piano)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko*









Explosive!

prestoclassical


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Guillaume de Machaut - _Messe de Nostre Dame_ (abbaye de Thoronet, Ens. G. Binchois, dir. D. Vellard)

I've listened to a fair amount of troubadour and minnesänger songs, but this does demand commitment  Vocally, it is similar, but it differs in being entirely a cappella... and instead of songs, this is over one hour in duration. I'm about halfway and I haven't yet fast-forwarded


----------



## bejart

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Badley Bb1

Nicolas Ward leading the Northern Chamber Orchestra -- Lorraine McAslan, violin


----------



## LancsMan

*Debussy: Jeux* Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on Philips.

Following on from yesterday's Bartok 'Bluebeard's Castle' this is another early twentieth century work I love. I must admit to knowing very little about the synopsis of the ballet (tennis anyone?), I hear this as abstract music. Rather more abstract than the 'concrete' impressionism of La Mer (there's no doubt about what La Mer's about), Jeux is ambiguous. Maybe that's why I love it. Rather a shame it was somewhat overshadowed by a piece that appeared shortly after. I guess it was too much to expect it to hold it's own against the barbaric splendour of: -

*Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring * London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackererras on EMI.

A seminal work of the early twentieth century whose influence was profound, but whose style Stravinsky never repeated. A friend of mine sees Stravinsky's subsequent compositions as a sad disappointment compared to this. A view I heartily disagree with!

Both works receive excellent performances here on budget releases.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Maurice Ohana - _Cello Concerto 2_

I decided to hear this, too. I had been curious about the composer for decades. I see on Wikipedia that he was influenced by "Mediterranean folk music, particularly the Andalusian _cante jondo_" ('deep' flamenco). In some passages, there is a jazz feel.

And with that, I will take my leave... until later :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies Nos. 38 and 39, then Dvorak, violin concerto.*

This isn't one of Gardiner's best recordings. The Dvorak, though, with Karel Ancerl, is very well done.













[


----------



## LancsMan

*Rachmaninov: The Bells* Concertgebouw Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy on Decca.

Effective and enjoyable music by the 'six foot scowl' (as Stravinsky once described him), but it's not major league. Ashkenazy is at home in Rachmaninov.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Haydn - String Quartets Op 55 1-3 - Kodaly Quartet

super stuff. A real joy


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Gottlieb Naumann's Mass No.21 - Peter Kopp, cond.


----------



## LancsMan

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 * San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt on Decca.

This has to be one of the greatest of twentieth century symphonies. This music has an almost Beethovenian life force in it. Makes me glad to be alive! This American orchestra plays it superbly.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 54 No. 2 in C Major (Buchberger Quartet).









G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in D minor for treble recorder, violin and continuo; 
Trio Sonata in G minor for oboe, violin and continuo (The Chandos Baroque Players).









Franz Liszt, Années de pèlerinage - Petrarch Sonnet No. 104; Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este (Jorge Bolet).


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Siegfried / Karajan

Playing of the BPO wonderful.

Listening to Stoltze's whining, snivelling Mime, one wonders why he decided to become a singer! Characterisation brilliant though.


----------



## LancsMan

*Elgar: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor* Nigel Kennedy on Chandos.

Old fashioned but great. And well performed. At least I don't have to see Mr Kennedy or hear his affected speech! Oh dear am I a snob?


----------



## Taggart

LancsMan said:


> *Elgar: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor* Nigel Kennedy on Chandos.
> 
> Old fashioned but great. And well performed. At least I don't have to see Mr Kennedy or hear his affected speech! Oh dear am I a snob?


Nope. A person of impeccable taste.


----------



## DavidA

LancsMan said:


> *Elgar: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor* Nigel Kennedy on Chandos.
> 
> Old fashioned but great. And well performed. At least I don't have to see Mr Kennedy or hear his affected speech! Oh dear am I a snob?


Agreed! He's good as long as he doesn't speak in his phoney accent.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## hpowders

DavidA said:


> Agreed! He's good as long as he doesn't speak in his phoney accent.


Yeah. Like Madonna!! LOL!!!


----------



## LancsMan

*Janacek: Taras Bulba* Bavarian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafael Kubelik on DG.

The quirky Janacek in a typical orchestral showpiece full of his compositional trademarks. I just love his vibrant orchestration. No smooth classics here. Another composer so full of the life force. And a great performance.


----------



## science

Woke up at 4 am this morning and put this on, all four disks right in a row, because that's the way I roll, baby.


----------



## hpowders

science said:


> woke up at 4 am this morning and put this on, all four disks right in a row, because that's the way i roll, baby.


What???? No Lang Lang?????


----------



## science

hpowders said:


> What???? No Lang Lang?????


I have a Lang Lang disk. I won't lie.

I assume I even like it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 11 in D minor, 'Nelsonmesse' - Kyrie (J. Owen Burdick; Hoyt; Sollek; Mutlu; Nolen; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra)


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Weinberg: Symphony No. 19 'Bright May' & 'The Banners of Peace'
St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra & Vladimir Lande

Starting on my backlog, I chose this disc as a break from Bruckner and Beethoven which has been in heavy rotation for me recently. After my first listen, I enjoyed the disc but it needs much more time before I can say more. I would give it a provisional thumbs up though.


----------



## hpowders

Charles Ives Concord Piano Sonata, Marc-André Hamelin.
The greatest piano sonata ever written after Beethoven's Hammerklavier, in my opinion. 43 minutes of glory.
Not the best performance of it. That one comes next.


----------



## SimonNZ

That Johann Gotlieb Naumann mass I played earlier was remarkably good, I thought - both work and performance.

Lining this one up next:










Naumann's oratorio Betulia Liberata - Hermann Max, cond.


----------



## LancsMan

*Elgar: Cello Concerto* London Symphony Orchestra with Jacqueline Du Pre conducted by Sir John Barbirolli on EMI.

I've been listening tonight to works composed in the second decade of the twentieth century, and what a tremendous variety of great music it's been my pleasure to listen to. What a vibrant decade for music. I am finishing with Elgar's cello concerto. My favourite cello concerto - although I'm of the opinion the finale isn't quite at the same level as the earlier movements. It's very touching in sections, and this is 'the' performance. A desert island kind of recording.

When I was at senior school Jacqueline Du Pre was invited to the school's speech day where she presented prizes. And I actually had a prize presented to me by Jacqueline!!!!


----------



## opus55

Verdi: Rigoletto










Another addtion to my growing opera collection. Just enjoying the music and singing without understanding libretto.


----------



## Winterreisender

Schumann, Fantasy Op. 17 - Evgeny Kissin


----------



## Weston

*Bartok: String Quartet No. 4 in C major, Sz. 91, BB 95*
Juilliard String Quartet









All I can say is, I wonder if musicians routinely take out more insurance for their instruments before performing this.

The 1st, 2nd and 5th parts of this remind me of Emerson, Lake and Palmer music if they had written for string quartet instead of prog trio -- or rather, vice versa I guess. They did reference a Bartok piano piece on their first album and were heavily influenced by lots of 20th century art music. The 4th movement reminds me ever so slightly of Django Rheinhart! I guess that's not much of a stretch either.

I think I get the overall arch of the piece and I did hear the recurring themes, one of them inverted in the finale, but I might not have noticed without annotations. I enjoyed it and might enjoy it more if I memorized it, but I doubt I'll go to the trouble. It makes me a little tense.


----------



## OboeKnight

Smetana Piano Trio in g minor.
Chopin Nocturnes


----------



## Weston

starthrower said:


> ^^^^
> Just discovered it on YouTube. Great piece! I believe it's the Tympani recording.


That's wonderful. It kind of brings Henri Dutilleux to my mind for some reason.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartets from Op. 54, 'Tost I'_-- _No. 1 in G major_ and _No. 2 in C major_
Salomon Quartet


----------



## jim prideaux

late night listening-RLPO conducted by Pesek performing Suk Asrael symphony-all pervading sense of anxiety means that this is not necessarily the best choice at this time-that anxiousness seems to me to somehow anticipate the atmosphere that appears in later works by Barber,Walton etc......


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: Variations Concertantes, Op. 17 -- Richard Lester, Susan Tomes

Schoenberg: String Quartet #4, Op. 37 -- LaSalle Quartet

Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F, K 370 -- Chicago Chamber Musicians

Haydn: Symphony #46 in B, H 1/46 -- Helmut Müller-Brühl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Prokofiev: Symphony #2 in D Minor, Op. 40 -- Neeme Järvi: Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra


----------



## hpowders

Charles Ives Concord Sonata, Easley Blackwood.
The best performance I have ever heard. Has restraint where Hamelin tends to rush. A beautifully proportioned performance.


----------



## starthrower

Weston said:


> That's wonderful. It kind of brings Henri Dutilleux to my mind for some reason.


I hear shades of Messiaen in some of his works as well. After all, he was their contemporary. Born in Casablanca in 1913, he studied in Paris, and like Messiaen, was not fond of serial music.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## science

I like Ives 1. I love Ives 4.


----------



## hpowders

science said:


> *I have a Lang Lang disk.* I won't lie.
> 
> I assume I even like it.


This took a lot of courage. I assume you consulted with your clergy person for you to find the strength to come out like this.


----------



## scratchgolf

science said:


> Woke up at 4 am this morning and put this on, all four disks right in a row, because that's the way I roll, baby.


Great minds do think alike.









Someday I'll figure out why the picture is sideways. I miss rotary phones.


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Mozart: Symphony No.39 in E Flat, KV 543
> 
> Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
> 
> View attachment 32895


My favorite Mozart symphony, although I like the Nikolaus Harnoncourt / Concertgebouw Orch. version. He takes the third movement at a brisk tempo that could cause sprains if someone actually tried to dance a menuet to it. Allegretto almost becomes allegro molto, but that's the way I fell in love with it.

For some reason this symphony and the Concerto for flute and harp in C, K. 299 turned my Mozart aversion around.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bedtime music - I was idly browsing and came upon this: not bad, actually

*Liszt - Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178 *(1854) / André Laplante [You Tube]

http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/VCHE-UPwBJA#o3K1bv8I7IG4SVIE.99


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A
Christoph Eschenbach, Boston Symphony Orchestra

The rest of the program will be:
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Eschenbach


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I spent the day in my painting studio... listening to a good deal of great music.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Itullian




----------



## starthrower

Zappa - Envelopes
Budapest Symphony/Adam Fischer


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Gottlieb Naumann's Te Deum - Herbert Blomstedt, cond.


----------



## bejart

Georg Druschetzky (1745-1819): Partita No.6 for Three Basset Horns

Lotz Trio: Robert Sebesta, Ronald Sebesta and Andreas Fink, basset horns


----------



## brotagonist

I had insomnia last night, slept only 5 hours, and stayed in the house all day  but I watched the sunrise, finished a book and listened to a lot of music 

c'n://offsite

I wish I still had this one, my gateway piece that got me hooked on classical:

Karlheinz Stockhausen - _Opus 1970_

It no longer sounds as bizarre as it did when I first heard it 40 years ago, almost to the month. Still, it is stuffed full of memories and nostalgia. I knew nothing about classical music back then, but I recognized some of the Beethoven fragments... and that got me started exploring.


----------



## Weston

starthrower said:


> Zappa - Envelopes
> Budapest Symphony/Adam Fischer


Wow. For a moment there I thought we were going to get through a Zappa piece with no xylophone (or chimes or marimba or glockenspiel or whatever). But, no. If there's xylophone, Zappa is a safe guess.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Piano Sonata in A Major

Brigitte Haudebourg, piano


----------



## starthrower

science said:


> I like Ives 1. I love Ives 4.


A treasured old recording in my collection. My first Ives CD.


----------



## Sonata

opus55 said:


> Verdi: Rigoletto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another addtion to my growing opera collection. Just enjoying the music and singing without understanding libretto.


Glad I'm not the only one who does that! Lol


----------



## Sonata

Oh, and for me: more Schubert. I haven't made my top 100 composers list for the voting yet...I'm suspecting that Schubert is climbing the ranks steadily by the time I make the list.

Symphony 4 again....great one! Am I the only one who finds it underrated? And notturno in E flat major for violin cello and piano.

Also Chopin: sonata for piano and cello, and piano sonata 2. Great works both!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to my J. B. Foerster CDs of his symphonies. He really was a fine composer and unfortunately overlooked. His 1st symphony is his weakest but that is to be expected I suppose. However, it still is very listenable and has some very nice moments.


----------



## science

Making my way through the Sibelius symphonies.


----------



## cDeanSharon

Leonard Bernstein, Kaddish (Symphony 3); Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic; 1964. 

Seriously... Holy crap. Where the hell has this been all my life? This is just wonderful!


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, Eroica Variations (plus some other early sets). Wow, this is great! I no longer hate the fortepiano.


----------



## Weston

Kevin Pearson said:


> Listening to my J. B. Foerster CDs of his symphonies. He really was a fine composer and unfortunately overlooked. His 1st symphony is his weakest but that is to be expected I suppose. However, it still is very listenable and has some very nice moments.


Those covers are amazing. Maybe even a bit decadent.


----------



## NightHawk

Weston said:


> *Bartok: String Quartet No. 4 in C major, Sz. 91, BB 95*
> Juilliard String Quartet
> 
> View attachment 32891
> 
> 
> All I can say is, I wonder if musicians routinely take out more insurance for their instruments before performing this.
> 
> The 1st, 2nd and 5th parts of this remind me of Emerson, Lake and Palmer music if they had written for string quartet instead of prog trio -- or rather, vice versa I guess. They did reference a Bartok piano piece on their first album and were heavily influenced by lots of 20th century art music. The 4th movement reminds me ever so slightly of Django Rheinhart! I guess that's not much of a stretch either.
> 
> I think I get the overall arch of the piece and I did hear the recurring themes, one of them inverted in the finale, but I might not have noticed without annotations. I enjoyed it and might enjoy it more if I memorized it, but I doubt I'll go to the trouble. It makes me a little tense.


More 'on C' than in C major. Great works (esp #2 thru #6) and that recording was my introduction to these quartets. #2 and #6 are my absolute favorites, but #4 is really incredible and probably the most performed.


----------



## dgee

KenOC said:


> Beethoven, Eroica Variations (plus some other early sets). Wow, this is great! I no longer hate the fortepiano.


Brautigam will do that - he's great!


----------



## ArtMusic

Going through these one by one. There are eleven operas in this and so far, it's been very enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Steven Stucky's Spirit Voices - Evelyn Glennie, percussion, Lan Shui, cond.


----------



## dgee

Couldn't find or afford it years ago, forgot about it, was reminded on here and now enjoying on Spotify









Certainly having its luscious moments so far


----------



## tdc

starthrower said:


> A treasured old recording in my collection. My first Ives CD.


Have you heard the Mehta Decca recording of the symphonies? (The one I recently posted in the Latest Purchases thread) If so, how would you compare that recording to the Tilson Thomas?

A review I read claimed the Tilson Thomas version was inferior to the Mehta and that the former doesn't do Ives too well. I have a recording of Tilson Thomas doing some songs and various works of Ives, and I can't say I'm totally convinced either. I love Bernstein's versions of the 2nd and 3rd symphonies, and I'm hoping this Mehta recording (which is on the way) will be good.


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Gottlieb Naumann's Piano Concerto in B flat major - Christine Schornsheim, fortepiano


----------



## Ingélou

On the boundaries of classical and folk music, I'm listening to 'Carolan's Receipt', a cd of tunes by the 18th century blind harper, Turlough O'Carolan, made by the Chieftains harpist Derek Bell in the 1970s. The melodies are so beautiful & lyrical - who cares precisely what category they are put in?


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Gottlieb Naumann's La Passione di Gesù Cristo - Sergio Balestracci, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Good Sunday morning to all.
*
Emmanuel Chabrier - España* / John Eliot Gardiner, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra [DG, 1995]









NMCoT, I'm afraid.

*Joseph Canteloube : Chants D'Auvergne (Complete)* / Dawn Upshaw (soprano), Kent Nagano & Orchestre De L'Opera Nationale de Lyon [Erato, rec. 2002]

This is quite magnificent, I am enraptured (there must be a more romantic side to my personality that I usually keep well repressed!).









Dawn Upshaw and Kent Nagano/Orch. de l'ONdeL are much less lush and 'over the top' romantic than any previous version I've heard, and it's a revelation - Canteloube's orchestrations are wonderful, delicate things, not so far from Ravel. I must try to acquire a copy (I'm listening on Spotify)


----------



## elgar's ghost

Have had a Dvorak chamber music blitz over the last couple of days. Just listened to the String Sextet op. 48 (Boston Symphony Chamber Players on Warner) and now at bat is the Terzetto for 2 Violins & Viola op. 74 (Vlach Quartet minus Mikael Ericksson on Naxos).

On deck: Drobnosti op. 75a for 2 Violins & Viola (from the excellent 8-disc Brilliant box which features virtually all of the chamber music except the string quartets, the string sextet and the op. 1 string quintet).


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> Johann Gottlieb Naumann's La Passione di Gesù Cristo - Sergio Balestracci, cond.


That is now on my interest list. Can you tell me something more about it?

--
Yesterday late evening:

Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas K. 67 - 93
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato/Wardner Classics









Currently:

Henry Desmarest (1661-1741) - Venus et Adonis
By Karin Deshayes [mezzo], Sébastien Droy [tenor], Anna-Maria Panzarella [soprano], Henk Neven [bariton], Ingrid Perruche [sopranp], Jean Teitgen [basse], Anders Dahlin [hautre contre], Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset [dir.], on Naïve









Really sweet music!

And after it is finished I will go for the following discs:

Allesandro Scarlatti - Cantatas
By Brian Asawa [counter tenor], The Arcadian Academy, Nicholas McGegan [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









I have no copy of Mozart 39, will lookup some on youtube perhaps for the saturday symphony listening (I consider it a sunday listening most of the times, haha) Any suggestions, preferably youtube, are welcome. I like symphony music, but usually take other discs from my shelves (it does not tempt me, you know what I mean: I don't take my Bruckner box with as easily as I would take my Violin Sonatas box, regardless of the composer) I will listen to the SSS from previous week again:

Johannes Brahms - Symphony no. 1 
By the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, on Decca


----------



## MrTortoise

Steve Reich "You Are" Variations and Cello Counterpoint.


----------



## Andolink

*Peter Maxwell Davies*: _Strathclyde Concerto No. 6 for Flute & Orchestra_
David Nicholson, flute
Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Peter Maxwell Davies








*Martin Codax*, *Richart de Fournival* and *anonymous*: Medieval Songs and Estampies 
Sinfoniye/Stevie Wishart








*Henry Purcell*: _Welcome to all the pleasures_ Z339 Ode For St. Cecilia'S Day, 1683;
_Arise, my muse_ Z320 Birthday Ode for Queen Mary, 1690
James Bowman (Countertenor), Michael Chance (Countertenor), John Mark Ainsley (Tenor), 
Tessa Bonner (Soprano), Charles Daniels (Countertenor), Gillian Fisher (Soprano), 
Michael George (Bass) 
The King's Consort/Robert King


----------



## Winterreisender

Tchaikovsky - Serenade for Strings (Berlin Phil. & Semyon Bychkov)


----------



## hpowders

KenOC said:


> Beethoven, Eroica Variations (plus some other early sets). Wow, this is great! I no longer hate the fortepiano.


I have Brautigams's complete Beethoven sonata set. I am a fortepiano fanatic!


----------



## science

I have quite a bit of Mediaeval and Renaissance music, and that means a lot of chant, but none is more beautiful than this one:










If I get a time machine, I'm going to tell Charlemagne to spread this throughout his empire instead of that mediocre Gregorian tradition.


----------



## Schubussy

Poulenc: Piano Concerto, Concerto for 2 Pianos, Organ Concerto
Charles Dutoit, Philharmonia Orchestra, Pascal Rogé, Sylviane Deferne, Peter Hurford


----------



## Andolink

*Thomas Arne*: _Trio Sonata in G, Op. 3 no. 2_
Le Nouveau Quatuor


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Perfectly suited to a Sunday morning.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

dgee said:


> Couldn't find or afford it years ago, forgot about it, was reminded on here and now enjoying on Spotify
> 
> View attachment 32902
> 
> 
> Certainly having its luscious moments so far


The opera has been re-released at a quite reasonable price if you are still interested:


----------



## Guest

If music makes you happy what other reason do you need to listen? All the intellectual dissection of Classical vs. Romantic vs. Atonal vs. etc. misses the point of why we really choose the music we choose.

*Mozart makes me feel good.*








*K364*, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat for Violin and Viola
*Iona Brown, Josef Suk*, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields








*K218*, Violin Concerto No. 4 in D
*Viktoria Mullova*, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment








*K190*, Concertone in C for 2 Violins with Oboe and Clarinet
*Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman*; Zubin Mehta: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra








*K219*, Violin Concerto No. 5 in A
*Anne-Sophie Mutter*, London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Vasks

_The subtitle of this opera should have been "Seven nosy eccentrics who occasionally say "ha, ha"_

*Argento - Postcard from Morocco (Brunelle/Desto LPs)*


----------



## Weston

Jerome said:


> If music makes you happy what other reason do you need to listen? All the intellectual dissection of Classical vs. Romantic vs. Atonal vs. etc. misses the point of why we really choose the music we choose.


Analyzing why something makes me happy makes me happy. You mean, I'm doing it wrong?


----------



## PaulmtAZ

Tchaikovsky's SDV


----------



## bejart

Georg Frederic Handel (1685-1759): Cello Sonata in D Minor

The Brook Street Band: Tatty Theo, cello -- Carolyn Gibley, harpsichord


----------



## hpowders

JS Bach Cello Suites Ophélie Gaillard, baroque cello.
One of the better versions I've heard. All repeats taken with tasteful embellishments added.
I myself wouldn't be dragging a precious cello made in 1737 like that, but that's just me.


----------



## Weston

*Quantz: Trio Sonata in C major* (and also Telemann, Vivaldi and C.P.E. Bach)









I needed some perky rococo to get me going on this Neutral Gray No. 3 Sunday morning. I can't seem to find any large images of the CD.


----------



## Blake

Kupiec's Schnittke: _Piano Concerto_. This composer is consistently impressing me.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816): Piano Concerto No.1 in D Major

Pietro Spada on piano with the Orchestra de Camera di Santa Cecilia


----------



## scratchgolf

Listening to Mendelssohn Concertos all morning before the football games begin. What could possibly pair better with American football than Mendelssohn? Many things you say? Fair enough.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Ein Mahler Liederfest:

*Gustav Mahler

Das Klagende Lied* / City of Birmingham SO & Chorus, Simon Rattle, Dose (Sop), Hodgson (Mezzo), Tear (Tenor), Rea (Baritone)

"Im Lenz" and "Winterlied" from *'Three Lieder* (1880)

*Lieder und Gesänge Vol. I *(1880 - 83) 
"Frühlingsmorgen"
"Erinnerung"
"Hans und Grete"
"Serenade aus Don Juan" 
"Phantasie aus Don Juan"

*Lieder und Gesänge Vol. II* (1888/89, from Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
"Um schlimme Kinder artig zu machen"
"Ich ging mit Lust durch einen grünen Wald"
"Aus! Aus!"
"Starke Einbildungskraft"

*Lieder und Gesänge Vol. III* (1888/89, from Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
"Ablösung im Sommer"
"Scheiden und Meiden"
"Nicht wiedersehen!"
"Selbstgefühl"
"Zu Straßburg auf der Schanz"

*Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Colin Matthews edition, for Piano and Voice):* (1885-6)
"Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht"
"Ging heut' morgen über's Feld" 
"Ich hab' ein glühend Messer"
"Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz"

Dame Janet Baker (Mezzo Soprano); Geoffrey Parsons (Piano) [Helios, 2004; rec. 1983]

This is my new disc of the week, and it's wonderful. Their version of "Ging heut' morgen über's Feld" is particularly fresh and vivid. Like "Ging heut...", "Ablösung im Sommer" is familiar from elsewhere in Mahler's oeuvre (theme in 3rd symphony?)

*Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Orchestral version):*

Hermann Prey, Baritone; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink [Philips, rec. 1970]


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select

A couple of weeks ago, I did Tchaikovsky's _Symphonies 1-3_ (CDs 1+2); today I will complete the set with _Symphonies 4-6_ (CDs 3+4).









HvK/BPO


----------



## brotagonist

scratchgolf said:


> Listening to Mendelssohn Concertos all morning before the football games begin.


Thanks for the reminder  I checked the TV Listings yesterday for another _Wild Card_ Saturday, but there was nothing. Today (I don't have cable, just OTA) we have Patriots vs. Broncos followed by 49ers vs. Seahawks.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 77 No. 2 in F Major (Buchberger Quartet).









The Buchberger quartet is so agile here - Haydn's contrasts come through wonderfully.


----------



## Clayton

Mozart the great symphonies
Josef Krips
Symphony No.31 in D, K.297 - "Paris"
Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 "Haffner"
Symphony No.36 in C, K.425 - "Linz"
(CD 4)


----------



## Oskaar

*Josef Suk: Piano Trio; Piano Quartet*

*Performer: Annette von Hehn, Thomas Hoppe, Martin von der Nahmer*









Outstanding performances, and I find these works of Suk very fresh and enjoyable.

allmusic
amazon
arkivmusic


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): Notturno in E Flat

Czech Baroque Trio: Martin Jakubicek, piano -- Antonin Rous, violin -- Jan Skrdlik, cello


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Symphonic Etudes - Graffman

This set of his complete RCA / Columbia recordings is really interesting. Some excellent playing. Just a shame they didn't include his Haydn as well.


----------



## stevederekson




----------



## Blancrocher

I'm in the midst of a first listen to Ari Rasilainen's complete Aulis Sallinen symphony cycle. I'd heard a few of the symphonies and some other works by Sallinen before, but decided to give him another try after seeing his name in the "Best Scandinavian Composers" thread. I'm not sure that any of these symphonies will enter my regular rotation, but I'm sympathetic to the style and they've been a nice way to while away some free time on a Sunday.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ignaz Holzbauer's Mass in C major - Jürgen Rettenmaier, cond.


----------



## LancsMan

*Stravinsky: Pulcinella* Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stravinsky on Sony.

What a joy this piece is. Fun from start to end! This is the only performance I am familiar with - and it seems near perfect to me.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 2
Sviatoslav Richter, Orchestre de Paris, cond. Maazel

The Lang Lang was too much...


----------



## stevederekson

SimonNZ said:


> Ignaz Holzbauer's Mass in C major - Jürgen Rettenmaier, cond.


I first listened to that piece a while back and I loved it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Melodies *

*Ritsuko Okuma*









I love marimba!

amazon


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I got lots of 'likes' for last night's posting of Haydn's String Quartets but suspect I'll get fewer for tomight's hour's-worth

John Jenkins - All in a Garden Green - Rose Consort of Viols

Some more Haydn later on, but after 5 hours of stripping wallpaper on a Sunday, I need a bit of something gentle first


----------



## SimonNZ

Bas said:


> That is now on my interest list. Can you tell me something more about it?
> 
> View attachment 32908


Hi Bas. I tried to answer that, but wasn't happy with what I'd written, so I'm going to cop-out and quote the ArchivMusic review:

"There are interesting musicological developments highlighted by the music on this CD - specifically those of the growth of the oratorio with its Italian roots and German flowering. What began as a musical form for choral and vocal worship during Holy Week became slowly secularized and more dramatic. Johann Gottlieb Naumann, a contemporary of Joseph Haydn, was associated with Dresden, worked in Sweden and travelled in Italy. In his Passione di Gesù Cristo he concentrates on smaller scale emotions and conflicts - albeit in the context of the (conventional) Passion story. It was written, probably, in 1767. That's quite an undertaking for a twenty-six year old, although Naumann already had several other vocal and choral successes to his name.

It's performed crisply and with feeling by the musicians on these two CDs; they clearly have an affinity with the music, the style and the genre - and make the most of it. This oratorio may remind listeners new to Naumann's music of a rather dour and straight-laced Haydn. It's varied and serious without every touching the intensity of other, more familiar, such pieces by Naumann's contemporaries and immediate predecessors. There are moments of jollity, penetrating insight into suffering as an experience, relief and release. The contrasts between the immediate and the wider context are explored. The human element is more important in Naumann's conception of the Passion than the heavenly."


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Venezia & Napoli, S 162 -- Leslie Howard

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op. 42, D 845 -- Wilhelm Kempff

^ My own restorative after the Lang Lang.

Mendelssohn: Symphony #4 in A, Op. 90, "Italian" -- Dohnányi: Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## LancsMan

*Vaughan Williams: Pastoral Symphony* London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox on Chandos.

Talk about chalk and cheese, I've just finished listening to Stravinsky's Pulcinella and now this Vaughan Williams - what a complete contrast. For me this is where the VW symphonic cycle really gets going. Is the work too 'English' for some tastes? All that talk about cow pat music. But this 'pastoral' idyll is apparently a reflection on experiences in the trenches of the first world war (which VW experienced for himself) rather than some poetic tribute to the English landscape. There is a tremendous feeling of sadness in this music for those who can open up to it.


----------



## DaveS

Saint Saens Organ Symphony. Marcel Dupre,O; Detroit SO, Paul Paray. This is an old Mercury Golden Imports that I purchased in the mid 80s, never opened nor listened to until today. The sonics of theis record are incredible(as Mercury was noted for). I heard that organ at spots in the recording that I had never heard on other renditions. The argument in favor of LPs over other mediums certainly can be made into a case with this one.

then I listened to..............


----------



## DaveS

Mendelssohn's Fingal's cave Overture, Incidental Music to a Midsummer's Nights Dream, and Symphony #4. George Szell, Cleveland Orch. A Japanese Sony imported pressing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Cimarosa's Requiem - Jeremie Rhorer, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 54 No. 3 in E Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## hpowders

^^^I "like" it no matter where it goes!!!


----------



## Manxfeeder

hpowders said:


> I myself wouldn't be dragging a precious cello made in 1737 like that, but that's just me.


Someone should inform her that since 1737, they have invented cello cases. Probably even before then.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 15*


----------



## hpowders

Manxfeeder said:


> Someone should inform her that since 1737, they have invented cello cases. Probably even before then.


Ha! I'm sure she was simply posing. The cello is on loan by the way, so she had better take care of it!


----------



## MrTortoise

Sonata for Piano and Violin #9 "Kreutzer" Joseph Szigeti, violin; Claudio Arrau, piano

Going through the entire collection. Tremendous musicianship on display.


----------



## hpowders

Jerome said:


> If music makes you happy what other reason do you need to listen? All the intellectual dissection of Classical vs. Romantic vs. Atonal vs. etc. misses the point of why we really choose the music we choose.
> 
> *Mozart makes me feel good.*
> 
> View attachment 32921
> 
> *K364*, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat for Violin and Viola
> *Iona Brown, Josef Suk*, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
> 
> View attachment 32922
> 
> *K218*, Violin Concerto No. 4 in D
> *Viktoria Mullova*, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
> 
> View attachment 32923
> 
> *K190*, Concertone in C for 2 Violins with Oboe and Clarinet
> *Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman*; Zubin Mehta: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 32924
> 
> *K219*, Violin Concerto No. 5 in A
> *Anne-Sophie Mutter*, London Philharmonic Orchestra


I totally agree! Analyzing takes the enjoyment out of it. I want to listen to Bach's solo violin Chaconne because it simply makes me feel content. I don't care how many voices are occurring at any particular time!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Haydn - Piano Trios (vol 6) - Beaux Arts Trio

especially for those of you starting to explore the String Quartets after suggestions from a number of us on this thread, here is another set of targets for enjoyment (on a nice 9CD set) - the fun (and quality) from Haydn goes on and on and on. Go on - enjoy them


----------



## Guest

hpowders said:


> I totally agree! Analyzing takes the enjoyment out of it. I just want to enjoy Bach's solo violin Chaconne. I don't care how many voices are occurring at any particular time!


Yeah. I have a hard enough time ignoring the multiple voices going on in my head. But this music helps:








Johann Sebastian Bach
*BWV1048*, Brandenburg Con #3 in G
*Cafe Zimmermann*








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
*K622*, Clarinet Concerto in A
*Thea King*, bassett clarinet 
Jeffrey Tate: English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Fartein Valen* - Symphony No 3 (Bis)









Stavanger Symphony Orchestra u. Christian Eggen

Best of night music:

*Igor Stravinsky* - L'Histoire du Soldat (Philips)









Jean Cocteau, le lecteur; Jean-Marie Fertey, le soldat; Peter Ustinov, le diable; Anne Tonietti, le princesse; Manoug Parikian, violin; Joachim Gut, double bass; Ulysse Delécluse, clarinet; Henry Helearts, bassoon; Maurice André, trumpet; Roland Schnorkh, trombone; Charles Peschie, percussion u. Igor Markevitch

Both Cocteau and Ustinov are priceless!

/ptr


----------



## millionrainbows

Chas. Ives: String Qt. No. 2, Juilliard Quartet (Newton Classics).

Ives: Concord Sonata; Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano (New World)

Messiaen: Catalogue d'Oiseaux (1956-58). Peter Hill, piano (Unicorn-Kanchana).


----------



## LancsMan

*Janacek: Sinfonietta* Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafael Kubelik on DG.

What a glorious sound! Amazing orchestration that sounds fiendishly difficult to play..This is the music of an old man who found his true compositional voice quite late. What right had he to be this individual! I struggle to relate his music to other music of his time. It seems to come out of the blue, and I'm not immediately aware of any composers he influenced. He seems to me to be very much his own man.

Classic performance by the way.


----------



## clara s

After a long Sunday day at work, I was driving down the coastal freeway, home, this evening.

Speed really high, clear sky, the first street lights were playing their games with the winter sunset.

Anything better to go with it than *Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, by Rachmaninoff? *
played by Sergei himself

Alternatively to go with the set, "Riders in the storm" with great Jim,
or "born to be wild" with Steppenwolf


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin* Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Ivan Fischer on Philips.

Bartok's response to 'The Rite of Spring'? It has something of the aggression of the Rite, but without the rhythmic subtleties perhaps. Love some of the 'sleazy' sounds Bartok evokes. OK it's not my favourite work by Bartok, but it's pretty good!

Well if Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra don't know how to play this, then who does! Impressive.


----------



## lupinix

Handel the messiah


----------



## SimonNZ

Wilhelm Peterson-Berger's Symphony No.2 - Michail Jurowski, cond.


----------



## moody

Itullian said:


>


I know nothing about this performance,but the fact that you are listening to it is worth a "like".


----------



## Itullian

moody said:


> I know nothing about this performance,but the fact that you are listening to it is worth a "like".


One of the only complete, uncut recordings. The performance and sound are very good.


----------



## Sid James

Last few days its been these:

*Sibelius*
Symphony # 5
- City of Birmingham SO under Simon Rattle

*Elgar* Cello Concerto
- Jacqueline du Pré, cello; London SO under Sir John Barbirolli

*Schumann*
Symphony # 1 "Spring"
Manfred - Overture
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta

*Martin* Sechs Monologue aus 'Jedermann' (Six Monologues from Everyman)
- José Van Dam, baritone; Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon under Kent Nagano

*Sculthorpe* Sun Music I, II, III, IV
- Melbourne SO under John Hopkins


----------



## Alfacharger

Bernard Herrmann, The Concert Suites.


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ Coptic light (for orchestra)


----------



## PetrB

Jerome said:


> If music makes you happy what other reason do you need to listen? All the intellectual dissection of Classical vs. Romantic vs. Atonal vs. etc. misses the point of why we really choose the music we choose.


Everyone has to find and / or make their own kind of fun


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Variations Brillantes Op.12/Impromptu No.2 Op.36/Ballade No.1/Sonata No.2/Barcarolle/Mazurkas Op.30 No.3, Op.50 No.3, Op.56 No.2/Etudes Op.25 Nos.1 & 11/Nocturne Op.62 No.2/Scherzo No.1
Liszt: Valse Oubliee No.1
Debussy: Etude "Pour les cinq doigts"

The wonderful and so sadly underrated and under-recorded Jakob Gimpel, in a wide ranging and very enjoyably balanced programme of Chopin. The Liszt and Debussy pieces were the encores. The whole recital is full of the most imaginative touches, his tonal palette is as broad as any pianist I've ever heard, and this is certainly one of the finest Chopin recitals that I know of. There is no doubt in my mind that really fine Chopin interpreters are few and far between, and Gimpel was one of the best.


----------



## Blancrocher

Magnus Lindberg's 2nd Piano Concerto, with Alan Gilbert conducting Yefim Bronfman and the NY Phil.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.82 in C Major

Adam Fischer directing the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's String Quartet No.11 "Serioso" - Vegh Quartet


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann's Piano Trios
http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Comp...90183039&sr=1-1&keywords=schumann+piano+trios


----------



## bejart

Carl Czerny (1791-1857): Piano Quintet, Variations on the Austrian Imperial National Anthem, Op.73

Maureen Jones on piano with the Kammermusicker of Zurich: Brenton Langbein and Andreas Pfenninger, violins -- Daniel Corti and Ottavio Corti, violas -- Raffeale Altwegg, cello


----------



## Blake

Klas' Schnittke: _Peer Gynt._


----------



## senza sordino

Still on my violin concerti survey. Borrowed from my local library. 
*Schoenberg Violin Concerto* performed by Hilary Hahn with ESA Pekka Salonen and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra 
*Sibelius Violin Concerto* performed again by Hahn with Salonen and the Swedish RSO. What a sublime opening, beautiful, like whispering sweet nothings into my ear. The finale was faster than other recordings I know. I will probably get my own copy of this CD.

and
*Berg Violin Concerto* Gidon Kremer with Colin Davis conducting the Symphony Orchestra of Bavarian Radio
*Prokofiev Violin Concerto #2* Maxim Vengerov with Rostropovich conducting the LSO
*Frank Martin violin concerto * vn Baiba Skride with BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Thierry Fischer conducting


----------



## lupinix

thissssss


----------



## science

I listened to these last night:

















And to this, long my favorite Machaut disk, this morning:










I know I have to be careful or I will be accused of having "conservative tastes" or something like that again. But especially the Machaut may even be worth that.


----------



## KenOC

Right now, on the radio: Bach, St. John Passion. LA Master Chorale, Grant Gershon cond.


----------



## stevederekson

science said:


> I listened to these last night:
> 
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Dec01/Gombert_JP.jpg
> http://www.classicalarchives.com/images/coverart/3/c/3/2/755138103825_300.jpg
> 
> And to this, long my favorite Machaut disk, this morning:
> 
> http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61iuAgaLJ2L._SL500_SY300_.jpg
> 
> I know I have to be careful or I will be accused of having "conservative tastes" or something like that again. But especially the Machaut may even be worth that.


Anything pre-Stockhausen is conservative.


----------



## Sid James

LancsMan said:


> *Elgar: Cello Concerto* London Symphony Orchestra with Jacqueline Du Pre conducted by Sir John Barbirolli on EMI.
> 
> I've been listening tonight to works composed in the second decade of the twentieth century, and what a tremendous variety of great music it's been my pleasure to listen to. What a vibrant decade for music. I am finishing with Elgar's cello concerto. My favourite cello concerto - although I'm of the opinion the finale isn't quite at the same level as the earlier movements. It's very touching in sections, and this is 'the' performance. A desert island kind of recording.
> 
> When I was at senior school Jacqueline Du Pre was invited to the school's speech day where she presented prizes. And I actually had a prize presented to me by Jacqueline!!!!


I just listened to that as well, by coincidence. Its a heartfelt performance indeed (I also like Beatrice Harrison's recording under the composer). You where lucky to have met her. The notes say that Jacqueline was one of those rare classical musicians who virtually all others in the industry, more often than not bitchy and gossipy to the max, had a great deal of respect for. It said she acted professionally when working with musicians, even if she had opinions different to theirs or was having a bad day. Not a prima donna at all.



Weston said:


> *Bartok: String Quartet No. 4 in C major, Sz. 91, BB 95*
> ...
> I think I get the overall arch of the piece and I did hear the recurring themes, one of them inverted in the finale, but I might not have noticed without annotations. I enjoyed it and might enjoy it more if I memorized it, but I doubt I'll go to the trouble. It makes me a little tense.


I've been listening to Bartok's cycle as well lately. I am noticing more thematic unity and also things like how he works with sonata form. Initially I was taken by the unusual sounds themselves, now years later I am getting the big picture more and more, even in ones that where more difficult for me initially.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Anything pre-Stockhausen is conservative"

And anything post-Stockhausen.

playing now:










Johann Gottlieb Naumann's Psalm 103 - Peter Kopp, cond.


----------



## Weston

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1872 version)*
Georg Tintner / National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland









Spent much of the evening with this familiar work -- familiar to me at least. Presumably this is the unplayable version before all the revisions. The performance and recording are passionate and powerful. I'm going to stop feeling embarrassed by all the Naxos CDs and MP3s in my collection.


----------



## Weston

Alfacharger said:


> Bernard Herrmann, The Concert Suites.


Suites from what? They've got to be good, whatever they're from -- except, I don't want Psycho in my collection. Too gritty.

[Edit: I found it on Amazon. Great stuff and only a brief bit form Psycho, but oh, they're asking extortion prices for it! And I already have The Day the Earth Stood Still.]


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listened to these a couple of times today. The Nash Ensemble performing Arensky's Piano Trio in D Minor and Rimsky-Korsakov's Quintet for Piano and Winds. Anything the Nash Ensemble records is worth purchasing in my opinion, but this is a gem among chamber album recordings.










Presently listening to one of my favorite recordings in my collection. It is a recording of the Janacek Philharmonic Orchesra with David Porcelijn conducting Sergei Bortkiewicz's Piano Concerto's No. 2 & 3 as performed by Stefan Doniga. Anyone who likes late Romantic period music would find this recording to be a real treasure. Especially those who love Rachmaninov as there are some similarities. The 2nd piano concerto stands apart as a concerto for left hand only. Amazingly it's pretty hard to tell that is is for left hand only! The music is full of passionate, lush, lovely, and moving melodies. Just wonderful stuff really.










Kevin


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## Weston

Great minds think alike.
*
Schubert: Violin Sonatas and other stuff*
Julia Fischer, violin / Martin Helmchen, piano (streaming)









I admit this is mostly background while I'm practicing figure drawing, so I haven't noticed the titles of the pieces playing, nor when one ends and another begins -- but what a perfect environment it creates!


----------



## brotagonist

Weston said:


> I'm going to stop feeling embarrassed by all the Naxos CDs and MP3s in my collection.


I'm starting to feel the same way


----------



## brotagonist

PetrB said:


> Morton Feldman ~ Coptic light (for orchestra)


c'n://offsite

Wye nought? I don't know enough Feldman: it's on nough


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor (Annerose Schmidt; Kurt Masur; Dresdner Philharmonie).









J. Haydn, The Seasons - 'So lohnet die Natur den Fleiß' (John Eliot Gardiner; Bonney; Johnson; Schmidt; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss' Salome - Karl Bohm, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

From this wonderful set, the old wizard conducting Bizet: Symphony/L'Arlesienne Suites with the French National Radio and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras respectively. A good start to a day of idling!


----------



## Winterreisender

Mendelssohn Symphony #2 = LSO & Claudio Abbado


----------



## PetrB

Gian Francesco Malipiero:

Impressioni dal vero II (1914/15)









Impressioni dal vero III (1921/22)





[Here is the first ~ Impressioni dal vero I (1910/11)]


----------



## PetrB

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Morton Felman ~ Coptic light (for Orchestra) Wye nought?


Y knot ind ead?


----------



## julianoq

Mahler 7th Symphony, conducted by Abbado with the BPO. Rest in peace maestro, thanks for everything!


----------



## Andolink

*Christer Lindwall*: _White Nights_, for alto guitar and ensemble
Stefan Östersjö, alto guitar
Ensemble Ars Nova/Harald Eikass


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Josef Suk* - Asrael Symphony (Panton)









Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik

Still the awsommest Asrael!

/ptr


----------



## Itullian

In memory of Maestro Abbado. Listening to this wonderful set.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Composer of the Week
From Schoolmaster to Socialite

Donald Macleod on how the teenage Schubert began to make a name for himself in Vienna.


----------



## maestro267

Snap! I just listened to the 2nd Symphony from the Brahms cycle posted by Itullian (#52408)


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven 9 Symphonies, Claudio Abbado.
In memory of the late great Maestro who will never be forgotten.


----------



## Andolink

*György Ligeti*: _Requiem_ for soprano and mezzo-soprano solo, mixed chorus and orchestra (1963/65)
Carolyn Stein, soprano
Margriet van Reisen, mezzo-soprano
London Voices, Berliner Philharmoniker/Jonathan Nott


----------



## MagneticGhost

Bruckner - Mass No.2 in E minor

Listening to this for the 4th time in 48 hours. Somewhat rare for me nowadays to get fixated on one piece. But this is simply too gorgeous and it makes me well up a little. Particularly the Kyrie.
So thanks Mahlerian for popping it on the board over at the project.


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.5, No.2

Collegium Musicum 90 -- Simon Standage, violin


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Weston said:


> *Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1872 version)*
> Georg Tintner / National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
> 
> View attachment 32967
> 
> 
> Spent much of the evening with this familiar work -- familiar to me at least. Presumably this is the unplayable version before all the revisions. The performance and recording are passionate and powerful. I'm going to stop feeling embarrassed by all the Naxos CDs and MP3s in my collection.


There is no need for embarrasment at owning Naxos CDs. I bought 350 at one go a few years back (a collection on a well-known internet auction site) and there were very few 'duds' among them (but plenty of pearls). It was, and still is, a pioneering and valuable record label that I remember as being a pioneer in combatting the claim of the big record companies that CDs had to be three times the price of LPs


----------



## Lerouse

Schubert: 8 Symphonies - Chamber Orchestra of Europe - Claudio Abbado

Heard its one of the best recordings of Schubert's Symphonies, liking it so far


----------



## MagneticGhost

Headphone Hermit said:


> There is no need for embarrasment at owning Naxos CDs. I bought 350 at one go a few years back (a collection on a well-known internet auction site) and there were very few 'duds' among them (but plenty of pearls). It was, and still is, a pioneering and valuable record label that I remember as being a pioneer in combatting the claim of the big record companies that CDs had to be three times the price of LPs


350 in one go!! Was it a bargain? 
I never seem to see things like that when I'm doing my browsing.

Naxos range from "more than adequate" to "excellent" in my experience. I am particularly enamoured of the Kodaly Haydn Quartets - And my box of complete Haydn masses.


----------



## Vesteralen

Itullian said:


> In memory of Maestro Abbado. Listening to this wonderful set.


One of my favorite Thirds, for sure.


----------



## Vesteralen

I like what I can hear on low-volume while I'm working, but I need to spend some quality time with this one on headphones when I get a chance.


----------



## PetrB

Kevin Volans Piano Concerto No.3 (No. 1, titled 'Concerto for piano and Winds')


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Beethoven - Missa Solemnis (Klemperer/Angel)*

_Stupid "flexy" vinyl pressing made side 4 almost impossible to listen to. Just ordered a CD replacement so I can chuck my LP _


----------



## Headphone Hermit

MagneticGhost said:


> 350 in one go!! Was it a bargain?
> I never seem to see things like that when I'm doing my browsing.
> 
> Naxos range from "more than adequate" to "excellent" in my experience. I am particularly enamoured of the Kodaly Haydn Quartets - And my box of complete Haydn masses.


Absolute bargain - less than 40p each, but the real bargain was that as well as stuff that I would have bought anyway the set had lots of composers I wouldn't have thought of buying at that stage (eg Geirr Tveitt, Berwald) and it gave me a new impetus to explore other composers


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I'm listening to Marc Minkowski's recording of Haydn's 100th Symphony.


----------



## jim prideaux

doing some work while listening again to the Otaka and Welsh orch recordings of the complete Glazunov symphonies-have just ordered the Serebrier complete symphonies and concertos-one cannot have enough Glazunov in ones life!

Borodin 2nd-any recommendations anyone?
Balakirev-any starting points ?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

E. J. Moeran's music has come more into notice among the classical music community, and all I can say is it's about time. This recording of both his violin and cello concertos are well worth a listen. I do prefer his symphonies but these concertos are growing on me with each new listen.










Kevin


----------



## Bas

Gioacchino Rossini - Petite Messe Sollenelle (orchestra version)
By Daniella Dessi [soprano], Gloria Scalschi [mezzo-soprano], Giuseppe Sabbatini [tenor], Michele Pertusi [bass], Orchestra Rosinni, Coro del Teatro Communale di Bolonga, Ricardo Chailly [dir.], on Decca









(I usually plan what I will listen to, but today I have no idea, so I only state the present, currently playing discs)


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Michelle DeYoung, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Haitink









If I had known of Abbado's passing, I would have listened to one of his many great performances, and later, I will, but not of Mahler. One Mahler symphony is enough for a day, especially if it's the Third. Schoenberg was converted to Mahler by this very work; he described the experience in a lengthy, effusive letter as striking him like a thunderbolt. His excellent essay on Mahler's music describes with palpable pleasure the posthorn solo in the Scherzo, as it is transformed in each appearance.


----------



## science

Chicken soup for the souls of the fans of the Second Vienna School. If they ate chicken soup, which they probably don't condescend to do, so let's say it's escargot, foie gras, caviar and truffles (to preserve plausible deniability in case of legal trouble, you don't ask how they're prepared) for the SVS fan's soul.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in E major, Op. 54 no. 3_ 
Salomon Quartet


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, KV 581

Vlastimil Mares on clarinet with the Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Listening to Claudio Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmoniker in this disc of Hindemith works for the second time today. It was during the first listen I read the sad news about the Maestro (Rest in Peace:angel.

It is my introduction to the composer and as noted on the Latest Purchases thread, Abbado brings an undefinable extra for me on this disc.


----------



## lupinix

Purcell Dido and Aeneas


----------



## PetrB

John Adams ~ Hoodoo Zephyr





then, as remedy to all the musical wrongs of the Lang Lang thread 
Mauricio Kagel ~ _Ludwig Van_ (incomplete link, not knowing if that is a good thing, or if that is a bad thing... but I would like to hear the whole thing....)


----------



## stevederekson

My favourite Abbado recording. Will sit down with some wine this afternoon and listen to it in his honor.


----------



## bejart

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757): Symphony in E Flat, Op.11, No.3

Donald Armstrong conducting the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

In Tune
Stuart Skelton, Opera North, Radio 2's Chris Evans

Sean Rafferty presents, with live music from acclaimed tenor Stuart Skelton.


----------



## Mahlerian

One of my own favorite Abbado recordings:

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, op.42
Maurizio Pollini, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado









That final C major major seventh chord is always a rush.


----------



## joen_cph

jim prideaux said:


> doing some work while listening again to the Otaka and Welsh orch recordings of the complete Glazunov symphonies-have just ordered the Serebrier complete symphonies and concertos-one cannot have enough Glazunov in ones life!
> 
> Borodin 2nd-any recommendations anyone?
> Balakirev-any starting points ?


For *Borodin* 2nd Symphony - Carlos Kleiber or Kondrashin/CtGebouw, for example. A bit awkward CD couplings though, I´m sure there are others of interest, perhaps Järvi/DG. Svetlanov perhaps isn´t really top-notch here, IMO.

For *Balakirev*:"Tamar", in the Svetlanov/USSR AcSO recording (cheap!) http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Jun03/Balakirev_Svetlanov.htm, not Svetlanov/Philharmonia http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx...+tamara;+overture+on+three+russian+themes.htm.


----------



## julianoq

stevederekson said:


> My favourite Abbado recording. Will sit down with some wine this afternoon and listen to it in his honor.


Thanks for posting, now listening this record for the first time and loving it, a "light" performance with punch on the right moments. Another Abbado's gem.


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, op.92
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado


----------



## jim prideaux

Abbado recording of Brahms 2nd piano concerto with Pollini was my introduction to composer 30 years ago and I will always be grateful for that-despite the fact that the recording is not highly thought of-as with a number of other members I particularly enjoy the conductors recordings of the Schubert symphonies with the CEO.......


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Gian Francesco Malipiero : _Impressioni dal vero 1, 2 & 3_

These make very good impressions on me, in particular the latter 2, so much so, that I am intrigued enough to explore more of his music, in particular, some later works, such as his symphonies. Having been a teacher of Nono and Maderna, his very late works are also of interest. He wanted to find his way back to the Italian music tradition, but, through my limited listening palette, I hear a Debussian French flavour in these early pieces.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://intransit

I purchased this on 13 January 2014, but it is still in transit.









If I can find it on YT, I might preview it today, to commemorate the Abbado's passing. Otherwise, I have lots of other ones


----------



## opus55

Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri










Great conductor of operas as well


----------



## Oskaar

Listened to Bethovens violin sonatas yesterday. Not all, but what I listened to was very good. There are several full sycles on spotify with good sound, and I will surely dig into thrm in the near future.
Yesterday I picked Pinchas Zukerman and Corey Cerovsek to compare the first sonata. Both was very good, Zukerman more intense, and very in front of the piano,
Cerovsek more sensitive and lyric, intense as well mostly with the brilliant interplay with the piano. You notice that the zukerman is remastred, the sound is a bit hard, but the remastering is very well done.I recommend both, it is a mather of taste and mood wich one to pick.

*Corey Cerovsek 
Beethoven: The 10 Violin Sonatas*









allmusic
amazon









*Violin Sonatas: Complete Collections [Box set] *
Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Marc Neikrug (Performer), Pinchas Zukerman (Performer)(remastred)

amazon


----------



## hpowders

Mahler Symphony #9. 
Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic.
Not as fine as Karajan, in my opinion (the only opinion that matters to me), but fits on one CD which makes it a winner, lazy as I am.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

jim prideaux said:


> doing some work while listening again to the Otaka and Welsh orch recordings of the complete Glazunov symphonies-have just ordered the Serebrier complete symphonies and concertos-one cannot have enough Glazunov in ones life!
> 
> Borodin 2nd-any recommendations anyone?
> Balakirev-any starting points ?


Borodin 2nd, I'd recommend LSO/Martinon, there are a couple of incarnations on Decca, one of which can be picked up on Amazon for the grand total of 71p! The Carlos Kleiber disc gets good press, though I've not heard it. Another favourite is the Philharmonia/Nicolai Malko.
Balakirev: 1st Symphony & Tamara- RPO/Beecham. Superb and available on Amazon from £5.97 second hand.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Paulus (Kurt Masur; Janowitz; Lang; Blochwitz; Adam; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig).


----------



## bejart

Anton Fils (1733-1760): Symphony in G Minor

Michi Gaigg leading L'Orfeo Barockorchester


----------



## Oskaar

*Spohr: Violin Concertos Nos. 2 & 5*

Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 2

Violin Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 17

*Ulf Hoelscher (violin)

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Christian Frohlich*









amazon


----------



## hpowders

I like Louis Spohr's music. Some good chamber pieces too!


----------



## DrKilroy

Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto No. 1 (Isserlis/Tilson Thomas).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Ravndal

You never know how much a persons means to you before he dies. Thank god there is so many recordings of Abbado.

Listening to Beethoven - Symphony 7.


----------



## Blancrocher

Abbado conducting Argerich and the BPO in Ravel's Piano Concerto in G.


----------



## Ravndal

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 33012
> 
> 
> Abbado conducting Argerich and the BPO in Ravel's Piano Concerto in G.


Been my favorite recording of my favorite piano concerto for a while. Simply legendary. What an duo! be sure to check out the prokofiev no 3 concerto by the same


----------



## Vaneyes

*Moeran*: Orchestral Works, w. Falletta et al (rec.2012), Handley et al (rec.1987); String Quartets, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1995).








View attachment 33013
View attachment 33014


----------



## OboeKnight

Feeling clarinetty today. This is an excellent recording of the Saint-Saens Sonata and the Debussy Rapsodie. Loving it


----------



## Guest

I only get around to listening to Geirr Tveitt about once a year or so. Which is a real shame - it's really good stuff!









I have a little pet theory that in the 20th century classical music from the periphery was more interesting than that from the core. I would use Tveitt as one example.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahler: Symphony 7, w. BPO/Abbado (rec.2001).

R.I.P. :angel:


----------



## stevederekson

Vaneyes said:


> Mahler: Symphony 7, w. BPO/Abbado (rec.2001).
> 
> R.I.P. :angel:


Great recording, yes sir!


----------



## Guest

Abbado:









A very interesting review here:

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=6489


----------



## DavidA

Mozart - Mass in C minor / Abbado - memory of a late great!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

An afternoon listening to Baroque instrumental works.


----------



## jim prideaux

Myaskovsky-24th/25th symphonies recorded by Moscow Phil. conducted by Yablonsky...

further evidence that Naxos label is by no means the cheap alternative in any sense other than cost...this is a superb recording of two works I might otherwise have never heard!-and what remarkable symphonies they are!


----------



## spradlig

The Shostakovich #2 is a fun piece. I discovered it after decades of classical music listening from the otherwise disappointing movie _Fantasia 2000_.



Leporello87 said:


> This morning on the way to work I listened to Shostakovich's 2nd Piano Concerto, along with part of the finale to Mozart's operatic fragment L'oca del Cairo, KV 422. As it turns out, L'oca del Cairo may actually be a composition of J.M. Kraus of Sweden, but the piano concerto seems to be authentically Shostakovich


----------



## Oskaar

*Fanny Clamagirand / Patrick Gallois 
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concertos*

*Gallois, Patrick, Conductor • Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla • Clamagirand, Fanny, violin*









This is the first time I hear Saint Saens violin concertos, and it is great! The recording is absolutely superb.

allmusic
naxos
amazon
musicweb-international
http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1088318
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical...=112274&name_role2=2&bcorder=21&comp_id=28206


----------



## Oskaar

*Fanny Clamagirand / Patrick Gallois 
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concertos*

*Gallois, Patrick, Conductor • Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla • Clamagirand, Fanny, violin*

View attachment 33021


This is the first time I hear Saint Saens violin concertos, and it is great! The recording is absolutely superb.

allmusic
naxos
amazon
musicweb-international
arkivmusic
classical online


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - 'Ach, das Ungewitter naht!', 'Die düstrigen Wolken trennen sich' (John Eliot Gardiner; Bonney; Johnson; Schmidt; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Reich's Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint; and smiling at Pierre Boulez's assessment of minimalism: "Perhaps it can be understood as a kind of social pathology, as an aural sign that American audiences are primitive and uneducated."


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.4 - Magdalena Kozena, mezzo, Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> Listening to Reich's Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint; and smiling at Pierre Boulez's assessment of minimalism: "Perhaps it can be understood as a kind of social pathology, as an aural sign that American audiences are primitive and uneducated."


Not one of his statements that I agree with.

Stravinsky (after Tchaikovsky): The Fairy's Kiss
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> Listening to Reich's Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint


I used to have that on LP. I feel it's kind of on the pop end of classical. One or two listens and you've got it, but it is fun  I like what Harrison Birtwistle said:

"my _brain gets there before_ the music does."


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> I used to have that on LP. I feel it's kind of on the pop end of classical. One or two listens and you've got it, but it is fun  I like what Harrison Birtwistle said:
> 
> "my _brain gets there before_ the music does."


Or like John Adams's friend Marcel Proost says of minimalism? "Check your brains at the door." :lol: I have few enough grey cells left at my age that I can enjoy it though.

Anyway, with Birtwhistle my brain never gets there at all.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas Nos. 46, 48, and 49*


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92

Claudio Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## SimonNZ

Rimsky-Korsakov's Invisible City Of Kitezh Suite - Vaclav Smetacek, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*James Macmillan - The Confession of Isobel Gowdie*

*Jennifer Higdon - Percussion Concerto* 
Colin Currie (percussion soloist)

*Thomas Ades - Chamber Symphony (1990)*

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Marin Alsop, conductor) [LPO]


----------



## EricABQ

Uchida playing Schubert's 958 and 959.


----------



## lupinix

Britten Cello Symphony- Pieter Wispelwey


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar* _Cello Concerto_
- Beatrice Harrison, cello; New SO under the composer, rec. 1928

*Bartók* _String Quartets 1 & 4_
- Alban Berg Quartett

*Haydn* _Cello Concerto in C_
- Jacqueline du Pré, cello; English CO under Daniel Barenboim

*Martin* _Mass for double choir_
- Stockholm Chamber Choir under Eric Ericson

*Schumann* _Symphony #3, "Rhenish"_
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta


I've been going thru *Bartók's string quartets*. Last week covered 3, 5 & 6. I'm warming to *SQ #1*, which for an early work from 1908 already shows aspects of the mature composer to come. One is a similarity to _Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta_, in terms of this quartet's mysterious opening and quite driven conclusion with an emotional folkish tune. *SQ #4* coming from 1928 has many contrasting textures, including the pizzicato fourth movement, and at the end comes home full circle in a surprising way.

Taking in more cello music, including a very emotional interpretation of *Elgar's Cello Concerto *by his soloist of choice, Beatrice Harrison; and an exhuberant interp of the *Haydn concerto *by du Pré.

It's been a pleasure listening to *Frank Martin *these days, my favourite works on this set are his Petite Symphonie concertante, the *Mass for double choir *and Polyptyque. The mass is a mix of old and new, overall quite meditative and dark, but there are glimpses of light. Martin's setting of the text is an example of the music serving the text, not the other way round. It might be the reason why I tend to favour masses of with smaller forces involved, that quality of intimacy and simplicity, the focus being on the words rather than grandeur and high drama.

Also revisiting *Schumann's* symphonies these day, and I am getting more familiar with *Symphony #3, "Rhenish." *Its unusual structure of five rather than the traditional four movements suggests the composer had many big ideas to get out. I see it as looking back on Schubert's Symphony #9 and forwards to Bruckner (esp. the fourth movement, the so-called Cathedral Scene, with its brass sonorities reminiscent of choral music) and maybe even to Mahler (the fanfares in the finale make me think of Mahler's heroic qualities, eg. the finale of his Symphony #1). I never thought of Schumann's pivotal role between Beethoven/Schubert and Bruckner/Mahler in exactly this way before. Interesting.


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> Anyway, with Birtwhistle my brain never gets there at all.


 He's on my buy list.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in A major, Op. 55 no. 1_ ('Tost II')
Salomon Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in A major, Op. 2 no. 1_ from Divertimenti a Quattro
Piccolo Concerto Wien


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Sinfonia a 3 in G Major

Camerata Koln: Sabine Bauer and Ingeborg Scheerer, violins -- Rainer Zipperling, cello


----------



## ShropshireMoose

D'Albert: Piano Concerto No.2 Michael Ponti/Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg/Pierre Cao

Michael Ponti, the unsung hero of obscure piano concerti on many a Vox LP (as here), it's a very enjoyable, not too mention difficult concerto this one, with a bit more substance to it than some I've heard. Bravo.

Franck: Violin Sonata
Faure: Violin Sonata No.1/Berceuse Op.16
Debussy: Violin Sonata/Minstrels Jacques Thibaud/Alfred Cortot

Three masterpieces for the violin, plus a couple of encores, in performances which remain, even after 80 years, as good as any in this repertoire (and, I suppose I should add, better than most).


----------



## Sonata

Chopin: Sonata 3

Schubert: Octet. This was my first listen and a darn ear perfect piece of music!

Mozart: La Finta Semplice. My first listen, just started it. I enjoy the intro very much.


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Chausson's* (1855 - 1899) birthday.

View attachment 33039


----------



## KenOC

Continuing the minimalism ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-extravaganza: Steve Reich, Drumming. Music that doesn't make you feel guilty when you get up for a beer.


----------



## Guest

Rapsodia española, Op.70 (orchestrated by Enescu)









It's shocking how few times this thing has been recorded.


----------



## hpowders

Mahler Symphony #9 Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic.
As this day wanes, I play the final movement alone. Dedicated to the memory of the great conductor, Claudio Abbado.


----------



## PetrB

stevederekson said:


> Anything pre-Stockhausen is conservative.


Now, now, there. Machaut was and is avant-garde. Especially if he is new to your experience.


----------



## PetrB

brotagonist said:


> c'n://offsite
> 
> Gian Francesco Malipiero : _Impressioni dal vero 1, 2 & 3_
> 
> These make very good impressions on me, in particular the latter 2, so much so, that I am intrigued enough to explore more of his music, in particular, some later works, such as his symphonies. Having been a teacher of Nono and Maderna, his very late works are also of interest. He wanted to find his way back to the Italian music tradition, but, through my limited listening palette, I hear a Debussian French flavour in these early pieces.


Thankfully, he never lost his native 'accent.'


----------



## Mahlerian

You people are all retrograde.


----------



## PetrB

Bas said:


> Gioacchino Rossini - Petite Messe Sollenelle (orchestra version)
> By Daniella Dessi [soprano], Gloria Scalschi [mezzo-soprano], Giuseppe Sabbatini [tenor], Michele Pertusi [bass], Orchestra Rosinni, Coro del Teatro Communale di Bolonga, Ricardo Chailly [dir.], on Decca
> 
> View attachment 32988
> 
> 
> (I usually plan what I will listen to, but today I have no idea, so I only state the present, currently playing discs)


b...b...but _the original registration is so wonderful_, Solo singers (participating as chorus members when not solo), two pianos and harmonium.
I could not find it, but there _was_ a terrific recording using Rossini's original registration, with the Chorus of La Scala opera, I believe the principal singers also chorus members, if it is to be had, it is worth tracking down. 
[The piece is a far too little known and performed masterwork, imo.]


----------



## PetrB

science said:


> Chicken soup for the souls of the fans of the Second Vienna School. If they ate chicken soup, which they probably don't condescend to do, so let's say it's escargot, foie gras, caviar and truffles (to preserve plausible deniability in case of legal trouble, you don't ask how they're prepared) for the SVS fan's soul.


Funny, but with the constant resistance to their music all those composers endured, it is more likely they had to fill up some times with a bit of schmaltz spread on toast, a very peoples' start of day meal for many back then. I think salted chicken fat on toast must be as much an acquired taste as Marmite on toast is for our Aussie colleagues.


----------



## Blancrocher

For Walter Piston's birthday: Gerard Schwarz conducting "The Incredible Flutist."

An infectious work.


----------



## PetrB

Mahlerian said:


> You people are all retrograde.


Is this from the vintage Enesco ethnomusic recordings? (which I used to own in my youth  Fabulous stuff, the driving ideology / philosophy to keep in proper alignment with the right way of the universe. Thanks SO much for this link.

This intensely refined music tradition dates from at least ca. 600 A.C.E. -- _meanwhile, back in Europe_.....


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Abbado's penultimate concert (23 August last year) with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, featuring Schubert 8 and Bruckner 9. The performances of both works are glorious and can be heard online for free.


----------



## lupinix

Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 played by Ashkenazy 
Im dying at the cadenza <3


----------



## Guest

Continuing the theme of incredibly neglected Spanish works... Carlos Surinach's Piano Concerto, etc:


----------



## Weston

Kevin Pearson said:


> E. J. Moeran's music has come more into notice among the classical music community, and all I can say is it's about time. This recording of both his violin and cello concertos are well worth a listen. I do prefer his symphonies but these concertos are growing on me with each new listen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin





Vaneyes said:


> *Moeran*: Orchestral Works, w. Falletta et al (rec.2012), Handley et al (rec.1987); String Quartets, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1995).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 33013
> View attachment 33014


jim prideaux (among others) encouraged me to investigate Moeran and I am forever grateful. We live in amazing times when people from across the globe can influence one another. I only have the Symphony in G minor and a couple of other things so far -- the Handley rendition above, but I rank Moeran as highly satisfying.


----------



## SimonNZ

Morton Feldman's For Christian Wolff - Eberhard Blum, flute, Nils Vigeland, piano and celesta


----------



## Guest

I'll never know why I don't listen to such a perfect classic more often.


----------



## bejart

Wenzel Wilhelm Wurfel (1790-1832): Polonaise, Op.27, No.1

Martin Vojtisek, piano









Lovely nocturnal music from Chopin's teacher ---


----------



## science

As I cannot refrain from heresy these days -










The Rihm is where it's at. That is music.


----------



## PetrB

science said:


> As I cannot refrain from heresy these days -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Rihm is where it's at. That is music.


_GASP, "music is not a religion?"_
It is only heresy if you are fool enough to believe it is was a religion in the first place....


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Alexander Glazunov*--Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.55; Symphony No.6 in C Minor, Op.58; Symphony No.7 in F Major, Op.77 {"Pastoral"} and Symphony No.8 in E-Flat Major, Op.77. *
All four works feature the Moscow RTV Syphony Orchestra led by Vasily Fedoseyev. 
Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 and Sinfonietta, Op.48, * both performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Scottish National Orchestra.


----------



## science

A great disk. Ordinarily for me the Prokofiev is the low point, but I really loved it this time.


----------



## science

PetrB said:


> _GASP, "music is not a religion?"_
> It is only heresy if you are fool enough to believe it is was a religion in the first place....


I'm sorry, PetrB, I don't understand what you're saying, and I suspect you made the mistake of taking me seriously. I only meant that, as I listened to that recording this time, I enjoyed the Rihm a lot more than the Berg. I don't want to be embarrassingly, naively sincere when I prefer the less popular work, so I pre-emptively defend myself with sarcasm. Do not try to take away my sarcasm.

Anyway, I'm not, ever, ever, ever going to become one of those guys who takes himself so seriously and expresses every opinion with candid conviction, as if it were an absolute truth to which everyone else must agree or face humiliation.

I just do this for fun.


----------



## science

arcaneholocaust said:


> View attachment 33047


It is a great work, isn't it?

I understand that people who've actually listened to it a thousand times would get tired of it, but I don't understand listening to it that often. I listen to it a few times a year, and it has always been a delightful experience for me.

But then, I'm not someone who gets turned off to a work just because they play it in restaurants. I don't pay much attention to the music in restaurants, and anyway, do they really play the whole work? I really don't know, as I don't pay attention, but it'd surprise me. I will never understand how people get turned off to a work just because it's played in restaurants. I suspect that's just social-posturing BS all the way down (oh no! the inferior people like it!), that I could understand; but maybe they're sincere, and that I cannot understand at all.


----------



## opus55

String Quartets by Debussy and Ravel


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms - Piano Concerto 2. It's time I get into Brahms. 
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Piano-...eywords=brahms+piano+concertos+claudio+abbado


----------



## science

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Brahms - Piano Concerto 2. It's time I get into Brahms.


He's easy to love, IMO. Of course I'm not dedicated to long sinuous melodies, or for that matter anything else; and I'm not turned off by prettiness, or for that matter anything else. But as long as you don't have one of those two problems, I believe Brahms is easy to love.


----------



## science

PetrB said:


> Funny, but with the constant resistance to their music all those composers endured, it is more likely they had to fill up some times with a bit of schmaltz spread on toast, a very peoples' start of day meal for many back then. I think salted chicken fat on toast must be as much an acquired taste as Marmite on toast is for our Aussie colleagues.


I said nothing about those composers, but about their fans.


----------



## PetrB

science said:


> I'm sorry, PetrB, I don't understand what you're saying, and I suspect you made the mistake of taking me seriously.


I thought the comment very dry and equally funny, took it that way. I also liked your Chicken Soup for the Soul of the Serialist fans, which made me laugh out loud when I read it, my comment on which I hope you took in similar spirit... Marmite and all that.



science said:


> Do not try to take away my sarcasm.


Oh, no! no! no! no! no! That was the same well from which I drew the comment about music as religion.

As per strong and candid opinions does anyone really take those as an absolute truth? Are we sheep or drones? No, _we are Devo!_



science said:


> I just do this for fun.


I do too, but maybe I'm very _earnest_ about my kind of fun?


----------



## science

PetrB said:


> I thought the comment very dry and equally funny, took it that way. I also liked your Chicken Soup for the Soul of the Serialist fans, which made me laugh out loud when I read it, my comment on which I hope you took in similar spirit... Marmite and all that.
> 
> Oh, no! no! no! no! no! That was the same well from which I drew the comment about music as religion.
> 
> As per strong and candid opinions does anyone really take those as an absolute truth? Are we sheep or drones? No, _we are Devo!_
> 
> I do too, but maybe I'm very _earnest_ about my kind of fun?


Oh, I didn't know you could do that. Ok, we're clear.

But I'll never forgive earnestness. We'll just have to learn to live with each other in spite of that....


----------



## science

I'm descending back into conservatism. I can't help myself. Maybe I should turn to drink.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select

Winding down for the night with an old favourite... but if you blindfolded me, I wouldn't know which of the 3 discs it was, let alone identify the bird 









Messian : _Catalogue d'oiseax_ Books 1-3 (on disc 1)
Peter Hill

I'm only doing disc one this session: it's a lot to take in at once. I know I've had the set for nearly 20 years, but I try to give all my albums equal time, more or less.

The cover is the reissue on Regis; I have the original 3CD set on Unicorn-Kanchana.


----------



## science

brotagonist said:


> c'n://select
> 
> Winding down for the night with an old favourite... but if you blindfolded me, I wouldn't know which of the 3 discs it was, let alone identify the bird
> 
> View attachment 33055
> 
> 
> Messian : _Catalogue d'oiseax_ Books 1-3 (on disc 1)
> Peter Hill
> 
> I'm only doing disc one this session: it's a lot to take in at once. I know I've had the set for nearly 20 years, but I try to give all my albums equal time, more or less.
> 
> The cover is the reissue on Regis; I have the original 3CD set on Unicorn-Kanchana.


Once again I come with the heresy. That might be my favorite Messiaen work. I do like the Quartet for the End of Time, a lot in fact, but something about the Catalog of Birds just does it for me.


----------



## moody

BPS said:


> Rapsodia española, Op.70 (orchestrated by Enescu)
> 
> View attachment 33040
> 
> 
> It's shocking how few times this thing has been recorded.


Which thing are you alluding to---there appear to be a number of things.


----------



## Guest

moody said:


> Which thing are you alluding to---there appear to be a number of things.


Rapsodia española, Op.70 (orchestrated by Enescu). The solo piano version gets recorded more frequently, but....


----------



## Tristan

*Massenet* - L'Histoire du Manon (Ballet)









What bothers me about this work is that it's an arrangement of different Massenet works and it makes me wonder where all the music comes from. There are some sections that I absolutely love--but what Massenet work are they extracted from? I guess I'll just have to listen to them all 

According to Wikipedia the music is drawn from "thirteen operas and two oratorios, as well as his orchestral suites, various songs and piano works."

And yes, I should be in bed right now...


----------



## science

Having descended into Puccini, I lost all my pride and now I have no reason not to listen even to this.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Paulus - 'Gott, sei mir gnädig' (Kurt Masur; Janowitz; Lang; Blochwitz; Adam; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig).


----------



## ptr

Following Science's track by embracing my inner romantic!

*Frederick Delius* - Various Orchestral works (Argo)









Academy of St Martin in the Fields u. Sir Neville

Mmmmmmmmmmm, romantic, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

/ptr


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Manxfeeder said:


> *Haydn, Piano Sonatas Nos. 46, 48, and 49*


is that room full of Haydn CDs? Each one will be a different work .... and each one will be top quality :lol:


----------



## Headphone Hermit

brotagonist said:


> c'n://select
> 
> Winding down for the night with an old favourite... but if you blindfolded me, I wouldn't know which of the 3 discs it was, let alone identify the bird
> 
> View attachment 33055
> 
> 
> Messian : _Catalogue d'oiseax_ Books 1-3 (on disc 1)
> Peter Hill
> 
> I'm only doing disc one this session: it's a lot to take in at once. I know I've had the set for nearly 20 years, but I try to give all my albums equal time, more or less.
> 
> The cover is the reissue on Regis; I have the original 3CD set on Unicorn-Kanchana.


That's beacuse he wrote using European bird species - North American species sing differently (seriously!)

Its one of my favourites too (also on U-K). As an aside, I always remember the producer - Dr Pople - a really nice guy who at one time was lecturer at Lancaster Uni but died tragically young (not the same as the NZ conductor of the same name)


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: String Quartets Op. 22, Nos. 1 & 2*


Athenaeum Enesco Quartet









amazon


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No.2
Richard Strauss: Cello Sonata Andre Navarra/Ernest Lush

Two great cello sonatas, played with passionate conviction by the wonderful Andre Navarra- with, it must be said, the equally wonderful Ernest Lush at the piano. This Parlophone LP has been inscribed on the back 7/58 by the person who originally bought it, thus it will be 56 years old in July, but verily it playeth as good as new. Yay!!


----------



## MrTortoise

Arrau playing the Liszt Transcendental Etudes. I just can't seem to quit listening to Arrau lately and I'm starting on round 2 of all the discs I have. Time to buy more!


----------



## SimonNZ

Werner Egk's La Tentation de Saint-Antoine - Bernard Lefort, baritone, Louis de Froment, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*FREITAS BRANCO, L. de: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (Cassuto)* - 
*Symphony No. 2 / After a Reading of Guerra Junqueiro / Artificial Paradises*

*Cassuto, Alvaro, Conductor • Ireland RTE National Symphony Orchestra*









naxos
amazon
classical net
musicweb-international
classicsonline


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (arranged for String Trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)

Trio Echnaton: Mayra Salinas, violin -- Sebastian Krunnies, viola -- Frank Michael Guthman, cello


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's Symphony No.5, conducted by Abbado with the BPO.


----------



## EricABQ

Faure's preludes op. 103 played by Kathryn Stott from her set of complete Faure piano.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart - The Haydn Quartets*

String Quartet No. 18 in A Major, K464 'Drum'

String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K465 'Dissonance'

*Quatuor Mosaiques*









prestoclassical.co


----------



## hpowders

^^^Two of my favorite Mozart quartets.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor (Peter Rösel; Kurt Masur; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig).









An excellent recording of the work, imo.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.22
Schubert: Piano Sonata in F Minor D.625/Three Pieces D.946/Impromptus D.899 Nos.3 & 4 Wilhelm Kempff

Having spent the latter part of the morning tidying up the garden, I now spend lunchtime in the excellent company of Mr. Kempff. This live recital from 1969 is one of the most enjoyable of his recordings. For 77 minutes it is as if you are in another, and better, world. Lovely.


----------



## Vasks

*Rachmaninoff - Overture to "Aleko" (Temirkanov/RCA)
Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 5 (Berman/Music & Arts)
Nielsen - Symphony No. 6 (Leaper/Naxos)*


----------



## Oskaar

*SCHUMANN, R.: Cello Concerto / LISZT, F.: Elegies / Romance oubliée / La lugubre gondola*

*Gaillard, Ophelie, cello • Soare, Tiberiu, Conductor • Romanian National Radio Orchestra • Bardin, Delphine, piano*









Maybe Gaillard is not among the best on cello, a bit unmature maybe, but neverthe less a good recording. The orchestra - cello interplay is good in the Schumann concert, bette tha the piano-cello interplay in Lizts work

amazon


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Wolf-Ferrari's* death day, January 21, 1948.

View attachment 33074


----------



## Oskaar

*Russian Violin Concertos*

Glazunov:	
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82

Khachaturian:	
Violin Concerto in D minor

Prokofiev:	
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19

*Julia Fischer (violin)

Russian National Orchestra, Yakov Kreizberg*









This is great stuff

amazon
classicalsource
prestoclassical
musicweb-international


----------



## Blancrocher

For Duparc's birthday, I'll listen to Mireille Delunsch singing his songs. I'll also try the well reviewed new recording of CPE Bach's "Hamburg" Symphonies conducted by Wolfram Christ, which have been released for the composer's tricentennial.


----------



## millionrainbows

Yesterday, Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day...

*Joseph Schwantner (1943). *If you've never heard Schwantner, it's wonderful music. It's got all sorts of harmonic "goodies" in it, things that I "fetish" because I love them so much. His exotic, arpeggiated chords, and the "spectral" effects he creates using "resonance effects" on melodies, like using chimes on top of a flute melody. This is similar to what Messiaen does in the "Turlangalila Symphony," where he uses his "chord of resonance" to transform "harmony" into "timbre".

*Velocities for solo marimba;* Evelyn Glennie, marimba.

*Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra;
*
*New Morning for the World: "Daybreak of Freedom"; *Vernon E. Jordan, Jr, narrator.

This has become my "go to" work for MLK day. "The solid rock of brotherhood..." Yeah, man!

On RCA/BMG.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruckner: Symphony No 3 *

*Bamberg Symphony Orchestra/Jonathan Nott*









Nott is a new conductor to me, and actually this symphony to, so I can not compare. But I find it good, dramatically, and when it comes to sensitivity and lyricism. But many of you are the experts.. The recording is from 2004

arkivmusic
allmusic
classical net
amazon
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/DEC10/Bruckner3_Tudor7133.htm


----------



## julianoq

Mahler's 5th symphony, conducted by Abbado with the BPO. Loved the Adagietto on a relatively faster tempo (9:00 minutes), it seems to be ideal in my opinion.


----------



## hpowders

^^^^That photo is the way I want to remember him.


----------



## Mahlerian

julianoq said:


> Mahler's 5th symphony, conducted by Abbado with the BPO. Loved the Adagietto on a relatively faster tempo (9:00 minutes), it seems to be ideal in my opinion.


Mahler's own tempo was closer to eight. Under ten seems right to me. Over eleven is too slow...


----------



## hpowders

Prokofiev Piano Concerto #5, El Bacha, Ono, Monnaie Symphony Orchestra
One of the better complete sets of the piano concertos (live performances).
The 5th, my favorite, is given a rousing performance!


----------



## julianoq

Now giving a break on my Abbado's streak, listening to Sibelius's Symphony No.6 / Tapiola conducted by Paavo Berglund with the HPO. I love the sixth. It seems so simple at first, like 'pure cold water' as Sibelius said, but it grew in me so much that is probably my favorite Sibelius symphony at the moment. There is something in this music that I am not able to explain with words.


----------



## adrem

Now excellent interpretation of Mahler 7th:


----------



## maestro267

*Walton*: Gloria
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Orchestra/Frémaux

*Vaughan Williams*: Toward the Unknown Region
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Lloyd-Jones

*Elgar*: The Music Makers
Hallé Choir & Orchestra/Elder


----------



## Mahlerian

Chin: Akrostichon Wortspiel*, Fantaisie Mécanique, Xi, Double Concerto (for prepared piano and percussion with ensemble)
*Piia Komsi, Ensemble InterContemporain









This DG disc, from their contemporary 20/21 line, was dropped not long after and now exists on the Kairos label, resequenced but using the exact same recordings (and, apparently, the same liner notes).










I first heard Chin's music through Youtube, where I encountered her etudes for piano. Her teacher was Ligeti, whose music I suppose is the closest analogue to her lively style laced with microtonal inflections and elements of the absurd and the surreal. Akrostichon Wortspiel, a work for soprano and ensemble in the tradition of Pierrot lunaire and Le marteau, but less dark-hued than either, was apparently her breakthrough piece, but the highlight of this disc for me is Xi, for ensemble and electronics, where the distinctions between the "real" sounds produced by the performers and the sampled ones are blurred. The piece forms out of a quiet breathing sound and, following a clear arc, eventually returns to it.

Chin's Violin Concerto won the Grawemeyer award, and it too has been recorded, by Viviane Hagner with conductor Kent Nagano. Her opera Alice in Wonderland has been released on DVD. Personally, I was not as enamored of it as I am of many of her other works.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 4


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 11 in D minor, 'Nelsonmesse' - Qui tollis peccata mundi (J. Owen Burdick; Hoyt; Sollek; Mutlu; Nolen; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra).









Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 (Vladimir Horowitz).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Gerhard*: Orchestral & Chamber Music (rec.1996 - '98).

View attachment 33094
View attachment 33095
View attachment 33096


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op. 19* / Wilhelm Kempff (piano), BPO, Ferdinand Leitner [DG, rec. 1962]









Another 'madeleine' from the back of my LP cupboard - not nearly so familiar to me as Op. 15, though.

*Mahler

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen* / Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Philharmonia Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
*Kindertotenlieder* / Fischer-Dieskau; BPO, Rudolf Kempe 
[Pathé-Marconi (EMI), rec. (i) 1952; (ii) 1955]









Next up in my review of my Mahler Lieder recordings - I bought this LP in my 20s before I had any idea who Furtwangler was, though I had just begun to listen to lieder and Fischer-Diskau had come to my attention, most likely on BBC Radio 3. Obviously I got lucky here with the performances since I could have chosen anything. Both recordings are surprisingly good and the vinyl pressings clean as a whistle. Very enjoyable listening.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variationen BWV 988
By Andereass Staier [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi









Joseph Haydn - The last seven words of our Saviour on the Cross (quartet version)
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Sonatas K.279/280/281/282 Friedrich Gulda

Walton: String Quartet The Coull Quartet

Gulda's Mozart is magnificent, what a marvellous pianist he was. Nothing of the china doll approach to Mozart here. Listening to him play these sonatas, you wonder how it was that years ago people used to write them off as being a not very important part of Mozart's oevre. The Coull disc I found lurking in Oxfam in Ludlow, for a couple of pounds, well worth the outlay! I'm very much looking forward to hearing the Walton Cello Concerto in Birmingham tomorrow afternoon.


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Francis Poulenc* - Sinfonietta (and some other funky stuff) (Decca)









Pascal Rogé, piano; Orchestre National du France u. Charles Dutoit

..night music...

*Songs And Dances Of Death* - Songs and Arias by Russian Composers (Philips









Dmitri Hvorostovsky, bar; Kirov orchestra u. Valery Gergiev

/ptr


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Beethoven : Triple Concerto (Trio Fontenay/Inbal/Phil'ia O)
Beethoven : PC 2 (Fellner/Marriner/StMitF)

I am very enamoured of Beethoven's Triple Concerto. Sometimes, I think I should have taken a closer look at/listen to the Zinman/Tonhalle Zürich recording, as I would have also gotten Beethoven's Septet instead of his 2nd PC, but I didn't know who Zinman was then. The PC 2 is fine, though.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Granados - Danzas Españolas* / Alicia de Larrocha (Piano) [Decca, 1980]









Final disc of the evening as I need to be up and about early tomorrow morning.

In the days of LPs as my prime music source this got a lot of play time. It's still very colourful and evocative music.


----------



## hpowders

De Larrocha and Granados. A match made in heaven.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Poulenc*: Piano Music, w. Roge (rec.1986 - '98).

View attachment 33112
View attachment 33113
View attachment 33114


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Double Concerto Jacques Thibaud/Pablo Casals/Casals Orchestra Barcelona/Alfred Cortot
Chausson: Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet Jacques Thibaud/Alfred Cortot with Louis Isnard & Vladimir Voulfman (violins), Georges Blanplain (Viola) and Maurice Eisenberg (Cello)

By sheer coincidence I've reached this disc in the course of my gentle meander into this set on Chausson's birthday. The Brahms is a good performance, but the Chausson is in a class of its own. I bought this performance when it came out on LP in 1981 and have loved it ever since. This is a VERY good transfer. Actually, this is a *VERY* good set.
And if the thought of Cortot conducting seems strange, don't forget that he conducted the first performance in Paris of "Gotterdammerung" in 1902!


----------



## DavidA

The virtuoso Liszt - Gary Graffman


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://offsite

Unsuk Chin -_Šu_ for sheng (Volkov/BBC SO)

This is a rather unusual piece. For about the first half, it seemed somewhat reminiscent of Maderna's _Aura_, but then we were transported into a section that sounded almost like Piazzolla's bandoneon, which then slowly drifted into nothingness.

The sheng is a traditional Chinese mouth-blown reed instrument. Chin is a German-based Korean composer.

I also started to listen to her piece, _Mirrors des temps_, but I quickly skipped it, as I was not prepared to hear a choral-like work of over 40 minutes in duration.


----------



## clara s

I want to offer here my small participation to the great Claudio Abbado

He used to say:

"My grandfather was taking me often to the mountains, for long walks.
As he was not talking much, I learned to listen to silence, since I was very young.
For me, the time we listen is the most important thing-
to listen to people, to listen to one another, to listen to music..."

That was the reason, that in his hands, everything was heard so different.

A legendary conductor, a real artist.

*So, tonight, I listen to Claudio and his so much loved Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, 
that he created himself.

9th synphony of Mahler*

from the man that gave a really new wind and breath to the late romantism


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Suk's Towards A New Life - Vaclav Newman, cond

very pomp and circumstance


----------



## Sonata

Schubert: String quartet #10


----------



## Weston

The coolest thing happened today. Well, fellow geeks might think it's cool anyway. I was listening to random play at work on my iPod, and *Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques "Transitoires"* came up.









This fantastic movement (after a long series of amazing timbres that sound almost electronic at times, but aren't, I don't think) ends with a solo viola, or maybe violin. It plays two notes over and over and almost fades out, then surprises with what might be a modulation (or maybe you would only consider it a modulation if it were closer to common practice) that ends on a C# (I think) which my brain registered as the third note of an A major chord for some reason - leaving the movement hanging and unresolved.

Then up next, totally at random was *Mozart: Symphony No.38 in D major K504, 'Prague'*, starting on a D major chord that the unresolved C# seemed to lead to (even though the previous work was scarcely in the same sound universe).









It was an absolutely magical effect that seemed to bridge two centuries seamlessly in the blink of an eye.

I know. I'm easily amused.


----------



## Weston

millionrainbows said:


> *Joseph Schwantner (1943). *If you've never heard Schwantner, it's wonderful music. It's got all sorts of harmonic "goodies" in it, things that I "fetish" because I love them so much. His exotic, arpeggiated chords, and the "spectral" effects he creates using "resonance effects" on melodies, like using chimes on top of a flute melody. This is similar to what Messiaen does in the "Turlangalila Symphony," where he uses his "chord of resonance" to transform "harmony" into "timbre".


I used to have a Schwantner piece called "Aftertones of Infinity" on cassette a long time ago. I remember thinking it was very exciting. I should look that one up again.

I currently have in my collection "From Afar - A Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra" performed by Sharon Isben, but it is upstaged on that album by a Lukas Foss piece I'm afraid (another fine composer), so I don't remember as much about it.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

More Abbado: this time his sublime Mahler 1 at Lucerne.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 1










New arrival


----------



## SimonNZ

digging out the first Abbado album I purchased, back when I was 15, for another listen

Rihm's Depart
Ligeti's Atmospheres and Lontano
Nono's Liebeslied
Boulez's Notations I-IV


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven* _Piano Trio #5, "Ghost" _
- Daniel Barenboim, piano; Pinchas Zuckerman, violin; Jacqueline du Pré, cello

*Sibelius* _Scene with Cranes_
- City of Birmingham SO under Simon Rattle

Taking in *Beethoven's Ghost trio* - thus named for its spooky middle movement - and *Sibelius' Scene with Cranes*, the common thing between them being an atmospheric and mysterious quality.

*Prokofiev* 
_Symphony # 1, "Classical"_
_Symphony # 3_
- London SO under Claudio Abbado

Fitted in a tribute to *Maestro Abbado*, with his early *Prokofiev* recordings that I have cherished for over 20 years now. His interp of *Symphony #3* is one hell of a fiery angel! The third movement nails down those changing moods and rhythms, from psychopathic to tranquil and then some. There is a connection here with *Zubin Mehta* - the two studied conducting together in Vienna in Prof. Hans Swarowsky's class during the 1950's. They also sang in the Wiener Singverein under conductors such as Erich Kleiber and Herbert von Karajan. I have some recordings by Swarowsky, which I quite like, I'll try listen to them soon.

*Schumann* 
_Symphony #2_
_Genoveva - Overture_
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta

Also continuing with the *Schumann* cycle. Again, the brassy bits in the first movement of *Symphony #2* remind me of Bruckner, the massed string sonorities in the slow movement - marked _espressivo_, and it does live up to its name - brings Mahler's _Adagietto_ from _Symphony #5_ to mind. Schumann's position in the symphonic canon makes more sense to me now, after years. Of course he's an important composer in his own right, but one thing that's helping me appreciate him more is linking him to what came before and after.

*Sessions* _String Quintet_
- The Group for Contemporary Music - Benjamin Hudson and Carol Zeavin, violins; Lois Martin and Jenny Douglas, violas; Joshua Gordon, cello

*Roger Sessions' String Quintet* (1958) is an interesting work. To my mind it has similarities to Schoenberg's Romantic-leaning aesthetic combined with application of serial technique. Reading a 1965 interview, Sessions comes across as being quite critical of the Webern cult, and said the arguments about inevitability or necessity of total serialisation was to apply a certain view of music history - which he actually calls "pseudo-history" - erroneously to art, which for him is primarily about individual expression. I was surprised to hear that Sessions was well into his fifties when he started using serialist techniques. However, I remember that Elliott Carter was about forty when he started doing the same.

The _*String Quintet *_ was among Sessions' first serial type works, and this Naxos cd is the first recording. It has fairly obvious thematic unity, at the start of each movement there is a phrase that is treated differently but still linked and similar to what went before. Its also got this flowing and melodic quality, "dissonant yet remarkably lyrical" as the notes say. However the last movement - more up-tempo, louder and spikier than the two others preceding it - comes as a bit of a shock. Nevertheless, a brief reminiscence of the dominant lyrical phrase does come back towards the abrupt ending.

*Martin*
_Ariel-Chöre aus Shakespeares Sturm_ - Stockholm Chamber Choir under Eric Ericson
_Quatre Pieces breves_ - Julian Bream, guitar

Talking to flexible applications of serialism, on with the inimitable *Frank Martin*, his choral pieces from *The Tempest* are short and sweet. I remember singing a setting of _Where the Bee Sucks_ in school - but it wasn't Martin's one! The third of his *four guitar pieces *came across to me as having a melodic/rhythmic idea similar to one of the piano solos in the _Petite Symphonie concertante_, also on this set.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1837): Symphony No.7 in A Minor, Op.181

Howard Griffiths conducting the Zurcher Kammerorchester


----------



## Guest

Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20
Riccardo Muti - The Philadelphia Orchestra

Because I'm in the mood for melody. Gushing, over-romantic and purely Tchaikovsky.


----------



## PetrB

Vittorio Rieti ~ Concerto for Harpsichord & Orchestra (1954)

Well, this is _nice,_ again.
I'll take that back. This is _really nice._





Serenade for violin concertante & chamber orchestra (1931)


----------



## brotagonist

PetrB said:


> Vittorio Rieti ~ Concerto for Harpsichord & Orchestra (1954)
> 
> Well, this is _nice,_ again.
> I'll take that back. This is _really nice._


OK. I'm listening to it now 

Oh, my! That harpsichord is amazing. It's almost kooky, but it isn't, or is it? It's somewhere between Bach and Xenakis. It's back and forth between the old and the new. I even heard some old cartoon music


----------



## hpowders

Aaron Copland, Clarinet Concerto, Stanley Drucker, Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.
The great former first clarinetist of the NY Philharmonic struts his considerable stuff!


----------



## Vasks

brotagonist said:


> Oh, my! That harpsichord is amazing. It's almost kooky,


mysterious and spooky? Is it all together ooky?


----------



## SimonNZ

Kurtag's Kafka Fragments - Juliane Banse, soprano, András Keller, violin


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.1 in F Major, Op.18, No.1

Budapest String Quartet: Joseph Roisman and Jac Gorodetzki, violins -- Boris Kroyt, viola -- Mischa Schneider, cello


----------



## opus55

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Haas Version},* performed by the Herbert von Karajan led Berliner Philharmoniker. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21 and Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 {Pastoral}, *both featuring George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## PetrB

Vasks said:


> mysterious and spooky? Is it all together ooky?


It is wooky, ebullient cooky dance-like kazooky plucky modern serious good fun, that piece.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen - Ritter vom Steckenpferd; Fast zu ernst; Furchtenmachen (Vladimir Horowitz).









J. Haydn, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, Hob. 16/18; Piano Sonata in F Major, Hob. 16/23
(Walter Olbertz).


----------



## science

Goin' straight through. I really do prefer the harpsichord in anything of this period, but I just can't help liking Perahia's Bach.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select

Continuing straight on to another favourite:









I have Bach's French Suites both in this piano version by Gavrilov, which I have been listening to since this morning, as well as a harpsichord version by Hogwood. I adore them both. The harpsichord has that Baroque sound, while the piano is clean... you can really hear the music. I can't praise this enough. I am listening, like usual, only to one of the discs, the first, and will save the second for another session in a couple of weeks.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

An early start (for me) so what better than this splendid CD of Eric Coates?? What a superb composer he was, undoubtedly the finest light music composer of the 20th century- in my opinion- orchestras love playing his music, I suspect because he makes sure that everyone has something interesting to do. Also, he's streets ahead of any of his contemporaries in his use of harmony and rhythm, this I suspect can be put down to the years he spent as principal viola player with Henry Wood, who premiered more modern music at the proms than anybody else then working in Britain and I feel sure that the influence of playing the latest works of Schoenberg/Bartok/Stravinsky et al, not to mention the hundreds of British composers that Wood championed, must have all had an influence on Coates' writing. This CD is a very good general overview of his compositions, the best now available I think. His fugal working in "The Man From the Sea" where the old sea shanty "Johnny Come Down to Hilo" is blended with "Three Blind Mice" is masterly. "Rhythm" from his "Four Centuries" Suite is a real tour de force, and the more extended "Enchanted Garden" shows his wonderful gift for melody and working in a more extended form. I like the fact that Elgar had a standing order with the HMV shop in Oxford Street for any record of music by Coates that was issued to automatically be sent to him! A wonderful start to the day, and now I must.........away! :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Claudio Abbado, cond. - "Wein Modern II: Hommage a Andre Tarkovsky"

Nono's "No hay caminos, hay que caminar... Andrei Tarkovsky"
Kurtag's What is the Word (Samuel Beckett)
Furrer's Face de la chaleur
Rihm's Bildos Weglos


----------



## science

This is "wife at home" listening, and it's ok.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Claudio Abbado, cond. - "Wein Modern II: Hommage a Andre Tarkovsky"
> 
> Nono's "No hay caminos, hay que caminar... Andrei Tarkovsky"
> Kurtag's What is the Word (Samuel Beckett)
> Furrer's Face de la chaleur
> Rihm's Bildos Weglos


A few months ago you invited me to your home to listen to your music, and unless you were serious about that you'd really better stop showing me that you have this stuff. Also, if I do show up, you'd better keep whatever room that music is in locked when you're asleep...


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 12 Weinen, Klagen, Zorgen, Zagen, BWV 54 Wiederstehe doch die Sünde, BWV 162  Ach ich sehe, itzt, fa ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 182 Himmelskönig, sei wilkommen
By Yumiko Kurisu [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter-tenor], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer's Ariadne Musica - Wolfgang Baumgratz, organ


----------



## dgee

SimonNZ said:


> Claudio Abbado, cond. - "Wein Modern II: Hommage a Andre Tarkovsky"
> 
> Nono's "No hay caminos, hay que caminar... Andrei Tarkovsky"
> Kurtag's What is the Word (Samuel Beckett)
> Furrer's Face de la chaleur
> Rihm's Bildos Weglos


That's some serious ******. Tarkovsky deserves it tho - and big ups to Claudio who wasn't too shabby on the modern front.

Stalker is probably the greatest thing committed to film so well deserving of the attention of genius


----------



## dgee

Brahms op 116-119 with Wilhelm Kempff - piano genius


----------



## SimonNZ

dgee said:


> That's some serious ******. Tarkovsky deserves it tho - and big ups to Claudio who wasn't too shabby on the modern front.
> 
> Stalker is probably the greatest thing committed to film so well deserving of the attention of genius


Heh, now I'm wondering what the six-letter word could have been. Yeah, Abbado's three "Wien Modern" albums are great and deserve to be much better known, should have been an obvious box, or even squeezed into a bargain 2cd case. As it stands all three are long deleted. I'd think it was very cool if DG could bring them back now to honour the memory of the man.

Mirror is my personal favorite Tarkovsky. One of my prized/sentimental personal possessions is a blockmounted poster I have hanging in my living room advertising a season of 35mm prints of Tarkovsky's films I attended when I was 17, including my first viewing of Mirror.

Have you read Geoff Dyer's recent book on Stalker called "Zona"? I though it was a fun freewheeling read, but then I'm a fan of Dyer.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 71 No. 1 in B-flat Major (Kodály Quartet).


----------



## bejart

Angelo Ragazzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quatro No.2 in C Minor

Christoph Timpe leading the Accademia per Musica


----------



## science

Here we go boys. I'll see y'all tomorrow.


----------



## Vasks

*Bartok - String Quartet No. 4 (Takacs/London)
Kaipainen - Bassoon Concerto (Virtanen/Ondine)*


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Heh, now I'm wondering what the six-letter word could have been. Yeah, Abbado's three "Wien Modern" albums are great and deserve to be much better known, should have been an obvious box, or even squeezed into a bargain 2cd case. As it stands all three are long deleted. I'd think it was very cool if DG could bring them back now to honour the memory of the man.


DG keeps on deleting portions of their extensive 20th century catalogue with each round of re-releases. I keep hoping that they'll reprint the Takemitsu albums they had on the 20/21 imprint, but it's not looking likely.

Berg: Seven Early Songs, Altenberg-Lieder, Der Wein, Lulu Suite
Anne Sophie von Otter, Juliane Banse, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in F minor, Op. 55 no. 2_ ('The Razor')
Salomon Quartet


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites BWV 1007-1012
By Bruno Cocset [cello], on Alpha


----------



## julianoq

Just listened to Sibelius 3rd and 5th Symphony while lunching and walking, conducted by Berglund with the BSO.










Now for the second time I am watching this interview with the finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste where he talks a little about Sibelius life on Ainola and about the 5th symphony, comparing the original and the final versions. Very recommended.


----------



## hpowders

Hilding Rosenberg, Piano Concertos 1 and 2, Mats Widlund piano, Swedish Radio Symphony, Forsberg.
Inspired by the Scandinavian thread. A good listen, once in a while.


----------



## Orfeo

*Edison Denisov:*
Symphony (1987). 
-The USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky.

*Rodion Shchedrin:*
Symphony no. II (1962-1965).
-The USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky.

*Boris Tchaikovsky:*
Symphony no. II (1967).
Symphonic Poem "Wind of Siberia" (1984).
Theme et Variations for Orchestra (1975).
-The USSR Radio & TV Large Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Fedoseyev.

*Gavriil Popov:*
Symphony no. I (1934). 
-The London Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein.

*Leonid Polovinkin:*
Piano works (Suite "Dzuba", Deux Evenements, Danse Lyrique, Sonata no. IV, etc.).
-Anait Karpova, pianist.


----------



## Blancrocher

For Henri Dutilleux's birthday, I'll listen to his string quartet, "Ainsi la nuit," performed by the Belcea Quartet.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps (Dorati/Minneapolis SO), Les noces (Reuss).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vasks

julianoq said:


> Now for the second time I am watching this interview with the finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste where he talks a little about Sibelius life on Ainola and about the 5th symphony, comparing the original and the final versions. Very recommended.


And a good recommend it was. I had never heard the "original" 5th and found it fascinating although I will always be grateful he did revise it


----------



## Vinyl

In the interest of increasing post count, the sounds I'm listening to right now come from an EMI HMV recording of the Parrenin quartet playing Ravel.


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm comparing versions of Bartok violin sonatas.

*Bartok Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, Peter Csaba, vln; Jean-Francois Heisser, pno (Praga).

Bartok Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, Christian Tetzlaff, vln; Leif Ove Andsnes, pno (Virgin).

*The Praga versions are longer, therefore slower: Sonata 1 - 41:05; Sonata 2 - 23:01

The Virgin versions clock in at 1- 34:00, and 2- 19:27. Faster.

I tend to gravitate towards the Praga guys. The recording of the piano is not quite as "in your face," and the violin is warmer, more passionate. There is more harmonic clarity to the Virgin version, perhaps due to the more Northern, objective reading by this Scandanavian duo.

Each version has its own appeal...

Isn't Bartok wonderful? It's like "atonal-Lite," because you can listen in proceeding "chuncks" of tonality. One moves to the other, feeding you just enough for a bite, then moving on to another area, barely giving you time to orient yourself. Of course, it helps to have pondered the nature of tonality, to have read about Bartok's methods, and to have a good ear-brain propensity.

If not that, then just enjoy the good ol' "gypsy" parts.


----------



## Vinyl

millionrainbows said:


> I'm comparing versions of Bartok violin sonatas.


Hm. That sounds like a good idea, but I'll be comparing my one version with not having heard them at all. 
I like Bartok a lot, and I just heard another piece of his I never heard before: The Wooden Prince. Which was very beautiful indeed.
My record is from 1976 on Harmonia Mundi, with Jenny Abel and Roberto Szidon. Here goes...


----------



## joen_cph

Jenny Abel seems to have been a good violinist. I have her in an old recording of Respighi´s Violin Concerto, though somewhat poorly recorded, from Romania. Szidon did some good Scriabin sonatas on DG. So Bartok probably fits them both.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This evening's listening kicks off with:

French String Quartets

*Chausson (arr. d'Indy) - String Quartet in C minor, Op. 35* (1899)

*Roussel - String Quartet in D, Op. 45* (1932)

*Magnard - String Quartet in E minor, Op. 16* I'll leave for later

Quatuor Via Nova [Wea Apex Classics, 2006; rec. 1970]









These are interesting - there's definitely a hint of Franck and Debussy's influence in the Chausson and Roussel quartets, but fused with contemporary Germanic influences. Definitely worth another listen.


----------



## rrudolph

J. Haydn: Symphonies #82/#83








Mozart: Horn Concertos KV417/KV495/KVKV447/Fragment in E Major KV494a








M. Haydn: Symphonies #19/#23/#26








J. Haydn: Symphonies #86/#87


----------



## Vinyl

Thanks for the Bartok tip, millionrainbows. 
Breath-takingly beautiful music.


----------



## Blancrocher

Karl Bohm and the BPO in Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony.

This is my 1000th post, and I wanted to make it in the best damned thread on the Internet. Thanks to everyone for making this forum such an enjoyable place to be.


----------



## DrKilroy

Some pieces by our fellow forum composers! :tiphat:

Cazazza Dan - Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife, Sailin' Tuns!
Aleazk - Piano Concerto

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Hector Berlioz* - Symphonie Fantastique Op 14 (Everest)









London Symphony Orchestra u. Sir Eugene Gossens

/ptr


----------



## julianoq

Vasks said:


> And a good recommend it was. I had never heard the "original" 5th and found it fascinating although I will always be grateful he did revise it


Yes, I listened to the original 5th a few months ago and I liked it, but the final revision is indeed better. But as Saraste noted, the big dissonance in the last movement that was removed in the revision was quite interesting!


----------



## Oskaar

Earlier today I hd a very good listen:

*Herzogenberg: Complete Violin Sonatas*

Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Phantasie, Op. 15 for Violin & Piano

Legenden for viola and piano, Op.62

*Christian Altenburger (violin & viola) & Oliver Triendl (piano)*









I see on arkivmusic that Herzogenberg often is accused of copying Brahms. I did not think of that, in fact I just liked them.

Read more on arkivmusic


----------



## Vinyl

Britten's piano concerto, played by Richter and the English Chamber Orchestra and conducted by the composer. 
I've heard the Leif Ove Andsnes recording many many times, and this isn't all that different, tbh. Interesting.


----------



## Aramis

Beautiful chamber music from reumatic era. Reminescent of Beethoven late SQs in non-orthodox form but the style is quite different. Surprise, obscure composers sometimes have unique voices!


----------



## ptr

*Gaston Litaize* spielt eigene Werke (Mitra)









Gaston Litaize @ the Oberlinger-Orgel in St. Joseph, Bonn-Beuel (Germany)

..belle de nuit:

*Belá Bartók* - Concerto for Orchestra (Orfeo)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Rafael Kubelik

/ptr


----------



## Blake

Botstein's Perle: _Transcendental Modulations._ Most excellent.


----------



## DrKilroy

Nah, I'm listening to Les noces again!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vinyl

Roland de Lassus: Requiem for five voices.


----------



## Jos

Haydn cello concerto's in D- and C Major.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bach's Goldberg Variations - Michael Houston, piano

recorded live in the Auckland Museum Auditorium for RadioNZ

I've had mixed feelings about Houston in the past, but this is superb


----------



## DavidA

Bach - St Matthew Passion - just getting to know Jacobs' new recording.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Massenet: Werther


----------



## moody

THE MEPHISTO MUSIC. FRANZ LISZT. PHILIP CHALLIS, piano. Great ,the perfect record for anti-Liszt people !!!

Mephisto Waltzes 1-3 , Mephisto Waltz No.4 (unfinished) Performing version by Philip Challis.
Mephisto Polka. Bagatelle Without Tonality (not published until 1956).
"Faust" (Gounod) Waltz, transcribed Liszt.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Schubert : Last Four Quartets
Quartetto Italiano

Once again, I am reserving the second disc for a later time, so I am only hearing the exquisite _SQ 14 "Death and the Maiden"_ (I know I have another version of this one, perhaps even two) and _SQ 13 "Rosamunde"_ (I know this one less well, so I am going to pay extra attention). Not surprisingly, there are parts of _SQ 14_, particularly the 1st movement, that I recognize instantly: it's just one of those works that sticks in people's heads.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Ravel's Tzigane - Thomas Zehetmair, violin and cond.


----------



## Winterreisender

Grieg: Piano Concerto - Stephen Kovacevich & BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Schubussy

Stravinsky - The Firebird
Ernest Ansermet, New Philharmonia


----------



## PetrB

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 33159
> 
> 
> Karl Bohm and the BPO in Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony.
> 
> This is my 1000th post, and I wanted to make it in the best damned thread on the Internet. Thanks to everyone for making this forum such an enjoyable place to be.


I couldn't agree more strongly: This thread is where all are simply being themselves, and collectively, _has all that we are actually listening to_. I've found so many good 'recommends' here, things I'd heard of but hadn't gotten to, or 'new to me.' And I love the happenstance dynamic, and the variety.


----------



## jim prideaux

trust that Blancrocher does not consider this inappropriate-just a minor contribution in the greater scheme of things-PetrB I am just being myself-walking back from the pub tonight having shared the evening with good friends watching a certain sporting upset at the so called 'theatre of dreams' I felt I needed to listen to something truly heroic-on I-pod-Glazunov 6th symphony and particularly the last movement.........will be forever associated in my mind with a glorious moment in my teams history......I just wish the Serebrier set of symphonies and concertos would hurry up and arrive........


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven: Symphony #1. Kurt Masur and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Very nicely done!


----------



## Vinyl

Random pick: Wilhelm Stenhammar, Symfoni nr 2 g-moll
Stockholms filharmoniska, Stig Westerberg


----------



## Blancrocher

I read Tom Service's appreciation of the Symphony of Psalms, and am trying out a recommended recording I hadn't heard--Chailly conducting the Berlin RSO.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/to.../symphony-guide-stravinsky-symphony-of-psalms


----------



## brotagonist

jim prideaux said:


> I just wish the Serebrier set of symphonies and concertos would hurry up and arrive........


How long have you been waiting? A seller sent my Éric Satie 2CD set on December 14th and it still hasn't arrived  Another order from the same seller that I placed 3 days later arrived 3 weeks ago. I just wrote today to find out what's up.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Symphony in A Major, VB 128

Petter Sundkvist conducting the Swedish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Ali Babà -- Wladimiro Ganzarolli; Teresa Stich-Randall; Nino Sanzogno: Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano

^ First time listening to this in earnest. You who know me know that I'm every bit as enthusiastic about Cherubini as I am about Schumann and Victoria, but thus far, I don't much care for this opera. Maybe it will grow on me. This would mark the first work of Cherubini's for which I hold either antipathy or distaste. Eek!

Brahms: Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119 -- Murray Perahia

Weber: Oberon, J 306 -- Birgit Nilsson, Plácido Domingo; Rafael Kubelik: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Hummel: Piano Concerto #2 in A Minor, Op. 85 -- Tamas Pal; Hae-won Chang: Budapest Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Itullian

Grand, romantic Brahms. Love it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

The sound on some of these old East Bloc recordings by Talich isn't the greatest... but this pair of Dvorak's most well-known symphonies were recorded in 1951 & 1956 and the sound is pretty good... while Talich and his Czech Philharmonic Orchestra give an impassioned performance.

Talich was known to many as hypersensitive, mean, pig-headed, and egotistical. He was called "Václav the Cruel". He was known to stop concerts, berate and swear at members of the audience and even eject a disruptive "villain". One harpist admitted that he frightened her and called him the "devil". At the same time, he was passionate and uncompromising, surprising and innovative as an artist... at a time when even music was politicized in the nations under Soviet sway. For several years he was banned from performing in his native land where Dvorak was deemed subversive Czech nationalism. One wonders whether (like Shostakovitch) Talich might have thrived... or not... under a less oppressive regime.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Sibelius' Symphony No.5 - Kurt Sanderling, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4
New Vienna Quartet









The third movement of this work begins with a melody played in unison by all four players, at the exact same pitch level. The effect of this gesture, both at the beginning and when it returns half-way through (with an inverted form of the melody), is of a sustained protest, and the lyrical, unmoored violin line that floats sometimes over a bed of sustained harmony (initially a half-diminished seventh chord) and sometimes over silence, is eloquent in its simplicity. The movement as a whole reminds me of Shostakovich in a way, particularly the Adagio of the Fifth, though its middle sections do become more violent than anything in that work. The movement finally drifts to a close coming to rest on a seventh chord on A (with E in the bass).


----------



## bejart

Schubert: String Quartet in D Major, D 87

Verdi Quartet: Susanne Rabenschlag and Peter Stein, violins -- Karin Wolf, viola -- Didier Poskin, cello


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4


I am going to put it on later, so that I can listen for that. I love analyses as a training exercise in what I should try to hear


----------



## Blake

Beaux Arts Trio's Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2. Robust and powerful is his way.


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I am going to put it on later, so that I can listen for that. I love analyses as a training exercise in what I should try to hear


Well, it's more of an appreciation than an analysis, but the main thing is that the movement is broken into half with each half beginning with that unison melody (and there's a slight pause at the end of the first half in all the recordings I've heard), and that the movement is primarily a dialogue between solos and the rest of the group. Of course, everything is derived from that melody in one way or another, but as always with Schoenberg, the derivations are extremely hard to track because they keep proliferating...


----------



## Katie

It seems somewhat silly to say that I'm saddened to conclude my initial - and sequential - journey through the Berlin Philly 100 year box, which began about 6 weeks ago (upon receipt) with Nikisch's raw, powerful performance of LVB's 5th in 1913 (!) and concluded about a half hour ago with Rattle's rendition of Dvorak's Biblical Songs in 2013.

"Silly", because the set is mine to access at my leisure, which I'll certainly do in selective fashion for the (hopefully) next 6 or 7 decades of my existence...but sad because the exploratory excitement of my initial - and chronologic - foray can never be duplicated.

Highlights are difficult to select, as first recount yields at least 20 discs, but let me simply mention (1) Bohm conducting LVB's Missa Solemnis ('55); (2) Leitner conducting LVB's Concertos for Pianos and Orch. Nos. 4 and 5 with pianist Wihelm Kempff ('62); (3) Abbado's performance of Prokofiev's opus 26 and Ravel's Concerto for Piano/Orch. with pianist Martha Argerich ('67); (4) HVK's monumental helmsmanship of Strauss' Alpine Symphony (GLORIOUS!/'73); and last among my list of 5, but first in my heart, (5) Fricsay's utterly stunning performance of LVB's 9th ('58).

One never knows what type of subjective dicta may prove moving to another, so let me conclude by saying that, while I contemporaneously received the Toscanini, Walther, Furtwangler, and Arkiv '47 boxes - with the idea of moving sequentially through all a few discs at a time - the brilliance of the BP 100 set brought any other classical listening to a standstill!...though I don't expect any of those remaining titles to prove anticlimactic 

So, in conclusion, highly, emphatically, decisively, unequivocally recommended!/Katie

http://www.amazon.com/Centenary-Edition-Years-Great-Music/dp/B00DYQLEZM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_7


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent arrival --
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.15 in D Major, Op.28

John O'Conor, piano


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 2, K.39


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4The movement as a whole reminds me of Shostakovich in a way, particularly the Adagio of the Fifth, though its middle sections do become more violent than anything in that work.


I was thinking that I might as well listen to the Adagio from Shostakovich's Fifth, but it turns out that neither DSCH's 5th Symphony nor his 5th String Quartet have an adagio movement


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms Piano Trios
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Comple...452851&sr=1-1&keywords=brahms+beaux+arts+trio


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I was thinking that I might as well listen to the Adagio from Shostakovich's Fifth, but it turns out that neither DSCH's 5th Symphony nor his 5th String Quartet have an adagio movement


*Largo*, then.

My mistake. Actually, both movements are marked Largo...


----------



## SimonNZ

Falla, Ravel and Faure songs - Gerard Souzay, baritone, Jacqueline Bonneau and Dalton Baldwin, piano


----------



## brotagonist

Mahlerian said:


> My mistake. Actually, both movements are marked Largo...


I wonder how easy it is for others to get what I mean when I say that one work reminds me of another. I kind of think I understand what you mean, but perceived similarities can also be quite subjective  I don't quite get what you mean by "sustained protest."


----------



## science

oskaar said:


> Herzogenberg often is accused of copying Brahms.


No mean feat if he succeeded.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Andolink said:


> *Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in F minor, Op. 55 no. 2_ ('The Razor')
> Salomon Quartet
> View attachment 33145


ooo, Salomon quartet - not familiar with this ensemble yet - how do you like the recording? 

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsodies (Michele Campanella).


----------



## Guest

Johann Sebastian Bach
6 Suites for Solo Cello
Pierre Fournier


----------



## jim prideaux

brotagonist said:


> How long have you been waiting? A seller sent my Éric Satie 2CD set on December 14th and it still hasn't arrived  Another order from the same seller that I placed 3 days later arrived 3 weeks ago. I just wrote today to find out what's up.


more a reflection of my desire to hear the set rather than the speed of delivery...only ordered a few days ago....I know I could go to you tube etc but do not want to reduce the impact when the set finally does arrive.......must stop rambling, still struggling to come to terms with last nights events....I know it is only football, but then again how often when talking of a composer or a piece is one faced with that 'its only music ' look?.....


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Niels Gade's Symphonies 3 and 6 - Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## Andolink

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> ooo, Salomon quartet - not familiar with this ensemble yet - how do you like the recording?


The Salomon's are very good but rather literal compared to the Quatuor Mosaiques' way of doing Haydn. I actually prefer Quatuor Mosaiques in this repetoire but since they've never released recordings of the Tost quartets, the Salomons will have to do if you want period instrument versions.

The recorded sound is dry to to point of harshness listening with headphones but sounds quite good with a good speaker set up. I thoroughly enjoy these recordings of the Tost quartets.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso, Op.3, No.4

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's String Quartet No.14 Op. 131, performed by the Busch Quartet, a lovely performance of my favorite SQ. The No. 13 will be the next.


----------



## Vinyl

I'm comparing three recordings of Kindertotenlieder.
So far, Janet Baker/Barbirolli has Kirsten Flagstad/Boult beat in the sense of having a much more pleasant voice, but somehow I got more *sad* listening to the Flagstad recording. Which kindof is a point with those songs, no?
Third one which is waiting on the table next to me is Fischer-Dieskau/Kempe. Any thoughts?

Edit: Much power in the male version, I have to say. Relentless.


----------



## Jeff W

Ferdinand Ries' Symphony No. 4. Howard Griffiths leads the Zürcher Kammerorchester.


----------



## Morimur

Been listening to a lot of Stockhausen and Richard Barrett. The former is of course a demi-god but Barrett isn't mentioned very often even though his body of work is extremely powerful.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Unknown Shostakovich*

Schumann:	
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129

(orch. Shostakovich)

Shostakovich:	
Overture (Entr'Acte), Op. 23

to Ervin Dressel's opera 'Der arme Columbus'

Two Preludes

Tishchenko:	
Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 23

(orch. Shostakovich)

*Alexander Ivashkin (cello)

Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Valeri Polyansky*









arkivmusik
classicstoday
musicweb-international


----------



## Sonata

Brahms impeccable Clarinet Quintet 
Boccherini: String quintets opus 10. My first ever listen to Boccherini, it was recommended in YouTube from the Brahms quintet, so I thought I'd give him a try. Quite enjoyable so far! Nice listening as I plow through a big stack of patient labs and xrays.


----------



## Bas

Gaetano Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor
By Joan Sutherland [soprano], Renato Cioni [tenor], Robert Merrill [baritone], Cesarre Siepi [tenor], Kenneth MacDonald [tenor], Rinaldo Pelizoni [tenor], Orchestra and Choir Academia di Santa Cecilia Roma, Sir John Pritchard [dir.], on Decca









It is an incredible masterpiece!


----------



## Vinyl

The unique Emma Kirkby singing the final aria of Bach's Cantata "Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen" BWV51. (Gardiner)
Breathtaking...


----------



## Vasks

_LLLLLLLLLLoving it_

*Ligeti - Piano Concerto (Aimard/Teldec)
Lindberg - Cantigas (salonen/Sony)*


----------



## Andolink

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Been listening to a lot of Stockhausen and Richard Barrett. The former is of course a demi-god but Barrett isn't mentioned very often even though his body of work is extremely powerful.


I agree with you about Barrett. I like pretty much everything by him but my favorite is _Opening of the Mouth_, a great big cycle of pieces written as part of an art installation. It's on the ABC Classics label.


----------



## Oskaar

Sonata said:


> My first ever listen to Boccherini


I have also listened to some Boccherini lately (not posted) And find the music very enjoyable!


----------



## Orfeo

*Vissarion Shebalin:*
Opera "The Taming of the Shrew"
-Vishnevskaya, Deomidova, Timchenko, et al. with the Bolshoi cond. by: Zdeněk Chalabala 
(1957 Melodiya recording).

*Dmitri Shostakovich:*
Symphony no. VII
-Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (DG recording).
Symphony no. VIII
-Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (London Decca recording).

*Nikolai Myaskovsky:*
Symphonies nos. XXIV & XXV
-Yevgeny Svetlanov and the USSR State Symphony Orchestra (Melodiya).


----------



## lupinix

Tallis Spem in Alium


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1, etc.*

Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

*Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa*









Great!

Amazon
grammophone
arkivmusic
guardian
presto
allmusic


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rawsthorne*: Concerti w. Hirsch/Friend (rec.1996), Tozer/Bamert (rec.1992); String Quartets, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.2005).

View attachment 33216
View attachment 33217


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm trying out the latest in Jonathan Biss's intended Beethoven sonata cycle--with the 15th, 16th, and 21st.


----------



## Oskaar

*Hersant: Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra, etc.*

Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra

Heathcliff suite from Wuthering Heights

*Cyrille Tricoire

Orchestre National de Montpellier, Daniel Kawka*









musicweb-international


----------



## Vinyl

lupinix said:


> Tallis Spem in Alium


This is a very recent discovery on my part. Easily one of the most surprising and jaw-dropping ones in my entire life. Are there many good recordings of this? Mine is with The Choir of King's College. A Decca recording from 1965, no doubt by John Culshaw, judging from the pronounced stereo effects... I would love to hear other recordings.

Me, I'm discovering a minute (but annoyingly audible) setup issue with my turntable by listening to a BIS recording of Eva Knardahl playing the piano version of Grieg's Holberg Suite. Which is something one does not have to experience when playing CDs or flacs (or, obviously, if one's record player has been set up correctly). 
Now, the piano concerto from the same Eva Knardahl Grieg set.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Richter/Wisłocki)
Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 (trying out Ashkenazy!).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I wonder how easy it is for others to get what I mean when I say that one work reminds me of another. I kind of think I understand what you mean, but perceived similarities can also be quite subjective  I don't quite get what you mean by "sustained protest."


Hmmm...something like "a collective defiant outcry", I think. Sometimes a phrase just seems to fit together with the music in my mind.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, op.36
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47
Hilary Hahn, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Salonen









A great disc and a fascinating pairing.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Mendelssohn Overture "Hebrides"; Symphony 2 "Hymn of Praise"
Dohnányi/Wiener Phil'er

Having heard disc one a few weeks ago, I am treating myself to the second disc this morning, after a wonderful sleep to awaken to a sunny, mild morning... and it's time for a heart- and belly-warming porridge to fortify my body for the day, as this music does for the spirit.

I enjoyed the sustained outcries yesterday. I know both pieces, the Schoenberg since the '70s, the Shostakovich only since last summer. Very beautiful, in both cases, that Schoenberg can be so lyrical and how Shostakovich can use such lyrical movements in oftentimes very aggressive symphonies.


----------



## julianoq

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 33218
> 
> 
> I'm trying out the latest in Jonathan Biss's intended Beethoven sonata cycle--with the 15th, 16th, and 21st.


Thanks for posting this, listening and liking a lot. I like Biss playing, he is maturing into a great pianist.



Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, op.36
> Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47
> Hilary Hahn, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Salonen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A great disc and a fascinating pairing.


A great disc indeed, one of my favorites! I started to like Sibelius listening to it, and also enjoyed a lot the Schoenberg concerto that was new to me.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rameau:	
Anacreon

Daphnis et Aegle*

*Capella Savaria, Mary Terey-Smith*









Delightfull! Played on original instruments

naxos
amazon
classicalonline


----------



## Bas

Remaining in operatic mood:


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day ain't a symphony but a reach down the ear of the unashamed romantic that sometimes poses as me:

*Petr Tchaikovsky* - Serenade for strings Op 48 (Berlin Classics)










Staatskapelle Dresden u. Otmar Suitner

/ptr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix-Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Paulus - Part II - So sind wir nur Botschaftler; Wie lieblich sind die Boten
(Kurt Masur; Janowitz; Lang; Blochwitz; Adam; Stier; Polster; Rundfunkchor and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig; Gewandhaus-Kinderchor).









Really enjoying this great oratorio by Mendelssohn - truly worthy as a successor of the great traditions of Händel and Haydn.


----------



## Oskaar

*Russian Soul*

Borodin:	
Prince Igor: Peasants' Chorus

Glière:	
Easy Pieces (12), Op. 45: Folk Song

Goedicke:	
Miniature, Op. 8 No. 2

Mussorgsky:	
Iz slyoz moikh (From my tears)

Scriabin:	
Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor, Op. 19 'Sonata Fantasy': Andante

Shostakovich:	
Nocturne for Cello and Orchestra (from The Gadfly)

Tchaikovsky:	
Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42: Méditation in D minor

Sérénade Mélancolique for Violin & Orchestra in B minor, Op. 26

Serenade for strings in C major, Op. 48: III. Élégie

Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42: Mélodie in E flat major

Andante Cantabile (from String Quartet No. 1 in D Op. 11)

'Melodrama' No. 10 from the Music to Ostrovski's 'Snegurotschka'

trad.:	
The Rush Light

*
Corey Cerovsek (violin)

Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Constantine Orbelian*










anazon


----------



## Oskaar

I am a bit tired, but not sleepy tired. I will invade the sofa with spotify connected to my stereo (I forget that my speakers actually sounds quite good, and am a little tired of my earphones. The spotify sound is good enough for me, The difference is in the recordings), playing this seven disk collection on random:









info here

arkivmusic


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Right now?- well, its the resumption of the old; or rather, 'the best'-- by my standards anyway: the '57 Karajan/Schwarzkopf Rosenkavalier. The sublime. . . done. . . 'properly': the Marschallin at the end of Act I, the Presentation of the Rose, the trio in the finale-- breathtaking performances. I always had an affinity for Schwarzkopf and Teresa Stich-Randall in this.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mozart's Symphony No.40 - Rene Jacobs, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

<Clink.> Cheers. The Karajan reading and his choice of singers holds full sway in my court.


----------



## hpowders

My second go at the Hilding Rosenberg Piano Concerto #2 with Mats Widlund, piano.
At first hearing, this is an unashamedly neo-romantic composer whose style has hints of Bartok and Ravel.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Je l'aime. . . though not entirely so: Zimmerman's playing, superb; Ozawa's foursquare reading, not-so-superb.


----------



## cwarchc

...................................


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Oh, sur-PASS-inly so! Che eleganza. Che finezza. Che stile. La Stupenda, now and evermore.


----------



## SimonNZ

Hi Blair

You're going to need to use the "Reply With Quote" option under the post in question if you're responding to something further upthread, or else the context won't be clear once a couple of pages have gone by.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mozart's Exsultate, Jubilate - Barbara Hendricks, soprano, Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak 7th performed by Harnoncourt conducting the Concertgebouw-on first listening was really impressed and with repeated listening beginning to get the distinct impression that Harnoncourt is perhaps amplifying the affinity this work has with certain compositions by Brahms-not only in the deployment of the orchestra and the creation of a distinct sound but also there is an economy, a tautness in this reading....appeals to me directly!


----------



## Blancrocher

For Samuel Barber's death day, I'm listening to his Piano Concerto (with Leonard Slatkin conducting John Browning and the Saint Louis SO).


----------



## Sid James

*Sessions*
_Canons (to the memory of Stravinsky) for string quartet
Six Pieces for Cello
String Quartet #1_
- The Group for Contemporary Music - Benjamin Hudson and Carol Zeavin, violins; Lois Martin, viola; Joshua Gordon, cello

Finishing a superb disc, now I love it just like the Carter disc on Naxos of his first and fifth quartets. Like Carter, Sessions puts his own slant on atonality and serialism. The canon in memory of Stravinsky is a highlight, two minutes of this austere but also quite emotional music. I think the whole disc is great, and I plan to say more on it at some point, the string quintet which I talked about on my last post on this thread really grabs me. I love that lyricism and emotion, also more than a nod back to traditions and craftsmanship, all of this put into the context of Modern techniques.

*Bartók* _String Quartet #2_
- Alban Berg Quartett

Bartók's second quartet is the hardest for me to appreciate but I am getting there, and it was a joy to revisit the whole cycle in the past week or so. I got new insights out of it, its always rewarding to touch base with these six quartets, all high points of the genre.

*Beethoven* _Cello Sonata #3_
- Jacqueline du Pré, cello; Daniel Barenboim, piano

I wasn't a natural in connecting with this piece, but this time I was able to hear the link between the opening of the first and third movements. As many times, the theme comes back tranformed, and that slow intro to the final movement gives way to a sprightly and operatic ending that speaks to the influence of Mozart. The chemistry, which is like a musical banter and repartee, between du Pré and Barenboim is a joy to hear.

*Coates*
_By the Sleepy Lagoon*
Knightsbridge March (from London Suite)
The Dam Busters March_
- Slovak Radio SO / Czecho-Slovak Radio SO under Adrian Leaper & *Andrew Penny

A light interlude with Coates, and I quite liked that anecdote about Elgar buying his records, as related by Shropshiremoose earlier.

*Prokofiev* _Chout: ballet suite, Op. 21b (excerpts)_
- London SO under Claudio Abbado

More of Abbado's Prokofiev, the less known Chout (The Buffoon) sounds quite Asiatic in parts. As usual with Sergei a good deal of colour, jerky rhythms, percussion and brass galore.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Cascadingly Beautiful*







-- that is to say, with specificity: the Barbirolli Tallis Fantasia.


----------



## samurai

Couldn't agree with you more; although I am by no stretch of the imagination what would be considered a religious person, this piece never fails to affect me spiritually. Great choice! :cheers:


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 64, no. 1 in E-flat, no. 3 in B-flat, no 6 in C
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve


----------



## clara s

In Romantism, the artist expresses himself, and he does it daring, audacious

I was reading tonight for* Anton Bruckner's *loves... Mari, Louise and some more

these loves were an inspiration

I decided to listen to *No 4, the Romantic*

the introduction allegro, the second slow movement,
the extraordinary "hunting" scherzo, the Finale allegro

Vienna Philharmonic and Furtwangler

Listening to Bruckner's music is a real experience


----------



## Vinyl

Haendel: L'allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato. Gardiner, EBC, Monteverdi (1981)

(edit: I have *got* to stop reading lyrics: 
"Come, and trip it as you go,
On the light fantastic toe")


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert's Piano Trios.
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Pian...90518261&sr=1-3&keywords=schubert+piano+trios


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaughan Williams in Handley mode:

http://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Willi...d=1390519470&sr=1-2&keywords=handley+sinfonia

RWV, in the hierarchy of the inspired, ranks high indeed.


----------



## Vaneyes

A belated birthday listening for *Dutilleux *(January 22, 1916), and birthday listening for *Clementi* (January 23, 1752).

View attachment 33237
View attachment 33238


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Thanks-- and so simpathique for something so stupid.


SimonNZ said:


> Hi Blair
> 
> You're going to need to use the "Reply With Quote" option under the post in question if you're responding to something further upthread, or else the context won't be clear once a couple of pages have gone by.


----------



## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Schubert's Piano Trios.
> http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Pian...90518261&sr=1-3&keywords=schubert+piano+trios


The second piano trio is awesome. Gives me shivers.


----------



## Mahlerian

Reger: Violin Concerto, op.101
Manfred Scherzer, Staskapelle Dresden, cond. Blomstedt









I still don't get the appeal of this music. It seems overstuffed and yet undernourished.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Muzio Clementi (24 January 1752-1832): Symphony in D Major, Op.18

Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players


----------



## brotagonist

Reger looks rather overstuffed in that photo  Back in the early days of digital files (yes, I went through a brief flirtation with the format at the end of the last century), I had some of Reger's Violin Sonatas, if I am not mistaken. I had rather liked them, but I haven't heard him since 2000 or so.


----------



## dgee

Mahlerian said:


> Reger: Violin Concerto, op.101
> Manfred Scherzer, Staskapelle Dresden, cond. Blomstedt
> 
> I still don't get the appeal of this music. It seems overstuffed and yet undernourished.


You're not the only one. The only Reger I've felt any sort of affinity with is the Piano Concerto, which is so extremely overstuffed that it at least has that going for it


----------



## hpowders

Brahms Second Piano Concerto, Katsaris, Inbal,Philharmonia Orchestra.
Driving early this morning and the Brahms concerto inhabited my brain. Time to play again!
This performance deserves more widespread recognition. One of the best!


----------



## neoshredder

Wish I could get into Brahms like I do with Schubert. I'll just give my brain time to absorb Brahms. A little Brahms every day.


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> The second piano trio is awesome. Gives me shivers.


I love piano trios. The Brahms' trios are my favorite, closely followed by the 2 Mendelssohn trios.


----------



## neoshredder

hpowders said:


> I love piano trios. The Brahms' trios are my favorite, closely followed by the 2 Mendelssohn trios.


Yeah anything piano with strings is a great format to me. Violin Sonata, Piano Trio, Piano Quartet, Pianot Quintet, and Piano Sextet.  How about Piano with a string symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto - Maruzio Pollini, piano, Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

clara s said:


> In Romantism, the artist expresses himself, and he does it daring, audacious
> 
> I was reading tonight for* Anton Bruckner's *loves... Mari, Louise and some more
> 
> these loves were an inspiration
> 
> I decided to listen to *No 4, the Romantic*
> 
> the introduction allegro, the second slow movement,
> the extraordinary "hunting" scherzo, the Finale allegro
> 
> Vienna Philharmonic and Furtwangler
> 
> Listening to Bruckner's music is a real experience


As far as nota benes go, I wouldn't leave out the brass chorale in the first movement; especially the way Karajan and Barenboim do it (the orchestral balances in each performance being ENTIRELY different of course):


----------



## neoshredder

Marschallin Blair said:


> As far as nota benes go, I wouldn't leave out the brass chorale in the first movement; especially the way Karajan and Barenboim do it (the orchestral balances in each performance being ENTIRELY different of course):
> 
> View attachment 33246
> 
> 
> View attachment 33247


The Facts of Life. The Facts of Life. I really like that show. Haha just had to bring up that avatar. Joe and Blair had an interesting friendship.


----------



## stevederekson

My favourite Rubinstein.


----------



## senza sordino

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, op.36
> Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47
> Hilary Hahn, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Salonen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A great disc and a fascinating pairing.


I have this in front of me right now, but I borrowed my copy from my local library, I must purchase my own copy soon. I really liked this. Indeed a fascinating pairing. I loved the Sibelius entrance, and I enjoyed my first listen to the Schoenberg, I don't want it to be my last.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

neoshredder said:


> The Facts of Life. The Facts of Life. I really like that show. Haha just had to bring up that avatar. Joe and Blair had an interesting friendship.


Yes, the avatar: I feel the pointed irony in trying to be all grace, elegance, and sophistication-- and yet being so hideously wide of the mark; even WITH winsome good looks. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Yeah, I have to admit that I like the show-- or rather Blair IN THE show-- too.


----------



## Mahlerian

dgee said:


> You're not the only one. The only Reger I've felt any sort of affinity with is the Piano Concerto, which is so extremely overstuffed that it at least has that going for it


I have something of an odd affection for the first Reger I heard, his Prelude and Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H for organ, and some of his sets of variations on others' themes aren't bad. The chamber music has some good parts in it as well, and I enjoy the Clarinet Quartet. Still, for a composer of 100+ opuses, I haven't ever had the inclination to explore very far...


----------



## hpowders

stevederekson said:


> My favourite Rubinstein.


Rubinstein was incomparable in the Mazurkas, Chopin's greatest music, in my opinion.


----------



## senza sordino

I've been going Baroque this week. It's taken three days to listen to this. Quite a change from my usual. 
*Handel Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks *The Academy of Ancient Music, with Christopher Hogwood

*Handel Concerto Grossi Op 6 * all 12 of them, The Academy of Ancient Music with Andrew Manze. I bought this 5 days ago and already listened to it three times!

*Bach Brandenburg Concerti #1-6 *Tafelmusik with Jeanne Lamon.

*Bach Concerto in D minor for two violins* The Academy of Ancient Music with Andrew Manze and Rachel Podger

This is almost my entire Baroque CD collections, I would like to add to my collection.


----------



## bejart

The day is not complete without some ---
Mozart: Violin Sonata in C Major, KV 6

Remy Baudet, violin -- Pieter Jan Belder, harpsichord


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Sonata in C Major for alto recorder and continuo, from 'Essercizii Musici'; Sonata in D minor for alto recorder, dessus de viole and continuo, from 'Darmstädter Manuskript' (Dorothee Oberlinger; Ensemble 1700).


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *
both performed by the Theodore Kuchar led Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *
on this recording performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Ole Schmidt. 
I simply had the urge to hear these marvelous works back to back, in the hands of two very capable Nielsen conductors. I still find the Schmidt readings to be crisper and lusher than those of both Kuchar and Blomstedt {with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra}. Listening the first time around--to the Kuchar traversal of the *Second's* third movement {andante malincolio}, I was quite struck by how much its tensions, dissonances of "pushing and pulling"{sans the snare drum battle vs. the rest of the orchestra} to the crescendo, reminded me of Nielsen's stormy first movement of his wonderful *Fifth Symphony. * Quite stately and magnificent interpretations here.Piotr Chaikovskii-*-Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dream"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russia"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29. *
All three symphones feature Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.1 and Symphony No.2, * both traversed by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Franck's String Quartet in D major - Fitzwilliam Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber - Passacaglia in G minor for solo violin (Riccardo Minasi; Bizzarie Armoniche).

On Youtube: 




An excellent piece; personally, I don't think it's weaker than Bach's chaconne in D minor.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

The fourth program devoted to the recent Gramophone winners. Tonight is the Best Baroque Vocal winner

Bach Motets - John Eliot Gardiner, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

samurai said:


> I simply had the urge to hear these marvelous works back to back...


Now that my collection can flex some muscle, I need to start doing this, too. It's a great way to get to know the music and to learn what makes one performance strong and another powerful.


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> Falla, Ravel and Faure songs - Gerard Souzay, baritone, Jacqueline Bonneau and Dalton Baldwin, piano


The king of the French melodies.


----------



## Itullian

Frau Ohne Schatten from this awesome box set.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, St. John Passion - 'Herr, unser Herrscher, dessen Ruhm', 'O grosse Leib', 'Von den stricken meiner Sünden'
(John Eliot Gardiner; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## SimonNZ

Guilherme Carvalho's Topologie Faible - Nouvel Ensemble Moderne


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Flute Sonata in C Major, Op.2, No.1

Musica ad Rhenum: Jed Wentz, flute -- Job ter Haar, cello -- Marcelo Bussi, harpsichord


----------



## Winterreisender

Brahms Clarinet Trio: Tamás Vásáry, Karl Leister & Ottomar Borwitzky

from this box set:


----------



## Vinyl

Händel: Solomon. Gardiner 1984


----------



## musicchambernet

I was also listening to Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies (Orchestra) an hour ago, but not now. I do not have this, but a friend has sent me the link and asked me to listen it before this I was not knowing about this, but I liked this a lot.


----------



## musicchambernet

I forgot to ask one thing is there anyone else who like my choice and want to appreciate my choice?


----------



## Andolink

*Johann Jakob Froberger*: Pièces de Clavecin--_Suite XX in D major_; _Suite XII in C major_; _Toccata XI_; _Fantasia II_
Blandine Verlet, harpsichord








*François Dufault*: Pièces Pour Luth-- _Suite in G minor_; _Pavane in C minor_
Pascal Monteilhet, lute


----------



## opus55

Vinyl said:


> Händel: Solomon. Gardiner 1984


I just bought this used last night but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I trust the name Gardiner.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Horowitz and Clementi. <clink> Cheers. Utterly delightful. . . Pogorelich's Sonata in E Major too:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> I just bought this used last night but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I trust the name Gardiner.


Gardiner's great. I just wish he wouldn't use period instruments.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

bejart said:


> In celebration of his birthday ---
> Muzio Clementi (24 January 1752-1832): Symphony in D Major, Op.18
> 
> Matthias Bamert leading the London Mozart Players
> 
> View attachment 33243


Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'll have to check it out.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert
Episode 4

Music by Schuman performed in Tetbury plus Borodin played in Devon.


----------



## Vasks

*Rossini - Overture to "William Tell" (Abbado/DG)
Liszt - Fantasia and Fugue on the name B-A-C-H (Zilberstein/DG Eloquence)
Tournemire - Symphony No. 3 "Moscow 1013" (de Almeida/Marco Polo)*


----------



## science

I don't suppose that's necessarily "classical," but it really isn't anything, and I've never been very devoted to labels. For me at least, it's really interesting.


----------



## Orfeo

*Karl Goldmark:*
Opera "The Queen of Sheba" (in three acts).
-Sandor Solyom-Nagy, Jozsef Gregor, Siegfried Jerusalem, et al. Hungarian State Opera Orchestra & Chrous, Adam Fischer (Conductor).

*Franz Lehar:*
Operetta/Singspiel "Fruhling" ("Spring").
-Stefanie Krahnenfeld, Alison Browner, Robert Worle, Markus Kohler. Deutsche Kammerakademie Heuss, Johannes Goritzki (Conductor).

*Antonin Dvorak:*
Waltzes (orchestrated/arranged by Burghauser)
-The Prague Philharmonia, Jakub Hrusa (Conductor).

*Josef Suk:*
Symphony in E major, op. 14.
-The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaclav Neumann (Conductor).

*Otakar Ostrcil:*
"Calvary" Variations for Orchestra.
-The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaclav Neumann (Conductor).


----------



## Oskaar

*Roy Harris: Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9*

Symphony No. 7

Epilogue to Profiles in Courage - J.F.K.

Symphony No. 9

*Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra, Theodore Kuchar*









musicweb-international.com
classicstoday


----------



## Vinyl

opus55 said:


> I just bought this used last night but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I trust the name Gardiner.


For whatever worth it might have, this recording gets my highest praise (yes, even on period instruments).


----------



## Andolink

*Pierre Boulez*: _Le Marteau sans maître_ pour voix d'alto et 6 instruments
Hillary Summers, mezzo-soprano
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez


----------



## Oskaar

*Busoni & Enescu - Violin Sonatas*

Busoni:	
Violin Sonata No. 2 in E minor, Op. 36a

Enescu:	
Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25 'dans le caractère populaire roumain'

*Nurit Stark (violin) & Cédric Pescia (piano)*









allmusic


----------



## Vinyl

William Byrd: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (ex. Fellowes) from the Great Service, Choir of King's College. Arco (Decca) 1960. 

Beautiful. Hypnotic.


----------



## hpowders

Hilding Rosenberg, Piano Concerto #1, Mats Widlund, piano.
Judging from the two concertos on this disc, Mr. Rosenberg was a much more interesting composer in 1930 than he was in 1950.
A shame he never finished the first concerto.
This CD is recommended for the very nice- movements 1 and 2 of his first piano concerto.


----------



## hpowders

opus55 said:


> I just bought this used last night but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I trust the name Gardiner.


I have it. It's excellent!


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphonies No. 2 and 3
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









My version has the EMI logo on it though...

Anyway, these are not my favorite Sibelius works. The Second is the composer's most popular, and it has many great parts in it, memorable themes and such, but I always feel the trumphant finale is a bit odd. The Third is a very characteristic Sibelius work, which makes its compositional and formal logic quite opaque to me. The first movement ends on a plagal cadence, for one thing...


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony - Piano Concerto - Schnittke: Piano Concerto*

*Yakov Kasman (piano)

Kaliningrad Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Leducq-Barome*

This is phenomenal!

classics today


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day (still romantic):

*Cesar Franck* - Symphonie en ré mineur / Rimsky-Korsakow - Russian Easter (BR Klassik)









Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks u. Kirill Kondrashin

/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Sibelius: Symphonies No. 2 and 3
> Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My version has the EMI logo on it though...
> 
> Anyway, these are not my favorite Sibelius works. The Second is the composer's most popular, and it has many great parts in it, memorable themes and such, but I always feel the trumphant finale is a bit odd. The Third is a very characteristic Sibelius work, which makes its compositional and formal logic quite opaque to me. The first movement ends on a plagal cadence, for one thing...


I like the Berglund/Bournemouth Sibelius symphonies. Very underrated; their virility far exceeds the Helsinki set Berglund did.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On BBC Radio 3:

*Schubert

Fantasie in F minor D.940 for piano duet* - Evgeny Kissin, James Levine [Red Seal]

*Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D.965 for voice, clarinet and piano* - Ann Mackay. Christopher Craker, Yitkin Seow [ASV]


----------



## LancsMan

*Kurt Weil: The Threepenny Opera* RIAS Berlin Sinfonietta conducted by John Mauceri on Decca.

I find this music compelling. This was one of those pieces that rather shook me out of a very narrow view of what music should be (I used to be a three B's and Mozart kind of guy!). And I may not understand the German language, but what a glorious sound it makes. This is a characterful performance too.


----------



## Mahlerian

Chopin: Cello Sonata in G minor, op.65
Jacqueline du Pre, Daniel Barenboim


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mozart: Requiem
Marriner & Academy/Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields et al.


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing to listen with real attention to the 24th/25th symphonies of Myaskovsky performed by a Moscow outfit conducted by Yablonsky and as the they unfold I am thankful that for some reason I decided to investigate these rather phenomenal works-the first movements of both have an insistence about them, not reliant on volume but a pulse, almost as if it reflects the heart of his troubled land....I digress and I also fear I may have just repeated a previous post...


----------



## Vinyl

For the first time ever, I'm hearing the ballet suite Auf dem Dnjepr (On the Dnjepr) by Prokofiev. 

It's a live recording made in Moscow in 1963 by the Soviet label Melodiya, and re-released in the early 80s on the German import label Eurodisc. (Oh, yay - the historical obsolescence is strong with this one...) 
The B-side is a Leningrad recording of Egyptian Nights (which will be next on my current listening timeline...)
The recording is clear, and the performance is quite good. Oddly, it fades in mid-phrase, so I don't know how much of it is missing - not nothing, for certain... It's not really a sensational piece of music anyway, tbh, so I probably won't play it very often or search for a recording that actually caught the beginning of it...


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphony No. 3 (Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Beethoven - hammerklavier - Artur Schnabel

no comment required


----------



## lupinix

Alwyn Harp Concerto


----------



## SimonNZ

Vanhal's Stabat Mater - Vaclav Neumann, cond.


----------



## LancsMan

*Stravinsky: Violin Concerto*: Boston Symphony Orchestra with Perlman, conducted by Ozawa on DG.

Archetypal neoclassical Stravinsky. Perlman adds warmth to this 'cool' piece. As is usual in much Stravinsky one senses emotion hiding just beneath the surface. A rather beautiful slow movement. Excellent performance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas Nos. 52 through 57.*


----------



## LancsMan

*Ravel: Piano Concertos* The Cleveland Orchestra / London Symphony Orchestra with Zimerman conducted by Boulez on DG.

Two contrasting concertos from Ravel given excellent performances here. The LSO perform the Concerto for Left Hand whilst The Cleveland take on the two handed concerto.

Ravel isn't particularly a favourite composer of mine but the piano concertos are very good. The two handed concerto (in G major) reminds me of the Gershwin Rhapsody - very jazz inspired. The slow movement is cool and delicious. Lots of fun in the final presto. The concerto for the left hand is the darker work of the two.

I guess I'm pretty superficial because I find more to enjoy in the two handed concerto.


----------



## LancsMan

*Prokofiev: Violin Concerto* Boston Symphony Orchestra with Heifetz conducted by Munch on RCA.

Mercurial Prokofiev, with much wonderful melody, given the Heifetz treatment. I like!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*John Zorn - Cat O'nine Tails* 
Joyce Hammann and Mark Feldman, violins; Lois Martin, viola; Erik Friedlander, 'cello
[Tzadik, 1999]

*Takemitsu - A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden*
Boston Symphony Orchestra & Tashi, Seiji Ozawa [DG, 2005]
*
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor*
Four-movement version

Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle [EMI, 2012]





















The John Zorn work for string quartet is very vivid, witty and bold with quotations from all sorts of sources woven in, a bit like a Charles Ives composition. One can hear the influence too of Webern and Bartok. I will be listening to the rest of this disc soon.

Takemitsu's 'A flock...' is my first exposure to this composer. I'm not sure what to make of it and will be listening again. Both of these albums were my son's choices for this evening's listening session. I replied with the Bruckner 9th and its wonderful mix of violence and precision. Quite a harmonically unorthodox work for 1896, I'd have thought.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

TurnaboutVox said:


> *John Zorn - Cat O'nine Tails*
> Joyce Hammann and Mark Feldman, violins; Lois Martin, viola; Erik Friedlander, 'cello
> [Tzadik, 1999]
> 
> *Takemitsu - A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden*
> Boston Symphony Orchestra & Tashi, Seiji Ozawa [DG, 2005]
> *
> Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor*
> Four-movement version
> 
> Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle [EMI, 2012]
> 
> View attachment 33312
> View attachment 33314
> View attachment 33315


How does Rattle's Bruckner's Ninth stack up against the likes of Karajan, Furtwangler, and Wand?


----------



## Vinyl

LancsMan said:


> *Prokofiev: Violin Concerto* Boston Symphony Orchestra with Heifetz conducted by Munch on RCA.


Me too: Prokofiev, Boston and RCA. Only difference: it was Friedman and Leinsdorf. In mono.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Arthur Grumiaux surely ranks among the finest violinists of recorded history. His recording of Bach's suites for solo violin remains my personal favorite (although Nathan Milstein isn't far behind). The Australian label, Eloquence, has done a wonderful job of re-releasing many of Grumiaux's greatest recordings... including this one.


----------



## hpowders

^^^^Misprint? I think you wrote Grumiaux's Bach is superior to Milstein's.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Marschallin Blair said:


> How does Rattle's Bruckner's Ninth stack up against the likes of Karajan, Furtwangler, and Wand?


I'm sorry, I don't know how it fares comparatively. This is the only version of Bruckner #9 I have, at least until my Tintner box set is delivered (soon, I hope). I can only say that I like the Rattle version very much.

Current listening: quietly (as everyone else has gone to bed) in front of a coal fire

*Haydn - Piano Sonatas

No. 11 in B flat major, Hob.XVI:2
No. 12 in A major, Hob.XVI:12
No. 13 in G major, Hob.XVI:6
No. 14 in C major, Hob.XVI:3
No. 15 in E major, Hob.XVI:13
No. 16 in D major, Hob.XVI:14
No. 18 in E flat major, Hob.deest*

Jeno Jando (piano) [Naxos, Jando Haydn Piano Sonatas Vol. 8]









Fabulous stuff from F-J, fresh and a real palate cleanser after all that chromaticism earlier! These early Haydn sonatas are totally new to me. H. XVI:2, for instance, is a cracker.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

TurnaboutVox said:


> I'm sorry, I don't know how it fares comparitively. This is the only version of Bruckner #9 I have, at least until my Tintner box set is delivered (soon, I hope). I can only say that I like the Rattle version very much.
> 
> Current listening: quietly (as everyone else has gone to bed) in front of a real coal fire
> 
> *Haydn - Piano Sonatas
> 
> No. 11 in B flat major, Hob.XVI:2
> No. 12 in A major, Hob.XVI:12
> No. 13 in G major, Hob.XVI:6
> No. 14 in C major, Hob.XVI:3
> No. 15 in E major, Hob.XVI:13
> No. 16 in D major, Hob.XVI:14
> No. 18 in E flat major, Hob.deest*
> 
> Jeno Jando (piano) [Naxos, Jando Haydn Piano Sonatas Vol. 8]
> 
> View attachment 33319
> 
> 
> Fabulous stuff from F-J, fresh and a real palate cleanser after all that chromaticism earlier! These early Haydn sonatas are totally new to me.


The Haydn piano sonatas ARE great palate cleansers; wonderful after dinner mints. . . especially after the full-frontal assault of Bruckner's Ninth. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Sid James

*Corigliano* _String Quartet_
- Played by the Corigliano Quartet

Having just listened to Bartok's string quartets, its good to listen to *Corigliano's* one. It has the same arch structure as Bartok's _String Quartet #4_, the pivotal night music encased by two movements to either side of it, and two outer movements (each 'pair' being thematically linked). The work comes full circle with the opening, featuring microtonal writing, coming back at the end with the quiet fade out. This is a work mixing hard-edged aspects (the second movement, a _Scherzo_, has extremely rhythmic passages which suggest some kind of brute force) with melodies, textures and layering that are more refined and have this hazy quality (the pivotal _Nocturne _was written in rememberance of the composer's stay in Morocco, one morning he heard the muezzins of the mosques call to prayer, and the movement recreates that experience).

*Berg* _Piano Sonata, Op. 1_
*Webern* _Variations, Op. 27_
- Mitsuko Uchida, piano

On to Uchida's unique take on two modern classics of the piano repertoire. Her interpretation of the *Webern* is particularly interesting, the gamelan-like sounds of John Cage's _Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano _came to my mind.

*Beethoven *_Symphony #6, "Pastoral"_
- Munich PO under Hans Swarowsky

I listened to this interp of *Beethoven 6* by *Hans Swarowsky*, who taught conducting to the late Claudio Abbado (and also Zubin Mehta) in Vienna during the 1950's. Swarowsky had studied under Schoenberg and held posts conducting the major orchestras of Germany, as well as Poland and Austria. He also contributed to the libretto of Strauss' last opera, _Capriccio _(but his input there went uncredited).

*Prokofiev* _Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (excerpts)_
*Janacek* _Sinfonietta_
*Hindemith* Symphonic _Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber_
- London SO under Claudio Abbado

Talking of *Abbado*, getting into his take on _*Romeo and Juliet*_, done in his early years when he was young and all fired up. These recordings, done during the mid to late 1960's, have this zing and still sound fresh after decades of knowing them.

*Janacek's Sinfonietta*, which can be daunting and overly monumental in some ways (all that brass!), comes off here as quite down to earth and with real warmth.

It's the same deal with *Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis*, a composer whose music some listeners see as overly dry and technical in nature, but Abbado is not afraid to take it for what it is - a brilliant orchestral showpiece which is great fun to hear. Originally, this was the idea of the choreographer Massine, who wanted more or less a straight transcription of Weber's original material. Hindemith thought that brief to be too limited, and he also had little time for the set designer Salvador Dali, so he fashioned a work purely for the concert hall. I love the eclectic blend here of everything from counterpoint with a Baroque flavour, to use of the percussion and flutes giving an Oriental vibe, and also the exchanges between the brass which I'd guess are influenced by jazz bands of the big band era.



TurnaboutVox said:


> ...
> Takemitsu's 'A flock...' is my first exposure to this composer. I'm not sure what to make of it and will be listening again. Both of these albums were my son's choices for this evening's listening session. ....


Took me years to appreciate Takemitsu, I got the Naxos cd and my favourite work in it is _Spirit Garden_. After years I finally heard those bell sonorities in his music, they weren't obvious before. Its like you are in a Japanese garden, and some shrine with a gong is there, reverberating in the space. Its a mix of the elements, of environmental/natural with the spiritual too (I'd guess Shinto?). That combination of order in formal garden design and disorder of nature is what I read into these works.

The Naxos cd also has A flock descends... as well, but immediately accessible where the _Three Film Scores for String Orchestra_, which are kind of pastiche of Western music, there's even Takemitsu dressing up as Johann Strauss II with a catchy waltz rounding the little suite off. Next on my list is his piano and chamber music, but not right now, later. He is worth exploring further and I am glad I got out of that rut of not really knowing what he's doing (I am similarly coming to terms with Webern, who influenced Takemitsu). These things just take time.


----------



## Blancrocher

Heinrich Schiff in Bach's Cello Suites.

This recording was specially recommended on the "best cello suites recording" thread.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random

Had these in the carousel today:















I'm done with Teleman for this session, but will let Prokofiev go around one or two more times. I'm playing the 'can I identify the music' game. There are only 5 discs in the player at a time, but I change some and let others go around a second or even third time before changing, so it's an easy version of the game, because I sort of know what is in the player, but it's easy to forget. I can always identify Teleman as Baroque, of course, but I doubt I could differentiate these concerti from Vivaldi's, or Handel's... As much as I like Prokofiev, he is still too new to me for me to have formed a perception of his style, but I sure do like this album a lot.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

brotagonist said:


> c'n://random
> 
> Had these in the carousel today...I'm done with Teleman...but will let Prokofiev go around....I'm playing the 'can I identify the music' game.


That must be very handy for those tricky 'Is this Telemann or Prokofiev?' dilemmas! :devil:


----------



## lupinix

Karl Jenkins - The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace , I heard part of it about two months ago in a lesson about early renaissance, in which the melody of l'homme armee was used much in masses, and just finally decided to listen to it wholly


----------



## bejart

Antonio Bartolomeo Bruni (1757-1821): Duet No.5 in C Minor

L'Orfeo Ensemble: Angelo Ciccilini, violin -- Fabrizio Ammetto, viola


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Misprint? I think you wrote Grumiaux's Bach is superior to Milstein's.

No misprint. I have Grumiaux's, Milsteins, Holloway's, Szeryng's, Podger's, and Kremer's. Grumiaux is the version I turn to most... followed by Milstein and Szeryng... although recently I've been hooked on Kremer and Podger's HIP take... especially Kremer's... infused with his explorations of Modernism.


----------



## Blancrocher

StlukesguildOhio said:


> No misprint. I have Grumiaux's, Milsteins, Holloway's, Szeryng's, Podger's, and Kremer's. Grumiaux is the version I turn to most... followed by Milstein and Szeryng... although recently I've been hooked on Kremer and Podger's HIP take... especially Kremer's... infused with his explorations of Modernism.


Just out of curiosity, do you have Szeryng's first recording from 1955? That's one of my most treasured possessions, and far better in my view than his more widely available second traversal.

I say this in the knowledge that people always say that the best versions are the ones nobody can get their hands on :lol:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I had the day off (teacher) due to the extreme cold (-14 to -17° F windchill). We are now looking at a coming blizzard with 40-50 mile per hour wind gusts on top of the temps. By Tuesday they are talking of a high of -4°. We spent the day stocking up on groceries including some good coffee... and very good dark beer...



















Already pounding back a couple of these... and I should note that they are both in the 10% ABV range... I've shifted from classical to my usual drinking music:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

:devil::tiphat:..................................................


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven Pastoral Symphony, Riccardo Chailly, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Time to get back to my roots.


----------



## Guest

Jean Sibelius
Symphony no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 82 (Final 1919 Version)
Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## brotagonist

TurnaboutVox said:


> That must be very handy for those tricky 'Is this Telemann or Prokofiev?' dilemmas! :devil:


One that had me stumped yesterday was Bach's French Suites, performed on a piano by Gavrilov. One gets _so_ habituated to thinking that Baroque means harpsichord, that when one hears it on the piano, it sounds _so_ different. One needs to listen really closely. What tipped me off was the intricacy of the music.


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Sextet in G Major

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie and Hedwig Raffeiner, violins -- Olga Arzilli and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Stefano Vegetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos


----------



## Weston

*Chausson: Symphony in B flat major, Op. 20*
Jerome Kaltenbach / Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy









Supposedly inspired by and compared to Franck's symphony, to me this sounds more like Dvorak than Franck. In fact some of the 1st movement (and a bit of the 3rd) shares so many musical gestures in common with Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "New World," I would think it a direct rip off -- except it was composed about 3 years prior.

Hmmm.

The 2nd movement evokes memories of Hollywood histrionics. I picture Luke Skywalker mulling over the death of his foster family with a desert double sunset looming in the background.

The 3rd movement harks back to the 1st, and so back into Dvorak territory, but also in a realm of its own with some interesting string arpeggios and a beautiful all brass chorale. It ends confidently with neither brazen hullabaloo nor whimpering diminuendo.

A very satisfying work overall.


----------



## Guest

Now listening to the Big Bear give it a whirl. 







Jean Sibelius
Symphony #5 in E flat major, op.82
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra

This old recording is a lot noisier than Vänskä, but I love the performance.


----------



## Weston

Vasks said:


> *Rossini - Overture to "William Tell" (Abbado/DG)
> Liszt - Fantasia and Fugue on the name B-A-C-H (Zilberstein/DG Eloquence)
> Tournemire - Symphony No. 3 "Moscow 1013" (de Almeida/Marco Polo)*


Whew! I would be completely drained after these three monsters. (I mean that in the pop musician slang sense.)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovksy Symphony 6
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-S...619635&sr=1-1&keywords=tchaikovsky+symphony+6


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven 9 Symphonies, Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony, 1939 cycle.
Anybody who loves Beethoven needs to hear this set.
Toscanini in his prime when he was in full control, allowing the music to breath beautifully.
One of the truly great Beethoven cycles, not to be missed in this wonderful remastering.
My project of pure pleasure for this weekend.


----------



## opus55

Berg: Wozzeck


----------



## SimonNZ

Giovanni Simone Mayr's Mass in C minor - Frank Hauk, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Sinfonia in G Minor

Hans Martin Linde conducting the Capella Coloniensis


----------



## Weston

*Ives: Symphony No. 2 *
Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic









Well, it certainly is American. I may have caught all the folk song and hymn references, but I'm not sure. This is kind of an oldie for me as I have had this CD for a long time. I _love_ the final chord.


----------



## Novelette

Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 -- Claudio Abbado: London Symphony Orchestra

Onslow: String Quintet #19 in E Minor, Op. 19 -- Diogenes Quartet & Manuel van der Nahmer

Berlioz: La Damnation De Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## hpowders

Weston said:


> *Ives: Symphony No. 2 *
> Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic
> 
> View attachment 33335
> 
> 
> Well, it certainly is American. I may have caught all the folk song and hymn references, but I'm not sure. This is kind of an oldie for me as I have had this CD for a long time. I _love_ the final chord.


A genuine "raspberry"!


----------



## samurai

Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Reveries"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *
All three symphonies are performed by the Igor Markevitch led London Symphony Orchestra. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47, *
traversed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both featuring Maestro Haitink at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 4, * both performed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi's baton.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G Major, KV 283

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## science

Again, I'm not much on the labels for this, but whatever it is, it's fun and interesting.

The writing is hard to see - it's "an anthology of noise & electronic music / first a-chronology 1921-2001" - and with a title like that (a-chronology) you know you're in for something pretentious and there's nothing I love more than that. (Seriously. I'm a pretentious person, after all, and I accept myself for what I am and in this case even without judgment.)


----------



## SimonNZ

John Dunstaple works - Orlando Consort


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky/Rachmaninov: Piano Trios
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-R...27711&sr=1-3&keywords=tchaikovsky+piano+trios


----------



## nightscape

Britten's War Requiem, Hickox


----------



## Andolink

*György Ligeti*: _Hamburg Concerto_ for solo horn and chamber orchestra with 4 obligato natural horns (1998/9, 2003)
Marie Luise Neunecker, horn
Asko Ensemble/Reinbert de Leeuw








and more lute and harpsichord pieces from these two delectable discs:


----------



## senza sordino

My day of nothing but *Sibelius*

*Symphony #1 * Colin Davis and Boston Symphony
*En Saga* Orchestra Swiss Romande conducted by Horst Stein
*Swan of Tuonela* with Davis and BSO
*Kullervo* with Colin Davis and LSO and Chorus
*Symphony #3* with Davis and BSO


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Delius songs - Yvonne Kenny, soprano, Piers Lane, piano


----------



## Andolink

*Ib Nørholm*: _Turbulens-Laminar_ for solo piano, Op.93; _Contrast-Continuum_ for flute quartet, Op. 70; _So to Say_ for flute and percussion, Op. 74; _Sonata No. 2 for Guitar_, Op. 110
Per Salo, piano
The Kuhlau Quartet
Gert Sørensen, percussion
Jacob Christensen, guitar


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Shostakovich's String Quartet No.8 - Yggdrasil Quartet

edit: now Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No.1 - Janine Jansen, violin, Itamar Golan, piano


----------



## DrKilroy

This is going to be a Lutosławski day, but meanwhile I would like to listen to Shostakovich and Bruckner as well! 










Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Gustav Mahler

"Im Lenz" and "Winterlied" from 'Three Lieder (1880)

Lieder und Gesänge Vol. I (1880 - 83)
Lieder und Gesänge Vol. II (1888/89, from Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
Lieder und Gesänge Vol. III (1888/89, from Des Knaben Wunderhorn)

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Colin Matthews edition, for Piano and Voice): (1885-6)

Dame Janet Baker (Mezzo Soprano); Geoffrey Parsons (Piano) [Helios, 2004; rec. 1983]









A second and third play for this excellent disc. The piano and voice version of "Ging heut' morgen über's Feld" is becoming a favourite.


----------



## jim prideaux

big big morning round these parts!....Glazunov complete symphonies and concertos-Serebrier-arrived in the post-started with 4th symphony-while by no means a criticism of Otaka, Serebrier appears to accentuate the poise, grace and balance of the opening movement-I am beginning to realise that for me one of the attractions of much of the music of Glazunov is the sense of space, the expansiveness, melodies unfold naturally and any orchestral climax develops naturally and in an integrated form....essentially the man knew what he was doing and I like his music!


----------



## Andolink

*Wolfgang Rihm*: _String Quartets 10 and 12_; _Quartet Study_
Minguet Quartett


----------



## science

I'll start these in a moment. I've never really appreciated them - never _really_ appreciated _any_ of Shostakovich's symphonies. I'm not sure what it is.










Hanson's Symphony #3 is the first work by him that I've ever really enjoyed. It's not a groundbreaking work or anything, there are cliches and all that, but it's nice.

The reason I really wanted that disk was the "Lament for Beowulf." Truth is, I expected to be disappointed. I think of something like "Lament for Beowulf," and I want rhythm, fear, drunkenness - I want to hear that it is a lament sung by men and women of a violent culture with a "fundamentalist"-ish belief that their gods are furious and reward the furious, men and women who are frightened of curses and strange noises in the dark, men and women who struggle to rip their survival from the bosom of nature's hostility. And I pretty much expected some Victorian romanticization of noble savages in touch with their inner children, a mix of Stainer's _Crucifixion_ and Scott's _Ivanhoe_. Fortunately it was somewhere in between, so that was fair enough.










That's not a very good image, is it? Sorry. That's Parch's "Delusion of the Fury." That is actually closer to what I imagine a "Lament for Beowulf" should sound like!


----------



## science

Sorry, one more. I think the string quartets are the only time when maybe I prefer a work by Ravel to a directly comparable work by Debussy.


----------



## Guest

Dmitri Shostakovich
Trio No. 2 for Pno, Vln, Cl in E minor, Op. 67
M.Argerich, G.Kremer, M.Maisky








Charles Ives
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2
Hilary Hahn & Valentina Lisitsa








Béla Bartók
Divertimento
Antal Dorati: BBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Guest

science said:


> Sorry, one more. I think the string quartets are the only time when maybe I prefer a work by Ravel to a directly comparable work by Debussy.


Agreed. The Ravel quartet is an absolute masterpiece.


----------



## bejart

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Bassoon Concerto in F Major, RV 487

Bela Drahos leading the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Tamas Benkocs, bassoon


----------



## DrKilroy

Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 - 1890 Nowak version (Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden)










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

I am in a Brahms mood:

Johannes Brahms, String Quartet op. 51 no. 2 & Piano Quintet op. 34
By the Takács Quartet and Stephen Hough [piano], on Hyperion









Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto 
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI









(I have still not totally gotten this work, but it is really interesting)

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









(This is a masterpiece!)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bas said:


> I am in a Brahms mood


I hope you're feeling better soon


----------



## Jeff W

It has been pretty cold up here in upstate New York so I thought I'd listen to something seasonal. Joachim Raff's Symphony No. 11 'Der Winter' fits the bill for me. Hans Stadlmair conducts the Bamberger Symphoniker.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Trio in G Major, Op.9, No.1

Grumiaux Trio: Arthur Grumiaux, violin -- Georges Janzer, viola -- Eva Czako, cello


----------



## science

I enjoyed both of these more than I remember enjoying them, but especially #7. It's huge, intense, overwhelming. I thought of the battle the whole time, wondering what Shostakovich was trying to express about it, or if not "express" then at least what the music had to do with the battle. Anyway, it's quite a work.










Now for something... lighter...


----------



## maestro267

*Mackenzie*: Burns - Second Scotch Rhapsody
BBC Scottish SO/Brabbins

*Maxwell Davies*: An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise
Royal PO/Maxwell Davies

Saturday Symphony:

*Rachmaninov*: Symphony No. 2 in E minor
BBC Philharmonic/Downes


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Bruckner* - Symphony No. 4 ("Romantische"), performed by Berliner Philarmoniker and Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm celebrating Furtwangler's birthday by listening to his recording of Bruckner's 9th from 1944.

Happy weekend, everyone!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes!!!

Ja! Ja! Oui! Oui! Si! Si!

That's my all-time, Best-In-Show favorite Bruckner's Ninth!! The ending of the first movement is. . . well. . . 'incandescent'-- and if you get the Music-and-Arts incarnation of the CD, you get the most feverishly, white-hot Liebestod ever done (Furtwangler/BPO, 1942) as a sweetner.


----------



## Vinyl

Oh, the pleasures of a badly sorted record collection! Nowhere near P for Prokofiev or S for String Quartets or N for Novák Quartet I found exactly that. 

Now listening to no. 1 opus 50. 

Serendipity: just another path to bliss.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

SiegendesLicht said:


> *Bruckner* - Symphony No. 4 ("Romantische"), performed by Berliner Philarmoniker and Daniel Barenboim.


When it comes to Barenboim, I prefer his earlier high-horsepowered seventies Chicago account on DG.


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing with the aforementioned Serebrier box set with first ever listening to Glazunov 1st Piano concerto, Reverie for horn and orchestra, Concerto Ballata for cello and orchestra and the Meditation for violin and orchestra......


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Vinyl said:


> Oh, the pleasures of a badly sorted record collection! Nowhere near P for Prokofiev or S for String Quartets or N for Novák Quartet I found exactly that. Now listening to no. 1 opus 50. Serendipity: just another path to bliss.


Ah yes, I rediscovered that same LP at the back of my cupboard a couple of months ago. It is rather good, isn't it?

Current listening: back to my chronological audition of Mahler's lieder.

*Mahler - Das Knaben Wunderhorn* (1901)

Der Schildwache Nachtlied (1892)
Verlor'ne Müh' (1892)
Trost im Unglück (1892)
Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht? (1892)
Das irdische Leben (1892)
Revelge (1899)
Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt (1893)
Rheinlegendchen (1893)
Lied des Verfolgten im Turm (1898)
Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen (1898)
Lob des hohen Verstands (1896)
Der Tambourg'sell (1901)

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, Jesseye Norman (Soprano), John Shirley-Quick (Baritone) [Philips, rec. 1976]

*Mahler - Eight Lieder from 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn'*

Der Schildwache Nachtlied
Verlor'ne Muh'
Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht
Wo die schonen Trompeten blasen
Revelge
Der Tamboursg'sell
Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt
Ablosung im Sommer (1888-89), orch. Luciano Berio

Simon Keenlyside (Baritone); Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
[EMI, rec. 1997]















Fine as the Haitink / Norman / Shirley-Quick versions are, it is in fact the Rattle / Keenlyside 'Wunderhorn' that impresses most as getting to the heart of this music. Of course, the modern recording is far superior, which alters perceptions a bit.

And - I love Berio's orchestration of 'Ablosung im Sommer'.


----------



## DaveS

Farewell to Maestro Abbado.....Mahler 1st. Lucerne Festival Orchestra(via YouTube). RIP.


----------



## Mahlerian

Today's Saturday Symphony:
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, op.27
Concertgebouw Orchestra, cond. Ashkenazy









I don't actually own a copy of this one, so I picked it up at the library instead. I've never particularly liked this work as a whole; it has memorable moments in it, but I always want there to be more development and less repetition of things like the "big tune" in the third movement.


----------



## Vasks

*Diamond - Symphony No. 5 (Keene/New World)
Martirano - LON/dons (London/GM)
Segerstam - A Last Melodioso (composer/BIS)*


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold & Goldmark: Violin Concertos*

Goldmark:	
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 28

Korngold:	
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

*Vera Tsu (violin)

Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra, Long Yu*









This was one of my favourite albums last time I had a classical periode. I must check out some alternative recordings of both works, but I think Tsu plays with pasion, tecnique and sensitivity, well coordinated with the orchestra.

amazon
naxos
classicsonline


----------



## stevederekson

My favourite Schubert smyphony (N. 4 "Tragic"):


----------



## hpowders

^^^^Which one???

Fixed.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*John Zorn - The String Quartets

Cat O'Nine Tails* (1988)

*The Dead Man: 13 Specimen For String Quartet* (1990)
1. Variations; 2. Sonatas; 3. Manifesto; 4. Fanfare; 5. Meditation; 6. Rondo; 7. Romance; 8. Blossoms; 9. Fantasy; 10. Folio; 11. Nocturne; 12. Etude; 13. Prelude

*Memento Mori (Ignotium Per Ignotius - The Unknown By Way Of The More Unknown)* (1992)

*Kol Nidre* (1996)

Joyce Hammann, Mark Feldman (violins), Lois Martin (viola), Erik Friedlander (cello) [Tzadik, 1999]









The full disc after yesterday's taster (Cat O'nine Tails). The first three works on this disc are experimental with much use made of 'extended technique'. I love the Ives-style quotations in Cat O'nine Tails, which include a rather incongruous-sounding 'Tea for Two'! The final one (Kol nidre) uses much more traditional tonality and is meditative (and is apparently the composer's hommage to Beethoven and Part (sorry, can't work out how to write non-English accents on this PC running Linux). All are individual, well crafted pieces which sustained my interest throughout. I'd recommend this to lovers of modern / contemporary (chamber) music.


----------



## Bas

TurnaboutVox said:


> I hope you're feeling better soon


I am:

George Fredric Handel - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Piano Concerto (Zimmerman/Lutosławski).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

science said:


> I enjoyed both of these more than I remember enjoying them, but especially #7. It's huge, intense, overwhelming. I thought of the battle the whole time, wondering what Shostakovich was trying to express about it, or if not "express" then at least what the music had to do with the battle. Anyway, it's quite a work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now for something... lighter...


I have the Bernstein/CSO Leningrad- I like the engineering job if not the performance. . . I've GOT to hear Takacs do the Bartok string quartets though!!!!


----------



## millionrainbows

Philip Glass: Solo Piano (CBS). This is Glass in a smaller, more intimate context, and it works very well and naturally for me. In terms of pure musicianship, I prefer Terry Riley's Keyboard Studies, but Glass has a personality which comes through which compensates for that. Glass, in this sense, is much more of a Romantic than Terry Riley, who seems downright objective by comparison. But Riley's got plenty of soul, there's no doubt.

So take it for what it is. Also, it's quiet enough to not disturb nearby prisoners.


----------



## clara s

being in the middle of winter, i am anxious to bring summer and heat and 
long walks in the seaside, when the sunset is at its most artistic appearance

what is more appropriate than a beautiful song, sung by almost all male singers, classical or not

"Torna a Surriento", by Ernesto de Curtis, a sweet melancholy and for me Luciano is the best at it


listen to it


----------



## millionrainbows

opus55 said:


> Berg: Wozzeck


I'm glad this is finally out on CD. It was the one I imprinted on. In the liner notes, it mentions that it is jokingly referred to as the "dry" Wozzeck, and this is true, since it was recorded on a soundstage. A most unusual recording.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Another one of those delicious _bon-bons_ by Offenbach... who is no longer part of the "canon".

Perfectly joyful music to warm the cockles or whatever on an absolutely frigid weekend.


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber and Korngold: Violin Concertos*

Barber, S:	
Violin Concerto, Op. 14

Korngold:	
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

Much Ado About Nothing, Op. 11: suite for violin (or cello) & piano

*Gil Shaham (violin)

London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn*









Very fine!

amazon
allmusic
prestoclassical


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Started the day off with some lovely melodic quartets by Ignaz Pleyel. Very similar to Mozart in style and melodic ideas in my opinion. So if you like Mozart you should probably check out Pleyel.










Then proceeded onto something with more meat to it. The last couple of days I have spent time with these two recordings by August Klughardt. The first is his Violin Concerto coupled with his 3rd Symphony. The other is his 5th Symphony and two of his overtures. By far the best piece is the Violin Concerto. It's a Romantic period virtuoso masterpiece and really should be played in concert halls to this day. Of the two symphonies I think the 5th is the more interesting of the two and has some really wonderful moments. CPO as usual does a great job with the production and engineering.



















Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suites. Love this stuff. So melodic. 
http://www.amazon.com/Suites-Orches...&sr=1-2&keywords=tchaikovsky+orchestral+suite


----------



## Vasks

science said:


>


LOL! I recognize those album covers, 'cause I have them


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Concerto for Orchestra (Kletzki), Paganini Variations for piano and orchestra (I am not sure about the pianist/Krenz).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## hpowders

Shostakovich, Second Piano Trio and Piano Quintet. Beaux Arts Trio, Eugene Drucker, Lawrence Dutton (borrowed from the Emerson Quartet)
More great Shostakovich from the war years.
An oldie but goodie.


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (ca.1750-1792): Symphony in E Flat, Kaul 23

Concerto Koln


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I'm about to continue my Weinberg listening with the above recordings. It is something I have been meaning to do for a while but for one reason or another got sidetracked. I enjoyed the recording of the 19th Symphony by Lande/St. Petersburg forces on Naxos so I have no doubt about these two recordings.

The third disc above was, via an upload of the 16th Symphony on YouTube, my introduction of the composer.

I am trying to alternate between composers and period s of music a little more toy try and prevent a Bruckner/Beethoven burnout.

I will then be following this later tonight with the Saturday Symphony of Rachmaninov's Second Symphony by Petrenko & the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

oskaar said:


> *Barber and Korngold: Violin Concertos*
> 
> Barber, S:
> Violin Concerto, Op. 14
> 
> Korngold:
> Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
> 
> Much Ado About Nothing, Op. 11: suite for violin (or cello) & piano
> 
> *Gil Shaham (violin)
> 
> London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn*
> 
> View attachment 33393
> 
> 
> Very fine!
> 
> amazon
> allmusic
> prestoclassical


Here! Here! I love it. . . . and you know what performance I like even MORE in terms of soloist, orchestral response, and engineer job?-- counterintuitive as it may seem:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> Here! Here! I love it. . . . and you know what performance I like even MORE in terms of soloist, orchestral response, and engineer job?-- counterintuitive as it may seem:
> 
> View attachment 33401


Damn it!!-- wrong upload. Apologies. . . Here, take two:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Thanks for mentioning these.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Another one of those delicious _bon-bons_ by Offenbach... who is no longer part of the "canon".
> 
> Perfectly joyful music to warm the cockles or whatever on an absolutely frigid weekend.


I don't know the work. I WILL though-- merci.


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day:

*Gösta Nystroem* - Sinfonia Tramontana (No 6) (Bis)









Malmö SymfoniOrkester u. B Tommy Andersson

*Åke Hermanson* - Lyrisk Metamorfos Op 2 / *Gösta Nystroem* - Stråkkvartett 1956 / *Anton Webern* - Fünf sätze für streichquartett Op 5 (Caprice LP CAP 1277)









Berwaldkvartetten

*Hilding Rosenberg* - The Three Sonatas for Solo Violin (Caprice LP CAP 1010)









Leo Berlin (1), Gunnar Barter (2), Leon Spierer (3)

*Laci Boldemann* - Sinfonietta per orchestra d'archi op.11 (Phono Suecia)









Strings of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Berislav Klobucar

/ptr


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Marschallin -

James Ehnes is a fabulous violinist. I was fortunate enough to hear him perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto last year. Also I have to concur that this is a wonderful album by him and one I am going to listen to right now! :tiphat:










Kevin


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Concerti w. Wesenigk/List (rec.1960), Vengerov (rec.1994), Schiff (rec.1984).

View attachment 33408
View attachment 33409
View attachment 33410


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kevin, what can I say?-- you have superb taste. I've heard so many defectively convincing performances of this piece. . . and then!-- that Ehnesian bolt of lightning out of an azure blue sky. Revelatory. I especially like his take on the Barber; especially the end of the last movement. . . THAT'S how it should be played.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> I don't know the work. I WILL though-- merci.


Delightful little thing. I just finished a cursory run of it on You Tube.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ptr said:


> Symphony of the day:
> 
> *Gösta Nystroem* - Sinfonia Tramontana (No 6) (Bis)
> 
> View attachment 33406
> 
> 
> Malmö SymfoniOrkester u. B Tommy Andersson
> 
> *Åke Hermanson* - Lyrisk Metamorfos Op 2 / *Gösta Nystroem* - Stråkkvartett 1956 / *Anton Webern* - Fünf sätze für streichquartett Op 5 (Caprice LP CAP 1277)
> 
> View attachment 33407
> 
> 
> Berwaldkvartetten
> 
> *Hilding Rosenberg* - The Three Sonatas for Solo Violin (Caprice LP CAP 1010)
> 
> View attachment 33399
> 
> 
> Leo Berlin (1), Gunnar Barter (2), Leon Spierer (3)
> 
> *Laci Boldemann* - Sinfonietta per orchestra d'archi op.11 (Phono Suecia)
> 
> View attachment 33405
> 
> 
> Strings of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Berislav Klobucar
> 
> /ptr


With regards to the Nystroem 6: I can't follow him there-- as it's just not my idiom, argot, or even planet; but I can follow him HERE (especially with the entrance of the chorus at 01:04:


----------



## ptr

Marschallin Blair said:


> With regards to the Nystroem 6: I can't follow him there-- as it's just not my idiom, argot, or even planet; but I can follow him HERE (especially with the entrance of the chorus at 01:04:


The sixth may well be his most jarring Symphony, this was the rewritten two movement version, the original with a third is even more harsh, lovely! (Music should always be a mouthful!) :tiphat:

/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

stevederekson said:


> My favourite Schubert smyphony (N. 4 "Tragic"):


Yeah, but as my inclinations go: in Markevitch mode and not Guilini mode:









-- How's THAT for not being too petit-bourgeois-self-indulgent and not trying to legislate my tastes onto you? Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Orfeo

jim prideaux said:


> big big morning round these parts!....Glazunov complete symphonies and concertos-Serebrier-arrived in the post-started with 4th symphony-while by no means a criticism of Otaka, Serebrier appears to accentuate the poise, grace and balance of the opening movement-I am beginning to realise that for me one of the attractions of much of the music of Glazunov is the sense of space, the expansiveness, melodies unfold naturally and any orchestral climax develops naturally and in an integrated form....essentially the man knew what he was doing and I like his music!


I agree with every word you said.


----------



## lupinix

Handel Suite in Gm HWV 432


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> When it comes to Barenboim, I prefer his earlier high-horsepowered seventies Chicago account on DG.
> 
> View attachment 33363


Somehow, Me too.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

A late breakfast and straight to the battle of the day, with...









The final of my 3 recent Bartók purchases has arrived. I already know _Concerto for Orchestra_ and _Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta_, but the rest is new to me. I had heard the _Romanian Dances_ and _Hungarian Sketches_ recently, which made this an attractive album to me. The _Suite for the Miraculous Mandarin_ is the earliest work in the set.

Yes, I can differentiate this from Prokofiev in a blind test  but, being so habituated to his _String Quartets_, this sheds a light of a fuller spectrum on the composer.


----------



## Vaneyes

For Saturday Symphony listening, *Rachmaninov*: Symphony 2, w. LSO/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1988).

View attachment 33414


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> When it comes to Barenboim, I prefer his earlier high-horsepowered seventies Chicago account on DG.
> 
> View attachment 33363


Somehow, Me too.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bas said:


> I am:
> 
> George Fredric Handel - Violin Sonatas
> By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi


An excellent restorative!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ptr said:


> The sixth may well be his most jarring Symphony, this was the rewritten two movement version, the original with a third is even more harsh, lovely! (Music should always be a mouthful!) :tiphat:
> 
> /ptr


Well, cheers to Lady Cacophony then: Mistress of angst and ennui.


----------



## Oskaar

Thanks for the Die tote stadt-tip, I will try to keep that in mind when I dig into opera once.I will try Ehnes later..now this one;

*Tchaikovsky & Korngold: Violin Concertos*

Korngold:	
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

Tchaikovsky:	
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

*Laurent Korcia (violin)

Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean-Jacques Kantorow*









allmusic
presto
gramophone


----------



## Oskaar

Prestoclassical is a handy tool finding alternative reccording of a work. Arkivmusic have a bigger database, but is not so handy to use.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Beethoven - Symphony 8 - BPO - Cluytens









at first, I wasn't that keen on this cycle but persisted with it as its difficult to avoid letting the genius of Beethoven shine through. However now it comes across as a very good set from a conductor that I guess wouldn't be top of many people's lists for a Beethoven conductor.


----------



## Blancrocher

Despite (or because of) the fact he composed so much, I haven't done much exploring in Hans Werner Henze's discography. Today I'm trying out his Barcarola, Symphony 7, and (time permitting) Symphony 9, with Simon Rattle conducting.

As an aside, I'd like to find a good biography of Henze--he seems to have had quite the life!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> For Saturday Symphony listening, *Rachmaninov*: Symphony 2, w. LSO/Rozhdestvensky (rec.1988).
> 
> View attachment 33414


I have this. . . somewhere. . . I like it. . . 'somewhat'. . . or else I'd know where it is. Hpowders knows what I'm talking about:


----------



## hpowders

^^^^Coming in loud and clear through the fog.... Ms. Blair!


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 in F-sharp minor
Schoenberg Quartet, Susan Narucki, soprano









After writing on this work on another forum, I felt compelled to give it another listen.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 33422
> 
> 
> Despite (or because of) the fact he composed so much, I haven't done much exploring in Hans Werner Henze's discography. Today I'm trying out his Barcarola, Symphony 7, and (time permitting) Symphony 9, with Simon Rattle conducting.
> 
> As an aside, I'd like to find a good biography of Henze--he seems to have had quite the life!


Henze: another composer of 'qualified acceptance' in the Book of Blair. I really like the Hunt of the Maenads too from Die Bassariden. The Abbado will do. . . but the score needs a Markevitch-type treatment though:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders said:


> ^^^^Coming in loud and clear through the fog.... Ms. Blair!


Yeah, the tragedy is have so many CD's I don't even know where they are; but then, if there's no tragedy, how can I laugh?


----------



## hpowders

Marschallin Blair said:


> Yeah, the tragedy is have so many CD's I don't even know where they are; but then, if there's no tragedy, how can I laugh?


I do too. But the one's I like are never too far away.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> Yeah, the tragedy is have so many CD's I don't even know where they are; but then, if there's no tragedy, how can I laugh?


if you have TOO many CDs (or if anyone else does) then I'll give then a nice home and everytime I play them I'll remind them of their first owner :lol:


----------



## opus55

millionrainbows said:


> I'm glad this is finally out on CD. It was the one I imprinted on. In the liner notes, it mentions that it is jokingly referred to as the "dry" Wozzeck, and this is true, since it was recorded on a soundstage. A most unusual recording.


"Langsam, Wozzeck" was spoken right in front of my face!

After last night's encounter with dry Wozzeck, I need somthing soothing.

Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Wozzek could be a hard roe to ***, but not without great sets and direction. I San Diego Opera do it a couple of years back and thoroughly enjoyed myself-- and I ABJURE proletarian realism.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> "Langsam, Wozzeck" was spoken right in front of my face!
> 
> After last night's encounter with dry Wozzeck, I need somthing soothing.
> 
> Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia


. . . continuing-- I don't know what happened back there; my cat distracted me by jumping around the window sill-- sorry. Yes: what a delightful shaft of light- Rossini a la Barber.


----------



## LancsMan

*Messiaen: La Nativite Du Seigneur* Olivier Latry on DG.

Organ music performed on the Notre-Dame organ.

I don't have an extensive collection of organ music in my CD collection. It's mainly 18th century (Bach) and 20th century (French). It certainly seems to be a French speciality in the 20th century. I have the complete organ music of both Messiaen and Alain. I am quite a fan of the Alain organ works, and the Messiaen is a more recent acquisition partly to attempt to 'get' into Messiaen. I'm part way there - if I have the time (you do rather need a lot of it with Messiaen) I am more than happy to let it wash over me - and it certainly evokes a hypnotic spell. But I'm not sure I really 'understand' this music.

Authoritative performance by Latry.


----------



## opus55

I haven't read the libretto yet but I can guess that Wozzeck is no romantic comedy. I need to get Bohm's recording as well which I think was easier to enjoy.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> I haven't read the libretto yet but I can guess that Wozzeck is no romantic comedy. I need to get Bohm's recording as well which I think was easier to enjoy.


I didn't even know Bohm did it.


----------



## senza sordino

Kevin Pearson said:


> Marschallin -
> 
> James Ehnes is a fabulous violinist. I was fortunate enough to hear him perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto last year. Also I have to concur that this is a wonderful album by him and one I am going to listen to right now! :tiphat:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


Hey, look it's my local orchestra and conductor! Bramwell Tovey has more personality than many of his predessors, because he talks to the audience. I'll see James Ehmes perform the Elgar in June. Looking forward to that!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Maestro Sordino, cheers!


----------



## senza sordino

Marschallin Blair said:


> Maestro Sordino, cheers!


I hope I am not misunderstood. I don't play for the VSO, I go to their concerts. I'm merely an amateur in a local amateur orchestra muddling my way through the classical repertoire.


----------



## Vinyl

Geirr Tveitt: Twopart inventions in Lydian, Dorian and Phrygian mode. 

It's what the Well Tempered would have sounded like if Bach had been Norwegian!


----------



## Oskaar

*Barber, Walton and Korngold: Violin Concertos*

Barber, S:	
Violin Concerto, Op. 14

Korngold:	
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

Walton:	
Violin Concerto

*James Ehnes (violin)

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey*









amazon
allmusic
classicstoday
musicweb-international
prestoclassical

PS: You may notice that I mostly listen to newer reccording, an therefor miss the classical performances. Some day I will discover them, but right now, quite new as I am to classical music, I have more pleasure listening to recordings with the best sound. following Goldmark-Korngolds violin concertos from 1996 with Tsu to today shows me an impressive development in sound only for those 15 years. I have descovered that many younger artists take advantage of the sound posibilities in the way they play, it is like a big 3-dimentional room they can fill with all their personality and qualities of work and instruments. But I will go into violinists like heifetz and Stern shortly. They are incredible.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

All concertgoers to the Barber Violin Concerto with Ehnes and Tovey at the helm are kings; but not all kings are concertgoers.

There the matter ends.


----------



## SimonNZ

Franz Xavier Richter's Messa Pastorale - Andrzej Kosendiak, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Webern

Rondo for String Quartet

Satz für Streichtrio, Op.post: Ruhog Fließend

String Trio, Op.20

String Quartet Op. 28*

Artis Quartett of Vienna [Nimbus, 2001] from: Webern: Complete Works for String Quartet and String Trio









Three Webern chamber works I haven't previously heard, two 'expressionist' and one, the string trio Op. 20, a more difficult to appreciate 'serialist' work. These pieces have the extreme brevity and condensation familiar to much of Webern's work. The String Quartet Op. 28 is familiar to me and it no longer seems so 'difficult' so I imagine that a similar accommodation will occur for the Trio in time.

Excellent peformances, certainly standing comparison with the LaSalle and Italian quartets. The Artis Quartet seem completely at home in this repertoire.


----------



## LancsMan

*Barber: Violin Concerto* New York Philharmonic with Isaac Stern conducted by Bernstein on Sony.

20th century romantic violin concerto, gloriously melodic. Maybe old fashioned and rather European for an American composer, but it's difficult not to like. Especially as performed here.


----------



## senza sordino

I've been cleaning house preparing to paint, lots of hard work. So I need some energetic music to keep me going. So it's been an all *Beethoven* morning, listening to some often overlooked symphonies
*Symphony #1, 2 and 4* with HvK and Berlin Phil from 1963. I listened to the second twice.

and for good measure
*Violin Concerto* with Zino Francescatti vn with Bruno Walter and Columbia Symphony Orchestra. I think I prefer this to my Heifetz recording because Francescatti plays the Kreisler cadenzas, which are beautifully integrated into the main themes.


----------



## hpowders

Allan Pettersson, Symphony #7, Leif Segerstam, Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra.
Deserves to be heard more often. Devastatingly moving section from 29" to 35" in.
I just read that a long time employee of the Stockholm Philharmonic who was dying asked to hear the Dorati recording of the Pettersson 7th Symphony. Wow.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select

Music for the soul:









The Ikuta School perform classical masterpieces, including the well-known Rokudan, Midare and Sakura.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders said:


> I do too. But the one's I like are never too far away.


Assuredly. ;D -- just the pearls beyond praise though.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> if you have TOO many CDs (or if anyone else does) then I'll give then a nice home and everytime I play them I'll remind them of their first owner :lol:


You're too kind; but then, I'm too selfish. . . and neurotic. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## hpowders

.......Who isn't?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Oh you know: those Bilderberger types. . . who are fundamentally honest and generally well-intentioned.


----------



## LancsMan

*Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances* Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Ashkenazy on Decca.

After listening to Barber's Violin Concerto here's some more 'old fashioned' 20th century music - this time by Rachmaninov - a late work. I prefer these Symphonic Dances to his symphonies. Plenty of drive and energy in sections, balanced against Russian melancholia in other parts. Quite an orchestral show piece as well. I like this performance.


----------



## Oskaar

This record is a good example of artists and productions that use the gain of the sound revolution. I also think it opens up the reportoare, and unknown composers will be more reccorded. There is a wonderful world of classical music to be discovered!

*Sounds of Defiance: Music of Shostakovich, Schnittke, Pärt, and Achron *

*Yevgeny Kutik* (Artist), T*imothy Bozarth* (Artist), Dmitri Shostakovich (Composer), Alfred Schnittke (Composer), Joseph Achron (Composer), Arvo Pärt (Composer)









amazon


----------



## Vinyl

Jan Dismas Zelenka: Requiem c-moll. 
Berner Kammerchor, Berner Kammerorchester, Jörg Ewald Dähler
Fournier, Balleys, Ishii, Tüller. 
Claves, 1985

This is very, very nice.


----------



## DavidA

Chopin Ballades - Graffman

He was a truly great Chopin player, right up there with the best. Superb!


----------



## LancsMan

*Britten: A Ceremony of Carols* Choir of King's College, Cambridge with Osian Ellis (harp) under David Willcocks on EMI.

Here's some magic by Britten. English composers seem to have a special empathy for choral music (as well as music for strings). Britten is certainly no exception. The harp accompaniment is simple but marvellous. Excellent.


----------



## Sonata

Bach: English Suite #6, Perahia
Boccherini: String quintets opus 13
Prokofiev: Cinderella
Bach: Cantatas, Joan Sutherland, Elly Ameling


----------



## Kieran

#7 for 2 pianos, formerly for 3, *K242*, Radu and Murray going _finger to finger_ on this one, the English Chamber Orchestra gaping at them (while furtively watching the clock on the wall)...


----------



## KenOC

Robert Simpson, Symphony No. 8. Vernon Handley w/the Royal Philharmonic. Good stuff!


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Lutoslawski's* birthday, January 25, 1913.

View attachment 33433


----------



## jlaw

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli plays 

Scarlatti: 3 Keyboard Sonatas / Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.32, Op.111 / Clementi: Piano Sonata Op.12 No.1 / Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2, Op.35

BBC Legends


----------



## PetrB

Marschallin Blair said:


> Wozzek could be a hard roe to ***, but not without great sets and direction. I San Diego Opera do it a couple of years back and thoroughly enjoyed myself-- and I ABJURE proletarian realism.


Idn't it just sooooo veddy pwecious the auto-censor software removes a common word for a garden tool out of fear of offending anyone because it might be used as a misspelled homophone? Us TC members are certainly being spared from some nasty offensive stuff


----------



## Sid James

*Corigliano*
_Snapshot: Circa 1900
A Black November Turkey_
*Friedman* _String Quartet #2_
- Performed by the Corigliano Quartet
*
Sibelius* _Night Ride and Sunrise_
- Philharmonia Orch. under Simon Rattle

*Martin*
_Polyptyque, for violin and two string orchestras_
- Yehudi Menuhin, violin with Zurich CO and Menuhin Festival Orch. under Edmond de Stoutz
_Ballade for flute, string orch. & piano_
- Aurele Nicolet, flute; Werner Bartschi, piano; Zurich CO under Edmond de Stoutz
_Ballade for viola, wind orch. and percussion_
- Yehudi Menuhin, viola; Menuhin Festival Orch. under Michael Dobson


Tying up some loose ends here. Going thru the *Frank Martin *set on EMI was a pleasure, this time as always. His *Polyptyque* reminds me of violin concertos by Hindemith and Henze, and also Berg's and Schoenberg's to some extent, that aspect of the violin traversing this psychological landscape/drama often at extremes and at odds with eachother, sometimes accomodating and lyrical, at other times hostile and brutal. The work draws upon Christ's passion, and although it was composed in the 1970's right at the end of Martin's career, its sound world is more like the 1930's or '40's. In many ways this is a synthesis of Martin's output, taking in influences from Bach to Schoenberg.

Martin also went back to the bedrock of tradition with his *ballades*, a cycle of works stretching from the 1930's to the 1970's. Here, the French tradition and its modern representative, Debussy was his main source of influence musically speaking. The one for flute is one of the earliest ones from the 1930's, the one for viola is the final one he wrote in the 1970's. Here, he was hanging on to an old and to some composers anachronistic form. But I like that aspect of Martin as a forager, someone who looks for inspiration and seems to always find it in the right places. More importantly, he builds on it and his music isn't rehash but unique.

Similar can be said of an eclectic of our time, the American *John Corigliano*. There is a great quote in the cd notes from Corigliano where he says that music is both about tradition and innovation, there is constantly this looking back, dealing with the present and also looking forwards. I finished the disc, the main work being his _String Quartet_. The accompanying short pieces by him and the quartet by his former student, *Jefferson Friedman*, are also interesting. The slow movement of the latter really drew me in.

Later on plan to listen to these -

*Schoenberg* _Piano Concerto and piano pieces, Opp. 11 & 19_
- Mitsuko Uchida on the bones with Cleveland Orch. under Pierre Boulez

*Schumann *Symphony #4
- Vienna PO under Zubin Mehta


----------



## PetrB

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> A late breakfast and straight to the battle of the day, with...
> 
> View attachment 33411
> 
> 
> The final of my 3 recent Bartók purchases has arrived. I already know _Concerto for Orchestra_ and _Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta_, but the rest is new to me. I had heard the _Romanian Dances_ and _Hungarian Sketches_ recently, which made this an attractive album to me. The _Suite for the Miraculous Mandarin_ is the earliest work in the set.
> 
> Yes, I can differentiate this from Prokofiev in a blind test  but, being so habituated to his _String Quartets_, this sheds a light of a fuller spectrum on the composer.


When you have both funds and the time, go for the complete Miraculous Mandarin. There is no "filler" there, the suite is a convenience for readier performance to further promote it and, of course, for readier revenues. Listening to the suite is about as non-satisfying as listening to Stravinsky's concert suite from Petrushka... i.e. you're missing a lot of good stuff and the full dimension of the original length piece.


----------



## PetrB

hpowders said:


> Well at least you got one of them right!


Bartok, Berio, Boulez, sigh... how many times do you have to repeat that before you get 100 on that 3 B's pop quiz


----------



## senza sordino

I wasn't sure where else to tell this story because it really comes under " past listening". From 1998 to 2003 the school I taught at played music between classes, and to signal the start and end of the day. And I was the music programmer. We had a five disk CD player that I set to random play. The music played continuously all day, each classroom had the option to listen all the time or just between classes.

I always had at least a couple of classical music CDs, a jazz, folk or easier listening, and often a pop CD such as the Beatles or Abba etc. I never took requests from students because I wanted them to hear music they wouldn't normally listen to. A lot of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but I did push the boundaries sometimes with Shostakovich.

Then one day my new principal decided an electronic buzzer was more appropriate, so my days as a DJ ended, and the school went quiet. Expect for that damned annoying electronic buzzer!

Oh, BTW, my current listening at home
*Mahler Symphony #2* with Zubin Mehta and Vienna Phil and Chorus. Turn up the volume to 11.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> Chopin Ballades - Graffman
> 
> He was a truly great Chopin player, right up there with the best. Superb!


To-do list for Blair-- "discover Graffman's Chopin"-- thanks.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.25 in C Major, KV 503

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Alfacharger

Hermann Goetz today.










Here is what George Bernard Shaw thought of Mr. Goetz!

The gem of the concert was Goetz's Symphony, which has fallen into neglect because, I suppose, it is the only real symphony that has been composed since Beethoven died. Beside it Mendelssohn's Scotch symphony is no symphony at all, but only an enchanting suite de pièces; Schubert's symphonies seem mere debauches of exquisitely musical thoughtlessness; and Schumann's, though genuinely symphonic in ambition, fall short in actual composition. Goetz alone among the modern symphonists is easily and unaffectedly successful from beginning to end.

He has the charm of Schubert without his brainlessness, the refinement and inspiration of Mendelssohn without his limitation and timid gentility, Schumann's sense of harmonic expression without his laboriousness, shortcoming, and dependence on external poetic stimulus; while as to unembarrassed mastery of the material of music, shewing itself in the Mozartian grace and responsiveness of his polyphony, he leaves all three of them simply nowhere. Brahms, who alone touches him in mere brute musical faculty, is a dolt in comparison to him.

You have to go to Mozart's finest quartets and quintets on the one hand, and to Die Meistersinger on the other, for work of the quality we find, not here and there, but continuously, in the Symphony in F and in The Taming of the Shrew, two masterpieces which place Goetz securely above all other German composers of the last hundred years, save only Mozart and Beethoven, Weber and Wagner. Of course, if Goetz were alive this would be an excellent reason for opposing him tooth and nail, for the same reasons that moved Salieri to oppose Mozart. A very little Goetz would certainly spoil the market for Festival symphonies; but now that the man is dead, why may we not have the symphony made a stock-piece at the London Symphony and Richter concerts, and performed oftener than once in four years at the Crystal Palace?

There is that beautiful Spring Overture, too, which the lamented Macfarren denounced as containing unlawful consecutive sevenths. Are we never to hear those consecutive sevenths again? Is it to be always Brahms and Bruch and Liszt, until our rising generation loses all sense of the subtle but immense difference between first-rate and second-rate in contemporary symphonic music?


----------



## PetrB

Henry Brant ~ _On the Nature of Things_. (memory of triggered most recently by the 'simple / complex' thread) Disarmingly simple music which _seems_ to meander, rather like hearing music out of doors, coming and going with varying breezes. A side of Brant which may surprise those fans of the 'thornier' and more in your face pieces by which he is usually most known.









Here is the lovely ancient mural that was used as the picture with this Brant "video" -- very nice as a background wallpaper.
Painted Garden, Villa of Livia, fresco, Roman; 30-20 B.C.E.


----------



## starthrower

Hindemith-Piano Concerto


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Trio in G Major

Vaclav Kunt, flute -- Petr Macecek, violin -- Jaroslav Tuma, harpsichord


----------



## Judy with bow

So, you know how it is with iTunes? You go there to buy a piece of music like a concerto or symphony and the pricing makes it cheaper to buy the whole album. I went there for the Dvorak Cello Concerto and ended up with the 99 Essential Works by Dvorak and I am so Not sorry. I have loved everything on it 
so far, especially the 8th Symphony and the Slavonic Dances. (Not even sure I've heard everything yet.)


----------



## Blancrocher

Rossini's William Tell, sung in Italian with Chailly conducting.


----------



## Conor71

Listening to some minimalist and new age Piano Music today - so relaxing :angel:!. Selections from these 2 playing:


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*William Schuman--*Symphony No.3; Symphony No.5 {"Symphony for Strings"} and Symphony No.8. *
All three works feature Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. 
William Schuman--*Symphonies Nos.4 and 9, *
both performed by the Gerard Scwarz led Seattle Symphony Orchestra. 
Leos Janacek--*Sinfonietta, * traversed by the American Symphony Orchestra under Leon Botstein.


----------



## hpowders

^^^Good choices, Samurai!!!


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> ^^^Good choices, Samurai!!!


I owe them all to you, and your very insightful posts on both William Schuman and Peter Mennin. :cheers:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I love Rilling's recordings of Bach's cantatas... and he is just as fine with Dvorak's _Stabat Mater_


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> I owe them all to you, and your very insightful posts on both William Schuman and Peter Mennin. :cheers:


Wow! Thank you! I'm happy you like this music!!! 
Pettersson's 7th Symphony is also worth the effort....someday.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte










Quite different from Bohm's version. I think I'll like both.


----------



## bejart

Samuel Wesley (1766-1837): Violin Concerto No.2 in D Major

Peter Holman conducting the Parley of Instruments -- Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin


----------



## Novelette

Dvořák: Serenade in E, Op. 22 -- Herbert von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Bach: French Suite #3 in B Minor, BWV 814 -- Pieter-Jan Belder

Mozart: Piano Concerto #19 in F, K 459 -- Malcolm Bilson; John Eliot Gardiner: English Baroque Soloists

Sibelius: Overture in E, JS 145 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Gossec: Grande Messe des Morts -- Diego Fasolis: Lugano Radio Orchestra

Beethoven: Piano Sonata #3 in C, Op. 2/3 -- Yours truly


----------



## bejart

Jean Baptiste Breval (1753-1823): Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.12, No.5

Reiner Ginzel, cello -- Konrad Richter, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Harp Concerto - marielle Nordmann, harp, Leif Segerstam, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://recent

I got this a few months back and I don't yet know it at all.








Shostakovich : _Symphonies 1 & 3_
Petrenko/Liverpool

I thought of these as insignificant early works when I first heard them, but Symphony 1 is very good. The 3rd needs some more listening: sometimes I think, "Hey, that's DSCH!" and then I'm just not so sure


----------



## KenOC

brotagonist said:


> I thought of these as insignificant early works when I first heard them, but Symphony 1 is very good. The 3rd needs some more listening: sometimes I think, "Hey, that's DSCH!" and then I'm just not so sure


Symphony #1 is quite popular, a very fine work indeed. #3...well, less so!


----------



## SimonNZ

Henze's Novae De Infinito Laudes - Milan Horvat, cond.


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> To-do list for Blair-- "discover Graffman's Chopin"-- thanks.


It's part of the complete Graffman rrecordings from Sony

Available from Amazon.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select









This album is just what the title says, chamber works and rarities. I tend to hear only Stravinsky's ballets or his later neoclassical works, but this collection fills the gaps between the more familiar works. Other than the Bartók mentioned earlier today (I'm saving disc 2 for Sunday), I have no new albums, so I'm having fun playing the _name the composer_ game with my collection. After Shostakovich's Symphonies 1 & 3, the CD player changed to this disc, the first of the set.

Yup, I was stumped  The first piece is _Ragtime_. I thought it comical and having a carnivalesque air strongly resembling works of Éric Satie. I knew Satie wasn't in the player, so I guessed Maurice Ravel, since Ravel is. I had completely forgotten about having put Stravinsky in, but I wouldn't have guessed anyway. I think these pieces allow one to hear Stravinsky's influences clearly. It wasn't until _L'Histoire du Soldat Suite_ that I figured it out


----------



## Oskaar

*Gilson: The Sea / Melodies Ecossaises *

La Mer

Melodies Ecossaises

Alvar Prelude

Symphonic Overture No. 3

*Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Frederic Devreese*









Fine adventurous listening.

amazon


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Sonatas

Piano Sonata in F sharp minor Op 81

Piano Sonata in D major Op 106

Piano Sonata in F minor Op 20 *

Stephen Hough (piano) [Hyperion, 2003]









Stephen Hough is a great advocate for these three of Hummel's surprising piano sonatas - surprising because I had been expecting a more 'classical' style, rather than the early romantic style of these works. Having heard some Hummel on Spotify I decided to buy a recording by a top-flight pianist, and this is my new disc this week.

Hummel clearly precedes Chopin (if I was playing the 'can you identify... game, I would have guessed at early Chopin) though I can hear premonitions of Liszt and maybe Alkan too. But are these satisfying piano works in their own right? Superficially they are attractive but not memorable on first listening. Time and repeated listening may tell!


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's String Quartet No.2 - Sequoia String Quartet

edit: Peteris Vasks' String Quartet No.4 - Kronos Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

Alfacharger said:


> It is the only real symphony that has been composed since Beethoven died.
> 
> ....until our rising generation loses all sense of the subtle but immense difference between first-rate and second-rate in contemporary symphonic music?


I am glad I dont know what a real symphony is, and that I can enjoy the wonderful world of second rate music.

I am sorry to say, but this is the #### most #### I have read in a long time. Sounds like a 95 years old grand grandpa that says that the 100 years old transportation system in the town of antique-wille is the only thing.

For me music is about listening-pleasure, and that is the most subjective and ever-changing thing there is. The objective absolutes in musical theory could be nice to know about, but these statements must have some arguers I believe? Sounds like subjectivity in objective wrapping.

So... a bit provocated...


----------



## SimonNZ

But I think you'll find Alfacharger was quoting Bernard Shaw in that post, rather than stating his or her own view, and seemed to be presenting the quote precisely _because_ it was more than a little over the top.


----------



## Oskaar

*Niels Gade: Symphonies 4 & 6*

Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 20

Symphony No. 6 in G minor, Op. 32

*
Collegium Musicum Copenhagen, Michael Schønwandt, Petter Sundkvist*









guardian


----------



## Kivimees

Hello everyone!

It's nice to be here again after so long away. Poor health kept me but I'm happy to be home again where I can recuperate properly. Many familiar faces and a good number of new ones here. I have spent quite some time going through all the "Current Listening" posts I missed (!) and I'm finally done. There were 100's of "like"s I could have given, but I thought "liking" month old posts might be silly. So instead I offer one collective "like" to all. :tiphat:

There were also many posts that pointed to new and pleasant listening experiences; I extend special thanks to SimonNZ, oskaar, ptr and Kevin Pearson.


----------



## Oskaar

SimonNZ said:


> But I think you'll find Alfacharger was quoting Bernard Shaw in that post, rather than stating his or her own view, and seemed to be presenting the quote precisely _because_ it was more than a little over the top.


Ok! I am sorry for not looking proparly....


----------



## SimonNZ

I had to go and find the Shaw quote to see if it was meant to be tongue in cheek, but it seems not. (Review from 22 November 1893, page 93 of volume III of "Music In London" in the Constable edition). I guess the orchestra was just really cookin' that night.

Good to see you again, Kivimees! (and thanks for the shoutout!)

playing now, on the radio:

Korngold's String Quartet No.3 - Aron Quartet


----------



## Kivimees

A pair of nice symphonies here from a fellow who composed many.


----------



## Oskaar

*Flute Concertos*

Johann Joachim Agrell 
Concerto for flute, strings and basso continuo in D major

Johann Adolph Scheibe 
Concerto for flute, strings and basso continuo in A major	15:43

Johann Adolph Hasse 
Concerto for flute, strings and basso continuo in G major	11:46

*Irene Spranger baroque flute
Maria Bania baroque flute

Concerto Copenhagen 
Andrew Manze*









amazon


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Onslow's Piano Trio Op.27 - Trio Cascades


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F Major, D.67

I Giovani Musici Italiana -- Felix Ayo, violin


----------



## Oskaar

Onslow... I think about the brilliant english TV - comedy *Keeping Up Appearances*


----------



## ptr

Symphony of the day and counting:

*Florent Schmitt* - Symphonie Concertante for orchestra & piano Op 82 / Rêves for orchestra Op 65 / Soirs, 8 pieces for small orchestra Op 5 (Valois)









Huseÿin Sermet, piano; Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra u. David Robertson

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Schmitt's Tragedie de Salome is good too.


----------



## Andolink

*Johann Jacob Froberger*: _Suite No. 2 in D minor_; _Capriccio No. 6 in C major_; _Partita No. 19 in C minor, FbWV 619_; _Toccata No. 16 in C major_; _Fantasia No. 1_
Blandine Verlet, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

*Cypress String Quartet: The American Album*

Barber, S:	
String Quartet, Op. 11

Dvorak:	
String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'

Griffes:	
Two Sketches on Indian Themes

Puts:	
Lento assai

*
Cypress String Quartet*









Great performances!

allmusic
prestoclassics
independent.
theclassicalreviewer
arkivmusic
naxos
amazon


----------



## clara s

senza sordino said:


> I wasn't sure where else to tell this story because it really comes under " past listening". From 1998 to 2003 the school I taught at played music between classes, and to signal the start and end of the day. And I was the music programmer. We had a five disk CD player that I set to random play. The music played continuously all day, each classroom had the option to listen all the time or just between classes.
> 
> I always had at least a couple of classical music CDs, a jazz, folk or easier listening, and often a pop CD such as the Beatles or Abba etc. I never took requests from students because I wanted them to hear music they wouldn't normally listen to. A lot of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but I did push the boundaries sometimes with Shostakovich.
> 
> Then one day my new principal decided an electronic buzzer was more appropriate, so my days as a DJ ended, and the school went quiet. Expect for that damned annoying electronic buzzer!
> 
> Oh, BTW, my current listening at home
> *Mahler Symphony #2* with Zubin Mehta and Vienna Phil and Chorus. Turn up the volume to 11.


excellent story and good job you did

I would be very happy to start my day in the classroom with your music selections


----------



## Vinyl

Johan Halvorsen: Symfoni Nr. 2 "Fatum" d-moll
Filharmonisk selskaps orkester, Karsten Andersen 1979


----------



## Bas

Dieterich Buxtehude - Membra Jesu Nostri
By Concerto Vocale, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi Musique d'Abord


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in B Flat, Op.6, No.6

Hans Martin Linde leading the Capella Coloniensis


----------



## ptr

Kivimees said:


> Schmitt's Tragedie de Salome is good too.


I love TdS, especially in the version for Chamber Orchestra!

/ptr


----------



## Vinyl

Christoph Eschenbah playing Chopin's 24 preludes. 1973


----------



## ptr

Symphony continued:

*Gösta Nystroem* - Sinfonia del Mare / Sånger vid Havet (Musica Sveciae)









Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo; Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Evgenij Svetlanov

and then,

*Charles Ives* - Symphony No 3 & 4 (Vanguard)









Ambrosian Singers & New Philharmonia Orchestra u. Harold Faberman

/ptr


----------



## Kivimees

Something Polish to celebrate DrKilroy's birthday...









:cheers:


----------



## opus55

Handel: Solomon










Sunday morning. I'd like to listen to music all day.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Friedrich von Flowtow is pretty much known today only for his operas Martha, and also Alessandro Stradella (technically operettas I suppose), but he apparently did write some other things like his wonderful Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2. Wikipedia doesn't show a list of compositions so I wonder how many other things are out there. This album is a gem of a find and has some very nice Romantic melodies. Are they masterpieces? No...but certainly deserve to be preserved for posterity. I wonder how many other pieces von Flowtow wrote and if he composed any chamber music? I'd love to hear more!










Moving on this morning to listen to three string quartets by Adalbert Gyrowetz. Really enjoy this recording and it's quite suitable for a Sunday morning lie around the house.










Kevin


----------



## Jeff W

Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony for the Symphony thread. Vladimir Ashkenazy leads the Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Flute Quartet in E Minor, Op.2, No.1

Mario Cabotta, flute -- Enrico Casazza, violin -- Carlo De Martini, viola -- Marcello Scandelli, cello


----------



## Guest

Claude Debussy
String Quartet in F

Comparing the two recordings I have of this amazing work:
1. Cleveland Quartet
2. Arcanto Quartett


----------



## Bas

Recital: Andreas Scholl Songs "Wanderer" (Brahms, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart)
By Andreas Scholl [counter tenor], Tamar Halperin [piano], on Decca









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K. 481, K 526, K. 547
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Mozart Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









May he rest in peace.


----------



## DrKilroy

Kivimees said:


> Something Polish to celebrate DrKilroy's birthday...
> 
> View attachment 33478
> 
> 
> :cheers:


I am honoured. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## adrem

There was only one connection (such a shame...) between Gustav Mahler and Sergiu Celibidache - Kindertotenlieder.
So now I'm listening this sublime interpretation:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

* Mahler - Rückert-Lieder

Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!* (1901)
*Ich atmet' einen linden Duft* (1901)
*Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen* (1901)
*Um Mitternacht* (1901)
*Liebst du um Schönheit* (1902)

Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Christa Ludwig (Mezzosoprano) [DG, 1978]

*Mahler - Kindertotenlieder *(1901 - 04)*

Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n
Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
Wenn dein Mütterlein
Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen
In diesem Wetter*

I. Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Christa Ludwig, Mezzo-soprano [Deutsche Grammophon, rec.1978]

II. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, Hermann Prey, Baritone [Philips, rec. 1970]

III. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Rudolph Kempe, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Baritone [Pathe-Marconi EMI, rec. 1955]





















Christa Ludwig is wonderful in the surpassingly beautiful 'Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!', as she is also in the other Ruckert Lieder. All three versions of 'Kindertotenlider' are excellent and are very moving. HvK with Ludwig and the BPO have the best (and most recent) recording of the three. I think Fischer-Dieskau, with Kempe and the BPO, communicates most to the listener, though.

It's taken a fair while to listen to all three due to technical problems with my (very temperamental) spare amplifier, which now presides over the 'garden shed'. Its repair and total refurbishment last year was supposed to sort this out but it's developed another switch failure resulting in it emitting horrible noises!


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements (Davis), Violin Concerto (Grumiaux/Bour).

+

Dumbarton Oaks Concerto (Ward), Ebony Concerto (Boulez), In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (Stravinsky).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vasks

_Haydn happy_

*FJ Haydn - Overture to "La fedelta premiata" (Huss/Koch)
FJ Haydn - Piano Sonatas Nos. 16 & 17 (McCabe/London)
FJ Haydn - Symphony No. 102 (Davis/Philips)*


----------



## Oskaar

*Concertos - ZELLBELL, F. / AGRELL, J.J. / JOHNSEN, H.P.*
*
Beuse, Christian, bassoon • Klingfors, Mats, bassoon • Akerberg, Asa, cello • Manze, Andrew, Conductor • Bania, Maria, flute • Danman, Anders, harpsichord • Henriksson, Lars, oboe • Concerto Copenhagen*









amazon


----------



## Jeff W

Sergei Rachmaninoff's 'Isle of the Dead'. Vladimir Ashkenazy leads the Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> Stravinsky - Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements (Davis), Violin Concerto (Grumiaux/Bour).
> 
> +
> 
> Dumbarton Oaks Concerto (Ward), Ebony Concerto (Boulez), In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (Stravinsky).
> 
> Best regards, Dr











Thumbs up. . . I especially like what isn't mentioned (Ha. Ha. Ha.) in your post though by Sir Colin (yes, he certainly gets elevated to the Peerage in this case): his seventies Phillips Concertgebouw Firebird-- clear textures, absolutely beautifully recorded, an enchanting khorovode with the princess, a hammering Infernal Dance, and an equally heroic ending. . . Certainly MY favorite firebird. ;D


----------



## Marschallin Blair

TurnaboutVox said:


> * Mahler - Rückert-Lieder
> 
> Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!* (1901)
> *Ich atmet' einen linden Duft* (1901)
> *Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen* (1901)
> *Um Mitternacht* (1901)
> *Liebst du um Schönheit* (1902)
> 
> Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Christa Ludwig (Mezzosoprano) [DG, 1978]
> 
> *Mahler - Kindertotenlieder *(1901 - 04)*
> 
> Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n
> Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
> Wenn dein Mütterlein
> Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen
> In diesem Wetter*
> 
> I. Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Christa Ludwig, Mezzo-soprano [Deutsche Grammophon, rec.1978]
> 
> II. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, Hermann Prey, Baritone [Philips, rec. 1970]
> 
> III. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Rudolph Kempe, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Baritone [Pathe-Marconi EMI, rec. 1955]
> 
> View attachment 33487
> View attachment 33488
> View attachment 33489











"Christa Ludwig! Herbert von Karajan! Wonder Twins powers activate! . . .Shape!. . . of Mahler. . Form! . . Kindertotenlieder!"


----------



## DrKilroy

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33492
> 
> 
> Thumbs up. . . I especially like what isn't mentioned (Ha. Ha. Ha.) in your post though by Sir Colin (yes, he certainly gets elevated to the Peerage in this case): his seventies Phillips Concertgebouw Firebird-- clear textures, absolutely beautifully recorded, an enchanting khorovode with the princess, a hammering Infernal Dance, and an equally heroic ending. . . Certainly MY favorite firebird. ;D


I like Boulez's Firebird, but I'll check out Davis as well, then. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

Henze: Gogo no Eiko, Act 1
Mari Midorikawa, Jun Takahashi, cond. Albrecht









Voyeuristic teen feels alienated, kills his mother's lover in a gruesome way. Sounds like an opera plot, eh? Anyway, Henze's score is colorful but seems to work more in moments than as a consistently building music drama. But perhaps I'm also frustrated by the fact that A) the score I'm looking at (available on Schott's website) has the libretto in German, while the recording is sung in Japanese, B) the Japanese setting is constantly counter-intuitive, because it was simply adapted from the original German version and obviously wasn't written by a native speaker, and C) the performance has significant cuts, forcing me to jump through the score to find where I'm supposed to be...

Maybe I'll listen to the other act, maybe not.

This review gives a pretty accurate summary of what's wrong with the work (the lurid details may not be to everyone's taste, so you're warned):
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/arts/review-opera-henze-s-setting-of-mishima-s-sailor.html


----------



## Alfacharger

Start today with some Bernard Herrmann.










Later a great recording by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus of Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarion.


----------



## Bas

Mahlerian said:


> Henze: Gogo no Eiko, Act 1
> Mari Midorikawa, Jun Takahashi, cond. Albrecht
> 
> Voyeuristic teen feels alienated, kills his mother's lover in a gruesome way. Sounds like an opera plot, eh? Anyway, Henze's score is colorful but seems to work more in moments than as a consistently building music drama. But perhaps I'm also frustrated by the fact that A) the score I'm looking at (available on Schott's website) has the libretto in German, while the recording is sung in Japanese, B) the Japanese setting is constantly counter-intuitive, because it was simply adapted from the original German version and obviously wasn't written by a native speaker, and C) the performance has significant cuts, forcing me to jump through the score to find where I'm supposed to be...
> 
> Maybe I'll listen to the other act, maybe not.
> 
> This review gives a pretty accurate summary of what's wrong with the work (the lurid details may not be to everyone's taste, so you're warned):
> http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/arts/review-opera-henze-s-setting-of-mishima-s-sailor.html


What reason do you have for listening to a Japanese translation of an opera?


----------



## Mahlerian

Bas said:


> What reason do you have for listening to a Japanese translation of an opera?


It's the only recording. My Japanese is also better than my German...


----------



## Vinyl

Tried Gluck's Le Cinesi, but it didn't stick. 
Trying some Händel instead: L'Allegro ed il Penseroso.


----------



## Vinyl

Didn't stick either. 
Shostakovitch 3rd string quartet, Borodin. 
More like it...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> I like Boulez's Firebird, but I'll check out Davis as well, then.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Which one?-- I prefer the later one Boulez did on DG to the Columbia one.


----------



## hpowders

Aaron Copland, Connotations for Orchestra, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic


----------



## jlaw

Spheres

1. Imitazione delle campane
2. I giorni
3. Echorus
4. Cantique de Jean Racine op. 11
5. Prelude op. 46 no. 15 Adagio sognando
6. Fratres
7. Eliza Aria
8. Musica universalis
9. Spheres
10. Berlin by Overnight
11. Biafra
12. Lento
13. Passaggio
14. Prelude op. 46 no. 8
15. Benedictus
16. Prelude in E minor BWV 855
17. Trysting Fields
18. Faust Episode 2 Nachspiel


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Henze: Gogo no Eiko, Act 1
> Mari Midorikawa, Jun Takahashi, cond. Albrecht
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Voyeuristic teen feels alienated, kills his mother's lover in a gruesome way. Sounds like an opera plot, eh? Anyway, Henze's score is colorful but seems to work more in moments than as a consistently building music drama. But perhaps I'm also frustrated by the fact that A) the score I'm looking at (available on Schott's website) has the libretto in German, while the recording is sung in Japanese, B) the Japanese setting is constantly counter-intuitive, because it was simply adapted from the original German version and obviously wasn't written by a native speaker, and C) the performance has significant cuts, forcing me to jump through the score to find where I'm supposed to be...
> 
> Maybe I'll listen to the other act, maybe not.
> 
> This review gives a pretty accurate summary of what's wrong with the work (the lurid details may not be to everyone's taste, so you're warned):
> http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/arts/review-opera-henze-s-setting-of-mishima-s-sailor.html


I love your first sentence. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . . If I may so immodestly boast, I love high drama- don't get me wrong- but only in opera libretti.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in C Sharp Minor, Op.131

Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Words and Music
Blue

Texts and music inspired by the colour blue. Readers: Angel Coulby and Raymond Coulthard.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

bejart said:


> Beethoven: String Quartet in C Sharp Minor, Op.131
> 
> Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello
> 
> View attachment 33499


Wonderfully bittersweet Emerson Op. 131, that!


----------



## Oskaar

*Seóirse Bodley: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5*

Symphony No. 4

Symphony No. 5, 'The Limerick Symphony'

*Ireland National Symphony Orchestra, Colman Pearce*









naxos


----------



## DrKilroy

Marschallin Blair said:


> I prefer the later one Boulez did on DG to the Columbia one.


So do I!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ptr

Evelyn Glennie - Rebounds - Concertos for Percussion (RCA)
(*Darius Milhaud* - Concerto for Percussion and Chamber Orchestra Op 109 / *Richard Rodney Bennett* - Concerto for Solo Percussion and Chamber Orchestra / *Ney Rosauro* - Concerto for Marimba and Strings / *Akira Miyoshi* - Concerto for Marimba and Strings)









Evelyn Glennie, Marimba; Scottish Chamber Orchestra u. Paul Daniel

*Bernd Alois Zimmermann* - Un Petit Rien / Das Gelb und das Grun / Omnia tempus habent / Metamorphose (Wergo)









Angelika Luz, sopran (14); Collegium Novum Zürich u. Peter Hirsch

/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders said:


> View attachment 33498
> 
> 
> Aaron Copland, Connotations for Orchestra, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic


This disc has a powerful, and very ennobling, Fanfare for the Common Man on it. . . anything 'but' common. Yeah, way to go hdpowders.


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## hpowders

Marschallin Blair said:


> This disc has a powerful, and very ennobling, Fanfare for the Common Man on it. . . anything 'but' common. Yeah, way to go hdpowders.


There is also a heartfelt lyrical quote from his third symphony between minutes 13 and 14. It gets repeated. Jarringly unexpected given all the dissonance that preceded it.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

While certainly no match for Mozart's four finest opera, Gluck is quite clearly something special in his own right. Beyond acting as a mere historical footnote... the bridge between Handel and the Baroque opera and Mozart and Classical opera... Gluck's operas are quite simply delicious in their own right... especially when performed as lovingly as here.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

> Originally posted by StlukesguildOhio
> Gluck's operas are quite simply delicious in their own right... especially when performed as lovingly as here.


My daughter was singing in the chorus of 'Orpheus and Eurydice' today - unfortunately in London so I couldn't go to hear.

Current listening: *Mahler* (_more_ Mahler!)

*Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen*

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Baritone [Pathe-Marconi EMI, rec. 1955]









Because this is fabulous and it's on the other side of the 'Kindertotenlieder' LP


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> Best regards, Dr


I didn't even know of the EXISTENCE of this. <Wicked chorus: "Blonde."> I'm ordering it right now. Argerich is my girl; Sinopoli more often than not does interesting things with composers I love. . .

I just recently got Sinopoli's La Mer-- and it has one of the best climaxes at the end of the first movement that I've ever heard;the rest of the piece is a solid performance as well; but it's worth it just for that buildup at the end of the first movement. . . the Ravel Daphne et Chloe Suite and the Bolero that are pared with it?-- not so honorable-mention though. . . Thanks for the post Dr. ;D


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *JCF Bach's *death day, January 26, 1795.

View attachment 33507


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> While certainly no match for Mozart's four finest opera, Gluck is quite clearly something special in his own right. Beyond acting as a mere historical footnote... the bridge between Handel and the Baroque opera and Mozart and Classical opera... Gluck's operas are quite simply delicious in their own right... especially when performed as lovingly as here.


Gardiner, through his choice of singers alone, gets me to buy operas from the baroque and classical period that I otherwise wouldn't buy. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Here we go again. Cheers. Merci.


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr - Violin Concerto no. 10 in A, Violin Concerto in Em no. 7, Violin Concerto no. 9 in Dm
By Ulf Hoelschler [violin], Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 25 in C, Piano Concerto no. 27 in B-flat
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [dir], on Deutsche Grammophone









Wonderful recording!


----------



## ptr

more..

*Bernd Alois Zimmermann* - Konzert für Violine 'Meiner Frau / Canto di Speranza / Ich wante mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne (ECM)









Thomas Zehetmair, violin; Thomas Demenga, cello; Gerd Böckmann & Robert Hunger-Bühler, sprecher; Andreas Schmidt, bass; WDR Sinfonieorchester, Köln u. Heinz Holliger

/ptr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Symphonies 7 & 8, w. Jarvi (rec.1988), Haitink (rec.1982).

View attachment 33513
View attachment 33514


----------



## Morimur

*Aribert Reimann: Lear (Fischer-Dieskau, Albrecht)*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

oskaar said:


> Onslow... I think about the brilliant english TV - comedy *Keeping Up Appearances*


my graddad worked with him before he became an actor ... and slagged him off everytime he saw him on TV! Yup, I'm with you, oskaar but even so, I'm now intrigued and will have a listen


----------



## Headphone Hermit

[QUOTE

Gluck is quite clearly something special in his own right. Beyond acting as a mere historical footnote... [/QUOTE]

Berlioz fecognised that Gluck was a genius and had a significant influence on the nature of opera .... as well as writing some of the most sublime pieces in the genre.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I've decided to have a trawl through my shelves for CDs that I can't remember after yesterday's rediscovery of Chausson, so today it is Berwald Symphony 3 - I should perhaps give this a bit more attention than previously


----------



## hpowders

Ha! Leopold Mozart told Wolfie to stay away from Gluck, if I remember correctly.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> *Shostakovich*: Symphonies 7 & 8, w. Jarvi (rec.1988), Haitink (rec.1982).
> 
> View attachment 33513
> View attachment 33514


Ab-so-LUT-ely thumbs up!! . . . Jarvi's sustained climactic ending of the Leningrad with the SNO forces! The second movement of the Haitink with that great Concertgebouw engineering quality, so that your heart is in your THROAT from the fear it installs from the approaching Wehrmacht.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra *Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Ivan Fischer on Philips.

Excellent entry level Bartok for those new to this composer. Who could dislike (OK maybe some progressives out there might be disappointed at late Bartok's more approachable style). Can't quibble with this performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

earlier:










Boccherini's Piano Concerto in E flat major - Eckart Sellheim, fortepiano, Collegium Aureum

and now:










Franz Kromer's Clarinet Concerto Op.36 - Kalman Berkes, clarinet and cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> [QUOTE
> 
> Gluck is quite clearly something special in his own right. Beyond acting as a mere historical footnote...


Berlioz fecognised that Gluck was a genius and had a significant influence on the nature of opera .... as well as writing some of the most sublime pieces in the genre.[/QUOTE]

-- but Berlioz was a genius. . . with absolutely NO talent. . . isn't that right Bizet?-- No, I agree: If it's good enough for Berlioz, it's good enough for the Marschallin.


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
_Symphony #4
Coriolan overture_
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet

This session started with *Beethoven conducted by Ansermet,* an exercise in restraint but not without emotion. The notes say that in effect, Ansermet did HIP before HIP. He anticipated less Romanticised interps of the classics some 30 years before the authentic/period performance movement really got off the ground. I quite like his more 'objective' approach to music, although it took me a while to warm to it. I look forward to listening to the other symphonies on this set (1,2,3).










*Elgar* _Violin Concerto_
- Yehudi Menuhin, violin with London SO under the composer (rec. 1932)

This recording as well as the accompanying one of the cello concerto, is easily amongst my old favourites.

The surprising thing is, it almost never happened. The recording producers had wanted to get Fritz Kreisler to record it with *Elgar*, but he wasn't biting. Elgar was in his seventies and not in the best health, so they stopped waiting and offered it up to the 15 year old *Yehudi Menuhin*. The youngster learnt it in no time at all, and by the time he came to Elgar for the run-through before the recording session, the composer was so confident of his ability to play it that they only went through a small portion of the concerto (and Sir Edward then went off to the races!).

Speaking to the music, this is a work of great poignancy and has that unique sadness that underlays much of Elgar's music. But its hard to make the charge of self pity or overt pathos here (an accusation often leveled at Tchaikovsky, but I'm not commenting on whether that's a fair assessment or not!). The highlight for me is the 8 minute long accompanied cadenza in the final movement, its just pure gold. The themes are bought back and embellished, it has this spontaneous quality about it.

Below: Producer and recording engineer Fred Gaisberg with Edward Elgar and Yehudi Menuhin.









*Liszt* 
_Liebestraum
Hungarian Rhapsody #2_
- Eugen Cicero, piano/arrangements; Peter Witte, bass; Charly Antonlini, drums

Then a break with some classical-jazz fusion. Pianist *Eugen Cicero* plays his arrangements for jazz trio of Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and Tchaikovsky on this "Classics in Rhythm" album. My favourite tracks are these two *Liszt* ones, they just swing and the improvisations and variations wrought by these musos are amazing. This is my first exposure to this pianist, and these where done in the 1960s (same period as when Claude Bolling and Jacques Louissier where doing this type of fusion too), and Cicero comes across as having this sense of Romantic imagination and emotional vibe.

BTW, this 'Jazzclub legends' series is the jazz equivalent of classical reissue label Eloquence. I got a few of them already, they are great.










& later, I plan to listen to these:

*Corigliano* _String Quartet_
- Performers: Corigliano Quartet

*Mendelssohn* _A Midsummer Night's Dream - Overture and Incidental Music, Opp. 21 & 61_
- Judith Blegen, sop., Florence Quivar, mezzo, Chicago SO & Chorus under James Levine


----------



## LancsMan

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5* Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karajan on DG.

Maybe lacks the profundity of Shostakovich, but also lacks the crassness too. Very enjoyable work (although I prefer the sixth symphony). Karajan puts the symphony through it's paces pretty effectively. From several recent posts I get the impression that the Karajan fan club hasn't got many members on TC. He does OK here I think.


----------



## LancsMan

Sid James;596419
[B said:


> Elgar[/B] _Violin Concerto_
> - Yehudi Menuhin, violin with London SO under the composer (rec. 1932)
> 
> This recording as well as the accompanying one of the cello concerto, is easily amongst my old favourites.
> 
> The surprising thing is, it almost never happened. The recording producers had wanted to get Fritz Kreisler to record it with *Elgar*, but he wasn't biting. Elgar was in his seventies and not in the best health, so they stopped waiting and offered it up to the 15 year old *Yehudi Menuhin*. The youngster learnt it in no time at all, and by the time he came to Elgar for the run-through before the recording session, the composer was so confident of his ability to play it that they only went through a small portion of the concerto (and Sir Edward then went off to the races!).
> 
> Speaking to the music, this is a work of great poignancy and has that unique sadness that underlays much of Elgar's music. But its hard to make the charge of self pity or overt pathos here (an accusation often leveled at Tchaikovsky, but I'm not commenting on whether that's a fair assessment or not!). The highlight for me is the 8 minute long accompanied cadenza in the final movement, its just pure gold. The themes are bought back and embellished, it has this spontaneous quality about it.


Couldn't agree more about that coda!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Stimulated by the reminder of Bizet's opinion a little earlier, it is straight to the shelf for this one (selected from the three versions I have), even though I only have time for Acts 3-5. Berlioz's Memoirs offer a poignant insight into the difficulties he faced in winning public acceptance: "If [certain people] were asked their opinion of the chord of D major (being warned beforehand that I had written it) they would declare with indignation: 'What a detestable chord!'"

Berlioz - Les Troyens ..... A Genius!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

3rdplanetsounds said:


> A cd of Shoshtakovich symphonies 6 and 1.


'Six and One'-- interesting combo pack; "Waiter, I'll have Eleven and Twelve."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Stimulated by the reminder of Bizet's opinion a little earlier, it is straight to the shelf for this one (selected from the three versions I have), even though I only have time for Acts 3-5. Berlioz's Memoirs offer a poignant insight into the difficulties he faced in winning public acceptance: "If [certain people] were asked their opinion of the chord of D major (being warned beforehand that I had written it) they would declare with indignation: 'What a detestable chord!'"
> 
> Berlioz - Les Troyens ..... A Genius!
> 
> View attachment 33526


Looooooooooooooooove that chorus at the begining!! ;DDDDD


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> Looooooooooooooooove that chorus at the begining!! ;DDDDD


makes a marvellous custom ring tone for a mobile phone too! (sorry Hector!)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Karajan: Light Cavalry*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFcwxzYzpc#t=167

Imbued with a sense of noblisse oblige, I have to share. . .


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Karajan/VPO Bruckner Ninth*






01:30-02:30-- A high-water mark of Promethean bliss.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Morigan said:


> Mendelssohn's String Octet, my favourite, alongside with the obvious Violin Concerto. This recording is by the Medici and Alberni Quartet, it's an old rip I got from someone... I'm looking for a better recording of the Octet. Any suggestions?


I'm partial to the Emerson, myself. I drove our little entourage crazy with it a couple of months ago when we were driving to Ventana in Big Sur. I just couldn't get enough of it. "Hey, let's hear it again." DAMN IT BLAIR!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*David-Lloyd Jones/English Northern Philharmonia: Floride Suite*






Lovely as it is, its still well-nigh impossible for me to get away from the Handley/Ulster one on Chandos.


----------



## ArtMusic

Anyone into 20th century SQ might like to try these. They are not the finest 20th cenuty SQ but are generally quite good.


----------



## Morimur

*Currently listening to: "Dark Waters" by Ingram Marshall (Libby Van Cleve)*


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): Symphony No.4 in C Major

Harold Farberman conducting the Bournemouth Sinfonietta


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*La Belle et la Bête (1946), Musique du Film de Jean Cocteau*






This is charming. I wish people would remember it to others.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders said:


> There is also a heartfelt lyrical quote from his third symphony between minutes 13 and 14. It gets repeated. Jarringly unexpected given all the dissonance that preceded it.


. . . and oversight I'll have to remedy. Thanks. ;D


----------



## lupinix

Britten cello concerto
played by rostropovich <3


----------



## LancsMan

*Copland: Appalachian Spring* London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Copland on CBS.

A slice of innocent America imagined with simplicity and conviction by Copland. Maybe an America that never really existed? Oh well I guess we can always dream. Copland direct this limey orchestra and they seem thoroughly at home in this music.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Jean Sibelius : Complete String Quartets
Sibelius Academy Quartet & New Helsinki Quartet


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ivan The Terrible - Prokofiev - Full Soundtrack - [1942-45]*






Prokofiev should have ditched the Soviet Union and came to Hollywood.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Vaughan Williams Five: BBC Proms, 2012*






Lines drawn out nicely. Thank you, Maestro Manze for championing this gem.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> Lovely as it is, its still well-nigh impossible for me to get away from the Handley/Ulster one on Chandos.


Beecham (with RPO) isn't first choice???


----------



## clara s

In 1853 *Robert Schumann *wrote a most distinct piece for Joseph Joachim.

This piece was never played properly by Joachim, 
and Schumann never heard it.

It was finally Georg Kulenkampf that played it with cuts and changes,
and Yehudi Menuhin was the first one to play it in 1937 exactly,
like Schumann wrote it.

*Violin Concerto in D minor,* is an extremely deep work, that moves
every little part inside me.

And being a very late work of Schumann, shows that it is from an other world.

It is a tender, but also a powerful piece of music, and 
I am listening it right now.


----------



## LancsMan

*Tippett: Symphony No. 1* Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox on Chandos.

I've never been a fully paid up member of the Sir Michael Tippett fan club. I generally have a stronger liking for Benjamin Britten, a less overtly intellectual composer. Having said that I do like a lot of the earlier works of Tippett, this symphony included.

It's a pleasure to hear an orchestra from one of the UK's smaller urban areas performing so well. More power to their elbow!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Stimulated by the reminder of Bizet's opinion a little earlier, it is straight to the shelf for this one (selected from the three versions I have), even though I only have time for Acts 3-5.

I've been waiting for this highly rated version to come back into print. Currently I have this:










... and ol' Alma (now heading up that opera site) and a good many others of the opera aficionados (who make me look like a rank amateur... in spite of a couple hundred opera recordings... swore by this one:










Alma argued that seeing this he now recognized Les Troyens as being on par with Wagner's Ring, Tristan, and Parsifal.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Beecham (with RPO) isn't first choice???


No, not in the least; it's not even in the running for me (yes, I know its sacrilege to say so). I love the feminine beauty of the Ulster strings with Handley's articulation. . . Is the Beecham YOUR standard?-- it is for a lot of people.

I really like Boughton's English Symphony Orchestra account too; not so much for the reading, which is of course good, but rather for the pristine Nimbus engineering SOUND:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Loooove Dutoit doing Troyens! DDD


----------



## bejart

Sergey Taneyev (1856-1915): String Quartet No.6 in B Flat, Op.19

Taneyev Quartet: Valdimir Ovcharek and Grigory Lutzky, violins -- Vissarion Solovyev, viola -- Josef Levinzon, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 27150
> 
> 
> I've put on Jochum's Bruckner set on DG, and intend to let it run for the foreseeable future. Sometimes one just gets in the mood to listen to some Bruckner.


Jochum's Te Deum: lofty elevation indeed.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Good score to Coppola's Dracula too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

oskaar said:


> Bruckner - Symphony No.0, in D-, WAB100 ('Die Nullte')
> 
> Artists
> Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> Daniel Barenboim
> 
> View attachment 27115


That DG/Chicago fourth of this!!!!!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> The Beecham Messiah is good to put on when you want to annoy people who are HIP purists!


Zimmerman's Chopin. . AND his Debussy. . . AND his Ravel. . . AND his. . .


----------



## Winterreisender

Pärt: Te Deum - Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Marschallin Blair

rrudolph said:


> Elgar: In the South (Alassio) Op. 50
> View attachment 27060
> 
> 
> Rosza: Concerto for Cello & Orchestra/Theme & Variations for Violin, Cello & Orchestra
> View attachment 27061
> 
> 
> Bartok: Miraculous Mandarin/Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste
> View attachment 27062
> 
> 
> Arnold: Symphony #9
> View attachment 27063


Yes, yes, and yes. . . especially the Rozsa.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> If there are better versions of the Respighi pieces, then I'd like to hear them! Yet, the Debussy "La Mer" leaves me cold, I really find it extremely dull and turgid, give me Toscanini or Ansermet (1957) any day!


SUCH majesty!!!-- and for both pieces of music. . . and on the same disc!! Absolute STEAL!!


----------



## KenOC

John Corigliano's "Conjurer," a really nice percussion concerto with Evelyn Glennie playing...well...just about everything. Recommended.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Sibelius


That's the best engineering job I've ever heard on En Saga; Ashkenazy plays it with so much atmospheric mystery and wonder too. I love it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> For *Liszt's* (1811 - 1886) birthday, Totentanz, w. Zimerman/BSO/Ozawa (rec.1987).
> 
> View attachment 26998


Galvanizing Totentanz. Thumbs up.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Quartets 1 and 2 - Beaux Arts Trio with Bruno Giuranna, viola


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Valkhafar said:


> Wagner: Tannhäuser.
> 
> View attachment 26973


Sinopoli's Entry of the Guests and finale of the opera is, for anyone with a heroic turn of mind, absolutely choice.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Alan Silvestri: The Abyss- the Complete Score*

As much as I like the choral parts to the score, I can't help but think how awesome it would have sounded with twice the amount of singers that the studio gave to Silvestri to use.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Brian Easdale: The Red Shoes Ballet & Black Narcissus Suites*









Rumon Gamba's treatment of the Black Narcissus suite is particularly inviting.

Bravo Chandos!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Carl Czerny

Piano Sonata No. 11 in D-flat Op. 730 (1843)
Chanson sans Paroles in A-flat Op. 795 no. 1
Piano Sonata No. 1 in A-flat Op. 7 *

Martin Jones (piano) [Nimbus,rec. 2010]









These Czerny sonatas are a bit inconsistent, with some movements seeming to work much less well than others. But there's some interesting stuff here too, the adagio con espressione and scherzo of Op. 730 and the prestissimo agitato and cappriccio fugato of Op. 7 most obviously.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor "Unfinished" (Completion)
Buffalo Philharmonic, cond. Falletta









Not sure how I feel about this as a completion...it's not what I'm used to, that's for sure.


----------



## violadude

Right now I am listening to Schumann's Requiem for the first time. I like it so far but as often with Schumann the orchestration is a little thick so it's hard to hear all the parts. I'm listening to it with a score though so I know what I'm missing.

I'm on the 4th movement right now. Highlights so far include the Dies Ire, I especially like the lurching bass parts in this movement. I really like the vocal solos in this piece too whenever they appear. I always think it's nice to have a break from the big choral sound and listen to the interaction of just the 4 principal singers.


----------



## agoukass

I first heard a selection of the Kabalevsky Preludes, Op. 38 on the "Horowitz Private Collection, Vol. 2" compilation that was put out by RCA Victor in 1992. Having heard the complete set, I can see why Horowitz only chose several out of the twenty four. As a whole, the pieces do not hang together very well and do not work as a complete cycle. The early pieces and the socialist realist Preludes and Fugues are what they are. Dossin plays everything well.

The Field is more of a curiosity for me. I have only known him through his nocturnes and the fact that he was a virtuoso in Russia as well as the teacher of Rachmaninoff's grandfather. These are pleasurable, but rather dull works. There is a great deal of passage work and scales that go nowhere. The only movements that really took off for me were the finales. Micael O'Rourke does a good job here as does the conductor Matthia Bamert. However, I don't think that I will be revisiting these works anytime soon.


----------



## hpowders

Peter Mennin Symphony #9. Columbus Symphony, Badea.
A very serious work. You don't come to Mennin for comic relief.
Interesting and worth a listen.


----------



## Novelette

violadude said:


> Right now I am listening to Schumann's Requiem for the first time. I like it so far but as often with Schumann the orchestration is a little thick so it's hard to hear all the parts. I'm listening to it with a score though so I know what I'm missing.
> 
> I'm on the 4th movement right now. Highlights so far include the Dies Ire, I especially like the lurching bass parts in this movement. I really like the vocal solos in this piece too whenever they appear. I always think it's nice to have a break from the big choral sound and listen to the interaction of just the 4 principal singers.


Awesome! I adore his requiem. I also highly recommend his Mass in C Minor, if you haven't listened to it already.


----------



## bejart

Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850): Symphony in D Major, Op.12, No.1

Matthias Bamert conducting the Mozart London Players


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): String Quintet in B Flat, P.105

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins -- Jurgen Kussmaul and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

Interesting...I didn't know Anner Bylsma was a member of l'Archibudelli

now:

Joachim Raff's Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott overture - Urs Schneider, cond.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Don Giovanni










I saw this opera when I was university student. I fell asleep.. It took an incredible amount of patience to finally appreciate opera now.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Mozart: Don Giovanni
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I saw this opera when I was university student. I fell asleep.. It took an incredible amount of patience to finally appreciate opera now.


YEAH-yuh! . . . Price, Solti, Mozart.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Janacek's Glagolitic Mass*

The choral passage from 09:11-10:20 with tenor David Kuebler and bass Nikolai Putlinjust just arc lights and daisycuts:






I can't say the same for the text though. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Magnificent music.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*David Diamond*--Symphony No.1; "The Enormous Room" {Fantasia for Orchestra; Symphony No.3; Symphonies Nos.2 and 4. *
All five works are performed by the Gerard Schwarz led Seattle Symphony Orchestra. 
Peter Mennin--*Symphonies Nos.8 and 9, *
both performed by the Columbia Symphony Orchestra under Christian Badea. 
Peter Mennin--*Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, * featuring Robert Whitney and the Louisville Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## violadude

Novelette said:


> Awesome! I adore his requiem. I also highly recommend his Mass in C Minor, if you haven't listened to it already.


I'll try that next. Thanks, Novelette


----------



## agoukass

British pianist Howard Shelley and Chandos have been on a crusade to bring Hummel's music before the public for a good many years now. They have added the piano concertos, much of the chamber music, and this delightful CD of piano music to the catalog. One of the most interesting things about Hummel is that he was considered one of the great virtuosi of his day. Although he wasn't anything like Liszt or Thalberg, his pieces here (the Rondo Favori, La Bella Capricciosa, the Hungarian Bagatelle, and the Second Sonata) show how formidable his technique was.

Aside from the Rondo Favori in E flat (a favorite with pianists like Moiseiwitsch, Ignaz Friedman, Josef Hofmann, and the young Vladimir Horowitz), the music here was new to me. After listening to the Field piano concertos earlier, I expected more of the same. Instead almost all of the selections here are a delight with one or two exceptions (the third movement of the Second Sonata seemed a little long to me). Howard Shelley's performance is warm and he phrases the music beautifully. The Chandos sound was slightly cavernous to my ears, but that could have been my speakers. A delectable treasure overall for me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Marschallin Blair said:


> YEAH-yuh! . . . Price, Solti, Mozart.


I can't fault your taste or enthusiasm, but likes can be expressed as '"likes" to save on the non-Current Listening

[/thread nanny]


----------



## Weston

*Clementi: Sonata, Op. 25, No. 5 in F# minor*
Gregory Sioles, piano









Human nature is odd. For decades I avoided Clementi because I had only heard this one easy Sonatina in C sounding to me like something Mozart wrote while still in the womb. But the F# minor Sonata is what I would imagine a Beethoven and D. Scarlatti collaboration might be like. (I don't think the link is the same performance, but should give the idea.) If this is more typical of Clementi, then he is the classical era's best kept secret.


----------



## Novelette

Weston said:


> *Clementi: Sonata, Op. 25, No. 5 in F# minor*
> Gregory Sioles, piano
> 
> View attachment 33547
> 
> 
> Human nature is odd. For decades I avoided Clementi because I had only heard this one easy Sonatina in C sounding to me like something Mozart wrote while still in the womb. But the F# minor Sonata is more like what I would imagine a Beethoven and D. Scarlatti collaboration might be like. (I don't think the link is the same performance, but should give the idea.) If this is more typical of Clementi, then *he is the classical era's best kept secret.*


Clementi was a fascinating composer, I think. His symphonies, piano sonatas, etc. are a treasure trove of exquisite music. I have Violadude to thank for giving me impetus to explore Clementi's oeuvre, it's been a rewarding exploration.


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> This is charming. I wish people would remember it to others.


One of my top ten movies, still amazing even though it's from the 1940s. Weird special effects and Jean Marais gives a riveting performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

Speaking of La Belle et la Bête...the last time I watched it a couple of years ago the dvd I rented offered the synchronized Philip Glass opera as a special feature, and despite being sceptical and half expecting Phoned-In-Soundtrack-Philip I was _astonished_ at how successfully, and how respectfully, that was done.


----------



## bejart

Brahms: Violin Sonata No.3 in D Minor, Op.108

Pamela Frank, violin -- Perter Serkin, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Henze: Symphony No. 8
Gurzenich-Orchester Koln









Probably the only piece I've ever heard that ends on a chord including flutter-tongued flutes. Schott also provided a score for this work, which I hadn't heard before. The Henze Symphonies I'd known previously were the earlier ones, where he moved from Neoclassicism into a Post-Expressionist 12-tone idiom. By the 90s when the 8th was written (not long after the first version of Gogo no Eiko, the opera I listened to half of earlier), he'd moved away into a freer idiom, and this piece is not particularly dark or angst-ridden. It was good enough that I think I'll go back and finish the opera tomorrow.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

A whole swathe of shorter pieces by Medtner brilliantly played by the composer (I'm especially fond of Dansa Festiva, Op.38 No.3) followed by his fascinating performance of the Appassionata, all in all, 75 minutes of wonderful pianism.


----------



## nightscape

On a violin concerto kick:

Bach BWV 1041 - Fischer
Sibelius - Mullova/Ozawa
Brahms - Mutter/Masur
Dvorak - Mutter/Honeck 
Bruch No. 1 - Midori/Jansons
Bartok No. 1 - Steinbacher/Janowski
Barber - Hahn/Wolff


----------



## Conor71

Listening to these 2 Discs (just downloaded this morning) :


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Piano Works played by Ashkenazy.
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-S...390798375&sr=1-1&keywords=tchaikovsky+seasons


----------



## SimonNZ

Florent Schmitt's La Tragedie De Salome - Paul Paray, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

nightscape said:


> On a violin concerto kick


I need to go on one of those. Well, I sort of am: I did just do Prokofiev's 2 Violin Concertos a couple of days ago. Not exactly a concerto today, but string quartets:









Schnittke : SQ 4; Canon in Memoriam Igor Stravinsky

Since I listened to Stravinsky yesterday, the Canon in Memoriam is apropos. Schnittke's 4th SQ is a very spare and slow one. The first times I heard it, I thought it was disappointing, compared to the first three (on disc one, that I listened to a couple of months back). I just needed some more time with it... and to listen with more attention


----------



## Conor71

*Ives: Holidays Symphony*

Playing some more american composers (I have more of these in my collection that I thought) - these recordings:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat Major; No. 7 in D minor (Michele Campanella).


----------



## SimonNZ

Schnittke's Concerto Grosso Ni.1 - Owain Arwel Hughes, cond.


----------



## Kivimees

Of the Strathclyde Concertos, these two are my favourites. And the addition of Carolisima is an extra treat on the CD.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thea Musgrave's Night Music - Nicholas Kraemer, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing to listen to newly arrived Glazunov/Serebrier box set-4th/7th symphonies-he seems to make room for the pieces to develop naturally, to my ears neither rushed nor too languid and again not a criticism of Otaka.....remain less impressed by the concerti and works for solo instruments and orchestra although this will obviously take time...

on that note-I am becoming increasingly aware that making quick and generally superficial judgements of music can often just be essentially lazy and ironically the person that loses out is oneself-when I first heard the Glazunov symphonies I was dismissive and yet now with repeated listenings....well there you go!


----------



## Jeff W

Franz Schubert's String Quartets No. 13 (D. 804) & 14 (D. 810). The Chilingirian Quartet plays.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thea Musgrave's Horn Concerto - Barry Tuckwell, horn, cond. composer

edit: now Musgrave's Journey Through A Japanese Landscape - Evelyn Glennie, percussion, Lan Shui, cond.










edit: now Musgrave's Chamber Concerto No.1 - Boston Musica Viva


----------



## prdonasco

cello suites yoyoma


----------



## SimonNZ

Thea Musgrave's Song Of the Enchanter - Sergiu Comissiona, cond

for the 125th anniversary of the birth of Sibelius

and incorporating the swan theme from his Fifth Symphony


----------



## deggial

kicked off Wolfie's birthday with my fave *Deh, per questo instante solo* (from the Zurich Clemenza DVD).


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No4 in G Major, BWV 1049

Sir Neville Marriner directing the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mark Hambourg playing Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies 1-15. 
Some of the wildest playing you're ever likely to hear on record! Hambourg was certainly a volcanic force at the piano, though, like a volcano, uncontrolled- at least on occasions. Much of the playing on here is superb, a blend of dash and excitement along with an improvisatory rhapsodic air that suits these pieces to a T. Some of it though is, it must be admitted, downright messy- the opening of the 10th Rhapsody must be the most inaccurate and splashy recording ever made. Hambourg wouldn't have been bothered though, according to Fred Gaisberg, during a playback when he heard a glaring mistake, he smiled, and remarked with evident satisfaction, "Good, we are not a machine!" You wouldn't want this as your only set of these wonderfully diverse pieces, but it is a fascinating, and more often than not enjoyable window into a bygone age.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to the Magister Leoninus CD (vol. 2) by the vocal group Red Byrd


----------



## MrTortoise

I heard W. A. Mozart's "Davide penitente" on the radio yesterday, what a treat! Totally unfamiliar with this work. The short Wikipedia article on the work says most of the music is taken from the C minor mass. I will need to get recordings of both these works!


----------



## MrTortoise

Listened to the second cd in this set, Carnaval, "Les Adieux", Grieg Balad in g minor op. 24, and Chopin Sonanta #2.

Godowsky's "Les Adieux" is my new favorite.


----------



## Jeff W

Onwards to Ferdinand Ries' Symphony No. 7 & Symphony in E flat major, WoO 30. Howard Griffiths leads the Zürcher Kammerorchester.


----------



## hpowders

Peter Mennin 7th Symphony, Schwarz, Seattle
Needs to be heard by anyone interested in contemporary music, mid 20th century.
A work of breathtaking genius.


----------



## Vinyl

My record collection doesn't let me search by conductor or label, and won't until I've found a proper way to catalogue it, but inspired by this thread I'm listening through (at least some of) this 5 LP box today. I've never quite clicked with Berlioz yet, so I'm cautiously excited.









edit: This is pure gold! Much taken in by this I am!


----------



## Sonata

Mozart: Horn concerto #4
Glazunov: Raymonda


----------



## Vasks

_A patch of Peuerl_

*Paul Peuerl - Selections from "Weltspiegel" and "Newe Padouan" (Duftschmid/cpo)*


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Sonata in G major, K.283










Key of benediction. I'll listen to the rest of the disc, K284, K309, K311 - all major keys appropriate for morning mood.


----------



## Orfeo

*Kurt Atterberg:*
Symphony no. IX "Sinfonia Visionaria" (Vihavainen, Suovanen, NDR Radiophilharmonie & Choir under Ari Rasilainen).

*Franz Schmidt:*
Symphony no. IV in C Major (Zubin Mehta & the Vienna Philharmonic).

*Josef Suk:*
Symphony "Asrael" op. 27 (Yevgeny Svetlanov & the State (Federation) Symphony Orchestra of Russia).

*Alexander Glazunov:*
Symphony no. VI in C Minor (Jose Serebrier and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra).

*Nikolay Myaskovsky:*
Symphonies nos. V & IX (Sir Edward Downes and the BBC Philharmonic).

*Gavriil Popov:*
Symphony no. V in A Major "Pastoral" (Gurgen Karapetian & the USSR State Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## maestro267

*Ginastera*: Piano Concerto No. 2
De Marinis (piano)/Slovak RSO/Malaval

*Foerster*: Symphony No. 4 in C minor (Easter Eve)
Slovak RSO/Friedel


----------



## Orfeo

jim prideaux said:


> continuing to listen to newly arrived Glazunov/Serebrier box set-4th/7th symphonies-he seems to make room for the pieces to develop naturally, to my ears neither rushed nor too languid and again not a criticism of Otaka.....remain less impressed by the concerti and works for solo instruments and orchestra although this will obviously take time...
> 
> on that note-I am becoming increasingly aware that making quick and generally superficial judgements of music can often just be essentially lazy and ironically the person that loses out is oneself-when I first heard  the Glazunov symphonies I was dismissive and yet now with repeated listenings....well there you go!


In some ways (at least), liking Glazunov's music is like wine: it gets better with greater familiarity. Serebrier artful yet insightful ways with the music are major plusses in disproving some of those superficial judgments you were alluding to. I'm glad you're enjoying this set. I'm playing the Sixth Symphony as we speak and while I've always hold Fedoseyev's recording of it on that high pedestal, in a number of ways, Serebrier's album is the benchmark one to date.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Concerti 1 & 3, w. ABM/Giulini (rec.1979); *Debussy*: Images I & II, w. ABM (rec.1971).

View attachment 33573
View attachment 33574


----------



## rrudolph

...................


----------



## Oskaar

On wikipedia I found a link to a list over symphonies. I have search on spotify and made some huge lists, and will listen to some, often totally unknown composers, symphonies and other orchestral work.
I will prelisten, and only post and listen in full length to what seems interresting.
I am not good in describing, but will provide links to reviews and information. I have only reached the first lettes in alphabet in the list.

*Alan Bush: Lascaux Symphony; Dance Overture; Dorian Passacaglia & Fugue*

*Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Martin Yates*

Interesting and quite playfull and seeking music.Contemporary. Great use of the different instruments, and curios harmonies. A lot to read on arkivmusic

arkivmusic


----------



## rrudolph

Pining for the fjords...

Stenhammar: Excelsior! Op. 13/Serenade in F Major Op. 31








Sibelius: Violin Concerto Op.47/Svendsen: Romance Op. 26/Halvorsen: Danses Norvegiennes/Sinding: Legende/Halvorsen: Air Norvegien Op. 7








Sibelius: Symphony #5 Op. 82/#7 op. 105








Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus/Symphony #5


----------



## Blancrocher

For Lalo's birthday, I'll...

...

...ah, who am I kidding?

Backhaus playing Mozart's Fantasy in C minor.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James said:


> *Beethoven*
> _Symphony #4
> Coriolan overture_
> - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet
> 
> This session started with *Beethoven conducted by Ansermet,* an exercise in restraint but not without emotion. The notes say that in effect, Ansermet did HIP before HIP. He anticipated less Romanticised interps of the classics some 30 years before the authentic/period performance movement really got off the ground. I quite like his more 'objective' approach to music, although it took me a while to warm to it. I look forward to listening to the other symphonies on this set (1,2,3).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Elgar* _Violin Concerto_
> - Yehudi Menuhin, violin with London SO under the composer (rec. 1932)
> 
> This recording as well as the accompanying one of the cello concerto, is easily amongst my old favourites.
> 
> The surprising thing is, it almost never happened. The recording producers had wanted to get Fritz Kreisler to record it with *Elgar*, but he wasn't biting. Elgar was in his seventies and not in the best health, so they stopped waiting and offered it up to the 15 year old *Yehudi Menuhin*. The youngster learnt it in no time at all, and by the time he came to Elgar for the run-through before the recording session, the composer was so confident of his ability to play it that they only went through a small portion of the concerto (and Sir Edward then went off to the races!).
> 
> Speaking to the music, this is a work of great poignancy and has that unique sadness that underlays much of Elgar's music. But its hard to make the charge of self pity or overt pathos here (an accusation often leveled at Tchaikovsky, but I'm not commenting on whether that's a fair assessment or not!). The highlight for me is the 8 minute long accompanied cadenza in the final movement, its just pure gold. The themes are bought back and embellished, it has this spontaneous quality about it.
> 
> Below: Producer and recording engineer Fred Gaisberg with Edward Elgar and Yehudi Menuhin.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Liszt*
> _Liebestraum
> Hungarian Rhapsody #2_
> - Eugen Cicero, piano/arrangements; Peter Witte, bass; Charly Antonlini, drums
> 
> Then a break with some classical-jazz fusion. Pianist *Eugen Cicero* plays his arrangements for jazz trio of Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and Tchaikovsky on this "Classics in Rhythm" album. My favourite tracks are these two *Liszt* ones, they just swing and the improvisations and variations wrought by these musos are amazing. This is my first exposure to this pianist, and these where done in the 1960s (same period as when Claude Bolling and Jacques Louissier where doing this type of fusion too), and Cicero comes across as having this sense of Romantic imagination and emotional vibe.
> 
> BTW, this 'Jazzclub legends' series is the jazz equivalent of classical reissue label Eloquence. I got a few of them already, they are great.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> & later, I plan to listen to these:
> 
> *Corigliano* _String Quartet_
> - Performers: Corigliano Quartet
> 
> *Mendelssohn* _A Midsummer Night's Dream - Overture and Incidental Music, Opp. 21 & 61_
> - Judith Blegen, sop., Florence Quivar, mezzo, Chicago SO & Chorus under James Levine


Sid, how's that Levine/Chicago Midsummer Night's Dream?-- I've never heard it.


----------



## Vasks

rrudolph said:


> ...................


Ohhhhhh, too bad


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> As much as I like the choral parts to the score, I can't help but think how awesome it would have sounded with twice the amount of singers that the studio gave to Silvestri to use.
> 
> View attachment 33536


Just to 'clarify'. . . since I 'Blairified'-- and didn't mention it in the initial post: this is a re-engineered edition of Silvestri's COMPLETE score.

Well worth having if you like Silvestri.


----------



## millionrainbows

I just thought I'd mention a truly inspiring television show I saw on PBS, called "Music Makes a City." This one-hour documentary chronicles the truly amazing and inspiring story of the Louisville Orchestra and its conductor Robert Whitney. What a valuable thing to witness this story! The mayor of Louisville (I forgot his name) was also a truly inspiring character. This underscores how modern music can be a success story, even in Southern America of the 1950s! Amazing.

I've got about 12 of the "First Edition" CDs, but I never knew the full story behind them. This will greatly increase my appreciation.


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat, No. 6 in D minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









Mozart: Adagio in B minor, K540
Mitsuko Uchida


----------



## Bas

Giuseppe Verdi - Il Trovatore
Maria Callas [soprano], Rolando Panerai [bariton], Fedora Barbieri [mezzo], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Luisa Villa [soprano], Ranato Ercolani [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Herbert von Karajan [dir.], on EMI


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner Symphony No.7 in E Major, conducted by Paavo Jarvi with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## OboeKnight

Swan Lake performed by the Boston Symphony.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat, No. 6 in D minor
> Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mozart: Adagio in B minor, K540
> Mitsuko Uchida


Berglund, with 'Bournemouth' and not 'Helsinki'-- yeah!


----------



## science

That is the noise anthology again from a couple days ago.


----------



## science




----------



## Marschallin Blair

Love it. . . AND Karajan's '74 Otello, AND his '78 Aida, AND his Falstaff. . .


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Conor71 said:


> *Ives: Holidays Symphony*
> 
> Playing some more american composers (I have more of these in my collection that I thought) - these recordings:


Carl Ruggles' "Sun Treader," more precisely 'Tilson Thomas'' "Sun Treader"-- great performance of a neglected work.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: Piano Concerti 1 & 3, w. ABM/Giulini (rec.1979); *Debussy*: Images I & II, w. ABM (rec.1971).
> 
> View attachment 33573
> View attachment 33574


I'm glad you brought up the Michelangeli Debussy Images. I've never heard it. I have to remedy that. Thanks.


----------



## DavidA

Cherkassky playing Tchaikovsky first piano Concerto. Amazing performance. So delicate and subtle!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Edward Grieg's* lieder, performed by Monica Groop and three different pianists.









Love'em, love'em, love'em!!! The music is wonderful, the Norwegian language sounds very melodic (there are quite a few German-language songs as well), and even though I usually prefer male voices for lieder, Monica's mezzo-soprano matches this music just fine.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Respighi: Belkis Queen of Sheeba Ballet Suite*

The Geoffrey Simon/Philharmonia Supercinemascope, Quo-Vadis-Ben-Hur, reading, of course:









God, I wish there was a version of the complete ballet and not just the suite.


----------



## Vinyl

Needed some cool and measured music after a Berlioz marathon, so I'm trying Volume 1 from the Haydn Piano Sonatas on Decca from 1975, with John McCabe at the keys. 

I haven't heard them for a few years, but I think I prefer Leif Ove Andsnes' approach. Humble opinion without the opportunity to double check, there...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: Ivanhoe*

. . . the pristine and stellar sounding re-recording by Bruce Broughton and the Sinfonia of London:









The cuts: "Prelude," "The Battlement," "Saxon Victory," the "End Title"-- is as heroic as it gets.

It charges MY batteries on a Monday morning.


----------



## ptr

Symphonies of the day:

*Wilhelm Stenhammar* - Symphony No 2 (Bis)









Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi

*Anton Webern* - Symphony Op 21 (DG)









Berliner Philharmoniker u. Pierre Boulez

*Igor Stravinsky* - Symphony of Psalms (Decca)









Chicago Symphony & Chorus u. George Solti

/ptr


----------



## opus55

Handel: Violin Sonatas
Beethoven: String Trios, Op. 9

















Starting with solo piano, I'm moving onto music for larger ensembles.


----------



## Vasks

Marschallin Blair said:


> The Geoffrey Simon/Philharmonia Supercinemascope, Quo-Vadis-Ben-Hur, reading, of course:
> 
> View attachment 33588
> 
> 
> God, I wish there was a version of the complete ballet and not just the suite.


Who cares? Both pieces on that disc are sensational as is.


----------



## Weston

jim prideaux said:


> . . .
> on that note-I am becoming increasingly aware that making quick and generally superficial judgements of music can often just be essentially lazy and ironically the person that loses out is oneself-when I first heard the Glazunov symphonies I was dismissive and yet now with repeated listenings....well there you go!


I was this way on first hearing Kalinnikov symphonies (1 and 2 I think). I thought they were closer to 
light serenades than to symphonies. Maybe I should give them another go.


----------



## Vasks

Conor71 said:


>


I lived with the original LP of Copland conducting his two pieces for many years. Then I decided to add this CD to my library. I was shocked and dismayed to hear that the sonics were so cleaned up digitally that all the smoky atmosphere was gone and now you can hear Boston traffic and subway noise. Thankfully I still have the LP.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Weston said:


> I was this way on first hearing Kalinnikov symphonies (1 and 2 I think). I thought they were closer to
> light serenades than to symphonies. Maybe I should give them another go.


They ARE light and serenade-like-- which is to say that they're delightful.

I have Svetlanov doing them.

But truth to tell, it's ambient fare for when I'm reading.


----------



## DrKilroy

A big set for Mozart's birthday:

Piano Concerti Nos. 19, 21 and 26 (Haebler/Rowicki)
Symphonies Nos. 31, 35 (Krips) and 40 (Marriner)
Violin Concerto No. 5 (Szeryng/Gibson)
Clarinet Concerto (Leister/Marriner)
Horn Concerti Nos. 1 and 4 (Damm/Marriner).




























Best regards, Dr

PS Sorry for big pictures.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 71 No. 3 in E-flat Major (Kodály Quartet).









An excellent recording - thick, precise sound, and the conversational elements are ever-present . Op. 71 is becoming one of my favourite Haydn quartet Opus numbers.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ptr said:


> Symphonies of the day:
> 
> *Wilhelm Stenhammar* - Symphony No 2 (Bis)
> 
> View attachment 33589
> 
> 
> Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi
> 
> *Anton Webern* - Symphony Op 21 (DG)
> 
> View attachment 33590
> 
> 
> Berliner Philharmoniker u. Pierre Boulez
> 
> *Igor Stravinsky* - Symphony of Psalms (Decca)
> 
> View attachment 33592
> 
> 
> Chicago Symphony & Chorus u. George Solti
> 
> /ptr


The Webern Twenty-first piques me ptr. What can you tell me about it?


----------



## ptr

Celebrating his seventy-fifth birthday with one of many happy returns:

*Tigran Mansurian* - String Quartets 1 & 2 (ECM)









Rosamunde Quartett

And now something completely and utterly romantic..

Sir *Charles Villiers Stanford* - Organ Sonatas No 2 ("Eroica" Op 151), No 3 ("Britannica" Op 152) & No 4 ("Celtica" Op 153) (Marco Polo)









Joseph Payne @ the Garland Organ of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, Texas

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

Cello works by Frescobaldi, Gabrielli, Jacchini and Antonini

Lovely stuff


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vasks said:


> Who cares? Both pieces on that disc are sensational as is.


Well. . . 'I' care. Simon's performance is fantastic and beyond reproach--- that's not my issue though. My issue is: the entire gloriously exotic score. I can't IMAGINE what epic and erotic things were cut OUT of it.

Imagine: The complete Firebird ballet versus the Firebird suite-- hardly the same-sized slice of semi-sweet chocolate mousse, vanilla crème brûlée, and chocolate ganache layered in between dark chocolate cakes and moistened with Madagascar vanilla bean syrup, now is it?

The Belkis and Sheeba ballet SUITE is just the, say, crème brûlée and chocolate mousse-- delightful; but entirely too scanted in its portion. ;D

I want it all.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> A big set for Mozart's birthday:
> 
> Piano Concerti Nos. 19, 21 and 26 (Haebler/Rowicki)
> Symphonies Nos. 31, 35 (Krips) and 40 (Marriner)
> Violin Concerto No. 5 (Szeryng/Gibson)
> Clarinet Concerto (Leister/Marriner)
> Horn Concerti Nos. 1 and 4 (Damm/Marriner).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards, Dr
> 
> PS Sorry for big pictures.


No, no. . . Don't apologize. I prefer big pictures. The size of yours in this post are great. . . I always try to find the best quality and largest photos I can for posts that I make, myself. . .


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Songs, w. Schafer/BPO/Abbado (rec.1997);* Berg*: Chamber Concerto, w. LSO/Abbado (rec.1985).

View attachment 33599
View attachment 33600


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> No, no. . . Don't apologize. I prefer big pictures. The size of yours in this post are great. . . I always try to find the best quality and largest photos I can for posts that I make, myself. . .


. . . and back to music: I've got to hear the Krips/Concertgebouw Mozart symphonies in your post. I've never heard them. How do you like them?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Chrissy Schafer, Mozart, Strauss, and-- recently relocated to Valhalla-- Abbado himself! Loove it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 71 No. 3 in E-flat Major (Kodály Quartet).
> 
> View attachment 33596
> 
> 
> An excellent recording - thick, precise sound, and the conversational elements are ever-present . Op. 71 is becoming one of my favourite Haydn quartet Opus numbers.


. . . and thanks for having the good grace to mention the sound quality-- as if how music is presented matters.


----------



## DrKilroy

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . and back to music: I've got to hear the Krips/Concertgebouw Mozart symphonies in your post. I've never heard them. How do you like them?


I cannot really be objective here, as these are the recordings I grew up with.  But I find them no inferior to universally praised Marriner's performances.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Danke schon, Doktor. . . I just love that orchestra and I remember that a friend of mine had an attachment to the Krips readings.


----------



## ptr

Marschallin Blair said:


> The Webern Twenty-first piques me ptr. What can you tell me about it?


Like everything Webern, it is compact and a meal in it self, every note is weighed on an atomic scale and utterly sensuous and here presented with feather like touch by Mr Boulez, actually, every time I hear this recording I feel like I discover some new nuance of this music and it takes me at least half an hour in post meditation before I cam compose myself to listen to something else! (Oh how I enjoy writing pompous things!  )

I hope You did not expect a complete Schenker analysis of the Op 21, which I more or less did when I took musicology (course in music theory), the Professor and I both agreed that such labour did not suit Webern's music even if I had shown it possible, He gave me full marks just for choosing a piece outside the box (all the other students choose Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert for an easy pass)..

/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> *R. Strauss*: Songs, w. Schafer/BPO/Abbado (rec.1997);* Berg*: Chamber Concerto, w. LSO/Abbado (rec.1985).
> 
> View attachment 33599
> View attachment 33600


VARIATION ON A THEME OF 'SHARING'-- CHRISSIE SCHAEFFER-STYLE: She's great in this. I love her timbre. Boulez's distilling touch and the great sound quality of the recording make it a delight to listen to:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

MrTortoise said:


> Listened to the second cd in this set, Carnaval, "Les Adieux", Grieg Balad in g minor op. 24, and Chopin Sonanta #2.
> 
> Godowsky's "Les Adieux" is my new favorite.


The Grieg Ballade is one of the greatest piano recordings ever made, and quite possibly Godowsky's finest moment in the studio, though his recording of the Chopin 4th Scherzo from his final session ranks, in my ears, as one of the finest recordings of that work. It is a great shame that more pianists don't play the Grieg, it is his longest solo work for piano, and one of his finest- which is saying something. Jorge Bolet used to play it marvellously, but sadly never recorded it, though I do have a tape of a live broadcast from 1987. Grieg was one of the first composers whose music I fell in love with, and for me remains up there with the best of them.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . and back to music: I've got to hear the Krips/Concertgebouw Mozart symphonies in your post. I've never heard them. How do you like them?


The Krips are wonderful. Full of heart and beautifully recorded. Among my favorites.


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> I just thought I'd mention a truly inspiring television show I saw on PBS, called "Music Makes a City." This one-hour documentary chronicles the truly amazing and inspiring story of the Louisville Orchestra and its conductor Robert Whitney. What a valuable thing to witness this story! The mayor of Louisville (I forgot his name) was also a truly inspiring character. This underscores how modern music can be a success story, even in Southern America of the 1950s! Amazing.
> 
> I've got about 12 of the "First Edition" CDs, but I never knew the full story behind them. This will greatly increase my appreciation.


And I'm inspired thusly--*Martin*: Violin Concerto, w. Kling/LO/Whitney (rec. 1963). :tiphat:

View attachment 33602


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I love that you really 'deep-focus' into the score. Sound is everything. The more you look, the more you are rewarded. . . certainly.

Thanks for the sustained Webern response. . . I like Boulez more as a technician than as an interpretative artist though. The stuff he does with Webern is pretty awesome.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57 The Hollywood String Quartet/Victor Aller

The Hollywood String Quartet, one of the miracles of the 1950s, I wouldn't be without their recordings for the world.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Performers and performances like that don't materalize upon request-- thanks for reminding me. It looks like a wonderful discovery to make. Merci.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Requiem, w. Herreweghe et al (rec.1996); *Opera Intermezzi*, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1967).

View attachment 33604
View attachment 33605


----------



## opus55

Herzogenberg: Piano Trio No. 1, Op.24 in C minor










A fine music in the style of Brahms'


----------



## SimonNZ

Tobias Hume's "The First Part of Ayres: Captain Hume's Musical Humours" - Susanne Heinrich, viola da gamba


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 33603
> 
> 
> Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57 The Hollywood String Quartet/Victor Aller
> 
> The Hollywood String Quartet, one of the miracles of the 1950s, I wouldn't be without their recordings for the world.


Wonderful,founded by Felix Slatkin the conductor's father.


----------



## Vaneyes

January 27--for *Mozart* (1756) and* Lalo* (1823) birthdays, and *Verdi's* (1901) death day.

View attachment 33606
View attachment 33607
View attachment 33608


----------



## KenOC

Colin McPhee, Tabuh-Tabuhan. Howard Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Orchestra. An old-time favorite.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Dear me!!! You've really done it: the Karajan Intermezzo CD. Sooooooo gorgeously played. Such choice selections. Karajan's Intermezzo from Suor Angelica is worth the price of the disc. . . Cheers.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Colin McPhee, Tabuh-Tabuhan. Howard Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Orchestra. An old-time favorite.


Colin McPhee. . . my musical ignorance being sobering and boundless-- I'll check it out. Thanks.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> January 27--for *Mozart* (1756) and* Lalo* (1823) birthdays, and *Verdi's* (1901) death day.
> 
> View attachment 33606
> View attachment 33607
> View attachment 33608


Ja. . .Oui. . Si.


----------



## Vinyl

François Couperin: Premier Livre de Clavecin. Kenneth Gilbert, HM 1971.


----------



## moody

A gargantuan work and a gargantuan pianist. Busoni ; Fantasia Contrappuntistica.

Egon Petri,piano.


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> Colin McPhee. . . my musical ignorance being sobering and boundless-- I'll check it out. Thanks.


It's on YouTube, in two parts. Here's the first:


----------



## Aramis

Spanish chamber music. And I mean it, Spanish - very original, unique flavour it has. Piano Trio in C major by Albeniz is worth some attention, as is Granados quintet of which there are two versions, the Barcelona one (two movements only) is far better.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

You're a doll. . . I'll check it out when I'm at home as I can't access You Tube where I'm currently at.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Veeeeeeeery interested in hearing this. Merci beau coup.


----------



## ptr

moody said:


> A gargantuan work and a gargantuan pianist. Busoni ; Fantasia Contrappuntistica.
> 
> Egon Petri,piano.


Is this the version for two pianos? (Don't think that Petri has recorded the solo pianist version, but I may be wrong?), his recording from 1959 with Carlo Bussotti is splendid! Gargantuan is the word! (a video with spoken introduction can be found *here*)

I'll put on John Ogdon playing this to keep You company! :tiphat:









/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: "Betracht dies Herz und frage mich" from Grabmusik K. 42 · "Laudate Dominum omnes gentes" from Vesperae solennes de confessore K. 339
Rachel Harnisch, Swedish Radio Choir, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado

Mozart: Requiem K. 626 (Levin/Beyer completion)
Karita Mattila, Sara Mingardo, Michael Schade, Bryn Terfel, Swedish Radio Choir, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado

The Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall service is offering this (the memorial concert for the 10th anniversary of Karajan's death) and several other Abbado concerts for free streaming (although you still need to sign up).

The Mozart Requiem is, in any completion, only half of a great composition, but what a half!

http://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/80


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Right on, Mahlerian!-- choices AND performances. Thanks.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> A gargantuan work and a gargantuan pianist. Busoni ; Fantasia Contrappuntistica.
> 
> Egon Petri,piano.


If only DG would issue all his Westminster recordings in one box, not split between two large sets, one of which contains innumerable things I'd never want anyway............oh well, dream on.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn Piano Sonata #31 A flat major, Hob.XVI_46; Ekaterina Derzhavina, piano. A very special performance of this fine sonata.


----------



## Cosmos

I'm slowly working my way through Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues


----------



## ShropshireMoose

And whilst we're on the subject of gargantuan pianists, ladies and gentleman, Mr. Raymond Lewenthal, playing Liszt's Hexameron Variations, with variations by Thalberg, Pixis, Herz, Czerny and Chopin. Then Liszt's Reminiscences of Bellini's "Norma". Here's a pianist that Sony would do well to reissue in one of their box sets.
Incidentally, I have a spare copy of this LP in mono if anyone wants it (it's free to a good home!).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

ptr said:


> Is this the version for two pianos? (Don't think that Petri has recorded the solo pianist version, but I may be wrong?), his recording from 1959 with Carlo Bussotti is splendid! Gargantuan is the word! (a video with spoken introduction can be found *here*)
> 
> I'll put on John Ogdon playing this to keep You company! :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 33613
> 
> 
> /ptr


Petri recorded the solo version for Westminster in 1956. It's a stupendous performance, currently available in a 10 CD box called "The Liszt Legacy" from DG. It's a good box, containing 2 CDs apiece from Arrau/Lewenthal/De Larrocha/Moiseiwitsch and Petri. The Moiseiwitsch recordings are the ones he made for American Decca in 1961, they are superb, as are the Petri, these consisting of a superb set of Liszt transcriptions, and a swathe of Bach-Busoni, plus some of Petri's own Bach arrangements, and the aforementioned Busoni work. Arrau offers previously unreleased Beethoven from the 50s, De Larrocha early recordings of Turina, Granados and Mompou, and Lewenthal a disc of Scriabin, and a disc of Toccatas by Schumann/Alkan/Czerny/Della Ciaia/Menotti etc. At £30 on Amazon, it is worth getting. The Moiseiwitsch LPs would cost you more than that each in stereo!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole Alfredo Campoli/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Eduard van Beinum

One of my favourite works for the composer's birthday, in a performance that remains the benchmark in this work for me. What a supreme violinist Alfredo Campoli was. The recording is one of Decca's best, very natural sound and wearing its 60 years lightly indeed.


----------



## hpowders

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 33617
> 
> 
> Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole Alfredo Campoli/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Eduard van Beinum
> 
> One of my favourite works for the composer's birthday, in a performance that remains the benchmark in this work for me. What a supreme violinist Alfredo Campoli was. The recording is one of Decca's best, very natural sound and wearing its 60 years lightly indeed.


Have you ever heard the old Heifetz recording?


----------



## moody

ptr said:


> Is this the version for two pianos? (Don't think that Petri has recorded the solo pianist version, but I may be wrong?), his recording from 1959 with Carlo Bussotti is splendid! Gargantuan is the word! (a video with spoken introduction can be found *here*)
> 
> I'll put on John Ogdon playing this to keep You company! :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 33613
> 
> 
> /ptr


This is the solo piano version on Westminster.


----------



## opus55

Borodin: String Quartet No. 1
Brahms: String Quintet in G, Op. 111; Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115

















My dog fell asleep listening to clarinet quintet.


----------



## clara s

I am listening to two small diamonds of *Anton Bruckner

Erinnerung in A flat and Fantasie in G major*

so simple and so composite at the same time

full of the secrets of his soul

full of the power of his mind

and a line from Jim's American Prayer

"I'll tell you this... No eternal reward will forgive us now For wasting the dawn."


----------



## ShropshireMoose

hpowders said:


> Have you ever heard the old Heifetz recording?


Yes, and it too is superb, but Campoli scores over Heifetz in that he plays all five movements.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> It's on YouTube, in two parts. Here's the first:

















Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Ha. Ha. Ha.-- I'm SUCH and idiot! I HAVE this already. . . Thanks all the same, KenOC.

Yeah, the exoticism and tone coloring of that Balinesian sound is cool.


----------



## hpowders

ShropshireMoose said:


> Yes, and it too is superb, but Campoli scores over Heifetz in that he plays all five movements.


I used to have Zino Francescatti also and I think he played all movements. I remember I liked it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Desenclos*: Messe de Requiem (1963)

View attachment 33622


----------



## KenOC

"Change" from the NOW Ensemble. A real "change" of pace!

On YouTube:


----------



## julianoq

As recommended by hpowders in another thread, listening to Allan Pettersson's Symphony No.7, conducted by Segerstam. In the beginning but enjoying it a lot, thanks hpowders!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

And afore Mozart's birthday runs away from us, the incomparable Mr. Gulda with the Sonatas K. 283/284/311


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33621
> View attachment 33621
> 
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Ha. Ha. Ha.-- I'm SUCH and idiot! I HAVE this already. . . Thanks all the same, KenOC.
> 
> Yeah, the exoticism and tone coloring of that Balinesian sound is cool.


You know: KenOC has awakened me from my elitist dogmatic slumber. . . somewhat. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. . This piece is fun. I'm digging Part II of Tabu Tabuan right now.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## hpowders

julianoq said:


> As recommended by hpowders in another thread, listening to Allan Pettersson's Symphony No.7, conducted by Segerstam. In the beginning but enjoying it a lot, thanks hpowders!


Sure! Listen for the part from 29 minutes to 35 minutes. Among the most touching music I have ever heard. Let me know your reaction!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Albéniz:

Granada* (from Suite española No. 1, Op. 47)
*Asturias* (from Suite espanola, Op. 47)
*Mallorca, barcarola, Op. 202*
*Piezas Características, Op. 92: Torre Bermeja
Cadiz* (from Suite Española, Op. 47)
*Zambra Granadina*
*Tango*
*Córdoba* (from Chants d'Espagne Op. 232)
*Sevilla* (from Suite Española, Op. 47)

John Williams [Sony Classical, 2010]









Some light classical relief tonight


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Okay, Colin McPhee's "Tabu Tabuan". . . over. . .loaaaaaaaaaaaaadiiiiiiiiiig. . . William Mathias, Symphony 3.

The outer movements of this symphony is so dark and exotic and dramatic: the first movement reminds me of a horse chase through Sleepy Hollow or something of that sort; the last movement reminds me of a well-coordinated, close-to-the-ground F-18 airstrike-- flying stealthily close to the ground at maximum speed.

Exciting stuff. . . He quotes the Vaughan William's Seventh in it too.

You also get the great Helios Overture on the CD.

Total winner CD.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Some marvelous choral work from just before Bach's time.










Mozart's birthday! What better reason to listen to this delicious music? Perhaps later I'll watch/listen to _Cosi fan tutte_ or _Die Zauberflöte_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Love the Cosi und Zauberflote.


----------



## Blancrocher

Radu Lupu playing Schumann's Humoreske.


----------



## julianoq

hpowders said:


> Sure! Listen for the part from 29 minutes to 35 minutes. The most touching music you will ever hear. Let me know your reaction!


Indeed a very emotive piece of music, I love it, as the whole symphony 7 overall. This is my first listen on Pettersson and I will listen to symphony 11 tomorrow, I enjoyed his style a lot.


----------



## hpowders

julianoq said:


> Indeed a very emotive piece of music, I love it, as the whole symphony 7 overall. This is my first listen on Pettersson and I will listen to symphony 11 tomorrow, I enjoyed his style a lot.


You will be in for a shock. 11 is highly dissonant and wild. Nothing like the lyrical 7th. Glad you liked it.


----------



## lupinix

chopin ballades and sonatas <3


----------



## Guest

Tonight I'm in the mood for *Antonín Dvořák*.








String Sextet in A major, Op 48
Raphael Ensemble








Symphony No.7 in D minor, Op.70
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Claus Peter Flor


----------



## KenOC

ShropshireMoose said:


> And whilst we're on the subject of gargantuan pianists, ladies and gentleman...


Are we still on the subject? Here's a gargantuan pianist...I found a photo too, but it wouldn't have been acceptable here, by a long shot.










For the photo: http://www.dirtriderexpo.co.uk/graphics/photos/purple1_lg.jpg


----------



## Weston

While I take little stock in one backwater planet making another brief circle around its sun, I suppose a composer's birthday is an okay excuse to re-explore his works.

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No.24 In C Minor, K.491*
Mitsuko Uchida / The Cleveland Orchestra









Wow - I think this finally tips me over into the Mozart camp, or at least places me with one foot in it. I forgive the little guy for that Sonata semplice in C major, K. 545 I endured my sister practicing seemingly for years during her piano lessons, and for Eine kleine Nachtmusik. He will certainly never be my favorite composer, but I think I can relax and enjoy his works without the Pavlovian bristling I used to experience. This concerto is beautiful throughout.


----------



## agoukass

The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt made a beautiful recording of the complete trios of Franz Joseph a number of years ago, which managed to supplant the Beaux Arts recording as my personal benchmark for these works. This recording contains a number of works for two violins, cello, and piano as well as a quintet for that combination with two horns. All of these divertimenti and concertini were composed early in Haydn's career and remained unknown until the late 1950s. Although some of the works are slighter than others, this is music making of the highest calibre. Kudos to Brilliant Classics for bringing this set to the attention of Haydn fans everywhere.

For those who don't care for particular ensemble, there is a recording made for the Arts label a number of years ago by Massimo Palumbo and the United European Chamber Orchestra. It is part of a four CD series that contains all of Haydn's piano concerti, divertimenti, and concertini.


----------



## Weston

Earlier that same day . . .

*Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956. Op. 163* 
Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, Paul Neubauer, Leslie Parnas & Fred Sherry

This was part of that 99 cent Big Schubert Box set everyone talked me into downloading several months ago. Surprisingly some of the recordings are quite nice, including this one. The C major quintet has got to be among the most harmonically courageous pieces I've heard since the Grosse Fuge! Especially in the scherzo. I almost thought I was listening to 20th century music for a time.

I would almost call it dissonant, except -- you know how people can be. "That is too vague a term. You must define what you mean by it, blah, blah." 

I don't know. Define joy. Define meaning. Define music.

Great piece regardless.


----------



## brotagonist

KenOC said:


> Are we still on the subject? Here's a gargantuan pianist...I found a photo too, but it wouldn't have been acceptable here, by a long shot.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For the photo: http://www.dirtriderexpo.co.uk/graphics/photos/purple1_lg.jpg


That's some cleavage! Whatever floats your boat


----------



## senza sordino

*Dvorak String Quartet #12 American* Emerson Quartet
*Grieg Violin Sonata #3* Joaquin Palomares vn and Michel Wagemans pf
*Falla Three cornered hat* transcribed for guitar, performed by John Williams
*Nielsen Wind Quintet* Melos Ensemble 
*Bartok String Quartet #3* Emerson Quartet
*Poulenc Sextet for piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn* Pascal Roge and his friends
*Britten Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge* Richard Hickox and Northern Sinfonia

Quite a mix. I have made a chamber music folder on my iPod, nice for work during the day.


----------



## bejart

In further celebration of his birthday --
Mozart: Adagio in B Flat, KV 411

Henk de Graaf and Laura Rijsewijk, clarinets -- Jan Jansen, Diede Brantjes, and Romke Jan Wijmenga, basset horns


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major
Mahler: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jerome said:


> Tonight I'm in the mood for *Antonín Dvořák*.
> 
> View attachment 33630
> 
> String Sextet in A major, Op 48
> Raphael Ensemble
> 
> View attachment 33631
> 
> Symphony No.7 in D minor, Op.70
> Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Claus Peter Flor


. . . and with the Malaysian Philharmonic no doubt-- nothing highbrow or Oxbridgean about that; I just had no idea that a complex metaphysical conceit like 'Malaysian Philharmonic' conjoined to 'Dvorak 7' existed. Splendid. Roll 'em.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major
> Mahler: Symphony No. 2


Tennstedt Mahler, alright. . . How do you like the set? I only have his First and his Sixth; I always going back to Tennstedt's mountain-ridge climaxes with such shameful indulgence. Excellent.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Weston said:


> Earlier that same day . . .
> 
> *Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956. Op. 163*
> Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, Paul Neubauer, Leslie Parnas & Fred Sherry
> 
> This was part of that 99 cent Big Schubert Box set everyone talked me into downloading several months ago. Surprisingly some of the recordings are quite nice, including this one. The C major quintet has got to be among the most harmonically courageous pieces I've heard since the Grosse Fuge! Especially in the scherzo. I almost thought I was listening to 20th century music for a time.
> 
> I would almost call it dissonant, except -- you know how people can be. "That is too vague a term. You must define what you mean by it, blah, blah."
> 
> I don't know. Define joy. Define meaning. Define music.
> 
> Great piece regardless.


"The C major quintet has got to be among the most harmonically courageous pieces I've heard since the Grosse Fuge! Especially in the scherzo. I almost thought I was listening to 20th century music for a time."-- I'm curious. I have to hear it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a Feb. 10 release, *Mozart*: Piano Concerti 20 & 25, w. Argerich/Orchestra Mozart/Abbado (rec. 2013). A sad, but delightful finale to the Argerich & Abbado nearly 50-year recording relationship. 

Abbado's final recording. Orchestra Mozart activity is, "temporarily suspended".

View attachment 33636


Related:

http://marthargerich.blogspot.ca/2013/05/argerich-abbado-and-mozart-in-lucerne.html

http://sinfinimusic.com/uk/reviews/recordings/daily-reviews/mozart-argerich-abbado

http://www.universalmusic.com/news/detail/2687


Argerich & Abbado, 1967

View attachment 33635


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling a Feb. 10 release, *Mozart*: Piano Concerti 20 & 25, w. Argerich/Orchestra Mozart/Abbado (rec. 2013). A sad, but delightful finale to the Argerich & Abbado nearly 50-year recording relationship.
> 
> Abbado's final recording. Orchestra Mozart activity is, "temporarily suspended".
> 
> View attachment 33636
> 
> 
> Related:
> 
> http://marthargerich.blogspot.ca/2013/05/argerich-abbado-and-mozart-in-lucerne.html
> 
> http://sinfinimusic.com/uk/reviews/recordings/daily-reviews/mozart-argerich-abbado
> 
> http://www.universalmusic.com/news/detail/2687
> 
> 
> Argerich & Abbado, 1967
> 
> View attachment 33635


Another generous post, Vaneyes; and not just a robust propensity to name-dropping. Thanks.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> Tennstedt Mahler, alright. . . How do you like the set? I only have his First and his Sixth; I always going back to Tennstedt's mountain-ridge climaxes with such shameful indulgence. Excellent.


I've been enjoying Bernstein and Boulez recordings prior to purchasing Tennstedt cycle. Tennstedt's performance sounds loud and edgy, in a positive way (at least so far with first two symphonies). It'll be really interesting to hear his 3, 4, 6th because I have strong preferences for those.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ultimate Ariadne*

























Anyone love Ariadne auf Naxos like I do out there?

I've been just O.D.-ING on the replay button with the Sinopoli/Staatspakelle Dresden/Voigt performance for the last day or so on one cut in particular.

That dainty little Naid, Dryad, and Echo female number with Ariadne, "Schlaft sie"-- is just the most rarefied ether and heavenly light; a perfect palette cleanser to the gravitas of heavier fare; like say, after listening to Mahler or Bruckner or Shostakovich. Ha. Ha. Ha.

The only other performance of this I have is the Levine/Met/Tomowa-Sintow-- which, though lovely, can't approach the chamber like finessing of the Sinopoli.

I've got to hear the Karajan. . . Is anyone familiar with it?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> I've been enjoying Bernstein and Boulez recordings prior to purchasing Tennstedt cycle. Tennstedt's performance sounds loud and edgy, in a positive way (at least so far with first two symphonies). It'll be really interesting to hear his 3, 4, 6th because I have strong preferences for those.


Well, I can tell you that the last movement of the Tennstedt Sixth is powerful-- a bit slower in tempo than I'd ideally like; in fact a lot slower-- but powerful and monumental sounding all the same. I like it. . . but I like the Jarvi/SNO the best for the high drama in the last six minutes or so of the last movement.


----------



## Mahlerian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Well, I can tell you that the last movement of the Tennstedt Sixth is powerful-- a bit slower in tempo than I'd ideally like; in fact a lot slower-- but powerful and monumental sounding all the same. I like it. . . but I like the Jarvi/SNO the best for the high drama in the last six minutes or so of the last movement.


Tennstedt's Mahler may often be slower than others', but it never drags even when theirs do.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33637
> 
> 
> View attachment 33638
> 
> 
> View attachment 33639
> 
> 
> Anyone love Ariadne auf Naxos like I do out there?
> 
> I've been just O.D.-ING on the replay button with the Sinopoli/Staatspakelle Dresden/Voigt performance for the last day or so on one cut in particular.
> 
> That dainty little Naid, Dryad, and Echo female number with Ariadne, "Schlaft sie"-- is just the most rarefied ether and heavenly light; a perfect palette cleanser to the gravitas of heavier fare; like say, after listening to Mahler or Bruckner or Shostakovich. Ha. Ha. Ha.
> 
> The only other performance of this I have is the Levine/Met/Tomowa-Sintow-- which, though lovely, can't approach the chamber like finessing of the Sinopoli.
> 
> I've got to hear the Karajan. . . Is anyone familiar with it?


I have it and its wonderful. I adapt to mono recordings pretty easily so that's not a problem for me.
The 3 ladies, Streich, Seefried and Schwarzkopf sing like angels and Karajan paces just right.
Get it. 
I love this opera. I have the Kempe too for Janowitz.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A Op. 69 (and of course others as well!) Fournier and Gulda, a deathless recording.


----------



## Itullian

KenOC said:


> Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A Op. 69 (and of course others as well!) Fournier and Gulda, a deathless recording.


My favorite. 
Excellent sound too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> I have it and its wonderful. I adapt to mono recordings pretty easily so that's not a problem for me.
> The 3 ladies, Streich, Seefried and Schwarzkopf sing like angels and Karajan paces just right.
> Get it.
> I love this opera. I have the Kempe too for Janowitz.


Here. . . hold on. . . let me get these headphones off of my head with the Karajan/Schoenberg before I punch something. . I can't listen to this and type. . .

Sorry about that psychotic episode, Itullian.

Now, allow me to exult!: Yesssssssss!-- I (intuitively) knew it!!! The Karajan's great!!. . . the Kempe/Janowitz with its ample merits too!!!! How could I have doubted?!!

Thank you. . . .just the type of shoring up I need to buy another two operas (well, not really D)

J'adore votre message.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Tennstedt's Mahler may often be slower than others', but it never drags even when theirs do.


Oh, good God no! Of course it doesn't drag-- but thanks for the clarification for other readers. . . I champion Tennstedt. That warrior has the caress of steel; the whistling edge of his claymore sprays red crimson every which way when he's on. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A Op. 69 (and of course others as well!) Fournier and Gulda, a deathless recording.


Yet another nota bene of Maestro KenOC that I have to buclke down on. Thank you.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

-- love the mention of the sound quality, Itullian.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alberto Ginastera's Jubilum - Akira Endo, cond.

edit: now Gottfried Von Einem's Symphonische Szenen - Nikos Athinäos, cond.


----------



## Mika

Merikanto : Symphony #2


----------



## moody

Variations,Nocturne and Finale On An Old English Sea Song.
David Wilde,piano. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. cond : John Snashall.

This is fun, the sea song is a whaling song.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major; Fantasy in C Major, 'Wandererfantasie'
(Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## Conor71

This evenings listening so far:


----------



## SimonNZ

Frank Martin's Maria-Triptychon - Muriel Cantoreggi, violin, Juliane Banse, soprano, Christoph Poppen, cond.

edit: now George Pearle's Wind Quintet No.4 - Dorian Wind Quintet


----------



## Kivimees

Here's another noteworthy CD of symphonic works by Philippe Gaubert


----------



## ptr

moody said:


> This is the solo piano version on Westminster.


Oh my, I will have to research this more thoroughly! I thought I had all of Petri's Westminster records, wonder if age is catching up with me and my loss of memory! 

/ptr


----------



## MrTortoise

Debussy: Nocturnes, First Rhapsody, Jeux, and La Mer. Boulez conducting Cleveland.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Scriabin's Poem Of Ecstasy and Symphony No.2 - Vassily Sinaisky, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Schubert's String Quintet in C Major for 2 Violins, Viola & 2 Cellos, D. 956 performed by Casals, etc.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749): Trio Sonata in G Minor, Op.4, No.1

Accademia I Filarmonica: Alberto Martini and Enrico Casazza, violins -- Leonardo Sapere, cello -- Roberto Loneggian, harpsichord


----------



## Guest

It will *Mozart violin sonatas *for most of the morning:








Sonata in E minor, *K304*
Anne-Sophie *Mutter*, Lambert *Orkis*








Sonata in F, *K377*
Arthur *Grumiaux*, Walter *Klein*








Sonata in G, *K379*
Jos van *Immerseel*, Midori C. *Seiler*








Sonata in E flat, *K380*
Itzhak *Perlman*, Daniel *Barenboim*








Sonata in B flat, *K454*
Chiara *Banchini*, Temenuschka *Vesselinova*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Moeran's piano music is a delight. Mostly written in the 1920s, the influence of Delius and folksong is very strong. He wrote well for the piano, the Theme and Variations is his most substantial work, the theme is original, and he works up to a most effective climax. Summer Valley is a favourite of mine- I've played it in concerts myself, one of the most atmospheric pieces I know. There is so much music that should be better known, and much of this falls into that category. There is an air of spaciousness and sensitivity about it that, in our increasingly hectic and busy world, seems to me to be something we should be making a good deal more of.
I should add that Eric Parkin plays all this to perfection!


----------



## Vinyl

Cherubini: String quartet no 1. Melos Quartet, Archiv.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> Variations,Nocturne and Finale On An Old English Sea Song.
> David Wilde,piano. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. cond : John Snashall.
> 
> This is fun, the sea song is a whaling song.


I love this record- coupled with a fine recording of the Delius Double Concerto, it must be added that the composer of this is Alan Bush!
Credit where credit's due, eh??!!


----------



## Jeff W

Been listening to all five of Mozart's Violin Concertos. Arthur Grumiaux plays them on the two CD set from Philips.


----------



## MrTortoise

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 33649
> 
> 
> Moeran's piano music is a delight. Mostly written in the 1920s, the influence of Delius and folksong is very strong. He wrote well for the piano, the Theme and Variations is his most substantial work, the theme is original, and he works up to a most effective climax. Summer Valley is a favourite of mine- I've played it in concerts myself, one of the most atmospheric pieces I know. There is so much music that should be better known, and much of this falls into that category. There is an air of spaciousness and sensitivity about it that, in our increasingly hectic and busy world, seems to me to be something we should be making a good deal more of.
> I should add that Eric Parkin plays all this to perfection!


Just listened to "Summer Valley". It is a gorgeous piece. Looking forward to exploring more of Moeran's work.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mika said:


> View attachment 33640
> 
> Merikanto : Symphony #2


Well, never judge symphony by its cover. . .how is it?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MrTortoise said:


> Debussy: Nocturnes, First Rhapsody, Jeux, and La Mer. Boulez conducting Cleveland.


I love the recording quality of this.


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

I will seek out _Summer Valley _ and report back. Sounds like a place I'd like to go. I've greatly enjoyed Moeran's _Violin Concerto_ and _Sinfonietta_ (which shows him in a different, less introspective and pastoral light) for over ten years but have heard little else. One of the ones who died too early!


----------



## Guest

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartets Op. 132 in A minor and Op. 135 in F
Brentano String Quartet


----------



## Marschallin Blair

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Scriabin's Poem Of Ecstasy and Symphony No.2 - Vassily Sinaisky, cond.


Have to hear. Have to hear. Have to hear. . . for the Poem of Ecstasy, that is-- thanks.

Sinaisky's in pretty illustrious company though.









Have you heard the Svetlanov on Warner? The ending just Stargates you into Elysium. This is the best SOUNDING Poem of Ecstasy I've heard in terms of pristine sound engineering.









I really like the fervid reading of Stokowski's live persormance with the Royal Philharmonic (if not the sound quality) from the late sixties as well.









Svetlanov's earlier recording of the piece on Russia Disc is sustaining-climactic amazing. The sound quality is borderline-execrable.


----------



## Vinyl

Halfdan Cleve: Klaverkonsert Nr 4 a-moll op 12
Einar Steen-Nøkleberg and The New Symphony Orchestra of London, Roy Wales, Polygram, 1980

Never heard it before. This is great! 

A child prodigy, the poor Cleve was not allowed to play anything other than the works of Bach until he was sixteen. Tough love from dad, there...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 33649
> 
> 
> Moeran's piano music is a delight. Mostly written in the 1920s, the influence of Delius and folksong is very strong. He wrote well for the piano, the Theme and Variations is his most substantial work, the theme is original, and he works up to a most effective climax. Summer Valley is a favourite of mine- I've played it in concerts myself, one of the most atmospheric pieces I know. There is so much music that should be better known, and much of this falls into that category. There is an air of spaciousness and sensitivity about it that, in our increasingly hectic and busy world, seems to me to be something we should be making a good deal more of.
> I should add that Eric Parkin plays all this to perfection!


. . . like Moeran's Symphony with Handley too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> Dear me!!! You've really done it: the Karajan Intermezzo CD. Sooooooo gorgeously played. Such choice selections. Karajan's Intermezzo from Suor Angelica is worth the price of the disc. . . Cheers.


"Karajan's Intermezzo from Suor Angelica is worth the price of the disc" and sorry I forgot to mention it <"Yeah. . . 'blonde.'"> Schmitz's Intermezzo from his opera Notre Dame. . . It just sends my heart soaring.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart's birthday yesterday, Arthur Rubinstein's today, so what better then to combine them? This is a most enjoyable traversal of the 24th Piano Concerto, with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra and Josef Krips as exemplary partners, then 'tis followed by the Rondo in A Minor K.511, one of Mozart's finest works for the piano. If I recall correctly, I think it was Mendelssohn who considered it to be the finest Rondo ever written, and I'm not inclined to disagree.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I am blissfully listening my way through Saint-Saens Piano Concertos performed by Collard/Previn & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra :angel:









Saint-Saens is one of my favourite composers on the Piano.  Between the Concertos and the Chamber works, his piano music is truly superb.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Thanks. . . I never even knew of its existence. I like van Beinum Brucker; I'd love to hear his El Amor Brujo.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . like Moeran's Symphony with Handley too.


That is a very fine performance, if you like this symphony, then I would urge you to hear Leslie Heward's pioneering recording with the Halle Orchestra, this is available in a superb transfer from Dutton, on amazon you can get it for £3.71! Coupled with an equally fine performance of the Ireland Piano Concerto by Eileen Joyce, it's definitely worth buying.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> I am blissfully listening my way through Saint-Saens Piano Concertos performed by Collard/Previn & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra :angel:
> 
> View attachment 33655
> 
> 
> Saint-Saens is one of my favourite composers on the Piano. Between the Concertos and the Chamber works, his piano music is truly superb.


These Previn/RPO performances really have a lot of charm. I really like Collard's vivacity too.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Marschallin Blair said:


> These Previn/RPO performances really have a lot of charm. I really like Collard's vivacity too.


I have loved these performances from my very first listen. I was given Concertos 2 & 4 on LP by a friend and these versions have definitely left their mark on me. Definitely a very good friend


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> I love this record- coupled with a fine recording of the Delius Double Concerto, it must be added that the composer of this is Alan Bush!
> Credit where credit's due, eh??!!


Thanks for that---it's the age you know.
But I wouldn't mention Delius because I can't stand him.


----------



## Vasks

_*G*ee-Whizzes_

*Gerhard - Symphony No. 3 (Bamert/Chandos)
Ginastera - String Quartet No. 1 (Lyric Qrt/ASV)
Glass - Prelude and Dance from "Akhnaten" (Yuasa/Naxos)*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Concerti, Op. 8, Nos. 7 - 12, w. I Solisti Italiani (rec. 1986); La Cetra, Op. 9, w. Raglan Baroque Players (rec. 1986).

View attachment 33657
View attachment 33658


----------



## Orfeo

*Richard Wagner: *
Der Ring Des Nibelungen. Part One "Das Rheingold."
-Tomlinson, Clarke, Holle, Finnie, Johansson, von Kannen, Svenden, et al.
-Festival Orchestra of the Bayreuth Opera, Daniel Barenboim - conductor.

*Max Reger:*
Piano Concerto in F minor.
-Barry Douglas and the Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France under Marek Janowski.

*Richard Strauss:*
Burleske.
-Barry Douglas with the Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France under Marek Janowski.

*Kurt Atterberg:*
Piano Concerto in B-flat minor.
-Love Derwinger with the Radio Philharmonie Hannover des NDR under Ari Rasilainen.

*Allan Pettersson:*
Symphonies no. VII & XVI(*)
-The Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Antal Dorati & Yuri Ahronovitch(*).
-Alto Saxophone: Frederick L. Hemke(*).


----------



## Vaneyes

Artie's birthday? I didn't know that.

127 years young, and this rec. is still some of the hottest Brahms playing in the catalog. 

View attachment 33663


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> I have loved these performances from my very first listen. I was given Concertos 2 & 4 on LP by a friend and these versions have definitely left their mark on me. Definitely a very good friend


My Dear Anthony Burgess and Saint-Saens admirerer, how right you are.

It does me the greatest honor just to EXIST in a world where people can appreciate-- let alone utterly delight in-- this music. Didn't Tchaikovsky say something to the effect that 'Saint-Saens had all of the grace and charm of the French School with the depth and earnestness of the German master"?

YeAAAAAAaaaaaah. . . Ha. Ha. Ha-- dead on, that.

Have you 'ever' <caesura> heard the Levine/BPO Organ Symphony?-- he caresses that Third Movement like its Tchaikovksy; so unbelievably lovely-- certainly my gold standard for the Third Movement of the Organ Symphony. The whole reading of the symphony is stately and grand-- but that Third Movement is in a class of its own.









And, perish the thought of not mentioning it: Have you heard the Tortelier/Ulster Saint-Saens Third on Chandos? My God!! That last movement!!! THAT is the music a royal wedding is made of; or a coronation. It certainly gets the highest marks on reading, orchestral response, and engineered sound in my book.

Cheers to your enthusiasm.


----------



## Orfeo

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 33649
> 
> 
> Moeran's piano music is a delight. Mostly written in the 1920s, the influence of Delius and folksong is very strong. He wrote well for the piano, the Theme and Variations is his most substantial work, the theme is original, and he works up to a most effective climax. Summer Valley is a favourite of mine- I've played it in concerts myself, one of the most atmospheric pieces I know. There is so much music that should be better known, and much of this falls into that category. There is an air of spaciousness and sensitivity about it that, in our increasingly hectic and busy world, seems to me to be something we should be making a good deal more of.
> I should add that Eric Parkin plays all this to perfection!


I have the album myself and Moren's music is a sheer delight, if a tad short of John Ireland's piano music in depthness. Eric Parkin has done such a wonderful service in recording these gems (here and in the Bax, Ireland, Poulenc, Mayerl cycles).
Nice.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> *Vivaldi*: Concerti, Op. 8, Nos. 7 - 12, w. I Solisti Italiani (rec. 1986); La Cetra, Op. 9, w. Raglan Baroque Players (rec. 1986).
> 
> View attachment 33657
> View attachment 33658


Johann Sebastian's favorite composer!-- and for good reason. . . I'm luxuriating on the cover art alone. Thanks.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kivimees said:


> View attachment 33642
> 
> 
> Here's another noteworthy CD of symphonic works by Philippe Gaubert


Welcome back, Kivimees. :tiphat:


----------



## Guest

More LvB String Quartets

Op. 133, Gross Fuge (I like to listen to it separately from Op. 130)
Op. 130, Quartet in B flat (with Rondo ending)

The Tokyo Quartet on RCA


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . I'm luxuriating on the cover art alone. Thanks.


For those interested in these paintings, that pre-date Vivaldi's birth by 192 and 158 years respectively. 

*The Birth of Venus*, Botticelli 1486

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Venus_(Botticelli)

*Bacchus and Ariadne*, Titian 1520 -'23

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacchus_and_Ariadne


----------



## Marschallin Blair

"O soave fanciulla, o dolce viso," alright!-- right on, Van.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/La_nascita_di_Venere_(Botticelli).jpg

The, uh, Bacchus and 'Ariadne' are right up my visual alley too.

Wonderful post.


----------



## Guest

Franz Schubert
String Quartet No. 14 in D min, "Death and the Maiden", D810
Amadeus Quartet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Anyone love Ariadne auf Naxos like I do out there? 

Certainly. I.m a sworn Straussian... one of the only ones here who consistently places Strauss among his Top Ten composers... primarily on the basis of his vocal works (as if he knew nothing of orchestral writing).

I've got to hear the Karajan. . . Is anyone familiar with it?

Of course. Marvelous. I also have a version with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln conducted by Keilberth, and the Sinopoli with Voigt and Dessay. I'll probably get around to getting the DVD version with Renee Fleming one of these days.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schumann's Piano Concerto.
http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Pian...27480&sr=1-3&keywords=schumann+piano+concerto


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Scriabin's Poem Of Ecstasy and Symphony No.2 - Vassily Sinaisky, cond.


I'll have to pick that one up... for the artwork alone (who's the artist?).

Never mind... I put in an order. Under $3 US from an Amazon Marketplace dealer.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Haydn meets Rock & Roll! I love it... although I won't be surrendering my Colin Davis, George Szell, or Sir Thomas Beecham any time soon.


----------



## Taggart

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'll have to pick that one up... for the artwork alone (who's the artist?).
> 
> Never mind... I put in an order. Under $3 US from an Amazon Marketplace dealer.


The artist is William Stephen Coleman. You can find a selection of his other work here.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Marschallin Blair



> Have you 'ever' <caesura> heard the Levine/BPO Organ Symphony?-- he caresses that Third Movement like its Tchaikovksy; so unbelievably lovely-- certainly my gold standard for the Third Movement of the Organ Symphony. The whole reading of the symphony is stately and grand-- but that Third Movement is in a class of its own.
> 
> And, perish the thought of not mentioning it: Have you heard the Tortelier/Ulster Saint-Saens Third on Chandos? My God!! That last movement!!! THAT is the music a royal wedding is made of; or a coronation. It certainly gets the highest marks on reading, orchestral response, and engineered sound in my book.


I actually haven't listened to any of Saint-Saens symphonies... yet 

I have only listened to the Piano Concertos, Piano/String Chamber works and of course the Carnival of the Animals.

I have the Martinon recordings with the Orch. National De L'Ortf on EMI but Bruckner and Mahler unleashed the Droogs and knocked it down the listening list at the time I bought it  :lol:.

I have a serious backlog to work through - not that I'm complaining. These Symphonies are working their way up the list though.

I will definitely look into your suggestions, you certainly know how recommend a recording :lol:


----------



## Bas

Giacomo Puccini - Tosca
Maria Callas [soprano], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Tito Gobbi [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Oskaar

*ATTERBERG: Cello Concerto / BRAHMS: String Sextet No. 2 (arr. for string orchestra)*

*Mork, Truls, cello • Jarvi, Kristjan, Conductor • NorrlandsOperan Symphony Orchestra*









The Attenberg concerto was a positive surprise, lyric and searching cello from Truls Mørk, my fellow Norwegian. The Brahms work gives a feeling of just another day at work, kind of lack of power and entusiasm in it. The sound is good, but not top for reccorded so recently (2004).. But I still reccomend it.

Links;

allmusic
arkivmusic
music web international
classicstoday


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C, Tapiola
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









The fillers on this disc are less interesting, especially sandwiched between Sibelius's late masterpieces, the latter of them in one of my favorite keys, B minor!


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 19 (Haebler/Rowicki)
Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements and Symphony in C (Davis).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

Going to listen to a few of my favorite piano concertos:








Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra

Starting with K595 in B flat, then probably K467 in C and K466 in D minor


----------



## millionrainbows

Joseph Schwantner (1943-):Various works (Hyperion). Right now, A Sudden Rainbow (1986). It's all I hope for in a Schwantner piece; exotic orchestration with lots of percussion and harmonic timbral effects, rhythmic vitality, and a great mood of suspense and wonder, not to mention all sorts of harmonic tricks & mechanisms.


----------



## julianoq

First listen on this record of Sibelius symphonies with Berglund and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Starting with the symphony 6. This was the last Sibelius cycle recorded by Berglund and I am enjoying the music so far, "icy" Sibelius and not exaggerated romantic, the way I prefer.


----------



## millionrainbows

David Froom: To Dance To The Whistling Wind (Arabesque). Now, his Chamber Concerto (1991). Excellent piece, which I always return to. Froom is from the George Perle school of "pretty" serialism.Supposedly, he uses a lot of major thirds in his tone rows, and that's what makes it more listenable. Perhaps this is so, but I find his music plenty spicy and atonal sounding, and well-crafted-sounding.


----------



## science

Horrible image. Best I could do.


----------



## DavidA

Liszt - Piano concerto 1 - Cherkassky / Fistoulari

Simply amazing playing!


----------



## science




----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Sonatas, w. Quintana & Frisch (rec.2000); The Art of Fugue, w. Aimard (rec.2007).

View attachment 33692
View attachment 33693


----------



## ShropshireMoose

It is also that birthday of Frederic Lamond (1868-1948) one of the last pupils of Liszt, so what better to do than listen to this disc of his complete Liszt recordings? Lamond is what I'd call a straightforward and forthright pianist, not unlike Wilhelm Backhaus in that respect, if not quite with Backhaus' all-commanding technique. He plays Liszt's transcription of the Erl King with a superb sense of drama. Un Sospiro (four recordings on this disc!) was obviously a favourite, and the 1936 version is in very good sound and is really quite beguiling. The finest performance though is probably the Tarantella di Bravura on themes from Auber's "La Muette de Portici" which is splendidly done, with the utmost panache. Lamond did not have an easy life, born in poverty in Glasgow, fate often seemed to deal him a poor hand, certainly in the latter half of his life. He seems to have been a resilient man though, who remained unbowed. Long resident in Europe, he was forced to leave Prague when the Nazis invaded in 1938, leaving most of his belongings behind. He was stopped at the border at Eger. A gestapo officer insisted on seeing his passport. "You can see it", he said, "but I will not allow you to take it into your hands." The officer then asked him, "Are you an Aryan?" to which Lamond replied, "No, I am a monkey!" As a friend of his remarked, "Lamond was a courageously outspoken man who would stand no nonsense." Let us drink to him on his birthday. A glass of whisky is in the offing.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

DavidA said:


> Liszt - Piano concerto 1 - Cherkassky / Fistoulari
> 
> Simply amazing playing!


One of the finest performances ever recorded of this concerto. I have a tape of a live broadcast that he did in 1983 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra/Norman del Mar that is equally as good. The BBC or Medici Masters should issue it. He was an outstanding pianist.


----------



## Oskaar

*Feliksas Bajoras: Symphony-Diptych*

Symphony-Diptych

Violin Concerto

*Rusne Mataityte (violin)*

Exodus I

*Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Gintaras Rinkevicius*









Very exiting and adventurous contemporary music. Brilliant sound, and exelent performed.

links;

naxos
classicsonline
amazon


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Anyone love Ariadne auf Naxos like I do out there?
> 
> Certainly. I.m a sworn Straussian... one of the only ones here who consistently places Strauss among his Top Ten composers... primarily on the basis of his vocal works (as if he knew nothing of orchestral writing).
> 
> I've got to hear the Karajan. . . Is anyone familiar with it?
> 
> Of course. Marvelous. I also have a version with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln conducted by Keilberth, and the Sinopoli with Voigt and Dessay. I'll probably get around to getting the DVD version with Renee Fleming one of these days.























I love this post. I love this post. . . I love. I love. I love this post!

Apologies for the sentimentalist, stream-of-consciousness gush.

Some neuro-linguistically-programmed triggers, whether deliberately planned or un- -- set me off. Ha. Ha. Ha. 

StlukesguildOhio, <caesura; and with slow and deliberate elocution; sotto voce>: 'thank you.'

You're a "sworn Straussian" who "consistently places Strauss among his Top Ten composers. . . primarily on the basis of his vocal works."

That's a profound aesthetic insight, and one that can easily and soarinigly withstand even the most searching critical scrutiny.

Unilike youself (so I imagine), I got into Stauss in reverse order: Heldenleben, Zarathustra, the Alpine Sympony, Death and Transfiguration, Don Juan. . . all of the densely-textured Sturm-und-Drang stuff.

I reveled in it; and still so.

Then when I was about twenty or so I got the late fifties Karajan Rosenkavalier-- and Strauss Part II started; and in full force: the operas and the orchestral songs. Such finessing beauty and grace exceeded what I imagined possible; and not just for Strauss' music proper-- but wiht all of the accompanying set designs, costumes, directors, singers, players, and impresarios that have raised the Strauss aesthetic by an order of magnitude.

Sympathetic collaterals all the way; or shoud I say, 'empathetic' collaterals all the way?-- yes, just that.

Cheers.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

. . .and thanks for the honorable mention of Keilberth incarnation with WDR; I'm gettting it. ;D


----------



## Vinyl

More old records - this time the 1965 Telefunken recording of the Johannes-Passion. According to the liner notes, this was the first done with original everything. 
Wiener Sängerknaben, Chorus Wiennensis, Concentus Musicus, Wien.
Kurt Equiluz, Max van Egmond, Jacques Villisech, Bert van t'Hoff, Siegfried Schneeweis. No female singers. At all. Hm. 
Hans Gillesberger. 

So far it is pretty enough - I'm still on side one - but I think I would probably prefer a Gardiner approach...

Oh, cool: the third LP is single sided! Yum. Vinyl heaven!


----------



## Guest

It's an extremely frigid day here so I thought I would try to warm up by listening to the "Summer" concerto.








Vivaldi, RV315 
Janine Jansen

Turns out the pictures heated me up more than the music so I continued with her Bach CD








Bach, Violin Concerto BWV1042
Janine Jansen


----------



## Aramis

How deelaythfool this Pergolesi sacred music is, all no less worthwhile than his _Stabat Mater_. You might like it even more than the famous work, as there is more polyphony going on. Somewhere between late baroque and classicism, there he dwells, writing cool music and collecting shells.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2: Symphonies 94, 97 & 98... with a truly surprising "Surprise" Symphony. :lol:


----------



## Mahlerian

Akira Miyoshi: Sonata, Chaines, En Vers, Pour la Piano
Yukiko Kojima


----------



## Itullian

Daphne, Haitink from this fantastic set.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Daphne, Haitink from this fantastic set.


Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss. . .see how easily and instinctively that tripped off the tongue?

How do you like the cast and performance of the Haitink Daphne, Itullian?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Disc 2: Symphonies 94, 97 & 98... with a truly surprising "Surprise" Symphony. :lol:


How do you like the performances? I only have the Karajan/Berlin later Haydn on EMI from the '70's; which I of course delight in.


----------



## Blancrocher

Inspired by Tom Services latest entry in his "Symphony Guide," I'm listening to Abbado conducting Tchaikovsky's 1st. I'm not really familiar with this symphony, and I'm finding it to be a pleasant surprise.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss. . .see how easily and instinctively that tripped off the tongue?
> 
> How do you like the cast and performance of the Haitink Daphne, Itullian?


I'm LOVING it Blair. What a beautiful recording this is!! Haitink caresses and loves this music and Popp is an angel. The rest of the cast is very good too, especially Moll.
Goldberg does very well too.
A rich detailed recording to boot.
I've always loved the live Bohm recording. I love this one too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> Marschallin Blair
> 
> I actually haven't listened to any of Saint-Saens symphonies... yet
> 
> I have only listened to the Piano Concertos, Piano/String Chamber works and of course the Carnival of the Animals.
> 
> I have the Martinon recordings with the Orch. National De L'Ortf on EMI but Bruckner and Mahler unleashed the Droogs and knocked it down the listening list at the time I bought it  :lol:.
> 
> I have a serious backlog to work through - not that I'm complaining. These Symphonies are working their way up the list though.
> 
> I will definitely look into your suggestions, you certainly know how recommend a recording :lol:


AClockworkOrange, bump them up to the top of your list. P.R. Deltoid's watching. . . and of course, I don't want to have to give you the Beethoven-Dim treatment. . . Marschallin Blair out.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 5 in D Major, 'The Lark'; No. 6 in E-flat Major
(Quatuor Festetics).









Ah, good old Op. 64 - missed these pieces.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Radio 3 Live in Concert
Schubert - Die schone Mullerin

Schubert's Die schone Mullerin sung by rising Swiss tenor Mauro Peter with Helmut Deutsch.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> I'm LOVING it Blair. What a beautiful recording this is!! Haitink caresses and loves this music and Popp is an angel. The rest of the cast is very good too, especially Moll.
> Goldberg does very well too.
> A rich detailed recording to boot.
> I've always loved the live Bohm recording. I love this one too.


Jesus Harold Christ on Rubber Crutches, Itullian!! You'll be the Straussian idee-fixean death of me yet!-- that is to say: you and StlukesguildOhio.

Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. . . thanks. ;D


----------



## Ravndal

Geirr Tveitt - Harp Concerto no 2

Constantly on repeat. One of the most beautiful works i know of.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ravndal said:


> Geirr Tveitt - Harp Concerto no 2
> 
> Constantly on repeat. One of the most beautiful works i know of.


I want to hear it! Danke.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Apropos of all cups, all power to your elbow. Hail Rozsa!


----------



## Vinyl

Michael Tippett: The vision of St. Augustine. LSO, Tippett, RCA 1972


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Marschallin Blair said:


> AClockworkOrange, bump them up to the top of your list. P.R. Deltoid's watching. . . and of course, I don't want to have to give you the Beethoven-Dim treatment. . . Marschallin Blair out.


_"...I've learned me lesson... I've seen now what I've never seen before. I'm cured! Praise Bog! I'm cured!"_ :lol:

I'll be listening to them over the course of tonight and tomorrow all being well. It has been a while since I listened to the Piano Concertos but I cow;don't have picked a better route into the Symphonies.

Call me old fashioned bit I'm going start at the beginning tonight with_ Symphony 1 performed by Martinon & the Orch. National De L'Ortf. _


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Ignaz Pleyel's Sinfonia Concertante No.5 - Jörg Faerber, cond.


----------



## Ravndal

Marschallin Blair said:


> I want to hear it! Danke.


Movements:

1 




2 




3 




Loving that slow build up in first movement, and it all breaks free from approx 2 minutes in.


----------



## Vaneyes

*CPE Bach*: Piano Concerti, w. Rische (rec.2010), Cello Concerti, w. Suzuki (rec.1996); *Mozart*: Piano Concerti, w. Moravec (rec.1973/4).

View attachment 33718
View attachment 33719
View attachment 33720


----------



## Vaneyes

Q. How about some *Rota*?

A. Thank you, Godfather.

View attachment 33721


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler's Songs of Youth

Lieder und Gesange 'aus der Jugendzeit'
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen*

Dame Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano), Geoffrey Parsons (piano) [EMI, rec 1983]

Splendidly sung, with great warmth and with a nicely understated piano accompaniment, these are becoming firm favourites around Turnabout Towers 
*
Beethoven

String Quartet No. 10, Op. 74 in E flat
String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95*

Tokyo String Quartet [Harmonia Mundi, 2009]

Two of my favourite string quartets (_these are a few of my favourite strings_?) These are clean, incisive readings which stand up well against my go-to readings by the Quartetto Italiano and the (much more lyrical) Quatuor Talich. I'll be interested to see what the Endellion Quartet are like in Op. 74 & 95: I have just bought the box set in Presto Classical's sale after enjoying the Endellion Beethoven String Quintets disc greatly.

*
String Quartet No. 11, Op. 95 in F minor* / Quatuor Talich [Calliope, 1986]

Well, this is different. Not necessarily better, but a more intimate ensemble all together. Rubato is much more freely used by the Talich Quartet.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Couperin: Huitieme concert dans le gout theatral
J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-3 Ecole Normale de Musique Orchestre/Alfred Cortot
Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony/Romeo and Juliet NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

Cortot conducting the orchestra from the music school he founded in Paris, and what lively vibrant performances these are too. Then Toscanini in Manfred. I bought this having noted Moody waxing lyrical over it a while back, and ye Gods but it's good. I wish he hadn't subject the last movement to such a drastic cut, but, he reaches heights of excitement in this work that I've never heard from any other conductor, and the sound is astonishingly good. The Romeo and Juliet Overture is stunning. Bravo!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Enescu's Piano Trio - Remus Azoitei, violin, Schubert Ensemble

edit: it kinda seems like the Eifel Tower would have to be flying past horizontally in the sky to get that reflection


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Faure's Orchestral Works
http://www.amazon.com/Fauré-Orchest...956204&sr=1-1&keywords=faure+orchestral+works


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Juan Crisóstomo Jacobo Antonio de Arriaga y Balzola (27 January 1806-1826): String Quartet No.2 in E Flat

Camerata Boccherini: Massimo Spadano and Mauro Rossi, violins -- David Quiggle, viola -- Luigi Piovano, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 33709
> 
> 
> Inspired by Tom Services latest entry in his "Symphony Guide," I'm listening to Abbado conducting Tchaikovsky's 1st. I'm not really familiar with this symphony, and I'm finding it to be a pleasant surprise.


I'd like to hear Abbado-- bless his late and musically great, soul-- and Chicago do the Winter Dreams. I have him and Chicago doing the Tempest-- and. . . it. . . 'kicks'.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.32 - Paul Lewis, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> I want to hear it! Danke.


I checked it out on You Tube; different than I expected.


----------



## Guest

Some shockingly experimental 20th century music...









Bernarda Fink has put out a series of country-specific discs of lieder - Argentinian, Slovenian, and now Spanish. They're all wonderful.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> _"...I've learned me lesson... I've seen now what I've never seen before. I'm cured! Praise Bog! I'm cured!"_ :lol:
> 
> I'll be listening to them over the course of tonight and tomorrow all being well. It has been a while since I listened to the Piano Concertos but I cow;don't have picked a better route into the Symphonies.
> 
> Call me old fashioned bit I'm going start at the beginning tonight with_ Symphony 1 performed by Martinon & the Orch. National De L'Ortf. _


Praise Bog indeed: "If you want a motor car. . . you pluck it from the trees"-- or order it from lovely-lovely Amazon. Real horror-show stuff, those Levine and Tortelier synthemesc-dremcrom creations.

Bonne chasse.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ravndal said:


> Movements:
> 
> 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Loving that slow build up in first movement, and it all breaks free from approx 2 minutes in.


Thank you for your thoughtful post, Ravndal.


----------



## Guest

Ravndal said:


> Geirr Tveitt - Harp Concerto no 2
> 
> Constantly on repeat. One of the most beautiful works i know of.


Ravdal - That one's a bit hard to track down - at least online. ArkivMusic doesn't even list it. Do you have the Simax recording or another one??


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> Q. How about some *Rota*?
> 
> A. Thank you, Godfather.
> 
> View attachment 33721


. . . how about some 'Romeo and Juliet' (and Sasha Cohen; and the choreography for the routine):






Van, I just LOOOOOOOOOVE.

LOVE.

LOOOVE. . . this routine.


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> In belated celebration of his birthday --- Juan Crisóstomo Jacobo Antonio de Arriaga y Balzola (27 January 1806-1826): String Quartet No.2 in E Flat


That's right! In all the fuss over Mozart's birthday yesterday, I forgot all about the Spanish Mozart, born the same day. So a happy birthday to poor Juan, and thanks for those great quartets!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I'd like to hear that Toscanini Manfred.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> That's right! In all the fuss over Mozart's birthday yesterday, I forgot all about the Spanish Mozart, born the same day. So a happy birthday to poor Juan, and thanks for those great quartets!


Yes, "Gracias" (con un acento 'Castizo') Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga. . . and thank you Sir Charles Mackerras for you delightful account of Arriaga's Symphony in D Minor on Hyperion:


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Fantasy in C Minor for Piano, Chorus, & Orchestra, Op. 80 -- Pietro Spada: Philharmonia Orchestra of London

Telemann: Violin Concerto #8 in G -- Iona Brown: Academy of St. Martin in The Fields

Mozart: Sonata in B Flat For Piano 4 Hands, K 358 -- Ingrid Haebler; Jörg Demus

Schumann: Märchenbilder, Op. 113 -- Nash Ensemble


----------



## dgee

A coupla Chemins (Berio) - invigorating and brilliant. Numbers 2 (Viola) and 4 (Oboe) by the guys at Ensemble Intercontemporain with Boulez


----------



## EDaddy

Stravinsky conducting his own Symphony in Three movements and Symphony of Psalms. A bit rough around the edges in places but this version has more teeth than any of the other versions I have heard. Not as refined as Bernstein's versions, for example, but far more exciting.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony 1, w. Philharmonia/"Godfather" (rec.1975).

View attachment 33736


----------



## opus55

Bach: Toccatas and Fugues










Listening to some Bigg organ playing


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Janacek's String Quartet No 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" - Emerson String Quartet


----------



## bejart

Jerome --- 
I am in deep envy about you're owning this set. It used to be hundreds of US dollars from 3rd party sellers on Amazon, now it is merely $83.









Now ---
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, Op.120

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Debussy's Fantasy for piano and orchestra - Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano, Yan Pascal Tortelier, cond.


----------



## opus55

Britten: War Requiem


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Britten: War Requiem


Thumbs up. . . Hickox for me though.


----------



## Itullian

Hickox is fantastic.
Bless his soul.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> Thumbs up. . . Hickox for me though.


First time listening to this requiem. I'm a newb forever :lol: I'll check out Hickox on spotify.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Vaughan Williams Job on Collins Classics*

















For my emotional involvement, RVW's Job: A Masque for Dancing has some of the most noble and BEAUTIFUL music he ever wrote.

Check out- that is: if you can get your hands on it- the Barry Wordsworth/Philharmonia performance on Collins Classics. The sound quality is stellar; and Wordsworth's true to his namesake (I'm thinking "Lyrical Ballads") by breathing such a sweeping noble elegance into the first cut (which I bought the CD for): the Pastoral Dance, Satan's appeal to God, and the Saraband of the Sons of God-- that its just bona fide sublime.

Really sublime.

-- But in a reverse-Mahler's-Sixth-adagio kind of way; which is to say: its emotionally piercing, like Mahler-- but not with 'bittersweet,' but rather with pure elation-- starting at 05:52.

God I love that music. You've got to hear it. Pure greatness of soul. Aristotle's Great Souled Man. Words fail me. . . Just hear it.

The Hickox's virtue for me is in it's cut "A Vision of Satan"-- that is: pre-lapsarian Satan standing monumentally in his arc-lighting, archangel, supreme-warrior-of-God presence. The organ and orchestral climax in this is one of the most thrilling-- if not THE MOST THRILLING-- things I've ever heard. . . in any score. It's MUST have inspired Bernard Herrmann. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Okay, babbling Blair over and out.


----------



## Mahlerian

Henze: Gogo no Eiko (Act II)
Midorikawa, Takahashi, Mihara, National Symphony Orchestra RAI, cond. Albrecht









I feel Act II flows better than Act I, and there are fewer cuts (although judging from the score, it looks like some of the cut interludes were pretty interesting). Still a very disturbing plot and the conclusion is brutal, but effective all the same.


----------



## Rhythm

I love three-quarter meter.

On the radio.

Steyrische Tanze, Op.165 by Joseph Lanner
Ensemble Wien

An alternative recording.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Rhythm said:


> I love three-quarter meter.
> 
> On the radio.
> 
> Steyrische Tanze, Op.165 by Joseph Lanner
> Ensemble Wien
> 
> An alternative recording.


Chose charmont. Merci.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Bach: Toccatas and Fugues
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listening to some Bigg organ playing


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . no, I won't say it. . . 'yeah,' I will: my mind's in the gutter. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . You kill me opus55. You should have a video of Christy Hartburg from Russ Meyer's Supervixens say that.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I missed the 'Diabelli Variations' the first cursory-glance time around.l

Thumbs up.


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*SQ#7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op.108; SQ#8 in C Minor, Op.110; SQ#9 in E-Flat Major, Op.117 and SQ#10 in A-Flat Major, Op.118. *
All four works feature the Emerson String Quartet. 
Dmitri Shostakovich-- *Symphony No.8 in C Minor, Op.65 and Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93. *Both works are performed by the Vasily Petrenko led Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Op.93, * for this performance traversed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> First time listening to this requiem. I'm a newb forever :lol: I'll check out Hickox on spotify.


Hickox can do orchestral music. He can do opera. He can muster a world-glass, heavy-weight contending chorus-- he can do it all: from Abbado's Alexander Nevsky (he was he chorus master on that) to the Dies Irae of Britten's War Requeim to Vaughan Willams Flos Campi to Mozart. . . I just love his conducting, choice of singers, and selections of orchestral music he chose to record. What a monumental loss to greater humanity that he passed away.


----------



## nightscape

Breaking up my violin concerto jam session with just a little something:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturne Op. 37 No. 1 in G minor (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## SimonNZ

Philipp Schondorff masses and motets - Cinquecento


----------



## Rhythm

Spanische Liebeslieder, op. 138 | Robert Schumann

Excerpt from Youtube notes. 
Robert Schumann's set of ten Spanish love songs -- a cycle of solos, duets and a quartet. Sung here by Lois Marshall, soprano, Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano, Léopold Simoneau, tenor, and William Warfield, baritone. Arthur Gold & Robert Fizdale are the pianists. From a 1961 Columbia recording.​


----------



## Ravndal

BPS said:


> Ravdal - That one's a bit hard to track down - at least online. ArkivMusic doesn't even list it. Do you have the Simax recording or another one??


I actually dont own it. But it is the Simax recording i am listening to. Royal philharmonic Orchestra with Turid Kniejski and Per Dreier.


----------



## Conor71

Todays listening:

The work Drumming from this set (the highlight of the day, what an outstanding work!):










This new Disc:










This Disc:


----------



## Ravndal

Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht
Webern - Passacaglia

I'm sad to say that i haven't heard them before now. Amazingly beautiful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Antal Dorati's Duo Concertante - Helen Jahren, oboe, Elisabeth Westenholz, piano


----------



## Vinyl

Ravndal said:


> Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht
> Webern - Passacaglia
> 
> I'm sad to say that i haven't heard them before now. Amazingly beautiful.


I once told a music scholar I loved Webern, and she said that Webern only had academic value. Nothing anybody would listen to for entertainment. I feel very sorry for the likes of her. The beauty is right there, on top, just like with Bach.


----------



## SimonNZ

Joseph Jongen's Flute Trio - Marc Grauwels, flute, Marie Hallynck, cello, Sophie Hallynck, harp


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Piano Sonata No.3
Rachmaninoff: Variations on a theme by Chopin
Liszt: Gondoliera and Tarantella from "Venezia e Napoli" Jorge Bolet

A recital given at the Belfast Festival in November, 1983. Recorded off the radio by yours truly. It really is magnificent, and there's no radio interference at all- hooray! The Rachmaninoff is a magnificent set of variations, and why it is not more frequently played is quite beyond me. It's also nice to have Bolet in the Brahms sonata, a work he never recorded commercially, and it suits him perfectly.
Oh, and the Liszt is a delight, of course, Bolet being the consummate Lisztian that he was.


----------



## Vinyl

Webern, Orchestral Works (Passacaglia, Sechs stücke, Fünf Stücke, Variationen, and the very well done Orchestration of the Ricercata aus dem Musicalische Opfer). 
LSO, Boulez, CBS, 1979


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravndal said:


> Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht
> Webern - Passacaglia
> 
> I'm sad to say that i haven't heard them before now. Amazingly beautiful.


Do try and hear the Hollywood String Quartet's recording of Verklarte Nacht, if you can, it's coupled with possibly the most moving version of Schubert's String Quintet that has ever been recorded. VN is superb, the Hollywood Quartet, plus two, wanted Schoenberg to write the notes for the recording they were going to make, but......and here I quote Eleanor Aller, the group's cellist: 'To get Schoenberg to do the liner notes we had to go and play the sextet for him. He insisted that we should come to his house. Kurt Reher, who had performed a trio for him warned us that he was a very difficult man, a stickler for everything being right and never letting two bars go past without criticising something. However, we had no choice but to face him and play. It was a beastly day, about 104 degrees, and the house was completely sealed- every window closed, no air conditioning. Schoenberg walked in, bundled up in a scarf and coat, sat at a table and looked at us with those piercing green eyes of his. We had played only a few bars when he stopped us by knocking on the table and started to criticise. My husband asked if we could play the work through first, and then if Schoenberg had any criticisms, he could tell us afterwards. So we played it- and by the end there were literally six pools of perspiration on the floor. Schoenberg didn't say anything at first- he just looked at us and then he said: "It was good, very good....in fact, I have nothing to say." Then Mrs. Schoenberg brought in a tray of bourbon and doughnuts! Schoenberg said: "You will have your liner notes in the post on Monday morning." It was the only time he ever wrote notes for a record.'
Enough said, methinks.


----------



## julianoq

Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor played by Domus. One of my favorite records!


----------



## MrTortoise

ShropshireMoose said:


> Do try and hear the Hollywood String Quartet's recording of Verklarte Nacht, if you can, it's coupled with possibly the most moving version of Schubert's String Quintet that has ever been recorded. VN is superb, the Hollywood Quartet, plus two, wanted Schoenberg to write the notes for the recording they were going to make, but......and here I quote Eleanor Aller, the group's cellist: 'To get Schoenberg to do the liner notes we had to go and play the sextet for him. He insisted that we should come to his house. Kurt Reher, who had performed a trio for him warned us that he was a very difficult man, a stickler for everything being right and never letting two bars go past without criticising something. However, we had no choice but to face him and play. It was a beastly day, about 104 degrees, and the house was completely sealed- every window closed, no air conditioning. Schoenberg walked in, bundled up in a scarf and coat, sat at a table and looked at us with those piercing green eyes of his. We had played only a few bars when he stopped us by knocking on the table and started to criticise. My husband asked if we could play the work through first, and then if Schoenberg had any criticisms, he could tell us afterwards. So we played it- and by the end there were literally six pools of perspiration on the floor. Schoenberg didn't say anything at first- he just looked at us and then he said: "It was good, very good....in fact, I have nothing to say." Then Mrs. Schoenberg brought in a tray of bourbon and doughnuts! Schoenberg said: "You will have your liner notes in the post on Monday morning." It was the only time he ever wrote notes for a record.'
> Enough said, methinks.


Now that is a great story, I'll search out this recording.


----------



## Ravndal

ShropshireMoose said:


> Do try and hear the Hollywood String Quartet's recording of Verklarte Nacht, if you can, it's coupled with possibly the most moving version of Schubert's String Quintet that has ever been recorded. VN is superb, the Hollywood Quartet, plus two, wanted Schoenberg to write the notes for the recording they were going to make, but......and here I quote Eleanor Aller, the group's cellist: 'To get Schoenberg to do the liner notes we had to go and play the sextet for him. He insisted that we should come to his house. Kurt Reher, who had performed a trio for him warned us that he was a very difficult man, a stickler for everything being right and never letting two bars go past without criticising something. However, we had no choice but to face him and play. It was a beastly day, about 104 degrees, and the house was completely sealed- every window closed, no air conditioning. Schoenberg walked in, bundled up in a scarf and coat, sat at a table and looked at us with those piercing green eyes of his. We had played only a few bars when he stopped us by knocking on the table and started to criticise. My husband asked if we could play the work through first, and then if Schoenberg had any criticisms, he could tell us afterwards. So we played it- and by the end there were literally six pools of perspiration on the floor. Schoenberg didn't say anything at first- he just looked at us and then he said: "It was good, very good....in fact, I have nothing to say." Then Mrs. Schoenberg brought in a tray of bourbon and doughnuts! Schoenberg said: "You will have your liner notes in the post on Monday morning." It was the only time he ever wrote notes for a record.'
> Enough said, methinks.


Oh! I have only heard the orchestral version. Thanks  Is it this one?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravndal said:


> Oh! I have only heard the orchestral version. Thanks  Is it this one?


That's the one, happy listening! :tiphat:


----------



## Jeff W

The 'Souvenir de Florence' followed by String Quartet No. 2.


----------



## julianoq

Ravndal said:


> Oh! I have only heard the orchestral version. Thanks  Is it this one?


Oh, thanks for posting this, just listened and it is amazing!!


----------



## MrTortoise

Berg Violin Concerto

Henryk Szeryng, violin
Rafael Kubelik, cond.
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## shangoyal

Bach: *Brandenburg Concerto no. 5

*Very beautiful.


----------



## Sonata

Mendelssohn: Clarinet and Piano sonata, Strinq quintets. Aside from one or two of his choral discs, I haven't listened to Mendelssohn in months. It's like meeting up with an old friend


----------



## Jeff W

Symphony No. 3 and the Double Concerto of Brahms. Toscanini leads the NBC Symphony.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Mancini (1672-1737): Flute Concerto No.13 in G Minor

Fete Rustique -- Giorgio Matteoli, flute


----------



## Couac Addict

Mozart's violin concerto no.3
Prokofiev's 1st
Schubert's 9th


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> Do try and hear the Hollywood String Quartet's recording of Verklarte Nacht, if you can, it's coupled with possibly the most moving version of Schubert's String Quintet that has ever been recorded. VN is superb, the Hollywood Quartet, plus two, wanted Schoenberg to write the notes for the recording they were going to make, but......and here I quote Eleanor Aller, the group's cellist: 'To get Schoenberg to do the liner notes we had to go and play the sextet for him. He insisted that we should come to his house. Kurt Reher, who had performed a trio for him warned us that he was a very difficult man, a stickler for everything being right and never letting two bars go past without criticising something. However, we had no choice but to face him and play. It was a beastly day, about 104 degrees, and the house was completely sealed- every window closed, no air conditioning. Schoenberg walked in, bundled up in a scarf and coat, sat at a table and looked at us with those piercing green eyes of his. We had played only a few bars when he stopped us by knocking on the table and started to criticise. My husband asked if we could play the work through first, and then if Schoenberg had any criticisms, he could tell us afterwards. So we played it- and by the end there were literally six pools of perspiration on the floor. Schoenberg didn't say anything at first- he just looked at us and then he said: "It was good, very good....in fact, I have nothing to say." Then Mrs. Schoenberg brought in a tray of bourbon and doughnuts! Schoenberg said: "You will have your liner notes in the post on Monday morning." It was the only time he ever wrote notes for a record.'
> Enough said, methinks.


Great anecdote: Schoenberg. . . with nothing critical to say. . . it must have been one hell of a performance.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Couac Addict said:


> Mozart's violin concerto no.3
> Prokofiev's 1st
> Schubert's 9th


Cheers on the early-forties Furtwangler/BPO Schubert's Ninth.


----------



## Vesteralen

My very first classical album (1969) was Mozart's horn concertos with Mason Jones / Ormandy / Philadelphia Orchestra. I loved the horn from seeing kids play it in school and had a secret desire to be a horn player myself. This album was a bit of a compromise for me because it was so "classical" and not so very romantic, but there wasn't a lot to choose from as far as horn albums at the time. Anyway, I got to know these concerti very well at age 16.

Much later I kept seeing two performances of these works recommended - Dennis Brain's and Barry Tuckwell's. I finally decided this week to check the above out of the library and give it a spin. Not bad. Not bad. I probably won't add it to my own collection because, over the years I think I've heard these concerti as many times as I care to, but at least my curiosity is satisfied.


----------



## hpowders

Schubert Symphony #9 Georg Solti, Vienna Philharmonic.
I need a "lift" badly. Strong coffee didn't help. This great performance ought to do it.


----------



## Vasks

*Mendelssohn - Overture to "Die Hochzeit des Camacho" (Marriner/Capriccio)
Brahms - Variations on a Theme by Paganini (Schmitt-Leonardy/Brilliant)
Ravel - Ma Mere l'Oye (Dutoit/London)*


----------



## Vesteralen

Personally, I enjoy Vivaldi, even if I do get the impression every so often, "Didn't I just hear this a few minutes ago?" Somewhat repetitive, no doubt, but very engaging nevertheless.

And, I have to confess a fascination for Iona Brown. I don't know her, of course. It's just the name...Iona Brown...Iona Brown.
Just one of those unaccountable proclivities....


----------



## Guest

Vesteralen said:


> And, I have to confess a fascination for Iona Brown. I don't know her, of course. It's just the name...Iona Brown...Iona Brown.
> Just one of those unaccountable proclivities....


I would strongly recommend her recording of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante to anyone. It is also with ASMF.

Listening to this one now:







Antonín Dvořák
Piano Quintet 2 in A, Op. 81
Piers Lane - Goldner String Quartet


----------



## Orfeo

*Richard Wagner: *
Der Ring Des Nibelungen. Part Two "Die Walkure."
-Secunde, Elming, Tomlinson, Evans, Holle, Finnie, Close, Johansson, Kupfer, et al.
-Festival Orchestra of the Bayreuth Opera, Daniel Barenboim - conductor.

*Max Reger:*
Four Tone Poems after Bocklin (Bocklin Suite), op. 128.
-The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Neemi Jarvi.

*Joseph Marx:*
Romantic Piano Concerto (1919-1920) & Castelli Romani for Piano & Orch (1930).
-David Lievly with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra under Steven Sloane.

*Allan Pettersson:*
Symphony no. VII. 
-The Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra (SON) under Leif Segerstam.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony Classical









Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata in E-flat D 568, Piano Sonata in A-flat D 557, Piano Sonata in Em D566
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Vesteralen

Here's one I've had for long time that's currently on my playlist at work. Sir Malcom has never been a big favorite of mine, but I think he does a pretty good job with Sullivan's Overtures.

Years ago I had a tape of "Iolanthe" that I listened to a lot on my way to and from work. It's the only G&S score I really got to know well.

(Saw The Mikado once in an off-Broadway production....but, that's another story, Yum Yum )


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Henri Dutilleux, Symphony No. 2.*

I've been listening to piano sonatas from Haydn and Mozart all last week, so I'm having to adjust my ears for this one.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987). The Four String Quartets. The Lydian String Quartet. (Centaur). *Groovy cover photo~
Persichetti could be described as a "neotonalist;" he dabbled in serial techniques, but the overriding impression I get from his music is that it is "tonal," but using advanced techniques. So it's "tonal...by any means necessary."

This could be categorized under the general umbrella of *"Neotonality."* This gives rise to a term which might describe music composed thusly as *"non-harmonic tonality." *By this term is meant a tonal music which is based on geometric divisions and projections of recursive intervals (smaller interval numbers which, when "cycled," return to their beginning point without going past, or "out of" the octave). 
This means those small intervals, other than fourths or fifths, which are divisible into twelve. Minor second, major second, minor third, major third, and tritone; i.e., all intervals except the "outward-expanding" fourth and fifth of tonality. Plus, this could include any sort of geometric method of handling the octave to create new hierarchies and sub-hierarchies.

Of course, all music is "harmonic" because of the way we hear; but I'm using "harmonic" here to mean "not based on the harmonic model," referring to a fundamental note with its subdivisions of overtones, as traditional tonality is.

Persichetti's textbook confirms all this; the book is an exhaustive compendium of different ways to manipulate and generate musical forms. Bartok was also of this mind, being a non-serial modernist. His localized tone centers were "mini-areas" of tone-centricity, which frequently shifted and had double-meanings because of their recursive nature, like his "Axis system" which used the minor third and tritone of the octatonic scale to create a symmetric division or "pole-system" which he used as his harmonic functions.

Persichetti is a supreme craftsman, and the music is not "embarrassingly modern" as Ernest Bloch and Leon Kirchner (and even Schoenberg) can be. Like Bartok, Persichetti conveys an objective, detached, yet always warm and passionate sense in the music. Check out his* Complete Piano Sonatas *as well.


----------



## starthrower

Messiaen obscurities. And fine ones at that! Solo piano, organ, chamber music, etc.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 7
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Tilson Thomas









I've long enjoyed this performance of Mahler's supposedly "problematic" Seventh Symphony, a work that begins in a shadowy B minor and ends in brilliant C major, with all of the cowbells and brass brought out to celebrate. The first movement remains the best, in my mind, of the whole symphony, but the bizarre finale, with its parody of the Meistersinger theme and sudden shifts of mood, meter, and key (even jumping from C major to G-flat major in a matter of less than ten bars!), is equally fascinating. Schoenberg loved this symphony, too, but his favorite movement was the second Nachtmusik "Andante Amoroso", with its serenade feel, down to the use of mandolin and guitar (which instruments would eventually appear in Schoenberg's own Serenade).

The London Symphony blasts the heck out of the brass and pounds the timpani, but all the same the performance never loses sight of the symphony's complex architecture.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major; No. 2 in F Major; No. 3 in G Major 
(Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).


----------



## rrudolph

Some light opera for me this morning...

Schoenberg: Moses und Aron


----------



## Rhythm

DavidA said:


> I've just bought a recording of Shura Cherkassky playing the Tchaikovsky first piano Concerto. It is simply amazing playing. Causes one to appreciate the old warhorse all over again in a different light.


Shura Cherkassky | Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23
Recorded live, January 1968

Compare performances for tempi, phrasing, pulses, nuances, isolated finger technique, for instance.

Stanislav Ioudenitch | Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23
Recorded live, Van Cliburn 2001 Competition during which he was co-prize winner with Olga Kern

_________________
Thanks for the reminder, DavidA.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 33767
> 
> 
> Here's one I've had for long time that's currently on my playlist at work. Sir Malcom has never been a big favorite of mine, but I think he does a pretty good job with Sullivan's Overtures.
> 
> Years ago I had a tape of "Iolanthe" that I listened to a lot on my way to and from work. It's the only G&S score I really got to know well.
> 
> (Saw The Mikado once in an off-Broadway production....but, that's another story, Yum Yum )


I LOOOOOOVE the Mikado-- so cute. Trial by Jury, Iolanthe, Yeoman of the Guard. . . not so much. Pirates of Penzance?- yes. . . With too much of Guilbert & Sulliven's stuff I end up just liking the Guilbert and not the Sullivan.


----------



## Vinyl

Vesteralen said:


> (Saw The Mikado once in an off-Broadway production....but, that's another story, Yum Yum )


I saw The Mikado in the "New Theatre" in Hull, probably 15 years ago. That's (with all due respect to Sir Paul) even more off-Broadway than Oslo.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

nightscape said:


> Breaking up my violin concerto jam session with just a little something:
> 
> View attachment 33752


Those Reference recordings REALLY sound great. I have Oue and Minnesota doing Heldenleben. Not my favorite Heldenleben; certainly my favorite SOUNDING Heldenleben.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vinyl said:


> I saw The Mikado in the "New Theatre" in Hull, probably 15 years ago. That's (with all due respect to Sir Paul) even more off-Broadway than Oslo.


You like it. You're special. I like it. I'm special. . . Some people 'don't' get it.

Oh well.

"If everybody's somebody, then no one's anybody."

God, what's wrong with my snark this morning? Just slap me.


----------



## Vesteralen

Vinyl said:


> I saw The Mikado in the "New Theatre" in Hull, probably 15 years ago. That's (with all due respect to Sir Paul) even more off-Broadway than Oslo.


Well, the one I saw was literally off Broadway Ave on one of the numbered streets in Manhattan. It was sort of like a basement room. I remember watching the feet of passersby on the sidewalk as I looked out the windows. A bit claustrophobic, maybe, but it was still lots of fun. 

And, I'm talking 1973 or 1974 when this happened, so the place is probably some other kind of establishment by now.


----------



## Blancrocher

Leonard Bernstein conducting Sibelius's Pohjola's daughter, recommended by Vaneyes on another thread.

Just what I needed!


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Lieder, opp. 3, 12, 48, 6
Donald Gramm, Helen Vanni, Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## Vesteralen

An old favorite. My wife is a big fan of this disc, too.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

The Satie album finally arrived. I will be spending time with this (both discs) for the next 2-3 days.









This set is chockablock full of piano, orchestral and even some chamber works performed by Queffélec, Ciccolini, and many others. Unless you're a completist, this set satisfactorily gathers pretty much all of Satie's greatest works.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 33786
> 
> 
> An old favorite. My wife is a big fan of this disc, too.


HUGE smile. . . HUGE!

Yes, assuredly.

Argerich über alles.

Love the Abbado and Liszt Chopin; REALLY LOVE the love late 70's Concertgebouw recital of the Fantasiestucke.


----------



## Oskaar

*Chou Wen-Chung: Clouds*

String Quartet No. 1 'Clouds'

String Quartet No. 2 'Streams'

Twilight Colors for double trio of woodwinds and strings

*The Brentano Quartet & Boston Musica Viva, Richard Pittman*









I notice by myself that I really enjoy modern and contemporary music, with composers that challenge the limits. I dont know exactly what atonal music is, but maybe this is. Very exiting and seeking/adventurous tone travel it is. Brilliant and devoted performance, and very good sound.

Links:

allmusic.
prestoclassical


----------



## Marschallin Blair

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> The Satie album finally arrived. I will be spending time with this (both discs) for the next 2-3 days.
> 
> View attachment 33785
> 
> 
> This set is chockablock full of piano, orchestral and even some chamber works performed by Queffélec, Ciccolini, and many others. Unless you're a completist, this set satisfactorily gathers pretty much all of Satie's greatest works.


Sounds fun. Thanks for putting it out there with the delightful little precis.

What's that story of Satie?-- where he was at some chi-chi Diaghilev soiree and some condescending nobody Princesse approached him and reminded him that, " The 'musician's' buffet is in the OTHER drawing room?

Yeah, who's SHE?

No one even remembers her name; or cares.

Worship genius or get away from me.


----------



## hpowders

Bartok, Violin Concerto #2, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony.
One of the truly great performances of this music.
Mutter rips through this as if it was child's play and maintains the intensity throughout.
Lively sound too.
Not to be missed!


----------



## hpowders

Sibelius Violin Concerto, Anne-Sophie Mutter, André Previn, Staatskapelle Dresden.
One of Ms. Mutter's most successful performances, a beautifully proportioned performance of this great concerto.


----------



## Vesteralen

hpowders said:


> View attachment 33793
> 
> 
> Sibelius Violin Concerto, Anne-Sophie Mutter, André Previn, Staatskapelle Dresden.
> One of Ms. Mutter's most successful performances, a beautifully proportioned performance of this great concerto.


I need to hear this one. Love this concerto. My favorite orchestra, too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

<Ping!> 

-- Now, if I could just cross-hybridize Anne sophie's PLAYING into the Sinopoli/Philharmonia version of the concerto, for a fierce-all-round, GMO version of the piece.

Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schönberg

Verklärte nacht, Op. 4
String Trio, Op. 45*

Juilliard Quartet, Walter Trampler, Yo Yo Ma [Sony Classical, 1992]









The string trio is a most interesting and adventurous work; it's amazing what a rich texture Schönberg wrings from just three stringed instruments.


----------



## Guest

Still working through Dvořák. The Serenade for Winds is a favorite of mine and this recording is the best I've heard:








Antonín Dvořák
Serenade for Winds in D minor Op. 44
Christopher Warren-Green, Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## dgee

Schubert Symphony 4 - Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Gordan Nikolic (leader). An ipod surprise when shuffling round looking for something a bit different - the first and last movements are busy fun and superbly played here


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Sonatas K.332/333/545 Friedrich Gulda
J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 4-6 (Gabriel Bouilion-violin in No.4, Roger Cortet-flute in 4 & 5, Alfred Cortot-piano in 5, Jacques Thibaud-violin in 5) Ecole Normale de Musique Orchestre/Alfred Cortot

Gulda's Mozart continues to delight. I had thought that nobody could equal the depths of Schnabel in the slow movement of K.332, but I was wrong, Gulda is different, but equally moving, quite simply one of the most beautiful performances I've heard of anything for a long time. And Cortot and his students are just as much a delight in Bach. This box set has so many good things in it, a real bargain. Wonderful.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Opp. 54, 74, w. Endellion SQ. (rec.1987 - '89); Piano Sonatas, w. Ts'ong (rec. 2009).

View attachment 33802


----------



## Vaneyes

Vinyl said:


> I once told a music scholar I loved Webern, and she said that Webern only had academic value. Nothing anybody would listen to for entertainment. I feel very sorry for the likes of her. The beauty is right there, on top, just like with Bach.


I overheard. She thought you said Weber.


----------



## Ravndal

Vaneyes said:


> I overheard. She thought you said Weber.


Makes more sense!


----------



## rrudolph

Schoenberg: Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene Op. 34/Kammersymphonie Nr. 2 Op. 38








Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire Op. 21/Webern: Two Songs Op. 8/Five Canons Op. 16


----------



## Sid James

Last few days its been these:

*Matthew Locke*
_Seven Suites from The Little Consort, The Broken Consort & Triple Concordia_
- Played by The Locke Consort

Its always a joy to listen to this disc. Quite relaxing but also in many ways quirky, some harmonies that must have been weird for dance music of the time. The king for whom *Locke *wrote this type of music didn't like what he called "fancies." By that he meant contrapuntal music, so the focus here is on melody.

*Beethoven *_Symphony #3, "Eroica"_
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet

"Every dog has his day." That old adage comes to my mind during that climax of the funeral march of this symphony, with basses rumbling and brass blaring. Doesn't really matter if you're Napoleon, or other despots humanity had to deal with before or since, the music speaks to emotions impossible to describe. *Beethoven* was alive during an era when freedom was but a concept, and with current events in Ukraine it looks like in some respects since, not much has changed. However I am embittered by this tendency for history to repeat itself, and also the tension between idealism and what is often the brutal reality, the music gives a sense of release and catharsis every time. Ansermet's straight up performance, tending more towards objectivity and being careful to avoid adding his own ego, speaks purely to the music itself.

*Falla *_Suite populaire espagnole (arr. Maurice Maréchal)_
- Jacqueline du Pré, cello; Ernest Lush, piano

A break with *de Falla's* delightful pieces, on this set of early recordings (all mono) by the young Jacqueline du Pré. A real delight, and I also like Perlman's account of the violin transcription, but I wonder why only 6 of the 7 songs where transcribed?

*Stanford* _Clarinet Concerto in A minor_
*Finzi* _Concerto for clarinet & string orch._
- Thea King, clarinet; Philharmonia Orch. under Alun Francis

These two clarinet concertos have some things in common, in terms of thematic unity especially. The *Standord concerto*, in that late 19th century academic style reminiscent of Brahms and Mendelssohn, took longer to grab me. But I quite like it, that element of classical restraint and fine orchestration mixed with a bit of fun, the jig of the final movement is a great finishing touch here.* Finzi's concerto *grabbed me immediately, some aspects where the rich way he uses the strings, the nuances his writing involves there. Same for the clarinet writing, some of which reminded me of Rachmaninov's percussive treatment of the piano, funnily enough (the clarinet belts out these drum or bell like sounds at the end of the first movement). However, the slow movement is the emotional core here, having these dark and elegiac qualities.

Later on I plan to listen to the rest of the du Pré set:
*
Bach* Cello Suites 1 & 2
*Britten* Cello Sonata in C (Scherzo & Marcia)
*Brahms *Cello Sonata # 2
*F. Couperin *Treizieme Concert 'Les Gouts-reunis'
*Handel* (arr. J. W. Slatter) Sonata in G minor
- du Pré on cello accompanied by: Ernest Lush, piano (in Brahms & Handel) ; Stephen Kovacevich, piano (in Britten) ; William Pleeth, cello (in Couperin)


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

I stopped by my favourite store a couple of days ago and stumbled across this. Thanks to Sid James' insightful blogs, Franck's is now a name I know. Karajan has his detractors, but this is a nice introduction to a less known composer, comprising what are probably his two best known pieces, _Symphony in D minor_ and _Symphonic Variations_, despite his considerable influence.









HvK/O Paris, Weissenberg on piano


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Verdi: Overture to "Aida" BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Edward Downes
Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 Nathan Milstein/Philharmonia Orchestra/Leon Barzin
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Royal Opera House Chorus/London Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Monteux

An enjoyable concert for this evening. The "Aida" Overture is the one Verdi wrote for the Italian premiere in 1872, but then withdrew because he decided he didn't like it! I think it's wonderful, and dear old Edward Downes brings all the drama to it that you could wish. Milstein's way with the Bruch is as good as any- and better than most! The Ravel will be on shortly, it's a new acquisition from my favourite 2nd hand record shop, immaculate and only cost £2! I love Monteux's recordings so, he being the one who first conducted this, I am very much looking forward to it. Now, excuse me while I go and wallow in some of the most sensuous music ever written...............


----------



## moody

Marschallin Blair said:


> <Ping!>
> 
> -- Now, if I could just cross-hybridize Anne sophie's PLAYING into the Sinopoli/Philharmonia version of the concerto, for a fierce-all-round, GMO version of the piece.
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha.


What's this Ha,Ha,Ha, stuff--does it mean something?


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Delius *(1862) and *Nono *(1924) birthdays.

Would've been nice to hear some early *Nono* from Sir Tom. 

View attachment 33812
View attachment 33813


----------



## moody

Shura Cherkassky and World Record Club. During the early 60's Cherkassky made some exclusive recordings for WRC.

Now the very enterprising Swiss firm Guild has gathered them all up on a double CD album. 
Compositions include Beethoven's Op.111 Sonata, Clementi'sSonata Op.47. No.2. Schubert's Sonata D.959.
Plus works by Chopin, Liszt and Schumann. The whole thing is absolutely marvellous.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas Nos. 52 through 57*.

I've always liked Haydn. Now I'm discovering his piano pieces. That reminds me of the first sentence.


----------



## hpowders

Allan Pettersson Symphony #7.
Arguably the most poignant symphony written within the last 50 years.
Minutes 29 to 35 are particularly special, music of indescribable emotion.
Everyone should hear this.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Silvestrov - Symphony No. 5 
This is breathtaking at times. Does anyone know if this chap is worth exploring or whether he might be a one hit wonder.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> I stopped by my favourite store a couple of days ago and stumbled across this. Thanks to Sid James' insightful blogs, Franck's is now a name I know. Karajan has his detractors, but this is a nice introduction to a less known composer, comprising what are probably his two best known pieces, _Symphony in D minor_ and _Symphonic Variations_, despite his considerable influence.
> 
> View attachment 33805
> 
> 
> HvK/O Paris, Weissenberg on piano


"Karajan had his detractors"-- so did Leonardo. What did Sibelius say, "No monument was ever erected to a critic?"

'Excellent' selection-- just keeping it Wertfrei. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

moody said:


> Shura Cherkassky and World Record Club. During the early 60's Cherkassky made some exclusive recordings for WRC.
> 
> Now the very enterprising Swiss firm Guild has gathered them all up on a double CD album.
> Compositions include Beethoven's Op.111 Sonata, Clementi'sSonata Op.47. No.2. Schubert's Sonata D.959.
> Plus works by Chopin, Liszt and Schumann. The whole thing is absolutely marvellous.


"The whole thing is absolutely marvellous"-- well, that's the shibboleth to my aesthetic heart.

I only have Cherkassky doing the what?-- the Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Melodies?

I like it. I'll have to check out more of his stuff.

Danke schon.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> For *Delius *(1862) and *Nono *(1924) birthdays.
> 
> Would've been nice to hear some early *Nono* from Sir Tom.
> 
> View attachment 33812
> View attachment 33813


Mutatis mutandis on the Delius, but with Hickox and Handley.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James said:


> Last few days its been these:
> 
> *Matthew Locke*
> _Seven Suites from The Little Consort, The Broken Consort & Triple Concordia_
> - Played by The Locke Consort
> 
> Its always a joy to listen to this disc. Quite relaxing but also in many ways quirky, some harmonies that must have been weird for dance music of the time. The king for whom *Locke *wrote this type of music didn't like what he called "fancies." By that he meant contrapuntal music, so the focus here is on melody.
> 
> *Beethoven *_Symphony #3, "Eroica"_
> - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet
> 
> "Every dog has his day." That old adage comes to my mind during that climax of the funeral march of this symphony, with basses rumbling and brass blaring. Doesn't really matter if you're Napoleon, or other despots humanity had to deal with before or since, the music speaks to emotions impossible to describe. *Beethoven* was alive during an era when freedom was but a concept, and with current events in Ukraine it looks like in some respects since, not much has changed. However I am embittered by this tendency for history to repeat itself, and also the tension between idealism and what is often the brutal reality, the music gives a sense of release and catharsis every time. Ansermet's straight up performance, tending more towards objectivity and being careful to avoid adding his own ego, speaks purely to the music itself.
> 
> *Falla *_Suite populaire espagnole (arr. Maurice Maréchal)_
> - Jacqueline du Pré, cello; Ernest Lush, piano
> 
> A break with *de Falla's* delightful pieces, on this set of early recordings (all mono) by the young Jacqueline du Pré. A real delight, and I also like Perlman's account of the violin transcription, but I wonder why only 6 of the 7 songs where transcribed?
> 
> *Stanford* _Clarinet Concerto in A minor_
> *Finzi* _Concerto for clarinet & string orch._
> - Thea King, clarinet; Philharmonia Orch. under Alun Francis
> 
> These two clarinet concertos have some things in common, in terms of thematic unity especially. The *Standord concerto*, in that late 19th century academic style reminiscent of Brahms and Mendelssohn, took longer to grab me. But I quite like it, that element of classical restraint and fine orchestration mixed with a bit of fun, the jig of the final movement is a great finishing touch here.* Finzi's concerto *grabbed me immediately, some aspects where the rich way he uses the strings, the nuances his writing involves there. Same for the clarinet writing, some of which reminded me of Rachmaninov's percussive treatment of the piano, funnily enough (the clarinet belts out these drum or bell like sounds at the end of the first movement). However, the slow movement is the emotional core here, having these dark and elegiac qualities.
> 
> Later on I plan to listen to the rest of the du Pré set:
> *
> Bach* Cello Suites 1 & 2
> *Britten* Cello Sonata in C (Scherzo & Marcia)
> *Brahms *Cello Sonata # 2
> *F. Couperin *Treizieme Concert 'Les Gouts-reunis'
> *Handel* (arr. J. W. Slatter) Sonata in G minor
> - du Pré on cello accompanied by: Ernest Lush, piano (in Brahms & Handel) ; Stephen Kovacevich, piano (in Britten) ; William Pleeth, cello (in Couperin)


Sid's post and precis-- yet another wonderful reminder of how soberingly boundless my ignorance is. Delightful. You just keep reminding me not only how much of the candy I haven't seen in the giant candy store, but parts of it I haven't even IMAGINED>

Thanks. . . again.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Sonatas

Piano Sonata in F sharp minor Op 81

Piano Sonata in D major Op 106

Piano Sonata in F minor Op 20*

Stephen Hough (piano) [Hyperion, 2003]









This is my third listen to these Hummel sonatas and I think I'm beginning to get an answer to the question I posed rhetorically earlier - are these worthwhile listening in their own right? - yes, I think so.


----------



## neoshredder

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Sonatas
> 
> Piano Sonata in F sharp minor Op 81
> 
> Piano Sonata in D major Op 106
> 
> Piano Sonata in F minor Op 20*
> 
> Stephen Hough (piano) [Hyperion, 2003]
> 
> View attachment 33824
> 
> 
> This is my third listen to these Hummel sonatas and I think I'm beginning to get an answer to the question I posed rhetorically earlier - are these worthwhile listening in their own right? - yes, I think so.


Love Hummel's music. Such an underrated Composer.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> Shura Cherkassky and World Record Club. During the early 60's Cherkassky made some exclusive recordings for WRC.
> 
> Now the very enterprising Swiss firm Guild has gathered them all up on a double CD album.
> Compositions include Beethoven's Op.111 Sonata, Clementi'sSonata Op.47. No.2. Schubert's Sonata D.959.
> Plus works by Chopin, Liszt and Schumann. The whole thing is absolutely marvellous.


I've been pondering on this for a while, I have them all on LP, I suppose the question is whether the sound is greatly improved in the CD transfer, any thoughts??
Incidentally, I've now heard Monteux's "Daphnis and Chloe" and it is absolutely wonderful. I think I will rank it equal with Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra- and for me, praise can go no higher.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Cello Concertos - Christophe Coin, cello, Christopher Hogwood, cond.


----------



## bejart

Anton Kraft (1749-1820): Cello Concerto in D Major

Josef Blacky leading the Plzen Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Jiri Hosek, cello









EDIT: A coincidence perhaps that SimonNZ listening to Haydn's Cello Concertos, which were likely written for Anton Kraft.


----------



## Itullian

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.


----------



## KenOC

Jennifer Higdon: Amazing Grace and other pieces. Nice.


----------



## Tristan

*Bruckner* - Symphony No. 0 in D minor









I know Bruckner himself didn't look very highly on that early work of his, but I really liked it. I think the first movement was probably my favorite part.


----------



## KenOC

More quartet music: Now it's Bryce Dessner, Aheym (Kronos Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

Dvorak's Symphony No.1 "The Bells Of Zlonice" - Istvan Kertesz, cond.


----------



## Itullian

Tristan said:


> *Bruckner* - Symphony No. 0 in D minor
> 
> View attachment 33828
> 
> 
> I know Bruckner himself didn't look very highly on that early work of his, but I really liked it. I think the first movement was probably my favorite part.


All Anton's symphonies are good.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.41 in D Major, Op.50, No.6

Prazak Quartet: Vaclav Remes and Vlastimil Holek, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michel Kanka, cello


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify: 

*Allan Pettersson--*Symphony No.7; Symphony No.11; Symphony No.3; Symphony No.8; Symphony No.10 and Symphony No.15. *
All six works feature the Leif Segerstam led Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra. 
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"} and Symphony **No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *
both performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under Gerard Schwarz.
Allan Pettersson--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2, * once again featuring the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra, for these traversals under the baton of Christian Lindberg.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in F Major, KV 332

Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## Sid James

brotagonist said:


> c'n://new
> 
> I stopped by my favourite store a couple of days ago and stumbled across this. Thanks to Sid James' insightful blogs, Franck's is now a name I know. Karajan has his detractors, but this is a nice introduction to a less known composer, comprising what are probably his two best known pieces, _Symphony in D minor_ and _Symphonic Variations_, despite his considerable influence...


I'm glad you got something out of my blog entry on Franck, and I aim to continue them on a fortnightly basis. With that entry on cyclic form, and the innovations of Franck and also Saint-Saens and D'Indy, I was trying to give exposure here to an area that is rarely talked about. We often talk of and debate things about the high octane innovators whose contributions are obvious and in some respects they have this aura because they're still controversial (eg. Wagner, Schoenberg, Cage, maybe even Beethoven, Stravinsky or Mahler?) but often the other guys, whose innovations where absorbed pretty quickly, they lose a bit of that limelight.

I think its been great though how for example Haydn's music has so much more profile on TC than it did when I joined. Then, I even read the opinion here that he didn't innovate! Now I think nobody here would make that claim, it just doesn't stand up with this type of collective experience and appreciation for the man's music - and manifold innovations to boot - on TC now. I even did an essay on him (in the articles section) that was well received, I planned to do others there on the unsung innovators/progressives, but they have stalled due to my time constraints.



Marschallin Blair said:


> Sid's post and precis-- yet another wonderful reminder of how soberingly boundless my ignorance is. Delightful. You just keep reminding me not only how much of the candy I haven't seen in the giant candy store, but parts of it I haven't even IMAGINED>
> 
> Thanks. . . again.


Thanks for your compliment, and yes music is like a kid's "candy store" or treasure trove.

But I don't think its about ignorance or knowledgeability but sharing our experiences. Its looking at what we do have, not at what we don't have. People say they don't know about music but they do. I wonder why there is this need to know everything in classical music? Is it realistic? Is it achievable? Is it necessary? In any casse, I am kind of focussing my energies here on more sharing experiences with music and information I think might be relevant to others.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## Andolink

*Ralph Vaughan Williams*: _Five Tudor Portraits_
Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano
John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Richard Hickox


----------



## Kivimees

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 33821
> 
> 
> Silvestrov - Symphony No. 5
> This is breathtaking at times. Does anyone know if this chap is worth exploring or whether he might be a one hit wonder.


Certainly worth exploring. Symphony No. 4 is on this CD:









BIS-CD-1703


----------



## SimonNZ

Georg Friedrich Haas' Hommage a Ligeti - Marino Formenti, piano






reminds me of one of the encores from Keith Jarrett's Sun Bear Concerts - Sapporo, if memory serves


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 5 "Spring", 8 and 9 "Kreutzer" Nathan Milstein/Rudolph Firkusny (5) and Artur Balsam (8/9)

The wonderful Nathan Milstein providing as good a start to the day as you could reasonably wish for, with performances of three of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas that are amongst my favourites of these works. What fine pianists he's working with too. Balsam was a very good solo pianist in his own right, and Firkusny is one of my all time favourites bar none! Happy.


----------



## Guest

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> I've been pondering on this for a while, I have them all on LP, I suppose the question is whether the sound is greatly improved in the CD transfer, any thoughts??
> Incidentally, I've now heard Monteux's "Daphnis and Chloe" and it is absolutely wonderful. I think I will rank it equal with Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra- and for me, praise can go no higher.


I also have had the LP's for years. I think that the CD format is handier ,but without checking to and fro I can't comment deeply on the sound question. But they sound good and caused no question to arise in my mind.


----------



## SimonNZ

Purcell's Come Ye Sons Of Art - Andrew Parrott, cond.


----------



## dgee

ipods do the darnedest things! Imagine my surprise when my smooth buzz from this:









was interrupted, albeit suavely, by this!






A disjunct - but equally sublime in their own way


----------



## Andolink

*David Philip Hefti* (*1975):
_Éclairs_ (2013) - Klangmomente für Ensemble
_Moments lucides_ (2012) - Resonanzen für Orchester
_Changements_ (2011) - Stimmungsbilder für Orchester
_Gegenklang_ (2011) - Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester
_Klangbogen_ (2010) - Musik für Orchester

Ensemble Modern / ORF Radio Symphonieorchester Wien / Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Thomas Grossenbacher (Violoncello) / Deutsche Radio Philharmonie

All works under the direction of David Philip Hefti


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes, Op. 9; Op. 15; Op. 27 (Arthur Rubinstein).









G. P. Telemann, Overture in F minor for two records, strings & B.c. (Gottfried von der Goltz; Freiburger Barockorchester).


----------



## SimonNZ

Anthony Holborne pavans, galliards and almains - The King's Noyse


----------



## Ingélou

Works of William Byrd, by the Tallis Scholars; for a slice of serenity :angel:.


----------



## dgee

Gergiev and London Symphony doing Mahler 7 - only the first mvmt mind, as I named it as fav in another thread. It really distills for me all the good Mahler things and none of the stuff I don't get. Blazingly fantastic. Ol Gustav always seems a poor finisher to me (7 falls away quite quickly and the finale is a disaster) - and yes I've heard all the symphonies


----------



## MrTortoise

Continuing this CD

Schoenberg Piano Concerto (Brendel/Kubelik/BRO)
Schoenberg Violin Concerto (Zeitlin/Kubelik/BRO)


----------



## SimonNZ

Michel Puig's Provisoires Agglomérats - Les Percussions de Strasbourg


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _Trio for Fortepiano, Flute and Violoncello in F major_ Hob. XV:16
Jacques Ogg, fortepiano
Wilbert Hazelzet, flute
Christiaan Norde, violoncello


----------



## Vinyl

Prokofiev's third piano concerto with Michael Béroff. Never heard this recording before, but I had Martha Argerich's on heavy rotation years ago. I always liked this concerto the most of Prokofiev's...
Gewand-Haus Orchester, Leipzig, Kurt Masur. EMI HMV 1974.


----------



## Jeff W

Been on something of a Toscanini kick recently. Just finished Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony and now onto his First.


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Suite in A Minor

Peter Holman directing the Parley of Instruments -- Peter Holtslag, recorder


----------



## Vasks

_In my younger days, I found Reger to be dull and verbose, but not any more and this Hiller Variations proves Reger to be engaging and masterful_

*Mercadante - Overture to "Elena da Feltre" (Frontalini/Bongiovanni)
Reger - Varaiations and Fugue on a Theme by Johann Hiller (Jarvi/Chandos)*


----------



## starthrower

I haven't listened to Silenzio yet, but Fachwerk is an exciting and dramatic work for Bayan (a Russian accordion type instrument) percussion, and string orchestra. Very appealing music, and much different from the strange, dark material for bassoon on the Chandos disc I have.


----------



## rrudolph

Messiaen...the early years...

Messiaen: L'Ascension








Messiaen: La Nativite/Le Banquet Celeste/Apparition de L'Eglise Eternelle








Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time


----------



## Orfeo

*Richard Wagner: *
Der Ring Des Nibelungen. Part Three "Siegfried."
-Siefried Jerusalem, Graham Clark, John Tomlinson, Kannen, Phillip Kang, Evans, Svenden, Leidland.
-Festival Orchestra of the Bayreuth Opera, Daniel Barenboim - conductor.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Poulenc *(1963) and *Barry *(2011) death days.

View attachment 33851
View attachment 33852


----------



## Itullian

Beautiful Mozart. 
Wonderful stereo sound.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Violin Concerto, "Triple Concerto", w. Mutter/Zeltser/Ma/BPO/HvK (rec.1979); Piano Concerto 2, w. Argerich/London Sinfonietta (rec.1983); Symphony 6, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1976).

View attachment 33857
View attachment 33858
View attachment 33859


----------



## Itullian

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: Violin Concerto, "Triple Concerto", w. Mutter/Zeltser/Ma/BPO/HvK (rec.1979); Piano Concerto 2, w. Argerich/London Sinfonietta (rec.1983); Symphony 6, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1976).
> 
> View attachment 33857
> View attachment 33858
> View attachment 33859


Gotta love Herby and his jet.


----------



## Itullian

dholling said:


> *Richard Wagner: *
> Der Ring Des Nibelungen. Part Three "Siegfried."
> -Siefried Jerusalem, Graham Clark, John Tomlinson, Kannen, Phillip Kang, Evans, Svenden, Leidland.
> -Festival Orchestra of the Bayreuth Opera, Daniel Barenboim - conductor.


The Barenboim Ring is fantastico.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Beautiful Mozart.
> Wonderful stereo sound.


. . . and cheers to his Berlin Bruckner Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth well.


----------



## Alfacharger

It's cold today so I went with...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Those Berlin Hemi horns at the end of Tasso and Les Preludes!!!


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . and cheers to his Berlin Bruckner Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth well.


His Berlin Bruckner is ......uh..........stupendous?


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33861
> 
> 
> Those Berlin Hemi horns at the end of Tasso and Les Preludes!!!


The BEST!!!!!.............


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33861
> 
> 
> Those Berlin Hemi horns at the end of Tasso and Les Preludes!!!


Man, don't you wish cd releases looked as classy as this ?


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti, on Decca









New arrival, new work for me. Can't really judge the performance, sound is pristine.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas no. 4, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3 
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Itullian said:


> Man, don't you wish cd releases looked as classy as this ?


Actually, no: I wish *I* looked as classy as that! (on reflection, it's kind of a photographer's no-no: the harps give him the appearance of having sprouted wings, which I guess he has).


----------



## millionrainbows

Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum. Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin; Karl Anton Rickenbacher, cond. (KOCH).

A single gong strike counts as a musical event; no pitch, no rhythm; pure sound, like electronic music. Messiaen says he greatly admired Varese.

Creepy mysticism; dead people arising up out of their graves. Wha'hoppen to heaven? Soundtrack for a Catholic zombie movie. Yaaaarrrgghh!!


----------



## neoshredder

In an experimental mood as mentioned. Listening to Xenakis. 
http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-...=UTF8&qid=1391102998&sr=1-16&keywords=Xenakis


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Voice (for solo flute), Stanza II (for harp and tape), Le Fils du Etoiles (arrangement of Satie for flute and harp), Equinox (for guitar), Toward the Sea (for alto flute and guitar), Munari by Munari (for percussion), In the Woods (for guitar), Bryce (for flute, two harps, marimba, and percussion)
Ensemble Takemitsu


----------



## DavidA

Tchaikowsky 1812 Overture.

Is this his worst piece of music?


----------



## Itullian

Symphony Number 2.


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

DavidA said:


> Tchaikowsky 1812 Overture.
> 
> Is this his worst piece of music?


Probably - no wonder it's so popular!


----------



## millionrainbows

Obscure *Boulez* on* Col Legno: Polyphonie X (1951)* (withdrawn); *Poesie pour pouvoir (1958)* (withdrawn);* Tombeau a la memoire du Prince Max Egon zu Furstenberg (1959) *(later to become Pli selon Pli); *Structures II (1961) (Yvonne Loriod & Pierre Boulez, pianos).
*
It's all mono, but as I understand, these are the only existing recordings of the withdrawn works. *Poesie pour pouvoir (1958) *is symphonic with taped electronic sounds and concrete elements of French talking, etc.)

Boulez apparently rejected taped sound and tried to integrate live electronic computer-modified sound of real instruments instead.

It's a lo-fi recording; recommended for hard-core Boulez completists only.


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> Gotta love Herby and his jet.


FYI...

http://www.karajan.co.uk/flying.html


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian,

Wand's Bruckner doesn't strike me as 'tremendous,' but it does strike me, given my aesthetic inclinations, as very good; with very powerful climaxes; and with really good RCA recorded sound.

Definately worth checking out if your're into Bruckner.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

The Karajan/Liszt cover on the CD, so choice I agree, is also the cover of Richard Osborne's salonish "Converations With Karajan" book:









And for a substantive, scholarly treatment of Karajan, you've got to indulge if you haven't done so already Osborne's serious, meat-and-potatoes exegesis:


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven, Symphony #6, Pastorale, Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic.
One of the most satisfying performances of this, my favorite Beethoven symphony, spoiled slightly by a self-indulgent, vulgar ritard at the end of movement one.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I like the Barenboim Ring too. More of a Furtwangler-treatment. . . Great Teldec sound. Some good singers too.


----------



## howemj

Speaking of Bernstein









Haydn, Creation, Leonard Bernstein, Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

This is my first exposure to this work. There are probably better recordings out there. Also currently working on it in choir and I'm loving every minute of it. Can't believe I used to think Haydn was boring!

Pretty lame album cover though...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ja. Ja. . . Einer der besten for sure. I really fall head over heals in love with the Sunset cut with the blending of the Berlin strings.

But.

For majesty? For the view from the summit?-- God damn!-- Are you acquainted with the Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden?:









It kind of leaves Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire" behind choking in the dust.


----------



## Blancrocher

Christopher Hogwood conducting Haydn's 6th Symphony. I've been enjoying listening to different recordings of this work, which has been one of my most delightful recent discoveries (thanks to Tom Service's blog post on the symphony).

So far, Pinnock's version is my favorite, but my opinion on the matter isn't settled.


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Concerto for orchestra (Kletzki). 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

dgee said:


> Gergiev and London Symphony doing Mahler 7 - only the first mvmt mind, as I named it as fav in another thread. It really distills for me all the good Mahler things and none of the stuff I don't get. Blazingly fantastic. Ol Gustav always seems a poor finisher to me (7 falls away quite quickly and the finale is a disaster) - and yes I've heard all the symphonies


The finale of 7 is an odd one, and it has some bizarre parodic elements in it (most openly, a take-off on the Meistersinger theme). But it's grown on me over time. I'd not usually recommend Gergiev for Mahler, though...


----------



## rrudolph

Crumb: Star-Child








Penderecki: Dies Irae








Feldman: Coptic Light


----------



## Orfeo

Itullian said:


> The Barenboim Ring is fantastico.


It truly is. My first love is Levine with the MET (broadcasted by PBS back in 1990 and now on DVD). But Barenboim's Ring is consistently excellent.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> It truly is. My first love is Levine with the MET (broadcasted by PBS back in 1990 and now on DVD). But Barenboim's Ring is consistently excellent.


The Barenboim Ring has great musical and singing values to me, but the science-fiction disco costumes go to go!

The traditonally-construed theatrical values of the Levine are where it's at for me.


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vinyl

Mozart's 'Dissonance' quartet (K465), Salomon String Quartet, Hyperion 1985


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> Best regards, Dr


Yes. Definately. . . the Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Harmonium too:









"Negative Love" really gets going chorally.


----------



## Doc

Janet Baker singing Mahler's Kindertotenlieder with the Israel Philharmonic under Bernstein.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I love this orchestra's finessing of Strauss under Mehta's touch. Too bad he didn't do the entire opera with Berlin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Carissimi's oratorio The Prophet Daniel - Flavio Colusso, cond.


----------



## DaveS

Tchaikovsky Manfred. Petrenko,RLPO.


----------



## dgee

DavidA said:


> Tchaikowsky 1812 Overture.
> 
> Is this his worst piece of music?


Marche Slav and Rococo Variations are not far behind


----------



## Vinyl

Honegger, Symphonie No 1
Dutoit. 

Fun music.


----------



## dgee

Mahlerian said:


> I'd not usually recommend Gergiev for Mahler, though...


I confess I selected it in part to hear a recent LSO live recording with them stonking away!


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven Leonore Overture #3, Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony. "Live", 1939.
My favorite performance of one of my top 5 pieces of music.
Only Toscanini makes perfect sense by having the second trumpet call played louder than the first (an approaching group of riders). Pure genius!!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in E minor; Overture in D Major for 3 oboes, strings and B.c. (Gottfried von der Goltz; Freiburger Barockorchester).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor, 'Fifths' (Buchberger Quartet).









Back to the Buchbergers' Fifths quartet - a very agile, 'biting' first movement here.

No. 3 in C Major, 'Emperor'. The Poco adagio, cantabile is very well played by the ensemble, imo.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1-5*

*Sara Macliver (soprano), Elena Xanthoudakis (soprano), Jaewoo Kim (tenor)

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Singers, Sebastian Lang-Lessing*









I will now explore Mendelssohns symphonies, and I think I found a very good complete cycle on spotify. The sound is good. I have only heard first movement from first symphony yet, but I find the performance so far very fresh, playfull and good balanced. Anyone else that know this cycle? The music itself seems wonderfull so far.

link:
arkivmusic


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> The Barenboim Ring has great musical and singing values to me, but the science-fiction disco costumes go to go!
> 
> The traditonally-construed theatrical values of the Levine are where it's at for me.


No disagreement here. I myself value very highly innovation and creativity. But it seems that opera/theatrical productions more often push the envelope beyond what's necessary (which is subjective I admit, but why the visual distortion beyond the essence of what the music is conveying). Thankfully, music does transcend and so, even when the visual aspect of a performance proves to be a distraction, the strength of the music (and the playing of it) can be a huge antedote (or a huge compensation).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Georges Onslow

String Quintet Op 78
String Quartet Op. 8*

Gérard Jarry and Yvon Caracilly (violins); Serge Collot and Bruno Pasquier (violas): Michel Tournus (cello)
[EDITIONS ANDRÉ CHARLIN, rec. 1972]









A review on Music Web international describes both of these works, but especially the Quintet of 1848, as 'tautly argued' and they are very well crafted indeed. Onslow certainly deserves further investigation, but I'll go for a more contemporary recording as this is a bit thin and scratchy. Good performances, though.

A second listen to both these works confirms that a really original composer is at work here. Onslow's not just 'Beethovenian' he's also got a unique style. No wonder Schumann thought so highly of him.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

That is to say, the hammering Haitink Bruckner's Eighth that he did with the Congertgebouw from the late sixties-- and not the subsequently less galvanizing one he did in 1980.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James said:


> Yes, its such an amazing work (all the London symphonies are), and innovative. Not only does the introduction contain material to be continued in the body of that first movement, but you also got the final movement (that double fugue towards the end) bringing back ideas from the whole symphony. I'm only grasping these things now in terms of relistening and reading about these pieces, and I would imagine for you musicians out there, it would be easier (some books have excerpts from the scores). But even without them, if you listen to them a few times, you get the links and unity behind these works - just as with say Beethoven. & I'd add, if there was a competition for who innovated more between the two - well it would be a close call, I think, maybe too close to call actually.
> 
> Join the club!


Absolute steal:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E
> Members of the Concertgebouw, cond. Chailly











"Ross! Mein Ross!"-- McCracken the Slayer.

Awesome.


----------



## ptr

*Olivier Messiaen* - Réveil des oiseaux & Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine (Erato)









Yvonne et Jeanne Loriod; Orchestre National de France u. Kent Nagano

/ptr


----------



## lupinix

Tavener requiem


----------



## SimonNZ

Francois Giroust's Messe du Sacre de Louis XVI - Jean-Claude Malgoire, cond.


----------



## bejart

Ernst Eichner (1740-1777): Symphony in F Major, Op.11, No.4

Werner Ehrhardt leading l'arte del mondo


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra*


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Trios, w. Istomin/Stern/Rose (rec.1965 - '69); *Schubert*: Piano Trios, w. BAT (rec.1965 - '68);* Schumann*: Piano Trios, w. Gringolts/Kouzov/Laul (rec. 2010).

View attachment 33905
View attachment 33906
View attachment 33907


----------



## lupinix

Liszt Hunnenslacht


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Trio No.23 in E Flat

Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano -- Isadore Cohen, violin -- Bernard Greenhouse, cello


----------



## lupinix

Wieniawski violin concerto 1 
Ive known the second for a few years now so I was interested


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> The Karajan/Liszt cover on the CD, so choice I agree, is also the cover of Richard Osborne's salonish "Converations With Karajan" book:
> 
> View attachment 33867
> 
> 
> And for a substantive, scholarly treatment of Karajan, you've got to indulge if you haven't done so already Osborne's serious, meat-and-potatoes exegesis:
> 
> View attachment 33868


I have indulged in the Osborne


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ja. Ja. . . Einer der besten for sure. I really fall head over heals in love with the Sunset cut with the blending of the Berlin strings.
> 
> But.
> 
> For majesty? For the view from the summit?-- God damn!-- Are you acquainted with the Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden?:
> 
> View attachment 33874
> 
> 
> It kind of leaves Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire" behind choking in the dust.


Will make this a purchase


----------



## lupinix

Liszt Liebesträume


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I am listening to Marek Janowski's recording of Bruckner's First Symphony with the Suisse Romande Orchestra.


----------



## Weston

*Enescu: Octet, Op. 7*
Kremerata Baltica









It strikes me as a big sprawling non-cohesive ambitious mess, but nonetheless charming for all that. It is said he was 19 when he wrote it. Heck, at 19 I was lucky to find my way out of bed.

What interests me most are the number of orchestral colors he gets out of eight string instruments. How is this done, I wonder. I also notice a lot of jumping back and forth between major and minor, almost as if using picardy thirds but without the cadence. Exhilarating.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33899
> 
> 
> That is to say, the hammering Haitink Bruckner's Eighth that he did with the Congertgebouw from the late sixties-- and not the subsequently less galvanizing one he did in 1980.


YUP, A very exciting version alright.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Kuffner (1776-1856): Serenade in A Major, Op.21

Luigi Magistrelli, clarinet -- Marco di Giacomo, viola -- Massimo Laura, guitar


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico
Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ
Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor
























I listened for few hours at work. Then now after late dinner, listening to the last opera I purchased over the weekend.


----------



## brotagonist

When I picked this up last summer, I was rather neutral to it. I decided to give it another listen today. According to the cover Rautavaara's influences include Shostakovich, Sibelius, Bartók, all of whom I have been listening to quite a bit since the summer. Could that be it? I find that this album is coming through much more favourably now. I also need to crank the volume up, as it is very ethereal, being angels and all 









Rautavaara : _Symphony 7 "Angel of Light"_ ; _Angels and Visitations_
Koivula conducting RSNO


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's The Art Of Fugue - Musica Antiqua Koln

Is that painting supposed to be an optical illusion? Because it seems to me there could quite easily be another pillar obscured behind the front left one that lets everything be in standard perspective.


----------



## KenOC

Seems to me a very Escher-like illusion.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Seems to me a very Escher-like illusion.


My thoughts too. Escher (or Escher-like) and Bach seem to go hand in hand. A very nice cover for this work.


----------



## Weston

*Koechlin: La course de printemps, Op. 95* (one of the orchestral poems making up _Le Livre de la Jungle _
Leif Segerstam / Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic (yes, Mr. 1081 symphonies and counting, himself)









This work is - how can one describe it? One cannot. It refuses to fit into any neat little box or style. It's as if a distant offspring of Debussy's music had a love child with Messiaen's music, with Aaron Copland's music serving as a godparent (if Copland wrote French music instead of American music), and then grew up to become a Richard Strauss tone poem, but failing that surpassed them all.

I'm pleasantly exhausted now, but I believe I need this piece on frequent play rotation for a while to let it soak in. It is quite dense.

To bed now. Maybe I'll have dreams of the jungle and stay warmer.


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Liebestraum and etc.










On Decca Radio. All the familiar tunes but somehow I don't own them. Jorge Bolet's playing sounds nice without being overly sweet.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

MozartEarlySymphonies said:


> I am listening to Marek Janowski's recording of Bruckner's First Symphony with the Suisse Romande Orchestra.
> 
> View attachment 33916


The conductor looks extremely similar to Bruckner .

Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor; Introduction and Allego appassionato in G Major (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).









J. Haydn, Piano Trio in D Major, Hob. 15/24 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hummel's Trumpet Concerto. Such a great concerto. The other ones on this disc are great to. 
http://www.amazon.com/Famous-Classi...1&keywords=famous+classical+trumpet+concertos


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

The fifth program devoted to the recent Gramophone awards. Tonight is the Best Instrumental winner

Musorgsky's Pictures and Prokofiev's Visions Fugitives - Steven Osborne, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Stefano Gervasoni's Dir-InDir - Exaudi & L'Instant Donné

edit: Gervasoni's Antiterra - MDI Ensemble


----------



## moody

John Ogdon Plays Liszt. Recordings from the 60's, including Reminescences de Don Juan, Reminescences de Boccanegre,Dante Sonata.
I once had this recording but Ukko transferred his on to CD for me.
What a sad loss to the music world when Ogdon took his life.


----------



## Andolink

*Jean-Philippe Rameau*: _Les Indes Galantes_ 
Claron McFadden, soprano 
Isabelle Poulenard, soprano
Howard Crook, tenor 
Jean-Paul Fouchécour, tenor
Bernard Delétré, bass
Nicolas Rivenq, baritone 
Jérôme Corréas, baritone
Miriam Ruggeri, soprano
Noémi Rime, soprano 
Sandrine Piau, soprano
Les Arts Florissants/William Christie


----------



## Guest

Sonatas for Solo Violin by J .S. Bach








No. 1 in G minor
Itzhak Perlman








No. 2 in A minor
Viktoria Mullova








No. 3 in C 
Isabelle Faust


----------



## Oskaar

I have been listening to all Mendelssohn symphonies, and I really liked them. Maybe nr. two with vocals was a little favourite. I saw that Abbado also had a cycle of the five symphonies with London SO. I will listen to that later.


----------



## Oskaar

*The World of Borodin*

Prince Igor Overture

*London Symphony Orchestra*

String Quartet No. 2: 3rd Movement (Notturno)

*Borodin Quartet*

Greshno tait, ya skuki ne lyublyu (from Prince Igor)

*Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass)*

Scherzo in A flat

*Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano)*

Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances (with chorus)

*London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus*

In the Steppes of Central Asia

*L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande*

Dlya beregov otchizni dal'noy (For the Shores of thy Far Native Land)

*Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass)*

Symphony No. 2 in B minor

*London Symphony Orchestra*









I usually dont listen to such mixes albums, but this one seems to have some quality

amazon


----------



## DavidA

moody said:


> John Ogdon Plays Liszt. Recordings from the 60's, including Reminescences de Don Juan, Reminescences de Boccanegre,Dante Sonata.
> I once had this recording but Ukko transferred his on to CD for me.
> What a sad loss to the music world when Ogdon took his life.


I don't think Ogden took his life. He died in 1989 as a result of pneumonia brought on by his diabetes and (probably) his heavy smoking. Still a sad loss.


----------



## Jeff W

Symphonies No. 8, 5 & 3 of Franz Schubert (in that order). Roy Goodman is leading the Hanover Band.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Susato - Dansyere - Clubbing Renaissance Style



















Wonderful Pinnock interpretations of some choice works of Handel and Mozart.

All in All - a wonderful start to my long weekend.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aaron Avshalomoff: Orchestral Works Vol. 2*

Violin Concerto

*Rodion Zamuruev (violin)*

Soul of the Ch'in

Hutungs of Peking

*Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Jacob Avshalomov, David Avshalomov*









links

Classical Music Review
naxos
classics today


----------



## lupinix

Elgar Enigma Variations


----------



## FleshRobot

Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 by Heitor Villa-Lobos:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> *LvB*: Piano Trios, w. Istomin/Stern/Rose (rec.1965 - '69); *Schubert*: Piano Trios, w. BAT (rec.1965 - '68);* Schumann*: Piano Trios, w. Gringolts/Kouzov/Laul (rec. 2010).
> 
> View attachment 33905
> View attachment 33906
> View attachment 33907


I bet the sound quality on that Onyx recording of the Schumann piano trios is good, Van. I have the Onyx Belkis Queen of Sheeba-- which, unfortunatly is a performance I don't care for-- but I did like how the clear engineering job made the "Belkis at Dawn" cut just kind of shimmer.


----------



## Orfeo

*Richard Wagner:* 
Der Ring Des Nibelungen. Part Four "Götterdämmerung."
-Siefried Jerusalem, Birgitta Svendén, Evans, Linda Finnie, Kang, Eva-Maria Bundschuh, Brinkmann.
-Festival Orchestra & Chorus of the Bayreuth Opera, Daniel Barenboim - conductor.


----------



## ptr

..have been in a Messiaen state of mind for a few day's!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Visions de l'Amen (Explore/Decca)









John Ogdon & Brenda Lucas, piano

*Olivier Messiaen* - Visions de l'Amen / Les Offrandes oubliées / Hymne au Saint-Sacrement (Erato)









Katia & Marielle Labeque, Piano; Orchestre Philharmonique de l'O.R.T.F. u. Marius Constant

*Olivier Messiaen* - Turangalîla-Symphonie (TelDec)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano; Dominique Kim, Ondes Martenot; Berliner Philharmoniker u. Kent Nagano

/ptr


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Camille Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 'Organ Symphony'
Daniel Barenboim & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra









I have just ordered it on Amazon but thanks to Auto-Rip, I'm listening to it now and I have to say that this may be one of Barenboim's best recordings. It sounds superb - even in MP3 form. This will be going straight into my hi-fi when the disc arrives.

I was going to go for Levine & the Berliner Philharmoniker but as beautiful as it sounds, the Barenboim recording just seems to have that little extra for me. The Organ sounds truly immense and the orchestra are in great form.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to the beginning part of this box set of Debussy's Orchestral Works. Piano works orchestrated on here as well. 
http://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Orche...9833&sr=1-3&keywords=debussy+orchestral+works


----------



## Vasks

*Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87 (Ashkenazy/London)*


----------



## Vinyl

D960 in a 1962 mono recording of Fou Ts'Ong, since it's Schubert's birthday and all...


----------



## Oskaar

*CLEMENTI, M.: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 / Overture in D Major *
*
(Rome Symphony Orchestra, La Vecchia)*









Fine joyfull music from the late classical era, I think?

links

naxos
classicalonline
musicweb-international


----------



## rrudolph

Cage: Haikai/Child of Tree/Branches/Composed Improvisations/But what about the noise of crumpling paper...








Tudor: Rainforest/Mumma: 4 Mographs/2 sections from Gestures II/Song Without Words








Cage:Ryoanji/Solo for Sliding Trombone/Two 5


----------



## brotagonist

ptr said:


> ..have been in a Messiaen state of mind for a few day's!


Quite forgiveable, even when it's contagious...

c'n://offsite

Les offrandes oubliées
Le tombeau resplendissant
Sept Haïkaï
Un Sourire
Reveil des oiseaux
Oiseaux éxotiques
Petites esquisses d'oiseaux

I haven't yet decided which versions, as I am just selecting them on NML. Available are recordings on BIS, Montaigne, Haenssler, Chandos, Naxos and others.


----------



## Vinyl

Smetana String Quartet no 1 "In my life". Smetana Quartet, Supraphon 1962. 
Not too shabby...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

The best engineered sound and most powerful sounding organ is the Tortelier/Ulster on Chandos.

Joyous acknowledgment of your procurement all the same. 



AClockworkOrange said:


> Camille Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 'Organ Symphony'
> Daniel Barenboim & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 33943
> 
> 
> I have just ordered it on Amazon but thanks to Auto-Rip, I'm listening to it now and I have to say that this may be one of Barenboim's best recordings. It sounds superb - even in MP3 form. This will be going straight into my hi-fi when the disc arrives.
> 
> I was going to go for Levine & the Berliner Philharmoniker but as beautiful as it sounds, the Barenboim recording just seems to have that little extra for me. The Organ sounds truly immense and the orchestra are in great form.


----------



## hpowders

Bartok, Violin Concerto #2, Kyung Wha Chung, Georg Solti, London Philharmonic.
This performance goes straight to the top joining Mutter/Ozawa.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: *Rain Tree Sketch* (for piano), *Rocking Mirror Daybreak* (for two violins), *Rain Tree Sketch II - In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen -* (for piano), *Masque* (for two flutes), *Waves* (for clarinet solo with horn, two trombones and bass drum), *Cross Talk* (for two bandoneons and tape), *Itinerant - In Memory of Isamu Noguchi -* *Stanza I* (for flute, piano, harp vibraphone, guitar, and soprano), *Rain Spell* (for flute, clarinet, piano, harp, vibraphone, and marimba)








Kazuoki Fujii, Aki Takahashi, pianos
Katsuya Matsubara, Rieko Suzuki, violins
Hiroshi Koizumi, Naomi Oda, flutes
Yoshiaki Suzuki, clarinet
Masayuki Naoi, horn
Koichi Nonoshita, Koh Okumura, trombones
Yasunori Yamaguchi, Sumire Yoshiwara percussion
Teho, Satoshi Kitamura, bandoneons
Norio Satoh, guitar
Mari Kimura, Ayako Shinozaki, harps

Lots of rarities here, and great performances all around from musicians who knew and worked with Takemitsu during his lifetime. Aki Takahashi's performance of Rain Tree Sketch II is unfortunately marred by an especially loud fit of coughing right at the end, but where else are you going to find any performances of Cross Talk, for two bandoneons and tape? Stanza I is available on a Deutsche Grammophon disc, and it's a bit odd, a takeoff on the sound of Le marteau. The soprano sings vocalise, intones Wittgenstein (in English and German!), and then says "According to what?", which, according to the liner notes, was taken from a Jasper Johns painting title. Good thing the music's still worth listening to!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Dance Suite, Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta*

I have a special affection for the Music for Strings, because when I first heard it in a music history class, a long-haired rock musician in front of me said out loud, "Why am I wasting my time with rock music?"


----------



## Sonata

Boccherini Opus 10 string quintets.

I LOVE these works!!!! What a fantastic accidental find  I expect to be listening to a lot of them in the next couple months.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Complete Gayane Ballet*















Especially the first couple of minutes of the score-- SO exciting!






I'd love to see Mariinsky or Bolshoi do it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Chamber Music, w. Frank/Ma/Ax (rec.1989); Nocturnes, w. Barenboim (rec.1981).

View attachment 33955
View attachment 33956


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Will make this a purchase


Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Dear me!

Wait till you HEAR IT!!!-- Crank it!-- Maximum firepower.

The ending of the "Vision" cut and going into the "Nebel steigen auf" (Mists Rise) is OV-ER-WHELM-ING!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II.*

At least as much as I can fit in.


----------



## Ukko

Marschallin Blair said:


> The best engineered sound and most powerful sounding organ is the Tortelier/Ulster on Chandos.
> 
> Joyous acknowledgment of your procurement all the same.


You and _ACO_ are organ fixated? In the majority of recordings of this work, the organ was dubbed in. It's 'power' was entirely a matter of producer's choice. For me, it's presence in the JVC version of the Munch/BSO recording is right on.

However, YMMV certainly applies here. For decades my main interest in this work was the organ - and I didn't even notice the piano.


----------



## hpowders

Norbert Moret, "En Reve", Concerto for Violin and Chamber Orchestra, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony.
A very fine effort. If you respond to the Berg concerto, no reason why you won't find this work attractive.


----------



## Oskaar

*Osvaldas Balakauskas: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5*

*Performer: Romualdas Staskus, Igor Kramarev 
Conductor: Juozas Domarkas 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra*









Lovely dreamy!

links

allmusic
naxos 1
naxos 2
amazon
arkivmusic
musicweb international


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ukko said:


> You and _ACO_ are organ fixated? In the majority of recordings of this work, the organ was dubbed in. It's 'power' was entirely a matter of producer's choice. For me, it's presence in the JVC version of the Munch/BSO recording is right on.
> 
> However, YMMV certainly applies here. For decades my main interest in this work was the organ - and I didn't even notice the piano.


The Munch/BSO is flaccid. What organ do you think you HAVE?-- speaking of aural fixations, of course.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Fantasy in C Major, 'Wandererfantasie' (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## moody

DavidA said:


> I don't think Ogden took his life. He died in 1989 as a result of pneumonia brought on by his diabetes and (probably) his heavy smoking. Still a sad loss.


Quite right,I stand corrected.


----------



## neoshredder

My goal is to go through a Composers Symphonic Cycle in a week. Given 1-3 Symphonies a days. Starting with Tchaikovsky. Listening to Symphony 1.
http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-1-...90758&sr=1-11&keywords=tchaikovsky+symphonies


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7*

This isn't my favorite interpretation of the 7th, but the sound of the strings reminds me of melted chocolate.


----------



## julianoq

Mozart's Violin Sonatas K.304 (in E minor) and K.526 (A Major), performed by Hahn and Zhu. This record is superb!


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony in C (Davis), Scènes de Ballet (Haitink).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## neoshredder

Inspired by the latest experimental thread, Listening to Stockhausen.
http://www.amazon.com/Stockhausen-S...1391193576&sr=1-1&keywords=stockhausen+spiral


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Introduction and Allegro Appassionato in G Major (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## LancsMan

*Tippett: Symphony No.2* Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox on Chandos.

A stamping opening to this symphony. The slow movement is very impressive. The heart of this work for me. But all the movements seem convincing. This performance brings the music to life.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: Theme, Variations, and Finale, Op. 13a*









Don't be fooled by the tame cover art: the "Allegro molto agitato e tumultuoso" cut is tremendous. It's like something you could track to a Robert E. Howard story or to the Battle of Helm's Deep in Tolkien's Two Towers.

The fierce blast of trumpets, the neighing of raging steeds, the earthquaking fall of the castle wall, the hiss of archers' arrows, the clang of wheels, the clash of steel-- I can just SEE this music in terms of epic battle.


----------



## Vinyl

Sibelius Sinfonie Nr. 4 
Boston, Colin Davis, Philips 1977.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Endre Szervánszky - Quintet No 1 for winds

György Ligeti - Bagatelles (6) for wind quintet

György Kurtág - Quintet for winds, Op. 2

György Ligeti - Pieces (10) for wind quintet

György Orbán - Quintet for winds*

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet [BIS, 1994]

All, ecxept perhaps the rather conventional









All, except perhaps the rather conventional Szervánszky quintet are accessible, fresh and exciting pieces. I seem tobe familiar with material in the Ligeti bagatelles, despite not consciously having heard it before. Perhaps Ligeti recycles his themes? - I don't know.


----------



## Ravndal

Korsakov - Scheherazade

Gergiev.

I'm not a big fan of the russian nationalromantic style, but i must admit that the mighty five does it for me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Manuel Arenzana's Mass in D major "La Grande" - Benjamín Juaréz Echenique, com.

after hearing so many cds by superhuman, impossibly perfect choirs its sobering to hear a disc clearly made by mere mortals


----------



## Guest

BWV 1050
Cafe Zimmermann


----------



## neoshredder

neoshredder said:


> My goal is to go through a Composers Symphonic Cycle in a week. Given 1-3 Symphonies a days. Starting with Tchaikovsky. Listening to Symphony 1.
> http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-1-...90758&sr=1-11&keywords=tchaikovsky+symphonies


Anyone notice this Symphony sounds a little like something Mozart could've wrote? I guess Tchaikovsky was a big Mozart fan based on that first movement.


----------



## LancsMan

*Tippett: Symphony No. 3* Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox on Chandos.

I just listened to Tippet's Symphony No. 2, and last weekend his first symphony. Now I'm on to his third symphony. I've got to admit I'm not fully convinced by this work - particularly the second part, in which he introduces the human voice (along with quotes from Beethoven's Ninth). There is a fairly heavy blues influence too. I'm not sure that it all coheres.  At times I think the music is trying too hard. There are impressive moments along the way though.


----------



## Guest

neoshredder said:


> Anyone notice this Symphony sounds a little like something Mozart could've wrote? I guess Tchaikovsky was a big Mozart fan based on that first movement.


It is safe to say he was. His Op. 61 is a suite for string orchestra entitled "Mozartiana". Each movement borrows it's melody from a different piece by mozart.

However I am listening to the opening of Symphony No. 1, Op. 13 "Winter Daydreams" recorded by Tilson-Thomas, and I don't really hear a lot Mozart influence in this. Some but not so much that "Mozart could've wrote" it.

I should remember to put "imo" after things like this.


----------



## rrudolph

Zappa: Moggio/What Will Rumi Do?/Night School/Revised Music for Low-Budget Orchestra/The Beltway Bandits/A Pig With Wings/Put a Motor in Yourself/Peaches en Regalia/Naval Aviation in Art?


----------



## LancsMan

*Britten: The Young Person's Guide to The Orchestra* LSO conducted by Britten on Decca.

I'm not so old I can't enjoy this 'entry' level music. The concluding fugue is very effective. Britten seems such a natural composer for orchestra.


----------



## dgee

LancsMan said:


> *Britten: The Young Person's Guide to The Orchestra* LSO conducted by Britten on Decca.
> 
> I'm not so old I can't enjoy this 'entry' level music.


Without the splendidly plummy narration you can call it "Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell" ;-)


----------



## Orfeo

*Allan Pettersson:*
Symphony no. XI. 
-The Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra (SON) under Leif Segerstam. A BIS recording.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: 2013 BBC Proms*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: Five Graves Cairo Suite, Royal Philharmonic, 1977*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rachmaninov a la Stokowski: Orchestrated Prelude in G Sharp Minor*






Gorgeous.


----------



## LancsMan

*Ligeti: Etudes* Etudes, Pierre-Laurent Aimard on Sony

Marvellous and very effective piano music by Ligeti. It may be fiendishly difficult to play, but it is not fiendishly difficult to listen to. At times atmospheric, at other times more complex. This is from a CD of works for piano, and I am ashamed to say it is the only CD of Ligeti's music in my collection. Wonderful playing.


----------



## Vinyl

Mahler's fifth. Zubin Metha, L.A. Phil. Decca 1977
This was my favourite piece of music for years.


----------



## Sid James

Since I last posted here, its been these:










*Albinoni *_12 Concerti a cinque, Op. 5_
- I Musici, soloists: Pina Carmirelli, violin concertante; Anna Maria Cotogni, violin; Michael S. Murray-Robertson and Carol Figeroid, violas

*Albinoni *has the singular and strange distinction of being a composer whose best known composition wasn't actually written by him. The _Adagio for organ and strings_ is largely a concoction by an Italian academic of the early 20th century, Remo Giazzotto. Prior to recently acquiring this disc, I had heard little of Albinoni's actual music, and owned none of it other than that famous Adagio.

Not surprisingly, apart from the slow movements of these concertos having a bit of that reflective or emotional quality of Giazzott's fabrication, this music is quite different. All of these *concertos for strings* last only 4 to 7 minutes, they are exercises in conciseness of thought and extremely well crafted. There is variety here too, for example four of them are in minor keys (less used in the Baroque era) and some also have energetic middle sections as pivots rather than the usual slow movement.

Stylistically and chronologically, Albinoni fits in well between Corelli and Vivaldi. These concertos are moving beyond Corelli's concerti grossi, but they are not as virtuosic as Vivaldi's ones where to be. But like those other two Venetians, Albinoni's music speaks to warmth and a kind of life force that easily brings Canaletto's images of the city to mind.

Albinoni described himself as an amateur musician only composing for his own pleasure, but after the age of forty he began to compose for money. He was extremely prolific, for example some 40 operas flowed from his pen (many of them however now lost), and had a job as a choir conductor. J. S. Bach was among his many admirers.










*Beethoven* _Symphony #2_
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet

Continuing with Beethoven as conducted by Ansermet.

If there is a good illustration of the fact that music doesn't necessarily have to reflect things going on in a composer's life, *Beethoven's Symphony #2* is it. It was written at the time that he was becoming increasingly aware of his deafness, and he was extremely disturbed by this, even suicidal. However, along with _Symphony #8,_ this is his most joyous and good-humoured effort in the symphonic genre. One music writer called it "the great lie."

This would not be the last time Beethoven had to ignore things going on in his life and just get down to work, for example his _Piano Concerto #5 "Emperor" _was written during Napoleon's invasion of Vienna. That piece doesn't reflect Beethoven's reality at the time either - hiding in basements to avoid the bombardment of the city, the streets above piled up with bodies. Maybe these works can be read as expressions of defiance? Ultimately depends on how you interpret it.

In his analysis of _Symphony #2_, Berlioz called it a masterpiece, calling it "noble, energetic, proud." Its been a long time since I've heard this last, but Berlioz's words do fit with my experience of it. The last movement, which reminded me quite a lot of the comical and 'opera without words' qualities of the finale of Mozart's _Symphony #41, _was my favourite bit. 










*Monty Norman* _Dr. No - film soundtrack _(including_ James Bond Theme _by *John Barry*)
- Orch. under Eric Rodgers; James Bond Theme cond. by Barry, with guitar solo by Vic Flick (original recordings, Capitol 1962)

Over to* John Barry*, who I think Vaneyes said had an anniversary in recent days. I don't particularly remember seeing *Dr. No*, the first of the James Bond film franchise. But they're all pretty much the same, a mix in equal parts of action, gadgetry and mysogynistic double entendres. All in the name of good fun, of course! Barry's *James Bond Theme* with amplified guitar underpinned by a brassy big band is a classic of film music. He first scored it for sitar, but then changed his mind.

The rest of the score is by *Monty Norman*, whose *Kingston Calypso *- just like the _James Bond Theme _- quickly hit the charts at the time. It's a Jamaican version of _Three Blind Mice_, a leitmotif that goes thru the soundtrack (a bit annoyingly). Besides that there's a weird electronic track (_Audio Bongo_) that sounds like Stockhausen rehash (not surprsing since this was the 1960's?) and also the only case in a Bond film where Mr. Bond himself sings (_*Underneath the Mango Tree*_). I think Sean Connery did a good job of it, he sounds more Jamaican than Scot, he gets the accent down quite well (and what's more, he can even hold a note!). Maybe he got his singing lessons from Ursula Andress…or maybe not…

Later on I plan on listening to these:

*Sculthorpe* _Piano Concerto_
- Anthony Fogg on the bones, with Melbourne SO under Myer Fredman
*
Stanford* _Clarinet Concerto in A minor_
*Finzi* _Concerto for clarinet & string orch._
- Thea King, clarinet; Philharmonia Orch. under Alun Francis


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn

Sonata for Keyboard no 19 in E minor, H:XVI/47bis
Sonata for Keyboard no 17 in E flat major, H:XVI/2
Sonata for keyboard no 28 in D major, H:XIV/5
Variations (20) for Harpsichord in A major, H:XVII/2
Allegretto for Keyboard in G major H:III/41
Allegretto in G major, H:XVII/10
Adagio for Keyboard in F major, H:XVII/9
Fantasia for Piano in C major, H:XVII/4
Adagio for Piano in G major H:XV/22*

Jénö Jandó (Piano) [Naxos, 1999]


----------



## SimonNZ

Rameau's "Defence Of The Bass Viol Against The Encroachments Of The Violin And The Pretensions Of The Cello" - Les Musiciens De Monsieur Croche


----------



## KenOC

Grieg, String Quartet in G minor, arranged for string orchestra (and the arrangement works very well).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 4.*

This is better than the first time I heard it.


----------



## Mahlerian

Yashiro: Piano Concerto, Symphony
Hiromi Okada, Ulster Orchestra, cond. Yuasa


----------



## Vinyl

Ended the night with Beethoven's sixth with the Acadamy of Ancient Music under Hogwood, L'oiseau-Lyre 1988 (that's the newest LP I've found in this collection, and the PO hadn't written on it, so I assume he had thoroughly switched to CDs by then and just stuck it in the shelf. Probably never played it....)

When the orchestra here in town (Trondheim) played it under the then young and promising Daniel Harding sometime in the late 90s, he instructed the string players not to use vibrato at all. I talked to one of the violinists afterwards, and she asked me if I noticed something different. All I had to say was it sounded very clean and well tuned and focused, so that is the effect of no vibrato, at least when you're dealing with a motivated orchestra...


----------



## Blancrocher

Radu Lupu playing Schubert's "little" sonata in A major.


----------



## Itullian

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 33978
> 
> 
> Radu Lupu playing Schubert's "little" sonata in A major.


On my "to buy" list. Love Lupu.


----------



## Itullian

Symphony number 4.
Like looking at the Alps.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Cello Sonata No.5 - Pierre Fournier, cello, Wilhelm Kempff, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Symphony number 4.
> Like looking at the Alps.


'Like' looking at the Alps? You're en-VELOP-ed in them. Ha. Ha. Ha.

I couldn't agree more.


----------



## KenOC

Bach, St. Matthew Passion, Herreweghe. My abbreviated version!


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> 'Like' looking at the Alps? You're en-VELOP-ed in them. Ha. Ha. Ha.
> 
> I couldn't agree more.


Coming through the misty clouds right now.


----------



## bejart

In a belated celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Joachim Quantz (30 January 1697-1773): Double Flute Concerto No. 89 in G Major

Hungarian Chamber Orchestra -- Claudi Armany and Josep Francesc Palou, flutes


----------



## Morimur

*Beethoven - (2011) The Symphonies (Chailly)*

Best Beethoven symphony cycle ever recorded.


----------



## KenOC

CPE Bach, transverse flute concertos, played on a handmade wooden flute modeled on instruments from Bach's time. Alexis Kossenko and company. This is Vol. 1 of 2 available. Marvelous!

Suggested by the Quantz (just above). Both CPE and Quantz were employed by Frederick the Great, and CPE was quite unhappy that he was paid only a fraction of what Quantz got.









Don't know if Chailly's Beethoven cycle is the best out there, but it's pretty darned good!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Hummel's Piano Concertos
http://www.amazon.com/Hummel-Piano-...ie=UTF8&qid=1391221044&sr=1-1&keywords=hummel


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Symphony in F Sharp Minor, Vb 140

Petter Sundkvist conducting the Swedish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Weston

*Martinu: Cello Sonata No. 2, H. 286 and 
Martinu: Cello Sonata No. 3, H. 340*
Christian Benda, cello / Sebastian Benda, piano









Martinu almost always does the trick for me, whatever it is I'm after. For some reason I didn't copy the No. 1 sonata into my current listening folder.

The No. 2 starts out jolly enough -- nothing life changing, but the Largo is quite melancholy, maybe a bit dread filled. It makes use of one of the longest held notes from the cello I've ever heard, a kind of pedal point I suppose.

I paid less attention to the No. 3 sonata except for its exuberant final movement which embarks on a series of different styles and moods, the most remarkable being a kind of limping boogie-woogie rhythm a la Beethoven's famous jazz variation in the Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111, only even more joyful and fun.

My one complaint is our modern recording techniques picking up every little detail. Some things you just don't want to hear. I can't tell if it's the performer sniffing or if the bow makes a hissing noise across the strings, or what it is, but the beautiful cello legato is interspersed with horrible sounds. "La-da-da-deee-deee _(ssssffffnagh-hh-hhrffffff)_ La-dee-dee-daaaaah-daahhh _(schschschschklurghssshhhfffff!!!!)_" Very annoying.


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 33970
> 
> 
> Don't be fooled by the tame cover art: the "Allegro molto agitato e tumultuoso" cut is tremendous. It's like something you could track to a Robert E. Howard story or to the Battle of Helm's Deep in Tolkien's Two Towers.
> 
> The fierce blast of trumpets, the neighing of raging steeds, the earthquaking fall of the castle wall, the hiss of archers' arrows, the clang of wheels, the clash of steel-- I can just SEE this music in terms of epic battle.


This entire series has "tame" (or lame might be the word I'd choose) cover art. This one is milder than other volumes I've seen. It has put me off from Rozsa even though I know I'd probably really enjoy it.

Some day . . .

[Edit: Below is the one that was the biggest turn off for me. Some kind of rain pizza with sunflower tree being fertalized with a bacon glob - or some such. Rozsa deserves better. Save this cover art for Schoenberg   ]









Sorry to sidetrack. Carry on.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This is a "different" and controversial Norma. Bartoli and crew present a decidedly HIP version of Bellini's opera... stripped of the Wagnerian Romanticism of older recordings. The character Norma, is sung in mezzo, as based upon interpretations of Bellini's scores. I quite enjoy this outing... as I enjoyed Bartoli's
_La Cenerentola_ and _La Sonnambula_... but then I'm not so well-versed in _Bel Canto_ as to have become biased toward a specific way of performing such work. I have Callas' recording with Serafin and Christa Ludwig and I am familiar with Sutherland's early recording with Marilyn Horne, which I will probably get eventually... in spite of not being much of a Sutherland fan.


----------



## Guest

Superb in every way.


----------



## Weston

Pardon my ignorance. Is that a Tardis on the cover? ^


----------



## Guest

^ Maybe! Is the implication that the SACD will take one back in time? Well, they are a period instrument ensemble, so that stands to reason...and is rather clever!


----------



## MrTortoise

Bartok string quartets 1, 3, 5. Emerson string quartet.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.53 in E Minor

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## GreenMamba

Bartok Piano Concerto No. 1, Zimerman/Boulez, Chicago


----------



## Novelette

Ockeghem: Missa Quarti Toni -- Hillard Ensemble

Schumann: 6 Gesänge, Op. 107 -- Lydia Teuscher & The Inestimable Graham Johnson

Haydn: Quintet for Baryton, Two Horns, Viola, and Bass in D, H 10/10 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Rameau: Naïs -- Nicholas McGegan: English Bach Festival Singers & Baroque Orchestra

Lully: Thésée -- Paul O'Dette: Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## Rocco

Currently relaxing listening to Handel's Messiah by Trevor Pinnock.


----------



## KenOC

Verdi's Requiem. Philippe Jordan. On the wireless. Pardon the big pic.


----------



## starthrower

Pretty daring stuff! What would papa Hadyn think of these?


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Te Deum - Claudio Abbado, cond.


----------



## Guest

I have ignored this work for far too long. I mean, I've heard it a couple of times, but the time was so early on in my classical journey that I wasn't terribly interested in sacred works, and I somehow pretty much forgot about it.

WOW.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in G minor, Hob. 15/1; Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. 15/5 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Fibich's Theme and Variations in B flat - Panocha Quartet


----------



## sidereali

Franz Josep Haydn - Symphony No 95


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Liszt's Piano Concerto No.2 - Sviatoslav Richter, piano, Kirill Kondrashin, cond.


----------



## dgee

Recently - my first full listen to Moses und Aron









By crikey it packs a punch, puts you through the wringer as so much of Schoenberg can. My head was spinning. Will go again in the next week or so


----------



## dgee

And now - Sinfonia Domestica, Zinman, Tonhalle

I'm really fond of this score - it's all the Strauss stuff I love and if taste goes out the window a few times then so be it. There's just so much there to love: the introduction of the characters, the aunts and uncles, the bath, the sleeping baby, the Bavarian afternoon "marital" scene (!), the daydream, playtime, the clock striking seven, the double fugue. Did I get it in the right order? I forget, I just enjoy

I probably haven't listened to it for years but Tonhalle sound great (and I'm pretty sure they didn't use the optional sax quartet) and Zinman is generally criminally underrated


----------



## Jos

BWV 913 has been played three times this morning! Someone wrote somewhere (here ?) about an almost physical addiction to the pianomusic from Bach. I do indeed get this craving to play it over and over and...

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 19 KV 459 (Haebler/Rowicki)
Brahms - Academic Festival Overture (Haitink).

Now, this is what I call academic music, more academic than any serial piece!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Jos

sidereali said:


> Franz Josep Haydn - Symphony No 95











Bought these two days ago! Only with their other, lesser known, name. Same recording, I guess ? 1972
Very good.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## MrTortoise

Chopin Preludes and Impromptus. Claudio Arrau.


----------



## Vinyl

Bartók Violin concerto no 2, André Gertler
Czech Phil., Karel Ancerl. 
Supraphon 1965. Sounds good, not just "for 1965", but good. Too bad the vinyl is so cheap and flappy. 
This with less surface noise would be awesome.
(it's absolutely listenable, don't get me wrong)

edit: And I guess I'm late to the party when it comes to liking Gertler's Bartók? Hehe.


----------



## bejart

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704): The Joyful Mysteries

Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Emilia Benjamin, viola -- Elizabeth Kenny, archlute -- Frances Kelly, harp -- Matthew Halls, chamber organ


----------



## hpowders

Bela Bartok Violin Concerto #2, Gil Shaham, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony.
A fine if slightly more reserved performance in the third movement than either Mutter or Chung of what is for me the greatest violin concerto of the 20th century and perhaps, of all time.


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti, on Decca









This piece is Magnificent!

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Johannes Brahms - Symphony no. 1 
By the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, on Decca


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing with my chronological audition of Mahler's Symphonies and Lieder:

*Das Lied von der Erde* (1908-9)
"A Symphony for Tenor and Alto (or Baritone) Voice and Orchestra (after Hans Bethge's 'The Chinese Flute'"

Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde
Der Einsame im Herbst
Von der Jugend
Von der Schönheit
Der Trunkene im Frühling
Der Abshied

(i) Richard Lewis (tenor), Maureen Forrester (alto), Chicago SO, Fritz Reiner
[RCA Gold Seal (LP), rec. 1959]















This is the 1986 reissue, pressed flawlessly in Germany.

This is an outstanding performance in every way, and the sound, to quote Vinyl above, is 'good, not just "for 1959", but good'. (It has been digitally remastered, though.) Maureen Forrester's contralto is glorious. An utterly beautiful work of art, and quite my favourite Mahler, I think. 
I see there's a copy of this LP going for $180 on the interwebs

And now I'm going on to overdose:

*Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde*

(ii) Janet Baker (Mezzo), James King (Tenor); Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
[Philips, rec. 1975]


----------



## Weston

I was trying to find some light classical for a (finally!) sunny and warmer weekend morning, but instead I found *Michael Haydn: Trombone Concerto in D*, Alain Trudel / Northern Sinfonia. Not light in a fluffy way, but light in the reserved and tasteful sense of the word. I am trying not to be distracted by the trombone trills which sound a little awkward as I'm not used to hearing a trombone make trills. I'm not really sure how it's done.









I should probably check out his symphonies. I've rarely heard any.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs - 3 discs (5 sides - side 6 is groveless!)_

*J.S. Bach - Mass in B minor (Harnoncourt/Telefunken)*


----------



## Andolink

*Alexander Zemlinsky*: _String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19_ (1924)
Escher String Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: _Trio for fortepiano, flute and violoncello in G major, Hob. XV:15_
Jacques Ogg, fortepiano
Wilbert Hazelzet, flute
Christiaan Norde, violoncello


----------



## moody

KODALY.

1. Missa Brevis. 
2. Te Deum Of Buda Castle.

Soloists including Jozsef Reti ,tenor.
Chorus and Orchestra of Hungarian Radio and Television. cond. Janos Ferencsik.

The Te Deum was composed in 1936 for the 250th anniversary of the recapture of Buda Castle from the Turks.


----------



## Blancrocher

Kirill Karabits conducting James Ehnes and the Bournemouth SO in Britten and Shostakovich violin concertos.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Jazz Record Requests
01/02/2014

Alyn Shipton's listeners' requests include Michael Hashim, Kenny Garrett and Stan Getz.


----------



## millionrainbows

Oh boy! I finally found the original *MELODIYA/BMG *issue of the *Shostakovich Preludes,* a 3-CD set. These are the good ones, studio-recorded in 1987 by *Tatiana Nikolaeva,* not her later "ambient" live recording on* Hyperion *(OOP and licensed to *Musical Heritage Society*), and not the same studio-recorded individual discs on* Moscow Studio Archives,* or that same re-licensed set on Regis....but the REAL DEAL! I'm weird about labels like that.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Rolv Yttrehus (CRI). *Wow, hard-core serialism, unrelenting, anxiety-producing...everything they hate about serial music is embodied here. Delightfully unsettling and harsh.


----------



## Blancrocher

Vladimir Feltsman's recent recording of the Diabelli Variations (and a lovely performance of the Andante favori).

*p.s.* Congratulations, millionrainbows--that Nikolaeva recording of op.87 on Melodiya remains my favorite recording of the set, despite some great recent versions.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D "Prague"
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832): Flute Quintet in A Major, Op.51, No.3

Jean Pierre Rampal on flute with the Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel, Messiah - Sinfonia; Comfort ye my people; Ev'ry valley shall be exalted; And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed (Karl Richter; Donath; Reynolds; Burrows; McIntyre; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra).









An awesome work by Händel.

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in E minor for recorder, transverse flute, strings & B.c.; Concerto in C minor for violin, oboe, strings & B.c. (Camerata Köln)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Sonata in B minor, w. Demidenko (rec.1992); *Franck*: Symphony in D minor, Le Chasseur Maudit, w. Philadelphia O./Muti (rec.1982); Piano Quintet, w. Levinas/Ludwig Qt. (rec.1996).

View attachment 34034
View attachment 34035
View attachment 34036


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Mildred Miller, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Walter


----------



## maestro267

I'm listening to 2 of Peter Maxwell Davies' Symphonies, Nos. 1 & 6 (the only 2 I have atm), ahead of the premiere of his Tenth, tomorrow evening, for which I'm very excited.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

millionrainbows said:


> Oh boy! I finally found the original *MELODIYA/BMG *issue of the *Shostakovich Preludes,* a 3-CD set. These are the good ones, studio-recorded in 1987 by *Tatiana Nikolaeva,* not her later "ambient" live recording on* Hyperion *(OOP and licensed to *Musical Heritage Society*), and not the same studio-recorded individual discs on* Moscow Studio Archives,* or that same re-licensed set on Regis....but the REAL DEAL! I'm weird about labels like that.


I agree that this set is wonderful - well worth looking out for if you have the slightest interest in piano music. They ooze wonder and excitement all the way through the three discs and reveal Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues to be amongst the pinacles of music, not just of 20th Century music.

Highly recommended!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I head Walter Braunfels mentioned on the radio today for the first time that I can remember. They even played some some of his music on Radio 3 and that prompted me to take his oper, Die Vogel off the shelf for another listen.









Braunfels and his music are relatively little known. He was very highly regarded in Germany in the 1920s (this opera was performed 50 times in Munich alone in two years and he was highly regarded by Bruno Walter, for instance) but he and his music 'disappeared' from view when he was proscribed by the Nazis as 'entartete musik' (loosely - degenerate music). Braunfels was a committed catholic (and half jewish?) and had refused to compose an anthem for the Nazis in the 1920s and was known to be opposed to their ideals. He didn't emigrate and went into self-imposed 'retirement'. After the war, he resumed his career as a pianist and an academic, but his music was largely ignored - this opera wasn't performed again until 1972 and the premier recording (this one) was not made until 1996.

Braunfels' music is firmly romantic with interesting comparisons and contrasts to Richard Strauss' and critics and punters alike write enthusiastic reviews, yet his work remains rarely heard and barely known (at least in the UK) which is a real shame as it is gloriously rich. If you're interested, have a listen to some of the samples on the amazon website and see what you think.


----------



## Vinyl

I can't handle the complete works for organ in one go, so I am sampling a little from the seven LP Harmonia Mundi box set:

Dietrich Buxtehude Intégrale de l'oeuvre d'orgue par René Saorgin. 

The cycle is played on four different instruments, recorded in four different churches: 
St Laurent, Alkmaar, Holland
St Nicolas, Altenbruch, Germany
St Michel, Zwolle, Holland
Arlesheim Cathedral, Switzerland

I'm playing one side from each organ, and have now reached Zwolle.


----------



## LancsMan

*Robert Simpson: Symphony No. 9* Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley on hyperion.

I really should investigate more of Robert Simpson's works - this is the only work of his I am familiar with. I hear it is regarded as the best of his symphonies. It certainly conforms to my conception of what a symphony should be. Organic development and symphonic momentum is here in plenty. Reminds me at times of Nielsen. I prefer this to the Tippett symphonies I have been listening to recently - even though it may not be as original.

Well played here.


----------



## senza sordino

*Brahms Violin Concerto* Gidon Kremer with Leonard Bernstein and Vienna Phil
*Brahms Double Concerto* Gidon Kremer & Mischa Maisky with Berstein and Vienna

*Bruch Violin Concerto #1* Maxim Vengerov with Kurt Masur with Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra 
*Mendelssohn Violin Concerto* Vengerov with Masur and LGO

*Elgar Cello Concerto* Jacqueline du Pre with Barbirolli and LSO
*Dvorak Cello Concerto* du Pre with Barenboim and Chicago


----------



## opus55

Songs by Richard Struass


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in A Major, Op.33, No.2

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Joesf Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska,viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3
Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2/Gnomenreigen
Chopin: Mazurkas Op.63 No.3/Op.7 No.3 Frederic Lamond/Concertgebouw Orchestra/Eduard van Beinum

This has just arrived from the USA, and verily my excitement knoweth no bounds. I've known of the existence of these concerto performances for years, but never thought I would have the opportunity to hear them, and now here they are. Dating from 1939 and 1937 respectively, they're live broadcasts from Amsterdam, the sound in the Beethoven is good, in the Liszt there are some moments where the acetates are in less than perfect condition, but sonically it's good, but.....oh the playing, I love it. The Liszt especially, Lamond seems to bring an affection to it that I've never heard from any other pianist. To think that in this instance he was a last minute substitute for Pembauer, who cancelled when his wife died suddenly. This is a wonderful performance. Gnomenreigen was the encore, and the 2 Chopin pieces are from previously unissued Decca recordings of 1941. Also on this 2 CD set are Lamond's accoustic Beethoven sonata recordings and his reminiscences of Liszt from a BBC broadcast of 1945, this latter including performances of "Feux Follets" and Liebestraume No.2. In Gnomenreigen, Lamond and Emil Von Sauer (Liszt pupils both) are the only pianists that I know who bring the grace notes out properly, with most pianists they blur into nothingness, mainly I suspect because it is generally played too fast to accentuate the notes properly. This is undoubtedly one of the most important historic releases to have been issued in recent years.


----------



## nightscape

Dvořák, Serenade for Strings and Czech Suite with the Prague Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## DrKilroy

Górecki - Symphony No. 2.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Victoria's Missa Dum Complerentur - Stephen Darlington, dir.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.43 in E Flat

Trevor Pinnock directing the English Concert


----------



## LancsMan

*Canto Gregoriano* Coro de monjes del Monasterio Benedictino de Santo Domingo de Silos on EMI

After listening to music from the twentieth century recently, I've pressed the reset button and gone back to the start with this selection of Gregorian chant. The 'Original International Bestseller' according to the CD cover.

Well it's nice to cleanse the palette. I'm no expert on this repertoire, and I guess I am letting it wash over me as a soothing aural wallpaper. It does have a sense of proportion that is so fundamental to the western classical tradition.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vasks said:


> _LPs - 3 discs (5 sides - side 6 is groveless!)_
> 
> *J.S. Bach - Mass in B minor (Harnoncourt/Telefunken)*
> 
> View attachment 34022


I own that box and have played it a number of times. How on earth have I never noticed that?

I guess it just finished when it finished and I put it back in the sleeve. I'll be checking that when I get home - I'm having a slight epistemological crisis here.


----------



## Bas

New arrival:

Joseph Haydn - Die Jahreszeiten
By Hans Sotin [bass], Ileana Cotrubas [soprano], Werner Krenn [tenor], Brighton Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [dir.], on Decca









Beautiful work (new for me), I like it much better then die Schopfüng.


----------



## LancsMan

*A feather on the breath of God: Sequences and Hymns by Hildegard of Bingen * Gothic Voices with Emma Kirkby directed by Christopher Page on hyperion.

Wonderful, cool but ecstatic.


----------



## Bas

LancsMan said:


> *A feather on the breath of God: Sequences and Hymns by Hildegard of Bingen * Gothic Voices with Emma Kirkby directed by Christopher Page on hyperion.
> 
> Wonderful, cool but ecstatic.


That is a wonderful album indeed.

Also, I arrived at the "Winter" of Die Jahreszeiten. Hier steht der Wand'rer nun. Wow! Really beautiful!


----------



## bejart

Johannes Matthias Sperger (1750-1812): Symphony in B Flat

Peter Zajicek leading the Musica Aeterna Bratislava


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Moeran: Cello Concerto Guy Johnston/Ulster Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta

This wonderful concerto was written in 1945 for Moeran's wife the cellist Peers Coetmore. She recorded it with Sir Adrian Boult on Lyrita, but it, frankly, is not a very good performance. The received wisdom is that she was past it by the time she made the recording, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she was never up to it in the first place. A much better recording is that by Raphael Wallfisch, with Norman Del Mar on Chandos, but now that has been eclipsed by this beautiful reading by the wonderful Guy Johnston, with JoAnn Falletta and the Ulster Orchestra in perfect accord with him. He obviously loves this concerto and the performance of the Adagio is one of the most heartfelt recordings that I have ever heard of anything ever! All this and at Naxos' price!! Go on, what are you waiting for????


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://random









Xenakis : Kraanerg

I am fond of Xenakis' realisations, strange as they sometimes seem  I used to have the Roger Woodward/Alpha Centauri Ensemble recording on Etcetera, but I prefer this Mode recording by Stephen Drury/Callithumpian Consort, that I got as a replacement.

As soon as the album finishes, I'm also going to listen to:

Xenakis : Gmeeoorh (Francoise Rieunier, organ)
Xenakis : La Légende d'Eer

I've never heard the organ work, so I am keyed up for it now. I used to have the Legend of Eer, but foolishly pawned it in the mid-'90s, so I'm looking forward to hearing it again.

Well, I have now heard them. Admittedly, the organ work went in one ear and out the other, so I'll have to give it another try soon. La Légende d'Eer is simply marvellous. I had forgotten how soothing this electro-acoustic work is


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 34039
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3
> Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2/Gnomenreigen
> Chopin: Mazurkas Op.63 No.3/Op.7 No.3 Frederic Lamond/Concertgebouw Orchestra/Eduard van Beinum
> 
> This has just arrived from the USA, and verily my excitement knoweth no bounds. I've known of the existence of these concerto performances for years, but never thought I would have the opportunity to hear them, and now here they are. Dating from 1939 and 1937 respectively, they're live broadcasts from Amsterdam, the sound in the Beethoven is good, in the Liszt there are some moments where the acetates are in less than perfect condition, but sonically it's good, but.....oh the playing, I love it. The Liszt especially, Lamond seems to bring an affection to it that I've never heard from any other pianist. To think that in this instance he was a last minute substitute for Pembauer, who cancelled when his wife died suddenly. This is a wonderful performance. Gnomenreigen was the encore, and the 2 Chopin pieces are from previously unissued Decca recordings of 1941. Also on this 2 CD set are Lamond's accoustic Beethoven sonata recordings and his reminiscences of Liszt from a BBC broadcast of 1945, this latter including performances of "Feux Follets" and Liebestraume No.2. In Gnomenreigen, Lamond and Emil Von Sauer (Liszt pupils both) are the only pianists that I know who bring the grace notes out properly, with most pianists they blur into nothingness, mainly I suspect because it is generally played too fast to accentuate the notes properly. This is undoubtedly one of the most important historic releases to have been issued in recent years.


Don't forget that he was a Scot.


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters van Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Double Bass Concerto No.1 in E Flat

Frantisek Vajnar conducting the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra -- Frantisek Posta, double bass


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> Don't forget that he was a Scot.


He certainly was, and despite the many years spent living in Germany, the accent never left him, as you hear in his fascinating reminiscences of Liszt.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Franck: Violin Sonata
Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata
J.S. Bach: Partita in E BWV 1006- Prelude/Loure and Gigue
Bloch: Nigun
Debussy-Roques: La Plus Que Lente
Rachmaninoff-Heifetz: Etude-Tableau Op.39 No.4
Falla-Kochanski: Nana
Kreisler: La Chasse
Ravel: Tzigane
Castelnuovo-Tedesco-Heifetz: Sea Murmurs Jascha Heifetz/Brooks Smith

Today is Heifetz' birthday, so I'm starting it in fine style with these two LPs which are of his final recital given on 23rd October, 1972. A brilliant mix of styles and pieces reminding us of just how enjoyable a recital can be, given an artist who is happy to play a mixed programme in the course of an evening. This kind of programming is sadly all too rare nowadays. At least via the medium of recording we can still enjoy it- and of course Heifetz' marvellous playing. Let us also give due credit to Brooks Smith who doesn't put a foot, or a finger for that matter, wrong. There is a popular notion that Heifetz made his best recordings pre-1939, but what ears are those who espouse this idea listening with I ask myself? Here he is in 1972 playing with supreme fire and passion- I'll warrant a great many much younger violinists would wish they could play like this. I personally love it.
NB. it's also Fritz Kreisler's birthday by one of those strange quirks of fate, but more of that anon.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Sinfonia in C Major

Milan Munclinger leading Ars Rediviva


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 71 no. 1_
The Salomon Quartet








*Ralph Vaughan Williams*: _Symphony No. 9 in E minor_
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley


----------



## TurnaboutVox

(Earlier on Saturday evening)

Live from the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester
'Strauss's Voice' festival

*Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration Op. 24
Richard Strauss: Brentano-Lieder Op. 68

Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 in E minor, Op. 93*

Inger Dam-Jensen, soprano. BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gunther Herbig, conductor









Absolutely splendid performances of 'Death and Transfiguration' and Shostakovich #10. Inger Dam-Jensen was a bit lost in the orchestral accompaniment in the Brentano Lieder.


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): Quintet in C Minor, Op.52

Residenz Quintet of Munich with Wolfgand Sawallisch on piano: Hermann Klemeyer, flute -- Hans Schoenberger, clarinet -- Olaf Klamand, horn -- Josef Peters, bassoon


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Organ Concertos - Simon Preston, organ, Trevor Pinnock, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphonies 4 - 6, w. Jochum (rec.1965), Horenstein (rec.1971), Nagano (rec.2005).

View attachment 34060
View attachment 34061
View attachment 34062


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Harmoniemesse - Christopher Guest, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Schumann's Symphony #2, Thielemann w/the Philharmonia. The slow movement is very nice. On the radio.


----------



## Conor71

*Myaskovsky: String Quartet No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 62*

Listening to some Russian chamber music - these Discs:


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Rienzi Overture
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Andris Poga

Streaming last week's BSO concert. Poga is the BSO's assistant conductor.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1837): String Quartet in E Flat, WoO10

Schuppanzigh Quartet: Anton Stack and Christoph Mayer, Violins -- Cristian Gooses, viola -- Antje Geusen, cello


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to Schnittke's String Quartet No. 3
http://www.amazon.com/Schnittke-Str...92&sr=1-1&keywords=schnittke+string+quartet+3


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: String Quintet in F


----------



## starthrower

Scelsi-Uaxuctum


----------



## Mahlerian

Lutoslawski: Piano Concerto
Garrick Ohlsson, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Poga


----------



## FleshRobot

Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi - Ey büt i nev eda olmuşum müptelâ
Sung by Zeki Müren


----------



## Guest

80 minutes of wonderful music, sound and playing.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling intimate arrangements of the great *Piazzolla*. Tango Nuevo (Naxos).


----------



## Mahlerian

Finally,

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Poga


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde - Herbert von Karajan (Bayreuth, 1952)


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Xenakis - Works With Piano. I guess this is just a passing phase. lol 
http://www.amazon.com/Xenakis-Works...&qid=1391315745&sr=1-2&keywords=xenakis+piano


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15
> Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Poga


I've read that, for some reason, DSCH's 15th Symphony is pretty well ensconced in the performing repertoire in the US. Good news so far as I'm concerned! Please post on how the performance was, thanks.


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Kiel (1821-1885): Cello Sonata in D Major, WoO

Hans Zenrgraf, cello -- Christoph Ullrich, piano


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Pachelbel's Canon - Favourite Baroque Miniatures*
*Albinoni/Giazotto* Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor
*Bach *Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068: Air ('Air on a G String')
*Boccherini *Minuet in A major from String Quintet Op. 11 No. 5, G275
*Gluck *Orfeo ed Euridice (Orphée et Euridice): Dance of the Blessed Spirits
*Handel *
Oboe Concerto No. 1 in B flat major, HWV 301
Organ Concerto No. 13 in F major, HWV295 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale'
Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor, HWV 287
Water Music Suite No. 3 in G major, HWV350
*Mozart, L* Cassation in G 'Toy Symphony'
*Pachelbel *Canon
- Martin Haselbock (organ), Lothar Koch (oboe), Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Munchinger (apologies for the not so great image, its what I could find!)

A pretty relaxing listen to this disc of mainly Baroque music, but also some from the Classical Era and 20th century (Giazotto's arrangement - more accurately fabrication - based on a few bars attributed to Albinoni).

I quite enjoyed the *Handel *organ concerto, its one of the first pieces I remember getting to know by him on one of those 'greatest hits' type compilations when I was just cutting my teeth on classical. I still like all these famous pieces, even the Romanticised *Albinoni/Giazotto* is quite moving, given how it has been used in some films (eg. Peter Wier's _Gallipoli _for one, the scene where its played as the troops are about to be sent for slaughter in the trenches, and I think its one of the most popular pieces played at funerals largely due to its exposure in cinema).

Someone on another thread, though, said that *Leopold Mozart's *_Toy Symphony _is an annyoing earworm. I disagreed but now I've heard it again for ages I kind of agree. I guess okay for a fun piece, but at least its mercifully short! Wolfie would do better in this novelty/joke genre with his _A Musical Joke_.










Later I plan to finish my listening to the Ansermet set of Beethoven's symphonies 1-4:

*Beethoven* Symphony #1
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> I've read that, for some reason, DSCH's 15th Symphony is pretty well ensconced in the performing repertoire in the US. Good news so far as I'm concerned! Please post on how the performance was, thanks.


I've never been quite convinced regarding the work itself, so take my words with a grain of salt, but it seemed like quite a committed and powerful performance. The audience liked it quite a bit, to judge from how much cheering I can hear (there was a brief moment of silence after it ended before applause broke out).

The BSO's assistant conductors tend to be of a very high caliber.


----------



## KenOC

Thanks! ...........................................


----------



## Blancrocher

Gautier Capuçon and Frank Braley in Benjamin Britten's Cello Sonata, op.65. I'm enjoying this new release.


----------



## Guest

While I vastly prefer multi-channel SACDs, I must say that this stereo disc sounds superb--very warm and detailed. (For their multi-channel discs, Tacet apparently surrounds the listener with instruments, a technique that ruins it for me: I just want the hall sound in the rear channels.) The booklet goes into quite a bit of details itself about the analog and tube gear used for the recording. The performances are excellent, too, full of vigor and vitality.


----------



## moody

JOAQUIN RODRIGO Plays His Piano Music.

We normally hear his guitar concerto-type compositions ad nauseum.
But this 1960 recording from Spanish HMV is fascinating music from the blind composer.
He is joined by his wife, Victoria Camhi De Rodrigo in the four - hand work, "Gran Marcha De Los Subsecretarios".


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Aaron Copland's Quiet City - Ross Pople, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Violin Concerto Fritz Kreisler/Berlin State Opera Orchestra/Dr. Leo Blech
Kreisler: Caprice Viennois FK/Franz Rupp
Heuberger-Kreisler: Midnight Bells: FK/Michael Raucheisen
Grieg: Violin Sonata No.3 in C Minor, Op.45 FK/Sergei Rachmaninoff
Trad.-Kreisler: Londonderry Air and a whole host of other pieces! with Franz Rupp

For Kreisler's birthday. The Beethoven LP was the first recording I bought of this wonderful piece when I started work in 1980, I loved it then, I love it now. The Grieg Sonata with Rachmaninoff is one of the finest recordings ever made of any violin sonata, the rapport between them is wonderful, I wish they had recorded more. They were playing together one day in recital and Kreisler had a memory lapse, he edged over to Rachmaninoff and whispered, "Where are we?", "In Carnegie Hall", came the reply! His playing of his own pieces is incomparable. One of my favourites is the arrangement of the "Hymn to the Sun" from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Golden Cockerel", his soaring lines and beautifully judged vibrato and portamento are a delight to the senses.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Glazounow: Violin Concerto Jascha Heifetz/RCA Symphony Orchestra/Walter Hendl
Gershwin-Heifetz: Porgy and Bess Suite JH/Brooks Smith

More Heifetz on his birthday. The Glazounow is one of my favourite violin concertos, and Heifetz' tone at the opening is so big and warm that it sounds like a cello. The suite of pieces from "Porgy and Bess" was arranged by Heifetz after Gershwin's death. The two were great friends and Heifetz had pestered Gershwin for years to write him a violin concerto, which it would seem Gershwin was on the verge of doing when he sadly died, this was Heifetz' way of compensating for this sad loss and it really is a wonderful arrangement, not least his superb piano part. Apparently in private Heifetz was a very fine jazz pianist and hearing these accompaniments you can well believe it.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Geoffrey Burgon's Short Mass - Matthew Owens, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E Major*

*Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Georg Tintner*









links

amazon
naxos
prestoclassics
classicsonline (Tintners own description it seems).


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - I Puritani
By Montserrat Caballé [soprano], Alfredo Kraus [tenor], Julia Hamari [mezzo], Matteo Manugerra [bariton], Agostino Ferrin [bass], Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Mutti [dir.], on EMI


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Prosper Van Eechaute's Suite Ancienne - Peter Vanhove, piano


----------



## MrTortoise

Schubert
String Quartet #14 in d minor, D. 810 (Death and the Maiden)
Quartettsatz in c minor, D. 703

No matter how many times I listen to it, "Death and the Maiden" is always a passionate ride for me.


----------



## MrTortoise

on the radio

Barber
Prayers of Kierkegaard
soloists Dale Duesing, Sarah Reese; Andrew Schenk, cond; Chicago Symph. and Chorus

First time I have heard this work, quick search on amazon turns up another recording by Shaw and Atlanta that tended to be better regarded.


----------



## Oskaar

Guardian Angel: Rachel Podger

Biber:	
Passacaglia for violin solo in G minor (from Mystery Sonatas)

Matteis the Younger:	
Passagio rotto

Fantasia

Movimento incognito

Pisendel:	
Sonata per violino solo

Sonata for Violin Solo in A minor

Tartini:	
Violin Sonata in A minor, B: a3

Sonata No.13 in B minor - Brainard h1

*Rachel Podger (violin)*









Beautiful!

links

presto
amazon
music web


----------



## TurnaboutVox

To finish my Mahler lieder survey:

*Gustav Mahler

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

Three Songs*
No 1, Im Lenz
No 2, Winterlied
No 3, Maitanz im Grünen

*Lieder und Gesänge*
Vol 1: no 4, Serenade aus Don Juan
Vol 2: no 3, Aus! Aus!
Vol 2: no 4, Starke Einbildungskraft
Vol 3: no 5, Selbstgefühl

Thomas Hampson (Baritone), David Lutz (Piano)

*Lieder und Gesänge, Orch. Berio* (1986)
Vol 3: no 2, Ablösung im Sommer
Vol 3: no 1, Zu Strassburg
Vol 3: no 4, Nicht wiedersehen!
Vol 2: no 1, Um schlimme Kinder artig zu machen
Vol 1: no 2, Erinnerung
Vol 1: no 3, Hans und Grethe
Vol 2: no 2, Ich ging mit Lust
Vol 1: no 1, Frühlingsmorgen
Vol 1: no 5, Phantasie aus Don Juan
Vol 3: no 3, Scheiden and Meiden

Thomas Hampson (Baritone), Luciano Berio, Philharmonia Orchestra [Warner Classics, rec. 1992]









I've been through my 'new disc of the week' twice this morning (I may bleed Mahler by now). Thomas Hampson and Daniel Lutz are delicate and persuasive in Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen, the early Drei Lieder and a selection from 'Lieder und Gesange'. I can see me playing this often.

I'm not sure I'm entirely convinced by Luciano Berio's orchestration of 11 of the 'Gesange'. Still, it's interesting to hear them. Performances and recording are exemplary, needless to say.

So what have I learned? That Mahler wrote a lot of first class music, often very subtle, complex, beautifully orchestrated and powerfully evocative. I need to get to know Symphonies 6, 7 and 9 rather better, and I need (a first world problem, I know) a modern recording of Das Lied von der Erde.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: Symphony No. 3 & Ouverture de concert*

Symphony No. 3, Op. 21

Concert Overture on Popular Romanian themes, Op. 32

*Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, Hannu Lintu*

Very enjoyable

links

arkivmusic
presto
theclassicalreviewer


----------



## MrTortoise

Scriabin: Piano Sonata #2 (Sonata-Fantasy)
Ivo Pogorelich


----------



## Andolink

*Pascal Dusapin*: _Time Zones_ (String Quartet No. 2) 24 pieces for string quartet
Arditti String Quartet








*Jacques Gallot*: _Suite in F sharp minor_
Pascal Monteilhet, lute








*Joseph Haydn*: _Divertimento a otto voci (no. 4) in G major, Hob. X:4_
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot


----------



## Vinyl

Ugh. I've just had a pretty bad listening session. The vast majority of the record collection I took over is taken very good care of, so in most cases the fact that it's old vinyl doesn't factor in, I can enjoy the music without thinking about the medium it's on. Or enjoying it all the more for what it is.
Today I've had a bad streak where I have played inferior recordings on inferior pressings, so not only have I had to hear sopranos who make a trill sound like vibrato, just ugly, the records have been so bad that any loud sound (like a bad soprano screwing up a cadential trill) is accompanied by the heartbreaking, insulting distortion of a badly mastered, pressed/cut or whatever record on cheap, thin, floppy, eighties vinyl. 

How do you sleep after releasing a version of Spem in Alium that for the most part consists of overdriven groove distortion? Hmph.

I also found an album with "Negro Spirituals", with some of the most condescendingly racist liner notes I've read since I was a kid. And I can't find the Honegger album I wanted to use to purge my mind from all this *****. 
No good day at the stereo, then. 

Current listening? 

Geirr Tveitt. Sonata Etere. On CD.


----------



## MrTortoise

Scriabin: Piano Sonata #2 (Sonata-Fantasy)
Maria Lettberg


----------



## Oskaar

*Patric STANDFORD (b. 1939)*

First Symphony (The Seasons - An English Year) (1972) [32:49]
Cello Concerto (1974) [27:08]
Prelude to a Fantasy (The Naiades) (1980) [9:28]

* Raphael Wallfisch (cello)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones
rec. 23-24 November 2011, Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow. DDD*









This album came out today, and is already on spotify. That was impressing I was FOLLOWING Stanford, and got a notification.
Superb record it is!

Link

music web international (already reviewed)


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-171): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.10, No.6

Claudio Scimone conducting I Solisti Veneti -- Piero Toso, violin


----------



## hpowders

Bela Bartok, 6 String Quartets, Emerson Quartet.
This should take me right up to the greatest American sporting event of the year today, the Super Bowl and Renée Fleming's singing of our National Anthem.


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 34070
> View attachment 34071
> View attachment 34072
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Violin Concerto Fritz Kreisler/Berlin State Opera Orchestra/Dr. Leo Blech
> Kreisler: Caprice Viennois FK/Franz Rupp
> Heuberger-Kreisler: Midnight Bells: FK/Michael Raucheisen
> Grieg: Violin Sonata No.3 in C Minor, Op.45 FK/Sergei Rachmaninoff
> Trad.-Kreisler: Londonderry Air and a whole host of other pieces! with Franz Rupp
> 
> For Kreisler's birthday. The Beethoven LP was the first recording I bought of this wonderful piece when I started work in 1980, I loved it then, I love it now. The Grieg Sonata with Rachmaninoff is one of the finest recordings ever made of any violin sonata, the rapport between them is wonderful, I wish they had recorded more. They were playing together one day in recital and Kreisler had a memory lapse, he edged over to Rachmaninoff and whispered, "Where are we?", "In Carnegie Hall", came the reply! His playing of his own pieces is incomparable. One of my favourites is the arrangement of the "Hymn to the Sun" from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Golden Cockerel", his soaring lines and beautifully judged vibrato and portamento are a delight to the senses.


Kreisler had the most beautiful tone,with the possible exception of Mischa Elman no one has ever got within miles of it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart Piano Sonatas Nos 330 in C, 331 in A, and 332 in F.*


----------



## Oskaar

*Telemann: Wind Concertos Volume 6*

Concerto TWV 51:h1 in B minor for flute, strings & b.c.

Concerto TWV 531 in D major for 2 flutes, bassoon/lute, strings & b.c.

Concerto TWV 51:a1 in A minor for violin (or oboe), strings & b.c.

Concerto TWV 53:C1 in C major for 2 oboes, bassoon, strings & b.c.

Concerto TWV 513 Concerto polonoise for Flute, Strings & B.c.

Camerata Köln

Concerto TWV 52:B1 in B flat major for two recorders, string orchestra & b.c.

Concerto TWV 52:F3 in F major for 2 horns, strings & b.c.

*Camerata Koln. La Stagione Frankfurt, Michael Schneider*









links

presto
arkivmusik


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Adam - Overture to "La Poupee de Nuremberg" (Bonynge/London)
Saint-Saens - La Jeunesse d'Hercule (Dervaux/Angel)
Brahms - Violin Concerto (Milstein/Angel)*


----------



## bejart

JCF Bach (1732-1795): Symphony No.1 in F Major

Helmut Miller Bruhl directing the Cologne Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Mass in C minor*


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Symphony in C Major, Op.66

Matthias Bamert conducting the London Mozart Players


----------



## Bas

Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas kk 113 - 125
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato









Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 64 no. 1 in Es, no 3. in B, no. 6 in C
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Toru Takemitsu*

*Quatrain
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden*

Ensemble Tashi, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

*Stanza I* / Hiroshi Wakasugi, Yonako Nagano, Harumi Ibe, Mari Nagasako, Keiko Abe, Yuji Takahashi

*Sacrifice* / Hiroshi Wakasugi, Ryu Noguchi, Mitsuhiko Hamada, Keiko Abe

*Ring* / Hiroshi Wakasugi, Ryu Noguchi, Harumi Ibe, Mitsuhiko Hamada

*Valeria* / Hiroshi Wakasugi, Ryu Noguchi, Takeshi Koizumi, Saburo Ueki, Yoshio Hattori, Yuji Takahashi
[DG, rec. 2005]

and...(thanks for the suggestion, PetrB)

*Green (November Steps II) for orchestra (1967) * / Toronto Symphony Orchestra (on YouTube)

I think I might be getting the hang of this composer...


----------



## Kivimees

Celebrating my safe arrival in Stockholm this evening with something appropriate:


----------



## Mahlerian

So just now, I listened to:


TurnaboutVox said:


> Gustav Mahler
> Thomas Hampson (Baritone), David Lutz (Piano)
> Thomas Hampson (Baritone), Luciano Berio, Philharmonia Orchestra [Warner Classics, rec. 1992]


....

Stop taking my ideas!

Oh well. Anyway:
Mahler: Early Lieder
Thomas Hampson, David Lutz, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Berio











TurnaboutVox said:


> I've been through my 'new disc of the week' twice this morning (I may bleed Mahler by now). Thomas Hampson and Daniel Lutz are delicate and persuasive in Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen, the early Drei Lieder and a selection from 'Lieder und Gesange'. I can see me playing this often.
> 
> I'm not sure I'm entirely convinced by Luciano Berio's orchestration of 11 of the 'Gesange'. Still, it's interesting to hear them. Performances and recording are exemplary, needless to say.


I agree. Berio's orchestration, although it takes cues from Mahler, is not anywhere near as refined or varied in sonority.



TurnaboutVox said:


> So what have I learned? That Mahler wrote a lot of first class music, often very subtle, complex, beautifully orchestrated and powerfully evocative. I need to get to know Symphonies 6, 7 and 9 rather better, and I need (a first world problem, I know) a modern recording of Das Lied von der Erde.


Mahler's later symphonies (and I include the 8th here, although it seems to have a bad reputation on CM forums) tend to be harder to get to know, but it's entirely worth it. Glad you've taken the time to explore so fully!


----------



## Oskaar

*Actor: Saxophone Concerto*

*Debra Richtmeyer (saxophone), Karol Nitran (horn)

Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kirk Trevor*









Just fantastic!

links (Variable reviews, but I found it quite solid, also the works.)

amazon
classicalmodernmusic.
arkivmusic
musicweb-international


----------



## lupinix

Milhaud harp concerto


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mahlerian said:


> Mahler's later symphonies (and I include the 8th here, although it seems to have a bad reputation on CM forums) tend to be harder to get to know, but it's entirely worth it. Glad you've taken the time to explore so fully!


Yes, it has been a considerable pleasure over these last 6-8 weeks or so. I really don't know symphonies 6, 7 and 9 at all well as I'm prone to accumulating discs at a faster rate than I can really 'digest' them. (There are 23 waiting for me now, for instance).

Currently listening to:

*Schubert - Late string quartets

No. 14 in D minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden"
No. 13 in A minor, D. 804 "Rosamunde"
No. 12 in C minor, D. 703 "Quartettsatz"*

Quartetto Italiano [Philips, now Decca, rec. 1965]

I have finally obtained decent FLAC files of these (the surfaces of my D. 804/D87 and D. 887 LPs are terrible) so I'm giving these old-friends-in-a-new-form a listen. It's great to hear D. 804 without the familiar 'snap, crackle and pop'.

Edit: Hmmmph. Spoke too soon - D. 804 is missing its final chord!!!

Here's the original LP cover, since downloaded FLACs (even legal ones) don't have cover art


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Mass in C minor*
> 
> View attachment 34097


What a coincidence! I was about to post:










Hard to have more fun than this responsibly, let alone safely, let alone legally, let alone ethically.


----------



## hpowders

Love the wonderful Mozart Great Mass in C Minor.
Just more evidence that nobody wrote as well for female solo voices as Mozart.


----------



## GGluek

Bach's "Super Bowl" Cantata.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sorry to sidetrack. Carry on.[/QUOTE]

If I fundamentally judged buying a CD by quality of the cover art, then I'd have less than half the CD's I currently have.


----------



## senza sordino

*Britten String Quartet #2* Takacs Quartet. A recent purchase.

*Philip Glass String Quartet #4 "Buczak"* Kronos Quartet. I like the minimalism.

*Faure Piano Quintets #1 & #2* Domus. I much prefer the second quintet, more interesting, more melodic. Reading the liner notes that the second was dedicated to Paul Dukas, finished in 1921, and composed while eased out of his professorship because of near deafness.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Andolink said:


> *Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 71 no. 1_
> The Salomon Quartet
> View attachment 34054
> 
> 
> *Ralph Vaughan Williams*: _Symphony No. 9 in E minor_
> Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
> View attachment 34055


The sonic-engineering punch and red-blooded reading of the Handley RVW Sixth just 'blows doors' on other claimants to the throne.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Suk - solo piano works









pleasant enough but not the most memorable pair of discs on my shelves .... although I'm open to being persuaded that they have qualities that I may have overlooked


----------



## Oskaar

*Dittersdorf, Vanhal & Hoffmeister: Double Bass Concertos*

Recorded: Simon Bolivar Concert Hall, Caracas, Venezuela Sept 28 - Oct 3, 2009

Dittersdorf:	
Violone Concerto No. 1

Hoffmeister:	
Violone Concerto No. 1

Vanhal:	
Double Bass Concerto in D major

*Edicson Ruiz (double bass)

Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, Christian Vasquez*









Highly classical periode music, with a lot of elegane. Great performance,and the sound is amazing!

links

arkivmusic

amazon

prestoclassics


----------



## Itullian

A great Sunday listen.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1873 version)
Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Young


----------



## Guest

I'm working my way through this massive 19-disc set of the complete works. While it takes some getting used to hearing these on proper period instruments as opposed to massive gothic organs that were the norm for me, these Silbermann organs have amazing clarity, no doubt in part due to Aeolus' superb engineering. Excellent performances, too.


----------



## Oskaar

* The Second Viennese School *

Arnold SCHOENBERG (1874-1951) 
String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7 (1905) [43:19]
String Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor, Op. 10 (1908) [29:14] 
String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30 (1927) [30:21]
String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37 (1936) [31:50] 
String Quartet in D major (1897) [21:35]

Anton WEBERN (1883-1945) 
Five Movements for string quartet, Op. 5 (1909) [10:23] 
String Quartet (1905) [12:05] 
Six Bagatelles for string quartet, Op. 9 (1911-13) [3:51] 
String Quartet, Op. 28 (1938) [8:10]

Alban BERG (1885-1935) 
Lyric Suite for string quartet (1926) [27:14] 
String Quartet, Op. 3 (1910) [18:34] 
Margaret Price (soprano) (Schoenberg 2) 
LaSalle Quartet (Walter Levin, Henry Meyer (violins); Peter Kamnitzer (viola); Jack Kirstein (cello)) 
rec. March 1968-March 1970, Pienansaal der Akademie der Wissenschaften, Munich. ADD









Remarkingly good sound considering the rec. dates. Stunning performances, and I am in the string quartet mood, so I will enjoy 4 houres wit this reccording. The first SCHOENBERG quartet is very good (String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7 (1905) [43:19])

links

amazon
arkivmusic
music web international (different cower)


----------



## BillT

Can I list live music in this thread?

Last night we heard the SF Symphony play "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" with Daniil Trifonov -- and other pieces. OK, I'm guilty -- I REALLY liked the war-horse! There is such a beautiful melody about 2/3 of the way through, as well as many other compelling variations. I also liked the Stravinsky piece.

To my non-expert ear, I felt that there was a bit of hesitation about the intonation from the orchestra. Is this possible, especially since it was a guest conductor? How much does a guest conductor rehearse the orchestra? 

The program was:

Sibelius
Night Ride and Sunrise

Rachmaninoff
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Stravinsky
Symphonies of Wind Instruments

Sibelius
Symphony No. 6


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 4 in D Major; No. 6 in A Major; No. 2 in C Major
(The London Haydn Quartet).









Excellent HIP performances. Very happy with this set.


----------



## Jos

H.I.F. Biber, 15 sonatas actually and one piece for violinsolo. Religious music, very solemn but misses the sparkle of Corelli.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphonies 7 - 9, w. HvK (rec.1989), Jochum (rec.1964), Jochum (rec.1978).

View attachment 34118
View attachment 34119
View attachment 34120


----------



## neoshredder

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony 3 conducted by Mariss Jansons
http://www.amazon.com/Sym-3-P-I-Tch...91367324&sr=1-10&keywords=tchaikovsky+jansons


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> The sonic-engineering punch and red-blooded reading of the Handley *RVW Sixth *just 'blows doors' on other claimants to the throne.


Then you haven't heard A. Davis' (Teldec, rec.1990).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler 3- Abbado, Lucerne Festival Orchestra*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

BillT said:


> Can I list live music in this thread?


I don't see why not as it's just as much 'Current listening' as a recording heard earlier that day. I did it last night with the BBC Phil. concert in Manchester, and I've done it before without anyone objecting


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to a performance by the "Duo d'Accord" (Lucia Huang and Sebastian Euler) of their 4-hand piano arrangement of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge.

In addition, I just read a fascinating essay by Alex Ross about his brief perusal of the autograph manuscript of Beethoven's own piano transcription of the work.

http://www.therestisnoise.com/2006/01/beethovens_gros.html

I'd like to have some recordings of Beethoven's seldom-discussed opus 134.


----------



## neoshredder

Kontrapunctus said:


> I'm working my way through this massive 19-disc set of the complete works. While it takes some getting used to hearing these on proper period instruments as opposed to massive gothic organs that were the norm for me, these Silbermann organs have amazing clarity, no doubt in part due to Aeolus' superb engineering. Excellent performances, too.


You are a better man than I. I tried Bach's Organ Works. It doesn't take long for me to get ear fatigue. But I might give it another try. But Bach is so consistently loud with the Organ. I can see the comparisons to heavy metal.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Knight's Charge!- Nick Phoenix, Two Steps From Hell*














That CHORUS!!!!

I saw this this past June up at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was just absolutely galvanizing.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Jos said:


> View attachment 34117
> 
> 
> H.I.F. Biber, 15 sonatas actually and one piece for violinsolo. Religious music, very solemn but misses the sparkle of Corelli.


Oh no. Biber doesn't miss anything... although I can't speak for this particular recording. The Mystery or Rosary Sonatas are absolutely astounding works of the Baroque... especially performed by John Holloway, Andrew Manze, or Elizabeth Wallfisch:






Corelli... Vivaldi, and others may have more "sparkle"... but this isn't a music about "sparkle".


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Enter the Star Gate: Two Steps From Hell*






0:45-1:30






-- Only to be played when you're going on a road trip with your friends, all espresso'ed out, going faster than 120 mph; like yesterday. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## neoshredder

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Oh no. Biber doesn't miss anything... although I can't speak for this particular recording. The Mystery or Rosary Sonatas are absolutely astounding works of the Baroque... especially performed by John Holloway, Andrew Manze, or Elizabeth Wallfisch:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Corelli... Vivaldi, and others may have more "sparkle"... but this isn't a music about "sparkle".


Yeah it's not supposed to be like Corelli. Different styles imo. Corelli has more in common with the late Baroque period.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*"Belle Island" at BBC Proms*






. . . they also do "Invincible" from Two Steps From Hell at 07:20.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*"To Glory"- Two Steps From Hell*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*"Birth of a Hero"- Two Steps From Hell*

. . . a la Howard Shore in LOTR mode:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

TurnaboutVox said:


> I don't see why not as it's just as much 'Current listening' as a recording heard earlier that day. I did it last night with the BBC Phil. concert in Manchester, and I've done it before without anyone objecting


Roll 'em, TurnaboutVox. Less than all can't satisfy Blair.


----------



## neoshredder

Bach's style adapts so well to metal. Great electric guitar cover.


----------



## Guest

neoshredder said:


> You are a better man than I. I tried Bach's Organ Works. It doesn't take long for me to get ear fatigue. But I might give it another try. But Bach is so consistently loud with the Organ. I can see the comparisons to heavy metal.


I'm listening to a disc a week or so, not for 19 consecutive days! My plan is to listen to the major Preludes/Toccatas/Fantasias and Fugues first, then the Choral Partitas/Fantasias, then the smaller Chorals.


----------



## SimonNZ

neoshredder said:


> You are a better man than I. I tried Bach's Organ Works. It doesn't take long for me to get ear fatigue. But I might give it another try. But Bach is so consistently loud with the Organ. I can see the comparisons to heavy metal.


Have you tried the Trio Sonatas? They're among the gentlest works Bach wrote.

playing now:










Pachelbel chamber works - The London Baroque


----------



## neoshredder

SimonNZ said:


> Have you tried the Trio Sonatas? They're among the gentlest works Bach wrote.
> 
> playing now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pachelbel chamber works - The London Baroque


I've listened to plenty of Bach. But the organ works were the toughest for me. I don't mind heavy music. But that was a bit much for me. I'll check those out though. Thanks for the recommendation.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Neoshredder: Bach's style adapts so well to metal. Great electric guitar cover.

I'm in deeply-moved agreement.

Like with his bourrée:






I love the harmonic at 0:16.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Liszt: Dante Symphony. . . With HD Dore Etchings*














I'm drowning in eye candy with the pan-and-scan Dore etchings accompanying the music.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bach's Trio Sonatas as recommended. 
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Trio-Son...=1391372351&sr=1-3&keywords=bach+trio+sonatas


----------



## Bas

George Frederic Handel - Organ Concerts HWV 295, HWV 296, HWV 287, HWV 343b, HWV 304
By Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], La divina Armonia, on Passacaille








George Frederic Handel - Organ Concertos opus 4
By La divina Armonia, Lorenzo Ghielmi [organ], on Passacaille


----------



## DavidA

Bach St Matthew Passion - Jacobs' new recording.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Dallapiccola & Petrassi: Chamber Music (MODE). *Ensemble Dissonanzen; Claudio Lugo, cond; Cristina Zavalloni, mezzo-soprano. At this moment, it's* Dallapiccola's Parole di S. Paolo (1964)* for mezzo-soprano, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, viola, cello, harp, percussion, piano/celesta.

This is an Italian ensemble, and it's always a good thing when Russians play Russian music, Americans play American music, and so on. In this case, Italians playing Italian music. This is a wonderful piece by Dallapiccola. The mezzo-soprano, harp, percussion (including vibraphone and marimba), and celeste create a very modern "Boulezian" ensemble. The mezzo-soprano seems to resonate sympathetically with the bell-like metallophone, celesta, harp, and plucked strings, and creates a very vibrant space, sounding Webern-like in its angular vocal melodies, and reminding one of Pli selon pli.

I hear repeats of phrases often in Dallapiccola, so I wonder what liberties he has taken with the method to make him one of the most beloved 12-tone composers. It's a thing I have about "cheating," so perhaps I should cut him some slack. But this repetition is more glaringly apparent in Dallapiccola's *Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera (1952). *This is the piano version (an orchestrated version is also available), and according to the liner notes, is dodecaphonic and uses a tone row. So what's with the repeated ostinato figures in the bass? No wonder Dallapiccola is a most beloved serialist, this sounds downright tonal in places. I await Mahlerian's "I told you so" response.

Supposedly he wrote this after the fascism thing in Italy had been quashed, so it's a triumph of degenerate art, and there will always be some degenerates like me who will listen to it and love it. Highly recommended to those who can tolerate this sort of dissonance, which is probably a minority, so that proves that its not worthy, right? I'm being sarcastic.


----------



## SimonNZ

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Bach's Trio Sonatas as recommended.
> http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Trio-Son...=1391372351&sr=1-3&keywords=bach+trio+sonatas


Cool. That recording is unusual in that E Power Biggs is playing a pedal harpischord.

If you'd like a recommended organ recording here's Marie-Claire Alain:


----------



## KenOC

Telemann: 12 Fantasias For Flute, Jed Wentz. Not familiar with these. My impression is that you have to be a pretty devoted listener!


----------



## Ingélou

DavidA said:


> Bach St Matthew Passion - Jacobs' new recording.


I notice that Taggart* has liked this - I would too, except I'd feel hypocritical, given my thread 'Unworthy', in which I explain that we're not buying tickets for St-M-P! 

I am listening to Lully's suite from 'Alceste', conducted by Jordi Savall.
:tiphat: Thanks to PetrB for introducing us to Jordi Savall. There may be a chance for us to go to one of his concerts later in the year...


----------



## LancsMan

*A Song for Francesca - Music in Italy 1330-1430* Gothic Voices directed by Christopher Page on hyperion.

I only have a small collection of medieval music but I must admit I find the piquant harmonies, and the precise nature of the music quite enthralling.

Particularly wonderful is the anonymous motet 'O regina seculi', rather more sonorous than the other pieces, and possibly showing the English influence (from a time when the English 'sweet' style - lets have some thirds -influenced many musicians on the continent). The CD notes wonder if this could be by the great Burgundian composer of the period - Guillaume Dufay, who was influenced by the English sonorous style. Beautiful.

Also 'Plaindre m'estuet' by Hugo de Latins has a refined melancholy that I also really enjoy. And in a similar mood is the anonymous 'Confort d'amours'.

All told this is a great CD!


----------



## ptr

Still in a Messiaen state of mind...

*Olivier Messiaen* - "Complete" Organ Works (DG)









Olivier Latry, organ

..been working my ears through this splendid set the last day's and yet again my awe for Latry's interpretations just rise like a lark through the skies!

/ptr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Egon Wellsz, Symphony No. 7*

Wellsz sure has a varied symphonic output.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler IX: Adagio, Barbirolli/BPO*














So erhaben.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Baroque Music Of Bologna" - Ivor Bolton, cond.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Schubert - Piano Works for Four Hands (Vol 1) - preparation for a busy week ahead









Oh, I wish that I could play the piano and sit next to an elegant lady and make magnificent music like this - sigh!


----------



## LancsMan

*Dunstable: Sacred music* Orlando Consort on Metronome.

Very satisfying disc of John Dunstable's sacred music. An English composer of international influence in his own time. Perhaps music that is less immediately appealing than some other early music, but it has grown on me.

My main criticism of the CD are the detailed accompanying notes - which have got rather dog eared after being forced into and out of the CD case too many times!


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Finlandia (Ashkenazy), Symphony No. 4 (Maazel), 6 (Berglund/Helsinki).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

For Lou Harrison's death day, Robert Hughes conducting Lucy Chapman Stoltzman and Keith Jarrett in the Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra.


----------



## cagerty

Really enjoying this CD. Beautiful music I have only recently discovered.


----------



## BillT

cagerty said:


> View attachment 34139
> 
> 
> Really enjoying this CD. Beautiful music I have only recently discovered.


Bought. Thanks for the recommendation.

- Bill


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 in E Flat, Op.74

Cleveland Quartet: William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violins -- James Dunham, viola -- Paul Katz, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux, Mystiere de l'instant*


----------



## LancsMan

*The Service of Venus and Mars: Music for the Knights of the Garter 1340-1440* Gothic Voices directed by Christopher Page on hyperion.

More Medieval music from Christopher Page and Gothic Voices.

This disc gets off to a vigorous start with Philippe de Vitry's 'Gratissima virginis' in that typical jerky medieval rhythm and harmony. There's more of a similar vein to follow.

But then a change in style - the quite simple and beautiful anonymous carol 'Lullay, Lullay', sung by a single voice.

This is followed by Pycard's 'Gloria' - a sonorous canon - a medieval masterpiece and probably my favourite track on the CD.

There's more fine carols, such as 'Ther is no rose of swych virtu' and The Agincourt carol, plus courtly songs of a more melancholy nature, and a little medieval harp thrown in.

Well these are some of the highlights of a splendid disc.


----------



## Guest

They have been called the "successors to the Quartetto Italiano"--maybe, just maybe. The sound has stunning presence.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825): Trio Concertante in C Major, Op.26, No.2

Trio Tourte: Nicola Guidetti, flute -- Emanuele Benefenati, violin -- Loris Dal Bo, viola


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Recently, I have been fleshing out my collection of Mozart's chamber works. I recently picked up this collection of the flute quartets featuring Arthur Grumiaux... one of my favorite violinists. Among the works that I "upgraded" to better recordings were the string quartets. I was thinking of doing the same with the string quintets... only to discover that in spite of the cheesy cover, the performance I had (and haven't listened to in years) was also by Arthur Grumiaux.










These flute quartets, by the way, are brilliant and charming works.


----------



## Wantage

Bloch: Voice in the Wilderness


----------



## bejart

Franz Anton Dimmler (1753-1827): Clarinet Concerto in B Flat

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester -- Karl Schlechta, clarinet


----------



## Guest

Great playing let down by overly bright/pingy piano tone.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Impromptus On A Theme By Clara Wieck, Op. 5 -- Peter Frankl

Schubert: String Quartet #8 in B Flat, D 112 -- Melos Quartet

Bellini: I Capuleti E I Montecchi -- Anna Netrebko, Elīna Garanča; Fabio Luisi: Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Singakademie

Bach, C.P.E.: Cello Concerto in B Flat, Wq 171/H 436 -- Gustav Leonhardt: Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Debussy: Pelléas Et Mélisande -- Charles Dutoit: Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Moved on to disc two... the Mozart clarinet quintet... one of my absolute favorite pieces... and Schubert's string quintet.


----------



## senza sordino

My listening while renovating / decorating
*Brahms Symphonies #3 & 4* Charles Mackerras and Scottish Chamber Orchestra
*Mahler Symphony #1* Bernstein and Concertgebouworest Amsterdam
*Shostokovich Symphonies #1 &3* Petrenko with Liverpool Phil


----------



## dgee

All this talk of Renee Fleming...









The Messaien is the star of the show, the Dutilleux is heaps of fun and although the Ravel doesn't completely do it for me it has a couple of lovely moments


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ballet Russes Redivivus: Narcisse et Echo*









The opening of this with the chorus is unbelievably lovely:






Tcherepnin in Daphne-et-Chloe Mode. . . note for note. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Okay, 'snark' button off.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Pacifica Quartet performing Elliott Carter's string quartets.


----------



## opus55

Penderecki: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Penderecki: Symphony No. 3


I thought Scorcese's employment of the Passacaglia from Penderecki's Third Symphony in Shudder Island was masterful.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*William Alwyn: Lyra Angelia On Ice*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 3*









I love those first and third movements.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*William Mathias: Lux Aeterna*









Talk about dragon slayers with a penchant for the sublime!

That opening in the Dies Irae is. . . <spondaically> AWE-SOME!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Arthur Grumiaux and Arpad Gerecz, violins -- Georges Janzer and Max Lesueur, violas -- Eva Czako, cello


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Franz Anton Dimmler (1753-1827): Clarinet Concerto in B Flat


Dimmler? DIMMLER? Bejart, I know there's still hope. I'm sure there is. Now I want you to start with the "A"s. Take all your Abel recordings, put them in a bag, head for the nearest Goodwill store... Together, we can beat this thing! :lol:


----------



## SimonNZ

Sylvius Leopold Weiss lute works - Jakob Lindberg, 1590 Rauwolf lute


----------



## SimonNZ

KenOC said:


> Dimmler? DIMMLER? Bejart, I know there's still hope. I'm sure there is. Now I want you to start with the "A"s. Take all your Abel recordings, put them in a bag, head for the nearest Goodwill store... Together, we can beat this thing! :lol:


And I'll help you get rid of all those nasty Manheim School box sets that seem to be breeding and are cluttering your house to the point of frustration. Its what a friend would do.


----------



## bejart

I'm certainly glad that I have such thoughtful, obviously worried friends as KenOC and SimonNZ who are willing to sponsor an intervention and remove all my temptations in one fell swoop. Gentlemen, I am deeply touched by your concern for my well being. However, I think I'm content to wallow in my 'Obscure Composer' addiction, at least for the foreseeable future.

Now ---
John Field (1782-1837): Nocturne No.10 in E Minor

Miceal O'Rourke, piano


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for String in C major
Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri


----------



## SimonNZ

Following my own advice:

Bach's Trio Sonatas - Marie-Claire Alain, organ

from the second of her _three_ integrales of Bach's organ works


----------



## MaxB

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Van Cliburn) Symphony No. 4. (Royal Philharmonic)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

SimonNZ said:


> Following my own advice:
> 
> Bach's Trio Sonatas - Marie-Claire Alain, organ
> 
> from the second of her _three_ integrales of Bach's organ works


Weird cover - isn't it better just to take a nice photo of a real organ instead of plastering fake organ tubes on photoshop? Oh well .

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 9, Op. 15 (Arthur Rubinstein).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 71 No. 1 in B-flat Major (Kodály Quartet).









This Kodály disc is just filled with energy. It's becoming one of my favourite Haydn quartet records.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven, Meyerbeer and Spohr lieder - Anne Sophie Von Otter, mezzo, Melvyn Tan, fortepiano

edit: now, on the radio:

Bruch's Concerto For Clarinet And Viola - Ludmila Peterková, clarinet, Alexander Besa, viola, Jirí Belohlávek, cond.










edit: now Bax's Symphony No.4 - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Liszt's Les Preludes - Marialena Fernandes and Ranko Markovic, piano duet

edit: now Fasch's Bassoon Sonata - Epoca Barocca










edit: Villa-Lobos' String Quartet No.1 - Cuarteto Latinoamericano


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Stamitz symphonies - Donald Armstrong, cond.

since bejart has proven too clever to fall for my ruse to pry his prized possessions from him, I'm forced to make do with Naxos recordings on the radio of these


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in D major, Op. 71 no. 2_
The Salomon String Quartet








*Henri Duttilleux*: _Ainsi la Nuit_ for string quartet (1976)
Arditti String Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: _Divertimento No. 5 in D major, Hob. X:1_ and _Divertimento No. 6 in A major, Hob. X:6_
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot








*Joseph Haydn*: _Keyboard Sonata No. 35 in A flat major, Hob. XVI:43_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## bejart

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Sinfonia in G Major, RV 149

Andrew Manze leading the Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## ptr

..still!

*Olivier Messiaen* - Homage á (DG)









Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

*Olivier Messiaen* - Harawi - Chant d´amour et de mort (Dominique)









Annika Skoglund, mezzo & Carl-Axel Dominique, piano

*Olivier Messiaen* - Poemes pour Mi / Les offrandes oubliees / Un sourire (Naxos)









Anne Schwanewilms, soprano; Orchestre National de Lyon u. Jun Märkl

/ptr


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *Symphony no. 2 in D major*

Karajan/BPO

Excellent finale.


----------



## Bas

Gaetano Donizetti - Maria Stuarda
Joan Sutherland [soprano], Huguette Tourangeau [mezzo], Luciano Pavarotti [tenor], Orchestra e coro del Teatro Communale di Bologna, Richard Bonynge [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Bas: Joan Sutherland [soprano], Huguette Tourangeau [mezzo], Luciano Pavarotti [tenor], Orchestra e coro del Teatro Communale di Bologna, Richard Bonynge [dir.], on Decca.









En pointe, on the edge of my seat. Singing thrilling beyond belief. . . I love the exchanging of insults scene too between Sutherland and Tourangeau. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Burkhard - Concert Overture "Der Schuss von der Kanzel" (composer/label? your guess is a good as mine)
Hovhaness - Khaldis (Masselos/Heliodor)
Piston - Symphony No. 8 (Mester/Louisville)*


----------



## Vaneyes

Brahms: String Sextets and Quintets, w. Raphael Ens. (rec. 1988 - '95); Clarinet Quintet, w. De Peyer/Melos Ens. (rec.1964).

View attachment 34170
View attachment 34171
View attachment 34172


----------



## Guest

Beethoven. Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 55
Andrew Manze

Shubert, Octet in F
Mulloa Ensemble


----------



## Orfeo

*Sir Arnold Bax*
Symphonic Variations for Piano & Orchestra
-Margaret Fingerhut w/the London Philharmonic cond. by: Bryden Thomson.

*Sir Eugene Goossens*
Phantasy Concerto for Piano & Orchestra
-Howard Shelley w/ the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra cond. by: Richard Hickox.

*Herbert Howells*
Piano Concerto no. I
-Howard Shelley w/ the BBC Symphony Orchestra cond. by: Richard Hickox.

*John Ireland*
Piano Concerto
-Eric Parkin w/ the London Philharmonic cond. by: Bryden Thomson.

*George Lloyd*
Piano Concerto no. IV
-Kathryn Scott w/ the London Symphony Orchestra cond. by: George Lloyd.

*Joseph Marx*
Romantic Concerto
-David Lively w/ the Bochum Symphony Orchestra cond. by: Steven Slone.

*Erland Von Koch*
Nordic Capriccio & Symphony no. II
-Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra cond. by: B. Tommy Andersson


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Excerpts from *12 Songs for Guitar*, *Litany - In Memory of Michael Vyner -* (for piano), *Orion* (for cello and piano), *Distance de Fee* (for violin and piano), *Entre-temps* (for oboe and string quartet)








Norio Satoh, guitar
Kaori Kimura, piano
Rieko Suzuki, Katsuya Matsubara, violins
Kiyo Kido, viola
Kenichiro Yasuda, cello
Hiroshi Shibayama, oboe

The 12 songs for guitar was a collection of popular songs Takemitsu arranged in the 70s. As nice as the arrangements are, I can't imagine wanting to listen to the whole thing in one sitting without any breaks; this series splits them up over several discs. Orion and Entre-temps date from Takemitsu's "late style" in the 1980s, while Distance de Fee and Litany are both revisions of early works from the 50s, neither hiding their obvious direct influence from Messiaen.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Dallapiccola's* birthday.

View attachment 34173


----------



## Mahlerian

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor "Scotch"
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Maag


----------



## Bas

Italian Baroque Cello Music "La nascita del Violincello" (Vitali, Gebrielli, Jacchini)
By Bruno Cocset [cello], Les Basses Réunies, on agOgique









After that I'll go for:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K 481, K 526, K 547
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Kreutzer Sonata no. 9 in A, no. 4 in Am, no. 5 in F, no. 10 in G
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## julianoq

Nielsen's Violin Concerto performed by Vilde Frang.


----------



## moody

Mahlerian said:


> Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor "Scotch"
> London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Maag


This has become fairly legendary---it's the best !!!


----------



## Mister Man

Franz Liszt's "Les préludes".


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 5.*

The second movement is interesting; a steady pulse contrasted with a melody which pulls against it, then moments of no pulse at all, like it's shifting between being in time and outside of time.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Kontrapunctus said:


> They have been called the "successors to the Quartetto Italiano"--maybe, just maybe. The sound has stunning presence.


They are playing in Lancaster on Thursday - Kreisler String Quartet, Schubert's Death and the Maiden. Rather a long way for you to travel, but is 5 mins away for me.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder- Sinopoli Bruckner









The Bruckner-edition thing is kind of like the 'Strauss' thing with me, mutatis mutandis: 'Richard before Johann'; except in this case its 'Haas over Nowak.'

I like Sinopoli, I just wish he would have done the Haas version and not the Nowak.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Atterberg: Symphonies 2 & 8*









Splendid music to work or read to.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Shostakovich - Lady Macbeth - Rostropovich









Wow!!! Powerful stuff. I'm not sure 'enjoy' is the verb I'd use to describe listening to this as I found it pretty grim going throughout and I'm not sure I will be taking it off the shelf and listening to it very often, but it is rather good ... and certainly worth experiencing (and following along with the libretto unless your Russian is good). Makes you wonder what we have missed out on - it was his second and last attempt at opera becasue of the well-known criticism it received from those close to Stalin


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit: Shostakovich - Lady Macbeth - Rostropovich:

". . . it is rather good ... and certainly worth experiencing (and following along with the libretto unless your Russian is good). Makes you wonder what we have missed out on. . ."I haven't heard this in ages. Perhaps I need to rediscover and reassess. -- Thanks.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Vaughan Williams: Hodie Cantada*









Hickox really pulls a Rozsa-style rabbit out of his hat with the Three Kings March.

Magnificent.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Schubert - Mass D452; Salve Regina D676; Tantum Ergo D750 - Chor & Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks - Wolfgang Sawallisch









I don't know these well - they were hidden in the dozens of Schubert discs that I listen to regularly so I thought it about time that I gave them another airing .... and I'm glad I did. There''s a cracking line-up of soloists on these discs and they are played, sung and conducted with real enthusiasm and committment. A very pleasant way of spending an hour


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> Headphone Hermit: Shostakovich - Lady Macbeth - Rostropovich:
> 
> ". . . it is rather good ... and certainly worth experiencing (and following along with the libretto unless your Russian is good). Makes you wonder what we have missed out on. . ."I haven't heard this in ages. Perhaps I need to rediscover and reassess. -- Thanks.


I strongly recommend you chose a two-hour slot when you are feeling positive about life and when you will have a little time to recover your equilibrium - dirty dealings are delivered dramatically and down-to-earth throughout


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Scriabin

Prelude in B Major, Op. 11, No. 11
Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 16, No. 2
Fragilite, Op. 51, No. 1
Etude in F-sharp Major, Op. 42, No. 3
Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 11, No. 1
Feuillet d'album, Op. 45, No. 1
Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 11, No. 15
Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 11, No. 12
Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 22, No. 1
Poeme, Op. 32, No. 1 
Sonata No. 4, Op.30
Prelude in A Major, Op. 15, No. 1
Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 11, No. 10
Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 42, No. 5
Prelude, Op. 74, No. 2
Guirlandes, Op. 73, No. 1
Prelude, Op. 74, No. 3
Feuillet d'album, Op. 58, No. 1
Poeme, Op. 59, No. 1
Prelude in B Major, Op. 16, No. 1
Etude, Op. 65, No. 3
Masque, Op. 63, No. 1
Prelude, Op. 67, No. 2
Flammes sombres, Op. 73, No. 2
Prelude, Op. 74, No. 5
Sonata No. 10, Op. 70
Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 17, No. 6
Poeme, Op. 71, No. 2
Prelude in B-flat Minor Op. 37, No. 1
Vers la Flamme, Op. 72*

as Amazon would have it:

Performer: Alexander Scriabin
Composer: Christopher O'Riley
(The Amazon website is _hopeless_ with classical music)

[CD Baby, rec. 2000] (on Spotify)









I thought I'd have a listen to some Scriabin since his 4th piano sonata has been nominated in the 'Classical Music Project' currently. I'll reserve judgement until I've had time to hear more and consider. It's all a chromatic 'wash' of notes at the moment.

Goodness me, but opinion amongst Amazon revewers is very mixed on this disc. I can't comment on alternative performances (Sofronitsky is mentioned more than once) but the sound quality is peculiar with too much reverb. Not without a certain poetry, though.


----------



## Blancrocher

I've had Schubert on my mind lately because of his birthday anniversary--at the moment, I'm enjoying a listen to Richter playing the "Gasteiner" Sonata. Later, I intend to try a first listen to Mackerras's recording of the 8th, which has Newbold's completion.

*p.s.* Glad to see you're on the same page, Headphone Hermit!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Vladimir Horowitz: Grammofono 2000 Re-engineers From the 1930's*









The SOUND on this incarnation of Horowitz performances from the thirties is AMAZING sounding (given that the substrate was a 78 rpm record). No cracks. No hiss. No pop.

Beethoven's "Thirty-two Variations in C Minor" never sounded so Olympian: the high, biting treble; the thunderous bass; the impeccable CONTROL.

SO MUCH fun.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher: I'm enjoying an umpteenth listen to Richter playing the "Gasteiner" Sonata. 

I NEED THIS RICHTER!!!! I don't have it. I thank you with a humble and contrite heart for NOT having it.

Thanks.


----------



## Blancrocher

Marschallin Blair said:


> I NEED THIS RICHTER!!!! I don't have it.




This isn't one of Richter's better-recorded Schubert sonatas, dating I believe from 1956. But Richter always had a magical way with this composer, and poetry and intelligence shine through.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Headphone Hermit said:


> They are playing in Lancaster on Thursday - Kreisler String Quartet, Schubert's Death and the Maiden. Rather a long way for you to travel, but is 5 mins away for me.


Wish I'd known that - it would have been worth the short hop from P_, but I really need to be at home on Thursday night before a trip away at the weekend.

Do enjoy, if you go, and I'll be expecting a report on my desk at 9 o'clock sharp on Monday morning!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher- This isn't one of Richter's better-recorded Schubert sonatas, dating I believe from 1956. But Richter always had a magical way with this composer, and poetry and intelligence shine through. 

Thanks for the forewarning. :O

I can handle execrable sound with Richter though. . . because it's Richter.


----------



## Mahlerian

Copland: Short Symphony
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Copland









The technical challenges of this work apparently made it unplayable when it was written in the 30s. Although Copland's early and late works are considered "difficult", I've never quite understood why they haven't caught on very well. After all, they are very clearly the work of the same composer who wrote the popular ballet scores of the "New Deal" era. The Short Symphony (in three movements, played without a break) is one of my favorite works of any of his periods.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp minor, 'Moonlight'; 
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, 'Pathétique' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Symphony 34 in C Major*









The way Mackerras does the sprightly opening of this symphony?-- with unrivaled elan?-- is just wonderful.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Piano Quartets, w. Angelich, the Capucons, Causse (rec.2007); Violin Sonatas, w. Osostowicz & Tomes (rec.1990).

View attachment 34197
View attachment 34198


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Jazz on 3
Medeski Martin and Wood

Jez Nelson presents a gig performed at Ronnie Scott's by the trio Medeski Martin and Wood.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 11*









I never knew "lighter than air" could be "hotter than fire."


----------



## Itullian

A curiously overlooked very good Lohengrin in fantastic sound.


----------



## Weston

Many of you folks are so far out in left field lately you no longer register in my peripheral vision.


----------



## whiteroses

whiteroses said:


> I listened to the radio broadcast of this BSO concert and what I heard was competent, unburnished and spirited musicmaking that sounded as if the musicians enjoyed what they were doing. I loved the sparkle in the Prokofiev and made me re-discover Schumann whose music I seem to appreciate more in my more mature years. It made me more brave to invest in a ticket to see Mr Kavakos conduct a similar programme with the Orchestre Phil de Radio France later this month in Paris. Mozart 3, Prokofiev Classic, Schubert 9. Mr Kavakos is, without a doubt a top soloist but not easy to watch his unorthodox way of conducting which detracts from the listening pleasure. But what I heard from that BSO broadcast is quite promising and so is the fact that tickets are sold out weeks before the concert ... fingers crossed then....


I went! I went! I went! And my crossed fingers paid off.....utterly splendid music-making even though the Radio France Phil played the Prok1 on a slower tempo than what the BSO did but the music sparkled all the same....and I could even bear to watch Kavakos conduct. He had complete command of that orchestra and did not need score for the Schubert "Great". He has soul, that man....I think he will become a great conductor one day. My full report on the concert in the Latest Concert thread.! :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Weston said:


> Many of you folks are so far out in left field lately you no longer register in my peripheral vision.


I don't understand what you mean by that. Are you responding to something from a different thread?

playing now:










Liszt and Strauss lieder - Brigitte Fassbaender, contralto, Irwin Gage, piano


----------



## whiteroses

Weston said:


> Many of you folks are so far out in left field lately you no longer register in my peripheral vision.


???? Obviously missed a lot here....


----------



## lupinix

Dvorak symphony 8


----------



## KenOC

From right field: Telemann, "Alster" Overture in F, Patrick Peire with the Collegium Instrumentale Brugense. A nice lot of horns in this one!


----------



## Guest

Easily the best performed and recorded version of "The Ghost" Trio that I have heard.


----------



## KenOC

Britten's Cello Symphony, soloist Raphael Wallfisch with the English Chamber Orchestra, Steuart Bedford cond. A big gnarly piece, very unusual for Britten, with some unforgettable passages.


----------



## Morimur

I didn't cry when my brother died but dammit, I cried when I first heard _"Was I not a little blade of grass? Op.47, No.7."_









_Mussorgsky, Rimsky Korsakov, Tchaikovsky: Songs And Opera Arias CD
Galina Vishnevskaya_


----------



## SimonNZ

John Blow's Venus and Adonis - Anthony Lewis, cond.

I think the catalogue number OL 50004 makes this L'Oiseau-Lyre's second release - after the three discs of Bach's Christmas Oratorio


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> I don't understand what you mean by that. Are you responding to something from a different thread?





whiteroses said:


> ???? Obviously missed a lot here....


Sorry. I didn't mean to be so vague. I meant I've never heard about 60% of the works posted recently and never even heard _of _the composers of another 20 to 30%. Feeling a bit mainstream and unaccustomed to that. But none of that is necessarily a bad thing.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> From right field: Telemann, "Alster" Overture in F, Patrick Peire with the Collegium Instrumentale Brugense. A nice lot of horns in this one!


Thanks! Whew . . .


----------



## KenOC

More Britten: Phantasy Quartet (for Oboe). Pauline Oostenrijk and friends. Mr. Memory says this was composed to win a cash prize awarded anually by an English eccentric for the best piece with "ph" in the title. A lot of "phantasies" were written around this time! (Checked, it was Walter Wilson Cobbett. Bridge, Ireland, and Britten all submitted winning phantasies, although this quartet was not a winner.)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.14 in G Major, Kv 387

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Crosnick, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Weston said:


> Sorry. I didn't mean to be so vague. I meant I've never heard about 60% of the works posted recently and never even heard _of _the composers of another 20 to 30%. Feeling a bit mainstream and unaccustomed to that. But none of that is necessarily a bad thing.


This seems an opportune time to mention how much I've enjoyed an obscure composer I believe I learned about from you, Weston--Jean Cras. Those interested in Alwyn and Bax may also like this album, which I'm putting next on my queue.









http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=651989


----------



## SimonNZ

John Blow's Venus and Adonis - Charles Medlam, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Yet more Britten tonight! Violin Concerto with soloist Lydia Mordkovitch, BBC SO, Hickox conducting. A great piece in a fine performance here. Lydia M also does my favorite version of the DSCH Violin Concerto #1.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert: Winterreise
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Winterreise-Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau/dp/B000001GQE/ref=pd_sim_m_1


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (3 February 1736-1809): Duet No 2 in F Major for Violin and Cello

Maria Zsiri Szabo, violin -- Gyogy Deri, cello


----------



## opus55

Schoenberg: Moses und Aron


----------



## SixFootScowl

Something that I pulled out of my collection for another listen:


----------



## Xavier

http://http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9648/orffdetemporumkarajanzl9.gifhttp://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9648/orffdetemporumkarajanzl9.gif


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Esa-Pekka Salonen: Violin Concerto*














The studio version of the CD of this sounds phenomenal.


----------



## Cosmos

THE HYMN OF PRAISE for Felix' birthday


----------



## Itullian

Concertos 1 and 2.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Cosmos: THE HYMN OF PRAISE for Felix' birthday

Yes.

And concomitantly: the 'hymn of praise' for Claudio Abbado--- for giving us such an exquisite SET of Mendelssohn symphonies.









I love his freewheel-burning approach to the last movement of the Italian Symphony.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Brian Easdale: Red Shoes Ballet Suite*






Wait until you see it with the accompanying breathtaking cinematography by Jack Cardiff on the Criterion Blu-ray of the movie-- which is an exquisite transfer:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Khachaturian: Violin Concerto*









That first MOVEMENT!


----------



## KenOC

John Adams, Gnarly Buttons. The only clarinet concerto I know of with a part for cow. Also it's quite good!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC: John Adams, Gnarly Buttons. The only clarinet concerto I know of with a part for cow. Also it's quite good!

Oh, I've got to hear this. First Esa's sun fish in "Wing on Wing," now Adams' cow in his clarinet concerto.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde


----------



## Mahlerian

Zemlinsky: 12 Lieder, op. 27
Hans Peter Blochwitz, Barbara Bonney, Anne Sophie von Otter


----------



## SimonNZ

"Concertos In Contrast" - Thurston Dart, piano and cond.

concertos by Corelli, Germiniani and A.Scarlatti


----------



## mirepoix

I'm making my first real post on this forum after my first real listen to Mahler's Symphony No. 6.


----------



## SimonNZ

Welcome mirepoix! What were your first impressions of Mahler 6? Which recording did you play?


----------



## Bas

Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in Dm
By Leonidas Kavakos [violin], Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä [dir.], on BIS


----------



## Ingélou

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major op.77

At first, I thought 'this is quite nice' - but the violin's passion is irresistible.


----------



## SimonNZ

Whos recording was that? You've reminded me that I want to hear the Johanna Martzy again.

playing now:










Guido Turchi's Concerto Breve - Quartetto di Venezia


----------



## mirepoix

SimonNZ said:


> Welcome mirepoix! What were your first impressions of Mahler 6? Which recording did you play?


Thanks for the welcome.

Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra. 
I haven't heard much Mahler yet and this CD was a kind gift given to begin to remedy that. Having heard it only once it has left me with an impression of almost a dense sadness. However I did enjoy it - particularly the third movement.


----------



## Ingélou

@Simon - re Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major op.77

With me, it is usually YouTube links, I'm afraid - that's how I find out enough to buy or at least try the different artists. So thanks - I will go looking for Johanna Martzy. 

The violinist on this one, a woman, is apparently 'Sayaka Shoji, the first Japanese and youngest winner at the Paganini Competition in Genoa in 1999'. The orchestra is 'Sinfonieorchester Hamburg'. This sounds fine to me - but hey, what do I know?


----------



## Oskaar

*MOZART, W.A.: Clarinet Concerto / GLIERE, R.: Harp Concerto / KORNGOLD, E.W.: Violin Concerto*

*Manz, Sebastian, clarinet • Meister, Cornelius, Conductor • Renes, Lawrence, Conductor • Ceysson, Emmanuel, harp • Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra • Park, Hyeyoon, violin
*









links

allmusic
arkivmusic
amazon
naxos


----------



## julianoq

Just finished the 7th Symphony, and the third listening on this cycle with Berglund and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Overall I enjoyed this cycle less than I expected. Indeed the reduced size of the orchestra bring some details burdened in the score, but I found the textures too thin in many occasions and that the interpretation lack some punch on crucial moments. I rate this cycle below Berglund's two previous ones (with the HPO and specially with the BSO, that is one of my favorites). I wouldn't recommend to buy it, but is worth a listen if you are in a subscription streaming service.










And now back to my favorite Sibelius cycle, listening to the 6th. I missed you!


----------



## Guest

I'm a huge fan of Bach and I love Baroque, but I don't like the harpsichord much. So I thought I would try listening to these concertos on piano and see if I enjoy them better:








Bach, Keyboard Concertos
Murray Perahia, piano - Academy of Saint-Martin-In-The-Fields


----------



## Vinyl

Bartók: Divertimento
The Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai.
Decca 1962 (Ace of Diamonds 1982 re-issue).


----------



## bejart

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762): Concerto Grosso in D Minor, Op.3, No.4

Thomas Furi directing the Camerata Bern


----------



## Oskaar

*Albert: Symphony, Op. 4 / Seejungfraulein*

*Performer: Anna Kasyan 
Conductor: Hermann Bäumer 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Osnabrucker Symphonieorchester*









links

allmusic
amazon.com
amazon uk
arkivmusic
the guardian
presszentrum (about orchestra and conducter)
music web international


----------



## Vinyl

More Bartók, more Decca, more 1962. 
This time a record on the budget Ace of Clubs label. I have reason to believe it was pressed from the same tapes as the Decca LXT original. Those of you who know about classical vinyl will have deduced by now that this is a mono record, and that it is a very well balanced and well sounding recording nonetheless. 
Julius Katchen plays Bartók's third piano concerto, with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet. 

Quite enjoyable!


----------



## MrTortoise

Plunging deep into the pool of Scriabin. On the recommendation of a few forum members I got the Lettberg complete collection of solo piano works and it is making me very happy. So far I have made it through the 10 Sonatas (had to do a repeat listen on a few), the Mazurkas, and a few juvenilia pieces.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major op.77

At first, I thought 'this is quite nice' - but the violin's passion is irresistible.

"Lady Ingelou, meet Lord-Passion Heifitz":


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Scriabin Etudes*









Lighter-fare Scriabin. . . for waking up. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## MrTortoise

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34231
> 
> 
> Lighter-fare Scriabin. . . for waking up. Ha. Ha. Ha.


LOL, yes, you have very good taste in morning music, if I say so myself (see above). It is certainly the opposite of the usual morning Baroque fair of classical radio!


----------



## science

I haven't checked in for quite a while, so I'll take a few posts here...










I really like this sort of music so it's no surprise that I liked this. Vellard doesn't get the Savall level of hype, but I think he deserves it. Maybe he should make fewer recordings?










I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Until now the only recording of Verdi's Requiem that I've heard was Karajan's, and I didn't enjoy it so much. Was it the recording, or has this work finally broken through my thick skull a bit? Too soon to tell.










My first time with this recording and I was a bit disappointed, especially with my favorite cantata, #82. But I'll try it again. The problem is, no one except Hotter is Hotter, and I just like Hotter's that much. I need to get over that.


----------



## Oskaar

*Chamouard: Symphonie No. 7 & Les rêves de l'ombre *

*Hungarian Symphony Orchestra / Alain Pâris / Orchestre symphonique du Conservatoire de Rouen / Claude Brendel*









link
resmusica In french


----------



## Vinyl

Still on Bartók, my next choice was a 1964 record on the English Fidelio label, which claims to be "The World's Finest Quality Stereophonic Record". No less. This text appears on several of the Fidelio records I have, which suggests to me is should say "records", but hey... Also, the tapes appear to have been stored with the leading end out, because every track starts with a faint "pre-echo", a tell-tale sign of not winding the tape to the end before storing. Not a sign of "The World's Finest...", but that said, this *is* a well sounding record, and it's such a brilliant piece of music!

Bela Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Heinrich Hollreiser. 
Fidelio, 1964

edit: The sound quality craps out at loud levels, and there are a couple of really clumsy edits as well. Not in any way "World's Finest", then.


----------



## Vinyl

More late Bartók. This time so "late" that it required substantial "preparation for publication" after his death. This was done by his pupil and friend Tibor Serly. It is of course the Viola Concerto. 
I don't know when this was recorded, but the record I'm playing was released on Turnabout Records, one of the myriad bargain sub-labels of Decca, in 1971. The record has no details on when it was recorded. It sounds GREAT! 

Bela Bartók: Viola Concerto (Op. Posth.)
Ulrich Koch, Viola
Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg, Alois Stringer
Turnabout, 1971

b/w Piano concerto No. 3
György Sandor, Piano (the first soloist to play the concerto, in 1946)
Pro Musica Orchestra, Vienna, Michael Gielen
edit: quite different from the Katchen recording I heard earlier. Both are good!


----------



## science

Didn't enjoy this quite as much as I expected to. Sure, it's beautiful and interesting and... basically, it's really just _church_.

But then, it was my first time hearing the entire thing, so I'll give it another go of course.


----------



## Orfeo

*Gavrill Popov*
Symphony no. VI "Festive."
-The USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra/Edvard Chivzhel.

*Randall Thompson*
Symphonies nos. I, II, & III.
-The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Schenck.

*David Del Tridici*
Final Alice
-Barbara Hendricks (soprano)
-The Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Sir Georg Solti.

*Paul Creston*
Symphony no. II.
-The Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*J.S. Bach - Flute Sonata in A, BWV 1032 (Rampal/Odyssey)
J.C. Bach - Symphony in B-flat, Op. 3, No. 6 (Marriner/Philips)
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 8 (Serkin/Columbia)
Bizet - L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1 (Martinon/RCA)*


----------



## Vaneyes

*WAM*: Symphony 31, w. ASMF/Marriner (rec.1990); Piano Quartets, w. Zacharias et al (rec.1988).

View attachment 34233
View attachment 34234


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Trondheim Soloists, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Vinyl

Fortinbras Armstrong said:


> Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Trondheim Soloists, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Absolutely brilliant.


Seeing them/her perform it in our local concert hall was pure magic!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Xenakis* death day, February 4, 2001.

View attachment 34235


----------



## Bas

I have a confession to make about the Sibelius: I did not get that music. Did not understand a bit off it, not why it is so special, so highly regarded. It did nothing for me. It was a first listen, I will admit that, but I am not in love at first hearing... (which I am normally, with a lot of other music...)

For now I'll listen to this Brahms Concert:

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti, on Decca


----------



## Mahlerian

Bas said:


> I have a confession to make about the Sibelius: I did not get that music. Did not understand a bit off it, not why it is so special, so highly regarded. It did nothing for me. It was a first listen, I will admit that, but I am not in love at first hearing... (which I am normally, with a lot of other music...)


Don't worry. Most Sibelius did little for me on first hearings too. Some things that are worth it take time.

Takemitsu: Excerpts from *12 Songs for Guitar*, *Uninterrrupted Rest* (for piano), *Eucalypts II* (for flute, oboe, and harp), *For Away* (for piano), *Waterways* (for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, two harps, and two vibraphones)








Norio Saroh, guitar
Aki Takahashi, piano
Hiroshi Koizumi, flute
Hiroshi Shibayama, oboe
Mari Kimura, Ayako Shinozaki, harps
Yoshiaki Suzuki, clarinet
Katsuya Matsubara, violin
Kenichiro Yasuda, cello
Yasunori Yamaguchi, Sumire Yoshiwara, vibraphones


----------



## Sonata

Nielsen's Flute concerto yesterday morning. I really enjoy this work, what a difficult piece for the soloist!

Mozart: Clemenza Di Tito this morning on the drive to work. Minus the recitatives this time so just the goodies . Trying to ease up the morning winter gloom, and I think it worked!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MrTortoise: LOL, yes, you have very good taste in morning music, if I say so myself (see above). It is certainly the opposite of the usual morning Baroque fair of classical radio! 

Ahhhhhhhh! Ha! Haaaaaaaaaaaa! I love it.

A Scriabin etude. . . a caramel macchiato: the Foam of Ecstasy.


----------



## realdealblues

Attempting to expand my horizons...

View attachment 34237


Anton Webern: Op.1 - Op. 12

I bought this box set and so far I've only listened to CD1, but I've listened to it twice now. I'm trying to take them in order and give each work a fair listen. It's kind of tough a times though because many of these works are so short.

I actually really like "Passacaglia For Orchestra, Op. 1" and I don't mind "Entflieht auf leichten Kähnen, Op. 2" although it's so short it's tough to really not like it.

I find "5 Movements For String Quartet, Op. 5" interesting, especially Movement 2 and the end of Movement 3.

A lot of this stuff is Lieder which I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of to begin with. I like Mahler's Lieder but that's really about all I listen to with any consistency.

But anyway...I haven't really heard anything where I said to myself, "Ok, I have to change it now!" so I guess small steps towards progress.


----------



## Mahlerian

realdealblues said:


> A lot of this stuff is Lieder which I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of to begin with. I like Mahler's Lieder but that's really about all I listen to with any consistency.


Some of the performances in that set aren't the best, especially as regards the later 12-tone lieder. It's a shame, too, because this set is the one everyone hears first.

That said, there are plenty of great performances in there too, so it's not bad at all for the price.


----------



## julianoq

Bas said:


> I have a confession to make about the Sibelius: I did not get that music. Did not understand a bit off it, not why it is so special, so highly regarded. It did nothing for me. It was a first listen, I will admit that, but I am not in love at first hearing... (which I am normally, with a lot of other music...)


I am a big fan of Sibelius music, but as Mahlerian it also doesn't worked at the first few listens. The "eternal development" form in the first sight makes it looks like nothing is happening and that the music doesn't move. But I can guarantee that once it "clicks" you can become addicted, and suddenly every second of the symphonies have something happening and are beautiful.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> MrTortoise: LOL, yes, you have very good taste in morning music, if I say so myself (see above). It is certainly the opposite of the usual morning Baroque fair of classical radio!
> 
> Ahhhhhhhh! Ha! Haaaaaaaaaaaa! I love it.
> 
> A Scriabin etude. . . a caramel macchiato: the Foam of Ecstasy.
> 
> View attachment 34238


Or maybe Bach's coffee cantata?


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht, op. 4 (for string sextet)
Smithsonian Chamber Players


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian: Or maybe Bach's coffee cantata? 

Yes, the coffee cantata of Bach. . . and, uh: "Garçon, un côté du gâteau de mariage trop, s'il vous plaît?-- a la Saint-Saëns."


----------



## GreenMamba

Howard Hanson Symphony #4, Schwarz/Seattle.

Hanson apparently thought it was his best work, and I definitely like it better than his 2nd.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Auber: Le Domino Noir*









Just the type of light, sparkling, cheerful buoyancy you want to hear as you're driving to go shopping with friends.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Green Mamba:


GreenMamba said:


> Howard Hanson Symphony #4, Schwarz/Seattle.
> 
> Hanson apparently thought it was his best work, and I definitely like it better than his 2nd.


Hanson- excellent. . .

. . . and I incline to his Romantic over his Nordic; and his Nordic over his Fourth, myself. Ha. Ha. Ha. . .

Have you heard the second movement of Hanson's Sixth Symphony? John Williams learned a 'Star Wars' thing or two from that.


----------



## brotagonist

Have been feeling unwell. It's a ball  But... I have had lots of time to listen to music, and a fair bit of inclination, too.









Disc One: SQ 2 & 12 (Borodin)
I believe this is the Borodin's second recording of these works. This is fine music for languishing feverishly on the chesterfield.









Berlioz : Symphonie fantastique (Norrington/London Classical Players)
I really enjoyed this one this time around. Berlioz has never been a major love, but Norrington's pared down approach was both soothing and illuminating.

I won't bore you with the rest of my listening...









...but I might think of a few more later on.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## realdealblues

Mahlerian said:


> Some of the performances in that set aren't the best, especially as regards the later 12-tone lieder. It's a shame, too, because this set is the one everyone hears first.
> 
> That said, there are plenty of great performances in there too, so it's not bad at all for the price.


Yeah, I got it for $10 so I figured if I really didn't like it, then at least I wasn't out much. I ripped a copy of the Boulez Webern DG box set into MP3 many years ago, so I have the option of listening to everything in that set as well, but I just wanted to buy an inexpensive CD set to listen to without having to be near a computer.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Respighiana: Ballad of the Gnomes & Three Botticelli Pictures*

The Ballad of the Gnomes is arresting in its joie de vivre. Geoffrey Simon and the Philharmonia give a red-blooded performance:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> From right field: Telemann, "Alster" Overture in F, Patrick Peire with the Collegium Instrumentale Brugense. A nice lot of horns in this one!


Ah, it's a beautiful overture. I love the Swan song in this set - such a purely baroque sound and feeling.

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 37, Op. 48 (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## Bas

Some Bach and baroque, as I have already tried to stay with more modern, romantic music, and have turned off three cd's this evening (something a very seldom do.) My mind needs baroque medicine:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BWV 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 75 Die Elenden sollen essen
By Midori Suzuki [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter], Gerd Türk [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, on BIS









Johann Kuhnau, Vincent Albrici - Sopran cantatas 
Barbara Steude [soprano], Concerto con voce, Jan Katschzke [dir.], on CPO


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Berlioz: Chasse Royale et Orage*

Levine's Royal Hunt and Strom from 'Les Troyens' (don't you love how that trips off the tongue?- 'Les Troyens'; yeah, of course you do; say it again), with Berlin:


----------



## mirepoix

Prokofiev No. 5. Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. 
Although it's so familiar to me I still come back to it, and when I do so it captures my attention fully.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas

No. 16 in G, op. 31/1
No. 17 in D minor, op. 31/2
No. 18 in E flat, op. 31/3*

Alfred Brendel [Philips / Decca, 1993]

I'm working my way very slowly through this box set ('Brendel III') picked up last year at a bargain price. There has been so much else to listen to, to tempt me away. Anyway, here I am back with it.

These are long time favourites, arguably the first set of Beethoven sonatas to show evidence of his 'middle period' composition style which takes him much further away from that of Haydn and Mozart.

Brendel takes a more relaxed, spontaneous and lyrical view here of the Op. 31 sonatas than in his 60s 'Vox' or 70s Philips sets. Whilst his early readings are impressive and full of nervous energy, these readings are mature and masterly. 'the Tempest' is especially fluent, I'd say, but 'the Hunt' is also top-drawer.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No. 1: Santiago Rodriguez*









Pristine sound, virtuosity abounds.


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Walkure Act 1 - Vickers, Janowitz / BPO Karajan

Love the way Karajan plays his interpretation to the strengths of the singers. Quite amazing!


----------



## Blancrocher

Tom Service's latest in his symphony series is Mozart's 31st, and as usual he's recommended a couple recordings I haven't heard that I look forward to giving a try. First, however, I'm listening to Marriner and co.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog

*p.s.* Get well soon, Brotagonist.


----------



## DavidA

TurnaboutVox said:


> View attachment 34255
> *
> 
> Beethoven - Piano Sonatas
> 
> No. 16 in G, op. 31/1
> No. 17 in D minor, op. 31/2
> No. 18 in E flat, op. 31/3*
> 
> Alfred Brendel [Philips / Decca, 1993]
> 
> I'm working my way very slowly through this box set ('Brendel III') picked up last year at a bargain price. There has been so much else to listen to, to tempt me away. Anyway, here I am back with it.
> 
> These are long time favourites, arguably the first set of Beethoven sonatas to show evidence of his 'middle period' composition style which takes him much further away from that of Haydn and Mozart.
> 
> Brendel takes a more relaxed, spontaneous and lyrical view here of the Op. 31 sonatas than in his 60s 'Vox' or 70s Philips sets. Whilst his early readings are impressive and full of nervous energy, these readings are mature and masterly.


Went to some Brendel masterclasses once in which he taught Beethoven sonatas. Sadly way beyond my capabilities!


----------



## Winterreisender

Tallis Scholars sing Josquin, speficially the Missa Pange Lingua


----------



## Xiansheng

*Bartok Piano Concertos 1&2*









This will be my first listen.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner), Piano Concerto No. 3 (Thibaudet/Ashkenazy).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*Elgar/Bridge/Walton*: Chamber Music, w. Nash Ens. (rec.1992), Coull Qt. (rec.1993).

View attachment 34259
View attachment 34260


----------



## Guest

Jerome said:


> I'm a huge fan of Bach and I love Baroque, but I don't like the harpsichord much. So I thought I would try listening to these concertos on piano and see if I enjoy them better:
> 
> View attachment 34224
> 
> Bach, Keyboard Concertos
> Murray Perahia, piano - Academy of Saint-Martin-In-The-Fields


Following up on my earlier post. The piano doesn't grate on my nerves after 10 minutes like the harpsichord does, so I am able to listen to these recordings and enjoy them. However the deep tone of Perahia's grand piano doesn't seem to fit Bach's music. And I do like the HIP sound except for the harpsichord. Does anone know of recordings of these works with fortepiano instead of harpsichord or grand? That might be the happy medium that helps me appreciate these.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Alwyn 3: Hickox/LSO*









Solid distinction in the 'strife,' 'heroism,' and 'epic' categories.


----------



## Morimur

I am mostly into 20th/21st century Avant-garde but Purcell, like J.S. Bach, holds a special place in my heart...









_Henry Purcell - (2003) O solitude (Lesne, Il Seminario Musicale)_


----------



## Guest

Xiansheng said:


> View attachment 34258
> 
> 
> This will be my first listen.


His Piano Concertos were the only of Bartok's works that I really liked on my first listen. I hope you do too.



Winterreisender said:


> Tallis Scholars sing Josquin, speficially the Missa Pange Lingua


I have that same recording but with a different cover. Enjoy it. It's fabulous.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven last piano sonata - Pollini


----------



## ptr

*Shura Cherkassky* - Piano Recital from Carnegie Hall 1991 (Decca)









Shura Cherkassky, piano

*Ferruccio Busoni* - Works & Transcriptions (Complete Original Recordings) (Pearl)









Egon Petri, piano

/ptr


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34190
> 
> 
> The SOUND on this incarnation of Horowitz performances from the thirties is AMAZING sounding (given that the substrate was a 78 rpm record). No cracks. No hiss. No pop.
> 
> Beethoven's "Thirty-two Variations in C Minor" never sounded so Olympian: the high, biting treble; the thunderous bass; the impeccable CONTROL.
> 
> SO MUCH fun.


You can get a live recording from 1966 of Horowitz playing this (in stereo no less!!) on the superb Sony set "Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall", which currently retails at £70 (41 CDs and a DVD of the 1968 televised concert), or it's on a 2-CD set of highlights for £6.88. The full set is well worth it though, as you get the complete recitals, and thus can enjoy Horowitz's marvellously diverse programmes.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Elgar Part Songs.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

ptr said:


> *Shura Cherkassky* - Piano Recital from Carnegie Hall 1991 (Decca)
> 
> View attachment 34263
> 
> 
> Shura Cherkassky, piano
> 
> /ptr


I love the fact that this marvellous recital turns out to have been given on his 82nd birthday, as, unbeknown to him at the time his parents had knocked a couple of years off his age to prolong his child prodigy performances (as Beethoven's father had done too), he only discovered how old he was in 1995 on a visit to Russia!


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm listening to Ralph Shapey (1921-2002) as I speak, and it is very likeable music. *Ralph Shapey: Radical Traditionalism (2-CD New World). *Right now, it's *21 Variations for Piano (1978).*


----------



## Xiansheng

> His Piano Concertos were the only of Bartok's works that I really liked on my first listen. I hope you do too.


Well, I certainly like the first one, although I found the adagio difficult to follow in some places.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morton Feldman, Cello and Orchestra, Coptic Light.*

Michael Tilson-Thomas conducting.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth" - The Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel

disc one: "Codex La Huelgas: Music From 13th Century Spain"


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: DKW, w. Herreweghe et al (rec.2005); *Szymanowski*: Stabat Mater, etc., w. Polish State PO/Stryja et al (rec.1988/9).

View attachment 34268
View attachment 34269


----------



## hpowders

Allan Pettersson 7th Symphony, Leif Segerstam, Norrkoping Symphony.
Belongs with Mahler 9 as the most poignant symphonies of ultimate farewell to life. Devastating.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> You can get a live recording from 1966 of Horowitz playing this (in stereo no less!!) on the superb Sony set "Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall", which currently retails at £70 (41 CDs and a DVD of the 1968 televised concert), or it's on a 2-CD set of highlights for £6.88. The full set is well worth it though, as you get the complete recitals, and thus can enjoy Horowitz's marvellously diverse programmes.


Yes, but the two performances are like night and day. I'll take thirties and forties Horowitz over fifties and sixties Horowitz any day.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Juilliard Orchestra: Leonard Slatkin, Lukas Foss, Gerard Schwarz, Gary Lakes, conductors; Works by Joseph Schwantner, Jacob Druckman, Stephen Albert.

* *Jacob Druckman's Chairoscuro (1977). *It's a series of sound events. Nice percussion and trumpets. Unearthly, beautiful sonorities and resonances. Like being underwater, or floating in space, or wandering in the night desert.

*Joseph Schwantner: Aftertones of Infinity (1978). *He never fails to impress me. Opening with a series of weird extended arpeggiated chords and fleet flute passages. "Suspended animation," the illusion of movement, the very title, "infinity" and "after;" it's paradoxical. The only other instance I can recall of hearing weird extended chords which seem to crawl out of the octave like some unstable fireworks-trail particle fired from a particle-cannon...do I make myself clear? Is Frank Zappa, in his last masterwork "Civilization Phaze III," in a piece called...I can't remember.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc one:

Petites Esquisses D'Oiseaux
Preludes
Quatre Etudes De Rythme

Yvonne Loriod, piano


----------



## KenOC

hpowders said:


> Allan Pettersson 7th Symphony, Leif Segerstam, Norrkoping Symphony.
> Belongs with Mahler 9 as the most poignant symphonies of ultimate farewell to life. Devastating.


Me too! Petterson, Symphony No. 7. Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Gerd Albrecht cond. To me, more like Shostakovich in a REALLY bad mood than Mahler...but terrific stuff


----------



## TurnaboutVox

^^^^^^^last few posts^^^^^^^^ My listening habits are so pedestrian!

*Schubert

Piano Sonata No. 13 in A, D. 664 (Op. 120)
Impromptu D. 899 No. 4 in A flat

Liszt

Funerailles (Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuse No. 7)
Gnomenreigen (Konzertetuden No. 2)
Feux Follets (Transcendental etudes No. 5)*

(Budapest recital: Sviatoslav Richter Archives)

Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)









I bought this on impulse three or four years ago when I was trying more fully to absorb the solo piano music of Schubert and Liszt.
Richter is of course deeply sensitive and masterful here but the coughing! (it was recorded amidst a 'flu outbreak in Budapest, by the sounds of it). Sound quality ain't great but it is live and 1958.


----------



## millionrainbows

Pettersson: _Ahh, the darkness!_


----------



## Orfeo

hpowders said:


> View attachment 34270
> 
> 
> Allan Pettersson 7th Symphony, Leif Segerstam, Norrkoping Symphony.
> Belongs with Mahler 9 as the most poignant symphonies of ultimate farewell to life. Devastating.


I played that just late last week (same recording) and I ditto your assessment. A reviewer of Gramophone who called him (and his music) wallowing in self-pity I think really missed the point behind Pettersson's turbulent journey.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Arnold Cooke: Cello Concerto Thomas Igloi/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
Arnold Cooke: Symphony No.4 BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir John Pritchard
Arnold Cooke: Violin Concerto Yfrah Neaman/Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

A trio of works by Arnold Cooke, all in their debut performances. These are from some cassettes leant to me by a friend of mine, who had the original recordings leant to him by the composer. The recordings are, I'm sorry to say, not in very good sound, ironically the Violin Concerto from 1959 sounds best of all. The remainder are from 1975, but despite poor sound the performances are very fine indeed. Thomas Igloi died aged only 29, a year after giving this marvellous performance, he was certainly a very fine cellist. The music is very accessible, Cooke was a pupil of Hindemith, and though some sources say that his music can be on the dry side, I don't find that to be the case here. There is much passion in all works. The scherzo of the symphony reminded me somewhat of the scherzo to Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony. Anyway, at a first listen I've found it all very enjoyable.


----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Maxim Shostakovich conducting Heinrich Schiff in Shosty's cello concertos--to share in the misery :lol:


----------



## millionrainbows

@turnaboutVox: The Richter in Hungary box is good, and well worth it. And one of the best "coughing" recordings is Richter In Spoleto (doing Debussy Preludes Book II). It includes more coughing, an auditorium door slamming shut, and opens with cathedral bells chiming noon as Richter's footsteps a heard striding towards the piano. Ah, Italy...the sights, the sounds...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Marschallin Blair said:


> Yes, but the two performances are like night and day. I'll take thirties and forties Horowitz over fifties and sixties Horowitz any day.


I'll just take as much Horowitz as I can get!!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Don Giovanni


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, No.3

Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Olga Arzillli and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos


----------



## KenOC

Need some lightness after Petterson! Telemann, a few of the Paris Quartets. VERY nice flute and string music! Jed Wentz, flute, and the Musica ad Rhenum.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

bejart said:


> Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, No.3


I will try to give this Vranicky chap some attention - he seems something of a favourite of yours, and I am partial to a well-crafted string quartet or quintet

Current and final listening for this evening:









*Liszt - The Late Pieces [The Complete Music for Solo Piano Vol. 11, Hyperion, 1993]

Schlaflos! Frage und Antwort, S203
Trube Wolken (Nuages gris), S199
Recueillement, S204
Toccata, S197a
Resignazione, S187a
Wiegenlied (Chant du berceau), S198
Unstern!-Sinistre, S208
Carrousel de madame P-N, S214a
Funf klavierstucke No.5: Sospiri!, S192/5
Schlaflos! (Alternative version), S203
Klavierstuck in F sharp major, S193
Piano Piece in E major (Funf klavierstucke no.1), S192/1*

Leslie Howard (Piano)

Great stuff from Howard & Hyperion's monumental complete Liszt solo piano works. Although I find Liszt addictive I have not invested in the 100 - disc box!


----------



## KenOC

TurnaboutVox said:


> I will try to give this Vranicky chap some attention - he seems something of a favourite of yours, and I am partial to a well-crafted string quartet or quintet.


Look under "Wranitzky" as well, since his name is often spelled that way. Beethoven liked him as a conductor. He was Bohemian, or Moravian, or Czech, whatever you prefer, but moved to Vienna because that's where the music was.


----------



## neoshredder

Couldn't decide on an exact work. Decided to go with Robert Schumann radio on last.fm. See what's out there to explore for future ideas. It's playing Beethoven's Cello Sonata no. 3 movement 4 at the moment.


----------



## bejart

TurnaboutVox ---
"I will try to give this Vranicky chap some attention ..."

I don't think you'll be disappointed. Both he and his brother Pavel (aka Paul Wratnitzky) were highly regarded among their contemporaries. Some scholars today think that after the big 3 of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Pavel wrote some the best string quartets during the high Viennese period. Unfortunately, they are somewhat difficult to obtain.

Now ---
Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in C Minor, Op.6, No.3

Concerto Koln


----------



## SimonNZ

Steve Reich - "Phases:A Nonesuch Retrospective"

disc one: Music For 18 Musicians


----------



## KenOC

Thanks Bejart! I missed that your recording was Anton and not Pavel. I have, sadly, heard nothing by Anton, but will remedy that immediately.

Re a "well-crafted string quartet," one musicologist writes of Pavel, "I can safely and with absolute confidence say that Wranitzky's achievement as a composer of string quartets is a greater achievement, overall, than Mozart's." Well...


----------



## Guest

FINALLY getting into Alban Berg! Not sure why I waited this long. Done the violin concerto a few times, but so far tonight I've moved on to the Lyric Suite and now the Drei Orchesterstucke. Some really amazing stuff.

Note: this is, ofc, why I was so hesitant to post a top composers list in that late thread. My list may look pretty decent (or maybe not?), but there are still a few major composers that have been almost completely ignored until now.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters Of Flanders: Polyphony From The 15th and 16th Centuries"

disc one: "Adrian Willaert And Italy" - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Weston

*Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78
Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60*
Fritz Reiner / Chcago Symphony Orchestra (1959 !)









I've been in the process of culling out sub par performances or recordings and replacing them with better versions. I remember some recordings of Reiner wowing me when I was a kid, so I thought I'd give this a try. Though it's full of hiss in between segments, that's scarcely noticeable. What remains is the passion and power of this orchestra. And whew! I hadn't heard these works in a very long time. Sometimes it's ear opening to return to the bigger names and remember why they are considered so.

[Edit: I might add I'm really upset with Prokofiev for pre-ripping off Basil Poledouris' Conan soundtrack so blatantly the way he did. ]


----------



## Itullian

Love Otto's way with these. The way the woodwinds come through.
Love EMI's sound during this time too.


----------



## Guest

arcaneholocaust said:


> View attachment 34280
> 
> 
> FINALLY getting into Alban Berg! Not sure why I waited this long. Done the violin concerto a few times, but so far tonight I've moved on to the Lyric Suite and now the Drei Orchesterstucke. Some really amazing stuff.
> 
> Note: this is, ofc, why I was so hesitant to post a top composers list in that late thread. My list may look pretty decent (or maybe not?), but there are still a few major composers that have been almost completely ignored until now.


I should also say that beginning to read about and play with tone rows, despite my inexperience in composition, has _exponentially_ increased my enjoyment of the "Big 3" of the Second Viennese School.

This could easily go in that one thread about musical knowledge enhancing enjoyment but who cares


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian: Love Otto's way with these. The way the woodwinds come through.
Love EMI's sound during this time too.[/QUOTE]

I've never heard these Klemperer performances of the Haydn symphonies. Are his tempi brisk (though I doubt it)? More 'measured'? Or. . . 'slow'?


----------



## Guest

Itullian said:


> Love Otto's way with these. The way the woodwinds come through.
> Love EMI's sound during this time too.


Nice. I bought my buddy Matt this 3 CD set (the remastered one, I think) for Christmas last year. Because Klemperer is his favorite conductor but he had hardly ever listened to any Haydn.


----------



## Weston

millionrainbows said:


> *Joseph Schwantner: Aftertones of Infinity (1978). *He never fails to impress me. Opening with a series of weird extended arpeggiated chords and fleet flute passages. "Suspended animation," the illusion of movement, the very title, "infinity" and "after;" it's paradoxical. The only other instance I can recall of hearing weird extended chords which seem to crawl out of the octave like some unstable fireworks-trail particle fired from a particle-cannon...do I make myself clear? Is Frank Zappa, in his last masterwork "Civilization Phaze III," in a piece called...I can't remember.


I want this work. I think I may have once had a reel-to-reel  recording off the radio of its premier. 1978 would have been about right. Wonderful piece as I recall.



bejart said:


> Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quintet in E Flat, Op.8, No.3
> 
> Ensemble Cordia: Stanley Ritchie, violin -- Olga Arzillli and Guus Jeukendrup, violas -- Stefano Veggetti and Franziska Romaner, cellos
> 
> View attachment 34275


The mp3 version of this album is (or was) available for an unbelievable price on Amazon recently. I keep looking at it, but then I get something else. The samples sound very nice.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Itullian: Love Otto's way with these. The way the woodwinds come through.
> Love EMI's sound during this time too.


I've never heard these Klemperer performances of the Haydn symphonies. Are his tempi brisk (though I doubt it)? More 'measured'? Or. . . 'slow'?[/QUOTE]

On the more measured side compared to todays recordings. But imho they benefit from that.
The balance he achieves, I think with split violins is beautiful.
And the personality of the woodwinds sparkle.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Richard Strauss Orchestral Songs, Vol. I & II, Dame Felicity Lott*















Felicity Lott's "Freundliche Vision" chokes me up every time. Sublime. The poem as well.


----------



## Sonata

Rameau: Une Symphonie Imaginaire
Les Musiciens du Louvre, with Marc Minkowski

My first listen to Rameau. A very pleasant surprise, not my usual classical faire. But I suspect I'll be getting more Rameau into my library down the line


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 in D Minor, Op.31, No.2

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Gluck: Iphigenie en Aulide*









Eighteen century opera aside from Mozart is outside my ken, but I have to say that John Eliot Gardiner's choice of soprano, Ann Monoyios, is so delightful just to HEAR-- that I bought the opera just because of her.


----------



## alan davis

Arthur Rubinstein, Schumann's Piano Concerto with Josef Krips.


----------



## Itullian

Had an unexplainable urge for Janowitz tonight.
Wonderful.


----------



## opus55

Donizetti: La Fille Du Regiment










I'll read the libretti of all my recent purchases after I thoroughly get familiar with them! Sweet music.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 4. It's a great one. 
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-4-5-6/dp/B000001G8B/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_1


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Donizetti: La Fille Du Regiment
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll read the libretti of all my recent purchases after I thoroughly get familiar with them! Sweet music.


Joan is so much FUN in this opera. It's so light, and sweet, and her role and the ridiculously cute storyline is just something I adore. It's so completely different from the other ninety-nine percent of her oeuvre.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 4. It's a great one.
> http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-4-5-6/dp/B000001G8B/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_1


Have you tried THIS?-- that is to say, if 'nitromethane' is your standard:









It's the most hammering last movement I've ever heard of the Tchaikovsky Fourth. The sound quality is stellar.


----------



## opus55

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Tchaikovsky Symphony 4. It's a great one.
> http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-4-5-6/dp/B000001G8B/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_1


No. 4 has always been my favorite Tchaikovsky symphony. And that is a great one.



Marschallin Blair said:


> Joan is so much FUN in this opera. It's so light, and sweet, and her role and the ridiculously cute storyline is just something I adore. It's so completely different from the other ninety-nine percent of her oeuvre.


Maybe you can tell me the story line so I don't have to read the booklet  just kiddin


----------



## mirepoix

Middle of the night and just finished listening to Shostakovich 10 - volume 9 from the Mravinsky edition - and despite it being a mono recording that's augmented by many coughs and splutters, I found it wonderful. It has an almost creeping, brooding feel that is maintained throughout and feels so right. What a pleasure to hear.


----------



## opus55

mirepoix said:


> Middle of the night and just finished listening to Shostakovich 10 - volume 9 from the Mravinsky edition - and despite it being a mono recording that's augmented by many coughs and splutters, I found it wonderful. It has an almost creeping, brooding feel that is maintained throughout and feels so right. What a pleasure to hear.


Sounds similar to the 1976 live recording I have. Countless coughs and brutal second movement.


----------



## mirepoix

Yes, it's from 1976.


----------



## starthrower

Some deeply moving music here!


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc two

La Nativitie Du Seigneur
Le Banquet Celeste
Apparition De L'Eglise Eternetie

Marie-Claire Alain, organ


----------



## Sid James

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 34272
> 
> 
> I'm listening to Maxim Shostakovich conducting Heinrich Schiff in Shosty's cello concertos--to share in the misery :lol:


Exactly, its why I listen to them seldom, even though they are ones I like a lot. I was reading just now about how even Rostropovich, so in tune with Shostakovich's music (the two concertos where written for him), he didn't realise the quotation of Stalin's favourite song (Suliko) in that quite brutal finale until the composer told him, it was disguised so well. But its the cadenza that grabs me the most in that first concerto, this is always very moving.

The second concerto is just as fine but so different. Perhaps not plumbing the depths as much, and more cryptic (that long tambourine roll underpinning a cello solo, for instance, seems a bit out of place). The middle movement with an Odessa street song is the pivot, and I wonder whether there Shostakovich is referring to the demise of Khruschev, who went down there for his holiday but by the time he returned his seat warmer Brezhnev ousted him in a bloodless coup and he was put under house arrest. I think it was written around the same time as those events, but in any case its a kind of counterpoint to the murky world of politics which is hard to separate from these works.

I got the recording on Naxos with Maria Kliegel as soloist which I planned to listen tonight, funnily enough! Your performance must be great, because Maxim is I think a great interpreter of his dad's music, I've got him conducting Symphony #5.


----------



## KenOC

It seems odd to me that some people find DSCH's 1st cello concerto somewhat angst-filled. I find it a lot of fun, though a bit more serious and conflicted in the finale (which, musically speaking, is great).

The 2nd concerto is more ambiguous and even mysterious, but it grows on you. BTW the Maxim Shostakovich/Schiff is my favorite for these concertos.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Richard Strauss - Brentano-Lieder Op. 68

Gunther Herbig, BBC Philharmonic Orch with Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano) in a live performance recorded at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

Here's another picture of the 1996 building







Ove Arup / Image credit David Millington

Re-listening to this (heard live last Saturday) on BBC iPlayer. Inger Dam-Jensen can now be heard perfectly well against the BBC Phil. Concert hall acoustics, eh?


----------



## SimonNZ

Hugo Distler's Schauspielmusik zu "Ritter Blaubart" - Stefan Malzew, cond.

edit: now Allan Petterson's Symphony No.7 - Antal Dorati, cond


----------



## Ingélou

Ingélou said:


> Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major op.77
> 
> At first, I thought 'this is quite nice' - but the violin's passion is irresistible.


Groundhog Day in my listening life! After seeing the name on this thread & feeling curious, I am listening to Gliere's Concerto for Harp & Orchestra. The opening is well-known & didn't really grab me but now the harp has kicked in. You can't call harps 'passionate', can you, but they *are* seductive. :lol:

I like it best when the harp is exploring, rambling free on a sunlit hill, though - not when it's playing a snazzy tune. But I'm enjoying the music, and it's great to find out about pieces I didn't know about, and my thanks to the TC member who mentioned it.


----------



## Conor71

*Arnold: Symphony No. 3, Op. 63*

Listening to some British music the last few days - I have been particularly interested in Elizabeth Maconchy's string quartets again. Anyone who likes Bartoks would like these ones I think - they are rather prickly but have some nice haunting moments too. Another composer I have been exploring the last couple of months is Malcolm Arnold - hes a very interesting composer having composed a lot of film and light music as well as serious stuff. I downloaded a selection of his Symphonies, chamber music and a couple of film music discs and working my way through them.
I almost finished the Arnold 3rd Symphony (its a good one) and now im going to listen to something from the Frank Bridge box - I particularly like the work Isabella on the first disc so will give that one a spin:


----------



## AClockworkOrange

This fantastic disc of Saint-Saens featuring Daniel Barenboim et al.

It arrived yesterday morning and I have listened to it from start to finish 8 times.

Saint-Saens is truly an underrated composer.


----------



## Guest

K107 (K21b), Concerto In D  (arranged from JC Bach Sonata Op.5 No.3)
David Owen Norris








K488, Piano Concerto #23 in A
Hélène Grimaud, piano - Radoslaw Szulcl, Kammerorchester des Symphonieorchesters des Bayerischen Rundfunks








K459, Piano Concerto # 19 in F Major
Melvyn Tan, fortepiano - Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra


----------



## Winterreisender

Just received this in the post and giving it its first spin: Wind Concertos by Telemann. The Concerto for 2 Chalumeaux is particularly delightful.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to The Tempest / Oceanides from Sibelius, conducted by Segerstam. Yes, on the risk of becoming the most boring poster on this thread I am listening to more Sibelius. Sorry, but the weather in my country is very hot at this moment and I hate it, so I am listening to the finnish and dreaming with the snow!


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Cello Suite No.2 in C Major, BWV 1009

Jaap ter Linden, cello


----------



## DrKilroy

Some more Rachmaninoff! Piano Concerti Nos. 1 (Thibaudet/Ashkenazy) and 4 (Askenazy/Haitink). A curious conductor/pianist swap for Askenazy. 

















Best regards, Dr


----------



## MrTortoise

Marschallin Blair said:


> MrTortoise: LOL, yes, you have very good taste in morning music, if I say so myself (see above). It is certainly the opposite of the usual morning Baroque fair of classical radio!
> 
> Ahhhhhhhh! Ha! Haaaaaaaaaaaa! I love it.
> 
> A Scriabin etude. . . a caramel macchiato: the Foam of Ecstasy.
> 
> View attachment 34238


That coffee puts the mug in front of me to shame!


----------



## realdealblues

Another first listen for me...

View attachment 34303


Furtwangler: Symphony No. 2
Daniel Barenboim & The Chicago Symphony Orchestra

I have many recordings of Furtwangler conducting, but none of his own compositions. I saw this Double CD on sale a while back for like $5 so I figured I'd give it a spin. I dig it. I've read this was Furtwangler's best work, but it definitely makes me curious to hear Symphonies 1 & 3. I'm normally not a fan of much that Barenboim does but since I've never heard this work I have nothing else to go on, other than I've read he's a few minutes slower than Furtwangler's own recording which is no surprise with Barenboim, but it sounded like this was a work that you could get away with that. The Chicago Symphony sounded good as usual.


----------



## Guest

This polar vortex has me dreaming of warm sunny beaches. Faure is getting me out of this funk.


----------



## MrTortoise

This mornings music courtesy of Martha Argerich and the Emerson String Quartet









J.S. Bach: Partita #2 in c minor
Chopin: Nocturne #13 in c minor
Prokoviev: Piano Sonata #7 in Bflat

I have to revisit this recording and listen to the other performances. All great readings (Chopin a bit rushed, oh well).

Beethoven: String Quartet #10 in Eflat

Finishing up the morning letting some Perotin wash over my ears


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 34308


Vaughan Williams: Serenade To Music, In The Fen Country, The Lark Ascending, Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1, English Folk Song Suite, Fantasia On "Greensleeves"

Sir Adrian Boult
The London Philharmonic Orchestra/The New Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

The Vienna Octet playing Schubert's lovely and infectious Octet.


----------



## Vinyl

Among all the LPs I recently took over, there is also a small bunch (50?) ten-inch records, and partly for fun I'm playing a few of them now. 
On one Telefunken record (Mozart Horn Concerto), the playing speed is indicated as "MEDIUM-PLAY 33 U/min." Hehe. Most of these are from the fifties, and announcements like Decca's "Full Frequency Range Recording" and "True High Fidelity" didn't quite mean what they became to mean in ten years' time. Less, even. Hehe. 

So current listening: 
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - Highlights
Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Decca BR 3011 (10" mono), marked as a christmas present in 1961. 
(edit: released 1960, according to Discogs)

More charming than great.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Sounds similar to the 1976 live recording I have. Countless coughs and brutal second movement.











The second movement, that portraiture of Stalin, is where it's at for me in the Shostakovich Tenth. Terrifyingly awesome; that is, with a conductor and an orchestra that can get it right.

I really love the great sound, ferocity, and drive of the Jarvi/SNO on Chandos, myself. . . Yeah, it's unfortunate that great conductors like Mravinsky and Svetlanov didn't have better sound engineering on their sixties, seventies, and eighties recordings. Some of them just blow doors on their better-engineered competition.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MrTortoise said:


> This mornings music courtesy of Martha Argerich and the Emerson String Quartet
> 
> View attachment 34304
> 
> 
> J.S. Bach: Partita #2 in c minor
> Chopin: Nocturne #13 in c minor
> Prokoviev: Piano Sonata #7 in Bflat
> 
> I have to revisit this recording and listen to the other performances. All great readings (Chopin a bit rushed, oh well).
> 
> Beethoven: String Quartet #10 in Eflat
> 
> Finishing up the morning letting some Perotin wash over my ears
> 
> View attachment 34307


The flair with which Argerich plays the Scarlatti on that EMI Concertgebouw recital disk from the late seventies is worth the price of the disk.


----------



## Orfeo

*Sir Arnold Bax*
Symphonies nos. II & III.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson.

*Sir Eugene Goossens*
Symphonies nos. I & II(*).
-The West Australian Symphony & The Sydney Symphony(*)/Vernon Handley.

*Edgar Bainton*
Symphony no. II (1939-1940).
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*Hubert Clifford*
Symphony (1938-1940)
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*John Gough*
Serenade for a small orchestra.
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*John Antill*
Ballet "Corroboree."
-The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/James Judd.

*Igor Stravinsky*
Ballet "The Rite of Spring."
-Kirov Orchestra/Valery Gergiev.


----------



## Vasks

*Gretry - Overture to "Le Jugement de Midas" (Sanderling/ASV)
F.J. Haydn - Piano Trio in G, Hob. XV:5 (Beaux Arts/Philips)
W.A. Mozart - Symphony No. 39 (Mackerras/Telarc)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaughan Williams: Serenade To Music, In The Fen Country, The Lark Ascending, Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1, English Folk Song Suite, Fantasia On "Greensleeves"

Sir Adrian Boult
The London Philharmonic Orchestra/The New Philharmonia Orchestra

Total thumbs up. Lovely set. 









Boult's SUCH an underrated conductor in my view; at least among some of the people I know in Southern California. That Vaughan Williams box set is SO worth the intellectual and emotional investment. His "Serenade to Music" has the most beautiful singing I've ever heard of the piece. . . His Bax tone poems-- especially the "Tintagel"?-- on Lyrita?-- is uniformly enchanting and majestic; and with fantastic engineered sound.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Vaughan Williams: Serenade To Music, In The Fen Country, The Lark Ascending, Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1, English Folk Song Suite, Fantasia On "Greensleeves"
> 
> Sir Adrian Boult
> The London Philharmonic Orchestra/The New Philharmonia Orchestra
> 
> Total thumbs up. Lovely set.
> 
> View attachment 34311
> 
> 
> Boult's SUCH an underrated conductor in my view; at least among some of the people I know in Southern California. That Vaughan Williams box set is SO worth the intellectual and emotional investment. His "Serenade to Music" has the most beautiful singing I've ever heard of the piece. . . His Bax tone poems-- especially the "Tintagel"?-- on Lyrita?-- is uniformly enchanting and majestic; and with fantastic engineered sound.


I think Boult's recording of Bax's "November Woods" is still the best on record. But Thomson wins hands down in his rendition of "The Garden of Fand."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MrTortoise said:


> That coffee puts the mug in front of me to shame!


Ha. Huh! HUH! . . . I love it. 

Cheers to caffeinated Gemutlichkeit.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I was reading just now about how even Rostropovich, so in tune with Shostakovich's music (the two concertos where written for him), he didn't realise the quotation of Stalin's favourite song (Suliko) in that quite brutal finale until the composer told him, it was disguised so well.

I'll have to hear it again. Thanks.


----------



## Alfacharger

All the current talk about the Mahler 9th in the best last symphony thread made me pull out my favorite recording.


----------



## julianoq

Bach's Goldberg Variations, played by Murray Perahia.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphonies 7 - 9, w. Solti (rec.1971), Boulez (rec.2007), HvK (rec.1979/0).

View attachment 34313
View attachment 34314
View attachment 34315


----------



## millionrainbows

hpowders said:


> View attachment 34270
> 
> 
> Allan Pettersson 7th Symphony, Leif Segerstam, Norrkoping Symphony.
> Belongs with Mahler 9 as the most poignant symphonies of ultimate farewell to life. Devastating.


I will join the gang as well, with KenOC. However, I'm going to listen to the Antal Dorati/Stockholm PO (Swedish Society). Opening with a "Jaws-like" theme on low strings, it keeps on with the darkness. A sense of dread, which I know so well; that "old familiar fear." Do you know it? Have you only glimpsed the darkness, or were you once exiled to it? Those who have lived there for extended periods, and have managed to crawl back out of sheer will and tenacity will truly relate to Pettersson's dark vision of anxiety and fear. Like any death, it's something that never quite leaves you. Do you believe in your living soul?


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Excerpts from *12 Songs for Guitar*, *Sacrifice* (for ensemble), *Hika* (for violin and piano), *Les yeux clos* (for piano), *Air* (for flute), *Paths* (for trumpet), *Corona and crossing* (for pianist and ensemble), *Folios* (for guitar), *A way a lone* (for string quartet)

Continuing on with Takemitsu's chamber music. For some reason, Volume 3 of the set I'm going through (and none of the others) is out of print and unavailable. It occasionally shows up used on Amazon.co.jp, but usually not from sellers willing to ship internationally. So I compiled a Spotify playlist including all of the individual tracks.


























Shin-ichi Fukuda, guitar
Noriko Ogawa, Roger Woodward, pianos
Patrick Gallois, flute
Alison Balsom, trumpet
New Zealand String Quartet

Hiroshi Wakasugi conducting on Sacrifice

Corona is an intriguing work from Takemitsu's avant-garde period. Rendered from a graphic score, it makes use of a plethora of extended techniques, including plucking the strings of the piano. This performance includes other instruments as well, in the form of "Crossing", though Woodward also recorded the version without.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Missa Cellensis in C Major, Hob. 22: 5 (Jos van Immerseel; Teuscher; Kelland; Schäfer; van der Kamp: Anima Eterna - choir and orchestra)









I really liked the Christe Eleison here. As always with Haydn's masses, there's plenty of excellent music.

Notes on the music: 

Laudamus te - excellent aria for, I believe, soprano. The soloist has good opportunities for expression.
Gratias agimus tibi - an excellent, dramatic fugue-like melody in the minor which incorporates the choir.
Qui tollis - nice, dramatic atmosphere here.
Quoniam - a lively melody with an energetic soprano solo.
Cum Sancto Spiritu - A fugue with a 'noble' melody to it (can't describe it otherwise).
Et incarnatus est - ooo, I like the atmosphere again. Another more sombre number. 
Nice contrasts in this mass.
Benedictus - interesting structure here; a generally slower-paced piece but with 'explosions' of more dramatic, faster segments. The trumpets kick in very well here too.
Agnus Dei - a bass aria in the minor, sounds quite operatic.
Dona nobis pacem - an interesting, shifting fugue.


----------



## hpowders

^^^I have all the late masses. Haydn at his best. I don't have that one.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> ^^^I have all the late masses. Haydn at his best. I don't have that one.


Definitely check it out! It's actually his longest mass .


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Bacewicz's* (1909 - 1969) birthday.

View attachment 34317


----------



## hpowders

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Definitely check it out! It's actually his longest mass .


Okay. I seem to have some surplus cash.


----------



## Jeff W

Can finally get back to posting now that my internet connection has been fixed! Yay!

Got this set in the mail the other day. Listening to Symphony No. 8 & Joseph Joachim's orchestration of the Grand Duo.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 8 in F-Sharp minor; No. 9 in E-flat Major - Pester Karneval (Michele Campanella).


----------



## Blancrocher

Oistrakh in Shosty's Violin Concertos--still my favorite recording, having made some more comparisons (though it could just be a consequence of excessive familiarity!). And my first listen to the Hollywood Quartet (with Victor Aller) playing the Piano Quintet--my thanks to whoever made this great recommendation on this thread recently.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Malcolm Arnold: Bridge Over the River Kwai*









Hickox: always the dramatist of fine imagination and highly resourceful performance with film music.

Great Chandos engineering as well.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Pierre Boulez - Piano Sonata No. 1* / Idil Biret [Naxos, 1995]









'Borrowed' from my son's collection (OK, ripped from it!). This is really arresting piano music. I can't wait to listen to #2 & #3.

*Sibelius - Songs Vol. 1

Arioso, Op. 3
Seven Songs, Op. 17
Souda, souda, sinisorsa (1899)
Six Songs, Op. 36
*

Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg (Piano) [BIS, 1989]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Hans Werner Henze: Undine Ballet*









. . . and with Knussen at the helm?-- most <caesura> DEFINATELY.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34323
> 
> 
> Hickox: always the dramatist of fine imagination and highly resourceful performance with film music.
> 
> Great Chandos engineering as well.


Just watched that again the other night. Great score.


----------



## Jeff W

Since it is snowing again here in the Land of Always Winter, Symphony No. 1 'Winter Dreams' & 2 'Little Russian' from Tchaikovsky.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Music for Percussion, Strings, and Celesta.*

Fisher first (standard performance, kind of muddy recording), then Solti, who is very intense with a superior recording.


----------



## hpowders

Sonata said:


> Rameau: Une Symphonie Imaginaire
> Les Musiciens du Louvre, with Marc Minkowski
> 
> My first listen to Rameau. A very pleasant surprise, not my usual classical faire. But I suspect I'll be getting more Rameau into my library down the line


Yes. Rameau can do it!!!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## hpowders

Love the Drumroll!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Just watched that again the other night. Great score.


Great score. . . great screenplay. . . great sense of life. . . great adventure-- one of Alec Guiness' all-time great roles. ;D


----------



## jim prideaux

having derived so much enjoyment from a number of Dvorak symphonies over the past months initial investigation of the 4th has proved to be relatively disappointing-he appears to have been in the process of developing and establishing his own musical personality admittedly, but he does appear almost overwhelmed by the figures of Brahms and Wagner at times....so I have returned to Glazunov 4th and 7th conducted by Serebrier-what a box set this is proving to be....my recent listening must appear very conservative in comparison with some preceding posts but I make no apologies...........last night was spent in the company of two Myaskovsky symphonies


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jeff W: "Symphony No. 1 'Winter Dreams' & 2 'Little Russian' from Tchaikovsky." 

Yeah, that 70's DG "Little Russian" that Karajan does is great; ESPECIALLY how he builds up that first climax in the last movement. The way Karajan does that buildup with Berlin is one of my favorite things in all Tchaikovsky. SO noble, SO proud, SO bursting with vitality. . . so GORGEOUS. Lovely. Lovely. . . 'Lovely.'


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder on Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta": ". . . then Solti, who is very intense with a superior recording." 

Solti, definately. I like it. . .

I especially like how Levine and Chicago do the second movement:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*William Alwyn: Odd Man Out Suite*









Alwyn's music for the "Police Chase" cut from_ Odd Man Out_ is adrenalized, heart-in-your-throat thrilling beyond belief. Hickox is so ON in this!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Returning to the Boulez FLACs:

*Pierre Boulez - Piano Sonata No. 2 and No. 3* / Idil Biret [Naxos]

Yeah, I really like these; at first I thought that the scores were fairly random, though Idil Biret's sheer attack impressed. As I listened, order and an abstract sort of beauty began to emerge.

The first and second sonatas at least are very interesting works. Listening to these remnds me of my first reflected on encounter with abstract visual art in my early 20s


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I'm listening to Christopher Hogwood's recording of Mozart's Seventh Symphony.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat, Op. 26


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: String Quartet in B minor, op. 33 no. 1
Kodaly Quartet


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Barenboim: Debussy Nocturnes*









I like how the chorus is miked way up front for _Sirens_; and how unusually aggressive the singing is; but in a still seductive and mesmerizing way.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Wooden Prince, Two Portraits.*

The Two Portraits is interesting, influenced by Debussy.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I like how the chorus is miked way up front for Sirens; and how unusually aggressive the singing is; but in a still seductive and mesmerizing way.

-- in fact, what I meant to say, but didn't have the un-blondness to remember, is that Barenboim approaches _Sirens_ more like its _Daphne et Chloe _and not Debussy; and that's what I find alluring about it.


----------



## DavidA

Wagner Siegfried - BPO / Karajan

Much of the libretto is frankly tedious. But the sound of that orchestra under the old wizard. One of the wonders of the world.
It makes Rodney Milnes' statement on Karajan's death that he was a 'bad conductor' seem more ridiculous than ever. But then, who will build a monument to a critic like Milnes?


----------



## Guest

John Corigliano
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra "The Red Violin"
Joshua Bell, Marin Alsop, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Itullian

Gorgeous on every level. Riich but transparent orchestra. Cello playing with beautiful tone.
Wonderful sound.
Smiles all around.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bartok, The Wooden Prince, Two Portraits.*
> 
> The Two Portraits is interesting, influenced by Debussy.
> 
> View attachment 34338


Fischer's Miraculous Mandarin from that box set is one of the clearest SOUNDING ones-- in terms of transparency of texture-- that I've heard.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Gorgeous on every level. Riich but transparent orchestra. Cello playing with beautiful tone.
> Wonderful sound.
> Smiles all around.


I'll have to check this out. I must have been sleeping in algebra class when school was in session. -- Thanks.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Fantasia in C Minor K.475/Sonatas K.457/570/576

The incomparable Mr. Gulda once again. He's certainly incomparable in this set. K.457 sounds like Beethoven in this performance, and that's no bad thing, as I said before (I think), with playing and interpretations of this calibre it's difficult to see why people dismiss Mozart's piano sonatas as somehow not quite up to the rest of his oeuvre. I have got immense pleasure from this set, and indeed from various other Gulda recordings, which I purchased having chatted about him with our good friend Moody, so all of this has come about thanks to T.C., for which I duly give much thanks, and three hearty cheers. :cheers:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Martinu: The Butterfly That Stamped Ballet*









Looooooove the choral exoticism of the first cut.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> Wagner Siegfried - BPO / Karajan
> 
> Much of the libretto is frankly tedious. But the sound of that orchestra under the old wizard. One of the wonders of the world.
> It makes Rodney Milnes' statement on Karajan's death that he was a 'bad conductor' seem more ridiculous than ever. But then, who will build a monument to a critic like Milnes?


Ahhhhhhhhhh! <involuntary paroxysms of giggles> Yessssssss. Totally. . . Who the hell is 'Rodney Milnes'? Karajan trans-PORTS me directly to Valhalla; Milnes wants to bring me back.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc two:

Music At The Court Of Gaston Febus - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*The Merry Widow*









. . . and with such inviting company with Gardiner and Studer! . . . and that _hat_!--- as pure_ haut-monde _gorgeosity as the choruses.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphonies 1, 4, 5, 6, w. BPO/HvK (rec.1976 - '81); Piano Works, w. GG (rec.1976/7).

View attachment 34346
View attachment 34347


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Moments musicaux D. 790* / Alfred Brendel (Piano)


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven piano sonata 31 - Serkin at Marlborough 1960


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I'm listening to Adam Fischer's Recording of Haydn's 39th Symphony in G Minor.


----------



## cwarchc

The commute today was 








Followed by this, on the way home.
My drive works out to be around a cd each way


----------



## Levanda

I listened on BBC radio 3 "Words and Music" I always like it this program, is telling short poetry and play good music. Every week program choose different themes and this week is about Jewels.


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I am listening to Georg Solti's Recording of Beethoven's First Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc three:

Poemes Pour Mi
Chants De Terre Et De Ciel

Maria Oran, soprano, Yvonne Loriod, piano

the only image I can find of the original disc is too big to add here:

original cover


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

Itullian said:


> Gorgeous on every level. Riich but transparent orchestra. Cello playing with beautiful tone.
> Wonderful sound.
> Smiles all around.


Yes that is a wonderful set.


----------



## Bas

Today I played these discs:

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 1127 Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn
By Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Franz Schubert - 21 Lieder
By Dieterich Fischer-Dieskau [baritone], Gerald Moore [piano], on EMI









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonatas 4, 5, 10, 6
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying out a new release: Jenny Lin playing piano works by Stravinsky. I've enjoyed a couple of Lin's previous albums, especially her Shosty preludes and fugues.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kodaly's Cello Sonata - Paul Tortelier, cello

you know, Kodaly is one of those composers who is never foremost in my thoughts (or in my reading), but whenever i stumble across a work by him it turns out to be way better than I expected, often brilliant


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> The flair with which Argerich plays the Scarlatti on that EMI Concertgebouw recital disk from the late seventies is worth the price of the disk.


Her dreamy Maxfield Parrish poster look would be worth the price of the disc for me.



TurnaboutVox said:


> View attachment 34336
> 
> 
> Returning to the Boulez FLACs:
> 
> *Pierre Boulez - Piano Sonata No. 2 and No. 3* / Idil Biret [Naxos]
> 
> Yeah, I really like these; at first I thought that the scores were fairly random, though Idil Biret's sheer attack impressed. As I listened, order and an abstract sort of beauty began to emerge.
> 
> . . .


I so wish this kind of revelation would happen with me. Sometimes it does, but not yet with Boulez.


----------



## Sid James

Most recently, its been these:

*Boccherini* _String Quintet in E Major, G.275_
- Danubius String Quartet with György Éder, cello

*Schubert* _String Quintet in C Major, D.956_
- Arthur Grumiaux & Arpád Gerecz, violins ; Max Lesueur, viola ; Paul Szabó & Philippe Mermoud, cellos

*Sessions* _String Quintet_
- The Group for Contemporary Music - Benjamin Hudson and Carol Zeavin, violins; Lois Martin and Jenny Douglas, violas; Joshua Gordon, cello

*Albinoni* _12 Concerti a cinque, Op. 5_
- I Musici, soloists: Pina Carmirelli, violin concertante; Anna Maria Cotogni, violin; Michael S. Murray-Robertson and Carol Figeroid, violas

*Shostakovich* _Cello Concertos 1 & 2_
- Maria Kliegel, cello with Polish National Radio SO under Antoni Wit

*Schubert* _Rosamunde - Incidental Music (Overture: Die Zauberharfe, Entre'acte # 3, Ballet Music # 2)_
- Chicago SO under James Levine

*Bach* _Brandenburg Concerto # 3_
- Camerata Wurzburg under Prof. Hans Reinartz

Later I plan to listen to the other two Brandenburgs on that disc, numbers 1 and 2, and maybe some jazz...




KenOC said:


> It seems odd to me that some people find DSCH's 1st cello concerto somewhat angst-filled. I find it a lot of fun, though a bit more serious and conflicted in the finale (which, musically speaking, is great).
> 
> The 2nd concerto is more ambiguous and even mysterious, but it grows on you. BTW the Maxim Shostakovich/Schiff is my favorite for these concertos.


Well yes there is that fairground feel in the outer movements of the first concerto, and also in the second concerto (especially the bass drum being pounded in the first movement - for some reason I always think of a clown at a circus whacking a drum in some comedy skit when I listen to it! - and the tambourine roll in the third movement). I'd guess the big influence here is Stravinsky's Petrushka, his imaging of the fair and all that. But its very Russian, humour laced with dark undertones, even with a sense of death.

You know, I said the second concerto doesn't plumb the depths as much as the first, but maybe that's not the right way to put it. I find it easier to take than the first, and yes it is kind of mysterious and otherwordly.

This listen to the first concerto opened up more thematic links in the whole piece, and usually I become tearful in that cadenza, but this time it was the preceding slow movement that did that. Music has these effects on us which we can't explain. By the time the cadenza rolled around, I got that sense of catharsis over and out.

I think these are masterpieces and to my mind the first concerto especially is like a musical equivalent of Solzhenitsyn's _Gulag Archipelago_. The whole aspect of de-Stalinisation, Russian composers, writers, creative types of all kinds dealing with the dictator's brutal legacy from his death in 1953 onwards.



TurnaboutVox said:


> View attachment 34336
> 
> 
> Returning to the Boulez FLACs:
> 
> *Pierre Boulez - Piano Sonata No. 2 and No. 3* / Idil Biret [Naxos]
> 
> Yeah, I really like these; at first I thought that the scores were fairly random, though Idil Biret's sheer attack impressed. As I listened, order and an abstract sort of beauty began to emerge.
> 
> The first and second sonatas at least are very interesting works. Listening to these remnds me of my first reflected on encounter with abstract visual art in my early 20s


I love that album, Biret opened those works up to me like no other (even though its said she is not as accurate as some other pianists, but so what? because she got a coveted Diapason D'Or award for it, and she plays it with real passion and a kind of gutsiness that I think sells them even to the most sceptical). I also got Pollini's account of Sonata #2, its good to compare to Biret, quite the opposite, more objective, restrained and with less bravado. But Pollini's iciness matches Biret's fire, its just different.

I'm glad you liked it though!


----------



## Vaneyes

MozartEarlySymphonies said:


> I am listening to Georg Solti's Recording of Beethoven's First Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


Which recording, 1974 or 1989?


----------



## Winterreisender

Bach - St. Matthew Passion (King's College Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury, et al.)


----------



## Conor71

*Maconchy: Symphony For Double String Orchestra*

Same as yesterday - listening to selections from these 3:


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I am currently listening to,









I'm at Heures Seculaires Et Instantanees.


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.10 in G Minor

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angela East, cello


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak String Quartets 8 and 9.
http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-String...1649038&sr=1-1&keywords=dvorak+string+quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc two:

Philippe Rogier And Spain - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Guest

J.S. Bach
Goldberg Variations
Murray Perahia


----------



## ShropshireMoose

R. Strauss: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite, Op.60 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Clemens Krauss
Moeran: Serenade in G/Lonely Waters/Whythorne's Shadow Ulster Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta

Two very enjoyable recordings, and, in parts, not as different as ye may think. The Strauss is full of wit and charm- and so is the Moeran Serenade, though it's Irish wit and charm as opposed to Viennese, the two go quite well together though and this has made a very enjoyable end to the evening. If you're unfamiliar with Moeran's music, this inexpensive disc would be a good way to start. The Cello Concerto showing his more serious side, the Serenade much lighter and the other two pieces somewhere in between. I've already commented earlier on Guy Johnston's performance of the Cello Concerto, but would repeat that for my money this is now the finest version that has been recorded.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 34368
> View attachment 34369
> 
> 
> R. Strauss: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite, Op.60 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Clemens Krauss
> Moeran: Serenade in G/Lonely Waters/Whythorne's Shadow Ulster Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta
> 
> Two very enjoyable recordings, and, in parts, not as different as ye may think. The Strauss is full of wit and charm- and so is the Moeran Serenade, though it's Irish wit and charm as opposed to Viennese, the two go quite well together though and this has made a very enjoyable end to the evening. If you're unfamiliar with Moeran's music, this inexpensive disc would be a good way to start. The Cello Concerto showing his more serious side, the Serenade much lighter and the other two pieces somewhere in between. I've already commented earlier on Guy Johnston's performance of the Cello Concerto, but would repeat that for my money this is now the finest version that has been recorded.


I want them both; and the Clemens Krauss as a matter of religious Straussian devotion. . . Thanks for putting this out there. ;D


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Barn-burner performance. I'm just hearing this for the first time. This is the most exciting first act of Tristan I've ever heard.


----------



## MrTortoise

Marschallin Blair said:


> The flair with which Argerich plays the Scarlatti on that EMI Concertgebouw recital disk from the late seventies is worth the price of the disk.


Cut to the end of the disk to give it a listen. It is pure joy!


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3


----------



## bejart

Francois Rene Gebauer (1773-1845): Wind Quintet No.3 in C Minor

Le Concert Impromptu: Yves Charpentier, flute -- Anne Chamussy, oboe -- Herve Cligniez, clarinet -- Didier Velty, horn -- Christophe Tessier, bassoon


----------



## SimonNZ

"Steve Reich: Phases", disc two:

Different Trains - Kronos Quartet
Tehillim - Reinbert de Leeuw, cond.
Eight Lines - Bang on A Can

taken from various albums, including:


----------



## KenOC

Vaughan Williams, Pastoral Symphony (#3). LPO, Haitink cond. Very beautiful, if a bit...well...pastoral.


----------



## Mahlerian

_*Stravinsky*_: *Introitus*; *A Sermon, A Narrative, and A Prayer*; *Anthem*; *Threni*
Gregg Smith Singers, Schola Cantorum, Columbia ensembles, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## SimonNZ

Would that Stravinsky Box make a solid core-collection for someone who owned no other Stravinsky? Or is it more a useful supplement to carefully picked individual discs (or another conductors box)?

Its high time I replaced my haphazardly acquired, though perfectly acceptable, Stravinsky albums (most on lp) with something more definitive.

playing now:










Bach's St. Matthew Passion - Otto Klemperer conducting a "dream team" of soloists

going to leave this blaring while I get some housework done


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.37 in D Major

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

SimonNZ said:


> Would that Stravinsky Box make a solid core-collection for someone who owned no other Stravinsky? Or is it more a useful supplement to carefully picked individual discs (or another conductors box)?
> 
> Its high time I replaced my haphazardly acquired, though perfectly acceptable, Stravinsky albums (most on lp) with something more definitive.


Most of the performances are solid, but certain supplements and substitutions will show many of the works in a better light. I didn't even listen to the Canticum Sacrum on the disc I referenced above because it's an extremely weak recording. Gielen's is far better.


----------



## Itullian

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Sonata No.37 in D Major
> 
> Alfred Brendel, piano
> 
> View attachment 34374


Amazing Haydn. Classic.


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Beethoven Symphny No. 7, Furtwangler with the Berlin PO, live in 1943. Like somebody said a few posts ago, a barn-burner for sure! I may need medical attention.


----------



## Itullian

SimonNZ said:


> *Would that Stravinsky Box make a solid core-collection for someone who owned no other Stravinsky*? Or is it more a useful supplement to carefully picked individual discs (or another conductors box)?
> 
> Its high time I replaced my haphazardly acquired, though perfectly acceptable, Stravinsky albums (most on lp) with something more definitive.
> 
> playing now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bach's St. Matthew Passion - Otto Klemperer conducting a "dream team" of soloists
> 
> going to leave this blaring while I get some housework done


I have the Stravinsky box and am very happy with. I feel no need for other recordings. 
Even if you want to try others its a great set.


----------



## DavidA

SimonNZ said:


> Would that Stravinsky Box make a solid core-collection for someone who owned no other Stravinsky? Or is it more a useful supplement to carefully picked individual discs (or another conductors box)?
> 
> Its high time I replaced my haphazardly acquired, though perfectly acceptable, Stravinsky albums (most on lp) with something more definitive.


I have the complete Stravinsky set which was (still is?) very cheap. Has a tremendous Rite of Spring. Frankly not a lover of much of his music though.


----------



## Mahlerian

There is a new recording of Babbitt's *All Set* for Jazz ensemble. I must hear it!

Babbitt: All Set
Boston Modern Orchestra Project, cond. Gil Rose


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- -*Symphony No.25 in G Minor, K.183; Symphony No.29 in A Major, K.201; Symphony No.30 in D Major, K.202; Symphony No.28 in C Major, K.200; Symphony No.31 in D Major, K.297 {"Paris"}; Symphony No.32 in G Major, K.318 and Symphony No.33 in B-Flat Major, K.319. *
All seven works feature the Sir Charles Mackerras led Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.66 in B-Flat Major; Symphony No.67 in F Major; Symphony No.69 in C Major {"Laudon"}; Symphony No.61 in D Major; Symphony No.53 in D Major {L'imperiale"} and Symphony No.70 in D Major.*These six symphonies are performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.


----------



## Mister Man

Beethoven Symphony No. 6, my favorite of the Beethoven symphonies.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mister Man said:


> Beethoven Symphony No. 6, my favorite of the Beethoven symphonies.


Whose recording?

playing now:

on the home stretch of the Klemperer Matthew Passion. Goodness me, it will have been 3 hours and 44 minutes all up. It's actually gone by pretty easily, glad to have heard it again after so long.


----------



## KenOC

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Sonata No.37 in D Major - Alfred Brendel, piano


Listening to some sonatas surrounding this one (Derzhavina). Did we really used to be civilized? What happened?


----------



## Jeff W

The Brahms Cello Sonatas. Mstislav Rostropovich on Cello and Rudolf Serkin on Piano.


----------



## Bas

SimonNZ said:


> Would that Stravinsky Box make a solid core-collection for someone who owned no other Stravinsky? Or is it more a useful supplement to carefully picked individual discs (or another conductors box)?
> 
> Its high time I replaced my haphazardly acquired, though perfectly acceptable, Stravinsky albums (most on lp) with something more definitive.
> 
> playing now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bach's St. Matthew Passion - Otto Klemperer conducting a "dream team" of soloists
> 
> going to leave this blaring while I get some housework done


I liked that one in arias, because indeed, the soloists are very good. But it is such a big, non baroque one, I much prefer smaller ensembles...


----------



## dgee

Elliott Carter - Symphony of Three Orchestras (Boulez, NYPhil)


----------



## Mister Man

SimonNZ said:


> Whose recording?


Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphony-No-6-Pastoral/dp/B000TGVMJ8


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in C minor, D958 (Leif Ove Andsnes).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

bejart said:


> Haydn: Piano Sonata No.37 in D Major
> 
> Alfred Brendel, piano
> 
> View attachment 34374


Love this sonata. The first movement is joyous and then that Largo, excellent contrast. The final movement is another really fun number. Walter Olbertz's rendition is also very good.


----------



## dgee

Searching through some old paperwork and found a score for the Webern Concerto for Nine Instruments. So - Simon Rattle and the Nash Ensemble.

It's less than 7 minutes long so I thought about another lap but the turbulent intensity of the first movement and the serenity of the second had me preferring to savour the moment.


----------



## Itullian

Number 2.
Slowly making my way through this set. Not as emotive as Bernstein, but has some good insights of its own. Enjoying it.
This is before Chailly became the speed demon he is today.
Rich, detailed digital sound.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc four:

Quatour Pour La Fin Du Temps - Fernandez/Deplus/Nielz/Petit
Cinq Rechants - Marcel Couraud, cond.

















two beautiful recordings, but they'd be better off the other way around on cd - nothing can or should follow the last movement of the quartet


----------



## Ingélou

Mozart piano concerto number 23, recommended by Haydn man, to whom gramercy. :tiphat: 
It is a jewel. 
This is the one advantage of being a classical-music newbie that I can think of - I can listen to paradisal pieces for the very first time. My heart is singing, 'Vivat Amadeus!'


----------



## MrTortoise

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E♭ major

Emerson String Quartet

Enjoyed it but I have the sense I may like another performance better.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert: Three Pieces D.946
Martinu: Fantaisie et Toccata
Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Chopin: Mazurka Op.63 No.3
Smetana: Furiant/Concert Etude Rudolf Firkusny

This is a phenomenal recital. By anyone's standards. Firkusny was one of the great pianists of the 20th century who never quite seemed to get his due recognition as such. The Schubert pieces are not as well known as the two sets of Impromptus, but they deserve to be, Firkusny gives the finest performance of them that I have heard (and that includes such luminaries as Kempff and Arrau), likewise his playing of "Pictures at an Exhibition" ranks with the best, his sense of fantasy and colour are second to none, and make this a real voyage of discovery. In the Czech pieces he is incomparable. He knew Martinu well, the present work was written for him in 1940, and here he is in 1980 playing it with unsurpassed passion and intensity, it plays for 13 minutes and is worth the price of the disc alone (I note you can get it on Amazon for £6.49, at which price it ought to be snapped up right away by anyone who loves great pianism- and great music!), in the two Smetana pieces his virtuosity is unbelievable, this is a recital you can listen to again and again, a good example of clever programming. Buy now before it's too late.


----------



## Winterreisender

Hummel: Trumpet Concerto - Alison Balsom & Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen









This is an excellent disc, and also contains trumpet concertos from Torelli and Neruda, two composers whom I had not previously heard of but whose concertos are actually rather delightful.


----------



## MrTortoise

Finished this wonderful live disc. I hope someday to have the honor of hearing her live.

Chopin: Scherzo #3 in C# minor, Op. 39
Bartok: Piano Sonata, Sz. 80
Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2
Prokovief: Piano Sonata #7 in B♭, Op. 83

Had to listen to the Prokoviev again, along with the encores.


----------



## bejart

Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): Cinquieme Concert

Trio Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Sarah Cunningham, viola -- Mitzi Meyerson, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

I have been listening to this fantastic box lately

*The All Baroque Box: From Monteverdi to Bach*









http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=798671
http://www.amazon.com/The-All-Baroque-Box-Monteverdi/dp/B008BP1LS6


----------



## Sonata

Nielsen clarinet concerto


----------



## Vinyl

Starting on LP #1 of 14 today, Piano Trio in F, H. XV No. 39.
Mehahem Pressler, Piano
Isidore Cohen, Violin
Bernard Greenhouse, Cello
Philips 1979
(this is a BIG box...)









edit: oh, this is quality!


----------



## MrTortoise

Scriabin: Symphony #1 in E. Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Ashkenazy, cond.

Enjoyed this, especially the last movement with soloist and chorus. Brigette Baileys, mezzo-soprano; Sergei Larin, tenor


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Shropshire Moose: "The Schubert pieces are not as well known as the two sets of Impromptus, but the deserve to be, Firkusny gives the finest performance of them that I have heard. . ."

Thanks for the break down. I'm getting it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Korngold: Symphony in F Sharp Major*









Morning Blair's wake-up music du jour: that is to say, the dashing last movement; and not the sustained gravitas of the preceeding three. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Haydn: String Quartets Op.20 Nos.1-3 Aeolian String Quartet

I love Haydn, so endlessly inventive, always alive, and never a bore. What more can one ask? Oh, and these performances are excellent too.


----------



## Itullian

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 34397
> 
> 
> Haydn: String Quartets Op.20 Nos.1-3 Aeolian String Quartet
> 
> I love Haydn, so endlessly inventive, always alive, and never a bore. What more can one ask? Oh, and these performances are excellent too.


Love that set.


----------



## Vasks

*Britten - War Requiem (Shaw/Telarc)*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening on Spotify to:

Morales - Missa "Mille Regretz" - The Hilliard Ensemble.

Exquisite
CD is OOP - what a pity. Never heard of this label before "Documentos Sonoros"


----------



## julianoq

Listening Dvorak's Rusalka to prepare for saturday when I will attend a The Met's HD Live broadcast in a local movie theater. I haven't worked my way into opera yet, and it will be my first experience with it. It will have subtitles and looks like it will be fun, maybe it will spark my interest into the genre!


----------



## opus55

Bartok: Sonatas for Two Pianos and Percussion


----------



## neoshredder

Decided not to wait for an answer on the best harpsichord recording of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1. Went with Peter Watchorn.
http://www.amazon.com/J-S-Bach-Wohl...d=1391701678&sr=1-7&keywords=Bach+harpsichord


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: Symphony 3, w. VPO/LB (rec.1984).

On February 6, 1851, "Bob" premiered his work in Dusseldorf, Germany.

View attachment 34403


----------



## Orfeo

*Janis Medins*
24 Dainas (Preludes).
-Jonathan Powell, pianist.

*Felix Blumenfeld*
24 Preludes (1892) & Two Impromptus (1890).
-Philip Thomson, pianist.

*Sergei Lyapunov*
Piano Concerti nos. I & II plus Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes.
-Hamish Milne (pianist) w/ the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Martin Brabbins.

*Kurt Atterberg*
Sinfonia per Archi (Sinfornia for Strings).
Suite no. VII (Incidental music to Shakespeare's Anthony & Cleopatra.
-Camerata Nordica/Ulf Wallin.

*Shalva Mshvelidze*
Symphonic Poem "Zviadauri" (1940).
-Georgian State Symphony Orchestra/Z. Khurodze.

*Otar Taktakishvili*
Symphony no. II (1953).
-The USSR Symphony Orchestra/Konstantin Ivanov.

*John Ireland*
Orchestral Poem & Two Symphonic Studies.
-The City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hickox.


----------



## Alfacharger

I decided on some Raff today.


----------



## millionrainbows

TurnaboutVox said:


> View attachment 34336
> 
> 
> Returning to the Boulez FLACs:
> 
> *Pierre Boulez - Piano Sonata No. 2 and No. 3* / Idil Biret [Naxos]
> 
> Yeah, I really like these; at first I thought that the scores were fairly random, though Idil Biret's sheer attack impressed. As I listened, order and an abstract sort of beauty began to emerge.
> 
> The first and second sonatas at least are very interesting works. Listening to these remnds me of my first reflected on encounter with abstract visual art in my early 20s


That's a good selection, TurnaboutVox.*

Idil Biret *is a very interesting pianist. I first heard her on vinyl LP, on the Finnadar label, a subsidiary of Atlantic. She is Turkish, and *Ahmet Ertegun *is responsible for signing her, and also helped *Ilhan Mimaroglu,* the electroacoustic Turkish composer/jazz producer at Atlantic. *Ertegun* was exceptional for a record producer in those days (late 1960s-early 1970s), in that he actually understood music, had a good ear, and liked the artists he signed. He was responsible for signing many blues and jazz artists, who loved him as well.

*Idil Biret *was given the master tapes of her entire catalogue on Atlantic by *Ahmet Ertegun *before he passed, and this has allowed her to begin remastering and re-releasing all of it. She has a complete Beethoven sonata cycle, all the Liszt/Beethoven symphonic transcriptions, and contemporary works.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

julianoq said:


> Listening Dvorak's Rusalka to prepare for saturday when I will attend a The Met's HD Live broadcast in a local movie theater. I haven't worked my way into opera yet, and it will be my first experience with it. It will have subtitles and looks like it will be fun, maybe it will spark my interest into the genre!











I love the Mackerras as a pearl beyond praise; but I like the Hickox lineup and performance as well.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Ben Johnston (1926-):String Quartets Nos. 1, 5, 10. Kepler Quartet (New World)* rec. 2007-2010.

Works from the beginning, middle, and late periods of Johnston's output.* String Quartet No. 1 (1959) *is from his serial period, but does not sound like most serial pieces. His 3 main teachers were* Darius Milhaud, John Cage, and Harry Partch*, so there is "emptiness" influence from John Cage which makes this different from your average information-filled, busy serial piece. Things have time to breathe, and be comprehended.
The String Quartet No. 5 reflects Johnston's interest in "just" tuning, which came after his serial fling, after working as an assistant to Harry Partch.
The 10th Quartet is complex rhythmically, and uses "just" tuning in a less obvious way.

The Kepler Quartet were formed with the express purpose of playing Johnston's micro-tonal string pieces, so this is a very good and informed performance.
I recommend this.


----------



## rrudolph

Glazunov: Salome/King of the Jews








Gliere: Symphony #3, "Ilya Murometz"








Shchedrin: Concerto Cantabile/Stravinsky: Violin Concerto








Shostakovich: Symphony #10


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in A Major, D959 (Leif Ove Andsnes).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Have you. . . 'ever'. . . heard a more spirited _Soir de Fête_ (that is to say, the Plasson)? -- I sure haven't.

When it comes to Chausson, I always find that its this and the _Symponie_ that are most attended to.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Romanian Folk Dances, Dance Suite.*

The folk dances are interesting; transcriptions of the folk music he collected. Bartok sure could make an orchestra sound good.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold - Symphonies Nos. 7, 8 & 9*

Symphony No. 7, Op. 113

Symphony No. 8, Op. 124

Symphony No. 9, Op. 128

Concertino for Oboe and Strings, Op.28a

*Jennifer Galloway (oboe)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Rumon Gamba*









http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arnold-M-Symphonies-Nos-Concerto/dp/B001MV8Z2G
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Jennifer-Galloway/Performer/54931-2
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/nov01/Arnold789.htm
http://www.classicalcdreview.com/sma78rg.htm
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Chandos/CHAN9967


----------



## julianoq

After the first and second acts of Rusalka, even if I enjoyed it a lot I will have to take some time away from opera. Now listening to Schubert's Piano Trio No.1 performed Ashkenazy, Zukerman and Harrell. I love this record!


----------



## Mahlerian

*Takemitsu*: Excerpts from *12 Songs for Guitar*, *From far beyond Chrysanthemums and November Fog* (for violin and piano), *Landscape* (for string quartet), *Ring* (for flute, terz guitar, and lute), *Bad Boy* (for two guitars), *Valeria* (for violin, cello, guitar, and electric organ with two piccolos obbligato)









Norio Satoh, Kiyoshi Shomura, guitars
Rieko Suzuki, Joe Kuwata, violins
Kiyo Kido, viola
Kenichiro Yasuda, cello
Hiroshi Koizumi, flute (and piccolo)
Yukihiko Nishizawa, piccolo
Kaori Kimura, piano and electric organ

A bit odd to pair Beatles songs arranged for guitar (and a pop song Takemitsu himself wrote for a film score in Bad Boy) with pieces like Ring and Valeria from his heavily Boulez and Webern-inspired idiom of the 60s, but the performances and works here are all great, so it's okay, if a little disjointed. Valeria (the name was taken from Humbert Humbert's ex-wife in Lolita) is scored for an odd ensemble and does nothing to cover that oddness up. The electric organ enters fortissimo and the piccolos squeak away like the ryuteki of Gagaku, but the lyrical sections between the more violent ones are already indicative of Takemitsu's late idiom.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ravel: Daphne et Chloe Suite No. 2*









For the life of me, I can't figure out why Karajan never did the entire Daphne et Chloe _ballet_.


----------



## DrKilroy

What a strange coincidence!  

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe (Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34419
> 
> 
> For the life of me, I can't figure out why Karajan never did the entire Daphne et Chloe _ballet_.


Possibly because he was a symphonic / opera and not a ballet conductor?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> Possibly because he was a symphonic / opera and not a ballet conductor?


Well, he has a lot of 'splaining to do Lucy, because he sure did a lot of Tchaikovsky ballet suites.


----------



## Oskaar

*William BOLCOM (b. 1938) *

Violin Concerto in D (1983) [23:21] 
Fantasia Concertante for viola, violoncello and orchestra (1985) [15:03] 
Symphony No. 5 (1989) [22:48] 
* Sergiu Luca (violin) 
Janet Lyman Hill (viola); Eugene Moye (cello) 
American Composers Orchestra/Dennis Russell Davies *
rec. New York State University Performing Arts Center, October 1990









http://www.allmusic.com/album/william-bolcom-violin-concerto-fantasia-concertante-fifth-symphony-mw0001422053
http://www.amazon.com/BOLCOM-Symphony-Concerto-Fantasia-Concertante/dp/B000HIUYPQ
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Sept06/Bolcom_violin_phcd164.htm


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> What a strange coincidence!
> 
> Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe (Rattle).
> 
> Best regards, Dr


DrKilroy, you warm my heart!!!! SOMEONE out there's enveloped in this gorgeosity besides myself!!!! God, isn't it divine?


----------



## Vaneyes

Maybe because he thought *the whole thing* dragged.


----------



## DrKilroy

Marschallin Blair said:


> DrKilroy, you warm my heart!!!! SOMEONE out there's enveloped in this gorgeosity besides myself!!!! God, isn't it divine?


Yes, Ravel is in my favourite composers top 3, so I have to agree with you. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> Yes, Ravel is in my favourite composers top 3, so I have to agree with you. :tiphat:
> 
> Best regards, Dr


. . . and who are the other two?


----------



## Bas

Followed along with my newly arrived pocket study score Beethoven's Violin Concerto in Dm (preparation for the concert I am attending this saturday - with Faust too, I am so excited! )

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Mozart Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









And, just finished, Bach:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites BWV 1007-1009 (the first half)
By Bruno Cocset [cello], on Alpha









I am going to bed early, now. So the other Bach suites will have to wait, till another time (soon)


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc three:

Music From The Court Of King Janus At Nicosia - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Night On Bald Mountain: Original Version*









Abbado's LSO "Night On Bald Mountain" and "Joshua"-- headliners baby.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 5 in D Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## DrKilroy

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . and who are the other two?


At the moment they are Stravinsky and Vaughan Williams. I think it should be a top 4, however, so I could include Sibelius. There is no ranking within these four, they are equally my favourites.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Weston said:


> I so wish this kind of revelation would happen with me. Sometimes it does, but not yet with Boulez.





Sid James said:


> I love that album, Biret opened those works up to me like no other (even though its said she is not as accurate as some other pianists, but so what? ...she plays it with real passion and a kind of gutsiness that I think sells them even to the most sceptical. Pollini's iciness matches Biret's fire, its just different.
> 
> I'm glad you liked it though!





millionrainbows said:


> That's a good selection, TurnaboutVox. Idil Biret is a very interesting pianist. She has a complete Beethoven sonata cycle, all the Liszt/Beethoven symphonic transcriptions, and contemporary works.


Thanks for your comments. I am appreciating this repertoire more and more having got stuck at my first attempt 30 years ago. I got as far as Webern and Berg, Schoenberg perhaps not quite so much, and went off into neoclassicism (and back into romantic and classical era music). I got given an LP of Pli Selon Pli some time in the 80's and didn't actually play it until late last year!

Apart from a late spirit of adventure(!) spurred by my lad's interest in modern and contemporary music, I think what has partly propelled me into dissonant modernism is my hearing loss; I no longer hear pitch relationships accurately but my appreciation of rhythm, 'attack', timbre, 'colour' etc are intact and these are relatively more important in dissonant works.

Anyway Idil Biret seems a fine advocate for Boulez's piano sonatas and I did enjoy them very much.

Currently listening to:

*Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Sonatas









Piano Sonata in F sharp minor Op 81
Piano Sonata in D major Op 106
Piano Sonata in F minor Op 20*

Stephen Hough (piano) [Hyperion, 2003]

These really are very good, full of life and colour. Once I accepted that Hummel wasn't trying to write like Beethoven, I could appreciate them for themselves (and then I hear a phrase in Op. 20 which is very Beethovenian).


----------



## Blancrocher

Paul Crossley playing Tippett's piano sonatas. Every time I listen to them, I wonder why I listen to them so seldom.


----------



## SimonNZ

Germiniani's La Foresta Incantata - Guiseppi Camerlingo, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> DrKilroy, you warm my heart!!!! SOMEONE out there's enveloped in this gorgeosity besides myself!!!! God, isn't it divine?


I've gotta jump into this one also. Forget the suites; Dutoit gives the whole enchilada.


----------



## Sid James

*Bernard Herrmann*
_Psycho - A narrative for orchestra
Marnie
North by Northwest: Main title
Vertigo: Prelude, Nightmare, Love scene
A portrait of Hitch (from The Trouble with Harry)_
- London PO under the composer

*Herrmann* is among my favourite film composers. His score for *Psycho* perfectly combines the dark and pared down sonorities of the string orchestra with that feeling of suspense and impending doom in the film. It was a happy coincidence that Hitchcock didn't have the budget for a full symphony orchestra, but Herrmann's 'making do' with what he had worked a treat. It was a landmark score in dispensing with themes and going all out for texture, layerings and (at the end) a lack of resolution of any kind. Another favourite here is *North by Northwest,* that obsessive fandango tune going through the whole film, in effect shadowing Cary Grant as he traverses the American continent. Herrmann was important in bringing a strong psychological element to film writing, the music doesn't mirror external things like landscapes but more of what's going on in the minds of the protagonists.

Also took in the *Mendelssohn*, an old favourite, and the *Roger Sessions* chamber album on Naxos, which has more recently become a favourite too!

*Mendelssohn* _Violin Concerto in E minor_
- Joan Field, vln. with Berlin PO under Rudolf Albert

*Sessions *
_String Quartet #1
Canons (to the memory of Stravinsky)_
- The Group for Contemporary Music


----------



## Sonata

Started my Bellini exploration at lunchtime with some of *Adelson e Selvini*.

Also decided to work my way through all of Haydn's symphonies. Currently listening to Haydn #1, Hogwood


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold: Symphony in F sharp minor*

Symphony in F sharp major, Op. 40

Much Ado About Nothing, incidental music, Op. 11

*Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Marc Albrecht*









First time I listen to the symphony, and what a work it is! E#xtremly good sound, and a great performance.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=519660
http://www.allmusic.com/album/korngold-symphony-in-f-sharp-op-40-much-ado-about-nothing-op-11-mw0002045461
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Jan11/korngold_PTC5186373.htm
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Pentatone/PTC5186373
http://www.classicalmusicsentinel.com/KEEP/keep-korngold-albrecht.html


----------



## Sonata

Haydn #2, Hogwood.

And I decided to traverse Mozart's piano concertos while I'm at it. Make for an interesting alternation between Mozart concertos and Haydn symphonies.

Mozart piano concerto #1: Murray Perahia and the English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Guest

Today I listened to concertos for wind instruments by Mozart:








K191 (K186e), Concerto for Bassoon in B flat
Karen Geoghegan, bassoon
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda








K313 (K285c), Flute Concerto in G
Sharon Bezaly, flute
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas








K622, Concerto for Clarinet in A
Martin Fröst, bassett clarinet
Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Peter Oundjian








K314 (K271k) Oboe Concerto in C
Alexei Ogrintchouk, oboe
Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Henk Rubingh








K495, Horn Concerto in E flat
Teunis van der Zwart, horn
Freiburger Barockorchester, Petra Mullijans


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> I've gotta jump into this one also. Forget the suites; Dutoit gives the whole enchilada.
> 
> View attachment 34430











I've heard every _Daphnis et Chloe_ on CD. The Dutoit was the first one I've ever owned, and its absolutely lovely. I've never heard one that completely grabbed me in all of its parts, though perhaps the Boulez/Berlin incarnation is my overall favorite; the way he does the Bachanale and Chloe's abduction by pirates is unbelievably exciting. I just cheered out loud the fist time I heard it.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Well, let's see if this gets any likes (few posters seem to put up collections) so here goes:

Spanish and Portuguese Vihuela Songs performed by Sarah Stowe and Matthew Spring









I've had this for 21 years and Sarah's magnificent, piercing voice on the opening track never fails to gain my full attention. Not for everyday listening, perhaps, but its probably one of my favourite CDs for reasons that I can't explain


----------



## Vasks

Headphone Hermit said:


> Well, let's see if this gets any likes (few posters seem to put up collections) so here goes:


Maybe posters don't put up collections but I do dip into mine frequently


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Sonatas in C Major and C Minor.*

I haven't paid much attention to Mozart's piano sonatas until now. For some reason, this disk has languished on my CD stack for about a year. I don't know what's wrong with me sometimes. At least I'm starting to wake up to this music.


----------



## Guest

Headphone Hermit said:


> Well, let's see if this gets any likes (few posters seem to put up collections) so here goes:
> Spanish and Portuguese Vihuela Songs performed by Sarah Stowe and Matthew Spring
> View attachment 34440
> 
> I've had this for 21 years and Sarah's magnificent, piercing voice on the opening track never fails to gain my full attention. Not for everyday listening, perhaps, but its probably one of my favourite CDs for reasons that I can't explain


Hi 'Phones! You couldn't by any chance post a YouTube link for us ignoramuses, could you?


----------



## DrKilroy

Daphnis et Chloe made me think about Szymanowski's Harnasie, so I am listening to it now (also conducted by Rattle).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34439
> 
> 
> I've heard every _Daphnis et Chloe_ on CD. The Dutoit was the first one I've ever owned, and its absolutely lovely. I've never heard one that completely grabbed me in all of its parts, though perhaps the Boulez/Berlin incarnation is my overall favorite; the way he does the Bachanale and Chloe's abduction by pirates is unbelievably exciting. I just cheered out loud the fist time I heard it.


That Boulez recording is probably the best ever of this piece. For a long while I been listening to Chailly with the Concertgebouw and it has grown me very nicely (with the coupling of Debussy's "Khamma" which is very well executed). But this DG album brought the listening experience on another level. The Myung-whun Chung DG recording is quite excellent in its own right.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> That Boulez recording is probably the best ever of this piece. For a long while I been listening to Chailly with the Concertgebouw and it has grown me very nicely (with the coupling of Debussy's "Khamma" which is very well executed). But this DG album brought the listening experience on another level. The Myung-whun Chung DG recording is quite excellent in its own right.


Yeah, the Chailly/Concertgebouw has a good daybreak climax; Dorcon casting his shadow on the side of the mountain is exciting as well. . . But yes, David- the DG 4-D engineering coupled with Boulez and the polished textures of the Berlin Philharmonic?-- such clearly-executed aural joy. . . I really like the way Boulez does _La Valse_ on the CD as well.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 15-17 Friedrich Gulda
Franck: Piano Quintet Hollywood String Quartet/Victor Aller

More delights from Gulda. The atmosphere created in the "Pastoral" is beautiful, in the "Tempest" he is as exciting and dramatic as any one I've ever heard, and the sonata Op.31 No.1 receives the wittiest performance I know of. The first movement simply sparkles, I love it. Then the passion of Franck's Quintet, a classic recording and deservedly so. Bliss.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Liszt - The Late Pieces

Piano Piece in E major (Funf klavierstucke no.1), S192/1
Piano Piece in A flat major (Funf klavierstucke no.2), S192/2
En r'eve - Nocturne, S207
Piano Piece in F sharp major (Funf klavierstucke no.3), S192/3
Romance oubli'ee (Vergessener romanze), S527
Piano Piece in F sharp major (Funf klavierstucke no.4), S192/4
Die Trauergondel (La lugubre gondola)-I, S200/1
Die Trauergondel (La lugubre gondola)-II, S200/2
RW-Venezia, S201
Am Grabe Richard Wagners, S202
Abschied-Russisches volkslied, S251
Slyepoi (Der blinde sanger), S542a
Ungarns gott, S543
Ungarisches konigslied, S544
Epithalam-Zu eduard rem'enyis vermahlungsfeier, S526
Mosonyis grabgeleit (Mosonyi gy'azmenete), S194
Dem andenken petofis (Petofi szellem'enek), S195
Trauervorspiel, und...
Trauermarsch, S206*

Leslie Howard (Piano) [Hyperion](The Complete Music for Solo Piano Vol. 11)









The second half of the disc I dipped into the other night. A lot of this late Liszt is tonally very ambiguous, and it's really rather beguiling


----------



## clara s

for tonight

* Igor Stravinsky's Divertimento for violin and piano*

very distinct sound

Stravinsky and Dushkin in piano and violin


----------



## dgee

Petrushka - it's so adorable. I don't see people loving it enough on here

Paavo Jarvi with the Paris Orchestra live in 2011 on youtube (to check them both out). Not too shabby although lacks some cut in the brass - what doesn't ;-) Also the later version with the funny concert ending that I'm not all that keen on
There's also a hilarious moment where the camera searches vainly for the tuba during the bear sections and only comes up with horns :-(


----------



## Headphone Hermit

TalkingHead said:


> Hi 'Phones! You couldn't by any chance post a YouTube link for us ignoramuses, could you?


I've had a look and tried lots of combinations (including spelling Sara correctly) but can't find any links to her singing it, but the song can be heard at 



 sung beautifully, but Sara sings it quicker and much, much more purely. If you like the song, I'm sure you'll love her performance of it. There is a sample of her singing at 



 but it is really very badly recorded and is nowhere near as cleaar and pristine as her voice is on my CD.


----------



## jlaw




----------



## ShropshireMoose

On another thread, debating the harpsichord vs. piano for Bach, I rambled a bit and remembered this remarkable performance, which being on youtube I thought I'd put up on here for all to enjoy. It really is stupendous, what a wonderful musician George Malcolm was. His Decca LP of Scarlatti Sonatas is still a great favourite of mine.
NB. I actually think the harpsichord makes more of a bee sound than any other instrument I've ever heard this much arranged work played on. Hats off to Mr. Malcolm I say!


----------



## aleazk

J.S.Bach - _Die Kunst der Fuge_ (Musica Antiqua Köln).


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34419
> 
> 
> For the life of me, I can't figure out why Karajan never did the entire Daphne et Chloe _ballet_.


I always wanted a Dvorak 7th from him and more Mahler.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Roussel*: Symphony 2, Le festin de l'araignee, w. ONdF/Martinon (rec.1968); *Zemlinsky*: String Quartets, w. LaSalle Qt. (rec.1980).

View attachment 34448
View attachment 34449


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> I always wanted a Dvorak 7th from him and more Mahler.


You know?-- I never even THOUGHT of that! I can only imagine the caressing, lilting grace that Karajan would give the waltzy part of the first movement-- which I LOOOOOVE. ;D


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

My introduction to the man, the work (on LP, no less, bless its palpable, large, cakelike roundness):


----------



## bejart

Justin August Just (1750-1791): Piano Trio in C Major, Op.2, No.1

Trio 1790: Harald Hoeren, piano -- Matthias Fischer, violin -- Philipp Bosbach, cello


----------



## Guest

I see a mini-Pettersson festival is flowering, so here is my contribution! His dense textures greatly benefit from SACD's clarity.









and I eagerly await this new BIS recording (it's on back order):


----------



## Tristan

*Chopin* - Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" in B-flat major, Op. 2

A fun, lively early Chopin piece 









This CD was a thrift-shop find: $2 for perfect-condition CDs.


----------



## julianoq

I will gladly join the Pettersson trend listening to his symphony No.11 for the first time, conducted by Segerstam!


----------



## hpowders

^^^You are in for a shock!!! LOL!!!


----------



## KenOC

Dvorak's Requiem, London SO, Istvan Kertesz cond. (actually listening on YouTube...)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Hindemith: Symphony in E Flat*









First and Third movements all the way.


----------



## Mahlerian

Scriabin: Sonatas 1-4
Maria Lettberg


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Boulez: Explosant Fixe*









You owe it to yourself to hear this on some really high end headphones.

The recording quality is exhilarating. . . baring that?- here's the downmarket You Tube version:


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









It is somewhat late for an Abbado memorial playing, but the album I was waiting for finally got here: Bruckner's _Symphony 5_ (Abbado/Wien). I am fairly new to Bruckner. This is very quiet, with thoughtful instrumental filigree and some roaring crescendos. It demands intent listening. I think I like this one the most, so far (others I have are _4_ and _8_, with _7_ still in transit).

I am also revisiting things I purchased in the mad last 24 months of acquisitions. This one is catching my fancy today:









Fittingly, another Abbado performance, with the Chicago SO. Mahler's _Symphony 7_ has become one of my favourites. As I am listening to it, I ask myself: Did Debussy like Mahler's music, or the other way around? Or is it just that I also have this in the player?









Disc 2: _Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune; Nocturnes; La Mer; Rhapsodie pour orchestre et clarinette; Dances For Harp And Strings_ (Haitink/Concertgebouw)

Convalescing is fun... starting about today 

Just scanning back, I see someone described music as "with cakelike roundness". I wonder if I could describe these as like apple sauce, go down easy, with energizing sweetness and revitalizing pectins?


----------



## senza sordino

*Vivaldi Concerto for Guitar and Strings in D*
*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Concerto #1 for Guitar and Orchestra*
*Villa Lobos Guitar Concerto*

all performed by Marcos Tsessos on guitar with Vladimir Altschuler conducting St Petersburg Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34455
> 
> 
> *You owe it to yourself to hear this on some really high end headphones.
> *
> The recording quality is exhilarating. . . baring that?- here's the downmarket You Tube version:


No, no. Floorstanders. Let it breath.


----------



## Blancrocher

About to fire up Horenstein conducting Bruckner's 5th--recommended by Vaneyes on another thread.


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> As I am listening to it, I ask myself: Did Debussy like Mahler's music, or the other way around?


Mahler programmed a few of Debussy's works (and this was back when they were considered radical and difficult), but Debussy famously walked out of a performance of the Andante of Mahler's Second, complaining that it was "just more Schubert" (although La Grange casts some doubt on the details of this anecdote). To my knowledge, he never reversed his opinion.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.26 in C Major

Adam Fischer directing the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> ...but Debussy famously walked out of a performance of the Andante of Mahler's Second, complaining that it was "just more Schubert"...


From several of the quotes I've seen, I think Debussy could sometimes be pretty insufferable.


----------



## kingde

*Prokofiev fans?*

Anyone a Prokofiev fanatic like me?
I find his music intellectually exciting.

Especially the first Symphony "Classical Symphony"

and his String Quartet 1 in B minor


----------



## samurai

Yes, I am especially fond of his First ("Classical"), Fifth and Seventh Symphonies.


----------



## Guest

Not as soul-crushing as Pettersson, but still rather dark:










A beautifully remastered recording from the 80s.


----------



## SimonNZ

Anton Reicha Wind Quintets - Academia Wind Quintet Of Prague


----------



## MrTortoise

On to disc three of Lettberg's complete cycle of Scriabin solo piano works. Preludes, Op. 11, 13, 15, and 16. As the opus numbers increased, so did my enjoyment. That's a good thing, considering I have one more disc of preludes.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc five:

Visions De L'Amen 
- Katia and Marielle Labeque, pianos

Les Offrandes Oubliees
Hymne Au Saint Sacrement
- Marius Constant, cond.










hmm...I'd rather be refering right back to the original lp covers for this (even though the discs in this set are clearly following the cd reissues and pairings) but I can't find anything but oversized images

Labeque / Constant


----------



## MrTortoise

Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto in c# minor, Op. 30
Balakirev: Piano Concerto 1 in f# minor, Op. 1
Balakirev: Piano Concerto 2 in Eflat major (posth)

Malcolm Binns, piano
The English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones, cond.

All three fine works, but the second movement of Balakirev #2 was most stirring for me. There is so much fine Russian music that has not poured into my ears.


----------



## starthrower

Penderecki-Symphony No. 4 
Conducted by Lorin Maazel


----------



## SimonNZ

Chopin's Ballades and Scherzos - Artur Rubinstein, piano

edit: Brahms' Violin Sonatas - Victoria Mullova, violin, Piotr Anderszewski, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D960 (Leif Ove Andsnes).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 101 in D Major, 'The Clock' (Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra).









Ah, that Adagio in the 1st movement, missed it. A great opening to this symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dohnanyi - Serenade for String Trio
Kodaly - Intermezzo for String Trio
Martinu - Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola
Martinu - String Trio No.2
- Domus


----------



## MagneticGhost

Ashkenazy - Previn - LSO

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto's 1+2

Everytime I hear these, I'm a teenager again. Flushed with first love, first experiences. Such an integral part of my growing up. Such wonderful works. I think that's why I get disappointed when some people suggest that Rachmaninov is a 2nd rate composer.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Coates: London Suite/London Bridge March
Grainger: Molly On The Shore/Mock Morris/Handel in the Strand
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Gounod: Funeral March of a Marionette
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1 and 4
Wood: Fantasia on British Sea Songs
Jarnefelt: Praeludium Queen's Hall Orchestra/London Philharmonic Orchestra/London Symphony Orchestra/British Symphony Orchestra Sir Henry J. Wood

A mixed bag from Sir Henry Wood, and a most enjoyable bunch of pieces at that. This is my favourite version of Coates' London Suite, it's even better than any of Coates' own recordings. Also, Wood's orchestration of "Handel in the Strand" is an absolute joy. Grainger loved it apparently, it uses a whacking great orchestra, George Weldon once commented that one of Sir Henry's reasons for using a large orchestra in many of his arrangements was to help orchestral musicians retain employment! Anyway, this has made a great start to the morning, and I should add that Dutton's transfers of all this are very good indeed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Telemann's Twelve Fantasies For Solo Violin - Augustin Haderlich, violin


----------



## Ingélou

Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine (1610 Vespers) - recommended by Weston :tiphat:
Sorry about the cliches  but I just can't come up with anything more original: it's sublime:angel:.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ingélou said:


> Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine (1610 Vespers) - recommended by Weston :tiphat:
> Sorry about the cliches  but it's sublime:angel:.


Which cliches? And sorry to keep asking this, but I'm genuinely interested: which recording?


----------



## Guest

*Anton WEBERN*, Variations for Piano, Op. 27.
Pollini: 



Gould: 




Pollini (with score of Variation I only):


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 24, 25, 26
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









Joseph Haydn - Die Jahreszeiten
By Hans Sotin [bass], Ileana Cotrubas [soprano], Werner Krenn [tenor], Brighton Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Ingélou

SimonNZ said:


> Which cliches? And sorry to keep asking this, but I'm genuinely interested: which recording?


Clichés? Just that I imagine that 'sublime' is the usual epithet trotted out for this work, Monteverdi's Vespro Della Beata Virgine, 1610. 

YouTube - I've downloaded it to my Facebook page. 
Karl Moore Productions, France & Ensemble la Fenice, at Le Festival de Musique Ancienne de Lyon.

Which recording do you like best, Simon?


----------



## SimonNZ

Ingélou said:


> Clichés? Just that I imagine that 'sublime' is the usual epithet trotted out for this work, Monteverdi's Vespro Della Beata Virgine, 1610.
> 
> YouTube - I've downloaded it to my Facebook page.
> Karl Moore Productions, France & Ensemble la Fenice, at Le Festival de Musique Ancienne de Lyon.
> 
> Which recording do you like best, Simon?


Hehe, thats ok then, i thought you were saying the work was cliche, and I was thinking I want to live in the world where the 1610 Vespers are hackneyed and mainstream. 

Favorite recording of the 1610 Vespers? That's tough, there's strong contenders, but I think my desert island recording would be Andrew Parrott's:















spreaking of Vespers...playing now:










Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil - Mstislav Rostropovitch, cond.


----------



## aleazk

TalkingHead said:


> *Anton WEBERN*, Variations for Piano, Op. 27.
> Pollini:
> 
> 
> 
> Gould:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pollini (with score of Variation I only):


Pollini, if you ask me.


----------



## Guest

Holst
The Planets
Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Winterreisender

Bach Cello Suites - Jap Ter Linden


----------



## MagneticGhost

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D960 (Leif Ove Andsnes).
> 
> View attachment 34471
> 
> .


Thought I'd join you at the end of your Schubert Wanderings.
Never got round to hearing his late sonatas. But it's everything I love about his music. Highly melodic, endlessly inventive, unexpected turns of phrase and key changes. Need to get myself a version. That Leif was excellent. Brendel's impromptu's are magical though so perhaps him.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in G minor, Op. 74 no. 3_
The Salomon String Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas-- _No. 35 in A flat major_; _No. 36 in C major_; _No. 37 in E major_; 
_No. 38 in F major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano








*Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas-- _No. 42 in G major_; _No. 43 in E flat major_; _No. 44 in F major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## julianoq

Just woke up in the mood for some Mahler! These tend to be the best days, at least for music listening. Now playing the symphony No.7, conducted by Abbado with the BPO.


----------



## Oskaar

*Viotti: Complete Violin Concertos Volume 4*

Violin Concerto No. 18 in E minor, G90/W18

Violin Concerto No. 14 in A minor, G66/W14

Violin Concerto No. 3 in A major, G25/W3

*Franco Mezzena (violin and conductor)

Symphonia Perusina*









Just great!

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=24337


----------



## Vasks

*Villa-Lobos - Amazonas (Duarte/Marco Polo)
Part - Nekrolog (P. Jarvi/Virgin)
Sessions - Piano Concerto (Taub/Oehms)
Tower - Violin Concerto (Oliveira/d'Note)*


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Prelude and Fugue No.14 in F Sharp Minor, BWV 883

Glenn Gould, piano


----------



## MrTortoise

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. Chicago with Solti

I had to continue my Russian feast before retiring to bed. What an incredible brass players, well in fact the entire orchestra sparkles in this recording.


----------



## maestro267

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 1 in G minor (Winter Daydreams)

Appropriate for today, I think.


----------



## samurai

maestro267 said:


> *Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 1 in G minor (Winter Daydreams)
> 
> Appropriate for today, I think.


One of my favorite symphonies by him. Who are the performers?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jerome said:


> View attachment 34477
> 
> Holst
> The Planets
> Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra


-- First Planets I've 'ever owned. ;D It was my standard-bearer for a long time; then the Karajan Decca; then the Karajan DG. . . and then, suddenly my head got knocked transversely with the high-powered brass of the Levine/CSO: that Mars!!!! OH MY GODDDD!-- and the Saturn!-- MON-U-MEN-TAL.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 34472
> 
> 
> Ashkenazy - Previn - LSO
> 
> Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto's 1+2
> 
> Everytime I hear these, I'm a teenager again. Flushed with first love, first experiences. Such an integral part of my growing up. Such wonderful works. I think that's why I get disappointed when some people suggest that Rachmaninov is a 2nd rate composer.


Great set. I've always LOVED the way Ashkenazy and Previn did that HUGE climax in the first movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto; my favorite buildup of that section of all time. . . Cheers.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Wake-up Music*

Morning Blair reporting from the not-so-currently-sunny climes of Southern California:

Mravinksy's spirited Marriage of Figaro Overture; and his equally-lovely, vivacious-and-sunny Symphony 39.


----------



## hpowders

Haydn, The Creation, Andreas Spering.
Hazy, foggy morning.
This Haydn masterpiece should brighten me up a bit.


----------



## Guest

Listening to everything off this set except the symphonies:








Brahms:
Tragic Overture
Academic Festival Overture
Variations of a Theme of Haydn
Hungarian Dances
...and various other fillers

Riccardo Chailly


----------



## hpowders

^^^^^Filler-up???????????


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

He finished a cool #50 in TC's List of Top 100 Composers, arguably the most "pivotal position." Perhaps he would say, simply & obscurely, "How strange!" He's Erik Satie and I'm enjoying for the umpteenth time his _Socrate _. Hope I don't weep at the end, I often do. Frank Zappa called it the most important composition of the 20th century. Ned Rorem claims it's "not 'ahead' of its time, but rather (and of what other work can this be said?) outside of time..." You decide. I have several recordings, this Factory Classical recording (Susan Bickley, Eileen Hulse, and Patricia Rozario sing, Richard Bernas conducts) is my favorite :


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Winterreise
Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta (recorded march 1945)









Such a wonderful performance (found thanks to this forum, I don't recall the fine member that recommended it, but it really touches the soul when Anders sings them) of such brilliant songs. I love Schubert's lieder.


----------



## rrudolph

Monteverdi/Ferrari








Dalza/Spinacino/Bossinensis/Capirola








Trabaci/Negri/Mayone/Fillimarino/Caccini/Anonymous








Caccini/Vecchi/Ferrari/Monteverdi etc.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 98 in B-flat Major (Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Excerpts from *12 Songs for Guitar*, *Seasons* (for 4 percussionists), *A Bird came down the Walk* (for viola and piano), *Quatrain II* (for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano)









Norio Satoh, guitar and percussion
Yasunori Yamaguchi, Sumire Yoshiwara Yukiko Nishizawa, percussion
Fumiko Kai, viola
Kaori Kimura, piano
Yoshiaki Suzuki, clarinet
Rieko Suzuki, violin
Kenichiro Yasuda, cello

This grab-bag of various things is probably one of the lesser individual discs in this series. Of its rather short 46 minute running time, a third is taken up by Seasons, a Cage-inspired graphic score piece that loses a good deal when recorded. The four players (who don't necessarily have to be primarily percussionists) are positioned across from each other, and the score instructs them to respond to the others' actions in various ways.

A Bird came down the Walk is based on motifs from the orchestral piece A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden, and Quatrain II is derived from its orchestral counterpart Quatrain, but without the orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders: This Haydn masterpiece should brighten me up a bit.

Here's to high-octane, piping-hot espresso! . . . and to be 'brightened up' with Haydn and Mozart; ESPECIALLY on rainy days.


----------



## Orfeo

*Hector Berlioz*
La Damnation de Faust.
-Kenneth Riegel, Frederica Von Stade, Jose Van Dam, Malcolm King. 
-The Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Sir Georg Solti.

*Franz Liszt*
Symphony "Dante," Piano Concerto no. II (*) & Totentanz (*).
-The Berlin Philharmonic/Daniel Barenboim.
-Krystian Zimerman with The Boston Symphony/Seiji Ozawa(*).

*Wilhelm Furtwangler*
Symphony no. II.
-The Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Alfacharger

Some Dvorak today.


----------



## julianoq

That's interesting, while hpowders and Marschallin Blair looks for some Haydn and Mozart to light their days, I look for Sibelius to cold mine! 37 degrees celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) at this moment in São Paulo, how can human beings live in this conditions?

Anyway, listening to Pohjolas Daughter and Lemminkäinen Suite, conducted by Neeme Jarvi. With some luck I will survive.


----------



## hpowders

Marschallin Blair said:


> hpowders: This Haydn masterpiece should brighten me up a bit.
> 
> Here's to high-octane, piping-hot espresso! . . . and to be 'brightened up' with Haydn and Mozart; ESPECIALLY on rainy days.
> 
> View attachment 34501


"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Carpenters.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

julianoq: That's interesting, while hpowders and Marschallin Blair looks for some Haydn and Mozart to light their days, I look for Sibelius to cold mine! 37 degrees celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) at this moment in São Paulo, how can human beings live in this conditions?

Anyway, listening to Pohjolas Daughter and Lemminkäinen Suite, conducted by Neeme Jarvi. With some luck I will survive.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I love it. No, don't misconstue me: I'm a Sibelius FAN-AT-IC. I just need some lightness and grace before I start my daily trek into those rarefied fjords and forrests of the austere northlands. . . 'Yeah,' Sibelius: now and evermore!! Cheers.









You want Viking-epic-adventure-writ-large Sibelius?-- Check out his original edition of his cantada _The Origin of Fire_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> *Hector Berlioz*
> La Damnation de Faust.
> -Kenneth Riegel, Frederica Von Stade, Jose Van Dam, Malcolm King.
> -The Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Sir Georg Solti.
> 
> *Franz Liszt*
> Symphony "Dante," Piano Concerto no. II (*) & Totentanz (*).
> -The Berlin Philharmonic/Daniel Barenboim.
> -Krystian Zimerman with The Boston Symphony/Seiji Ozawa(*).
> 
> *Wilhelm Furtwangler*
> Symphony no. II.
> -The Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim.


Densely-textured, heavy-Romantic stuff-- _Je le adore_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I'm not hip on the playing of the Orchestre Philharmonique- they really should have give Chung Berlin or the Concertgebouw for the assignment. . . But I still nonetheless like some of the wonderful things he does with the score.


----------



## Itullian

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Symphony No. 98 in B-flat Major (Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra).
> 
> View attachment 34500


Klemperer and Haydn. Awesomeness........


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Vissi d'arte: Leontyne-style*









Her "Vissi d'arte"!!!

-- Love the CD cover too! . . . Ha. Ha. Ha.--- "Art and performance as if your life DEPENDS on it, Leontyne!"


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in D Major, D850 (Leif Ove Andsnes).


----------



## Blancrocher

I Puritani, which always moves me despite myself. One of Cromwell's finest moments.


----------



## DrKilroy

I wanted to listen to Mahler's 2nd, but now I realised I would rather have some Gershwin. 

Gershwin - Concerto in F (Siegel/Slatkin).










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Cosmos

In a shocking twist of events, I'm now humming along to Mozart's double-piano concerto









Despite what comment's I've made about Mozart in the past, I'm ready to admit that my opinion has finally turned around for the better toward old Wolfie


----------



## Itullian

Pure joy. Great singing. Janowitz.


----------



## LancsMan

*Ockeghem: Requiem & Missa Fors Seulement* The Clerks Group directed by Edward Wickham on ASV.

A very satisfying disc (a Gramophone Award winner). I particularly like the excellent basses on this recording.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> hpowders: This Haydn masterpiece should brighten me up a bit.
> 
> Here's to high-octane, piping-hot espresso! . . . and to be 'brightened up' with Haydn and Mozart; ESPECIALLY on rainy days.
> 
> View attachment 34501


A blonde!? ..............


----------



## LancsMan

*Josquin: Missa Pange lingua & Missa La sol fa re mi* The Tallis Scholars directed by Peter Phillips on Gimell.

This disc was Gramophone's 1987 Record of the Year. Enough said.


----------



## SimonNZ

Oh bother, I forgot to tune into the radio last night to hear another episode/disc of the latest Gramophone winners.

playing now:










"A Secret Labyrinth", disc four:

Utopia Triumphans: The Great Polyphony Of The Renaissance - Paul Van Nevel, cond.

opening with Spem In Alium


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 6 in E-flat Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Densely-textured, heavy-Romantic stuff-- _Je le adore_.


Yeah, it's Friday.  And I thought of the Berlioz last night and felt the mood to play this wonderful work (and this great, thrilling, yet nicely nuanced, sensitive performance under the customarily absorbing Decca sound). The Furtwangler is a sprawling, meaty stuff (very deep brass of the Chicago SO). It's a long piece, but intriguing all the same. The first movement is probably the most interesting of them, although the Andante is nicely written.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin.*

Adam Fischer conducting.


----------



## Sonata

Boccherini String quintet #3
Shostakovich String quartet #2


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34508
> 
> 
> I'm not hip on the playing of the Orchestre Philharmonique- they really should have give Chung Berlin or the Concertgebouw for the assignment. . . But I still nonetheless like some of the wonderful things he does with the score.


In a sense at least, I see what you mean.


----------



## LancsMan

*Palestrina: Masses 'Missa Assumpta est Maria' & 'Missa Sicut lilium'* The Tallis Scholars directed by Peter Phillips on Gimell

Tonight I've immersed myself into the renaissance world of the catholic church, and am finishing with this recording of Palestrina masses. Palestrina brings this style of music to a smooth perfection - but I think I prefer the music of Victoria.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, Movements for Piano and Orchestra*, Capriccio for piano and orchestra, Violin Concerto
Philippe Entremont, *Charles Rosen, Isaac Stern, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








I even listened to the serial "Movements" twice. Twas the first 12-tone work I heard, once upon a time, and I couldn't get over how it didn't have the rhythmic energy of the other Stravinsky works I knew. Now I can hear that energy reflected in different ways.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stamitz Cello Concertos - Christian Benda, cello


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven Cello Sonatas Op. 102 (both), Miklos Perenyi and Andras Schiff. Hits the spot, as always. Don't know about that cover, though.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Boulez, Memorial, Derive 1 and 2*

Another group of pieces that I can't believe it took me this long to discover them.


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Taneyev* (1918) and *Lutoslawski* (1994) death days.

Edit: It's cousin Alexander's D-Day, not Sergei's, which is in June. Both were composers, so no great harm done. I'm sure he would appreciate cousin Sergei's work played for him. 

View attachment 34524
View attachment 34525


----------



## Vaneyes

For the opening of the Russkies Olympics. May the games go well.

View attachment 34526
View attachment 34527
View attachment 34528


----------



## Sid James

*Grieg *_Piano Concerto in A minor_
- Philippe Entremont, pno. with Philadelphia Orch. under Eugene Ormandy

*Grieg's concerto *has been entrenched in the repertoire since the end of his life at least, but it wasn't always smooth sailing for Edvard. An early work coming off his study of the Germanic tradition at Liepzig Conservatory - which Mendelssohn and Schumann had founded - it already shows aspects of his unique musical voice, for one thing that flute solo conveying the lyrical theme of the final movement backed with that transparent chamber like string texture, would be a trademark of his music to come.

The young Norwegian showed Liszt the score, who played it from sight with much zest, and told Grieg to keep in there some modulation that for the time was quite daring. Grieg had been worried for he spent much time rebelling against his conservative teachers at Liepzig. The work does indeed reflect the influence of Liszt, and within Grieg's own lifetime leading pianists such as Percy Grainger and Enrique Granados would play it on their many tours. After his death its tune was even arranged into a popular vocal piece, _The Song of Norway_. As with many composers, Grieg's most popular work is atypical of his output in general, he was more comfortable writing miniatures or sets of them.

*Shostakovich *_Hamlet (selections from the film score)_
*Vaughan Williams* _49th Parallell: Main title (Prelude)_
*Bliss *_Things to Come: Suite_
- National PO under Bernard Herrmann

On with Herrmann's brilliant recordings of film music in that very detailed mid-1970's Phase 4 sound. Although many composers in the Soviet era thought of doing films as like being sent to the salt mines, *Shostakovich *turned out some very fine ones, including* Hamlet.* This is understandably a dark score, speaking to the influence of Prokofiev's _Romeo and Juliet_ and even having more than a hint of atonality - there is a spooky piano part in the _Ghost Scene _that sounds as if the instrument is pretty out of tune with the rest of the orchestra - but no doubt Shostakovich's own voice is strongly there.

The score by *Bliss *to H. G. Well's _*Things to Come *_is considered his finest, and it too shows the British composer well up on the latest trends of the period from the European continent. In terms of British cinema, this score was the first by a recognised 'serious classical' type composer to make it to the big screen, others like* Vaughan Williams* where to follow with several of their own.

*Sessions* _Six Pieces for Cello_
- Joshua Gordon, cello

Finishing this latest traversal of the *Sessions* chamber disc on Naxos. This set of cello pieces where written for his son, a cellist. They employ serial technique but like all the works on the disc, that flowing melodic style of Sessions is quite apparent. Its what made me like his music quite quickly.

*Dukas *_Symphony in C_
- London PO under Walter Weller

Getting into this symphony was at first hard, and in some ways I am still not there with it yet. After my initial listenings to it, I discovered information about its thematic complexity. It has three (not the usual two) themes in each of the first and second movements, and in the final (third) movement,* Dukas *introduces another two themes and also brings back reminiscences of the earlier material. Short of being able to read a score, its difficult to get my head around this. In some respects its like Schoenberg's _Pelleas und Melisande,_ pretty complex for its time. Dukas' only symphony was written in the 1890's, almost a decade after Franck's one, but Dukas wasn't much interested in the cyclical form which Franck and others had innovated in Paris.

This piece comes across more like a poutpourri of ideas. But I did hear the fanfare (the third theme from the first movement) coming back in the finale, as well as reminiscences of that amazingly optimistic and energetic theme which the symphony opens with. I also liked the chorale-like Brucknerish idea played by string and brass sections that came about two-thirds of the way through the middle movement. That movement sounded very filmic, oddly enough. So yes I do find it to be a perplexing work but this will not me my last listen, that's for sure!

Later on I plan to give this a spin:

*Tchaikovsky*
_The Voyevoda, Symphonic Ballad
Symphony # 5_
- BBC SO under Tadaaki Otaka & Yan Pascal Tortelier



MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 34472
> 
> 
> Ashkenazy - Previn - LSO
> 
> Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto's 1+2
> 
> Everytime I hear these, I'm a teenager again. Flushed with first love, first experiences. Such an integral part of my growing up. Such wonderful works. *I think that's why I get disappointed when some people suggest that Rachmaninov is a 2nd rate composer.*


I do too, and right from the beginning of his career people had it in for him, and it continued through his life until the 1970's when there was a reassessment of his legacy (for the better, I'm glad to say, and today he is regarded as one of the most significant composers of the early-mid 20th century for the piano). I've just been reading about Grieg and he was similarly poo-pooed during that period. I think that my bugbear Modernist ideology has a lot to do with it, but funnily enough early in their careers they where considered in some ways going against the conservatives, they where progressives. Something changed as they got older and more popular (sour grapes and the grubby 'politics' of the music world, basically). But whatever the case, we can enjoy them now, and their legacy is secure - both musically and in terms of their wider impacts on music of their time and beyond.


----------



## jim prideaux

Myaskovsky 17th and 21st symphonies-Svetlanov conducting the Russian Federation Academic Symphony Orch...
there are periods in the 17th where the poignant nature of the composition is almost heart stopping in its beauty...I can only reiterate the point I made recently....I am so glad I have had the good fortune to encounter this mans music...and having now heard four of his symphonies there are another twenty three.....


----------



## johnwesleybarker

Very pleased that finally I have heard a *Simon Rattle* recording of Mahler that is inspiring. The *9th Symphon*y played by the *Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra* manages to overcome the complexities of the music and everything is clear. The orchestration is at last heard with truly remarkable internal balances. Some of the dense string chords in the last movement are incandescent.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven Horn Sonata Op. 17, arranged for cello by Ludwig himself. Steven Isserlis, cello and Robert Levin, fortepiano. Quite a nice new set of Beethoven's cello works.


----------



## Itullian

Beautiful playing and sound.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> A blonde!? ..............


I do look great blonde; but Anne Sophie's undeniably great with lighter hair too. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat, KV 287

Thomas Furi conducting Camerata Bern


----------



## Blancrocher

Horowitz playing Kabalevsky's 3rd Sonata. Sounds like he's mad.

*edit* And now the 2nd.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James: "Herrmann is among my favourite film composers." 





















Mine too.

Have you heard Joel McNeely and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's treatment of Vertigo?

Fierce.

Equally visceral (if not _moreso_ in some cuts) is James Conlon and the Paris Opera Orchestra's account; which unfortunately is only available if you buy Douglas Gordon's Book _Feature Film_:

http://www.amazon.com/Feature-Film-...91824068&sr=1-1&keywords=feature+film+vertigo


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I never got into the fashion for Scriabin... but I was quite seduced by this recording... and seduced into buying it by both the lovely cover... and the price (less than $3 US). Honestly I don't have any really fine performances of Scriabin's work... and so I have added a slew to my "wish list".


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Sid James: "Herrmann is among my favourite film composers."
> 
> View attachment 34532
> View attachment 34532
> View attachment 34532
> 
> 
> Mine too.
> 
> Have you heard Joel McNeely and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's treatment of Vertigo?
> 
> Fierce.
> 
> Equally visceral (if not _moreso_ in some cuts) is James Conlon and the Paris Opera Orchestra's account; which unfortunately is only available if you buy Douglas Gordon's Book _Feature Film_:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Feature-Film-...91824068&sr=1-1&keywords=feature+film+vertigo


the original Day the Earth Stood Still and Taxi Driver.
GREAT scores!!!!!!!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Balakirev: Tamara*









Svetlanov's Tamara from 1978 with the USSR Orchestra- not likely to be exceeded in sheer radiance and power.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> the original Day the Earth Stood Still and Taxi Driver.
> GREAT scores!!!!!!!!


<Ping!>









"Gort! Deklato! Prosco!"

God I'm a dork. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . .

-- This re-recording by McNeely and the RNSCO is a sine qua non for Herrmann devotees though.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I never got into the fashion for Scriabin... but I was quite seduced by this recording... and seduced into buying it by both the lovely cover... and the price (less than $3 US). Honestly I don't have any really fine performances of Scriabin's work... and so I have added a slew to my "wish list".











I bought the set just for Svetlanov's "Prometheus: Poem of Fire" and his "Poem of Ecstasy"-- both of which are elegantly crafted and beautifully recorded.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> <Ping!>
> 
> View attachment 34539
> 
> 
> "Gort! Deklato! Prosco!"
> 
> God I'm a dork. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . .
> 
> -- This re-recording by McNeely and the RNSCO is a sine qua non for Herrmann devotees though.


Klaatu barada nicto.................
You think YOU'RE a dork?!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James said:


> *Grieg *_Piano Concerto in A minor_
> - Philippe Entremont, pno. with Philadelphia Orch. under Eugene Ormandy
> 
> *Grieg's concerto *has been entrenched in the repertoire since the end of his life at least, but it wasn't always smooth sailing for Edvard. An early work coming off his study of the Germanic tradition at Liepzig Conservatory - which Mendelssohn and Schumann had founded - it already shows aspects of his unique musical voice, for one thing that flute solo conveying the lyrical theme of the final movement backed with that transparent chamber like string texture, would be a trademark of his music to come.
> 
> The young Norwegian showed Liszt the score, who played it from sight with much zest, and told Grieg to keep in there some modulation that for the time was quite daring. Grieg had been worried for he spent much time rebelling against his conservative teachers at Liepzig. The work does indeed reflect the influence of Liszt, and within Grieg's own lifetime leading pianists such as Percy Grainger and Enrique Granados would play it on their many tours. After his death its tune was even arranged into a popular vocal piece, _The Song of Norway_. As with many composers, Grieg's most popular work is atypical of his output in general, he was more comfortable writing miniatures or sets of them.
> 
> *Shostakovich *_Hamlet (selections from the film score)_
> *Vaughan Williams* _49th Parallell: Main title (Prelude)_
> *Bliss *_Things to Come: Suite_
> - National PO under Bernard Herrmann
> 
> On with Herrmann's brilliant recordings of film music in that very detailed mid-1970's Phase 4 sound. Although many composers in the Soviet era thought of doing films as like being sent to the salt mines, *Shostakovich *turned out some very fine ones, including* Hamlet.* This is understandably a dark score, speaking to the influence of Prokofiev's _Romeo and Juliet_ and even having more than a hint of atonality - there is a spooky piano part in the _Ghost Scene _that sounds as if the instrument is pretty out of tune with the rest of the orchestra - but no doubt Shostakovich's own voice is strongly there.
> 
> The score by *Bliss *to H. G. Well's _*Things to Come *_is considered his finest, and it too shows the British composer well up on the latest trends of the period from the European continent. In terms of British cinema, this score was the first by a recognised 'serious classical' type composer to make it to the big screen, others like* Vaughan Williams* where to follow with several of their own.
> 
> *Sessions* _Six Pieces for Cello_
> - Joshua Gordon, cello
> 
> Finishing this latest traversal of the *Sessions* chamber disc on Naxos. This set of cello pieces where written for his son, a cellist. They employ serial technique but like all the works on the disc, that flowing melodic style of Sessions is quite apparent. Its what made me like his music quite quickly.
> 
> *Dukas *_Symphony in C_
> - London PO under Walter Weller
> 
> Getting into this symphony was at first hard, and in some ways I am still not there with it yet. After my initial listenings to it, I discovered information about its thematic complexity. It has three (not the usual two) themes in each of the first and second movements, and in the final (third) movement,* Dukas *introduces another two themes and also brings back reminiscences of the earlier material. Short of being able to read a score, its difficult to get my head around this. In some respects its like Schoenberg's _Pelleas und Melisande,_ pretty complex for its time. Dukas' only symphony was written in the 1890's, almost a decade after Franck's one, but Dukas wasn't much interested in the cyclical form which Franck and others had innovated in Paris.
> 
> This piece comes across more like a poutpourri of ideas. But I did hear the fanfare (the third theme from the first movement) coming back in the finale, as well as reminiscences of that amazingly optimistic and energetic theme which the symphony opens with. I also liked the chorale-like Brucknerish idea played by string and brass sections that came about two-thirds of the way through the middle movement. That movement sounded very filmic, oddly enough. So yes I do find it to be a perplexing work but this will not me my last listen, that's for sure!
> 
> Later on I plan to give this a spin:
> 
> *Tchaikovsky*
> _The Voyevoda, Symphonic Ballad
> Symphony # 5_
> - BBC SO under Tadaaki Otaka & Yan Pascal Tortelier
> 
> I do too, and right from the beginning of his career people had it in for him, and it continued through his life until the 1970's when there was a reassessment of his legacy (for the better, I'm glad to say, and today he is regarded as one of the most significant composers of the early-mid 20th century for the piano). I've just been reading about Grieg and he was similarly poo-pooed during that period. I think that my bugbear Modernist ideology has a lot to do with it, but funnily enough early in their careers they where considered in some ways going against the conservatives, they where progressives. Something changed as they got older and more popular (sour grapes and the grubby 'politics' of the music world, basically). But whatever the case, we can enjoy them now, and their legacy is secure - both musically and in terms of their wider impacts on music of their time and beyond.


--














I also love the <ahem!> 'unmentioned' Overture to the _Anna Karenina Suite_ by Constant Lambert that Herrmann conducts on the _Great British Film Music_ CD.


----------



## SimonNZ

William Alwyn's String Quartets 1-3 - Maggini Quartet


----------



## Guest

To my ears, the sound on this is nearly perfect: it's close so there's a good sense of presence, but there's still some "air" around the piano, and it's rich and warm--not the least bit clangy. Too bad Triton only makes stereo SACDs these days. Edelmann's playing is sensitive and authoritative.


----------



## KenOC

Itullian said:


> Klaatu barada nicto.................
> You think YOU'RE a dork?!


Some random and totally irrelevant Day the Earth Stood Still ramblings. Most will remember Sam Jaffe, the Einstein-clone Professor Jacob Barnhardt, brilliant but of course not quite so brilliant as Klaatu. This role was probably based on Michael Checkov's as Dr. Alexander Brulov, the Freudian psychologist in Spellbound, from 1945.

The Spellbound role was hilariously reprised by Howard Morris as Professor Lilloman in Mel Brooks's High Anxiety.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Gotterdamerung

















Listening to random pieces of the Ring.


----------



## Sonata

Disc 5 from my Janet Baker: Icon set. Songs from Schubert, Schumann, Liszt and Mendelssoh. Beautiful 

My initial foray into Bellini was something of a failure the other day. the recording of Adelson e Salvini is live and a fairly poor recording. The Recitatives are darn near unlistenable. I tabled that until I get the chance to cut the recitatives. I turned to one of the 2 versions of *Norma* in my set, the one with Montserrat Caballe whom I enjoy. I am listening now, and this is a much more successful venture. I am enjoying this opera.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Birgit in Solti's Gotterdammerung is just the greatest Brunnhildean swansong EV-ER.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Florent Schmitt Psaume XLVII Part I*

"You may fire when ready, Commander."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler - Symphony No. 8 - Ending (Rattle, NYOGB)*






03:00-03:24

Yesssssss!


----------



## senza sordino

*Prokofiev:*
*Symphony #1* HvK and Berlin
*Alexander Nevsky, Scythian Suite, Lt Kije* Chicago Symphony with Claudio Abbado


----------



## mirepoix

Faure - trio for piano, violin, and cello. (And with an optional cup of tea for the listener.)


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> "You may fire when ready, Commander."


WOW
Now I know what to put in the "What blows you away" thread.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Gustavo Dudamel / SBYOV Shostakovich Symphony 10 II. Allegro*

Good run for a youth orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> WOW
> Now I know what to put in the "What blows you away" thread.


Listen to the whole thing.

Check out Jean Martinon doing it:






20:35- 22:35 !!!!!!


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Requiem #1 in C Minor -- Diego Fasolis: Radio Svizzera Italiana Orchestra & Chorus

^ The whole work is tremendous, of course, but it's the Offertorium that I find most compelling.

Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 8 -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor, S 178 -- Leslie Howard

Couperin: Le Rossignol-Vainqueur -- Musica Ad Rhenum

Beethoven: Andante and Variations for Mandolin and Keyboard in D, WoO 44b -- James Levine; Karlheinz Zoeller

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto #4 in D Minor, Op. 31 -- Lorenzo Gatto; Patrick Davin: Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Listen to the whole thing.
> 
> Check out Jean Martinon doing it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20:35- 22:35 !!!!!!


A very beautiful piece.
Thank you.


----------



## SimonNZ

Allan Pettersson's Symphony No.12 "The Dead Of The Square" - Carl Rune Larsson, cond.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, discs six and seven:

Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus - Yvonne Loriod, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major (Preludio); 
D. Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in G Major; 
W. A. Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major (1st Mov.) 
J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38 in F Major (Vladimir Horowitz).









Really impressed with Horowitz's playing here; he gets so much out of the pieces by accenting the right details.

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major (Murray Perahia; English Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *Trio in E-flat major, op. 1 no. 1 (1792-93)*

Wilhelm Kempff / Henryk Szeryng / Pierre Fournier

This is surprisingly good - in fact it is fantastic.


----------



## Ingélou

As recommended by Shropshire Moose :tiphat: , Rachmaninov piano sonata no. 2, op 36, played by Horowitz.  It's lovely, if a little grand for me - I'm a Scotch broth kind of a girl; still, caviare makes a nice change...


----------



## joen_cph

........................... never mind


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn String Quartets - Coull Quartet


----------



## DrKilroy

Romantic symphonies by Sibelius - that is, Nos. 1 and 2. Of course my favourite version - Maazel and Wiener Philharmoniker.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

Marschallin Blair said:


> -- First Planets I've 'ever owned. ;D It was my standard-bearer for a long time; then the Karajan Decca; then the Karajan DG. . . and then, suddenly my head got knocked transversely with the high-powered brass of the Levine/CSO: that Mars!!!! OH MY GODDDD!-- and the Saturn!-- MON-U-MEN-TAL.
> 
> View attachment 34488
> View attachment 34489
> View attachment 34490


Wow! I'll try to find it. Thanks.

Right now:







Johann Sebastian Bach
Ochestral Suites, BWV 1066-1069
Cafe Zimmermann


----------



## Oskaar

*New Century Flute Concertos*

Aguiar:	
Concertino for Piccolo and Strings

Colla:	
Quasi una Romanza - Concerto for Flute and Strings

Galante:	
I Sospiri di Ariel - Concerto for Flute and Strings

Hofmeyr:	
Double Concerto for Flute, Violin and Strings

*Raffaele Trevisani (flute, piccolo)

Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Constantine Orbelian & Roberto Duarte*









http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Delos/DE3399


----------



## Bas

Giacomo Puccini - Tosca
Maria Callas [soprano], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Tito Gobbi [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata [dir.], on EMI


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Major, D 90

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin


----------



## altom

*Rachmaninov 3 and Prokofiev 2*

I really enjoying Yuja Wang with Gustavo Dudamel, Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 / Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16 (Live From Caracas - 2013) Recorded Live from Caracas.
The average age of orchestra musicians is below 30.... and you feel it


----------



## MrTortoise

SimonNZ said:


> Warner Messiaen Edition, disc five:
> 
> Visions De L'Amen
> - Katia and Marielle Labeque, pianos
> 
> Les Offrandes Oubliees
> Hymne Au Saint Sacrement
> - Marius Constant, cond.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hmm...I'd rather be refering right back to the original lp covers for this (even though the discs in this set are clearly following the cd reissues and pairings) but I can't find anything but oversized images
> 
> Labeque / Constant


Warms my heart to see Messiaen being played as often as he is. IMHO, the most undervalued composer of the 20th century.


----------



## MrTortoise

Scriabin: Piano Preludes, Op. 22, 27, 31, 35, 37, 39, 48, 67, 74

Op. 74 were my favorites.









Scriabin: Symphony #2 in C/c
Scriabin: Piano Concerto in f# minor

I was a bit take aback with Scriabin's Second. To me it sounded like it was double-dipped in Wagner. The Piano Concerto sounded more like the voice of Scriabin. Both will get additional listens.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MrTortoise said:


> View attachment 34561
> 
> 
> Scriabin: Piano Preludes, Op. 22, 27, 31, 35, 37, 39, 48, 67, 74
> 
> Op. 74 were my favorites.
> 
> View attachment 34562
> 
> 
> Scriabin: Symphony #2 in C/c
> Scriabin: Piano Concerto in f# minor
> 
> I was a bit take aback with Scriabin's Second. To me it sounded like it was double-dipped in Wagner. The Piano Concerto sounded more like the voice of Scriabin. Both will get additional listens.


Shelve thy symphonies.

Pick up thine tone poems:

"Prometheus: Poem of Fire"

"The Poem of Ecstasy"


----------



## Vasks

*Offenbach - Overture to "La Belle Helene" (Karajan/DG)
Chaminade - Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 11 (KMW Trio/db)
Ibert - Flute Concerto (Hutchins/London)*


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K 376, K 377, K 380, K 454
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









By far one of the most interesting records I have bought recently (the violin sonata being one of my most favourite forms, and Mozart's being very nice.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> <Ping!>
> 
> View attachment 34539
> 
> 
> "Gort! Deklato! Prosco!"
> 
> God I'm a dork. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . .


I prefer sophisticated connoisseur of classic films. Okay, that's what I tell myself.


----------



## opus55

Bach: St. John Passion


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Silvio Lazzari: Symphony in E Flat Major*

Morning Blair: Sylvio Lazzari, Symphony in E Flat Major-- that rare and exhilarating Second Movement-- absolutely_ gorgeous_. I have NO idea why this charming, late-Romantic piece isn't recorded more often; or even known:


----------



## Cheyenne

Messiaen: L'Apparition de l'Eglise Éternelle.. Until my parents begged me to stop it, unfortunately.. (Loud organ sounds don't please them.)









So then I put on..









An orchestration of Brahms' opus 8 - the 1953 version. Neatly done.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> I prefer sophisticated connoisseur of classic films. Okay, that's what I tell myself.


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. HuuuuUUUUHHHHHH! . . . I love it. Yeah, that euphemistic stylization will fit.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: Snöfrid Cantada*









Early Sibelius redivivus!

Ski trip music.


----------



## starthrower

Another go round with Eclairs, this time on video.
Simon Rattle on the podium.


----------



## Mahlerian

Today's symphony of the week:
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund









The only movement of this symphony I really love is the first. The others are fine, but I'm not quite as taken with them...


----------



## jlaw

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Partitas-BWV825-830-Zhu-Xiao-Mei/dp/B0062QFYR0


----------



## millionrainbows

*
Patanol (Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution 0.1%): Works in minutes, lasts 8 hours. 

Alcon Laboratories, Inc., 6201 South Freeway, Fort Worth, Texas 76134 presents: 
A Touch of Gold: Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.* Selections from Teldec, Philips, and harmoni mundi releases 1993-95-97. Alexei Sultanov, Jon Nakamatsu, and Simone Pedroni, pianists.

*Alcon Laboratories *describes this as "A Collaborative Production," because, for starters, both organizations are based in Fort Worth, Texas, and in addition, both share a commitment to leadership and excellence. Get the connection?

In 1998, its first full year on the market, *PATANOL* became the No. 1 prescribed allergic conjunctivitis therapy, truly making it the "gold standard" in ocular allergy management. Similarly, the *Van Cliburn Foundation *has made key contributions to its field. Through its* International Piano Competition,* the Foundation has helped showcase some of the world's most promising pianists. Both *Van Cliburn *and* Alcon *are proud to spotlight these amazing gold medalists from past competitions.

This is a promotional disc I found in Goodwill for $1.99. It's recorded very well (produced by Thomas Frost).


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Schubert - String Quartet 15. A classic. Love it.
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Stre...85&sr=1-4&keywords=schubert+string+quartet+15


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Symphony in D Minor

Michi Gaigg directing L'Orfeo Barockorchester


----------



## Oskaar

*BAGUER: Symphonies Nos. 12, 13, 16 and 18*

*Bamert, Matthias, Conductor • London Mozart Players*









http://www.amazon.com/Baguer-4-Symphonies-Carlos/dp/B000000AZ4


----------



## LancsMan

*Monteverdi:- Quatro Libro dei Madrigali* Concerto Italiano directed by Rinaldo Alessandrini on Opus111

Last night I was listening to renaissance church music - ending with Palestrina. Tonight I am moving on to Monteverdi madrigals - the fourth book.

To me Monteverdi appears as something of a miracle. His music sounds so different to the earlier music in my CD collection - he's in a different world. Of course this is largely my ignorance - I am not familiar with the music of his contemporaries or those that influenced his style. And I am comparing this secular music to music of the Catholic church. A rather dubious comparison. But of course much of Monteverdi's religious music is also radically different - and very theatrical.

This is a fine disc by the way


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters van Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Symphony in C Major

Hans Martin Linde conducting the Capella Coloniensis


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Play up, LancsMan! If it wasn't for what I am listening to, I'd open my windows and see if I can hear what your playing, but further on up the M6, its time for Taverner - Missa O Michael (I think you reminded me of this earlier in the week?)









This is wonderful - cleanses the ears and the soul at the same time .... and shows polyphony to be one of the most exciting forms of music that there is


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> I do look great blonde; but Anne Sophie's undeniably great with lighter hair too. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Mirror, mirror, on the wall??? :devil:


----------



## Mahlerian

LancsMan said:


> To me Monteverdi appears as something of a miracle. His music sounds so different to the earlier music in my CD collection - he's in a different world. Of course this is largely my ignorance - I am not familiar with the music of his contemporaries or those that influenced his style.


Well, he's seen as either the first Baroque composer or a transitional figure between modal polyphony and tonal homophony, as he made use of both styles, even within a single work. I'm not an expert on the era, but Monteverdi stands apart in several ways, I believe.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Roger Sessions' String Quintet, mentioned on Sid's blog-thread.

*p.s.* Lovely music--looking forward to further explorations with this composer.


----------



## KenOC

Listening to a selection of Mozart Violin Sonatas, transcribed for flute and piano. I like them better this way!


----------



## maestro267

After a day of exciting Winter Olympics action, time to settle down with a bit of music, including the Saturday Symphony:

*Beethoven*: Piano Concerto in D major (arr. of Violin Concerto)
Jando (piano)/Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia/Drahos

*Sibelius*: Symphony No. 2 in D major
Philharmonia/Ashkenazy


----------



## LancsMan

*Monteverdi: Selva morale e spirituale* Cantus Colln and Concerto Palantino directed by Konrad Junghanel on harmonia mundi.

This is an exhilarating 3 CD set of Monteverdi sacred music - a collection dating from near the end of his life.

Monteverdi adds dance like rhythm to sacred music. Plus he reminds me of Berlioz in his effective use of sonority in acoustic space.


----------



## Cosmos

Just finished Mahler's 9th, Bernard Haitink with the Concertgebouw Orchestra [no album art, sorry ]

So instead, here's the lame prose I used to describe the second movement on my classical music blog on tumblr:

Today I took a good long walk in the light falling snow, listening to the 9th (which Bernstein insists is Mahler's farewell to life). As passionate as the first and last movements are, this heavy, jolly dance has a warm place in my heart. It's kinda silly, very earthy, and makes me want to pick up a beer and hum along. When I got to this movement, I was sinking shin-deep in snow over the beaches of Lake Michigan. Nearby, I heard a few dogs parking and people laughing. Since he loved the sounds of the world and nature, I'm sure Mahler would be very happy to know that we have the technology to carry his music with us wherever we go.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Well-Tempered Clavier Books I & II, w. GG (rec.1963 - '69).

View attachment 34579
View attachment 34580


----------



## SimonNZ

LancsMan said:


> *Monteverdi: Selva morale e spirituale* Cantus Colln and Concerto Palantino directed by Konrad Junghanel on harmonia mundi.
> 
> This is an exhilarating 3 CD set of Monteverdi sacred music - a collection dating from near the end of his life.
> 
> Monteverdi adds dance like rhythm to sacred music. Plus he reminds me of Berlioz in his effective use of sonority in acoustic space.


A collection of works that deserves to be considerably more famous than it currently is. Have you heard the 6-cd Michel Corboz set? That's desert island listening for me.










playing now:

Brumel's Missa De Beata Virgine - Speculum Ensemble


----------



## LancsMan

SimonNZ said:


> A collection of works that deserves to be considerably more famous than it currently is. Have you heard the 6-cd Michel Corboz set? That's desert island listening for me.


Yes this collection deserves to be better known, but no - I haven't heard the 6-cd Michel Corboz set. I guess my 3 cd set is only a selection from the collection. Thanks for the advice!


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Brumel's Missa De Beata Virgine - Speculum Ensemble


Speculum Ensemble? Are these guys gynecologists?


----------



## KenOC

Gambafied Goldbergs? Sorry, this dog don't hunt!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphonies 2 (for SS...that's Saturday Symphony) & 5, w. Philharmonia O./HvK (rec. 1960).

View attachment 34582


----------



## opus55

Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus


----------



## SimonNZ

Manxfeeder said:


> Speculum Ensemble? Are these guys gynecologists?


Latin for "mirror", but yeah, someone should have pointed out the other associations to them.

Very good cd, though. Odd they don't seem to have done much more.


----------



## Weston

*Francis Poulenc: Flute Sonata, FP 164*
Philippe Bernold, flute / Alexandre Tharaud, piano









This is probably the most memorable opening of any chamber work I have heard. I'm not sure* but it seems the birdsong motif is echoed throughout the other movements too. What is it with musicians from France and their bird calls?

*Okay, now I AM sure. Definitely the same motif or ornament. Or should that be _ornith_ament?

Also from the same album:
*Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano, FP 43*
Olivier Doise, oboe / Laurent Lefevre, bassoon / Alexandre Tharaud, piano


----------



## MrTortoise

Marschallin Blair said:


> Shelve thy symphonies.
> 
> Pick up thine tone poems:
> 
> "Prometheus: Poem of Fire"
> 
> "The Poem of Ecstasy"


Oh yes, those will not be overlooked!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

and now for those who can't imagine New Brighton being a cultural centre, an hour in the company of the one time Musical Director of the Tower Orchestra of that resort - A Celtic Symphony by Sir Granville Bantock. Played with conviction by the RPO conducted by Vernon Handley









and when this track has played out, it will be followed by 'The Witch of Atlas' and then 'A Hebridean Symphony'. You have to admire the eccentricity of a middle-class Englishman in the first half of the 20th century who dressed like this









for those who are interested, there's an interesting and informative introduction to the man and his music at http://www.musicweb-international.com/bantock/buddint.htm - _"Sir Granville Bantock probably has the unenviable distinction - with less than a handful of other arguable challengers - of being the most unreasonably neglected composer in the whole pitiable chronicle of neglected 20th century British music."_


----------



## Xiansheng

*Dvorak's Piano Quartets - Ames Piano Quartet*









turning an old favorite for paper-writing support


----------



## Weston

Mahlerian said:


> Today's symphony of the week:
> Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D
> Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The only movement of this symphony I really love is the first. The others are fine, but I'm not quite as taken with them...


I'm needing a new set of Sibelius symphonies to update my scattershot collection. Well, most of mine are Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic, early to mid-1960s recordings. Great performances but noticeable hiss. I've seen this set mentioned several times by various TC members. I take it it's a fair investment?


----------



## Blancrocher

Tennstedt and co in Mahler's 2nd. I'm listening to it as I read Mahlerian's blog posts on the symphony.


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> I'm needing a new set of Sibelius symphonies to update my scattershot collection. Well, most of mine are Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic, early to mid-1960s recordings. Great performances but noticeable hiss. I've seen this set mentioned several times by various TC members. I take it it's a fair investment?


I like them. Solid analog sound and earthy interpretations. Some prefer the same conductor's later recordings with Helsinki (also on EMI/Warner).


----------



## KenOC

Ranked in another forum:

Sibelius symphony cycles:
1 - Berglund/Helsinki PO
2 - Collins/London SO
3 - Barbirolli/Halle Orch
4 - Saraste/Finnish Radio SO
5 - Segerstam/Helsinki PO
6 - Vänskä/Lahti SO
7 - Davis/Boston SO
8 - Berglund/Bournemouth SO
9 - Järvi/Gothenburg SO (BIS)
10 - Maazel/Vienna PO


----------



## Blancrocher

KenOC said:


> Ranked in another forum:


No Karajan/Kamu? This forum--as usual--would do better.


----------



## DavidA

Blancrocher said:


> No Karajan/Kamu? This forum--as usual--would do better.


Karajan didn't record them all.


----------



## joen_cph

KenOC said:


> Ranked in another forum:
> 
> Sibelius symphony cycles:
> 1 - Berglund/Helsinki PO
> 2 - Collins/London SO
> 3 - Barbirolli/Halle Orch
> 4 - Saraste/Finnish Radio SO
> 5 - Segerstam/Helsinki PO
> 6 - Vänskä/Lahti SO
> 7 - Davis/Boston SO
> 8 - Berglund/Bournemouth SO
> 9 - Järvi/Gothenburg SO (BIS)
> 10 - Maazel/Vienna PO


It must be mentioned that Anhony Collins´ is in mono. Some other notable cycles are Ashkenazy and Rozhdestvensky (Russian brass with Rozhdestvensky, though).

Karajan didn´t record the 3rd, where Kamu stepped in for DG. But there´s a 1st and 2nd on EMI only.


----------



## MrTortoise

Speak of the devil! :devil: I kid, I kid!!!

For Symphony Saturday I'm presently listening to:









And loving every second!


----------



## Weston

Yikes! I can get both the Berglund / Helsinki PO and the Berglund / Bournmouth PO Boxed set for $350.00 US on Amazon.  Good thing I haven't gotten an income tax return to support my habit. Maybe I'll just go with the Bournmouth.


----------



## joen_cph

Weston said:


> Yikes! I can get both the Berglund / Helsinki PO and the Berglund / Bournmouth PO Boxed set for $350.00 US on Amazon.  Good thing I haven't gotten an income tax return to support my habit. Maybe I'll just go with the Bournmouth.


That is way too expensive, prices must necessarily drop at times/other sites. Some of the others are great too.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Onslow: Sextet for piano and wind instruments* / French Wind Quintet / Paul Hongne / Jacques Lancelot / Jean-Pierre Rampal / Gilbert Coursier / Pierre Pierlot / Annie D'Arco
*
Milhaud: La cheminée du roi René, Op.205* / French Wind Quintet

*Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik, Op.24, No.2, for wind quintet* / French Wind Quintet

*Roussel: Joueurs de flûte* / Jean-Pierre Rampal / Robert Veyron-Lacroix

*Ibert: Trois pièces brèves* / French Wind Quintet

[Universal, 2011]









Oddly enough I am reminded a little of Poulenc's chamber music by the Onslow sextet


----------



## jlaw

http://www.amazon.com/Britten-At-Aldeburgh-Sviatoslav-Richter/dp/B000V6S9Q0


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Ensemble 415: Chiara Banchini and Enrico Gatti, violins -- Emilio Moreno and Irmgard Schaller, violas -- Kathi Gold, cello


----------



## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> They have been called the "successors to the Quartetto Italiano"--maybe, just maybe. The sound has stunning presence.


Hmmm...after listening to this some more and comparing it to the QI, I'd say the latter play with considerable more refinement and are far less aggressive. On a day-to-day basis, I think the QDC would be a little hard to live with. The extremely close balance, which does nothing to hide some of their aggression, could be part of the issue. Their white-hot intensity, while immediately impressive, gets tiresome. For a more musical and warm experience on SACD, I prefer the Tokyo SQ.


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Sinfonia in B Flat, Zakin 14

Kevin Mallon conducting the Toronto Chamber Orchestra


----------



## KenOC

Horowitz playing Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.6 in D-flat major -- from "Horowitz Early Recordings 1928 through 1947". Talk about a barnburner!


----------



## Guest

Carl Orff
Carmina Burana
James Levine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## brotagonist

I'm still listening to Bruckner's _Symphony 5_, my new album (Abbado/Wien). I am getting the impression that repetitive sequences are somewhat a Brucknerian hallmark :lol: It's starting to bother me less.


----------



## MrTortoise

Scriabin: 3 Piano Pieces, Op. 2; Piano Etudes, Op.8, Op. 42, Op. 65

I admired Lettberg's restraint while playing the d# minor Op. 8 #12. She is not so heavy handed, similar to Horowitz.


----------



## Mahlerian

brotagonist said:


> I'm still listening to Bruckner's _Symphony 5_, my new album (Abbado/Wien). I am getting the impression that repetitive sequences are somewhat a Brucknerian hallmark :lol: It's starting to bother me less.


You get used to it. It's a Catholic zen thing.


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying out Joaquín Turina's 1st Piano Trio, which was recommended on the unjustly-neglected works thread.

Leonard Pennario (Piano), Gregor Piatigorsky (Cello), Jascha Heifetz (Violin)


----------



## Nagging Grasshopper

Chopin Nocturne opus 9


----------



## MrTortoise

Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony


----------



## bejart

Nikolaus Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet in G Minor

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balazs Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc three:

Orlandus Lassus - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Dallapiccola, Orchestral Works vol. 1, cond. Noseda. I wasn't paying much attention to this disk until I got to "Variations for Orchestra," which struck me as a wonderful work on first hearing--and again now on my second.

*p.s.* Don't forget to include performers when you post in this thread, Nagging Grasshopper--there will be more "likes" in it for you!


----------



## Mahlerian

Scriabin: Sonatas 5-10
Maria Lettberg


----------



## KenOC

Handel, Oboe Concerto #1, Trevor Pinnock with the English Concert. Were people simply more intelligent and civilized in those days?


----------



## Weston

*Alfred Schnittke:Symphony No. 8*
Lu Jia / Norrköping Symphony Orchestra









This has quite a chamber symphony feeling, possibly because in spite of the sometimes unusual orchestration, the textures are fairly sparse, almost bleak. Interesting work, but I'd say I enjoy "For Liverpool" from the same album quite a bit more.


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> Handel, Oboe Concerto #1, Trevor Pinnock with the English Concert. Were people simply more intelligent and civilized in those days?


Perhaps.

Musicians weren't as good, though. No way they could have played something like this:
Carter: Night Fantasies
Ursula Oppens


----------



## EDaddy

This one's currently got my full attention.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Steve Reich: Phases", disc three

You Are Variations - Grant Gershan, cond.
New York Counterpoint - Evan Ziporyn, clarinets
Cello Counterpoint - Maya Beiser, cello
Electric Counterpoint - Pat Metheny, guitar
Triple Quartet - Kronos Quartet

from various albums, including:


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in D Major, KV 311

Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## KenOC

Xiansheng said:


> ...turning an old favorite for paper-writing support


First-born, your avatar makes me quite hungry. Xiaolongbao? Dim sum tomorrow, with red vinegar and slivered ginger!


----------



## SimonNZ

"The String Quartet In Eighteenth Century England" - The Salomon Quartet

Quartets by Abel, Shield, Marsh, Webbe and Wesley


----------



## Sid James

*Walton *_Richard III: Prelude & Escape Me Never (theme)_
*Lambert* _Anna Karenina: Suite_
*Bax *_Oliver Twist: 2 Lyrical Pieces - Fagin's Romp & Finale_
*Benjamin *_An Ideal Husband: Waltz & Galop_
- National PO under Bernard Herrmann

*Dukas* _Symphony in C_
- London PO under Walter Weller
*
Boccherini *_Guitar Quintet in E minor, G.451_
- Zoltan Tokos, guitar with Danubius Quartet

Finishing the Herrmann film music set, I particularly enjoyed the regal atmosphere conveyed in *Walton's* _Richard III_ score, and the pastiche of dances from the old days by Australian *Arthur Benjamin* in his score for _An Ideal Husband._

Another listen to *Dukas' *symphony, and it helped me make more sense of it. It is different, but I heard more links and a kind of logic to it. My favourite part is the central slow movement, oddly enough one recurring horn call reminded me of Leia's theme from John Williams' score for _Star Wars_. I think lovers of the music of Schumann and Bruckner, their slow movements, will most likely enjoy this movement.

Finishing with *Boccherini,* this guitar quartet in the minor key does have a journey of sorts form dark to light, but more subtle and less emphatic than the Romantics who where to come. If Haydn got a raw deal by music historians until recent decades, then Boccherini got it doubly so (derisively called "Haydn's wife"), but I think he's a great composer, specifically in the chamber realm.

Later on I will continue with that Boccherini cd and listen to the _Guitar Quintet in C Major, "La Ritirata di Madrid."_



Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> View attachment 34541
> View attachment 34542
> 
> 
> I also love the <ahem!> 'unmentioned' Overture to the _Anna Karenina Suite_ by Constant Lambert that Herrmann conducts on the _Great British Film Music_ CD.


Done! As you can see above. Just left that till last. But I've got the Eloquence reissue, they did a series of 2 disc sets of film music, including these.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Messiah


----------



## Itullian

Amazing recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc eight:

Harawi - Rachel Yakar, soprano, Yvonne Loriod, piano










edit: followed by disc nine:

Turangalila-Symphonie - Kent Nagano, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat Op. 26* / Alfred Brendel [Decca 1996]

Brendel's last is a quite majestic reading of this fine 'late early' Beethoven sonata. He has always had mastery of the earlier works, from the time of the early 60s Vox set.

*Piano sonatas No. 13 in E flat; No. 14 in C# minor Op. 27/1-2; No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49/1*


----------



## Andolink

Can't seem to be able to stop listening to these thoroughly charming and delightful Brautigam performances of Haydn's keyboard sonatas:





















Actually, I did manage to insert a couple of contrasting items:

*Alexander Zemlinsky's* 4th String Quartet








and *Christoph Graupner's* _Suite in F major, GWV 451_


----------



## joen_cph

^^^^

I plan to get that nearly-finished Zemlinsky set, since it seems to have a warmer sound than LaSalle4. Impressions?


----------



## Andolink

joen_cph said:


> ^^^^
> 
> I plan to get that nearly-finished Zemlinsky set, since it seems to have a warmer sound than LaSalle4. Impressions?


It's been too many years since I heard the LaSalle's recording so can't compare the two but the Escher's are quite stunning and the sound engineering is ideal.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 4 in B-flat Major, 'Sunrise' (Buchberger Quartet).









String Quartet Op. 71 No. 2 in D Major (Kodály Quartet).


----------



## Roi N

Haydn Op. 33 Quartets (in particular 'The Bird', 'The Joke' and b minor (Fantastic!)) and Mozart Piano Concerti No. 5 in D Major and No. 22 in E Flat Major.


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening I attended a concert in De Doelen, Rotterdam. Beethoven's Prometheus Ballet was played before the pause and what followed was the best live performance of any music piece I have ever seen: Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D. The orchestra was the Orchestra of the 18th Century (with Frans Brüggen as creative director and conductor), Isabelle Faust(!) was the soloist. She was spectacular. The maestro was unfortunately too ill to conduct, he was replaced by Kenneth Montgomery, who was very capable. This concert was outstanding! I followed along with the score, and especially in the third movement there are a lot of bars with 8 16th notes forte directly followed with 8 16th notes piano and Faust had such a brilliant feeling for the dynamics. I will never forget this concert...










Yesterday evening, before I went to the concert, I have listened to some Schubert symphonies:

Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 3, Symphony no. 5
By The Royal Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [dir.], on Wardner Classics









And this morning I'll start with a mass, it is sunday, after all:

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Missa Votiva
By Joanne Lun [soprano], Daniel Taylor [alto], Johannes Kaleschke [tenor], Thomas Bauer [basso]
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius [dir.] on Carus


----------



## TurnaboutVox

MagneticGhost said:


> Thought I'd join you at the end of your Schubert Wanderings.
> Never got round to hearing his late sonatas. But it's everything I love about his music. Highly melodic, endlessly inventive, unexpected turns of phrase and key changes. Need to get myself a version. That Leif was excellent. Brendel's impromptu's are magical though so perhaps him.


I don't often prefer other pianists to Brendel but here (D. 960) I have to defer to Wilhelm Kempff's superior poetry on DG. I had the LP long before the box set of all the (uncontroversial) Schubert Sonatas which, by the way, I'd also recommend.

Currently listening to my new(ly unwrapped) disc of the week:
*
Schumann - Piano Quintet in E flat Op. 44*

Leif Ove Andsnes, Artemis Quartet [Virgin classics, 2007]

There seems to be something else recorded on this disc:

*Brahms - Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34*

This is quite tolerable!









An utterly bizarre cover - why are the Artemis Quartet wielding fluorescent lights? Are they 'illuminating' the music? Why are they portrayed on the back of the cover on an 'up' escalator whilst Andsnes descends past them on the 'down' escalator? One of the profound mysteries of life.


----------



## Guest

Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantatas BWV 26, 81, 14 and 227
John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists


----------



## Oskaar

*Alfvén:

Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 39 'Från havsbadet'

Festival Overture Op. 26*

*
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Niklas Willén*









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557284
http://www.amazon.com/Alfven-Symphony-No-Festival-Overture/dp/B000QQSNMK
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Arndis-Halla/Performer/46939-2
http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/n/nxs57284a.php
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Feb05/Alfven_symphony4.htm


----------



## MrTortoise

Yes, three times in a row, and the ear did not tire, though by the time I played the Boulez I was feeling the need to retire for the evening.

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra

Saito Kinen Orchestra; Seiji Ozawa, cond.
Chicago Symphony; George Solti, cond.
New York Philharmonic; Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Guest

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
K427, "Great Mass" in C minor
Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sophie Von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Robert Lloyd
Neville Marriner Academy and Chorus Of St Martin In The Fields


----------



## Oskaar

*BAJORAS: Symphony No. 2 / Suite of Verbs / Prelude and Toccata / The Sign*

*Composer(s):
Bajoras, Feliksas

Lyricist(s):
Tomonis, Mindaugas

Conductor(s):
Katkus, Donatas

Orchestra(s):
St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra

Artist(s):
Petrocenko, Nora*









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570408


----------



## MrTortoise

Michael Tippett: Ritual Dances from "The Midsummer Marriage"
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, David Atherton, cond.

From one of those BBC magazine compilations.


----------



## bejart

Mauro D'Alay (ca.1687-1757): Violin Sonata No.2 in G Major

Maurizio Cadossi, violin -- Marco Frezzato, cello -- Francesco Saverio Pedrini, harpsichord


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1789): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Hannover Hofkapelle -- Laurence Dean, flute


----------



## Jeff W

Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 in D major for the Saturday Symphony thread. Arturo Toscanini leads the NBC Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Taggart

Handel Violin Sonatas Andrew Manze and Richard Eggar










Elegant and stylish - totally HIP delight.


----------



## DrKilroy

Guillaume de Machaut - Messe de Nostre Dame (Marcel Pérès/Ensemble Organum).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Taggart said:


> Handel Violin Sonatas Andrew Manze and Richard Eggar
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Elegant and stylish - totally HIP delight.


Is that a wonderful cover, or what?!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - String Quartet No. 15 in G, D. 887* / Quartetto Italiano [Philips, rec. 1965]









'This is just more Schubert'...at great and sublime length. It's hard to imagine this great quartet played with more insight and passion. The 1965 recording is vivid.


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 34658
> 
> 
> Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 in D major for the Saturday Symphony thread. Arturo Toscanini leads the NBC Symphony Orchestra.


Hey, we were supposed to listen to this yesterday, as a continuation of the Saturday Symphonies tradition! You have disturbed the sonic cosmos!:lol: Wotan help us.


----------



## Bas

Giovanni Batissta Pergolessi - Septem Verba a Christo
By the Akademie für alte Musik, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









And now, preparation for tonights concert (Beethoven 9 and Beethoven's Choral fantasy), Brahms 1 (with the wonderful quote of Beethoven's 9th theme in the final movement.)

Johannes Brahms - Symphony no. 1 
By the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, on Decca









And after that one:

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti, on Decca


----------



## Jeff W

Berlioznestpasmort said:


> Hey, we were supposed to listen to this yesterday, as a continuation of the Saturday Symphonies tradition! You have disturbed the sonic cosmos!:lol: Wotan help us.


Alas, real life intruded and some sacrifices had to me made!  Anyways, decided to finish the album off by listening to Pohjola's Daughter, The Swan of Tuonela and Finlandia.


----------



## Vasks

*Hoof - Perzeus Overture (Venkov/Phaedra)
Brouwer - Estudios Sencillos (Cobo/Naxos)
Hanus - Symphony Concertante (ancerl/Supraphon)*


----------



## DrKilroy

Actually, it isn't bad manners to listen to a Saturday Symphony on Sunday, I believe. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## hpowders

Haydn Symphony #94 ("The Surprise"), Neville Marriner, Academy of St Martin In The Fields.
Haydn's most delightful symphony.







Makes a cloudy day radiant with sunshine!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor Op 85*

Jacqueline du Pre, LSO, Sir John Barbirolli

*Delius - Concerto for 'Cello and Orchestra*

Jaquelline du Pre, Royal Phil. Orch., Sir Malcolm Sargent

[EMI, rec. 1965]









The Elgar concerto is very well known, but the Delius is also a glorious and inventive work in his unique idiom


----------



## DrKilroy

Strauss - Tod und Verklärung (Klemperer).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

William Duckworth's Time Curve Preludes, which appeared on KenOC's neglected-works thread. R. Andrew Lee on piano.


----------



## hpowders

Haydn, 29 "Name" Symphonies. Neville Marriner, Academy of St Martin In The Fields.
No way I could stop at just "The Surprise". Music's too infectious. I can't seem to stop!
Played the "Drumroll", "Clock", "Miracle" and "Oxford" too!
Pray for me!!


----------



## Mahlerian

Via radio:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, "Eroica"
New York Philharmonic, cond. Leonard Bernstein









Often, they have the gain turned up too high on this station during live broadcasts, but now it's quite low, and the tape hiss from the recording is very audible...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Second Viennese School string quartets:

*Zemlinsky - String Quartet No. 2, Op. 15

Berg - Lyric Suite for String Quartet

Webern - Six Bagatelles for String Quartet Op. 9

Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37*

LaSalle Quartet [DG, rec. 1977; 1968]

The new recording of the Zemlinsky quartets by the Escher Quartet would have to be very good to displace the LaSalle quartet's 1977 version in my affections, but I am interested to see that it is already garnering praise from aficionados.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Berg's* birthday (1885).

View attachment 34671
View attachment 34672


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Mendelssohn's String Symphonies
a child prodigy.


----------



## Winterreisender

Sei gugrüsset, Jesu gütig, BWV 768

a very thrilling set of organ variations by Bach, played by Hans Fagius (from the Brilliant Classics complete Bach).


----------



## Mahlerian

On Winterreisender's suggestion, via Youtube:

Reicha: Wind Quintet Op. 100 No. 5 in A minor
Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble


----------



## Sonata

*Shostakovich Symphony #1*. Rudolph Barshai conducting WDR Sinfonieorchester.

I never really thought I'd be into Shostakovich, but something appeals to me on an intellectual level with him. I may not always like the way he says something musically, it may not always appeal asthetically, but I find myself nevertheless fascinated and keen to hear what he's saying. First movement interesting but did not floor me. I really enjoyed the second movement. Now to finish with the last half of the symphony


----------



## DrKilroy

For Berg's birthday:

Lulu Suite (Boulez)
Violin Concerto (Grumiaux/Markevitch).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

For Berg's birthday, I'll listen to Ozawa leading Perlman and the Boston SO in the Violin Concerto, after which I'll listen to Sargent conducting Heifetz and the LSO in Walton's. 2 great, contrasting works: darkness, then light.


----------



## Oskaar

*Enescu: String Quartets Op. 22, Nos. 1 & 2*

String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22

String Quartet No. 2, Op. 22

*Athenaeum Enesco Quartet*









http://www.amazon.com/Enescu-String-Quartets-Op-Nos/dp/B00E9CGR1G


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://core

I had long written off Liszt's _Hungarian Rhapsodies_ as cosy fluff, but I have revised my opinion. I have really enjoyed them this time around, like I was hearing beyond the clichés. The 6th one, Pesther Carneval, was the ear-opener for me.









Masur/Leipzig Gewandhaus
All are Liszt's orchestrations, despite Doppler being (co-)credited.


----------



## clavichorder

Carl Friedrich Abel, solo viola da gamba music:


----------



## Jeff W

The Nocturnes and Impromptus by Frederic Chopin. Claudio Arrau plays the paino.


----------



## MrTortoise

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus"

BBC National Orchestra of Wales


----------



## Guest

I like Dean's Violin Concerto,"The Lost Art of Letter Writing," but the other pieces may have to grow on me.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Now then, I've only been following for a short while, but can't recall anyone posting anything by this composer or featuring Flash Harry as conductor:

Gilbert and Sullivan, The Yeomen of the Guard - Pro Arte Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent









someone commented earlier on in the week about 'leftfield' music ... this must be 'rightfield' .... but after rather too much wine at mealtime (and a very busy week ahead) I can't do justice to most of what I have on my shelves


----------



## Vaneyes

*Boulez*: w. Boulez (rec.1999), Robertson (rec. 2002).

View attachment 34682
View attachment 34683


----------



## SimonNZ

Louis-Antoine Dornel works for recorders, flute and continuo - Passacaglia


----------



## millionrainbows

Old stand-by: Schoenberg's Serenade, Op. 24. Ensemble Contemporain (SONY). The one I imprinted on was Boulez also, but it was the older one with Domaine Musical. I have it in my Boulez box sets, so I think I'll dig that one out later. About this piece, it's texture is what makes it appealing. Melodically, the "themes" make no harmonic sense at all. They are just weird, leaping constructs. Admittedly, they do have a sense of melodic phrasing, which makes them appear as melodies, but there the similarity ends. Harmonically, there is nothing to grasp on to here; it seems totally polyphonic. Admittedly, the texture holds together polyphonically, as if something were going on harmonically, but...I think I've admitted enough for now. And yet, and yet...I find the piece charming, and always have. Perhaps it's that mandolin player, who lends the whole thing an atmosphere of "old Vienna"...is Schoenberg pulling my leg?


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Melodically, the "themes" make no harmonic sense at all. They are just weird, leaping constructs. Admittedly, they do have a sense of melodic phrasing, which makes them appear as melodies, but there the similarity ends.


What about the melody in the Theme and Variations movement, which is clearly tonally conceived?


----------



## maestro267

*Walton*: Cello Concerto
Harrell (cello)/CBSO/Rattle

*Brahms*: Ein Deutsches Requiem
Milne (soprano), Brück (baritone)
Edinburgh Festival Chorus/BBC Scottish SO/Runnicles


----------



## Masada

Greetings all! 

This is my first post here on Talk Classical so please pardon my lack of avatar and any information in my Profile...I've read I have to make 10 posts before those aspects of my settings are accessible. Thus, without further ado, what I'm listening to now as I begin chatting you all up here: 

Patricia Kopatchinskaja w/ Peter Eötvös on what is Gramophone's CD of the year performing pieces by Bartók, Eötvös, and Ligeti. 

...is there an appropriate place to post what our stereo is comprised of? If so, I'd love to share my first, basic entry level system with you all. 

For now, cheers!


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> What about the melody in the Theme and Variations movement, which is clearly tonally conceived?


You mean the third movement, Variationen?
Remember, this is from Schoenberg's "free atonal" period, and uses an 11-note row in one section, and is highly chromatic.

By the time tonality had progressed to total chromaticism, like here, tonality is almost subsumed into a chromatic soup of harmonic ambiguity.

I don't hear root movement or tonal centers. I can detect some melodic figures, but I don't hear them as tonal themes which make any tonal sense, but I don't expect them to; I accept them for what they are.

I hear all seven movements as being basically independent polyphonic lines for the most part.

I have to hear root movement for me to think it's tonal.

Of course, the whole piece sounds "meaningful" to me, but not in a tonal sense. "Tanzscene" probably sounds the most "tonal" to me, but only the part that is a parody of a waltz, so I think it is somewhat of a joking gesture. Are we really supposed to hear this piece tonally? I doubt it.


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> You mean the third movement, Variationen?
> Remember, this is from Schoenberg's "free atonal" period, and uses an 11-note row in one section, and is highly chromatic.


Yes, yes, I'm very aware of the techniques used. Actually, I misspoke. I meant the "Lied ohne worte", where the main melody is actually near-diatonic, though the accompaniment is chromatic.

And I _*do*_ hear tonal centers. They are not always stated in the bass, but they are implied by melodies and resolutions of the dissonances and so forth.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Respighi: Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, Festivals of Rome. Pittsburgh Symphony, Lorin Maazel (Sony). *I find this to be the best version, in terms of interpretation and recording quality. I hear things in this recording that I simply missed in other versions. I highly recommend this one.


----------



## SimonNZ

Welcome Masada!

playing now:










Dietrich Becker: from First Part Of Two-Part Sonatas And Suites - Parnassi Musici


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Yes, yes, I'm very aware of the techniques used. Actually, I misspoke. I meant the *"Lied ohne worte", *where the main melody is actually near-diatonic, though the accompaniment is chromatic.
> 
> And I _*do*_ hear tonal centers. They are not always stated in the bass, but they are implied by melodies and resolutions of the dissonances and so forth.


 Yeah, I hear what you're talking about; the bass clarinet is playing sustained bass notes under the melody (played on a viola, I think). This does give a "tonal reference" to the melody, and makes it sound like the bass note is the root of a chord; but this is a phenomena of chromaticism, not true tonality. To be tonal, there would have to be a coherently tonal root movement.

Listen to the bass clarinet in the opening: it goes up a m3, down a tritone, up a M3, down a m2, up a fourth, down a fifth, up a M6, down a fourth, down a tritone, etc.

This wandering movement of the bass, although beautiful in itself, is based on row considerations, and does not make tonal sense in terms of root movement. The "tonality" you are hearing is not true tonality, but is an illusion of the chromatic "reference note" phenomena I mentioned in my other thread, "What is harmonic music." I'll reprint it here:



> Chromatic notes do not in themselves constitute a state of "atonality," and can, in fact, even be overtly mono-tonal.
> 
> ...If the chromatic lines are in the upper voice, then it can easily sound tonal, by simply placing a constant bass note under it. This is what Miles Davis does in his later jazz, like _On the Corner, Bitches Brew, The Jack Johnson Sessions, and The Cellar Door Sessions;_ he simply establishes a "groove" in the bass, usually an ostinato figure with tonal implications, puts a beat to it, and the soloists are free to play any "outside" chromatic riffs they wish, with the full confidence that the lines will be "tonal-ized" in reference to the drone underneath.


The bass clarinet might fool your ear into hearing it tonally, because that's the way our ears hear, based on a harmonic model.

Our ears tend to reference everything to a single fundamental, and according to the harmonic model, the fundamental is the lowest component, with harmonics as higher-pitched derivatives, or* ratios *of that "1" fundamental.

Yes, Schoenberg was a great artist for creating this illusion of tonality, but, after all, he was essentially a traditional thematic composer, and hadn't come to terms with the true implications of his serial method. A charming middle-ground piece. Quaint, but not hard-core serialism. .....


----------



## Headphone Hermit

in deference to Blancrocher on the '..... deserves to be better known' thread, I've rooted out Walton's 'Variations on a Theme by Hindemith' for only my second time of listening


----------



## Blancrocher

Hope you like it, Headphone Hermit! I've got Havergal Brian's "Gothic" Symphony on my queue, so I'll take your recommendation in return!

For the moment, though, a first listen to Kevin Volans' 2nd String Quartet, "Hunting: Gathering." A very pleasing piece of music.


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Yes, Schoenberg was a great artist for creating this illusion of tonality, but, after all, he was essentially a traditional thematic composer, and hadn't come to terms with the true implications of his serial method. A charming middle-ground piece. Quaint, but not hard-core serialism. .....[/SIZE]


Why criticize someone for something they didn't try to do?

Most of the serialists have come back around and realized that Schoenberg was right all along. Creating pieces athematically makes it difficult to maintain coherence. Why do you think _Le marteau_, a thematic/melodic work, has become the among most popular of all 50s serial pieces?

Schoenberg is a great composer because he wrote great music: Pierrot Lunaire, the String Quartets, Moses und Aron, the concertos, the Suite for Piano and so forth are excellent works, fully worthy of any comparison with the masters of the past or present.

Anyway, in celebration of Berg's birthday, something a bit lighter:
Johann Strauss II: Wine, Women, and Song
Boston Chamber Players









Arranged for chamber ensemble.


----------



## KenOC

Britten, Cello Symphony, a long-time favorite. The original recording with Rostropovich.


----------



## Masada

Moving on from Patricia Kopatchinskaja w/ Peter Eötvös on what is Gramophone's CD of the year performing pieces by Bartók, Eötvös, and Ligeti:






​
...to Hyperion's February 2014 sampler...






​
...now on to track 5. Kodály String Quartet No 2, Op 10 - Movement 3 Allegro giocoso played through Sonic Studio's Amarra player / FiiO's E11 / Grado SR80's. This particular piece on the sampler is profoundly reminding me of the photographic images of Josef Sudek, images like:






​


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Why criticize someone for something they didn't try to do?
> 
> Most of the serialists have come back around and realized that Schoenberg was right all along. Creating pieces athematically makes it difficult to maintain coherence. Why do you think _Le marteau_, a thematic/melodic work, has become the among most popular of all 50s serial pieces?
> 
> Schoenberg is a great composer because he wrote great music: Pierrot Lunaire, the String Quartets, Moses und Aron, the concertos, the Suite for Piano and so forth are excellent works, fully worthy of any comparison with the masters of the past or present.


"Thematic" is an abstract idea, which means using the same melodic construct, or using fragmentary units of a melody. It doesn't imply tonality, and the "themes" do not have to even be comprehensible in the context of tonality.


----------



## Cosmos

Since I just found out it was his birthday, I am starting at the beginning: Berg's Sonata op. 1


----------



## LancsMan

Venetian Vespers: Gabrieli Consort & Players directed by Paul McCreesh on Archiv Produktion

This splendid double CD is a recreation of Vespers as they may have been performed in St Mark, Venice, in the year 1643 (the year of Monteverdi's death). It features music by Monteverdi, Rigatti, Grandi and Cavalli. 

I said yesterday that I was unfamiliar with Monteverdi's contemporaries - forgetting I had this in my collection. Although Rigatti, Grandi and Cavalli are significantly younger than Monteverdi. I imagine they were heavily influenced by Monteverdi. They all have a 'Monteverdi' sound to my ear. Or maybe it was just something in the Venetian air!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dohnanyi: Variations on a Nursery Theme Ernst Von Dohnanyi/London Symphony Orchestra/Lawrence Collingwood

For the 54th anniversary of Dohnanyi's death, the composer's own witty performance of his wonderfully witty piece, the recording was made in 1931, but sounds good for its age. I actually prefer the 1956 remake he made with Boult and the RPO, but I tend to play that one to death so have sought me out this one for a change.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet in C Minor Op.1 Earl Wild/American String Orchestra/Isaiah Jackson

Continuing my Dohnanyi theme, this is a great recording of the Dohnanyi Quintet, with a full string orchestra, for which the inimitable Earl Wild added a bass part, it sounds superb (as does the Schumann with which it's coupled). Wild got the idea from hearing Egon Petri in the 1930s, play the Brahms Piano Quintet with the NBC String Orchestra, and he certainly makes a good case for it. His wonderful playing is the more remarkable when you consider that he was 85 when this disc was recorded. Bravo!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 3 And 6 / Capriccio Op. 81, No. 3 performed by the Aurora String Quartet. 
http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-S...554&sr=1-3&keywords=Mendelssohn+string+aurora


----------



## Bas

I just came back from this concert:










It was well done. Not as spectacular as the violin concerto yesterday (probably due to my strong preference for the concerto over the 9th symphony), but it was a really interesting experience. The interpretation had a lot of passion, fire, force, velocity, the choir was outstanding, the soloists were fine (the bass a bit weak, though.) The passion was great, yet it came at the price of dynamic balance, that could have been done better. I've had a really nice evening.


----------



## Guest

Just the Quintet today--they give an impassioned and powerful performance, captured in wonderful sound.


----------



## Winterreisender

Carrying on with my as of late obsessive Bach listening:









Bach - Solo Violin Partitas and Sonatas, performed by Julia Fischer


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ Five Pianos


----------



## Guest

Winterreisender said:


> Carrying on with my as of late obsessive Bach listening:
> 
> View attachment 34720
> 
> 
> Bach - Solo Violin Partitas and Sonatas, performed by Julia Fischer


Did your version come with a DVD that includes footage of her recording the pieces? It was a limited edition, and I waited too late!


----------



## Winterreisender

Kontrapunctus said:


> Did your version come with a DVD that includes footage of her recording the pieces? It was a limited edition, and I waited too late!


Unfortunately not. I bought mine only within the last few months. It was still pretty expensive, but after hearing her excellent Chaconne I had to get hold of it.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Debussy: Iberia/Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune/La Mer NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

Arthur Benjamin: Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Larry Adler/London Symphony Orchestra/Basil Cameron
Vaughan Williams: Romance for Harmonica and Strings Larry Adler/String Orchestra & Pianoforte/Sir Malcolm Sargent

A wonderful concert of Debussy conducted by Toscanini at Carnegie Hall in 1953. Then, it now being 10th February means it is the day of Larry Adler's centenary, so two works written for him and played as only he could play. VW was a marvellous man you know, I can't imagine another composer at the age of 80 taking on the writing of a piece of music for such a singular instrument as this, and doing it so successfully. Here's a picture of Larry Adler giving Sir Malcolm Sargent a lesson backstage prior to the premier of the VW piece:


----------



## Guest

Combine jaw-dropping technique, a hyper-charged romantic style, and demonstration-worthy sound, and you have quite an enjoyable disc!










Program:Liszt: Fantasie und Fuge über B-A-C-H, Variationen über ein Motiv aus J.S. Bach's Kantate "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen", Funérailles No. 7 aus den Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, Am Grabe Richard Wagners, Sinistre - Unstern!, Nuages gris - Trübe Wolken


----------



## brotagonist

I'm hooked on Mahler's 7th Symphony  I had no idea, until yesterday, that two of the movements were nocturnes (Nachtmusik) and I'm currently in the middle movement, which is described as _schattenhaft_ (shadelike, shadowlike, shadowy). Oh, what a wonderful feeling...!









This will be the last go-round until the next time through my collection.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://select

An old favourite:









I love Japanese classical music and this album is an especial treasure, the pieces being compositions of length.

Along the Grand Tone River (27 minutes)
The Stream (11 minutes)
Music of Pine, Bamboo and Plum Blossoms (11 minutes)

Performed by the Koto Ensemble of the Ikuta Ryu (School)


----------



## opus55

Britten: Peter Grimes










Good deals are found every week.


----------



## SimonNZ

Emilio De Cavalieri's Lamentations Of Jeremiah - Le Poeme Harmonique


----------



## Mahlerian

Berg: Violin Concerto
Isabelle Faust, Orchestra Mozart, cond. Abbado


----------



## KenOC

Britten, Cello Suite #1, Truls Mørk.


----------



## Blancrocher

Berg's Lyric Suite, "with voice," performed by the Diotima SQ.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/03/schoenberg-webern-berg-diotima-review


----------



## Itullian




----------



## jlaw

Beethoven: Piano Concerto, No. 5 / Violin Concerto
Jos van Immerseel, Bruno Weil 
Tafelmusik


----------



## KenOC

John Adams, El Dorado. This was my intro to Adams. It was played on the radio as I was driving to San Diego. I had to pull off of I-5 and stop and listen! Seems to be kind of forgotten now...

Here's Part 1 on YouTube:


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, discs 10, 11 and part of 12:

Catalogue D'Oiseaux - Yvonne Loriod, piano


----------



## Weston

*Robert Schumann: Overture, Scherzo, and Finale, Op. 52*
Wolfgang Sawallisch / Staatskapelle Dresden









Look. Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a symphony. It's a suite. No it's Schumann!

Seems a bit more on the classical side than Schumann's other works to me, or maybe Mendelssohn-like. Quite a bit lighter than Schumann's symphonies. Maybe not what I was in the mood for. The recording seems low in frequency range and loaded with reverberation. Or else my ears are going bad.

Goodness, I'm a grouch tonight.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Really enjoying this recording of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Complete Works for Cello and Piano by Nancy Green (cello) and Frederick Moyer (piano). Nancy Green's recordings are well worth the time to seek out for anyone who loves cello music and this recording is some of her best work.










Kevin


----------



## Weston

*Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Symphony in C*
José Serebrier / Weimar Staatskapelle









Highly accessible neo-classical with prominent horns and other tasteful soft brass. Pleasant enough in an adventure movie soundtrack sort of way.


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> Warner Messiaen Edition, discs 10, 11 and part of 12:
> 
> Catalogue D'Oiseaux - Yvonne Loriod, piano


Terrific recording ,of course Yvonne Loriod was his wife.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Symphony No. 1 in C minor; Symphony No. 5 in D minor, 'Reformation Symphony' (Vladimir Ashkenazy; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin).









Some impressions on Mendelssohn's 1st:

1st movement: generally a stormy one. Some nods to Haydn and Mozart throughout. A solid 1st movement imo.

2nd movement: An excellent Andante. Amazing how Mendelssohn, being 15 at the time, already had a great sense for integrating solo passages for winds - the ones in this movement are exceptional.

3rd movement: Similar to the 1st movement, somewhat of a mixture the menuets from Haydn's 95th and Mozart's 40th. The trio is expansive and has very nice parts for winds, he may have been inspired by Beethoven here.

4th movement: Nods both to the finales from Mozart's 40th and Haydn's 95th - but Mendelssohn experiments with some nice passages in pizzicato and has an unexpected stop near the end, showing that he didn't simply want to copy the great musicians before him.

Overall, considering he was 15, this symphony is quite a feat and already sounds mature.


----------



## SimonNZ

moody said:


> Terrific recording ,of course Yvonne Loriod was his wife.


Yes indeed, and her recording of Vingt Regards was a knock-out when I played it a couple of days ago. Before systematically going through this box I'd known Loriod had a deep sympathy with the works of her husband and the works she inspired, but only now am I realizing the extent of her talent. She ranks easily beside the great pianists of the last century and its a real shame she didn't record a wider repertoire. I've also come to realize that the best way to hear Messiaen's piano music is played so loud that its as though you're inside the instrument, and no subtle detail, overtone or sustain is lost. If you adjust the volume to make the loudest punctuations neighbour-friendly you're going to lose too much.

but playing now:










Shostakovich's Cello Concertos Nos 1 and 2 - Mischa Maisky, cello, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Lully: Suite in E Minor
Chopin: Scherzo No.4
Ives: Three Page Sonata
Sibelius: Romance in D-flat
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.12
Chaminade: Autrefois
Paderewski: Minuet in G Shura Cherkassky

This is the lunchtime recital that Cherkassy gave at St. John's, Smith's Square on his birthday 7th October, 1991. He was celebrating turning 80, though in fact it turned out that he was 82! It shows to perfection his skill at programming. I always looked forward with excitement and relish to a Cherkassky recital, not just because of the sheer wonder as to precisely how  he was going to play his chosen pieces, for he varied to a remarkable degree from concert to concert, but for the eclectic span of his programmes, which is something I miss lately, but there, Cherkassky was a real one off, and there will never be another like him (as Moody sagely remarked on another thread yesterday).


----------



## dgee

After thinking about the Ebony Concerto and Babitt's All Set, how about Hot by Franco Donatoni - COOL

Divertimento Ensemble on the Presto Classical Donatoni Edition (lovely stuff - the postwar Italians were good)

And a less exacting but still fun live performance here on youtube:


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Symphony No.4 - Dawn Upshaw, soprano, Christoph Von Dohnanyi, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

Debussy - La mer.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Ingélou

Vivaldi, Concerto for harpsichord, strings & basso continuo in A major - elegant, alluring, intelligent... 

(YouTube: L'Arte Dell'Arco / Federico Guglielmo (conductor); Federico Guglielmo (violin I);Nicola Reniero (harpsichord)


----------



## PrimoUomo

Antonio Lotti, Requiem in F major







Great music, great recording, not so great cover.


----------



## Andolink

*James Dillon*: _String Quartet No. 6_ (2010)
Arditti String Quartet

*Brian Ferneyhough*: _String Quartet No. 6_ (2010)
Arditti String Quartet

*Alberto Posadas*: _Del reflejo de la sombra_ (2010)
Alain Billard, bass clarinet
Quatuor Diotima

*Simon Steen-Andersen*: _Double Up_, for sampler and small orchestra (2010)
Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Hilversum/Peter Eötvös


----------



## Oskaar

*Peter Maxwell Davies*

Symphony #3
Cross Lane Fair *
* * Mark Jordan, Northumbrian pipes
* Rob Lea, bodhran
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Peter Maxwell Davies*









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572350
http://www.allmusic.com/album/peter-maxwell-davies-symphony-no-3-cross-lane-fair-mw0002385196
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxwell-Davies-Symphony-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B0085AXUWW
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs72350a.php
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=772419
http://classicalmodernmusic.blogspot.no/2012/08/peter-maxwell-davies-symphony-no-3.html


----------



## julianoq

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F, first listen on anything by Gershwin. Conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Brahms*: Double Concerto in A minor / J. Fischer and D. Muller-Schott, C. Poppen, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie

*Schumann*: Piano Concerto in A minor / M. Argerich, R. Chailly, Gewandhausorchester

*Myaskovsky*: Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor / D. Liss, Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, Yekaterinburg City Choir


----------



## Andolink

*Jacques Gallot*: _Suite in A minor_
Pascal Monteilhet, lute


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy's posting of the Haitink/Concertgebouw Debussy _La Mer _and_ Nocturnes_: yeah, good La Mer; great Nocturnes; fantastic engineered sound.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> John Adams, El Dorado. This was my intro to Adams. It was played on the radio as I was driving to San Diego. I had to pull off of I-5 and stop and listen! Seems to be kind of forgotten now...
> 
> Here's Part 1 on YouTube:


God, that's uncanny. I was driving back through Orange County en route to San Diego once with a friend and Shaker Loops was on the radio. I said, "What's this?!"--- I like it!". . . we didn't have to pull over though; but then, we were in the fast lane, making time and couldn't even if we tried. The music was perfect for the motion though. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I haven't heard it; now I_ have to _hear it; I have his Haydn cello concertos, which are lovely.


----------



## Weston

*Toru Takemitsu: A Way a Lone II, for string orchestra* 
Tadaaki Otaka / BBC National Orchestra of Wales









I'm supposed to be hearing motivic development in Takemitsu, or at least contrapuntal writing in this piece, but confound it! All I can focus on are the surreal sonorities. Those are enough for me though.


----------



## Schubussy

Joseph Haydn - The Complete Piano Trios
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Vasks

*Mayr - Overture to "Il segreto" (Renzetti/Warner Fonit)
Beethoven - String Quartet #16 (Talich/Calliope)
Weber - Piano Concerto #1 (Drewnowski/Frequenz)*


----------



## Weston

On a side note, I was curious what is the percentage of stuff we as a group listen to. Aside from the Greatest Kazoo Concertos by Non-Western Composers poll threads, what do we actually listen to? I'm sure it's been done before somewhere along the course of this thread, but here is my quick and dirty and very unscientific estimate. Categories are a bit arbitrary and only reflect how my own brain organizes music, partially by period and partially by format.

1. Symphonies 19.40%

2. Chamber ensembles post-baroque (quartets, piano trios, etc.) 15.30%

3. Piano(s) alone 12.69%

4. Concertos (with large orchestra or post-baroque) 10.45%

5. Large orchestral suites, variations, etc. non-symphonic 10.45%

6. Large choral work (Requiems, masses, etc.) 8.21%

7. Tone Poems, overtures or other single movement orchestral 6.72%

8. Early music 3.73%

9. Baroque ensemble (concertos, "orchestral" suites, etc) 2.99%

10. Opera 2.99%

11. Baroque keyboard work 2.61%

12. Single instrument work, non-keyboard 1.87%

13. Other (trace elements) 1.49%

14. Art song (either orchestral or piano accompaniment) 1.12%

What does this prove? Nothing really. It doesn't take into account that some have more time to post than others, or that a Saturday symphony fell within my counting range (I didn't go back too far - about a week). I was just curious if symphonies and large orchestral works are more popular than smaller ensembles or if larger works such as symphonies are less popular due to time constraints. It turns out neither assumption is entirely correct -- an interesting surprise.


----------



## rrudolph

Picked this 2 disc set up used for $2. After listening to the first disc I read the liner notes. I was stunned to find out it was recorded in 1966; I've heard recent CDs recorded with up-to-date equipment that don't sound as good!

Mozart: The Complete Masonic Music


----------



## Andolink

*Mathias Spahlinger*: _Farben der Frühe für Sieben Klaviere_ (Colors of Morning for seven pianos)
Ensemble SurPlus (Axel Gremmelspacher, Peter Hoffmann, Sven Thomas Kiebler, Eun Ju Kim, Hansjörg Koch, Irmela Roelcke, Elmar Schrammel)
James Avery, conductor


----------



## Draugen

Shostakovich Complete Quartets has arrived today, as performed by the Borodin Quartet. I have almost listened to disc one already, and am really loving these.. 2nd quartet is actually amazing. I know little about Shostakovich, I just never got round to listening to him, and am excited to finally start exploring!


----------



## Orfeo

*Jules Massenet*
Opera in 4 acts "Herodiade."
-Cheryl Studer, Nadine Denize, Ben Heppner, Thomas Hampson, José Van Dam, Courtis, et al.
-Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse/ Michel Plasson, conductor.

*Hector Berlioz*
Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale.
-Montreal Symphony Orchestra et Chorus/Charles Dutoit, conductor.

*Paul Dukas*
Symphony in C.
Poeme Danse "La Peri."
L'Apprenti Sorcier.
-The Orchestre National de France, Leonard Slatkin, conductor.

*Franz Liszt*
Dante Sonata.
-Daniel Barenboim, piano.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ilya Kaler: Solo Violin Pieces*









Morning Blair reporting from the currently sunny and gorgeous climes of Southern California: The Jean Martinon piece it great!--- and the engineered sound on this CD is breathtakingly phenomenal.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - L'Histoire du soldat.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Dr. Kilroy: _L'historie du Soldat_-- yeah another lacuna for me. I'll have to hear it. Thanks.


----------



## DrKilroy

Actually, it will be my first listening to it, too.  

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Masada

Having made my way through Hyperions February and January 2014 and December 2013 downloadable samplers, I'm now starting the day off with the next of those available, November 2013:






​
Thus far, aside from only maybe 2 tracks on each, I've been happily surprised and have found a number of recordings to track down. I don't usually like music played on "random," thus samplers are usually less preferential for me, but Hyperion has done well, judging by these first three. Here's to the fourth!

From their site:

"Hyperion's worthy Record of the Month for November 2013 is a thrilling new recording of the Bach Christmas Oratorio, one of the pinnacles of the repertoire. Stephen Layton conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Trinity College Choir Cambridge, and the sparkling soloists are led by Evangelist James Gilchrist.

One hundred years since his birth, the three Britten String Quartets have been enthrallingly recorded by the Takács Quartet. The four Hindemith Violin Sonatas, performed by established duo Tanja Becker-Bender and Péter Nagy, and the three Hindemith Piano Sonatas, their every effervescent note captured to perfection by Markus Becker, mark fifty years since their composer's death.

Marc-André Hamelin has recorded a triple album of Late Busoni Piano Music-all the Sonatinas, the Elegies, the Toccata and much more. And Romantic Piano Concerto series devotees will revel in Roberto Prosseda's The complete Gounod works for pedal piano & orchestra (the pedal piano, here two Steinway Ds and an ingenious pedal-board coupling mechanism, opening up a whole new array of textural possibilities); Howard Shelley and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana provide spirited competition. Re-issued in November are Westminster Cathedral Choir's sublime Palestrina Missa Dum complerentur and a wonderful Schubert Octet from The Gaudier Ensemble.

This month also brings a warm welcome to The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips and their label Gimell whose recordings are now available through the Hyperion website; a brand new recording of the Taverner Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas celebrates the fortieth anniversary of this most illustrious of ensembles."


----------



## rrudolph

Mozart: Coronation Mass K317/Missa Solemnis K337








Mozart: Symphony #38 K504/#39 K543








Mozart: Piano Concert #24 K491/Grand Mass in c minor K427


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Berlioz: Les Troyens*









Love that fine and fluent opening chorus!


----------



## Mahlerian

You know, it seems kind of hypocritical that I should post this after just decrying Robert Craft in a different thread...but it's the only version Spotify had of the piece.

Schoenberg: Six Songs for Soprano and Orchestra, op. 8
Jennifer Welch-Babidge, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Craft









Schoenberg's primary influence at this time was still Strauss, but there are hints of Mahler in the third song, which is a setting of a text from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

(I'm intentionally listening to lieder because it was chosen as the unloved genre according to Weston's summary.)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Solti Parsifal*









Luxuriating to Kiri and Christa.


----------



## Weston

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 2 in C minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian" *
Carlo Maria Giuliini / Philharmonia Orchestra









Tchaikovsky is one of the vanishing number of big name composers that just haven't quite gelled with me, not that I dislike his work necessarily. I keep trying though because he is so well respected. Granted this wasn't a deep listening session as I was also puttering at artwork.

That ending though . . . I'm glad we cleared up whatever lingering confusion there might have been about its being over, Pyotr.


----------



## Blancrocher

Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos conducting Alicia de Larrocha and the LSO in Khachaturian's Piano Concerto.


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 20 in Dm, Piano Concerto no. 21 in C, Piano Concerto no. 25 in C, Piano Concerto no. 27 in B-flat
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Deutsche Grammophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014 - 1019, Cello Sonatas BWV 1027-1029
By Glenn Gould [piano], Jaime Laredo [violin] Leonard Rose [cello], on Sony Classical









George Frederic Handel - Italian Cantatas: HWV 170 Tra le fiamme (il consiglio), HWV 134 Pensieri notturni di filli, HWV 90 Il delirio amorosso, HWV 113 Figlio d'alte speranze
By Roberta Invernizzi [soprano], Fabio Bonizonni [harpsichord, dir.], on Glossa (volume I of the series)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Regarding Weston's post of the Giuiliani/Philharmonia Tchaikovsky Second Symphony:

Are the tempi broad in this reading? (I imagine they're slower than par.)


----------



## Winterreisender

All this talk of Debussy on the "20th century Romanticism" thread has made me want to stick _La Mer_ on.

Listening to _La Mer_ performed by Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra, taken from this beast:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Caballe: Regina d'Egitto*









Caballe in her prime? Aida?-- affairs of the first importance. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling two new releases. 

*Tchaikovsky*: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Matsuev/Mariinsky O./Gergiev; *Kodaly*: String Quartets 1 & 2, etc., w. Dante Qt.

A much stronger Tchaik.1 reading than Matsuev's earlier with Temirkanov. Well-recorded. Highly recommended. 

I glow equally for Dante Quartet's Kodaly. This will happily complement other recs. of this composer.

View attachment 34804
View attachment 34805


----------



## julianoq

First listen on this record of Shipway conducting the RPO on Shostovich's 10th Symphony. What a performance! One of my favorites, very close to Petrenko's!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Matsuev/Mariinsky O./Gergiev

Matsuev's animated playing sustains my inerest; Gergiev's conducting flags though. . . Interesting putting these two together; it kind of reminds me of that famous live debut of Horowitz in America with Beecham and the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto- Horowitz was pyrotechnical; Beecham was rather mannered. . . odd combo-pack. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> Vaneyes: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Matsuev/Mariinsky O./Gergiev
> 
> Matsuev's animated playing sustains my inerest; Gergiev's conducting flags though. . . Interesting putting these two together; it kind of reminds me of that famous live debut of Horowitz in America with Beecham and the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto- Horowitz was pyrotechnical; Beecham was rather mannered. . . odd combo-pack. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I'm probably 50-50 with Gergiev's conducting. In this instance, I detect great care in sidekicking. 
Some impressive solo playing from the Mariinsky, particularly in PC2. Again, the sound impresses. :tiphat:


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> Regarding Weston's post of the Giuiliani/Philharmonia Tchaikovsky Second Symphony:
> 
> Are the tempi broad in this reading? (I imagine they're slower than par.)


I have little experience with this symphony for comparison, but the overall length is over 45 minutes. That seems on the longish side unless you are listening to Mahler.


----------



## realdealblues

I was stuck on Brahms 3 last night...

View attachment 34806


Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

View attachment 34807


Brahms: Symphony No. 3
George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra

View attachment 34808


Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Otto Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra

Then Beethoven's 7th...

View attachment 34809


Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic [1958]

View attachment 34810


Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Arturo Toscanini/NBC Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Bald Mountain
Kodaly:Hary Janos Suite
Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt








One of the less characteristic discs in the EMI Tennstedt set (say that six times fast), where he ventures out of his normal Austro-Germanic repertoire.


----------



## realdealblues

Just finishing off a double shot of Beethoven's 2nd...



Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Arturo Toscanini/NBC Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 34815


Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

Now I think I need a little break from large orchestral works so I think I'll relax a little with this one:

View attachment 34817


Chopin: Ballades Nos. 1-4
Arthur Rubinstein


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian: Tennstedt/LSO: Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Bald Mountain

I didn't even know he did it. . . How_ does _he do it? If it's half as good as some of his Wagner and Mahler thenI certainly have an abiding interest in hearing it. . . The Abbado/LSO (original version) and the Reiner/CSO versions of the _Night on Bald Mountain_ are my current high-water marks.


----------



## Itullian

Excellent performances of both orchestral and piano versions.
Rich, digital sound.


----------



## Mahlerian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Mahlerian: Tennstedt/LSO: Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Bald Mountain
> 
> I didn't even know he did it. . . How_ does _he do it? If it's half as good as some of his Wagner and Mahler thenI certainly have an abiding interest in hearing it. . . The Abbado/LSO (original version) and the Reiner/CSO versions of the _Night on Bald Mountain_ are my current high-water marks.
> 
> View attachment 34818
> View attachment 34819


He handles this ur-Russian music with aplomb. Tennstedt also conducted Prokofiev's symphonies and concertos from time to time, so the East wasn't completely alien to him (although he certainly had no love for Communism, given that he had to escape from East Germany).


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 76: no. 1 in G, no. 4 in D, no. 5 in B-flat
By Quatuor Mosaiques, on Naïve


----------



## Marschallin Blair

readealblues- late-thirties Tocanini/NBCSO Beethoven Second









The way Toscanini does the first movement? If you want an incandescent, hard-beyond-driven Beethoven's Second?-- is the _ultimate_; for me at any rate.

The Gramofono 2000 remastering of this performance is the best sounding one I've heard; in _spades_.


----------



## Vaneyes

Don't overlook Fritz and Eduardo for "A Night on Bald Mountain" and other bon-bons. :tiphat:

View attachment 34822
View attachment 34823


----------



## Itullian

Bas said:


> Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2
> *By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI*
> 
> View attachment 34795
> 
> 
> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 20 in Dm, Piano Concerto no. 21 in C, Piano Concerto no. 25 in C, Piano Concerto no. 27 in B-flat
> By Friedrich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [dir.], on Deutsche Grammophone
> 
> View attachment 34793
> 
> 
> Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014 - 1019, Cello Sonatas BWV 1027-1029
> By Glenn Gould [piano], Jaime Laredo [violin] Leonard Rose [cello], on Sony Classical
> 
> View attachment 34794
> 
> 
> George Frederic Handel - Italian Cantatas: HWV 170 Tra le fiamme (il consiglio), HWV 134 Pensieri notturni di filli, HWV 90 Il delirio amorosso, HWV 113 Figlio d'alte speranze
> By Roberta Invernizzi [soprano], Fabio Bonizonni [harpsichord, dir.], on Glossa (volume I of the series)
> 
> View attachment 34796


Arrau + Giulini = Heaven


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> readealblues- late-thirties Tocanini/NBCSO Beethoven Second
> 
> View attachment 34821
> 
> 
> The way Toscanini does the first movement? If you want an incandescent, hard-beyond-driven Beethoven's Second?-- is the _ultimate_; for me at any rate.
> 
> The Gramofono 2000 remastering of this performance is the best sounding one I've heard; in _spades_.


But do you really want/need hard-driven for LvB 2? Even The Screaming Skull chose a more reasonable road (and delectable, I might add). 

View attachment 34824


----------



## Itullian

Love Bruno Walter for 1 and 2.


----------



## Sonata

Lots of good stuff lately 

Beethoven Piano sonatas 1,2, 23. Jena Jando. 
Fur Elise
String quartet in E flat Major
Cello sonatas

Brahms: string quartet #1

Shostakovich: string quartet #2

Mahler: Unfinished symphony, #10, adagio

Bruckner: Symphony #8, movement 1

Debussy: Cello sonata, string quartet

Janet Baker Icon: disc 3. Ravel: Sheherezade, Berlioz L'es N'uites D'ete, and Chausson Poeme de l'amour et de la mer.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc five:

Alexander Agricola - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> But do you really want/need hard-driven for LvB 2? Even The Screaming Skull chose a more reasonable road (and delectable, I might add).
> 
> View attachment 34824


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . 'Screaming skull,' I never thought of Solti in that term. . . but then, I never played in the Vienna Philharmonic either. . .

No, I'm not fixated on Beethoven being hard-driven at all-- it's just a galvanizing reading that I like. When I first heard it, I absolutely hated it.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Les noces (some Reuss; apparently he's not bad!).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 1 in C Major; No. 5 in D Major, 'The Lark' (Quatuor Festetics).









I think the best way to enjoy Haydn quartets is to be acquainted with a variety of interpreters. The Quatuor Festetics have a very full sound for a period ensemble and have a balanced approach to Haydn. It works very well for Op. 64, imo.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Following Revdrdave's recommendation on the thread '.... deserves to be better known' another dust covered CD is rescued for a listen tonight .... can't quite believe I've only listened to this once in three years since I bought it - Turina - Piano Trio No 1 - played by the Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*"Welche Wonne, welche Lust! Regt sich nun in meiner Brust!"*









"What bliss, what rapture! Now reigns in my breast!"-- indeed.

Battle's such light and air; vivacity and charm-- in this.


----------



## realdealblues

Marschallin Blair said:


> readealblues- late-thirties Tocanini/NBCSO Beethoven Second
> 
> View attachment 34821
> 
> 
> The way Toscanini does the first movement? If you want an incandescent, hard-beyond-driven Beethoven's Second?-- is the _ultimate_; for me at any rate.
> 
> The Gramofono 2000 remastering of this performance is the best sounding one I've heard; in _spades_.


All the Toscanini I have is in this box set:
View attachment 34828

I don't worry too much about any of the Symphonies being hard-driven. I like Furtwangler just as much as Toscanini. I don't care about HIP or observing every little nuance in the score or anything like that. I just look for a certain "flow" throughout a whole recording more than anything else. I like it when everything feels natural and fits within a given conductor's vision, yet still carries the spirit or underlying ideas of the composer forward.

That's why I like Toscanini's Beethoven just as much as Furtwangler's. Both are polar opposites and while many don't like Furtwangler's disregard of certain things within the score, he keeps a certain vision throughout that in the end works for me and I still feel fits within Beethoven's spirit.

All that said, I have over 60 complete Beethoven Symphony Cycles on CD, but Toscanini's 1st Beethoven Cycle from 1939, is one of the few I haven't had a chance to hear yet. It's on my list of things to listen to one day.


----------



## DavidA

realdealblues said:


> All the Toscanini I have is in this box set:
> View attachment 34828
> 
> I don't worry too much about any of the Symphonies being hard-driven. I like Furtwangler just as much as Toscanini. I don't care about HIP or observing every little nuance in the score or anything like that. I just look for a certain "flow" throughout a whole recording more than anything else. I like it when everything feels natural and fits within a given conductor's vision, yet still carries the spirit or underlying ideas of the composer forward.
> 
> That's why I like Toscanini's Beethoven just as much as Furtwangler's. Both are polar opposites and while many don't like Furtwangler's disregard of certain things within the score, he keeps a certain vision throughout that in the end works for me and I still feel fits within Beethoven's spirit.
> 
> All that said, I have over 60 complete Beethoven Symphony Cycles on CD, but Toscanini's 1st Beethoven Cycle from 1939, is one of the few I haven't had a chance to hear yet. It's on my list of things to listen to one day.


I have the box of Toscanini's Beethoven. The recordings I find are the problem. They are not good even for their day with the sound castrated by the dry acoustic. What a pity, because the performances are quite something.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James: Another listen to Dukas' symphony, and it helped me make more sense of it. It is different, but I heard more links and a kind of logic to it. My favourite part is the central slow movement, oddly enough one recurring horn call reminded me of Leia's theme from John Williams' score for Star Wars

I never made the connnection; I'll have to hear it again. . .

I'll have to try on that totally-unknown-to-the-blonde Eloquence re-issue of the _Ana Karanina_. Thanks for the honorable mention. I love parts of that score.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34789
> 
> 
> Love that fine and fluent opening chorus!


French day for us it seems. 
Though I think I'll go Soviet tomorrow (or American).


----------



## Blancrocher

Georges Prêtre conducting Maurice Duruflé and the Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire Paris in Poulenc's Organ Concerto, and Christopher Herrick playing Carl Nielsen's "Commotio" for organ.


----------



## Guest

The mailman brought me two goodies today. Arrau's Brahms displays surprising muscularity and virtuosity, plus it has superior sound to that of Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy's, which is interesting since Arrau's is 35 years older! The only downsides to Arrau's are 1) the Paganini Variations have only two tracks, so they can't be individually accessed very easily, and 2) the original LP had the Paganini and Brahms' 2nd Piano Sonata; since the playing time of this disc is only 45 minutes, the Sonata could have easily been included.










and the second volume of Haydn symphonies. Sadly, the series was cancelled due to funding issues. I was so hoping to hear some of the "sturm und drang" symphonies from these forces. Anyway, like the other one, this boasts vigorous performances and wonderful sound--they are live recordings, but the audience is very quiet.


----------



## moody

Vaneyes said:


> Don't overlook Fritz and Eduardo for "A Night on Bald Mountain" and other bon-bons. :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 34822
> View attachment 34823


Eduardo "Jumping Bean", a sad story.


----------



## Antihero




----------



## DeepR

Sibelius - Symphony No. 7






The first time I've heard Sibelius. 
It's promising. I'll have to listen more, but I think it will come to me sooner or later.


----------



## senza sordino

I've been listening to a few of my new purchases
On Naxos *John Adams Violin Concerto, Corigliano Chaconne from Red Violin, Enescu Romanian Rhapsody, Waxman Tristan and Isolde Fantasy* Chloe Hanslip vn with Royal Phil Orchestra and Slatkin _I've listened three times in two days_

On Chandos *Szymanowski Violin Concert*i Lydia Mordkovitch vn with BBC Phil and Sinaisky _Repeated listening this week-end_

On Arte Nova *Borodin Symphony #2 and In the Steppes of Central Asia and Polovetsian Dances *Samara Philharmonic and Samuel Friedman conducting _The Polovetsian Dances are without a choir. It sounds more like what we've performed, a little slower than other performances on record, not so bombastic as Stokowski and not so frantic as Gergiev_

On Harmonia Mundi *Bach Complete Orchestral Suites* Freiburger Barockorchester

And these neglected works on my shelf got a listen today.

On Naxos *Shostakovich Symphony #11* Petrenko and RLPO

On London Decca *Chausson Symphony in Bb* Charles Dutoit and MSO. _To prove to myself I made the right choice for KenOC's most neglected works_

On EMI classics *Sibelius Symphony #2* Paavo Berglund and Bournemouth Symphony. _It took me until Monday to listen to the Saturday Symphony, one of my favorites_

Lots of time to listen today, because we in British Columbia have a holiday. Still not sure why we are off one week before the rest of the continent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 1, 2 and 3 - Kenneth Schermerhorn, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

DeepR said:


> Sibelius - Symphony No. 7
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first time I've heard Sibelius.
> It's promising. I'll have to listen more, but I think it will come to me sooner or later.


This is one of the harder Sibelius symphonies to "get", at least for me it was - now it is one of my favourites.  The Seventh had been, so to speak, "anticipated" by No. 5, so definitely try this one next.  Good luck.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Gluzman and Yoffe. This work is new to me, quite serious and intense.


----------



## Mister Man

I've been listening to Strauss II all day. At this moment I'm listening to the overture of Die Fledermaus.


----------



## Weston

*Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20*
Myer Fredman / New Zealand Symphony Orchestra









I know this is a dark piece protesting the coming war but -- dare I say it's also kind of a fun piece? If you disregard its programmatic elements there still remains some wonderful musical acrobatics, with themes seeming to later become accompaniment, and the astonishing middle part, slowly running out of steam then reviving itself with a bit less energy- once more into the breach.

Okay, I guess I can't completely disregard the program.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven String Quartet Op. 18 #3, Tokyo Quartet (newer cycle). The Tokyo have completed their last season and hung up their bows after 44 years. They are missed.


----------



## hpowders

Vincent Persichetti, 12 Piano Sonatas. Geoffrey Burleson.
Just received this today. Played 9 out of the 12. So far, so good.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

My listening has been limited today but I have managed to squeeze in:

*Rachmaninov: Pian Cincerto No. 3 & Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2
Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel & the SBSOoV*








This disc is a grower, one I find am enjoying more and more. I have always been a fan of Yuja Wang but I knew very little of Dudamel and the SBSOoV beyond various people either hyer-praising him or sniping at him. This recording is an impressive account and all three parties are in top form. The energy levels and atmosphere of the live recording is superb.

*Mahler: Symphony No. 4 & Beethoven: Egmont Overture
Bruno Walter, Wiener Philharmoniker & Irmgard Seefried*








Though the recording quality is average (I find his 1938 Ninth sounds clearer), the performance of this piece is superb. Irmgard Seefried is particularly beautiful on this recording, she may be my preferred soprano for this symphony. If anything were to convince me to investigate another Mahler cycle, the 'moralist' Walter may be the one to do it.

Finally, I have been on a* Carlos Kleiber* binge this evening:




















Kleiber's *Schubert Symphony No. 8* is a truly beautiful recording. Fleet yet powerful, the first movement is as close to perfection as I have heard and as whole, this interpretation is easily in the same league as Furtwangler, Klemperer and Harnoncourt.

Kleiber's *Beethoven Symphony No. 6* is my favourite interpretation of the piece. No exceptions or tie breakers here. To me, it is simply the perfect interpretation of the Sixth. To quote Goldilocks, it's just right.

I much prefer this recording of *Beethoven's* *Seventh Symphony* to the Wiener Philharmoniker. It has energy in abundance and I think the Conductor and Orchestra have a stronger chemistry here.


----------



## Weston

DeepR said:


> Sibelius - Symphony No. 7
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first time I've heard Sibelius.
> It's promising. I'll have to listen more, but I think it will come to me sooner or later.


Promising, yes. It promises to stun me speechless.



SimonNZ said:


> Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 1, 2 and 3 - Kenneth Schermerhorn, cond.


It's nice to know our local folks are making an impact of sorts on the other side of the planet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Romanian Dances.*

Last night I visited a Romanian church about 30 miles down the road from me. I liked their songs; in some, they were effortlessly singing in 7/4. On the way home, it hit me, Bartok transcribed some of their music. So today was a Bartok day.


----------



## Blancrocher

KenOC said:


> Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Gluzman and Yoffe. This work is new to me, quite serious and intense.[/IMG]


Interesting to compare that one to Shostakovich's 1st Violin Sonata, Ken--I sometimes get deja vu.

I'm also trying out some unfamiliar Prokofiev: the 3rd Symphony, conducted by Rozhdestvensky.


----------



## KenOC

Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2, Kopatchinskaja and Eotvos. This is an incredible performance, maybe the best out there. And fine sound. Who says you can't have it all? Well, I don't have a small picture...


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2, Kopatchinskaja and Eotvos. This is an incredible performance, maybe the best out there. And fine sound. Who says you can't have it all? Well, I don't have a small picture...


I've read nothing but rave reviews of this recording. A pity it isn't an SACD, but I'll probably buy it anyway.


----------



## Guest

Discovering what all the fuss is about. Got this on loan. Listened to No. 2 earlier and running through No. 6 now.








Sibelius, Complete Symphonies
Paavo Berglund, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Late Post Script: Wow! Listening to No. 7 now, then I will get to No. 5. This is truly amazing.


----------



## KenOC

Kontrapunctus said:


> I've read nothing but rave reviews of this recording. A pity it isn't an SACD, but I'll probably buy it anyway.


The Ligeti concerto is also great. The violinist is required to sing along at one point. GG would have loved that, except that he played a different instrument and was a lousy singer (or at least hummer). The Eotvos piece hasn't gotten to me yet.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra.*

I like the energy Solti pulls out of this.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berio*: Sequenzas, w. Berman et al (rec.1998 - '04); *Mahler*: DLVDE (arr. Schoenberg), w. Herreweghe et al (rec.1993).

View attachment 34853
View attachment 34854


----------



## Vaneyes

Earlier today while TC was down, and as I was viewing Sochi 2014.

View attachment 34856
View attachment 34857


BPO/HvK beat VPO/C. Kleiber in the LvB 5 race, 30:15 to 33:22. Carlos smoked the first movement, as did Herb, but fell back thereafter...particularly during the final movement. So, it's Gold again for Karajan.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Beautiful music played with the greatest sensitivity.


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 1 in C Major; No. 5 in D Major, 'The Lark' (Quatuor Festetics).
> 
> View attachment 34827
> 
> *
> I think the best way to enjoy Haydn quartets is to be acquainted with a variety of interpreters. *The Quatuor Festetics have a very full sound for a period ensemble and have a balanced approach to Haydn. It works very well for Op. 64, imo.


Me, too. I could go into why I think that...but it's been a long day of couch-potatoing, and now I'm Cabernet Sauvignoning. :tiphat:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

KenOC said:


> Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2, Kopatchinskaja and Eotvos. This is an incredible performance, maybe the best out there. And fine sound. Who says you can't have it all? Well, I don't have a small picture...


Kopatchinskaja's recording of Beethoven's violin concerto was stunning... deservedly earning stellar reviews from Gramophone... and others. This disc has been equally lauded, and I will certainly get around to picking it up... in spite of... or because of the less-familiar works included.


----------



## agoukass

Some revelatory recordings of Brahms and Sibelius by Glenn Gould today.


----------



## dgee

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Kopatchinskaja's recording of Beethoven's violin concerto was stunning... deservedly earning stellar reviews from Gramophone... and others. This disc has been equally lauded, and I will certainly get around to picking it up... in spite of... or because of the less-familiar works included.


That disc sounds great and the playing is electric - the pick for me was the Eotvos!


----------



## Itullian

Jerome said:


> Discovering what all the fuss is about. Got this on loan. Listened to No. 2 earlier and running through No. 6 now.
> 
> View attachment 34851
> 
> Sibelius, Complete Symphonies
> Paavo Berglund, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> Late Post Script: Wow! Listening to No. 7 now, then I will get to No. 5. This is truly amazing.


Great set......................


----------



## Sid James

*David Del Tredici *_Gotham Glory - Four Scenes of New York City_
- Marc Peloquin, piano

Starting with Del Tredici's homage to New York, its an overall nostalgic piece, ending with a massive set of variations on the Skater's Waltz. One of the movements memorialises the Twin Towers, destroyed in the terrorist attacks in 2001.

*
Herrmann*_ Psycho - A Narrative for Orch._
- London PO under the composer

Another listen to the Psycho score, and I'm hearing a bit of melody in it now - well, sort of, highly fragmented melody - but I just think that Herrmann was such a master of conveying atmospheres and psychological states in his music (mostly of turmoil and a kind of disintegration).

*
Carl Vine *_String Quartet #3_
- Tall Poppies Quartet

Over to Vine, the outer movements here are rhythmic and dancy, the innermost one has this luscious cello solo, it makes me think of being in a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

*
Bruno Mantovani *_Cello Concerto_
- Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello with Saarbrucken Radio SO under Gunther Herbig

Fist listen to this piece, and the texture music and sound masses of Varese and Penderecki come to mind here. Mantovani used the same instrumentation as Schumann in his concerto, but like Schumann he gets a lot out of a smaller sized orchestra (minus trombones and percussion). The disc also has concertos by Gilbert Amy and Phillipe Schoeller, which I well get to soon.


----------



## Itullian

Pickin and choosin from this set.


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel wind sonatas - ASMF Chamber Ensemble


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 5


----------



## Dustin

Handel Op 6 Concerti Grossi


----------



## senza sordino

*Ligeti Violin Concerto* Patricia Kopatchinskaya with Peter Eotvos and Ensemble Modern. See what an influence you can be?


----------



## Kevin Pearson

KenOC said:


> Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2, Kopatchinskaja and Eotvos. This is an incredible performance, maybe the best out there. And fine sound. Who says you can't have it all? Well, I don't have a small picture...


I have to agree with your assessment Ken. The Bartok is one of the best, if not THE best performances recorded. I love Patricia Kopatchinskaj's style and one of the best performers of modern classical violin in the world. I also have to give a big kudos to the engineering on this album as the sound quality is exceptional with full and deep acoustics and fine clarity of the orchestra overall.

Kevin


----------



## KenOC

Oldie but goodie time. Menuhin and Furtwanger in Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Your granddaddy's Beethoven, and no the worse for it!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 5 in F Major (Mariss Jansons; Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## dgee

Stravinsky favourites!

Symphonies of Wind Instruments - Boulez/Berlin
Symphony in 3 Movements - Gielen/SWR Orchestra

Such versatility and always with his unique voice


----------



## MagneticGhost

I listened to a little bit of early music for my early dog walk at the beginning of the day.









Over the last few days, I've been comparing and contrasting the Mozart Piano Sonatas of Uchida and Barenboim.
I have to say I much prefer Barenboim, which I think is the wrong answer, but there you go.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc four

Songs And Dances From Flanders - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Guest

Last night I went to a concert featuring *Max RAABE* & his *Palast Orchester* entitled _Une nuit à Berlin_.
I wasn't familiar with Herr Raabe but my significant other took off the chains and let me out of the attic to take me along.
Well, it was knock-out stuff! This fellow Raabe sings popular/cabaret songs from the Weimar period (Berlin 20s & 30s) with the sort of orchestral backing you'd expect from that era (trumpets, trombone, various sax, clarinets, drums and other assorted percussion, double bass and violin, guitar, banjo and piano). Of course there were several numbers by Kurt Weill plus a bunch of other composers that I'd never heard of (Austin Egen, Walter Jurmann, Fritz Rotter [_sic_], etc.).
Here's a link to YouTube to give you a flavour of Raabe's style.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligeti's String Quartets Nos 1 and 2 - Parker Quartet


----------



## Itullian

5 and 8.


----------



## Conor71

*Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 22*

Enjoying PIT's second quartet - later I will listen to the Souvenir De Florence from the same set:
This Quartet appear to have recorded Tchaikovsky's Quartets on several occasions - kind of confusing. I wouldnt have a clue which is "the" set to have - this one is certainly very good :


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Debussy's Cello Sonata, played marvelouslly by Rostropovich and Britten.










Following with the sonata for Flute, Viola & Harp


----------



## Guest

Julianoq, that Britten & Rostro pairing on the Schubert Arpeggione sonata is magic !!


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Tapiola, Symphony No. 7 (Berglund). Tapiola features Bornemouth SO while the Seventh features Helsinki PO. I already know Berglund's rendition of the Seventh with Chamber Orchestra of Europe, which is exquisite, so I expect this to be at least as good!










Best regards, Dr


----------



## realdealblues

Conor71 said:


> *Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 22*
> 
> Enjoying PIT's second quartet - later I will listen to the Souvenir De Florence from the same set:
> This Quartet appear to have recorded Tchaikovsky's Quartets on several occasions - kind of confusing. I wouldnt have a clue which is "the" set to have - this one is certainly very good :


I have that same set. It's one of those cases where I am completely happy with it and have never had any interest in looking for anything else. That said, I did listen to some of the other recordings the Borodin Quartet made when I was deciding which set to get and still feel that this set is the one to get.


----------



## MrTortoise

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra.*
> 
> I like the energy Solti pulls out of this.
> 
> View attachment 34852


As do I! I listened to three recordings of the "Concerto for Orchestra" the other day, Ozawa, Solti, and Boulez, and of the three Solti's sense of phrasing and rhythm was most absorbing, as if they were naturally felt, a part of his nervous system. Boulez may have understood the piece as well as Solti, but Solti played the music with an intimate delight.


----------



## MrTortoise

Vaneyes said:


> Earlier today while TC was down, and as I was viewing Sochi 2014.
> 
> View attachment 34856
> View attachment 34857
> 
> 
> BPO/HvK beat VPO/C. Kleiber in the LvB 5 race, 30:15 to 33:22. Carlos smoked the first movement, as did Herb, but fell back thereafter...particularly during the final movement. So, it's Gold again for Karajan.


I have a feeling one of the judges was paid off!


----------



## MrTortoise

Scriabin: Impromptus and Poems, Maria Lettberg, piano

Almost done with my first listening of Lettberg's complete survey of Scriabin's solo piano music. The highlights for me on this disc were the "Poeme Tragique", Op. 34, "Poeme Satanique", Op. 36, and "Vers La Flamme", Op. 72.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange- Carlos Klieber Beethoven Six and Seven with the Bayreuth State Orchestra

Thanks for remembering these to everyone. This is definitely something I need to get.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Beautiful music played with the greatest sensitivity. [/QUOTE]

Uncommon charm given the freest function-- lovely; I know! I know! To Amazon I go!

Thanks._ _


----------



## adrianna

Parsifal by Richard Wagner wtih the best cast I have ever heard. The men are so perfectly matched in best form and Irene Dalis is a Kundry you need to hear, if you like this opera. 

Hans Knappertsbusch, conductor 
Wolfgang Windgassen, 
Irene Dalis, George London, 
Hans Hotter, Kurt Böhme 
Hans Knappertsbusch 
Bayreuther Festpiele 
1963
Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele 
1963


----------



## Orfeo

*Stalin's & Comrades' "Official" Seals of "Approvals"*

*Yuri Shaporin *
Opera "The Decembrists." in 4 acts.
-Ivanov, Pirogov, Petrov, Selivanov, Neleep, et al. 
-The Bolshoi Opera Orchestra & Chorus/Alexander Melik Pashayev.

*Nikolay Myaskovsky*
Symphonies nos. XII & XX.
-Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov.

*Dmitri Kabalevsky*
Symphonies nos. I, II, & IV.
-NDR RadioPhilharmonie/ Eiji Oue.

*Lev Knipper*
Symphony no. IV "Poem of the Komsomol Fighter."
-The Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Russian Academic Chamber Chorus/Veronika Dudarova.

*Reinhold Gliere*
Suite from ballet "The Red Poppy."
-Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra/Yuri Fayer.


----------



## Vasks

_Marvels of Marais_

*Marais - Selections from "Suitte d'un gout etranger" (Coin & Rousset/Decca)*

[video]http://www.arkivmusic.com/graphics/covers/full/31/317094.JPG[/video]


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently, I am in a choral mood. Presently, it is Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.















*Otto Klemperer*'s recording with the New Philharmonia is a classic recording. This was my introduction so it has imprinted on me. I can't really criticise the tempos here which is hardly surprising given my enjoyment of Celibidache's Bruckner. The soloists are fantastic as one would expect. I love the weight of this recording, the full sound and the excellent recording.

*Herreweghe*'s recording on the other hand, being HIP as I understand it took some time to grow on me. The Orchestre des Elysees however performs superbly here and the soloists are excellent. I was looking at John Elliot Gardiner's recent release on Amazon not too long ago but the more I hear of Herreweghe's interpretation the more I know I have the right balance of approaches between Klemperer and Herreweghe for me.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 34893


Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague"
Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## Blancrocher

I just enjoyed a collection of works by Vittorio Rieti, who I believe I discovered in a thread about modern works featuring the harpsichord. Not sure how memorable this music will turn out to be, but I'll listen to it again.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Longy-Artists-Ensemble/Ensemble/90885-4

At some point I'll check out one or two of Tom Service's recommended recordings of Beethoven's 8th.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2014/feb/11/symphony-guide-beethoven-eighth


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Arabella*









Strauss plus Hofmannsthal plus della Casa?-- 'heaven.'


----------



## rrudolph

Josquin: Motets








Ockeghem: Requiem/Josquin: Missa L'homme Arme








Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsories


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Karajan EMI Othello*









That opening_ CHORUS_! Those horn flourishes! That "Into the breach!" feeling! Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I love it. Time to wake up!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Karajan EMI Othello*









That opening_ CHORUS_! Those horn flourishes! That "Into the breach!" _feeling_! Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I love it. Time to wake up!


----------



## millionrainbows

Arnold Schoenberg: Three Song Cycles. Phlis Bryn-Julson, soprano; Ursula Oppens, piano (Music & Arts 1991). Cabaret Songs; Songs, Op. 2; Book of the Hanging Gardens.

The Hanging Gardens...that must be that zen-like perfected state of nirvana that you don't remember being there until you've left...lungs burning deliciously after riding bicycle at 11 years old, twilight, t-shirt, summer, sweaty, ready for more...ducks in a row, love, walking down the road, spirit is living, honk of congratulation.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, "Romantic" (1874 original version)
Bayerisches Staatsorchester, cond. Nagano









I like the additional development in this version and the richer texture in places, but it does lack some of the better features of the revision.


----------



## Kivimees

It's always nice to be home again.


----------



## julianoq

Schumann's Fantasie in C Major, played by Pollini.


----------



## Art Rock

because sometimes you just want to listen to the old favourites again.......


----------



## millionrainbows

Arnold Schoenberg: The Solo Piano Music; Piano Concerto; Maurizio Pollini, piano (DG).

The Three Piano Pieces Op. 11. These are "free atonal" pieces, not 12-tone, but totally chromatic, so we still have to consider them to be tonal, however tenuous that sense may be. How is this possible? One answer is because 12 is divisible by 1 and 7 and 5. When projected, these numbers yield all 12 chromatic notes. Root movement by fourths and fifths is connected to chromatic root movement, by 1's. Have faith in the numbers, it works out, there will be a connection. Tritones, for one: V-I becomes a chromatic descent when tritone substitution enters the picture. That's just one way, one possibility, one ambiguity.

The first movement, Masig, has that late-romantic descending spiral of root-movement, using augmented and half-diminished sounds. Yes, it's possible to make sense of it tonally. The second movement is easier, almost monotonal, with its persistent minor third ostinato figure in the bass. A "tonal security blanket," GG called it in his liner notes for Columbia (my imprint edition, found under the counters in Big Springs, much to the brother's surprise). Soundtrack-like; how many chords of different qualities can you put over a bass and have a tonal connection? Twelve, at least. The last movement, jarring, a statement of gesture more than pitch or tonality. Is this tonal? I suppose. I can make it mean something tonally in my own head; whether I am "correct" or not, I'll never know. But music is art, not science.


----------



## Kivimees

julianoq said:


> Schumann's Fantasie in C Major, played by Pollini.


Does the CD give information on the cover art work?


----------



## millionrainbows

Kivimees said:


> Does the CD give information on the cover art work?


If not, consult Joe Walsh: The Confessor.


----------



## julianoq

Kivimees said:


> Does the CD give information on the cover art work?


No idea, I listened to it on streaming. If you discover the author please tell us, the art work is indeed awesome!


----------



## millionrainbows

Stravinsky: *Agon.* Hans Rosbaud, dir; Pierre Boulez: Le Domaine Musical, Vol. 2, CD 1 (Universal/Accord France, 1958 stereo). I thought this was supposed to be 12-tone. It sounds just like Stravinsky. It must be only partially 12-tone, and the idiosyncratic orchestration and phrasing fooled me.


----------



## millionrainbows

julianoq said:


> No idea, I listened to it on streaming. If you discover the author please tell us, the art work is indeed awesome!


If you have that Joe Walsh CD, it tells on the inside.


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

My January purchases have yet to all arrive, but my one (so far) February purchase arrived yesterday.









The recent thread on the underdog Scriabin has rekindled my interest in his music. Admittedly, I was only familiar with the _Piano Concerto_ (on disc 2, playing soon) and the _Piano Sonatas_, so this music is almost entirely new to me. I am treating this set as 3 separate albums that I will listen to over the course of this week.

On disc 1, I have heard _Symphony 1_, which, after one listening, sounds somewhat like the pleasant romantic music from CPO. The final movement is a song duet, but I haven't been able to comprehend the language or text. I think it could be in French? I'll have to give it some more attention next time around the carousel. The other piece on disc 1 is a late work, _Prometheus_, which contrasts starkly with the early one. It sounds like it would fit in with the French impressionists Ravel and Debussy.

The image on the cover looks like the November 11th 'Remembrance Day' pins worn to commemorate war veterans and it is entirely inappropriate for this lushly romantic music that celebrates the earthly life and the metaphysical realm.


----------



## Blancrocher

Kivimees said:


> Does the CD give information on the cover art work?


It's a painting by the German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. Incidentally, imagining him continuing to paint after losing most of the strength and mobility in his right hand is like thinking of Beethoven continuing to compose as he went deaf.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich

*p.s.* Current listening:

Roy Harris's 6th Symphony, cond. Marin Alsop.


----------



## millionrainbows

Stravinsky:* Concertino pour douze instruments.* Pierre Boulez, dir. from Le Domaine Musical box vol. 2. Delightfully dry, clear, stereo recording from 1962.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kivimees said:


> Does the CD give information on the cover art work?


It's Caspar David Friedrich's _Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer_ ("Wanderer Above the Mists").

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog

It kind of looks like Nietzsche from the back, huh?


----------



## Bas

Gabriel Fauré - Piano Quartet no. 1 in Cm & Piano Quartet no. 2 in Gm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion









Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BWV 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 75 Die Elenden sollen essen
By Midori Suzuki [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter], Gerd Türk [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, on BIS









Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 24 Ein ungefärbt Gemütte, BWV 76 Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 167 Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe
By Midori Suzuki [soprano], Robin Blaze [counter], Gerd Türk [tenor], Chiyuki Urano [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Sonatas BWV 525-530
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec


----------



## millionrainbows

Joe Walsh........


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Kempe's Heldenleben*









Kempe's treatment of the opening horn flourishes in "A Hero's Deeds in Battle"?-- to express my opinion in lapidary form?: 'definitive.' Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> Stravinsky: *Agon.* I thought this was supposed to be 12-tone. It sounds just like Stravinsky. It must be only partially 12-tone


Only some of the dance movements are 12-tone. To quote my Leinsdorf LP notes by Gunther Schuller: _"One encounters in Agon neoclassic tonality....extended chromaticism and modified serial procedures....and finally full-fledged serial techniques in the later Pas de deux and succeeding sections."_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Howells à la Handley*









Most entertaining first movement.


----------



## brotagonist

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 34913
> 
> 
> Most entertaining first movement.


You get the fruit cup!

Ha Ha Ha .....


----------



## Mahlerian

Vasks said:


> Only some of the dance movements are 12-tone. To quote my Leinsdorf LP notes by Gunther Schuller: _"One encounters in Agon neoclassic tonality....extended chromaticism and modified serial procedures....and finally full-fledged serial techniques in the later Pas de deux and succeeding sections."_


Agon more or less makes Stravinsky's steps towards using serial procedures audible to the audience. Canticum Sacrum is also a mixture of serial and non-serial styles. Threni was the first Stravinsky work to be based entirely on a single 12-tone row.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Zvezdoliki (Craft), Symphony of Wind Instruments (de Waart).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Callas in Dallas*









I just got that famous '58 Callas Dallas_ Medea _last night. I'm sure there's more than a few people out there who know it backwards and forwards-- as I previously mentioned to Itullian--but it's new to me.

Un-_REAL_!!! _SO _EXCITING!! I absolutely love it: Callas has the voice and the drama in spades; Vickers is equally relentless; young Teresa Berganza's fantastic; the Orchestra and Choir of the Civic Opera Company of Dallas- yes, who would have thought?- is completely focused and ferocious. . . _E che? Io son Medea _("And that? I am Medea?)-- a valedictory jewel in the crown of Callas; absolutely thrilling.

In this performance I can just_ FEEL _the electricity she generates. Flagrantly Expressionist, yet impeccably Bel Canto. . . _awesome_. Pamper youself. Exalt yourself. Get it. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## maestro267

*Maxwell Davies*: Worldes Blis
Royal PO/Maxwell Davies

*Gliere:* Symphony No. 3 in B minor (Il'ya Muromets)
Czecho-Slovak RSO/Johanos


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Damnation of Faust*









That cute chorus with Tanglewood at the start! Love it. . . It's not easy to practice abstention with the repeat button on this one.


----------



## jlaw

Beethoven: 12 Menuette, Contredanses, Deutsche Tänze
Neville Marriner - Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Menuette-Contredanses-Martin-Fields/dp/B0016FWZHY

Very "Classical"/delightful pieces.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Korngold's String Quartet No.2 - Flesch Quartet


----------



## Jeff W

Listened to Leonard Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic in Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' followed by 'Night on Bald Mountain'.









Next up was Rachmaninoff playing his 2nd & 3rd Piano Concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I love vintage recordings, especially when the composer himself was present!


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Apollo, Agon
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## jani

One of the greatest works by Wolfie.

Specially love the beginning, the dramatic pulse, then he adds some fuel to the fire, but not too much keeping it tasteful but yet dramatic.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 34926


Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
Riccardo Chailly/Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Roy Harris' 3rd SQ, performed by the Third Age New Music Ensemble.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth:, disc six

Matthaeus Pipelare - Paul Van Nevel, cond.

including a "L'homme Arme" mass I haven't heard before


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Chopin - Etudes - Idil Biret









Music this good needs few words spoken about it


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Quintet for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double bass in A Major, 'The Trout'; (Emil Gilels; Norbert Brainin; Peter Schidlof; Martin Lovett; Rainer Zepperitz).

String Quartet in D minor, 'Death and the Maiden' (Amadeus Quartet; Norbert Brainin; Siegmund Nissel; Peter Schidlof; Martin Lovett).


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Piano Concertos


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert: Moments Musicaux/Impromptus D.899 Nos. 2 & 3/Klavierstuck D.946 Nos. 1 & 3 Alan Rowlands

Alan Rowlands, mainly known for his pioneering recordings of the complete piano music of John Ireland on Lyrita, here plays Schubert, this on an old Saga LP that still sounds well. He gives some very strong performances, sensitive enough when the music calls for it, but not lacking in passion or excitement either. A very pleasing disc indeed.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane*









What's _Bacchus et Ariane _about? It's about to be played. Light. Delightful. _Amusant_.


----------



## DavidA

Schubert D 960 Brendel - last concert


----------



## Mahlerian

Hindemith: Symphony "Mathis der Maler"
Suisse Romande Orchestra, cond. Kletzki


----------



## jim prideaux

Kivimees said:


> Does the CD give information on the cover art work?


not sure if you mean this but the artist is a German romantic by the name of Caspar David Friedrich and this is arguably his most famous work....


----------



## jim prideaux

julianoq said:


> No idea, I listened to it on streaming. If you discover the author please tell us, the art work is indeed awesome!


probably need to apologise for being repetitive but it is Caspar David Friedrich


----------



## Bas

The Leiden Choirbooks - Codex A
By the Egidius Quartet on Et'Cetera









I don't very often go for medieval/renaissance music, but as soon as I have grabbed a disc (usually one out of these series, as I am quite a novice for the period, having only a couple of discs) that is pre baroque I always think: I should do this more often.


----------



## KenOC

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, Freire and Chailly. Big stuff.


----------



## Sid James

*David Del Tredici*
_Aeolian Ballade
Ballad in Lavender
Ballad in Yellow (after Garcia Lorca)
S/M Ballade_
- Marc Peloquin, piano

Finishing this disc of *Del Tredici's piano music *on the Naxos label. Overall the vibe is that of nostalgia, but not the sentimental yearning type, more the feeling of looking back on something and just savouring the memories for what they are. Godowsky's piano music comes to mind, but I'm not sure if he was an actual influence. Del Tredici started his career as a pianist, but its only in the last decade that he devoted more time to composing for his instrument. The centrepiece of the disc is his homage to New York, called _Gotham Glory_, but these ballads are quite substantial pieces in themselves. I quite like the mix of lyricism and vigorous counterpoint in these works.

*Gilbert Amy* _Cello Concerto_
- Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello with Orchestre de Paris under the composer

Continuing with this album of 21st century cello concertos. *Gilbert Amy's cello concerto* is scored for a Mozart sized orchestra with addition of piano, celesta, harp and percussion. Overall this concerto has less of the startling dynamic contrasts than Bruno Mantovani's one that I listened to yesterday. Amy's work is more understated, I'd even call it lyrical but it still has its more full on moments too.

The work is in seven movements, the cadenza acting as the pivot (fourth movement). The work is episodic in nature, Amy says in the notes that he aimed for a cinematic feel here, like the fade in and fade out of separate scenes in a movie. The sixth movement brings Japanese music to mind (the percussions very much like accompaniments to Noh drama, there is that ritualistic element too), and indeed the work was dedicated to the late Toru Takemitsu and premiered in Japan in 2000.

*Beethoven* _Symphony #3, "Eroica"_
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet

Another listen to *Beethoven's "Eroica"* as interpreted by Maestro Ansermet.

Regarding the debate on the exact meaning of this work on another thread, I found Maestro Toscanini's quote about the first movement that someone referred to, "Some say Napoleon, some say Hitler, some say Mussolini; for me it is Allegro con brio."

Well I suppose for me its ultimately great music, and all things considered my favourite symphony by Beethoven. In my early days I had Solti's recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. My favourite parts are the funeral march and the final movement, introducing and contrasting English and Hungarian sounding tunes, perhaps an allusion to how it was those two countries that where still fighting France as the symphony was being composed. Its as if Beethoven is keeping things open here, saying "that's not all folks, the war ain't over yet!"

He originally dedicated the piece to Napoleon but famously scratched out the dedication on the title page of the score. However, before that, Prince Lobkowitz had offered him a wad of cash for the dedication. Beethoven was quite shrewd in jettisoning the dedication to Napoleon after, and substituting Lobkowitz. Paris had been envisaged as the place for the premiere, no doubt in the first consul's presence, but as with the ninth symphony written for London, Vienna got the first airing of the Eroica.

I think that even though Beethoven's politics are perhaps secondary to the fact that he was ungovernable - he called Napoleon a tyrant when he crowned himself, but he also called Lobkowitz a few names in fruity language on occassions when his temper flared - the symphony stands as testament to how power can be corrupted and you can go from being a mighty ruler to how Napoleon ended up, locked up and insane. The parallels are there throughout history - just like Savonorola was killed by his own people, so to Mussolini, and so too more recently Gaddafi. History tends to repeat itself in these situations of crisis and abuse of power - alas!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

R. Strauss: Don Quixote/Don Juan Antonio Janigro/Milton Preves/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner

This must be one of the finest recordings ever made of Don Quixote. Reiner and the orchestra are superb in both scores, the characterisation is second to none. Verily, I am just sitting back and wallowing in it all.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphonies 8 & 9, w. LSO/LB (rec.1966), NYPO/LB (rec.1965).

View attachment 34939
View attachment 34940


----------



## KenOC

Schumann, Symphony No. 4 (1841 version), Gardiner and the OR&R. My favorite set of these.


----------



## agoukass

The piano music of master and pupil as performed by the pupil himself and a close disciple.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Concerto for Orchestra, w. ACO/Dorati (rec.1983).

View attachment 34943


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major, 'Emperor' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## Blancrocher

Hindemith:

Gould in the Piano Sonatas, Szell in the Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber, and Ormandy in the "Mathis der Maler" Symphony.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

agoukass said:


> View attachment 34941
> View attachment 34942
> 
> 
> The piano music of master and pupil as performed by the pupil himself and a close disciple.


_Et cela aussi:_


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Mahlerian

Via radio:
Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D667
Bronfman, Zuckerman, Marks, Forsyth, Quarrington


----------



## Guest

Itullian said:


> Great set......................


Yes. I would have to say it's by far the best Sibelius cycle of the three I have. I suddenly want to get to know every one of these Symphonies completely. I will spend the next several days doing so.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2.*

I'm following along reading Ralph Hill's The Concerto. This is an old book; back when it was written there was only one Bartok Violin Concerto.


----------



## KenOC

Just finished: Bruckner Symphony No. 5, Gunter Wand and the Kolner Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra. This set is almost free at 18 bucks new! Good, too.


----------



## Itullian

KenOC said:


> Just finished: Bruckner Symphony No. 5, Gunter Wand and the Kolner Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra. This set is almost free at 18 bucks new! Good, too.


Love it!!!...................


----------



## Morimur

*Lutosławski*

*A sublime recording...*









*Witold Lutosławski - (1998) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Wit)*


----------



## SimonNZ

Arnold Bax music for two pianos - Ashley Wass and Martin Roscoe, pianos


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Disc 2... I'm continuing to explore these French/Belgian chamber music gems performed exquisitely by Grumiaux.


----------



## BillT

Midori Bach Unaccompanied Sonata for Violin#2 -- the Adagio is breathtaking!

And the Bartok Sonata is (equally?) wonderful.

- Bill


----------



## neoshredder

In a mood for 20th Century Harpsichord Concertos. Listening to Martinu's Harpsichord Concerto. 
http://www.amazon.com/MARTINU-REVUE...d=1392175425&sr=1-8&keywords=martinu+la+revue


----------



## SimonNZ

Tippett's Corelli Fantasia - Neville Marriner, cond.


----------



## KenOC

neoshredder said:


> In a mood for 20th Century Harpsichord Concertos. Listening to Martinu's Harpsichord Concerto.
> http://www.amazon.com/MARTINU-REVUE...d=1392175425&sr=1-8&keywords=martinu+la+revue


An inspiration! Gotta queue up Poulenc's Concert Champetre and Falla's Harpsichord Concerto. Wonderful pieces.


----------



## Blancrocher

Stephen Cleobury and co in Rachmaninov's Vespers. It had been too long (or maybe just long enough) since I listened to this work--amazing melodies, overpowering music.


----------



## SergeOfArniVillage

I have been exploring the more obscure works of Beethoven, lately. His set of Diabelli variations is inspiring, perhaps the greatest theme w/ variations ever made. Also, his "Grose Fuge" for string quartet is easily one of Beethoven's most underrated gems. Absolutely heartbreaking and profound.


----------



## Itullian

Still my favorite. The remastering is fantastic.


----------



## SimonNZ

William Byrd's My Ladye Nevell's Booke, Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord

not all three discs - just some favorite selections


----------



## opus55

Massenet: Cendrillon


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> Massenet: Cendrillon


Great recording.
Von Stade is superb.
Gedda too.


----------



## clavichorder

Handel Concerto Grosso in F major, the second movement is just addicting:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Tchaikovsky's Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom - Mikola Hobdych, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

The Naiades Overture in D Major, Op 15 (1836) by Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 1816 -- 1 February 1875; an English composer & pianist.) Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite (YouTube)

It's tranquil & pleasant. Faint praise, yes, but I am not 'damning with faint praise' or teaching others to sneer. I'm enjoying it, surprised to discover an English minor composer who is 'not-bad', actually.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Steve Reich: Phases", disc four

Come Out 
Proverb - Theatre Of Voices
The Desert Music - Michael Tilson Thomas, cond

from various albums, including:


----------



## Kivimees

Here's something I found on my trip:









My favourite is Songs From the Milky Way by Svante Henryson (he's the hippy in the top middle picture).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ingélou said:


> The Naiades Overture in D Major, Op 15 (1836) by Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 1816 -- 1 February 1875; an English composer & pianist.) Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite (YouTube)
> 
> It's tranquil & pleasant. Faint praise, yes, but I am not 'damning with faint praise' or teaching others to sneer. I'm enjoying it, surprised to discover an English minor composer who is 'not-bad', actually.


Schumann thought very highly of Sterndale Bennett, praising his piano sonatas in his "New Journal for Music", so I'm sure he's well worth a listen!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

agoukass said:


> View attachment 34941
> View attachment 34942
> 
> 
> The piano music of master and pupil as performed by the pupil himself and a close disciple.


Vlado Perlemuter was a wonderful pianist, he had a most beautiful floating tone in the concert hall, and I count myself as fortunate to have heard him several times in the 1980s. His set of the Mozart Sonatas is not well known, but ought to be, some of the finest Mozart playing I know, and available on the Musical Concepts label (Amazon currently have it for £10.26, which is a bargain in extremis) re-mastered from the original Vox tapes, anyone who loves Mozart should investigate- at once!


----------



## Guest

My journey through this set has been a profound revelation for me. I have not touched the tone poems, only the symphonies. Have been through 5, 6 and 7 twice - 2 and 3 once. Today I will try to get to 1 and 4. I have heard 4 is somewhat of a dark exerience so I'm not sure what kind of mood I need to be in to appreciate it.








Sibelius, Symphonies
Paava Berglund, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Carnival Jest from Vienna-Finale/Arabeske
Grieg: Ariette Op.12 No.1/Feuille d'Album Op.28 No.3/Papillon Op.43 No.1/To the Spring Op.43 No.6/Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Op.65 No.6
Moszkowski: Waltz in E Op.34
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 Arthur de Greef

Beethoven: "Kreutzer" Sonata Isolde Menges/Arthur de Greef

Some recordings from my collection of 78s. De Greef was a Belgian pianist and a pupil of Liszt, he also enjoyed a warm friendship with Grieg, and made the first complete recording of the Grieg Piano Concerto (with Landon Ronald). As with so many of his generation (1862-1940 are his dates) he had a great ability to bring out inner voices, which often show the composition in a whole new light. The "Ariette" of Grieg is a good example of this. He can be fiery, and the finale of Schumann's "Carnival Jest" is played with immense brio (sadly this was all that he recorded of it, dating from the days of acoustic recordings when complete performances of long works were an exception rather than a rule). In the "Kreutzer" Sonata he is partnered by the English violinist Isolde Menges (1893-1976), she was a pupil of Carl Flesch and Leopold Auer and quite clearly a first rate violinist, who should have recorded more. She has a lovely tone, and her use of portamento is both discreet and delightful. That she didn't record more is, I suspect, down to the lack of appreciation that seems to have been prevalent at one time in this country (Britain) towards any artists who were actually from here, or, indeed, who chose to settle here. One has only to look at the neglect of such a fine artist as Leff Pouishnoff, or in his latter years, Benno Moiseiwitsch to see the truth of this. Thankfully those days are past- at least one hopes so!


----------



## DrKilroy

Jerome said:


> My journey through this set has been a profound revelation for me. I have not touched the tone poems, only the symphonies. Have been through 5, 6 and 7 twice - 2 and 3 once. Today I will try to get to 1 and 4. I have heard 4 is somewhat of a dark exerience so I'm not sure what kind of mood I need to be in to appreciate it.


Congratulations on your progress (and choice of recording!).  No. 4 is a rather depressing work (that is, one of my favourites ). The first movement is very dark and the second movement is a lighter, but still pessimistic intermezzo before the slow movement which will bereave you of any hope. My favourite is the finale - it is very light and optimistic, lined with glockenspiel sounds - you can get an impression that the symphony will end on a positive note. Alas! - you got mislead. Something gets broken at the the end of the movement and it ends with A minor chords.

I hope I didn't scare you. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Jerome said:


> My journey through this set has been a profound revelation for me. I have not touched the tone poems, only the symphonies. Have been through 5, 6 and 7 twice - 2 and 3 once. Today I will try to get to 1 and 4. I have heard 4 is somewhat of a dark exerience so I'm not sure what kind of mood I need to be in to appreciate it.
> 
> View attachment 34966
> 
> Sibelius, Symphonies
> Paava Berglund, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra


I am glad that it is being a revelation for you. Take the No.4 with caution, it is indeed a very dark work. I listen to Sibelius almost every day and even if I love the 4 it is the one that I listen less, I have to be in a very specific (and good) mood or it can drag me down a little. That said, it is an amazing work.

The No.1 is very romantic and acessible. It is my least favorite symphony, but I still like it.


----------



## julianoq

Now playing Mahler's 4th Symphony, conducted by Fischer and played by the BFO. For some reason I haven't listened to this symphony for more than 8 months, but I remember that I loved Miah Persson singing.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Andante and Variations Op.46
Saint-Saens: Variations on a theme of Beethoven Op.35 
Arensky: Valse from Suite Op.15 Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson

The most famous classical two-piano team of their day in some excellent music from this new 2-CD set from APR, well transferred too. The Saint-Saens is particularly fine, based on the trio of the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.18, he works wonders with what may not seem like an ideal theme for variations.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor, 'Fifths' (Buchberger Quartet).









String Quartet Op. 64 No. 6 in E-flat Major (Quatuor Festetics).


----------



## DeepR

An early piece by Scriabin: Romance for Horn and Piano


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 25 Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe, BWV 138 Warum betrübst du dich mein Herz?, BWV 105 Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht, BWV 46 Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei

By Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guillon [alto], Thomas Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [basso], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ









Johann Sebastian Bach - Sei Solo Sonatas & Partitas for unaccompanied Violin BWV 1001-1006
By Christine Busch [violin], on φ


----------



## Vasks

_Leave It To Lieberson_

*Peter Lieberson - Selections from the album "Raising the Gaze" (ASKO & Knussen/DG)*


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Octuor (Stravinsky).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Orfeo

*Samuel Coleridge Taylor*
Symphonic Variations on an African Air.
-The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Grant Llewellyn.

*Sir Charles Villiers Stanford*
Symphony no. III "Irish."
-The Ulster Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*Sir Charles Hubert H Parry*
Symphonies nos. II & V.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Matthias Bamert.

*Sir William Walton*
Symphony no. I.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson.

*George Butterworth*
Two English Idylls.
-The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Grant Llewellyn.

*Hamish MacCunn*
The Land of the Mountain & the Flood.
-The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Grant Llewellyn.


----------



## jim prideaux

Martinu-Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani
Concerto for string quartet and orchestra
Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, bassoon, violin. cello and orchestra

City of London Sinfonia conducted by Hickox 

n.b.-have just finished reading Frederic Morton's 'A Nervous Splendour' which is concerned with events in Vienna 1888-9-it is admittedly quite an old book having been written in the 1970's but it features really interesting portrayals of Brahms,Bruckner and their rivalry. Indirectly concerns itself also with Mahler and the period of his career spent in Budapest.


----------



## jlaw

Vivaldi: Concerti e Sinfonie per Archi
Venice Baroque Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Daniel Harding conducting Peter Donohoe and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble in Kevin Volans' Concerto for Piano and Winds.


----------



## rrudolph

Berg: Kammerkonzert/Stravinsky: Dumbarton Oaks/8 Instrumental Miniatures/Ebony Concerto








Berg: Violin Concerto/Bartok: Violin Concerto #1, Op. Posth.








Schoenberg: Serenade Op. 24/Variations for Orchestra Op. 31


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Piano Works, w. Weissenberg (rec.1985), Bavouzet (Vol. 3, rec.2008).

View attachment 34982
View attachment 34983


----------



## millionrainbows

Vasks said:


> Only some of the dance movements are 12-tone. To quote my Leinsdorf LP notes by Gunther Schuller: _"One encounters in Agon neoclassic tonality....extended chromaticism and modified serial procedures....and finally full-fledged serial techniques in the later Pas de deux and succeeding sections."_


Wow: and to think I figured that out by listening only, with no liner notes! thanks for the confirmation, V.


----------



## millionrainbows

*The Music of Arnold Schoenberg Vol. 4:Songs, op. 1 and 2, Book of the hanging Gardens, Complete Solo Piano Music; Glenn Gould (Sony 2-CD). *I like the version I reviewed earlier, on *Music & Arts,* with *Oppens/Bryn-Julson.* I love* GG's *playing, but I don't like the soprano here as much *(Ellen Faull). *Also, the *Vier Lieder op. 2 *is sung by a male here, which I prefer less.

The appearance of this set, along with *The Music of Arnold Schoenberg Vol. VII (Sony 2-CD), *was rather anti-climatic for me; I thought that the whole Schoenberg series, originally released on Columbia vinyl, was going to follow; it didn't. Apparently, these are the volumes which did _NOT_ feature *Robert Craft *as conductor, so it must be *Robert Craft *who's keeping the rest from being released. Too bad, because the recording, production, and interpretation of the *Columbia* boxes far surpasses the *KOCH/Craft *releases of the 90s.

*Book of the Hanging Gardens *was written in the same period as the *Second String Quartet,* and this is an interesting period, harmonically speaking.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Byrd: The Tenth Pavian and Galliard "Mr. W. Peter"
Sweelinck: Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End"
Froberger: Toccata No.2
Pachelbel: Ciacona
J.S. Bach: Prelude and fugue in A Minor Ralph Kirkpatrick

The first side of a 1955 HMV LP of the doyen of American harpsichordists. Absolutely glorious playing of some very fine music. I love it, a good charity shop find this.


----------



## julianoq

And since I am in a good mood today, listening to Sibelius 4th conducted by Maazel and played by the VPO. As Sibelius said about this symphony, "Det är synd om människorna" (One feels pity for human beings). :tiphat:


----------



## millionrainbows

*The Music of Arnold Schoenberg Vol. 4: disc 2, the complete solo piano music; Glenn Gould (Sony 2-CD).

Huh!* I'm just now realizing that I like *Maurizio Pollini's *Schoenberg better than *GG's!* GG just seems to fall short when it comes to Romanticism. The clarity, again, is breathtaking with GG, but he just doesn't quite get the "mood" like Pollini does. Gould is introspective without emotion; Pollini has both. This is a subtle difference; Pollini is not overtly dramatic or gesturally exaggerated; he just seems to have penetrated_ artistically _and_ intuitively _into Schoenberg.


----------



## DrKilroy

ShropshireMoose said:


> Sweelinck: Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End"


That's a great piece! Sweelinck's keyboard works are very enjoyable.



julianoq said:


> And since I am in a good mood today, listening to Sibelius 4th conducted by Maazel and played by the VPO.


My favourite interpretation of this symphony! Enjoy. :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## jlaw

Bach: French Overture, Italian Concerto, etc

Angela Hewitt


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Janowitz-Fischer-Dieskau Capriccio*









The skill and the craftsmanship of Strauss' chamber writing; the lyric flow, the aristocratic restraint, and the gorgeous timbres of Fischer-Dieskau and Janowitz as the Count and Countess--- I'm just _drowning _in crushed velvet right now.

That number from Act I, Scene ii-- _Der Strom der Töne trug mich fort_-- I have on repeat at the moment. I love Strauss' cute satirizing of Couperin and of Rameau at the start of the piece; and I _adore_the exchanges between the Count and Countess at the end of it:

COUNT:
Cheerfully losing,
cheerfully winning
life's greatest treasure-
highest reward.

COUNTESS: 
Carefully winning,
lovingly holding
life's highest treasure- 
greatest reward

COUNT:
Gaily deciding. . . 
Lightly possessing. . .
Present happiness. . .
The experience with living!

COUNTESS:
Gladly perceiving. . .
Joyfully finding. . . 
Wondrous happiness-- 
the joy of living!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 34999


Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Richard Wagner, Der fliegende Holländer - Overture; 'Mit Gewitter und Sturm' (Lied des Steuermanns) (Franz Konwitschny; Fritz Wunderlich; Staatskapelle Berlin).

'Johohoe! - Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an' (Ballade der Senta) (Heinz Fricke; Els Bolkestein; Staatskapelle Berlin).

'Steuermann, laß die Wacht' (Szene und Chor) (Franz Konwitschny; Fritz Wunderlich; Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin; Staatskapelle Berlin).

Lohrengrin - Overture to Act I (Otmar Suitner; Staatskapelle Berlin).


----------



## julianoq

Mozart's Symphony no.41 conducted by Mackerras with the SCO. This record is superb!


----------



## Itullian

marschallin blair said:


> View attachment 34992
> 
> 
> the skill and the craftsmanship of strauss' chamber writing; the lyric flow, the aristocratic restraint, and the gorgeous timbres of fischer-dieskau and janowitz as the count and countess--- i'm just _drowning _in crushed velvet right now.
> 
> That number from act i, scene ii-- _der strom der töne trug mich fort_-- i have on repeat at the moment. I love strauss' cute satirizing of couperin and of rameau at the start of the piece; and i _adore_the exchanges between the count and countess at the end of it:
> 
> Count:
> Cheerfully losing,
> cheerfully winning
> life's greatest treasure-
> highest reward.
> 
> Countess:
> Carefully winning,
> lovingly holding
> life's highest treasure-
> greatest reward
> 
> count:
> Gaily deciding. . .
> Lightly possessing. . .
> Present happiness. . .
> The experience with living!
> 
> Countess:
> Gladly perceiving. . .
> Joyfully finding. . .
> Wondrous happiness--
> the joy of living!


yessssssssss...........


----------



## rrudolph

Xenakis: Atrees/Morsima-Amorsima/Nomos Alpha/Herma/ ST/4 /Polla Ta Dhina/ ST/10-1080262/Akrata/Achorripsis


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concertos.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Christopher Pepusch cantatas - Bergen Barokk


----------



## DrKilroy

Some Stravinsky:

Violin Concerto (Grumiaux/Bour)
Symphony in C (Solti)



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blancrocher

Lou Harrison's Third Symphony, with Dennis Russell Davies and the Cabrillo Music Festival Orchestra.


----------



## Guest

I'm not a huge fan of Schumann's music, but when I heard this version of the Piano Concerto on the radio, I just had to have it! It's amazing how a performance can affect one's perception of a composer. Anyway, the Grimaud/Salonen/Dresden combo results in a magical and powerful performance. The solo and chamber pieces are magnificent, too. Very good sound for a standard CD.


----------



## SimonNZ

Franz Schmidt's Piano Quintet No.2 - Rainer Keuschnig, piano, et al


----------



## Sid James

*Delius*
_Paris - Song of a Great City
In a Summer Garden
Summer Night on the River
The Walk to the Paradise Garden (from 'A Village Romeo and Juliet')
A Song of Summer_
- London SO under Anthony Collins

*Delius *has been one of the harder composers for me to appreciate but I feel I'm getting there. During 2012, the 150th anniversary of his birth, I caught some of his music live and also read an article in BBC Music Magazine, where the head of the Delius Society did concede that this composer can be an acquired taste, and I also read how in his time he was considered by many (particularly in the UK) to be a radical (especially in terms of the lack of rhythmic contrasts in his music).

A kind of sameness has been my issue, but now I can hear differences between some of these. *Paris* is quite an interesting piece, his first major work, and he incorporates into it a comparative lightheartedness. Now I also think that The *Walk to the Paradise Garden *is an amazing piece, full of subtlety of emotion and orchestral colours. Beecham called it something like the greatest heartbreak expressed in music. The *Summer pieces *here do give out this balmy and warm feel, a heady mix of influences from Debussy and Wagner.










*Rodrigo* _Concierto de Aranjuez_ & _Concerto-Serenade for harp and orchestra_
*Castelnuovo-Tedesco* _Guitar Concerto #1_
- Siegfried Behrend, guitar & Nicanor Zabaleta, harp; Berlin PO under Reinhard Peters

*Rodrigo's* guitar concerto "Aranjuez" and *Castelnuovo-Tedesco's *first concerto, both from the 1930's, where I think the first works in the genre in the 20th century. They where certainly the first to gain acceptance by guitarists and listeners alike, and in terms of the "Aranjeuz" musicians outside classical have recorded it, most famously Miles Davis.

What draws me to *Rodrigo's* concertos are the middle movements, not only the atmospheric aspects they bring (of the night, I see these as nocturnes basically, the darkness to the light of the outer movements), but also his use of these melodies reminiscent of melismas no doubt coming from Moorish influences.

I was listening to Beethoven's second symphony a while back, and *Castelnuovo-Tedesco's *concerto was composed in similar tragic circumstances, yet it is a work radiating light and beauty. At the time, the composer was targeted by Mussolini regime, because he was one of Italy's most famous composers and he was Jewish. Castelnuovo-Tedesco had to leave his country, he ended up in the USA. The work is his biggest hit and was admired by Segovia for its perfect balance between the orchestra and soloist. I like the whole thing, especially the folk inspired middle slow movement.










*Gilbert Amy *_Cello Concerto_
- Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello with Orchestre de Paris under the composer

Back for another listen to this, which really grabbed me. I got more of an inkling here of structure - the arch form, with the second and sixth movements having percussion sounds reminiscent of Japanese music, so there is this mirror or palindrome effect (there are seven movements here in total, but the work runs without pause). This is overall a subtle work, the orchestration can be compared to Castelnuovo-Tedesco's, there is that same balance and in no way is the soloist drowned out. I could also hear dialogues of sorts happening between the instruments. *Amy's* work, although clearly displaying techniques of our time, comes across as quite accessible.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Gubaidulina's Bassoon Concerto.
http://www.amazon.com/Duo-Sonata-Qu...92255910&sr=1-5&keywords=gubaidulina+concerto


----------



## Blancrocher

Tuomas Ollila conducting Christian Poltera and the Malmo SO in Frank Martin's Cello Concerto.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

SimonNZ said:


> Franz Schmidt's Piano Quintet No.2 - Rainer Keuschnig, piano, et al


. . . and hardly anyone _KNOWS _about this!!!! (Well, none of my friends do.) Delightful. I've got to play it. Thanks for remembering this to everyone.


----------



## KenOC

Stravinsky's Violin Concerto. Amazing, a must-hear! The cover has the names you need to know. Ms. K does it again.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sid James
Delius
Paris - Song of a Great City
In a Summer Garden
Summer Night on the River
The Walk to the Paradise Garden (from 'A Village Romeo and Juliet')
A Song of Summer
- London SO under Anthony Collins

A kind of sameness has been my issue, but now I can hear differences between some of these. Paris is quite an interesting piece, his first major work, and he incorporates into it a comparative lightheartedness. Now I also think that The Walk to the Paradise Garden is an amazing piece, full of subtlety of emotion and orchestral colours. Beecham called it something like the greatest heartbreak expressed in music. The Summer pieces here do give out this balmy and warm feel, a heady mix of influences from Debussy and Wagner.


I was particularly taken amiss being reminded of the existence of the Anthony Collins Decca/Delius CD-- and which I've still to this day not heard; I'll have to remedy that. I'm sure it has its lovely moments. I'm getting it. Thanks.


----------



## SimonNZ

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . and hardly anyone _KNOWS _about this!!!! (Well, none of my friends do.) Delightful. I've got to play it. Thanks for remembering this to everyone.


Thanks, but keep in mind that a post isn't necessarily a recommendation, just "current listening" (though on this occasion I'm happy to recommend).


----------



## bejart

Jean Frederic Edelmann (1749-1794): Piano Sonata in G Minor, Op.6, No.1

Sylvie Pecot Douatte, piano


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.34 in C Major, K.338; Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {""Haffner"}; Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"}; Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"} and Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543. *All five works feature the Prague Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.1 and 2, * both featuring the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Richter from the late fifties doing Lizst's Sonata in B Minor and some of the Transcendental Etudes.


----------



## Itullian

Love Gendron's touch and tone.


----------



## opus55

Richard Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica


----------



## Dustin

Sibelius Violin Concerto.

I haven't listened to the other half of the CD yet with the Schoenberg. I know basically no Schoenberg and quite frankly I'm in no rush to get to know him. I'm sure one day I'll get around to it but I'm not convinced about this atonal stuff quite yet.


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> Richard Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica


I have that box and it's very good. I listen to it often. Excellent, draw you in, sound.


----------



## Blancrocher

Schnabel playing Beethoven's 24th (maybe my favorite performance of this one) and 27th--and likely more to come. I'm dying, but loving it!

*edit* OK, 31 now--somebody call a doctor.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Vangelis: Mythodea*









14:55+-- Jesse Norman and Kathleen Battle transport you directly to Olympus:






Awesome soprano. Awesome mezzo. Awesome chorus. . . _Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. _


----------



## Guest

Dustin said:


> Sibelius Violin Concerto.
> 
> I haven't listened to the other half of the CD yet with the Schoenberg. I know basically no Schoenberg and quite frankly I'm in no rush to get to know him. I'm sure one day I'll get around to it but I'm not convinced about this atonal stuff quite yet.
> 
> View attachment 35021


She makes a persuasive case for it. Now, you probably won't go around humming it, but please give it a few listens--it doesn't give up its secrets right away, but it does have its own sense of beauty.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Steve Reich: Phases", disc five (of five)

Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ
Drumming


----------



## KenOC

The Beatles, "While my Guitar Gently Weeps." As of today, I officially include this in the classical canon.


----------



## Dustin

Kontrapunctus said:


> She makes a persuasive case for it. Now, you probably won't go around humming it, but please give it a few listens--it doesn't give up its secrets right away, but it does have its own sense of beauty.


Ok thanks for the encouragement. I'll give it a couple listens soon!


----------



## SimonNZ

Gorecki's String Quartets Nos 1 and 2 - Kronos Quartet

Haven't heard these since they came out in '93 immediately after the big crossover success of the Dawn Upshaw recording of the Third Symphony. At the time this album seemed to stop the Gorecki bandwagon in its tracks, and listening now I'm struck by how the first 14 minuties - the first quartet - is considerably weaker both in composition and performance to what comes after. I wonder if a certain amount of dissapointed Third Symphony fans didn't listen beyond the 14 minute mark, and if things would be different now if the tracklist had had the second quartet first.


----------



## dgee

Confession time - I don't know Das Lied von der Erde hardly at all (OK the beginning was instantly familiar but after that not so much). Having a go now and seeing why it's so well thought of - really lovely music and some things I find a little mawkish in his symphonies work so well in a song context. I'm listening to this one because it's the first thing I came across with a reputable cast - happy to be "corrected" ;-)


----------



## SimonNZ

Milton Babbitt - String Quartet No.6 (performers unknown)


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc thirteen:

Couleurs De La Cite Celeste
Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum
- Pierre Boulez, cond

L'Ascension
- Marius Constant, cond


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Sonata No.42 in D Major

Mary Oleskiewicz, flute -- David Schulenberg, piano


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 35032


Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
Wilhelm Furtwangler/Vienna Philharmonic [Live 1944]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Marriage of Figaro*









Such a dream cast I can't even stand it.

_Cinque. . . dieci. . . wake up. . . Blair!_


----------



## Vasks

*Moniuszko - Overture to "Halka" (Statanowski/cpo)
R. Schumann - Violin Sonata #3 (Beikircher/Arte Nova)
Franck - Piece heroique from "Trois pieces" (Longhurst/Philips)
Scriabin - Prometheus (Muti/EMI)*


----------



## realdealblues

Felt like listening to a little dancing music this morning...

View attachment 35036


Strauss: Waltzes, Polkas & Marches (CD1)

*Johann Strauss, Jr.*
An Der Schonen Blauen Donau (On The Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314
Auf Der Jagd (On The Hunt), Op. 373
Fruhlingsstimmen (Voices Of Spring), Op. 410
Pizzicato Polka
Egyptian March, Op. 335
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka (Chit Chat), Op. 214
Karnevalsbotschafter (Carnival Ambassador), Op. 270
Annen Polka (Anna), Op. 117

*Josef Strauss*
Geheimne Anziehungskrafte Walzer (Dynamiden),(Mysterious Powers Of Magnetism), Op. 173
Die Schwatzerin Polka Mazurka (The Gossip), Op. 144
Jokey Polka (Jockey), Op. 278
Spharen-Klange (Music Of The Spheres), Op. 235
Feuerfest Polka (Fire-Proof), Op. 269

*Eduard Strauss*
Fesche Geister Waltz (Fresh Spirit), Op. 75

*Johann Strauss, Sr.*
Wettrennen-Galopp, Op. 29a

Willi Boskovsky/Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35035
> 
> 
> Such a dream cast I can't even stand it.
> 
> _Cinque. . . dieci. . . wake up. . . Blair!_


A recording made in Heaven..................


----------



## science

The old Hispavox recordings remastered and it sounds good to me! Someday I will do a careful comparison of these to the Decca recordings from the 1970s.










As nice as Sequentia's Hildegard always is.


----------



## Blancrocher

Aimard playing Messiaen's Preludes, and Myung-Whun Chung conducting a mixture of seldom-heard early and late orchestral works, including the unfinished Concerto á Quatre.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Fifty Years of Great Mozart Singers*









Go Sena!


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _Missa in angustiis, »Nelson-Messe · Nelson Mass«_
Felicity Lott · Carolyn Watkinson
Maldwyn Davies
David Wilson-Johnson
The English Concert and Choir
Trevor Pinnock


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35039
> 
> 
> Go Sena!


Love those Introuvables.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Janacek: Original Version of Glagolitic Mass*









Love how Mackerras does the "Intrada"; and the "Veruju."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: Piano Concerto*









Great first movement; kind of like Rozsa's _film noir_ scores; but with Romantic piano flourishes in it.


----------



## Itullian

McCabe really has a magical way with these.
And beautifully recorded.


----------



## Jos

Bought today in the thriftstore: Mahler; das Lied von der Erde and Ruckertlieder.
Two Decca's in absolute mint condition. Found a booklet from a concert on februari 15th, 1952 where these works were programmed. For some reason I like these little timetravelling artefacts.
This shop sells every record, no distinction made whatsoever, for 50 cents. Best euro spent in a long time !
Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2. Schnittke, Symphony No. 2.*

Bartok's 2nd concerto hasn't clicked with me yet. Still trying. Schnittke's 2nd is flawed, but I like it.


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm comparing two versions of *Schoenberg's* *Herzgewaechse, op. 20 (1911), *a most remarkable piece. Scored for high (really high) soprano, harmonium, celesta, and harp, it's interesting to hear how each different soprano handles that high c. The two versions are Christine Schafer/Boulez (DG, with Pierrot), and Eileen Hulse/Robert Craft (KOCH). Schafer takes the gold here.

Next, it's on to a comparison of the exquisite _*Variations for Orchestra, op. 31 (1928).*_


----------



## millionrainbows

Now, it's the exquisite _*Variations for Orchestra, op. 31 (1928); *_*Boulez, BBC SO (SONY).*

It's serial, and demonstrates Schoenberg's demand that his dodecaphonic music be heard not as twelve note rows, but as "themes" and variations.

*Su-u-u-u-ure,* Arnie, we'll try to decipher your "themes" out of this dense, complex, polyphonic fabric of tone-rows.

Okay, after two minutes and thirty seconds, I give up. I got lost in all those woodwinds. Maybe one of these leaping, stretching, unmelodic themes will finally reveal itself after a few more listenings.


----------



## Blancrocher

Isabelle Faust and Ewa Kupiec playing works for violin and piano by Janacek, Szymanowski, and Lutoslawski.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

St. Valentine's Day is only tomorrow, but I am in a romantic mood somewhat early, so it's *Tristan und Isolde*, the Berliner Philarmoniker/Barenboim recording with Siegfried Jerusalem and Waltraud Meier.









I've been told by a good friend and Wagner afficionado that this is the best recording of this opera in existence and I need not even look into any other one.


----------



## Itullian

SiegendesLicht said:


> St. Valentine's Day is only tomorrow, but I am in a romantic mood somewhat early, so it's *Tristan und Isolde*, the Berliner Philarmoniker/Barenboim recording with Siegfried Jerusalem and Waltraud Meier.
> 
> View attachment 35054
> 
> 
> I've been told by a good friend and Wagner afficionado that this is the best recording of this opera in existence and I need not even look into any other one.


Its a great version.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 2, 10, 13, w. Pollini (rec.2002 - '06).

View attachment 35055
View attachment 35056


----------



## millionrainbows

*Music by J.S. Bach arranged for orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg. Robert Craft/Philharmonia Orch (KOCH). *Exquisite.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> * Schnittke, Symphony No. 2....*Schnittke's 2nd is* flawed*, but I like it.
> 
> View attachment 35052


Symphony No.2 FLAWED, you say, my good man?

'Tis one of my favorite Schnittke works, and Segerstam's conducting of can't be bettered in my view.

Joyous listening. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Stravinsky's Violin Concerto. Amazing, a must-hear! The cover has the names you need to know. Ms. K does it again.


As long as Ms. K doesn't attempt conducting, she remains okay in Vlad's books.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: Kullervo*









One of the more sprightly third movements I've heard of this piece.


----------



## maestro267

Tonight, two symphonies in five movements, each with the last three movements played without a break.

*Beethoven*: Symphony No. 6 in F major (Pastoral)
Philadelphia Orchestra/Muti

*Shostakovich*: Symphony No. 8 in C minor
London SO/Previn


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, *
featuring the Mstislav Rostropovich led London Symphony Orchestra.
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 4, *
both performed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, * both featuring Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - London Symphonies (all of them)
By The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 17, Piano Concerto no. 20
By Malcolm Bilson, The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc seven

Antoine Brumel - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rachmaninov Bells: Ashkenazy/Concertgebouw Orchestra & Chorus*









I'm tremendously taken with Ashkenazy's hammering third movement.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante for Cello & Orchestra Op. 125, Mischa Maisky, Pletnev with the Russian National Orchestra. (Usually called "Symphony Concerto" these days...)


----------



## DavidA

Prokofiev - a Piano concerto 3 - Bronfman / Mehta. Just picked up the concertos & sonatas in an HMV sale.


----------



## Cosmos

I've kinda started an early 20th century trend with my musical tastes as of late...now I'm writing a paper with Busoni's Berceuse Elegiaque in the background


----------



## KenOC

Purcell, Suite from "Dioclesian". Freiburger Barockorchester.


----------



## moody

STEFAN ASKENAZE, piano. 1896-1985.

I've been re-listening to my recordings of this very fine performer.
Born in Lemberg,then in Poland now in the Ukraine. He studied with Emil von Sauer (Liszt pupil).
His own pupils included Martha Argerich, Andre Tchaikowsky and Mitsuko Ushida.
Overall I believe his Chopin to be the most interesting and involving that I know. Why is his name not featured here at all ?


----------



## DrKilroy

Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Berglund conducting, Helsinki PO playing in the first two, Chamber Orchestra of Europe in the latter. I am familiar with COE rendition of the Fifth and I expect the HPO recording to be of similar quality, given their excellent Sixth.



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 47
Brahms - Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34*

Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; the Artemis Quartet [Virgin Classics, rec 2007]

I've listened to this disc a few times now. I bought it for the Schumann Quintet which I think is a masterpiece but the Brahms work, although typically convoluted, grows on me with greater familiarity (I knew it before this purchase). These are very good performances but the recording has a rather 'mushy' quality which renders textures rather unclear (not an advantage in Brahms or Schumann, I'd say)

PS anyone have a good idea about the significance of the fluorescent lighting tubes (see cover) yet?


----------



## Manxfeeder

f


Vaneyes said:


> Symphony No.2 FLAWED, you say, my good man?
> 
> 'Tis one of my favorite Schnittke works, and Segerstam's conducting of can't be bettered in my view.
> 
> Joyous listening. :tiphat:


Wonderful! I'll defer to your judgment and enjoy it guilt-free.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture*









This will recharge your batteries.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

This recording may just help to change my opinion of Verdi.


----------



## Guest

Sonatas No.13 and 14 today. This is a well played and wonderfully recorded set. The audio fully captures the richness of his Bosendorfer piano. It also comes with a rather lavish booklet and at a bargain price to boot!


----------



## Mister Man

Franz Schubert - Schwanengesang, D. 957: Ständchen.


----------



## SimonNZ

Giovanni Simone Mayr's Stabat Mater No.3 - Pieralberto Cattaneo, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Joan Sutherland 1959 Lucia di Lammermoor*









Dame Joan's _Il dolce suono mi colpi di sua voce_and _Ardon gl'incensi_ from 1959 with Nello Santi on Decca?-- absolutely and without exception.


----------



## Blancrocher

Ashkenazy and Gavrilov playing Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in the 4-hand piano version.

*p.s.* Give the performers and you'll get more "likes," Mr Man!


----------



## opus55

Verdi: La Traviata
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro


----------



## SimonNZ

Jakub Jan Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass - Frantisek Xaver Thuri, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Soviet Trumpet Concertos.
http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Trumpe...2298&sr=1-1&keywords=soviet+trumpet+concertos


----------



## Itullian

My sweetheart. 
Want to hear the voice of an angel?
Try this.


----------



## science

There are a lot of good ways to hear Franck's violin sonata, and this is one of the best, but it is the very best way that I know of to hear Brahms' horn trio.










This is Karajan's 1962 recording, not remastered, and - here I tremble, knowing that I have once again to offer an personal preference at odds with the conventions of the culture cops, and I grovel preemptively lest they punish me for my offense - it is my favorite way to listen to Mozart's Requiem. Granted, it is very muddy compared to later recordings, and not having any concern for period performance (they take their sweet time wallowing in the melodrama) it suffers an unforgivable defect of taste. And still I love it best of all. I have an excuse, insufficient though it must inevitably be for such a crime: this was the recording I had in college, when I got it for about $8 and it was the only one I could afford and I came to love it even before I was aware that loving Mozart's Requiem is itself a violation of elite taste. So I suffer even now for the sins of my youth. But all that said, it is beautiful music and I will bear the experts' scorn with unwavering loyalty.


----------



## science

Itullian said:


> My sweetheart.
> Want to hear the voice of an angel?
> Try this.


Yes! I haven't heard much of her but she makes me love Canteloube. Do you have her Zarzuela Arias album? I love that one too, and with more confidence!


----------



## senza sordino

*Samuel Barber String Quartet* Endellion Quartet. From the local library.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc five

Philippus De Monte And The Habsburgers - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Tippett's String Quartet No.1 - The Britten Quartet

edit: now Nikos Skalkottas' String Quartet No.3 - New Hellenic Quartet










edit: Kaija Saariaho's Io - Jukka-Pekka Saraste


----------



## Oskaar

*Paganini: The Violin Concertos*

*Performer: Salvatore Accardo 
Conductor: Charles Dutoit 
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra*









3 h and 49 min of delightfull music just started

link
http://www.amazon.com/Paganini-The-6-Violin-Concertos/dp/B000001GHC


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *String Trio op. 3*

Awesome and sprightly music, I am coming to absolutely adore early Beethoven.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso, Op.3, No.10

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici


----------



## Guest

Still enthralled with this set:









Sibelius, Symphonies
Berglund, Helsinki

I tried to listen to some of the tone poems which are older recordings with the Bournemouth Symphony, but there was too much tape hiss for my liking, especially after the crystal clear digital sound of the symphonies. I'm sure the performances are great. Maybe I will be able to listen to them some other time.

Right now I'm hearing the 5th symphony for the third time. Then I will play the 4th for the second time.

Yesterday I took a short break from Sibelius and to listen through Mozart's 41st performed by Mackeras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Art Rock

From a random pick of a dozen classical CD's from my collection (trying this to get a blend of well-known and less frequently played).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Opus 55: Solti/Gheorghiu _Traviata_ and Levine/Te Kanawa _Le Nozze_

<P-PING!!>  

_Especially_ this other Levine incarnation as well with Vienna:


----------



## Blancrocher

Julian Bream playing Benjamin Britten's Nocturnal after a Theme by John Dowland, and the Carmina Quartet playing Szymanowski.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ahhhhhhhhh. . . the infusion of tripple espresso. . . and the earthquake-tredding first movement of the Hickox Vaughan-Williams Fourth. . . _now_ I can take on the world. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Guest

Ralph Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 5
Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Vasks

*d'Albert - Overture to "Esther" (Brabbins/Hyperion)
Korngold - Symphony in F# (Welser-Most/EMI)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Cosi Covent Kiri*









I've been inspired by Opus 55's lead. . .


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas--_No. 39 in D major_; _No. 40 in E flat major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano








*Joseph Haydn*: _Piano Sonata No. 60 in C major_
Paul Badura-Skoda, fortepiano








*Joseph Haydn*: _Keyboard Sonata No. 48 in C major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*RWW: Flos Campi, Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Sinfonia Chorus*









A shared delight I'm sure.


----------



## Rocco

Just got this CD yesterday and love it!

*Handel - Music for the Chapel Royal*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Piano Works, w. Paul Jacobs (rec.1970 - '78).

View attachment 35105
View attachment 35106


----------



## Sudonim

Just started it, but really enjoying it so far - it opens with Strauss' _Metamorphosen_ and then moves into Messiaen's _Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine_ ... it's a nicely-varied program of music (actually a conflation of several years of performances at Kremer's Lockenhaus Festival) that includes these plus Franck, Stravinsky, Poulenc, and Shostakovich, among others.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 35107


Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

Still one of my favorite "Eroica" recordings.


----------



## rrudolph

Lully: Pieces from Psyche, L'Amour Medecin, Georges Dandin, Armide, Les Plaisirs de l'Ile Enchantee, Isis








Lully: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme/Le Divertissement Royal/Alceste








Tous le Matins du Monde Soundtrack: Lully/Marais/St. Colombe/Couperin


----------



## Vaneyes

*Debussy*: Piano Works, w. ABM (rec.1971 - '78); *Ravel*: PC in G, w. ABM (rec.1957); D&C/TWT, w. Chung (rec.2004).

View attachment 35111
View attachment 35112
View attachment 35113


----------



## jim prideaux

Bruckner 7th-Haitinck conducting the Concertgebouw-was inspired to dig this recording out when reading another thread about various interpretations of Bruckner-I am no great expert regarding this particular composer but even though the recording seems to have 'fallen under the radar' it does get glowing reviews on Amazon-I am going to have to get the Bohm VPO 7th and 8th on CD-my first introduction on vinyl years ago and again although receives little recognition on the aforementioned thread I can only recall the recordings with great warmth.....


----------



## Blancrocher

I very much enjoyed my first hearing of Moeran's Cello Concerto, and will listen to other versions of this fine work soon--I see the recent Naxos recording is getting very good reviews, by the way.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Korngoldiana*



























A bit fleshy perhaps, but Korngold's a voluptuosity I'll never give up. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Alfacharger

A little bit of Harris and Copland today.


----------



## Jos

The downside of a fairly large (and not very well organized...) recordcollection is that you simply forget about some great recordings. Haven't played this one for years. Thank you Science for triggering my mind ! . Beautiful indeed.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> Start today with some Bernard Herrmann.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Later a great recording by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus of Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarion.

















The Nic Raine/City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus Conan _HAM-MERS _for the "Anvil of Crom," "Pit Fighting," and "Orgy" cuts; I thought the "Riders of Doom" was unfortunately weak in the choral episode. . . I haven't heard the Chandos Herrmann Moby Dick. How does it fare next to Herrmann's own performance with the National Philharmonic?


----------



## Vasks

Jos said:


> View attachment 35122


I have had that LP for many years too and it's good but my American "London" cover is different than the European "Decca" one


----------



## rrudolph

Couperin: Les Nations








Rameau: Les Grand Motets


----------



## DrKilroy

Messiaen - Turangalîla-Symphonie (Salonen). I usually listen to Myung-Whun Chung, but his performance is unavailable on YT in good quality and I have not acquired the DG Messiaen box yet. But let's see how Salonen does it.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Schübler Chorals 
By The Amsterdam Baroque Choir, Ton Koopman [organ], on Telarc









Johann Christian Bach - Missa de Requiem, Misserere
By Lenneke Ruiten [soprano], Ruth Sandhoff [alto], Colin Balzer [tenor], Thomas Bauer [bass]
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Radio 3 Live in Concert
Viennese Classics from Bangor with the BBC Nati...

Callum Smart (violin), BBC NOW under Nicholas Collon in Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert.


----------



## LancsMan

*Pandolfi: Complete Violin Sonatas* Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr on harmonia mundi.

These players seem to be a guarantee of superlative playing. This disc of Pandolfi Violin Sonatas brings to life music from a composer I am totally unfamiliar with. There is a real vein of fantasy in these early baroque sonatas.

The CD notes advise that 'Only the most discerning palates will be able to appreciate more than one or two at a sitting. Indulge the chef by not over-indulging'. Oh dear - I've just been greedy and listened to all twelve in one sitting.


----------



## jim prideaux

Mozart-Dissonance String Quartet and String Quintet no.6 performed by the Lindsays-I am yet to experience any reservations about their recordings-magnificent!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Welcome to Sir William's Feast*









Hickox hits it out of the park. . . _a_-gain.


----------



## Alfacharger

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35125
> View attachment 35126
> 
> 
> The Nic Raine/City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus Conan _HAM-MERS _for the "Anvil of Crom," "Pit Fighting," and "Orgy" cuts; I thought the "Riders of Doom" was unfortunately weak in the choral episode. . . I haven't heard the Chandos Herrmann Moby Dick. How does it fare next to Herrmann's own performance with the National Philharmonic?


It fares very well. Herrmann's orchestrations and more natural sound really shine on the Chandos release. I have the Herrmann Unicorn recording and I always found it a bit shrill, harsh and unpleasant.


----------



## vikinghero

Van Cliburn playing the Tchaikovsky No. 1.


----------



## LancsMan

*Henry Purcell: Complete Fantasias for Viols* Phantasm on SIMAX.

Well much as I enjoyed the Pandolfi Violin Sonatas I think we are on a different level with these works by Purcell. These are truly profound introspective musings from a genius.

In many ways these mark the end of the line for a particular tradition in English music, before it was lost to a flood of continental influences. Purcell composed in the 'old' English style (as in these pieces) as well as composing using the more 'modern' continental baroque style, and sometimes fusing both together. Wonderful expressive harmonies abound in the older English style, and I feel it was a great loss when they lost out to the harmonically tidier world of the baroque.

Sadly this music marks an end to the music of old England. Continental influences from now on - until the renaissance of English music in the twentieth century.

Excellent playing bythe way.


----------



## worov




----------



## Count

Palestrina by Hans Pfitzner.


----------



## cwarchc

The latest Amazon marketplace purchase


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn -

The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ, Op 51
String Quartet Op. 103*

Kodaly Quartet [Naxos]

Superlative playing from the excellent Kodaly Quartet in Haydn's lovely, elegaic string quartet version of the 'Seven Last Words...' Just the thing for my exhausted state on a Friday evening after work.


----------



## aleazk

*Elliott Carter* - _A Symphony of Three Orchestras_.


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Symphony 88, 91, 98
By The Berliner Philharmoniker (88 & 98), Sinfonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (91), Eugen Jochum [dir.], on Deutsche Grammophone (the bonus disc of the collectors edition London Symphonies box)









No. 98 is a really nice piece of music.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

aleazk said:


> *Elliott Carter* - _A Symphony of Three Orchestras_.


The_ 'Three Occasions' for Orchestra_, too:









_;D_


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Piano Sonatas

No.8 in C minor, Op. 13
No. 9 in E, Op. 14/1
No. 10 in G, Op. 14/2
No. 11 in B flat, Op 22*

Alfred Brendel [Decca, rec. 1993-6]

A master doing what he does (did, I suppose, really), supremely well


----------



## Haydn man

Brahms symphony 4 
Kleiber and the Vienna Phil


----------



## LancsMan

*Biber: Violin Sonatas* Romanesca on harmonia mundi.

It's that Andrew Manze chap again - but this time playing as part of the 'Romanesca' group. I do enjoy the contribution the theorbo makes to the mix.

I've been listening to sonatas 1-4 and they are very enjoyable. There is an emphasis on variation in many of these sonatas - I particularly liked the variation movement of the third sonata.

In addition Nigel North plays a Passacaglia for solo lute. I'm a bit of a sucker for passacaglia's and so naturally I like this.

And following this is 'Sonata Representativa' in which most movements are musical representations of various animals (and a Musketeer's March). There is some deliberate extremely discordant music to represent various 'comical' animals. I have to admit I find the humour in these representations quickly wares quite thin. The musketeer is quite fun - but overall this sonata considerably less successful than the other works.

Of course all this music is played with style.


----------



## Blancrocher

Michael Tilson Thomas and the Boston SO in Carl Ruggles' "Sun-treader."


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Melnikov (rec.2006); Amoyel (rec.2005); Korobeinikov (rec.2008).








View attachment 35148
View attachment 35149


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux, The Shadows of Time and Tout un Monde Lointain*

I'm finally able to start dipping into this box set. Nice so far.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc eight

Las Ensaladas: Burlesques Of The Spanish Renaissance - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Sid James

science said:


> ...here I tremble, knowing that I have once again to offer an personal preference at odds with the conventions of the culture cops, and I grovel preemptively lest they punish me for my offense ......But all that said, it is beautiful music and I will bear the experts' scorn with unwavering loyalty.


Well I will be punished as well for being overly contextual, political and sociological (and long winded...like Wagner). CONFORM Science! We have to, it is mandatory. I must DE-contextualise myself, and you must DE-Karajanise yourself. Is it a deal?

:lol:


----------



## Sid James

Last couple of days its been a mixed bag:










*Delius*
_Paris - Song of a Great City
The Walk to the Paradise Garden (from 'A Village Romeo and Juliet')_
- London SO under Anthony Collins

A return to two works on the *Delius album *which appeal to me most,* Paris *which has a prominent part for tambourine of all things, a real tribute to the city of light that was Delius' home in his early days. Then to his biggest hit, *The Walk to the Paradise Garden*, which his unceasing advocate Maestro Beecham was so fond of.










*Lloyd Webber/Rice *_Jesus Christ Superstar_
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice
- 1992 Australian cast recording, premiere of concert version (live recording), highlights

It took me a while to realize the irony behind the title of *Jesus Christ Superstar*. Lloyd Webber's and Rice's retelling of Jesus' life sees Christ as a misunderstood outsider more than a superstar or god. The main protagonist isn't Jesus but Judas, who acts as a cynical commentator on the situation, the classic conflict between idealism and cold hard reality. Even Christ's confidant Mary Magdalene doesn't understand him, while potential allies like Simon Zealotes wants him enlisted in the struggle against Rome, and Pilate's initial sympathy and patience is tested and he snaps.

I see parallels between _Jesus Christ Superstar_ and Schoenberg's _Moses und Aron_. Seriously, because in both, the traditional 'hero' is nothing much but a pathetic loner crying in the wilderness that is human opportunism, shortsightedness and realpolitik. It also has parallels with modern leaders of our time, like Gandhi, who by the end of his life said most people of importance weren't really listening to him, they just wanted to have their photo taken with him.

In terms of the piece itself, it was innovative in being the first 'rock opera,' incorporating a rock band with the classical orchestra, sung as here by a mix of rock, metal and jazz musicians (and an actor!), and it also incorporates Wagner's leitmotif system quite cleverly. Lloyd Webber couldn't resist doing rehash in this as well, which would become a sort of trademark of his, Magdalene's pivotal song "I don't know how to love him" is 'borrowed' from the tune of the slow movement of Mendelssohn's _Violin Concerto in E minor_.










*Rameau* _Le Temple de la Gloire: Suites 1 & 2 (ed. Leppard)_
- English CO directed from the harpsichord by Raymond Leppard

I quite like *Rameau* but don't know much of his music. The Baroque is an era which I can do well to explore more of, and I am slowly listening to the big names of the era like him. The overture to the *second suite *impressed me greatly here, here was the dynamism and overpowering quality which made Rameau so controversial in his day, and the final movement (a chaconne) oddly enough has a tune almost exactly like Handel's _Organ Concerto #13, 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale_.'


----------



## Sid James

*Rodrigo* _Concierto de Aranjuez (slow movement, arranged by Robie Porter)_
- Tommy Emmanuel, guitar with jazz, rock bands & string orch. directed by Phil Hartle

Having listened to the orginal, I got into this arrangement of *Rodrigo's* biggest hit. Australian Tommy Emmanuel's interpretation boosts up the Latin rhythms, adding maracas and castanets, it reads more like a love song, its not as tragic as the original.










*Philippe Schoeller * _'The Eyes of the Wind,' Concerto for cello and orch._
- Jean-Guihen Queyras, soloist with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Alexander Briger

Finishing this cd of 21st century cello concertos with *Schoeller's *one. Based on a poem from Ancient Egypt, this first listen was a very interesting experience. The work comes across as having this elemental quality, but it isn't about landscapes (Sculthorpe's seminal microtonal work from the 1960's Sun Music came to mind, especially in the use of glissandi here, those sliding drone sounds). The cello comes in and out of focus, sometimes it combines with the texture of the orchestra, at other times it is more independent of it. Some amazing electronic-sounding textures here, and indeed this work uses the biggest orchestra out of all three on the disc. A very rewarding first listen, as in the other two works by Bruno Mantovani and Gilbert Amy featured on this cd.










*Bruckner* _String Quintet in F_
- Vienna Philharmonia Quintet

Getting back to this after a long time. The *Adagio *in itself is a masterpiece, reminiscent of Beethoven's late quartets, which *Bruckne*r studied in preparation for composing it. The slow movement of Beethoven's Op. 132 in A minor comes strongly to mind. The work is one of those which has parallels with not only Beethoven and Schubert but also Brahms, its got that same sort of richness of string sonority and sublime qualities, and I fondly remember attending a concert long ago that had the Bruckner _String Quintet_ and Brahms' _String Sextet #1_ on the same program. There are more correspondences between them than one might think, the Brahms versus Bruckner turf wars where more about the critics and their dirty politics, and Brahms is said to have attended Bruckner's funeral. Isn't that the ultimate sign of respect?


----------



## senza sordino

An afternoon of
*Respighi* on two disks, Deutsche Gramophone

*Pines of Rome* Maazal with Berlin Phil
*Fountains of Rome* HvK with Berlin
*Roman Festivals* Maazal with Cleveland
*Ancient Airs and Dances Suite #3* Dorati with Hungarian Phil
*Brazilian Impressions* Dorati with London SO
*The Birds* Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## KenOC

Morton Subotnick, Silver Apples of the Moon. Remember?










Here is a Buchla 100 series Modular Electronic Music System, as used by Subotnick in this work ca 1965.


----------



## bejart

In belated celebration of his birthday ---
Jan Ladislav Dussek (12 February 1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.25 in D Major, Op.69, No.3

Luca Palazzolo, piano


----------



## Guest

This Corelli series from Linn is pretty hard to beat from a sonic and performance perspective.



















(They have also recorded Op.2 & 4 [paired], and 5--I eagerly await the pairing of Op.1 & 3.)


----------



## Masada

*Bartok queued for tomorrow morning while Indian Classical sounds ready me for sleep*

While I won't actually get around to listening to this until tomorrow, I'm taking advantage of HD Tracks hires download sale for Valentine's Day (15% off), and finally getting to this highly reviewed Bartok performance:






​
...but, right now, enjoying the Indian Classical master singer, Pandit Jasraj and his Moment Records masterpiece with tabla player Shri Swapan Chaudhuri:






​


----------



## Masada

Bas said:


> View attachment 35141
> 
> 
> No. 98 is a really nice piece of music.


Yes, a conservative observation, easily agreed with.


----------



## opus55

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor


----------



## Novelette

Borodin: Petite Suite -- Luba Edlina

Tallis: Missa Puer Natus Est Nobis -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

^ Although I very highly regard this collection, the singers sing much too loudly for my taste. It's not only a matter of adjusting the volume, but the strain is all too palpable.

Rameau: Cantate Pour Le Jour De Saint Louis -- Gary Cooper: New Chamber Opera

Gluck: Iphigenie en Aulide -- John Eliot Gardiner: Opéra de Lyon

Berlioz: Lélio ou le retour à la vie, Op.14b -- Sir Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Cosmos

cuz im stupid as hell my friends an i getting drunk off malibu now im takin a walk with MAHLER:S 7TH


----------



## Count




----------



## PetrB

*Steve Reich ~ You Are Variations (2004)*

A little bit of 21st century music....

Steve Reich ~ You Are Variations (2004)


----------



## Ingélou

I am listening to Steve Reich, You Are Variations (2004). Now I wonder how I came up with that? 
So far, I find it interesting, and I like it.


----------



## dgee

Electroacoustic Denises

Denis Smalley: "The Pulses of Time" and "Base Metals"
Denis Dufour: "Variations Acousmatiques" and "Rivage de la Soif"

A lot of variety across these with Dufour using spoken word and musique concrete elements and Smalley less so - although I understand he does in general. I've been enjoying electronics and live instruments for a while, so time to take the plunge into electracoustics!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler

Three songs
Lieder und Gesänge 'aus der Jugendzeit'
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen*

Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano; Geoffrey Parsons, piano [Helios, rec. 1983]

It's amazing how quickly this disc has become a favourite. A few weeks ago I'd never heard Mahler's early songs, nor any in voice with piano arrangement (Mahler's own). But many of these are subtle and lovely. The 'Gesellen' songs work well in this intimate form. I'd recommend this disc very highly.


----------



## Rhythm

*Dame Janet Baker in conversation*

It's quite possible you wouldn't find this interesting, but as a sidebar, TurnaboutVox, I found this interview the other night of Ms. Baker. I was fascinated with stories of her experiences, and her thoughts with regard to what today's singers must do to appease opera directors (and, ultimately, CEO's) to which I add, predictions for singers within the music-industrial-complex.

Dame Janet Baker in conversation with Presto Classical.
Note Geoffrey Parsons, piano accompanist.

 Back to topic.


----------



## MagneticGhost

See Mahler - listen Mahler
Dusted this down. Doesn't see much action.

Wyn Morris conducting Mahler's 8th


----------



## Guest

This has become my favorite WTC by a mile:








Johann Sebastian Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Angela Hewitt, piano


----------



## MrTortoise

J. S. Bach Keyboard Concertos
Concerto for harpsichord, strings and continuo in d minor, BWV 1052
Concerto for harpsichord, strings, and continuo in A major, BWV 1055
Concerto for harpsichord, strings, and continuo in f minor, BWV 1056
Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971
Concerto for solo keyboard after Alessandro Marcello, BWV 974

Glenn Gould, piano
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein, cond.
Vladimir Golschmann, cond.


----------



## shangoyal

Haydn: *Symphony No. 43 in E-flat major 'Merkur'*

Schubert: *Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major*

Beethoven: *Symphony No. 2 in D major*


----------



## DavidA

Prokofiev Piano Sonata 8 - Bronfman


----------



## Clayton

Kyung Wha Chung

Édouard Lalo
Symphonie espagnole, op.21
_Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit_

Maurice Ravel
Tzigane pour violin et orchestre
_Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit_

Henry Vieuxtemps
Violin Concerto No.5 in A minor, op.37
_London Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster_


----------



## Itullian

Ahhh, Mozart greatness.


----------



## Polyphemus

Refreshing my memories of Birtwistles 'Earth Dances'. It has been a while since I have played it, shame on me. Sir Harrison is coming to Dublin for lectures and a talk through of the work prior to a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent arrival --
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violi9n Sonata No.2 in D Minor

Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin


----------



## Jeff W

String Quartets Op. 51 No. 1 & 2, Op. 67 & the Op. 34 Quintet. The Amadeus Quartet played the strings and was joined by Christoph Eschenbach on piano.









Symphonies No. 95, 99 & 104 'London'. Eugen Jochum conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This one is for the Saturday Symphonies thread. Wanted to get ahead in case real life intervened again this weekend .









Haydn was followed by Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome & Roman Festivals. Lorin Maazel conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orechestra.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Boulez

Piano Sonatas No. 1 and No. 2*

Idil Biret, piano [Naxos, rec. 1995]

Characteristically spiky and challenging music, but very satisfying too!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.36 in C Major

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields


----------



## Weston

I don't often listen to entire albums unless it's an album length work, but this morning I am enjoying Glenn Gould's answer to Zappa's question, "Does humor belong in music?" Though I'm finding the String Quartet, Op. 1 a little dreary and whiny at times, the rest gives me a chuckle here and there. I'm not sure how seriously I can take these works, but I do already notice a style all his own in the piano sonata and bassoon sonata. He might have developed a unique voice.


----------



## Blancrocher

Julian Bream in Gaspar Sanz (from a favorite album of baroque music), and the Kronos Quartet playing Gorecki's string quartets (as a result of SimonNZ's mention of them the other day).


----------



## DrKilroy

I liked the Salonen version of Turangalila - very clear texture and very audible ondes! Now I consider buying this recording. 

Now I'll listen to Piano Trio by Ravel (Kantorow, Rouvier, Muller).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin, 24 Preludes.*

I didn't care for Chopin's music until a friend sent me this.


----------



## Vasks

*Finzi - Grand Fantasia & Toccata (Donhoe/Naxos)
Riisager - Sonata for Flute, Clarinet, Violin & Cello (Madsen et al/dacapo)
Kodaly - Variations on a Hungarian Folksong [Peacock] (N. Jarvi/Chandos)*


----------



## millionrainbows

*Schoenberg: Transfigured Night; Chamber Symphony Nr. 2; Accompaniment to a film scene. Holliger/SO of Europe (Teldec). *Very good version from Holliger and his friends. The Gerstl painting on the cover is nice.


----------



## millionrainbows

DrKilroy said:


> Messiaen - Turangalîla-Symphonie (Salonen). I usually listen to Myung-Whun Chung, but his performance is unavailable on YT in good quality and I have not acquired the DG Messiaen box yet. But let's see how Salonen does it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Messiaen needs to do something about those nose hairs.


----------



## BillT

Manxfeeder said:


> *Chopin, 24 Preludes.*
> 
> I didn't care for Chopin's music until a friend sent me this.
> 
> View attachment 35189


The Preludes were the first Chopin works that took me by storm!

- Bill


----------



## Queequeg

Scaramouche by Darius Milhaud. I was very fortunate enough to play this on the alto saxophone in high school (as best I could, heh) but I prefer the version for 2 pianos.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

See Chopin, inspired to listen to Chopin.
This was never off my Walkman in the summer of 2009 when it was new to me.










*Chopin

Etudes, Op. 10
Etudes, Op. 25
Impromptus Op. 29. 36. 51 & 66*

Murray Perahia (Piano) [Sony Classical , rec. 2002]

I don't have multiple Chopin recordings with which to compare this, but there's a rare sensibility at work here.


----------



## moody

The Ballet Music of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Harold Arlen.
Surprised ? I was and hadn't heard of these: Arlen: Civil War Ballet, Porter: Within the Quota, Rodgers: Ghost Town.
Richard Rodney Bennett transcribed them for two pianos and recorded them playing both parts himself.
Interesting ,if not earth-shattering.


----------



## moody

BillT said:


> The Preludes were the first Chopin works that took me by storm!
> 
> - Bill


Ha, Ha, Ukko's favourite pianist.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Alexeev (rec.2008 - '11), Feltsman (rec.2011).

View attachment 35190
View attachment 35191


----------



## Ingélou

A chance discovery on YouTube, and it's gorgeous: Mr Playford's arrangement of Faronell's Division on a Ground (1684), played by Il Caleidoscopio at Gaudete!, the International Festival of Early Music, Chiesa di San Giacomo-Varalla, in October 2012. (Oh, how I'd love to go there one day.) 
It's a wonderful line up of harp, violin, viol & lute - mmmm! Music to die for.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Abbado









Can there be such a thing as an 80-minute symphony without a single unnecessary note? Yes there can.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Deleted - as two versions of the same posting both appeared!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Tristan Murail

Gondwana* (1980) for Orchestra

Yves Prin, Orchestre National De France [Disques Montaigne, rec. 2003]

"...it is a work of strange harmonies - complex sonorities being shifted and twisted in what is long, evolving sequences reaching opulent almost ecstatic textures, all held together in a long massive arch". Well, it's certainly strange! I'll reserve judgement etc., etc.

*Désintégrations* for tape and ensemble (1983)

Ensemble L'Itinéraire, Yves Prin [ibid]

Ah, yes, this is marvellous, I can see what the fuss is about. I'd love to hear this live, it's quite a spectacle.


----------



## Weston

Ingélou said:


> A chance discovery on YouTube, and it's gorgeous: Mr Playford's arrangement of Faronell's Division on a Ground (1684), played by Il Caleidoscopio at Gaudete!, the International Festival of Early Music, Chiesa di San Giacomo-Varalla, in October 2012. (Oh, how I'd love to go there one day.)
> It's a wonderful line up of harp, violin, viol & lute - mmmm! Music to die for.


Nice! I wonder if Handel "borrowed" this theme and altered it a bit for his famous Sarabande.


----------



## Ingélou

I think this theme is one that's been used by a number of composers, which is why it sounds so familiar. On YouTube, they suggest it's Corelli. Taggart did look into this once, so I'll ask him.


----------



## Taggart

Weston said:


> Nice! I wonder if Handel "borrowed" this theme and altered it a bit for his famous Sarabande.





Ingélou said:


> I think this theme is one that's been used by a number of composers, which is why it sounds so familiar. On YouTube, they suggest it's Corelli. Taggart did look into this once, so I'll ask him.


Everybody who was anybody borrowed this. The basic theme is called La Folia. It even has its own website. IMSLP has a section on it.

Of course, since Playford was a Norwich lad, his stuff is bound to be excellent.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Spending my time this week working through Edmund Rubbra's symphony cycle. I don't know why Rubbra is not better known and more often performed. His symphonies are extremely interesting and hold up under repeated listening very well. They are complex and at time can be very dark but his genius shines through and this set by Richard Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is really worth owning and should be in most people's collections that love 20th century symphonic music.










Kevin


----------



## Blancrocher

For John Adams' birthday, I'll listen to "The Dharma at Big Sur."

I love this work.


----------



## jlaw

Vivaldi: Catone in Utica
http://www.naive.fr/en/work/vivaldi-catone-in-utica


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Richard Wagner, Tannhäuser - Overture (Hiroshi Wakasugi; Staatskapelle Dresden).

'Dich teure Halle' - Elisabeth (Heinz Fricke; Els Bolkestein; Staatskapelle Berlin).

'Freudig begrüßen wir' (Chor) (Otmar Suitner; Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin; Staatskapelle Berlin).









Getting to know Wagner's music. I actually like it quite a bit, even though I'm strongly against his antisemitic views.

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 4 in G Major; No. 3 in B-flat Major (Quatuor Festetics).









Coming back to the Festetics set - it's wonderful how each ensemble has its own unique sound, whether it's the instruments, the phrasing or the tempi. Haydn's amazing creativity always ensures a great listen for me, hehe.


----------



## jim prideaux

Kevin Pearson said:


> Spending my time this week working through Edmund Rubbra's symphony cycle. I don't know why Rubbra is not better known and more often performed. His symphonies are extremely interesting and hold up under repeated listening very well. They are complex and at time can be very dark but his genius shines through and this set by Richard Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is really worth owning and should be in most people's collections that love 20th century symphonic music.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


It would be remiss of me to let this post go by without commenting and supporting everything Kevin has written regarding these symphonies-although I only have two of the discs from this collection I do intend to continue collecting the others-Rubbra deserves far more recognition and although some may describe his music as in some way typically English there is to my ears a universality about his works-perhaps in the same way as Myaskovsky heroically rises above the apparent constraints of time and place!

inspired by Kevin's post-I am now listening to 6th and 2nd symphonies from the same set.


----------



## senza sordino

I often listen to Baroque in the morning, then move on to the classical and romantic era in the afternoon, 20th Century in the evening. 
This morning two recent aquisitions
Handel Concerto Grossi Op 6, Andrew Manze and the Academy of Ancient Music









Bach Orchestral Suites Freiburger Baroque Orchestra









_(pictures today because I fired up my old PC, rather than using my ipad mini)_


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc nine

Costanzo Festa - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

Happy birthday John Adams! I hope he is honored by the fact that I use my 1000th post to tell him this!

I'll listen to his works that are still unknown to me:

Chamber music: Road Movies, American Berserk, China Gates, Hallelujah Junction, Phrygian Gates;










Century Rolls - his piano concerto:










And his Son of Chamber Symphony:










I am going to finish the day with a piece I know very well, however - The Chairman Dances (Edo de Waart) - the piece that introduced me to Adams a few years ago.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets Op. 64
Charpentier: Motets


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Granados-Bartlett-Robertson: La maja y el ruisenor
Infante: Gracia
Falla-Kovacs: Spanish Dance No.1
Lecuona-Nash: Malaguena
Debussy: En blanc et noir
Bax: Moy Mell/Sonata for two pianos/Hardanger Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson

More interesting performances from this 2-CD set. Hearing the "Maiden and the Nightingale" arranged for two pianos is a bit strange, and I'm not entirely convinced! The remainder is unreservedly enjoyable however. "Malaguena" is spectacular and I must have a look, because I know I've got the two piano score of this somewhere and I wonder if it's the same arrangement- not that I've got anyone to play it with! The Bax pieces were unkown to me, and are fascinating. "Moy Mell" was written for Myra Hess and Irene Scharrer (a superb and very underrated pianist), but they never recorded it. The other two pieces were written for the present team, who recorded them hot off the press, and whilst the recordings aren't brilliant, the transfers are good, and it enables us to hear some very rare repertoire very well played.


----------



## MrTortoise

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 82

Herbert Von Karajan - Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Walton: Symphony No. 1
Davis & the London Symphony Orchestra*








This is a CD has sadly been neglected since purchase but now it is getting due attention. I haven't listened to it enough to have an in-depth opinion but I can say that I am finding the piece enjoyable and that it is, for me anyhow, a grower.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Violin Concertos - Cinzia Barbagelata, violin and cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Etudes Opp. 10 & 25, w. Gavrilov (rec.1987); Ballades, Scherzi, w. Demidenko (rec.1990 - '93).

View attachment 35202
View attachment 35203
View attachment 35204


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux, Mysterie de l'instant*

I don't know if I "get" this yet, but I'm sensing that everything and every sound is well placed.


----------



## Physix

Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht, Barenboim/CSO


----------



## science

I'll catch up a bit:










Listening to this after the discussion on the "favorite composer" thread. So beautiful.










This was a really pleasant surprise. I didn't expect much... but... this beats Byrd, IMO!

(I cringe again.... I know better than to say stuff like that, but so often I can't help myself.)










I think this was only my 3rd time listening to this, so that's a good excuse! (It's pretty dern good too.)


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler*: Symphony No.9 in D major / L. Bernstein, Concertgebouw Orchestra

A mesmerising way to spend the evening.


----------



## KenOC

Schumann's Konzertstück for 4 Horns and Orchestra in F major Op. 86, from Gardiner's Schumann box. A hoot!


----------



## Guest

This disc arrived today, and oh my, is it a winner! Gergiev's previous release with Daniil Trifonov pales in comparison, both in sound and performance. This one is a bit more closely mic'd and weighty sounding, and Matsuev's playing is vastly more dynamic and robust than Trifonov's. Matsuev positively revels in the orgy of notes in the 2nd Concerto. No one can disguise its clumsy structure in places, but this thrilling performance makes one forget about the musical shortcomings.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Impromptu No.2/Nocturne Op.15 No.1/Fantaisie in F Minor/Ballade No.1/Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Op.22 Valentin Gheorghiu

Now here's a pianist who on the evidence of this, my only recording of him, deserves to be better known. This splendid Chopin recital was released in 1960 on HMV Concert Classics, Mr. Gheorghiu is a Romanian pianist, born in 1928, and has one of the most gorgeous tones I have ever heard. My only quibble is that he cuts from the end of the Andante Spianato straight to the start of the Polonaise, without the introductory chords, that aside, this is a very good recital, and his playing of the Andante Spianato is about the most sensitive and atmospheric account that I have in my collection.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A marvelous opera... marvelously performed.


----------



## LancsMan

*Biber: Violin Sonatas* Romanesca on Harmonia Mundi.

I'm resuming my journey through the Biber violin sonatas with the second (and last) disc from this excellent harmonia mundi set.

This includes Sonatas 5-8, as well as the Sonata 'La Pastorella' and a Passagalia for solo violin. Not sure if passagalia is just an alternative spelling for passacaglia (I've just checked my other recording of this work and apparently this is the spelling of the only surviving manuscript of the piece). This is a notable predecessor to the famous Bach Ciaccone for solo violin.

These virtuosic violin works are all hugely enjoyable as performed here.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Cm K. 475, Sonata in F K. 533, Sonata in B-flat K. 570, Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint"
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Robert Schumann - Piano Quartet in E-flat, opus 47
Johannes Brahms - Piano Quartet in Cm, opus 60
By The Pro Arte Piano Quartet, on Decca Eloquence









Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 9 "Great"
By The Royal Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [dir.], on Warner Classics


----------



## Morimur

*Helmut Lachenmann - (2002) Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern (Zagrosek)*

"It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets."


----------



## LancsMan

*Biber: Violin Sonata No.5 * Monica Huggett, Sonnerie on ASV Gaudeamus.

Oh dear - having just listened to Andrew Manze, I'm now listening to Monica Huggett performing the same piece - and I'm torn in choosing which performance I prefer. I might have to give Monica Hugget and Sonnerie the edge. But I am very happy to have both performances in my collection.


----------



## Morimur

*Jose M. Sánchez-Verdú - (2010) Aura (Sánchez-Verdú)*









"Spanish composer José M. Sánchez-Verdú's opera AURA is based on the 1962 magical realist novel by Carlos Fuente. Fuente's story is narratively complex, with fluid transitions between the past, present, and future, but Sánchez-Verdú adds another layer of obfuscation by leaving much of the story unspoken, its meaning conveyed purely in emotional terms in the character of the music."

-Stephen Eddins


----------



## KenOC

On the less rarified front, John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark (soundtrack). A remarkable set of 22 scenes, about 75 minutes. Works well without the visuals!


----------



## GreenMamba

Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra, Saraste/London Philharmonic


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Sibelius: Four Lemminkainen Legends, Op.22 Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy

These are about the most exciting/atmospheric/moving/chilling etc. etc. performances of these wonderful pieces that I know of. What a splendid conductor Maestro Ormandy was, the recording is superb, and this LP plays as silently and as well than any CD I've ever heard, oh my goodness but it's good. Another bargain from Oxfam! I shall play the whole thing through again, immediately, it really is that good. Hats off too to Louis Rosenblatt, the magnificent cor anglais player in the Swan of Tuonela, but come to that, hats off to the entire orchestra, and Sibelius.


----------



## Alfacharger

KenOC said:


> On the less rarified front, John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark (soundtrack). A remarkable set of 22 scenes, about 75 minutes. Works well without the visuals!


I was listening to Jerry Goldsmith's (and some by his son Joel) score for Star Trek First Contact. There is some Mickey Mousing in this score but the noble main theme and Joel's "Flight of the Phoenix" are outstanding.

My favorite couple of minutes of Joel Goldsmith.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This is an idea for listening I had a while ago, but haven't until today had time to arrange:

*Haydn - String Quartet in G, Hob.III/75, Op. 76/1* (1796-7)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2004]

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 14 in G major, ("Spring"), K. 387* (1782)
Leipzig String Quartet, [MD&G, rec. 2001]

*Beethoven - String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1* (1798 - 1800)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2002]


----------



## senza sordino

The rarely heard Richard Strauss violin concerto, this is coupled with the sonata for violin and piano
Sarah Chang with Bavarian RSO Wolfgang Sawallisch 








These are youthful works of Strauss and do not sound like later and more mature works. Both are very good indeed, but sound like they were written 50 years earlier by someone else.

(Figured out how to add photos when using the iPad mini)


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying a first listen to the recent Florian Boesch/Malcolm Martineau recording of Die schone Mullerin. John Quinn has a good review here. Boesch has an unusual interpretation of what the work means, and particularly of the ending.


----------



## KenOC

Taggart said:


> Everybody who was anybody borrowed this. The basic theme is called La Folia. It even has its own website. IMSLP has a section on it.


Interesting factoid: The first known set of standalone orchestral variations (without solo instrument) is Salieri's set on this very theme! It was thought until very recently that Brahms's Haydn Variations deserved this honor.


----------



## Blake

Vanska's Beethoven: Symphony 3. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love this freakin' set.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.14, No.2

Patrice Bocquillon on flute with the Trio a Cordes Millere: Marie Christine Milliere, violin -- Jean Francois Benater, viola -- Philippe Bary, cello


----------



## Blake

Almedia's Tournemire: Symphony 3. I forgot how excellent this composer was. Really enjoying this.


----------



## opus55

Wilhelm Peterson-Berger: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Physix

Wagner's Ring Cycle


----------



## Itullian

Physix said:


> Wagner's Ring Cycle


Who's, Who's??


----------



## Itullian

The GREAT Claudio Arrau in some Chopin.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc six

Nicholas Gombert And The Court Of Charles V - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Mass No. 6, D.950
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op.11, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

Home alone for the evening, nursing an illness--and listening to Joaquin Turina, of course.

Felix Ayo playing violin, and Bruno Canino at the piano.

*edit* And, inspired by bejart, I'm going to listen to a little Ferdinand Ries as well.

*pps* And it turns out Ries isn't bad at all--I'll try some more of his work soon.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Sir William Walton--*Symphony No.2, *performed by the John Pritchard led Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I must say, that--so far at least--Walton has left no particular impression on me with this symphony, but I intend to give it some more listens before I finally decide. This is quite unlike my reactions to many of Vaughan William's symphones {along with his *Thomas Tallis Fantasia}, *
which grabbed me emotionally from the jump. I have also found that I am rather non-commital to Elgar at this juncture in my musical listening adventures as well.
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dreams", *just perfect for a frigid, a snow blown NY night as we have now}; *Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *
All three works feature Eugene Ormandy and a quite muscular {sounding, that is} Philadelphia Orchestra. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, * once again featuring the RLPO, this time helmed by Vasily Petrenko.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, first half of disc fourteen

Trois Petites Liturgies De La Presence Divine - Marcel Couraud, cond.










and the second half of disc fourteen and all of disc fifteen:

Meditations Sur Le Mystere De La Sainte-Trinite - Olivier Messiaen, organ


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 In Bb Major, Op. 100*

This week I have been listening to Russian romantic/20th Century composers again - I started the week with Tchaikovsky and this weekend I have heard a lot of Prokofiev. So far today I listened to the Violin Sonata disc and the Alsop disc both of which are new. The Alsop is very good - I liked the work 1941 which was a first listen. The Violin sonatas were a little bit underwhelming on first listen but i will give them another shot soon:


----------



## Sid James

*Bruckner *_String Quintet in F_
- Vienna Philharmonia Quintet

A recap on this piece, with this listen I got a sense of a bit of its lightheartedness or just lightness (Mozart came to mind when listening to the opening) and the scherzo is like that too. The whole piece has similarities to his symphonies, particularly the ones closest to its date of composition (numbers 6 and 7, that are less full on compared to his last two 'sturm und drang' ones). There are those same unfolding layers reminiscent of choral music, and like the slow movement of Beethoven's _String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132_, Palestrina comes to the fore as a big influence here. With Beethoven we don't know for sure but its an educated guess, with Bruckner there is no doubt, he was a conductor of choral music during his early days in Linz.

_*Elizabethan Dances of the 16th Century*_ (orchestration by Scherchen) (a)
*Purcell* _Suite from King Arthur _(b)
*Stravinsky* _Pulcinella _(c)
*Hartmann* _Symphony # 6_ (d)
- Hermann Scherchen conducting (a) Berlin Radio SO, (b, d) Orchestra of Radio Frankfurt, (c) Berlin State Opera Orch., with Rudolf Schultz, violin (1940's & '50's)

The *Hartmann* was the standout for me here, a symphony in two movements with many contrasts in sound and mood. I will have to listen to _Pulcinella_ again to get a bit more out of it.

*Liszt *_Sonata in B minor _&_ Funerailles_
- Vladimir Horowitz, piano (1930's)

And getting into a big favourite here! Horowitz used techniques that weren't and aren't taught, unorthodox to say the least, but that's maybe why his take on music like this is unique. I like that dark 'Gothic' vibe he brings to *Liszt*, its just laced with a sense of death and gloom. Is it that trademark rumbling bass that does it?

_*Etenraku, Nokorigaku Sanben*_ *(Hyojo)*
- The Imperial Court Ensemble (Gagaku music of Japanese court)

Finally getting into this album of *Gagaku* with the most famous of pieces of this type, *Etenraku *(Stokowski did an orchestral arrangement of it). Recently re-reading Peter Sculthorpe's autobiography has made me think about not only how it - as well as other non-Western musics - influenced his music, but countless other composers and musicians, both classical and non-classical. Sculthorpe makes a convincing argument for the Western classical tradition breaking down its internal boundaries and evolving (indeed, surviving?) by incorporating music such as from Asia and other places like Africa, the Americas and indeed Australia.

But to get to the music, gagaku is fascinating and proof that ancient music - or more accurately, music part of an ancient tradition - can sound totally fresh, centuries or millennia later. When I hear something like _Etenraku_, I wonder what all the fuss is about in Western classical? The musical voices or groups of instruments totally lack any blending (deliberately) such as in 'Modern' music, and that trance-like quality like Minimalism. Also the lack of what we'd call melody, or rhythmic contrast, which where jettisoned in the 20th century. Gagaku is also part of a context of ritual and dance, parallels might be drawn with anything involving performance like ballet, drama even conceptual/performance art. So what's the big deal? Did Western music just reinvent the wheel? Probably.

In any case, gagaku reminded me strongly of music of Giacinto Scelsi, but I don't know if he knew it or was actually influenced by this. That static quality is what I'm saying, I think a good deal of you know his music. I got some of his solo cello and double bass music.

Later I plan to hear the rest of the Gagaku disc.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Sinfonia Da Requiem - Andre Previn, cond.


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

The excellent Blomstedt/San Francisco recording of Nielsen's fourth.


----------



## SimonNZ

Granville Bantock's Celtic Symphony - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

samurai said:


> On *Spotify:
> 
> *Sir William Walton--*Symphony No.2, *performed by the John Pritchard led Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I must say, that--so far at least--Walton has left no particular impression on me with this symphony, but I intend to give it some more listens before I finally decide.




I would beg you not to write the Walton 2nd Symphony off until you've heard the superb performance by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Bas

It is Septuagesima Sunday, and thus time to listen to cantata BWV 84 "Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke"
By The Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Variations in E-flat, Op.35 "Eroica" Lili Kraus
Beethoven: Fur Elise Eileen Joyce
Beethoven: String Quartet in G, Op.18, No.2 The Flonzaley Quartet
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.23 in F Minor, Op.57 "Appassionata" Harold Bauer

A few more gems from amongst my 78s to start Sunday off nicely.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

TurnaboutVox said:


> This is an idea for listening I had a while ago, but haven't until today had time to arrange:
> 
> *Haydn - String Quartet in G, Hob.III/75, Op. 76/1* (1796-7)
> Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2004]
> 
> *Mozart - String Quartet No. 14 in G major, ("Spring"), K. 387* (1782)
> Leipzig String Quartet, [MD&G, rec. 2001]
> 
> *Beethoven - String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1* (1798 - 1800)
> Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2002]
> 
> View attachment 35217
> View attachment 35216
> View attachment 35218


I was thinking of giving that Haydn Takacs set a shot - how do you like it, TurnAboutVox?


----------



## SimonNZ

Holst's A Fugal Concerto - Howard Griffiths, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 2 in B minor (Quatuor Festetics).









Haydn's 'remake' of Op. 33 No. 1 in B minor - both are excellent but this one seems to be more complex structurally, especially the first movement with its constant contrasts.

Antonin Dvořák, Symphony No. 5 in F Major (Mariss Jansons; Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## elgar's ghost

I listened to Britten's Curlew River last night. An enjoyable if downbeat work - even the falling away of the Madwoman's mental torment and the resting (or should I say easing?) of her dead son's spirit doesn't exactly alleviate the mood, but the music itself is magnificent. 

So now it's a crisp and sunny Sunday morning with distant bells courtesy of the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine of Alexandria - last night's wind and rain which seemed appropriate for the lonely fenland of Curlew River has at last died down and I'm going to immerse myself in the more parochial and uplifting chocolate box world of Albert Herring before the weather inevitably deteriorates once more.


----------



## SimonNZ

Walton's Variations On A Theme By Hindemith - George Szell, cond.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Schumann Symphonic Etudes in various interpretations: Percy Grainger, Alfred Cortot, Walter Gieseking, Myra Hess, Sviatoslav Richter, Alfred Brendel and Ivo Pogorelich, and my favorite is definitely Myra Hess! :tiphat:


----------



## Jos

Lukas Foss conducting the Buffalo Philharmonic in 1968, Sibelius' 4 legends from the Kalevala.
Some great, moody storytelling. 
Wonderful trippy coverartwork on this Nonesuchalbum.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Partita in A Major, BWV 1006a

Robert Hill, harpsichord


----------



## Guest

Mozart. Some HIP performances this morning.








K299, Concerto for Flute and Harp in C
Frank Theuns, flute; Marjan de Haer, harp
ANIMA ETERNA, Jos van Immerseel








K219, Violin Concerto No. 5 in A "Turkish"
Simon Standage, violin
Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music








K365, Concerto for Two Pianos in E flat (1782 version with trumpets and timpani)
Alexei Lubimov, Ronald Brautigam, fortepianos
Manfred Huss - Haydn Sinfonietta Wien


----------



## Ingélou

Another chance YouTube find.
WILLEM DE FESCH [1687 - 1761]: 6 MOLTI CONCERTI E CONCERTI GROSSI: Op. 5 (Amsterdam, Michel-Charles Le Cène, 1725)
Gordan Nikolitch (violin) ; Orchestre d'Auvergne / Arie Van Beek (conductor) 1995

In fact, I'd never heard of him . According to Wiki: Willem de Fesch was a virtuoso Dutch violone player and composer.

De Fesch was active in Amsterdam between 1710 and 1725. From 1725 to 1731 he served as Kapellmeister at Antwerp Cathedral. Thereafter he moved to London where he gave concerts and played n Handel's orchestra in 1746. His works included the oratorios Judith (1732) and Joseph (1746), as well as chamber duets, solo and trio sonatas, concertos & part songs. Both oratorios were thought lost until 1980 when a copy of a manuscript of "Joseph" was found in London's Royal Academy of Music.

It is very pretty - serene - elegant - sprightly; and it makes me realise just how many Baroque composers we have & how much Baroque music is out there. And more discoveries to be made, too. It's a wonderful world, or it can be. 

*Baroque* *roques*, OK?


----------



## opus55

Schuman: Symphony No. 8










Unusual for me to have an appetite for 20th century music in early Sunday morning.


----------



## Guest

Ingélou said:


> ...and it makes me realise just how many Baroque composers we have & how much Baroque music is out there. And more discoveries to be made, too. It's a wonderful world, or it can be.
> 
> *Baroque* *roques*, OK?


Yes there seems to be many more composers in the Baroque era then in any other. Lots of interesting finds if you look. I recently discovered a lesser known German composer who wrote music in the Italian style. His name was Johann Heinrich von Weissenburg, but evidently he decided it was better to go by the psuedomym Giovanni Henrico Albicastro (the Italian equivalent of his real name). I guess that's where the money was. Anyway it was interesting enough that I wanted to share.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I was thinking of giving that Haydn Takacs set a shot - how do you like it, TurnAboutVox?


The Takacs' Op. 76 performances are refined and polished but maybe not highly individual. The recording, though, is disappointing to my ears, being overly reverberant.

Current listening:

*Bruckner

Symphony No. 00 in F minor, WAB 99

Symphony No. 4 in E flat, WAB 104 (Finale; 1878 version)*

Georg Tintner, RSNO [Naxos, rec. 1995] Disc 11









This is my 'new disc of the week'. Perhaps perversely I'm starting with Disc 11 of 12 as that's where the earliest of Bruckner's symphonies is placed in this set.

The 'Study' symphony sounds like the work of an already mature composer, which I suppose Bruckner was, in some ways, at the time he wrote this. It is definitely written in a recognisably similar idiom to the later symphonies I'm already familiar with (1, 5, 7 & 9).


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: Fortepiano Sonatas-- _No. 31 in B flat major_; _No. 32 in G minor_; _No. 33 in C minor_
Paul Badura-Skoda, fortepiano








*Mathias Spahlinger*: _Furioso_, for ensemble (1991/92)
Ensemble Modern/Hans Zender


----------



## bejart

Ignaz von Beecke (1733-1803): String Quartet in B Flat, M.16

Arioso Quartet: Kay Petersen and Frank Krauter, violins -- Carolin Kriegbaum, viola -- Stefan Kraut, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

My first listen to Lawrence Foster conducting the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in Enescu's 3rd Symphony.


----------



## Weston

Alfacharger said:


> I was listening to Jerry Goldsmith's (and some by his son Joel) score for Star Trek First Contact. There is some Mickey Mousing in this score but the noble main theme and Joel's "Flight of the Phoenix" are outstanding.


Sorry. Mickey Mousing?



SimonNZ said:


> Holst's A Fugal Concerto - Howard Griffiths, cond.


I'd like to have most of Holst's limited output, but evidently it isn't as limited as I thought. I've never heard of this unless it is the same as the Fugal Overture, op. 40. Sigh . . . classical collecting is so complicated compared to progressive rock. I miss the days when albums were albums and that was that. None of this seeking the definitive performance or trying to figure out, is this remastered or remixed? Is there bonus material and do I need it?


----------



## Ravndal

Grieg - Haugtussa (The mountain maid) - Ved Gjaetle Bekken (at the gjaetle brook)

One of the most beautiful songs ever written.






Difficult finding a good performance though.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

The Early Music Show
Bach's The Art of Fugue

Lucie Skeaping focuses on Bach's last great masterpiece The Art of Fugue.


----------



## Alfacharger

Weston said:


> Sorry. Mickey Mousing?


When the music written for the film is only representing the action displayed. An example In the Star Trek score, the Borg are always accompainied by a descending two note motive as they walk.

More on Mickey Mousing.

http://a-study-of-music-in-film.blogspot.com/2012/03/mickey-mousing.html


----------



## Weston

Interesting. I didn't know there was a term for that.


----------



## Vasks

*Martin i Soler - Overture to "Una cosa rara" (Vicent/Columna Musica)
F.J. Haydn - Piano Trio in E-flat, Hob. XV: 11 (Beaux Arts/Philips)
Schubert - Fantasie in F minor, D. 940 (Gulda & Hinterhuber/Naxos)
Klengel - Cello Concerto No. 1 (Richter/cpo)*


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Ravndal said:


> Grieg - Haugtussa (The mountain maid) - Ved Gjaetle Bekken (at the gjaetle brook)
> 
> One of the most beautiful songs ever written.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Difficult finding a good performance though.


Try the first ever complete recording of the cycle made by the legendary Kirsten Flagsatd.


----------



## Guest

RCA recently released this amazing performance by John Ogdon in a newly remastered version, but it's only only available in Europe--I bought mine from Amazon UK. Next month, Sony is releasing a 6-disc set of all his RCA recordings, which will include this disc, too. Ogdon's transcendent technique really clarifies the fugue in the Op.106.


----------



## Blancrocher

Heinz Holliger's Siebengesang, conducted by Francis Travis.

*edit* And now Dag Achatz and Roland Pontinen in Stravinsky works transcribed for piano. Achatz plays his 2-hand transcription of The Rite like the devil!


----------



## Guest

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 9 in B minor
Georg Solti Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## opus55

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique










I don't listen to a lot of Berlioz so here it is


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Arabesques, Danse Bohemienne, Tarantelle Syrine, Valse Romantique, Nocturne, Preludes Book 1
Gordon Fergus-Thompson









A collection of earlier works together with the mature Debussy of the Preludes. Quite a big jump in style.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's London Symphonies.
http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-London-...70548&sr=1-1&keywords=haydn+london+symphonies


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 15 "pastorale", 16, 17
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Dimitri Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues no. 1 - 12 
By Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## moody

BENJAMIN BRITTEN. Diversions On A Theme, Op.21, For Piano Left Hand and Orchestra.

Leon Fleisher, piano ,Baltimore Symphony Orchestra ,cond; Sergiu Comissiona.
This is another composition written for Paul Wittgenstein who lost his right arm in WW 1, but you don't hear it do you.
Fleisher, a Schnabel pupil, lost the use of his right arm during the 1960's.
I found the piece most interesting and I had forgotten I had it.


----------



## Blancrocher

moody said:


> Fleisher, a Schnabel pupil, lost the use of his right arm during the 1960's.


I was reading his memoir on Google Books recently, and thought it was very interesting--I look forward to getting my hands on a complete text. Lots of interesting things to say about losing and regaining control of his right hand.

I look forward to hearing the recording you mention.


----------



## Weston

Kontrapunctus said:


> RCA recently released this amazing performance by John Ogdon in a newly remastered version, but it's only only available in Europe--I bought mine from Amazon UK. Next month, Sony is releasing a 6-disc set of all his RCA recordings, which will include this disc, too. Ogdon's transcendent technique really clarifies the fugue in the Op.106.


On a side note, I know this picture is likely from a long time ago, but he looks like he's from 2014.


----------



## moody

Weston said:


> Interesting. I didn't know there was a term for that.


Neither did I !


----------



## senza sordino

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola. Perhaps my favourite string concerto of Mozart
with Concertone for two violins








and 
Mozart Symphony #41 Neville Mariner with ASMF


----------



## Guest

Weston said:


> On a side note, I know this picture is likely from a long time ago, but he looks like he's from 2014.


Middle to late 60s, but yeah, he was ahead of his time with that enlarged "soul patch"!


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-18801): Symphony in D Major, 'La Chasse'

Matthias Bamert conducting the London Mozart Players


----------



## Ravndal

Il_Penseroso said:


> Try the first ever complete recording of the cycle made by the legendary Kirsten Flagsatd.


Have heard it. I can't stand stand that type of singing, hehe.


----------



## LancsMan

*Biber: Violin Sonatas, 1681. Nisis Dominus. Passacaglia* Monica Huggett, Sonnerie, Thomas Guthrie (bass) on ASV Gaudeamus.

I listened to the first sonata from this disc yesterday, after listening to the double CD set from Andrew Manze and Romensca. It's hard to say which is best. This single disc selection may be preferred by those wanting an introduction to Biber, as it has the advantage of a very contrasting vocal work (Nisis Dominus) for bass, violin and continuo. This I find hugely enjoyable, and very well sung.

All told an excellent disc.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Kabalevsky* concerti for his death day (February 16, 1987).

View attachment 35273
View attachment 35274


----------



## DaveS

Mendelssohn Italian & Reformation Symphonies. Munch, BSO.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.36 in B Flat, Op.50, No.1

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello


----------



## aleazk

*Elliott Carter* - _String Quartet No. 5_.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc eleven

Pierre De Manchicourt - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

moody said:


> BENJAMIN BRITTEN. Diversions On A Theme, Op.21, For Piano Left Hand and Orchestra.
> 
> Leon Fleisher, piano ,Baltimore Symphony Orchestra ,cond; *Sergiu Comissiona*.
> This is another composition written for Paul Wittgenstein who lost his right arm in WW 1, but you don't hear it do you.
> Fleisher, a Schnabel pupil, lost the use of his right arm during the 1960's.
> I found the piece most interesting and I had forgotten I had it.


Saw a few Comissiona concerts, and in social gatherings once or twice. A good conductor, personable, physically fit (small man), impeccable dresser. R.I.P. :tiphat:


----------



## KenOC

Zelenka's most excellent Trio Sonatas, performed by Ponseele, Dombrecht, et al. Bassoon fans, take note!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

_Les Introuvables du Chant Francais_ - disc 1

French recordings from the 1920s and 30s, much of it from repertoire that I seldom hear on the radio (or see being menttioned on TC). Grand stuff - I'm waiting eagerly for Suzanne Balguerie .... or Georges Thill ..... or Fernand Ansseau - unfamiliar names for me until I got this set a few years ago. Its just a shame that my historical 'O' level french isn't up to comprehension of the texts sung


----------



## Guest

Continuing with John Ogdon, I just enjoyed his live performance of Brahms' Piano Concerto No.1 with the American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stokowski--whoa! Two musical giants making magic together. It's a pity that they never commercially recorded the piece.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 70 in D Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> I would beg you not to write the Walton 2nd Symphony off until you've heard the superb performance by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.


I won't beg, but agree with your estimation.


----------



## clara s

As this weekend, the Venice Carnival started,

put on your carnival spirit and a venetian mask

and listen to your most favourite piece of classical music

for tonight I will choose

*"Il Carnevale di Venezia" by Nicolo Paganini*

very beautiful music


----------



## bejart

Another forgotten Italian ---
Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827): Flute Concerto in G Major, Op.3, No.3

I Virtuosi Italiani -- Mario Ancilotti, flute


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas no. 28 & 29 "Hammerklavier"
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn - A midsummer night's dream
By The Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## LancsMan

*Purcell: King Arthur *Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie on Erato.

The ever reliable Les Arts Florissants and William Christie bring this semi-opera to life. Whilst King Arthur may not be a great 'work of art' it certainly is thoroughly enjoyable. Highlights include the bizarre and halting 'while the Cold Genius rises'. And I love the sprung rhythms and airy feel many of the orchestral sections.

Purcell was heavily influenced by the French baroque - Lully in particular - and this is very obvious in this work.


----------



## bejart

Ernst Eichner (1740-1777): Symphony in D Minor, Op.7, No.4

Werner Ehrhardt leading l'arte del'mondo


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm comparing three different versions of *Pierre Boulez' Piano Sonata No. 2 (1947-1948).
*
1.* Idil Biret; *Archive Edition 4; recorded 1972 at Atlantic studios (IBA/NAXOS).

2. *Herbert Henck *(Wergo); rec. 1985

3.* Claude Helffer *(naïve); rec. 1980.

I'll get back to you after I hear them all.

Meanwhile, I've been listening to *Boulez'Domaines,* early version, rec. 1971 (harmonia mundi). This later became a solo clarinet piece, but here it features clarinet, with an ensemble of bassoon, trumpet, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, contrabass (plucked), sax, flute, 3 trombones, electric guitar (!), oboe, harp, marimba, bass clarinet, and cor anglais.

At times, with the plucked bass, electric guitar, and muted trumpet a la Louis Armstrong, it sound like some strange form of intergalactic jazz. This is an anomaly among Boulez' ovoure, so I suggest getting it; it's fun to listen to while driving, too.

Also this morning, I listened to disc one of the *Jane Kirstein John Cage* early piano works, coupled with Morton Feldman pieces on disc two. Originally released in 1967 as a 2-LP set on *Columbia Masterworks,* with a digitized-looking portrait of *Cage* on the front (great cover), before digital had even kicked in, this was my Cage "imprint," and sounds as fresh and profound as it did in my youth. I thought about the years these were composed, 1944 forward, just after Cage had studied with Schoenberg, and am amazed that these existed way back then. I mean, it was a different world. Cage used the 12-tone method in a novel way, with lots of fifths, so apparently he was well-aware of the chromatic/fifths connection. These pieces reveal an intelligence, humor, desire to communicate, and intuition which leads me to believe that Cage was much, much more intelligent than he is often credited for being. And with an early body of work like this, it's a disgrace that he is frequently touted as being a charlatan, or clown, for the ubiquitous 4'33". There is so much more to Cage than that statement of silence.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I liked Disc 1 so much, I've put on Disc 2 from the same set









sometimes a voice just reaches out from the speakers and pulls you in by the ears. From over 85 years ago, Cesaar Vezzani has just done that .... and then up pops another one - Eide Norena









Wow! even with a tea-cosy on her head, she could sing! Move over Lady Gaga - I like THAT style <3


----------



## Ravndal

R. Strauss - Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung)


"It's a funny thing, Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung."


----------



## KenOC

Tubin, Symphony No. 6. Jarvi, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. A work new to me, and interesting. There's a saxophone in there, that's nice...


----------



## Blancrocher

Dinu Lipatti in Enescu's 3rd Piano Sonata; Valeriy Sokolov (Violin) and Svetlana Kosenko (Piano) in the 3rd Violin Sonata.


----------



## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> I'm comparing three different versions of *Pierre Boulez' Piano Sonata No. 2 (1947-1948).
> *
> 1.* Idil Biret; *Archive Edition 4; recorded 1972 at Atlantic studios (IBA/NAXOS).
> 
> 2. *Herbert Henck *(Wergo); rec. 1985
> 
> 3.* Claude Helffer *(naïve); rec. 1980.
> 
> I'll get back to you after I hear them all.


You forgot Maurizio Pollini and Paavali Jumppanen on DGG, and Dimitri Vassilakis on Cybele.


----------



## KenOC

Sir Donald Francis Tovey, Piano Concerto in A major, Op. 15. Steven Osborne piano, Martyn Brabbins, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Tovey is famous as a writer on music, but he wrote a bunch of it too!


----------



## millionrainbows

Three different versions of *Pierre Boulez' Piano Sonata No. 2 (1947-1948).
*
1.* Idil Biret; *Archive Edition 4; recorded 1972 at Atlantic studios (IBA/NAXOS). This is overall the most passionate reading. She has plenty of technical facility. Exciting, keeps my interest. She plays faster than the others here. Recorded clear and dry, good analog. I know she believes in this music, and is here to deliver it hot to your doorstep. Don't forget to tip her.

2. *Herbert Henck *(Wergo); rec. 1985 He plays it with detachment, which can be good with Boulez. "Zen-like" silences seem more pregnant. Recorded more distantly than the others, it gives a 'concert' feeling. Sometimes I sense that Henck loses interest, or goes into a kind of stasis. Maybe he needs a light slap to bring him to fuller awareness, and I'm just the guy to do it.

3.* Claude Helffer *(naïve); rec. 1980. Technically crisp, good recording, closely miked. It is very precise-sounding. Not as cold or objective as Henck, not as passionate as Biret, he seems to hover in an introspective state of intuition, savoring each sonority. Interesting, without getting excited about it. Viscerally, this is the most sensuously sonic version, and yet, the most "intelligent."

So they've all got something to offer. Biret seems to impress me the most with the force of her personality, as a more natural performer, than the guys here. Of course, it could be said that this gets in the way of the composer's vision. On top of that, sometimes I'm in the mood for less emotion. Henck is a model of German objectivity. Helffer seems as if he is penetrating a mystery, and is letting you in on the secret.​


----------



## aleazk

*Pierre Boulez* - _Dialogue de l'ombre double_.


----------



## millionrainbows

Kontrapunctus said:


> You forgot Maurizio Pollini and Paavali Jumppanen on DGG, and Dimitri Vassilakis on Cybele.


I've got the Jumppanen; I don't have the Pollini. I must have it, now that I know of it. These are probably all newer recordings, so I can call that future review "Phaze Two."


----------



## aleazk

millionrainbows said:


> I've got the Jumppanen; I don't have the Pollini. I must have it, now that I know of it. These are probably all newer recordings, so I can call that future review "Phaze Two."


The Pollini is in youtube, here.


----------



## Winterreisender

Bach: Mass in B Minor - The Sixteen


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.7, No.5

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balasz Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello


----------



## millionrainbows

aleazk said:


> The Pollini is in youtube, here.


Ohh, that sounds exquisite! Pollini is becoming my "go-to" guy. Plus, in the clip you get to follow the score. Thanks for that, aleazk. Viva Italina, let's all go get some pizza!


----------



## KenOC

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2 "Little Russian". Antal Dorati, London SO. Doesn't get much better than this. Compliments to Eviticus!


----------



## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> I've got the Jumppanen; I don't have the Pollini. I must have it, now that I know of it. These are probably all newer recordings, so I can call that future review "Phaze Two."


I like the Dimitri Vassilakis version on Cybele a lot. For one thing, it's a multi-channel SACD with the best sound of the bunch. Plus, he's quite a player. Boulez supervised the sessions, which include the complete works and a third disc with interviews (in French) with Boulez and Dimitri.


----------



## Guest

Not exactly Boulez: This SACD version is OOP, which makes it a bit pricey, but oh what wonderful playing and sound (stereo, not m-ch, unfortunately.)


----------



## Blancrocher

Lawrence Foster conducting Enescu's opera, "Oedipe."

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Les-Petits-Chanteurs-de-Monaco/Ensemble/62999-4


----------



## bejart

Charles Avison (1709-1770): Concerto Grosso in B Flat, Op.4, No.5

The Avison Ensemble -- Pavlo Beznosiuk, violin


----------



## Guest

It would be hard to imagine more vibrant, incisive performances or better sound, especially if one has a multi-channel SACD audio system. I previously owned the version on BIS, which now sounds rather anemic in both sound and performances compared to this Challenge Classics release.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Tubin, Symphony No. 6. Jarvi, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. A work new to me, and interesting. There's a saxophone in there, that's nice...


I'm not saying I'm some kind of super professional, and I hate to be negative, but I'm wondering if I should contact Bis and offer my design services as part of my civic duty. Good grief!



KenOC said:


> Sir Donald Francis Tovey, Piano Concerto in A major, Op. 15. Steven Osborne piano, Martyn Brabbins, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Tovey is famous as a writer on music, but he wrote a bunch of it too!


How do you find Tovey -- other than in the "T' section I mean. To what /whom can we compare him? I've wondered for a while but haven't bothered hunting examples.


----------



## Blake

Segerstam's Sibelius: Symphony No. 2. Most righteous.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas, w. Richter (Nos. 3, 4, 27, rec.1971 - '75), ABM (No. 32, rec.1961), Sokolov (Nos. 4, 28, rec.1991).

View attachment 35300
View attachment 35301
View attachment 35302


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Weston said:


> I'm not saying I'm some kind of super professional, and I hate to be negative, but I'm wondering if I should contact Bis and offer my design services as part of my civic duty. Good grief!


Agreed - the Bis cover is poor and that's being kind. I wonder how the firm of Weston Design, LLC might critique the cover below? I have my own thoughts which I'll hold in abeyance for the nonce.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Earlier today I was in my painting studio... listening to some old favorites:




























Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Lisa Otto, Léopold Simoneau, Nan Merriman and Rolando Panerai.


----------



## Vaneyes

Berlioznestpasmort said:


> Agreed - the Bis cover is poor and that's being kind. I wonder how the firm of Weston Design, LLC might critique the cover below? I have my own thoughts which I'll hold in abeyance for the nonce.
> 
> View attachment 35303


Is that Peter in the background?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to this:










I am at the point where I truly wish there were more recordings of 19th century French opera. In many ways I feel that this repertoire is no less under-rated/unknown/ignored than Russian opera. Maybe even moreso when you consider that France at the time was THE cultural capital of Western civilization. But so many of the finest composers of the era seem to have survived... when it comes to opera... in one or two works. This is one of but a few available recordings of _Romeo et Juliette_. The work may not be the equal of Gounod's _Faust_... but its actually pretty damn good. Luckily this recording is quite brilliant.


----------



## KenOC

Weston said:


> How do you find Tovey -- other than in the "T' section I mean. To what /whom can we compare him? I've wondered for a while but haven't bothered hunting examples.


Pretty standard stuff. Late Romantic concerto, somewhat British flavor (he studied with Hubert Parry), all the parts in their right places, pleasant listening, some good ideas. Tovey's concerto was somewhat popular at the turn of the century, and Tovey played it in several cities. Note that this is the first, and probably still the only, recording.

Added: It's not like a strong musical personality jumps out at you.


----------



## KenOC

Toru Takemitsu, Night Signal (Signal from Heaven II). Oliver Knussen, London Sinfonietta. On the wireless!


----------



## Weston

Berlioznestpasmort said:


> Agreed - the Bis cover is poor and that's being kind. I wonder how the firm of Weston Design, LLC might critique the cover below? I have my own thoughts which I'll hold in abeyance for the nonce.
> 
> View attachment 35303


From a strictly visual standpoint, I'd rate this _much_ better. The gentle curve or angle formed by the violinist's bow arm (and the violin too) with the tilt of his head, continuing with the chandelier and chandelier reflections, keeps the eye corralled within the image instead pointing the eye directly to the CD to the immediate right. The curve is continued in the subtle violin graphic to the left, wherein some of the curves implied by the chandeliers and his arm are repeated creating a kind of rhythm.

I might have requested a black chinrest for the violin. Just sayin' . . . But that's really not what I would consider a huge issue. Would you? 

Of course it's all a bit on the froufrou side for me.


----------



## Itullian

One of my all time favorite string quartet cycles.
If you don't know these, please get them.
17 wonderful, inventive, enjoyable quartets.
And beautifully recorded.
An all time favorite recording period.
Get them.


----------



## KenOC

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings. Antal Dorati, London SO.


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: Chant sur la Mort de Haydn --Gabriele Ferro: Cappella Coloniensis, Cologne Radio Chorus

Haydn: Piano Sonata #29 in E Flat, H 16/45 -- Jenö Jandó

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 -- David Oistrakh; George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra

Palestrina: Stabat Mater -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

Hummel: Piano Concerto #2 in A Minor, Op. 85 -- Tamas Pal; Hae-won Chang: Budapest Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Weston

*Carl Reinecke: Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Hakon Jarl," Op. 134*
Howard Shelley / Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra









The opening movement features one of the most recognizable / memorable themes in romantic music from a second tier composer. Real hum-in-the-shower quality! The other movements do not have nearly so immediate an impact, but might be wonderful if I took the time to memorize them.

Movement 2. Andante is scarcely a proper slow movement. Movement 3. Intermezzo: Allegretto moderato is nearly a worthy companion to the first movement, but can't make up its mind what to become or what mood to convey. Is it martial? Light? A scherzo? (Not unless it's in a Bruckner symphony.) It does have nice moments though. I get the impression of toy soldiers too old and worn to march. Movement 4 is something like Mendelssohn's wedding music with a bit of Three Blind Mice thrown in. Not much there for me, and it's the longest movement.

Overall I'd give it an 80. It's got a good beat and you can dance to it


----------



## senza sordino

My parents came over for lunch. As we ate and chatted we listened to some English viola works: Bax, RVW, Holland and Harvey







and the Dvorak #12 and Tchaikovsky #1 String Quartets








And tonight I'm listening to Bartok, Eotvos and Ligeti violin concerti.


----------



## jlaw

First listen, so far so good.


----------



## Mister Man

Beethoven - Missa Solemnis


----------



## Rocco

A little Saint-Saens...

*Carnival of the Animals and Symphony No. 3 Organ Symphony.*








And maybe a little Peter and the Wolf since it's on the same disc...


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-- *Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}, *
both featuring the Sir Charles Mackerras led Prague Chamber Orchestra. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543; Symphony No.40 in G Minor, K.550 and Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 {"Jupiter"}. *
All three works are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.6 in A Minor {"Tragic"} and Symphony No.9 in D, *
both traversed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. 
Joseph Haydn--*
Symphony No.24 in D Major; Symphony No.30 in C Major {"Alleluja"} and Symphony No.31 in D Major. *These three symphonies feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc seven

Obrecht, Isaac, De La Rue - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Dustin

At the suggestion of Amaris, Zarebski's Piano Quintet, Op. 34. Only my second time hearing it but it seems like a gem.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4










Slow movements are dreamy, beautiful.


----------



## opus55

Bizet: Symphony in C
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6


----------



## SimonNZ

Ned Rorem's Piano Sonata No.2 - Julius Katchen, piano


----------



## moody

KenOC said:


> Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings. Antal Dorati, London SO.


The best "Nutcracker" by far.


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Slow movements are dreamy, beautiful.


From my favorite cycle!!!


----------



## moody

Ravndal said:


> R. Strauss - Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung)
> 
> "It's a funny thing, Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung."


Who's performance ?


----------



## SimonNZ

Robert Moran's Requiem: Chant Du Cygne - Alan Harler, dir.










Bloch's Concerto Grosso No.1 - Rafael Kubelik, cond.










Per Norgard's Piano Concerto "In Due tempi" - Per Salo, piano, Leif Seferstam, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Following opus55 on Prokofiev's Piano Concertos with Krainev. Starting with the No.1 and probably listening them all today.


----------



## maestro267

*Brian*: Symphony No. 4 (Das Siegeslied)
Valásková (soprano)/5 choirs
Slovak RSO/Leaper

*Carl Vine*: Descent
London SO/Harding

*Mathias*: Symphony No. 1
BBC Welsh SO/Mathias


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _Andante con variazioni in F minor, Hob. XVII:6_
Paul Badura-Skoda, fortepiano








*François Couperin*: Les Apothéoses--_Le Parnasse ou L'Apothéose de Corelli_, sonade en trio
Hespèrion XX-- Jordi Savall, Monica Huggett, Tom Koopman, Chiara Banchini, Bernard Herve, Hopkinson Smith








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in G major, Op. 76 no. 1_ and _String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76 no. 2_ 
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Tchaikovsky*: Piano Trio in A minor / D. Barenboim, J. Du Pre & P. Zukerman

*Elgar*: Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major / V. Handley, London Philharmonic Orchestra

*Glass*: Harpsichord Concerto / C. Lewis, N. Paiement, San Francisco Conservatory of Music New Music ensemble.


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Arcangelo Corelli (17 February 1653-1713): Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op.6, No.9

Adrian Shepherd leading Cantilena


----------



## Art Rock

Another random draw from my collection:









I think I still prefer Arnold in his concertos, overtures and dances.


----------



## maestro267

Definitely Arnold's toughest symphony, that. Sparsely orchestrated for most of its duration, and then a massive slow finale that's as long as the first 3 movts. put together.


----------



## Ravndal

moody said:


> Who's performance ?


Karajan & Berlin phil.


----------



## DrKilroy

Schubert - Symphony No. 9.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*Richard Arnell: The Unnumbered Symphonies
Recorded: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 20-21 August 2012*

Overture '1940', Op. 6

Sinfonia

Edited by Martin Yates (2012)

*Alun Darbyshire (guest principal oboe)*

Dagenham Symphony Suite from the film 'Opus 65'

*Catherine Edwards (piano)*

Landscapes and Figures, Op. 78

*Catherine Edwards (piano)*

*Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Martin Yates*









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Jan13/Arnell_symphonies_CDLX7299.htm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Arnell-Unnumbered-Symphonies-Landscapes/dp/B009XBLOPC
http://www.amazon.com/R-Arnell-Dagenham-Symphony-Landscapes/dp/B00B0M1PAG
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/214821/Richard-Arnell-Dagenham-Symphony-Suite-from-the-film-'Opus-65'


----------



## Sonata

I've been going through my Alicia DeLaroccha EMI Icon Boxed set on my work commute each day. All spanish piano music (well, including a piano concerto and a disc of spanish songs.) I have listened so far to Soler Sonatas, Granados Goyescas and popular dances, and the beginning of Albeniz Iberia. Two discs down and six to go!!

Very enjoyable music, the Albeniz and Granados in particular!


----------



## Blancrocher

Lydia Mordkovitch and Ian Fountain in works by Enescu and Grazyna Bacewicz.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=199397


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Weston said:


> From a strictly visual standpoint, I'd rate this _much_ better. The gentle curve or angle formed by the violinist's bow arm (and the violin too) with the tilt of his head, continuing with the chandelier and chandelier reflections, keeps the eye corralled within the image instead pointing the eye directly to the CD to the immediate right. The curve is continued in the subtle violin graphic to the left, wherein some of the curves implied by the chandeliers and his arm are repeated creating a kind of rhythm.
> 
> I might have requested a black chinrest for the violin. Just sayin' . . . But that's really not what I would consider a huge issue. Would you?
> 
> Of course it's all a bit on the froufrou side for me.


Weston, well done, I think; Bis should hire you straight away! Agreed, this cover is more effective and serves to attract attn. to the product - its prime objective. To me, it's curiously _retardataire_ - reminds me of similar covers from the 50s and 60s - and to that extent betrays a lack of inspiration. Still, the unifying compositional elements you discern are expert. I don't remember Halen using a black chinrest (usually the wooden one seen here but with added padding). In any case, a black chinrest would contradict the violin's near perfect symmetry, mirrored in the woman's form; there's some objectification here and the violin is both symbol of and means to her heart. By extension, _if you buy this CD, you may partake of some of this magic_. (The model may be Miran, Halen's wife, if so, she goes uncredited in the notes, but that gives some added interest to the display of his wedding ring). How much the image was Photoshopped is an interesting question - nearly every image you see nowadays is; you'll note the valentine red repeated in her dress and, of course, lipstick. The area around the violinist's head was likely blurred to make it stand-out from the lights. The photo was taken at Powell Hall in St. Louis and the chandeliers suggest in an over-the-top way - a romantic candlelit dinner, perhaps fireworks afterwards. Overall, I think, the CD buyer is being sold an elegance, the 'class' in classical, he or she is unaccustomed to in daily life.

*Good Luck Today!!!*


----------



## Art Rock

Art Rock said:


> Another random draw from my collection:
> 
> View attachment 35330
> 
> 
> I think I still prefer Arnold in his concertos, overtures and dances.


On repeat. Determined to crack this nut.


----------



## Vasks

_LP_

*Bernstein - Symphony No. 2 (composer/DG)*


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem
By Anna Romowa-Sintow [soprano], José van Dam [bariton], Wiener Singverein, Herbert von Karajan [dir.], on EMI









Pierre Rode - 24 Caprices 
By Elisabeth Wallfisch [violin], on CPO


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.61

David Zinman conducting the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich -- Christian Tetzlaff, violin









Can't quite figure out the point of this cover photo ---


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

bejart said:


> Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.61
> 
> David Zinman conducting the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich -- Christian Tetzlaff, violin
> 
> View attachment 35336
> 
> 
> Can't quite figure out the point of this cover photo ---


Please let us know when you do!


----------



## Oskaar

*Flying Solo / Jens Lindemann*

1. 
Préludes, Book 1: no 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin by Claude Debussy 
Performer: Jennifer Snow (Piano), Jens Lindemann (Trumpet), Bradford Ellis (Piano)

2. 
Sugar Blues by Clarence Williams

3. 
Amazing Grace Variations by Luther Henderson

4. 
Irish Tune from County Derry "Danny Boy" by Percy Aldridge Grainger

5. 
Preludes (3) for Piano by George Gershwin

6. 
Oh! quand je dors, S 282 "Élégie Etienne Monnier" by Franz Liszt

7. 
Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 10: no 2 in A minor by Frédéric Chopin

8. 
Scènes de la Csárda no 4, Op. 32 "Hejre Kati" by Jenö Hubay

9. 
Songs (4), Op. 13: no 3, Sure on this Shining Night by Samuel Barber

10. 
Nature Boy by Eden Abez

11. 
The Irish Washerwoman by Traditional

12. 
Their Hearts Were Full of Spring by Bobby Troup

13. 
Nocturnes (3) for Piano, B 54/Op. 9: Excerpt(s) by Frédéric Chopin

14. 
Play that Funky Music (White Boy) by Robert Parissi

15. 
Canciones Clásicas Españolas: El vito by Fernando J. Obradors

16. 
Canciones Clásicas Españolas: Del cabello más sutil by Fernando J. Obradors

17. 
Canciones Clasicas Españolas: Con amores, la mi madre by Fernando J. Obradors

18. 
Handful of keys by Fats Waller

19. 
Canciones Clasicas Españolas: Al Amor by Fernando J. Obradors









Very refresshing in mixed genres arranged by Lindemann himself. Thrumpet and piano... a fine combination.

http://www.amazon.com/Jens-Lindemann-Flying-Eden-Ahbez/dp/B00007JTXJ
http://www.marquisclassics.com/295_fly.aspx


----------



## Rocco

*Beethoven Symphony No. 5 - Arthur Rozinski
*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Pletnev (rec.1996), Le Van (rec.2002), Crossley (rec.2007).

View attachment 35341
View attachment 35342


----------



## Ravndal

Halfdan Cleve: Piano Concerto No. 4 in A minor, Op. 12

Pianist: Einar Steen-Nøkleberg






Pretty cool piano concerto. First listen.


----------



## Manxfeeder

bejart said:


> View attachment 35336
> 
> 
> Can't quite figure out the point of this cover photo ---


It's doggone good!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Strauss, Sinfonia domestica, Macbeth.*

I was inspired by an article in, I think it was, Gramophone magazine about Strauss to pull these out. It actually spoke well of the Sinfonia domestica.

Strauss wears me out, trying to find the meaning in all the hidden themes. Today I'm just listening to the music and forgetting about trying to hear a raised teacup.


----------



## Oskaar

*Cypress String Quartet 
Benjamin Lees: String Quartets Nos. 1, 5 & 6*









http://www.allmusic.com/album/benjamin-lees-string-quartets-nos-1-5-6-mw0001404528

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559628

http://www.amazon.com/Lees-String-Quartets-Nos/dp/B002AT46A4

http://www.pytheasmusic.org/lees.html


----------



## Oskaar

*Cypress String Quartet 
Benjamin Lees: String Quartets Nos. 1, 5 & 6*

View attachment 35345


http://www.allmusic.com/album/benjamin-lees-string-quartets-nos-1-5-6-mw0001404528

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559628

http://www.amazon.com/Lees-String-Quartets-Nos/dp/B002AT46A4

http://www.pytheasmusic.org/lees.html


----------



## Vasks

View attachment 35336


Maybe Arte Nova thought the violinist was Anne Sophie *Mutt*er


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quintet opus 29





Very interesting work.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 1, Symphony 3 "Eroica"
By The orchestra of the 18th century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

bejart said:


> Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.61
> 
> David Zinman conducting the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich -- Christian Tetzlaff, violin
> 
> View attachment 35336
> 
> 
> Can't quite figure out the point of this cover photo ---


Arte Nova delights in these seemingly non sequitur covers; here's another sample:









I like the covers because first, they stretch the brain (if fruitlessly) to find a logical connection and second, they constitute a manifesto against all those 'other CD covers' that grasp at any connection, however trite. They do attract attn. which is the ultimate goal of any CD cover and often the photography is first-rate.


----------



## Blancrocher

Ginastera's Harp Concerto, with Hickox conducting Rachel Masters and the City of London Sinfonia.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Nikolai Medtner* - Sonata Reminiscenza.


----------



## Rocco

*Beethoven 3rd & 5th Symphonies - John Eliot Gardiner*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Sibelius: String Quartet "Voces intimae", Op. 56* / Emerson String Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon, rec. 2005]










I love Sibelius's mature string quartet, so I was disappointed with this rather passionless account. This remains my only Emerson Quartet purchase - I'm sticking with my Fitzwilliam Quartet LP on Decca L'Oiseau-Lyre


----------



## Ravndal

Grieg A minor Concerto with pianist supreme Håvard Gimse


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Round two. It had not occurred to me previously how 'raw' and comparatively unsophisticated (but full of fresh ideas) Beethoven's early quartet Op. 18/1 sounded in comparison to the sophisicated late works of the two great composers who preceded him.

*Haydn - String Quartet in D minor 'Quinten' ('Fifths'), Hob.III/76, Op. 76/2* (1796-7)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2004]

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421* (1783)
Leipzig String Quartet, [MD&G, rec. 2001]
*
Beethoven - String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18/2 *(1798 - 1800)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2002]


----------



## hpowders

Art Rock said:


> On repeat. Determined to crack this nut.


You can do it!!!!


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos, Nos. 19 and 23










Let it snow let it snow


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Corelli's* birthday, February 17, 1653.


----------



## bejart

One more forgotten Italian ----
Felice Giardini (1716-1796): String Trio in F Major, Op.20, No.2

Budapest String Trio: Ferenc Kiss, violin -- Sandor Papp, viola -- Csaba Onczay, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 3.
*
This must be Eroica day on TC.

(The cover looks like this but with a "No. 3" on it.)


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Piano Concerto, w. Lane/Handley (rec.1994); "Tallis", w. Boughton (rec.1984); Symphonies 3 & 4, w. Previn (rec.1969 - '72).

View attachment 35358
View attachment 35359
View attachment 35360


----------



## opus55

Schubert: "Trout" Quintet
Beethoven: "Ghost" Trio










Classical music with titles


----------



## Blancrocher

A new release: Jurowski/Kopatchinskaja in violin concertos by Stravinsky and Prokofiev.


----------



## Clayton

Martha Argerich
Rachmaninov:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin, 
Riccardo Chailly


----------



## MagneticGhost

Debussy - Pelleas and Melisande - Boulez


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Vaughan Williams' Symphony No.6 - Andrew Davis, cond.


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Rocco said:


> A little Saint-Saens...
> 
> *Carnival of the Animals and Symphony No. 3 Organ Symphony.*
> View attachment 35315
> 
> 
> And maybe a little Peter and the Wolf since it's on the same disc...


Now THAT is a superlative cover illustration - only problem is you have to summon the courage to buy it!


----------



## Rocco

Manxfeeder said:


> This must be Eroica day on TC.


:lol: Just for that I am now listening to my copy of Beethoven's 3rd by Karajan!


----------



## KenOC

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 35361
> 
> 
> A new release: Jurowski/Kopatchinskaja in violin concertos by Stravinsky and Prokofiev.


Posted on this the other day. I thought the Prokofiev was good, the Stravinsky fantastic!


----------



## Rocco

Berlioznestpasmort said:


> Now THAT is a superlative cover illustration - only problem is you have to summon the courage to buy it!


:lol: hahaha It definitely grabs your attention!


----------



## SimonNZ

hmm...now I feel like hearing the Klemperer Eroica again

but right now:










Chausson's Symphony in B flat major - Eduardo Mata, cond.


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Rocco said:


> :lol: hahaha It definitely grabs your attention!


I'm afraid it's going to grab something more than my attention!


----------



## Rocco

Berlioznestpasmort said:


> I'm afraid it's going to grab something more than my attention!


Like what? Thinking of getting it?


----------



## Weston

bejart said:


> Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.61
> 
> David Zinman conducting the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich -- Christian Tetzlaff, violin
> 
> View attachment 35336
> 
> 
> Can't quite figure out the point of this cover photo ---


I think it's subliminal marketing. It means "Beware of DG!"


----------



## Andolink

*Brian Ferneyhough*: _String Quartet No. 6_
Arditti String Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in C major, Op. 76 no. 3_ "Emperor"
Quatuor Mosaïques


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 2; Alt-Rhapsodie


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Rocco said:


> Like what? Thinking of getting it?


BTW, I just learned today that pianist Helene Grimaud raises wolves. As pets and friends, I guess.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1787): Flute Concerto in E Minor

La Stagione Frankfurt -- Karl Kaiser, flute


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Reger's A Romantic Suite - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Purcell: Individual Pieces for Strings. Gustav Leonhardt and friends. Some of the harmonies and progressions in this music are astonishing. Disc 1 of this set:


----------



## Mister Man

Alexander Borodin - The Polovtsian Dances


----------



## SixFootScowl

I like this Eroica so much that I ordered the Wand 9-symphony Beethoven set:







When the complete cycle arrives, I suspect Rocco will want to buy this one from me.


----------



## SimonNZ

Antoine Reicha's Wind Quintet Op.100 No.5 - Michael Thompson Wind Quintet


----------



## Alfacharger

Roger Sessions tonight followed by some Danny Elfman.


----------



## lupinix

improvisations of my own from earlier this evening, was in a kind of extremely light mood


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Delius, Summer Evening.*

I just saw Ken Russell's Song of Summer, so I need to pull out Sir Thomas Beecham's recording of Delius' music.


----------



## Novelette

Schumann, Clara: Romance Variée, Op. 3 -- Jozef De Beenhouwer

Schumann: Andante & Variations for Two Pianos, Two Cellos, and Horn in B Flat, Op. 46 -- Peter Frankl, András Schiff, et al

Ockeghem: Intemerata Dei Mater -- Hillard Ensemble

Mozart: String Quartet #8 in F, K 168 -- Hagen Quartet

Scheidt: Wir Glauben All An Einen Gott -- Gabrielli Consort & Players

Beethoven: 6 Bagatelles, Op. 126 -- Mikhail Pletnev

Berlioz: Le Corsaire Overture -- Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## Blancrocher

The Ad Libitum Quartet playing Enescu's Quartets #1 and 2.


----------



## Rocco

As long as we're on the theme of the _Eroica_, I thought I would listen to my Bernstein version too....:lol:


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"} and Symphony No.39 in E-Flat Major, K.543, *both performed by the Prague Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras. 
Sir William Walton--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Minor, *
featuring Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *
both performed by the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.38 in C Major {"Das Echo"}; Symphony No.58 in F Major and Symphony No.35 in B-Flat Major. * All three works feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## hpowders

Florestan said:


> I like this Eroica so much that I ordered the Wand 9-symphony Beethoven set:
> View attachment 35378
> 
> When the complete cycle arrives, I suspect Rocco will want to buy this one from me.


It's a great set. Wand takes his time to smell the roses. The exact opposite of the dreadful, misguided Chailly set.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Piano-...1392695920&sr=1-12&keywords=brahms+piano+trio


----------



## moody

Rocco said:


> *Beethoven Symphony No. 5 - Arthur Rozinski
> *
> View attachment 35340


How interesting,but it must be old....Rodzinski's been gone a while.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

All symphonies this afternoon.


----------



## KenOC

Vagn Holmboe, Symphony No. 8 "Sinfonia Boreale". Aarhus Symphony Orch, Owain Arwel Hughes conducting. Quite a noisy piece.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alfredo Casella's Symphony No.2 - Gianandrea Noseda, cond.


----------



## hpowders

neoshredder said:


> Listening to Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major
> http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Piano-...1392695920&sr=1-12&keywords=brahms+piano+trio


You are a good patient!!!


----------



## Morimur

*Raymond Scott - (2003) Manhattan Research Inc.*

An unappreciated artist...


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4
Brahms: Piano Trio in C, Op.87


----------



## neoshredder

Going for more modern chamber music now. Schnittke's Piano Quintet. 
http://www.amazon.com/Schnittke-Pia...00650&sr=1-1&keywords=schnittke+piano+quintet


----------



## dgee

Lope de Aguirre said:


> An unappreciated artist...
> 
> View attachment 35387


Raymond Scott is soooo awesome - mind-bogglingly ahead of his time. No one I've played it to can believe Cindy Electronium is from the 50s


----------



## SimonNZ

Richard Strauss' Parergon To Sinfonia Domestica - Peter Rösel, piano, Rudolf Kempe, cond.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonatas 6, 7, 8
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## AClockworkOrange

maestro267 said:


> *Brian*: Symphony No. 4 (Das Siegeslied)
> Valásková (soprano)/5 choirs
> Slovak RSO/Leaper


I love this recording, Naxos have knack for releasing some true gems 

Always great to see Havergal Brian's name pop up, a very underrated Composer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Cello Symphony - Mstislav Rostropovich, cello, cond. composer


----------



## bejart

Evaristo Dall'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a Quatro da chiesa in D Minor, Op.2, No.1

Concerto Koln


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Cinderella, Op. 87*

Enjoying Prokofiev the last few days - these ones tonight (Piano Sonata No. 6 from the box):


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Manxfeeder said:


> *Delius, Summer Evening.*
> 
> I just saw Ken Russell's Song of Summer, so I need to pull out Sir Thomas Beecham's recording of Delius' music.
> 
> View attachment 35379


*" In B, Fenby! "*


----------



## Jeff W

Was in a Max Bruch kind of mood. Violin Concertos No. 1, 2 & 3, the Serenade for Violin & Orchestra and the Scottish Fantasy. Salvatore Accardo soloed on the Violin while Kurt Masur led the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.


----------



## Kivimees

A mighty big :tiphat: to Vesuvius for bring this to my attention.

I'll definitely be exploring some more music from this gent.


----------



## Rocco

moody said:


> How interesting,but it must be old....Rodzinski's been gone a while.


It's from 1958. Yea, you don't hear much of Rodzinski anymore. It's a pretty good recording though.


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki*: Symphony No. 3
National Polish RSO/Wit


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Walton: Symphony No. 1
> Davis & the London Symphony Orchestra*
> View attachment 35201
> 
> 
> This is a CD has sadly been neglected since purchase but now it is getting due attention. I haven't listened to it enough to have an in-depth opinion but I can say that I am finding the piece enjoyable and that it is, for me anyhow, a grower.











Have you heard Previn's incandescence with the first movement?


----------



## phjunior




----------



## Guest

Just the Piano Quintet today--wow, what an intense performance. Excellent sound, too.


----------



## Rocco

*Saint-Saëns: The Complete works for piano & orchestra*


----------



## rrudolph

A little string quartet program for me this morning:

Lutoslawski: String Quartet/Penderecki: Quartetto per Archi/Mayuzumi: Prelude for String Quartet/Cage: String Quartet in Four Parts








Sculthorpe: String Quartet #8/Sallinen: String Quartet #3/Glass: Company/Nancarrow: String Quartet/Hendrix: Purple Haze








Riley: Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector/Mythic Birds Waltz/Cadenza on the Night Plain


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*W. A. Mozart - Don Giovanni (Giulini/Angel)*


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Concerti, Sonatas, Partitas, w. Hope (rec.2005), Maisky & Argerich (rec.1985), Ehnes (rec.1999/0).

View attachment 35402
View attachment 35403


----------



## Berlioznestpasmort

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 35392
> 
> 
> Was in a Max Bruch kind of mood.


I am frequently in that mood. I enjoy the symphonies as well.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Max Reger's A Romantic Suite - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


SNZ, that's a good one. I thought I was the only one who had it.


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Vaughan Williams' Symphony No.6 - Andrew Davis, cond.


Yes indeed. In fact, this is the RVW Symphonies boxset I recommend these days. :tiphat:


----------



## hpowders

lupinix said:


> improvisations of my own from earlier this evening, was in a kind of extremely light mood


Wow! Impressive!


----------



## millionrainbows

Bruno Maderna: Grand Aulodia fur flote, oboe, und orchester; Konzert fur obow und kammerensemble No. 1; Konzert fur oboe und orchester No. 3 (Bvhaast).

Hard-to-find Maderna on the obscure Bvhaast label out of Amsterdam. They have a very nice electronic selection, as well.

As usual, this Maderna is good. His serial stuff sounds Webernian and sparse; his earlier work sounds Bartokian.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Mozart: Symphonies 38 'Prague' (1956) & 40 (1962) performed by Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia.

Klemperer's Mozart is simply astounding.


----------



## hpowders

Vincent Persichetti, Piano Sonatas #'s 2, 5-9. Geoffrey Burleson.
These little sonatas (6 to 11 minutes each) are witty with delightful twists. A 20th Century Haydn!
Recommended to anyone with an interest in mid 20th century American music.
Neo-classicism at its best!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Saint-Saens: Helene*









Poise, elegance, and light charm. Good choice of singers. Beautifully recorded.


----------



## Jeff W

String Quartet No. 15, D. 887 of Franz Schubert. The Chilingirian Quartet plays.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Walton: Christopher Columbus Suite*









The first cut on the cd is a noble as it gets with Walton.


----------



## Radames




----------



## Marschallin Blair

*De Falla: El Amor Brujo*









Ritual-Fire-Dance, espresso-time with Geoffrey Simon and the LSO.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mackerras Scheherazade*









I love Mackerras' treatment of those golden horns at the end of "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliette*









Chung's "Death of Tybalt" is not without flavor or savor.

I wish he would have done the entire ballet with the Concertgebouw


----------



## Bas

Gaetano Donizetti - Maria Stuarda
Joan Sutherland [soprano], Huguette Tourangeau [mezzo], Luciano Pavarotti [tenor], Orchestra e coro del Teatro Communale di Bologna, Richard Bonynge [dir.], on Decca









Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto 
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Anton Bruckner - Symphony 5
By Die Münicher Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## hpowders

Brahms Piano Trios 1&2. Jerusalem Piano Trio.
Brahms without repeats, the way I like it.


----------



## Blancrocher

Members of the Mosaiques SQ with clarinetist Wolfgang Meyer in Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and "Kegelstatt" Trio.

And a first listen to a recent release: Jean-Guihen Queyras, Faust, and Melnikov in Beethoven's 6th and 7th piano trios.


----------



## samurai

Sir William Walton--*Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in B Minor, *performed by violinist Jascha Heifetz and the Philharmonia Orchestra under Walton's baton. Except for parts of its third movement, which for me are somewhat reminiscent of Vaughan William's *London Symphony, *this work really doesn't impress me. Saying that, however, there is no doubt that Heifetz is quite the accomplished performer on a very difficult instrument to master. How he achieves those unbelievably high registers without any screeching is truly amazing. I also gave Walton's First Symphony another go round; although I find it livelier and more interesting than his *Second Symphony, *
he is one of those composers who remain very much a "work in progress" for me. As the Eagles once put it, I am still "on the border" with his music.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.12 in D Minor, Op.112 {"1917"},* featuring Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Jerry Goldsmith: Blue Max Suite*









Jerry Goldsmith conducting the Philharmonia.

"The Attack"-- dive-bombing, awesome.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Puccini: Turandot*









_Gira la cote! Gira! Gira! Gira la cote! Gira! Gira!_


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Violin Concerto


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Anton Bruckner* - symphonies No. 9, 8 and 5, in that order, performed by Berliner Philarmoniker and Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Richter's account of Schubert's Impromptus-- lighter than air, and all light.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bruckner Te Deum: Karajan/VPO/Sintow/Baltsa/Wiener Singverein*









Okay, bring in the full armamentarium of the Heavenly Host.


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Symphony No. 88 in G major
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bruckner 3: Karajan/BPO*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dorothy Howell: Violin Sonata/Rosalind/Piano Sonata Lorraine McAslan/Sophia Rahman

Dorothy Howell (1898-1982) was born in Handsworth, Birmingham. Her violin sonata is absolutely gorgeous, reminiscent of Faure to my ears, "Rosalind" is a shorter, but nonetheless effective piece for violin and piano. The piano sonata also seems to make more than a passing nod to Faure and Debussy, and is none the worse for it. Sir Henry Wood thought very highly of Miss Howell and premiered her tone poem "Lammia" at the proms in 1919, he was so impressed with it, that he changed the following evening's programme so that he could play it again! This is a very recommendable CD of music by a very fine composer, too long neglected. Messrs. McAsalan and Rahman give passionate and committed performances which ought to convince anyone that this is music that is worthy of more than just a casual listen. Incidentally, Dorothy Howell tended the graves of Sir Edward and Lady Elgar for many years on behalf of the Elgar society, and is buried next to them.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio - Jauchzet, frohlocket!; Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit; Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam; Bereite dich, Zion (Diego Fasolis; Corro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; I Barocchisti).


----------



## hpowders

Tchaikovsky String Quartets # 1 & 2. Utrecht String Quartet.
You think you know Tchaikovsky?
Not if you aren't familiar with his chamber music.
Vital!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

René Jacobs' mentor produces a "Serail" surely every bit the equal of Jacobs' recent efforts with Mozart's operas.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Symphony No.3 - Tecwyn Evans, cond.

recorded live in the Aurora Centre here in Christchurch a year ago

a show I didn't attend, but now wish I had


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 35424
> 
> 
> Dorothy Howell: Violin Sonata/Rosalind/Piano Sonata Lorraine McAslan/Sophia Rahman
> 
> Dorothy Howell (1898-1982) was born in Handsworth, Birmingham. Her violin sonata is absolutely gorgeous, reminiscent of Faure to my ears, "Rosalind" is a shorter, but nonetheless effective piece for violin and piano. The piano sonata also seems to make more than a passing nod to Faure and Debussy, and is none the worse for it. Sir Henry Wood thought very highly of Miss Howell and premiered her tone poem "Lammia" at the proms in 1919, he was so impressed with it, that he changed the following evening's programme so that he could play it again! This is a very recommendable CD of music by a very fine composer, too long neglected. Messrs. McAsalan and Rahman give passionate and committed performances which ought to convince anyone that this is music that is worthy of more than just a casual listen. Incidentally, Dorothy Howell tended the graves of Sir Edward and Lady Elgar for many years on behalf of the Elgar society, and is buried next to them.


Lovely précis, lovely post. Thanks.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich: 'Aphorisms', ten pieces for piano, Op. 13. Short, pithy, and very "modern" sounding, from 1927.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rachmaninov: Isle of the Dead, Pletnev-style*









He does the middle section with the strings aspiratingly and cascadingly beautiful.


----------



## DavidA

Dvorak - Violin concerto - Mutter.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Hans Gal's Improvisation, Variations and Finale on a theme by Mozart - Edinburgh Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Works, w. Richter (rec.1971 - '88), Gavrilov (rec.1984), Alexeev (rec.1987 - '89).

View attachment 35431
View attachment 35432
View attachment 35433


----------



## Morimur

*György Kurtág - (2003) Signs, Games and Messages (Mircea Ardeleanu / Kurt Widmer)*

Kurtág + Beckett = A sunny disposition.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Coates: Oxford Street March/Covent Garden Tarantelle
Curzon-Sanderson: Devonshire Cream and Cider
Vaughan Williams: March "Folk Songs from Somerset"
Housman-Peel: In Summertime on Bredon
Trad. arr. Weldon: Suo-gan
Graves-Trad.: David of the White Rock
Harty: The Fair Day from "An Irish Symphony"
Trad.: Blow the Wind Southerly
Arnold: Scottish Dance No.1
Trad. arr. M. Kennedy-Fraser orch. Bantock: An Eriskay Love Lilt
Walton: Orb and Sceptre- Coronation March 1953 Philharmonia Orchestra/George Weldon with Frederick Harvey (Baritone)

What a corker of a record this is! Apparently, Brian Culverhouse the EMI producer considers it the most enjoyable recording that he ever produced. Everyone is on fine form, all of the pieces are immediately appealing, and it's a very nicely balanced programme. Frederick Harvey was a superb singer, very clear diction, and always smack on the note! His LP of 20th Century English Songs that he made with Gerald Moore is worth hearing- if you can find it. I find it difficult to pick out highlights, the whole record is a delight, but Weldon's sensitive arrangement of the Welsh lullaby "Suo-gan" is particularly beautiful, as is Harvey's singing of Graham Peel's (1877-1937) beautiful setting of "In Summertime on Bredon". A record that should be reissued on CD in its entirety, instead of the miscellaneous bits and bobs that have been picked off for various compilations. Lovely.


----------



## Sid James

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35407
> 
> 
> The first cut on the cd is a noble as it gets with Walton.


I remember loving Christopher Columbus - I had it on tape. I had Christopher Palmer's arrangement, I don't remember if its that same recording though. I remember the Spanish rhythms that Walton used to spice up the score.



Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35423
> 
> 
> Okay, bring in the full armamentarium of the Heavenly Host.


I had that one as well, but its been a long time since I heard that particular recording. But I quite like Bruckner's Te Deum, and other things outside the symphonies like the motets, Mass in E minor, String Quintet in F. A varied composer in many respects, even though his symphonies are the bulk of his output.



ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 35424
> 
> 
> Dorothy Howell: Violin Sonata/Rosalind/Piano Sonata Lorraine McAslan/Sophia Rahman
> 
> Dorothy Howell (1898-1982) was born in Handsworth, Birmingham. Her violin sonata is absolutely gorgeous, reminiscent of Faure to my ears, "Rosalind" is a shorter, but nonetheless effective piece for violin and piano. The piano sonata also seems to make more than a passing nod to Faure and Debussy, and is none the worse for it. Sir Henry Wood thought very highly of Miss Howell and premiered her tone poem "Lammia" at the proms in 1919, he was so impressed with it, that he changed the following evening's programme so that he could play it again! This is a very recommendable CD of music by a very fine composer, too long neglected. Messrs. McAsalan and Rahman give passionate and committed performances which ought to convince anyone that this is music that is worthy of more than just a casual listen. Incidentally, Dorothy Howell tended the graves of Sir Edward and Lady Elgar for many years on behalf of the Elgar society, and is buried next to them.


I have enjoyed your posts, delivering something of an alternative or less talked about view of composers and musicians. I think there's many types of alternative histories of classical music, one is about women in music, others are about things that I talk about here often, of composers whose contribution was downplayed or even outright denied as a result of ideologies and trends which I see as more damaging than good. There's also the issue of light or lighter classical, and that mix of so called high and low art, the profound and mundane. It was always there, and composers of all types engaged with these, contrasting them at their will. It enriches music.

But I think that its good that peope here are offering different viewpoints of music history. Questioning the values underlying it. The issue is not to make the mistake they did and overturn them, but just be aware of them, be educated about them. That in itself is enough - not to buy in to certain questionable (and divisive!) ways of thinking from the past.


----------



## Sid James

Last few days its been these:










*Rameau *_Le Temple de la Gloire: Suites 1 & 2_ (ed. Leppard)
*Grétry* _Suite of Ballet Music from the Operas_ (orchestrations by Leppard)
*Charpentier* _Médée: Suite from the Opera_
- English CO directed from the harpsichord by Raymond Leppard

A recap on the *Rameau *pieces, including the couplings on this very enjoyable disc. *Grétry's *soundworld and aesthetic is like a precursor to Rossini and Offenbach who came later. This is light music, and in one of these pieces I heard something similar to the famous "Rossini crescendo."

In the notes it states that Grétry would improvise on the harpsichord when performing these, hence the need for the orchestral parts to be filled out by Leppard's orchestration here. It speaks to how music pre-Romanticism had aspects of improvisation and freedom that would come to be redundant in the 19th century. However it would come to be revived in the Modern era as composers reacted against the control and subjectivism inherent in much of the music that had intervened.

I will have to revisit *Charpentier's Médée *to make any comments on it, however it says its his only opera and he composed it around sixty years of age. He had to wait until Lully kicked the bucket, since while he lived, the guy had a monopoly on opera in France. Actually, reading about Lully, he makes Wagner look like Florence Nightingale. If a film was made about Lully, it would be something like a cross between _Dangerous Liasons _and _Behind the Candelabra_.










*Beethoven* _String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132_
- Performers: Kodály Quartet

Since I have recently listened to Bruckner's _String Quintet in F_, I gave *Beethoven's Op. 132 *a spin, since it is apparent that it was a work of influence half a century later (and beyond for composers after Bruckner, of course!). The slow movement is not only easily amongst the pinnacles of Beethoven's string quartet writing, but also of the whole repertoire.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Villa-Lobos - String quartets Nos. 2 & 7* / Danubius Quartet [Marco Polo, 1994]









Very colourful and engrossing chamber music, in an utterly modern idiom. I can't think why I haven't got to know more of the Villa-Lobos string quartets. I think the Danubius Quartet might have recorded them all for Marco Polo.


----------



## Sid James

*Stravinsky *_Pulcinella_
*Hartmann* _Symphony # 6_
- Hermann Scherchen conducting Berlin State Opera Orch., with Rudolf Schultz, violin (Stravinsky) & Orchestra of Radio Frankfurt (Hartmann) - recorded for radio broadcast in 1954

Returning to this disc, principally for a relisten to *Stravinsky's Pulcinella*. I got more out of it, particularly in how he brings back a theme or two from the beginning at the end of the piece, transforming them in an interesting way. Also, there is that fairground feel of _Petrushka_ here, as well as some of the Orientalist colours of _The Firebird_. So too Igor's classic rhythms, even a jazz feel with the brass in the final part. The violinist also gets a workout here!

_Pulcinella_ was a landmark work for Stravinsky, his first Neo-Classical type piece, but I see Tchaikovsky's _Suite #4 "Mozartiana" _as in some respects being a precursor to it. These works present composers of the past in new garb, they embellish and extemporize on their ideas, and they give homage to them (the material in _Pulcinella _being drawn from scores by Pergolesi that Diaghilev gave to Stravinsky).

Incidentally, Grétry who I was listening to earlier was called the French Pergolesi in his day, I just came across that in a book.










*Ronnel Bright* *trio* _"Piano aux Champs Elysées" _(Gitanes/Universal)
- Bright on piano, Richard Davis on bass, Art Morgan on drums (recorded Paris, 1958)

Finishing with some jazz. *Ronnel Bright *worked as Sarah Vaughan's accompanist, but he was also a significant pianist in his own right. Here we have a set consisting of half jazz standards by Ellington, Gillespie and so on, interspersed with originals by Bright. One of them, _*Chasing Sarah*_, is a quite lively tribute to Sassy. My favourite is the 6 minute long _*Doxology*_ that rounds off the set. In effect it's a set of variations on a catchy tune, showcasing stimulating musical dialogues and interchanges with the bassist and drummer, and Bright's quite muscular and punchy style is very apparent.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Quatuor Diotima playing string quartets by Georges Onslow. A forum member esteems these above Beethoven's work in the same genre, so I'm especially looking forward.

I'll give Onslow 45 seconds to prove himself before making up my own mind.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: String Quartets from Op. 17-- _No. 4 in C minor_ and _No. 3 in E flat major_
The London Haydn Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: Fortepiano Sonatas-- _No. 48 in C major_ and _No. 49 in C sharp minor_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## Itullian

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Villa-Lobos - String quartets Nos. 2 & 7* / Danubius Quartet [Marco Polo, 1994]
> 
> View attachment 35437
> 
> 
> Very colourful and engrossing chamber music, in an utterly modern idiom. I can't think why I haven't got to know more of the Villa-Lobos string quartets. I think the Danubius Quartet might have recorded them all for Marco Polo.


The Quarteto LatinoAmericano recordings are mucho better than the Danubius and better recorded too.
Try them. They're fabulous.
Just sayin


----------



## bejart

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812): Quintet No.6 in C Major

Simon Fuchs, oboe -- Primoz Novsak, violin -- Michel Rouilly and Katja Fuchs, violas -- Manfred Sax, bassoon


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Sad that Chausson died just as his career was truly beginning to take off. His symphonic song-cycle _Poème de l'amour et de la mer_ is truly spectacular: dramatic, sensuous, and haunting.


----------



## Guest

This disc was a pleasant surprise, as I had not heard of Vesselin Stanev before, but this recording contains some fantastic playing. I'd say he's less dreamy and cautious than Claudio Arrau, but he doesn't quite summon the demons that Lazar Berman coaxes from these pieces. Stanev is plenty powerful, though. So, if you like the music and want it in state of the art sound, I can easily recommend it. (It's a multi-channel SACD even though the front cover doesn't so indicate.)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Symphony No.4 London Symphony Orchestra/Josef Krips
Ernst: Violin Concerto, Op.23
Ysaye: Chant d'hiver Aaron Rosand/Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg/Louis de Froment
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Complete Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati

Krips is a delight in Schumann's 4th. Then the superb Aaron Rosand in some less familiar repertoire. The Ernst concerto is very enjoyable, but the Ysaye piece is a warmly passionate poeme, and perfectly played in this recording. Dvorak and Dorati, a perfect combination, and a good end to a very enjoyable nights listening, and so to bed.


----------



## KenOC

An Onslow onslaught! String quartet in C minor, Op. 56, played by the Coull String Quartet. De Marliave called Onslow "a talented amateur but without genius." Well see.


----------



## KenOC

Sid James said:


> Since I have recently listened to Bruckner's _String Quintet in F_, I gave *Beethoven's Op. 132 *a spin, since it is apparent that it was a work of influence half a century later (and beyond for composers after Bruckner, of course!).


In fact, Mendelssohn was already cribbing from it in his second quartet (also in A minor), even while Beethoven was working on the Op. 130! Felix let no grass grow under his feet.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Symphony #99 in E Flat, H 1/99 -- Helmut Müller-Brühl: Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Gossec: Grande Messe des Morts -- Diego Fasolis: Lugano Radio Orchestra

Cherubini: L'Hôtellerie Portugaise Ouverture -- Sir Neville Marriner: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Bach, C.P.E.: Symphony #2 in E Flat, Wq 183/H 664 -- Gustav Leonhardt: Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Liszt: Le Triomphe Funèbre du Tasse, S 517 -- Leslie Howard


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn's Symphony 34. A must listen to imo. 
http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-19...92775289&sr=1-4&keywords=Haydn+Symphonies+32,


----------



## Novelette

KenOC said:


> An Onslow onslaught! String quartet in C minor, Op. 56, played by the Coull String Quartet. De Marliave called Onslow "a talented amateur but without genius." Well see.


Leave Georgie alone!


----------



## SimonNZ

Lou Harrison's Symphony No.3 - Dennis Russel Davies, cond.


----------



## lupinix

Rosenberg piano concerto 2


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc twelve

Orlando Lasso - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

I enjoyed my first listen to Georges Onslow (though not as much as to Beethoven!), and will continue to listen to works from the era. I'll listen to a couple big sonatas by Ferdinand Ries, a recent discovery (courtesy of bejart), mixed in with some recordings of Beethoven sonatas: Gulda's 14th (EMI), Brendel's 22nd (from the 3rd set), and Kempff's 25th.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op.24

Takako Nishizaki, violin -- Jeno Jando, piano









Blancrocher ---
Glad you like Ries, another friend of Beethoven overshadowed by genius ---


----------



## Weston

Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 15 in C minor
Quartetto Faure di Roma









I probably would have thoroughly enjoyed this if I could have given it my undivided attention, but alas my work is frenetic at the moment. I did notice the final movement is full of grace and passion.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 101










Beaux Arts Trio really shines in these Brahms trios.


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: L'isle joyeuse, Estampes, D'un cahier d'esquisses, Morceau de concours, Masques, Preludes Book II
Gordon Fergus-Thompson


----------



## Weston

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio - Jauchzet, frohlocket!; Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit; Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam; Bereite dich, Zion (Diego Fasolis; Corro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; I Barocchisti).
> 
> View attachment 35426


I _love_ it that people are not slaves to a season when making music selections.


----------



## PetrB

*Elliott Carter ~ Piano Sonata*

Elliott Carter ~ Piano Sonata (1946)


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35407
> 
> 
> The first cut on the cd is a noble as it gets with Walton.


I used to have this and oh, how I loved it! I vaguely remember a tenor belting out something about "looking to the west" and it sent chills up my arm. Sadly I did not bring it with me into the present day. Now all I have is his Henry V which I thought would be similar, but not in the same league at all.


----------



## opus55

Schubert masses










Inspired by another thread.


----------



## Itullian

Poetry.


----------



## PetrB

Weston said:


> I _love_ it that people are not slaves to a season when making music selections.


If you want to really hear those works usually associated with a season clearly, listen to them off-season:
viz: Handel's Messiah -- complete -- sometime in high summer.


----------



## Weston

*Nino Rota: Bassoon Concerto*
Mario Bernardi / CBC Vanvouver Orchestra









Kind of a light offbeat piece for me, but interesting. While at first I felt I was hearing a humorous soundtrack (will the bassoon ever outlive that association?) I found it rather beautiful by the 3rd movement which features some classic themes and haunting melodies. Really lovely.

Can you tell I'd rather post than work? Almost done though.


----------



## senza sordino

A mixed bag this afternoon. I started with *Beethoven Symphony #8* conducted by HvK, Berlin Phil (1963)

and then I moved onto *Britten Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia* I got this from the library years ago, and copied it onto my iPod. I don't even know who's playing. I really need my own copy. Any suggestions?

Then I continued with *Britten Les Illuminations, Serenade for tenor Horn and Strings, and Nocturne*







I love the serenade, I'm still singing it this evening.

After an early dinner break I listened to *Szymanowski Violin concerti*


----------



## senza sordino

Weston said:


> *Nino Rota: Bassoon Concerto*
> Mario Bernardi / CBC Vanvouver Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 35450
> 
> 
> Kind of a light offbeat piece for me, but interesting. While at first I felt I was hearing a humorous soundtrack (will the bassoon ever outlive that association?) I found it rather beautiful by the 3rd movement which features some classic themes and haunting melodies. Really lovely.
> 
> Can you tell I'd rather post than work? Almost done though.


In their infinite wisdom, the CBC Vancouver Radio orchestra was disbanded, cancelled. The last North American radio symphony orchestra. This happened in 2008. Budget cuts at the CBC. Sad.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rachmaninov: Fantaisie-Tableaux*









Unfeigned delight.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Cosi fan Sena*


----------



## KenOC

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Raga Bhoopali. Wooden flute. On YouTube...


----------



## Itullian

Awesome


----------



## SimonNZ

Khatchaturian's Symphony No.2 "The Bell" - cond. composer


----------



## Conor71

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 40*

Now playing Symphony No. 2 and then I will listen to Romeo & Juliet:


----------



## Guest

Shostakovich
Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Op. 87
Alexander Melnikov


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: "Enigma" Variations
Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasia Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Following a somewhat lengthy ramble I indulged in last night on a 20th century British music thread, this morning I dug out my first LP of these works, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Good performances and recording. I bought this when I was 11, and just beginning to properly investigate the wonders of classical music off my own bat. Up until the Christmas before I bought this, my presents had always been records of British dance bands (Harry Roy/Lew Stone/Roy Fox/Carroll Gibbons/Ambrose et al), which greatly pleased my dad as this was his favourite music, and thus he could indulge without having to spend money that he really couldn't afford on them. When my interests diversified into classical music he was, I sensed, somewhat disappointed, but whilst it was "1812" etc. he could still put up with it. I remember the day I bought this, from WH Smiths in Walsall, I got it because the title "Enigma" Variations intrigued me! Dad looked at it as we walked down the stairs of the shop, "What's that? Why have you bought it?" "Oh, we heard it at school", I lied glibly, "and I liked it." He peered at it awhile longer, "Oh, it's Sir Malcolm Sargent, well I suppose it'll be alright then." And no more was said. I blessed Sargent for that! Dad had seen him conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra in South Wales on their blitz tour in 1940-41. The reason he'd gone to the concert was because Rhapsody in Blue was on the programme (and he liked that, he had Harry Roy's 78 of it!), thereafter, if Sir Malcolm did it then it was alright! The pianist on that programme incidentally was Eileen Joyce, now I would love to have heard her play the Rhapsody. There, I've rambled again!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis ('75 recording) & Serenade to Music (Original Version - '69 recording)*
Sir Adrian Boult & the London Philharmonic Orchestra

The Fantasia is a favourite and on this first listen of Boult's version, my estimation of the piece has just climbed another level. Truly beautiful.

The Serenade is another first listen - a new piece to me and I truly love it. The vocalists sound phenomenal, the orchestra performs with great sympathy and the interpretation just 'sounds right'.


----------



## SimonNZ

Josef Mattias Hauer's Etudes op.22 - Steffen Schleiermacher, piano


----------



## bejart

Carolus Hacquart (1640-ca.1701): Chelys Suite in D Major, Op.3, No.6

Guido Balestracci, viola -- Nicola Dal Maso, violin -- Rafael Bonavita, archlute -- Massimiliano Raschietti, harpsichord


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

An old favorite of mine, the second waltz from Shostakovich's Jazz Suite Number 2.


----------



## bejart

Anton Ferdinand Titz (1742-1810)): String Quartet in C Minor

Hoffmeister Quartet: Ulla Bundies and Christoph Hildebrandt, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello


----------



## Jeff W

Continued my Bruch mood with the Symphonies No. 1, 2 & 3 performed by Gewandhausorchester Leipzig led by Kurt Masur.









Followed with Antonio Salieri's Concerto for Oboe, Violin and Cello, Concerto for Flute and Oboe and the Symphony in D major. The Budapest Strings played these pieces.


----------



## moody

Rocco said:


> It's from 1958. Yea, you don't hear much of Rodzinski anymore. It's a pretty good recording though.


He's the guy that was responsible for training up the NBC Orchestra for Toscanini before Toscanini took over.


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Symphony No. 4










Vaughan Williams - Greensleeves Fantasia, Folk Song Suite, Oboe Concerto, Concerto Grosso, Romance for harmonica and The Lark Ascending










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Alfacharger

The "Summer" Symphony to drive away the "so much snow" blues!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Fortinbras Armstrong said:


> An old favorite of mine, the second waltz from Shostakovich's Jazz Suite Number 2.
> 
> Stanley Kubrick would agree with you. _;D_


----------



## realdealblues

Comparing some of my Prokofiev recordings...

View attachment 35464


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

View attachment 35465


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
Seiji Ozawa/Berlin Philharmonic

View attachment 35466


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
Neeme Jarvi/Scottish National Orchestra

View attachment 35467


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
Valery Gergiev/London Symphony Orchestra

I'm trying to spend some more time with Prokofiev. I can say I've listened to his Piano Concertos, Symphonies, Piano Sonatas and a couple of his Ballets but am not "overly" familiar with many of them. After listening to these 4 recordings, Bernstein is the clear winner for me, followed by Jarvi, Ozawa and then Gergiev.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rvw 5*










You kind of sprout halos and wings listening to it. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Blancrocher

Segovia in Manuel Ponce's "Concierto del Sur," and Federico Moreno-Torroba's "Castillos de Espana."


----------



## Orfeo

*Joly Braga Santos*
Symphonies nos. II(*) & IV
-Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (*) & National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland/Alvaro Cassuto.

*Sir Charles Hubert H Parry*
Symphonies nos. III & IV.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Matthias Bamert.

*Sir Edward Elgar*
Pomp & Circumstance Marches (1-5) & Sea Pictures (*).
-Bernadette Greevy, Contralto (*).
-David Bell, Organist (March no. I).
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*Federico Mompou*
Piano Works (Impresiones Intimas, Preludes, etc.).
-Martin Jones, Pianist.

*Manuel de Falla*
Piano Works (Dances from "El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Cuatro Piezas Espanolas, etc.).
-Benita Meshulam, Pianist.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> You kind of sprout halos and wings listening to it. Ha. Ha. Ha.


That's a great recording.


----------



## rrudolph

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll








Bruckner: Symphony #8








Zemlinsky: Lyrische Symphonie








Berg: Lulu Suite/Lyric Suite


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Smetana's Piano Trio. Think I found a gem. 
http://www.amazon.com/Chamber-Works...392823396&sr=1-20&keywords=smetana+piano+trio


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

_Why is it always so difficult for me to chose which Brahms symphony is my favorite?_ 

*Donizetti - Overture to "Les Martyrs" (Scimone/MHS)
Brahms - Symphony No. 3 (Szell/Columbia)
Martinu - Inventions (Neumann/Pro Arte)*


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K 304 in Em, K 306 in D, K 378 in B-flat, K 379 in G, K 376 in F, K 377 in F, K 380 in E-flat, K 454 in B-flat
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









The pizzicato in K379 is just magnificent!

Franz Schubert - Winterreise
Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta (recorded march 1945)









I woke up with the melody of "Gute nacht" in my head, so I am listening to the Winterreise cycle now...


----------



## millionrainbows

Malipiero: String Quartets 5,6,7,8 (Brilliant 2-CD). Pleasant listening. Italian, good players (Orpheus SQ), quasi-tonal.


----------



## millionrainbows

PetrB said:


> Elliott Carter ~ Piano Sonata (1946)


Yes, thanks for that. This is the first hearing of Rosen for me; very impressive.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Mutter/Previn/LSO*










Set down superbly with Mutter.


----------



## Blancrocher

Franz Schreker, Der Schatzgraber (cond. Marc Albrecht)

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Jan14/Schreker_schatzgraber_CC72591.htm


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss Suites*

Allow me to commend gorgeosity to your kind attention:


----------



## julianoq

Found this album on streaming, started with Five Characteristic Impressions, then will listen to the three sonatinas.


----------



## realdealblues

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic


----------



## rrudolph

In observance of Gyorgy Kurtag's 88th birthday, some of his music (as well as some other contemporary Hungarian music because I don't have enough Kurtag in my collection. I must remedy that).

Kurtag: Grabstein fur Stephan/Stele (yes, I know it says Stockhausen. There's Kurtag on there too. I'm skipping the Stockhausen for now).








Pinter: Night Piece/Kurtag: From Games/Zombola: Institutio #1/Kosa: Miniatures/Haiku Calendar/Hollos: Arpercussonata/Pocs: Maracanga/Sugar: E-Gal








Pongracz: Mariphonia/Madrigal on Petrarch's Sonnet LXI/Contrastes Polaires et Successifs/Concertino for Cimbalom and Electronics/Patachich: The Ballad of Jancsi Barna/Metamorphoses for Marimba/Fagotto Digitale/Water Music


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Korngold: Schauspiel Overture, Op. 4*

Pretty impressive for a fifteen-year-old boy:


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 4 in Bm, no 11 in G
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Anton Bruckner - Symphony 8
By Die Münicher Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Charles Gehardt Wagner*

Love music from Act II of Tristan:


----------



## SixFootScowl

This while waiting for my Gunter Wand Beethoven Symphonies set to arrive:







This Walter set I got for $6 at a Garage sale. The Wand set was more elusive after one order on Amazon got cancelled for lack of stock, I nabbed it off Ebay for only a dollar more ($17 shipped).


----------



## Alfacharger

Time for some Schmidt.


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret labyrinth", disc thirteen

Jacobus Gallus - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## dgee

I recently listened to Schoenberg's Orchestral Songs Op 8 for the first time (which are very late romantic rich loveliness) and it made me wonder; when did I last listen to this?









Quite a few years. But don't worry, it's still got every bit of soul-searing intensity that made me love it in the first place


----------



## KenOC

Ivo Pogorelich plays Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111. Yes, that one. This is quite an amazing performance.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Stravinsky Violin Concerto: Mutter*

Presto:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger: Time for some Schmidt.

Absolutely.

Notre Dame too:


----------



## DrKilroy

RVW - Oboe Concerto and Symphony No. 5.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Britten: Cello Sonata
Bridge: Spring Song/Melodie/Cello Sonata
Turnage: Sleep On-Three Lullabies/Milo Guy Johnston/Kathryn Stott

I bought this record having so enjoyed Guy Johnston's wonderful performance of the Moeran Cello Concerto on Naxos, and I am happy to say that it is every bit as good. I cannot imagine more passionate or committed performances of the Britten and Bridge Sonatas, in the shorter Bridge pieces they are charm itself, and the Turnage pieces are a delight (now I've surprised even meself!!). This makes a most enjoyable listen, straight off, in one sitting. I shall be playing it again, soon.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Blancrocher said:


> I'll give Onslow 45 seconds to prove himself before making up my own mind.


I had my first listen to Onslow chamber music on Spotify a month or so back. I was impressed and thought he was rather more than another 'fellow traveller' of Beethoven.



Itullian said:


> The Quarteto LatinoAmericano recordings [of Villa-Lobos] are mucho better than the Danubius and better recorded too. Try them. They're fabulous. Just sayin


Vale, quizás lo haré!

Currently listening to:

Some more classical era string quartets. In my last back-to-back comparison Beethoven's Op. 18/2 seemed a closer match for the Haydn Op. 76/2 and Mozart's KV. 421. Of course all these quartets are excellent, as are the performances. But shhh, whisper it, Mozart's 'Haydn' quartets are especially fine.

Seconds out, round 3 (maybe I should be comparing Onslow too).

*Haydn - String Quartet in C major, Op. 76, No. 3, Hob.III/77, Op. 76/3* (1796-7)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2004]
*
Mozart - String Quartet No. 16 in E flat, KV. 428* (1783)
Leipzig String Quartet, [MD&G, rec. 2001]

*Beethoven - String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3* (1798 - 1800)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2002]


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslowski, Symphony No. 2.*

This one will require more than one listen.


----------



## Blancrocher

TurnaboutVox said:


> I had my first listen to Onslow chamber music on Spotify a month or so back. I was impressed and thought he was rather more than another 'fellow traveller' of Beethoven.


Agreed--a very happy find.

Current listening: the latest issue in Matthias Goerne's Schubert cycle.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening to this for the third time this week. 
Highly enjoyable setting of Vikram Seth's verse by Roxanna Panufnik.

Ps-it's on spotify for those so inclined


----------



## Sid James

KenOC said:


> In fact, Mendelssohn was already cribbing from it in his second quartet (also in A minor), even while Beethoven was working on the Op. 130! Felix let no grass grow under his feet.


Yes, it is said he knew about them, and I can hear that influence (esp. in terms of contrapuntal complexity) in the Octet for Strings and Symphony #1 (esp. the finale). But Mendelssohn has things all his own, including this kind of dynamism and driving force. When he gets going, he really gets going! Schubert was another one early on who realised the implications of Beethoven's late quartets. Wagner, around the same times as Bruckner, praised the Op. 131 to high heaven. But I think its fair to say that its in the 20th century that Beethoven's late quartets made biggest impact on composers, Bartok being the most obvious example but there where others I know of (Tippett, Carter, Sessions).



Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 35454
> 
> 
> Unfeigned delight.


Yes, its great. One of my favourites, and the notes to that disc say that its likely that the first suite for two pianos influenced Stravinsky's _Petrushka_. The final movement, Easter Bells (Paques) has similar rhythmic thrust and repetitive patterns to the piano part in the ballet. Again, not many people give Rachmaninov the credit he deserves (same with Mendelssohn and other progressives whose contributions to music are easily forgotten - one reason being their music becoming widely accepted very quickly, within their lifetimes). Sour grapes, the eternal faultline of classical music!


----------



## KenOC

Sid James said:


> Wagner, around the same times as Bruckner, praised the Op. 131 to high heaven. But I think its fair to say that its in the 20th century that Beethoven's late quartets made biggest impact on composers...


George Bernard Shaw liked the late quartets too: "Why should I be asked to listen to the intentional intellectualities, profundities, theatrical fits and starts, and wayward caprices of self-conscious genius which make up those features of the middle period Beethovenism of which we all have to speak so seriously, when I much prefer these beautiful, simple, straightforward, unpretentious, perfectly intelligible posthumous quartets?"


----------



## MikeH

My current listening has been heavily weighted to Mozart's Requiem, The Abduction from the Seraglio, and La Clemenza. What a varied and amazing composer with such deep, deep passion in the heart of the "classical" period.


----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams-- *The Wasps and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, *
both performed by the Christopher Seaman led Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Benjamin Britten--*4 Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op.33, * featuring Leonard Bernstein and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Sonatas 18-22 Friedrich Gulda

The exploration and enjoyment of this wonderful set continues, and I have to say that this is one of the most musical and enjoyable performances of the "Waldstein" that I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot, believe you me). More and more I am developing a great love for Gulda's wonderful pianism and musicianship.


----------



## Alfacharger

The beautiful Neruda Songs by Lieberson.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Discussions with member MarschallinBlair have prodded me into putting on this recording... not that anyone need twist my arm when it comes to Strauss.:lol:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Alfacharger said:


> The beautiful Neruda Songs by Lieberson.


One of my favorite works of the 21st century. I would place it alongside Mahler's _Song of the Earth_ and Strauss _Four Last Songs_... and those two works rank at the pinnacle of 20th century music... music as a whole... to me.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Bas said:


> Franz Schubert - Winterreise
> Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta (recorded march 1945)
> 
> View attachment 35474
> 
> 
> I woke up with the melody of "Gute nacht" in my head, so I am listening to the Winterreise cycle now...


Ooh...!! Another Winterreise that I MUST get.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Faust Symphony, w. BSO/LB (rec.1976); Transcendental etudes, w. Berezovsky (rec.1995/6).

View attachment 35511
View attachment 35512


----------



## bejart

In celebration of his birthday ---
Luigi Boccherini (19 February 1743-1805): String Trio in C Minor, Op.14, No.2

Trio Miro: Carlo Alberto Valenti, violin -- Claudio Valenti, viola -- Carlo Benvenuti, cello


----------



## hpowders

Persichetti Piano Sonata #10.
After 3 weeks of intensive listening, I proclaim this sophisticated sonata the best of the 12.
Should be heard by anyone with an interest in great mid 20th century American music.


----------



## Blancrocher

bejart said:


> In celebration of his birthday ---


Thanks for the reminder: for Boccherini, I'll listen to his 6th Cello Concerto transcribed for the guitar, with Enrique Jorda conducting Segovia and co., and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's wonderful "Omaggio a Boccherini."


----------



## Itullian

Wonderful music. Great sound.


----------



## Weston

Now that my art work is done, for tonight at least, I can kick back. But I found myself wandering through Current listening in a kind of lethargic daze, nursing a dull headache not fully comprehending what I was seeing.

However while working I enjoyed *Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15 in Am, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang,"* Guarneri Quartet, largely in error because I was trying to find the Grosse Fuge!  But no matter. This was perfect for a head achy working night.


----------



## Novelette

I finally got my hands on Gesualdo's Complete Madrigals.

I'm not exactly sure how I've gotten on so well without these great gems.

The fab set by Marco Longhini: Delitiæ Musicæ.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn, Symphony #23 in G major, Davies. After so many years, still Haydn symphonies I've never listened to! And they're all good.


----------



## Itullian

Yes, they are.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Sinfonie Concertante in C Major, Op.2, No.6

Gary Brain leading the Uralsk Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein's baton. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor and Symphony No.7 in E Minor, *
once again featuring Maestro Bernstein, this time leading the New York Philharmonic. 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}; Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"}. * All three works feature Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Guest

If you want tepid performances in clear but slightly dry sound, then this is for you. Otherwise, stick with Karajan and the Berlin Phil, especially for Tod und Verklarung.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Fantasy in C Minor, KV 475

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## opus55

Haydn: The Creation


----------



## Itullian

Under the spell of Act one.
Awesome.


----------



## KenOC

Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" played by the Janáček Quartet. On YouTube.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Still working my way through the Rubbra set. I really do think Rubbra is an overlooked composer and one worthy of more attention. This recording is exceptionally well done in performances and production.










In between I have entertained myself with this lovely album of piano works by Juliusz Zarebski as performed by Marian Mika. Nothing groundbreaking here but just a collection of delightful short pieces for piano. Zarebski was a student of Liszt and I think I enjoy his pieces more than Liszt but I have never been a huge fan of Liszt anyway.










Another fine Zarebski recording is this one of his Piano Quintet coupled with Bacewicz's Piano Quintet. Both are brilliant pieces and worth adding to your library in my opinion.










Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc eight

Josquin Des Prez - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## opus55

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Rhythm

*Liszt Transcendental etudes S139 | Boris Berezovsky, pianist*

Boris Berezovsky plays the etudes, one after another with a fresh terry offered from a nearby assistant between etudes for Boris to pat dry his face. Well before the end, perspiration has drenched his clothing, and I imagine probably soaked through his slacks onto the bench. (I didn't have to say that,  now did I?)





^ Liszt Transcendental etudes S139 | Boris Berezovsky, pianist

You'll notice his performance technique allows the forearms and wrists relaxation thus yielding a near hour-long feat.

Further, you will have noticed, too, that his arms and hands did not fly up, up and away, having departed the vicinity of the keyboard; those unnecessary motions would have been such energy wasters. This guy's good, from where I sit.


----------



## SimonNZ

Warner Messiaen Edition, disc 16 and half of disc 17:

Des Canyons Aux Etoiles... - Marius Constant, cond.










and the second half of disc 17:

Sept Haikai - Marius Coinstant, cond.










...and so ends the first of what will be many listens to the stunning recordings in this set. The final disc is an interview with the composer - entirely in French - but is fully translated in the booklet.


----------



## jim prideaux

not exactly current listening but nonetheless a big day ahead and I thought esteemed members might be interested....I am in Vienna for a few days break and have a seat at the Musikverein this evening for Franz Welser Most conducting VPO in performances of Mozart 28th and Bruckner 6th-the excitement is palpable and has driven me to send this message on the hotel computer...gather the conductor takes a little hammering from the press periodically and the Bruckner is the more underperformed of his symphonies.....but who cares!

for those who contribute on other threads,in particular those concerning jazz....last night I had the good fortune to see the Impossible Gentlemen at the Porgy and Bess club.....bass player was Steve Rodby, the man who 30 years ago contributed to Pat Metheny's Travels album..........one of those recordings that has never really left my side........ 

Guten Tag!


----------



## moody

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Ooh...!! Another Winterreise that I MUST get.


You should look for his 1948 recording made in Cologne with Guenther Weissenborn it's superior and a fairly crushing experience-----Acanta.


----------



## DavidA

bejart said:


> Mozart: Fantasy in C Minor, KV 475
> 
> Walter Klien, piano
> 
> View attachment 35521


Bought this in my youth as an LP


----------



## DavidA

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Ooh...!! Another Winterreise that I MUST get.


Try Schreier with Richter, mesmeric!


----------



## SimonNZ

moody said:


> You should look for his 1948 recording made in Cologne with Guenther Weissenborn it's superior and a fairly crushing experience-----Acanta.


This one?:






Even though your recommendation wasn;t aimed at me, I'm listening now.


----------



## isridgewell

A while ago I purchased the 2 CBSO John Foulds discs. I have been re-visiting these recently. At the time of release they were hailed as newly discovered master-works. Normally I would really like this type of music but sadly try as I might it just doesn't "click" for me.


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> This one?:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Even though your recommendation wasn;t aimed at me, I'm listening now.


That's the one,buy it !


----------



## moody

CHARLES ROSEN, Piano.

"The World's Most Difficult Piano Showpieces"
I notice that here on TC Rosen is mentioned in hushed and reverent terms.
But his teacher was Hedwig Kanner Rosenthal's wife and Rosenthal himself also provided lessons.
This 1966 recording consists of transcriptions written by pianists to dazzle the audience.
Includes : Chopin-Rosenthal, "Minute" Waltz in thirds.
J.Strauss-Tausig, "You Only Live Once", Waltz
J.Strauss-Rosenthal, "Carnival de Vienne".
What a pity that this sort of thing appears too be out of favour in the concert hall these days 1


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Coates: London Bridge March/The Enchanted Garden Ballet/By the Sleepy Lagoon/Cinderella Phantasy/Second Symphonic Rhapsody/Footlights Concert Valse Pro Arte Orchestra/Stanford Robinson
Mozart: Symphony No.38 Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Andre Vandernoot

My favourite disc of Eric Coates, in my opinion, one of the best ever made. Stanford Robinson was one of those very gifted conductors who seem, in their time, to have been very much taken for granted in this country. Every performance on this disc tingles with life and vitality, whilst in the more reflective moments being just as effective and affecting, if not more so, than any others I know of. From the joyous world of Eric Coates to the equally joyous one of Mozart, in the hands of another neglected maestro, Andre Vandernoot. I don't have a lot of his recordings, but all those I do have seem singularly fine (there's a superb LP of Beethoven overtures with the Berlin Philharmonic), so vive la France for the orchestra, and vive la Belgique for Msr. Vandernoot!


----------



## dgee

Theatrum Bestarium by Detlev Glanert - WDR Orchestra Koln conducted by Semyon Bychkov. It's a fun, engaging piece with a substantial organ part and a few enjoyable quirks and surprises. 

Glanert is a smooth operator - masterful writer for orchestra, colourful, often witty and approachable without compromise. Kudos to Germany that he maintains a fair presence in their concert halls and opera houses


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Trio Sonata No.4 in G Minor

Jana Brozkova and Vojtech Jouza, oboes -- Vaclav Hoskovec, double bass -- Jaroslav Kubita, bassoon -- Franz Xaver Thuri, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

*Grażyna Bacewicz: Cello Concertos*

Overture

*Monika Wolińska*

Cello Concerto No. 1

*Adam Krzeszowiec (cello)*

*George Tchitchinadze*

Cello Concerto No. 2

*Bartosz Koziak (cello)

Monika Wolińska*

*Polish Sinfonia Luventus Orchestra*









Beautiful and flowerish works, lyrically and empaticly performed.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Dux/DUX0591
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/George-Tchitchinadze/Conductor/287343-3
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/June13/Bacewicz_Dux0591.htm


----------



## bejart

Wonderful example of the Sturm und Drang period---
Anton Fils (1733-1760): Sinfonia in G Minor

Concerto Koln


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr - Violin Concerto WoO 12 in A, Violin Concerto no. 3 in C, Violin Concerto no 6 in Gm
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Sir Edward Elgar - Violin Concerto in Bm
By Tasmin Little [violin], Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [dir], on Chandos


----------



## Blancrocher

Andras Schiff and the Takacs Quartet in Dohnanyi's 1st Piano Quintet and Sextet.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

isridgewell said:


> A while ago I purchased the 2 CBSO John Foulds discs. I have been re-visiting these recently. At the time of release they were hailed as newly discovered master-works. Normally I would really like this type of music but sadly try as I might it just doesn't "click" for me.


Not even Fould's epic "The Mantra of Will"? Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I love that cut.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian: Under the spell of Act one of the Solti Parsifal. Awesome.

I'm under the spell of _Kiri_ in it. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Oskaar

*Carlos Franzetti Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 2 "Atlantis"*

* Adam Klemens (Conductor), City of Prague Philharmonic (Orchestra), Allison Brewster Franzetti (Piano)*









Another good find! Listen to the piano concerto now, and it is dreamy and adventureous. Brilliant sound, and very good performed.

could not find much to link to, this is a little editorial note from amazon:

"Piano Concerto No. is a richly-orchestrated Neo-Romantic work for virtuoso solo piano; Symphony No. 2 "Atlantis" depicts the futility of war and the hope of resurrection."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio: Discussions with member MarschallinBlair have prodded me into putting on this recording... not that anyone need twist my arm when it comes to Strauss.:lol

The Viennese grace and charm of Kleiber's contours; the sliver-throated singing of Jurinac; Reining's poignant ending of Act I; the soaring singing of Jurinac and of Gueden in the Presentation of the Rose. . . and of course the trio at the end-- the high promise I had for this performance even exceeded my expectations; I just got it a little over a week ago. . . Absolutely lovely in every way. . . and I thank StlukesguildOhio for his courteous regard and pointing the way.


----------



## Bas

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Ooh...!! Another Winterreise that I MUST get.


Most definitely you must try to get your hands on this one. Despite the sound not being as bright and pristine as a more modern recording, the singing is unmatched.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Beethoven VI: Karajan/BPO*









Let the wake-up, caffeinated-Gemutlichkeit day begin! . . . right proper, as it were.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arnold - Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6*

*London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hickox*









Arnold is a very exiting and rewarding composer. He is one thet I come back to often, and enjoy him on the sofa with spotify connected to my stereo.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Malcolm-Arnold-Symphonies-5-6/dp/B000000AXB
http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/n/nxs52000a.php
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Chandos/CHAN9385


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach - Christmas Oratorio - Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben; Immanuel, o süßes Wort/Jesu, du mein liebstes Leben (Diego Fasolis; Corro della radio Svizzera, Lugano; I Barocchisti).









The Christmas Oratorio is becoming one of my favourite Bach works. This is an excellent interpretation, imo - Jauchzet, frohlocket! is done with so much energy and joy. It's a HIP performance.


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: String Quartets from Op. 17-- _No. 2 in F major_, _No. 1 in E major_, _No. 5 in G major_ and _No. 6 in D major_
The London Haydn Quartet








*Joseph Haydn*: Fortepiano Sonatas-- _No. 50 in D major_ and _No. 51 in E flat major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano








*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in D minor, Op. 9 no. 4_
The London Haydn Quartet


----------



## Andolink

double post double post


----------



## Blancrocher

Havergal Brian's mammoth "Gothic" Symphony, from KenOC's recent list of under-appreciated music.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture- Barenboim/CSO*

Best brass _EV-ER_:


----------



## Orfeo

*Federico Mompou*
Piano Works, day 2 (Dialogues, Trois Variations, etc.).
-Martin Jones, Pianist.

*Manuel de Falla*
Piano Works, day 2 (Allegro de Concierto, Serenata, etc.).
-Benita Meshulam, Pianist.

*Enrique Granados*
Piano Works (Los majos enamorados, Cartas de amor, etc.).
-Martin Jones, Pianist.

*Cyril Scott*
Piano Works (Valse Caprice, Soiree Japonaise, etc.).
-Leslie De'Ath, Pianist.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Zigaitis - Youth Overture (Domarkas/Melodiya)
Pakhmutova - Trumpet Concerto (Popov/Monitor)
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 3 (Kondrashin/Melodiya Angel)*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Bach - Violin Concertos - Archiv - Pinnock, Standage et al.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Marschallin Blair said:


> Best brass _EV-ER_:


How do you get such lovely large pics


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: Lust for Life Suite*

The "Sunflowers" (as in Van Gogh's "Sunflowers") cut is gorgeous:


----------



## opus55

Puccini: Turandot


----------



## Oskaar

*Sefika Kutluer 
The Romantic Flute*

*Performer: Sefika Kutluer (Flute), Namik Sultanov (Piano)*

works:

Fantasie for flute & orchestra ("Fantasie Pastorale Hongroise"), Op. 26 
*Albert Franz Doppler*

Sonata for flute & piano, FP 164
*Francis Poulenc*

Il Pastore svizzero, for flute & piano 
*Francesco Morlacchi*

Carnival of Venice, for flute & piano, Op. 14 
*Pierre Agricola Genin*

Syrinx, for solo flute, L. 129 
*Claude Debussy*

Fantasies of Komde, for flute & piano 
*Arif Melikov*

At the tomb of Yunus, for flute & piano 
*Ekrem Zeki Ün*









http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Flute-Franz-Doppler/dp/B000004A2O


----------



## DrKilroy

Mozart - Requiem.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Johan Svendsen - Orchestral Works Vol. 1. It includes the Romance for Violin and Orchestra. Great stuff. 
http://www.amazon.com/Orchestral-Wo...392912600&sr=1-2&keywords=svendsen+orchestral


----------



## MagneticGhost

Handel's Rodelinda. My first listen of Handelian Opera.
Raglan Baroque Players - Nicholas Kraemer


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Puccini: Turandot


Hail Principessa Sutherland!!!!!!!! . . . Who would have_ thought _to cast her in this role?!! . . . Brilliant!


----------



## julianoq

Going through Villa-Lobos String Quartets again. Now playing the No.9, one of my favortes SQs, performed by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Villa-Lobos is more recognized for the Bachianas Brasileiras, but I really love his chamber music, specially the quartets and trios.


----------



## Alfacharger

If someone asked me which recording they should get for Howard Hanson, this would be it.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Maderna for Strings;* Arditti Quartet (naïve). The first track, _*Quartetto per archi (1946), *_sounds decidedly Bartokian; lots of diminished, or octatonic scale runs, gesture similar to Bartok. The next "major" work featured is the *Quartetto per archi in due tempi (1955), *which is decidedly serial. 
The remainder of the works here are, or sound, serial. Each individual player in Arditti is featured in works for solo violin, 2 violins, solo viola, and viola with violin.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Holst: Fugal Overture*

Hickox gives it the thrust and majesty it deserves:


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - I Puritani
By Montserrat Caballé [soprano], Alfredo Kraus [tenor], Julia Hamari [mezzo], Matteo Manugerra [bariton], Agostino Ferrin [bass], Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Mutti [dir.], on EMI


----------



## MagneticGhost

Marschallin Blair said:


> Hickox gives it the thrust and majesty it deserves:


Apparently, Hickox was planning a series of Rare Holst recordings on Chandos just prior to his death. Such a loss!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Liszt*: Piano Works, w. Ciccolini (rec.1961 - '82).

View attachment 35559
View attachment 35560


----------



## Manxfeeder

*MacMillan, Seven Last Words from the Cross*

I don't think I've ever made it through all seven words at one time. It's kind of a downer.


----------



## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> How do you get such lovely large pics


I do wish *Marschallin Blair *would take more care with bandwidth. At this rate, TC will be technically-challenged in 2085.


----------



## Oskaar

*Aaron Avshalomoff: Orchestral Works Vol. 1*

Symphony No. 1

Flute Concerto

*Nadine Asin (flute)

Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Jacob Avshalomov, David Avshalomov*









More flute! Lovely! 1999 recording. Aaron Avshalomoff is heavily influented by chinese folk music, and I think he masterly integrate that into more well known western frames of modern classical music.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.225033
http://208.73.72.168/review.asp?ReviewNum=1019
http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1495


----------



## Oskaar

*Aaron Avshalomoff: Orchestral Works Vol. 1*

Symphony No. 1

Flute Concerto

*Nadine Asin (flute)

Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Jacob Avshalomov, David Avshalomov*









More flute! Lovely! 1999 recording. Aaron Avshalomoff is heavily influented by chinese folk music, and I think he masterly integrate that into more well known western frames of modern classical music.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.225033
http://208.73.72.168/review.asp?ReviewNum=1019
http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1495


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> not exactly current listening but nonetheless a big day ahead and I thought esteemed members might be interested....I am in Vienna for a few days break and *have a seat at the Musikverein this evening for Franz Welser Most conducting VPO in performances of Mozart 28th and Bruckner 6th*-the excitement is palpable and has driven me to send this message on the hotel computer...gather the conductor takes a little hammering from the press periodically and the Bruckner is the more underperformed of his symphonies.....but who cares!
> 
> for those who contribute on other threads,in particular those concerning jazz....last night I had the good fortune to see the Impossible Gentlemen at the Porgy and Bess club.....bass player was Steve Rodby, the man who 30 years ago contributed to Pat Metheny's Travels album..........one of those recordings that has never really left my side........
> 
> Guten Tag!


Great stuff, Jim, enjoy! If you like, leave your impressions of this concert on TC's concerts thread.

In the meantime, with you in spirit while playing this...

View attachment 35564


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new

I have been savouring this one for about two weeks, so I am only now finishing up with the second of the three discs.









When I first got it, I thought that it was a pleasant footnote to a grand collection, but there is much more to my enjoyment of these works than just as the grout between the tiles. I am trying to think horizontally, but it's just not my accustomed mode. Maybe if more posters started getting horizontal...  It's changed how I perceive Scriabin's music, since I had primarily thought of him as a composer of piano works. I guess that's a start.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: "Martern aller Arten" from Die Entführung aus dem Serail*

. . . à la Sutherland, à outrance:


----------



## Vaneyes

Rhythm said:


> Boris Berezovsky plays the etudes, one after another with a fresh terry offered from a nearby assistant between etudes for Boris to pat dry his face. Well before the end, perspiration has drenched his clothing, and I imagine probably soaked through his slacks onto the bench. (I didn't have to say that,  now did I?)
> 
> ^ Liszt Transcendental etudes S139 | Boris Berezovsky, pianist
> 
> You'll notice his performance technique allows the forearms and wrists relaxation thus yielding a near hour-long feat.
> 
> Further, you will have noticed, too, that his arms and hands did not fly up, up and away, having departed the vicinity of the keyboard; those unnecessary motions would have been such energy wasters. This guy's good, from where I sit.


R, as usual, you have an excellent view. Thanks for that Porterhouse meal. Nothing was left on the plate. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Takemitsu's* death day, February 20, 1996.

View attachment 35570


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Andolink said:


> *Joseph Haydn*: String Quartets from Op. 17-- _No. 2 in F major_, _No. 1 in E major_, _No. 5 in G major_ and _No. 6 in D major_
> The London Haydn Quartet
> View attachment 35546
> 
> 
> *Joseph Haydn*: Fortepiano Sonatas-- _No. 50 in D major_ and _No. 51 in E flat major_
> Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
> View attachment 35547
> 
> 
> *Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90_
> Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
> View attachment 35548
> 
> 
> *Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in D minor, Op. 9 no. 4_
> The London Haydn Quartet
> View attachment 35549


Whoa, nice - Op. 17 - I've been thinking of getting the London Haydn Quartet version. The Op. 20 by them is excellent. How did you like Op. 17 by them?

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D960 (Leif Ove Andsnes).


----------



## joen_cph

*Valentin Silvestrov: Litany, for choir.*

In memory of the victims in Kiev, on one the most shocking days in European history for decades.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 71 in B-flat Major (Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).









The first movement is very good, imo - expansive structure and many great, joyous ideas. The adagio is quite good, and I really like the rustic, pizzicato-tinged trio in the menuet. The finale is very energetic and joyful, much like a Haydn finale should be. Overall, another one of Haydn's hidden gems .


----------



## Blancrocher

Gliere's Harp Concerto, and Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra.

Weber's piano sonatas: #1 (Arrau), 2 (Gilels), 3 (Richter), and 4 (Fleisher).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*John Foulds: Three Mantras*










"The Mantra of Will And Vision Of Cosmic Avataras"-- EP-IC BAT-TLE.


----------



## Andolink

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Whoa, nice - Op. 17 - I've been thinking of getting the London Haydn Quartet version. The Op. 20 by them is excellent. How did you like Op. 17 by them?


I like them very much! My first choice in this repertoire has always been Quatuor Mosaïques (their Op. 20 recordings are absolutely definitive IMO) but since they haven't, to my knowledge, recorded the Op. 17 set, I went with the LHQ. These performances are very much HIP (which is very much to my liking) with almost no vibrato and gut strings, etc. If that's not a problem for you, don't hesitate getting these discs. I listened to Op. 9 no. 4 from their recording of that set this morning and it impressed me even more than any of the Op. 17 quartets so surely consider that set too.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 in F minor 'Study Symphony'*

Georg Tintner, RSNO [Naxos, 1995]









A fascinating harbinger of things to come from Bruckner. The 3rd movement scherzo especially anticipates his mature writing. I'm looking forward to many more good things in this Tintner box set.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn String Quartets, Op. 17, London Haydn Quartet. Don't hear these often, but they're great. Suggested by Andolink -- and I agree these are fine performances.


----------



## Vasks

Fantastic disc


----------



## Mister Man

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 9


----------



## MagneticGhost

Liszt - Sonata in B minor

Twice

Earlier - Hough - Visually
Now - Pollini - on Spotify


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslowski, Symphonies 2 and 4.*


----------



## Alfacharger

I'm listening to this a gem of an opera.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mister Man said:


> Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 9


Whos recording?

playing now:










Louis Spohr's The Last Judgement - Bruno Weil, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 1 in C minor, WAB 101*
Georg Tintner, RSNO [Naxos, rec. 1998]

and for comparison:

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 1 in C minor (Linz Version)*
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti [Decca, rec. 1995]















I've had the Solti recording for a while. Tintner (my first listening) plays the entire symphony at a more measured tempo than Solti and the result is great spaciousness and austere grandeur, against Solti's more agitated, dynamic reading. Actually both are very enjoyable music-making in their different ways, but I am 'imprinted' with the Solti version and I suspect it will take me a few listenings to Tintner and the RSNO to unlock its full potential.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*London Symphony Orchestra: Score to Flesh & Blood*










Love that main title music!!!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.18 in B Flat, KV 456

Daniel Barenboim with the English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Mister Man

SimonNZ said:


> Whos recording?


Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra.

http://lso.co.uk/mahler-symphonies-nos-1-9-box-set


----------



## lupinix

Bartok six romenian folk dances


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto in E-flat major, K. 271
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## bejart

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Quintet No.1 in E Flat

Jiri Valek, flute -- Ivan Doksansky, clarinet -- Zdenek Tylsar, horn -- Karel Spelina, viola -- Frntisek Herman, bassoon


----------



## Blancrocher

Les Troyens (cond. Dutoit). I intend to luxuriate in this masterpiece until Mme. Blancrocher says it's time to watch House of Cards.


----------



## KenOC

Bruckner's Abendzauber ("Evening Magic") (1878) for tenor, yodelers and four alpine horns. I'm not making this up! Actually a nice, evocative piece. On YouTube.


----------



## Itullian

One of my favorite soundtracks.


----------



## bejart

Mendelssohn: Violin Sonata in F Major

Joan Berkheimer, violin -- Kyoko Hashimoto, piano


----------



## senza sordino

In an English state of mind today
*Elgar Violin Concerto* The third movement goes on a bit, but overall pretty good. Years ago, I saw Nigel Kennedy perform this here in Vancouver. Next June I will see James Ehnes perform this








And *RVW Lark Ascending and Symphony 3* I don't have my own copy of the symphony, I borrowed it from my mother, as I don't know the RVW symphonies. I was surprised to hear the wordless soprano in the 4th movement. 








Continuing with Vaughn Williams, I listened to *English Folk Song Suite * performed by Neville Mariner and ASMF

And finally tonight, some *Holst, Cotswold Symphony, Japanese Suite, Walt Whitman Overture, A Winter Idyll, Indra*


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Haydn - Sturm Und Drang CD 1
http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Sturm-S...&qid=1392953700&sr=1-1&keywords=haydn+pinnock


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos










New purchase


----------



## SimonNZ

"Masters From Flanders", disc nine

Johannes Ockeghem And France - Erik Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Arabella- Lisa della Casa, 1953*

Lisa Della Casa's _Arabella_ is absolutely _sublime_. I'm touched beyond beyond belief. Her radiance gives me chills. . . literally.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

2013 Gramophone winners: tonight is the Best Choral Recording

Elgar's The Apostles - Mark Elder, cond. (disc two - I missed disc one last week)


----------



## jim prideaux

as mentioned on a previous post I attended the VPO concert at the Musikverein last night and it was everything one would like to imagine-my previous experience of Bruckner 6 was limited to a DG cassette of von Karajan and the BPO I bought years ago but last night I found the symphony to be particularly impressive and lyrical in equal measure-any advice regarding a recording?

could not resist reading through recent posts-noted with interest that some were briefly discussing the fact that they had been listening to works arguably 'out of season'-how about the wrong environment?......

whilst out for what turned out to be a rather long walk around the city yesterday I found myself in the Belvedere palace gardens and realised I was listening with great enjoyment to the later symphonies of Glazunov on my i-pod,-how inapproriate!-quickly changed to Haydn Sturm und Drang symphonies...........

on reflection I would like to add one personal observation-the audience at the Musikverein was made up very obviously of the Viennese 'great and good' and it was to a certain extent rather disconcerting-suits,ties and a quiet assuredness that all was right with the world-and lets face it wealth and tradition!-and yet am I wrong in imagining that Bruckner as an individual was very much a kind of 'semi rustic outsider' driven by a strong spiritual sense,living in an unkempt apartment and with a propensity for wearing a big floppy hat!........

I imagine Hanslick would descend into an apopleptic rage if he returned to observe the extent to which Bruckner has been 'absorbed' by the 'establishment'.......... 

Guten Tag!


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Les Noces - John Carewe, cond.


----------



## clavichorder

CPE Bach Harpsichord Concerto wq 43 no. 1 in F major performed by Miklos Spanyi.


----------



## MagneticGhost

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> 2013 Gramophone winners: tonight is the Best Choral Recording
> 
> Elgar's The Apostles - Mark Elder, cond. (disc two - I missed disc one last week)


That is an awesome recording. Probably my favourite 'Apostles'.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Arnold - Symphonies 1 and 2 - Penny

These have been described somewhere in the forum as a rainy day on Tuesday.
I'm getting sun dappled parks on a Friday myself.


----------



## SimonNZ

Howard Hanson's Symphony No.3 - cond. composer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 1 in B-flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).









Just came in the mail - really liking the ensemble's sound, the cello has that nice edge .


----------



## Ingélou

Locatelli, Concerti Grossi Op 1 - YouTube, Freiburger Barockorchester. 
This is a new baroque composer for me, but I am ravished already. Beautiful, beautiful baroque.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nice! Be sure to check out the twelve concertos that make up his Op.3 "Art Of The Violin"






playing now:

Myaskovsky's Symphony No.9 - Evgeny Svetlanov, cond.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in C Major, RV 447

Pier Giorgio Morandi conducting the Failoni Chamber Orchestra -- Stefan Schilli, oboe


----------



## Guest

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 2 in c minor
Eugen Jochum, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

I'm not too familiar with these. It's something I acquired a couple years ago but hardly listen to. I'll try this morning to run through a couple and see if Bruckner does anything for me. I'll pull up some birographical info online while I listen. That usually helps me appreciate the music more.


----------



## Guest

Ingélou said:


> Locatelli, Concerti Grossi Op 1 - YouTube, Freiburger Barockorchester.
> This is a new baroque composer for me, but I am ravished already. Beautiful, beautiful baroque.


Locatelli is underappreciated. I have his Op. 3, which is a set of 12 concertos and 24 capriccios. The capriccios are mixed in between the movements of the concertos like interludes for solo violin. It's a wonderful work that showed off Locatelli's virtuosity as a violinist.


----------



## Winterreisender

CPE Bach: Hamburg Symphonies - Solamente Naturali and Didier Talpain


----------



## bejart

Had my memory jogged by Ingélou ---
Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in E Flat, Op.7, No.6

Concerto Koln


----------



## Ingélou

Thank you for your recommendations, SimonNZ & Jerome. :cheers: :cheers:
I have something delicious to look forward to over the weekend.


----------



## Oskaar

*Down A River Of Time - Oboe Concertos*

Concerto for oboe, strings & continuo in D minor, TWV 51:d1
Georg Philipp Telemann

Oboe Concerto (incomplete, dubious)
François-Joseph Garnier

Concerto for oboe & orchestra No. 1 in F major
Giuseppe Ferlendis

Concertino for oboe, 2 horns & strings "Idillio" Op.15
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari

Down a River of Time, concerto for oboe & string orchestra
Eric Ewazen

*Performer: Andrea Gullickson 
Conductor: Lucia Matos 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra*









http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Lucia-Matos/Conductor/148756-3

http://www.amazon.com/Eric-Ewazen-Down-River-Time/dp/B000KB4848


----------



## Jeff W

I love this thread! Always gives me ideas for what to listen to and look for next!









Started with some Mozart. Listened to disc 3 (String Quartets No. 9 though 13). The Hagen Quartett played the quartets.









Turned to Prokofiev next. Piano Concertos No. 1, 2 & 4. Vladimir Ashkenazy is playing the piano while Andre Previn leads the London Symphony Orchestra.

Now, off to add a bunch of CDs to my wishlist...


----------



## Bas

Two organ discs of JSB:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Preludes & Fugues BWV 545, 577, 583, 598, 541, 539, 534, 590, 547, 548, 561, 553 - 560, 571, 591, Concerto BWV 594
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









George Philipp Telemann - Solo 6 for Harpsichord, Trio 8 for Recorder flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 12 (same), Trio 2 for Viola da Gamba, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Trio 4 for Transverse flute, Harpsichord Obligato & Basso Continuo, Solo 12 for Harpsichord

By Andreas Staier [harpsichord], Paolo Pandolfo [viola], Oskar Peter [transverse], Michel Piguet [oboe], Conrad Steinmann [recorder], Imker David [viola], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 8 in Am, no. 12 in A, no. 13 in E
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## julianoq

Mozart's String Quintet in C minor, K.406 performed by the Grumiaux Trio, Lesueur and Gérecz.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Symphonies 101 & 104*

Espresso-infused Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the currently sunny-morning climes of Soutern California and waking up to Haydn's London and Clock Symphonies:


----------



## Weston

I had a lot of catching up to do on this thread and finally the time and energy to do it. Even two days can be overwhelming. It's puzzling, I can go for days and days being desultory about the works featured, then all of a sudden everyone is listening to works that never fail to thrill me. It must be purely random, but we try to find patterns and meaning in these things regardless.

My current listening is various Telemann trio sonatas from The Publick Musick. I know baroque in the morning is a bit cliche, but it's bright and sunny today and it fits.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 35609


Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Herbert Blomstedt/Staatskapelle Dresden

I hadn't listened to this recording in quite some time and seeing it brought up in the "Favorite Beethoven 9th" thread made me want to dig it back out. After re-listening to it, I really do think it's a very fine recording. Excellent sound, excellent tempo and interpretative choices, excellent playing from the Dresden players and excellent singing. It really is a very fine traditional 9th. In fact the only real disappointment for me in Blomstedt's Beethoven cycle was his 5th.


----------



## Blancrocher

Abbey Simon playing Ravel.


----------



## samurai

realdealblues said:


> View attachment 35609
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
> Herbert Blomstedt/Staatskapelle Dresden
> 
> I hadn't listened to this recording in quite some time and seeing it brought up in the "Favorite Beethoven 9th" thread made me want to dig it back out. After re-listening to it, I really do think it's a very fine recording. Excellent sound, excellent tempo and interpretative choices, excellent playing from the Dresden players and excellent singing. It really is a very fine traditional 9th. In fact the only real disappointment for me in Blomstedt's Beethoven cycle was his 5th.


I was just interested in asking why you were disappointed in Blomstedt's reading of the Fifth?


----------



## realdealblues

samurai said:


> I was just interested in asking why you were disappointed in Blomstedt's reading of the Fifth?


I just find the 1st movement really lacking any real power. Whether the old belief of "fate" knocking on the door is real or not, I expect a certain amount of force and power with that opening movement and for me, in Blomstedt's recording, I just don't hear it. I doesn't grip me and make me feel like "Ok, I NEED to stop whatever I'm doing right now and listen" and that's what I need Beethoven's 5th to do for me.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

So, how many of you have ever heard of the Dutch composer Gottfried Hendrik Mann? or listened to his Violin Concerto? Well, if you haven't you have missed a really fine concerto. Not very long but masterfully constructed with memorable melodies. His Clarinet Concerto on this recording is also very good but by far my favorite piece on here is the Violin Concerto. Especially the 2nd and 3rd movements. His Festival Prelude and the Troiseme Suite are also very nice listens. The saddest thing about him is that as far as I know this is the only recording of any of his works and he wrote well over a hundred in his short 45 years of life. I hope CPO will produce more of his works. I'd really like to hear some of his piano or chamber compositions.


----------



## realdealblues

Kevin Pearson said:


> So, how many of you have ever heard of the Dutch composer Gottfried Hendrik Mann? or listened to his Violin Concerto? Well, if you haven't you have missed a really fine concerto. Not very long but masterfully constructed with memorable melodies. His Clarinet Concerto on this recording is also very good but by far my favorite piece on here is the Violin Concerto. Especially the 2nd and 3rd movements. His Festival Prelude and the Troiseme Suite are also very nice listens. The saddest thing about him is that as far as I know this is the only recording of any of his works and he wrote well over a hundred in his short 45 years of life. I hope CPO will produce more of his works. I'd really like to hear some of his piano or chamber compositions.


Sounds interesting, I'll have to keep an eye out for that one. Thanks!


----------



## samurai

Thank you, rdb. Have you heard Blomstedt's Nielsen's Symphonic Cycle with e Danish Radio Symphony? Sometimes I have also felt that some of his traversals of these works drag and are heavy--where they shouldn't be--in comparison to other Nielsen conductors such as Ole Schmidt or Theodore Kuchar.


----------



## moody

" FIESTA" !!! Here's some exotic stuff to make up for the lousy weather that many of us have been experiencing.

"La Fiesta Mexicana , A Mexican Folk Song Symphony " (H.Owen Reed).
"Paens and Dances of Heathen Iberia". (Carlos Surinach). Based on hymns and dances of pagan communities 0f medieval Spain
"Fiesta Del Pacifico" (Roger Nixon). A large dance movement which makes use of Spanish - Mexican idioms, the festival is held in San Diego.

Eastman Wind Ensemble. cond. Donald Hunsberger.


----------



## realdealblues

samurai said:


> Thank you, rdb. Have you heard Blomstedt's Nielsen's Symphonic Cycle with e Danish Radio Symphony? Sometimes I have also felt that some of his traversals of these works drag and are heavy--where they shouldn't be--in comparison to other Nielsen conductors such as Ole Schmidt or Theodore Kuchar.


I haven't. I'll be the first to admit my Nielsen recording knowledge is fairly limited. I own Blomstedt's Nielsen Cycle with San Francisco and I find that one very good. I remember reading several reviews that weren't all that praising of his Danish Radio cycle and they all said the San Francisco set was the one to get so I never really considered picking that one up. While I have over 50 complete cycles of Beethoven Symphonies, for Nielsen, I only own the Blomstedt one I mentioned and Michael Schonwandt's cycle and the recordings Leonard Bernstein made with the New York Philharmonic. I've heard the Kuchar set is really good and thought about maybe one day picking it up. I haven't heard the Ole Schmidt cycle either and have read a lot of good and bad reviews about it so I really didn't know what to think on that one. One day I hope to devote some more time to Nielsen's symphony recordings.


----------



## Sudonim

I usually spin this one (well, virtual spinning - on my iPod) to listen to the symphonies, which I love. But now I'm making a point of playing some of the tone poems. Started with "En Saga," now on to "Pohjola's Daughter." (Someone help me here: should the names of pieces like these be in italics or in quotation marks? I know the rules for written works fairly well, but I'm less sure when it comes to citing classical music titles. )


----------



## moody

Ingélou said:


> Locatelli, Concerti Grossi Op 1 - YouTube, Freiburger Barockorchester.
> This is a new baroque composer for me, but I am ravished already. Beautiful, beautiful baroque.


Have you heard his Harmonic Labyrinth ? "......easy to get into but hard to get out of !...only the true virtuosos have ever survived this particular labyrinth".


----------



## Alfacharger

This score is more gold than corn!


----------



## Oskaar

*Freitas Branco - Orchestral Works Volume 3*

Symphony No. 3

A Morte de Manfredo (The Death of Manfred)

World Première Recording

Suite Alentejana No. 2

*RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Álvaro Cassuto*









http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=982618

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-15474/

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/Nov10/branco_8572370.htm

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572370

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=489459


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jeff W said:


> Alas, real life intruded and some sacrifices had to me made!  Anyways, decided to finish the album off by listening to Pohjola's Daughter, The Swan of Tuonela and Finlandia.


A gorgeously, mysteriously, and ravashingly exciting "Pohjola's Daughter"; and with superb engineered sound:










An absolutely sublime reading of "The Swan of Tuonela":


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Respighi: La Sensitiva, Aretusa, Nebbie, Deita Silvane*


----------



## Ingélou

moody said:


> Have you heard his Harmonic Labyrinth ? "......easy to get into but hard to get out of !...only the true virtuosos have ever survived this particular labyrinth".


No  - sounds scary ... but intriguing! 
Thanks, moody! :tiphat:

Taggart & I just listened to it - it is fantastic - brilliant - marvellous - lights up the sky!






And we quite like it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

samurai said:


> Thank you, rdb. Have you heard Blomstedt's Nielsen's Symphonic Cycle with e Danish Radio Symphony? Sometimes I have also felt that some of his traversals of these works drag and are heavy--where they shouldn't be--in comparison to other Nielsen conductors such as Ole Schmidt or Theodore Kuchar.


I incline to the Ole Schmidt, the Bryden Thompson, and the Bernstein myself.


----------



## Winterreisender

Bought these two CDs from charity shop today (£2 each!):
















Symphonies 1-4 from Szymanowski, a composer whom I had never previously listened to. After a first listen to the cycle, I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed #1 even though it was a little generic. #2 ended with a fine set of theme/variations/fugue! #3 will probably take some getting used to (highly chromatic, not much melody... not my usual listening area). #4 was by far my favourite because there seemed to be something of a folk influence. All in all, a decent purchase, I think.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Puccini: Vissi d'arte*

Kiri-style:










What a gigantic, diamond-of-a-voice at that climax.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Winterreisender said:


> Bought these two CDs from charity shop today (£2 each!):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Symphonies 1-4 from Szymanowski, a composer whom I had never previously listened to. After a first listen to the cycle, I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed #1 even though it was a little generic. #2 ended with a fine set of theme/variations/fugue! #3 will probably take some getting used to (highly chromatic, not much melody... not my usual listening area). #4 was by far my favourite because there seemed to be something of a folk influence. All in all, a decent purchase, I think.












Have you heard his opera _King Roger_? With Rattle?-- earth-shattering choral climaxes of ecstasy. Spectacular souding recording.


----------



## Winterreisender

Marschallin Blair said:


> Have you heard his opera _King Roger_? With Rattle?-- earth-shattering choral climaxes of ecstasy. Spectacular souding recording.


Nope... but perhaps I will give it a go when I have got used to these symphonies! I hear Szymanowski has a decent Stabat Mater and Violin Concerto as well.


----------



## Aramis

Winterreisender said:


> Bought these two CDs from charity shop today (£2 each!):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Symphonies 1-4 from Szymanowski, a composer whom I had never previously listened to. After a first listen to the cycle, I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed #1 even though it was a little generic. #2 ended with a fine set of theme/variations/fugue! #3 will probably take some getting used to (highly chromatic, not much melody... not my usual listening area). #4 was by far my favourite because there seemed to be something of a folk influence. All in all, a decent purchase, I think.


1 & 2 are early works and can be safely ignored, if you didn't click with them. Even Szymanowski hated his 1st symphony. If you liked the folk motives of the 4th, check out his ballet _Harnasie_ and mazurkas. Or 1st string quartet. And try to get into _Song of the Night_, it's well worth of some effort.



> I hear Szymanowski has a decent Stabat Mater and Violin Concerto as well.


You hear wrong then, Szymanowski has GREAT Stabat Mater and violin concerto (#1, "May Night" - the second is less of a masterpiece).

As for the opera, the CD above posted by Blair is the wrong choice. The right chocie is Naxos recording under Karol Stryja. The work itself is, for me, the top opera of XXth century.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart -piano concerto 27 Brendel / Marriner

What a great Mozart player Brendel was. I remember falling in love with this piece from his old Turnabout recording at a time when there were few recommendable Mozart concerto issues.


----------



## DrKilroy

Winterreisender said:


> Symphonies 1-4 from Szymanowski, a composer whom I had never previously listened to. After a first listen to the cycle, I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed #1 even though it was a little generic. #2 ended with a fine set of theme/variations/fugue! #3 will probably take some getting used to (highly chromatic, not much melody... not my usual listening area). #4 was by far my favourite because there seemed to be something of a folk influence. All in all, a decent purchase, I think.


Good start!  Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 are less characteristic (Szymanowski even rejected No. 1, I believe). I like No. 2, however. No. 4 is also my favourite - it is indeed influenced by Polish Tatra Highlanders music. If you like it, you might also try the Second Violin Concerto and ballet Harnasie.

Best regards, Dr

EDIT: Oh well, Aramis beat me to it.  But a double recommendation will encourage you even more, I hope! Szymanowski was really a worthwhile composer.

As for Rattle's Szymanowski, I haven't heard his Król Roger, but his Harnasie is excellent, even though the text is sometimes sung unintelligibly. But you have to understand that authentic Polish pronounciation is very hard to learn, not to mention the Polish Highlanders' dialect!


----------



## Vasks

*Bloch - Symphony in E-flat (Sternberg/ASV)
Barber - Music for a Scene from Shelley (Schenk/Stradivari)
A. Berger - Perspectives II (Rose/New World)
Bazelon - Short Symphony (Farberman/Albany)*


----------



## Winterreisender

> 1 & 2 are early works and can be safely ignored, if you didn't click with them. Even Szymanowski hated his 1st symphony. If you liked the folk motives of the 4th, check out his ballet Harnasie and mazurkas. Or 1st string quartet. And try to get into Song of the Night, it's well worth of some effort.
> 
> ...
> 
> Szymanowski has GREAT Stabat Mater and violin concerto (#1, "May Night" - the second is less of a masterpiece).
> 
> As for the opera, the CD above posted by Blair is the wrong choice. The right chocie is Naxos recording under Karol Stryja. The work itself is, for me, the top opera of XXth century.


Thanks for the recommendations. Actually, the charity shop I was in today had the Naxos King Roger. Will have to go back tomorrow to buy it (before someone else does!).


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1










This piano concerto feels like a heavy weight


----------



## Guest

Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
James Levine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

I have loved this symphony from the very first time I heard it. This is Sergei at his most exciting and engaging. It's brevity only makes the work more appealing by leaving the listener wanting more. The solution is to listen to it twice.


----------



## samurai

Jerome said:


> View attachment 35621
> 
> Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
> James Levine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 
> I have loved this symphony from the very first time I heard it. This is Sergei at his most exciting and engaging. It's brevity only makes the work more appealing by leaving the listener wanting more. The solution is to listen to it twice.


If not more.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jerome said:


> View attachment 35621
> 
> Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
> James Levine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 
> I have loved this symphony from the very first time I heard it. This is Sergei at his most exciting and engaging. It's brevity only makes the work more appealing by leaving the listener wanting more. The solution is to listen to it twice.


That's my absolute standard for Prokofiev's First Symphony; so much fun. Levine plays it with such galloping vivacity that you'd think he was conducting _Candide_ or something.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Opus 55: The Ozawa/Zimmerman Lizst piano concertos feel like a heavy weights.

---yeaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAaaaaauuuuuuuuuuh. . ._ AND _the _Totentanz_.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphonies 4 - 6, w. Philharmonia/Muti (rec. 1977 - '79).

View attachment 35623


----------



## Vaneyes

Aramis said:


> ....Szymanowski has GREAT Stabat Mater and violin concerto (#1, "May Night" - the second is less of a masterpiece)....


Hats-off to that X 2! :tiphat::tiphat:


----------



## GreenMamba

Poulenc, Le Bal Masqué. Plotino/New Music Studium


----------



## Vaneyes

realdealblues said:


> I haven't. I'll be the first to admit my Nielsen recording knowledge is fairly limited. I own Blomstedt's Nielsen Cycle with San Francisco and I find that one very good. I remember reading several reviews that weren't all that praising of his Danish Radio cycle and they all said the San Francisco set was the one to get so I never really considered picking that one up. While I have over 50 complete cycles of Beethoven Symphonies, for Nielsen, I only own the Blomstedt one I mentioned and Michael Schonwandt's cycle and the recordings Leonard Bernstein made with the New York Philharmonic. I've heard the Kuchar set is really good and thought about maybe one day picking it up. I haven't heard the Ole Schmidt cycle either and have read a lot of good and bad reviews about it so I really didn't know what to think on that one. One day I hope to devote some more time to Nielsen's symphony recordings.


I think you have enough Nielsen symphony knowledge. You may stop there. :tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslawski, Symphony No. 2.*

I'm still not getting this. The first movement sounds like different sections of an orchestra tuning up. Maybe it will click on the next go-round.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 35624


*Mendelssohn: *
Piano Sonata No. 1
Prelude & Fugue
Variations Serieuses
Rondo Capriccioso

_Pianist:_ Murray Perahia


----------



## realdealblues

Vaneyes said:


> I think you have enough Nielsen symphony knowledge. You may stop there. :tiphat:


Thanks!  I think that's why I haven't really checked out a lot of the other recordings. I've been pretty happy with what I have.


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, Symphony No. 3.



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Mr. Brendel marvelously playing Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.15 In D, Op.28 ''Pastorale''. This music is a sign that the work week is almost ending, good weekend for everybody!


----------



## Oskaar

*COWEN: Symphony No. 3 / Indian Rhapsody*

Symphony no 3 in C minor "Scandinavian"

Butterfly's Ball

Indian Rhapsody

*Conductor: Adrian Leaper 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra*









Beautiful and rich late romantic. Good lively performances

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.223273


----------



## Itullian

5 and 6. A favorite cycle.
Sumptuous sound.


----------



## KenOC

Mendelssohn's Octet, Guarneri and Orion Quartets. On the radio. A nice performance, always great to hear this work.


----------



## joen_cph

Vaneyes said:


> I think you have enough Nielsen symphony knowledge. You may stop there. :tiphat:


'

Actually, Morton Gould in 2, and Jean Martinon in 4 have some very unusual tempi/timings. The most interesting besides those you own, IMO.


----------



## LancsMan

*Charpentier: Medee* Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie on Erato








Last week I listened to William Christie and Les Arts Florissants performing Purcell's King Arthur. As might be expected from a French composer, this is a more polished work than King Arthur - serious opera had a somewhat lukewarm acceptance amongst the English middle and upper classes. It's well over three hours and takes a little time to get going. But once in the work develops quite a tragic power.

This performance is naturally very good!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Chabrier: Gwendoline Overture*










Plasson's capacity for charming, spirited expression seems endless.


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 9.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Haydn man

A recent buy and very pleasing


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 4 in F-Sharp minor; No. 5 in F Major, 'The Dream'; No. 6 in D Major, 'The Frog' (Nomos-Quartett).









An excellent ensemble, really liking the set. They have a smooth, crisp and clear sound. The booklet notes are also very detailed.

Note on Op. 50 No. 4: Ah, the fuga. Such a wonderful baroque atmosphere - love how Haydn could pull such movements off.

Note on No. 5: The Poco Adagio really does sound like a 'dream' here, excellent.

Note on No. 6: The 1st movement sparkles. The solo parts for cello come through very well in the Poco Adagio.


----------



## samurai

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 4 in F-Sharp minor (Nomos-Quartett).
> 
> View attachment 35629
> 
> 
> An excellent ensemble, really liking the set. They have a smooth, crisp and clear sound. Got this used and in perfect shape for just 7 euros .


Just another stupid question from me, but I am wondering as to how much are 7 euros worth in terns of American dollars? Thanks.


----------



## Oskaar

*FAURE, G.: Piano Trio, Op. 102 / BERG, A.: 4 Stucke, Op. 5 / BEETHOVEN, L. van: Clarinet Trio, Op. 38*

*Eduard Brunner (Clarinet), Boris Pergamenschikow, (Cello), Vassily Lobanov (Piano)*









http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sakari-tepponen-mn0002343904


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Violin Concerto No. 1, Stabat Mater*

All this talk about Szymanowski has made me want to pull out some stuff from my CD stack.


----------



## Vaneyes

joen_cph said:


> '
> 
> Actually, Morton Gould in 2, and Jean Martinon in 4 have some very unusual tempi/timings. The most interesting besides those you own, IMO.


I don't think either captures the Nielsen sound. Off topic, while I think of it, I have similar disengagment with Barbirolli Sibelius 2, and Stokowski Shostakovich 11. :tiphat:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

samurai said:


> Just another stupid question from me, but I am wondering as to how much are 7 euros worth in terns of American dollars? Thanks.


It was not a stupid question - 7 Euros is, at the current rate, 9 dollars and sixty cents .


----------



## Vaneyes

samurai said:


> Just another stupid question from me, but I am wondering as to how much are 7 euros worth in terns of American dollars? Thanks.


A handy conversion site. 

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> It was not a stupid question - 7 Euros is, at the current rate, 9 dollars and sixty cents .


9.61680, to be precise at this minute.


----------



## samurai

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> It was not a stupid question - 7 Euros is, at the current rate, 9 dollars and sixty cents .


Thanks, HaydnBearsthe Clock. :tiphat: That is truly a great deal. Congrats!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

samurai said:


> Thanks, HaydnBearsthe Clock. :tiphat: That is truly a great deal. Congrats!


If you like Haydn's quartets, I don't think you can go wrong with this set.


----------



## hpowders

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 35581
> 
> 
> Les Troyens (cond. Dutoit). I intend to luxuriate in this masterpiece until Mme. Blancrocher says it's time to watch House of Cards.


I'd give it 10 minutes, then.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Lully* - Quare Fremuerunt. I'm in baroque mood.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Coincidentally...

*Haydn - String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 76, No. 4, Hob.III/78 'Sunrise' (1796-7)*
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2004]

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 18 in A major, KV. 464 (1785)*
Leipzig String Quartet, [MD&G, rec. 2001]

*Beethoven - String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4 (1798 - 1800)*
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2002][/B]





















Ah - I've been tripped up again by the Leipziger Mozart 'Haydn' Quartets being presented in order 1-2-3-5-4-6! Bang goes my obsessional little game plan.


----------



## realdealblues

Comparing a couple recordings...

View attachment 35633


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4 (Original 1930 Version)
Valery Gergiev/London Symphony Orchestra

View attachment 35634


Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4 (Original 1930 Version)
Neeme Jarvi/Scottish National Orchestra

I haven't listened to this Symphony in quite sometime (probably a year or more), and for some reason I had it in my head that I didn't really like it. I don't know what I was thinking, because I'm really enjoying hearing this work back to back. As for the recordings, I like Gergiev's take on the 1st movement more, but prefer Jarvi in the 2nd & 3rd. The 4th movement I liked Jarvi's approach better, but really preferred the sound of the London Symphony.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Salome*










Caballe is just so_ ON _from the outset of the opera, which seems to interpose zero technical obstacles to her.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Bach:* Harpsichord Concerto #1, #5 and #6 / T. Pinnock, The English Concert

*Shostakovich:* Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major / D. Matsuev, V. Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre Symphony

*Mendelssohn:* Symphony No. 4 in A major / P. Jaarvi, Frankfurt Radio Symphony


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Barber: School for Scandal Overture & Second Essay for Orchestra*


----------



## DavidA

Mozart piano concerto 17 - Brendel / Marriner

I bought the box of Brendel's complete Mozart piano concertos at 10 CDs for £15.60 from Amazon. The have been remastered and sound superb. What a bargain!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Marschallin Blair said:


> Caballe is just so_ ON _from the outset of the opera, which seems to interpose zero technical obstacles to her.


I adore this recording Marschallin and I couldn't agree more on Caballe. She always sets a superb standard.

As for my Current listening, I am on disc 6 of *Wilhelm Furtwangler: Live Recordings 1944-53,* disc 6 - Wagner.. I have just finished the Meistersinger Act 1 Prelude and I am now on the *Tannhauser* overture. Both feature the Berliner Philharmoniker in fine form both in terms of performance and recording quality.

Prior to this I listened to *Weinberg's Symphony No.4 by Chmura & the NPRSO* on Chandos. This was my second listen and I enjoyed it a great deal. Weinberg strikes me as being underrated - I could be wrong - but I have enjoyed the four Symphonies I have heard so far.


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> Caballe is just so_ ON _from the outset of the opera, which seems to interpose zero technical obstacles to her.


The seven veils would need to be somewhat substantial, I think!

But a great singer.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> The seven veils would need to be somewhat substantial, I think!
> 
> But a great singer.


Oh sure. Rysanek's my girl in Salome. . . I just love Caballe's seductive smoothness in parts of it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Sonatas in C, A, and F, Nos. K330, 331, and 332.*

I'm not a Mozart connoisseur, but I like the way Karl Engel plays these, with a modern piano but not played romantically, approximating a fortepiano without that annoying fortepiano sound (I mean annoying to me; I know others beg to differ).


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, Andreas Staier. Though I'm usually not much of a fortepiano fan, this might (just might) be my favorite set of the Diabellis.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*George Onslow

String Quintet No. 32 in D minor, Op.78 No. 1* (1848)
*
String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op.8 No.1* (~1812)

Performed by: Michel Tournus, ('cello); Bruno Pasquier, (viola); Serge Collot, (viola) Gerard Jarry, (violin) Yvon Caracilly, (violin) [Disques A. Charlin, ?rec. date]










Inspired by Blancrocher and others to my second listen to these MP3 files. To be honest, neither recording or performance are perhaps in the top class, but I get an idea of the scope and breadth of Onslow's writing for chamber strings. There are similarities to Mozart and Beethoven here (and to Schumann in Op. 78) but also an inventiveness that seems to me to be in a unique idiom. The Scherzo of Op. 78/1 is especially good. I think I might invest in some modern CD recordings soon.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony










Wow. A grand choral opening and I can understand the words!


----------



## Blancrocher

Peter Hurford playing organ works by Mendelssohn.

*p.s.* KenOC--did you see that Andras Schiff has a double recording of the DV's, on period and modern instruments?

According to this review, Staier's is superior, but Schiff's probably worth hearing nonetheless.


----------



## Itullian

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mozart, Sonatas in C, A, and F, Nos. K330, 331, and 332.*
> 
> I'm not a Mozart connoisseur, but I like the way Karl Engel plays these, with a modern piano but not played romantically, approximating a fortepiano without that annoying fortepiano sound (I mean annoying to me; I know others beg to differ).


He did a whole set of Mozart piano concertos back then too, which I really liked.


----------



## KenOC

Blancrocher said:


> *p.s.* KenOC--did you see that Andras Schiff has a double recording of the DV's, on period and modern instruments?
> 
> According to this review, Staier's is superior, but Schiff's probably worth hearing nonetheless.


I got the Schiff double when it first came out, mostly because I love his LvB sonatas and he so totally aced the Well-tempered in his new recordings of those. His Diabellis are good (he's Schiff after all) but I still prefer Lewis. I did NOT expect to like Staier's Diabellis very much, and he managed to surprise me! A lot.


----------



## KenOC

Itullian said:


> He did a whole set of Mozart piano concertos back then too, which I really liked.


I have that set, Karl Engel and the Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg, Leopold Hager conducting. When I bought it, CDs were still being made out of stone.


----------



## KenOC

Wolfgang Rihm, Time Chant. Mutter, Levine, and the gang. I won't be whistling this tomorrow.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.85 in B Flat

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor and Symphony No.6 in E Minor, *
both performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Adrian Boult. The Sixth has always served for me as a sort of gateway into his *Seventh*, foreshadowing all of its attendant wonder--and sense of terror--so powerfully limned out in the latter. It is as if they comprise one organic whole, rather than two separate works, at least to my ears. 
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60; Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13. *
All three works feature the Witold Rowicki led London Symphony Orchestra. I find Dvorak *6* to be as emotionally compelling, moving and every bit as good as his *Seventh, Eighth and Ninth {"New World"} Symphonies*.
Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.11 * *and Symphony No.5 in D Major, Op.107 {"Reformation"}, * both traversed by Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Blancrocher

I'm listening to Serebrier's recording of Glazunov's 4th, having read Huilunsoittaja's delightful appreciations of the symphony.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Impromptu in C Minor, Op.90, No.1, D.899

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc fourteen

Cancoes, Vilancicos e Motetes Portugueses - Paul Van Nevel, cond.


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *
both featuring the Ole Schmidt led London Symphony Orchestra. The constant tension of push/pull between calmness and the ever lurking violence hiding--in plain sight-- just around that blind corner or in that next trench is quite palpable and well conveyed by Nielsen. Two tremendous works, with awesome performances by the LSO under Maestro Schmidt to match! 
Jean Sibelius-- *Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.43 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, * both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Berglund.


----------



## hpowders

KenOC said:


> Wolfgang Rihm, Time Chant. Mutter, Levine, and the gang. I won't be whistling this tomorrow.


I have this. I am not ashamed to admit I bought this mostly for the cover photo.


----------



## KenOC

hpowders said:


> I have this. I am not ashamed to admit I bought this mostly for the cover photo.


Diogenes, you can put away your lantern now.


----------



## opus55

Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire


----------



## Guest

This new SACD arrived today, and I think I no longer like Pettersson's music, or at least not this symphony. It's just too repetitive for my taste.


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Guntram


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> Oh sure. Rysanek's my girl in Salome. . . I just love Caballe's seductive smoothness in parts of it.


Behrens / Karajan?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 1 in B-flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).


----------



## Conor71

*Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 6*

I have added the Piano Sonatas and Symphonies of Scriabin to my collection this weekend - First up I will listen to Piano Sonata No. 1 and then Symphony No. 3 from the set pictured below:


----------



## Sid James

KenOC said:


> George Bernard Shaw liked the late quartets too: "Why should I be asked to listen to the intentional intellectualities, profundities, theatrical fits and starts, and wayward caprices of self-conscious genius which make up those features of the middle period Beethovenism of which we all have to speak so seriously, when I much prefer these beautiful, simple, straightforward, unpretentious, perfectly intelligible posthumous quartets?"


Thats a great quote, and I have read others by G.B. Shaw. I forgot that Cesar Franck was another 19th century composer of that rare or rarer breed who understood what Beethoven was doing in his late period and effectively synthesised those innovations into his own groundbreaking music.



samurai said:


> Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.6 in D Major, Op.60; Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.13. *




Yes, that's what they say about the 6th, the consensus is what you say. Just as good as the ones which follow it. Its one I haven't heard in living memory, its one on the endless 'backburner' to get to! Of his earlier symphonies I like the 2nd a lot, its like Dvorak meets Beethoven, the Romantic and Classical aesthetic combined well, but its been years since I heard it.



samurai said:


> Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *
> both featuring the Ole Scmidt led London Symphony Orchestra. The constant tension of push/pull between calmness and the ever lurking violence hiding--in plain sight-- just around that blind corner or in that next trench is quite palpable and well conveyed by Nielsen. Two tremendous works, with awesome performances by the LSO under Maestro Schmidt to match!




They are favourites for me, and I intend to listen to Nielsen's 5th at some point again soon. He was using the percussion section in an innovative way in that, assigning them independent chance/improvisatory parts. I have listened to Grainger's The Warriors in the past week too, which uses similar techniques. These where from the 1910's, so decades ahead of Cage, but Ives was doing similar things around that time. I will return in due course to give my full thoughts on this, said to be Grainger's magnum opus, when I get the chance and do some relistening to it soon! The performance was by the Philharmonia Orchestra under John Elliott Gardiner.


----------



## MagneticGhost

John Taverner - Missa Sancti Wilhelmi - Harry Christophers and The Sixteen


----------



## Conor71

*Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11*

Good performance of this piece. The Talk of Nielsen has me wanting to play a Symphony from the Blomstedt set (I just brought this one out of retirement today). I will listen to Symphony No. 4:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

samurai said:


> ...both traversed by Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


I've been waiting for you to post something like 'Ein Alpensymphonie'...traversed by von Karajan and the BPO (I like the mental image of conductor and orchestra in full evening dress traversing the Alps...)

Enough of such tomfoolery. 
Currently listening to:

*Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Op. 2

No. 1 in F minor
No. 2 in A
No. 3 in C*









Alfred Brendel [Decca, rec. 1993-6]

To start off my weekend. I've not worked through this box set yet, but I'm getting closer now. These are three of my favourites (I have always preferred LvB's early sonatas up to Op. 31 and the late ones starting at Op. 81a) and Brendel plays with authority and serene assurance. The Largo appassionato of Op. 2/2 is very beautiful and poetic here, and his account of the quicksilver Op. 2/3 is most enjoyable. Though not quite so fresh and spontaneous as his early readings, these mature performances are very satisfying.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's From Me Flows What You Call Time - Carl St.Clair, cond.


----------



## Bas

A new arrival: 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintets 
By The Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes [viola], on Hyperion


----------



## Guest

Starting off with some *Mozart *this morning








K314 (K271k), *Oboe Concerto *in C
*Heinz Holliger*, oboe, conductor
Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields

Listening to this I long for the clarity of a modern recording, but Holliger's performance is remarkable - probably the best of the seven recordings I have.








K218, *Violin Concerto No. 4* in D
*Julia Fischer*, violin
Yakov Kreizberg, conductor
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

Listening to this I long for the performance of a classic recording.  No really, Fischer is just fine but my favorite is still Mutter's 2005 recording with the LPO.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Orion And Pleiades - Tadaaki Otaka, cond.


----------



## AndyS

Michelangeli playing Debussy's Images


----------



## Jeff W

Finishing off Prokofiev's concertos. Piano Concertos No. 3 & 5, Op. 26 & 55 with Ashkenazy as the piano with Previn leading the London Symphony. The two Violin Concertos, Op. 19 & 63 with Joshua Bell on Violin with Charles Dutoit leading the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Finally the Sinfonia Concertante for cello and orchestra, Op. 125 and Cello Concertino, Op. 132 with Lynn Harrell on cello and Ashkenazy leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. That is quite the mouthful...


----------



## shangoyal

Chopin: *Piano Sonata no. 1 in C minor*

Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## Andolink

Swooning over these two discs:

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Piano Sonatas-- _No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a 'Les Adieux'_; _No. 28 in A major, Op. 101_; _No.30 in E major, Op. 109_; _No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110_
Ronald Bruatigam, fortepiano


----------



## Vasks

*Berwald - Overture to "The Dressmaker" (Liljefors/Sterling)
Borodin - Symphony No. 2 (Gunzenhauser/Naxos)*
Bossi - Fantasia Sinfonica (Frontalini/Bongiovanni)*

_*This is just an OK #2, but I bought this disc to have #1 & #3_


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Double Flute Concerto in G Minor

Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra -- Claudi Armany and Josep Franesc Palou, flutes


----------



## Oskaar

*Schnittke - Chamber Music*

Prelude in memoriam Dmitri Shostakovich for two violins

Moz-Art à la Haydn

Stille Musik for violin and cello

A Paganini for violin solo

Madrigal in memoriam Oleg Kagan for violin solo

Madrigal In Memoriam Oleg Kagan for solo cello (1991)

Trio for violin, cello & piano

*Oleh Krysa (violin), Alexandr Fischer (violin), Torleif Thedéen (cello), Tatiana Tchekina (piano)
*









http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=47531


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA: Behrens/Karajan?

I've got to get it. I haven't heard it. I imagine she's great with that youthful-sounding voice for the role. My ignorance is boundless and sobering; Karajan and Behrens?-- I know: what an inexcusable lacuna for _Salome_. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I can't wait to hear it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Opus 55: Previn/Ashkenazy/LSO Rachmaninov Piano Concertos

Yeah, I especially love Ashkenazy's and Previn's synergy for that climax in the first movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto: the uplift of the strings! The brass and timpani! Ashkenazy's high-octane flourishes!-- _YEEEEEEEEES!_


----------



## Blancrocher

Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in Mahler 1. Happy weekend, everyone!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Opus 55: Strauss: Guntram

Looooove that cover art as well.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto in B-flat, K.595
Emil Gilels, USSR State Symphony Orchestra, cond. Ovchinnikov





Not having access to most of my CDs at the moment...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 35679
> 
> 
> Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in Mahler 1. Happy weekend, everyone!


_Bonjour. . . et bon espresso_. Cheers. __


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Opus 55: Schoenberg: _Pierrot Lunaire_

-- Yeah, and with Christine Schafer. . . I love this performance; I love Boulez's clarifications of the textures; I love the recording quality. Total thumbs up.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Diogenes, you can put away your lantern now.


I'm _HOW-LING! _ Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Great wordsmithing. . . Yeah, I like to read a little self-indulgent, unguarded candor myself.


----------



## hpowders

At my expense..... :lol:


----------



## Andolink

*Christoph Graupner*: _Suite for transverse flute, viola d'amore, chalumeau, strings and cembalo in F major_
Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch








*Mathias Spahlinger*: _Apo do_, for string quartet (1982)
Arditti String Quartet


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat, KV 240

Rotterdam Philharmonic Wind Soloists: Remco de Vries and Irma Kort, oboes -- Martin van de Merwe and Jos Bjuurman, horns -- John Steinmann and Hans Wisse, bassoons


----------



## Oskaar

*Katia and Marielle Labèque / Eugene Ormandy / Simon Rattle / Tabea Zimmermann 
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Viola Concerto; Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra; Etc.*









I love Bartok!

Could not find much reviews or info, but here is at least samples.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/bartók-concerto-for-orchestra-viola-concerto-concerto-for-two-pianos-percussion-and-orchestra-etc-mw0002160384


----------



## hpowders

Kevin Pearson said:


> So, how many of you have ever heard of the Dutch composer Gottfried Hendrik Mann? or listened to his Violin Concerto? Well, if you haven't you have missed a really fine concerto. Not very long but masterfully constructed with memorable melodies. His Clarinet Concerto on this recording is also very good but by far my favorite piece on here is the Violin Concerto. Especially the 2nd and 3rd movements. His Festival Prelude and the Troiseme Suite are also very nice listens. The saddest thing about him is that as far as I know this is the only recording of any of his works and he wrote well over a hundred in his short 45 years of life. I hope CPO will produce more of his works. I'd really like to hear some of his piano or chamber compositions.


I have to mann up here; never heard of him.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bach: Christmas Cantada*










Morning Blair reporting from the _GORGEOUSLY_ sunny-morning climes of Southern California, espressinating to Bach.


----------



## Vasks

hpowders said:


> I have to mann up here; never heard of him.


Ach, mein Gott!


----------



## Bas

Having finished three discs of Wolfgang's String Quintets (excellent purchase, will be studying those works further on this week), I went for the following:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Klavierwerken Partita 6 BWV 830, Italienisches Konzert BWV 971, Partita BWV 831
By Andreass Staier [harpsichord], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 11, 12, 13
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









It occurred to me that the first movement of the 11th piano sonata had similarities with the second piano concerto of Beethoven. Quickly checked the keys: both B-flat. I will check out if my discovery goes further then that (without Wikipedia, that would be cheating, it is there if I can hear, distinguish it.) Anyway my hearing is improving, am getting better at recognising keys


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Boris Berezovsky - Chopin - Etude No. 1, Op.10


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Louis Lortie: Chopin Etudes Op 25 No 2*






So smoothly and sveltely executed; so almost Richteresque-- I love it.


----------



## Guest

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 35679
> 
> 
> Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in Mahler 1. Happy weekend, everyone!


You might enjoy this interview with Jared Sacks of Channel Classics--he references that recording a few times:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/jared-sacks-dsd-present-and-future


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 7.*

Listening to this and wondering if I need _yet another_ Bruckner cycle. The interpretation is well done, but at least on Spotify, the sound seems tilted toward treble, and the orchestra doesn't seem as tight as other ensembles. Am I missing something?


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak - Symphony 5
http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Sympho...=1393088811&sr=1-2&keywords=dvorak+symphonies


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphonies No. 00 in F minor; No. 1 in C minor* / Tintner, RSNO [Naxos]

I have decided to stick with a small group of the early Bruckner symphonies for now (00, 1, 0, 2), and get to know them better before I move on to the rest of the box. It's very tempting, though...

*Mahler - Symphony No. 1 in D* / Solti, LSO [Decca Ovation (LP)]

For contrast! (and it's the 'Saturday symphony' as well).

I'm cleaning the LP of clicks, pops and 'stuck grooves' as I go.


----------



## Rocco

*Beethoven piano sonatas, No. 30, 31, 32 and 32 Variations.

*


----------



## samurai

hpowders said:


> I have to mann up here; never heard of him.


You the Mann, brother! ut:


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Symphony in C Sharp Minor, VB 140

Petter Sundkvist conducting the Swedish Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*AVSHALOMOV / SILVER / MEYEROWITZ: Jewish Tone Poems*

4 Biblical Tableaux
Aaron Avshalomov

Shirat Sara
Sheila Silver

Symphony, "Midrash Esther"
Jan Meyerovitz

*Schwarz, Gerard, Conductor • Levi, Yoel, Conductor • Seattle Symphony Orchestra • Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra*









I have not listened much to tone poems, but this record is a gem! Rich and varied soundscapes, brilliant performed, and good sound.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559426

http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=5205#

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Avshalomov-Silver-Meyerowitz-Jewish-Poems/dp/B0002B7PFA


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 0 'Die Nullte' in D minor* / Georg Tintner, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland [Naxos, rec. 1996]









Sorry, this box set is getting a lot of use at the moment. This is a very characteristic Brucker work, and again it's my first ever listen. Like the 'Study Symphony' it's the inner movements (the andante and scherzo-presto-trio-langsamer) and their brass and woodwind writing that are so typical and charismatic.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> So smoothly and sveltely executed; so almost Richteresque-- I love it.


Lortie, Lortie!! I like him too.


----------



## Blancrocher

Hermann Scherchen and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Beethoven's 8th, which was recommended by Vaneyes on another thread. I'm also listening to some 60s-era Richter recordings of the sonatas, including #s 3 and 4.


----------



## Manxfeeder

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Bruckner - Symphony No. 0 'Die Nullte' in D minor* / Georg Tintner, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland [Naxos, rec. 1996]
> 
> View attachment 35705
> 
> 
> Sorry, this box set is getting a lot of use at the moment.


You don't need to apologize for something like that.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: The Origin of Fire*

Sibelius: _The Origin of Fire_, as done by Thor 'bolt-thrower' Johnson (07:25-end)















AWE-SOME!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Salmi a due cori*

This is a well-done compilation of sacred works for two choruses. I think I like them better than Robert King's group; they have a more natural feel, whereas Robert King's recording sounds like they're concentrating on right notes and precision.


----------



## Itullian

Great playing. great recording.


----------



## MagneticGhost

A bit of Berlioz.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> You the Mann, brother! ut:


Yes. I used to live near Mann-hattan. Over there, if you couldn't mann up, your wallet would be stolen.


----------



## senza sordino

My Saturday baroque morning are my two new disks, Corelli bought yesterday and Bach a couple of weeks ago.

*Corelli Concerto Grossi* I really like this. And the theorbo (a kind of lute, I had to look it up) is a nice touch, adds some flavour.








*Bach Orchestral Suites*


----------



## maestro267

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Bruckner - Symphony No. 0 'Die Nullte' in D minor* / Georg Tintner, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland [Naxos, rec. 1996]
> 
> View attachment 35705
> 
> 
> Sorry, this box set is getting a lot of use at the moment. This is a very characteristic Brucker work, and again it's my first ever listen. Like the 'Study Symphony' it's the inner movements (the andante and scherzo-presto-trio-langsamer) and their brass and woodwind writing that are so typical and charismatic.


I've collected some of the individual discs of this cycle. The fact it uses the original versions of the symphonies makes it a very important series of recordings.

-------------------

*Bantock*: Thalaba the Destroyer
Royal PO/Handley

*Prokofiev*: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Ashkenazy (piano)/London SO/Previn

_Saturday Symphony:_
*Mahler*: Symphony No. 1 in D major
London SO/Solti


----------



## Mahlerian

Saturday symphony:
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt









I bought this DVD set for the LPO Eighth, actually, but this riveting performance of the First was a great bonus. The video quality is rather lousy (clearly shot on videotape), but the sound is great and the performance, although a bit on the slower side, is powerful throughout.

Sorry I didn't post last week's Haydn last week. I actually did listen to it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Piano Sonatas, w. Ts'ong (rec.1990), Sudbin (rec.2004), Pogorelich (rec.1991), Tharaud (rec.2010).

View attachment 35714
View attachment 35715
View attachment 35716
View attachment 35717


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Hermann Scherchen "Symphony No 6" Mahler*

A tribute to the Mahlerians out there:






Scherchen's treatment of the outer movements is pure 300.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler VI: Last Movement*










I'm listening to the last twelve minutes or so of the last movement of this performance with Jarvi and the RNSO.

I just get a lump in my throat from that: "always-charge, never-bend, fighting-a-rear-guard-action, but-destined-to-be-destroyed" ethos; whether its civilizational collapse, warfare, or failed personal relationships. . . Awesome. . . .Overwhelming. . . 'Mahler.'


----------



## SimonNZ

Salieri's Emperor's Mass - Uwe Christian Harrer, cond.


----------



## Bas

To explore the thing I noticed and stated in my previous post I stuffed some more Beethoven discs in my player:

First another take on sonatas 11-13 (Mondscheinn as a bonus, Gulda is faster then Barenboim, more sonatas per disc...)

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 11 - 14
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concertos 2 in B-flat and 3 in Cm
By Friederich Gulda [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Horst Stein [dir.], on Decca









Conclusion: there are some similarities between sonata no. 11 and the second piano concerto. 
Sub-conclusion: the third piano concerto is so epic, brilliant, genius, I barely have enough superlatives in my own language, let alone English. (And well played, Beethoven is under very capable fingers with Gulda, very capable.)

This is all the music I'll play today, I am now enjoying the aftermath of the third piano concerto in silence, as I have no clue what disc would be appropriate to follow up the last one...


----------



## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> I do wish *Marschallin Blair *would take more care with bandwidth. At this rate, TC will be technically-challenged in 2085.


Bah! Tell that to Stlukesguild.


----------



## LancsMan

senza sordino said:


> My Saturday baroque morning are my two new disks, Corelli bought yesterday and Bach a couple of weeks ago.
> 
> *Corelli Concerto Grossi* I really like this. And the theorbo (a kind of lute, I had to look it up) is a nice touch, adds some flavour.
> View attachment 35711
> 
> 
> *Bach Orchestral Suites*
> View attachment 35710


Bit of a coincidence - I am listening to the same recording of the Corelli Concerto Grosso - but I've had this in my collection for several years now. And yes I do like the theorbo contribution too.

This is very civilized music and Corelli was very influential in the development of the concerto grosso form. Very tidy music, with every note and harmony in it's place. OK maybe a bit too much tidying up for my taste, but still a highly enjoyable collection as played here. They slip by very easily - and have a uniform character, so probably best not to listen to the set in one hearing. The 'Christmas Concerto' is the most engaging and characterful to my ear.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert

Piano Quintet in A, D. 667
'Die Forelle', D. 550*

Samuel Rhodes (viola), Georg Hörtnagel (double bass), the Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler (piano), Isidore Cohen (violin), Bernard Greenhouse ('cello)

Hermann Prey, baritone; Leonard Hokanson, piano

[Philips Sequenza, reissue 1980 (LP), rec. 1976 / 1974]

This must have been amongst my very first purchases on the resumption of my interest in classical music as an adult. I have never considered buying another 'Trout' as this one is perfect . It has me humming along in ecstasy (much to everyone else's distress). No apology is needed for the 1970s analogue sound.

*Schubert - String Quintet in C, D. 956*

Chilingirian Quartet: Levon Chilingirian, Mark Butler (violins); Nicholas Logie (viola), Philip De Groote, 'cello; Jennifer Ward-Clarke, 2nd 'cello
[Classics for Pleasure (LP), rec. 1980]

A miraculous performance, beautiful (especially the Adagio) but intense, concentrated and passionate. It holds me utterly rapt. Unfortunately the recorded sound has an extremely shrill upper register (but I can turn down the treble on my digital hearing aids nowadays!)


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm slowly replacing some rather mediocre performances of Scriabin with better ones... and discovering along the way (surprise, surprise) that he's better than I presumed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi Oboe Concertos - Alfredo Bernardini, oboe, Ensemble Zefiro

or I was, but had to change it because I was finding the group thin and passionless

so now its Heinz Holliger with I Musici:


----------



## DrKilroy

Mahler - Symphony No. 1. (My cover looks different, but this one is good anyway  ). This would probably be classified among "cheap", "budget" recordings, but in fact it quite a solid rendition of this symphony and the first recording of Mahler I have listened to.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## KenOC

Haydn, Symphony No. 81 in G major, no nickname! Listening on a suggestion. Said to be the last symphony written for Esterhazy. A good one (as if there were bad ones...)


----------



## millionrainbows

John Cage: Music of Changes; Herbert Henck, piano (wergo). Four books of piano, based on the hexagrams of the I ching. Recorded 1982, Henck does a wonderful job with all the varied textures, sustains, resonances, riffs, thumps, plucks, pedaling, and more. Cage gets a lot of different sounds out Share












*Music of Changes, Books 1-4*

[HR][/HR]




[HR][/HR]

of this monolith of Western harmony, thspring rolls dipped in hot sauce.

[HR][/HR]




[HR][/HR]


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Gotterdammerung










I'll post even if I don't listen to all four disks tonight.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Bach, solo cello suites, Danil Shafran, recorded 1971 (Russian Revelation). 
*Those Russians are known for their pianists and string players. I love listening to Bach's solo works, because his harmonic ideas are clearly outlined, and create chords (like major sevenths) which really don't "exist" functionally, but there they are anyway.

Tonality is such an up-tight thing. Bach was way beyond it, and thinking outside the box already. These are such fun to listen to!

Melody becomes harmony. Melody is the only "real" thing here, and harmony (chords) are implied. The horizontal movement takes precedence, and the vertical is constructed in the listener's mind by "memory" of what has transpired.

It's _good_, and_ good for you._ Good exercise for your ear/brain. Get some today! Collect 'em all! Trade 'em with your friends!


----------



## LancsMan

*Vivaldi: 'Il Proteo' Double and Triple Concertos* Il Giardino Armonico with Christopher Coin on cello - TELDEC

Tonight I'm listening to the D major concerto RV564 for two violins and two cellos (I suppose it's allowed on this disc of double and triple concetos as a double double concerto) and the Concerto in F major RV 551 for three violins.

Well what fun - after the Corelli earlier this evening this is party time! Stylish playing too.


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu's Dream Window - Hiroshi Wakasugi, cond.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

This wonderful disc of quartets by Schubert (Death & the Maiden) and Beethoven (Serioso) in Mahler's arrangement for String Orchestra performed by the Concergebouw Chamber Orchestra under Marco Boni.


----------



## starthrower

Pretty good for a 20 year old self taught composer.


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Pugnani (1731-1798): String Trio in D Minor, Op.3, No.6

Members of the Quartetto Werther: Svetlana Fomina Maletto and Liana Mosca, violins -- Antonio Mosca, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

Virgilio Mortali's Harp Concerto - Giuliana Bressan, harp, Paolo Ponziano Ciardi, cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*

Klemperer has a way with this symphony which is uniquely his and which ends up keeping my attention. At many times I find myself thinking, "What in the world are you doing -- oh."


----------



## Guest

Simply superb playing and sound. Regardless of how intensely they play, the Prazak's tone is always rich and full...due in part to the pure DSD recording, I imagine.


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Clarinet Concerto in C Major

Hans Rotman leading the Prussian Chamber Orchestra -- Michel Lethiec, clarinet


----------



## Itullian

Kontrapunctus said:


> Simply superb playing and sound. Regardless of how intensely they play, the Prazak's tone is always rich and full...due in part to the pure DSD recording, I imagine.


I really like their Beethoven quartet cycle too.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Emerson SQ playing Ives. Aimard in the "Concord" Sonata after that.


----------



## senza sordino

My new *Schuman Piano and Violin Concerti* The piano concerto I know, and it's great. The violin concerto is new. Upon my first hearing I'd say the first and second movements are good, lyrical and interesting. But the third movement seemed neither exciting or triumphant like so many 19century concerti, you know, the battle between soloist and orchestra; they seemed to have a peaceful coexistence. 








Then more *Schumann* with symphonies #1&2, and Genoveva Overture








and for dinner
*Mahler Symphony #1* with Bernstein and Concertgebouworest Amsterdam.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Vaughan WIlliams - Symphony 1
http://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Willi...1&keywords=Vaughan+WIlliams+Symphonies+Previn


----------



## MrTortoise

Horowitz playing Chopin. Just jaw dropping artistry and beauty.

BTW, I listened to this through Google Play after signing up for an "all access" account. The first month is free so I'm evaluating how good the service will be for my classical music needs and so far I'm impressed. There seems to be a great selection of classical recordings.


----------



## SixFootScowl

KenOC said:


> Ivo Pogorelich plays Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111. Yes, that one. This is quite an amazing performance.


I have several Ivo CDs. This one looks to be a very early one, earlier than Chopin Recital. Going to have to check it out.


----------



## starthrower




----------



## SimonNZ

"A Secret Labyrinth", disc fifteen (of fifteen)

Joao Lourenco Rebelo - Paul Van Nevel, cond










and so ends the first pass at this much-anticipated set, which was as consistently strong as I'd hoped, and with a wider range of repertoire than I'd expected


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## KenOC

More Haydn! Symphony No. 13 in D major. Again, listening on a suggestion. This is from 1763 and seems a bit less interesting than the average (though still pretty good). The slow movement could have come from a cello concerto. Davies again.


----------



## Novelette

Sibelius: Symphony #3 in C, Op. 52 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Liszt: Faust Symphony, S 108 -- Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Stravinsky: Apollo (1947 Version) -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Myaskovsky: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 44 -- Vadim Repin; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

Fauré: Quartet For Strings in E Minor, Op. 121 -- Quatuor Ébène

Schumann: Lieder für Drei Frauenstimmen, Op. 114 -- Werner Pfaff: Renner Ensemble

Gesualdo: Madrigals, Book 5 -- Marco Longhini: Delitiae Musicae

Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4 in G, Op. 58 -- Daniel Barenboim; Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra

Rameau: Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts, Cinquième Concert -- Kuijken Ensemble


----------



## Novelette

senza sordino said:


> ... Then more *Schumann* with symphonies #1&2, and Genoveva Overture
> View attachment 35731


Ah, the Genoveva Overture! I haven't heard the Kubelik interpretation; would you recommend it? For me, the Kurt Masur recording [of the whole opera!] is electrifying, almost a kind of revelation. It's difficult to listen only to the overture, I always want to hear more of the opera. If you get a chance to listen to it, I very highly recommend it.


----------



## senza sordino

Novelette said:


> Ah, the Genoveva Overture! I haven't heard the Kubelik interpretation; would you recommend it? For me, the Kurt Masur recording [of the whole opera!] is electrifying, almost a kind of revelation. It's difficult to listen only to the overture, I always want to hear more of the opera. If you get a chance to listen to it, I very highly recommend it.


I only have this recording, so I can't comment on Kubelik vs anyone else. I bought the Kubelik Schumann symphonies about a year ago. The overture is a bonus. I don't typically have multiple copies of anything to make comparisons. Sorry.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Lucrezia


----------



## Itullian




----------



## SimonNZ

Luigi Nono's La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura - Gidon Kremer, violin


----------



## Mister Man

Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No.2, second movement.

I prefer the second movement separate from the first and third, I hate to say. They blow the mood.


----------



## Ingélou

Pachelbel - Hexachordum Apollinis - lovely, & meditative: this is what it would be like if the reflections of a warm, humane & cultured man looking back over his life could be magicked into organ music.


----------



## aleazk

Some hours ago, Mahler's fifth. Now, Mahler's sixth.


----------



## jim prideaux

newly arrived-Borodin symphonies 1,2,3 performed by Stephen Gunzenhauser conducting CSR Symphony Orch.
First listening to these works and to be honest find them distinctly unimpressive, but I know enough to doubt the validity of any initial impressions-it is not that long ago that I was distinctly 'underwhelmed' on first listening by the symphonies of Glazunov.....


----------



## Bas

Louis Spohr - Violin Concerto WoO 9 in G, WoO 10 in Em, WoO 16 in D, Potpourri op. 23
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintets K 515 in C, K 516 in Gm
By The Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes [viola], on Hyperion









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K 301, K 302, K 303, K 305, K 296
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 77 no. 1 in G, no. 2 in Fm no 3 in Dm
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve


----------



## Jeff W

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Serenade No. 10 'Gran Partita'. From this week's Symphonycast. Jeffrey Kahane leads players of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Sonatas

F Sharp minor, Op. 81 (1819)
D major Op. 106 (1824)
F minor Op. 20 (1807)*

Stephen Hough [Hyperion, rec 2003]

If you'd played these to me 'blind' I would have guessed they were early works by Chopin (Op. 81) or Schumann (Op. 106). The more I get to know these sonatas the more I find in them to intrigue and enjoy. Clearly the onward development of piano writing was not only in Beethoven's hands at this point.







̶


----------



## SimonNZ

following Ingelou:

Pachelbel's Hexachordum Apollinis - John Butt, organ

I was thinking about this just last week, as it happens


----------



## bejart

Carlo Tessarini (ca.1690-1766?): Concerto a cinque in E Minor, Op.1, No.1

Francesco Baroni conducting the Compagnia de Musici


----------



## moody

DrKilroy said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 1. (My cover looks different, but this one is good anyway  ). This would probably be classified among "cheap", "budget" recordings, but in fact it quite a solid rendition of this symphony and the first recording of Mahler I have listened to.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Talich and his orchestra were of the highest order,if you got it at budget price it is only because it's fairly old now.
It's just been brought to my attention that the conductor is Ancerl--good but not as good as Talich. Should still be enjoyable.


----------



## ptr

moody said:


> Talich and his orchestra were of the highest order,if you got it at budget price it is only because it's fairly old now.


And so was Karel Ancerl who conducts on this recording and later Vaclav Neumann and Rafael Kubelik! All in a continuing Czech Conducting Tradition!

/ptr


----------



## Taggart

disc 23 of










Teleman sounding out on a range of baroque instruments. Gorgeous!

Concerto in D major for Transverse Flute, Strings and Basso Cont
Concerto in B flat major for 3 Oboes, 3 Violins and Basso Conti.
Concerto in D minor for 2 Chalumeaux, Strings and Basso Continuo
Trumpet Concerto in D
Concerto for Recorder, Flute, Strings and Continuo in E minor
Concerto in D major for Trumpet, Violine, Strings and Basso Cont


----------



## Blancrocher

The Cherubini Quartet in Mendelssohn's 6 string quartets.


----------



## shangoyal

Bruckner: *Te Deum*

Mozart: *Mass in C minor*


----------



## Oskaar

*MALIPIERO, G.F.: Symphonies, Vol. 4 (Almeida) - No. 7 / Sinfonia in un tempo / Sinfonia per Antigenida*

*Conductor(s):
Almeida, Antonio de

Orchestra(s):
Moscow Symphony Orchestra

Label: Naxos*









The symphony is mystical and searching, with a los of angsyity in the undertones. Great performance. Great listening!

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570881

http://www.amazon.com/Malipiero-Symphony-canzoni-Sinfonia-Antigenida/dp/B002TMLRQS

http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=916245


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Piano Sonatas-- _No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111_; _No. 21 in C major Op. 53_; _No. 22 in F major, Op. 54_; _No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'_ 
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## TurnaboutVox

shangoyal said:


> Bruckner: *Te Deum*
> Mozart: *Mass in C minor*


Performance(s) / recording(s)?

Currently listening to:

*Kaija Saariaho - Chamber Music*

Cendres, for alto flute, cello & piano
NoaNoa, for flute & electronics (Paul Gauguin / Kaija Saariaho)
Mirrors, for flute & cello
Spins and Spells, for solo cello
Monkey Fingers, Velvet Hand, for piano
Petals, for solo cello (electronics ad libitum)
Mirrors, for flute & cello
Laconisme de l'aile, for solo flute
Six Japanese Gardens, for percussion & electronics

The Wolpe Trio - Lesley Olson (flute), Scott Roller ('cello) and Susanne Achilles (piano) with Andreas Boettger (percussion and electronics) and Thomas Neuhaus (live electronics) 
[Kairos, rec. 2001]

"A skilled colorist and an innovative explorer of acoustics and live electronics, Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho employs a wide variety of natural and synthesized sonorities in her uncompromisingly avant-garde chamber works. Incorporating computer technology with traditional instruments, Saariaho creates elaborate structures in which eerie twitters, haunting whispers, and occasionally frightening screeches unexpectedly emerge from more familiar timbres". (Review by Blair Sanderson on AllMusic)

This is an accurate description but these pieces are really interesting and would be especially good to hear performed live, I suspect.


----------



## jim prideaux

Claudio Abbado conducting the COE in performances of Schubert Grand Duo and 8th symphonies-a long time since I had listened to this recording and had completely forgotten how good it actually is.....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to - Dvorak's Violin Concerto
http://www.amazon.com/Bruch-Dvorák-...&sr=1-6&keywords=Dvorak+bruch+violin+concerto


----------



## Vasks

_The Tony Rewards_

*Anthony Holborne - Selections from "Pavans, Galliards and Almains...." [pub. 1599] (Savall/Alia Vox)*


----------



## Oskaar

*COOMAN: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 / Violin Sonata*

Symphony No. 2, Op. 574, "Litanies of Love and Rain" 

Partita, Op. 526 2. 

Piano Concerto, Op. 649 

Vision, Op. 646 

Symphony No. 3, Op. 650, "Ave Maris Stella" 

Songlines, Sun Dreaming, Op. 307

Sonata for Violin and Organ, Op. 573

Cooman, Carson

*Conductor(s):
Trevor, Kirk

Orchestra(s):
Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Artist(s):
Gough, Rachel; Gough, Rupert; Schultz, Stephen; Skuta, Nora*









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559329


----------



## moody

MOZART : Four Sonatas For Piano and Violin. No. 4,K.304, No.6, K.306, No.7, K.376, No.8, K.296.
George Szell,piano, Rafael Druian, violin. Durian was leader (concertmaster) of the Cleveland orchestra at the time.
An excellent effort and the two of them work so well together.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's Violin Concertos
http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-B...1-6&keywords=mendelssohn+bis+violin+concertos


----------



## mirepoix

Shostakovich 5. Mravinsky. Leningrad Phil.








It took me a long time and many listens before I was able to appreciate and enjoy the 5th in the way I do now.


----------



## neoshredder

On a roll today. Now listening to Brahms - Violin Concerto.
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Violin...qid=1393175491&sr=1-22&keywords=brahms+reiner


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Trio Sonata in A Major, Wq 146

Les Amis de Philippe: Manfredo Zimmermann, flute -- Manfredo Kraemer, violin -- Monika Schwamberger, cello -- Ludger Remy, harpsichord


----------



## senza sordino

My Baroque morning, a couple of old friends.
*Bach Violin Concerti*








and *Vivaldi Four Seasons* I prefer the two minor key concerti, summer and winter


----------



## adrem

Bruckner, 00 symphony, "Study" and 0 and this excellent interpretation by Royal Scottish National Orchestra. I don't know what's going on lately, but I simply can't function without Bruckner's music...


----------



## Oskaar

*Casadesus, R:*

Symphony No. 1

Symphony No. 5 'sur le nom de Haydn'

Symphony No. 7 'Israël'

*Natasha Jouhl (soprano), Alexandra Gibson (mezzo-soprano), Mark Wilde (tenor), Michael Druiett (bass)*









http://www.allmusic.com/album/robert-casadesus-symphonies-no-1-5-7-mw0001848172

http://www.amazon.com/Casadesus-Symphonies-Nos-Howard-Shelley/dp/B00118TZSS

https://www.chandos.net/CD_Notes.asp?CNumber=CHAN%2010263

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Gateshead-Children's-Choir/Ensemble/109796-4

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/nov04/Casadesus_symphonies.htm

Gateshead Children's choir, Northen Sinfonia Chorus


----------



## Bas

Concert: Maria Callas "1957 Athens Concert"
By Maria Callas e.a. on Gala









The day I can listen to this cd on an analytical level, a level at which I can listen to say some Bach organ fugues, has yet to come. It cuts right through the soul, my rational brain does not get a chance and I find myself crying...


----------



## samurai

adrem said:


> Bruckner, 00 symphony, "Study" and 0 and this excellent interpretation by Royal Scottish National Orchestra. I don't know what's going on lately, but I simply can't function without Bruckner's music...
> View attachment 35765


I know exactly what you mean. I have gone on "streaks" with certain composers as well; for the longest time, it was Shostakovich, Beethoven and Nielsen.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 1 in B-flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).









No. 1 has been rising in my book. It's such an elegant quartet with great conversational parts. Love the trio in the Menuetto.

But then the entire set is awesome .


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.*
> 
> Klemperer has a way with this symphony which is uniquely his and which ends up keeping my attention. At many times I find myself thinking, "What in the world are you doing -- oh."
> 
> View attachment 35726


---
Slow tempi. . . in his Bruckner's Sixth too; but I love how epic-sounding his treatment of the outer movements of the Sixth are all the same.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Joaquin Turina

Violin Sonata No. 1 in D, Op. 51
Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 82*

Various artists, on You Tube (including: Felix Ayo (violin), Bruno Canino (piano); Eva León (violin) & Jordi Masó (piano) and others unnamed and / or uncredited)

Pretty good, I wasn't expecting such modern works, especially #2.


----------



## deggial

almost forgot what day is today: *this man*'s birthday :tiphat:

so here goes, a bit of bravura as a toast: _Furibondo spira il vento_ in both a 



 and a 



 rendition.


----------



## hpowders

Mister Man said:


> Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No.2, second movement.
> 
> I prefer the second movement separate from the first and third, I hate to say. They blow the mood.


I often listen to the second movement alone of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G. So beautiful. It can easily stand alone.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Handel's* birthday (1685), and* Elgar's* death day (1934).

View attachment 35771
View attachment 35772


----------



## LancsMan

*Vivaldi: 'Il Proteo' Double and Triple Concertos *Il Giardino Armonico with Christopher Coin on cello - TELDEC

I'm picking up this disc from where I left it last night and am enjoying the remaining 4 concertos: -
- Concerto in G minor RV 531 for two cellos
- Concerto in A major RV 552 violin and an echoing violin
- Concerto in C major RV 561 for violin and two cellos
- Concerto in F major RV 544 'Il Proteo o sia Il Mondo al rovescio'

This is how I like my Vivaldi played, plenty of rhythmic bite and original instrument colour. This is not profound music (Vivaldi rarely is) but it is so full of life. I guess the least favourite of these for me is the concerto in A for violin and echoing violin - I found the echoing violin effect in the slow movement did not contain enough musical interest for my ear. However the other concertos more than made up for the comparative tameness of this work.


----------



## Oliver

Mahler's 5th - Bernstein Deutsche Grammophon


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Nielsen: Markarade Overture*










Jump up on that table and kick off your shoes like La Divina. It's Nielsen time, and it's gorgeously sunny outside.


----------



## AndyS

I got the Brendel Beethoven Sonatas for my birthday yesterday so I'm just working my way through the first disc just now - on sonata number 3 at the moment


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Slow tempi. . . in his Bruckner's Sixth too; but I love how epic-sounding his treatment of the outer movements of the Sixth are all the same.


Yeah, I love what he does to the 6th.

The 4th _is_ slow, but it's funny; I have a live recording of Klemperer doing the 4th, and it's as if he's off to the races.

In fact, that spurred me to dust it off and put it on. Listening again, it is way too fast, but it's good for times like now when I'm about to rush out the door and want a small dose of inspiration.


----------



## Oskaar

*Peter Scott Lewis: River Shining Through*

*Ciompi Quartet / Timothy Day / Dorian Wind Quintet / Marc Shapiro*









In the first minutes, I found this recording a bit dull. But I only had to adapt a bit. Wonderful seeking music, very nice performed by flute and piano.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/peter-scott-lewis-river-shining-through-mw0001397687


----------



## SimonNZ

Francesco Durante's Concertos Nos. 1-8 - Concerto Koln


----------



## bejart

Jean Joseph de Mondonville (1711-1772): Sonata en symphonie, Op.3, No.1

Marc Minkowski conducting Les Musiciens du Louvre


----------



## millionrainbows

*Ilhan Mimaroglu: Agitation (Locust). *

*Tract: *_A Composition of Agitprop Music for Electromagnetic Tape, Parts 1 & II. Composed 1972-74.
_
*To Kill a Sunrise:*_ A Requiem for Those Shot in the Back. Composed 1974.

_*La Ruche:*_ An Elegy for Electromagnetic Tape. Composed 1968.

People are scary. Most of them would just as soon cut your throat as look at you. All of them are capable of murder.
Power is scary. Governments are powerful, and scary. The individual means almost nothing.
You are part of a hive, a groupthink, just as much, if not more, than you are an individual.

I remember coming into Washington D.C. at night, in a car. It was the first time I had ever seen the city with its government buildings and monuments. The thing I remember, as the buildings and monuments were dramatically lit for night viewing, was a sense of immense power; the power of 'our' government, and with it, a vague sense of unease, and fear.

You are who you think you are; but you are just as much, if not more, a branded entity, a label, an identity which has been foisted upon you. You are a social creature. B.F. Skinner will have us observe your behavior, because THAT identifies who you are much better than any interior identity or consciousness you have created. You are more accurately, for our purposes, a collection of behaviors, not of experiences. Experience is subjective; behavior is objective. You are more useful as an objectified series of behaviors. Experience is for religion, not psychology. Your experience is metaphysical. You can't prove your being; your behavior proves you. Your behavior defines you.

Assassination; torture; waterboarding; atomic bomb; revolution; terrorist; generals; embassy; eliminate; CIA; to the best of my knowledge; debriefing; secret mission; incarceration; interrogation; top secret; for your eyes only; autopsy; radiation; informer; tract; pamphlet; manifesto; repression; murder; oppression; misleading; alienating; retreat; freedom; state; recordings; systematic; nightmare; ideology; anarchism; oppressor; realism; socialism; Stalinism; democracy; Amerika; black Muslim; antagonistic; declaration; appeal; execution; death; firing squad; death camp; mass grave; genocide; activist; sacrifice.

_


----------



## DrKilroy

Some Adams: Lollapalooza (Nagano), The Chairman Dances (de Waart).

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Alfacharger

A little Martinu concert starting with...










and finishing with.....


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.44 in E Minor

Antonio Janigro directing the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Zagreb


----------



## LancsMan

*Handel: Acis and Galatea* Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie on Erato

I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of later baroque opera such as this. I much prefer the earlier baroque opera I know (quite a limited knowledge base!) It's partly the dominance of the da capo aria in the later baroque that puts me off.

Anyway if one can convert me to becoming a true fan of Handel opera then surely Les Arts Florissants and William Christie can. There is much undeniably charming music in this 'pastoral' opera - and the second act is certainly more engaging than the first act as far as I am concerned.


----------



## Oskaar

*BAGUER: Symphonies Nos. 12, 13, 16 and 18*

*Bamert, Matthias, Conductor • London Mozart Players*









Very mozart-like, but I fell in love with this music. Very uneven, sometimes quite anonym, and sometimes tender and adventurous. I think that is the music, not the performance, that I find very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Baguer-4-Symphonies-Carlos/dp/B000000AZ4


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5. Rozhdestvensky.


----------



## millionrainbows

*John Corigliano:* *Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (Naxos).
*
Absolutely, posolutely, gotta get the slip-cover edition. If you've seen one Naxos cover, you've seen them all. The slip cover is a delightful break from that boring typography that so characterizes all Naxos covers.

That being said, this is great music. This is a truly great setting of Bob Dylan's words/poetry.

I was surprised to see the humorous *"Clothes Line"* from *The Basement Tapes *appearing here, in a much more sinister, humorless form. "The Vice-President's gone Mad!" takes on a more sinister implication which I initially passed-off as Dylan's absurdist zen-like humor...

Life is a precious metaphor of the sacred, even in mundane tasks as hanging out the laundry. Corigliano allows us to take the mundane very seriously, and thus brings a new perspective to the 'stories."

"It's just a shadow that you're seeing that he's chasing." ...and what is identity, what is being? "Evening's empire has returned into sand," like Dorothy's dream in _The Wizard of Oz.

*Blowing in the Wind:* "How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?" _"I am a Man," the striking garbage worker's signs declared, and this was the final cause that Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his limited time to; perhaps because of the cliché, the archetype of the "garbage man," because these were striking workers, the forgotten members of the "Great Society." Oh, and note that you are riding in a carriage, on a horse, or in an automobile, and he is the one who is walking.

*Masters of War: *Wow, this is radical, now. The mood of the country seems to have changed. I can see this song growing more and more despised as times goes on, and I salute Corigliano for including it.

*All Along the Watchtower:* I don't know who else remembers, but there was a publication called* "The Watchtower"* which showed up in our mailbox on occasion. _"Cancel my subscription to The Resurrection," _as Jim Morrison sang. A double entendre, as *The Resurrection *is not only a religious belief, but was a newsprint booklet similar to *The Watchtower. *The way Corigliano zones-in on lines like_ "Outside in the cold distance, a wildcat did growl"_ is illuminating, and is an example of the reason this setting is so compelling.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Ballades 3 & 4/Scherzos 2 & 4/Nocturnes Op.37 No.2 & Op.62 No.2/Fantaisie-Impromptu 
Schumann: Fantasy in C Op.17 Benno Moiseiwitsch

Yesterday was the day upon which Chopin (1810) and Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890) were born, so this first session of the evening commemorates them both. Moiseiwitsch was unquestionably one of the greatest pianists of the last century. Rachmaninoff admired him enormously, and the two were great friends. He should undoubtedly have recorded more, especially in the last decade of his life when EMI didn't really give him anywhere near the amount of studio time they should have done. That said, here from 1957 is a superb Chopin recital, and in stereo to boot. The G Major Nocturne receives one of the finest performances ever recorded of any nocturne on this disc, but Moisewitsch was a Chopin player par excellence, and Arthur Rubinstein's put downs in his volumes of autobiography must be taken with a large pinch of salt (possibly the result of jealousy??) as anyone can hear, he had a marvellous sense of line and his rubato is as natural as breathing. The Schumann Fantasy is my favourite performance on disc. I can honestly say that I've never heard it played better, and to be honest, in my opinion it's never been equalled. This is a disc that should be lauded to the skies- it certainly is by me!
NB. Don't know what that's doing below this, 'tis for another day, but I've somehow attached it here!!


----------



## bejart

Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St.George (1745-1799): Violin Concerto No.7 in C Major, Op.5, No.1

Frantisek Preisler Jr. conducting the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra -- Miroslav Vilimec, violin


----------



## Blancrocher

Marriner conducting Perahia and the ASMF in Mendelssohn's piano concertos, and Perahia in some solo piano pieces.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3. Argerich/Abbado. Wow.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: Violin Concerto Albert Sammons/New Queen's Hall Orchestra/Sir Henry Wood
Thome: Simple Aveu
Tchaikovsky: Chanson Triste
Svendsen: Romance in G
Trad. arr. Sammons: Londonderry Air
Grainger-Kreisler: Molly on the Shore
Dvorak-Rehfeld: Humoresque Op.101 No.7
Schubert-Brunet: Rosamunde- Entracte
Ponce: Estrellita
Gardner: From the Canebrake Albert Sammons/Gerald Moore

Today is the anniversary of Albert Sammons' birth. One of the greatest violinists of the last century. His performance of the Elgar Concerto has never been bettered, he should have recorded more. He had a magnificent tone, and a technique second to none. Another example of a world class musician, taken for granted in this country. He wasn't interested in a career abroad, despite numerous offers to travel, and he fought hard to obtain decent working conditions for orchestral musicians in this country. He was asked to go to France to play the Elgar concerto, but refused, saying "Tell that lazy sod Thibaud to learn it!" The shorter pieces are from my own 78s, and just make me wish that I had more! A wonderful violinist indeed. And it's the anniversary of Elgar's death too.


----------



## KenOC

ShropshireMoose said:


> Don't know what that's doing below this, 'tis for another day, but I've somehow attached it here!!


Ah, Dame Myra Hess playing Beethoven's Op. 109 and 110 sonatas. I used to have a LP of this (Angel I think). Beautiful performances, horrible pressing! The performances are still available on CD on a couple of guises. Far better sound.


----------



## Cosmos

In honor of Chopin's birthday [yesterday] I've been having an all Chopin marathon.

Right now, I'm finishing up the op 28 preludes


----------



## Guest

The big moments will make your woofers/subwoofers sit up and take notice! All of the volumes are uniformly excellent, and available at pretty cheap prices.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

AndyS said:


> I got the Brendel Beethoven Sonatas for my birthday yesterday so I'm just working my way through the first disc just now - on sonata number 3 at the moment


The Decca 1996 digital set, I imagine? I am still exploring the last discs in that set.

PS Greetings to you in Aberdeen, my long-ago home-town


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Callas Bellini: '55 La Scala Bernstein & '57 Cologne Monti (Second Night)*










Lovely.










_Ecstatic_.


----------



## shangoyal

Marschallin Blair said:


> Morning Blair reporting from the _GORGEOUSLY_ sunny-morning climes of Southern California, espressinating to Bach.


What a great cover.


----------



## shangoyal

All six of them!


----------



## Blancrocher

Following KenOC's lead: Bartok's Sonata for 2 Pianos & Percussion, with Argerich and Kovacevich. Something to get the heart racing.


----------



## PetrB

*Franco Battiato ~ Jukebox*

Franco Battiato ~ Jukebox (1978)


----------



## PetrB

shangoyal said:


> View attachment 35792
> 
> 
> All six of them!


All six at once, of course, for the full impact of the polytonal polyphony of it


----------



## bejart

Joseph Wolfl (1773-1812): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.30, No.1

Pratum Integrum Orchestra Soloists: Dmitry Sinkovsky and Sergei Filchenko, violins -- Sergei Tischenko, viola -- Pavel Serbin, cello


----------



## neoshredder

Gone Baroque tonight. Listened to my absolute favorite CPE Bach recording. http://www.amazon.com/C-P-E-Bach-Sy...393204196&sr=1-2&keywords=cpe+bach+symphonies
Now listening to Albinoni. 
http://www.amazon.com/Albinoni-12-C...=1393204248&sr=1-3&keywords=Albinoni+standage


----------



## Serge

Bruckner, for sure.


----------



## SimonNZ

Benedetto Marcello's Concerti Grossi Op.1 - Silvano Frontalini, cond.


----------



## Guest

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Die Zauberflöte (just listening to highlights)
Margaret Price, Luciana Serra, Etc.; Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden, Leipzig Radio Choir


----------



## nightscape




----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Bach - Brandenburg Concertos.
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Brandenb...ch+brandenburg+concertos+age+of+enlightenment


----------



## MusicInTheAir

I have that record! Possibly my first "full length" Sibelius recording (as opposed to some with Finlandia, Swan of Tuonela and the Karelia Suite). Quite a while before I became a big "fan" of Sibelius thanks to Sir Colin Davis and Sir John Barbirolli. But I've always enjoyed that Foss recording.


----------



## neoshredder

MusicInTheAir said:


> I have that record! Possibly my first "full length" Sibelius recording (as opposed to some with Finlandia, Swan of Tuonela and the Karelia Suite). Quite a while before I became a big "fan" of Sibelius thanks to Sir Colin Davis and Sir John Barbirolli. But I've always enjoyed that Foss recording.


You might want to add the quote to who you are talking to. I see no one listening to Sibelius in the last 2 pages.


----------



## MusicInTheAir

I first picked up the LPs of numbers 46-49 when I was in junior high school. Have loved those symphonies as well as 44 and 45 ever since. Number 47 is one of Haydn's more unusual sounding symphonies. The "Maria Theresia" symphony is always a good one to put me in a better mood. Since that time, I bought Pinnock and Fischer's performances of these pieces. Enjoy them quite a bit, but the Janigro series remain special to me.


----------



## MusicInTheAir

I've been listening to the last four string quartets of Mozart as played by the Festetics Quartet. K. 575 and K. 499 are probably my two favorite Mozart string quartets. I own very nice performances of them by the Stuyvesant Quartet and the Quartetto Italiano. But after being very impressed by several of the Festetics' Haydn quartet recordings, I thought I'd give their Mozart a listen. Especially since I remembered enjoying their recording with Badura Skoda of the two Mozart piano quartets.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Daphne, Bohm/ Wiener Symphoniker, Wiener Staatsopenchor*










The _Ei, so fliegt sie dahin_ ("Look, she runs like the wind") number, with the two Arcadian maidens jointly teasing Leukippos the shephard.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

nightscape said:


>


Very underrated reading in my view.


----------



## nightscape

No rest for the weary, keepin' this train moving.


----------



## Itullian

Jerome said:


> View attachment 35798
> 
> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
> Die Zauberflöte (just listening to highlights)
> Margaret Price, Luciana Serra, Etc.; Colin Davis: Staatskapelle Dresden, Leipzig Radio Choir


A great Flute........


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius 6: Colin Davis/LSO*


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*John Foulds: Dymanic Triptych for Piano and Orchestra*

First movement all the way:










John Foulds: I love that charm of an uncommon musical personality in free function; and Peter Donohoe's freewheel-burning approach to the piece.


----------



## GreenMamba

Ligeti Etudes Book 1, Aimard


----------



## hpowders

Seppo Pohjola, Symphonies #1 & 2. Finnish Radio Symphony, Sakari Oramo.

Interesting contemporary works from one of Finland's most promising composers.


----------



## Cosmos

Now I've gone on a little Mozart spree due to the fact that I have to write my Ethics paper and for some reason John Stuart Mill makes me want to listen to Mozart (¿?)

So far, I've listened to his Flute and Harp Concerto, his Piano Quartet in G minor, and now I'm on Piano Concerto 19 in F, right after will be no. 20 in d (Alfred Brendel with some orchestra I can't tell b/c the cd info on my iTunes doesn't credit them)


----------



## nightscape

Cosmos said:


> Now I've gone on a little Mozart spree due to the fact that I have to write my Ethics paper and for some reason John Stuart Mill makes me want to listen to Mozart (¿?)


For _On Liberty_ I would personally go with Strauss. "*Ein Heldenleben*", perhaps. No particular reason for that either


----------



## SimonNZ

Benedetto Marcello's Requiem In The Venetian Manner - Filippo Maria Bressan, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

nightscape said:


> For _On Liberty_ I would personally go with Strauss. "*Ein Heldenleben*", perhaps. No particular reason for that either












My utilitarian approach to Mill: use 'act utilitarianism' to act on listening to Strauss vocal music every day before bed; and switch over to 'rule utilitarianism' when using Heldenleben as a standard with which to take on the world. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Guest

hpowders said:


> View attachment 35800
> 
> 
> Seppo Pohjola, Symphonies #1 & 2. Finnish Radio Symphony, Sakari Oramo.
> 
> Interesting contemporary works from one of Finland's most promising composers.


His string quartets on that same label are good, too.


----------



## KenOC

Lalo, Cello Concerto. Jacqueline du Pre. Not a well-known piece, but quite fine.


----------



## SimonNZ

Walter Piston's Symphony No.2 - Gerard Schwarz, cond.










Borodin's Symphony No.1 - Evgeni Svetlanov, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Walton: Façade Suites
Lecocq arr. Gordon Jacob: Mam'zelle Angot-Suite from the ballet Royal Opera House Orchestra/Anatole Fistoulari

Mozart: Symphony No.39 Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Andre Vandernoot

Ballet music to start the day, I haven't seen a lot of ballet, but never, until I saw "Façade", did I think it would be possible for me to laugh out loud at one, but the genius of Frederick Ashton created laughter, and Walton's music is always a delight. Gordon Jacob's orchestration of pieces from Lecocq's operetta is a delight too, and nobody does this sort of thing better than Fistoulari. Then more wonderful Mozart from Vandernoot & co., ah me, this is a good start to the day.


----------



## SimonNZ

Borodin's Symphony No.2 - Ernest Ansermet, cond.


----------



## Ingélou

Lully: Pièces de Symphonies. 




I love this comment on the YouTube link & it sums up what I think too: 
*J'hésite souvent entre Lully et Rameau, leurs styles sont assez proches...Je trouve le style de Rameau plus libre, plus contrepunctal que celui de Lully mais j'aime toutefois les deux, d'ailleurs, comment ne pas les aimer quand un matin de grâce matinée vous êtes reveillé par un baroque dont la mélodie ne diffère guère du chant libre, harmonieux et naturel d'un coucou!!!*

Graceful, harmonious, stirring, natural, oui - but I don't think I'd have chosen the cuckoo comparison!


----------



## SimonNZ

Maunder's Olivet To Calvary - Barry Rose, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Zemlinsky - The Mermaid*

Sinfonietta, Op. 23

Die Seejungfrau

*New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd*









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570240

http://www.amazon.com/Zemlinsky-Mermaid-Symphonic-Fantasy-Sinfonietta/dp/B002AT46AO

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/31/zemlinsky-sinfonietta-seejungfrau

http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=704851#AlbumReviews

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=224728

http://www.allmusic.com/album/zemlinsky-the-mermaid-mw0001864043

http://www.classical-music.com/review/zemlinsky-sinfonietta-op-23

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Naxos/8570240


----------



## NightHawk

Hello, all. Hope to be more in evidence around the site come summer. Have been listening to these beautiful works mostly in the early hours before daybreak - works well for me.


----------



## Oskaar

*Premonitions: American Chamber Works*

Actor:	
String Quartet # 1

Betts:	
Soundings XII: Parable

Bilotta:	
Petroushka Dreams

I Fiori di Seta

Copland:	
Piano Quartet

*Yhasmin Valenzuela (clarinet), Michal Shein (cello), Elzbieta Brandys (flute), Christopher Vuk (violin), Chen Lin (viola), Maelynn Arnold (violin), Ona Jonaityte (alto flute), Brian Zeger (piano), Gil Morgenstern (violin), Nardo Poy (viola), Kathe Jarka (cello), Shirley Irek (piano), Robert Chumbley (piano), Richard Stoltzman (clarinet), Donald Betts (piano), Timothy Betts (viola)

Boston String Quartet*









Uneven sound quality, but very exiting listen.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/premonitions-american-chamber-works-mw0001412906


----------



## bejart

Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765): Viola Concerto in F Major

Hamburger Ratsmusik -- Simone Eckert, viola


----------



## Andolink

*Arnold Schoenberg*: _Suite, Op. 29_ and _Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4_
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez








*Georg Philipp Telemann*: Quatuors Parisiens-- _No. 5 in A major_ and _No. 6 in E minor_
Masahiro Arita, transverse flute
Tokyo Baroque Trio
Ryo Terakdo, baroque violin
Kaori Uemura, viola da gamba
Christophe Rousset, harpsichord


----------



## hpowders

Kontrapunctus said:


> His string quartets on that same label are good, too.


Thanks. I will investigate!


----------



## Itullian

Will be checking some of these symphonies out today.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: Tapiola, Karajan/BPO*










Morning Blair reporting from the fogged-in climes of Southern California; so I thought Tapiola would be suitably appropriate for my morning wake up. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Alfacharger

nightscape said:


> No rest for the weary, keepin' this train moving.


I'm listening to the original Delos release!


----------



## Itullian

Beautiful recording of beautiful songs.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sounds of Defiance*

Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano 
Alfred Schnittke

Hebrew Melody, Op. 33 
Joseph Achron

Hebrew Lullaby, Op. 35/2 
Joseph Achron

Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134 
Dmitry Shostakovich

Spiegel im Spiegel 
Arvo Pärt

*Yevgeny Kutik Violin

Timothy Bozarth Piano*









http://www.amazon.com/Sounds-Defiance-Shostakovich-Schnittke-Achron/dp/B006FY1PEA


----------



## rrudolph

Villa-Lobos: Symphony #4/Cello Concerto/Amazonas








Falla: Noches en los Jardines de Espana/Albeniz: Iberia








Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez/Gerhard: Dances from Don Quixote/Falla: Three Cornered Hat Suite #1/Granados: Three Spanish Dances (Orch. De Grignon)








Revueltas: Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca/Sensemaya/Ocho X Radio/Toccata/Alcancias/Planos/La Noche de los Mayas


----------



## elgar's ghost

Tackling Ferruccio Busoni's gargantuan Concerto for piano, male-voice choir and orchestra op. 39 (Postnikova/Rozhdestvensky/Choeur de Radio France/ON de F) for the second time today - in fact, for only the second time ever, as this is a new purchase of a composer whose work was hitherto unknown to me.. 

Prior to listening I thought I might end up looking at my watch once or twice judging by the overall time of it but I needn't have worried - I found it both approachable and exciting and the time seemed to fly past - certainly not at all stodgy and/or sprawling as I have read elsewhere. This might be a presumptive and inaccurate thing to say, but could this work be the nearest thing we have to a concerto by Mahler?

The not-inconsequential fill-up is the 12-part Fantasia contrappuntistica, revealing Busoni's love affair with the music of JSB (most of the work is based on material from a Bach xmas cantata and also Bach's unfinished Contrapunctus XIV from TAoF), and another work which I think I will return to quite often.


----------



## adrem

Haydn symphonies: 38,39 and 41, The Academy of Ancient Music and Christopher Hogwood, absolutely stunning.


----------



## Vasks

*Svendsen - Symphony No. 2 (Dausgaard/Chandos)*
Halvorsen - Norwegian Rhapsody No. 2 (Ruud/Simax)*

_*Svendsen wrote a third symphony but his very angry wife tossed it in the stove fire. Yikes!_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Siegfried: Prelude to Act III*










Dragon-slayers with a penchant for the sublime. Oh yeah! Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. And the extra-added THUNDER?!! Love it!


----------



## Bas

Giuseppe Verdi - Il Trovatore
Maria Callas [soprano], Rolando Panerai [bariton], Fedora Barbieri [mezzo], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Luisa Villa [soprano], Ranato Ercolani [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Herbert von Karajan [dir.], on EMI


----------



## realdealblues

Some more from the Strauss Family...

View attachment 35830


*CD2*
*Johann Struass, Jr.*
Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales From The Vienna Woods), Op. 325
Demolirer Polka, Op. 269
Du Und Du From Die Fledermaus
Spanish March, Op. 433
Sturmisch in Lieb und Tanz, Op. 393
Lagunen-Walzer, Op. 411 (From Eine Nacht In Venedig)
Freuet euch des Lebens (Walzer), Op. 340
Perpetuum mobile Polka, Op. 257

*Josef Strauss*
Eingesendet, Op. 240
Brennende Liebe, Op. 129
Aquarellen, Op. 258
Frauenherz, Op. 166

*Johann Strauss, Sr.*
Radetzky March, Op. 228
Piefke Und Pufke (Polka Francaise), Op. 235
*
Eduard Strauss*
Bahn Frei!, Op. 45

Willi Boskovsky/Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Orfeo

*Jules Massenet*
Opera in 4 acts "Esclarmonde."
-Joan Sutherland, Aragall, Huguette Tourangeau, Clifford Grant, Quilico, Lloyd, Caley, Clark, Davies.
-The National Philharmonic Orchestra et John Alldis Choir/Richard Alan Bonynge.

*Cesar Franck*
Symphony in D Minor.
-The Orchestre National de France/Leonard Bernstein.

*Ernest Chausson*
Poeme de l'amore et de la mar for voice et orchestra.
Poeme for Violin et Orchestra.
-Linda Finne (mezzo-soprano).
-The Ulster Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor et violinist).

*Gabriel Faure*
Pelleas et Melisande & Pavane.
-The Ulster Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier.

*Florent Schmitt*
La Tragedie de Salome.
Psalm 47.
-Sharon Sweet (soprano).
-Jean-Louis Gil (organist).
-Jacques Prat & Guy Commentale (violin soloists).
-The Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France/Marek Janowski.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases.

The Bavouzet/Noseda *Prokofiev* Piano Concerti, I don't find competitive. Stick with Chandos Berman/Gutirrez/Jarvi, and some well-touted singles. Janis, Argerich, Richter, for example. 

Smith et al 2CD *Schnittke* piano is there for completists who need it, though I think Tchetuev (Caro Mitis, rec.2004) is better for the related works in both performance and sound.

Not my cuppa, but for those who'd like period application of *LvB* Piano Trios, Opp.70/2, 97, Melnikov (1828 fortepiano) et al may satisfy. 

View attachment 35827
View attachment 35828
View attachment 35829


----------



## Blancrocher

Hahn and Lisitsa in Ives' Violin Sonatas; the Drolc Quartet in Reger's Clarinet Quintet and string quartets.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Ornstein's* (2002) death day.


----------



## Orfeo

jim prideaux said:


> newly arrived-Borodin symphonies 1,2,3 performed by Stephen Gunzenhauser conducting CSR Symphony Orch.
> First listening to these works and to be honest find them distinctly unimpressive, but I know enough to doubt the validity of any initial impressions-it is not that long ago that I was distinctly 'underwhelmed' on first listening by the symphonies of Glazunov.....


It could be the performances that sort of underwhelmed your listening experiences in the Borodin symphonies. You may want to consider Svetlanov's recordings (or Davies' with the Toronto Symphony Orchesta under Sony).


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Violin Sonatas 4 & 5, w. Kremer & Argerich (rec.1987); Piano Sonatas, Op. 31, w. Goode (rec.1983 - '88).

View attachment 35833
View attachment 35834


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Blancrocher said:


> Hahn and Lisitsa in Ives' Violin Sonatas...
> 
> ...the Drolc Quartet in Reger's Clarinet Quintet and string quartets.


The Ives violin sonatas I'd like to acquire. The Reger string quartets and clarinet quintet (the same recording) were a real 'find' for me last year.

Current listening:

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 0 in D minor*

Georg Tintner / NSO of Ireland [Naxos]


----------



## millionrainbows

A very important EMI release, which was responsible for turning the West on to Indian music.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Facco - Concertos

Peaceful and Uplifting


----------



## brotagonist

c'n://new









Delightful Baroque piano sonatas of D. Scarlatti, performed by Sudbin. Really enjoying this with breakfast


----------



## brotagonist

Marschallin Blair said:


>


I want it just for the cover image!


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CPE Bach - Symphonies. Is it wrong to enjoy CPE Bach more than JS Bach? 
http://www.amazon.com/CPE-Bach-Symp...UTF8&qid=1393261229&sr=1-4&keywords=bach+remy


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Handel's _Solomon_ from a John Eliot Gardiner box set of Handel's Oratorios.










Particularly enjoying the aria _Beneath the Wine_. Handel at his most tuneful.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Vincent Persichetti, Seventh Symphony (Liturgical), op. 80. *Although Persichetti did not want to admit it, his music is infused with a spiritual awareness, and at the time of his death was working on the second volume of his* Hymns and Responses for the Church Year. *This symphony is essentially a one-movement work. Full of dissonance, restlessness, and rhythmic vitality, it shows a a diversity, not unlike the man himself, who refused to be pigeonholed into any particular religious ideology. Masterfully crafted, it is always a pleasure to hear an American master at work. Oh, BTW, he was a good teacher, too, and his students included *Philip Glass *and *Steve Reich.*


----------



## jim prideaux

as predicted in an earlier post my initial judgement regarding the Borodin symphonies was far too hasty, their attractions slowly yet impressively unfolding-however had to return to the Schubert 8th/Grand Duo recording by Abbado and CEO......


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Debussy Nocturnes: Abbado/BSO*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Staying Baroque-ial
Marais

All from the splendid DHM box


----------



## TurnaboutVox

neoshredder said:


> Listening to CPE Bach - Symphonies. Is it wrong to enjoy CPE Bach more than JS Bach?


Yes, utterly wrong :lol:

Current listening:

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 1 in C minor (Linz Version)*
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti [Decca]

*Bartok

Concerto for Orchestra
Dance Suite
The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19*

London Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti [Decca, rec. 1965]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> *Jules Massenet*
> Opera in 4 acts "Esclarmonde."
> -Joan Sutherland, Aragall, Huguette Tourangeau, Clifford Grant, Quilico, Lloyd, Caley, Clark, Davies.
> -The National Philharmonic Orchestra et John Alldis Choir/Richard Alan Bonynge.
> 
> *Cesar Franck*
> Symphony in D Minor.
> -The Orchestre National de France/Leonard Bernstein.
> 
> *Ernest Chausson*
> Poeme de l'amore et de la mar for voice et orchestra.
> Poeme for Violin et Orchestra.
> -Linda Finne (mezzo-soprano).
> -The Ulster Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor et violinist).
> 
> *Gabriel Faure*
> Pelleas et Melisande & Pavane.
> -The Ulster Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier.
> 
> *Florent Schmitt*
> La Tragedie de Salome.
> Psalm 47.
> -Sharon Sweet (soprano).
> -Jean-Louis Gil (organist).
> -Jacques Prat & Guy Commentale (violin soloists).
> -The Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France/Marek Janowski.


---
Florent Schmitt- _awesome!_









You owe it to yourself to get the Jean Martinon performance of the Psalm 47. It's the most tremendous performance I've ever heard of anything by Schmitt--- the quality of the choral singing especially, at around 20-22 minutes deep into the piece. The soloist is gorgeous as well. You can get an audiophile reproduction of the original record at this site. This re-engineered incarnation of the piece far exceeds the original EMI CD that came out:

http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/product.php?pid=705


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Deilbes: Bell Song from Lakme*









Moffo exuding the customary air and light wonderfully.


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev*: Romeo and Juliet (complete ballet in 4 acts)
Cleveland Orchestra/Maazel


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Piano Concerti, w. Argerich (rec.1968 - '78); Piano Works, w. Ts'ong (rec.1979 - '85).

View attachment 35846
View attachment 35847
View attachment 35848


----------



## Cosmos

I'm listening to what is now one of my new favorite Mozart piano concertos: no. 26 in D (so called Coronation concerto)









With one of my favorite pianists and one of my favorite conductors


----------



## opus55

Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Florent Schmitt- _awesome!_
> 
> You owe it to yourself to get the Jean Martinon performance of the Psalm 47. It's the most tremendous performance I've ever heard of anything by Schmitt--- the quality of the choral singing especially, at around 20-22 minutes deep into the piece. The soloist is gorgeous as well. You can get an audiophile reproduction of the original record at this site. This re-engineered incarnation of the piece far exceeds the original EMI CD that came out:


Thanks for the heads-up! I'm listening to the sound clip and watching my pulse quicken.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslawski, Symphonies 2 and 4*

Except for a brief break listening to Florent Schmitt, I've been listening to these two.

This is my second crack at Symphony No. 2, and it still makes me mad. It sounds like random sounds, and the composer is sitting in the corner saying, "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Symphony No. 4 is another thing. At first listen, this is very well done.


----------



## MagneticGhost

I'm trying to listen to this although my bandwidth seems shot today.
You'll probably only be able to listen to this within the UK too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03vzzhv

Roxanna Panufnik presents a selection of Polish music through the ages.

inc.
Andrezj Panufnik
Bartlomiej Pekiel
Chopin
Szymanowski
Stanislaw Moniuszko
Grazyna Bacewicz
Lutoslawski


----------



## LancsMan

*Handel & Scarlatti: Selection of suites and sonatas* Murray Perahia on Sony

This selection of Handel suites (including the variations on The Harmonious Blacksmith) and Scarlatti sonatas is a joy as played here. Although I generally prefer original instruments in baroque music this doesn't extend to Handel's keyboard suites (or Bach keyboard works for that matter). Scarlatti sonatas I enjoy on piano and harpsichord about equally. I'm sure the purists won't agree!

Anyway this disc does my spirit good.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Korngold: Elizabeth & Essex*










Love those fanfares and marches!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Beethoven's Symphony No.3 "Eroica" - Klaus Tennstedt, cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

My Mozart favourites - Piano Concerto No. 19 (Haebler/Rowicki) and Symphony No. 31 (Krips) - while learning physics. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

"Frà Diavolo: Street Music From The Kingdom of Naples" - Accordone


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Florent Schmitt- _awesome!_
> 
> View attachment 35844
> 
> 
> You owe it to yourself to get the Jean Martinon performance of the Psalm 47. It's the most tremendous performance I've ever heard of anything by Schmitt--- the quality of the choral singing especially, at around 20-22 minutes deep into the piece. The soloist is gorgeous as well. You can get an audiophile reproduction of the original record at this site. This re-engineered incarnation of the piece far exceeds the original EMI CD that came out:
> 
> http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/product.php?pid=705


I've read a lot of positive reviews of Martinon's recording, which, when I last looked, was not easy to obtain (still out of print it appears). I will check out the link you sent me. Thanks very much. 

Incidentally, Tortelier did a Chandos recording of it (plus Salome & Le Palais Hante) quite recently with the Sao Paulo SO & Chorus, which I've been eyeing for some time, and yet I've been procrastinating, for some reason or another.


----------



## Vaneyes

*R. Strauss*: Don Quixote, w. Rostropovich/BPO/HvK (rec.1975); *Schumann*: Piano Works, w. Berezovsky (rec.1992).

View attachment 35854
View attachment 35855


----------



## Jos

I only know D. Scarlatti's sonatas played on harpsichord, but enjoyed these a lot. Christian Zacharias playing those 11 on piano. They sound more modern to me and more dynamic. A recent purchase I'm very happy with.
The Vivaldi's are excellent, I Musici , Pina Carmirelli violino, and Collegium aureum. Original instruments on Hamonia Mundi.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> I've read a lot of positive reviews of Martinon's recording, which, when I last looked, was not easy of obtain (still out of print it appears). I will check out the link you sent me. Thanks very much.
> 
> Incidentally, Tortelier did a Chandos recording of it (plus Salome & Le Palais Hante) quite recently with the Sao Paulo SO & Chorus, which I've been eyeing for some time, and yet I've been procrastinating, for some reason or another.


---
I have all of the Psalm 47's that are on CD; I do like the Tortelier-- and he does that choral build-up section beautifully in the middle section that I treasure so much; kind of 'Parsifal-ian'-- to my ears at any rate. But the Martinon takes my breath away in all of the categories that fundamentally matter to me: performance, orchestral response, quality of singers, and of course sound quality. It sweeps me up into Dante's Empyrean. . . I just got a new headphone amplifier last week and I can _REALLY_ hear the detail in the mid-ranges and especially the timbres with singers-- and this piece just sounded glorious-- I don't know how else to put it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight - a great deal of Bridge chamber music as I've been doing some work for a couple of hours with my headphones on and I haven't been interfering as Foobar goes through my 'Bridge' collection. Mmmm. My 666th post!

For anyone interested in specific pieces:

*Bridge - Piano Trios

Piano Trio No. 1 (Phantasie trio) in C minor
Piano Trio No. 2
Nine miniatures for Piano Trio*

Jack Liebeck (Violin); Alexander Chaushian ('Cello); Ashley Wass (Piano) [Naxos]

*
Bridge - Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F# minor*

Maggini Quartet, Martin Roscoe (Piano) [Naxos]

*Bridge - String Quartets

String Quartet No. 1 in E minor
String Quartet No. 2 in G minor 
String Quartet No. 3
String Quartet No. 4*

Maggini Quartet [Naxos]

*
Bridge - Piano Quintet in D minor, H49a*

Ashley Wass, Tippett Quartet [Naxos]

As I have previously opined, there is a good deal of very worthwhile chamber music here, both from Bridge's 'Edwardian' and 'Modernist' periods. But the String Quartet No. 4 would be a masterpiece in anyone's oeuvre.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 version, ed. Nowak)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## KenOC

Listening to both of these. In 1855 Wilhelm von Lenz wrote, "Centuries will pass before the world will be enriched by two such matched works as the Mozart and Beethoven Piano Quintets with Wind Instruments." Jos Van Immerseel and Octophoros, original-style instruments.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 5, w. BBCSO/Horenstein (rec. 1971); Chamber Music, w. L'Archibudelli (rec.1994).

View attachment 35864
View attachment 35865


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1700-1775): Trio Sonata No.5 in G Minor

Roberto Noferini and Gianfranco Ianetta, violins -- Andrea Noferini, cello -- Bruno Canino, harpsichord


----------



## Blancrocher

Cortot performances of Schumann from the 20s and 30s.

*p.s.* r.e. TurnaboutVox:


> The Ives violin sonatas I'd like to acquire. The Reger string quartets and clarinet quintet (the same recording) were a real 'find' for me last year.


The Hahn/Lisitsa recording of Ives was my introduction to that music, and it's a recording I treasure. I haven't made comparisons, though.

I agree with you about that Drolc set, too--I like to return to op.109, in particular. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't heard it.


----------



## OrchestrasWaterboy

Symphony #1 .... so damn good


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival.* Handel*: Oboe Concerti and Sonatas, w. Francis/London Harpsichord Ens. (rec. 1994).

Such civilized musik. Pardon me, while I powder my wig.

View attachment 35869


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"} and Symphony No.8, *both featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The *Seventh *
also includes soprano Norma Burrowes and the London Philharmonic Choir under choir master John Alldis. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *
performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic. 
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russia"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works once again feature Maestro Berntsein and the New York Philharmonic.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"},* traversed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Levine. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.10* {adagio}, again featuring Maestro Levine, this time at the helm of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## samurai

Ralph Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia antartica"} and Symphony No.8, *both featuring Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The *Seventh *
also includes soprano Norma Burrowes and the London Philharmonic Choir under choir master John Alldis. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *
performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic. 
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russia"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works once again feature Maestro Berntsein and the New York Philharmonic.
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.1 in D Major {"Titan"},* traversed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Levine. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.10* {adagio}, again featuring Maestro Levine, this time at the helm of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Sometimes--as tonight--the weather influences my mood, directly influences/reflects my choice of the "concert program" I wish to put together and hear. The temps outside are again below freezing after a rather sunny--but chilly and quite windy day. Thus, my choices for this evening.


----------



## samurai

Sorry about the above repeated post; I tried to cancel it but couldn't!


----------



## Alfacharger

Beautifully re-mastered from the original sessions, The Day the Earth Stood Still and the Ghost and Mrs. Muir from this 14 disc boxed set.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Scarlatti: 6 Sonatas
Chopin: Ballade No.4/Waltz Op.69 No.1
Liszt: Ballade No.2
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Minor Op.23 No.5 Vladimir Horowitz

The first CD I ever bought- 2 years before I bought a CD player! I got it because I feared that by the time I could afford a CD player, it would be deleted! It is a wonderful CD, and bears out what some reviewer said when it came out, that it was the first recording issued that gave you some idea of what Horowitz sounded like in the concert hall. I can vouchsafe for this, as shortly before its release, I heard him play all these pieces (plus a few more) at the Royal Festival Hall in London on the 29th May, 1982. A terrific recital that I feel sure will never be forgotten by anybody who was there.


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor

Les Adieux


----------



## mstar

Still listening to *Liszt*! 
Hungarian Rhapsodies with Pizarro, 
Transcendental Etudes with Bolet, Cziffra, Lugansky, and Horowitz, 
Concert Etudes with Farago, 
14 Schubert Lieder with Yablonskaya, 
Bunte Reihe (first 4) with Tryon, 
...and a lot more....

And Sibelius of course.


----------



## Guest

Fine playing and sound. He clearly delineates all of the voices.


----------



## Itullian

Kontrapunctus said:


> Fine playing and sound. He clearly delineates all of the voices.


I gotta get that one.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## bejart

Alessandro Besozzi (1702-1793?): Trio Sonata in G Major

Ensemble Sans Souci: Giuseppe Nalin and Ruggero Vartolo, oboes -- Paolo Tognon, bassoon -- Enrico Corbi, harpsichord


----------



## Novelette

samurai said:


> Sorry about the above repeated post; I tried to cancel it but couldn't!


No harm done. It gives me a rare opportunity to express my admiration/appreciation twice!


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> I have all of the Psalm 47's that are on CD; I do like the Tortelier-- and he does that choral build-up section beautifully in the middle section that I treasure so much; kind of 'Parsifal-ian'-- to my ears at any rate. But the Martinon takes my breath away in all of the categories that fundamentally matter to me: performance, orchestral response, quality of singers, and of course sound quality. It sweeps me up into Dante's Empyrean. . . I just got a new headphone amplifier last week and I can _REALLY_ hear the detail in the mid-ranges and especially the timbres with singers-- and this piece just sounded glorious-- I don't know how else to put it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Well, I better get on with getting the Martinon. Your link should do nicely. Again, many thanks.


----------



## Orfeo

Mahlerian said:


> Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 version, ed. Nowak)
> London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt
> View attachment 35862


Nice, very nice!!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

samurai said:


> Sorry about the above repeated post; I tried to cancel it but couldn't!


I know the feeling. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> Beautifully re-mastered from the original sessions, The Day the Earth Stood Still and the Ghost and Mrs. Muir from this 14 disc boxed set.


Oh yes, assuredly. Thumbs up. A sine qua non for all Herrmann fans. . . This too:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian- Sutherland/Pavarotti _Lucia_

Hail Joannie!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian- Tennstedt/London Philharmonic Bruckner VIII

Yeah, I love how he does that tremendous ending. I still wish he would have done the Haas edition though.


----------



## Guest

Itullian said:


> I gotta get that one.


While you're at it, watch this fascinating movie that goes behind the scenes with Steinway's master tuner at work with Aimard, Brendel, Lang--it shows them preparing for and footage of Aimard recording the Bach. He's a real peach...


----------



## Morimur

The Master Musicians of Jajouka


----------



## samurai

Novelette said:


> No harm done. It gives me a rare opportunity to express my admiration/appreciation twice!


Thank You, Thank You. :tiphat:


----------



## Morimur

*The Master Musicians of Jajouka - (1992) Apocalypse Across the Sky*









"The Master Musicians of Jajouka are an ensemble of full-time Moroccan musicians who live in the small rural village of Jajouka, which is in the Jibala hills south of Tangier. For them, music isn't a part-time interest or a mere hobby; it's an integral part of their day-to-day lives. Their passionate music was documented in 1991, when Apocalypse Across the Sky was recorded using a digital 12-track recorder. Some of the songs on this CD favor chanting vocals and use of the call-and-response technique, while the instrumentals make extensive use of percussion and the ghaita, an African wind instrument with a high pitch and an oboe-ish quality. The ghaita has been heard as a solo instrument on many African recordings, but on Sky (for which ghaita player/singer Bachir Attar serves as leader), listeners are given the chance to hear several ghaitas in unison. This is enriching music that shouldn't be overlooked." - Alex Henderson


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: Luonnotar, Gibson/SNO, Bryn-Julson*

_Luonnotar_









with Phyllis Bryn-Julson


----------



## bejart

Schumann: Fantasy in C Major, Op.17

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## opus55

Gounod: Faust


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Stravinsky: Les Noces, Argerich & Friends*









Martha Argerich, Julia Zaichkina, Alexander Mogilevsky, Alexander Guring, pianos

Susan Roberts, soprano

Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano

Daniel Normal, tenor

Carsten Wittmoser, bass


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Itullian- Sutherland/Pavarotti _Lucia_
> 
> Hail Joannie!


Joannie---YAY
Pavarotti---not a big fan....


----------



## starthrower

My new favorite:
Gubaidulina-Symphony In 12 Movements


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Jerry Goldsmith: The Blue Max*


----------



## SimonNZ

following...I can't remember who. was it millionrainbows?

"Call Of The Valley" - Shivkumar Sharma et al

someone mentioned this last week, reminding me I'd seen it in a secondhand store, and I picked it up today and its every bit as good as that poster said


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


>


One of my favorite movies!!!!
Poor Stachel, huh?


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 104 "London". London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum. Haydn is ALWAYS a pleasant surprise, like having an old and valued friend drop by to visit.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> One of my favorite movies!!!!
> Poor Stachel, huh?


--
He got to bask in the radiance of a goddess. . . he'll be alright.


----------



## senza sordino

*Janacek Idyll*








*Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings*








And my new CD
*Elgar and Carter Cello Concerti with Bruch Kol Nidrei *








I liked Weilerstein's Elgar. Very elegant. On my J duPre disk I can hear Jackie breathing, and duPre is very slap happy with her pizzicato, she pulls so hard on the strings that they slap back onto the fingerboard. Dramatic and tense. Weilerstein's version was more tame. Doesn't replace duPre but a good version.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to CD 1 of Mozart's Piano Concertos. Can't go wrong with Mozart. Great performance. Murray Perahia has mastered Mozart. 
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Comple...3309045&sr=1-1&keywords=Murray+Perahia+Mozart


----------



## shangoyal

This has to be one of the most heart-achingly sad and sadly beautiful pieces of music ever. Even the happier last two movements are imbued with a sense of temporary relief, as though the light that shines only separates two long periods of darkness.

Schubert: *Piano Sonata in B-flat major D. 960*

Wilhelm Kempff


----------



## dgee

Bach Cello Suite 5 in C Minor. Lovin the "single voice polyphony" on the cover!!! Good aesthetic - my idea of a Bach-y sound.









Funny story - I'd slightly blown my mind on some of the outre harmony hacking through it via an old disreputable edition. As all the unresolved ninth (and more!) chords got a bit much I discovered at the top the direction to tune the cello on C-G-D-G and that it had been notated accordingly. Having resolved that, time to enjoy (the prelude, the sarabande!!)


----------



## SimonNZ

Takemitsu chamber works - Toronto New Music Ensemble


----------



## adrem

My favourite recording of Mahler 1 (Kubelik is close to him) - Zinman and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.


----------



## dgee

May be of general interest: a youtube playlist of Bach suites (and some other stuff) on violoncello de spalla, played across the body almost in the manner of an enormous viola (although looks and sounds smaller than any cello) - was this the instrument Bach intended or did he intend for them to be played by Pablo Cassals and Yo-Yo Ma? ;-) Anyhow:


----------



## Taggart

dgee said:


> May be of general interest: a youtube playlist of Bach suites (and some other stuff) on violoncello de spalla, played across the body almost in the manner of an enormous viola (although looks and sounds smaller than any cello) - was this the instrument Bach intended or did he intend for them to be played by Pablo Cassals and Yo-Yo Ma? ;-) Anyhow:


Very good question. it's essentially a modern re-invention by Dmitry Badiarov, a luthier, based on the work of Gregory Barnett, author of the book "The Violoncello da Spalla: Shouldering the Cello in the Baroque Era", published in 1998. Wiki in the article on the cello notes:



> the cello is actually part of the viola da braccio family, meaning "viol of the arm," ... Though paintings like Bruegel's "The Rustic Wedding" and de Fer in his Epitome Musical suggest that the bass violin had alternate playing positions, these were short-lived and the more practical and ergonomic a gamba position eventually replaced them entirely.


So ... make of it what you will.


----------



## Guest

Mozart
Divertimento in D "Nanerl Septet"
Holliger and company

Holliger has the cello doubled with a bass so this septet has eight players. It makes it sound bigger and less chamber-like. It's well-played but I'll take the original scoring.


----------



## Jeff W

Started with Mozart's Clarinet Concerto & Oboe Concerto. Antony Pay plays the clarinet and Michel Piguet plays the oboe while Christopher Hogwood leads the Academy of Ancient Music.









Next came Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks and the Concerto a due cori HWV 332, 333 & 334 along with a couple of Arias for oboes, horns & bassoons.









Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon & Mississippi Suites are currently playing. Leonard Bernstein leads the New York Philharmonic on the Grand Canyon Suite while Andre Kostelenatz leads the same band for the Mississippi Suite.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvorak: Suite in A*

Dvorak:	
American Suite in A major, Op. 98a(b)

Suk:	
Fantastické Scherzo Op. 25

Serenade for String Orchestra in E flat, Op. 6

*Prague Philharmonia, Jakub Hruša*









Dvorak has a sweetness and coulour-rich lyricism in his music that I love. But it can sometimes make me depressed, I dont know why. But not now. Have not reached Suk yet, looking forward. Very good performance so far.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/dvorak-suite-in-a-suk-serenade-scherzo-fantastique-mw0001864629

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-13248/

http://www.amazon.com/Suite-Serenade-Dvorak/dp/B000J20D4M

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Supraphon/SU38822


----------



## Alfacharger

Some of the best music that Mozart never wrote!


----------



## julianoq

First listen on anything by Erik Satie. Listening to the Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes, played by Pascal Rogé (one of my favorite pianists for both Debussy and Ravel). Marvelous music!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert
Episode 1

Barry Douglas (piano) in Brahms: Seven Fantasies, Op 116. Schubert: Sonata in B flat, D960


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Trio Sonata in D Major, Op.8, No.2

The Locatelli Trio: Elizabeth Wallfisch, violin -- Richard Tunicliffe, cello -- Pau lNicholson, harpsichord


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Nielsen - String quartets

String quartet in F minor, Op.5
String quartet in G minor, Op.13*

Carl Nielsen String Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon]









This (apparently quite rare, if ebay.ca is to be believed) collection is one of only three discs or sets of discs in my collection which I found to be seriously 'bronzed' when I came to digitise everything. Not all was playable, and not all that was playable was listen-able (neither could DG provide a replacement). But these two early quartets are fine, and I've been enjoying them this morning.

I intend in time to replace the Carl Nielsen quartet readings with a recommended set by the Young Danish Quartet


----------



## PetrB

Darius Milhaud ~ Les Choéphores (1915)


----------



## Blancrocher

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, Romantic Suite, Symphonic Fantasy and Fugue, and an organ piece. Following SimonNZ's and Vaneyes' mentions of the album the other day.

Followed by Andras Schiff playing Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by J.S. Bach.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Dvorak 7th Symphony - Colin Davis - LSO


----------



## Orfeo

*Philip Sainton*
Moby Dick (music for the film).
-The Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/William T. Stromberg.

*George Lloyd*
Symphony no. XI (1987).
-The Albany Symphony Orchestra/George Lloyd.

*Ernest John Moeran*
Rhapsodies nos. I & II.
Symphonic Impression "In the Mountain Country."
Nocturne (for baritone, chorus, & orchestra).
-Hugh Mackey (baritone).
-The Ulster Orchestra & the Renaissance Singers/Vernon Handley.

*Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov*
Symphonic Poem "Stenka Razin."
Symphonic Fantasy "The Sea."
Suite "From the Middle Ages."
-The Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.


----------



## Orfeo

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Nielsen - String quartets
> 
> String quartet in F minor, Op.5
> String quartet in G minor, Op.13*
> 
> Carl Nielsen String Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon]
> 
> View attachment 35893
> 
> 
> This (apparently quite rare, if ebay.ca is to be believed) collection is one of only three discs or sets of discs in my collection which I found to be seriously 'bronzed' when I came to digitise everything. Not all was playable, and not all that was playable was listen-able (neither could DG provide a replacement). But these two early quartets are fine, and I've been enjoying them this morning.
> 
> I intend in time to replace the Carl Nielsen quartet readings with a recommended set by the Young Danish Quartet


This brings back memories when I first encountered Nielsen's chamber music courtesy of these recordings. I happen to have the Young Danish String Quartet's Dacapo recordings of the works, but I do have fond memories of that DG album, and the warmth in the playing.


----------



## Guest

My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.








K466, Piano Concerto #20 in d minor
K467, Piano Concerto #21 in C
Malcom Bilson, fortepiano
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists


----------



## rrudolph

CPE Bach: Quartets for Flute, Viola, Cello and Keyboard Wq. 93, 94, 95/Fantasy in C Major








Beethoven: Fidelio "Harmoniemusik" arr. Sedlak 1814 (2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons, double bass)/Variations on "La ci darem la mano" (Mozart) (3 oboes, English horn)/Duo #2 for Clarinet and Bassoon








Brahms: Quintet for Clarinet and Strings Op. 115/Weber: Quintet for Clarinet and Strings Op. 34


----------



## brotagonist

Starting the morning right, with Brahms' 2 String Sextets:









Joyous! Who said Brahms wasn't?


----------



## Taggart

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Congratulations! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Congratulations! Hope she likes Mozart, then.

Current listening:

On the strength of the charming 1st and 2nd quartets I decided to listen to the whole Nielsen 2CD set, aural problems notwithstanding. Nothing in here is less than charming, interesting and the three later pieces are thoroughly in the mature Nielsen idiom. The third movement of the 3rd Quartet, Op. 14 - Allegretto pastorale - Presto - Allegretto pastorale - is electric, as good a piece of string quartet writing as you'll find from that era. I agree with dholling above - the playing is warm and passionate (but maybe slightly lacking in finesse?)

The other works included here are:

*String Quintet in G Major, FS 5 *(1888) / Carl Nielsen String Quartet + Borge Mortensen, 2nd Viola
*String Quartet No. 3 in E Flat Major, Op. 14* (1897-8) / Carl Nielsen String Quartet
*String Quartet No. 4 in F major, Op.44* (1906) / Carl Nielsen String Quartet
*Wind Quintet (for Flute, Oboe (Cor Anglais), Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon), Op. 43* (1922) / Vestjysk Chamber Ensemble (unfortunately this is really badly damaged)

also:

*Nielsen - Ved en Ung Konstners Baare* ('At the bier of a young artist'), FS 58: Andante lamentoso
Emerson String Quartet [DG, rec. 2006]


----------



## Sudonim

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Congratulations to you and your wife, Jerome! Daughters are wonderful (I have two).

But be sure to introduce her to Stockhausen, too.


----------



## Vasks

*M. Arnold - Overture: The Smoke (composer/Reference)
Goldschmidt - Chronica (Kreizberg/London)
Boulanger - Psaume 130 (Tortelier/Chandos)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> *Philip Sainton*
> Moby Dick (music for the film).
> -The Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/William T. Stromberg.
> 
> -- My memory's a little hazy, but I recall reading somewhere that John Huston attended a performance of Sainton's "The Island" and then decided that Sainton was the man to score his film.


----------



## brotagonist

2.5*/5






This sounds very generic, reminiscent of film music from an American film of the 1950s.


----------



## FleshRobot

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Remember to play Schoenberg, Webern, Berg and other dodecaphonist composers to her now so that she can grow up to like their music.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Abbado/LSO Mussorgsky*










The Satanic and the angelic; Night on Bald Mountain and Joshua- it karmically balances out. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## millionrainbows

Cosmos said:


> I'm listening to what is now one of my new favorite Mozart piano concertos: no. 26 in D (so called Coronation concerto)
> 
> View attachment 35849
> 
> 
> With one of my favorite pianists and one of my favorite conductors


I fully share your enthusiasm for *Alicia de la Rocha. *I have her Ravel concertos, and a 2-CD of Spanish composers which is just beautiful.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D960 (Leif Ole Andsnes).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 82 in C Major, 'The Bear' (Sigiswald Kuijken; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.
> 
> View attachment 35899
> 
> K466, Piano Concerto #20 in d minor
> K467, Piano Concerto #21 in C
> Malcom Bilson, fortepiano
> John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists


Congratulations from me as well .


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> dholling said:
> 
> 
> 
> *Philip Sainton*
> Moby Dick (music for the film).
> -The Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/William T. Stromberg.
> 
> -- My memory's a little hazy, but I recall reading somewhere that John Huston attended a performance of Sainton's "The Island" and then decided that Sainton was the man to score his film.
> 
> 
> 
> It was widely assumed that Huston attended a performance of _ "The Island"_ before he decided to employ Sainton as the composer for the film. But it was actually the HMV recording of _"Fiesta,"_ which Sainton conducted himself, that prompted Huston to arrange a meeting with the composer. Needless to say, the rest was history (to Sainton's surprise, for he never thought that the chance to compose film music would ever come about).
> 
> It was a match made in heaven.
Click to expand...


----------



## moody

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.
> 
> View attachment 35899
> 
> K466, Piano Concerto #20 in d minor
> K467, Piano Concerto #21 in C
> Malcom Bilson, fortepiano
> John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists


Many congratulations.


----------



## Queequeg

My friend recommended this piece to me and now just added it to my playlist.

Étienne Nicolas Méhul, Symphony No. 2 in D major


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas no. 5, no. 6, no. 7 & no. 22
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti [dir.], on Decca









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 24 & no. 25
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## Manxfeeder

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Congratulations! She's getting a good start.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Orchestral and Chamber, w. Boulez (rec.1982/3), Craft, Sherry et al (rec.1994 - '09).

View attachment 35912
View attachment 35913
View attachment 35914


----------



## Vaneyes

Flamme said:


> http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three
> 
> Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert
> Episode 1
> 
> Barry Douglas (piano) in Brahms: Seven Fantasies, Op 116. Schubert: Sonata in B flat, D960


Inspired by Flamme...

View attachment 35915


----------



## millionrainbows

*Max Reger (1873-1916): Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester op. 114 (1910) (Koch/Schwann) rec. 1988. *Gerhard Oppitz, piano; Bamberger Symphoniker/Horst Stein.

Apart from a few chamber works and organ pieces, Reger is virtually unknown. Schoenberg, in a 1922 letter to Zemlinsky, said that Reger was a genius, but admitted that "we still do not know what to think of him." This concerto, based on the Brahms model of integrating the piano into the orchestral texture, is a twisting, constantly shifting chromatic journey, masterfully crafted. Still, he remains unknown, and for the time being, I am part of the cognoscenti who are turned-on to his vision.


----------



## moody

THE TWO WORLDS OF KURT WEILL. BERLIN AND NEW YORK.

Morton Gould and his orchestra play instrumental versions of songs from Weill's theatrical dramas.
Gould hit on a brilliant idea here and centres on Berlin and then New York where Weill fled in the 1930's.
Christopher Isherwood wrote "Goodbye To Berlin" which contains, to quote George Orwell, "Brilliant sketches of a society in decay". By various routes this was foundation for the musical "Cabaret".
The song common to both citiies here is "Mack the Knife". The German half is so sleazy you could cut it with a knife !
The New York half illustrates how well Weill assimilated the American vernacular.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bartok - Violin Concerto No. 2* / Itzhak Perlman, Previn, LSO [EMI (LP) rec. 1974]

Not my preferred recording (which is Iona Brown with the Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor Simon Rattle, recorded by Decca at Walthamstow Town Hall in north-east London in 1980, but I dropped the turntable lid on it one day...). However, this performance is good too, though the recorded sound is inferior.


----------



## Levanda

SimonNZ said:


> "Frà Diavolo: Street Music From The Kingdom of Naples" - Accordone


Wonderful music absolutely loved.


----------



## PetrB

jerome said:


> my wife and i brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning i introduced her to mozart.


_*Congratulations!*_


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 35870
> 
> 
> Scarlatti: 6 Sonatas
> Chopin: Ballade No.4/Waltz Op.69 No.1
> Liszt: Ballade No.2
> Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Minor Op.23 No.5 Vladimir Horowitz
> 
> The first CD I ever bought- 2 years before I bought a CD player!* I got it because I feared that by the time I could afford a CD player, it would be deleted! *It is a wonderful CD, and bears out what some reviewer said when it came out, that it was the first recording issued that gave you some idea of what Horowitz sounded like in the concert hall. I can vouchsafe for this, as shortly before its release, I heard him play all these pieces (plus a few more) at the Royal Festival Hall in London on the 29th May, 1982. A terrific recital that I feel sure will never be forgotten by anybody who was there.


The Moose of Shropshire, we can say now that you were a visionary. Indeed, for whatever ill reasons, many labels chose to play the deletion game during the so-called Golden CD era of the 80's and 90's. Some defuncts were bought by other labels and some of the mistreated CDs were eventually reissued. Some are seemingly lost forever. Occasionally, we do see optimistic dribbles. Sony, surprise, surprise, has recently reissued LB's '58 "Rite", and soon will be reissuing JSQ's Carter SQs with the long awaited 5th. :tiphat:


----------



## Arsakes

Adagio/andante movements of:

*Beethoven*'s 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th symphonies
*Mahler*'s Symphony No.9
*Bruckner*'s 4th and 7th symphonies 
*Dvorak*'s 8th symphony and Cello Concerto


----------



## millionrainbows

Arthur Berger (1912-?): The Complete Orchestral Music (New World). This is great stuff; I was very pleasantly surprised. The opener, Ideas of Order, somehow reminds me of Lejaren Hiller's ILIAC Suite, in the way it has idiosyncratic wide turns of melody, a major-ish feel, and seems to be suspended in tonality, going nowhere, yet always seeming to be vital and moving; a sort of stasis in movement. The other pieces get much more gnarly, flirting with dissonance more and more. A good recording and performance by Boston players, cond. by Gil Rose. Refreshing, open American music.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Clear, yellow-sunshine shafts of feather-like delicacy in the Concerto for Four Violins in A minor.

_E squisita. Che finezza._

Love it.


----------



## rrudolph

Beethoven: Septet Op. 20/Clarinet Trio Op. 11








Beethoven: Violin Sonatas #5 (Spring), #9 (Kreutzer), #10


----------



## Oskaar

*Fritz BRUN (1878-1959)*

Symphonic Nr. 6 C-dur (1933) [33:51]
Symphonic Nr. 7 D-dur (1937) [40:41]
*Moscow Symphony Orchestra/Adriano
*









http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=616402

http://www.classical-music-review-blog.com/?page_id=2855

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Apr12/Brun_6_7_GMCD7372.htm


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> Arthur Berger (1912-?): The Complete Orchestral Music (New World)


Berger died Oct 7, 2003.

I listened to that disc's "Perspectives II" a week or two ago (posted here). Read the program notes first and then listen to certain pitches being taken from the end of one part and then transferred to start the next part. It's pretty cool once you pick it up.


----------



## PetrB

millionrainbows said:


> Arthur Berger (1912-?): The Complete Orchestral Music (New World). This is great stuff; I was very pleasantly surprised. The opener, Ideas of Order, somehow reminds me of Lejaren Hiller's ILIAC Suite, in the way it has idiosyncratic wide turns of melody, a major-ish feel, and seems to be suspended in tonality, going nowhere, yet always seeming to be vital and moving; a sort of stasis in movement. The other pieces get much more gnarly, flirting with dissonance more and more. A good recording and performance by Boston players, cond. by Gil Rose. Refreshing, open American music.


Those Boston school guys, Berger, Irving Fine and Ralph Shapero -- are each far beyond 'not too shabby' composers.

I'm familiar with ideas of order and some of Berger's orchestral stuff -- damn good writing -- and envy you your purchase


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No. 5, performed by Raphael Kubelik & Bavarian Radio Orchestra


----------



## Marschallin Blair

oskaar: *Fritz BRUN (1878-1959)*

Symphonic Nr. 6 C-dur (1933) [33:51]
Symphonic Nr. 7 D-dur (1937) [40:41]
*Moscow Symphony Orchestra/Adriano
*
--








Close to the cover of the exquisite Ozawa Gurrelieder. . . it_ must _be good. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

In search of some spiritual assistence in a busy day, listening to Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin conducted by Gardiner.


----------



## Vesteralen

Parts of this sound really familiar to me, though I'm pretty sure I never heard it before. Borrowed melodies in places?

Impressive, nonetheless.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major (Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Josef Suk: Asreal Symphony & Benjamin Britten: Sinfonia Da Requiem*
Jiri Belohlavek & BBC Symphony Orchestra








Revisiting a loved albeit neglected disc. It will be interesting to compare to Belohlavek's previous recording of the Asrael with the Czech Philharmonic. I have also fallen under the spell of Britten's orchestral works much more since my previous listen so this is proving an immensely rewarding and satisfying listen.

Following this, I think I'll continue my Josef Suk journey with these fantastic discs:




















The neglect comes from how I have stored some of my discs, something I am rectifying. I loved Suk's works from my first listen of 'Prague' and 'A Summer's Tale' on the disc above. A very underrated Composer in my opinion.


----------



## csacks

Another lesson from this Forum. I love Stravinsky, but I had no idea about these composition. It sounds like a Russian Carmina Burana.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

csacks said:


> Another lesson from this Forum. I love Stravinsky, but I had no idea about these composition. It sounds like a Russian Carmina Burana.
> View attachment 35932


--
I must confess that I didn't awaken from my aesthetic slumber with regards to _Les Noces_ until I saw Salonen do it a few years ago in L.A. with Steven Stucky's orchestrations. . . then it just 'clicked.'


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Verdi: Ducal Ball, Act I, Rigoletto*









_DUCA: 
Né sventura per me certo saria.
Questa o quella per me pari sono
a quant'altre d'intorno mi vedo;
del mio core l'impero non cedo
meglio ad una che ad altra beltà.
La costoro avvenenza è qual dono
di che il fato ne infiora la vita;
s'oggi questa mi torna gradita
forse un'altra doman lo sarà.
La costanza, tiranna del core,
detestiamo qual morbo crudele._

_DUKE
That wouldn't worry me at all.
Neither is any different
from the rest I see around me;
I never yield my heart
to one beauty more than another.
Feminine charm is a gift bestowed
by fate to brighten our lives.
And if one woman pleases me today,
tomorrow, like as not, another will.
Fidelity - that tyrant of the heart -
we shun like pestilence._

Wicked fun. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Kreuzer Sonata, in a truly remarkable performance by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say. A side-note: Fazil Say was recently convicted of blasphemy.


----------



## Bas

As you might have noticed - or perhaps I am presuming that you all take more notion than you are, which is most likely the case - I have been listening through my Louis Spohr Complete Violin Concerto's Box. After the finishing of the current one (in about a minute the wonderful first Violin Concerto will finish), only two discs are left. I've been through the box in random order and it has some exceptional moments, virtuosso playing justifying the comparison of Spohr with Paganini, and overall it is really nice music. Highly recommended for lovers of romantic violin music.

Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 14 in Am, no 15 in Em, no. 1 in A
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Runfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Heartiest congratulations, what a wonderful start in life for her, here's to all three of you. :cheers:


----------



## SimonNZ

Jerome said:


> My wife and I brought our new baby home from the hospital last night. This morning I introduced her to Mozart.


Congratulations!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Massenet: El Cid , Madrilene, Navarraise, Air de Ballet, Thais*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.1/Choral Fantasia Julius Katchen/London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Pierino Gamba

A splendid performance of the Beethoven 1st Concerto by the redoubtable Mr. Katchen, and then one of the finest recordings in existence of the Choral Fantasia, a work I love, and which, perhaps, gives us the closest idea of how Beethoven improvised.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler V: First Movement*

Compare and contrast time for me:


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Don Giovanni Act 2 

Wachter is the finest Don on record
Taddei is a marvellous foil - the best Leporello
Frick is at his most cavernous - the best statue

And, of course, WA Mozart at his very best.

What a finale!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

Tennestedt got a couple shout-outs today, so I'm pulling out my copy.


----------



## KenOC

Following Manxfeeder's lead, Mahler's 8th, Chailly. I have never listened to this straight through! Actually I cheated this time too. Just the final five minutes. As somebody pointed out in another thread, it's quite loud. You certainly know the symphony is over.


----------



## Morimur

*Hossein Alizâdeh & Djivan Gasparyan - (2006) Endless Vision*










"What the music amounts to is a space out of time, where the past lives eternally into the present and the present gives up its preoccupations with future. The music itself is poetic, full of space, haunting modes, and spiritual melody that is as rooted in the body as love itself is. Highly recommended."

― T. Jurek


----------



## SimonNZ

Liszt's Sonata in B minor - Leon Fleisher, piano


----------



## DavidA

SimonNZ said:


> Liszt's Sonata in B minor - Leon Fleisher, piano


A wonderful pianist before his hand injury.


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

Last night, while listening to All Things Considered on NPR, I was reminded of Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, which I am currently listening to. 

Barber once said that he was pleased that his Adagio for Strings was popular, but he wishes that people would remember that he wrote other things as well.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Sonatas Op.101 and 106 "Hammerklavier" Friedrich Gulda

More marvellous Beethoven, from the marvellous Gulda. This set is proving to be such a delight, and to think that it was only £20! I really can't believe it. I'd say that this "Hammerklavier" is worthy to rank alongside Solomon and Egon Petri, and in my book praise can go no higher.


----------



## Blue Hour

*Igor Levit* ~ *The Beethoven: Late Piano Sonatas*​


----------



## KenOC

Takemitsu: From Me Flows what You Call Time. BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis. A beautiful work, infused with a faint flavor of Debussy.


----------



## moody

rrudolph said:


> Beethoven: Septet Op. 20/Clarinet Trio Op. 11
> View attachment 35919
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Violin Sonatas #5 (Spring), #9 (Kreutzer), #10
> View attachment 35920


The Francescatti/Casadesus performances are wonderful--of course the sound won't please our hi-fi freaks.


----------



## Sid James

Lately its been these:










*"Salute to Percy Grainger" *double album, principally consisting of his *folk song arrangements *and also his magnum opus, *The Warriors*.

Grainger was an innovator on at least two counts, from being amongst the first to transcribe folk song as he heard it (rather than fitting it into the straightjackets and conventions of Western music, Grainger noted down all its oddities and quirks) and also for chance techniques heard in _*The Warriors*_. He was also one of the finest pianists of his time, but oddly enough saw the instruments' limitations. He even arranged Debussy's piano music - influenced by gamelan - for percussion instruments, in effect composing the first solo percussion piece before _Ionisation_ by Varese.

I enjoyed this album immensely, the sheer variety of instrumental combinations he uses in his arrangements - from solo piano, to two pianos, chamber orchestra, choirs and vocal soloists - shows that he treated each song differently and avoided doing carbon copy or rehash. _*The Warriors *_has more themes than you can throw a stick at, but still the second of my two listens garnered more unity. For sheer sonority - the conventional orchestra augemented by onstage percussion 'orchestra' and also offstage brass band - this is amazing but there is much else to enjoy here. The initial theme reminded me of the music hall, of _Handel in the Strand_, and overall this is a sunny and vibrant piece, although the middle section made me think of the cimbalom solos in Kodaly's _Hary Janos_. It had that Eastern 'twang' to it, the way Grainger employed percussion in that section.

And this:










*Album: Baroque Masterpieces for Harpsichord* (on Regis label)
*Arne* _Sonata # 6 in G_
*Greene *_Overture in D major_
*Handel *_Suite # 5 "Harmonious Blacksmith"_
*Rameau* _Pieces en Concerts_
*D. Scarlatti* _Sonatas (selection of 6)_
- Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord

This too was enjoyable, and a good survey of music for the harpsichord. It was great to return to *Handel's* _"Harmonious Blacksmith"(_yet another case where a piece with a name as memorable as its tunes what not named by the composer!), and *Rameau's* _La Timide _and *Scarlatti's* _Sonata in D major, Kk. 492 _- with elements that reminded me of minimalism and jazz - where standouts as well.

But I'm not sure if Trevor Pinnock plays the instrument on the cover, in any case its as sight to behold! A work of art in itself.










*Schmidt* _Quintet for piano (left hand) and strings in G_
- Vienna Philharmonia Quintet

The work is surprisingly quite light but also quintessentially Viennese. Written for the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who lost his right arm in WWI) it was one his favourite works to play when he was on tour. This is pretty much charming music, so no surprises his audiences liked it.



Fortinbras Armstrong said:


> Last night, while listening to All Things Considered on NPR, I was reminded of Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, which I am currently listening to.
> 
> Barber once said that he was pleased that his Adagio for Strings was popular, but he wishes that people would remember that he wrote other things as well.


That's right, they wanted another Adagio, but he didn't give it (I know there's a choral arrangement he did of it though, the _Agnus Dei_). But isn't it funny how audiences always want a 'sequel' to a piece of music that becomes popular? If the composer doesn't deliver we give him a big cross, similar if he delivers we say 'oh, it's not as good, the orginal was better.' On it goes. But Barber was just at a certain point in time when composing the Adagio, and he moved on, if he redid it its like reinventing the wheel (or potentially doing carbon copy/rehash). But audiences don't always understand, do they?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight - some Schumann trifles, but what trifles...

*Schumann

Abegg Variations, Op. 1* / Finghin Collins (Piano) [Claves, 2010]
*Papillons, Op. 2* / Cedric Pescia (Piano) [Claves, 2007]
*Etudes after Capriccios of Paganini, Set 1, Op.3* / Mi-Joo Lee (Piano) [MD&G, rec. 2000]
*6 Intermezzi, Op. 4* / Finghin Collins [Claves] and Dénes Várjon [Naxos]*
Impromptus über ein Thema von Clara Wieck Op.5* / Dénes Várjon (Piano) [Naxos, 1995]




























Each of these pianists is excellent, but the Irishman Finghin Collins has especially great delicacy and clarity in his Schumann playing - and in this repertoire he has been compared to Richter (he's much better recorded on the Swiss Claves label though  ).

Denes Varjon's account of the Op. 5 impromptus has me humming ecstatically along, such is his poetry...but Collins' account of the Op. 4 Intermezzi has more dramatic tension, light and shade


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Meneghetti (1730-1794): Violin Concerto in F Major

Giovanni Guglielmo on violin with Archicembalo Ensemble


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Saverio Mercadante's Sinfonia on Themes from Rossini's Stabat Mater - Francesco La Vecchia, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress, Act 1
Judith Raskin, John Reardon, Alexander Young, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mr. X*, a recent arrival.

View attachment 35962


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Flute Quintet in D Minor, Op.92

Bruno Meier on flute with the Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Simon, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## senza sordino

String Orchestra day
*Grieg Holberg Suite* Raymond Leppard with English Chamber Orchestra
*Atterberg Suite No 3 for violin, viola and String Orchestra * 








*Elgar Serenade for Strings* Barenboim with London Phil
*Britten Simple Symphony* Richard Hickox And Northern Sinfonia
*Warlock Capriol Suite* not sure who's performing
*Tippett Concerto for double string Orchestra* Richard Hickox and northern Sinfonia

*Villa Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras #1& 9*


----------



## neoshredder

Listened to Bruckner's 8th performed by Karajan. http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...d=1393382047&sr=1-2&keywords=bruckner+karajan
About to listen to Mahler's 5th performed by Karajan. http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...qid=1393382188&sr=1-1&keywords=mahler+karajan


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Blancrocher

Glenn Gould playing Scriabin sonatas 3 & 5. Yuri Bashmet and Sviatoslav Richter in Shosty's Viola Sonata.


----------



## rrudolph

Vaneyes said:


> *Mr. X*, a recent arrival.
> 
> View attachment 35962


I was thinking of buying this. What say you??


----------



## KenOC

Monteverdi: Madrigali Guerrieri et Amorosi. Jordi Savall (Conductor), La Capella Reial de Catalunya. Can't find the right pic.


----------



## SimonNZ

Juliusz Zarebski's Piano Quintet - Joan Plowright, piano, Szymanowski Quartet


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich, Cello Sonata (and a great one). Truls Mørk, cello; Lars Vogt, piano.


----------



## KenOC

Yet more Shostakovitch! Trio #2 Op. 67, Stern-Ma-Ax.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's La Passion De Simone - Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Antihero




----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chabrier: Pieces Pittoresques Rena Kyriakou

A good start to the morning with these delightful piano works by Chabrier, in equally delightful performances by Rena Kyriakou. The Vox company did sterling service in the 1950s and 60s towards so many neglected composers, and had a series of outstanding performers to accomplish the task. This set is a never ending source of delight. Wonderful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schnittke's String Quartets Nos.1-3 - Tale Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor (Annerose Schmidt; Kurt Masur; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Winterreisender

Jakob Lindberg plays Bach's lute music









Love the lute transcription of the BWV 1006 Violin Partita.


----------



## MagneticGhost

First little dip into my Rimsky-Korsakov boxset

Symphony No.1 / Tsar's Bride Overture and Fantasia on a Serbian Theme
Phiharmonia / Butt


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

Juilliard Quartet: Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello


----------



## Kivimees

I don't care if it's still February - Summer Night and Sunrise is wonderful to listen to this afternoon.
Early 20th century fun.


----------



## Vasks

_Booyah, Boulez!!_

*Boulez - Dialogue de l'ombre double (Damiens/DG)
Boulez - Piano Sonata #3 (Helffer/Naive)
Boulez - Anthemes 2 (Kang/DG)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mendelssohn Cello Sonatas*









Morning Blair just on the cusp of espressination, reporting from the currently overcast climes of Southern California, waking up to Mendelssohn.


----------



## Jeff W

Started with this disc. The 'Brook Green Suite', 'A Song of the Night for Violin and Orchestra', 'St. Paul's Suite', 'Lyric Movement for Viola and Chamber Orchestra', the Fugal Concerto for Flute, Oboe and Strings & the Concerto for 2 Violins and Orchestra. Gustav Holst's music from performed by the English Sinfonia and led by Howard Griffiths.









Franz Schubert's 9th Symphony. Arturo Toscanini led the Philadelphia Orchestra in this recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

Peter Serkin and Richard Goode tearing apart Busoni's Fantasia contrappuntistica for 4 hands. Andrea Molino leading Aldo Orvieto, Marco Rapetti and co in Bruno Maderna's Concerto for 2 Pianos.


----------



## Itullian

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 35989
> View attachment 35990
> 
> 
> Peter Serkin and Richard Goode tearing apart Busoni's Fantasia contrappuntistica for 4 hands. Andrea Molino leading Aldo Orvieto, Marco Rapetti and co in Bruno Maderna's Concerto for 2 Pianos.


These look amazing. Will have to investigate.


----------



## Bas

Giacomo Puccini - Tosca
Maria Callas [soprano], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Tito Gobbi [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata [dir.], on EMI


----------



## julianoq

Listening to the whole record of Sol Gabetta and Helene Grimaud playing:

Debussy: Sonata For Cello And Piano In D Minor
Schumann: Fantasiestücke
Brahms: Sonata For Cello And Piano No.1 In E Minor
Shostakovich: Sonata For Cello And Piano










What a duo!


----------



## MagneticGhost

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 35982
> 
> 
> First little dip into my Rimsky-Korsakov boxset
> 
> Symphony No.1 / Tsar's Bride Overture and Fantasia on a Serbian Theme
> Phiharmonia / Butt


Just had to report back.
I had time to fit the 2nd Symphony in as well.

What a beauty! It was so good, I fitted it in twice. I'll have to restrain myself from going for a third later on


----------



## Guest

Thank you all! There are too many quotes to requote them all. So thanks to everyone who congratulated my wife and me on our new baby girl. You know who you are. If I can teach her right, Riley will be a member here someday.


----------



## Orfeo

*Sir Granville Bantock*
Pagan Symphony
Fifine at the Fair
Hebridean Symphony
A Celtic Symphony
-The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*Rued Langgaard*
Symphony no. IV "Leaf-fall."
The Music of the Spheres (soprano Edith Guillaume).
Symphony no. X "Yon Dwelling of Thunder."(*)
-The Danish National (Radio) Symphony Orchestra & Choir/John Frandsen/Ole Schmidt(*).


----------



## Bas

Arvo Pärt - Te Deum, Silouans Song, Magnificat, Berliner Messe
By the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallin Chamber Orchestra, on ECM









Claudio Monteverdi - Lamento d'Ariana (Madrigals from the 7th and 9th book)
Dir. Jacobs, Concerto Vocale, on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 35996


Glazunov: Symphony No. 5
Neeme Jarvi/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Bridge* birthday (1879), and *Tartini *death day (1770).

View attachment 35997
View attachment 35998


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> These look amazing. Will have to investigate.


Unfortunately, that Maderna STR33536 CD is oop and scarce. It is available as a download. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

rrudolph said:


> I was thinking of buying this. What say you??


I recommend. It's a very good orchestral representation of Xenakis, in good performances and sound (rec. 1975 - '92). An additional work is added to the original release, timing in at 59:52. :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

*Viktoria Mullova plays 20th Century Sonatas*

Bartók:	
Sonata for Solo Violin, BB 124, Sz. 117

Debussy:	
Violin Sonata

Janacek:	
Violin Sonata

Prokofiev:	
Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80

Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a

Stravinsky:	
Divertimento (transcription for violin & piano by Stravinsky & Samuel Dushkin from Le Baiser de la Fée)

*Viktoria Mullova (violin), Piotr Anderszewski & Bruno Canino (piano)*









Beautiful!

http://www.marbecksclassical.co.nz/detail/123693/Viktoria-Mullova-plays-20th-Century-Sonatas

http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-Violin-Sonatas-CDs/dp/B0053ZCM1W


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

My son pointed me to this version of Pachelbel's Canon, which they are simply having fun with it:






But my favorite is still the one by Winton Marsalis


----------



## millionrainbows

*Reger: Mozart-Variations, op. 132. Beethoven Variations, op. 86 (KOCH). *Recorded 1991. Baberger Symphoniker, dir. Horst Stein.

If you like the Mozart piano sonata in A, this is a symphonic set of variations on that opening theme. No wonder Schoenberg liked this guy; the variations are brilliant and imaginative, reminding me of *Schoenberg's* _Chamber Symphony No. 2 _in the scope and sheer inventiveness of the variations, progressing from the simple to the ridiculously complex. *Webern's* _Im Sommerwind_ comes to mind as well, and his_ Passacaglia._


----------



## PetrB

PetrB said:


> Those Boston school guys, Berger, Irving Fine and CORRECTION Harold Shapero... notRalph Shapero -- are each far beyond 'not too shabby' composers.
> 
> I'm familiar with ideas of order and some of Berger's orchestral stuff -- damn good writing -- and envy you your purchase


.......................................................


----------



## PetrB

Harold Shapero ~ Piano Sonata No. 3 (1944)


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 36005


Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15
Rudolf Barshai/WDR Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dance Number Three*

Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw in absolute top form:


----------



## julianoq

Sun is shining, but not that hot. For some reason, life seems to be good today. That's why I am listening to Mozart's two piano quartets (K.493 and K.478).


----------



## aleazk

Good ol' M.Babbitt:

-All Set.

-Composition for Guitar.

Good ol' I.Stravinsky:

-Variations: Aldous Huxley in Memoriam.

-Movements for Piano and Orchestra.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More trifle...

*Schumann

Sehnsuchtswalzer Variations on a theme of Schubert* and
*Piano Variations on a Theme of Beethoven, WoO 31* / Andreas Boyde (Piano) [Athene, rec. 1999]
*Variations on the name 'Abegg', Op. 1* / Evgeny Kissin (Piano) [RCA, 1997]
*Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6* / Cédric Pescia (Piano) [Claves, 2007]
*Toccata in C Major, Op. 7* / Bernd Glemser [Naxos, 1994]
*Allegro, Op. 8* / Finghin Collins (Piano) [Claves, rec. 2006]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More trifle, part two (though Carnaval and the Concert Etudes are more substantial works).

Too many image files to post together.

*Schumann*

*Carnaval Op. 9* / Mitsuko Uchida (Piano) [Philips, 2007]
*Concert Etudes after Capriccios of Paganini, Op.10* / Mi-Joo Lee (Piano) [MD&G, 2000]















Davidsbundlertanze, the Toccata and the Allegro are all in very good hands here. I have (gasp, horror) never been quite sure about this disc from Mitsuko Uchida (with Kreisleriana as well).

The 'Sehnsuchtswalzer' variations are so obscure that they don't even have a 'WoO' catalogue number. And perhaps there's quite a good reason for that, as I gather Schumann didn't care for them either!


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 36019


R. Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
Rudolf Kempe/Staatskapelle Dresden


----------



## shangoyal

Handel: *Concerti Grossi, Op. 6
*


----------



## millionrainbows

Reger: Sinfonietta op. 90
Konzert im alten Stil op. 123
Koch, Bamberger Symphoniker/Horst Stein

Sumptuous orchestration. Still under most radar, Reger is the greatest overlooked composer of the late 19th-early 20th century, right in the middle of that "sweet spot" of late Romanticism. I'm surprised more Mahler freaks haven't latched-on to this guy.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Mass No. 2*

Nicely done, but I don't feel that he's probing beyond the surface. For example, in the Kyrie, Bernius doesn't get the sense of groping in darkness that Rilling does.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Piano Concerto No. 1, BB 91, Sz. 83

Piano Concerto No. 2, BB 101, Sz. 95

The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19, Sz. 73 (suite)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Zoltan Kocsis (piano)

Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, György Lehel*









Listening to Bartok is always a challenge, and always a pleasure. Exelent reccording

http://www.allmusic.com/album/bela-bartok-piano-concertos-nos-1-2-miraculous-mandarin-mw0001848469

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Aug05/Bartok_concertos_71044.htm

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/bartok.php


----------



## Alfacharger

I went with Strauss today.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Vesperae solennes de confessore in C, K.339*










Kiri, Kyrie, Kiri-everything--_ especially _the _Vesperae Solennes de Confessore_.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Britten: War Requiem*
Pappano et al.


----------



## Alfacharger

Marschallin Blair said:


> Kiri, Kyrie, Kiri-everything--_ especially _the _Vesperae Solennes de Confessore_.


See message below!


----------



## Alfacharger

Marschallin Blair said:


> Kiri, Kyrie, Kiri-everything--_ especially _the _Vesperae Solennes de Confessore_.


Did you say Kiri!


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert D960

Radu Lupu


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 36027


Mozart: Symphony No. 36 "Linz"
Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw in absolute top form:


In absolute top form I wholeheartedly agree. In my humble opinion, this is the best "Isle of the Dead" and Symphonic Dances in the catelog.


----------



## Orfeo

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*
> 
> Tennestedt got a couple shout-outs today, so I'm pulling out my copy.
> 
> View attachment 35941


I only wish that someone find and release his great May 1st, 1989 performance of the symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It was my first exposure to the symphony and that performance floored me, so compelling and moving it was. It is safe to say that things were never the same since then.

Incidentally, Tennstedt did a performance of the work a short time later with the Minnesota Symphony, which I remember fondly as well.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 36028


Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 "Reformation"
Kurt Masur/Gewandhaus Orchestra


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintets K593 in D, K614 in E-flat
By the Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes [viola], on Hyperion









Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 664 in A, D 625 in Dm, D 575 in B
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Gramophone









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 2 in Dm, no. 5 in E-flat
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## Blancrocher

Zimerman in Liszt's "La notte" for piano. And I'll celebrate Frank Bridge's b-day in a sneaky way by listening to Britten's wonderful "Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge." This will be my first listen to the Jurowski/Britten album.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling *LvB*: Clarinet Trio, Op. 11, and *Mendelssohn*: Octet, Op. 20, w. Nash Ensemble (rec. Wigmore Hall live, 2005).

View attachment 36034


----------



## jim prideaux

as predicted I had most definitely underestimated the Borodin symphonies on first hearing-the first in particular has caught my attention and it is interesting to identify the possible source of certain aspects of Glazunovs approach to composition....

listening to Rubbra 6th-performed by Richard Hickox and the BBC Nat Orch of Wales-what a work!!!!-there appears to be a less than obvious optimism coupled with a distinct rhythmic drive threading its way through the entire symphony-the more I listen to this man the more thankful I am that I have had the opportunity to hear him-down to a suggestion by a member!-nice one and thanks!


----------



## SimonNZ

Zelenka's Missa Sanctissimae Trinitatis - Marek Štryncl, cond.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 36035


Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Riccardo Muti/Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Gebet und Halleluja*

This must be an earlier piece by Bruckner. I don't hear his unique cadences in this piece.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> Kiri, Kyrie, Kiri-everything--_ especially _the _Vesperae Solennes de Confessore_.


I've got to hear that one. I'm pulling it up on Spotify.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 Artur Rubinstein/Boston Symphony Orchestra/Erich Leinsdorf

An enjoyably vigorous version of the "Emperor" Concerto by Rubinstein. The finale in this recording is about as joyous as they come.


----------



## realdealblues

I've been able to listen to quite a bit of music today. I've had to stay in the office most of the day today waiting by the phone, "on call" so to speak. I think I have time for one more Symphony before I head home.

View attachment 36037


Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

Elgar, Cello Concerto
Alisa Weilerstein, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim


----------



## Haydn man

VW London Symphony
Boult


----------



## Haydn man

Jerome said:


> View attachment 36039
> 
> Elgar, Cello Concerto
> Alisa Weilerstein, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim


Looks interesting must try it


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.1 Eileen Joyce/Arthur Lockwood/Halle Orchestra/Leslie Heward

This is a thumping good recording of this concerto. Everyone concerned is on their toes and make the most of it. Arthur Lockwood, the Halle's trumpeter is superb, Miss Joyce likewise, and one laments the more Leslie Heward's early death on listening to his recordings. Smashing.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 8.*

The sound isn't the greatest here, recorded on 7/6/57, but there is an intensity Klemperer brings out. He may be slow in his studio recordings, but he keeps a nice sense of momentum here.


----------



## Guest

Haydn man said:


> Looks interesting must try it


It was very good. I haven't listened to the Carter yet, but the Elgar really made me appreciate this work for the first time.

By the way, Haydn man, I'm diggin' the avatar.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 2 in C Major (Nomos-Quartett).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Matthaeus Pipelare, Missa L'homme arme*

It's a shame this CD is out of print. Paul Van Nevel assembled a great team of basso profundos to bottom out this dark-tinged piece, senstively conducted and performed.


----------



## Morimur

*Kayhan Kalhor & Ali Akbar Moradi - (2004) In the Mirror of the Sky*










"The Persian and Kurdish musical traditions are neighbors, but rarely meet. In this case they've come together spectacularly in the hands of two Iranians." - C. Nickson


----------



## shangoyal

I have heard this piece before, but only today has it hit me - I have hardly enjoyed music so much in the recent past. And the recording I have is really great, one by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and co.

Bach: *St. Matthew Passion*


----------



## Oskaar

*Kalevi Aho: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Symphony No. 13*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Piano Concerto No. 2

*Antti Siirala (piano)*

Symphony No. 13, 'Symphonic Characterizations'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä*









http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/BIS/BISCD1316

And here is a great page with Aho and his work and recordings on musical web

http://www.musicweb-international.com/Aho/Aho.htm


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ives, The Housatonic at Stockbridge.*

The piano piece is interesting; the right hand is to be played "scarcely audible." As far as the orchestral version, Anton Bruckner has made me interested in orchestral layering; here it's happening all over.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Main course dishes now...

*Robert Schumann

Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 11 in F sharp minor
Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 14 in F minor*

Bernd Glemser (Piano) [Naxos, 2002]

*Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 22 in G minor
Presto Passionato (original finale of Op. 22)*

Bernd Glemser [Naxos, 1994]















Sensitive, beautiful playing of Schumann's Piano Sonatas No. 1 and 3 by Bernd Glemser on Naxos. It took me a while to adjust to Schumann's conception of a piano sonata. I gather that these works are sometimes seen as 'weak', due to their "unimaginative and long-winded thematic and developmental approaches". But here are powerful musical works of high romantic sensibility - I have come to love them.

The 2nd sonata is also played with fluidity and polish ("but without the impetuosity and bravura of Hamelin"). Glemser "invokes the spirit of Schumann as well as raising these sonatas to their rightful place".


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> Did you say Kiri!


Absolutely gorgeous. . . Thanks._ ;D_






Bernard Herrmann cried when he heard Kiri do this with Charles Gehardt.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair;615892
[MEDIA=youtube said:


> OzWX59Nvimw[/MEDIA]
> 
> Bernard Herrmann cried when he heard Kiri do this with Charles Gehardt.


This time the guy up in the rafters didn't hold his nose.


----------



## Mahlerian

On PetrB's suggestion:

Harold Shapero: Sonata No. 3
Michael Boriskin





I don't know what I expected, really, but I love it! Witty and playful, with Neoclassical bite.


----------



## Alfacharger

Something different. This was on of my holy grails for years. When FSM released it a few years ago I promptly ordered it. John Rubinstein and Tim McIntire did an excellent job on this Americana score.


----------



## Guest

A wonderful performance and recording--the only one on SACD as far as I know.


----------



## Alfacharger

Like father, like son. A fantastic recording.


----------



## bejart

Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846): String Quintet in A Minor

John Feeney on double bass with members of the Loma Mar Quartet: Anca Nicola, violin -- Krista Nicolau and Joanna Hood, violas -- Myron Lutzke, cello


----------



## Alfacharger

Finish off the evening with the 4th and the Overture in C.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> This time the guy up in the rafters didn't hold his nose.


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Great. I love it.

_"I will not be made ridiculous, Susan. . . Continue with your lessons." _Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony Op. 118a, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verrdi, Rudolf Barshai cond. Arranged from the String Quartet No. 10 by Barshai. Barshai's whole set, arranged by agreement with the composer, is fantastic.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I'm still recovering from last night from the discovery of Callas' sublime '58 Covent Garden _Traviata_, perhaps the most dramatically poignant portrayal I've ever heard of any role. . . in any opera. I need to take it down a few clicks to regain my wits. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## samurai

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Great. I love it.
> 
> _"I will not be made ridiculous, Susan. . . Continue with your lessons." _Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


"Rosebud" any one?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

samurai said:


> "Rosebud" any one?


Hearst has no sense of humor. . . at _all_. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## BillT

BillT said:


> Midori Bach Unaccompanied Sonata for Violin#2 -- the Adagio is breathtaking!
> 
> And the Bartok Sonata is (equally?) wonderful.
> 
> - Bill
> 
> View attachment 34959


I am coming back to this, again and again. That third movement makes me glad to be alive!!

Does anyone have any suggestions on other performers of Bach solo violin works? Surprisingly, Midori has done only that one CD of Bach's.

- Bill


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Herold (1791-1833): Symphony No.2 in D Major

Wolf Dieter Hauschild conducting the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Puccini: Madama Butterfly*

Freni/Pavarotti duet at the end of Act I:


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead


----------



## KenOC

Think I played this a few days ago, but what the heck. Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante (aka Symphony Concerto), Mischa Maisky (cello), Russian Nat'l Orchestra, Pletnev conducting. This is a very fine piece, one of Prokofiev's last, written when he was old, in disgrace, and in poor health.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Shostakovich: Ballet Suite No. 1*










"Lyric Waltz"


----------



## senza sordino

All I managed to fit into my busy day today was
Corigliano Chaconne from the Red Violin, Enescu Romanian Rhapsody, Waxman Tristan and Isolde Fantasia, and John Adams Violin Concerto








I really like the John Adams violin concerto, it's a wonderful soundscape created. And the Tristan and Isolde Fantasia by Franz Waxman is fantastic, it's the violin concerto Wagner never wrote. It just seems perfect to have a solo violin play that famous melody.


----------



## Itullian

BillT said:


> I am coming back to this, again and again. That third movement makes me glad to be alive!!
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions on other performers of Bach solo violin works? Surprisingly, Midori has done only that one CD of Bach's.
> 
> - Bill


FWIW, My favorite recording is the Milstein on DG of the Bach violin works.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's Turangalila-Symphonie - Antoni Wit, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

BillT said:


> I am coming back to this, again and again. That third movement makes me glad to be alive!!
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions on other performers of Bach solo violin works? Surprisingly, Midori has done only that one CD of Bach's.
> 
> - Bill


My faves: Martzy, Grumiaux, Podger


----------



## Kivimees

Groovy man!


----------



## Itullian

Rheingold tonight.
Spectacular sound. Great conducting. Excellent vocals.
The best digital Ring, I think.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Kivimees said:


>


Wow! This has stirred a long buried memory of my Dad's LP collection!


----------



## SimonNZ

Sungi Hong's Missa Lumen De Lumine (2002) - Trio Mediaeval


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Itullian said:


> FWIW, My favorite recording is the Milstein on DG of the Bach violin works.


I heartily concur with this, 'twas just what I was about to suggest!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Etude Op.10 No.1/Etudes Op.25 Nos.2 & 3/Preludes Op.28 Nos.7,10,20,23 & 24/Nocturnes Op.9 No.2, Op.27 No.2, Op.55 No.1/Polonaise Op.26 No.1/Ballade 3/Mazurkas Op.33 Nos.3 & 4, Op.67 No.4/Impromptu 1
Liszt: Mazurka Brillante/"Rigoletto" Paraphrase
Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words Op.30 No.6, Op.62 No.6, Op.67 No.4
Schumann: Vogel als Prophet
Raff-Henselt: La Fileuse Vladimir de Pachmann

Volume 2 of this set of de Pachmann's complete recordings. These date from 1911-16, and Ward Marston has done a brilliant job on the transfers. The playing here is superb, Pachmann had a wonderful touch, and at this time his technique was still in very good shape. Some of his later recordings (1925-28) are much more well known, but his eccentricities had increased somewhat by then, and he was an elderly man (born in 1848). Mind you, his eccentricities on the platform could bring benefits to his audience. My piano teacher saw him at Birmingham Town Hall in 1925 (I have the programme), and one of the pieces he played was Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie Op.61. When he'd finished it, he turned to the audience and said, "Wasn't that beautiful, I am so pleased that I shall play it again", and he did. He played the whole work for a second time! My teacher said, "We didn't mind- you must realise that then we may only have got to hear a work like that once every three or four years. Records were expensive, and many longer works weren't recorded anyway, so to hear a masterpiece like that twice in the evening pleased everyone there!" On the other hand, on occasions it worked against the audience. At the first place I worked, our foreman recalled going over to Nottingham to deliver a piano for a Pachmann recital (he worked at Dale, Forty & Co., then one of the main piano shops in Birmingham, this would be about 1920-25) and they naturally stayed in order to take the piano back at the end of the evening. Well, de Pachmann, who had practiced on the piano in the afternoon, came out on stage that evening, played a few notes on the piano, then tore the fall out of it, hurled it to the floor of the stage, told the audience in no uncertain terms exactly what he thought of the piano, stormed off, and that was the end of that!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Specialities of the house:

*Schumann

Fantasiestücke, Op.12 (including Feurigst)
Kinderszenen, Op.15*

Finghin Collins (Piano) [Naxos, 2006]









Fine playing here, with power, spaciousness and delicate finesse, from my favourite young Schumann interpreter. Finghin Collins is obviously totally at home in these great romantic works.

I shall get to Waldszenen in due course, Shropshire. I imagine that my Claves recording (Finghin Collins again) is of higher fidelity than that of Pachmann in 1911. As for artistry...who knows?


----------



## Flamme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three

Composer of the Week
Holmes and the Mystery Romance

Donald Macleod on the turbulent background to Franck's celebrated piano quintet.


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Piano Sonatas _No. 30 in E major, Op. 109_ and _No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 'Hammerklavier'_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano















*Dmitri Shostakovich*: _String Quartet No. 3 in F major_
St. Petersburg String Quartet


----------



## bejart

George Frederic Handel (1685-1759): Flute Sonata in E Minor, Op.1, No.1a, HWV 379

Lisa Beznosiuk, flute -- Richard Tunicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord


----------



## Guest

Jan Dismas Zelenka
Five Cappricios
Camerata Bern

It's been a long time since I listened to these. They were favorites of mine during my Baroque period about 20 years ago. After discovering Bach's Brandenburgs and Orchestral Suites, I searched for similar music and found these to be extraordinary. Zelenka's counterpoint and textures are much like Bach, but with unexpected chord progressions and modulations. Zelenka forged his own path, breaking fashion in other ways too. He wrote five of these pieces instead of the usual 6 or 12. Titling them Capriccios, is appropriate since they each seem to meander both structurally and in the number and order of movements.


----------



## Jeff W

Korngold's Violin Concerto in D was my first pick for the night. Continued onto the Schauspiel-Ouvertüre and finished with his 'Much Ado About Nothing' suite. Phillipe Quint played the solo violin part while Carlos Miguel Prieto led the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria.









Symphonies No. 1 & 3 of Ludwig van Beethoven. Herbert von Karajan led the Berlin Philharmonic in his 1960s Beethoven cycle.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Quintet for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double bass in A Major, 'The Trout' (Emil Gilels; Amadeus Quartet).









Excellent music - and that opening melody reminds me of the beginning of Haydn's 'Lark' quartet .


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Listening to disc 4 of the EMI Richter set:
Violin Sonata No.5 in F, Op.24 'Spring' with Oleg Kagan
Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D.667 'Trout' with Borodin Quartet, Georg Hörtnagel
Brilliant technique and the sonata fits well with the trout quintet.


----------



## Orfeo

*Sir Granville Bantock*
The Cyprian Goddess (Symphony no. III).
The Helena Variations.
Thabala the Destroyer.
-The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley.

*Daniel Jones*
Symphonies nos. 4, 7, & 8(*).
-The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves.
-The BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra/Bryden Thomson(*).

*William Baines*
Piano Music (Seven Preludes, The Chimes, Coloured Leaves, Twilight Pieces, etc.).
-Eric Parkin, piano.

*Billy Mayerl*
Piano Music (The Legends of King Arthur, Three Japanese Pictures, Marigold, etc.).
-Eric Parkin, piano


----------



## Vasks

*Mehul - Overture to "Joseph" (Sanderling/ASV)
F. Mendelssohn - String Symphony No. 8 (Pople/Hyperion)
Smetana - Wallenstein's Camp (Kuchar/Brilliant)*


----------



## Oskaar

*César FRANCK*

‡ Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra* 
‡ Symphonic Poem Les Djinns (op 54)* 
‡‡ Piano Concerto no 2 in B minor †

** François-Joël Thiollier (piano), † Martijn van den Hoek (piano) with the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra/Roberto Benzi *‡ Recorded in the Musis Sacrum, Arnhem (June 1995); ‡‡ same location (July 1997) 
NAXOS 8.553472 [58:58]









http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.553472

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Franck-Symphonic-Variations-Cesar-Franck/dp/B00005UO8G

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2002/Mar02/Franck_concerto.htm


----------



## Alfacharger

The Boyce Symphonies this morning.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor*










Morning Blair waking up and fully-caffeinated, reporting from the currently rainy climes of Southern California with Karjan's beautifully-articulated Kyrie from Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor: "Kyrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. . . eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. . . aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. . ."


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in G major, Op. 17 no. 5_
The London Haydn Quartet


----------



## moody

PERCY GRAINGER Plays Grieg's Piano Concerto, Piano Roll Recording.

I remember a great fuss years ago about piano roll recordings. But if the equipment is set up properly they are invaluable.
The two main companies were Aeolian and Ampico and they operated in the following manner.
The pianist would play a special piano which would register every nuance including pedalling. A robot--"vorsetzer"--would then play it all back on to a roll.
Grainger was on close terms with Grieg and played his concerto worldwide. He made a reduction of the concerto with the orchestral parts for solo performance and recorded this on a roll.
Denis Condon in Sydney removed the orchestral parts from the roll and the solo part was recorded with the Sydney Symphony under John Hopkins in 1978.
It's fascinating and the overall outlook somewhat different from what we are used to now.


----------



## Guest

Mozart, K361 and K388 Serenades for Winds
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Soloists


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Funeral Music (Wit)
Bartók - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (LSO/Solti)

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante*

First movement:

















God I love her spirited reading of this!


----------



## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> Sampling *LvB*: Clarinet Trio, Op. 11, and *Mendelssohn*: Octet, Op. 20, w. Nash Ensemble (rec. Wigmore Hall live, 2005).
> 
> View attachment 36034


I like that "live" at Wigmore Hall series. There's a good one of Lorraine Hunt singing Brahms.


----------



## millionrainbows

SimonNZ said:


> Sungi Hong's Missa Lumen De Lumine (2002) - Trio Mediaeval


I found this disc in a used bin, and upon examination, I realized that the inside of the booklet was signed by all 3 members. That was nice.


----------



## hpowders

Interesting choice.


----------



## Guest

Marschallin Blair said:


> God I love her spirited reading of this!


I so agree! If the viola part was as well-done as hers this might be the most perfect reading ever.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bliss:
A Colour Symphony*

The Enchantress

-a scena for solo voice & orchestra

*Linda Finnie (mezzo soprano)*

Cello Concerto

*Raphael Wallfisch (cello)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ulster Orchestra, Vernon Handley*









http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CHAN 10221


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> I found this disc in a used bin, and upon examination, I realized that the inside of the booklet was signed by all 3 members. That was nice.


I'm glad it found a good home. It reminds me of the time I ordered a used copy of David Ziman's Schumann symphony cycle, and I discovered the cover has his signature on it. Things like that need to go somewhere where they're appreciated.


----------



## millionrainbows

My *Reger* binge continues. *Symphonic Prologue for a Tragedy (1908) Op. 108; Romanzes for violin and orchestra (1900), Op. 50, 1 & 2. (Schwann).








* 
It's Sturm und Drang, and nicely orchestrated. Reger was a hard-working composer, and finally was recognized as one of Germany's foremost composers, and got a professorship. Nervously fluctuating harmony, restless changes in dynamics, and passionate surges and outbursts reveal Reger to be in the same late-Romantic mold as Richard Strauss and Mahler.


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

How about a nice little bit of Boccherini?


----------



## julianoq

Inpired by Shosty's 4th discussion on another thread, listening to Petrenko's/RLPO peformance.


----------



## millionrainbows

This was my second try at this work, and I think I can be happy with this one. Beautiful songs, beautiful singing.


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, w. Tomsic (rec.1994), MacGregor (rec.1991), Babayan (rec.1995).

View attachment 36092
View attachment 36093
View attachment 36094


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart a la Kiri*









Lovely. . . with the rain and all outside.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Bach's Clavier Übung III played by Simon Preston.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Robert Simpson--*Symphony No.3, *
performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Jascha Horenstein. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10, *
traversed by the Efrem Kurtz led Philharmonia Orchestra. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47, *
featuring Andre Previn and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.4 in C Minor, Op.43*, performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko. 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.6 in B Minor, * both featuring Maestro Bernstein at the helm of the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## Bas

Amazing packet arrived today:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonatas [all]
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









(I am now at disc 4/5, gonna play them all, Gulda is a genius.)


----------



## Wood

*Raff *Symphonies 3, 5 (Leonor) & 7 (In the Alps)

*Alkan *Concerto for solo piano_ Gibbons; _Symphony for solo piano _Hamelin.

_These were pieces highlighted by Member Forte here:

http://www.talkclassical.com/22131-composers-you-recently-have-5.html post 65

Raff is interesting as his symphonies fill the void between Schumann and Brahms, being prominent in the 1860s. These works are warm, polished and subtle. I'd now like to try Gade, another missing link, whose symphonic output was centred in the 1850s.

In contrast Alkan's works are extremely flamboyant and played with great finesse by these two pianists. I would like to explore this composer further.

*Byrd* Magnificat _Hickox _(1960) Argo

Unfortunately this record has been butchered by a clunky old 'Gram and the louder sections suggest that the 'byrd' in question was probably a crow! Fortunately I have another copy of the same record.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 11*










A natural recusant, Argerich goes against the conventional wisdom of pacing the first movement slower. . . and that's why I love it: pure vivacity.


----------



## samurai

Great word, by the way! I just looked it up in the OED. Thanks for using it! :tiphat:


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Wood

*Shostakovich *Symphony No. 5 WDR, Barshai










*Mozart *Symphony No. 39 _Anima eterna, Immerseel

_









*John Aleyn *Gloria


----------



## Marschallin Blair

samurai said:


> Great word, by the way! I just looked it up in the OED. Thanks for using it! :tiphat:


It's the one thing Argerich and I would have in common if nothing else. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha._ ;D_


----------



## SimonNZ

Zelenka's Missa Dei Filii - Tafelmusik


----------



## Oskaar

*Korngold & Strauss - Violin Concertos*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Korngold:* Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

*Strauss, R:* Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Pavel Šporcl (violin)

Prague Symphony Orchestra, Jirí Kout_









The strauss concerto particulary is a gem!"

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Supraphon/SU39622


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini*

Comparing the two most incandescent readings I know of of Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini":


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales/La Vallee des cloches
Poulenc: Movements Perpetuals/Intermezzo in A-flat/Intermezzo in D-flat
Faure: Nocturne in A-flat Op.33 No.3
Chabrier: Scherzo-Valse Arthur Rubinstein

One of the finest records that Rubinstein ever made. He was a very fine interpreter of this repertoire and should have recorded more of it. I have listened to this record a lot over the years and never fail to enjoy it, where in Chopin, whilst I like Rubinstein's recordings, it remains at "like", where I love Moiseiwitsch, Cortot and Pouishnoff. For me Rubinstein was a better player of Brahms than he was of Chopin. I must stress that this is a personal opinion, but I've never been a one to follow received wisdom, I prefer to follow my own heart and ears!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven piano trios


----------



## Tristan

*Messiaen* - O Sacrum Convivium (Cambridge Singers)

I've never really been much of a Messiaen fan, but I really love this acapella piece


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, String Quartet in D minor, D810, 'Death and the Maiden' (Amadeus Quartet).


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13


----------



## Vasks

Marschallin Blair said:


> Comparing the two most incandescent readings I know of of Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini":
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Stokowski is a desert island disc. The Stadium Symphony...wink, wink... was on fire that recording day


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Cantelli Brahms Third*

I always love how Guido Cantelli approached the last movement of Brahms' Third Symphony-- like it was _Beethoven_. _Very_ exciting.


----------



## Blancrocher

Enjoying a first listen to a recent release containing Marcus Creed and co in vocal works by Hindemith.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Feb14/Hindemith_choral_CD93295.htm


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vasks said:


> Marschallin Blair said:
> 
> 
> 
> Comparing the two most incandescent readings I know of of Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini":
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Stokowski is a desert island disc. The Stadium Symphony...wink, wink... was on fire that recording day
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, its a virtual separated-at-birth twin of the Svetlanov reading-- but without the stellar sound. . . I treasure them both though. It is uncanny though how similar the readings are.
Click to expand...


----------



## Cheyenne

Clara Schumann's Three Romances, Op. 22, orchestrated and played by Joseph Swensen. Cutesy!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Grieg: Violin Sonata No.3
Franck: Violin Sonata Andre Gertler/Edith Farnadi

Two wonderful violin sonatas, played by two wonderful artists. The Grieg 3rd Violin Sonata, memorably recorded by Kreisler and Rachmaninoff, here receives just as convincing a performance by messrs. Gertler and Farnadi, and the Franck is incandescent. Bravo. BRAVO!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Here in Lancashire we had the highest rate of Catholic recusancy in England and Wales. The houses of the aristocracy hereabouts are stiff with priest-holes!

"The 'Recusancy Acts' began during the reign of Elizabeth I and were repealed in 1650. (Despite their repeal, restrictions against Roman Catholics were still in place until full Catholic Emancipation in 1829). They imposed various types of punishment on those who did not participate in Anglican religious activity, such as fines, property confiscation, and imprisonment. In some cases those adhering to Catholicism faced capital punishment".  (from Wikipedia)

Currently listening to:

*Schumann

Symphonic Etudes Op. 13* / Evgenny Kissin (Live at Carnegie Hall) [RCA, 1990]

*Kreisleriana Op. 16* / Mitsuko Uchida [Philips, 1994]

*Fantasie Op. 17* / Alfred Brendel [Philips (LP), rec. 1982]






















Kissin takes the 'Symphonic Etudes' at a great lick (31 minutes against 40 for Collins) - this is definitely a young man's account (Kissin was 20 when he recorded it). Nevertheless he pulls off a bravura performance.

I just don't care for Uchida's (lauded) disc of Carnaval and Kreisleriana. The Philips sound is unusually muddy (this is a digital-era recording, too) and neither piece really comes to life for me. Actually moments of great poetry can be glimpsed despite / underneath the unsatisfactory recording quality. But (especially as my hearing declines) it seems that I am one of those people for whom a really poor recording can spoil the performance.

Brendel's Fantasie in C, Op. 17 is lyrical but cool and analytical, a familiar approach with him. This is the performance I've known longest: I'm used to it - and I like it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoskoski, Symphony No. 2.*

Aha! After listening twice and getting mad both times, I'm finally making sense of it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions and Sinfonias.*

I walked into Barnes & Noble and saw this. The lady at the counter was playing Lindsey Sterling, and she mentioned she'd rather be playing Bach's Inventions, so I asked her to put it on. It's nice to meet someone interested in Bach. I bought this mainly for the pleasant memory.

I'm listening now in their coffee shop with cheap headphones and the hum of the coffee maker. It doesn't help that I'm used to Gustav Leonhardt's recording on harpsichord, so I'm having to unlearn what I've been used to. I think on my second listening I'll be more objective.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev Piano Concert No. 2, Yuja Wang with Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar SO of Venezuela. Quite good! Not sure just how relevant this picture from the Amazon listing is, but... :lol:


----------



## bejart

Joseph Wolfl (1773-1812): Symphony in G Minor, Op.40

Pavel Serbin leading the Pratum Integrum Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a near release. *Chopin*: Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Filter/Scottish CO/Markl.

Lovely playing by Ingrid, and another well-recorded Linn product. 

But, this orchestra has become so period-sounding. Wrong for these works. What happened? I hadn't heard them since Mackerras. 

I read Pires/Scottish CO/Ticciati recently had Chopin 2 troubles. Not surprised, from what I hear here. One thumb up.

View attachment 36113


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Prokofiev Piano Concert No. 2, Yuja Wng with Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar SO of Venezuela. Quite good! Not sure just how relevant this picture from the Amazon listing is, but... :lol:


Nice dress, and DG is guilty by association.


----------



## Blancrocher

Dmitri Alexeev playing Scriabin's sonatas. So far so good--I'm grateful for the mentions of this disk on the forum.

*p.s.* Great performances--but I could do without some of the distracting, bronchial breathing.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1756-1824): Serenade No.6 for 2 Violins in E Major, G 150

Duo Deschka: Emil Kamilarov and Dina Schneidermann, violins


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in F Major, KV 332

Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## senza sordino

A long afternoon of marking and preparing report cards. It's the end of term. 
*Mahler 9th*








After this monumental symphony, I needed something a bit more quirky
*Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2*








And then something heavenly
*Ravel Daphnis and Chloe*








And then something I purchased a year ago, but I've hardly listened to it. 
*Stravinsky Symphony in 3 movements, Symphony of Psalms and Symphony in C *


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Been kind of lazy about posting here lately. I've listened to quite a few things. Today I've been listening to Simon Rattle's box set of Szymanowski. The only pieces that I'm really fond of here are his Symphony No. 3 and No. 4 and the two Violin Concerto's. Szymanowski is a very good orchestrator and I especially like the 4th Symphony. Every movement is unique and kind of weird or surreal might be a better word.










I've also greatly enjoyed the three symphonies of Alan Rawsthorne. Had not heard these before and saw another member mention them a couple days back. Will be returning to these again soon.










Also this fabulous recording by Martin Jones of Federico Mompou's piano works. Just a delightful album and one I find to be quite relaxing for the most part.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Chopin - Works for Piano and Orchestra. Yes the Romantic Period is officially my favorite now. 
http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Orchest...562019&sr=1-7&keywords=chopin+piano+concertos


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Currently listening to a recording by the Amati Quartet. It comprises String Quartet by Frank Bridge, String Quartet No. 2 by Karol Szymanoswki, String Quartet No. 2 by Hermann Haller, and the Colori e Movimenti by Wladimir Vogel. Now I have to say that this is not easy listening and makes a lot of demands on the listener. This music is definitely not for the weak and wimpy. Modern music can be a challenge sometimes but also very rewarding if you are willing to invest in it and stick with it. I'd say that this album has pretty good diversity and is never boring in the least.










Kevin


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _The Creation_
Emma Kirkby, soprano
Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, tenor
Michael George, bass
Choir of New College Oxford/Edward Higgenbottom
The Academy of Ancient Music & Chorus/Christopher Hogwood








*Antonio Bertali*: _Sonate a tre o quattro strumenti e basso_ (from Prothimia Suavissima II)
Ars Antiqua Austria/Gunar Letzbor








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in D major, Op. 17 no. 6_
The London Haydn Quartet


----------



## Cosmos

Brahms Violin Sonata in Eb (played on viola)









I just realized I have all three violin sonatas but none of them played on violin (nos. 1 and 2 on viola, and no. 3 on cello)


----------



## Guest

He's a fine violinist, but the sound has too much "surround"--I don't like the effect of sitting in the center of the orchestra. I wonder if his hair ever gets caught in his strings?


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

The final show devoted to the recent Gromophone awards. Tonight is the Best Contemporary winner:

Henri Dutilleux

Correspondances
Cello Concerto, "Tout un monde lointain..."
The Shadows of Time

Barbara Hannigan, soprano, Basile Buffin, Alexandre Selvestrel, Armand Sztykgold, trebles, Anssi Karttunen, cello, Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation - Representation of Chaos; Im Anfang schuf Gott Himmel und Erde; Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite/Mississippi Suite
Herbert: Cello Concerto No.2 Georges Miquelle/Eastman-Rochester Orchestra/Howard Hanson

I love this record! I played it for the first time just before going to bed last night- and now I'm playing it again! The only piece on here that I knew was the Grand Canyon Suite, having had Toscanini's LP for some time, the sound on this is much better, of course, and the performance equally thrilling. The Mardi Gras movement from the other suite brought a pleasant surprise- the tune of the song "Daybreak" comes from it, this was a favourite encore of a tenor I played for, for many years, now alas no longer with us, and it was nice to hear it again. I don't suppose I shall ever play it again. Makes me a bit sad that.........oh well (says he with a resigned shrug of the shoulders!), the Herbert Cello Concerto is a gem, and this is a lovely performance. All in all a most enjoyable record.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte
By Veronique Gens [soprano], Bernarda Fink [soprano], Werner Güra [tenor], Marcel Boone [bariton], Pietro Spagnolli [bariton], Graciella Odone [soprano], Kölner Kammerchor, Concerto Köln, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Wood

The sun is shining, I have a hot mug of tea, I'm friends with Science again and chilling out to *Scriabin's*_ Complete Mazurkas _recorded by Beatrice Long










at Fisher Hall, in leafy Santa Rosa, California.


----------



## Oskaar

*David DIAMOND (b.1915)
Symphony No. 2 (1942) [42:43]
Symphony No. 4 (1945) [16:35]

Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Gerard Schwarz.*

Rec. 8, 11 Sept 1989 (2); 22 May 1990 (4), Seattle Center Opera House. DDD Originally issued on Delos DE3093 American Classics series









http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-2-4-D-Diamond/dp/B000260QEM

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2004/May04/diamond_symphonies.htm


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 36105
> 
> 
> Grieg: Violin Sonata No.3
> Franck: Violin Sonata Andre Gertler/Edith Farnadi
> 
> Two wonderful violin sonatas, played by two wonderful artists. The Grieg 3rd Violin Sonata, memorably recorded by Kreisler and Rachmaninoff, here receives just as convincing a performance by messrs. Gertler and Farnadi, and the Franck is incandescent. Bravo. BRAVO!


And where one asks are all Farnadi's Liszt recordings---it's a scandal !!


----------



## Andolink

*Wolfgang Rihm*: _String Quartet No. 12_
Minguet Quartett









*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Piano Sonatas-- _No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 'Waldstein'_ and _No. 16 in G major, Op. 31 no. 1_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## Oskaar

*Moross: Symphony no 1, Last Judgement, Variations on a Waltz / Falleta, LSO*

Release Date: 12/27/1993 
Label: Koch International Classics Catalog #: 7188 Spars Code: DDD 
Composer: Jerome Moross 
*Conductor: JoAnn Falletta 
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra *









Rich and colourful music. Great listening.

http://www.amazon.com/Jerome-Moross-Symphony-Judgment-Variation/dp/B000001SG6

http://www.allmusic.com/album/jerome-moross-symphony-no-1-the-last-judgment-variation-on-a-waltz-mw0001793780

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp;jsessionid=CD37B3E0EA9F75C16CBE2E30BA4319A2?album_id=15031


----------



## Jeff W

Started with the Horn concertos of Richard Strauss (and one by his dad too!). Barry Tuckwell played the horn while István Kertész led the London Symphony Orchestra. Also on the first disc was the Burleske in D minor. Friedrich Gulda played the piano while Anthony Collins led the London Symphony.

Disc Two contains Strauss' Violin and Oboe concertos as well as the Duet-Concertino for clarinet & bassoon. Vladimir Ashkenazy led the Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.









Next up is Gustav Holst's 'The Planets'. Peter Oundjian leads Toronto Symphony Orchestra in this live peformance.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: String Symphony No.44 in C Major, RV 114

Shlomo Mintz conducting the Israel Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Partita in E minor
Murray Perahia





Stravinsky: Sonata for Two Pianos
Alfons Kontarsky, Aloys Kontarsky


----------



## Sonata

Some Beethoven this week: Piano sonatas 6 & 7 (Jena Jando) and string quartet #14 (from my Big Beethoven Box, but I'm too lazy too look up the performer.

Also "In the Still of the Night" With Anna Netrebko and Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## aleazk

Xenakis- _Keqrops_. (



)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Gustav Mahler

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen*

*Three Songs* (Im Lenz, Winterlied, Maitanz im Grünen)

*Lieder und Gesänge*

Thomas Hampson (Baritone), David Lutz (Piano)

*Lieder und Gesänge, Orch. Berio* (1986)

Thomas Hampson (Baritone), Luciano Berio, Philharmonia Orchestra [Warner Classics, rec. 1992]









A second listening for this interesting disc. Thomas Hampson and Daniel Lutz are fine advocates for Mahler's early songs and in Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen.

Luciano Berio's orchestration of the early 'Gesange' is an experiment that just about comes off, if you don't think of it as Mahler but Mahler / Berio. The performances and the recording are outstanding.[/B]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*"One Cherubini a la Divina. . . To Go"*

Morning Blair reporting from the currently rainy climes of Southern California, main-lining espresso to the ending of Callas' '53 Bernstein/La Scala _Medea_:


----------



## Ukko

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 36131
> 
> 
> Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite/Mississippi Suite
> Herbert: Cello Concerto No.2 Georges Miquelle/Eastman-Rochester Orchestra/Howard Hanson
> 
> I love this record! I played it for the first time just before going to bed last night- and now I'm playing it again! The only piece on here that I knew was the Grand Canyon Suite, having had Toscanini's LP for some time, the sound on this is much better, of course, and the performance equally thrilling. The Mardi Gras movement from the other suite brought a pleasant surprise- the tune of the song "Daybreak" comes from it, this was a favourite encore of a tenor I played for, for many years, now alas no longer with us, and it was nice to hear it again. I don't suppose I shall ever play it again. Makes me a bit sad that.........oh well (says he with a resigned shrug of the shoulders!), the Herbert Cello Concerto is a gem, and this is a lovely performance. All in all a most enjoyable record.


I bought this CD for the Herbert. It's OK, but could be a lot better if he had found someone to orchestrate it for him. The performance doesn't eclipse Greenhouse/ARS, but the sound is better. (Yo Yo Ma's version is a study in blandness.)

The Grand Canyon Suite I've heard too often; the Mississippi Suite is teeth-clenching treacle, fit only for one of those 'music appreciation' courses where everybody gets a B+ and attendance is optional.

[Ahh, I feel better already.]


----------



## Wood

Morning Morning


----------



## apricissimus

I've been making my way through the big Phillips box at work lately. I'm up to the Michael Tippet CD. (I admit that I skipped the Verdi/Il Corsaro CD's; I just wasn't in the mood at the time.)










I like the variety of the repertoire in this set. It's a little less full of the same old symphonic war-horses than the other big boxes.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing with Robert Schumann's solo piano works:

*Schumann*

*Fantasiestücke Op. 12* / Alfred Brendel (Piano) [Philips (LP), 1982]

*Symphonic Etüdes Op. 13* / Finghin Collins (Piano) [Claves, 2009]

*Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 14* (1853 version, with the addition of a second scherzo ('Scherzo - Vivacissimo') and two previously-omitted variations in the (usually) third, now fourth, movement).
Mi-Joo Lee (Piano) [MD&G, 2000]

All three of these interpretations are very good, but Finghin Collins (again) reveals his mastery in Schumann. I recommend his two double CDs on Claves (part of their 'complete solo piano works of Schumann' series, sadly not all recorded by this artist) to anyone who's interested to try them. They are wonderfully well recorded, too. I see (in the thread about the current generation of pianists) that Kieran, a fellow Irishman, also rates this pianist very highly.


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Alfacharger

Witches and Vampires for today!


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Thorne - Burlesque Overture (Strickland/CRI)
Persichetti - String Quartet #4 (New Art Quartet/ASU)
Schuman - Symphony #8 (Bernstein/Columbia)*


----------



## Blancrocher

Otto Tausk conducting the Northwest German PO and Hans Christoph Begemann in Hans Pfitzner's Orchestral Songs.


----------



## Orfeo

*Aarre Merikanto*
Opera in three acts "Juha" (_a vastly overlooked, underrated masterpiece!!_).
-Jorma Hynninen, Eeva-Liisa Saarinen, Sirkia Nisula, Merja Wirkkala, Lehtinen, et al.
-Finnish Radio Symphony, Tapiola Chamber Choir, Finnish Chamber Singers/Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

*Kalervo Tuukkanen*
Symphony no. III "The Sea."
-Tuula-Marja Tuomela (soprano) & Tom Nyman (tenor).
-Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra, Musica Choir & Jyväskylä Studio Choir/Ari Rasilainen.

*Kurt Atterberg*
Symphony no. III "West Coast Pictures."
-Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR/Ari Rasilainen.

*Eduard Tubin*
Symphony no. II "Legendary."
Symphony no. X(*).
-The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.
-The Estonian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi(*).

*Erland von Koch*
Nordic Capriccio, op. 26.
Viola Concerto.
-Johanna Persson, soloist.
-The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/B. Tommy Andersson.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Comparing the two most incandescent readings I know of of Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini":


That Canyon album is a great one. I cannot think of a better recording of Francesca da Rimini than Svetlanov's.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> That Canyon album is a great one. I cannot think of a better recording of Francesca da Rimini than Svetlanov's.











I couldn't agree more, given my aesthetic sensibility for a 'white-hot' reading of that piece. Ha. Ha. Ha. The Stokowski was my standard-bearer until I got the Svetlanov. . . Incidentally, Svetlanov's Canyon Classics (now it's on Warner Classics) Tchaikovsky's Fourth has the most tremendously-exciting last movement I've ever heard. . . and with absolutely stellar engineered sound.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 36168
> 
> 
> I couldn't agree more, given my aesthetic sensibility for a 'white-hot' reading of that piece. Ha. Ha. Ha. The Stokowski was my standard-bearer until I got the Svetlanov. . . Incidentally, Svetlanov's Canyon Classics (now it's on Warner Classics) Tchaikovsky's Fourth has the most tremendously-exciting last movement I've ever heard. . . and with absolutely stellar engineered sound.


I think the finale of the Fourth is a tad too bambastic and hard-pressed under Svetlanov's hands (and the recording could use a bit more reverberation and balance). But other than that, it is an exciting recording.

Overall I do like that set very much and especially his rendition of the Third Symphony, which is nicely done and very well measured.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions and Sinfonias.*

Ms. Dinnerstein plays these in a non-HIP, romantic manner, with a very thoughtful approach. Compared to Leonhardt, it's an adjustment, but there's room for both. And it's something my wife and I can listen to together.


----------



## Oskaar

*Uuno Klami - Whirls, Act 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Klami:
Whirls, Act 1 (Pyörteitä)

Violin Concerto, Op. 32

*Jennifer Koh (violin)

*Suomenlinna, alkusoitto (overture), Op. 30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä*









http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/BIS/BISCD696


----------



## Blancrocher

I enjoyed my recent listen to Alexeev's Scriabin so much that I'm ready for more by the same composer: a first listen to Melnikov's recent release of various Scriabin pieces. I'm enjoying it as I knew I would.


----------



## Wood

*Delius *The song of the high hills

*Haydn* Piano Sonata No.2 _Baart van Oort

_*Honegger *Concertino for piano and orchestra


----------



## julianoq

Obviouslly not a great record quality since it was release on the 30's, but Casals playing Bach's Cello Suites is amazing. Listening to them all.


----------



## shangoyal

Bruckner: *Symphony No. 7 in E major*










Sounds like a good recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Corelli*: Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, Nos. 7 - 12, w. Avison Ens. (rec.2012);* Handel*: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, w. JEG (rec.1980).








View attachment 36179


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart a La Stupenda*















07:05-07:15, oh my!


----------



## Vaneyes

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 36177
> 
> 
> I enjoyed my recent listen to *Alexeev's* Scriabin so much that I'm ready for more by the same composer: a first listen to *Melnikov's* recent release of various Scriabin pieces. I'm enjoying it as I knew I would.


Goodonyuh, mate (and to Brilliant Classics issue and harmonia mundi reissue). Two musts for *Scriabin* enthusiasts. :tiphat:


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to my absolute favourite Vivaldi CD: Lute & Mandolin concertos played by Narciso Yepes et al.










The concerto RV 558 "In Tromba Marina" is a particular highlight because of the vibrant colour achieved through the diverse mix of solo instruments: 2 violins, 2 recorders, 2 mandolins, 2 chalumeaux, 2 theorbos and cello, all of which get a moment or two in the limelight. This must be a great showpiece for any baroque ensemble.


----------



## Haydn man

I think this disc has a great mix of works


----------



## LancsMan

*Bach:- Vol. 39 of the Complete Cantatas* Leonhardt-Consort & Gustav Leonhardt; Concentus musicus Wien & Nikolaus Harnoncourt on Teldec

I've heard some experts imply that the Bach Cantatas are most essential of his works. This is not a view I've found easy to accept. I'm a great lover of Bach's secular works, and amongst the religious works I've preferred the Passions and Masses to the cantatas, which I've thought somewhat uneven (unsurprising seeing how he was expected to churn them out).

Anyway this recording of Cantatas 164 - 169 confirms me in this view. There is some marvellous music here, but it's not all equally good. This performance looks for historical accuracy - boy trebles here. Not the most polished of performances then.

It does include Kurt Equiluz as tenor - what a marvellous voice he has for this repertoire.

Unfortunately at times the intonation of the trebles and alto (Paul Esswood) leaves a little to be desired (to put it politely!).


----------



## SimonNZ

Zelenka's Missa Votiva - Collegium Vocale 1704, Vaclav Luks, cond.


----------



## realdealblues

View attachment 36189


Schumann: Symphony No. 1 "Spring" (Mahler Edition)
Riccardo Chailly/Gewandhaus Orchestra


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonatas K 331, 332, 333 345
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## KenOC

Haydn String Quartets Op. 54, Endellion Quartet. Not so often heard but (of course) absolutely superb.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Swan Lake- Rostropovich/BPO*










That climax with the Swan Scene on ths first track is set down superbly.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Franz Waxman: Sunset Boulevard*


----------



## cwarchc

Great documentary on Elgar on BBC4 for those of you who access the iPlayer
The man behind the mask


----------



## Kevin Pearson

cwarchc said:


> Great documentary on Elgar on BBC4 for those of you who access the iPlayer
> The man behind the mask


Thanks for the heads up! I live in the US but I know a work around that allows me access to any BBC material.  I'll be sure to check it out.

Kevin


----------



## lupinix

Prokofiev symphony 1!!!! 
was actually on my way to bed but I started humming it and became more and more and more enthousiastic about it and eventually just HAD to listen to it again! Its been more than a year since last time I believe anyway.

(and to think I don't like this one even nearly half as much as his third, fourth, fifth or sixth! At least usually)


----------



## senza sordino

Winterreisender said:


> Listening to my absolute favourite Vivaldi CD: Lute & Mandolin concertos played by Narciso Yepes et al.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The concerto RV 558 "In Tromba Marina" is a particular highlight because of the vibrant colour achieved through the diverse mix of solo instruments: 2 violins, 2 recorders, 2 mandolins, 2 chalumeaux, 2 theorbos and cello, all of which get a moment or two in the limelight. This must be a great showpiece for any baroque ensemble.


This looks great, thanks. I'll definitely check this out.


----------



## Tristan

*Bruch* - Symphony No. 1 in Eb major, Op. 28









I didn't even really know Bruch had written any symphonies until I found this CD. I am yet to listen to the others, but I really liked the 1st symphony.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to *Ligeti* - Double Concerto. Very fascinating work. Love the Oboe and Flute. 
http://www.amazon.com/Ligeti-Melodi...639666&sr=1-2&keywords=ligeti+double+concerto


----------



## bejart

Anton Eberl (1765-1807): Symphony in D Minor, Op.34

Concerto Koln


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Guest

Started work on a pain-in-the-*** paper tonight...selected as my study musics:

Messiaen - Turangalila-Symphonie
Messiaen - Des Canyons Aux Etoiles...

Both Chung/DG recordings.

Yeah, so you guys were right about Messiaen


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Alban Berg *- Violin concerto


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mahler's Symphony No.9 - Gustavo Dudamel, cond.

Every time the radio plays something by this conductor they draw attention to him as though he's the new big thing, and every time I think the recording played sounds just, you know, "okay", but unremarkable.

Am I missing something?


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


>


Watched that one last night.


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> on the radio:
> 
> Mahler's Symphony No.9 - Gustavo Dudamel, cond.
> 
> Every time the radio plays something by this conductor they draw attention to him as though he's the new big thing, and every time I think the recording played sounds just, you know, "okay", but unremarkable.
> 
> Am I missing something?


I had a music teacher as well that said Dudamel was the next Bernstein or Karajan or whatever... Yeah, I didn't get it either from the couple of things I heard.


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Glanes De Woronince, S 249 -- Leslie Howard

Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17 -- Alfred Brendel

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride -- Marina Shaguch, Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Valery Gergiev: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra & Chorus

Gesualdo: Chiaro Risplender Suole -- Marco Longhini: Delitiae Musicae

Bruch: Serenade for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 75 -- Salvatore Accardo: Leipzig Gewandhausorchester


----------



## KenOC

Mozart, String Quartet No. 22 K. 589 (Prussian 2). Quatuor Mosaiques. As recommended by Andolink in the new string quartet poll thread.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3


----------



## Andolink

KenOC said:


> Mozart, String Quartet No. 22 K. 589 (Prussian 2). Quatuor Mosaiques. As recommended by Andolink in the new string quartet poll thread.


Not only my favorite Mozart string quartet but my all time favorite performance of it! Glad you're enjoying it Ken.


----------



## KenOC

Andolink said:


> Not only my favorite Mozart string quartet but my all time favorite performance of it! Glad you're enjoying it Ken.


Yeah, I often overlook some Mozart works because, after all, he makes everything sound so easy. But then I listen a bit more closely, and...OMG how'd he do that!


----------



## Guest

This Linn SACD has stunning clarity and presence--great playing, too.


----------



## Guest

Sudbin is one of my favorite young pianists.


----------



## SimonNZ

Zelenka's Il Serpente Di Bronzo - Adam Viktora, cond.


----------



## Itullian

No HIP here. yayyyyyyyy
Just style, grace, warmth and grandeur.


----------



## bejart

Angelo Raguzzi (ca.1680-1750): Sonata a Quatro No.4 in F Minor

Christophe Tiempe conducting the Accademia per Musica


----------



## Jeff W

For the Saturday Symphony thread. Arturo Toscanini led the NBC Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's 5th & 8th Symphony along with the Leonore Overture No. 3.









Symphonies No. 4 & 5 of Franz Schubert. Neville Marriner led the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Beethoven: Symphony 9 (Live at the Royal Festival Hall 15/11/1957)
*Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus w/ Nordmo-Løvberg, Ludwig, Kmentt & Hotter

After listening to this Symphony for so long under Furtwangler, this recording is a breath of fresh air, a most convincing alternative indeed.

This is fantastic quality recording, the actual recording quality, the split violins and a very well prepared grouping of performers. Klemperer's influence on the Philharmonia puts me in mind of Beecham & the Royal Philharmonic, Furtwangler & the Berlin Philharmoniker or even Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic - he draws so much out of the orchestra - a very synergetic partnership.

The fact that it is live does give the performance a little extra drive in my opinion in comparison to the studio version and the fact that it is Stereo is bonus (after listening to Furtwangler for so long I am used to Mono - not there is anything wrong with Mono).

I am not completely sold on Hans Hotter at present on this recording - which is to say I still believe Furtwangler has recorded with my favourite soloists. Only DFD with Fricsay has overcome my own mental block here. The chorus - created especially for the this recording (and that of Hadel's Messiah) according to the inlay book sound fantastic. I never thought about the creation of the chorus before now, I took it for granted that it just existed with the Orchestra. Very interesting to read and learn - something to be continued.

The Third movement may have become my favourite recorded version.

If the studio version is an 8.5-9/10, this live recording is a 9-9.5/10.

Klemperer's Beethoven has certainly won me over now, though even he cannot dethrone Carlos Kleiber on the Pastoral Sixth. I rate this recording highly alongside my favourite recordings by Furtwangler and Fricsay.


----------



## Itullian

Klemperer...Awesome.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Fiala (1748-1816): Cello Concerto in G Major

Hynek Farkac directing the Chamber Orchestra Archi Boemi -- Karel Fiala, cello


----------



## lupinix

Martinu sinfonietta giocoso for piano and orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812): Symphony in G Major

Matthias Bamert conducting the London Mozart Players


----------



## Bas

Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures
By Jacqueline du Pré [cello], Jannet Baker [mezzo], the LSO, Sir John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Rossini - Overture to "Bianca e Faliero" (Marriner/Philips)
Schubert - Klavierstucke, D. 946 (Brendel/Philips)
Respighi - Feste Romane (Ormandy/Columbia)*


----------



## Mahlerian

Today's Saturday Symphony:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F, op. 93
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Walter









The finale's tempo is unusually slow, but it's a solid performance all the same.


----------



## jim prideaux

lupinix said:


> Martinu sinfonietta giocoso for piano and orchestra


would be particularly interested in your observations regarding this piece by the great man-but perhaps more simply which recording?


----------



## Jos

Khachaturian, violinconcerto. 
Oistrakh playing, the composer conducting!


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Flute Concerto in C Major, Op.6, No.1

Michael Schneider directing La Stagione Frankfurt -- Karl Kaiser, flute


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Mozart: Symphonies 29, 39 & 40*
Ferenc Fricsay & the RIAS Symphonie Orchester (Audite)

Ferenc Fricsay delivers what are for me three top-tier performances, which I hold in as high regard as those of Klemperer and _slightly_ ahead of Furtwängler.

After being left with somewhat mixed feelings by Mackerras quite recently, this is just the recording to clear my mind.

The recording itself is remarkably clear and sharp both in the live (No. 29 and 40) and in the studio with No. 39. Audience noise is minimal.

A pleasure to listen to. 9.5/10 easily.


----------



## Alfacharger

The symphonies of Elgar including Payne's elaboration of the 3rd.


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Berlioz: Les nuits d'été
Dame Janet Baker and Sir John Barbirolli

I recently listened to Janet Baker's rendition of Berlioz 'Les nuits d'été' prior to watching a live performance.

Great album and the lyrics are indeed poetic and very emotional.

My wife who is allergic to anything classical loved it as well!


----------



## Blancrocher

Sebastian Weigle conducting live performances of Macbeth and Ein Heldenleben.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Feb14/Strauss_heldenleben_OC888.htm


----------



## Blake

Salar Aghili - _Endless Ocean._ Some really great traditional Persian music.


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content


----------



## Weston

*Dvorak: Symphony No. 6 in D, Op. 60*
Stephen Gunzenhauser / Slovac Philharmonic Orchestra









I had been emotionally tepid toward Dvorak after finding his 9th had worn out its welcome and also finding much of his music a little too crashing and raging and triangle jangling for my aging nerves. But when this piece came up at random I remember it with great fondness. Beautiful themes abound.

I'm so far behind on this thread I'll never catch up now, so I hope no one has listened to anything too amazing. But I'll explore a short distance back.


----------



## moody

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 36217
> 
> 
> Sebastian Weigle conducting live performances of Macbeth and Ein Heldenleben.
> 
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Feb14/Strauss_heldenleben_OC888.htm


Am I going nuts or does the critic seem to think this is a new recording ?


----------



## moody

Mahlerian said:


> Today's Saturday Symphony:
> 
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F, op. 93
> Columbia Symphony Orchestra, cond. Walter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The finale's tempo is unusually slow, but it's a solid performance all the same.


This series was made in the autumn of his life and the performances are autumnal.


----------



## millionrainbows

Some good old fashioned 12-tone writing. Rhythmically interesting. *








*


----------



## millionrainbows

Alfacharger said:


>


*Ahh, the darkness!

*


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Guest

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Marc-Andre Hamelin has added the Khachaturian Piano Concerto to his repertoire. He plays it with all his customary aplomb and effortless virtuosity. Vanska conducts the London Phil (audio only):


----------



## Weston

*Howells: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C, Op. 39*
Richard Hickox / BBC Symphony Orchestra / Richard Shelley, piano









This is the album that sold me on the Chandos label and on Herbert Howells too. Some of the pieces seemed perhaps more exciting than they are because it's a premier recording -- though not this concerto No. 2 which I'm feeling is played a bit LARGE, the musical equivalent of William Shatner overacting. But often that appeals to me a great deal. The transition between movements 1 and 2 is a subtle moment for me.

"Penguinski" on this album is also great though short. Full of mild humor and inventiveness.


----------



## jim prideaux

Listening for the first time to a disc that has just arrived and it is very much 'out of character' ie not the usual kinda stuff I listen to-but it is proving to be very enjoyable (and enlightening)......

DG album of Dvorak,Janacek and Martinu songs sung by Magdalena Kozena, Graham Johnson is the pianist-I primarily chose this collection because I wanted to make an initial investigation into songs by three of my favourite composers

Kabalevsky piano concerto number 1-Stott,Jarvi and Scottish Orch-keep returning to this work, there is something about the atmosphere of the piece and I continue to find it intriguing that many have dismissed Kabalevsky as essentially a second rate toady!


----------



## starthrower




----------



## millionrainbows

Obscure Swiss composer. He immersed himself in the second Viennese school after hearing Wozzeck. His music is nicely dissonant, perhaps atonal, but I'm really not sure how he integrated serial techniques into his style. I'm glad I discovered this.


----------



## moody

RICHARD TUCKER AND ROBERT MERRILL AT CARNEGIE HALL, 1973.

At he end of their careers, 30 years each, these stalwarts of the Metropolitan Opera set out on a series of concerts around N.America. The Carnegie hall concert was recorded by London fortunately and issued on two LPs the same year.
They cover Ponchielli ,Verdi,Mozart,Meyerbeer and others including "Fiddler On The Roof" and "Roschinkes Mit Mandlen".
The whole thing is magnificent and Merrill although sixty sounds as he did fifteen years earlier.
Unfortunately it all came to an end when Richard Tucker was struck down by a fatal heart attack halfway through one of the concerts.
The performance was transferred to CD but I don't know present availability.
I was supposed to see them when they got to Toronto.


----------



## jim prideaux

Balakirev 1st Symphony performed by USSR Symphony Orch conducted by Svetlanov......

first hearing.....I am beginning to believe one of the unifying features about much of the Russian music I really enjoy (Glazunov,Kalinnikov,Borodin for example) is the innate sense of expansiveness.....well there you go!!!!!!


----------



## millionrainbows

RE: Marescotti: He's not even listed in WIK with Swiss composers. There's more on him in Amazon, because Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli played his Fantasque pour piano (1939) in concerts.


----------



## Weston

*Larsson: Symphony No. 2, Op. 17*
Hans-Peter Frank / Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra









Awesome symphony in post-romantic vein. Rather extremely post- as it was written in the mid 1930s. Still a dramatic wonder. I have especially enjoyed the 3rd (final) movement. It displays a penchant for Beethovenian right hook punches.


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


>


Waxman is another composer who should be better known - by myself as well! I don't know much about his film scores, but I have a piece in my collection, "Sinfonietta For String Orchestra & Timpani" in my collection that is very enjoyable.



KenOC said:


> Mozart, String Quartet No. 22 K. 589 (Prussian 2). Quatuor Mosaiques. As recommended by Andolink in the new string quartet poll thread.


This Mozart cycle is really starting to bug me for some reason.


----------



## bejart

Nicolaus Kraft (1778-1853): Rondo for Cello, Op.11

Hynek Farkac conducting the Plzen Radio Symphony Orchestra -- Jiri Hosek, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Argerich and Kovacevich playing Debussy's "En blanc et noire"; Valeri Polyanskii and the Russian State SO in Anton Arensky's Tchaikovsky Variations.


----------



## Oskaar

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in Eb Major 'Romantic'*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Georg Tintner*









Great version! I have to be in an adaptive mood for Bruckners symphonies, but when I am, I am highly rewarded.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554128

http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=3355

http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symphony-Romantic-1878-Version/dp/B00000I8VF/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1393698603&sr=1-9&keywords=Anton+Bruckner+tintner

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Naxos/8554128

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs54128a.php


----------



## Itullian

Enjoying symphony number 7 from this excellent cycle.


----------



## Alfacharger

It's not Mac the Knife.


----------



## Oskaar

*August DE BOECK (1865-1937) *Symphony in G

*Edgar TINEL (1854-1912) 
Overture - Polyeucte

Flanders SO/Fabrice Bollon
rec 12-14 May 1995*









Just started it, but it seems like a colourfull atmosphaeric romantic symphony from Flandern.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/june01/deboeck.htm


----------



## Oliver




----------



## Marschallin Blair

Weston said:


> *Howells: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C, Op. 39*
> Richard Hickox / BBC Symphony Orchestra / Richard Shelley, piano
> 
> View attachment 36221
> 
> 
> This is the album that sold me on the Chandos label and on Herbert Howells too. Some of the pieces seemed perhaps more exciting than they are because it's a premier recording -- though not this concerto No. 2 which I'm feeling is played a bit LARGE, the musical equivalent of William Shatner overacting. But often that appeals to me a great deal. The transition between movements 1 and 2 is a subtle moment for me.
> ---
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have the Hickox on Chandos which I like; and the Handley on Hyperion as well. The Handley has more elegant restraint, and incidentally is my first choice.


----------



## Morimur

*VA - (1985) (1988) Korea; Court Music*

Yet another example of the rich classical music traditions of Asia.


----------



## KenOC

Kalinnikov, Symphony No. 1. Friedmann, Russian PO. Why on earth isn't this symnphony in the repertoire?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Arclighting Callas Medea*










Late last night, I was propped up with my elbows on the floor, following the libretto to the last cut in Callas' famous '58 Dallas _Medea_--- which is only 13:30 long--- for over an hour; replaying one section; then another section; then still another. . . Now I'm doing it again this morning. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . It's the last scene of the opera, Medea's "_E che? lo son Medea!_" ("What then? I am Medea!")--- and it'd make Metallica blush. It's so incandescent and fierce you just won't believe the dramatic bite of Callas' and Vickers' singing until you hear it. The recorded sound is of course execrable-- but I could really care less. This is one of the most _exciting _singing performances I've ever heard, bar none.

Medea kills her children to avenge herself against Jason's infidelity. Callas is winding herself up for the inevitable act, and the dramatic arc just crests. . . and crests. . . and explodes. . and _surges_-- constantly; relentlessly. It's totally awesome. Listen to how she builds up that searing high note on CD 2, track 14, from 02:15-02:31-- _NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THAT_!!! (but when you listen to it, read along with the libretto for maximal effect). Absolute power-house command performance. If you experienced this live, it'd practically stop your heart because your breath would be so bated from being arc-lighted with that_ sound_. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Anyway, if you love high drama and ferocious-tigress heroines, this is for you. I myself can't get enough of it-- that is to say, the Dallas '58 performance and not the Bernstein '53-- which I also have; and like; but this '58 performance is s_ans pareil_.


----------



## jim prideaux

KenOC said:


> Kalinnikov, Symphony No. 1. Friedmann, Russian PO. Why on earth isn't this symnphony in the repertoire?


can only add my modest support to this observation-one of the most enjoyable discoveries I have made over the last few months!


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Late last night, I was propped up with my elbows on the floor, following the libretto to the last cut in Callas' famous '58 Dallas _Medea_--- which is only 13:30 long--- for over an hour; replaying one section; then another section; then still another. . . Now I'm doing it again this morning. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . It's the last scene of the opera, Medea's "_E che? lo son Medea!_" ("What then? I am Medea!")--- and it'd make Metallica blush. It's so incandescent and fierce you just won't believe the dramatic bite of Callas' and Vickers' singing until you hear it. The recorded sound is of course execrable-- but I could really care less. This is one of the most _exciting _singing performances I've ever heard, bar none.
> 
> Medea kills her children to avenge herself against Jason's infidelity. Callas is winding herself up for the inevitable act, and the dramatic arc just crests. . . and crests. . . and explodes. . and _surges_-- constantly; relentlessly. It's totally awesome. Listen to how she builds up that searing high note on CD 2, track 14, from 02:15-02:31-- _NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THAT_!!! (but when you listen to it, read along with the libretto for maximal effect). Absolute power-house command performance. If you experienced this live, it'd practically stop your heart because your breath would be so bated from being arc-lighted with that_ sound_. Ha. Ha. Ha.
> 
> Anyway, if you love high drama and ferocious-tigress heroines, this is for you. I myself can't get enough of it-- that is to say, the Dallas '58 performance and not the Bernstein '53-- which I also have; and like; but this '58 performance is s_ans pareil_.


The horror. The horror.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> The horror. The horror.


Kurtz would be curtsey-_ING_ to Callas. Ha. Ha. ha.


----------



## Morimur

What a grotesque photo. I like it.


----------



## LancsMan

*Handel: Athalia* The Academy of Ancient Music directed by Christopher Hogwood on L'Oiseau-Lyre.








Joan Sutherland taking the title role in a period instrument performance - somewhat surprising you might think. I've never been a particular fan of Joan (or maybe it's the repertoire I associate her with that is not my favourite). Any way her performance here works dramatically - contrasting with the likes of Emma Kirkby. Anthony Rolfe Johnson is strong too. Perhaps I should also mention, for my mother's sake it's got Aled Jones singing treble. I sometimes tease my mum for having an Aled Jones CD!

As to the music - I prefer Handel oratorios to his operas. Plenty of choral opportunities. To my mind there's little truly religious feeling in the Handel oratorios I know, with the exception of The Messiah. But there's plenty of pleasing music here. Handel is so strong on melody and given the chance to write gentle lyrical music he rarely disappoints.

All told a pretty strong recording.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Lope de Aguirre: What a grotesque photo. I like it.

When a goddess dons that "Off with their heads!" look, it's sure to court a certain notoriety among mere mortals.


----------



## Gilberto

Barbara Nissman - Prokofiev - Complete Piano Sonatas


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Fred Chopin's* birthday (March 1, 1810).

View attachment 36233


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Kalinnikov, Symphony No. 1. Friedmann, Russian PO. Why on earth isn't this symnphony in the repertoire?


I don't know. I'm still trying to work out that cover...


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G Minor, KV 550

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Oskaar

*Dukas: Orchestral Music*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Fanfare to La Peri

La Péri

Symphony in C major

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands, Jean Fournet*









Amazingly rich, dreamy and flowerish music! Very nicely performed. Great nerve all over.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=554656

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Regis/RRC1344

http://www.wrightmusic.net/pdfs/cd-review-25-dukas-orchestral-music.pdf

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Mar11/dukasfournet_regisrrc1344.htm


----------



## ptr

millionrainbows said:


> RE: Marescotti: He's not even listed in WIK with Swiss composers. There's more on him in Amazon, because Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli played his Fantasque pour piano (1939) in concerts.


Interesting seems to be a short bio on Italian Wiki: *André-François Marescotti*



> _André-François Marescotti (Carouge, 30 aprile 1902 - Ginevra, 18 maggio 1995) è stato un compositore svizzero.
> 
> Studiò pianoforte e organo a Ginevra e, successivamente, composizione a Parigi. Si stabilì a Ginevra, dove fu maestro di cappella alla chiesa del Sacro Cuore e professore di pianoforte presso il conservatorio cittadino. Dagli anni quaranta in poi, fu anche professore di orchestrazione e di composizione al medesimo conservatorio e maestro di cappella in St-Joseph.
> 
> Ricoprì in patria diverse cariche di organizzazioni musicali. Nel 1963 vinse il Grand Prix de Composition de la ville de Genève.
> 
> Assunse fama internazionale soprattutto con il brano virtuosistico per pianoforte Fantasque, composto appositamente per il concorso pianistico di Ginevra del 1939 e mirabilmente interpretato e successivamente inciso da Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, che vinse quell'edizione. La sua produzione è comunque vasta e tra le sue composizioni si possono annoverare brani per pianoforte solo, per orchestra, per coro, per coro e orchestra, per coro e strumenti vari, un concerto per pianoforte e orchestra, musica per ensemble vari, numerosi balletti e musiche da film. Pubblicò anche un manuale d'orchestrazione (1950)._


And a couple of Youtube things:

"Giboulées", Fantasia for Bassoon and Piano

The "Fantasque" with Michelangeli










/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Desmarest's De Profundis - Hervé Niquet, cond.


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ _for Philip Guston_ [flute(s), piano / celeste, percussion]


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Kalinnikov, Symphony No. 1. Friedmann, Russian PO. Why on earth isn't this symnphony in the repertoire?


The version I have (granted it's a Naxos recording, but still . . .) can come across as a little light in weight, except for that very Russian opening theme. Maybe some people are afraid it's a bit of fluff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions and Sinfonias.*

It's been a stressful day work-wise, but this has had a calming effect.


----------



## Guest

Just the double concerto today. If you don't know his music, picture a less sarcastic Shostakovich on steroids. This work makes enormous demands, which the soloists handily meet in this live recording.


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Piano concerto 14 Brendel / Marriner 

A pretty happy alliance!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Keyboard Concerto No. 1.*

This is lovely. Not HIP, just lovely.


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Desmaret's Usquequo Domine - William Christie, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: Piano Trio in E-flat minor, Piano Trio in E-flat major Hob XV:31 and 30
Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Guest

Simply wonderful playing and sound. The bonus DVD, which includes some recording session and editing footage along with an interview with Helmchen, is quite interesting.


----------



## Blancrocher

For Chopin's birthday: Alexandre Tharaud's "Journal intime."

*p.s.*



> Kurtz would be curtsey-ING to Callas. Ha. Ha. ha.


Oh my goodness, Blair.


----------



## Winterreisender

Purcell: Hail, Bright St. Cecilia - John Eliot Gardiner and Monteverdi choir and English Baroque Soloists


----------



## GreenMamba

Ligeti Etudes Book 2, Aimard


----------



## KenOC

Schubert, Missa Solemnis D.950, Harnoncourt and friends.


----------



## senza sordino

Khachaturian Spartacus excerpts, Piano Concerto (Katz), Pictures of Childhood, Gayaneh excerpts, violin concerto (Oistrakh), Masquerade Suite

Khatchaturian conducts most of this music


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Maurice Ravel Radio (Maurice Ravel and Composers Similar to him) on last.fm. Last.fm really is a great station to explore works in a spefic genre.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Don Giovanni (Highlights), w. BPO/HvK et al (rec.1985); *LvB*: Fidelio (Highlights), w. VPO/LB et al (rec.1978).

View attachment 36248
View attachment 36249


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Adolf Hasse's Mass in G minor - Ludwig Guttler, cond.


----------



## Guest

Praga Digitals is becoming my "go to" label for chamber music, as one can always count on superb performances and sound (not necessarily their remastered old recordings). This disc is certainly no exception:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> Khachaturian Spartacus excerpts, Piano Concerto (Katz), Pictures of Childhood, Gayaneh excerpts, violin concerto (Oistrakh), Masquerade Suite
> 
> Khatchaturian conducts most of this music
> View attachment 36243


Great performance of the Adagio from the Spartacus ballet too on that CD combo pack.

The only performance I like better is Svetlanov's with the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra:


----------



## hpowders

Vincent Persichetti, Works for Violin and Piano, Hasse Borup, Heather Conner.
My Persichetti adventures continue.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Just Arrived in the Mail*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Just Arrived in the Mail, Deux*


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


>


Fantastic Mozart.
And Gui and Serafin are great conductors.
It'll be great to hear Joanie under different conductors.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## ArtMusic

Played on a cello by Montaganana, 1740


----------



## Blancrocher

Melnikov playing Rachmaninov--listening to this masterful album along with Melnikov in some favorite pieces by Scriabin and Shostakovich.

I suppose that there's no way around becoming a Melnikov completist, at this point.


----------



## Blake

Salar Aghili and the Rumi Ensemble - _In the Footprints of Rumi._ This Iranian style is so nice.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


>


Look at that _cast_! . . . I'm _on it_. . . and to Amazon I go. _Danke_.


----------



## KenOC

Andre Gretry: Flute Concerto in C. European Community Chamber Orchestra, Dimitri Demetriades cond., Marc Grauwels, flute. On the radio.










The attribution to Gretry is "doubtful", but the music is nice enough.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov*

Act I opening choruses:


----------



## Novelette

Schubert: Symphony #9 in C, D 944, "Great" -- Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes -- Stefan Sanderling: Bournemouth Sinfonietta

Monteverdi: Selva Morale E Spirituale -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2 -- Murray Perahia

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 114, D 667, "Trout" -- Alban Berg Quartet & Elisabeth Leonskaja


----------



## senza sordino

*Schoenberg, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Frank Martin Violin Concerti*













and some interesting fillers on the second CD
*Honegger Pacific 231 and Rugby* and *Stravinsky Circus Polka*


----------



## SimonNZ

Giacinto Scelsi's Ballata - Francesco Dillon, cello, Tito Ceccherini, cond.










William Mathias' Oboe Concerto - David Cowley, oboe, Grant Llewellyn, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Max Grafe's Janus Ponders The Cosmos - Mark Biggins, cond






An interesting, likable work by an interesting young composer, but frustratingly not on cd

This and other works free to listen on the composers website

http://www.maxgrafe.net/page3/page3.html


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Richard Wagner, Tannhäuser - Overture (Hiroshi Wakasugi; Staatskapelle Dresden);
'Dich teure Halle' (Elisabeth) (Heinz Fricke; Els Bolkestein; Staatskapelle Berlin).


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Piano Sonatas-- _No. 7 in D major, Op. 10 no. 3_; _No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26_; _No. 15 in D major, Op. 28_; _No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano





















*Joseph Haydn*: String Quartets from Op. 9-- _No. 4 in D minor_ and _No. 1 in C major_
The London Haydn Quartet








*Luigi Boccherini*: String Trios Op. 34-- _No. 4 in D major_, _No. 5 in C major_ and _No. 6 in E major_
La Ritirata


----------



## Kivimees

Inspired by a post yesterday by Marschallin Blair:


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening (for the saterday symphony listening):

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 8 "Pastorale"
By The orchestra of the 18th century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa









This morning I started with the Bach cantatas for this week, Quinquagesima Sunday, no. 22 and 23:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BWV 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 75 Die Elenden sollen essen
By Midori Suzuki [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter], Gerd Türk [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, on BIS









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 10, no. 7, no. 9
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## jim prideaux

Haydn-Paris symphonies performed by Adam Fischer conducting Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orch.........
I suppose this would be frowned upon by some but this is very much a utilitarian listen as I consider leaving the house ,going to the pub, meeting friends and watching 'the lads' in their first cup final appearance since '92......mind you the question does arise-what would the choice of music be on return to the house having secured a win?


----------



## Oskaar

*Peder Gram
Orchestral Works Vol. 2*

Matthias Aeschbacher, conductor
Andrea Pellegrini, mezzo soprano
South Jutland Symphony Orchestra









Obviously another exiting dane. Lovely, sensitive and colorfull performance.

http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-peder-gram---orchestral-works-vol--2.aspx


----------



## Jos

A lazy sunday with Haydn stringquartets.
The Aeolian Quartet. A boxset with 3 elpees volume1, hope to find volume2 someday because they are very enjoyable.


----------



## Taggart

Disc 19 of



















Gorgeous music beautifully played.


----------



## Weston

*Berwald: Quintet for piano & strings in A major*
Uppsala Chamber Soloists









Not Berwald's best, but works great as pleasant morning music.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

It's an oldie but a goldie imo


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
*Klaus Tennstedt, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, Lucia Popp & Thomas Allen
_BBC Legends: Live at the Royal Albert Hall 26th August 1984

_An incredible recording and a beautiful performance. Crowd noise is minimal. Singers and Orchestra are well balanced overall.

This has quite a trinity for me in Tennstedt, the LPO and Popp so my view here is a touch more biased than usual but I really love this recording. I have not heard a lot from Thomas Allen but he sounds great on this recording.

I have quite a few recordings of this piece but this is one of my regular three (the other two being Klemperer/Philharmonia and Kempe/Berliner Philharmoniker if you are interested ).


----------



## Oskaar

*Alwyn: Symphony, No. 1, Piano Concerto No. 1 *

William Alwyn (Composer), Richard Hickox (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Howard Shelley









http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000000ARK/classicalnet/


----------



## Weston

*Enescu: Suite for orchestra No. 3 in D major, "Villageoise," Op. 27*
Iosef Conta / Romanian Broadcasting Orchestra & Chorus









What a profoundly wonderful experience! Here I am trying to get some minor work done with music in the background, but this is so amazing I could barely focus on work at all.

I selected this thinking it would be pleasant morning music. It is pleasant for the most part, but the 3rd segment, Moderato pensieroso, quasi andante, is mysterious, even borderline creepy, then comes on strong with growling brasses that remind me exactly of the brass sonorities in Ligeti's "Atmospheres." Enescu was _so_ far ahead of his time.

The very end of the piece is interesting too. There is a brief final motive, the kind that seems to suddenly be resurrected from an earlier movement or theme to unify the piece, but I can't for the life of me find it in any earlier movements, or earlier in this movement. Yet it cries out "This is a reprise!" Very weird, but also satisfying. I've heard this work before and that ending motive always catches me by surprise. I guess I need to listen to it again deliberately trying to find the motive elsewhere.

All of this before breakfast, and life is good.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

jim prideaux said:


> Haydn-Paris symphonies performed by Adam Fischer conducting Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orch.........
> I suppose this would be frowned upon by some but this is very much a utilitarian listen as I consider leaving the house ,going to the pub, meeting friends and watching 'the lads' in their first cup final appearance since '92......mind you the question does arise-what would the choice of music be on return to the house having secured a win?


The Creation - Singt dem Herren, alle Stimmen?


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Violin Sonatas Op. 30-- _No. 1 in A major_ and _No. 2 in C minor_
Hiro Kurosaki, violin
Linda Nicholson, fortepiano


----------



## opus55

oskaar said:


> *Peder Gram
> Orchestral Works Vol. 2*
> 
> Matthias Aeschbacher, conductor
> Andrea Pellegrini, mezzo soprano
> South Jutland Symphony Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 36269
> 
> 
> Obviously another exiting dane. Lovely, sensitive and colorfull performance.
> 
> http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-peder-gram---orchestral-works-vol--2.aspx


Added to my wish list. Thanks for the post!


----------



## DaveS

Bruckner 8th. Eduard Van Beinum, Royal Concertgebouw Orch. 1995 Philips CD release...originally recorded 1955.


----------



## science

One of many highlights of music history I've inexcusably neglected.


----------



## DaveS

Haut Parleur said:


> View attachment 36273
> 
> 
> It's an oldie but a goldie imo


Can you provide any more info on this disc. Label, etc.?


----------



## opus55

Gluck: Paride ed Elena


----------



## Vasks

_Handel by the handful_

*Handel - Overture to "Almida" (Akadamie fur Alte Musik/Harmonia Mundi)
Handel - Harpsichord Suite #1 (Ross/Erato)
Handel - Flute Sonatas, Op. 1, Nos. 5 & 9 (Beznosiuk/Hyperion)
Handel - Organ Concerto, Op. 4, No. 1 (Nicholson/Hyperion)*


----------



## Itullian




----------



## bejart

Evaristo Dall'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a Quatro da chiesa in A Minor, Op.2, No.4

Concerto Koln


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonatas K330, 331, 283, 284, 311
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 11, 12, 13, 14 "Mondschein sonata", 15, 16, 17 "Der Sturm"
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Decca


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

DaveS said:


> Can you provide any more info on this disc. Label, etc.?


I went for "a hunt down the Amazon" and have attached the link to ease any purchase you might wish to make:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Symphony-No-2/dp/B0042OKFY6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

The Chandos Gibson is better recorded whilst the CFP Handley is a better performance imo but this is a mono recording of historic interest though I'd only buy it if you already have a "better" version. The Amazon review is a little harsh but there is only one reviewer and that person's response is more driven by reproduction than performance. I have a fondness for Sargent and things which have remained "undeservedly" in the archives as this had for more than 40 years.

I got it "free" with the magazine mentioned in the review.


----------



## Blancrocher

Takashi Yoshimatsu's 5th Symphony, with Sachio Fujioka and the BBC Phil O.


----------



## science

Weston said:


> *Enescu: Suite for orchestra No. 3 in D major, "Villageoise," Op. 27*
> Iosef Conta / Romanian Broadcasting Orchestra & Chorus
> 
> View attachment 36276
> 
> 
> What a profoundly wonderful experience! Here I am trying to get some minor work done with music in the background, but this is so amazing I could barely focus on work at all.
> 
> I selected this thinking it would be pleasant morning music. It is pleasant for the most part, but the 3rd segment, Moderato pensieroso, quasi andante, is mysterious, even borderline creepy, then comes on strong with growling brasses that remind me exactly of the brass sonorities in Ligeti's "Atmospheres." Enescu was _so_ far ahead of his time.
> 
> The very end of the piece is interesting too. There is a brief final motive, the kind that seems to suddenly be resurrected from an earlier movement or theme to unify the piece, but I can't for the life of me find it in any earlier movements, or earlier in this movement. Yet it cries out "This is a reprise!" Very weird, but also satisfying. I've heard this work before and that ending motive always catches me by surprise. I guess I need to listen to it again deliberately trying to find the motive elsewhere.
> 
> All of this before breakfast, and life is good.


War Enescu!

I love his music, and I love to see that other people enjoy it too.


----------



## neoshredder

Created a playlist consisting of Orchestral Works from Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Faure, Poulenc, Scriabin, Janacek, Martinu, Hindemith, Milhaud, and Honegger. To me, these are the Composers most similar to Ravel. Listening to this playlist now on shuffle. Life is good.


----------



## jim prideaux

so it was not to be.......another 41 year wait for a trophy beckons!.....but Kalinnikov to sooth the injured soul-Overture to Tsar Boris,2nd Symphony and 'The Cedar and the Palm'-all performed by Neeme Jarvi conducting the Scottish National Orchestra-I have detected certain indirect references to this composer that seem to imply he is a little lightweight-that he may be but he is very, very handy with a tune!


----------



## Vasks

jim prideaux said:


> Kalinnikov to sooth the injured soul-Overture to Tsar Boris,2nd Symphony and 'The Cedar and the Palm'-all performed by Neeme Jarvi conducting the Scottish National Orchestra


That's a really good disc.


----------



## moody

RACHMANINOFF SONGS. iVAN KOZLOVSKY ,TENOR. BOLSHOI THEATRE ORCHESTRA.

Whether in opera or song this man was always an extraordinary experience. Certainly no one can touch him in these songs.


----------



## Oskaar

alternatively
CD: Crotchet
Download: Classicsonline

*Hakon BØRRESEN (1876-1954) *

Symphony No. 1 (1901) [32:38] 
Violin Concerto (1904) [39:06]

*Rebecca Hirsch (violin) 
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra/Owain Arwel Hughes *rec. Aalborg, Denmark, 1996 (also as a limited release as Naxos 8.554950)









Listening to no 2; very uplifting, creative, and highly romantic music.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/Apr10/borresen_sys_822405961.htm

http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-hakon-borresen---symphony-no--1--violin-concerto.aspx

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.224061


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Schrecker: Fanastic Overture*









Enjoying the rain, enjoying the Schrecker, and enjoying the exquisite letters of Madame de Sévigné.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas (Vol. 1), w. GG (rec.1968 - '72); *Clementi*: Piano Sonatas, w. Horowitz (rec.1954 - '80).

View attachment 36286
View attachment 36287
View attachment 36288


----------



## DaveS

Bruno Walter 1960 Farewell Concert to the Vienna Philharmonic, on Music & Arts. Schubert's Unfinished and Mahler's 4th.


----------



## hpowders

Nielsen Symphonies 4 and 5.

Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Schønwandt.


----------



## Oskaar

*Appalachian Spring / Gould: Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra* [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Walter Susskind (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)









I increasingly like Appalachian Spring and Copeland. Rich and adventurous music, and a feeling of riding the prarie on a horseback, or struggle with kids and daily life in a sparse home in mid-west America.

I recognise the beginning of the Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra by Gould from a Tv- game show! The music is very lyric, with an intense nerve. Performance and sound is great.

Very good disc!


----------



## LancsMan

*Rameau: Hippolte et Ariche* Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie on Erato.








It's William Christie and Les Arts Florissants in their element again.

Whilst I sometimes find the world of baroque opera somewhat difficult to fully engage with, there is no denying the musical interest to be found within the genre. I tend to favour early baroque and in the later baroque I prefer French over Italian and German. And with Rameau there is so much interest in the various orchestral passages.

Isn't it a shame that Rameau never wrote works for orchestra - outside the various orchestral sections in the operas. These are often so very striking.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Brahms*: Symphonies 1 - 4, w. BPO/HvK (rec. 1964).

View attachment 36293
View attachment 36294
View attachment 36296


----------



## Blancrocher

I very much enjoyed my first listen to the Lydian Quartet playing some chamber works by Harold Shapero. It's whetted my appetite for a first listen to the "Symphony for Classical Orchestra" in years.

I don't recall who it was who brought Shapero back to mind--but thanks!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.79 in F Major

Adam Fischer leading the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Haut Parleur said:


> View attachment 36273
> 
> 
> It's an oldie but a goldie imo


It's the best. Quite simply there is none better. I wish Sargent had done both symphonies and Falstaff commercially, he is the only one who, in the scherzo, observes the composer's markings and lets the percussion override the rest of the orchestra, and his tempi in the last movement are second to none, he sums it up and somehow makes sense of just what has gone before in a way that no other conductor, in my experience, comes anywhere near. Well played Sir Malcolm!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Berlioz: Serenade from "The Damnation of Faust"
Chopin: Etudes Op.10 Nos. 4,5 & 7, Op.25 Nos. 1,2,9 & 11
Gluck: Gavotte from "Ipheginie en Aulide"
Boccherini: Minuet
Mendelssohn: Scherzo Op.16 No.2/Songs Without Words Op.19 No.3, Op.62 No.6, Op.67 Nos. 4 & 6
Schumann: Romances Op.28 No.2, Op.32 No.2
Schumann arr. Debussy: Duet "At the Fountain" Francis Plante

It is 175 years ago today that the French pianist Francis Plante was born, so I am listening to his complete recorded performances. Made in 1928 when he was 89, they are quite simply, astonishing. To be able to hear, in good sound, the playing of someone who was born in 1839 is little short of a miracle. His technique is still equal to all of the pieces, except the "Winter Wind" etude, but even that's pretty good! Quite why these performances have not been available for all to hear with ease is a matter for conjecture, for surely they represent something of supreme historical value. The Berlioz transcription, by Plante , won the praise of the composer, and if we are really so bothered about HIP, then these should be the top of anyone's list!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

CPE Bach's The Israelites In The Desert - Wolfgang Brunner, cond.

Streaming over the soundsystem at work from the stations website, which I don't think I've done before, but sounds way better than I expected


----------



## Oskaar

*DAUGHERTY, M.: Philadelphia Stories / UFO *

Artist(s) Alsop, Marin, Conductor • Colorado Symphony Orchestra • Glennie, Evelyn, percussion 
Period(s) 20th Century









More delightfull american music! DAUGHERTY is new to me, he has a vey playfull approuch to use of instruments and effects in Philadelphia Stories. Very present nerve, wich means that the conductor and the orchestra does a good job! I especially like the interplay between harp and the rest of the orchestra, that appears specially in the second movement.. Fun and pleasent listening.

In UFO the percussionist Evelin Glennie comes to front. More modern and experimental, but fun and a lot of pleasure for an edventurouse listener like me! HE_HE
Percussion and orchestra music is always up to some surprises, wich I really enjoy. *Highly reccomended*, not to challenging, and adventurous listening!!

http://www.amazon.com/Philadelphia-Stories-UFO-M-Daugherty/dp/B0002TXT48

*A lot to read on this naxos page, also with an interwiev with the composer:*
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559165

http://www.allmusic.com/album/michael-daugherty-philadelphia-stories-ufo-mw0001944734

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs59165b.php

http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=5081

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=91015


----------



## Oskaar

Sorry, double post......................................


----------



## KenOC

Mozart's Symphony No. 25, the "Little G Minor". Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado cond. On the radio.










Mozart wrote this at 17. That's scary.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in D minor for treble recorder, violin and continuo; 
Trio Sonata in G minor for oboe, violin and continuo;
Quartet in F Major for treble recorder, oboe, violin and continuo;
Quartet in G minor for violin, oboe, viola da gamba and continuo
(The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## Oskaar

SimonNZ said:


> Streaming over the soundsystem at work from the stations website, which I don't think I've done before, but sounds way better than I expected


 Streeming music quality is way bether than many of you record collectors will admit!  It is imposible for me to here the difference between Spotify high quality option and playing a cd all other factors equal. (My soundcard does not work anymore, but my computers standard sound option give much bether sound than a cosmetisised sound blaster. I just connect from the back of my computer to heasphones or stereo. ) But I really hear the difference between a good or less good ingeneer work, or difference between old and new (not always equalant).

I have the joy in discovering on spotify, many of you have the joy of a packet in the post.


----------



## bejart

Christoph Schimpke (1725-1789): Sinfonia in F Major

Petr Chromcak conducting the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major / Flute Quartets No. 2 and 3 / Piano Trio No. 1 *

American Baroque









Fine reccording with brilliant sound, but it seemes like it is mp3 or streeming only, from *Music and Arts Programs of America*.

Listening more carefully, there is obvious that it is some young students, since maturity lacks, end olso some empaty. But sweet and skillfully done.

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Quartet-Major-Flute-Quartets/dp/B00BFPLLZC


----------



## Sonata

Shostakovich Strinq quartets 2,3,7,8, and 12. Borodin string quartets
Clara Schumann lieder
Bach: well tempered clavier, Richter
Beethoven: string quartet #13


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Thomas Hengelbrock, cond.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## samurai

Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.5 in D and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, *
both featuring Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.16 in B-Flat Major; Symphony No.34 in D Minor; Symphony No.72 in D Major; Symphony No.39 in G Minor; Symphony No.29 in E Major and Symphony No.28 in A Major. *
All six symphonies are performed by the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93. * Both works are traversed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## lupinix

Chopin polonaises


----------



## Rhombic

I really can't believe that I had never heard of this composer. I'm starting to love him just because of this:


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): Symphony in D Major

Concerto Koln


----------



## ShropshireMoose

moody said:


> And where one asks are all Farnadi's Liszt recordings---it's a scandal !!


Where indeed? It really *is* a scandal.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: "Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem", BWV 159
Collegium Vocale Gent, dir. Herreweghe


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On the train to and from Edinburgh at the weekend:

*Beethoven - Complete String Quartets, Quintets and fragments*
(New edition by Jonathan Del Mar)

Disc 1
*No. 1 in F, Op. 18 / 1* - final version
*No. 1 in F* - original version

Disc 2
*No. 2 in G, Op. 18/2
No. 3 in D, Op. 18/3
No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4*

Endellion String Quartet, [Warner Classics, 2009]










My new discs of the week. First impressions are good - there's a quirkiness to the Op. 18 quartets in this set which I like. The musicians seem to enjoy playing this music and communicate that. The individual instruments' lines are easier to follow than on some rival versions I know, but the ensemble playing is not at all compromised. Recorded sound is very good indeed. All this for £20!


----------



## agoukass

Bloch composed his violin concerto in the late 1930s for Joseph Szigeti and I first heard this work in a radio recording made at the world premiere with Szigeti, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Willem Mengelberg conducting on a ten disc set issued by Radio Netherlands. It is an interesting work that is meant to evoke the landscapes of the New Mexico desert where Bloch was living at the time. Aside from certain Korngoldian moments, it is a fiendishly difficult for both soloist and orchestra. In the first movement, there is a cadenza for a soloist that Guttmann manages well, but I would love to hear it performed by someone of Szigeti's calibre.

Other work on the CD that I listened to was the Baal Shem Tov Suite, Guttmann was wonderful here and manage to evoke the many varying moods in this most popular of Bloch's works. Serebrier is a wonderful conductor for works that require a great deal of color and he was good here. His works for orchestra fill out the rest of the CD, but I did not listen to them since fifty minutes of Bloch is an emotionally exhausting experience.

Francis Poulenc's piano works, by contrast, are some of the most delightful that I have ever heard. I first made their acquaintance through Arthur Rubinstein's recordings of "Trois Mouvements Perpetuels" and "Napoli Suite" (Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 7) and then Jacques Fevrier's recordings on a two-disc set that was deleted from EMI's catalogue. Eric Parkin's playing is not in the same class as Rubinstein or Fevrier, but what he manages to do is perfectly capture the mood of nostalgia that pervades so much of Poulenc's later piano music. My favorites are the composer's own transcription of "Adagietto" from "Les Biches," "Les Soirees des Nazelles," and the fifteen "Improvisations."


----------



## Mahlerian

R. Strauss: Symphonic Fantasy after "Die Frau ohne Schatten"
Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Sinopoli


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This evening - more Schumann solo piano:

*Robert Schumann

Kreisleriana, Op. 16* / Dina Ugorskaja [Cavi Music, 2011]

This may be a great Kreisleriana; it's certainly a magnificent, tempestuous and romantic one. (There is the odd wrong note but it's not of any consequence). I love this disc (which otherwise contains late and relatively obscure Schumann works) and return to play it again and again. Dina Ugorskaja is also very well recorded here.

*Fantasie in C, Op. 17* / Maurizio Pollini [DG, 1996] (but rec. early 70s)

I think that this early Pollini recording is regarded as a classic reading of the 'Fantasie': "Pollini's exceptional performance of Schumann's Fantasia... is replete with warmth as well as splendid technique". It's very good indeed, by turns lyrical and stormy.

*Arabeske, Op. 18
Blumenstück, Op.19
Humoreske, Op. 20* / Finghin Collins [Claves, 2006]

Finghin Collins is phenomenal in the Arabeske, Blumenstucke and the Humoreske. His is surely Schumann playing of the very best.


----------



## Dustin

Grieg Cello Sonata, Op. 36

A really enjoyable cello sonata. I'm not real familiar with the piano sonata yet.


----------



## Alfacharger

I bought the disc for the Piston but the Yannatos was a very pleasant surprise.

Sample on the link. http://www15.wgbh.org/programs/episode.cfm?featureid=32606


----------



## Guest

50 years later this is still one of the best performances, and the sound on SACD holds up reasonably well, too. The SACD version is also obscenely expensive these days--$200-300 at Amazon!


----------



## Lyman

Last night I put on a Hyperion CD, Fanny Mendelssohn - Lieder, and hit the Random button. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Tracks I recall: 
6 Der Maiabend
10 Schwanenlied, 
19 Du bist die Ruh , 
24 Dämmrung senkte sich von oben


----------



## bejart

Matthias Blasius (1758-1829): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in C Major

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester -- Karl Schlechta, clarinet


----------



## guy

J.M. Kraus symphony in C-sharp minor, performed by Concerto Koln! Awesome stuff right there!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto in E Flat, KV 482

Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70; Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88 and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.95 {"From The New World"}. *
All three works are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki. 
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op.38 {"Spring"} and Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61, * both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


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## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Paulus - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Mozart: Symphony No. 41, K. 551 "Jupiter". USC Thornton School of Music Orchestra. Hey, they're pretty good!

On the radio.


----------



## opus55

Boito: Mefistofele










Another Faust story


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Ten Legends - Christian Lindberg, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wagner: Rienzi Overture
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture
Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 (Walter Gieseking)
Dvorak: Symphonic Variations, Op.78
Handel orch. Wood: Sailor's Dance from "Rodrigo"/Rigaudon from "Almira"
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.2 "London"
J.S.Bach orch. Wood: Preludio from Partita in E
Liszt orch. Wood: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Bruckner: Overture in G Minor Queen's Hall Orchestra/London Philharmonic Orchestra (in the Liszt Concerto)/Sir Henry J. Wood

Today is the anniversary of the birth, in 1869, of Sir Henry J. Wood, founder of the proms and general all-round begetter of good, musically, in this country. A veritable feast of great music making here. Wood's performances are perhaps best noted for their healthy and invigorating quality, you certainly always feel better for listening to them. I love his wild orchestration of the Liszt 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody- I'd love to hear a modern recording of this, always assuming that it could be done with the same spirit that Sir Henry manages here. The Bruckner overture is still a great rarity, and deserves to be better known. I must also mention what a fine performance Gieseking gives of the Liszt E-flat Concerto, a real blood and thunder approach, though admirably delicate where such is required, it's a real firecracker and no mistake! Columbia were singularly fortunate in their pre-war Liszt Concerti, in addition to this they had Petri and Heward in the 2nd, and Von Sauer and Weingartner in both! Well done Sir Henry, and bless you for all that you have bequeathed us.


----------



## SimonNZ

Froberger's 14 Suites "The Strasbourg Manuscript" - Ludger Remy, harpsichord


----------



## Cloud

At the moment I am listening to Frederic Chopin's Piano Concerto no.1 in E minor Opus 11
Movement 2-Romance (Larghetto) Perfect!


----------



## bejart

George Frederic Handel (1685-1759): Water Music, HV 348

Fritz Lehman conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## MagneticGhost

First dip into my new treasure trove of music in all it's high definition HIP loveliness.










Agricola - A Secret Labyrinth. This is beautiful stuff from the Huelgas Ensemble and Van Nevel. Treading a path along the cusp of late mediaevalism and early rennaissance. Wonderfully performed - perfect sound reproduction.









Anner Bylmsa - Bach Cello Suites.
Oh yes - on first listen this is better than my Maurice Gendron and Yo-Yo Ma and at least the equal of Suzuki. Got a lot of listening left here though of course.










Mozart - Missa Longa, and a few other choice choral works. The only one of which I knew was Ave Verum Corpus K618
More superlatives. This box is going to be a continuum of joy and pleasure for some time to come I feel.


----------



## bejart

Nicolaus Zmeskall (1759-1833): String Quartet No.6 in A Major

Zmskall Quartet: Milo Valent and Dagmar Valentova, violins -- Peter Vrbincik, viola -- Juraj Kovac, cello


----------



## Bas

My last Louis Spohr disc (and then off course, I'll start again!)

Louis Spohr - Violin Concertantes 1 and 2
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Runfunk-sinfonie orchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO









Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 960, D 459, D568, D557, D566
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto in D
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Mozart Orchestra, Claudio Abbadao [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Antonio Vivaldi - La verità in Cimento 
By Philippe Jaroussky [counter tenor], Sara Mingardo [contra alto], Nathalie Stutzman [alto], Ensemble Matteus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi [dir.], on Näive


----------



## Sonata

Jonas Kaufmann: Strauss Lieder
Beethoven: string quartet #15


----------



## Vasks

*Guglielmi - Overture to "Enea e Lavinia" (Biancalana/Bongiovanni)
W. A. Mozart - String Quartet #13 (Eder/Naxos)
F. J. Haydn - Symphony #61 (Fey/Hanssler)*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Torroba's* birthday (March 3, 1891).

View attachment 36332


----------



## rrudolph

A very mixed bag for me this morning. This is because I hit my local thrift shop again (this is starting to become a regular occurance). I really enjoy shopping for used CDs there because there is no marketing strategy and the CDs are in totally random order. Mosly it's third-rate pop stuff that nobody wants, but bobbing in that sea of crap I can almost always find some classical gems, often more obscure stuff that I would not have thought to consciously look for. Some of this week's serendipitous discoveries (which I am listening to in aural smorgasbord fashion, without any regard for stylistic or historical continuity):

Beethoven: String Trios Op. 9 #1 & #3/Schubert: Trio Movement D471








Spohr: Symphony #3/Symphony #6 "Historische Sinfonie im Stil und Geschmack vier verschiedener Zeitabschnitte"








Turina/Torroba/Rodrigo/Falla/Gerhard/Segovia/Tarrega: Guitar Recital (the copy I found was even autographed by the guitarist!)








Dello Joio: Variations, Chaconne & Finale/Creston: Dance Overture Op. 62/Bloch: Evocations


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Weston

Taking the morning off waiting for the snow to clear while listening to Beethoven's oft neglected Symphony No. 4 in Bb, Op. 6, Christoph von Dohnanyi / The Cleveland Orchestra.









I need this cheerful work this morning. The ice age is depressing me.


----------



## Morimur

*Tod Machover: Death and the Powers - Prologue*

Not sure what to make of Tod Machover yet. He's a former protégé of Boulez.

"Death and the Powers is a new opera by composer Tod Machover and developed at the MIT Media Lab. It is a one-act, full-evening work that tells the story of Simon Powers, a successful and powerful businessman and inventor, reaching the end of his life and facing the question of his legacy. He is now conducting his final experiment, passing from one form of existence to another in an effort to project himself into the future. Simon Powers is himself now a System. His family, friends, and associates must decide what this means, whether or not he is actually alive, how it affects them, and whether to follow."

Here's a sample of his Opera...


----------



## Itullian

Weston said:


> Taking the morning off waiting for the snow to clear while listening to Beethoven's oft neglected Symphony No. 4 in Bb, Op. 6, Christoph von Dohnanyi / The Cleveland Orchestra.
> 
> View attachment 36338
> 
> 
> I need this cheerful work this morning. The ice age is depressing me.


8 will cheer you up


----------



## Blancrocher

David Kopp and Rodney Lister playing 4-hand piano works by Arthur Berger, Harold Shapero, and Virgil Thomson.


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> *DAUGHERTY, M.: Philadelphia Stories / UFO *
> 
> Artist(s) Alsop, Marin, Conductor • Colorado Symphony Orchestra • Glennie, Evelyn, percussion
> Period(s) 20th Century
> 
> View attachment 36298
> 
> 
> More delightfull american music! DAUGHERTY is new to me, he has a vey playfull approuch to use of instruments and effects in Philadelphia Stories. Very present nerve, wich means that the conductor and the orchestra does a good job! I especially like the interplay between harp and the rest of the orchestra, that appears specially in the second movement.. Fun and pleasent listening.
> 
> In UFO the percussionist Evelin Glennie comes to front. More modern and experimental, but fun and a lot of pleasure for an edventurouse listener like me! HE_HE
> Percussion and orchestra music is always up to some surprises, wich I really enjoy. *Highly reccomended*, not to challenging, and adventurous listening!!
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Philadelphia-Stories-UFO-M-Daugherty/dp/B0002TXT48
> 
> *A lot to read on this naxos page, also with an interwiev with the composer:*
> http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559165
> 
> http://www.allmusic.com/album/michael-daugherty-philadelphia-stories-ufo-mw0001944734
> 
> http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs59165b.php
> 
> http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=5081
> 
> http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=91015


I agree this is a fun album. He definitely doesn't take himself too seriously. Though UFO is a little raucous for me, Philadelphia Stories comes across like a 1960s detective tv series theme sometimes. Very American and nostalgic. A lot of his other works are supposed to celebrate kitsch as well, but I haven't heard them yet.

I discovered him when our music school commissioned a piece from him several years ago which I never got to hear. I just input the data to make the software cut the check. I looked his music up just out of curiosity. It's always nice to know my day job goes toward something worthwhile occasionally.


----------



## millionrainbows

Weston said:


> This Mozart cycle is really starting to bug me for some reason.


Tell us some more! I don't have any of these Quortor Mosaics, and nobody ever says much about them. It's as if they are a status symbol among Mozartians. What is it that bugs you? Are they too historically correct?


----------



## millionrainbows

Gilberto said:


> Barbara Nissman - Prokofiev - Complete Piano Sonatas


Oh, yeah, I like Nissman's Prokofiev. Do you have the 3 Newports, or the Pierian? She has a Schumann on Pierian, too.


----------



## lupinix

Bohuslav Martinu Sinfonietta Giocoso for piano and orchestra


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Handel: Messiah*
Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus et al.





I cannot find this on CD individually so I am listening through YouTube.

I know it is in an EMI boxed set of sacred works but this is the only piece in it I don't already own (by the same forces) and I cannot justify buying a boxed set for just one recording 

Wonderful recording, Klemperer delivers the goods once again. I have no basis to judge this interpretation as it is my first Messiah but I am enjoying this piece so far and the recording is simply superb. Klemperer is remarkably adaptable, between the Bach Mass/Passion and this, I am very curious about his other Baroque recordings - namely this:


----------



## Jos

Geminiani, concerti grossi opus 7.
True baroque, but mister Geminiani needs more of everything. Flutes, bassoon, the works. These concerti sound very rich, not to say dense. I like them, but he hasn't surpassed his teacher, imo.
Cheers,
Jos


----------



## millionrainbows

Wow, Boulez conducting Handel! Who woulda guessed? I'll give my impressions...

Handel seems to be using an 8-note row here. The phrases of music are like "entities," each one appearing in isolation, and seeming to cover a tonal center of its own; a "V" will appear, then a "I." The melodies are derived strictly from the 8-note series. The rhythm seems 'modular,' especially in the opening intro; the phrases are 'rhythmic entities' which seem to skate over any pulse which might be underlying or implied. The sonorities are unique, often featuring a solo instrument over a sonorous background. I can see the Spectralist influence here.


----------



## aleazk

millionrainbows said:


> Wow, Boulez conducting Handel! Who woulda guessed? I'll give my impressions...
> 
> Handel seems to be using an 8-note row here. The phrases of music are like "entities," each one appearing in isolation, and seeming to cover a tonal center of its own; a "V" will appear, then a "I." The melodies are derived strictly from the 8-note series. The rhythm seems 'modular,' especially in the opening intro; the phrases are 'rhythmic entities' which seem to skate over any pulse which might be underlying or implied. The sonorities are unique, often featuring a solo instrument over a sonorous background. I can see the Spectralist influence here.


In his adolescence and early youth, he played in baroque ensembles for making a living, if I recall correctly.


----------



## millionrainbows

Current: Dawid Szczesny, from Poland, apparently.








He's using samples; I can hear the "air" in many of the drum samples. This robs it of much credibility (after all, anybody can trigger MIDI samples), but the concept, musicality, and sheer sound of these compositions redeems it. It sounds like a sampled drum set, with xylophones & plucked strings panned all over the place; so the impression one gets is of 'free jazz', although there's no 'jazz' to the sounds, only the trappings of an ensemble.

The compositions are just isolated sounds, playing 'hide and seek' with your ears, but very quietly and in a sort of zen-like zone. I like it!


----------



## Alfacharger

Some Rozsa this morning.


----------



## Weston

millionrainbows said:


> Tell us some more! I don't have any of these Quortor Mosaics, and nobody ever says much about them. It's as if they are a status symbol among Mozartians. What is it that bugs you? Are they too historically correct?


I'm not sure. I haven't really taken a swat at them yet myself.


----------



## millionrainbows

Another good release by Albany, champion label of American composers. *Ronald Perera's (b. 1941) Emily Dickinson poem settings (1969-72)*are ethereal, reminding me of *John Corigliano's Bob Dylan poetry settings.* I wonder if Corigliano (b. 1952) was influenced? 
*Donald Wheelock's (b. 1940) Chamber Symphony (1986)* is low-key, but deliberate in its harmonic direction and intent. The scherzo is all pizzicato, for an interesting change of mood. All in all, entertaining, and not at all embarrassing for an American outing.
*Edwin London's (b. 1929) Melodrama* for flute & string orchestra, plus percussion, is a very evocative and dreamy composition.
*Otto Luening (1900-1996) *is best known for his pioneering work with *Vladimir Ussachevsky *and their tape recorder/music concrete pieces in the early days of electronic music; but Luening was a deep talent, and played flute as his main instrument. The _*Concertino (1923)*_ is challenging and haunting, for flute and strings, plus bells. Very mood-setting.
*Ives'* _*Hymn (1904), *_arranged for flute from *A Set of 3 Short Pieces,* for strings and flute, is a little gem. It is very moody, and poignant, reminding me of an America that once was, and is now lost, gone forever.


----------



## Blake

Hariprasad Chaurasia - _Four Dhuns._ Beautiful classical Indian music.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Ivo Janssen playing Bach's keyboard transcriptions of concertos by other composers, BWV 972-987


----------



## DrKilroy

aleazk said:


> In his adolescence and early youth, he played in baroque ensembles for making a living, if I recall correctly.


His renditions aren't bad at all - I also own his Water Music and I enjoy it.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Itullian




----------



## millionrainbows

CRC 2245 CDCM Computer Music Series, Volume 20 Music From the University of Texas Electronic Music Studios.
A little electronic music from my home town. Veddy interesting! I've been here, to the North Texas electronic music lab.


----------



## millionrainbows

Weston said:


> I'm not sure. I haven't really taken a swat at them yet myself.
> 
> View attachment 36342
> View attachment 36343
> 
> View attachment 36344
> View attachment 36345


Oh, I get it! Symmetry!


----------



## Weston

*Schumann: Piano Quartet in Eb, Op. 47*
Los Angeles Piano Quartet









I listened to this without any annotations or preconceived ideas (I wouldn't really want to explore _that_ cover) and right away I felt Schumann was channeling or paying homage to Beethoven. There is something Beethovenian about the opening -- except that the piano descends into nether bass regions Beethoven probably never imagined. At one point the movement even rocks out a bit which is great fun. Then I researched the work on Allmusic and sure enough the reviewer agrees the movement evokes Beethoven. I suppose even a non-scholar like me can get a feeling for these things if immersed long enough.

The scherzo is great fun too, full of the rhythmic ambiguities I love. The Andante is beautiful with the piano taking a back seat for a change. The Finale is more typical of what I would expect from Schumann and is quite an exuberant roller coaster ride.

Overall a great experience that makes me want to explore Schumann's chamber music more. It may be blasphemy, but I may enjoy his chamber works more than his strictly piano works.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Boris Lyatoshynsky--*Symphony No.1 in A Major, Op.2; Symphony No.2, Op.26 and Symphony No.3 in B Minor, Op.50. *
All three works are performed by the Theodore Kuchar led Ukranian State Symphony Orchestra. First exposure to this composer for me. 
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *
The three symphonies are performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan. I wanted to give these readings another go, as I remember thinking them kind of leaden and devoid of life after my first go round many months ago. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"}, *
once more featuring Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Never having heard HVK conduct a Nielsen symphony--and having read many glowing reviews of his Nielsen--I just had to give this one a spin. 
Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.4 in E-Flat Major {"Romantic"}, *traversed by Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Weston

*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47*
Andre Previn / Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman









I've tried several times to get into this piece because it is by the great Sibelius, but gaaargch! I love the orchestral writing, but the violin parts sound like someone torturing a cat with a dentist's drill. There is no virtue in virtuosity. Just give me some moving music please. Maybe I should try a different performance. The Sinding piece on this album is no better.


----------



## shangoyal

Weston said:


> *Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47*
> Andre Previn / Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman
> 
> View attachment 36355
> 
> 
> I've tried several times to get into this piece because it is by the great Sibelius, but gaaargch! I love the orchestral writing, but the violin parts sound like someone torturing a cat with a dentist's drill. There is no virtue in virtuosity. Just give me some moving music please. Maybe I should try a different performance. The Sinding piece on this album is no better.


Looks like an anti-recommendation.


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's String Quintet in C major Op. 29 played by the Zurich String Quintet. First listen on this quintet, quite enjoyable.


----------



## shangoyal

I never expected such an early work to be this good. It sounds like Mozart was already a full-grown composer at 14.

Mozart: *String Quartet No. 1 in G major KV80
*
Quartetto Italiano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth; Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## maestro267

*Berlioz*: Grande Messe des morts (Requiem)
Barry Banks (tenor)
London Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis


----------



## SimonNZ

Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers - Konrad Junghanel, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, '75 Karajan*










_Des Helden Walstatt _all the way.


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> *Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47*
> Andre Previn / Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman
> 
> View attachment 36355
> 
> 
> I've tried several times to get into this piece because it is by the great Sibelius, but gaaargch! I love the orchestral writing, but the violin parts sound like someone torturing a cat with a dentist's drill. There is no virtue in virtuosity. Just give me some moving music please. *Maybe I should try a different performance. *The Sinding piece on this album is no better.


Lin/Salonen (Sony). :tiphat:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rossini Heroine Cecilia*










"_Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra_"- a little tense, but delivered with the utmost fluency and address all the same. Lovely.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: DLVDE, w. Baltsa/Konig/LPO/Tennstedt (rec.1982 - '84); Lieder, w. Hampson/VPO/LB (rec.!988 - '90).

View attachment 36366


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Weston said:


> *Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47*
> Andre Previn / Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman
> 
> I've tried several times to get into this piece because it is by the great Sibelius, but gaaargch! I love the orchestral writing, but the violin parts sound like someone torturing a cat with a dentist's drill. There is no virtue in virtuosity. Just give me some moving music please. Maybe I should try a different performance. The Sinding piece on this album is no better.


I can empathise - I was given this piece 25 years ago as a present and was completely flummuxed (spp?) by it for a good few listens, until ...... click .... clunk ...... ping!

Yup, the penny dropped and now it is one of my Desert island Pieces - a real treat and joy - Cho-Liang Lin conducted by Salonen on Sony is my preferred interpretation


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Weston said:


> *Schumann: Piano Quartet in Eb, Op. 47* Los Angeles Piano Quartet
> 
> Overall a great experience that makes me want to explore Schumann's chamber music more. *It may be blasphemy*, but I may enjoy his chamber works more than his strictly piano works.


Yup, blasphemy it is, round my place anyway!

Tonight, continuing my Schumann *solo piano* odyssey:

*Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14* / Andras Schiff [ECM New Series, 2002 (rec. 1999)]

Yet another version of this protean work. Schiff omits the second scherzo but includes the 1836 'allegro brillante' opening movement. He brings a greater sense of structure to the sonata than my alternative versions by Mi-Joo Lee or Bernd Glemser - this isn't surprising in view of Schiff's Beethoven and Mozart. The best of the three, I think.

*Fantasia in C major, Op. 17* / Alfred Brendel [Philips, 1998]

Quite a contrast to the Pollini version, Brendel's reading is an inward-directed reverie, reminding me at moments of the adagio sostenuto of Beethoven's Op. 106, or the arietta of Op. 111. I have always liked this approach to Schumann, but I know it's not universally loved.

*Arabeske in C major, Op. 18* / Bernd Glemser [Naxos, rec. 1994]

Bernd Glemser's is a lovely, sensuous reading of the Arabeske. As I'm in the mood for comparisons I'd have to say that Collins just shades him (and the recording is better too).


----------



## julianoq

Well, so Perahia is pretty good playing Schubert.

Just listened the final Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major D. 960










And now playing the Four Impromptus D. 899


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> I've tried several times to get into this piece because it is by the great Sibelius, but gaaargch! I love the orchestral writing, but the violin parts sound like someone torturing a cat with a dentist's drill. There is no virtue in virtuosity. Just give me some moving music please. Maybe I should try a different performance. The Sinding piece on this album is no better.


Sounds like it could be a problem with the performance as much as, if not more than, the violin writing.

Messiaen: Trois Melodies
Bruun, Hyldig









This early work is the only time Messiaen set a poem by his mother (the middle one in this set, I think?), who dedicated a book of verse to her child while he was still in the womb. The other two texts are by Messiaen himself, as are most of the texts he set throughout his career. The style of the music is already clearly recognizable, though perhaps closer to his influences and less rhythmically idiosyncratic.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Humoreske in B flat, Op. 20* / Andras Schiff [ECM]

And then just as I was going to turn in I noticed (above) on the Brendel LP cover):

'DSCH LP' where Alfred, Schumann, Brendel and Piano intersect.

Now, is that a 'sign'? Well of course it is, so:

*Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 11 in F, Op. 122* Fitzwilliam Quartet [Decca, 1975-1977]


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Vespro della beata vergine, Gardiner, Archiv Prod

The cover reminds me of Erich Von Daniken's "Chariots of the gods"


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> Lin/Salonen (Sony). :tiphat:





Headphone Hermit said:


> I can empathise - I was given this piece 25 years ago as a present and was completely flummuxed (spp?) by it for a good few listens, until ...... click .... clunk ...... ping!
> 
> Yup, the penny dropped and now it is one of my Desert island Pieces - a real treat and joy - Cho-Liang Lin conducted by Salonen on Sony is my preferred interpretation


This one? The samples do sound more like music, but they are very brief. It's hard to tell. I don't have any version of the Nielson, so that's a plus. I've got it bookmarked. Many thanks.


----------



## dgee

Audible harmonium? Must be the Franz Schreker Chamber Symphony! I am an all-day sucker for his swooning, tinkly late romanticism 

Gielen with members of Berlin Radio Symphony


----------



## Schubussy

Igor Stravinsky - Concerto for piano and wind instruments
Steven Osborne, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov


----------



## Vaneyes

*Roussel*: Chamber Music, w. Schoenberg Qt. et al (rec.1994);* Mompou*: Piano Works, w. Mompou (rec.1974);* Severac*: Piano Works, w. Ciccolini (rec.1968 - '77).

View attachment 36376







View attachment 36377


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Scarlatti's Cain: Il Primo Omicido - Rene Jacobs, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

John Browning playing Barber's solo piano works; Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson singing his songs.


----------



## KenOC

Schumann's String Quartets (all three), Auryn Quartet. These are new to me as serious listening. I'm impressed!


----------



## Guest

Good solid performances--perhaps could use a touch more passion here and there. Good SACD sound, but less transparent and spacious than his Liszt SACD.


----------



## Weston

*Stravinsky: L'Oiseau De Feu-Suite, 1911 version* 
Vladimir Ashkenazy / St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra









How was I to know the original suite was highly truncated? I suppose I need to just opt for the entire ballet and be done with it. Boy, I am not having a lot of luck in my listening choices today! The recording and performance are dynamic though.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> "_Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra_"- a little tense, but delivered with the utmost fluency and address all the same. Lovely.


Try this


----------



## Rhythm

Another favored pianist.










or this one










And, this resource.


----------



## bejart

George Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777): Sonata No.3 in C Major

Piccolo Concerto Wien: Balasz Mate, Juris Teichmanis, and Kristin von der Goltz, cellos -- Roberto Sensi, double bass


----------



## samurai

Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.52 in C Minor; Symphony No.42 in D Major; Symphony No.96 in D Major {"The Miracle"}; Symphony No.95 in C Minor and Symphony No.93 in D Major. *
All five symphonies feature the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. 
Robert Schumann--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.97 {"Rhenish"} and Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120, * both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6










Explosive


----------



## SimonNZ

Rameau's Hippolyte Et Aricie Suite - Sigiswald Kuijken, cond.


----------



## samurai

opus55 said:


> Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Explosive


Yes, indeed; I own the same set and have enjoyed Sir Adrian Boult's readings very much.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian:


> Try this


Have it. _;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Weston: Stravinsky: _L'Oiseau De Feu_



> I suppose I need to just opt for the entire ballet and be done with it. Boy, I am not having a lot of luck in my listening choices today! The recording and performance are dynamic though.


Try this on for size:


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 3


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.9 in D Major, KV 311

Carmen Piazzini, piano


----------



## KenOC

opus55 said:


> Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 3


Wiki says the Op. 3 are spurious, thought to be the work of Romanus Hoffstetter.


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## opus55

KenOC said:


> Wiki says the Op. 3 are spurious, thought to be the work of Romanus Hoffstetter.


I guess so. I don't remember since it's been a while that I read the liner notes.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen piano works - Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

edit: my, for an impulse buy at the secondhand store today this one turned out to be a real stunner

checking out the listing for it now in the Penguin Guide I see its a rosette winner - I'm not at all surprised


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 6 in D Major, 'The Frog' (Nomos-Quartett).









Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, 'Chorale' (Herbert von Karajan; Tomowa-Sitow; Baltsa; Schreier; van Dam; Wiener Singverein; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Scarlatti's St. John Passion - Rene Jacobs et al


----------



## Ingélou

I'm finishing off Rachmaninoff, Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op 31 - following on from the day before yesterday, Tchaikovsky's - both are celestial; and visiting Heaven before breakfast :angel: :angel: :angel: for three days this week has certainly improved my life.


----------



## Kivimees

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or on the "CD covers" thread, but I am listening to it now, so here it is:


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Ligeti Project II" - Jonathan Nott, cond.

Lontano
Atmospheres
Apparitions
San Francisco Polyphony
Concert Romanesc


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Having a break from my Verdi pilgrimage. Love both these concerti, especially in these performances with the mercurial Martha Argerich.


----------



## DeepR

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Abbado/Berliner Philh.)
I had troubles with the first movement at earlier attempts, but what do you know, it suddenly clicks with me. It's amazing actually. Now I'm ready for the rest of symphony as well.


----------



## Guest

Pablo De Sarasate
Spanish Dances, Opp. 21, 22, 23, & 26
Edvin Csury, violin; Bela Simon, piano








Joachin Turina
El Poema De Una Sanluqueña, Op.28
Leticia Moreno, violin; Ana-María Vera, piano


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Musikalische Exequien by Schutz, played by Philippe Herreweghe and La Chapelle Royale (thanks Science for recommending this piece  )


----------



## bejart

Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799): Piano Concerto in B Flat

Michiyoshi Inoue conducting the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg -- Felicja Blumental, piano


----------



## Jeff W

Haven't been feeling too great as of late (I wouldn't recommend working overnights to anyone...) and it has cut in to my listening pleasure 

Got back on the right track tonight/today though...









Started with Eugene Ormandy at the helm of the Philadelphia Orchestra for Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade, Russian Easter Festival Overture and Capriccio Espagnol.









Broke out a bon bon for the next one. Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in Beethoven's Symphonies No. 7 & 8.









Currently listening to the Alban Berg Quartett play Beethoven's String Quartets No. 10 & 15.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Mahlerian

DeepR said:


> Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (Abbado/Berliner Philh.)
> I had troubles with the first movement at earlier attempts, but what do you know, it suddenly clicks with me. It's amazing actually. Now I'm ready for the rest of symphony as well.


And a great performance, too!

Bach: Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue
Andras Schiff


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 37*

Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from sunny California, waking up to Richter's fervid reading of Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 37:


----------



## bejart

Carlo Ferrari (1714-1790): Cello Sonata in F Major, Op.1, No.2

Ornella Gattoni, cello -- Laura Bertani, harpsichord


----------



## Vasks

_A batch of Brits_

*Balfe - Overture to "The Siege of Rochelle" (Bonynge/Somm)
Stanford - The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet (Hickox/Chandos)
Finzi - Clarinet Concerto (Hacker/Nimbus)*

_and with that I'm gone traveling the rest of the week to hear a premiere of my percussion trio piece. I'll be back here on Monday_


----------



## Blancrocher

Pianist Santiago Rodríguez and cellist Evelyn Elsing in works by Rachmaninov and Ginastera. My first listen to this interesting album.

*p.s.* I started this album for the Ginastera, but stayed for the Rach. For what it's worth, I prefer these performances over the Mork/Thibaudet--mostly because of the ambient noise captured in that other recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Vivaldi's* birthday, March 4, 1678.

View attachment 36398


----------



## rrudolph

Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120 #1 & #2








Brahms: String Quartet #2 Op.51 #2








Brahms: Violin Sonatas Op. 78, Op. 100, Op.108








Brahms: Clarinet Quintet Op. 115


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Howells: Missa Sabrinesis*


----------



## moody

AARON COPLAND. CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA.

Earl Wild, piano. Symphony Of The Air. cond: Aaron Copland.
Copland was only 26 when he wrote this at the suggestion of Serge Koussevitsky.
It has been described as ".. a hybrid of sophisticated jazz for the greater part...both novel and daring".
Copland only ventured into the concerto world once more,that was 22years later with his clarinet concerto for Benny Goodman.
As you can imagine Earl Wild brings out the essence of the work with his extraordinary technique.


----------



## Blake

Some more from Hariprasad - _Raga Patdip._ Anyone interested in the bansuri should check this master out.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*William Mathias: Symphony No. 2*










I love this guy's symphonies!

Especially 2 and 3.


----------



## Orfeo

*Kaija Saariaho*
La Passion de Simone (2006).
-Dawn Upshaw, soprano.
-The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Chamber Choir/Esa-Pekka Salonen.

*Lydia Auster*
Piano Concerto in G Major.
-Vaike Vahi, pianist.
-The Estonian State Symphony Orchestra/Peeter Lilje.

*Artur Lemba*
Piano Concerto no. II in E Minor (1931).
-Artur Lemba, pianist.
-The Estonian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Roman Matsov.

*Eduard Tubin*
Symphony no. I in C Minor.
-The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.

*Hugo Alfven*
Symphony no. I in F Minor. 
-The Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.

*Artur Kapp*
Symphony no. I (1924).
-The Estonian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Vallo Jarvi.

*Selim Palmgren*
Piano Sonata in D Minor (1900).
Dragonfly.
-Izumi Tateno, pianist.


----------



## aleazk

Medieval European Vocal Music - Theatre of Voices (Paul Hillier, director).


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Jordi Savall and Ton Koopman playing Bach's Viola Da Gamba sonatas (they also do a nice arrangement of the organ sonata BWV 529).


----------



## Oskaar

I have started a new thread where I start from the beginning of this thread, and make a spotify list of entries, and add good alternatives to the performances, and let people suggest good performances. I doo it mostly for myself, but are glad if people submit or find it usefull.

link to thread: CURRENTLY LISTENING revisited 

link to spotify list application
link to spotify list web

Listening to Alwyn, second symphony now, where he conduct himself. Truly grat music!









I wrote a rewiew on arkivmusic
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=148140#custReviews


----------



## Gilberto

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra - Handel - Water Music & Music For Royal Fireworks


----------



## neoshredder

Looking into some of the works conducted by Neeme Jarvi who seems to really have an interest in Scandinavian Composers. 
Listening to *Alfven*: Symphony No. 4, Op. 39.
http://www.amazon.com/Alfven-Skarga...8&qid=1393955099&sr=1-2&keywords=alfven+jarvi


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Debussy: the Engulfed Cathedral & Festivals*

Geoffrey Simon really makes these pieces vividly exotic:


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to 
*Alwyn, W. - Lyra Angelica - Concerto for harp and string orchestra*

on this recording

I Looke for Angels' Songs...









http://eu.harp.com/info/products/pact_show/id_20422609/


----------



## Marschallin Blair

oskaar said:


> I have started a new thread where I start from the beginning of this thread, and make a spotify list of entries, and add good alternatives to the performances, and let people suggest good performances. I doo it mostly for myself, but are glad if people submit or find it usefull.
> 
> link to thread: CURRENTLY LISTENING revisited
> 
> link to spotify list application
> link to spotify list web
> 
> Listening to Alwyn, second symphony now, where he conduct himself. Truly grat music!
> 
> View attachment 36408
> 
> 
> I wrote a rewiew on arkivmusic
> http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=148140#custReviews


---
Hickox's Alwyn 3: all-exemplary:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Symphonies 92 - 97, w. Cleveland O./Szell (rec.1961 - '69).

View attachment 36410
View attachment 36411


----------



## Mahlerian

Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C major
Orchestra Mozart, cond. Abbado


----------



## millionrainbows

*Evgeni Kissin: Rachmaninov/Etudes Tableaux, op. 39; Scriabin/Preludes op.27-Four Pieces op.51-Preludes op.37; Prokofiev/Visions Fugitives op.22; Kissin/Two Inventions. Recorded in Moscow 1984 & 1986 (Melodiya).

*Impeccable technique; transcendent execution; a Russian playing Russian music. This must be pre-RCA; a mere sprout. Yet, a mature vision, a wise use of incredible horsepower. Like any teenager with a brand-new Mustang, you hope to God they don't run over anybody, get a D.W.I, or kill themselves. Kissin was apparently trained well, and nobody was hurt during the course of these recordings. He shows great restraint and wisdom beyond his tender age. I breathe a sigh of relief, and sip orange juice, for the sheer love of it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Zarathustra*

. . . and the _Four Last Songs _with Janowitz. . . of_ course_. Ha. Ha. Ha.:


----------



## bejart

Friedrich Hartmann Graf (1727-1795): Flute Concerto in G Major

Johannes Moesus conducting the Sudwestdetsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim -- Gaby Pas Van Riet, flute

View attachment 36413


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: Lemminkainen Legends*










Ormandy just blows doors on the last part of "Lemminkainen and the Maidens of Saari."


----------



## Bas

For his birthday:

Antonio Vivaldi - Stabat Mater, Concerto ripieno in C, Cantata "Cesatte, omai, cesatta"
Ensemble 415, Andreas Scholl [counter-tenor], Chiara Banchini [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Recital: Philippe Jaroussky Vivaldi Virtuoso Aria's
By Philippe Jaroussky [counter tenor], Ensemble Artaserse, on Veritas


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . and the _Four Last Songs _with Janowitz. . . of_ course_. Ha. Ha. Ha.:


You can keep Zarathustra but the songs are wonderful. Especially with Janowitz / HvK


----------



## millionrainbows

*Liszt: Symphonic Poems; Zubin Mehta, Berlin PO (SONY). Les Preludes, Orpheus, Mazeppa, Hamlet, Battle of the Huns.* There are 12 of these in all. I'll always associate Mehta with Liszt, from the 'imprint' LP on London. Wish it was in print. mThink I'll go look for it later.
The central figure of Romanticism, Liszt has it all; memorable themes, harmonic adventurousness, musical mechanism that work.


----------



## MagneticGhost

I know very little Schumann

As a first step to remedying this. I am listening to Opus 1 and 2 on Spotify
Ashkenazy


----------



## millionrainbows

The Battle of the Huns/Mazeppa/Orpheus by Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles PO is only available on vinyl; never released on cd. Too bad.
Here's one I don't have, but gotta get:


----------



## neoshredder

Now listening to Samuel Barber conducted by Neeme Jarvi.
http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-Op-1...8&qid=1393961088&sr=1-3&keywords=barber+jarvi


----------



## maestro267

*Cresswell*: Landscapes of the Soul, for string orchestra
New Zealand SO/McKeich

*Ireland*: Piano Concerto
London PO/Boult

*Bax*: Symphony No. 6
RSNO/Lloyd-Jones


----------



## jim prideaux

every so often a particular movement of a symphony or concerto seems to worm its way into my consciousness to the point where I can find myself repeatedly listening to it-today it has been the last movement of Kalinnikov's 2nd-optimistic and expansive with a great melodic sense-for those with a penchant for Dvorak or Glazunov a treat.......

but now in an effort to divert myself-Myaskovsky 24th and 25th symphonies performed by Yablonsky and the Moscow Phil-only problem is I could quite easily find myself listening repeatedly to the slow movements..........


----------



## opus55

Jeff W said:


> Haven't been feeling too great as of late (I wouldn't recommend working overnights to anyone...) and it has cut in to my listening pleasure


Good sleep is essential to high quality listening. Hope you catch up soon.

Mozart piano sonatas 12 and 13


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 30 in C Major, 'Alleluja'; Symphony No. 53 in D Major, 'L'Impériale'
(Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus Musicus Wien).


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato


----------



## clara s

it's a bit cold tonight and cloudy

I am sitting by the fireplace and I am thinking that I want to listen something,

I have not listened before.

The last few days I was reading about the life and work of *Joseph Joachim Raff*,

a composer that after his death, for many years, remained in deep silence,

before his work come to light again and be heard.

So, for tonight,* Cello concerto no 1*, and the spirit travels freely away from the room


----------



## Alfacharger

clara s said:


> it's a bit cold tonight and cloudy
> 
> I am sitting by the fireplace and I am thinking that I want to listen something,
> 
> I have not listened before.
> 
> The last few days I was reading about the life and work of *Joseph Joachim Raff*,
> 
> a composer that after his death, for many years, remained in deep silence,
> 
> before his work come to light again and be heard.
> 
> So, for tonight,* Cello concerto no 1*, and the spirit travels freely away from the room


Here is a 1949 recording of the "Im Walde" symphony by the CBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bernard Herrmann.

He was one of the people who brought Raff back from the dead!


----------



## opus55

Bartok: String Quartet No. 3
Schubert: String Quintet in C


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Beethoven - Emperor Piano Concerto - Walter Gieseking - Phiharmonia Orchestra - von Karajan









Recorded 63 years ago and still sounds good. Not my favourite version, perhaps, but sometimes listening to an alternative recording refreshes one's ears


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Weston said:


> This one? The samples do sound more like music, but they are very brief. It's hard to tell. I don't have any version of the Nielson, so that's a plus. I've got it bookmarked. Many thanks.
> 
> View attachment 36374


yup, guess so - its a different cover, but mine is from a long time ago. I really do hope you will enjoy it


----------



## Haydn man

In particular the Mendelssohn


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mendelssohn*:Violin Concerto, w. Lin/Philharmonia/MTT (rec.1982); Works for Cello & Piano, w. Meneses & Wyss (rec.2007).

View attachment 36425
View attachment 36426


----------



## Blancrocher

Having read Tom Service's appreciation of Nielsen's 4th, I'm giving it a listen. I'll also take up SimonNZ's recommendation of Andsnes' recording of Nielson piano works.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing an eccentric journey.

*Schumann

Novelletten, Op. 21* (I - VIII complete)
*Nachtstucke, Op. 23 No. IV.* Ad libitum - einfach

Andras Schiff [ECM, rec. 1999]

The path is strewn with slightly less familiar material now. The 'Novelletten' seem curiously under-recorded, but Schiff makes a case for this collection to be seen as amongst Schumann's most important solo piano works.

*Nachtstucke, Op. 23* (I - IV complete)
*Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26
3 Romanzen, Op.28*

Finghin Collins [Claves, 2009 & 2006]


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> *Mendelssohn*:Violin Concerto, w. Lin/Philharmonia/MTT (rec.1982); Works for Cello & Piano, w. Meneses & Wyss (rec.2007).
> 
> View attachment 36425
> View attachment 36426


I love that Cho-Liang's playing. I should get another recording by him.

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro










This should last me til I finish today's work.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by Post # 56556, *Schumann*: Piano Works, w. Dalberto (rec.1980 - '86), Berezovsky (rec.1992).

View attachment 36432
View attachment 36433


----------



## DavidA

Mozart Double piano concerto K365

Brendel - Cooper / Marriner. Terrific!


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> I love that Cho-Liang's playing{Mendelssohn, Bruch}. I should get another recording by him....


Lin's Sibelius & Nielsen w. Salonen would be my suggestion. :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

I have added Brahms first symphony to my new thread CURRENTLY LISTENING revisited. A great symphony that grows for every listen. Dark and bright, intens and lyric. You have probably your favourite recording(s). I would really appreciate every post and suggestions for good performances. If you do so, please do *it in the thread* (link) and not here, to make the thread living. I am making a spotify list out of added suggestions, but spotify or not, it will appear as reccomodations of good reccordings. I will try to make the thread clean and easy to navigate, with use of links and easy to read updates... (that will improve as time goes).

Listening to Brahms 1 now. *Houston Symphony, Christopher Eschenbach*
Wery good in lyrical passages, wich I appreciate. The nerve can easily dissapere when the lyrical parts is nonchalant. There is a certain tenderness that appeal to me. Many conductors may focus more on the dramatic, but these romantic concertos contain so much stuff in the more quiet parts.

I think I will add it to the list, but there are many performances out there, and I have not heard many t compare with. Hay,this project is really good getting to know a work!


----------



## clara s

Alfacharger said:


> Here is a 1949 recording of the "Im Walde" symphony by the CBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bernard Herrmann.
> 
> He was one of the people who brought Raff back from the dead!


yes thank you

you are so right

Herrmann was enthusiastic about Raff


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dussek's Trio For Flute, Cello And Piano Op.65 - Clive Conway, Christina Shillito, Christine Croshaw


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Bach's cantatas for the Sunday called Quinquagesima (BWV 22, 23, 127 and 159), performed by John Eliot Gardiner et al.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Chausson's Symphony - Marek Janowski, cond.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ormandy just blows doors on the last part of "Lemminkainen and the Maidens of Saari."


And why on Earth did I enjoy this album back in the mid-1990s, only to sell it at a very good record store (Academy Records) in NYC, and only to remembered the qualities of that disc, enough so that I could not resist the urge to buy another (used) copy last week?


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> Lin's Sibelius & Nielsen w. Salonen would be my suggestion. :tiphat:


Yup. It's been on my wishlist for more than couple years.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Inspired again by the 'Classical Music Project' thread:

*Bruno Maderna

Quartetto per archi* (1946)
*Quartetto per archi in due tempi* (1955)

Arditti String Quartet (Irvine Arditti (violin); David Alberman (violin); Garth Knox (viola); Rohan de Saram (cello).
[Naive, 2002]


----------



## Alfacharger

The wonderful Shakespeare Overtures by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.


----------



## KenOC

Vasily Kalinnikov, Symphony No. 2 in A major ("the other one"). National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Theodore Kuchar conducting. Hey, this one's good too!


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 70 no. 2_
Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano
Isabelle Faust, violin
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Mozart: Symphonies 35 'Haffner', 36 'Linz', 38 'Prague' and Die Zauberflöte Overture
*Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia (CD3: Klemperer - EMI Mozart Symphonies, Overtures & Serenades)

Listening to these later stereo recordings through my Headphones for the first time (the Headphones not the disc).

The thing which really impressed me was how much better the sound quality is through my Headphones. It has been sometime since I have used my Headphones but after tonight this has become my preferred listening method.

Realdealblues commented elsewhere (the Split Violins thread I think) regarding the sound quality in Klemperer's recordings - particularly through Headphones. I have to agree. The sound quality is immense, powerful but perfectly balanced and clear. This disc does not betray the age of the recordings contained.

Klemperer's Mozart, alongside that of Ferenc Fricsay sets the bar for me in terms of interpretation and performance.

:angel:


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Andolink said:


> *Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 70 no. 2_
> Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano
> Isabelle Faust, violin
> Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
> View attachment 36438


That is one excellent disc.


----------



## Itullian

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Mozart: Symphonies 35 'Haffner', 36 'Linz', 38 'Prague' and Die Zauberflöte Overture
> *Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia (CD3: Klemperer - EMI Mozart Symphonies, Overtures & Serenades)
> 
> Listening to these later stereo recordings through my Headphones for the first time (the Headphones not the disc).
> 
> The thing which really impressed me was how much better the sound quality is through my Headphones. It has been sometime since I have used my Headphones but after tonight this has become my preferred listening method.
> 
> Realdealblues commented elsewhere (the Split Violins thread I think) regarding the sound quality in Klemperer's recordings - particularly through Headphones. I have to agree. The sound quality is immense, powerful but perfectly balanced and clear. This disc does not betray the age of the recordings contained.
> 
> Klemperer's Mozart, alongside that of Ferenc Fricsay sets the bar for me in terms of interpretation and performance.
> 
> :angel:


The master...........
He really lets you hear the woodwinds too that add so much character.


----------



## KenOC

Andolink said:


> *Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 70 no. 2_
> Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano
> Isabelle Faust, violin
> Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello


Great idea! Now I'm listening to LvB's Piano Trio in C minor Op. 1 #3. Patrick Cohen, Erich Hobarth, and Christophe Coin. Very HIP, very good.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Itullian said:


> The master...........
> He really lets you hear the woodwinds too that add so much character.


Indeed. The level of detail in these recordings is truly phenomenal.


----------



## Guest

Happy Fat Tuesday! This will be my last post for a while since I am giving up social networking for lent. See you all after Easter.














Bach, Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Isabelle Faust, violin


----------



## Blancrocher

Karajan's 1976 performance of Sibelius 4. I've always preferred the 1965 recording for DG, but decided to give this one another try after seeing it recommended in another thread. I think I still prefer the DG recording--but I still like this one, so I can't lose. And neither can HVK!

I may re-listen to his old Philharmonia recording for good measure.


----------



## Morimur

*Robert Ashley - (1960) The Bottleman*

Beautiful piece.


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify: 
*Jean Sibelius--*Tapiola, Op.112, *performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63; Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 and Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105. 
*All three works again feature Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Guest

I received several new releases today, but I only had time to listen to Sudbin's new disc--wow! I love his own cadenzas in the Mozart, but I can see how purists might object: It sounds as if Busoni had a hand in the first movement one! Both concertos are played with great finesse, and this release, the final sessions that Vänskä recorded with the Minnesota Orchestra, just underscores what a loss they suffered with his departure. Superb sound.


----------



## Blake

Salar Aghili - _Eshgh-e-Dirin(Ancient Love)-Iranian Classical Music._


----------



## SimonNZ

Clement Janequin's Missa La Bataille - Dominique Visse, dir


----------



## Weston

Debussy: 3 Nocturnes, for female chorus & orchestra, L. 91
Esa-Pekka Salonen / Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra / Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale









Très exotique et mystérieux!


----------



## Mahlerian

Janacek: Sinfonietta
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## GreenMamba

Kancheli Symphony no. 3, Welser-Most, LSO. David James, counter-tenor.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 3


----------



## senza sordino

A day for Schubert 
*String Quintet in C and Symphonies 8 & 9*














and a few bars of "the Trout Quintet" My new Samsung washing machine plays the theme from the fourth movement to indicate the end of the wash.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

senza sordino said:


> ...a few bars of "the Trout Quintet" My new Samsung washing machine plays the theme from the fourth movement to indicate the end of the wash.


And a theme from Winterreise to indicate a cold rinse?!


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Schumann: Dichterliebe Fritz Wunderlich (with Hubert Giesen)

Schumann: Frauenliebe und Leben Brigitte Fassbaender (with Cord Gaben)

Both released on Deutsche Grammophon (DG)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 10 in B-flat Major, 'Heiligmesse' - 'Gratias agimus tibi' (Sir Neville Marriner; Vaness; Soffel; Lewis; Salomaa; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden).

Mass No. 11 in D minor, 'Nelsonmesse' (Marshall; Watkinson; Lewis; Holl).









Heiligmesse
The 'Gratias agimus tibi' is probably up there with Haydn's greatest movements for the mass setting.

The 'Et incarnatus est' is also excellent - love how the mood switches in the middle from a sweet melody with a female soloist to the dissonant male choir.

Benedictus - what a great melody and a beautifully thought-out movement.

Nelsonmesse
The mass that got me into Haydn's masses - very nice interpretation by Marriner here, imo.


----------



## Itullian

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Beautiful piece.


Sounds like Sea Hunt.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Cantors At St. Thomas Before Bach" - Konrad Junghanel, cond.










Stravinsky's A Sermon, A Narrative And A Prayer - cond. composer


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Currently listening to Suzuki Cantatas Volume 4. 
Great music with very good vocal ensemble. It is best appreciated by following the text as every word is accompanied by changes in music even for fleeting seconds.

BWV199 'Mein Herze schwinnt im Blut'
A solo soprano Bach cantata that starts with an extremely emotional recitative/aria in D minor 'My heart Swims in Blood' and ends with the most joyful of gigues 'How Joyful is My Heart'. It describes the experience of a 'sinner' who achieves 'salvation'.

BWV 165 'O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad' - the soprano aria is a wonderful fugue

BWV 185 'Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe' - the alto aria has a Handelian charm to it.

BWV 163 'Nur jedem das Seine' - The bass aria has two obbligato celli and continuo that is a delight to listen to.


----------



## tdc

J.S. Bach - Flute Sonata in E minor BWV 1034

Jed Wentz / Michael Borgstede


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Four Norwegian Moods - Riccardo Chailly, cond.


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## SimonNZ

Prokofiev's Symphonic Song - Neeme Jarvi, cond.










Henry Brant's Heiroglyphics


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Suppe: Light Cavalry Overture*


----------



## bejart

Antoine Dard (1714-1784): Bassoon Sonata No.1 in C Major

Ricardo Rapoport, bassoon -- Pascal Dubreuil, harpsichord


----------



## Blancrocher

Bavouzet in Debussy's Etudes, and Fritz Reiner conducting "La Mer."


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Prokofiev's* death day, March 5, 1953.

View attachment 36456


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Atterberg: Symphonies 3 & 6*

Morning Blair, turbo-charged espressinated, fully awake-- reporting from the currently beautiful morning sunny climes of Southern California, listening to Atterberg's Third Symphony.


----------



## Orfeo

*Musica Persona Non Grata
Stalin & Comrades' (Un)Official Seals of "Disapprovals"*

*Gavriil Popov*
Symphony no. I (1928-1935).
-The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra/Gennady Provatorov.

*Dmitry Shostakovich*
Piano Sonata no. I (1926)
-Boris Petrushansky, pianist.

*Sergey Protopopov*
Sonata no. II (1924)
-Steffan Schleiermacher, pianist.

*Alexander Mossolov*
Two Nocturnes (1928), Three Pieces (1927), Two Dances (1927).
String Quartet no. I (1926).
-Steffan Schleiermacher, pianist.
-The Novosibirsk "Filarmonica" String Quartet.

*Arthur Lourie*
Deux Poemes (1908), Formes en l'air (1915), Synthesis (1914).
-Steffan Schleiermacher, pianist.

*Nikolai Roslavets*
Five Preludes (1918-1922) & Trois Compositions (1914)*.
String Quartets nos. I (1915) & III (1920).
-Steffan Schleiermacher, pianist.
-Roger Woodward, pianist(*).
-The Novosibirsk "Filarmonica" String Quartet.

*Lev Knipper*
String Quartet no. III (1973).
-The Novosibirsk "Filarmonica" String Quartet.

*Julian Krein*
Sonata Fantasy for Cello & Piano (1972?).
-Kyril Rodin, cellist.
-Andrei Pisarev, pianist.

*Nikolai Obukhov*
Revelation (1915), Six Tableaux Psychologiques (1915), Prieres (1915), etc.
-Roger Woodward, pianist.

*Boris Pasternak*
Two Preludes (1906).
-Roger Woodward, pianist.

*Alexander Scriabin*
Feuillet d' album (1910) & Feuillet d' album (1905).
-Roger Woodward, pianist.

*Julian Scriabin*
Deux Preludes (1918) & Prelude (1919).
-Roger Woodward, pianist.

*Alexei Stanchinsky*
Prelude V (1912), Prelude et Fugue (1909), Canon in b (1908).
-Roger Woodward, pianist.


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Trio for piano, violin and cello in B flat major, op. 97 ('Archduke')_
Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano
Isabelle Faust, violin
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello








*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 no. 1_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Haydn's _Creation_ by Vokal Ensemble Koeln, Capella Augustina & Andreas Spering


----------



## rrudolph

Quiet time with Uncle Morty.

Feldman: For Frank O'Hara








Feldman: Instruments II/The Viola In My Life IV








Feldman: Three Voices for Joan La Barbara








Feldman: String Quartet (1979)


----------



## Sudonim

Andolink said:


> *Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Trio for piano, violin and cello in B flat major, op. 97 ('Archduke')_
> Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano
> Isabelle Faust, violin
> Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
> View attachment 36457
> 
> 
> *Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 no. 1_
> Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
> View attachment 36458


Mm. Had my eye on both of those - how is Brautigam's set, Andolink? I've heard kind of mixed things about it. I've been getting interested in period performances and been reading a lot about different recordings of LvB's piano sonatas.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Piano Sonata in A*










Kissin's finessing touch sells it for me.


----------



## Alfacharger

This is my favorite interpretation of Ives fourth. I love the end of the third movement, the BSO trombones play a wonderful final chord.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Nielsen*: Symphonies 4 & 5, w. SFS/Blomstedt (rec.1987); Symphony 6, w. DanishNSO/Schonwandt (rec.2000).

View attachment 36469
View attachment 36470


----------



## Blancrocher

Olaf Bar and Anne Sofie von Otter in Wolf's Spanish Songbook.


----------



## bejart

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757): Symphony in E Flat, Op.4, No.4

Nicolas Ward conducting the Northern Chamber Orchestra


----------



## DrKilroy

Hashimoto - Symphony No. 1.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich:	
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54*

*Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko*

from this record:









Exiting symphony where also the quiet and lyrical parts has an undertone of terror and catastrophy. Brilliant performance.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/3594/Dmitri-Shostakovich-Symphony-No-6-in-B-minor-Op-54

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572658

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Review/288815,shostakovich-symphonies-nos-612-royal-liverpoolpopetrenko.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphonies-Nos-6-12/dp/B005KWLFPC

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-16270/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/8813016/Shostakovich-Symphonies-Nos-6-and-12-CD-review.html

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Oct11/shostakovich_6_12_8572658.htm

http://www.classical-music.com/review/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-12

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/20/shostakovich-symphonies-review


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich:	
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54*

*Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko*

from this record:









Exiting symphony where also the quiet and lyrical parts has an undertone of terror and catastrophy. Brilliant performance.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/3594/Dmitri-Shostakovich-Symphony-No-6-in-B-minor-Op-54

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572658

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Review/288815,shostakovich-symphonies-nos-612-royal-liverpoolpopetrenko.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphonies-Nos-6-12/dp/B005KWLFPC

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-16270/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/8813016/Shostakovich-Symphonies-Nos-6-and-12-CD-review.html

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Oct11/shostakovich_6_12_8572658.htm

http://www.classical-music.com/review/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-12

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/20/shostakovich-symphonies-review


----------



## millionrainbows

*Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 10, op. 70; Michael Ponti (Vox 2-CD), recorded 1973-1974.

*About Vox itself: Like many Vox recordings on CD, this one is flawed. The complaints about this one seem to be that it is overly bright. True, but that's just the beginning. Put on some headphones, and you can hear the sound of the piano "panning" from right to left, seemingly triggered by the dynamic attack of each note. Odd, but I think I have the explanation.
I also have an Ives 2-CD on Vox that sounds funny; it seems to drop-out and pan-around as well.
I think what's going on here is that these analog recordings were recorded with noise-reduction, and they were played back for the digital transefer with a different deck that was uncalibrated to the tape as recorded. These noise-reduction schemes would boost the highs, then un-boost them upon playback. If the tape deck used for recording differs (in tracking) in any way from the deck used for playback, this will show up as drop-outs and dynamic anomalies.

Now, past that, to the music itself. The Scriabin is amazing, so chromatic and harmonically undulating that it verges on the atonal. This is true of all his later opus numbers, those from 70 on.

*Horowitz: Late Russian Romantics (Sony); recorded 1972.

*This has Scriabin's op. 58, 69, and 72, so it is also in that rarified atomsphere of Scriabin's "another planet" phase, in which waves of harmonic intensity wash over us, threatening to drown us in ecstacy. Horowitz's technique, of course, is ridiculously facile and flawless, as near to perfection as I care to be. He met the composer as a youngster, so this must have made quite an impression on him. They're both freaks, if you know what I mean, from what I have read about cross-dressing, mysticism, and synaesthesia. Outsiders, with larger-than-life abilities, demigods with the ability to perform alchemical feats using wood and steel.

*Stephen Coombs, The Early Scriabin (Hyperion). *_Early_ Scriabin? Phooey!


----------



## moody

WORKS FOR MANDOLIN AND FORTEPIANO. Hugo D'Alton (mandolin) and John Beckett.
Hummel. Sonata in C Maj.
Beethoven. Sonatina In C Min., Sonatina In C Maj., Adagio In E Flat Maj., Theme and Variations In D Maj,
I've always loved the mandolin and this is a great recording from my time at Saga.
One of the Beethoven Sonatinas has a movement that's straight out of "Zorba the Geek".


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Debussy: Preludes a la Zimmerman*










I especially like Zimmerman's touch on _Brouillards_ ("Mists").


----------



## Morimur

*Luciano Berio - Voci (Kashkashian)*

"The immediate appeal of Luciano Berio's (October 24, 1925 - May 27, 2003) music is it's ability to be conspicuously theatrical and unflinchingly intimate at the same time. There is no better place to explore this dichotomy than in the ECM New Series recording based on Sicilian folk music, Voci."

- Kantwell


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Salve Regina, Die Schopfüng
By Lucia Popp [soprano], Werner Hollweg [tenor], Kurt Moll [bass], Helena Döse [soprano], Benjamin Luxon [Bariton], Bright Festival Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [continuo, dir.], on Decca


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Bas: Joseph Haydn - Salve Regina, Die Schopfüng
By Lucia Popp [soprano], Werner Hollweg [tenor], Kurt Moll [bass], Helena Döse [soprano], Benjamin Luxon [Bariton], Bright Festival Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [continuo, dir.], on Decca










_Popp_? <_Ping_!>


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Respighi: Roman Trilology*

Hail Respighi!


----------



## Guest

Bartok, string quartet no. 3






The level of craftsmanship is astonishing; motivic development, rhythmic ingenuity, harmonic and formal pacing, and idiomatic string writing that fully utilizes the instruments' sonic tools are all masterly woven together in one of the greatest musical works of all time. No wonder so many composers of the latter half of the 20th century who tried to keep some sense of tonality viable looked to Bartok as their exemplar.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky*

From this reccord:









* Russian State Symphony Orchestra • Valeri Polyanskii*

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Andrei-Batyrkin/Performer/101711-2


----------



## julianoq

Following oskaar on Shosty's Symphony No.6 with Petrenko/RLPO. First listen on this record and, as usual, I am totally sold on Petrenko's interpretation. His Shostakovich's cycle is fantastic.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor (Sviatoslav Richter; Witold Rowicki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## MagneticGhost

My Schumann exploration continues
I'm neglecting my recent multitudinous purchases cos I bought this book on Schumann at my local charity shop.

On Spotify
I've listened to
Op 3 Etudes after Paganini Caprices
Op.4 Intermezzi
Op.5 Variations on a theme by Clara Wieck

Ashkenazy

And because my ears were calling out for some variety in timbre.









Schumann - Piano Concerto (I already know this of course)
Kissin

I'm well loved up with Schumann at the moment. Don't know why I've virtually ignored him till the age of 41


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Bach, C.P.E.: Magnificat, Wq. 215*

From this reccording;









*Schwarz, Gotthold, bass • Dresden Chamber Choir, Choir • Schneider, Michael, Conductor • Sandhoff, Ruth, contralto • Stagione Frankfurt, La • Scholl, Elisabeth, soprano • Karasiak, Andreas, tenor*

Beautiful!


----------



## Ingélou

I am listening to a link very kindly posted by Fortinbras Armstrong :tiphat: - Allegri, Miserere mei, Deus :angel: - sublime, pure, mystical, and so very suitable for the beginning of Lent.


----------



## jim prideaux

KenOC said:


> Vasily Kalinnikov, Symphony No. 2 in A major ("the other one"). National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Theodore Kuchar conducting. Hey, this one's good too!


as I mentioned in an earlier post the last movement of the 2nd is 'right under my skin' currently-in an attempt to 'deal' with this I am currently listening to the Lindsays performing works by Janacek and Dvorak.....


----------



## bejart

Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de St.George (1745-1799): Symphonie Concertante in A Major, Op.10, No.2

Frantisek Preisler Jr. leading the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra -- Jiri Zilak and Jan Motlik, violins


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Balakirev: Piano Concerto #1*

from this reccording:









*Anastasia Seifetdinova (piano)

Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitry Yablonsky*

The sound here is incredible! I have in fakt never heard a naxos reccording that has not good sound when you take time of reccording in consideration. They always have good artists to, if not the most prominent.

The one movement concerto is slightly melancolic, melodic, and very nice to listen to. Seifetdinova is playing brilliantly with tecnique and empathy, well coworking by a also very good orchestra. What more could you ask for?

naxos
classicstoday
classicsonline


----------



## Oskaar

double post..........................................


----------



## Blancrocher

For Heitor Villa-Lobos's birthday: a first listen to some of the string quartets, performed by the Latinoamericano String Quartet. In addition to the anniversary date, I'm inspired by the high praise for these works on other threads.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major, Op. 78*

from this reccording:









*Jonathan Biss (piano)*

Bliss plays heavenly! Dont know if he have played the whole cyclus. And a nice sonata. Some uplifting parts , almost childish, wich I like. not to pretentious.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/...ven-Piano-Sonata-No-24-in-F-sharp-major-Op-78
amazon
allmusic


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Holst: Mars Bringer of War*










Mars Bringer of War: Chicago/Levine style; performed, cribbing a line from Aristotle: "as it should and _ought_ to be." Ha. Ha. Ha.






0:1:16 and _passim_.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Berger: Duo for Cello and Piano*

from this reccording:









Boehm Quintette Ensemble

*Sheryl Henze Flute

Gilbert Kalish Piano

Joel Krosnick Cello

Phyllis Lanini Oboe*

Strange but creative and funny work that I have never heard before. Addictive "beat" laying in the bottom of all creative ideas. Played very good!

amazon


----------



## Guest

Barenboim's Bayreuth Ring. I am giving Wagner another shot. I am currently in Act 2 of Die Walkure.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ruth Ann Swenson*


----------



## DavidA

Vaughan Williams - Tallis Fantasia / Barbirolli. Classic!


----------



## opus55

Handel: Hercules


----------



## Andolink

Sudonim said:


> Mm. Had my eye on both of those - how is Brautigam's set, Andolink? I've heard kind of mixed things about it. I've been getting interested in period performances and been reading a lot about different recordings of LvB's piano sonatas.


The trios disc from Harmonia Mundi is quite magnificent in every way.

The Brautigam sonata cycle is quite brilliant but I can see why some might have problems with the very fast tempos he favors. The allegros and prestos tend to whiz by almost in a blur. His technique and the poetic artistry are, nevertheless, present throughout. I find a Brendel-like approach in much of what he's doing which is very much to my liking.


----------



## Sudonim

oskaar said:


> View attachment 36489
> 
> 
> *Jonathan Biss (piano)*
> 
> Bliss plays heavenly! Dont know if he have played the whole cyclus. And a nice sonata. Some uplifting parts , almost childish, wich I like. not to pretentious.


I don't believe he's completed the entire cycle yet, but I understand he does aim to record all 32.


----------



## KenOC

Sudonim said:


> I don't believe he's completed the entire cycle yet, but I understand he does aim to record all 32.


Indeed he intends to do that. BTW Jonathan Biss is giving a free five-week course on the sonatas, via the Internet, starting in eight days.

https://www.coursera.org/course/beethovensonatas


----------



## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphony 3, w. OPO/Jansons (rec.1994); Symphony 7, w. RPO/Beecham (rec.1955).

View attachment 36494


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Arpad Gerecz, cond.

I'm a little surprised to find this one of the most pedestrian recordings I've heard of the work


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My path now leads into areas of obscurity, but there is some genuine Schumannic genius in all of these pieces:

*Robert Schumann*

*Nachtstücke, Op. 23* / Bernd Glemser [Naxos]

*Drei Romanzen, Op. 28* / Denes Várjon [Naxos]

*Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 32* (Scherzo, Gigue, Romance & Fughette) / Bernd Glemser [Naxos]

*Etudes in Canonic Form for Organ or Pedal-Piano, Op. 56 (Nos. 2,4,5 & 6)* (transcribed for piano by Clara Schumann)
Tobias Koch (forte-piano) [Genuin, 2010]


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Ralph Vaughan Williams: Job - A Masque for Dancing
*David Lloyd-Jones & the English Northern Philharmonia

A beautiful performance recorded very well. Clear, powerful and atmospheric.

I am not overly familiar with Lloyd-Jones, though this is an impressive introduction. Naxos once again provides an audio diamond.


----------



## samurai

Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *
both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in G Major; Symphony No.102 in B-Flat Major; Symphony No.103 in E-Flat Major {"Drum Roll"}; Symphony No.104 in D Major {"Salomon"}; Symphony No.101 in D Major {"The Clock"} and Symphony No.105 in B-Flat Major. * All six works are performed by the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin, Preludes.*


----------



## Vaneyes

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Ralph Vaughan Williams: Job - A Masque for Dancing
> *David Lloyd-Jones & the English Northern Philharmonia
> 
> A beautiful performance recorded very well. Clear, powerful and atmospheric.
> 
> I am not overly familiar with *Lloyd-Jones*, though this is an impressive introduction. Naxos once again provides an audio diamond.


80th birthday this year. He may be the foremost authority on Alwyn. Symphony cycle at Naxos (also for Bax and Rawsthorne). :tiphat:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Needing a change of texture from Schumann's solo piano music, I turned to...

*Ralph Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1)*
LPO, Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Choir, Armstrong (Soprano), Case (Baritone) [EMI, rec 1968; CD 1986]









And of course it is an utterly majestic recording.

I haven't really listened to RVW much recently after my Vaughan-Williams period in the late 1980s when I purchased most of the Boult / LPO recordings.


----------



## Wood

*MARTINU *String Quartet No. 3 (Stamitz Quartet)
*
SHOSTAKOVICH *Symphony No. 9 (Barshai, WDR)

*RAUTAVAARA *Birds concerto, Piano Concerto No. 1, Symphony No. 3

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Mikkola (piano), Lintu

Recorded at the Henry Wood Hall in Glasgow:










*BACH, J. S. *St John Passion (Bott, Chance, Cleobury, King's Choir) recorded at King's College Chapel










*RAFF* Symphony No. 7

*KOSENKO *Passacaglia in G minor


----------



## Weston

*Bernard Hermann: North by Northwest*
Laurie Johnson / The London Studio Symphony Orchestra (1979)









Whew! What a soundtrack. And this is a nice clear recording from the early days of digital.

I used to think the main theme was in some weird time signature, but I hear now it's just 6/8 or some such. There's still something slightly odd about it. Maybe a bit of hemiola?


----------



## Guest

Continuing my new release marathon with this wonderful disc. The music, playing, and sound are all fantastic. I was fortunate enough to attend Jordi Savall's solo concert on Monday--the only one he's performing in the US this season. It was sublime.


----------



## KenOC

Ligeti, Violin Concerto. On this great disc with Patrician Kopatchinskaja and Peter Eotvos.


----------



## hpowders

samurai said:


> Felix Mendelssohn--*Symphony No.3 in A Minor, Op.56 {"Scottish"} and Symphony No.4 in A Major, Op.90 {"Italian"}, *
> both featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
> Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in G Major; Symphony No.102 in B-Flat Major; Symphony No.103 in E-Flat Major {"Drum Roll"}; Symphony No.104 in D Major {"Salomon"}; Symphony No.101 in D Major {"The Clock"} and Symphony No.105 in B-Flat Major. * All six works are performed by the Dennis Russell Davies led Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.


Every time I use my wee roll of cellophane tape, I always think of the Mendelssohn. Ay Laddie! I do!


----------



## Guest

This new BIS SACD boasts fine playing and sonics.


----------



## KenOC

Raga Patdip; Hariprasad Charurasia, wooden flute and Shib Sankar Ray, tabla. About two-thirds done and things are heating up nicely. Wow.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Grieg - Orchestral Works. See how far I can get in this set. Sound is great and I love the front cover picture. 
http://www.amazon.com/Grieg-Orchest...d=1394071782&sr=1-1&keywords=grieg+orchestral


----------



## KenOC

Back to the West (well, the East part of the West) with Dorati's Tchaikovsky 5th. Can't be beat!


----------



## Weston

*Jeanne Louise Farrenc: Piano quintet No 1 in A Minor, Op 30*
The Schubert Ensemble of London









This is a fairly recent acquisition for me and so far it is pleasant enough, maybe edging more toward the classical or dry academic side than overblown romanticism, similar to Brahms' approach though not in that league. I'll certainly move on to the No. 2 quintet after this one.

[Edit: Okay, I'm more enthusiastic now after the scherzo. That sold me on the work. Lots of fun!]


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> Raga Patdip; Hariprasad Charurasia, wooden flute and Shib Sankar Ray, tabla. About two-thirds done and things are heating up nicely. Wow.


Great choice! I've been jamming some Hari recently. The mystical bansuri.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kontrapunctus said:


> This new BIS SACD boasts fine playing and sonics.


I've got to hear this one alright. I really like Oramo's BSO Sibelius. I can only imagine what he does with Nielsen. Thanks.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Box Set*

CD 1: Bach: _Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> KenOC: "Dorati's Tchaikovsky 5th. Can't be beat!"


'72 Karajan EMI Tchaikovsky Fifth? Haitink/Concertgebouw Phillips Tchaikovsky Fifth? Svetlanov/Orchestra of the Russian Federation Canyon Classics Tchaikovsky Fifth?

-- Bravely spoken.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7










Sounds like a movie sound track


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> '72 Karajan EMI Tchaikovsky Fifth? Haitink/Concertgebouw Phillips Tchaikovsky Fifth? Svetlanov/Orchestra of the Russian Federation Canyon Classics Tchaikovsky Fifth?
> 
> -- Bravely spoken.
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I'm sure they're all very fine, although the names are quite unfamiliar to me. Sometimes second-stringers do an excellent job...of course! :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> '72 Karajan EMI Tchaikovsky Fifth? Haitink/Concertgebouw Phillips Tchaikovsky Fifth? Svetlanov/Orchestra of the Russian Federation Canyon Classics Tchaikovsky Fifth?
> 
> -- Bravely spoken.
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Can we throw Godfather's with Philharmonia and Chuck Dutoit's with OSM in there, too?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I don't know. I'd have to hear them. Given the experiential record of what I've heard of them doing other Tchaikovsky, I don't think it'd be in the cards though; given my aesthetic. . . I'm always open to hearing it though. ;D


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like a movie sound track


Well, there are about ten minutes of thematic elements in _Sinfonia Antartica _from RVW's score to _Scott of the Antarctic_.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Civitas Lipsiarum: Early Music from the Old Leipzig" - Norbert Schuster, cond.


----------



## Sid James

Lately its been these:










*Glass* _Violin Concerto, Prelude and Dance from Akhenaten, Company for String Orch_.
- Adele Anthony, violin with Ulster Orch. under Takuo Yuasa

Its been years since I'd heard the *first violin concerto *by *Glass*. I quite like it, probably because of (not despite) that it ends quietly and doesn't have some big dramatic end point and is generally free of bravura writing. I know some critics saw that as being a fault rather than a virtue when it came out in the 1980's, but I see it as a good sort of difference. It's got a sort of restraint which is unusual for this genre, and why not? If Brahms can do it in his own time, so can Glass, I think.










*J. Strauss II* _Blue Danube Waltz _and other dance music, incl. _Die Fledermaus Overture_*
- Vienna PO under Karl Bohm; *Bavarian Radio SO under Carlos Kleiber

A bit of light listening, and I love the craftsmanship as well as charm in this music. The _*Emperor Waltz *_is nothing short of symphonic in scope - well, for a waltz, anyway - but I also love the short and sweet_ *Pizzicato Polka*_. There's also a bit of meteorological picture painting in _*Thunder and Lightning*_, and a touch of humour in the way conductor Karl Bohm tells the orchestra to stop in _*Perpetuum Mobile*_, a piece where the Maestro calls the shots so to speak. 

Also the *"Salute to Percy Grainger"* double disc set on Decca Eloquence label. An earlier write up about it by me here.










The whole thing is great, but I especially enjoy the long orchestral piece *The Warriors* - quite experimental for the time - as well as the various "fripperies" here, one being _*Molly on the Shore*_, another _*Danny Boy*_(aka _Tune from the County Derry_). These are purely instrumental, in this case for chamber orchestra, and are more liberal reinterpretations of music from folk sources rather than transcriptions. In any case, Grainger did nothing by the book, and these pieces are as much about folk as they are about things that Grainger garnered from elsewhere. Jazz was one of them, Grainger was a fan of the likes of Duke Ellington, and the underlying harmonies in _Danny Boy _are very much reminiscent of the blues. Amazing composer all round, and one of the unsung innovators of the 20th century. His music has this earthy vigour to it, and more than a hint of sunshine and warmth too.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> Well, there are about ten minutes of thematic elements in _Sinfonia Antartica _from RVW's score to _Scott of the Antarctic_.


I would know so much more if I read more..


----------



## KenOC

Schumann Violin Sonatas, Tetzlaff and Vogt. My first time hearing these. They're good!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's English Suites - Helmut Walcha, harpsichord


----------



## neoshredder

Taking a break from Grieg. Listening to Schnittke - Concerto Grosso. 
http://www.amazon.com/Kremer-Plays-...951&sr=1-1&keywords=schnittke+concerto+grosso


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's The Rescue Of Penelope - Kent Nagano, cond.

edit: what a wonderful speaking voice Janet Baker has - its a pity she didn't move into audiobooks after retiring from the stage

I also note that I've been mispronouncing Telemachus for quite some time, placing the stress on the third syllable, when it seems it should be on the second


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, 'Drumroll' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to the Schubert D 960 piano sonata, played by Andras Schiff.


----------



## SimonNZ

Holst's Planets (version for two pianos) - Len Vorster and Robert Chamberlain, pianos


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I listen to

*Berlioz: Tristia for Chorus and Orchestra Op. 18*

from this record:









*Performer: Laura Aikin (Soprano), Lani Poulson (Mezzo Soprano) 
Conductor: Sylvain Cambreling 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Baden-Baden Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Southwest German Radio Vocal Ensemble*

Very athnosphaeric and emotion filled chorus. Very fine performanes

arkivmusic


----------



## Kivimees

It's time to Honegger this thread up a little:









Symphony 4 is just what I need on this beautiful, sunny, (very) early spring afternoon.

Feel free to join me!


----------



## Wood

*Shostakovich* Symphony No. 11 (Barshai, WDR SO) recorded in this fabulous concert hall in Cologne. I'd love to go there some day.










*MARTINU *String Quartet No. 3 (Stamitz Quartet)
*
TCHAIKOVSKY *Piano Concerto No. 1 (Berman, Berlin Phil. O, Karajan) _DG LP 1978

_








Berman's first performance with an orchestra in the west.


----------



## bejart

Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799): Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.3, No.1

Jan Willem de Vriend conducting the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam


----------



## Jeff W

Up first came the Brahms Clarintet Trio Op. 114 & Quintet Op. 115. Karl Leister played clarinet and was accompanied by Georg Donderer on violincello and Christoph Eschenbach on the piano for Op. 114. For Op. 115, Leister was accompanied by the Amadeus Quartet.









Up next popped up Joseph Haydn's Symphonies No. 6, 7 & 8. Antal Dortati led the Philharmonia Hungarica.









Henry Vieuxtemps' Violin Concertos No. 5, 6 & 7 are currently playing. Misha Keylin plays violin and is accompanied by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Andrew Mogrelia for No. 5 & 6 while Takuo Yuasa leads the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra for No. 7


----------



## Kivimees

More to celebrate the "arrival" of spring:









Spring Fire


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Borodin: Symphony #3 in A minor*

from this reccording:









*Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky*

Great romantic symphony. Fine performance and very good sound.


----------



## NightHawk

? A black cover with _Miserere_ in red cursive script. The Avro Part, (Pert, umlaut needed), _Miserere_ with the Hilliard Ensemble and Orchester Der Beethovenhalle Bonn, Dennis Russell Davis, Cond.

The _Miserere_, Psalm 51 (or 50 if Latin Vulgate) has been set by so many composers including Josquin, GGabrieli, Allegri, Monteverdi, many others and also, in 1989, this wonderful, overwhelming setting by Avro Part. The voices, and orchestra and space in which it was recording make music that is celestial and terrifying as he interpolates the text (but not the famous chant melody, thankfully) of the Latin chant _Dies Irae_ into the work. Highest recommendation *****


----------



## Orfeo

*Erkki Melartin*
Opera in 2 acts "Aino."
-Sauli Tiilikainen, Lilli Paasikivi, Pia Freund, Ritva-Liisa Korhonen, & Aki Alamikkotervo.
-Lahti Symphony Orchestra & Dominante Choir/Ulf Soderblom.

*Jean Sibelius*
Four Legends from the Kalevala (Lemminkainen) & Tapiola(*).
-The Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy.
-The Helsinski Philharmonic Orchestra/Paavo Berglund(*).

*Kurt Atterberg*
Symphony no. V "Sinfonia Funebre."
-The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Stig Westerberg.

*Edvin Kallstenius*
Symphonic Poem "A Summernight's Serenade."
-The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Stig Westerberg.

*Oskar Lindberg*
Symphonic Poem "From the Great Forests."
-The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Stig Westerberg.

*Florent Schmitt*
La Tragedie de Salome, The Hunted Palace (Le Palais Hante), & Psalm XLVII.
-Susan Bullock, soprano (Psalm).
-The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra & Choir/Yan-Pascal Tortelier.

*Arthur Honegger*
Symphonies nos. II & III.
-The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Boulez: Piano Sonata #1*

from this reccording:









*Marc Ponthius - piano*

amazon


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Weber: Der Freischutz*

Morning Blair reporting from the currently semi-sunny morning climes of Southern California, main-lined on espresso, ginseng, and nascent iodine. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. . . and relishing the opening choral number to Kleiber's _Der Freischutz_:










GrrrrrreeeeeAAAAAT wake up music.


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> '72 Karajan EMI Tchaikovsky Fifth? Haitink/Concertgebouw Phillips Tchaikovsky Fifth? Svetlanov/Orchestra of the Russian Federation Canyon Classics Tchaikovsky Fifth?
> 
> -- Bravely spoken.
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Or Bernstein's DG recording with the New York Philharmonic. Bernstein's liberty with the score proved to be more revealing than I was prepared for.


----------



## Blancrocher

For Kodaly's death day: Ferenc Fricsay and co in various orchestral works, including the Hary Janos Suite.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=4697


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Morning Blair reporting from the currently semi-sunny morning climes of Southern California, main-lined on espresso, ginseng, and nascent iodine. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. . . and relishing the opening choral number to Kleiber's _Der Freischutz_:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GrrrrrreeeeeAAAAAT wake up music.


Wake up. Wake up now. Or I'll shoot you with this album cover. :lol:


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Boulez: Structures I*

from this reccording:









*Alfons et Aloys Kontarsky (pianos)*

If the box contains many treasures like this, I cant wait to dig into it. Two pianos is always fun to listen to, and here the sound and performances is brilliant!

amazon

classicalsource


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Wood

*BRITTEN* Saint Nicholas (Pears, Britten etc Decca LP 1955) recorded at Aldeburgh Parish Church










'Embrace the lash of sin...'


----------



## rrudolph

Lerdahl: The First Voices/Carter: Tintinnabulation/Cohen: Acid Rain/Harbison: Cortege








Harrison: Air for the Poet/Concerto for Organ with Percussion Orchestra/May Rain/Varied Trio for Violin. Piano & Percussion/Fifth Simphony/Tributes to Charon








Russell: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue/Four Dance Movements/Three Cuban Pieces/Trumpet Concerto/Chicago Sketches/March Suite/Odou Badagris/Made in America








Eotvos: Psalm 151/Psy/Triangel


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Britten: Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar*

from this reccording:









*Artists:
Anders Miolin*- guitar

Very good performance of this spelling work.


----------



## Polyphemus

You won't regret your visit it stunning. Went to see the St John Passion there,






wonderful.


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: La fida ninfa










Listening through Spotify. Spotify must have added some sort of dynamic gain control and it's really annoying. I guess if I like it enough I'm forced to purchase CD.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> dholling: "Wake up. Wake up now. Or I'll shoot you with this album cover."


Now_ I'm _gasping for air with my involuntary paroxysms of giggles. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Great.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Dallapicolla: Il Prigionero*

from this reccording:









*New York Philharmonic, led by Music Director Alan Gilbert*

I am starting to love opera, starting to love piano solo... to obsticles. Next is perhaps Bethovens symphonies! :lol:


----------



## Alfacharger

It's still freaking cold here in New England. I have to get my "spring" music going.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Works, w. Horowitz (rec.1955 - '76), Sudbin (rec.2006), Mustonen (rec.2011).

View attachment 36544
View attachment 36545
View attachment 36546
View attachment 36547


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> It's still freaking cold here in New England. I have to get my "spring" music going.


I've got to hear that. I've never knew of its existence. Thanks.


----------



## Vaneyes

Wood said:


> *TCHAIKOVSKY *Piano Concerto No. 1 (Berman, Berlin Phil. O, Karajan) _DG LP 1978
> 
> _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Berman's first performance with an orchestra in the west.


Thanks for this cover, Wood. I had not seen it before.

"Lazar, we'll still do it my way."


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I don't know. I'd have to hear them. Given the experiential record of what I've heard of them doing other Tchaikovsky, I don't think it'd be in the cards though; given my aesthetic. . . I'm always open to hearing it though. ;D


Well. atleast Godfather would make the offer you could not refuse.


----------



## Vaneyes

Joo's on first, for *Kodaly's* death day (March 6, 1967).

View attachment 36548


----------



## adrem

Bartók - Concerto for Orchestra, Adam Fischer and Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Winterreisender

Recently got hold of the Aaron Copland Collection:










Just listened to the 3rd Symphony, played by London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer. Now onto El Salon Mexico.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Flute Concerto in D Major

Ingeborg Scheerer leading La Stagione Frankfurt -- Karl Kaiser, flute


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to JS Bach on Calm Radio. Awesome they have a station totally devoted to Bach.


----------



## Oskaar

opus55 said:


> Spotify must have added some sort of dynamic gain control and it's really annoying. I guess if I like it enough I'm forced to purchase CD.


As non-subscriber there may be methodes they use... As a premium subscriber I notise nothing but a giant jukebox wih access to everything. And to good sound.

The only thing I find annoying with spotify is thosands of reccords like "Classics to relax with" or 100 classic hits to your friday hous cleaning" mostly containing old or not so good versions of works, that someone wants to milk the last pennies out of. But you learn how to avoid them, and for a premium subscriber there is not much that is not there.

I dont get money from them to say this, once in a while there are irritating bugs, but in general I am a very satisfied customer, and not little addicted!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 41 in C Major, 'Jupiter' (John Eliot Gardiner; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Dvorak: Slavonic Dances*

This just _exudes_ fun. . . but I musn't expatiate; you must hear it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## PetrB

Marschallin Blair said:


> This just _exudes_ fun. . . but I musn't expatiate; you must hear it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


... or play through the _original,_ the four-hand piano version, with a friend!


----------



## Oskaar

I bether collect a little if the works is very short, to avoid to many posts.

[/I] [/I]Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Duparc: L'Invitation au Voyage*









*Norah Amsellem & Dalton Baldwin*

Lovely litle song, brilliantly performed.

arkivemusic

and parts from

*Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila*









Extraordinary fine release! Maybe I lay back on the sofa, and listen to it all tomorrow. 3 hr 23 min.

sa-cd.net

allmusic

arkivmusic


----------



## DavidA

PetrB said:


> ... or play through the _original,_ the four-hand piano version, with a friend!


Andre Marc a Hamelin?


----------



## Blancrocher

*Original post deleted*

Current listening: Dutoit's recording of Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande.


----------



## Oskaar

Blancrocker, I happened to see a fraction of your post that you deleted, and was curious since my mame was mentioned. I have recently started to get more out of the forum than post and read posts in this thread. I have been waiting since I lack a lot of knowledge about music, and that my bad musical memory prevent me from taking part in discusions. But I have found out that I can take part anyway. But you dont have to tell me what it was about if you dont want.


----------



## Blancrocher

oskaar said:


> Blancrocker, I happened to see a fraction of your post that you deleted, and was curious since my mame was mentioned. I have recently started to get more out of the forum than post and read posts in this thread. I have been waiting since I lack a lot of knowledge about music, and that my bad musical memory prevent me from taking part in discusions. But I have found out that I can take part anyway. But you dont have to tell me what it was about if you dont want.


OK, since you asked...

Because you were listening to the works in the "TC Project" before voting in it, I referred to you as the only informed "oskaar voter" I'd ever heard of (Oscar voters being notorious for not watching films they vote on).

Boom boom tish.

*p.s.* I've been enjoying your posts in this thread, and in your new "revisited" thread, btw.


----------



## KenOC

C.P.E. Bach, three keyboard concertos; Miklos Spanyi with Concerto Armonico. Actually the first disc of the 20-disc complete set.


----------



## Oskaar

Ok. hehe. I started voting after listening to SOME works, but am working myself through the list. If I understand you right, you are hinting to that not everyone listen to the works? There should be no excuse for that, at least sampling, now when everything is on youtube.


----------



## Blancrocher

oskaar said:


> Ok. hehe. I started voting after listening to SOME works, but am working myself through the list. If I understand you right, you are hinting to that not everyone listen to the works? There should be no excuse for that, at least sampling, now when everything is on youtube.


I wouldn't say _no_ excuse--I haven't heard all the contenders myself yet :lol:


----------



## Oskaar

But I think I wait a bit with WHOLE Ruslan and Lyudmila (almost 3and half hour.) But i am still listening- maybe an hour, so it still keep me entertained.


----------



## Oskaar

No, by no excuse, I meen there are posibilyties. I dont care to much what people do, but I like to do it myselfe.:tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Artheur Grumiaux and Arpad Gerecz, violins -- Georges Janzer and Max Leseuer, violas --Eva Czako, cello


----------



## maestro267

*Villa-Lobos*: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7
Nashville SO/Schermerhorn

*Sierra*: Missa Latina 'Pro Pace'
Heidi Grant Murphy (sop.), Nathaniel Webster (bar.)
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Delfs


----------



## SimonNZ

The Academy judges don't watch the films they're voting on? I don't know why I'm surprised by that, but I am just a little. I know its ultimately politics and payola, but I'd have thought they'd want to keep at least a veneer of respectability and/or plausable denial.

edit: and its not like those films are taxing on the viewer

playing now:










Domenico Gallo's Trio Sonatas - Parnassi Musici


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Blancrocher said:


> *Original post deleted*
> 
> Last edited by Blancrocher; Today at 19:22. Reason: bad pun


Stop deleting your puns before we can read them - we aren't a punnitive audience!



oskaar said:


> Ok. hehe. I started voting after listening to SOME works, but am working myself through the list. If I understand you right, you are hinting to that *not everyone listen to the works? There should be no excuse for that*, at least sampling, now when everything is on youtube.


Mmm. Time? I do try to sample, but can't do so comprehensively.

Current Listening:

I'm really in the wild woods now. This next is the first of Schumann's works considered to be one of his 'late' piano works (1848 in this case).

*Robert Schumann*

*Album für die Jugend, Op. 68*
Abteilung: Für Klieniere (18 pieces)
Abteilung: Für Erwachsenere (24 pieces)

Cédric Pescia, [Claves, 2006]









Schumann's great pedagogical work, intended to be played by children but, as Clara Schumann commented, scarcely suitable for children to play. It's perhaps not dissimilar in conception to Mikrocosmos, but the early pieces are really full of charm and life. The pieces intended for older children show an astonishing variety of forms, moods and colours. There are 43 miniatures in all (though only 42 included here for some reason) spread over 74 minutes in Pescia's rendering, but this is well worth hearing again.

They are really well played by Pescia who treats this as proper music (mind you, it is: I've just listened to the astonishing 'Kleine Fuge', No. 39 and the triumphant 'Sylvesterlied', No. 42).


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bach/Liszt - Prelude and Fugue in A minor S462 (after BWV 543)

Liszt - variations on Bach's 'Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen'

Beethoven - Piano Sonata Op10/1 and Op 111









I don't feel like any messing about today - I want determination, passion, individuality .... attitude! My speakers are getting a good battering here - she is demanding; "sit up straight and LISTEN to me!"

Shostakovich once asked her why she played a piece in a certain way, to which she answered "I feel it that way". if you've never heard her play - get onto t'internet and have a listen


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

Haydn: Symphony #67 in F major

from this recording









*Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra - The Esterházy Recordings - Conductor: Adam Fischer*

The first movement did not tuch me very much by first listening, im sure relistening will help. The second in the other hand! Very calm and gentle, and lyric, beutifully performed. And it has a touch of humbleness or curiosity that Mozart may lack. The third is mor fanfare-like in the beginning, but I like it. Fine melodies and a strange slow part with singing violin, and viola or cello on the same tone underneath. Reminded me of the norwegian harding fiddle. Beutiful calm part in the middle, that part suits to be played in churches at christmas time!

Fine symphony!

amazon


----------



## Oskaar

TurnaboutVox said:


> Mmm. Time? I do try to sample, but can't do so comprehensively.


That I understand very well!


----------



## millionrainbows

I like flute music. Modern flute only, not recorders or wooden flutes.









Uses the recently discovered Lehman/Bach "Well" tempered tuning.









Shubert is good, but sometimes is gesture without meaning, when compared with Beethoven. Nice try, though. It tastes great, and is less filling.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Scriabin (Oct.27, 1972), and--following Vaneyes--a first listen to Mustonen's Scriabin.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Philharmonia Orchestra/Paul Kletzki

An absolute favourite of mine. The first long orchestral work that I got properly to grips with when I was about eight years old. Dad bought this LP (well the mono version of it!) and I fell for it hook, line and sinker! He'd bought it having heard the music used in a film he'd seen in the 1940s, I wore that first copy out, and subsequently bought the stereo version when I started work on 1980. It's still my favourite, Hugh Bean plays the solo violin parts absolutely beautifully. A great record.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This is a long way off the beaten track now, there's sure to be no-one following...

*Schumann

Birthday Album for Marie* (for Schumann's eldest daughter on her 7th birthday)

*Supplements to 'Album für die Jugend'*
WoO 16 (12 pieces)
WoO 30 (8 pieces)

Florian Uhlig [Hänssler classics, rec. 2012]









OK, so I am a nerd. This is my new disc of the week, opened slightly early to fit in with my traversal of Schumann's solo piano music. As if there wasn't enough in the 'Album' Schumann needed to write appendices or 'supplements'. These are mere bagatelles, but they're brilliant and fascinating ones. Half-a dozen are (based on) themes from works by Bach, Haydn (I think), Mozart, Gluck, Beethoven and Schubert - and all are great fun.

This ('Schumann and his Daughters') is volume 5 in what is intended to be a properly complete Schumann piano solo edition from Florian Uhlig. Judging by this disc it will be a good one.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> TurnaboutVox: ". . . the early pieces are really full of charm and life."


_Those_ are the shibboleths I'm after. Ha. Ha. Ha. Thanks. I'll check them out.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 42 in D Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 36565
> View attachment 36566
> 
> 
> Richter playing Scriabin (Oct.27, 1972), and--following Vaneyes--a first listen to Mustonen's Scriabin.


Please forgive my asking, but please could you write a paragraph or two about the Richter recital ... I'd be interested to read your thoughts about the recitla, the sound quality etc etc


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Prokofiev's Diaghilev Ballet Le Pas d'acier*

Parts of Prokofiev's Diaghilev ballet _Le Pas d'acier _ sound like _Romeo and Juliette_. Excellent.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor K.466 Monique de la Bruchollerie/Camerata Academica/Bernhard Paumgartner

The superb Miss de la Bruchollerie in one of Mozart's finest. I love it.


----------



## KenOC

Bach's Mass in B minor, Herreweghe. No comment required.


----------



## Vaneyes

*RVW*: Symphonies 6 & 9, "Lark", "Tallis", Job, w. Little/BBCSO/A.Davis (rec.1990 - '95).

View attachment 36572
View attachment 36573


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Bach's Mass in B minor, Herreweghe. *No comment required*.


That's always welcomed.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Johann Strauss II: "Die Fledermaus" Overture/Intermezzo from "A Thousand and One Nights"/Im Krapfenwald'l Polka/Emperor Waltz
Josef Strauss: Dynamiden Waltz
Heuberger: "Der Opernball" Overture
Bayer: "Die Puppenfee" Ballet Suite Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe

A recent 2nd hand acquisition, superb playing from the VPO and Rudolf Kempe moulds it all with the touch of a master's hand. The Heuberger and Bayer items are a joy and not so often played as the other pieces. Whilst on a Viennese note, I am thoroughly enjoying rehearsing Kreisler's three Viennese dances (Liebesfreud/Liebeslied/Schon Rosmarin) with the Czech violinist Gabriela Demeterova for our recital at Picklescott Village Hall, Shropshire, on Saturday March 15th at 7.30pm. It would be nice if anyone in the vicinity came along (programme also to include music by J.S. Bach/Beethoven/Dvorak/Sarasate/Saint-Saens/Brahms-Joachim). Commercial over!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I wasn't going to listen to all of the Uhlig Schumann disc but I let Foobar play on to the end kind of by mistake (or inertia, rather). So...

*Schumann - Complete Piano Works, Vol. 5

Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 118, No. 1
Piano Sonata in D major, Op. 118, No. 2
Piano Sonata in C major, Op. 118, No. 3*

Florian Uhlig [Hänssler]









First ever listen to these sonatas / sonatinas - and they are great, not at all insignificant Schumann works. So why are they so infrequently recorded? I wasn't able to get hold of a recording in 2011 unless I bought the 'complete Schumann' collections from Eric le Sage or Georg Demus. Ronald Brautigam's disc had just been deleted.

Florian Uhlig seems a passionate and sensitive Schumann interpreter. I have really enjoyed this new purchase tonight.


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> ....Whilst on a Viennese note, I am thoroughly enjoying rehearsing Kreisler's three Viennese dances (Liebesfreud/Liebeslied/Schon Rosmarin) with the Czech violinist Gabriela Demeterova for our recital at Picklescott Village Hall, Shropshire, on Saturday March 15th at 7.30pm. It would be nice if anyone in the vicinity came along (programme also to include music by J.S. Bach/Beethoven/Dvorak/Sarasate/Saint-Saens/Brahms-Joachim). Commercial over!


The Moose of Shropshire is rehearsing with Gabriela?

Be careful, she's possessed.


----------



## Mahlerian

Ohguri: Fantasy on Osaka Folk Tunes
Osaka Symphony Orchestra, cond. Shimono









Osaka has an interesting reputation in Japan, partially deriving from the Kansai regional accent which strikes many Japanese as harsher than "standard" Tokyo dialect. For such a small country, Japan developed quite a variety in regional cultures.


----------



## opus55

oskaar said:


> As non-subscriber there may be methodes they use... As a premium subscriber I notise nothing but a giant jukebox wih access to everything. And to good sound.
> 
> The only thing I find annoying with spotify is thosands of reccords like "Classics to relax with" or 100 classic hits to your friday hous cleaning" mostly containing old or not so good versions of works, that someone wants to milk the last pennies out of. But you learn how to avoid them, and for a premium subscriber there is not much that is not there.
> 
> I dont get money from them to say this, once in a while there are irritating bugs, but in general I am a very satisfied customer, and not little addicted!


That's what I thought. But I'm too cheap to pay subscription lol



bejart said:


> Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515
> 
> Artheur Grumiaux and Arpad Gerecz, violins -- Georges Janzer and Max Leseuer, violas --Eva Czako, cello
> 
> View attachment 36559


One of my favorite chamber recordings in my library!



KenOC said:


> Bach's Mass in B minor, Herreweghe. No comment required.


Excellent choice there. Adding no further comment.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, English Suites.*


----------



## Morimur

*Luigi Nono - (2001) Al gran sole carico d'amore (2 CD)*

One of my favorites...


----------



## Bas

A late night Tosca...

Giacomo Puccini - Tosca
Maria Callas [soprano], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Tito Gobbi [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Hildegard, A Feather on the Breath of God*

An oldie but a goodie.


----------



## Guest

Spirited, brisk performances that are excellently played and recorded.


----------



## Alfacharger

Godson of Richard Strauss and tutored by Gustav Mahler, Max Steiner was once "THE" composer for films.










Here is the noisy but wonderful "London Processional" track from the cd.


----------



## Blancrocher

Pollini in Beethoven's late sonatas (1975-77).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Alfacharger: Godson of Richard Strauss and tutored by Gustav Mahler, Max Steiner was once "THE" composer for films.


Well, yeah: _before _Hermann, _before_ Newman _before_ Rozsa, _before_ Waxman, _before _Korngold--- he was. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Hail to John Morgan and William Stromberg for re-recording this great score.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Alfacharger: Godson of Richard Strauss and tutored by Gustav Mahler, Max Steiner was once "THE" composer for films.


Well, yeah: _before _Hermann, _before_ Newman, _before_ Rozsa, _before_ Waxman, _before _Korngold--- he was. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Hail to John Morgan and William Stromberg for re-recording this great score.


----------



## bejart

Arvid Niclas von Hopken (1710-1778): Sinfonia in D Major

Claude Genetay conducting the Nationalmuseum Chamber Orchestra









Opus 55 says ---
".....Re Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515 by Artheur Grumiaux and Arpad Gerecz, violins -- Georges Janzer and Max Leseuer, violas --Eva Czako, cello

"One of my favorite chamber recordings in my library!"

Mine too ---


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Canteloube: Songs of the Auvergne*

A la Kiri:


----------



## Itullian

Alfacharger said:


> Godson of Richard Strauss and tutored by Gustav Mahler, Max Steiner was once "THE" composer for films.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is the noisy but wonderful "London Processional" track from the cd.


Steiner's score for King Kong was a monster.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Steiner's score for King Kong was a monster.


"A Boat in the Fog?" "Main Title?"-- _awesome!_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Arabella a la Schwarzkopf*

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Anny Felbermayer spare no expense in bringing in schooners of champagne and wagon-loads of flowers with their exquisite singing of "_Ich danke, Fraulein_" from _Arabella_ on CD seven:


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> "A Boat in the Fog?" "Main Title?"-- _awesome!_


The way the score describes Kong's feelings and actions is awesome.


----------



## Serge

Some onslaught from Beethoven's 4th. Wait a minute, is it really it?


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Anny Fabelmayer spare no expense in bringing in schooners of champagne and wagon-loads of flowers with their exquisite singing of "_Ich danke, Fraulein_" from _Arabella_ on CD seven:


Marschallin Liz!!!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Itullian: Marschallin Liz!!!!


_Ha! HuuuuuUUUUUHHHH!_-- I love it! Ha. Ha. Ha.

Yes: Marschallin Liz Schwarzkopf! Hail Her _Rosenkavalier_ Eminence now and evermore!


----------



## opus55

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 1 and 4


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Alfacharger: Godson of Richard Strauss and tutored by Gustav Mahler, Max Steiner was once "THE" composer for films.


Well, yeah: he _was_-- _before _Herrmann, _before_ Newman, and _before _Rozsa. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Great post.

Hail to Bill Stromberg and John Morgan for getting this out.


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's The Seasons - Rene Jacobs, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Continuing my exploration of Ferdinand Ries' piano music with my first listen to volume 3 of Susan Kagan's series for Naxos (having previously heard 4 and 5, which I enjoyed very much).


----------



## Itullian

Selections


----------



## SimonNZ

Carlos Surinach's Sinfonietta Flamenca - Robert Whitney, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Liszt - Liebestraum 
http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Liebest...=1394176639&sr=1-1&keywords=liszt+liebestraum


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 43 in E-flat Major, 'Mercury' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## SimonNZ

Busoni's Symphonische Suite - Arturo Tamayo, cond.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Bach's _Art of Fugue_, played by the Emerson String Quartet


----------



## SimonNZ

Lukas Foss' Song Of Songs - Jennie Tourel, mezzo, Leonard Bernstein, cond.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening to Ligeti's Piano Concerto and Mysteries of the Macabre during the school run. Congratulating myself on introducing my kids to high culture, whilst other parents play Best Nursery Rhymes ever.

Then my daughter bursts my bubble by saying 'Can you turn this racket down'

I've failed as a parent. 

And also why does my daughter speak about my music choices the same why my mum did when I was growing up.

:lol:

Anyway, I thought it was great. Ligeti is so inventive.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major (Mstislav Rostropovich; Rudolf Serkin).


----------



## MagneticGhost

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Johannes Brahms, Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major (Mstislav Rostropovich; Rudolf Serkin).


That's a very special CD. I've enjoyed it many times down the years.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Complete Ballet Boston Symphony Orchestra/New England Conservatory Chorus/Alumni Chorus/Charles Munch

De Falla: "The Three Cornered Hat" Suite
Ravel: La Valse Philharmonia Orchestra/Igor Markevitch

Ravel's birthday and 31 years since the death of Igor Markevitch. So I started with one of my favourite Ravel works, "Daphnis et Chloe" in perhaps the most sensuous and exciting performance of all- and a stunning recording to boot. Then Markevitch in another great recording from the early 1950s. The De Falla suite is wonderful, and "La Valse" so exciting that I immediately put the needle back and played it all over again. Bravo bravissimo!


----------



## SimonNZ

Manuel Ponce's Estampas Nocturnas - Enrique Bátiz, cond.










Isang Yun's Gong-Hu - Rana Park, harp, Piotr Borkowski, cond.


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Missa Sanctae Ceciliae, Nikolaimissa & Missa brevis in F & Grosse Orgelmesse
By Emma Kirkby, David Thomas, et alii, the Academy of Ancient music, Simon Preston [dir.], on Double Decca









Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 77 no. 1,2,3
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve









Bernhard Molique (1802-1869) - String quartet opus 18 no. 3 in E flat & String quartet opus 28 in Fm
By the Mannheimer Streichquartett, on CPO


----------



## Sonata

Liszt: Transcendental Etudes
Debussy: Images for Piano


----------



## Jeff W

Been playing some iPod roulette to try to keep things fresh and here are the results...









Stop number one was Symphony No. 1 & 7 of Sergei Prokofiev. Dmitrij Kitajenko led the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln.









Stop number two was Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 led by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.









Stop number three is Mozart's piano concertos No. 6, 8 & 9. Geza Anda plays the piano and leads the Salzburg Mozarteum Camerata Academica.


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in E Flat, Op7, No.6

Concerto Koln


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Holliger: Siebengesang*

from this record:









*Heinz Holliger, Oboe
Schola Cantorum, Stuttgart · Basler
Sinfonie-Orchester · Francis Travis
Gilhofer · Riediker · Dorow · Langridge
Chor des Basler Theaters · Basler
Sinfonie-Orchester · Hans Zender*

Challrnging listening. I must come back to this when I am in the mood.

deutschegrammophon


----------



## Art Rock

This one came up in one of my random selections from my CD case. Well, it was a pleasure to hear the first three movements again. My opinion on the fourth has not changed.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Ligeti: Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedüvel*

from this record:









Strange, but very captivating!

amazon

allmusic


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Liszt: Dante Symphony, S.109*

from this record:









*Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Dresden Staatskapelle*

Long time since I listened to this, and remember I found it challenging and in fact boring. I think now I have found a good version, and am in the mood to give it a new chance. Listening to a more quiet part after the dramatic opening in first movement, and the nerve is electric, not much happens, but I give it full attention.

arkivmusic


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Symphony No. 22*

If any piece of wake-up music has a just claim on my affections at the moment, it's the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 22. . . with _Mackerras_:


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

Maderna: Concerto per due pianoforti e strumenti

from this record:









*Demoé Percussion Ensemble, Andrea Molino, Aldo Orvieto, Marco Rapetti, Carlo Lazari, Paolo Pollastri, Eddy Dei Rossi, Anna Pasetti, Cristina Vianello, Ex Novo Ensemble*


----------



## Orfeo

*Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky*
Opera in three acts "Mazeppa" (1881-1883).
-Leiferkus, Galina Gorchakova, Kotscherga, Larissa Dyadkova, Pederson, Zednik, Margison, Larin.
-The Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera of Stockholm/Neemi Jarvi.

*Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev*
The Three Piano Sonatas (Premiere of 1856, Grande of 1855, & in B-flat minor of 1905).
-Nicholas Walker, pianist.

*Sergey Mikhailovich Lyapunov*
Symphony no. II in B-flat minor, op. 66 (1917).
-The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/Yevgeny Svetlanov.

*Reinhold Moritzevich Gliere*
Symphony no. II in C Minor, op. 25 (1907).
The Zaporozhy Cossacks, op. 64 (1921).
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Edward Downes.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Moments Musicaux










Works great for a calm morning mood


----------



## Blancrocher

Janet Baker and John Shirley-Quirk singing Wolf's Italian Songbook in a live concert of 1977.


----------



## opus55

Stenhammar: Three Fantasies










I wanted to follow a previous post with Molique string quartets but they're not loaded to my iPod.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Martinů: Nonet*

from this record:









*Ensemble Wien-Berlin*

Brilliantly, engaged, almost magical playing of this exiting and atmophaeric work. Must spend some time with this record.

arkivmusic


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Mathias: Harp Concerto*

from this record:









*English Chamber Orchestra Chamber Ensemble

Isaiah Jackson Conductor

Ann Hobson Pilot Harp, Primary Artist*

Had to go to utube for this one. Quite entertaining to watch, and see what efford people make wit zomibg images and so on.

First movement
second movement
third movement

Atmosphaeric, and quite disturbing concerto, playing with the limit between beauty and angsyity, calm and unrest. Will grow on me, difficult to take it all in on first listening.

arkivmusic


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> A la Kiri:


Happy Birthday, Dame Kiri - 70 yesterday, I think

I used to have this .... until a record shop owner (anyone remember them? It was in 1994!) played me the de los Angeles version .... and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, tears came to my eyes and .... I learnt the power of interpretation and that a particular performer has the power to tickle your ears in ways that others can't


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Ravel's* birthday, March 7, 1875.

View attachment 36611


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 958 in Cm, D 959 in A
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









D 958 really touched me, what a brilliant piece of art.


----------



## julianoq

Faure's Piano Quartets, performed by Ax, Stern, Laredo and Yo-Yo Ma. Two of my favorite quartets!


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Pärt: Lamentate*

from this record:









*van Raat, Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Falletta*

parts are great, and other parts is a little to "new age" or filmmusic like for me. Great playing!

naxos
allmusic


----------



## millionrainbows




----------



## millionrainbows

Lou Harrison: Third Symphony; Grand Duo for Violin and Piano


----------



## shangoyal

This is great music. Who says Mozart composed bad pieces of music? :devil:

Mozart: *Violin Sonata in B-flat major KV454*

Grumiaux/Klein


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Pärt: Pari intervallo*

from this record:









*Lorenzo Ghielmi*

This piece did not give anything to me. Reminded me of after funurals when people go out, and the music is still playing

Also played a harp version. Terrible. Reminded me of my daughter playing with her cheap keyboard. But that can ammuse me. This not. No votes from me.

amazon

and

*Poulenc: Sextet for Piano and Winds*

from this album









*Linos Ensemble*

This chered me up again. Colourfull and fine performance, but the brass section sounds harch. I should have used more time picking the reccording. The piano dissapear a bit. Amusing and varied, and slightly melancolic work.

arkivmusic


----------



## Alfacharger

A few Ligeti pieces today.


----------



## Blake

Ghazal - _As Night Falls on the Silk Road._ A very cool mixture of traditional Iranian and Indian music.


----------



## millionrainbows

Lou Harrison: Symphony No. 2.








Mine is the Musical Heritage re-license, with a different cover. The 4th movement, Praises for Michael the Archangel, is 12-tone, and I read somewhere that this meant Harrison was a "serialist." Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a strong spiritual impulse in Harrison's music, and it is more world-influenced and modal than anything. He and John Cage used to run around in Chinatown and go to Chinese operas together. This is back when they both started collecting gongs and percussion instruments. Harrison developed his own gamelon orchestra.
This symphony is perhaps more gnarly than the Third, which is really beautiful and accessible, but it is very dense with ideas, and the content is 'spiritual' as well.

The Hyperion version is the original, the same thing, from a licensing deal.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Happy Birthday, Dame Kiri - 70 yesterday, I think
> 
> I used to have this .... until a record shop owner (anyone remember them? It was in 1994!) played me the de los Angeles version .... and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, tears came to my eyes and .... I learnt the power of interpretation and that a particular performer has the power to tickle your ears in ways that others can't


-- I'll have to hear it. _Merci. _


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> For *Ravel's* birthday, March 7, 1875.
> 
> View attachment 36611


_Bolero, La Valse, Rapsodie espagnole, Alborada del gracioso_-- wonderful. . . 'lesser fare'. . . Ravel that Karajan chooses to record.

But no _Piano Concerto for the Left Hand _and _Daphnis et Chloe_? _Why_ he didn't do those is pretty much a mystery.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*RVW: A London Symphony*

"_A_ London Symphony" to some.

"_The_ London Symphony" to me.










One of Hickox's most magnificent moments in my view.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Prokofiev: Symphony #3*

from this record:









*Artist(s) Kitayenko, Dmitri, Conductor • Cologne Gurzenich Orchestra*

Challenging, but very rewarding work. Brilliant and powerfull recording

classicalmusicsentinel
allmusic
arkivmusic


----------



## DrKilroy

For Ravel's birthday:

Le tombeau de Couperin, both the version for piano (Roge) and the orchestration (Abbado)
Violin Sonata No. 2 (Grumiaux/Hajdu)

I should listen to some good interpretation of the Piano Concerti, shouldn't I? Oh well, unfortunately I have currently got only the Concerto in G recording by Mee Chou Lee and Anton Nanut conducting Lublana Radio Symphony Orchestra, and what's worse, I quite like it. So I am going to listen to it. As for the Concerto in D, I have no preference (I am accustomed to some rendition I don't even know the performers of, probably also some "cheapo" ones). There is some HQ recording of it on YT with Thibaudet and Dutoit, so it should be a solid one.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Papa Bach - Coffee Cantata


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: En Saga, Cleveland/Szell Live*

Live Szell/Cleveland doing Sibelius' En Saga:






13:27- 14:45-- _YEAH!!_


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Rosetti (Rössler): Concerto for 2 Horns in F, C 61*

from this record:









*Klaus Wallendorf (horn) & Sarah Willis (horn)*

A ltle bored during the first movement. 2 and 3 much bether. Beautifully played.

allmusic
classical net


----------



## Alfacharger

Marschallin Blair said:


> "_A_ London Symphony" to some.
> 
> "_The_ London Symphony" to me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of Hickox's most magnificent moments in my view.


I hardly ever listen to the last version anymore. I adore this recording. (The Butterworth is quite nice too.)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bax: Symphony No. 3*

Bryden Thomson leads the London Philharmonic:






05:10-06:10-- that build-up and climax! Those strings! Those horns! . . . Magnificent.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bas said:


> Joseph Haydn - Missa Sanctae Ceciliae, Nikolaimissa & Missa brevis in F & Grosse Orgelmesse
> By Emma Kirkby, David Thomas, et alii, the Academy of Ancient music, Simon Preston [dir.], on Double Decca
> 
> View attachment 36592
> 
> 
> Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 77 no. 1,2,3
> By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve
> 
> View attachment 36593
> 
> 
> Bernhard Molique (1802-1869) - String quartet opus 18 no. 3 in E flat & String quartet opus 28 in Fm
> By the Mannheimer Streichquartett, on CPO
> 
> View attachment 36594


Oo, the larger Cäcilienmesse - this is the 1-hour long one, right? I've been thinking of getting that one, it has some great music.


----------



## cwarchc

Currently streaming this to my laptop








Had this one for the commute
For some reason, it won't let me post an image of the front of the case?
So here's the back??


----------



## Ingélou

I am listening to various YouTube examples of the sonatas of Dario Castello, an early baroque composer from Venice, of whom I had never heard, till Jim, my violin teacher (a baroque performer), played me one of his sonatas today at my lesson. Jim described him to me as 'experimental', and what I hear is a freshness, a restlessness, flickering melodies like a bird flitting from tree to tree, followed by plunging waterfalls of double-stopping, with a hint of renaissance timing lying beneath. This is a discovery indeed - so baroque, and yet so individual, the absolute reverse of wallpaper. 

As soon as I got home, Taggart & I listened to Jim's mp3, and my spouse has just now put up a composer guestbook on Dario Castello.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 1 in Eb*

This middle movement of Bax's First is practically a self-contained tone poem. If you love, as I so devoutly do, the epic side of early Strauss, then you should check this out:






15:10-27:44-- Allegro maestoso - Allegro vivace ma non troppo


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor (Mstislav Rostropovich; Rudolf Serkin).


----------



## joen_cph

*Vassily Lobanov*: _Cello Concerto _/ Gutman; _Sinfonietta for Orchestra _/ melodiya LP

The concerto (1985) is top-notch, comparable to such fine works as Kabalevsky´s 2nd cello concerto and the two concertos by Shostakovich. The Sinfonietta seems too simple though. I´m surprised that this composer is practically unrecorded besides this.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonatas K. 283, K. 284, K. 311, K.279, K. 280, K. 281, K. 282
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Franz Schubert - D849 in G, D 850 in D
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bach - Solo Sonatas and Partitas 1&2 - Nathan Milstein









for me, the perfect match between composer, interpreter and performance .... and for those who say they don't hear the emotion in Bach, a marvellous demonstration. This is where genius in composition, genius in technique and geniius in communication synthesise ..... sorry, clearly I'm getting carried away.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jean-Baptiste Quentin's Trio Sonatas - Ensemble Quentin Le Jeune


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Korngold: Sursum Korda*










I stand transfixed with that radiant scoring from 17:31-18:25:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rossini: Armida- "D'amore Al Dolce Impero," Maria Callas, Firenze, April 26, 1952*

Singing of such pivotal importance, and of such intellectual and artistic merit, that it's just of the highest order imaginable:











Unquestioned supremacy at 07:00+. God I love this ending!!


----------



## SimonNZ

There was a general concensus here some time back to keep this thread as clear as possible of embedded Youtube vids, and to just provide links if necessary instead.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: The Flute Quartets*

*Andrea Griminelli / Hermann Keller Quartett*









All five flute quartets are amazing, but i fell in love with no 5. Great sund and performances. Really reccomended


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Lute Music by J.H. Kapsberger, performed by Paul O Dette (another joy of the Harmonia Mundi Gold collection).


----------



## KenOC

Janacek, Dunaj (The Danube) Symphony. Written at about 70 years old. Found in his papers and completed after his death. A very interesting and enjoyable piece.










The version I listened to was by the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra, František Jílek conductor, on YouTube:


----------



## SimonNZ

Winterreisender said:


> Listening to Lute Music by J.H. Kapsberger, performed by Paul O Dette (another joy of the Harmonia Mundi Gold collection).


The only problem with the lovely HM Gold series is that whenever I see an exciting new release I have to remember they change the cover art and even title (rather unnecessarily, I think, it being something more like a "classic album" series, rather than more standard reissue) and I need to double-check I don't already have it, for example:


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## TurnaboutVox

Call it single-mindedness, monomania, whatever you like...

*Robert Schumann

Four Fugues, Op. 72 
Four Marches, Op. 76
Waldszenen, Op. 82*

Tobias Koch (Forte-piano) [Genuin]









There's a lot of inspired music in these pieces, but in my opinion they are not heard to their best advantage on a clangorous forte-piano. At the time of purchase this was the only single disc recording of Opp. 72 & 76 I could get. Sviatoslav Richter recorded both* - I might wait for Florian Uhlig to do the same*.

*i.e. on a proper piano


----------



## Mahlerian

Strange and beautiful.

Gesualdo: Madrigals, Book 4
Delitae Muicae


----------



## Blancrocher

Argerich playing birthday-boy Ravel's "Valses nobles et sentimentales" for piano (rec. 1975). I'll also listen to Souzay, Felicity Palmer, Bartoli, and others in some of his vocal music.


----------



## Weston

*Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54*
Yevgeny Mravinsky / Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra (live recording)









I'm not as familiar with the No. 6 as I am a few other Shostakovich works (especially the 1st cello concerto and the Symphony No. 5) so when I heard an oboe solo segment about 6 minutes into the first movement accompanied by what sounded like a cliched Native American rhythm, I thought it it was a nice touch until I realized the rhythm was from my washing machine in the next room. Oh well, it fit perfectly.

Mravinsky looks less disgusted in this picture than in some others I've seen. I wish this were a studio recording though.


----------



## KenOC

George Onslow, Grand Septet in B-flat Op. 79, Ensembles Infinitum and Contraste.


----------



## bejart

Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827): Flute Quartet No.3 in G Major

Nicola Guidetti, flute -- Marco Rogliano, violin -- Tommaso Poggi, viola -- Luca Paccagnella, cello


----------



## Guest

Listening to some Berio sequenzas. Gosh this guy's weird.


----------



## SimonNZ

Leonard Bernstein's Mass - Kent Nagano, cond.

wow...parts of this sound like rejected numbers from Jesus Christ Superstar


----------



## opus55

Kalinnikov: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 41 in C Major; Symphony No. 51 in B-flat Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## SimonNZ

Dukas' Variations On A Theme By Rameau - Chantal Stigliani, piano


----------



## Tristan

*Bax* - Symphony No. 6









Never listened to anything by Bax until today, but I really enjoyed this symphony. I will have to look into his others.


----------



## jim prideaux

opus55 said:


> Kalinnikov: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2


I have noticed with delight that the two Kalinnikov symphonies have been mentioned by 'colleagues' on a number of occasions over the past few days-I only discovered them recently and have this recording and the Jarvi Chandos discs (which I prefer)-they are marvellous works and perhaps in some way represent a continuity from Borodin through to Glazunov........this morning I have begun the day early with the three Borodin symphonies performed by Gunzenhauser and the CSR Symphony Orch......again I have only recently first heard these works and whilst the 2nd appears to be acknowledged as the greater work I find the 1st to be 'charming' in its optimism and inherent melodic nature......there is a recurring point in the 3rd movement (andante) where Borodin uses a chord (or sequence, not sure about the technical aspects of this) that oddly remind me of 'Nimrod' and it is a little disconcerting........


----------



## KenOC

jim prideaux said:


> I have noticed with delight that the two Kalinnikov symphonies have been mentioned by 'colleagues' on a number of occasions over the past few days-I only discovered them recently and have this recording and the Jarvi Chandos discs (which I prefer)-they are marvellous works and perhaps in some way represent a continuity from Borodin through to Glazunov........this morning I have begun the day early with the three Borodin symphonies performed by Gunzenhauser and the CSR Symphony Orch......again I have only recently first heard these works and whilst the 2nd appears to be acknowledged as the greater work I find the 1st to be 'charming' in its optimism and inherent melodic nature......there is a recurring point in the 3rd movement (andante) where Borodin uses a chord (or sequence, not sure about the technical aspects of this) that oddly remind me of 'Nimrod' and it is a little disconcerting........


I've read that the Kalinnikov #1 remains in the repertoire only in Russia, and the #2 not even there. Hard to figure, given how immediately appealing both these works are.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Novelette - cond. composer


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> I've read that the Kalinnikov #1 remains in the repertoire only in Russia, and the #2 not even there. Hard to figure, given how immediately appealing both these works are.


I'll need to check out his music, thanks for the infos.


----------



## Guest

Solace for the soul.


----------



## jim prideaux

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I'll need to check out his music, thanks for the infos.


'make sure that he get back with your conclusions'.......he wrote a little too insistently!


----------



## SimonNZ

Benjamin Frankel's Symphony No.8 - Werner Andreas Albert, cond.


----------



## dgee

I like Henze's Requiem but find his more neo-romantic work a bit dull. Pleased to find Symphony 6 full of excitement and tension:









If you know any other Henze along these lines, let me know!


----------



## AndyS

I've been having a Debussy day today. So far this morning:

Children's Corner (Michelangeli)
La Mer (Boulez)
Trois Chansons de Bilitis (Crespin)
and currently Nocturnes (Boulez)


----------



## Andolink

*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 9 no. 5_
The London Haydn Quartet









*Ludwig van Beethoven*: Violin Sonatas-- _Op. 12 no. 1 in D major_, _no. 2 in A major_, _no. 3 in E flat major_; _in G major Op. 96_ and _in A minor Op. 23_
Hiro Kurosaki, violin
Linda Nicholson, fortepiano















*Ulrich Alexander Kreppein*: _String Quartet_ (2009); _Phantasiestück I: Windinnres_ (2008-2010); _Phantasiestück II: Nachtschattenwirbel_ (2008-2010); _Phantasiestück III: Abendlied_ (2008-2010)
Danish String Quartet
Ensemble Modern/Oswald Sallaberger
White Rabbit Ensemble/Eric Hewitt


----------



## Bas

A little early perhaps, liturgically speaking, yet still:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Johannes Passione
By Joanne Lunn [soprano], Clare Wilkinson [alto], Micholas Mulroy [tenor], Matthew Brook [bass], Robert Davies [bass], Dunedin Consort and Players, John Butt [dir], on Linn


----------



## Jeff W

Started with Toscanini leading the NBC Symphony in Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and the Double Concerto. Symphony No. 3 was for the Saturday Symphony thread. The soloists in the concerto were Mischa Michakoff on violin and Frank Miller played the cello.









Decided to keep going with Brahms and Toscanini and listened to him lead the NBC Symphony in the Symphony No. 2, the Variations on a Theme (apparently not) by Haydn and the Tragic Overture.









Next came J.S. Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suites No. 1, 2 & 3. Pierre Fournier played the cello. Not sure I like this recording or not as it feels very slow and heavy to me.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Sammartini (ca.1700-1775): Flute Sonata in D Major

Mario Carbotta, flute -- Roberto Cognazzo, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Schumann: Andante and Variations in B flat*

from this record:









*Duo d'Accord: Shao-Yin Huang · Sebastian Euler*

Very beautiful an lyric performance.

allmusic
arkivmusic
oehmsclassics.de


----------



## Blancrocher

Mahler's 9th, conducted by Boulez (rec. 1995).


----------



## Mahlerian

Symphony of the week:
Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F
Hamburg Philharmonic, cond. Young


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Sciarrino: Sui poemi concentrici*

from this record:

*Conductor: Peter Rundel 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra*

Interresting, but almost 3 hours with spooky tones and mystical from a haunted house full of bats and spiders, is to much for me right now. And it is originaly 15 houres long! Perfect music for a horror movie. (But it is so interresting that I would try it once.. one movement at the time.

arkivmusik


----------



## opus55

jim prideaux said:


> I have noticed with delight that the two Kalinnikov symphonies have been mentioned by 'colleagues' on a number of occasions over the past few days-I only discovered them recently and have this recording and the Jarvi Chandos discs (which I prefer)-they are marvellous works and perhaps in some way represent a continuity from Borodin through to Glazunov........this morning I have begun the day early with the three Borodin symphonies performed by Gunzenhauser and the CSR Symphony Orch......again I have only recently first heard these works and whilst the 2nd appears to be acknowledged as the greater work I find the 1st to be 'charming' in its optimism and inherent melodic nature......there is a recurring point in the 3rd movement (andante) where Borodin uses a chord (or sequence, not sure about the technical aspects of this) that oddly remind me of 'Nimrod' and it is a little disconcerting........


It's definitely Russian - bold strokes of strings and nostalgic themes, etc which makes the first symphony instantly enjoyable. Definitely one of the better less known Russian composer.










Playing this while I think of what I should listen today.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

SimonNZ said:


> Benjamin Frankel's Symphony No.8 - Werner Andreas Albert, cond.


--










I like his score to the _Battle of the Bulge_ as well.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Shostakovich: Suite on Finnish Themes*

from this record:









*Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas*

Uplifting listening with pieces in a child-song/folk-stile. Nice performence, sung in finnish, with light orchestration, piano most dominant.

amazon
arkivmusic


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 30 no. 1_
Hiro Kursaki, violin
Linda Nicholson, fortepiano








*Ulrich Alexander Kreppein*: _Départ_ (2010)
Ensemble Modern/Frank Ollu


----------



## bejart

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Sinfonia Concertante in G Major

Peter Gulke conducting the Symphony Orchestra Wuppertal -- Ida Bieler, violin -- Jean Claude Gerard, flute


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4.*


----------



## Franz Schubert

Schumann symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op 38, Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Zubin Mehta, Decca CD, recorded in 1983, 33'40"


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Stravinsky: Symphony in C*

from this record:









*Gielen, Michael (conductor)SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg *

After sampling a few versions on spotify I ended up chosing this one, and I am quite satisfied with that. The work is very exiting, and I would like to mention the second movement. It is slow and calm, but full of small details. I love when a conductor manage to get the orchestra to submit such music in a lyric, tense way. That is absolutely done here. the spartane can be a powerfull tool!

I am no slave of reviews, but I like to read a litle, mostly to learn about music, but also ways to express feelings and thaughts about music. Here is three. (for the record)

allmusic
classics today
arkivmusic


----------



## bejart

Antonio Bartolomeo Bruni (1757-1821): Duo No.1 in E Flat

L'Orfeo Ensemble: Angelo Cicillini, violin -- Fabrizio Ammetto, viola


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I had to go to Manchester for a meeting this morning. The train journey has recently been shortened (by electrification) to just over one string quartet's length...

On the way there:

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5*

and on the way back:

*String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6*

Endellion String Quartet, [Warner Classics, 2008]










I am really getting to like this set. The Endellion Quartet play the Op. 18 quartets with a delicate, light and almost humorous touch: they don't make it into 'Great Music', though this is great music. The result is very uplifting and 'Viennese'.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Faure's Melodies sung by Gerard Souzsay and Elly Ameling, with Dalton Baldwin piano.

from this new set:


----------



## Sonata

Continuing to listen to my Alicia DeLarrocha EMI Icon set of her playing Spanish music. I've listened to the first four discs, and now I've skipped ahead to the 8th disc, a recital of songs with Victoria De Los Angeles. 

Also listening to the Best of Jonas Kaufmann, Boccherini string quintets, Bach Well Tempered Clavier Book II (I prefer book I so far), and Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, 'Chorale' (Herbert von Karajan; Tomowa-Sintow; Baltsa; Schreier; van Dam; Wiener Singverein; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Szymanowski: 3 Myths, for violin and piano, Op.30*

from this record:









* Krzysztof Bakowski (violin) 
Anna Górecka (piano)*

After some sampling, I ended up with this one, and what a find! I will come back to the music but first of all there is Krzysztof Bakowski (violin) that is the found! Check him out if you can. I can not give enough superlatives to his magic with the instrument that suits the music so well. Not overplaying at all, that I find many superstars often doo, but completely perfect in balanse with the work, and also with the piano. What a lucky day this is! No I hope I find 1023 recordings by him on spotify. (well only one.. )

The work is great, and seems to be made for these two. Mystic and lyrical, easy to follow. Great listening!

musicweb-international


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Back home. Continuing with Schumann's late (written or published) solo piano work.

*Robert Schumann

Waldszenen, Op. 82
Bunte Blätter, Op. 99
Drei Fantasiestücke, Op.111*

Finghin Collins, [Claves, 2006, 2009]















Finghin Collins does Schumann very well, again. I like 'Waldszenen' and 'Bunte Blätter' so much on re-acquaintance that I'm going to nominate them both for greatness in the Classical Music Project thread.

There is an idea around that Schumann's later music is somehow 'tainted' by his mental illness. I suspect that some people heard it and didn't like it, knew it had been composed by a mentally unwell man and associated the two things. Alternatively, Bunte Blatter "...contains some pages of brilliance, wit, and wonderful intimacy" (ArkivMusic's review of this disc). I think there's less controversy about 'Waldszenen'.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Martinu's lovely Nonet for Wind Quintet, String Trio and Double Bass, performed by the Ensemble Wien-Berlin (rec. 1988).

For Walton's death day, I'll listen to his "Siesta," performed by Bryden Thomson and the London PO (rec. 1994)--rest well, my old friend!

*p.s.* Curious about the performers of the WTC and Shosty, Sonata.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Percy Grainger, In a Nutshell.*

I've been wanting to get this collection out after seeing Mr. Grainger portrayed in that old movie about Delius, Song of Summer, last week. He was so accurately portrayed, I knew who he was even before the soundtrack started playing his arrangement of Country Gardens.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Yoshimatsu: Symphony #5*

from this record:









*Fujioka, Sachio, Conductor • BBC Philharmonic Orchestra*

I did not get catched at first, it appeared to me like bad film music, drossed with some random percussion and other effects. But after I while, I got hooked, and everything seemed more logic and consistent. This will improve considerably after some relistening. The second movement is more jazzy, the tythm and bothom beat reminding me of Pink panter team. But hay, this is great! Modern, but very listenable. And the percussion is maybe what makes it most exiting, but also wery creative wind instrumentation. And a jazzy piano. Here is a lot to explore.
I have started the 3. movement now, an adante, but I leave you to explore yourselfe.

youtube - 45 minutes

amazon
arkivmusic


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams: Violin Concerto (Buswell/Previn) and Piano Concerto (Shelley/Thomson).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

An eventful date, March 8.

For *CPE Bach* (1714), *Hovhaness *(1911) birthdays, and *Berlioz *(1869), *Walton* (1983) death days.















View attachment 36709


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Cage: Souvenir for Organ*

from this record:









*Stephen Drury - organ*

Hm.. what to think? I must give it a new chanse, but right now it is like my daughter was experimenting on her keyboard again, and I shout to her: "Cant you play a bit more varied?"

stephendrury.com


----------



## hpowders

Seppo Pohjola Symphony #1. Finnish Radio Symphony, Sakari Oramo.
Impressive, modern but approachable fun symphony with a very moving slow movement thrown in.
Have fun finding all the musical quotes from Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Beethoven!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

C.P.E. Bach: Six Sonatas for 2 Flutes, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon and 2 Horns London Baroque Ensemble/Karl Haas

What a superbly characterful performance of these delightful pieces, by a superb bunch of musicians: Gareth Morris/Richard Adeney (flutes), Bernard Walton/Gervase de Peyer (clarinets), Dennis Brain/Neil Sanders (horns) and Cecil James (bassoon). Great music making, and a nice way to commemorate CPE's 300th birthday.


----------



## Blancrocher

Lazar Berman playing Liszt's Annees de pelerinage (rec. 1977)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I'm not sure I can take the excitement of opening *three* new discs this week.

Here's the third (after Beethoven Op. 18/5 & 6 and Schumann and his Daughters):

*Bruckner

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, WAB 102*

Georg Tintner, NSO of Ireland [Naxos, rec. 1996]









This is actually the first time I have heard this symphony, and I'll need time and repeated listening to let it sink in - but first impressions are interesting, pleasant and very 'Brucknerian' (well, what else, but you know what I mean).


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm playing this loud...with subwoofers. This is the way it should be experienced.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I am playing THIS loud also! It is surprisingly comprehensible and accessible.

*Luciano Berio - The Complete Works for Solo Piano

Cinque Variazioni
Wasserklavier
Sequenza lV
Rounds
Erdenklavier
Luftklavier
Feuerklavier
Brin
Leaf
Petite Suite: Prelude; Petite Air l; Gavotte; Petite Air ll; Gigue
*

David Arden [New Albion, 1996]










Wow, the 'Petite Suite' is fantastically lively and attractive!


----------



## millionrainbows

I must admit I don't like all of what Hamelin's done, the Concord Sonata and Barber op. 26 for instance, but these I like. He plays with plenty of fire, and I don't mind the speed; it kind of wakes up Shostakovich for me. He should do the whole cycle of them.


----------



## maestro267

millionrainbows said:


> ...it kind of wakes up Shostakovich for me. He should do the whole cycle of them.


Of Shostakovich? That is the whole cycle.

--------------------

_Saturday Symphony #35:_
*Brahms*: Symphony No. 3 in F major
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Blomstedt


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lili Boulanger, Psalm 24, 129, and Vielle Priere bouddique.*

It's International Womens Day. There's a good excuse to hear some Lili Boulanger.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> millionrainbows: I'm playing this loud...with subwoofers. This is the way it should be experienced.


HAM-MER those drivers! Ha. Ha. Ha.--- with Kissing doing Liszt. Thumbs up all the way.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

millionrainbows said:


> I must admit I don't like all of what Hamelin's done, the Concord Sonata and Barber op. 26 for instance, but these I like. He plays with plenty of fire, and I don't mind the speed; it kind of wakes up Shostakovich for me. He should do the whole cycle of them.


This performance of the Shostakovich Second Piano Concerto too:


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> HAM-MER those drivers! Ha. Ha. Ha.--- with Kissing doing Liszt. Thumbs up all the way.


Who's Liszt kissing?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> Who's Liszt kissing?


. . . or _'doing_'? Ha. Ha. Ha. Oh my God am I sorry. That wasn't a deliberate _double entendre _in the least; just fast-typing illiteracy. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## hpowders

Shostakovich Symphony #10. Herbert Von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic.
Fine performance.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Schumann: Bunte Blätter, Op. 99*

from this record:









*Emmanuelle Swiercz*

Again I used som time sampling, trying to find a version that suited me right now, and suddenly; *It must be this!* The playing is incredible in all ways, all moods,tempoes and variations, and Emanuelles way to submit the works qualities, and putting her stamp on, is extraordinary. Super good sound!

amazon - samples
broadwayworld.com - about the artist


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I know it is International Women's Day, but it is also the date of Berlioz' death, so we start with one (of his many) masterpieces

Berlioz - Nuits d'ete - Victoria de los Angeles, Boston SO, Munch









I have seven versions of this and I can't give a convincing answer why I chose this above the fantastic version of Susan Graham


----------



## MagneticGhost

After tea listening to some wonderful Gombert (Dutch Renaissance) and washing it down with some 17th Century Harpsichord Music also from the Nederlands and all featuring in my Vivarte Box.
I might have said it before - but the sound quality is absolutely sparkling. It's like 'you haven't heard early music properly until you're heard it on this label' 
It particularly shines out when it's just one player. As in this Harpsichord disc for which I can't find the cover, and the Bach Lute Works.

















Earlier on, tootling around town in my car on various jobs, it was Ligeti.
The Cello Concerto, Concerto Romanesque and Atmospheres were the stand out pieces for me.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Tchaikovksy Symphony No. 7, Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra*

First Movement:


----------



## Headphone Hermit

and now, to commemorate International Women's Day - I'll start an evening of works by female composers

First up, Grazyna Bacewicz - music for chamber orchestra vol 2 (Dux)









I don't understand why such lovely music is so overlooked - perhaps someone who knows more about music than I do could enlighten us?


----------



## Mahlerian

*Gubaidulina*: _Musical Toys_, *Chin*: _Etudes for Piano_, *Ligeti*: _Musica Ricercata_
Mei Yi Foo


----------



## MagneticGhost

Mahlerian said:


> *Gubaidulina*: _Musical Toys_, *Chin*: _Etudes for Piano_, *Ligeti*: _Musica Ricercata_
> Mei Yi Foo


lol...great cover art


----------



## hpowders

Haydn, The Creation. Andreas Spering; original instruments and tonalities.
A must have performance if you love this great work.
The South Korean soprano Sunhae Im will absolutely knock your socks off!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

oskaar said:


> Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600[/URL] I am listening to
> 
> *Schumann: Bunte Blätter, Op. 99*
> 
> from this record:
> 
> *Emmanuelle Swiercz*
> 
> Again I used som time sampling, trying to find a version that suited me right now, and suddenly; *It must be this!* The playing is incredible in all ways, all moods,tempoes and variations, and Emanuelles way to submit the works qualities, and putting her stamp on, is extraordinary. Super good sound!


Glad you liked 'Bunte Blätter' but _do_ listen to Finghin Collins playing this if you get the chance. Please? Pretty please? Go on!

Currently listening to:

*Robert Schumann* (no kidding!)

*Sonatas for Piano, Op. 118 "für die Jugend"

Piano Sonata in G, Op. 118/1
Piano Sonata in D, Op. 118/2
Piano Sonata in C, Op. 118/3*

Florian Uhlig [Hännsler]









I cannot tell you how good (inventive, deeply musical and idiomatic) these little sonatas written for Schumann's three daughters are, in Florian Uhlig's capable hands. But the thought of 7-year old Marie playing such a relatively complex thing as Op. 118/1 makes me giggle nervously!


----------



## SimonNZ

Pergolesi's psalm-settings presented as "Marian Vespers" - Edward Higgenbottom, cond


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Schumann: Waldszenen, Op. 82*

from this record:









Sofia Cabruja

Again a women won my attention. Very beautiful and emphatic playing. The sound takes some moments to get used to, it is wery open and eary, but the dont need to be a bad thing. The pieces theirself is as good as can be, very romantic and dreamy.

Now I will que those last two records I have posted, and sink down on my sofa with accurate volum on my stereo. *DONT DISTURBE!*


----------



## Guest

Marschallin Blair said:


> First Movement:


There's a new version out coupled with the 3rd Piano Concerto:










I haven't heard it yet, but I like Kitajenko's version of the 4th and 6th Symphony.


----------



## Oskaar

TurnaboutVox said:


> Glad you liked 'Bunte Blätter' but _do_ listen to Finghin Collins playing this if you get the chance. Please? Pretty please? Go on!


He was on second, sampling bunte blatter. Sure I will come back to him! Thankyou for adviceing!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Johann Christoph Bach, Meine Freundin, du bist schon*

This is a well-done wedding cantata by J.S. Bach's talented uncle.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

next instalment for Women's Day

Otilie Sukova-Dvorakova - Three Piano Pieces









Otilie was Dvorak's daughter and the wife of his pupil, Josef Suk. She died very young (only 27). These pieces are quite slight pieces lasting less than seven minutes but they are pleasant enough and hint that given a chance, she might have produced some interesting work


----------



## Morimur

*Anton Webern - (2000) Complete Webern (Boulez)*

I had forgotten that I own a copy of this little gem until recently. Webern's output may be small, but it's concentrated potency cannot be denied.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Next from the females on my shelves

La Comtessa de Dia - a chantar m'er de so qu'eu no volria - Clemenic Consort/Rene Clemencic









The only female troubador from the time for whom we have any music - and she only left five pieces apparently. Little is known about her for definite - name, date or place of birth, date or place of death .... we're going back 850 years here!


----------



## hocket

Crikey. I've just listened to that Scheidt and it's a bit good. Very warmly recommended.
The Willaert's also one of the best things I've listened to over the last few days -reminiscent of Gombert actually.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

and, of course .....

Hildegard von Bingen - Laudes and Vespers for the Feast of St Ursula









again from 850 years ago. Just makes you wonder what else might be lurking hidden in a cloister somewhere (or has disappeared into space with only a distant galaxy able to pick up the faint traces of sounds from the distant past)


----------



## Morimur

Hildegard von Bingen is the only female composer whose music I listen to.


----------



## hocket

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Hildegard von Bingen is the only female composer whose music I listen to.


You really should treat yourself to some Barbara Strozzi.


----------



## Morimur

hocket said:


> You really should treat yourself to some Barbara Strozzi.


Quite beautiful. But aside from Bingen, I don't quite connect with music composed by women. That may sound chauvinistic to some, but it's not as if I've made a conscious decision not to listen to female composers' work.


----------



## Alfacharger

Listened to Myaskovsky today.


----------



## Guest

hocket said:


> You really should treat yourself to some Barbara Strozzi.


And Lera Auerbach:


----------



## SimonNZ

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Hildegard von Bingen is the only female composer whose music I listen to.


Well you picked the worst moment in history to stop listening. There are currently dozens of women doing amazing, top-shelf work, and a great many more on the way up. And really there should be no qualifier, or suggestion of a different grading system: these aren't Great Female Composers, these are Great Composers.

I also wonder how you'd do picking the genders in a blindfold test of recent compositions.


----------



## Blancrocher

Elzbieta Szmytka singing Chopin. These lovely songs are new to me.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Quite beautiful. But aside from Bingen, I don't quite connect with music composed by women. That may sound chauvinistic to some, but it's not as if I've made a conscious decision not to listen to female composers' work.


If I were you, Pal, after a comment like that, I'd dive for cover, cut my hair short, dye it a different colour, grow a beard and keep the armour on at all times :lol:


----------



## Morimur

SimonNZ said:


> I also wonder how you'd do picking the genders in a blindfold test of recent compositions.


An interesting thought. A few years ago I first heard Ustvolskaya's Piano Sonata No. 6 and automatically assumed it was composed by a male. Actually, I quite like Ustvolskay's work but all her pieces tend to sound the same; she only has ONE sound.


----------



## LancsMan

*Handel: Ariodante* Freiburger Barockorchester directed by Nicholas McGegan on Harmonia Mundi.








Another attempt by me to grapple with baroque opera. I have to admit the drama does not exactly grip me, but as in many baroque operas I know, things do improve after you get through the first act (mind you my appreciation of Act 1 was disturbed by no less than three phone calls!) At over three hours long you do have to devote the evening to it. There is some very pleasing music in the three hours however.

I'd say this was excellently performed.


----------



## Morimur

Headphone Hermit said:


> If I were you, Pal, after a comment like that, I'd dive for cover, cut my hair short, dye it a different colour, grow a beard and keep the armour on at all times :lol:


Yeah, I hope there are no Pu$$y Riot members in this forum.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## opus55

R. Strauss: Salome


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> R. Strauss: Salome


Awesome recording


----------



## MagneticGhost

I had been planning a slow journey from Op.1 chronologically upward in my Schumann Travels.
I'd reached Op.7 but now have taken a leap up to Op.99. Blame TurnAboutVox!! 

Bunte Blatter performed by Finghin Collins 

Ps: Anyone know why there is a Vol.1 and Vol.3 of Collins playing Schumann piano works - but no Vol.2 that I can find.


----------



## senza sordino

My morning
Vivaldi Lute and Mandolin Concerti. Someone here inspired me to seek these out. I got this from the library. A fine recording








And with all the fuss about Haydn this week, I also checked this out from my local library 
Haydn Symphonies 101 & 104








And for the Symphony Saturday
Brahms 3rd symphony. I let the CD continue on to his 4th Symphony


----------



## TurnaboutVox

MagneticGhost said:


> I had been planning a slow journey from Op.1 chronologically upward in my Schumann Travels. I'd reached Op.7 but now have taken a leap up to Op.99. Blame TurnAboutVox!!
> 
> Bunte Blatter performed by Finghin Collins
> 
> Ps: Anyone know why there is a Vol.1 and Vol.3 of Collins playing Schumann piano works - but no Vol.2 that I can find.


Er, yes; it's because the two (double) Collins discs are Volumes 1 and 3 of Claves 'Schumann: The Complete Works for Piano' series.

Volumes 2 and 5 feature Cedric Pescia
Volume 4 has Francesco Piemontesi
Volume 6 (projected according to the notes in Vol. 1) doesn't seem to have been released yet.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.1 Moura Lympany/Philharmonia Orchestra/Nicolai Malko

For Women's Day (I know it's a fraction late, but forgive me, I've been out working) one of my favourite pianists, in what, for my money is the finest recording of this concerto. I remember when I first got this record in 1982, I taped it, took it into work and played it to the fellow who I was apprenticed to, and when it finished he said, "Horowitz couldn't have played it better!" and Horowitz was his ideal as a pianist. She was wonderful, and this is one of her best recordings. Yay!


----------



## aleazk

Mahler's sixth. Abbado.


----------



## Guest

Ms. Shimkus was only 15 when she recorded this disc, but based on her older brother's amazing recording of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata, I figured this was a safe purchase, and I was right! Does she plumb the depths as much as older masters, no, but she plays with a youthful vigor that is most refreshing. Great sound, too, aside from a little damper noise.


----------



## spradlig

I like Shostakovich, and I'm trying to get into his quartets. I have all of them on CD, and listen to them in my car, but I'm usually in a hurry, so I haven't gotten past the first few discs. I listened to a YouTube video of #11-13 yesterday and I liked at least one of them quite a bit (I haven't pinned down which one(s) yet).

A week or two ago I listened to Mendelssohn's first piano concerto on YouTube. It seemed like a fun piece, and doesn't deserve what seems to be practically neglected. I also tried his first two symphonies, which I don't think are that popular, and I didn't care for them.


----------



## senza sordino

Making up for not listening to much music this week. It's been a busy week of music, but performing, not listening. Saturday is my day off from playing so I've been listening to
Dvorak Slavonic Dances (all of them)







Dvorak Symphonies 8 & 9








and my new CD of R Schumann Piano and Violin Concerto


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Currently listening to: (inspired by the you-know-what thread again)
*
Luigi Dallapiccola - Il Prigionero* (On YouTube).

Bryn-Julson, Hynninen, Haskin, Alexandersson, Wedin, Swedish Radio Choir, 
Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra [Sony Classical, 1995]


----------



## Blancrocher

Following TurnaboutVox: Gianandrea Noseda conducting the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Dallapiccola's "Variations for Orchestra."


----------



## GreenMamba

Lou Harrison, Marriage at the Eiffel Tower. California Parellel Ensemble.

Based on a work by Jean Cocteau, this doesn't sound much like the other prices Harrison's that I've heard.


----------



## Vaneyes

*







View attachment 36750
Rachmaninov*: Piano Concerto 1, w. Janis/Kondrashin (rec.1962); Piano Works (Vols. 1 - 3), w. Rodriguez (rec.1993/4).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bed-time music: post in the composer's style.

Web rn - Va i t o s
for Pian , p.27

Pet r Hi l [Naxo
s]


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> Bed-time music: post in the composer's style.
> 
> Web rn - Va i t o s
> for Pian , p.27
> 
> Pet r Hi l [Naxo
> s]


Don't you mean:

e n n n
r r r
b t s p p
: i i i , .
W V o o o O
a a a
e f
27

....the formatting didn't work. Oh well. You can click the "quote" button and see what it was supposed to look like.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mahlerian said:


> Don't you mean:
> 
> e n n n
> r r r
> b t s p p
> : i i i , .
> W V o o o O
> a a a
> e f
> 27
> 
> ....the formatting didn't work. Oh well. You can click the "quote" button and see what it was supposed to look like.


Very clever! I can see it, but I can't post it, unfortunately.
Good night!


----------



## Novelette

Haydn: Divertimento for Eight Instruments #6 in A, H 10/6 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Sibelius: Symphony #3 in C, Op. 52 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Lully: Atys, LWV 53 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini, Op. 23 -- John Nelson: Orchestre National de France

Schumann: Phantasie in C, Op. 131 -- Christian Tetzlaff; Paavo Jarvi: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra


----------



## starthrower

This is great!


----------



## Serge

Nothing. I must have put some John Cage on by a weird coincidence.


----------



## aleazk

Mahlerian said:


> Don't you mean:
> 
> e n n n
> r r r
> b t s p p
> : i i i , .
> W V o o o O
> a a a
> e f
> 27
> 
> ....the formatting didn't work. Oh well. You can click the "quote" button and see what it was supposed to look like.


 that's millimeter precision work with the spacebar!.


----------



## KenOC

Schreker, Chamber Symphony in One Movement. Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Edo de Waart conducting. On the radio, a symphonycast. Sounds pretty good! Here's an available recording of the piece.


----------



## Itullian

With the GREAT Jerome Hines as Wotan.
Wow.


----------



## aleazk

Per Nørgård - _Symphony No.6_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Antonio De Literes' Los Elementos - Al Ayre Espanol










Dino Borgioli - opera arias rec. 1921-1935


----------



## Novelette

Blamont: Égine -- Sèbastian d'Hèrin: Les Nouveaux Caractères

Boesset: Airs de Cour -- Claire Antonini & Monique Zanetti

Cherubini: Concert Overture in G -- Sir Neville Marriner: Academy of St Martin-in-the-Field


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert Violin Sonatas - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Paul Crossley, piano


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies No. 8










I didn't have any expectations as I bought this box set at used book store but it turns out that I'm enjoying every disk so far.


----------



## Taggart

Mahlerian said:


> Don't you mean:
> 
> e n n n
> r r r
> b t s p p
> : i i i , .
> W V o o o O
> a a a
> e f
> 27
> 
> ....the formatting didn't work. Oh well. You can click the "quote" button and see what it was supposed to look like.


You can't use the space bar - you need to use a "proper" character and hide them in white like this:

>>>e>>>>n>>>>>>>>>>n>>>>>>>>>n
>>>>>>>>r>>>>>r>>>>>>>>>>>r
>>>>>b>>>>>>>>>>t>>>s>>>>>p>>>>>>>>>p
>>>>>>>>>>:>>>>i>>i>>>>>>>>>>i>>>>>,>>>>.
W>>>>>>>>>V>>>>>o>>>>>o>>>>>>o>>O
>>>>>>>>>>>>>a>a>>>>>>>>>>>>a
>>>>>>e>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>f
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>27

If you use reply with quote you will see the full evil used to get it.

Lovely idea though!


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki*: Credo
Soloists (SSATB), Warsaw Boys Choir, Warsaw Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit


----------



## Ingélou

Haydn's Surprise Symphony - sunny, serene symphony for a sunny, serene Sunday (try saying that fast!).


----------



## MagneticGhost

Catching up in the Classical Music Project thread.
Listening to some highly accessible Cage - Souvenir (for organ) (1983)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

C. P. E. Bach: Symphony No.2/Variations on Folies d'Espagne/Concerto in C Minor George Malcolm/Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner

A little more from CPE, and it's always a pleasure to be reacquainted with the wonderful artistry of George Malcolm, one of my favourite musicians, and one of the finest players of the harpsichord bar none. Excellent.


----------



## dgee

Derive 2: big, ambitious and wonderful - I love how Boulez can't leave his good material alone! Excitement, quietude, long lines, symmetry, broken expectations, gasp out loud moments.









Put me in the mood for Bach so Matt's Pash (Rene Jacobs) on right now


----------



## maestro267

*Ginastera*: Piano Concerto No. 1
De Marinis (piano)/Slovak RSO/Malaval


----------



## SimonNZ

Gloria Coates' Holographic Universe - Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin, Neil Thomson, cond.

with its wonderful second movement, which is two huge glissandis


----------



## bejart

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a quatro in A Minor, Op.2, No.4

Concerto Koln


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D 537 in Am, D 279 in C, D 157 in E
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Giuseppe Verdi - Il Trovatore
Maria Callas [soprano], Rolando Panerai [bariton], Fedora Barbieri [mezzo], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Luisa Villa [soprano], Ranato Ercolani [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Herbert von Karajan [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by my own thread CURRENTLY LISTENING revisited I am listening to

*Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68*

From this record:









*London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev*

Outstanding powerfull interpretation, lyrically intense. Great sound.

arkivemusic


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No. 8 (Raphael Kubelik & Bavarian Radio Orchestra)









And before that was *Schubert* - D.872 Die deutsche Messe


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Robert Schumann

Albumblätter (Album Leaves) for piano, Op. 124 * / Dénes Várjon [Naxos, 1995]

I can't do better than this description:

"The 20 small pieces that make up Robert Schumann's Albumblätter (Album leaves) for piano, Op. 124, were composed at varying times and under varying circumstances between around 1832 and 1845 ...the Albumblätter, though containing some beautiful, crystal-clear episodes, are basically uneven pieces that the composer had rejected from earlier character-piece collections [including] Carnaval. The Schlummerlied (Slumber Song) ...is the latest piece of the group, having been composed during 1841. (Blair Johnston, AllMusic).

*Geister-variationen WoO 24* / Cédric Pescia (Piano) [Claves, 2007]


----------



## violadude

The music of the early 20th century Russian composers, like Shostakovich and Prokofiev, is often considered to be "wrong note" music for staying close to tonality but having just enough of an extended system so that some of the notes , in the context of tonality, sound "wrong".

Well, I was listening to this Chopin Berceuse today 




And it struck me very strongly that highly chromatic early 19th century pieces like this could have easily been considered the "wrong note" music of their time. It sounds almost identical to the "wrong note" music of Shostakovich or Prokofiev if taken back 100 years, to me anyway.

Does anyone know if any similar criticisms were ever leveled against Chopin in his lifetime?


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by my own thread CURRENTLY LISTENING revisited I am listening to

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6*

From this record:









*BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Mark Wigglesworth*

Fine, tense recording.

classical.net
arkiwmusic
musicweb-international


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Schumann's Symphonic Etudes and Bunte Blätter (rec. 1971).


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 (Marriner)
Stravinsky - Dumbarton Oaks Concerto (Ward)



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## hpowders

Vincent Persichetti, Piano Sonata #9. Geoffrey Burleson.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Schubert's _Winterreise_ sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, accompanied by his trusty sidekick Gerald Moore:


----------



## Fortinbras Armstrong

From a comment Manxfeeder made in the Christian Fellowship Group, I was led to discover Orlando di Lasso. I am currently listening to his setting for Four Penitential Psalms


----------



## TurnaboutVox

The Late, Late Show...

*Robert Schumann

Sieben Klavierstücke in Fughettenform, Op. 126.*

Sounds as you might imagine a fusion of Bach and Schumann would.

Schumann's 'Seven Piano Pieces in Fughetta Form' "explores the structure [of fugue] to a remarkable degree, looking back to Bach with a quote from the "Royal" theme in the Musical Offering and presenting us with really unique harmonic constructs and odd voice-leading. It is one of the great mysteries of music to wonder about the path he might have taken had he made it into his 50s" (Steven E. Ritter, ArkivMusic)

*Gesänge der Frühe, Op. 133*

This is a very late work possessed of sometimes grave and limpid, sometimes triumphant, ecstatic beauty. I think it's the best of his very late works, and maybe one of his best of all.

Schumann was "trying to forge a different sort of music and even tonality using sparse harmonies and very vague tonal references. It's haunting and beautiful all at once, and definitely a look into the future" (Steven E. Ritter, ArkivMusic)

*Variations for Piano on an original theme "Geistervariationen", WoO 24*

Which has the oddest tonality and harmonics of all Schumann's piano works. A very strange piece indeed, but not without mysterious beauty. It definitely has 'wrong notes' (see violadude's post above)

Dina Ugorskaja [AVI Music, 2011]










Another excellent disc by a younger Schumann pianist, and extremely well recorded sound. The disc also contains a very fine reading of 'Kriesleriana'.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1873 version)
Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Nézet-Séguin





For some reason, I've had bits of this work running through my head over the last few days (and not the main themes or anything, either, parts from development and such). I finally gave in.


----------



## Blancrocher

For Samuel Barber's birthday: a recent album featuring Christian Poltera in the Cello Sonata and Cello Concerto.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=829201

I'll also listen to a new recording of Moeran's Cello Concerto with JoAnn Falletta conducting Guy Johnston and the Ulster Orchestra.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Rebekah-Coffey/Performer/279895-2


----------



## MagneticGhost

Inspired by Oskaar to go back to where it all began.
I've accidentally read those first posts about Alwyn so many times but never listened to him.
My word - wasted months. 
Although this music is absolutely ideal for this beautiful Spring day in the south of England. A first taste of summer.

Alwyn - Harp Concerto, Symphony's No.2 and 5


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently, *Mozart: Symphony 29 & Mahler: Symphony 2 'Resurrection' *(Live)
Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia Soloists - Janet Baker & Heather Harper








Though Tennstedt's live London Philharmonic Orchestra recording of the 'Resurrection' Symphony remains my favourite performance of this piece, this runs a close second. Generally well recorded and performed. Some crowd noise but I always expect some from a live recording - nothing too severe and it doesn't in anyway detract from the performance.

Making the most of having free time on my hands, I am going to be listening to the following over the course of this afternoon/evening:

*Bruckner: Symphonies 4, 7 & 8 & Mahler: Symphony 1 & Songs of a Wayfarer*
Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra


























The pictures aren't in order but as I don't know the order I am going to be listening in, it seems quite appropriate.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - La Clemenza di Tito 
By The Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor, Mark Padmore [tenor], Alexandrina Pendatchanska [soprano], Bernarda Fink [mezzo], René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Barry: Cheveaux-de-frise*

From this record:









*Conductor(s):
Houlihan, Robert

Orchestra(s):
Ireland National Symphony Orchestra*

Some sparse moments of exitement and creativity, but mosly irritating noice. Like lrtting a scoolclass of 10 years old children into the room where the instruments of the orchestra is kept....

amazon


----------



## maestro267

After hearing the First this morning...

*Ginastera*: Piano Concerto No. 2
De Marinis (piano)/Slovak RSO/Malaval


----------



## Serge

Brahms 4th. It's very good!


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Die Schöpfung


----------



## Sonata

Bruckner #9, Gunter Wand


----------



## LancsMan

Just spent the afternoon in the company of The Liverpool Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko in my home city of Preston. They played:-

*Mahler: Blumine* - charming lightweight movement ejected from the first version of the 1st symphony. I can understand why. But a pleasant piece and very well played I thought.

*Richard Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 2* with Timothy Jackson on French Horn (the orchestra's lead horn player and based in Preston). Mellifluous music with a classical sized orchestra. I can take any amount of Strauss note spinning - but it's maybe a connoisseur's piece and I question playing it in Preston - not a noted hotbed of musical connoisseurship. But as the horn player is based in Preston he probably had local support. He did very well with the piece.

*Elgar: Symphony No.2 * The concert flyer claimed Richard Strauss and Mahler as two of Elgar's greatest European admirers. I do believe Strauss was quite complimentary towards Elgar - but Mahler? Now I know nothing of Mahler's views (if any) on Elgar - but I find it hard to see him in the role of Elgar admirer. Maybe I'm wrong. 
As to the performance- the slow movement was fine, but I though the other movements workmanlike rather than inspired.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Tomasini (1741-1808): String Trio in D Major, K 26

Gianfranco Ianetta and Marco Rogliano, violins -- Luigi Puxeddu, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Barber's* birthday (March 9,1910), Piano Concerto, w. Joselson/LSO/Schenck (rec.1985).










Related:

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/19...3057234_1_schenck-samuel-barber-new-recording


----------



## Vaneyes

A belated Women's Day greeting, w. *Bacewicz *and *Gubaidulina* recs.

View attachment 36777
View attachment 36778








Related:

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/html/special/zimerman-bacewicz/album.html


----------



## Serge

I don't know what the hell it is, but I am quite happy with my current music. Wait a minute, that's some Tragische Overture Op. 81.


----------



## hpowders

Vincent Persichetti Piano Sonata #10. Geoffrey Burleson.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Benjamin: Antara*

From this record:









*London Sinfonietta, Penelope Walmsley-Clark, Sebastian Bell, George Benjamin*

This is a funny interresting piece, containing a lot. Experimental, but with a strucyure and sort of order that makes it easy to listen to.

arkivmusic


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600 I am listening to

*Albeniz: Azulejos*

From this record:









*Jordi Camell*

A beautiful, and here very well played piece. Gives me a impression of mountains and open landscapes.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op.49

Concerto Koln -- Andreas Staier, piano


----------



## LancsMan

*Vivaldi: Stabat Mater (& other pieces)* Andreas Scholl, Ensemble 415, Chiara Banchini on harmonia mundi.







A showcase for Andreas Scholl -counter tenor. A very enjoyable selection of Vivaldi.


----------



## millionrainbows

Janácek: The String Quartets by Guarneri Quartet (2010)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Carmina Burana - New London Consort - Philip Pickett (vol 1)









dancing round the living room to _Olim sudor Herculis_ (I just need a tambor and I'd fit in nicely!)


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.31 in B Minor, Op.33, No.1

Coull Quartet: Roger Coull and Philip Gallaway, violins -- David Curtis, viola -- John Todd, cello


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bach - English Suite No2 - Wanda Landowska









Wonderful playing from one of the pioneers of recorded harpsichord music. Recorded in 1936 - that's before my Dad was born (and I'm middle aged!)


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Sigismund Kusser Overtures - Peter Zajicek, cond.


----------



## Taggart

Headphone Hermit said:


> Wonderful playing from one of the pioneers of recorded harpsichord music. Recorded in 1936 - that's before my Dad was born (and I'm middle aged!)


The vagaries of when people get married - my grandfather was at college in Spain in the 1890s, married late and my father was born in 1911; he married late because of the war so I'm still only in my 60's. Lovely choice of music though.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bach: Goldberg Variations* Pierre Hantai on Opus 111.








This is one of my six recordings of the work. This is one of the two versions I have on harpsichord - the rest are on piano. I have to admit this reflects a bias I have towards Bach keyboard music - I prefer hearing it on the piano. I do realise that some of the variations are specifically written for a double manual instrument, and sit uncomfortably for the poor old piano player. However I guess I am superficial enough to prefer the greater variety of tone colour a piano can provide over such an extended work.

Having said that this is a fine rendition on the harpsichord.


----------



## SimonNZ

Curiously the only real issue I had with the otherwise superb 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear book was their choice of Hantai's recording to represent the Goldbergs. Its a wonderful recording, but in a very crowded field not, imo, one of the absolute essentials. Though I do like that here as elsewhere they weren't compelled to simply follow the recieved wisdom. (The title though is a bit misleading - its really 1001 Compositions, but that probably sounds less like pleasure and more like homework).

playing now:










Andrea Zani's Concerti da chiesa op. 2 - Alessandro Ciccolini, violin, Compagna de' Musici


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Bassoon Concerto in B Major, Ben 107

Paul Weigold conducting the Camarata pro Musica -- Matthias Racz, bassoon


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Liszt - Rhapsodies Hongroises - Cziffra









for a sunday evening wind-down .... or re-charge, however you see fit


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A round-up of this evening's listening:

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 2 in C minor* / Georg Tintner, NSO of Ireland [Naxos]

*Shostakovich - String Quartet No.1 in C major, Op.49* / Fitzwilliam String Quartet [Decca]

*Witold Lutoslawski - String Quartet* / LaSalle Quartet [DG]


----------



## LancsMan

*Rameau: Ouvertures* Les Talens Lyriques conducted by Christophe Rousset on L'Oiseau-Lyre







Why did it take so long for me to discover Rameau and the French baroque? This music is invigorating and full of interest. What a shame he didn't write more orchestral music.

Stylish playing here, folks.


----------



## DavidA

Headphone Hermit said:


> Liszt - Rhapsodies Hongroises - Cziffra
> 
> View attachment 36793
> 
> 
> for a sunday evening wind-down .... or re-charge, however you see fit


More a wind-up I think, from the great Cziffra.


----------



## Kieran

Mozart PC #26, Mitsuko cracking her knuckles, Jeffrey Tate cracking the collective skull of the English Chamber Orchestra...


----------



## Headphone Hermit

DavidA said:


> More a wind-up I think, from the great Cziffra.


You could be right, Sir, I'm not qualified to comment, but as Alfred Brendel wrote, "the Rhapsodies come to life through the improvisatory spirit and fire of the interpreter; they are wax in his hand like few other pieces in existence."

the important thing for me is that I enjoy them :tiphat:


----------



## Kieran

Sure as night follows day...#27.


----------



## Guest

Korstick's Eroica Variations. Very nice.


----------



## Blancrocher

Stephen Gutman playing Jean-Philippe Rameau's 4th and 5th Suites and other works on the piano.

*p.s.* Following LancsMan, I see!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Abbado conducting Mendelssohn's 5th symphony washed down with an exquisite offering from Véronique Dietschy with Debussy's Arriettes oubliees.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Christ lag in Todes Banden.*


----------



## Guest

Barber's Cello Concerto. It doesn't seem to get the exposure it deserves, but this new release ought to help as it is very persuasively played and has demonstration-worthy sound.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Wilhelm Stenhammar--*Symphony No.1 in F Major and Symphony No.2 in G Minor, *both performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. I find the *Second Symphony* to be a lot more melodic--and therefore, interesting--than the *First*. However, overall, I do enjoy both. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63; Symphony No.5 in E-Flat, Op.82; Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104; Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105 and Tapiola, Op.112. *All five works feature Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. I now understand why Maestro Karajan has been so wide acclaimed as an interpreter of this composer; he does seem to have a sense of the nuances--the ebbs and flows--of Sibelius.
Edward Elgar-*-Enigma Variations,* traversed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Sir Adrian Leaper.


----------



## KenOC

George Barati, Chamber Concerto (1952); Ormandy and the Philadelphians. Never heard of Barati? Neither had I, and I was very pleasantly surprised. It's on YT if you want to give it a try.


----------



## Novelette

Beethoven: Wellington's Sieg, Op. 91 -- Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic

^ Don't judge me. I like to give it a good listen every now and then.

Mondonville: Sonate en Symphonies #6, Op. 3 -- Marc Minkowski: Les Musiciens du Louvre

Stravinsky: Concerto for Strings in D -- Yuri Bashmet: Moscow Soloists

Satie: Descriptions Automatiques -- Daniel Varsano

Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera -- Pro Cantione Antiqua

Schubert: Six Grandes Marches et Trios, D. 819 -- Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem

Haydn: Piano Trio #27 in C, Hob. XV: 27 -- Haydn Trio Eisenstadt

Beethoven: Violin Sonata #9 in A, Op. 47, "Kreutzer" -- Isaac Stern & Eugene Istomin


----------



## Novelette

LancsMan said:


> *Rameau: Ouvertures* Les Talens Lyriques conducted by Christophe Rousset on L'Oiseau-Lyre
> View attachment 36794
> 
> Why did it take so long for me to discover Rameau and the French baroque? This music is invigorating and full of interest. What a shame he didn't write more orchestral music.
> 
> Stylish playing here, folks.


The Zaïs Overture is quite exaggerated on that album for my taste, though. But then, I always fall back to the full opera recorded by Leonhardt.  I adore Rameau; glad you enjoy his music as well!

The instrumental movements embedded in his operas are absolute gems!


----------



## opus55

Glazunov: Symphony No. 8
Tchaikovsky: Iolanta


----------



## Sonata

Haydn: Armida.

My first Haydn opera


----------



## Blancrocher

Seefried and DFD in Wolf's Italian Songbook (rec. 1958).


----------



## SimonNZ

Gottfried August Homilius Cantatas - Roderich Kreile, cond.










Andrea Zani Concerti Op.4 - Capella Palatina


----------



## senza sordino

This evening's listening
I think this is the first CD I bought about 25 years ago. 
*Bartok Concerto for Orchestra * and *Janacek Sinfonietta*








then, oh, the embarrassment.  How can I show myself with any dignity here on TC. If someone can recommend a replacement for these two piano concerti with another soloist I'm all ears, but don't say "anyone else" :lol:
*Prokofiev pc #3* and *Bartok pc #2*








and finally one of my favourite new purchases
*Adams violin concerto plus Corigliano Red Violin, Waxman / Wagner Tristan and Isolde and Enescu Romanian Rhapsody *


----------



## neoshredder

Put together a playlist of the best of series from Naxos and some other labels when Naxos didn't have a best of. The playlist includes Grieg, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Liszt, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Schubert, Haydn, Rachmaninov, Mozart, Smetana, Vivaldi, Verdi, Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel, Prokofiev, Handel, Berlioz, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Mahler, Bach, Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Debussy, Strauss, Orff, Nielsen, Strauss II, Barber, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, Offenbach, Holst, Massenet, Part, Weber, and Falla. For those that don't have best of, I used their most famous work.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

neoshredder said:


> Put together a playlist of the best of series from Naxos and some other labels when Naxos didn't have a best of. The playlist includes Grieg, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Liszt, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Schubert, Haydn, Rachmaninov, Mozart, Smetana, Vivaldi, Verdi, Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel, Prokofiev, Handel, Berlioz, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Mahler, Bach, Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Debussy, Strauss, Orff, Nielsen, Strauss II, Barber, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, Offenbach, Holst, Massenet, Part, Weber, and Falla. For those that don't have best of, I used their most famous work.


Sounds like you're going to have some fun with it . By the way, heard a live performance of Grieg's quartet in G minor yesterday - was very impressed, excellent piece.

Frédéric Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor (Martha Argerich; Claudio Abbado; London Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## worov




----------



## SimonNZ

Malcolm Arnold's Concerto For Two Violins - Alberto Lysy and Sophia Reuter, violins, Yehudi Menuhin, cond.










Henri Tomasi's Clarinet Concerto - Rupert Wachter, clarinet, Olivier Tardy, cond.










Henri Tomasi's Requiem Pour La Paix - Michel Piquemal, cond.


----------



## bejart

Carlo Ferrari (1714-1790): Cello Sonata in A Minor, Op.1, No.3

Ornella Gattoni, cello -- Laura Bertani, harpsichord


----------



## julianoq

Listening the bass-baritone Bryan Terfel sing Wagner, with Abbado/BPO.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Works BWV 592, 563, 551, 595, 574, 576, 596, 579, 536, 1121, 597, 593, Kirnberger Chorales, Choral Arrangements BWV 717, 730, 731, 740, 1085, 741, 739, 732, 718, 725, 726, 736, 735, 721, 738, 758, 754, 733
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec









Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 64 no. 1, no. 3, no. 6
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve


----------



## Morimur

*Hugo Wolf - (2005) Lieder (Fischer-Dieskau, Barenboim)*

An oft overlooked Composer.


----------



## hpowders

Elgar Violin Concerto, Menuhin, Boult.
Definitive.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sweet Harmony is an apt moniker.

Dunstable performed by Tonus Peregrinus


----------



## Itullian

In the mood for a little Kiri and Strauss today.


----------



## Vasks

*Dvorak - Overture to "Selma Sedlak" (Gunzenhauser/Marco Polo)
Tchaikovsky - Struing Quartet #1 (Borodin Qrt/Teldec)
Liszt - Orchestral Hungarian Rhapsody #6 "Pester Carneval" (Korodi/Capriccio)*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Rachmaninov*: Piano Works, w. Demidenko (rec.1994), Alexeev (rec.1987 - '99), Kempf (rec.1999).








View attachment 36824


----------



## Blancrocher

Currently listening to Mahler's 4th, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas (rec. 2003), after which I'll listen to Christian Poltera and co in cello music by Honegger for the composer's birthday.

*p.s* MTT's Mahler sounds as slick as the album cover looks.


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 23_ and _Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 96_
Hiro Kurosaki, violin
Linda Nicholson, fortepiano








*Joseph Haydn*: _String Quartet in A major, Op. 9 no. 6_
The London Haydn Quartet








*Ulrich Alexander Kreppein*: _Spiel der Schatten_ (2008-2009)
Münchner Rundfunkorchester/Matthias Pintshcer








*Luigi Boccherini*: _String Trio in F major, Op. 34 no. 1_
La Ritirata


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Even More Light and Air to Go With the Morning Sun*

Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the currently gorgeously-sunny beaches of Southern California, working up that caffeinated _Gemutlichkeit_ with charming Tchaikovsky and elegant Adam.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Honegger's *(1892) birthday, and *Clementi's* death day (1832).


----------



## Morimur

Marschallin Blair said:


> Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the currently gorgeously-sunny beaches of Southern California, working up that caffeinated _Gemutlichkeit_ with charming Tchaikovsky and elegant Adam.


I prefer overcast and rainy weather. Nothing beats sitting in a coffee shop at the edge of the world while listening to György Kurtág. To each his own, I suppose.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Lope de Aguirre: I prefer overcast and rainy weather. Nothing beats sitting in a coffee shop at the edge of the world while listening to György Kurtág. To each his own, I suppose.


Thank you for graciously allowing me to have my own tastes. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Yes, assuredly: _non disputantum_.


----------



## millionrainbows

This kind of conflict is almost unbearable. I can only hope that Mankind will someday live in harmony. 

Haydn (1732-1809): String Quartets op. 76, Nos. 4, 5, & 6. The Lindsays (ASV).

Quartets of striking individuality and beauty. Sturdy examples of the post Baroque, pre-Beethoven state of harmonic development. Haydn seems necessary as the link between Mozart and Beethoven. His is the first mature style of Classicism/pre-Romanticism. That's the way I see it, but I'm sure someone will disagree. If Haydn did not exist, it would have been necessary to invent him. Not as harmonically advanced as Beethoven, yet I hear that Beethoven got many of his "gestures" from Haydn, which is a stylistic feature that is hard to define. I hear it in the finale of the Bb quartet, and in many textures and ideas which occur. The abrupt stops and crescendos in the Quartet No. 5 in D remind me of Beethoven, even late period quartets like the on in F major. I see in Haydn a "proto-Beethoven."


----------



## Vaneyes

*Reger*: Orchestral Music, w. Jarvi (rec.1989), Zagrosek, Salonen (rec.1989); Piano Works, w. MAH (rec.1998).















View attachment 36836


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Variations, Op. 31
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Mitropoulos





An unusual live performance, feeling very rushed in spots. The orchestra is clearly struggling with this music, and it feels ragged at times.


----------



## Blancrocher

A new release: Ehnes with Wrigglesworth and the Melbourne SO in Katchaturian's Violin Concerto; the Ehnes Quartet in Shosty's 7th and 8th string quartets.

I'll also use Tom Service's appreciation of Villa-Lobos as an excuse to continue my exploration of the string quartets, which I've been enjoying thanks to recommendations on the forum.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/to...brazil-bbc-symphony-orchestra-total-immersion


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (2nd movement)
cond. Schoenberg





The topic of Mahler's early champions came up on another forum.


----------



## millionrainbows

Piano music by Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982). Hamish Milne, piano (Hyperion). Just think, this composer lived to see punk rock and the beginnings of American hard-core! I can just see him down in the mosh-pit, sweaty, flinging his arms, barreling into the crowd...

Interesting music. Although tonal, there are moments, like in the Obsession passee op.6, where the music verges on atonality. Influenced by Scriabin, the music is well-crafted, and I like the way Hamish Milne plays it: introspectively, clearly, deliberately, and without the bombast of a Marc-Andre Hamelin.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Heitor Villa-Lobos Choros No. 10 (for orchestra and mixed choir) and No. 11 (piano concerto), played by the SPSO and conducted by Neschling. Great record.


----------



## rrudolph

Interesting music (and sociopolitical commentary) from a student of Stefan Wolpe (and teacher of Stuart Saunders Smith):

Brun: Gestures for Eleven/Trio for Trumpet, Trombone and Percussion/The Laughing Third/String Quartet #3/Sonata for Bassoon Alone/At Loose Ends/Mutatis Mutandis/Nonet


----------



## Bas

George Frederic Handel - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], Richard Egarr [harpsichord], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2










Surprisingly sweet second movement, almost reminiscent of Beethoven's No. 5.


----------



## lupinix

Bartok string quartet 5


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Karajan: Mozart Symphony No. 40, First Movement*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> millionrainbows: Piano music by Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982). Hamish Milne, piano (Hyperion). Just think, this composer lived to see punk rock and the beginnings of American hard-core!


-- Same for Stokowski.


----------



## Oskaar

I will explore some pianists, after reccomodations from the pianis thread starting with
*Nelson Freire*

I need time to review to much I think

*Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53 -"Waldstein"*

from this album

*Nelson Freire 
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 27/2, 53, 81a & 110*









allmusic


----------



## LancsMan

*D. Scarlatti: - Sonatas* Pletnev on Virgin.








A selection of Scarlatti sonatas played on the piano, which is fine by me. Scarlatti's sonatas seem to be so self contained, with music ranging from poetic to dazzling. Spanish guitar like touches and interesting harmonic turns abound. Born the same year as JS Bach his music seems to be a world away and so unique (I think he did have some followers).

I always enjoy hearing Scarlatti sonatas, but his is quite a small though charming world (as compared to JS. Bach). I have a very small selection of Scarlatti sonatas in my collection (mainly this double CD). I'm not sure I feel the need to go for the complete works of Scarlatti, as I'm not convinced this will tell me that much more. But I probably do need to obtain some Scarlatti played on the harpsichord.

I must say I find this current recording a joy.


----------



## hpowders

oskaar said:


> I will explore some pianists, after reccomodations from the pianis thread starting with
> *Nelson Freire*
> 
> I need time to review to much I think
> 
> *Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53 -"Waldstein"*
> 
> from this album
> 
> *Nelson Freire
> Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 27/2, 53, 81a & 110*
> 
> View attachment 36851
> 
> 
> allmusic


One of my favorite pianists.


----------



## Oskaar

more Nelson Freire

*Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No.1 in B flat minor, Op.9 No.1
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No.2 in E flat, Op.9 No.2
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No.3 in B, Op.9 No.3
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No.4 in F, Op.15 No.1
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No.5 in F sharp, Op.15 No.2
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No.6 in G minor, Op.15 No.3*

from this album

*Nelson Freire 
Chopin: The Nocturnes*









Freire does some clumsy things once in a while (no, that was with the Beethoven sonata), but lyrically, and with interpretatons, I have quite good impressions so far. You feel safe and warm in fatherly hands
*And*--the nocturnes are beautiful, but slightly sad. But that can be uplifting and good to listen too.

allmusic
amazon
classistoday  (wow!)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony - Frans Bruggen, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

hpowders said:


> One of my favorite pianists.


 He definatly hit something in me. Listening to Debussy now, and that is superb! Preludes book 1

I have vakuumed spotify with 7 hours Friere. Will hit the couch now, and listen to some of it before sleep!


----------



## hpowders

oskaar said:


> He definatly hit something in me. Listening to Debussy now, and that is superb! Preludes book 1
> 
> I have vakuumed spotify with 7 hours Friere. Will hit the couch now, and listen to some of it before sleep!


Freire is fine in Debussy; Chopin too and of course Villa Lobos.

7 Hours? You sound like a Freire Fanatic!!!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bruckner's Mass in F minor - Markus Janowski, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn - String Quartet in D major, Op. 76, No. 5,* Hob.III/79 (1796-7)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2004]

*Mozart - String Quartet No. 17, KV. 458* 'The Hunt' (1784)
Leipzig String Quartet, [MD&G, rec. 2001]

*Beethoven - String Quartet in A major, Op. 18 No. 5* (1798 - 1800)
Takács Quartet [Decca, rec. 2002]





















More vaguely comparative listening at Turnabout Towers tonight. Of course the fact that the Takács and Leipzig quartets sound rather different makes a fair comparison of the works difficult (I consider the Leipzig's Mozart set to be especially fine).

I've been wondering how I could 'know' the rest of Haydn's Op. 76/5 and still not recognise the 'Largo ma non troppo - Cantabile e mesto' slow movement. Oh well. Listening tonight as if to a brand new work. I've obviously not been listening very attentively up to now.

I thought that the Endellion Quartet's Beethoven Op. 18/5 and 6 (posted on Saturday last) were very fresh and graceful - it'll be interesting to hear again the Takács approach for comparison (next up on Foobar)


----------



## jim prideaux

continuing my investigation of Myaskovsky-symphonies 15 and 27 as recorded by Svetlanov and Russian Federation Academic Symphony Orch has just arrived in the post today-15th is an immediately attractive work!


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases.

*Prokofiev*: Symphony 5, Piano Concerto 3, w. Matsuev/Gergiev; *Schubert*: Symphonies 3. 4, 5, w. Swedish CO/Dausgaard.

Gergiev is involved, so it's hit or miss. Lazy Prokofiev readings. Another miss. 

Schubert off the rails. Lean forces in strong period cadence are not working here. Symphony 5 has a few moments, but this comes after total fails for 3 & 4. Tragic indeed. I don't see this cycle going anywhere but the discount bins.


----------



## Blancrocher

Larrocha's "Double Decca" release of Albeniz & Granados (rec. 1972-6).


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Rameau's harpsichord music, played by Pieter-Jan Belder


----------



## TurnaboutVox

senza sordino said:


> then, oh, the embarrassment.  How can I show myself with any dignity here on TC. :lol:


Well, there is a thread devoted to musical confessions now. You could use that if you feel so inclined...
But I forgive you, Senza, because Simon Rattle was involved too!

Currently listening to:

*Szymanowski

Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 9

Myths, Op. 30* (a current nomination on the 'Classical Music Project' thread}
No. 1. The Fountain of Arethusa
No. 2. Narcissus
No. 3. Dryads and Pan
*Nocturne and tarantella, Op. 28*

Krzysztof Bakowski, violin; Anna Gorecka, piano [CD Accord, 2005]


----------



## Weston

*Stravinsky: Symphonie de Psaumes *
Sir George Solti / Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus









I have no words . . .


----------



## Weston

*Walton: Variations on a Theme by Hindemith*
George Szell / Cleveland Orchestra (1964)









Very nice recording for its age! Charming piece, not as mind blowing as the Stravinsky above, but that can be a good thing. I should have listened to them in reverse order though.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade in D Major, KV 100

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim


----------



## Weston

LancsMan said:


> *D. Scarlatti: - Sonatas* Pletnev on Virgin.
> View attachment 36852
> 
> 
> A selection of Scarlatti sonatas played on the piano, which is fine by me. Scarlatti's sonatas seem to be so self contained, with music ranging from poetic to dazzling. Spanish guitar like touches and interesting harmonic turns abound. Born the same year as JS Bach his music seems to be a world away and so unique (I think he did have some followers).
> 
> I always enjoy hearing Scarlatti sonatas, but his is quite a small though charming world (as compared to JS. Bach). I have a very small selection of Scarlatti sonatas in my collection (mainly this double CD). I'm not sure I feel the need to go for the complete works of Scarlatti, as I'm not convinced this will tell me that much more. But I probably do need to obtain some Scarlatti played on the harpsichord.
> 
> I must say I find this current recording a joy.


I've come to the conclusion that they begin to sound alike after the collection grows, but then sometimes there is that one sonata slightly different from the rest and you never know which it will be. Scarlatti translates to a lot of different settings. Hearing him transcribed to brass is astounding! I've even heard him on accordion and it wasn't bad. So that may be a route to consider too.


----------



## KenOC

Listening to Beethoven's late piano sonatas, Igor Levit. This is a newish recording and a very, very good one.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Boris Lyatoshynsky--*Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52; Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.63 and Symphony No.5 in C Major, Op.67 {"Slavonic"}.*
All three works feature the Theodore Kuchar led Ukranian State Symphony Orchestra. I am really starting to "get into" this composer, hearing some echoes of Shostakovich and Prokofiev in his orchestration, especially as it pertains to the use of dissonance/atonality {?}. 
Jean Sibelius-- *Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.39; Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43; Symphony No.3 in C Major, Op.52 and Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82. *The four symphonies are performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the steady hand of Osmo Vanska. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} and Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"}, * both once again featuring the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, on this occasion conducted by Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Morimur

*Nikolai Karetnikov - (1992) Chamber Music (Sokolov, Sergeieva)*

If you enjoy Shostakovian paranoia and depressing, grey concrete apartment blocks, this disc will satisfy. A gem.


----------



## Weston

*Max Bruch: Symphony No.3, in E major Op. 51*
Manfred Honeck / Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra









Movement 1. 
Well, there are some strings and woodwinds and brass and stuff, and some resolution from the V chord to the I chord, and other stuff like that.

Movement 2.
Pretty enough I guess.

Movement 3.
More interesting or at least more memorable themes, almost in Dvorak territory. I could be motivated to hit the play button for this movement again in the future.

Movement 4. 
See Movement 1. Add more timpani. It's not without its moments.

Don't let my desultory tone discourage anyone from giving this a go. I may have just been in the mood for something else.


----------



## Itullian

It's NOT pithy, and I love it.


----------



## dgee

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 36829
> View attachment 36825
> 
> 
> Currently listening to Mahler's 4th, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas (rec. 2003), after which I'll listen to Christian Poltera and co in cello music by Honegger for the composer's birthday.
> 
> *p.s* MTT's Mahler sounds as slick as the album cover looks.


Whatever happened to those MTT Mahler recordings - I was seriously blown away by the quality of the playing when they first came. Are they well thought of, or what?


----------



## Blancrocher

dgee said:


> Whatever happened to those MTT Mahler recordings - I was seriously blown away by the quality of the playing when they first came. Are they well thought of, or what?


MTT's not my favorite Mahlerian (even leaving aside present company), but I've held on to his 4th and a couple others. Others may say different, but I think he's a good guide to Mahler.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> It's NOT pithy, and I love it.


---
Not everything's a _mot juste_ or an after dinner mint. Bruckner's main-course meal sustenance for me.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Currently listening to a recording I just got today of a concert last semester where I had my principal debut with my university's top orchestra. I was first flute in Wagner's Prelude, other excerpts and Liebestod for _Tristan und Isolde_. I wasn't too bad! I was afraid my early exit for the final chord would have been obvious, but the orchestra covered me up pretty well so that it sounded natural, so I don't feel so bad about it now.

Now I'm listening to our performance of Salonen's_ Foreign Bodies _where I was a piccolo player in its massive setting, listening for accuracy and overall effect. It's a very exciting piece!!


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 9


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions.*


----------



## Blake

Ghazal - _Moon Rise Over The Silk Road._


----------



## SimonNZ

lp1 of Peter Frankl playing Debussy's complete solo piano works

which includes Estampes, Images Set 1, and miscellaneous shorter works


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818: Trio Sonata in G Minor, Op.12, No.3

Czech Baroque Trio: Martin Jakubicek, piano -- Antonin Rous, violin -- Jan Skrdlik, cello


----------



## Mahlerian

Strauss: Salome
Gun-Brit Barkmin, Jane Henschel, Gerhard Siegel, Evgeny Nikitin, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Nelsons

Andris Nelsons' first concert with the BSO after becoming music director designate. An impressive showing all round, though the slower pace the conductor took for the Dance sequence only made it more obvious how much worse that music is compared to the rest of the opera...


----------



## dgee

Mahlerian said:


> An impressive showing all round, though the slower pace the conductor took for the Dance sequence only made it more obvious how much worse that music is compared to the rest of the opera...


Awww - trashier definitely. Maybe not "worse" per se....


----------



## Weston

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Currently listening to a recording I just got today of a concert last semester where I had my principal debut with my university's top orchestra. I was first flute in Wagner's Prelude, other excerpts and Liebestod for _Tristan und Isolde_. I wasn't too bad! I was afraid my early exit for the final chord would have been obvious, but the orchestra covered me up pretty well so that it sounded natural, so I don't feel so bad about it now.
> 
> Now I'm listening to our performance of Salonen's_ Foreign Bodies _where I was a piccolo player in its massive setting, listening for accuracy and overall effect. It's a very exciting piece!!


The coolest thing for me about working for a university is getting to log on to the music school's library and archive concert recording web site. You may listen to analyze, but I listen for entertainment and education. I can hear lectures all the way back to the mid 1970s and various student and faculty performances, their own compositions or works commissioned by major composers not recorded elsewhere yet. Some are a little marginal of course, but some are quite interesting. It has introduced me to composers I wouldn't otherwise know.


----------



## SimonNZ

Holst's Twelve Humbert Wolfe Songs - Peter Pears, tenor, Benjam Britten, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 1 in E-flat Major (The London Haydn Quartet).


----------



## jim prideaux

no work until later today so a leisurely morning has begun with the further listening to Myaskovsky 15th and 27th symphonies-both particularly impressive-as I have grown to expect the slow movement of the 27th is immediate-the elegiac quality being an obvious reflection of both the composers awareness of his imminent demise and arguably a response to his environment-1948 party rantings about formalism etc.....the 15th has a relative lightness in the orchestration which results in a certain elusiveness but a work which will obviously repay repeated listening....throughout all this it is possible to detect a sense of continuity....somehow although fleetingly there are reminders of Glazunov and even Borodin...

on another 'note'....recently transferred my fathers Schubert 5,6,8,9 symphonies performed by Karajan and BPO (EMI mid 70's)on to my I-pod-listened to them whilst working yesterday-I am used to Abbado and COE-I know the Karajan are particularly well thought of....I can hear why, and in certain instances I can clearly hear why but to my ears Karajan seems to find a 'stateliness' in certain parts that might emphasise the dramatic element but at the same time accentuates a sense of the remote,an aloofness or distance that I do not readily associate with this composer....2nd movement of the 8th springs to mind!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 5*
David Lloyd-Jones & the RSNO

Listening via YouTube, I fancied listening to Lloyd-Jones' approach after listening to his recording of Vaughan Williams' Job - A Masque for Dancing. A very satisfying recording.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ravel's Rhapsodie Espagnole - Riccardo Muti, cond.










Ravel's Rhapsodie Espagnole - Charles Dutoit, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major (Martha Argerich; Claudio Abbado; London Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Elgar's Falstaff: Symphonic Study - Anthony Collins, cond.


----------



## Bas

Working from home, half sick, so I taught, let us start the morning with some light baroque, on modern piano:

Frederic Francois Couperin - Various Piano Sonatas
By Alexandre Tharaud [modern piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintets K593 in D, K614 in E-flat
By the Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes [viola], on Hyperion


----------



## SimonNZ

Beat Furrer's Voicelessness - Nicolas Hodges, piano


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Mozart Symphony No 8, Marriner with the ASMF (on Philips) ... the 1st recording thereof which shows how much stuff must exist out there unrecorded as it took until 1984 to see these '40 minutes worth of' fragments from the 3rd and 4th Movements to appear 'in print'.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Amy Winehouse Back to black. 

Even if u wouldn't ordinarily give popular music a look in I recommend this as it's really outside of the envelope and gr8.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Like my 5 a day I'm having the first of my 3 B's today


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

So Back to black v Back to Bach :lol:


----------



## Bas

Haut Parleur said:


> Like my 5 a day I'm having the first of my 3 B's today
> 
> View attachment 36880


Is that a live recording with a scarlatti sonata as "encore", like this one?


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

A contest :tiphat:


----------



## Ingélou

Richard Mudge, Concerto for Trumpet & Strings - graceful music from the composer with the irresistible name.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

ruaskin said:


> A contest :tiphat:


No contest at all


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Bas said:


> Is that a live recording with a scarlatti sonata as "encore", like this one?
> 
> View attachment 36881


It isn't and I've attached the reverse for reference now


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Concerto in F Major, RV 97

Il Giardino Armonico of Milan


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Tech failure but attached now


----------



## SimonNZ

Peter Ablinger's Ohne Titel - Klangforum Wien










Henry Brandt's Trinity Of Spheres


----------



## Winterreisender

Having a Renaissance party with Susato's Dansereye. Just rocking out to the Battle Pavane!


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Concertino for Flute and Oboe in C Major, Op.65

English Chamber Orchestra with Peter Lukas Graf on flute and Heinz Holliger on oboe


----------



## Mahlerian

Rameau: Suite in A minor
Frederick Hass, harpsichord


----------



## Orfeo

*Kurt Magnus Atterberg*

Sonata for Cello & Piano in B minor, op. 27 (1925).
-Werner Thomas-Mifune, cellist.
-Carmen Piazzini, pianist.

Concerto for Cello & Orchestra in B-flat minor, op. 21 (1922).
-Werner Thomas-Mifune, cellist.
-The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Karl Anton Rickenbacher.

Concerto for Violin & Orchestra in E minor, op. 7 (1913).
-Ulf Wallin, violinist.
-The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Roger Epple.

Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and String Orchestra, op. 57 (1959-1960).
-Leo Berlin, violinist. 
-Folke Bramme, cellist. 
-Radioorkestern/Georg Ludwig Jochum.
-->




Varmland Rhapsody, op. 36 (1936).
-The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Roger Epple.

Overture in A minor, op. 4 (1910/1912, rev. 1933). 
-The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Roger Epple.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Chopin's Nocturnes, performed by Freire.


----------



## Andolink

*Ulrich Alexander Kreppein*: _String Quartet_ (2009)
The Danish String Quartet








*J. S. Bach*: _Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV14_
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki








*Alexander Goehr*: _Since Brass, nor Stone... Op. 80_ (2008)-- Fantasy for string quartet and percussion
Colin Currie , percussion
Pavel Haas Quartet
_...around Stravinsky for violin and woodwind quartet Op. 72_ (2002)-- Prelude, 'Dushkin'-- Stravinsky: Pastorale--Introduzione and Rondo
David Alberman, violin
Gareth Hulse, oboe
Richard Hosford, clarinet
Ursula Leveaux, bassoon
Richard Watkins, horn








*Luis de Pablo*: _Dibujos_ for flute, clarinet, violin and cello (1979)
Ensemble 2E2M/Paul Mefano








*Alban Berg*: _String Quartet, Op. 3_
Schönberg Quartett


----------



## shangoyal

As evening falls, it's time for some Debussy - for that rarefied city feel - when the city intrudes into your living room, when the sound of the cars going by are musically fit, the roses in your garden grow on carbon monoxide... then it is time for some Debussy.

Debussy: *Nocturnes*

Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez


----------



## rrudolph

Some light opera for me this morning:

Berg: Lulu


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mutter's Morning Mozart*










Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the. . . where the hell did the _sun _go?!. . . currently_ foggy _climes of Southen California-- and trying to bring some_ light_ back in with Mutter and Mozart.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the. . . where the hell did the _sun _go?!. . . currently_ foggy _climes of Southen California-- and trying to bring some_ light_ back in with Mutter and Mozart.


That'll do it!!! I see the sun coming out right now.


----------



## Vasks

_Polish playlist_

*Kurpinski - Overture to "Two Huts" (Wislocki/Olympia)
Chopin - Polonaise brillante, Op. 3 (Kliegel & Glemser/Naxos)
Szymanowski - Stabat Mater (Shaw/Telarc)
Baird - Elegia (Michniewski/Olympia)*


----------



## Flamme

Bach - Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord in A Major, BWV 1032
http://www.sky.fm/classical


----------



## millionrainbows

*Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major. Utah SO, Abravanel. *_Silverline Classics DVD audio disc; advanced resolution surround sound option, 96 kHz/24 bit. Denon DVD-2900 DVD audio player used.

_I'm glad my front L-R Altec 12s have that -3db cut switch; it rolled the brightness off the strings nicely.

Mahler symphonies: the symphonic apotheosis of the lied. No doubt that's why they're so popular. They're by nature more intimate than a Beethoven or Brahms symphonic bombast; and I think that they are inherently more lyrical melodically, less 'motivic' and symphonically-driven to work the fragments to death. Still, there's plenty of variation and transformation.

Mahler is to be enjoyed with speakers and a real amplifier, not earbuds or computer-related audio.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Tchaikovsky Everything*


----------



## Blancrocher

For Carl Ruggles' birthday, I'll listen to Michael Boriskin playing the 'Four Chants for Piano "Evocations."'

The disk also includes works by Harold Shapero, Irving Fine, and Gian Carlo Menotti.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=27079


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


>


Jete, Jete. ......................


----------



## Vaneyes

*Holst*: "The Perfect Fool", Egdon Heath, w. LSO/Previn (rec.1974); The Planets, w. ASO/Levi (rec.1997).


----------



## hpowders

Haydn The Creation, Andreas Spering.
Second time this week.
Haydn must be doing something right!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Jete, Jete. ......................


_Jeté en tournant_. . . aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand. . . _pirouette._

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Tchaikovsky: The Voyevoda*

Litton does this great-- totally heart-rending; totally exciting:


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Pieter Jan Belder doing Bach's WTC:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Walton: First Symphony*









Previn does this with such full-tilting-charge force, that the first movement of it reminds me of Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires diving on Messerschmitt's in the Battle of Britain. . . even though the music was written way before the engagement, of course. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Piazzolla's* (1921) birthday.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Mahler is to be enjoyed with speakers and a real amplifier, not earbuds or computer-related audio.


_Ah-men._. . . Yeah. . .The drivers in Sennheiser 800's are small compared with a stellar stereo, D/A converter, amp, and speaker set-up. Bigger drivers, _ceteris paribus_, push more air-- the sound is _not_ the same. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Yeah, Mahler needs to sing, caress, and tumultously shake your house. I want the whole world around me to be enveloped by Mahler's sound. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been listening to Stravinsky works in chronological order. Currently Jenny Lin in the 4 Etudes, op. 7.


----------



## Ingélou

Mahlerian said:


> Rameau: Suite in A minor
> Frederick Hass, harpsichord


Thank you, Mahlerian. :tiphat: I'm too busy today, but this will be my tomorrow's listening. 
You can tell that Taggart & I are soul-mates. I saw your post this afternoon, and posted the link on to my Facebook page, with the explanation 'Mahlerian's Recommendation'. Then Taggart told me he'd already posted it on *his* Facebook page, three hours earlier, with the explanation 'From Mahlerian'. 
Our Friends will be wondering who this Olympian Character is!


----------



## Bas

George Frederic Handel - Deidamia (opera) HWV 42
By Simone Kermes, Anna Bonitatibus, Dominique Labelle, Furio Zanasi, Antonio Abete, Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis [dir.]









Franz Schubert - Impromptus D899, D 935 
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Alfacharger

I recently picked up this cd for $3.99 and I can't stop playing it.


----------



## Itullian

Got 3 on.


----------



## Itullian

Alfacharger said:


> I recently picked up this cd for 3 bucks and I can't stop playing it.


Bohm is fantastic with Mozart.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 47 in G Major, 'Palindrome' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## julianoq

Dvorák's Piano Quintet Op. 81 and Piano Quartet Op. 87, performed by Pressler and the ESQ.


----------



## Blancrocher

Denis Matsuev playing Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. I came to this album to hear a recommended pianist (on the best contemporary pianists thread) in the 3 Movements from Petrushka for piano, but I'm most taken by my first hearing of Tchaikovsky's "Seasons." Beautiful music.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Denis Matsuev playing Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. I came to this album to hear a recommended pianist (on the best contemporary pianists thread) in the 3 Movements from Petrushka for piano, but I'm most taken by my first hearing of Tchaikovsky's "Seasons." Beautiful music.


Gotta get that one. I have the Kissin, which is predictably great; now I need the Matsuev. I especially want to see what he brings to the table with the Petrushka. Thanks.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 36898
> 
> 
> I've been listening to Stravinsky works in chronological order. Currently Jenny Lin in the 4 Etudes, op. 7.


Cute picture of Jenny Lin too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ottorino Respighi - Belkis, Queen of Sheba - Suite 1/2*






Love the entrance of those strings at 02:06+. . . and of that brass progression at 03:21+.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Respighi: Church Windows- "St. Gregory the Great"*

Not the best Church Windows I've heard, not by a long shot. But the fantastic Exton sound really makes the organ in "St. Gregory the Great" 'stargate' you into another galaxy. The CD's worth it to me just for that one moment of that one cut.


----------



## DavidA

Bruckner Symphony 4 - Karajan / BPO (EMI 1971) 

Tremendously exciting scherzo! Those Berlin horns!


----------



## Ravndal

Bach D major toccata BWV 912

Rosalyn Tureck


----------



## Cosmos

Writing another paper, so I'm going through Rautavaara's symphonies, starting with no. 1


----------



## Blancrocher

Alexandra Sostmann and Judith Mosch (the "Duo Villarceaux") in the 4-hand piano version of the Rite. The timings are faster than in the classic Ashkenazy/Gavrilov recording, which is a good sign, but I won't throw either away.

Also enjoying Boulez & co. in the early vocal music.

*p.s.* Is there a particular recording of the "Church Windows" you'd recommend seeking out, Blair?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

SimonNZ said:


> Elgar's Falstaff: Symphonic Study - Anthony Collins, cond.


This is a superb performance, probably the finest on disc, next to the composer's own (which I hold, *is* the finest on disc), what a great conductor Collins was, a shame he didn't remake this and his Sibelius cycle in stereo.


----------



## Katie

As with the Berlin PO 100 box, I've a sense of melancholy at completion of the Furtwangler/Edition set, which ended with something of an extraordinary run (that is, the last 35 discs or so) and a major surprise - at least to me - in the final pieces. A significant chunk of the last few boxes is dedicated to Wagner and the marriage of his darkly powerful works - especially the Ring cycle - with WF's teutonic discipline, the magnificent play of the Italian Radiotelevision studio orchestra (among others, like the Berlin and Vienna POs), and tremendous casting, particularly Windgassen's Siegmund and Mödl's Brünnhilde, yield a mesmerizing 12-15 hours of listening (including great excerpts from Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, and The Mastersingers of Nuremburg.

The surprise? Furtwangler's own glorious 2nd Symphony and his lovely piano work accompanying tenor Elisabeth Schwarzkopf through Wolf's Salzburg Song Recital.

As a deadhead who has purchased about all of the band's 100 or so commercial releases, I've become accustomed to the statistical reality of bad discs when acquiring a significant amount of music from a given source - and learned to patiently negotiate the replacement process. Imagine my surprise to find not a single blemished disc among the 106 deadicated (pun intended) to music in the FW box! (107 is an interview and there are a few DVDs I've not yet entertained). 

Now on to Sony's Masterworks Heritage box which promises a delectable sampling of diverse geographic orchestras right here at home, including Pittsburgh, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Philadelphia, led by giants like Szell, Bernstein, and Reiner..."Life is Good"...peace/Katie


----------



## ShropshireMoose

The Immortal Fritz Kreisler plays.........
Paganini-Kreisler: Violin Concerto No.1 Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Dohnanyi: Ruralia Hungarica Carl Lamson
Kreisler: Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra/Donald Voorhees

Fritz Kreisler, just the prospect of playing some of his recordings fills me with joy. His one movement version of the Paganini 1st Concerto is best enjoyed as a new entity in it's own right, his phrasing and playing of the gorgeous tube that he added to it is as beautiful a thing as anyone could ever wish to hear. The Dohnanyi Ruralia Hungarica is a great set of pieces whether you hear the original piano version, the orchestral version, or the three movements the composer arranged for violin and piano, and Kreisler's own wonderful Fantasietta is a nostalgically glowing piece written during the war, and was his last recording. A great, and moving leave taking from a supreme musician.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bruckner's Symphony No.4 - Mariss Jansons, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, Piano Sonata #31 in A-flat, Op. 110. François-Frédéric Guy.


----------



## Alfacharger

Just finished "Men and Mountains" and "Suntreader"
.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

Sonatas for 'cello and piano, No. 1 Op. 5/1 in F and No. 2, Op. 5/2 in G minor*

Alfred and Adrian Brendel [Decca, 2004]

*Reger

String Quartet in E flat, Op. 109*

Drolc Quartet [DG, rec. 1969-71]


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.25 in C Major, KV 503

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## clavichorder

A really nice symphony by Haydn, 53, by Hogwood


----------



## SimonNZ

Vivaldi Sonatas for Cello and Basso Continuo - Anner Bylsma and Hidemi Suzuki, cellos, Jacques Ogg, harpsichord


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Simpson

Quintet For Clarinet, Bass Clarinet & String Trio*

Vanbrugh Quartet, Joy Farrall (Clarinet), Fiona Cross (Bass clarinet) [Hyperion, 1993]

*Carter

Elegy (for String Quartet) *

Arditti String Quartet [Etcetera, 2005]


----------



## cwarchc

Playing these for the 1st time
I do like how this young lady plays
Very nice


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Ligeti - Works For Piano

Piano Études (Book One) * / Pierre-Laurent Aimard [Sony Classical, 1997]


----------



## Guest

Sparkling performances and beautifully clear sound.


----------



## Winterreisender

winding down the evening with Faure's Requiem:


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Karajan


----------



## Sonata

First listen to Massenet: Werther. So far so good!


----------



## Blancrocher

Dmitri Alexeev playing Scriabin's sonatas.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Hammerklavier, as orchestrated by Weingartner. Why? On YouTube.


----------



## julianoq

KenOC said:


> Beethoven's Hammerklavier, as orchestrated by Weingartner. Why? On YouTube.


First I said "oh my God". Then said "why not". Listening to it too! And well, it is not that bad, having some fun with the first movement.


----------



## GreenMamba

Shostakovich Piano Trio #2, Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.59 in E Flat

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## KenOC

julianoq said:


> First I said "oh my God". Then said "why not". Listening to it too! And well, it is not that bad, having some fun with the first movement.


Well, after listening to the whole thing, I suspect that somebody really good at orchestration ought to be able to make a good symphony out of it. Beethoven's Symphony No. 8.5! It would certainly be a lot different from his other symphonies.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, *
performed by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra under Jascha Horenstein. Somewhat slower paced than I am used to, but very effective, nonetheless. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.82, *
once again featuring the Jascha Horenstein led BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. 
Piotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Dreams"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *
All three symphonies are performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Maestro Abbado. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, * both featuring Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Weston

*Gaspar Cassadó: Piano Trio in C major*
Trio Kairos









I think I've posted this album before, but a different work. Here's a bit of chamber music with a Spanish flavor. It sounds like it could be a Fantasia on Malagueña, but of course it isn't really.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Well, after listening to the whole thing, I suspect that somebody really good at orchestration ought to be able to make a good symphony out of it. Beethoven's Symphony No. 8.5! It would certainly be a lot different from his other symphonies.


WOW! I like it. It's a little weird - sometimes the orchestration seems too modern, but then Beethoven undeniably blazes forth. I want more like this.


----------



## SimonNZ

lp2 of Peter Frankl playing Debussy's piano works

Suite Bergamasque, Children's Corner, Pour Le Piano and miscellaneous short works


----------



## Cosmos

More youtube: Strauss Ein Heldenleben


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Ruggles' Sun-Treader - Christoph von Dohnányi, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 50 in C Major; Symphony No. 64 in A Major, 'Tempora Mutantur'
(Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (Leonard Bernstein; Orchestre National de France).


----------



## SimonNZ

William Grant Still's Symphony No.2 - Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

KenOC said:


> Beethoven's Hammerklavier, as orchestrated by Weingartner. Why? On YouTube.


The late, lamented Denis Matthews said it was "like arriving at the summit of Everest in a helicopter", a very apt description methinks.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Suppe: Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna/Pique Dame/Banditenstreiche/Light Cavalry/Beautiful Galatea/Poet and Peasant 
Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

Suppe: Fatinitza/Boccaccio London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

A most delightful collection of Suppe's overtures, brilliantly realised by Barbirolli and Boult and their respective orchestras. Great fun.


----------



## SimonNZ

Constant Lambert's Pomona - Norman Del Mar, cond.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in E Minor, D 57

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Federico Guglielmo, violin


----------



## Wood

*BACH* St Mark's Passion (Heighes version) _Rogers Covey Crump, EU Baroque O, Goodman

_Recorded at New College, Oxford 1996


----------



## SimonNZ

William Kraft's Contextures: Riots Decade '60 - Zubin Mehta, cond.


----------



## adrem

Schoenberg: "Pierrot lunaire", "Herzgewachse" and "Ode to Napoleon". Boulez and Ensamble InterContemporain.


----------



## SimonNZ

William Kraft's Contextures II: The Final Beast - Andre Previn, cond.


----------



## moody

Katie said:


> As with the Berlin PO 100 box, I've a sense of melancholy at completion of the Furtwangler/Edition set, which ended with something of an extraordinary run (that is, the last 35 discs or so) and a major surprise - at least to me - in the final pieces. A significant chunk of the last few boxes is dedicated to Wagner and the marriage of his darkly powerful works - especially the Ring cycle - with WF's teutonic discipline, the magnificent play of the Italian Radiotelevision studio orchestra (among others, like the Berlin and Vienna POs), and tremendous casting, particularly Windgassen's Siegmund and Mödl's Brünnhilde, yield a mesmerizing 12-15 hours of listening (including great excerpts from Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, and The Mastersingers of Nuremburg.
> 
> The surprise? Furtwangler's own glorious 2nd Symphony and his lovely piano work accompanying tenor Elisabeth Schwarzkopf through Wolf's Salzburg Song Recital.
> 
> As a deadhead who has purchased about all of the band's 100 or so commercial releases, I've become accustomed to the statistical reality of bad discs when acquiring a significant amount of music from a given source - and learned to patiently negotiate the replacement process. Imagine my surprise to find not a single blemished disc among the 106 deadicated (pun intended) to music in the FW box! (107 is an interview and there are a few DVDs I've not yet entertained).
> 
> Now on to Sony's Masterworks Heritage box which promises a delectable sampling of diverse geographic orchestras right here at home, including Pittsburgh, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Philadelphia, led by giants like Szell, Bernstein, and Reiner..."Life is Good"...peace/Katie


I'm not a Schwarzkopf fan but she was definitely a soprano rather than a tenor.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 1, no. 2, Mondscheinsonata
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The academy of ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca









Franz Schubert - Moments Musiceux 
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonatas no. 1 in D no. 2 in A no. 3 in E-flat, no 9 in A "Kreutzer"
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Mahlerian

Debussy: Images I and II
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli


----------



## julianoq

After taking a hard decision yesterday, just woke up with a renewed hope today. Some pending things were holding me down. Now listening to Debussy's La Mer, with Boulez/CO!


----------



## Alfacharger

Malcolm Arnold's first two delightful symphonies.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Debussy: Pelleas et Melissande*









Cut 1: a whole lotta wonderful. . . with a tripple espresso. . . _to go _:


----------



## Kevin Pearson

First listen of Marcel Tyberg's wonderful 3rd Symphony before heading off to work this morning. This symphony should appeal to those who like Debussy, Franck, Dvorak and a touch of Prokofiev. Each movement is unique but I think the 3rd and 4th movements are my favorite. Now I'll have to explore some more Tyberg.  The Tyberg piano trio coupled with this symphony is also really good. Very dramatic and romantic.










Kevin


----------



## maestro267

*Villa-Lobos*: Piano Concerto No. 1
Ortiz (piano)/Royal PO/Gómez-Martínez

*Daugherty*: Philadelphia Stories
Colorado SO/Alsop


----------



## Vasks

_Polish playlist, part 2_

*Elsner - Overture to "The Echo in the Wood" (Dawidow/Dux)
Chopin - Two Nocturnes, Op. 62 (Arrau/Philips)
Lutoslawski - Chantefleurs et Chantefables (Upshaw/Sony)
Bacewicz - Viola Concerto (Kamasa/Olympia)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Cosi fan Tutte*









"_In uomini, in soldati_"- Ann Murray's Despina's_ SO _much fun. I love her laugh at the start.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Mahler (1860-1911); Symphony No. 4; Cleveland Orchestra, Boulez (DG).* Abravanel was good, but even that recording, in 96kHz/24 bit surround, is outshined by the quality of this Boulez recording, which brings even greater clarity. That just goes to show you what good engineering can do.

I've been enjoying Mahler even more lately, since I read-up a little on him and remembered that his aesthetic was really based on Wagner, a sort of symphonic lieder without all the opera trappings. That always serves as a balm whenever toxic criticism is leveled against Wagner. Apparently, this mattered little to Mahler, as he based practically his whole aesthetic on the Wagnerian prototype. Or was this Mahler's way of saying, "Screw you, Wagner, I can do what you do backwards and in high-heels!"

Also, I like the way Mahler restrained himself in this one, sizing down the orchestra, and getting rid of all those trombones. Some of his sweetest, most lyrical melodies are in this one, as well. Boulez, as usual, brings a perfected clarity to the proceedings.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ravel*: String Quartet, w. Parkanyi Qt. (rec.2003); "Valses", w. Pogo (rec.1995).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 30.*

Rudolf Buchbinder plays this as if he were on a fortepiano, which to my ears suits this piece.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> Rameau: Suite in A minor
> Frederick Hass, harpsichord


It's *Haas; *and in case anybody is wondering, this 2-CD complete Rameau harpsichord works is unavailable.


----------



## jim prideaux

evidence of the influence of this forum-last week I happened to be reading through posts concerning 'suites' and realised that even though I might like to consider myself a Sibelius 'head' I had not heard the original Karelia music of 1893 or the 1899 Press Celebration Music which contains Finlandia-so arrived this morning-Tampere Phil conducted by Toumas Ollila on Ondine performing these works-the recording took a bit of a hammering from one dissatisfied customer on Amazon but a very brief listen would seem to indicate it is not necessarily as bad as I might have feared......so off we go!


----------



## violadude

*Mendelssohn's String Symphonies*

I just did a marathon listen to all 12 of Mendelssohn's String Symphonies. I recommend that everyone interested in Mendelssohn's works listen to these early pieces of his, in order. He wrote them all between the ages of 12-14 and it's an incredible experience to witness firsthand just how much he grew, musically, within that time frame. The first one is nice (if not a little stiff), the last couple are brilliant.

http://www.amazon.com/String-Symphonies-1-12-F-Mendelssohn/dp/B00030ERX8

And now for what everyone actually came here for, the CD COVER :lol:


----------



## Blancrocher

Kevin Volans: Quartet for Strings no 2 "Hunting:Gathering," performed by the Kronos Quartet. This really is an infectious quartet--maybe too infectious :lol:

*p.s.* And now a first listen to his 2nd Piano Concerto. It sounds pretty ferocious--but Marc-Andre Hamelin is up to the challenge!


----------



## Vasks

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 36937
> 
> This really is an infectious quartet--maybe too infectious :lol:


Maybe there's an antibiotic for you


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schoenberg*: Piano, Violin Concerti, w. Brendel/Zeitlin/BRSO/Kubelik (rec.1972); "Pell & Mel", w. Philharmonia/Sinopoli (rec.1994).


----------



## millionrainbows

*Dune: Original Soundtrack recording.* Written by Toto.

I have absolutely no interest in Toto, but two of the cuts on here I simply adore; 12. Prelude (Take my hand), and 17. Take my hand. They are somewhat 80's sounding, but I love these two tracks. Throughout, I like the use of minor and augmented chords.


----------



## Oskaar

ruaskin said:


> Amy Winehouse Back to black.


"From Norske talenter" (norway`s got talent)

Take good care of this jewel...all I got to say. *7 years old*, name: Angelina Jordan.

Try to listen to this without getting goosebumps all over, and chills down your spine.

Unbelivable...

Already called the new Amy Whinehouse

link


----------



## Blancrocher

Ligeti - Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles) (2000)


----------



## violadude

Blancrocher said:


> Ligeti - Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles) (2000)


That's a fantastic piece. I wrote up an in depth review of it on my old music blog.

http://rmusicreviews.wordpress.com/...sippal-dobbal-nadihegeduvel-by-gyorgy-ligeti/


----------



## Katie

Okay, I just had to break away from work with a rare 2nd-consecutive-day-appearance to remark on a disc of incredible performances that I've already replayed twice this morning; specifically - and perhaps most extraordinary - Walter conducting the Columbia SO through a series of Strauss' Waltzes' Overtures (apostrophes gone wild :lol: ) comprising The Blue Danube; Tales from the Vienna Woods; The Kaiser Waltz; Viennese Spirit/Blood; The Gypsy Baron; and The Bat....

It's problematic to suggest that the succession of Brahms' Hungarian Dances (Nos. 1,3,10,17) is any less entrancing, but perhaps (okay, I really can't choose) the real diamond among this collection of gems is Smetana's brilliant symphonic poem #2 from "My Fatherland", which prompts my question to y'all: How about specific recommendations for the entire suite/works/poems? (Both the of these are performed by the NYPO)

This is disc 36 (of 39) in my Walter/Edition box - yup, another weepy parting pending - which has proven another staggering bargain for the money.

Incidentally, the Horowitz/Carnegie Box is on sale from a reputable seller at Ebay (with whom I've done business, but have no vested interest) for about $96 (!!) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vladimir-Horowitz-Live-At-Carnegie-Hall-Vladimir-Horowitz-New-Box-set-/231104959268?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item35ceedd324

P.S.: Here's a link to the individual Walter release....Highly Recommended!

http://www.amazon.com/Johann-Strauss-II-Overtures-Hungarian/dp/B000002A7V/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1394645385&sr=1-4&keywords=bruno+walter+waltzes+strauss


----------



## Bas

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], John Toll [harpsichord, organ], Nigel North [archlute, theorbo, guitar], on HM Gold


----------



## Alfacharger

The Klingon's are coming, the Klingon's are coming!!! Jerry Goldsmith's score to Star Trek The Motion Picture.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...dtrack-jerry-goldsmith-next-generation-355005


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Henri Dutilleux, The Shadows of Time, Tout un monde lointain.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

oskaar said:


> "From Norske talenter" (norway`s got talent)
> 
> Take good care of this jewel...all I got to say. *7 years old*, name: Angelina Jordan.
> 
> Try to listen to this without getting goosebumps all over, and chills down your spine.
> 
> Unbelivable...
> 
> Already called the new Amy Whinehouse
> ]


Shucks! I hope somebody sits her down and quotes Oscar Wilde: Don't make your life your tragedy. Make your art your tragedy.


----------



## Itullian

A Klemperer day.


----------



## Wood

*BACH, J. S. *Peter Hurford plays organs of Bach's time I










*BACH, J. S. *St Matthew Passion: Covey-Crump, George, Kirkby, Chance, Hill, Thomas.

Kings with help from Jesus:










The rule for this CD is that the tenors must have surnames for christian names whilst the basses must have christian names for surnames.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Das Rheingold










About ten interruptions while listening to this


----------



## neoshredder

Looking for Composers with a similar style to early Mozart. I think I found one. Johann Stamitz! 
http://www.amazon.com/Stamitz-Symph...1394648523&sr=1-2&keywords=stamitz+symphonies


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Dvorak: Symphony 6*
Neumann & the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Chopin's Piano Concerto #2


----------



## Cosmos

Thanks to user mtmailey making so many polls comparing Mahler to random composers he prefers, I've had an itch to listen to Mahler. Since I'm also studying, I thought I'd put on the fourth, with James Levine, Judith Blegen as soloist, and the CSO









Note: I couldn't find the album artwork for this one, so I just put an album cover that I think looks appropriate for the music


----------



## hpowders

Cosmos said:


> Thanks to user mtmailey making so many polls comparing Mahler to random composers he prefers, I've had an itch to listen to Mahler. Since I'm also studying, I thought I'd put on the fourth, with James Levine, Judith Blegen as soloist, and the CSO
> 
> View attachment 36943
> 
> 
> Note: I couldn't find the album artwork for this one, so I just put an album cover that I think looks appropriate for the music


Hope you like Mahler.


----------



## Cosmos

hpowders said:


> Hope you like Mahler.


I don't. I LOVE him. Though right now I'm kinda over-enthusiastic just because I'm going through another "Mahler-phase". I always fall into "x-composer phase" where I think that X is one of the best composers and I only listen to his/her music for a few days. Then a fall out and point to a different one.

I had a really bad Poulenc phase a few months ago that lasted for two weeks :lol:


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47*

From this record:









*David Oistrakh (violin)

The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy*

I am speachless..

amazon


----------



## Blancrocher

Britten's "Nocturnal after John Dowland," performed by Paul Galbraith. I'd recommend watching the youtube vid if you haven't seen Galbraith play--very unusual!


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47*

from this recording









*Lisa Batiashvili (violin)

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo*

Not the firework of Ostrakh, and I sence maybe some unsecurity from Batiashvili. (Dont ask me to deepen that.. I cant..  )

But nevertheless a very good interpretation. Intense, very skilled tecnically, an from Batiashvili , and absolutely recommended!

I am not so pleased with the orchestra though.

classicstoday.com


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Introduction and Allegro appassionato in G Major (Sviatoslav Richter; Stanislav Wislocki; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## jim prideaux

Myaskovsky investigation continues with 16th and 19th symphonies-Svetlanov conducting Russian Fed. Academic Symphony Orch.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Wagner-Die Walkure, Bohm-Bayreuther Festspiele from 1967 on Philips


----------



## Itullian

Haut Parleur said:


> Wagner-Die Walkure, Bohm-Bayreuther Festspiele from 1967 on Philips


A very exciting performance.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius:*

Sibelius, _berceuse_ from the _Tempest_; Miranda's theme of beautiful, wide-eyed innocence:


----------



## SimonNZ

Allegri's Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam - A Sei Voci


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Wagner: Das Rheingold
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> About ten interruptions while listening to this


Back when they had _real _record covers. . .

_"Heda! Heda! Hedo!"_-- all the way. Swing that war hammer.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> The Klingon's are coming, the Klingon's are coming!!! Jerry Goldsmith's score to Star Trek The Motion Picture.
> 
> http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...dtrack-jerry-goldsmith-next-generation-355005


---
The Klingon opening cut is of course Prokofiev-Battle-on-the-Ice great; but I really like the mysterious Bartokian feel of the Spock-and-his-Vulcan-parents cut.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Cello Sonatas* Steven Isserlis and Robert Levin on hyperion.







My first listen to this set of the complete Beethoven cello sonatas (plus extras) which arrived in the post at the weekend. Bit of an indulgence as I already have a fine set. But this one is played on fortepiano. I generally prefer the modern piano but this is quite interesting - especially as balanced against the cello.

For those who don't know the cello sonatas - you need to remedy this. I generally rate these even higher than the violin sonatas. Partly because they extend into Beethoven's late period. They lack some of the more obvious 'crowd pleasing' aspects - no Spring or Kreutzer sonata here. The Op. 5 cello sonatas are quite big and powerful works for such an early opus number. The Op. 69 cello sonata is quite muscular- which I love. Then the last two late period sonatas appeal strongly to me - with a typical late Beethoven fugue included in the last sonata. Don't you just love Beethoven's slightly madcap fugues.

Anyway this is an excellent sounding recording. Fortepiano is interesting, but I'm not about to throw out my recordings of Beethoven on the modern piano.


----------



## Cosmos

Now I"m bored of studying and listening to Beethoven's A minor string quartet (no. 15) played by the Tokyo Quartet


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bernard Herrmann: The Man Who Knew Too Much*









Salonen doing Herrmann's score to Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much":






01:53 - the end---- sheer _TER-ROR_. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Great main title music.


----------



## maestro267

*Villa-Lobos*: Piano Concerto No. 2
Ortiz/Royal PO/Goméz-Martínez


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven String Quartet Op 74 Harp - Takacs Quartet - fabulous!

Went into charity shop and they brought out whole lot of classical CDs including Beethoven String Quartets. Got the complete lot for about £8.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DavidA said:


> Beethoven String Quartet Op 74 Harp - Takacs Quartet - fabulous!
> 
> Went into charity shop and they brought out whole lot of classical CDs including Beethoven String Quartets. Got the complete lot for about £8.


Lucky!! I'd be jealous, but I already have them. You have some great listening ahead.

Right now, I'm listening to Bartok's *Wooden Prince.*

I'm used to Marin Alsop's recording, but Adam Fischer is doing something here which I can't put my finger on; it's more compelling.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Saint-Saëns - Sonata for Bassoon & Piano*

from this recording









Beautiful "springy" sonata, here played with a suitable laidback, but still empathic approuch. Nice!

prestoclassical


----------



## contra7

Russian Horn Concertos

(Gliere, Glazunov, Shebalin)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Messaien, Des Canyons Aux Etoiles*

I had a dream the other night about meeting a hotshot music professor, and in trying to start a conversation, I mentioned Messaien. He looked at me dismissively as if I'd bother with _that_ composer. Anyway, I woke up realizing I need to get more familiar with his music. I must have a subconscious aversion to it that I need to overcome. I think I've been too hung up on not being able to hear colors that I haven't listened to what's actually there.


----------



## LancsMan

*Grieg and Dvorak: Piano Concertos* Richter with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kondrashin, and Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Smetacek on Praga Digitals.







Another delivery in the last few days.

Did I really need another Grieg piano concerto? Well this was recommended as first choice in the Radio Three Building a library back in early February. And I admit it is very well played - holding my attention where some accounts of this work don't.

Plus it's coupled with the Dvorak Piano Concerto in G minor. I've never heard this piece before. My immediate reactions to the piece:- 
First movement:- Not bad but I prefer Dvorak in a less serious mood than this.
Second movement:- Now this is more like it. This is quite charming. 
Third movement:- Pretty much what I expected form a Dvorak finale - pleasant but nothing out of the ordinary.

Not too sure about the sound of the piano (or orchestra come to that) in the Dvorak. Piano seems thin. It's a 1960's recording
and have much better from that era.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Alberto Ginastera

Pampeana No. 2 for Cello and Piano, Op. 21 *(1950) 
*5 Canciones populares argentinas, Op. 10 (arr. Kosower)* (1943)
*Puneña No 2, Op. 45: Harawi; Wayno Karnavalito* (1976)
*Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 49* (1979)

Mark Kosower (vc); Jee-Won Oh (pn) [Naxos, 2008]


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Beethoven: Egmont Excerpts*
Otto Klemperer & The Philharmonia








A most compelling performance, the recording quality is outstanding.


----------



## Guest

I wasn't previously familiar with this piece, but this performance sounds good to me, and makes great use of the surround speakers.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

> Originally posted by Cosmos
> 
> I've had an itch to listen to Mahler. I thought I'd put on the fourth, with James Levine, Judith Blegen as soloist, and the CSO
> Note: I couldn't find the album artwork for this one












There y'go, Cosmos - courtesy of Google images...

Currently listening to:

*Brahms

Rhapsody No. 1 in B minor; Rhapsody No. 2 in G minor, Op. 79
*
Dinorah Varsi (Piano) [Philips, 1968 - 71]


----------



## Serge

Brahms. Did I mention that already?


----------



## KenOC

Haydn Quartets Op. 9, Quatuor Festetics.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825): Wind Quintet in F Major, Op.4, No.3

Arnold Quintet: Renato Rivolta, flute -- Francesco Pomarico, oboe -- Maurizio Longoni, clarinet -- Sebastiano Paneblanco, horn -- Leonardo Dosso, bassoon


----------



## Guest

I've been stuck in a modern mood most of the week...but maybe this isn't so far removed from that.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mahler - Symphony 5. It's time I listen to all of the Mahler Symphonies. 
http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Sympho...=1394673458&sr=1-6&keywords=mahler+symphony+5


----------



## Blancrocher

Winding down with Matthias Goerne's 7th volume of Schubert songs.


----------



## bejart

Chopin's teacher ---
Vaclav Wilhelm Wurfel (1790-1832): Grand Rondeau Brilliant, Op.30

Martin Vojtisek, piano


----------



## Kevin Pearson

neoshredder said:


> Looking for Composers with a similar style to early Mozart. I think I found one. Johann Stamitz!
> http://www.amazon.com/Stamitz-Symph...1394648523&sr=1-2&keywords=stamitz+symphonies


Here's a whole series for you to explore from Chandos:

http://www.amazon.com/Chandos-Contemporaries-Mozart/lm/3NJLOADIV4HIU

I'm not sure that this is a complete list but it's a start and most, if not all, of these are available on Spotify.

Kevin


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in C Major, KV 309

Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Symphony in C Major, Hob. I:82 "L'Ours"*










Luxuriating in the best-possible reading music while indulging an account of Elsa Maxwell's famous 1957 Venetian ball in honor of Maria Callas.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven String Quartet Op. 18 No. 3 in D major, Hagen Quartett. Newer recording -- they're as good as ever, maybe better.


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's String Quartets performed by the Aurora String Quartet. 
http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-S...2&sr=1-2&keywords=mendelssohn+string+quartets


----------



## KenOC

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet. Emerson String Quartet and David Shifrin. On the radio, very nice indeed.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Schubert - String quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810 "Death and the Maiden"*

from this album:









*Guarneri Quartet*

Amazing sound quality if it is right that this was recorded in 1976. Reissued in 2009, the year Guarneri Quartet disbanded. The maturity of the playing is also very present in the soundpicture.

arkivmusic
amazon


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, String Quartet in D minor, 'Death and the Maiden' (Amadeus Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

Suk's Asrael Symphony - Libor Pesek, cond.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new acquisition ---
Bach: Prelude and Fugue No.3 in C Sharp from Book 1 of "The Well Tempered Clavier", BWV 848

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Godowsky Strauss transcriptions - Marc-Andre Hamelin, cond.


----------



## DavidA

SimonNZ said:


> Godowsky Strauss transcriptions - Marc-Andre Hamelin, cond.


They are wonderful, but I don't think Hamelin conducts?


----------



## DavidA

Strauss - Zarathustra - Karajan and supercharged BPO.


----------



## Wood

Golden hour of Chopin, 1966 Pye LP, by Iso Ellinson.










Not bad, considering he died in 1964.


----------



## SimonNZ

DavidA said:


> They are wonderful, but I don't think Hamelin conducts?


Well spotted. Force of habit.

playing now:










Busoni's Twenty-four Preludes Op.37 - Geoffrey Douglas Madge, *piano*


----------



## adrem

Webern: "Im Sommerwind", Passacaglia, 6 Pieces op.6. Boulez and Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Jeff W

Listened to all four of Joachim Raff's Seasons symphonies in order. Hans Stadlmair led the Bamberger Symphoniker. One thing I found odd in relistening. The second movement to the Winter Symphony (No. 11) has no title attached to unlike every other movement in this set of symphonies. Perhaps someone could come up with one?









Listened next to John Corigliano's Concerto for Percussionist and String Orchestra 'Conjurer'. Evelyn Glennie played the various percussion and David Alan Miller led the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Got this one before the release date as the Albany Symphony was selling it at their season opening concert but this is the first time I listened to it. Quite liked it. Each different movement used different types of percussion.









Turned next to Claudio Abbado leading the London Symphony Orchestra in Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 'Italian' & No. 5 'Reformation' along with the Overture for Wind Instruments, Op. 24.


----------



## bejart

Nicola Porpora (1686-1768): Violin Sonata No.11 in D Major

Anton Steck, violin -- Christian Rieger, harpsichord


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Reveil des oiseaux
Yvonne Loriod, Orchestre National de France, cond. Nagno


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Mahler's 1st as my introduction 2 Mahler. Dad gave me this and the 4th along with a couple of other discs 2 "widen my horizons". It's not at all what I expected as I'd been given to understand Mahler was "a tough listen". I find it "a breeze".


----------



## aleazk

Webern - all of his pieces from the Op.21 onwards (youtube playlist I made).


----------



## Rocco

Currently listening to Brahms German Requiem by Robert Shaw.


----------



## Blancrocher

Harnoncourt's 1968 recording of Monteverdi's Orfeo.

*p.s.* Best not to embed youtube links in this thread, because it slows some people's computers down.


----------



## Alfacharger

William Bolcom's 4th symphony this morning.


----------



## Vasks

_A dollop of Debussy on LPs_

*Images, Books 1 & 2 (Michelangeli/DGG)
La Mer - (Boulez/Columbia)*


----------



## rrudolph

Wuorinen: Percussion Symphony/Varese: Ionisation/Colgrass: Fantasy-Variations








Varese: Ameriques/Density 21.5/Offrandes/Arcana/Octandre/Integrales








Ishii: Concertante Op. 79/Xenakis: Pleiades


----------



## GreenMamba

*Blas Galindo's Sinfonia Breve*. Mata/Orquesta Sinfónica de la UNAM.

First thing I've heard from this composer.


----------



## millionrainbows

violadude said:


> *Mendelssohn's String Symphonies*
> 
> I just did a marathon listen to all 12 of Mendelssohn's String Symphonies. I recommend that everyone interested in Mendelssohn's works listen to these early pieces of his, in order. He wrote them all between the ages of 12-14 and it's an incredible experience to witness firsthand just how much he grew, musically, within that time frame. The first one is nice (if not a little stiff), the last couple are brilliant.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/String-Symphonies-1-12-F-Mendelssohn/dp/B00030ERX8
> 
> And now for what everyone actually came here for, the CD COVER :lol:
> 
> View attachment 36936


I agree totally, violadude. This Hyperion set is the one I have as well. It's really a workout for the string players, who are required to play high-register lines very precisely. Also, all the pieces are in standard sonata form, so it's a good way to get a feel for that form and what happens.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Mahler 5th, Chailly (London). *I don't like this as much as the Fourth. It's very unsettled, and more bombastic. Lotsa trumpet and horns, which I can live without. I don't have the Boulez 5th; I'd like to compare it. I like Bernstein's 5th better than this one, but it was an "imprint," my first Mahler, back in 1970-71.

The _Adagietto: Sehr langsam _is the reason I like the 5th. I hear a "pre-echo" of it in the 4th, with the harp and the same harmonic device. Does anybody know what I'm referring to?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2


What treasure!-- and for a _pittance_: You get Ashkenazy's Symphonic Dances, the Bells, the Isle of the Dead. . . AND the three symphonies!!! I love everything in the box set.


----------



## Bas

Hildegard von Bingen - A feather from the breath of God (cd title)
By Emma Kirkby [soprano], Gothic Voices, Christopher Page [dir.], on Hyperion









After that beautiful start of the morning, I went on with Beethoven:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 4 "Grand", 9, 10, 15 "Pastorale", 21 "Waldstein", 19, 20, 11, 12, 13
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









No. 11 and no. 4 stand out today, the rest is off course great, as all Beethoven's piano sonatas are. I find myself quite intrigued by them and I have quite a list of performances I want to hear, want to own (besides the impeccable Barenboim and passionate Gulda). Also I am thinking about buying scores to some sonatas and see if I can read along.


----------



## opus55

Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor


----------



## maestro267

*Villa-Lobos*: Piano Concerto No. 3
Ortiz/Royal PO/Gómez-Martínez

I've noticed that quite a few piano concerto cycles tend to stop at No. 5. Villa-Lobos, Rachmaninov (counting the Paganini Rhapsody as No. 5), Prokofiev, Martinu, Saint-Saëns. Maybe the Fifth Piano Concerto should be regarded in the same way as the Ninth Symphony.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sutherland Supreme*









I'll tell you what: it's fun having the caffeinated flush at work kick in to this-- especially when you're catching up with work. It just puts everything into hyperdrive. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Among the outstanding merits of this cd for me is Sutherland's unrivaled "_Son vergin vezzosa_" from_ I Puritani from the '62 Amsterdam concert-- and her "O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn!" and "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinen Herzen" from the live '62 Klemperer/Covent Garden Die Zauberflote .

The singing has to be heard to be believed.

I treasure it beyond measure. . . and want to share it. Ha. Ha. Ha. ;D_


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bartok*: Concerti, w. Boulez et al (rec.2008); Sonatas for Two Pianos and Percussion, w. Argerich/Kovacevich et al (rec.1977).

View attachment 36996
View attachment 36997


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Rihm's *birthday, March 13, 1952.

Subdued works, suited for those who prefer a dark quiet room, alone.


----------



## Blancrocher

Marco Longhini and "Delitiae Musicae" in volume 4 of their Gesualdo cycle.

*p.s.* Whoops, wrong image, I see--but I think I'll add their Monteverdi to my queue to mend the error!

Anyways, here's the Gesualdo: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=755333


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven's Symphony No.4, performed by Paavo Jarvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie.


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> *Mahler 5th, Chailly (London). *I don't like this as much as the Fourth. It's very unsettled, and more bombastic. Lotsa trumpet and horns, which I can live without.


Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


----------



## DeepR

Scriabin - Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (Muti)

Hadn't listened to it in a while after a long time of being nearly obsessed by it. Still as great as ever. A work of immense power.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore*










Cute. Cute. Cute.

Love Battle in this role.


----------



## Tristan

Rodrigo - 4 Madrigales Amatorios - De Los Álamos Vengo, Madre (Kathleen Battle, speaking of which^)

Kathleen Battle - Rodrigo: De Los Álamos Vengo, Madre

First heard this piece on "Classical Arts Showcase" and I absolutely love it


----------



## hocket

Had a bit of a la Rue session. Very nice too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bax: Enchanted Summer*









Bax, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Handley?--- I'm _there_; litterally. . . in time and space. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Befitting of a gloriously sunny southern California day.


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
Cello Concerto in B minor
In Nature's Realm
String Quartet No.5 in F minor


----------



## Alfacharger

A bit of nein, Nein, NEIN, AAAHHHHHH!!! later.


----------



## Bas

Bernhard Molique (1802-1869) - String Quartet no. 1 in G, String Quartet no. 2 in Cm
By the Mannheimer Streichquartett, on CPO









Julius Röntgen - Violin Concerto in Am, Violin Concert in Fm
By Liza Ferschtman [violin], Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, David Porcelijn [dir.], on CPO


----------



## adrem

Brahms, 2 Piano concerto, Rudolf Serkin, Szell and Cleveland Orchestra:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Verdi: Otello - Vickers, Freni, & Glossop*














05:38-05-:48

That_ chorus_! Those_ horns_! Forward to battle!!

-- I love how Karajan uses the storm-sequence footage from _Mutiny on the Bounty_. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Like we wouldn't know. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Vaneyes

Enescu: Orchestral Works, w. Foster et al (rec. 1983 - '87).


----------



## aleazk

Schoenberg - _Piano Concerto_.


----------



## SimonNZ

De Lalande's Miserere - Vincent Dumestre, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler V*














_The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs Mahler's Symphony No. 5 from the Berlin Philharmonie. This performance concluded the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's three-week European tour. From the opening solo trumpet proclamation to the final symphonic flourish and a breadth of landscapes in between, watch the complete video footage from that evening.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Berlin Philharmonie
Berlin, Germany
September 11, 2011

Program:
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in c-sharp minor

Encores:
Josef Strauss: The Dragonfly
Richard Strauss: Waltz, from "Der Rosenkavalier"

This video is produced by the Digital Concert Hall, the virtual concert venue of the Berlin Philharmonic on the Internet._


----------



## maestro267

*Villa-Lobos*: Piano Concerto No. 4

As you may have gathered, I bought the set of 5 piano concertos yesterday, and I'm working my way through them.

I also bought Philadelphia Stories and UFO by Michael Daugherty. I'm posting that here seeing as the Latest Purchases thread seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Waltz in E-flat Major, Op. 18 No. 1, 'Grande valse brillante' (Jean-Marc Luisada);
Prélude in D-flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15, 'Raindrop prelude' (Rafal Blechacz).


----------



## Bas

Some of you may regard the musical choices I post her daily as if they are the ones made by a wig-mozart-loving-boring-conservative-guy. Guilty as charged, I love Mozart, but sometimes I am in the mood for mind-challenging modern music, with the occasional dissonant intervals (it is not stockhausen yet, have some patience fellas):

Arvo Pärt - In Principo
By the Estonian Symphony Orchestra & Philharmonic Choir, Tonu Kaljuste [dir], on ECM


----------



## SimonNZ

maestro267 said:


> *Villa-Lobos*: Piano Concerto No. 4
> 
> As you may have gathered, I bought the set of 5 piano concertos yesterday, and I'm working my way through them.
> 
> I also bought Philadelphia Stories and UFO by Michael Daugherty. I'm posting that here seeing as the *Latest Purchases thread seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth*.


Just gave it a bump - it had slipped to page three

playing now:










Willem De Fesch's Concerti Grossi and Violin Concertos - Arie Van Beek, violin, Gordan Nikolic, cond.


----------



## LancsMan

*Elgar: The Apostles* Halle conducted by Sir Mark Elder.







My first listen to this purchase of a week ago. This work is totally new to me. It's a live recording from the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the hall I most frequently attend concerts at.

This is archetypal Elgar. But on first listen it's not as riveting as The Dream of Gerontius. Quite a lot of Wagner influence here (OK a rather tamed Wagner).

This is a very fine recording.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to James Macmillan's _Seven Last Words From the Cross_ :


----------



## Ravndal

Scriabin Sonata 5

Gould


----------



## Serge

Sometimes I forget to put anything on. One of those times... Corrected.


----------



## Mahlerian

Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame
Ensemble Gilles Binchois


----------



## KenOC

Couperin, 1st Suite for Viola da gamba in E minor. A nice change of pace.


----------



## Sonata

Some of Liszts' transcriptions of Wagner music, played by Daniel Barenboim. These are wonderful. This is a double bonus listen for me: My first listen from my recently acquired "Liszt Collection" and a gradual ease into my "Progressive Wagner" listening project that I've just started


----------



## Serge

Schoenberg. Excellent!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Symphony No. 104.*


----------



## Guest

Biber's Rosary Sonata's--superb.


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Couperin, 1st Suite for Viola da gamba in E minor. A nice change of pace.


What a wonderful cover!


----------



## Alfacharger

The magical orchestrations of Respighi applied to one of operas masterworks. I do wish the recording was a bit better.


----------



## Blancrocher

What a coincidence: I'm in the midst of one of my favorite Respighi recordings-Sena Jurinac singing "Il tramonto"-and Alfacharger mentions another one. Also: Reiner in The Pines and Fountains of Rome.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Brahms - Fantasies Op. 116

Capriccio in D minor
Intermezzo in A minor
Capriccio in G minor
Intermezzo in E
Intermezzo in E minor
Intermezzo in E
Capriccio in D minor*

Stephen Kovacevich (Piano) [Philips, 1985]










Stephen Kovacevich is a great advocate for these excellent Brahms miniatures for piano. No. 5, the Intermezzo in E minor, is a favourite.


----------



## julianoq

Right now will start the streaming of a live transmission with the SPSO with Marin Alsop and Garrick Ohlsson playing the piano. The program:

Leonard BERNSTEIN
Missa Brevis

Sergei RACHMANINOV
Piano Concerto No.2, Op.18

Camille SAINT-SAËNS
Symphony No.3, Op.78 - Organ

http://concertodigital.osesp.art.br/video.php?live=true


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Serenade for Winds in C Minor, KV 388

Henk de Graaf and Jan Jansen, clarinets -- Remco de Vries and Katty Halvarson, oboes -- Martin van de Merwe and Jos Bjuurman, horns -- John Steinmann and Hans Wisse, bassoons


----------



## KenOC

Back to the Hagen-people for Beethoven's Op. 18 No. 5 quartet. This is a very good recording.


----------



## dgee

Mozart with Robert Levin playing the fortepiano - Quintet K.452 with members of Academy of Ancient Music Ensemble. And all is well with the world!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: La Valse/Le Tombeau de Couperin L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet

After a long, tiring, but enjoyable day, these classic recordings are just what I need afore going to bed. Bliss.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Enescu*: Piano Works, w. Borac (rec.2003 - '05).


----------



## Freischutz

I've been waiting for this for a while:










Jonas Kaufmann / Helmut Deutsch doing Schubert's _Winterreise_. His _Schone Mullerin_ was absolutely fantastic in my opinion and I've never been one for Fischer-Dieskau, so I've been anticipating this since he recorded the earlier cycle. It got a mediocre review in the guardian, but what the hell do they know?! He's got such a perfect voice! And I think he encapsulates the drama wonderfully.


----------



## science

Spent the morning with some old standbys:



















The second was requested by my wife!


----------



## science

Perhaps in order to compensate (I've been accused...) I'd better mention that lately I've listened to these as well:


























Well, that's still fairly conservative so I'll look further back.


----------



## science

Hopefully it'll get better:


























Ok, it is looking bad now. Gimme one more chance.


----------



## science

Well, it looks like I'm not going to be able to redeem myself, and the more I try the deeper I seem to dig.

Anyway, the past few days have featured a lot of very enjoyable music, even if confirming the accusation that I am a _conservative_! (I am not, but I am clearly unable to present much evidence in my defense at this time.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Pierre Boulez, Memoriale*

Conducted by the composer.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> What treasure!-- and for a _pittance_: You get Ashkenazy's Symphonic Dances, the Bells, the Isle of the Dead. . . AND the three symphonies!!! I love everything in the box set.


Totally agree. And a top notch orchestra sound as well.


----------



## samurai

Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *
both performed by the Paavo Berglund led Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.1 and Symphony No.2, *
both featuring Neeme Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, * both traversed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Ole Schmidt.


----------



## SimonNZ

Armenian Sacred Music Of The V-XIII Centuries - Tagaran Ensemble


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mendelssohn's Piano Trios.
http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-P...70651&sr=1-1&keywords=mendelssohn+piano+trios


----------



## opus55

Vaughan Williams: Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1; Fantasia on Greensleeves
Tchaikovsky: Iolanta


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Ultimate Tchaikovsky: Essential Masterpieces.
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Tcha...94776648&sr=1-1&keywords=ultimate+Tchaikovsky


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Blandine Verlet, harpsichord


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 65 in A Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Just glorious, the sounds of 1595 brought vividly to life. This disc deservedly won the Gramophone Award for 2013 in the Early Music category.


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir doing Bach's Motets:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert: "Trout" Quintet Artur Schnabel/Members of the Pro Arte Quartet/Alfred Hobday
Schubert: Rondo in A D.951/Marches D.819 Nos. 2 & 3 Artur and Karl Ulrich Schnabel

A feast of glorious Schubert on a lovely sunny morning. Can't think of a better opener for the day than the "Trout" Quintet, what joyous music it is. I always think of my piano teacher when I hear this, Schubert was his favourite composer. He used to say, "I always feel a bit guilty, because I suspect that it ought to be Beethoven, but much as I admire him and respect him as probably the greatest master of all, I love Schubert, he is so warm and human." At his funeral we went in to the slow movement of the "Trout" and came out to the Finale (this was the Curzon/Vienna Octet recording), it was perfect.


----------



## SimonNZ

Unsuk Chin's Xi - Ensemble Intercontemporain


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Piano Sonata No.1 Julius Katchen

The superb Julius Katchen in Brahms' Op.1. This, by way of a contrast to my last post, would not have pleased my piano teacher at all, for he couldn't stand Brahms! "The minute I hear that blessed syncopation, I think 'hear we go again' !!" he used to say. Strange, still, I suppose everyone has at least one musical blindspot. The doyen of critics (and still to my mind the finest and most readable of them all) Neville Cardus used to cheerfully admit that he didn't like J.S. Bach, saying that he knew that he was a great composer, and that the fault lay with himself, but he just didn't like his music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Philippe Manoury's Zeitlauf - Peter Eötvös, cond.


----------



## aleazk

Mahler's sixth (Abbado) at full bombast!. (6 am here, lol)


----------



## bejart

Matthew Locke (ca.1621-1677): Suite No.2 from 'Consort of Fower Parts'

Fretwork with Nigel North on archlute and Paul Nicholson on chamber organ


----------



## jim prideaux

after repeated listening to the Svetlanov recording of Myaskovsky 27th symphony I cannot help but conclude that this is a 'masterpiece', not just in the essentially musical sense but as a reflection and articulation of one mans simple and yet not inconsiderable humanity in what were remarkably adverse conditions for the individual-the slow movement is almost overwhelming and the first movement is also particularly lyrical.....personally I can hear Mahler and Bruckner but really this is of little consequence...I have commented before on the sense of anxiety one can hear in much of the music of the mid 20th century....Walton and Barber spring to mind and this is again to be heard in much of Myaskovsky....but basically this is just one great listen!


correction/edit-it is overwhelming!


----------



## Jeff W

Been listening to a bunch of Beethoven this morning. Started with the Cello Sonatas No. 1 through 5 and moved onto the Piano Trios No. 1 through 6 (Op. 1, Op. 70 & Op. 97). Jacqueline Du Pre played cello, Daniel Barenboim the piano and Pinchas Zukerman played the violin in the trios.









Igor Stravinksky's 'Rite of Spring' came next in an attempt by myself to bring Spring to upstate New York a little early. Yoel Levi led the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven giving thanks for his recovery from illness.
String quartet 132 - third movement - Takacs Quartet - mesmeric!


----------



## Ingélou

Lully, Te Deum. 




Lully for me has a quality of soaring gaiety, with plangent glissandos/trills just faintly - elegantly - tinged with melancholy. 
But this religious music adds a profundity and meditative quality. It is glorious. :angel:


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Schubert - String quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810 "Death and the Maiden"*

from this album:









*Endellion string quartet*
I have a soft spot for Endellion string quartet. Brilliant balanced, tecnically good, and very good emphatic and interplay.

And this Schubert quartet really grows on me!

youtube


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius III*









As much as I adore Sibelius, the Third never much resonated with me as a whole; that is, until I heard Oramo do it.


----------



## Andolink

*Mathias Spahlinger*: _Farben der Frühe_ for seven pianos
Ensemble Sur Plus/James Avery








*J. S. Bach*: '_Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut_', BWV 199
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Concerto Vocale Leipzig
Ensemble Baroque de Limoges/Christophe Coin


----------



## science

I was enjoying the Glagolitic Mass when my wife's sister dropped by, and my wife declared, "Husband, pretty music please." Which meant a temporary switch over to:










Very nice! Satisfied everyone, but especially the one who was paying attention to the music. By the time it was over, the ladies had left and I was free to try to make up for all that CPP and Renaissance music I did over the past couple days.










That's Rzewski, especially his Pocket Symphony. This is probably too pleasant to satisfy the most elite judges. Someday, however, so I vow to the moon and stars, I'll be cooler than this. Baby steps, I suppose.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Schubert - String quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810 "Death and the Maiden"*

from this album:

* - Artemis Quartet*









Another great performance! Not as structured as Endellion maybe, sometimes a bit messy, but their emphaty is like playing this work was the last thing they did in life.

The span between the sensitive quiet moments where you barely hear the leaf-light touches on the violin, to the loud dramatic climaxes where all participants burst out, is wery wide. So they make themself a large room for expression. And they use it.

Arkivmusic review


----------



## jim prideaux

no work today therefore vinyl time-Mahler 4th Abbado VPO.


----------



## Andolink

*Jean Martinon*: _String Quartet No. 1 Op. 43_
Quatuor Ravel


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Arvo Part's _Tabula Rasa_ performed by Ulster Orchestra:


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K. 481, K. 526, K. 547
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Joseph Haydn - Hobo Divertimenti IV: 6-11 & Hobo Trio XI:82 in D
By the Ensemble Sans Souci Berlin, on CPO


----------



## Blancrocher

Myra Hess playing Beethoven's 30th and 31st sonatas (rec. 1953). Lovely performances.


----------



## DavidA

Strauss Don Quixote - Fournier / Karajan

The best recording? Must come near the top of the pile.


----------



## julianoq

Just finished Schubert's Trout Quintet, now listening to the "Death and the Maiden" quartet, with Gilels and the Amadeus Quartet. Superb record!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Andolink said:


> *Jean Martinon*: _String Quartet No. 1 Op. 43_
> Quatuor Ravel
> View attachment 37052


This too:









Out-_STAND_-ing audiophile sound as well.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

science said:


> I was enjoying the Glagolitic Mass when my wife's sister dropped by. . .
> 
> ---
> Yeah, the Intrada and the Veruju all the way. Mackerras is _on_.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Diamond - Overture to "Romeo & Juliet" (Krenz/CRI)
Sessions - Concertino for Chamber Orchestra (Shapey/Desto)
Stravinsky - Renard (composer/Columbia)
Lees - Concerto for String Quartet & Orchestra (Buketoff/RCA)*


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Schubert - String quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810 "Death and the Maiden"*

from this album:

* - Pavel Haas Quartet*









This work is really growing on me. Its about reaching *epic* hights. And there are many good interpretations.

I find this version a bit more quiet and laid back, but that is no hinder for nerve and tention.

Arkivmusic


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 1, 2, 3


----------



## Blancrocher

Fou Ts'ong in Haydn sonatas.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the The Classical Music Project, #1501-1600, I am listening to

*Finzi: Clarinet Concerto*

from this album:

* - Donaghue-Flavin, Margaret, clarinet • Sleeper, Thomas, Conductor • Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra*

Beautiful dreamy concerto. Good performance.

Amazon


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Elliot Goldenthal: Final Fantasy*









This Goldenthal score has some great moments to it. It's unmistakeably Goldenthal, but I see the fingerprints of Prokofiev, and believe it or not, Strauss in _Die Frau ohne Schatten _mode in a couple of cuts as well.


----------



## Itullian

My man Otto.


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto 
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## hpowders

Mozart String Quintets in C major and g minor. Smetana Quartet, Josef Suk, viola.
The 2 greatest string quintets ever written for string quartet and additional viola.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Brahms - String Quartet No. 1 in C minor*

from this album:

* - Quatuor Ebène*









Intimate and fine performance. This quartet reminds me of detective stories on tv, I think even the beginning was used as intro in a serial, I cant remember wich.

A certain mystisism is there, and that is very good reflected in this performance.

If you have a favourite on this or other works posted in the currently listening revisited thread, you can post it here, or in pm, and I bring it to the thread. Unless you state that you want, I will NOT attach your name to it.

allmusic


----------



## Bas

I laid this piece aside for a little while, my first listen I did not quite get it. But now I guess I am much more in the mood, I like it, quite a lot actually. The first movement especially is really nice. I think that when it is finished I just might give it another listen.

Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in Dm
By Leonidas Kavakos [violin], Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä [dir.], on BIS


----------



## Tristan

*Rubinstein* - Theme and Variations, Op. 88









I love Rubinstein's music so much. I hate that it's so obscure


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*:
Piano Concerto in D major
Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat major
Cello Concerto in D major
Symphony No.2 in C major
Symphony No.14 in A majo


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 6 No. 1 in F-Sharp minor; Op. 24 No. 1 in G minor; 
Op. 30 No. 2 in B minor; Op. 56 No. 2 in C Major (Evgeni Koroliov).


----------



## Blancrocher

Fou Ts'ong in 32 Scarlatti sonatas.


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to

*Nicolas Medtner - Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 50*

from this album









*Konstantin Scherbakov (piano), Zuzana Bourova (viola), Ewald Danel (violin), Jozef Podhoransky (cello), Milan Tedla (violin)

Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Igor Golovschin*

Wery appealing concerto!

I like dreamy melody lines and the flowerish light temes. Brilliantly performed


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Haydn: The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross, Op.51 Aeolian String Quartet/Peter Pears

This is a beautiful and moving performance of this wonderful work, and with appropriate poetry between each piece of music, it makes a most rewarding experience when listening to it. Peter Pears reads extremely well (I'd sooner hear him read than sing!!), and it rounds off this amazing set quite aptly. I have really enjoyed listening to it, and anticipate much more enjoyment from it in the future.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Move Over Maleficent*









Angelina Jolie, _'playing'_ Maleficent, may _exude _green fire:






Maria Callas, _as_ Medea, _is. . . green. . . fire_:















_First strike is deadly!_ 02:14- 10:50.

All she's missing for the portraiture is a chariot with snakes for reigns. Ha. Ha. Ha.

My kind of high drama all the way.


----------



## Itullian

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 37080
> 
> 
> Haydn: The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross, Op.51 Aeolian String Quartet/Peter Pears
> 
> This is a beautiful and moving performance of this wonderful work, and with appropriate poetry between each piece of music, it makes a most rewarding experience when listening to it. Peter Pears reads extremely well (I'd sooner hear him read than sing!!), and it rounds off this amazing set quite aptly. I have really enjoyed listening to it, and anticipate much more enjoyment fromit in the future.


A great set!!!


----------



## Serge

Bruckner No. 3. Epic!


----------



## Itullian

Serge said:


> Bruckner No. 3. Epic!


By?..........................


----------



## KenOC

John Adams, Christian Zeal and Activity. One of my secret faves. Edo de Waart, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Serge

Itullian said:


> By?..........................


*** Eugen Jochum.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bernard Herrmann: Jason and the Argonauts*









The cut where Hermes takes Jason to Olympus. . .


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37082
> 
> 
> The cut where Hermes takes Jason to Olympus. . .


The skeleton fight..... GENIUS!!!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> The skeleton fight..... GENIUS!!!!


. . . and the scoring for Talos, the hydra, the lot.

Tremendous invention.

Love it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Lolling With La Stupenda*









It's only because she _gets_ such scanted mention that I _make_ such importunate mention.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

God I love this singing.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - L'Histoire du soldat.










I like the voice of the narrator here. Too bad I do not know a word in French! Oh well, perhaps I know some words, but not most of these that I can hear here. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Jerry Goldsmith: Capricorn One*






Great main title.

Excellent editing and melding of the studio performance with the scenes from the film.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Leontyne Price: Vissi d'arte*














. . . from the '62 Karajan/VPO performance.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius: Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49 - Vänskä*






That passage from 09:10- 10:10 is so breath-takingly beautiful: Long-haired maidens plashing in the pellucid waters of the fjords--- or at least that's what_ I_ think about. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Bas

Good music shouldn't be ruined by bad memories of a terrible break-up, first time since, I'm listening to this old present of my ex...

Johann Sebastian Bach - Transcriptions by Liszt, Busoni, Rachmaninov, Bauer, Vaughan Williams, Grainger
By Hannes Minnaar [piano], on Cobra Records


----------



## Selby

Emil Gilels playing Beethoven.


----------



## SimonNZ

Christoph Graupner cantatas - Hans Michael Beuerle, cond.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Shostakovich - From Jewish Folk Poetry - Zara Dolukhanova (mezzo), Nina Dorliak (sporano), Alexander Maslennikova (tenor), Dmitri Shostakovich (piano)









This week, I worked 58 hours, no lunch breaks, one coffee break ..... but when you listen to something as harrowing as this, you realise that life isn't that bad after all. Hauntingly beautiful singing by Zara Dolukhanova - a rich, velvety voice of unsurpassed beauty and depth of feeling in this desperate collection of songs. Savagely bleak, yet so beautiful that its uplifting


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op.125
Symphony No. 8 in F, Op. 93*

von Karajan, BPO, Janowicz, Roessel-Maidan, Kmentt, Berry; Wien Singverein [DG, rec. 1963]










So, I haven't written any words yet to go with this but it's just HvK et al in Beethoven's 8th and 9th you know, with my OH occasionally whistling along! It's great.


----------



## Guest

Binging on art songs today! Did pretty much all of the voice/piano songs from chopin then ravel, now onto a few berg songs.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Cello Concerto, Cello Sonatas, w. Rodin et al (rec.1996); String Quartets 3, 10, 13, w. Taneyev Qt. (rec.1987).








View attachment 37087


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Nikolai Medtner - solo piano music played by Nikolai Demidenko









I first heard Medtner a couple of years ago when Demidenko played a piece as an encore at a concert and introduced it simply and unobtrusively as being composed by a genius. He was absolutely right.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat "Emperor" F. Gulda/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Horst Stein

A titanic performance from the ever-dependable Mr. Gulda. This concludes my journey through this set, an absolute bargain, and one I can highly recommend to anyone wanting all the Beethoven piano sonatas and concertos, the recordings are excellent, and the performances in a class of their own. I'm very happy to sit them on my shelves alongside Schnabel, Backhaus and Gilels (to name those on CD!), and I shall return to them frequently I'm sure.


----------



## Blancrocher

Thomas Sanderling conducting Anna Malikova and the Cologne West German RSO in Saint-Saens' 5 piano concertos.


----------



## joen_cph

Vaneyes said:


> *Myaskovsky*: Cello Concerto, Cello Sonatas, w. Rodin et al (rec.1996); String Quartets 3, 10, 13, w. Taneyev Qt. (rec.1987).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 37087


That cello one is a superb disc, really. I´m still working on exploring the series of string quartets.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Suite op. 29 (septet)
Zahir Ensemble, Juan Garcia Rodriguez









This has suddenly become my favorite recording of the Septet, one of Schoenberg's early 12-tone works. Like the rest of them (everything from op. 23 through the Violin Concerto), it's had to endure numerous performances where the musicians are clearly struggling with the music and possibly don't know how they even want it to sound. Every time a group manages to play Schoenberg with interpretation, as _music_ rather than simply _notes_, they reveal the true meaning of these works that much more.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Albéniz

Azulejos*

Armando Merino (You Tube)









Inspired by the CMP thread. Excellent music, excellent performance from a pianist I do not know.


----------



## cwarchc

a relaxing commute for Friday


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.23

Howard Griffiths leading the Zurcher Kammerorchester


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Kurtág:

Neun Stücke für Viola solo
Jelek, op.5 (also for solo viola)
Hommage à R. Sch., op.15d (scored for piano, viola, clarinet)

Kim Kashkashian (viola), Robert Levin (piano), Eduard Brunner (clarinet) - [Hommage à R. Sch. [ECM]


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Philip Glass' Violin Concerto:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Walton: Battle of Britain Suite- BBC Proms 2013*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Miaskovsky: Symphony No.1 USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

Having somehow never heard any Miaskovsky, apart from the Cello Concerto, and noting a number of folks on here waxing lyrical about his symphonies, I've listened to this on youtube, I like it, and it seems to me that I will now have to ponder on getting the Svetlanov set......


----------



## Andolink

*Ulrich Alexander Kreppein*: _Phantasiestücke I: Windinnres_ (2008-10); _Phantasiestücke II: Nachtschattenwirbel_ (2008-10); _Phantasiestücke III: Abendlied_ (2008-10)
Ensemble Modern/Oswald Sallaberger
White Rabbit Ensemble/Eric Hewitt


----------



## hpowders

dgee said:


> Mozart with Robert Levin playing the fortepiano - Quintet K.452 with members of Academy of Ancient Music Ensemble. And all is well with the world!


I get to see Robert Levin every year at the Sarasota Music Festival. I believe he is in charge of it now.


----------



## KenOC

Speaking of Robert Levin, by coincidence now listening to: Bach, Harpsichord Concerto in F minor, BWV1056. Robert Levin harpsichord; Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Helmuth Rilling conducting.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Carter

String Quartet No. 1* (1950-51)

Arditti Quartet

*Debussy

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10* (1893)

Belcea Quartet















Two fine string quartets, each one played with conviction and passion. But the Belcea's reading doesn't displace the great Italian Quartet (LP era) as my favourite.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: Missa in Angustiis
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas


----------



## Guest

This is easily the best harpsichord/virginal (he plays both) recording that I have heard. Those instruments are just _there_ in your room, but somehow it doesn't sound claustrophobic. Most of the music is dark and slow, so listening to the entire disc in one sitting might prove difficult.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Frank Bridge

Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F# minor
String Quartet No. 4 (i)

Piano Quintet in D minor (ii)*

Maggini Quartet, Martin Roscoe (Piano) (i); Ashley Wass, Tippett Quartet (ii); both on *Naxos*















Three excellent British chamber works of the early 20th century - splendidly played by these dedicated advocates of early modern British chamber music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Mass in B minor - Joshua Rifkin, cond.


----------



## Guest

My enjoyment of Schoenberg has multiplied tenfold in the last couple of months...possibly my favorite modern composer after Ravel at this point. First listen to this particular beast.


----------



## jim prideaux

awake particularly early, in fact it is the middle of the night-Saturday with a 'six pointer' this afternoon (the periodic fight against relegation looms) so Beethoven string quartets Op 74 and 95 performed by the Medici Quartet


----------



## Sid James

Latest listening has been these:










*Marin Marais*
_Suites for viola da gamba: in D major, A minor, E minor & "Le Labyrinthe"_
- Juan Manuel Quintana, viola da gamba; Attilio Cremonesi, theorbo; Dolores Costoyas, harpsichord

I first got exposed to the music of *Marais* when I saw the film _Tous les Matins du Monde (All the Mornings of the World), _a biopic about his life. I pretty much instantly liked his music, that mixes long haunting and song-like lines with animated dancy parts. The _*Suite in E minor *_ends with an elegy for his teacher, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, who was a character in the film. The movement is pretty typical of the music on this disc, great for a sense of introspection and contemplation. _*La Labyrinthe*_ has some pretty adventurous sounds, for the period. Marais' suites can be played with the movements in any order the players wish. The more I find out about pre-Romantic music, the more I realise it had these types of features speaking to a strong element of freedom within established conventions. Its very interesting.










*Percy Grainger*
_"Fripperies" 
Shepherd's hey, My Robin is to the green wood gone, Lisbon_
- English CO under Benjamin Britten
_Molly on the Shore, Danny Boy, The Merry King_
- English CO under Stueart Bedford
_Let's dance gay in green meadow_
- Viola Tunnard & Benjamin Britten, pianos
_Green bushes - Passacaglia on an English folksong_
- ECO/Bedford
_Country Gardens_
- The composer on piano

_The Warriors_
- Philharmonia Orch. under John Eliot Gardiner, with Associate conductor Achim Holub

Speaking to that, I can't put down this set of *Grainger's* music. His vocal song arrangements are amazing, but my favourites are his *"fripperies"* which are purely instrumental. They are very eclectic, with techniques ranging from Baroque counterpoint to harmonies borrowed from jazz and many of the latest techniques in classical during the early 20th century being used to underpin and highlight this material coming from folk sources. In some cases, earlier composers had recorded these songs, but they inevitably put them in the straightjackets of Western harmony. Grainger revived the tunes and added to the mix his knowledge of folk music that he gained in the field.

In recent years, Grainger's status has improved, but in his own time many in the establishment held him to ridicule. He not only did the "fripperies" that he has been known for since, but a lot of (still unperformed) highly experimental music. One such piece was *The Warriors.* Chance techniques are explored in this piece, as well as innovations in sonority and rhythm. Its a breathtaking work.










*Max Reger* _Clarinet Quintet in A major, Op. 146_
- Philharmonia Quartett Berlin with Wenzel Fuchs, clarinet

Finishing with this delightful piece, that I haven't heard for ages but got out since some people have posted *Reger's* music for a while now on this very thread!



science said:


> ...
> Anyway, the past few days have featured a lot of very enjoyable music, even if confirming the accusation that I am a _conservative_! (I am not, but I am clearly unable to present much evidence in my defense at this time.)


Maybe since you've been listening to Arnie - Schoenberg that is, not Schwarzenegger - you can throw your accusers his line of "I am a conservative who was forced to become a radical." That'll sick 'em!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

After hearing the wonderful Tyberg 3rd Symphony the other day on Spotify I had to order a copy of it and a copy of the 2nd Symphony. I was weary after a ten hour day at work but when I got home and saw these in the mailbox I somehow found my spirit gladdened and could not wait to hear these on my good stereo. I don't think I like the 2nd and much as the 3rd but it is still a very good symphony and Tyberg certainly had an ear for melody. The 2nd would appeal to fans of Schumann and Dvorak with some Bruchnerlike passages in the final movement.

The 3rd symphony is just awesome and a real treasure of a find. It takes a lot to motivate me to buy CDs anymore since the sound quality of Spotify is acceptable but I just had to add these two recordings to my collection. Unfortunately the sound engineering could be brighter and clearer in my opinion, but I'm just glad to have these at all. If it wasn't for JoAnn Falletta championing these and raising the funds to see these recordings happen Tyberg's symphonies may never have been heard again. Also credit must go to the Italian Mihich family, who Tyberg entrusted the manuscripts to before he was sent, and died, on his way to a concentration camp for being part Jew.

The Piano Sonata coupled with No. 2 and the Piano Trio coupled with No. 3 are also superb pieces of music!



















Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

lp3 of Peter Frankl playing Debussy's keyboard works

which is Books 1 and 2 of the Etudes


----------



## opus55

J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus


----------



## SimonNZ

Rubin Sverre Gjertsen's Gamelan Terrains - BIT20 Ensemble


----------



## Rhythm

*Josef Gunzinger | Rare Symphonic Works*





^ Saturn, Symphonic Tone Poem, conducted by Lukas Reinitzer and recorded in 1994, plus Rudolf Steiner Mystery Dramas, Symphonic Suite, conducted by Josef Gunzinger and recorded in 1988 (starts at 18:58). Both played by the London Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Maja Ratkje's River Mouth Echoes


----------



## Weston

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.43*
Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra









You folks have seen this album cover quite a number of times, but I have finally gotten around to downloading it and sampling it. Very nice performances. I was a little put off by what I consider my favorite motive or phrase in the Symphony No. 1 (right after the opening oboe solo and the theme gets going in earnest) being played less distinctly than I am used to hearing -- with a slight blurring or legato. But that is a minor thing. I'm proud to finally have this collection to supplement the scattershot versions of the symphonies I've had so far, mostly Bernstein NYP mid-1960s recordings. I look forward to the remainder of the symphonies as they are not as well known to me.

On a side note, I still hate that encoders split the movements into separate mp3 files when they are continuous music, flowing into each other, as in the movements 3 and 4 of the 2nd symphony. My iPod plays it gapless just fine, but WinAmp does not unless I have it set incorrectly. I could combine the files and resave, but there is a little loss I think when I do that.


----------



## Weston

*Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber*
George Szell / Cleveland Orchestra (1964 recording)









Amazing huge sound from the days when people liked to show off their stereos. I guess those days are gone.

Whenever I hear this piece on random play, I always think, "I know that! It's wonderful. What is it?" I often guess Respighi or Rachmaninov. I never think of Hindemith. He's just not on usually my radar. I have no idea why.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 30 No. 1 in C minor; Op. 63 No. 2 in F minor; Op. 41 No. 4 in A-flat Major; Op. 50 No. 3 in C-Sharp minor (Evgeni Koroliov).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 53 in D Major, 'L'Impériale' (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus Musicus Wien).


----------



## jim prideaux

ShropshireMoose said:


> Miaskovsky: Symphony No.1 USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
> 
> Having somehow never heard any Miaskovsky, apart from the Cello Concerto, and noting a number of folks on here waxing lyrical about his symphonies, I've listened to this on youtube, I like it, and it seems to me that I will now have to ponder on getting the Svetlanov set......


my advice (for what it is worth)-ponder no more-although I am familiar with the later symphonies they have undoubtedly been a revelation-during the last year I have had the good fortune to discover for myself some great music-Rubbra, Moeran, Martinu,Kalinnikov,Glazunov included but Myaskovsky really does deserve recognition, no matter how belatedly!

morning listening-Haydn-35/38/39/59 symphonies-The English Concert-Pinnock


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Faustus Symphony (Jascha Horenstein; Ferdinand Koch; Männerchor des Süddeutschen Rundfunks, Stuttgart; Südwestfunkorchester Baden-Baden).


----------



## Conor71

*Magnard: Symphony No. 3 In Bb Minor, Op. 11*

A trio of French Symphonies for tonights listening - all abolutely lovely. Pure bliss! (note: The Honegger was No. 3):


----------



## ShropshireMoose

jim prideaux said:


> my advice (for what it is worth)-ponder no more-although I am familiar with the later symphonies they have undoubtedly been a revelation-during the last year I have had the good fortune to discover for myself some great music-Rubbra, Moeran, Martinu,Kalinnikov,Glazunov included but Myaskovsky really does deserve recognition, no matter how belatedly!


Thanks for the advice Jim, I shall act upon it, and best of luck for this afternoon's battle on the field! I hope to be home in time to see all the excitement on MOTD!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms-Joachim: 21 Hungarian Dances Oscar Shumsky/Frank Maus

These are enjoyable performances, I hadn't listened to them for quite a while, but I have to say that they are not terribly idiomatic, especially having been rehearsing Nos. 1 and 5 with Gabriella Demeterova who is half Hungarian, ready for our recital this evening. She has far more interesting and flexible ideas on tempo than Mr. Shumsky! Which leader gives me the opportunity for one final plug:









The post code for Picklescott Village Hall is SY6 6NR for those of you with satnavs, it's just off the A49 Shrewsbury-Leominster Road, about 6 miles south of Shrewsbury. And there the matter rests!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I am presently on a Dvorak tear right now.

To start with, I am listening to todays Saturday Symphony entry - the *Eighth Symphony*. I am listing to Neumann & the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at present and will follow this up with Kubelik's Berliner Philharmoniker recording.















The Eighth symphony is a piece I have not listened to often but as I sit listening, I cannot explain why as it is such a beautiful piece.

*String Quartets 12 'American' & 13*
Pavel Haas Quartet









Dvorak reminds me very much of Saint Saens in that I find the Chamber Works every bit as enjoyable as his Symphonic works - if not stronger at times. The Pavel Haas Quartet are fantastic on this recording, their performance is enthralling and the recording quality is simply astounding.

I listened to this recording last night and I will most certainly be listening to it again this afternoon.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Violin Sonatas - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Egida Giordani Sartori, harpsichord


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 78 Jesu der du meine Seele, BWV 99 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 114 Ach lieben Christen, sei getrost
By Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Daniel Taylor [counter], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Massaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Good Saturday morning to all. My breakfast pick-me-up today is:

*Max Reger

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 54/1
String Quartet in A major, Op. 54/2* (both 1900)

Drolc Quartet, [Deutsche Grammophon 'Trio']










Fine, complex, astringent works which seem to me to have an unjust reputation for 'difficulty' and 'inaccessibility'.

"...relentlessly contrapuntal, ...relentlessly dissonant; even hardened pros find portions of the op. 54 Quartets rough going. The last time I had worked my way through these pieces was before the release of the Mannheim and now the Drolc versions; interestingly, this time through even op. 54 was less extreme, less impenetrable, more coherent. _It's amazing what a difference familiarity with the idiom and good performances can make._" (Richard Kaplan at ArkivMusic).

Well, quite. These are now firm favourites since I acquired the Drolc set 6 months or so ago.


----------



## Kivimees

Only Ukrainian music this weekend....


----------



## bejart

Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749): Trio Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.6, No.3

Accademia I Filarmonici: Alberto Martini and Enrico Casazza, violins -- Leonardo Sapere, cello ---Roberto Lorregian, harpsichord


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to the Buxtehude's organ music, played by Walter Kraft


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor, KV 516

Ensemble Villa Musica: Rainer Kussmaul and Aki Sunahara, violins -- Enrique Santiago and Hariolf Schlichtig, violas -- Martin Ostertag, cello


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Berg, Schoenberg, Webern - piano music

Berg - Sonata for Piano, Op. 1
Schoenberg - Waltz (from Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23)
Webern - Variations for Piano, Op. 27*

Jeanne Manchon Theis, piano [London, 1954, mono LP]


----------



## ptr

*Marcel Dupré* - Organ Works (FY/Solstice)
(Trois Préludes et Fugues Op 7 / Cortège et Litanie Op 19 / Variations sur un vieux Noël Op 20 / Symphonie-Passion Op 23)









Pierre Cochereau, organ

*Olivier Messiaen* - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Argo/Decca)









John Ogdon, piano

*Salvatore Sciarrino* - Sui Poemi Concentrici 1 - 3 (Kairos)









ensemble recherche; Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin u. Peter Rundel

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Rene Jacobs and co in Monteverdi's "Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria."


----------



## Mahlerian

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 in G major
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Chung


----------



## Marschallin Blair

arcaneholocaust said:


> View attachment 37107
> 
> 
> My enjoyment of Schoenberg has multiplied tenfold in the last couple of months...possibly my favorite modern composer after Ravel at this point. First listen to this particular beast.


". . possibly my favorite modern composer after Ravel at this point"--- I love how your mind works. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. I could never be so generous, with regards to Moses and Aaron, that is. . . I'm always willing to learn though.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Conor71 said:


> *Magnard: Symphony No. 3 In Bb Minor, Op. 11*
> 
> A trio of French Symphonies for tonights listening - all abolutely lovely. Pure bliss! (note: The Honegger was No. 3):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/QUOTE---
> ---
> I'm glad you made honorable mention of the Hyperion Magnard. That really is light, charming reading music that I just treasure-- when I'm in a rarefied, halcyonic mood of course. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Andolink

*Alan Rawsthorne*: _String Quartet No. 2_ (1954) and _String Quartet No. 3_ (1965)
The Flesch Quartet









*Jean Martinon*: _String Quartet No. 2 Op. 54_ (1966)
Quatuor Ravel


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Glass: Itaipu; Salonen: Wing on Wing*









Love the_ Itaipu_.










-- and _I really love _the wordless coloratura extravagance of Anu Komsi and Pia Komsi in Salonen's _Wing on Wing_.


----------



## Vasks

*Ries - Ouverture bardique (Griffiths/cpo)
Beethoven - Violin Sonata #10 (Dumay/DG)
R. Strauss - Dance of Salome (Jarvi/Chandos)*


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/classical

now playing
Mauro Giuliani - Sonata Eroica


----------



## TurnaboutVox

AMM

Before Driving to the Chapel We Took Coffee with Rick and Jennifer Reed / AMM, [Musette, 1996]










My son has helpfully labelled this 'Free improvisation' and I'd guess it might not meet too many people's definition of classical music. Here's what Laura Hightower at musiciansguide.com has to say about AMM:

"AMM are a pioneering force in the realm of British experimentalism, a collective unit that has inspired the work of avant-garde guitarist Derek Bailey, composers Gavin Bryars and Michael Nyman, and producer Brian Eno, among others. Over the years, such notables as percussionist Christopher Hobbs, composer and educator Christian Wolff, cellist Rohan de Saram, saxophonist Evan Parker, and clarinetist Ian Mitchell have participated in the creation of AMM music. The current lineup--percussionist Eddie Prévost, pianist John Tilbury, and guitarist/radio player Keith Rowe--has played together since 1980, crafting a sound that resonates on a much grander scale than most other trios.

Defying categorization, the group's improvisational music includes such styles and instrumentation as minimalism, prepared piano, altered electric guitar (achieved by bowing strings or inserting foreign objects), and even the transistor radio and other electronic gizmos. For nearly 40 years, the members of AMM have devoted their lives to creating what drummer Prévost calls "meta-music."

In 1966 the lineup was completed with composer, multi-instrumentalist, and best-known member of AMM, Cornelius Cardew, on cello and piano. Previously, he had worked with Stockhausen, but he had rejected the composer's autocratic methods.

Cornelius Cardew favored music that left the decision-making up to the players, and in support of his notion of individualism, he composed "Treatise." While looking for musicians willing to play the 193 pages of lines open to interpretation, he met and subsequently joined AMM. It was his belief that, as with primitive societies, anyone could become a musician."

The only comment I'm prepared to venture is 'Hmmm. Interesting sounds, but perhaps not music at all as I understand it'. Oh, perhaps it is; what do I know?


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Mendelssohn String Octet in E flat major, Op. 20, MWV R20*

from this album:









* - Seattle Chamber Music Octet*

Sensitive and really good performance.

allmusic

arkivmusic


----------



## ptr

A slight return to the SS of a few weeks back:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 1 (Gramofono 2000/Live April 8 1939)









NBC Symphony Orchestra u, Bruno Walter

Awesome in all its monaural glory!

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Mendelssohn String Octet in E flat major, Op. 20, MWV R20*

from this album:









* - Mandelring Quartett & Quartetto di Cremona*

prestoclassical


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> -- and _I really love _the wordless coloratura extravagance of Anu Komsi and Pia Komsi in Salonen's _Wing on Wing_.


This looks interesting and the samples on Amazon sound right down my alley (which is becoming more like a freeway than an alley these days). I've got it on my want list --and thank you!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Conlon Nancarrow, Studies for Player Piano 1, 2a, and 2b.*

Nancarrow can be overwhelming, but these are pretty easy to follow.


----------



## Weston

*J. S. Bach: A Musical Offering*
Sir Neville Mariner / AoSMitF









I'm feeling all chromatic and academic this morning and want to stay in that mood. This work is my ticket.

From Wikipedia:
"The Ricercar a 6, a six-voice fugue which is the highpoint of the entire work, was put forward by the musicologist Charles Rosen as the most significant piano composition in history (partly because it is one of the first)."

So why is the Ricercar played here on a pipe organ? I do love the remainder of the instrument choices and I've always found it cool that Bach's music often doesn't specify an instrument.


----------



## Selby

Takemitsu, Tōru - Works for Chamber Ensemble [Nagano, Sakai, Tobisawa, Ogawa, Takezawa]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Sibelius - Songs Vol. 2

Seven Songs, Op.13
Six Songs, Op.50
Six Songs, Op.90
The Wood Nymph (Skogsraet)
The Jewish Girl's Song (Den judiska flickans sang)
Alikeness (Likhet)
A Song (En visa)
Serenade (Serenad)
The Thought (Tanken) 
Under the Fir-Trees (Under strandens granar)*

Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg (Piano) [BIS]

*Wolf - Orchesterlieder from:*

*Mörike Lieder
Spanisches Liederbuch
Goethe-Lieder*

Deutsches SO Berlin, Kent Nagano, Banse (Soprano), Henschel (Baritone) [Harmonia Mundi, 2006]


----------



## bejart

John Marsh (1752-1828): Symphony No.3 in D Major

Ian Graham-Jones conducting the Chichester Concert


----------



## Blake

Schoenberg Quartet - _String Quartet 1._ Some of my favorite chamber music of all time.


----------



## hpowders

Haydn, Opus 76 String Quartets, Tatrai Quartet.
Oddly, couldn't get these Hungariton CD's to play on my main system.
Playing through the computer just fine!
I guess my main system prefers Mozart's music!! :lol:


----------



## Itullian

hpowders said:


> View attachment 37147
> 
> 
> Haydn, Opus 76 String Quartets, Tatrai Quartet.
> Oddly, couldn't get these Hungariton CD's to play on my main system.
> Playing through the computer just fine!


Those Tatrai performances are good, but the sound of the recordings was too harsh for me.


----------



## ptr

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 6 (Bis)









Symfoniorkestern Norrköping u. Christian Lindberg

I maintain that Lindberg still may be the premier trombone player but still a second rate conductor. In modern Bis manner everything is reconstructed "note" perfect but misses out on all the important long lines and structures! Okko Kamu's old CBS recording is still my favourite (With the same orchestra)! It's a pity that Bis did not retain Leif Segerstam for the whole Pettersson Symphony Cycle, he's the kind of musical conductor that Pettersson's music thrives of!

/ptr


----------



## hpowders

Yes. Segerstam's Pettersson 7th sounds very fine to me.


----------



## Blancrocher

Pianist Stephen Gutman's first volume of Rameau's complete keyboard works.

*p.s.* Weston, I'd recommend the recent re-issue of Andrew Rangell's recording that piece from the Musical Offering. I wish more pianists would tackle that amazing work.

*pps* I'm especially enjoying "Le Rappel des oiseaux" in Suite #2 in E minor at the moment. Rameau is such an entertaining and inventive composer.


----------



## ptr

hpowders said:


> Yes. Segerstam's Pettersson 7th sounds very fine to me.


Indeed, but I still prefer Dorati's old Swedish Society one from 1969!

/ptr


----------



## Weston

*Daniel Asia: Symphony No. 2 "Celebration Symphony" and Symphony No. 3*
James Sedares / The Phoenix Symphony









This contemporary composer may sadly remain lesser known than he deserves. His compositions don't call for throwing cats into a blender or urinating onto a recumbent cello or whatever. Instead he tends to favor soft brass sounds. Muted horns and quiet trombones abound with occasional jabs of sharper brasses and other orchestral colors. The orchestration is quite varied in spite of my limited description. If I can compare his style to anyone, it might be Dutilleux.

I enjoy these two works immensely and recommend them to anyone looking for a less abrasive contemporary experience.


----------



## hpowders

ptr said:


> Indeed, but I still prefer Dorati's old Swedish Society one from 1969!
> 
> /ptr


I just bought the Dorati Pettersson 7th used. The rent can wait 'til next month.


----------



## Weston

Weston said:


> *Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.43*
> Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
> . . .
> 
> I was a little put off by what I consider my favorite motive or phrase in the Symphony No. 1 (right after the opening oboe solo and the theme gets going in earnest) being played less distinctly than I am used to hearing -- with a slight blurring or legato.


Ummm - make that a clarinet solo. I'm sure that was a typo caused by autocorrect.


----------



## Rhythm

^ Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra, Op.35 | Dmitri Shostakovich
Martha Argerich, piano
Philip Smith, trumpet

New York Philharmonic
Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor

April, 2005
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City​


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Franz Schubert's* lieder, performed by Dietriech Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore on this set:









The last ones I have heard:

D095 Adelaide
D100 Geisternähe
D120 Trost in Tränen
D313 Die Sterne
D318 Schwanengesang
D367 Der König in Thule
D415 Klage
D539 Am Strome

This music is almost _too_ sweet...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Keilberth Gotterdammerung- Brunhilde's Immolation Scene*









_Take it, Astrid!_


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37154
> 
> 
> _Take it, Astrid!_


Up there. Fantastic recording.


----------



## Novelette

Chambonnières: Pièces de Clavecin -- Blandine Rannous

Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48 -- Richard Hickox: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Corelli: Violin Sonata #6 in A, Op. 5/6 -- Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr

Liszt: Grandes Études De Paganini, S 141 -- Leslie Howard

Boieldieu: Harp Concerto in C, Op. 77 -- Marisa Robles: The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Haydn: Piano Sonata #47 in B Minor, H 16/32 -- Yours Truly

Schumann: Symphony #2 in C, Op. 61 -- John Eliot Gardiner: Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in A Major, Op.18, No.5

Lindsay String Quartet: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins --Roger Bigley, viola -- Bernard Gregor-Smith, cello


----------



## senza sordino

My Baroque morning
Vivaldi Lute and Mandolin concerti. This is from my local library. I really like this recording, lots of energy. I will definitely seek out my own copy.








and Bach Orchestral Suites


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Up there. Fantastic recording.


. . . fantastic _conducting_. . . fantastic, _heroic singing_!


----------



## millionrainbows

*Vanguard Historical Series 4-CD: Beethoven Sonatas for piano and violin, complete: Szigeti & Arrau. Recorded 1953.
*
In glorious mono! This recording, like most old recordings, has so much pronounced midrange and limited dynamics that it will even cut through the road noise in a '65 Ford pickup with all the windows rolled down! Great road music. The dynamics are so evened-out that you can listen at extremely low volume and still get every nuance of the performance.

I'm starting out on CD IV, the ninth sonata, Op. 47 in A, "Kreutzer." The almost 16-minute second movement, _Andante con Variazioni,_ is quite enjoyable and inventive.

Old historical recordings like this are "good for you" because they make you aware of musical ideas, without getting all carried away by the sonic sensuality of sound. In this sense, this is a more "cerebral" listen, like reading a book compared to watching a movie. McLuhan would call lo-fi sound a "hot" medium, because it gets you involved. With hi-rez, everything is given to you, and is a "cool" medium because it calls for less involvement, less imagination. Read A BOOK TODAY!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Piano Sonatas, w. McLachlan (rec.1988), Hegedus (rec.1988).

View attachment 37160


----------



## millionrainbows

Weston said:


> *J. S. Bach: A Musical Offering*
> Sir Neville Mariner / AoSMitF
> 
> View attachment 37139
> 
> 
> I'm feeling all chromatic and academic this morning and want to stay in that mood. This work is my ticket.
> 
> From Wikipedia:
> "The Ricercar a 6, a six-voice fugue which is the highpoint of the entire work, was put forward by the musicologist Charles Rosen as the most significant piano composition in history (partly because it is one of the first)."
> 
> So why is the Ricercar played here on a pipe organ? I do love the remainder of the instrument choices and I've always found it cool that Bach's music often doesn't specify an instrument.


Weston, I have this one, and it's my favorite, in large part because of that charming little organ. It must be a reed organ, because it produces a very subtle, yet endearing "chirp" as the keys are depressed. I really like it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Saturday Symphony listening, *Dvorak* Symphony 8, w. VPO/Chung (rec.1999).

View attachment 37161


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . fantastic _conducting_. . . fantastic, _heroic singing_!


Fantastic sound too.


----------



## Itullian

Pickin' and choosin'.


----------



## millionrainbows

jim prideaux said:


> awake particularly early, in fact it is the middle of the night-Saturday with a 'six pointer' this afternoon (the periodic fight against relegation looms) so Beethoven string quartets Op 74 and 95 performed by the Medici Quartet


I woke up with a 'six-pointer' as well!


----------



## KenOC

John Adams, The Dharma at Big Sur, from 2003. I had forgotten how much I like this.


----------



## Blancrocher

Matthew McCright playing piano music of Gene Gutche.

Fugue in C minor, Op.3 (1948)
Theme and Variations, Op.6 No.2 (1949)
Utilitarian Fugue, Op.9
Sonata, Op.32 No.1 (1963)
Sonata, Op.32 No.2 (1963)


----------



## Mika

Stravinsky - Symphony in C


----------



## KenOC

Another concerto. Bartok, Piano Concerto No. 3, Boulez and Grimaud with the LSO.


----------



## maestro267

*Brahms*: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor
Grimaud (piano)/Staatskapelle Berlin/Sanderling

*Liszt*: Hunnenschlacht
BBC Philharmonic/Noseda

*Dvorák*: Symphony No. 8 in G major
Oslo PO/Mariss Jansons


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 6 No. 1 in F-Sharp minor; Op. 24 No. 1 in G minor; Op. 7 No. 1 in B-flat Major (Evgeni Koroliov).









Is the Mazurka the most Chopinesque genre?  Excellent performances by Koroliov, clean, lyrical but also witty and nuanced.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Musique Arabo-Andalouse" - Atrium Musicae, Gregorio Paniagua, dir.


----------



## samurai

Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70 and Symphony No.8 in G Minor, Op.88.*
Both works are rousingly traversed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Witold Rowicki. 
Joseph Haydn--*Symphony No.100 in G Major {"Military Symphony"}; Symphony No.102 in B-Flat Major; Symphony No.101 in D major {"The Clock"} and Symphony No.105 in B-Flat Major {"Sinfonia Concertante"}. *All four works feature Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. These days, I am sampling Haydn in smaller doses, in an attempt to decide which of his symphonies--amongst his vast and varied output--I really enjoy and wish to listen to on a regular basis, which could well change from time to time, of course. 
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, * both featuring the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Blancrocher

Georges Cziffra playing Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies (rec. 1972-5).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Cantata No. 173, Erhohtes Fleisch und Blut*


----------



## Selby

Takemitsu, Tōru - Works for Flute and Guitar [Mikael Helasvuo, Jukka Savijoki]


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 3,4 & 11* Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra on EMI.








Excellent performance and recording of the 3 unquestionably genuine Haydn piano concertos. These are all interesting, especially No. 11. I don't tend to think of Haydn as a natural concerto writer, and I guess when it comes to piano concertos he can't quite match Mozart (but who can?). So I'm always surprised at just how good the 11th piano concerto is.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantatas 1, 2 and 3 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)

This has gone down better than I expected at work. Now I'm seriously considering making it a regular start to the mornings here to play another disc in sequence from the Harnoncourt / Leonhardt series. I've had mixed feelings about the set in the past, but its high time I took another pass at it.


----------



## spradlig

I'm a big Brahms fan and I just decided to check out whatever string quintets he may have written. I discovered he wrote two, and I'm listening to the second on YouTube right now: 



 (I hope this works; it was posted by SpringLightMusic). I like the piece, the visuals of the musicians playing their instruments are the best I've seen, and the performance seems good (I'm not an expert on performance).


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 20, 32, 34 & 49* Alfred Brendel on Philips







Well I'm listening to these sonatas with considerable relief. These are the first CD and a half from a four disc set I've had (and loved) for many years. I was rather horror stricken to discover that the foam insets in the CD cases had rotted and seriously stuck to and marked the CD's. Things got worse when investigation of many of my older much loved boxed sets revealed many similar horrors. Well my brother-in-law (he does come in useful) has undertaken some restoration work and am playing these sonatas with baited breath. So far so good.

To loose this set of Haydn sonatas with Brendel playing would be a great shame as this is one of my very favourite box sets.


----------



## Andolink

LancsMan said:


> *Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 20, 32, 34 & 49* Alfred Brendel on Philips
> View attachment 37175
> 
> Well I'm listening to these sonatas with considerable relief. These are the first CD and a half from a four disc set I've had (and loved) for many years. I was rather horror stricken to discover that the foam insets in the CD cases had rotted and seriously stuck to and marked the CD's. Things got worse when investigation of many of my older much loved boxed sets revealed many similar horrors. Well my brother-in-law (he does come in useful) has undertaken some restoration work and am playing these sonatas with baited breath. So far so good.
> 
> To loose this set of Haydn sonatas with Brendel playing would be a great shame as this is one of my very favourite box sets.


I went through exactly that same horror, finding box after box with the foam insert stuck to the discs and having to painstakingly scrape and scrape. Over time the foam kind of melts onto the discs and was never intended to be left in the box after purchase but were for shipping only. After cleaning, however, the CD's are all OK thank God!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37154
> 
> 
> _Take it, Astrid!_


but on its own? Not in the context of the whole 4 discs? Tut! tut!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

LancsMan said:


> *Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 20, 32, 34 & 49* Alfred Brendel on Philips
> View attachment 37175
> 
> Well I'm listening to these sonatas with considerable relief. These are the first CD and a half from a four disc set I've had (and loved) for many years. I was rather horror stricken to discover that the foam insets in the CD cases had rotted and seriously stuck to and marked the CD's. Things got worse when investigation of many of my older much loved boxed sets revealed many similar horrors. Well my brother-in-law (he does come in useful) has undertaken some restoration work and am playing these sonatas with baited breath. So far so good.
> 
> To loose this set of Haydn sonatas with Brendel playing would be a great shame as this is one of my very favourite box sets.


Yikes! Hope it isn't anything about the atmosphere in Lancashire - the weather is awful enough here without it ruining our CDs too!


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Cherubini's* death day (March 15, 1842), sampling his Requiem No. 2 in D minor.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in C Minor, Bryan c2

Kevin Mallon conducting the Toronto Camerata


----------



## Blancrocher

Boulez and co in Ligeti concertos (rec. 1992-3)


----------



## Bas

Late afternoon:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata no. 32
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Late-night programm, since I can't sleep:

Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in Em
By Alina Ibragimova, Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment, Vladimir Jurowski [dir.], on Hyperion









Franz Schubert - Winterreise
Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta (recorded march 1945)


----------



## MagneticGhost

Berio - Sinfonia

Keep going


----------



## Guest

At 46 minutes, the "Epic Sonata" No.3 might outstay its welcome, but it makes for pleasant listening.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bridge - Piano Music Vol. 2 [Naxos]

Piano Sonata
Lament for Catherine
Improvisations - I. At Dawn; II. A Vigil; III. A Revel
Three Sketches - I. April; II. Rosemary; III. Valse capricieuse*

Ashley Wass (Piano)


----------



## bejart

Francois Rene Gebauer (1773-1845): Wind Quintet No.3 in C Minor

Le Concert Impromptu: Yves Charpentier, flute -- Anne Chamussy, oboe -- Herve Cligniez, clarinet -- Didier Velty, horn -- Christophe Tessier, bassoon


----------



## senza sordino

Villa Lobos Bachianas Brasileras #1,2,5,9








Villa Lobos Guitar Concerto, etudes and preludes


----------



## KenOC

Bartok's Violin Concerto No. 2. Patricia Kopatchinskaja with Peter Eötvös conducting the Frankfurt RSO. A wizard performance, probably the best.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

KenOC said:


> Bartok's Violin Concerto No. 2. Patricia Kopatchinskaja with Peter Eötvös conducting the Frankfurt RSO. A wizard performance, probably the best.


I agree completely with you here Ken! However, I'm not that fond of the other two pieces.

Kevin


----------



## Novelette

Gossec: Suite de Sabinus -- Guy van Waas: Les Agréments

Dvořák: Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A -- Hiroko Nakamura & Tokyo Quartet

Schumann: Genoveva, Op. 81 -- Kurt Masur: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Devienne: Flute Quartet #1 in A Minor, Op. 66 -- Alexis Kossenko & Quatuor Cambini


----------



## starthrower

Zappa- classical/jazz piano style.


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Kevin Pearson

LancsMan said:


> *Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 20, 32, 34 & 49* Alfred Brendel on Philips
> View attachment 37175
> 
> Well I'm listening to these sonatas with considerable relief. These are the first CD and a half from a four disc set I've had (and loved) for many years. I was rather horror stricken to discover that the foam insets in the CD cases had rotted and seriously stuck to and marked the CD's. Things got worse when investigation of many of my older much loved boxed sets revealed many similar horrors. Well my brother-in-law (he does come in useful) has undertaken some restoration work and am playing these sonatas with baited breath. So far so good.
> 
> To loose this set of Haydn sonatas with Brendel playing would be a great shame as this is one of my very favourite box sets.


I also wanted to say that last year I went through my entire collection to replace broken cases and give all my discs a good cleaning and I too found several of my discs damaged with the foam. It had degenerated and stuck to the CDs over time. Fortunately I have not found any yet that are unplayable or have skips but it might be just a matter of time. I have not found anything that can clean the foam off the CDs. Seems like I will either live with it or replace them with new copies. I'm assuming that this is a problem that music companies have discovered because I have not seen foam in CDs in at least ten years now.

Kevin


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's The Opening Of The Wells - Pavel Kuhn, cond.










Rubbra's Cello Sonata - Jacqueline du Pre, cello, Iris du Pre, piano










Schnittke's Choir Concerto - Valeri Polyanski, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation - The Representation of Chaos; Im Anfange schuf Gott Himmel und Erde (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).









Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, 'Drumroll' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









I don't think I'll ever tire of this glorious symphony. And I'm beginning to appreciate Günther Herbig's sprightly approach to the Londoners more and more.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Jan Krenz, cond.


----------



## maestro267

*Cresswell*: Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra
New Zealand SQ/New Zealand SO/McKeich

*Arnold*: Concerto for two pianos, three hands
Sellick & Smith (pianos)/CBSO/Composer

*Arnold*: Peterloo Overture
CBSO/Composer

*Daugherty*: Philadelphia Stories
Colorado SO/Alsop


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Debussy: Images for Orchestra*

from this album:

* - Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel*









Very entertaining images. Brilliant performance and sound!

prestoclassical


----------



## ptr

*Luigi Nono* - Variazioni canoniche / A Carlo Scarpa Y No hay caminos (Astree Auvidis)









Sinfonieorchester des Südwestfunks, BadenBaden u. Michael Gielen

*Leif Kayser* - Symphonies Vol 1 (No 2 & 3) & Vol 2 (No 1 & 4) (Dacapo)







---








Aalborg Symphony Orchestra u. Matthias Aeschbacher

/ptr


----------



## PetrB

Reminded of it by Violadude's mention of the composer in a thread...

David Lang ~ Child, for viola, cello, flute, clarinet and piano -- in five movements.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat, Op. 7
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28
Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49/2*

Alfred Brendel [Decca, 1996]









Still on my initial traversal of Brendel's digital set, though in fact the discs may have got mixed up as I think I've heard this one before. Not to worry, Op. 7 is my favourite of the 'early' early sonatas and Brendel is magisterial here. Op. 28 ('Pastoral') has long been my favourite of the 'late' early ones; the andante and scherzo: allegro assai are magical and never fail to evoke childhood memories.


----------



## Oskaar

Inspired by the currently listening revisited thread, I am listening to

*Shostakovich - Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54*

from this album:

*Russian National Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski*









Fine!

- prestoclassical

Do you have suggestions to shosta no 6?


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Missa in Bm
By Collegium Vocale Gent, Dorothee Mields [soprano], Hana Blažiková [soprano], Damien Guillon [countertenor], Thomass Hobbs [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on φ


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Pavan for Three Violins and Basso Continuo in G Minor, Z.752

The Purcell Quartet with Risa Crowder on 3rd violin: Catherine Mackintosh and Elizabeth Wallfisch, violins -- Richard Boothby, viola -- Robert Woolley, chamber organ


----------



## Andolink

*Franco Donatoni*: _TOY_, for 2 violins, viola and harpsichord (1977); _NIDI_, for piccolo (1979)
Pierre-Yves Artaud, piccolo
Ensemble 2E2M/Paul Mefano









*Nikos Skalkottas*: _String Quartet No. 3_ (1935)
New Hellenic Quartet


----------



## Weston

spradlig said:


> I'm a big Brahms fan and I just decided to check out whatever string quintets he may have written. I discovered he wrote two, and I'm listening to the second on YouTube right now:
> 
> 
> 
> (I hope this works; it was posted by SpringLightMusic). I like the piece, the visuals of the musicians playing their instruments are the best I've seen, and the performance seems good (I'm not an expert on performance).


Beautiful performance and venue. The violinist on the far left looks like she's emotionally hurt. I want to give her a bowl of soup and a blanket and make it all better.


----------



## Oskaar

I am listening to

*Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47*

from this album:

*Vilde Frang (violin) - WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Thomas Søndergård*









Fantastic young and fresh interpretation! Not polished at all, and I like that

presto


----------



## Mahlerian

Gandolfi: From the Institutes of Groove, Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, Fantasia for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Angel Subero (bass trombone), Richard Svoboda (bassoon), Kenneth Radnofsky (alto sax), Boston Modern Orchestra Project, cond. Gil Rose









I noticed a premiere of a work by Gandolfi on the BSO's 2014-2015 season (played with Mahler's Sixth), so I decided to check his music out. I had previously seen him mentioned together with Higdon, which didn't really help, but I find this music, despite its decidedly Neoromantic, somewhat pastiche-like nature (a bit of Berg there, a bit of Copland here, a bit of Bartok mixed with jazz inflections over there...), far more engaging than Higdon's. The Boston Modern Orchestra Project recently released a disc of Milton Babbitt's music, including All Set, a piece that I love. They've recorded American composers covering a wide range of styles from Thompson to Foss to Berger to Harbison, something which I support.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Sinfonie in B Flat, Op.6, No.6

Hans Martin Linde conducting the Cappella Coloniensis


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> Beautiful performance and venue. The violinist on the far left looks like she's emotionally hurt. I want to give her a bowl of soup and a blanket and make it all better.


Is she upset because the guys got to sit in real chairs and the girls were stuck with piano benches?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 7 in F, Op. 59/1
String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59/2 
'Rasoumovsky Nos. 1 & 2'*

Endellion Quartet, [Warner Classics]










My 'new disc of the week', disc 4 of 10 in the 'Complete String Quartets, Quintets and fragments'

This is turning out to be a very good box set, partly because the music is so well played and partly because it is so well recorded. The Endellions take an emotionally low key, rather analytical approach and the instrumental lines seem easier to follow separately than on the interpretations I have got used to. But the ensemble playing is really intimate and they have a quality of 'music making' which is also found in the Talich Quartet's recordings (though the Endellion recording quality is much better, and there is much less rubato and less idiosyncrasy in the performance). I am really enjoying these (when I find myself humming along 'unconsciously' a la Glenn Gould I usually am!)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Sonatas Nos. 30-34.*

Up too early today, so Haydn ushered me from the dark to glorious day. Wait, it's raining. Shucks, why am I up, anyway?


----------



## Andolink

*Sadie Harrison*: _The Light Garden_, for mixed quintet
The Tate Ensemble









*Ib Nørholm*: _Sonata No. 2 for guitar_, Op. 110
Jacob Christensen, guitar


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Orgel-Büchlein
By Ton Koopman [organ], on Teldec


----------



## ptr

*Leif Kayser* - Works for Organ (Dacapo)
(Kirkeruder (Church Panes) (1975) / Hymne til hertug Knud (Hymn to Duke Knud) (1986) / Concerto per Organo (1965))









Jørgen Ellegaard Frederiksen, organ

/ptr


----------



## Vasks

_All about Adams_

*John Adams - John's Book of Alleged Dances (Kronos/Nonesuch)
John Adams - Gnarly Buttons (Collins/Nonesuch)*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Haydn Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio









just the thing for a drizzly march sunday


----------



## Weston

Manxfeeder said:


> Is she upset because the guys got to sit in real chairs and the girls were stuck with piano benches?


The video says her name is Vilde Frang. Though I was unfamiliar with her, she seems to be quite a well known recording artist. I reckon she deserves a chair too.


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Mahler's Symphony No.5, performed by Solti/CSO. Who can resist this cover art?










And about Vilde Frang, since she was the subject of the previous page, I have two of her records (Nielsen/Tchaikovsky and Sibelius/Prokofiev 1 violin concertos) and they are quite good. Even if not very polished like oskaar noted they are fresh and interesting. I think she have a fantastic future!


----------



## ptr

*Bengt Hambraeus* 3 X LPs:

‎- Constellations & Interferences (Philips)









Bengt Hambraeus, organ and electronic manipulation / Karl-Erik Wellin, organ

- Livre D'Orgue Volume III (McGill University Records)









John Grew, organ

- Livre D'Orgue IV / Toccata Monumentum Per Max Reger / Interferenzen (Malmö Audioproduktion/MAP)









Hans Hellsten, organ

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Barenboim, Williams, and co in Rodrigo's "Concerto for Aranjuez" and Villa-Lobos' "Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra."


----------



## Oskaar

julianoq said:


> Who can resist this cover art?


Reminding me of a summer trip we had when I was a child.. my father more and more desperate waiting for a much to late ferry, and we kids more and more annoing to him...


----------



## Oskaar

I am listening to

*Shostakovich - Symphony no 1 in F minor, Op. 10*

from this album:

* - Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev*









Fine and intense recording.

sa-cd


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, WAB 102 (1872 version)*

National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Georg Tintner [Naxos, 1996]









Third listen, I think, and this is starting to creep towards familiarity within my brain (so it's starting to make more sense as a coherent whole). I find that it does take me some time with complex orchestral music which is why I generally start with a composer's solo piano or chamber works. But there's not any of the former and very little of the latter for Bruckner and anyway, I became aware of the symphonies first.

So - this is very good, is what I'm getting to.


----------



## opus55

oskaar said:


> Reminding me of a summer trip we had when I was a child.. my father more and more desperate waiting for a much to late ferry, and we kids more and more annoing to him...


:lol: That's a good one!


----------



## julianoq

Beethoven' Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 performed by Ronald Brautigam on a period instrument. First listen on this cycle, so started with my favorite sonata. I don't think it is better than on modern pianos, but I am having a good time listening to it.


----------



## hpowders

^^^^I have the whole set!!!


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> I find that it does take me some time with complex orchestral music which is why I generally start with a composer's solo piano or chamber works. But there's not any of the former and very little of the latter for Bruckner and anyway, I became aware of the symphonies first.


Actually, there are some juvenilia for solo piano, but they truly and succinctly fit the phrase "_*only*_ for completists".


----------



## Blancrocher

Leonhardt playing Scarlatti (rec. 1970)


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Symphony No.2 in E Flat

Andrew Manze leading the English Concert


----------



## hpowders

The Leonard Bernstein Songbook.
Every song is a masterpiece.
Peter Pan, West Side Story, Candide, On The Town; it's all here.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn Two Quartets, Opus 77. Tatrai Quartet.
Haydn's last two string quartets from a projected set of six, not to be.


----------



## Tristan

*Sibelius* - Karelia Suite, Op. 11









Beautiful lively work. The third movement march almost reminds me of Tchaikovsky


----------



## Itullian

Number 5.


----------



## Oskaar

listening to this marvelous recording

(to lasy right now, so I link to another thread. will not happen often)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: Violin Concerti, w. Zehetmair/Rattle (rec.1995),; Symphonies 3 & 4, w. Stryja et al (rec.1988/9).


----------



## Vaneyes

oskaar said:


> View attachment 37226


Always nice to see Vilde.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I got interrupted listening to these yesterday and got less than half way through (had to leave my cave and go to a jazz concert!) so I'm listening to the whole disc today:

*Wolf

Orchesterlieder* complete, except for a second version of Mignon (Kennst du das Land?)

Dietrich Henschel, Juliane Banse; Kent Nagano, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Berlin Radio Symphony Chorus
[Harmonia Mundi, 2006]










This disc is really quite excellent, I never tire of listening to these grand orchestral songs. I should explore Wolf's other lieder more fully.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> I also wanted to say that last year I went through my entire collection to replace broken cases and give all my discs a good cleaning and *I too found several of my discs damaged with the foam*. It had degenerated and stuck to the CDs over time. Fortunately I have not found any yet that are unplayable or have skips but it might be just a matter of time. I have not found anything that can clean the foam off the CDs. Seems like I will either live with it or replace them with new copies. I'm assuming that this is a problem that music companies have discovered because I have not seen foam in CDs in at least ten years now.
> 
> Kevin


Sorry to hear that. You might try "Goo Gone" to clean that stuff. If it doesn't do the job, then I'd say they're ruined. I wouldn't try any harsher cleaners...likely, they'd eat the foam remnants and the CD.

Luckily, I was tipped off about foam sheets many years ago, and got them out of the double and triple boxes before any damage was done.


----------



## Blancrocher

Volume 2 of Stephen Gutman's cycle of Rameau keyboard works on the piano.


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3


----------



## aleazk

Gesualdo - Tenebrae responsories for good friday (Taverner consort).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Sonata in C K.330
Schumann: Fantasy in C Op.17
Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Barber: Excursions Op.20
Chopin: Nocturne in F Minor Op.55 No.1/Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Op.22 Shura Cherkassky

The inimitable Shura Cherkassky in a typically wide ranging programme given at the Salzburg Festival on the 31st July, 1961. The sound is excellent and the whole recital most winningly played. I wish he were still with us. I also wish that Austrian Radio had seen fit to preserve the encores, which were always such a feature of any Cherkassky recital.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A few weeks ago I was listening to Idil Biret playing these; today I am listening to Aimard and Pollini playing the same works:

*Boulez - *(from)* Complete Works [Deutsche Grammophon]

1ère Sonate* / Pierre-Laurent Aimard

*2ème Sonate* / Maurizio Pollini


----------



## Orfeo

*Anton Bruckner*
Symphonies nos. II, V, & VIII.
-The Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim.

*Philip Prosper Sainton*
Symphonic/Tone Poems "The Island" (1939) & "Nadir" (1942).
-Philharmonia Orchestra/Matthias Bamert.

*Patrick Hadley*
Symphonic Ballad in A minor "The Trees So High."
-David Wilson-Johnson, baritone.
-Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus/Matthias Bamert.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Gloria from Mass in B minor
Bach Collegium Japan, dir. Suzuki


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Sonata D. 960 & Moments Musiceaux
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## DrKilroy

For Pergolesi's birthday, Stabat Mater:










Also, Schubert's Symphony No. 9:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## bejart

Leopold Mozart (1719-1787): Symphony in F Major, Eisen F6

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Hogwood's version of Purcell's "The Indian Queen" (rec. 1994)

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=56907


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Schubert - Lieder - Janet Baker, Gerald Moore/Geoffrey Parsons









Shhh! Just listen!


----------



## Haydn man

I feel this is an excellent cycle and the recording is good
Tonight I will listen to No 6


----------



## DaveS

Bruckner 4: Klemperer, Philharmonia ; Wagner: Siegfried Idyll.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Castelnuovo Tedesco's* death day, March 16, 1968.

View attachment 37269


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Music from the Eton Choirbook vol2 - music by Davy, Browne, Cornysh and Sheryngham - The Sixteen - Harry Christophers









Pani Hermitka has just entered and demanded to be told why the house has to sound like a medieval monastery. Answers on a postcard, please!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas:

4 Christ lag in Todesbanden
5 Wo soll ich fliehen hin?
6 Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden

- Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)


----------



## Weston

*Ernest Moeran: Fantasy Quartet For Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello 
Ernest Moeran: Piano Trio in D*
Joachim Trio / Nicholas Daniel, oboe









I'm streaming this as the CD itself is a bit expensive and the mp3 version says $0.00 with no buy button.  There are some stuffy reviews on the Amazon site for this CD, but while I don't find these works as rewarding as those I've heard for orchestra, there is still a lot to offer. The oboe piece uses strange scales, almost harkening back to Rimsky-Korsakov's exoticism, yet still sounding at times with one foot planted firmly in the pastures of England (or Ireland).

The piano trio is a bit more interesting to me and has some of the same robust melodic writing as his symphony.

The CD also offers two string quartets, but I wasn't in the mood for strictly strings at the moment.

The album cover is beautiful.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Myslivecek (1737-1781): String Quintet No.5 in F Major

Pro Arte Antiqua Praha: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Ivo Anyz and Jaromir Pavicek, violas -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## Alfacharger

Tomorrow is St. Patty's day so I started a bit early.


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto - Nathan Milstein









I was never that fussed by this piece until I bought this set of Milstein's discs. The slow movement is gorgeous - I had to listen to it four or five times in a row when I first played it - it sounded THAT good. Its just like walking towards a Jewish village on the Russian steppes on a hot, sunny day in July in the late C19th - you can almost see the scene, smell the coooking, hear the sounds of life ..... well, I imagine that was what it was like!


----------



## DrKilroy

For the end of the day, I am going to listen to Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques with Aimard and Boulez.


Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

Sibelius - Symphony 7 BPO / Karajan

Got symphonies 4-7 plus Tapiola and The Swan (2CDs) for less than three quid in a charity shop. I don't even think they'd been played!


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 37, 40, 42, 48, 50, 51, 52, Fantasia, Adagio& Andante con variazioni* Brendel on Philips








Resuming my journey through this rescued four disc set. I've said it before on TC (and had many of you disagreeing) - I think the Haydn piano sonatas are superior to Mozart's (and I generally rate Mozart higher than Haydn). I think some of them are equal to the best early period Beethoven sonatas - in fact I think I may actually prefer them!

I'll give a special mention to the Presto finale of the 51st sonata in D, which is 'a restlessly scurrying, very modern quasi-scherzo, which owes its uncanny, mysterious quality to the uninterrupted motion, the metrical and harmonic disorientation, and the preponderance of elements which heighten rather than release tension' according to the CD notes. All I can say is it gives me goose-bumps of pleasure listening to it.

This is a magnificent recording.


----------



## Dustin

Handel: Rinaldo









I haven't even covered the tip of the iceberg in my Handel opera/oratorio listening. So many hours of wonderful relatively-neglected music!


----------



## Manxfeeder

SimonNZ said:


> Bach's Cantatas 4, 5 and 6 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)


I'll join you in No. 5. John Eliot Gardner speculated that the bass aria, where he says, "Keep silence," was subtly directed to the chatty parishioners.


----------



## Oskaar

Vaneyes said:


> Always nice to see Vilde.


You can regularly see more of her visiting this thread
*Vilde Frang photos to brighten your day!*


----------



## Blancrocher

Igor Kipnis in Spanish baroque harpsichord music, and (with Boulez conducting) Falla's Harpsichord Concerto. A favorite album of mine.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=15539


----------



## hpowders

Haydn Paris Symphonies, Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.
What a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!


----------



## Guest

I understand that Penderecki revised his Piano Concerto since this recording was made, but I like this version on the Polskie Radio label (coupled with Concerto Grosso for Three Cellos and Orchestra) just fine.










Hmmm...the image doesn't display for some reason.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Wolf*

Selection from: *Eichendorff Lieder; Mörike Lieder; Goethe Lieder*

Ian Bostridge, Antonio Pappano (piano) [EMI Classics, 2006] (On Spotify)










Apparently "...the program is entrancingly confected of passion, drollness, and rapture lifted by paradoxical virtues into a preternatural dimension where the greatest art seems utterly artless and natural." 

"Bostridge (who is 'Primus inter pares') is at once polished yet richly expressive, every phrase justly sculpted yet quivering with spontaneity as Pappano surrounds him with a sensuous web of sound wrought of crisp detail, now relenting, now surging, ever deft yet vaulting into an embracing rapport. Each song's ideal point of tension is effortlessly struck. Raving? Well, yes I am! And you will be, too." (Adrian Corleonis, ArkivMusic)

Well, it is a very good disc, I can agree with that


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Headphone Hermit said:


> Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto - Nathan Milstein
> I was never that fussed by this piece until I bought this set of Milstein's discs. The slow movement is gorgeous - I had to listen to it four or five times in a row when I first played it - it sounded THAT good. Its just like walking towards a Jewish village on the Russian steppes on a hot, sunny day in July in the late C19th - you can almost see the scene, smell the coooking, hear the sounds of life ..... well, I imagine that was what it was like!


This is my favourite version of this concerto, I saw Milstein play it at the Royal Festival Hall in January 1983 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Antal Dorati. It was a magnificent performance too. One of my favourite violinists, I saw him four times in all, and they remain amongst the highlights of my concert going career.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Guo Wenjing - the Rite of Mountains
Concerto for percussion and orchestra


----------



## millionrainbows

*Mahler 2: Boulez/Wiener Philharmoniker (DG).

*I'm concentrating on 1-4.


----------



## LancsMan

*C.P.E. Bach: The Symphonies for Strings* The English Concert directed by Trevor Pinnock on Archiv








This is my only disc of C.P.E. Bach's music. Quite strange to my ear. Short-breathed fast movements, almost manic, coupled with slow movements, rather stripped down but with an undeniable presence.

A composer I should really explore more.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.42 in D Major

Trevor Pinnock leading the English Concert


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert: String Quartet in G D.887 Hungarian String Quartet

A recent bargain procured from Oxfam! This excellent 1950s LP cost me 50p! An impassioned and enjoyable performance, money well spent. In fact the detailed sleeve notes by Deryck Cooke were worth more than 50p!!


----------



## Novelette

Kreutzer: La Mort d'Abel -- Guy van Waas: Les Agréments

^ Absolutely stupendous music!

Balbastre: Marche des Marseillois et l'Air ça ira -- Olivier Latry

Brahms: Serenade #2 in A, Op. 16 -- Charles Mackerras: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Tallis: Music for Queen Elizabeth I -- Alistaire Dixon: Chapelle du Roi

Mendelssohn: String Symphony #3 in E Minor -- Lev Markiz: Amsterdam Sinfonietta


----------



## Blancrocher

Matthias Goerne singing Schubert's "Schwanengesang."


----------



## aleazk

John Adams - _Common tones in simple time_.


----------



## hpowders

Claude Debussy L'Isle Joyeuse performed by the great Sviatoslav Richter.
Prepares me for bedtime with a smile on my face!


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to Barber's Violin concerto, part of the excellent Naxos recordings of Barber's complete orchestral music. The soloist is James Buswell:


----------



## KenOC

Faure, Dolly Suite. Tortelier, BBC Phil. I like this piece. On the radio...


----------



## opus55

Saint-Saëns

Violin Concerto No. 3
Piano Concerto No. 3


----------



## Guest

The use of a harp adds a mellower tone to the proceedings, but I prefer harpsichord or piano. Wonderful sound.


----------



## bejart

Jean-Frederic Edelmann (1749-1794): Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op.8, No.1

Sylvie-Pecot Douatte, piano


----------



## Weston

Kontrapunctus said:


> The use of a harp adds a mellower tone to the proceedings, but I prefer harpsichord or piano. Wonderful sound.


That cover! ^ I thought it was an Alma-Tadema painting at first. Must one be a supermodel to record classical music now?


----------



## julianoq

If there is an album that I consider "definitive" in my collection is this one. Can't get enough of this two playing. Just listened to both sonatas for the 4th time this weekend!


----------



## KenOC

Well, Rostropovich and Serkin...things don't get a lot better than that. They even copied each other's hair styles!


----------



## julianoq

Continuing in my Brahms mood. I noticed that when I am feeling good and in peace with myself I tend to listen more to Brahms! :lol:

Playing the symphony No.1, conducted by Solti with the CSO.


----------



## KenDuctor

Haydns cello sonatas today.


----------



## KenOC

KenDuctor said:


> Haydns cello sonatas today.


Haydn wrote cello sonatas?


----------



## opus55

Bériot: Violin Concerto No. 3
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 3


----------



## Rocco

Just picked up a copy of Brahms German Requiem. I love this work!


----------



## Guest

Weston said:


> That cover! ^ I thought it was an Alma-Tadema painting at first. Must one be a supermodel to record classical music now?


Remember this infamous cover of hers?










Or this one?


----------



## Guest

Busy day...I only had time, in the last 15 hours or so, for: 

Ravel - L'enfant Et Les Sortilèges
Messiaen - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps
Schumann - Dichterliebe

Really not sure about that Ravel yet, but I love everything else of his that I've heard (probably 3/4ths of his catalog), so I intend to persist.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen: Orchestral Works, disc one

Poemes Pour Mi - Francoise Pollet, soprano
Reveuil Des oiseaux - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
Sept Hakai - Joela Jones, piano

Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## Jeff W

Dvorak's Symphonies No. 7 & 8. Witold Rowicki leading the London Symphony Orchestra. I'm really late for the Saturday Symphony thread this time around...


----------



## SimonNZ

David Lang's Are You Experienced? - Stephen Mosko, cond.


----------



## aleazk

arcaneholocaust said:


> Busy day...I only had time, in the last 15 hours or so, for:
> 
> Ravel - L'enfant Et Les Sortilèges
> Messiaen - Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps
> Schumann - Dichterliebe
> 
> Really not sure about that Ravel yet, but I love everything else of his that I've heard (probably 3/4ths of his catalog), so I intend to persist.


L'enfant Et Les Sortilèges is my favorite piece by Ravel, and I think the most representative of his style. So persist indeed!.


----------



## SimonNZ

Raymond Murray Schafer's String Quartet No.12 - Molinari Quartet


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 49 in F minor, 'La Passione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Joanna Wozny's As In A Mirror Darkly - Klangforum Wien










Joanna Wozny's Archipel - Ulf Schirmer, cond.










Tristan Murail's L'Esprit De Dunes - David Robertson, cond.


----------



## ptr

*Marcel Dupré* - Organ Music (Hyperion)









John Scott, organ of St Paul's Cathedral, London, United Kingdom

/ptr


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

An old Vivaldi 4 seasons rendition by Nigel Kennedy


----------



## bejart

Arcangelo Correlli (1653-1713): String Sonata in A Major, Op.4, No.3

The Purcell Quartet: Catherine Mackintosh and Catherine Weiss, violins -- Richard Boothby, cello --Robert Woolley, harpsichord -- Jakob Lindberg, theorbo


----------



## Alfacharger

Today St. Patrick's day selection will be Amy Beach's Gaelic symphony.










I actually have 3 different recordings of the Gaelic. The above Jarvi, Detroit Symphony, Schemerhorn, Nashville Symphony and the heavily cut Krugar, Royal Philharmonic from the "Our Musical Past" recordings issued by the Library of Congress.


----------



## Andolink

*Alan Rawsthorne*: _String Quartet No. 1 (Theme and Variations)_(1939)
The Flesch Quartet









*Nikos Skalkottas*: _String Quartet No. 4_ (1940)
New Hellenic Quartet









*Ib Nørholm*: _The Orthodox Dream_, for flute, cello & harpsichord Op. 92
Toke Lund Christensen, flute
Niels Ullner, cello
Per Salo, harpsichord









*Franco Donatoni*: _FLAG_, for 13 instruments; _ALAMARI_, for cello, doublebass and piano
Ensemble 2E2M/Paul Mefano


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/classical
Mozart - Divertimento in D Major, KV 136, mvmt. I. Allegro (Olga Nodel, Florian Heyerick, Mannheim Chamber Orchestra)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kontrapunctus said:


> Remember this infamous cover of hers?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Or this one?


--
I approve. Blair Stamp of Approval all the way. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Nielsen Fest: Karajan Fourth & Bernstein Fifth*

Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the currently drop-dead gorgeous sunny-morning climes of Southern California, caffeinated; and armed and dangerous with Nielsen:









Last movement.









First and last movements.


----------



## Vasks

*Cage - Quartets I-VIII (Vis/Hat Art)
Bresnick - The Bucket Rider (Bang on the Can All-Stars/CRI)*


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling new releases. *Khachaturian*: Violin Concerto; *Shostakovich*: String Quartets 7 & 8, w. Ehnes et al; *Haydn*: Seven Last Words, w. Cuarteto Casals.

I'm an Ehnes fanboy, but this album sags. There are more exciting performances elsewhere.

Atonal Haydn? Cuarteto Casals has a different approach, a different sound. I suspect their listeners are polarized.

With respect to this recording, I found their reading stark. And the dry acoustic doesn't help. High recommendation still for their Boccherini of three years ago.

Double thumbs down for today's explorations.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> I approve. Blair Stamp of Approval all the way. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I know I've been married too long when I look at that first picture and think "Nice violin."


----------



## maestro267

*Liszt*: Dante Symphony
BBC Philharmonic/Noseda

*Berlioz*: Te Deum
BBC SO/Mälkki


----------



## Blancrocher

Klemperer and co in a live recording of Mahler's 2nd from 1965.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=69591


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1993); Works for Violin and Piano, w. Kramer & Durcan (rec.2005).

View attachment 37313
View attachment 37314


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> I know I've been married too long when I look at that first picture and think "Nice violin."


_"You can look. You just can't touch."_

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Bedrich Smetana - Má Vlast - Vyšehrad; Vltava; Šárka; Z českých luhů a hájů.









The performer isn't specified on this disc, not sure why.

Amazing music, Smetana should be recognized as one of the symphonic greats.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bantock, Celitic Symphony.*

In honor of St. Patrick, since I don't look good in green, I'll clothe myself in its six harps.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> _"You can look. You just can't touch."_
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Yep. The violin and the player both are too high-maintenance.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schutz - Psalmen Davids

Glorious. Cystalline sound. Jaw dropping clarity.

Best. £60 spent on a boxset ever.
Do it peeps!!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Actually it's down to a ridiculous 52 English pounds on AmazUK


----------



## Manxfeeder

MagneticGhost said:


> Schutz - Psalmen David
> 
> Glorious. Cystalline sound. Jaw dropping clarity.
> 
> Best. £60 spent on a boxset ever.
> Do it peeps!!


Looks interesting. What's the name of the box set?

I just put on Bernius' recording of the Symphonia Sacrae.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Manxfeeder said:


> Looks interesting. I just put on Bernius' recording of the Symphonia Sacrae.
> 
> View attachment 37323


 
I'll have to look that one up. My Schutz library is very small at the mo

Ps : look up for box - it's the Vivarte Collection


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Nielsen V: Bryden Thomson- First Movement*









Performance- ping!

Recording quality- ping!


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> Performance- ping!
> 
> Recording quality- ping!


I have to agree. :tiphat:


----------



## Weston

Manxfeeder said:


> I know I've been married too long when I look at that first picture and think "Nice violin."


Well, I am no longer married and I found the "Alma-Tadema" cover more compelling. Must be refined taste. It can't be age!


----------



## julianoq

Watched him on a The Met HD transmission saturday singing as Massenet's Werther, it was amazing! Listening to some selected arias from this album.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Joyce Di Donato - D'amore al dolce impero (Score Animation)*

The last minute of this is really cute:


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37325
> 
> 
> Performance- ping!
> 
> Recording quality- ping!


By far my favorite recording of Nielsen's "Espansiva": Nicely rustic, straight-forward reading with the underlying warmth, wonderfully penetrating brass, very well judged tempo choices, very nice singing, and a very open yet forward recording. I cannot think of any others that capture the spirit of this work so unpretentiously and faithfully as here. This is pure Nielsen.

Bernstein wins hands down in his recording of the Fifth (the snare drummer Elden Bailey and Clarinetist Stanley Drucker are big reasons why). But even here, Thomson proved to be an excellent Nielsen conductor. His set has to be ranked among the top ten in my humble opinion.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Barber: School for Scandal Overture & Williams: Liberty Fanfare*















What did Max Stirner say?-- "Freedom cannot be granted. It must be taken."

- In spades.

Great fun.


----------



## maestro267

*Janacek*: Sinfonietta
London SO/Tilson Thomas

*Britten*: War Requiem
Olga Guryakova (soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone)
Edinburgh Festival Chorus, National Youth Choir of Scotland
BBC Scottish SO, Paragon Ensemble
Ilan Volkov, Garry Walker (conductors)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schubert: Piano Sonata in D, D.850 Artur Schnabel
Schubert: Marches Militaires, D.733 Artur and Karl Ulrich Schnabel

More superlative Schubert playing from Schnabel, this is a superb performance of the sonata. He has the measure of it completely, rhythmic drive where necessary, a good sense of line, and the end of the slow movement is one of the most moving examples of piano playing that I know on record. Nice to hear the three marches too, as opposed to just the first one, which is more commonly played.


----------



## adrem

Bartók - Music for strings, percussion and celesta, Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas:

7 Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam
8 Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben?
9 Es ist das Heil uns kommen her

Gustav Leonhardt, cond. (all three)


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33 Nos. 2, 3 & 5* Quatuor Mosaiques on Astree.

After enjoying Haydn piano sonatas I thought I'd move on to string quartets. And these are excellent accounts - not that I'm an expert judge. I haven't conducted any comparative listening of these particular works.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bartók

Piano Concerto No. 2* (1930 - 31)
*Piano Concerto No. 3* (1945, completed Tibor Serly)

Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Georg Solti, London Philharmonic Orchestra [Decca, rec. 1978-9]










Another dip into the back of the LP cupboard.

I'd forgotten how percussive the piano part is in the 2nd Bartok concerto; I still find it a thorny work despite 25+ years of acquaintance. #3 is a great piano concerto, without doubt, though.


----------



## DrKilroy

J. S. Bach - Keyboard Concerto No. 4 BWV 1055 (Gould/Golschmann).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## senza sordino

Teachers get spring break too. Perhaps we need it more than the students. My first day this morning I prepared one room and then painted the ceiling listening to:

*Corelli Concerto Grossi Op 6*








Then all 5 *Mozart violin concerti*








And then some real energy
*Beethoven 5&7*








and to end the afternoon of painting, eating lunch and clearing up
*Beethoven Violin Concerto* Possibly my favourite version, with the Kreisler cadenza


----------



## spradlig

It's strange that Haydn's only popular concertos are for cello or trumpet, not piano or violin. I had assumed any others (such as those 3 piano concertos) were no good, but maybe I'll check out #11 now.



LancsMan said:


> *Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 3,4 & 11* Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra on EMI.
> View attachment 37173
> 
> 
> Excellent performance and recording of the 3 unquestionably genuine Haydn piano concertos. These are all interesting, especially No. 11. I don't tend to think of Haydn as a natural concerto writer, and I guess when it comes to piano concertos he can't quite match Mozart (but who can?). So I'm always surprised at just how good the 11th piano concerto is.


----------



## jim prideaux

Balakirev-1st Symphony, Russia, Tamara-USSR Symphony Orch

Myaskovsky-16th/19th Symphonies-Russian Fed Academic Symph. Orch.

Svetlanov conducting throughout


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Robert Fayrfax - Missa O Quam Glorifica - The Cardinall's Musick - Andrew Carwood









This disc won the 1995 Gramaphone Award.

"our national habit of self-depreciation has never been more curiously exhibited than in our treatment of early British composers" (Sir Richard Terry). It was true in the 1930s, still true in the 1990s .... and remains the case today. Born 1464, died 1521, Fayrfax left enough music to fill 4 high quality CDs yet I guess few listeners are familiar with his name, let alone his music


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Manxfeeder said:


> I know I've been married too long when I look at that first picture and think "Nice violin."


I know I'm too interested in the music when I look at the picture and think "I'd prefer Milstein, Menuhin or Grumiaux!"


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Les Noces. Possibly my favourite Stravinsky ballet and favourite piece from his "Russian period".










Best regards, Dr


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Sonata in D major for two pianos K. 448 / Schubert: Fantasia in F minor for piano duet D. 940* Murray Perahia & Radu Lupu.







Several years ago I was in the classical section of the HMV shop in Manchester, and this piece of Mozart was being played over the loudspeakers. I was happily listening to the third movement as I queued at the counter, when suddenly the musically knowledgeable shop assistant turned it off with a comment that he couldn't stand such shallow music! Oh dear!

This may not be top drawer Mozart, and I guess you'll struggle to find any hidden depths in it - except a certain contentment in the perfect proportions of the piece, with every note so inevitably and rightly in it's place. It sounds as if it's a hoot to play as well. Anyway in an imperfect world I'm very happy to spend some time in it's company.

Now the Schubert is top drawer Schubert as far as I'm concerned, with plenty of depths. It has in common with the Mozart a certain sense of proportion and notes that seem unerringly placed. Although it's progress is disturbed by more troubled or assertive passages, these are usually followed by limpid moments of magic.

Both pianists sound like there having fun here, and it's a magical disc.


----------



## opus55

senza sordino said:


> Teachers get spring break too. Perhaps we need it more than the students. My first day this morning I prepared one room and then painted the ceiling listening to:
> ...
> and to end the afternoon of painting, eating lunch and clearing up
> *Beethoven Violin Concerto* Possibly my favourite version, with the Kreisler cadenza
> View attachment 37337


Great performance by Francescatti. The cover art is not very enticing though.


----------



## DavidA

LancsMan said:


> *Mozart: Sonata in D major for two pianos K. 448 / Schubert: Fantasia in F minor for piano duet D. 940* Murray Perahia & Radu Lupu.
> View attachment 37340
> 
> Several years ago I was in the classical section of the HMV shop in Manchester, and this piece of Mozart was being played over the loudspeakers. I was happily listening to the third movement as I queued at the counter, when suddenly the musically knowledgeable shop assistant turned it off with a comment that he couldn't stand such shallow music! Oh dear!
> 
> This may not be top drawer Mozart, and I guess you'll struggle to find any hidden depths in it - except a certain contentment in the perfect proportions of the piece, with every note so inevitably and rightly in it's place. It sounds as if it's a hoot to play as well. Anyway in an imperfect world I'm very happy to spend some time in it's company.
> 
> Now the Schubert is top drawer Schubert as far as I'm concerned, with plenty of depths. It has in common with the Mozart a certain sense of proportion and notes that seem unerringly placed. Although it's progress is disturbed by more troubled or assertive passages, these are usually followed by limpid moments of magic.
> 
> Both pianists sound like there having fun here, and it's a magical disc.


Great disc! Especially the Schubert!


----------



## DavidA

Sibelius Symphony 4 BPO / Karajan

What weird music this is.


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Piano Sonatas K 330 & 333* Mitsuko Uchida on Philips.

Fine playing of these Mozart piano sonatas. Rather smaller boned and more nervy than the big Haydn sonatas I was playing yesterday.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Szymanowski*: Piano Works, w. MAH (rec.2002), Anderszewski (rec.2004).








View attachment 37341


----------



## Blancrocher

Thomas Hampson and co in orchestral songs by Mahler.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3370


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata in D Major, Hob. 16:37; Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, Hob. 16:18 
(Walter Olbertz).









Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor (Eldar Nebolsin).


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to _Glassworks_ by Philip Glass


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> I'd forgotten how percussive the piano part is in the 2nd Bartok concerto; I still find it a thorny work despite 25+ years of acquaintance. #3 is a great piano concerto, without doubt, though.


What's your opinion of the first concerto, then? I find Bartok's harmony and rhythm quite spicy. He was about as fond of minor seconds used to "enhance" chords as Schoenberg was of augmented or quartal harmonies.

Debussy: Jeux
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Piano Concerto in E flat K 482* Alfred Brendel and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Neville Marriner on Philips

Well life feels good when listening to this. Civilized and humane music, with just the right balance between humour and feeling. Nobody does piano concertos quite like Mozart. And the slow movement makes so many romantic 19th century concerto slow movements seem like so much hot air (much as I love many of them!) This one is deeply poetic with wonderful music for the wind band.

No grumbles from me about the performance.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos New Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra/David Littauer

Lovely performances from 1969 of the Brandenburgs, excellent soloists, Raymond Leppard's harpsichord playing on no.5 is a particular delight, but the whole set is most enjoyable.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21

Simon Rattle leading the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Passacaglia, Im Sommerwind, Bach's Ricerere*

I've been wanting this set for 14 years but never had the cash for it. Today it popped up in the used CD store for $18. I think my gasp was heard throughout all two floors. Woo-hoo!


----------



## Wood

*Havergal Brian *_Symphony No. 1 (Gothic) _Slovakians, originally released on Marco Polo

Recorded in 1989 at the Concert Hall of Czechoslovakia Radio (Bratislava).


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival. *Rawsthorne*: Symphonies 1 - 3, w. LPO/Pritchard (rec.1975, Kingsway Hall), Chadwell/LPO/Braithwaite (rec. 1993, Watford Town Hall), BBCSO/Del Mar (rec. 1967, Kingsway Hall).


----------



## Vaneyes

Wood said:


> *Havergal Brian *_Symphony No. 1 (Gothic) _Slovakians, originally released on Marco Polo
> 
> Recorded in 1989 at the Concert Hall of Czechoslovakia Radio (Bratislava).


Thanks for that, Wood, but isn't the pic upside down?


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> ....
> 
> Debussy: Jeux
> *Chicago Symphony Orchestra*, cond. Boulez


New Philharmonia Orchestra?


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> New Philharmonia Orchestra?


Whoops. It's actually Cleveland performing on Jeux, not Chicago. Stupid lack of sleep...


----------



## Wood

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for that, Wood, but isn't the pic upside down?


LOL It looks rather precarious balanced on that grotty bit of concrete.


----------



## Blancrocher

Osmo Vanska conducting Martin Frost and the Lahti SO in clarinet concertos by Nielsen and Aho.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Volume 1 of Ashley Wass's survey of *Frank Bridge*'s solo piano music:

Fairy Tale Suite (1917)
The Hour Glass (1919 - 20)
Miniature Pastorals, for piano, Set 1 (1917)
Three Lyrics (1921-24)
Three Pieces (1912)
In Autumn (1924)
Poems (1914)
and the Piano Sonata again (why not) from Vol. 2

Ashley Wass (Piano) [Naxos]

















Most of this is the highly chromatic modernism of Bridge's later style. This music is solemnly beautiful but often melancholy and troubled: even when essaying a more optimistic phrase Bridge seems to hint at some greater disaster to come (most of this was written during and just after WW I). Listening often sends me into a wistful 'remembrance of things past'. I have vague memories of listening to similar music on the radio in bed during a childhood illness as I listen in the present.

Highly recommended, as long as your mood is not too troubled.


----------



## Guest

This very well played and recorded. I prefer a slightly closer perspective, but the sound is warm and detailed.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wood said:


> Concert Hall of Czechoslovakia Radio (Bratislava).


Fascinating.

I'm now watching a guided tour with commentary on Youtube:






edit: the video goes a little grainy for a minute near the start but it comes right


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Mahlerian said:


> What's your opinion of the first [piano] concerto, then? I find Bartok's harmony and rhythm quite spicy. He was about as fond of minor seconds used to "enhance" chords as Schoenberg was of augmented or quartal harmonies.


Aha - I haven't heard it. I acquired the Ashkenazy / Solti disc of #2 and #3 in my mid-20s and at that time I found #2 quite hard going (despite 'getting' the string quartets, after some hard work, at around the same time). So I never did buy a recording of #1 - the sleeve notes of 2/3 warn of its spikiness!

I am getting more familiar with modernist repertoire now 25 years later and I notice that #2 was more like an old friend than a problematic 'teenager' to listen to today.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in G Major, Op.23, No.5

Pro Arte Antiqua Praha: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## hpowders

Haydn, The Creation.
Baldin, Mathis, Fischer-Dieskau, AOSMITF, Marriner.
Made in 1980, still sounds fresh and vital.
Great performance!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Purcell's Dido And Aeneas - Charles Mackerras, cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 in F-sharp major (ver. Cooke III)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Harding


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to the Maggini Quartet playing chamber works by Ernest John Moeran.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=29968


----------



## Weston

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 37353
> 
> 
> A first listen to the Maggini Quartet playing chamber works by Ernest John Moeran.
> 
> http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=29968


Maybe this would be a good alternative to the $33.00  CD I found on Amazon of his chamber music. But it has slightly different selections.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen: Orchestral Works, disc two

Trois Petites Liturgies De La Presence Divine
Couleurs De La Cite Celeste
Hymne

-Myung-Whun Chung, cond.










and added to the end of that album they've included the four minutes of Chant Des Deportes conducted by Colin Davis, which appears to be from this:


----------



## Kivimees

RVW's no. 6 this morning. The Sea too if time permits.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

My wake up call this morning is Mozart's Serenade No.12 as performed by various members of the Wiener Philharmoniker under Otto Klemperer.


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening, before I fell asleep:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Sei Solo for unacompanied violin BWV 1001-1006
By Christine Busch [violin], on Phi









Now:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony 8, Symphony 7
By The orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> Fascinating.
> 
> I'm now watching a guided tour with commentary on Youtube:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit: the video goes a little grainy for a minute near the start but it comes right


Nice one Simon.

Another venue to add to the list to visit one day.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 in B-flat minor (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Beethoven's 8th ... BPO conducted by Karajan in 1986 (DG). This symphony is oft left behind by 3, 5, 6 and 9 when people are making 'favourites' listings but is one of my personal favourites. Karajan's final set is, perhaps, an example of 'style over substance' though as the recordings are very good, albeit 'for the time', BUT the performances sometimes 'so-so' imho.


----------



## SimonNZ

that reminds me that I've been meaning to play this again:










Beethoven's Symphony No.1 - Herbert von Karajan, cond. (1977)


----------



## jim prideaux

first serious listen to the recently arrived Sibelius Karelia Music and Press Celebration Music performed by the Tampere Phil conducted by Ollila-whether this is a case of 'completism' or opportunity to hear popular pieces in their original 'setting' I imagine would depend upon the listeners original attitude towards the composer but this Ondine release strikes me personally as particularly interesting.......


----------



## science

Some recent listening:


----------



## science

And before those:


----------



## science

And even before those:


----------



## science

I'll do one more:




























Ok, that gets us almost back to where I stopped last time. Not quite... there was some Janacek and Kodaly, there was some CPE Bach, some Rzewski, Bartok by Reiner, Pollini playing Chopin's Nocturnes, Byron Janis playing Prokofiev, Du Pre and Barbirolli playing Elgar, and lots of jazz (but that's for another part of the forum).


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Sonata No. 23 in E Major

Emile Tassev, violin


----------



## julianoq

via Marschallin Blair, now listening to Nielsen's Symphony No.3, and No.5 will follow. Conducted by Bryden Thomson, played by the RSO. Loving the first movement of the Espansiva!


----------



## Bas

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - l'Olimpiade
By Rafaella Millanesi [soprano], Ann-Beth Solvang [mezzo], Olga Paschnyk [soprano], Martin Oro [tenor], Jeffrey Francis [tenor], Markus Brutscher [tenor], Academia Montis Regalis, Allesandro de Marchi [dir.], on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Andolink

*Enno Poppe*: _ Holz_ für Klarinette und Ensemble (1999/2000)
Ernesto Molinari, clarinet
Klangforum Wien/Stefan Asbury








*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _ String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 74_, 'The Harp'
The Alexander String Quartet








*Luis de Pablo*: _Cinco meditaciones_
Ensemble 2E2M/Paul Mefano








*Alan Rawsthorne*: _Cello Concerto_ (1965)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones








*Nicholas Maw*: _Piano Trio_ (1990)
Monticello Trio


----------



## rrudolph

Different day, same old Schutz:

Schutz: Matthaus-Passion SWV479








Schutz: Meine Seele Erhebt den Herren SWV494/Herr, Nun Lassest dr Deinen Diener SWV352A, 432, 433/Musikalische Exequien SWV279-81


----------



## Vasks

_A Bouquet of Buxtehude_

*Buxtehude - Assortment of chamber works, solo cantatas & organ pieces (Coin et al/Naive)*


----------



## Vaneyes

For *R-K's* birthday, March 18, 1844.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Prokofiev*: Violin Concerti 1 & 2, w. Chung/LSO/Previn (rec.1975); Piano Concerti 1 & 2, w. Feltsman/LSO/MTT (rec.1988).


----------



## Kivimees

Vaneyes said:


> For *R-K's* birthday, March 18, 1844.


Our classical radio station was airing a tribute to R-K while I was driving home an hour ago. I was very light on the petrol so I could listen to the end.


----------



## Alfacharger

Some Raff this morning.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## millionrainbows

Mahler: Ruckert Lieder; Lieder aus der Jugenzeit ("Songs of Youth"); Vienna State Opera, cond. Felix Prohaska; Anny Felbermayer, Alfred Poell (Vanguard). Mono, recorded 1952.

Even though it's in mono, this is a great recording, done in that brief era of the 1950's when tape was being used, right before stereo. The sound is crystal-clear. This reminds me of the early Strauss Rosenkavalier in early stereo, with Schwartzkopf singing. Very satisfying mono!

The musicianship here is top-notch; these Germans knew what they were doing; even Mahler himself would have few complaints. This is one of my favorite recordings of all time, highly recommended. (Mine has a different, earlier cover).


----------



## Blancrocher

Karajan's first recording of Sibelius' 4th, with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1953. HVK has a special way with this symphony.


----------



## rrudolph

JS Bach: St. John Passion BWV245


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahler 3: BSO, Leinsdorf (RCA). Aside from some out-of tune horns at the very beginning, this is a flawless performance in great fidelity.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 90 in C Major; No. 91 in E-flat Major (Sigiswald Kuijken; La Petite Bande).









No. 90: That Menuet is masterfully Haydnesque. What a great symphony.
No. 91: Also a beautiful symphony - I like the intricate first movement.

Rimsky-Korsakov's birthday? Always enjoyed his music a lot. And therefore:

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, The Tsar's Bride - Overture (Andrey Chistiakov; Kudriavchenko; Mishenkin; Verestnikov; Sveshnikov Russian Academic Choir; Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra).


----------



## senza sordino

Still on spring break. Now I'm painting the walls of my second bedroom / junk room, two coats for the walls and the baseboards will need three coats. So all day of music. This will not be my only entry here today.

I started my day with *Bach Brandenburg Concertos*








*Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola and Concertone for Two Violins* The concertante is probably my favourite Mozart string concerto 








*Beethoven Piano Concerto #5 and Choral Fantasy*








and something I haven't listened to in a long time
*Berlioz Harold in Italy*


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, The Creation. 
Forsythe, Jameson, Deas.
Pearlman, Boston Baroque.
Period Instruments.
Terrific performance!


----------



## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> This very well played and recorded. I prefer a slightly closer perspective, but the sound is warm and detailed.


 I noticed the missing "is" after "This" when it was too late to edit. Grr...


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Kontrapunctus said:


> I noticed the missing "is" after "This" when it was too late to edit. Grr...


I was thinking of getting this disc, it was on for a good price on amazon. But I guess I'm more inclined towards a full Op. 76 set .


----------



## Alfacharger

John Debney's take on William's Superman score. I find this version better than William's OST. The instruments sound clearer and brighter and I don't have to hear the Margot Kidder reciting the "Read my Mind" poem!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

10 Meine Seel erhebt den Herren
11 Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen 
12 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (11) and Gustav Leonhardt (10, 12), cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae*

From my first hearing, this impressed me as a well-done recording. The hall is reverberant, but it doesn't cloud the polyphony. The singers are all male, and their voices blend well.

This piece has a low tessitura, reminiscent of De La Rue's sound world, and has many repeated phrases, like Obrecht. It doesn't sound like classic Josquin. Maybe on a second listen I'll hear more of it.


----------



## Blancrocher

Howard Griffiths conducting Robert Plane and the Northern Sinfonia in Gerald Finzi's Clarinet Concerto (rec. 1995).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*William Mathias: Symphony No. 3, First Movement*









Ever been chased on horseback through Sleepy Hollow by a Headless Horseman?

This first movement is absolutely thrilling.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Alfacharger: John Debney's take on William's Superman score. I find this version better than William's OST. The instruments sound clearer and brighter and I don't have to hear the Margot Kidder reciting the "Read my Mind" poem!


Yeah, the recording quality on the Debney/RNSO far exceeds that of the original soundtrack, sure. . .

I love his handling of the "Fortress of Solitude" cut-- pure Sibelius.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I having a little break from exploring Dvorak's works to return to those of Gustav Mahler. This is my music queue for this evening:

*Mahler: Symphony 2 'Resurrection'
*Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenny & Van Nes








This live recording by Klaus Tennstedt remains my preferred recording, despite facing stiff competition recently from Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia (whose live recording has displaced Bernstein to take sec on place).

A most beautiful recording indeed - one which easily surpasses his own studio recording.

*Mahler: Symphony 3 *
Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Waltraud Meir








Tennstedt is my favourite Mahlerian Conductor by a fair margin. Klemperer, Bernstein, Abbado and Walter are also regarded extremely highly but Tennstedt remains my favourite. I wanted suggest a Mahlerian trinity but in this case a penology is the minimum.

Tennstedt is great in the studio but is truly at his greatest live and I really enjoy this recording.

*Mahler: Symphony 4*
Bruno Walter & the Wiener Philharmoniker/Irmgard Seefried








I didn't realise the full impact of the soprano until I listened to this recording. Previously I was used to Abbado's recording with Renee Fleming. Much as I love Renee, I really struggle with her on this recording - I am no expert but it just sounds slightly off somehow - not terrible but incongruent.

I love Irmgard Seefried and her performance here is really beautiful. Combined with the Wiener Philharmoniker under Bruno Walter, this is a remarkable performance. Whether or not it is the best I cannot say but I find it an absolute pleasure to listen to.

*Mahler: Symphony 2 'Resurrection'*
Otto Klemperer & the Philharmonia/Baker & Harper








If I have the time and energy I will listen to this recording to end my listening. I love this recording a great deal - second only to the aforementioned Tennstedt recording. The sound quality is fantastic and crowd noise minimal.

I often make parallels when it comes to Klemperer, often with Beecham (in the case of Mozart) but in this case both he and Tennstedt have remarkable synergy with the orchestras before them.


----------



## DaveS

Sibelius 7. Spano, Atlanta SO. Not bad.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, Flute and Piano Variations Opp. 105 and 107. Little-known but quite enjoyable!










Interesting to hear him work out some ideas for the Op. 111 Piano Sonata in his Op. 107/3. And, in honor of St. Paddy's day, Op. 107/4 is "Pulse of an Irishman"!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Janáček

Lachian Dances
Idyll for String Instruments*

Rotterdam Philharmonisch Orkest, Cond. James Conlon [Erato, (LP) 1985]










Imagine, an LP cover with acres of space for programme notes. And what did Erato give us? Rien, nul, zilch, nic is what!* (On the other hand if you want to know James Conlon's CV (resumé) in 3 languages, it is here).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Sonata K330 in C Major.*

I'm not a connoisseur of Mozart's piano pieces, but I like the Karl Engle plays these pieces.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Im Sommerwind.*

This is my second hearing of this piece. I guess you can quibble about some shortcomings here and here, but I think this is a well-done piece. I like the way the orchestra sounds - not overly indulgent but with a warm glow.

Then on to the *Piano Variations*. Krystian Zimerman plays this with extremes of volume and expression and seems to channel Glenn Gould in his humming. In contrast, I've put on Charles Rosen's recording from Boulez's first go-round. It's the complete opposite; more cold and analytical.

My other recording is by Peter Hill. To my ears, he gets in the middle of these two interpretations and plays the piece like I think it should sound.

View attachment 37404


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Annees de Pelerinage 2nd Year: Italy/Venezia e Napoli Edith Farnadi

Superb playing of Liszt by the wonderful Edith Farnadi, what a pleasure to be able to enjoy these wonderful performances and what a tragedy that they are no longer readily available, not that they were readily available for very long, all my Farnadi recordings have been picked up 2nd hand over the years, they are well worth searching out.


----------



## Clayton

Korngold: Die Tote Stadt, Op. 12
René Kollo (Paul), Carol Neblett (Marietta), Hermann Prey (Fritz), Benjamin Luxon (Frank), Gabrielle Fuchs (Juliette), Patricia Clark (Lucienne), Anton de Ridder (Gaston/Victorin), Willi Brokmeier (Count Albert), Rose Wagemann (Brigitta)
Chor Des Bayerischen Rundunks Münchner Rundfunkorchester, 
Erich Leinsdorf
Recorded Bavarian Radio Concert Hall, Munich June 1975


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 63 No. 2 in F minor; Op. 41 No. 4 in A-flat Major; Op. 50 No. 3 in C-Sharp minor; Op. 63 No. 1 in B Major (Evgeni Koroliov).


----------



## KenOC

John Adams, Harmonielehre. From this new recording conducted by Peter Oundjian.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Douglas Lilburn, Symphony No. 1.*

Nice energetic symphony from New Zealand.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Virgil Thomson, Symphony No. 2.*

Some Americana from the redoubtable Composer on the Aisle.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

*Schubert *- String quartet No. 14 in D minor


----------



## dgee

I'll admit there's lots of Stockhausen I haven't got into, and I haven't listened to much of his for some time, but hearing this as a precocious teen wowed me and it's great to revisit these classics. Gesang is just beautiful but I am more impressed by Kontakte with piano, percussion and electronics than the electronics only work


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4.*

If you don't have much time but want to squeeze in some Mendelssohn, this is the disk for you. Szell takes this at a fast clip, especially in the outer movements. I'm glad I didn't have to negotiate some of those passages in the first movement, but somehow, despite the speed it doesn't come apart the way it does in Abbado's version.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.64 in A Major

Adam Fischer directing the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Wolf

Mörike-Lieder, Nos. 1 - 21* (Disc 1 of the complete Wolf Lieder)

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim [DG, 1974 - 6] (On Spotify)










Artistically a great combination, elderly but acceptable sound quality. I was pleased to find that this entire set is available on Spotify. I shall want more modern recordings on CD, but this will be a pleasurable survey of Wolf's lieder for voice and piano.


----------



## Alfacharger

The American "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks", Chadwicks's Tam O'Shanter.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

accidental duplicate post


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel Violin Sonatas - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Robert Veyron-Lacroix, harpsichord










sigh...i had a perfect wretched day today and I could have used my favorite website to distract me (just a bunch of tiny little first world problems really, but still)


----------



## Guest

Orawa by Kilar.

...and I thought Slayer was riff-laden...


----------



## shangoyal

Debussy:

*1. Suite Bergamasque

2. Preludes for Piano, Book I
*
Walter Gieseking


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen: Orchestral Works, disc three

Turangalila-Simphonie

Myung-Whun Chung, cond.


----------



## Rhombic

I have been listening to Cech's Piano Concerto No. 1 and to Lukas Ligeti's (son of the great Gyorgy Ligeti) "The Chinese Wall". Those are really incredible masterpieces, being very appreciated by trained ears but not hated by untrained ones. While listening to it, I could imagine different panoramas of the mongols coming into China, led by Gengis Khan.

People are used to listen to music either put in context or very tonal, and when it requires the listener to imagine, they are put off. It's like watching films for many years and then picking up a great book. You will not be able to understand the book. You might think "Words. Words together.". But, of course, that is not the purpose of the book, nor the way to read it.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No.2 Julian Olevsky/Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Julius Rudel

This is a magnificent performance by a wonderful violinist, Olevsky (1926-1985) recorded for Westminster, and like Edith Farnadi, his recordings have been somewhat consigned to obscurity, though a reasonable number are now available on the Doremi label. A great violinist.


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Flute Sonata in B Minor, Op.1, No.9, HWV 367b

Lisa Beznosiuk, flute -- Richard Tunicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Serkin playing Beethoven's sonatas. Starting with my favorite No.30 Op.109 in E Major, as usual. Looks like I may have found a favorite here, his playing is nothing short of fantastic!


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 1, 2, 3, 18, 19, 20, 21
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Decca









Recital: Andreas Scholl Songs "Wanderer" (Brahms, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart)
By Andreas Scholl [counter tenor], Tamar Halperin [piano], on Decca









Today:

Giuseppe Verdi - Il Trovatore
Maria Callas [soprano], Rolando Panerai [bariton], Fedora Barbieri [mezzo], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Nicola Zaccaria [bass], Luisa Villa [soprano], Ranato Ercolani [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Herbert von Karajan [dir.], on EMI









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti [dir.], on Decca


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner's 8th Symphony, conducted by Giulini with the VPO. My favorite 8th performance at this moment!


----------



## Jeff W

Mixed bag of stuff tonight. Started with Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 & 7. Bela Drahos led the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia.









Next up was the Brahms and Stravinsky Violin Concertos. Hilary Hahn played the solo violin while Sir Neville Mariner led the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.









Last was Joachim Raff's Symphony No. 3 and Suite for Orchestra, WoO 36 'Italian Suite'. Hans Stadlmair led the Bamberger Symphoniker.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Fragments, Five Piano Pieces Op. 23
Yoko Hirota









This (self-published?) disc contains recordings of some real rarities: unfinished Schoenberg bits and scraps for piano, spanning his entire career. It's intriguing to hear the germinal forms of ideas that later became the op. 23 no. 5 Waltz, for example (which is one of the reasons why op. 23 and op. 33 are included, probably). Alas, some of these fragments are very short, and most of them cut off abruptly without coming anywhere near a conclusion.

Also, the performance of op. 23 is very good as well. Hirota plays the music with delicacy.


----------



## JCarmel

SimonNZ said:


> Handel Violin Sonatas - Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Robert Veyron-Lacroix, harpsichord
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sigh...i had a perfect wretched day today and I could have used my favorite website to distract me (just a bunch of tiny little first world problems really, but still)


So sorry to hear about your problematic day, Simon....but here's something to cheer you up, maybe. I have a CD of Handel's Violin Sonatas that I purchased years and years ago and have only ever played a couple of times...I just don't care much for the playing of Andrew Manze....can't quite take to him somehow. But I came across said CD yesterday afternoon and decided to listen to it all the way through..which I never have quite managed to do. Then I just pop in here for a flying visit...and I see a review of Handel's Sonatas by your good self. I'm sure I'd really like Arthur's version, though.

That said, Andy is perfectly listenable-to!....





Hope your day looks-up a bit....


----------



## Blancrocher

Colin Davis and the LSO in live performances of Elgar's symphonies (rec. 2001).

*p.s.* Great to see you, JCarmel.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Georg Friedrich Händel, Messiah - Symphony, Grave - Allegro moderato; Comfort ye, my people; Ev'ry valley shall be exalted; And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed; For unto us a child is born (Karl Richter; Donath; Reynolds; Burrows; McIntyre; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## Guest

Superb performances and sound. Janowski's Bruckner struck me as a bit tepid, but these works have lots of passion and intensity.


----------



## Vasks

*Pergolesi - Overture to "Il prigionier superbo" (Vlad/Arts)
Carvalho - Keyboard Sonata in F (Sebestyen/Hungaroton)
F.J. Haydn - Piano Trio in E-flat, Hob.XV:22 (Beaux Arts/Philips)
W.A. Mozart - Symphony #21 (Mackerras/Telarc)*


----------



## JCarmel

Poulenc. Concerto for Two Pianos....Jean-Philippe Collard conducted by James Conlon

I'm just listening to the mp3 version of this recording, which I purchased a couple of weeks ago from Amazon for something very reasonable...£2.50ish I think. I am listening to it on my new Moto G smartphone...which is called 'Toto'....('Toto Moto'...couldn't resist?!..) Anyway, its a really enjoyable performance.
I've got the composer playing this Concerto too and listened to it after Collard but I think I'll be leaving Francis's version on the shelf from now on! 

Couldn't quite manage to post the CD cover image as I'm using a pals' tablet but hope fully it will be identifiable from the details given above ...
' Happy Listening' to everyone.…


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Gardiner Eroica*

Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the semi-sunny morning climes of Southern California, feeling chuffed and expressinated to Gardiner's eroica:


----------



## Alfacharger

Beethoven today.


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Reger's* birthday (1873), and *John Thomas'* death day (1913).

View attachment 37439


----------



## millionrainbows

Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1, Olga Kern, Rochester PO, Chistopher Seaman, cond. (harmoni mundi SACD hybrid).

Wow! The orchestra literally explodes out of the speakers on this SACD multi-ch disc! This is one of the best SACD mixes I've heard. Olga Kern was a gold medalist at the 11th Van Cliburn competition, and she does it very well.

While some SACDs suffer from a lack of bass, or from a mix that simply relegates the rear channels to ambient hall sound, this one does not. You can feel the bass drum in your chest here. A very satisfying and electrifying experience.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

gog said:


> Orawa by Kilar.
> 
> ...and I thought Slayer was riff-laden...


Kerry King should check it out. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> _Rhombic: While listening to it, I could imagine different panoramas of the mongols coming into China, led by Gengis Khan_.


I'll have to look into it-- thanks.

Speaking of oriental martial flavorings, check out Bloch's "Houang Ti: God of War" from his _Evocations_:


----------



## Itullian

The Schumann and Brahms symphonies are my favorite cycles.
This cycle by Dohnanyi is in rich, sumptuous sound.


----------



## millionrainbows

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos; Rudolf Serkin, Boston SO, Seiji Ozawa, cond. (Telarc 3-CD). Serkin is definitely a master, and I've liked this set since I first heard it. The recording is superb, done with a transformerless audio, and no analog intersteps. It shows in the recording, which is rich, detailed, and flawless. Serkin is flawless as well, and surprises me in the most subtle ways, in those little runs that usually go under the radar. The synchronization of the piano with the orchestral parts is also noticeably flawless; they sound as one organic whole. There must be some sort of Zen going on here. I bet that the HD ultra 32-bit version sounds killer!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Marschallin Blair said:


> Kerry King should check it out. Ha. Ha. Ha.


you like metal too?


----------



## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Piano Quintet, w. Berman/Vermeer Qt. (rec.2000); String Quartets 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, w. Borodin Qt. (rec.1990).


----------



## cooldude

Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music


----------



## cooldude

Boccherini's Minuet


----------



## cooldude

Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85


----------



## Blancrocher

For Reger's birthday: the Drolc Quartet playing his op.109 string quartet.

*p.s.* Hi cooldude--don't forget to list the performers of the music you're listening to. You'll get more "likes" that way.


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


>


"Not t'night, Trudi, I've gotta headache."


----------



## cooldude

Erik Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1


----------



## cooldude

Liszt's La Campenella


----------



## cooldude

Eric Whitacre's Lux Aurumque


----------



## cooldude

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata


----------



## cooldude

Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major


----------



## cooldude

Eric Whitacre's Sleep


----------



## cooldude

Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C Major


----------



## science

millionrainbows said:


> Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1, Olga Kern, Rochester PO, Chistopher Seaman, cond. (harmoni mundi SACD hybrid).
> 
> Wow! The orchestra literally explodes out of the speakers on this SACD multi-ch disc! This is one of the best SACD mixes I've heard. Olga Kern was a gold medalist at the 11th Van Cliburn competition, and she does it very well.
> 
> While some SACDs suffer from a lack of bass, or from a mix that simply relegates the rear channels to ambient hall sound, this one does not. You can feel the bass drum in your chest here. A very satisfying and electrifying experience.


That cover art is perfect for Tchaikovsky's first PC.


----------



## science

gog said:


> Orawa by Kilar.
> 
> ...and I thought Slayer was riff-laden...


I count myself among the Kilar fans. Next time I listen I'll keep this comment in mind, because it hadn't occurred to me. I wonder if it's Kilar in general or just Orawa?


----------



## science

Kontrapunctus said:


> Superb performances and sound. Janowski's Bruckner struck me as a bit tepid, but these works have lots of passion and intensity.


That looks innarestin. I could use me another recording of each of those.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 3*
Celibidache & the Munchner Philharmoniker








Earlier this afternoon, I returned to *Dvorak*, with the first disc from the boxed set below which consists of *String Quartets No. 1 & 2. *The Panchoa Quartet sound great here and I really enjoyed both pieces. This is going to be an interesting exploration indeed.


----------



## science

Manxfeeder said:


> *Josquin, Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae*
> 
> From my first hearing, this impressed me as a well-done recording. The hall is reverberant, but it doesn't cloud the polyphony. The singers are all male, and their voices blend well.
> 
> This piece has a low tessitura, reminiscent of De La Rue's sound world, and has many repeated phrases, like Obrecht. It doesn't sound like classic Josquin. Maybe on a second listen I'll hear more of it.
> 
> View attachment 37397


Saw this, went shopping, and found yet another wonderfully informative review from "Giordano Bruno."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Slow Movement for String Quartet, String Quartet*

The Emersons surprised me on these. The Slow Movement is played with a Romantic tinge, with lots of portamento. The String Quartet (not to be confused with his Quartet No. 28), is one of my favorite pieces by Webern, probably because it was the first piece of his I heard, and the Emersons play this a little differently, still Romantic but with clarity of lines. They make an audible connection in this piece to Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht; the other recording I have doesn't make it that clear.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Current listening (exhausted after a hard day's work):

*Hindemith - Song cycles

Die Junge Magd Op. 23B* for alto with flute, clarinet, and string quartet (text by Georg Trakl)
Gabriele Schnaut, alto

*Des Todes Tod Op. 23a* for alto with 2 violas and 2 violoncellos (text: Eduard Reinacher)
Gabriele Schreckenbach, alto

Members of the Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin ; Gerd Albrecht, conductor.
Recorded at the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin. [Wergo, 1986]










These Hindemith song cycles are quite obscure I think (at least I've not seen them posted on TC before), and very beautiful, if rather austere. The Wergo CD is quite the shortest disc that is not a filler in a box set that I have ever bought, at just over 35minutes!


----------



## Sudonim

JCarmel said:


> [...]' Happy Listening' to everyone.…


JCarmel! You're back! O happy day! 

At this moment I've just finished catching up on this thread - got way behind - while listening to some Anthony Braxton (_Six Compositions: Quartet,_ from 1983, about as near-mainstream as Braxton gets - Ed Blackwell on drums, too!). But in the car I'm in the midst of this one:









There's a little duplication with some things I already had (the jazz suites by Chailly, the chamber symphonies by Barshai), but I'm loving the other stuff so far. Shosty's music is often far from the grim Soviet drudge I had anticipated before I actually listened to any of his music.


----------



## Kivimees

Complete serenity at home this evening. Going to listen to this great CD and then deposit this long and tiring day into the history book.


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak-6th Symphony,for some reason the one later symphony that I have listened to the least and yet I am fortunate enough to have Ancerl conducting the Czech Phil-Supraphon remastered early 1960's recording-and to my ears you would never know!


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Symphonies #82, 88 and 95.
Thomas Fey, Heidelberg Symphony.
Macho period performances.
No holds barred. 
Hide the kids.
Simply wonderful.


----------



## Oskaar

I have listened to two versions of *Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10*

The first one was *Argerich/Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Dutoit.* *Good!*

The second was *Pavlina Dokovska; Vladimir Ghiaurov; Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra.* *Brilliant!*


----------



## julianoq

Dvorák's Symphony No.8, conducted by Neeme Jarvi with the SNO. I love the 8th, it is probably my favorite Dvorák's symphony, but I listened to it way too much when starting with classical. Now going back to it after a lot of time, still amazing!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Apéritif et Fête*









Appetizer.









Feast.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

13 Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen
14 Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit
16 Herr Gott, dich loben wir

Gustav Leonhardt, cond. (all three)

(BWV15 is now attributed to Johann Ludwig Bach)


----------



## SimonNZ

JCarmel said:


> So sorry to hear about your problematic day, Simon....but here's something to cheer you up, maybe. I have a CD of Handel's Violin Sonatas that I purchased years and years ago and have only ever played a couple of times...I just don't care much for the playing of Andrew Manze....can't quite take to him somehow. But I came across said CD yesterday afternoon and decided to listen to it all the way through..which I never have quite managed to do. Then I just pop in here for a flying visit...and I see a review of Handel's Sonatas by your good self. I'm sure I'd really like Arthur's version, though.
> 
> That said, Andy is perfectly listenable-to!....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hope your day looks-up a bit....


Thanks for that, Julie. Good to see you back. Hope all's well in your world and we see more of you.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Rondo for String Quartet, 3 pieces for string quartet, String Quartet, Op. 28*

I like the way the Emerson Quartet plays these, expressively and clearly.

The 3 pieces is new to me; it's two movements which ended up in his bagatelles with a weird but evocative vocal piece stuck in the middle. I don't know what is being sung; it must be hidden somewhere in the booklet, but I can't find it.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Shostakovich

6 Preludes and Fugues from Op. 87

No. 14 in E flat minor
No. 17 in A flat
No. 15 in D flat
No. 4 in E minor
No. 12 in G sharp minor
and No. 23 in F*

Sviatoslav Richter [Philips Sequenza (LP), rec. 1963]










Another 'budget' student acquisition from the '80s. I have been listening at high volume in the 'garden shed' tonight.
High Fidelity this is not, but what electric performances.


----------



## Blancrocher

Elgar's Piano Quintet, performed by Ian Brown and the Sorrel Quartet. My first listen to this delightful piece of music.


----------



## LancsMan

*Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2 / Eotvos: Seven / Ligeti: Violin Concerto* Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Peter Eotvos on naive








First listen to this disc that arrived in the post nearly two weeks ago.

The Bartok is a well loved piece for me, and this is an excellent performance and recording.

Eotvos 'Seven' is a work I haven't heard before, nor have I heard any other of this composer's works. I'll have to listen again as it went past without making a distinctive impression. Possibly me not focusing fully on it.

As to the Ligeti, I have to admit my CD collection is rather lacking - I only have one CD of his piano works, which I think very 'enjoyable' - if that's the right word. I've never heard the Violin Concerto before, and it immediately seems to have more character than the Eotvos. What a strange ending the piece has, including the human voice for a few bars just before the end.


----------



## senza sordino

Still painting one of my bedrooms. And I always think of French music when painting. I let my iPod just run for hours.

*Chausson Symphony in Bb, Poeme, Poeme de l'amour et de la Mer, Piano Quartet, Concert* from this 2CD set:








*Chausson Piano Trio* from this








The ipod kept rolling, as did I painting listening to
*Poulenc Piano Concerto, Sextet, Sonata for two pianos, Concerto for two pianos, Organ Concerto, Concert Champetre and Gloria*
all from the 2 CD set








and I'm now finished painting, and tomorrow I fly off to a warmer climate.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Shostakovich night...

*Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67*

The Borodin Trio (Edlina, Dubinsky, Turovsky) with Mimi Zweig (violin) and Jerry Horner (viola)
[Chandos (LP), rec. 1983]










I haven't listened to the Piano Quintet for many years, nor to this recording of the Trio No. 2 (I also have the BAT recording). Both are very unsettling, eerie works that make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. These are very fine performances by the (then exiled) Russian artists.

The early digital recording (on 'special' heavyweight vinyl) is an example of just what could be achieved with the LP format.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn Symphony #83, "The Hen." Sigiswald Kuijken and the OEL. On the radio. The announcer said he chose this one because, in Dutch, "kuijken" means "chicken." I assume he was serious.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Variations for orchestra, op. 31
Los Angeles Philharmonic, cond. Mehta









An unusually slow reading of Schoenberg's first orchestral work using the 12-tone method (the Violin Concerto came next). It is more or less contemporaneous with his work on Moses und Aron, and the style is not all that dissimilar (even down to the shared use of the flexatone). It has nervous and jumpy sections (Moses), but there are fascinating lulls and moments of lyricism as well (Aron).


----------



## Taggart

Disc 11 of










An excellent soundtrack to an excellent movie. Shame it isn't commercially available with English subtitles. Musica Antiqua Köln make a brilliant job of some early French Baroque - Lully, Cambert and Cordier - elegant, powerful, exquisite, refined.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

...and to finish off:

*Шостакович

Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 'Leningrad'*

Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi [Chandos (LP), rec. 1988]










Not my favourite recording (that was the one from the always well chosen stock at Aberdeen Record Library. I can't now remember* what that was but the first movement had the most AMAZING dynamic range!) but it is the one I could afford at the time. Probably the first Shostakovich work I ever got to know, and still very exciting.

*A bit of digging on ArchivMusic and Google images suggests that the recording I remember from the '70s was Paavo Berglund with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta on EMI


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Sturm und Drang Symphonies no. 42, no. 44 "Mourning", no. 46, no. 41, no. 48 "Maria Theresa", no. 65
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv









Piano Quartet no. 2 in Gm
By the Domus Quartet, on Hyperion


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Rondo for String Quartet*

Another go-round today with this piece. I really like this piece, personally; it could be described as waltz tinged with chromaticisms. The Emerson Quartet charms the socks off of it.


----------



## bejart

Ernst Eichner (1740-1777): Symphony in D Minor, Op.7, No.4

Werner Ehrhardt conducting L'Arte del Mondo


----------



## Winterreisender

Listening to John Eliot Gardiner et al. performing Bach's BWV 106 Cantata, "Actus Tragicus."










Not part of the Cantata pilgrimage but rather released separately along with the Easter Oratorio earlier this month. I don't know where they come up with these album covers


----------



## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> Still painting one of my bedrooms. And I always think of French music when painting. I let my iPod just run for hours.
> 
> *Chausson Symphony in Bb, Poeme, Poeme de l'amour et de la Mer, Piano Quartet, Concert* from this 2CD set:
> View attachment 37464
> 
> 
> *Chausson Piano Trio* from this
> View attachment 37465
> 
> 
> The ipod kept rolling, as did I painting listening to
> *Poulenc Piano Concerto, Sextet, Sonata for two pianos, Concerto for two pianos, Organ Concerto, Concert Champetre and Gloria*
> all from the 2 CD set
> View attachment 37466
> 
> 
> and I'm now finished painting, and tomorrow I fly off to a warmer climate.


--
I never knew Dutoit did the Chausson Symphony-- I'll have to check it out. I like his way with French music. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

TurnaboutVox said:


> ...and to finish off:
> 
> *Шостакович
> 
> Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 'Leningrad'*
> 
> Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi [Chandos (LP), rec. 1988]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not my favourite recording (that was the one from the always well chosen stock at Aberdeen Record Library. I can't now remember what that was but the first movement had the most AMAZING dynamic range!) but it is the one I could afford at the time. Probably the first Shostakovich work I ever got to know, and still very exciting.


--
I love that reading. The last movement is the _pièce de résistance_ for my emotional involvement.


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## KenDuctor

Tannhauser overture...


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## Blancrocher

Rudolf Firkusny in solo piano works by Janacek (rec. 1970-1).


----------



## Alfacharger

Dittersdorf's oratorio Giob. I love the opening fugal overture along with its reprise later with full chorus.


----------



## Sid James

Lately its been these: 










*Grieg*
_Holberg Suite
Two Elegiac Melodies
Four Norwegian Dances
Two Lyric Pieces
Lyric Suite_
- Gothenburg SO under Neeme Jarvi

I've been listening to * Grieg * in tandem with Percy Grainger, since they where friends and colleagues. Like Grainger, in some respects Grieg's full contribution to music hasn't been recognized until recent decades. Like Rachmaninov, he was a progressive who was painted as a conservative by those with various axes to grind. But listen to the *  Holberg Suite , * and its Neo-Classicism before that fad reached its height after Grieg's death. So too his *  Lyric Suite  *, that prefigures Impressionism. Its sad that Debussy's criticism of Grieg doing "ice filled bon bons" stuck for much of the 20th century. But both of them where influenced by Liszt and where great miniaturists (another thing is both Grieg and Debussy wrote symphonies never published in their lifetimes).

His music has never ceased to amaze me, some reasons being its simplicity of expression and lack of pretension, and its subtle evocation of images, moods and atmospheres. 










*Album: John McCormack - 18 Favourites*
- _Popular Irish songs sung by "the Irish Caruso," recordings made between 1912 and 1940, various accompanists_

Over to Irish tenor * John McCormack *, which I listened to in light of St. Patrick's Day passing last weekend. He was enormously popular during his heyday, filling Carnegie Hall five times and in one year having record sales surpassing the great Caruso (who warned McCormack in his usual joking manner "Please Giovanni, not to let it happen again"). Later in his career he went into appearances in movies, which garnered more hits for him such as _ Jeannine, I Dream of Lilac Time _, featured here.

There are quite a few ditties whose tunes are still known here, for example the *  Roses of Picardy  * and *  When Irish Eyes are Smiling  *. Most poignant though, in light of all the Guinness flowing and the green hats on the weekend, is *  Wearing of the Green.  * It tells of the English banning the wearing of the green, and of patriots being hung for doing so. Ireland's tragic history perhaps acted as catalyst for not only great music but also a quite dark sense of humour, the strong place of Catholicism there, the strong literary tradition and indeed Guinness.

McCormack's recordings are still enjoyable today, his fine diction shines through crystal clear even on his earliest recordings, and a sense of warmth in the way he imparts emotion to the lyrics. 










*Copland* _Piano Concerto_
- Benjamin Pasternack, soloist with Elgin SO under Robert Hanson

Finishing with one of my favourite works by * Copland, * and an interesting contrast to Gershwin's one composed just prior to it and also to his own later 'Americana' type works like _ Rodeo _ and _ Appalachian Spring _. Despite its animated central ragtime section, a cadenza for the soloist, Copland's *  Piano Concerto  * gives a sense of the alienation of living in a big city.

I did a post linking it to other key American works of the 20th century earlier on my series of blogs (link in my footer below). I think this work is amazing as both music and suggesting a view of the darker side of city life in the 20th century (but others may disagree, such as the writer of the notes of this disc who says it is "exuberant, ever confident in its bluesy swagger").


----------



## senza sordino

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> I never knew Dutoit did the Chausson Symphony-- I'll have to check it out. I like his way with French music. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I have many CDs from Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Maybe they are marketed well here in Canada. I read that Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra were once considered the best French orchestra. It's too bad he left.


----------



## Alfacharger

Now a J. S Bach "dramma per musica". I have this in the Musical Heritage Society reissue.


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## Vaneyes

*Shostakovich*: Piano Works, w. Mustonen (rec.1990), Scherbakov (rec.1999).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

cooldude said:


> Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C Major


All those sequential posts. . . in record time. Seems like someone wants to get their icon posting-privileges or something. _;D_


----------



## Blancrocher

senza sordino said:


> I have many CDs from Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Maybe they are marketed well here in Canada. I read that Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra were once considered the best French orchestra. It's too bad he left.


"Left"--or was he forced out? One of those sordid stories of clashing egos I tend not to like to learn too much about--not that I haven't been avidly following the news about Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra :lol:


----------



## Morimur

senza sordino said:


> I have many CDs from Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Maybe they are marketed well here in Canada. I read that Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra were once considered the best French orchestra. It's too bad he left.


I kinda miss Canada. Lived there from 1990 until late 2012.


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## Marschallin Blair

I know the tricks. I've done them myself.


----------



## samurai

Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Major, Op.55 {"Eroica"} and Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93, *both featuring the George Szell led Cleveland Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.5, Op.50 and Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}, *both performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under Theodore Kuchar. 
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos.3 and 4, *both rendered by Neeme Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.5 in E-Flat Major, Op.83; Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104; Karelia Suite: Intermezzo and Alla Marca and Valse triste. *All four works feature Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Guest

This lovely 2-disc SACD arrived today. I must admit that Dvorak has not been one of my favorite composers, but I'm beginning to hear his charms! The F-minor Trio, the only one I've had time to play, has remarkable intensity--very Brahmsian, too. As per usual, Praga Digital's sound is superb and life-like, no doubt helped with the pure DSD recording. The Guarneri Trio Prague plays with tremendous vigor and precision.


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## bejart

Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Preludes, Book #1

Walter Gieseking, piano


----------



## Novelette

Schumann: Albumblätter Op. 124 -- Peter Frankl

Devienne: Flute Quartet #1 in A Minor, Op. 66 -- Alexis Kossenko & Quatuor Cambini

Jadin: Sonata #2 in D, Op. 5 -- Andreas Staier

Haydn: Symphony #91 in E Flat, H 1/91 -- Béla Drahos: Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia


----------



## Mahlerian

Kirchner: Duo for Violin and Piano
Corey Cerovsek, Jeremy Denk
Available here.

Kirchner was an American student of Schoenberg's. Like a number of Schoenberg's American students, he was influenced by his teacher's aesthetic, but never made use of the 12-tone technique itself. Kirchner later taught John Adams, among others.


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## Marschallin Blair

*Florent Schmitt: Symphonie Concertante & Rêves*










This CD isn't what I expected at all; my only previous Schmitt forays being _The Tragedy of Salome_ and _Psalm 47_; serious, epic-sounding works-- both of which I love.

No, the harmonic language in the _Symphonie Concertante_ sounds like a quirky fusion of Scriabin's "Prometheus Poem of Fire" and Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"-- but with a Ravellian-like playfulness.

Fun. I like it.

Parts of _Rêves_ I like _a lot_. It's just pure late Scriabin; but if Scriabin was, say, French; and trying to write a ballet piece for Diaghilev's _Ballet Russes_.


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## KenOC

Haydn Op. 54 Quartets, Endellion String Quartet. Yes, it's true!


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## OldFashionedGirl

Béla Bartók - String Quartet No. 4. Strange, but interesting. I like it. I will try to have every day a healthy doses of dissonant and atonal music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Schwanengesang - Paul Hillier, cond.


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## PetrB

OldFashionedGirl said:


> Béla Bartók - String Quartet No. 4. Strange, but interesting. I like it. I will try to have every day a healthy doses of dissonant and atonal music.


Some of the most lush - sounding Bartok I can think of.
Cantata Profana


----------



## Guest

I swear I didn't plan this, friendo PetrB.









Basically this has been in my ears all day with the exception of a couple Villa-Lobos pieces in the mid-afternoon. Granted, I was working on a project for about 2 hours of it, so I barely noticed some of the pieces fly by, but I pretty much did everything on these 8 discs today except the opera, the two ballets, and the cantata profana...


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## SimonNZ

Messiaen: Orchestral Works, disc four:

Chronochromie
La Ville d'en haut
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum

Pierre Boulez, cond.










and added to the end of that album they've put Riccardo Chailly conducting Oiseaux Exotiques - but for the life of me I can't find which album that originally came from


----------



## moody

KenDuctor said:


> Tannhauser overture...


Do try to list the artists,I can't give "likes" to the title only.


----------



## jim prideaux

returned to the Mariss Jansons Oslo Phil. recording of Dvorak 5th-while I was not particularly impressed with their recording of the 7th-the sound seemed too restricted to me-this recording of the 5th is a different matter!


----------



## moody

science said:


> That looks innarestin. I could use me another recording of each of those.


The last concert that I attended or will attend was by the Suisse Romande Orch. / Janowski during their UK tour.
Nothing tepid about them then---more likely Bruckner who is very tepid. The main work in my concert was Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique.
Of course Janowski is no longer with this orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

moody said:


> The last concert that I attended *or will attend* was by the Suisse Romande Orch. / Janowski during their UK tour.
> Nothing tepid about them then---more likely Bruckner who is very tepid. The main work in my concert was Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique.
> Of course Janowski is no longer with this orchestra.


You don't intend to ever see another concert? Why not?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 12 in B-flat Major, 'Theresienmesse' (Neville Marriner; Vaness; Soffel; Lewis; Salomaa; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden).









Great writing for the soloist quartet in this mass. The Benedictus has that Haydnesque joy to it, and leads into the Agnus Dei, where Haydn cites Mozart's 25th symphony (beginning of the first movement). The masses are such classics .


----------



## SimonNZ

Beniamino Gigli: opera aria recordings 1918-1924 - Nimbus Prima Voce series


----------



## moody

SimonNZ said:


> You don't intend to ever see another concert? Why not?


Medical reasons--
I probably won't be around much longer.
The Gigli recordings--great !


----------



## SimonNZ

Well...without knowing any details I sincerely hope you're mistaken about that. 

But I agree the early Giglis are stunning.


----------



## Jeff W

Went with some Mozart last night. The four horn concertos with Gunter Hogner playing the horn while Karl Bohm leads the Wiener Philharmoniker. Also on the same disc is the Serenade in C minor, K. 388 played by the winds of the Wiener Philharmoniker (if I'm reading the CD booklet right...).









Going with Mozart's Violin sonatas K. 481, 526 & 547. Itzhak Perlman plays violin with Daniel Barenboim accompanying on piano.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: Concerto in G Minor for 3 Violins, BWV 1056R

Helmuth Rilling conducting the Bach Collegium Stuttgart -- Isabelle Faust, Muriel Cantoreggi, and Christoph Poppen, violins


----------



## csacks

Enjoying Dvorak´s String quartet Nº 9. The Prage String Quartet. It is a box with all the string quartets, from iTunes. Full of light and joy. To start autumn in our exclusive southern hemisphere where we, only 10% of the world population, live, with our heads hanging down.


----------



## Alfacharger

Some John Adams today. I love Pat Nixon's aria "This is Prophetic".


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> I never knew Dutoit did the Chausson Symphony-- I'll have to check it out. I like his way with French music. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I think he has a great name for a conductor. When you say it in French, you're counting off a piece: "Two, three."


----------



## Manxfeeder

PetrB said:


> Some of the most lush - sounding Bartok I can think of.
> Cantata Profana


Then I have to put that one on.


----------



## Vasks

_It's Springtime!_

*Goetz - Spring Overture (Albert/cpo)
Glazunov - Spring (Schermerhorn/Marco Polo)
P. Hadley - One Morning in Spring (Boult/Lyrita)
Bridge - Enter Spring (Groves/EMI)*


----------



## MagneticGhost

I went to see Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty live feed to the cinema from the ROH last night.
It was wonderful. First time to watch a ballet. (not including dribs and drabs.)

So I'm listening to the music again.
Andre Previn - EMI Classics.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, String Quartet No. 4.*


----------



## opus55

Bach Brandenburg Concertos










Planning on listening to all of them while reviewing a document for work. Let's see if that happens.


----------



## Blancrocher

Volume 1 of Matthias Goerne's Schubert song cycle.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Slow Movement for String Quartet, String Quartet Op. 28*

The CD featuring chamber works for strings is getting to be my favorite of this set. (Of course, I've only listened to them all twice.)

View attachment 37497


----------



## Bas

Henry Purcell - Dido & Aeneas
By Simone Kermes [sop.] - Dido, Deborah York [sop.] - Belinda, Dimitris Tiliakos [bar.] - Aeneas
The new Siberian singers, conducted by Teodor Currentzis, on Alpha









Joseph Haydn - Sturm und Drang Symphonies no. 43 "Mercury", no. 51, no. 52, no. 45 "Farewell", no. 47, no. 50
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## rrudolph

Kanno: Four Seasons in Resonance








Takemitsu: And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind/Rain Tree/Toward the Sea/Bryce/Itinerant/Voice/Air/Rain Spell








Takemitsu: Winter/Gitimalya/Marginalia








Nishimura: Ketiak/Tala/Padma in Meditation/Legong/Concerto for Timpanists and Five Percussionists


----------



## rrudolph

Nordheim: Colorazione/Fem Kryptofonier/Link/Den Forste Sommerflugl


----------



## Kieran

#41, the *Jupiter*.

_Prince of the Symphonies_, adorned in ermine and pearls, a Declaration of the Perfect, Never Bohm for this one, and I don't recommend him to you either, friend: he's great for the operas, and I swear by the chap for the Sinfonia Concertante, anything, but here, he commits an atrocious act of musical blaspheming by truncating the opening movement, leaving out the repeat and bombing through it like head lice in a primary school.

This is old Lennie and the New York philly. Right now!, the sensuous slow set, glistening and patient. I've known this music over twenty years, with diminishment only on my side...


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm K. 397, Sonata in D, Prelude and Fugue in C K. 394, 12 variations on "Je suis Lindor" in E-flat K. 354, Sonata in G K. 283, Fantasia in Dm K. 387
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Cm K. 475, Sonata in F K. 533, Sonata in B-flat K. 570, Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint"
By Kristian Bezuidenhout [fortepiano], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto no. 26 "Coronation" , Piano Concerto no. 27
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Eliott Gardiner [dir.], on Archiv


----------



## hpowders

Allan Pettersson Symphony #7.
Antal Dorati, Stockholm Philharmonic.
Intense!


----------



## maestro267

*Tishchenko*: Violin Concerto No. 2 _First listen_
Stadler (violin)/Leningrad PO/Sinaisky

Wow! What a dramatic piece! A near-modern concerto (post-Shostakovich) with the scope and dimensions of a symphony! Some crazy music in here, particularly in the 2nd and 3rd movements. Those two movements are connected by a 6-minute cadenza.

*Prokofiev:* Alexander Nevsky
Chicago Symphony Chorus & Orchestra/Reiner


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Martinu's Piano Trios, performed by the Arbor Piano Trio.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

17 Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich
18 Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt
19 Es erhub sich ein Streit

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)


----------



## Blake

Wand's Bruckner - Symphony 7.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dinu Lipatti plays:
Bach: Concerto No.1 in D Minor BWV 1052 (arr.Busoni) Concertgebouw Orchestra/Eduard van Beinum
Liszt: Concerto No.1 in E-flat L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet
Bartok: Concerto No.3 South-West German Radio Orchestra/Paul Sacher

Yesterday was the anniversary of Dinu Lipatti's birth (1917), so I dug out this disc of three concerti, the playing is superb, but it must be admitted the sound quality is not good in the Bach, very poor in the Liszt and better in the Bartok. For anyone wanting to investigate Lipatti- and anyone who loves the piano should want to, best to go for the EMI studio recordings. He made one of the finest recordings of the Chopin B Minor Sonata, and an unsurpassed one of Ravel's "Alborada del Grazioso".


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Beethoven - Symphony 9 - Sir Roger Norrington









Hmm - there are things I really like about this interpretation - the textures, the immediacy of the orchestra, the committment of Norrington, the sound world it lives in ..... but the speed! Too fast for me - like gulping a good bottle of St Emilion


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mad Scenes*









Norma, Lucia, Medea-- it gets me through the day.

Ha. Ha Ha. Ha.


----------



## Schubussy

Alan Hovhaness - Requiem and Symphony no. 19, "Vishnu"
Alan Hovhaness, North Jersey Wind Symphony, Sevan Philharmonic








My latest musical obsession, thanks to Techniquest and the American Symphonies thread. And I recognise the 'Vishnu' symphony from Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos', one of my favourite things ever put on film.


----------



## csacks

Rachamaninov 3rd piano concert. Should I add something else?


----------



## Vaneyes

*Carter*: Orchestral Works, w. Knussen et al (rec.1998 - 2004).


----------



## Vaneyes

moody said:


> The last concert that I attended or will attend was by the *Suisse Romande Orch. / Janowski *during their UK tour.
> Nothing tepid about them then---more likely Bruckner who is very tepid. The main work in my concert was Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique.
> Of course Janowski is no longer with this orchestra.


That collaboration concluded their Brucker cycle on Pentatone...which I heartily recommend. For those interested, you might wait or inquire to the label about a possible box set. Can be expensive, otherwise. :tiphat:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

csacks said:


> Rachamaninov 3rd piano concert. Should I add something else?
> View attachment 37520


Yes: Add the first movement of the Fourth. Previn and Ashkenazy synergize the climactic moment wonderfully; my favorite buildup of that passage of all time.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie Op.61/Barcarolle Op.60
Bowen: Evening Calm/Nocturne in E-flat Op.19/Turnstiles/3 Preludes from Op.102/Scherzo in F-sharp Minor/Variations and Fugue on an Unoriginal Theme Op.61 York Bowen

Wonderful recordings made in 1960 at his home, by York Bowen, 76 at the time, but you'd never know it, he was a marvellous Chopin player, and one cannot but wish that he'd recorded more. Lyrita did make an LP of him in his own music, but there should have been more, much more. A tragedy really.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Lohengrin: Act I Finale*









Bruckner and Mahler would be proud of Karajan's climactic buildups with the combat episode at the end of Act I.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Borodin Quartet playing Tchaikovsky's 3rd string quartet.


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37522
> 
> 
> Bruckner and Mahler would be proud of Karajan's climactic buildups with the combat episode at the end of Act I.


This version was generally panned by the critics but then it had a best buy recommendation from bbc radio 3.

What's your opinion?


----------



## DavidA

Chopin Sonata 3 - Hamelin


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Opus 76 Quartets.
Tokyo Quartet.
Very good performances spoiled for me a bit by a touch of excessive vibrato.
Recommended anyway. Performances of virtuosity and feeling.


----------



## mpapxxi

Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 - Gergiev/MTO(2010Live) 

I am particularly captivated by the rhythmical richness. Beyond favouritisms, you have to admit this man was a reflection of his time and geography!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Welcome to the forum, mpapxxi.

Currently listening to:

*Boulez - Complete Works CD2

Livre pour quatuor* [version 1962]

Quatuor Parisii [DG, 2013]


----------



## KenOC

Berlioz, Harold in Italy. Primrose, Munch and the BSO. Maybe it's just me and the day, but the piece seems kind of dreary. Orgy of the Brigands indeed.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A complete contrast in styles now:

*Antonín Dvořák

String Quartet No. 9 in D minor, Op. 34*

Wihan Quartet [Nimbus]










and finally for the evening and for the next few days as I shall be away at a conference...

*Wolf

Mörike-Lieder, Nos. 22 - 53* (Disc 2 of the complete Wolf Lieder)

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim [DG, 1974 - 6] (On Spotify)










This huge song cycle has tremendous power and intimacy; Fischer Dieskau and Barenboim are a formidable combination here. Their 'complete' Wolf lieder set has been a very rewarding listen to date.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Michael Rabin/Philharmonia Orchestra/Alceo Galliera
Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Philharmonia Orchestra/Alceo Galliera

A stunning performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto by Michael Rabin, and an equally stunning "New World" from Galliera and the Philharmonia. Galliera known mainly to me as a concerto accompanist much used by EMI in the 1950s, but this is a tremendous performance of the Dvorak, the first movement has enormous drive, the second movement is as gentle and beautifully played as you could wish, more vigour and vim in the scherzo, then a terrifically paced finale. This is one of the best I've heard, another 2nd hand bargain for the princely sum of one pound!


----------



## bejart

Carl Ditters van Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Sinfonia in G Minor, Graves g1

Uwe Grodd directing the Failoni Orchestra


----------



## samurai

mpapxxi said:


> Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 - Gergiev/MTO(2010Live)
> 
> I am particularly captivated by the rhythmical richness. Beyond favouritisms, you have to admit this man was a reflection of his time and geography!


Agree with you whole-heartedly; just wondering what you mean by "favourtisms". In what context are you using this term? Could you be more specific? 
BTW, Welcome to a wonderful forum with very knowledgeable, helpful members and some great discussions. :cheers:


----------



## shangoyal

Schumann's music for me is the essence of Romanticism in music. Ah, the comfort and grace of beautiful fantasies...

*1. Fantasiestücke, Op. 12*

Martha Argerich

*2. Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6*

Claudio Arrau


----------



## samurai

On* Spotify:

*Carl Nielsen*--Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7; Symphony No.6 {"Sinfonia Semplice"}; Symphony No.4, Op.29 {The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *All four works feature impassioned readings by Michael Schonwandt and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. 
Amy Beach--*Symphony in E-Minor, Op.32 {"Gaelic Symphony"}, *performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under Kenneth Schrmerhorn.
Ludwig Van Beethoven--*Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.21 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36, *both featuring the London Symphony Orchestra led by Yondani Butt.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Major, KV 331

Walter Klien, piano


----------



## Orfeo

moody said:


> Medical reasons--
> I probably won't be around much longer.
> The Gigli recordings--great !


I am very sorry.


----------



## julianoq

Just finished Bruckner's 5th, conducted by Sinopoli with the Staatskapelle Dresden. Overall fantastic performance for one of my favorite symphonies. The coda of the last movement never fails to amaze me, I consider it one of the most glorious moments in music! Also the sound quality of this record is very good, in each listen I notice different details. Very recommended.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's Symphoniae Sacrae III, Op.12 - Frieder Bernius, cond.


----------



## neoshredder

moody said:


> Medical reasons--
> I probably won't be around much longer.
> The Gigli recordings--great !


Sorry to hear that. Try to enjoy what you got left in life.


----------



## Orfeo

*Leonard Bernstein*
Symphony no. II "The Age of Anxiety."
-Krystian Zimerman, pianist.
-The London Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Bernstein.
-->




*Igor Stravinsky*
Ballet "The Rite of Spring" (version for four pianos and percussion instruments).
-Pianists: Julia Zaichkina, Alexander Gurning, Akane Sakai, & Alexander Mogilevsky.
-Percussionists: Andrea Farmakis & Dimitry Desyllas.
-->


----------



## SimonNZ

lp4 of Peter Frankl playing Debussy's piano works

Preludes, Book 1


----------



## tdc

Listened to Brendel play a sparkling version of Haydn's Piano Sonata 60 earlier today and I really enjoyed it, so now I'm listening to Richter perform Haydn Piano Sonata in G minor Hob XVI: 44.


----------



## tdc

Now I'm onto Richter performing Debussy's _Estampes_, and doing a marvelous job of it, off this recording:


----------



## MagneticGhost

No time for a piccy.
Vladimir Ashkenazy is conducting Rachmaninov's sumptuous 2nd Symphony in my Nissan Micra.
#surprisinglyroomy


----------



## DavidA

tdc said:


> Now I'm onto Richter performing Debussy's _Estampes_, and doing a marvelous job of it, off this recording:


Richter would have been 99 yesterday. Centeenury next year!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Stravinsky: Petrouchka/The Rite of Spring Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
Stravinsky: Four Etudes for Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati

I cannot get over this "Rite", it is stupendous, I've never heard anything like it, I feel absolutely drained and exhausted- and exhilarated all at the same time- the rest of the disc is good too, but, oh my goodness!!!! This is the first time I've played it, and to say that I am bowled over would be well in contention for the understatement of the century. Everything about it is terrific, the playing, the interpretation and the recording, which defies its 55 years! Wonderful.


----------



## bejart

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750): Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Op.9, No.2

I Musici with Heinz Holliger on oboe


----------



## jim prideaux

really rather enjoying Jansons and the Oslo Phil in performances of Othello overture and the Scherzo capriccrcioso.


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - La Finta Giardienera
By Sophie Karthäuser [soprano], Jeremey Ovenden [tenor], Alex Penda [soprano], Marie-Claude Chappuis [mezzo], Nicolas Rivenq [bariton], Sunhae Im [soprano], Michael Nagy [bass], Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Franz Schubert - Impromptus D899, D935, Piano Sonata D 664
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Jeff W

Started with Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 & 8. Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra in these recordings from 1939.









Next up I turned to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos No. 2 & 4 along with the Paganini Rhapsody. Valentina Lisitsa plays piano while Michael Francis conducts the London Symphony Orchestra.









Currently playing is Joachim Raff's Symphony No. 5 'Lenore'. Hans Stadlmair conducts the Bamberger Symphoniker. I'm going to let this one keep playing and listen to the Suite No. 1 for Orchestra after.


----------



## DrKilroy

Strange - did I "like" the post above twice? 

But oh well, there you have it - one for Beethoven and one for Rachmaninoff. :tiphat:


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Alfacharger

The Seven Stars Symphony this morning.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> _ShopshireMoose: Stravinsky: Petrouchka/The Rite of Spring Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
> Stravinsky: Four Etudes for Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
> 
> I cannot get over this "Rite", it is stupendous, I've never heard anything like it, I feel absolutely drained and exhausted- and exhilarated all at the same time- the rest of the disc is good too, but, oh my goodness!!!! This is the first time I've played it, and to say that I am bowled over would be well in contention for the understatement of the century. Everything about it is terrific, the playing, the interpretation and the recording, which defies its 55 years! Wonderful_.

















Have you heard the '59 Markevitch/Philharmonia? Or even the Dorati/Detroit on Decca?

I tilt toward exhilerating readings as well. _;D_


----------



## Blancrocher

Boris Christoff singing Mussorgsky, for the composer's birthday.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> This version was generally panned by the critics but then it had a best buy recommendation from bbc radio 3.
> 
> What's your opinion?


I absolutely adore it: I love the choice of singers. I love the balancing and blending of the Berlin horns and strings. I love Karajan's majestic and elegant interpretative contours.

Admittedly, the only other one I have is the Solti/VPO; but the Karajan is the performance I always reach for on the shelf.

I still have yet to hear the famous Kempe/EMI; and I'll get around to getting it (I love his Strauss); but there the matter ends.


----------



## csacks

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37543
> View attachment 37544
> 
> 
> Have you heard the '59 Markevitch/Philharmonia? Or even the Dorati/Detroit on Decca?
> 
> I tilt toward exhilerating readings as well. _;D_


IMO, the Rite from Dorati is the best version ever.


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> I absolutely adore it: I love the choice of singers. I love the balancing and blending of the Berlin horns and strings. I love Karajan's majestic and elegant interpretative contours.
> 
> Admittedly, the only other one I have is the Solti/VPO; but the Karajan is the performance I always reach for on the shelf.
> 
> I still have yet to hear the famous Kempe/EMI; and I'll get around to getting it (I love his Strauss); but there the matter ends.


I have the Kempe. Superbly cast and conducted. Recording sounds a bit thin now, of course.


----------



## csacks

Beethoven´s String Quartet Nº7/1. The Amadeus Quartet. Very good record


----------



## Andolink

*Alessandro Stradella*: Motets-- _Benedictus Dominus Deus_; _Crocifissione e morte di N.S. Giesu Christo_
Gerard Lesne, countertenor
Sandrine Piau, soprano
Il Seminario Musicale/Gerard Lesne









*J. S. Bach*: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord-- _No. 6 in G major, BWV 1019_; _No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1018_;_ No. 4 in C minor, BWV 1017_; _No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016_
Monica Huggett, baroque violin
Ton Koopman, harpsichord









*Max Reger*: _Violin Sonata in E minor, Op. 122_
Hansheinz Schneeberger, violin
Jean-Jacques Dünki, piano


----------



## Vasks

_Purely Prokofiev...LPs_

*Russian Overture (Martinon/London)
String Quartet #1 (Novak Qrt/Philips)
Suite from "Love for Three Oranges" (Ormandy/Columbia)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

csacks said:


> IMO, the Rite from Dorati is the best version ever.


Yeah, its a vigorous, savage reading-- and was my overall standard. . . that is, until I heard the '59 Markevitch.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> I have the Kempe. Superbly cast and conducted. Recording sounds a bit thin now, of course.


I can imagine.

I'll have to get it.

Thanks. . .

Incidentally, a friend whose aesthetic operatic tastes I absolutely_ love_, just bought this performance-- and he's not even a huge fan of Wagner.


----------



## rrudolph

Bach: Suite in e minor BWV 996/Choral Preludes BWV 690 & 691/Suite in c minor BWV 997








Bach: Suite for lute in E minor, BWV 996/Partita for lute in C minor, BWV 997/Partita for solo violin No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002/Suite for solo cello No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009/Prelude for lute in C minor, BWV 999/Sonata for solo violin No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001: Siciliano/Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006: Gavotte en Rondeau/Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Chaconne








Bach: Complete Fantasias


----------



## julianoq

Bach's concertos for harpsichord No.1, No.2 and No.3, performed by Pinnock. I am not very familiar with these concertos, listened only once a long time ago. They are quite wonderful!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 11*










Argerich: subtle, searching, and--- as an affair of the first importance with me regarding the first movement-- 'vivacious.'

_Lovely._

Happy espresso-Argerich Friday to all!


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Paris Symphonies, #82-87.
Sigiswald Kuijken, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Wonderful Period Performances.
Minor quibble: excessive reverberation.


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 37535
> 
> 
> Stravinsky: Petrouchka/The Rite of Spring Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
> Stravinsky: Four Etudes for Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
> 
> I cannot get over this "Rite", it is stupendous, I've never heard anything like it, I feel absolutely drained and exhausted- and exhilarated all at the same time- the rest of the disc is good too, but, oh my goodness!!!! This is the first time I've played it, and to say that I am bowled over would be well in contention for the understatement of the century. Everything about it is terrific, the playing, the interpretation and the recording, which defies its 55 years! Wonderful.


I've had it since it was first issued and it knocked me out then---it still does.


----------



## MagneticGhost

John Adams - Nixon in China


----------



## opus55

Dvorak: Symphony No. 5
Mahler: Symphony No. 8

















Started Mahler 8 in Part 2 by mistake. It sounds great so I won't bother starting back in first movement.


----------



## jim prideaux

today continued with more Dvorak-Kubelik BPO performing 8th/9th and then 6th performed by Ancerl and Czech Phil-news from Amazon-Tubin CD I ordered lost in the post-like a kick in the head-felt so let down my only response was to go and sort out my season ticket for 'the lads' for the next round of heartache and disappointment-listened to slow movement of Myaskovsky 27th driving over and back from the stadium-seemed appropriate somehow-it is one of the most beautifully melancholic and reflective pieces of music I have encountered!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

20 O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort 
21 Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis

Two very strong, I'd go so far even to say towering and important, works. Playing this disc is like listening to a Bach Greatest Hits album. The genius firing on all cylinders

Strange how few recordings there are of 20


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Dvorak: Symphony No. 5
> Mahler: Symphony No. 8
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Started Mahler 8 in Part 2 by mistake. It sounds great so I won't bother starting back in first movement.


---
The Solti Mahler VIII was one of the first CD's I bought in my late teens when a friend of mine was getting me into orchestral music. . . ."I've been missing out on. . . 'this'? Shelve thy Slayer, pull down thy Mahler."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Solti Die Frau ohne Schatten*









Bohm and Karajan are still my standard-bearers, but this has some undeniably touching singing as well.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Carter*: Orchestral Works, w. Boulez et al (rec.1977), Gielen et al (rec.1992).








View attachment 37577


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> The Solti Mahler VIII was one of the first CD's I bought in my late teens when a friend of mine was getting me into orchestral music. . . ."I've been missing out on. . . 'this'? Shelve thy Slayer, pull down thy Mahler."


His M8 gives me a headache, but I do like M1 w. CSO '83, M5 w. CSO '90 (Live, Vienna), M7 w. CSO '71. The M7 I rate as gargantuan.


----------



## Oskaar

I am listening to

*Bach: Orchestral Suites, "triple" Concerto Bwv 1044*

*Performer: Daniel Stepner, Christopher Krueger, John Gibbons 
Conductor: Andrew Parrott 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra*









*1. 
Suite for Orchestra no 4 in D major, BWV 1069 by Johann Sebastian Bach

2. 
Concerto for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord in A minor, BWV 1044 "Triple Concerto" by Johann Sebastian Bach 
Performer: Daniel Stepner (Violin), Christopher Krueger (Flute), John Gibbons (Harpsichord)

3. 
Suite for Orchestra no 3 in D major, BWV 1068 by Johann Sebastian Bach

4. 
Suite for Orchestra no 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 by Johann Sebastian Bach 
Performer: Christopher Krueger (Flute)

5. 
Suite for Orchestra no 1 in C major, BWV 1066 by Johann Sebastian Bach*

Fine and entertaining listening. Great wind arrangements in turbo speed.

 - arkivmusic


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bach - Cantata BWV 10 - Meine Seel erhebt den Herren - King's College Choir, Cambridge, Leonhardt Consort, Gustav Leonhardt









From the same box set that SimonNZ is going through. A marvellous set, even though sometimes the singing of some of the boys in some cantatas would have benefitted from a little more practice, perhaps, but I can't complain - a charity shop bargain at £30 for 60 discs a couple of years ago.

My soul doth magnify the Lord! Indeed!


----------



## hpowders

Debussy 12 Etudes for Piano, Mitsuko Uchida.
Brilliant performances.
But only 47 minutes of music on a CD that can hold 80. Come on!
Also, ditch the cover!


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Concerto in D minor for two violins, strings, and continuo, BWV 1043
Arabella Steinbacher and Akiko Suwanai


----------



## Blancrocher

hpowders said:


> Also, ditch the cover!


Perhaps the cover designer read Wikipedia: The pieces are extremely difficult to play, and Debussy described them as "a warning to pianists not to take up the musical profession unless they have remarkable hands." However, I agree the allusion is not worth it!

Anyways, current listening: Olli Mustonen playing Alkan's op.31 Preludes.


----------



## nightscape

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Shelve thy Slayer, pull down thy Mahler."


You can still hang on to _Reign in Blood _though.


----------



## Haydn man

This is also my wife's favourite violin concerto (Tchaikovsky) and this version is played with such passion
A Rosette disc in our house


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sticking with Contemporaneous Opera

Harrison Birtwistle - Gawain


----------



## Marschallin Blair

nightscape said:


> You can still hang on to _Reign in Blood _though.


. . . _and_ _Show No Mercy_, _and_ _Haunting the Chapel_-- Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . High school, _redivivus_. If you were a teenager in the late eighties in the Southern California beach communities, it was practically issued to you.


----------



## DrKilroy

Schubert - Symphony No. 4.










And for J. S. Bach's birthday, all of the Brandenburg Concerti under Sir Neville Marriner.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Marschallin Blair said:


> Have you heard the '59 Markevitch/Philharmonia? Or even the Dorati/Detroit on Decca?
> 
> I tilt toward exhilerating readings as well. _;D_


The 1959 Markevitch was the first "Rite" I had, and I still love it, I also like Monteux with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra from 1956, a distinctively different sound, and one that is perhaps nearer to what would have been heard at the first performance. But I think the Dorati/Minneapolis is going to be No.1 for me from now on! 
Meanwhile, this evening it's out with the LPs again:















Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 Samson Francois/Philharmonia Orchestra/Constantin Silvestri
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 Phiharmonia Orchestra/Guido Cantelli

Various critics who heard him live say that Francois was nowhere near as good in the recording studio as he was in the concert hall, well, on the evidence of this performance he must have been beyond belief, because this strikes me as pretty damned exciting- he and the orchestra come momentarily adrift in the final bars, which is a shame because Silvestri follows him to the hilt otherwise, but to be honest it's of no consequence in a performance as good as this. Then Cantelli, leading the same orchestra in a classic "Pathetique", what a terrible loss he was, for this is very good indeed. Thank goodness for the gramophone.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Thomas Hampson, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Bernstein


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Haydn man said:


> View attachment 37586
> 
> 
> This is also my wife's favourite violin concerto (Tchaikovsky) and this version is played with such passion
> A Rosette disc in our house


in my house, the wife would prefer me to think of Nathan Milstein









rather than a delicate -looking young woman in what appears to be her nightie :angel:


----------



## Sudonim

Mahlerian said:


> Bach: Concerto in D minor for two violins, strings, and continuo, BWV 1043
> *Arabella Steinbacher and Akiko Suwanai*[/url]


Hmm. Something tells me that one is as pleasant to look at as it is to listen to. 

Requisite thread duty: at this moment I'm finishing up the album _20ème anniversaire 6 Juin 1956-6 Juin 1976_ by my man Franco. If you've never heard Congolese music, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot!

Other than that (and more apropos for this forum) I'm still traversing the Shostakovich collection I noted a day or two ago ...


----------



## SimonNZ

ShropshireMoose said:


> Various critics who heard him live say that Francois was nowhere near as good in the recording studio as he was in the concert hall, well, on the evidence of this performance he must have been beyond belief, because this strikes me as pretty damned exciting- he and the orchestra come momentarily adrift in the final bars, which is a shame because Silvestri follows him to the hilt otherwise, but to be honest it's of no consequence in a performance as good as this. Then Cantelli, leading the same orchestra in a classic "Pathetique", what a terrible loss he was, for this is very good indeed. Thank goodness for the gramophone.


I love Samson Francois's albums and have never understood why or how he fell out of favour. You've made me want to put on one of his discs for another spin when I get home.

but playing now:










Schutz's Schwanengesang - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Ockeghem - Missa L'Homme Armee - The Clerks' Group - Edward Wickham









A commonly-used theme from a popular song of the Middle Ages, used by over 40 composers as the basis of a mass (one of the latest being Karl Jenkins) but, despite it being reputed to be one of the easiest themes to pick out in contrapunctal writing, I am (ashamed and reluctant to admit it) unable to do so - sigh!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 75 in D Major (Helmut Müller-Brühl; Cologne Chamber Orchestra).









My first symphonic disc by Haydn. Always liked the 'Grave' at the beginning of the 1st movement. The development section is awesome too in the movement, imo. Glad to rediscover the symphony .


----------



## Manxfeeder

Headphone Hermit said:


> A commonly-used theme from a popular song of the Middle Ages, used by over 40 composers as the basis of a mass (one of the latest being Karl Jenkins) but, despite it being reputed to be one of the easiest themes to pick out in contrapunctal writing, I am (ashamed and reluctant to admit it) unable to do so - sigh!


It's easier to pick out if you think of its opening as similar to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. At least that's what I do.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Wooden Prince*


----------



## bejart

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745): Concerto a 8 Concertanti

Jiri Havlik conducting the Benda Chamber Orchestra -- Bohuslav Matousek, violin -- Michaela Oplustilova, cello -- Marketa Halamova, oboe -- Jaroslav Kubita, bassoon


----------



## Andolink

*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Sonata for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 23_
Hiro Kurosaki, violin
Linda Nicholson, piano









*Alexander Goehr*: _Largo Siciliano, Op. 91_ (2012)
Richard Watkins, horn
Marianne Thorsen, violin
Ian Brown, piano









*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Trio for piano, violin and cello in E flat major, Op. 70 no. 2_
Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano
Isabelle Faust, violin
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello


----------



## jim prideaux

a disc I forgot I even had as I essentially dismissed it years ago-so I am now open to the notion of reappraisal-Mendelssohn 3rd and 4th Symphonies-San Francisco Symphony Orch conducted by Blomstedt-have reservations as I really feel underwhelmed by the same 'lineup' recordings of Neilsen!


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening I went to a performance of my all time favourite opera:










It was very wonderful, it really touched me. Really great music and singing and excellent staging/acting.


----------



## colin

Yehudi Menuin playing JSB Violin concerto E major, wonderful tone


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Symphony in C (Davis).










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

jim prideaux said:


> a disc I forgot I even had as I essentially dismissed it years ago-so I am now open to the notion of reappraisal-Mendelssohn 3rd and 4th Symphonies-San Francisco Symphony Orch conducted by Blomstedt-have reservations as I really feel underwhelmed by the same 'lineup' recordings of Neilsen!


I forgot; I have that one at the bottom of my CD stack as well. Let me know your impression.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*R. Strauss - Sonatina No. 1 in F "From an Invalid's Workshop" (de Waart/Philips)
Vaughn-Williams - Norfolk Rhapsody #1 (Boult/Angel)*


----------



## Blancrocher

The Takacs Quartet playing Borodin's 2nd SQ (rec. 1995). Rudolf Kempe conducting Julius Katchen and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto (rec. 1967)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## jim prideaux

Manxfeeder said:


> *Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3.*
> 
> View attachment 37612


in reply to your enquiry-it just passed me by as I remember it always did and I do not know whether it is down to the recording, interpretation or the music-the 4th is very nice and I am sure there are many members who enjoy the 3rd-but!-checked out the reviews on Amazon and they are generally glowing.......

vinyl time-cannot bring myself to listen to this afternoons 'six pointer' away in East Anglia so Mahler 1st-Abbado and the Chicago Symphony Orch-recently in a branch of HMV I felt the sudden need to show my son how one would carry an album around as a teenager-duffle coat, art folder and haversack (the flap on mine was illustrated with a tribute to Traffic-Steve Winwood-there is a voice!)-sitting here now admiring DG cover-where did it all go?


----------



## lupinix

Schoenberg 5 pieces for orchesrtra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22; Nachtstücke, Op. 23; Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18; Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 32; Toccata in C Major, Op. 7; Presto passionato (Bernd Glemser).









J. Haydn, Stabat Mater - Stabat Mater dolorosa (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; Von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## Guest

These are very moving and beautifully played performances by any standard, but to think they are by a 90 year old pianist is mind-blowing! Wonderful sound, too.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> The Solti Mahler VIII was one of the first CD's I bought in my late teens when a friend of mine was getting me into orchestral music. . . ."I've been missing out on. . . 'this'? Shelve thy Slayer, pull down thy Mahler."





Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . _and_ _Show No Mercy_, _and_ _Haunting the Chapel_-- Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . High school, _redivivus_. If you were a teenager in the late eighties in the Southern California beach communities, it was practically issued to you.


Those names bring back a lot of memories of my high school days. I still listen to Iron Maiden, Megadeth and King Diamond occasionally.

I listened to Beethoven Piano Trios Nos 7, 9, 11 last night after a drink with friends. I don't enjoy alcohol any more.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Octet for winds, Ragtime for 11 instruments, Tango, Septet
Columbia Chamber Ensemble, cond. Stravinsky








The fugal parts in the Gigue of the Septet must be a real bear to pull off, and the studio musicians here end up doing a great job. These pieces span from the beginning of his Neoclassical period to the beginning of his Serial period, so a good deal of Stravinsky's stylistic range is encompassed. The two dance music inspired pieces in the middle are also playful little gems.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Bas said:


> Yesterday evening I went to a performance of my all time favourite opera:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was very wonderful, it really touched me. Really great music and singing and excellent staging/acting.


---
Great picture too. I love it when people post pictures of their itinerary and galas.


----------



## bejart

Anton Ferdinand Titz (ca.1742-1810): String Quartet in A Major, No.2 of 1781

Hoffmeister Quartet: Christoph Heidemann and Ulla Bundies, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

Kontrapunctus said:


> These are very moving and beautifully played performances by any standard, but to think they are by a 90 year old pianist is mind-blowing! Wonderful sound, too.


Three cheers for old guys who make it on their talent, not on their looks. :tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

jim prideaux said:


> in reply to your enquiry-it just passed me by as I remember it always did and I do not know whether it is down to the recording, interpretation or the music


Personally, on the 3rd, I prefer Szell for his precision. Blomstedt is more loose at the seams.


----------



## lupinix

orfeo monteverdi


----------



## Katie

The Masterworks Heritage box has proven a trove for unexpected reasons. I approached it with an eye toward the obvious prizes, like Reiner's work with the LVB, Mozzart, and Shostakovich symphonies, as well as a 5-cd collection (out of 29) of fine recordings by my new idol, Szell - especially the radiant performance of Smetana's SQ#1.

Yet, I found myself mesmerized entirely by Rabin's rapturous workout through Paganini's Caprices (child's play!  ) and Sonata/12, Dvorak's Slavonic Dance/2, and Kroll's Banjo and Fiddle among about 20+ other pieces lasting an average of 4 minutes or so (with a whopping total disc time of nearly 79 minutes).









Having collected my composure after Rabin's wizardry, I sat in stock awe as Ysaye - in the very next disc - led me through a procession of astounding performances, variously as violinist and conductor, as diverse as Brahms' Hungarian Dances/2, Schubert's Ave Maria, Wagner's Prize Song, and even a couple lovely pieces from Ysaye's own Mazurka...









...hey, did anyone notice the 2nd edition of the Living Stereo Collection set for release on the ides of April? I missed out on the first and have, thus far, been unwilling to pay the secondary market price...

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Stereo-Collection-Various-Artists/dp/B00GP8YHAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395509212&sr=8-1&keywords=the+living+stereo

Anyone else a new convert to the fandom ranks of the NDSU Bison or Mercer Bears? Love the Madness! /Katie


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart, Gran Partita


----------



## Bas

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonatas k. 310, k. 330, k. 331
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata no. 4, 5, 6 (Gulda) 4, 9, 10 (Barenboim)
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Decca
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## millionrainbows

*Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5*/Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Harnoncourt (Musical Heritage 2-CD). Supposed to be unorthodox; I don't hear it. Wish I did.

*Beethoven, Fantasia for piano, chorus, and orchestra in C minor, op. 80.* Helene Grimaud, Esa-Pekka Salonen (DG). A 'mini-ninth.' A 'Ninth Lite' that tastes great, yet is less filling.


----------



## samurai

Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Haas Version}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. What a gorgeous adagio! 
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1, Op. 10 and Symphony No.7, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic. 
Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E-Minor, * onceagain featuring Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


----------



## millionrainbows

bejart said:


> Anton Ferdinand Titz (ca.1742-1810): String Quartet in A Major, No.2 of 1781
> 
> Hoffmeister Quartet: Christoph Heidemann and Ulla Bundies, violins -- Aino Hildebrandt, viola -- Martin Seemann, cello
> 
> View attachment 37631


Thanks for showing us your Titz.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Haitink





I haven't had access to my own sound equipment for a little bit so unless I use headphones, Youtube over the TV is the best I can get at the moment...oh well.


----------



## hpowders

millionrainbows said:


> Thanks for showing us your Titz.


For classical musical novices, I suggest showing one of the Titz at a time, to become gradually accustomed to the new, unfamiliar sensation.


----------



## Vasks

millionrainbows said:


> Thanks for showing us your Titz.


I almost said something like "I'm a guy and like Titz" but I refrained...or did I?


----------



## millionrainbows

Arvo Part: Credo for piano, mixed choir and orchestra. Helene Grimaud, Salonen (DG). Nice piece, with a quote from Bach's Prelude No. 1. In fact, this whole disc is well worth having:










And I see that it's available as a hybrid SACD as well. I must have that!


----------



## drpraetorus

Mozart Clarinet Concerto. This is performed by the Seatle Symphony using an extended range clarinet of the type used in Mozarts day. This eliminates the awkward jumps required by modern, shorter clarinets that can go as low as Mozart wrote.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
Berg: Lyric Suite










Julliard String Quartet
Recorded in Ascona 24Aug70


----------



## Vaneyes

Belateds for *JS Bach's *birthday (1685), and *Glazunov's* death day (1936).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Carter*: String Quartets, w. Pacifica Qt. (rec.2007/8).


----------



## jim prideaux

Suk-Asrael Symphony-Libor Pesek-RLPO, related to Dvorak, similar environment and yet this music inhabits a different world!....really quite disconcerting, anxious, expressionist?


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling "Cleo Sings Sondheim" for *Sondheim's* birthday (1930).


----------



## Vaneyes

Kontrapunctus said:


> These are very moving and beautifully played performances by any standard, but to think they are by a 90 year old pianist is mind-blowing! Wonderful sound, too.


What US dollar bill is he on?


----------



## opus55

Vaneyes said:


> What US dollar bill is he on?


:clap:

................


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> I forgot; I have that {SFS/Blomstedt mendelssohn Syms. 3 & 4}one at the bottom of my CD stack as well. Let me know your impression.


I'm one of the "glowers".


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> a disc I forgot I even had as I essentially dismissed it years ago-so I am now open to the notion of reappraisal-Mendelssohn 3rd and 4th Symphonies-*San Francisco Symphony Orch conducted by Blomstedt*-have reservations as I really feel underwhelmed by the same 'lineup' recordings of Neilsen!


No, no, they can do no wrong. Listen to their R. Strauss "Alpine", too. :wave:


----------



## Vaneyes

Headphone Hermit said:


> in my house,* the wife* would prefer me to think of Nathan Milstein
> 
> View attachment 37592
> 
> 
> rather than a delicate -looking young woman in what appears to be her nightie :angel:


For your pleasure, then, you may navigate to the "Current Listening with YT Videos" thread. Namely, post #318.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, The Creation.
Marriner, AOSMITF.
Baldin, Mathis, Fischer-Dieskau.
Modern instruments performance from 1980.
A fine job!


----------



## Vaneyes

hpowders said:


> View attachment 37584
> 
> 
> Debussy 12 Etudes for Piano, Mitsuko Uchida.
> Brilliant performances.
> But only 47 minutes of music on a CD that can hold 80. Come on!
> Also, ditch the cover!


Okay, it's time for the Boffard album.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Salve Regina*


----------



## DrKilroy

Wojciech Kilar - Orawa (Wit).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Francois Couperin - La Sultane; Suites for viola da gamba and basso continuo; La Superbe - Jay Bernfeld, Capriccio Stravagante, Skip Sempe









This is Baroque music that does not conform to the 'diddly-dee' stereotype. Pensive music, thoughtfully played with a real sense of intimacy. I know almost nothing about these pieces and wouldn't have bought them, but they are part of the wonderful DHM anniversary box set from a few years ago that set before us a celebration of (for me) hidden gems


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Symphony in C
CBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stravinsky








I believe in taking one's own advice.


----------



## lupinix

ligeti nonsense madrigals


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak 7th/8th-Jansons Oslo Phil-is this apparently highly acclaimed recording more impressive than I originally thought?


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> *Carter*: String Quartets, w. Pacifica Qt. (rec.2007/8).


Did you listen to all 5 in one sitting? I attended an all-Carter concert series years ago that included the complete Quartets one day and complete piano works the next. All 5 Quartets in a row was brutal...for everyone! I _think_ it was the Pacifica Quartet, too.


----------



## KenOC

Glazunov, String Quartets 3 & 5. Utrecht Quartet. Pleasant, but not strongly individual or striking at all.


----------



## DrKilroy

Stravinsky - Les noces:










This is a rare recording! Perhaps there is somebody who could help me to get this CD? 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Liszt Piano Transcription)*
Idil Biret (Piano)

A wonderful performance which has provided a wonderful alternative perspective into Berlioz's beautiful masterpiece.

I have seldom been disappointed with what I have heard from Naxos' Liszt Transcriptions range, but this may be my favourite of those I have heard so far.


----------



## Blancrocher

Karajan conducting Brahms' 1st Symphony (rec. 1963).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 1 in G minor (Johannes-Ernst Köhler; Lothar Seyfarth; Thüringsches Kammerorchester Weimar).


----------



## Tristan

*Britten* - A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 (Richard Marlow & Trinity College Choir)









This was the very first choral piece I saw in concert (my grandmother was in the chorus)--I must have been no older than 5.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe
23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
24 Ein ungefärbt Gemüte
25 Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe

Gustav Leonhardt (22, 23) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (24, 25), cond.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Liszt Piano Transcription)*
> Idil Biret (Piano)
> 
> A wonderful performance which has provided a wonderful alternative perspective into Berlioz's beautiful masterpiece.
> 
> I have seldom been disappointed with what I have heard from Naxos' Liszt Transcriptions range, but this may be my favourite of those I have heard so far.


I agree they are a wonderful set and I especially like the Schubert Song Transcriptions, although I much prefer Michael Dalberto's version of Beethoven's 6th and Georges Pludermacher's version of Beethoven's 3rd (both on Harmonia Mundi)


----------



## elgar's ghost

Mozart - disc one of the (mature) Violin Sonatas 4-disc set with Perlman/Barenboim on DG.


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - _Movements for Piano and Orchestra_ (Richter! )

I didn't know Richter played serialist pieces. I really like his interpretation, he really gives life and independent character to each gesture.


----------



## DavidA

Strauss Don Quixote - Fournier / Karajan


----------



## Headphone Hermit

inspired by AClockworkOrange - Liszt - 12 Etudes d'execution transcendante (Liszt Complete Piano Music, Vol. 2) - Jeno Jando









Another from the very good Naxos series of Liszt's piano music


----------



## Katie

SimonNZ said:


>


That, my friend, is a swanky, monster box you've got...a very nice 60-cd addition to any collection - l like the critical description that identifies B's Cantatas as "the biggest monument" among "musical monuments to Western civilization"; perhaps a bit of substantive commentary on some favored trax? / Katie


----------



## KenOC

DrKilroy said:


> Stravinsky - Les noces: This is a rare recording! Perhaps there is somebody who could help me to get this CD?
> 
> Best regards, Dr


The MP3 is nine bucks on Amazon, but without the copious notes that accompanied the CD.

http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Ka...id=1395522855&sr=1-1&keywords=les+noces+reuss


----------



## aleazk

Georg Friedrich Haas - _natures mortes_.

Another great piece by Haas.


----------



## cwarchc

Another listen of my birthday pressie, off the wife (she has great taste)


----------



## SimonNZ

Katie said:


> That, my friend, is a swanky, monster box you've got...a very nice 60-cd addition to any collection - l like the critical description that identifies B's Cantatas as "the biggest monument" among "musical monuments to Western civilization"; perhaps a bit of substantive commentary on some favored trax? / Katie


Thanks. The box isn't mine though, I'm borrowing them from the local library. I used to own about two-thirds of the original brown lp boxes, but gave them away because they too up so much space and i found the performances uneven. I'm enjoying them more this time through, but playing them here at work first thing every morning means I can't really do "deep listening" or the checking the books and re-listening required for unembarassing public commentrary, beyond just a few general thoughts and surprises and notes for works to compare with other recordings later (plus I'd have to overcome my usual laziness...)


----------



## cwarchc

disc 4 of this set


----------



## aleazk

John Adams - _Common tones in simple time_

Very charming little piece (well, not so little since it lasts 20 minutes!).

Great use of percussion and orchestral effects. Probably my favorite piece by Adams (together with Dharma at big sur).


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> Okay, it's time for the Boffard album.


You mean the one they are asking $255 new and $53 used for? Perhaps some other time.


----------



## bejart

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Piano Concerto No.1 in C Major

Pietro Spada on piano with the Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## Blancrocher

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet, played by David Shifrin and the Emerson SQ (rec. 1996)


----------



## bejart

millionrainbows said:


> Thanks for showing us your Titz.


Actually, I have three of them ---

:lol:


----------



## cwarchc

now onto this, I've missed the music over the last week








Think I'll finish the night with this


----------



## opus55

Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1
Liszt: Les Préludes


----------



## Vaneyes

hpowders said:


> You mean the one {Boffard Debussy Etudes CD} they are asking $255 new and $53 used for? Perhaps some other time.


WOW! I'm rich.


----------



## Serge

Current listening? It was Mahler's 7th like 7 hours ago.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kontrapunctus said:


> *Did you listen to all 5 in one sitting? *I attended an all-Carter concert series years ago that included the complete Quartets one day and complete piano works the next. All 5 Quartets in a row was brutal...for everyone! I _think_ it was the Pacifica Quartet, too.


Well kinda...while I multi-task, drive the car, etc.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn, Symphony No. 92 in G, the "Oxford." Antal Dorati with the Philharmonica Hungarica. Dorati certainly has a way with these symphonies!


----------



## SimonNZ

"Monuments Of Baroque Organ Music" - Walter Supper, various organs

side one (of four):

Sweelinck's Variations on "Mein junges Leber hat ein End"


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Boccherini*: String Trios from Op. 34-- _No. 4 in D major_, _No. 5 in C major_ and _No. 6 in E major_
La Ritirata









*Alexander Goehr*: _manere_ Op. 81 (2008)
Richard Hosford, clarinet
Marianne Thorsen, violin









*Ludwig van Beethoven*: _Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 12 no. 2_
Hiro Kurosaki, violin
Linda Nicholson, fortepiano


----------



## Guest

DavidA said:


> Strauss Don Quixote - Fournier / Karajan


Interesting...I listened to the Mehta/Maisky Don Quixote.


----------



## SimonNZ

Joseph Hislop singing opera arias (rec.1923-30) - Pearl label


----------



## Conor71

*Roussel: Symphony No. 3 In G Minor, Op. 42*

Been listening to selections from this big box most of the weekend. I also listened to some individual Discs.
Most of my listening during the past year or so is exploring music of the 19th and 20th Centuries. I like the other Eras too but this period is my favourite. Lately I have been listening by nationality - this week I am focusing on French composers so the arrival of the Ansermet box is timely:


----------



## Guest

Vasks said:


> I almost said something like "I'm a guy and like Titz" but I refrained...or did I?


You could also say you like Schiit Audio, too. (One of their products is called the Asgard...)


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin - Bruno Maderna, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Kontrapunctus said:


> You could also say you like Schiit Audio, too. (One of their products is called the Asgard...)


Pretty funny little slogan . Kontrapunctus, you seem to be big on technology, hehe.

G. F. Händel - Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 4 in F Major (Johannes-Ernst Köhler; Lothar Seyfarth; Thüringsches Kammerorchester Weimar).









These are really fun to listen to. Köhler's organ playing is also very good.

J. Haydn, Stabat Mater - Stabat mater dolorosa (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; Von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Concentus musicus Wien).









Listening to the Stabat Mater again, just arrived yesterday . Really liking it.


----------



## dgee

Joji Yuasa - otherwordly and eerie!

Nine Levels of Ze-Ami (Ensemble Intercontemporain and electronics)
Eye on Genesis for UPIC (electroacoustic) 
Terms of Temporal Detailing (for bass flute and includes singing/multiphonics - really beautiful)

And this to follow:









I was feeling like something really different a while back and remembered an old soft spot for Mr M Haydn's elegant and interesting efforts, found this on Spotify after auditioning some of his other material and, quite frankly, fell asleep listening to it. Promise not to make the same mistake this evening


----------



## kanook

Good morning fellow human beings from around the world. What better way to start the day off than with that very well known little morning ditty from Edvard Grieg we all love along with some beautiful scenery thanks to a dude named Patrick Ryan on Youtube. Be sure to click it up to it's full 1080p. Enjoy!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 22 (Bernd Glemser).


----------



## Andolink

*Raphaël Cendo*: _Rokh 1, 2 and 3_ for flutes, violin, cello and piano (2011-2012)
Ensemble Alternance/Jean-Luc Menet


----------



## adrem

Lutosławski, "Funeral Music" and 4 symphony, Antoni Wit and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. My God... his 4th is such a masterpiece!


----------



## Bas

Third sunday after Lent, Dominica Oculi: BWV 54

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 12 Weinen, Klagen, Zorgen, Zagen, BWV 54 *Wiederstehe doch die Sünde*, BWV 162 Ach ich sehe, itzt, fa ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 182 Himmelskönig, sei wilkommen
By Yumiko Kurisu [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter-tenor], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS


----------



## Taggart

disc 27 of










Heinichen has been described as the "Rameau of Germany". He was a composer for Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. The Dresden Concertos were written to display the skills of an excellent group of musicians and Heinichen used variation in orchestral texture to great effect and on this recording there are fine performances by horns, flutes and strings. Reminiscent of a lesser Bach, these are very pleasant Baroque pieces.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Cello Sonata No.4 in B Flat

Susan Sheppard, cello -- Lucy Carolan, harpsichord -- Jane Coe, cello continuo


----------



## Blancrocher

Matthias Goerne's 2nd volume in his Schubert song cycle.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Paris Symphonies #82-87.
Sigiswald Kuijken, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
The best of the period instrument performances.


----------



## Vasks

*Eliasson - Symphony #1 (Rozhdestvensky/Caprice)
Erb - Cello Concerto (Harrell/New World)*


----------



## Alfacharger

Mahler's Sixth Symphony. Zander recorded two versions of the finale, one with two and the other with three hammer blows. Today will be three for me!


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, The Creation.
Forsythe, Jameson, Deas.
Pearlman, Boston Baroque.
What does it all mean?
Let Haydn show you!
Terrific period performance!


----------



## Guest

I have never heard of him before. He's a very fine player and the disc has superb sound as well.


----------



## kanook

*Luigi Boccherini - 6 Quintets For Flute & Strings, Op.19 performed by the Auser Musici (2007)*

Carlo Ipata (flute), Luca Ronconi & Francesco la Bruna (violin), Teresa Ceccato (viola) and Luigi Puxeddu (cello)

















Performed at the Oratorio di S. Domenico, Pisa, Italy (2007)

Listening to it right now as I type.


----------



## EDaddy

Beethoven: Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61 - 1. Allegro Ma Mon Troppo from the Complete RCA Toscanini collection. Sublime!


----------



## Guest

Vaneyes said:


> Well kinda...while I multi-task, drive the car, etc.


That's not quite the same as a concentrated listening session!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1041,1042,1043 & the Oboe Concerto in Cm BWV 1060
By Hilary Hahn [violin], L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Allan Vogel [oboe] and Jeffrey Kahana [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









George Frederic Handel - HWV 36 Arminio
By Il Compesso Barocco, Alan Curtis [dir.], on Virgin Classics


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 1 in G minor, No. 2 in B-flat Major; No. 3 in G minor (Johannes-Ernst Köhler; Lothar Seyfarth; Thüringsches Kammerorchester Weimar).









I like the addition of solo parts for violin and cello in the Adagio of No. 3 - really beautiful melodies.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Over the last few days I've been away from home but I've been able to spend some time with my trusty CD Walkman (European mp3 players are 'volume limited' to stop people damaging their hearing, but as I'm deaf I need considerably more volume than is available).

Anyway:

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135
various string quartet movements and fragments
String Quartet in F major H34 (After Piano Sonata Op.14 No.1) *

Endellion String Quartet, [Warner Classics]

My first real disappointment in this set. I felt that Op. 135 was played with insufficient panache, finesse. Something was lacking: I'm not quite sure what. And - in the final movement there are some quite strange (or at least unfamiliar) and abrupt changes in tempo.

The transcription of the piano sonata Op. 14/1 is just odd, even though it is a genuine Beethoven transcription. It is rather pianistic.

*String Quartet No.9 in C major Op.59 No.3, 'Rasoumovsky No. 3'
String Quartet No.10 in E flat major Op.74, 'Harp'*

Endellion String Quartet, [Warner Classics]

These are very good readings with the same lightness and felicity that has worked so well with the Op. 18 and Op. 59/1 and 2 quartets.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

*Anton Bruckner* - Symphony No. 1 and "Helgoland", a very impressive choral piece, all performed by Berliner Philarmoniker & Daniel Barenboim.


----------



## kanook

*HaydnBearstheClock * posted *"G. F. Händel - Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 1 in G minor, No. 2 in B-flat Major; No. 3 in G minor (Johannes-Ernst Köhler; Lothar Seyfarth; Thüringsches Kammerorchester Weimar)"* today at 12:22.

I have a copy of the same music but performed by *The Academy Of Ancient Music directed by Richard Egarr who also man's the organ.* Am listening to it now and it's marvelous indeed. Anybody out there familiar with both of these and if so which one do you enjoy the most? I assume they're both great pieces.


----------



## Weston

*Uuno Klami: Kalevala Suite, Op. 23*
Jorma Panula / Turku Philharmonic Orchestra









Klami is considered the successor to Sibelius, but I hear almost a Stravinsky influence. Parts of "The Sprout of Spring" segment seem lifted right out of Firebird, but in a good way. This is highly entertaining colorful music.

(Ah, thank goodness I have internet connection again at least for a while. I have missed this thread. I guess it's time to call the provider, but that is such an ordeal.)

[Edit: The final segment of this work is a real awe inspiring climactic monster of a theme! Holy guacamole!]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Piano Sonatas

No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10/1
No. 6 in F, Op. 10/2
No. 7 in D, Op. 10/3

No. 29 in B flat, Op. 106
No. 26 in E flat, Op. 81a*

Alfred Brendel, [Decca1993-6]










Op. 10/1 and 2 and Op. 106 are recorded 'live'. As usual with Brendel the early sonatas are played with technical skill and impressive fire and passion. The Hammerklavier is too, though it seems a little too rapid at times (though I see it is actually played more slowly than in his Turnabout Vox 1960's set: I'd have to go and look for my 1970s Philips set to look at timings on that cycle - Edit: about the same, the slow movement is taken more slowly). Still, it's a fine performance.

Brendel's digital 'Les Adieux' is also terrific.


----------



## Blancrocher

Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax playing Brahms' cello sonatas.


----------



## Weston

Serge said:


> Current listening? It was Mahler's 7th like 7 hours ago.


Since that's about how long it lasts, it's still current. The 7th is next on my Mahler journey and I just haven't set aside the time for it.


----------



## Blake

Segerstam's Sibelius - Symphony 1. So lovely.


----------



## jim prideaux

at the risk of appearing predictable-Dvorak 4th/8th symphonies, Gunzenhauser and the Slovak Phil.....Naxos, budget recording etc but I find a lot of positives in this conductors Dvorak series-particularly the 5th/7th.......


----------



## Weston

*Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, "War Sonata 2/Stalingrad," Op. 83*
Bernd Glemser, piano








Not entirely my cup of tea at the moment as this is more like a direct intravenous infusion of caffeine than tea. Well, I could use a little motivation I suppose, though the motive driven martial 1st movement theme is scarcely motivational. It does get much better, and the third movement reminds me of something Keith Emerson could easily use in a progressive rock suite. In fact it sounds a great deal like Keith Emerson's playing, which is fine with me.


----------



## jim prideaux

at the risk of appearing predictable-Dvorak 4th/8th symphonies, Gunzenhauser and the Slovak Phil.....Naxos, budget recording etc but I find a lot of positives in this conductors Dvorak series-particularly the 5th/7th.......


----------



## Morimur

*Heiner Goebbels - (2000) Surrogate Cities*

I was mightily impressed with this CD, which contains some of the most original (and confrontational) music I've heard in a while. Others are impressed too: Surrogate Cities had its American première at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC in June 2000, and Simon Rattle, when he takes over his new position with the Berlin Philharmonic, will be commissioning a new piece from Goebbels.

_- Raymond Tuttle_


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Flute Quintet in G Major, Op.17, No.5

Alexandre Magnini on flute with the Janacek Quartet: Jiri Novotny and Viteslav Zavadilik, violins -- Ladislav Kyselak, viola -- Bretislav Vybiral, cello


----------



## Itullian




----------



## KenOC

Stravinsky, Three Pieces from Petruchka. Vadym Kholodenko, piano (the guy who recently won the Cliburn competition). The playing here is amazing.


----------



## Weston

*Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104*
Charles Munch / Boston Symphony Orchestra / Gregor Piatigorsky, cello









It's too bad I was overexposed to Dvorak's 9th symphony when I was young. I couldn't afford a lot of albums so I listened to the 9th over and over. Now all Dvorak sounds like the 9th to me with the phrases just rearranged in a different order. I'm sure they're nice pieces.

This concerto was recorded in 1960 and still sounds fairly fresh, but weirdly the cello in the opening movement seems ever so slightly flat (or sometimes sharp) to me. I wonder what would cause this. In the other movements the cello is fine. The 3rd movement features that ubiquitous Dvorak triangle tingalinging. Goodness, I'm picky today! Oh, it's a wonderful piece. I probably just need a bowl of ice cream.


----------



## hpowders

^^^My favorite Dvorak cello concerto for all time!


----------



## Weston

*Zdenek Fibich: Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 38*
Neeme Järvi / Detroit Symphony Orchestra









Continuing in the Czech vein, this came up purely by chance through my random selection method. I detect themes and gestures similar to Dvorak, but just enough different to capture my attention -- and little or no triangle! The first three movements are perhaps better than the finale.


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Stravinsky, Three Pieces from Petruchka. Vadym Kholodenko, piano (the guy who recently won the Cliburn competition). The playing here is amazing.


His new recording looks good, too.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 59 in A Major, 'Fire'; Symphony No. 39 in G minor
(Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).









Getting back to the Solomons. Always liked his light and agile touch with these excellent symphonies.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Mahler 3: Haitink, CSO. *The horns are fantastic! Very fantastic. They must give them special treatment in the recording technique as well, just to reinforce that reputation.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Sibelius Symphonies 3 & 7 - LSO - Sir Colin Davis









two pinacles of 20th Century music. Davis holds together Symphony 3 well and gives the work as a whole a welcome sense of untiy amongst the diversity


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Franck: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
Medtner: Two Pieces Op.20/Dansa Festiva
Busoni: Indianisches Tagebuch
Liszt: Three Petrarch Sonnets Egon Petri

Today is the anniversary of Egon Petri's birth in 1881. That he was one of the finest pianists of the 20th century seems indisputable to me. I've never heard a performance from Petri that sounded less than the work of an absolute master musician, and yet he was not included in the Philips "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" collection, surely the most notable omission of all from that series. In fact when I think of some of the pianists who had up to six discs in it, I'm appalled that they couldn't even manage a paltry two for Petri. These performances were recorded for Swiss Radio in 1957-58, and as far as I am aware have not yet been reissued on CD- another crime, but then so much of Petri is unavailable. A scandalous case of unjustified neglect methinks.


----------



## Manxfeeder

jim prideaux said:


> at the risk of appearing predictable-Dvorak 4th/8th symphonies, Gunzenhauser and the Slovak Phil.....Naxos, budget recording etc but I find a lot of positives in this conductors Dvorak series-particularly the 5th/7th.......


Personally, though I haven't heard this set in a while, I remember liking what he does with the 9th also.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 4.*

This is one of those recordings where the sound isn't as great as the modern recordings, but after a couple minutes I forget about the sound because of the interpretation.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor, KV 466

Daniel Barenboim on piano with the English Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Lope de Aguirre said:


> I was mightily impressed with this CD, which contains some of the most original (and confrontational) music I've heard in a while. Others are impressed too: Surrogate Cities had its American première at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC in June 2000, and Simon Rattle, when he takes over his new position with the Berlin Philharmonic, will be commissioning a new piece from Goebbels.
> 
> _- Raymond Tuttle_
> 
> View attachment 37755


Interesting. The secondhand store I go to has this, and I've been considering it. I'll make a point of grabbing it next time I go (in fact I better be sure to get everything I might want this week because it looks like I'm about to have a massive falling out with them). Thanks.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

26 Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig
27 Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?
28 Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende
29 Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all four)

28 is another cantata that I'm surprised to see is so under-recorded, considering the occasion it is for is New Years (title: "Praise God! The year now draws to a close") the tone is optimistic and the work is consistantly charming.

But only nine recordings (which is practically the barest minimum by Bach Cantata standards) ie: six from complete sets (Harnoncourt, Rilling, Leusink, Gardiner, Koopman, Suzuki), two from partial sets (Werner, Richter) and just one stand alone: Hans Grischkat in 1972


----------



## Oskaar

I am listening to

*Bartók: 44 Violin Duos*

*Angela Chun / Jennifer Chun*









*This is fun to listen to! Small miniatures that ar far to short... Intensly and pasjonate performances.*

Youtube
spotify

 - arkivmusic
 - allmusic
-


----------



## Oskaar

*I am listening to*

*Schiff plays Bartok*

*András Schiff*









* 1. Dance Suite, Sz. 77
2. Roumanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56
3. Three Rondos On Folk Tunes, Sz. 84 7:45	$0.99 
4. Hungarian Peasant Songs, Sz. 71*

*I really have opened my mind for Bartoks piano music. It is a goldmine of funny, burlesk, colourfull small and biger works, that gives any pianist the chance to show their talent in interpretation. Jeno jando impressed me by his ability to put so much in every tone and his variations and use of every tool he can do as a pianist. Schiff impress also, but more in making his own athmospharic carpet over it all *

 - amazon
*spotify*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 37766
> 
> 
> Franck: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
> Medtner: Two Pieces Op.20/Dansa Festiva
> Busoni: Indianisches Tagebuch
> Liszt: Three Petrarch Sonnets Egon Petri
> 
> Today is the anniversary of Egon Petri's birth in 1881. That he was one of the finest pianists of the 20th century seems indisputable to me. I've never heard a performance from Petri that sounded less than the work of an absolute master musician, and yet he was not included in the Philips "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" collection, surely the most notable omission of all from that series. In fact when I think of some of the pianists who had up to six discs in it, I'm appalled that they couldn't even manage a paltry two for Petri. These performances were recorded for Swiss Radio in 1957-58, and as far as I am aware have not yet been reissued on CD- another crime, but then so much of Petri is unavailable. A scandalous case of unjustified neglect methinks.


I agree, Moose .... The notes to the DG _Liszt Legacy_ box set suggests that his low profile after the War was a result of his "unfashionable adherence to the kind of repertoire associated with Busoni, such as Bach and Schubert in transcription, and of treating Liszt as a serious musical force rather than a composer of crowd pleasers."

As you say, a pianist and musician of the top drawer:tiphat:


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): String Quartet No.1 in A Major

L'Arte del Suono: Lola Bobesco and Jean-Michel Defalque, violins -- Dominique Huybrechts, viola -- Sylie Mariage, cello


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven Symphony #4, RFCM Orchestra on Spotify. Seems like a decent enough performance.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Stanford - Complete Organ Sonatas









It isn't often that I buy something, listen to it once and decide to put it by the front door for the charity collection, but this one is probably going back to the charity shop from whence it came. I'm not a great fan of English C19 organ music and I'm certainly not a connoisseur of the genre, but this sounds rather dull - a bit like a Victorian Anglican sermon. A reveiwer on Amazon criticised the organ, the hall, the recording and the playing .... doesn't leave much left, really!


----------



## lupinix

von weber sonata 4


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 27 in E Minor Op.90 and 29 in B-flat Op.106 "Hammerklavier" Egon Petri

More Petri, these are live recordings from 1959, absolutely stunning. My piano teacher, though a great admirer of Beethoven, couldn't stand the "Hammerklavier", "except when I heard Egon Petri play it, he was the only one who seemed to be able to make a coherent whole out of it, I've never heard anyone else to match him in this sonata", he told me. He was delighted when this LP came out and I took it round and played it to him, it confirmed what he'd remembered all those years (he'd heard Petri at Birmingham Town Hall in the 1930s). What a player!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Inspired by ShropshireMoose - Bach (arr Busoni) - Toccatas, Fugues, Preludes etc - Egon Petri









Disc 10 of this 10CD set. These are mono Westminster recordings from 1956 and so the sound quality lags behind the stellar quality of the playing, but even so, the dust is being blown around my living room by the sounds coming through the speakers (Mrs Hermit is currently dying her hair upstairs so I'm allowed to listen without headphones for an hour or so )


----------



## aleazk

Iannis Xenakis - _Pléiades_ (Les Percussions de Strasbourg; monsieur TalkingHead's fetiche percussion group )


----------



## Bas

Concert: Maria Callas "1957 Athens Concert"
By Maria Callas e.a. on Gala


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner

Symphony No. 2 (reconstructed 1872 version, Carragan), WAB 102 *

Georg Tintner, NSO of Ireland [Naxos, 1995]










I've posted a different image this time, I was getting bored of posting the box set cover art.

I'm not a big consumer of symphonies so it may take me all year to consume the Tintner box set. But this one, previously unknown to me, is well worth getting to know. Bruckner is a fine symphonist, to my ears. He seems to choose a limited palette, and within those confines he creates mesmeric, monumental musical architecture. This is my fourth or fifth listening to the second symphony and it is growing steadily on me.


----------



## Katie

Headphone Hermit said:


> doesn't leave much left, really!


Packaging? I got a bit strung out (  ) listening to the progressively grating, 4-cd campaign of the Budapest String Quartet through LVB's SQs (ops.1,3,4,18,59,127,131,132, and 135) from the Masterworks Heritage box (discs 15-18)...

...thankfully, Fleisher and Casadesus soothed the savage beast with their mollifying performances of Brahms and Ravel while being deftly led by Szell/Cleveland SO and Ormandy/Philly SO, respectively...ahhhh...















...then of course, I achieved a state of total bliss with UK's squeeker over WSU...WOOOT! /peace, and bring on UL, Katie


----------



## Itullian

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Bruckner
> 
> Symphony No. 2 (reconstructed 1872 version, Carragan), WAB 102 *
> 
> Georg Tintner, NSO of Ireland [Naxos, 1995]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've posted a different image this time, I was getting bored of posting the box set cover art.
> 
> I'm not a big consumer of symphonies so it may take me all year to consume the Tintner box set. But this one, previously unknown to me, is well worth getting to know. Bruckner is a fine symphonist, to my ears. He seems to choose a limited palette, and within those confines he creates mesmeric, monumental musical architecture. This is my fourth or fifth listening to the second symphony and it is growing steadily on me.


One of my favorites.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Katie said:


> ...then of course, I achieved a state of total bliss with UK's squeeker over WSU...WOOOT! /peace, and bring on UL, Katie
> 
> View attachment 37782


erm ... can anyone translate this into something approximating English, please? 

Big 'thumbs up' for Casadeus and Fleisher, though


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> WOW! I'm rich.


I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for the Boffard Debussy Etudes today.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ives*,* Barber*: Piano Sonatas, w. MAH (rec.2004);* Bacewicz*; Chamber Music, w. Zimerman et al (rec.2009).








View attachment 37787


----------



## Vaneyes

Kontrapunctus said:


> That's not quite the same as a concentrated listening session!


So, do I receive a point or like reduction?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Marcello-Wild: Adagio from Oboe Concerto in D Minor
Mozart: Sonata in F, K.332
Beethoven: 32 Variations in C Minor
Balakirev: Sonata in B-flat Minor, Op.5
Chopin: Four Impromptus
arr. Wild: Mexican Hat Dance Earl Wild

Schubert: Sonata No.21 in B-flat, D.960 Artur Schnabel
Schubert: Der Doppelganger/Die Stadt/Gruppe aus dem Tartarus/Der Kreuzzug/An die Laute/Der Musensohn/Erlkonig Therese Behr-Schnabel/Artur Schnabel

Two contrasting, but equally enjoyable pianists. Earl Wild at 88 was still phenomenal, from the opening Adagio of Marcello, which is one of the most ravishingly beautiful examples of piano playing in my collection, to the wild arrangement of the Mexican Hat Dance that concludes it, this is a recital to treasure, brilliantly contrasted programming, and a nice blend of familiar with less familiar, I recommend it highly. 
Then Schnabel in the last of Schubert's piano sonatas, this is one of those benchmark recordings that should never be out of the catalogue, and deserves to be in every self-respecting classical music lover's collection. The slow movement in particular is one of the most profoundly moving recordings I have ever heard, but the whole sonata hangs together in a way that few pianists come anywhere near. I have to say that I am not so enamoured of Mrs. Schnabel's singing, though perhaps she was past her best, since she was 56 when she made these records. Her husband's accompanying and setting of atmosphere is exemplary at any rate, so they have their merits.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Alban Berg Collection CD4

Seven Early Songs* - Anne Sofie von Otter 
*Fünf Orchesterlieder, Op. 4* - Juliane Banse
*Der Wein: Konzertarie mit Orchester* - Anne Sofie von Otter
*Lulu Suite* - Juliane Banse

Anne Sofie von Otter, Juliane Banse, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado[Deutsche Grammophon, 2003)










Oh, this is rather special! This is my first hearing of these works.


----------



## bejart

Vincent Gambaro (1785-1828): Wind Quartet No.2 in C Minor

Consortium Classicum: Kornelia Brandkamp, flute -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet -- Sarah Willis, horn -- Karl Otto Hartmann, bassoon


----------



## KenOC

Sibelius, Symphony No. 6. Leif Segerstam with the Helsinki PO.


----------



## Weston

*Gustav Holst: A Moorside Suite, for brass band, H. 173*
David Lloyd-Jones / Northern Sinfonia









Dude, this is for brass band, not string orchestra! It says so right in the title. Well, that's okay. I couldn't imagine hearing this with a brass band anyway. What a pleasant sound for a pleasant afternoon.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Guest

I don't understand what's considered so unoriginal about Rautavaara's synthesis of old and new (or Penderecki, for that matter), but I love Rautavaara.


----------



## KenOC

Haydn, String Quartet in G Op. 54/1. On the radio, Emerson Quartet. One of my favorite quartets!


----------



## Weston

*Toru Takemitsu: I Hear the Water Dreaming, for flute & orchestra* 
Tadaaki Otaka / BBC National Orchestra of Wales









What wonderfully languid dreams! This is the most rewarding Takemitsu piece I've focused on so far. I am finally noticing some motivic development.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:

*Johan Svendsen--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.15, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Bjarte Engeset. 
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.2 {"A London Symphony"}; Symphony No.3 {"Pastoral Symphony"} and Symphony No.6 in E Minor. *All three symphonies once again feature the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, on these occasions led by Kees Bakels. 
Vaughan Williams--*Symphony No.7 {"Sinfonia Antartica"} and Symphony No.8, *both traversed by Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra. As well, the Seventh features a spoken introduction by Sir Ralph Richardson.


----------



## samurai

samurai said:


> Anton Bruckner--*Symphony No.7 in E Major {Haas Version}, *featuring Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. What a gorgeous adagio!
> Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1, Op. 10 and Symphony No.7, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.
> Gustav Mahler--*Symphony No.7 in E-Minor, *onceagain featuring Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.


edit: The Mahler* Seventh *was in fact performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra--and not the NY Phil--under Maestro Bernstein. 
Hearing the *"Leningrad"* again, I really hadn't recalled just how beautiful its third movement is, evocatively done by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein!


----------



## Guest

samurai said:


> Johan Svendsen--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.4 and Symphony No.2 in B-Flat Major, Op.15, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Bjarte Engeset.


Congrats friendo, you just earned yourself a like.


----------



## Weston

Last call for the evening!

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 In D Minor, Op. 104*
Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic Orchestra









I know I've recently purchased the Berglund / Bournmouth complete Sibelius symphonies, but this wonderful old warm analog sounding Bernstein came up at random this evening and I loved it, tape hiss and all. It makes a great nightcap. Cheers!


----------



## Blancrocher

Melnikov playing Scriabin (rec. 2006)


----------



## SimonNZ

Watching and listening again to Vilde Frang and friends play Brahms' String Quintet No.2 on YT

That venue fascinates me. Has anyone here been in the Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki? Or know of any albums that were recorded there?

inside:










outside:


----------



## Mahlerian

Georg Friedrich Haas: Wer, wenn ich schriee, horte mich..., ...aus freier Lust...verbunden...
Martin Lorenz, percussion, Collegium Novum Zurich, cond. Enno Poppe


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn - Stabat Mater (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; Von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Concentus musicus Wien).









Just as with Harnoncourt's recording of the Harmoniemesse, I'm very impressed with this recording. A very clean, transparent and sparkling sound. The soloists are excellent and the choir emphasizes the text very well.


----------



## Andolink

*Edmund Rubbra*: Music for Violin and Piano
_Sonata No 1 Op. 11_ (1930) 
_Sonata No 2 Op. 31_ (1932) 
_Sonata No 3 Op. 133_ (1968) 
_Four Pieces Op. 29_ 
_Variations on a Phrygian Theme for solo violin Op. 105_ 
Krysia Osostowicz, violin 
Michael Dussek, piano


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ said:


> Watching and listening again to Vilde Frang and friends play Brahms' String Quintet No.2 on YT
> 
> That venue fascinates me. Has anyone here been in the Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki? Or know of any albums that were recorded there?
> 
> inside:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> outside:


just noticed your enquiry-visited the church once a number of years ago and it is really as impressive as you might imagine-however at the height of summer it is obviously a major attraction-in this case for a big party from a cruise ship and the second of your photographs reminds me that I would really like to revisit at a quieter time of the year!........Helsinki is a really rather beautiful and interesting city......

early start today-Haydn 85th (La Reine ) ,86th and 87th symphonies performed by Adam Fischer conducting Austro Hungarian Haydn Orch.


----------



## kanook

*Franciszek Lessel (1780 - 1838) - Complete Piano Works (Vol 1) - Marcin Lukaszewski (piano) - Recorded In Warsaw Poland (1999)*

























Am listening this now. Having Polish roots I have a soft spot in my heart for Polish music and these marvelous pieces don't disappoint. Great art work on the cover too (Persian Envoys At The Court Of The King Of The Ethiops) by the Polish painter, Franciszek Smuglewicz.


----------



## SimonNZ

jim prideaux said:


> just noticed your enquiry-visited the church once a number of years ago and it is really as impressive as you might imagine-however at the height of summer it is obviously a major attraction-in this case for a big party from a cruise ship and the second of your photographs reminds me that I would really like to revisit at a quieter time of the year!........Helsinki is a really rather beautiful and interesting city......


Thanks for that, Jim. I'll make sure I go in the "off-season" (which would have been my inclination anyway).

playing now on the radio:










Mozart's Piano Concerto No.18 - Richard Brautigam, fortepiano, Alexander Willens, cond.


----------



## dgee

Mauricio Kagel - the rather charming Argentinian composer

First the cute Serenade (shades of the Schoenberg Serenade instrumentation and cheerful wit but folksong elements and extended techniques - shades of his interest in writing music for children!)

Then the Sankt-Bach Passion (sacrilicious!)- a major work (in the Passion style telling a story of Bach based on writing by and about him - not that I'll know as it's all in German) that I'll start this night and finish tomorrow. Any subtexts aside it's a musically interesting work (30mins in) with an almost expressionistic feel


----------



## SimonNZ

Wolfgang Rihm's Quartettstudie - Minguet Quartet


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wagner: "The Mastersingers" Overture
Berlioz: "Roman Carnival" Overture
Rossini: "The Silken Ladder" Overture
Mendelssohn: The Hebrides- Overture
Smetana: "The Bartered Bride" Overture Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Comfort blanket time! This is a record that is never far away from the turntable. Dad had bought it as a present for mum before I was born, so I grew up with it! Mum got me to "listen for the fireworks" in "Roman Carnival" and I still think of that every time I hear it! The performances are really superb, this is the finest version of "The Mastersingers" that I know of, there's a tension and inevitability about it that Sargent and the RPO create that I've never heard in any other recording. "The Bartered Bride" is stunning too, in fact it remains, for me, one of the most enjoyable collections of overtures that I've ever heard on disc. I am pleased to say that it looks as though all of these recordings are in the Warner box of Sargent's recordings that is out next month, along with many other superb performances, definitely one to start saving the pennies for.


----------



## kanook

*Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838) - Clarinet Sonatas & Trio (2004)*

*Dieter Klocker* (clarinet) - *Armin Fromm* (violincello) - *Thomas Duis* (piano)

Clarinet Trio - Op. 28
Clarinet Sonata - Op. 29
Clarinet Sonata - Op. 169

Recorded at Tonstudio Teije van Geest, Heidelberg/Sandhausen (2003 & 2004)









Cover art work from painting "Italiennische Landschaft" by Leon Benouville (1853)

Of course am listening to it now and it's marvelous indeed. If feels like the instruments in the pieces are talking to each other.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18; Four Piano Pieces, Op. 32; 
Toccata in C Major, Op. 7; Presto Passionato (Bernd Glemser).


----------



## Morimur

*Beat Furrer - Die Blinden (Klangforum Wien)*

Beat Furrer's first opera, "Die Blinden", premiered in 1989 at the Wien Modern festival.


----------



## Conor71

Selections from these 2 sets - enjoying this composer quite a bit the last couple of days :


----------



## kanook

Conor71 said:


> Selections from these 2 sets - enjoying this composer quite a bit the last couple of days :


Hi Conor 71. I'm another fan of Milhaud. I have these 2 discs and enjoy them immensely. His music is kind of unique in it's own way, isn't it. Interesting stuff and the more one listens to it the more it grows on you.

*Darius Milhaud - Chamber Music Wind & Piano*









*Darius Milhaud - Music For 2 Pianos*


----------



## Bas

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Gaude laetare ZWV 168, Missae Sanctissimae Trinititatis ZWV 17
By the Ensemble Inégal & Baroque Solists Prague, Adam Victoria [dir.], on Nibiru









Joseph Haydn - Sturm und Drang Symphonies no. 26 "Lamentatione", no. 49 "Passione", no. 58, no. 35, no. 38, no. 39, no. 59 "Fire"
By The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock [dir.], on Archiv









Henry Purcell - Songs
"How pleasant 'tis to Love!"
By Nicolas Achten [artistic leader and Harp, Virginal], Reinoud van Mechelen [tenor] et alii, on Alpha


----------



## Conor71

kanook said:


> Hi Conor 71. I'm another fan of Milhaud. I have these 2 discs and enjoy them immensely. His music is kind of unique in it's own way, isn't it. Interesting stuff and the more one listens to it the more it grows on you.
> *Darius Milhaud - Chamber Music Wind & Piano*
> 
> View attachment 37821
> 
> 
> *Darius Milhaud - Music For 2 Pianos*
> 
> View attachment 37822


Hey Kanook, thanks for your reply  - yes Milhaud is an interesting composer for sure and definetely a grower. I am really enjoying his sunny optimism at the moment.
The Discs you posted both look very nice - I was searching Milhaud at the Hyperion site the other day and must of missed the second disc. I would like to get this one - thanks for your recommendation :tiphat:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Barber Violin Concerto & First Symphony*









Barber Violin Concerto









First Symphony


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Recorder Concerto in F Major

Peter Holman conducting the Parley of Instruments -- Peter Holtslag, recorder


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bruckner: Jocum Te Deum & Karajan Eighth Last Movement*

Yes, it's wake-up time, and I'm calling in the heavy armor.

Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67_
Takács Quartet









*Michael Tippett*: _Piano Sonata No. 2_ (1962) and _Piano Sonata No. 3_ (1973)
Steven Osborne, piano


----------



## Art Rock

Love the Mozart (as always with his later piano concertos), and once more astonished that Ireland is not better known.


----------



## Oskaar

*Recently I have listned to*

*Tchaikovsky - Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64*

*Evgeny Mravinsky (Conductor), Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)*

- 1962

View attachment 37805


*I dont know how the remasters have come to such a fenomenal result, but the sound is absulutly outstanding. And the performance is among the best out there. Gripping and tense from the start, and very powerfull throughout.*

 - amazon

*Tchaikovsky - Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64*

*Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons*

Released:
1988

View attachment 37806


*This is a real gem! Wonderfull balanced performance. It has a sweetness and a relaxed piece,that suits the symphony, but it is not sticky sentimental.*

* - youtube*

*Tchaikovsky - Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64*

*Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Järvi.*

* - rec. Gothenberg Concert Hall, Sweden, 16-17 Aug 2004*

View attachment 37807


*Beautiful! Jarvi paints out a rich landscape without using to big palette. This toughtfull and elegant performance is very soothing and relaxing to listen to, and gives me a feel of more joy and optimism, almost Dvorakian, than many other performances.*

* - sa-cd.net*
* - allmusic*
* - classicstoday*
* - musicweb-international*

*Tchaikovsky - Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64*

*Conductor: Daniele Gatti 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*

* - Date of Recording: 2003 
- Venue: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London *

View attachment 37811


*Another fresh,powerfull an energetic performance, still elegant and lyric. You just float away on Tchaikovskys moods and melodies.*

* - allmusic*
* - sa-cd.net*
* - arkivmusic*
* - theguardian*










*Nelson Freire 
Chopin: The Nocturnes*

*This is an lovly album, nostalgic, but not to sentimental. Fantastic mature and genuine interpretation. You feel like lay down and just recieve the beauty. If not Choipin is played exeptionally good, I dont want to listen to him. With Freire I want more, MORE*

* - youtube
 - allmusic
 - spotify*










*Nelson Freire plays Debussy*

*Few componists is so rich in the lyrical aspect as Debussy. Freire captures every fragment, and adds his own warmth and insightfull personality. You just want to fly away on soft clouds and go where the wind blows you.*

*Debussy Préludes book 1 - nelson freire - part 1
Debussy Préludes book 1 - nelson freire - part 2
Debussy Préludes book 1 - nelson freire - part 3
Debussy Préludes book 1 - nelson freire - part 4
Debussy Préludes book 1 - nelson freire - part 5
 - childrens corner part1
- childrens corner part2
 - amazon
 - spotify*


----------



## Blake

Pinnock's Mozart - I'm going to listen to the whole cycle this week. Very tastefully done. Could be the best interpretation I've heard yet.


----------



## Blancrocher

Fritz Reiner with Leontyne Price and the Chicago SO in Manuel de Falla's "El amor brujo" (rec. 1963)


----------



## Alfacharger

Yesterday I played Mahler's 6th. Today, keeping to the "Tragic Symphony Theme" is Felix Draeseke's 3rd, the Symphonia Tragica.


----------



## Sudonim

Vaneyes said:


> What US dollar bill is he on?


(Yes, I know this is going back a few pages ...)

It's funny you say that, Vaneyes: I thought something very similar to that the first time I saw that album cover (for those who don't remember or didn't see it, it's the Beethoven/Schubert/Chopin album by Menahem Pressler). My thought was that in that pose, with the serene little smile on his face, he looks like one of the Founding Fathers ... sitting at his dressing table, having just removed his powdered wig after winning a tough debate in Faneuil Hall ... I want to get that album for the cover alone.

Anyway, I'm almost finished with the Shostakovich collection I've been listening to. Great to have some of his more obscure miscellany! This weekend I also listened to some selections from these:









(I shamefacedly admit that I don't remember which ones ...)









Here, the 8th. (Speaking of interesting faces: I know he was Romanian, but in some photographs Celibidache looks like a Native American ...)


----------



## Vasks

_Viva la France_

*Berlioz - Le Corsair Overture (Davis/RCA)
Faure - Ballade, Op. 19 (Collard/EMI)
Alain - Trois danses (Lebrun/Naxos)
Dusapin - Comeoedia (Ars Nova/Naive)*


----------



## bobsgrock

Right now, I'm all about string quartets. I had been listening to violin sonatas and heard some marvelous ones (late Mozart, a few Beethoven, and Bach), but I'm going to a concert tonight featuring Brahms' First and Beethoven's Op. 131. Should be a very exciting night.


----------



## rrudolph

Coffee...check. Bagel...check. Xenakis...check. Ready to start the day.

Ais/Gendy 3/Taurhiphanie/Thallein








Atrees/Morsima-Amorsima/Nomos Alpha/Herma/ ST/4 /Polla Ta Dhina/ ST/10-1080262 /Akrata/Achorripsis








Eonta/Metastasis/Pithoprakta


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Mendelssohn: String Quartet No.2 Op.13 in A minor from this:


----------



## southwood

I like this and no.4 also.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Orchestral Works, w. Bedford et al (rec.1989/0), Csaba et al (rec.1988).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Verdi Requiem Times Three- and a Tripple Esprresso*

























Okay.

Sufficiently caffeinated and galvanized. . .and ready to take on the world.


----------



## Vaneyes

For my (belated) "Saturday Symphony" listening.


----------



## Bas

Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988
By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony (1955)


----------



## millionrainbows

*Webern: Piano Quintet, Op. 7. *This was going through my head, so I had to get it out and play it. This is one of the tonal pieces that convinced me of the greatness of Webern, with_ Im Sommerwind._ I didn't realize for some reason that this disc is the same as disc #3 in the boxed set. I thought the box was all new recordings until now. Also, I listened to the lieder on here. They are exquisite, and show Webern's great devotion. He uses some words from_ Des Knaben Wunderhorn,_ which* Mahler *also drew from, although Mahler was curiously selective in what he chose to leave out. I do know that Webern had great respect for Mahler, although the agendas were different. The 5 Canons op. 16, for high soprano, clarinet, and bass clarinet are just amazing in their otherworldly grace.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

bejart said:


> Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Recorder Concerto in F Major
> 
> Peter Holman conducting the Parley of Instruments -- Peter Holtslag, recorder
> 
> View attachment 37828


Ah, good old Telemann .


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Severac's* death day, March 24, 1921.


----------



## jim prideaux

Vesuvius said:


> Pinnock's Mozart - I'm going to listen to the whole cycle this week. Very tastefully done. Could be the best interpretation I've heard yet.
> 
> View attachment 37835


I have 'liked' this post more as a recognition of my interest rather than actually 'liking'-I have mentioned this before on TC forum-I bought this boxed set last summer and have never really enjoyed it-something about it is harsh and cold to my ear-particularly in contrast to Pinnock performing the Haydn Sturm und Drang symphonies or Fischer and the Austro Hungarian Haydn Orch in their performances of Paris and London symphonies.....not so long ago I had the good fortune to see the VPO perform Mozart 28th and I turned to the Pinnock box hoping..........in vain as it turned out!

however perhaps it is just me......your comments may lead to a re-listen!


----------



## Blancrocher

Jorge Bolet playing Liszt's Schubert transcriptions, with Solti & the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the orchestral version of "The Wanderer" (rec. 1981).


----------



## millionrainbows

Brahms: Sonatas for viola & pno; Ursula Oppens, pno.
If I'm going to listen to Brahms, it'll be his chamber music, usually; and if that, then Ursula Oppens on piano. Next, I'll try Idil Biret on the piano works.








(((((((((((((((


----------



## millionrainbows

southwood said:


> I like this and no.4 also.


He looks like ZZ Top's bass player.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Delius: Florida Suite*

















Both lovely; but Handley is lovlier still.


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 4, Bohm and Vienna Philharmonic. Well, I'm quite surprised...I didn't know Bohm was such a good conductor of Bruckner. Now I know ; )


----------



## Jos

This could also be in "recent purchases", from the bargainbin in the 2nd handshop. Two composers I had never heard of.
Martinon, Symphony no4 (altitudes) and Mennin, Symphony no7.
It's a first so I can't say too much about it except that I've enjoyed what I've heard sofar. Some great percussive parts.
Complex 20th century music that does not give itself away at first listening.
It's an RCA red seal pressing from 1968 and wins the award for the most flimsy vinyl in my entire collection. A true flexidisc 

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring*

Markevitch conducting


----------



## kanook

Just got home from running around doing errands and reached into my pile of "just got home from running around doing errands classical music" pile and pulled out a copy of *Antonin Dvorak - Slavonic Dances conducted by Lorin Maazel with the Cleveland orchestra.* Sheesh, I exclaimed. What's that doing in my "just got home from running around doing errands classical music" pile? I quickly put it into it's proper pile which is the "my team just won the super bowl classical music pile" and then reached back into my "just got home from running around doing errands classical music" pile and found this little gem which I'm listening to now.

*Guillaume Lekeu (1870-1894) - Chamber Music - Eugene Ysaye Ensemble, at Studio Steurbaut, Ghent (1991)*

*Christel Kessels* (piano)
*Guido de Neve & Dirk van den Hauwe* (violins)
*Leo de Neve* (viola)
*Jan Sciffer* (cello)

















Like I said above, am listening to it now. A-a-a-a-a-ah, nice.


----------



## kanook

Bas said:


> Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations:
> 
> Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988
> By Glenn Gould [piano], on Sony (1955)
> 
> View attachment 37849


Thanks Bas for this reminder of Canada's great pianist, Glenn Gould and his performance of The Goldberg Variations in 1955. That's the performance that made him famous. Of course he performed The Goldberg Variations again in 1981. It's a matter of individual taste as to which performance is the better. He was quite the eccentric. Did you ever see his personal chair he always used when performing? Over the years as the legs got worn and kept getting shorter and shorter he refused to ever consider getting a new chair and if you scope out any of his later performances you'll notice how ratty the chair is and how super low he's sitting while playing the piano! There's a few really good documentaries about his life on Youtube which are worth checking out too. One of the all time greats with his own unique style. It's so sad that he's gone now. Fortunately though he left us with a tremendously huge body of work to enjoy.


----------



## Alfacharger

To continue my "Tragic Theme Music" the score to the episode "The Man who was Never Born" from the series "The Outer Limits". Dominic Frontiere could have been one of the greats along with Williams, Goldsmith and Bernstein.










A taste of the episode. One of my favorite selection from the score starts at 5:10.


----------



## Vasks

Jos said:


> View attachment 37859
> 
> 
> This could also be in "recent purchases", from the bargainbin in the 2nd handshop. Two composers I had never heard of.
> Martinon, Symphony no4 (altitudes) and Mennin, Symphony no7.
> It's a first so I can't say too much about it except that I've enjoyed what I've heard sofar. Some great percussive parts.
> Complex 20th century music that does not give itself away at first listening.
> It's an RCA red seal pressing from 1968 and wins the award for the most flimsy vinyl in my entire collection. A true flexidisc
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


The Martinon Symphony #4 is OK but the CSO performance of the Mennin is spectacular.

I hate most flimsy RCA vinyl. I hope your pressing is better than most.


----------



## Oskaar

*Chopin: Piano Sonata No 3, Études Op 25, Etc *

*Nelson Freire*

* 1. 
Sonata for Piano no 3 in B minor, B 155/Op. 58 
2. 
Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 25 
3. 
Nouvelles Etudes (3) for Piano, B 130 *

*Delightfull listening! Freire is absolutely brilliant. The sczertso in the sonata hits you as a gunshot of artistic brillianse. The darker and lingering largo needs another angel, but Freire submits the thoughtfullness and lyrical palett that lays there without getting to heavy. And with the finale he gives us brilliant tecnique and glorious passages, without getting to powerfull and dramatic. I have listened to pianists that have to play as strong and intense as posible in movements like this. Then I loose interrest.

The etudes are a little treasure chest of fine melodies and moods. Freire shows his eminense.

The last 3 Nouvelles Etudes are soo beautiful, again brilliant inerpretated by Freire.*

* - Piano sonata no 3 - youtube
 - Etudes (12) - youtube
 - Nouvelles Etudes (3) - youtube*

* - arkivmusic
 - album - spotify*


----------



## julianoq

Addicted to Brahms chamber music again. Impressive how his compositions for piano + anything are brilliant. Now listening to the violin sonatas, played by Suk and Katchen. I listened to many performances of this sonatas but I always return to this record, it is by far my favorite.


----------



## Blancrocher

Pamela Frank, Yo-Yo Ma, and Emanuel Ax in chamber works by Chopin (rec. 1992).


----------



## hpowders

julianoq said:


> Addicted to Brahms chamber music again. Impressive how his compositions for piano + anything are brilliant. Now listening to the violin sonatas, played by Suk and Katchen. I listened to many performances of this sonatas but I always return to this record, it is by far my favorite.


I have this and have never heard a finer version of the three Brahms sonatas for violin and piano.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Liszt: Mazeppa & Sibelius: Swan of Tuonela & Debussy La Mar*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 30 in C Major, 'Alleluja'; Symphony No. 69 in C Major, 'Laudon'
(Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

30 Freue dich, erlöste Schar
31 Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (both)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Stravinsky: Apollon Musagète*

God I love this orchestra doing this music:


----------



## Selby

Mahler - Symphony No. 3 in D minor

Simon Rattle conducting


----------



## Guest

This arrived today--wow! What a performance and excellent sound. CAUTION: If you are inclined to purchase the SACD version, none of the low-priced versions (under $20) are this recording--they are von Karajan's RBCD!! Something is wrong in the ISBN data base or something. I should know, as I have ended up with THREE version of HvK's, which I already own, from two different sites! I bought this one from a private party on the SACD.net site.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have been watching some eminent you tube videos*

*Vivaldi: Concerto pour 4 violons en si mineur

Spem In Alium Thomas Tallis

Mozart - Piano Concerto n°20 (I)

Mozart - Piano Concerto n°20 (II)

Mozart - Piano Concerto n°20 (III)*


----------



## Morimur

*Witold Lutosławski - (1998) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Wit)*

The Lutosławski disc containing the Livre pour orchestre, which forms part of the excellent Naxos cycle of his orchestral works, has continued to delight me. It is the sheer commitment of the Polish orchestra, and Antoni Wit's deep insight into the fabric of each work, that have been the key to the success of the whole series… © 1999 Fanfare, David Denton


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Look what's fallen out of the LP cupboard tonight:

*Pierre Max Dubois - Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra* (1959)

*Heitor Villa-Lobos - Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone, 3 horns and String Orchestra* (1948)
*
Jacques Ibert - Concertino da camera for Alto Saxophone and 11 instruments* (1936)

*Alexander Glazounov - Concerto in E flat for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra, Op. 109* (1936)

Eugene Rousseau, saxophones; Paul Kuentz, Orchestre de chambre Paul Kuentz [DG (LP), 1972]










There's a lot of extremely fine music on this disc, from Dubois' neo-classicism with modernist twists to Villa-Lobos' uncompromising modernism and the excellent Jazz-inflected Ibert Concertino. I must have been in an unusually experimental mood the day I bought this!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Biber - Requiem a 15 and Steffani - Stabat mater - Koor and Barokorkest van de Nederlandse Bachvereniging - Gustav Leonhardt









I have very little of Biber's music (and only this piece by Steffani) - this is clearly an unfortinate oversight that should be remedied


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 4 in F Major (Johannes-Ernst Köhler; Lothar Seyfarth; Thüringsches Kammerorchester Weimar).


----------



## Blancrocher

Penelope Walmsley-Clark with George Benjamin and the London Sinfonietta in Jonathan Harvey's "Song Offerings."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae*

This gets better with every listen.


----------



## Vasks

TurnaboutVox said:


> Look what's fallen out of the LP cupboard tonight:












LOL! I don't have my LP copy of this record in a cupboard but I do have it


----------



## jim prideaux

a favourite recording for a Monday evening-Myaskovsky-Cello Sonatas 1 and 2 and Cello Concerto-Tarasova , Polezhaev, Samoilov and the Moscow New Opera Orch.


----------



## aleazk

John Adams - _Common tones in simple time_.


----------



## KenOC

Zelenka's Trio Sonatas (unless they're really quartets...can somebody here say?). This recording:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra - Gustavo Dudamel, cond.


----------



## dgee

Trio sonatas - three parts but usually keys and a cello on the continuo (bass boost!) - but actually those Zelenkas might have three solo instruments!

Anyway, I'm listening to this - and it's still sounds so good 50 years on (THAT BLEND!)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Cello Suites, w. Wispelwey (rec.2001).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hugo Wolf

Sechs Gedichte von Scheffel, Mörike, Goethe Und Kerner

Gedichte von J. W. Von Goethe Nos. 1 - 21*










Wonderful lieder, wonderful Fischer-Dieskau


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1812): Symphony in D Major, Bryan D2

Kevin Mallon conducting the Toronto Camerata


----------



## KenOC

Mozart, an obbligato of overtures. La Cetra, Andrea Marcon cond.


----------



## Guest

I was shocked at how much more intense the 1962 version is compared to this 1976 one. I guess the sound is better on the new one, but I greatly prefer the urgency of his older one.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Russian Songs" (two lps) - Oda Slobodskaya, soprano, Ivor Newton, piano

as mentioned by moody on another thread and recently found at a secondhand store

she must have been 71 or 72 when this was recorded


----------



## Blancrocher

Sviatoslav Richter playing Stravinsky's "Piano-Rag Music" (rec. 1989) and (with Yuri Nikolayevsky and the Orchestra of the Moscow State Conservatory) "Movements for Piano and Orchestra" (rec. 1984).

Richter's old in these, but as always I find him interesting. Put in mind of these by Aleazk's recent post in this thread.


----------



## Blake

Hagen's Mozart quartets - Another set I'll venture through it's entirety. Excellent so far.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Bantock's Pagan Symphony - Vernon Handley, cond.


----------



## samurai

Peter Tchaikovsky--*Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 and Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphony No.5 and Symphony No.6 {"Fantaisies symphoniques"}, *both performed by the Neeme Jarvi led Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *both rendered by the Michael Schonwandt led Danish National Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

More Mozart, Piano Concerto in A K.488 (and others), Christian Zacharias and the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne. This is new to me. I may prefer it to Uchida -- beautifully played, and with a bit harder edge.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Schubert's Piano Sonata D960 - Wilhelm Kempff, piano


----------



## bejart

Gennaro Rava (?-1779): Oboe Quartet, Op.6, No.5

Jean-Pierre Arnaud on oboe with the Quatour Altair: Katia Lethiec and Karine Lethiec, violins -- Marc Desmons, viola -- Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

Heiner Goebbels' Surrogate Cities - Peter Rundel, cond

with thanks to Lope De Aguirre for the reminder


----------



## Weston

Odds and ends earlier tonight before I regained an internet connection.
*
Beethoven: Variations (5) on "Rule Britannia," for piano in D major, WoO 79*
Melvyn Tan, piano (but, we presume and hope, not hand model)








*
Beethoven: Variations for violin & piano in F major on "Se vuol ballare" from Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro," WoO 40 *
Gerritt Zitterbart, piano / Matthias Metzger, violin








*J.S. Bach: Four Keyboard Duets, BWV 802 to BWV 805*
Christopher Czaja Sager, piano








The Bach "Duets" are interesting. Hearing them is very much like discovering hitherto unknown two-part inventions, but in the more serious style of A Musical Offering or The Art of the Fugue. My catalog says I've had this recording since 2005(!) but I don't recall these beautiful little finely crafted gems. Sometimes it's good to ignore the bigger works and go for the filler.


----------



## kanook

*Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806) - Chamber Music - performed by Piccolo Concerto Wien (1997)*

*Pierluigi Fabbretti* (oboe)
*Daniel Sepec* (violin)
*Johanna Gamerith* (viola)
*Kristin von der Goltz* (violincello, piccolo)
*Roberto Sensi* (contrabbasso)









*Johann Michael Haydn* was the younger brother of the more famous *Franz Joseph Haydn* and in his own time was quite well known and highly regarded as a composer. *Schubert* and *Mozart* greatly admired his music and I read once that *Mozart* was influenced by him on more than one occasion. I have a few of his CD's and really enjoy his music. If you haven't listened to any of his work you're definitely missing out. In other words, try it, you'll like it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jonathan Harvey's Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco

and Tombeau De Messiaen

and Four Images After Yeats










Jonathan Harvey's Advaya


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

kanook said:


> *Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806) - Chamber Music - performed by Piccolo Concerto Wien (1997)*
> 
> *Pierluigi Fabbretti* (oboe)
> *Daniel Sepec* (violin)
> *Johanna Gamerith* (viola)
> *Kristin von der Goltz* (violincello, piccolo)
> *Roberto Sensi* (contrabbasso)
> 
> View attachment 37893
> 
> 
> *Johann Michael Haydn* was the younger brother of the more famous *Franz Joseph Haydn* and in his own time was quite well known and highly regarded as a composer. *Schubert* and *Mozart* greatly admired his music and I read once that *Mozart* was influenced by him on more than one occasion. I have a few of his CD's and really enjoy his music. If you haven't listened to any of his work you're definitely missing out. In other words, try it, you'll like it.


His requiem in C minor is awesome. He's definitely extremely underrated, which is unfortunate.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> His requiem in C minor is awesome. He's definitely extremely underrated, which is unfortunate.


Listening to it right now, actually.






Requiem in c-moll
Missa pro defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismondo
Michael Haydn (1737 -- 1806)
Domchor & Domorchester St. Stephan
Hans Haselböck, Orgel
Leitung: Domkapellmeister Markus Landerer
Sopran: Tünde Szabóki
Alt: Alice Rath
Tenor: Gernot Heinrich
Bass: Günter Haumer
Orgel beim Requiem: Anne Marie Dragosits

I find this Requiem aeternam, personally, more powerful than Mozart's Introitus. The horns and the dissonant singing from the choir add the necessary tension.

And now for some J. Haydn:
Symphony No. 82 in C Major, 'The Bear' (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









Bruno Weil's version is a bit more sprightly than Kuijken's. I may even prefer it .


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.23 in A, K.488 Monique de la Bruchollerie/Camerata Academica Salzburg Mozarteum/Bernhard Paumgartner

A sparkling performance of this wonderful concerto from the equally wonderful Miss Bruchollerie. A great pianist indeed.


----------



## kanook

Having a hard time getting my mojo working this morning so am going to give this one a try. It looks like it'll be a real potpourri of orchestral delights. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

*Bela Bartok - The Orchestral Masterpieces with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti and Chicago Symphony Strings led by Ruben Gonzalez.*

Pieces include: Concerto For Orchestra, Dance Suite, Hungarian Sketches, Romanian Folk Dances, Music For Strings Percussion & Celesta, Divertimento and a good way to finish it off, The Miraculous Mandarin.

















By the way. It's a 2 CD set so should be double the fun!


----------



## bejart

Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799): Concerto Grosso in G Minor. Op.3, No.1

Jan Willem de Vriend directing the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam


----------



## bejart

Joseph Wolfl (1773-1812): String Quartet in F Major, Op.4, No.2

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balasz Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello


----------



## Wood

*BACH *_Brandenburg Concertos 1-4 _(Karajan, Berlin PO)









Amazing how different Bach sounded in the sixties.

*BEETHOVEN* Piano Concerto No. 4 _Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich, as he was in 1989, leading the Australian Chamber Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.

_








*

BACH *Erbarm dich mein, O Herre Gott (Kevin Bowyer)


----------



## Weston

kanook said:


> Having a hard time getting my mojo working this morning so am going to give this one a try. It looks like it'll be a real potpourri of orchestral delights. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
> 
> *Bela Bartok - The Orchestral Masterpieces with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti and Chicago Symphony Strings led by Ruben Gonzalez.*
> 
> Pieces include: Concerto For Orchestra, Dance Suite, Hungarian Sketches, Romanian Folk Dances, Music For Strings Percussion & Celesta, Divertimento and a good way to finish it off, The Miraculous Mandarin.
> 
> View attachment 37896
> 
> 
> View attachment 37897
> 
> 
> By the way. It's a 2 CD set so should be double the fun!


I could never handle Bartok this early in the morning.  It's sewing machine music all the way for me until about 10:00am.


----------



## kanook

bejart said:


> Joseph Wolfl (1773-1812): String Quartet in F Major, Op.4, No.2
> 
> Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balasz Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello
> 
> View attachment 37899


Should be a great CD. I have a Joseph Wolfl CD containing his String Quartet Op.30 performed by the Pratum Integrum Orchestra Soloists and enjoyed it very much. Every time I listen to a great quartet it reminds me of the now sadly deceased Philip Seymour Hoffman who shone in the movie "A Late Quartet" in 2012.

Here's he cover of the CD I have.


----------



## stalitsa

I have stuck with Moonlight Sonata-Beethoven because recently i've read the dramatic poem of Yiannis Richos ( a poet who has left a history in greece) Moonlight Sonata named after Beethoven's sonata .... If only you could read and understand the words as they have


----------



## Alfacharger

The "Scott of the Antarctic" suite and the "49th Parallel" suite from my favorite composer.


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas K. 301, K. 302, K. 303, K. 305, K. 296, K. 304, K. 306, K. 306, K. 378, K. 379
By Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman [violin], on Deutsche Grammophone









Currently:

Gaetano Donizetti - Maria Stuarda
Joan Sutherland [soprano], Huguette Tourangeau [mezzo], Luciano Pavarotti [tenor], Orchestra e coro del Teatro Communale di Bologna, Richard Bonynge [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Vasks

_Opposite ends of Russian Romanticism_

*Alyabiev - Ballet Music from "The Magic Drum" (Rudin/Fuga Libera)
Rachmaninov - Trio elegiaque No. 2 (Moscow Rachmaninov Trio/Hyperion)*


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Neeme Jarvi and the Danish NRSO in Honegger's Symphonies 3&5 and "Pacific 231."

After this (so far) terrific disk, I'll celebrate the big anniversaries: for Bartok's birthday, the 6th String Quartet, performed by the Takacs Quartet; and for Debussy's passing, Richter and Britten playing "En Blanc et Noir."


----------



## julianoq

For Bartók's birthday, listening to the String Quartets No.4 and No.5 will follow, performed by the Hungarian String Quartet. I love this record!


----------



## rrudolph

Barber: Symphony #2/Thomson: Lousiana Story








Copland: Symphony #3/Quiet City








Ives: Symphony #3/Orchestral Set #2








Schuman: Symphony #7/Hanson: Symphony #6


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Symphonies 3, 5, 8 "Unfinished", no. 9 "Great"
By the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nicholaus Harnoncourt [dir.], on Warner


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*British Violin Sonatas: Vol. 1 - Ferguson, Britten & Walton*
Tasmin Little & Piers Lane 








This dropped through the door this morning and I have listened to it several times today. Both the recording and the performances are superb.

Walton as expected did not disappoint but it is Ferguson who has proven the biggest surprise. I had not heard of him prior to this release but I am really enjoying his Second Violin Sonata presented here.

A very rewarding release.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Lutoslawski*: Orchestral Music, w. Lutoslawski et al (rec.1989/0), Barenboim et al (rec.1992); String Quartet, w. Royal Qt. (rec.2012).

View attachment 37922


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Anna Bolena: "Giudici! ad Anna!"*

















I'm getting chills just listening to it waking up with coffee!

Callas' sustained high note capping it off is an act of supererogatory greatness that is thrilling beyond belief.


----------



## lupinix

Bartok string quartet 4 
happy birthday


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Tchaikovsky - Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64*

*West Australian SO/Vladimir Verbitsky*

* - rec 1994 Australian Broadcasting Corporation DDD*









*Fine, energetic, still lyrical performance.*

* - musicweb-international*


----------



## Ingélou

Paganini, Violin Concerto number 1, played by Sarah Chang - vibrant & engaging - *almost* inclined to forgive you, Niccolo, for that arch old 'Witches' Dance' in Suzuki Bk 2.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahler 6 Haitink SACD








As usual, Chicago's horn section is second to none in this horn-heavy symphony, probably Mahler's best IMHO (and in Berg & Webern's). Reading up on this in the Listener's Guide to the Symphony, I now recognize Alma's theme and the "three hammer-blows of fate that fell the hero as a tree is felled." The orchestration is otherworldly in places.


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3.










He apparently says: 'I got my eye on you!'.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> As usual, Chicago's horn section is second to none in this horn-heavy symphony, probably Mahler's best IMHO *(and in Berg & Webern's)*. Reading up on this in the Listener's Guide to the Symphony, I now recognize Alma's theme and the "three hammer-blows of fate that fell the hero as a tree is felled." The orchestration is otherworldly in places.


I don't know about Webern, but Berg said that the first movement of Mahler's 9th was "the best thing he ever wrote".


----------



## DeepR

Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Tchaikovsky - Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64*

*Conductor: Yuri Temirkanov 
Orchestra/Ensemble: St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra*

* - rec Watford Town Hall; 19, 22, 25 Sept 1989*









*There are so many good reccordings of this symphony! Here is another one. Brilliantly balanced, dedicated orchestra, fine variations in moods and tempos, and quite good sound.*

* - amazon*

* - allmusic*

* - classical-music.com*


----------



## Katie

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 37924


Indeed! This is likely the same, or a contemporaneous performance, of that presented in the Donizetti box of the Callas 64cd set, which itself reinforces Axl Rose's maxim that, 'anything worth doing, is worth overdoing'...Great Recco, MB!

P.S.: I also love MC's performance in GD's Lucia Di Lammermoor!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Katie: ". . .'anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.'"


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Everything in moderation, including moderation.



> _I also love MC's performance in GD's Lucia Di Lammermoor! _


It's a live tour-de-force that's never been equalled in my view; except for her 55' Norma. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

When she's at her best?--- only Callas can supercede Callas.


----------



## lostid

Highly recommended .....

Eslner's missa in G major

Simply beautiful.


----------



## lupinix

Bartok music for strings, percussion and celesta


----------



## rrudolph

Piston: Sonatina for Violin & Piano/Copland: Sonata for Violin & Piano/Ives: Sonata #4 for Violin & Piano "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting"/Copland: Nocturne/Baker: Blues








Perle: Wind Quintets 1-4


----------



## lupinix

Schubert serenade


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Liszt - Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes, S123*

*Andrea Kauten (piano) - Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Adam Medveczky*

* - Release date:
15th May 2012*









*This is a fine, quite anglethic work from Liszt, and here Andrea and the orchestra do an amazing performance. Not overplaying, but carefully unpack the treasures in the work. On ca. 4.15 there is an almost salvation army christmas brass sequence. Beautiful.*

* - youtube*

* - prestoclassical*


----------



## Itullian




----------



## AH music

My first post! Haydn Symphony 90 2nd movement now playing. Amazed by the consistently wonderful works he composed, very few dull moments in such a vast output. Great recordings of the symphonies by Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

AH music said:


> My first post! Haydn Symphony 90 2nd movement now playing. Amazed by the consistently wonderful works he composed, very few dull moments in such a vast output. Great recordings of the symphonies by Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra.


Welcome to the TC boards!


----------



## Oskaar

*I Have recently been listening to*

*Liszt - Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes, S123*

*Nareh Arghamanyan (piano)

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alain Altinoglu*

* - rec. Haus des Rundfunks, RBB Berlin, Germany, April 2012*









*I firework of a piano performance, and a clear, rich orchestra makes this a very good listen. It is quite different from the previous, more festivitas, but they are good in different ways*

* - arkivemusic*

* - musicweb-international*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Piano Quintet Arthur Rubinstein/Guarneri Quartet

This is a very nicely balanced recording of this wonderful work- and it's a good performance too.


----------



## hpowders

lupinix said:


> Schubert serenade


Nice and pithy. Just the way I like it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> Nice and pithy. Just the way I like it.


Steak and fries. Just the way I like it. Haha, it somehow reminds me of a McD commercial .

And now, spurned on by the recent Haydn piano trio post, I return to some of them.

J. Haydn, Piano Trio No. 28 in E Major (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## brianvds

Glazunov violin concerto - an old favourite, since I discovered it in my teens...


----------



## Guest

Bach's Lute Suites, or rather, No. 2 today. I love this recording--his 10 string guitar has the range of the lute but with the tonal richness of a modern guitar. His playing is sublime, and the sound is excellent.


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Opp. 109-111. Antti Siirala. Very nice.


----------



## Oskaar

*I was recently listening to*

*Liszt - Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes, S123*

*Jeno Jando (piano), Andreas Pistorius (piano)

Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Andras Ligeti*

* - Physical Release: 1990*









*Jando is one of my favorite pianists, and along with Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Ligethi he makes this a thrilling performance The mystic and sometimes sacral elements in the work is elegantly submitted, and Jando is playfull and full of fantasy in his playing, and modest and respectfull in the more sacral parts.*

* - youtube*


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Yes's Tales from Topographic Oceans which is a kind of 4 part symphonic 'tragedy' by an old rock band - the tragedy is that I'm still listening to it even after enduring CD 1


----------



## Vaneyes

*Handel*: Suites for Keyboard, w. Queffelec (rec.2005);* D. Scarlatti*: Keyboard Sonatas, w. MacGregor (rec.1991); *Schubert*: Piano Sonatas, etc., w. Uchida (rec.2001).

View attachment 37948







View attachment 37949


----------



## nightscape

Haut Parleur said:


> Yes's Tales from Topographic Oceans which is a kind of 4 part symphonic 'tragedy' by an old rock band - the tragedy is that I'm still listening to it even after enduring CD 1


Little self-indulgent, but still some great music in there. "Close to the Edge" is much better.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Bob van Asperen, harpsichord


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Robert Schumann, Nachststücke, Op. 23 (Bernd Glemser).









Glemser's an excellent player, imo. He has a wonderful, sparkling sound. Fits Schumann's great music very well.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Dufay - Integrale des Motets isorythmiques - Huelgas-Ensemble - Paul van Nevel









clearly 600 years old - yet clearly of today's age too


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Piano Quintet, Im Sommerwind*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

32 Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen
33 Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
34 O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe

Gustav Leonhardt (32, 33) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (34), cond.


----------



## Bas

Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto 
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. 15/6; Piano Trio in D Major, Hob. 15/7; 
Piano Trio in E Major, Hob. 15/34 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Schubert's "Reliquie" Sonata (rec. 1979), and Volume 4 of Matthias Goerne's Schubert cycle.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Richafort, Requiem*


----------



## Oskaar

Beethoven at its best!

Capuçon - Beethoven - Romance No.2 

 L. V. Beethoven - Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50 Renaud Capuçon, violin Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Kurt Masur

Youtube


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Bach-Hess: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bach-Petri: Sheep May Safely Graze
Scarlatti: Sonata in F, K.380
Chopin: Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, Op.50 No.3/Nocturne in D-flat, Op.27 No.2
Debussy: Clair de lune
Schubert: Sonata in B-flat, D.960 Leon Fleisher

This is a beautiful record. That Leon Fleisher should be able, thanks to botox injections, to use his right hand again after 35 years, seems to me something of a miracle. This was made in 2004, and it contains wonderful interpretations of some of the greatest piano music ever written. I knew of Fleisher's story, but had never heard him play until, after joining TC last year, I read enthusiastic remarks about him by our wise and knowledgeable friend Moody, I bought this, and have just purchased the complete album collection on Sony, which I am looking forward to immensely. Thanks Moody.


----------



## Morimur

*Mauricio Kagel - Playback Play (Ensemble Musik Fabrik NRW)*









In spring 1996 Mauricio Kagel paid a visit to a musical trade fair, where all the latest high-tech hardware and instrumental innovations were on show. With its cacophony of sound images as all of the manufacturers' stands clamoured for attention it became the kind of accidental theatrical experience that has always fascinated him, and Playback Play was his musical impression of what he heard and witnessed - not a faithful reproduction of the event, as he says, but 'a kaleidoscope in which, as really happens at such a music fair, different situations unexpectedly succeed one another and coexist simultaneously'. As always with Kagel, though, the result is much more than that. As the different snatches of music move in and out of focus, overlaid with loudspeaker announcements, and the riffs from synthesizers and drum machines, it becomes a cultural commentary on high and low musical culture and the driving force of commercialism. And it is put together with a deadly accurate, deadpan wit - at the opening for instance, the instrumentalists of Ensemble Musikfabrik are paged by loudspeaker, to which each responds with a little solo; later they are summoned to give a 'performance' and respond with a broken-backed, incoherent march. The lowest common musical denominator, Kagel suggests, is what really sells at these events. _- Andrew Clements_


----------



## cwarchc

Only time for 1 cd today, but it's a good one


----------



## Guest

Schoenberg's Op.9 Chamber Symphony in Webern's arrangement for piano and string quartet. Wow, it's an exhausting work to play (and listen to!) with its relentless counterpoint and intensity. This is a super-human performance recorded with great clarity.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hugo Wolf

Gedichte von J. W. Von Goethe* Nos. 22 - 36
*
Sechs Gedichte von Scheffel, Mörike, Goethe Und Kerner

Lieder nach Heine

Lieder nach Lenau*

Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim [DG] Disc 4 of 6


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: String Trios, Op.9 Nos. 1 and 3 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky

Three supreme musicians working together in a brilliantly harmonious whole. This is superb, a lovely way to finish the evening. There is a wonderful sense of purpose about these performances, they are clearly making the most of these works and anyone who could hear these without thoroughly them wants their head looking at. WONDERFUL!!


----------



## AH music

Thanks for the welcome and the likes. Feeling at home already. Enthusiasm for listening is my only qualification for contributing, no academic or practical background I'm afraid.


----------



## KenOC

Bach's Art of Fugue, Keller Quartett. This is quite a good one.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Poulenc -

Sonata for violin and piano
Bagatelle in D minor for violin and piano
Sonata for clarinet and piano in B-flat
Sonata for piano and cello*

Tharaud, Groben, Mourja, Spaendonck [Naxos; Chamber Music, Vol. 2]


----------



## Blancrocher

Sebastian Currier's "Static," performed by members of the "Composers from Copland House" ensemble. I like the whole album, but I'm particularly keen on this and "Night Time," for violin and harp.

*p.s.* Welcome to the forum, AH music.


----------



## Guest

This new disc has received rave reviews, and it's easy to understand with its vigorous performances and vibrant sound.


----------



## Weston

*Dvorák: Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, B. 56, Op. 26*
Joachim Trio









Now, this is more like it! I enjoyed this immensely. I think I should turn more to Dvorák's chamber works than to his symphonies. No ring-a-linging triangle.


----------



## bejart

kanook said:


> Should be a great CD. I have a Joseph Wolfl CD containing his String Quartet Op.30 performed by the Pratum Integrum Orchestra Soloists and enjoyed it very much. Every time I listen to a great quartet it reminds me of the now sadly deceased Philip Seymour Hoffman who shone in the movie "A Late Quartet" in 2012.
> 
> Here's he cover of the CD I have.
> 
> View attachment 37901


I've enjoyed that one as well, so much so that I'm working on it for the Amazon listing.

Now ---
Gaetano Brunetti (1744-1798): Symphony No.36 in A Major

Concerto Koln


----------



## Manxfeeder

Weston said:


> *
> Now, this is more like it! I enjoyed this immensely. I think I should turn more to Dvorák's chamber works than to his symphonies. No ring-a-linging triangle.*


*

Ha! I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 1*

Written for a young violinist who later broke up with him, it's a shame this got buried until 1958. I guess the moral of this story is, don't write a piece for a girl unless she's going to be around for a while.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Alban Berg Collection CD4

Seven Early Songs - Anne Sofie von Otter
Fünf Orchesterlieder, Op. 4 - Juliane Banse
Der Wein: Konzertarie mit Orchester - Anne Sofie von Otter

Anne Sofie von Otter, Juliane Banse, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [Deutsche Grammophon, 2003]










A second listen through for these wonderful Berg Lieder. I am not going to have time for the Lulu Suite which finishes this disc tonight, unfortunately.


----------



## Andolink

*Béla Bartók*: _String Quartet No. 5_ and _String Quartet No. 6_
Arcanto Quartett









*Johannes Brahms*: _String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51 no. 1_
Takács Quartet


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven Cello Sonatas Op. 102. Yo-yo Max and Emanuel Ax. No anorexic hipsterism here!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 1.*

Comparing Fischer with Solti, I think Solti gets to the heart of this piece. While Fischer's recording is lovely, Solti pulls out the emotions underlying this very personal piece.


----------



## Sid James

Lately its been these:

















*Copland*
_Fanfare for the Common Man _
- Mexico City PO under Enrique Batiz
_Lincoln Portrait _
- Margaret Thatcher, speaker; London SO under Wyn Morris

_The Tender Land (Suite) 
Old American Songs, Volumes 1 & 2 _(choral arrangements by Irving Fine and others)
- St. Charles Singers; Elgin SO under Robert Hanson

Getting into more *Copland,* whose music I seem to listen to at regular intervals. Its interesting to find links between these works, the _Lincoln Portrait_ containing reminiscences of the songs and the fanfare, and _The Tender Land _finishing with a hymn tune similar to _Zion's Walls_ (included in the second volume of the songs).

It may be a bit strange to hear Margaret Thatcher narrate the _*Lincoln Portrait*_, not only because of her British accent but also because she was one of the most prominent conservative politicians of the late 20th century. Copland, who was on the left side of politics, would have maybe even balked at this? But whatever the case, her reading contrasts with more famous ones - the ones by Henry Fonda and James Earl Jones - in that she says it pretty plainly and in a quite laconic manner. I suppose Lady Thatcher made an effort for it to sound a bit distanced and objective for a reason? It is after all a _Lincoln Portrait,_ not a _Thatcher Portrait_!

Copland's beliefs in American democracy so eloquently espoused by Lincoln must surely have been shaken when he was questioned by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 'Red Scare.' The composer had formerly been active in the American Communist Party. But if the piece speaks to anything, it's the ideals of democracy rather than the often messy ways its worked out in reality, and I find that beneath the swagger there is much humanity and even a fragile quality in Copland's music.

Speaking to _*The Tender Land suite*_, the middle movement with its Stravinsky-like rhythmic vitality grabs me a lot too, and as for the _*Old American Songs*,_ my favourites are _I Bought Me a Cat, Zion's Walls _and _At the River _(the latter was also set by Ives). William Warfield sang these on a vinyl I had with the composer conducting, and he also narrated _Lincoln Portrait_ at the composer's funeral.


----------



## Sid James

*Mozart* _Piano Concerto # 20 _(Cadenza by Anda)
- Géza Anda, piano, with Camerata Academica of the Salzburg Mozarteum

On to the quite dark and angsty - prototypical Romantic? - *Piano Concerto #20 by Mozart.* None other than Beethoven favoured playing this piece, as well as Clara Schumann and Brahms. No wonder, and I like how Mozart retains the usual contrapuntal, melodic and graceful qualities of his style but adds something different here too. Perhaps its this unusual quality that made Viennese audiences respond so well to this work when Mozart performed it as part of the public concerts he gave there?










*Reger *_String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 109_
- Philharmonia Quartett Berlin

Coming to this after a long time, I got more out of it than before. Recently listening to Beethoven's _String Quartet Op. 132 _and Bruckner's _String Quintet,_ I can understand how *Reger* relates to that whole tradition. The opening had that same choral quality as those two pieces. Of course this being Reger there is counterpoint galore here, but I didn't get so bogged down in that this time - the slow movement is a highlight, as well as the bouncy finale which brings ideas back, as the best in that string quartet tradition tend to do. 










*Gershwin* _An American in Paris_
- Pittsburgh SO under André Previn

Lately I've been getting into *Gershwin*, who like Grieg was in Grainger's circle of colleagues and friends all around the world. I am planning a blog on this now, it should be up within the next week. Delius and Duke Ellington will also be included in it. This is a 'sneak peak preview' of the draft.

*An American in Paris* started as a prospective ballet, but in the end it was premiered as a concert hall piece. Later, Gene Kelly turned it back into a ballet subjecting it to his modern choreography in the film of the same name.

Being in Paris was a stimulating time for Gershwin, there he met some of the leading lights in music. He asked for lessons from Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Ravel but all turned him down. Stravinsky asked Gershwin how much he earnt in a year and got the reply of $100,000 (a massive amount in those days for a composer) and to that Igor famously said George should be teaching him, not the other way round. Ravel's reply to the same question was "why should you be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?" Nadia Boulanger said Gershwin knew all that he had to, which was meant as a compliment, she suggested her rigorous academic approach would potentially stifle his natural talent.

So George went back to his hotel room and spent time composing the piece, which was premired under Walter Damrosch back home. Gershwin invited two students from the Paris Conservatoire to the hotel to check his new score out. They where amazed, especially by the horns imitating car horns and the bluesy lyrical theme. Gershwin took out two horns he had in the room and the two students where the first to test his writing of those parts!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Minor, KV 406

Guarneri Quartet with Kim Kashkashian on viola: Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins -- Michael Tree, viola -- David Soyer, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Bartok's* birthday (1881), and *Debussy's *death day (1918).

View attachment 37989


----------



## Selby

Nørgård, Per - Symphony No. 3 [Leif Segerstam, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir]


----------



## GreenMamba

Janacek's short Violin Concerto, Tetzlaff, Pesek/Philharmonia.


----------



## bejart

First listen to a recent acquisition ---
Ferdinand Ries (1784 -1838): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.26

Susan Kagan, piano


----------



## drpraetorus

Concert Etude, Zez Confrey, piano role.


----------



## drpraetorus

Shostakovich Symphony #13, Mariss Jansons, Bavarian Radio Symphony and chorus


----------



## SimonNZ

John Wilbye madrigals - The Wilbye Consort, Peter Pears, dir.










Takemitsu's Cassiopeia - Stomu Yamash'ta, percussion, Seiji Ozawa, cond.

Lucky me - I had no idea this had Takemitsu on it when i grabbed it today. I can't find an image but my copy is a record club edition of the above, with only the percussionists name on the cover. I was expecting traditional Japanese music in something like the Nonesuch Explorer style


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in E minor, Hob. 15/12 (Van Swieten Trio).









Ah, that intricate first movement .


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert's Die Schone Mullerin - Ian Partridge, tenor, Jennifer Partridge, piano


----------



## Ingélou

Thanks, Weston :tiphat: - I am listening to the link you posted (on Baroque Exchange), J. H. Schein 'Banchetto Musicale', 1617, on a gramophone record of 1960 (I grew up with crackles; they make me feel at home!) -




This sort of ordered melody (which I suppose some will find boring) is just the thing to lift my mood & transport me through time on a cloud of joy and serenity. 

Re Shropshire Moose's post below (so as not to waste space): Interesting. I have sometimes felt about Yehudi Menuhin that he was too smooth & sweet; probably why he didn't make a very good stab at folk fiddle when he tried it.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 Samson Francois/Philharmonia Orchestra/Constantin Silvestri
Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Violin No.5 "Spring" Yehudi Menuhin/Louis Kentner

Another enjoyable performance from Msr. Francois, great accompanying too by Silvestri and the Philharmonia. Then the "Spring" sonata. I am not quite so enamoured of this. The balance is weighted far too much in favour of the violin, to the extent that in the first movement we hear what are accompanying figurations from Menuhin, without being able to hear the tune played by Kentner. It all seems a bit underpowered somehow. A shame, I am a great admirer of Kentner, and when he's on form, Menuhin, but I find this to be, well, rather lacklustre to be honest.


----------



## kanook

Time for a little light music to start off the morning right and what better way to do it with than with,

*Antoine Reicha - Wind Quintets beautifully performed by the Academy Wind Quintet of Prague (1987)*

*Jiri Marsalek* (flute)
*Otto Trnka* (Oboe)
*Petr Donek* (clarinet)
*Frantisek Pok* (horn)
*Josef Janda* (bassoon)

















Am sitting here sipping away at my morning coffee listening to this one right now. Mellow and soothing. A-a-a-a-a-ah.


----------



## AH music

Haydn keyboard sonata (partita) no 15 in E major Hob.XV1.13: III Finale - Presto..... At just under two minutes its taking longer to write out what it is than listen to it. Wonderful performances by Ekaterina Derzhavina I have just been introduced to thanks to a thread here on Talk Classical.


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707): Trio Sonata in B Major, Op.1, No.4, BuxWV 255

Ensemble Baroque de Limoges: Gilles Colliard, violin -- Christophe Coin, viol -- Jan Willem Jansen, harpsichord


----------



## AH music

Quickly becoming a favourite symphony of mine. Sustained beauty and nobility rather than excitement. Some wonderful brass solos and chorales, and a lot else to enjoy.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 6 No. 1 in F-Sharp minor; Op. 24 No. 1 in G minor; Op. 7 No.1 in B-flat minor; Op. 17 No. 2 in E minor; Op. 24 No. 2 in C Major (Evgeni Koroliov).


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Takemitsu's Cassiopeia - Stomu Yamash'ta, percussion, Seiji Ozawa, cond.
> 
> Lucky me - I had no idea this had Takemitsu on it when i grabbed it today. I can't find an image but my copy is a record club edition of the above, with only the percussionists name on the cover. I was expecting traditional Japanese music in something like the Nonesuch Explorer style


I remember the name Stomu Yamashta from somewhere. I think he was featured heavily in the early 1980s on the public radio show Music from the Hearts of Space, an uninterrupted stream of the genre that would later be called New Age which then quickly become unfashionable. I did not think of him as a percussionist but more as a new age / world / Tangerine Dream genre of his own. Or I could be mixing him up with someone else entirely. Osamu Kitajima maybe.


----------



## jim prideaux

Weston said:


> I remember the name Stomu Yamashta from somewhere. I think he was featured heavily in the early 1980s on the public radio show Music from the Hearts of Space, an uninterrupted stream of the genre that would later be called New Age which then quickly become unfashionable. I did not think of him as a percussionist but more as a new age / world / Tangerine Dream genre of his own. Or I could be mixing him up with someone else entirely. Osamu Kitajima maybe.


somewhere in the back of my mind-Go-late 70's with Steve Winwood-something called 'Snow flakes are dancing',various electronic versions of classical pieces-I think maybe Stravinsky-easier to go to Amazon or the internet but too easy and takes the fun out of it!


----------



## kanook

*Anne-Sophie Mutter playing Antonin Dvorak pieces - Concerto, Romance, Mazurek & Humoresk with Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Manfred Honeck. (Ayami Ikeba on piano) (2013)*

















Hearing Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the violin reminds me of a Jackie Gleason phrase from the old classic Honeymooners television series "How swe-e-e-e-e-e-t it is!" And she's just like me, she just gets better with age!


----------



## Blancrocher

Alfred Brendel playing Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BWV 904. Both the work and the performance may be a little grandiose and sentimental for some tastes, but it's a personal favorite.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Boulez: Pli Selon Pli & Explosante-Fixe*

















Shifting kaleidoscopic prisms of sound. . . well, obviously. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Bas

Purcell, Morley, Tomkins - English Royal Funeral Music
By Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier [dir], on Ricercar









Alessandro Scarlatti - Messa per il santissimo natale
Gioviani Battista Pergolesi - Messa di s. emidio (Messa Romana)
By Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Allesandrini [dir.], on Naïve









Henry Purcell - Fantazias for violin
By the Ricerar Consort, Philippe Pierlot [dir.] on Mirare


----------



## rrudolph

Boulez: Domaines








Martino: String Quartet/Lerdahl: First String Quartet








Babbitt: Sextets/The Joy of More Sextets








Berio: Laborintus 2


----------



## Vasks

_A clutch of Classicism_

*S. Arnold - Symphony in F, Op. 8, No. 3 (Mallon/Naxos)
Myslivecek - Symphony No. 4 in D from "Six Symphonies" - 1772 (Gaigg/cpo)
W. A. Mozart - Variations in D, K. 573 (Brendel/Vanguard)
F. J. Haydn - Symphony No. 58 (Solomons/CBS)*


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Boulez'* birthday (1925), and* LvB's* death day (1827).


----------



## Mahlerian

Back to the WTC...

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2
Bob van Asperen, harpsichord









My copy of this set actually has a Virgin Records logo on it instead of Erato. It's the same thing, though.


----------



## AH music

Doing plenty of listening today - two reasons. Time away from music (abroad) and discovering this site.... Catching up on a recent discovery rapidly becoming one of my all time favourites of chamber music with piano, I genre I love anyway. Woldemar Bargiel Piano Trio no 3 Op 37 in B flat. Just have to share enthusiasm for this work - and there are two others almost as good - and a fine violin sonata - and a beautiful adagio for cello and piano.


----------



## Morimur

*VA - Donaueschinger Musiktage 2010 (4 CD)*









CD1:
Experimentalstudio der Heinrich-Strobel-Stiftung des SWF, Freiburg
Werner Taube, violoncello (1)
Mitglieder des SWF-Sinfonieorchesters Baden-Baden
Ernest Bour, conductor (2)
Marianne Schroeder, piano (3)

CD2:
Experimentalstudio der Heinrich-Strobel-Stiftung des SWF, Freiburg
ensemble recherche (1)
Ensemble Modern der Jungen Deutschen Philharmonie (2)
SWF-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden
Lothar Zagrosek, conductor (3)

CD3:
Experimentalstudio der Heinrich-Strobel-Stiftung des SWF, Freiburg
Ortwin Stürmer, piano (1)
Monika Bair-Ivenz / Petra Hoffmann / Elisabeth Reve, sopranos
Susanne Otto, alto • Martin Fahlenbock, bass flute • Lukas Fels, violoncello (2)
Salome Kammer / Claudia Barainsky, voice and vocals
Chrsitain Dierstein / Francoise Rivalland, percussion (3)

Total Time CDs 1, 2 & 3: 03:45:17


----------



## MagneticGhost

jim prideaux said:


> somewhere in the back of my mind-Go-late 70's with Steve Winwood-something called 'Snow flakes are dancing',various electronic versions of classical pieces-I think maybe Stravinsky-easier to go to Amazon or the internet but too easy and takes the fun out of it!


Snowflakes are Dancing was an album by Tomita - a Japanese electronic musician. He did a range of classical re-realisations on Analogue synthesizers. My favourite is his Pictures at an Exhibition. Snowflakes are Dancing is a great album. I may be wrong but I think it's all Debussy. And I think it's earlier 70s.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Opus 76 String Quartets.
Tokyo Quartet.
Second to the Tatrai, but very fine.


----------



## Blancrocher

For the anniversary commemorations: Boulez's piano sonatas, played by Idil Biret (rec. 1995), and Brendel playing Beethoven's op.126 Bagatelles (rec. 1996).

*p.s.* Following Vaneyes, I'll try out Jumppanen's Boulez, which is new to me.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahler 7, Cleveland, Boulez. The most under-recorded; the last one conductors tackle; probably the most obscure. It sounds like here, after the definitely tonal Sixth, that Mahler is experimenting with tonality more. It sounds more vague; the themes are strange.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Andreas Staier (piano)

Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Philippe Herreweghe*

* - Audio CD (June 12, 2001)*

View attachment 38017


*Quite fine version with brilliant sound.*

* - youtube*

* - classicstoday.com*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Francesco Piemontesi (piano)

BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlávek*

* - recorded live in concert at the Barbican in London in December 2012*

View attachment 38032


*Mixed reviews out there, but I actually find this recording very fine and elegant. Very relaxed and layed back in slower parts, but the temperature is there nevertheless. Slightly a carpet of melancoly and longing over it all. Brilliant orchestra and sund.*

* - allmusic*

* - classical-music.com, interview with Piemontesi*

* - prestoclassical*

* - sinfinimusic*

* - youtube presentation*

* - intermusica*

* - musicweb-international.*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Performer: Hélène Grimaud (Piano) 
Conductor: David Zinman 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Symphony Orchestra*

* - Recording: June 1995, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin*

View attachment 38034


*Grimaud keeps a fine balance in her playing, between the laydback and the fresh. There is a lightness in it, both from pianist and orchestra..an optimism and childish naivity. That dont make the recording flat, but interresting in its own way. Grimaud lays a lot of herself in this, without beeng to intense or bombastic. Elegant!*

* - youtube*

* - amazon,germany*


----------



## DrKilroy

Lutosławski - Paganini Variations for two pianos (Argerich & Kissin)

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rubinstein/Reiner).










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Vaneyes

*CPE Bach*: Piano Concerti, w. Rische et al (rec.2010); *Mozart*: Horn Concerto No. 4, w. Allegrini/Abbado (rec.2007).

View attachment 38041


----------



## Sonata

Some really good music lately. Boccherini's string quintets, Beethoven's 14th string quartet. Favorite movement playlist of Beethoven's first 11 piano sonatas (Jeno Jando) highlights from Mozart masses, lieder from Liszt, Robert & Clara Schumann, Strauss, Mahler, and Schubert. Operas: Lohengrin, Gluck Orphee et Euridice, and the start of Donizetti's L'elisir D'amore.
Mendelssohn string symphonies 12 & 13. Corelli sonatas, Haydn symphonies 30, 31, 79.


----------



## Vaneyes

hpowders said:


> View attachment 38036
> 
> 
> FJ Haydn, Opus 76 String Quartets.
> Tokyo Quartet.
> *Second to the Tatrai*, but very fine.


Nay, nay, no backseat.


----------



## Morimur

*VA - Baku; Symphony of Sirens (Sound Experiments in the Russian Avant Garde) (2 CD)*















"An incredible artefact from ReR, this double-disc release comes housed in a beautifully detailed book, all dedicated to the pioneers of the Russian avant-garde in the early twentieth century. The first disc captures a modern-day reconstruction of Arseni Avraamov's Symphony Of Sirens, a public sound event originally conceived in 1922, made up from factory sirens, military regiments, steam locomotives and choirs, all representing the lively sonic signature of the port city of Baku. In addition to that there are 39 short-form sound pieces, reproduced from original works by the key experimenters of the era, including Dziga Vertov and Sergei Prokofiev. The second disc is probably even better, kicking off with Dziga Vertov's Enthusiasm! The Dombass Symphony from 1930. This is an original recording by the Man With A Movie Camera director, and it's an epiphany for any fans of early electronic/noise music, featuring painstaking, laborious documents of the clamour heard in mines, factories and furnaces. Further to that, the disc rounds off with a library-like collection of shorter sound works captured around the same time, including recordings from Alexander Mossolov, Leon Trotsky, Boris Pasternak and Dmitri Shostakovitch. The accompanying book is crammed with explanatory text and photographs, making this an invaluable item for anyone with an interest in Soviet-era art and music." (Boomkat)


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> Nay, nay, no backseat.


Sorry to disagree. I find the Tatrai is crisper and play with less vibrato in the Opus 76.
The Tatrai I find delightful and irresistible; the Tokyo, merely fine.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Mahler - Songs of a Wayfarer


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Géza Anda - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik*

* - recorded 1963*

View attachment 38039


*Beautifully played with a sad carpet over it all, but not to sad. Anda reflect autority and controle, but gives a relaxed interpretation. The orchestra follows up with gentle support. The sound is not to good, bud not to bad eather. Not so badthat this brilliant quiet interpretation is not worth listening to*

* - youtube 1*

* - youtube 2*

* - youtube 3*

* - youtube 4*

* - musicweb-international*

* - amazon*

* - allmusic*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky (Conductor), Swiss-Italian Radio Orchestra (Orchestra), Martha Argerich*

* - July 2002 recording*

View attachment 38044


*Of the 3-4 Argerich recordings on spotify, this is the one I like the most. Beautifully mellow and afterthoughtfull. She is not my favourite, but I find her good here*

* - allmusic*

* - amazon*


----------



## rrudolph

Ives: Study #20: Even Durations-Unevenly Divided/Study #21: Some Southpaw Pitching/Study #22/Varied Air and Variations-Study #2 for Ears or Aural and Mental Exercise!!!/Waltz Rondo/Three-Page Sonata/Study #9: The Anti-Abolitionist Riots In the 1830s and 1840s/Three Quarter-Tone Pieces for Two Pianos








Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano


----------



## kanook

I'm sure this is a familiar one to most but thought it time to bring it out again for a listen. How lucky those patrons in Chicago were back in 1988 to be in attendance at this once in a lifetime musical experience. Bernstein may have been getting a little long in the tooth at the time but he didn't disappoint and he and the Chicago Symphony gave one of the best performances ever of Shostakovich's 7th symphony! It was a bravura performance for the ages!

*Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony #1 & #7 conducted by Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1988)*

















Bernstein also performed Shostakovich's 7th back in 1962 but I much prefer this one. What's amazing is that Shostakovich composed much of the 7th symphony while struggling to stay alive during the actual siege of Leningrad during the second world war. It brings an immediacy to the music and one can almost feel the brutality and devastation, loss and nostalgia, consolation and renewed strength emanating throughout performance. It sends shivers up my spine and sometimes I almost weep while listening to it.


----------



## Blancrocher

Matthias Goerne's second version of Mullerin, for his Schubert cycle (with Eschenbach on piano). Terrific version.

*p.s.* I loved the Jumppanen Boulez, btw--definitely buying it.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Berlioz - Nuits d'ete - Brigitte Balleys - Orchestre des Champs-Elysees - Philippe Herreweghe









one of nine versions that I have of this ... and all are good, but this one is a real pleasure to listen to (vibrato-less )


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Sid James said:


> Lately its been these:
> *Copland*
> _Fanfare for the Common Man _
> - Mexico City PO under Enrique Batiz
> _Lincoln Portrait _
> - Margaret Thatcher, speaker; London SO under Wyn Morris
> /QUOTE]
> 
> I was just about to say "Greetings again, Sid - I've missed your contributions" ..... but that was before you posted a picture of the milk snatcher. Pah!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Antonín Dvořák - Stabat Mater (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Chamber Orchestra of Europa).

Youtube:


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Alicia de Larrocha (piano) 
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis*

* - Recorded July 5th 1991, EMI Abbey Road Studio 1, London*









*This recording dont get much acclaim, but I like it. Clear and honist, and quite modest, suiting the work good.*

* - music-web international*


----------



## Bas

The Leiden Choirbooks - Codex A
By the Egidius Quartet on Et'Cetera


----------



## Katie

kanook said:


> *Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony #1 & #7 conducted by Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1988)*


Outstanding! Truly a beast - under LB's deft touch the CSO sounds like the lean, mean animal it had previously been under the disciplinary rigors of Reiner (whose box I desperately wish would come back into stock!)/Kat


----------



## maestro267

*Tishchenko*: Violin Concerto No. 2
Stadler/Leningrad PO/Sinaisky

*Mahler*: Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Chicago SO/Solti


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, London Symphonies.
Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.
Just received this. Sampled the "Surprise"
A bit more deliberate in the first three movements than I'm used to.
Reserving judgement until I hear the entire set.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

35 Geist und Seele wird verwirret
36 Schwingt freudig euch empor

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond (both)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> View attachment 38057
> 
> 
> FJ Haydn, London Symphonies.
> Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.
> Just received this. Sampled the "Surprise"
> A bit more deliberate in the first three movements than I'm used to.
> Reserving judgement until I hear the entire set.


hpowders .... you've turned into .... HAYDN! 

Nice location by the way; the Harmony mass is one of the greatest locations Haydn took us to.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, Kopatchinskaja and Jurowski. Excellent.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Some sundries to start the evening off:

*Neilsen - The fog is lifting* (for flute and harp) / Sarah Cutler (harp), Laurel Zucker (flute) [Cantilena, 2000]

*Berg - Lulu Suite* / Banse; VPO, Abbado {DG, 2004]

*Glazounov - Concerto in E flat for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra, Op. 109* / Rousseau (Alto Sax); Paul Kuentz, Orchestre de chambre Paul Kuentz [DG, 1972]

*Poulenc - Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet, Op. 100* / Ralf Gothoni, Danish National Symphony Orchestra Wind Quintet [Naxos, 2005]


----------



## Guest

Levine and the BSO have produced a magnificently played and recorded SACD on their own label. The recording is a product of two live concerts, but aside from one or two quiet coughs, one would not know it until the tumultuous applause at the end.


----------



## Sid James

Lope de Aguirre said:


> View attachment 38042
> View attachment 38043
> 
> 
> "An incredible artefact from ReR, this double-disc release comes housed in a beautifully detailed book, all dedicated to the pioneers of the Russian avant-garde in the early twentieth century....


I remember hearing that kind of Russian Futurism late at night on radio years back. Same pieces you mention, probably the same recordings. I was burning the midnight oil, you wouldn't get that played on daytime classical radio!

But interesting stuff, especially seen from the perspective of much experimentation happening in Russia which I think even in the early Soviet era (under Lenin) was tolerated and even in a way encouraged - to show how 'Modern' the regime was. Then of course Stalin came in and reversed any directions of that sort, things became very controlled in the arts. An equivalent is the paintings of Kasimir Malevich, his earlier Suprematist abstract works (with squares, rectangles, geometric shapes) where around early in the century going into the beginnings of the Soviet regime, then under Stalin he went back to doing figurative art. Mussolini in Italy did a similar about face, early on he supported the Futurists, then he ended up going against that, cultivating this 'going back to Roman times' sort of aesthetic.

Anyway, I'm rambling a bit and on my hobby horse but your post unexpectedly gave rise to that memory.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 9 in C Major, 'Paukenmesse' (J. Owen Burdick; Hoyt; Sollek; Neer; Lippold; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra).

Mass No. 8 in C Major, 'Mariazellermesse' (Hoyt; Nafziger; Sollek; Davis).


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Pascal Devoyon (piano) 
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Jerzy Maksymiuk*

* - rec. St. Augustine's, Kilburn, March 1990*

View attachment 38064


*Delightfull recording*

* - music-web international*


----------



## DavidA

Mozart - Quintet for piano and winds. Perahia et al. Superb!


----------



## KenOC

jim prideaux said:


> somewhere in the back of my mind-Go-late 70's with Steve Winwood-something called 'Snow flakes are dancing',various electronic versions of classical pieces-I think maybe Stravinsky-easier to go to Amazon or the internet but too easy and takes the fun out of it!


Are you thinking of Isao Tomita?


----------



## contra7

Meiczyslaw Weinber: Symphony no. 12 (In memorian of D. Shostakovich)

His style is very similar to Shostakovich and I like it!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Two Portraits.*

It's interesting that Brilliant includes the Two Portraits and the first violin concerto in their Bartok box, since the first portrait and the first movement of the concerto are about the same piece. The two are interpreted a little differently, though.


----------



## Sofronitsky

Gustavo Dudamel and Yuja Wang pairing up for Rach's 3rd PC and Prokofiev's 2nd PC.

On first impression, it is surprisingly tame coming from the new shining star of conducting and the flashy, sometimes bordering on softcore porn, new star piano virtuoso.

I will have to listen some more.

(Sorry to insult Yuja Wang, I am on the opposed side of the fence when it comes to how she presents her body. Maybe she is bringing in new listeners (albeit for the wrong reason), though, in which case I suppose the choice is not a bad one)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Wolf -

Goethe-Lieder

Lieder nach Heine

Lieder nach Lanau*

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim [DG, 1995]










I thought I was listening to Wolf's Eichendorff-Lieder tonight but it turns out I was inadvertently repeating yesterday's programme. Oh well. It's all good stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, The Mermaid.*

Zemlinsky sure knew his way around an orchestra; such sounds!


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> *I have recently listened to*
> 
> *Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*
> 
> *Géza Anda - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik*
> 
> * - recorded 1963*
> 
> View attachment 38039
> 
> 
> *Beautifully played with a sad carpet over it all, but not to sad. Anda reflect autority and controle, but gives a relaxed interpretation. The orchestra follows up with gentle support. The sound is not to good, bud not to bad eather. Not so badthat this brilliant quiet interpretation is not worth listening to*
> 
> * - youtube 1*
> 
> * - youtube 2*
> 
> * - youtube 3*
> 
> * - youtube 4*
> 
> * - musicweb-international*
> 
> * - amazon*
> 
> * - allmusic*
> 
> *Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*
> 
> *Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky (Conductor), Swiss-Italian Radio Orchestra (Orchestra), Martha Argerich*
> 
> * - July 2002 recording*
> 
> View attachment 38044
> 
> 
> *Of the 3-4 Argerich recordings on spotify, this is the one I like the most. Beautifully mellow and afterthoughtfull. She is not my favourite, but I find her good here*
> 
> * - allmusic*
> 
> * - amazon*


Claudio Arrau was the quintessential performer of this concerto for me. I you can stand the older recordings and can find a version, it might be well worth a listen.


----------



## Alfacharger

Kontrapunctus said:


> Levine and the BSO have produced a magnificently played and recorded SACD on their own label. The recording is a product of two live concerts, but aside from one or two quiet coughs, one would not know it until the tumultuous applause at the end.


Made me bring out my Haitink BSO recording.










Haitink also conducted this work last month with the BSO in Carnegie Hall..

http://newyorkclassicalreview.com/2...symphony-offer-classic-and-resplendent-ravel/


----------



## Weston

*Alan Hovhaness: Madras Sonata, for piano, Op. 176*
Marvin Rosen, piano









I'm not sure about this album. When you take away all the mountains and strings from Hovhaness you may be left with some kind of shallow minimalism. At least this work seems shallow to me. Hovhaness is one of my favorites when I want majestic reverence, but I may be listening for the wrong thing with this.

_____________________________

*Kuhlau: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32*
New Budapest String Quartet / Ilona Prunyi, piano









I'm really beginning to appreciate this Beethoven contemporary, maybe even more so than Hummel and on an equal level with John Field. And, dare I say it, nearly as much as Schubert.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Wolf - Eichendorff-Lieder

Fischer-Dieskau, Barenboim










Dark, melancholy, beautiful lieder. Wolf is certainly speaking (or rather, singing) to me just lately


----------



## KenOC

Weston said:


> I'm not sure about this album. When you take away all the mountains and strings from Hovhaness you may be left with some kind of shallow minimalism.


To me, Hovhaness sometimes seems like a broad and beautiful river -- but you can wade across without rolling your pants up.


----------



## Weston

*Anatol Lyadov: Russian Folksongs (8) for orchestra, Op. 58*
Symphony Orchestra of Russia under Veronika Dudarova









My closest friends have a member of the family (by marriage) who is a composer from Russia. We had attended a premier of her own set of Russian folksongs. The ongoing and hopefully good natured joke was that the first was a song about snow, the second about death, the third about death and snow, the fourth about snow and death, and so on. But these are not like that cliche at all. It is very pleasant light music. I'll keep this suite in mind for some sunny Saturday I need a pick-me-up.

__________________________________

*Ligeti: Ramifications for 12 solo strings*
Reinbert de Leeuw / Schönberg Ensemble









Well, if we can't have Spring at least I'll listen to some musical wasps, cicadas, birds, bees and other busy creatures. That may not be what this work is about at all, but that's the mental image it evokes at the moment. The usual Ligeti spectral sonorities abound and it's quite a wonderful effect.


----------



## AH music

Later evening spotify sampling. In theory I love the sound of the cello but realise how little of the cello repertoire I actually listen to. Also CPE Bach is a composer I'm sure I ought to know better than I do at present - practically zero. So tried a CPE Bach cello concerto - Wq 171 H436 in B flat, soloist Antonio Meneses, Munchener Kammerorchester. Initial impressions only. Enjoyable enough opener, lovely slow movement. As anticipated, characteristic vivacious finale with sudden changes of tempo, cello solo interestingly restrained and only occasional joining in the full tilt of the orchestra - this movement really captivated my interest. Performance seemed good, excellent sound. 







Then onto more new territory, Mendelssohn Cello Sonata no 1 Op 45 also in B flat, with the same cellist. Will need to listen again to comment - Mendelssohn is not always as accessible as expected, and I am sure there are more depths in a lot of his work than he is often given credit for. To me the finale was the most immediately striking movement, lively and a little fiery at times, rather a fine movement I think. Definitely impressed by the performers (pianist Gerard Wyss) and the sound quality. Struck by the privilege of being able to explore so much repertoire so easily these days. 







Must explore more of the cello repertoire!


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Mane Giornovichi (1735-1804): Violin Concerto No.3 in G Major

Kurt Sassmannshaus conducting the Starling Chamber Orchestra -- Paul Yeager, violin


----------



## Blake

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra - Mozart's Wind Concertos. Extraordinary.

I've been in a Mozart binge lately… and no hangovers!


----------



## Sid James

Headphone Hermit said:


> Sid James said:
> 
> 
> 
> Lately its been these:
> *Copland*
> _Fanfare for the Common Man _
> - Mexico City PO under Enrique Batiz
> _Lincoln Portrait _
> - Margaret Thatcher, speaker; London SO under Wyn Morris
> 
> 
> 
> I was just about to say "Greetings again, Sid - I've missed your contributions" ..... but that was before you posted a picture of the milk snatcher. Pah!
Click to expand...

Funny you mention that cos I thought that Maggie's visage would in itself be controversial. Considered not putting the cover as a result but I can assure you I am pushing no political barrel here! Politics apart I quite liked her delivery but it took a few listens to "get" it, she's more kind of low key than the Americans are with it. Maybe that British reserve?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Sid James said:


> Funny you mention that cos I thought that Maggie's visage would in itself be controversial. Considered not putting the cover as a result...


It's OK, Sid, the paramedics with the defibrillator just left Turnabout Towers. I think I'll be OK...but what a nasty shock I got!


----------



## pileofsticks

Im currently listening to my favorite composer's famous 1812 Overture ^_^


----------



## julianoq

What a nice way to finish a very busy day! Relaxing listening to Schumann's Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet, played beautifully by Pressler and the ESQ. I have only this record of this works, and even if I love it, I could use suggestions of different ones. One record of something is never enough!


----------



## Weston

*Francesco Manfredini: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, Nos 10, 11 and 12*
Jaroslav Krecek / Capella Istropolitana










Wonderful music from an Italian contemporary of J. S. Bach. These lively works remind me of Spring more than Vivaldi's well seasoned concerto, although I think the last concerto here is supposed to be a well known Christmas concerto. Actually I can almost hear carol-like themes in there, so that makes sense. But baroque is often very spring-like to me and is appropriate any time of year. My apologies to our friends in the southern hemisphere for blathering on about spring. It's just that we badly need spring in these parts!

I should find a Manfredini Youtube video for the baroque group.

___________________________________
*Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581*
Alan Hacker, clarinet and the Salomon String Quartet with Lesley Shatzberger, basset horn - _on original instruments_
(Yeah, whatever.)









I thought I'd give this a try again to see if I liked it any better now that I can appreciate Mozart more than I once did. I can kind of see why others might like the simultaneous up and down arpeggios in the 1st movement. They can be a little bewildering in a good way, but only briefly. I also rather like a bassoon-like sound that later blends in with the clarinet. That must be the basset horn. Otherwise, I found the piece okay -- a vast improvement over wanting to throw the stereo (or computer in this case) across the room and hear the speakers short out and watch smoke rise from the wall outlet.


----------



## Sonata

Rameau: Symphonie Imaginaire. Les Musicians du Louvre, conducted by Marc Minkowski.

A wonderful album I never would have found were it not for this site! I like it enough to want to try Rameau's operas. I'm in the biggest opera kick of my life. But alas, I have stacks of Bellini, Mozart, and Strauss awaiting me. Nevermind Lohengrin, Les Troyens, La Rondine and a bit of a toe-dip into Vivaldi operas too....


----------



## bejart

Johannes Spech (1767?-1836): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.2, No.2

Festetics Quartet: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, violins -- Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello


----------



## lostid

Listening now to Stamitz's cello concerto in A major. very very nice.


----------



## KenOC

Adams: Son of Chamber Symphony. Quite a nice piece! Maybe not to all tastes...


----------



## Selby

Fauré, Gabriel - Impromptu for Harp in D-flat major, Op. 86 [Claudia Antonelli]

different performance:


----------



## Itullian

pileofsticks said:


> Im currently listening to my favorite composer's famous 1812 Overture ^_^


You'd probably enjoy Beethoven's and Rossini's overtures too.


----------



## Guest

This disc is just the balm that I need for my aching soul (my new guitar's arrival has been delayed a day). Beautiful music, playing, and sound.


----------



## SimonNZ

Weston said:


> *Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581*
> Alan Hacker, clarinet and the Salomon String Quartet with Lesley Shatzberger, basset horn - _on original instruments_
> (Yeah, whatever.)
> 
> View attachment 38078
> 
> 
> I thought I'd give this a try again to see if I liked it any better now that I can appreciate Mozart more than I once did. I can kind of see why others might like the simultaneous up and down arpeggios in the 1st movement. They can be a little bewildering in a good way, but only briefly. I also rather like a bassoon-like sound that later blends in with the clarinet. That must be the basset horn. Otherwise, I found the piece okay -- a vast improvement over wanting to throw the stereo (or computer in this case) across the room and hear the speakers short out and watch smoke rise from the wall outlet.


I'd be more than happy to help you rehome some unwanted Omon Ra / original instrument albums!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.34 in E Minor

Alfred Brendel, piano

I love the rising appegios in the left hand in the opening 'Presto' ---


----------



## Itullian

Enjoy the more Italianate take on this recording.
The last opera studio recording, I think?


----------



## lostid

I wish I could just skip all the non-music/singing elements from operas, as I don't understand what they are talking about. 

But I do enjoy the music and singing.


----------



## Sonata

Itullian said:


> Enjoy the more Italianate take on this recording.
> The last opera studio recording, I think?


Hmmmm.....I may try Tristan again sometime down the line, if so maybe I'll give this a try


----------



## SimonNZ

Brummel's Missa Et Ecce Terrae Motus - Dominique Visse, cond.


----------



## Sonata

lostid said:


> I wish I could just skip all the non-music/singing elements from operas, as I don't understand what they are talking about.
> 
> But I do enjoy the music and singing.


I often have my music in digital form, so I'm able to do just that....cut recitatives. Which I sometimes do and sometimes don't. Don Giovanni is one of my very favorite operas  I own the version you're listening to now, though I haven't heard it yet. Soon, soon.


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## SimonNZ

Schubert's Schwanengesang - Peter Schreier, tenor, Walter Olbertz, piano


----------



## science

Well, I'm in a mood to catch up a bit here:










Poor Górecki, you know? Must be tough to have such a fine work relegated to mass popularity, to be delegitimized by the enjoyment of the unwashed. Hopefully he got enough cold cash to compensate for it.

As a point of advice to any young listeners here, if you're gonna listen to modern music, you might as well listen to music you'll get classical street cred for, right? So the easier way to go about it is to trash this recording and praise a less well-known one. You get to listen to the music and also demonstrate your superiority of taste. That is how class is done.

But I went slumming again because I can't help myself. Perhaps I can legitimize this a little by following the critic who accuses most fans of this recording of not actually listening attentively to the music. That's a nice idea. So I'm superior after all because I _listened_ to it. (Plus I can pronounce "Górecki" correctly, so that's 12 points in my favor.)

Well anyway, I'm probably too deep in this hole to dig myself out anyway, so whatever, you know? I like it. I bite my thumb in the classical music community's general direction!










Mentioned this in an argument here recently and wanted to hear it. Young'uns: This here's more modernish music that you're not going to get much credit for, but it's not as bad as there Upshaw/Zinman Górecki. (Shostakovich's viola sonata is a thing, one way or another. I've only heard Bashmet and I by no means know the work well enough to know whether his performance is particularly this or that. I like it, but that's a pretty low bar. But Shostakovich's viola sonata is definitely a thing.)










This is the one I listened to but it is the wrong one. Marriner's other one is the "great" one. Young'uns: In this situation you play up how fashionably unconventional you are, what a nonconformist rebel you are. You mention the other one disparagingly, and make up something flattering about this one.

But I'm unable to rise to the occasion, and I haven't got any more classical music scene Viagra. So I'll admit: truth is, I don't like this recording as much as most other recordings that I've heard. But at least it's not Gardiner. Got to give it that. Much better than Gardiner.


----------



## science

Well, this proves it.

But in my defense, my wife was going to sleep and I wanted to play something pretty while she did. Chopin's Nocturnes was the other option, suggested by her, so you see I was in a jam one way or the other.

Perhaps I could get a reduced sentence?










Ordinarily this would probably be good for some cred, but in light of recent revelations....

Hey, this is _really_ good, though, dudes. Besides this, I only have the Janowitz/Karajan recording, and I'm not too big on Strauss generally (maybe a little tiny bit bigger on the operas), so I'm not like an expert or anything here (or anywhere else), but I love this recording. It is da bomb.










Kubelik's Mahler 1.

Look at that. If not for Alkan and Górecki, I'd've leveled up today. Of course I should probably have posted some indie label stuff - Hyperion and Nonesuch have become way too trendy to get indie label cred for, and anyway Alkan and Górecki 3 are not the way to go about that kind of thing. Maybe if I dig deeper I'll find my way out...


----------



## jim prideaux

KenOC said:


> Are you thinking of Isao Tomita?


really confusing myself-Tomita and Stomu Yamashta(obviously!)-different people-Yamashta was in a band with Winwood, Shrieve etc-three albums-Go-Tomita is this electronics bloke!-Thanks......


----------



## science

Ok, now this begins to get us somewhere. (By the way, some of you here dare to protest that you don't like modern classical music. Others even go so far as to say you don't like opera. And then there are some, I won't name names but you know who you are, who claim not to like modern opera. Well, cowboys, give lil' Pete here a fair shake, and you might find an exception to your dislikes.)










Ah, the old days, when classy was still cool. "Darling, I must have my Brahms!"










Sony returns. Really, Sony classical, they're ok. Hate the game, not the player.

This recording is new to me, and to begin with I have to appreciate making Galway look like a porn star slightly past his prime there on the cover, with his big flute in both hands, and a sleazy but uncertain smile. Subtle, but unmistakable. You can't help but expect a trio of surgically enhanced ladies to flap into the picture declaring some line like, "Let's order pizza and go to the old haunted castle with the cold showers."

Also, the music is nice. The flute concertos seemed ok to me, but whereas they aren't my favorite things, the flute and harp concerto is one of them. I have two other recordings of it, both with Zabaleta playing harp, so it's nice for me to hear Robles do it here. I'm no flute aficionado, but Galway holds his own, of course. I definitely want to hear this many more times to get to know the flute concertos better at least.


----------



## science

lostid said:


> I wish I could just skip all the non-music/singing elements from operas, as I don't understand what they are talking about.
> 
> But I do enjoy the music and singing.


I have a policy that I follow whenever practical:

I never listen to an opera on CD until I've seen it on DVD with subtitles (if it's not in English) at least once.

Everything's easier after that.

Sadly, there are things I can't do this way, like Enescu's awesome _Oedipe_. Flankin' music industry, won't make that on DVD. They'd better soon, or I might go on a hunger strike. (But who am I kidding? They would defeat me with chocolate chip cookies.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Webern works for string quartet - Quartetto Italiano

finally...I've been waiting years for a copy of this to present itself to me

stunning music and performance - and mine for a fiver (and in better condition than the one in that photo)


----------



## science

Of this I once wrote:



science said:


> Of the list of things I did not intend to buy (let alone shell out $50 for) this afternoon, this is the very apex. And yet, I do have #2 in that Lumieres box, and I do want to hear the rest of them, and... before considering the consequences of my actions, having searched and failed to find it myself, I asked the clerk (a young woman of the kind of beauty it hurts a man like me to behold, an impossible-to-believe combination of sexiness and innocence and prettiness and intelligence and kindness and cheerfulness, and she is married and I am deeply in love with my wife but it is a really good thing that she hasn't tried to cuddle up with me in some dark corner of the music shop because I doubt I'd get out of that situation with my integrity even as intact as it is at the moment) if they could order this, and she responded that in fact they already had this (in my defense, they did not keep it in the pile of recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos).
> 
> In your opinion, what best explains the fact that I'm $50 poorer than I had been a few hours ago?
> 
> But I'm sure I will enjoy the music very much.


And I did. So my testosterone has served me well once again.










My wife actually requested this and listened without complaint. Thank you _1Q84_!










I'm really getting to like the Leningrad. I know it's not supposed to be that great actually, but then you've seen by now that my taste embraces the mediocre, so this can be no surprise.


----------



## SimonNZ

Steve Reich's Octet










Kodaly's String Quartet No.2 - Hungarian Quartet


----------



## TurnaboutVox

SimonNZ said:


> Webern works for string quartet - Quartetto Italiano
> 
> finally...I've been waiting years for a copy of this to present itself to me
> 
> stunning music and performance - and mine for a fiver (and in better condition than the one in that photo)


Yes - this would be a Desert Island disc for me (along with their 'Death and the Maiden').

I can't find a decent image of the Musica da Camera LP cover I have (it must have been a very short-lived reissue) but this will give an idea:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

julianoq said:


> What a nice way to finish a very busy day! Relaxing listening to Schumann's Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet, played beautifully by Pressler and the ESQ. I have only this record of this works, and even if I love it, I could use suggestions of different ones. One record of something is never enough!


Whoa, that could've been a Boston album cover back in the day .


----------



## SimonNZ

TurnaboutVox: That's made me want to dig out my copy for another listen, which i've got in this edition:










but it'll have to be tomorrow because for the rest of tonight this will be blaring:










Handel's Messiah - Adrian Boult, cond.

featuring the too-seldom recorded Jennifer Vyvyan


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 41 in C Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









Symphony No. 45 in F-Sharp minor, 'Farewell' (Derek Solomons; L'Estro Armonico).


----------



## kanook

Sometimes it's nice to just reach for an old standby to start the day off right especially one like this by Franz Schubert that always seems to be oh so vibrant and fresh no matter how many times one listens to it.

*Franz Schubert - Quintet Op. 114 "The Trout" "Die Forelle" "La Truete" (1995)*

*Edgar Meyer* (double bass)
*Emanuel Ax* (piano)
*Pamela Frank* (violin)
*Rebecca Young* (viola)
*Yo-Yo Ma* (violoncello)
*Barbara Bonney* (soprano)

















This is the kind of CD to play for someone who claims to not like classical music. If they still insist they don't like classical music after listening to it then well, they're definitely beyond hope and in future one should avoid them at all costs!


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## lostid

Piano trio is always one of my favorites. very relaxing and casual. It's like "new age" classical music to me.


----------



## Oskaar

*I recently listned to*

* Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) Jansons, Mariss (conductor)Berlin Philharmonic*

* - Recording Date, 12/ 2002*

View attachment 38098


*A fine fluent performance with a great orchestra. Andsnes is clever, but a bit anonyme.*

* - amazon*

* - classicstoday*


----------



## SimonNZ

just hit the Hallelujah chorus in the Boult Messiah, and thinking for the five hundredth time that this bit really does stick out like a sore thumb, like something edited in by mistake

also: the Sistine Chapel ceiling - be honest now: its a little "busy", isn't it?

but now Jennifer Vyvyan is singing "I know my redeemer liveth", so all is forgiven

edit: interesting...the final side is quite worn down, whereas sides 1-5 had no surface noise at all and I'd assumed the previous owner had never played it, but apparently they just liked the ending


----------



## kanook

If I were stranded on a desert island this would be a good choice for a CD to have to while away my days & nights under the solitary palm tree. The music is lively but at the same time peaceful and as an added bonus it's said that it's sweet melodic refrains would inevitably attract mermaids which would be good because then I'd have someone to play checkers with! 

*Luigi Boccherini - 6 Quintets For Flutes & Strings, Op.19 (Auser Musici) (2007)*

*Carlo Ipata* (flute)
*Luca Ronconi & Francesco la Bruna* (violins)
*Teresa Ceccato* (viola)
*Luigi Puxeddu* (cello)


----------



## AH music

Saturnus said:


> Saint-Säens Bassoon Sonata - the most underrated stuff I have heard in my whole life.


Never heard of it - definitely want to listen to this!


----------



## AH music

Reicha (Rejcha) a landmark in starting to explore lesser known composers was discovering his wind quintets (thanks again, Naxos). Listening to his clarinet quintet in B flat, Op 89. Can be recommended to anyone who loves Mozart's clarinet quintet. Reicha was certainly a fine composer of chamber music, especially pieces involving wind instruments. Approachable, often fun, but usually also enough substance to bear repeated listening. To me as a listener, recordings of his work often seem to communicate a sense that the performers are really enjoying the music.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

TurnaboutVox said:


> It's OK, Sid, the paramedics with the defibrillator just left Turnabout Towers. I think I'll be OK...but what a nasty shock I got!


ah! so that was why they were late getting to me - must only be one team available in Lancashire at a time 

By the way - Sid it is NOT ok! :devil:


----------



## PetrB

Morton Feldman ~ For John Cage (Violin, Piano... in meantone temperament)


----------



## Alfacharger

Thomas Newman selections from his film scores. A very individual voice.


----------



## Weston

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Whoa, that could've been a Boston album cover back in the day .


Yes, if only the violins had retrorockets. Kind of gives a whole new meaning to "retrorocket."


----------



## Weston

science said:


> Poor Górecki, you know? Must be tough to have such a fine work relegated to mass popularity, to be delegitimized by the enjoyment of the unwashed. Hopefully he got enough cold cash to compensate for it.
> 
> As a point of advice to any young listeners here, if you're gonna listen to modern music, you might as well listen to music you'll get classical street cred for, right? So the easier way to go about it is to trash this recording and praise a less well-known one. You get to listen to the music and also demonstrate your superiority of taste. That is how class is done.
> . . .


My issue with this symphony is not its popularity, but the uncompromisingly dull listening experience it provides me. I've tried and tried, and I want to like it. It has many of the elements I _should_ like, but I've just never caught on. It reminds me of a second rate new age piece. I should probably try his other works instead, then come back to this one.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Trio for Piano and Strings no 3 in C minor, Op. 101_ 
Trio Wanderer


----------



## Andolink

Weston said:


> My issue with this symphony is not its popularity, but the uncompromisingly dull listening experience it provides me. I've tried and tried, and I want to like it. It has many of the elements I _should_ like, but I've just never caught on. It reminds me of a second rate new age piece. I should probably try his other works instead, then come back to this one.


Dull is exactly the word I'd use to describe it and "second rate new age piece" is spot on too. Why put so much effort into trying so hard with this when there's so much else out there that's so stunningly good?


----------



## DrKilroy

Try Górecki's Symphony No. 2 'Copernican' - I find it much more enjoyable.  The first part is modernist, using massive tone clusters, while the second part is more minimalist and kind of New-Agey, but I enjoy it, being a dedicated New Age hater, so it can't be bad. 


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently been listening to*

* Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Gerhard Oppitz (piano), NDR Sinfonieorchester, Günter Wand*

* - rec. live, 21 March 1983, Hamburg Musikhalle, Germany*

View attachment 38103


*Very warm and poetic interpretation. Oppitz is brilliantly submitting nuances and small details in a very emphatic way. Brilliant orchestra conducted by Wand*

* - music-web international*


----------



## julianoq

I recently started the habit of doing daily meditation sessions. First I started with silence, then had the idea to put some music on and see how it goes. Turns out that I discovered that Sibelius Symphony No.7 is perfect for that. The way the themes are slowly created sounds to me like a manifestation of nature itself, showing me that life develops slowly, that things that are meant to be together are naturally attracted and relationships develops in its own time. I always feel so much better and calm after these sessions.

So after the morning meditation, listening now to the Symphony No.6!


----------



## Rocco

Listened to these four discs yesterday:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Marcel Tyberg, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## Vasks

*HK Gruber - Violin Concerto #1 (Kovacic/Largo)
Josef Hauer - Suite for Orchestra (Rabl/cpo)*


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Radu Lupu (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Andre Previn (conductor)*

* - recording from 1973*

View attachment 38105


*Another favourite pianist of mine,Radu Lupu, does here an absolutely fantastic interpretation, full of life and emotions. He really express himself through the piano, with fantastic tecnique, and outstanding sensitivity. Good interplay with a dedicated orchestra, and quite good sound.*

* - 1th movement on utube for a more mature Lupu*

* - amazon*

* - sa-cd.net*

* - ClassicsToday*

* - music-web international*


----------



## jim prideaux

as I am going through 'Russian phase' I dug out a cd I had taken little real notice of-Pletnev and the Russian Nat. Orch performing Rachmaninov 2nd symphony and The Rock-one listen and I am reminded why I had taken little notice-not sure whether it is the interpretation, or recording,or the music but I really do not like it!...............but!

today in the post-Amazon 2nd hand bargain double CD-could not resist-the great Svetlanov conducting Kalinnikov 2nd and a number of the composers other orchestral pieces-2nd is 1968 Melodiya recording by USSR Symphony Orch.....this is more like it!
to my ears the strings are far more 'robust' than in the other recordings I have of the 2nd and I am presently really looking forward to first listening to two Intermezzo. Serenade for Strings etc...


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Ligeti, Andras, Conductor • Budapest Symphony Orchestra • Jando, Jeno, piano*

* - Original Release Date: October 6, 1988*

View attachment 38111


*Not as great as Lupu, but still a very good recording. Jando paints marvelous pictures with a slightly layd back approach. Good sound, but I find the orchestra to be a little to far back in the soundpicture.*

* - amazon*

* - classicalonline*


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, 12 London Symphonies.
Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.
Halfway through the 12 and after a rather disappointing start with the first one I sampled, the "Surprise", happy to report the other 5 of the first 6 London Symphonies are very fine.


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival. *Stockhausen*, *Kurtag* Orchestral Music, w. BPO/Abbado et al (rec.1994).


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> To me, Hovhaness sometimes seems like a broad and beautiful river -- but you can wade across without rolling your pants up.


Not so with Symphony 50.


----------



## Vaneyes

kanook said:


> I'm sure this is a familiar one to most but thought it time to bring it out again for a listen. How lucky those patrons in Chicago were back in 1988 to be in attendance at this once in a lifetime musical experience. Bernstein may have been getting a little long in the tooth at the time but he didn't disappoint and he and the Chicago Symphony gave one of the best performances ever of Shostakovich's 7th symphony! It was a bravura performance for the ages!
> 
> *Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony #1 & #7 conducted by Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1988)*
> 
> View attachment 38045
> 
> 
> View attachment 38046
> 
> 
> Bernstein also performed Shostakovich's 7th back in 1962 but I much prefer this one. What's amazing is that Shostakovich composed much of the 7th symphony while struggling to stay alive during the actual siege of Leningrad during the second world war. It brings an immediacy to the music and one can almost feel the brutality and devastation, loss and nostalgia, consolation and renewed strength emanating throughout performance. It sends shivers up my spine *and sometimes I almost weep *while listening to it.


None of that almost weeping, soldier. Yuh do it, or yuh don't.


----------



## Vaneyes

hpowders said:


> *Sorry to disagree.* I find the Tatrai is crisper and play with less vibrato in the Opus 76.
> The Tatrai I find delightful and irresistible; the Tokyo, merely fine.


That's quite alright. And we'll continue to.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Trio for clarinet, cello and piano in A minor, Op. 114_
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Torleif Thedéen, cello
Roland Pöntinen, piano


----------



## Vaneyes

Listening to Russian Futurism, for Sid. :tiphat:

View attachment 38115


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently been listening to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Justus Frantz, pianob
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Leonard Bernstein*

* - Grosser Saal, Musikverein, Vienna, Austria, Feb 1984*


View attachment 38111


*Fine lyrical laid back version. Franz use sparse but effective tools to submit fine soundpictures. Elegantly backed up by Bernstein and Vienna po.*

* - musicalweb*

* - amazon*


----------



## millionrainbows

*Mahler 7: Boulez, Cleveland (DG).
*
More on Mahler's Seventh. It seems the least 'narrative' to me. Most Mahler sounds as if he's telling you something, something emotional, probably about life & love and 'why do we all have to die,' but this one is less Romantic, more 'Classical.' Not that he shows much restraint harmonically; the first movement is all over the place. I hear root movement by M & m thirds, a brief snatch of stacked fourths (Schoenberg did this in tribute in his first Chamber Symphony), a bit of augmented sound, but not much diminished, which is good. The instability seems to be major chords moving in thirds, which quickly takes one into distant key areas, since the 5th/4th relation is the closest.

This is the symphony for theory nerds like me. Schoenberg liked it, too. It sounds like Mahler was just enjoying what he was doing. Not that it sounds 'joyous,' as Mahler's default 'happy' emotional state seems to have been a sort of nervous, effusive animation that would pass as 'happy.' But he was much too driven to ever kick back and actually enjoy things in an offhand way; he seems to be jocular, but still, never frivolous.

The finale is great! It's odd, though; it sounds like fanfare after fanfare of giddy joy, but it keeps repeating this emotion until it begins to sound a little OCD. I can relate! Great horn writing, BTW. I'd like to hear Chicago/Haitink do this in SACD. Haitink is criticized for being 'too objective,' and I would think this is the perfect vehicle for that.

The two "Nachtmusiks" which frame the scherzo are supposedly the same, but they sound totally different. These are almost tone-poems in themselves. That's a Romantic form, and these are like poetry flowing out; that's the way he wrote them, in a fever-pitch of inspiration. That's the Romantic way; direct expression. Yet, the way Mahler always throws all these separate and distinct movements together makes me think that his 'symphonies' are not so Classical, but more like tone-poems linked together.

The scherzo is supposed to be scary, but it's not that scary.

In terms of what was going on in Mahler's life, this was probably just him trying to be happy, and do his music, and forget about all those forebodings he was consumed with in the 6th; maybe he was trying to distract himself, like a nervous talker. But we're all gonna die, so what's the use of fretting over it? I guess he had a lot to lose, more than I do. He left a great legacy, and I'll probably just leave a greasy spot.


----------



## Sonata

Trying to dig deeper into Wagner, so I'm listening to him again today. However, I do need a bit of a breather from the focus and intensity of a full opera so I'm dipping into "Twilight of the Gods: Essential Wagner"


----------



## kanook

I'm at present about half way through this marvelous little gem by a relatively unknown composer who shouldn't be. Paul Wranitsky was very highly regarded in his time and was very prolific. Why some of these great composers drift into obscurity is beyond me but it happens. His Symphony #31's theme is the French Revolution and keeping that in mind, a quite vivid picture of those times emerges as I listen to the music. Good stuff, indeed.

*Paul Wranitzky - Symphonies #31 & 52 performed by NDR Radio Philharmonie Orch. conducted by Howard Griffiths (2006)*

















By the way. The CD is available in Hybrid SACD for those who have better equipment than me and can hear it in all it's glory. I'm definitely going to be on the prowl now for more of Wranitzky's music. You will too if you ever have the pleasure of hearing anything by him. Now that I think of it, maybe it's time I went out and bought myself a SACD player.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Toccatas, BWV 910~916
Bob Van Asperen









Some much earlier keyboard works by Bach, from a period when he was influenced in particular by Buxtehude.


----------



## Alfacharger

Today is the 100th anniversary of the premier of Vaughan William's "A London Symphony". I'm playing the Haitink and later the Hickox original version.


----------



## Schubussy

Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony no. 7
Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berlioz*:Requiem, Te Deum, w. LSO/Davis et al (rec.1969/0; *Mahler* (arr. *Schoenberg*) DLVDE, w. Herreweghe et al (rec.1993); *Ravel*: D & C, w. Chung et al (rec.2004).















View attachment 38120


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

*#MorningListening*

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
In reverse order... for the last week.
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter

New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## AH music

oskaar said:


> *I have recently been listening to*
> 
> * Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*
> 
> *Gerhard Oppitz (piano), NDR Sinfonieorchester, Günter Wand*
> 
> * - rec. live, 21 March 1983, Hamburg Musikhalle, Germany*
> 
> View attachment 38103
> 
> 
> *Very warm and poetic interpretation. Oppitz is brilliantly submitting nuances and small details in a very emphatic way. Brilliant orchestra conducted by Wand*
> 
> * - music-web international*


This (and other posts in this thread.....) reminded me it was ages since I last listened to this work. Although I like the Piano Concerto and the Fantasie Op 17, Schumann is a composer I often struggle to appreciate. Loved listening to this performance!


----------



## DaveS

Schumann's 2nd. Abbado/Orchestra Mozart. 2013 DGG release. Surprised to read that this was Abbado's first recording of the work.


----------



## AH music

So glad I have continued with the cello theme from yesterday. Why, oh why, oh why have I never bothered with Beethoven's cello sonatas before? Blown away by Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky in no 1 Op 5 - surely astonishing for such an early work in a musical career? Almost galumphing around the room in delight in the finale (being the nearest approximation I will ever get to dancing....) And there are four more to go (and some sets of variations). If I was prone to using "smiley" faces, there would be a fair few appearing here.









Earlier I enjoyed revisiting a CD of my own - Strauss Horn Concertos with David Pyatt a former winner of Young Musician of the Year if I remember correctly. Just listened to the wonderful, high spirited, youthful first Op 11 and the contrasting serenity of the single movement Op 7 Serenade for wind instruments.









Must ease off on this bout of listening, I think.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation - The Representation of Chaos; Am Anfange schuf Gott Himmel und Erde; Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; Capella Augustina).









J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major; No. 5 in D Major; No. 6 in B-flat Major (Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).


----------



## Guest

I love Shelley's Schumann/Grieg/Saint-Saens disc (many thanks to Burroughs for relentlessly promoting the thing here months ago), so I wanted to try his Mozart.

Edit: Oops. This was supposed to go in the Latest Purchases thread. It will belong here soon though


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54*

*Performer: Murray Perahia 
Conductor: Sir Colin Davis 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra*

View attachment 38134


* - 1987*

*Very good bubbeling version, that sounds remarcably good after remastering. An aventure to listen to Perahia and the good interplay with the orchestra. Fine balance between the laid-back and the offensive.*

* - youtube*

* - amazon*

* - arkivemusic*


----------



## DrKilroy

Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony on its 100th anniversary.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Guest

As for current listening, just remembered to listen to Vaughan Williams 2. Adrian Boult with EMI. Hope to get a hold of the original version with Hickox soon though.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

37 Wer da gläubet und getauft wird
38 Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu Dir
39 Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot
40 Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (37, 38) and Gustav Leonhardt (39, 40), cond.


----------



## lostid

What can I say about piano quintets, especially these great pieces from my favorite composers....

Excellent recording and audio quality, IMO


----------



## jim prideaux

Kalinnikov-Suite in B minor
Cedar and Palm-symphonic picture
Bylina-overture

Svetlanov-USSR Symph Orch


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bellini - I Puritani (excerpts) - Orchestra del Palacio de las Bellas Artes - Guido Picco (rec 1952









From a 26CD box set (another charity shop bargain from a few years back) of bits and pieces that are taken from radio recordings, bootlegs etc. Very variable sound quality with hisses and crackles, fade-outs, atmospheric interference etc etc abounding, yet for those that like this performer, this is a wonderful record allowing comparisons over time and with different conductors.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Meredith Willson, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2*

These are pleasant pieces, melodic, and they won't ruffle any feathers.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann sonata OP 22

Schubert sonata D959

Murray Perahia


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Piano Quartet No.1 in G Minor, Op.25/String Quartet No.2 in A Minor, Op.51 No.2 Victor Aller/Hollywood String Quartet

There are times after a long and trying day that one needs real balm for the soul. This is always found in any of the recordings made by the Hollywood String Quartet, splendid in all that they do, with music making like this, time seems momentarily to stand still in blissful serenity.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*York Bowen: Suite for Violin & Piano, Sonata for Cello & Piano and Sonata in E Minor for Violin and Piano*
The Endymion Ensemble

Very impressed from first listen, I have a feeling York Bowen is going to become a mainstay, No weak spots for me at all.

*Schubert: Symphony 8 'Unfinished'*
Wilhelm Furtwängler & the Berliner Philharmoniker

Rich, powerful and expressive a classic for me.


----------



## Morimur

*Olivier Messiaen - Orchestral & Chamber Works; Song Cycles (Chailly, Haitink) (6 CD)*

The inimitable Messiaen...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

AH music said:


> Reicha (Rejcha) ...discovering his wind quintets (thanks again, _*Noxos*_).


A 'bad' record company for poor recordings and works (like a 'bad bank')? 
It would have to be called _Noxos_! (Sorry, I know it was a typo).



AH music said:


> Why, oh why, oh why have I never bothered with Beethoven's cello sonatas before?


They are all fine works, but wait 'til you get to Op. 102/1!

Currently listening to:

*Schubert

Rondo Brillant in B minor, D. 895
Grand Duo in A, D. 934
Fantasy in D, D. 934*

Renaud Capuçon (violin), Jérôme Ducros (piano) [Virgin, 1999]










There's some good, mostly second-string, Schubert chamber music on this disc, though I must confess I find the Fantasy a bit tiresome. Performances and recording are first rate.

No, I can't explain the choice of cover art either.


----------



## PetrB

Mozart ~ Concertone for 2 Violins & Orchestra in C major, KV 190 -- a little ditty composed by an eighteen year-old


----------



## AH music

***** It would have to be called Noxos! (Sorry, I know it was a typo). *****

Noxious Noxos..... Blush... An edit is called for, thanks for pointing it out so nicely!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: The Seasons Op.37b Alexei Cherkassov 
Tchaikovsky orch. Alexander Gauk: The Seasons Op.37b USSR Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov

This is a very enjoyable record, the original piano version of "The Seasons" followed by Alexander Gauk's excellent orchestration. I can't seem to find anything out about Cherkassov, but his playing of these pieces is a delight, and naturally Svetlanov is entirely equal to the occasion with the USSR Symphony Orchestra, a delightful double LP set.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, The London Symphonies.
Leonard Bernstein. NY Philharmonic.

Just got through the entire set.
11 very fine performances.

The only perfunctory one is the 104th, also the first recorded, way back in 1958.
An average performance, that one. Nothing special. The only one of the 12 where Bernstein does not take the first movement exposition repeat, necessary for the structure of the movement, in my opinion. He should have been allowed to re-record it after he became reborn with Haydn religion in the 1970's.

So you get 11 out of 12 of the finest available performances of the London Symphonies at a bargain price.

Combined with Bernstein's performances of the Paris Symphonies, also with the NY Philharmonic, any Haydn lover should be well-satisfied for years to come.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

AH music said:


> Noxious Noxos.....


An advertising slogan is born...



AH music said:


> Blush... An edit is called for, thanks for pointing it out so nicely!


Not at all, the most frequent thing I post is "Last edited by TurnaboutVox today at..."!

Currently listening to:

*Wolf - Lieder

Ein Grab 
Andenken 
Ständchen 
Der Schwalben Heimkehr 
Knabentod 
Liebesfrühling 
Auf Der Wanderung 
Ja, Die Schönst'! Ich Sagt' Es Offen 
Nach Dem Abschiede 
Über Nacht*

*Sechs Gedichte Von Scheffel, Mörike, Goethe Und Kerner* - Zur Ruh, Zur Ruh!; Biterolf; Wächterlied Auf Der Wartburg

*Wohin Mit Der Freud'?
Liebchen, Wo Bist Du?
Nachtgruss
Frühlingsglocken
Ständchen ''Komm In Die Stille Nacht!''
Liebesbotschaft*

*
Drei Gedichte Von Robert Reinick* - Gesellenlied; Skolie; Frohe Botschaft; Morgenstimmung

*Vier Gedichte Nach Heine, Shakespeare Und Lord Byron* Lied Des Transferierten Zettel; Keine Gleicht Von Allen Schönen; Sonne Der Schlummerlosen

*Drei Gedichte Von Michelangelo* Wohl Denk' Ich Oft; Alles Endet, Was Entstehet'; Fühlt Meine Seele Das Ersehnte Licht

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim [DG, rec 1976]










Sorry, I got a bit carried away. I am still listening to the last of the six discs of this wonderful set. In the spirit of Anglo-Scots-German détente, how can you resist a lieder cycle called "Vier Gedichte Nach Heine, Shakespeare Und Lord Byron"!

(Byron was a former pupil (briefly!) at my old school, I seem to remember - a dubious and vicarious claim to fame if there ever was one).


----------



## Taggart

TurnaboutVox said:


> (Byron was a former pupil (briefly!) at my old school, I seem to remember - a dubious and vicarious claim to fame if there ever was one).


Obviously influenced your love for cricket since he played for Harrow in the first Eton v Harrow match at Lords in 1805.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Taggart said:


> Obviously influenced your love for cricket since he played for Harrow in the first Eton v Harrow match at Lords in 1805.


So Byron went up in the world and I went down...!


----------



## PetrB

John Luther Adams ~ The Farthest Place


----------



## Alfacharger

Tippett's answer to life, the universe and everything and it's not 42.


----------



## KenOC

Bach's Chaconne in D minor, Busoni's piano transcription. Nikolai Demidenko. This'll certainly blow their hats off in Topeka!










When he was done, they had to throw the piano away.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> Thomas Newman selections from his film scores. A very individual voice.


Newman, oh yeah!










One of the greatest main titles ever.










Just pure greatness.


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): String Quintet No.5 in G Minor, Op.106

Haydn Quartet of Budapest: Janos Horvath and Lajos Foldesi, violins -- Andras Rudolf amd Sandor Papp, violas -- Gabor Magyar, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Markevitch Schubert 4 & Furtwangler Schubert 9*


























Incandescent performances any way you look at it.


----------



## PetrB

Markus Reuter ~ Todmorden 513





Reuter has posted Increments of this work while it was in progress over the last several years. This is the completed full-length and final version, with its originally intended mix of instruments and electronics.

Info about the performers, the recording, and an address to contact if you want to order a copy are on the link. Just tap 'about' and then 'show more'


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> So Byron went up in the world and I went down...!


But, mentioning your school connection should gain entry to Palace Lord Byron. 

http://lordbyronpalace-venice.webs.com/


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by TV's *Schubert* listening, this with Laredo & Brown (rec.1989). :tiphat:

View attachment 38156


----------



## Guest

Bit of Nielsen...a composer I don't listen to nearly enough.

*Wind Quintet: *









*Symphony No. 5:*


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.5 in G Major, KV 283

Christian Zacharias, piano


----------



## Dustin

Brahms Cello Sonatas


----------



## opus55

Massenet: Thaïs
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5


----------



## opus55

Strauss, R: Drei Lieder der Ophelia
Haydn: Concerto for 2 Horns and Orchestra


----------



## Guest

WienerKonzerthaus said:


> Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
> In reverse order... for the last week.
> New releases


How do you like the Tuur?


----------



## opus55

Gluck: Paride ed Elena


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy and Janacek Violin Sonatas - Josef Suk, violin, Jan panenka, piano (Supraphon 10")

The only image I can find is too big to post:

http://www.rauhvinyl.com/bilder/gross/6807.jpg


----------



## Sid James

*Copland:*
_The Tender Land, Suite_
- Tasmanian SO under Dobbs Franks

_Lincoln Portrait (arr. W. Beeler for wind orch.)_
- Alvin Chea, speaker; Univ. of Missouri Wind Ens. under Thomas O'Neal

Continuing with *Copland*, listening to other recordings of these pieces. The wind arrangement of *Lincoln Portrait *really does work, the thinner textures lets the speaker's voice come out more prominently. I like how the piece begins with the fanfare, then we get a march bringing to mind a procession and then the speech. It really shows Copland's calculated way of composing, but still doesn't come through as dry or lacking in emotion, quite the opposite. 

*Brahms *_Symphony #4_ & _Academic Festival Overture_
- Warsaw PO under Bernhard Stoppler

*Brahms' fourth symphony* is my favourite of his cycle, although all are great. It took the longest to catch on in popularity, at the premiere the reception was cool and a private airing amongst his friends (of the two piano reduction) garnered a similar response. Perhaps its that epic aspect which proved dauting, this is a symphony going for profundity big time. Yet I love the more intimate aspects of it too, such as the gentle opening and the meandering slow movement that somehow reminds me of Satie's _Gymnopedies_ - a leisurely stroll with many points of interest, musically speaking. The dancy scherzo provides some light relief - Brahms' classic _Hungarianisms_ there - and then the Bach-inspired finale, which has so many interesting variations, twists and turns galore.

The *Academic Festival Overture *by contrast aims merely to entertain, and like _Lincoln Portrait _was composed with similarly ceremonial purposes in mind - I believe its still played at graduations ceremonies today. Brahms got an honorary doctorate from Breslau university and in return gave them this, in effect a medley of German student's songs. Its a lot of fun, and I really like the duet for bassoons which brings to mind some aria from comic opera. Brahms evidently loved to mingle with his students, there is an anecdote of him being at a pub in the city after giving lectures and the students there requested he play his waltzes at the piano - and he obliged!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Massenet: Thaïs
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 5


- Gorgeous Fleming _Thais_.

- Heroic last movement of the Reiner Beethoven V.

- Sublime second movement of the Reiner Beethoven VII.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Toccatas - Zola Mae Shaulis, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Stabat Mater - Stabat Mater dolorosa (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; Von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Concentus musicus Wien).









Really liking this work. Lots of excellent music here, imo. All Haydn fans should check it out .


----------



## SimonNZ




----------



## ptr

bejart said:


> Mozart: Piano Sonata No.5 in G Major, KV 283
> 
> Christian Zacharias, piano


I'll hear Zacharias play Mozart and Schubert on Sunday, will have to pull out these his EMI Youth recordings to prepare! Thanks for kicking my mind in to action!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

I just looked at his tour schedule. You're seeing him in Gothenburg? And he's doing Schubert's D960? Oh man...

sigh...playing now:










Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire - Arthue Weisberg, cond.


----------



## aleazk

John Luther Adams - _Dark Waves_.

"Hypnotic" piece...


----------



## PetrB

*Sergei Prokofiev ~ Piano Concerto No. 4*

Sergei Prokofiev ~ Piano Concerto No. 4


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Glazunov: Violin Concerto Jascha Heifetz/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Walter Hendl

Gershwin-Heifetz: Porgy and Bess Suite Jascha Heifetz/Brooks Smith

Mendelssohn-Heifetz: On Wings of Song Op.24 No.2
Dinicu-Heifetz: Hora Staccato
Drigo: Valse Bluette
Sarasate: Zapateado Op.23 No.2 Jascha Heifetz/Emanuel Bay

Miaskovsky: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov

Is there a more lovely violin concerto than the Glazunov? I somehow doubt it. That's not to belittle it and say it is lovely and that's that, no, it has so much emotion in it, I can never hear the statement of the theme of the slow movement without tears coming to my eyes, especially in this performance. The tune is so beautiful and Heifetz' playing so ravishingly beautiful that I want it to go on for ever. 
Heifetz' arrangements of some of the tunes from "Porgy and Bess" is wonderful too. Gershwin had promised him a violin concerto, but his early death prevented that project from coming to fruition, so as a tribute to his longtime friend, Heifetz made these wonderful arrangements. I recall once hearing the arrangement of "On Wings of Song" played on radio 3 and the announcer said that what Heifetz does with it is outrageous, but you can't help enjoying it. I remember thinking at the time, what utter nonsense- if Heifetz had arranged it as, say, boogie-woogie or some such, then that would be outrageous, but he writes superbly for the violin in a way that surely Mendelssohn himself would have envied, and is never remotely disrespectful to the composer's intentions. A really superb performance.
The start of my odyssey through the Miasovsky symphonies, in my newly purchased set! I love this one, having heard it already on youtube, but how nice to now listen in good sound, and 26 more to come, plus lots of other orchestral bits and bobs. Svetlanov certainly knows his onions in this music. Bliss.


----------



## SimonNZ

(psst, PetrB...we've been trying to keep this thread free of embedded youtube vids)

playing now:










Stenhammar's Serenade Op.31 - Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## Bas

Georg Phillipe Telemann - Complete Table Music
By the Freiburger Barock Orchestra, on Harmonia Mundi









Delightful 4 discs!


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60_
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Leopold String Trio









*Johannes Brahms*: _Trio for clarinet, cello and piano in A minor, Op. 114_
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Roland Pöntinen, piano
Torleif Thedéen, cello


----------



## Jeff W

Been listening to some of my latest purchases. Hopefully I won't come across as too much of a classical newbie. Anyhow, first up was Cyprien Katsaris in Felix Mendelssohn Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 along with the Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra. The orchestra was was Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and was led by Kurt Masur for the first two and was the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra led by Janos Rolla.









Next up was Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings and the Concerto for Violin and Strings. Benjamin Firth played solo piano while Marat Bisengaliev played solo violin. the orchestra is the Northern Sinfonia led by Andrew Penny.









About to be played is an old favorite, Sergei Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf' and 'Lt. Kije' Suite. Mario Rossi conducts the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. Boris Karloff narrates 'Peter and the Wolf'.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Faustus Symphony after Goethe (Jascha Horenstein; Ferdinand Koch; Männerchor des Süddeutschen Rundfunks, Stuttgart; Südwestfunkorchester Baden-Baden).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn's Clock Symphony*









Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the sunnier-than-usual climes of Southern California, waking up to the vivacious-and-poised first movement of the Karajan/EMI Haydn Clock Symphony.


----------



## Mahlerian

Last night was

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV988
Bob Van Asperen, harpsichord


----------



## Vasks

_Roamin' 'round Russian Romantics_

*Taneyev - Overture to "Oresteia", Op. 6 (Sanderling/Naxos)
Kalinnikov - Symphony No. 2 (Jarvi/Chandos)*


----------



## julianoq

Starting to dig again on Scriabin Piano Sonatas, starting with the No.1. I tried Scriabin piano music several months ago but put it to rest. I am glad I am trying again, since this time I am enjoying from the first note. Performed by Maria Lettberg.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
Karl-Heinz Steffens*

* - Release Date: 2014-03-25*

View attachment 38175


*Fine, solid interpretation.*


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listened to*

*Session 2 no 6: Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

* Wit, Antoni, Conductor • Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra*

* - Physical Release: 10/1994*

View attachment 38176


*Very good and engaged reccording. This symphony can easily be lifeless, but not here. Fine powerfull interpretation.*

* - naxos*

* - classicsonline*

* - amazon*


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listned to*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Karl Böhm / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra*

* - Int. Release 25 Jul. 1991*

View attachment 38177


*I really like this interpretation. Mystic and dark, powerfull and energetic, soft,lyric,tense adventural. Böhm have a magic wand here.*

* - Schubert: Symphony No.2 - Böhm/WPh(1976Live) - YouTube*


----------



## JakeBloch

*Solo Cello-20th Century*

I have been listening to solo cello of the 20th Century

Kodaly Op08 - Starker performing - interesting, beautiful, musical; incredible sounds
Bloch Suites I, II, III - Karp performing - doleful, pathetic (in the 19c Century meaning), passionate
Reger Suites Op131c - Racz performing - surprisingly accessible and pleasant, not too academic
Britten Suites I, II, III - Mork performing - need to listen to again, not as pleasant as the others

Overall, a nice way to spend my time!


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## Oskaar

*Previous listening*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin*

* - Very fresh and engaged recording*

View attachment 38182


*Very fresh and engaged recording. Specially the light parts is brilliantly played, but good musicianchip is obvious throughout the symphony.*

* - youtube playlist whole cycle*

* - prestoclassical*


----------



## Vaneyes

For the death days of *Mussorgsky* (1881) and *Rachmaninov *(1943).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart Piano Sonata No. 13 in B Flat*









Vintage Richter.


----------



## Blake

Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Field's Mozart - _Serenades for Orchestra_. It's amazing.


----------



## jim prideaux

Vasks said:


> _Roamin' 'round Russian Romantics_
> 
> *Taneyev - Overture to "Oresteia", Op. 6 (Sanderling/Naxos)
> Kalinnikov - Symphony No. 2 (Jarvi/Chandos)*


arguably a self indulgent enquiry but how did you find the Kalinnikov?-personally I find the last movement remarkably up-lifting, inherent nostalgia coupled with an almost strident optimism.......should I be listening to Taneyev?


----------



## jim prideaux

WienerKonzerthaus said:


> Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
> New releases mostly... but not always.


might I express a welcome-hope you enjoy!
on another rather self indulgent note-February this year had the good fortune to hear the VPO in Vienna performing Bruckner 6th-and what a performance that was!-I know it is stating the obvious but what a remarkably interesting and beautiful city you have the good fortune to live in!


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listned to*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari Oramo*

* - Release date:
7th March 2011*

View attachment 38193


*Also a strong contribution to the edition*

* - prestoclassical*

* - classical-music.com*

* - musicalcriticism.com*


----------



## Vasks

jim prideaux said:


> arguably a self indulgent enquiry but how did you find the Kalinnikov?-personally I find the last movement remarkably up-lifting, inherent nostalgia coupled with an almost strident optimism.......should I be listening to Taneyev?


I really like both Kalinnikov symphonies. But if I were to fault anything about them it would be their structural predictability.

Taneyev is a bit more quirky. Some of his melodic material may not be as strongly delineated as a Kalinnikov but there's more surprises packed in his pieces.


----------



## jim prideaux

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38162
> View attachment 38163
> View attachment 38164
> 
> 
> Glazunov: Violin Concerto Jascha Heifetz/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Walter Hendl
> 
> Gershwin-Heifetz: Porgy and Bess Suite Jascha Heifetz/Brooks Smith
> 
> Mendelssohn-Heifetz: On Wings of Song Op.24 No.2
> Dinicu-Heifetz: Hora Staccato
> Drigo: Valse Bluette
> Sarasate: Zapateado Op.23 No.2 Jascha Heifetz/Emanuel Bay
> 
> Miaskovsky: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.3 Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov
> 
> Is there a more lovely violin concerto than the Glazunov? I somehow doubt it. That's not to belittle it and say it is lovely and that's that, no, it has so much emotion in it, I can never hear the statement of the theme of the slow movement without tears coming to my eyes, especially in this performance. The tune is so beautiful and Heifetz' playing so ravishingly beautiful that I want it to go on for ever.
> Heifetz' arrangements of some of the tunes from "Porgy and Bess" is wonderful too. Gershwin had promised him a violin concerto, but his early death prevented that project from coming to fruition, so as a tribute to his longtime friend, Heifetz made these wonderful arrangements. I recall once hearing the arrangement of "On Wings of Song" played on radio 3 and the announcer said that what Heifetz does with it is outrageous, but you can't help enjoying it. I remember thinking at the time, what utter nonsense- if Heifetz had arranged it as, say, boogie-woogie or some such, then that would be outrageous, but he writes superbly for the violin in a way that surely Mendelssohn himself would have envied, and is never remotely disrespectful to the composer's intentions. A really superb performance.
> The start of my odyssey through the Miasovsky symphonies, in my newly purchased set! I love this one, having heard it already on youtube, but how nice to now listen in good sound, and 26 more to come, plus lots of other orchestral bits and bobs. Svetlanov certainly knows his onions in this music. Bliss.


third consecutive self indulgent post-I personally would be really interested in your progress through the Miaskovsky set-I have the later symphonies and plan to get hold of the others over time-Svetlanov is the man!-yesterday I commented on the arrival of a two CD set featuring a variety of Kalinnikov's works conducted by the great Russian-funnily enough I am now wondering whether I 'need' to hear him conducting Glazunov-I have Serebrier and Otaka but!......am now returning to Glazunov violin concerto on your recommendation....thanks!


----------



## Oskaar

*I would like to add to*

*Session 2 no 6: Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*
 - link to original post

*Rafael Kubelik (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)*

* - 1964*

View attachment 38196


*The sound is a bit under pari, but the interpretation is phenomenal. Rich orchestra, fine variations and an obvious engagement from all*

* - prestoclassical*

* - amazon*


----------



## lostid

Less known composer who made beautiful music for us to enjoy. Thank you Mr. Composer.


----------



## adrem

Ravel, String quartet in F major, Alban Berg Quartett.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Haffner*

God I love the vivacity Szell brings to the first movement:









Not too mannered and ponderous; not to break-neck rushed.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas no. 4 "Great", no. 9, no. 10, no. 15 "Pastorale", no. 21 "Waldstein", no. 19, no. 20
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI









Sir Edward Elgar - Sea Pictures
Jannet Baker [mezzo], the LSO, Sir John Barbirolli [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Selby

Albéniz - Iberia

the Marc-André Hamelin, piano


----------



## opus55

Sibelius: Piano Quartets


----------



## PetrB

John Adams ~ Shaker Loops *in its original string septet version*, which the composer says he prefers to his later string orchestra version (I also prefer this version.)

From the La Jolla Music Society Summer Music festival, 2002, a video of a (near run-through dress rehearsal performance conducted by the composer (Starts @ 28'40'').

The first half of the link is some commentary and the rehearsals for the performance -- if you like rehearsal documents, which I do


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok Violin Concerto No. 1*

Listening both to Solti and Fischer. Nobody's home, so I can finally crank up the volume.


----------



## Morimur

*Frederic Rzewski: "The People United Will Never be Defeated," Piano: Y. Takahashi*














The People United is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song "¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" by Sergio Ortega and Quilapayún, and received its world premiere on February 7, 1976, played by Ursula Oppens as part of the Bi-Centennial Piano Series at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. Rzewski dedicated the composition to Oppens, who had commissioned it as a companion piece to Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, and who recorded it in 1979; her recording was named "Record of the Year" in that year by Record World, and received a Grammy nomination. - Wikipedia


----------



## jim prideaux

inspired by the Shropshiremoose I am now listening to Glazunov violin concerto for the second time this evening-Serebrier, Russian National Orch. Rachel Barton Pine-violin.
This is followed by Chant du menestrel,2nd piano concerto and the saxophone concerto....

When I listen to Glazunov I am always aware of the frequent observation regarding his conservatism, the implication that the 20th century somehow left him behind as he became increasingly irrelevant or redundant....however I find his music remarkably enjoyable, expansive, well crafted etc and I return to his works with increasing frequency....so much for received wisdom!


----------



## cwarchc

I had

Dvorak No 9 by The Slovak Philharmonic on Naxos for the commute

Now spinning on glorious vinyl:


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## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

41 Jesu, nun sei gepreiset
42 Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats
43 Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bellini - I Puritani - Callas, Di Stefano, Panerai, Risso-Lemeni - Orch e Coro del Teatro Scala di Milano - Tullio Serafin









Yesterday, the sound quality was missing, but the atmosphere was palpable, today, the sound quality and performances are great, but it feels like listening to a recording instead of hearing it live. Top quality pleasure, nonetheless


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Kurtág

Neun Stücke für Viola solo
Jelek, Op. 5 (for solo Viola)
Hommage à R. Sch., Op. 15d (for Piano, Viola & Clarinet trio)

Schumann

Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132*

Kim Kashkashian, Viola; Robert Levin, Piano; Eduard Brunner, Clarinet 
[ECM New Series: György Kurtág - Hommage à R. Sch. - Robert Schumann]

I was going to sort out the double image but it rather suits the nature of the Kurtag / Schumann coupling. I find the Kurtag works utterly convincing here, the Schumann less so (Op. 73, for piano and clarinet fares best). I don't think these artists are necessarily contemporary music specialists, so I'm not quite sure why that should be. The hugely reverberant acoustic doesn't necessarily help with Schumann's dense textures in Op. 113 and Op. 132, whereas the Kurtag works are sparse and stark. That may be the principal reason, I suppose.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Symphonies #88, 92-99, 104.
George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra.
Fine performances, but do not command my attention like Leonard Bernstein conducting Haydn with the NY Philharmonic.
One of the problems is some of Szell's minuets are simply too fast, whereas Bernstein's are all magnificent.
Fine for those who want an introduction to some great Haydn symphonies.
The box is certainly a bargain and I am really nitpicking.
These are very good Haydn performances.


----------



## Itullian

hpowders said:


> View attachment 38217
> 
> 
> FJ Haydn, London Symphonies #88, 92-99, 104.
> George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra.
> Fine performances, but do not command my attention like Leonard Bernstein conducting Haydn with the NY Philharmonic.
> One of the problems is Szell's minuets are simply too fast.
> Another is a certain stylistic unawareness; the opposite of Bernstein.
> Fine for those who want an introduction to some great Haydn symphonies.
> The box is certainly a bargain.


I HATE fast minuets. One of the main reasons I stay with modern inst. older recordings.


----------



## hpowders

Itullian said:


> I HATE fast minuets. One of the main reasons I stay with modern inst. older recordings.


Bernstein is so wonderful in the Haydn minuets. Just right! He was a terrific Haydn conductor.


----------



## AH music

Well..... On the symphony cycles poll thread I admitted that I am shockingly ignorant of Prokofiev's symphonies, having only heard no 1 (quite a regular and enjoyable listen). The only thing I knew about the rest was that the 5th seems well known and popular, but I have never heard it. So, methinks, what better than taking them one at a time, in order - oblivious of the reputation of no 2? I read about that on listening to it (Prokofiev Symphony no 2 Op 40).... Rather out of my comfort zone in terms of style, but I persevered, and survived. Enjoy is not exactly the word, but neither is ordeal as it might have been if I had been armed with advanced warning signals about the "modernity". It was certainly an experience! For all the pretty much relentless noise and speed of the first movement, it made more of an impact on a first listen than the very long second movement, which although easier on the ear in some ways, obviously takes more than one hearing to get to grips with properly. [Edit - I won't be too hard on myself. _Wonderful quote from wikipedia - After the premiere, Prokofiev commented that neither he nor the audience understood the piece. He also wrote "I have made the music so complex to such an extent that when I listen to it myself I do not fathom its essence, so what can I ask of others?" _ It may not be very soon, but I don't think I will give up on the work, which I am certainly guilty of in plenty of other instances. Could not fault the performance of the LSO under Weller - in fact amazed at the sheer energy and yet precision of the orchestral achievement. Will look forward to continuing the exploration.









Also continued the cello theme I started the other day, with Beethoven's second Op 5 sonata today, again impressed with Argerich and Maisky. Loving the combination of piano and cello. The piece seemed a little more conventional than the remarkable impression of hearing the first for the first time yesterday, probably one of those that repays repeat listening.


----------



## cwarchc

No 7 & 10 from this superb set


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.3
Prokofiev: The Love of Three Oranges-Suite
Dvorak: Symphony No.9 "From the New World" BBC Symphony Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe

Franck: Eglogue/Premier Grand Caprice/A Doll's Lament/Prelude, Chorale and Fugue/Danse Lente/Prelude, Aria et Final Ashley Wass

A superb disc of Kempe with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, from two proms in August 1975, it's all very good, but the "New World" is outstanding, one of the most exciting performances that I've ever heard- and the recording is good too.
Then Franck piano music from Ashley Wass. I bought this having heard a broadcast of the Premier Grand Caprice- a work I'd never heard before. That and the other early works are all new to me, and very well played on this recording, as are the two well known pieces. If anyone is unfamiliar with Franck's piano works, then this is a very good disc to buy, playing and recording are excellent. Highly recommended.


----------



## AH music

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38222
> View attachment 38223
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.3
> Prokofiev: The Love of Three Oranges-Suite
> Dvorak: Symphony No.9 "From the New World" BBC Symphony Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe
> 
> Franck: Eglogue/Premier Grand Caprice/A Doll's Lament/Prelude, Chorale and Fugue/Danse Lente/Prelude, Aria et Final Ashley Wass
> 
> A superb disc of Kempe with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, from two proms in August 1975, it's all very good, but the "New World" is outstanding, one of the most exciting performances that I've ever heard- and the recording is good too.
> Then Franck piano music from Ashley Wass. I bought this having heard a broadcast of the Premier Grand Caprice- a work I'd never heard before. That and the other early works are all new to me, and very well played on this recording, as are the two well known pieces. If anyone is unfamiliar with Franck's piano works, then this is a very good disc to buy, playing and recording are excellent. Highly recommended.


Franck - I love the Eglogue and the Grand Caprice from this disc!! A rare thing for me, a purchase motivated by the musician rather than the music.


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## Oskaar

Schumann at his best!

Enjoy!

Youtube


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Yared, Si; Horner, No*









Gabriel Yared's (rejected) score to the movie Troy: "The War of the Arrows":






Looks like someone was copying from Rachmaninov's_ Bells_. . ._ and _Holst's Planets. . . _and _Horner's Gladiator score. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Great battle music all the same.

I wish this score was used and not James Horner's.


----------



## KenOC

Jeremy Denk plays the Goldberg Variations. Fabulous.










Saith Jeremy: "I worried for years that I would be seduced into playing them, and would become like all the others - besotted, cultish - and that is exactly what happened. I have been assimilated into the Goldberg Borg."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Igor Markevitch: Icarus*









Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, 1958:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berwald, Symphony No. 1.*

This is Ulf Bjorlin conducting. My used CD store has Blomstedt's recording; I'm seeing if what I have is good enough.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 47
Brahms - Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34*

Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; the Artemis Quartet [Virgin Classics, rec 2007]










I find it difficult to resist listening to more Schumann once I've started. On the other hand, Herr Doktor Johannes...meh, not so much. I like the Scherzo (Allegro) & trio movement which is a bit more direct than Brahms usually manages to be. In my opinion. Yes, I know. Subjectivity!

The mushy treble sound quality is not impressive on such a modern recording.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Philharmonia Orchestra/Guido Cantelli

Beethoven: Trio in E-flat, Op.3 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky

This record of the Siegfried Idyll is supremely passionate, another 2nd hand bargain acquired for £1.50! The Tchaikovsky is good, but the Wagner is in a class of its own. What a great orchestra the 1950s Philharmonia was. Then more superlative string playing by three of the finest on their respective instruments. This box of the Heifetz-Piatigorsky concerts is a wonderful bargain, £28.83 for 21 CDs of superb chamber music, in exemplary performances.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Symphonies 1 and 4 Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Carl Schuricht

Lively and characterful Beethoven to round off my evening. I like these Schuricht performances- there are several I have on LP, nearly all got fairly average write ups in the old Penguin Guide to Bargain Records, but I like the conducting and the playing, so whose bothered, eh??


----------



## Levanda

Lope de Aguirre said:


> View attachment 38214
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The People United is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song "¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" by Sergio Ortega and Quilapayún, and received its world premiere on February 7, 1976, played by Ursula Oppens as part of the Bi-Centennial Piano Series at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. Rzewski dedicated the composition to Oppens, who had commissioned it as a companion piece to Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, and who recorded it in 1979; her recording was named "Record of the Year" in that year by Record World, and received a Grammy nomination. - Wikipedia


Thanks for sharing this link so good.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G Minor, KV 550

John Eliot Gardiner conducting the English Baroque Soloists


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Czerny - Piano Sonata No. 2 in A minor Op. 13*

Martin Jones (Piano) [Nimbus, 2010]

Otherwise known at Turnabout Towers as 'the CD that my Meridian 506 won't play, because Nimbus recorded it on a CD-R'. Plays on a PC, natch.

This is a cracking piano sonata, actually: Czerny's not Beethoven but then who is?

*Alkan - 25 Preludes Op. 31*

Olli Mustonen (piano) [Decca, 1991]

Alkan tends to be under-rated but this is memorably good music.

*Chopin

Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 45
Prelude in A Flat Major, Op. Posth.
Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op. 60
Polonaise No. 6 in A Flat Major, Op. 53
Scherzo No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 31*

Martha Argerich (Piano) [DG, 1977]

OK well, after Czerny and Alkan, here is the real deal.

PS: Shropshire Moose, you usually prefer historic piano performances, I think. I'm curious to know what you made of Ashley Wass in Franck. I rather like his Frank Bridge.


----------



## Guest

Sono Luminus issues its recordings in Blu-ray audio and on a standard CD. I chose the highest resolution Blu-ray (DTS MA 24 bit/192 kHz), and the sound is indeed excellent, if a tiny bit dry--could use a bit more "air" around the instrument, but it sounds very realistic. Lewin's playing is excellent, too. He has tremendous technique and a huge dynamic range.


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## Guest

The monthly/bi-monthly effort to sit through a full, longer Wagner opera. Not hating it, I suppose


----------



## Sonata

Wagner Without Words: George Szell and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.

After which I will begin my chronological Brahms listening project (oh bliss!!) with piano sonata #1


----------



## KenDuctor

Mendelssohn symphony no 5


----------



## Schubussy

Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no.2
Kurt Masur, Genwandhausorchester Leipzig, Michel Béroff


----------



## Selby

Ravel, Maurice

Gaspard de la Nuit, M. 55

Louis Lortie, piano


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.61

Hanus Barton, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

William Lawes Consort Music - Thurston Dart, cond.










Finzi's Dies Natalis - Wilfred Brown, tenor, cond. composer


----------



## Sid James

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 38167
> 
> 
> Been listening to some of my latest purchases. Hopefully I won't come across as too much of a classical newbie. Anyhow, first up was Cyprien Katsaris in Felix Mendelssohn Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 along with the Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra. The orchestra was was Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and was led by Kurt Masur for the first two and was the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra led by Janos Rolla.
> 
> View attachment 38168
> 
> 
> Next up was Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings and the Concerto for Violin and Strings. Benjamin Firth played solo piano while Marat Bisengaliev played solo violin. the orchestra is the Northern Sinfonia led by Andrew Penny.
> 
> View attachment 38171
> 
> 
> About to be played is an old favorite, Sergei Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf' and 'Lt. Kije' Suite. Mario Rossi conducts the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. Boris Karloff narrates 'Peter and the Wolf'.


I quite like all of those, the two Mendelssohn Piano Concertos are great, but both overshadowed by his Violin Concerto in E minor. I just read that while he was a student in Liepzig, Delius performed the first one. That was late 19th century, when Mendelssohn's stature was pretty high, and I don't know why these didn't stay firmly in the repertoire as they where. Mendelssohn also innovated in these, he was doing similar things to Liszt in those two concertos - well in some respects, the movements going without pause is one aspect.

Even when Neo-Classicism became a big fad in the early 20th century, I don't think many people paid homage to Mendelssohn, when in some ways he was the visionary who pushed things in that direction with 'back to Bach' and all that. But its another hobby horse of mine, how certain things are obscured by music history and the big fish - the Beethovens, the Wagners, the Schoenbergs for example - all take precedence over others who where just as important. Again, Mendelssohn is often put down - more often than not in comparison to Berlioz - but I see him as a progressive, and that's evidenced by those works as well as his better known 'warhorses.'



AH music said:


> Well..... On the symphony cycles poll thread I admitted that I am shockingly ignorant of Prokofiev's symphonies, having only heard no 1 (quite a regular and enjoyable listen).... I read about that on listening to it (Prokofiev Symphony no 2 Op 40).... _Wonderful quote from wikipedia - After the premiere, Prokofiev commented that neither he nor the audience understood the piece. He also wrote "I have made the music so complex to such an extent that when I listen to it myself I do not fathom its essence, so what can I ask of others?" _...


You know, reading that and other kind of similar opinions of composers being pretty hard on themselves, I often wonder what all the fuss is about Modern music? It shows humility in a composer if he admits to not understanding a work, either technically or otherwise. Sometimes its useless to do that anyway, it just comes out. I am no expert on Prokofiev's symphonies, I must have heard that symphony but in the dim dark days of the past, so my memory of it is virtually zero.

But his Symphony #3 I am very familiar with, I've got it, and he harnesses that kind of brutal energy so well in that. Amazing work, in some places psychopathic, starting and finishing with the bells and choral harmonies so prevalent in Russian orchestral and piano music, but in between its amazing as well. But yes the 5th is considered his finest, and the 1st and 3rd are by common consensus very fine too.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Cyprus c.1390: The Cypriot "O" Antiphons" - Paul Van Nevel, cond. (Pavane Records, 1983)

again the sole image I can find is too large to post:

http://img.cdandlp.com/2013/12/imgL/116402006.jpg

though it seems that DHM released it on cd as this:


----------



## violadude

*Mozart Violin Concerto #3 in G Major*

Possibly my favorite of Mozart's violin concertos, with #4 being a the other contender. The first movement never ever fails to put a smile on my face. The violin's comments on and variations of the orchestral statements are just perfect. The slow movement is one of my favorite Mozart slow movements. He gets some really great textures from the woodwinds in this one, especially in the middle section. The melody that the violin spins out over these calming woodwind sounds seems infinitely lyrical. Then finally, the last movement is great. Lots of cool surprises and quirky spots, not least of which that gypsy-like section. I wonder if that passage was inspired by Haydn, he was fond of those types of passages.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's String Quartet No.1 - Vegh Quartet


----------



## Conor71

This evenings listening:
Carl Vine: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 - No. 5; "Percussion" was particularly good I thought
Aaron Copland: Symphony No. 3 - Just downloaded this one a few days ago - most impressed!


----------



## kanook

Another lesser known composer who was very highly regarded in his own time among the public and his peers and deserves much better recognition today than what he gets. After hearing this the first time I almost jumped up out of my seat clapping vigorously and yelling bravo, bravo, bravo but in the nick of time realized I was alone at home. I really must get out more. Anyway this performance is more soft and poetic rather than boisterous and loud so is ideal for morning listening pleasure. It's definitely top-notch all the way and highly recommended.

*Philippe Gaubert - Symphonie, Les Chants de la Mer, Concert en fa, performed by Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg conducted by Marc Soustrot. (2008)*

















Am listening to it now and enjoying it as much if not more than the first time I played it.


----------



## Conor71

Some more new Discs that I am enjoying today:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Glazunov: Violin Concerto Nathan Milstein/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/William Steinberg
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 Nathan Milstein/New Philharmonia Orchestra/Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos

Walton: Symphony No.1 New Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Another Glazunov Violin Concerto performance, totally different from the Heifetz recording I listened to yesterday, though the recordings are contemporaneous. You can hear the basic difference immediately the orchestra plays their opening chords- and the violin's first entry confirms it, where Heifetz is passionate with a degree of urgency, Milstein caresses and feels more elegant, both approaches work well. Milstein performed the piece under Glazunov's baton in 1923, and Heifetz knew the composer well, so make of that what you will. The finale with Heifetz has a gypsy swagger, whereas Milstein is far more aristocratic. Fascinating. The Prokofiev concerto is given a superb reading, Milstein being great friends with the composer, and I enjoy this as much as Heifetz' performance of the same work.
Walton's birthday, so the stunning performance by Sargent and the New Philharmonia is once more spun on the turntable. It was fashionable when I was younger to always deride the Sargent performance as being massively inferior to Previn, but I find a power and menace in Sargent that is not in the Previn performance for my money. I wonder if this attitude was partly down to the general tendency of the musical establishment to revile Sargent? I do feel it's time for a more balanced reassessment of his worth as a conductor, because based on many of the performances in my collection, I would hold him to be a very great conductor indeed, and that's sufficient for me, regardless of what anyone else may think!!


----------



## aleazk

Elliott Carter - _Night Fantasies_.


----------



## SimonNZ

Ferneyhough's Sonatas For String Quartet - Berne Quartet


----------



## techniquest

Inspired by the BBC Radio 3 "Building a Library" this morning which was on Copland's Appalachian Spring, I'm listening to Copland - specifically these two discs


----------



## Jeff W

Conor71 said:


> Some more new Discs that I am enjoying today:


Always nice to see my hometown orchestra get some attention (they won a Grammy for that disc to boot!)!









First up for me last night/this morning was Joseph Haydn's Symphonies No. 93, 94 'Surprise' and 103 'Drum Roll'. Eugen Jochum led the London Philharmonic Orchestra. No. 94 was for the Saturday Symphony thread. I remember playing the Surprise Symphony for the girlfriend and she jumped about two feet into the air!









Next was Felix Mendelssohn's Concertos for Two Pianos. Benjamin Frith and Hugh Tinney played the pianos while Proinnsías Ó Duinn led the RTE Sinfonietta. This was another recent arrival for me. I quite liked these pieces!









Currently playing is Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9. Claudio Abbado leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Will continue with the Overture D. 644 that is the last disc on the track once the symphony finishes.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

To begin on Saturday morning:

* Chopin - Preludes Op. 28*

Martha Argerich (Piano) [DG, 1977]


----------



## Bas

Giuseppe Verdi - MacBeth (live: 1952)
By Maria Callas [soprano], Enzo Mascherini [bariton], Italo Tajo [bass], Gino Penno [tenor], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata [dir.], on EMI









The sound is really bad, but my God she was legendary (I need to have another disc of MacBeth with better sound though...)


----------



## kanook

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 38263
> 
> 
> Currently playing is Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9. Claudio Abbado leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Will continue with the Overture D. 644 that is the last disc on the track once the symphony finishes.


Hey Jeff, Great choice, of course one can never go wrong with Schubert. Fact is I went and grabbed my copy of this marvelous piece of music and am playing it now too!! Just goes to show ya, great minds do think alike! :lol:

By the way my CD has a different cover, not that it matters but here it is below.









Cheers. :tiphat:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38232
> View attachment 38233
> 
> 
> Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Philharmonia Orchestra/Guido Cantelli
> 
> Beethoven: Trio in E-flat, Op.3 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
> 
> This record of the Siegfried Idyll is supremely passionate, another 2nd hand bargain acquired for £1.50! The Tchaikovsky is good, but the Wagner is in a class of its own. What a great orchestra the 1950s Philharmonia was. Then more superlative string playing by three of the finest on their respective instruments. This box of the Heifetz-Piatigorsky concerts is a wonderful bargain, £28.83 for 21 CDs of superb chamber music, in exemplary performances.


---
Guido Cantelli looks like Karajan, and was just getting internationally famous in the fifties, as Karajan was starting to-- only this greatly underrated conductor tragically died in a plane crash.

I love his Philharmonia Brahm's Third. He plays it like its Beethoven.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38222
> View attachment 38223
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.3
> Prokofiev: The Love of Three Oranges-Suite
> Dvorak: Symphony No.9 "From the New World" BBC Symphony Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe
> 
> Franck: Eglogue/Premier Grand Caprice/A Doll's Lament/Prelude, Chorale and Fugue/Danse Lente/Prelude, Aria et Final Ashley Wass
> 
> A superb disc of Kempe with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, from two proms in August 1975, it's all very good, but the "New World" is outstanding, one of the most exciting performances that I've ever heard- and the recording is good too.
> Then Franck piano music from Ashley Wass. I bought this having heard a broadcast of the Premier Grand Caprice- a work I'd never heard before. That and the other early works are all new to me, and very well played on this recording, as are the two well known pieces. If anyone is unfamiliar with Franck's piano works, then this is a very good disc to buy, playing and recording are excellent. Highly recommended.


---
Thanks for the reportage on the Kempe/BBCSO Dvorak Ninth. I'll get it for sure. _;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Haydn Cello Concerto in C*









Delightful, delicate morning fun.


----------



## Blake

Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Field's Mozart - _Divertimenti_. Again… amazing.


----------



## Vasks

_Symphonies by Saeverud_

*Harald Saeverud - Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 (Kitajenko/Simax)*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Complete String Quartets (Jonathan Del Mar edition)

CD 6
No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95
No. 12 in E flat, Op. 127*

Endellion Quartet [Warner Classics, rec. 2005/2006]










This is my first listen to the Endellion Quartet's Op. 95 and Op. 127.

Op. 95 is very well played with a sweet seriousness. but Op. 127 is a bit problematic: as in Op. 135 there are some strange tempo changes (the thought has occurred to me that these are differences in the Del Mar edition rather than an interpretative idiosyncrasy) and overall the ensemble doesn't seem to be as 'together' as in my favourite readings (Talich, Italian, Alban Berg quartets). The tempo in the faster outer movements is so rapid as to sound 'rushed'.

The quality of sound recording is excellent, as all this set has been.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vesuvius said:


> Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Field's Mozart - _Divertimenti_. Again… amazing.
> 
> View attachment 38270


I love this cd; that is to say with specificity: Marriner's readings of the Divertimenti.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Forward to Battle!*

























Espressinated Gemutlichkeit, attitude, and the emotional soundtrack to take on the world. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> I love his Philharmonia Brahm's Third. He plays it like it Beethoven.


I've never heard of this conductor. I'm listening on Spotify. Unfortunately, it's not the remastered Testament version. Still, I can hear what you're calling the Beethoven aspects.


----------



## Mahlerian

Symphony of the week!
Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G, "Surprise"
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, cond. Fischer


----------



## Weston

*Vivaldi: Chamber Concerto, for recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon & continuo in G minor, RV 105 and
Chamber Concerto, for recorder, 2 violins & continuo in A minor, RV 108* 
Lásló Kecskeméti, recorder, et al.









Brilliant wake up music to lighten a dull gray morning. I've often wondered why recorders usually sound just a hair out of tune to me. Maybe it's that the tone is so pure, like a sine wave, the least bit off is more noticeable? Or it could be something more technical about temperament. It's not an issue in either event.


----------



## millionrainbows

I am a bit ambivalent about *Mahler's Eighth,* with its "creator Hymn." This sort of demonstrative, physically animated extravagance makes me nervous.
Thus, having studied Carl Jung's ideas, and how archetypes can be activated psychically, and it becomes manifest in the person, like any archetype can. And when people in groups start 'activating archetypes,' like the Manson family did, it makes me nervous.

I don't know exactly what Mahler's intent was, but he surely made a very big deal out of it, both in the work itself and the people present at the premiers. Webern conducted it as well.

Mahler ended up quitting the Vienna opera and being 'run out of town' anyway. I wonder, were they "full of the spirit" when this all happened?

I say this* Eighth Symphony *of Mahler's is a grim premonition, just as his *Sixth *was; only this time, Mahler was naïve; instead, it seems that the flip-side of archetypes is revealed by what transpired later.

See my more extensive, audacious thread on this in the "Religious Music" sub-forum.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listned to*

*Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Conductor: Herbert von Karajan 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra*

* - Date of Recording: 05/1987 
Venue: Grosser Saal, Musikverein, Vienna *

View attachment 38278


*Strong and accurate recording. Almost a little to masculine and bobastic. That is what I often find with Karajan; the lyrical moods is killed by the power and systematical strucyure. The moments are there, and played separatly they would be find, but they funktion as pauses for other parts for me, and I dont capture them. But it may be a mood thing. But many will like it, and it is absolutely a strong performance*

* - Karajan. Rehearsal of Schumann's 4th Symphony - youtube*

* - amazon*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Haydn

Piano Trio Hob. XV: 12 in E minor, H.12*

Schiff, Shiokawa, Pergamenschikow [Decca, 2004]

Schiff et al in fine form

*Beethoven - Complete Piano Sonatas

CD10
No. 30 in E, Op. 109
No. 31 in A flat, Op. 110
No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111*

Alfred Brendel [Decca, 1993-6]

Magnificent, spellbinding playing from the master. Imagine my surprised joy when I saw he is due to perform in Manchester in the RNCM's new season on 7th May...and my disappointment that he is talking about his book 'A Pianist's A to Z'!


----------



## Weston

It's always wonderful to browse this thread. It's so much more than just a "hey, look at my consummate taste!" kind of thing.



Jeff W said:


> . . .
> 
> View attachment 38168
> 
> 
> Next up was Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings and the Concerto for Violin and Strings. Benjamin Firth played solo piano while Marat Bisengaliev played solo violin. the orchestra is the Northern Sinfonia led by Andrew Penny.
> 
> . . .


I never knew such a work existed. But then, I'm not a huge Mendelssohn fan lately. But I do love double concertos, so I should look for this.



cwarchc said:


> View attachment 38224
> 
> 
> No 7 & 10 from this superb set


I've been reluctant to pick this up because of its bargain price (in the USA at least). But others have also said this is a good set. I always worry about super fast tempos or truncated (non-repeats) movements when the price seems too good.



bejart said:


> Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op.61
> 
> Hanus Barton, piano
> 
> View attachment 38250


I'll put in another vote for this composer to be less overlooked. His sonatas are close to perfect, and a great way for me to truly enjoy the classic era without many of the classic era conventions I find annoying.



Conor71 said:


> This evenings listening:
> Carl Vine: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 - No. 5; "Percussion" was particularly good I thought
> Aaron Copland: Symphony No. 3 - Just downloaded this one a few days ago - most impressed!


The Copland No. 3 is possibly my favorite American Symphony -- certainly my favorite Copland at least and not just for the famous fanfare.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listned to*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Masur and the London Philharmonic*

* - 2003*

View attachment 38282


*I really like this recording. Far less bombastic than Karajan. Masurs really make rome for playfullness and single instruments and groups to florish, but there is a well mentained whole. Fantastic and fluent. Masur really is one of my favourite conductors.*


----------



## Weston

*Carl Reinecke: Trio for piano, clarinet & horn in B flat major, Op. 274*
The Dallas Chamber Players









This work is _so_ late 1800s (even though I suspect it is really early 20th c.) that you can almost smell the cigar smoke and diesel fuel and hear the clink of warmed brandy snifters in a drawing room. It's nice enough, but I enjoy Reinecke's symphonic works more I think.


----------



## Guest

This is a very enjoyable disc of baroque harpsichord sonatas by a composer previously unknown to me. Ciaja (1671-1755) wrote wildly virtuosic and contrapuntal pieces, all wonderfully played with superb sound.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> I've never heard of this conductor. I'm listening on Spotify. Unfortunately, it's not the remastered Testament version. Still, I can hear what you're calling the Beethoven aspects.


Oh, yeah: Check out Cantelli's pacing of the last movement of the Brahms Third. . . _total_ Beethoven. I love it.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ockeghem, missa de plus en plus*

I think this group nails Ockeghem. Their lines are crystal-clear, their voices are distinctive without being distractive, they sing with the right balance of expression and restraint, and the recording hall's sound is warm enough to frame the music but not so reverberant that the counterpoint gets lost.


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listned to*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Conductor: Daniel Barenboim 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra*

* - Date of Recording: 03/2003 
Venue: Studio no 1, NLG GmbH Berlin, Germany *

View attachment 38284


*Carefully craftet, not as good as masur, but absolutely good. The calmer, lyrical parts is wrapt in a ligh, almost amuzing mood. Rythm, and structure is in fine ballanse with creativity and variation. Masterly deviding and collecting the different parts of the orchestra, and a clear, still warm sound.*

* - Interview with Barenboim*

* - Classicstoday*

* - amazon*

* - arkivmusic*

* - musicweb international*


----------



## Oskaar

double post.......


----------



## Oskaar

*I have recently listned to*

*Schumann - Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120*

*Conductor: Armin Jordan 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Suisse Romande Orchestra*

* - Audio CD (Feb. 9 2010) *

View attachment 38287


*I specially appreciate this recording for Jordans ability to sumit small nuances. Parts that orchestraly, in terms of instruments, tempos and strength, that easaly could reflect the same moods is remarcably varied. one moment melancoly, one moment joy, one moment humor, one moment piece, etc. Remarkable!*

* - classical net*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Sonatas for Piano (all 1936)

No. 1 in A major
No. 2 in G major
No. 3 in B flat major
Variations* (discarded movement from #1)

Markus Becker (Piano) [Hyperion, 2013]










My 'new disc of the week', and very good it is too. I've seen Berg characterised as 'wrong-note romanticism': well, this could be called 'wrong note classicism'. Here's what ArkivMusic has to say:

"Recordings of Hindemith's sonatas have included some of the great pianists, among them Glenn Gould and Sviatoslav Richter (in the Second Sonata), yet I have always felt that something was missing, that the music had more to offer. Becker finds it all, coming close to Richter's astonishing virtuosity and surpassing him in musical relevance. The Third Sonata's closing fugue is so magnificent here that it is a shame to follow it with the Variations, the discarded second movement of the First Sonata.

Becker plays the finest Steinway I have heard in years; it is rock solid in the bottom octaves, as we expect from that eminent firm; its top is clean and bright, and the whole is exceptionally well balanced. I seem to be filling all my Want List positions early this year, but I can't imagine anything that could push this CD out of the top five. I urge all music lovers, no matter what you think of Hindemith, to hear this magnificent disc." (James H. North, ArkivMusic)


----------



## AH music

Saturday spring morning, something familiar and weekend-ish called for, so enjoyed the exuberant Weber Clarinet Quintet and a the first couple of Wienawski showpieces on these Naxos releases. The quintet is vivacious with a lovely contrasting slow movement, altogether a delightful example of the form. "Showpieces" is definitely the right word for the Wieniawski, Souvenir de Moscou and Capriccio-Valse open the disc in fine style. There are mixed reviews about the performance and recording, but as a non-player I am hugely impressed that some of the effects (harmonics?) are possible at all, let alone able to be executed with such control.


----------



## jim prideaux

Richard Hickox and the Northern Sinfonia-Moeran,Serenade in G and Sinfonietta together with Finzi, The Fall of the Leaf and Nocturne.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Trio in E flat Major (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus musicus Wien).

On Youtube:


----------



## Sonata

Glucke: Orphee et Euridice.

Second listen in a week. So beautiful. I'm trying to listen to my operas twice in a row before moving on to another opera to get a better in-depth appreciation. And for Orphee, that is no chore!


----------



## Morimur

*Kim Kashkashian: Bartók / Eötvös / Kurtàg (ECM New Series 1711)*









Typically impassioned, committed performances distinguish Kim Kashkashian's New Series recording of music for viola by three great Hungarian composers. Kashkashian's intense focus, superb craftsmanship and explosive virtuosity are brought to bear on Bartók's final work, on one of Kurtág's early pieces, and on "Replica", an important new composition written especially for her by Peter Eötvös. - ECM


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Alfacharger

I listened to this once a long time ago. I will not let that happen again. A great concerto in four movements.


----------



## maestro267

*Messiaen*: Des canyons aux étoiles...
Muraro (piano)/Justafré (horn)/Petit (xylorimba)/Muzzolini (glockenspiel)
France Radio PO/Chung


----------



## AH music

Saturday evening - decided to continue the Prokofiev survey (first time listening to all the symphonies apart from no 1). Today it was the turn of Symphony no 3 Op 44. It must be said straight away that I was impressed with and, yes, *really enjoyed* the first listen to at least the first three movements of this work, so am happy that my horizons are being expanded successfully - thanks a great deal to joining this site. After the second symphony, this was more accessible, and although I still find the sound world a bit harsh at times, I am beginning to appreciate more the depths and musicality of this sort of piece - something is being communicated which I was beginning to think I would never "get". I can't put into words any meaningful analysis, but this is a work definitely to be returned to with some enthusiasm. The performances by the LPO/LSO under Weller must have something about them that works for me in opening up Prokofiev's symphonies, but there are other highly regarded cycles and performances.

BTW, I prefaced the third symphony with a second listen to symphony no 2 - now that happened a lot sooner than expected! Anything said in the previous post was intended to be self-critical rather than critical of the music or the composer, and simply a reflection of my general personal taste and my journey so far in appreciating certain parts of this amazing world of music. Just having a go at using these pages for a while in expressing some personal responses to new works to me, and sharing some personal familiar favourites as well. I am really enjoying the site as a whole and especially other posts on this thread.


----------



## Blancrocher

Clifford Curzon with Benjamin Britten and the English Chamber Orchestra in Piano Concerto 20 & 27; Curzon with Kertesz and the London Symphony Orchestra in 23, 24, and 26. This performance of #20 is a particular favorite of mine.

Wasn't in a mood to take any chances right now.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

44 Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
45 Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist
46 Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei
47 Wer sichselbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (44, 47) and Gustav Leonhardt (45, 46), cond.


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Pli selon pli
Christine Schafer, Ensemble InterCcntemporain, cond. Boulez


----------



## Selby

Due to recomendation:

FREDERIC RZEWSKI - The People United Will Never Be Defeated!


----------



## Guest

I have several recordings of various Louis Vierne Organ Symphonies, but this boasts far and away the clearest sound and best playing. Hans-Eberhard Ross (and the engineer) have taken great pains to make sure every strand of Vierne's often dense textures is clearly audible. I look forward to buying the other two volumes.


----------



## Selby

Mompou, Frederic

Cançons i Danses (Spanish Songs and Dances)

[Alicia de Larrocha]


----------



## Kevin Pearson

My first day of a nine day vacation! Listening to Tchaikovsky's Complete Music of Solo Piano Vol. 1 as performed by Michael Ponti. This really is a very nice recording. The melodies are fabulous and pleasurable. The sound quality and engineering is a testament to how good Vox was back in the day. Too bad they are no longer a major player in Classical Music recording but at least some of their important recordings have made it to CD.










Kevin


----------



## Bas

I have a system and my posts here follow the same form, except for the remarks I post along with my listening, the posts have a uniform style mentioning the composer, work and performer details, but this time there is an even more exact duplicate, apparently this is an opera I like to listen when it is (almost) night:

A late night Tosca...

Giacomo Puccini - Tosca
Maria Callas [soprano], Giuseppe di Stefano [tenor], Tito Gobbi [bariton], Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Victor de Sabata [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Haydn man

Tonight I shall be listening to this


----------



## Selby

Sir Harrison Birtwistle

The Moth Requiem

(Considering whether or not to buy this)


----------



## Morimur

*Ensemble Metallmusik - Metallmusik I - IV (Prof. Walter Sons)*









There isn't much English information available on this recording but I am glad It's in my possession. Ensemble Metallmusik is headed by Prof. Walter Sons. If you appreciate cold and clinical music, you'll enjoy this gem.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On BBC Radio 3:

*Hans Werner Henze

Liebeslieder* (Cello Concerto)

Anssi Karttunen (cello); BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Oliver Knussen

*Overture zu einem Theater*

BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Oliver Knussen










I came home after a night out with Mrs. Vox to find Vox Jr. listening to Henze on the DAB tuner, so I thought I'd join him for the remaining works. And I'm very glad I did. This is the first time I've heard this very interesting composer's works.

_The concert also included:

*Henze - Lucy Escott Variations* / Jan Philip Schulze (piano)

*Henze - Los Caprichos*

*Mark-Anthony Turnage: Two Portraits
Kenneth Hesketh: Netsuke Fragments
Detlev Glanert: Enigmatic Landscape
Robert Zuidam: Music for Two Pianos*

Richard Utley, Huw Watkins (pianos)_


----------



## jim prideaux

Takacs Quartet/Gyorgy Pauk-Mozart String Quintet K515/516 and Adagio and Fugue K546-late night listening 'round here!


----------



## Morimur

Mitchell said:


> Sir Harrison Birtwistle
> 
> The Moth Requiem
> 
> (Considering whether or not to buy this)


It's been well reviewed. Just added it to my own 'Wish List'.


----------



## Weston

TurnaboutVox said:


> On BBC Radio 3:
> 
> *Hans Werner Henze
> 
> Liebeslieder* (Cello Concerto)
> 
> Anssi Karttunen (cello); BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Oliver Knussen
> 
> *Overture zu einem Theater*
> 
> BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Oliver Knussen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I came home after a night out with Mrs. Vox to find Vox Jr. listening to Henze on the DAB tuner, so I thought I'd join him for the remaining works. And I'm very glad I did. This is the first time I've heard this very interesting composer's works.
> 
> _The concert also included:
> 
> *Henze - Lucy Escott Variations* / Jan Philip Schulze (piano)
> 
> *Henze - Los Caprichos*
> 
> *Mark-Anthony Turnage: Two Portraits
> Kenneth Hesketh: Netsuke Fragments
> Detlev Glanert: Enigmatic Landscape
> Robert Zuidam: Music for Two Pianos*
> 
> Richard Utley, Huw Watkins (pianos)_


Junior has excellent taste.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Quartets, w. Zacharias et al (rec.1988); Piano Trios, w. Barenboim et al (rec.2005); Violin Sonatas, w. Zimmermann & Lonquich (rec. 1987 - '90).

View attachment 38308














View attachment 38309


----------



## Blancrocher

Ciccolini playing Satie (rec. 1983-6).


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> I've never heard of this conductor. I'm listening on Spotify. Unfortunately, it's not the remastered Testament version. Still, I can hear what you're calling the Beethoven aspects.


Manx, such a tragic loss. No telling how great Cantelli could've been. Toscanini's protege. :tiphat:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Weston said:


> Junior has excellent taste.


He has been supplying me with a fair deal of the contemporary and modern music I've been posting here since I joined TC, Weston. Without his interest (and TC's knowledgeable contributors, of course) I possibly wouldn't have explored it, certainly I wouldn't have listened as widely.

I don't care for it all (LaMonte Young and AMM come to mind) but it has all been interesting and I have learned and experienced a lot.

We will definitely try to go together to the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival this year (in November), assuming his schedule allows it.


----------



## Weston

Inspired by many of Blair's posts.

*Miklós Rózsa: Ben-Hur* (original 1959 soundtrack remastered)









Whew! I'm exhausted. There's nothing quite like 1950s / 1960s sword and sandal soundtracks. It's kind of a shame Ernest Gold all but ripped off the main theme wholesale and made a huge hit with it a year later in the soundtrack to _Exodus_. But I still like that music music also.


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> Inspired by many of Blair's posts.
> 
> *Miklós Rózsa: Ben-Hur* (original 1959 soundtrack remastered)
> 
> View attachment 38311
> 
> 
> Whew! I'm exhausted. There's nothing quite like 1950s / 1960s sword and sandal soundtracks. It's kind of a shame Ernest Gold all but ripped off the main theme wholesale and made a huge hit with it a year later in the soundtrack to _Exodus_. But I still like that music music also.


'Tween Ben Hur's chariot races and TV Spartacus' sex...I'm worn out.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5


----------



## Vaneyes

For Saturday Symphony listening,* Haydn*: Symphony 94, w. Cleveland O./Szell (rec. 1967).


----------



## KenOC

Seems like nothing but Bach lately! More Demidenko playing Bach-Busoni, this whole disk ending with the Toccata Adagio and Fugue in C. Right now the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue -- with a cadenza no less! Great fun and a great listen.


----------



## Itullian

If you haven't heard Beecham's EMI Jupiter.....well........










The concertos are amazing too


----------



## Weston

*George Whitefield Chadwick: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 21*
Theodore Kuchar / National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine









This work is kind of predictable but that in itself is no crime. For me too much of this symphony is like festival music. I'm not sure what I mean by that. It just has a parade or marching band quality that is so common in the late 19th century, leaving me yawning. Chadwick's tone poems, Aphrodite, Euterpe, Melpomene, etc, are much better in my opinion. But then I could listen next week and have a completely different reaction. Who knows?


----------



## Novelette

Cherubini: String Quartet #4 in E -- Melos Quartet

Liszt: Faust Symphony, S 108 -- Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Hindemith: 1922 Suite, Op. 26 -- Sviatoslav Richter

Alkan: Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 30 -- Alkan Trio

^ This music is absolutely thrilling!

Rigel: Symphony #2 in D Minor, Op. 21 -- Jérémie Rhorer: Le Cercle de l'Harmonie

Haydn: Quintet for Baryton, Two Horns, Viola, and Bass in D, H 10/10 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Berlioz: Symphonie Funèbre Et Triomphale, Op. 15 -- Sir Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Mahlerian

Two Mozart concertos on Youtube:

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A
Daniil Trifonov, Israel Camerata Orchestra, cond. Avner Biron





Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C
Maurizio Pollini, Orchestra filarmonica della Scalla, cond. Muti


----------



## Weston

Last round of the day.

*Nicolas Flagello: Serenata per orchestra*
David Amos / New Russia Orchestra









Finally something to fit my mood. This serenade is fairly modern and mysterious, yet highly accessible, quite a creative challenge I would think. Wikipedia says, "In the mid-1980s, his career was cut short by a degenerative disease." So that's why I haven't heard more by this composer. That's a shame. Still, I will look for more of his work.

Good night and sweet dreams to those in my time zone. Continued inspiring listening to those who are not.


----------



## Conor71

*Bird: Serenade, Op. 40*

Listening to some new Discs today - The Disc of wind band music was pretty cool. I liked the arrangement of Carmina Burana (kind of strange without the vocals but it was very nice). Next up I will play Sculthorpes requiem for a first listen. I have only owned 1 Sculthorpe Disc for the last few years so I downloaded another couple today as i do like his work:


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Seems like nothing but Bach lately! More Demidenko playing Bach-Busoni, this whole disk ending with the Toccata Adagio and Fugue in C. Right now the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue -- with a cadenza no less! Great fun and a great listen.


I have every disc in this Hyperion series--Demidenko is my favorite player in the group.


----------



## Guest

TurnaboutVox said:


> I came home after a night out with Mrs. Vox to find Vox Jr. listening to Henze on the DAB tuner, so I thought I'd join him for the remaining works. And I'm very glad I did. This is the first time I've heard this very interesting composer's works.


Try his Piano Concerto No.2--it's a monster! His String Quartets and 7th Symphony are excellent, too.


----------



## Mahlerian

Finished my diminished triad of Mozart concertos with:

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## julianoq

Currently addicted to chamber music, specially cello sonatas. Now listening to Martinu's Cello Sonata No.3, what a great work!


----------



## violadude

Mahlerian said:


> Finished my diminished triad of Mozart concertos with:
> 
> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat
> Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


"Liked" for the music joke. I lol'd.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's String Quartet No.4 - Copenhagen Quartet


----------



## jim prideaux

KenOC said:


> Seems like nothing but Bach lately! More Demidenko playing Bach-Busoni, this whole disk ending with the Toccata Adagio and Fugue in C. Right now the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue -- with a cadenza no less! Great fun and a great listen.


is that Vorishilov?


----------



## KenOC

jim prideaux said:


> is that Vorishilov?


No, a true hero of Soviet art!


----------



## senza sordino

I've been on holiday for over a week. I've been lurking but not posting. I'm back
I've been listening to the following:
Mostly rock and roll from the 70's, because of whom I was with, but I did get to sneak the following through earphones 
*Sibelius Kullervo *







*Sibelius 3rd Symphony*







*Dvorak Violin Concerto*







*Britten Serenade for Tenor Horn and Strings*


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Piano Concerto - Wilhelm Kempff, piano, Josef Krips, cond.


----------



## Taggart

On to disc 4 - Martim Codax: Canciones de amigo - Bernart de Ventadorn: Chansons d'amour. Works from the middle of the thirteenth century. Martim Codax was a Galician joglar (non-noble composer and performer), Bernart de Ventadorn was a prominent Catalan troubador of the classical age of troubadour poetry. The Canciones de amigo use folk tunes and sound quite sprightly, whereas the Chansons d'amour are more reminiscent of art music. Excellent performances and a fascinating listen. As ever, the sleeve notes are conspicuous by their absence, but as a budget compilation you can't really complain.


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen: Orchestral Works, discs 5 and 6

La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ

Myung-Whun Chung, cond.


----------



## violadude

*Barber: 3 songs op. 2*

These three songs were composed by a young Barber during his student years at the Curtis Conservatory. They are very reminiscent of German lieder.

The first song is called "The Daisies". This short and sweet song is the simplest of the 3. It consists of a lovely and untroubled tune about a couple meeting in special spot for them "where the daisies are."






The second song is called "With rue my heart is laden". This song reminds me the most of German lieder, especially that of Schumann. It's very similar in the way it hovers around many different key centers but never settles on one for very long, so that you are constantly reinterpreting the successive chord's relationship to one another, creating a very effective sense of longing and searching.






The third song is called "Bessie Bobtail" and it is the longest of the 3 and the darkest. Most of it is written in a sort of call and response style between the voice and the piano. The voice sings fragments of the melody, which is broken up by craggy, apprehensive comments from the lower registers of the piano. This builds up and culminates in a powerful climax with both voice and piano drawing out long, loud phrases ("Oh God, he knows. And God, he knows. And surely God almighty knows"). It then quickly dies down again and the piece ends with the piano. I'm not sure what this song is about but it sounds to me like Bettie is hiding a dark secret or something like that.






Barber is a great vocal composer and somewhat underrated for his songwriting talents. I highly recommend these pieces and similar pieces by him. Will probably be posting about more in the future.


----------



## Conor71

violadude said:


> *Barber: 3 songs op. 2*
> 
> These three songs were composed by a young Barber during his student years at the Curtis Conservatory. They are very reminiscent of German lieder.
> 
> The first song is called "The Daisies". This short and sweet song is the simplest of the 3. It consists of a lovely and untroubled tune about a couple meeting in special spot for them "where the daisies are."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The second song is called "With rue my heart is laden". This song reminds me the most of German lieder, especially that of Schumann. It's very similar in the way it hovers around many different key centers but never settles on one for very long, so that you are constantly reinterpreting the successive chord's relationship to one another, creating a very effective sense of longing and searching.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The third song is called "Bessie Bobtail" and it is the longest of the 3 and the darkest. Most of it is written in a sort of call and response style between the voice and the piano. The voice sings fragments of the melody, which is broken up by craggy, apprehensive comments from the lower registers of the piano. This builds up and culminates in a powerful climax with both voice and piano drawing out long, loud phrases ("Oh God, he knows. And God, he knows. And surely God almighty knows"). It then quickly dies down again and the piece ends with the piano. I'm not sure what this song is about but it sounds to me like Bettie is hiding a dark secret or something like that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Barber is a great vocalist and somewhat underrated for his songwriting talents. I highly recommend these pieces and similar pieces by him. Will probably be posting about more in the future.
> 
> View attachment 38332


Thank you, these sound wonderful - I will check out this recording


----------



## Conor71

More Sculthorpe this evening - I downloaded 4 recordings as I was feeling quite enthusiastic after hearing the Requiem. Sculthorpes music is proving to be very accessible so far. The pieces I liked the most were Momento Mori and Earth Cry. Currently I am listening to the work Sonata for Strings No. 1:


----------



## Wood

Haydn. The Seasons

Shepherd. Motet. Verbum caro factum est

Brahms. Lieder, Quasthof

Boulez. Derive 2


----------



## violadude

*Lepo Sumera Symphony #1*

Lepo Sumera was an Estonian composer that I have had an on and off interest in for the past few months. I'm currently re-listening to his 6 symphonies. His style, at least early on, could be described as partly a mix between Western and Eastern style minimalism, thrown in with Shostakovich-like influences leftover from the Soviet occupation of Estonia.

This symphony is pretty good, but has issues in my opinion, mostly involving cohesion.

It's divided into two movements. The first movement alternates between moderately paced sections that build up in volume and texture and slow sections with very sparse texture throughout. The material in both sections is mostly based on a very simple triadic theme introduced at the very beginning of the piece (root, 5, 3, octave). I really like the slow sections. Sumera really does a good job at building a deep and mysterious atmosphere here, almost sounding like it came from the depths of a extremely ancient peoples. The most effective instrument here in creating that atmosphere is a nearly omnipresent solo string instrument in these sections playing very plain and detached harmonics. The faster sections (but still moderately paced) take the sparse material in the slow sections and uses it like bricks, building it up so that it grows in both texture and volume. This section is good enough but I do think the material starts wearing a little thin somewhere around here, even though I appreciate the fact that he's trying to do so much with so little. I also think some of the transitions sound incredibly forced, punctuated by lurches in the tonal center. I realize this is done as a blatant dramatic effect, but it's been done better (and I believe Sumera himself does it better in his second symphony, if memory serves correctly).

The second movement starts out with a very desolate sound, with lonely wandering violins up high and long, slow notes in the lower string instruments. This whole section is played in a very cold and detached way and it reminds me very strongly of something late Shostakovich would have written. As this goes on, it eventually transforms, rather clumsily imo, into a section of extremely frenzied activity (mostly string dominated still) and out of this comes a circus polka like section that sounds like it's being played within the eye of a hurricane. This all culminates into a harrowing, completely unaltered minor chord. The rest of the movement is dominated by retellings of the opening section of this movement and the slow sections of the first movement.

Overall, this symphony is made up of beautiful sections with stunning atmospheres and a great sense for building much out of little. However, the overall quality of the symphony is held back by unsatisfying transitions, sections that occasionally overstay their welcome and a general lack of cohesion (the bulk of the second movement, to me, sounds like a "detour" from the main material, rather than an actual second movement especially since it ends with an unaltered throwback to the 1st movement). I still recommend giving it a listen though. I enjoyed it. Especially the slower, "spiritual-tinged" sections.


----------



## kanook

Here's another obscure unknown composer who shouldn't be, *Friedrich Kiel* on 2 CD's comprising parts 1 & 2 of a collection of his works for violoncello & piano. Am well into the first CD right now and it's marvelous stuff indeed. I feel fortunate having these as CD #1 is quite rare with only a couple over at amazon and they're not cheap by any means. If you're lucky enough to spot any at a garage sale or thrift shop grab them quick. You'll definitely not be disappointed.

*Friedrich Kiel - Works For Violoncello & Piano - Vol.#1 (1996) & Vol.#2 (2002)*

*Hans Zentgraf* (violoncello)
*Christoph Ullrich* (piano)

















You'll notice the 2 parts were recorded 6 years apart. Strange indeed. I really don't know why that it is but then again some say there's a lot I don't know!


----------



## Vasks

_Previewing a newly acquired disc_

*Noskowski - Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (National Polish Radio Symphony/Sterling)*


----------



## Weston

Streaming on Rhapsody -

*Max Reger: Serenade for flute (or violin), violin & viola in G major, Op. 141a
Serenade for flute, violin & viola in D major, Op. 77a
Clarinet Quintet in A major, Op. 146*
Oxalys Ensemble









Some nice morning coffee and breakfast music before abandoning the internet for a long overdue full day of painting. But I will be listening to my entire collection on random play.

Reger is interesting. It's hard to place him in any specific time period or genre. Except for the clarinet quintet, these pieces are bright and sunny.


----------



## Weston

violadude said:


> *Lepo Sumera Symphony #1*
> 
> Lepo Sumera was an Estonian composer that I have had an on and off interest in for the past few months. I'm currently re-listening to his 6 symphonies. His style, at least early on, could be described as partly a mix between Western and Eastern style minimalism, thrown in with Shostakovich-like influences leftover from the Soviet occupation of Estonia.
> 
> . . .
> 
> View attachment 38334


I've never heard of this composer; my like is for the informative review.


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky's "Octet," performed by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players (rec. 1977). And the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in "Orpheus."

*p.s.* I love the second work in particular, and I don't see it often mentioned on the forum. Bargain hunters will find a good version of it in the "S conducts S" box.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Piano Quartet No.2 
Schumann: Piano Quintet Victor Aller/Hollywood String Quartet

More drama, passion and superb playing from the ever dependable Hollywood SQ and Victor Aller. Anyone who loves chamber music should investigate their recordings, you'll never be disappointed.


----------



## Gilberto

Wladyslaw Szpilman - Original Recordings


----------



## bejart

Sitting in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida airport and drowning out the public address system with ---
Haydn: Symphony No.3 in G Major

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition - Promenade; Gnomus; Promenade; Il vecchio castello 
Maurice Ravel, Ma Mère L'Oye - Pavane de la Belle au Bois Dormant; Petit Poucet 
(Carlo Maria Giulini; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## Blancrocher

Enjoyed my first listen to a recent Harrison Birtwistle album featuring The Ring Dance of the Nazarene (my favorite piece) and The Moth Requiem.

Mentioned by Weston on this thread yesterday.


----------



## jim prideaux

Martinu 3rd and 6th string quartets performed by the Martinu String Quartet
this Naxos collection also features the duo for violin and cello and 'three madrigals' for violin and viola


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling, for *Locatelli's* death day (1764).


----------



## violadude

Weston said:


> I've never heard of this composer; my like is for the informative review.


Glad you liked it, more where that came from


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Richard Strauss

Four Last Songs, AV 150

Lieder, Op. 27:
No 1, Ruhe, meine Seele
No. 2, Cäcilie; 
No. 4, Morgen

Lieder, Op. 41: 
No 1, Wiegenlied

Lieder, Op. 37
No 3, Meinem Kinde

Lieder, Op. 10: 
No 1, Zueignung*

Jessye Norman (Soprano); Kurt Masur, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra [Philips (LP), rec. 1982]










This would also be in my 'Desert Island' selection. I can't convey to you how powerful and moving Jessye Norman's performance of the 'Vier Letzte Lieder', and how radiant and joyful 'Zueignung', is.

This may have been the first art song recording I ever bought, on my re-entry to the Classical music world in the early 80s.

"The whole of the final section of "September", [is] fully sung yet perfectly controlled, the added intensity at the key phrase "Und die Seele unbewacht" in "Beim Schlafengehen" with the high A flat positively radiant, and the still resignation of "so lief im Abendrot" in the last song are just some of the memorable moments that I am still savouring. Wiegenlied, in particular, gains from the extra 'space', and its dreamy mood is beautifully sustained by Norman, as is the unsettled atmosphere of Ruhe, meine Seele, while Cacille and Zueignung receive the broad phrasing and bloom they call for.

Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus provide appropriately refined, almost translucent support for the singer. ...I withdraw none of my. admiration for the merits of the earlier records listed above, but for once I would give the new version a confident nod as the one to have."

('A.B.', Gramophone 1983)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production I - Overture - Suite in E minor for 2 flutes, strings & b.c. (Musica Amphion).

On Youtube:


----------



## Blake

Quartetto Italiano's Beethoven - _String Quartet 7_. Just awesome.


----------



## Vasks

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Richard Strauss
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This would also be in my 'Desert Island' selection. I can't convey to you how powerful and moving Jessye Norman's performance of the 'Vier Letzte Lieder', and how radiant and joyful 'Zueignung', is.
> 
> *


*

You got that right!!*


----------



## Bas

At breakfast, morning:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantatas BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
By Dorothee Mields [soprano], Matthew White [counter tenor signing alto parts], Jan Kobow [tenor], Peter Kooij [Bass], Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









This evening, a first encounter with Wagner (also a new arrival):

Richard Wagner - Das Rheingold
By Theo Adam [bass-bariton], Kerl-Heinz Stryczek [bass], Eberhard Büchner [tenor], Peter Schreier [tenor], Siegmund Nimsgern [bass], Christian Vogel [tenor], Roland Bracht [bass], Matti Salminen [bass], Yvonne Minton [mezzo], Marita Napier [soprano], Ortrum Wenkel [contralto], Lucia Popp [soprano], Uta Priew [mezzo], Hanna Schwarz [contralo], Staatskapelle Dresden, Marek Janowski [director], on Eurodisc / Sony Classics









It is interesting, so far.


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak Piano Quintet Op.81
Martinu Piano Quintet no.2

Lindsay String Quartet/Peter Frankl

'The Bohemians' vol 6 ASV

a significant number of the chamber music recordings I have involve the Lindsays, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert-I cannot recall anything but a vivid sense of commitment in their performances and this recording epitomises their strengths.......


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6


----------



## maestro267

*Elgar*: Symphony No. 1 in A flat major
Hallé Orchestra/Barbirolli


----------



## Katie

Walter and the Columbia SO on Wagner is divine as I've found a ... ? ... warmth or fluidity of interpretation distinctive from Furtwangerler and the BPO's more angular renditions, though I'd be hard pressed to express dispositive favour or explain myself satisfactorily to the knowledgeable and inquisitive mind!

The BW Edition box ends with what has become an unexpectedly appreciated aspect of the set: rehearsals! Though at first dubious as to content regarding practice (intone Allen Iverson, "We're talkin' 'bout _PRACTICE_?"), Walter's eminently charming and diplomatic - yet firm and persistent - engagement with his musicians is a delight to behold and, for relative novices like myself, helps immeasurably with understanding not only how a performance is constructed and polished, but to what extent the conductor's vision influences the execution of the same notes read by other conductors and musicians. The previous independent release:


----------



## Blancrocher

Grumiaux and co in Mozart's quintets K515 and K516 (rec. 1973).


----------



## Morimur

*David Lang: The Passing Measures*









"David Lang: The Passing Measures" (Cantaloupe)-This heartfelt, mournful piece, a wordless, forty-two-minute quasi-concerto for women's chorus, bass clarinet, and amplified orchestra, is a welcome surprise from a composer whose always deft and subtle work has too often seemed ironic and arch. The clarinettist Marty Ehrlich, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus, conducted by Paul Herbert, provide a dignified performance, giving gentle life to the work's lustrous waves of color. -R. Platt for the _New Yorker_


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

48 Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen
49 Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen
50 Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft
51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (48, 49, 50) and Gustav Leonhardt (51), cond.

I hope Leonhardt gets more work as this progresses, because so far the divying-up hasn't seemed 50/50

edit: just checked - 32 so far were conducted by Harnoncourt

-

Off work the next two days (Tues/Wed is my weekend) and I'm going to pause this project just for that time to catch up on some recent vinyl acquisitions of Bach Cantatas - focussing exclusively on the works from numbers 1-50, hopefully making a few connections and comparrisons and maybe following up with a little reading. If that works well then I'll arrange another stop-and-assess break when I reach 100 and 150.

-

another edit: I see the bach-cantatas site has added YT links beside their invaluable discography. Consider just this one page, for example:

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV51-Rec2.htm


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Debussy

Études, Livre I & II
d'un cahier d'esquisses
Masques
L'Isle Joyeuse

Alain Planès (Piano) [Harmonia Mundi, 1997]

A very fine Debussy Etudes etc. from Alain Planes on HM, and a second listening for Marcus Becker's very powerful and attractive Hindemith sonatas.










Hindemith - Sonatas for Piano

No. 1 in A major
No. 2 in G major
No. 3 in B flat major
Variations (discarded movement from #1)

Markus Becker (Piano) [Hyperion, 2013]


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5.*


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Divertimento a 3 in D Major

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Ingeborg Scherrer, violin --Yasunori Imamura, guitar -- Rainer Zipperling, double bass
An unusual quartet of instruments with the guitar giving a Spanish flavor to the basso continuo lines --


----------



## bejart

Andreas Romberg (1767-1821): String Quartet in F Major, Op.1, No.3

Leipzig Quartet: Andreas Seidel and Tilman Buning, violins -- Ivo Bauer, viola -- Matthias Moosdorf, cello


----------



## Sid James

ShropshireMoose said:


> ...
> 
> Walton: Symphony No.1 New Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent
> 
> .... *It was fashionable when I was younger to always deride the Sargent performance as being massively inferior* to Previn, but I find a power and menace in Sargent that is not in the Previn performance for my money. *I wonder if this attitude was partly down to the general tendency of the musical establishment to revile Sargent?* I do feel it's time for a more balanced reassessment of his worth as a conductor, because based on many of the performances in my collection, I would hold him to be a very great conductor indeed, and that's sufficient for me, regardless of what anyone else may think!!


I don't know exactly why either, one dubious comment I read was about Sargent's signature carnation in the lapel of his white suit coat - gasp! not black, what will we have next? I don't know that Walton recording, but I have and have owned a number of his recordings over the years, I think he was good. Also, I think he did a bit to promote classical to young people, similar to Bernstein? Appearances on television, all that. But the music establishment, of any era, what they seem to do is whinge and pull people down. Nothing new in that but I come across this info all the time. I wonder why musicians bother to carry on and do what they're doing, while all these people moan and gossip from the sidelines?


----------



## Wood

Schubert. Winterreisse, Anders

Monteverdi. Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (1610) John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Her Majesty's (gawd bless 'er) Sackbuts, Monteverdi Choir


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 3.*


----------



## AH music

A fascinating listening experience to report.... (A personal experience, please forgive overuse of personal pronouns).

Another of my struggles has been with period and original instruments. I enjoy the well known "Beaux Arts Trio" performances of the Haydn Trios on modern instruments. On another thread a contributor extolled the "Trio 1790" performances. During the past week I went to spotify and tried their recording of one of my favourites (no 27) but gave up after a few bars, thinking (blush) "I can't stand this sound".

This evening, having only one CD of music by Pleyel - which I enjoy - I wanted to explore some more of his music. Noticing a piano trio recording on spotify, I decided to try and give it a fair hearing regardless of whether it was on modern or period instruments. The piece was a trio in C major, Ben 441. Initially I was, as usual, unimpressed by my response to the period instruments, but somehow became won over. The music was captivating and eventually the sounds and blend of the instruments really seemed to suit. The two strings were lovely anyway, and no problem, but actually adjusting to the keyboard sound that I usually dislike came as a surprise. What is more, it gradually dawned on me that the performers were by none other than the "Trio 1790"!

So, then it had to be back to the Haydn, and with ears more attuned to the sound, I persevered with no 27 (in A flat) and thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through, despite being so different from the familiar modern instrument sound. I barely recognised the slow movement, but the outer movements were definitely the right piece. Is this the start of another breakthrough?

So, quite unexpectedly, for the first time, I am delighted to find myself making a couple of period instrument recommendations.....


----------



## Morimur

*Alberto Posadas - Liturgia Fractal (Quatuor Diotima)*










Though his music has as yet hardly been performed at all in the UK, Alberto Posadas, born in 1967, is emerging as an important voice in European contemporary music, and certainly the leading Spanish composer of the younger generation. This cycle of string quartets (five pieces in all, lasting just over 50 minutes) was composed for the wonderfully assured Quatuor Diotima - and they deserve a place alongside the quartets of Ferneyhough, Rihm and Nono as one of the most important European contributions to the genre in the last 30 years. As the title suggests, the individual pieces, which may be performed in various combinations as well as part of the complete cycle, are based on different fractal models, each producing a different wave-like formal scheme, though the opening quartet serves as a starting point for all the others, so that the sense of organic growth and change runs powerfully through the entire cycle. The quartet writing is wonderfully varied in its textures and colours, while its harmonic world, constantly invaded by microtones, is clearly indebted to spectralism. _- A. Clements, The Guardian_


----------



## Selby

Liszt, Ferenc

"Harmonies du soir"

Nelson Freire, piano


----------



## Itullian

Opus 20, Sun Quartets.


----------



## Alfacharger

Berlioz's greatest symphony.


----------



## Guest

I guess we don't have to like everything we listen to, right? I was going to sell this disc on Amazon, then I thought I'd give it another try since an upcoming disc of her concertos sounded pretty good, but this just isn't working for me. Picture a blend of Debussy and Ligeti. Back on Amazon it goes! (Superb sound, though.)


----------



## bejart

Jiri ignaz Linek (1725-1791): Sinfonia in C Major

Vojtech Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Philharmonic


----------



## lostid

The sad part is I don't understand the words she is singing, the good part is I really enjoy her voice blended with the music.


----------



## opus55

Weber: Der Freuischütz


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Hummel's music. Now listening to the Piano Concerto No.2 in A minor and enjoying it a lot, will follow with the No.3 tomorrow!


----------



## senza sordino

*Britten Sinfonia Da Requiem, Four Sea Interludes, Passacaglia, An American Overture *








*Moeran Violin Concerto* I don't know this piece, it's very nice, very English and could be written by RVW. The second movement is more lively than the third and final movement, which seems backwards but still a feasible ending. This is joined with *Delius Legende* and *Holst A Song of the Night*
and three new arrangements of violin and orchestra of *Elgar Chanson de matin, chanson de nuit and Salut d'amour*. These new arrangements work very well, not so loud and percussive as piano and violin. 
The final piece on this disk is *RVW The Lark Ascending* which I followed with the sheet music. I recently bought the sheet music to learn. 








and one of my favourite English symphonies *Walton Symphony #1* and *Walton Violin Concerto*. The concerto is a mono recording with Heifetz. As good as he plays he can often sound quite old and dated, cold and too precise. I'd like to get a newer recording


----------



## Guest

Fantasie For Violin And Piano In C Major

Prepping for the new list


----------



## GreenMamba

Dvorak Symphony no. 8, Karajan/BPO.

On the CD the 9th comes first. This threw me a bit.


----------



## KenOC

Schubert Symphony No. 4, LA Phil with Gustavo Dudamel. A radiocast, so no cover picture, sorry! Dudamel takes this in nice style, but he seems to have had an accident with his hair dryer.










Why can't he be more like HvK? I bet he doesn't even have a Porsche.


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Nos 4 and 5, Op. 64


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

AH music said:


> A fascinating listening experience to report.... (A personal experience, please forgive overuse of personal pronouns).
> 
> Another of my struggles has been with period and original instruments. I enjoy the well known "Beaux Arts Trio" performances of the Haydn Trios on modern instruments. On another thread a contributor extolled the "Trio 1790" performances. During the past week I went to spotify and tried their recording of one of my favourites (no 27) but gave up after a few bars, thinking (blush) "I can't stand this sound".
> 
> This evening, having only one CD of music by Pleyel - which I enjoy - I wanted to explore some more of his music. Noticing a piano trio recording on spotify, I decided to try and give it a fair hearing regardless of whether it was on modern or period instruments. The piece was a trio in C major, Ben 441. Initially I was, as usual, unimpressed by my response to the period instruments, but somehow became won over. The music was captivating and eventually the sounds and blend of the instruments really seemed to suit. The two strings were lovely anyway, and no problem, but actually adjusting to the keyboard sound that I usually dislike came as a surprise. What is more, it gradually dawned on me that the performers were by none other than the "Trio 1790"!
> 
> So, then it had to be back to the Haydn, and with ears more attuned to the sound, I persevered with no 27 (in A flat) and thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through, despite being so different from the familiar modern instrument sound. I barely recognised the slow movement, but the outer movements were definitely the right piece. Is this the start of another breakthrough?
> 
> So, quite unexpectedly, for the first time, I am delighted to find myself making a couple of period instrument recommendations.....
> 
> View attachment 38365
> View attachment 38366


Try the Van Swieten Trio for the Haydn trios as well - they use period instruments but have a sparkling, biting sound which fits Haydn's style very well, imo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Psalm Cantatas - Nicol Matt, cond.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Listening to the the Cleveland Quartet's version of Mendelssohn's Sting Quartet No.2 in A Minor, Op.13. They are joined by the Meliora Quartet for his famous Octet in Eb Major, Op. 20. This recording gets ragged on by a reviewer on Amazon and frankly I just don't hear what he's talking about. He states:



> This is an old recording and one whose sound, dynamic range, and rather dead timbre indicate as much, which is unfortunate because the Cleveland Quartet was a relatively famous group during the late-70s and early-80s. With the improvements in recording technology, particularly with regards to reissues such as this, an engineer can make a silk purse from a sow's ear.


Telarc discs have always had superb and even superior sound quality. Yes this was recorded in 1987 but I certainly wouldn't have been able to know that by listening. It is a DDD recording. No tape hiss and no distortion. The placement and balance of the instrumentation seems very good to me through my Sennheiser HD 590 headphones.

He also says that the Octet has sloppy entries and seems like more rehearsal time was needed. Again I just don't hear it. I'll have to listen to a couple of other versions and maybe I'll change my mind but I really enjoy this recording and performance of both the Quartet and Octet.










Kevin


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak - Symphony 5
http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Sympho...6244143&sr=1-3&keywords=dvorak+symphonies+4-6


----------



## ptr

KenOC said:


> Why can't he be more like HvK? I bet he doesn't even have a Porsche.


Oh the irony, don't You think that it is enough that Christian Thielemann is the designated HvK impersonator?
Why would we need a second useless mindset that only brings bland to the music!

/ptr


----------



## KenOC

ptr said:


> Oh the irony, don't You think that it is enough that Christian Thielemann is the designated HvK impersonator?
> Why would we need a second useless mindset that only brings bland to the music!


Come now! I'm sure that with a reasonable hair style and a yacht Gustavo would do very well indeed!


----------



## shangoyal

Astounding work.

Debussy: *Sonata for violin and piano
*
Chung/Lupu


----------



## Andolink

*Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67_
Plamena Mangova, piano
Natalia Prischepenko, violin
Sebastian Klinger, cello


----------



## ptr

*Johannes Brahms* - Piano oncerto No 1 Op 15 (Decca/HDTT)









Clifford Curzon, piano; London Symphony u George Szell

*Hans Abrahamsen* - 'Schnee' (Winter & Winter)









Ensemble Recherche

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen: Orchestral Works, discs 7 and 8

Des Canyons Aux Etoiles - Myung-Whun Chung, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

For J. Haydn's birthday:

Symphony No. 101 in D Major, 'The Clock' (Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## JakeBloch

Try this resource for sung texts - don't be sad, be glad!

*http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/*


----------



## AH music

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) "Sonata for fortepiano in E major VB 196". Played by Mario Martinoli. On a first listening, this is just superb!


----------



## Art Rock

... while at the same time the carillon of the nearby tower is playing. A very Ivesian effect.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## Oskaar

kanook said:


> Here's another obscure unknown composer who shouldn't be, *Friedrich Kiel* on 2 CD's comprising parts 1 & 2 of a collection of his works for violoncello & piano. Am well into the first CD right now and it's marvelous stuff indeed. I feel fortunate having these as CD #1 is quite rare with only a couple over at amazon and they're not cheap by any means. If you're lucky enough to spot any at a garage sale or thrift shop grab them quick. You'll definitely not be disappointed.
> 
> *Friedrich Kiel - Works For Violoncello & Piano - Vol.#1 (1996) & Vol.#2 (2002)*
> 
> *Hans Zentgraf* (violoncello)
> *Christoph Ullrich* (piano)
> 
> View attachment 38335
> 
> 
> View attachment 38336
> 
> 
> You'll notice the 2 parts were recorded 6 years apart. Strange indeed. I really don't know why that it is but then again some say there's a lot I don't know!


I must try that one. Sound very interresting


----------



## Oskaar

kanook said:


> Here's another obscure unknown composer who shouldn't be, *Friedrich Kiel* on 2 CD's comprising parts 1 & 2 of a collection of his works for violoncello & piano. Am well into the first CD right now and it's marvelous stuff indeed. I feel fortunate having these as CD #1 is quite rare with only a couple over at amazon and they're not cheap by any means. If you're lucky enough to spot any at a garage sale or thrift shop grab them quick. You'll definitely not be disappointed.
> 
> *Friedrich Kiel - Works For Violoncello & Piano - Vol.#1 (1996) & Vol.#2 (2002)*
> 
> *Hans Zentgraf* (violoncello)
> *Christoph Ullrich* (piano)
> 
> View attachment 38335
> 
> 
> View attachment 38336
> 
> 
> You'll notice the 2 parts were recorded 6 years apart. Strange indeed. I really don't know why that it is but then again some say there's a lot I don't know!


Did not find it on spotify, but to get a taste of Kiel, i will listen to this:

*Oliver Triendl - Kiel: Piano Quartets Nos. 1-3*

*Ulrike-Anima Mathe (violin), Hariolf Schlichtig (viola), Xenia Jankovic (violoncello) & Oliver Triendl (piano)*









Very nice indeed! Highly romantic.


----------



## bejart

Bach: Keyboard Concerto No.3 in D Major, BWV 1054

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## Andolink

*Max Reger*: _Clarinet Quintet in A major, Op. 146_
Oxalys


----------



## SimonNZ

Jorg Widmann's "Fleurs Du Mal" Piano Sonata - Fabio Romano, piano


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Mahler: Symphony 8 *
Klaus Tennstedt & the London Philharmonic Orchestra et al.

The live recording on the LPO label is excellent, Solti's 8 may have the edge in sound quality but I enjoy Tennstedt's interpretation so much more. Particularly in this live recording.

This is definitely a piece I have grown into and I appreciate it more as a result. A wonderful piece and a recording I treasure.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jorg Widmann's Implosion


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Brahms The Piano Concertos and Fantasias op116

Wonderful rendition by Emil Gilels with the eloquent conducting of Eugen Jochum and the expansive Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra at its post-war peak.

The first concerto is exhilirating to hear next to its big brother and the fantasias are an added bonus. The sound quality is excellent with great dynamic range and clarity.

The second piano concerto is monumental! Whilst hearing the first movement I felt like being a spectator watching the piano and orchestra battling out for my attention. Gilels brings out all the emotion whenever those powerful and difficult sections appear with as many ups and downs as the latest soap opera on TV! The second movement is another battle between melody and theme. The cello theme at the start of the third movement is glorious and heart wrenching. The finale finishes this turbulent concerto in a cheerful note.

Jochum himself singled out this recording as among the finest in his career.

My goodness what a great journey! Now, why on earth didn't Brahms compose a third one??!


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Meneghetti (1730-1794): Violin Concerto in D Major

Archicembalo Ensemble with Giovanni Guglielmo on violin


----------



## Andolink

Hot off the press, so to speak...

*Johannes Brahms*: _String Quintet in F major, Op.88_
Takács Quartet & Lawrence Power


----------



## Wood

Messiaen. Visions de L'amen, Bon and de Leeuw

Monteverdi. Madrigale erotici, Consort of Musicke


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Schubert Symphony No. 4, LA Phil with Gustavo Dudamel. A radiocast, so no cover picture, sorry! Dudamel takes this in nice style, but he seems to have had an accident with his hair dryer.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why can't he be more like HvK? I bet he doesn't even have a Porsche.


I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him with his mouth closed!


----------



## Mahlerian

Haydn: String Quartet in D minor Op. 76 no. 2 "Quinten"
Quatuor Mosaiques


----------



## Vaneyes

For *FJH's* birthday (1732).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dutilleux*: Orchestral Works, w. Dutoit et al (rec.1993), Baudo (rec.1985).


----------



## Vasks

*Hans Hassler - Various Motets & Organ Pieces (Weser-Renaissance/cpo)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

"Elora Danan"- beautiful; "Tir Asleen"- heroic.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _String Quintet in G major, Op. 111_
Takács Quartet & Lawrence Power









Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!


----------



## rrudolph

Haydn: Symphonies #22, #24, #30








Haydn: Symphonies #42, #51








Haydn: Die Schopfung


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Schwarzkopf & Ludwig Lohengrin*









The singing in "_Euch luftern, die mein Klagen_" from _Lohengrin _with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Christa Ludwig is is just a bundle of charm and positively gorgeous.

-- And for a pittance:

http://www.amazon.com/Elisabeth-Sch...1-1-spell&keywords=SCHWARZKOPH+ROMANTIC+ARIAS


----------



## julianoq

Messiaen's Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus, performed by Haakon Austbö. One of my favorite solo piano works.


----------



## AH music

Enthralled by comparative listening of fortepiano and modern piano versions of the new discovery - the Kraus sonata in E major VB 196. This seems quite a large scale and ambitious piece for its time, clearly in the "sturm und drang" style, which is evident in each of the three movements. It really makes a thoroughly engaging and at times quite imposing piece, which sounds to a non-player as though it would be challenging but also fun to play. Melodic, at times almost humorous, and also really quite bold and dramatic in places - close to CPE Bach but looking on to someone like Hummel perhaps??? Haydn was enthusiastic about at least one of his symphonic works. I enjoyed both the fortepiano and modern piano versions tried, their differing qualities only added to the enjoyment. Until recently I would have been out my comfort zone with anything other than the modern piano, but am now starting to appreciate the alternative sound world of the period instruments. Anyone interested in keyboard works of this style and era is unlikely to be disappointed if giving this a try.


----------



## Cosmos

This morning I listened to Brahms' Violin Concerto









Since it's nice and sunny out, I'm listening to Grieg's From Holberg's Time









Then I plan on listening to Schumann's third Symphony


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (Rafael Kubelik; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra).


----------



## MagneticGhost

Listening to some very chilled Arvo Part today.
Very good for rebooting the mind after a hectic few days.


----------



## rrudolph

Haydn: Symphonies #83, #84








Haydn: Symphonies #101, #103








Haydn: Missa In Angustiis/Te Deum


----------



## maestro267

julianoq said:


> Messiaen's Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus, performed by Haakon Austbö. One of my favorite solo piano works.


That is such a massive work. I've only tackled it once before, and even then I did it over two sessions.

----

*Milhaud*: La création du monde
BBC Philharmonic/Tortelier

*Bernstein*: Symphony No. 2, "The Age of Anxiety"
Florida PO/Judd

*Penderecki*: St. Luke Passion
Soloists (S, Bar, B, narrator), organ
Warsaw Boys' Choir
Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 40 and 41 Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Andre Vandernoot

Vigorous and exciting performances of these two marvellous works from the late 1950s. Great playing and conducting. Fascinating to see a while back on this thread questions being raised about a recording from 1987 as though that were an old recording! I suppose it depends on how old you are, but the implication seemed to be that it was almost historical, so by that definition I must be an ancient monument! Well, "a ruin can be charming", to quote from a song from "The Boyfriend", so there's hope for this Moose yet!


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 1127 Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn
By Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Ludwig van Beethoven - Kreutzer Sonata
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Ludwig van Beethoven - Cello Sonatas
By Pierre Fournier [cello], Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









A present for my birthday, today (that I share with Bach, something I just recently discovered.)


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Don Giovanni* Thomas Allen, Carol Vaness, Maria Ewing, Elizabeth Gale, Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on EMI.

Mozart's greatest opera? Quite possibly, although I think I prefer The Marriage of Figaro, especially as seen in the theatre.

Very good performance here in my opinion.


----------



## KenOC

Buxtehude, Seven Trio Sonatas Op. 1 -- works of his old age. Very merry and bubbling! This same recording is now available, much cheaper, on Naxos.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dutilleux*: String Quartet, w. Arditti Qt. (rec.1993); Piano Works, w. Queffelec (rec.1996).

View attachment 38431


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Paris Quartet No. 6 in E minor (Wilbert Hazelzet; Sonnerie).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Serenade Op.8 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
Kodaly: Duo for Violin and Cello Op.7 Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky

More wonderful music making from Heifetz and co. These recordings of the Beethoven string trios are as fine as any I've heard. Interesting to see the much smaller billing that the Kodaly duo gets on the original sleeve, even though it takes up half the record, don't want to put people off from buying it now, do we???!!! Another brilliant performance. I'm very fond of Kodaly and with Heifetz and Piatigorsky you can't go wrong.


----------



## Blancrocher

Sudbin playing Haydn, for the composer's birthday.


----------



## PetrB

*Witold Lutosławski ~ Chantefleurs et chantefables*

Witold Lutosławski ~ Chantefleurs et chantefables 
...for soprano and orchestra, poetry of French surrealist poet, Robert Desnos.
(imo, remarkably fresh and lovely music from a then quite senior composer ~ ca. 78 years old.)


----------



## AH music

Haydn birthday! Start at the beginning.... with Symphonies 1-5 from Fischer. To be honest, a solid start to the series, as far as I can tell, musically and performance wise, rather than going overboard in ecstasy and raptures. Probably second or third time hearing these early works. Just the simple pleasure that Haydn hardly ever fails to produce - and what riches to come! My favourite movement of these today was the 1st of no 4. The high horns are a feature of no 5.









Now back to the first run through the Beethoven cello sonatas. Thoroughly enjoyed no 3 (Op 69) especially the middle two movements - even though the slow movement is very short it says a lot. The opening movement has a certain nobility too, nothing weak anywhere here. However, my wow moments on first listening have been with the sparkling bravura of no 1, but no doubt the others will grow, whilst immediate impact of "sparkling bravura" does sometimes fade. Been told to expect great things of the final two, so looking forward.....


----------



## PetrB

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38433
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Serenade Op.8 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
> Kodaly: Duo for Violin and Cello Op.7 Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky


That Kodaly is a wonderful piece, and I really don't know, but do think it 'lesser known' and very worthy of more people's attention.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Rondo in A, K.386 Eileen Joyce/Orchestra/Clarence Raybould
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Minor, Op.23 No.5
Schumann-Liszt: Widmung (Dedication)
R. Strauss-Gieseking: Standchen
Grieg: Scherzo-Impromptu, Op.73 No.2
Wagner-Liszt: Spinning Song from "The Flying Dutchman" Eileen Joyce

Finishing the evening with a few favourites from the delightful Eileen Joyce, what a wonderful pianist she was, and how I wish that she had recorded more substantial parts of her repertoire. Oh well, this is thoroughly enjoyable, so let's be grateful for what we've got.


----------



## PetrB

Wood said:


> Messiaen. Visions de L'amen, Bon and de Leeuw
> 
> Monteverdi. Madrigale erotici, Consort of Musicke


A mixed feast of the sacred and the profane, eh?


----------



## jim prideaux

having spent the evening watching 'the lads' edge perilously closer to 'the drop' I am listening to the Lindsays perform Schubert String Quartets 12/14..........soothing?, not really!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Ralph Vaughan-Williams

A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2) 
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis*

LPO, Sir Adrian Boult [EMI Classics, rec. 1971 / 1975]










In the late 80's I played these (1985 remastered) Boult RVW symphonies and orchestral works incessantly. I think this might be the first time I've listened again in more than 20 years. They're still good.


----------



## opus55

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana










Beautiful melody lines and passionate string sections in this recording.


----------



## Katie

Among numerous standouts from the Berlin PO 100 box - over which I posted often and glowingly here for about 5 weeks during my inaugural listening - Abbado's work consistently touched me to a somewhat greater degree than many others. Coupled with my affinity for the grand sounds of full symphonic orchestration, the Abbado Symphony Edition was then an easy selection for purchase.

Oh my. It's pure ear candy and, being of recent vintage (primarily '86-'12), these recordings are, thus far (24 discs in 4 days), uniformly superlative. There's little nuance or adventure in the inventory for veteran listeners, as the content list reads like a who's who among the pantheon of giants (Wolf/Haydn/LVB/ Schubert/Mendelssohn/Brahms/Bruckner/Mahler) and, of course, a library of some of the best known - and loved - pieces of classical music ever composed.

Organized by composer (and conveniently color coded along the top sleeve seam), the box lends itself - with a sequential listen - to one getting lost in a surfeit of genius from these great minds, one at a time...my first thought upon completing the initial chapter comprising Mozart was to reach for more from other sets! But, how could I ignore the clarion call of the subsequent Haydn collection, heralded by a salvo of #s 93, 96 and 98 on a chunky 77 minute first disc! Too long already and too short for any service...anyway, here's a helpful reference for the curious (especially newbies like moi)/Katie

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/album/abbado-symphony-edition/home.html


----------



## Zandonai

Ravel String Quartets - Quatuor Ebene (Excellent)
Brahms German Requiem - Klemperer

Anything - anything - anything to get the second act of La Boheme earworm out of my head. Went to the Royal Albert Hall production about three weeks ago. Singing OK but the production was completely outstanding. The second act in particular was as blissfully enjoyable as anything I can remember in my life. Such JOY!

Zandonai


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

I'm listening to Handel's Organ concerto No. 1.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 9 "Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her" - Hans Grischkat, cond (1951)


----------



## Weston

*Lukas Foss: American Pieces (3) for violin & piano* (orchestrated by the composer)
Seiji Ozawa / Boston Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman, violin









This is a fun rollicking little suite. It kind of has a period piece movie soundtrack quality, full orchestra but also with a slightly chamber feel. Evidently the pieces were not originally for orchestra?


----------



## lostid

I love Russian composers. Great music. For some reason, I can be easily attached to their music.


----------



## NightHawk

Erik Bosgraaf, a superb recorder artist, the main Prof of Recorder at the Conservatory/Amsterdam, delivers absolutely smashing performances of these 12 Fantasias by Telemann. His artistry, and imagination are boundless, it seems. 
Highly recommended*****


----------



## PetrB

Weston said:


> *Lukas Foss: American Pieces (3) for violin & piano* (orchestrated by the composer)
> Seiji Ozawa / Boston Symphony Orchestra / Itzhak Perlman, violin
> 
> View attachment 38439
> 
> 
> This is a fun rollicking little suite. It kind of has a period piece movie soundtrack quality, full orchestra but also with a slightly chamber feel. Evidently the pieces were not originally for orchestra?


They are very mid-20th century neoclassical with that 'Americana' sound via Copland via Virgil Thomson, and quite pleasant, imo.
Here is the original for piano and violin... as nice as the orchestration is, I prefer the original:













In quite a similar vein from the same time, but less 'dripping of Americana,' while being also more than pleasant:
Lukas Foss ~ Capriccio for 'Cello and Piano (1943)





For a complete change of pace, try
Lukas Foss ~ Baroque Variations





Best regards.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Chamber Duos:

*Debussy - Violin Sonata* / Chung, Lupu [Decca, 1990]

*Ravel - Tzigane* / Pires, Dufay [DG, 2009]


----------



## Guest

Wow, these remastered discs sound great. Today, I'm starting with the two Rachmaninoff Sonatas.


----------



## Blancrocher

For JSB's birthday, Anton Heiller playing the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor.


----------



## KenOC

For Haydn's birthday: his trumpet concerto (and a whole bunch of others). These are surprisingly good performances.


----------



## Weston

PetrB said:


> They are very mid-20th century neoclassical with that 'Americana' sound via Copland via Virgil Thomson, and quite pleasant, imo.
> Here is the original for piano and violin... as nice as the orchestration is, I prefer the original:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In quite a similar vein from the same time, but less 'dripping of Americana,' while being also more than pleasant:
> Lukas Foss ~ Capriccio for 'Cello and Piano (1943)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For a complete change of pace, try
> Lukas Foss ~ Baroque Variations
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards.


Much appreciated (and the PM too)! I'd like to collect more Foss. The only other piece I have by him is American Landscapes for Guitar and Orchestra ( Hugo Wolf / St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Sharon Isbin, guitar ), another piece dripping of Americana and it's even more intriguing than the 3 American pieces. I look forward to checking out the links shortly.


----------



## Alfacharger

Some more Haydn birthday listening.


----------



## Sid James

Lately its been these:










*Mendelssohn*
_Piano Concertos No. 1 in G minor & No. 2 in D minor
Capriccio Brilliante in B minor for piano & orch. Op. 22_
- Derek Han, piano with Israel CO under Stephen Gunzenhauser (Brilliant Classics)

I was glad to be reminded of these on this very thread, so gave it a spin. But any excuse will do to listen to these!

I like many aspects of* Mendelssohn's piano concertos*, that easy listening lyricism so uniquely his own, the elegance and restraint of his music, and the smooth transition from one theme, variation or phrase to the next. Apart from the poetry there's plenty of action for the pianist as well, the outer movements are quite dramatic and Mendelssohn mines the minor keys for all they're worth. I just love how he starts with the briefest of intros, and the pianist comes in full throttle, like a sprinter waiting for the start pistol. An exhilirating beginning as any concerto in the repertoire. No surprises why I have found the first movement so memorable, even after the first listen on radio many moons ago now.










*R. Strauss*_
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Don Juan
Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche_
- Royal PO under Sir Charles Mackerras (alto)

I'm getting to grips with *Strauss,* who for the most part hasn't grabbed me. But I'm getting there, not only for enjoying the sheer brilliance of his orchestral effects, but also a fair bit of cheekiness and even warmth and whimsy in these (esp. in *Don* and *Till,* but even that waltz like solo violin bit in *Zarathustra*, "Das Tanzlied") and an inkling of thematic unity in them also. So, these are more than mild improvements, which is good.










From album* "Florence Foster Jenkins - The Glory (????) of the Human Voice":*
*Mozart *_Die Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache (Queen of the Night Aria)_
*Delibes *_Lakmé: Ou va le jeune Hindoue? (Bell Song)_
*J. Strauss Jnr.* _Die Fledermaus: Adele's Laughing Song_
- FFJ, soprano; Cosme McMoon, piano

Throwing in FFJ, the greatest coloratura soprano of her generation. Here we have the definitive versions of all these immortal arias. Marvel at the cathartic qualities of* FFJ's *delivery, and her imagination in extemporization, ornamentation and improvisation. John Cage paid tribute to her saying "technically, she did a lot of things with 'ion' at the end, very highbrow, but I was more innovative cos I did it longer than her for four minutes and..." But seriously, FFJ did fill Carnegie Hall, that you can take as a fully certifiable fact!

From album* "Salute to Democracy"* (EMI)
*Barber* _Adagio for Strings _- London SO under André Previn
*Sousa arr. Stokowski *_Stars & Stripes Forever_ - National PO under Leopold Stokowski

This one is the cd with the Iron Lady's mug on the cover, but I'm not including the cover this time so no need for anybody to get urgent medical attention due to contemplating her visage!



AH music said:


> Enthralled by comparative listening of fortepiano and modern piano versions of the new discovery - ... I enjoyed both the fortepiano and modern piano versions tried, their differing qualities only added to the enjoyment. Until recently I would have been out my comfort zone with anything other than the modern piano, but am now starting to appreciate the alternative sound world of the period instruments. Anyone interested in keyboard works of this style and era is unlikely to be disappointed if giving this a try.


I was a bit the same with the fortepiano, but I don't mind it now, Beethoven's comment on them sounding like harps come to mind. Of course he was frustrated with their limitations, and I know his PC#5 (Emperor) was written once he got his hands on a Broadwood sent from England, its closer to the modern piano. But yes its interesting to compare all the different keyboard instruments.



ShropshireMoose said:


> Mozart: Rondo in A, K.386 Eileen Joyce/Orchestra/Clarence Raybould
> Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Minor, Op.23 No.5
> Schumann-Liszt: Widmung (Dedication)
> R. Strauss-Gieseking: Standchen
> Grieg: Scherzo-Impromptu, Op.73 No.2
> Wagner-Liszt: Spinning Song from "The Flying Dutchman" Eileen Joyce
> 
> Finishing the evening with a few favourites from the delightful Eileen Joyce, what a wonderful pianist she was, and how I wish that she had recorded more substantial parts of her repertoire. Oh well, this is thoroughly enjoyable, so let's be grateful for what we've got.


Speaking of Eileen Joyce, that jogs my memory. It was either her or Moura Lympany that I heard playing Mendelssohn's _Piano Concerto #1 _for the first time. I just checked, both are on youtube, so both could have been the ones I am thinking of. But I used to have Peter Katin's recording of it, and this one by Derek Han is equally a joy.


----------



## Morimur

*Evan Ziporyn: Amok! Tire Fire (Gamelan Galak Tika)*










Both works on this disc are extended pieces for full Balinese gamelan with various Western instruments. Tire Fire is written for gamelan and electric guitars while Amok! is scored for gamelan and digital sampler. In both pieces, Ziporyn explores the blurring of boundaries that results from the interaction between Western technology and Balinese gamelan. His quest for cross-cultural epiphanies never privileges one tradition over the other, but fuses both in a riot of rhythm and color that redefines the term 'world music.' -New World Records


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> Chamber Duos:
> 
> *Debussy - Violin Sonata* / Chung, Lupu [Decca, 1990]
> 
> *Ravel - Tzigane* / Pires, *Dufay *[DG, 2009]


Well, atleast you didn't refer to him as Dufus.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 46 - Helmut Kahlhofer, cond (1960)

The final chorale of this work has the novel inclusion of, and writing for, a pair of recorders, weaving joyous independant lines around the more stately choir. Another little hidden gem.


----------



## Weston

Kontrapunctus said:


> I guess we don't have to like everything we listen to, right? I was going to sell this disc on Amazon, then I thought I'd give it another try since an upcoming disc of her concertos sounded pretty good, but this just isn't working for me. Picture a blend of Debussy and Ligeti. Back on Amazon it goes! (Superb sound, though.)


A blend of Debussy and Ligeti should be amazing! But to each his/her own.



AH music said:


> Enthralled by comparative listening of fortepiano and modern piano versions of the new discovery - the Kraus sonata in E major VB 196. This seems quite a large scale and ambitious piece for its time, clearly in the "sturm und drang" style, which is evident in each of the three movements. It really makes a thoroughly engaging and at times quite imposing piece, which sounds to a non-player as though it would be challenging but also fun to play. Melodic, at times almost humorous, and also really quite bold and dramatic in places - close to CPE Bach but looking on to someone like Hummel perhaps??? Haydn was enthusiastic about at least one of his symphonic works. I enjoyed both the fortepiano and modern piano versions tried, their differing qualities only added to the enjoyment. Until recently I would have been out my comfort zone with anything other than the modern piano, but am now starting to appreciate the alternative sound world of the period instruments. Anyone interested in keyboard works of this style and era is unlikely to be disappointed if giving this a try.
> 
> View attachment 38413
> View attachment 38414


I agree Kraus is an exciting find. I have only explored a little of his work, but what I have heard seems timeless. More timeless than bigger names of his era.


----------



## Andolink

This is my new favorite work by *Shostakovich*. The performance is maybe the reason, I don't know as I haven't heard any other versions. Anyway this one is of unrelentingly searing intensity.









_Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 67_
Plamena Mangova, piano
Natalia Prischepenko, violin
Sebastian Klinger, cello


----------



## Vaneyes

Andolink said:


> This is my new favorite work by *Shostakovich*. The performance is maybe the reason, I don't know as I haven't heard any other versions. Anyway this one is of unrelentingly searing intensity.
> 
> _Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 67_
> Plamena Mangova, piano
> Natalia Prischepenko, violin
> Sebastian Klinger, cello
> 
> View attachment 38445


I like Brahms' stuff, too. Switcheroo came pretty quick. :tiphat:


----------



## senza sordino

*Elgar Cello *and *Carter Cello *and *Bruch Kol Nidrei *








and

*Szymanowski Violin Concerti*


----------



## ProudSquire

*Mozart*

Rondo in A minor, K. 511

Arrau


----------



## Morimur

*Toby Twining: Eurydice (Cantaloupe Records)*









A TONAL opera for the 21st century!? It's crazy!

Seriously, I am not the biggest advocate of tonal music but this is beautiful work. Recommended.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Miklos Rozsa: Tripartita for Orchestra*


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's La Passion De Simone - Dawn Upshaw, soprano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Violin Sonata in E Flat

Antoinette Lohman, violin -- Vaughan Schlepp, piano


----------



## dgee

Dutilleux "Tout un Monde Lontain" - dreamy. And I love the ecstatic glissy moments. How happy Misha looks to be playing these great works (the Lutoslawski is not bad either)!









Still wish I had the Lynn Harrell tho ;-)


----------



## julianoq

maestro267 said:


> That is such a massive work. I've only tackled it once before, and even then I did it over two sessions.


I agree! Vingt Regards is a massive work, and in my first listen I had to stop many times during it. Even now, I use to stop one or two times to take a break. But I find it to be a _very_ rewarding work. In many occasions listening to it I find myself in a state of deep religious trance. Even without words, it has more effect in me than most, if not all, choral works and masses.

I don't listen to it that often, but is always a very powerful experience.


----------



## Morimur

*Michael Finnissy: The History of Photography in Sound*

This is going to be my next purchase...


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 11 (sung in English) - Reginald Jacques, cond. (1949)

The orchestral work on this "historical" album is superb, and if the sound was cleaned up you might think it was from two decades later - certainly not the "stiff" style the critics speak of. The singers, including the soloists however are very clearly situated in more or less 1949 (though nothing wrong with that either - just an odd juxtaposition).

Apparently only Ferrier's two aria have made it on to cd. If you want the whole cantata you've got to hit the record bins (though being an Ace Of Clubs I doubt its all that rare).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition - Promenade, Gnomus (Carlo Maria Giulini; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Violin Concerto

Mahler - Violin Concerto (unfinished)*
(from sketches, completion by the Soviet musicologist Chelovek Odurachennyy) 
Leonid Kogin; R. Kleinert, Berlin RSO [Melodiya (LP), 1959]









I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I picked this up from our local charity shop - my reading of Cyrilic script isn't that hot, but on the back cover it says that this was prepared from a series of manuscript sketches found in Wilhelm Mengelberg's apartment in East Berlin and completed and performed in recognition of 'fraternal links between the U.S.S.R. and the Socialist Republic of East Germany' in this disc of German violin concertos. No doubt older forum members will remember the controversial Deryck Cook performing version by Maxim Vengerov with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez released by DG in 1999, but this predates it by 40 years!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 10 - Paul Steinitz, cond.

The first recording of this cantata and its as late as 1965 (though it sounds mid-fifties)

I've been wondering as I go through the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt set if there might be at least one where they were the first to record it. I doubt it, but its not impossible.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Symphonies 1 and 4 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

Boult's Schumann symphonies must be amongst the most exciting ever recorded- if not the most exciting. A common complaint is that the orchestral playing is rough, well, it don't bother me! Boult conducts with a swing and a swagger that carries all before it, and makes you wonder that anyone could ever have doubted that these were great works. He always seemed to be thought of as rather a reserved sort of chap- a case of the image blinding the critics to his performances I suspect. Boult may have looked like your archetypal bank manager, but just listening to almost any of his recordings tells a very different story. These are superb. A great start to the day.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F Major, D 47

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Federico Guglielmo, violin


----------



## Jeff W

Not much classical listening last night. Edvard Grieg and Robert Schumann's Piano Concertos. Leon Fleisher played the piano while George Szell led the Cleveland Orchestra.

Edit:









Finished 'Little Shop of Horrors' and just started listening to Alfred Brendel play Beethoven's Piano Concertos No. 3 & 4. Bernard Haitink leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra in these recordings from some in the 1970's (Don't have my liner notes handy right now  )


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Hindemith - Violin Concerto
> 
> Mahler - ViolinConcerto (unfinished)*
> (from sketches, completion by the Soviet musicologist Chelovek Odurachennyy)
> Leonid Kogin; R. Kleinert, Berlin RSO [Melodiya (LP), 1959]
> 
> View attachment 38458
> 
> 
> I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I picked this up from our local charity shop - my reading of Cyrilic scrript isn't that hot, but on the back cover it says that this was prepared from a series of manuscript sketches found in Wilhelm Mengelberg's apartment in East Berlin and completed and performed in recognition of 'fraternal links between the U.S.S.R. and the Socialist Republic of East Germany' in this disc of German violin concertos. No doubt older forum members will remember the controversial Deryck Cook performing version by Maxim Vengerov with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez released by DG in 1999, but this predates it by 40 years!


Ah yes, a fine composition that no one seems to have heard! My somewhat regressed avatar is laughing with glee.

Here is a link for anyone who wants to hear this misrepresented masterpiece of epic proportions.

The above link also constitutes my current listening.


----------



## Alfacharger

For April 1st, some music by the left coast Bernstein. Tangos (18 years of nothing, then twice in one day), jazz and an extended tone poem "Taarna" featuring the Ondes Martenot. Elmer's Star Wars score.


----------



## Vasks

_Very Venetian_

*G. Gabrieli - Assorted Canzonas & Sonatas (His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts/Hyperion)*


----------



## AH music

One of many airings over the last few months for a recent favourite - Czerny piano sonata no 1 (apparently a fairly regular item in Liszt's performing repertoire). Four fine contrasting movements with a closing fugue and touching reprisal of the first theme thrown in. From a splendid set of all the sonatas by Martin Jones (from no 1, Op 7 to no 11, Op 730) on three double CD's. No 1 is on volume two of the discs. All are available on spotify. Sounds challenging to play to me as a non-player, but the result is very worthwhile listening as far as I am concerned.


----------



## Blancrocher

For the anniversaries today:

Neeme Jarvi conducting Busoni's "Berceuse elegiaque," and Richter playing Rachmaninov.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin - Mazurkas Op. 6 & Op. 7 (Garrick Ohlsson).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> For April 1st, some music by the left coast Bernstein. Tangos (18 years of nothing, then twice in one day), jazz and an extended tone poem "Taarna" featuring the Ondes Martenot. Elmer's Star Wars score.


I like Berstein's score to_ Heavy Metal _even more than the _Magnificent Seven_,_ Zulu Dawn_, or the _Ten Commandments._

It certainly has it's Milkos Rozsa moments with the "Den" and "Tarna" cuts.

Total thumbs up.


----------



## julianoq

Kodaly's Cello Sonata Op.4, performed by Kliegel and Jando. After listening to the awesome sonata for solo cello (Op.8) this week, I was expecting something as furious and technical demanding, but the Op.4 is almost serene by comparison. Loving it so far.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Così fan Kiri con Stade*

Te Kanawa's and von Stade's timbre and harmonizing in _"Ah, Guarda, Sorella_" and "_Soave Sia Il Vento_" are benchmark (the notable exception being the Schwarzkopf/Merriman/Philharmonia). Perhaps the dramatic component to the characterizations and to the conducting is not up to the level, but the singing is among the most_ beautiful _I've heard for these numbers.

Only by a sort of courtesy and euphemistic gloss would I call most popular "singers" today, 'singers.'

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Behold now the evidence:


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Tori Amos's Night of Hunters soon2b followed by Glass's Heroes symphony in a bid2indulge in some "modern classical" music. I've neva heard ne Glass but saw it in the bargain bin and thought "woteva". 

The Tori was a classical label offering in the same bargain bin which I shud've left alone. I guess u sometimes get wot u pay 4 

Upd8:
The Glass got 3 stars in my big book of classical discs though AMG rates it 3/5 and the Tori at 4/5. I'm 10m in2the Glass now and think AMG is wrong as it's not a drudge unlike the Tori, soz2ne Tori fans reading


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Rachmaninov's* birthday (1873).


----------



## millionrainbows

The Chamber version, orch. by Schoenberg/Riehn.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Walton*: Symphony 1, Cello Concerto, w. Harrell/CBSO/Rattle (rec. 1990/1); String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Gabrieli Qt. (rec. 1986 - '90).








View attachment 38473


----------



## AH music

Another day, another first - get a life and listen to a double bass concerto! I have two recordings of music by Vanhal - symphonies and flute quartets, OK, but never been really struck by them (possibly somewhat pedestrian performances). Thanks to spotify, tried his double bass concerto in E flat, which I definitely enjoyed for the warm tones and attractive writing for the soloist. The double bass seems to make a good concerto solo instrument. Also listened to a clarinet sonata in C major, very perky, even feisty in the finale - struck by this piece more than most others I have heard by Vanhal, but perhaps it was the extra vitality of the performances that helped - will be listening to more from this disc. Adjusting more and more to fortepiano / original instrument sounds.


----------



## Bas

Johann Praetorius - Organ works
By Friedhelm Flamme [organ], on CPO


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Symphonies #94 and 95.
Hanover Band, Roy Goodman.

Found this at the back of a cabinet an hour ago.
100% period instruments.
Fine performances. Colorful sounds.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> View attachment 38477
> 
> 
> FJ Haydn, Symphonies #94 and 95.
> Hanover Band, Roy Goodman.
> 
> Found this at the back of a cabinet an hour ago.
> 100% period instruments.
> Fine performances. Colorful sounds.


You know you're in a good place if there are Haydn CDs popping out of everywhere .

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 17 No. 4 in A minor; Op. 24 (Garrick Ohlsson).


----------



## hpowders

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> You know you're in a good place if there are Haydn CDs popping out of everywhere .
> 
> Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka Op. 17 No. 4 in A minor (Garrick Ohlsson).
> 
> View attachment 38478


Good thing I didn't purchase it a second time. I did that once with a Hindemith CD!


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> Good thing I didn't purchase it a second time. I did that once with a Hindemith CD!


you mean, you forgot you already owned a copy? 

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 70 in D Major; Symphony No. 71 in B-Flat Major 
(Roy Goodman; The Hanover Band).


----------



## Blancrocher

Rene Jacobs and co in Monteverdi's "L'Incoronazione di Poppea."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, 5 Pieces for Orchestra, Symphony, Cantata No. 1.*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Benda: Violin Concerto in D
Pichl: Violin Concerto in D, Op.3 No.1
Vranicky: Violin Concerto in C Gabriela Demeterova/Prague Chamber Orchestra

Having accompanied the delightful Miss Demeterova in a recital a couple of weeks ago, I am now thoroughly enjoying this marvellous record of her playing three violin concertos by 18th/early 19th century Bohemian composers. They are all good, but I am especially taken by the Vranicky, which is very tuneful, not dissimilar to Mozart, but with a dash of early romanticism thrown in for good measure. Recommended to all, it's always nice to wander off the beaten track, and this is a most pleasurable road indeed.


----------



## Morimur

*Ali Akbar Khan - (1993) Plays Alap • A Sarod Solo (2 CD)*










This double-disc set contains three examples of Ali Akbar Khan playing alap the very advanced method of playing ragas that is as much a meditational or spiritual experience as it is a musical performance. Shri Rag -- a serious evening raga for the hours of sunset and twilight. It features the qualities of devotion and heroism with a touch of pathos. Pilu Baroowa -- A light-classical (and popular) raga that has a restless and charming mood. It is played in the late afternoon or evening. Ragini Iman Kalyan -- A classic evening raga that is played by most North Indian musicians. It features the moods of peace and devotion, love and joy, with a bit of sadness. _-AllMusic_


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, String Quartet Opus 33, No. 5*

Quatour Mosaiques make a good case for period instruments in this piece: light sound, unity of tone, responsiveness between members, and no intrusive sniffing - at least yet.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Vaneyes said:


> Well, atleast you didn't refer to him as Dufus.


I know, I'm sorry, I can't complete a post without making a typo. The 'f' key isn't even near the 'm' key, even on my Cyrilic typewriter!



Mahlerian said:


> Ah yes, a fine composition that no one seems to have heard! My somewhat regressed avatar is laughing with glee.


I'm afraid that even I haven't heard it as the LP turns out to be a complete dud, nothing is listenable on the 3 sides devoted to the Mahler work. Typically, the Hindemith VC is fine. So it's back to the bargain bins for another search for a playable copy. I am sorely disappointed, naturally.

Current listening (in preparation for the Art Song project)

*Poulenc - Mélodies

Fiançailles Pour Rire
Trois Poèmes de Louise de Vilmorin
Ce Doux Petit Visage
Airs Chantés
À sa Guitare
La Court Paille
Nous Voulons une Petite Soeur
Les Chemins de L'amour
Métamorphoses
C* (poème de Louis Aragon)

Mady Mesplé (soprano); Gabriel Tacchino (piano)

*La Dame de Monte Carlo (monologue pour soprano et orchestre)*

Mady Mesplé; Orch. Phil. de Monte-Carlo, Georges Prêtre

[La Voix de Son Maitre, (LP), rec. 1984-86]










Atmospheric, often wistful and very French, are these Poulenc songs.


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Piano Sonatas C in k.545 & in F K.533/494* Mitsuko Uchida on Philips.

The 'beginners' sonata in C, sounding far more satisfying than anything this simple has a right to do, but that's Mozart for you, greatly helped by Mitsuko Uchida's playing.

Rather more to the sonata in F. The first two movements are particularly fine, and probably my favourites out of all the Mozart piano sonatas.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 36 - William Ehmann, cond. (1969)


----------



## SixFootScowl




----------



## Itullian

Act ll


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No.3 L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Paul Kletzki

For Rachmaninoff's birthday, my favourite recording of his 3rd Symphony, a very exciting traversal by Kletzki and the SRO. He was a superb conductor of Russian music, and this record has been a love of mine since I first bought it 32 years ago. NB. my copy is the Eclipse reissue, but I couldn't find an image of it!


----------



## Mahlerian

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A, "Kreutzer"
Kremer, Argerich


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Introducing Mozart The Complete Edition* Philips

Highlights from the Philips Complete Mozart Edition - 19 complete movements and arias.

Not sure why I bought this - maybe because I couldn't afford the Complete Edition. Makes a pretty good introduction to Mozart for those new to classical music.


----------



## Blake

Hossein Alizadeh - _Song of Sparrows._ Awesome Iranian instrumentalist and composer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 45 - Ernest Ansermet, cond, (1966)


----------



## hpowders

Yes HaydnBearstheClock, I didn't know I had the Goodman/Hanover Haydn CD. 

I have way too many CD's and it's only getting worse. They keep pouring in.

Currently waiting for 4 CD's of the Sir Colin Davis/ Haydn London Symphonies.


----------



## hpowders

AH music said:


> Another day, another first - get a life and listen to a double bass concerto! I have two recordings of music by Vanhal - symphonies and flute quartets, OK, but never been really struck by them (possibly somewhat pedestrian performances). Thanks to spotify, tried his double bass concerto in E flat, which I definitely enjoyed for the warm tones and attractive writing for the soloist. The double bass seems to make a good concerto solo instrument. Also listened to a clarinet sonata in C major, very perky, even feisty in the finale - struck by this piece more than most others I have heard by Vanhal, but perhaps it was the extra vitality of the performances that helped - will be listening to more from this disc. Adjusting more and more to fortepiano / original instrument sounds.
> 
> View attachment 38474
> View attachment 38475


One of the legendary conductors, Serge Koussevitsky of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was a double bass player.


----------



## Wood

ruaskin said:


> it's not a drudge unlike the Tori, soz2ne Tori fans reading


ok m8 0 tkn










me vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyou


----------



## AH music

Evening listening - back to the cello theme. Lovely warm and lyrical cello sonata by Widor, in A major, Op 80. The final movement is a bit more lively. Again, my first time for this piece, very nice too for a gentle spring evening. The sound and balance seemed excellent, rich and warm. Spotify serendipity strikes again!









Also second listen to a quite different work - Prokofiev Symphony no 3, first time described recently. A fine work, no doubt. Amazing ghostly string effects in parts of the third movement. Mind you, on a thread somewhere someone said the performances on this Weller set were "soft". Boy, am I glad I chose these for my introduction to these symphonies!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Sonata No. 1*


----------



## spradlig

Koussevitsky wrote a double bass concerto that is perhaps the most well-known double bass concerto. I haven't heard it in a long time, but I recall that it at least starts out very well. I have read that some people think Reinhold Gliere actually wrote it. If anyone is curious, your friend Google can probably tell you more.



hpowders said:


> One of the legendary conductors, Serge Koussevitsky of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was a double bass player.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 34 - Philip Ledger, cond.(1981)


----------



## Blake

Alizadeh - _Ney Nava._ Beautiful.


----------



## Katie

Vesuvius said:


> Alizadeh - _Ney Nava._ Beautiful.


Indeed! I especially love Naghmeh - to me, it communicates a furtive journey through the desert at night and epitomizes the extraordinary dialogues between strings that characterize so much of the collection. Good one!/katie


----------



## DrKilroy

Foss - Capricco for Cello and Piano (Honigberg/Brake)
Fine - The Choral New Yorker (Scribner, Holt), Music for Piano (Boriskin).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## lostid

This composer is unknown to me, but his music sounds great to my ears.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Walton*: Symphony 2, etc., w. Cleveland O./Szell (rec. 1959 - '64).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Annees de Pelerinage Third Year (Italy) Edith Farnadi

Ah, the bliss of Edith Farnadi in Liszt. This is the least played of his three books of Annees de Pelerinage. Written over 20 years after the previous two, it is in Liszt's late style, more introspective generally than his earlier work, and sometimes quite stark. Miss Farnadi makes a compelling case for it to be more well known, and I feel that I could make a compelling case for her recordings to be more well known. It would be nice if DG (the current owners of the Westminster catalogue) would bring out a set devoted to the many fine recordings she made for that label. Incidentally, I have played a mini recital for my own amusement on the piano this evening, consisting of the following: Bach-Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor/Schumann: Kreisleriana Op.16/Schubert-Tausig: Marche Militaire/Billy Mayerl: Railroad Rhythm. I learned Kreisleriana off my own bat having heard Horowitz play it at the Festival Hall in 1986, I could get through it quite well then, but it was a bit of a strain this evening! Reminds me of the story my old friend Jack Wilson used to tell about going to the party to see Ray Noble and Al Bowlly off to the USA in 1934, it went on until the wee small hours, and they all went to the ship to wave them off, full of drink, "I don't know about seeing them off", said Jack, "it nearly saw us off!!" I felt much the same after Kreisleriana!


----------



## Vaneyes

hpowders said:


> Good thing I didn't purchase it a second time. I did that once with a Hindemith CD!


I'll speak for everybody--"We've all done it,"

I nearly repeated the other day, thinking I'd overlooked a later remastering. Caught in time.

I felt so good, I rewarded myself with another order.


----------



## bejart

Ernst Eichner (1740-1777): Symphony in F Major, Op.11, No.4

Werner Ehrhardt conducting L'Arte del Mondo


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More chamber duos:

*Schubert

Violin Sonata in D, D 384
Violin Sonata in A, D 385
Violin Sonata in G, D 408*

Dong-Suk Kang (violin), Pascal Devoyon (piano) [Naxos]

*
Grand Duo Sonata D. 574* / Renaud Capuçon (violin), Jérome Ducros (piano) [Virgin Classics]

Fresh and lovely, but maybe not completely essential Schubert. Kang and Devoyon and Capucon and Ducros give good accounts of these works.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Kabalevsky*: Violin Concerto, w. Mordkovitch/Jarvi (rec.1990); Cello Concerti 1 & 2, w. Tarasova/Dudarova (rec.1993).

View attachment 38496


----------



## Weston

*Franz Berwald: Symphony No. 1 in G minor, "Sinfonie serieuse"*
Okko Kamu / Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra









Archetypal classical / romantic orchestral music. It just doesn't get much more CM than this.


----------



## SimonNZ

Vaneyes said:


> I'll speak for everybody--"We've all done it,"


Yup - the Bach cantata recording I played first thing this morning was a Vanguard issue of an album I've already got on the Cantate label

I'm very good once I've got something into my visual memory - which is part of the reason when I post box sets I'll add the cover of the original release, to recognize in future that its something I've got.

But there still the problem for those few pockets of repertoire where I want all the important recordings, of alternate labels and changing reissue covers.


----------



## Alfacharger

Antal Dorati symphonies. Sounds like the later symphonies of William Schuman without the heart.


----------



## Weston

*Brahms: Variations (10) on a theme of Schumann, for piano, 4 hands in E flat major, Op. 23*
Christian Kohn / Silke-Thora Matthies, piano (well, which one is it?)









I usually don't care much for theme and variations post -baroque, not even Beethoven's much. They can overstay their welcome. But it's fun to hear this evolve very rapidly from Schumann to pure Brahms, and it has a lovely gentle ending. Clearly Brahms held Schumann in high regard.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 32 - Elly Ameling, soprano, Herman Prey, bass, Helmut Winschermann, cond.

more Mozartian than Lutheran


----------



## Weston

*Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466*
Rudolf Serkin, piano / Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Claudio Abbado









Refreshingly unhip, or should I say non-HIP? Later Mozart really is quite nice, isn't it? I think I heard a trill in the third movement somewhere that resolved to an unexpected predictable chord. Almost Beethovenian! I like this interpretation too. I should check out Serkin's Beethoven.

[Edit: I meant unpredictable chord. The brain goes faster than the fingers.]


----------



## Sonata

Lohengrin: Act I


----------



## bejart

Franz Danzi (1763-1826): Wind Quintet in G Major, Op.67, No.1

Michael Thompson Quintet: Jonathan Snowden, flute -- Derek Wickes, oboe -- Robert Hill, clarinet -- Michael Thompson, horn -- John Price, bassoon


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 13 - Helmut Barbe, cond (1960)

Oh my! this one is a stunning performance - absolutely first rank.

And a model of successful delivery of that delicate balancing act that is conveying "hope within despair"


----------



## Sid James

*Album: Noel Coward - Songs from the musicals*
_Songs from Conversation Piece, Bitter Sweet, Operette, After the Ball, Pacific 1860_
- Various performers incl. Joan Sutherland, Noel Coward, with National PO under Richard Bonynge

From one great coloratura in yesterday's session, Florence Foster Jenkins, to another. Starting with some songs by* Noel Coward*, who makes a 'cameo' appearance on this album, singing _Dearest Love _opposite Dame Joan Sutherland. A nice romp through the music of a bygone era, Coward was a symbol of the sophistication, wit and urbane aspects of popular music of his times.










*Haydn *_Symphonies 99 & 101, The Clock_
- English CO under Jeffrey Tate

After the bouquets of operetta, a tribute to the birthday boy of recent days, but any excuse will do to listen to *Haydn*! The finale to _*Symphony #99 *_with all its contrasts, and the imaginative variations in the 'clock' bit (second movement) of _*Symphony #101*_ are my favourite moments here.










*Gershwin, arr. Robert Russell Bennett* _Porgy and Bess - A Symphonic Picture_ 
*Grofe*_ Grand Canyon Suite_
- Detroit SO under Antal Dorati

Then two of the best orchestrators from Hollywood and Broadway,* Bennett *and *Grofé*. No wonder these scores are so polished and still sound fresh. Many favourite bits in these, but I really like the inclusion of banjo in _I got plenty of nuttin'_ from the *Porgy and Bess* arrangement and the added bits of colour imparted by celesta and xylophone in the _*Grand Canyon Suite*_.

Later on I'll probably fit in the _Mississippi Suite_ from that last cd, and in next couple of days Rachmaninov is on the agenda, given its his birthday too...


----------



## Morimur

*Brian Ferneyhough: Fourth String Quartet, Etc / Arditti Quartet*









A chaotic, schizophrenic listen. Highly recommended.


----------



## Blancrocher

Anthony Rooley and the Consort of Musicke in Gesualdo's 5th book of madrigals.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, KV 545

Christian Zacharias, piano


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Salome


----------



## Katie

My progress through the Abbado Symphony box stalled today with Schubert's Rosamunde, or, I should say, the incidental music composed by FS for von Chezy's apparently unremarkable play almost 200 years ago (is that not freaking amazing?). This magnificent array no doubt belongs in a symphony set as its full, rich orchestration - supported in this installment by the stellar vocal accompaniment of Anne Sofie von Otter - often feels like components of a greater, unified symphonic composition.

I would truly love it if some veterans here would dust off various copies, give a listen, and provide some feedback; if it's indeed something special, why? Based on current actuarial tables, I've got about 4 1/2 decades of explorative classical listening; quite frankly, however, I'm beginning to wonder if that will be anywhere near enough time to cover the (burgeoning) body of competent interpretations of just the stuff composed prior to 1900!

For the sake of reference, here is the original, independent release:









P.S.: For the uninitiated, I should add that choral support is provided by what must surely be one of the most competent "semi-professional" outfits in history, the Ernst-Senff Choir.../Kat

P.P.S.: An extra good day it has been, just watched the Astros polish off the Yankees!


----------



## tdc

An interesting video, and nice interpretation of Ravel's _Five Greek Songs_


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 35 - Helmuth Rilling, cond. (1969)

The kind of distinctive, individual recording that makes me want to make some sweeping grand statement about how box sets make everything samey


----------



## GreenMamba

Stravinsky Four Norwegian Moods, Stravinsky/Philharmonic Orch. of New York

Apparently, this piece had quite the premiere:

_Controversy ensued when the work was first performed in Paris, just after the city was liberated from the Nazis, in March 1945. A young firebrand named Pierre Boulez led a claque of hissing and booing conservatory students, one of whom brought a hammer and made so much noise that the orchestra was forced to stop playing twice._


----------



## senza sordino

*Joseph Joachim Violin Concerto in G*, which he dedicated to Liszt. But they later had a falling out, when Joachim and Brahms became pals. And also on this disk is
*Joachim Violin Concerto in the Hungarian Style*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 42 - Herman Scherchen, cond. (1964)

The first really average recording I've played over the last copule of days. Not bad, just forgettable.


----------



## Ingélou

Sinfonia to Talestri, Queen of the Amazons by Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria; gracious & beautiful. 





Moving on to Chiara Margarita Cozzolani - Vespro Della Beata Virgine:




and Regna Terrae Cantate Domino




This vocal music has intelligence & clarity.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 21 - Fritz Werner, cond. (1962)


----------



## shangoyal

First time with Ravel, and I am quite impressed.

Ravel:

*1. Gaspard de la nuit

2. Jeux d'eau

3. Le tombeau de Couperin*

Pascal Roge


----------



## Rhythm

^ Celebration XV | Theodore Antoniou, composer
Nevart-Veron Galileas, flutes; Theofilos Sotiriadis, alto saxophone; Christos Galileas, violin; Brandt Fredriksen, piano​


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## Bas

Dimitri Stepanovich Bortnyansky - Sacred Concertos no. 10 - 16
By Russian State Symphonic Cappella, Valeri Polyansky [dir.], on Chandos


----------



## JakeBloch

Martinu's First Piano Quartet, from 1942.

Man'o'man this is good.

It could have been due to his country being destroyed by the Appeasers and then by the Nazi's, but this is a passionate, soulful work. Yeah, lots of Martinu can be clanky and clever (not funny, just clever) and academic and, worst of all, facile. But this one is not.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: Symphony No.1/Falstaff London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Edward Elgar

Still the finest performances of these two works of genius. The sound on this EMI set is really remarkable considering the age of the recordings (1930/1931), and the performances are unsurpassed. The live Boult of 1976 comes closest to the Symphony and Anthony Collins on Decca in the 1950s is the nearest to equalling Falstaff, but Elgar has a drive and a way of shaping and moulding the phrases that no other conductor comes close to. His rubato is as natural as breathing, and the orchestra play magnificently for him. I know Solti studied these recordings before he made his own, but it just doesn't come off in his hands, he sounds like a military dictator ruthlessly sweeping all in his path, like a relentless machine, and about as interesting! But Elgar has plenty of ebb and flow, light and shade, and I just want it to last forever. The slow movement of the first symphony is heart breaking, such depth of emotion and feeling, the resolution of the whole at the close of the symphony makes me want to shout for joy. The rumbustiousness of Falstaff, we really feel the character, and again, so moving in the death scene at the end. Magnificent. If you don't already own it, then for heaven's sake buy it! £17.26 on amazon at present. Nine CDs of one of the major late-romantic composers conducting his own music in largely unsurpassed performances, what are you waiting for????


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 21 - Helmuth Rilling, cond. (1970)


----------



## Bas

Arvo Pärt - Creator Spiritus
Veni Creator, The Deer's cry, Psalom, Most Holy Mother of God, Solfeggio, My heart is in the Highlands, Peace upon you Jerusalem, Ein Wallfahrtslied, Morning Star, Stabat Mater 
By Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Kopenhagen, Paul Hiller [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 471

Bela Drahos conducting the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Tamas Benkocs, bassoon


----------



## Jeff W

I've been in a mood for piano concertos lately so this is what I listened to. Nothing terribly adventurous.









Started with some of Wolfgang Mozart's piano concertos. In the following order: No. 20, 21, 1, 22, 23 & 3. Geza Anda led the Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg from the piano.









Currently on is Beethoven's arrangement of his Violin Concerto for the Piano (Opus 61a for those keeping score at home). I really like the cadenza that Beethoven wrote for this one for the soloist and timpani. Following this will be the Triple Concerto (Opus 56). Jeno Jando plays the solo piano on both concertos and Dong-Suk Kang plays solo violin and Maria Kliegel plays the solo cello in the Triple Concerto. Bela Drahos leads the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia.


----------



## csacks

Enjoying one of my favorites unpopular composers, Juan Crisostomo Arriaga, the Spanish Mozart.
This time his quartets, in an outstanding record by the outstanding Guarnieri Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

The Quatuor Mosaiques playing Haydn's last quartets. To be followed by a first listen to Jean-Efflam Bavouzet playing Haydn sonatas.


----------



## AH music

Another day, another first - this time a major confession. I have never listened all the way through Bach's Goldberg Variations.... I have tried, just occasionally, but do not seem to easily latch on to the genius others recognise in Bach. I even got half way through another different one today and gave up. Not to be deterred I tried once again, and finally persevered. The performance that finally succeeded may well come as a surprise - none other than the prolific Jeno Jando for Naxos....









I can't comment in detail, but do not doubt it is a major and important work in the literature, but still not sure how soon I'll be back. Now I am getting more accustomed to original instruments, my next listen will probably be to a non-piano version.


----------



## Alfacharger

Very early Mahler today.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Khachaturian*: Piano Concerto, w. Berezovsky/Liss (rec.2006); Violin Concerto, w. Mordkovitch/Jarvi (rec.1990); Cello Concerto, w. Tarasova/Dudarova (rec.1994).

View attachment 38528
View attachment 38529


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Norma: Act I , Scene I*









"_Casta Diva_"- a time to be _nice_.









"_Fine al rito e il sacro bosco_" and "_Ah! bello a me ritorna_"- a time to be _fierce_.

-- Principles I_ believe in_. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Sid James: From one great coloratura in yesterday's session, Florence Foster Jenkins, to another. Starting with some songs by Noel Coward, who makes a 'cameo' appearance on this album, singing Dearest Love opposite Dame Joan Sutherland. A nice romp through the music of a bygone era, Coward was a symbol of the sophistication, wit and urbane aspects of popular music of his times.











Ping! Ping! Ping! Pi-pi-pi-pi-ii-iii-iiiing!

-- Dead on.

Charming, elegant fun all the way.


----------



## maestro267

*Lloyd*: A Symphonic Mass
Brighton Festival Chorus
Bournemouth SO/Lloyd

*Bowen*: Symphony No. 2 in E minor
BBC Philharmonic/A. Davis


----------



## Vasks

_Beethoven bash on LPs_

*Beethoven - Overture to "The Ruins of Athens" (Beecham/Angel)
Beethoven - Piano Concerto #2 (Serkin/Columbia)
Beethoven - Symphony #8 (Klemperer/Angel)*


----------



## opus55

Atterberg: Symphony No. 2


----------



## Vaneyes

A recent arrival, the renown *Dvorak* Symphony 9, w. VPO/Kertesz (rec. 1961).

As I recently mentioned, this Aussie Eloquence has a new SPARS for this reissue. ADD, versus AAD on the '80's London Weekend Classics CD, which I no longer have. Online, I've only read assumptions of this being a new Japanese remastering.

There's no "newer sound" information in this reissue's notes. If I may recollect, compare, guess, this Aussie Eloquence seems slightly warmer with a broader soundstage. I perceive the "newer warmth" not enhancing, but the "newer staging" does.

I would like to hear an engineer's analysis of the two CDs, but that's probably not going to happen. Long story short from me, is that either is fine. The great performance remains.

The coupled Serenade for Winds is pleasant and well-played, but not a deal-maker. Recorded with LSO members in 1968. :tiphat:


----------



## Blancrocher

Bavouzet playing Debussy's Images and Etudes.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Mahler's 8th, Shaw and the Atlanta SO, Telarc


----------



## moody

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38492
> 
> 
> Liszt: Annees de Pelerinage Third Year (Italy) Edith Farnadi
> 
> Ah, the bliss of Edith Farnadi in Liszt. This is the least played of his three books of Annees de Pelerinage. Written over 20 years after the previous two, it is in Liszt's late style, more introspective generally than his earlier work, and sometimes quite stark. Miss Farnadi makes a compelling case for it to be more well known, and I feel that I could make a compelling case for her recordings to be more well known. It would be nice if DG (the current owners of the Westminster catalogue) would bring out a set devoted to the many fine recordings she made for that label. Incidentally, I have played a mini recital for my own amusement on the piano this evening, consisting of the following: Bach-Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor/Schumann: Kreisleriana Op.16/Schubert-Tausig: Marche Militaire/Billy Mayerl: Railroad Rhythm. I learned Kreisleriana off my own bat having heard Horowitz play it at the Festival Hall in 1986, I could get through it quite well then, but it was a bit of a strain this evening! Reminds me of the story my old friend Jack Wilson used to tell about going to the party to see Ray Noble and Al Bowlly off to the USA in 1934, it went on until the wee small hours, and they all went to the ship to wave them off, full of drink, "I don't know about seeing them off", said Jack, "it nearly saw us off!!" I felt much the same after Kreisleriana!


Surely the greatest Lisztian of all !!


----------



## millionrainbows

Another disc of reduced arrangements, done for Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances, active from 1918-1921. Intimate chamber versions of *Mahler's*_ Songs of a Wayfarer,_ the _Kindertotenlieder,_ and a beautiful piece by *Busoni,* _Berceuse elegiaque, Op. 42 (for 9 instruments).

(KOCH/SCHWANN) Conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw.

Highly recommended._


----------



## Ravndal

Beethoven Sonata no 3 C major, op2

Claudio Arrau


----------



## JakeBloch

Less good Martinu: 1st Piano Quintet, Oboe Quartet. Really great Martinu: the other stuff on this disc.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling a recent release, *Gliere*: Symphony 3, w. Buffalo PO/Falletta (rec. 2013). This has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, FanFare, The Hurwitzer 10/10, The Telegraph, All Music, etc.

Lord knows I've been 'round the bend with this work...trying to love it...but all recs eventually culled. I have said on occasion that it's not always necessary to know where you're going, with a work, a recording. Though this work does indeed, to the breaking point, try one's patience. One more chance?

I've liked what I've heard here, in both performance and sound. Exceptional, if you must know. JoAnn has also helped matters by keeping it moving. Apart from Gliere's yellow-brick-road offense, tempo has been the number one maestro mishap for this work.

That all said, I will buy it ('So ordered!'), but with a specific goal/use in mind. As background music for dinner parties.










Related:

http://www.fanfaremag.com/content/view/53308/10261/


----------



## julianoq

Debussy's Preludes Book 1, performed by Paul Jacobs.


----------



## opus55

Gaubert: Violin Sonata in A










A random pick from Naxos Music Library. Nice cover art.


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaneyes said:


> Related:
> 
> http://www.fanfaremag.com/content/view/53308/10261/


A *five minute timpani pedal at continuous forte???*


----------



## Bas

Vincenzo Bellini - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Janet Baker [soprano], Beverly Sills [soprano], Robert Lloyd [tenor], Nicolai Gedda [tenor], Raimund Herincx [bariton], John Alldis Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Patanè [dir.], on EMI









Ludwig van Beethoven - Cello Sonatas
By Pierre Fournier [cello], Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Blake

Alizadeh - _Gabbeh._ We need some more Traditional Persian and Indian music in here, fellas. I can't be the only one, eh?


----------



## Morimur

Vesuvius said:


> Alizadeh - _Gabbeh._ We need some more Traditional Persian and Indian music in here, fellas. I can't be the only one, eh?


You are not the only one. I have a sizable collection of traditional Persian and Indian music. However, I am listening to Max Richter at the moment, though I can't say I am impressed thus far.


----------



## Blake

Lope de Aguirre said:


> You are not the only one. I have a sizable collection of traditional Persian and Indian music. However, I am listening to Max Richter at the moment, though I can't say I am impressed thus far.


Richter's okay. But yea, glad to hear about your collection… start jamming!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Mahler - Symphony No 8 - LPO - Tennstedt









I should listen to more Mahler


----------



## LancsMan

*Mozart: Requiem* Margaret Price, Trudeliese Schmidt, Francisco Araiza, Theo Adam, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Peter Schreier n Philips.







My only recording of this work (wonderful first half, the second half may not maintain the quality but is quite serviceable).

I'm more than happy with this performance, and haven't felt the need to purchase another.


----------



## Morimur

*Masters of Persian Music - (2005) Faryad (2 CD)*

This recording is among my favorites...









_Review by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates_
The grandeur, beauty and spiritual power of Persia's rich musical history is eloquently laid out on the two-CD set Faryad. Legendary singer Mohammed Reza Shajarian, kamancheh (spike fiddle) player Kayhan Kalhor, tar (plucked lute) player Hossein Alizadeh and vocalist (and Mohammed's son) Homayoun Shajarian, join together to present a seamless landscape of Persian music. Linked to the mystical sufi tradition as well as medieval royal courts, classical Persian (Iran) music embodies meditation, vocal precision and improvisation. Masters of Persian Music: Faryad works with the innovations of the super group, allowing new melodic and polyphonic structures to be introduced. The effect is a stunning array of soothing, multi-dimensional music.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Joachim Trio playing the Piano Trio in G major, which Debussy composed when he was 18 years old. Can't remember the last time I heard this piece, which is delightful and amusing.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Wassermusik - Overture; Violin Concerto in A Major, 'Die Relinge'; Alster-Ouvertüre (Philip Pickett; New London Consort).


----------



## LancsMan

*Haydn: The Creation* The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists conducted by John Eliot Gardiner on Archiv








What a musical distance Haydn travelled from youth to old age. This work is in many ways typical of Haydn's character, a robust earthiness and rationality here coupled with some moments of dramatic power and originality.

I have three recordings of this work, this being the only one on original instruments. It's a pretty strong performance and recording - but maybe lacks a little when moments of mystery are called for. When the light turns on at 'Let There Be Light' it's a veritable floodlight!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 1*


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, London Symphonies #95, 96, 98, 102, 103 104.

Royal Concertgebouw , Sir Colin Davis.

Absolutely astonishing orchestral execution. The Concertgebouw of 1980 just may have been the best orchestra on the planet.

Listen to the trio of #104's minuet. Breathtaking!

The 2 greatest London Symphonies, IMHO, #102 and 104, here receive the best performances I've ever heard. Davis takes both the first and last movement exposition repeats in #104 and brings it in at a well-deserved 28 minutes as befits this great symphony's stature.

In sum, I have never heard orchestral playing like this ever in Haydn or Mozart.

A must for all Haydn lovers!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Die Walkure*









Singers, conductor, orchestra-- absolutely and without exception.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> View attachment 38557
> 
> 
> FJ Haydn, London Symphonies #95, 96, 98, 102, 103 104.
> 
> Royal Concertgebouw , Sir Colin Davis.
> 
> Absolutely astonishing orchestral execution. The Concertgebouw of 1980 just may have been the best orchestra on the planet.
> 
> Listen to the trio of #104's minuet. Breathtaking!
> 
> The 2 greatest London Symphonies, IMHO, #102 and 104, here receive the best performances I've ever heard. Davis takes both the first and last movement exposition repeats in #104 and brings it in at a well-deserved 28 minutes as befits this great symphony's stature.
> 
> In sum, I have never heard orchestral playing like this ever in Haydn or Mozart.
> 
> A must for all Haydn lovers!


'A must for all Haydn lovers' - you've pricked my ears, hpowders. Sir Colin Davis loved Haydn, you can tell from this:


----------



## Headphone Hermit

inspired by the Marschallin's latest post .... Zeller - Der Vogelhandler .... with Lucia Popp in there somewhere









I was going to post this yesterday .... just to see who would post a 'like' for it. But on looking for images of the cover, I was startled to find dozens and dozens of versions, so I guess some people actually DO like it (have a listen to "Ich bin der Prodekan" and be as perplexed as I am.

Mind you, it has some of the cheesiest covers I've seen for a piece of music, including:





















Come on, be honest ... the young lady blowing the horn is an image to make one smille


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Some more chamber duos as I work on a list:

*Delius - Violin Sonatas*

*No. 1 (1914)
No. 2 (c. 1923)
No. 3 (1930)*

Ralph Holmes (violin); Eric Fenby (Piano) [Unicorn (LP), rec. 1972]


----------



## Oskaar

Im on a youtube kick lately. Living picture performances. There are so many goodies out there that you can get crazy over all that is offered.

Are you in for a gem? (or you may know it))

I have just seen and listened to:

*Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
I. Moderato nobile (00:00)
II. Romanze (08:56)
III. Allegro assai vivace (17:17)
Hilary Hahn, violin
Deutsche Symphonie Orchestra
Kent Nagano, conductor﻿*

youtube *HERE*

Happy enjoyment!

Tip (as you all probably know)

If the streamings are not fluent, go to settings, the taggy wheel bottom right, and chose a lower value than automaticly suggested-better with a bit blury than scratching picture.


----------



## hpowders

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> 'A must for all Haydn lovers' - you've pricked my ears, hpowders. Sir Colin Davis loved Haydn, you can tell from this:


And being from the UK, he seemed to love #104 most of all. It receives one of its greatest performances right here.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Well, really - Zeller outlasted his welcome (and its only 26 minuutes long) but now its on to the next one ........

Leo Fall - Die Dollarprinzessin









Gosh - this is an antidote to those who suggest the Germans have made an enormous contribution to Western Music. Have a listen to "morgenstund hat Gold im Mund" before you have the audacity to press 'like' for this one guitar::clap: :trp:

what makes this CD more notable is that it sounds as if it were arranged by James Last on an acid trip!


----------



## Oskaar

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38433
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Serenade Op.8 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
> Kodaly: Duo for Violin and Cello Op.7 Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky
> 
> More wonderful music making from Heifetz and co. These recordings of the Beethoven string trios are as fine as any I've heard. Interesting to see the much smaller billing that the Kodaly duo gets on the original sleeve, even though it takes up half the record, don't want to put people off from buying it now, do we???!!! Another brilliant performance. I'm very fond of Kodaly and with Heifetz and Piatigorsky you can't go wrong.


I have started to discover more of the old masters om youtube. There are many enjoyable videos with living pictures of artists like Heifetz, Ostrakh and more. Sound is not so important when you can see those masters perform. But for me they are not the only gods. I think there are many good young or active violinists today. Hahn is only one.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Piano Sonatas Nos. 46 and 48.*


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> Lately its been these:I like many aspects of* Mendelssohn's piano concertos*, that easy listening lyricism so uniquely his own, the elegance and restraint of his music, and the smooth transition from one theme, variation or phrase to the next. Apart from the poetry there's plenty of action for the pianist as well, the outer movements are quite dramatic and Mendelssohn mines the minor keys for all they're worth. I just love how he starts with the briefest of intros, and the pianist comes in full throttle, like a sprinter waiting for the start pistol. An exhilirating beginning as any concerto in the repertoire. No surprises why I have found the first movement so memorable, even after the first listen on radio many moons ago now.[/COLOR]


Thankyou for brilliant descriptions of listening experience! I love to reed it, and definiatly urge me to explore this!


----------



## Blake

Jordi Savall's _Armenian Spirit._ This is amazing.


----------



## joen_cph

TurnaboutVox said:


> Some more chamber duos as I work on a list:
> 
> *Delius - Violin Sonatas*
> 
> *No. 1 (1914)
> No. 2 (c. 1923)
> No. 3 (1930)*
> 
> Ralph Holmes (violin); Eric Fenby (Piano) [Unicorn (LP), rec. 1972]


A great recording. 
I heard some you-tube clips the other day that make the music sound very different also - with Galina Heifetz and David Wehr:


----------



## Oskaar

Here is another youtube concerto with Hahn. The sound isnt the best, but watching her perform weigh up for that.

*Hahn - Prokofiev - Violin Concerto No.1*

She make playing look so easy!

se the concert *here*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

JS Bach - Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben - BWV147 - Concentus musicus Wien - Nikolaus Harnoncourt









marks out of ten for this - 12 or 14, I think. One of the greatest pinnacles of Western Music, surely?


----------



## BaronScarpia

Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Puccini: La Rondine
Donizetti: Concertino in D minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra
Mozart: Vesperae Solennes de Confessore (Cecilia Bartoli as the soloist - not sure how I feel about that!)

...as well as my daily doses of Joan Sutherland and Joyce DiDonato (Una voce poco fa and Tanti affetti/Fra il padre respectively!)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Debussy

Sonata for 'Cello and Piano* / Julian Lloyd-Webber ('cello), Yitkin Seow (Piano) [ASV (LP), rec. 1979]

*Sonata for Violin and Piano* / Kyung-Wha Chung (Violin). Radu Lupu (Piano) [Decca (LP) rec. 1980]

















Great pieces - but which to choose for the TC Top Chamber Duos list?


----------



## Oskaar

And *HOW* she plays in this sczerzo.

It is almost like the violin comes to life, and take *her* on a travel.

current time link *here*


----------



## Oskaar

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38460
> 
> 
> Schumann: Symphonies 1 and 4 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult
> 
> Boult's Schumann symphonies must be amongst the most exciting ever recorded- if not the most exciting. A common complaint is that the orchestral playing is rough, well, it don't bother me! Boult conducts with a swing and a swagger that carries all before it, and makes you wonder that anyone could ever have doubted that these were great works. He always seemed to be thought of as rather a reserved sort of chap- a case of the image blinding the critics to his performances I suspect. Boult may have looked like your archetypal bank manager, but just listening to almost any of his recordings tells a very different story. These are superb. A great start to the day.


Thanks for the tip! I will bring it over to the currently listening revisited thread, where differen recordings of Schumann symphony no, I dont remember.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

52 Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht!
54 Widerstehe doch der Sünde
55 Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht
56 Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen

Gustav Leonhardt, cond. (all four)

Once again the opening sinfonia of 52 - recycled from Brandenburg Concerto 1 - has me thinking for a second that I've put the wrong disc in the player.

No recording here of 53: the authorship is questioned - thought to possibly to be by Georg Melchior Hoffmann, though there's still a surprising number of recordings out there under Bach's name, even recent ones, but none in the major surveys.


----------



## LancsMan

*Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1* Nelson Freire, Gewandhausorchester conducted by Riccardo Chailly on Decca







A birthday present for me! The Brahms piano concertos.

As a youthful music lover I rather idolized Brahms, no late nineteenth century composer could compete. But then I cheated on Brahms and started listening to Bruckner and Mahler. I'm still a big fan of his chamber and his later piano solo pieces, but I find my appetite for the orchestral works has declined. But if there's one orchestral work of Brahms that still grabs me it's the first piano concerto. The first movement is so taut, and I love the slow movement. My favourite post Beethoven 19th cent. piano concerto.

What a great performance this is.


----------



## opus55

Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel


Great recording.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel


_YEAH_-yuh! Fun. Fun. Fun.


----------



## Oskaar

*Then it is Mozart! For the Pope!*

What an evening! Merry company with fraulein Hahn

Here the sound is very good

some comments on youtube

hahn!
mozart!
my favourite!!﻿

krásné, nádherné a přesné provedení. Veliký Wolfgang Amadeus by měl neskonalou radost. čest jeho památce, dík krásné a bezvadné interpretce, dirigentovi a všem členům orchestru.:lol:

His (former) Holiness the Pope attended by a full school of cardinals! Thank goodness, Pope Francis doesn't share his penchant for luxury.

I wonder what would Jesus have said had he wandered into this hall.

+Louis Melahn Just for the record, this was a special birthday concert for the Pope. A whole packed luxury event just for an aging priest's birthday!! And it was not a couple of cardinals as you say. The place was crawling with red and purple, black, white plumage --- cardinals, bishops, monsigneurs, priests, nuns --- and presumably the most of the rest of the audience were financial heavyweights, diplomats and even mafiosi.

I want that violin so bad omggg

See the concert *here*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Variation of a Theme of Larmore*

- inspired by opus55's Larmore Hansel-and-Gretel post:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bartok

Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1, Sz75*

Yura Lee (violin), Dina Vainshtein (piano) [Live performance from Boston, USA, on You Tube]









Bartok's first sonata for Violin and Piano, played wonderfully well with life and fire. This seems to be an 'official' post by the violinist herself; the sound quality is excellent.

*Fauré

Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in E minor, Op. 108*

Arthur Grumiaux (violin), Paul Crossley (piano) [Philips M. da C. (LP), rec. 1984]










Subtle and elusive late Faure; Grumiaux and Crossley give a great performance.


----------



## Oskaar

AH music said:


> Another day, another first - this time a major confession. I have never listened all the way through Bach's Goldberg Variations.... I have tried, just occasionally, but do not seem to easily latch on to the genius others recognise in Bach. I even got half way through another different one today and gave up. Not to be deterred I tried once again, and finally persevered. The performance that finally succeeded may well come as a surprise - none other than the prolific Jeno Jando for Naxos....
> 
> View attachment 38524
> 
> 
> I can't comment in detail, but do not doubt it is a major and important work in the literature, but still not sure how soon I'll be back. Now I am getting more accustomed to original instruments, my next listen will probably be to a non-piano version.


Jeno Jando is no surprise to me. What I have heard of him is brilliant interpretations.

I have not jumped on the goldberg variations, in fact bach is mostly on my-to explore later-list.

Maybe I try your reccomodation.:tiphat:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Symphonies Nos. 1 through 5.*

I've had this box for a while, heard it once, and shelved it. Of course, all 40 symphonies at once is overdoing it. But finally pulling it out again, I'm finding that the first disc is lovely, with Nicholas Ward and the Northern Chamber Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

Let me know what you think if anyone listen to the Hahn concertos!:tiphat::wave:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Last post tonight (and I am exhausted listening to chamber duos!). Tomorrow it's got to be art songs.

*Poulenc

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in B flat, FP 184*

Ronald Van Spaendonck (Clarinet); Alexandre Tharaud (Piano) [Naxos]

*Schumann

Sonata No. 1 in A minor for Violin and Piano, Op.105; Sonata No. 2 in D minor. Op. 121*
_(But which is better?)_
Nicolas Chumachenko (violin), Kalle Randalu (piano) [MD&G]

















Excellent music and performances from both duos.


----------



## Blake

Alizadeh with M. R. Shajarian - _Delshodeghan._ Not the first, and not the last that I'll be posting of Alizadeh.


----------



## bejart

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): String Quartet No.4 in C Major

Gewandhaus Quartet: Karl Suske and Giorgio Krohner, violins -- Dietmar Hallmann, viola -- Jurnjakob Timm, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Shostakovich VIII*

Bychkov for the first movement:







-- with the most powerfully-done climax I've ever heard in a Shostakovich performance. Absolutely unbelievable.

Haitink for the second:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Messiaen*: "Quartet", w. Brunner/Trio Fontenay (rec.1991); *Britten*: String Quartets 1 - 3, w. Maggini Qt. (rec.1996/7).

View attachment 38586


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> Bychkov for the first movement:
> 
> View attachment 38584
> -- with the most powerfully-done climax I've ever heard in a Shostakovich performance. Absolutely unbelievable.
> 
> Haitink for the second:
> 
> View attachment 38585


MB, gladta see yuh back on solid ground.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Per Ercole 1 D'este* by De Labyrintho.

Wow, this CD is good. The singing, the acoustics, that's how Josquin should be done.


----------



## KenOC

Berlioz/Liszt, Symphonie Fantastiqe for solo piano. This is quite something


----------



## Blake

Savall's _BalKan - Honey and Blood._ Jordi and Hesperion XXI have got to be one of the most tasteful ensembles for Medieval and Renaissance on the planet. Their grasp is unreal.


----------



## bejart

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Sinfonia in D Major

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> A *five minute timpani pedal at continuous forte???*


A monster article, not unlike..."The concert should be over already, but there's another 25 minutes."


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Gaubert: Violin Sonata in A
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A random pick from Naxos Music Library. *Nice cover art.*


I do like that.


----------



## Blancrocher

Melnikov playing Scriabin (rec. 2006)


----------



## Guest

Today, the Nielsen disc from this set. More jaw-dropping performances.


----------



## Dustin

Let me throw ya'll for a loop here. Blues/soul guitar legend Robert Cray


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Dustin said:


> Let me throw ya'll for a loop here. Blues/soul guitar legend Robert Cray
> 
> View attachment 38590


Well, I don't think it will throw us for a loop in any way but I will point out that this is not the appropriate thread for your post. It belongs here:

http://www.talkclassical.com/6106-non-classical-im-currently.html


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## Dustin

Kevin Pearson said:


> Well, I don't think it will throw us for a loop in any way but I will point out that this is not the appropriate thread for your post. It belongs here:
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/6106-non-classical-im-currently.html


Thanks! Didn't know about that.


----------



## bejart

George Onslow (1784-1853): Piano Sonata for Four Hands in E Minor, Op.7

Liu Xiao Ming and Horst Gobel, pianos


----------



## senza sordino

Barber Adagio, RVW Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis, Greensleeves, Andante Cantabile by Tchaikovsky and Mahler Adagio from #5








Delius Brigg Fair


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 49 in C-Sharp minor; No. 35 in A-flat Major; 
No. 31 in A-flat Major (Emanuel Ax).









Franz Schubert, Quintet for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass in A Major, 'The Trout' (Emil Gilels; Amadeus Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

Martinu's Suite Concertante (versions 1 and 2) - Bohuslav Matousek, violin, Christopher Hogwood, cond.

wasn't expecting to see that name when I looked for the conductor


----------



## PetrB

shangoyal said:


> First time with Ravel, and I am quite impressed.
> 
> Ravel:
> 
> *1. Gaspard de la nuit
> 
> 2. Jeux d'eau
> 
> 3. Le tombeau de Couperin*
> 
> Pascal Roge


... and then on to Miroirs, and the two piano concerti!


----------



## SimonNZ

Shostakovich's Seven Blok Romances - Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano


----------



## KenOC

Mendelssohn, Piano Sonata Op. 6, Howard Shelley. Almost unknown but nice.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Kodaly's String Quartet No.2 - Dante Quartet


----------



## dgee

Vaughan Williams Symphony 4 - I mentioned it in a thread today and realised I wouldn't have listened to it for a very long time. It's still got it - this is a big and clean recording, but possibly not the most penetrating:









Probs should have gone with Handley (the Boult ones can be a bit messy)


----------



## Art Rock

From the complete collection. Came up in one of my random draws from the CD closet. Still lovely to listen to.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kurtag's Twelve Microludes - Cuarteto Casals


----------



## Rhythm

^ Obertura Festiva Op. 21 | Juan Orrego-Salas, composer
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Izler Solomon, conductor. Performed at Clowes Memorial Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana, February 8th and 9th, 1964.​


----------



## Art Rock

Another random draw from my collection. For a rather unknown Prokofiev ballet, fun listening.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schubert (arr.Liszt) Schwanengesang - Valentina Lisitsa, piano

Somehow I'd been completely unaware of a Liszt transcription of this until just now seeing Rhythm's mention of it on another thread.






Dear me! Look at the _grace_ in that performance. Even in the fastest, dazzling bits - the _serenity_!


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Oboe Sonata in B Minor

Musica Gaudens: Jiri Zelba, oboe -- Jakub Dvorak, cello


----------



## shangoyal

This is great spiritual music. Highly recommended.


----------



## Jeff W

Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 'Scottish' along with 'The Fair Melusina' overture (Opus 32), the "Trumpet" overture (Opus 101) and the 'Ruy Blas' Overture (Opus 95). Claudio Abbado led the London Symphony Orchestra.









Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 by Frederic Chopin. Claudio Arrau plays the solo piano while Eliahu Inbal leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Morimur

*Robert Ashley: (1984) Perfect Lives • VII. The Backyard (T'Be Continued)*

Beautiful work by a groundbreaking master.


----------



## Gilberto

This is an acceptable use (IMO) of guitar in an orchestral setting.


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799): Sinfonia in B Flat, Altner Bb2

Aapo Hakkinen leading the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurkas, Op. 6, 7 & 17 (Garrick Ohlsson).









An excellent disc - Ohlsson's playing is sharp and has a spontaneous feel to it. He digs into the depth of each work, but also keeps each one fresh and different from the others. Awesome music by Chopin.


----------



## Alfacharger

This recording has the best "Dog Bark" I've ever heard in the Incredible Flutist Suite.


----------



## Wood

*Brian *Symphony No. 3 _Friend, BBC SO _Recorded in BBC Studio 1, Maida Vale, London 1988










Havergal Brian's epic early symphonies have flavours of Bruckner, Elgar, Wagner & R Strauss but despite this he has his own voice and the textures are wonderful.

*Schumann *Kinderszenen, Op. 15; Drei Romanzen, Op.28; Sieben Klavierstuck in Fughettenform, Op.126; Etuden nach Paganini, Op. 10










Jorg Demus


----------



## Vasks

_Windy sounds on LPs_

*Flosman - Overture for Wind Instruments (Konvalinka/Supraphon)
Ginastera - Duo for Flute & Oboe (Baron & Roseman/Desto)
Milhaud - Suite francaise (Fennell/Mercury)
Carter - Woodwind Quintet (Dorian/Vox Box)
Reed - La Fiesta Mexicana (Hunsberger/Decca)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dgee said:


> Vaughan Williams Symphony 4 - I mentioned it in a thread today and realised I wouldn't have listened to it for a very long time. It's still got it - this is a big and clean recording, but possibly not the most penetrating:
> 
> View attachment 38599
> 
> 
> Probs should have gone with Handley (the Boult ones can be a bit messy)


--
No, the Hickox is the most epic. I have both. _;D_


----------



## rrudolph

Martinu: The Epic of Gilgamesh (never heard this before this moment. I am very impressed)








Stravinsky: Les Noces/Ohana: Cantigas








Xenakis: Anastenaria/Troorkh/Ais


----------



## Vaneyes

_*Horowitz - C*__*omplete Masterworks Recordings, Vol. 5: A Baroque & Classical Recital*_ (rec. 1963 - '72).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliette, a la Maazel*









Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the beautiful sunny-morning climes of Southern California, waking up to my favorite reading of Prokofiev's_ Romeo and Juliet _ballet.


----------



## Andolink

*Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga*: _Tema Variado en Cuarteto, Op. 17_; _String Quartet No. 1 in D minor_; _String Quartet No. 2 in A major_
La Ritirata









*Brian Ferneyhough*: _String Quartet No. 6_
Arditti Quartet


----------



## Blancrocher

Kent Nagano and co in Saariaho's opera, "L'amour de loin."


----------



## Vasks

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 38612
> 
> 
> Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the beautiful sunny-morning climes of Southern California, waking up to my favorite reading of Prokofiev's_ Romeo and Juliet _ballet.


I treasure my LP copy of this rendition


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Quartet in Eb minor*

Artiss Quartet.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Violin Sonata 7, w. Rachlin & Golan (rec.2004); Piano Sonatas, Opp. 2, 10, 13, w. Pollini (rec.2002 - '06).

View attachment 38616


----------



## Andolink

*Alan Rawsthorne*: _Symphony No. 2 (A Pastoral Symphony)_ 1959
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicholas Braithwaite


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki*: Symphony No. 7, "Seven Gates of Jerusalem"
Soloists (SSATB, narrator), Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Castelnuovo Tedesco's* birthday (1895), and *Brahms'* death day (1897).

View attachment 38618
View attachment 38619


----------



## BaronScarpia

Strauss: Frühlingsstimmenwaltzer (Johann, not Richard, in case you hadn't guessed)
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Arditi: Il Bacio (sung by Olga Peretyatko, a simply astounding young coloratura soprano from Russia)


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to Ustvolskaya's symphonies (1-5), which were recommended on another thread.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Bax, Bax, & Bax*









_Tintagel._









_Forrest Before Dawn._









_Strife._


----------



## adrem

Brahms 1st, Celibidache, Muncher Philharmoniker.


----------



## julianoq

First listen on Miaskovsky Cello's Sonata No.2, performed by Wendy Warner and Irina Nuzova. Loving it so far. Another great discover from the already useful "The TC Top 50+ Chamber Duos List" thread, thanks arcaneholocaust for organizing it!


----------



## LancsMan

*Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2* Nelson Freire, Gewandhausorchester conducted by Riccardo Chailly on Decca







Excellent recording of Brahms 2cnd piano concerto.

The 2cnd piano concerto is a serious piece of work - with heavy weight symphonic ambitions (4 movements if you please). I'm all for that, and the work is very Brahmsian. Maybe just a few too many notes for my current tastes - it's not as emotionally taut as the 1st piano concerto either.


----------



## DavidA

Handel & Scarlatti - Perahia

The Harmonious Blacksmith sure shoes them horses fast!


----------



## cwarchc

Further investigation into more contemporary works


----------



## LancsMan

*John Dunstable: Sweet Harmony - Masses and Motets* Tonus Peregrinus on Naxos







Listening to this for the first time (a birthday present recently received).

John Dunstable was a very influential English church composer of the first half of the fifteenth century. He used more thirds in his harmony than was customary across Europe - leading to a fuller and 'sweeter' sound. It appears that this 'English' style became quite influential with continental musicians. He was a major influence on Dufay - a composer I find more immediately appealing.

As far as I can tell (as I am not a specialist in this era) this is a good performance. I'll need to listen to it a few times to fully take it's measure.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

57 Selig ist der Mann
58 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
59 Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
60 O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all four)


----------



## opus55

Handel: Recorder Sonatas


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## BaronScarpia

I am revisiting a Swedish contralto/mezzo whom I discovered a few months ago. She is called Lena Susanne Norin and has a quite remarkable voice.

Binchois: Adieu, adieu mon joileux souvenir
Vivaldi: Cessate, omai cessate

Adieu, jusques je vous revoyes (also Binchois, but sung by the ensemble Graindelavoix)

also...
SOME BAROQUE/CLASSICAL PIECES
Mozart: Ma che vi fece
Handel: Scoglio d'immota fronte from Scipione
A. Scarlatti: Canta dolce il rosignolo
Purcell: When I am laid in earth from Dido and Aeneas
Giuseppe de Majo: Per trionfar pugnando from Arianna e Teseo
(all sung by the divine Simone Kermes)


----------



## SimonNZ

Faure's Piano Quartet No.1 - Gilels, Kogan, Barashi, Rostropovich


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

opus55 said:


> Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel


Great recording.

YEAH-yuh! Fun. Fun. Fun.

This opera... although in this classic production...










... languished on my shelves for some 7 years or so before I actually got around to playing it... and immediately felt like the biggest doofus for having missed out on this exquisite gem for as long as I did. Immediately rushed out and picked up two more versions:










...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I'm tempted to pick up the recording with Ileana Cotrubas, Frederica von Stade, Christa Ludwig, and Kiri Te Kanawa...










...the Georg Solti recording, and the Mackerras recording in English...










...and now you're telling me I need to add another to this list?


----------



## LancsMan

*Robert Schumann: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3* Zehetmair Quartett on ECM New Series








Yet another birthday gift - aren't I lucky! And I've never heard these Schumann works before. I'm guilty of thinking of Schumann as a composer most at home in lieder and piano solo works, where he is unquestionably a master. In the field of chamber music I have the Piano Quintet in my collection which is a powerful work, plus a marvellous recording (Britten & Rostropovich) of Five Pieces in Volkston.

The quartets seem to have quite a bit of late Beethoven influence, plus a little Mendelssohn thrown in. The works are possibly not as polished as the Mendelssohn quartets but to me seem more searching.

The performers seem to be very much at home in these pieces. I understand these quartets need sensitive interpretation to come across well.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Great recording.
> 
> YEAH-yuh! Fun. Fun. Fun.
> 
> This opera... although in this classic production...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... languished on my shelves for some 7 years or so before I actually got around to playing it... and immediately felt like the biggest doofus for having missed out on this exquisite gem for as long as I did. Immediately rushed out and picked up two more versions:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


---
Well. . . 'sure.' The Karajan/_Schwarzkopf_ incarnation is my _standard_. Ha. Ha. Ha.

I'll have to hear the Eichhorn/Moffo. . . Thanks.


----------



## AH music

Quick post this evening. Today's highlights, 1st symphonies by Schubert and Schumann. Bought very cheap set of Schubert Symphonies (Blomstedt, Dresden) - I had forgotten I even had them as the downloading option failed. A pleasant listen. Impressed with Schumann's 1st, (Cleveland, Dohnanyi).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's listening, aggregated:

*Elgar - Songs
Delius - Songs*
Benjamin Luxon, baritone; David Willison, piano [Chandos, 1988]

*Sibelius - Songs, Opp. 3, 17, 36, 37, 46 & 88*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg, piano [BIS, 1989]

*Berg - Seven Early Songs; Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Juliane Banse; Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [DG, 2004]

*Mahler - Lieder: Ging heut' morgen uber's Feld; Ablosung im Sommer*
Janet Baker, m-s; Geoffrey Parsons, piano [Helios, 1983]

*Lieder Eines fahrenden Gesellen (piano version)*
Thomas Hampson, baritone; David Lutz, piano [Warner Classics 1994]


----------



## spradlig

I'm listening to Beethoven's piano sonatas on YouTube at work, beginning with #1 and working my way up. I've encountered some pleasant surprises and added them to my Favorites playlist.

A week or so ago I listened to all three of Brahms's piano sonatas. I liked them all. I had only heard part of one of them, a slow movement from #3 that is fairly easy to play and which I had played on the piano myself.


----------



## Blancrocher

It just so happens I came here to mention that I'm listening to Brahms' 3rd Piano Sonata, in honor of the composer's passing. Performed by Radu Lupu (rec. 1972). Glad to hear you enjoyed this amazing work, spradlig.


----------



## opus55

Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel










Later last night I watched this via my local library streaming service. Angelika Kirchschlager and Diana Damrau made a great pair as brother/sister. Really fun to watch.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Penderecki, Symphonies Nos. 2, 4, and 8*

Another attempt at these symphonies. Nos. 2 and 4 still are downers. I'm starting on No. 8; it's nice so far.


----------



## opus55

Handel: Giulio Cesare










Listening to yesterday's arrival


----------



## Alfacharger

One of my favorite recordings. Love the B minor concerto.


----------



## Vasks

Alfacharger said:


> One of my favorite recordings. Love the B minor concerto.


Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## bejart

Leopold Mozart (1719-1787): Symphony in F Major, Eisen F2

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ginastera*: Cello Concerti 1 & 2, w. Kosower/Bamberg SO/Zagrosek (rec.2009/0); String Quartets 1 & 2, w. Henschel Qt. (rec.1999); Music for Cello & Piano, w. Kosower & Oh (rec.2006).















View attachment 38646


----------



## Vaneyes

julianoq said:


> First listen on Miaskovsky Cello's Sonata No.2, performed by Wendy Warner and Irina Nuzova. Loving it so far. Another great discover from the already useful "The TC Top 50+ Chamber Duos List" thread, thanks arcaneholocaust for organizing it!


Their body language says they're not interested.


----------



## SimonNZ

I was playing the Jordi Savall Bach Mass in B minor here at work until a co-worker asked me to instead "play something Baroque".

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed my mouth again and walked to the stereo.

So now its I Musici playing Vivaldi.


----------



## senza sordino

Mahler Symphony #5. This was after school today while I marked. I cranked up the speakers to 11 to be sure anyone left in the building could hear this. This makes marking the best part of the day. 








LvB Symphony #3 conducted by HvK


----------



## KenOC

Coincidence! Mahler's 5th, Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. Never heard this one before. Very rich and detailed, spacious without being draggy. I like it FAR better than his older NYPO version -- better sound too.


----------



## Weston

*David Diamond: Violin Concerto No. 2*
Gerard Schwarz / Seattle Symphony Orchestra









I liked parts of this, but in a few places I thought it went screechy without warrant and also featured virtuoso playing for the sake of it. If I were younger I might have really liked the one or two sudden raucous surprise elements, but these days I search for something deeper though I often lack the focus to find it if it is there.

I'll certainly give it another chance at another time. After the day I had, screechy is not a good idea. I need to lower the BP a bit.


----------



## Blake

Savall - _Orient - Occident._


----------



## Guest

Today I listened to the Peter Mennin Piano Concerto and Richard Yardumian's Passacaglia, Recitative and Fugue for Piano and Orchestra from John Ogdon's "Complete RCA Recordings." Again, just mind-blowing playing, especially in the Mennin Concerto (I can see/hear why it's rarely played due to its incredible difficulty), but the sound is a little disappointing. His piano sounds rather "glassy" in that piece, and there's a fair amount of distortion/tape saturation in the Yardumian. Still, very interesting and worthwhile music.


----------



## Weston

*Franz Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, H. 7b/2, Op. 101*
Young-Chang Cho, cello / Telos Ensemble Köln









Pleasant, but fiery too at times. This is closer to what I needed. Good old Haydn! That first movement seems to go on for hours though. And I thought Beethoven was long winded. Well, I guess it's only 16 minutes nearly, but that's _forever_ for the time period.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Coincidence! Mahler's 5th, Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. Never heard this one before. Very rich and detailed, spacious without being draggy. I like it FAR better than his older NYPO version -- better sound too.


---
Pings all over!

I _treasure_ the Karajan Mahler V _Senza_ just posted; I _love_ the Bernstein _Vienna_ Mahler _you _just posted. . . and, I'd add I really have an affinity for the Sinopoli/Philharmonia Mahler V as well:


----------



## bejart

Vaneyes said:


> Their body language says they're not interested.


Ohhh, I think she's very interested in the cello.

Now ---
Beethoven: String Quartet in C Minor, Op.131

Gewandhaus Quartet: Frank Michael Erben and Conrad Suske, violins -- Volker Metz, viola -- Jurnjakob Timm, cello


----------



## Iam




----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of my favorite _Stabat Maters_... along with Pergolesi's. An incredibly intimate setting and quite moving.


----------



## Blancrocher

A couple Takemitsu cds--inspired by a post by SimonNZ on another thread.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Sonata in C Major for Piano Two Hands, Op.140, D.812

Alfred Brendel and Evelyne Crochet, pianos


----------



## Guest

Various Takemitsu

Why must the vibraphone be so rare. It's even worse than finding harp concerti


----------



## SimonNZ

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 38655
> View attachment 38656
> 
> 
> A couple Takemitsu cds--inspired by a post by SimonNZ on another thread.


Interesting - the "Ran" music on that disc on the left appears to be only twelve minutes long. What I think of as the "Ran" Suite is his arrangement of the original soundtrack into two continuous sides, totalling thirty three minutes:











(I hope those links are right - I can't check it at work)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in C minor for Violin, Oboe, String & B.c.; 
Concerto in A minor for 2 Recorders, Strings & B.c.; 
Concerto in B minor for Transverse Flute, Strings & B.c. (Camerata Köln).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Songs Of Love And War: Music Of The Crusades" - David Munrow, dir.


----------



## opus55

Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 14










I might have to get the CPO box set of Spohr violin concertos...


----------



## aleazk

arcaneholocaust said:


> Various Takemitsu
> 
> Why must the vibraphone be so rare. It's even worse than finding harp concerti


And what about vibraphone _and_ harp?: Takemitsu - _Rain Spell_


----------



## KenOC

Saint-Saens, Organ Symphony, Bernstein with the NYPO. On the radio. Sounds good.










The composer said, "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again."


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex - Seiji Ozawa, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Ands its sequel:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 53 in D Major, 'L'Impériale' (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## jim prideaux

newly arrived this morning, first listen to vol.16 of the Svetlanov Russian Fed. Academic Symph. Orch. Myaskovsky cycle;-

Silence op9
Sinfonietta op32
Divertissement op80


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, Book 2 - Ralph Kirkpatrick, harpsichord

not to be confused with his more famous clavichord version


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: French Suite No.3 in B Minor, BWV 814

Andrei Gavrilov, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Kaija Saariaho's Lonh - Dawn Upshaw, soprano

The central work in this recital of 20th century art songs, and which makes many of the other pieces seem frivolous baubles. Also all the other works have standard piano accompaniment (though the good Crumb piece has some reaching into the instrument and plucking and strumming) whereas Saariaho has the singer operating a foot pedal on stage to introduce and fade various prepared sound textures.

There's also a brief interview with Saariaho before the piece where I learn for the first time that a number of ideas in Lonh are used again and expanded on in her opera L'Amour De Loin.


----------



## Jeff W

Johannes Brahms' Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 along with the Fantasias No. 1 - 7 Op. 116. Emil Gilels plays the solo piano while Eugen Jochum leads the Berlin Philharmonic in the concertos.









Currently on is the Concert Fantasy Op. 56 of Tchaikovsky and will be followed by the three piano concertos. Peter Donohoe plays the solo piano while Rudolf Barshai conducts the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

I think I'm almost out of piano concertos that aren't by Mozart...


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to









http://klassik.sonymusic.de/Nikolai-Tokarev/No-1/P/470928779
http://www.nikolaitokarew.de/en/cds.html


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Handel - Overture to "Faramondo" (Bonynge/London STS)
FJ Haydn - Symphony #45 (Jones/Nonesuch)
Lalo - Symphonie espagnole (Stern/Columbia)*


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Boccherini*: String Quartets from Op. 8-- _No. 1 in D major_, _No. 2 in C minor_ and _No. 3 in E flat major_
Artaria String Quartet









*Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga*: _String Quartet No. 3 in E flat major_
La Ritirata


----------



## Wood

*Schumann * Fantasie op. 17, Fantasiestucke op.12, Etuden nach Paganini op. 3 _ Demus_


----------



## bejart

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798): Symphony No.49 in F Major

Uwe Grodd conducting the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen: Invasion-Explosion mit Abschied*

Music from Planet Sirius...


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10 in F-sharp major
Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Boulez


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 4, no. 5, no. 3, Tempest Sonata, Pathetique Sonata
By Steven Lubin [fortepiano], The academy of ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Decca









Vincenzo Bellini - I Puritani
By Montserrat Caballé [soprano], Alfredo Kraus [tenor], Julia Hamari [mezzo], Matteo Manugerra [bariton], Agostino Ferrin [bass], Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Mutti [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Oskaar

I now listen and watch this fine production on you tube

*Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, Op 14

1 Rêveries - Passions (Daydreams - Passions)
2 Un bal (A ball)
3 Scène aux champs (Scene in the Country)
4 Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold)
5 Songe d'une nuit de sabbat (Dream of a Witches' Sabbath)

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mariss Jansons, conductor

Live recording. London, Proms 2013﻿*

Watch the fine production *here*


----------



## julianoq

Another "discovery" from "The TC Top 50+ Chamber Duos List", Gabriel Fauré's Elégie for Cello and Piano, Op. 24. Following with the Cello Sonata No.1 and No.2. Fantastic music, and the sound quality of this record is really, really good.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Variations for Orchestra, op. 31
Swiss Festival Orchestra, cond. Celibidache





...where did this recording come from??? Surprisingly, it just might be one of the best performances of the piece I've heard. Celibidache brings out all of the major and subsidiary lines and, although it's on the slower side, he keeps the music alive.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Variations for Orchestra, op. 31
> Swiss Festival Orchestra, cond. Celibidache


I've got to hear that one. Thanks for the heads-up.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg: Variations for Orchestra, op. 31
> Swiss Festival Orchestra, cond. Celibidache


I've got to hear that one. I'm listening now. Thanks for the heads-up.


----------



## Oskaar

*Listening/watching this

Published on Aug 9, 2013

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major

Mitsuko Uchida piano
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mariss Jansons conductor
Proms festival 2013, London
Royal Albert Hall

Mitsuko Uchida returns to the Proms after an absence of almost 20 years as the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, which overturned formal traditions by opening with a simple statement for solo piano. Musical ideas are tested to their limits in a conversation between keyboard and orchestra. - info*

*youtube*


----------



## Katie

Being so thoroughly immersed in Abbado's symphonic interpretations has become something of a bittersweet experience as I realize that I could have seen a living legend perform, which would have been a rarity given that my favorite conductors are mostly long dead (Toscanini, Reiner, Furtwangler, Walter, HVK, Bernstein, Rostropovich). Yet, because they have bequeathed such prodigious catalogues, I all but ignore contemporary talent at the podium. This must be amended.

Back to the matter at hand: It's appropriate that, as this beastly line of weather stretching from the Gulf to the Great Lakes is currently pounding my little corner of the Appalachian mountains, I'm listening to Abbado and the Berlin PO perform Mahler's 6th (6/2004) - which itself seems to soncially personify the storm's encroaching darkness and relentlessly pulsing thunder.....Life and Art/kat


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Mass in B minor.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## opus55

Bach, C.P.E. 
Keyboard Sonatas, "Prussian Sonata", Wq.48
Ana-Marija Markovina


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky Symphony Nº 6 op.74 Mariss Jansons Royal Concertgebouw orchestra*

*Full symphony living pictures on you tube* *HERE*

Just great! Watching the artists adds a new dimention. It is another experience, but sometimes I prefer just to listen


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Right now I am listening to *Richard Bonynge and the English Chamber Orchestra*'s recording of *La Bayadère*.

The sound quality is gorgeousness by any definition and music is enthralling.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Krieleriana - Perahia


----------



## Andolink

*Roberto Gerhard*: _Symphony No. 4 'New York'_
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Matthias Bamert


----------



## Blancrocher

The Amadeus Quartet playing sextets and quintets by Brahms.

*p.s.* To be followed by Celibidache/Schoenberg, just mentioned by Mahlerian.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Wolpe's* death day (1972).


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


----------



## opus55

Did you take those photos yourself? I like them, especially the ones that show the tubes.

Westerhoff: Clarinet Concerto in B-flat major, Op. 5


----------



## Marschallin Blair

_La Bayadère_-- I've got to hear it. Thanks.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mahler, Symphony No. 7, Abbado.


----------



## Morimur

*Igor Stravinsky - Boulez Conducts Stravinsky (6 CD)*










Boulez elicits commanding and powerful performances from the Cleveland, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmoniker, and Ensemble InterContemporain. Recommended.


----------



## jim prideaux

taking a rest from new Myaskovsky collection-Mendelssohn 3rd and 4th symphonies performed by Blomstedt conducting the San Fransisco S.O.-I admit to having been quite disparaging about these works in the past so I thought I would revisit them.........


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 26 in D minor, 'Lamentatione' (Nicholas Ward; Northern Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: Lieder*









This double-cd set is absolutely sublime; singing and expressivity that is unimaginatively beautiful.

I just got it last night.

A _sine qua non_ for all Schawarzkopf fans.

Highest recommendation.


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to/watching this

*Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No.1 in C major op.15 
Lang Lang, piano
Mariss Jansons, conductor
Bavarian Radio SO
Live, Philharmonic Hall in Munich
*

I have never listened to Lang Lang before...

I think this concert suits him. No need for the most intensive interpretation, and he plays clean and very impressive tecnically, but I think he add warmth and athmosphaere to it.

Link here


----------



## Oskaar

I am listening to and watching this:

*Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, op.15
Piano: Emanuel Ax
Bernard Haitink
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Royal Albert Hall, London, 19 8/2011 *

This is a favourite work by Brahms. Emanuel Ax does a fine interpretation here I think. Warm and lyrical, but also passionate and intense. And the co-play with the orkestra is amazing!

*HERE* is the link


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Symphonies #93-98.
George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra.

Amazingly fine performances.
Why Szell and his terrific Clevelanders didn't finish the job and record the remaining London Symphonies, #99-104 in stereo is a mystery.
Be thankful for what we do have.
George Szell was one of the truly great Haydn conductors.
Not to be missed by all lovers of Haydn!


----------



## Selby

Liebermann, Lowell [1961]

Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 36

Stephen Hough, Lowell Liebermann, BBC


----------



## csacks

Franz Berwald´s 1st symphony, The Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by David Montgomery. First time to listen them, both the symphony and the orchestra. But I love Berwald´s piano concert, so the symphonies (I bought all of them) must be very good too. As by now, impressed with it.


----------



## Blake

Savall's _Istanbul._ This guy is just knocking my socks off.


----------



## DrKilroy

csacks said:


> Franz Berwald´s 1st symphony, The Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by David Montgomery. First time to listen them, both the symphony and the orchestra. But I love Berwald´s piano concert, so the symphonies (I bought all of them) must be very good too. As by now, impressed with it.


Try No. 3 - it is my favourite. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Bas

Preparation for tomorrow's concert, the Matthäus Passion, which I will be attending with a good friend:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Matthäus-Passion
Ian Bostridge [Evangelista], Franz Josef Selig [Christus], Sibylla Rubens [sop.], Andreas Scholl [counter-tenor, singing alto roles], Werner Güra [alt.], Dietrich Henschel [bass], Choir and Orchestra Collegium Vocale Gent, dir. Philippe Herreweghe, on Harmonia Mundi
(It is Herreweghe's second, 1998 recording)









(Not that I need much preparation for this piece, I know the text and all melodies by heart, but is a nice way to spend the evening, together with my score)


----------



## Itullian

Katie said:


> Being so thoroughly immersed in Abbado's symphonic interpretations has become something of a bittersweet experience as I realize that I could have seen a living legend perform, which would have been a rarity given that my favorite conductors are mostly long dead (Toscanini, Reiner, Furtwangler, Walter, HVK, Bernstein, Rostropovich). Yet, because they have bequeathed such prodigious catalogues, I all but ignore contemporary talent at the podium. This must be amended.
> 
> Back to the matter at hand: It's appropriate that, as this beastly line of weather stretching from the Gulf to the Great Lakes is currently pounding my little corner of the Appalachian mountains, I'm listening to Abbado and the Berlin PO perform Mahler's 6th (6/2004) - which itself seems to soncially personify the storm's encroaching darkness and relentlessly pulsing thunder.....Life and Art/kat
> 
> View attachment 38676


Pass on Abbado, get Giulini instead. A truly great conductor. mho
And don't forget Klemperer!!!! da man


----------



## Bas

Itullian said:


> Pass on Abbado, get Giulini instead. A truly great conductor. mho
> And don't forget Klemperer!!!! da man


I don't know enough about Abbado to say anything about the first part of your statement, but I can very much second the last half of it. Giulini is really good (especially when conducting Brahms.)


----------



## Itullian

hpowders said:


> View attachment 38688
> 
> 
> FJ Haydn, Symphonies #93-98.
> George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra.
> 
> Amazingly fine performances.
> Why Szell and his terrific Clevelanders didn't finish the job and record the remaining London Symphonies, #99-104 in stereo is a mystery.
> Be thankful for what we do have.
> George Szell was one of the truly great Haydn conductors.
> Not to be missed by all lovers of Haydn!


I sure wish Krips had recorded Haydn. Man, I's love to hear that.!!!


----------



## Itullian

Bas said:


> I don't know enough about Abbado to say anything about the first part of your statement, but I can very much second the last half of it. Giulini is really good (especially when conducting Brahms.)


I just feel that Giulini was a far better conductor than Abbado who never really did much for me outside of a few opera recordings and his Bahms cycle.
Giulini was a true Master.
Klemp too.


----------



## Blancrocher

Very grateful to joen_cph for his mention of Szidon's recording of Scriabin's first piano sonata--this will get many listens from me. Next up: Gardiner and his Monteverdi Choir in choral works by Brahms.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68*

*I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro - Meno allegro . . . . . . . . . . (00:55)
II. Andante sostenuto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (18:40)
III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (29:44)
IV. Adagio - Più andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio . (35:25)

Violin solo (2nd Movement): Gerhart Hetzel
Wiener Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein

Recorded live at the Große Musikvereinssaal
Vienna, 3-11 October 1981*

Amazing! Sound and picture is also very good

Link *here*


----------



## DrKilroy

I have actually got four recordings of it!  Haitink, Karajan, Solti and Jochum. This one is my dad's pick for today, but I will try them all eventually to compare them. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## DavidA

DrKilroy said:


> Bach - Mass in B minor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards, Dr


I gave this performance of the Mass. Herreweghe was panned by some critics for his slow pace in the Agnus Dei, but then what do you do when your soloist is Scholl?


----------



## KenOC

Bas said:


> Preparation for tomorrow's concert, the Matthäus Passion, which I will be attending with a good friend:
> Johann Sebastian Bach...


Certainly good company for your concert! Say hello for me.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Haydn - Die Schopfung - Capella Augustina - Andreas Spering









If it took six days to create the earth and on the seventh day, God rested .... surely on the next day, music was created (and shortly afterwards, Haydn?)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

bejart said:


> Ohhh, I think she's very interested in the cello.


the cello appears to have a very satisfied look on its face too! :lol:

We shan't mention Beecham's famous quip about a female cellist :devil:


----------



## Mahlerian

Itullian said:


> I just feel that Giulini was a far better conductor than Abbado who never really did much for me outside of a few opera recordings and his Bahms cycle.
> Giulini was a true Master.
> Klemp too.


I don't think Giulini recorded Mahler's 6th, and Abbado's recording is among the best I've heard.


----------



## opus55

Bach. J.S: Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996 (arranged for guitar)
Goetz: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major


----------



## Itullian

Mahlerian said:


> I don't think Giulini recorded Mahler's 6th, and Abbado's recording is among the best I've heard.


No, he didn't. I was speaking overall. sorry.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Lilburn: Symphony No.2 New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/James Judd
Mahler: Symphony No.1 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Klaus Tennstedt

The Lilburn I bought following a post that was on this thread, having now heard all three symphonies, I think that at present I like no.2 best, it has a definite sense of where it is going (or should that be that I have a definite sense of where it is going??!!) and there is a nice variety of mood and texture to it, I really do like it very much. The Tennstedt Mahler set was a recent find in a charity shop, on the evidence of the first symphony methinks I am going to enjoy this very much.


----------



## Selby

Liszt, Ference

Etudes d'execution transcendante, S. 139

Alice Sara Ott, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra o.l.v. Daniele Gatti 
Yuja Wang, piano 
Sergei Prokofjev: Pianoconcert nr.3 op.26
3 oktober Concertgebouw Amsterdam*

I am amazed over the quality of the concerts in youtube. Only my old computer is the limit, but setting down the bits a bit, and I have lovely pictures.

I love this concerto, its multilayered and exiting. Very fine performance here.

The link *here*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Shostakovich - Symphony No 7 'Leningrad' - WDR Sinfonieorchester - Rudolf Barshai









Another bargain set of very good quality CDs from Brilliant Classics. If only the company had a better name - it reminds me of the terrible K-tel LPs from childhood - the ones where they used session singers to produce bad copies of pop music and then played it in Tesco etc


----------



## AH music

Haydn String Quartets Op 17 - nos 6, 3 and 5. Buchberger Quartet. I bought the complete set after having a few odd CD's of Haydn quartets, and I must say I am just loving these performances and recordings. The playing is lively and reflects very well the character Haydn seems to me to portray in his writing. The early quartets are often overlooked, but already by Op 17 Haydn is really getting into his stride as a master of quartet writing. Some astonishing writing in no 5, especially the first and last movements, so very playful whilst somehow maintaining an air of being properly serious music. Inventiveness, wit, and more reflective moods all shine out in these sparkling performances. They are obviously deeply thought out, but sound so spontaneous and convey the love of the music. Enthusiastic recommendation.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Weimar, 1714)
62 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Leipzig, 1724)
63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond (all three)

Harnoncourt courting contoversy with the choice of the boy soprano in the final aria of 61. The poor thing had neither the technical control nor the understanding of the text to come anywhere near achieving a passable version.

Which Harnoncourt have known, so the only explanation is that its an effect of delicate innocence that he wanted.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Schumann - Symphony No. 2

Zinman - Tonhalle Orchestra


----------



## Morimur

Headphone Hermit said:


> Shostakovich - Symphony No 7 'Leningrad' - WDR Sinfonieorchester - Rudolf Barshai
> 
> View attachment 38705
> 
> 
> Another bargain set of very good quality CDs from Brilliant Classics. If only the company had a better name - it reminds me of the terrible K-tel LPs from childhood - the ones where they used session singers to produce bad copies of pop music and then played it in Tesco etc


Their graphic design doesn't do them any favors either.


----------



## KenOC

Weber, Clarinet Concertino in C Minor, Op. 26. Janet Hilton, City of Birmingham SO, Neeme Jarvi conducting. On the radio, a very nice performance.


----------



## AH music

Friday evening listening - after a lot of new music to me recently, just wanted a good favourite familiar piece with a weekend feel to it, and the Nonet by Spohr Op 31 has just hit the spot. No, not the most serious or demanding of composers, but really well crafted work that deserves more recognition that it usually seems to get, in my humble opinion. The writing for the nine instruments is a delight, as they all weave in and out of one another so effortlessly, sharing the material beautifully. The first two movements are most enjoyable, but the last two deserve special mention, having a real quality about them. The slow movement has a sustained lyricism, and the finale is sheer life-enhancing _joie de vivre_. A long standing favourite from Hyperion, the Gaudier Ensemble performing.


----------



## PetrB

*Alfredo Casella ~ Concerto per quartetto d'archi*

Alfredo Casella (1883-1947)
Concerto per quartetto d'archi op.40b (1924) 
[in a transcription for string orchestra (1927) by Erwin Stein.]


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Great Singers sing Wagner (CD2)









Tiana Lemnitz - Tannhauser and Wesendonck-Lieder (excerpts) - recorded 1934-37

Margarete Teschemacher - Wesendonck-Lieder and Lohengrin (excerpts) - recorded 1933-34

Elisabeth Rethberg - Lohengrin, Tannhauser and Der Fliegende Hollander (excerpts) - recorded 1927-30

Maria Muller - Die Valkyrie (excerpts) - recorded 1936

Inspired by the "Do you have a problem with Historic Recordings" thread. This is fantastic singing (and playing). The Tiana Lemnitz recordings of Tannhauser start us off with a riveting display of intelligent singing. What are a few crackles, restricted range and mono sound when there is singing of this top-drawer quality?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schumann - Dichterliebe, Op. 48 *
Ian Bostridge; Leif-Ove Andsnes [Live 2004, on You Tube]

*Ravel - Shéhérezade
1. Asia 
2. The Enchanted Flute
3. The Indifferent One*
Karen Anderson, Soprano; Pro Arte Symphony Orchestra, Cond. James Arthur Gardiner [You Tube]

An audition of these song cycles inspired by the TC Top 50 Art song list, and both very enjoyable.

*Alban Berg - Seven Early Songs* (Piano and voice version)
Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg [DG]

This is rapidly becoming my new favourite song cycle. What a wonderful combination are Anne Sofie von Otter and Bengt Forsberg - their Sibelius is also outstanding.

*Berg*

Schliebe mir die Augen beide
An Leukon
Schliebe mir die Augen beide

Margaret Marshall, Geoffrey Parsons
*
Four songs for voice and piano, Op. 2:*
I. Schlafen, schlafen, nichts als schlafen
II. Schlafend tragt man mich
III. Nun ich der Riesen Starksten uberwand
IV. Warm die Lufte

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Aribert Reimann

What can I say, these are wonderful.


----------



## Sid James

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 38531
> 
> 
> Ping! Ping! Ping! Pi-pi-pi-pi-ii-iii-iiiing!
> 
> -- Dead on.
> 
> Charming, elegant fun all the way.


Yeah, she's great and I think I'll pop on Dame Joan doing _The Merry Widow _at some point soon.



Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 38553
> 
> 
> The Joachim Trio playing the Piano Trio in G major, which Debussy composed when he was 18 years old. Can't remember the last time I heard this piece, which is delightful and amusing.


Its a bit like Debussy meets salon music, composed for Nadezhda von Meck (Tchaikovsky's former patroness). I think he composed it for her daughters to play, he went over there to do it. Nadezhda was keen to keep the girls away from Claude's amorous advances, apparently. But it wasn't published/recorded until something like the 1980's, 100 or so years later. I got that same recording, I quite like it.



Headphone Hermit said:


> inspired by the Marschallin's latest post .... Zeller - Der Vogelhandler .... with Lucia Popp in there somewhere
> 
> View attachment 38560
> 
> 
> I was going to post this yesterday .... just to see who would post a 'like' for it. But on looking for images of the cover, I was startled to find dozens and dozens of versions, so I guess some people actually DO like it (have a listen to "Ich bin der Prodekan" and be as perplexed as I am.
> 
> Mind you, it has some of the cheesiest covers I've seen for a piece of music, including:
> 
> View attachment 38561
> View attachment 38562
> View attachment 38563
> 
> 
> Come on, be honest ... the young lady blowing the horn is an image to make one smille


Well looks like she's handling her vogel quite well??? :lol:



oskaar said:


> Thankyou for brilliant descriptions of listening experience! I love to reed it, and definiatly urge me to explore this!


You're welcome, and thanks for your contributions here also, looks like you're covering a lot of core the repertoire these days. Its my area of focus too, but its a mix of things as well.


----------



## Guest

Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata, Op.106 from John Ogdon's new RCA set. This piece seems tailor made for Ogdon's massive intellect and prodigious technique.


----------



## Sid James

Last couple of days its been these:










*Tchaikovsky*
_Rococo Variations_
_Nocturne & Pezzo capriccioso_
*Bruch* _Kol Nidrei_
*Bloch *_Schelomo_
- Maria Kliegel, cello with National SO Ireland under Gerhard Markson

Starting with three key works in the cello repertoire, concertos in all but name.

I like all three, however what really hits the spot is *Bloch's Schelomo*.

Its unique sounds, deep emotions and epic quality are three aspects I can name. It was Bloch's first breakthrough work, inspired by a sculpture of King Solomon made by the wife of the cellist who commissioned it, Alexander Barjansky. He had arrived in the USA to work with a dance troupe but they went bust, so he was in dire straits. But connections where made with figures in the music world and once the composer conducted the premiere in New York in 1917, _Schelomo_ put him firmly on the map.

Rounding off the disc are two encore type pieces by Tchaikovsky.










*Piazzolla*
_Tangos & songs
Maria de Buenos Aires Suite_
- Versus Ensemble; Enrique Moratalla, vocals; Maria Rey-Joly, soprano; Horacio Ferrer, reciter

On to *Piazzolla,* and ever since I first heard his music, I loved that mix of everything from Baroque, to the sounds of modern classical and jazz as well as rock. Not forgetting the humble tango, of course, Piazzolla founding a new genre the Nuevo tango. His songs also incorporated aspects of cabaret and operetta - for example extensive spoken monologues - and blurred the lines between artsong and popular song. Speaking to that aspect of crossover, his_ Libertango _was made into a pop song by Grace Jones.










*Rachmaninov* _Piano Concerto #1_
- Peter Katin, piano with London PO under Sir Adrian Boult

On to a birthday tribute to *Rachmaninov*, his first opus which was a conservatoire piece.

The dramatic piano flourish at the start is similar to the same moment of Grieg's concerto, however Rach's distinctive voice is already there. Those classic choral harmonies and bell sounds, for example the piano's bell rhythms at the cadenza in the first movement. I also like the gentle, night time feel of the central slow movement - I think his shortest, clocking in at under 5 mintues - and Peter Katin really shines in this, he always had this delicacy. The final movement has a hint of the dance, although more easygoing and not sinister as in other works of Rach's.

Having said all that, this is the revised version of the piece, and I haven't heard the original version. Rachmaninov revised all of his major works, this revision being done in the midst of those tense days of 1917 as the Bolshevik coup raged around him. Of course, it was untenable for the composer and his family to stay in Russia under the new regime, so they left soon after.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Here's a blast from my listening past (about 1983 when I got heavily into these, I remember, and went to and from University with a wonderful new device called a 'Sony Walkman' clamped to my ears).

*Beethoven

Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 5 in F, op. 24 'Spring'

Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 6 in A, op. 30/1 *

Pinchas Zukerman (Violin), Daniel Barenboim (Piano) [EMI Classics, rec. 1973]

ArkivMusic and reviewers on Amazon are not keen on these performances , though they're respectable enough (I guess they're familiar to me, I've lived with them a long time). Recorded sound really is poor, however, with a vague booming lower piano register. Maybe time to purchase a new set of early Beethoven V & P sonatas.

















*Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 6 in A, op. 30/1*

Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich [DG, 1993]

OK, this is how this wonderful sonata should sound, I guess (performance and recording are both excellent). This was the third partnership I tried (I had Perlman / Ashkenazy on cassette first).


----------



## bejart

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757): Symphony in E Flat, Op.4, No.4

Nicolas Ward leading the Northern Chamber Orchestra


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Vaneyes

*Martha* recital, w. French Red. Easter's coming. Happy egg-hunting. Don't forget to feed the squirrels.


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> I just feel that Giulini was a far better conductor than Abbado who never really did much for me outside of a few opera recordings and his Bahms cycle.
> Giulini was a true Master.
> Klemp too.


I like some things from them all.

Re Giulini, Klemps, I suspect you prefer protracted tempi.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by MB's affection for Hickox. Recorded 1993.

View attachment 38713


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> I have actually got four recordings of it!  Haitink, Karajan, Solti and Jochum. This one is my dad's pick for today, but I will try them all eventually to compare them.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Your dad's cool as hell. _;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair




----------



## Classicalbum

Beethoven : Symphony No 3. , Preformed by Leonard Bernstein and New York Philharmonic .


----------



## nightscape

Dutilleux - Métaboles


----------



## Orfeo

*Nikolai Myaskovsky*
Cello Sonata no. I in D major, op. 12 (1911, rev. 1935).
-Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello.
-Graham Jackson, piano.
-->




Cello Sonata no. II in A Minor, op. 81 (1948).
-John Walz, cello.
-Steven Vanhauwaert, piano.
-->




*Anton Rubinstein*
Symphony no. II in C Major, op. 42 "The Ocean" (1851).
-The State Symphony Orchestra of Russia/Igor Golovchin.
-->


----------



## senza sordino

Something new for me. I need to listen a few more times to get it and become familiar. I love DSCH, but this symphony might take some more time to appreciate. It's certainly complicated.

Shostakovich Symphony #4


----------



## SimonNZ

"Plainchant from Auxerre Cathedral" - Marcel Peres, dir.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in C Major, Op.9, No.2

Susan Kagan, piano


----------



## jim prideaux

Saturday morning starting nice and early-no looming disaster on the football front to worry about (not until Monday night anyway)-starting the day with Beethoven 5th and 6th symphonies-Karajan and the BPO from 1984-looking for a leaner more 'classical' recording of the symphonies so considering Harnoncourt BPO on Teldec-anyone heard these?


----------



## Morimur

*Beethoven: The Symphonies (Chailly)*

The only Beethoven symphony cycle one needs...


----------



## Itullian

Lope de Aguirre said:


> The only Beethoven symphony cycle one needs...
> 
> View attachment 38719


Glad you like it. I don't care for it at all.


----------



## jim prideaux

Itullian said:


> Glad you like it. I don't care for it at all.


obviously the basis for debate ie very conflicting attitudes, so I had a look at Amazon reviews and they also reflect markedly contrasting perceptions-even about the same precise aspects of the interpretation..........hmmm!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms lieder - volume seven of the CPO edition

Juliane Banse, soprano, Iris Vermillion, mezzo, Andreas Schmidt, baritone, Helmut Deutsch, piano


----------



## Rhythm

Tehillim (Parts I, II) | Steve Reich | Tehillim (Parts III, IV)

Tonight, I enjoyed it all!

See Tehillim Illuminated.


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Choros 11 - John Neschling, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurkas Op. 33: op. 41; Op. 6 (Garrick Ohlsson).









The Mazurkas are such intriguing and finely crafted works. Very glad to have acquired this CD .

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Overture - Suite in B-Flat Major for two Oboes, Bassoon, Strings & B.c. (Musica Amphion).

On Youtube:


----------



## Conor71

*Sculthorpe: Cello Dreaming*

Soloist: Emma-Jane Murphy


----------



## Conor71

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38699
> View attachment 38700
> 
> 
> Lilburn: Symphony No.2 New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/James Judd
> Mahler: Symphony No.1 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Klaus Tennstedt
> 
> The Lilburn I bought following a post that was on this thread, having now heard all three symphonies, I think that at present I like no.2 best, it has a definite sense of where it is going (or should that be that I have a definite sense of where it is going??!!) and there is a nice variety of mood and texture to it, I really do like it very much. The Tennstedt Mahler set was a recent find in a charity shop, on the evidence of the first symphony methinks I am going to enjoy this very much.


Thanks for your posting - I was racking my brains trying to think of the name of this composer (Lilburn) earlier in the week. I will certainly pick up that Disc of the Symphonies now. Kudos for the Tennstedt Mahler cycle too - thats a favourite of mine :tiphat:


----------



## ShropshireMoose

jim prideaux said:


> Saturday morning starting nice and early-no looming disaster on the football front to worry about (not until Monday night anyway)-starting the day with Beethoven 5th and 6th symphonies-Karajan and the BPO from 1984-looking for a leaner more 'classical' recording of the symphonies so considering Harnoncourt BPO on Teldec-anyone heard these?


Jim, if it's a leaner and more classical reading you're after, I'd go for Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Hyperion. I got it when it first came out and have had hours of pleasure from it. He uses the Philharmonia Orchestra for the 9th, which seems sensible to me in view of the epic scale of that work, but it's still a swift and exciting performance. The recordings were made live in the Usher Hall August/September 2006, there's no applause and no audience noise that I've noticed, it's on Amazon for £22.70 new! I wouldn't hesitate!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Cello Concerto Pierre Fournier/Philharmonia Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik

From this marvellous box, *the* finest performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto on disc bar none! I suppose I ought to add the rejoinder "in my opinion", but dash it, I've heard dozens of 'em over the years, and never one to touch this- and before anyone remarks "oh the first one you hear is always the best" or words to that effect, I only heard this when I bought this set in 2011, and I was bowled over by it- I've played it innumerable times since and it never disappoints. Dating from 1948 the sound is still very good, and I promise you, you'll search hard and long to find a performance in which soloist, conductor and orchestra are all as thrillingly committed as this (and I'm including Fournier's other recordings in this statement). Terrific.


----------



## Haydn man

Listened to K453 which I believe was written for one of Mozart's pupils
To paraphrase an earlier post...... Perahia is the only set of Mozart Piano Concerto's you ever need


----------



## DavidA

Lope de Aguirre said:


> The only Beethoven symphony cycle one needs...
> 
> View attachment 38719


Sorry. I find it far too rushed.


----------



## Arsakes

*Berwald*:
Symphony No.1 "Sérieuse"
Symphony No. 3 "Singulière"


----------



## aleazk

Mahler's Sixth Symphony (Abbado).


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Sonatas for organ and orchestra - Marie-Claire Alain, organ, Jean-Francois Paillard, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 3 in G minor (The London Haydn Quartet).


----------



## Weston

Drat my intermittent connection. Couldn't log on until this morning.

I had good listening yesterday. Highlights include:
*
Janacek: Dunaj (The Danube), symphonic poem, JW 9/7 (fragments, completed by O. Chlubna and by M. Stredron & L. Faltus) *
Libor Pesek / Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra









Just as engaging as the famous Sinfonietta. I felt that I was on a grand adventure. It's nice when I can begin to pick out a style or the musical gestures of a composer I'm only a little familiar with. 
_____________________________

*Mehul: Symphony No. 2 in D* 
Jorge Rotter / Rhenish Philharmonic Orchestra









This one is very much in the world of Beethoven or Haydn and nearly in the same league. It features some flamboyant orchestral effects I haven't heard any of its better known contemporaries use. 
_____________________________

*Saint-Saens: Septet for piano, trumpet, string quartet & bass in E flat major, Op. 65
*Banff Camerata









This is something completely different, a very strange chamber ensemble. I've never heard anything quite like it and it's especially strange to hear Saint-Saens focus on something besides strings. I think it works very well. I often don't like solo trumpet, but the tone here is smooth and pleasant. The odd combination of timbres makes this chamber piece come across as nearly symphonic. I think I like it better than many of his larger scale works. The last movement has some fast piano runs that I would have thought impossible for a human to play, yet they seem necessary, not just flashy virtuosity. I think this piece has graduated to heavy rotation on my iPod for a while.
______________________________

And now this morning:

*Real birdsong.*
impromptu miscellaneous avian ensemble

Pleasant enough without human intervention I think.


----------



## Gilberto

Keith Jarrett & Michelle Makarski - Six Sonatas For Violin & Piano


----------



## jim prideaux

ShropshireMoose said:


> Jim, if it's a leaner and more classical reading you're after, I'd go for Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Hyperion. I got it when it first came out and have had hours of pleasure from it. He uses the Philharmonia Orchestra for the 9th, which seems sensible to me in view of the epic scale of that work, but it's still a swift and exciting performance. The recordings were made live in the Usher Hall August/September 2006, there's no applause and no audience noise that I've noticed, it's on Amazon for £22.70 new! I wouldn't hesitate!


thanks for that tip Moose-by the way-am I correct in thinking that you recently purchased the Myaskosky/Svetlanov cycle?
This morning I went to the coast for a walk and then drove through declining former mining settlements-my family originate in this area-listening to the 27th symphony in the car-I can honestly say that to my ears it is a masterpiece-transcending its origins it manages to combine a grandeur and humility at the same time-what a work!


----------



## Blancrocher

Lynn Harrell, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman playing string trios by Beethoven (rec. 1989-90).


----------



## bejart

Johann Rosenmuller (1619-1607): Trio Sonata in E Minor

London Baroque: Ingrid Seifert and Richard Gwilt, violins -- Charles Medlam, bass viol -- Terence Charlston, chamber organ


----------



## Ravndal

Schubert Sonata 20. D959

Radu Lupu.

It has one of the most intense and beautiful second movements i have ever heard.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.










Goes with this Magazine entry (alas in German):



Othmar Schoecks «Notturno»: Am Grenz- und Kratzbereich der Romantik 

Chris Maltman and META4 are practicing right now, for their recital of this piece (and others) on Monday.


----------



## Mahlerian

Symphony of the week:
Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C major K425 "Linz"
Prague Chamber Orchestra, cond. Mackerras


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> Jim, if it's a leaner and more classical reading you're after, I'd go for Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Hyperion. I got it when it first came out and have had hours of pleasure from it. He uses the Philharmonia Orchestra for the 9th, which seems sensible to me in view of the epic scale of that work, but it's still a swift and exciting performance. The recordings were made live in the Usher Hall August/September 2006, there's no applause and no audience noise that I've noticed, it's on Amazon for £22.70 new! I wouldn't hesitate!


--

Mackerras' Beethoven, yes: cheers.

And may I also add the John Eliot Gardiner Beethoven cycle?-- for that 'leaner' more classical approach:


----------



## Jeff W

Started with Mozart's Symphonies Nos. 35 'Haffner', 36 'Linz' & 38 'Prague'. Karl Bohm with the Berlin Philharmonic.









Next came Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 11, 12, 14 & 2. Geza Anda played the solo piano and led the Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg from the keyboard.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.16 in E Flat, KV 428

Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss, violins -- Samuel Rhodes, viola -- Joel Krosnick, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Dutilleux, Metaboles*

He sure knows his way around an orchestra.


----------



## Vasks

*John Ansell - Plymouth *** Overture (Higgins/Somm)
Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Sonata #4 (Raekallio/Ondine)
Rolf Riehm - Nuages immortales oder Focusing on Solos (Zender/Telos)*

_LOL!!! I see TC has a "naughty word" filter_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Maria Cebotari's Salome*

Revenant and Woodduck brought this to everyone's attention in the Opera section of the Forum.

I think everyone on this thread deserves to hear this incredible performance as well:














'Daisy-cutting' Salome. Incandescent Salome.-- just the way I like it.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: Sonatas for Cello and Piano-- _No. 1 in E minor, Op.38_ and _No. 2 in F major, Op. 99_
Laura Buruiana, cello
Matei Varga, piano









*Johannes Brahms*: _Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in G major, Op. 78_
Ilia Korol, violin (von Stietencron, 1999)
Natalia Grigorieva, fortepiano (Streicher, 1870)


----------



## Blake

Savall's _The Forgotten Kingdom._ Absolutely beautiful.


----------



## Oliver

Mahler 7th - Solti.

Not sure why this isn't more popular, I really like the first movement.


----------



## Mahlerian

senza sordino said:


> Something new for me. I need to listen a few more times to get it and become familiar. I love DSCH, but this symphony might take some more time to appreciate. It's certainly complicated.
> 
> Shostakovich Symphony #4


It's the best of Shostakovich's symphonies, in my opinion. The composer himself seemed to agree when he finally heard it performed. It represents the direction that he really wanted to take.

Interestingly enough, I'm listening to it right now through the Berlin Phil's website...

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor
Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, cond. Asbury


----------



## Weston

*Saint-Saens: String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 153*
Equinox String Quartet









I could have sworn the opening theme of this quartet is taken from something else -- maybe a Mozart or Beethoven quartet. Could he be paying homage? Or is my collection too large and I am just remembering hearing this before? It just doesn't sound like Saint-Saens to me and with no internet connection while listening I cannot research it. It will be interesting to see what is written about the piece. [Edit: Actually, not much is written that I can find, so I must be just remembering hearing it before. But it _does_ sound a lot like Beethoven.]

As string quartets go, it's fairly listenable, especially the first movement.
________________________

*Rossini: Sonata a quattro (String Symphony) No. 4 in B flat major *
Musicians of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival









A bit of a snoozefest for me. Sorry. More like early Mozart than anything else, although I did thoroughly enjoy the dramatic middle Andante movement.


----------



## Weston

Vaneyes said:


> Inspired by MB's affection for Hickox. Recorded 1993.
> 
> View attachment 38713


I really enjoy this recording. I've often wondered why Sir Arnold is sometimes considered "light" music. Maybe it sounds too much like a film noir or spy thriller soundtrack for some.



nightscape said:


> Dutilleux - Métaboles


Nice! I am envious.



Arsakes said:


> *Berwald*:
> Symphony No.1 "Sérieuse"
> Symphony No. 3 "Singulière"


Both amazing works!


----------



## millionrainbows

*John Cage: The Seasons (ECM), *with the orchestral piece _Seventy-Four,_ written 4 months before he died.

*Mahler 6, Boulez, Wiener (DG). *That series with paintings on the covers. I'm gradually completing this cycle.

*Mozart: The Complete Sonatas for Organ and Orchestra (AVM/DCC Classics). *Never heard 'em, or heard of 'em. Nice little pieces, praised in the liner note for their 'exemplary form and contrast.' I guess that's the way one has to look at Mozart.


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahler 4, Bernstein. I'm gradually completing this cycle as well.


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to Schubert's 4th sonata in A minor.

Wilhelm Kempff.

Looking forward to start working on this after easter.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony in F Major, Op.8, No.2

Guy Van Waas directing Les Agremens


----------



## ShropshireMoose

jim prideaux said:


> thanks for that tip Moose-by the way-am I correct in thinking that you recently purchased the Myaskosky/Svetlanov cycle?


Yes, I did indeed purchase that cycle, and am going to go slowly and carefully through it, I don't think these things want rushing. I'm very much looking forward to it, though I can't decide whether to do it numerically, or as they come on the discs, save that No.1 is the first in the box, there is no discernible order to them (eg. 1 is coupled with 25, 2 is on CD 12!), with your great enthusiasm for no.27 shining forth I'm tempted to go for that (it's on CD 9). We will have to wait and see, as Mr. Asquith memorably said!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2/Fantasy on Polish Airs Op.13 Arthur Rubinstein/Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy

Rubinstein at 81 in fine fettle, and with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra making this a disc to treasure, what a smashing orchestra they were- and I daresay still are. I saw them in the 1990s when they came to Birmingham with Wolfgang Sawallisch, the opening work on the programme was Dvorak's "Carnival Overture", the moment they struck up it was a revelation the sound they produced- absolutely tremendous. Coming back to the disc in question, it's nice to hear the Fantasy Op.13 which even now hardly anyone plays. Most enjoyable.


----------



## maestro267

*Bernstein*: Chichester Psalms
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus & Orchestra/Alsop

*Britten*: Piano Concerto
Richter (piano)/English Chamber Orchestra/Britten


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Symphonies # 82, 88 and 95.
Thomas Fey, Heidelberger Sinfoniker.

Exuberant and very well-played period performances.


----------



## chalkpie

All Sibelius, all the time :cheers:

Hitting the Vanska set pretty hard, but also did Sanderling Violin Concerto and Mikko Franck's En Saga last night.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Arnold*: Symphonies 7 & 8, w. Handley (rec.1990); Chamber Music, w. McCapra Qt. (rec.1992), Nash Ens. (rec.1984).








View attachment 38763
View attachment 38764


----------



## Weston

*Schubert: Sonata In C Major, D. 812, 'Grand Duo' (orchestrated by Joseph Joachim) *
Leon Botstein / American Symphony Orchestra









This is a fun piece and maybe a guilty pleasure. It's like having a new but vaguely familiar Schubert symphony. Sometimes it's hard to imagine or remember how a particular passage sounds on piano after hearing it orchestrated. Actually I don't have the piano version in my collection, probably because it's for piano four hands which I find can get muddy or muddled. I'm sure I've heard it somewhere though. I really enjoy this version in spite of the possibly dubious pops orchestra and recoding company.


----------



## Vaneyes

GeneralOJB said:


> Mahler 7th - Solti.
> 
> Not sure why this isn't more popular, I really like the first movement.


Solti's best Mahler IMO, if it's the '71 M7...joining the BPO/Abbado at the top, done 30 years later. :tiphat:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik, Quatuor in D minor for Recorder, two Flutes & B.c. (Musica Amphion).

On Youtube:


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> Saturday morning starting nice and early-no looming disaster on the football front to worry about (not until Monday night anyway)-starting the day with Beethoven 5th and 6th symphonies-Karajan and the BPO from 1984-looking for a leaner more 'classical' recording of the symphonies so considering Harnoncourt BPO on Teldec-anyone heard these?


Though some like them, I think the '80's LvB Symphonies of HvK are lame. His '60's and '70's have far superior energy, with the 60's containing his leanest readings.

Re 5 & 6, my favorite's the DG newly-remastered double album (which includes 9) with the pic of HvK and his jet. All three with this improved sound, are as good as it gets IMO.

COE/Harnoncourt are terrific, and you'll get the leaner readings that you require. Bremen CO/P. Jarvi are to be considered, also. Continued happy listening, Jim. :tiphat:


----------



## maestro267

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 6 in B minor ("Pathétique")
Leningrad PO/Mravinsky


----------



## Vaneyes

For this Saturday's required *Mozart *"Linz" listening, BPO/HvK (rec./ 1977).


----------



## opus55

Vivaldi: Violin Concertos










I don't like this exaggerated style.. Playing them for my friend.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Symphonies 2 & 8* The London Classical Players conducted by Roger Norrington on EMI

A classical and a neo-classical symphony by Beethoven?

Well the second is definitely classical - although in this original instrument recording the first movement carries quite a bite - we don't seem too far from the Eroica.

In the eighth (a particular favourite of mine) Beethoven seems to be looking back to the Haydn symphony and is full of wit.

I note many people rather ignore the eighth. Beethoven followed perhaps his most visceral and rhythm dominated symphony (the seventh) with the classical (neo-classical?) eighth.

Rather reminds me of Stravinsky who followed his most visceral ballet (The Rite of Spring) with many neo-classical works.

Seems to have had the a similar effect on many people - they rather see the eighth symphony and Stravisky's neo classical works as regressions and lesser works.

Not me!


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4* Murray Perahia and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on Sony

Very fine performances of these works. The fourth is my favourite Beethoven Piano concerto. For some reason I've never been quite as enthusiastic over the Emperor concerto.


----------



## Selby

Hamelin playing himself:

12 Études in all the minor keys









I really wish he would compose more.


----------



## Manxfeeder

opus55 said:


> Vivaldi: Violin Concertos
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't like this exaggerated style.. Playing them for my friend.


I have to agree. I was disappointed; I was expecting something unique from Shahan and the Orpheus.


----------



## hpowders

You did. Uniquely bad.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mitchell said:


> Hamelin playing himself:
> 
> 12 Études in all the minor keys
> 
> View attachment 38773
> 
> 
> I really wish he would compose more.


--
How narcissistic. What would Doktor Freud think of this terminal adolescence. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Inventions.*

Got back from shopping, listening to Contemporary Christian music on the car radio. Too much of it irritates me; the words may be good, but most of its _sound _is so mind-numbingly cookie-cutter - the singers, musicians, and production tends to sound the same.

I had to get some Bach out to clear my head.


----------



## Selby

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> How narcissistic. What would Doktor Freud think of this terminal adolescence. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I can't tell if you are kidding. If not I have one word for you: Rachmaninov.


----------



## Blancrocher

Georges Onslow's cello sonatas, with Maria Kliegel and Nina Tichman.


----------



## AH music

Saturday evening continued with more listening in "favourites" mode, although two are quite recent additions.

Dvorak's earlier symphonies are getting a thorough introduction via the set from Kertesz. 7-9 have been familiar favourites for ages of course (under other conductors), plus occasional hearings of 1 and 4, otherwise the rest were unknown prior to the purchase. I like them all, and no 6 is quickly joining the favourites list. Thoroughly enjoyed all four movements this evening.

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series has brought to light many neglected works, although arguments will continue over the merit of some of the works featured. Lesser known composers are of great interest to me, and the famous award winning disc of Scharwenka and von Sauer has become a firm favourite. Scharwenka certainly wrote a good number of fine works that deserve recognition, but von Sauer was more of a pianist than a composer. However, I just love his (Sauer's) piano concerto, especially the middle two movements. The scherzo is lively and then gives way to a magnificently grand BIG TUNE, and for me this one really works (many will perhaps disagree here) - think the big tune moments of the Saint-Saens organ symphony and you're on the right lines. Then there is a luscious lyrical slow movement with another big tune moment. (Edit - horror - how could I have failed to mention Stephen Hough, the scintillating soloist?).

Finally another recent discovery, the piano sonatas of Weber. In fact I have only really discovered no 1 so far, and find it excellent. The slow movement is right up my street, I think it could become a special favourite. Weber is known for the vitality of his writing for quicker movements, and none of them disappoint in this work. Not the greatest depth maybe, but far more substance to them than their sad neglect would suggest. Excellent fortepiano performances (a good robust sounding one) and recording by Jan Vermeulen.


----------



## DrKilroy

Some Chopin Polonaises.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Selby

AH music said:


> Saturday evening continued with more listening in "favourites" mode, although two are quite recent additions.
> 
> Dvorak's earlier symphonies are getting a thorough introduction via the set from Kertesz. 7-9 have been familiar favourites for ages of course (under other conductors), plus occasional hearings of 1 and 4, otherwise the rest were unknown prior to the purchase. I like them all, and no 6 is quickly joining the favourites list. Thoroughly enjoyed all four movements this evening.
> 
> The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series has brought to light many neglected works, although arguments will continue over the merit of some of the works featured. Lesser known composers are of great interest to me, and the famous award winning disc of Scharwenka and von Sauer has become a firm favourite. Scharwenka certainly wrote a good number of fine works that deserve recognition, but von Sauer was more of a pianist than a composer. However, I just love his piano concerto, especially the middle two movements. The scherzo is lively and then gives way to a magnificently grand BIG TUNE, and for me this one really works (many will perhaps disagree here) - think the big tune moments of the Saint-Saens organ symphony and you're on the right lines. Then there is a luscious lyrical slow movement with another big tune moment.
> 
> Finally another recent discovery, the piano sonatas of Weber. In fact I have only really discovered no 1 so far, and find it excellent. The slow movement is right up my street, I think it could become a special favourite. Weber is known for the vitality of his writing for quicker movements, and none of them disappoint in this work. Not the greatest depth maybe, but far more substance to them than their sad neglect would suggest. Excellent fortepiano performances (a good robust sounding one) and recording by Jan Vermeulen.
> 
> View attachment 38776
> View attachment 38777
> View attachment 38778


That Stephen Hough just went on my wish list. One of my favorite performers. Have you heard his collections of Rach or Liebermann or Saint-Saens concertos? They're great.


----------



## Selby

Bach, Johann Sebastian [1685-1750]

English Suites, BWV 806-811 [Murray Perahia]


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

64 Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget
65 Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen
66 Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (64, 65) and Gustav Leonhardt (66), cond.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Duo for Two Cellos in D Major

Jiri Hosek and Dominika Hoskova, cellos


----------



## PetrB

*Irving Fine ~ Music for Piano (1947)*

Irving Fine ~ Music for Piano (1947)

1. Prelude
2. Waltz-Gavotte
3. Variations
4. Interlude-Finale


----------



## Guest

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Violin certainly take on a different vibe when played on the guitar. It can clarify the counterpoint and play the chords unbroken, but it can't sustain the slower passages or play with as much legato compared to the violin. Yamashita turns in some very passionate and dramatic performances on these discs. I don't think I've heard any violinists play the Allegro movements in Sonatas as fast as he does, which isn't necessarily a good thing! Still, they are a technical marvel, if lacking some musicality. Excellent SACD sound.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 59 No.1 & Op.74* Takacs Quartet on Decca








The first Razumovsky Quartet (Op. 59 No.1) is a big serious quartet. The Harp Quartet Op. 74 is a more approachable work, and I find rather easier to love.

Very good disc this, the first of a two disc set. The other two Razumovsky Quartets are on the second disc. That's on my listening list for Sunday evening!


----------



## DrKilroy

PetrB said:


> Irving Fine ~ Music for Piano (1947)


It is a wonderful piece, one of my favourite 20th century solo piano works, definitely. I cannot imagine why Fine is not better known. His Choral New Yorker is another masterpiece.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My day's listening, aggregated:

*Hindemith - Sonatas for Piano*
No. 1 in A major
No. 2 in G major
No. 3 in B flat major
Variations (discarded movement from #1)
Markus Becker (Piano) [Hyperion, 2013]

*
Berg - Seven Early Songs; Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Juliane Banse; Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado [DG, 2004]

*
Schumann

Liederkreis, Op. 39
Dichterliebe, op. 48*
Ian Bostridge, Leif Ove Andsnes [You Tube, 2004]

The Berg and Hindemith are new discoveries which I've managed to listen to 4 or 5 times over the last week. I can thoroughly recommend Marcus Becker's Hindemith piano sonatas, whilst this Berg collection will probably need no introduction to many.

I am pleased to have found Bostridge and Andsnes in Schumann's two great song cycles on You Tube in such high quality recordings. I do like Ian Bostridge's voice.

















At last - a decent image for the Hindemith sonatas


----------



## Selby

PetrB said:


> Irving Fine ~ Music for Piano (1947)
> 
> 1. Prelude
> 2. Waltz-Gavotte
> 3. Variations
> 4. Interlude-Finale


Wonderful. Also onto my wish list. There's going to be a shopping spree in my future.


----------



## Blancrocher

"Music For French Horn," with Ib Lanzky-otto and Albert Linder. I came for Beethoven's seldom-mentioned but very charming and virtuosic horn sonata (op.17), and will stay for the rest of the pieces on this disk.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=14376


----------



## Alfacharger

Currently the reconstructed 7th and 10th.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique/Rakoczy March/Trojan March/Le Corsair Overture/Roman Carnival Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Paul Paray

Beethoven: Trio in D, Op.9 No.2
Bach: Sinfonias 3,4 and 9
Schubert: Trio No.2 in B-flat D.581 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky

This Paray Berlioz CD is very interesting, I don't think I've ever heard a faster or more forthright performance of the symphony, very good indeed, if without the drama and menace of the Beecham recording (especially in the last movement). The rest of the programme is enjoyable too. Then more from the wonderful Heifetz-Piatigorsky box. It's giving me so much pleasure this, absolutely marvellous.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Piano Duets

Allegro In A Minor, D 947, 'Lebensstürme'
Divertissement Sur Des Motifs Originaux Français, D 823
Andantino Varié In B Minor
Fugue In E Minor, D 952
Rondo In A, D 951
Variations On An Original Theme In A Flat, D 813
Fantasie In F Minor, D 940*

Paul Lewis, Steven Osborne [Hyperion, 2012]

More inessential but lovely Schubert pieces (OK, maybe the Fantasie in F minor is more than that)


----------



## SixFootScowl

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bach, Inventions.*
> 
> Got back from shopping, listening to Contemporary Christian music on the car radio. Too much of it irritates me; the words may be good, but most of its _sound _is so mind-numbingly cookie-cutter - the singers, musicians, and production tends to sound the same.
> 
> I had to get some Bach out to clear my head.
> 
> View attachment 38774


Check out the band Jefferson Street and their album Three Crosses. Here is a sample:


----------



## opus55

Handel: Giulio Cesare










The baroque opera is fascinating.


----------



## bejart

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795): Symphony in F Major

Helmut Muller-Bruhl conducting the Cologne Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Blake

How about some more Savall and his gang of immortals, V?

Great idea. _Jerusalem._


----------



## Vaneyes

*Maderna*: Orchestral w. Sinopoli (rec.1979); Chamber, w. Arditti Qt. (rec.1992 - '95).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Currently listening to this exquisite collection of French mélodie performed by Gérard Souzay:










Right now I'm listening to disc 2: Fauré and Poulenc. Sadly Souzay only performs two of Fauré's songs from the suite, _La chanson d'Ève_. I have this entire suite performed by Janet Baker.










Initially, I loved this disc... largely because it introduced me to a repertoire that was new to me at the time... Listening now I recognize that Baker wasn't at her finest... lots of 'wobble'... Luckily I have two other marvelous recordings of _La chanson d'Ève_: Dawn Upshaw's...










...


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

... and Elly Ameling's...










I'm looking at Jan DeGaetano's live recording:

http://www.amazon.com/Jan-DeGaetani-Concert-Vol-1/dp/B000003GIH/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1396744016&sr=1-3&keywords=Faure+Chanson+d%27eve

It looks/sounds promising. Both Dawn Upshaw and Renee Fleming studied under her. Anyone familiar with her work? Moody? I'm especially interested as she was a local girl... born not far from here.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## Sid James

This time going from schmaltz to Baroque and 20th century -










*Lehár *_The Merry Widow - highlights in English_
- Cast incl. Joan Sutherland, John Brecknock, Valerie Masterson, with National PO under Richard Bonynge

Starting with one of the most popular of all operettas. Dame Joan kind of upstages everyone else on the cast here with her dazzling coloratura. I wonder if *Lehár* ever imagined it being sung in this way? So many memorable tunes in this - often annoyingly so, earworm territory - and also application of the leitmotif system. Lehar's orchestration though sounds less heavy than the late Romantics such as Wagner, in that way its no surprise it was composed in the early 1900's. But its just great ear candy and good fun to hear.










*Handel *
_Organ concertos Op. 4, Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6
*Organ Concerto #13 "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale"_
- Simon Lindley, organ; Northern Sinfonia under Bradley Creswick; *Johann Aratore, organ; Handel Festival CO under John Tinge

Continuing with *Handel's organ concertos*, some tunes I recognize as being recycled from other works, the most famous are the Op. 4 #6 and #13, the one with the two birds of avian as opposed to human variety.










*Piazzolla, arr. Jose Bragato *
_Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)_ 
- Macquarie Trio: Kathryn Selby, piano; Nicholas Milton, violin; Michael Goldschlager, cello

More *Piazzolla*, his homage to his home city of Buenos Aires, here in an arrangement by one of the members of his band. The Argentinian capital gave birth to tango in its brothels around the turn of the 20th century. The dance was given wider appeal by Carlos Gardel in between the wars, but he died in a plane crash. As it entered the cafes, others including Piazzolla took it up and updated it, adding to it a kind of classical rigour.

I just love the delicate colours mixed with earthy rhythms of tango. Great mix of atmosphere, maybe nostalgia and the sensual in his music. A lot of warmth in this, it's the passion of tango and the discipline of classical adds to it too.

From album *"Salute to Democracy"* (on EMI)
*Elgar *
_Pomp and Circumstances Marches 1 & 4
Nimrod from Enigma Variations*_
*Holst* 
_Jupiter from The Planets_
- London PO & *London SO under Sir Adrian Boult

This album is a bundle of contradictions speaking to how classical and politics mix, often without any consistency or logic (but did they ever?)

One thing is conservative pollie Maggie Thatcher reading_ Lincoln Portrait_, by one time Communist Aaron Copland. I must say though I like her delivery, one thing is her fine diction.

Then you've got two Brits, *Elgar* and *Holst*, who didn't grow up as part of the establishment - and in some respects where antagonistic towards it - but had their music coopted by it. Elgar disliked how these pieces where used as part of the propaganda effort for World War I, which led to the slaughter of so many young men in the trenches. I believe Holst was similar with how his _Jupiter_ was recycled into the patriotic hymn _I vow to thee my country_.

But that's how it goes, classical has been misappropriated by those in power since time immemorial in one way or another. And Lord knows what the P&C marches or _Jupiter_ has to do with democracy in the first place?

Dunno what the politics of Sousa or Barber where, who've also got things on this compilation - _Stars & Stripes _and _Adagio for Strings _respectively. But ultimately its the music that counts.


----------



## bejart

John Field (1782-1837): Nocturne No.10 in E Minor

Miceal O'Rourke, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Busnois' Missa L'homme Arme - Pro Cantione Antiqua

hmm...I think I need a new stylus (man, I eat through those things like they're popcorn)


----------



## nightscape

Myaskovsky - "Silence"


----------



## senza sordino

A full day of listening and painting a bedroom
*Handel Concerto Grossi Op 6* This is a lot to listen to in one go, after a while I can't tell when one starts and another begins, but I can't just switch it off because it all sounds too good.







*Mendelssohn Hebrides, Symphonies #3 & #4*







*Prokofiev Violin Concerto #1*







And my first listen to my new disk of *Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis, Violin Concerto and Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass*


----------



## SimonNZ

Nicolas de Grigny's Le Livre D'Orgue, 1699 - Melville Smith, organ

lp1: "La Messe", Kyrie and Gloria


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> ...
> hmm...I think I need a new stylus (man, I eat through those things like they're popcorn)


Its good to see a resurgence of vinyl listening being posted on this thread in recent times. I learn a lot from these posts, whether its basic details or people's thoughts on them, and especially the history of the arists and performances. Adds to the mix of things here.


----------



## SimonNZ

The only problem is it can be a devil of a job finding usable images (which i think are important), in fact a remarkably high number of lps have one single solitary image as a result of multiple keyword combination searches on Google Images, and a small but significant number have zero. I'd love to get back to using my own photos.

Seriously now: which mods leg do I have to hump to get my image attachment allocation extended?. Had I known there was a limit I would have used them only when necessary, instead of thinking that an icon right next to the Reply box was like saying "this is what you should do".

Sorry, that was rantier than I meant it to be.

playing now:










Busoni's Six Sonatinas - Paul Jacobs, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Ouverture - Suite in B-Flat Major for two Oboes, Bassoon, Strings & B.c.; 
Quatuor in E minor for Flute, Violin, Violoncello & B.c.;
Concerto in E-Flat Major for two Horns, Strings & B.c. (Musica Amphion).

On Youtube: 




Frédéric Chopin, Mazurkas, Op. 24 (Garrick Ohlsson).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Kreisler: Praeludium and Allegro/Liebeslied/Liebesfreud/Polichinelle-Serenade/Schon Rosmarin/Caprice Viennois/Tambourin Chinois/Rondino on a theme by Beethoven/La Chasse/La Gitana
Beethoven-Kreisler: Minuet in G
Wieniawski-Kreisler: Caprices in E-flat and A Minor
Granados-Kreisler: Danse Espagnole
Tartini-Kreisler: Variations on a theme of Corelli Alfredo Campoli/Eric Gritton

Albeniz-Dushkin: Tango
Brahms: Waltz in A-flat
Yamada-Campoli: Akatonbo
Bach-Franko: Arioso
Schubert: Ave Maria
Yamada-Campoli: Jogashima no ame
Mozart-Kreisler: Rondo from Divertimento No.17 Alfredo Campoli/Norihko Wada

The incomparable Alfredo Campoli playing Kreisler, plus a few others. This is a reissue of his Decca LP "Homage To Fritz Kreisler" made in 1955 for the great man's 80th birthday, plus seven tracks from an LP recorded in 1971. One hopes that Eloquence will get round to issuing the rest of that LP, it could be coupled with two 10-inch Decca LPs of encores that Campoli made with Eric Gritton in 1956, which have never been reissued in any form. He was a splendid violinist, and any of you that have never heard him, or even heard of him, would do well to investigate this wonderful CD, you will not be disappointed, I guarantee it.


----------



## cwarchc

Starting Sunday morning off, in a calm gentle way
It's my goto version for relaxing


----------



## shangoyal

Minimalism can be really beautiful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Busoni's Berceuse Elegiaque and Wolpe's Piece In Two Parts - Frederik Prausnitz, cond.

edit: followed by the various works by Dallapiccola


----------



## worov

Howard Blake :


----------



## Bas

Yesterday before the Mätthaus Passion: (A not so satisfying performance, to be honest: soloists were only so-so, the director was conducting like if he had to catch a train - a performance in 135 minutes is way too fast - and there were lots of imperfections in the singing itself)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concertos no. 5, no. 6, no. 7, no. 14, no. 15, no. 18
By Malcolm Bilson [fortepiano], The English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner [director], on Archiv









Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 76 (no. 1 - no. 6)
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve









This set is really recommended (as well for recording as for playing)!

For this morning, let's start with some baroque, and some church music, for sunday.

Antonio Vivaldi - Vespro a San Marco
Deus in adjutorium, Dixit dominus RV 807, Confitebor tibi Domine RV 596, Beatus Vir RV 795, Laudate pueri, RV 600, Laudate Jerusalem RV 609, Magnificat RV 610, Laetus sum RV 607
By Choeur de chambre de Namur, Les Agrémens, Leonardo García Alarcón [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Chopin - Mazurkas 1-17 - Samson Francois









A quick dash to the charity shop yesterday produced this 10 CD set for 8 pounds (plus a foot of other bargains). Francois died very young and was very highly regarded as a pianist, especially in Chopin. However ..... I find it a little TOO refined - these mazurkas sound far too respectable for my taste. I would like to hear more of the flexible rythmn of the peasant dances in there


----------



## maestro267

*Enescu*: Symphony No. 3 in C major
Bucharest PO/Mandeal

A remarkable 50-minute symphony, richly scored for a very large orchestra (including 6 horns, organ, piano, 2 harps) that also makes wonderful use of a wordless choir in the finale.


----------



## SimonNZ

Andre Boucourechliev's Archipel II - Quatour Parrenin


----------



## jim prideaux

Beethoven-4th/7th symphonies-von Karajan and the BPO-80's recordings-thanks to all those who have offered advice re alternate recordings-have spent time listening to various samples but must at some point decide.......incidentally listened to samples of Harnoncourt and the BPO in performances of the Brahms symphonies....now also to be considered-methinks he may be a conductor I need to pay more attention to-his Dvorak 7th with the VPO on Teldec is tremendous......


----------



## SimonNZ

Busoni's Piano Concerto - Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano, Mark Elder, cond.


----------



## bejart

Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768): Overture No.2 in F Major

Reinhard Goebel leading Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Bruckner

Symphony No. 3 in D minor, WAB 103*

Georg Tintner, Royal (wonder if they'll get rid of this unnecessary (and _recent_!!!) addition after Independence?) Scottish National Orchestra [Naxos, rec. 1996]

My new disc of the week. Fine, stirring stuff. If all his symphonies are close relatives, well, it's an interesting and impressive family!


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): Flute Quartet

Vaclav Slivansky, flute -- Ada Slivanska, violin -- Kristina Polakkova, cello -- Monika Pecikiewiczova, piano








PS. Don't try to adjust you computer monitor. The photo really IS out of focus -----


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony* under *Klaus Tennstedt & the Münchner Philharmoniker*.

I have listened to this recording a number of times yesterday and have embarked upon this piece again. The sound and recording quality is immaculate. This may be one of my favourite recordings of this piece but I am somewhat of a fan of Klaus Tennstedt. I would place this _just_ ahead Rozdhestvensky and Bernstein.

The orchestra don't disappoint on any level. A lot is said of his relationship with the London Philharmonic but his rapport here seems every bit as potent.

I wish there were more recordings available from this maestro but at least the quality of what exists is consistently strong.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Sonata for violin and piano No. 2 in A major, Op. 100_
Ilia Korol, violin (von Stietencron, 1999)
Natalia Grigorieva, fortepiano (Streicher, 1870)


----------



## Bas

Andolink said:


> *Johannes Brahms*: _Sonata for violin and piano No. 2 in A major, Op. 100_
> Ilia Korol, violin (von Stietencron, 1999)
> Natalia Grigorieva, fortepiano (Streicher, 1870)
> 
> View attachment 38822


Added to a (long) list of records I am interested in (the fact that it is a violin sonata combined with forte-piano as HIP indicator did it for me.)


----------



## opus55

Handel: Organ Concertos, Op. 4










Richard Egarr and AAC


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Andolink

Bas said:


> Added to a (long) list of records I am interested in (the fact that it is a violin sonata combined with forte-piano as HIP indicator did it for me.)


You're going to love this disc. The 1870 Streicher piano and the gut strung violin make luscious sounds together. These are very sensitive and nuanced performances.


----------



## Bas

Antonio Vivaldi - Concerti per Fagotti (RV 485, 502,474,480,494,475)
By Sergio Azzolin [fagotto], L'Aura Soave Cremona, on Naïve









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas no. 5-7, no. 22, 24, 25, 26 "Abschied", 27
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## bejart

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.32, No.1

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

For Stravinsky's passing: Oliver Knussen and co in the Requiem Canticles and Charles Wuorinen's A Reliquary for Igor Stravinsky (rec. 1994).


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 12, K332
Beethoven: 32 variations in C minor, WoO 80
Balakirev: Piano Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 5


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tchaikovsky's "lieder" or rather "romances"... Russian "art song". Christianne Stotijn achieves one of the finest female performances of Tchaikovsky's songs.


----------



## bejart

Wilhelm Friedmann Bach (1710-1784): Sinfonia in F Major, Falck 67

Hartmut Haenchen conducting the CPE Bach Chamber Orchestra


----------



## hpowders

Seppo Pohjola, Symphony #1.
Finnish Radio Symphony, Sakari Oramo.

Memorable symphony by this impressive contemporary Finnish composer containing some hauntingly beautiful moments.


----------



## Guest

Not exactly a household name, but his music is enjoyable and wonderfully recorded--very transparent and realistic.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 In C Minor
Nobuyuki BBC Proms full*

That was all info about this youtube video

It is amazing! A blind guy playing.

It makes me glad to see his passion and engagement. Beeing able to create art and to express himself with such high value, means more to this guy that anyone can imagine, I think.

*LINKLINK*

From wikipedia:
Nobuyuki Tsujii (born September 13, 1988) is a Japanese pianist and composer.

link


----------



## Blancrocher

Beethoven: Hermann Prey (in his early 60s) singing Beethoven lieder; Michael Tilson Thomas and co in late choral works (rec. 1975).

Scrounging around for gems among Beethoven's less familiar opus numbers--and finding them.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Stravinsky's* death day (1971).


----------



## bejart

Kontrapunctus said:


> Not exactly a household name, but his music is enjoyable and wonderfully recorded--very transparent and realistic.


Just picked that up myself and have enjoyed my first listening ---
Now --
Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): Flute Quartet, Op.28, No.3

Loic Poulain on flute with members of the Dolezal Quartet of Prague: Jiri Fiser, violin -- Karel Dolezal, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## DaveS

Bach's Goldberg Variations. Murray Perahia. Very fine.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).









Is it just me or does one of the melodies in the 1st movement sound like the classic 'lullabye' one?  Great music and an excellent interpretation by Karajan, imo.


----------



## Vasks

View attachment 38834


Ooh! That's on my Want List


----------



## DrKilroy

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Is it just me or does one of the melodies in the 1st movement sound like the classic 'lullabye' one?  Great music and an excellent interpretation by Karajan, imo.


The second theme is based on the lullaby tune, written earlier as one of the lieder. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Dustin

Haydn Op. 1 String Quartets 1-4


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

DrKilroy said:


> The second theme is based on the lullaby tune, written earlier as one of the lieder.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


hehe, thanks DrKilroy. Good old TC boards, always something to find out .


----------



## DrKilroy

To my knowledge, he wrote it himself. But of course, there is still a chance that he adapted some folk tune for the purpose.


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Wagner - Lohengrin - Wiener Phil - Kempe















another of yesterday's bargains (8 pounds - in pristine condition). That is what a Wagnerian hero should look like, that's what a Wagnerian Prelude should sound like, thats what a Wagnerian wind section show blow like. Looks like it'll be near midnight before I get to bed


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Rasumovsky String Quartets Op. 59 Nos. 2&3* Takacs Quartet on Decca








Great performances of these two middle period quartets. 
Op 59 No 2 is the more serious / challenging work. The marvellous slow movement has a hint of the slow movement of the late Op. 132 quartet slow movement about it.

After a rather mysterious slow introduction Op 59 No 3 is the most approachable of the three Razumovsky quartets. I'd say it's almost genial in comparison to Nos. 1 & 2, and perhaps not in the same class. Perhaps a good introduction to those unfamiliar with the Beethoven string quartets.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Strauss' orchestral lieder magnificently sung by Diana Damrau.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Michael Rabin

For some reason, I can't seem to upload images at the moment, anyway, these are from the EMI Icon box of Rabin's recordings, and they are, quite simply, sensational. This is some of the most amazing violin playing that I've ever heard. I've enjoyed everything on this set thus far, but this, the fourth disc, is very nearly beyond belief. If Rabin had made no other record than this one, then he would still occupy a formidable position in the pantheon of great violinists. I repeat, absolutely sensational.


----------



## Morimur

*Elliott Carter - The Vocal Works (1975-1981) (Speculum Musicae)*

I've neglected Carter's work far too long.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A round-up of my listening earlier in the day. I couldn't post at the time because Mrs. Vox suggested a walk as the weather cleared in the afternoon. Now I'm winding down before flying off to the sun tomorrow.

All on vinyl:
*
Frank - Violin Sonata in A, M8* / Chung, violin., Lupu, piano. [Decca, rec. 1980]

*Bridge - Cello Sonata, H. 125* / Rostropovich, 'cello; Britten, piano [Decca, rec 1970]

*Fauré - Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 13* / Grumiaux, violin; Crossley, piano [Philips, rec. 1978]

All of these three are gems in my chamber music collection, and each is beautifully played and recorded.


----------



## LancsMan

*Rossini: Il Turco in Italia* Bartoli, Corbelli, Pertusi, Vargas, Orchestra and Chorus of the Scala Theatre, conducted by Chailly on Decca








After just listening to Beethoven string quartets perhaps this is going from the sublime to the ridiculous - well something like that!

This is my only recording devoted to Rossini. I'm not exactly a Rossini fan, and this recording was purchased because Rossini is too significant a composer not to have any works by. And this got good reviews - it's very well performed.

OK it's not going to be played anywhere near as frequently as my recordings of the Mozart operas, but it is quite enjoyable in a frivolous kind of way.


----------



## Mahlerian

Wagner: Parsifal Prelude to Act 1
Strauss: Four Last Songs
Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra
Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra
Karita Mattila, soprano
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle

Through the digital concert hall website, this was a 2010 Proms concert. It's a fascinating program, with the Second Viennese School pieces all run together without break for the second half. Even as a huge fan of this music, though, I have to question the thinking here a little. Listening to nearly an hour of hyper-compressed expressionism is very draining for everyone involved, like listening to two Mahler symphonies in a row (something which, believe it or not, I _don't_ usually do).

But the audience (the huge hall was packed full on all sides) gave their loudest cheers and applause at the end, so it worked despite my qualms (and despite Rattle's rather slack performance of the Berg).


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Xaver Brixi (1732-1771): Symphony in D Major

Vojtech Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

67 Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ
68 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
69 Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele
69a Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele

Gustav Leonhardt (67) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (68, 69, 69a), cond.

69a from 1723 altered for a town council inauguration in 1748 and reworked with new recitatives and tenor aria rescored as an alto aria and a new final chorale.


----------



## moody

StlukesguildOhio said:


> ... and Elly Ameling's...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm looking at Jan DeGaetano's live recording:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Jan-DeGaetani-Concert-Vol-1/dp/B000003GIH/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1396744016&sr=1-3&keywords=Faure+Chanson+d%27eve
> 
> It looks/sounds promising. Both Dawn Upshaw and Renee Fleming studied under her. Anyone familiar with her work? Moody? I'm especially interested as she was a local girl... born not far from here.


She tended to go for modern stuff to a large degree but I have two LP's of her singing songs from around the Victorian era. Good fun.


----------



## jani

My favorite slow movement that i have ever heard.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: 'The Marriage of Figaro' arranged for wind ensemble by Johann Nepomuk Wendt (1745-1801)

Julius Rudel conducting the Amadeus Ensemble: Leonard Arner and Robert Botti, oboes -- John Moses and Mitchel Estrin, clarinets -- Stewart Rose and Debra Poole, horns -- Frank Morelli and Harry Searing, bassoons -- Jack Kulowitsch, Alvin Brehm and Richard Fredrickson, doubles basses


----------



## Itullian

bejart said:


> Mozart: 'The Marriage of Figaro' arranged for wind ensemble by Johann Nepomuk Wendt (1745-1801)
> 
> Julius Rudel conducting the Amadeus Ensemble: Leonard Arner and Robert Botti, oboes -- John Moses and Mitchel Estrin, clarinets -- Stewart Rose and Debra Poole, horns -- Frank Morelli and Harry Searing, bassoons -- Jack Kulowitsch, Alvin Brehm and Richard Fredrickson, doubles basses
> 
> View attachment 38859


Fabulous. .................


----------



## AH music

Contrasts. This afternoon - orchestra and Symphonies 6-8 by Haydn, from the complete Fischer set, the "Esterhazy Recordings". I have heard these in another version, but while these works are popular with some, neither has quite convinced me that Haydn was yet at his very best in symphonic terms. Nice warm performances, recorded relatively early in the series but perhaps not brought to life as I imagine they could be. I will no doubt will be referring to the set plenty more times, so will refrain from posting repeats of the photo.

This evening - piano and the mighty "Transcendental Studies" by Liszt, one of my small selection from the Hyperion complete works in the epic (surely an appropriate word in this case) undertaking by Leslie Howard. It was one of the most memorable being "blown away" experiences in my musical listening when I heard the disc for the first time, having never heard any of the pieces from the set before. The music and the playing still seem beyond what I can imagine being possible for one piano and one pianist to achieve. The 50-second long opening piece is quite stunning for a start! I almost always have to repeat it - such a powerful impact and yet so compact. To be honest I rarely complete the whole set, the last piece is rather an orphan (great as it is) because I am always overwhelmed by "Harmonies du Soir" - possibly my favourite piano work of all - and usually can't carry on listening to anything else after hearing it. This is what happened again tonight, but every preceding item made an impact, once again.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Double Concerto Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky/RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra/Alfred Wallenstein

Another gem from the Heifetz-Piatigorsky set. Passionate and fiery, and an absolute joy.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Symphony No.29/A Musical Joke Philharmonia Orchestra/Guido Cantelli

Beethoven: Eroica Variations, Op.35
Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op.17
Berg: Sonata, Op.1
Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words, Op.38 No.3/Op.67 Nos. 2 and 4/Etude, Op.104 No.2
Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, Op.22/Mazurka, Op.63 No.2/Etude, Op.10 No.8/Waltz, Op.34 No.1 Jakob Gimpel

Some excellent Mozart from Cantelli and the Philharmonia, Dennis Brain's horn playing is wonderful in the Musical Joke! Then another stunning recital from Jakob Gimpel. These Ambassador Auditorium recitals are an absolute joy. Beautifully recorded and superbly performed, Gimpel was clearly a major artist, and we should be grateful that we can hear him in such fine recordings.


----------



## Guest

I've been enjoying this superbly played and recorded SACD of Louis Couperin harpsichord music. My only issue in the mean-tempered tuning--sounds a bit out of tune and takes some getting used to!


----------



## bejart

Manuel Canales (1747-1786): String Quartet in G Major, Op.3, No.5

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simarro and Eva-Marie Roll, violins -- Lothar Haass, viola -- Ulrike Mix, cello


----------



## bejart

Antoine Mahaut (1719-1775): Sinfonia No.1 in F Major

Hubert Schoonbroodt leading the Camerata Leodiensis


----------



## Novelette

Liszt: Hummel: Grosses Septet, Op. 74, S 493 -- Leslie Howard

Haydn: Die Schöpfung, H 21/2 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Boieldieu: Harp Concerto in C, Op. 77 -- Marisa Robles: The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 -- Otto Klemperer: Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Sibelius: Symphony #7 in C, Op. 105 -- Osmo Vänskä: Lahti Symphony Orchestra


----------



## KenDuctor

Buckner symphony no1 Karajan


----------



## Blancrocher

Stewart Goodyear playing Beethoven's late sonatas.


----------



## Guest

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 38870
> 
> 
> Stewart Goodyear playing Beethoven's late sonatas.


He played all 32 in one day in my town a few months ago--from memory! I went to the late sonata session--it was amazing. I was afraid he'd just concentrate on not collapsing, but he showed no signs of exhaustion...or even much sweat! I might prefer a particular sonata more from someone else, but on the whole, he offered very insightful and technically secure performances.


----------



## Weston

No music listening for me today to speak of. I'm taking a break from it as I noticed my reactions have been desultory lately. I've been working on artwork today, and it's mostly grunt work with no difficult "right brained" stuff to figure out, just large expanses of simple noodling. So I can listen to audiobooks and podcasts and still understand the words!

I'm enjoying music vicariously through you folks, though.



hpowders said:


> View attachment 38834
> 
> 
> Seppo Pohjola, Symphony #1.
> Finnish Radio Symphony, Sakari Oramo.
> 
> Memorable symphony by this impressive contemporary Finnish composer containing some hauntingly beautiful moments.





Vasks said:


> View attachment 38834
> 
> 
> Ooh! That's on my Want List


Me too now. The samples sound pretty good. I can't decide if I love the cover or if it's an abomination. It's very retro.



KenDuctor said:


> Buckner symphony no1 Karajan


There seems to be an amazing percentage of Tennessee classical listeners in this group -- amazing I mean when you consider the entire world and there are at least four of us active or semi-active. That makes me feel better about Tennessee and the whole country music cliche for this area!


----------



## Blancrocher

Kontrapunctus said:


> He played all 32 in one day in my town a few months ago--from memory! I went to the late sonata session--it was amazing. I was afraid he'd just concentrate on not collapsing, but he showed no signs of exhaustion...or even much sweat! I might prefer a particular sonata more from someone else, but on the whole, he offered very insightful and technically secure performances.


I agree he's a good performer--I prefer slower tempi in many of the sonatas, but it's an interesting cycle.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.54 in B Flat, Op.71, No.1

Griller String Quartet: Sidney Griller and Jack O'Brien, violins -- Philip Burton, viola -- Colin Hampton, cello


----------



## senza sordino

A couple of pretty good attempts at a first symphony :lol:
*Beethoven Symphony #1* HvK and Berlin







*Berlioz Symphonie Fantasique* I haven't listened to this in a long time, it's nice to return to an old friend


----------



## PetrB

*Alfredo Casella ~ Concerto per archi*

Alfredo Casella ~ Concerto per archi Op. 40
Yesterday, I posted the Op 40b, a string orchestra version by Erwin Stein.
Today, poking about, I found the Op 40, for string quartet solo, is now up.
Enjoy.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Grand Sonata in C Major for Four Hands, Op.48

Hanus Barton and Jana Macharackova, pianos


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

bejart said:


> Haydn: String Quartet No.54 in B Flat, Op.71, No.1
> 
> Griller String Quartet: Sidney Griller and Jack O'Brien, violins -- Philip Burton, viola -- Colin Hampton, cello
> 
> View attachment 38872


I was thinking of getting that set but then decided to go for Op. 71 with the Kodály. From the samples, the Griller quartet sounds pretty awesome too though.


----------



## Blake

Inspired to throw in a bit of Futurismo.

Franco Casavola - _Futurlieder._


----------



## GreenMamba

William Grant Still, Symphony #3 ("Sunday Symphony"), Jeter/Fort Smith Symphony.


----------



## Blake

Gerhaher - _Mahler: Lieder._ Really nice.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}; Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"}. *All three works feature Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## samurai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--*Symphony No.35 in D Major, K.385 {"Haffner"}; Symphony No.36 in C Major, K.425 {"Linz"} and Symphony No.38 in D Major, K.504 {"Prague"}. *All three works feature Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Weston

GreenMamba said:


> William Grant Still, Symphony #3 ("Sunday Symphony"), Jeter/Fort Smith Symphony.
> 
> View attachment 38877


I've only heard several of his short piano works, but they are great. I'd love to hear the orchestral works.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify: *

Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"} and Symphony No.11 in G Minor, Op.103 {"The Year 1905"}, *both traversed by the Paavo Berglund led Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. I must thank my fellow TC member Marschallin Blair for recommending Berglund's reading of the 11th, which I found to be as powerful as any rendition--including those by the Russian conductors--I have haerd to date. His use of pacing and dynamics--especially in the ominous opening movement--really sets the stage for what is to follow. Well done, Maestro!


----------



## senza sordino

I am really enjoying my new disk of
*Dvorak Symphonic Poems The Water Goblin, The Noon Witch, the Golden Spinning Wheel, the Wild Dove*







These were all written after his trip to America


----------



## Morimur

*Ben Johnston: Visions and Spels (1976)*






Benjamin Burwell Johnston, Jr. (born March 15, 1926 in Macon, Georgia) is a composer of contemporary music in just intonation: "one of the foremost composers of microtonal music" (Bush 1997). He was called "one of the best non-famous composers this country has to offer" in 1990 by American critic John Rockwell (Taylor 2002, 54). -- Wikipedia


----------



## SimonNZ

Frantisek Tuma chamber works - Rinaldo Alesandrini, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major; No. 2 in A Major
(Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Charles Dutoit; Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 2 in C Major (The London Haydn Quartet).









That Capriccio is awesome. Love the baroque-tinged atmosphere in it.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Stravinsky: The Firebird-1919 Suite Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Pierre Monteux
Ravel: La Valse/Bolero London Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Monteux

Schubert: String Quintet Jascha Heifetz/Israel Baker/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky/Gabor Rejto

Some fiery orchestral playing from Msr. Monteux et al, I think this may well be my favourite version of "La Valse", I've never heard another performance that brings out so much detail in the tumultuous closing pages, it really is quite remarkable. Then something far more intimate, the beautiful and moving Quintet by Schubert, this is a very good performance, as you'd expect from artists of this calibre- not that all star ensembles always deliver the goods so to speak, but this is wonderful, absolutely wonderful.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nicolas de Grigny's Le Livre D'Orgue, 1699 - Melville Smith, organ

lp2: La Messe (conclusion) and Les Hymnes


----------



## Jeff W

Dmitri Shostakovitch's String Quartets No. 11 & 2 as played by the Jerusalem String Quartet. From the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's radio series.

http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5110299


----------



## bejart

Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

The Emerson String Quartet: Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker, violins -- Lawrence Dutton, viola -- David Finckel, cello









The detached, almost clinical approach of the Emersons seem to work very well with the Bach ---


----------



## Bas

Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice
By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter], Stutgarter Kamerchor, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Sony Classical


----------



## SimonNZ

Busoni's Piano Concerto - John Ogdon, piano, Daniel Revenaugh, cond.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.










Very auspicious beginning to the audacious project of a complete Scarlatti Keyboard Sonata cycle!
It would be, by my reckoning, the first such cycle by one pianist on a piano.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dutilleux's Sonatine - Sharon Belaly, flute, Richard Brautigam, piano


----------



## Wood

*Berlioz* L'enfance du Christ (London SO, Sir Colin Davis w. Janet Baker, Thomas Allen, Eric Tappy, Jules Bastin etc) _Phillips LP box set 1977_










There is a dreamlike quality to this work.

*Brian *Symphony No. 4 Slovakians 1992










Back to Bratislava for this _tour de force _of a symphony from Havergal Brian. Five choirs help to get across the barbaric might and power of the new German Nationalism.

I like all the mini reviews that get posted on this thread. 'Current listening' has developed well since I joined TC one year ago.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wood said:


> I like all the mini reviews that get posted on this thread. 'Current listening' has developed well since I joined TC one year ago.


In what ways did it seem different a year ago?


----------



## csacks

Back to Mozart and his symphonies, in a very good record by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. At the moment enjoying nº 29.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Eduard Tubin's Symphony No.1 - Neeme Jarvi, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

time away from any sort of gainful employment-Prague at the weekend-art nouveau and cubist architecture-so Dvorak 7th,Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw-(after much deliberation)this is the recording which really does 'work for me' although I still have a lot of regard for Gunzenhauser......


----------



## csacks

Bas said:


> Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice
> By Nancy Argenta [soprano], Michael Chance [counter], Stutgarter Kamerchor, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Frieder Bernius [dir.], on Sony Classical
> 
> View attachment 38887


Ohhh Gluck. What an underrated genius. Have you tried his "Don Juan". The finale is a pyrotechnic show. I love it.


----------



## bejart

William Flackton (1709-1798): Viola Sonata in D Major, Op.2, No.5

Kathryn Steely, viola -- Vincent De Vries, harpsichord


----------



## Bas

csacks said:


> Ohhh Gluck. What an underrated genius. Have you tried his "Don Juan". The finale is a pyrotechnic show. I love it.


Actually I have not yet. This is the only Gluck opera I own. But I will keep it in mind, that is to say, will add it to my list. (On my list is also, not solely for Gluck, but also for Magdalena Kozena, the Paride ed Helena, directed by Gardiner.) For now I am enjoying the beautiful aria: "Che faro senza Euridice", from the Orfeo ed Euridice disc.


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> In what ways did it seem different a year ago?


My perception is that people comment more on their current listening, rather than simply posting works, and that they receive more feedback from members.


----------



## shangoyal

Perfect evening music.

Bach: *Sinfonias for keyboard BWV 787-801*

Zuzana Růžičková, harpsichord


----------



## MagneticGhost

Panufnik's Cello Concerto gets a little bit better each time I listen to it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Strauss' orchestral lieder magnificently sung by Diana Damrau.


I was just listening to it on Amazon. Gorgeous. . . 'yes,' I ordered it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Thanks.


----------



## Mahlerian

Schreker: Chamber Symphony
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle

You know, I'm glad to have a free month of the Berlin Phil's online service, but I wish Simon Rattle were a better conductor than he is. He chooses some interesting repertoire, but never gives a great performance, really.

Anyway, the Schreker is new to me. Like the other music of his that I know, it's filled with color and late romantic harmonic lushness, but it seems to lack the elements that separate the good from the great. Also, for something called "Chamber Symphony", it uses more of a mid-size ensemble, with a decent sized string group, rather than the Schoenberg Chamber Symphony's string quintet.


----------



## julianoq

Reading "The Rest is Noise" by Alex Ross and getting familiar with Ives music. Now listening to the symphony No. 3, performed by Tilson Thomas with the Concertgebouw. Loving Ives music so far, listened to the concord sonata yesterday and found it amazing also.


----------



## Celloman

Listening for the second time:









I have recently gone through the Ring cycle, so this time I am comparing Wagner's later style to this earlier, transitional style. This opera has something of an "Early Romantic" feel to it, yet you can begin to hear the Wagner of _Der Ring_, _Tristan_, and the like. In Act II especially, you can really tell that Wagner is coming into his own world.


----------



## Blancrocher

Rautavaara's Violin Concerto--with Jaakko Kuusisto, Vanska, and the Lahti SO. Recently mentioned by COAG (I think) in this thread (I think). In any case, a lovely work.


----------



## jim prideaux

maintaining the Bohemian theme with the Dvorak symphonic poems-the Golden Spinning Wheel, The Noon Witch, The Water Goblin and the Wild Dove-performed again by Harnoncourt and the RCO.........I always sense an inherent and disconcerting mystery in these pieces, even when lyrical and these poems may well be more 'peculiar' than one might expect from a Romantic composer nearing the end of his career!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

LancsMan said:


> *Rossini: Il Turco in Italia* Bartoli, Corbelli, Pertusi, Vargas, Orchestra and Chorus of the Scala Theatre, conducted by Chailly on Decca
> View attachment 38855
> 
> 
> After just listening to Beethoven string quartets perhaps this is going from the sublime to the ridiculous - well something like that!
> 
> This is my only recording devoted to Rossini. I'm not exactly a Rossini fan, and this recording was purchased because Rossini is too significant a composer not to have any works by. And this got good reviews - it's very well performed.
> 
> OK it's not going to be played anywhere near as frequently as my recordings of the Mozart operas, but it is quite enjoyable in a frivolous kind of way.











-- Well,_ this _performance may change that. Callas' characterization of Fiorilla is so delightfully minx-like, with runs of such brilliantly rapid fluency-- that I just fall in love with it every time I hear it.


----------



## Vasks

_MacMillan moments_

*James MacMillan - Orchestral selections (RCA on left) and Choral selections (Hyperion on right)*


----------



## julianoq

Following Ives Symphony No.3, that was good, I am just finishing the Symphony No.4. And now I must say that it is not only good, it is amazing, I am really baffled. The last movement is one of the most amazing things that I listened.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Mahler - Symphony 7. Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra. Influenced by Composer of Avant-Garde's love for this Symphony.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Mahlerian: "You know, I'm glad to have a free month of the Berlin Phil's online service, but I wish Simon Rattle were a better conductor than he is. He chooses some interesting repertoire, but never gives a great performance, really."


I'm in deeply-moved agreement on that one. I've been burned too many times by that guy.


----------



## maestro267

*Prokofiev*: Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor
London SO/Weller


----------



## Marschallin Blair

View attachment 38902


_Kyrie_.

View attachment 38903


"_Welche Wonne, welche Lust."_


----------



## Jeff W

Working on retagging my entire mp3 collection as I wasn't very diligent about keeping my tagging consistent once upon a time...









Listening to Beethoven's Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2. Alfred Brendel plays the solo piano with the London Philharmonic as led by Bernard Haitink.

Edit: Old me was *really* bad at tagging as it turns out...


----------



## Vaneyes

From DG/Decca 20 series, *Stockhausen, Kurtag, Xenakis, Berio*.


----------



## MagneticGhost

A selection of Salonen.
The 'title track' Wing on Wing is worth the admission price alone.


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Schreker: Chamber Symphony
> Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle
> 
> You know, I'm glad to have a free month of the Berlin Phil's online service, but *I wish Simon Rattle were a better conductor than he is*. He chooses some interesting repertoire, but never gives a great performance, really.
> 
> Anyway, the Schreker is new to me. Like the other music of his that I know, it's filled with color and late romantic harmonic lushness, but it seems to lack the elements that separate the good from the great. Also, for something called "Chamber Symphony", it uses more of a mid-size ensemble, with a decent sized string group, rather than the Schoenberg Chamber Symphony's string quintet.


Now that's pretty plain language. heh heh

As I've said for some years now, he has enthusiasm and teaching ability (and probably conducting technique) that is most impressive. However, he's often hearing things in a score that I don't. It's those Rattle embellishments that cast a pallor over most of his recs. Not all, but a resounding most.

His M5 and M10 with BPO are more than decent. I own some of his Britten, Walton, Szymanowski. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> ....There seems to be an amazing percentage of Tennessee classical listeners in this group -- amazing I mean when you consider the entire world and there are at least four of us active or semi-active. That makes me feel better about Tennessee and the whole country music cliche for this area!


Don't forget Katie from nearby Appalachia.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 38785
> View attachment 38786
> 
> 
> Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique/Rakoczy March/Trojan March/Le Corsair Overture/Roman Carnival Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Paul Paray
> 
> Beethoven: Trio in D, Op.9 No.2
> Bach: Sinfonias 3,4 and 9
> Schubert: Trio No.2 in B-flat D.581 Jascha Heifetz/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
> 
> This Paray Berlioz CD is very interesting, I don't think I've ever heard a faster or more forthright performance of the symphony, very good indeed, if without the drama and menace of the Beecham recording (especially in the last movement). The rest of the programme is enjoyable too. Then more from the wonderful Heifetz-Piatigorsky box. It's giving me so much pleasure this, absolutely marvellous.


That Paray's a wonderfully spirited reading, especially the Witches' Sabbath, considering the modest orchestral forces he had to work with.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 38905
> 
> 
> A selection of Salonen.
> The 'title track' Wing on Wing is worth the admission price alone.


Don't you just_ luxuriate _in the dual-coloratura soprano lines in the piece? It's a purely surrealistic dream sequence_ begging _for a cinematic treatment a la Kubrick.


----------



## Blake

Roderick William's Finzi - _Earth and Rain, To a Poet, etc..._ Beautiful, indeed. William's voice is incredible.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

A freewheel-burning, super-charged, nitromethane, 528-Hemi _Gotterdammerung_.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Cello Sonatas
By Pierre Fournier [cello], Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Franz Schubert - Winterreise
Peter Anders [tenor], Michael Raucheisen [piano], on Acanta (recorded march 1945)


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major / D. Trifonov, V. Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre

*Beethoven* - Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major / M. Uchida, M. Jansons, Bavarian Radio Symphony

*Mozart* - Symphony No. 25 in G minor / G. Takacz-Nagy, Verbier Festival Chamber


----------



## julianoq

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 38905
> 
> 
> A selection of Salonen.
> The 'title track' Wing on Wing is worth the admission price alone.


Thanks for reminding me of this, I added to my streaming library a few months ago but forgot to listen. Just finished 'Wing on Wing' and enjoyed it a lot.


----------



## csacks

Dvorak 8th. By the great Antal Dorati and the London SO.
Very romantic, for a fall afternoon.


----------



## maestro267

*Gershwin*: An American in Paris
English Chamber Orchestra/Bedford

*Strauss*: Also sprach Zarathustra
Slovak PO/Kosler

*Finzi*: Intimations of Immortality
John Mark Ainsley (tenor)/Corydon Singers & Orchestra/Matthew Best


----------



## rrudolph

Bartok: Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion/Two Pictures Op. 10/Preludio & Scherzo from Four Orchestral Pieces op. 12








Bartok: Cantata Profana/The Wooden Prince








Bartok: Violin Concerto #2/Rhapsodies # 1 & #2


----------



## Morimur

*Lutz-Werner Hesse - Vita di San Francesco (Forsbach, Fischer-Rosier)*









The focus of Hesse's compositional work lies in chamber and orchestral music. His most successful work is "Vita di San Francesco: Eleven Stations from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi", scored for organ and thirteen gongs. - Wikipedia


----------



## MagneticGhost

Marschallin Blair said:


> Don't you just_ luxuriate _in the dual-coloratura soprano lines in the piece? It's a purely surrealistic dream sequence_ begging _for a cinematic treatment a la Kubrick.


Absolutely. Luxuriate I do


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Handel - Suites No 7,10 and 14; JS Bach - Partita No 1, Six Little Preludes, Chroamtic Fantasy and Fugue - Wanda Landowska









Recorded in 1935 - that's almost within living memory of when they were written :lol:


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Hammerklavier Sonata* Emil Gilels on DG








The Mount Everest of the Beethoven piano sonatas. Challenging both to play and to listen to. A work that demands concentration to appreciate - well for me anyway. There is great beauty in it - particularly the slow movement. But the last movement in particular may well challenge conventional notions of beauty. It's pretty strenuous writing - is there any other piano music so challenging as this until we reach the 20th century?

Well this is an impressive piece - even if on the whole I prefer to spend more time with the other late Beethoven piano sonatas.

Excellent performance from Gilels too.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/classical
Gaetano Donizetti - Introduction for Strings, Larghetto affettuoso (The Revolutionary Drawing Room)


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: Missa Solemnis* The Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique conducted by John Elioy Gardiner on Archiv








Well having just listened to Beethoven torturing one pianist in the last movement of the Hammerklavier sonata, I've moved on to the Missa Solemnis where he goes on to torture all the members of the choir in some fiendishly strenuous choral writing. But the music is thrilling and it has to sound as if it's a struggle to pull off it's proper impact.

This late Beethoven sound-world is compelling to me, with it's mix of the muscular as well as the tender, with some moments of solemn mystery thrown in for good measure. Now Beethoven wasn't a conventional Catholic - and I sometimes wonder if he's affirming rather too firmly in this music. As a work of art I'm not as fully convinced by it as I am of the humanism of the Ninth symphony. But that's a minor issue really - this is a titanic work.

Magnificently performed on original instruments here.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Schubert - Die schone Mullerin - Aksel Schiotz and Gerald Moore









Recorded just months after the War. I read somewhere that Schiotz was flown out of Denmark shortly after the liberation of the country on behalf of HMV by someone with useful connections with the military. I remember that he wasn't very popular when he responded by insisting on recording Schubert (in German, of course) so soon after the war, but he insisted as the music belonged to every country. This is a magnificent version - the sound quality isn't the best, but the interpretation is first class.

This is from an 11 CD box set from danacord that is well-worth buying (even though I'm not terribly taken by some of the more esoteric contents) and has one of the most interesting (and biggest) booklets that I've ever read - a real example of what a CD booklet should be like - well illustrated, intelligent, genuinely interesting, with comprehensive information and good translations


----------



## Morimur

*Heinz Holliger - Violin Concerto (Zehetmair)*









Depending on one's tolerance for puzzles, Heinz Holliger's Violin Concerto is either a meaningful tribute to an obscure artist or an indecipherable jumble hidden behind layers of extraneous associations. Commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the work is an homage to the erstwhile last chair of the OSR's second violins, Louis Soutter; and, perhaps secondarily, to his teacher, Eugene Ysaÿe. No matter that Soutter was fired by Ernest Ansermet, and afterwards lived in poverty as an outcast. He was, more importantly, a visionary painter, a prophet of doom on the eve of World War II, and quite likely the most fascinating figure Heinz Holliger never met. Yet the tangled connections Holliger draws for his inspiration barely explain his concerto, which is best regarded as an abstract piece without all the fussy background. Granted, it plays off Ysaÿe's Sonata, Op. 27, and violinist Thomas Zehetmair helpfully provides that solo work as a prologue. But the concerto itself, performed astringently by Zehetmair and the SWR Sinfonieorchester, led by Holliger, is a confusing pileup of extra musical references, avant-garde histrionics, and doom-laden dirges, and Holliger's breathless liner notes do little to clarify his severe and uninviting music. ECM's recording covers a wide dynamic range, so a medium volume level is advised. -Blair Sanderson

_Lope de Aguirre's opinion: Sanderson is clearly overwhelmed by the difficulty of the piece but it is nevertheless, a thrilling and rewarding listening experience. An unrepentant fan of modern music should thoroughly enjoy this disc. Recommended._


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano concerto 1 - Perahia.

Beautiful playing. Might be a bit too civilised for early LvB. But fabulously played.


----------



## Blake

William's - _Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel, The House of Life, etc..._ Wonderful.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Borodin Quartet, playing Haydn's op.33 string quartets.


----------



## Clayton

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 
Eugen Jochum


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schnittke, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Cheyenne

Reading some posts by Huilunsoittaja made my heart long for some Glazunov, so I put on his first symphony, with Vladimir Fedoseyev! What a wonderful, youthfully vigorous work! Glazunov was my age when he wrote it; but music like it makes me far too serene to worry about negative comparisons!


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartets Ops. 127 & 135* Alban Berg Quartet on EMI








I'm listening to the first and last of the late Beethoven string quartets in these polished performances by the Alban Berg Quartet. Polished but do other quartets get closer to the heart of this music?

Late Beethoven string quartets are supposedly difficult for some. And maybe some are challenging, but I'm not really sure that can be said of these two works.

The Opus 127 is almost genial. There is a beautiful slow movement - rather free variations. And much straightforward lyricism in the other movements, together with some folk dance influences and the odd spicy harmony enlivening the proceedings in the finale. Really an excellent introduction to the late Beethoven string quartets.

The Opus 135 was pretty much the first string quartet I ever heard at about the age of nine or ten when my father purchased a recording of it. I was hooked immediately by it. My father was a fairly uneducated working class man, always short of money and keen on football, so I am somewhat baffled as to where his love of classical music came from but I am very happy to have been exposed to it from early childhood. Any way this quartet has one of the saddest slow movements in music, with other movements having a mixture of wit and almost savagery. It's quite a compact work with a surprising ending that put's a smile on the face.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

70 Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!
71 Gott ist mein König
72 Alles nur nach Gottes Willen
73 Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (70, 71, 72) and Gustav Leonhardt (73), cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Honegger, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## Blake

Really in a song mood today.

Dieskau - _Wolf: Lieder_, Disc 1. Powerful stuff.


----------



## Ravndal

Listening to a friend's entry for a composition contest.

Listen! it's beautiful: http://virtualartists.tv/?page_id=273

Vote for him as well "Introduction and fugue" http://virtualartists.com/page/stunning-voting


----------



## Selby

Third time around:

LvB - the Late Piano Sonatas

Igor Levit, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Peter Maxwell Davies, Quartet No. 3*

This is surprising. It was written when the Iraq invasion happened, so I was expecting a bunch of noise. Then the composer said the piece was based on a magic square of 3x3 and 5x5 and 7x7. I'm not sure what that means, but that that alone would have stopped me cold, expecting arcane complexities. Turns out it's not hard on the ears at all. Of course, this is my first listen, so I'm not aware of the intricacies going on, but I'm just happy my ears weren't beat up and my brain wasn't contorted.


----------



## SimonNZ

For giving the best stop-and-retune from Haydn's "Il Distrato" Symphony on record I could never hate Simon Rattle, even if I had the inclination.

Actually I love his recordings of 20th century works, many of which I was introduced to, and was excited by, through his recordings. Having said that i do prefer his work with Birmingham to his work with the Berliners.

The only thing I really have against him is how unexpectedly dull and simplistic that documentary series "Leaving Home" turned out to be.

playing now:


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony In A Major, Bryan A4

Thomas Kalb conducting the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Ondine

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, Horn Quintet, Oboe Quartet

Sonata Duo for Bassoon and Cello, Flute Quartets & 10 Movements and fragments for chamber ensemble.

:angel:


----------



## Selby

Arnold Bax [1883-1953]

Piano Sonata Cycle (4)

Ashley Wass, piano















Bax, as a pianist, played the works of both Debussy and Schonberg in recital at different times, with the composers in attendance, reportedly with high praise and approval.


----------



## lostid

I can't believe I finished listening to both CD's in the office without interruption. Really nice.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Gubaidulina*: Violin Concerti, w. Kremer (rec.1988), Mutter (rec.2008).

View attachment 38946


----------



## Sid James

*Piazzolla (arrangements by Quentin Grant and José Bragato)*
_Tangos and Dances - Oblivion, Windy, Adios Nonino, Libertango, etc_.
- Macquarie Trio: Kathryn Selby, piano; Nicholas Milton, violin; Michael Goldschlager, cello

Finishing the rest of the *Piazzolla* disc, which is filled out with a selection of his many *tangos*.

Quite a few of these are linked to the composer's life, for example _*Windy*_ that bears the name of his dog, or _*Adios Nonino (Farewell Papa),* _in memory of his father. _*Libertango*_ was his biggest hit, amongst the most arranged works of the century, but ironically he didn't earn a cent from it due to some sort of bungle with copyrights.

I quite like *Oblivion*, one of the darker ones, but its hard to pick a favourite.










*Richard Meale *_Incredible Floridas (Homage to Rimbaud)_
- Australia Ensemble: Geoffrey Collins, piccolo/alto flute; Nigel Westlake, clarinet/bass clarinet; Dimity Hall, violin/viola; Julian Smiles, cello; David Bollard, piano; Ian Cleworth, percussion; Dene Olding, conductor

Over to *Meale's Incredible Floridas*, one of the most significant chamber pieces to come out of Australia during the 1970's. Inspired by Rimbaud's poem _The Drunken Boat_, with its imagery that ranges from bizarre to fantastical to repellant, the sextet is a mood painting of the intense world it conveys.

Musically speaking, Meale's influences range from Debussy to Boulez and Messiaen, and also from his studies of Japanese gagaku and gemelan from Java and Bali.

Its quite a varied work, more poetic and dreamlike rather than intense, even though it does have some dramatic moments. There is contrast here, but its more subtle than overt. The pivotal _Interlude_, which reminds me of Satie's _Gymnopedies_, is my favourite part.

_Incredible Floridas _was premiered by Peter Maxwell-Davies' group, The Fires of London. Meale was at the forefront of the avant-garde in Australia during the period, although by the end of the 1970's he moved into other quite different directions.










*Rachmaninov *_Piano Concerto #3_
- Alicia de Larrocha, piano with London SO under André Previn

Concluding with *Rachmaninov's third concerto*, the most thematically unified of the four. Like the concertos of Brahms it was criticized for being too long and extremely difficult. Its length at around 45 minutes is indeed symphonic, and it goes without a break. Today it is widely considered the finest of his four concertos.

The opening melody, reminiscent of Russian church music, forms the basis of what follows. You'd swear it is an actual quote from somewhere, but Rach said it just came to him naturally, it was original. The first movement alone could be a concerto in itself, there is much variety and contrast here, from the opening 'song' to the march and the dance, the trademark bells and many emotions.

The work was composed for Rach's first American tour, which was grueling, although the composer looked back fondly on the time he spent performing it there with Mahler. Rach was impressed by Mahler's integrity as a musician and his extraordinary ability to work so effortlessly with a new score of such complexity in front of him.


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2


----------



## Guest

Eliot Fisk transcribed this mammoth (75 minute) set of variations originally written for solo violin. He has to do things that seem scarcely possible on the guitar (probably no picnic for the violinist, either...). Amazing stuff, both musically and technically.


----------



## chalkpie

Did 4, doing 5 now. This guy is amazing.


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No.3 in D Minor, Op49

Constance Keene, piano


----------



## Weston

Jeff W said:


> Working on retagging my entire mp3 collection as I wasn't very diligent about keeping my tagging consistent once upon a time...
> 
> View attachment 38904
> 
> 
> Listening to Beethoven's Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2. Alfred Brendel plays the solo piano with the London Philharmonic as led by Bernard Haitink.
> 
> Edit: Old me was *really* bad at tagging as it turns out...


Don't feel bad. I supposedly have a "Mozart piano concerto with Rudolf Serkin conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Claudio Abbado on piano." I just caught the mistake when I started to post it on this thread. In my defense I think I get Claudio Abbado and Claudio Arrau mixed up. But there's a lot of stuff like that in my collection, especially when the track list is in a weird order like the Hummel sonatas I have where sonata No. 5 is played before No. 4. Why would they do that? This was released on CD so there would be no issues with fitting it on vinyl sides I wouldn't think.

(Goodness me! I got sidetracked a bit I guess.)


----------



## Selby

Charles Koechlin: Paysages et marines, Op. 63 (original composition for solo piano)


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahler's Das Klagende Lied - Wyn Morris, cond.


----------



## Weston

*Epiphany moment! *

Actually multiple epiphanies maybe. Don't you love those? They happen so rarely for me these days.

I was cruising around Amazon looking into Haydn quartets to purchase, but on a total impulse out of the blue I got this Naxos set of Ginastera quartets instead.









This is the first Ginastera I have in my collection --unless you count Emerson, Lake and Palmer's take on a movement from his 1st piano concerto. I can see why they played his music. The first quartet rocks. It is so jagged and rhythmic, it's infectious. I'm not used to string quartets sounding like that. It's also nearly orchestral in this recording, not that dry raspy sound I hear in other quartet recordings.

The 2nd quartet is an even bigger surprise. It's supposed to be serial. Serial? Really? It sounds even less serial than Berg. Oh, and it rocks too in places. Also there are some _very very_ weird sounds coming out of one of the the instruments in one of the middle movements. It sounds like a cross between a duck quacking and an acid lead synth. It was so unexpected I had to stop and replay to make sure something wasn't wrong with the file or to make sure a mutant chupacabra hadn't gotten into my house. What the heck is in the score and how is that sound made, I wonder?

Anyway these are amazing works to me and it shows me that serialism can be really good and truly enjoyable without a lot of pretense and stretching on my part. I think the solid rhythms are what is making it more effortless. I would almost say these pieces may have moved me completely over to the "I enjoy atonal/dissonant/modern" side of the playing field. People have been saying one day it would just click. Maybe today is the day.

The 3rd string quartet I'm not as sure about. It features a soprano. I can see that is a bold move, but sometimes she lapses into speaking. I've enjoyed that in some works, but it's not working for me here exactly, though the piece as a whole is not without its interesting moments. I think singers are not necessarily great speakers or actors. They can come across as too large or over the top. There are several cringe-worthy moments in this work, but I can't tell if it's the singer or the work itself.

Sorry to ramble. This was an exiting evening's listen. It must have done some good for me to avoid music for a couple of days.


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> It's supposed to be serial. Serial? Really? It sounds even less serial than Berg.


That's because "serial" doesn't sound like anything...really, I don't know why people seem to think they know what serialism "sounds" like...


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Lohengrin










Act 1 before going to bed.


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> Wagner: Lohengrin
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Act 1 before going to bed.


Excellent live recoding.


----------



## SimonNZ

Kodaly's Sonata for cello Op.8 - Santiago Canon Valencia, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

Sorry for the big photo but I really like the Harpsichord Museum image:










Alkan's Six Preludes Op.31, Seven Esquisses Op.3 a.o - Roland Smith, fortepianos


----------



## Tsaraslondon

A break from all the opera I've been listening to recently, these performances are little known, but none the less excellent.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Tannhauser - Colin Davis, cond. (Bayreuth '78)


----------



## AH music

Ferdinand Ries - Clarinet Trio. Delightful.


----------



## dgee

Having a Christophe Bertrand (1981-2010) session on youtube - Satka for ensemble, Vertigo for 2 pianos and orchestra, Okhtor for orchestra.






I'd heard the name but forgotten it and never listened to his music until I spotted it by chance on youtube earlier today.. Just a young chap obviously, and wears an eclectic array of (I'm getting a lot of Boulez and Ligeti and a chunk of spectralism, maybe even minimalism, in interesting doses (and the above has Rite of Spring and Messiaen moments! - that's the cauldron of contemporary music), but what a talent. Crisp detail, a feel for sonority, concern with intensity and energy - very C21. Shame he left


----------



## lostid

I really recommend this album. Very nice to my ears.


----------



## AH music

Tchaikovsky - Concert Fanatasy Op 56, for piano and orchestra. This usually seems to get poor ratings from music experts and critics. Never mind, I love it! A big bold committed performance from Werner Haas helps. Probably would sound silly with a genteel performance. The extended cadenza in the first movement a show-piece, and the "Contrasts" movement is likeable and more interesting than is given credit, I think.


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's cello sonatas, featuring that _fettered at the hip_ couple, Barenboim and DuPre. To be honest, I only got their version because they're famous, with a touch of something classically tragic in there too, but I'm pleased with it, and soon they'll be past the sonatas and there are some Mozart variations from the Magic Flute, which was the real selling point for me...


----------



## Skilmarilion

AH music said:


> Tchaikovsky - Concert Fanatasy Op 56, for piano and orchestra. This usually seems to get poor ratings from music experts and critics. Never mind, I love it! A big bold committed performance from Werner Haas helps. Probably would sound silly with a genteel performance. The extended cadenza in the first movement a show-piece, and the "Contrasts" movement is likeable and more interesting than is given credit, I think.


Given how iconic and popular the 1st concerto is, it's maybe unsurprising that his other works for piano and orchestra have been overlooked somewhat.

Too bad, because the 2nd concerto and the Concert Fantasy are both incredibly original works, with some astonishing piano writing as well as the melodic richness we expect from Tchaikovsky. At least I think so.


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to Stravinsky...










http://www.wyastone.co.uk/stravinsky-the-piano-music.html
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Oct11/Stravinsky_piano_NI551920.htm


----------



## bejart

Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Trio Sonata in B Minor. Op.4, No.1

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini and Annalisa Pisanu, flutes -- Andrea Corsi, bassoon -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord


----------



## csacks

We are enjoying a beautiful sunny morning. What would be better that Alfred Brendel playing Beethoven´s piano sonatas


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Schubert: Symphonies 8 & 6 (the rest to follow)*
Jos Van Immerseel & Anima Eterna Brugge 








A friend has loaned me this set and so far I am blown away by the first disc. My friend had a hunch that I could be turned on to to HIP performance. Whilst I have an open mind, I have had one or two bad experiences so I tend to regard a good HIP recording as an exception rather than a rule.

If the first disc is anything to go by, I would like to order a serving of Crow. Perhaps a little Humble Pie as a sweet treat?

The sound quality is excellent but the performance is exemplary. I never thought I would find an Eight to surpass the likes of Kleiber, Furtwangler, Harnoncourt and Klemperer but Van Immerseel and the Anima Eterna deliver an impressive performance.

The recording of the Sixth is my favourite as of right now.

All I can say is that if the rest of the cycle can maintain this standard, Van Immerseel and the Anima Eterna will become my first choice symphonically for Schubert.

As far as HIP is concerned, I have never been so happy to be wrong and corrected


----------



## Morimur

*Gerard Grisey - Vortex Temporum • Talea (Ensemble Recherche)*

Beautiful work by one of the founders of spectral music. Highly accessible (at least to me).


----------



## opus55

Itullian said:


> Excellent live recoding.


I only need to find a good time to listen in one sitting.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rebecca Saunders' Miniata - Hans zender, cond.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Schubert: Symphonies 8 & 6 (the rest to follow)*
> Jos Van Immerseel & Anima Eterna Brugge
> View attachment 38957
> 
> 
> A friend has loaned me this set and so far I am blown away by the first disc. My friend had a hunch that I could be turned on to to HIP performance. Whilst I have an open mind, I have had one or two bad experiences so I tend to regard a good HIP recording as an exception rather than a rule.
> 
> If the first disc is anything to go by, I would like to order a serving of Crow. Perhaps a little Humble Pie as a sweet treat?
> 
> The sound quality is excellent but the performance is exemplary. I never thought I would find an Eight to surpass the likes of Kleiber, Furtwangler, Harnoncourt and Klemperer but Van Immerseel and the Anima Eterna deliver an impressive performance.
> 
> The recording of the Sixth is my favourite as of right now.
> 
> All I can say is that if the rest of the cycle can maintain this standard, Van Immerseel and the Anima Eterna will become my first choice symphonically for Schubert.
> 
> As far as HIP is concerned, I have never been so happy to be wrong and corrected


*Disc 2: Symphonies 4 & 2*

The second disc continues to impress, the consistency is extremely promising and most rewarding.

The Second Symphony is particularly enjoyable, an unfairly underrated work.


----------



## Jeff W

Lots of listening going on for me tonight/today.









Started with this new arrival. Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in both versions. Leonidas Kavakos plays solo violin while Osmo Vanska led the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. I want to give this one another listen to compare the two versions more closely.









Next came the Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 along with the Capriccio brillant in B minor and the Rondo brillant in E flat major. Benjamin Frith played the solo piano while Robert Stankovsky conducted the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra.









Piano Concertos No. 26, 27 & 4 of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart started my morning post work walk. Geza Anda conducted the Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg from the keyboard.









Went with Mozart's Symphonies No. 40 & 41 to keep going with on my walk. Trevor Pinnock conducted the English Concert.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, 12 London Symphonies.

Comparative listening. Bernstein/NY Philharmonic vs Davis/Concertgebouw:
Davis wins with #93, 94, 95, 96, 100, and 104.

Bernstein wins with # 97, 98 (highly unorthodox!) 99,101( the best "Clock" I've ever heard. When Bernstein is on, he is sensational!), 102 and 103.

Even though Bernstein/NY Philharmonic are more stylish and sound better in Haydn than Concertgebouw/Davis, the latter's straightforward non-controversial tempos win the day for me.

Still, life wouldn't be complete without Bernstein's great performances of symphonies # 97, 98, 99,101, 102 and 103. They are a must for Haydn lovers!

Nobody speaks Haydn better than Leonard Bernstein did. The problem was his unorthodox tempos in some of these symphonies.

The best performances in the Davis set happen to be # 94 and 104, both great performances.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Sibelius 1 and 4
Colin Davis - Boston Symphony

Today only Sibelius will do - and I'm shaken to the core.


----------



## science

I've listened almost only to jazz for about a week but I'll catch up here with the classical that I have in fact listened to, starting with the most recent:










That's good.


----------



## science

Earlier today I listened to this one, because the duo chamber list is full of advocates for Fauré's Elégie.


----------



## science

Six days ago I listened to this:










And that gets me all caught-up here!


----------



## Blancrocher

Tabea Zimmermann and Kirill Gerstein in Rebecca Clarke's Viola Sonata.

*p.s.* Check out the earlier Szeryng recording if you can find it, Science.


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> I only need to find a good time to listen in one sitting.


An act at a time is ok too


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Rebecca Saunders' Miniata - Hans zender, cond.


Any thoughts on that?

Kairos albums inevitably intrigue me but they're often hard to find and expensive in any case.


----------



## science

AH music said:


> Ferdinand Ries - Clarinet Trio. Delightful.
> 
> View attachment 38953


The clarinet inevitably is!


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Tartini's* birthday (1692), and *Donizetti's* death day (1848).


----------



## Mahlerian

Vasks: Cantabile for strings
Abrahamsen: Let me tell you for soprano and orchestra (premiere)
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Nelsons

I think I should just spend my month of Berlin Phil. listening focusing on everyone _but_ their chief conductor...


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work_
4.8.2014

Olivier Messiaen

Éclairs sur l'Au-delà

Simon Rattle with the Berliner Philharmoniker


----------



## rrudolph

Satie: Preludes Flasques/Veritables Preludes Flasques/Descriptions Automatiques/Embryons Desseches/Choses Vues a Droite et a Gauche (sans lunettes)/Les Trois Valses Distinguees du Precieux Degoute/Sports et Divertissements/Avant-Dernieres Pensees/Sonatine Bureaucratique








Debussy: Suite Bergamesque/Deux Arabesques/Ballade/Valse Romantique/Danse Bohemienne/Masques/Hommage a Haydn/L'Isle Joyeuse








Milhaud: Creation du Monde/Suite (1936)/Scaramouche/Trois Rag-Caprices/Caramel Mou








Satie: Parade/Poulenc: Les Biches/Milhaud: Le Boeuf sur le Toit


----------



## Blancrocher

Taking up Vaneyes' recommendation of the Tempera String Quartet playing Sibelius. This disk has the "Adagio in D minor," "Quartet for Strings in B flat major, Op. 4," the "Voces intimae" quartet, and the "Andante Festivo" arranged for string quartet.

I'm starting with the B-flat quartet, which is new to me. Very grateful for the mention of this wonderful music.


----------



## aleazk

Milton Babbitt - _Transfigured Notes_.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Ok not a Sibelius day but a Sibelius afternoon. Moving into the evening with some Ligeti.

Volumina is such a powerful piece. 
Can anyone point me in the direction of other powerful modern works for organ. ptr?


----------



## science

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 38977
> 
> 
> Ok not a Sibelius day but a Sibelius afternoon. Moving into the evening with some Ligeti.
> 
> Volumina is such a powerful piece.
> Can anyone point me in the direction of other powerful modern works for organ. ptr?


Maybe not exactly what you're looking for but I like Christopher Bowers-Broadbent's album:










Also maybe not exactly what you're looking for but I like Poulenc's Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings. You probably already know about that, though.

I've never heard Hindemith's organ sonatas, but I've long wanted to.


----------



## MagneticGhost

science said:


> Maybe not exactly what you're looking for but I like Christopher Bowers-Broadbent's album:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also maybe not exactly what you're looking for but I like Poulenc's Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings. You probably already know about that, though.
> 
> I've never heard Hindemith's organ sonatas, but I've long wanted to.


The Poulenc Organ Concerto is one of my favourite pieces. I know next to no Hindemith.
The above album is not on Spotify unfortunately but I'll try and hunt down some of the individual works featured there-in
Thanks


----------



## millionrainbows

This is a great CD, not marred by the 'new age' sound and production values which have ruined other Cage ECM releases for me. This is fresh, purely orchestral, and good. The orchestration of *Suite for Toy Piano, *which removes the toy piano completely, by Lou Harrison, completely transforms the piece, letting us see the ideas for what they really are. Also,* Seventy-four,* composed just 4 months before Cage's death, is a great requiem; there are two versions here, and both are good. I'm so glad I picked this up out of the used bin.


----------



## Alypius

New acquisition (inspired by Marc-Andre Hamelin's recent 3 CD collection of Busoni's Late Piano Music):

Ferruccio Busoni, _Piano Concerto_, op. 39 (1903-1904)

Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano) / Mark Elder (conductor) / City of Birmingham
_Busoni: Piano Concerto, Op. XXXIX_
series: Romantic Piano Concerto, vol. 22 (Hyperion, 1999)


----------



## Blancrocher

Well, it wasn't my intention to remain mired in Sibelius for so long, but there wasn't much else I could do after hearing that intensely moving string version of the "Andante Festivo."

Current listening: Karajan & co in Symphony 5 (rec. 1965) and 6 (rec. 1967).


----------



## Blake

Savall - _Holborne: The Teares of the Muses._


----------



## aleazk

Milton Babbitt - _Vision and Prayer_.

- _Correspondences_.

I'm surprised with the versatility of those old synths. Very clever pieces, full of nuances. I love the final minute in V&P.

Babbitt really was amazing at blending those synths with conventional instruments. As somebody said in the yt comments "The electronic sounds seem to come straight out of the ensemble".


----------



## Skilmarilion

Brahms' 3rd, with Otto waving his wand.


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki*: Symphony No. 5 _(first listen)_
National Polish RSO/Wit


----------



## AH music

Time for plenty of music today. Gradually getting to know more of Shostakovich's symphonies thanks to the set conducted by Barshai. 2nd or 3rd time for no 4 today. Appreciated some of the great climaxes and the quiet ending, but not quite getting the overall structure or a true feel for it yet. I think I can tell why some hold it in high regard, and will be very happy to persevere.









Two new composers in the early evening, 15-20 minutes of each via spotify. Rautavaara, Cantus Arcticus - quite liked the music, which worked well with the curlews in the opening movement, really quite evocative. Not sure about the bird sounds working so well in the others, at least in this performance / recording (Naxos).

On the other hand, immediately drawn to and impressed by the three Op 11 Fantasies for piano by Stenhammar, and now very eager to listen to more. The third of these pieces in particular made a very real impression - listened again immediately which is a fairly rare thing for me. As usual, drawn back to the more romantic and classical, and still so much to explore!


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Symphony No. 2.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Headphone Hermit

JS Bach - Partita No 2 for solo violin - Jascha Heifetz









one of a 5 CD set that I bought for a few Euros at a petrol station in Germany a few years ago. There were quite a few similar sets of historic performances and I wish I had bought the lot. Heifetz isn't my number 1 for Bach's solo works (that would probably be either Menuhin or Milstein) but Heifetz is within a few footsteps of the top of Everest to my ears


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata, No. 23


----------



## Mahlerian

AH music said:


> Time for plenty of music today. Gradually getting to know more of Shostakovich's symphonies thanks to the set conducted by Barshai. 2nd or 3rd time for no 4 today. Appreciated some of the great climaxes and the quiet ending, but not quite getting the overall structure or a true feel for it yet. I think I can tell why some hold it in high regard, and will be very happy to persevere.


The first movement is in sonata form, sort of, but it's about 80% development and the themes are always spinning off into new variations. On top of that, when the recapitulation does arrive, the presentation of the themes is reversed, both order and orchestration, making the structure very difficult to grasp on one or two hearings (because it's contrary to everything we expect from sonata form).

The second movement is a scherzo with a form roughly ABABA, with the B sections being contrasting "trio" portions.

The third movement is...weird. I think of the form as ABAC, with "B" taking up about 2/3 of the movement. It opens with a funeral march, veers off into a wild stream-of-consciousness melange of styles and tones (but all derived in some weird way from the opening), and then, after the whole thing seems to collapse in on itself, and fanfares break out in C major (sort of), the "A" theme returns. Then this too collapses and a long coda over an unwavering C minor harmony follows.


----------



## Tristan

*Chen/He* - The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto









Heard this work on the radio years ago--loved it. I love the use of the pentatonic and the influence of traditional Chinese music and the way the violin is almost played like an erhu.


----------



## AH music

Alkan - Sonatine Op 61 (piano) performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin, on Hyperion. Stunning.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major; No. 34 in D Major; 
No. 29 in E-Flat Major (Emanuel Ax).


----------



## AH music

Mahlerian said:


> The first movement is in sonata form, sort of, but it's about 80% development and the themes are always spinning off into new variations. On top of that, when the recapitulation does arrive, the presentation of the themes is reversed, both order and orchestration, making the structure very difficult to grasp on one or two hearings (because it's contrary to everything we expect from sonata form).
> 
> The second movement is a scherzo with a form roughly ABABA, with the B sections being contrasting "trio" portions.
> 
> The third movement is...weird. I think of the form as ABAC, with "B" taking up about 2/3 of the movement. It opens with a funeral march, veers off into a wild stream-of-consciousness melange of styles and tones (but all derived in some weird way from the opening), and then, after the whole thing seems to collapse in on itself, and fanfares break out in C major (sort of), the "A" theme returns. Then this too collapses and a long coda over an unwavering C minor harmony follows.


Thank you for all these details and insights concerning Shostakovich 4 - much appreciated. No wonder I was struggling a bit (having stuff on iTunes makes me lazy about referring to the notes....)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Tzigane Michael Rabin/Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult
Elgar: Symphony No.2 BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

Two recordings for Sir Adrian Boult's birthday. Whatever he did, he did with all his heart. Boult accompanies Rabin superbly, then his wonderful 1944 recording of the Elgar 2nd, the passion blazes forth in this performance, 70 years after it was recorded it still has an intensity given to few others. Bravo, Sir Adrian.


----------



## Blake

Pinnock's Handel - _Concerti Grossi Op. 6._ Fresh and elegant.


----------



## Morimur

*Michel Chion - Requiem*






Chion began splicing together tape making musique concrete in France in the '70s. The title track to this collection of pieces is a 37 minute 16 second dark, mysterious, and at times demented version of the classic "Funeral Mass." "Funeral Mass" is the basis for all classical requiems. While such classic requiems glorify the suggestion of eternal life suggested by the religious interpretation of death, Chion's work probes the existential panic of those living under the threat of death. A dark, kaleidoscope collage of cruel whispers, snippets of choral works, and eerie, segmented sacred string music promote a feeling of uneasiness and abandonment. "Variations" (10:02) finds Chion still working creatively with tape in the late '80s and 1990. An odd, transmogrified waltz is the underlying theme to this series of sonic portraits separated by silent periods. "Nuit Noire (Black Night)" (22:14) precedes "Variations" chronologically and is dedicated to American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Radio Free Albemuth, Valis). This nightmare sequence is an aural re-enactment of a sleepless night of terror. Creaking, groaning, and things that go bump in the night cavalcade through this unsettling work.
_- Tom Schulte, AllMusic_


----------



## Ondine

Mozart:

Serenata KV 361 'Gran Partita'
Serenata KV 375
Serenata KV 388 'Nacht Muisque'
Divertimento K 188

:angel:


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

74 Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
75 Die Elenden sollen essen, daß sie satt werden

Gostav Leonhardt, cond. (both)


----------



## Alypius

Recent acquisition:

Kontra Quartet, _Norgard: String Quartets 1-6_ (Kontrapunkt, 1998)










Part of my ongoing exploration of the works of Norgard.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ireland: These Things Shall Be John Carol Case/London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult
Ireland: Piano Concerto Eric Parkin/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

More sterling work from Boult, he was such a great advocate of English music, and his series of recordings for Lyrita brought many unjustly neglected works back into focus. Boult possibly had the widest repertoire of any conductor of his generation, there seems to have been nothing that he wouldn't have a go at, if asked. For the BBC he conducted a great deal of new music as the founder and chief conductor of their orchestra 1930-50. A broadcast of Berg's "Wozzeck" brought forth praise from the composer himself, and many other composers must have felt deeply grateful to Boult for his advocacy. A great man, and a fine musician.


----------



## SimonNZ

Tobias Hume's Musical Humours, 1605 - Jordi Savall, viola da gamba


----------



## Blake

Pinnock - _Mozart: The Symphonies._ It's taking me some time to get through this whole set, but what a delightful journey. At CD 6 now - Starting with Symphony 20, in which he wrote at the age of 16…. The Wolf.


----------



## chalkpie

Just got this sucker in the mail and gave S2, S3, and S5 a test drive. There is a LOT to like in these recordings, and I am looking forward to hearing the whole thing. The symphonies are analog; recorded in Berlin in the early-to-mid 70's, and the sonics are great. The majority of the tone poems were recorded digitally in Moscow in '91.

$20 - can't beat that :cheers:


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's Violin Sonata - Andre Gertler, violin, Diane Andersen, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Honegger, Symphony No. 1 and everything else on this CD*


----------



## Weston

Mahlerian said:


> That's because "serial" doesn't sound like anything...really, I don't know why people seem to think they know what serialism "sounds" like...


Oh, you know. It's based on the examples usually given and Schoenberg usually tops the list. So the layman expects serialism to sound like the less consonant Schoenberg. But then, strict twelve tone adherence was never mentioned about the Ginastera quartets in the notes I read.



rrudolph said:


> Satie: Preludes Flasques/Veritables Preludes Flasques/Descriptions Automatiques/Embryons Desseches/Choses Vues a Droite et a Gauche (sans lunettes)/Les Trois Valses Distinguees du Precieux Degoute/Sports et Divertissements/Avant-Dernieres Pensees/Sonatine Bureaucratique
> View attachment 38972



This album cover hurts my eyes even in the thumbnail! I don't know what it is with these modern composer kids and their drug oriented music. . .


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> Oh, you know. It's based on the examples usually given and Schoenberg usually tops the list. So the layman expects serialism to sound like the less consonent Schoenberg. But strict twelve tone adherence was never mentioned about the Ginastera quartets in the notes I read.


But much of the Schoenberg people ostensibly dislike isn't serial (Pierrot lunaire, Three Piano Pieces, Five Pieces for Orchestra, Erwartung, etc.). That, and Schoenberg was the first one to bend or break the "rules" of the 12-tone method when he saw fit.

On top of that, people think Elliott Carter wrote serial music, or Takemitsu or Messiaen...or even Schoenberg's tonal works.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.12 in A Major, KV 414

Jeffrey Tate conducting the English Chamber Orcherstra -- Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## Weston

Weston said:


> Oh, you know. It's based on the examples usually given and Schoenberg usually tops the list. So the layman expects serialism to sound like the less consonant Schoenberg. But then, strict twelve tone adherence was never mentioned about the Ginastera quartets in the notes I read.


Update: I've just experimented with listening to a Schoenberg quartet as well, No. 4, and it very nearly clicked with me too. That has _never_ happened before. So that may be the trick for "getting" more modern composers. Don't listen to any music for a couple of days.



Mahlerian said:


> But much of the Schoenberg people ostensibly dislike isn't serial (Pierrot lunaire, Three Piano Pieces, Five Pieces for Orchestra, Erwartung, etc.). That, and Schoenberg was the first one to bend or break the "rules" of the 12-tone method when he saw fit.
> 
> On top of that, people think Elliott Carter wrote serial music, or Takemitsu or Messiaen...or even Schoenberg's tonal works.


Not Takemitsu! How could they think that?

Yes, layman's ignorance must be frustrating. But the good news is some try to remedy it when we can.


----------



## Morimur

Conservative classical fans tend to define 'Serial' as anything that sounds remotely alien to them.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Blake

Tristan Murail - _Winter Fragments._


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> Update: I've just experimented with listening to a Schoenberg quartet as well, No. 4, and it very nearly clicked with me too. That has _never_ happened before. So that may be the trick for "getting" more modern composers. Don't listen to any music for a couple of days.


Because you mentioned it...

Ginastera: String Quartet No. 2
Enso Quartet









I forget what Ginastera works I've heard before. I was reminded somehow of a mixture of Bartok (especially in the last movement) and Schoenberg (in the slower parts and some of the quartal harmonies) by this work, and I enjoyed it a good bit. Thanks for mentioning it!



Weston said:


> Not Takemitsu! How could they think that?


Well, some of his 60s works have a similar texture to Boulez, and he occasionally used a 12-note idea or two. But his harmony was always derived from Messiaen and Debussy, and the idea of writing using any sort of system was anathema to him (unlike to Messiaen, who loved working out musical riddles and palindromes and such).


----------



## Guest

I received this gem today in the mail. It's lovely in every respect.


----------



## Sonata

Dvorak Slavonic Dances
Mozart String quartet 15, Bastien und Bastienne
Boccherini cello concerto 9


----------



## Blancrocher

A first, enjoyable listen to guitarist Jakob Lindberg playing Gaspar Sanz and Santiago de Murcia. After this I plan to listen to Walton's 5 Bagatelles, played by Julian Bream.


----------



## chalkpie

MagneticGhost said:


> View attachment 38977
> 
> 
> Ok not a Sibelius day but a Sibelius afternoon. Moving into the evening with some Ligeti.
> 
> Volumina is such a powerful piece.
> Can anyone point me in the direction of other powerful modern works for organ. ptr?


Messiaen baby!..............


----------



## senza sordino

Some recent concerti after school today. I love these modern works, but I kept my doors closed. I'm not so sure my colleagues next door appreciate them as much.
*Adams Violin Concerto*







*Carter Cello Concerto*







*Ligeti Violin Concerto*


----------



## dgee

The lushest, fruitiest thing on my ipod









Beating out some strong competition from Korngold, Schreker and Szymanowski


----------



## bejart

Anton Reicha (1770-1836): Fugue No.6 for Piano on a theme by Mozart

Jaroslav Tuma, fortepiano


----------



## GreenMamba

Schoenberg Chamber Symphonies (both), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Selby

Debussy, Claude [1862-1918]

Préludes for Piano, Book I, L. 117

Paul Jacobs, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire - Jane Manning, Nash Ensemble, Simon Rattle


----------



## Morimur

*Michael Harrison: Revelation (Finale)*

Just Intonation...


----------



## KenOC

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Just Intonation...


Just intonation? Only that? I believe there's more to life than just intonation! :devil:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Stabat Mater - Stabat Mater dolorosa (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Concentus musicus Wien).









J. S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major; No. 5 in D Major
(Trevor Pinnock; The English Concert).


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both featuring the Ole Schmidt led London Symphony Orchestra. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Berglund. 
Dmitri Shostakovich --*Symphony No.1, Op.10 and Symphony No.7, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both traversed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *Both works feature Michael Schonwandt and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## senza sordino

I just finished watching on the television a short 30 minute video of
*Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez * with Pepe Romero and Neville Marriner with ASMF. 
There was film footage of them playing in studio, but also film of Rodrigo and his wife and the grounds of Aranjuez palace. It started with Romero discussing Rodrigo's motivation for writing the piece.


----------



## JasonBrenkert

Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna
Bach - Ich hatte viel Bekummeris - Karl Richter
Bach - Goldberg Variations - Perahia
Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto - Kyung Wha Chung


----------



## SimonNZ

Holst's A Somerset Rhapsody and Hammersmith - Adrian Boult, cond.


----------



## Taggart

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Conservative classical fans tend to define 'Serial' as anything that sounds remotely alien to them.


Presumably that makes Machaut, Dufay et al serialists?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

"Hoketus" by Andriessen as played on the first disc is one of my favourite pieces today.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

I sometimes wonder why the Britten Piano Concerto is not as popular as the Ravel. It breathes very similar air. Terrific performance here by Richter under the composer's baton.


----------



## SimonNZ

The Eton Choirbook (lp2) - Grayston Burgess, dir.


----------



## PetrB

Taggart said:


> Presumably that makes Machaut, Dufay et al serialists?


A friend who was a voice major at Eastman told me that in her freshman year, she walked past a rehearsal room where a chamber choir was working... I'll cut now to her comment on what she heard.
"When I first heard Gesualdo, I thought they were singing modern jazz." :lol:

Watching the reaction of a group of freshman music majors when a good number of them, never having heard Musica Ficta, are exposed to it is also a fun kind of treat.


----------



## PetrB

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39018
> 
> 
> I sometimes wonder why the Britten Piano Concerto is not as popular as the Ravel. It breathes very similar air. Terrific performance here by Richter under the composer's baton.


Lol. From one head and set of ears to another -- I can not hear one whisp at all of any kind of kinship between them. They seem like two very different species to me, totally different musical critters. (There are two Ravel piano concerti, though I'm sure you meant the G major


----------



## Tsaraslondon

PetrB said:


> Lol. From one head and set of ears to another -- I can not hear one whisp at all of any kind of kinship between them. They seem like two very different species to me, totally different musical critters. (There are two Ravel piano concerti, though I'm sure you meant the G major


Yes I do of course, and I'm not the only one to notice it

_It is much of its era, at times echoing the insouciant brilliance of Ravel_

Jessica Duchen in Steinway Owners' Magazine.

In his review of the Steven Osborne recording for *Gramophone* the reviewer also talks of the concerto's debt to Prokoviev, Shostakovich and _Ravel_.

Of course the two composers are very much their own men, but I also hear echoes of Ravel in the Britten, not least the use of jazzy rhythms and its infectious high spirits, completely different in mood from the darker Violin Concerto.


----------



## Andolink

*Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Sonata for Viola & Piano, Op. 147_
Lawrence Power, viola
Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano


----------



## ShropshireMoose

KenOC said:


> Just intonation? Only that? I believe there's more to life than just intonation! :devil:


But there's not much to life without it!


----------



## lostid

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 is my favorite among his five piano concertos. I never get bored listening to this piece, and this album is my favorite for this piece.

My top 3 piano concertos of all time are Beethoven's No.4 and Brahms' No.1 & No.2, with no particular order. I can just keep pounding myself continuously with these three.


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 - Varsovia Quartet


----------



## jim prideaux

not particularly acclaimed but an enjoyable recording nonetheless-Borodin symphonies 1-3,Gunzenhauser and the CSR Symphony Orch.


----------



## AH music

Thanks to another thread and to spotify sampling, now listening to a new purchase (and a new composer to me) - Granville Bantock "Hebridean Symphony". A few words will sum up - liking it a lot!! In this Naxos version, even though I have no comparisons, the performance seems really committed and sound is pretty good, so no complaints. I have been to Kosice in a very nice region of Slovakia, and the people I saw were proud of the orchestra based there. This piece must have been new to them! Even more, I love the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and the area does seem to inspire some great music. Delighted.


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in G Major, D.78

Silvano Frontalini conducting the Kaunas Chamber Orchestra -- Beatrice Antonioni, violin


----------



## Sid James

Weston said:


> *Epiphany moment! *
> 
> Actually multiple epiphanies maybe. Don't you love those? They happen so rarely for me these days.
> 
> I was cruising around Amazon looking into Haydn quartets to purchase, but on a total impulse out of the blue I got this Naxos set of Ginastera quartets instead.
> 
> View attachment 38949
> 
> 
> This is the first Ginastera I have in my collection --unless you count Emerson, Lake and Palmer's take on a movement from his 1st piano concerto. I can see why they played his music. The first quartet rocks. It is so jagged and rhythmic, it's infectious. I'm not used to string quartets sounding like that. It's also nearly orchestral in this recording, not that dry raspy sound I hear in other quartet recordings.
> 
> The 2nd quartet is an even bigger surprise. It's supposed to be serial. Serial? Really? It sounds even less serial than Berg. Oh, and it rocks too in places. Also there are some _very very_ weird sounds coming out of one of the the instruments in one of the middle movements. It sounds like a cross between a duck quacking and an acid lead synth. It was so unexpected I had to stop and replay to make sure something wasn't wrong with the file or to make sure a mutant chupacabra hadn't gotten into my house. What the heck is in the score and how is that sound made, I wonder?
> 
> Anyway these are amazing works to me and it shows me that serialism can be really good and truly enjoyable without a lot of pretense and stretching on my part. I think the solid rhythms are what is making it more effortless. I would almost say these pieces may have moved me completely over to the "I enjoy atonal/dissonant/modern" side of the playing field. People have been saying one day it would just click. Maybe today is the day.
> 
> The 3rd string quartet I'm not as sure about. It features a soprano. I can see that is a bold move, but sometimes she lapses into speaking. I've enjoyed that in some works, but it's not working for me here exactly, though the piece as a whole is not without its interesting moments. I think singers are not necessarily great speakers or actors. They can come across as too large or over the top. There are several cringe-worthy moments in this work, but I can't tell if it's the singer or the work itself.
> 
> Sorry to ramble. This was an exiting evening's listen. It must have done some good for me to avoid music for a couple of days.


I've got that Ginastera String Quartets cd, and I remember listening to it and a bit like the Bartok quartets my feelings where mixed. I liked it but didn't really connect. However, it was similar with Bartok's quartets upon my initial listens to them. These things take time. Now Bartok's make more sense to me, I've listened and read about them, and more importantly I enjoy them more than before.

These things take time, and I think relistening to that disc is a good idea now you've reminded me of it.

I vaguely remember enjoying the third quartet with soprano the most, particularly because its quite unusual (but I know Schoenberg used soprano in one of his ones). The other thing I remember is the vivid way in which Ginastera brought the texts to life, they are in the cd booklet with translations (Garcia Lorca is one poet there). Dramatic is what I remember and yes unsettling.

As for his two piano concertos, they are the first things I collected by him (also on Naxos). Immediately connected with the first one, the other one took time, but now I like them equally. I read that Emerson Palmer and Lake tried to contact Ginastera in Switzerland, but his wife picked up the phone. Ginastera had said in Spanish that their arrangement was diabolical, they didn't know if that was a compliment or criticism, but she assured them it was the former. I don't remember where I came across this but its interesting. Ginastera was appreciative of crossover! Some may shudder to think but I think it shows different types of music coming together, which can only be good in my book.

BTW I did a piece on his second concerto in my blog, link below in my signature.

Now I'll try get back and dig out his quartets. Would be interesting to compare notes on them...


----------



## jim prideaux

vinyl time-an old Decca recording, Istvan Kertesz and the LSO-Brahms 2nd Serenade and Dvorak Serenade for 10 wind instruments, Cello and Bass (op 44)


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34_
Stephen Hough, piano
Takács Quartet


----------



## Jeff W

Got this set in the mail yesterday. Listened to Symphonies No. 1, 4 and both versions of 5. Osmo Vanska led the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Need to give these more listens as this is my first Sibelius symphony set...

Edit: Just started Symphony No. 2 (the only I had heard before I got this set)


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Boccherini*: _String Quartet in F major, Op. 8 no. 5_
Artaria String Quartet


----------



## PetrB

GregMitchell said:


> Yes I do of course, and I'm not the only one to notice it
> 
> _It is much of its era, at times echoing the insouciant brilliance of Ravel_
> 
> Jessica Duchen in Steinway Owners' Magazine.
> 
> In his review of the Steven Osborne recording for *Gramophone* the reviewer also talks of the concerto's debt to Prokoviev, Shostakovich and _Ravel_.
> 
> Of course the two composers are very much their own men, but I also hear echoes of Ravel in the Britten, not least the use of jazzy rhythms and its infectious high spirits, completely different in mood from the darker Violin Concerto.


YesButYesBut, the qualities named were very much in the air, and in tons of modern repertoire, from many composers of many nationalities across the board from about 1920 and later. Those attributes are general and not specific enough to so directly relate one composer to another.

Of course I could hear _that_ in the Britten while I heard _nothing_ in either harmonic usage, orchestration, any of the gestures or the writing in general to link it to Ravel (or, to Ben's credit, not much of anyone else, either.)

I suppose the comment of the reviewers is that sort of comparison I always hope they would not make, i.e. a sort of second-class complex where they feel by naming two other big name composers that then elevates or _confirms_ Britten is in their ranks -- which is so not necessary and almost casts aspersions vs. kudos on Britten, whose music, from the get-go (whether I liked the piece or not) clearly could and did / does hold its own.


----------



## Vasks

*Salieri - Overture to "Hussiten vor Naumburg" (Fey/Hanssler)
Kozeluch - Sinfonia Concertante for Piano, Trumpet, Mandolin & Bass (Klocker/cpo)
FJ Haydn - Symphony No. 101 (Davis/Philips)*


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Explosant-fixe for flute, ensemble, and electronics
Stravinsky: The Nightingale (full concert performance)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Boulez

Emmanuel Pahud, flute
Barbara Hannigan, soprano


----------



## Blancrocher

Kertesz conducting Dvorak's Requiem, and Kodaly's Psalmus hungaricus and Symphonic Variations for Orchestra.


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work
4.9.14_

Yesterday was Messiaen; today I am finishing off the holy trinity of modern music that is Debussy, Koechlin, Messiaen.

Claude Debussy [1862-1918]

Jeux, poeme danse, L. 126

Pierre Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra









Charles Koechlin [1867-1950]

Ballade pour piano et orchestra, Op. 50

Bruno Rigutto, piano; Alexandre Myrat conducting Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major (Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Charles Dutoit; Orchestre symphonique de Montréal).









Excellent, refreshing performance by Thibaudet. Great to come back to the disc.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

PetrB said:


> YesButYesBut, the qualities named were very much in the air, and in tons of modern repertoire, from many composers of many nationalities across the board from about 1920 and later. Those attributes are general and not specific enough to so directly relate one composer to another.
> 
> Of course I could hear _that_ in the Britten while I heard _nothing_ in either harmonic usage, orchestration, any of the gestures or the writing in general to link it to Ravel (or, to Ben's credit, not much of anyone else, either.)
> 
> I suppose the comment of the reviewers is that sort of comparison I always hope they would not make, i.e. a sort of second-class complex where they feel by naming two other big name composers that then elevates or _confirms_ Britten is in their ranks -- which is so not necessary and almost casts aspersions vs. kudos on Britten, whose music, from the get-go (whether I liked the piece or not) clearly could and did / does hold its own.


Oh dear oh dear. Some people are so literal. I did not make a comparison of the works, nor did I suggest that one had direct influence on the other.

But I stand by me statement that they breathe the same air and wonder why the Ravel is a perennial favourite when the Britten is not. The Britten is after all also a tuneful and approachable work.


----------



## millionrainbows

Stravinsky, binaural recording done with a Neuman KU-100 dummy-head mike set. It sounds good, and is a good performance.


----------



## millionrainbows

Andolink said:


> *Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Sonata for Viola & Piano, Op. 147_
> Lawrence Power, viola
> Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
> 
> View attachment 39019


That's a nice cover. Now I know where that horse came from, on the cover of the Preludes on Hyperion.


----------



## Morimur

*Shiv Kumar Sharma: Raga Kirvani (The Inner Path)*

Heavenly music...


----------



## millionrainbows

Mahlerian said:


> That's because "serial" doesn't sound like anything...really, I don't know why people seem to think they know what serialism "sounds" like...


Well, not to be contentious, but how do you know that serialism* doesn't *sound like anything? Your Tarot reading?

I know "tonality" when I hear it. I can also recognize serially-composed music when I hear it, and more often than not, the composer.

So I can usually recognize the individuality of each composer, as well as recognize the method of composition: tonal, neo-tonal, serial, etc.

I can also tell when music is_* not *_serial. I can easily tell that Bartok is not serial.

You must be thinking that total chromaticism is often confused with serialism, but since total chromaticism is still tonal, I can tell. Sometimes my intuition has to kick in, but I'm always correct in the end.

I can tell Stravinsky's serial works from his tonal ones, always.


----------



## rrudolph

Ensemble Organum: Byzantine Chant 7th-8th centuries








Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo Virtutum








Hykes: Harmonic Meetings








Part: Passio


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 39024
> 
> 
> Got this set in the mail yesterday. Listened to Symphonies No. 1, 4 and both versions of 5. Osmo Vanska led the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Need to give these more listens as this is my first Sibelius symphony set...
> 
> Edit: Just started Symphony No. 2 (the only I had heard before I got this set)


--
You owe it to yourself:









_Berglund_.

With _Bournemouth_.

-- and for a pittance.


----------



## csacks

Today is Ginastera. This record includes all the three quartets, but, to be honest, I like only the first and the second. The third, including voice sounds odd, and I can not get it. The record, by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano is very good, albeit in the record (from itunes) there is no mention of the performers.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

samurai said:


> Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, *both featuring the Ole Schmidt led London Symphony Orchestra.
> Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63, *both performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Berglund.
> Dmitri Shostakovich --*Symphony No.1, Op.10 and Symphony No.7, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *both traversed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
> Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50. *Both works feature Michael Schonwandt and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.


---

The Ole Schmidt/LSO Nielsen complete symphonies can be acquired for next to nothing.









Drier's Peer Gynt has its moments as well:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

chalkpie said:


> View attachment 39000
> 
> 
> Just got this sucker in the mail and gave S2, S3, and S5 a test drive. There is a LOT to like in these recordings, and I am looking forward to hearing the whole thing. The symphonies are analog; recorded in Berlin in the early-to-mid 70's, and the sonics are great. The majority of the tone poems were recorded digitally in Moscow in '91.
> 
> $20 - can't beat that :cheers:


---
'Well-done-jolly-well-done' cheers indeed. I've always inclined to Berglund's Bournemouth endeavors and not to the Helsinki or Chamber Orchestra of Europe ones.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> Brahms - Symphony No. 2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards, Dr


---
That late-sixties Brucker VIII of his with the Concertgebouw in this box set far exceeds the digital remake Haitink did in 1980. . . It's more of a ferociously-heroic Van Beinem reading; especially in the last movement.

-- But disregard everything I said. I just realized that this Philips Haitink box set is the _Brahms_ box set-- and not the_ Bruckner _box set; which he also did; and with a similar looking cover. . .

Blonde moment number one for today.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Quartet in C, opus 59 no. 3 & Quartet in Cm#, opus 131 
Quartet in Em, opus 59 no. 2 & Quartet in E-flat opus 127
By the Alban Berg Quartet, on EMI (studio cycle '85)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 96 in D Major, 'Miracle' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









One of Haydn's cheekiest moments has to be the Trio of this menuet, wonderful. You can just see him talking to you, like a curious cat. The finale bounces with Haydn's tricks and energy. It reminds me somewhat of the Finale of symphony No. 88 - it contrasts the playful, almost 'teasing' rondo-like structure with energetic contrapuntal sections. A miracle amongst the 12 Haydn created for London.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Bach* - Cantata BWV 78, _Jesu, der du meine Seele_ / Concentus Musicus Wien, N. Harnoncourt et al.

*Rachmaninov* - Trio elegiaque No. 1 in G Minor / Mischa Maisky, Vadim Repin, Lang Lang

*Mendelssohn* - Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor / Trio Wanderer


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand*

















Morning Marschallin Blair getting off to a hideously-late start on this gloriously summery Southern California morning, to the suitably-appropriate, beautiful, enchanting, sexy, and frivolous Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, String Quartets, Opus 20.
Tatrai Quartet.

Fine performances of these wonderful quartets marred by a recording that sounds like it was made in a phone booth. Too bad.


----------



## Morimur

*Phil Kline - (2009) John the Revelator (Lionheart, Ethel)*

Well, so much for me not listening to tonal music. This is a lovely, highly accessible Mass for six voices. All of you atonal/avant-garde music haters should enjoy this.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

science said:


> I've listened almost only to jazz for about a week but I'll catch up here with the classical that I have in fact listened to, starting with the most recent:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's good.


-- That's_ royalty_: _early_ Sutherland,_ vintage _Schwarzkopf, _vintage_ Giulini. Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssss. H.a Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, String Quartets, Opus 76.
Tokyo String Quartet.

Very well recorded.
Performances marred for me by excessive vibrato.
Others may not be bothered.


----------



## julianoq

More Ives to me today! Listening to the four violin sonatas, played by Hahn and Lisitsa. Finishing the 3rd at this moment and enjoying them all a lot, terrific record.


----------



## chalkpie

julianoq said:


> More Ives to me today! Listening to the four violin sonatas, played by Hahn and Lisitsa. Finishing the 3rd at this moment and enjoying them all a lot, terrific record.


Amazing music and performance. I was at the recording session (in Rhinebeck, NY)...my buddy Andreas Meyer engineered the session. You can see my name listed as a page turner (Frank Camiola) 

Both ladies were cool as hell and MONSTROUS musicians. I was a few inches from Valentina and she is a force to be reckoned with on the ivories. Hilary has the best intonation of any string player I have ever heard, period. A GREAT time.


----------



## Alfacharger

Today I brought my Alfa convertible out from its winter hibernation. I decided the little Italian car needed a proper soundtrack to go along with the sweet exhaust note.

Oh, I have an Alfa Romeo Spider and a Dodge Charger. Hence Alfacharger!


----------



## Vasks

chalkpie said:


> You can see my name listed as a page turner.


Yes, that's a cool story. One to treasure for all time.

But that got me to thinking that I'd just might be able to handle turning for Ives' "Three Page Sonata" :lol:


----------



## julianoq

chalkpie said:


> Amazing music and performance. I was at the recording session (in Rhinebeck, NY)...my buddy Andreas Meyer engineered the session. You can see my name listed as a page turner (Frank Camiola)
> 
> Both ladies were cool as hell and MONSTROUS musicians. I was a few inches from Valentina and she is a force to be reckoned with on the ivories. Hilary has the best intonation of any string player I have ever heard, period. A GREAT time.


That's indeed a great story! This record is fantastic and both ladies are awesome players. I am a fan of Hahn, got pretty much all her records, her tone is fantastic.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-Flat Major (Alfred Brendel; Sir Neville Marriner; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Beethoven's 3rd, 4th, and 27th piano sonatas; recorded in the early 1970s.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Music by Robert Fayrfax, Richard Hygons, Edmund Turges, John Browne and William Cornysh - The Sixteen - Harry Christophers









from the late C15 or early C16. Some of these composers could have been entered in the 'obscure composers' thread


----------



## rrudolph

Stockhausen: Stimmung


----------



## Mahlerian

millionrainbows said:


> Well, not to be contentious, but how do you know that serialism* doesn't *sound like anything? Your Tarot reading?
> 
> I know "tonality" when I hear it. I can also recognize serially-composed music when I hear it, and more often than not, the composer.
> 
> So I can usually recognize the individuality of each composer, as well as recognize the method of composition: tonal, neo-tonal, serial, etc.
> 
> I can also tell when music is_* not *_serial. I can easily tell that Bartok is not serial.
> 
> You must be thinking that total chromaticism is often confused with serialism, but since total chromaticism is still tonal, I can tell. Sometimes my intuition has to kick in, but I'm always correct in the end.


I think that personally, I can recognize if a work is 12-tone, perhaps, but not necessarily "serial". The processes of 50s/60s serialism are infamously difficult to recognize. You can recognize that something is participating in the style associated with the music of that era, even when it is not serially derived (as in Xenakis or Carter), but you can't tell by listening how it was put together, usually.

There are a good many people out there who are convinced that they hate any and all "serial" music, but like one or two examples and don't hear them as serial at all, or hate additional things that are not serial but they think that they are.

I don't think that anyone can tell the difference between serialism and total chromatic music of other kinds (and don't forget that there are pieces written with non-chromatic serialist techniques) without a good deal of familiarity.

My whole point is that there is no one "serial" sound. Boulez sounds very little like Babbitt who sounds nothing like Berg, and they are all equally "serial" at one point or another in their career. Stockhausen and Stravinsky and Schoenberg were very different composers with distinct styles.



millionrainbows said:


> I can tell Stravinsky's serial works from his tonal ones, always.


Yes, but there are all sorts of factors there beyond simply the technique he uses, from the kinds of orchestration and texture he employs to the way he handles form that shape our perception.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 John Ogdon/Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini New Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

Ogdon's magnificent Tchaikovsky 1st with Barbirolli, who for my money was one of the finest conductors of Tchaikovsky that we've ever had. His recordings of the last three symphonies are all superb, and this traversal of "Francesca da Rimini", one of his last recordings, is as exciting as any I've ever heard.


----------



## shangoyal

On some days, the frenetic nature of Shostakovich's music is really nice. It's downright drunk in some places.

Shostakovich: *String Quartet No. 8 in C minor*

Emerson String Quartet


----------



## chalkpie

Vasks said:


> Yes, that's a cool story. One to treasure for all time.
> 
> But that got me to thinking that I'd just might be able to handle turning for Ives' "Three Page Sonata" :lol:


You definitely could 

Andreas knew I was/am a huge Ives fanatic and that I am very familiar with those works, so he asked me. A really beautiful studio in a gorgeous setting as well (a nicely wooded serene area). Hilary had such a keen sense of her surroundings and the acoustics, it was truly something. She would just move her feet just a few inches until she found the 'sweet' spot that she was happy with. Incredible hearing and knowledge of acoustics and her instrument. She was also so humble when Andreas would suggest phrasing, tempi, etc - not a prima donna by any means - very open to suggestions. I even gave my $0.02 in a few spots when I became comfortable enough and she took my suggestions. The strangest part was she paid me and wrote up a sales invoice - it was downright bizarre.


----------



## chalkpie

julianoq said:


> That's indeed a great story! This record is fantastic and both ladies are awesome players. I am a fan of Hahn, got pretty much all her records, her tone is fantastic.


Yeah, her tone is pretty incredible.


----------



## Morimur

*VA - (1999) Raga Guide: A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas (4 CD)*

Those crazy Indians with their crazy music. Money well spent.


----------



## Blake

Jarvi's Prokofiev - _Symphony 4._ Where have you been, friend?


----------



## KenOC

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Those crazy Indians with their crazy music. Money well spent.


74 ragas on 4 CDs? How'd they do that?


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.










Very nice, indeed. Great, juicy Ruckers, that Neuchatel instrument.










Quatuor Talich at their best in Janacek and Schulhoff. Great re-releases on La Dolce Volta.


----------



## Oskaar

▶ *Haydn, Cello Concert Nr 2 D Dur Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, Academy of St Martin - YouTube*

Not the best sound on this video, but it is great filming, and give a very good closeup of Rostropowitsch and his cello playing.

The Haydn concerto is amuzing. First time I listen to this one.

LINK


----------



## Headphone Hermit

oskaar said:


> ▶ *Haydn, Cello Concert Nr 2 D Dur Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, Academy of St Martin - YouTube*
> 
> Not the best sound on this video, but it is great filming, and give a very good closeup of Rostropowitsch and his cello playing.
> 
> The Haydn concerto is amuzing. First time I listen to this one.


Hi Oskaar - I have four or five versions of this concerto and I think the best (by a very long way) is Christophe Coin with the Academy of Ancient Music on L'Oiseau-Lyre (re--released a few years ago by Decca, I think). Somehow, a less muscular approach than Rostropovich's suits this piece, I feel


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, The Messiah*

Wondering if I should spring for McCreesh's Messiah, so I started with what I already have: Trevor Pinnock's version. Some love it; it's too mannered for my ears. Then John Eliot Gardiner's version. I'm biased toward this one; it's the one I'm used to.


----------



## DeepR

I'm currently under the spell of Rachmaninoff - Floods of Spring Op. 14 No. 11

One of the most uplifting and exciting songs I've heard. I also like the crazy piano solo versions.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Well, so much for me not listening to tonal music. This is a lovely, highly accessible Mass for six voices. All of you atonal/avant-garde music haters should enjoy this.


I'm interrupting the Messiah for this one. I'm not an atonal/avant-garde hater, but this is interesting. Amazon says, "Kline cites Renaissance music, Bruckner, the Beach Boys and Samuel Beckett as influences." Hey, me too (except for Beckett).


----------



## Manxfeeder

chalkpie said:


> Amazing music and performance. I was at the recording session (in Rhinebeck, NY)...my buddy Andreas Meyer engineered the session. You can see my name listed as a page turner (Frank Camiola)


Was that picture taken where they recorded it? The video shows a lovely place they're playing in.

Anyway, I'm listening now no Spotify.


----------



## Oskaar

Headphone Hermit said:


> Hi Oskaar - I have four or five versions of this concerto and I think the best (by a very long way) is Christophe Coin with the Academy of Ancient Music on L'Oiseau-Lyre (re--released a few years ago by Decca, I think). Somehow, a less muscular approach than Rostropovich's suits this piece, I feel


Thank you for your advice! I will check it out.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Granville Bantock: Hebridean Symphonuy*


----------



## Skilmarilion

Beethoven's 4th -- cond. Barenboim. I think this is one of his most consistent and well-crafted works, and deserves greater recognition.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Granville Bantock: Hebridean Symphonuy*









Noble, beautiful. . . lovely.

Thank you Vernon Handley for existing.


----------



## Oskaar

*Antonín Dvořák - Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191*

*1. Allegro 0:00
2. Adagio, ma non troppo 16:05
3. Finale: Allegro moderato - Andante - Allegro vivo 28:25

Gautier Capuçon, cello
Paavo Järvi, conductor
Orchestre de Paris

filmed and directed in the Salle Pleyel by François-René Martin.*

I am still hhoked on youtube. Many videos is exellent filmed with closeups of instruments and the artists expression.

Be sure to adjust the quality a bit lower than the reccomended setting. A bit unsharp is bether than unsmooth.

I love this Dvorak Concerto! Romantic and sweet, but I love it! Beutiful performance by Capuçon.

But you should watch a bit of it, only for the filming. It is fantastic.

*LINK*


----------



## AH music

A spotify discovery from a while back, becoming a firm favourite. Full blooded romantic chamber music in the form of the Piano Trio no 1 in F, Op 28, by the little known Friedrich Gernsheim. I am especially captivated by the vitality of the 2nd movement scherzo. All four movements seem to me to be of real merit and (I will stick my neck out here) it is a work that deserves a strong recommendation. This may sound strange, but perhaps even has something of the substance of Brahms with the heart of Dvorak - a winning combination if I am anywhere near the mark in this assessment. I am just now thoroughly enjoying the opening of the finale....


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Jerry Goldsmith: Legend*










The dress-waltzing sequence in the movie is pure Ravel:_ La Valse_ cross-hybridized with _Daphnis et Chloe_--but with an interpolated shimmering female chorus.

Gorgeous score.

Too bad Ridley Scott gave in to studio pressure and jettisoned it for the ridiculous synthesizer music of Tangerine Dream for the film's release in the States; the European release of the film fortunately had the original Goldsmith score intact.


----------



## Blake

Schoenberg Quartet's Schoenberg - _String Quartet 3._ He's quite the romantic, but he also caters to the high-intellectuals. Mastermind.


----------



## Oskaar

*VIVALDI Concerto a minor for two violins*
*Orchestra Perpetuum Mobile
Conductor Igor Longato*

This is also a great listen/watch

Brilliant performance with very young musicians.

The sound is a bit gymnastic-hall-like. But not bad.

*LINK*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mahler: Symphony No.2 Edith Mathis/Doris Soffel/London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra/Klaus Tennstedt

Have just listened to this monumental performance for the first time. I feel absolutely drained, yet exhilarated at the same time! What a tremendous piece of music this is, and this is a wonderful performance. Phew!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Gardner: From the Canebrake
Benjamin-Primrose: Jamaican Rumba
Debussy-Heifetz: Beau Soir
Ravel-Catherine: Piece en forme de Habanera
White: Levee Dance
Rossini-Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Figaro
Foster-Heifetz: Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair/Old Folks At Home
Herbert: A la valse
Dvorak-Heifetz: Humoresque Op.101 No.7
Trad. Irish-Crowther: Gweedore Brae
Trad.-Heifetz: Deep River
Godowsky-Heifetz: Viennese Jascha Heifetz/Milton Kaye

Gershwin-Heifetz: Porgy and Bess Suite/Three Preludes Jascha Heifetz/Emanuel Bay

After the might of Mahler's 2nd, I now unwind with some perfect miniatures for violin and piano played by the incomparable Jascha Heifetz. This set contains his complete American Decca recordings of 1944-46, superbly annotated and remastered, an absolute joy.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

76 Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes
77 Du sollst Gott, deinen Herren, lieben
78 Jesu, der du meine Seele

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (76, 78) and Gustav Leonhardt (77), cond.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Manxfeeder said:


> *Handel, The Messiah*
> 
> Wondering if I should spring for McCreesh's Messiah, so I started with what I already have: Trevor Pinnock's version. Some love it; it's too mannered for my ears. Then John Eliot Gardiner's version. I'm biased toward this one; it's the one I'm used to.


Interesting. I just scoured about 15+ pages of listings of Messiah on Amazon the other day and put about 6 that I found particularly interesting in my save for later part of the shopping cart. McCreesh was one of them. I probably won't buy it because I have several already and just ordered a live performance that is very nice: Clips Here. Here it is on Amazon.

I finally got this Messiah on my player and it is fantastic. I think it may become my favorite right up there with my Dublin Messiah.


----------



## SimonNZ

chalkpie said:


> Amazing music and performance. I was at the recording session (in Rhinebeck, NY)...my buddy Andreas Meyer engineered the session. You can see my name listed as a page turner (Frank Camiola)
> 
> Both ladies were cool as hell and MONSTROUS musicians. I was a few inches from Valentina and she is a force to be reckoned with on the ivories. Hilary has the best intonation of any string player I have ever heard, period. A GREAT time.


Thanks for sharing those great anecdotes, chalpie. Have you heard the new disc of Hilary Hahn performing the encores she had specially commisioned? I've got it on the wishlist:


----------



## Alfacharger

Marschallin Blair said:


> The dress-waltzing sequence in the movie is pure Ravel:_ La Valse_ cross-hybridized with _Daphnis et Chloe_--but with an interpolated shimmering female chorus.
> 
> Gorgeous score.
> 
> Too bad Ridley Scott gave in to studio pressure and jettisoned it for the ridiculous synthesizer music of Tangerine Dream for the film's release in the States; the European release of the film fortunately had the original Goldsmith score intact.[/QUOT
> 
> I think this is Goldsmith's greatest score. Even the "farty" synths he uses for the goblins seem appropriate.
> 
> A little personal history with this score. Back when the movie first came out I was shopping for records at the Harvard Coop and came across an end cap stocked with nothing but the Goldsmith Legend score on LP. I thought of purchasing it that day but ended up buying a recording of Brian's Gothic Symphony conducted by Boult with the BBC Symphony orchestra on a pirate Aries LP. The next time I was at the Coop, I looked for the Legend score but only found one with the Tangerine Dream. I was confused. It was years later that I found a cd called "Legend,The Music of Jerry Goldsmith" so I did not hallucinate the earlier find.


----------



## chalkpie

Manxfeeder said:


> Was that picture taken where they recorded it? The video shows a lovely place they're playing in.
> 
> Anyway, I'm listening now no Spotify.


Yeah, they took the picture there. Here is the studio: http://www.theclubhousestudio.com/

If you click on 'tour', the big room with the piano was the performance space. It's in a gorgeous setting.


----------



## chalkpie

SimonNZ said:


> Thanks for sharing those great anecdotes, chalpie. Have you heard the new disc of Hilary Hahn performing the encores she had specially commisioned? I've got it on the wishlist:


No problem, mate, my pleasure. No I haven't heard that disc - thanks for the tip - I will check it out. I also love her recording of the Sibelius and Schoenberg Concertos.


----------



## Alfacharger

This is the version I have and listening to right now.










This is the old recording I mentioned in the previous reply.


----------



## KenOC

CPE Bach, Cello Concertos. Truls Mork, cello, and Les Violons du Roy, Bernard Labadie conducting. A superb disk IMO. The B-flat concerto, probably CPE's most popular, gets a fine deep reading.


----------



## Ondine

Three Divertimenti for 2 oboes, 2 cors anglais, 2 horns & 2 bassoons; KV's 166, 186 & 289*
Adagio for 2 clarinets & 3 basset horns KV 411
Adagio for 2 basset horns and bassoon KV 410
Adagio for Clarinet and 3 basset horns KV app 94/580a

Holliger Wind Ensemble

*Netherlands Wind Ensemble/Edo de Waart

:angel:

------

Five Divertimenti for 2 oboes, 2 horns & 2 bassoons KV's 213, 240, 252, 253 & 270.

Holliger Wind Ensemble

------

Divertimenti for 3 basset horns KV App. 229/439b No 1 & 3; 
Divertimenti for 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns & 2 bassoons KV 226
Twelve duos for 2 horns KV 487/496a

Netherlands Wind Ensemble/Edo de Waart

:angel:


----------



## Guest

Hugo Distler's Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings. It's quite a neo-Baroque workout, with virtual non-stop perpetual motion in the outer movements. It has amazing performances, especially from harpsichordist Huguette Dreyfus, but I'm not sure a 1964 recording benefits from SACD format; still the sound is good enough.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Studying Brett Dean's "Ariel's Music" in preparation for a composition workshop I hope to attend later in the year.









His first orchestral work, a clarinet concerto here played by his brother. Every time I listen to this I seem to get more out of it!


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Studying Brett Dean's "Ariel's Music" in preparation for a composition workshop I hope to attend later in the year.
> 
> View attachment 39080
> 
> 
> His first orchestral work, a clarinet concerto here played by his brother. Every time I listen to this I seem to get more out of it!


Have you heard this new recording of his Violin Concertos? ("The Art of Letter Writing) I like it very much.


----------



## Blake

Bernard Parmegiani: _L'Oeil ecoute._ This guy's awesome.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

A truly sensuous... delicious orchestral song cycle.


----------



## bejart

Andreas Goepfert (1768-1818): Clarinet Concerto in E Flat, Op.14

Johannes Moesus conducting the Jenauer Philharmonie -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet


----------



## PetrB

Alfacharger said:


> Today I brought my Alfa convertible out from its winter hibernation. I decided the little Italian car needed a proper soundtrack to go along with the sweet exhaust note.
> 
> Oh, I have an Alfa Romeo Spider and a Dodge Charger. Hence Alfacharger!


I would think an anthology of Nina Rota's scores for Fellini's films might go very well with that


----------



## chalkpie

I did a bunch of this today. I really loved his string quartet - I think Op. 28(?).

And tonight I did "Jeux" and "La Mer" from this:









A true radical IMO. The sheer complexity, density, and masterful orchestration and ideas on Jeux is incredible. A True genius.


----------



## Morimur

*Aribert Reimann: Requiem (1980/1982)*

Underperformed and underappreciated. What's new. Any Reimann fans?


----------



## Blancrocher

Beethoven's op. 59 string quartets, performed by the Takacs Quartet.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, KV 545

Heidi Lowy, piano


----------



## Blake

Parmegiani - _Especes d'espaces._ I'm fascinated by this.


----------



## Guest

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Underperformed and underappreciated. What's new. Any Reimann fans?


I attended the US premiere of _Lear_ back in 1980 or so...it was mesmerizing, as is the DG recording. I do like some of his song cycles and instrumental works, too.


----------



## Morimur

Kontrapunctus said:


> I attended the US premiere of _Lear_ back in 1980 or so...it was mesmerizing, as is the DG recording. I do like some of his song cycles and instrumental works, too.


I don't understand why there's so little acclaim for his work. The masses are fools.


----------



## PetrB

William Bolcom ~ Twelve New Etudes for piano (winner, Pulitzer prize for music, 1988)





Book 3, no2 -- Rag infernal (Syncopes apocalyptiques) -- shows his inclination toward Ragtime, and those later and far more "tonal" highly popular rags he has produced.


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Karlheinz Stockhausen Shuffle Play on Spotify. It's playing Kontra-Punkte atm.


----------



## Alypius

I spent much of the day listening to several of the big "warhorses" in the symphonic literature (very unlike me -- since I listen by day mostly to chamber works):

*Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6 in B minor, op. 74 ("Pathetique") - *

Evgeny Mravinsky / Leningrad Philharmonic (from 1960)










*Dvořák: Symphony #9 in E minor, op. 95 ("From the New World") -*

Rafael Kubelik / Berliner Philharmoniker (from the 1960s, I believe; the set was overshadowed by Kertesz but this 9th is majestic)










*Beethoven: Symphony #9 in D minor, op. 125*

John Eliot Gardiner / Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique (from 1994)


----------



## Tristan

*Bellini* - La Sonnambula









Opera has always been a genre I've listened to less than others. But lately I've been listening to a couple operas a week. Recently finished _L'amico Fritz_ and now I'm on _La Sonnambula_. Loving it so far


----------



## ProudSquire

*Brahms*

Symphony No. 2 in D Major

*Solti* and the Chicago *Symphony Orchestra*

A symphony that I've Admired for years, that has recently crept up and became an obsession of mine.


----------



## Guest

Lope de Aguirre said:


> I don't understand why there's so little acclaim for his work. The masses are fools.


I've lost my taste for much music of this nature over the years, but Reimann still speaks to me. Beneath the abrasive surface I still hear some emotion. He doesn't try to appeal to sheer intellect such as the "new complexity" composers do/did. Yes, his music is complex and intense, but it still manages to say something if one is willing to listen--it doesn't seem abstract for abstract's sake.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kontrapunctus said:


> Have you heard this new recording of his Violin Concertos? ("The Art of Letter Writing) I like it very much.


No I haven't! I'll get it one day though. Thanks.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Music At Magdalen: Early English Music" - Bernard Rose, dir.

beginning with Thomas Appleby's Magnificat


----------



## kanook

Time to pull out some old Deutsche Grammophon Vinyl for a marvelous little gem I never get tired of listening to. 

*Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonatas For Piano & Violin "Kreutzer" & "Spring" (1970)*

*Wilhelm Kempff* (piano)
*Yehudi Menuhin* (violin)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Trio Sonata in D minor for Treble Recorder, Violin and Continuo (The Chandos Baroque Players).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Lieder Des Barock" - Max van Egmond, baritone, Leonhardt-Consort


----------



## Tsaraslondon

An absolute classic of the gramophone, and for many years an EMI top seller on LP, this edition adds Elgar's _Elegy_ and _Sospiri_ (one of the saddest 5 minutes in all music), and Vaughan-Williams's perennial favourite _Fantasia on Greensleeves_. Barbirolli's loving performances have rarely, if ever, been equaled.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Strauss II: Die Fledermaus/The Gypsy Baron 
Lehar: The Land of Smiles 
Bizet: Le Docteur Miracle 
Mehul: Les Deux Aveugles de Tolede 
Auber: Fra Diavolo
Adam: La Poupee de Nuremberg
Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne Sadlers Wells Orchestra/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Vilem Tausky

Sparkling Overtures claims the cover, and by heavens, they are sparkling! These are wonderfully alive performances. Vilem Tausky was a regular conductor on the radio when I was a child, and it's been a delight to reacquaint myself with his artistry on this excellent disc. Bravo!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto - Anne Gastinel, cello, Emmanuel Krivine, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi - Gloria*

*NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF ARMENIA
Art director V. Martirosyan

NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR OF ARMENIA
Art director R. Mlkeyan

soprano M. Galoyan
soprano H. Harutyunova
mezzo-soprano N. Ananikyan

conductor R. Mlkeyan*

This is a fine production

*link*


----------



## Oskaar

*JOSEPH HAYDN (1732 -- 1809)
Divertimento pour violoncelle et orchestre à cordes en ré majeur / 
Divertimento for cello and string orchestra in D major
Adagio / Minuet & Trio / Allegro di molto
Arr. Yuli Turovsky

Stéphane Tétreault, chef d'orchestre - violoncelle / conductor - cello
Orchestre Nouvelle Génération

Décembre / December 2012
Salle Claude-Champagne
Montreal QC

Producer / Réalisateur: Alain Tétreault
Captation vidéo : Roger Marchand (Rogiciel Pro-Vision)*

Very amuzing video with the young cellist cransed by several other strings

*link*


----------



## Planetsuite

I saw Rudolph Barshai's Shostakovich Symphonies 2nd hand but didn't know who he was and didn't fully trust the Brilliant label...still don't...but after a little research I went back as quickly as I could only to find the 7th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th already gone...snapped up what was left. Last night I played the 4th. Magnificent. It's a shame Kondrashin's 4th is so rough (sound quality) but what a joy these Barshai's are!


----------



## SimonNZ

Welcome Planetsuite! Don't be put off by the "cheap" look of Brilliant. They now have a great many superb releases in their catalogue, and most of the others are usually quite solid. Or have you had bad experiences with them in the past?

playing now, on the radio:










Pierne's Cello Sonata - Mats Lidström, cello, Bengt Forsberg, piano


----------



## bejart

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Trio Sonata No.5 in G Major

The Aulos Ensemble: Marc Schachman, oboe -- Linda Quan, violin -- Richard Taruskin, viola -- Myron Lutzke, cello


----------



## csacks

For today, a glorious morning of our southern hemisphere autumn, the choose is Johannes Bramhs´s quartets, by the Amadeus Quartet. And then, the beloved First Sextet, with his shivery second movement. To my taste, one of the best pieces by Brahms, by far my favorite composer


----------



## moody

KenOC said:


> 74 ragas on 4 CDs? How'd they do that?


They play them very fast.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Trio in D Major, Op.8

Denes Kovacs, violin -- Geza Nemeth, viola -- Ede Banda, cello


----------



## chalkpie

Planetsuite said:


> I saw Rudolph Barshai's Shostakovich Symphonies 2nd hand but didn't know who he was and didn't fully trust the Brilliant label...still don't...but after a little research I went back as quickly as I could only to find the 7th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th already gone...snapped up what was left. Last night I played the 4th. Magnificent. It's a shame Kondrashin's 4th is so rough (sound quality) but what a joy these Barshai's are!


Right on brother! Love this set to bits.


----------



## hpowders

Only Ravi Shankar ever made money doing that. He went from ragas to riches playing Indian music.


----------



## Jeff W

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> You owe it to yourself:
> 
> View attachment 39039
> 
> 
> _Berglund_.
> 
> With _Bournemouth_.
> 
> -- and for a pittance.


Funny you should mention it as that is what happened to arrive in the mail yesterday. Listened to Symphonies 1, 3, 5 & 6.


----------



## AH music

Curious... My new disc of complete piano music by Borodin unearths a real oddity. The 15 short Paraphrases are a collaboration mainly with Rimsky-Korsakov and Liadov, plus one piece with Cui and a prelude from Liszt. For four hands (6 in one instance), the treble player has a very easy "chopsticks" style part, which is crazily insistent alongside a whole variety of styles and rhythms from minuet to galop to funeral march. A strange combination of being simultaneously endearing (even hilarious) yet unsettling. There's something rather extraordinary about these - listened through twice... Very convincing performance, rather striking cumulative effect. Will explore more of the disc later. [Edit - Now listened to "In the steppes of central Asia" - it is quite mesmerising in its setting by Borodin himself for piano four hands.]


----------



## Mahlerian

Lutosławski: Symphony No. 4
Janáček: Violin Concerto
Bartók: The Wooden Prince
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Gilbert
Thomas Zehetmair, violin


----------



## Planetsuite

Thankyou Chalkpie, SimonNZ, Mahlerian and the others for your welcoming comments! Perhaps my suspicions about Brilliant are unwarranted. I have two CD's of Mozart's piano music for four hands and also the string quintets, I wasn't too happy with the amount of reverberation. But then I bought a 3 CD set of Shostakovich with historical recordings made in Moscow in the 60's and 90's as well as The Bornemouth Symphony Orchestra doing his two piano concertos. The violin concerto with David Oistrakh - even though it's in mono - is now one of my most beloved recordings. So perhaps I'm differentiating between what Brilliant commission and what they have bought the rights to. Anyway, I bought all of the above of 2nd hand! It's amazing how cheap quality music can be!


----------



## jim prideaux

^^^^^^

can only echo the above comments, recently ordered Brahms Symphonies etc, Harnoncourt on Teldec-£9-this was after much 'tooing and froing'-then I realised I bought Haydn variations/von Karajan alone on vinyl around 30 years ago and paid £3-4-so that was the end of that debate-I think we are really fortunate today to be able to investigate all this music for what can be a minimal outlay-I have made use of second hand Amazon where I am unsure about a composer ie Holmboe/Rubbra and this can be a really attractive opportunity

anyway,enough economics-current listening-Balakirev 1st symphony, and Tamara/Russia symphonic poems-Svetlanov conducting the USSR Symphony Orch.


----------



## Vasks

_18 commissioned dances by Bridge Records owner & guitarist David Starobin_

*Newdance*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*1973 Glyndebourne Le Nozze di Figaro*









Young Cotrubas and young Kiri: utterly delightful and cute as hell.


----------



## Oskaar

*Arabella Steinbacher & Akiko Suwanai - J.S.Bach The Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1043 / Doppelkonzert für zwei Violinen d-Moll BWV 1043

Arabella Miho Steinbacher - (premier violon)
Akiko Suwanai - (second violon)

and Strings and Continuo:
Sergey Khachatryan,Manrico Padovani,Yuki Manuela Janke,Kazuhide Isomura,Danjuro Ishizaka,Maggie Cole

Encounter with Stradivari by Nippon(Japan) Music Foundation

7/10/2010, Auditorium du Louvre, Paris*

Vewy fine video of supreme string players wth good sound. The music is so beatiful that it brings tears to my eyes

*link*


----------



## JCarmel

'Evening' All!'...as PC Dixon used to say on the little black and white TV screen that I was wont to stare at for too many hours in my youth....
(I thought I'd start with a late night greeting albeit at only 3.22 pm ....because it will probably be eventide before I get my few words written & my cd images posted correctly!...)

Anyway, the Tesco 'mediterranean' veggie sossies are under the grill and the baps are warming nicely on-top, awaiting their dollop of Asda's economy brown sauce inside and with my latest music purchase strumming melodically to me through my Altec Lansing laptop speaker...and two lovely loads of Washing dried on the line outside and stashed into the immersion cupboard, almost all is ok with my world.

"The Complete Lute Music of John Dowland' played by Jakob Lindberg


----------



## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> No I haven't! I'll get it one day though. Thanks.


You're welcome. "Concertos" should be singular--I noticed the typo after it was too late to fix it. "Testament" is an interesting piece for violas, but I haven't quite warmed up to the orchestral/choral "Vexations and Devotions." I find it a little too "vexing."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslawski, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Rota's* death day (1979), The Godfather plays music from The Godfather.


----------



## Oskaar

*Verbier festival 2013 leonidas kavakos chamber orchestra*

Beautiful music in this almost 2 hours concert, but no information on youtube what they play. If someone sees it, it would be nice to know the program.
It is nice to watch, beautifully filmed and nice sound.
The second work is mozart, I recognize

*link*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik, Production I - 
Overture - Suite in E minor for two Flutes, Strings & B.c.; 
Quartet in G Major for Flute, Oboe, Violin & B.c. (Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).









Ah, the Tafelmusik is here . Excellent performances - crisp, clear, transparent, with Wilbert Hazelzet on flute (who also recorded a great set of the Paris Quartets) - complete sonic enjoyment. An instrumental feast.


----------



## JCarmel

With about 92 tracks on my Dowland Download (try saying that six times, quickly?!) available to me from my weekend MP3 purchase, I'm restricting my listening to about ten tracks at a go. (I'm sure too much plucking isn't good for anyone?!)

So when my sossie sandwich is consumed, I'm listening to another recent purchase

Beethoven Piano Trios Opus 70 & 97 Melnikov, Queyras and Faust

I'm not completely won-over by this recording & I wouldn't want to have it as sole representative of the 'Archduke Trio' in my collection. I'll have to dig out the others and see how they compare, sometime. I wish I could remember who was playing on the old LP that I first learnt to love the music with....someone like Alan Loveday on violin, methinks?! 
That's some time ago....many, many Washings-loads-on-the-Line-Ago that's for sure!


----------



## Blancrocher

Handel's oratorio "Alexander's Feast," a setting of the poem by John Dryden. A very amusing work. Performed by J.E. Gardiner and co (rec. 1987).


----------



## Arsakes

*Sibelius*:
En Saga
King Christian suite
The Oceanides
The Swan of Tuonela
Pohjola's Daughter
Valse Triste
Lemminkainen's Return


----------



## Oskaar

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade - op.35*

Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra on Great Christmas Concert 2010 in Cankarjev dom (Gallus Hall). Amazing concert was sold out in a couple of hours. Solo violin: Matjaž Bogataj. Conductor: maestro Nejc Bečan. Concert direction: Primož Zevnik. The audience was thrilled by virtuoso playing and special stage charm and energy. Legendary.

1. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship (Largo e maestoso - Lento - Allegro non troppo - Tranquillo)
2.The Kalendar Prince (Lento - Andantino - Allegro molto - Vivace scherzando - Moderato assai - Allegro molto ed animato)
3.The Young Prince and The Young Princess (Andantino quasi allegretto - Pochissimo più mosso - Come prima - Pochissimo più animato)
4.Festival At Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman. (Allegro molto - Lento - Vivo - Allegro non troppo e maestoso - Tempo come I)

Stunning production! But the sound could have been bether

*link*


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work
4.10.14_

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [1756-1791]

Concerto for Piano No. 20 inD minor, KV 466
Murray Perahia, piano; English Chamber Orchestra









Sonata for Piano No. 15 in F major, KV 533
Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 / Dudamel*

*Full presentation of Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra conducted by gustavo Dudamel, playing Shostakovich 10th Symphony at BBC Proms 2007.*

Fantastic presentation! And watching the young conductor, Dudamel, is really a pleasure.

*link*


----------



## Alypius

New acquisition of a new release

*Brahms: String Quintet #1 in F, op. 88*

Takacs Quartet + Lawrence Power


----------



## Bas

After yesterdays Beethoven Quartets I settled for some Bach on the organ:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccatas & Fugue
By Ton Koopman, on Teldec









I am listening the same disc again, right now (especially because of BWV 582 Passacaglia in Cm!)


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances**

Radio Filharmonisch Orkest o.l.v. Edward Gardner

18 december 2011, 11:00 uur, Grote Zaal van het Concertgebouw Amsterdam.*

Never heard this work before, but it is quite exiting and full of life and mystic moods. Great visual presentation and sound.

*link*


----------



## millionrainbows

Ibert. EMI 2-CD. Nice stuff, just modern enough to be interesting.


----------



## julianoq

Just listened to both Ives string quartets and liked both, specially the No.2. Now listening to Barber's quartet that has the famous adagio for strings.


----------



## Weston

*Geminiani: Concerti Grossi, Op. 5 (After Corelli) Nos. 10, 11 & 12*
Andrew Manze / Academy of Ancient Music









Lively baroque to start my day of frantic artwork.

Continuing with --
*George Whitefield Chadwick: Angel of Death, Aphrodite, Melpomene*
Kenneth Schermerhorn / Nashville Symphony Orchestra









These tone poems may be a bit too overblown for my taste at the moment. "TA-DAAAH!" (ominous pause) "TA-DAAAAAAH!" Oh, please. But then sometimes I'm really into that. Maybe I should steer clear of the romantic period today -- and even late classical.


----------



## Oskaar

*Itzhak Perlman Live in Russia*

I dont know what he is playing, but this video is a brilliant presentation of the great violinist Itzhak Perlman.

The camera almost creeps inside the violin, and the tecniques of the playing, and Perlmans body and face-language is very well exposed.

*link*


----------



## jim prideaux

while it might appear a little clichéd to some, an imminent excursion to Prague means even more Dvorak than usual-the op 97 String Quintet and Op 48 Sextet performed by the Raphael Ensemble


----------



## lostid

Just finished listening to this album. Impressive cello concerto and piano concerto from this composer, Emil Hartmann, whose music is new to me. The music has definitely resonated with me emotionally. I will need to go back and listen to it again.


----------



## maestro267

*MacMillan*: The Birds of Rhiannon
BBC Singers/BBC Philharmonic/MacMillan

*Shostakovich*: Symphony No. 7 in C major (Leningrad)
Royal Liverpool PO/Petrenko


----------



## Weston

Taggart said:


> Presumably that makes Machaut, Dufay et al serialists?


Well, actually, I had read that examples of serialism could be found in Mozart and Beethoven. So clearly it doesn't mean what many of us think it means (as Mahlerian has been explaining). Someday when I have time, I'll study more on it, but its explanation is pretty dry stuff to me. The procedure reminds me of Shatner explaining the game of Fizzbin in an old Star Trek episode.



Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> You owe it to yourself:
> 
> View attachment 39039
> 
> 
> _Berglund_.
> 
> With _Bournemouth_.
> 
> -- and for a pittance.


I agree! I'm so grateful I made this purchase.



Skilmarilion said:


> Beethoven's 4th -- cond. Barenboim. I think this is one of his most consistent and well-crafted works, and deserves greater recognition.


I agree it's a wonderful work, but the weird thing about No. 4 is that I can't hum or even remember a single bar of it! I always enjoy it and think, "Oh yeah - that's what it sounds like." when I hear it, but a couple days later - gone. I can't imagine why this would be. On a side note - I LOVE this cover! That's what a classical cover should look like.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - Production I 
Trio in E-Flat Major; 
Solo in B minor for Flute & B.c.;
Conclusion in E minor for two Flutes, Strings & B.c.;

Production II - Overture - Suite in D Major for Oboe, Trumpet, Strings & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## Weston

Here's something that might belong in the Non-classical I'm currently listening to thread, but it's borderline.
*Chick Corea: Piano Concerto No. 1*
Chick Corea / London Philharmonic Orchestra, et al

View attachment 39133


When classical musicians incorporate jazz into their works it's called classical. When jazz musicians incorporate classical into their works, it's called third stream. I'm not sure I get this -- except somehow I would be able to tell right from the start there is little or no academic tradition in this work. But it's very nice nonetheless. I wonder if he orchestrated it or someone else.

Okay. Break time is long over. Back to work for me.


----------



## Bas

George Frederic Handel - Acis & Galathea
By Matthew Brook [bass], Susan Hamilton [soprano], Nicholas Mulroy [tenor], Thomass Hobbs [tenor], Nicholas Hurndall Smith [tenor], Dunedin Consort & Players, John Butt [dir.], on Linn Records


----------



## Oskaar

*Todd Yaniw: Sergei Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2, Op 36*

This pianist I really like! And its a fine dreamy sonata. The sound could be bether.

*link*


----------



## AH music

Julius Rontgen - I note that his name features occasionally in this thread, which is nice to see. Thanks once again to spotify, another recent composer discovery. He was prolific, writing in an "old-fashioned" romantic style well into the 20th century. Good on him, I say.....  His opus 3 is a cello sonata, very warmly played and recorded. Probably not quite something to blow you away, but fine listening if you like romantic works featuring cello and piano. I would guess that even from this early one he shows that he had a good appreciation of the cello and how to write well for it. He wrote at least 13 cello sonatas, so plenty more to go at, and symphonies and concertos, suites etc. Another composer deserving rather more recognition than he gets, I suggest.


----------



## DaveS

Sir Adrian Boult & the LPO. Vaughan Williams 'In the Fen Country" and a Norfolk Rhapsody; then Brahm's Academic Festival Overture & the Alto Rhapsody. Listened via Spotify. They didn't identify the soloist in the Alto--maybe Christa Ludwig?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Khachaturian: Gayaneh Ballet Suite London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski

Two classic Mercury recordings, Dorati's performance of "Gayaneh" is terrific, I love it, a feeling of unbridled good spirits descends upon me after hearing it! Then a great Shostakovich 5 from Minneapolis. Skrowaczewski is a master of this. Verily this Mercury box set yieldeth many pleasures


----------



## ShropshireMoose

DaveS said:


> Sir Adrian Boult & the LPO. Vaughan Williams 'In the Fen Country" and a Norfolk Rhapsody; then Brahm's Academic Festival Overture & the Alto Rhapsody. Listened via Spotify. They didn't identify the soloist in the Alto--maybe Christa Ludwig?


Dame Janet Baker it is! Marvellous record, my first set of Brahms Symphonies/Orchestral works. Still amongst the best.


----------



## DrKilroy

Schubert - Symphony No. 8 (Bohm) while I am writing my tragedy.  Suddenly I heard the first theme going on in my mind!


Best regards, Dr


----------



## JCarmel

Handel L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Dawson, Daniels, Bostridge, Miles, Brandes, Bach Choir, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris conducted by John Nelson

After having enjoyed a day of Spring sunshine, replete with glimpses of orange-bottomed bumble bees and tortoiseshell butterflies...I wanted to listen to something that captured something of the joys of the English Pastoral scene & throughout this imaginative oratorio, elements of the pleasures of the day were reflected. And even though Spring is upon us, with burgeoning plant-life all around...captured in essence in the joyous arias of the exhuberant temperament of L'Allegro...remembrance of Winter past and the more pensive nature of Il Penseroso's airs and music, are still firmly in the mind.


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Symphonic Etudes - Perahia


----------



## Muse Wanderer

I've got half an hour of relaxation on the sofa before leaving for another crazy night shift. 
So much to chose from but had to listen to Mozart with a touch of Haydn. Which pianist? Richter of course.

Listening to Richter in Prague CD10







Haydn Piano Sonata in D major H16/24
Mozart Piano Sonatas No 2 in F major, No 4 in E Flat major and No 8 in A Minor.

I had neglected listening to Mozart's piano sonatas focusing instead on concertos, symphonies and operas. 
However these pieces are wonderful! Maybe not as innovative as Beethoven's 32 but imbued with Mozart's touch all the way.
At the moment listening to the adagio from the 2nd sonata just as I type with incredulity.
The A minor leads to a wormhole into a deeply troubled mind of this genius just after he lost his beloved mother. The finishing presto of this sonata is short but filled with feelings of anger and melancholy. The sadness remains unresolved in the minor key as happens in the real world. 
Truly Mozart laying his emotions bare for us to see.
How can one not love Wolfgang?!


----------



## Blake

Parmegiani - _De Natura Sonorum._


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak chamber music continuing-Lindsays String Quartets 12 and 13........


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

79 Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild
80 Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott
81 Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?
82 Ich habe genug

Gustav Leonhardt (79) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (80, 81, 82), cond.

A couple of greatest hits coming up over the next hour.

...and Harnoncourt's Ich habe genug is one of the least beautiful, least distinctive on record. Which surprises me not at all - I've noticed many times before his disinclination to produce a cantata recording that could stand alone as a popular introduction to the repertoire, instead usually going the other extreme and having the favorites serve as unapologetic statements of his performance theories.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to join you, DavidA...with listening to Schumann's Symphonic Etudes

I bought the MP3 album by Richter just the other week, off Amazon.

View attachment 39140


I'm listening to it now on my mobile Toto Moto....& settling-back into a comfy armchair to do one of the _easier_ Sudoku's in the puzzle book, I picked-up the other week in the 'Reduced' section of my local supermarket!

Hope you're having a happy evening, Everybody!


----------



## Morimur

*György Ligeti - Aventures (Boulez)*

Beautiful music.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*The Dark Star*















God I wish she was born about twenty years later;_ and _signed on to Decca;_ and _had K.E. Wilkinson engineer all of her recordings. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Alypius

First listen to a new acquisition, the latest in an ongoing exploration of Nørgård:

*Kroger Quartet - Per Nørgård: String Quartets 7, 8, 9 and 10 (DaCapo, 2008)*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3/Scherzo in E-flat Minor Op.4 Julius Katchen
Brahms: Scherzo in C Minor Josef Suk/Julius Katchen

More great Brahms playing from the superb Julius Katchen. He catches the fire and dash in Brahms' Piano Sonatas as does no other pianist. The scherzo for Violin and Piano was Brahms' contribution to a composite sonata by himself, Schumann and Albert Dietrich. Josef Suk is a more than worthy partner. Excellent.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Vaughan Williams - Hugh the Drover - Corydon Singers and Orchestra - Matthew Best









Well, its not the thing for listening to too often, but it is rather pleasant in many places and full of folk-inspired tunes. Composed in the years just before WWI, it is certainly not 'with the times' (nothing like Salome or much other contemporary music) and consequently has been overlooked, perhaps unjustly???


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Debussy: La Mer/Nocturnes Orchestre National de l'ORTF/Jean Martinon

Some Debussy before bed, always a pleasure to listen to recordings by Jean Martinon. A superb conductor of French music. A superb conductor.


----------



## Blake

Some orchestral works by Berio.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I listened to this in bed last night before falling asleep, I must say...this music is quite a good asmr trigger :lol: does anyone else here get that with certain composers or performances?


----------



## science




----------



## Guest

It's amazing what could be accomplished with three mics and one recording session back in 1960.


----------



## KenOC

Sven Helbig, Pocket Symphonies. Pleasant listening...


----------



## chalkpie

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 39147
> 
> 
> Debussy: La Mer/Nocturnes Orchestre National de l'ORTF/Jean Martinon
> 
> Some Debussy before bed, always a pleasure to listen to recordings by Jean Martinon. A superb conductor of French music. A superb conductor.


I think I have this same set, only with a different cover.......Are these recordings from around '74?


----------



## chalkpie

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Beautiful music.


We may disagree on Zappa and prog stuff, but it looks like we are both Ligeti fanatics :cheers:

Never heard this Boulez recording - is this your fav version? I am generally a HUGE Boulez fan - probably my favorite conductor.


----------



## Blake

More Parmegiani - _La Creation du Monde._ There doesn't seem to be many fans of this guy around here, but he's a genius.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Berwald, Sinfonie Serieuse*


----------



## senza sordino

Manual de Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain








Sibelius symphonies #4 & #6


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.41 in C Major, KV 551

Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St.Martin in the Fields.


----------



## Dustin

Just picked a random composer I've never heard and picked a random album. On first listen, these Songs of Travel are pretty enjoyable works. I'll definitely give them some more listens.

Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel


----------



## Morimur

chalkpie said:


> We may disagree on Zappa and prog stuff, but it looks like we are both Ligeti fanatics :cheers:
> 
> Never heard this Boulez recording - is this your fav version? I am generally a HUGE Boulez fan - probably my favorite conductor.


Yes, this is probably my favorite version. Boulez certainly is a great conductor.


----------



## chalkpie

Did Symphonies 1 and 2 today. This cat is really fantastic for a guy nobody ever talks about. His 1st is right in that Debussy wheelhouse, but certainly no clone by any means. His second is even more interesting. Besides his ideas, he certainly has a knack for orchestration and some great contrapuntal ideas happening. I'm gonna hit these at least twice each.

With no point of reference, these recordings sound quite good. Are these close to reference recordings of these works?


----------



## dgee

chalkpie said:


> View attachment 39161
> 
> 
> Did Symphonies 1 and 2 today. This cat is really fantastic for a guy nobody ever talks about. His 1st is right in that Debussy wheelhouse, but certainly no clone by any means. His second is even more interesting. Besides his ideas, he certainly has a knack for orchestration and some great contrapuntal ideas happening. I'm gonna hit these at least twice each.
> 
> With no point of reference, these recordings sound quite good. Are these close to reference recordings of these works?


Probably - I recall them being pretty good. Interesting composer - symphonies 3and 4 are better and try Ariadne and Bacchus (ballet) and Padmavarti (opera - orientalism!!) as well. The tag-line is always "Germanic for a French composer" and you can definitely hear it!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production II - 
Overture - Suite in D Major for Oboe, Trumpet, Strings & B.c.;
Quartet in D minor for Recorder, two Flutes & B.c.;
Concerto in F Major for three Violins, Violino Grosso & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).









Interesting - the beginning of the Concerto in F Major has pretty much the same melody as the beginning of Handel's 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheeba'.


----------



## Weston

chalkpie said:


> View attachment 39161
> 
> 
> Did Symphonies 1 and 2 today. This cat is really fantastic for a guy nobody ever talks about. His 1st is right in that Debussy wheelhouse, but certainly no clone by any means. His second is even more interesting. Besides his ideas, he certainly has a knack for orchestration and some great contrapuntal ideas happening. I'm gonna hit these at least twice each.
> 
> With no point of reference, these recordings sound quite good. Are these close to reference recordings of these works?


I enjoy all the Rousell in my collection (4 symphonies, a suite and a handful of chamber works). I'm not sure why we don't talk about him much. I think his music does seem like Debussy brought further into the 20th century with a hint of Charles Koechlin too. It's very mysterious work.


----------



## Katie

The Abbado Symphony box ends with an extraordinary bang, the pyrotechnics being provided by coverage of Mahler's 1st through 9th, and, while there's little I can contribute the vast sea of expertise on this forum - not to mention the countless iterations of the symphonic works presented in this set likely sitting on your shelves, and shelves, and shelves - but I should very much like to point out what struck me as an extraordinary performance: Claudio leading the Lucerne Festival Orchestra through its paces on GM's 2nd Sinfonia, recorded in 2004, with Larsson and Gvazava providing operatic complement...I believe this is the independent release, though it appears to contain some filler-detritus from that profligate Debussy as well  :







/ peace, kate


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Dvorak - Symphony 7
http://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-7-...qid=1397191692&sr=1-5&keywords=dvorak+neumann


----------



## Alypius

chalkpie said:


> View attachment 39161
> 
> 
> Did Symphonies 1 and 2 today. This cat is really fantastic for a guy nobody ever talks about. His 1st is right in that Debussy wheelhouse, but certainly no clone by any means. His second is even more interesting. Besides his ideas, he certainly has a knack for orchestration and some great contrapuntal ideas happening. I'm gonna hit these at least twice each.
> 
> With no point of reference, these recordings sound quite good. Are these close to reference recordings of these works?


If you enjoy Roussel's symphonies, try his chamber works. One of the best purchases that I've made in the last year is a collection of French chamber music entitled _Autour de la Harpe_ (ATMA Classique, 2006) performed by the Montreal Chamber Players (members of the Montreal Symphony). I bought it because I heard it had the finest performance of Debussy's _Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp_ and Ravel's _Introduction and Allegro_ -- and it certainly has magnificent performances of those. But what caught me by surprise were the other gems on the same record, namely, Roussel's _Serenade_, Joseph-Guy Ropart's _Prelude, Marine, et Chanson (for flute, violin, cello, and harp)_, and Charles Koechlin's _Quintet #2_. The Roussel is haunting, especially movement #2 and #3; so too is Ropartz.










Brilliant has a fine 3 CD collection of Roussel's complete chamber works that is very inexpensive and generally excellent (though the performance there of the _Serenade_ doesn't begin to match the Montreal Chamber Players' version).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I only listened to the Concerto for Orchestra, and with the score I purchased today. I find that this piece is growing on me now that I have the score. Boulez is also one of my favourite conductors, the transparency the texture and clarity of parts and adherence to composers' markings make many of his recordings and performances absolutely breathtaking.


----------



## jim prideaux

starting the day with more Dvorak chamber music-Piano Quartets Op 23/87,performed by Domus......


----------



## Blancrocher

Friedrich Gulda playing the WTC.


----------



## JasonBrenkert

Eric Whitacre - The Complete A Capella Works - BYU Singers


----------



## SimonNZ

Purcell songs and anthems - Deller Consort


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.










Very easy on the ears!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

chalkpie said:


> I think I have this same set, only with a different cover.......Are these recordings from around '74?


Yes, 1973-4 it says inside- it is a re-covering of an earlier set!


----------



## science




----------



## Oskaar

*SARAH CHANG Violin Concerto in D minor Op 47 Sibelius*

A very fine production with very good sound.

I really should listen more to this concerto, it is one of my favourite classical works in all genres. Dramatic, soar, lyrical, powerfull and gentle.

I think Sara Chang does a fine job submitting the richness of the concerto.

*link*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 Benno Moiseiwitsch/Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Debussy: Jardins sous la pluie/Clair de Lune/Toccata from "Pour le Piano"
Ravel: Toccata from "Le Tombeau de Couperin"
Poulenc: Mouvements Perpetuels No.1
Stravinsky: Etude in F-sharp Minor, Op.7 No.4
Chopin: Scherzos 1 and 3
Mendelssohn-Rachmaninoff: Scherzo from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in B Minor, Op.32 No.10
Khachaturian: Toccata in E-flat Minor Benno Moiseiwitsch

I missed the anniversary of Moiseiwitsch's death a couple of days ago and here make up for it. He is one of my favourite pianists of all time. His playing of the Beethoven 3rd Concerto is stunning, and the cadenza by Carl Reinecke is fascinating. The solo items are unsurpassed. His playing of French music makes me wish that he had recorded more- rather like his contemporary Arthur Rubinstein. Incidentally, Rubinstein in his autobiographies, always runs Moiseiwitsch down, a sad and unnecessary thing to do, especially when one looks at the vast ammount of recordings that RCA gave AR in the 1950s, and then contrasts them with the paltry few HMV gave BM in the same decade. Moiseiwitsch was a superb pianist, personally I much prefer *his* Chopin playing to Rubinstein's. He was a cultured man, witty, a good and loyal friend from all accounts, and a superb musician, what more d'ye want?


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Baker's was my first exposure to these gorgeous songs, and by and large, her version is still my favourite, though now it would be a toss-up between this studio version with Barbirolli and a slightly later live performance under Giulini. Originally coupled (like Crespin's recording) to Ravel's *Scheherazade*, later versions couple it to Baker's other Berlioz recordings for EMI. What a shame she does not appear on the Davis recording of *Les Troyens*, but this magnificent performance of Didon's final scene goes some way to alleviating that disappointment.


----------



## ptr

Vesuvius said:


> More Parmegiani - _La Creation du Monde._ There doesn't seem to be many fans of this guy around here, but he's a genius.


I concur! La Creation du Monde was one of my first epiphany's of EAM, it was broadcast entirely by Swedish Radio P2 some time in the late eighties, remember that it was late at night and I sat in the darkness of my Student room and was overwhelmed.. found memories!

I'll have to get my Parmegiani Box of the shelf! 

/ptr


----------



## science

Here I go again....


----------



## ptr

Fist listen for ages:

*Gustav Mahler* - Symphony No 4 (Aircheck found on that interweb, live at the Gortenburg Concert Hall 25.01.1968)









Jennifer Vyvyan, soprano; Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra & Jascha Horenstein

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Good Morning, All...and what a lovely one it is? Blue sky, yellow-type orb in it.... shining light and warmth upon us minions below etc. etc?
So what better to start an April day's listening with but

Beethoven's 'Spring Sonata' Nathan Milstein & Rudolf Firkusny


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'll listen to this tonight, not all of it I don't think, but a far bit of it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Its all grey skies and drizzle out my way at the moment (though I mind that less than some do).

playing now, on the radio:










Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus - Hannu Lintu, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

Bach Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 

*Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists

Part I 'For the First Day of Christmas'
Part II 'For the Second Day of Christmas'
Part III 'For the Third Day of Christmas'
Part IV 'For the Feast of the Circumcision'
Part V 'For the First Sunday in the New Year'
Part VI 'For the Feats of Epiphany'*

Brilliant production of the full oratorio.
Loveley and respectfull cameras, and very good sound.
English subtitles.

*link*


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus - Max Pommer, cond.

Comparing this cd in my collection with the one I just heard on the radio, and confirming my suspicion: The Naxos recording is better. On this disc they seem a little embarrassed at the novelty of the recorded birdsong and have mixed it down, having it drowned out by the orchestra in a number of places. The Hannu Lintu recording embraces the "Concerto for tape and orchestra" aspect to such an extent that the birds appear to be playing/singing in tune with the orchestra the whole way through, rather than as random background noise that just plays as it will.


----------



## bejart

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758): Concerto in D Minor, FWV d:47

Il Gardellino


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki*: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Wit

This finally came today! I ordered it at the same time as Nos. 1 & 5 which arrived 3 days ago (and which I posted here). I only need to get No. 8 now, and I'll have his complete (so far) cycle.

EDIT: Oops. Meant to post this in Latest Purchases. Sorry!


----------



## jim prideaux

on reflection-an outstanding interpretation and recording-Dvorak 7th performed by The Royal Concertgebouw conducted by Harnoncourt.....I am currently awaiting his recordings of the Brahms symphonies and I trust they will be the equal!


----------



## Jeff W

Started with Jean Sibelius's Symphonies No. 2 & 3. Moved on after that to No. 7, Finlandia, The Swan of Tuonela and the others on disc 4. Great recordings of these.









Moved onto Bach's Violin Concertos BWV 1041 to 1043. Simon Standage played the solo violin and was joined by Elizabeth Wilcock in the double concerto. Trevor Pinnock led the English Concert from the harpsichord.









The last thing I listened to were the Concerto Grosso from the Opus 3 collection. Again, Trevor Pinnock leads the English Concert from the Harpsichord.


----------



## SimonNZ

RIP John Shirley-Quirk










Delius' Sea Drift - John Shirley-Quirk, baritone, Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Flute Quartet in D Major, Wq 94

Florilegium: Ashley Solomon, flute -- Rachel Podger, viola -- Daniel Yeadon, cello -- Neal Peres da Costa, harpsichord


----------



## Morimur

*Brian Ferneyhough: Cassandra's Dream Song*

Beautiful piece. Reminds me of Japanese music and birdsong...


----------



## ptr

Following in Vesuvius tracks!

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (12 cds) (INA 2008)
(CD 1; violostries / jazzex / l'instant mobile / capture ephemere)









Various Artists

/ptr


----------



## Morimur

*Brian Ferneyhough - Sonatas • Second & Third String Quartets • Adagissimo (Arditti)*

Going on a Ferneyhough binge today.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34_
Stephen Hough, piano
Takács Quartet









*Ernst Toch*: _Piano Quintet, Op. 64_ (1938)
Spectrum Concerts Berlin









*Stefan Wolpe*: _Trio in Two Parts for flute, cello and piano_ (1963-64)
Harvey Sollberger, flute
Fred Sherry, cello
Charles Wourinen, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Evgeny Kissin playing "La Campanella" *
*The Royal Albert﻿ Hall, London, August 1997

La campanella (meaning "The Little Bell") is the nickname given to the third of six Grandes études de Paganini ("Grand Paganini Etudes"), S. 141 (1851), composed by Franz Liszt. This piece is a revision of an earlier version from 1838, the Études d'exécution transcendente d'après Paganini, S. 140. Its melody comes from the final movement of Niccolò Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, where the tune was reinforced by a little handbell.* - youtube info

brilliantly played, and kissin need a hairkut!

*link*


----------



## JCarmel

I tell you what, Jeff W?...you must have read my mind! (Not _too_ difficult to do of course.... there's a little bit of knowledge rattling-round in plenty of empty space & its easy to pick it out) Anyway, I was going to post my Current Listening of Handel's Opus 3 Concerto Grosso conducted by Pinnock. I like the Opus 3 the best of his Concerti_ and _there's such a nice picture on the cd cover?!!
But you got there first...(I'm putting that down to 'Age Before Beauty?!!'...)

So, I'm clearing the decks and celebrating the birthday today of Gervase de Peyer with this cd of him playing Mozart's Clarinet Quintet...with the Amadeus Quartet


----------



## cjvinthechair

Takashi Yoshimatsu - Cyberbird Concerto (linked above), Trombone Concerto, Saxophone Concerto 'Albireo Mode'.


----------



## csacks

It is Mendelssohn´s Octet, in a record from 1978 of the Academy Chamber Ensemble. It feels like a composition of an 18 years old genius. Invigorating!!!


----------



## Oskaar

*Joshua Bell in Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor, op 47 with Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester.*

*Oslo konserthus, 24.11.11
Concertmaster: Elise Båtnes
Conductor: Vasily Petrenko*

Wish the sound was a bit bether, but I really enjoyed Bell playing together with my fellow norwegians.[/B]

*link*


----------



## JCarmel

Hello Oskaar.....Liszt's 'La Campanella' is the first track on this 2cd set about the life and works of Franz Liszt.

I've just sent it to my brother for a little Easter gift...he's not particularly a Liszt fan, as I am, so I hope that a bit more information on the composer and his musical genius, might encourage greater appreciation. The set is a bargain in the Naxos sale for 3.29 pounds including postage!

http://naxosdirect.co.uk/items/siep...remy-siepmann-naxos-audio-books-na0056-152312


----------



## Vasks

*Binchois and his contemporaries*


----------



## Oskaar

*Midori plays Ravel's Tzigane

Violin, Midori Goto
Piano, Robert Mcdonald*

Fantastic! Even the filming is art on highest level.

*link*


----------



## ptr

Back to basics, some select works from:

*Jascha Horenstein in Paris*; Broadcast Recordings (1952-1966) (Music & Arts)
*Maurice Ravel* - Piano Concerto (Monique Haas 1952)
*Bela Bartok* - Concerto for Orchestra (1961)
*Igor Stravinsky* - Symphony in 3 Movements (1961)
*Gustav Mahler* - Kindertotetenlieder (Marian Anderson 1956)
*Leos Janacek* - Sinfonietta (1952)
*Samuel Barber* - Violin Concerto (Lola Bobesco 1950)
*Sergei Prokofiev* - Symphony No 5 (1956)









Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française u. Jascha Horenstein

/ptr


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work
4.10.14_

Ferenc Liszt [1811-1886]

Via Crucis, S. 53

Thomas Trotter, Matthew Best, Corydon Singers


----------



## Andolink

*Wolfgang Rihm*: _Verwandlungen I-IV_ (2002-2008)
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Matthias Pintscher


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Ginastera's* birthday (1916), Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2, w. Argerich (rec.1978).


----------



## JCarmel

My Liszt choice for today....picture-wise!








And music-wise..his Faust Symphony

I have a performance by Barenboim on an old VHS tape of the complete symphony, broadcast many years ago by Channel 4 I think... in the days when they were still a source for classical music on television.






But I'm trying-out this interpretation by Solti....


----------



## neoshredder

Listening to Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin conducted by Boulez. 
http://www.amazon.com/Bartók-Miracu...0&keywords=Listening+to+Bartok+the+miraculous


----------



## Blancrocher

Jurowski conducting Kopatchinskaya & the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Stravinsky's Violin Concerto.

*p.s.* Followed by Lipatti and Luiza Borac playing Enescu.


----------



## jim prideaux

Brahms 2nd Symphony-Guilini conducting VPO-funnily enough this is from the days when DG thought it was acceptable to produce a full price CD with this one work on -nothing else!


----------



## millionrainbows

Rite of Spring, 2-piano version.

_*Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where the flowers is?








*_


----------



## millionrainbows

From that same Tilson-Thomas/Ralph Grierson disc, *Steve Reich's Four Organs. *I'm feeling more spiritual by the minute.


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Schubert - Messe G-Dur*

*NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR OF ARMENIA
Art director R. Mlkeyan

NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF ARMENIA
Art director V. Martirosyan

soprano M. Galoyan
tenor G. Poghosyan
bass A. Ohanyan

organ A. Bakunts

conductor R. Mlkeyan*

Amazing! If you have half an our, you will be richly rewarded by watching this video. Or you can give it a sample.

Very good sound and chill-majing choire.

*link*


----------



## shadowdancer

Smooth and strong at the same time...


----------



## JCarmel

Schubert Symphony 'The Great'

Charles Munch conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra









A great Great, I think.

Apologies for the double image....Its obviously twice as good as I thought it was?!!


----------



## julianoq

I am still in the middle of my first listen of "From Me Flows What You Call Time" from Takemitsu, but I have to say that it is already one of the finest orchestral works that I ever listened. Truly amazing stuff! After listening to "Toward the Sea" all week and now this, there is no doubt that I will go on a Takemitsu binge this weekend.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Svetlanov Tchaikovsky Manfred*









_Che finezza!_

I love how Svetlanov does the ending of the first movement.

Oh my God!!

Keats and Byron would envy Svetlanov his expressive capacity for bittersweet poignancy.


----------



## Ravndal

This album here. Nothing can match it


----------



## Marschallin Blair

science said:


> Here I go again....


"Hedda! Hedda! Heddo!"-- oh yeah! Make that bridge to Valhalla!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Berglund-Sibelius Fever*









I've waited for what seemed like an eternity for these great performances to be remastered from their slipshod, hissy originals.

This is_ sine qua non _Sibelius if ever there was such a thing.

The H1N1 Berglund-Sibelius fever is spreading I see. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production III - 
Quartet in E minor for Flute, Violin, Violoncello & B.c.
Concerto in E-Flat Major for two Horns, Strings & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).









Excellent, bright horn sound in the concerto.


----------



## omega

Messiaen, _Concert à Quatre_


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, "Serioso" *
*performed by Amphion Quartet (live). Filmed live in The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space in New York for WQXR's Beethoven String Quartet Marathon on November 18, 2012.*

Very intimate and vibrant performance. Intimate, close and good sound

*link*


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak 4th/8th symphonies-Gunzenhauser conducting Slovak Phil.


----------



## DrKilroy

I think I have to postpone Shostakovich and listen to something I have been postponing for too long: Bliss' A Colour Symphony.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Martinu, Symphony No. 1.*

I've had this languishing in my CD stack for some reason. I'm glad I pulled it out; it's worth hearing again.









On to McCreesh's Messiah. Halfway through the first disk; I'm liking it so far, HIP enough for detail and limited vibrato but still having expression.


----------



## AH music

Picking up two continuing series today - Prokofiev Symphonies and Beethoven Cello Sonatas, both now reaching #4.

1) Prokofiev Symphony no 4 Op 47/112. To be honest I do not know which version it is on the Weller set I am continuing with (via spotify). More accessible on a first hearing than the previous two, and impressed, especially the longer opening two movements. Will definitely enjoy coming back to this one, and very glad to be taking the time to go through these symphonies. 

2) Beethoven Cello Sonata no 4 Op 102 / 1. Again, first time listening. Immediately strikes me as being a near miracle of concise and condensed chamber music writing. Great performance and recording from Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

After having to take some time off listening through work commitments, I finally have a little bit of listening time.

It took me a while to settle on what to listen to but in the end I knew I fancied something a little different: *Havergal Brian's Symphonies 11 & 9 and the "Dr Merryheart" performed by the LSO under the batons of Norman Del Mar and Harry Newstone.*









Though the mono sound quality can on occasion betray it's age and source, the sound quality in my opinion is largely robust and doesn't compromise enjoyment of the performance which is clearly audible from the off.

I enjoyed all three pieces here. Whilst I would never claim that everything Havergal Brian composed was the greatest music of it's time, the ratio of hits to misses in terms of quality are most definitely in favour if the composer. For me, there are no weak links - all of the pieces are very rewarding.

Fingers crossed we see more releases like this from Dutton.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3


----------



## DavidA

Schubert - sonata 20 / Lupu


----------



## Blake

Francois Bayle - _50 ans d'acousmatique_: CD 1. Another genius of the Electroacoustic inclination.


----------



## AH music

Can't be left out - I also recently got the Sibelius symphony set from Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. What a superb 5th!


----------



## JCarmel

This one is for Jim....Dvorak Symphony No 9


----------



## Headphone Hermit

JS Bach - Well-tempered Clavier - Tatiana Nikolayeva









A German composer from 400 years ago played by a Russian from the last century playing on an instrument he wouldn't recognise to a middle-aged English guy via a technology that would have been incomprehensible - but the communication is spot on, the connection is immediate


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Debussy: Preludes Complete/L'Isle Joyeuse Friedrich Gulda

More marvellous Gulda. These are the 1950s Decca recordings- and very good they are too. I love his playing, he is an inspiration, and, as our good friend Moody so aptly put it, "a free spirit". Wonderful pianism and musicianship.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

83 Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde
84 Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke
85 Ich bin ein guter Hirt
86 Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all four)


----------



## KenOC

Missa Solemnis, Gardiner's new one. This is quite tremendous. All that detail and energy. And the final fugue from the Credo! OR&R, Monteverdi Choir...


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphonies 1 and 2*

I picked this up for .92, so I'm immediately happy with it. I've seen it criticized for close microphones, but I like the way the instruments sound; the flute on the 2nd symphony is gorgeous. In fact, I like his 2nd symphony, the overall way he makes it sound.


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 130* Alban Berg Quartet on EMI







Polished performance of the great Op. 130 quartet. Wonderful slow movement in this work and some lighter almost folksy movements as well. Plus this includes the Op. 133 Grosse Fugue, which was the original finale, but was so troublesome to the contemporary audiences that Beethoven was forced to replace it with a rather fun and totally contrasting finale. This replacement finale was actually his final significant composition. It's so full of life it's hard to believe that this is Beethoven's end.

The Grosse Fugue sounds modern and uncompromising. I find it a thrilling listen, but probably not a piece for the novice listener!


----------



## bejart

Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813): Double Bassoon Concerto in F Major

Jukka-Pekka Sarasate directing the Umea Sinfonietta -- Annka Wallin and Arne Nillson, bassoons


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in E Minor, Op.59, No.2

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello


----------



## Guest

Guitarist Pavel Steidl's new CD. The title translates as "...and you go to Ithaca," also the title of a piece he composed. This disc is an amazing display of technical virtuosity and sensitive musicianship. He includes a few masterful transcriptions of some Janáček piano pieces, but most are original guitar pieces by Carlo Domeniconi and Jana Obrovská. The very close mic placement picks up a lot of his breath intake and some small grunts, as well as some deliberate throat singing in two of the pieces.


----------



## lostid

Wisor's cello concerto is a heck of piece. I heard the beautiful 2nd movement somewhere long time ago which was stuck deep in my mind, but I didn't know whose music it was until I listened to this album.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Handel, Messiah

I'm not sure what to think about this one.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Incredible performance of the 6th! Although after the 7th symphony I kinda wanted the CD to end there.....Finlandia is just too different and I don't think works very well in this context.


----------



## jim prideaux

is it classical, am I on the wrong 'thread'?-Keith Jarrett, Paris Concert to start the day nice and early. Improvised music so it is jazz I know but Jarrett can often appear to be involved in distilling years of writing for the piano....in this instance there is a very obvious 'nod' to Bach, in the Vienna Concert I can hear Shostakovich.


----------



## PetrB

*James Tenney ~ Form 4 & Morton Subotnick ~ The Key to Songs*

Checking out:
James Tenney ~ Form 4; In Memoriam Morton Feldman (1993)





Morton Subotnick ~ The Key to Songs, ballet score chamber ensemble:two pianos, xylophone, marimbas, vibes, viola, cello and computer.


----------



## SimonNZ

Charpentier's Filius Prodigus - William Christie, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks Concerto. Pierre Boulez, Ensemble InterContemporain. On the radio, always a favorite!


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Horn Sonata Op.17 - Dennis Brain, horn, Denis Matthews, piano

Searching for an image of this "Dennis Brian" set Google sighed deeply, rolled its eyes and asked me with a snooty tone if perhaps I meant "Dennis Brain". And, yes, it transpires that I do, even though I've been saying Brian for about two decades now.

This is exactly the kind of thing my eyes just glide over and my brain treats as "predictive text".


----------



## PetrB

SimonNZ said:


> Beethoven's Horn Sonata Op.17 - Dennis Brain, horn, Denis Matthews, piano
> 
> Searching for an image of this "Dennis Brian" set Google sighed deeply, rolled its eyes and asked me with a snooty tone if perhaps I meant "Dennis Brain". And, yes, it transpires that I do, even though I've been saying Brian for about two decades now.
> 
> This is exactly the kind of thing my eyes just glide over and my brain treats as "predictive text".


This should make you feel better. Having heard the word and knowing its meaning, I nonetheless had / still have a habit of reading "misled" as myzld. "s/he was mizld (state of puzzlement or confusion?) LOL. Still trip up on that one whenever I read it, never did pronounce it that way. Programming, repeat programming, that's what that is... damn it when what was programmed was wrong!

Similarly, the name recently espied on TC, it IS "Walter Kl*ie*n" not Kl*ei*n, so he was Herr (maestro) "Clean," not "Kline."


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in C minor, D958; 
Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D960 (Elisabeth Leonskaja).


----------



## PetrB

----------------------------- ------------------------------------


----------



## JasonBrenkert

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto - Janine Jensen


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Scarlatti's Il Giardino di Amore - Hans Stadlmair, cond.

Brigitte Fassbaender must have been 24 when she sang as Venus on this


----------



## senza sordino

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances







Khatchaturian Violin Concerto with David Oistrakh 







Shostakovich Symphony #4








and then I went to a concert .......


----------



## science

science said:


> Here I go again....












Still going...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

John Cook: Fanfare for Organ
Thalben-Ball: Tune in E
Noel Treddinick: Brief Encounters
Avenir de Monfred: In Paradisum
Paul Creston: Toccata
Reubke: Sonata on the 94th Psalm
J.S. Bach-Harvey Grace: A Stronghold Sure, BWV 80 No.5
Karg-Elert: Chorale Improvisation Op.65 No.5
Guy Weitz: Stella Maris (finale from Symphony No.1) Sir George Thalben-Ball (at the organ of All Souls, Langham Place, London)

Magnificent playing from George Thalben-Ball, unquestionably the greatest organist that I have ever seen. These are from two LPs on the Vista label, the last three items come from the one illustrated (VPS 1059) the remainder are the contents of VPS 1046, which I couldn't find an illustration of. Recorded in March 1977, they show Thalben-Ball at 81 in full command of his powers. I heard him many times in Birmingham, at the Town Hall, until his final recital there in 1982. He was always a joy to listen to, and nobody ever conjured such splendid sounds from that organ as he did. The first five items show his interest in contemporary music, his programmes were never stale- nor was his playing. A magnificent organist who deserves to be better remembered, and should have made many more recordings. Anyone who gets the chance to purchase these LPs should not hesitate, they contain some of the finest examples of supreme organ playing that you will ever hear.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rossini and Mozart arias - Frederica Von Stade, soprano, Edo De Waart, cond.


----------



## ptr

Start of the day;

*Bryce Dessner* - Aheym (Play Music by) (Anti records 2013)









Kronos Quartet

*Bernard Parmegiani *- L'œuvre musicale (2/12) (Ina 2008)
(Bidule En Ré / Pop'eclectic / Du Pop À L'âne / Ponomatopées / Musico Picassa / Et Après... {Michel Portal, Bandoneon])









/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*Bedřch Smetana (1824-1884)
Má Vlast
0:50 Vyšehrad
18:23 Vltava (The Moldau)
33:54 Šárka
45:28 Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemia's woods and fields)
59:43 Tábor
73:48 Blaník
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 18 4/2010*

Very fine presentation of this national treasure of th Czeck republik.
The filmatic production follows up as another instrument, by follow the music and what happends. Really reccomended.

*link*


----------



## Itullian

History and phenomenal performances.
Beethoven's 8th is also included here.


----------



## SimonNZ

Pachelbel's Hexachordum Apoollinis - Marga Scheurich, harpsichord

the beautiful and versatile instrument (a Neupert "Bach" model) is, incredibly, only eight years older than this recording

edit: but why do I find that incredible, when I know there are many fine harpsichord makers working today? Perhaps a carry-over from the belief that the best violins etc are antiques. I've never heard that stated outright about about harpsichords, but on the other hand most every other time I've heard an album of this quality the instrument listed has been roughly contemporary with the composer.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Beautiful performances of Bach Sacred Arias and Cantatas from David Daniels, and a memento of a superb concert I saw him give here in London on the South Bank.


----------



## JCarmel

Beethoven Piano Sonata No 30 Opus 109 in E Major Igor Levit

What wonderful music, that final movement....


----------



## jim prideaux

Ancerl conducting the Czech Phil in performances of the 6th symphony, My Home, Carnival and the Hussite Overture.
Further preparation for my visit to Prague-was there last September and a number of occasions before that-well aware that I have an idealised image of the city, miles away from the unfortunate one that features hordes of tourists. Dvorak contributes to this, my last visit went hand in hand with my personal discovery of Martinu........ 
I can always sense movement and water in Dvorak's work, funny that he came from an area in the centre of Europe.....perhaps it reflects the significance of waterways etc.....or just reflects my imagination and its assumptions!


----------



## JCarmel

I envy you that one, Greg! I was listening to a track from that cd this morning. I've got into a bad habit (tho' not too bad, as bad habits go?!!...) of listening to a shuffle on my smartphone late at night and early in the morning. And although its not so good from an intellectual point of view perhaps, it presents the music to you in that completely random and unpredictable way that actually makes you catch your breath with pleasure at the sheer beauty or tunefulness or vivacity of the musical extracts as they suddenly arrive. Everything from a breathy Leonard Cohen ballad to soulful Sarah Vaughan is intermingled with tracks, wide-ranging over the centuries of musical composition from Ockeghem to Arctic Monkeys!
I love the counter-tenor voice. And as I've been typing this, the morning's Post has arrived with this cd to explore...and I'm looking-forward doing so today...if I can interweave listening to it with the excellent Football that's on the Tele too?!
I hope everybody has a good day today...whatever they plan to do!


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphony No 2 in E minor, Op 27

1 Largo - Allegro moderato
2 Allegro molto
3 Adagio
4 Allegro vivace

Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome
Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor

Live recording. London, Proms 2013*

Fabulous take of a performance of this exiting symphony. Quite good sound.

*link*


----------



## chalkpie

Did the 3rd last night. It's been a while. Without a doubt a top 10 symphony for me. The orchestration is as good as it gets IMO, on par with anybody you can name. Incredible ebb-and-flow, textures, colors, you name it. Brilliant masterpiece.


----------



## jim prideaux

JCarmel commented above on the football situation today-having decided to stay away from a home game to the increasingly aspirant and dangerous Everton (I have just renewed my season ticket after a years absence-and we are about to be relegated) I now have to decide whether I should listen to the commentary or to Norrington and the London Players performing the Beethoven symphonies-a friend lent me the discs and I have put them on my computer-judging by the very disparate reviews of the interpretations I imagine I could be 'taking my life in my hands' which ever activity I choose for this fine afternoon........


----------



## JCarmel

I've just been reading of the recent death of John Shirley-Quirk....who was one of those singers that seemed always to be 'there' as my musical knowledge expanded throughout the years of listening and buying records...and I'm sorry to read of his passing. Reading of the demise of someone so familiar is surely one of the most poignant reminders of one's own mortality?!

So I've had a sort-out and produced two cd's that although they haven't seen the light of day for a while...will allow me to give him a good musical send-off'... my own way!


----------



## JCarmel

'H'Away the Lads', Jim....having followed the Black Cats very closely all season...I do fear the worse. I share a birthday with Roberto, the Everton manager and I'm a bit of a fan...he's a good manager I believe and a good Man-manager, too. But nevertheless, I will be urging Sunderland on to a most vital win...though I fear that its now beyond them to resist The Drop.
Still, it means that I won't have divided loyalties when my own Native team of Leicester City pass them on their way Up?!...


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in F Major, RV 412

Nicholas Kraemer conducting the City of London Sinfonia -- Raphael Wallfisch, cello


----------



## Jeff W

Got the ball rolling with Joseph Haydn's Symphonies No. 93, 94 'Surprise' & 103 'Drum Roll'. Eugen Jochum led the London Philharmonic Orchestra.









Next up was some Handel. Started with the Concerto Grosso HWV 318 'Alexander's Feast' and the first four in the Opus 6 collection. Trevor Pinnock led the English Concert from the Harpsichord.


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 9, Berliner Philharmoniker, Karajan.


----------



## Oskaar

*Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op 18

1 Moderato
2 Adagio sostenuto - Più animato - Tempo I
3 Allegro scherzando

Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano

BBC Philharmonic
Juanjo Mena conductor

Live recording. London, Proms 2013*

Here is the blind guy again. Amazing. Very good sound.

*link*


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Quartet in Cm, opus 18 no. 4 & Quartet in B-flat opus 130 & Große Fuge in B-flat & Quartet in D opus 18 no. 3 & Quartet in A opus 18 no. 5 & Quartet in Fm opus 95 "Serioso"
By the Alban Berg Quartet, on EMI (studio cycle '85)


----------



## chalkpie

jim prideaux said:


> JCarmel commented above on the football situation today-having decided to stay away from a home game to the increasingly aspirant and dangerous Everton (I have just renewed my season ticket after a years absence-and we are about to be relegated) I now have to decide whether I should listen to the commentary or to Norrington and the London Players performing the Beethoven symphonies-a friend lent me the discs and I have put them on my computer-judging by the very disparate reviews of the interpretations I imagine I could be 'taking my life in my hands' which ever activity I choose for this fine afternoon........


This yank can't wait for the Man City/Liverpool match tomorrow! To keep this post music related, Ligeti Etudes Book 2 is gonna be played in 2 minutes :cheers:


----------



## science

science said:


> Here I go again....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still going...












Going on and on...

(No joke - my rear end is starting to hurt...)


----------



## Oskaar

*Frederic Chopin - Scherzo n.2
Piano Martha Argerich.*

Nice vintage video of Martha Argerich 1966

*link*


----------



## cjvinthechair

Miloslav Kabelac - Mystery of Time (linked), 3rd Symphony.


----------



## Oskaar

*Liszt - La Campanella performed by Nobuyuki Tsujii as an encore piece at his BBC Proms appearance*

He is blind... How is it posible?

*link*


----------



## bejart

Frantisek Benda (1709-1789): Sinfonia No.6 in C Major

Milan Munclinger directing Ars Redivivia


----------



## opus55

science said:


> Going on and on...
> 
> (No joke - my rear end is starting to hurt...)


Is this some sort of religious ceremony? I hope you're eating too.
---

Schubert

Piano Sonata in A minor, D.537
6 Deutsche Tänze, D.820


----------



## contra7

Per Nørgård: Symphony No. 2

Conducted by Leif Segerstam with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## JCarmel

Jean Sibelius Songs...particularly '5 songs, Opus 37' Anne Sofie von Otter









I've derived a lot of pleasure from my big box of 'The Essential Sibelius' but in particular becoming acquainted with Sibelius's songs and vocal arrangements. I particularly enjoy the contributions made by Anne Sofie...she's a great singer, I think.


----------



## DaveS

Bruckner 5th. Van Beinum, Concertgebouw.


----------



## Manxfeeder

[Duplicate post to the one below but with the wrong image. Sorry.]


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 39222
> 
> 
> The H1N1 Berglund-Sibelius fever is spreading I see. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Yeah, it hit me today. Listening to the 7th.


----------



## chalkpie

contra7 said:


> Per Nørgård: Symphony No. 2
> 
> Conducted by Leif Segerstam with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.


Can you tell me what this piece is like in terms of tonality, orchestration, etc?

Thanks!


----------



## Blancrocher

Beethoven -- 25 Scottish Songs, op. 108.

https://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=45741


----------



## Jeff W

One last disc before bedtime. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet. David Shifrin plays the Basset Clarinet and is joined by the Mostly Mozart Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwarz in the concerto and by Chamber Music Northwest in the quintet. Got to see Shifrin play this concerto with the Albany Symphony a while back and he was phenomenal at it!


----------



## Oskaar

*Truls Mørk in Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191:
1 Allegro
2 Adagio, ma non troppo
3 Finale: Allegro moderato -- Andante -- Allegro vivo
Oslo Konserthus, 26.01.11.
Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester. 
Concertmaster: Elise Båtnes. 
Conductor: Eivind Gullberg Jensen.*

Great presentation of this queen of cello concertos. Mørk is fenomenal!

*link*


----------



## Vasks

*Some rarely heard arias*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Brahms, Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4*

I really like the way Karajan or maybe the engineers make this orchestra sound.


----------



## JCarmel

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 Bronfman, Zinman, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich

Although I have several interpretations of the Emperor Concerto from many eminent pianists on LP, cd and tape, I really like this one!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Scriabin - solo piano music - Vladimir Sofronitzky









another bargain from Brilliant Classics. Sofronitzky's assured playing makes Scriabin's music seem significant and very pleasurable. An appropriate antidote to a drizzly afternoon


----------



## Headphone Hermit

science said:


> Going on and on...
> 
> (No joke - my rear end is starting to hurt...)


I've heard many people talk through their rear end, but listening through it is a new one for me :lol:


----------



## Blancrocher

Friedrich Gulda playing Beethoven's op. 2 sonatas (rec. 1954)


----------



## Oskaar

*Debussy - La Mer*

*London Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor Gergiev.*

Brilliant video production. Sound is good.

*link*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in C minor, D958 (Elisabeth Leonskaja).









I like Leonskaja's playing - her interpretation emphasizes Schubert's dynamics.

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 100 in G Major, 'Military' (Otto Klemperer; New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## ptr

More:

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (3/12) (INA 2008)
(L'oeil Écoute / Pour En Finir Avec Le Pouvoir D'Orphée / La Roue Ferris)









*Luc Ferrari* - Chansons pour le corps (1988-94) / Et si tout entiere maintenant. (1986-87) (MODE)









Elise Caron, voice; Carol Mundinger, Sylvan Frydman, clarinets; Christine Lagniel, percussion; Michel Maurer, piano; Michel Musseau, synthesizer (1-5) / Anne Såe, voice; Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique u. Yves Prin (6)

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Mozart: 12 Duos for 2 Horns, KV 487

Members of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble: Iman Soeteman and Jan Peeters, horns


----------



## opus55

Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem, Op. 45


----------



## Oskaar

*Rimski-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claus Peter Flor*

Great production!

*link*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Kiri's Mozart*









Young Kiri.









Older Kiri.









Gorgeous Kiri.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in D Minor, Op.16, No.6

Stamic Quartet: Bohuslav Matousek and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## Guest

Trio Settecento - An Italian Sojourn


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Bellini - Norma (excerpts) - Callas









From Mexico City (1950), Trieste (1953) and London (1952). Some dreadful sound - the current track sounds as if the microphone suddenly became submerged in the Adriatic midway through the track, but three different versions of Casta Diva within 30 minutes - it far better than having auto-repeat


----------



## JCarmel

Listened earlier to one of your Recommendations, ptr....Kondrashin's Scheherazade....a great recording.









I've got Reiner's at hand to see how that matches up tomorrow. But at the moment, its Bubba Watson's third round at the Masters that is taking my attention!
And for listening on my Moto G later tonight...I've loaded a file of excerpts from Muti's 'Aida'









because I want to wish Montserrat Caballe a very Happy Birthday. 
I hope she's keeping well....
She was a great Aida.


----------



## aleazk

Ginastera - _Impresiones de la Puna_.

A very early (the composer was 18 yo according to wiki) piece that Ginastera apparently discarded and only exists in manuscript. Possibly that video is the only recording of it.

Amazing flutist, nice harmonies.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - Production I - 
Overture - Suite in E minor for two Flutes, Strings & B.c.;
Quartet in G Major for Flute, Oboe, Violin & B.c. 
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## Guest

I just listened to Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano from this new John Ogdon set--I'm still speechless.


----------



## DeepR

Max Bruch - Kol Nidrei Op. 47





I came across this on TV and was quite taken with it. Listening again now.


----------



## ptr

*Steve Reich* - Music for 18 Musicians (From the Nonesuch Phases - A Nonesuch Retrospective Box)









Steve Reich & Musicians

/ptr


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 9, 11, 12, 14, 15 & 16* Busch Quartet on EMI.








These recordings date from the 1930's but still sound good to my ears. In chamber music such as this I don't think the 'limited' quality of the sound is that critical to the enjoyment of the performance. Of course I'm glad I've also got these works on more modern recordings. However as I listen to the Busch performance of the Op.127 quartet I think I prefer it to the Alban Berg Quartet recording of this work I played a few days ago, particularly in the slow movement where the variations seem somehow more coherent. I really should invest in another modern recording of the late Beethoven quartets.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Bellini - Norma (excerpts) - Callas
> 
> View attachment 39301
> 
> 
> From Mexico City (1950), Trieste (1953) and London (1952). Some dreadful sound - the current track sounds as if the microphone suddenly became submerged in the Adriatic midway through the track, but three different versions of Casta Diva within 30 minutes - it far better than having auto-repeat


--
I love the picture of Divina. . .

For tolerably-good sound on a live Callas "_Casta_," check out the FLAC file incarnation of the December 7, 1955 La Scala_ Norma _at Divina Records:

http://www.divinarecords.com/dvn017/dvn017.html









This has to be one of the greatest live performances of all time.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> [Duplicate post to the one below but with the wrong image. Sorry.]


Shelve thy Helsinki.

Pick up thy Bournemouth.


----------



## Blake

Tod Dockstader - _Song_


----------



## Oskaar

*Bolero (Gergiev)*

I dont care much for this piece anymore, but it grows when I watch this production. Nice!

*link*


----------



## hpowders

Schoenberg, Piano Concerto.
Uchida, Boulez, Cleveland.

I will have to study this.
Not a natural with this kind of music.


----------



## senza sordino

Bach Orchestral Suites







Mozart Violin Concerti #3, 4, 5







LvB by HvK Symphonies #2 & 4 Often overlooked by me.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev's 4th Symphony, original version (Op. 47), Jarvi. I'm comparing it with the much later and longer revised version (Op. 112) from Rozhdestvensky. First impression is that I like the early version better -- seems more compact and direct, while the later version is maybe a bit too discursive. Time may change that view!


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> I love the picture of Divina. . .
> 
> For tolerably-good sound on a live Callas "_Casta_," check out the FLAC file incarnation of the December 7, 1955 La Scala_ Norma _at Divina Records:
> 
> http://www.divinarecords.com/dvn017/dvn017.html
> 
> View attachment 39306
> 
> 
> This has to be one of the greatest live performances of all time.


Total agreement about that 12/7/55 Norma. They really burned up the stage that night.


----------



## DavidA

hpowders said:


> View attachment 39312
> 
> 
> Schoenberg, Piano Concerto.
> Uchida, Boulez, Cleveland.
> 
> I will have to study this.
> Not a natural with this kind of music.


A bit like going to bed with a rattlesnake!


----------



## DavidA

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> I love the picture of Divina. . .
> 
> For tolerably-good sound on a live Callas "_Casta_," check out the FLAC file incarnation of the December 7, 1955 La Scala_ Norma _at Divina Records:
> 
> http://www.divinarecords.com/dvn017/dvn017.html
> 
> View attachment 39306
> 
> 
> This has to be one of the greatest live performances of all time.


Pity about the music!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Love Versus Religious Devotion*

Love:









Religious_ devotion_:















Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> Shelve thy Helsinki.
> 
> Pick up thy Bournemouth.


Yep, no problem. It's just Spotify, anyway.


----------



## SimonNZ

Pachelbel's Hexachordum Apollinis - Huguette Gremy-Chauliac, harpsichord


----------



## hpowders

DavidA said:


> A bit like going to bed with a rattlesnake!


I will keep the lights on and be a safe distance from my sound system. 

I trust Uchida. She wouldn't be involved with recording any music she didn't consider to be terrific.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> 
> For tolerably-good sound on a live Callas "_Casta_," check out the FLAC file incarnation of the December 7, 1955 La Scala_ Norma _at Divina Records:
> 
> This has to be one of the greatest live performances of all time.


Agreed - it is disc 13 of this set. As you say, absolutely wonderful. We can only hope that in the afterlife (if we've been very, very good in this life) we can sit in the Amrosian La Scala and listen in comfort (and without the coughers and scoffers) as much as we'd like


----------



## Headphone Hermit

DavidA said:


> Pity about the music!


Marvellous insight - not!


----------



## Guest

World premieres of (mostly) Finnish guitar works. Some are more memorable than others, but it's enjoyable, and Tolonen is a fine player. Excellent sound.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DavidA said:


> Pity about the music!


Pity about being thorazine-deficient. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Just kidding. No, I'm not. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

87 Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem 
88 Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden
89 Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim?
90 Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (87) and Gustav Leonhardt (88, 89, 90), cond.


----------



## KenOC

More Prokofiev, his 2nd Violin Concerto. This excellent recording (but the Stravinsky is the real standout here):


----------



## bejart

Some fine Sturm und Drang ---
Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741-1799): Symphony No.4 in C Minor

Concerto Koln


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Guest

Allison Balsom playing Bach with organ accompaniment.










I've always liked the trumpet and organ pairing.


----------



## Blancrocher

Segovia playing Mompou's "Suite Compostelana" (rec. 1964); Mompou playing his own piano works (rec. 1974)


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: The Art of Fugue, w. ESQ (rec.2003); * Tartini*: Violin Concerti, w. Daskalakis et al (rec.2005).








View attachment 39337


----------



## Vaneyes

BPS said:


> Allison Balsom playing Bach with organ accompaniment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've always like the trumpet and organ pairing.


She's got *The Look*.


----------



## KenOC

George Pinto, piano music. Pinto wrote in London between 1800 and 1806, where he died at 20 years old. His music is kind of startling -- he knew his Beethoven, and his Bach, but he often sounds like John Field or even Schubert. Very nice works, consistently interesting, with a broad range of moods and styles.


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> History and phenomenal performances.
> Beethoven's 8th is also included here.


Bad haircut. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

opus55 said:


> Beethoven: Symphony No. 3


El supremo, that Eroica. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

omega said:


> Messiaen, _Concert à Quatre_


With whom, dare I ask.


----------



## Vaneyes

millionrainbows said:


> From that same Tilson-Thomas/Ralph Grierson disc, *Steve Reich's Four Organs. I'm feeling more spiritual by the minute.*


I know what you mean.


----------



## Blake

Dhomont - _Cycle de l'erance._ I really dig this guy.


----------



## julianoq

Bruckner's 8th symphony, conducted by Boulez with the VPO.


----------



## Tristan

*Wagner* - Tristan und Isolde (Karajan 1972--1994 remaster)









Listening to the opera that gave my parents the idea for my name. 

I know there are many recordings, but this is the one I have and I like it very much


----------



## Sonata

Shostakovich Symphony #3 and act 2 of Lohengrin


----------



## KenOC

Sonata said:


> Shostakovich Symphony #3 and act 2 of Lohengrin


Like...at the same time?


----------



## PetrB

Messiaen ~ Regard sur l'Enfant-Jésus n°6, Roger Muraro, piano.
terrific playing and musicianship....


----------



## ShropshireMoose

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

Boult's Brandenburgs. Swift, stylish and extremely enjoyable. What a performance! (as the late Sid Field would have said!)


----------



## KenDuctor

R. Vaughan Williams: Dark pastoral for cello and orchestra
If you like the cello, you want be disappointed.


----------



## KenDuctor

bejart said:


> Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in F Major, RV 412
> 
> Nicholas Kraemer conducting the City of London Sinfonia -- Raphael Wallfisch, cello
> 
> View attachment 39268


Love vivaldi's cello concerti. I have all 4 vols. My favorite is the concerto for 2 cellos


----------



## opus55

Saygun: Piano Concerto No. 1


----------



## SimonNZ

Gesualdo motets - Jeremy Summerly, cond.


----------



## Katie

The works of Mahler constitute a glorious final chapter to the Abbado Symphony box! As with most genres, I think much of the real magic with classical happens before an audience (even if they are sitting on their hands per convention), so I'm highly gratified that all 7 pieces (thus far) have been recorded live.

I can't imagine the voluminous iterations of these symphonies (including Abbado's individual releases) that populate the collections of veterans here (not just Mahler, but the veritable pantheon of giants that complete the box - LVB/Mozzart/ Haydn/Schubert/Mendel./Brahms/Bruckner), so I can't presume to substantively edifiy the forum's collective knowledge, except to say that this set will constitute something of reference in my neophyte's collection.

However, I should like to point out a particular favorite heard this morning, that being Abbado leading the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in GM's 2nd, with vocal accompaniment by Gvazava and Anna Larsson - singing soprano and contralto, respectively. Simply a glorious, rich rendition with delectable pacing through some challenging musical vicissitudes...I shall look forward to comparing this with performances of disciplined taskmasters like Furtwangler and Reiner. Anyway, I believe this is the original, individual release (with some added detritus from that reprobate Debussy  ).../k


----------



## opus55

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35


----------



## Morimur

*Magnus Lindberg: Kraft*

The soothing sounds of Magnus Lindberg...


----------



## dgee

Lope de Aguirre said:


> The soothing sounds of Magnus Lindberg...


I love Kraft so much - very 80s!!!


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9


----------



## JasonBrenkert

Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 - Kyung Wha Chung, Kempe, RPO


----------



## science

science said:


>


And finally!


----------



## science

science said:


> And finally!


The heck is that crap? Why can't I delete that thumbnail thing?


----------



## SimonNZ

You can: Edit > Go Advanced > Manage Attachments

playing now:










Takemitsu's Toward The Sea III - Bridget Douglas, flute, Carolyn Mills, harp


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> You can: Edit > Go Advanced > Manage Attachments


Thank you!

Got to be difficult, you know?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - Production I - 
Concerto in A Major for Flute, Violin, Violincello, Strings & B.c.;
Trio in E-Flat Major for two Violins & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).









The Tafelmusik has to be one of the all-time baroque masterpieces, imo. Such instrumental and sonic variety, and Telemann's ability to combine several baroque styles - a joy to listen to.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Commotio - Jorgen Ernest Hansen, organ


----------



## Oskaar

*Ludwig Van Beethoven [ 1770 - 1827 ],

 Concerto For Piano, Violin, Cello & Orchestra
In C Major Op.56 'Thriple Concerto'

I. Allegro
II. Largo - attacca
III. Rondo Alla Polacca Allegro tempo I.

Violin ; Isaac Stern [ 1920 - 2001 ]
Piano ; Emanuel Ax [ 1949 - ]
Cello ; Yo-Yo Ma [ 1955 - ]

Conducted By ; Michael Stern
London Symphony Orchestra
Narrated By ; Gregory Peck

From Album [ 1992, Sony Classical LD ]
Isaac Stern A Biography In Music
Live At Royal Festival Hall*

Really a fine video presentation.

*link*


----------



## DaveS

Not the usual Sunday morning 'out of the gate' music choice, but had to get started on this set just received.
So far disc one....Also Sprach, then Death & Transfiguration. Next, Der Rosenkavalier Suite and Capriccio. Very enjoyable, so far.


----------



## ptr

Vaneyes said:


> Bad haircut. :tiphat:


The cut is fine, it's the rest of him that is out of sync with reality!

/ptr


----------



## DaveS

The cover ain't bad either


----------



## ptr

*Elisabeth Lutyens* - Chamber & Choral Works (NMC 2006)









Endymion Ensemble and Exaudi u. James Weeks

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (4/12 / INA 2008)
(L'Enfer after Dante's la Divina Comedia 1971)









/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann works for cello and piano - Martha Argerich, Miischa Maisky


----------



## Op.123

Mozart - Piano concerto 20 - Howard Shelley


----------



## dgee

Nicollo Castiglioni, who is consistently awesome and appealing to me: Risognanze (testing combinations of sonorities and coming up with loveliness) - 



AND a series of tiny and beautiful songs for children's choir and ensemble: 




And recently listened to Rameau's Dardanus - it's a baroque opera chosen randomly from Rameau's output and I really enjoyed it. A bit of a breakthrough for me, helped by an electric performance - this one:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning'; Symphony No. 51 in B-Flat Major 
(Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Baryton Trios - Janos Liebner, Gabor Fias, Laszlo Mezo


----------



## contra7

Per Nørgård: Symphony No. 5 

Really great composer! I'm glad I've discovered him recently.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Jeff Manookian: Flute Concerto (linked), Requiem (also on YT).


----------



## JCarmel

It's a bit silly to say that you've got a 'favourite song' ... by Beethoven....but nevertheless this is mine.






From this album .....








which is giving me a lot of listening pleasure this morning.


----------



## ptr

A splash of Les Percussions De Strasbourg LPs;

*Gilbert Amy* - Cycle / *Roman Haubenstock-Ramati* - Jeux 6 (Philips)









*Miloslav Kabelac* - 8 inventions / *Maurice Ohana* - 4 études choréographiques (Philips)









East meets West; *Tona Scherchen* - Shen / *Alain Louvier* - Candrakala & Shima / *Georges Aperghis* - Kryptogramma (Philips)









Les Percussions De Strasbourg

/ptr


----------



## science

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, Symphony No. 44 in E minor, 'Mourning'; Symphony No. 51 in B-Flat Major
> (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).
> 
> View attachment 39358


I need to get that box, don't I?


----------



## ptr

science said:


> I need to get that box, don't I?


Not really, if You need Haydn HIP symphonies put Your money with Sig Kuijken on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi!

To elaborate slightly, Mr Weill is very German in his Haydn, he doesn't swing, he's more like a scientist dissecting the music, whilst Kuijken on the other hand lives and breathes the music like its is urgent!

/ptr


----------



## science

ptr said:


> Not really, if You need Haydn HIP symphonies put Your money with Sig Kuijken on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi!
> 
> /ptr


I've got Kuijken for the Paris symphonies, and I might get some more of those in the Virgin Veritas series.

Also I've got Pinnock in a lot of the same symphonies in that Weill box, but I think I want to hear the Weill performances too.


----------



## science

Here we go! This is very nice.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1, No.2 in C Minor

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest o.l.v. Karel Mark Chichon / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Leonidas Kavakos, viool/violin

Verdi: Ouverture 'La forza del destino' 
Tsjaikovski: Vioolconcert*

Brilliant performance. The sound is very good.

*videolink*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Recently composed music 










This is the first time I have ever heard Polaris and the second time I've heard the piccolo concerto. I was fortunate enough to attend the world premiere of the latter piece and I'm very excited to be able to listen to that performance again. The CD is actually quite short (just under 36 minutes in total) but both pieces are absolutely BRILLIANT and have awesome piccolo writing.


----------



## Ravndal

Debussy - Le martyre de St. Sébastien

Charles Dutoit


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

SimonNZ said:


> You can: Edit > Go Advanced > Manage Attachments
> 
> playing now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Takemitsu's Toward The Sea III - Bridget Douglas, flute, Carolyn Mills, harp


Do you know who arranged it?


----------



## Oskaar

*Yuja Wang - Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2*

I lice this concerto very much, and Wang does a fantastic job here, in my oppinion. Very sensitive, but also powerfull.

*link*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Tsaraslondon

DavidA said:


> Pity about the music!


_Of all Bellini's operas, Norma is the one which unites the richest flow of melody with the deepest glow of truth .... I admire Norma's melodic inspiration, which joins the most intimate passion to the most profound reality; a great score that talks straight to the heart - a work of genius._

Richard Wagner


----------



## Taggart

disk 5 of










A very definite curates egg. The first 3 (out of 8) tracks sound nice. There's a slight touch of 70's hippy folk about it but not too bad. Then it descends into something like Jacques Brell or Jake Thackeray with a strumming guitar accompaniment.

Track listing

Pèire Cardenal:
Tartarassa ni voutor
Ben volgra
Razos es qu'ieu m'esbaudei

Guilhelm Figueira
D'un sirventes far

Tomier et Palazi
Si col flacs moins torneja

Pèire Cardenal:
L'afar del comte Guió

Pèire Bremon Ricas Novas:
Ab marrimen

Bernart Sicart Marjevols:
Ab greu cossire

Most of these troubadors are early 13th century and there seems to be a distinct absence of tunes to go with the lyrics. I suspect that Studio der frühen Musik enjoyed themselves finding suitable arrangements but it sounds too modern in approach and lacks the rhythmic and harmonic complexity you would expect.


----------



## ptr

*Julius Reubke* - Sonate für Orgel c-moll_Psalm 94 / *Marcel Dupré* - Symphonie für Orgel Nr.2 cis-moll op.26 (FSM)









Helmut Schröder @ the Klais organ at St.Dionysius Church, Rheine, Westfalia

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Clarinet Concerto No.10 in B Flat

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester -- Karl Schlechta, clarinet


----------



## ptr

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (5/12 / INA 2008)
(de natura sonorum 1975)









/ptr


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do you know who arranged it?


Takemitsu himself made three versions of the piece: the original, for alto flute and guitar; II, for alto flute and string orchestra; and III, for alto flute and harp.

The original's the best, I think.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat, K.271; No. 14 in E-flat K.449; No. 15 in B-flat 450
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

science said:


> I need to get that box, don't I?


Yes, yes you do. I cannot affirm this enough .

My impression of Weil's conducting was much different than ptr's - I don't think Weil 'dissects' the music, I think he emphasizes its elegance by getting a very slick, light and bright orchestral tone. The only slight disadvantage is that the performances sometimes seem a bit 'superficial'.

The Paris symphonies in the set are done very well, imo. I also have Kuijken's Paris symphonies and his 88-92 and find Weil's Paris symphonies a bit more 'Haydnesque' and Kuijken more neutral and objective, but both are very good sets. Kuijken has a nice, transparent sound and slightly sharper rhythms, imo.

The Weil set shouldn't be too expensive, at least for the amount of symphonies in it.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op. 88_
Takács Quartet w/ Lawrence Power, viola









*Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57_
Quatuor Talich w/ Yakov Kasman, piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Dvorak*:
_Cello Concerto
Violin Concerto
Symphony No.6 and 9_

6th symphony is quite good. Try it once in a while.


----------



## Vasks

_Spinning records today and will again tomorrow_

*Spontini - Overture to "Le Puntigli delle donne" (Frontalini/Balkanton)
Schubert - Piano Sonata in C minor, D.958 (Brendel/Philips)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Suite from "Le Coq d'or" (Smetacek/Parliament)*


----------



## JCarmel

Just watched some great top of the division Football...well done both teams. Commiserations to Man City, congrats to Liverpool!

I still think that this 'Messiah' conducted by Mackerras is top of the league. I haven't heard a better.
Singing is fine and the tempi...just right!


----------



## Jeff W

From the Chamber Music at Lincoln Center radio show: Henry Purcell's Chacony (arr. Benjamin Britten) and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132. The Escher String Quartet plays.

http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5110471


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to Lebeque sisters!









http://www1.c3-net.ne.jp/hartline/labeques/classical-recordings/espana.html


> For those of us who feel an affinity with Spain, and I think even for those who don't, this must be an attractive disc. The Labèque sisters give us the right Iberian mixture of vigour, brilliance, shadows and languor and I readily confess to being captivated at once; occasionally I have thought these fine pianists unrelaxed, but here they seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves in music that they know well. I suspect that they have played these pieces many times in concerts, sometimes as encores, and know how to bring the house down with them.
> 
> I have never heard a more exciting keyboard performance of Falla's "Ritual Fire Dance", not even Rubinstein's. This is actually a transcription by Mario Bragiotti. Indeed, save for the Danses Andalouses by Manuel Infante, every piece here is a transcription and the Labèques themselves have had a hand in that of Lecuona's exquisitely sultry Malaguena, which includes quietly plucked strings at the two-minute mark. But no one would know that this music was not originally written for two pianos, for all is idiomatic. Indeed, the transcription of Albeniz's Suite espanola and Pavana capricho is by the composer, while that of his "Triana" (music that beautifully blends vivacity and delicacy) is by his friend Granados. All in all, the qualities of this music are fully realized and an intimate yet atmospheric recording by Hein Dekker in London's Henry Wood Hall helps to make this a splendid issue deserving of large sales.
> 
> Christopher Headington (Gramophone Sept. 1993, p.78











http://www1.c3-net.ne.jp/hartline/labeques/classical-recordings/tchaikovsky-fantasy.html



> It is a pity that this interesting and brilliantly played collection was programmed to open with Tchaikovsky's own four-handed piano transcription of the Capriccio italien, for the composer (although he admired his own efforts) showed no real skill at re-thinking a spectacular orchestral show-piece for the piano. It opens with the famous bugle call played by one hand(!), and as "the rest of the brass joins in", the extended fanfare is little short of tedious. Fortunately when the Labèque sisters get to the echo theme they are able to invest it with their own effervescence, even if they are a bit impetuous, and the "Tarantella" finale certainly tests their virtuosity, just as the composer intended. The Scriabin Fantasy follows, opening nocturnally and later becoming harmonically more complex . . . Alexandra Batalini's transcription of the Marche slave ends the recital grandiloquently - the orchestral detail is all there, particularly the effulgent twiddly bits in the treble, and it is made to sound so commandingly pianistic that one does not miss the orchestra (and that's saying a good deal with a composer like Tchaikovsky). The coda is quite splendid and this performance, with its thrilling fireworks at the end, would deservedly bring the house down at a live recital. which is just what it sounds like, with a very real and immediate piano recording.
> 
> Ivan March(Gramophone Dec. 1995 p.110)


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> _Of all Bellini's operas, Norma is the one which unites the richest flow of melody with the deepest glow of truth .... I admire Norma's melodic inspiration, which joins the most intimate passion to the most profound reality; a great score that talks straight to the heart - a work of genius._
> 
> Richard Wagner


The old rascal could actually be lovable once in a while.


----------



## JCarmel

Telemann Ouvertures Pittoresques Arte de Suonatori directed by Martin Gester

A very enjoyable recording


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D960 (Elisabeth Leonskaja).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 4 in B-Flat Major; No. 5 in D Major
(Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## bejart

George Onslow (1784-1853): Nonet in A Minor, Op.77

Ma'alot Quintet: Christina Fassbender, flute -- Christian Wetzel, oboe -- Ulf-Guido Schafer, clarinet -- Volker Grewel, horn -- Volker Tessmann, bassoon

and

Mandelring Quartet: Sebastian Schmidt and Nanette Schmidt, violins -- Roland Glassl, viola -- Bernhard Schmidt, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

I've been enjoying early-period Beethoven sonatas and string quartets with Gulda and the Takacs Quartet.


----------



## Op.123

Mackerras - Mozart Symphony 40


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 23 and 9


----------



## DrKilroy

Elgar - Serenade for Strings
Mozart - Requiem



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Sonata in C Major*


----------



## JCarmel

CPE Bach Cello Concerto in A Major, WQ 172









Janos Starker, Santa Fe Festival Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Sebastian Bach [ 1685 - 1750 ],
Chaconne, From Partita No.2 In D Minor, BWV 1004*

*Album ; Heifetz In Performance [ Polygram, DVD 1970 ]
Violinist ; Jascha Heifetz [ 1901 - 1987 ]*

Fine litle study of the old master

*videolink*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

after this afternoon at Anfield, I tried to find Liszt's transcription of "You'll never walk alone" :lol: but couldn't locate it so had to settle for Bruckner instead - Symphony No7 - Chicago SO, Solti


----------



## Oskaar

*Joshua Bell in Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor, op 47*
* with Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester. Oslo konserthus, 24.11.11
Concertmaster: Elise Båtnes
Conductor: Vasily Petrenko*

Then the young master...

Absolutely stunning performance of the milestone of a violinconcerto.
Great film-capture

*videolink*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

This thread has made it to over 60,000 posts! Wow! and especially wow! To any who have actually read every post since this thread was started. 

Kevin


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Kevin Pearson said:


> This thread has made it to over 60,000 posts! Wow! and especially wow! To any who have actually read every post since this thread was started.
> 
> Kevin


Is anyone up to producing the stats for this thread? You know, something simple like top 500 works, top 500 composers, top 100 conductors, top 100 highest average 'like' score - by composer, TC poster, conductor ..... etc etc :devil:


----------



## Oskaar

and for a 60000 jubilee, a great close study of Mischa Maisky

*Kol Nidrei Op. 47, Max Bruch*

*Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra
Verbier Festival 2008*

From a comment on youtube:

_Kol Nidrei is the most important jewish prayer on Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Jews ask to God to forgive them for all vows make to him and not followed by acts. It is not a revocation regarding all humans. Their vows, commitments, errors have to be repaired among humans (no confession and no absolution exist) . God , and prayers has nothing to do with this process. Jewish faith has two faces, one regarding relationship with God and the other, humanity among humans. This is why a Jew is not obliged to believe in God but is forced to respect human life ...﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## Mahlerian

Kevin Pearson said:


> This thread has made it to over 60,000 posts! Wow! and especially wow! To any who have actually read every post since this thread was started.
> 
> Kevin


I doubt there is anyone. Even for someone like Sid James who's been here most of that time, people have times when they're not active. I don't think I've seen any of the early stuff beyond the first 2 pages.


----------



## Bas

Today is palm sunday, so the morning started with the Bach cantata "Himmelskönig sei willkommen"

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 182 Himmelskönig sei willkommen
By Yumiko Kurisu [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter-tenor], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1041,1042,1043 & the Oboe Concerto in Cm BWV 1060
By Hilary Hahn [violin], L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Allan Vogel [oboe] and Jeffrey Kahana [dir.], on Deutsche Gramophone









Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Sonatas BWV 1014-1019
By Ton Koopman [harpsichord], Catherine Manson [violin], on Challenge Classics









Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 10, 11, 12, 13, 8 "Pathetique", 14 "Mondschein", 23 "Appasionata"
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 1 and 2 (Marriner).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Right no more messing about - Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky - Scottish National Orchestra - Neeme Jarvi









after today at Anfield, to commemorate the trouncing of the hordes from the East .... oh, hang on, Nevsky thrashed the Teutonic Knights and they didn't come from the East. Eh well, we can still have the charge across the ice, anyway - I just hope we don't slip up in the next four games!


----------



## LancsMan

*Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 131 and 132* Alban Berg Quartet on EMI








Well after hearing the Busch Quartet in these two works I'm now listening to the Alban Berg Quartet's polished performance with hi-fi sound. On balance I think I prefer the Busch Quartet despite the 1930's sound!

The Op. 131 quartet seems to be regularly judged Beethoven's greatest. I can't really quibble with this judgement, although I sometimes feel the second half (movements 5-7) doesn't quite match the quality of the first half. The first movement and the variations movement are to mind rather special.

The Op. 132 quartet features the rather special slow movement - thanksgiving of a convalescent to the Deity. But if I am forced to choose which of the late Beethoven quartets is my least favourite I'd choose this one. This quartet seems to have a more subdued and less life enhancing quality than the other late quartets. The minuet section of the second movement to me has a rather weary air about it, although the trio section of this movement is a delightful contrast. However I've made similar comments on Talk Classical about this quartet in the past, and plenty of people have rather strongly disagreed!


----------



## aleazk

*Perotin* by _The Hilliard Ensemble_.

I strongly recommend this Cd.

Here's a playlist in youtube.


----------



## Alypius

*Schumann: Fantasie C-dur, op. 17*

Leif Ove Andnes, _Schumann: Klaviersonate no. 1_ (EMI, 1997)










I discovered a library copy of this a year ago and found it a superb interpretation of both Sonata #1 and Fantasie. It's apparently out of print, but happily I finally found a used copy (and at a bargain price) at a local store. A gem.


----------



## KenOC

LancsMan said:


> The minuet section of the second movement to me has a rather weary air about it, although the trio section of this movement is a delightful contrast. However I've made similar comments on Talk Classical about this quartet in the past, and plenty of people have rather strongly disagreed!


I've heard it said that the 2nd movement is Beethoven recalling his enervation while he was quite ill in his sickbed. Except for the trio, it sure sounds that way. But who wants to listen to some old man go on and on about how lousy he feels?

But, for the rest of the quartet, all is forgiven!


----------



## millionrainbows

Anthony Newman.


----------



## AH music

Weekend listening - 1) Sibelius Symphonies #1 and #2 from the Berglund / Bournemouth set, both excellent. 2) Haydn Symphonies 9-11 from the Fischer set, very enjoyable. 3) Haydn String Quartets Op 20 nos 6, 5 and 2 - the order on the Buchberger complete recordings, which I think are excellent, prefer these more sprightly readings to the Op 20 I have from Naxos / Kodaly Quartet.


----------



## Blancrocher

Continuing my initial exploration of Sibelius' work for string quartet, performed by the Tempera Quartet. Thanks again to Vaneyes for putting me onto these amazing cds.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No.2
De Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain Artur Rubinstein/Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy

One of my favourite Rubinstein records. 81 when he recorded these works, he sounds as youthful as ever in the Saint-Saens, and the de Falla is wonderfully atmospheric, Ormandy and the Philadelphia are wonderful partners, and the luscious sound in the de Falla is so beautiful that it warms you all the way through, what a marvellous conductor he was. A superb record.


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Sinfonia in D Major, Op.18, No.6

Hanspeter Gmur directing the Failoni Orchestra


----------



## Manxfeeder

LancsMan said:


> *
> The Op. 132 quartet features the rather special slow movement - thanksgiving of a convalescent to the Deity. But if I am forced to choose which of the late Beethoven quartets is my least favourite I'd choose this one . . . However I've made similar comments on Talk Classical about this quartet in the past, and plenty of people have rather strongly disagreed!*


*

Yep. It's one of my favorite quartets of all time; the prayer of the Heileger Dankesang is so authentic, and it's what introduced me to Obrecht, which opened up Renaissance polyphony. But I can understand it not appealing to others, so no boxing gloves here, only a clink of a glass of herb tea and an agreement to disagree.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. John Passion*

I'm obligated to see Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ later (though I strongly don't want to), so I'm getting ready with Bach's setting, which I much prefer to any movie.


----------



## LancsMan

*Schubert: Winterreise* Peter Schreier, Sviatoslav Richter on Philips








Touching performances of perhaps the greatest Song Cycle of all. Early romantic angst as only Shubert can do it. Simple and spare music much of the time, but Schubert's harmonic world is quite unique to him, and has a quite startling impact at times.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mahlerian said:


> I doubt there is anyone. Even for someone like Sid James who's been here most of that time, people have times when they're not active. I don't think I've seen any of the early stuff beyond the first 2 pages.


I'm not too proud to say I'm exactly the kind of OCD /shut-in / Rain Man who has done exactly this.

The largest percentage, though, of catching up with the 1319 pages that preceeded my arrival was done one weekend when I was as sick as a dog but had to go into work anyway because no one would cover me. I just propped myself up at my desk and cheered myself up a little trawling through lots of classical listenings.

Oh...and as well as congrats for 60,000 posts, also congrats for 4,000 pages!

edit: just calculated that this means while I've been here for only 24% of the chronology, I've been here for 67% of the content.


----------



## JCarmel

I started to watch 'The Passion of the Christ' but turned it off half way through...as I'd absolutely had enough. Good Luck to you, Manxfeeder....

I'm joining you, Headphone Hermit...on the ice fields...(otherwise known as the clipped greens of the Masters Augusta course, perhaps?! The balls are skidding-through at a great pace!)

S. Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky Andre Previn conducts the LSO


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
92 Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn
93 Wer nur den lieben Gott Läßt walten

Gustav Leonhardt (91, 92) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (93), cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Debussy: Reflets dans l'eau/Soiree dans Grenade/Suite Bergamasque/Pour le Piano
Ravel: Sonatine/Valses Nobles et Sentimentales/Gaspard de la Nuit Friedrich Gulda

The second cd from this set, every bit as enjoyable as the first. Such characterful playing. Brilliant.


----------



## JCarmel

Here he is, Shropshire Moose...in a natty hat!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Josquin, Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae*

This one gets better with every listen.


----------



## Morimur

*Magnus Lindberg - Graffiti • Seht Die Sonne (Oramo)*

Magnificent performances of important pieces by one of the most prominent composers of the late 20th century.


----------



## SimonNZ

ptr said:


> A splash of Les Percussions De Strasbourg LPs;
> 
> *Gilbert Amy* - Cycle / *Roman Haubenstock-Ramati* - Jeux 6 (Philips)
> 
> View attachment 39360
> 
> 
> *Miloslav Kabelac* - 8 inventions / *Maurice Ohana* - 4 études choréographiques (Philips)
> 
> View attachment 39361
> 
> 
> East meets West; *Tona Scherchen* - Shen / *Alain Louvier* - Candrakala & Shima / *Georges Aperghis* - Kryptogramma (Philips)
> 
> View attachment 39363
> 
> 
> Les Percussions De Strasbourg
> 
> /ptr


This reminded me that I've been toying with getting the 15cd Percussions De Strasbourg box set. Looking again I see its got all the pieces you just mentioned, so I've bit the bullet and ordered it.










http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Accord/4806512


----------



## Mahlerian

Eötvös: Seven, for violin and orchestra
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Eötvös


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian, may I ask you to comment on that one?


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> Mahlerian, may I ask you to comment on that one?


It's my first listen, and I wasn't able to pay full attention for various reasons. Couldn't really tell much. It didn't make an immediate impression. Well orchestrated, though.


----------



## bejart

Andreas Romberg (1767-1821): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.1, No.1

Leipzig Quartet: Andreas Seidel and Tilman Buning, violins -- Ivo Bauer, viola -- Matthias Moosdorf, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Gergiev conducting Mutter and the LSO in Gubaidulina's violin concerto, "In tempus praesens."


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 7


----------



## KenOC

A rarity: Arensky's Symphony #2 in A, Svetlanov and the USSR Symphony Orchestra. Quite good!


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## hpowders

Debussy, Preludes, Book One.
Nelson Freire, piano.

After being bored to tears by Steven Osborne in the Debussy Preludes, who plays all the notes but hasn't got a clue regarding atmosphere, I'm happy to report that Nelson Freire is the real deal.
Fabulous Debussy playing.
His La Cathédrale engloutie is simply the best I've heard since Rubinstein.

Highly recommended!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento No.5, KV 439b

Henk de Graaf and Jan Jansen, clarinets -- Johan Steinmann, bassoon


----------



## Guest

I heard her last night--wow! Her playing was electrifying. I bought this disc during intermission and she signed it after the concert.










Her playing probably isn't to everyone's taste: she can be overly volatile one minute, ala Martha Argerich, then the slow, quiet parts recall Pogorelich at his dreamiest! Both traits are more obvious on her Liszt CD, but there's some of that here, too.

In case you are wondering, here is her program:

LISZT Sonata in B minor

RAVEL La Valse

Intermission

CHOPIN Sonata No. 2

STRAVINSKY Petrushka

Encores:

Handel: Minuet (arr. W. Kempf)
Prokofiev: Precipitato from Sonata No.7


----------



## senza sordino

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 39399
> 
> 
> Gergiev conducting Mutter and the LSO in Gubaidulina's violin concerto, "In tempus praesens."


This is something I would like to hear. No Spotify here in Canada. I'm on a mission to collect a lot of violin concerti. And Mutter plays wonderfully. Although I find Gergiev conducts some of his stuff a bit fast for me. But definitely something I will look for. Thanks.


----------



## Guest

As far as that arbitrary Rautavaara vs. Dutilleux poll goes...I still need to listen to Dutilleux more overall, but the first listen here is infinitely more impressive than the listen I had to the Rautavaara piano works.


----------



## Sonata

Richard Strauss: Complete Chamber works discs 3 & 3
Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues
Jonas Kaufmann: Verdi Album


----------



## bejart

Jean-Frederic Edelmann (1749-1794): Piano in C Minor, Op.8, No.1

Sylvie Pecot-Douatte, piano


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven! String Quintet Op. 29. Amadeus Quartet, but I can't find that so here's another one.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, K. 622
Raff: Symphony No. 3, Op. 153 "Im Walde"


----------



## senza sordino

Some calm and quiet music before bed, Sunday evening before the work week begins 
*Delius Double Concerto for Cello and Violin, Concerto for Violin and Concerto for Cello*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> _Of all Bellini's operas, Norma is the one which unites the richest flow of melody with the deepest glow of truth .... I admire Norma's melodic inspiration, which joins the most intimate passion to the most profound reality; a great score that talks straight to the heart - a work of genius._
> 
> Richard Wagner


_Absolute_ genius. I can't recall how many times Bellini rewrote _Casta Diva_ to get it just 'right.'


----------



## Itullian

GregMitchell said:


> _Of all Bellini's operas, Norma is the one which unites the richest flow of melody with the deepest glow of truth .... I admire Norma's melodic inspiration, which joins the most intimate passion to the most profound reality; a great score that talks straight to the heart - a work of genius._
> 
> Richard Wagner


If Richard says it, it must be true.


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> _Absolute_ genius. I can't recall how many times Bellini rewrote _Casta Diva_ to get it just 'right.'


Cecilia Bartoli fiddles around with the tune on the second verse. HIP, you know.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> If Richard says it, it must be true.


_Argumentum ad baculum_ fallacy, "_Das Judenthum in der Musik_" and all. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> Cecilia Bartoli fiddles around with the tune on the second verse. HIP, you know.


Hey, I suppose in these post-modernist times if we can have ghetto-patois Shakespeare, we can also have American-Idol Bellini.


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> _Argumentum ad baculum_ fallacy, "_Das Judenthum in der Musik_" and all. Ha. Ha. Ha.


??? Last I heard, Wagner is safely dead and unlikely to cudgel anybody...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> ??? Last I heard, Wagner is safely dead and unlikely to cudgel anybody...


Oh don't get me wrong. I love Wagner the artist beyond belief. If I had to judge an artist or a philosopher solely by their personal life or ad hoc remarks, there's a whole swath of ad-hominem heavy luminaries I'd have to give up: Aristotle, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Delius, Benvenuto Cellini, Franz Schmidt, Leo Tolstoy, Otto Klemperer, . . . even certain facets of my cherished Thomas Jefferson.


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> Oh don't get me wrong. I love Wagner the artist beyond belief. If I had to judge an artist or a philosopher solely by their personal life or ad hoc remarks, there's a whole swath of ad-hominem heavy luminaries I'd have to give up: Aristotle, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Delius, Benvenuto Cellini, Franz Schmidt, Leo Tolstoy, Otto Klemperer, . . . even certain facets of my cherished Thomas Jefferson.


Indeed: "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Indeed: "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones."


"Great men are almost always bad men."

- Lord Acton


----------



## Op.123

Listened to a little while ago - Copland Appalachian of spring
Now listening to nothing


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> "Great men are almost always bad men."
> 
> - Lord Acton


And how about Lord Acton?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Maria Cebotari's to Blame*









Well, I'm going to bed now. I have to get up at 4:00 for work. I've been listening to this disk for the last hour or so on repeat, and its entirely worth the punishment I'll suffer a couple of hours from now when I have to get up.

Strauss' "_Es gibt ein Reich_" from _Ariadne auf Naxos_ and Johann Strauss' "_Fruhlingsstimmer-Walzer_" are just sung delightfully beyond belief. Her light-lyric tone reminds me of vintage Schawarzkopf, but with much more horsepower.


----------



## Andolink

*Hector Parra*: _Stress Tensor_ for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio (2009)
ensemble recherche









*Franz Schubert*: _Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, D. 929_
The Mozartean Players


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D960 (Elisabeth Leonskaja).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 6 in E-Flat Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> And how about Lord Acton?


Well, even though he was the greatest historian that ever _was_, he wrote the Greatest-Book-That-Never-_Was_ as well: his planned multi-volume _History of Freedom_. He spent so much time reading-- because he didn't want to leave any stone unturned, that he died before he could complete his magnum opus.

. . . so near-greats don't count.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

_;D_


----------



## KenOC

Must check this. I don't know Lord Acton. Thanks!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Marschallin Blair said:


> Well, even though he was the greatest historian that ever _was_, he wrote the Greatest-Book-That-Never-_Was_ as well: his planned multi-volume _History of Freedom_. He spent so much time reading-- because he didn't want to leave any stone unturned, that he died before he could complete his magnum opus.
> 
> . . . so near-greats don't count.
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.
> 
> _;D_


Marschallin Blair, could you tell me who your avatar is? Is this from a show on TV?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Marschallin Blair, could you tell me who your avatar is? Is this from a show on TV?


Absolutely: Blair Warner from the_ Facts of Life_. My separated-at-birth twin.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Marschallin Blair said:


> Absolutely: Blair Warner from the_ Facts of Life_. My separated-at-birth twin.


Are you kidding or not?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Must check this. I don't know Lord Acton. Thanks!


Catholics weren't allowed to teach at Cambridge in _fin-de-siecle_ Britain. Acton changed all that. He was so brilliant they had to hire him. . . and no, I'm not saying this because I'm Catholic. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. -- because I'm not.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Are you kidding or not?


No, I'm serious as a heart attack. I'm as blonde and WASPY-looking as they come, why?


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Fantasy on Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
Wagner-Liszt: Spinning Chorus from "The Flying Dutchman" Louis Kentner

Louis Kentner on leonine form in these two wonderful pieces from the pen of Franz Liszt. Kentner was a superb Lisztian, and all of his Turnabout Lps are well worth searching out. This one I bought new in 1981, for the grand total of 99p! I love it still.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

I adore this score. I got to know it originally from Maazel's Cleveleland Orchestra version, but this is very special too. The spacious tempo set for the first big pas de deux would no doubt test the dancers, but works wonderfully well in the context of a concert performance of the score, the LSO strings rich and sonorous. Enjoying it enormously.


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> This reminded me that I've been toying with getting the 15cd Percussions De Strasbourg box set. Looking again I see its got all the pieces you just mentioned, so I've bit the bullet and ordered it.


I just have 8 or 10 of the original LP releases, will have to look in to this box!

/ptr


----------



## cjvinthechair

M for Monday listening :

Myaskovsky - Silence: 



Mustonen - Symphony no. 1 'Tuuri': 



Murphy - Harp Concerto : 



Mokranjac - Strasna Sedmica (Passion Week):


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligeti's Chamber Concerto - David Atherton, cond.


----------



## dgee

Look what your Mozart PC threads made me do! Now I'm just jelly on the floor!


----------



## bejart

Georg Muffat (1653-1704): Concerto Grosso No.1 in D Minor

Peter Zajicek conducting the Musica Aeterna Bratislava


----------



## Andolink

*Gabriel Faure*: _Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120_
Trio George Sand

*Maurice Ravel*: _Piano Trio in A minor_
Trio George Sand


----------



## bejart

Marschallin Blair said:


> Absolutely: Blair Warner from the_ Facts of Life_. My separated-at-birth twin.


She's a nice lady. I met her a few years ago in a parenting seminar at a home school convention.

Now ---
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D 113

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production I - 
Trio in E-Flat Major for two Violins & B.c.;
Solo in B minor for Flute & B.c. (Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## SimonNZ

Alkan's Concerto For Solo Piano - Ronald Smith, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

bejart said:


> She's a nice lady. I met her a few years ago in a parenting seminar at a home school convention.
> 
> Now ---
> Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D 113
> 
> L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin
> 
> View attachment 39429


---
Yeah, she seems nice. . . but I love her role on the show more. . . way,_ way _more. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G, K. 453; Rondo, K. 382
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rimsky-Korsakov: The Invisible City of Kitezh*









First act.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39425
> 
> 
> I adore this score. I got to know it originally from Maazel's Cleveleland Orchestra version, but this is very special too. The spacious tempo set for the first big pas de deux would no doubt test the dancers, but works wonderfully well in the context of a concert performance of the score, the LSO strings rich and sonorous. Enjoying it enormously.


_Vous êtes le plus gentil et généreux_. I have to hear this. . . <click> 'ordered.' Thanks.


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato


----------



## Andolink

*Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major, Op. 134_
Isabelle Faust, violin
Alexander Melnikov, piano


----------



## shadowdancer

This one makes my Monday morning muuuuuchhhhhh better.


----------



## jani

Beethovens 5th piano concerto, its my favorite piano concerto i have heard.




After that my favorite violin conerto.


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/classical
Edward Martin and Paul Berget - Suite for 2 Lutes in Bb (Baron)


----------



## AH music

Reicha or Rejcha? Best to check both to find out what's available on spotify - and I think that much of what is found is very good indeed. Still loads of his wind quintets to discover, but this disc of piano trios has really captivated me. Three fine pieces and not a single weak movement as far as my appreciation and tastes are concerned. Engaging, inventive and enough serious content to make really rewarding listening - at least that's my own judgement at this satge. I am certain I will be returning often to these pieces (piano trios often seem to bring out greatness in composers) and that this particular record looks set to accelerate rapidly towards the top of my personal favourites list. Lovely performances.


----------



## Cheyenne

Toscanini's recording of Kalinnikov's first symphony.. I adore the slow movement.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

jani said:


> Beethovens 5th piano concerto, its my favorite piano concerto i have heard.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that my favorite violin conerto.


05:53-06:14 on the Sibelius Violin Concerto-- I love that passage, not necessarily the way Barenboim does it though. . . _at all_. Ha. Ha. Ha. The Best-In-Show laurels for this has to go to the Sinopoli/Philharmonia.


----------



## JCarmel

That's Auntie May's favourite Concerto, Mahlerian...& I'm going to listen to it now in memory of one very amusing and lovable person who was my favourite relative when I was a kid.......she spoilt me, the only one who ever did!

Mozart Piano Concerto No 17 Geza Anda, Camerata Academica du Mozarteum de Salzbourg


----------



## Vasks

_and the LPs keep on spinning_

*Avni - Programme Music (Mehta/Jerusalem)
Takemitsu - The Dorian Horizon (Ozawa/RCA)
Rochberg - Nach Bach (Kipnis/Grenadilla)
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms (Shaw/RCA)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Andolink said:


> *Hector Parra*: _Stress Tensor_ for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio (2009)
> ensemble recherche
> 
> View attachment 39416
> 
> 
> *Franz Schubert*: _Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, D. 929_
> The Mozartean Players
> 
> View attachment 39418


Anyone know the name of the painting on the cover of the Schubert? I'm in love with it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> That's Auntie May's favourite Concerto, Mahlerian...& I'm going to listen to it now in memory of one very amusing and lovable person who was my favourite relative when I was a kid.......she spoilt me, the only one who ever did!
> 
> Mozart Piano Concerto No 17 Geza Anda, Camerata Academica du Mozarteum de Salzbourg
> 
> View attachment 39450


---
Lovely reminsicence. . . I love those-type aunts and grandparents!!


----------



## Blancrocher

Fou Ts'ong playing some favorite Mozart piano pieces (rec. 1993)


----------



## Oskaar

*Requiem - Mozart - *
*Zagreb 2006 - 
Margareta Klobučar, Janja Vuletić, Zrinko Sočo, Luciano Batinić,
Dirigent: Tonči Bilić*

Very fine production! Opera and stage-works is much easier for me to enjoy in a tv-video presentation. I dont have much to compare with, but find this very good.

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major, 'Emperor' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I don't know what happened back there. I meant to post Rosiland Russell's Auntie Mame, not Lucille Ball as Mame.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Boulez*: Sur Incises, etc., w. Boulez et al (rec.1999); Piano Sonatas, w. Jumpannen (rec.2004).


----------



## Vaneyes

Kontrapunctus said:


> I heard her last night--wow! Her playing was electrifying. I bought this disc during intermission and she signed it after the concert.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Her playing probably isn't to everyone's taste: she can be overly volatile one minute, ala Martha Argerich, then the slow, quiet parts recall Pogorelich at his dreamiest! Both traits are more obvious on her Liszt CD, but there's some of that here, too.
> 
> In case you are wondering, here is her program:
> 
> LISZT Sonata in B minor
> 
> RAVEL La Valse
> 
> Intermission
> 
> CHOPIN Sonata No. 2
> 
> STRAVINSKY Petrushka
> 
> Encores:
> 
> Handel: Minuet (arr. W. Kempf)
> Prokofiev: Precipitato from Sonata No.7


She's got *The Look*, too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kontrapunctus said:


> I heard her last night--wow! Her playing was electrifying. I bought this disc during intermission and she signed it after the concert.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Her playing probably isn't to everyone's taste: she can be overly volatile one minute, ala Martha Argerich, then the slow, quiet parts recall Pogorelich at his dreamiest! Both traits are more obvious on her Liszt CD, but there's some of that here, too.In case you are wondering, here is her program:
> 
> LISZT Sonata in B minor
> 
> RAVEL La Valse
> 
> Intermission
> 
> CHOPIN Sonata No. 2
> 
> STRAVINSKY Petrushka
> 
> Encores:
> 
> Handel: Minuet (arr. W. Kempf)
> Prokofiev: Precipitato from Sonata No.7


--
Quite a boast. Ha. Ha. Ha. I need to hear it. Thanks.


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I'm not sure about that, Vaneyes?! I think you want to look for a 'look' that indicates that that person will do their share of the Washing Up!
The singing is very good on this cd of Handel Opera Seria.....though what Sandrine Piau is like with the dish mop, one can only conjecture...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Well, I'm not sure about that, Vaneyes?! I think you want to look for a 'look' that indicates that that person will do their share of the Washing Up!
> The singing is very good on this cd of Handel Opera Seria.....though what Sandrine Piau is like with the dish mop, one can only conjecture...
> 
> View attachment 39454


(With the right make-up and lighting) you can pretend to have looks. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

You can't pretend to have talent.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Sorry.

A tripple espresso is never enough.


----------



## Vaneyes

Catching up on required *Saturday Symphony* listening.
*
Haydn*: Symphony 103 "Drumroll", w. ACO/Harnoncourt (rec. 1988).

View attachment 39456


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## opus55

Beethoven: String Quartet in B flat major, Op.18 No. 6


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## JCarmel

Listened to Kondrashin's 'Scheherezade' the other day....I'm about to hear how Reiner and the Chicago S.O. match-up to that impressive recording.
Let Battle commence!....


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## moody

JCarmel said:


> Listened to Kondrashin's 'Scheherezade' the other day....I'm about to hear how Reiner and the Chicago S.O. match-up to that impressive recording.
> Let Battle commence!....
> 
> View attachment 39457


Reiner is the better--get hold of Beecham.


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## Sonata

Just started listening to my newly acquired "The Complete Franz Schubert String Quartets" by the Taneyev Quartet. I hope to get through the first two or three during my lunch hour. I'm really enjoying the first one right now! Beautiful


----------



## Alypius

*Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op. 22*

*Steven Osborne, Mussorgsky: Pictures from an Exhibition / Prokofiev: Sarcasms, Visions Fugitives (Hyperion, 2013)*


----------



## Morimur

*Vladimir Godar - Mater (Stryncl)*










*Rich, raw and uplifting music reveals an important new voice*

To say that Vladímir Godár is a typical ECM discovery is certainly not to diminish either him or ECM. This Slovak composer, born in 1956, uses a vocabulary in the works recorded here that will inevitably recall Górecki, and also at times Pärt and Tavener, though the music's emotional intensity, the particular way in which repetition is used and the use of certain sonorities and chords, relate much more to the Polish composer than the other two, very noticeably in the Stabat mater; aficionados of these composers will certainly enjoy what is recorded here. But though the music may recall them, it does not sound like any of them for any length of time: Godár has his own way of saying what he wants to say, which is, for him, intimately connected with what he calls "musical archaeology", specifically Slovak culture, musical, literary and religious.

Thus there are works that draw upon Slovak translations of the Magnificat and Stabat mater, traditional lullabies, a Latin Regina coeli and, rather oddly, a single poem by James Joyce. The Magnificat is based very simply on the immediately recognisable first tone, for solo voice and dark string underpinning, but is interrupted by massive choral interjections of the word "Magnificat" at its climax - a simple but effective device. There are conscious references to the Baroque at various points but folk monody - the archetypal lullaby of the mother - is what really holds all this material together.

Godár's transparent but strong style is greatly helped in this by the powerfully raw voice of the amazing Iva Bittová, but also by the precision of Solamente Naturali and the Bratislava choir. I predict a great future for this recording.

-- Ivan Moody, Gramophone [5/2007]


----------



## KenOC

Lope de Aguirre said:


> *Rich, raw and uplifting music reveals an important new voice*


I kid you not -- thought at first I was on the composer's acronym thread and tried to sound this out to see who you were naming!


----------



## hpowders

Chopin, Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3.
Maurizio Pollini

Simply put, one of the greatest Chopin recordings of all time.
Mandatory listening for Chopin lovers.


----------



## rrudolph

Today is Morton Subotnick's 81st birthday.

Silver Apples of the Moon/The Wild Bull


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## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production I - 
Conclusion in E minor for two Flutes, Strings & B.c.;
Production II - Overture - Suite in D Major for Oboe, Trumpet, Strings & B.c. 
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).









The recording has such a pure, sparkling sound. Very happy with the purchase .


----------



## JCarmel

OK, Moody...I'll go back and listen to Beecham's

So far, I've listened to my two existing recordings of Rudolf Kempe on Testament cd...that I have also as the original 'Classics for Pleasure' LP, that I purchased back in the 1960's after reading a very favourable review in the Gramophone.
I also have Sir Charles Mackerras on Telarc cd....and I've listened to most of all of the four interpretations in a mammoth Scheherazade Slog!!
I've heard Beecham before but not in critical comparison...so I'll be back later to report on my conclusions after Spotifying his version!
But you're right so far...Reiner most certainly beats Kondrashin but spoils the party a bit by lingering-overlong in the third movement. That 'got my goat' somewhat. I do hate having to wait for music to catch-up to the speed I want to listen to it at!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp minor, 'Moonlight';
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, 'Pathétique' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## Blake

Francois Bayle - _50 ans d'acousmatique._ On disc 11 now. This whole set has been quite the ride. Most excellent.


----------



## JCarmel

Right, I have a result.
I asked a pal, who like me I believe, is not unduly prejudiced (except by those characteristics of personal character that inevitably influence our tastes & responses to music and of which there's not too much we can do about) to listen to the five interpretations with me...& we sat with eyes closed, in rapt attention throughout.
I decided that I'd purchase the winner between Kondrashin, Reiner and Beecham to add to my existing Mackerras and Kempe discs. I was initially concentrating on tempi, musicality, tonal colour...the ability to capture fully in a sound-world, what the composer intended but although I wasn't listening through a full hi-fi set-up, the factor of recording quality ended-up affecting our eventual choice. 
Rather than go into boring details...& I think I could be quite boring here!.....the winner, despite the un-Reineresque tempi of the third movement..is the Reiner. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra are simply thrilling under Reiner's baton. Period.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mahler VI: Last Movement*









Warm.









Warmer.









_Hot._


----------



## Alypius

Continuing on with more Prokofiev: The two violin concertos.

*Maxim Vengerov / Mstislav Rostropovich / LSO: 
Prokofiev & Shostakovich Violin Concertos #1 (Teldec, 1994) 
& Prokofiev & Shostakovich Violin Concertos #2 (Teldec, 1997)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Fire-breathing Nielson's Fifth*









Bernstein?

Thomson?

Certainly good in their way.

_Ole Schmidt's?-- _total game-changer of a performance. Fantastic recording quality as well.

I've been getting a lot of mileage out of the outer movements of this symphony lately.


----------



## csacks

Sonata said:


> Just started listening to my newly acquired "The Complete Franz Schubert String Quartets" by the Taneyev Quartet. I hope to get through the first two or three during my lunch hour. I'm really enjoying the first one right now! Beautiful


I have got them from the Melos Quartet. It seems to be that the quartets are so good that they sound pretty with every performer.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Ligeti*: Orchestral, w. BPO/Nott (rec.2001); String Quartets, w. Arditti Qt. (rec.1994); Solo Piano, w. Aimard (rec.1995/6).

View attachment 39472


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## Sudonim

According to the label (John Zorn's Tzadik), "This heartfelt tribute, organized by the Earle Brown Foundation to commemorate Brown's 80th birthday, brings together musicians and ensembles from rock, jazz and classical backgrounds in exciting and varied realizations of Brown's groundbreaking open form work, Folio and Four Systems."

I can certainly see the similarity and influence this music must have had on later avant-garde jazz/free improv musicians. And it's no surprise to see a few of them here (Wadada Leo Smith, Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman, Ikue Mori), among other musicians, to help bring this album to realization. I can hear traces of AMM and Sven-Åke Johansson (particularly his album Kalte Welle 102 - Dreizehn Fragmente). Adventurous stuff to be sure, but it sounds fine to these ears ...


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by hpowders. *Chopin*: Piano Sonata 2, w. Pogo (rec.1981), w. ABM (rec.1959); Piano Sonata 3, w. Demidenko (rec.1993).

View attachment 39473


----------



## Morimur

*Lou Harrison - The Perilous Chapel (SF Contemporary Music Players)*










Harrison's music has a sense of humor. His Harp Suite (1952) is actually for guitar, harp, or harpsichord--here it's for guitar and all kinds of interesting percussion. Harrison's music is tonal, but he often adapts Indonesian pentatonic scales and Polynesian musical instruments as well as elements of dance, Eastern, and Western. The Perilous Chapel (1948) is a dance piece for flute, cello, drums, and harp, and though it's structured traditionally, Harrison blends the instruments in such a way as to make it sound oriental. If you're not familiar with Harrison, this is a good place to start. --Paul Cook


----------



## science




----------



## JCarmel

Some of my very favourite Liszt.... are the Schubert Song Transcriptions.









They receive lovely performances by Jorge Bolet









(Sorry about the additional irrelevant image below...I'd be very grateful for advice as to how to remove a mistake such as this)


----------



## julianoq

Nelson Freire playing Debussy's Preludes Book 1. Amazing performance.


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> Inspired by hpowders. *Chopin*: Piano Sonata 2, w. Pogo (rec.1981), w. ABM (rec.1959); Piano Sonata 3, w. Demidenko (rec.1993).
> 
> View attachment 39473


You flatter me, Vaneyes. :tiphat:


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## hpowders

julianoq said:


> Nelson Freire playing Debussy's Preludes Book 1. Amazing performance.


Yes. He knows how to add just the right touch of atmosphere. So difficult to achieve.


----------



## Bas

I went full Mozart...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintets (all six)
By the Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes [viola], on Hyperion









Very fine works (as background, but also as foreground, they actually have a lot of musical content, substance - by lack of a better explanation in English)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonatas k. 283, k. 284, k. 311, k. 279, k. 280, k. 281, k. 282, k 475, k. 457, k. 570, k. 576
By Friedrich Gulda [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Gulda, what a genius!


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## opus55

Hayn: Cello Concertos
Khachaturian: Cello Concerto


----------



## Morimur

*Robert Kyr - (2005) Violin Concerto Trilogy*

Complex, yet highly accessible works by Robert Kyr.


----------



## AH music

Hugo Alfven - the large scale and rather fine Symphony #2 from the Brilliant Classics set which is my introduction to this composer, another I am finding well worth exploring.


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## Mahlerian

JCarmel said:


> That's Auntie May's favourite Concerto, Mahlerian...& I'm going to listen to it now in memory of one very amusing and lovable person who was my favourite relative when I was a kid.......she spoilt me, the only one who ever did!


That's a great story, thank you! I hope it brought up good memories.

Doing a brief Youtube search for this (last) week's SS, I came across a Boulez/Chicago version of the Drumroll. I have no clue if this is going to be any good or not, but here goes....:


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## KenOC

Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2. Garrick Ohlsson, Melbourne SO. Boy, this thing is BIG! Pretty good, too...


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## opus55

Vanhal: Vanhal: Concerto for 2 Bassoons
Kyr: Violin Concertos

















Following Lope de Aguirre's pick of Kyr Violin Concertos.


----------



## Blancrocher

Gulda playing middle-period Beethoven. Just started the 3rd movement of the Waldstein, and I'm suddenly feeling more cheerful


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## Morimur

*Feldman | Zimmermann | Schoenberg | Xenakis - Phantasy of Spring (Widmann, Lepper)*










Carolin Widmann follows her impressive survey of Schumann's violin sonatas last year with something completely different and, in its own way, equally outstanding. These four 20th-century works for violin and piano are sharply contrasted from each other, too, and it's a measure of Widmann's excellence, and that of the pianist Simon Lepper, that they all *receive performances of such idiomatic understanding. If Bernd Alois Zimmermann's early, rather Bartók-like and *Bartók-lite sonata is the least memorable of the pieces, Widmann presents the best case I've heard on disc for the *communicative power of Schoenberg's sometimes dry and forbidding Phantasy for violin with piano accompaniment. She makes light of the technical *challenges of Xenakis's rebarbative *Dikthas, while at the other end of the postwar stylistic spectrum she and *Lepper produce a beautifully voiced performance of Morton Feldman's Spring of Chosroes. A very fine collection.

Andrew Clements
The Guardian, Thursday 26 November 2009


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## TurnaboutVox

Good evening, all.



JCarmel said:


> (Sorry about the additional irrelevant image below...I'd be very grateful for advice as to how to remove a mistake such as this)


If you click on 'Go Advanced' and then scroll down to 'manage attachments, click on that and you should see everything you've attached to the post. You should then be able to remove anything you've inadvertently attached. This has worked when I've done this, at any rate.



Lope de Aguirre said:


> Complex, yet highly accessible works by Robert Kyr.


Sorry to see you're not represented by Klaus Kinsky any more, Lope de Aguirre! My favourite unhinged actor.

Tonight's listening:

*Alban Berg*

*Four Pieces for clarinet and piano, Op. 5*
Sabine Meyer, Oleg Maisenberg

*Seven Early Songs*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg

*Schliebe mir die Augen beide; An Leukon; Schliebe mir die Augen beide*
Margaret Marshall, Geoffrey Parsons

*Four songs for voice and piano, Op. 2*
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Aribert Reimann

*Seven Early Songs*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
*
Fünf Orchesterlieder, Op. 4*
Juliane Banse, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado


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## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> That's a great story, thank you! I hope it brought up good memories.
> 
> Doing a brief Youtube search for this (last) week's SS, I came across a Boulez/Chicago version of the Drumroll. I have no clue if this is going to be any good or not, but here goes....:
> 
> I played this performance of the Drumroll. It cut off at about the 5 minute mark and I continued it on Youtube. It's a good straightforward performance with a smidgen of anachronistic mannerisms, such as the first violinist's slides in the second movement. Considering the source, I was pleasantly surprised.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

94 Was frag ich nach der Welt
95 Christus, der ist mein Leben
96 Herr Christ, der einige Gottessohn

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)

Wow...just when you think things are going to settle into a predictable pattern you get a disc like this! Perhaps because these three are as unknown as any of Bach's cantatas can be Harnoncourt allows himself the luxury of playing up all the beauty and tunefulness, but also of showcasing some of the unusual scoring effectes and techniques throughout (the dramatic pause in the middle of the opening chorus of 95 is something I'm not sure I've heard anywhere else in Bach). Possibly the best use of the boy sopranos are made here as well. All three works are made to sound like they could be popular favorites, even though in reality they're as seldom recorded as any can be. I'm going to play this again later today.

Harnoncourt haters: please start listening here:


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## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Sinfonia in C Minor

Concerto Koln


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## Blake

Back to the Wolf. Pinnock's symphony cycle - disc 7. It should go without saying that this is beautiful.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Handel, Messiah*

Still not feeling the love for this interpretation. Part of the problem is, the choir is too far back for my taste. Also, what's with the clumsy wording? I know it may be written that way, but you can fix "incorrup-TIBLE."


----------



## Andolink

This really impressed me today:

*Hector Parra*: _Caressant l'Horizon_ for large ensemble (2011)
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Emilio Pomárico


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Egon Wellsz, Symphony No. 9.*

Intense but not off-putting.


----------



## Sid James

I've been listening to quite a bit since posting here including these:










"*Fandango" album* (on ABC Classics)
*Pujol* _Tangata de Agosto_
*Haydn* _Quartet in D major for concertante guitar, violin, viola & cello_
*Boccherini* _Guitar Quintet #4 in D major, "Fandango"_
*Houghton *_In Amber_
- Karin Schaupp, guitar with the Flinders Quartet

A favourite album, and good selection of contrasting pieces. *Pujol,* like Piazzolla, mixes tango with classical. The *Haydn *guitar quartet is an arrangement (most likely by another anonymous hand) of one of his string quartets. *Boccherini's Guitar Quintet "Fandango"* is one of his best known works and justifiably so, the last movement lending it its name sounds as fresh as ever, castanets added for extra spice.

*Houghton's In Amber* displays his ability to create music reminiscent of images and landscapes, and an Australian feel with a twist - the last movement has rhythms suggestive of Aboriginal dances and imitation of sounds of the bull roarer and didgeridoo. The composer however said it came to mind when helicopters where flying over Melbourne during some international political conference, with all the high security attached. Its that sense of ancient meets modern that constantly amazes me in music.










*Two piano recital by Martha Argerich and Stephen Bishop Kovacevich* (on Decca)
*Bartok* _Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion_*
*Mozart* _Andante with Five Variations in G major, K 501_
*Debussy *_En blanc et noir_
Bonus tracks: Bartok _Out of Door_s & _Sonatina_
* with Willy Goodswoord and Michael de Roo, percussion

Another fav I revisited. More contrast here, with *Bartok's* overall stark sonata, albeit with the final movement being full of vibrancy and life. The piece in my mind has more to do with the jazz trio (piano/bass/drums) than the classical piano trio (piano/violin/cello). Bartok uses the pianos in a percussive kind of staccato way, and that playing style was in fashion amongst jazz pianists during the 1920's. The rest is great too, the two renowned pianists - only young when this was done in the 1970's - really shine.










*Ginastera *_String Quartet #3_
- Enso Quartet with Lucy Shelton, soprano (Naxos)

More of the vibe of Bartok here, this piece is intense as they get. *Ginastera's* ability to convey the dark emotions in these poems is amazing to hear. The quartet is in five movements, all but the second movement involve the soprano. The most intense is the fourth which is the shortest at under three minutes. Not much comfort here, the soprano at times screaming a poem about a soldier who lies dying in a forest clearing, the contrast between the landscape teeming with life around him and his own imminent demise is obvious.


----------



## GreenMamba

Vaughan Williams Symphony #3, Previn/LSO.


----------



## Blancrocher

Schubert's piano trios, performed by the Beaux Arts Trio (rec. 1984)


----------



## Guest

Wonderful playing and sound, if a tad dry. The rear speakers don't contribute much at all. Still, it's one of the most realistic harpsichord recordings that I've heard. He plays all of the repeats; thus, it's on two discs.


----------



## Sid James

*Richard Meale* _String Quartet # 2_
- Goldner String Quartet: Dene Olding, Dimity Hall, violins; Irina Morozova, viola; Julian Smiles, cello (Tall Poppies)

I've been listening to this cd a lot, particularly this piece. *Meale *drew upon Debussy as an influence here, the final movement _Cantilena Pacifica_ displaying that combination of delicate string writing coupled with much warmth. With this piece, Meale went back to aspects of tradition and turned away from his earlier forays into avant-garde and serial techniques, but he still retained that sense of imagery, poetry and psychological probing that where hallmarks of his style regardless of what techniques he used. Apart from Debussy, surely Bartok and Schoenberg where influences too. In that final movement (in its version for string orchestra, the composer's most often played work) there is a sense that it can go on forever in a natural way, like waves gently lapping at the shore.










*Debussy* _String Quartet in G minor_
- Quartetto Italiano (Decca Eloquence)

A listen to this, and I heard it with fresh ears. I could hear correspondences with Meale's quartet, and also many differences. I find the final movement quite passionate, well for *Debussy* it is.










*Ross Edwards* _Maninyas - Concerto for violin and orchestra_
- Dene Olding, violin with Sydney SO under Stuart Challender (ABC Classics)

Finishing with this, another favourite, *Ross Edwards* conveys the Australian sunshine so well here. Edwards was younger than Meale, but like him was part of that trend in the 1980's going back to tradition and finding new things in it. His music is drawn from the sounds of the Australian bush, where he has lived for most of his life. _*Maninyas*_ is like a piece of golden sunshine, the outer movements are dancy while the inner movement is a cadenza that provides opportunity for contemplation and rest.


----------



## Mahlerian

hpowders said:


> I played this performance of the Drumroll. It cut off at about the 5 minute mark and I continued it on Youtube. It's a good straightforward performance with a smidgen of anachronistic mannerisms, such as the first violinist's slides in the second movement. Considering the source, I was pleasantly surprised.


I was pleasantly surprised too, even though I think highly of Boulez as a conductor of late romantic and modernist music, and enjoyed the Mozart Piano Concerto that he conducted that's available on DVD. I did find his Gran Partita horribly bland, though, which put me off of wanting to hear him conduct classical era music for quite a while.


----------



## senza sordino

Test day means an afternoon of marking. I put the iPod through speakers, the folder for *Prokofiev* and let it run.
Piano Concerto #3







Symphony #5







Violin Concerto #2







Lt Kije


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Alexander Zarzycki's Piano Concerto Op.17 - Jonathan Plowright, piano, Lukasz Borowicz, cond.


----------



## bejart

Louis Spohr (1784-1859): String Quartet No.29 in B Minor, Op.84, No.3

New Budapest Quartet: Andras Kiss and Ferenc Balough, violins -- Laszlo Barsony, viola -- Karoly Botvay, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GreenMamba said:


> Vaughan Williams Symphony #3, Previn/LSO.
> 
> View attachment 39489


--
The first Vaughan Williams CD I've ever owned. <Sigh.>. . . Well that and Previn's London Symphony, as I got them together. Gorgeous.

I wish Previn's RCA Vaughan Williams symphony set was re-mastered for better sound. If they can do it for the Berglund/Bournemouth Sibelius cycle, they can do it for this. Repeat, after Anthony Hopkins in _The Edge: "What one man can do, another can do."_ Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Alypius

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Complex, yet highly accessible works by Robert Kyr.


Lope, Thanks for the heads up on this. It is now in my Amazon basket. (I love gamelan in its original forms but also in the hands of people like Lou Harrison)

Listening this evening, continuing an all-Prokofiev day:

*Prokofiev: Piano Concertos #2 in G minor, op. 16 (1913)*

Freddy Kempf / Andrew Litton / Bergen Philharmonic, _Prokofiev: Piano Concertos #2 & 3_(BIS, 2010)










*Prokofiev, Piano Sonata #6 in A major, op. 82 (1939-1940)*

Boris Giltburg, _Prokofiev: The War Sonatas_ (Orchid, 2012)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> Test day means an afternoon of marking. I put the iPod through speakers, the folder for *Prokofiev* and let it run.
> Piano Concerto #3
> View attachment 39491
> 
> Symphony #5
> View attachment 39492
> 
> Violin Concerto #2
> View attachment 39493
> 
> Lt Kije
> View attachment 39494


--
Don't mess with any professor who's blasting the "_Battle on the Ice_" from his classroom.


----------



## mtmailey

Symphonies 6 & 9 of Vaugh Williams will listen to last movement later sometime this week.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


I've been listening to this quite a fair bit recently. Finnish music is inspiring my orchestration and treatment of tone colour I have found.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> That's a great story, thank you! I hope it brought up good memories.
> 
> Doing a brief Youtube search for this (last) week's SS, I came across a Boulez/Chicago version of the Drumroll. I have no clue if this is going to be any good or not, but here goes....:


I've heard that one, not bad!


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.32 in B Minor

Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Bach -St Mark Passion.


----------



## opus55

Boccherini: Cello Concerto No. 4 in C major, G.481
Bax: Cello Concerto


----------



## Morimur

*John Tavener - Funeral Canticle*

If this doesn't make one yearn for an afterlife, nothing will.


----------



## opus55

Brahms

Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101

Intermezzo, Op. 76 No. 7 in A minor
Capriccio, Op. 76 No. 2 in B minor
Hungarian Dances, Nos. 1,3,2,7,6


----------



## PetrB

*Furrer ~ Phasma, for piano solo [w / Score]*

Beat Furrer ~ Phasma, for piano solo

Quoting the uploader of the Youtube channel:
"a stupidly difficult piece" (I would have said "ridiculously difficult")

Here played with stunning technical virtuosity and with that great depth of tone (as he can)
~ Nicolas Hodges, piano.


----------



## PetrB

JCarmel said:


> OK, Moody...I'll go back and listen to Beecham's
> 
> So far, I've listened to my two existing recordings of Rudolf Kempe on Testament cd...that I have also as the original 'Classics for Pleasure' LP, that I purchased back in the 1960's after reading a very favourable review in the Gramophone.
> I also have Sir Charles Mackerras on Telarc cd....and I've listened to most of all of the four interpretations in a mammoth Scheherazade Slog!!
> I've heard Beecham before but not in critical comparison...so I'll be back later to report on my conclusions after Spotifying his version!
> But you're right so far...Reiner most certainly beats Kondrashin but spoils the party a bit by lingering-overlong in the third movement. That 'got my goat' somewhat. I do hate having to wait for music to catch-up to the speed I want to listen to it at!


Didn't you get at least a titch of _mal de mer_ listening to this work repeatedly?


----------



## Itullian

This is a great live Lohengrin.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jan Jakub Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass - Jan Kuhn, cond.










Honegger's Symphony No.1 - Charles Dutoit, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1 in G Major (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## SimonNZ

Varese's Integrales and Offrandes - Friedrich Cerha, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Dear PetrB....I've ordered the Reiner Scheherazade but goodness knows if/when I ever want to listen to the piece again?!

'Happy Birthday', Sir Neville at 90....you've provided me with much listening pleasure of a high order over the course of my lifetime...and I thank you for it and wish you a happy day. 
I'm starting my listening today with this celebrated recording....


----------



## Oskaar

*VERDI Requiem*

*Festival de Edimburgo 1982, director Claudio Abbado, Orquesta Sinfónica de Londres. Solistas: Margaret Price, Jessye Normn, José Carreras y Ruggero Raimondi*

Magnificent! Not the best sound, but not bad for 1982

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*L'Elisir d'Amore*

No info at youtube, but this is a fantastic production with english subtitles.
Take a peak, and save it to a rainy day.

*videolink*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

I once heard Zehetmair play the Brahms Concerto under Phillippe Herreweghe in Grenoble. As an encore. Zehetmair offered one of the Bach Partitas. I can't now remember which one, because the music was at that time unknown to me, but it had enough of an effect to make me go out and buy Zehetmair's complete set. of the Sonatas and Partitas. These were recorded in 1983, when he was in his 20s, and he takes a somewhat Romantic view of them, so he will not satisfy HIP enthusiasts. For my part I find them very enjoyable.


----------



## SimonNZ

Rubbra's Symphony No.5 - Hans-Hubert Schonzeler, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Some lovely music by Joonas Kokkonen:










Went to see ...Durch Einen Spiegel... in a concert with a special lady cellist friend of mine. Kokkonen is quickly becoming one of my Favourite Finns!


----------



## JCarmel

I always now remember that the 15th of April is Sir Neville Marriner's birthday.

I am both fortunate and conversely a bit cursed to believe that there is something other than genetic inheritance and life experience, that affects the individual make-up of our character. I don't know what it is....something like Astrology?...who knows. But I've had consistent success at guessing someone's astro details from their physical appearance. 
A good few years ago, I was watching a vhs recording of Beethovens third piano concerto and observing the conducting style of Sir Neville & combined with his facial appearance, I became convinced that he was an Aries. I asked a pal to check his birthdate on the computer for me._ Was _he born within the Aries sign? So I then decided that it was within the last decan of that sign but couldn't make my mind up twixt the 15th or the 16th. Again I asked my friend's assistance....to please concentrate 'like mad' on the screen and try to send me the correct date...I do believe also in 'telepathy' because I've experienced it. After about 10 mins, I chose the 15th of April. Was I pleased that I'd guessed the bang-on correct birthdate from a choice of 365 for Neville? You bet! Is that just the weirdest coincidence or utter rubbish?...it's for you to call it so.....

This is that performance...





Those excellent 'live' performances of the Beethoven Piano Concertos broadcast on the BBC with Perahia & Marriner..all of which I video'd at the time, were released in a new cd set in the UK, yesterday.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bartok's String Quartet No.2 - Vegh Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart - Così Fan Tutte*

Brilliant tv-production. English subtitles

*videolink*


----------



## dgee

PetrB said:


> Beat Furrer ~ Phasma, for piano solo
> 
> Quoting the uploader of the Youtube channel:
> "a stupidly difficult piece" (I would have said "ridiculously difficult")
> 
> Here played with stunning technical virtuosity and with that great depth of tone (as he can)
> ~ Nicolas Hodges, piano.


After listening to this and being blown away I did the Beat Furrer Piano Concerto which is also amazing - Furrer is such a champ!

And then courtesy of the yt sidebar, this (it?!), which is quite the jam. Got "it" on again now:


----------



## ptr

dgee said:


> After listening to this and being blown away I did the Beat Furrer Piano Concerto which is also amazing - Furrer is such a champ!


I thoroughly recommend the Kairos CD with three Furrer piano works (including "Phasma")!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Pierre de la Rue's Missa Pro Defunctis - Konrad Ruhland, dir.


----------



## JCarmel

Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli Oxford Camerata


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772): Concerto Grosso, Op.3, No.7

Carlo Ipata leading Auser Musici


----------



## ptr

ptr said:


> I thoroughly recommend the Kairos CD with three Furrer piano works (including "Phasma")!


Struck me that I had to listen to!

*Beat Furrer* - Klavier Werke (Kairos)









Nicholas Hodges, piano

and now:

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (6/12 / INA 2008)
(Dedans-dehors / La Table Des Matières / Des Mots Et Des Sons)









/ptr


----------



## adrem

Franz Berwald, symphony 3 ("Sinfonie singuliere"), Okko Kamu, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Jeff W

Started the night with the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Double Concerto. Henryk Szeryng played the solo violin and was accompanied by Janos Starker on cello for the Double Concerto. Bernard Haitink led the Concertgebouw Orchestra.









Just got the complete Piano Sonatas of Joseph Haydn in the mail yesterday. Started by listening to Nos. 1 through 10. Fun little pieces! Jeno Jando played the piano.









I dug out my old Beethoven symphony set that I had as a kid to listen and see if it holds up in my memory. Picked Symphonies No. 6 'Pastoral' & No. 2. Janos Ferencsik leads the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra. Turns out the sound is a little thin (I'm pretty sure these are early digital recordings) and the performance is average. However, I have fond memories listening to this set.


----------



## JCarmel

J S Bach The Art of Fugue Academy of St Martins in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner

I'm still working on this one, bejart!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Stuff from this










Starting with the cello concerto. I feel that I want to hear more music like this and pay close attention to textural/timbral effects as inspiration for my own work....


----------



## bejart

JCarmel said:


> J S Bach The Art of Fugue Academy of St Martins in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
> 
> I'm still working on this one, bejart!
> 
> View attachment 39513


Stay with it. I'm sure it will come.

Now ---
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Oboe Concerto in C Major, L.39

Janos Rolla conducting the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra of Budapest -- Lajos Lencses, oboe


----------



## JCarmel

Schubert Lieder Volume 2, CD 5 Dietrich Fischer-Dierskau, Gerald Moore









I've found that I'm enjoying listening to Lieder very much on my smartphone. Somehow, listening at the end or beginning of the day seems particularly rewarding.


----------



## Oskaar

*Verdi: La Traviata (Fleming, Villazón, Bruson)(2007)*

*Conductor - James Conlon

Violetta - Renée Fleming
Flora Bervoix - Suzanna Guzman
Annina - Anna Alkhimova
Alfredo Germont - Rolando Villazón
Georgio Germont - Renato Bruson
Gastone de Letorier - Daniel Montenegro
Baron Douphol - Philip Craus
Marchese d'Obigny - Lee Poulis
Doctor Grenvil - James Cresswell
Giuseppe - Sal Malaki*

Fantastic production

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's String Quartet No.2 and Tippett's String Quartet No.2 - Carl Pini Quartet

EMI SOXLP 7552

Can't show you a picture because there aren't any


----------



## Oskaar

*Krylov - Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen*

This is half vintage so the sound is not so good. But what a performance of this fantastic piece! Krylov is among my favorite violinists.

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Sjostakovitjs: Pianokwintet in g, op.57

Janine Jansen, viool
Boris Brovtsyn, viool
Maxim Rysanov, altviool
Torleif Thedéen, cello
Eldar Nebolsin, piano

Opgenomen tijdens het Internationaal Kamermuziekfestival Utrecht 2012, op 30 december in Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht*

Very fine and intimate take of this mystic and exiting quintet.

*videolink*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schumann, Piano Quintet*


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Von Suppe Overtures Sir Neville Marriner conducts the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

A little bit of 'Light Cavalry' & 'Poet & Peasant'...(in lively, witty performances from Sir Nev) to add to the birthday celebrations.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vivaldi*: Concerti, Op. 8, 7 - 12, w. I Solisti Italiani (rec.1986); *JS Bach*: Concerti for Keyboard, w. Schiff/ECO/Malcolm (rec.1979).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Franz Von Suppe Overtures Sir Neville Marriner conducts the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
> 
> A little bit of 'Light Cavalry' & 'Poet & Peasant'...(in lively, witty performances from Sir Nev) to add to the birthday celebrations.
> 
> View attachment 39527


---
I love these readings. The only ones I like better are the Karajan. The sound on the Marriner is really good too. _Wiener Jubel-Overture _all the way. Great fun.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> I always now remember that the *15th of April* is Sir Neville Marriner's birthday....


Lucky Sir Neville (1924), sharing this date with US income tax filing deadline...and of course, JF Fasch's birthday (1688). :tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:


----------



## ptr

*John Zorn *- The Hermetic Organ vol. 2 - St. Paul's Chapel, NYC (Tzadik 2014)









John Zorn, organ

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (7/12 / INA 2008)
(La Création Du Monde)









/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss' Standchen From Last Night*


















Last night was ironing night. I wanted to hear Gundula Janowitz in the Kubelik _Lohengrin_, which just came in the mail; but I didn't want to be fast forwarding while ironing-- so I put in the Diana Damrau cd instead, which also just came in the mail.

The light lyrical timbre of her voice is exquisite for Strauss lieder. She gets a bit warbly here and there, but no matter; as this the exception and not the rule.

"_Standchen_" Opus 17 No. 2 never resonated with me; until now that is.

Oh my God!

I love her doing it.

I'm listening to Damrau doing it-- but, let's be honest: I want the Schwarzkopf or Ludwig or Janowitz treatment. Ha. Ha. Ha.

But no matter. Great cd all around. Lovely and beautiful and light; and of course, with gorgeous Straussian orchestration.

The sound on this cd just blooms as well.

What I thought would have been an after-dinner mint was an absolute feast.


----------



## julianoq

_Revisiting_ Tchaikovsky's symphonies 4 and 5. These are among the first symphonies that I enjoyed, but of course I over-listened it almost to the point of no return. I am listening to them again after almost an year, and the good notice is that they are quite exciting again!


----------



## JCarmel

Yes, great playing from Sergei Krylov! 
(Trouble is watching the video...has reminded me of the song 'Zigeuner' from 'Bittersweet.' I've got a great performance of it on a Hinge & Bracket cd, which I can't find on youtube, unfortunately.


----------



## Vaneyes

On Marriner's birthday, his *Stravinsky *(rec. 1974 - '82).

View attachment 39531


----------



## Manxfeeder

Marschallin Blair said:


> [
> 
> "_Standchen_" Opus 17 No. 2 never resonated with me; until now that is.
> 
> Oh my God!
> 
> I love her doing it.


Hey it's in Spotify! I'm listening now.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Since there's nothing on TV, I've a good book, & one or two folk seem to like my weird concerts, here's T,U,E,S,D,A,Y's line-up:

Ter Veldhuis - Rainbow Concerto for Cello: 



Usmanbas - Concert Aria for Harp & Strings : 



Estevez - Noon on the Prairie : 



Stedron - Illusions : 



Dahl - Aria Sinfonica : 



Alexandra - Concerto for Flute, Viola & Orchestra : 



Yii - Inner Voices for Yangqin & Chinese Orchestra : 




Hope there's something on TV Wednesday...too long for this ! Anyway, hope someone finds something new to enjoy !


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Weber - Overture to "Oberon" (Klemperer/Angel)
Rheinberger - Organ Concerto in G minor, Op. 177 (Biggs/Columbia)
Hindemith - Symphony in B-flat (Reynolds/University of Michigan Records)*


----------



## rrudolph

I'm playing the Mozart Requiem (modern instruments) and Coronation Mass (period instruments at modern pitch) this weekend, so...

Requiem K.626








Sinfonia Concertante K.364/Clarinet Concerto K.622








Coronation Mass K.317/Missa Solemnis K.337


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> Hey it's in Spotify! I'm listening now.

















Jessye Norman's is beautiful; and Kiri's is pure goregeous-- but both are with piano and not orchestra. . . yet still absolute musts; especially Kiri's.


----------



## JCarmel

Nothing on TV tomorrow, Clive! Unless you're a Sky-watching Footie fan (Real Madrid v Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Final)

JS Bach Concerto for two keyboards in C Major Clara Haskil, Geza Anda


----------



## Bas

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber - Violin Sonatas
By Andrew Manze [violin], John Toll [harpsichord, organ], Nigel North [archlute, theorbo, guitar], on HM Gold









Delightful music!


----------



## Jos

Well known concerto, another mint album from the secondhandshop. RCA red seal.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## millionrainbows

*Mozart, Complete Sonatas Vol. 1: Sonatas Nos. 1-6, K. 279-284. Anthony Newman, fortpiano (Newport Classics). *Newman plays these in the original gallante style, without the later 'legato style' alterations done by Clementi and others. These are the original 'choppy' renditions. I place complete faith in Anthony Newman. I'd like to get one of the books he's written on the baroque.


----------



## Oskaar

*Szymanowski: Mythes, op.30*

*Janine Jansen, viool
Itamar Golan, piano

Opgenomen tijdens het Internationaal Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht 2011 van Janine Jansen*

This is fine and moody.

*videolink*


----------



## cwarchc

My journey into more contemprary music continues


----------



## JCarmel

Comparing two interpretations of SCHUMANN'S Etudes Symphoniques Op.13

Alexander Romanovsky (piano) ...the eventual top recommendation of a recent BBC CD Review









and Geza Anda.....deemed an honourable runner-up! (both on Spotify)


----------



## Blake

Luc Ferrari - _L'Œuvre électronique._ Disc 1 initiated. To me, he's part of the big three of Electoacoustic - along with Bayle and Parmegiani.


----------



## Oskaar

*Shlomo Mintz - Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor*

*Shlomo Mintz, Southwest German Symphony Orchestra*

A young Mintz. Beautiful!

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 100 in G Major, 'Military'; 
Symphony No. 102 in B-Flat Major 
(Otto Klemperer; Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## Orfeo

*Leos Janacek*
Sinfonietta
Lachian Dances
Taras Bulba 
-Czech State Philharmonic Orchestra (Brno)/Jose Serebrier.

*Paul Creston*
Symphony no. II
-The Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.


----------



## opus55

R. Strauss lieders










Following Marschallin


----------



## opus55

cjvinthechair said:


> Since there's nothing on TV, I've a good book, & one or two folk seem to like my weird concerts, here's T,U,E,S,D,A,Y's line-up:
> 
> Ter Veldhuis - Rainbow Concerto for Cello:
> 
> 
> 
> Usmanbas - Concert Aria for Harp & Strings :
> 
> 
> 
> Estevez - Noon on the Prairie :
> 
> 
> 
> Stedron - Illusions :
> 
> 
> 
> Dahl - Aria Sinfonica :
> 
> 
> 
> Alexandra - Concerto for Flute, Viola & Orchestra :
> 
> 
> 
> Yii - Inner Voices for Yangqin & Chinese Orchestra :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hope there's something on TV Wednesday...too long for this ! Anyway, hope someone finds something new to enjoy !


I need to get some Yun Isang or Ysaye to be able to play that day-of-the-week game.


----------



## Oskaar

Take some minutes,and just smile!

3 years old violinist ... he hit almost each tone

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> R. Strauss lieders
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Following Marschallin


---
Isn't it just _wonderful_? I couldn't sleep last night. I had to call one of my friends and wake him up and blather on about it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. I'm so excited over this music. . . and I have to give full credit to StlukesguildOhio for posting it; praise in fact.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Isn't just _wonderful_? I couldn't sleep last night. I had to call one of my friends and wake him up and blather on about it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. I'm so excited over this music. . . and I have to give full credit to StlukesguildOhio for posting it; praise in fact.


Sounds lovely. I only wish it was 1 "AM" instead of PM.


----------



## JCarmel

Finishing-off a busy day of Listening with a couple of older cd's....featuring Edwin Fischer.

Schubert Lieder Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Edwin Fischer









Mozart Piano Concerto No 20 in D Minor LPO conducted by Edwin Fischer









together with a few rounds of 'Rummy'


----------



## Oskaar

*Rigoletto*** Domingo, Cotrubas, MacNeil*

*Rigoletto : Cornell MacNeil
Il duca : Placido Domingo
Gilda : Ileana Cotrubas*

Fantastic performance, good sound and english subtitles

*videolink*

conductor: James Levine


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

4.15.14_

Leos Janacek
String Quartet No. 1, "Kreutzer Sonata"
String Quartet No. 2, "Intimate Letters"

Vlach Quartet performing


----------



## AH music

MOZART - Piano concertos nos 7-9 with Perahia (via spotify). Can tell why no 9 is loved by so many.









ONSLOW, George - Whilst awaiting a CD collection to include my first piece by this composer, listened to a most attractive cello sonata - F major, Op 16 no 1 - via spotify.









BRITTEN - Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge. Great performance on a disc I do not return to as often as I should. Excellent variations and writing for string orchestra. Glad I did today to mark the 90th birthday of Sir Neville Marriner.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*High-Octane Puccini Espresso Pick-me-up*















Maximum-volume firepower with "_Ah! Per l'ultima volta_!"


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> I had to call one of my friends and wake him up and blather on about it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I'm so glad I live in England :lol:


----------



## Bas

Richard Wagner - Das Rheingold
By Theo Adam [bass-bariton], Kerl-Heinz Stryczek [bass], Eberhard Büchner [tenor], Peter Schreier [tenor], Siegmund Nimsgern [bass], Christian Vogel [tenor], Roland Bracht [bass], Matti Salminen [bass], Yvonne Minton [mezzo], Marita Napier [soprano], Ortrum Wenkel [contralto], Lucia Popp [soprano], Uta Priew [mezzo], Hanna Schwarz [contralto], Staatskapelle Dresden, Marek Janowski [director], on Eurodisc / Sony Classics


----------



## Morimur

*Giya Kancheli - Lament (Kakhidze, Kremer, Deubner)*










Giya Kancheli possesses one of music's unmistakable voices. It speaks softly of sorrow, loss, solitude and transcendence. Most of his works are in a mode of lamentation, and many are dedicated to departed friends, as is 'Lament (Music of mourning in memory of Luigi Nono).
Growing out of silence, notes appear like distant specks on the horizon and coalesce almost imperceptibly into melodic fragments, shards of folksongs suddenly emerge and vanish, time almost forgotten until suddenly the orchestra attacks with great angry force and then just as quickly subsides. This kind of temporal rhythm is Kancheli's signature, a repeated process of slow quiet building precipitously to cathartic outbursts which have barely established themselves in the ear before they yield to the next quiet progression, the musical equivalent to standing at the edge of a lake on a rainy morning and watching a droplet of water form at the end of an overhanging tree branch and gradually grow larger until it falls and splashes on the water's surface, making resounding rings which fade as the next droplet forms. It may not be an experience for everybody, but if you have the patience it can leave an indelible impression. _-AllMusic_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> I'm so glad I live in England :lol:


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I apologize to you, Greg; and to a candid world out there in the Forum.

-- Addendum: I abjure sentimentalism in politics but never in music. . . or in_ talking about _music.


----------



## opus55

AH music said:


> ONSLOW, George - Whilst awaiting a CD collection to include my first piece by this composer, listened to a most attractive cello sonata - F major, Op 16 no 1 - via spotify.
> 
> View attachment 39553


Following your lead on Onslow Cello Sonatas via Naxos Music Library. They are attractive indeed and perfectly match the afternoon mood at my work.


----------



## opus55

oskaar said:


> *Shlomo Mintz - Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor*
> 
> *Shlomo Mintz, Southwest German Symphony Orchestra*
> 
> A young Mintz. Beautiful!
> 
> *videolink*


You're unstoppable today! And you're finding lots of good ones. My "watch later" list keeps growing today. :tiphat:


----------



## AH music

MOSZKOWSKI - Piano Concerto Op 59, another Naxos discovery early this year via spotify. Not a heavyweight work, but four scintillating movements in what seem to be excellent performances and recordings. Enough substance (in my view) to be beyond mere "note spinning" - better than delightful. (Nice distraction from a sudden bout of lower back pain today for the first time in my life.....)


----------



## KenOC

A nice album of Schumann's cello and piano music, played by one of my favorite cellists. Includes an arrangement of the Violin Sonata #3 to fill things out.


----------



## JCarmel

AH Music...Hello! This article from the New York Times on the Web has interesting comment/ information on why No 9 is so well-regarded...

http://members.aon.at/michaelorenz/jenamy/

It's a lovely concerto...but I like them all, really! I first got to know it c/o this Music for Pleasure LP!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

View attachment 39558


Franck: Piano Quintet in F Minor Leonard Pennario/Jascha Heifetz/Israel Baker/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
Brahms:String Sextet in G, Op.36 Jascha Heifetz/Israel Baker/Virginia Majewski/William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky/Gabor Rejto

More wonderful performances from the Heifetz-Piatigorsky box. They are both very well balanced, ensemble work is superb and the whole CD is incredibly enjoyable, passion and verve a-plenty in both works, I love this set!


----------



## SimonNZ

97 In allen meinen Taten
98 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (Leipzig, 1726)
99 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (Leipzig, 1724)

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (97, 99) and Gustav Leonhardt (98), cond.

(100 will be a third setting of Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan - Leipzig, 1732)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> A nice album of Schumann's cello and piano music, played by one of my favorite cellists. Includes an arrangement of the Violin Sonata #3 to fill things out.


How does that_ Fantasiestucke _stack up against the famed '79 Argerich/Concertgebouw recital?


----------



## SimonNZ

cwarchc said:


> My journey into more contemprary music continues
> View attachment 39542


Dance IX from that disc is one of those pieces I can put on if I'm feeling a bit glum and it always makes me feel better about the world.


----------



## Oskaar

*Murray Perahia plays, Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor *

*00:00　1st　 Allegro affettuoso
15:42　2nd (Intermezzo): Andantino grazioso
20:50　3rd　 (Finale): Allegro vivace
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,*

Last one for today....

This man has golden fingers and hands... and obviosly a big heart.
And the concerto is among the best.

*videolink*


----------



## Morimur

*Aram Khachaturian - Symphony No. 2 (Original Version) • Gayaneh (Jarvi)*










Aram Khachaturian ranks just behind Shostakovich and Prokofieff in the pantheon of 20th- century Russian music. Khachaturian's music, though, is far more "ethnic" than the music of the other two. His music never left the region of what was then the southern parts of the U.S.S.R. His Symphony 2 is perhaps darker--in both mood and orchestral color--than his other symphonies; but then it was written in 1943 in the midst of World War II and Stalin's ongoing purges of the Soviet bureaucracy. However, works such as Gayneh almost guaranteed that Khachaturian would stay out of jail. -- Paul Cook


----------



## ShropshireMoose

J.S. Bach: The Art of Fugue/Musical Offering Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner

For Sir Neville's 90th birthday, his superb versions of these two masterpieces with his wonderful orchestra. Many Happy Returns of the Day Sir Neville, long may you continue to enrich our musical life. :clap:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schumann Piano Concerto*, Jochum conducting, Arrau playing.

Schumann gets a lot of mileage out of those opening notes.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Piano Sonatas

No. 1 in A; Variations (Discarded 2nd Movement From Piano Sonata #1 In A)
No. 2 in G
No. 3 in B flat*

Markus Becker, piano [Hyperion, rec. 2013]










Hindemith's piano sonatas are beginning to be familiar to my ears. Marcus Becker is a persuasive advocate for these attractive works (I may have said something like this before, sorry).


----------



## AH music

Need more music this evening. I am growing to love most of the 11 piano sonatas by Carl Czerny. No 11 (Op 730!!) in the splendid key of D flat major is getting into true heavyweight romantic territory I think, and all four movements are winners to my ears. A fitting solemnity and nobility to much of the piece, with nice contrasting moments, especially in the scherzo. On the splendid set by Martin Jones which ought to do wonders in the revival of this composer unduly neglected because some of his large output was of lessons and studies.









Glazunov - La Mer. By far my most listened to orchestral tone poem recently, overtaking "Les Preludes" by Liszt. Love it, very evocative to me. From the superb set of symphonies and other works under Jose Serebrier.


----------



## Alypius

New acquisition, part of my ongoing exploration of Norgard's works:

*Per Norgard: Sinfonia austera / Symphony #2*

Leif Segerstam / Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Chandos, 1996)


----------



## opus55

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> How does that_ Fantasiestucke _stack up against the famed '79 Argerich/Concertgebouw recital?


Don't know yet. Wiki says, "Three Fantasy Pieces (Drei Fantasiestücke) for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 73, were written in 1849 by the Romantic era composer Robert Schumann. Though they were originally intended for clarinet and piano, Schumann directed that the clarinet part could be also performed on viola or cello." I'm not sure how you compare a performance on the piano with one on a cello!


----------



## bejart

Anton Vranicky (1761-1820): Symphony in C Minor

Vojtech Spurny leading the Czech Chamber Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Penderecki's St Luke Passion - Henryk Czyz, cond.


----------



## Guest

Handel's Op. 4 Concertos for Organ and strings...transcribed for piano. I think I prefer this piano version--it's sounds more incisive. Everyone plays beautifully, and CPO has provided superb SACD audio.


----------



## senza sordino

Alban Berg Violin Concerto. It's not my favorite, yet I want to like it. I feel like I should like it more, but it just doesn't seem very inspiring. Perhaps it's my version, Gidon Kremer vn with Colin Davis. Perhaps I should seek out a new version. I also listened to 3 Orchestral Pieces, included on the disk.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Manze's Mozart has rapidly become one of my favorites... perhaps the "go-to" recording.

Schurbert's choral songs are marvelous nocturnal works.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Quite possibly the first true song-cycle by any major composer... and a marvelous one at that... as one would expect from Beethoven.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StLukes, my go to recording of those Mozart concertos is Tognetti and Australian Chamber Orchestra. I made a comparison with the Manze recording and if you love highly expressive and emotional playing inspired by HIP practice you should check it out. 

As for me, I think I'll listen to this a few times:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## SimonNZ

Francois Roberday fugues and caprices - Gillian Weir, organ


----------



## Tristan

*Brahms* - Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60









The third movement andante is amazing--it's so lyrical; it definitely seems like a "song without words". Part of the tune almost reminds me of an indie rock song I know 

I implore anyone who has accused Brahms of lacking emotion or melody (things I've seen on this site!) to hear that particular movement. Of course the work as a whole is great as well


----------



## Blake

Bayle - _50 ans d'acoustique._ Finishing up the set with Disc 15. I try not to do favorites often, but Bayle is the cream of the crop in the Electroacoustic world. I enjoyed this entire set.


----------



## opus55

Janacek: Sinfonietta


----------



## bejart

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Fantasy in C Major, Op. Post. 159, D.934

Jeannie Wells Yablonsky, violin -- Robert Markham, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Don't know yet. Wiki says, "Three Fantasy Pieces (Drei Fantasiestücke) for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 73, were written in 1849 by the Romantic era composer Robert Schumann. Though they were originally intended for clarinet and piano, Schumann directed that the clarinet part could be also performed on viola or cello." I'm not sure how you compare a performance on the piano with one on a cello!


Sorry: right name, wrong opus.

The cover of the Hyperion cd you posted said "_Fantasiestücke_ Op.* 73*" (and not "_Drei Fantasiestücke_" as you mention in your e-mail above)--- and not "Fantasiestücke Op. *12*," which was what I was thinking of. How very presumptuous of me I know. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Wind Quintet Op.43 - Copenhagen Wind Quintet


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Kubelik Lohengrin*















_Elsa's Dream_, Miss Gundula Janowitz presiding, with her beautifully-felt-and-floated, silvery legato--- which can flicker like steel and cut like a scalpel. My kind of girl.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Concerto in D minor for 2 Violins, Viola & B.c.;
Concerto in F Major for Recorder, Bassoon, 2 Violins, Viola & B.c.;
Sonata in F minor for 2 Violins, 2 Violas & B.c.
(Musica Alta Ripa).









A brilliant album, highly recommended.

Tafelmusik - Production I - Quartet in G Major for Flute, Oboe, Violin & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Des Pres' Missa L'homme Arme - Jeremy Noble, dir.


----------



## PetrB

*Darius Milhaud ~ Cinq études pour piano et orchestre op.63*

Darius Milhaud ~ Cinq études pour piano et orchestre op.63


----------



## SimonNZ

Josquin Des Pres motets - Konrad Ruhland, dir.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gustav Mahler Symphony No 6 A minor Tragic *

*Claudio Abbado conducts Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig.
Andante moderato 24:07
Scherzo: Wuchtig 39:10
Finale: Sostenuto - Allegro moderato - Allegro energico 52:10*

I am not realy into Mahlers symphonies yet. Sometimes it can be really boring to try to listen to a whole symphony.

But this morning I tried at least 45 minutes watching this video. I could have done more, but had something else to do.

Like opera, living pictures, showing the efforts of the artist, and shiny instruments, helps to get through and learn to appreciate more difficult works.

Now I think Mahlers 6 is really nice. The sound here is also very good.

*videolink*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Scarlatti-Tommasini: The Good Humoured Ladies Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Roger Desormiere
Walton: Facade Suites London Symphony Orchestra/Robert Irving

Two very enjoyable suites, in two very fine performances. I love Scarlatti's sonatas in their original form, and they work beautifully in these marvellous orchestrations too. Irving's performance of "Facade" is about the quirkiest that I know. Great fun.


----------



## SimonNZ

Finzi's Clarinet Concerto - Michael Collins, clarinet, Richard Hickox, cond.


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to Shostakovich!









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Oct11/Shostakovich_TOCC0034.htm


----------



## JCarmel

I can see from earlier posts that its a good time to delve into the LP racks....so I'm saying Good 'Morgen' with Mogens....on the Vanguard/Supraphon label









This is a hugely enjoyable interpretation of Haydn's Military Symphony. There's_ such _a deal of cymbal clashing, triangle tinking, base drum bashing and bell tree tintinnabulations... to simulate the Turkish Janissary band that used to perform in Vienna... that it makes you feel quite like dashing to the nearest Recruiting Office to sign up?!


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn's Military Symphony was the first classical piece I paid attention to. I marched straight to the classical enthusiast recruitment office (indie shop The Record Room) the next day.

playing now:










Mompou piano works - Alicia de Larrocha


----------



## Oskaar

*Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orchestra

Sir Michael Tippett's most exuberent works, the Double String Concerto, full of rhythmic complexities and beautiful melodies.

London Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Harding conductor 
London, Royal Albert Hall 2012
Proms classical music festival*

This is an exiting work, loveley performed here. Nice sound.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Carlo Tessarini (ca.1690-1766?): Concerto a Cinque in E Minor, Op.1, No.1

Francesco Baroni directing Compagnia de Musici


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Bartók: Concerto for orchestra conducted by James Levine (via YouTube). I quite enjoy this version! It seems very shiny.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gaspard Corrette's Mass In The Eighth Mode - Jean-Albert Villard, organ

lp 26 in Erato's L'Encyclopedie de L'Orgue series

can't find an image, but imagine this cover with a tan border instead of the red and a different organ in the photo:


----------



## JCarmel

Bizet-Shchedrin, The Carmen Ballet Suite ... Gerald Schwarz, The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

Back into those LP racks again & chose this... as I haven't heard it for an Age!









Shchedrin wrote it for his wife, Maya Plisitskaya...a ballerina with the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet Company...who in this picture looks more than a bit like Natalia Makarova to me?!


----------



## Jeff W

Started with Geza Anda's recordings of Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 16, 18 & 19. He led the Camerata Academica des Salzburg Mozaerteums from the keyboard. I love all his recordings of the Mozart piano concertos. I only wish this set had the concertos for more than one keyboard...

Next was Jeno Jando playing Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonatas No. 11 through 16 and No. 18. Falling in love with these sonatas. They are just a lot of fun to hear! (Sorry, don't have the cover art for this one on my laptop!)

Now, time for some Star Trek: DS9 before bedtime.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Mozart's Eine musikalischer spasse atm.

Tho of musical parentage I don't get the joke but do like the music and understand the explanation.

It's a DG mid-price Amadeus Quartet recording from 1980 I Amazon'd http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Eine...8-1-spell&keywords=nachtmusic+amadeus+quartet


----------



## JCarmel

And for my final fling among the Oldies...(till I glance once more in the mirror, again?!!...Nah, it's not that bad!)

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2, Martino Tirimo, Philharmonia Orchestra, Yoel Levi









A Music for Pleasure platter that received a full-bodied recording...it's filling my lounge with a quality of sound that one might not associate with a recording from 1982. Recorded at the Henry Wood Hall...like so many were. The interpretation though is not quite my thing nowadays...as I keep thinking that Rachmaninov would wish him to get a move-on in too many passages of play.
The composer...typically for an Aries...loved his speedboats and his fast cars & although the passionate nature of expression is caught here, the whole thing needs to get a blooming move-on!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 39583
> 
> 
> Scarlatti-Tommasini: The Good Humoured Ladies Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/Roger Desormiere
> Walton: Facade Suites London Symphony Orchestra/Robert Irving
> 
> Two very enjoyable suites, in two very fine performances. I love Scarlatti's sonatas in their original form, and they work beautifully in these marvellous orchestrations too. Irving's performance of "Facade" is about the quirkiest that I know. Great fun.


--
. . . and with such a charming cover. How could anyone resist_ not _picking it out of a bin?


----------



## opus55

Baroque symphonies by Benda, Barta, Richter, Stamitz and Vanhal. I think the cover art looks cheap but the music inside is first rate.


----------



## Taggart

disc 20 of










Superb, bright, lively, vivacious. Ideal music for the spring sunshine. The violins have a beautiful tone.


----------



## Oskaar

*Joseph Haydn Piano Sonata nº 59 in E flat, Hob. XVI:49*

*Alfred Brendel, piano*

Really a fine take of an old master. Love the sonata!

*videolink*


----------



## ptr

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (8/12 / INA 2008)
(exercismes 1 - 3)









*Cristóbal Halffter* - String Quartets (Vol 1 & 2 @ InAeM Anemos)







...








Arditti Quartet

/ptr


----------



## violadude

ptr said:


> *Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (8/12 / INA 2008)
> (exercismes 1 - 3)
> 
> View attachment 39590
> 
> 
> *Cristóbal Halffter* - String Quartets (Vol 1 & 2 @ InAeM Anemos)
> 
> View attachment 39591
> ...
> View attachment 39592
> 
> 
> Arditti Quartet
> 
> /ptr


"Cristobal Halffter" Whenever I see that first name...I always want to say "crystal ball".


----------



## Vasks

*Monsigny - Overture to "Le Faucon" (Lajouanique/Towo)
FJ Haydn - String Quartet, Op. 64, No. 3 (Kodaly/Naxos)
WA Mozart - Symphony No. 9 (Mackerras/Telarc)*


----------



## Blancrocher

Eugen Jochum and the Dresden Staatskapelle in Bruckner's 9th (rec. 1978)


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Sonatas for Keyboard, w. Pogo (rec.1991), Sudbin (rec.2004), Tharaud (rec.2010).


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> AH Music...Hello! This article from the New York Times on the Web has interesting comment/ information on why No 9 is so well-regarded...
> 
> http://members.aon.at/michaelorenz/jenamy/
> 
> It's a lovely concerto...but I like them all, really! I first got to know it c/o this Music for Pleasure LP!
> 
> View attachment 39560


Thanks, JC, for the Fou Ts'ong cover. I'd not seen it. :tiphat:


----------



## PetrB

*Berio ~ Sinfonia; scherzo (3rd movement)*

Berio ~ Sinfonia; scherzo (3rd movement) 
Prompted by the "Best Scherzo" thread. 
The link is the premiere recording with the composer conducting....










_Tremendous_ is oceans deep beneath any adequate word for it.


----------



## rrudolph

Schutz: Matthaus Passion








Bach: Oster Oratorium BWV249/Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen BWV66


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mompou* for *Mompou's* birthday (1893). This 4-disc set was recorded in 1974.

View attachment 39597


----------



## JCarmel

Just got back from a hair trim....& it feels a lot better not to be looking a bit like the Yeti on a bad-hair-day...or maybe the Shropshire Moose before the moulting season?!

So...Rossini's Overture to 'The Barber of Seville' conducted by Fritz Reiner, with nicely-clipped playing from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...seems a choice that's a cut above the rest?....(Oh Dear!....)


----------



## PetrB

JCarmel said:


> AH Music...Hello! This article from the New York Times on the Web has interesting comment/ information on why No 9 is so well-regarded...
> 
> http://members.aon.at/michaelorenz/jenamy/
> 
> It's a lovely concerto...but I like them all, really! I first got to know it c/o this Music for Pleasure LP!


So, *the Jeunefille*, or *The Jenamy* it tis, then! 
Any way you slice it or dice it, a delightful piece


----------



## Oskaar

*J.S. Bach: Motet BWV 227 'Jesu, meine Freude'
Vocalconsort Berlin o.l.v. Daniel Reuss*

Beautiful!

*videolink*


----------



## Blancrocher

Gulda playing late-period Beethoven sonatas.


----------



## Oskaar

*J. S. Bach - "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht" ("Kaffeekantate")*

*The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
Conductor - Ton Koopman
Soprano - Anne Grimm
Tenor - Lothar Odinius
Bass - Klaus Mertens

Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (Be still, stop chattering) (aka The Coffee Cantata) (BWV 211):
1. Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht
2. Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern
3. Du böses Kind, du loses Mädchen
4. Ei! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße
5. Wenn du mir nicht den Coffee lässt
6. Mädchen, die von harten Sinnen
7. Nun folge, was dein Vater spricht
8. Heute noch, lieber Vater, tut es doch
9. Nun geht und sucht der alte Schlendrian
10. Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht*

Very amusing production!

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

I'm just remembering when I 'flew over to Spain' one day about a year ago, on TC...& was a house guest of Segovia's?!
What a kind and attentive host he was...& then we popped-over to the Generalife Gardens and he personally gave me a guided tour of the Alhambra Palace....
It must have been that LP sleeve posted by Simon this morning that triggered the happy memory!

This brings it all back....


----------



## julianoq

Listening to Celibidache conducting Bruckner's 4th. Celi is not my go-to Bruckner conductor but I think his performances are quite special.


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work:

4/15/14_

Arnold Bax

Symphony No. 2

Vernon Handley conducting the BBC Philharmonic


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Concerti 9, 17, 21, 22, w. LMP/Shelley (rec.1991 - '94).

View attachment 39601
View attachment 39602


Related (London Mozart Players):

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...ys-on-managed-by-its-own-members-9263008.html


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, 'Emperor' (Stefan Vladar; Barry Wordsworth; Capella Istropolitana).


----------



## Manxfeeder

Glazonov, Symphony No. 1, Fedoseyev.


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn*:
_Symphony No.45 in F sharp minor 'Abschiedssymphonie' 
Symphony No.55 in E flat major 'Der Schulmeister'_

*Saint-Saëns*:
_Piano Concertos No.1, 2 & 5 'Egyptian'_


----------



## Morimur

*Enno Poppe - (2005) Chamber Music (Ensemble Mosaik)*










The music contained herein owes much to the work of Ligeti and Lutosławski. Poppe also makes ample use of microtonality. A disconcerting and fascinating listen. Recommended.


----------



## AH music

BARGIEL, Woldemar - Violin Sonata, Op 10. A powerful, large scale work worthy of a place alongside any of the great pieces for this combination. (I have very much neglected duos in favour of either the solo piano or larger groups such as trios, quartets and quintets, and realising the catching up to be done.....) I really, really like everything I have heard so far by Bargiel.









MARTUCCI, Giuseppe - Cello sonata, Op 52. A large, later romantic work, again strikes me as a fine piece - heard via spotify. Both these composers have a depth of expression and musicality which I find communicates and resonates quite strongly for me. (Time for listening due to bad back which is thankfully clearing nicely as the day progresses  )


----------



## JCarmel

Rachmaninov Second Symphony, Andre Previn conducts the LSO









I'll go halves with you, Vaneyes on that autographed manuscript...I've got an odd million to spare?!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Just got back from a hair trim....& it feels a lot better not to be looking a bit like the Yeti on a bad-hair-day...or maybe the Shropshire Moose before the moulting season?!
> 
> So...Rossini's Overture to 'The Barber of Seville' conducted by Fritz Reiner, with nicely-clipped playing from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...seems a choice that's a cut above the rest?....(Oh Dear!....)
> 
> View attachment 39598


----
I love Reiner's whiplash sense of rhythm, especially on this Rossini Overtures disk. His readings are off the charts. Chicago never sounded better.

-- Yes: another great cd that begs for a remastering.


----------



## opus55

Bach: Canatatas, BWV 140, 61, 29


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Berlioz - Grand Messe des Morts (aka Requiem - if you _must) - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Robert Spano









A CD (SACD) that was highly praised for its sound world, but I find it really disappointing as a piece of music and I think I'm going to order the ancient Davis version. It just doesn't have any of the awe and wonder of Berlioz' intentions. It reminds me of the anecdote about John Wayne where he was acting (or trying to) the part of the centurion at the crucifixion and the director told him to put more awe into the words ..... "Awwww, surely, that was the Song of God"_


----------



## Morimur

*Richard Barrett - (1999) Opening of the Mouth (Elision)*










_Tim Rutherford-Johnson
The Guardian, Thursday 12 November 2009 17.45 EST_

A disused railway foundry on the edge of the desert outside Perth, Western Australia, March 1997. Inside it is dark and airless, and stiflingly hot. The confined space is filled with the stench of rotting fish. In the decaying heart of the building, amid rusting machinery, dozens of bottles of putrid milk and other surreal detritus, sit an audience and a small ensemble, playing music of an uncompromising but eerie beauty. One reviewer is nearly sick.

This was the world premiere of Opening of the Mouth by the British composer Richard Barrett, whose 50th birthday is being celebrated at this year's Huddersfield contemporary music festival. And among the works being performed is Opening of the Mouth, which will receive its UK premiere from the Australians of the ELISION Ensemble.

Opening is a daunting undertaking for its players. It stretches performing technique and musculature to their utmost, with levels of musical complexity that few ensembles could even begin to attempt. It is the sort of challenge that few British players have chosen to meet. Barrett's fortune with ELISION is having players who will rise to any challenge he sets them. So how was this partnership forged? When ELISION was formed in Melbourne in the mid-1980s, official arts culture in Australia had long been plagued by a post-colonial inferiority complex, and Australian new music, it was believed, was not up to much. Those with any talent were expected to relocate to Europe.

It was in this context that Daryl Buckley, ELISION's guitarist and artistic director, first encountered Barrett's music. A friend returned to Melbourne from the Darmstadt summer school (Germany's postwar new music hothouse) with a tape and the warning: "Heavy dots. No one will ever play this in Australia." Buckley picked up the gauntlet and wrote to Barrett. Before long the group had commissioned the first of several pieces from the composer. "Richard and I, and then Richard and other members of the ensemble, became close friends," Buckley says. "That degree of closeness and trust surrounding the tackling of pretty formidable artistic objectives goes a long way and makes a lot possible." Barrett confirms the mutual benefit of the partnership: "Clearly it's been the most important relationship in my life for developing my notated work."

Nevertheless, Opening of the Mouth challenged everyone involved. Simon Hewett, the conductor at the work's first performances, was studying at the University of Queensland at the time. "The collaboration with Richard and ELISION opened my ears to a kind of notational complexity I had never come across before. But I had a blast - the sounding surface of his works is so unique, so subtle and rich, it was worth every drop of sweat in rehearsal," he says.

Opening of the Mouth takes its title not from the title of the Paul Celan poem whose words it borrows, but from an ancient Egyptian funerary ritual, in which the mummified body is symbolically reanimated in preparation for its passage into the afterlife. But as Barrett explains, the aim is not simply to dramatise the Egyptian rite: "I came upon that title early on and it seemed completely appropriate, not just in its applicability to Celan's poetic work, but also to the nature of the music as an enactment of some kind of inner journey, what religionists would call a 'spiritual' journey, and its attempt to reflect more in Celan's poetry than the image of the 'Holocaust poet' he's often turned into."

Buckley recalls visiting many potential locations around Perth for those first performances of Opening, but it was immediately apparent that the most magical was the Midland Railway Workshops, on the outskirts of Perth, the last stop for explorers on their way to the interior deserts of Australia, even though daytime temperatures would reach 50C, forcing the musicians to rehearse at night. Huddersfield in November may not be able to match the Australian heat, but this premiere marks the occasion that an important piece of British music, born on the other side of the world, is now coming back to us. We should feel lucky.


----------



## opus55

Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch


----------



## AH music

RUBBRA, Edmund - confession, my first time listening to this composer. What a big and bold work for a first symphony! The first movement will take a while to appreciate, but immediately impressed by the middle two movements, which includes the very long "Lento" (19 minutes). Will be interested to listen to this again, and to more of his work.









GADE, Niels - also first time for this composer, again starting with symphony no 1. Very accessible, much more in my "comfort zone" for listening. Most enjoyable, can't think how I've missed out for so long.... but still, yet more exploring to look forward to!


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K271
Emmanuel Ax, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Haitink

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Berlioz - Grand Messe des Morts (aka Requiem - if you _must) - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Robert Spano
> 
> View attachment 39609
> 
> 
> A CD (SACD) that was highly praised for its sound world, but I find it really disappointing as a piece of music and I think I'm going to order the ancient Davis version. It just doesn't have any of the awe and wonder of Berlioz' intentions. It reminds me of the anecdote about John Wayne where he was acting (or trying to) the part of the centurion at the crucifixion and the director told him to put more awe into the words ..... "Awwww, surely, that was the Song of God"_


_
---
Colin Davis, certainly; and the James Levine/BPO too. ;D_


----------



## Blancrocher

Josef Greindl singing Carl Loewe (rec. 1958)


----------



## SimonNZ

Lope de Aguirre said:


> The music contained herein owes much to the work of Ligeti and Lutosławski. Poppe also makes ample use of microtonality. A disconcerting and fascinating listen. Recommended.


Good lord - I think we have a new winner for Worst Cover Ever. It saddens me that the music is recommeded, because looking at that every time I put it on would colour my listening experience.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Opus 76 String Quartets.
Quatuor Mosaiques.

Very good period performances with mercifully spare vibrato.
The wiry textures require some getting used to, however.
Recommended to those very serious about their Haydn.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

100 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
101 Nimm von uns Herr, du treuer Gott
102 Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben!

Gustav Leonhardt (100) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (101, 102), cond.


----------



## adrem

Sibelius, Symphony no. 7, Leif Segerstam, Danish National Symphony Orchestra. 
One of the best intrepretation I've ever heard!


----------



## AH music

SCHUBERT - just occasionally, in the late evening, nothing will do except for the "Nottorno" D897, and tonight is one of those. My recording has always been the Beaux Arts Trio, apparently much longer and more over-wrought than other versions, which is probably just why it hits the spot for me as it does. (I did hear another prim and proper run through version once, which did little for me). They seem to capture that special something which is unique to Schubert.....


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Symphony 4, w. Roschmann/Mahler CO/Harding (rec.2004); *Rachmaninov*: Symphony 3, w. St. Pete. PO/Jansons (rec.1992).


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Rachmaninov Second Symphony, Andre Previn conducts the LSO
> 
> View attachment 39608
> 
> 
> I'll go halves with you, Vaneyes on that autographed manuscript...I've got an odd million to spare?!


And after our "victory", dine at Petrus...and be abused further.


----------



## SimonNZ

Christopher Tye's Euge Bone and Western Wynde masses - David Willcocks, cond.


----------



## bejart

Jakub Jan Ryba (1765-1815): String Quartet in D Minor

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Libor Kanka, violins -- Jan Jisa, Viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Scriabin: Sudbin (rec. 2006) and 2 or 3 sonatas played by Szidon--including his performance of #1, which I very much enjoyed recently.


----------



## KenOC

Enjoying some very nice piano concertos from Joseph Wolfl, who engaged Beethoven in a famous piano duel in 1799. Most of the crowd thought Wolfl won!










Oddly, many writers of liner notes claim that Beethoven trounced Wolfl. Apparently not so. You can read a seemingly even-handed contemporary account of their duel on this page, second item:

https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify: 
*
Jean Sibelius*--**Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43, *both featuring Sir Alexander Gibson and the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra. 
Serge Prokofiev--*Symphony No.1 in D Major, Op.25 {"Classical"} and Symphony No.5 in B-Flat Major, Op.100, *both performed by the Theodore Kuchar led National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. 
Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29. *Both works are traversed by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, conductor not listed.


----------



## bejart

Josef Fiala (1748-1816): Cello Concerto in G Major

Hynek Farkac conducting the Archi Boemi -- Karel Fiala, cello


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Piano Quintet Artur Rubinstein/Guarneri Quartet

Rubinstein and the Guarneri's make a joyful noise in Dvorak's lovely quintet. Brilliant. The sort of thing I can imagine jim prideaux revelling in after tonight's football result! Well played the Black Cats!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Some music by Lindberg










EXPO is amazing! Awe inspiring stuff on this CD.


----------



## Woodduck

Headphone Hermit said:


> Berlioz - Grand Messe des Morts (aka Requiem - if you _must) - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Robert Spano
> 
> View attachment 39609
> 
> 
> A CD (SACD) that was highly praised for its sound world, but I find it really disappointing as a piece of music and I think I'm going to order the ancient Davis version. It just doesn't have any of the awe and wonder of Berlioz' intentions. It reminds me of the anecdote about John Wayne where he was acting (or trying to) the part of the centurion at the crucifixion and the director told him to put more awe into the words ..... "Awwww, surely, that was the Song of God"_


_

Whichever performance you buy for its sound quality, don't think of the old Munch/Boston Symphony version (RCA) as a relic. Munch's Berlioz style is impeccable, and he has the most gorgeously ethereal tenor ever to touch the Sanctus, Leopold Simoneau. After half a century I still can't listen to anyone else sing this._


----------



## hpowders

Every Boston Symphony/Charles Munch recording should be snapped up.


----------



## Morimur

*Lutosławski - Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo Strings*

He was one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, and a fine conductor too. Eat your heart out, Stravinsky.


----------



## hpowders

The conductor looks like my uncle Carlos.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Symphony No. 1


----------



## Morimur

hpowders said:


> The conductor looks like my uncle Carlos.


You do realize that the conductor is Lutosławski?


----------



## hpowders

Lope de Aguirre said:


> You do realize that the conductor is Lutosławski?


No. I didn't know that. The work sounds impressive.

The amount of music I am not familiar with is truly staggering.

Wish I had the time for it all!


----------



## bejart

Wilhelm Friedmann Bach (1710-1784): Duet No.2 in G Major

Wolfgang Schultz, flute -- Hansjorg Schellenberger, oboe


----------



## Morimur

hpowders said:


> No. I didn't know that. The work sounds impressive.
> 
> The amount of music I am not familiar with is truly staggering.
> 
> Wish I had the time for it all!


Well, he's generally not well known as Stravinsky or Ligeti but should be. At the very least, he is their equal.


----------



## hpowders

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Well, he's generally not well known as Stravinsky or Ligeti but should be. At the very least, he is their equal.


Yeah. I have to listen more. After the Schoenberg Piano Concerto.

I know he wrote a Concerto for Orchestra that got some play a while back.


----------



## Morimur

hpowders said:


> Yeah. I have to listen more. After the Schoenberg Piano Concerto.
> 
> I know he wrote a Concerto for Orchestra that got some play a while back.


Try this...


----------



## PetrB

*Leonardo Vinci ~ Artaserse, act III aria duet: Tu voui ch'io viva o cara*

Leonardo Vinci ~ Artaserse, act III aria duet: Tu voui ch'io viva o cara;
Franco Fagioli, Max Emanuel Cencic (video of staged performance 






[The great stuff one picks up by dropping in on this or that thread on TC, oh, my!]


----------



## hpowders

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Try this...


Quite striking and very accessible. Thanks. I liked it!


----------



## SimonNZ

Schutz's St John Passion - Hans Grischkat, cond.


----------



## Tristan

*Rachmaninov* - Suite for 2 Pianos No. 1 in G minor, Op. 5









So what's with the similarities between the "Paques" movement and the beginning of the Boris Godunov coronation scene?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to Etüdenfest (2000) over and over with the score for an analysis.










Awesome music though  incredibly dense looking score but the subtlety of the changes between instruments and the balance and the _clarity_ of each individual part is astounding! Lope de Aguirre, do you know much of Brett Dean?


----------



## SimonNZ

Carl Ruggles' Evocations, Organium and Exaltation - Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.


----------



## senza sordino

Grieg and Sibelius String Quartets. Nielsen At the Bier of a Young Artist


----------



## Marschallin Blair

adrem said:


> Sibelius, Symphony no. 7, Leif Segerstam, Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
> One of the best intrepretation I've ever heard!
> View attachment 39621


--










_Lovely_. . . but I like Segerstam's Helsinki Ondine incarnation of the Sibelius VII better; which is the gold standard for my time and emotional involvement. His ending of it is the most touchingly-sublime treatment of the piece I've ever heard.


----------



## lostid

Volkmann is one of my favorite composers. He didn't compose a lot like some others, but all of his pieces sound beautiful to my ears.


----------



## SimonNZ

Stockhausen's Prozession


----------



## Alypius

*Bernstein: Symphony #2 ("Age of Anxiety")*

Marc-Andre Hamelin / Dmitry Sitkovetsky / Ulster Orchestra
_Leonard Bernstein: The Age of Anxiety (Symphony no. 2) / William Bolcom: Piano Concerto_
(Hyperion, 2000)


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor (Claudio Abbado; Wiener Philharmoniker).


----------



## KenDuctor

R. Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a theme Thomas Tallis


----------



## AH music

At the start of the holiday, a nice little spotify exploration session. First, Robert Fuchs and my first Viola Sonata - I have come across Fuchs a few times now and find his work quite attractive. The viola goes well with the piano in this sonata.









Then a composer I have barely encountered before - Bohuslav Martinu. Sampled three discs, and can see immediately that his work will be a great bridge for expanding my horizons - a bit different but without being drastic, with a good number of really lovely moments. Here's what I tried this morning: what is clearly a fine Flute Sonata (H 306), a couple of lovely earlier short orchestral pieces, Composition (H 90) and Nocturne (H 91) rounding off with solo viola and orchestra in a very nice Rhapsody-Concerto (H 337). Yet more ground opening up for exploration....


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Mass in B minor
Guillaume de Machaut - Messe de Nostre Dame



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## dgee

There's something about giant shaggy Harry - I'd definitely go for a pint or more with him. Good music too - I like his orchestral works and he still appears to be going strong on the basis of this reasonably recent release


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (1710-1791): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Musica ad Rhenum -- Jed Wentz, flute


----------



## Morimur

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Listening to Etüdenfest (2000) over and over with the score for an analysis.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome music though  incredibly dense looking score but the subtlety of the changes between instruments and the balance and the _clarity_ of each individual part is astounding! Lope de Aguirre, do you know much of Brett Dean?


I learned of him through another member. I haven't listened to much but I do like his work so far. Very good composer.


----------



## dgee

Brett Dean - Australia's finest that I know of! I live nearby and the funny business around programming contempo music means we get to hear Ross Edwards (not even Sculthorpe!) :-(


----------



## Morimur

*Georg Katzer - String Quartets (Sonar Quartett)*

Georg Katzer (born 10 January 1935) is a German composer. He was one of the pioneers of electronic new music in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany or GDR). _-Wikipedia_










These compositions act as important milestones in the artistic development of Georg Katzer. His breakthrough as a composer came in 1966, with his First String Quartet. His second was not performed or published but sketches from it were integrated into the Fourth String Quartet.

_-Presto Classical_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

bejart said:


> Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (1710-1791): Flute Concerto in E Minor
> 
> Musica ad Rhenum -- Jed Wentz, flute
> 
> View attachment 39666


---
I love that cover.


----------



## Oskaar

*LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat op.19
Perform by Wiener Philharmoniker
Soloist & Conductor - Krystian Zimerman*

Very fine production. I really like this concerto, and Zimerman delivers a good interpretation.

*videolink*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Music by Hugues Dufourt, very underrated French composer!










There's something soothing in this music, I can't pick out what it is though. Anyone here like Dufourt?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

dgee said:


> Brett Dean - Australia's finest that I know of! I live nearby and the funny business around programming contempo music means we get to hear Ross Edwards (not even Sculthorpe!) :-(


Ha! Once you've heard one piece by Edwards you've heard them all. :lol:
I still can't tell the difference between any of his concertos actually....and also, does the guy know any scale other than mixolydian?


----------



## csacks

For today, it will be Charles Ives 2nd and 3rd symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Another discovery to me from this forum. This is becoming more and more interesting, but is becoming expensive too. The guys from itunes should support my participation. Just kidding, I am really enjoying this


----------



## ptr

samurai said:


> *Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.43, *both featuring Sir Alexander Gibson and the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra.


Is this one of those spoofy orchestra attributions You find on Spotify? (One of the reasons I stopped using it)

FWIW; I only know of Sibelius Symphonies with Sir Alexander with RPO, LSO and that Royal Scottish Orchestra.. What label have these supposedly been released by? (I'm just curious... :tiphat: )

/ptr


----------



## ptr

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Anyone here like Dufourt?


I for one do, even if this album and one other work (Antiphusis from 1978) conducted by Boulez released by Erato is all I've heard!

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

*W. A. Mozart
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550 (1788):*

*1. Molto allegro
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegretto -- Trio
4. Finale. Allegro assai

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*

Great concerto if I dont listen to it to often. Brilliant performance here.

*videolink*


----------



## julianoq

Following Marschallin Blair, just listened to the symphony No.7. Now listening to the No.2, and following I think I will listen to the violin concerto, I enjoy this performance of Pekka Kuusisto a lot. Looks like it will be a Sibelius day!


----------



## samurai

ptr said:


> Is this one of those spoofy orchestra attributions You find on Spotify? (One of the reasons I stopped using it)
> 
> FWIW; I only know of Sibelius Symphonies with Sir Alexander with RPO, LSO and that Royal Scottish Orchestra.. What label have these supposedly been released by? (I'm just curious... :tiphat: )
> 
> /ptr


Hi, ptr. I wasn't aware of any attribution problem/discrepancy in either this or any other Spotify offering. Are you saying that there is no indication that Gibson ever conducted this group in any Sibelius performances? I really don't know enough about this to provide you with an informed response. I'll go on Spotify later and see if the label is listed.


----------



## ptr

samurai said:


> Hi, ptr. I wasn't aware of any attribution problem/discrepancy in either this or any other Spotify offering. Are you saying that there is no indication that Gibson ever conducted this group in any Sibelius performances? I really don't know enough about this to provide you with an informed response. I'll go on Spotify later and see if the label is listed.


Yea, I'm doubting this attribution, I did a search on the interweb that turned up nothing. And knowing this (and most Swedish Orchestras) and their Record releases quite well, I would have gotten wind if the combination of Alexander Gibson and Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in Sibelius, not least as he is one of my top 10 favourite composers! (But I love to be proven wrong..  )

BYW, the problem might not be with Spotify, but with the service They use for adding Tag-information!

/ptr


----------



## DrKilroy

oskaar said:


> *W. A. Mozart
> Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550 (1788):*
> 
> *1. Molto allegro
> 2. Andante
> 3. Menuetto. Allegretto -- Trio
> 4. Finale. Allegro assai
> 
> The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
> Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
> Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*
> 
> Great concerto if I dont listen to it to often. Brilliant performance here.
> 
> *videolink*


It seems I "liked" it twice.  But there you have it, it is one of my favourite symphonies!

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*Sol Gabetta feat. Andreas Kern - 'Prayer' (Ernest Bloch) [live]

Enjoy a moment with the delightful musician Sol Gabetta performing 'From Jewish Life: Prayer', accompanied by the pianist Andreas Kern.
Prayer was originally composed by Ernest Bloch.

It was played live at © ARTE Lounge.* - y_outube info_

This must be some of the most beautiful music I ever heard! 4.52 minutes in heaven....
And I love the intimate setting of it all. Brilliant sound.

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Renée Fleming Ständchen, Op. 17 (R.Strauss) PROMS 2010*














Lovely. . .

Now, if I can just channel _Dutchess Elizabeth Schwarzkopf_. . .


----------



## Blancrocher

Schumann's 2nd Symphony, with Gardiner & co. Followed by a first listen to Mariya Kim playing Schumann's op.3 & 10 Paganini Caprices, and Humoreske.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Frederik Magle's* birthday (1977), his Lacrymae Mundi (excerpt).


----------



## Oskaar

*Martin Fröst, Klezmer Dance by Göran Fröst*

*Verbier Festival 2013*

Amazing! Really entertaining, and the solist is fantastic!

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

*Lyon - Joie de vivre Overture (Sutherland/ASV)
Korngold - Piano Quintet (Stott & Doric Qrt/Chandos)*


----------



## opus55

Langgaard: Symphony No. 3










Is this a piano concerto?


----------



## Oskaar

*Florin Niculescu - Ciocârlia (arr.), George Enescu*

*Florin Niculescu (violin), Laurent Cirade (cello), Paul Staicu (piano), Constantin Lacatus (cembalo)
Les Salons de Musique, 2012*

Easter pleasure for ears and eyes from a gangster bar in Rumenia

*videolink*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: The Magic Flute (highlights), w. Bohm et al (rec.1964).


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

4.17.14_

Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 3
Vernon Handly conducting the BBC Philharmonic

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111
Stephen Hough, piano


----------



## AH music

ARENSKY, Anton. Loving the whole of the first Piano Trio, Op 32. Particularly sparkling scherzo.









PROKOFIEV, Sergei. Lieutenant Kije Suite. Although I do know the Troika, ages since last heard the rest of the suite. Nice.









RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, Nikolai. Russian Easter Festival Overture. Great sound on this Dutoit recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, evocative piece.


----------



## Oskaar

*Julian Rachlin - Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso*

*Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Recorded live at the Hangar, Tel Aviv, 24 December 2011*

Cant be much greater than this....

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, "Flight of the Bumble Bee"*

*Verbier Festival 2003
Leif Ove Andsnes
Nicholas Angelich
Emanuel Ax
Evgeny Kissin
Lang Lang
James Levine
Mikhail Pletnev
Staffan Scheja*

More a curiosa for having 8 world class pianists on the same stage.... In fact-its terrible

*videolink*


----------



## SixFootScowl

The soprano is excellent. Here she is on You Tube singing Solveigs Song


----------



## millionrainbows

I feel very lucky to have stumbled across this SACD in the used section. It was one of the earliest SACDs I ever saw, and I remember it in Best Buy, not getting it, then going back to find it gone. I have a theory that, since I'm in the same town, that this is that exact same CD, traded in by its owner who purchased it out from under me in Best Buy those many years ago. Maybe so, maybe not, but I find great pleasure in this belief that 'fate' or some benevolent force brought this SCAD into my purview, where it shall remain until I die.










It's out of print, but not yet astronomical in price...The sound is superb, and I love the way Boulez handled the NYP in all its outings with him.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 39675
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lovely. . .
> 
> Now, if I can just channel _Dutchess Elizabeth Schwarzkopf_. . .


Like her or not, one has to admit that it's a stunningly beautiful voice, one that could have been made to sing Strauss. Some say she over-inflects, a charge often leveled at the Duchess Schwarzkopf, but I don't find it so here, and I welcome the change of colour at _Sinkt nieder_. To my mind, Fleming is always at her best in Strauss and Mozart.


----------



## millionrainbows

*Anthony Newman: 24 Preludes and Fugues Vol. 1; Vox 2-CD. *This title is misleading; these are not a work titled '24 Preludes and Fugues' by J.S. Bach, but simply a collection of 24 organ works.

For Vox, the mastering is good. This organ sounds bright. I'm not sure why; it may be the organ, the microphones, the location, or the nut behind the wheel; or perhaps this is one of those overly bright Vox recordings which used DBX noise reduction; but there is no noticeable tracking error like in others of the DBX variety, so I will chalk it up to the organ and the recording.










I love Anthony Newman, ever since that *John McClure *produced vinyl LP on Columbia Masterworks (OOP, not on CD), which had the most closely-miked, in-your-face, trouser-flapping recording of* Bach's Chromatic Fantasy *that I have ever heard. *Couperin's Mysterious Barricades *was also on there, available as a single track on the NPR keyboard CD.


----------



## millionrainbows

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 39675
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lovely. . .
> 
> Now, if I can just channel _Dutchess Elizabeth Schwarzkopf_. . .


Thanks for posting it; Oh, this video is beautiful, and so is she. I don't have this one; my CD is with the Houston SO. This Strauss song, I've never heard. I gotta get this. I also have Schwarzkopf, and I imprinted on this Gundula Janowitz, with the lovely oboe concerto.


----------



## samurai

Vaneyes said:


> For *Frederik Magle's* birthday (1977), his Lacrymae Mundi (excerpt).


Happy Birthday Mr. Magle, and may you have many, many more! :cheers:


----------



## Kieran

A bit of Luigi while I cook, a little toon called the Fifth Symph.

Bruce Springsteen conducts the E-Street Orchestra... :tiphat:


----------



## millionrainbows

Not the Eno version. Interesting Chinese fiddle solo interpolations, curiously out-of-tune orchestra.


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> Like her or not, one has to admit that it's a stunningly beautiful voice, one that could have been made to sing Strauss. Some say she over-inflects, a charge often leveled at the Duchess Schwarzkopf, but I don't find it so here, and I welcome the change of colour at _Sinkt nieder_. To my mind, Fleming is always at her best in Strauss and Mozart.


I think Fleming has just about the most beautiful and technically secure soprano voice out there, but I confess to being one of those driven crazy with her constant "interpretive" inflections of music that does just fine without her interventions. This performance is free of her worst mannerisms - I agree with you that Strauss is most congenial to her - but it is a big, operatic treatment of an intimate, delicate song; she's obviously addressing the farthest bleachers in the stadium with both voice and body. I'd like to think that in a recital hall she'd scale it back. So many sing this song well, but here's my touchstone performance, by a voice made for it:






The silvery tone, the delicate shadings, the legato, the staccati... I'm sure Strauss knew her and must have loved her.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Schumann's "Waldszenen" (rec. 1956); Boulez conducting Schoenberg's op.29 suite (rec. 1982)


----------



## Cheyenne

Furtwängler/Fischer-Dieskau: Mahler's Lieder Eines Fahrende Gesellen. Always beautiful; the finale is heart-wrenching. Now: Robert Craft's performance of Schönberg's Ode to Napoleon. I love reading the poem along with the work!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> I think Fleming has just about the most beautiful and technically secure soprano voice out there, but I confess to being one of those driven crazy with her constant "interpretive" inflections of music that does just fine without her interventions. This performance is free of her worst mannerisms - I agree with you that Strauss is most congenial to her - but it is a big, operatic treatment of an intimate, delicate song; she's obviously addressing the farthest bleachers in the stadium with both voice and body. I'd like to think that in a recital hall she'd scale it back. So many sing this song well, but here's my touchstone performance, by a voice made for it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The silvery tone, the delicate shadings, the legato, the staccati... I'm sure Strauss knew her and must have loved her.


Lovely indeed.

I know what you mean about Fleming. I have quite a few of her recital records. Really dislike the _Bel Canto_ one, love the _Strauss Heroines_. For beauty of sound and technical security there are few around today who can match her, but her _portamenti_ often sound more like those of a jazz singer, than a classical one, stylistically completely wrong, Portamento is a much understood art, but if you don't know how to do it properly, it's probably best left alone.

Here is one of my favourite performances. Strauss may not have liked the tenor voice much, but I'm sure he would have loved this.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Still working my way through the Tintner / SNO / Naxos Bruckner symphonies:

Bruckner

Symphony No. 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (1873 version, ed. Nowak)
RSNO, Tintner [Naxos, 1998]


----------



## Selby

Ludwig van Beethoven

33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120

Paul Lewis, pianoforte


----------



## Bas

*Un ballo in Maschera*

Bach in the morning, la Divina for this evening:

Johann Sebastian Bach - Keyboard Concertos
By Alexandre Tharaud [piano], Le violins du Roy, on Veritas









Giuseppe Verdi - Un ballo in Maschera
By Maria Callas [soprano], Giueseppe di Stefano [tenor], e.a. Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Gianandrea Gavazzeni [dir.], on EMI









Harsh sound quality, but Callas and di Stefano were at the top of their games here!


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I am listening to Robert Craft's Rite of Spring.

I'm at Spring Rounds.









Earlier today I listened to some Wagner (I forgot which Opera though) and various Bach piano pieces.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> GregMitchell on Felmming: but her portamenti often sound more like those of a jazz singer, than a classical one, stylistically completely wrong


Well, yeah. She has an affinity for jazz and sang it in college.


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> Lovely indeed.
> 
> I know what you mean about Fleming. I have quite a few of her recital records. Really dislike the _Bel Canto_ one, love the _Strauss Heroines_. For beauty of sound and technical security there are few around today who can match her, but her _portamenti_ often sound more like those of a jazz singer, than a classical one, stylistically completely wrong, Portamento is a much understood art, but if you don't know how to do it properly, it's probably best left alone.
> 
> Here is one of my favourite performances. Strauss may not have liked the tenor voice much, but I'm sure he would have loved this.


Wunderlich, perfectly wunderbar! Thanks.

Yes, Fleming's ideas on bel canto are -ahem- rather personal. There's some stuff on Youtube that's positively bizarre in its maniacal weirdness (yes, these _are_ "mad scenes," but...) Sometimes her singing does seem to confuse genres with its little jazzy swoons and coos and whatnot. At least we must admit that she isn't generic!

Singers sort of forgot how to do portamenti in the postwar generation, or maybe we all just implicitly agreed that it sounded sentimental and old-fashioned. Callas certainly employed it with discrimination and intense expressiveness; her _Puritani_ "mad scene" was a lesson and an epiphany for me. Portamento - actually, legato in general - is one of the things I love the "old guys" for. I was just listening to bel canto basso Pol Plancon, one of the oldest guys we have, and it's clear why Caruso loved to sing with him and compared him to a cello. And I'm always impressed by real legato style in Wagner, where it's less obviously implicit but, we know, desired by the composer. Flagstad can move me just by the way she melts one tone into the next.


----------



## ptr

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (9/12 / INA 2008)
(Litaniques / Rouge-mort / E Pericoloso Sporgersi)









*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (10/12 / INA 2008)
(Trilogie Plain Temps)









/ptr


----------



## Blake

Marriner and ASMF's _Mozart: Serenades for Orchestra._ I enjoyed this set so much that I think I'll listen to it again.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Das Rheingold


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> Wunderlich, perfectly wunderbar! Thanks.
> 
> Yes, Fleming's ideas on bel canto are -ahem- rather personal. There's some stuff on Youtube that's positively bizarre in its maniacal weirdness (yes, these _are_ "mad scenes," but...) Sometimes her singing does seem to confuse genres with its little jazzy swoons and coos and whatnot. At least we must admit that she isn't generic!
> 
> Singers sort of forgot how to do portamenti in the postwar generation, or maybe we all just implicitly agreed that it sounded sentimental and old-fashioned. Callas certainly employed it with discrimination and intense expressiveness; her _Puritani_ "mad scene" was a lesson and an epiphany for me. Portamento - actually, legato in general - is one of the things I love the "old guys" for. I was just listening to bel canto basso Pol Plancon, one of the oldest guys we have, and it's clear why Caruso loved to sing with him and compared him to a cello. And I'm always impressed by real legato style in Wagner, where it's less obviously implicit but, we know, desired by the composer. Flagstad can move me just by the way she melts one tone into the next.


There's a documentary on Callas, in which Scotto talks about Callas's instinctive and musical use of correct _portamento_, how it can be a useful expressive device, but how it loses its effectiveness if used indiscriminately. She talks a little too about its history, and about how its use became sloppy, which is why so many ended up avoiding it altogether.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto 21 in C, K467; No. 19 in F K459
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Listening to the perfectly poised beauty of Karajan's EMI 80's Sibelius VI is an act of zen: "I'm not _visualizing_ the forrests and fjords, I'm_ in _them."


----------



## MozartEarlySymphonies

I am listening to Claudio Abbado's recording of Mendelssohn's First Symphony.


----------



## JCarmel

Out & about in my home county of North Yorkshire today...firstly to secure a copy of an excellent British Museum book on the art of Pompeii & Herculaneum from Skipton Library. And then back home via Pateley Bridge & 'The Oldest Sweet Shop in England'...where every kind of sweet that I gourged-upon when a youngster, was seemingly available for sale. Sherbert Fountains, Flying Saucers, Parma Violets, Midget Gems...& Gob Stoppers to name just a few. So, I'm off to Tchaikovsky's 'Kingdom Of Sweets' on the wings of a vintage 'Ace of Clubs' LP to celebrate....the fact that I managed to come out without having bought a single one!
Tchaikovsky... Casse Noisette Suites 1 & 2, Anatole Fistoulari...The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra









http://www.oldestsweetshop.co.uk/


----------



## KenOC

Anton Eberl, two piano concertos. More from the department of not-exactly-a-household-name. Pretty good listening though!


----------



## cwarchc

I like this interpretation


----------



## AH music

DEBUSSY - For years, if asked whether I liked Debussy overall, I would have said, "not particularly". Today may be changing all that, through starting to listen to the set of the recordings of his piano music by Gordon Fergus-Thompson. The opening "Reverie" is gorgeous, and I listened through the "Suite Bergamasque" which includes the famous "Clair de lune" which even I already know and like. Then the two contrasting "Images oubliees" had me again thinking "very good!". "Pour le piano" another three pieces left me looking forward to more. The time really well overdue for reviewing and expanding! The performances and recording strike me as being quite wonderful.









MOZART - two more relatively early Piano Concertos. Much as I enjoyed Perahia the other evening, I switched over to Mitsuko Uchida for nos 11 and 12, and was quite blown away by the beauty and vitality of the music and the performances. The slow movement of no 11 seems to be a bit of real Mozart magic. The orchestral accompaniment under Jeffrey Tate seems near ideal for this soloist. Sublime listening.









SCHUBERT - It's some time since I listened to one of my all time favourite works, the Great C Major Symphony, no 9. Perhaps my CD recording (Bernstein) is becoming a little stale. Before that I grew to love the work with a Jochum LP record. Anyway, I decided to try Kertesz, and my, did I just enjoy this! Splendid, with some new details and insights which come together in a fine overall performance, I think, Great to feel so enthused by this work again, so life-enhancing.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Schwarzkopf, Boskowsky, operetta. An hour of pure unalloyed bliss!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39708
> 
> 
> Schwarzkopf, Boskowsky, operetta. An hour of pure unalloyed bliss!


Did you buy that at your local store or something? I ordered that this past Saturday from Amazon and still don't have it.

Ahhhhhhhh!

I am excited though.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Out & about in my home county of North Yorkshire today...firstly to secure a copy of an excellent British Museum book on the art of Pompeii & Herculaneum from Skipton Library. And then back home via Pateley Bridge & 'The Oldest Sweet Shop in England'...where every kind of sweet that I gourged-upon when a youngster, was seemingly available for sale. Sherbert Fountains, Flying Saucers, Parma Violets, Midget Gems...& Gob Stoppers to name just a few. So, I'm off to Tchaikovsky's 'Kingdom Of Sweets' on the wings of a vintage 'Ace of Clubs' LP to celebrate....the fact that I managed to come out without having bought a single one!
> Tchaikovsky... Casse Noisette Suites 1 & 2, Anatole Fistoulari...The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 39704
> 
> 
> http://www.oldestsweetshop.co.uk/


Eveything about this post is what its about for me. Well-brav-iss-ima-done-- life as it should and ought to be. Isn't that right, Aristotle?


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to join you, MB in listening to Karajan's Sibelius. I haven't listened to this cd since buying & oft-hearing of late, the Osmo Vanska.
So it will be interesting to see how I find Karajan's interpretation in the light of that. I remember a big full sound from The Berlin Philharmonic, but somewhat slower tempi if my memory serves me correctly.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> Did you buy that at your local store or something? I ordered that this past Saturday from Amazon and still don't have it.
> 
> Ahhhhhhhh!
> 
> I am excited though.


I ordered mine from the Amazon UK only a couple of days ago. Wonderfully fast service.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> I'm going to join you, MB in listening to Karajan's Sibelius. I haven't listened to this cd since buying & oft-hearing of late, the Osmo Vanska.
> So it will be interesting to see how I find Karajan's interpretation in the light of that. I remember a big full sound from The Berlin Philharmonic, but somewhat slower tempi if my memory serves me correctly.
> 
> View attachment 39709


The reading on the one you're listening to-- which I of course have--- is wonderfully-sighing beautiful. I just never liked the hissy sound of the cd. Fortunately, Karjan's EMI Sibelius from 1976-1981 has been re-engineered by Warner Classics and will be available as a box set on May twenty-seventh on Amazon.

What do you get in the box set?-- well, Renaissance art.

You get Symphonies 1, 2, 4, and 5; and the tone poems _En Saga, The Swan of Tuonela, Karelia Suite, Finlandia, and Tapiola _, all for the high-crime-and-misdemeanor-steal-of-a-price of $28.25. . . well, here in the States you do. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> I ordered mine from the Amazon UK only a couple of days ago. Wonderfully fast service.


The gods smile upon you. . . I guess not so much upon the arrogant. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Wagner: The Mastersingers Overture Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto David Oistrakh/Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Chausson: Poeme David Oistrakh/USSR Symphony Orchestra/Kiril Kondrashin

This here Moose has just treated himself to a new amplifier and CD player (the latter was essential since my old machine was packing up), what better way to start than with my favourite performance of the Mastersingers Overture on this new set from Warner. Then a newly acquired LP, the fellow I was apprenticed to when I started work had this Oistrakh recording on cassette, it was the first performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto I ever heard- hadn't heard it since 1983, and it is a very good performance. I'm pleased to have a copy of it, and it does remind me of Ernie, to whom I was apprenticed, who died in 1989. Happy memories. And the new equipment sounds absolutely smashing.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 39711
> View attachment 39712
> 
> 
> Wagner: The Mastersingers Overture Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent
> 
> Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto David Oistrakh/Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Gennady Rozhdestvensky
> Chausson: Poeme David Oistrakh/USSR Symphony Orchestra/Kiril Kondrashin
> 
> This here Moose has just treated himself to a new amplifier and CD player (the latter was essential since my old machine was packing up), what better way to start than with my favourite performance of the Mastersingers Overture on this new set from Warner. Then a newly acquired LP, the fellow I was apprenticed to when I started work had this Oistrakh recording on cassette, it was the first performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto I ever heard- hadn't heard it since 1983, and it is a very good performance. I'm pleased to have a copy of it, and it does remind me of Ernie, to whom I was apprenticed, who died in 1989. Happy memories. And the new equipment sounds absolutely smashing.


---
Oh, it doesn't stop there with Oistrakh. Every time you get a new pre-amp, D-to-A converter, amp, speakers, CD player, what-have-you-- you just end up playing_ EVERYHING_.

You're doomed.


----------



## Cheyenne

Villa-Lobo's harmonica concerto, with John Sebastian playing the harmonica, accompanied by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Schwieger. I had a rough start with Villa-Lobos - his symphony 6 and 7 bored me - but I really love this work - if only for my affinity with the instrument, which he utilizes with the touch of a master!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> The gods smile upon you. . . I guess not so much upon the arrogant. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Sei nicht bos, meine Fruendin!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Artur Schnabel

132 years today since Artur Schnabel was born. Here he is in one of his finest recordings- and one of *the* finest recordings ever made of this immortal masterpiece.


----------



## jim prideaux

newly arrived, therefore first listen to Harnoncourt conducting the Berlin Philarmonic in performances of Brahms 1st symphony and the Haydn variations.


----------



## hpowders

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 39713
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Artur Schnabel
> 
> 132 years today since Artur Schnabel was born. Here he is in one of his finest recordings- and one of *the* finest recordings ever made of this immortal masterpiece.


Perhaps, but I prefer Ashkenazy.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Cheyenne said:


> Villa-Lobo's harmonica concerto, with John Sebastian playing the harmonica, accompanied by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Schwieger. I had a rough start with Villa-Lobos - his symphony 6 and 7 bored me - but I really love this work - if only for my affinity with the instrument, which he utilizes with the touch of a master!


--

'_The_' John Sebastian? Of the _Loving Spoonful_? The guy who's Sebastian Bach's (_née_ "Sebastian Bierk") father?










Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 39713
> 
> 
> Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Artur Schnabel
> 
> 132 years today since Artur Schnabel was born. Here he is in one of his finest recordings- and one of *the* finest recordings ever made of this immortal masterpiece.


Thank yoooooooooooou. . . and. . . they'reeeeeeee. . . we. . .haave. . it. Almost there. . .<click.>. Done. Ordered through Amazon. Thanks. _;D_


----------



## Tsaraslondon

I'm having such a lovely evening. This also arrived in the post today. Schwarzkopf and Gerald Moore in 1961 and 1970, and a concert with orchestra from Paris in 1967, featuring Mozart Concert Arias, Strauss Lieder and The Willow Song and Ave Maria from Verdi's "Otello".


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Sei nicht bos, meine Fruendin!


Sorry, hair-color impaired. Come again? "Bos"?


----------



## Cheyenne

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> 
> '_The_' John Sebastian? Of the _Loving Spoonful_? The guy who's Sebastian Bach's (_née_ "Sebastian Bierk") father?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Actually, it's the father of _that_ John Sebastian. 
:lol:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> Sorry, hair-color impaired. Come again? "Bos"?


Never mind. Blonde glazed-doughnut facial-expression moment gone. I got you. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Cheyenne said:


> Actually, it's the father of _that_ John Sebastian.
> :lol:


Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ahhhhhhhhhh! . . . Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. "We are the octogenerians gone wild!"


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Sei nicht bos, meine Fruendin!


Okay.

Now that I know what you said in German, what can I say? When confronted with your collection of singers, I practically dwell in the High Baroque of Schadenfreude.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> Sorry, hair-color impaired. Come again? "Bos"?


I don't know how to type an umlaut I'm afraid. Bos - should be B - O umlaut - S

"Don't be cross" - one of the pieces Schwarzkopf sings on the Viennese DVD


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39715
> 
> 
> I'm having such a lovely evening. This also arrived in the post today. Schwarzkopf and Gerald Moore in 1961 and 1970, and a concert with orchestra from Paris in 1967, featuring Mozart Concert Arias, Strauss Lieder and The Willow Song and Ave Maria from Verdi's "Otello".











Chapter One: _Nietzsche and Ressentiment_


----------



## TurnaboutVox

JCarmel said:


> Out & about in my home county of North Yorkshire today... via Pateley Bridge & 'The Oldest Sweet Shop in England'...


Mrs. Vox and I spent an afternoon in Pateley Bridge on our honeymoon, back when North Yorkshire was an unknown foreign place to us...

This evening's listening on YouTube - first listenings and re-listenings, mostly inspired by the TC Art Song project, but in the case of the Schumann songs, just plain curiosity. All very enjoyable, the 'Kerner Lieder' especially, which I might nominate in the next round.

*Schumann "Kerner-Lieder" - 12 Gedichte von Justinus Kerner op. 35*
Peter Schreier 1972/73 - pianist not listed

*
Robert Schumann - Vier doppelchörige Gesänge, Op. 141*
The Cambridge Singers conducted by John Rutter

*
Arnold Schoenberg - Das Buch der Hängende Gärten, Op. 15*
Suzanne Lange, mezzo-soprano; Tove Lonskov, piano

*Maurice Ravel - Trois Chansons
text by Maurice Ravel
1. Nicolette
2. Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis
3. Ronde*
Soloists: Donna Deam, Frances Jellard, Paul Badley, Ben Parry
The Cambridge Singers conducted by John Rutter


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders said:


> Perhaps, but I prefer Ashkenazy.


A Toyota Supra to a vintage Aston Marton?- Your call. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Bas

I am off too bed, calmed by Schubert in the skilful hands of mr. Kempff:

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D. 960, D 459, D 568, D 557, D 566
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone


----------



## Morimur

*Alexander Tcherepnin - The Symphonies & Piano Concertos (Singapore SO, Ogawa) (4CD)*










The striking stylistic diversity within this body of work illustrates the complex evolution of Tcherepnin's style during a half-century-long odyssey both artistic and geographic. Born in St Petersburg Tcherepnin would pursue his dual career as composer and pianist all over the world: from Tbilisi in Georgia to Paris and central Europe, from Shanghai and Tokyo to Brussels and back to Paris, and ultimately from Chicago and New York to England and Switzerland. His inspiration came from sources as diverse as Prokofiev, avant-garde circles in Paris during the 1920s and Far Eastern pentatonic idioms explored during lengthy stays in China and Japan.

Tcherepnin's development can be charted throughout these four discs, from the First Piano Concerto, composed in 1919, to the works of the 1960s. In the words of Benjamin Folkman, Tcherepnin's biographer and the compiler of the liner notes for this title, 'what one hears is the music of a composer who is not so much reinventing himself as seeking an artistic orientation that gains in coherence by growing ever more comprehensive: a composer secure in his faith that, while the musical impulse is a universal human phenomenon, each musical work is a world unto itself.'

The recordings included in this set were originally released on single CDs, and have all received lavish praise, both for the fascinating repertoire and for the highly sympathetic performances by Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Lan Shui (Classica-Répertoire: 'The orchestra possesses a high degree of virtuosity and plays with conviction and impressive musicality') and for Noriko Ogawa's interpretations (Fanfare: 'In everything Noriko Ogawa tackles, she comes up shining: Her playing customarily blends brilliance and power in equal measure, and here again she's just as good as she has now led us to expect.') The Second Piano Concerto is in a single movement - like its predecessor. It is dedicated to Jean-Marie Darré whose French Pathé cycle of Saint-Saens piano concertos (now deleted by EMI) is well worth tracking down. Its clean lines are not weighed down with lush treatment. The neo-classical stance accommodates music that is often insistent or even incessant. It ends weakly.

Magna Mater (1923-27) is strangely unemotional. In that sense it is a bit like Markevitch yet neither as supercharged nor as buoyant. A grave theme is centre-stage and the piece ends in a blast of brass and percussion in which the tam-tam is prominent.

The Fourth Piano Concerto Fantaisie (1947) is one of his Chinese-inflected works written shortly before he emigrated to the USA. A sense of fantasy hangs over its pages. The first movement Eastern Chamber Dream is delicately evocative of some sultry Oriental vision. This is disturbed by flurries of polished and glinting notes. The music is very engaging - easy of access and more humane than some of the works featured in this box. The remaining movements are Yan Kuei Fei's Love Sacrifice and typically oriental, innocently optimistic exuberance of Road to Yunnan. Each movement tells a folk tale.

This box represents a fascinating and sometimes very engaging insight into the very unfamiliar world of Alexander Tcherepnin. _-Rob Barnett_


----------



## AH music

Enjoying the references to North Yorkshire, a splendid part of the world. Although now in Derbyshire, have lived in West and North Yorkshire, as well as Lancashire, Cumbria and Northumberland.... (born near Coventry).

Back again, can't get enough of listening today. Being the start of the Easter season, have long thought about listening to some Russian church music. Totally amazed by the choral sounds from this Chandos recording of Bortnyansky (with plenty more from this prolific composer). Listened to 1-4 and to no 1 again. The sound recording seems stunning, and the singing as vivid as the colours used on the covers.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14 and 15


----------



## shangoyal

Returning to the master after a few days. First listen to this particular work. Beethoven makes even private and thoughtful pieces feel like they are inspired by great heroism.

Beethoven: *2 Cello Sonatas Op. 102*

Mischa Maisky, cello
Martha Argerich, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Moffo & Les Illuminations*









Cute.









Racy, cute, sexy, and exotic.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

shangoyal said:


> Returning to the master after a few days. First listen to this particular work. Beethoven makes even private and thoughtful pieces feel like they are inspired by great heroism.
> 
> Beethoven: *2 Cello Sonatas Op. 102*
> 
> Mischa Maisky, cello
> Martha Argerich, piano


Yes, the op. 102 sonatas are rather wonderful, aren't they? I'm really surprised that neither have yet found a place in the TC Chamber duo list.

Tonight I'm having a second, and more attentive, listen to the 'pantonal'

*Arnold Schoenberg - Das Buch der Hängende Gärten, Op. 15*
Suzanne Lange, mezzo-soprano; Tove Lonskov, piano

which is very beautiful. "A musical anarchist who upset all of Europe." Indeed.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

hpowders said:


> Perhaps, but I prefer Ashkenazy.


My favourite Diabelli of all is Backhaus. Just for the record.


----------



## Blake

The Grumiaux Trio and friends' _Mozart: Complete String Quintets._ Wonderful.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3 Byron Janis/London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 Byron Janis/Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati
Ditto (!): Preludes: Op.23 No.6/Op.3 No.2 Byron Janis

Byron Janis with some stunning Rachmaninoff, the performances and the recordings are absolutely wonderful- this is a brilliant Rachmaninoff 3rd, far superior, to my ears, to his RCA account with Munch. In fact I'd say this is a close rival to the Argerich/Chailly account, and believe me, in my book praise can go no higher.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor (Sir John Eliot Gardiner; The English Baroque Soloists).









Gardiner's period performance is excellent, imo - has that necessary rhythmic bite, with excellent transparency.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

103 Ihr werdet weinen und heulen
104 Du Hirte Israel, höre
105 Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht

Gustav Leonhardt (103) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (104, 195), cond.

-

and voting Kovacevich for my favorite Diabellis - which I'm now going to pull out for another listen


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*"Plymouth Adventure" - Miklós Rozsa*










The choral sections are a bit stilted and silly, but the fanfares and climaxes are_ Ben-Hur-Ivanhoe _AWE-SOME!






(0:39 - 1:00)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> My favourite Diabelli of all is Backhaus. Just for the record.


I'll alert the media. _;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Korngold: The Pirvate Lives of Elizabeth & Essex*


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


>


Olivia!!!! <3......................


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Awake Miranda!*










Charles Gehardt conducts Sibelius' _berceuse_ from Shakespeare's _Tempest_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Olivia!!!! <3......................


. . . and Joan, 'Fontaine,' not 'Sutherland.'


----------



## Blancrocher

Dinnerstein playing Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias.


----------



## SimonNZ

Shostakovich's Symphony No.5 - Bernard Haitink, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Listening to the requiem in D minor. It is quite a dramatic work.


----------



## Guest

Yorum Ish-Hurwitz plays BK 3&4 from Albeniz's Iberia--wow! He's a "take no prisoners" style player--more intense than Marc Andre-Hamelin or Artur Pizarro (pianists in my other two versions), yet he can play so quietly and poetically, too. Fantastic sound.


----------



## Guest

Pretty much the last word in stunning surround-sound!


----------



## Guest

This is one of my favorite series, and Demidenko is probably the most viscerally exciting pianist in the series.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

The Zelenka was a bit out of my current comfort zone.
Now for something different.....










Haas is always great


----------



## SimonNZ

Prokofiev's "Seven, They Are Seven" cantata - Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.


----------



## KenOC

Kontrapunctus said:


> This is one of my favorite series, and Demidenko is probably the most viscerally exciting pianist in the series.


Yes indeed. Demidenko's Bach/Busoni Chaconne blows off hats in Honduras.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

One of my most-played recordings.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Martinu, Violin Concerto No. 1

This is conducted by Hogwood with Bohuslav Matousek on violin. 

I don't know why this has been languishing at the bottom of my CD stack.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.34 in D Minor

Adam Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus' Tears Of St Peter - Anthony Rooley, dir.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

ptr said:


> Yea, I'm doubting this attribution, I did a search on the interweb that turned up nothing. And knowing this (and most Swedish Orchestras) and their Record releases quite well, I would have gotten wind if the combination of Alexander Gibson and Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in Sibelius, not least as he is one of my top 10 favourite composers! (But I love to be proven wrong..  )
> 
> BYW, the problem might not be with Spotify, but with the service They use for adding Tag-information!
> 
> /ptr


It's also possible that the tag is correct but there is no way to know for sure. The Album is Called "Simply Sibelius" and was released in March 2014 according to CD Universe. It's possible that it could be some kind of archive recording. I found the same recording on other music sites also tagged with Gibson as the conductor.

Kevin


----------



## Blake

Williams sings Buttersworth. Very nice.


----------



## senza sordino

This afternoon, three violin concerti in chronological order.
Bruch First concerto with Vengerov vn







Nielsen with Arve Tellefsen vn







Britten with Rebecca Hirsch vn


----------



## Guest

KenOC said:


> Yes indeed. Demidenko's Bach/Busoni Chaconne blows off hats in Honduras.


Have you seen him in concert? Whew...he's a force of nature!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

SimonNZ said:


> Prokofiev's "Seven, They Are Seven" cantata - Vladimir Ashkenazy, cond.


I love the engineering quality of the sound on those Exton recordings. The Respighi _Church Windows _Ashkenazy does on Exton sounds fantastic; reading?-- not-so-fantastic.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Music by Dufourt that I haven't heard before


----------



## bejart

Antonio Casimir Cartellieri (1772-1807): Clarinet Quartet No.2 in E Flat

Dieter Klocker on clarinet with members of Consortium Classicum: Andreas Krecher, violin -- Niklas Schwarz, viola -- Armin Fromm, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Gould playing Bach's Partitas.


----------



## mtmailey

I have heard cowen symphony 6 before but heard the symphony 3 by him have it here on cd.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

An oldie but a goodie


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Symphony No. 2


----------



## SimonNZ

Francisco Valls' Missa Scala Aretina - John Hoban, cond.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in B Flat, KV 454

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven's Emperor, played by Yundi (aka Yundi Li). Sounds pretty good! On the radio; the CD becomes available April 22, says Amazon. (The DJ Jim Svejda says, comparing him with another unnamed but popular male Chinese pianist, "This one can actually play.")


----------



## opus55

Mahler: Symphony No. 8


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Trying something new....so far I like it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Diabelli Variations - Artur Schnabel, piano

changing my mind and not playing the Kovacevich I know well and love, but instead this one which I might only have played once before


----------



## Sid James

Happy Easter to everyone.

Last few days, and today its been these -










*Ginastera* _String Quartets 1, 2 & 3_
- Enso Quartet (with Lucy Shelton, soprano in 3rd quartet)

Revisiting this disc, I especially enjoyed the *second quartet,* with its rhythmically propulsive final movement being a tour de force (reminiscent of the finale of *Ginastera's*_ Piano Concerto #1_, the one that Emerson, Palmer and Lake famously arranged - you where right, Weston!).

I am fascinated though by the *third quartet*, and with this listen got a strong hint of that surreal element in Ginastera's music, not only that edgy aspect that is perhaps easier to detect. The work reads as a sort of life cycle a la Mahler, opening with night music, moving to a purely instrumental movement, then a song involving cuckoldry (why are they so obsessed about this in the Latin cultures?), then death and the final song dealing with eternity. Like an Argentinian Das Lied in miniature? There's parallels here for sure with that seminal work of the early 20th century.










*Ravel* _String Quartet in F major_
- Quartetto Italiano

*Ravel's quartet* came out about ten years after Debussy's, and critics where lining up for a turf war (a la Bruckner versus Brahms in Vienna) between the two preeminent French composers. But it never happened, the two composers remained on good terms with eachother, albeit a bit distanced. One issue the pundits had with the piece was the unorthodox treatment of sonata form in the first movement. The bullying extended to a hint or two for Ravel to revise the piece, but Debussy told him not to change a note of it.

This is one of those works I constantly return to, and every listen I get something new. Early on its thematic unity wasn't apparent to me, but now it sure is. Ravel later said that he never achieved anything as fresh and audacious as this piece (he was only in his late twenties when he composed it). I also love those shimmering, breezy and light filled textures.











*William Schuman* _Violin Concerto_
- Philip Quint, violin with Bournemouth SO under José Serebrier

*Schuman's Violin Concerto* begins abruptly, as if the violinist is in the middle of something. It's a work with a far from orthodox 'theme' but its proven quite easy for me to hear it coursing through the first movement. The second movement, oddly headed Introduzione, carries on aspects of the lyricism of the first movement, adding contrapuntal textures that speak to influence of jazz and perhaps Latin rhythms too. The ending is powerful and has this visceral gut impact.

There are similarities here with the contrapuntal aspects of Hindemith and the jazzy aspects of Walton - both of their concertos from roughly the same period - but Schuman's has this aspect of directness, rawness and muscularity. Comes across as distinctively American in some respects.

The work was composed and premiered in 1947 but went through a series of revisions. Schuman eventually made a two-movement work out of the initial three-movement layout. This version is the final revision of 1959.


----------



## Sid James

*Philip Bracanin* _Trombone Concerto_
- Warwick Tyrell, solist with Adelaide SO under Patrick Thomas

On to more Australian music, *Bracanin's Trombone Concerto.* It was composed in the 1970's and in the following decade played by the trombonist on this recording at a competition that he won. It's a work with fast-slow-fast-slow-fast layout, the fast ones put the soloist through his paces, while the slow movements are like noctures which display a certain bluesy quality.










*Stravinsky* _Pulcinella_
- Berlin State Opera Orch. under Hermann Scherchen, with Rudolf Schultz, violin - recorded for radio broadcast in 1954

Finishing with a work that came up in recent discussion (on a rebooted Neo-Classicism thread), *Stravinsky's Pulcinella. *A fun listen, displayng the composer's lighter side. I love the jazzy brassy bits towards the end, and the violin soloist gets more than a chance or two to shine throughout the work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Copland's Organ Symphony - Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.










Copland's Piano Variations - Beveridge Webster, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - Production III - 
Overture - Suite in B-Flat Major for 2 Oboes, Bassoon, Strings & B.c. 
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

I'm not religious (I'm a humanist), but this wonderful piece by James MacMillan seemed appropriate for Good Friday morning.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Johann Strauss II: Sang Viennois Valse/New Pizzicato Polka/Wo die Zitronen Bluhen Valse/Eljen a Magyar Polka/Artist's Life/A Night in Venice Overture/New Vienna Waltz
Josef Strauss: Plappermalchen Polka/Kunstlergruss Polka/Allerlei Polka/Perlen der Liebe Valse Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna/Willi Boskovsky

Start the day with some Viennese charm. The sun is shining, what could be better?


----------



## Bas

For good friday:

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Stabat Mater, Salve Regina
By Nuria Rial [soprano], Carlos Mena [counter], Ricerar Consort, Philippe Pierlot [dir.], on Mirare









Dieterich Buxtehude - Membra Jesu Nostri
By Concerto Vocale, René Jacobs [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi Musique d'Abord


----------



## aleazk

Perotin by The Hilliard Ensemble; youtube playlist here.


----------



## SimonNZ

Aaron Copland's soundtrack for "The City"

Documentary originaly shown at the City Of Tomorrow exhibit at the 1939 Worlds Fair. The film actually holds up very well, despite what now seems a simplistic central idea, and is expertly shot and arranged.

They were, it seems, less interested in addressing preconceived ideas outside of urban planning and safety. Sample quote from the dream-town narration near the end:

"Even the washing needn't break a woman's back: the machines can take it, and the wife needn't feel cooped up and lonely on washing day. A little gossip or a friendly hand is good for the complexion. The daily market-ing is part of the fun, in fact the market is just an annex to the kitchen. Another chance to chat about the children's measles or the weather or some new wrinkle in the diet that Grandma never knew."

A watchable though less than pristine print, here:


----------



## Oskaar

*Frédéric Chopin
Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11

1 Allegro maestoso
2 Romanze - Larghetto
3 Rondo - Vivace

Evgeny Kissin, piano

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 
Zubin Mehta, conductor*

Very fine presentation, and very good sound.

*videolink*


----------



## jim prideaux

last night on returning from a brief sojourn in Prague I was able to listen to the newly arrived Harnoncourt Brahms symphonies but this morning I am now able to listen to acquisitions I made while in the Czech capital.......
in one small bookshop I found a box of what I initially thought to be second hand vinyl-in fact as it turned out they were new and retailing at the equivalent of approx. 80p-it was as if the owners had found them in a cupboard and just wanted rid of them-they were Supraphon and Hungartron mainly so I bought as many as I could get in various cases-one disc was the Melodiya recording of Glazunovs 4th symphony from 1979-Fedoseyev conducting the USSR TV and Radio Large Symphony Orchestra-I am now listening to it and admiring the cover-over the next few days will have to work my way through various Dvorak recordings but they are all worth having for the covers alone...........


----------



## SimonNZ

Ruth Crawford Seeger's String Quartet 1931

Marjike van Kooten, violin
Heleen Hulst, violin
Karin Dolman, viola
Hans Woudenberg, cello


----------



## aleazk

_The Taverner Consort_ performs *Gesualdo*'s _Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday_.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Sibelius* - The Bard, Finlandia and Tapiola










*Brahms* - Alto Rhapsody, Tragic Overture and Variations on a Theme by Haydn


----------



## Andolink

*Johann Chistoph Friedrich Bach*: _Sonatas for traverso & fortepiano_-- No. 1 in D minor and No. 2 in D major
Marcello Gatti, transverse flute
Giovanni Togni, fortepiano


----------



## Oskaar

*Frédéric Chopin
Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11

1 Allegro maestoso
2 Romanze - Larghetto
3 Rondo - Vivace

Evgeny Kissin, piano

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 
Zubin Mehta, conductor*

Very fine presentation, and very good sound.

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert, Trio op. 100 - Andante con moto*

*Par le Trio Wanderer (Voyage d'hiver 2007 - Carte Blanche au Trio Wanderer, réalisation Jean-Pierre Barizien - CLC Productions)*

Wonderfull take of this captivating movement from a great Schubert trio.

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

How nice to see your green script, Sid...a 'Happy Easter' to you and all. I'm glad you like the Kovacevich Diabelli, Simon. 
I remember being put 'on the spot' (by 'Jerome' I think...) & asked which interpretation I preferred & I chose that one.

Anyway, its nice to see the sunshine outside but I'm plumping for the angst-suggesting skies on my Ace of Clubs LP of Brahms First Piano Concerto....full of foreboding, or as we say in the Midlands....its a bit black over Bill's mothers?! '
Conducted by Eduard Van Beinum, Curzon is so good in this interpretation....he rattles out those trills in the first movement like nobody's business!


----------



## SimonNZ

"French Renaissance Vocal Music" - Nadia Boulanger, dir.


----------



## JCarmel

oskaar...my 'Listen-later' list at Youtube is getting out-of-hand, to put it mildly. It's very difficult to ignore interesting-looking material & I've a heck of a lot to watch now...so might you give us the Easter break to catch-up before posting_ too _many more?!


----------



## Oskaar

*Porumbescu Balada by Clara Cernat and Thierry Huillet*

So beautiful!

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Stravinsky's Ode - cond. composer


----------



## cjvinthechair

Valeriy Kikta - Frescoes of St. Sofia of Kyiv (1st part linked above), & Concerto for orchestra (linked below)


----------



## DrKilroy




----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Septem Verba Cristi Cruce Prolatis (orchestral version)
By Les Concerts des Nations, Jordi Savall [dir.], on Alliavox


----------



## Oskaar

*Renaud Capuçon, Vilde Frang, Yuri Bashmet, Gautier Capuçon, Daniil Trifonov - Antonín Dvořák, Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81 (2nd mov, Dumka: Andante con moto)
Verbier Festival 2013*

This is a fine one. Beautiful music! You can expect some posts from me today... So many goddies on youtube..

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

CPE Bach (1714-1788): Keyboard Sonata in F Major, W.62/9

Miklos Spanyi, harpsichord


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wikipedia said:


> Night Prayers is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet. It contains commissioned pieces with music from former Soviet republics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and includes performances by Throat Singers of Tuva, Dawn Upshaw (soprano), Djivan Gasparian (duduk), and Mikhail Alexandrovich (cantor).


Composers included are Yanov-Yanovsy, Ali-Zadeh, Gubaidulina, Tahmizyan, Golijov and Kancheli. All composers I wish I knew more of. Recommendations of their other work please! (Although I do know a fair bit of Gubaidulina).


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi: Arias and concertos with Sonia Prina

• Vivaldi: Concerto for strings in G minor
• Vivaldi: Là sull'eterna sponda ~ Motezuma
• Vivaldi: Concerto for four violins in B minor
• Vivaldi: Vedrò con mio diletto ~ Giustino
• Vivaldi: Ho il cor già lacero ~ Griselda
• Vivaldi: Agitata infido flatu ~ Juditha triumphans
• Vivaldi: Concerto for flautino in C major
• Vivaldi: Sol da te ~ Orlando furioso
• Vivaldi: Anderò, volerò, griderò ~ Orlando finto Pazzo
• Vivaldi: Nel profondo cieco mondo ~ Orlando furioso

Sonia Prina: contralto

Il Giardino Armonico
Conducted by Giovanni Antonini*

Having a delightfull hour with Vivaldi on youtube. Very good sound. And what a voice in Sonia Prina!
And the filming is like a Venetian drama

*videolink*

Edit... I am half way through now, and what an explotion for the senses! Dhe video is the oposit of hd, but forget that... Really recommended!


----------



## SimonNZ

Hartmann's Miserae - Ingo Metzmacher, cond.


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to some Stokowski and Egarr.









http://www.glossamusic.com/glossa/reference.aspx?id=217
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6907


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Haitink


----------



## Oskaar

JCarmel said:


> oskaar...my 'Listen-later' list at Youtube is getting out-of-hand, to put it mildly. It's very difficult to ignore interesting-looking material & I've a heck of a lot to watch now...so might you give us the Easter break to catch-up before posting_ too _many more?!


Ok, I will take it easy... Just so eager to share!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Mahlerian said:


> Mahler: Symphony No. 7
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Haitink


I want to hug you. 
Love that symphony sooo much! Does Haitink do a good version?


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101_
Trio Wanderer









*Luigi Boccherini*: _String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 25 no. 2_
La Magnifica Comunità









*Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach*: _Sonata for flute and fortepiano no. 5 in A major_; _Sonata for flute, cello and fortepiano in D major_
Marcello Gatti, transverse flute
Giovanni Togni, fortepiano
Giovanna Barbati, cello


----------



## bejart

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): String Symphony No.8 in D Major

Lev Markiz conducting the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam


----------



## ptr

Kevin Pearson said:


> It's also possible that the tag is correct but there is no way to know for sure. The Album is Called "Simply Sibelius" and was released in March 2014 according to CD Universe. It's possible that it could be some kind of archive recording. I found the same recording on other music sites also tagged with Gibson as the conductor.


CDU lists a CD with Symphonies 1 & 2 as well, but either say nothing about a conductor what I can see ! The Label Amneritz, seem to be licensing its releases, and their site seems like a wonder of relevant information for anyone who dig classical music!

None of the sites I've found it on now lists any conductor (fx Google play), so my doubt's remain, I've sent the Orchestra an e-mail to inquire about this CD to still my curiosity!

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Got a date with something Operatic later-on...but I just gotta have a blast of the Easter Hymn & more...from Mascagni's 'Cavalleria Rusticana' .... Queen Victoria's favourite opera!

Pavarotti/Varady/Cappucilli NPO/Gavazzeni. Good interpretation/recorded sound this...(anything with two Z's in it is always worth investigating?!)


----------



## Oskaar

oskaar said:


> Ok, I will take it easy... Just so eager to share!


And I am glad people is interrested...

But a tip if you really want to follow the links later is too rigtclick on the number of the post and bookmark it for later. That feature will not overboil like the watch later. I am doing right that from the start of the tc thread.

Or maybe the easiest, rightclick on the videolink and save it as a bookmark


----------



## Blancrocher

For Respighi's passing, Mario Venzago with Sol Gabetta and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in the Adagio with Variations for Cello and Orchestra.


----------



## Blake

Tournemire - Symphony 3. One of my favorite Frenchmen.


----------



## Oskaar

*• Handel: La resurrezione, sacred oratorio in two parts, HWV 47
__

00:01:25 • Sonata
00:04:44 • Aria: Disseratevi, oh porte d'averno! (Angelo)
00:10:42 • Aria: Caddi, e ver, ma nel cadere (Lucifero)
00:15:12 • Aria: D'amor fu consiglio (Angelo)
00:19:13 • Aria: O voi dell' Erebo potenze oribili (Lucifero)
00:22:53 • Aria: Ferma l'ali, e su i miei lumi (Maddalena)
00:29:21 • Aria: Piangete, si, piangete (Cleofe)
00:34:02 • Duet: Dolci, chiodi, amate spine (Maddalena, Cleofe)
00:38:17 • Aria: Quando e parto dell'affetto (San Giovanni)
00:43:48 • Aria: Naufragando va per l'onde (Cleofe)
00:49:31 • Aria: Cosi la tortorella talor piange (San Giovanni)
00:54:36 • Aria: Ho un non so che nel cor (Maddalena)
00:58:13 • Chœur: Il Nume vincitor trionfi (Chœur, SATB)
__

01:00:58 • Introduzione
01:02:53 • Aria: Ecco il sol ch'esce dal mare (San Giovanni)
01:06:49 • Aria: Risorga il mondo lieto e giocondo (Angelo)
01:10:53 • Aria: Per celare il nuovo scorno (Lucifero)
01:12:53 • Duet: Duro e il cimento (Angelo, Lucifero)
01:14:15 • Aria: Per me gia di morire (Maddalena)
01:21:22 • Aria: Vedo il ciel che piu sereno (Cleofe)
01:26:09 • Aria: Se per colpa di donna infelice (Angelo)
01:29:24 • Aria: Del ciglio dolente l'ondosa procella (Maddalena)
01:31:47 • Aria: Augelletti, ruscelletti (Cleofe)
01:34:43 • Aria: Caro figlio, amato Dio (San Giovanni)
01:38:34 • Aria: Se impassibile, immortale sei risorto (Maddalena)
01:41:30 • Chœur: Dia si lode in cielo (chœur, SATB)
__

01:44:45 • Encore
__

• Maddalena: Kateřina Kněžíková (soprano)
• Angelo: Hana Blažíková (soprano)
• Cleofe: Mariana Rewerski (alto)
• Lucifero: Eric Stoklossa (tenor)
• San Giovanni: Tobias Berndt (bass)
__

Collegium 1794
Conducted by Václav Luks*

Fantastic sacred music from Handel, very well performed and presentated.

*videolink*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

From the divine (MacMillan's Seven Last Words this morning) to the decadent and one of Fleming's most successful recital discs, and probably all we'll ever get on disc of her Marschallin. Lovely too to hear Susan Graham as Octavian and Barbara Bonney as Sophie. I have equivocal feelings about Fleming, but in the right repertoire (and Strauss is definitely her repertoire) she can be superb. This disc was recorded 16 years ago, and about one thing there can be no argument, this is a voice of unparalleled beauty.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

4.18.14
_
Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 4
Vernon Handly conducting the BBC Philharmonic

Gabriel Faure
String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121
Quatuor Ebene


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Stabat Mater (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; Von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Arnold Schoenberg Chor;
Concentus musicus Wien).


----------



## Jeff W

Trying to listen to more chamber music. I feel like I sometimes listen to too much big orchestral stuff. Here is what popped out.









Got started with Franz Schubert's String Quartets No. 1, 2 & 3 along with the Quartet Movement in C, D. 103. The Melos Quartett played these early works.









Next up was some solo piano music by Joseph Haydn. Piano Sonatas No. 20, 32, 31 & 30. Jeno Jando played.









Going to give Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Trio & Clarinet Quintet a play next. For the Trio the players are Karl Leister on clarinet, Georg Donderer on cello and Christoph Eschenbach played piano. For the Quintet the Amadeus Quartet played strings while Mr. Leister played his clarinet.


----------



## Blake

Janson's Tchaikovsky - _Symphony 5_. It's a funny thing, I never gave Tchaikovsky much mind. But he really did some excellent stuff.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Violin Sonatas, Op. 137 Nos 1-3 (D.384,385,408)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> How nice to see your green script, Sid...a 'Happy Easter' to you and all. I'm glad you like the Kovacevich Diabelli, Simon.
> I remember being put 'on the spot' (by 'Jerome' I think...) & asked which interpretation I preferred & I chose that one.
> 
> Anyway, its nice to see the sunshine outside but I'm plumping for the angst-suggesting skies on my Ace of Clubs LP of Brahms First Piano Concerto....full of foreboding, or as we say in the Midlands....its a bit black over Bill's mothers?! '
> Conducted by Eduard Van Beinum, Curzon is so good in this interpretation....he rattles out those trills in the first movement like nobody's business!
> 
> View attachment 39773


---
The 'finessing' Curzon (I'm thinking of his Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto with Knappertsbusch) paired with the war-hammer Van Beinum (his Concertgebouw Bruckner VIII comes to mind)-- interesting combo-pack. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I'd love to hear it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> An oldie but a goodie


Love it. Christine Schafer _uber alles _on all those pieces for me.


----------



## Vasks

*FJ Haydn - The Seven Last Words (McCabe/London)*


----------



## Bas

Some instrumental intermezzos:

Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard sonatas kk 126 - 139, kk 156 - 172
By Scott Ross [harpsichord], on Erato









Johann Praetorius - Organ works
By Friedhelm Flamme [organ], on CPO









Beautiful chorales, on a really nice organ (highly recommended for the organ lovers and baroque fans amongst us.)

(I am deciding what to listen next, probably Vivaldi's Stabat Mater)


----------



## bejart

Antonio Rosetti (ca.1750-1792): Symphony in D Major, Kaul 30

Concerto Koln


----------



## ptr

*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (11/12 / INA 2008)
(Sonare / Sons - Jeux / La Mémoire Des Sons)









*Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (12/12 / INA 2008)
(Immer/Sounds / Espèces D'espaces / Au Gré Du Souffle, Le Son S'envole / Rêveries)









/ptr


----------



## Blake

Janson's Tchaikovsky - _Little Russian._ I'm steadily becoming more appreciative of this chap. Quite amazing composer, really. He has that mystical Russian ambience, but with sharper phrasing.


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Clarinet Quartet in B Flat, Op.21, No.1

Jan Budin on clarinet with members of the Panocha Quartet: Jiri Panocha, violin -- Miroslav Schnoutka, viola -- Jaroslav Kulhan, cello


----------



## Mahlerian

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I want to hug you.
> Love that symphony sooo much! Does Haitink do a good version?


It's not quite as driving or incisive as I would have liked, and won't take its place in my favorite performances of the work, but even with the slightly sluggish finale, it was still effective enough. The first movement was great, as always.


----------



## Blake

ptr said:


> *Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (11/12 / INA 2008)
> (Sonare / Sons - Jeux / La Mémoire Des Sons)
> 
> View attachment 39798
> 
> 
> *Bernard Parmegiani* - L'œuvre musicale (12/12 / INA 2008)
> (Immer/Sounds / Espèces D'espaces / Au Gré Du Souffle, Le Son S'envole / Rêveries)
> 
> View attachment 39801
> 
> 
> /ptr


I see you're making your way through the set. Pretty great stuff, huh. You should check out Bayle's set as well - amazing.

http://www.amazon.com/50-ans-dacousmatique-François-Bayle/dp/B00B66GC4U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397837096&sr=8-2&keywords=francois+bayle


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A great secular cantata for this afternoon's listening:

*Arnold Schönberg - Gurre-Lieder*

Riccardo Chailly, Radio Symphonie-Orchester Berlin;
Siegfried Jerusalem, Susan Dunn, Brigitte Fassbaender, Hermann Becht, Peter Haage, Hans Hotter, Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin, Städtischer Musikverein, Düsseldorf. [Decca, 1990]










An Amazon reviewer calling him/herself 'Enthusiast' posted this, and I couldn't have put my own reaction any better, really, so I'll quote him/her:

"How it is that I have missed the overwhelming thrill of Gurreleider for so long I do not know but now I have heard it I have fallen instantly in love. This is no mere interesting or rewarding byway of music and it is no student exercise. It is a great towering masterpiece. And it is also something of a missing link in music - logically, it had to exist (and it had to be this great)!"

It's that good. And this seems to be a pretty good performance and recording, too.


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> It's that good. And this seems to be a pretty good performance and recording, too.


I also like Berg's quote following an analysis of the Gurrelieder:

"I do not conclude that by means of my analysis that one should deny the soul of these works. And no one need believe me about that either; because whoever hears these melodies just once will forget all that I have said about them and will simply sense their soul." - Alban Berg


----------



## Blancrocher

Listening to some favorite Kempff performances of Beethoven's piano sonatas--and culling others (rec. 1964-5); Karajan conducting symphonies 3 & 4 (rec. 1962)


----------



## millionrainbows

Rostropovich: Bach: Cello Suites (EMI 2-CD).


----------



## ptr

Vesuvius said:


> I see you're making your way through the set. Pretty great stuff, huh. You should check out Bayle's set as well - amazing.


I'm ahead of You, its already on my shelf (Have sampled some of it and agree on amazing!)... Just have to rip it to my hard drive...Ripping is mammoth work... 

/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Good Friday With Christa & Gundula*









Any Friday's wonderful with Christa and Gundula-- Good Friday, Black Friday, whatever Friday; absolutely and without exception.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 39814
> 
> 
> Any Friday's wonderful with Christa and Gundula-- Good Friday, Black Friday, whatever Friday; absolutely and without exception.


Amazing cast!!!


----------



## Morimur

*Jan Dismas Zelenka - I Penitenti al Sepolchro del Redentore (ZWV 63) (Luks)*










_Review by James Manheim_

Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka is a strong candidate for the greatest rediscovery of the Baroque revival. He worked for most of his career in Dresden (the booklet, in French and English, goes into a great deal of detail about the political determinants and musical implications of this fact), and Bach, who didn't admire many composers, admired him. Each new Zelenka work that emerges, if competently performed, seems to astonish, and I Penitenti al Sepolchro del Redentore, ZWV 63 (The Penitents at the Sepulchre of the Redeemer), composed late in Zelenka's career in 1736, is no exception. The work is a bit hard to get a grip on because of its odd genre. Annotator Vacláv Luks calls it a "sepolcro oratorio": it is a little religious semi-drama based on the idea that biblical figures, who may not (as in this case) actually meet in the Bible at all, gather at Christ's tomb and contemplate his divine mysteries. The benefit of this rather artificial device is that biblical stories can be massaged into quasi-operatic sentiments. The libretto of this roughly hour-long Italian-language work, by the Padua-to-Dresden transplant Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, features arias by the unlikely trio of King David (Davidde), Mary Magdalene (Maddalena), and St. Peter (Pietro). For the most part they wouldn't have been out of place in an opera by Hasse, Zelenka's rival at the Dresden court; sample Peter's "Lingua perfidia" (Perfidious Tongue, referring to the snake in the garden of Eden), track 7, for an idea of how closely Zelenka's melodic writing approximated the high and then quite new opera seria style of the middle eighteenth century: it is flashy, passionate, and both vocally and instrumentally fancy stuff. The three vocal soloists on this Czech release all acquit themselves well, but the real shocks that make Zelenka so much fun come in the instrumental parts, vigorously and accurately rendered by the historical-instrument ensemble Collegium 1704. The use of pizzicato to depict the words "Le tue corde, arpe sonora" (Your strings, sonorous harp, track 11) is something another composer might have thought of, but the massive extension of the pizzicato passage is pure Zelenka. There are lots of other surprises in the instrumental writing, and the whole work is entirely worthy of this fascinating composer. The sound recording, from a Prague castle, is superb. This Czech ensemble is to be commended for its effective championing of music from its home ground.


----------



## JCarmel

That Van Beinum/Curzon Brahms No 1 if you want to listen to it...-its on Spotify, MB.....


----------



## Marschallin Blair

You're a Doll, Julie. _;D_


----------



## Oskaar

*SummerFest celebrates the genius and legacy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with performances of two of his most celebrated chamber works, the "Trio in E-flat Major" and the "Serenade in B-Flat Major (Gran Partita)." Mozart's youngest son, F.X. Mozart, is also represented by the sprightly "Grand Sonate in E Major." Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [10/2011]*

Yoyfull Mozart!

*videolink*


----------



## Rhythm

*Leoš Janaček | two orchestral works*

These sweet sounds in dance-like rhythms were heard twice early-early this morning, and now again.





^ Leoš Janaček | Idyll for strings





^ Leoš Janaček | Suite Op. 3 for orchestra

Janáček Philharmonie in Ostrava conducted by Otakar Trhlík recorded the works in Havifov Community Centre from 28 to 30 August 1985, and the LP was released by Supraphon label in 1987.​


----------



## KenOC

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka is a strong candidate for the greatest rediscovery of the Baroque revival.


A great composer whose music was filed away under lock and key -- even Telemann couldn't pry it loose for publication. Zelenka was finally rediscovered by...Smetana! The Wiki article is fascinating.

My favorite Zelenka works are the Trio Sonatas, probably because I'm not so much of a fan of choral music.


----------



## DrKilroy




----------



## Headphone Hermit

Edmund Rubbra - Symphony No 9 'Sinfonia Sacra' (The Resurrection) - BBC National Chorus and Orchestra of Wales - Richard Hickox









A little early as the cruxificion hasn't occured yet, but this is a stimulating work that deserves to be much better known imho


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, St. Matthew Passion*

I saw Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, and afterwards, I could hardly talk, like I had been hit in the solar plexus. Today I listened to the Matthew Passion, and this time, all the emotions of the piece swept over me. Gibson could only show the brutality of the crucifixion, but Bach revealed the innermost content of the Good Friday events.

Klemperer is completely wrong in his pacing and tempi, but there's something about this recording that brings the piece home.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

JS Bach - Matthaus-Passion - La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent - Philippe Herreweghe









I'm not the only one on TC listening to this today but this is a magnificent version of the work, brimming with life, committment, delicacy (and power) and sheer good taste throughout. Truly a highpoint (one of the very highest) in music - I'm just sorry that I'm on the sofa rather than in one of the great European cathedrals listening to it first-hand


----------



## Bas

George Philipp Telemann - Double & Triple Concertos
By The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood [dir.], on Archiv









Antonio Vivaldi - Stabat Mater
Ensemble 415, Andreas Scholl [counter-tenor], Chiara Banchini [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Matthäus-Passion
Ian Bostridge [Evangelista], Franz Josef Selig [Christus], Sibylla Rubens [sop.], Andreas Scholl [counter-tenor, singing alto roles], Werner Güra [alt.], Dietrich Henschel [bass], Choir and Orchestra Collegium Vocale Gent, dir. Philippe Herreweghe, on Harmonia Mundi
(It is Herreweghe's second, 1998 recording)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Pergolesi, Stabat Mater.*


----------



## Bas

Manxfeeder said:


> *Pergolesi, Stabat Mater.*
> 
> View attachment 39823


That is a real fine performance too, I need to buy it sometime.


----------



## Blancrocher

Regine Crespin singing Berlioz, Ravel, Debussy, and Poulenc.


----------



## Itullian

Beautiful Gloria by Pinnock.


----------



## opus55

Julius Rontgen: Violin Concerto in A minor; Violin Concerto in F sharp minor
Charles Tournemire: Symphony No. 3


----------



## bejart

Georg Druschetzky (1745-1819): Oboe Quartet in C Major

Lajos Lencses, oboe -- Zsolt Szefcsik, violin -- Agnes Csoma, viola -- Balint Maroth, cello


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Today's Art song listening on YouTube, collected together.

*György Ligeti - Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel* on poems by Sándor Weöres
Katalin Károlyi and the Amadinda Percussion Group. (2006)

Edit: I also enjoyed these Ligeti songs very much - they seem, like much of Ligeti's work, very fresh and original.

*Manuel de Falla - 7 canciones populares Españolas*
Mezzosoprano - Teresa Berganza; Guitar - Narciso Yepes

Excellent indeed from Teresa Berganza and Narciso Yepes.

*Olivier Messiaen - Harawi*
Rachel Yakar, soprano; Yvonne Loriod, piano

I liked this very much (my first listen to 'Harawi') and it took a trick with the young Mr. Vox too, who stayed to hear the whole thing.

*Webern - 5 Lieder Op.3*
Played live by Isabel Meiser (mezzo-soprano)and Bongju Lee (piano) [2013, Saarbrücken, Germany.]

*Webern - Fünf Lieder for voice and piano, Op. 4*
Eingang
Noch zwingt mich Treue
Ja Heil und Dank dir die den Segen brachte!
So ich traurig bin
Ihr tratet zu dem Herde
Soprano - Marni Nixon; Piano - Leonard Stein
(From Robert Craft's set of Webern's complete works with opus numbers, Columbia Records)

I really liked op. 4, but then perhaps the performance made the diference - Marni Nixon's soprano sounds made for Webern's lieder.


----------



## messadivoce

This is what I'm listening to now.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Handel: Messiah Isobel Baillie/Gladys Ripley/James Johnston/Norman Walker/Huddersfield Choral Society/Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Having just bought this big Sargent set, it seemed appropriate to listen to this today. It is a very satisfying version, the Huddersfield Choral Society "sing like the blazes" to quote Beecham, and all the soloists are good, but I must make particular mention of Isobel Baillie. I don't believe there's ever been a lovelier soprano voice on this earth than hers. The way she floats her notes in "Come Unto Him" is magical, the crystal clear, bell-like clarity of them is unlike anything I've ever heard, the most beautiful pianissimo, it really is like liquid gold. She was, from all accounts just as lovely as a person. Walter Legge once remarked to Solomon, "Do you know there are two people I like more and more as the years pass by, you and Isobel Baillie", this was after Legge had retired from EMI, and no doubt had time for reflection on the many musicians he'd worked with. I hope plenty of people still listen to her recordings, they certainly ought to.


----------



## Itullian

7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross.


----------



## JCarmel

Nice to read that, Shropshire Moose. Look, there's even a cigarette card of her!









Which reminds me, I haven't looked at my albums of them for years....I bet that they're going a bit brown round the edges. 
But then, aren't we all?!....
My music choice for this evening...Mendelssohn's Symphony No 2, 'Lobgesang'...I love it!


----------



## Haydn man

Listen to a very stirring performance of Sibelius 7
This is a new work for me and the playing seems wonderfully controlled


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Haydn, Seven Last Words*

Outstanding.


----------



## KenOC

Brahms, Alto Rhapsody. I don't know this very well, but it was mentioned on another thread. Sinopoli, Prague Philharmonic.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: French and English Suites, w. GG (rec.1971 - '76).


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> *Got a date with something Operatic later-on*...but I just gotta have a blast of the Easter Hymn & more...from Mascagni's 'Cavalleria Rusticana' .... Queen Victoria's favourite opera!
> 
> Pavarotti/Varady/Cappucilli NPO/Gavazzeni. Good interpretation/recorded sound this...(anything with two Z's in it is always worth investigating?!)
> 
> View attachment 39783


Roberto Alagna's free again?


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Flute Quartet in G Major, Op.92

Peter-Lukas Graf on flute with the Carmina String Trio: Matthias Enderle, violin -- Wendy Champney, viola -- Stephan Goerner, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (Actus Tragicus)
107 Was willst du dich betrüben
108 Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe

Gustav Leonhardt (106, 107) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (108), cond.


----------



## KenOC

Adolph Henselt, Trio in A minor, Op. 24. Written ca. 1850 and dedicated to Franz Liszt. I've never heard anything by Henselt, but this is pretty good!


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 39700
> View attachment 39701
> 
> 
> Listening to the perfectly poised beauty of Karajan's EMI 80's Sibelius VI is an act of zen: "I'm not _visualizing_ the forrests and fjords, I'm_ in _them."


Very good haircut.


----------



## Vaneyes

Schafer, then GG.


----------



## Selby

Lucien Durosoir [1878-1955]

String Quartet No. 1 in F minor

Quatuor Diotima


----------



## ShropshireMoose

KenOC said:


> Adolph Henselt, Trio in A minor, Op. 24. Written ca. 1850 and dedicated to Franz Liszt. I've never heard anything by Henselt, but this is pretty good!


Raymond Lewenthal made a terrific recording of his piano concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra/Charles Mackerras that is well worth searching out. Henselt was from all accounts a wonderful pianist, but he suffered very badly from nerves. When playing a concerto he would only dash out onto the platform after the orchestral introduction was over, on one occasion in Russia he was smoking a cigar in the wings to calm his nerves, then dashed out, not having had chance to get rid of it, and puffed his way all through the first movement, much to the amusement of the Tsar! His study "Si Oiseau J'etais" used to be very popular and was recorded by both Rachmaninoff and Moiseiwitsch.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Such charm and grace never runs aground on me.


----------



## Blake

Pinnock's Haydn - _The 'Sturm und Drang' Symphonies._ - starting with No. 35. Most excellent.


----------



## KenOC

ShropshireMoose said:


> Raymond Lewenthal made a terrific recording of his piano concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra/Charles Mackerras that is well worth searching out. Henselt was from all accounts a wonderful pianist, but...


Thanks! On checking, I see that I have Henselt's piano concerto (op.16, F minor) in Hyperion's "Romantic Piano Concerto" series. It's played by Hamelin in this case, probably because it's coupled with some Alkan. Will give it a listen!


----------



## bejart

'Via Delarosa' by Sandi Patti


----------



## Alypius

*Schoenberg: String Quartet #4, op. 37 (1936)*

LaSalle Quartet, 
_Schoenberg / Berg/ Webern / Zemlinsky: Complete String Quartets_ 
(reissue: Deutsche Grammophon, 2013; also available via Brilliant and earlier DG issues)


----------



## KenOC

Thanks to ShropshireMoose, Henselt's Piano Concerto Op.16. Marc-Andre Hamelin tickling the ivories!


----------



## cwarchc

Yesterdays list








and


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More Art song listening, but 19th century works (just, in the case of the Elgar) tonight. On YouTube again.

*
Robert Schumann - Liederkreis, Op. 24*
The pianist, Javier López, has posted the Y-T video but has chosen not to identify the tenor he's accompanying!

*Edward Elgar - Sea Pictures, Op. 37*
Well, this is Dame Janet Baker, and the Y-T video identifies the conductor as Solti (but not the orchestra). It appears to be a live performance recording of high quality. It is a very good performance of a magnificent song-cycle.

*Claude Debussy - Trois Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90*
1. La Flûte de Pan
2. La Chevelure
3. Le Tombeau des Naïades
Dawn Upshaw, soprano; Gilbert Kalish, piano

Live, and a horribly reverberant acoustic (I have only recently learned to spell that word; it only took me 50 years), but I get the gist. THe performers are top-notch, of course.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: "The Seven Last Words"

Kodaly Quartet: Attila Falvay and Tamas Szabo, violins -- Gabor Fias, viola -- Janos Devich, cello


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Morimur

*Kalevi Aho - Symphony No.11; Symphonic Dances (Vanska)*









Among his contemporaries, Kalevi Aho stands as one of the most exciting composers, and foremost among his peers in revitalizing the Finnish symphonic tradition for the postmodern period. A student of Einojuhani Rautavaara, Aho has surpassed his teacher in orchestrational skill and daring. He has amply demonstrated that the symphony should not be treated as an academic exercise in imitation of past masters, and that it deserves the full resources of today's virtuoso orchestra and all the freedoms of the avant-garde's explorations. The Symphony No. 11 for six percussionists and orchestra consolidates the gains of modernism and spans innovations from Varèse to Xenakis. Yet Aho's music never sounds derivative, for he has internalized his influences and made his work sound fresh and spontaneous without obvious references or mannerisms. Aho's Symphonic Dances feature astonishing orchestral effects and powerful collisions of sound, superimposed on driving rhythms and cycling motives with abundant invention. The Kroumata Percussion Ensemble and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, led by Osmo Vänskä, are particularly adept at playing Aho's impressive music, and have the benefit of the composer's advice for these performances. The recorded sound is excellent through most of the disc, though the closing Tranquillo movement of the symphony is extremely soft and best heard on headphones.

_Review by Blair Sanderson_


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Haas: Limited Approximations










I have been quite interested in the recent goings-on at the Donaueschinger Musiktage (excited to discover it actually, it is the oldest contemporary music festival in the world! I would love to participate one day!) and I have come across many recordings of the events on Spotify of the events over the past few years. This piece by Haas was introduced to me by Aleazk, to whom I give many thanks because it blew my mind when I heard it and got me interested in spectralism again.


----------



## KenOC

Brahms String Quintets 1 & 2, Takacs Quartet plus Lawrence Power on Viola. Good, strong works.


----------



## Dustin

Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde

I'm trying to work my way through this monster and develop a taste for Wagner. I'm enjoying it more than expected so far up to the beginning of the second act. It is a pretty daunting task to think about how many hours of listening I might have to do before it really clicks. Assuming it takes an average of 5 listens before a piece really starts to latch onto me, this could take close to 25 hours! Gotta start sometime though.


----------



## Weston

I may never again feel caught up on this thread, but maybe my internet connection is fixed for a while. I thought I'd hop in to report how much I'm enjoying this overblown over-the-top post-romantic piano concerto -- not without a modicum of guilt.
*
Ernst von Dohnányi: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 5*
Matthias Bamert / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Howard Shelley, piano









It's like a collaboration between Brahms and Schumann with a hint Rachmaninoff.


----------



## Itullian

Dustin said:


> Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde
> 
> I'm trying to work my way through this monster and develop a taste for Wagner. I'm enjoying it more than expected so far up to the beginning of the second act. It is a pretty daunting task to think about how many hours of listening I might have to do before it really clicks. Assuming it takes an average of 5 listens before a piece really starts to latch onto me, this could take close to 25 hours! Gotta start sometime though.
> 
> View attachment 39857


One Act at a time is a good approach.


----------



## Guest

In celebration


----------



## Blake

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's _Mozart: Complete Wind Concertos - Horn Concertos 3 & 4._ I don't know if there's a composer who's music I adore more at this point in time. I keep coming back like a bird to its nest.


----------



## Guest

I find the rhythmic intensity quite appealing--great playing and sound, too.


----------



## Weston

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I want to hug you.
> Love that symphony sooo much! Does Haitink do a good version?


No. 7 is next on my Mahler journey, but it's been so long since I sat down with No. 6 I may as well start over at No. 1. My version of the 7th is with Michael Tilson Thomas, so I'm hoping that's a passionate enough version. Maybe this weekend I have some free time for it. I hear a lot of people rave more about the later symphonies.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Respighi's* death day (1936), "Windows", "Impressions", w. Philharmonia/Simon (rec. 1984).


----------



## Guest

Another amazing vibrant performance and superbly recorded disc on the Challenge Classics label.


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Haydn's Symphony #97, Jochum and the London SO. This is a very special symphony. Well, I guess they all are.


----------



## Blake

KenOC said:


> On the radio: Haydn's Symphony #97, Jochum and the London SO. This is a very special symphony. Well, I guess they all are.


Ironically, I've added this to my Amazon shopping cart earlier. You like it alright? Recommendable?


----------



## KenOC

Vesuvius said:


> Ironically, I've added this [Jochum's Haydn] to my Amazon shopping cart earlier. You like it alright? Recommendable?


If you need/want another set of the Londons, certainly. I have this box, and Jochum does a fine, civilized job. A first-class middle-European approach, smooth without being sedate, crisp enough to avoid the smearing and dragginess of some recordings from that era. Sounds a lot like Walter to my ears (not a bad thing at all).

It doesn't aim to blow your socks off with intensity like some HIP versions, but you can live with it for years. Think about Alec Guinness's two wives in_ Captain's Paradise_...


----------



## nightscape

Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras - No. 4 (orchestral version)


----------



## Sid James

*Beethoven*
_Piano Sonatas 14 (Moonlight), 8 (Pathetique), 17 (Tempest), 23 (Apassionata)_
- Maria-Joao Pires on the bones

Its been ages since I've heard these pieces. Listeners of Karl Haas' radio show 'Adventures in Good Music' of decades gone by will remember the slow movement of the *Pathetique* as his theme music. Karl's greeting of "Hello Everyone" with that resonant baritone voice came to mind when hearing it, funnily enough.










*Miaskovsky* _Cello Concerto_
- Mstislav Rostropovich, cello with Philharmonia Orch. under Sir Malcolm Sargent

There's parallels between this piece with Elgar's concerto, not in the least the sad melody that forms the opening movement's main theme, as well as the 'framed' structure with it coming back at the very end. The second movement features more animated dancy folkish elements, some more modern sounding use of muted trumpets and a cadenza that neatly wraps things up. It's a poignant work, definitely not of its time (1940's) but style notwithstanding there is real substance to this work.

In any case, Rostropovich admired the piece and chose it to be amongst his first recordings made in the West. The English musicians, who had little to no previous familiarity with this repertoire, adapted their skills to it admirably too. These sessions done in 1956 and 1957 where quite significant in terms of Cold War politics, as the USSR de-Stalinised, increased cultural links where made between East and West under the newly installed Khrushchev regime.










*William Schuman* _New England Triptych_
*Ives (orchestrated by Schuman)* _Variations on 'America'_
- Bournemouth SO under José Serebrier

A listen to the rest of the *Schuman* disc, these pieces differing markedly from the _Violin Concerto_ that I heard previously. The middle movement of the _Triptych_, _*When Jesus Wept*_, had similarities to string writing of Vaughan Williams, and in terms of a certain austere quality to Sibelius. Jose Serebrier praises that movement a great deal in the notes to the disc, and I'm not surprised why. Schuman is a composer who will warrant more exploration on my part.


----------



## Alypius

As it's Good Friday:

*Haydn, The Seven Last Words of Our Redeemer on the Cross, Hob. III/50-56*

Quatuor Mosaiques, _Haydn: Les sept dernières paroles de notre rédempteur sur la croix_


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer


----------



## SimonNZ

Lera Auerbach's Symphony No.1 "Chimera" - John Fiore, cond.






and Auerbach's Songo Di Stabat Mater - Gidon Kremer, violin






(incorporating Pergolesi's Stabat Mater - perfect for Easter!)


----------



## senza sordino

An epic day of listening. I switched bedrooms and put the first coat of paint on the now empty bedroom and listened to a lot of music, the highlights are the following:
Beethoven Late String Quartets. All of them but one by one, each separated by something else. If I were to listen to all in a row, I'm sure it would all start to sound the same.








Strauss Don Quixote


----------



## SimonNZ

Anna Clyne's Within Her Arms - Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra






^that was absolutely superb, and shouldn't be missed

now: selections from Clyne's "Blue Moth" collection

























(that Tzadik label continues to fascinate me, but I never see them out my way and for some reason Presto doesn't offer them)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh: 
Music for Piano
3 Watercolours
Dilogie I
From Japanese Poetry
Crossing II










A great composer of our time, an Azerbaijani composer whose work is rarely played and I was excited to see a few of her works on Spotify.


----------



## aleazk

*Schoenberg*: _Piano Concerto_ (Uchida - Boulez); _Violin Concerto_ (youtube).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 2 in C minor, 'Little Russian' (Claudio Abbado; New Philharmonia Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Ann Cleare's Dorchadas


----------



## JCarmel

Anton Bruckner, Symphony No 4, Istvan Kertesz conducting the LSO....on Spotify


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole/Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte/Valses Nobles et Sentimentales/Alborada del Grazioso
Debussy: Iberia Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner

Reiner and the Chicagoans in Ravel and Debussy, superb recording + superb playing + superb music = bliss. Aaaaaaaaaaaah!


----------



## JCarmel

I've had some problems connecting-through to TC ...maybe the fault is with my set-up? But again today, there was a problem that has resulted in a double-posting...anyway, that's the explanation.


----------



## SimonNZ

Its not you - its TC. Its been doing this all the last week, and usually around this time.

playing now:










Timothy Andres' Trade Winds - New York University Contemporary Music Ensemble


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Yes, I also had trouble getting on to TC between 8 and 9 am and got the 'Database error' message. It wasn't my dodgy internet connection this time.

Current listening:
*
Hindemith - Das Marienleben, op. 27*
Vocal - Roxolana Roslak, Piano - Glenn Gould


----------



## SimonNZ

Christopher Cerrone's High Windows - The String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Eli Spindel, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart - Symphony No. 36 & 33 - Bavarian Radio Orch, Eugen Jochum

Been among the old LP's again....these performances are lovely. I bought this DG/Heliodor 'reissue' when I was 15 from 'Cowlings' in Leicester, where I used to go and happily browse through the racks of records. What a very calming, enjoyable activity that used to be?!


----------



## SimonNZ

Avner Dorman's Mandolin Concerto - Avi Avital, mandolin, Andrew Cyr, cond.






a live performance preceeding the studio recording for Naxos


----------



## jim prideaux

arrived this morning and now listening to-Myaskovsky Symphonies 23/24-Svetlanov conducting Russian Federation Academic Symph. Orch.-as impressive as all the other works by this composer, there is something about the very sound of the orchestra that I personally find instantly attractive-Svetlanov did a great service in attempting to bring these works to our notice.....

on another note-mentioned that I had recently acquired Brahms symphonies conducted by Harnoncourt-I am not convinced by the sound of the strings, critically acclaimed, BPO etc but as yet there is something I am just not comfortable with!-any comments?


----------



## Headphone Hermit

The Record of Singing Volume 4









from 1909-1924 on this volume, including Rosa Ponsele, Alma Gluck, John McCormack and Helen Wildbrunn. Lots of squeeks, crackles and hisses .... but tons and tons of quality too


----------



## Vinyl

Berlioz, Faust, Davis.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Wonderful Handel singing from the late lamented Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. What a great loss to the musical world she is.


----------



## SimonNZ

Alexandra Du Bois' Noctilucent Song for String Orchestra - New York Classical Players, Dongmin Kim, cond


----------



## CyrilWashbrook

Recently discovered Richard Strauss's spectacular Alpensinfonie. I've been listening to the excellent recording by Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony.


----------



## Jeff W

Got things started for the Saturday Symphony thread right away. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein from the late 1980s. This piece always takes me back to the first date with the girlfriend 









Went back to my survey of Joseph Haydn's piano sonatas. Jeno Jando played Sonatas No. 36 through 41. Still enjoying these works!









Up next will be Franz Schubert's String Quartets No. 4, 5 & 6. The Melos Quartett plays.


----------



## Oskaar

*Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Fazıl Say, Klavier ∙
Carlos Miguel Prieto, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 18. Januar 2013 ∙*

Fantastic swinging classical - jazz!

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> One Act at a time is a good approach.


. . . or right to the love music and Brangane of Act II. . . then directly to the_ Liebestod_-- the espresso-express version. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> For *Respighi's* death day (1936), "Windows", "Impressions", w. Philharmonia/Simon (rec. 1984).


"St. Michael Archangel" from _Church Windows_!-- _Quo Vadis, Ben Hur_, and_ King of Kings _before there was any suchlike exotic and epic music. Too bad Respighi didn't live longer; and work for MGM.


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Sonata for cello and piano No. 2 in F major, Op. 99_
Laura Buruiana, cello
Matei Varga, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

jim prideaux said:


> arrived this morning and now listening to-Myaskovsky Symphonies 23/24-Svetlanov conducting Russian Federation Academic Symph. Orch.-as impressive as all the other works by this composer, there is something about the very sound of the orchestra that I personally find instantly attractive-Svetlanov did a great service in attempting to bring these works to our notice.....
> 
> on another note-mentioned that I had recently acquired Brahms symphonies conducted by Harnoncourt-I am not convinced by the sound of the strings, critically acclaimed, BPO etc but as yet there is something I am just not comfortable with!-any comments?


---
I'd say it's Svetlanov's moulding of that orchestra into a virtuosic machine. When he's at his best, he reminds me of Reiner.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vinyl said:


> Berlioz, Faust, Davis.
> 
> View attachment 39876


I just got Davis's _Troyens_ this past week; which I so far, love. I'll have to get this too. I can only imagine how he does the ride to hell.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninoff: Pianoconcerto no.2 op.18

Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie o.l.v. Martin Panteleev
Anna Fedorova, piano

Opgenomen 1 september - Concertgebouw, Amsterdam*

A wonderfull concerto full of calm and lyrical moments. Beutifully played here of both orchestra and solist. The theme around 15 min is adapted in a musical or something isnt it?

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

_4 light-hearted "L"s and Malcolm in the Middle_

*Lortzing - Overture to "Der Wildschutz" (Nissen/Marco Polo)
Lanner - Maria Waltz (Alban Berg Qrt/EMI)
Arnold - Four Scottish Dances (Thomson/Chandos)
Lumbye - The Sandman Galop Fantastique (Guth/Regis)
Lehar - Adria Waltz (Jurowski/cpo)*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> I just got Davis's _Troyens_ this past week; which I so far, love. I'll have to get this too. I can only imagine how he does the ride to hell.


Still, IMHO, the best version of *La Damnation de Faust*, though I treasure Dame Janet Baker's Marguerite on the badly conducted Pretre version.


----------



## ptr

For the SS series:

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (Canyon)









USSR State Symphony Orchestra u. Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov

The fifth to rule all other fifths, Svetlanov ate, breathed and lived every nuance of PIT in a way only others may hope to imitate! 

/ptr


----------



## Tsaraslondon

One of _the_ great recitals of all time. Phrase after phrase filled with significance, yet with none of those annoying nudges and accents that make Fleming's singing of the *bel canto* repertoire so irritating. Callas just has this uncanny ability to make you feel she is extemporising on the spot, whilst remaining thorougly within the bounds of the score. A classic of the gramophone.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Prokofiev* - Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor / Alexander Toradze, Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky

*Shostakovich* - Symphony No. 15 in A major / Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw


----------



## bejart

William Boyce (1711-1779): Symphony No.7 in B Flat..

Ronald Thomas directing the Bournemouth Sinfonietta


----------



## Andolink

*Béla Bartók*: _String Quartet No. 6_
Arcanto Quartett


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky violín Concerto in D Major Op. 35 Frank Peter Zimmermann*

Fantastic! Really a strong interprentation of Zimmermann.

*videolink*


----------



## jim prideaux

ptr said:


> For the SS series:
> 
> *Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (Canyon)
> 
> View attachment 39882
> 
> 
> USSR State Symphony Orchestra u. Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov
> 
> The fifth to rule all other fifths, Svetlanov ate, breathed and lived every nuance of PIT in a way only others may hope to imitate!
> 
> /ptr


Tchaikovsky is a composer that I have had very little interest in-however I am finding that Svetlanov is a conductor that has the ability to make music that is quite simply thrilling-his recordings of Myaskovsky have for me been a major event and I have also been more than impressed by his Kalinnikov-I am now wondering if I should listen to Tchaikovsky as interpreted by the great man-I am also a little concerned that I may have made a mistake in not acquiring his Glazunov!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 1 in B-Flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*St. Luke Passion (Anonymous, 15th Century)*
*
Wagner, Parsifal*

I've never heard this opera. I'm overdue, since it had such an impact on Anton Bruckner, one of my favorite composers.

Marschallin Blair brought Knappertsbusch's recording up around here. It sparked a memory for me; it was mentioned in an episode of the BBC series Inspector Morse, so now I'm curious.

I don't have time for the whole thing, but so far, this is quite a discovery.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ptr said:


> For the SS series:
> 
> *Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky* - Symphony No 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (Canyon)
> 
> View attachment 39882
> 
> 
> USSR State Symphony Orchestra u. Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov
> 
> The fifth to rule all other fifths, Svetlanov ate, breathed and lived every nuance of PIT in a way only others may hope to imitate!
> 
> /ptr


--
Total thumbs-up.

Have you heard how he does the ending of the Fourth from this same Canyon set? . . .

As much as I love Svetlanov doing that Canyon Tchaikovsky Fifth, I still love the powerhouse Berlin horns and the finessing grace of the '72 EMI Karajan/BPO even more.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> *St. Luke Passion (Anonymous, 15th Century)*
> *
> Wagner, Parsifal*
> 
> I've never heard this opera. I'm overdue, since it had such an impact on Anton Bruckner, one of my favorite composers.
> 
> Marschallin Blair brought Knappertsbusch's recording up around here. It sparked a memory for me; it was mentioned in an episode of the BBC series Inspector Morse, so now I'm curious.
> 
> I don't have time for the whole thing, but so far, this is quite a discovery.
> 
> View attachment 39895
> View attachment 39896


--
Manx, I still have yet to hear the Knappertsbusch. I'm sure it will be wonderful. A devastatingly-gorgeous tenor told me it was. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Seriously though, check out the Karajan/BPO _Parsifal_ as well. I adore it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

jim prideaux said:


> Tchaikovsky is a composer that I have had very little interest in-however I am finding that Svetlanov is a conductor that has the ability to make music that is quite simply thrilling-his recordings of Myaskovsky have for me been a major event and I have also been more than impressed by his Kalinnikov-I am now wondering if I should listen to Tchaikovsky as interpreted by the great man-I am also a little concerned that I may have made a mistake in not acquiring his Glazunov!


You know, its funny. I have Svetlanov doing Myakovsky; and not even his visceral conducting could save the music for me.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39884
> 
> 
> One of _the_ great recitals of all time. Phrase after phrase filled with significance, yet with none of those annoying nudges and accents that make Fleming's singing of the *bel canto* repertoire so irritating. Callas just has this uncanny ability to make you feel she is extemporising on the spot, whilst remaining thorougly within the bounds of the score. A classic of the gramophone.


Truer words never spoken.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> Total thumbs-up.
> 
> Have you heard how he does the ending of the Fourth from this same Canyon set? . . .
> 
> As much as I love Svetlanov doing that Canyon Tchaikovsky Fifth, I still love the powerhouse Berlin horns and the finessing grace of the '72 EMI Karajan/BPO even more.


Even better, to my mind, are the Leningrad PO under Mravinsky. All three final symphonies in one nice package.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This afternoon's listening - mélodies (again, all on YouTube)

*Gabriel Fauré - La chanson d'Ève, Op. 95*
I. Paradis 
II. Prima verba 
III. Roses ardentes 
IV. Comme dieu rayonne 
V. L'aube blanche 
VI. Eau vivante 
VII. Veilles-tu, ma senteur de soleil? 
VIII. Dans un parfum de roses blanches 
IX. Crépuscule 
X. O mort, poussière d'étoiles 
Dawn Upshaw -soprano; Gilbert Kalish -piano

More from the excellent Dawn Upshaw today, again accompanied by pianist Gilbert Kailash.

*Gabriel Fauré - L'horizon chimérique, Op. 118* (text by Jean de La Ville de Mirmont).
1. "La mer est infinie"
2. "Je me suis embarqué"
3. "Diane, Séléné"
4. "Vaisseaux, nous vous aurons aimés"
Damien Pass, Baritone Bass; Lara Dodds-Eden, Pianist

I do love Fauré's later works.

*
Erik Satie - Trois mélodies de 1916*
La statue de bronze
Daphénéo
Le chapelier
Damien Pass, Baritone-Bass; Marek Ruszczynski, piano

[Fondation Singer-Polignac, Paris, 2013]

A rather harsh recording but quirky, charismatic Satie mélodies

*Erik Satie - Ludions (1923)*
Air du rat
Spleen
La grenouille américaine
Air du poète
Chanson du chat
Sandra Medeiros, soprano; Francisco Sassetti, piano

[Originally broadcast for Antenna 2 (radio), Portugal, 2010]

Splendid stuff. I like the typically baffling titles too.

*Erik Satie - "Je te veux" *(text: Henry Pacory)
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano; Malcolm Martineau, piano.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Even better, to my mind, are the Leningrad PO under Mravinsky. All three final symphonies in one nice package.
> 
> View attachment 39897


Well, great aesthetic minds obviously_ don't _think alike. . . especially on this one. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Selby

Gabriel Faure [1845-1924]

Nocturnes

Sally Pinkas, pianoforte


----------



## bejart

Johann Adolph Scheibe (1708-1776): Flute Concerto in D Major

Andrew Manze conducting Concerto Copenhagen -- Maria Bania, flute


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> Well, great aesthetic minds obviously_ don't _think alike. . . especially on this one. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Really? You surprise me. Not that I have anything against the various Karajan recordings (though I'd here state a preference for his (197?) DG recordings ). There's just something more intrinsically and authentically Russian about Mravinsky and his Russian band.

I also have Karajan's recordings of the first three symphonies - excellent in every way.


----------



## AH music

BEETHOVEN - Splendid Piano Concerto no 1 from Igor Levit conducted by Muller-Bruhl on Naxos via spotify (all 5 concertos with different soloists). First rate all through, very lively finale.









CZERNY - New purchase, listened to the whole disc. Piano concerto for four hands Op 781 (!!) and Symphony no 2 Op 153. Sound better in the symphony which is really good, even if the first movement sounded very derivative of Beethoven in parts. The concerto sound not so good, lots of action on the upper keys of the piano, still quite interesting.









BEETHOVEN - Symphony no 2. Glorious robust 1960's vintage from George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, while still maintaining plenty of warmth and detail. Right up my street for this relatively overlooked work in terms of The Nine.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Tomorrow - a sacred celebration (detailed under 'religious' music Easter listening) - tonight, concerti for my favourite instruments:

Ye - Pipa Concerto
Chaynes - Organ Concerto
Mathias - Flute Concerto
Bunin - Viola Concerto
Sowerby - Harp Concerto
Yagisawa - Saxophone Concerto
Ewazen - Marimba Concerto

All available on YT . Happy Easter to all !


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More mélodies:

*
Francis Poulenc - Tel jour telle nuit, FP. 86* (poems by Paul Éluard)
I. Bonne journée 
II. Une ruine coquille vide 
III. Le front comme un drapeau perdu 
IV. Une roulotte couverte en tuiles 
V. À toutes brides 
VI. Une herbe pauvre 
VII. Je n'ai envie que de t'aimer 
VIII. Figure de force brûlante et farouche 
IX. Nous avons fait la nuit 
François Le Roux, baritone; Pascal Rogé, piano [Hyperion, 2007]










A lovely cycle, beautifully performed and recorded. My first hearing.


----------



## AH music

The fine clarinet concertos by Crusell definitely need an airing from time to time. This afternoon seems just right, and it's the turn of no 3. Just as lovely as always.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Really? You surprise me. Not that I have anything against the various Karajan recordings (though I'd here state a preference for his (197?) DG recordings ). There's just something more intrinsically and authentically Russian about Mravinsky and his Russian band.
> 
> I also have Karajan's recordings of the first three symphonies - excellent in every way.


--















I have Karajan's sixties DG Tchaikovsky Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth-- good readings all; his EMI Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth from the early seventies as well. From this, I treasure his Fifth-- which is my favorite of all time; and also his Sixth-- also my favorite reading for the ages. Both EMI performances have what I'm looking for in the readings: dash, elegance, suavity, and majesty. . . His seventies DG Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-6, 'yes,' I have those too; Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.: I especially love how he does the ending of the_ Little Russian_, his entire_ Pathetique _(especially the last movement!!!), and all of _Winter Dreams_. . . and, as far as his final Tchaikovsky endeavors go?--the Karajan Vienna Philharmonic Tchaikovsky Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth are grossly inferior in every conceivable way to me; and I never listen to them. . .

But since we're on Tchaikovsky symphonies, I'd love to mention the Haitink/Congertgebouw _Winter Dreams_-- which is more of a spirited and muscular reading; and an ubelievably great-sounding recording. His Fifth also sounds tremendously clear and powerful with the excellent Philips recording; but is certainly more poised and restrained than his treatment of _Winter Dreams_. . . both readings are certainly close to my heart.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## Vinyl

Marschallin Blair said:


> I just got Davis's _Troyens_ this past week; which I so far, love. I'll have to get this too. I can only imagine how he does the ride to hell.


Not to spoil it for you, but you can safely imagine it done "quite well".


----------



## JCarmel

The Sheherazade Slog....final results are in?!









The Reiner arrived by today's post & the final three contenders have been put through their paces. With eyes closed & what's left of the Faculties, keenly concentrated on a movement by movement appraisal...we tried to arrive at a definitive result.
Third place was the Mackerras....a good performance but out of the reckoning by the third movement.
Then there was a difference of opinion.....I preferred the Kempe in the end, on balance... & my pal, the Reiner...though we both were happy to enjoy & appreciate either. But if I'd have known what I know now I could've saved me money & just contented myself with the Kempe!
With thanks to Seabrook Crisps of Bradford, Yorkshire for sustenance c/o their tasty Cheese and Onion flavour.


----------



## Blancrocher

Karl Bohm and co in Mozart's symphonies 35-41. Only intended to listen to 2 or 3, but these things are addictive!

Happy weekend, everyone!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

JCarmel said:


> With thanks to Seabrook Crisps of Bradford, Yorkshire for sustenance c/o their tasty Cheese and Onion flavour.


Have you actually got sponsorship, JCarmel? Maybe I could get something similar from a Lancashire cheese-maker and a local craft brewery? (mind you I can see them insisting on regular postings in return of something associated with t'North, like Dvorak's 9th Symphony 'Brought to you by the makers of Chorley Blue and Thribb's Best Bitter')


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


>


Don't hate me Greg.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 39911
> 
> 
> Karl Bohm and co in Mozart's symphonies 35-41. Only intended to listen to 2 or 3, but these things are addictive!
> 
> Happy weekend, everyone!


. . . _ravagingly-addictive._


----------



## Tsaraslondon

JCarmel said:


> The Sheherazade Slog....final results are in?!
> 
> View attachment 39910
> 
> 
> The Reiner arrived by today's post & the final three contenders have been put through their paces. With eyes closed & what's left of the Faculties, keenly concentrated on a movement by movement appraisal...we tried to arrive at a definitive result.
> Third place was the Mackerras....a good performance but out of the reckoning by the third movement.
> Then there was a difference of opinion.....I preferred the Kempe in the end, on balance... & my pal, the Reiner...though we both were happy to enjoy & appreciate either. But if I'd have known what I know now I could've saved me money & just contented myself with the Kempe!
> With thanks to Seabrook Crisps of Bradford, Yorkshire for sustenance c/o their tasty Cheese and Onion flavour.


I haven't been following the whole thread, I'm afraid. What about Kondrashin and Beecham? Were they discounted early on? I have Gergiev, but I'm not totally knocked out by it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vinyl said:


> Not to spoil it for you, but you can safely imagine it done "quite well".


"Quite well"-- classic British understatement for "heart-in-throat, fear-of-God, exciting." Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. -- Thanks. _;D_


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> Don't hate me Greg.


Haha. I've heard very good reports of this version, but unfortunately Studer's is just one of those voices I could never take to.

"For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like."


----------



## millionrainbows

Stravinsky: Mass/Bernstein Happy Easter everyone! Delapsus resurgam, when I fall I shall rise!


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet No.7 in F Major, No.59, No.1

Budapest String Quartet: Joseph Roisman and Jac Gorodetzki, violins -- Boris Kroyt, viola -- Mischa Schneider, cello


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> Still, IMHO, the best version of *La Damnation de Faust*, though I treasure Dame Janet Baker's Marguerite on the badly conducted Pretre version.


I bought the Pretre for Dame Janet too (and Gedda sounding young and fresh); I was so spoiled by Callas' rendition of "D'amour l'ardente flamme" that Baker's was the only other performance I could face. But I have to concede that the Davis is superior otherwise.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> I bought the Pretre for Dame Janet too (and Gedda sounding young and fresh); I was so spoiled by Callas' rendition of "D'amour l'ardente flamme" that Baker's was the only other performance I could face. But I have to concede that the Davis is superior otherwise.


Exactly my reaction. It's surprising how alike Baker's and Callas's versions of the piece are, as if the two singers had come from different directions but nevertheless came to the same conclusions about the music. Two completely different artists, they have a similarity of intensity and that ability to instantly connect to the emotional core of the music they are singing.


----------



## millionrainbows

Alypius said:


> *Schoenberg: String Quartet #4, op. 37 (1936)*
> 
> LaSalle Quartet,
> _Schoenberg / Berg/ Webern / Zemlinsky: Complete String Quartets_
> (reissue: Deutsche Grammophon, 2013; also available via Brilliant and earlier DG issues)


Thanks, I'm glad to see this reissued (the Schoenberg). Never heard the Zemlinsky; I must get it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> The Sheherazade Slog....final results are in?!
> 
> View attachment 39910
> 
> 
> The Reiner arrived by today's post & the final three contenders have been put through their paces. With eyes closed & what's left of the Faculties, keenly concentrated on a movement by movement appraisal...we tried to arrive at a definitive result.
> Third place was the Mackerras....a good performance but out of the reckoning by the third movement.
> Then there was a difference of opinion.....I preferred the Kempe in the end, on balance... & my pal, the Reiner...though we both were happy to enjoy & appreciate either. But if I'd have known what I know now I could've saved me money & just contented myself with the Kempe!
> With thanks to Seabrook Crisps of Bradford, Yorkshire for sustenance c/o their tasty Cheese and Onion flavour.


---
I've never heard the Kempe-- I'll have to remedy that; despite your reservations. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Aside from that lacuna though, I've heard all the others-- including the famed Beecham and of course the fashionable Gergiev-- and. . . envelope please. . . <drumroll>. . . Thank you Quinquin. . . the_ Overall Best In Show _winner _is_. . . the Reiner---

The Chicago horns at the begining and ending of "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship," and of course in "The Festival at Baghdad and in "The Ship Goes To Pieces On A Rock Surmounted By A Bronze Warrior"-- have a glorious, exotic, declamatory radiance to them. "The Prince and the Young Princess" is just so lovely in the strings and in the pacing. I must have played this cd hundreds of times.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Haha. I've heard very good reports of this version, but unfortunately Studer's is just one of those voices I could never take to.
> 
> "For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like."


One great allusion deserves another, 'Muriel' ("For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like."-- Muriel Spark):

"You're_ teeeeerrrrible_, Muriel." - Joanie, _Muriel's Wedding_


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Back on familiar ground again (why's there no vocalist?!)

*Beethoven

String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135

Allegretto in B minor
Prelude and Fugue in C, H.31
Prelude and Fugue in F, H.30
Minuet in A flat, H.33
Prelude fragment in D minor

String Quartet in F, H.34* (arr. Beethoven of Piano Sonata Op. 14/1)

Endellion String Quartet, CD9 of 10 Beethoven - Complete String Quartets, Quintets and fragments; [Warner Classics, rec. 2006-8]


----------



## ptr

Marschallin Blair said:


> --Have you heard how he does the ending of the Fourth from this same Canyon set? . . .


As the tour-de-force it should be, the audience was ecstatic.. (I have the complete set!)



> As much as I love Svetlanov doing that Canyon Tchaikovsky Fifth, I still love the powerhouse Berlin horns and the finessing grace of the '72 EMI Karajan/BPO even more.


Like he (Karajan) conducts everything; so it is suitable as elevator music at KaDeWe! :devil:

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

ptr said:


> Like he (Karajan) conducts everything; so it is suitable as elevator music at KaDeWe! :devil:
> 
> /ptr


Never mind the music: I recommend going there for a meal and a great view of the city, should one be in the area.

Current listening: Lupu and Perahia playing Mozart keyboard works for four hands.


----------



## millionrainbows

Edgar Meyer: Bach Cello Suites, performed on double bass.







After listening to Rostropovich do these on the cello, I am struck by how much more passionate Rostropovich is; although from a technical standpoint, Meyer's intonation is better, almost perfect. It's worth hearing this if you have subwoofers; and just from a kind of perfected, objectified standpoint, Meyer does a great job, considering the alternate fingerings and extra stretches and leaps he is forced to execute. No flies on this!


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann*:
_Symphony No.2,3 & 4
Cello Concerto_

*Tchaikovsky*'s _Nutcracker suite_

*Jan Engel*'s _Symphony in D minor_

^ almost as good as one of Haydn's London's symphonies.


----------



## Selby

Alan Hovhaness

String Quartets, Op. 208
no. 1, "Reflections of the Childhood"
no. 2, "The Ancient Tree"

Shanghai Quartet performing


----------



## adrem

Bruckner 9, Rattle, BPO. Excellent interpretation. I'm not connvinced that Finale fit to the whole symphony, but there are some epic "moments" in it.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.27 in B Flat, KV 595

Murray Perahia on piano with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Gabriel Fauré

Cello Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 109
Cello Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 117
Élégie, Op. 24
Romance, Op. 69
Papillon, Op. 77
Sérénade, Op. 98
Sicilienne, Op. 78*

Alban Gerhardt, 'cello; Cecile Licad, piano [Hyperion]










A quick refresher, should the ammunition be needed in the TC Chamber Duo project thread...


----------



## jim prideaux

have just recovered from listening to radio commentary of our somewhat unexpected victory over Chelsea......so now time for some music while waiting for MOTD.........I know this is of little interest to many reading this but there you go!

Myaskovsky 23rd symphony conducted by Svetlanov should do it, Brahms 2nd (Harnoncourt) to follow..........


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 3 in E-Flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).


----------



## LancsMan

*Schubert: An Die Musik - Favourite Schubert Songs* Bryn Terfel and Malcolm Martineau on DG







A fine recital of 'favourite songs' - although I'd have preferred rather more of the very late Schubert songs which nearly always give me goose bumps.


----------



## ptr

*Bela Bartok* - Kossuth / Concerto for Orchestra (Decca)









San Francisco Symphony Orchestra u. Herbert Blomstedt

*Péter Eötvös* - Vocal Works (BMC)









Various; Realised by Péter Eötvös

/ptr


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ptr said:


> As the tour-de-force it should be, the audience was ecstatic.. (I have the complete set!)
> 
> Like he (Karajan) conducts everything; so it is suitable as elevator music at KaDeWe! :devil:
> 
> /ptr


---
Last time I checked for yachty scarves, KaDeWe wasn't playing Slayer in their elevators. But perhaps they should, as it would be an emotionally soporific _step-down _from the Karajan; and customers like to relax. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## opus55

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 3 in E-Flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).
> 
> View attachment 39919


Added to my Naxos Music Library playlist. HaydnBearstheClock, Haydn, String Quartet and CPO were the keywords that triggered "add to my playlist".


----------



## JCarmel

No, no sponsorship from Seabrook...but_ they _have the support of enough of my cash?!

Well here's one for you, Turnabout...an excellent example of your namesake's LPs, that I purchased after seeing Louis Kentner give an impressive Liszt recital in Leicester Museum/Art Gallery









To be followed by this enjoyable vintage recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet with Clifford Curzon & The Budapest String Quartet.


----------



## AH music

PROKOFIEV - Continuing symphony survey with second listen to no 4. Enjoyed it again, perhaps lacks some depth to be satisfying as a symphony, but still like it. Being a lengthier work on the Weller version, research suggests it must be the later revision that I am listening to. Stayed with the Weller set for my first listen to no 5, which I knew was one of the most highly regarded and popular of the series, and I can see why. Each movement made an immediate impression, but sense there's plenty in reserve worth getting to know properly.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, Herbert von Karajan, 1958*






Love the performance if not the sound quality.


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## ShropshireMoose

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> The Chicago horns at the begining and ending of "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship," and of course in "The Festival at Baghdad and in "The Ship Goes To Pieces On A Rock Surmounted By A Bronze Warrior"-- have a glorious, exotic, declamatory radiance to them. "The Prince and the Young Princess" is just so lovely in the strings and in the pacing. I must have played this cd hundreds of times.


I'll have to investigate the Reiner, which I've not heard. My own favourite "Scheherezades" for what it's worth are Paul Kletzki and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Pierre Monteux and the London Symphony Orchestra. Kletzki would be my overall favourite, but Monteux runs him pretty close. Monteux holds the reins back in the last movement, then unleashes the storm to tremendous effect, unlike anyone else I've ever heard. I do love Monteux's music making, but note that he doesn't seem to command much attention on here, though he is up there with Reiner/Munch/Beecham et al in my opinion.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart Symphony No. 40, First Movement, Karajan/VPO, 1958*

Where are my manners? (Where is my_ head_?) Here's the delightfully-poised First Movement as well:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> I'll have to investigate the Reiner, which I've not heard. My own favourite "Scheherezades" for what it's worth are Paul Kletzki and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Pierre Monteux and the London Symphony Orchestra. Kletzki would be my overall favourite, but Monteux runs him pretty close. Monteux holds the reins back in the last movement, then unleashes the storm to tremendous effect, unlike anyone else I've ever heard. I do love Monteux's music making, but note that he doesn't seem to command much attention on here, though he is up there with Reiner/Munch/Beecham et al in my opinion.


---
I've heard neither of those two. Back to the drawing board perhaps? . . . no, I think not. Ha. Ha Ha. Ha. . . No, of course I'd love to hear them, but intuitively for myself-- and experientially with Reiner-- he's a very hard standard to beat.


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## bejart

Gaetano Brunetti (ca. 1744-1798): Symphony No.22 in G Minor

Concerto Koln


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## LancsMan

*Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2* Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal , Martha Argerich conducted by Charles Dutoit on EMI







I used to be rather sniffy about Chopin in my youth, and these concertos would have been partly to blame for my attitude. At that time I thought them 'pretty' - a damning term to me at that time - and lacking weight.

I've grown into Chopin as I've matured, and I now love much of his solo piano music. I'm still not the biggest fan of these concertos (my mother is!) but I don't despise 'pretty' music as I used to.

I do like these performances, Martha Argerich giving a very poetic account, particularly in the slow movements.


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## ShropshireMoose

JCarmel said:


> No, no sponsorship from Seabrook...but_ they _have the support of enough of my cash?!
> 
> Well here's one for you, Turnabout...an excellent example of your namesake's LPs, that I purchased after seeing Louis Kentner give an impressive Liszt recital in Leicester Museum/Art Gallery


Ah, the wonderful series of Liszt recordings that Kentner made for Turnabout, he was a truly great pianist, never fully given his due I feel, like so many who chose to settle in this country. I heard him twice in London in 1983 and 1985 respectively, he was stunning, he really was. Amongst the pieces he played were Kodaly's "Dances from Marroszek", which were actually written for him, he got so carried away by the rhythm of the music that he actually bounced up and down on his stool as he played them! It was all very impressive in a 78 year old! I've never seen anyone who sat so low at the piano, his stool was a little square kitchen stool, and at the end of the recital, his wife came on, unscrewed the four legs and walked off with it under her arm!


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## Manxfeeder

*Schumann, Symphony No. 3.*


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## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> I just got Davis's _Troyens_ this past week; which I so far, love. I'll have to get this too. I can only imagine how he does the ride to hell.


I hope you really enjoy Les Troyens - it really is a superb version although I know many people prefer his later version (which has better sound and some better performances) but I think his earliest version is the best. Enjoy!!


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## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> No, no sponsorship from Seabrook...but_ they _have the support of enough of my cash?!
> 
> Well here's one for you, Turnabout...an excellent example of your namesake's LPs, that I purchased after seeing Louis Kentner give an impressive Liszt recital in Leicester Museum/Art Gallery
> 
> View attachment 39931
> 
> --
> To be followed by this enjoyable vintage recording of Schumann's Piano Quintet with Clifford Curzon & The Budapest String Quartet.
> 
> View attachment 39932


I'm getting that Curzon Schumann Piano Quintet-- _merci beaucoup._


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## Alypius

A couple of symphonic-scale John Adams:

*Esa-Pekka Salonen / Los Angeles Philharmonic:
John Adams: Naive and Sentimental Music (Nonesuch, 2002)*










& *Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony:
John Adams: Harmonielehre / Short Ride in a Fast Machine (SFS, 2012)*










The first took me a while to appreciate (it was the 2nd movement that won me over). As for the second, MTT's performance won me over (I think it's superior to an earlier performance by Rattle and Birmingham).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mendelssohn: String Quartets 1-3 Cherubini Quartett

Mendelssohn's first three string quartets in fine performances by the Cherubini Quartett, Mendelssohn has all the emotion in his music that anyone could wish for it seems to me, and yet I seem to remember when I was younger that much of his work was dismissed as superficial. Forsooth, 'tis nothing of the kind, especially in performances as committed as this. Absolutely glorious.


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## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

109 Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinem Unglauben!
110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens
111 Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)

I'm adding 110 to the list of essential Harnoncourt performances from this set. Fascinating to be hearing his sound become less agressive and his performers mastering and relaxing into their technique and antique instruments from the start of the 70s to, so far, the decades end.

And making a note to be sure to play this Christmas cantata next Christmas.

One thing I now wish I'd paid more attention to from the beginning is the names of the boy sopranos, who change every couple of years, and who did a better job and why.


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## Blake

Handley - Bax - Symphony 1. My mystical friend.


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## AH music

Has to be final listening for the day - some long standing favourite piano pieces.

LISZT - Schubert transcriptions of Die Forelle and Auf dem Wasser zu Singen, Jorge Bolet. 10 perfect minutes.









FRANCK - Two early pieces played by Ashley Wass. Grand Caprice #1, Op 5 and Eglogue, Op 3. Each around 15 minutes, the former much more lively, really delightful, contrasting well with the beautiful and reflective Eglogue, which is one of those pieces for me that leaves nowhere to go as far as listening to anything more afterwards is concerned. It is my favourite piece of all for hitting the spot when in a certain reflective mood - similar to Schubert's simultaneous melancholy yet comfortingly uplifting mode. It has worked it's magic for me again this evening.


----------



## Oskaar

*William Walton viola concerto

Avri Levitan - violist 
Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra
Daejin Kim - conductor
Seoul Arts Center
Seoul International Music Festival 2010*

I like this concerto! Full of life and exiting variations.

Fine performance, sound and video presentation

*videolink*


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## KenOC

Following the lead of Alypius: John Adams, Naive and Sentimental Music. Never listened to this much -- maybe because it's long, about the same length as the Eroica -- but in hearing it now, I don't know why not. Great stuff!


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## DavidA

Mozart Piano concerto 22 - Perahia / ECO
Spellbinding!


----------



## LancsMan

*Chopin: 4 Ballades & a selection of other piano works* Murray Perahia on Sony







After listening to the Chopin Piano Concertos it's on to the rather more essential Chopin. This recording gives us the 4 Ballades, Waltzes Ops. 18 & 42, Nocturne Op. 15 No. 1, Mazurkas Op. 7 No. 3, Op. 17 No. 4, Op. 33 No. 2, and Etudes Op. 10 Nos. 3 & 4.

Elegant, often poetic and at times powerful music, well played by Murray Perahia.


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## Itullian

Best Fidelio ever. If u like this opera it's a must have. mho


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## Oskaar

*In this exclusive performance, Keith Hamm joins Benjamin Bowman on the violin to perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Duo for Violin and Viola in G major, K423, Mvt 1.*

I love the tone of the viola, and have the impression that composers always comes up with something extra, writing for it.

I will check up later for the whole duo, but would like to post this fine 1.th movement. Well played and presentated.

*videolink*


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## ArtMusic




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## Oskaar

*Todd Yaniw: Sergei Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2, Op 36*

*Pianist Todd Yaniw launches the 2013 season of NEXT, CBC Radio 2's showcase for promising young classical musicians.*

I have an urge to post this magnificent performanse as well, and cut and past a few comments from youtube. This guy must be an extraordinary talent!

_*I've heard many performances of this sonata in my lifetime, and have to say in all honesty this is one of the best I have ever experienced. Bravo. Magnificent performance!﻿*_

*Superb interpretation, with excellent pedaling, passionate energy, gorgeous lyricism, magnificent array of tonal color and shading, dazzling virtuosity!! Bravissimo!!!!﻿*

*beautiful and soul full*

*finally someone who engages in the first version of this magnificent sonata! excellent execution!*

*videolink*


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## KenOC

Gordon Jacob, Chamber Music with Recorder. I'm familiar with Jacob only from his Suite William Byrd, beautifully arranged for concert band on that old MLP British Band Classics disc. This is a set of pieces he composed from the '50s through the '80s, small in scale, unassuming, and very nice indeed. Good listening from a very musical guy.


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## SimonNZ

Gubaidulina's Fachwerk - Geir Draugsvoll, bayan, Anders Loguin, percussion, Øyvind Gimse, cond.


----------



## Blake

Kaufmann - _Strauss: Lieder._


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## SimonNZ

Glass' Violin Concerto - Gidon Kremer, violin, Christoph Von Dohnnanyi, cond.


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## Oskaar

*Eric Zuber performs Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor op 34 with the Ariel String Quartet at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition (May, 2011, in Tel Aviv). The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition is an international piano competition specializing in the classical music championed by Arthur Rubinstein. The competition has being held every three years in Tel Aviv, Israel since 1974.*

I love the nerve of this quintet, a kind of didturbed calm.. Great presentation and performance, with a good sound

from youtube comments:

*What a spellbinding, magnificent, soulful, stirring, beautiful masterwork given a worthy rendition by the inspired 5-!! truly a great video/audio treasure!!*

*videolink*


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## hpowders

Vincent Persichetti, Piano Sonatas #2-10.
Geoffrey Burleson.

My most significant musical discovery of the last several years.
Exhilarating, brilliant, tonal and accessible.
Recommended.


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen: Unsichtbare Chöre (1979)*

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007): Unsichtbare Chöre (1979) from the Opera "Donnerstag aus Licht" (1979/1981).

Suzanne Stephens, clarinetti
Chor des Westdeuschen Rundfunks diretto da Karlheinz Stockhausen.


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## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: Symphony No.2/Sospiri/Elegy Op.58 Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sakari Oramo

My first listen to this recording. It's okay, but goes no further than that I'm afraid. Basically there is not enough variation of tempi in the symphony, you need an elasticity of phrasing in this to make it work to it's best effect. If you listen to Elgar, Boult or Sargent you'll see what I mean. There are quite a few orchestral details that seem to go missing too, a triplet figuration on the brass in the first movement that is not accentuated at all and barely comes across on the two successive occasions that it occurs. Also, in view of the notes in the booklet quoting Elgar's own instructions to an orchestra he was conducting with regard to the Rondo: "This hammering must gradually overwhelm everything. Percussion, you must give me all you're worth! I want you to gradually drown the rest of the orchestra." Then in this recording, they don't! In fact the only performance I've heard where they do is the live Sargent one from Colston Hall, Bristol in 1964. The finale is played very straight and square, which makes it seem matter of fact in a way that it really oughtn't, though the coda is nicely done, but by then it's a bit late. The finest performances of this symphony I've heard in recent years were two live ones, one given by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and one hopes that maybe a performance by them will surface on the orchestra's own label, and a superb performance by Tadaaki Otaka and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (ironically, Oramo's old band!). Otaka really does understand this symphony and should record it. I'm sorry I can't be more positive about this, Oramo is a conductor I like and admire, I heard hm with the CBSO give a stunning performance of the Elgar-Payne 3rd Symphony, but this, I fear, is not in that league.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mendelssohn* - Sym. #1 in C minor / C. Abbado, LSO

*Tchaikovsky* - Sym. #5 in E minor / M. Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's St Matthew Passion - Philippe Herreweghe, cond.

Swifter than I remember it being, this wonderful recording. While that means i don't get to luxuriate in my favorite bits there is a constant sense of urgency, such as the opening chorus where the "Who? How? What? Where?" has just that slight touch of panic, rather than the more common languid-sounding half-interested general enquiry (and especially true and effective later in No.27 with the cries of "Loose him! Do not bind him!" and the frenzied chorus that follows).

And though it doesn't effect enjoyment or distract it must be said its not an absolutely perfect sound capture - high levels of reverb, and most every S-sound is like a twig broom on stone steps.

But flawless singing (Ian Bostridge! Andreas Scholl!) and flawless playing.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's late night listening:

*Hindemith

Die Junge Magd Op. 23b* (Six poèmes de Georg Trakl pour contralto, flûte, clarinette et quatuor à cordes)
Gerd Albrecht; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Gabriele Schnaut (Alto)
*
Des Todes Tod Op. 23a* (Trois Lieder sur des poèmes d'Eduard Reinacher pour contralto, 2 cuivres et 2 violoncelles)
Gerd Albrecht; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Gabriele Schreckenbach (Alto)

[Wergo, 1984]










Strange, spare and utterly beautiful. Des Todes Tod is a masterpiece, to my ears.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Headphone Hermit said:


> I hope you really enjoy Les Troyens - it really is a superb version although I know many people prefer his later version (which has better sound and some better performances) but I think his earliest version is the best. Enjoy!!


They are both great achievements, but I too prefer the first, not least for Vickers's Aeneas; and Veasey is preferable to Michele De Young, who has too much vibrato for my taste.


----------



## Blancrocher

Josef Vlach conducting Ivan Moravec & co in Mozart's 14th, 23rd, and 25th piano concertos (rec. 1973-4)


----------



## Blake

Going to dig around this box of Strauss' orchestral works by Karajan and the Berlin Phil.


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## TurnaboutVox

The final act for me tonight:

*Robert Schumann
Symphony no. 2 in C Major, op.61
'Genoveva' Overture op.81*
Berlin PO, Rafael Kubelik [DG, rec. 1964]










Sometimes all you (by which I mean "I") want to do is lie back and listen to a good romantic symphony.

The recording is showing its age with quite noticeable pitch variation and a soft 'bloom' to the slightly vague sound but it's all musical enough. Satisfying.


----------



## Vaneyes

"Saturday Symphony" listening*--Tchaikovsky*: Symphony 5, w. Philharmonia/Muti (rec. 1978).

View attachment 39960


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> Ah, the wonderful series of Liszt recordings that Kentner made for Turnabout, he was a truly great pianist, never fully given his due I feel, like so many who chose to settle in this country. I heard him twice in London in 1983 and 1985 respectively, he was stunning, he really was. Amongst the pieces he played were Kodaly's "Dances from Marroszek", which were actually written for him, he got so carried away by the rhythm of the music that he actually bounced up and down on his stool as he played them! It was all very impressive in a 78 year old!* I've never seen anyone who sat so low at the piano*, his stool was a little square kitchen stool, and at the end of the recital, his wife came on, unscrewed the four legs and walked off with it under her arm!


How about GG?


----------



## Vaneyes

GregMitchell said:


> {re R-K's Scheherazade} I haven't been following the whole thread, I'm afraid. What about Kondrashin and Beecham? Were they discounted early on?* I have Gergiev, but I'm not totally knocked out by it*.


I was knocked out, and when I came to, I culled it.

Reiner's rules.


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## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> I've had some problems connecting-through to TC ...maybe the fault is with my set-up? But again today, there was a problem that has resulted in a *double-posting*...anyway, that's the explanation.


I've never double-posted.


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## mtmailey

Today i heard the symphony 2 of ANTON RUBINSTEIN it sounded pretty good.


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## TurnaboutVox

*sigh* How easily one Schumann symphony becomes two.

*Robert Schumann

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 'Rhenish'*
Berlin PO, Rafael Kubelik, DG (1964)

And now to bed (really). Good-night, all, and Happy Easter.


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## shangoyal

Schubert: *Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major*


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet in G Major (arranged from Violin Sonata in A Major, KV 526 by Ignaz Pleyel 1757-1831)

Quartetto Luigi Tomasini: Laszlo Paulik and Erzsebet Racz, violins -- Eva Posvanecz, viola -- Balazs Mate, cello


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## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> They are both great achievements, but I too prefer the first, not least for Vickers's Aeneas; and Veasey is preferable to Michele De Young, who has too much vibrato for my taste.


I know only the Vickers/Veasey, which I have - and based on my trust in your critical acumen I will not feel a great need to hear the later one. Don't you wish, though, that that impeccable and exquisite Berliozian J. Baker had been Davis's Dido? I might be wrong, but I think it's the only major Berlioz mezzo part she didn't record. Was there ever a more reliable artist, vocally and musically, than Dame Janet? Anything she chose to do was a thing not to be missed. She knew what suited her voice and what didn't. And she knew when to stop. Wonderful lady.


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## Vaneyes

HvK with Philharmonia (rec.1958 - '60) and BPO (rec.1967).


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## senza sordino

LvB Hammerklavier Piano Sonata







Tchaikovsky fifth Symphony







Stravinsky Petrushka (Ormandy) and Firebird (Szell)


----------



## Blancrocher

Aimard playing Ligeti's Etudes (rec. 1996)


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## opus55

Handel: Concerto Grossi, Op. 6 Nos. 1-6










Boston Baroque's playing is very fine. Would like to hear them play other baroque works.


----------



## Weston

*Richard Strauss: Aus Italien, symphonic fantasy, Op. 16*
David Zinman / Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra









Very interesting work. I can hear the Richard Strauss musical signature developing, yet as it is an early work it is set in a more standard romantic structure. There are _very_ familiar themes throughout, yet I'm pretty sure I've never explored this piece before. Is he quoting something else at times?


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## Novelette

Monsigny: Le Déserteur -- Pierre-Yrves Pruvot; Guy van Waas: Les Agréments

Vachon: String Quartet #3 in F Minor, Op. 5 -- Quatuor Cambini

Bach: Prelude & Fugue in E Minor, BWV 548 -- Helmut Walcha

Hummel: Septet in D Minor, Op. 74 -- Melos Ensemble Of London

Liszt: Dante Symphony, S 109 -- Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Mendelssohn: Theme & Variations in E, Op. 81/1 -- Emerson Quartet


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I've been listening to Moritz Moszkowski's Piano Concerto and his piece titled From Foreign Lands. I must have listened to these pieces at least four times over the last few days. I really enjoy his melodies and especially the piano virtuosity. Really beautiful material that is often times lush and flowing, much like Rachmaninoff, and yet with a touch of Jewish sadness and sentimentality. Highly recommended!










Kevin


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## Guest

Wonderful playing--these bros have amazing precision and impeccable ensemble work. (Two of the pieces are for solo guitar--I assume that each brother plays one.) The recording is good, but in multi-channel the imaging is a bit diffused--there's too much direct sound in the rear channels. Still, a fine recording.


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## bejart

Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St.George (1745?-1799): Violin Concerto in C Major, Op.3, No.2

Frantisek Preisler jr. conducting the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra -- Miroslav Vilimec, violin


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## StlukesguildOhio

Vols. 68 & 69. Some truly marvelous music.


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## SimonNZ

Just finished the Herreweghe St Matthew passion. I played the first disc twice, followed by the second disc twice and ended with one play of the third. 

Though I already love this set this was probably the most rewarding and moving listen yet. Ian Bostridge is always wonderful, but this time I really appreciated the scale of his acting technique and his ability to convey it in his voice. Its part of the reason he's quite possibly the best current lieder singer and it was a canny choice to cast him in what can too often be a flat and preachy role.

So many perfectly judged details! And the final chorus: "We sit down in tears and call to thee in thy tomb" has just the right number of singers and blend of voices to sound like a group of followers doing exactly that - not the big showbiz finish it can often be.

Off out for a walk now...


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## nightscape

Strauss - Salome


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## samurai

Pyotr Chaikovskii*--Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36, *both featuring Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. I really love the *Fifth's* elegiac second movement, simply beautiful.
Dmitri Shostakovich--*Symphony No.1 in F Minor, Op.10 and Symphony No.7 in C Major, Op.60 {"Leningrad"}, *performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Bernstein's baton. 
Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, *both traversed by the Michael Schonwandt led Danish National Symphony Orchestra.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This:










Mainly for Etüdenfest again, but the other works are also brilliant, expressive and exciting as Dean's music always is.


----------



## Guest

I tried listening to this disc today in honor of Vinyl Day, but I had to turn it off after a few minutes due to its unbearable shrillness! (I bought it at an LP sale for $1 last week...got my money's worth.)










I then turned to my other purchase from that day...better but still a little harsh. Maybe the SACD sounds better. Quite an intense performance.


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## senza sordino

Fritz Kreisler miniature pieces. I don't know if you can read the fine print of all the titles of each piece, there are too many to type out. All of his "hits"














Lovely music late at night.


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## Sid James

Finishing the* trombone concertos* disc.* Neil Currie's* one called _*Tumbling Strain*_ is particularly interesting, combining modern sounds with the concerto grosso format as well as imitation of didgeridoo in the cadenza and a coda reminiscent of Aboriginal coroboree (a ritual dance) to finish it off.










Having recently listened to quartets by Ginastera and Meale, I dug this out.* Lennox Berkeley's String Quartet #3* is his final one, done in 1970. Like a number of composers - eg. Britten and Copland - Berkeley came to use serial technique quite late in his career. This 18 minute work has some of the concision of Webern and the emotional intensity of Berg. Unusual features include a scherzo (second movement) that has no set theme and no central or trio section, and also how in the finale the slow movement is reprised at some length. Now that came as quite a shock, its not the done thing, is it? Speaking of the slow movement, its an amazing piece in itself, it has an element of foreboding and tension about it. But what follows, the final movement, begins in a jolly way. However after drifting back to the slow movement's ideas, the ending is abrupt and serious.

I look forward to listening to the 1st and 2nd quartets on this disc.










Finishing with a disc with New Zealand bass-baritone *Jonathan Lemalu* singing *English and American songs.* *Barber's *early work for voice and string quartet, _Dover Beach_, is a standout piece. The two Shakespeare themed song cycles by *Quilter* and *Finzi* are also great, the final song of the Finzi speaking to Springtime being "ring time," a time for love and finding a mate. Very sprightly and upbeat that one. The selections from sets by *Bennett* and *Bolcom* let in the vibes of cabaret as well, and no complaints from me about that, I love it. Also songs by* Britten, Ireland* and *Butterworth.* An enjoyable disc, and apart from the Belcea Quartet, pianist Malcolm Martineau also lends a hand here.


----------



## aleazk

*Maurice Ravel* - _Le Tombeau de Couperin_.

From an old copied CD my first piano teacher gave me. It's my favorite version. Unfortunately, he never told me who was the pianist!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Berg's Wozzeck - Thomas Hampson, baritone, Deborah Voigt, soprano, James Levine, cond.

"live" from the Met


----------



## Il_Penseroso




----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition (Carlo Maria Giulini; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor, 'Fifths' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## jim prideaux

further investigation of the vinyl I had the good fortune to pick up in Prague last week;-Dvorak 'Vodnik' (The Water Goblin Op 107),a Supraphon recording of Vaclav Neumann conducting the Czech Philarmonic in the 1970's-there is a marvellous sound to this throughout the orchestra and the recording has an almost ethereal beauty to it...oh yeah!


----------



## Oskaar

*Han Na Chang Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major 2nd Movement*

This is a fantastic movement, gently and tender performed by Han Na Chang

*videolink*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> I know only the Vickers/Veasey, which I have - and based on my trust in your critical acumen I will not feel a great need to hear the later one. Don't you wish, though, that that impeccable and exquisite Berliozian J. Baker had been Davis's Dido? I might be wrong, but I think it's the only major Berlioz mezzo part she didn't record. Was there ever a more reliable artist, vocally and musically, than Dame Janet? Anything she chose to do was a thing not to be missed. She knew what suited her voice and what didn't. And she knew when to stop. Wonderful lady.


We do at least have her recording of Didon's final scenes, but, as you say, if only she had been on the complete recording! Not that Veasey is bad, of course, but she doesn't have Baker's intensity. Still, she's a lot better than De Young.

Berlioz is one of my favourite composers, and I often wonder what Callas would have made of Didon If her recording of _D'amour l'ardente flamme_ is anything to go by, she had a natural affinity for his music. And why not Cassandre too, for good measure?


----------



## jim prideaux

further investigation of the vinyl I had the good fortune to pick up in Prague last week;-Dvorak 'Vodnik' (The Water Goblin Op 107),a Supraphon recording of Vaclav Neumann conducting the Czech Philarmonic in the 1970's-there is a marvellous sound to this throughout the orchestra and the recording has an almost ethereal beauty to it...oh yeah!

have inadvertently posted this twice-continuing to listen to this double album-have listened to the Water Goblin twice and am now listening to The Noon Witch and The Hussite Overture.....


----------



## Oskaar

*
Faure - piano quintet no 1

Allegro molto moderato
Scherzo : Allegro vivo
Adagio
Allegro molto

Pierre Colombet, violin
Arnaud Thorette, viola
Felix Drake, cello
Akiko Yamamoto, piano

Festival Wissembourg - August 28th 2013*

I am very fond of multi camera presentations with facial an body expressions and so on. When it is good, it absolutely highten my experience.

But it dont have to be. Here is a simple presentation of young musicians that really plays well. Faure is a brilliant composer, and this quintet is a gem!
The sound is very good.

*videolink*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

One sip of the bottle is never enough, and one Callas recital leads to another. No doubt lots for the vocal purists to point disparagingly at here, but this recital goes beyond mere singing. This is real _music making_, and a whole tome could be written about Callas's insights, her total identification with each aria, each composer. Each character emerges quite different from the previous one, the most startling being the change from the seductively dangerous Dalila to the girlish Juliette, though this Juliette is no empty headed soubrette, witness the miraculous change of colour at _Loin de l'hiver morose_.

Orphee's lament is sung in Berlioz's mezzo-soprano version, and a lament is what we get. How Callas can change colour within a phrase, within a word, without disturbing her impeccable legato; that one word _dechire_ really tears at the heart. Alceste, the only part on this recital Callas had actually sung on stage, is no less remarkable for its changes of colour, its weighing of the emotional significance of each part.

Carmen and Dalila, both seductresses, are also brilliantly but individually characterised. The dangerous, vengeful Dalila of _Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse_, lurking not too far below the surface of _Printemps qui commence_, and _Mon couer s'ouvre a ta voix_; and please note Callas sings what Saint-Saens actually wrote; _Ah, reponds a ma tendresse_ in one (very long) breath; no additional top note at the end, to break the atmosphere. It only really works when Samson sings it, his ardour contrasting with her languid seductiveness. Carmen, though also seductive, is, at this stage in the opera at least, more playful, more teasing.

Only the rather empty piece from *Mignon* hangs fire, though she does some magical things with the filigree. After that we have a magnificent Chimene from *Le Cid*, and Louise's _Depuis le jour_, which is surely, in intention at least, the greatest performance of this aria ever given. My reactions to this recording do vary from one listening to another though. Sometimes all I notice is the wavery top notes. Today I was taken by the exquisite shading of the vocal line, the quiet intensity of her intent, and, above all, as throughout the recital, her wonderful legato.

In his review of the re-issue of this recital, shortly after Callas had died, Richard Osborne said, "Records like this change people's lives." Callas is the singer who most changed mine.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. S. Bach, Mass in B minor - Kyrie Eleison (Helmuth Rilling; Hamari; Nimsgern; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart; Bach-Collegium Stuttgart).


----------



## SimonNZ

Roshanne Etezady's Keen - Remnants Quartet






edit: and Etezady's Boomslang - Gwendolen Burgett, marimbas


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B minor

Joélle Harvey soprano
Carolyn Sampson soprano
Iestyn Davies counter-tenor
Ed Lyon tenor
Matthew Rose bass

Choir of the English Concert
The English Concert
Harry Bicket conductor

Royal Albert Hall
2 August 2012*

Just great! I am in for the whole. 1 hour and 50 minutes.

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

Schumann, Piano Concerto in A Minor, Geza Anda, Rafael Kubelik conducts the Berlin Philharmonic









Super.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jefferson Friedman's String Quartet No.2 - Chiara Quartet


----------



## MagneticGhost

McCreesh Venetian Easter Mass

Happy Easter Peeps!


----------



## Flamme

http://www.sky.fm/classical

now playing
New York Consort of Viols - Des Rothschencken Tanz (Brade)


----------



## Tsaraslondon

A complete change of mood (more vocal music was impossible after Callas's soul searchingly intense singing on her French recital).

Love these two 20th century violin concertos. Fine performances her by Shaham with Previn.


----------



## SimonNZ

Judd Greenstein's String Quartet "Four On The Floor" - (can't read the names of performers)






edit: Greenstein's Change - NOW Ensemble


----------



## Bas

Joseph Haydn - Seven last words of our Saviour at the Cross (string quartet)
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve









Michael Praetorius - Ostermesse
By the Weser-Renaissance consortium (Bremen), Manfred Cordes [dir.], on CPO


----------



## SimonNZ

Joseph Hallman's Cello Concerto - Alisa Weilerstein, cello, Jeffrey Meyer, cond.


----------



## bejart

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Suite in A Minor

Peter Holman leading the Parley of Instruments


----------



## SimonNZ

Takuma Itoh's Daydreams - Cornell University Wind Ensemble, Cynthia Johnston Turner, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

* Bach : Magnificat in D Major BWV 243*

*
Schäfer, Fink, Korondi, Bostridge, Maltman
Concentus Musicus Wien conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt﻿*

wonderfull production.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Messiah, HWV 56

Richard Hickox conducting Collegium Musicum 90 -- Joan Rodgers, soprano -- Della Jones, mezzo-soprano -- Christopher Robson, counter-tenor -- Philip Langridge, tenor -- Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone


----------



## maestro267

*Penderecki*: Piano Concerto, "Resurrection"
Barry Douglas (piano)/Warsaw PO/Wit


----------



## Andolink

*Luigi Boccherini*: _String Quintet in C major, Op. 25 no.4_
La Magnifica Comunità









*Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Sonata for violin and piano in F major, Op. 134_
Isabelle Faust, violin
Alexander Melnikov, piano









*Gabriel Fauré*: _Piano trio in D minor, Op. 120_
Trio George Sand


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Symphony No.26 in E Flat, Op.5, No.2

Matthias Bamert directing the London Mozart Players


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> We do at least have her recording of Didon's final scenes, but, as you say, if only she had been on the complete recording! Not that Veasey is bad, of course, but she doesn't have Baker's intensity. Still, she's a lot better than De Young.
> 
> Berlioz is one of my favourite composers, and I often wonder what Callas would have made of Didon If her recording of _D'amour l'ardente flamme_ is anything to go by, she had a natural affinity for his music. And why not Cassandre too, for good measure?


I was thinking of Callas too. Even in vocal decline her affinity for French opera was striking, from the subtlety of her phrasing to her ability to savor the very sound of the language. The French/English word "finesse" comes to mind. I love her aristocratic approach to Carmen: a woman of experience, proud, self-contained, who takes life as it comes, never complains, never explains, and never fully gives her inner self even in love. A cross between gypsy fatalism (for all I know about gypsies!) and French worldliness. Her Charlotte is the most poignant I've ever heard; her Dalila is almost too good for the opera - "Printemps qui commence" is bringing tears to my eyes as I merely think of it - and her Orphee is the only one I know that feels truly tragic. The soprano roles weren't right for her at that vocal stage (Louise and Mignon), but even the impetuosity and the dreamy rapture of Juliette is perfectly conveyed through her breathless grace notes and portamenti. Had Callas lasted another five years in decent voice she could have given us these French roles and more. I must admit I can't quite see her as Melisande, but then who'd have believed what she could do with Mimi? Oh all right then, let's give her Melisande too, why not...?   (Big sigh. Exit stage right)


----------



## Blancrocher

Emerson SQ in Mozart's "Prussian" quartets; Grumiaux & co playing his string quintets.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Telemann, Death is Swallowed up in Victory* and* The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus*


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39989
> 
> 
> One sip of the bottle is never enough, and one Callas recital leads to another. No doubt lots for the vocal purists to point disparagingly at here, but this recital goes beyond mere singing. This is real _music making_, and a whole tome could be written about Callas's insights, her total identification with each aria, each composer. Each character emerges quite different from the previous one, the most startling being the change from the seductively dangerous Dalila to the girlish Juliette, though this Juliette is no empty headed soubrette, witness the miraculous change of colour at _Loin de l'hiver morose_.
> 
> Orphee's lament is sung in Berlioz's mezzo-soprano version, and a lament is what we get. How Callas can change colour within a phrase, within a word, without disturbing her impeccable legato; that one word _dechire_ really tears at the heart. Alceste, the only part on this recital Callas had actually sung on stage, is no less remarkable for its changes of colour, its weighing of the emotional significance of each part.
> 
> Carmen and Dalila, both seductresses, are also brilliantly but individually characterised. The dangerous, vengeful Dalila of _Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse_, lurking not too far below the surface of _Printemps qui commence_, and _Mon couer s'ouvre a ta voix_; and please note Callas sings what Saint-Saens actually wrote; _Ah, reponds a ma tendresse_ in one (very long) breath; no additional top note at the end, to break the atmosphere. It only really works when Samson sings it, his ardour contrasting with her languid seductiveness. Carmen, though also seductive, is, at this stage in the opera at least, more playful, more teasing.
> 
> Only the rather empty piece from *Mignon* hangs fire, though she does some magical things with the filigree. After that we have a magnificent Chimene from *Le Cid*, and Louise's _Depuis le jour_, which is surely, in intention at least, the greatest performance of this aria ever given. My reactions to this recording do vary from one listening to another though. Sometimes all I notice is the wavery top notes. Today I was taken by the exquisite shading of the vocal line, the quiet intensity of her intent, and, above all, as throughout the recital, her wonderful legato.
> 
> In his review of the re-issue of this recital, shortly after Callas had died, Richard Osborne said, "Records like this change people's lives." Callas is the singer who most changed mine.


Beautiful review, Greg. And I'm reading it just after sharing with you, though more sketchily and in the context of Berlioz, my impressions of these same performances! Clearly I should read your stuff first and save myself some work. :tiphat:


----------



## TurnaboutVox

This afternoon on YouTube:

*Gustav Mahler - Urlicht*
Anna Larsson (contralto); Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [?2013]

*
Claude Debussy
En Blanc et Noir, for two pianos, L.134*
Martha Argerich, piano primo; Stephen Kovacevich, piano secundo [rec. UK, 1977]

*Bohuslav Martinů
Sonata No.1 for cello and piano, H.277* (1939)
Stefan Reuss, cello; Kanae Mizumura, piano
[Finnadar Records, recorded 1986]

*Leoš Janáček
Sonata for piano and violin, JW 7/7* (1914-5, rev. 1921)
Jana Vlachová (violin), František Malý (piano) [rec. 1996]

The Martinů and Janáček sonatas are new to me but I wasn't surprised at how interesting and accessible both are. I know both composers' string quartets well but I have just never got around to their chamber duo works. You can't hear everything, but I should now take a more comprehensive survey. Both performances and recordings from these artists (hitherto unknown to me) are very good indeed.


----------



## Guest

I don't listen to much music online, but I was certainly pleased to find this live performance of Robert Beaser's new Guitar Concerto, which he wrote for super-virtuoso Eliot Fisk. (I've seen a few videos of Fisk demonstrating bits of it, so I had a idea what it was like.) Lordy! I don't think too many other guitarists will be adding it to their repertoire soon due to its demands! David Alan Miller conducts the Albany Symphony Orchestra.


__
https://soundcloud.com/prism-quartet%2Fbeaser-guitar-concerto


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian Easter Festival Overture*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More on YouTube:

*
Mendelssohn - Song without words for Cello and Piano in D major, Op.109*
(i)Jacqueline du Pre (vc), Iris du Pre (piano)
(ii)Violoncello: Bernardo Brizani; Piano: Vladimir Mlinarić
[Recital (Slovenia) 2008]

*Zoltan Kodály. Duo for violin and cello Op.7*
Carlos Benito de la Gala (violin); Alberto Gorrochategui (cello)
[www.kaliladimna.com]

This modernist work I like very much indeed; it is characterful.

*Rebecca Clarke - Sonata for viola and pianoforte*
Ilario Gastaldello, viola; Marina Baudoux, pianoforte

*Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel*
Sally Maer, cello and Sally Whitwell, piano

On Spotify Web Player:
*
Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Cello Sonata in A, Op.104*
Juraj Alexander, 'cello; Alexander Catterino, piano ['Red Note', 2010]









I really can't get any information about this recording on the net, but it is a good performance of a fine piece.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths and Lucy van Dael, violins -- Jurgen Kussmaul and Gijs Beths, violas -- Anner Bylsma, cello


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Morton Feldman, Cello and Orchestra.*


----------



## bejart

Franz Wilhelm Tausch (1762-1817): Double Clarinet Concerto No.1 in B Flat, Op.27

Leopold Hager directing the English Chamber Orchestra -- Thea King and Nicholas Bucknall, clarinets


----------



## Blancrocher

Just finished a first hearing of Jonas Kaufmann's recent Winterreise (rec. 2013). Not one of my favorites, but I'm probably incapable of failing to enjoy an unfamiliar recording of this work.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas, w. MAH (rec.1995); Late Piano Pieces, w. Crossley (rec.2007).

View attachment 40014
View attachment 40015


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schubert, Symphony No. 3.*

Beecham has a winsome way with this.


----------



## MagneticGhost

Haydn's Creation - Bruno Weil

It's a long time since I listened to this piece in German. 
It's great either way.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Guarneri Quartet and David Shifrin, Clarinet perform the Brahms Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B Minor, Op. 115 on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at the Chamber Music Northwest Music Festival in Portland Oregon. Produced and Engineered by Matthew Snyder Recordings*

Brilliant!

link1
link2
link3
[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=q5RG0a9vPIY]link4[/URL]


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Myaskovsky's* birthday (1881).


----------



## LancsMan

*Schumann: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3* Zehetmair Quartet on ECM New Series








Only my second listen to these pieces - I've not had them that long. I must say these pieces are well worth hearing in this excellent recording. The first quartet is particularly appealing - quite a lot of late Beethoven influence and a touch of Mendellsohn particularly in the last movement (the weakest movement?).

I'll have to listen more carefully to the third quartet - it doesn't seem quite as coherent as the first. Maybe more familiarity is required.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Verdi*: Requiem, w. Tomowa-Sintow/Baltsa/Carreras/Van Dam/VPO/VSOO/SofiaNOC/HvK (rec. 1984); *Mahler* Symphony 2, w. Cortese/West/VSOO/VSACC/Scherchen (rec. 1958).


----------



## hpowders

My favorite of all the requiems. What a dramatic, moving work. Terrific! Verdi at his finest!!


----------



## joen_cph

*Chavez*: _Piano Concerto _/ Eugene List, Chavez, etc. / Westminster stereo, CD

Sincerely, this gargantuan, brilliant and quirky work would be in my top 10 of 20th century piano concertos.


----------



## DrKilroy

Happy Easter everybody!  I planned to listen to the Messiah today, but I am tired for I had to get up at 4 AM to go to the mass.  So I listen to the shorter work today, and tomorrow is also Easter.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Blake

Berman - _Prokofiev: Complete Piano Sonatas - Sonata 4._ Exceptional.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marc-Antoine Charpentier - Sacred Music vol 4 - Le Concert Spirituel - Herve Niquet









I fancied something uplifting and cheerful today .... and this popped into my mind


----------



## LancsMan

*Schumann: Liederkreis Op.24< Dichterliebe Op.48 & 7 Lieder* Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake on EMI








I enjoyed listening to the Schumann quartets a little while ago- but I'm not at all sure they are Schumann at his greatest. However these song cycles are indispensable Schumann.

Ian Bostridge has quite a youthful tone in these recordings. Very enjoyable if you are happy with this.


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms Clarinet Trio, Olivier Patey, François Salque, Bertrand Chamayou*

Fantastic performance and presentation. The sound is also very good.

*videolink*


----------



## Morimur

*Yasushi Akutagawa - Ellora Symphony • Trinita Sinfonica • Rapsodia per Orchestra*










Yasushi Akutagawa was a leading figure not only in Japanese music but general culture, whose compositions embraced many genres and fields. The 1948 Trinita Sinfonica, characterised by catchy melodies and light-footed ostinatos, was composed during his 'Sino-Soviet' period (1947-1957) when cultural exchanges with the USSR and China brought him into contact with the music of Shostakovich and Kabalevsky, among others. The Ellora Symphony, a savage bacchanal based on erotic visions of pagan India, belongs to Akutagawa's second creative period (1958-1967), when he embraced the new avant-garde trends promoted by Mayuzumi and Takemitsu. In the 1971 Rapsodia, Akutagawa returns to his compositional starting point of ostinato, lyricism and dynamism, only occasionally using avantgarde techniques. The composer himself describes the work as music in which a witch waves a short wand, transforming a Japanese-style Adagio into a fierce Allegro. _-ClassicsOnline_


----------



## Blancrocher

Elly Ameling singing Schubert (rec. 1965/67); The Guarneri SQ in Schubert's 15th string quartet (rec. 1977)


----------



## senza sordino

Haydn Violin, Harpsichord and cello concerti


----------



## Jeff W

From 'The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center' radio series.

Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos (K. 448), Shostakovitch's Suite for 2 Pianos in F sharp minor, Op. 6 & Tarantella for Two Pianos. Anne-Marie McDermott and Andre-Michel Schub play the two pianos.

http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5110621


----------



## AH music

MENDELSSOHN - Piano Trio no 1 in D minor, Op 49 - (Shaham - Erez - Wallfisch) via spotify. Fine chamber music, not fitting the "delicate" image there used to be of Mendelssohn at all.









MOZART - Piano Concerto no 14 in E flat, K 449 - Uchida, via spotify. First time for this one, so good had to listen twice.









BEETHOVEN - Cello sonata no 5 in D, Op 102 no 2 - Argerich / Maisky, via spotify . What a wonderful slow movement. At last listened to all the cello sonatas.









SCHARWENKA, X - Cello sonata in E minor, Op 46a. Hyperion, complete chamber music with Seta Tanyel et al. The slow movement is a special favourite of mine, enjoyed the full work this time.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Morimur

*Pierre Boulez - Répons • Dialogue de l'ombre double (Boulez, Damiens)*










_Review by Robert Cummings_

When I listen to music, I like to listen to it, not analyze it. Some composers, however, beg you to do both. I've always felt that music should be an end in itself, that structure, instrumentation, style, performance devices, and the like should only be looked at after the fact to demonstrate why a piece is successful or not. But Boulez is one of those who prompt a different listening approach, a different response, and I'm not sure whether that's a strength of his or a weakness. He is also involved in making technology an integral part of music. Arguably all composers have done that in one way or another, but Boulez in particular has devoted years to seeking a more harmonious and natural relationship between electronics and instrumental performance. Rather than force instrumentalists to react to the fixed, mechanical role of a prerecorded tape in performance, Boulez, in the first version (1981) of Répons, devised a way for the computer's processing to be performed in real time, thereby fitting its role into a more natural performance scheme -- the instrumentalists could, as it were, interact freely with the computer and with the variable elements it introduces to the score. Boulez expanded Répons in 1984, producing more or less the version we have here. (He also treats most of his other works as "works in progress.") Répons is a worthwhile composition. For those who haven't heard it or are unfamiliar with Boulez's style, it might be described as a kind of extension of what Stravinsky might have composed had his time come later, and had he been genuinely attracted to atonal music, not just dutifully attracted as he was in the 1950s when he wasted his time on serial music. Then, too, there is a typically understated French quality to Boulez's music -- almost a sort of Impressionism. The title, Répons, by the way, refers to the responsorial form of Gregorian chant. The notes mention the relationship between the "...one and the many." And the work centers on that concept, on exchanges between a soloist and an ensemble. The performance by the Ensemble InterContemporain is excellent. In the other work, Dialogue de l'ombre double (1985), I find Boulez perhaps even more compelling. The music is less complex and the invention just as fresh. The work was inspired by Paul Claudel's play Le Soulier de satin, and Boulez's title refers to "the double shadow." Well, with a solo clarinet and a second one on prerecorded tape, you can imagine what this musical scheme is. By the way, the clarinet playing of Alain Damiens is splendid in every respect. The notes by Andrew Gerzso are excellent and the sound by DG is superb. Highly recommended!


----------



## LancsMan

*Liszt: Annes de Pelerinage - Suisse* Jorge Bolet on Decca








Now this is my sort of Liszt. Annes de Plerinage -Suisse is a collection of pieces inspired by the time he had spent in Switzerand. There is virtuosity, but also poetry and delicacy in some peces, as well as a brooding power in others. Here it's played by Jorge Bolet, quite a masculine performance, which is quite appropriate to much of this music. I'm not too familiar with Jorge Bolet - I do have another disc of him playing Liszt and another of him playing encores.


----------



## Blake

…………………..


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> *In this exclusive performance, Keith Hamm joins Benjamin Bowman on the violin to perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Duo for Violin and Viola in G major, K423, Mvt 1.*
> 
> I love the tone of the viola, and have the impression that composers always comes up with something extra, writing for it.
> 
> I will check up later for the whole duo, but would like to post this fine 1.th movement. Well played and presentated.
> 
> *videolink*


I quite like that combination too, if you're interested for a comparison of that with something 20th century, try out Villa-Lobos' Duo for violin and viola. I remember it as being quite contrapuntal for V-L, a bit like Hindemith. Its on Naxos, I just came across it today when I made my selection for listening. Will have to give it a whirl myself at some point!



KenOC said:


> Gordon Jacob, Chamber Music with Recorder. I'm familiar with Jacob only from his Suite William Byrd, beautifully arranged for concert band on that old MLP British Band Classics disc. This is a set of pieces he composed from the '50s through the '80s, small in scale, unassuming, and very nice indeed. Good listening from a very musical guy.


That's interesting, I quite like what I've got of the Magginis, currently going through some of my discs. Their coverage of British music is impressive. I'm not averse to more in future.



SimonNZ said:


> Glass' Violin Concerto - Gidon Kremer, violin, Christoph Von Dohnnanyi, cond.


I've heard that one. The Glass was done really well, surprising for the VPO, its not their usual repertoire is it? But being an orchestra of such high caliber I suppose they've got ability to do anything they want very well. I remember the Schnittke as well, interesting but totally different, a dark contrast to the more upbeat and dreamy Glass.



Weston said:


> *Richard Strauss: Aus Italien, symphonic fantasy, Op. 16*
> David Zinman / Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 39975
> 
> 
> Very interesting work. I can hear the Richard Strauss musical signature developing, yet as it is an early work it is set in a more standard romantic structure. There are _very_ familiar themes throughout, yet I'm pretty sure I've never explored this piece before. Is he quoting something else at times?


I haven't heard that recently, but just recently read it was controversial upon its premiere. Quite a good deal of Strauss' early works where, the tone poems way before Salome which of course was uber controversial. I know Don Juan was when it was premiered at Liszt's old stomping ground, Wiemar. But the atmosphere of that place was more liberal than some others.

Easy to forget what a stirrer the young Strauss was. I recently read an opinion on him that in some ways he had the misfortune to live to a very old age, while some composers died very young. By the end of his life he became establishment, and he was overtaken by many 'young guns' of music. He's one of those figures who innovated early on and then kind of rested on his laurels, but I don't blame him for that, all composers are different. In any case I am getting into his early tone poems, and in terms of innovation, they are on par with Mahler's contemporaneous innovations in sonority, for one thing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

112 Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
113 Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut
114 Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (112) and Gustav Leonhardt (113, 114), cond.


----------



## Sid James

*Berkeley* _String Quartet #1_
- Performers: Maggini Quartet

Composed in the 1930's, *Berkeley's first quartet *takes on some influences of the big guns of the period. The folkish vibe of the first movement speaks to Bartok, the overall Neo-Classical tendencies to Stravinsky. As with the third quartet that I listened to yesterday, its the slow movement of this quartet that grabbed me upon this listen. Its got this gentle rocking underpinning it, a bit like a lullaby. Berkeley seems full of surprises though, the end of that movement moves straight into the scherzo quite unexpectedly. The composer's surety with technique comes to the fore in the final movement, a theme and variations which is varied and shows contrast as well as imagination. No wonder, because he was taught by Nadia Boulanger, who was one of the most rigorous teachers around in terms of technique and craftsmanship.










*Walton* _Hamlet - A Shakespeare Scenario adapted from the film score by Christopher Palmer_
- Michael Sheen, speaker with RTÉ Concert Orch. under Andrew Penny

Over to something more gloomy, *Walton's score for Hamlet.* The late Christopher Palmer arranged what are basically symphonies from his three great scores for Olivier - this one, _Henry V_ and _Macbeth_. Here, there are signs of influence of Bartok too - especially in the opening of the _Hamlet and Ophelia_ movement, showing canonical writing similar to the opening of _Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta _- and also the pared down feel of Sibelius. There are quite a few links throughout, such as the love theme played on oboe coming back in _Ophelia's Death. _Its probably the only ray of light in this dark score, underpinned by double basses throughout, opening and closing with a funeral march. The two soliloquies add to the mix of drama and death.










*De Falla *_7 canciones populares espanolas (7 popular Spanish songs), arr. Miguel Llobet & Manuel Barrueco_
- Ann Monoyios, soprano with Manuel Barrueco, guitar

Finishing with Spain in the sunny south. I've been listening to a bit of *De Falla*, my latest blog topic is on his impacts on music of the 20th century. After returning to Spain from Paris in 1914, de Falla composed these gems which became his most popular and most arranged works. They exhibit the composer's study of _Cante Hondo,_ a native singing style that includes _Cante Flamenco _as a subset. The concluding song Polo has the rhythms of flamenco, and the other songs move between many moods, from that of love, to the night, the passion of Spain is there throughout. De Falla set up an annual festival of _Cante Hondo_ and by the end of his life was pretty much establishment, the Franco regime giving him a plum job. However, de Falla's disillusionment with the regime led to him going into exile, his final years spent in Argentina.


----------



## bejart

Ludwig August Lebrun (1752-1790): Oboe Concerto No.2 in G Minor

Jan Willem de Vriend directing the Radio Chamber Orchestra -- Bart Schneemann, oboe


----------



## KenOC

John Corigliano, Conjurer. A very impressive percussion concerto, large in scale; Dame Evelyn Glennie is soloist. "Profoundly deaf," how does she do that? But she does. Recommended strongly.


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven: *String Quartet No. 14 in C# major*

Lasalle Quartet

Superb playing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dowland's Lachrimae, Or The Seven Tears - Schola Cantorum Basiliensis


----------



## Blake

Berlin Octets' _Brahms - Piano Quintet in F minor._ Really a great piece.


----------



## jimsumner

If you like Bolet's way with Liszt, you might give this a shot.

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Works-F...F8&qid=1398035890&sr=1-1&keywords=Liszt+Bolet

Some duplication involved but at this price, who can quibble?


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.23 in F Minor, Op.20, No.5

The Lindsays: Peter Cropper and Ronald Birks, violins -- Robin Ireland, viola -- Bernard Gregor-Smith, cello


----------



## JCarmel

Lehar....The Land of Smiles, Gedda, Schwarzkopf, Kunz ... Otto Ackermann conducting The Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.









My favourite operetta by Lehar...it was my parent's favourite, too. Before my Dad died & my mother became unreachable, with Alzheimers...they used to sit & listen to this very happily, together.

I've two interpretations conducted by Willi Boskovsky but I think Ackermann's is the one I enjoy the most.


----------



## contra7

Alfred Schnittke: Symphony no. 1

This is sooo crazy!!!! What a funny mix of everything! Must listen!!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 4 in B-Flat Major, 'Sunrise' (Buchberger Quartet).









String Quartet Op. 33 No. 5 in G Major, 'How do you do?' (Buchberger Quartet).


----------



## bejart

Pieter Van Maldere (1729-1768): Sinfonia in G Minor, Op.4, No.1

Filip Bral conducting the Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer


----------



## Guest

This is one of my favorite "Hammerklavier" Sonata recordings. Shimkus plays it with tremendous intensity and imagination. His own piece is quite powerful, too. All of that plus demonstration-quality sound adds up to quite a fine recording.


----------



## Itullian

opus55 said:


> Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer


That's a great recording, but I MUST have the redemption ending.


----------



## SimonNZ

Missa Tournai - Konrad Ruhland, cond.


----------



## Blake

contra7 said:


> Alfred Schnittke: Symphony no. 1
> 
> This is sooo crazy!!!! What a funny mix of everything! Must listen!!


Welcome to the wonderful, wacky world of Schnittke. There's plenty more. Check out the Concerti Grossi as well.


----------



## Morimur

Vesuvius said:


> Welcome to the wonderful, wacky world of Schnittke. There's plenty more. Check out the Concerti Grossi as well.


Good composer but very inconsistent in the quality dpt.


----------



## Blancrocher

Kontrapunctus said:


> This is one of my favorite "Hammerklavier" Sonata recordings. Shimkus plays it with tremendous intensity and imagination. His own piece is quite powerful, too. All of that plus demonstration-quality sound adds up to quite a fine recording.


I thought this was a new pianist for me, but it turns out I'd heard him on another album--Peteris Vasks' "The Seasons."

Strange discography that Vestard Shimkus has put together: the Beethoven album; Vasks; Padre Antonio Soler; and his latest, a piano recital of Wagner.





















Think I'll listen to them all.


----------



## Sid James

KenOC said:


> John Corigliano, Conjurer. A very impressive percussion concerto, large in scale; Dame Evelyn Glennie is soloist. *"Profoundly deaf," how does she do that?* But she does. Recommended strongly...


I always wondered about that too. But I watched this lecture a while back, if I remember correctly its through feeling the vibrations:
http://www.ted.com/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen

BTW, I have enjoyed Corigliano's String Quartet (also on Naxos), he's another composer I want to listen to more of at some point.


----------



## Guest

Blancrocher said:


> I thought this was a new pianist for me, but it turns out I'd heard him on another album--Peteris Vasks' "The Seasons."
> 
> Strange discography that Vestard Shimkus has put together: the Beethoven album; Vasks; Padre Antonio Soler; and his latest, a piano recital of Wagner.
> 
> View attachment 40045
> View attachment 40046
> View attachment 40047
> 
> 
> Think I'll listen to them all.


I have the Wagner--it's very good too. His younger sister (age 15!) has a new disc of works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Schumann also on the ARS label.


----------



## bejart

Carlo Ferrari (1714-1790): Cello Sonata in F Major, Op.1, No.2

Ornella Gattoni, cello -- Laura Bertani, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Victoria's Tenebrae Responsories - George Malcolm, cond.


----------



## Blake

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Good composer but very inconsistent in the quality dpt.


Well, I completely disagree… with the last part, of course.

Symphonies, Concerti Grossi, Cello and Violin Concertos… all brilliant.


----------



## chalkpie

Did this set and starting the Haitink recordings now.


----------



## starthrower

Leonard Bernstein-Mass 

I got this as part of the Original Jacket Collection. I read that it was panned by the critics at the time of its premiere, but it's an incredibly adventurous, diverse, stimulating, and entertaining work. Bravo, Lenny!


----------



## bejart

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792): Sonata in E Flat for Piano and Violin

Vaughan Schlepp, piano -- Antoinette Lohmann, violin


----------



## SimonNZ

selections from Schubert's Winterreise - Richard Tauber, tenor, Percy Kahn, piano (1935)










Schubert's Winterreise - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, Hertha Klust, piano (1953)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Jeff W

Unable to sleep... again. Decided to listen to a local concert that I attended some time ago and recorded the rebroadcast to off the radio (I'm a bad boy! )

Members of the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra play Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusick', Holst's 'St. Paul's Suite', Purcell's 'Chacony' as arranged by Benjamin Britten and Aaron Copland's 'Appalachian Spring' in the original orchestration for 13 instruments. The music director, Charles Schneider, conducted.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, String Quartet in D minor, 'Death and the Maiden' (Amadeus Quartet).


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Music by Matthias Pintscher:










I'm listening to this for the first time....and only 2 minutes into the first of his Five Orchestral Pieces, and what a highly emotive 2 minutes it has been, and it's only getting more intense as it goes along!


----------



## JCarmel

It's a funny old 'world?! I was looking-through the album listings that I have accumulated for listening-to on Spotify yesterday & came-upon the same recording that you were highlighting Simon, just hours ago. I had been saving it up to concentrate-upon last week & possibly to 'post' here.....but then, concentrating on many other things...including the clandestine consumption of chocolate Easter eggs when supposedly on a Diet...(which takes an element of deceitfulness that is not a natural part of my personality)... obviously meant I missed the perfect opportunity to familiarise myself more with Malcolm's recording. I really like many of George Malcolm's recordings & as the one-time choirmaster of the Westminster Cathedral Choir and as a professed Roman Catholic, I was anticipating something 'authentic'?! So, its scheduled to be heard shortly...


----------



## AH music

KRAUS, Joseph Martin - very taken with the Symphony in C, VB 138 "Violin obligato" from Concerto Koln via spotify. Really warming to this composer.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

The first operatic disc I ever bought at the age of 18. I listened to it _ad infinitum_, no doubt to the point that the rest of my family got heartily sick of it. Up till then, it was more likely to be The Beatles, Dusty Springfield or The Walker Brothers, but Callas was my new passion, and I indulged it at every opportunity.

In all honesty Callas's voice was probably never the right voice for Puccini, despite her identification with the role of Tosca. It lacks the roundness of a Tebaldi, a Te Kanawa, a Caballe or a Gheorghiu. But it is the perfect voice for a Puccini Recital. Most Puccini recitals lack variety, as one aria, one Puccinian little woman follows another, but here each voice character emerges as a separate and distinct human being. Of all these roles, Callas had only sung Turandot on stage at this point and the only other she would eventually sing on stage is Butterfly, though she did go on to make complete recordings of *La Boheme* and *Manon Lescaut*. One would never know that from listening to this disc though, so completely does she inhabit each role with that unique gift to get right to the heart of the aria she is singing from the very first note; the desperation of Manon, the strength of Butterfly's belief; we are given a shy, delicate Mimi, a spoiled Lauretta, a visionary Angelica; and finally Liu's love and loyalty are contrasted with Turandot's imperious control.

Vocally there is at least one rather uncomfortable moment - the high A at the end of _Senza mamma_ wobbles, detracting from the rest (though how wonderful and tasteful here, as elsewhere, her use of the forgotten art of _portamento_) - but generally she is in fine vocal health, her voice still firm enough to give us one of the best versions of _In questa reggia_ on disc. Please note that, when the going gets tough in the line rising to high C, she sings the words Puccini set. Most singers resort to vocalise at that point and just sing it to 'Ah', even Dame Eva Turner.

I wouldn't now rank this Puccini disc as highly as her Mad Scenes, the first French recital or the first Verdi disc, all of which show her to advantage in music more congenial to her gifts, but it still remains one of the great Callas recitals.


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms · Trio for horn, violin and piano*

*Bruno Schneider (horn), Daishin Kashimoto (violin) and Eric le Sage (piano)
Directed by Stéphan Aubé
Filmed at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Denmark)*

Beautiful work. For me it gives a slightly sad melancoly, but maybe more important, comfort and carefull optimism.

This production is absolutely stunning, in presentation and performance, and in sound quality as well.

*mvt 1
mvt 2
mvt 3
[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JK8FfhphGt8]mvt 4[/URL]*


----------



## Oskaar

Sid James said:


> I quite like that combination too, if you're interested for a comparison of that with something 20th century, try out Villa-Lobos' Duo for violin and viola. I remember it as being quite contrapuntal for V-L, a bit like Hindemith. Its on Naxos, I just came across it today when I made my selection for listening. Will have to give it a whirl myself at some point!


Thankyou for your advice. I have bookmarked your post so that I can easily return to it. Right now I am on a travel in the world of Brahms.


----------



## JCarmel

I had fully-intended to listen on the lighter side today, so the 'Victoria' will provide a contrast!
I incorrectly referred to my two other recordings of Lehar's 'Land of Smiles' as being conducted by Willi Boskovsky...but that was error.. one is by Willy Mattes.

Lehar is not as popular as he was! I grew-up listening to his operettas & they featured regularly on the radio...his mixture of 'charm, elegance and exoticism' to quote from some booklet notes, seems naievely out-of-place.
But if there is a certain something in your temperament....perhaps that 'Viennese' mixture of the joyful that's tinged with sentimentality & nostalgic wistfulness at the same time...there is much to enjoy.
Schwarzkopf was the perfect artist to capture that element in the music...she was able to seem captivating, capricious yet also to a degree calculating (such as is needed for seduction?!)...that captured the essence of operetta....illustrated very well within
this cd of Operetta Arias....perhaps particularly in the aria from Lehars 'Giudetta' 'Meine Lippen, sie kussen so heis'









Though my favourite from that operetta is most definetly this aria...wonderfully sung by Waldemar Kmentt which I love to play anytime, particularly dashing round the Dales in my little Korean car, on a sunny morning with the window wound-down!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, 'The Tempest' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## Oskaar

*The Schubert Ensemble - Brahms Piano Quartet No.1 G Min -*

*Schubert Ensemble live at King's Place, 19th January 2012

Simon Blendis - violin
Douglas Paterson - viola
Jane Salmon - cello
William Howard - piano*

Brilliant performance. And the sound engeneers have done a very good job.

*mov 1*
*mov 2*
*mov 3*
*[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Et67Hx7LuOE]mov 4[/URL]*


----------



## JCarmel

Am sticking with conductor Otto Ackermann & the Philharmonia....& adding the wonderful Geza Anda, for his recording of the Liszt's 1st Piano Concerto. It's not quite my first choice for this concerto...I like Richter/Kondrashin and Zimerman/Ozawa better. 
But basically... 'Have Geza-Will Listen!'


----------



## AH music

SIBELIUS - Symphony no 3. Continuing to very much enjoy the recent acquisition of the Berglund / Bournemouth set. Will struggle to contribute to the thread ranking the symphonies, though....


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Robert Kajanus' Sinfonietta - Osmo Vanska, cond.


----------



## maestro267

*Daniel Jones*: Symphony No. 9
BBC Welsh SO/Thomson

*Strauss*: Symphonia domestica
Scottish National Orchestra/N. Järvi


----------



## Kieran

Beethoven's Fourth and Fifth symphonies, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, the New York Philly, and on the same CD, the Egmont Overture, so I'll let that all play me through to lunch...

:tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Lalo's String Quartet Op.45 - Kocian Quartet










Gavin Bryars' Tre Laude Dolce - Matthew Barley, cello


----------



## JCarmel

I'm afraid the lightness of mood induced by Lehar...has evaporated, thanks to the way life always gifts-you another wee problem to wipe the smile off your face? I went a handful of miles on the A1 motorway yesterday, on the way to a friend's house....& I noticed a worrying 'ping' as a stone chip hit the car 'somewhere,' as I overtook a large lorry... 
Well, at least I know now where it hit... & its wiped the smile off my car's bonnet as well! And I've been chuffed to have kept it chip-& scratch free for the last four and a half years....Doh!

So, Cruel World...away with Levity & a more Serious Tone needs to be adopted/adapted for the rest of the day...as that great chip-dent has _really_ spoilt the look of the car & bopped a sizeable chunk off its value, too!

My French Horn-playing pal is performing Brahms Symphony No.1 in a few weeks time...& I said I'd lend her a cd to inspire her. But Which?
I've Karajan & Boult....both good...think I'll go with Sir Adrian, as I've two separate copies of that'un....featuring the LSO. On the oldest, there is also a performance of the Alto Rhapsody with Dame Janet...I'd better listen to that, as I need something lovely to put that smile back on...though this time there will be a 'resigned' look to any upward curvature?!

Blooming Lorries?!!.......


----------



## bejart

Dietrich Buxtehude (ca.1637-1707): Trio Sonata in F Major, Op.2, No.7, BuxWV 265

John Holloway, violin -- Jaap ter Linden, viola -- Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to some Yannick Nezet Senguin power









http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4791074




http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/d/dgg791074a.php
http://audaud.com/2013/12/stravinsky-the-rite-of-spring-pastorale-bach-arr-stokowski-toccata-and-fugue-in-d-fugue-in-g-passacaglia-and-fugue-in-c-philadelphia-orch-yannick-nezet-seguin-dgg/


----------



## JCarmel

Kieran...you always seem to be Posting coupled-with planning to eat/cooking the eats Activity....as well as listening to very tasty chunks of music, let me add! 
Talking of Geza Anda, there's a most enjoyable K365 with Clara Haskil, conducted by Alceo Galliera/Philharmonia on 'Spotify'...though I'm sure you'll already be familiar with it.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio, first of the after-midnight full cds:

Mozart's Symphonies 31 "Paris", 36 "Linz" and 38 "Prague" - Jane Glover, cond.

a pleasure to be up late


----------



## Guest

Just wow.


----------



## JCarmel

Well, life's not so bad....as although I have used the word 'Bleeding...!' twice today...one of the use's has been in connection with the Dicentra Spectabilis that's in a pot by back my back door..& today, is blooming so beautifully in the North Yorkshire sunshine!
I've just taken this photo on the Moto...








And someone on youtube has thoughtfully put the flower's opening sequences to music!


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Variations on an original theme in D major, Op. 21 no. 1_; _8 Piano Pieces, Op. 76_
Adam Laloum, piano


----------



## JCarmel

I'm giving a first listen to this Lieder recital by Matthias Goerne...Volume 8 of his ongoing Schubert Edition


----------



## rrudolph

If Bruno Maderna was still alive, he would be 94 years old today.

Maderna: Ausstrahlung








Maderna: Quadrivium/Aura/Biogramma


----------



## Blancrocher

Martina Filjak and Vestard Shimkus playing keyboard sonatas by Antonio Soler. My first hearing of these delightful works on the piano. Loving it.


----------



## Vasks

Piccinni - Overture to "Li Napoletani in America" (Quattrocchi/Bongiovanni)
Felix Mendelssohn - Concerto for Piano & Strings in A minor (Brautigam/BIS)
Elgar - Empire March (Menuhin/Virgin)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 39989
> 
> 
> One sip of the bottle is never enough, and one Callas recital leads to another. No doubt lots for the vocal purists to point disparagingly at here, but this recital goes beyond mere singing. This is real _music making_, and a whole tome could be written about Callas's insights, her total identification with each aria, each composer. Each character emerges quite different from the previous one, the most startling being the change from the seductively dangerous Dalila to the girlish Juliette, though this Juliette is no empty headed soubrette, witness the miraculous change of colour at _Loin de l'hiver morose_.
> 
> Orphee's lament is sung in Berlioz's mezzo-soprano version, and a lament is what we get. How Callas can change colour within a phrase, within a word, without disturbing her impeccable legato; that one word _dechire_ really tears at the heart. Alceste, the only part on this recital Callas had actually sung on stage, is no less remarkable for its changes of colour, its weighing of the emotional significance of each part.
> 
> Carmen and Dalila, both seductresses, are also brilliantly but individually characterised. The dangerous, vengeful Dalila of _Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse_, lurking not too far below the surface of _Printemps qui commence_, and _Mon couer s'ouvre a ta voix_; and please note Callas sings what Saint-Saens actually wrote; _Ah, reponds a ma tendresse_ in one (very long) breath; no additional top note at the end, to break the atmosphere. It only really works when Samson sings it, his ardour contrasting with her languid seductiveness. Carmen, though also seductive, is, at this stage in the opera at least, more playful, more teasing.
> 
> Only the rather empty piece from *Mignon* hangs fire, though she does some magical things with the filigree. After that we have a magnificent Chimene from *Le Cid*, and Louise's _Depuis le jour_, which is surely, in intention at least, the greatest performance of this aria ever given. My reactions to this recording do vary from one listening to another though. Sometimes all I notice is the wavery top notes. Today I was taken by the exquisite shading of the vocal line, the quiet intensity of her intent, and, above all, as throughout the recital, her wonderful legato.
> 
> In his review of the re-issue of this recital, shortly after Callas had died, Richard Osborne said, "Records like this change people's lives." Callas is the singer who most changed mine.


---
Absolutely stellar post. Thanks.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40056
> 
> 
> The first operatic disc I ever bought at the age of 18. I listened to it _ad infinitum_, no doubt to the point that the rest of my family got heartily sick of it. Up till then, it was more likely to be The Beatles, Dusty Springfield or The Walker Brothers, but Callas was my new passion, and I indulged it at every opportunity.
> 
> In all honesty Callas's voice was probably never the right voice for Puccini, despite her identification with the role of Tosca. It lacks the roundness of a Tebaldi, a Te Kanawa, a Caballe or a Gheorghiu. But it is the perfect voice for a Puccini Recital. Most Puccini recitals lack variety, as one aria, one Puccinian little woman follows another, but here each voice character emerges as a separate and distinct human being. Of all these roles, Callas had only sung Turandot on stage at this point and the only other she would eventually sing on stage is Butterfly, though she did go on to make complete recordings of *La Boheme* and *Manon Lescaut*. One would never know that from listening to this disc though, so completely does she inhabit each role with that unique gift to get right to the heart of the aria she is singing from the very first note; the desperation of Manon, the strength of Butterfly's belief; we are given a shy, delicate Mimi, a spoiled Lauretta, a visionary Angelica; and finally Liu's love and loyalty are contrasted with Turandot's imperious control.
> 
> Vocally there is at least one rather uncomfortable moment - the high A at the end of _Senza mamma_ wobbles, detracting from the rest (though how wonderful and tasteful here, as elsewhere, her use of the forgotten art of _portamento_) - but generally she is in fine vocal health, her voice still firm enough to give us one of the best versions of _In questa reggia_ on disc. Please note that, when the going gets tough in the line rising to high C, she sings the words Puccini set. Most singers resort to vocalise at that point and just sing it to 'Ah', even Dame Eva Turner.
> 
> I wouldn't now rank this Puccini disc as highly as her Mad Scenes, the first French recital or the first Verdi disc, all of which show her to advantage in music more congenial to her gifts, but it still remains one of the great Callas recitals.


---
It just defies belief how someone like Callas can have the ferocity of the tigress in her early-fifties CETRA _Gionconda_ or in her '53 Florence _Medea_. . . and then to turn around and do such a delicate and vulnerable Butterfly or Mimi--- it defies belief, that is, until you_ hear _it. And 'yes,' this is the same singer.


----------



## Bas

Yesterday evening:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte
By Elisabeth Schwarzkopf [soprano], Christa Ludwig [alto], Giueseppe Taddei [bariton], Alfredo Kraus [tenor], Hanny Steffek [alto], Walter Berry [bass], Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, Karl Böhm [dir.], on EMI









A new acquisition I was very curious for. It is a really nice one (faster then Jacobs', quite some stage noise and the choir is not very clear at points, but the cast is really amazing, Ludwig and Kraus especially. I might do a comparing listening session oen day... )

This morning:

George Frederic Handel - Messiah (Dublin)
By the Dunedin Consort & Players, Susan Hamilton [soprano], Annie Gill [contralto], Clare Wilkinson [contralto], Nicholas Mullroy [tenor], Matthew Brooks [bass], John Butt [dir.], on LINN records









Currently:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas no. 23 "Appasionata", no. 24 "A therese", no. 25, no. 26 "Les Adieux", no. 27
By Friederich Gulda [piano], on Decca


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79_ and _Three Intermezzi, Op. 117_
Adam Laloum, piano


----------



## JCarmel

It's funny...this 'Scheherazade' thing, that I've got into. Although I liked the work well-enough, truth to tell its something that I stopped listening-to on a regular basis...(basically, that means Not At All!..) years ago. Yet over the last week or so, I've listened so intently to it in several interpretations, that I now feel compelled to carry-on listening to more, more & yet More 'versions'...in the vain quest to find the Perfect Interpretation! And there are lots more SH's out there yet to hear....one other problem is that I read that Rimsky completed the four movements on* July 16*, 23, and 28. Now how_ can _I ignore some Birthday music?!

So now I'm listening to Svetlanov with the LSO on a BBC-issued cd. The disc has started well...with a cracking 'Procession of the Nobles' from Rimsky's 'Mlada'...but then, the first movement of Scheherazade sounds as if the boat is having a job turgidly creaking its way out of harbour...though they must've thrown a few deck-hands overboard because it's getting-going tempo-wise, a little better now. It's surprising what a munch on a ship's biscuit can do for you.....









I'm not familiar with Scriabin's 'Poem of Ecstasy' that follows the Rimsky but I think I'll be needing some 'Ecstasy' by the time I've lumbered-along in this Man-of-War-type vessel! But, I'm carrying-on listening...


----------



## Jos

Great series by DGG, "debut". Brahms and Hindemith. 
The Hindemith Sonata for solo viola is difficult and a friend just popped in for a drink and chat so I'll have to listen to it some other time. Not exactly background music.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## hpowders

Schoenberg, Piano Concerto
Uchida/Boulez.

Spent two weeks digesting this and it was worth it.
Hauntingly beautiful and a work of great genius.
Highly recommended!


----------



## Arsakes

*Beethoven*: 
_Leonore Overtures No.1-3
Symphony No.1 & 7_

*Holst*:
_The Planets
A Somerset Rhapsody_

My favorite musical planets are Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Middle Quartets, w. ESQ (rec.1994/5).


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 4 in F-Sharp minor (Nomos-Quartett).









G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production I -
Trio in E-Flat Major for two Violins & B.c.; 
Solo in B minor for Flute & B.c. 
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## JCarmel

I feel as if I'm being a little bit bludgeoned-to-death by Andrea Marcon/La Cetra's recording of Mozart Operas...that I've stumbled across on Spotify!









It's great recorded sound that's for sure &* very *fresh, lively performances indeed, on Period instruments.....but I'm going to touch-base ground soon with my old Karl Bohm 'Mozart Overtures' cd....an image of which isn't available online, it seems.
Though after this, Karl might seem a little bit too 'Karl-Bohm'.....though I'll probably be glad of that?!


----------



## Blancrocher

Yo-Yo Ma, Kim Kashkashian, and Gidon Kremer in Mozart's Divertimento for Violin, Viola and Cello in E-flat major, K. 563 (rec. 1984)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jos said:


> View attachment 40088
> 
> 
> Great series by DGG, "debut". Brahms and Hindemith.
> The Hindemith Sonata for solo viola is difficult and a friend just popped in for a drink and chat so I'll have to listen to it some other time. Not exactly background music.
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


---
So true. I know exactly what you mean. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## opus55

Schumann: String Quartets


----------



## AH music

MOZART - Piano sonatas (quite a lot of them) on and off through the day. A poll on another reminded that I have recently got a set, intended to gradually savour them, but even that had dwindled. Today perked up the interest again big style (I only knew an odd one or two such as no11, K331 with the Turkish rondo beforehand). The bargain set by Klara Wurtz on Brilliant Classics really is a bargain in the best sense of the word, with lively yet beautifully controlled and natural performances really letting the music speak for itself. So have listened through from no 5 to no 11, the last three of these being superb. At this stage, no 10 in C K330 just comes ahead of nos 9 and 11 as my favourite so far.


----------



## LancsMan

*Brahms: The Piano Concertos* Nelson Freire and the Gewandhausorchester conducted by Riccardo Chailly on Decca








Oh Boy! This is a really great recording (my second listen to this recent acquisition).

I have always had a great enthusiasm for the first Piano Concerto. A powerful, muscular and passionate first movement really catches one's full attention. The slow movement is quite unique in it's sound world, building from a quiet still introspection to a more powerful climax before returning to more introspection, with piano trills. Wonderful movement. Finally a vigorous movement to bring the work to an emphatic close.

The second concerto is in four movements. It has a more mellow feel at times, particularly the slow movement with a prominent role for a solo cello. But there is plenty of power as well as mellowness.

Both these concertos are serious works - somewhat a reaction against the then fashionable concerto as flashy virtuoso showpiece.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1, w. GG (rec.1968 - '72); *Schubert*: Symphonies 1 & 2, w. VPO/Muti (rec.c1987).

View attachment 40100
View attachment 40101


----------



## Bas

On the advise of Marschalin Blair:

Giuseppe Verdi - La Traviata
By Maria Callas [soprano], Marie Collier [soprano], e.a., The Convent Garden Chorus and Orchestra on ICA, 1958


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Les Troyens, Act I*









What was it Bizet said of Berlioz?-- that he was a genius with absolutely no talent?

Well, who the hell was Bizet anyway? Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

The Colin Davis 1969 _Les Troyans _is just awesome. I listened to the first two cd's of the four-cd opera last night.

The chorus toward the end of Act I where Aeneas and Priam agree to finally allow the Trojan horse into the gates; and where the Trojan people are blowing trumpets and throwing flowers at the Trojan horse as its being wheeled inside the gate of Troy-- is

the

most

_AWE-SOME_

and

my

favorite

thing

of

Berlioz's. . .

_EV-ER_!!!

Epic. Heroic. Joyous. Exuberant. Beautiful.

I couldn't even believe how excited I was playing it over and over at maximum volume.

I'm going to order Davis' complete Berlioz works now that I know what he's capable of.

God, how could I be so_ BLIND_?-- and for so many years.

I just naively assumed that the Dutoit was 'it'.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Highest marks for the principals, recording quality, and reading of this masterpiece.

And highest marks _EVER_ for that choral passage I just described (as done by Davis, of course).


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40099
> 
> 
> The Colin Davis 1969 _Les Troyans _is just awesome.
> 
> God, how could I be so_ BLIND_?-- and for so many years.
> 
> I just naively assumed that the Dutoit was 'it'.


:tiphat:Oh, good! I am delighted for you - forgive me for prosletysing but .... I will continue to flag this set up


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> What was it Bizet said of Berlioz?-- that he was a genius with absolutely no talent?


Perhaps this: "The worst musician among the musical geniuses." -- Maurice Ravel, on Hector Berlioz


----------



## Blake

Schnittke - _Symphony 2_. Extravagant


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Gluck - Ifigenia in Tauride - Calls, Dino Dondi, Francesco Albanese - Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano - Nino Sanzogno









I remember buying this 14 years ago and wanting to write an angry letter to EMI denouncing them for selling such an appalling quality CD. The sound quality is no better than it was when I first heard it with lots of fade-ins and outs, shrill top notes (not just from Maria), coughs and sneezes, rattles and shakes and so on. But Callas IS spine-tinglingly good here, right from the start where she asks ... no, absolutely demands that the gods put aside their avenging thunderbolts


----------



## TurnaboutVox

On and off throughout the day (interspersed at one point with Captain Beefheart, which was quite a change of mood: I don't think Wolf would feature on the play-list of any other member of my family). yh (< the final family 'member' - the cat - gets into the act as he walks across the keyboard!)

This is a radiant performance of one of my favourite lieder collections, and it is my new disc of the week.

*Hugo Wolf

Möricke Lieder*
(Lieder nach Gedichten von Eduard Möricke)

Joan Rodgers, Soprano; Stephan Genz, Baritone; Roger Vignoles, piano [Hyperion, rec. 2000]


----------



## Headphone Hermit

KenOC said:


> Perhaps this: "The worst musician among the musical geniuses." -- Maurice Ravel, on Hector Berlioz


Bizet said something along the lines of Berlioz had genius but no talent

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...onepage&q=berlioz genius talent bizet&f=false


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes - Op. 9 (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## Blancrocher

Radu Lupu playing Schubert's Impromptus (rec. 1982); Ian Bostridge singing Schubert lieder (rec. 1996).


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Mozart Complete Piano Sonata cycle by Ingrid Haebler on Decca records.

It took me ages to decide which to choose as my first proper cycle to listen from start to finish. I loved Richter's playing on his 'Live in Prague' records.

I checked out Eschenbach, Pires, Uchida, Arrau and Kraus but Ingrid Haebler's rendition was my choice, and her playing is truly impeccable.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Headphone Hermit said:


> Gluck - Ifigenia in Tauride - Calls, Dino Dondi, Francesco Albanese - Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano - Nino Sanzogno
> 
> View attachment 40104
> 
> 
> I remember buying this 14 years ago and wanting to write an angry letter to EMI denouncing them for selling such an appalling quality CD. The sound quality is no better than it was when I first heard it with lots of fade-ins and outs, shrill top notes (not just from Maria), coughs and sneezes, rattles and shakes and so on. But Callas IS spine-tinglingly good here, right from the start where she asks ... no, absolutely demands that the gods put aside their avenging thunderbolts


Callas is pretty much the only good thing in this performance. The rest of the cast aren't up to much, and Sanzogno conducting is stodgy. She sang one other Gluck opera at La Scala, *Alceste*, which is conducted by Giulini, but, if you thing the sound on this *Ifigenia* is bad, then I doubt you could cope with the *Alceste*, for all that it is a much better performance.

EMI were certainly a bit slapdash when they jumped on the live Callas bandwagon. When they issued the De Sabata *Macbeth*, it was a direct copy of a Hunt issue, which had spliced in a few bars that were lost in transmission from a recording with Gencer. Hunt mentioned it in their sleeve notes, but nobody at EMI seems to have noticed.

The best source for live Callas is www.divinarecords.com, who do all they can to find the best sound sources, and discuss any problems with lost transmissions etc in the notes. A bit pricey, but worth the extra outlay.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven Piano concerto 3 - Petahia / Haitink


----------



## Headphone Hermit

GregMitchell said:


> Callas is pretty much the only good thing in this performance.


absolutely correct - in a way, the weaknesses of those that surrounded her in this performance highlight just how good she actually was.

The link to divina records is useful also for anyone who wants to know more about the background behind her recordings - there is a lot of potential for confusion and you just have to tip your hat at the experts who have disentangled the mess around some of the releases - Thanks Greg


----------



## Blake

Shostakovich - _Symphony 4._ I forgot how much I actually like Shosty. He's not _AS_ dark and demented as I originally thought… there's some light in here.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas, w. Pletnev (rec.1988), Pogorelich (rec.1991), Richter (rec.1987).








View attachment 40114


----------



## LancsMan

*Saint-Saens:- Piano Concertos 1-3 and Wedding Cake* Stephen Hough and the City of Birmingham Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo on hyperion








This is the first CD of a 2 CD box, No 27 in the hyperion series 'The Romantic Piano Concerto' - and very good it is.

Following on from the Brahms Piano Concertos I was listening to earlier this is a complete contrast. I guess Brahms seriousness is somewhat more to my taste, but you do need a break now and then, and there's no denying these concertos of Saint-Saens are imaginative, stylish and fun.


----------



## DrKilroy

It is practically the end of Easter, so I can listen to secular music now!  Let's start with Stravinsky's Petrouchka.










Best regards, Dr


----------



## SixFootScowl

Dublin Version of Handel's Messiah by the Dunedin Consort. The clarity of the vocals is unsurpassed. CD is discussed here, and clips can be sampled here. The choir is a total of 12 voices including the soloists.

I would love to take a week, fly to Europe, and hear the Dunedin Consort perform Messiah live!


----------



## SimonNZ

115 Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit
116 Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ
117 Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (115, 116) and Gustav Leonhardt (117), cond.

There won't be a 118, as this single movement work has been reclassified by common consensus as a motet.


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen - Stockhausen Edition 50: Freitag Aus Licht*










Dark, ominous music. Recommended.


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Sibelius 4th Symphony by Osmo Vänskä and Lahti Symphony Orchestra









After listening with great enthusiasm to Sibelius' first three symphonies, I decided to give his 4th symphony a go.

At first the music was not making any sense. I couldn't get to grips with the main themes let alone their development. Knowing this is usually a sign of a really great work I persevered. After a break of a few weeks I returned to this symphony with fresh ears and it was absolutely breathtaking!

The first movement is as dark as a moonless sky with occasional meteor showers of light. 
Is this a reflection of the suffering one endures in life with occasions of joy at its peaks? Sibelius did battle throat cancer prior to composing this work and lived in fear of recurrence.

The second movement starts cheerful but turns somewhat psychotic in character. 
Is delusion the key to survive in this world of chaos and malady?

The third movement is the hidden jewel of this symphony. It feels like being led into a labyrinth, hearing bits of thematic material that eventually coalesce into the most sublime of melodies, a truly hidden treasure shown to those who work their way into this piece. Whenever I start to listen to this wonderful movement chills are literally felt down my spine and the climaxes feel like Sibelius finding his 'holy grail' and sharing it with us.

The fourth movement starts cheerfully again as if nothing has happened during the previous majestic movement. 
It has the typical forward propulsive energy Sibelius embeds in his works and it really feels like one is running towards light. 
At the end it slows down to a sudden realisation that there is no end but the journey itself.

A truly amazing ending to a piece of art I will treasure for life.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thomas Tomkins' songs and consort music - Denis Stevens, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Vladimir Yurigin-Klevke playing Gubaidulina's "Chaconne" for piano; Gergiev conducting Bashmet & co in Gub's Viola Concerto.


----------



## Blake

Kancheli - _Mourned by the Wind._ I just stumbled on this composer… sounds interesting. Anyone dig him?


----------



## Morimur

Vesuvius said:


> Kancheli - _Mourned by the Wind._ I just stumbled on this composer… sounds interesting. Anyone dig him?
> 
> View attachment 40119


I thought I had not even heard of him but it turns out that I own this recording:
_Giya Kancheli - Lament (Kakhidze, Kremer, Deubner)_


----------



## Blake

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Had not heard of him. Tonal or antonal?


Sounds tonal to me. This is the first piece I've heard of his and I kind of dazed off mid-way… as my state of mind is calling for something different. Still, I'm intrigued enough to check him out further when the mood's right.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): String Quartet in G Major

Stamic Quartet: Viteslav Cernoch and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Vladimir Leixner, cello


----------



## KenOC

Beethoven, Symphony No. 2. Bruno Walter, Columbia Symphony Orchestra. My all-time fave (Sony remaster, not the album shown).


----------



## Blancrocher

Boulez & co in Bruckner's 8th (rec. 1996)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Perhaps this: "The worst musician among the musical geniuses." -- Maurice Ravel, on Hector Berlioz


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Maybe Maurice is right. For me, Berlioz is a diamond-in-the-rough composer sometimes: You're just going along listening to something-- and then, wham! Out of nowhere, a passage of genius just floors you; but of course the 'genius' isn't sustained for the duration of the piece.


----------



## Blake

I think another Schnittke run is coming on. Listened to the first 5 symphonies and onto 6. He's a genius, I'm sure of it.


----------



## Blake

Lope de Aguirre said:


> I thought I had not even heard of him but it turns out that I own this recording:
> _Giya Kancheli - Lament (Kakhidze, Kremer, Deubner)_


You dig it? You disdig it?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Callas is pretty much the only good thing in this performance. The rest of the cast aren't up to much, and Sanzogno conducting is stodgy. She sang one other Gluck opera at La Scala, *Alceste*, which is conducted by Giulini, but, if you thing the sound on this *Ifigenia* is bad, then I doubt you could cope with the *Alceste*, for all that it is a much better performance.
> 
> EMI were certainly a bit slapdash when they jumped on the live Callas bandwagon. When they issued the De Sabata *Macbeth*, it was a direct copy of a Hunt issue, which had spliced in a few bars that were lost in transmission from a recording with Gencer. Hunt mentioned it in their sleeve notes, but nobody at EMI seems to have noticed.
> 
> The best source for live Callas is www.divinarecords.com, who do all they can to find the best sound sources, and discuss any problems with lost transmissions etc in the notes. A bit pricey, but worth the extra outlay.


_
Absolutely _worth the money for the vastly-improved sound, and without any cavil or qualification whatsoever.

I got every Divina Records release in their Callas catalogue, except for the July 5, 1965 _Tosca_ and the November 26, 1973 London Farewell Concert, and I can honestly say that the sound quality is the best available out there; especially with the FLAC-file downloads as opposed to the Divina Records cd's (as superb as the sound on the Divina Records cd's are).


----------



## hpowders

Lutoslawski, Symphonies, 3 and 4.
Salonen, Los Angeles Philharmonic.

These symphonies are "night and day".
The Third, full of interesting ideas; the Fourth, dull and uninspired.
Recommended for the Third Symphony.


----------



## opus55

Raff: Symphonies Nos. 10 and 9


----------



## opus55

Ravel

La Valse
Rapsodie espagnole


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Sonata in E Flat for Piano and Viola, Op.5, No.3

Paul Luchkow, viola -- Michael Jarvis, piano


----------



## opus55

Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36
Schumann: Fantasie in C major, Op. 17


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Music by Matthias Pintscher:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm listening to this for the first time....and only 2 minutes into the first of his Five Orchestral Pieces, and what a highly emotive 2 minutes it has been, and it's only getting more intense as it goes along!


This again because its so amazing. Earlier I also listened to Unsuk Chin's cello concerto.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vesuvius said:


> Kancheli - _Mourned by the Wind._ I just stumbled on this composer… sounds interesting. Anyone dig him?
> 
> View attachment 40119


His music is great! I have made a few posts recently mentioning him.


----------



## Morimur

Vesuvius said:


> You dig it? You disdig it?


It's ok. I need to listen some more.


----------



## Blake

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> His music is great! I have made a few posts recently mentioning him.





Lope de Aguirre said:


> It's ok. I need to listen some more.


Cool, I'm going to have to dive in a bit more myself. Whenever the inspiration comes. It shan't be long.


----------



## Guest

After a long day of teaching teenagers, some sublime Mozart really hit the spot today!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Vesuvius said:


> Cool, I'm going to have to dive in a bit more myself. Whenever the inspiration comes. It shan't be long.


Have you heard "Styx" yet?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation (Andreas Spering; Im; Kobow; Müller-Brachmann; VokalEnsemble Köln; 
Capella Augustina).


----------



## SimonNZ

Pierre Attaingnant lute works - Hopkinson Smith, lute


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## Orfeo

*Ernest Chausson*
Symphony in B-flat major. 
Symphonic Poem "Viviane."
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier.

*Vítêzslav Novák*
Symphonic Poem "De Profundis."
-Darius Battiwalla, organist.
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Libor Pešek.


----------



## Alypius

An evening of violin concertos, all written within a few years of each other

*Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D (1931)*










*Berg: Violin Concerto (1935)*










*Bartok: Violin Concerto #2, Sz 112 (1938)*


----------



## Knotsofast

Stanford, Irish Rhapsody No.4
Sir Adrian Boult 
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Lyrita Records


----------



## senza sordino

I forgot I had this CD. I don't know this piece, neither did the audience. Listeners here have mentioned Takemitsu, so I thought I would listen. Exotic. From me flows what you call time. Now that's a great title for a piece of music.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Something light and less intense:


----------



## Rhythm

*Chichester Psalms | Leonard Bernstein, composer*

Just because I wanted to hear voices, this morning! Here's an excerpt from Bernstein's website.

Bernstein commented during a 1977 press conference, "I spent almost the whole year writing 12-tone music and even more experimental stuff. I was happy that all these new sounds were coming out: but after about six months of work I threw it all away. It just wasn't my music; it wasn't honest. The end result was the Chichester Psalms which is the most accessible, B-flat majorish tonal piece I've ever written." Again, from the poem submitted to the Times:

For hours on end I brooded and mused
On materiae musicae, used and abused;
On aspects of unconventionality,
Over the death in our time of tonality...
Pieces for nattering, clucking sopranos
With squadrons of vibraphones, fleets of pianos
Played with the forearms, the fists and the palms --
And then I came up with the Chichester Psalms.
... My youngest child, old-fashioned and sweet.
And he stands on his own two tonal feet.​
*Chichester Psalms* | L. Bernstein, composer


----------



## SimonNZ

senza sordino said:


> I forgot I had this CD. I don't know this piece, neither did the audience. Listeners here have mentioned Takemitsu, so I thought I would listen. Exotic. From me flows what you call time. Now that's a great title for a piece of music.
> View attachment 40130


Its hard to believe now that such an essential recording was a free givaway with a magazine.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

To the original Beethoven and Schubert recital, Pentatone have added the Mozart section from a Mozart/Haydn recital. Sesto's arias from *La Clemenza di Tito* are gloriously sung and characterised, the rapid triplets at the end of _Parto, parto_ brilliantly executed with not an aspirate to be heard, please note Ms Bartoli. A wonderful recital.


----------



## Rhythm

When I hear music like this, I sometimes get up from the desk and move around to listen. Perhaps, I've been seated too long .

*Pini di Roma* | Ottorino Respighi, composer
^ BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Otaka, conductor 
Royal Albert Hall, London; August 6, 2004
Premiered December 14, 1924.

. The Pines of the Villa Borghese
. Pines Near a Catacomb
. The Pines of the Janiculum
. The Pines of the Appian Way​


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique - Thomas Beecham, cond.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ballet suites by an Azerbaijani composer of the Soviet era, highly regarded by Shostakovich.



Shostakovich said:


> Karayev has a great and brilliant talent which is highly developed. He is extremely knowledgeable about instrumentation, polyphony and the other components that make up music. He surely has a great future.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Mackey's The Frozen Cathedral - John Locke, cond.






and Mackey's Aurora Awakes - North Texas Wind Symphony


----------



## Oskaar

*BRAHMS' Piano Quartet No. 3*

*This performance is dedicated to our parents. Without their support our talents have no place to go and no room to grow.

The Colburn School of Performing Arts - 2011/2012 Honors Quartet 
coached by Ms. Danielle Belen
Melodi Hess, violin
Alice Ping, viola
Matthew John Ignacio, cello
Phillip Matsuura, piano*

There is always a pleasure to watch and hear young talents, and this is a very fresh approach.

mvt 1
mvt2
mvt3
[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yF22hkHWCd0]mvt4[/URL]

I will still post here, but I collect all good film videos in my blog, so take a peak there, or subscribe if you want. For the time beeng I concentrate on Brahms and his chamber work.


----------



## SimonNZ

Matt McBane's Anchor - California EAR Unit


----------



## Vinyl

Number three keeps calling me. It's the way it ends on that infinitely melancholy Andante/Moderato note, I think.


----------



## SimonNZ

Eric Nathan's Timbered Bells - Robert Treviño, cond.






and Nathan's Spires - Mirari Brass Quintet


----------



## jim prideaux

a few days ago I asked if any 'colleagues' had any observations to make regarding the Harnoncourt interpretations of the Brahms symphonies as I was struggling-for some reason the sound appeared peculiar, and this was exacerbated as a result of listening to a vinyl recording of Dvorak symphonic poems (Supraphon, Neumann and The Czech Phil) where to my ears there appears to be a warm (and possibly predictable) clarity........however after repeated listenings to the Brahms 2nd it is as if a 'veil has been lifted' and I now feel completely differently about the set.....so there you go!

now returned to Myaskovsky 15th and 27th symphonies-this Svetlanov disc is proving to be one of my more inspired purchases-talking of purchasing-despite having Rattle,Vanska.Sir Colin and von Herbie Sibelius symphonies it is proving very difficult to ignore Berglund set on Warner Classics-highly praised and very cheap-I have his smaller scale interpretations with the COE and unlike a lot of others I really do enjoy the set........


----------



## SimonNZ

Andrew Norman's The Companion Guide To Rome


----------



## bejart

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773): Flute Sonata No.167 in B Minor

Benedek Csalog, flute -- Rita Papp, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Tarik O'Regan's The Ecstasies Above - Craig Hella Johnson, cond.















^one of the best pieces so far from the NPR list


----------



## bejart

Georg Anton Benda (1722-1795): Overture to 'Der Dorfjahrmarkt'

Hermann Breuer leading Das Landessinfonieorchester Thuringen-Gotha


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40131
> 
> 
> To the original Beethoven and Schubert recital, Pentatone have added the Mozart section from a Mozart/Haydn recital. Sesto's arias from *La Clemenza di Tito* are gloriously sung and characterised, the rapid triplets at the end of _Parto, parto_ brilliantly executed with not an aspirate to be heard, please note Ms Bartoli. A wonderful recital.


I'm there. _Danke schon _Herr Mitchell.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36
> Schumann: Fantasie in C major, Op. 17


---
I always wished Horowitz would have done Rachmaninov's wonderful First Piano Sonata as well; and from the thrities and not the sixties or seventies. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*The Wagner-Puccini-Schmitt Love Affair*









Act II love music.









End of Act I _Butterfly_ love music.









The whole thing. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Schubert's "Reliquie" Sonata, D.840 (rec. 1979); Gerhard Husch singing various Schubert lieder (rec. 1935)


----------



## julianoq

Yesterday was a holiday here. Starting my working week with some Bruckner, now listening to the original 3rd symphony performed by Simone Young.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Superb performances from this young Finnish conductor and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Inkinen relates the first more to Sibelius's later symphonies, and consequently it sounds less like Tchaikovsky than it often does.


----------



## Vasks

*Schubert - Overture for String Quintet, D.8 (St. Like's Chamber Ensemble/Music Masters)
Saint-Saens - Fantaisie, Op.124 (Rampal & Nordmann/Sony)
Goldmark - Violin Concerto #1 (Tsu/Naxos)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40151
> 
> 
> Superb performances from this young Finnish conductor and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Inkinen relates the first more to Sibelius's later symphonies, and consequently it sounds less like Tchaikovsky than it often does.


---
Incidentally, that aurora borealis cover is one of the best_ looking _covers I've seen on a Sibelius cd. But does the performance live up to the cover?- that's my intuitive question. Ha. Ha. Ha. I'll have to check it out.


----------



## Arsakes

*Schubert*'s symphonies no.2, 3 & 4 'Tragic'


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Lalo's* death day (1892).

View attachment 40154


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Incidentally, that aurora borealis cover is one of the best_ looking _covers I've seen on a Sibelius cd. But does the performance live up to the cover?- that's my intuitive question. Ha. Ha. Ha. I'll have to check it out.


Definitely. And, at the price, it's a tremendous bargain.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Definitely. And, at the price, it's a tremendous bargain.


Funny I'm just reading your post now, because I just bought it based on your review. . . the samples on Amazon are a joke; I can't tell how he does any of the critical passages.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> Funny I'm just reading your post now, because I just bought it based on your review. . . the samples on Amazon are a joke; I can't tell how he does any of the critical passages.


I doubt Amazon even knows there are any critical passages!


----------



## opus55

Langgard: Antikrist


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Maderna's* belated death day (1973).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mozart, Piano Sonata in C Minor, K457.*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> I doubt Amazon even knows there are any critical passages!


-- Or, its a deliberate marketing strategy so that shopoholics will just buy the thing; or is that Chandos?


----------



## maestro267

*Havergal Brian*: Symphony No. 3 in C sharp minor
BBC SO/Friend


----------



## Manxfeeder

GregMitchell said:


> Superb performances from this young Finnish conductor and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Inkinen relates the first more to Sibelius's later symphonies, and consequently it sounds less like Tchaikovsky than it often does.


What's with Naxos and their Sibelius cycles? First it was Adrian Leaper, then it was Petri Sakari, now it's this. Is there a category for Naxos-Sibelius-cycle completists?

Anyway, I'm listening to No. 1 on Spotify.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> -- Or, its a deliberate marketing strategy so that shopoholics will just buy the thing; or is that Chandos?


All of them probably! haha One could of course search them out on spotify and select which bits you'd like to hear.


----------



## Bas

Sir Edward Elgar - Violin Concerto in Bm
By Tasmin Little [violin], Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [dir.], on Chandos


----------



## Blancrocher

Aimard playing George Benjamin's "Shadowlines" (rec. 2003); Chailly conducting Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony (rec. 1992)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> All of them probably! haha One could of course search them out on spotify and select which bits you'd like to hear.


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . <_Wizard of Oz_ music> "If I _only_ had a brain." Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I'm getting it today. No more nonesense.


----------



## DrKilroy

Schubert - Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 (Bohm).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## julianoq

Following GregMitchell

Listening to the No.1, what a fantastic performance! I am a fan of not over the top romantic performances of Sibelius, and this is the first time that I listen to a No.1 performed like that. Thanks for posting it.


----------



## millionrainbows

From the Horowitz Original Jackets box set, which I got dirt cheap: Samuel Barber Sonata, Op. 26. This is who it was written for, and this is the definitive prototype, obviously influencing Van Cliburn's great version. Also on here is some nice Prokofiev. You know, with the Scriabin as well, Horowitz proved to me he was capable of about anything, and not stuck in tradition. Kudos!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Royal Hunts & Storms*















I love the "Royal Hunt and Storm" from Act IV of Berlioz's_ Les Troyens_.

I was listening to the '69 Colin Davis and comparing it with the Levine/Berlin Philharmonic.

The Davis is a bit slower, majestic, powerful, wonderfully recorded and balanced, and with a great chorus. The horns are miked off to the side of the stage.

The Levine is quicker and more dashing. The phrasing more assertive. The hunting horns are miked up front. The choral singing good-- but unfortunately the brass and chorus get muddy at the climaxes.

I love both; and am glad I have both; and you should too if you love this music. . . just a thought.


----------



## AH music

PLEYEL - Wind serenades disc, a recent purchase. Listened to the first couple of pieces. The first didn't make much of an impression the other day, but the first of the sextets is one of those spirited and jolly pieces that seem to be a speciality for wind ensembles, and that I rather enjoy. A couple of spectacular sections for the horn. Heard it through twice today.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

julianoq said:


> Following GregMitchell
> 
> Listening to the No.1, what a fantastic performance! I am a fan of not over the top romantic performances of Sibelius, and this is the first time that I listen to a No.1 performed like that. Thanks for posting it.


---

I'm thrilled people like this. . . but how many have heard Karajan's EMI Sibelius firsts? Or Stokowski's fifties and seventies endeavors? Or Ashkenazy's Philharmonia? Or Berglund's Bournemouth incarnation? Or. . .

There's a lot of great firsts out there.

-- Get 'em all.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## julianoq

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> 
> I'm thrilled people like this. . . but how many have heard Karajan's EMI Sibelius firsts? Or Stokowski's fifties and seventies endeavors? Or Ashkenazy's Philharmonia? Or Berglund's Bournemouth incarnation? Or. . .
> 
> There's a lot of great firsts out there.
> 
> -- Get 'em all.
> 
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


I listened to all these performances, plus performances from Maazel, Neeme Jarvi, Paavo Jarvi (on youtube), Oramo, Colin Davis, Sanderling, Vanska, and probably others that I can't remember at this moment, but I am still thrilled by Inkinen interpretation of the 1st. Probably already my favorite!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*A Studied Graciousness*









There is one track of Netrebko's that I find gorgeous on this cd: her Natasha from Prokofiev's _War & Peace_.

It does, however, have that _carefully-cultivated _charm and that _consciously-employed _smoothness of hers. It doesn't resonate the sincerity and conviction of a Callas, or even a Schwarzkopf. . . not that they ever did the piece, but should have.

The same goes for Gheorghiu's gorgeously-sung but affectedly-dramatic Doretta. . . which is still absolutely lovely all the same.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

julianoq said:


> I listened to all these performances, plus performances from Maazel, Neeme Jarvi, Paavo Jarvi (on youtube), Oramo, Colin Davis, Sanderling, Vanska, and probably others that I can't remember at this moment, but I am still thrilled by Inkinen interpretation of the 1st. Probably already my favorite!


I can't wait! _;D_


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Celibidache & the Munchner Philharmoniker 








I have finally found an opportunity to listen to the Saturday Symphony.

Say what you will about Celibidache's Tempi (I know many do) but I find this recording incredibly majestic and accumulative in it's power. The Munchner Philharmoniker sounds truly phenomenal and particularly coherent with Celibidache and his vision. It is a remarkably beautiful performance.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 1.*

This time from my second Naxos Sibelius cycle, by Petri Sakari.


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 9 "Great"
By the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nicolaus Harnoncourt [dir.] on Warner Classics









Anton Bruckner - Symphony 6
By die Münicher Pilharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Vinyl

Haydn: Les trois dernières sonates pour le Piano-Forte, Paul Badura-Skoda. 
Not bad.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 1*

This time from my first Naxos Sibelius cycle, by Raymond Leaper


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 5 in F Major, 'The Dream';
No. 6 in D Major, 'The Frog' (Nomos-Quartett).


----------



## Cosmos

Idk why, but as I'm writing a paper, I'm in the mood for works that end in awesome fugues. Right now, Mozart Symphony 41 in C conducted by the late Claudio Abbado (RIP )









Later, Beethoven's Hammerklavier with Jeno Jando


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bach, Chaconne, Partida in D Minor*

This is the one where the choir sings the chorales hidden in the chaconne.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

The National Anthem (British!)
Brahms: Tragic Overture/Symphony No.1 Philharmonia Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

The first half of the first of two concerts that Toscanini gave in the Royal Festival Hall in 1952. Absolutely wonderful music making, for any age, never mind at the age of 85! Oh to have been there- but at least via the CD we can still enjoy the experience that those audiences of 62 years ago must have been spell bound by. Wonderful.


----------



## opus55

Mozart: String Quintet in C, K.515


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concerto No. 3*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Shostakovich

Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47*
Chicago SO, Andre Previn [EMI, rec. 1978]










*Hindemith - Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11 no. 4*
Ryo Oshima (viola), Fuyuka Kusa (piano) [YouTube]
also
Yura Lee (viola) and Timothy Lovelace (piano) [YouTube]

*Anton Webern - Four Pieces, Op. 7*
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, Lambert Orkis, piano

*
Anton Webern: "Drei kleine Stucke" (Three little pieces), Op. 11.*
Lynn Harrell, Cello & Victor Asuncion, Piano.
[Live, California, US; 2010; Matthew Snyder Recordings - on YouTube]


----------



## AH music

SAINT-SAENS - Symphony no 1 in E flat, Op 2. It may be a reflection of my purely "amateur" listener status, but I really enjoy this work, all four movements too. A benefit of getting complete sets is that the work you really wanted (in this case the 3rd symphony of course) doesn't always end up being the long term favourite.


----------



## KenOC

John Tavener, The Last Sleep of the Virgin (orchestrated). Not "holy minimalism" maybe, but something like that. Beautiful in any event.


----------



## Morimur

KenOC said:


> John Tavener, The Last Sleep of the Virgin (orchestrated). Not "holy minimalism" maybe, but something like that. Beautiful in any event.


I don't think Tavaner was a minimalist. He could actually compose.


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen - Edition 14; Aus den Sieben Tagen (From the Seven Days) (7 CD)*

*Ja, das ist gut!*


----------



## Alypius

Picking up from last night in which I listened to three violin concertos from the 1930s (Stravinsky, Berg, Bartok #2):

*Henri Dutilleux: Violin Concerto: L'arbre des songes ("Tree of Dreams" (1985)*










*Gyorgy Ligeti: Violin Concerto (1989-1993)*










*John Adams: Dharma at Big Sur (2003)*


----------



## Sid James

oskaar said:


> Thankyou for your advice. I have bookmarked your post so that I can easily return to it. Right now I am on a travel in the world of Brahms.


That's perfectly fine, I don't want to interrupt your phase with Brahms! I just listened to a portion of that Villa-Lobos cd including the duo for violin and viola and hope to return later today for a wrap up of it. The notes say Martinu also contributed two works to the genre which are considered important examples of it.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Concerti, w. Pay/Piguet/AAM/Hogwood (rec.1984); Trio, Duo, w. Leopold String Trio (rec.2000).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Béla Bartók - Violin Sonata 2, Sz.76*
György Pauk, violin; Jénö Jandó, piano [Naxos, 1994]










This is a tremendous performance of Bartok's second violin and piano sonata.

*
Robert Schumann - Märchenbilder Op. 113*
Yuri Bashmet, viola; Sviatoslav Richter, piano
[Live recording, Moscow, 1985 - on YouTube]

...and this is also a splendid account of Schumann's 'Märchenbilder'


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin, Divertimento*

I finally fixed my stereo so that both speakers are delivering full throttle. Wow, this sounds good.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin, Divertimento*
> *
> I finally fixed my stereo* so that both speakers are delivering full throttle. Wow, this sounds good.
> 
> View attachment 40191


Congrats. What'd yuh do? Attach a speaker cable?


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

119 Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn
120 Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (both)


----------



## bejart

Samuel Wesley (1766-1837): Symphony in A Major

Matthias Bamert directing the London Mozart Players


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Keyboard Sonatas
Gilbert Kalish, Piano.

An assortment of great Haydn piano sonatas.
Well-played.
Recommended!


----------



## Blake

Alizadeh - _Monad._ Most excellent.


----------



## Blake

Schnittke - _Choir Concerto._ Just awesome. Recommended to anyone with working ears.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gaetano Brunetti's Symphony No.23 - Newell Jenkins, cond.


----------



## julianoq

Inspired by the Camille Saint-Saëns thread, listening to his symphonic cycle. I think that I listened most of his concertos, but neglected the symphonies (obviously the exception is the popular No.3). Listening to the No.1 now and quite pleased, conducted by Martinon.


----------



## SimonNZ

"The Small Organ: Shelf, Table, Portable and Cabinet Organs, 16th-18th Centuries" - Albert de Klerk

Palestrina, Sweelink, Frescobaldi, Gibbons, Couperin a.o.

hope I've got that translation right - google got all confused


----------



## senza sordino

Borrowed from my mother
RVW symphony #3








and from my collection Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto


----------



## Blancrocher

Abbado & co in Schubert's 9th (rec. 1987); Melnikov playing Scriabin (rec. 2006)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.23 in A Major, KV 488

Sir Colin Davis conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## Guest

More Mozart today. These boast very lively performances and great sound.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Venetian Polychoral Music circa 1600" - Konrad Ruhland, cond

Gabrielli, Giovanelli, Taeggio a.o


----------



## opus55

Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 23


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.
Cesar Franck--*Symphony in D Minor, *once again traversed by Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88 and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.90 {"From The New World"}, *both featuring Lorin Maazel at the helm of the Vienna PHilharmonic Orchestra. Having never heard any of Maestro Maazel's Dvorak work before, I must say that I was most favorably impressed with the passion and clasrity he was able to bring to both works, especially the* Ninth*. Kudos--of course--must go to the Vienna Philharmonic as well.


----------



## Sonata

Puccini: Il Trittico

My second listen to Il Tabarro, which I rather enjoy. However I think I'd like another version with better sound quality. One of MANY listens to Suor Angelica, one of my very favorite operas. And Gianni Schicci will have to wait until tomorrow because it's rather late . A shame to as I've never heard that one yet.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Pyotr Chaikovskii--*Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.13 {"Winter Daydreams"}; Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"} and Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 {"Polish"}. *All three works feature Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, *performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.
Cesar Franck--*Symphony in D Minor, *once again traversed by Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic.
Antonin Dvorak--*Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88 and Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op.90 {"From The New World"}, *both featuring Lorin Maazel at the helm of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Having never heard any of Maestro Maazel's Dvorak work before, I must say that I was most favorably impressed with the passion and clasrity he was able to bring to both works, especially the* Ninth*. Kudos--of course--must go to the Vienna Philharmonic as well.


----------



## Alypius

My third set of 3 violin concertos:

*Karol Szymanowski: Violin Concerto #1, op. 35 (1916)*










*Arnold Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, op. 36 (1936)*










*Bohuslav Martinů, Violin Concert #1 (1933)*


----------



## Blancrocher

Valeriy Sokolov and Svetlana Kosenko in Enescu's 3rd Violin Sonata; Aimard playing Ravel and Carter.


----------



## dgee

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 40210
> View attachment 40211
> 
> 
> Valeriy Sokolov and Svetlana Kosenko in Enescu's 3rd Violin Concerto; Aimard playing Ravel and Carter.


That Aimard disc is great - did you listen to this commentary tracks? Quite enjoyable!


----------



## Sid James

*De Falla (arr. Paul Kochanski)* _Suite populaire espagnole_
- Itzhak Perlman, violin & Samuel Sanders, piano (EMI)

Always a joy to hear this, favourite tracks on a favourite album. I had it on tape ages ago, and its great to hear it on this cd reissue. Perlman and Sanders played these types of Spanish pieces as encores during their recitals. They bought the house down with them, that display of fire and emotion, so its no wonder they began to program them as substantial part of their gigs, and also did this album. *Kochanski's arrangement of de Falla's songs* leaves out one of the seven (for a reason unknown to me) but nevertheless its brilliant in the way it translates the inflections of the voice to the violin. It makes sense on the violin too, in terms of flamenco singing having those long held notes.











*Villa-Lobos*
_Quintette Instrumental for flute, violin, viola, cello & harp
Duo for violin and viola_
- Performers: mobius (Naxos)

On to two works from the 1940's and '50's, the final two decades of* Villa-Lobos' *career. The *Quintette Instrumental* looks back on his years spent in Paris, the vibe of Debussy, Ravel and also Satie permeate this work. But there's more than a hint of Villa-Lobos here too, such as those lush string sonorities and the flute imitating bird song.

The *Duo for violin and viola *is a work that shows a different side to the composer. The first movement quite contrapuntal, the second movement lyrical but taking on the same theme, but making it slower and letting it breathe. The final movement is marked allegro agitato and the two players go at it full throttle. Its amazing how Villa-Lobos give the illusion of a string quartet in parts of this work, so skillfull was he in producing harmonies that belie the fact that he's only got two instruments to play with.










*Berkeley* _String Quartet #2_
- Performers: Maggini Quartet (Naxos)

Finishing this traversal of *Berkeley's string quartets*, with the *second* one. The first movement contrasts a driving theme with a fair bit of cheekiness and whimsy, an example of this being the violin soaring underpinned by the cello kind of grumbling. The tone is conversational in the central slow movement as well, its variations never really settle down but they do come to an emotional climax. The final movment has a folkish vibe dominating, but themes from earlier come back in glimpses and fragments. Berkeley gives it the quality of spontaneity rather than confusion, there's quite a lot going on here in a short space of time.

Overall this has been a rewarding listen and I plan to repeat it at some point, perhaps this coming weekend. All three works display a composer who was a master of this form, they are well crafted but are not in any way rigid or formulaic.


----------



## Blancrocher

dgee said:


> That Aimard disc is great - did you listen to this commentary tracks? Quite enjoyable!


Yep. Terrific disk--I usually just listen to it for the Carter, which is definitive, though I like the Ravel too.


----------



## jim prideaux

opus55 said:


> Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 23


great disc-my most recent Myaskovsky acquisition but this morning have begun the day as I finished last night-with the 27th symphony!

on reflection-as I listen to the first movement of Myaskovskys last symphony I am again almost overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia or reflective longing that seems inherent in the music, particularly the contrasting slower sections....I also find it remarkable that this work has had little substantial recognition.........

on further reflection these observations apply equally to the second movement.....quite simply an outstanding work!


----------



## SimonNZ

Berlioz's King Lear Overture - Thomas Beecham, cond.


----------



## science

I listened to the Schoenberg last night and haven't had time to get to the Sibelius yet. What a fascinating work the Schoenberg is! But I love the Sibelius and can't wait until I have time to enjoy it too.


----------



## science

Like probably everyone else, I bought this for the Gubaidulina, wishing it had been paired with something else since I have a half dozen recordings of the Bach already and didn't expect Mutter to reveal anything new in it. Well, the Gubaidulina is a lovely work that I want to hear more, but I really underestimated Mutter in the Bach concertos. My ideology and prejudice led my expectations astray! I really like the way she plays them - she just attacks them with her own sense of musicianship, an absolutely unique performance. I didn't expect to be saying that I want to hear her take on these works again, but I do!


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Parsifal - Hans Knapperstbusch, cond. (Bayreuth '51)


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Sticking with Sibelius and another excellent recording from Naxos. An Editor's Choice in Gramophone when first released, both symphonies and the the lovely Tempest 2nd Suite get terrific performances.


----------



## AH music

RIES, Ferdinand - Piano Quintet in B minor Op 74. The first piece in a collection of "Romantic Piano Quintets" on Brilliant Classics. Having recently acclimatised to the sound of performances on the fortepiano and original instruments, I sense I am in for a treat with this collection. This piece is by no means second rate, this three movement work is very fine indeed, in convincing and captivating performances with rich, warm sound. The Limmer that follows is much more ordinary - although the slow movement on now is really nice. I am looking forward to the Hummel, Onslow and Dussek etc to follow... Meanwhile I strongly recommend the quintet by Ries (I have sampled a few works and getting an impression that he is well worthy of the rapidly expanding catalogue of recordings of his work).


----------



## JCarmel

Concerto for two pianos, Piano Concerto, Aubade. Francois-Rene Duchable, piano; Jean-Philippe Collard, piano; James Conlon, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Warner Classics Apex

I purchased this recording as an MP3 download a couple of months ago from Amazon for not a lot of money & I've surely obtained
full value for it in terms of enjoyment derived. But I decided to purchase the cd as well because I love the recording & went for the very cheapest 'new' on offer & it's arrived today....from a Seller in Turnersville, New Jersey but seemingly despatched from a P.O.Box in Malmo, Sweden!









Anyway, not only are the performances fresh & vital & thoroughly recommendable but the cd sounds fine, too!

There are certain pieces of music that are somehow embedded a little deeper in one's brain & Poulenc's Piano Concerto of 1949, is one of those for me. As soon as I hear the opening bars of the first movement, a trigger in the old grey matter, transports me wonderfully to a place back in time, which although I couldn't pin down to a specific date, results in a sense of pleasure such as one might experience with the imbibing of a prized Single Malt Whisky perhaps?...or in my case, a particularly delicious Sherry Trifle!


----------



## bejart

First listen to a brand new arrival --
Giuseppe Tartini (1697-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D 114

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Federico Guglielmo, violin


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor, 'Pathétique' (Christoph Eschenbach; The Philadelphia Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

On the home stretch of Parsifal - "only" 40-ish minutes to go (after nearly four hours). But I saw this was coming up on the radio, and as I particularly like the timbre of the cor anglais and want to hear more Reicha I'm taking a brief rest:










on the radio:

Reicha's Three Pieces for cor anglais & wind quartet - Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet


----------



## hpowders

science said:


> I listened to the Schoenberg last night and haven't had time to get to the Sibelius yet. What a fascinating work the Schoenberg is! But I love the Sibelius and can't wait until I have time to enjoy it too.


This album got universal high praise. Must investigate!


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Flute Concerto in D Major

Oldrich Vlcek conducting the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Bruno Meier, flute


----------



## AH music

GUILMANT, Alexandre - Symphony no 1 for Organ and Orchestra, Op 42. Quite a sonic spectacular with a lovely slow movement in between. Ought to delight all who like the Organ Symphony by Saint-Saens, with the organ generally much more prominent throughout the work. Via spotify, will be returning to this piece.


----------



## Jeff W

Been MIA for a few days, so I won't post everything I've listened to since my last post. So, I'm only going to post what I listened to last night/this morning.

Got started with more of Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonatas. This time numbers 48 through 52. Jeno Jando played the piano. (Sorry, no cover art for this one).









Next up was some Schubert. I've been working my way through the Melos Quartett's recordings of Schubert's String Quartets. Tonight was Nos. 7, 8 & 9.









More Schubert. Symphonies No. 5 & 6. Claudio Abbado led the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.









Currently on is some Sibelius. Symphonies No. 1 & 4. Paavo Berglund leading the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat, K.595
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## JCarmel

'Happy Saint George's Day' to anyone who wishes to be greeted thus?! There's a lovely subtle Google 'cartoon' in a palette of greys, to mark the event today...taking inspiration from those illustrations to Russian Fairy Tales, I think.

But something that seems English in tone & character, is the string music of Elgar. I've a cd, featuring the 'Introduction & Allegro' & 'Serenade for Strings' purchased for one pence plus postage conducted by Barry Wordsworth...to compare with Barbirolli's famous recording, that I have on LP....purchased for an amount that is now forever lost to me in the mists of time!


----------



## ptr

re-entering the Horowitz box:

CD 49: *Robert Schumann* - Variations on a theme by Clara Wieck / Kreisleriana (RCA Victor)









CD50: *Sergei Rachmaninoff* - Horowitz plays Second Piano Sonata, 3 Etude-Tableau, etc. (RCA Victor)









Vladimir Horowitz, piano

/ptr


----------



## julianoq

Listening for the first time Petrenko performing Shostakovich's fifth, in the middle of the second movement. The first movement is much slower than I used to, I am still not sure about this interpretation. As usual with this Petrenko/RLPO cycle, the sound quality is superb.


----------



## maestro267

*Balakirev*: Symphony No. 1 in C major
Russian State SO/Golovschin

And a sequence of Shakespeare-inspired works, for the playwright's 450th.

*Tchaikovsky*: Romeo and Juliet
Sydney SO/Serebrier

*Vaughan Williams*: Serenade to Music
Royal Liverpool PO & Choir/Handley

*Mendelssohn*: A Midsummer Night's Dream, overture
Montreal SO/Dutoit

*Dvorák*: Othello
Bavarian Radio SO/Kubelik


----------



## Blancrocher

For Prokofiev's passing, I'm scrounging around--mostly, at the moment, in Oleg Marshev's set of the complete piano works--looking for pieces of his I haven't heard. Interesting to hear some of these works he composed as a teenager knowing what came later.


----------



## Arsakes

Alan Hovhaness:


----------



## Vasks

_All-American LPs_

*Thomson - Overture: A Political Meeting from "Mother of Us All" (Leppard/New World)
Persichetti - String Quartet #2 (New Art Qrt/ASU)
Copland - Connotations (composer/Columbia)
Kirchner - Lily (composer/Columbia)*


----------



## JCarmel

Comparing interpretations of Ravi Shankar's compositions...on my cd where he plays them with friend, Yehudi Menuhin.









and with Daniel Hope's recording....'East Meets West' on Spotify.

"The South African-born Hope is equally comfortable as a soloist with an orchestra, in more intimate chamber ensembles and while sitting cross-legged across from a sitar player.After his father published poems critical of apartheid, the Hope family left South Africa when Daniel was just an infant. When the family landed in England, strapped for cash, his mother took action.

"My mother decided to go all out, and she went to a very, very exclusive job agency," Hope says. "There were two jobs going: The first was secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the other was secretary to Yehudi Menuhin, the violinist." She took the latter. From the time he was an infant until the age of 7, Hope spent almost every day in Menuhin's house, surrounded by extraordinary musical figures such as Stephane Grappelli, Mstislav Rostropovich and Ravi Shankar. And these were just the guests who came to tea...."


----------



## Bas

Franz Schubert - Impromptus D899, D935, Piano Sonata D664
By Wilhelm Kempff [piano], on Deutsche Grammophone









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Don Giovanni 
By Eberhard Wächter [baritone], Joan Sutherland [soprano], Elisbeth Schwarzkopf [soprano], Giuseppe Taddei [bariton], e.a. Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, Carlo Maria Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## Marschallin Blair

I especially love this _Luonnotar _for Gibson's majestic climaxes and Bryn-Julson's exotic timbre. Great sounding recording as well.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm celebrating a couple of birth anniversaries today...with my LP of Sergei Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto, Isaac Stern, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra. Stern gives a favourite performance.









and then enjoying some 'On Blue Bayou' from Roy Orbison's greatest Hits!


----------



## Jos

Schumann pianoconcerto in A minor, opus 54
Wilhelm Kempff, piano
Josef Krips conducting the London Symphony Orchestra

Decca ffrr in mint condition, always nice 

This is a new work to me and I'm enjoying it. It's a subtle concerto, not too heavily orchestrated.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## adrem

Bruckner, Mass No. 3 in F minor, Celibidache, Muncher Philharmoniker.


----------



## julianoq

Listening for the first time to Salonen's Violin Concerto 'Out of Nowhere' and enjoying it a lot. I read in a review at Amazon that his style can be characterized as 'post-modern impressionism' and it looks suitable. This is only the second of his compositions that I listen to (the other being 'Wing on Wing') but the level of quality impressed me, will look for more.


----------



## LudwigKaramazov

Fauré's cello works


----------



## JCarmel

Maybe try the Davies/Bishop-Kovacevich, Jos....it's my favourite (but that's no reason to listen to it?!...)

I'm sitting down with a packet of my favourite Crisps & preparing to listen to Mozart's Piano Concerto No 21 with soloist, Geza Anda. I have my miniature score open ready, to ensure that I concentrate fully on appreciating Mozart's magical melodic genius. The music is just enchanting.
I would very much like to dedicate this 'listen' to Jerome'...who I used to enjoy a chat with, when I first posted on TC. There were many pieces of music that we both enjoyed in-common and the Mozart Concertos were chief among them. I hope he and his family are well.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

julianoq said:


> Listening for the first time to Salonen's Violin Concerto 'Out of Nowhere' and enjoying it a lot. I read in a review at Amazon that his style can be characterized as 'post-modern impressionism' and it looks suitable. This is only the second of his compositions that I listen to (the other being 'Wing on Wings') but the level of quality impressed me, will look for more.


--
I love that first movement of the Salonen Violin Concerto; and Wing on Wing is my favorite Salonen piece. . . uncanny. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Great recording quality on the Violin Concerto.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Four Last Songs*









Jessye's "_Beim Schlafengehen_" is sublime; especially from three minutes onward in the piece.


----------



## Ravndal

Brahms symphony 4

Abbado & Berlin phil.


----------



## opus55

Breville: Viola Sonata


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Dumka (Christoph Eschenbach).









Antonio Vivaldi, Stabat Mater in F minor for Solo Alt and Orchestra;
Dixit Dominus in D Major for Soloists, two Choirs and two Orchestras
(Jean-Claude Malgoire; English Bach Festival Choir; English Bach Festival Orchestra; Helen Watts; Marily Hill Smith; Anna Bernardin; Ian Partridge; 
Ian Caddy).


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Baaabi Yaaar!!!


----------



## Blancrocher

Curzon playing Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy (rec. 1949); DFD singing various Schubert lieder, mostly lighter favorites (rec. 1960s)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

The 10-year old PC which I use as a music file server broke down yesterday and I'm not too optimistic about being able to repair it. So for now in the 'garden office' it's a choice between LPs and YouTube or Spotify on a lap-top.

Tonight's listening (on YouTube):

*
Dmitri Shostakovich
Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147*
Maxim Rysanov viola, Kathryn Stott piano, [live at Vinterfest, Sweden, 2011]

*Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134*
Gidon Kremer, violin; Andrei Gavrilov, piano [live at Berlin Philharmonic Hall, 1978]


----------



## Headphone Hermit

erm .... oh go on, I'll post it ...... Mario del Monaco - various excerpts (with no details of other singers, orchestra, conductors, venues etc - pah!)









Well, its amusing in places. Some of them only, though!! There is the worse _Di quella pira _from Il trovatore that you could imagine with the worst turkey-gobbling type voice that I've heard ever since I learnt to escape from pubs with karaoke contests. On other tracks, old Mario quite often gets close to some of the notes that the composer intended he might sing. In all fairness, there are some places where he sings well and there is certainly a lot of enthusiastic audience response (perhaps they saw something that we can't hear) alongside booing and hissing - sounds as if it was a precursor to a 21st century 'talent' show on TV at times. Overall, it was probably worth the pound that went into the charity shop coffers - just!


----------



## hpowders

Schoenberg, Piano Concerto, Uchida/Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra.

For those unfamiliar with this work, if you have responded positively to Berg's Violin Concerto, you will probably like this too.

A nostalgic, hauntingly beautiful, colorful score. A work of great genius.

Highly recommended!


----------



## Jos

TurnaboutVox said:


> The 10-year old PC which I use as a music file server broke down yesterday and I'm not too optimistic about being able to repair it. So for now in the 'garden office' it's a choice between LPs and YouTube


Haha, garden office is a synoniem for "mancave" I presume. Sounds like a good place, Vinyl and Youtube, just like my listeninghabbits !!

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Giovanni Batista Pergolesi - Stabat Mater (Christophe Rousset; Les Talens Lyriques; Sabina Puertolas; Vivica Genaux)

On Youtube:


----------



## Alypius

This is the fourth triad in my ongoing exploration of 20th/21st-century violin concertos:

*Shostakovich, Violin Concerto #2 in C# minor, op. 129 (1967)*










*Rautavaara, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1977)*










*Chin, Violin Concerto (2001)*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Szymanowski, Violin Concerto No. 1.*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

More chamber duos (_parochial_ UK ones) tonight 

*
Gerald Finzi - Five bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 23*
Michael Norsworthy - Clarinet; Tyson Deaton - Piano

*Edward Elgar - Violin Sonata in E minor, Op.82*
Hugh Bean, Violin; David Parkhouse, Piano


----------



## Vaneyes

For the birthdays of *Leoncavallo* (1857) and * Prokofiev* (1891).


----------



## Vaneyes

*Hindemith*: Orchestral Works, w. SFS/Leipzig O./Blomstedt (rec.1987 - '97).

View attachment 40272


----------



## Blancrocher

The Griller Quartet playing Ernest Bloch's string quartets (rec. 1954)


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Lieder


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Symphony No.2/Haydn Variations Philharmonia Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

Faure: Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op.15/String Quartet Op.121 Guarneri Quartet/Artur Rubinstein

Continuing the Toscanini 1952 RFH Brahms cycle, more stunning playing from a superb orchestra clearly inspired by the venerable maestro. Then another venerable maestro, Rubinstein at 83 on great form with the Guarneris in Faure's passionate piano quartet, then they take the stage for a beautiful performance of a late masterpiece by this still insufficiently known composer. A really lovely disc.


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen - Edition 40; Dienstag aus Licht (2 CD)*










Wagner's Ring has nothing on Stockhausen's Licht.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

from:
*
Hugo Wolf - Morike-Lieder*

Zum neuen Jahr
Gebet
An den Schlaf
Neue Liebe
Wo find ich Trost?
An die Geliebte
Peregrina I
Peregrina II
Frage und Antwort
Lebe wohl
Heimweh
Lied vom Winde
Denk es, o Seele!
Der Jager

Joan Rodgers, Stephan Genz, Roger Vignoles (piano) [Hyperion, rec. 2000]










I'm listening now to Wolf's most delicate and melancholy late-romantic lieder


----------



## ShropshireMoose

View attachment 40277


Miaskovsky: Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.11 Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov

My second hearing for this symphony, I like it very much. It seems to me to start in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Borodin, but then the latter part of the first movement reminds me more and more of Franck's "Le Chausser Maudit", and indeed the Allegro con Fuoco part of the second movement (there are only two movements, but the second is 33 minutes long!) reminds me once again of Franck, but this time his Symphony, though with a decidedly Russian slant to it, this is no insult in my book, having known and loved the Franck symphony for over 30 years, to have a not dissimilar piece to get to know gives me great delight. The slow section of the second movement is somewhat mystical, and perhaps a little like Scriabin, and a little like Holst in his more mystical moments. At any rate it all adds up to something very enjoyable, and I look forward to my voyage through these works.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

121 Christum wir sollen loben schon
122 Das neugeborene Kindelein
123 Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen
124 Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all four)


----------



## Cosmos

Listening to Schubert's "Grand Duo" Sonata for the first time


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Strauss: Lieder


Cuts one and eleven on that cd I just love beyond belief. I can't tell you how many times I've played them.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Nono*: La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura, w. Arditti & Richard (rec.1988); Variazioni Canoniche, w. Gielen et al (rec.1989).

View attachment 40282
View attachment 40283


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Dame Elizabeth Strauss & Mozart*















Mozart's "_Un moto di gioia_" and Strauss' "_Hat gesagt_."

Salon life at its most delightful.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Bax: The Garden of Fand
Butterworth: A Shropshire Lad-Orchestral Rhapsody Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

Finally, two favourites from this lovely LP, Barbirolli and the Halle provide just the right touch of magic for Bax's wonderful tone poem, then a very appropriate one for myself, sending out these missives from the lovely county of Shropshire, perched up on Brown Clee, looking down over Wenlock Edge and Corvedale, very much the setting for many of Housman's "Shropshire Lad" poems that so inspired George Butterworth, so tragically lost in the Great War. Hrmph! Nothing so very great about that, eh?


----------



## mtmailey

I heard the whole negro folk symphony this week it sounds great though.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air & Beethoven: Egmont*










Last movement.









Entirety.


----------



## opus55

Marschallin Blair said:


> Cuts one and eleven on that cd I just love beyond belief. I can't tell you how many times I've played them.


I do love it. Zueignung being my favorite. Habe Dank!


----------



## SimonNZ

"German And English Music Of The Late Renaissance For Brass" - Eastman Brass Quintet

mostly Samuel Scheidt and Thomas Weelkes

I thought this would only have curiosity value, but its actually superb


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): Double Concerto in B Flat for Violin and Cello

Jaroslav Krcek conducting Musica Bohemia -- Shizuka Ishikawa, violin -- Karel Fiala, cello


----------



## Guest

Gregori's Concerti Grossi and Stradella's Sinfonie e Sonate. While they may not supplant Handel and Corelli, they are certainly enjoyable. Reverberant yet detailed sound.


----------



## Itullian




----------



## SimonNZ

"Sacred Music in 1400" - Konrad Ruhland, cond.

Ciconia, Dunstable a.o.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in E Flat, Op.18, No.6

Quatour Mosaiques: Erich Hobarth and Andrea Bischof, violins -- Anita Mitterer, viola -- Christophe Coin, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> I do love it. Zueignung being my favorite. Habe Dank!


Yes, lovely.

_Sie ist eine absolute Puppe._


----------



## opus55

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3


----------



## Alypius

A fifth triad of 20th/21st century violin concertos:

*Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47 (1905)*










*Barber: Violin Concerto, op. 14 (1939)*










*Higdon: Violin Concerto (2008; commissioned by Hahn, who studied under Higdon, 
and premiered by Hahn in 2010)*










The previous 12 were (in chronological order):
* Szymanowski: Violin Concerto #1, op. 35 (1916)
* Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D (1931)
* Martinu: Violin Concerto #1 (1933)
* Berg: Violin concerto (1935)
* Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, op. 36 (1936)
* Bartok: Violin Concerto #2, Sz 112 (1938)
* Shostakovich: Concerto #2 in C# minor, op. 129 (1967)
* Rautavaara: Violin Concerto (1977)
* Dutilleux: Violin Concerto: L'abre des songes (1985)
* Ligeti: Violin Concerto (1989-1993)
* Unsuk Chin: Violin Concerto (2001)
* John Adams: Dharma at Big Sur (2003)


----------



## bejart

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Piano Sonata No.1 in C Major, Op.24

Constance Keene, piano


----------



## opus55

More Strauss Lieder..


----------



## senza sordino

EJ Moeran Violin Concerto
Delius Legende
Holst A Song of the Night
Elgar Chanson de Matin, de nuit and Salut d'amour 
RVW The Lark Ascending


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sena Forever*










"_Ah guarda; sorella_"









"_Der Feldmarschall sitzt im krowatischen Wald_"


----------



## Blancrocher

Abbey Simon playing Ravel.


----------



## science

AH music said:


> GUILMANT, Alexandre - Symphony no 1 for Organ and Orchestra, Op 42. Quite a sonic spectacular with a lovely slow movement in between. Ought to delight all who like the Organ Symphony by Saint-Saens, with the organ generally much more prominent throughout the work. Via spotify, will be returning to this piece.
> 
> View attachment 40231


I like that album a lot!


----------



## SixFootScowl

Messiah in German


----------



## SimonNZ

Buxtehude organ works - Hans Heintze, organ


----------



## JCarmel

I'm feeling very smug and self-satisfied today because news has come through, that I've saved a rural bus service from closure. There were several bus routes cut in early April due to reduction in funding from the local authority and a once-a-week service, that a good few elderly people relied-on to take them to the shops & to offer them a bit of a social get-together & chat, was to cease, meaning that one local village would have no bus service at all! So I visited the owner of the bus company in question, with a proposal to keep the service open...then emailed, phoned and persisted. And yesterday, he agreed on a three month trial period. So 'Sound the Trumpet' please, Alison!


----------



## science

JCarmel said:


> I'm feeling very smug and self-satisfied today because news has come through, that I've saved a rural bus service from closure. There were several bus routes cut in early April due to reduction in funding from the local authority and a once-a-week service, that a good few elderly people relied-on to take them to the shops & to offer them a bit of a social get-together & chat, was to cease, meaning that one local village would have no bus service at all! So I visited the owner of the bus company in question, with a proposal to keep the service open...then emailed, phoned and persisted. And yesterday, he agreed on a three month trial period. So 'Sound the Trumpet' please, Alison!


Congratulations! That's good stuff, there.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Symphonies 3 and 4 Philharmonia Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

So to the completion of this cycle (not that I haven't heard it many times before! But this is it's first run on my new CD player and amp, and as MB pointed out, I will now, of course, re-listen to everything- and a good thing too!), the drive in these performances is second to none and yet there's a flexibility of phrasing and tempi that makes them so alive, something that is a bit of a lost art I think now, I always think of this if you contrast Elgar's performances of his own symphonies with those of Solti, who modelled his on Elgar's, yet just sounds driven and heartless by comparison, thus, to my mind proving one of my own theories that your interpretation should come from within, not be imposed from without. Anyway, this Toscanini Brahms cycle is an absolute joy, notwithstanding the idiots who decided to let some firecrackers off on the Festival Hall roof in the last movement of the 4th (and this in 1952!), thus proving (as if further proof were necessary), that human behaviour does not change, and there really is nothing new under the sun!


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Parsifal - Hans Knappertsbusch, cond. (Bayreuth '62)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.14 in E-flat, K.449 Colin Horsley/Philharmonia Orchestra/Basil Cameron

Another delightful performance from my LP collection. Horsley was a very good pianist, and this is a really lovely performance, Basil Cameron accompanies him to the hilt, and with the sun shining on the hill outside one really doesn't ask for much more!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

The operatic arias were recorded at about the time Popp was transitioning from Susanna to the Countess, from Sophie to the Marschallin, but it is still Susanna's _Deh vieni non tardar_, which is the highlight, along with _L'amero, sara costantze_ from *Il re pastore* and Illia's _Zeffiretti lusinghieri_. She may have been getting older in years, but the voice remained fresh and light and you would hardly imagine that 16 years has passed since the recording of the sacred arias which were recorded at the beginning of her career.


----------



## Itullian

SimonNZ said:


> Wagner's Parsifal - Hans Knappertsbusch, cond. (Bayreuth '62)


Awesome recording.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Skilmarilion

*Prokofiev* - Romeo & Juliet, op. 64 / Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre

*Mendelssohn* - Symphony No. 5 in D minor / Abbado, LSO

*Mendelssohn* - Overture for Winds / Abbado, LSO

*Brahms* - Violin concerto in D major / F.P. Zimmerman, Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw


----------



## bejart

First listen to a new addition --
Bach: Fugue No.4 in C Sharp Minor, BWV 873 from 'The Well Tempered Clavier Book 2'

Jeno Jando, Piano


----------



## Arsakes

*Vivaldi*'s _Concerto Grosso in G Minor_


----------



## SimonNZ

Erwin Schulhoff's The Communist Manifesto oratorio - Frantisek Vajnar, cond.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quartet in E Flat, Op.23, No.4

Pro arte antiqua Praga: Vaclav Navrat and Jan Simon, violins -- Ivo Anyz, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Too much Mutter and not enough Beethoven? I totally understand the cavils, whilst noting the beauty of Mutter's tone and her startlingly brilliant technique. So, whilst admitting it's not how I'd always want to hear this concerto, I can still revel in the gorgeous sounds.


----------



## Jeff W

Got started off with some more of Jeno Jando's set of Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonatas (Nos. 53, 43, 55, 56 & 58 and some Variations). Still loving these piano sonatas!









Went next to my continuing survey of Franz Schubert's String Quartets. The Melos Quartett played String Quartets No. 11 & No. 14 'Death and the Maiden'.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40310
> 
> 
> The operatic arias were recorded at about the time Popp was transitioning from Susanna to the Countess, from Sophie to the Marschallin, but it is still Susanna's _Deh vieni non tardar_, which is the highlight, along with _L'amero, sara costantze_ from *Il re pastore* and Illia's _Zeffiretti lusinghieri_. She may have been getting older in years, but the voice remained fresh and light and you would hardly imagine that 16 years has passed since the recording of the sacred arias which were recorded at the beginning of her career.


--
Another gaping omission. . . Amazon, where art thou?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40318
> 
> 
> Too much Mutter and not enough Beethoven? I totally understand the cavils, whilst noting the beauty of Mutter's tone and her startlingly brilliant technique. So, whilst admitting it's not how I'd always want to hear this concerto, I can still revel in the gorgeous sounds.


---















I understand the qualified acceptance entirely; but sometimes that little bit of Mutter aggressivity works for me, and in the most invigorating and delightful of ways: like in Mozart's Piano Trio in E, K.542 or in the _Sinfonia Concertante _in E-flat, K.364. . . _especially_ how she does the first movement of the _Sinfonia Concertante_.


----------



## Morimur

*Per Nørgård - Orchestral Works (Hirsch, Bellincampi)*










_This is a splendid disc of challenging but very beautiful music by a composer with a recognizably personal idiom...The sonics are simply perfect, ideally placing the orchestra in a warmly natural perspective. This is one of the best contemporary music discs to come along in quite a while. Very highly recommended. (10/10 Classics Today)_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mackerras Mozart*









Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the currently gorgeous morning sunny climes of Southern California, and listening to the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 34; and just totally in love with the playful vivacity of it.

Hail! Mackerras!


----------



## Sonata

Right now, my second listen to Norma. My first was a version with Caballe in the title role, this one is Callas


----------



## opus55

Bach: Well Tempered Clavier
R. Strauss: Lieder


----------



## Morimur

*Harrison Birtwistle - Theseus Games & Earth Dances (Boulez, Ensemble Modern)*










_Andrew Clements
The Guardian, Thursday 22 July 2004_

With Harrison Birtwistle, 70 last week, still producing new works at a steady rate, it's impossible to predict what will be regarded as his greatest achievements in half a century's time. It is possible to make informed guesses, though, and two of the most likely orchestral candidates are brought together on this outstanding disc.

Earth Dances, first performed in 1986, is already an established contemporary masterpiece, which confronts even the finest orchestras and conductors with a massive musical and technical challenge. This version, taken from a concert performance in Frankfurt by the Ensemble Modern Orchestra under Pierre Boulez in 2001, is the third (after those conducted by Peter Eötvös and Christoph von Dohnanyi) to appear commercially. Theseus Game, the result of a commission shared between the Ensemble Modern and the London Sinfonietta, received its premiere a year ago; this recording was made from the first performances, at the RuhrTriennale in Duisberg, Germany, last September.

Though they were composed 17 years apart, the two scores, each lasting 33 minutes in these performances, share a genetic link, for both develop formal ideas that Birtwistle had explored for the first time in a piece written for the London Sinfonietta in 1984. In that work, Secret Theatre, the instrumentalists act out a musical ritual according to a set of rules that is never revealed.

Soloists emerge from the ensemble and move to the front of the stage to play their solos, like actors delivering soliloquies, and then return to their positions. The whole musical argument is conceived in two layers, which Birtwistle calls the cantus (the overlapping sequence of solo melodies) and the continuum (the instruments providing the harmonic and rhythmic framework over which the ritual is developed).

Though in Earth Dances there is none of the overt role-playing of the Sinfonietta piece, it takes much further the idea of separate instrumental strata, with different musical functions. The two layers of Secret Theatre become six in the orchestral work, each defined by its instrumental register and rhythmic and harmonic qualities. All six are not heard continuously, though; they move in and out of the musical foreground, sometimes merging, with instruments commuting between them. As they collide or tear themselves apart, these tectonic plates of material produce huge musical eruptions and convulsions.

It's easy to understand why Earth Dances has been called the Rite of Spring of the 1980s, but it is a misleading description; unlike Stravinsky's ballet, there is no underlying programme to Birtwistle's score nor any suggestion of a musical narrative. Instead, the ear is taken on a mystery ride through a landscape of tangled textures and sudden, overwhelming climaxes, with signposts provided by recurring pitches that function a bit like tonal centres, and musical ideas that recur in the course of the piece, altered each time as if being seen from different perspectives.

But Earth Dances is also great drama - its bold gestures and sense of theatricality led directly to the musical world of the opera Gawain, which was his next large-scale project. That sense is vividly communicated in Pierre Boulez's performance. Though Boulez has long championed Birtwistle's music and this score is dedicated to him, he had never conducted it until these performances with the Ensemble Modern Orchestra. The technical challenges and problems of balance, it goes without saying, Boulez takes in his stride, and that allows him to concentrate on projecting larger-scale architecture and the powerful inevitability of the music's argument. It's a compelling performance.

So too is the account of Theseus Game, which returns to the role-playing aspects of Secret Theatre. This time the instrumental writing is even more rhythmically complex, requiring two conductors, who control different groups within the instrumental ensemble. The contents of those groups change constantly, as players are required to turn their attention from one conductor's beat to the other's, so that this web of instrumental lines becomes hugely complex.

What binds it all together, though, is a melodic line, an extension of the cantus idea in Secret Theatre. It is nearly continuous throughout the piece, and is played as a series of instrumental solos, many of which are independent of either conductor. The violin begins the process, followed by the flute, and each player passes it on to the next like a baton, until it returns to the violin once again, and the work can comes to an end. All the time the rest of the ensemble spins its shimmering web around the melody and at climactic moments, the brass call to each other from opposite sides of the stage.

Those processes provide the work's title: Birtwistle likens the melodic line to the thread Ariadne spun for Theseus to help him to find his way out of the labyrinth. There is something labyrinthine about these tangled musical progressions, too, which constantly bring the listener back to the same vantage point - from a totally unexpected direction, but the line is always there.

Theseus Game may not be as immediately approachable as Earth Dances, but it is a majestic, richly allusive piece, astonishingly well played by Ensemble Modern on the recording, with Pierre-André Valade and Martyn Brabbins mastering its complexities better than any composer has a right to hope for at a first performance.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Sonata said:


> Right now, my second listen to Norma. My first was a version with Caballe in the title role, this one is Callas











Milan, December 7, 1955-- once I heard it, I never went back to any other singer doing it.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 13 in G Major;
Sonata No. 53 in E minor; 
Andate and Variations in F minor;
Sonata No. 43 in E-Flat Major;
Sonata No. 39 in D Major (Alain Planès).









These puppies just arrived. Ah, good old Haydn sonatas .

No. 13: The Adagio in the minor key is excellent! Has a similar feel to the famous adagio of Sonata No. 38 in F Major. The other movements are solid Haydn with some catchy melodies to boot.

No. 53: Planès delivers an elegant, dexterous and lyrical performance of this sonata. His intonation in the Adagio is full and bright.

Andante and variations in F minor: An excellent, forward-looking piece by Haydn. The movement has an atmosphere of mourning and introspection which are brightened by switches to the major.

No. 43: Plenty of elegance in this sonata. I like the graceful first movement and the menuet is quite catchy.

No. 39: Very fun and energetic first movement. The minor key Adagio is excellent, yet Haydn still manages to give the listener a touch of his subtlety right at the end.


----------



## Vasks

_ Mr.Cowell performs Mr. Cowell on LP_


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ned Rorem, Symphonies 1 through 3*


----------



## Blancrocher

Victoria de los Angeles singing Ravel, Debussy, and Duparc (rec. 1962/66); The Belcea Quartet playing Ravel's String Quartet in F major (rec. 2000)


----------



## JCarmel

After a tiring day of Shopping I need some Music ' to soothe the savage breast '
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Brymer, Marriner.









Having got two of them, I suppose I'm going to need to listen to it twice? Well, I can live with that!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> 
> View attachment 40321
> View attachment 40322
> 
> 
> I understand the qualified acceptance entirely; but sometimes that little bit of Mutter aggressivity works for me, and in the most invigorating and delightful of ways: like in Mozart's Piano Trio in E, K.542 or in the _Sinfonia Concertante _in E-flat, K.364. . . _especially_ how she does the first movement of the _Sinfonia Concertante_.


My time working for the LSO coincided with a time when Mutter was working extensively with the orchestra, so, consequently, I got to hear her live on several occasions. I lover her recording of the Sibelius concerto, which I heard her do live, reproducing exactly that eerie, white, vibratoless tone she uses at the start on the recording. I'm a big fan.


----------



## hpowders

Speaking of Ms. Mutter, she does have one of the best performances ever of Bartok's Second Violin Concerto.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm listening to some Muti, tonight!
His recordings of the Schumann symphonies are excellent. That said, I'd marginally select Sawallisch 'if push came to shove..'









And several favourite opera recordings have him at the helm...for example:
















But I really enjoy his conducting of the Strauss family...in fact I think he is the only living conductor who can properly conduct
this Viennese music. I always watch The New Years Concert from Vienna & I've been frequently disappointed with many of the guest maestros but never with Muti.


----------



## opus55

Liszt: Lieder
Rachmaninoff: Aleko


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> I'm listening to some Muti, tonight!
> His recordings of the Schumann symphonies are excellent. That said, I'd marginally select Sawallisch 'if push came to shove..'
> 
> View attachment 40332
> 
> 
> And several favourite opera recordings have him at the helm...for example:
> 
> View attachment 40333
> 
> View attachment 40334
> 
> 
> But I really enjoy his conducting of the Strauss family...in fact I think he is the only living conductor who can properly conduct
> this Viennese music. I always watch The New Years Concert from Vienna & I've been frequently disappointed with many of the guest maestros but never with Muti.
> 
> View attachment 40335


--

Especially love the cast on that Aida.


----------



## JCarmel

I hope that I'm not the only visitor to this site that doesn't always remember all the cds in their collection?

How could I have forgotten Ansermet's Scheherazade....the poor man's interpretation was languishing in with the Strauss cd's!
I didn't give it a thought when I came to compare the other discs recently ....not a single brain cell stirred into life?! And I've had the disc for years....








Anyway, on with Muti... & the Miaskovsky/Svetlanov listening!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> My time working for the LSO coincided with a time when Mutter was working extensively with the orchestra, so, consequently, I got to hear her live on several occasions. I lover her recording of the Sibelius concerto, which I heard her do live, reproducing exactly that eerie, white, vibratoless tone she uses at the start on the recording. I'm a big fan.


---
Wonderful experience. . . can I 'touch' you? Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. No, I truly envy you in the best way. . .

My 'ideal' Sibelius Violin Concerto would be a cross-hybridization of Mutter's or Heifitz's playing-- but with the Sinopoli/Philharmonia orchestral contours. . . but that's in an alternate universe.


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40323
> 
> 
> Morning Marschallin Blair* reporting from the currently gorgeous morning sunny climes of Southern California*, and listening to the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 34; and just totally in love with the playful vivacity of it.
> 
> Hail! Mackerras!


Say that again, and you'll hafta be slapped.


----------



## Itullian

JCarmel said:


> I'm listening to some Muti, tonight!
> His recordings of the Schumann symphonies are excellent. That said, I'd marginally select Sawallisch 'if push came to shove..'
> 
> View attachment 40332
> 
> 
> And several favourite opera recordings have him at the helm...for example:
> 
> View attachment 40333
> 
> View attachment 40334
> 
> 
> But I really enjoy his conducting of the Strauss family...in fact I think he is the only living conductor who can properly conduct
> this Viennese music. I always watch The New Years Concert from Vienna & I've been frequently disappointed with many of the guest maestros but never with Muti.
> 
> View attachment 40335


I'm a big Schumann guy. I'd like to recommend the Bernstein 2fer set on DG.
The remastering is excellent and the performances right on. mho


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> *After a tiring day of Shopping* I need some Music ' to soothe the savage breast '
> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Brymer, Marriner.
> 
> View attachment 40328
> 
> 
> Having got two of them, I suppose I'm going to need to listen to it twice? Well, I can live with that!


Some, I'm sure, can sympathize.


----------



## shadowdancer

Talking about Rimsky-Korsakov, a nice "soundtrack" for this afternoon...


----------



## Manxfeeder

Music from Mannheim: Chamber music from JC Bach, Ignaz Holzbauer, Johann Stamitz, Franz Richter.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

A willful, fussy, over inflected live performance of the Tchaikovsky is allied to what could quite possibly be the greatest performance of the Korngold ever recorded. Like her or not, Mutter has an instantly recognisable voice. In fact I remember hearing the Korngold on the radio, and absolutely knowing it was Mutter before the announcer confirmed it for me. I already had a recording with Gil Shaham, but just had to go out and get this right away.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> Say that again, and you'll hafta be slapped.


Slap me silly. It's like July out here right now._ ;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40337
> 
> 
> A willful, fussy, over inflected live performance of the Tchaikovsky is allied to what could quite possibly be the greatest performance of the Korngold ever recorded. Like her or not, Mutter has an instantly recognisable voice. In fact I remember hearing the Korngold on the radio, and absolutely knowing it was Mutter before the announcer confirmed it for me. I already had a recording with Gil Shaham, but just had to go out and get this right away.


----









Absolutely, unimpeachably, axiomatically, and apodictically correct on both counts: her Tchaikovsky is a bit too affectively mannered for me; yet her Korngold is poised and magnificent. . . I know's it bucks the received wisdom to say this, but the Shaham leaves me cold next to the Mutter-- and especially next to the Ehnes; which is outstanding in every way.


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: Orchestral Suites, w. English Concert/Pinnock (rec. 1993/4); Sonatas for viola da gamba, w. Quintana & Frisch (rec. 2000); Six sonatas and partitas for solo violin, w. Ehnes (rec. 1999/0).

View attachment 40341


----------



## Blancrocher

Andsnes playing Nielsen's piano works; Jon Gjesme, Tue Lautrup, and Jens Elvekjær in the violin sonatas and other works; Barenboim conducting Vengerov & co in the Violin Concerto.

(Was peaking into the Nielsen guestbook, and one thing led to another.)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> I'm a big Schumann guy. I'd like to recommend the Bernstein 2fer set on DG.
> The remastering is excellent and the performances right on. mho


. . . and continuing with that_ Variation on a Theme of Schumann Symphonies_: I'd like to add the Sinopoli/Staatkapelle Dresden set, especially for the way he does the outer movements of the Spring Symphony; and I'd _love_ to add the Karajan/BPO set, most especially for his _Rhenish_!!!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Schumann for the Untamed Heart*









I feel so completely wild and free right now because of the sunny balmy weather that Argerich's fervid '79 Concertgebouw recital of Schumann's _Fantasiestucke_, _*Op. 12 *_<ahem! KenOC please note> is the only thing that will do!

_Aufschwung_!


----------



## Itullian

Can you handle it?


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Itullian said:


> Can you handle it?


Slow and ponderous. By and large, I have to say I'm rather pleased Klemperer had to pull out in 1959, leaving Giulini to conduct a superior cast in what is now a classic of the gramophone.


----------



## Itullian

GregMitchell said:


> Slow and ponderous. By and large, I have to say I'm rather pleased Klemperer had to pull out in 1959, leaving Giulini to conduct a superior cast in what is now a classic of the gramophone.


I love the Giulini, but we disagree.
Awesome recording.
I always am amazed at peoples negativity at other peoples likes.
To you slow and ponderous, to me soulfull and drama with gravitas.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Mozart, Missa Solemnis in C Minor


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Slow and ponderous. By and large, I have to say I'm rather pleased Klemperer had to pull out in 1959, leaving Giulini to conduct a superior cast in what is now a classic of the gramophone.


--
Klemperer's funny that way: slow and ponderous in his Bruckner and Beethoven; but then sprightly in his Mozart Serenades and, say, his live '62 Covent Garden _Zauberflote_ with Sutherland.

I laughed when you wrote that you were glad that Klemperer pulled out and enabled Giulini to come in (did that sound right? Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.)-- because the same thing happened in 1959 when Klemperer was slated to record _Le Sacre _with the Philharmonia, but took a leave of absence because of illness-- enabling Markevitch to take the reigns; and to give me my all-time favorite reading of _The Rite of Spring_. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. I shudder to think of how Klemperer would do it.


----------



## worov

Peter Maxwell Davies : Piano Concerto


----------



## KenOC

Albinoni, Six Concertos from Op. 10. Simon Standage, Collegium Musicum 90. Very nice stuff, though 6 of the 12 is probably enough for me. These were discovered in 1961!


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> Klemperer's funny that way: slow and ponderous in his Bruckner and Beethoven; but then sprightly in his Mozart Serenades and, say, his live '62 Covent Garden _Zauberflote_ with Sutherland.
> 
> I laughed when you wrote that you were glad that Klemperer pulled out and enabled Giulini to come in (did that sound right? Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.)-- because the same thing happened in 1959 when Klemperer was slated to record _Le Sacre _with the Philharmonia, but took a leave of absence because of illness-- enabling Markevitch to take the reigns; and to give me my all-time favorite reading of _The Rite of Spring_. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. I shudder to think of how Klemperer would do it.


Many conductors are like that. Take Bohm, spacious Mozart, fast Wagner.
Karajan, spacious opera recordings, fast Beethoven, slow Haydn.
etc


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Many conductors are like that. Take Bohm, spacious Mozart, fast Wagner.
> Karajan, spacious opera recordings, fast Beethoven, slow Haydn.
> etc


Fair shooting; but equally-fair shooting is that most people wouldn't characterize Karajan or Bohm as ponderous _per se_-- the charge seems to stick to Klemperer though; his occasional sprightliness is the exception and not the rule.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Fair shooting; but equally-fair shooting is that most people wouldn't characterize Karajan or Bohm as ponderous _per se_-- the charge seems to stick to Klemperer though; his occasional sprightliness is the exception and not the rule.


True, the other conductors have their own critics. too fast, too polliched, superficial, breathless, shallow etc.
Klemperer slow.
I just happen to like slow, ie Klemp, Celi,etc.
I think it gets to the heart more than fast.
His singers really dig deep and pull out much, imho.

I stand with Otto and will suffer the slings and arrows


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Shostakovich: Symphony 14*
Joan Rodgers, John Tomlinson & the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Mark Wigglesworth)








One of my favourite Symphonies from Shostakovich, this recording of the 14th Symphony is definitely my favourite at present. I have the new release by Petrenko and the RLPO and I like it but it is a pale shadow when compared to this recording.

The BBCNoW sounds fuller and richer to me, playing like the piece was written for them guided fantastically by Mark Wigglesworth. John Tomlinson sounds absolutely superb here and Joan Rodgers more than holds her own.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> True, the other conductors have their own critics. too fast, too polliched, superficial, breathless, shallow etc.
> Klemperer slow.
> I just happen to like slow, ie Klemp, Celi,etc.
> I think it gets to the heart more than fast.
> His singers really dig deep and pull out much, imho.
> 
> I stand with Otto and will suffer the slings and arrows


---
Nothing but love and Schwarzkopf lieder from my end, Dear Friend. _;D_

--_ non disputandum_, certainly.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> Fair shooting; but equally-fair shooting is that most people wouldn't characterize Karajan or Bohm as ponderous _per se_-- the charge seems to stick to Klemperer though; his occasional sprightliness is the exception and not the rule.


Klemperer certainly isn't always slow (the first movement of his Mahler 2nd is a good deal faster than most), but he certainly could be. Sometimes it's slow and monolithic, but it's a very ponderous, Germanic and overly Romantic view of *Don Giovanni* he gives us. What happened to the _giacosa_ part of the _dramma_?


----------



## Itullian

GregMitchell said:


> Klemperer certainly isn't always slow (the first movement of his Mahler 2nd is a good deal faster than most), but he certainly could be. Sometimes it's slow and monolithic, but it's a very ponderous, Germanic and overly Romantic view of *Don Giovanni* he gives us. What happened to the _giacosa_ part of the _dramma_?


It's there, in a different way. Not all numbers are that slow.
And compared to Bohm's live Giovanni and Furtwangler's recording, not that slow at all.


----------



## Blancrocher

Elisabeth Westenholz playing Nielsen's organ works, of which I am only familiar with the great "Commotio"; The Bergen Quartet and co playing the Wind Quintet and some unfamiliar works.

*p.s.* Enjoying my time with Nielsen today--especially his Violin Concerto, a wonderful work that I've found difficulty remembering despite numerous hearings on disk and live over the years. I'm not sure I don't prefer it over Sibelius' Violin Concerto, which is unforgettable!

*p.p.s.* Well...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Klemperer certainly isn't always slow (the first movement of his Mahler 2nd is a good deal faster than most), but he certainly could be. Sometimes it's slow and monolithic, but it's a very ponderous, Germanic and overly Romantic view of *Don Giovanni* he gives us. What happened to the _giacosa_ part of the _dramma_?


Giving Klemperer an orchestra and _Don Giovanni _is like giving quaaludes and car keys to teenage boys. I can follow him in other works; unfortunately not this one.


----------



## millionrainbows

George Perle, piano works.










The squirrels are out! Time to get out your wind quintets. Anything will be better than nothing: Mozart, Strauss, moderns. Listen to the birdies sing!

George Perle wind quintets:


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4.*

This one gets my blood pumping; Szell puts it in overdrive.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Elliot Carter - Cello Sonata* (1948)
Andrew Rosenblum (piano) and Sam Ericsson ('cello) [YouTube, 2013]

I hadn't heard this before but it is really good, in some ways much more accessible and more easily comprehensible than his string quartets, which did take me a while to work out and learn to appreciate.

*Paul Hindemith - Sonata for Viola and Piano in F major, Op. 11 No. 4*
Kim Kaskashian, viola; Robert Levin, pianoforte [YouTube, rec. 2000]

This is a more persuasive performance of Hindemith's first viola and piano sonata than the one I found last weekend. I did want to have anoher listen as I wasn't at all sure about this work after my first 'pass'. (On the 'Ollavogala' YouTube channel recently identified by dgee - thanks)

*
Webern: "Drei kleine Stucke" (Three little pieces), Op. 11*
Lynn Harrell, Cello & Victor Asuncion, Piano. 
[YouTube, rec. live, 2010]

I listened four consecutive times to compensate for the extreme brevity, and to get the pieces 'inside my head', so to speak. Exquisite.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Marschallin Blair said:


> Giving Klemperer an orchestra and _Don Giovanni _is like giving quaaludes and car keys to teenage boys. I can follow him in other works; unfortunately not this one.











Klemp-brand ludes and _Don Giovanni _designer Lambo-keys don't make a good combo-pack.


----------



## Itullian

Another awesome Klemperer recording you can rail at.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Another awesome Klemperer recording you can rail at.


----
Never surrender, Itullian. . . I like that. _;D_


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40353
> 
> 
> Klemp-brand ludes and _Don Giovanni _designer Lambo-keys don't make a good combo-pack.


Lambo's are great BUT, you miss so much of the scenery and soul.


----------



## Itullian

And another.............


----------



## DaveS

Disc 2....Tile Eulenspiegele, Don Juan and Ein Heldenleben (Peter Mirring,Voilon) Staatskapelle Dresden, Rudolf Kempe.


----------



## millionrainbows

Spanish baroque opera. This is nice, and it got very good reviews from Amazon listeners.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> And another.............


---
I have it; and I love it. . . _despite_ Klemperer. Great singers are great protective camouflage.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> I have it; and I love it. . . _despite_ Klemperer. Great singers are great protective camouflage.


HAHA
The master chef makes the dish


----------



## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Elliot Carter - Cello Sonata* (1948)
> Andrew Rosenblum (piano) and Sam Ericsson ('cello) [YouTube, 2013]
> 
> I hadn't heard this before but it is really good, in some ways much more accessible and more easily comprehensible than his string quartets, which did take me a while to work out and learn to appreciate.


It's one of his earliest acknowledged works, as his post-Neoclassical style was still forming. If you're not familiar with it, check out his Piano Sonata, too, which is also a transitional work.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle

Once again, the Berlin Phil. plays wonderfully (they nail the string fugato in the first movement, even at the rapid tempo they take), but I'm not quite convinced by Rattle as a conductor.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Itullian said:


> And another.............


Now you're talking!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin, Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwangler (1952)









I can remember as a teenager (when I wasn't intersted in classical music) that Menuhin was famous as a violinist and he seemed to have a benign and somewhat doddery persona. Then, when I became interested in classical music in my 20s, he seemed even more 'old hat' as that was the time of period instruments and the historically-informed performance stormtroops and anything mid-twentieth century was to be scorned as twee and sugary ... and consequently, I ignored performers like this. Then, a few years ago, I got a free CD with a music magazine and lo-and-behold, there was Menuhin playing as if his soul was being used to bow his violin and the mud fell from my eyes (ears???). Benign old fogey - absolutely NOT! This is a meastro of the top order with a clearly distinctive style that is admirably suited to music from Bach to Brahms (and probable beyond, though I don't have sufficient knowledge to be sure). Ace!


----------



## cwarchc

My journey into more "avant garde" style continues
I am enjoying my foray with Glass
However, I've just had my 1st listen to this








I think the jury is out at the moment, it may take a bit more time


----------



## Morimur

*Béla Bartók - The 6 String Quartets (Takács Quartet) (2 CD)*










Sublime.


----------



## hpowders

Yes, especially #'s 3 and 4.


----------



## shadowdancer

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Sublime.


Don't know Takács Quartet. I have and enjoy a lot this one though.


----------



## Bas

Johann Baptist Vanhal - String Quartets opus 33 no. 2 and no. 3, "Hoffmeister" quartet no. 2
By the Camesina Quartet, on Musicmanufactur Berlin









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 in Dm
By Andras Schiff [piano], Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> HAHA
> The master chef makes the dish


Legge did have an unrivaled ability to pick key talent. . . well, for singers.


----------



## Itullian

GregMitchell said:


> Now you're talking!


Thank you but no,
now you're listening.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Legge did have an unrivaled ability to pick key talent. . . well, for singers.


And THE MAN to lead them.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> It's one of his earliest acknowledged works, as his post-Neoclassical style was still forming. If you're not familiar with it, check out his Piano Sonata, too, which is also a transitional work.
> 
> Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle
> 
> Once again, the Berlin Phil. plays wonderfully (they nail the string fugato in the first movement, even at the rapid tempo they take), but I'm not quite convinced by Rattle as a conductor.


<_Fortissimo_, and with maximum pedal>: "_PUH! PING!"_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> And THE MAN to lead them.


. . . that'd be Karajan.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Thank you but no,
> now you're listening.


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Conan fending off the sharks. Robert E. Howard salutes you.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> Slap me silly. It's like July out here right now._ ;D_


you mean its 14 degrees celcius (57 degrees Farenheit), windy, and raining??? - that's what its like here in July


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . . that'd be Karajan.


and Klemperer


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Conan fending off the sharks. Robert E. Howard salutes you.


Doin my best


----------



## Headphone Hermit

JCarmel said:


> I hope that I'm not the only visitor to this site that doesn't always remember all the cds in their collection?


Guilty! I've even bought the same CD twice sometimes. Keep thinking I need to export my CD list to my BB


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Doin my best


Always charge, never bend. _;D_


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Still diligently doing my homework:
*
Richard STRAUSS: Violin Sonata in E-flat major Op.18 (1888)*
Franco GULLI, violin - Enrica Cavallo, piano
(YouTube, rec: June 1990, Dynamic Studio, Genova)

I enjoyed this a lot: I wasn't sure what to expect having never heard any of this composer's chamber music. Really quite sprightly and of course, full-on lush, late romantic in style.

*
Francis Poulenc - Sonata for oboe & piano, FP 185* (1962)
Maurice Bourgue, oboe; Jacques Février, piano [YouTube]

An old favourite, but very good to hear again


----------



## JCarmel

*love* that Poulenc, turnabout!

This is the record and the singer who introduced me to Schubert Lieder when I was in my early teens...& I've never loved a recital disc more than I did this one....ever. I'm still a big fan of Irmgard Seefried.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> you mean its 14 degrees celcius (57 degrees Farenheit), windy, and raining??? - that's what its like here in July


Had I my own Gulfstream III, you'd be in business. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> *love* that Poulenc, turnabout!
> 
> This is the record and the singer who introduced me to Schubert Lieder when I was in my early teens...& I've never loved a recital disc more than I did this one....ever. I'm still a big fan of Irmgard Seefried.
> 
> View attachment 40361











Seefried. Oh yeah.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Guilty! I've even bought the same CD twice sometimes. Keep thinking I need to export my CD list to my BB


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . I just did that last week with the Ljuba Welitsch, Complete Columbia recordings. . . and quite a few times besides. . . well, maybe more than a few times. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

<_Wicked_ chorus: "_Blonde_.">


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40363
> 
> 
> Seefried. Oh yeah.


Ja, wirklich! Has Germany really stopped producing this sort of person, or am I just living under a rock? Was Gundula the last in the line of the great, pure-toned lyric sopranos? Find me a new one please.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Woodduck said:


> Ja, wirklich! Has Germany really stopped producing this sort of person?


I blame changes in hairstyle. Heated rollers, hair gel .... all that malarky - it just HAS to prevent the development of fine voices


----------



## DavidA

Schumann Carnival - Cziffra

Incredible!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> Ja, wirklich! Has Germany really stopped producing this sort of person, or am I just living under a rock? Was Gundula the last in the line of the great, pure-toned lyric sopranos? Find me a new one please.


The unending quest for such foolish Parsees as ourselves; no such grails exist.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Quintet in E-flat, K.452 Dennis Brain/Leonard Brain/Stephen Waters/Cecil James/Colin Horsley

Verdi-Mackerras: The Lady and the Fool-Ballet Philharmonia Orchestra/Charles Mackerras

Home again, and to the other side of the LP I started this morning, a beautiful performance of Mozart's masterpiece by an outstanding group of musicians. Then next on the shelf to it this delightful ballet score that Mackerras put together from Verdi's operas in 1954. Similar to that which he'd done previously with Sullivan's music in "Pineapple Poll", this one is just as enjoyable, and deserves to be equally well known, though it doesn't appear to be. This performance is redolent with good humour and fun and I love it.


----------



## aleazk

Iancu Dumitrescu - _Cogito/Trompe l'Oeil_.


----------



## opus55

Veracini: Overtures and Concertos










Expanding my baroque experience.


----------



## Alypius

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Sublime.


Lope, I have one even better: I got to see the Takacs Quartet perform these 6 Bartok string quartet LIVE about a month ago. That was truly sublime. In fact, it may have been the best experience I have ever had of a classical concert. They made the impossible look easy. I knew that Bartok was demanding to play but until I had seen the technical demands at close range, I had no idea. I also had no previous appreciation of how extraordinarily dense were the musical ideas that Bartok packed into those quartets until I saw the Takacs turn, on a dime, from moment to moment, from furious to ecstatic to anguished to flolicking folk-dance. The whole concert still echoes in my ears and my heart.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

and finally tonight:

*Johann Sebastian Bach Sonata for Violin & Piano BWV 1014 B minor*
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin, Enirico Pace, piano [YouTube]

Fantastic.
*
Hugo Wolf - Lieder nach Gedichten von Eduard Morike*

Continuing where I left off last night with these new discs:

Rat einer Alten
Erstes Liebeslied eines Madchens
Lied eines Verliebten
Der Feuerreiter
Nixe Binsefuss
Gesang Weylas
Die Geister am Mummelsee
Storchenbotschaft
Zur Warnung
Auftrag
Bei einer Trauung
Selbstgestandnis
Abschied

Joan Rodgers, Stephan Genz, Roger Vignoles [Hyperion, rec. 2000]


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

125 Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin
126 Erhalt uns Herr, bei deinem Wort
127 Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (125, 126) and Gustav Leonhardt (127), cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Variations on a theme by Robert Schumann, Op.9/Ballades, Op.10/Variations on an Original Theme, Op.21 Julius Katchen

This wonderful set continues to delight me. Especially noteworthy here are the Op.9 variations, which Katchen plays with supreme aplomb. His beautiful tone in the quieter ballades is a joy too, and Decca's pressings are superb- you'd think it was a CD, I kid ye not.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev, Symphony-Concerto for Cello & Orchestra. A work I've always enjoyed in a fine performance.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Cage's String Quartet In Four Parts - LaSalle Quartet


----------



## Guest

Some wonderful but rather obscure music by Johan Shenk, Christiaen Herwich, and Philippus Hacquart. Fabulous sound.


----------



## Blancrocher

Friedrich Gulda playing Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, book 2.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2, Yuja Wang, Dudamel, Simon Bolivar Orch. She plays as good as she looks. Here's the DG promo pic for the album...


----------



## senza sordino

Joseph Joachim
Violin Concerto in Gm in one movement
Violin Concerto in Dm in the Hungarian Style, an epic piece as grand and ambitious as the Brahms or Elgar. 








Brahms third symphony


----------



## mtmailey

LISTEING TO HANDEL concerto grosso op.6 #1,messiah & the resurrection.


----------



## science

I did this last night and today. Now that I've built up a bit of _bona fides_, I can afford to squander it, and so I begin:










I was going to be sarcastic about the "collector's edition" label but what the heck. There's so much stupidity in the world that this little piece of it probably doesn't deserve special notice.


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): String Quartet No.5 in B Flat

Giancarlo de Lorenzo leading the Ensemble Vox Aurae


----------



## chalkpie

Haven't spun any Cardiacs in a while, but I'm afraid a huge binge will happen, which is inevitable I guess.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*John Debney: Lair*










Forward to battle! . . . 'Epic' battle.

Limited run of 2,000 copies from La-La Land Records. 
_
EXCELLENT_ sound.


----------



## Itullian

KenOC said:


> Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2, Yuja Wang, Dudamel, Simon Bolivar Orch. She plays as good as she looks. Here's the DG promo pic for the album...


Interesting pattern on her keester there :lol:


----------



## Alypius

For the last few days, I've been listening to sets of 3 violin concertos from the 20th & 21st centuries. There have been 5 triads to date. One last one tonight. I have a listing of another 10 or so that I want to (re)listen to, but will hold off until a later date (e.g. Nikolai Myaskovsky, Ernst Bloch, Paul Hindemith Elliott Carter, George Rochberg, Peteris Vasks, Nico Muhly, Robert Kyr).

But doing the previous 15 has given me this profound appreciation of the rich genius that has been poured into the genre over the last century. They range widely in style. What unites them is the commitment to beauty, to craft, and to calling forth from virtuoso performers (and accompanying orchestras) the very best. The previous 15, by the way, are listed below (in chronological order vs. the order I played them in, which mixed things up):

* Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47 (1905)
* Karol Szymanowski: Violin Concerto #1, op. 35 (1916)
* Igor Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D (1931)
* Bohuslav Martinu: Violin Concerto #1 (1933)
* Alban Berg: Violin concerto (1935)
* Arnold Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, op. 36 (1936)
* Bela Bartok: Violin Concerto #2, Sz 112 (1938)
* Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto, op. 14 (1939)
* Dmitri Shostakovich: Concerto #2 in C# minor, op. 129 (1967)
* Einojuhani Rautavaara: Violin Concerto (1977)
* Henri Dutilleux: Violin Concerto: L'abre des songes (1985)
* Gyorgy Ligeti: Violin Concerto (1993)
* Unsuk Chin: Violin Concerto (2001)
* John Adams: Dharma at Big Sur (2003)
* Jennifer Higdon: Violin Concerto (2008)

Final three for tonight:

*Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concert #1 in D major, op. 19 (1917)*










*Thomas Adès: Violin Concerto ("Concentric Paths") (2005)*










*Sofia Gubaidulina: In Tempus Praesens (Concerto for Violin and Orchestra) (2007)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Dame Janet Baker: Pentatone Remaster of Mozart, Beethoven, & Schubert*









I just got this tonight. I'm listening to the first cuts from _La Clemenza di Tito_. I have to enthuse. The singing is absolutely _EX_-quis-ite on this. Dame Janet reminds me of a weightier Schwarzkopf in inflection and expression. Such streamlined gorgeous perfection-- and with stellar re-engineered sound. Total _sine qua non_ cd. I thank Greg Mitchell for championing this.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40379
> 
> 
> I just got this tonight. I'm listening to the first cuts from _La Clemenza di Tito_. I have to enthuse. The singing is absolutely _EX_-quis-ite on this. Dame Janet reminds me of a weightier Schwarzkopf in inflection and expression. Such streamlined gorgeous perfection-- and with stellar re-engineered sound. Total _sine qua non_ cd. I thank Greg Mitchell for championing this.


And Raymond Leppard, a kind of forgotten, but wonderful conductor.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> And Raymond Leppard, a kind of forgotten, but wonderful conductor.


Yeah, the only other cd I have with him is the '74 Mozart _Mass in C Minor_, which of course I got for Kiri; and I didn't like his conducting at _all_.

He's up to the task though for the Baker. Nothing noteworthy; but not bad either. . . the show is all Dame Janet, after all.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Yeah, the only other cd I have with him is the '74 Mozart _Mass in C Minor_, which of course I got for Kiri; and I didn't like his conducting at _all_.
> 
> He's up to the task though for the Baker. Nothing noteworthy; but not bad either. . . the show is all Dame Janet, after all.


His Handel music and Monteverdi madrigals are wonderful.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vintage Goldsmith.

Re-engineered, with the best-possible sound.

Another limited run of 2,000 copies from La-La Land Records.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Vintage Goldsmith.
> 
> Re-engineered, with the best-possible sound.
> 
> Another limited run of 2,000 copies from La-La Land Records.


Poor Stachel


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Lotte Lehmann/ Rise Stevens Rosenkavalier (1939)*









Wonderfully spirited Artur Bodanzky/Met _Rosenkavalier_, with Lotte Lehmann as the Marschallin, Rise Stevens as Octavian, and Marita Farell as Sophie. God I wish I was there. Vibrant and wonderfully unrestrained. I admit, I am somewhat conditioned by the more poised and restrained Karajan/Schwarzkopf incarnation-- my standard-- but this is wonderful in every way; at least so far. I'm still listening to Act I as I type these words.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lassus motets - Hans Schrems, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Poor Stachel


<Ursula Andress elocution>: "_Co-bra_."

- I think the guy died happy.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> <Ursula Andress elocution>: "_Co-bra_."
> 
> - I think the guy died happy.


Just a quick class conquest.
He was top gun.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Just a quick class conquest.
> He was top gun.


Yeah, my girl the Duchess had it coming to her with her little dismissive "pink champagne" remark.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*I'll Pay Later*










I"m going to be so dead tomorrow.

Going for a necessary Callas Act II _Anna Bolena_ fix.

We'll see how 'animated' I'll be tomorrow morning; as I get up at four. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Sid James

*Walton*
_String Quartet in A minor
Piano Quartet_
- Maggini Quartet with Peter Donohoe, piano

After listening to Lennox Berkeley's string quartets this past week, I thought I'd get into more recordings by the Magginis.

*Walton's String Quartet in A minor *has been a favourite for ages, one of the first works in the genre that I owned a recording of. I love that mix of bittersweet melancholy and edgy tension (those rhythmic outbursts a la Prokofiev and Stravinsky, but also jazz) that is a classic Walton trademark. The influence of the Second Viennese School permeate the work too, key of A minor is said to be basically nominal, and Walton employed serial technique in this work (albeit flexibly). I'd be here all day discussing it in depth but the final movement in itself is amazing, capturing the rhythms of a city, its got this energy but amidst that one of the most gorgeous lyrical tunes I've heard sung by the violin over the other instruments playing at contrasting tempo.

The _*Piano Quartet*_ by contrast is an early work, Ravel comes to mind here strongly. Its got those hazy string sounds contrasting with piano which is at times quite vigorous, and there's quite a bit of thematic unity and links in the chain of musical events here too. Pretty impressive work for a 19 year old, but not yet the mature Walton that came later.










*Villa-Lobos*
_The Jet Whistle (Assobioa a Jato) for flute & cello
Song of the Black Swan (O Canto do Cysne Negro) for violin & harp
Five Songs (transcribed by McGhee and Nicholls) for flute & harp_
- Performers: mobius

Finishing the rest of this *Villa-Lobos chamber disc*, which presents a good survey of his music from the 1910's to the 1950's. _*The Jet Whistle*_ has a vibe mixing Brazilian elements with the Baroque, similar to the _Bachianas Brasileiras. _*Song of the Black Swan* is a short and sweet work, at around three minutes its a good encore type piece. The *Five Songs* come across as instrumental versions of the songs the young composer picked up when he played with bands playing choros music on the streets of Rio. I haven't heard the original vocal versions, but these are contemporary transcriptions by members of the mobius group who are the performers on this disc.










*Sibelius* _Symphony #4_
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet

Over to a work that I find extremely hard to take, *Sibelius' fourth symphony*. Its just depressing, but very cathartic. Its another one I've been fascinated with for ages. I was reminded of it by a poster on this thread earlier this week (sorry I forgot who you where).

There's little or no comfort in this, what you hear still sounds quite strange today. There are harmonies that obviously don't fit into the 'normal' Western scale, there's these pared down sononorities, there's these wierd contrasts of texture and mood. The final movement was said by one commentator to be a set up, until the end you think it might end happily, but Sibelius just ends by dropping you like a stone from atop some crevase. Its just brutally honest, a portrait of depression if there ever was one.

A critic at the early performances of this work in 1912 reflected the consensus at the time - basically this was weird but something of genius was there too. W. J. Henderson complained of the symphony's dissonance, disjointed sequences and harsh sonorities. He singled out what he called "all the Chinese horrors of the forbidden fifths." But at the same time, Henderson said that it was "a noteworthy composition [filled with] elemental imagination, courage of utterance, and fearlessness of style."

I think he encapsulates what I feel, its not easy to take. Its ugly, but its a part of life. This listen made me aware of the thematic links, and also some quirky details. One was the bells in the final movement, followed by a sequence similar to some macabre waltz, with this fiendish pizzicato (eg. _Valse Triste_?). But I got quite emotional during that big outburst two thirds into the slow movement. Its just utter desparation, beyond any words. Music you have to experience, and on so many levels!



JCarmel said:


> Concerto for two pianos, Piano Concerto, Aubade. Francois-Rene Duchable, piano; Jean-Philippe Collard, piano; James Conlon, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Warner Classics Apex
> 
> ....
> 
> Anyway, not only are the performances fresh & vital & thoroughly recommendable but the cd sounds fine, too!
> 
> There are certain pieces of music that are somehow embedded a little deeper in one's brain & *Poulenc's Piano Concerto of 1949*, is one of those for me. As soon as I hear the opening bars of the first movement, a trigger in the old grey matter, transports me wonderfully to a place back in time, which although I couldn't pin down to a specific date, results in a sense of pleasure such as one might experience with the imbibing of a prized Single Malt Whisky perhaps?...or in my case, a particularly delicious Sherry Trifle!


I love that one, used to have it on tape. The opening is still in my head, it could be a tune from an Edith Piaf song. I might well try get that cd, but I used to have Cristina Ortiz playing it. I think I've heard it again on youtube a couple of years back though.


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos' Twelve Etudes For Guitar - Turibio Santos, guitar


----------



## Itullian

marschallin blair said:


> i"m going to be so dead tomorrow.
> 
> Going for a necessary callas act ii _anna bolena_ fix.
> 
> We'll see how 'animated' i'll be tomorrow morning; as i get up at four. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


ah so ...................


----------



## Arsakes

*Modest Mussorgsky*'s _Pictures At An Exhibition_


----------



## SimonNZ

Guys...is there any chance that the "mutual appreciation society" stuff could be done as messaging, if its going to be a multi-post run-on?

I know I don't make the rules, and I don't mean to sound rude, but increasingly often lately at certain times it can take a fair amount of scrolling to find out what people are currently listening to.


----------



## jim prideaux

no work today-start with the Dvorak string quintet and sextet played by the Raphael Ensemble.


----------



## Woodduck

Sid James said:


> *Sibelius* _Symphony #4_
> - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet
> 
> Over to a work that I find extremely hard to take, *Sibelius' fourth symphony*. Its just depressing, but very cathartic. Its another one I've been fascinated with for ages. I was reminded of it by a poster on this thread earlier this week (sorry I forgot who you where).
> 
> There's little or no comfort in this, what you hear still sounds quite strange today. There are harmonies that obviously don't fit into the 'normal' Western scale, there's these pared down sononorities, there's these wierd contrasts of texture and mood. The final movement was said by one commentator to be a set up, until the end you think it might end happily, but Sibelius just ends by dropping you like a stone from atop some crevase. Its just brutally honest, a portrait of depression if there ever was one.
> 
> A critic at the early performances of this work in 1912 reflected the consensus at the time - basically this was weird but something of genius was there too. W. J. Henderson complained of the symphony's dissonance, disjointed sequences and harsh sonorities. He singled out what he called "all the Chinese horrors of the forbidden fifths." But at the same time, Henderson said that it was "a noteworthy composition [filled with] elemental imagination, courage of utterance, and fearlessness of style."
> 
> I think he encapsulates what I feel, its not easy to take. Its ugly, but its a part of life. This listen made me aware of the thematic links, and also some quirky details. One was the bells in the final movement, followed by a sequence similar to some macabre waltz, with this fiendish pizzicato (eg. _Valse Triste_?). But I got quite emotional during that big outburst two thirds into the slow movement. Its just utter desparation, beyond any words. Music you have to experience, and on so many levels!


What a beautiful and moving description of a work I love - truly love, although it is, as you imply, hard to take in if your heart and nerves are fully exposed. One of the strangest, most honest pieces of music ever composed. That slow movement is remarkable; the structure of alternating themes which develop slowly side by side reminds me of Bruckner, and there are some harmonies that evoke the suffering of Amfortas in _Parsifal_. The climactic outburst is devastating, not least in how quickly it spends its strength and collapses back into bleakness. Gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

Thank you for telling us your feelings about this work.


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40380
> 
> 
> Wonderfully spirited Artur Bodanzky/Met _Rosenkavalier_, with Lotte Lehmann as the Marschallin, Rise Stevens as Octavian, and Marita Farell as Sophie. God I wish I was there. Vibrant and wonderfully unrestrained. I admit, I am somewhat conditioned by the more poised and restrained Karajan/Schwarzkopf incarnation-- my standard-- but this is wonderful in every way; at least so far. I'm still listening to Act I as I type these words.


Didn't know this existed! I knew only of the abridged version I recommended to you. I trust you'll come forth with the full report when you've heard the rest.


----------



## sankalp

Robbie williams - Better Man


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's String Quartet No.2 - Varsovia Quartet


----------



## Arsakes

SimonNZ said:


> Guys...is there any chance that the "mutual appreciation society" stuff could be done as messaging, if its going to be a multi-post run-on?
> 
> I know I don't make the rules, and I don't mean to sound rude, but increasingly often lately at certain times it can take a fair amount of scrolling to find out what people are currently listening to.


Alternative solution:

Go to: Control Panel > Mouse > Wheel Settings > Change the vertical scrolling


----------



## SimonNZ

Carter Pann's Four Factories - University of Houston Wind Ensemble, David Bertman, cond.






(damn its weird looking at that photo - shave off the goatie thing and its pretty close to what I look like)


----------



## JCarmel

Dear Sid... I used to feel just like you about the 4th but this interpretation heightened my appreciation of the work


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann, Tafelmusik - Production I -
Quartet in D minor for Recorder, two Flutes & B.c.;
Concerto in F Major for three Violins, Violino Grosso & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## JCarmel

Along with getting to grips with some Miaskovsky, I'm revisiting some Brahms and Bruno Walter. Talking about conductors on another thread...Bruno Walter was one that I'd have liked to have heard in concert and met as a person. Typically Virgoan though, he was a stickler for detail but through personal charm & sincerity, he usually got his interpretative way in the end.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: Suite No.3 in G, Op.55 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult

This superb suite gets a marvellous performance here from Boult and the LPO. The first three movements build you up well for the superb theme and variations with which the work ends, which is as long as the first three movements put together. Boult handles it all with his usual skill and panache, and it is a joy from start to finish.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gabriel Prokofiev's Cello Concerto - Alexander Ivashkin, cello, Sabrie Bekirova, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Joel Peckett's String Quartet Concerto "Short Stories" - McIver Quartet, Kevin Geraldi, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

If you seek out the Brahms Suite No 3 on Spotify, which I have just done...to listen to it later...it is listed along with Sir Adrian's 'Marche Slave'...for all you Marche Slave lovers!...or am I the_ only _one?!

Art Music...I have a framed reproduction of the album cover on the Ferlendis cd.... a view looking-down on Florence that I love (wish I was there, now) plus its painted by another person who shares my birthday, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot.

I know that there are works by Haydn that I have yet to acquaint myself fully with...but I'd never even_ heard _of this work...









...that I'm currently enjoying hearing on Spotify. It's jolly & joyful...which is what I need, as I'm a bit under-the-weather today!


----------



## SimonNZ

Kevin Puts' Credo - Miró Quartet


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725): Recorder Concerto in G Minor

Modo Antiquo with Ugo Galasso on recorder


----------



## SimonNZ

Eric Wubbels' Viola Quartet






edit: now Wubbels' Katachi - West Ink Ensemble


----------



## ArtMusic

Joel Peckett, Kevin Puts, Eric Wubbels ... never heard of them.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 515

Melos Quartet with Franz Beyer on 2nd viola: Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss, violins -- Hermann Voss, viola -- Peter Buck, cello


----------



## Jeff W

Chamber music has really started to click for me, it seems.









More Schubert to start. String Quartets No. 10 & 13 'Rosamunde'. The Melos Quartett played.









Decided to take a break from the chamber music. Decided to go with Beethoven's Violin Concerto and the Piano Concerto No. 3. Jascha Heifetz played the solo violin and Arthur Rubinstein played the solo piano. Both were accompanied by Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Orfeo

*Alexander Glazunov*
Ballet in three acts "Raymonda."
-Corpo di Ballo, Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala with soloists/Michail Jurowski.
_(wonderful costumes, good interpretation of Jurowski, if not in Svetlanov's league with the Bolshoi, but enjoyable nonetheless)._
-->


----------



## JCarmel

I'm arming myself with a pair of Paracetemol's against the increasing symptoms of a cold...though I think my other ammunition is likely to be just as effective...a bar of C D M!








Plus, I'm having a bit of a nostalgia Fest....my friend & I spent many hours listening to a 'Stellaphone' reel-to-reel tape deck, back in the latter years of the 1960's.. as we sat in our rooms at College, enjoying a mixture of Classical & Pop music, whilst we wished we didn't have to go to the next lecture....for which we_ always _sat right at the back!
This interpretation of Elgar's 1st Symphony (it's on Spotify & well-worth a listen) brings those times right back to me














But then so do the songs of Simon & Garfunkel...particularly this one!


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Pichl (1741-1805): Symphony in B Flat, Z 23

Matthias Bamert conducting the London Mozart Players


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Christen, ätzet diesen Tag', BWV 63_ 
Maria Keohane, soprano
Carlos Mena, countertenor
Julian Prégardien, tenor
Stephan MacLeod, bass
Ricercar Consort/Philippe Pierlot









*Luigi Boccherini*: _String Quartets, Op. 33 Nos. 1-6_
The Revolutionary Drawing Room


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Sid James: Sibelius Symphony #4
> - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet
> 
> Over to a work that I find extremely hard to take, Sibelius' fourth symphony. Its just depressing, but very cathartic. Its another one I've been fascinated with for ages. I was reminded of it by a poster on this thread earlier this week (sorry I forgot who you where).


A lot of people say that. The first two movements of Sibelius' Fourth-- which is what I listen to when I put it on-- aren't depressing to me in the least. Perhaps its because of how I chose to envision the symphony. I think of the vast, austere, Finnish landscape: the deep-blue waters of the fjords, the islands, patches of fog coming in, the freezing night and billions of stars, and the aurora borealis. . . I love it. Treasure it in fact.


----------



## shadowdancer

Let the weekend come...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> Didn't know this existed! I knew only of the abridged version I recommended to you. I trust you'll come forth with the full report when you've heard the rest.


Oh, you won't be able to shut me _up_. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . . and thanks for the wonderful recommendation.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> ah so ...................


The espresso's hobbling me along, but my head still feels like a frozen pineapple and my eyes like puffy grapes.

:O


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> If you seek out the Brahms Suite No 3 on Spotify, which I have just done...to listen to it later...it is listed along with Sir Adrian's 'Marche Slave'...for all you Marche Slave lovers!...or am I the_ only _one?!
> 
> Art Music...I have a framed reproduction of the album cover on the Ferlendis cd.... a view looking-down on Florence that I love (wish I was there, now) plus its painted by another person who shares my birthday, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot.
> 
> I know that there are works by Haydn that I have yet to acquaint myself fully with...but I'd never even_ heard _of this work...
> 
> View attachment 40388
> 
> 
> ...that I'm currently enjoying hearing on Spotify. It's jolly & joyful...which is what I need, as I'm a bit under-the-weather today!


I'd like to hear that Boult _Marche Slave_ myself.


----------



## JCarmel

I listened to it this morning, MB...& I'm going straight back to Sir John's! It's_ not _a wonderful piece of music really but it preceded the recording of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony in E on the LP that my Dad & I oft listened-to, together...& Barbirolli makes the most of it, musically.









So many of my favourite works are in E Minor....


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> I listened to it this morning, MB...& I'm going straight back to Sir John's! It's_ not _a wonderful piece of music really but it preceded the recording of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony in E on the LP that my Dad & I oft listened-to, together...& Barbirolli makes the most of it, musically.
> 
> View attachment 40404
> 
> 
> So many of my favourite works are in E Minor....


Well. . . 'I' think it's wonderful. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## aleazk

Stravinsky - _Movements for Piano and Orchestra_ & _Variations: Aldous Huxley in Memoriam_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*A Little Reiner Pick-Me-Up*









Beethoven's Fifth, last movement, Reiner-style.


----------



## csacks

Kalinnikov´s first symphony (second time this morning). Neeme Jarvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Discovered today morning. A delight.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Getting familiar with Janet Baker. Wait, that doesn't sound right.


----------



## Blancrocher

Brendel playing Haydn's Variations in F minor, H.XVII.6; The Alban Berg Quartet playing the "Fifths" string quartet.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

csacks said:


> Kalinnikov´s first symphony (second time this morning). Neeme Jarvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
> Discovered today morning. A delight.
> View attachment 40407


The first two Kalinnikov symphonies are charming. I like to listen to them when I read. I have the Svetlanov.


----------



## Morimur

*Benjamin Britten - Britten Conducts Britten III: The Burning Fiery Furnace, etc*

I had neglected Britten for far too long. In going back and listening to his work, I am reminded of why he is so deservedly revered; an absolute master.


----------



## JCarmel

Now that I've popped the Paracetamol...& eaten the chocolate...but the cold symptoms still gather apace, I'm resigned to suffering a miserable couple of days. So I'll just hand over to Ms Von Otter to do the 'mournful' for me?!...She does it more beautifully than I ever could.


----------



## rrudolph

Satie: La Diva de l'Empire/Avant-dernieres pensees/Trois Gnossiennes/Morceaux en forme de poire/Trois Sarabandes/La trois valses distinguees du precieux degoute/Trois Gymnopedies/Sports et Divertissements








Webern: Variationen Op. 27/Kinderstuck (1924)/Kinderstuck Op. post. (1925)/Sonatensatz (Rondo)/Satz fur Klavier








Cage: Four Walls


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Concertos with titles*

Biondi was the one who hooked me into Vivaldi several years ago. It was almost an obsession for about a year, collecting CDs, scores, and reading books. That's all died down; now I can just listen and enjoy it as it is.


----------



## Andolink

*Alban Berg*: _Chamber Concerto for Violin, Piano and 13 Wind Instruments_
Marie-Joseph Jude, piano
François-Marie Drieux, violin
Orchestre Poitou-Charentes/Jean-François Heisser


----------



## hpowders

Webern, Variations, Opus 27.
Mitsuko Uchida.

Disturbing, moving, dare I say, devastating atonal sonatina.
A lot of "emotion" packed into 8 minutes.
Recommended for the musically adventurous who haven't yet heard this.
The logical "next step" after listening to the Schoenberg Piano Concerto.


----------



## Vasks

_Offenbach...often_

*Offenbach - Overture to "Orpheus i the Underworld" (Faris/Time-Life LP)
Offenbach - Concerto Rondo (Harnoy/Vox Cum Laude LP)
Offenbach - Selections from "La Perichole" (Fiedler/RCA LP)*


----------



## Vasks

Manxfeeder said:


> *Vivaldi, Concertos with titles*
> 
> Biondi was the one who hooked me into Vivaldi several years ago. It was almost an obsession for about a year, collecting CDs, scores, and reading books. That's all died down; now I can just listen and enjoy it as it is.
> 
> View attachment 40415


That's a great disc. I know. I have it too.

And in general, Biondi brings liveliness & vibrancy to all things Baroque.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Sibelius Symphony #4
- L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet

Over to a work that I find extremely hard to take, Sibelius' fourth symphony. Its just depressing, but very cathartic. Its another one I've been fascinated with for ages. I was reminded of it by a poster on this thread earlier this week (sorry I forgot who you where).










Prompted by Sid James, I dug out this superb recording of Sibelius's 4th, surely one of the best things even Karajan did on disc. The 4th has always been my favourite Sibelius symphony, though it is certainly not his most popular. It's a bleak work certainly, but not necessarily depressing. For me it evokes the terrible magnificence and austerity of an Arctic landscape, relentlessly beautiful, endlessly fascinating. There is no comfort here, but a profound acceptance of life as it is. I find it the most visionary of all his symphonies.

Not quite so austere, the seventh is its perfect compliment, and Karajan conducts another wonderful performance. A great disc.


----------



## millionrainbows

* Martin Amlin (1953-); Sonata No. 6 (1987) and Sonata No. 7 (1999); Five Preludes (1989/90/95); Eight Variations (2000). *A composer and pianist of great distinction, one of my all-time favorite Americans.


----------



## Blancrocher

A first listen to this album, featuring the Stamitz Quartet playing sextets by Pavel and Antonin Vranicky.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Sibelius Symphony #4
> - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet
> 
> Over to a work that I find extremely hard to take, Sibelius' fourth symphony. Its just depressing, but very cathartic. Its another one I've been fascinated with for ages. I was reminded of it by a poster on this thread earlier this week (sorry I forgot who you where).
> 
> 
> View attachment 40417
> 
> 
> Prompted by Sid James, I dug out this superb recording of Sibelius's 4th, surely one of the best things even Karajan did on disc. The 4th has always been my favourite Sibelius symphony, though it is certainly not his most popular. It's a bleak work certainly, but not necessarily depressing. For me it evokes the terrible magnificence and austerity of an Arctic landscape, relentlessly beautiful, endlessly fascinating. There is no comfort here, but a profound acceptance of life as it is. I find it the most visionary of all his symphonies.
> 
> Not quite so austere, the seventh is its perfect compliment, and Karajan conducts another wonderful performance. A great disc.


---
Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Are you _sure_? I thought I was the only one in the universe who thought that. . .

I love the DG Karajan Sibelius Fourth as a pearl-beyond-praise in Sibelius Fourths. That Seventh that's included on the disc is otherworldly too; most especially with the string playing in the last couple of minutes of the piece.


----------



## Mahlerian

Bach: Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
Bob van Asperen


----------



## JCarmel

I bought this French 'Le Figaro' book-cum-cd set of Karajan's Sibelius Symphonies recordings...the 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th about six months ago for very little money...
I haven't listened to either of the two cd's contained within it... the 4th, recorded in 1953 with The Philharmonia is probably not the same as the one that you find so excellent, Greg?! But, I think it's time to give the recording a first hearing....


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Are you _sure_? I thought I was the only one in the universe who thought that. . .
> 
> I love the DG Karajan Sibelius Fourth as a pearl-beyond-praise in Sibelius Fourths. That Seventh that's included on the disc is otherworldly too; most especially with the string playing in the last couple of minutes of the piece.


Concur with all opinions expressed herein.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

JCarmel said:


> I bought this French 'Le Figaro' book-cum-cd set of Karajan's Sibelius Symphonies recordings...the 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th about six months ago for very little money...
> I haven't listened to either of the two cd's contained within it... the 4th, recorded in 1953 with The Philharmonia is probably not the same as the one that you find so excellent, Greg?! But, I think it's time to give the recording a first hearing....
> 
> View attachment 40421




No the DG was recorded in 1965, the sound pretty spectacular considering its age.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Late-Sixties Karajan DG Tapiola*









_Widespread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests,
Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams;
Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God,
And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets._

Tapio, the God of the Forrest, also swings his hammer and whips up a storm at the end of this unrivaled, magnificent reading; the terrifying likes of which you will never hear anywhere; I certainly haven't.

Absolutely enchanting music.

Quite possibly my favorite of all of Sibelius' tone poems.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> No the DG was recorded in 1965, the sound pretty spectacular considering its age.


It does. I have it. . . as I do all EMI and DG Karajan Sibelius; and I like it a lot-- the late sixties DG one has better sound, more finessing, and a better orchestra (no disrespect whatsoever to the magnificent fifties and sixties Philharmonia).


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40422
> 
> 
> _Widespread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests,
> Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams;
> Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God,
> And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets._
> 
> Tapio, the God of the Forrest, also swings his hammer and whips up a storm at the end of this unrivaled, magnificent reading; the terrifying likes of which you will never hear anywhere; I certainly haven't.
> 
> Absolutely enchanting music.
> 
> Quite possibly my favorite of all of Sibelius' tone poems.


_Tapiola_ is my favorite as well. Turns me into a pillar of ice and I _love_ it (brrrrr). It's a compositional tour de force in which S. carries his thematic economy/integration to the extreme. The harmony, the voicing, the orchestration - unbelievable.
This and Rachmaninov's _Isle of the Dead_ are my favorite tone-poems in all music. Huh... Morbid son of a gun, eh? :lol:


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40422
> 
> 
> _Widespread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests,
> Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams;
> Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God,
> And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets._
> 
> Tapio, the God of the Forrest, also swings his hammer and whips up a storm at the end of this unrivaled, magnificent reading; the terrifying likes of which you will never hear anywhere; I certainly haven't.
> 
> Absolutely enchanting music.
> 
> Quite possibly my favorite of all of Sibelius' tone poems.


I have that Tapiola on a different issue, coupled to Karajan's no less recommendable 5th.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> _Tapiola_ is my favorite as well. Turns me into a pillar of ice and I _love_ it (brrrrr). It's a compositional tour de force in which S. carries his thematic economy/integration to the extreme. The harmony, the voicing, the orchestration - unbelievable.
> This and Rachmaninov's _Isle of the Dead_ are my favorite tone-poems in all music. Huh... Morbid son of a gun, eh? :lol:


---
_Isle of the Dead_? Oh my God! Too uncanny. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Which ones do you love? I really love the entire reading of the Ashkenazy/Concertgebouw; but then I really love the way Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra do that one section of the heartbreakingly-sublime love theme with the strings in the middle of the piece.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> I have that Tapiola on a different issue, coupled to Karajan's no less recommendable 5th.


Gorgeous, isn't it?

The only thing I wish he would do different is just make those Berlin horns magnificently and loudly cascade at that climax in the first movement. . . Ashkenazy's Philharmonia performance does this the passage the closest I've yet heard to the way I want to hear it articulated-- but is still wide of the mark. I wish there were more Stokowski-type showmen out there doing this music.


----------



## rrudolph

Delio: though, on/as though/so again/not/...a different liquid/to make/-as/in-/Dashow: Songs from a Spiral Tree/First Tangent to the Given Curve








Burtner: Portals of Distortion/Fern/Split Voices/Mists/Incantation S4/Glass Phase


----------



## DrKilroy

Talking about Sibelius, Symphony No. 5:










Blair, I still have not got round to listening to Karajan's 6th, but I have it bookmarked, so it is only the matter of time. 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40422
> 
> 
> _Widespread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests,
> Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams;
> Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God,
> And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets._
> 
> Tapio, the God of the Forrest, also swings his hammer and whips up a storm at the end of this unrivaled, magnificent reading; the terrifying likes of which you will never hear anywhere; I certainly haven't.
> 
> Absolutely enchanting music.
> 
> Quite possibly my favorite of all of Sibelius' tone poems.


Tapiola is my favorite pudding


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Tapiola is my favorite pudding


_Tapiola a la Karajan_ for everyone; and a side-order of German chocolate creme brulee for moi.


----------



## Blancrocher

The Emerson String Quartet playing late Beethoven.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

DrKilroy said:


> Talking about Sibelius, Symphony No. 5:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Blair, I still have not got round to listening to Karajan's 6th, but I have it bookmarked, so it is only the matter of time.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


---
Respectfully, _Herr Doktor_: that's the soporific Berglund Sibelius set I Cassandra-tried to warn everyone about. You deserve German chocolate _creme brulee _like me-- not sourdough pretzels; like Berglund's facial expression on the cover of that Chamber Orchestra of Europe set: "Got any sourdough pretzels?" treat yourself to the EMI Berglund/Bournemouth set.


----------



## DrKilroy

With all due respect, I enjoy the performances of Nos. 5 and 7 from this set. Others I am not familiar with. :tiphat:


Best regards, Dr

PS I have to admit, however, that I suddenly started feeling sleepy while listening to the recording. But it never happened to me before.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Cheers to you! <clink.> I sure couldn't hear it.

"_When the doors of perception are cleansed, things will appear to man as they are, infinite_."

- William Blake


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> _Isle of the Dead_? Oh my God! Too uncanny. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Which ones do you love? I really love the entire reading of the Ashkenazy/Concertgebouw; but then I really love the way Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra do that one section of the heartbreakingly-sublime love theme with the strings in the middle of the piece.


I'm having trouble remembering what _Isles_ I've heard and can compare. There have been many, including the composer's own. The ones I have are Jansons, Reiner, Slatkin, Polyanski, and Horenstein; I've also heard Svetlanov and Mitropoulos. The Horenstein, on a Chesky CD with the 2nd Piano Concerto, used to be part of a Reader's Digest LP set of R's works for piano and orchestra with Earl Wild. I have mixed feelings about Wild, but Horenstein's _Isle_ remains a touchstone for me, a performance of feverish and ecstatic intensity I have not heard equaled. I played it for a friend and he said "So that's what that piece is supposed to sound like!"


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> I'm having trouble remembering what _Isles_ I've heard and can compare. There have been many, including the composer's own. The ones I have are Jansons, Reiner, Slatkin, Polyanski, and Horenstein; I've also heard Svetlanov and Mitropoulos. The Horenstein, on a Chesky CD with the 2nd Piano Concerto, used to be part of a Reader's Digest LP set of R's works for piano and orchestra with Earl Wild. I have mixed feelings about Wild, but Horenstein's _Isle_ remains a touchstone for me, a performance of feverish and ecstatic intensity I have not heard equaled. I played it for a friend and he said "So that's what that piece is supposed to sound like!"


--
_Horenstein's_ Isle, hmmm. . . I never would have thought. Thanks. . . I really like that Svetlanov-- in fact, I can't believe I didn't mention it. . . well, actually I can. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . the Reiner sounds rushed to me, exquisitely played as it is; the Jansons and the Polyanski left me non-plussed. . . How does Mitropoulos do it? I would imagine fast, if his_ Poem of Ecstasy _is any indication (which is probably the fastest one ever done).


----------



## LancsMan

*Saint-Saens: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5. Raspodie d'Auvergne. Allegro appassionata. Africa.* Stephen Hough and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo on hyperion







I'm listening to the second disc from this enjoyable 2 disc set of the Saint-Saens complete music for piano and orchestra.

I think the fourth piano concerto is my favourite of the Saint-Saens piano concertos. I particularly like the first movement.

The fifth piano concerto is quite a fun work, with some oriental flavour.

These works by Saint-Saens may not be profound but they are very musical, elegant and at times quite fun. A pleasant contrast both to German seriousness and to many overblown 19th century virtuoso concertos whose musical qualities can seem to be distinctly lacking (well to my ear).


----------



## JCarmel

Just found this article about Sibelius's 4th Symphony

http://www.fugato.com/pickett/SibForum2_10_pickett.pdf


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> _Horenstein's_ Isle, hmmm. . . I never would have thought. Thanks. . . I really like that Svetlanov-- in fact, I can't believe I didn't mention it. . . well, actually I can. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . the Reiner sounds rushed to me, exquisitely played as it is; the Jansons and the Polyanski left me non-plussed. . . How does Mitropoulos do it? I would imagine fast, if his_ Poem of Ecstasy _is any indication (which is probably the fastest one ever done).


I liked the Mitropoulos but couldn't really recommend it because it's old and the sound is too drab and congested. It was coupled with an interesting Mahler's First. I think I sold it.


----------



## KenOC

Tchaikovsky, Rococo Variations. Yo-yo Ma, Temirkanov, Leningrad PO. One of my favorite pieces by Tchaikovsky -- on the radio.


----------



## hpowders

The Haydn Project, Emerson String Quartet.

A selection of great string quartets from opuses: 20,33,54,64,74,76 and 77.

Except for a few unexpected slides and a bit too much vibrato for my taste, these are extremely well-played, as to be expected from this virtuosic group.

Recommended!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight I'm kicking off with:

*Leoš Janáček - Zapisnik zmizeleho ("The Diary of One Who Disappeared")*
Cycle of 22 Songs for Tenor, Contralto, Three Female Voices & Piano on Poetry by Ozef Kalda

Nicolai Gedda and Věra Soukupová, Prague Radio Chamber Female Chorus, Josef Palenicek - piano


----------



## clara s

Spring is here...

As I was looking from my window the sky kissing the sea goodnight,
It came to my mind, that there was this poem of Pushkin,
dedicated to young beauties.

Somewhere I read that his reward would be the hope that some lovesick girl will read the poem in secret.

And then I remembered *Mikhail Glinka and his Ruslan and Lyudmila*

Based on this poem...
So, this is what I am listening to, now

Perfect overture

_The things of days, in Lithe gone,
The legends of the past obscure..._


----------



## Jos

After recommending Scarlatti on piano in another thread I felt like some baroque harpsichord.
This one fits the bill nicely, Galuppi, eight sonatas, Philips early stereo.
Couldn't find much info on this particular harpsichord in the linernotes, but it sounds fantastic, way less "metallic" than some harpsichordrecordings that I have. An almost warm sound.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## cwarchc

A break from my avant garde phase
My new addition


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Richard Wagner, Tannhäuser - Overture (Hiroshi Wakasugi; Staatskapelle Dresden).

'Dich teure Halle' (Elisabeth) (Heinz Fricke; Els Bolkestein; Staatskapelle Berlin).

'Freudig begrüßen wir' (Otmar Suitner; Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin; Staatskapelle Berlin).

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Vorspiel zum 1. Aufzug (Heinz Rögner; Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin).

'Wie duftet doch der Flieder (Hans Sachs) (Otmar Suitner; Theo Adam; Staatskapelle Dresden).

'Wach auf! Es nahet gen den Tag' (Otmar Suitner; Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin; Staatskapelle Berlin).


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitri Levkovich performs Rachmaninov - Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor op. 36 at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition (May, 2011, Tel Aviv).*

I really enjoyed this performance, and the sonata, and the sound is brilliant!

*videolink*


----------



## LancsMan

*Franz Liszt & Richard Strauss: Lieder* Brigitte Fassbaender and Irwin Gage on DG







A selection of songs from Liszt & R. Strauss.

Quite interesting as I'm not overly familiar with Liszt lieder. Very much in thoughtful Lisztian style, though I'm not convinced that melody is his strongest suit. His songs don't seem as natural and compelling as say Schumann's. But certainly worth hearing.

Now with Strauss melodic talent is not in doubt. In my collection I have more Strauss songs accompanied by orchestra than by piano alone, and it's quite a different experience to hear Strauss vocal works naked so to speak.


----------



## Blancrocher

Luigi Nono's "Hay que caminar" soñando and La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura, with Gidon Kremer and Tatiana Grindenko (rec. 1990)


----------



## JCarmel

Thanks, LancsMan for the reminder.....I haven't heard this cd for years!









I'm currently listening to Beecham's 'Clock' & wondering if his interpretation will figure in Misha Donat's final choices of Haydn's Symphony 101 in Radio 3's 'CD Review' tomorrow morning at 9-30am?


----------



## Oskaar

Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Zubin Mehta - Mozart sinfonia concertante part 2 + *7:25. Bonus - Haendel/Halvorsen, Passacaglia and Sarabanda Variations.*

Not the best sound, probably some decades old, but the real value here is Perlmans face. Does he reach the toilet? Is it already to late? Hehe, jokes aside.. I realy enjoy such expressions from artists. And they both play very good!

*videolink* 15 min


----------



## JCarmel

I_ do _like Pinchas Zukerman. (Yep, you've guessed right...he shares my birthday!)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Britten*: Orchestral Works, w. Csaba et al (rec.1988).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

JCarmel said:


> Just found this article about Sibelius's 4th Symphony
> 
> http://www.fugato.com/pickett/SibForum2_10_pickett.pdf


Very interesting. Thank you


----------



## cwarchc

Desert Music Steve Reich on YT


----------



## LancsMan

*Brahms: Piano Quartets Op.25 & Op.60* Emanuel Ax, Isaac Stern, Jaime Laredo and Yo-Yo Ma on Sony








I'm now listening to the first disc from an excellent boxed set of Brahms Piano Quartets.

I've always been quite a fan of the Brahms chamber works, particularly those which include piano. He really seems to let himself go as compared to his orchestral music. At times very passionate, but also including passages of a hushed intensity with muted strings. He can have fun too as in the Rondo alla zingarese of the Op.25.


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I've stopped the 'Clock'...put Brigitte back where I found her...& I'm off for an early night with a young man.

It's the 'Jeunehomme' K271 of course, conducted by Istvan Kertesz, with pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy....who I rate as a fine Mozartean!


----------



## Oskaar

*"Tzigane" de Ravel interprété par Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violon) avec Jean Jacques Kantorow dirigeant le Sinfonia Varsovia à la Folle Journée de Nantes 2013*

Last little post before bedtime, and here is an act of real engagement and theatrical performance! Patricia Kopatchinskaja is really stunning here. Really recommended!

*videolink* - 11:27


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> Giving Klemperer an orchestra and _Don Giovanni _*is like giving quaaludes and car keys to teenage boys*. I can follow him in other works; unfortunately not this one.


Oh yeah?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> *Britten*: Orchestral Works, w. Csaba et al (rec.1988).


How's Christina Hogman on _Les Illuminations_? I have Felicity Lott doing it with Bryden Thomson on Chandos and her voice is absolutely exquisite.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Originally Posted by Marschallin Blair
> Giving Klemperer an orchestra and Don Giovanni is like giving quaaludes and car keys to teenage boys. I can follow him in other works; unfortunately not this one.





Vaneyes said:


> Oh yeah?


For that opera?---Oh absolutely; and without cavil or qualification.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> How's Christina Hogman on _Les Illuminations_? I have Felicity Lott doing it with Bryden Thomson on Chandos and her voice is absolutely exquisite.


She's not bad actually, though Lott is lots better!


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> How's Christina Hogman on _Les Illuminations_? I have Felicity Lott doing it with Bryden Thomson on Chandos and her voice is absolutely exquisite.


Christina's dreamier.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> She's not bad actually, though Lott is lots better!


Well, charm and beautiful intonation seem to be her lot in life.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> Christina's dreamier.


_Seriously_? Have you actually heard the Lott? I think that's a real hard act to follow.


----------



## Vaneyes

GregMitchell said:


> She's not bad actually, though Lott is lots better!


Felicity doesn't open her mouth as much...losing some effect...a little harsh at times. :tiphat:


----------



## AClockworkOrange

I have had a day from Hell today so it is time climb into my audio cocoon (a.k.a. my headphones and dimly if lit room) and let the world fade away for a little while.

What better way to start than *Brahms Fourth Symphony* conjured forth by *Carlos Kleiber & the Wiener Philharmoniker.* I haven't listened to the piece for a while but it hit the target perfectly. Distance does indeed make the heart grow fonder.








Next up is *Tasmin Little and Piers Lane's British Violin Sonatas: **Volume 1.* A truly beautiful disc in which Howard Ferguson proves to be a show stealer for me. The recording is superb with production approved by Goldilocks, definitely just right.








Queued up to finish the night off is *Brahms First Symphony*. As opposed to my favourite Tennstedt recording, I am going with the Shaman himself - *Sergiu Celibidache* with the *Wiener Symphoniker*.








Thank Heavens it is Friday today


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> Felicity doesn't open her mouth as much...losing some effect...a little harsh at times. :tiphat:


Clearly you haven't heard it.


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> Clearly you haven't heard it.


Thats a rude assumption.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vaneyes said:


> Thats a rude assumption.


That's a feckless and irresponsible remark on Lott.


----------



## Vaneyes

Marschallin Blair said:


> That's a feckless and irresponsible remark on Lott.


You, madame, have been x'd.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2


----------



## DrKilroy

Some Beethoven while doing planimetry exercises: Sonata No. 21 and Symphony No. 2:



















Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

128 Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein
129 Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott
130 Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir

Gustav Leonhardt (128, 129) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (130), cond.


----------



## bejart

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801): Cello Concerto No.2 in A Major

Prague Chamber Orchestra with Christian Benda, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Schumann & Schubert*









Symphony No. 1, first movement.









Symphony No. 4, first movement.


----------



## Itullian

Vaneyes said:


> Felicity doesn't open her mouth as much...losing some effect...a little harsh at times. :tiphat:


And she named her son Parking.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Bax (orch. Yates): Symphony in F Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Martin Yates

Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Chopin: Etude in F, Op.25 No.3/Waltz in A Minor, Op.34 No.2 Byron Janis

Moussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati

This symphony by Bax is fascinating, written in 1907, it exists as a complete piano score. According to Lewis Foreman's extremely detailed and fascinating notes, Bax was in the habit of writing things out as a piano score, and then only orchestrating when a performance was promised, so this has lain in limbo for over a hundred years! Martin Yates has made a brilliant job of it- it sounds *very* like Bax, and even more so when you realise that there are apparently only three indications as to instrumentation in the whole score! At 78 minutes in length it is the longest of his symphonies, but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey through it. The first movement I found very exciting, the slow second is very like the Bax of the symphonic poems, whilst the scherzo is a waltz, which Bax left a detailed note very near to the programme for Ravel's "La Valse", which it predates by several years! It is not dissimilar in sound, especially towards the end, and it's interesting to ponder whether Bax, writing before Ravel would have orchestrated it quite this way! The last movement is 25 minutes long and takes you down many highways and by-ways before a triumphant end. Bax wrote this during a stay in Dresden. The previous year there he'd heard two movements of Mahler's 6th, one wonders whether hearing Mahler had influenced him with regard to symphonic proportion? It's brilliantly played and recorded and full marks to Martin Yates for bringing it so persuasively to life.
Then the wonderful Byron Janis in "Pictures at an Exhibition". This is such an original and striking work for the piano, even now it seems incredibly modern. I played it through myself a couple of weeks ago (after a fashion!) and thought then how remarkable it is, and as such I must say, I think the original is far superior to *any* orchestration. I may as well admit now that I've never cared for the Ravel orchestration, too much of it sounds like it's being played by the French National Guards Band (if such a thing exists), which surprises me given Ravel's normal excellence in this sphere. Dorati & co. play it as well as anyone, but.......I still don't like it (and I realise this is a blind spot on my part, but there it is). The recording is superb, and Byron Janis is as good as anyone I've ever heard in the piano version, and a good deal better than most! Tremendous.


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> For that opera?---Oh absolutely; and without cavil or qualification.


Otto rules..............


----------



## Itullian

aclockworkorange said:


> i have had a day from hell today so it is time climb into my audio cocoon (a.k.a. My headphones and dimly if lit room) and let the world fade away for a little while.
> 
> What better way to start than *brahms fourth symphony* conjured forth by *carlos kleiber & the wiener philharmoniker.* i haven't listened to the piece for a while but it hit the target perfectly. Distance does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
> View attachment 40441
> 
> 
> next up is *tasmin little and piers lane's british violin sonatas: **volume 1.* a truly beautiful disc in which howard ferguson proves to be a show stealer for me. The recording is superb with production approved by goldilocks, definitely just right.
> View attachment 40444
> 
> 
> queued up to finish the night off is *brahms first symphony*. As opposed to my favourite tennstedt recording, i am going with the shaman himself - *sergiu celibidache* with the *wiener symphoniker*.
> View attachment 40445
> 
> 
> thank heavens it is friday today


celi !!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## jim prideaux

to end what has been a rather enjoyable day which started with Dvorak-Brahms 3rd and 4th symphonies-Harnoncourt conducting the BPO.....


----------



## chalkpie

Vaneyes said:


> You, madame, have been x'd.


What exactly is x'd?


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Gerald Finzi - Dies Natalis, Op.8* texts by Thomas Traherne, for solo tenor and string orchestra
Philip Langridge, Tenor; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; David Hill [Decca]

I was a little surprised to find myself liking something which seemed to start in bucolic whimsy, so much.

*Webern's 5 Lieder Op. 3* on texts from Der Siebente Ring by Stefan Georg
Heather Harper (soprano) and Charles Rosen (piano) [Sony Classical]

Breathtaking. Beautiful and utterly original music.

*Franz Schubert - Gretchen am Spinnrade, D 118 *
Christiane Oelze (soprano) & Eric Schneider (piano) [YouTube]

Christiane Oelze is excellent in Gretchen am Spinnrade.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quartet in D Major, Op.64, No.1

Quartetto D'Archi di Venezia: Andrea Vio and Alberto Battiston, violins -- Luca Morassutti, viola -- Angelo Zanin, cello


----------



## chalkpie

I don't listen to this one often, but I am always blown away when I do. I think this guy is a tremendous orchestrator.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Sibelius: String Quartet in D Minor "Voces Intimae" Budapest String Quartet

The pioneering recording of this amazing piece. Recorded on the 8th August, 1933, this is a remarkably good transfer on World Records of a performance that still ranks as one of the best. Well worth searching out.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius En Saga & VI*









Ashkenary/Philharmonia_ En Saga_









Karajan/BPO EMI Sibelius VI


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Listening on YouTube tonight again:

*Maurice Ravel - Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé*
Nora Gubisch Soprano; Ensemble Intercontemporain, Dir. Alain Altinoglu

*
Claude Debussy - Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90* song cycle for voice & piano, texts by Pierre Louÿs
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Pei-Yao Wang, piano [YouTube]

*
Gabriel Fauré - La chanson d'Ève, Op. 95*
Dawn Upshaw, soprano; Gilbert Kalish, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

Haydn Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio


----------



## Blake

Savall and his gang of immortals - _The Borgia Dynasty._


----------



## TurnaboutVox

And finally, before bed:

*Brahms - Zwei Gesänge, Op. 91* (for alto, piano and viola)
I. Gestillte Sehnsucht (Stilled Longing)
II. Geistliches Wiegenlied (Holy Lullaby)
Jessye Norman, soprano; Daniel Barenboim (piano) and Wolfram Christ (viola)


----------



## chalkpie

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40462
> 
> 
> Ashkenary/Philharmonia_ En Saga_
> 
> View attachment 40463
> 
> 
> Karajan/BPO EMI Sibelius VI


That is funny - that Herbie Sib 1 and 6 disc is the first Sibelius disc I owned and I was largely unimpressed for a long time. Then one day the light came on and now I am an addict with a severe problem.


----------



## Guest

After his successful Lutoslawski series for Chandos, Gardner has now turned to Barok with equally fantastic results. The Melbourne Orchestra plays with great power and virtuosity; in turn Chandos has provided them with stunning sound.


----------



## bejart

Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827): Violin Concerto in B Flat, Op.15

Giancarlo Andretta leading the Orchestra di Padova e del Venuto -- Francesco Manara, violin


----------



## KenOC

Sibelius, Symphony No. 1. Segerstam, Helsinki PO. Never listened to this much -- I mean, first symphony, can't be all that good, right? Turns out it's pretty good after all!


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Blake

Paolo Pandolfo: _Mr. de Sainte Colombe - Pieces de Viole._ He's a wizard on the Gamba.


----------



## bejart

Johann Kalliwoda (1801-1866): String Quartet in E Minor, Op.61

Quatour Talich: Jan Talich and Petr Macecek, violins -- Vladimir Bukac, viola -- Petr Prause, cello


----------



## KenOC

Tanayev, String Quartet No. 4 in A minor, Carpe Diem String Quartet. Pretty good stuff.


----------



## JCarmel

Yippee!...it's 3.22am & I haven't had a wink of sleep yet.... 
What I _am_ enjoying right now is Brahms 2nd Symphony & Bruno Walter's conducting of same....with The Columbia Symphony Orchestra. I became acquainted with Brahms Symphonies c/o Walters interpretations...(save that of the 4th, which was with Toscanini & the NBC... still my favourite) & listening to the 1st & 2nd within the last 24 hours, has convinced me that I could hardly have had a better introduction to them. So thanks goes to Dad once again, for a 'great pick!'


----------



## Vasks

Mr. Wolfl! Wasn't he the guy on American TV in the 70's that kept saying "Please don't squeeze the Charmin"? ;-)


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphonies Nos 3 and 4


----------



## JCarmel

You 'gentlemen of the night' are very kind! Perhaps you might 'like' my current listen, too...another Virgoan conductor (there's lots of them) Istvan Kertesz conducting Ravel's Concerto in G with Julius Katchen. I've never heard this interpretation but its rather fine....with a loud bang on the drum in my left ear!









What an interesting face?


----------



## Blancrocher

Carlos Surinach's Piano Concerto, with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducting Alicia Larrocha and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (rec. 1977).

Listening to this as a result of reading Sid James' recent blog post.


----------



## Alypius

An evening of Brahms:










Takacs Quartet & Stephen Hough - _Brahms: String Quartet, op. 51, no. 2 / Piano Quintet, op. 34_ (Hyperion)










Emil Gilels / Eugen Jochum / Berliner Philharmoniker, _Brahms: Piano Concertos_ (DG)










A recent (and outstanding) release:

Takacs Quartet & Lawrence Power, _Brahms: String Quintets_ (Hyperion, 2014)


----------



## chalkpie

KenOC said:


> Sibelius, Symphony No. 1. Segerstam, Helsinki PO. Never listened to this much -- I mean, first symphony, can't be all that good, right? Turns out it's pretty good after all!


I have to say, His 5th Symphony first movement (which I F'ing LOVE) just drags too much for my taste. Its a shame because the group plays really well, and he has a great clarity with this music. It just needs to propel more, like Vanska. But the problem with Vanska is that the recording is a bit distant and not as engaging sonically as this one. But pace wise, Vanska is more exciting, especially with that amazing contrapuntal section with the strings with these bursts from the winds right before the big conclusion on the movement. Sanderling is also on the slower side. I think I recall Von Karajan giving this movement some life, yes?


----------



## JCarmel

Will check out the Surinach on Spotify...I have "The Art of Alicia de Laroccha'' box set in my list of albums there.

I have_ just _been listening to the conducting of Fruhbeck de Burgos! He is one of the conductors in my Spotify challenge to find the best_ Faure Ballad in F, opus 19_! 
Leading the way so far it's Louis Lortie/De Burgos and Collard/Plasson but I also enjoyed the old recording of Marguerite Long with Andre Cluytens.









I do enjoy this piece...yes, it's a bit saccharin but its perfect for 5 am in the morning when you're plain out of Cadbury's 'Buttons'
The leader so far_...is _the Collard...by a spoonful!


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat, D.960


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20 No. 6 in A Major; No. 4 in D Major
(The London Haydn Quartet).









String Quartet Op. 50 No. 3 in E-Flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).


----------



## Guest

Despite being written in the 21st century, these works are not overtly experimental. Clearly, Segovia would not have played them, but most are relatively tuneful. This is the first in a series of 4 planned recordings to showcase contemporary Spanish composers. Levin plays wonderfully and is well recorded.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Tsaraslondon

ArtMusic said:


>


What a privilege to say I actually saw this production at the ROH. One of my most memorable evenings there.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Hindemith - When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd (William Stone/Jan DeGaetini/Atlanta Symphon & Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw on Telarc).

There has been some discourse about Britten recently, and for those who hold his War Requiem in high esteem I would suggest giving this work a listen, as there are certain parallels.

Walt Whitman originally wrote the text both as a elegy to the recently-assassinated President Lincoln and as a lament to the horror of the Civil War in which he served as an orderly in a Washington DC military hospital. Then in 1945 Hindemith received a commission from Robert Shaw to compose a work in in honour of the recently-deceased President F.D. Roosevelt. When the composer was able to start work on the commission in earnest the following year, Hindemith found that he could set Whitman's words not only as a elegy to Roosevelt but also to the US military who had fallen during WWII.

Without doubt a moving work and one that also shatters any preconceptions that Hindemith would be too clinical a composer to write music to compliment such an emotive text.


----------



## AH music

MOZART - Piano concertos no 15 K450 and no 16 K451. Two concertos I am familiar with through having at one time had a CD of Perahia. Last evening listened to Uchida via spotify. Especially enjoyed all of no 15 and the slow movement of no 16.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

I first heard this magical work in the beautiful setting of the chapel of a girls' school near Lewes. I went along to the rehearsals as well as my friend, John Morton, was playing the Ondes Martenot. It was a perfect, beautiful summer's day and both the rehearsals and performance made a profound effect.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurkas Op. 30 - No. 1 in C minor; No. 2 in B minor (Garrick Ohlsson).


----------



## JCarmel

Dear 'HaydnBearsTheClock'...You're On!.....CD Review, Radio 3...if you're interested &/or within listening-range? Will report who is deemed the 'best time-keeper' later.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Refreshing or perverse? This recording is certainly arresting, and I guess only time will tell. I enjoyed listening to this new version, whilst wondering if Currentzis's alternately fast and slow speeds would grate on repeated hearing. My main problem is with what John Steane would have called the squeeze box method of many of the singers. No real legato line, each note given a little accent. On the other hand the final chorus is certainly beautifully and eloquently performed, and it is certainly worth sticking with it to the end.


----------



## sankalp

Rod Steward - Maggie May


----------



## BaronScarpia

SIBELIUS
Finlandia
Karelia Suite
Lemminkäinen Suite


----------



## Guest

This is a nice CD. I like Sol Gabetta, but it's too bad Mozart never completed a concerto for cello. I'm sure it would be better than this transcription of Flute Concerto in D, K314.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dussek's Grand Sonata Op.65 - Clive Conway flute, Christina Shillito, cello, Christine Croshaw, piano


----------



## Jeff W

Finished off my Schubert String Quartet listening project. The Melos Quartett played Nos. 12 & 15. Got to say that enjoyed these so much that I'm currently in the market for another set to do some comparative listening with.









Went to Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 6 for the Saturday Symphony thread. Dmitrij Kitajenko led the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln. This was my first time listening to this particular symphony and I have absolutely no idea what to make of it so I'm going to be giving this one another listen.

Next came the last disc of Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonatas. Jeno Jando played Sonatas No. 59 through 62. Greatly enjoyed this set too! (No cover art for this, forgot to transfer it from the desktop to my laptop...)









Last up is Beethoven's 6th and 5th Symphonies. Herbert von Karajan leads the Berlin Philharmonic. Heard the Sixth on the radio last night on Performance Today and they left out the second movement which happens to be my favorite. It was bugging me all night so I went ahead and listened to the Sixth first and then went to the Fifth.


----------



## bejart

James Cervetto (ca.1682-1783): Cello Sonata No.2 in G Major

Ensemble Fete Rustique: Giorgio Matteoli, cello -- Walter Mammarella, harpsichord -- Marcello Scandelli, cello continuo

How many CM composers can you name who lived to be 100?


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Dvorak's Piano Trio No.4 "Dumky" - Dvorak Trio


----------



## JCarmel

I'm paying the price today for my all-night sojourn. I got to sleep about 2 hours 15 mins before it was time to wake-up! So I'm feeling lack-lustre...though the sight of Jerome's most tasteful avatar is enough to brighten my day. Good to see you, Jerome!
The specific choice for Haydn's Symphony 101 was Claudio Abbado with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe....I'll seek that out no doubt on Spotify. 
I've been listening to old LP's for part of the morning. The first was a 'sampler' from Philips, available at a bargain price, that I played to death ..particularly the Harpsichord Concerto in F by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach & it provided me with my proper first introduction to the music of the 'Bach Boys, as I called them.














I'm alarmed to see that I purchased the second of those LP's in 1970! 44 years ago?! Oh Dear....

I'm now listening to new interpretations of the familiar symphonies....very enjoyable, very brisk but to me a little too 'slick'.
I tend to find that the impressive musicianship on so many recordings & the faster tempi, just don't quite convince me somehow.
It's the current style.....(as is that way of singing you mentioned, Greg...the 'squeeze box method'...I hate it!)


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio;

Korngold's Between Two Worlds - John Mauceri, cond.


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet in F, opus 18, no. 1 & String Quartet in F, opus 59, no. 1 "Rasumovsky"
By the Alban Berg Quartet, on EMI (studio cycle '85)









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonatas in Em K304, in D K306, in B-flat K378, in G K481
By Itzhak Perlman [violin], Daniel Barenboim, on Deutsche Grammophone









Ludwig van Beethoven - Kreutzer Sonata
By Isabelle Faust [violin], Alexander Melnikov [piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Mahlerian

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Weller


----------



## Jeff W

Listening to Robert Schumann's Symphonies No. 1 & 2. Herbert von Karajan leads the Berlin Philharmonic. It has been far too long since I listened to anything other than Schumann's Piano Concerto.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

chalkpie said:


> That is funny - that Herbie Sib 1 and 6 disc is the first Sibelius disc I owned and I was largely unimpressed for a long time. Then one day the light came on and now I am an addict with a severe problem.











Your addiction's about to become more ravaging: on May twenty-seventh, Warner Classics is going to release Karajan's remastered EMI Sibelius recordings from 1967-1981; which of course means your beloved One and Six.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 40506
> 
> 
> Listening to Robert Schumann's Symphonies No. 1 & 2. Herbert von Karajan leads the Berlin Philharmonic. It has been far too long since I listened to anything other than Schumann's Piano Concerto.


I especially love his spun-gold Rhenish in that set; in fact, that's the reason I bought the box set to begin with.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40487
> 
> 
> I first heard this magical work in the beautiful setting of the chapel of a girls' school near Lewes. I went along to the rehearsals as well as my friend, John Morton, was playing the Ondes Martenot. It was a perfect, beautiful summer's day and both the rehearsals and performance made a profound effect.


Beautiful story. . . I'm intrigued. I'll have to check it out.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Schubert: Symphonies Nos 3 and 4


That Bohm Schubert's Fourth is so laid back. Have you heard the Markevitch/BPO?- incandescent. . . hardly the same music.


----------



## JCarmel

Listening to the Karajan Rhenish on Spotify, now!


----------



## bejart

Anton Zimmermann (1741-1781): Symphony in C Major

Peter Zajicek leading Musica Aeterna


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Gundula On the Go*









_Wie Nahte Mir Der Schlummer... Leise, Leise 
Der Freischutz: Und Ob Die Wolke 
Oberon: Ozean, Du Ungeheuer! 
Dich, Teure Halle 
Tannhauser: Allmacht'ge Jungfrau_

I just got this cd last night and was listening to it on the rainy and windy and dark way to work this morning. Pure, silver-throated aural delight. Who floats notes like that?


----------



## Andolink

*Francesco Durante*: _"Concerti per quartteto" Nos. 1-5 & No. 8_
Concerto Köln









*Arnold Bax*: _Piano Sonata No. 2 in G major_
Michael Endres, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

The CD looks like this but with a 6.


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Brahms' Handel Variations - Jorge Federico Osorio, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Ecce Homo*









_Pictures at an Exhibition_









_Impromptus_


----------



## JCarmel

I enjoyed the Karajan 'Rhenish' a lot! But I wasn't quite so keen on the opening of The Spring, No 1....so for the moment, I'm moving-on to music that will help get me in the mood for confrontational football of the most exciting kind, in this weekend's vital matches... where it will probably be decided who wins the Premiership...& who goes Up and who's 'for the Drop' to the Lower Divisions.

So its Montague versus Capulets in this still impressive interpretation of Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet' by Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> I enjoyed the Karajan 'Rhenish' a lot! But I wasn't quite so keen on the opening of The Spring, No 1....so for the moment, I'm moving-on to music that will help get me in the mood for confrontational football of the most exciting kind, in this weekend's vital matches... where it will probably be decided who wins the Premiership...& who goes Up and who's 'for the Drop' to the Lower Divisions.
> 
> So its Montague versus Capulets in this still impressive interpretation of Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet' by Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra.
> 
> View attachment 40516


---
Karajan's Spring Symphony does indeed flag. When I listen to the Spring, I go Sinopoli.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> What a privilege to say I actually saw this production at the ROH. One of my most memorable evenings there.


What was so memorable about it?


----------



## Blancrocher

Dejan Lazic playing keyboard works by CPE Bach and Benjamin Britten (rec. 2008); Bonynge & co in Britten's Rossini suites (rec. 1981).


----------



## Bas

Marschallin Blair said:


> That Bohm Schubert's Fourth is so laid back. Have you heard the Markevitch/BPO?- incandescent. . . hardly the same music.


Or try Harnoncourt's with the Concertgebouw, tremendous!


----------



## Vasks

*JPE Hartmann - Overture to "Little Kirsten" (Hye-Knudsen/Sterling)
Brahms - Piano Trio #3 (Borodin/Chandos)
Grieg - From Holberg's Time (Jarvi/DG)
Delius - Summer Night on the River (Wordsworth/Collins)*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> What was so memorable about it?


Everything really, but mostly Alagna, who never really lived up to the promise shown in this, his Covent Garden debut, I believe. There was a real buzz that evening. Had we finally found a tenor to take on the mantle of the Big Three? The press here had a heyday. He really was big news. I still think he'd have been better to stick to French music. I also have his Werther on disc, and mighty fine it is too. In the studio recording of *Romeo et Juliette* he later made with Gheorghiu, he still shows what it was that made us all so excited at the time.

Vaduva was a lovely, girlish Juliette, and the production, traditional in all the right ways, was just perfect. With Sir Charles Mackerras at the helm, it could hardly fail.


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to









http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Sept13/Wagner_transcriptions_ABCD353.htm
http://www.alba.fi/en/shop/products/5008


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40491
> 
> My main problem is with what John Steane would have called the squeeze box method of many of the singers. No real legato line, each note given a little accent.


"The squeeze box method"... I've never been able to come up with a phrase to describe that way of singing. Now I have one!

Do you think performers of early music may be prone to this because they're afraid a long legato phrase may sound "Romantic"?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Bas said:


> Or try Harnoncourt's with the Concertgebouw, tremendous!


Bas, you are the _Youth Gone Wild_. I love you. (_Quod vide_ the eponymous song title by Skid Row. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.)

I'll check it out. _Danke schon_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Everything really, but mostly Alagna, who never really lived up to the promise shown in this, his Covent Garden debut, I believe. There was a real buzz that evening. Had we finally found a tenor to take on the mantle of the Big Three? The press here had a heyday. He really was big news. I still think he'd have been better to stick to French music. I also have his Werther on disc, and mighty fine it is too. In the studio recording of *Romeo et Juliette* he later made with Gheorghiu, he still shows what it was that made us all so excited at the time.
> 
> Vaduva was a lovely, girlish Juliette, and the production, traditional in all the right ways, was just perfect. With Sir Charles Mackerras at the helm, it could hardly fail.


--
Lovely.

I wish I was there. I have the Gheorghiu/Alagna _Romeo et Juliette_-- I can only imagine how swimmingly-elegant it went with Mackerras at the helm.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> "The squeeze box method"... I've never been able to come up with a phrase to describe that way of singing. Now I have one!
> 
> Do you think performers of early music may be prone to this because they're afraid a long legato phrase may sound "Romantic"?


It's possible I suppose, though it's something I sometimes notice in the singing of Lucia Popp, who is a singer I like a lot. I was listening to her Mozart recital the other day, and I noticed that in comparison to Te Kanawa or Schwarzkopf or Janowitz, to name but three, that, though the line is there, there are little swells in the tone, that you don't get with the above mentioned ladies.


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> It's possible I suppose, though it's something I sometimes notice in the singing of Lucia Popp, who is a singer I like a lot. I was listening to her Mozart recital the other day, and I noticed that in comparison to Te Kanawa or Schwarzkopf or Janowitz, to name but three, that, though the line is there, there are little swells in the tone, that you don't get with the above mentioned ladies.


Interesting. I'll have to listen for that next time I hear Popp. I've certainly noticed this effect with plenty of singers in various repertoire. It's really so amateurish - it's what beginning musicians think of as "being expressive." Lord knows I was treated to it on a continuous basis as I endured the earnest efforts of my fellow music students in college. I'd like to think that I wasn't too often guilty of it myself. After all, I was listening to plenty of Callas and Sutherland in those days, and if they couldn't teach me how to phrase and how not to, no one could.


----------



## Arsakes

*Schumann*'s Introduction and Allegro appassionato in G major for Piano and Orchestra
*Liszt*'s Hungarian Fantasy & Totentanz
*Berwald*'s Serious and Joyful Fancies, Racing Overture


----------



## maestro267

*Beethoven*: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (Eroica)
Philadelphia Orchestra/Muti


----------



## nightscape

Joe Hisaishi - Princess Mononoke: Symphonic Suite


----------



## bejart

Florian Leopold Gassmann (1729-1774): String Quartet in E Major

Giancarlo De Lorenzo directing the Ensemble Vox Aurae


----------



## senza sordino

Schuman, Lalo and Saint Saens cello concerti


----------



## opus55

Joachim: Violin Concertos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A new (but 'pre-loved', or perhaps not!) disc picked up with a couple of others today in the charity shop where my son works.

*Frederick Delius - Complete Violin Sonatas

Sonata in B Op. posth. (1892)
Sonata No. 1 (1905-14)
Sonata No. 2 (1923)
Sonata No. 3 (1930)*

Tamsin Little, violin; Piers Lane, piano [Sony, rec. 1997; reissued 2009]










I was very pleased to find this at £2.99. I've had the Unicorn LP of sonatas 1-3 with Eric Fenby and Ralph Holmes for many years, and whilst those two lack nothing in artistry the Sony digital recording is immeasurably superior to the shrill, thin sound on the old LP.

The 1892 work, which I've not heard before, shows the characteristic 'Delian' style in development, but the 'real meat' of mature Delius starts with the Sonata No. 1 of 1905-14, a lyrical masterpiece. Now, how can I encourge people to vote for it on the 'TC Chamber Duo' project?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Belohlavek's Dvorak VII: First Movement*


















Feeling. . . 'Czech'. . . at the moment.


----------



## spradlig

I heard Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata (for violin and piano) for the first time the other day. It's a famous piece, and I'd heard _of_ it decades ago. But I'd never actually heard it until the other day. I liked it quite a bit.


----------



## Bas

Since I acquired my Scott Ross complete set I have not listened to this disc anymore up untill now.

Domenico Scarlatti - Diverse sonatas
By Mikhail Pletnev [piano], on Veritas


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Janacek's Glagolitic Mass at BBC Proms*














09:10-10:20 -- _awesome!

_The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
The BBC Singers
Sir Andrew Davis
David Kuebler (tenor)
Nikolai Putilin (bass)

They could be singing about sourdough pretzels for all I'm concerned. Absolutely magnificent music. As for me, I choose to be lost in reveries of Mucha over those of the Magisterium any day when listening to the words. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Intrada: Glagolitic Mass- BBC Proms*






Taras Bulba on the wide-open steppe, the wind in his hair, falcons at his wrists, ready for battle-- I can just see the cinematic bifurcations in this.


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Bassoon Sonata in C Major, Op.24, No.1

Danny Bond, bassoon -- Richte van der Meer, cello -- Robert Kohnen, harpsichord


----------



## Oskaar

*W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" in C major, K. 551 (1788):
1. Allegro vivace, 4/4
2. Andante cantabile, 3/4 in F major
3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio, 3/4
4. Molto allegro, 2/2

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*

I really like this symphony, and this production is stunning! It is ammusing to see Harnoncourts mild authority.

Beautiful sound, and entertaining filming.

*videolink*


----------



## maestro267

*Maxwell Davies*: Piano Concerto
Kathryn Stott (piano)/Royal PO/Maxwell Davies

_Saturday Symphony_
*Prokofiev*: Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor
London PO/Weller


----------



## JCarmel

Arrived in today's post...
Beethoven Symphonies 4 & 7 ...performed with my favourite Beethoven Overture....Coriolan.
Authorative, engaging and different! Vladimir Jurowski and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment, on period instruments present a dynamic & challenging take on these two symphonies. I heard them both anew & although it will take a couple more listens to this dvd before I am completely convinced, I certainly was totally absorbed with the performances.
The sound is excellent, too.


----------



## Bas

Giuseppe Verdi - La Traviata 
By Joan Sutherland [soprano], Luciano Pavarotti [tenor], Matteo Manuguerra [bariton], e.a., National Philharmonia Orchestra & Choir, Richard Bonynge [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Pletnev, Scarlatti Sonata K.24*






Mikhail Pletnev, Scarlatti Sonata K.24, live in London, Wigmore Hall, October 27th 1995.

Why can't his studio Scarlatti have all the infectious _joie de vivre _of this performance?


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart: Concerto for Three Pianos & Orchestra, K242

Haven't seen/listened to this performance for years. I've got it lurking on an old VHS tape...'somewhere'
An immediately engaging performance from Solti, Schiff & Barenboim.


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphonies Nos 5 and 6


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Balakirev: Tamara*









"Tamara"


----------



## Marschallin Blair

_Symphonic Dance No. 3_









_Presto_


----------



## Vaneyes

For "Saturday Symphony" listening, *Prokofiev Symphony 6*, w. Moscow RSO/Rozhdestvensky (rec. 1967).


----------



## cwarchc

Keiko Abe


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

JCarmel said:


> Dear 'HaydnBearsTheClock'...You're On!.....CD Review, Radio 3...if you're interested &/or within listening-range? Will report who is deemed the 'best time-keeper' later.


Dear JCarmel, what did you mean exactly? Sorry, I might misunderstand - did you want me to write a review for the Ohlsson Chopin Mazurkas disc? I'm not sure if I'm within listening range since I'm writing from Germany. But I'd be happy to share my thoughts on the record .


----------



## Blancrocher

Denk playing Ligeti etudes and Beethoven's 32nd sonata; Boulez & co in Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in 3 Movements, and Symphonies of Wind Instruments.


----------



## Oskaar

*Truls Mørk in Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191:*
1 Allegro
2 Adagio, ma non troppo
3 Finale: Allegro moderato -- Andante -- Allegro vivo
Oslo Konserthus, 26.01.11.

My beloved fellow norwegian with a fantastic performance of this masterfull work, in a brilliant tv-production.

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

I was just being a little facetious...(& obviously at the same time, obscure?!) dear 'HaydnBearstheClock'....by pointing-out that the BBC Radio 3 'CD review' programme of Haydn's Clock symphony...had just commenced. Hence my saying to you, as it were ...that you were now 'On!'
Hopefully, that explanation is a little clearer than mud...but whatever...it is sent with my sincere apologies for creating confusion in your mind.

Away from timepieces... to the timeless nature of Bruckner's inspired writing for his Seventh Symphony. I'm currently comparing two interpretations that I haven't listened-to for some time. But I'm finding it impossible to choose a preference between the two...both are so good.
Bruckner: Symphony no 7 Riccardo Chailly, RSO Berlin








Herbert Von Karajan & The BPO...the first of his 3 recordings (1971)


----------



## KenOC

Eberl: Grand Sextetto in E-flat, Op.47 (Trio Van Hengel). A big, beefy work in the standard four movements. Quite good!


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler: Pianokwartet in a kl.t. arr. Alfred Schnittke*

Inon Barnatan, piano
Boris Brovtsyn, viool
Amihai Grosz, altviool
Boris Andrianov, cello

29 december 2010, Internationaal Kamermuziekfestival Utrecht, Vredenburg

Wow! This quartet is magic! First time I listen to it and was very posetivly surprised. Fresh, lyric and melodic, beutifully performd here by the *I dont know* quartet. Fantastic nerve, and the sound is quite good.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Andreas Jakob Romberg (1767-1821): Flute Quintet in E Minor, Op.41, No.1

Vladislav Brunner, flute -- Viktor Simcisko, violin -- Milan Telecky and Jan Cut, violas -- Jutaj Alexander, cello


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

131 Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir
132 Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn!
133 Ich freue mich in dir

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (131) and Gustav Leonhardt (132, 133), cond.


----------



## GreenMamba

Beethoven Violin Concerto, Zehetmair, Brueggen/Orch. of 18th Century

Lives up to the hype, IMO.


----------



## Itullian

Ahhhh, THE MAN


----------



## JCarmel

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 1...Ahhhh, My Favourite


----------



## Guest

An all-around superb recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

Charles Rosen playing The Art of Fugue (rec. 1967)


----------



## senza sordino

Holst The Cotswold Symphony, Walt Whitman Overture, A Winter Idyll, Japanese Suite, Indra








Sibelius Symphonies #1 & 4


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Novelette

Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 8 -- Andrew Parrott: Taverner Consort & Players

Cherubini: Requiem #1 in C Minor -- Diego Fasolis: Radio Svizzera Italiana Orchestra & Chorus

Elgar: Symphony #2 in E flat, Op. 63 -- Yehudi Menuhin: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Stravinsky: L'Oiseau de Feu -- Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande -- Charles Dutoit: Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus


----------



## Guest

Vlad Roman's Opus Triplex. It's a 36 minute fantasy and fugue on the old B-A-C-H motif. He reminds me of Busoni and Sorabji at times, but his idiom is more dissonant.


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Duet in E Flat for Violin and Viola, Op.15, No.1

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Luigi Alberto Bianchi, viola


----------



## Haydn man

Listening to this as was recommended on another thread and i can see why
A wonderful performance 
I have the Kiri Te Kanawa recording already but feel this seems much more intimate and the singing superior


----------



## Dustin

Rameau: Dardanus

I've been on a Rameau kick these last couple days. I'm not familiar with much by him so I've been giving a few different things a listen. This man really was brilliant!


----------



## opus55

Bizet: Carmen


----------



## Blancrocher

Carl St. Clair & co in works by Takemitsu, including "From me flows what you call Time" (rec. 1997)


----------



## Oskaar

*• Mozart: Piano concerto no. 27 in B flat major, KV 595*

00:11 • Allegro
14:23 • Larghetto
21:07 • Allegro
__

32:25 • Encores
__

• Maria João Pires: piano

Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conducted by Trevor Pinnock

I think it is the first time I hear this concerto, and enjoy it very much. It is a humouristic and self-asure Mozart, but also the curious, lyric and sensitive mozart. This high quality production is very nice to watch too. Niceley, sensitive and energic performed by Maria João Pires. Very good sound.

*videolink*


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## JCarmel

There's Sore throats, then there's Sore throats with undulating uplands of discomforture & then there's Sore throats with whopping craggy great mountain ranges of agony...& I've got the latter this morning?!
So it seems highly apt to listen to this recent recording of Strauss's Alpine Symphony conducted by Daniel Harding.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Ars Antiqua: Organum, Motette, Conductus" -Konrad Ruhland, cond.

my box doesn't have the Grand Prix Du Disque sticker, though I'm pleased to see it there, because one listening project I'd love to do more systematically is to hear all the winners of that prize

...but I still haven't been able to find anything resembling a list. Has anyone here seen, have or know where to find this information?


----------



## JCarmel

I've just been reading another Thread...about the physical attractions of various operatic performers etc & I note that I commented that there was no one who appealed to me in that way. There was only one person's picture that I have ever put up on my wall & that was one of Dame Peggy Ashcroft in her 80's! But that was because in it she had a lovely expression...full of character, with humour & human vitality. I'm always fascinated with how one can read character from the face....how is it that qualities within our character register upon the facial features? Yet they do...we all feel that we can recognise human goodness in this way.
And talking about Dame Peggy...if ever you need a bit of civilised company to help while-away an hour of solitude or to help forget a frequently depressing world...this recording of her reading Shakespeare with Julian Bream playing Dowland on the lute, might be just the ticket. It's on Spotify 'Two Loves Bream' will locate it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Esteban Benzecry's Rituales Amerindios - Gustavo Dudamel, cond.






edit: now Benzecry's Cello Concerto - Sol Gabetta, cello






edit: and Benzecry's Violin Concerto - Nemanja Radulović, violin, Wolfgang Doerner, cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hugo Wolf - Lieder nach Gedichten von Eduard Morike*

Der Genesene an die Hoffnung
Der Knabe und das Immlein
Ein Stundlein wohl vor Tag
Jagerlied
Der Tambour
Er ists
Das verlassene Magdlein
Begegnung
Nimmersatte Liebe
Fussreise
An eine Aolsharfe
Vergorgenheit
Im Fruhling
Agnes

Joan Rodgers, Stephan Genz; Roger Vignoles [Hyperion, 2000]


----------



## maestro267

*Ginastera*: Piano Concerto No. 2
Dora de Marinis (piano)/Slovak RSO/Malaval

*Penderecki*: Symphony No. 4
National Polish RSO/Wit


----------



## SimonNZ

Guillaume Connesson's Sextet






edit: Connesson's Piano Concerto "The Shining One" - Eric Le Sage, piano, Stéphane Denève, cond






edit: and Connesson's Jurassic Trip


----------



## ptr

Recreating John Ogdons Desert Island Discs from 1989:

1. Benjamin Britten - Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes / London Symphony Orchestra u. Andre Previn

2. Sergey Vasilievich Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No 4 In G Minor Op 40 / Arturo Beneditti Michelangeli, piano; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Ettore Gracis

3. Claude Debussy - L'Isle Joyeuse / Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

4. Sir William Walton - Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor / London Symphony Orchestra u. Andre Previn (Castaway's favourite)

5. Franz Liszt - Piano Sonata in B minor / Vladimir Horowitz, piano

6. Sergey Vasilievich Rachmaninov - Tarantella / Brenda Lucas & John Ogdon, piano

7. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor / English Chamber Orchestra u. Daniel Barenboim, piano

8. Claude Debussy - La Mer / Hallé Orchestra u. Sir John Barbirolli

Perfect for a sunny sunday afternoon!

/ptr


----------



## SimonNZ

Nice! But what did he say were his book and luxury item?


----------



## ptr

SimonNZ said:


> Nice! But what did he say were his book and luxury item?


The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and a Steinway Grand with Auto tune!

/ptr


----------



## dgee

ptr said:


> Recreating Jon Ogdons Desert Island Discs from 1989:
> 
> 1. Benjamin Britten - Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes / London Symphony Orchestra u. Andre Previn
> 
> 2. Sergey Vasilievich Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No 4 In G Minor Op 40 / Arturo Beneditti Michelangeli, piano; Philharmonia Orchestra u. Ettore Gracis
> 
> 3. Claude Debussy - L'Isle Joyeuse / Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
> 
> 4. Sir William Walton - Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor / London Symphony Orchestra u. Andre Previn (Castaway's favourite)
> 
> 5. Franz Liszt - Piano Sonata in B minor / Vladimir Horowitz, piano
> 
> 6. Sergey Vasilievich Rachmaninov - Tarantella / Brenda Lucas & John Ogdon, piano
> 
> 7. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor / English Chamber Orchestra u. Daniel Barenboim, piano
> 
> 8. Claude Debussy - La Mer / Hallé Orchestra u. Sir John Barbirolli
> 
> Perfect for a sunny sundae afternoon!
> /ptr


Goodness me! Wholeheartedly approve! Even the Liszt ;-)


----------



## dgee

The first two tracks mainly (again and again) - the soaring intro and conclusion of the first and undeniable lushness of the second









Was reminded of X reading about his work on the Corbusier Tourette monastery - such a perfect modernist, the engineer/architect/composer! These are very powerful and emotive works


----------



## ptr

dgee said:


> Goodness me! Wholeheartedly approve! Even the Liszt ;-)


I've done this a few times. find one of Your idols on *BBC Desert Island Discs* and recreate their eight disc play list.. It is a lovely pastime that takes no effort at all if You have spotify or a reasonably stocked disc library!

Thoroughly recommended!

/ptr


----------



## Bas

The cantata for this sunday, Quasimodogeniti, first sunday after easter, no. 42 "Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbatas":

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 42 "Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbatas"
By Daniel Taylor [countertenor], Peter Kooy [bass], Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Mark Padmore [tenor], La Chappele Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Philipppe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johannes Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 
By Claudio Arrau [piano], Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Giulini [dir.], on EMI


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: 'Chromatic' Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903

Robert Hill, harpsichord


----------



## Skilmarilion

*Mahler* - Symphony No. 4 / Jascha Horenstein, Margaret Price, LPO


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to some Geoffrey Simon power









http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1029.html
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/BorodinRequiem.htm









http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1030.html
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/Mussorgsky_Pictures.htm









http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1025.html
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/oct00/Debussynight.htm


----------



## spradlig

I heard Grieg's string quartet (if he wrote more than one, I heard the first one) a few weeks ago. I like it quite a bit. It seems unjustly neglected, compared to the quartets of Debussy and Ravel, for example.


----------



## Guest

JCarmel said:


> I'm paying the price today for my all-night sojourn. I got to sleep about 2 hours 15 mins before it was time to wake-up! So I'm feeling lack-lustre...though the sight of Jerome's most tasteful avatar is enough to brighten my day. Good to see you, Jerome!
> View attachment 40501


Thank you JCarmel! I have been away for a few weeks and it is nice to come back and see you have been very active here. As far as my avatar, I was just thinking of changing it to reflect my favorite pastime. Maybe I'll just change it for a few days. (I know a baby pic is not nearly as tasteful, but I just like looking at her.  )

Currently:








Prokofiev, Symphonies No. 1 and No. 4
Neeme Järvi, Scottish National Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): String Quartet in C Major, Op.15, No.1

Quatour ad Fontes: Alice Pierot and Enrico Parizzi, violins -- Monica Ehrsam, viola -- Reto Cuonz, cello


----------



## Andolink

*Pasquale Ricci*: _Six Symphonies Op. II, nos. 1-5_
Atalanta Fugiens/Vanni Moretto









*Arnold Bax*: _Piano Sonata No. 3 in G sharp minor_
Michael Endres, piano









*Frank Bridge*: _String Quartet No. 3_ 
Maggini Quartet









*Frank Bridge*: _Piano Trio No. 2_
Jack Liebeck, violin
Alexander Chaushian, cello
Ashely Wass, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

Schnabel playing Beethoven (rec. 1932-5)


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Flute Concerto in G Major, KV 313

Juha Kangas directing the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra -- Sharon Bezaly, flute


----------



## JCarmel

'Congratulations' Jerome... what a lovely picture, I'm so pleased for you....I'm sure you deserve your wonderful gift of joy, too!
I'm deeply-involved in watching Football Matches at the moment, so I cannot give proper thought to what music I might consider playing to celebrate. But I think that if you can give this one a spin on my behalf....









then that might do for the time-being?!

'Well Done' to you both!


----------



## Guest

Perfect suggestion for a Sunday morning with the bright April sun filtering through the branches of the budding trees in my yard. Thanks JCarmel.








K478, Piano Quartet
Malcom Bilson (fortepiano), Elizabeth Wilcock (violin), Jan Schlapp, Timothy Mason


----------



## Andolink

*Frank Bridge*: _String Quartet No. 4_
Goldner String Quartet


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Late SQs w. ESQ (rec.1994/5); "Ghost" and "Archduke", w. Istomin/Stern/Rose (rec.1964 - '69).








View attachment 40587


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> There's Sore throats, then there's Sore throats with undulating uplands of discomforture & then there's Sore throats with whopping craggy great mountain ranges of agony...& I've got the latter this morning?!
> So it seems highly apt to listen to this recent recording of Strauss's Alpine Symphony conducted by Daniel Harding.
> 
> View attachment 40566


Thanks for posting that album, JC, I was unaware of it.

I'm bullish on Daniel Harding, hoping he takes the helm of the ACO, or BPO, or LSO. Though, another Englishman following Rattle at BPO is unlikely. :tiphat:

Related:

http://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/16939/harding-mahler


----------



## Vasks

_Bach for one_


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Prompted to buy this after listening to BBC's Building a Library programme, recommending Schmidt's recording of No. 2, I am currently working my way through the set, and am at present listening to no 3 which I used to own on LP. (The sleeve notes don't credit the two vocal soloists, and I can't now remember who they were.)

This was the first complete set to be committed to disc and was very well received at the time. The transfer is a little boomy, but the music making is terrific.


----------



## Vaneyes

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40589
> 
> 
> Prompted to buy this after listening to BBC's Building a Library programme, recommending Schmidt's recording of No. 2, I am currently working my way through the set, and am at present listening to no 3 which I used to own on LP. (The sleeve notes don't credit the two vocal soloists, and I can't now remember who they were.)
> 
> This was the first complete set to be committed to disc and was very well received at the time. The transfer is a little boomy, but the music making is terrific.


Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), Jill Gomez (soprano).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Vaneyes said:


> Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), Jill Gomez (soprano).


Thank you. You got there just before me. I've been digging around on the net.


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.










rockin'


----------



## Oskaar

*Argerich and Kissin piano 4 hands - Mozart Sonata KV 521*

_Absolutely delightful. Pure class from two geniuses.﻿- youtube comment_

_I love how she's so relaxed but you can feel the intensity bubbling underneath.﻿- youtube comment_

I had some unjustfull pre-thinking about Argerich, Kissin I already like, but now I am starting to like both. Wonderfull work of Mozart. The sound is clear and good.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1880): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.1, No.1

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques-Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint Cyr, cello


----------



## hpowders

Lutoslawski, Symphony #3.
LA Philharmonic, Salonen

Modern but very accessible symphony bursting with interesting, colorful ideas.
Try this if you haven't already.
You might like it!


----------



## Blancrocher

For the death days of Scriabin and Messiaen: Melnikov playing piano works (rec. 2006); the Tashi Quartet in "Quatuor pour la fin du temps" (rec. 1975)


----------



## science

Thank all the lords I have some catching up to do! Here we go:










Some old classics and old favorites that I don't listen to often enough. I really like the pairing. I know that sounds crazy because it's an obvious pairing, but in fact there are other things that might be or hare paired with these works. But for me, the purity and classical detachment of Mozart is one sort of delight, and the warmth of Brahms follows it very nicely.










I like this pairing too, and for a similar reason: the contrast between the two works. I'll be honest that Verklärte Nacht isn't my favorite Schoenberg, and I'm a little puzzled by its great popularity, and I even dare to suspect that some of its popularity is that it is "Schoenberg" but basically a late romantic work. I know that's not fair, so I retract that suspicion now, and assure the public that the part of my brain that produced it has been sentenced to unpaid leave for several days pending further discipline according to the recommendations of a committee established for that purpose. (The committee is listening to Mozart right now.) But anyway, the string trio is a lot more fun, a very intellectual work (by my standards perhaps) rewarding repeated close listening (well, by me at least).










If it wasn't already clear, somebody's wife wasn't home this afternoon!

This is an enormously fascinating album. Each work on it is interesting in its own way. Now I won't say that this is an album that the "Why isn't anything after Mahler good?" camp will enjoy. But heck. All four works are really, really interesting from an intellectual POV at least.

I'll be back with more in a few minutes....


----------



## Mahlerian

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 in E minor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Davis

A concert from about a month ago.


----------



## science

Two more fascinating works. I consider myself a big fan of the Berg, so it's hard for Rihm to hold his own, but actually the Rihm work is really interesting too. My second favorite Mutter album, beaten only by her Sibelius one.










Here's some nice old stuff. I used to say that Brahms was my favorite composer, but I've never really "gotten" the violin concerto. I ought to listen to it a few dozen more times.... The Khachaturian is ok too, I guess, but Oistrakh's recording does it for me more than this one....


----------



## hpowders

Mahlerian said:


> Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 in E minor
> Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Davis
> 
> A concert from about a month ago.


Of course that would be with Sir Andrew Davis, since Sir Colin is no longer with us. :tiphat:


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Listening (on spotify) to the Britten now - gorgeous songs, beautifully sung. Very impressed.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky Symphony NO.6 (Full Length) :*

Seoul Phil Orchestra
차이코프스키 교향곡 제6번 "비창"
Conuctor : 정명훈 Chung Myung-Whun 
(Seoul Phil Orchestra Music Director & Permanent Orchestra Conductor)
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
16th,May,2011. Korean Art Centre Concert Hall, Seoul Korea.

Youtube commens:

_ Wow Tchaikovsky, you make me feel alive! ﻿

Excellent presentation of my fourth favorite composer.﻿

This is quickly becoming my favorite symphony...it's dynamic and rich. I think they do an excellent job here with it.﻿_

The sound lacks some richness,diskant maybe, but is good enough. I love this symphony...listened to it a bit rare, but then the experience is even bether.

There may be bether performances out there, also on film, but I find it good, and it is enjoyable to watch a whole symphony and the performers in action!

*videolink*


----------



## Ravndal

Prokofiev sonata 7

Richter


----------



## opus55

Debussy: Preludes; Images Book II


----------



## Oskaar

*Mendelssohn: 4. Sinfonie (»Italienische«)*

*hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) «
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante con moto
III. Con moto moderato
IV. Saltarello. Presto

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 16. Juni 2012*

Youtube comments:

_I never knew Mr. Putin was a conductor as well﻿

A marvelous performance of a truly joyous piece of music. I love watching the conductor's face! He loves what he's hearing from his performers.﻿ ∙

col mio commento sono stato avaro. Ora correggo. Bravissimi tutti. Grazie_

Nice, fresh symphony, though a bit uneven in quality.
But the performance is absolutely amazing! Energic and passionate, and well playing musicians, and a steady and committed, still relaxed conductor.

*videolink*


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40594
> 
> 
> Listening (on spotify) to the Britten now - gorgeous songs, beautifully sung. Very impressed.


I went to my collection and found a Matthew Polenzani recital I had forgotten about and never listened to most of: songs of Rossini, Pizzetti, Pedrotti, Schubert, Poulenc and Finzi, ending with "O Danny Boy." It was recorded live at the Verbier Festival and Academy in 2003, with Roger Vignoles at the piano. Apparently I sold the original in the course of my Amazon business but made myself a copy first. I'm listening to it and remembering why I wanted it! How could I have overlooked this guy all these years? Perhaps partly because he's a lyric tenor and they don't get the press given the would-be spintos and wannabe heldentenors? There are always a lot of good light voices around, but not many that function as exquisitely well as this man's - and he is intelligent, wonderfully musical, and faultless (to my ear) in every language. He is, I think, an angel! :angel:

"Ah! Je suis heureux!
L'amour etend sur moi ses ailes!
Au jardin de mon coeur
Chante une joie nouvelle!"


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## JCarmel

For Jerome

Some thoughts on the birth of a child.....

Lets Celebrate such a wonderful event!....






The Toccata from Widor's Symphony No 5 on the magnificent Cavaille-Col organ at Saint Sulpice, Paris...the organ for which it was composed when Widor was organist there.

But don't play it_ too _loud, in case you keep the baby awake?! If so, perhaps Brahms Lullaby will come in handy.






Always aim high for your little infant!.....






But make sure that the childhood entertainment watched will remain in the memory as long as I remember watching the delightful silhouette artistry of Lotte Reiniger in mine?!











And always encourage in your lovely child, an appreciation of the greatest of the arts...the knowledge & enjoyment of Music






May your child bring you much joy and happiness!

love from Julie.


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## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> I went to my collection and found a Matthew Polenzani recital I had forgotten about and never listened to most of: songs of Rossini, Pizzetti, Pedrotti, Schubert, Poulenc and Finzi, ending with "O Danny Boy." It was recorded live at the Verbier Festival and Academy in 2003, with Roger Vignoles at the piano. Apparently I sold the original in the course of my Amazon business but made myself a copy first. I'm listening to it and remembering why I wanted it! How could I have overlooked this guy all these years? Perhaps partly because he's a lyric tenor and they don't get the press given the would-be spintos and wannabe heldentenors? There are always a lot of good light voices around, but not many that function as exquisitely well as this man's - and he is intelligent, wonderfully musical, and faultless (to my ear) in every language. He is, I think, an angel! :angel:
> 
> "Ah! Je suis heureux!
> L'amour etend sur moi ses ailes!
> Au jardin de mon coeur
> Chante une joie nouvelle!"


I recommend the Wigmore Recital as well then. The Britten songs are wonderfully sung, bringing out all their lyrical beauty, and the Hahn Venetian songs are just gorgeous.


----------



## Maritta

I am just listening Bach's Cello Suites Nos 4-6. The music is calm and serious, which is suitable for the evening when one is looking for tomorrow's teaching job. The cellist is Maurice Cendron. Earlier today I listened the Brandenburg Concertos Nos 2,3,5,6 by Amsterdam Quitar Trio.


----------



## KenOC

Edward German, Welsh Rhapsody. On YouTube. A rousing finale to "Men of Harlech"!


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## samurai

Jerome said:


> Thank you JCarmel! I have been away for a few weeks and it is nice to come back and see you have been very active here. As far as my avatar, I was just thinking of changing it to reflect my favorite pastime. Maybe I'll just change it for a few days. (I know a baby pic is not nearly as tasteful, but I just like looking at her.  )
> 
> Currently:
> 
> View attachment 40574
> 
> Prokofiev, Symphonies No. 1 and No. 4
> Neeme Järvi, Scottish National Orchestra


Jerome, Congratulations on your new arrival. May you, your wife and new baby daughter all enjoy long, happy and healthy lives!
p.s. She is very beautiful, and makes a wonderful avatar.
If I may ask, what is her name?


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## bejart

Alessandro Besozzi (1702-ca.1793): Trio Sonata in A Minor

Ensemble Barocco: Giuseppe Nalin and Ruggero Vartolo, oboes -- Paolo Tognon, bassoon -- Enroco Corbi, harpsichord


----------



## DaveS

Saint-Saens: piano Concerto #2. Emil Gilels, Radio Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Karl Eliasberg, conductor 04.III.1951

from YouTube. Had never heard of this Karl Eliasberg.

An interesting side note: for those that have a Roku streaming device, Google has finally allowed their channel to be played on Roku. The great news is that you can stream YouTube videos directly to your television via a laptop or smartphone, and watch a lot of great old concerts, cartoons, tv programs, or whatever video ..at no cost. I watched both a 1988 Haitink/Concertgebouw Mahler 8th and a Van Beinium/ACO Beethoven 3rd symphony concert. Had it all rigged via my TV and stereo set-up. Kudos Roku and Google!!


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms Sonata for two pianos Op. 34b 1st movement*

Gaveau Hall, Paris. Fondamenta Opening Concert. Frédéric D'Oria-Nicolas and Alexander Kobrin, two pianos recital. Brahms - Rachmaninov - Dukas. Director : Colin Laurent, Fondamenta.

I continue my travel through Brahms chamber works, searching for high quality filmed videos, and here is a good one! Brilliant playing by the young men. and the visual and audial quality is good too.

Click *HERE* to watch or bookmark the four movements from my blog, if you should be interrested.


----------



## DaveS

Mahler 7. Boulez and the Chicago Symphony, via YouTube:

http://youtube/u34TL77GHss


----------



## LancsMan

*Brahms: Piano Quartet op. 26* Emanuel Ax, Isaac Stern Jaime Laredo, Yo-yo Ma on Sony








The second disc from this boxed set is of the Op. 26 Piano Quartet. Well there's no mistaking Brahms is there, although here you need to picture the youthful Brahms sans beard. Nice balance of passion and intimacy. Everything is very direct. Brahms ideas are so strong - when it comes to chamber music of the romantic period he's very hard to beat.

Excellent performance.


----------



## Mahlerian

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Yuja Wang, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Andrew Davis

Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Andrew Davis

The rest of the concert.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: String Quartet No.31 in B Minor, Op.33, No.1

Parkanyi Quartet: Istvan Parkanyi and Heinz Oberdorfer, violins -- Ferdinand Erblich, viola -- Michael Muller, cello


----------



## Guest

Not exactly heaven-storming, but pleasant enough. Good, if slightly dry, recording.


----------



## Vaneyes

Inspired by a *Bartok* thread.

View attachment 40598


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor (Kurt Sanderling; Leningrader Philharmonie).


----------



## LancsMan

*Grieg: Songs* Anne Sofie Von Otter accompanied by Bengt Forsberg on DG







Anne Soffie Von Otter singing a selection of Grieg's songs. A very fine voice for these songs. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that Grieg is very adept at producing some quite charming songs. There are several typical Grieg touches in the piano accompaniment. In no way is this 'important' music, but listening to this disc is a very pleasurable experience as far as I am concerned.


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## maestro267

*Daugherty*: Philadelphia Stories
Colorado SO/Alsop

*Mahler*: Symphony No. 10
Bournemouth SO/Rattle


----------



## Guest

OK, now this is heaven-storming! Magnificent performance and recording.


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## chalkpie

Did about the first half the other night. An unbelievable recording in every way, including the sonics and mix (EVERY instrument was mic'd during these live concerts and mixed accordingly).









I only did the Piano Concerto. OK, find me a more rhythmically challenging piano concerto and I'll buy you a stick of gum. This work is a total masterpiece. Ligeti is the best.









Gorgeous clarity in these recordings. I just wish he would make the tempi a tad hotter - sometimes it works and sometimes it sounds like its just dragging. Still, great recordings and I would never part with this cycle.









Mr. Lope is jumping up and down like a little schoolgirl over this guy, so I figured I'd give him a try  I started with The Frank Bridge Theme piece last night and pretty much loved what I heard, but I fell asleep so I'm gonna go again tonight. Kind of excited to hear another great composer that is unknown to me - the problem is that I'm addicted to RVW right now and I am sneaking in some Cardiacs too. All England, all the time. I really want to do Britten exclusively but that's not gonna happen right now.









I just threw on the "London". I could listen to this thing endlessly on repeat - Maybe not my fav RVW symphony (that honor is 3, 6, and 7 right now) but its addictive and highly entertaining.


----------



## Vaneyes

chalkpie said:


> ....
> 
> View attachment 40602
> 
> 
> I only did the Piano Concerto. OK, find me a more rhythmically challenging piano concerto and I'll buy you a stick of gum. This work is a total masterpiece. Ligeti is the best.
> 
> View attachment 40603
> 
> 
> Gorgeous clarity in these recordings. I just wish he would make the tempi a tad hotter - sometimes it works and sometimes it sounds like its just dragging. Still, great recordings and I would never part with this cycle.
> 
> View attachment 40604
> 
> 
> Mr. Lope is jumping up and down like a little schoolgirl over this guy, so I figured I'd give him a try  I started with The Frank Bridge Theme piece last night and pretty much loved what I heard, but I fell asleep so I'm gonna go again tonight. Kind of excited to hear another great composer that is unknown to me - the problem is that I'm addicted to RVW right now and I am sneaking in some Cardiacs too. All England, all the time. I really want to do Britten exclusively but that's not gonna happen right now.
> 
> View attachment 40605
> 
> 
> I just threw on the "London". I could listen to this thing endlessly on repeat - Maybe not my fav RVW symphony (that honor is 3, 6, and 7 right now) but its addictive and highly entertaining.


4 out of 5 isn't bad.


----------



## chalkpie

Vaneyes said:


> 4 out of 5 isn't bad.


Maybe, but don't ask me which disc I would take if the house was burning - you may not like the answer 

Have you honestly heard this disc? The Ensemble Modern is F***ING beyond AMAZING. There is some unbelievably difficult music here and they eat it up, which is rare for a classical group involving FZ's music. Listen to this piece and tell me it isn't beautiful in its own way. Listen to EVERY note of his melodic lines, not to mention the colorful orchestration.


----------



## Vaneyes

chalkpie said:


> Maybe, but don't ask me which disc I would take if the house was burning - you may not like the answer
> 
> Have you honestly heard this disc? The Ensemble Modern is F***ING beyond AMAZING. There is some unbelievably difficult music here and they eat it up, which is rare for a classical group involving FZ's music. Listen to this piece and tell me it isn't beautiful in its own way. Listen to EVERY note of his melodic lines, not to mention the colorful orchestration.


Zappa was classically-trained. What happened!?


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

134 Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß
135 Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder
136 Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz
137 Lobe de Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren

Gustav Leonhardt (134, 135) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (136, 137), cond.

134 is unusual in opening with a recitative


----------



## LancsMan

*Grieg:- Lyric Pieces* Leif Ove Andsnes on EMI







More Grieg - this time a selection from the Lyric Pieces played by Leif Ove Andsnes - appropriately played on Grieg's own piano in Grieg's villa.

Fresh sounding music of considerable charm played in exemplary style.


----------



## chalkpie

Vaneyes said:


> Zappa was classically-trained. What happened!?


Not sure if you're busting balls or not, but he really wasn't classically trained ever. He never went to any music university - he is self-taught and studied - he studied Varese records along with blues when he was growing up. Nicholas Slonimsky (a friend of Frank) was amazed that he was self-taught. This the guy who premiered Ives and Varese and is a pretty knowledgeable musicologist and overall dude.


----------



## jim prideaux

a great day-as 'the lads' move away from relegation with a 4 nil win at home I draw a line under proceedings with the Martinu Sextet performed by the Raphael Ensemble.


----------



## Jeff W

From the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's radio series.

Benjamin Britten's Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 6. Todd Phillips plays the violin and Gloria Chien plays the piano.

Felix Mendelssohn's Quartet in B minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 3. Juho Pohjonen plays the piano, Erin Keefe the violin, Paul Neubauer the viola and Narek Hakhnazaryan plays the cello.

Link if anyone is interested in listening:

http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5110744


----------



## TurnaboutVox

From the Royal Northern College of Music's annual 'Day of Song' at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester today

'Austria-Hungary and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown'

*Hugo Wolf Songs from Italienisches Liederbuch
Alexander von Zemlinsky - Drei Lieder
Arnold Schoenberg - Vier Lieder Op 2
Arnold Schoenberg - Six Songs Op 3*

I wanted to go to 'La Belle Epoch' too (Debussy - Les Fetes Galantes and Melodies, together with songs by Ravel and Fauré) but I was too disorganised to get tickets! Still, the recital I did manage to get a ticket for was excellent and very enjoyable.


----------



## Blancrocher

Melnikov playing Shosty's preludes and fugues.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

JCarmel said:


> Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 1...Ahhhh, My Favourite


If the Rachmaninoff 1st is a great favourite, have you heard the Moura Lympany recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra/Nicolai Malko? I think it's the finest performance of the work I've ever heard, she really gets every last drop of passion and beauty out of the music, well worth a listen.


----------



## bejart

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Double Concerto for Flute and Oboe in C Major

Jorg Faerber conducting the Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn -- Dagmar Becker, flute -- Lajos Lenszes, oboe


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## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2/Hungarian Fantasia Arthur De Greef/London Symphony Orchestra (Concerto)/Royal Albert Hall Orchestra/Sir Landon Ronald
Liszt: Polonaise No.2/Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 Arthur De Greef

This is a marvellous set containing, at a very reasonable price (£16.93 for four well filled CDs) some very rare recordings by a distinguished pupil of Liszt, in very good transfers. The first CD is all accoustic recordings, though even here the sound is pretty good, then on the 2nd CD the Liszt 1st Concerto is accoustic, but all the remaining recordings are electric. The 2nd Concerto is beautifully played, as is the Hungarian Fantasia. This latter is not taken particularly quickly, yet there is a forward momentum to it that makes it feel rhythmically vibrant, and De Greef's fingerwork is crystal clear and fluid. The polonaise and rhapsody receive ideal performances and all in all, to anyone interested in historically important performances then this is wholeheartedly recommended, and I recommend it to everyone else anyway!


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## chalkpie

This might be the best thread at TC........its the meat and potatoes. :cheers:


----------



## Guest

A classic that holds up well some 43 years later.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Concerto to No.3 in C Minor, Op.37

James Levine leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra -- Alfred Brendel, piano


----------



## Sid James

Recently -










*R. Strauss* _Metamorphosen, study for 23 solo strings_
- Dresden Staatskapelle under Giuseppe Sinopoli

A listen to this work, a favourite which I covered on my blog here. I got to know it through Karajan's interpretation, which I find more intense throughout. *Sinopoli's *one is more of a slow burn situation, he builds the tension up slowly. In the big orchestral tuttis this performance packs a punch, even though overall its more restrained to my ears.










*Rawsthorne*
_String Quartets 1 - 3
Theme and Variations for Two Violins_
- Performed by Maggini Quartet

*Alan Rawsthorne's *string quartets, like Berkeley's which I've listened to last week, span his whole career. The first one is from the 1930's, as is the _Theme and Variations for Two Violins_, the work that got him noticed which led to it being recorded immediately by Decca. The second one comes from 1954 and the third one from 1965.

The pivotal _*Notturno*_ from the _*Theme and Variations*_, as well as the fourth (slow) movement from the *String Quartet #1*, are two things that really grabbed me. This quartet is cast in the same theme and variations format, it's the shortest work on the disc, only ten minutes. Concision seems to be a central aspect of this composer's style.

*String Quartet #2* is the one I like most, the first two movements start exactly the same way, more or less. I'm guessing Bartok's _String Quartet #6_, with all the movements starting in a similar motto, was of influence here? But unlike Bartok's more demure one, Rawsthorne's theme comes suddenly, like a rush of air through an open window. The last two movments have a Neo-Classical feel, there is a feel of ornamentation here and ushering in of less severe mood. The finale, a theme with three variations, quietly drifts off into nothingness at the end.

*String Quartet #3 *is more fragmented, its three movements broken up into episodes. Harder to follow so I'll aim to give it more time.

Overall the thing I get from these works is a sense of 'no thrills,' the mood is serious but not necessarily depressing. There is a terseness and directness of utterance, the whole disc is one hour in length. But each work gives more than enough to chew on, I listened to this on separate sittings. Rawsthorne's three quartets, like Berkeley's, offer the listener a sense of fine craftsmanship but also a lot in the way of atmosphere and this inner world.

Kudos to Naxos too for reprinting Rawsthorne's original program notes on the last two quartets. I like his opinion of structure/form and thematic content being equals in terms of their importance to the string quartet genre. It also explains how all three of his quartets are so different in terms of form.










*Album: The best of Purcell* (on Eloquence label, cover has the above portrait on it)
- _Instrumental and choral works, songs, extracts from stage works, various performers including Emma Kirkby, Christopher Hogwood and Benjamin Britten_

Over to *Purcell*, a survey that includes a lot on the one disc, but not everything of course. Its good to have Britten conducting his own arrangements of this music - including Purcell's most famous instrumental piece, _*Chaconne in G minor *_- and the contrasting ones done by Hogwood with period instruments.

Things like *"When I am laid to Earth"* from _Dido and Aneas _never lose their impact, listening to this its not hard to understand why Purcell is still considered a master of setting the English language to music (its not easy to do, and I think the Italians and French have a head start, their language having that natural musicality which English - and dare I say German? - lack).


----------



## Guest

samurai said:


> Jerome, Congratulations on your new arrival. May you, your wife and new baby daughter all enjoy long, happy and healthy lives!
> p.s. She is very beautiful, and makes a wonderful avatar.
> If I may ask, what is her name?


Her name is Riley Yvonne. I suggested Wolfie but my wife nixed it. LOL Thanks for the note.


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: Billy Budd
Gunn, Bostridge, Saks, London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Harding


----------



## chalkpie

Mahlerian said:


> Britten: Billy Budd
> Gunn, Bostridge, Saks, London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Harding


Can you describe what this is like? I've never heard it. Or Peter Grimes for that matter.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.26 in A Flat, Op.64

Markus Becker, piano


----------



## Mahlerian

chalkpie said:


> Can you describe what this is like? I've never heard it. Or Peter Grimes for that matter.


Britten has a different kind of way of setting the English language that people tend to be polarized by. Lots of contrast between more lyrical lines and repeated fragments. As a modern opera, the recitative is never "secco", but the librettos (while well-written, as Britten always had good taste in poetry) can get a little "talky" at times, with some patches set as recitation over a single note. My favorite Britten opera is actually The Turn of the Screw, his chamber opera, although Peter Grimes is justifiably considered one of his masterworks.

The closest analogue in contemporary opera to Peter Grimes is Wozzeck, but Britten's music isn't nearly as dense (lots of pedal points and ostinatos), nor does he take much interest in Berg's fascination with applying the forms of "abstract" music to drama.


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 5, the Borodins. Rather intense in parts, mysterious in others, impressive everywhere. Shostakovich is always an adventure!


----------



## Blancrocher

Britten's War Requiem, with the composer conducting in this famous recording (rec. 1963)


----------



## senza sordino

From my new purchases of used CDs two days ago

Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme
Bruch Kol Nidrei
Bloch Schelomo
Tchaikovsky Nocture and pezzo capriccioso








Glazunov and Tchaikovsky violin concerti








And repeated listening, same as yesterday because I liked it so much
Schuman, Lalo and Saint Saens cello concerti


----------



## chalkpie

Mahlerian said:


> Britten has a different kind of way of setting the English language that people tend to be polarized by. Lots of contrast between more lyrical lines and repeated fragments. As a modern opera, the recitative is never "secco", but the librettos (while well-written, as Britten always had good taste in poetry) can get a little "talky" at times, with some patches set as recitation over a single note. My favorite Britten opera is actually The Turn of the Screw, his chamber opera, although Peter Grimes is justifiably considered one of his masterworks.
> 
> The closest analogue in contemporary opera to Peter Grimes is Wozzeck, but Britten's music isn't nearly as dense (lots of pedal points and ostinatos), nor does he take much interest in Berg's fascination with applying the forms of "abstract" music to drama.


Great - thanks very much for that!


----------



## JCarmel

I really like Janos Starker! I've got this cd on my Spotify list at the moment in order to familiarise myself with CPE Bach's Cello Concerto wq172. It's most enjoyable.









Spotify is such a great tool for hearing music new to you & interpretations that you wanted to hear after reading reviews but couldn't quite afford to shell out the cash for. I love it but when I win the Lottery, I'm going Premium to get rid of those Ads. Grrrrr!

Shropshire Moose, I'm not familiar with Moura Lympany's Rachmaninov PC No 1...my Dad was a bit of a fan of hers, so I am acquainted with her Rach 2. But I've got it rattling on in my ears right now, via Spotify...thank you for the recommendation! 
As I've been awake for half the night with a cursed tickly cough (my cold is at that annoying stage now) I'm rather tired & as I came to write this entry, I thought you'd mentioned Myra Hess...so, as I am currently reviewing the many interpretations with Bruno Walter wielding the baton & had heard her Brahms 2nd ...& been impressed with it, I thought I'd give that a thumbs-up here!









Have you seen this film of Dame Janet singing the Purcell aria, Sid...its beautifully sung, deeply-felt & touchingly acted, though perhaps a little too much in the 'grand style' at the commencement of the clip?!






I used to sing this aria quite a lot during my teens, it summed-up rather how I felt at the time...as I was not too great a fan of life & of being alive (I certainly hold the same opinions on that subject, today but thankfully_ not _with the sense of the melodramatic, such as one can experience in one's youth?!)


----------



## JCarmel

I'd also like to mention the CPE Bach Cello Concerto as played by Anner Bylsma on this 2 cd set. It's usually available at a cheap price my side of The Pond & of course is on Spotify.









One final reference to the 'new arrival'... in picture form!


----------



## SimonNZ

Stradella's Cantata Per Il Santissimo Natale - August Wenzinger, cond.


----------



## sankalp

Jhonny Nash - I can see clearly now


----------



## Andolink

*Frank Bridge*: _Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor_ (1913-17)
Paul Watkins, cello
Ian Brown, piano


----------



## Alypius

An evening of piano works performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin:

*Nikolai Medtner, Sonata in B flat minor ("Sonata Romantica"), op. 53/1*










*Ferruccio Busoni, Sonatina, BV 274 ("In diem navitatis Christi MCMXVII") *










*Alexander Scriabin, Piano Sonata #2 in G# minor, op. 9 ("Sonata-Fantasy")*


----------



## JCarmel

Dmitri Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No 1, Viktoria Mullova, RPO, Previn









Interesting interviews about Shostakovich from Rudolf Barshai...


----------



## WienerKonzerthaus

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 40592
> View attachment 40593
> 
> 
> For the death days of Scriabin and Messiaen: Melnikov playing piano works (rec. 2006); the Tashi Quartet in "Quatuor pour la fin du temps" (rec. 1975)


If you like Melnikov and less-traveled repertoire: He just mentioned that he'll be doing more Weinberg... esp. the Quintet with the Danel Quartet, in concert.

That Scriabin is a terrific debut-disc and I've not missed a Melnikov release since... loving some, liking most he's made since. Very fine, sensitive musician... and prone to question, re-examine, perhaps even doubt his own performance in search of - for lack of a better word - "perfection". Or better: "musical satisfaction."


----------



## JCarmel

When I commented the other day on the thread about which of the living conductors one particularly rated, I forgot to mention both Riccardo Chailly (I've since edited that one in!...) and Andre Previn. I'm sure that there will be other omissions!
So I'm having an Apologies-to-Andre Previn Day amongst my recordings, to make up for it....because I do rate him...particularly in the 20th century Russian repertoire.

This was the first recording I bought of Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony & I played the LP to death at the time. It's still a thoroughly recommendable version, though I've since shifted my affection to Edward Downes/BBC Philharmonic...a free cd that came with the BBC Music Magazine that I just happened to buy as an occasional purchase. But right now I'm currently enjoying my cd version of Previn & the LSO.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

J.S. Bach: French Suites 1-3 Thurston Dart

Thurston Dart plays these pieces to perfection on the clavichord, a lovely way to start the day.


----------



## JCarmel

Yes, Shropshire Moose...I couldn't agree more! 
Could you possibly enlighten me about why you particularly chose the Moose to celebrate Shropshire-ness? I'm intrigued to know... if I may?


----------



## Bas

Luigi Boccherini - Keyboard Quintets
By Andreas Staier [forte piano], Mary Utiger [violin], Hajo Bäss [viola], Christina Kypriandines [cello], on Harmonia Mundi

Johann Ladislaus Dussek - Piano Sonatas
By Andreas Staier [forte piano], on Harmonia Mundi









Louis Spohr - Violin Concertos no. 2 in Dm, no. 5 in E-flat
By Ulf Hoeschler [violin], Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Christian Fröhlich [dir.], on CPO


----------



## SimonNZ

"Florid-Song and Gamba Music in England: 1610-1660" - Studio Der Fruhen Musik and Cantus Musicus, Wien


----------



## MagneticGhost

Ravel: La Valse (2 piano version)
Argerich & Freire

on youtube


----------



## shadowdancer

The 5th for a prosperous week...


----------



## SimonNZ

Viktoria Poleva's No Man Is An Island cantata - Tamara Khodakova, soprano, Valeriy Matiukhin, cond.






edit: now Poleva's Ars Moriendi - Natalka Polovynka, soprano


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## JCarmel

The Service of Venus and Mars...Gothic Voices









I wandered onto Hyperion's website yesterday & I noticed on their 'please buy me page' was this cd....that I own...& it was listed as one of the Top 10 least popular. It was at the bottom of the list of those that no one had bought a single copy of within the last calendar year. Maybe the last one sold was my own from way, way-back?! Well, its getting a play today...& I'm sitting down with a favourite big book 'Romanesque' as I listen, to remind myself of the wonderful medieval sculptures such as those of Master Gislebertus at Autun....where an angel with a delicately pointing finger is so very gently telling The Magi.."I think it's time to rise & shine!'


----------



## bejart

Michel Blavet (1700-1768): Flute Sonata in G Major, Op.3, No.1

Jed Wentz, flute -- Job ter Haar, cello -- Michael Borgstede, harpsichord


----------



## Andolink

*Max Reger*: _Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 116_
Alban Gerhardt, cello
Markus Becker, piano


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Sutherland Pavarotti Traviata on Decca


----------



## Chrythes

Rubbra's first string quartet. The themes of the first and second movements are finely incorporated into the last one. Great work, beautiful and interesting melodies.


----------



## JCarmel

Saint-Saens Piano Concerto 5...'The Egyptian' Jean-Philippe Collard, Andre Previn conducting the RPO









Saint-Saens completed this concerto in Cairo in 1896, or says my booklet to the Stephen Hough recordings of this concerto...other sources though suggest it was Luxor. Saint-Saens liked to Winter-Away from Paris, to the sunnier climes of Spain, Algeria & Egypt. There is a touch of the exotic in the second movement, based on a Nubian love song heard sung by the composer from a boatman on the Nile. Oriental melody is followed (according to the composer ) by croaking frogs & chirping crickets! 
It's good to hear another interpretation from Hough's...particularly as Collard is such a sensitive artist & brings-out the subtleties of colouration in this concerto.
I have very fond memories of holidays to Egypt...in fact perhaps the most important thing happened to me within the last ten years of my life, there. I had the great good fortune to become acquainted with an Egyptian family, who invited me to their home. And when I left the mud-floored dwelling, with the sole water supply...a stand-pipe coming straight up into the middle of their 'sitting/bedroom'. & saw for myself the sheer poverty that such a large proportion of the world's population lives in, I said to my pal...please let me never moan about anything, ever again! It was a lesson I needed to learn in order to get the things of Life that previously overly-concerned me, into a proper sense of proportion.


----------



## Andolink

*Frank Bridge*: _Sonata for Piano_ (1921-24)
Mark Bebbington, piano


----------



## Weston

Continuing my Mahler journey over the weekend.

*Mahler: Symphony No. 7*
Michael Tilson Thomas / London Symphony Orchestra

1. Langsam - I get the distinct impression of a sword and sandal epic here, but then once again I am reminded of a less ADD version of Richard Strauss. Halfway through with the quiet distant brass is a magical moment. I would even call it utopian. We may not achieve utopia as part of the human condition, but we've achieved it in art and music. But of course, it cannot last.

2. Nachtmusik - Not bad if it is meant to be light, but it does go on a bit doesn't it? I didn't dislike it, but I'm not sure what if anything this movement does for the work as a whole.

3. Scherzo - sort of a Dance Macabre. I love the violin glissandos or whatever you call them. Really nice orchestral "stereo" effects too. Or I suppose spatial effects is the better term.

4. Nachtmusik - I'm hearing R. Strauss musical gestures again, although far more overtly motivic maybe. Supposedly a romantic serenade, I find it a rare smile in the midst of the Mahler oeuvre, or a rare moment of peace when all the forest animals come out to watch a sunset or some such.

5. Rondo finale - Had he been listening to or conducting Dvorak before composing this? It has some very Dvorak-like moments, especially in the bluster and trills and triangle jangling. It's a bit too much "hurrah!" for me, but I do love the unpredictable modulations and brass sonorities.

Overall I'd say this is a happier tone than the Mahler symphonies I'd heard before. Two more to go (three really, if I count Das Lied von der Erde) before I can go back and re-listen to all the symphonies in a less regimented way.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in B Flat, Op.20, No.2, G290

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Mario Paladin, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

chalkpie said:


> Not sure if you're busting balls or not, but he really wasn't classically trained ever. He never went to any music university - he is self-taught and studied - he studied Varese records along with blues when he was growing up. Nicholas Slonimsky (a friend of Frank) was amazed that he was self-taught. This the guy who premiered Ives and Varese and is a pretty knowledgeable musicologist and overall dude.


---

Yeah, I like the story of the teenage Zappa who saw a record of Varese, and thought the music was so cool that he just had to talk with the guy. So he looked him up in the phonebook and somehow came across talking to him on the phone.

I also like that Zappa had Steve Vai on his _Ship Arriving too Late to Save a Drowning Witch _album; and of course that fact that he wrote Valley Girl; and had his daughter Moon on it, whom I love.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Aggelos said:


> Listening to some Geoffrey Simon power
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1029.html
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/BorodinRequiem.htm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1030.html
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/Mussorgsky_Pictures.htm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD1025.html
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/oct00/Debussynight.htm


---
Everything Simon does is solid. His Debussy, Saint-Saens, and Respighi are great too.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mohammed Fairouz's Symphony No.4 "In The Shadow Of No Towers" - Ohio State Wind Symphony, Russel C. Mikkelson, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

My computer has just had a bit of a fit & with that, went the couple of paragraphs that I'd written about Andre Previn. But rather than attempt to reiterate what I said in detail, I shall just say that contrary to what I was thinking earlier, after listening to my Previn recordings & having accessed a good few others on Spotify, I cannot include his name in my list of outstanding living conductors.
During his tenure as chief conductor of the LSO & afterwards, he had a couple of BBC TV series...one called 'Previns Music Night' and another on the development of the symphony. I sort-of continued my musical development being familiar with his conducting style & at the time I thought he conducted the various featured works, pretty-well.
But 'Sorry' Andre, excellent though many of your recordings are, I've found myself either marginally preferring other interpretations or definetly doing so, during today!
But I want to conclude ..in a lighter vein....with what I know you got right...the soundtrack to my favourite musical 'My Fair Lady' and in revealing those improvising talents as a jazz pianist on the 'Shelly Manne & Friends' recording of songs from that musical.
Both are on Spotify.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1 in G Major (Amadeus Quartet).


----------



## Vasks

*Bazelon - Overture to Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" (Farberman/Albany)
Garland - Another Sunrise (Essential Music/Mode)
Gerber - Viola Concerto (Tomter/Chandos)*


----------



## julianoq

Continuing on Inkinen's Sibelius cycle, now listening to his performance of the symphony No.2 for the first time. As with the No.1 and No.3, Inkinen focus on the architecture and the "cold" feeling of Sibelius music and not on over-romanticize the climaxes. I love this approach, it always was my favorite way with Sibelius. The sound quality is fantastic, as is the playing of the NZSO.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Bridge*: The Sea (Suite), w. Ulster O./Handley (rec.1986); Three Idylls, w. Coull Qt. (rec.1993); Cello Sonata, w. Rostropovich & Britten (rec.1968).

View attachment 40653







View attachment 40654


----------



## jim prideaux

listening whilst driving too, and at work-Zinman and the Tonhalle Zurich in a particularly 'rousing' interpretation of Schumann 3rd, 'the Rhenish' and Sibelius 6th ,Vanska conducting The Lahti Orch-this particular symphony is slowly but surely establishing itself at the forefront of my affections-in between-Harnoncourt and the Concertgebouw performing 'The Water Goblin' symphonic poem by Dvorak-another work I am finding myself listening to with great frequency-Neumann on vinyl included......it has a haunting quality about it which means that whist it is beautiful it is also rather threatening....anyone that assumes Dvorak finished his career with the later symphonies is missing a real treat........


----------



## Blancrocher

Brendel playing Bach (rec. 1976).

Andrew Maginley playing baroque lute works: a transcription of Bach's 1st Cello Suite, and sonatas by Sylvius Leopold Weiss and Adam Falckenhagen.


----------



## science

Yes, I did all that today!

And a bit more...


----------



## science

The wife came home a bit early and had to hear the end of this fascinating work, but she did ok.










That's great music and a great cover too.


----------



## science

And here's something I did last night:

















I was planning to plck a winner, but... maybe next time.


----------



## Andolink

*Frank Bridge*: _Sonata for Violin and Piano (1932)_
Marianne Thorsen, violin
Ian Brown, piano


----------



## Manxfeeder

science said:


> The wife came home a bit early and had to hear the end of this fascinating work, but she did ok.
> 
> [/QUOTE]
> 
> Ha! I've had that kind of thing happen to me too many times.
> 
> Today, Martinu's first symphony.
> 
> [ATTACH=CONFIG]40658._xfImport[/ATTACH]


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Utterly fabulous playing!


----------



## Vaneyes

chalkpie said:


> Not sure if you're busting balls or not, but he really wasn't classically trained ever. He never went to any music university - he is self-taught and studied - he studied Varese records along with blues when he was growing up. Nicholas Slonimsky (a friend of Frank) was amazed that he was self-taught. This the guy who premiered Ives and Varese and is a pretty knowledgeable musicologist and overall dude.


A friendly jab. 

Influenced by Varese, El-Dabh, Boulez, Stravinsky, Webern. Received commissions from Boulez/EIC and Ensemble Modern.


----------



## Vasks

Wow! I almost played that disc yesterday, but I flipped a coin and went with Sitkovetsky's Partita #2


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40659
> 
> 
> Utterly fabulous playing!


That _Tziganne_ on there is my absolute _standard._ The consciously-employed, untamed-gypsy cover photo lives up to the promise of the playing.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 26, 27, 29


----------



## cjvinthechair

Valentin Silvestrov - the link is to one of a whole album of sacred songs just uploaded.
Beautiful listening !


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Swan Then Tempest*


----------



## Oskaar

So far today I have listned to these works of brahms, and collected good film-videos and postet in my blog.

*Sonatensatz (Scherzo from the F.A.E. sonata), WoO 2

String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1

String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2

String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67

String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op. 88

String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111*

This is a link to today on the calender in my blog --- *link*


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
New Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Britten









Amusingly, given our forum's current Britten/Stravinsky "feud", the latter composer changed the name of his Requiem Canticles so as not to associate himself with Britten's work, which he disliked.


----------



## Oskaar

*Pergolesi: Stabat Mater*

Het Stabat Mater van Pergolesi door Concerto Köln o.l.v. Peter Dijkstra m.m.v. sopraan Johannette Zomer en countertenor Maarten Engeltjes.

Opname 25 maart 2012, Grote Zaal van het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Fantastic!

Brilliant presentation and performance, and some very beautiful voices. I am amazed!

*videolink*


----------



## MagneticGhost

Kevin Volans - Hunting Gathering - Kronos Quartet.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schumann*: String Quartets, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2000).; Piano Trios, w. Gringolts/Kouzov/Laul (rec.2010).

View attachment 40669


----------



## LancsMan

*Essential Opera* featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kananwa, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreas, Montserrat Caballe and Joan Sutherland on Decca








I didn't know whether I should admit to owning this disc as you'll all suspect me of listening to Classic FM! My only excuse is that popular Italian opera is one of my blind spots in musical appreciation, so a disc like this allows me to hear some juicy bits without having to hear the whole opera. I do try now and then to try a whole popular Italian opera, but I guess it's never going to be a particular favourite category for me. Perhaps seeing it live in the theatre might convert me. But at the moment I'm happy to listen to these juicy bits.

Actually there's some Mozart on here (not enough for my view of what is essential in opera), and some French opera (eg Carmen). Unfortunately this is a German language free zone - apparently Wagner and Richard Strauss are not essential!

But after all my grumbles it's quite a pleasant and easy listen.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau/Sinfonietta Gurzenich-Orchester Kolner Philharmoniker/James Conlon

Two very enjoyable pieces by Zemlinsky in exemplary performances.


----------



## AH music

EBERL, Anton - Piano sonata no 1. Fine piece for an Op 1. First time listening to this composer, eager for more. Fortepiano sound a little challenging, but impressed with the piece.









KROMMER, Franz - Concerto for 2 horns. Very pleasant, two horns make an interesting combination, but can't claim special greatness for the music (have enjoyed Krommer's extrovert wind partitas).









BALAKIREV, Mily - Symphony no 1. First time for this work, really enjoyed it all through. Although no deep symphonic masterpiece, an authentic Russian mood comes through and it does not deserve obscurity.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: Duo Concertant for Violin and Piano, Serenade in A, Concerto for Two Pianos, Piano-Rag Music, Sonata for Two Pianos, Sonata for Piano
Joseph Szigeti, Violin, Igor Stravinsky, Piano
Igor Stravinsky, Soulima Stravinsky, Pianos
Arthur Gold, Robert Fitzdale, Pianos
Charles Rosen, Piano


----------



## Blake

Gabrieli - _Music for Brass, Vol. 1._ Lovely.


----------



## Blancrocher

Charles Rosen playing the Goldberg Variations; Gergiev, Mutter & co in Bach and Gubaidulina.


----------



## Blake

Mahler - _Symphony 3._ Amazing, as usual. I really feel he was the greatest orchestrator of all time everywhere.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 in E minor (Evgeny Mravinsky; Leningrader Philharmonie).









J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major, 'Emperor' (Amadeus Quartet).


----------



## Oskaar

* Hélène Grimaud - Beethoven - Piano Sonata Nº31 Op110*

Youtube comment
This piano sonata is Beethoven doing what he does best: walking us into the darkest of depressions, and then showing us the way out "poi a poi di nuovo vivente." To my ear, Grimaud's performance here more than does this magnificent piece justice. What a treasure.﻿

I think she plays beautifully

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvořák - Song to the moon - Renée Fleming (Soprano)*

Jiri Belohlavek (Conductor)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Last night at the Proms 2010 
London Royal Albert Hall...

What a beautiful song! And she sings it well

*videolink*


----------



## LancsMan

*Faure: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 & 2* Domus on hyperion







The Faure quartets performed with great style by Domus. Excellent disc.

Faure is a composer whom I feel I have not fully come to terms with. At times I think Faure's music is almost too subtle and elusive. This music does not shout, and slips by mellifluously, so you do need to focus your full attention on it or it will not properly register. The first piano quartet is probably the easier to engage with, but I particularly like the second and third movements of the second piano quartet. There is a certain strange and subtle elegance to these two movements in particular.


----------



## Oskaar

Last listening/watching for tonight;

*Strawinsky: Scherzo fantastique*

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 14. Dezember 2012 ∙

I really enjoy this strange colourfull little piece!
Great presentation

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

Yes, a nice 'song to the moon' from Renee...but I'd imagine that in that dress, some folks in the stalls at the back, above the stage were concentrating their attention upon orbs of a different nature?!


----------



## JCarmel

Myaskovsky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Symphony No 27 in C Minor.









Getting to know and like this symphony now....


----------



## Morimur

*Benjamin Britten: Sacred & Profane (Layton, Polyphony)*


----------



## LancsMan

*Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2* Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra with Peter Donohoe (piano), Nigel Kennedy (violin) and Steven Isserlis (cello) conducted by Rudolf Barshai on EMI








Talk about chalk and cheese, I'm following the understated subtle music of Faure with the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2. I don't think you would often think Tchaikovsky was understated or accuse him of being too subtle.

There is a rather over the top first movement in this concerto, but Tchaikovsky then goes on to give us a rather attractive slow movement including prominent roles for a solo violin and solo cello. Then on to frolics in the last movement.

Actually whilst this is never going to be a favourite concerto of mine, it does make a pleasant change to the first piano concerto. However it lacks the obvious mass appeal of the first concerto so will remain comparatively in it's shadow to the general public.

Well played in this recording.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Rossini, Overtures to Bianca e Faliero and Otello.*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

138 Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?
139 Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott
140 Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)


----------



## JCarmel

Myaskovsky....Symphony no. 27 & Cello Concerto









AM now listening to Symphony 27 again in this Chandos recording which is in better sound. I'm enjoying the music...with its shades of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov ....even a bit of Stravinsky I thought in the first movement....& suggestive too of Elgar in places. There is a pervading sadness within the music it seems to me, that affects my enjoyment of it a little, though I expect that to dissipate when I become more fully familiar with the work. 
But thanks to Jim, for the introduction to a composer & his music that was completely new to me.


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Schubert's "Reliquie" Sonata (rec. 1979); the Kronos Quartet and Aki Takahashi in Feldman's Piano and String Quartet (rec. 1991)


----------



## JCarmel

Like this Myaskovsky Cello Concerto a lot!

I'm taking the suggestion of a Schubert Sonata with me, as I retire for the evening...my favourite D850, in a great performance by Clifford Curzon. 
I've got two copies of this cd...I literally liked it so much I bought it twice!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Hugo Wolf - Morike-Lieder

Auf einer Wanderung
Elfenlied
Der Gartner
Zitronenfalter im April
Um Mitternacht
Auf eine Christblume I
Auf eine Christblume II
Seufzer
Auf ein altes Bild
In der Fruhe (this is a particular favourite of mine)
Schlafendes Jesuskind
Karwoche

Joan Rodgers, Stephan Genz, Roger Vignoles [Hyperion, 2000]










By now I think you might be getting the idea that I quite like Wolf. I've been covering this new acquisition, a double CD set, half-a-CD every night over the last few days. Very delicate and sensitive readings by Joan Rodgers and Stephan Genz with Roger Vignoles; I believe these discs have been received well.


----------



## Alfacharger

This wonderful recording of Schubert's Ninth.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Symphony No.3 "Eroica"
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

In less than 10 minutes it will be Sir Malcolm Sargent's birthday, so here's a good start. Nice to have these recordings (which I've known and loved for years) newly remastered and sounding very good indeed. What an interesting and alive performance of the "Eroica" this is, and the RPO play magnificently, as they do on Sargent's thoughtful and heartfelt "Unfinished", there'll be a lot more Sargent from me on the morrow, rest assured, (plus some Beecham whose birthday also falls on that day), I always look forward to 29th April, a great excuse to indulge in some of my favourite records!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Maurice Ravel - Sonata Posthume for Violin and Piano (Sonata No. 1) in A minor *
Isabelle Meyer (Violin), Cédric Pescia (Piano) [Gall, 2004]










An excellent performance by Isabelle Meyer and Cédric Pescia


----------



## Weston

maestro267 said:


> *Daugherty*: Philadelphia Stories
> Colorado SO/Alsop
> 
> *Mahler*: Symphony No. 10
> Bournemouth SO/Rattle


I'm curious what you think of "Philadelphia Stories." Sometimes I enjoy it a lot. Other times I find it a little goofy in a 1950s TV detective kind of way.


----------



## KenOC

Bruckner Symphony No. 9, Jochum and the Berliners. Uh...yeah.


----------



## Blake

I feel a serious Mahler mood coming about - _Symphony 7._


----------



## Mahlerian

Weston said:


> Continuing my Mahler journey over the weekend.
> 
> Mahler: Symphony No. 7
> Michael Tilson Thomas / London Symphony Orchestra
> ...
> Overall I'd say this is a happier tone than the Mahler symphonies I'd heard before. Two more to go (three really, if I count Das Lied von der Erde) before I can go back and re-listen to all the symphonies in a less regimented way.


Glad you enjoyed the Seventh. It's the odd duck among the Mahler symphonies, and a lot of people can't seem to know what to think of it. I love every movement of it individually, but for once, I wonder if it all works together...

I too love that part in the first movement (or at least I think I know what you're talking about...).

As for the finale, it's wild and unpredictable. It's so happy as to be ridiculous (Wagner allusions and all). It's really _too_ C major, isn't it? Sometimes, I'm stunned that it holds up under its own weight.


----------



## Morimur

*Hovhaness: Mountains And Rivers Without End / Clark, Gekker*


----------



## JCarmel

Looking-forward to the Sargent & the Beecham already!
I always associate the 29th with the feast of St Catherine of Siena...she is my Confirmation name-Saint! I can't remember the exact details of her life but it was an extraordinary one. The last of 22 children to a Sienese Dye-Worker (or somesuch) she rose to a position of great influence within the Church, even persuading the Pope to return from exile in Avignon. She left a legacy of writing that is judged some of the greatest in the history of the Catholic Church. She was dead by 33! Quite inexplicable really, given the nature of the attitude to women in medieval society.
I thought I'd come and post what I'm currently listening-to, as I'm enjoying it so much...& it just happens coincidentally to be religious in nature. Its one of many recordings of Rachmaninov's Vespers but a particularly calming & affecting one....I can almost smell the incense and see the golden glow of the icons!


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Walton's Symphony No.1 - Martyn Brabbins, cond.


----------



## Blancrocher

Bernstein conducting Mahler's 7th (rec. 1966); Curzon in Schubert's "Gasteiner" Sonata (rec. 1964)

Allowing "Current Listening" to determine my current listening, as usual.


----------



## KenOC

Wolfl, Piano Sonatas, Jon Nakamatsu. Right now, Op. 33/2 in D minor -- Wolfl tries to do a Beethoven. Not a bad try, really.


----------



## shadowdancer

Two versions in the same CD: piano and orchestra.
No comments. Amazing.


----------



## chalkpie

jim prideaux said:


> a great day-as 'the lads' move away from relegation with a 4 nil win at home I draw a line under proceedings with the Martinu Sextet performed by the Raphael Ensemble.


I assume you mean Sunderland? I really like them and am cheering them on - SO glad they beat Chelsea! Mourhino seems like an arrogant tool. Vaughan Williams on deck here (Handley/Liverpool) to keep this music related  plus I am both an Everton and Liverpool fan - is that allowed?


----------



## Guest

This young man is only 20, but he plays like a seasoned pro. My main quibble is his choice of guitar, a Greg Smallman. He uses carbon fiber to reinforce the soundboard, which adds a peculiar "plastic" tone and robs the instrument of some of its natural beauty. Otherwise, it's a fine recording.


----------



## bejart

Pavel Vranicky (1756-1808): String Quintet, Op.29

Stamic Quartet with Karel Plocek on 2nd viola: Jindrich Pazdura and Josef Kekula, violins -- Jan Peruska, viola -- Petr Hejny, cello


----------



## KenOC

More Wölfl: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G, Op. 20. This guy's really good! Great fun from a composer nobody's ever heard of. All three of these concertos are very enjoyable.


----------



## Vaneyes

Lotsa bloody football talk, as I enjoy a Newcastle ale, and....

*Elgar*: Symphony 1, w. Halle O./Judd (rec.1990).


----------



## Vasks

Vaneyes said:


> Lotsa bloody football talk, as I enjoy a Newcastle ale, and....
> 
> *Elgar*: Symphony 1, w. Halle O./Judd (rec.1990).


You hit the Trifecta with me...LOL


----------



## Mahlerian

Janacek: Instrumental Suite, From the House of the Dead
Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, op. 42
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano, Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Bělohlávek


----------



## Vaneyes

Mahlerian said:


> Janacek: Instrumental Suite, From the House of the Dead
> Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, op. 42
> Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano, Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Bělohlávek


Jiří Bělohlávek could/should be considered for BPO leadership.


----------



## chalkpie

I listened to Symphony 5 for the first time with Handley/Liverpool. Great recording. Pretty warm, accurate and very musical performance, decent sonics (about mid-hall; I prefer slightly closer). There are just a few spots where the brass intonation gets slightly funky, but luckily the horns nail the main theme in mvt I. This is going to be a very good cycle, I can already tell.









Been hitting some Cardiacs along with the RVW. I don't like the production at all on this album, but the music is totally unbelievable. Tim said this was personal favorite, which speaks volumes.


----------



## samurai

On *Spotify:*

Sergei Prokofiev--*Symphony No.6 in E-Flat Minor, Op.111, *featuring Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. Compared to the Rostropovich reading with the LSO, I thought this traversal was more nuanced and detailed, drawing more out of the music than the latter's interpretation. It also seemed to me that the presence of the strings was "bigger" in this rendition, perhaps because of the way it was miked? Anyway, a very enjoyable listening session!


----------



## senza sordino

Yes, it's the Benjamin Britten show with
Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge, Simple Symphony, Prelude and Fugue







Violin Concerto







and String Quartet #1


----------



## SimonNZ

Rautavaara's Piano Concerto No.1 - Laura Mikkalo, piano, Hannu Lintu, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Reinhold Gliere: Symphony no.3 in B minor, "Il'ya Muromets"*















Darker, harder, faster. . . and more exotic.

All right JoAnn Falletta! The _Ill'ya Muromets_ done properly; _and _with great recorded sound; _and_ for a pittance.


----------



## opus55

Joachim: Violin Concerto in G minor


----------



## Weston

Kontrapunctus said:


> This young man is only 20, but he plays like a seasoned pro. My main quibble is his choice of guitar, a Greg Smallman. He uses carbon fiber to reinforce the soundboard, which adds a peculiar "plastic" tone and robs the instrument of some of its natural beauty. Otherwise, it's a fine recording.


Is he wearing freaky contacts or did the photographer make him stare into a ring of lights, I wonder.



KenOC said:


> More Wölfl: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G, Op. 20. This guy's really good! Great fun from a composer nobody's ever heard of. All three of these concertos are very enjoyable.


Why, I'll have you know, I -- okay, I've never heard of him. But those CPO prices are right.



SimonNZ said:


> Rautavaara's Piano Concerto No.1 - Laura Mikkalo, piano, Hannu Lintu, cond.


Great album all around. The Cantus Arcticus was my introduction to Rautavaara.


----------



## Morimur

Kontrapunctus said:


> This young man is only 20, but he plays like a seasoned pro. My main quibble is his choice of guitar, a Greg Smallman. He uses carbon fiber to reinforce the soundboard, which adds a peculiar "plastic" tone and robs the instrument of some of its natural beauty. Otherwise, it's a fine recording.


My word, I dare not listen to this man's music. The look in his eyes; so much intensity, passion and anger! ROAR!


----------



## Weston

*Martinu: Symphony No. 4, H. 305 *
Jirí Belohlávek / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra









Movement 1. Drop dead gorgeous themes slowly spiraling in ever widening climactic development. As with much Martinu orchestral music we are once again treated to piano as an orchestral color. It seems so natural.

Movement 2. Almost treading in "The Sorceror's Apprentice" territory with a momentary nod toward the scherzo from Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. The trio section is calmer but rhythmically riveting once I paid it due attention. I wanted him to explore that theme further, often a sign that it is just right.

Movement 3. Allmusic says, "A hint of restlessness and anxiety underlies the mysterious, and quite beautiful, third movement." Really? I agree with mysterious and beautiful but I'm not picking up on the anxiety. I'm sensing more regret, but also relief, perhaps forgiveness, or the otherworldly bittersweet beauty of aging with a loved one.

Movement 4. There is a hint of danger in this one, soon morphing into action adventure. A series of chills and spills later and we reach a triumphant climax. But I confess I enjoyed this movement the least of the four.

People would think me so weird. I tried to watch a movie earlier this evening but grew quickly bored. Yet I can sit and listen to a symphony like this and get the same endorphin satisfaction I might have gotten from a good movie.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Arabella*









Kiri Te Kanawa: Arabella
Gabriele Fontana: Zedenka









Lisa Della Casa: Arabella
Hilde Gueden: Zedenka









Elizabeth Schwarzkopf: Arabella
Anny Felbermayer: Zedenka

Ladies and gentlemen, and for the Best In Show for Act One's "_Aber der Richtige, wenn's eigen gibt fur mich auf dieser Welt_," the silver-throated laurels go to Duchess Schwarzkopf and Vicountess Felbermayer. . . for that incomparable blending of voices that takes you directly to heaven. _So_ gorgeous.


----------



## Mahlerian

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Leinsdorf


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A minor, D.784


----------



## Dustin

In three days I'm going to the Houston Symphony and I'll be listening to a piece I've never heard of before, Tintangel, along with Sibelius's 5th and Beethoven's Triple Concerto.

Bax: Tintagel


----------



## SimonNZ

"In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores" - Hilary Hahn, violin, Cory Smythe, piano

Disc one:

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh - Impulse
Somei Satoh - Bifu
Du Yun - When A Tiger Meets A Rosa Rugosa
David Lang - Light Moving
Bun-Ching Lam - Solitude d'automne
Paul Moravec - Blue Fiddle
Anton Garcia Abril - Third Sigh
Anver Dorman - Memory Games
David Del Tredici - Farewell
Mason Bates - Ford's Farm
Einojuhani Rautavaara - Whispering
Gillian Whitehead - Torua
Richard Barrett - Shade
Jennifer Higdon - Echo Dash

proving to be every bit as good as my very high hopes


----------



## PetrB

*C'mon, now, don't hold back. Tell us what you really think! LOL.*

Erwin Schulhoff ~ Symphonia Germanica (1919)


----------



## PetrB

Erwin Schulhoff ~ Concerto for piano and small orchestra op.43 (1923) 
In a flash, Rautavaara's piano concerto No. 1, 1st movement, becomes far less 'original.'


----------



## SimonNZ

Gideon Klein works c.1942-1944 - Members Of The Group For New Music


----------



## PetrB

Mahlerian said:


> Glad you enjoyed the Seventh. It's the odd duck among the Mahler symphonies, and a lot of people can't seem to know what to think of it. I love every movement of it individually, but for once, I wonder if it all works together...
> 
> I too love that part in the first movement (or at least I think I know what you're talking about...).
> 
> As for the finale, it's wild and unpredictable. It's so happy as to be ridiculous (Wagner allusions and all). It's really _too_ C major, isn't it? Sometimes, I'm stunned that it holds up under its own weight.


This is like a comment I heard about Fellini:
His mis-takes are far more interesting than many other good directors successes


----------



## science

For full credit:


----------



## science

Lope de Aguirre said:


> My word, I dare not listen to this man's music. The look in his eyes; so much intensity, passion and anger! ROAR!


Really? It looks to me like he'd cry if stuck my tongue out at him.


----------



## science

opus55 said:


>





KenOC said:


>





senza sordino said:


> View attachment 40716


So much dang music out there. And I'm supposed to listen to all of it!


----------



## science

Sorry, that Shostakovich was just neo-circus music. Here is for nearly full credit, though I know I must lose some points for the popularity of Kremer and DG:


----------



## AH music

Romantic Piano Quintets - disc 2 - Dussek Op 41, Hummel Op 87, Onslow Op 76. My listening order over the last days.









The Dussek was pleasant enough but did not particularly grab me on this first listening. The Hummel was interesting, quite fiery in parts, making much more of an impression. I was very taken with the work by Onslow (first proper listen to anything by this composer) and will be returning to it (and exploring more of his work) with enthusiasm.


----------



## JCarmel

A few Birthdays are bubbling to the surface for today?! And one of those is that of conductor Zubin Mehta. 
I don't have much to represent him in my collection of discs, actually There's a famous 'Turandot' with Sutherland, Pavarotti & Caballe that I haven't listened-to for some considerable time & I'll certainly fish that out today for at least a partial hearing. 
But first of all, I'm listening to his interpretation of Mahler's Symphony 2.


----------



## science

JCarmel said:


> A few Birthdays are bubbling to the surface for today?! And one of those is that of conductor Zubin Mehta.
> I don't have much to represent him in my collection of discs, actually There's a famous 'Turandot' with Sutherland, Pavarotti & Caballe that I haven't listened-to for some considerable time & I'll certainly fish that out today for at least a partial hearing.
> But first of all, I'm listening to his interpretation of Mahler's Symphony 2.
> 
> View attachment 40736
> 
> 
> View attachment 40737


Birthday or not, that Puccini is a great recording!

(I don't know the Mahler personally but I assume the consensus about its greatness is correct, and if I failed to appreciate I would still not dare to disagree!)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: Cockaigne Overture 
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.4 BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Dvorak: Symphony No.8 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham

Beecham and Sargent both born on this day in 1879 and 1895 respectively. I start the day with a group of marvellous live performances. Sargent's "Cockaigne" is bright and breezy and comes from a prom given in 1954. The VW 4th is one of the finest performances ever given of this work, he is the only one I know of who rivals the composer's own recording for the ferocity of his attack and the BBC SO play like the very devil for him, this is another prom, given on 16th August, 1963. Finally a wonderful performance of Dvorak's 8th given by Beecham and the RPO in the Royal Festival Hall, 25th October, 1959. He gives a very exciting reading indeed, and no other performance that I know of gets anywhere near as spine tingling in the closing pages. Absolutely terrific.


----------



## science

One of my twenty or so favorite recordings. An old friend, and in particular _Como una ola de fuerza y luz_, a masterpiece IMVHO.


----------



## SimonNZ

Olli Mustonen's Symphony No.1 - Juha Kotilainen, baritone, cond. composer


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 40719
> 
> 
> Kiri Te Kanawa: Arabella
> Gabriele Fontana: Zedenka
> 
> View attachment 40720
> 
> 
> Lisa Della Casa: Arabella
> Hilde Gueden: Zedenka
> 
> View attachment 40721
> 
> 
> Elizabeth Schwarzkopf: Arabella
> Anny Felbermayer: Zedenka
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen, and for the Best In Show for Act One's "_Aber der Richtige, wenn's eigen gibt fur mich auf dieser Welt_," the silver-throated laurels go to Duchess Schwarzkopf and Vicountess Felbermayer. . . for that incomparable blending of voices that takes you directly to heaven. _So_ gorgeous.


If only Schwarzkopf had recorded the complete role!


----------



## JCarmel

I'm bringing-along to the Sargent celebrations, an appreciation of him as an accompanist....in this recording of Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto with Moura Lympany. My Dad was rather a fan of hers...we had her recording of Rach 2, along with that of Julius Katchen... and I've been further exploring her legacy over the last couple of days on Spotify, where this recording may be found.









" The gem here is the Mendelssohn Concerto. Lympany had made her debut with it aged twelve in Harrogate, later recording it with Kubelik and the Philharmonia. That competed in the catalogues with such as Eileen Joyce and Fistoulari, Sanroma and Fiedler and Dorfmann and Goehr. It was at the initial run through of the recording that Walter Legge, who was producing, told Lympany that she was playing it like a little girl and sent her home to think about it. The result was a faster probably flashier performance - and one much more to Legge's liking at least (four years earlier the authoritarian Legge had bawled at Albert Sammons who was trying to record the Delius Violin Concerto "You're too near the mike, Albert, get back, back, BACK.")

For the 1964 remake of the Mendelssohn, (first recorded in 1925 by Moiseiwitsch incidentally) and licensed from Reader's Digest, Lympany was accompanied by Malcolm Sargent and the RPO. They are on splendid form, Sargent notably incisive and pliant when required, living up to his high reputation as an accompanist "


----------



## SimonNZ

Joby Talbot's Tide Harmonic






edit: now Talbot's arrangement of Purcell's Chacony in G minor - Mark Wigglesworth, cond.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Tsaraslondon

The first ever studio recordings Callas made were for Cetra in 1949 and were originally issued on 78s. Of the roles represented, Isolde was the second role she sang in Italy, at a time when her other roles included Brunnhilde, Gioconda, Turandot and Aida. Norma was the first of the roles she sang which indicated what direction her career would take and earlier in 1949, she sang for the first time the role of Elvira in *I Puritani*, deputising for an ailing Margherita Carosio, learning it in a few days and sandwiched between performance of Brunnhilde in *Die Walkure*. She was hailed as a phenomenon and Callas had arrived.

And phenomenal is the only word to describe the singing on those first 78s. The Mad Scene from *I Puritani* is absolutely breathtaking and is the first record I reach for in any effort to convince the Callas doubters. Fabulous _legato_, wonderful use of _portamento_, dazzlingly _expressive_ coloratura, those descending scales in the cabaletta emerging like the sighs of a wounded soul, and to cap it all a stunning full throated Eb _in alt_.

Though she was later to refine her singing of _Ah bello a me ritorna_, making it a more inward expression of Norma's emotions, this is one of the most mesmerisingly beautiful renderings of _Casta diva_ even she achieved.

As for Isolde's _Liebestod_ (sung of course in Italian, as all Wagner was in Italy in those days), it is a fascinating document of what might have been, sung with a beauty, femininity and (yes) security that would be the envy of many of her German colleagues.

This issue adds excerpts from her complete Cetra recordings of *La Traviata* and *La Gioconda*. We get a truer picture of Callas's greatness as Violetta from some of the later live recordings, but her Gioconda, not so refined here as in the later EMI recording, has a tigerish power she couldn't manage in 1959.


----------



## bejart

Vivaldi: String Concerto in C Major, RV 109

Simon Standage leading the Collegium Musicum 90


----------



## jim prideaux

earlier post by Weston inspired me to return to Martinu 4th symphony-Beholavek conducting the BBC Phil-continued with the 5th and 6th.....


----------



## Tsaraslondon

A complete change of pace now takes me on a trip to Latin America. Wonderfully colourful music, stunningly played.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Bruno Mantovani - Cantate no. 4






R.Murray Schafer - Apocalypsis 'Credo'

2 modern pieces of choral music - Schafer is the more approachable; he has a number of lovely works on YT, & has also composed concerti for harpsichord, harp and flute ( don't think my downloads of them came from YT ).

The YT Channel from which these pieces come is a fine source of modern music.


----------



## SimonNZ

Joey Donemus' Visions At Sea - Rubens Quartet






edit: now Donemus' Percussion Concerto - Conrad van Alphen, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

I've been listening to the Lully for the last hour & thought I'd come along and dedicate the pleasure of doing so, to TC's Lully lovers...& then just as I logged-in to my profile page...there two of them were, with a kindly 'Like!'

Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.....Jordi Savall


----------



## bejart

Jan Krumpholtz (1747-1790): Simphonie Concertante in B Flat, Op.5, No.2

Jaroslav Krcek conducting the Prague Philharmonia -- Hana Mullerova, harp -- Vojtech Spurny, piano


----------



## Jeff W

Just got the complete set of the Hans Gal\Robert Schumann symphonies set in the mail. Listened to the disc containing both composers' Symphony No. 1. Kenneth Woods led the Orchestra of the Swan. Gal is a composer I hadn't heard of until I saw a posting about raising the funds to complete recording the complete set of his symphonies. As always with pieces that are new to me, I'm going to give it a second listen.









Went next to Antal Dorati's Haydn symphony set with the Philharmonia Hungarica. I've decided to listen to the whole thing through disc by disc. Symphonies No. 1 through 5 are on the first disc. The two symphonies on the disc that stuck out to me were numbers 1 & 4 (which I noticed were both in D major (maybe my ears like that key?)). Still, I enjoyed all five that were on the disc.









Turned next to some chamber music. Beethoven's String Quartets No. 1 & 7 (Op. 18 No. 1 & Op. 95 No. 1 for those who prefer opus numbers). The Alban Berg Quartett played.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to join you, Jeff...& crack-open (or rather that should be creak-open as this LP box doesn't often see the light of day nowadays?!) a Haydn Symphony conducted by Dorati. My favourite from this box was No. 73 'La Chasse' it has such a joyful last movement.









It starts at about 20 minutes in on this youtube video....


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> GregMitchell on Strauss' Arabella:_ If only Schwarzkopf had recorded the complete role! _


Strauss was disinherited before he was born with_ that _omission.


----------



## SimonNZ

Dobrinka Tabakova's Cello Concerto - Kristina Blaumanr, cello, Maxim Rysanov, cond.






edit: and Tabakova's Suite In Old Style - Maxim Rysanov, viola, Isabel Felix, harpsichord, Orquestra de Cambra Illa de Menorca


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> I'm bringing-along to the Sargent celebrations, an appreciation of him as an accompanist....in this recording of Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto with Moura Lympany. My Dad was rather a fan of hers...we had her recording of Rach 2, along with that of Julius Katchen... and I've been further exploring her legacy over the last couple of days on Spotify, where this recording may be found.
> 
> View attachment 40745
> 
> 
> " The gem here is the Mendelssohn Concerto. Lympany had made her debut with it aged twelve in Harrogate, later recording it with Kubelik and the Philharmonia. That competed in the catalogues with such as Eileen Joyce and Fistoulari, Sanroma and Fiedler and Dorfmann and Goehr. It was at the initial run through of the recording that Walter Legge, who was producing, told Lympany that she was playing it like a little girl and sent her home to think about it. The result was a faster probably flashier performance - and one much more to Legge's liking at least (four years earlier the authoritarian Legge had bawled at Albert Sammons who was trying to record the Delius Violin Concerto "You're too near the mike, Albert, get back, back, BACK.")
> 
> For the 1964 remake of the Mendelssohn, (first recorded in 1925 by Moiseiwitsch incidentally) and licensed from Reader's Digest, Lympany was accompanied by Malcolm Sargent and the RPO. They are on splendid form, Sargent notably incisive and pliant when required, living up to his high reputation as an accompanist "


I like the Legge anecdote. He_ could _be all charm and grace when he wanted to, huh? Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40746
> 
> 
> The first ever studio recordings Callas made were for Cetra in 1949 and were originally issued on 78s. Of the roles represented, Isolde was the second role she sang in Italy, at a time when her other roles included Brunnhilde, Gioconda, Turandot and Aida. Norma was the first of the roles she sang which indicated what direction her career would take and earlier in 1949, she sang for the first time the role of Elvira in *I Puritani*, deputising for an ailing Margherita Carosio, learning it in a few days and sandwiched between performance of Brunnhilde in *Die Walkure*. She was hailed as a phenomenon and Callas had arrived.
> 
> And phenomenal is the only word to describe the singing on those first 78s. The Mad Scene from *I Puritani* is absolutely breathtaking and is the first record I reach for in any effort to convince the Callas doubters. Fabulous _legato_, wonderful use of _portamento_, dazzlingly _expressive_ coloratura, those descending scales in the cabaletta emerging like the sighs of a wounded soul, and to cap it all a stunning full throated Eb _in alt_. Though she was later to refine her singing of _Ah bello a me ritorna_, making it a more inward expression of Norma's emotions, this is one of the most mesmerisingly beautiful renderings of _Casta diva_ even she achieved.
> 
> As for Isolde's _Liebestod_ (sung of course in Italian, as all Wagner was in Italy in those days), it is a fascinating document of what might have been, sung with a beauty, femininity and (yes) security that would be the envy of many of her German colleagues.
> 
> This issue adds excerpts from her complete Cetra recordings of *La Traviata* and *La Gioconda*. We get a truer picture of Callas's greatness as Violetta from some of the later live recordings, but her Gioconda, not so refined here as in the later EMI recording, has a tigerish power she couldn't manage in 1959.


Another separate-and-superior caste of singing entirely. I can only imagine how thrilling it is. Thanks. I can't wait to hear it.


----------



## SimonNZ

Gounod's Petite Symphonie - Collegium Musicum Copenhagen


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mozart: Divertimento No. 15*









Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the drop-dead, summery-gorgeous, sunny early-morning climes of Southern California, getting espressinated to the unrivaled charm of the Berlin Philharmonic doing Mozart's Divertimento No. 15 under Karajan.

It's so graceful and playful and fun. . . it's just off the charts. The control, timbre, and blending of the string playing is absolutely jaw-dropping.

I wish everyone could hear this cd!


----------



## science

Well, I got through Gubaidulina and Nono in time to have this playing when my dear wife came home with fresh strawberries and raspberries for me:









That was very nice, and it appears to me that I will enjoy getting to know Telemann better.

Now:









Needless to say this is going to take the rest of the night.

Three years ago this seemed to go on forever, but now I've gotten used to it. Very nice bite-size morsels.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Martinu, Symphony No. 1.*


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40746
> 
> 
> And phenomenal is the only word to describe the singing on those first 78s. The Mad Scene from *I Puritani* is absolutely breathtaking and is the first record I reach for in any effort to convince the Callas doubters. Fabulous _legato_, wonderful use of _portamento_, dazzlingly _expressive_ coloratura, those descending scales in the cabaletta emerging like the sighs of a wounded soul, and to cap it all a stunning full throated Eb _in alt_.
> 
> As for Isolde's _Liebestod_ (sung of course in Italian, as all Wagner was in Italy in those days), it is a fascinating document of what might have been, sung with a beauty, femininity and (yes) security that would be the envy of many of her German colleagues.


Hallelujah! Sing it brothers and sisters! :angel: These two selections were on the first Callas record I ever owned, back around 1967. Might've (or might not've) been on the Everest label. It had Callas and Sutherland back to back, much to the latter's disadvantage; time has completely obliterated all memory of what Dame Joan was doing on that disc, and quite seriously I don't remember even listening to her, though I know I must have. The _Puritani_ excerpt opened a wound in my soul that dozens of appointments with _der reine Tor_ have not healed (for any bel canto specialists out there, that's a reference to the dreaded Wagner). Those portamenti put me into a permanent trance, I consider it the best singing lesson I ever had, and like you I've chosen it to introduce people to Callas. The _Liebestod_ was very surprising to me after Flagstad and Nilsson; the language and style really put it in a category of its own, and though I love it for it's delicate pathos I'm not sure Isolde is really in her voice. But her very interesting Kundry makes this excerpt all the more tantalizing, so I'll reserve judgment until a pirated complete _Tristan_ turns up. Or have we given up on that prospect? With all the wonders we have from this beautiful monster, it seems almost ungrateful to want more. But - I WANT MORE!!!!!

These recordings from Callas in her absolute vocal prime should have us all in a permanent state of astonishment and gratitude.

(I sound like one of those Callas fan boys, yes?  I must hope that the Wagner reference will suggest that I am actually a dignified older gentleman who has earned his dementia the hard way.)


----------



## Blancrocher

Beethoven's op.18 string quartets, performed by the Emerson String Quartet (rec. 1994-5)


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Liszt: Eine Faust-Symphonie. Riccardo Muti and Philadelphia Orchestra. My favorite and (I think) the best ever recording of Liszt's masterwork.


----------



## Vasks

*Gershwin - Overture to "Tip-Toes" (McGlinn/EMI)
Diamond - Symphony #2 (Schwarz/Delos)*


----------



## Mahlerian

PetrB said:


> This is like a comment I heard about Fellini:
> His mis-takes are far more interesting than many other good directors successes


Yep, and that's why Mahler on a bad day is still more interesting to listen to than any number of his lesser contemporaries.

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1-3
John Browning, Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Leinsdorf









PetrB mentioned the recording of the 3rd here as being "off" in pitch, and I think I figured out why. The (scant) recording information provided lists two separate dates for the recording, unlike all of the others. Perhaps the performances were taken at different tempos, and then they were altered to match during editing.

This version has apparently had the pitch problem corrected, but in trade-off, the whole set is one of the "hottest" mastered classical sets I've ever encountered, making just about everything sound on the harsh side, especially during fortissimo passages.


----------



## Sudonim

Very well-played and -recorded, but alas to my ears a bit samey and forgettable in the long run (I know Huilunsojatta - or whatever her name is  - will have my head for that ...). Not that I'm sorry I own it, and I will play it again sometime in the future, but for now it's on to this other doorstop (figuratively speaking - it was a download):


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

4.29.14_

Alan Hovhaness
Symphony No. 17, "Symphony For Metal Instruments," Op. 203 
[Richard Auldon Clark, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra]

Arnold Bax
String Quintet
[Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Field Chamber Ensemble]

Both fantastic pieces that don't get a lot of attention. 
Although, I would probably say that about both composer's entire oeuvres.
So. You know. Grain of salt.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm having some Trout for tea! This is a very enjoyable serving, too...in my exploration of Moura Lympany's recorded legacy, here playing the Schubert with Principals of the LSO.
By the way, the disc I posted earlier is really worth a listen via Spotify!....the Mendelssohn, the De Falla & the Liszt are all fine performances.









And then to continue...with more than a nod to Sir Thomas's birthdate....

A cd based on a concert which took place at the Davis Theatre, Croydon, South London on 10th November 1946. It contains some of Sir Thomas's "favourites" -- Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wagner's Prelude to Act III "Die Meistersinger", Mozart's Symphony No.40 in G minor and Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor with Moura Lympany.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet in E-Flat Major, KV 428; String Quartet in A Major, 
KV 464 (Leipziger Streichquartett).


----------



## LancsMan

*Bach: Cello Suites* Rostropovich on EMI







Just received a batch of CD's in the post. This is first up on my playlist. And it sounds pretty good, as one would expect from Rostropovich.


----------



## jim prideaux

Brahms 1st Symphony and the Haydn Variations-Harnoncourt conducting the BPO


----------



## Blancrocher

Zinman & co in Mahler's DLVDE and Busoni's Berceuse élégiaque; the Juilliard SQ in Carter's 5th String Quartet.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Richard Strauss - Vier letze Lieder - Lisa della Casa, Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm









I have six versions of this work, but this is my favourite. This is a pearl of a voice - well rounded, smooth, precious and seriously beautiful. I freely admit that there are many beautiful versions of this extraordinarily beautiful work - although Mrs Hermit insists on the headphones being taken off the hanger and put on my head as soon as the first notes reverberate aroung the hermitage.

Not sure is Ms Casa has hair shaped like a hat or a hat that looks like a hairstyle. A trip to the opticians might be in order


----------



## Morimur

Inaccessible? Give me a break. 'Beautiful' is more like it.


----------



## Mahlerian

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Inaccessible? Give me a break. 'Beautiful' is more like it.


That package design is a thing of beauty in itself...

But I have to admit that Webern has suffered in the past from inadequate performances from excellent performers who nevertheless struggled with his unfamiliar idiom.


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Wood

Kirsten Flagstad: The voice of a century

CDs 1-6 so far










This is fantastisk. The Voice sounds better and better the more that is demanded of it, so the Wagner disks here appear to be the best so far on my first run through.

Haydn: The Creation (Karajan 1960s) 2 LP box










This is the recording that was interrupted by the sudden accidental death of Wunderlich.

Andreas Scholl: German baroque songs










I've been tasting the work of Johann Philipp Krieger in the last few days. This disc includes a nice chunk of his songs performed by the counter tenor.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Walton: Johannesburg Festival Overture
Delius: Piano Concerto (soloist: Benno Moiseiwitsch)
Elgar: Symphony No.2 BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Dvorak: Cello Concerto, Op.104 (soloist: Paul Tortelier)
Dvorak: Symphonic Variations, Op.78 Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

More from Sir Malcolm, a mix of broadcasts, a CD and a couple of LPs! Sargent gave the premiere of the Walton overture, this is a BBC Studio recording from 1957, he gets the rhythmic verve of the piece to come across with a real swagger. Then the Delius Piano Concerto, from a prom given in 1955, Moiseiwitsch loved this work and plays it superbly, it's far better than his studio recording with Constant Lambert. The Elgar 2nd is from the Colston Hall, Bristol, 1964, and for my money is the finest performance on record, though the recording calls for some tolerance, at any rate the interpretation is second to none. Paul Tortelier gives a lovely performance of the wonderful Dvorak Cello Concerto, then Sir Malcolm does full justice to Dvorak's Symphonic Variations, a work of great colour and variety, I love it.


----------



## LancsMan

*Elgar & Carter: Cello Concertos* Alisa Weilerstein, Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin on Decca







This is the second of my new batch of CD's just received in the post. For me this is a coupling of a favourite and an unknown concerto.

I have to say this is a superb account of the Elgar cello concerto - Alisa Weilerstein may not quite replace Jacqueline Du Pre as my personal favourite performer of this piece, but she is very nearly as good, and the recording here is of course technically superior.

Maybe an odd coupling - the Carter cello concerto - and I'm ashamed to say I am completely new to Carter's music. Obviously this is a piece that requires more than one hearing. Superficially parts of it remind me somewhat of Berg. I really should have tried his music years ago! Sounds a pretty strong performance.

As a fill up bonus Bruch's Kol Nidrei is included.

Strong disc this!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas:

143 Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele
144 Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin
145 Ich lebe, mein Herze, zu deinem Ergötzen
146 Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Riech Gottes eingehen

Gustav Leonhardt (143, 144) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (145, 146), cond.

There was no 141 or 142. The first of those is now attributed to Telemann, the second to Kuhnau.

146 is another of those enthusiastic Harnoncourt performances that could be collected onto an introductory set, once again making an overlooked work with only the smallest possible number of recordings sound like it could be a popular favorite. The long opening sinfonia, reworked from one of the harpsichord concertos, is one of those wonderful rare moments where he lets his guard down and luxuriates in the beauty of it all. (Unfortunately the rest of the recording also has one of the weakest boy soprano soloists, who drags it back down a little)

I'm bracing myself to encounter the opposite effect tomorrow when I'll hear him do the super-famous 147


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's collection of art songs, on YouTube.

*Ernest Chausson - Poème de l'amour et de la mer, op. 19*
Felicity Lott, soprano; Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Armin Jordan [rec. 2002, on YouTube]

*Peter Lieberson - 5 Neruda Songs*
Sarah Connolly, BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek
recorded live at The Barbican, London, on 1 October 2010 [on YouTube]

*Heitor Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras No 5*
Nancy Allen Lundy, soprano, with cellists, Jerry Grossman, Wilhelmina Smith, Sophie Shao, Wendy Sutter, Eric Jacobsen, Aron Zelkowicz, Susannah Chapman, Andrey Tchekmazov, Caroline Stinson, Julia Bruskin, Kevin McFarland, Pitnarry Shin. Nardo Poy, conductor. [rec. live, 2007, New York; on YouTube]

*Guillaume de Machaut - Le Remède de Fortune*
Marc Mauillon , Angelique Mauillon, Vivabiancaluna Biffi and Pierre Hamon [rec. Brussels, 2010. On YouTube]


----------



## Vaneyes

*Taneyev*: Piano Quintet; *Mendelssohn* Piano Quartet, w. Alikhanov/Moscow SQ (rec.1987).


----------



## SimonNZ

on the radio:

Richard Rodney Bennett's Seven Country Dances - George Vass, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

science said:


> View attachment 40744
> 
> 
> One of my twenty or so favorite recordings. An old friend, and in particular _Como una ola de fuerza y luz_, a masterpiece IMVHO.


It was heartening to see 7 yesyes for *Nono*.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Walton: Orb and Sceptre- Coronation March 1953 London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent
Walton: Facade Suite No.1/Facade Suite No.2 Nos. 2, 5 and 6 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Strauss II: Waltzes: Tales from the Vienna Woods/Emperor/The Blue Danube/Wine, Women and Song/Artist's Life Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

A nice mixture of things from Sir Malcolm to round off his birthday. "Orb and Sceptre" is a great march, as good as the better known "Crown Imperial" methinks. The Young Person's Guide had it's first performance by Sargent in 1946 and he took it all over the world to great effect. "Facade" is superb, very quirky and enjoyable, finally an LP of Strauss waltzes, very nicely played and recorded (I have the stereo version, but couldn't find an image of it!), this was a favourite record of my dad, it was about as far as he went into classical music, but it was a good start at any rate and I enjoy it still. There was so much more I wanted to play, but time has caught up with me, no doubt more will surface as the year rolls on, in the meantime this has been a most enjoyable evening of listening.


----------



## Alfacharger

It's not "Unchained Melody", not by a long shot. Contains both the TV soundtrack and the symphony.


----------



## bejart

Karl Ditters von Dittersdrof (1739-1799): Symphony in C Major

Miron Ratiu leading the Chamber Orchestra of the Oradea Philharmonic


----------



## Weston

I have studied this thread with the most objective scrutiny I can muster and have determine without the slightest doubt, ya'll are wicked awesome.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*The Sway of Gundula*









April, 1963, Karajan/Vienna State Opera- Janowitz's "_Felice cor mio_" from Monteverdi's _L'incoronazione di Poppea_-- absolutely gorgeous.









Just loading it in now.


----------



## chalkpie

I totally forgot I had this disc. THIS, my friends, is without a doubt the undisputed masterpiece performance of RVW 7. And if that weren't enough, it is also one of the best sounding classical CD's I own. The bass frequencies are just massive, and the brass cuts through beautifully without the "ice-pick in the forehead" syndrome.

I can safely say that I need no other version of this work (although I do have others). Whoever engineered this session is a master and should have won some award - it's that good. HIGHLY recommended. 10/10.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Violin Sonata in E Major, Op.4, No.1

Felix Ayo, violin -- Corrado De Bernart, piano


----------



## Blancrocher

Ormandy & co in Shosty's 15th Symphony and Gilels in the 2nd Piano Sonata; Roland Pontinen & the Tale Quartet in chamber works by Schnittke.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc one

Olivier Messiaen:

Sept Hakai
Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum
Couleurs De La Cite Celeste

taken from:



















Duplicating recordings in the Warner Messiaen box for the second and third pieces there, but that's okay, it should be the only duplication I do with this 15-cd box of riches


----------



## KenOC

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 4. Rozhdestvensky with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. Sound is a bit raw, the orchestra is in your face, but...wow!


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony Nos. 6, 8, 9


----------



## Weston

*Mozart: Symphony No. 24 in Bb, K. 182*
Barry Wordsworth / Capella Istropolitana









Streaming. I don't own this set, though I have considered it.

Anything that makes your eyes water when you walk into a room is probably toxic, and so I have spent my entire life avoiding onions. Still, every so often I try a taste of them to see if I can handle them better with a little age. Nope. They're still toxic. And so is early Mozart for me. I'm afraid I'd rather listen to a 16 year old Mendelssohn than to these triads and scales trying to be themes.

Good thing the work is short and I persevered however because I did love the 3rd movement finale. I admit that movement is brilliant and astonishing for his age.


----------



## senza sordino

Doing my taxes listening to Szymanowski Violin Concerti #1&2







and Schoenberg and Sibelius Violin Concerti








Taxes: why do it early when you can wait until the last minute to do it?


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Rondo in A Minor, KV 511

Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## Weston

*Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Flute Concerto*
James Sedares / London Symphony Orchestra / Doriot Anthony Dwyer, flute









I had mentioned Zwilich in another thread (about great hair) and thought it would be nice to hear this piece again. I've had it since 2002 and it's probably been a decade since I listened!

This is a mysterious and weighty work with a lot of attitude and atmosphere -- not your typical frilly birdsong flute concerto. Well, maybe there's a hint of birdsong in the last movement. If anything it reminds me of a film noir score, or maybe something you might have heard during a Twilight Zone episode. Though it was written in the late 1980s, for me it has a very 1950s feeling about it. I'm not sure why I say that. It's just a feeling I have trouble putting into words. The retro album cover here is perfect for the mood. I want to go watch an old black and white TV drama -- after I shop for more of her works.


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart Flute Concertos etc, William Bennett

















Nice playing, nice two discs, nice price ...1 pence!


----------



## SimonNZ

"In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores" - Hilary Hahn, violin, Cory Smythe, piano

Disc two:

Christoz Hatzis - Coming To
Jeff Myers - The Angry Birds Of Kauai
Mark-Anthiny Turnage - Hilary's Hoedown
Valintin Silvestrov - Two Pieces
Karla Ramnath - Aalap and Tarana
Lera Auerbach - Speak, Memory
Tina Davidson - Blue Curve Of The Earth
Elliot Sharp - Storms Of The Eye
Michiru Oshima - Memories
James Newton Howard - 133...At Least
Nico Muhly - Two Voices
Soren Nils Eichberg - Levitation
Max Richter - Mercy


----------



## JCarmel

Elgar, Dream of Gerontius, Barbirolli....Dame Janet at her best.



















Schumann, Liederkreis, Brigitte Fassbaender









Just found this on youtube...first hearing, Elly Ameling Strauss, Four Last Songs, Sawallisch.


----------



## jim prideaux

since Weston's post yesterday regarding Martinus's 4th symphony inspired me to return to the work I have listened to it a number of times and I am currently listening again-on the way to my place of part time employment I will be again be listening to Zinman and the Tonhalle Zurich in their performance of Schumann 3rd 'Rhenish'.........still finding it difficult to ignore the Sibelius Berglund box set on Amazon.....how many Sibelius recordings does one person 'need' vs ah but what if, you owe it to yourself, its not a crime (just reminded me of Nils Lofgren and 1975/6) etc........


----------



## JCarmel

Furtwangler's 1954 'Don Giovanni' on DVD









Schwarzkopf decided against appearing as Donna Elvira in the movie...but Lisa Della Casa stepped-in & gives a very fine performance, I think.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.1 - Herbert von Karajan, cond. (1977)

probably followed by No.4


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Symphonies 1 and 4 Dresden Staatskapelle/Wolfgang Sawallisch

A recent purchase, and very enjoyable it is too, I love the Schumann symphonies, and when you hear them played like this, you really wonder why so many people in the late 19th/early 20th centuries had a problem with Schumann's scoring. Walter Damrosch pestered Elgar to rescore them, but he refused, he too thought they were wonderful. Good for you Sir Edward say I.


----------



## SimonNZ

Well...I just went out to the garage to file some records and found...I've been robbed. About twenty large boxes gone, another ten left so either they were interupted of couldnt get any more in their vehicle.

What the hell kind of criminal wants to steal classical vinyl? Or is it just "anything that isnt nailed down"?

Dammit, many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


----------



## Tsaraslondon

JCarmel said:


> Furtwangler's 1954 'Don Giovanni' on DVD
> 
> View attachment 40831
> 
> 
> Schwarzkopf decided against appearing as Donna Elvira in the movie...but Lisa Della Casa stepped-in & gives a very fine performance, I think.


Though, to be honest, she pales in comparison to Schwarzkopf's firebrand Elvira on the 1953 Furtwangler live recording. But then, who doesn't?


----------



## Tsaraslondon

One of my all time favourite discs. Dame Janet's hushed, intimate performance of _Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen_ worth the price of the disc alone. Definitely one for my desert island.


----------



## JCarmel

Oh dear Simon...how very distressing...not only the loss of those LP's but the whole depressing nature of it. I'm sorry for your distress.
I _was_ going to post something...but I really don't feel like it now...but, I suppose 'life goes on?

I_ had _managed to stop coughing...& cheered-up a good bit (as I've been awake for hours...) because after watching that 'Don Giovanni ' dvd, I've been enjoying searching for the perfect 'Il Mio Tesoro' on youtube. I haven't yet concluded the quest but it's been great fun so far... (yes, I know...I need to get out more?!!)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=il+mio+tesoro


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## JCarmel

Just trying to think of something to cheer you up a bit, Simon?...
Maybe a bit of 'Hinge & Bracket' might do the trick? I still miss them, you know.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thanks Julie. Yeah life goes on and its just stuff and it could have been worse. Still the more i talk to police and neighbours the stranger it seems as a theft.

Oh well - I'd been wanting to declutter and lighten the load. Perhaps in a short time I'll think they've done me a favour.

Now back to your regular programming....

Putting the Karajan Beethoven back on after being rudely interrupted


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> Well...I just went out to the garage to file some records and found...I've been robbed. About twenty large boxes gone, another ten left so either they were interupted of couldnt get any more in their vehicle.
> 
> What the hell kind of criminal wants to steal classical vinyl? Or is it just "anything that isnt nailed down"?
> 
> Dammit, many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


That is horrendous, not just for the loss but that feeling of being violated after a theft in one's property.

Have you catalogued them? There may be a possibility of recovery as the opportunities of the thief to dispose of them will be limited. It might even be worth keeping an eye out in your locality as the thief may dump them if he can't sell them.

Commiserations. I hope you get them back.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thanks. Yeah I'll be talking to all the secondhand dealers tomorrow, who know me well and will be sure to keep an eye out, plus watching the local equivalent of ebay.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Some years ago I was fortunate enough to hear Mutter play this concerto at the Barbican Centre with the LSO. Views on this recording are, as usual with Mutter, polarised (she does seem to be a sort of Marmite musician), but the effect in the hall was mesmerising and exciting, and I feel it no less so on this studio recording.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

SimonNZ said:


> Well...I just went out to the garage to file some records and found...I've been robbed. About twenty large boxes gone, another ten left so either they were interupted of couldnt get any more in their vehicle.
> 
> What the hell kind of criminal wants to steal classical vinyl? Or is it just "anything that isnt nailed down"?
> 
> Dammit, many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


What an awful thing to happen. Any kind of theft feels like being violated in some way.

Still, as you say, it's a very odd kind of theft. What do the the thieves intend to do with the records? Did they realise their value, and will they try to sell them on? If so, you might just find them again.

On the other hand, it could be the start of a culling mission. I got rid of all my vinyl years ago, swearing that I would not let my CD collection get out of hand. Didn't happen of course, and now I'm considering a bit of a CD cull.


----------



## JCarmel

Well, back to another 1p cd...Sibelius this time with Mackerras yielding the baton....









Although not particularly associated with this composer, he produces an excellent interpretation....but then, good conductors ...which Mackerras certainly was... can make a good job of whatever they twirl their baton at?!

And then in a lighter vein, Jessye Norman makes a great job of 'evergreen' songs accompanied by the Boston Pops, by Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern etc.


----------



## Wood

SimonNZ said:


> Thanks. Yeah I'll be talking to all the secondhand dealers tomorrow, who know me well and will be sure to keep an eye out, plus watching the local equivalent of ebay.


It is a horrible thought, but is it possible that one of the 2nd hand dealers could be the perp?


----------



## SimonNZ

Wood said:


> It is a horrible thought, but is it possible that one of the 2nd hand dealers could be the perp?


Nah...they of all people know there's no money in classical vinyl - most are constantly threatening to go out of it altogether. Besides these crooks left a box full of ECMs - which are much more desirable. It looks like they just started with whatever was closest to the door and worked back until their vehicle was full.

But I also keep all my dvds (which have easy resell) in the garage, and they left those. Its very strange.


----------



## Wood

JCarmel said:


> Well, back to another 1p cd...Sibelius this time with Mackerras yielding the baton....
> 
> View attachment 40836
> 
> 
> Although not particularly associated with this composer, he produces an excellent interpretation....but then, good conductors ...which Mackerras certainly was... can make a good job of whatever they twirl their baton at?!
> 
> And then in a lighter vein, Jessye Norman makes a great job of 'evergreen' songs accompanied by the Boston Pops, by Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern etc.
> 
> View attachment 40837


I love those 1p CDs on Amazon. I'm glad I left some for you. 

I've just been playing one of mine:

*Satie* Piano music _Masselos 1968
_









Strange how Brittany is shown as a geological map, but Honfleur (Satie's birthplace) is in Normandy, on the peripheries. Nevertheless, it is a fine cover.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Simon - quite shocked to hear of your loss...yes, strange theft indeed, but infuriating nonetheless; know I'd feel less bad if someone nicked cash from me than destroyed a collection that's taken years, and much pleasure, to build up.
Commiserations from England all the way to one of my favourite cities/countries.


----------



## bejart

SimonNZ said:


> "...I've been robbed...., many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


I'm so sorry to hear about this. The sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach on the initial realization is topped only by the feeling of violation that occurs afterwards. My sincere condolences ---

Now ---
Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in F Minor, Op.1, No.8

Jaroslav Krecek directing the Capella Istropolitana


----------



## Bas

After a music free day, let's start with some Beethoven:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 24, 25, 26, 27
By Daniel Barenboim [piano], on EMI


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Violin Concerto in B Flat

Libor Pesek conducting the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra -- Shizuka Ishikawa, violin


----------



## Jeff W

Got the night started with disc 2 of my Haydn symphony project. Antal Dorati leads the Philharmonia Hungarica. Symphonies No. 6 'Le Matin', 7 'Le Midi' & 8 'Le Soir'. I probably liked No. 8 the most, but I may be biased since I'm an evening\night time person.

Next went to the Hans Gal\Robert Schumann project from Kenneth Woods and the Orchestra of the Swan. Gal's Symphony No. 2 & Schumann's No. 4 were on this disc. Liked both symphonies. Will still give them both another listen down the road. (Sorry, no cover art for this one. Haven't had a chance to transfer everything over to my laptop yet.)









Turned next to Beethoven's String Quartets. The Alban Berg Quartett played No. 2 (Opus 18 No. 2), No. 6 (Opus 18 No. 6) and No. 16 (Opus 135). Still falling in love with string quartets!


----------



## JCarmel

I meant to add Mozart's Divertimento No 2, K131 to the thread about compositions featuring a good horn part ...in fact four of them here, in the Minuet...but I couldn't at the time remember what its Kochel number was! The recording is conducted by Beecham & featuring one of the greatest horn players...Dennis Brain.









Both the Symphony 27 and the Flute and Harp Concerto here receive the Beecham touch!
On one occasion, when as a honoured guest of a foreign opera house during a gala performance of 'Don Giovanni,' he was observed to be sleeping peacefully in his box. "We thought Mozart was your favourite composer?' his hosts complained.
'Only when I conduct him myself' Beecham replied!


----------



## JCarmel

And to follow Lunch....

Mozart 'Cosi Fan Tutte'









I thought that as I had listened to the daughter this morning, I'd hear Brigitte's Dad, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender... in this recording from 1934-5 conducted by the great Fritz Busch...originally recorded to 78rpm on 40 sides at Glyndebourne Theatre, Sussex.


----------



## jim prideaux

SimonNZ-sorry to hear about what amounts to a peculiar crime-invasive nonetheless I can imagine-on a selfish note intrigued by the prospect of a box of ECM vinyl........

came home from work for a brief break from to find Harnoncourt and the RCO recording of Dvorak 8th had been delivered-difficult to ignore this recording as I had so enjoyed his recording of the 7th-while some appear to have doubts about Harnoncourt I have as yet only found his interpretations to be really impressive-I did come across a rather interesting You tube film of his version of Ma Vlast which was surprisingly slow!........
!


----------



## Weston

I'll add my belated condolences to SimonNZ for this violation. It's a creepy feeling when someone has been into your stuff. 

(No classical music from me at the moment as I am at work and must listen to hard rock in headphones to drown out inconsiderate coworkers. If I overheard them interrupt Beethoven by yelling across the office at each other rather than getting up like a civiliazed human and walking across to visit, I'd likely throw my computer at them and stalk out. And I'm too old to seek employment elsewhere.)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

chalkpie said:


> View attachment 40806
> 
> 
> I totally forgot I had this disc. THIS, my friends, is without a doubt the undisputed masterpiece performance of RVW 7. And if that weren't enough, it is also one of the best sounding classical CD's I own. The bass frequencies are just massive, and the brass cuts through beautifully without the "ice-pick in the forehead" syndrome.
> 
> I can safely say that I need no other version of this work (although I do have others). Whoever engineered this session is a master and should have won some award - it's that good. HIGHLY recommended. 10/10.


Have you heard the Handley on EMI Eminence?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Weston said:


> I'll add my belated condolences to SimonNZ for this violation. It's a creepy feeling when someone has been into your stuff.
> 
> (No classical music from me at the moment as I am at work and must listen to hard rock in headphones to drown out inconsiderate coworkers. If I overheard them interrupt Beethoven by yelling across the office at each other rather than getting up like a civiliazed human and walking across to visit, I'd likely throw my computer at them and stalk out. And I'm too old to seek employment elsewhere.)


---
If you really want to stir the pot with the lower orders, play Callas' _Medea_ at work. It turns heads. I've done it. It works. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Though, to be honest, she pales in comparison to Schwarzkopf's firebrand Elvira on the 1953 Furtwangler live recording. But then, who doesn't?


Lovely as Della Casa is, she plays parlour maid to Schwarzkopf's duchess in tone, timbre, and expressivity.


----------



## Blancrocher

Yevgeny Sudbin playing Scarlatti (rec. 2004)

*p.s.* Sorry to hear of your news, SimonNZ.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40835
> 
> 
> Some years ago I was fortunate enough to hear Mutter play this concerto at the Barbican Centre with the LSO. Views on this recording are, as usual with Mutter, polarised (she does seem to be a sort of Marmite musician), but the effect in the hall was mesmerising and exciting, and I feel it no less so on this studio recording.


I had to look up the word "Marmite"-- it's definately a regional shibboleth for the U.K. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Mutter, a "Marmite musician"-- short, alliterative, pithy, memorable-- wonderful wordsmithing. . . but I don't get it. Her aggressive tone certainly isn't 'gooey' like Marmite; but then, I _can_ imagine some of the less-charitable 'critics' being black and slimey.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> What an awful thing to happen. Any kind of theft feels like being violated in some way.Still, as you say, it's a very odd kind of theft. What do the the thieves intend to do with the records? Did they realise their value, and will they try to sell them on? If so, you might just find them again.
> 
> On the other hand, it could be the start of a culling mission. I got rid of all my vinyl years ago, swearing that I would not let my CD collection get out of hand. Didn't happen of course, and now I'm considering a bit of a CD cull.


---
It really _is_ a subtle form of rape. I've had two of my cars broken into and one of them stolen. My empathy goes out to Simon.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Dull Wednesday, so - some concerti for less typical instruments:





 Holmboe - Trombone Concerto




 Martinsson - Double Bass Concerto




 Linkola - Euphonium Concerto (part 1 of 3)




 Gillingham - Marimba Concerto




 Fei - Erhu Concerto


----------



## JCarmel

Well, I was going to say that I've whipped Willi off ...but on second thoughts, I'm going to just say that I've terminated my listening to the 'Cosi'...as I came across a couple of recently reissued 'Most Wanted Recital' cds ...that I was eager to hear and I've got them lined-up on Spotify. 
The first features Jennifer Vyvyan & boasts a host of old familiar names...Harry Newstone, Peter Maag, Elsie Morrison & Thurston Dart amongst the credits...& I'm really enjoying listening to it in excellent upgraded sound.

















Then after, there's Hans Hotter's...& many others that I'm looking-forward to Spotifying!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Divina Bolena*

















"_Giudici ad Anna!"_

-- I'm whistling as loud as I_ can_, Maria!


----------



## Arsakes

*Haydn* (by *Harnoncourt*): _Symphony no. 95, 96 and 97_


----------



## Blancrocher

The Emerson String Quartet playing Bartok (rec. 1988)


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*_Documenting my daily drive to work

4.30.14_

John Bax
String Quartet No. 3
Lyrical Interlude for String Quartet
String Quartet in E major, "Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan"
[Maggini Quartet]

The third SQ tries. It is big and ambitious for Bax, it is great, but the Lyrical Interlude is oh-so-sweet, a thing of simple and pure beauty. The single-movement E major quartet Bax let's the Irish out, and it is pleasure from start to finish.

The moral is: don't neglect the miniatures. Don't neglect the "filler"

Toru Takemitsu
Paths, for solo trumpet
[Alison Balsom]

One of the great solo compositions of the twentieth century.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm not a Harnoncourt fan generally but I think he's good with Haydn.
After listening to part of that last Decca Recital cd, I wouldn't be too keen on Hans Hotter either if I hadn't known better ...I think it must date from late in his career...though the sound quality on both discs has been very well-upgraded I think.

I'm just listening to the new Elgar Concerto cd by Alisa Weilerstein, conducted by Barenboim...on Spotify. Although it sounds great & has tremendous 'vigour' I don't think it will displace the Du Pre in my affections perhaps. But 'I've got it on my little list' as Ko-Ko in the Mikado says...& I'll certainly be replaying the performance a few times over the next few days, to see if I change my mind.









Talking about old Bach LP records, Simon ...if you'll forgive me mentioning a sore point. My Dad was keen on listening to the two Saga LP's of Harry Newstone & the Hamburg Chamber Choir playing the Brandenburg Concerto's. The Gramophone critic at the time of the Saga release was much taken with them, praising them very highly. I fished them out this afternoon after finding that the recording has now been reissued as MP3 and they are on Spotify!


----------



## millionrainbows

Bartok


----------



## Vasks

_Totally Tower_

_






_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Cosi fan Kiri Time Again*


----------



## Alypius

Saw Marc-Andre Hamelin in concert the other night. I have a good part of his discography but I picked this up at the concert (with autograph!)










Seems a good upbeat way to start the day.

Simon, Sorry to read about the loss. Hope you're OK.


----------



## Couac Addict

Llutoslawski's 2nd. My reasons, like the music, are indeterminate


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Brahms, Variationen über ein Thema von Jos. Haydn (Variations on a theme by J. Haydn) for two pianos op. 56b (1873)*

Anastasia Gromoglasova (left) and Lyubov Gromoglasova (right) performing at their duo recital at the Small hall of the Moscow Conservatoire.

Not very good sound, but the best I could find.

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

I've listened-through once again to the Elgar Concerto & the Kol Nidrei (which is a piece of music I particularly love...) & although I'm much impressed by Alisa's fantastic musicianship & skill (I mean, how can one_ dare _comment critically, when the only 'instrument' one plays is the comb and paper?!...it seems arrogant in the extreme) But for an ultimate personal choice, I find she over-emotes a 'little' at times...such as to intervene between me and the music. She takes ardent expressiveness further than I want to hear. Du Pre's account is full of feeling but she captures profundity of expression without losing that element of perfect balance that makes me intuitively forget about all such considerations because I am lost in the skill/artistry of the music-making. 
That is my personal taste though....it's all a matter of personal taste.

I'm going to settle down to some quiet reflection before tonight's big match begins (Chelsea v Atletico Madrid for a place in the Champions League cup final)


----------



## Oskaar

*In this exclusive performance, Keith Hamm joins Peter Longworth on the keys to perform Johannes Brahms: Sonata in E flat major for Viola and Piano, Op 120 #2*

not blizzering performance, but steady and intime

Find the three movements in my blog *here *


----------



## julianoq

I am a little away from the boards, having listening mostly Sibelius and working on my self-improvement. It is amazing how we can spend our lives lamenting events or use them as gifts for learning. A simple change in the way you look at things can make an amazing difference.

Now listening to the Concord Sonata by Charles Ives, performed by Aimard.


----------



## Blancrocher

Abbado conducting Pollini and the Chicago SO in Bartok's first and second piano concertos, and (with Shlomo Mintz) the "Portraits for Orchestra."


----------



## cwarchc

Today's commute


----------



## Oskaar

ELLA STUDIO VIENNA, 
Sound & Video Productions 
presents 
a MICHAEL CROITORU-WEISSMAN film

DORA SCHWARZBERG, 65th Bithday Party, 
Live Recorded on 28th of March, 2011

*J. Brahms, Violin Sonata No.1 - 
Dora Schwarzberg & Tamara Atschba*

Beatufylly playing of a very good Brahms sonata, but among all the films of younger female artists, is this a facinating portret of a proud and passionate women! Intimatly filmed by one camera. Beautiful!

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

Hey, Jim...it's the' Myaskovsky' look?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fash...s-this-Britains-most-influential-haircut.html


----------



## Clayton

Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244
Werner Güra (Evangelist), Johannes Weisser (Christus), Sunhae Im, Christina Roterberg (sopranos), Bernarda Fink, Marie-Claude Chappuis (altos), Topi Lehtipuu, Fabio Trümpy (tenors) & Konstantin Wolff, Artuu Kataja (basses)
Staats- und Domchor Berlin, RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, 
René Jacobs


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes Op. 9; Op. 15 (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## Oskaar

*Leonardo Leo: Judica me deus*

• Maria Espada: soprano
• Monica Piccinini: soprano
• Ann Hallenberg: alto
• Milena Storti: alto
• Emiliano Gonzalez Toro: tenor 
• Magnus Staveland: tenor 
• Frédéric Caton: bass
• Jussi Lehtipuu: bass

Les Talens Lyriques 
Conducted by Christophe Rousset

This is utterly beautiful!

*videolink*


----------



## LancsMan

*Heinrich Schutz: Musicalische Exequien* Vox Luminis directed by Lionel Meunier on Ricercar







This is my first listen to a disc I have just acquired. It includes a number of funeral motets as well as the Musicalische Exequien.

I ordered this disc to fill a gap in my CD collection - and in my listening. I have known Heinrich Schutz as a name from the musical histories - but not much more than that. My knowledge of pre JS Bach German baroque is limited - and I've been guilty of assuming it would be worthy but a little dull as compared to Italian music from the same period. This disc demonstrates how wrong my assumptions have been.

This music shows strong Monteverdi influences. As befits funeral music it is rather restrained - but full of feeling and beauty.

The performance is first rate.


----------



## Oskaar

*J.S. Bach: Motet BWV 227 'Jesu, meine Freude'*
Vocalconsort Berlin o.l.v. Daniel Reuss

Opgenomen tijdens de BachDag i.s.m. de Organisatie Oude Muziek
29 januari 2012, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

Beautiful and intimate presentation, eccelent performed. Lately it is choire and vocal music that has given me most pleasure.

*videolink*


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak and Martinu Piano Quintets-Lindsay Quartet with pianist Peter Frankl


----------



## Vaneyes

*Berio, Ligeti, Schnittke* Piano Works, w. Schlime (rec.2005), Aimard (rec.1995/6), Tchetuev (rec.2004).

View attachment 40881







View attachment 40882


----------



## LancsMan

*Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2* Denis Matsuev and the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev on the Mariinsky label.








This is the last of my newly purchased discs. I must say I questioned whether I really needed another recording of these works (which are far from being favourite works for me) but the disc was this April's disc of the month in the Gramophone magazine.

I'm happy to say these are very impressive performances. I don't think I've heard them played so musically before. The pianism on display is outstanding - very crisp and well articulated. I'm hearing details in the orchestration that have passed me by before. I have to admit that the first concerto can be quite a switch off for me - but in this performance it's like I'm hearing it for the first time.

For me this goes to the top of the pile in Tchaikovsky piano concerto recordings.


----------



## Vlelf

Mahler Symphony No. 2 and Beethoven Sonata No. 29.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

SimonNZ said:


> Well...I just went out to the garage to file some records and found...I've been robbed. About twenty large boxes gone, another ten left so either they were interupted of couldnt get any more in their vehicle. What the hell kind of criminal wants to steal classical vinyl? Or is it just "anything that isnt nailed down"? Dammit, many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


My condolences also. I've not often been a victim of theft, but when it happens it doesn't half make you mistrustful for a while! I hope you do get to the bottom of the loss of your collection.



Marschallin Blair said:


> I had to look up the word "Marmite"-- it's definately a regional shibboleth for the U.K. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Mutter, a "Marmite musician"-- short, alliterative, pithy, memorable-- wonderful wordsmithing. . . but I don't get it. Her aggressive tone certainly isn't 'gooey' like Marmite; but then, I _can_ imagine some of the less-charitable 'critics' being black and slimey.


Ah. it works like this... Marmite has a, shall we say, strong and distinctive taste. Some like it and some hate it. Does that make the idea of a 'Marmite Musician' clearer?



JCarmel said:


> My Dad was keen on listening to the two Saga LP's of Harry Newstone & the Hamburg Chamber Choir playing the Brandenburg Concerto's. The Gramophone critic at the time of the Saga release was much taken with them, praising them very highly. I fished them out this afternoon after finding that the recording has now been reissued as MP3 and they are on Spotify!


Wow, that brings me right back. My dad also had those LPs, may still have for all I know!

Current listening (is the point of this thread I believe).

My second listen to this new disc:

*Delius - complete Violin Sonatas

in B, op. posth
No. 1 (1914)
No. 2 (1924)
No. 3 (1930)*

Tasmin Little, Piers Lane [Sony, rec. 1997]

Very fine, controlled yet passionate readings of these fine sonatas. I especially enjoy the miraculous, lyrical Sonata No. 1, but the more concise (and conservative) No. 2 (partly realised by Delius' wife Jelka Rosen) and No. 3, which was the result of a collaboration with his amanuensis Eric Fenby, are also worthwhile.


----------



## Vaneyes

jim prideaux said:


> SimonNZ-sorry to hear about what amounts to a peculiar crime-invasive nonetheless I can imagine-on a selfish note intrigued by the prospect of a box of ECM vinyl........
> 
> came home from work for a brief break from to find Harnoncourt and the RCO recording of Dvorak 8th had been delivered-difficult to ignore this recording as I had so enjoyed his recording of the 7th-while some appear to have doubts about Harnoncourt I have as yet only found his interpretations to be really impressive-I did come across a rather interesting You tube film of his version of Ma Vlast which was surprisingly slow!........
> !


Good choice on the ACO/Harnoncourt Dvorak. New World, too.

I haven't scrolled far enough yet to get to SimonNZ's unfortunate incident. I'm not liking what I'm hearing from others so far. All the best to SimonNZ for a relatively sane outcome. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Well...I just went out to the garage to file some records and found...I've been robbed. About twenty large boxes gone, another ten left so either they were interupted of couldnt get any more in their vehicle.
> 
> What the hell kind of criminal wants to steal classical vinyl? Or is it just "anything that isnt nailed down"?
> 
> Dammit, many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


So sorry to hear, SimonNZ. Wishing for a good outcome--glass half full with positive thoughts, so you get a *like*.

In the meantime, boost security with digital cams, ground/motion detector with on/off lighting, and most important...a auto/remote machine gun turret.

All the best, my friend. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> Shostakovich, Symphony No. 4. Rozhdestvensky with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. Sound is a bit raw, the orchestra is in your face, but...wow!


If it's easily at hand, what's the date for that rec? I have R. conducting USSR Ministry of Culture SO (Melodiya, rec. 1985). Dynamite. Best I've come across. I'd like to know what he did to inspire his players.


----------



## Oskaar

*Charpentier Lecons de Tenebres,

Les Talens Lyriques, Christoph Rousset *

One feel priviledged being able to listen to such beauty, and watch artists dedicate themself to present the beauty to us!

*videolink*


----------



## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> If it's easily at hand, what's the date for that rec? I have R. conducting USSR Ministry of Culture SO (Melodiya, rec. 1985). Dynamite. Best I've come across. I'd like to know what he did to inspire his players.


Don't have the date, but I believe it's earlier than the one you have. It's a live recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

Gould playing Bach's English Suites, and Heinrich Schiff in the Cello Suites. I've enjoyed getting to know the Schiff cd since hearing it praised on the forum. Very cheerful, characterful performances--very different from other favorite recordings by Fournier and Rostropovich.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*English Spring (Bax, Delius & Bridge)
Hallè: Sir Mark Elder
*
This is a wonderful collection of Spring themed music, composed as the title suggests by English composers.

Presently I am on the first piece - *Spring Fire by Arnold Bax*. This is a truly wonderful piece and a marvellous performance. I cannot help but wonder why he is so neglected when listening to pieces such as this.

Remaining on disc are works by *Frederick Delius and Frank Bridge* so much to look forward too.

* Slight tangent - There is so much more to English music than Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten (excellent though they each are). I find it quite sad really. Aside from the above on the CD, *Granville Bantock*, *York Bowen*, *Arthur Bliss, Alistair Cooke, Howard Ferguson, Havergal Brian *and *Malcolm **Arnold* also come to mind as composers unduly overlooked.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> I had to look up the word "Marmite"-- it's definately a regional shibboleth for the U.K. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Mutter, a "Marmite musician"-- short, alliterative, pithy, memorable-- wonderful wordsmithing. . . but I don't get it. Her aggressive tone certainly isn't 'gooey' like Marmite; but then, I _can_ imagine some of the less-charitable 'critics' being black and slimey.


The Marmite reference is to one of their advertsiing campaigns - well known in this county, "You either love it or you hate it." Mutter seems to have the same effect on people.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 6.*

Gunter Wand, Cologne Symphony, 1977. I found this for 50 cents. Some don't like this because of the first movement. I must have missed something.


----------



## samurai

@ SimonNZ, I'm so sorry for your losses.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

I probably haven't listened to the Op. 30 sonatas together for 25 years, but they're good solid Beethovenian gems. Played here by the excellent Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich
*
Beethoven - Violin Sonatas

Violin sonata No.6 in A, op.30-1
Violin sonata No.7 in C minor, op.30-2
Violin sonata No.8 in G, op.30-3*

Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich [DG, 1994]


----------



## hpowders

SimonNZ said:


> Well...I just went out to the garage to file some records and found...I've been robbed. About twenty large boxes gone, another ten left so either they were interupted of couldnt get any more in their vehicle.
> 
> What the hell kind of criminal wants to steal classical vinyl? Or is it just "anything that isnt nailed down"?
> 
> Dammit, many were irreplaceable and the Bach stuff was the collection of a lifetime...


So sorry to hear that. Well, if they are expecting the Rolling Stones or Miles Davis, they would be in for a shock. They might even bring them back!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
148 Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens
149 Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg in den Hütten der Gerechten

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (147, 148) and Gustav Leonhardt (149), cond.

-

Thanks very much for the kind words, everyone.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Violin Sonatas / Sonatinas (Op. 137 Nos. 1-3)

Violin Sonata in D, D 384
Violin Sonata in A minor, D 385
Violin Sonata in G minor, D 408*

Dong-Suk Kang (violin), Pascal Devoyon (piano) [Naxos, 1994]










Yet another excellent and little-heralded Naxos recording. These are charming and typically lyrical Schubert works which deserve to be better known. (They are recorded here with the Fantasy in C for Violin and piano, D. 934 which I like less well).


----------



## JCarmel

Well, its Madrid v Madrid then in the cup final, as Chelsea just weren't good enough. So, I retired after the final whistle & am now feeling very holy, having spent the last couple of hours listening to Renaissance polyphony...

















As I missed several hours of sleep last night, I think I must now make that final pilgrimage to the Bathroom... wish anyone around & about a peaceful night... & finally retire to my little cell.


----------



## Tieb

Chopin and liszt, for now.


----------



## Itullian

Unbelievably great recording.


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> The Marmite reference is to one of their advertsiing campaigns - well known in this county, "You either love it or you hate it." Mutter seems to have the same effect on people.


My sister's ex, a Londoner, explained marmite to me. I believe he spoke nostalgically of drippings sandwiches at the same time. I could only deduce the expression on my face from the mixture of amusement and compassion on his. He is deceased now, but that may or may not be relevant.


----------



## Orfeo

*Wilhelm Stenhammar*
First Symphony in F (1903).
-The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic/Andrew Manze.
-->http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=4427&grupp=18793&artikel=5845390

*Reinhold Glière*
First Symphony in E-flat (1900). 
Suite from ballet "The Red Poppy (1927)."
-The BBC Philharmonic/Sir Edward Downes.


----------



## SimonNZ

Thierry Pecou's Piano Concerto "L'Oiseau Innumerable" - Alexandre Tharaud, piano, Andrea Quinn, cond.


----------



## Orfeo

*Giacomo Puccini*
Opera in three acts "La Fanciulla del West (1910)."
-Barbara Daniels, Placido Domingo, Sherill Milnes, Croft, Laciura, Fitch.
-The Metropolitan Opera/Leonard Slatkin.
-->


----------



## Orfeo

Itullian said:


> Unbelievably great recording.


I got to check this out. I have the Solti recording for quite a long time which I grew to love (and still do) and admire von Karajan's DG album. But this one, from what I've read in Gramophone, is something that is going to nag me.

You really got to do this to me, huh.


----------



## bejart

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809): String Quartet in G Minor, Op.7, No.5

Authentic Quartet: Zsolt Kallo and Balazs Bozzai, violins -- Gabor Rac, viola -- Csilla Valyi, cello


----------



## Blancrocher

Dmitri Alexeev playing Scriabin's piano sonatas.

*p.s.* Welcome to the forum, Tieb--don't forget to mention works/performers.


----------



## KenOC

Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 6, the first of his "War Sonatas". From my newly arrived VoxBox with all the Prokofiev sonatas played by Gyorgy Sandor, puchased used for a skinflint ten bucks including shipping. I am cackling with miserly delight.


----------



## JCarmel

Well here I am for another hour or two's Coughing to Classical Music...listening to Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony with Vasily Petrenko conducting The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.









The programmatic work was based on the poem of the same name by Byron, if memory serves me correct...& its funny that I should be choosing to listen to it, as I haven't done so in a very long while. It's funny because just last week I remembered how my Mum suddenly announced that she was going down to London for the day 'out of the blue' (as a family, there was little money for such trips...in fact for any unforeseen expenditure!) when I was in my early teens. I was so shocked at this sudden & completely unexpected disappearance of my Mum, that I immediately came over very feint & I literally spent the whole day feeling very poorly indeed & rooted to a chair in our little 'lounge' until when quite late at night, she returned. She actually was visiting the National Gallery in London and brought me back a postcard of Lord Byron...who I was rather interested in at the time! This was the portrait in question.









As my Mum & I tended to be at opposing ends of an argument most days, the incident has always remained a notable one of my childhood because it evidenced both a particular need for my Mum's presence that I wasn't totally aware-of with our continual disputation but also the possession of a more 'melodramatic' temperament than I knew I possessed! And also how the unconscious mind can suddenly raise its remarkable head to take us quite by surprise?

Woodduck...I have very particular memories of Dripping Sandwiches! In the window-ledge of the kitchen of the 'bijou' terraced house that my parents rented in Leicester, sat a chipped enamel bowl, in which regular additions of hot fat (lard) from the frying pan were poured, after the latter was used in the preparation of the sausages, rissoles and bacon that my Dad cooked for us. 
It was the bacon in particular, with little crispy residues left in the melted fat...that added much flavour and a degree of saltiness to the flavour of the dripping. And the bowl was a permanent presence, day-in and day-out, for anybody who fancied having a 'dripping sandwich'. It all sounds ghastly but the substance was actually very tasty and made an enjoyable eat for remarkably little money!


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc two:

Pierre Boulez's Le Marteau Sans Maitre
Gilbert Amy's Cycle
Philippe Manoury's Le Livre Des Claviers

from various albums, including:



















^That one looks like an anthology but as best as I can tell its the new lineup in '93 redoing some works by the old line up, plus some firsttimers, such as the Manoury


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Divertimento In E Flat, KV 113

Jiri Malat conducting the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim


----------



## opus55

Rawsthorne: Oboe Concerto
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2


----------



## JCarmel

Schubert, Fantasy in F Minor D940 for Piano Duet, Richter/Britten









What a wonderful piece of music is this?!

" Lasting barely a quarter of an hour, it is in one continuous flow of music that breaks into four clear movements. The very beginning-Allegretto molto moderato-is haunting. Over murmuring accompaniment, the higher voice lays out the wistful first theme, whose halting rhythms and chirping grace notes have caused many to believe that this theme had its origins in Hungarian folk music. The second subject, based on firm dotted rhythms, is treated at length before the music drives directly into the powerful Largo, which is given an almost baroque luxuriance by its trills and double (and triple) dotting. This in turn moves directly into the Allegro vivace, a sparkling scherzo that feels like a very fast waltz; its trio section (marked con delicatezza) ripples along happily in D major. The final section (Schubert marks it simply Tempo I) brings back music from the very beginning, but quickly the wistful opening melody is jostled aside by a vigorous fugue derived from the second subject of the opening section. On tremendous chords and contrapuntal complexity the Fantasie drives to its climax, only to fall away to the quiet close."
Magical...both in the interpretation above but also on the cd with Perahia and Lupu, which I think is a pearl of a disc.


----------



## Alypius

LancsMan said:


> *Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2* Denis Matsuev and the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev on the Mariinsky label.
> View attachment 40880
> 
> 
> This is the last of my newly purchased discs. I must say I questioned whether I really needed another recording of these works (which are far from being favourite works for me) but the disc was this April's disc of the month in the Gramophone magazine.
> 
> I'm happy to say these are very impressive performances. I don't think I've heard them played so musically before. The pianism on display is outstanding - very crisp and well articulated. I'm hearing details in the orchestration that have passed me by before. I have to admit that the first concerto can be quite a switch off for me - but in this performance it's like I'm hearing it for the first time.
> 
> For me this goes to the top of the pile in Tchaikovsky piano concerto recordings.


I agree. It's been one of my best purchases of the spring.


----------



## opus55

Weber: Der Freischütz


----------



## JCarmel

This isn't going to be about one of my penny purchases cd's...because I had to fork-out a whole 24 of them for it?! 
But even though I've a plethora of Poulenc Organ Concertos, there's _always_ room for another interpretation. And I'm fond of George Malcolm's playing & wanted to see what he made of it...









And after that, I'm listening to him playing JS Bach's Two & Three Part Inventions


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Rawsthorne: Oboe Concerto
> Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2


---
The pyrotechnic flourish at the ending of the first movement of that Sibelius Violin Concerto with Heifitz is _sans pareil_.


----------



## Alypius

I have to blame the excellent "Next Generations" thread for this wonderful discovery. We've been exploring and listening to various young up-and-coming composers. This one caught my ear, and I found it at a local record store last night

*Dobrinka Tabakova: String Paths (ECM, 2013)*.










It's her debut record. Three striking compositions here. The first is _Cello Concerto_ (2008), with Kristina Blaumane on cello, and Maxim Rysanov conducting the Lituanian Chamber Orchestra. There is a depth and power to the opening movement that is striking, something in the way the cello swells up within the larger oceanic sound of the accompanying strings. Given that she was born in 1980, that means she was 28 when she wrote this. The second is _Suite in Old Style_ (2004). It's not exactly a viola concerto, but the violist (Maxim Rysanov) is both soloist and conductor, with a rapid shifts of dance-like movements (organizationally like something Telemann or Bach would do -- but the sound is not baroque). The third is the final one-movement _Such Different Paths_ (2008), dedicated to Janine Jansen, who performs as the principal soloist. It's often Renaissance-like in its polyphony (but much, much more adventurous in its harmonic vocabulary).

Review from Robert Carl (_Fanfare_): 
"Dobrinka Tabakova was born in 1980 in Bulgaria but moved to England at age 11 and has completed her musical education there. This solo album shows her to be a confident composer who fluently blends a variety of influences. The unifying sound of the disc is that of strings, and the composer has formed a series of useful friendships over her student years with many of these superb players. She also knows how to get a full sound from both soloists and ensembles, and how to bring out the greatest power of a sustained line. She has absorbed a lot of music from the preceding compositional generation, especially other Eastern European composers. One hears particular "Pärtian" progressions and chord voicings in the string trio Insight; hints of Kancheli, Gubaidulina, and even Piazzolla in the trio Frozen River Flows; Gorecki as a model in Suite in Old Style (though Tabakova cites Rameau, and especially in the final movement, this makes sense). While I caught a scent of Gypsy music in the trio, I also heard at other times something that seemed almost Appalachian. I was chalking this up to coincidence until I read the composer's remarks in the notes, where she extols Alison Kraus and Union Station, so if alt-country is meaningful to Tabakova, more power to her, and my ear wasn't so far off. Two works, putting aside the game of identifying influences (which is particularly natural for a younger composer), strike me in particular. The Cello Concerto has a compelling opening, with driving motoric rhythms and a lot of low register unison doubling. Its second movement is perhaps the greatest lyric outpouring of the program... The final movement, in its ecstatic, slightly folky quality, actually made me think of such as Holst and Warlock, and perhaps that's not too far off, as Tabakova seems very open to the variety of environments in which she finds herself, in this case the English one. The concluding work of the program is a string septet, and is perhaps the most adventurous work of all. It's a web of intricate interlocking patterns; the resultant harmonies are lush but not always predictable. Its opening reminds me a bit of change-ringing, which mutates towards a gently swinging folk-fiddling convention. Ultimately the music slows into spacious rapture (the notes reference Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending, and that's not far off the mark)."


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*That "Transverse" Moment*









So I get back from the beach. I take a shower. I'm doing ironing and listening to a new cd I haven't heard yet, in this case a cd that has some of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's lieder recitals from the fifties.

I'm in the best sunny-side-up mood you can imagine, especially after hearing Schwarzkopf and Gieseking do Mozart's "_An Chloe_" and "_Sehnsucht nach dem Fruhlinge_". . . and then my head was knocked sideways into acute, sublime melancholia with Schubert's "Litanei." Ha. Ha. Ha.

You know: like Jimmy Stewart in _Vertigo_ hunched over listening to the Mozart album.

Oh, my. . . <deep breath. . . pause. . . deep exhalation> God. Absolute tears. So _beautiful_.

"_Litanei"

Liebevoller Mädchen Seelen,
Deren Tränen nicht zu zählen,
Die ein falscher Freund verließ,
Und die blinde Welt verstieß
Alle die von hinnen schieden,
Alle Seelen ruhn in Frieden!

Und die nie der Sonne lachten,
Unterm Mond auf Dornen wachten,
Gott, in reinen Himmelslicht,
Einst zu sehn von Angesicht:
Alle die von hinnen schieden,
Alle Seelen ruhn in Frieden!

"Litany"

Rest in peace, all souls
who have had done with anxious torment,
who have had done with sweet dreams
who, sated with life and hardly born,
have departed from this world:
all souls rest in peace!

Maiden souls, full of love,
whose tears cannot be counted,
whom a false friend has abandoned,
and the blind world has disowned;
all who have parted from here,
all souls rest in peace!

And those who never smiled at the sun,
keeping watch on the thorns beneath the moon,
to see God in the pure heavenly light
and look him just once in the face:
all who have parted from here,
all souls rest in peace!
_


----------



## SimonNZ

Henze's Six Songs From The Arabian - Ian Bostridge, tenor, Julius Drake, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 6 in E-Flat Major; No. 5 in D Major
(Amadeus Quartet).









The Amadeus Quartet set of Op. 76 will now replace my former Buchberger set. Modern instruments fit a bit better for Op. 76 imo, since the set is more symphonic/orchestral than former ones. The Amadeus Quartet also plays without repeats, another marked difference to the Buchberger set. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, so this wouldn't qualify as a 'bonus', to me at least. The Amadeus Quartet plays with agility, feeling and nuance, and employ vibrato throughout, though use it with taste.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

One of the first CDs I owned, when the majority of my collection was still vinyl. I bought it mostly for Ravel's heavenly Introduction and Allegro. here receiving a sublime performance from Ossian Ellis and the Melos Ensemble, but Chung and Lupu are very persuasive in the Franck and Debussy too. A lovely disc.


----------



## SimonNZ

John Tavener's Celtic Requiem


----------



## Itullian

dholling said:


> I got to check this out. I have the Solti recording for quite a long time which I grew to love (and still do) and admire von Karajan's DG album. But this one, from what I've read in Gramophone, is something that is going to nag me.
> 
> You really got to do this to me, huh.


I love the Solti as well. I'm a big Lohengrin fan, so I have many recordings.
This one, despite the coughers , is a gem.


----------



## AH music

GOTTSCHALK, Louis Moreau - Piano works performed by Michael Lewin (via spotify). Great stuff, listened straight through to the lovely Berceuse.


----------



## Maritta

Borodin' s Symphonies 1 - 3. I need to get to know them better, but normally the Russian Romantics are interesting, the five against the others, more German oriented composers. Mussorgsky' The Pictures of the Exhibition is my favourite from this era of the Russian music.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Maritta

When I was last time in London, I bought Tavener instead of Taverner by accident, so now I have the both: religious music from Taverner and The Best of John Tavener. The more the merrier!


----------



## Bas

Frederic Francois Couperin - Various Piano Sonatas
By Alexandre Tharaud [modern piano], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Andante and variations in F minor; Piano Sonata No. 43 in E-Flat Major (Alain Planès).









W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 41 in C Major, 'Jupiter' (Sir John Eliot Gariner; The English Baroque Soloists).


----------



## Oskaar

*Zelenka: Missa Omnium Sanctorum, ZWV 21*

*Festival Oude Muziek 25 augustus 2012, Domkerk Utrecht
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679--1745)
Missa Omnium Sanctorum ZWV 21
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei

COLLEGIUM 1704*

Beautiful! Not at least the concert hall

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Francesco Barsanti (ca.1690-1772): Flute Sonata in C Major, Op.1, No.2

Arcadia: Christoph Ehrsam, flute --Eunice Brandao, viola -- Attilio Cremonesi, harpsichord


----------



## SimonNZ

Pavel Borkovec - Sonata for viola solo
Jan Klusak - Monologue "Ubi Vult" for viola solo
Ladislav Vycpalek - Suite for viola solo
Jaroslam Smolka - The Mist Of Depression
Jan Klusak - Partita for viola solo

Jitka Hosprova, viola

much better than that cover might have you suspect


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Trio in E Flat, Op.3

Denes Kovacs, violin -- Geza Nemeth, viola -- Ede Banda, cello


----------



## Bas

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 8, no. 7
By Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen [dir.], on Glossa









(I kind of forgot how nice the 8th was, and now I am going to enjoy no. 7)


----------



## Jeff W

Got started with Papa Haydn. Antal Dorati's set with the Philharmonia Hungarica. Symphonies No. 9 through 12. Number 11 is the one that stuck out most to me on this particular disc.









Hans Gal's and Robert Schumann's Symphonies No. 3 were next up. Kenneth Woods conducted the Orchestra of the Swan. Not fully sure what to make of Hans Gal yet but the 'Rhenish' symphony of Schumann continues to be pleasing to the ear.









More Beethoven String Quartets with the Alban Berg Quartett now. No. 3, 5 and 11 (Op. 18 No. 3 & 5 and Op. 95). Not sure what to listen to next...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40910
> 
> 
> One of the first CDs I owned, when the majority of my collection was still vinyl. I bought it mostly for Ravel's heavenly Introduction and Allegro. here receiving a sublime performance from Ossian Ellis and the Melos Ensemble, but Chung and Lupu are very persuasive in the Franck and Debussy too. A lovely disc.


Pre-Raphaelite art never escapes notice with me, but for some blonde reason, this one fell through the cracks. I'll remedy this with some Amazon penance.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Chung King*









One good Chung deserves another: Myung-Whun Chung and his Concertgebouw cohort do "Tybalt's Death."

So exciting. So well-played. Too bad he didn't do the entire ballet.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> I love the Solti as well. I'm a big Lohengrin fan, so I have many recordings.
> This one, despite the coughers , is a gem.


How's the 'Elsa treatment' in that Bayreuth_ Lohengrin _you just got?


----------



## Wood

*WAGNER *Tristan und Isolde excerpts _Flagstad, Phil O, Furtwangler

_I've been playing a lot of Wagner and later romantic music in recent weeks. Great though it is, emotional burn out is a risk. The antidote has to be French music from either side of 1900.

*Debussy* Piano music _Weissenberg

_









*Faure *Requiem _Battle, Schmidt, Phil O, Giulini

_








*

Faure *Dolly Suite & Pavane for orchestra _ Boston SO, Ozawa

_


----------



## chalkpie

SimonNZ said:


> John Tavener's Celtic Requiem


Thanks for the heads-up on this.

BTW, SORRY to hear the news. Stay well, bro.


----------



## Vaneyes

For death days of *Dvorak* (1904) and *Khachaturian * (1978).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Wood said:


> *WAGNER *Tristan und Isolde excerpts _Flagstad, Phil O, Furtwangler
> 
> _I've been playing a lot of Wagner and later romantic music in recent weeks. Great though it is, emotional burn out is a risk. The antidote has to be French music from either side of 1900.
> 
> *Debussy* Piano music _Weissenberg
> 
> _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Faure *Requiem _Battle, Schmidt, Phil O, Giulini
> 
> _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> Faure *Dolly Suite & Pavane for orchestra _ Boston SO, Ozawa
> 
> _


Now I definately have to hear it. . . _again._ Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Wood

Marschallin Blair said:


> Now I definately have to hear it. . . _again._ Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Which one???????????????


----------



## Blancrocher

Mordkovitch and Fountain playing Enescu and Bacewicz; and--for the anniversary of Dvorak's passing--the Guarneri Quartet playing a few of that composer's SQs.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Orlando Gibbons, Second Service and Anthems.*

A well-sung collection of verse anthems interspersed with organ music.

Then on to* Bax's Symphony No. 2.*


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> How's the 'Elsa treatment' in that Bayreuth_ Lohengrin _you just got?


I've had it for awhile. 
Grummer is perfection, what Elsa can I say. 
might be the best sung Lohey there is.


----------



## Vasks

_Lots O' Percussion_

Xenakis - Pleiades


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to some piano duo transcriptions!:tiphat:









http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=BI 0627
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=BIS-CD-627


----------



## Itullian

Improve your mood


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Improve your mood


I've got to hear it. I didn't even know of its _existence_. Wonderful.


----------



## science

I decided to go ahead and post that in this thread because it is so remarkably similar to Keyrouz' disk "Chant Byzantin" which I've often posted here as "classical music." Admittedly the latter is arguably stretching definitions - perhaps no chant prior to the Notre Dame school should count as "classical." I'm not a stickler for categorization or systematization, though, since I really enjoy recognizing the astonishing variety of phenomena, the glorious failure of the world to fit itself into our preconceptions or the terms in which we express them.

Anyway, I listened to that.

Recently I've also listened to:









Not one of my favorite works but it's beautiful and so famous that I ought to know it better. I have half a dozen recordings of it probably. I really have no excuse for knowing it as poorly as I do.









I really wish it'd been finished; I'd listen to it.

Also, #3 isn't bad either.









Last night I was reading Whitman - the inventor, I'd argue, of democratic poetry, but at the very least a superlative expression of "American" (in the "USA" sense) sentiment - and I thought, I want to hear the music of democracy too!

Sousa has, for me, nothing like Whitman's status - I guess democracy didn't begin find its musical voice until the 1920s (perhaps because of radio legitimizing and spreading traditions like the blues and jazz, perhaps because of WWI glamorizing democracy for bourgeois audiences) - but he is a post-Civil War American and the parade was a big thing once upon a time, the kind of human spectacle Whitman would've appreciated, so there's something there.

The key for a grade-A first-class snob like me with populist music like this is to listen with active charity, not just to wait for the music to be impressive but to search in it for what would have been interesting and meaningful to people in the once upon a time from which it sprang. How did Sousa become "Sousa" rather than, say, Julius Fučík? There is a puzzle there, a nut to crack, the pursuit of which crack lends an interest to music which otherwise might be the equivalent of junk food.









Is it possible that I've neglected these too? Is there any great and famous work of classical music that I haven't neglected?

No, there isn't. Shame on me eternally, but that's how it is.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> I've had it for awhile.
> Grummer is perfection, what Elsa can I say.
> might be the best sung Lohey there is.


Sounds like a whole Lotte wonderful; though I haven't heard hers yet either. _Danke schon_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Wood said:


> Which one???????????????


_The_ one: the Flagstad/Furtwangler/Philharmonia_ Tristan_.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Gorgeous music that suits Victoria de los Angeles perfectly. Love the Montsalvatge and can't think of another singer who quite gets away with singing such lines as _Yambambo! Yambambe!_ as well as she does. The Mompou mini-cycle is lovely too, though I actually prefer the piano only version of the haunting _Damunt de tu nomes los flors_. A lovely disc.


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

5.1.14_

Alan Hovhaness,
Symphony No. 2, Op. 132, "Mysterious Mountain"
[John Williams, LSO}

Hands down the best recording of this work; lovely; crystal-clear; those harps just sing!!!

Toru Takemitsu
A Flock Descends Into Pentagonal 
Spirit Garden
[Marin Alsop, Bournmouth Symphony]

For some reason the Takemitsu missed for me today. I'm not sure why. I found my attention waning during the first piece and then getting irritated during the second. Oh well.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40934
> 
> 
> Gorgeous music that suits Victoria de los Angeles perfectly. Love the Montsalvatge and can't think of another singer who quite gets away with singing such lines as _Yambambo! Yambambe!_ as well as she does. The Mompou mini-cycle is lovely too, though I actually prefer the piano only version of the haunting _Damunt de tu nomes los flors_. A lovely disc.


- Which would ever so faintly suggest that I _have to_ have it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Hey, my shopoholic instinct is against doing anything of the kind. . .

So many conspicuous and consectutive posts of pure timbral aural ecstasy. _Toujours perdrix. Merci beaucoup._


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Cesar Franck, Redemption*

Some post-Easter meditations. That, and I just like pieces sung in French.


----------



## Mahlerian

Selby said:


> Toru Takemitsu
> A Flock Descends Into Pentagonal
> Spirit Garden
> [Marin Alsop, Bournmouth Symphony]
> 
> For some reason the Takemitsu missed for me today. I'm not sure why. I found my attention waning during the first piece and then getting irritated during the second. Oh well.
> 
> View attachment 40936


There are far better recordings out there of both works. I recommend the Wakasugi version of Spirit Garden with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony (one of my favorites of Takemitsu's orchestral works):









For A Flock..., perhaps this DG recording with Ozawa and the BSO:


----------



## Woodduck

Itullian said:


> I've had it for awhile.
> Grummer is perfection, what Elsa can I say.
> might be the best sung Lohey there is.


I've always thought Grummer's was the ideal voice and style for these virginal German _Jungfrauen_ - Elsa, Elisabeth, Eva (what's with the letter "E," Richard?), Agathe. Schwarzkopf could never convince me she was an innocent, Seefried was a little cool, Janowitz rather disembodied; but Grummer had a warmth and simplicity of sound and manner that made her, to my ear, unique. Perfect diction too!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> I've always thought Grummer's was the ideal voice and style for these virginal German _Jungfrauen_ - Elsa, Elisabeth, Eva (what's with the letter "E," Richard?), Agathe. Schwarzkopf could never convince me she was an innocent, Seefried was a little cool, Janowitz rather disembodied; but Grummer had a warmth and simplicity of sound and manner that made her, to my ear, unique. Perfect diction too!


I have to have it.

-- I agree with your view of Janowitz's Elsa. I have her doing it with Kubelik, and absolutely and stunningly gorgeous as her voice_ is_, her psychological portraiture of Elsa seems to be a little unfocused at times; for my tastes anyway.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

The quest for perfection has meant that there was a large body of work by Schwarzkopf and Legge that was never cleared for release, though anyone listening to these recordings now would be hard pressed to find anything wrong with them. She eventually re-recorded the Mozart in the late 1960s with Alfred Brendel and George Szell. This one was recorded in 1955 with Geza Anda and Otto Ackermann, and with Schwarzkopf in fresher voice than she was in the later recording. I really can't say which one I prefer; both are beautifully molded and sung.

The Bach is interesting as much for the contributions of Thurston Dart, a Bach scholar. Though the accompaniments might seem romantically anachronistic today, at the time they were nods in the direction of HIP performance. Schwarzkopf's purity of line would be welcome in any period.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Was putting these together for another thread(yes, on violas !) - good excuse to listen anyway !

Marjan Mozetich - Viola concerto 



 (1st movement)
Erkki-Sven Tuur - Viola Concerto 'Illuminatio' 



Victor Kalabis - 'Tristium' fantasy for viola & strings 



 (part 1 of 2)


----------



## Oskaar

*Ravel: Shéhérazade*

*Drei Gedichte für Singstimme und Orchester ∙ 
I. Asie (Asien) ∙
II. La flûte enchantée (Die Zauberflöte) ∙
III. L'indifférent (Der Gleichgültige) ∙

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Christiane Karg, Sopran ∙
Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 6. September 2013 ∙*

Lovely work, and fraulein Karg really makes it a pleasure to listen to.. And she has a nice golden dress!

*videolink*


----------



## millionrainbows

*Varese,* mainly for *Nocturnal*, but also for* Ecuatorial *and *Ameriques. *This sounds great, cranked up loud, with subwoofers. The left image is what my CD looks like, subsequently released with a new cover (middle), and the original LP cover (r) with *Duchamp* art, which I imprinted on.
























I love the total lack of melodicism, and like *Varese's* quirky, idiosyncratic 'mechanisms' which so influenced *Jolivet.* I always get a sense of *Stravinsky's Rite *when I hear these, for the tribal, ceremonial quality. perhaps this has to do with society as a tribe, which we must assimilate into... I can imagine *Frank Zappa,* after losing *Studio Cucamonga*, and his quest to Los Angeles, while the 'freaks vs. cops' war was happening, and the frightening prospect of failing, and being forced into a 'Hell' of normalcy out in the sticks. *"Who Are the Brain Police"* comes to mind.


----------



## Mahlerian

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Leinsdorf


----------



## Oskaar

*THE LARK ASCENDING (performed as originally heard)Vaughan Williams*

*The full performance of 'The Lark Ascending' as it was originally heard, for violin and piano, and staged at Shirehampton Public Hall near Bristol where the piece was performed for the very first time in December 1920 - from the BBC4 documentary THE LARK ASCENDING (first shown 13/01/12) presented by Dame Diana Rigg*

I think she playes very well to be only 15.
The piece is lovely slow-going, and romantic. In fact the first time I hear it, in this or other versions

*videolink*


----------



## hpowders

Beethoven, Opus 18 String Quartets, Emerson Quartet.

Disappointingly glib.
These guys sure can play all the notes of these challenging quartets.
Getting under the surface of the notes is a different matter, however.
These performances left me cold.
I recommend the RCA Tokyo performances instead. Warmth aplenty!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 40938
> 
> 
> The quest for perfection has meant that there was a large body of work by Schwarzkopf and Legge that was never cleared for release, though anyone listening to these recordings now would be hard pressed to find anything wrong with them. She eventually re-recorded the Mozart in the late 1960s with Alfred Brendel and George Szell. This one was recorded in 1955 with Geza Anda and Otto Ackermann, and with Schwarzkopf in fresher voice than she was in the later recording. I really can't say which one I prefer; both are beautifully molded and sung.
> 
> The Bach is interesting as much for the contributions of Thurston Dart, a Bach scholar. Though the accompaniments might seem romantically anachronistic today, at the time they were nods in the direction of HIP performance. Schwarzkopf's purity of line would be welcome in any period.


You can say that again. For the beguilement of my lighter moments, I have more composers I otherwise wouldn't buy _because of Duchess Schwarzkop's presence_ than of any other singer, bar none.


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> I have to have it.
> 
> -- I agree with your view of Janowitz's Elsa. I have her doing it with Kubelik, and absolutely and stunningly gorgeous as her voice_ is_, her psychological portraiture of Elsa seems to be a little unfocused at times; for my tastes anyway.


The first time I heard Janowitz was in Kna's '62 _Parsifal_, and she has remained for me the archetypal flowermaiden (and may I presume to be the only person on earth who _has_ an archetypal flowermaiden?). I next heard her in Karajan's Brahms _Requiem_, where her "Ihr hab nun Traurigkeit" seemed otherworldly. I played it for my father, who was not a fan of operatic voices in general, though he loved Caruso and Roberta Peters, and he said she sounded like a saw. Have you ever heard anyone play the saw, or is that an ancient art now known only to ancient folk? Anyway, he was more or less right. Her voice has an almost inhuman sort of beauty, a sort of close encounter of the soprano kind, which I find to be a limitation in some music. Still, this sordid world can always use a touch of the inhuman.


----------



## Oskaar

*Combattimento Consort Amsterdam o.l.v. Jan Willem de Vriend, viool

Händel: Concerto grosso, op. 6 nr. 7, HWV 325 - Largo / Allegro / Largo / Andante / Hornpipe
Händel: Concerto grosso, op. 3 nr. 3, HWV 314 - Largo e staccato / allegro / adagio / allegro
Händel: Balletmuziek uit 'Alcina', HWV 34
Purcell: - Fantasy upon one note, in F.gr.t., Z 745 
- In Nomine, in g.kl.t., Z 747
- Chacony, in g.kl.t., Z 730
Händel: Concerto grosso, op. 3 nr. 6, HWV 317 - Vivace / Cadenza / Allegro
Toegift
Händel: Concerto grosso, op. 6 nr. 5 - Finale

Opgenomen tijdens Het Zondagochtendconcert op 28 oktober 2012 in de Grote Zaal van het Concertgebouw Amsterdam*

Fantastic baroque concert

*videolink*


----------



## AH music

MERCADANTE, Saverio - Wind quartets Op 50 nos 1 and 2, via spotify. Flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon. No 1 especially attractive. Familiar with flute concerto by him, so no surprise that the flute is prominent, but also plenty for the others, especially the horn.









RAFF, Joachim - Symphony no 8 "Fruhlingsklange", via spotify. The symphony marking spring from the series on the seasons. Only familiar with no 3 and a piano piece by Raff. Enjoyed this work throughout.


----------



## ptr

Vaneyes said:


> If it's easily at hand, what's the date for that rec? I have R. conducting USSR Ministry of Culture SO (Melodiya, rec. 1985). Dynamite. Best I've come across. I'd like to know what he did to inspire his players.


Live 28 May 1981..

/ptr


----------



## Alypius

A morning with Janáček:

*1. Janáček: String Quartet #1 after Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata (1923)*










*2. Janáček: Sinfonietta (1926) & Taras Bulba (1915-1918)*










*3. Janáček: String Quartet #2 ("Intimate Letters") (1928)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> The first time I heard Janowitz was in Kna's '62 _Parsifal_, and she has remained for me the archetypal flowermaiden (and may I presume to be the only person on earth who _has_ an archetypal flowermaiden? ). I next heard her in Karajan's Brahms _Requiem_, where her "Ihr hab nun Traurigkeit" seemed otherworldly. I played it for my father, who was not a fan of operatic voices in general, though he loved Caruso and Roberta Peters, and he said she sounded like a saw. Have you ever heard anyone play the saw, or is that an ancient art now known only to ancient folk? Anyway, he was more or less right. Her voice has an almost inhuman sort of beauty, a sort of close encounter of the soprano kind, which I find to be a limitation in some music. Still, this sordid world can always use a touch of the inhuman.


Well, you're in the _Outer Limits_ alright, because I have a 'three-for-one' archetypal Flower Maiden: Janowitz, Kiri, and, 'yes,' Battle. . . Hey, don't blame me, blame Rabelais; or rather Panurge. Ha. Ha. Ha. It's all or nothing. . .

Funny you mention Janowitz in the Karajan Brahms_ Requiem_: that was the first time I ever heard her voice, and boy was I transfixed.


----------



## Mahlerian

Takemitsu: Gemaux, Dream/Window, Spirit Garden
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, cond. Wakasugi









In a completely untranslatable pun, this orchestra is sometimes referred to as the "ToKyou" (Metropolitan Symphony, or 都響), which is written (and pronounced) differently from the name of the city, Toukyou: 東京.


----------



## AH music

PROKOFIEV - almost through the symphonies now, as no 6 draws to a close. Communicating to me more directly than any of the others from nos 2-5. Who knows what the longer term assessment will be? Will certainly be returning to all the symphonies from time to time, even though not immediately striking me as likely to become top favourites. Impressed by the set from Weller, although seems to come out poorly in most comparisons. Will listen at least twice to each before branching out to other recordings (already done for 2, 3 and 4).


----------



## maestro267

*Bolcom*: Songs of Innocence and Experience
Soloists (5 sopranos, mezzo, contralto, tenor, baritone, speaker/rock singer, country singer, harmonica, fiddle)
Choirs (adult, children, madrigal group)
University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra/Slatkin

An immense, 140-minute setting of 46 poems by William Blake, for a very diverse array of forces.


----------



## cwarchc

Streamed, as I don't own a copy. Yet


----------



## AH music

Chance for more listening than recently today. TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony no 2 via spotify with Abbado and the Chicago S O. Excellent (preferable I think to the version I own - the Litton with the Bournemouth S O, already sufficient to make it one of my favourite symphonies of the cycle).


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Max Reger - Sonata for Clarinet (Viola) and Piano No 3 in B flat major, Op. 107 *
Nicholas Cox (Clarinet), Vanessa Latarche (Piano) [Cala, 2006] 
On Spotify.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AH music said:


> Chance for more listening than recently today. TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony no 2 via spotify with Abbado and the Chicago S O. Excellent (preferable I think to the version I own - the Litton with the Bournemouth S O, already sufficient to make it one of my favourite symphonies of the cycle).
> 
> View attachment 40950


That Abbado/CSO _Tempest_ on the cd blows doors.


----------



## Wood

Marschallin Blair said:


> _The_ one: the Flagstad/Furtwangler/Philharmonia_ Tristan_.


Of course, that is the one you told me about.

It probably stands as 'disc of the box' so far, though the competition is stiff.


----------



## Guest

This is the latest and last in the series of Corelli's chamber works. It's hard to find enough superlatives to do justice to the playing and the sound.


----------



## bejart

Francois Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): Sinfonia in C Minor

Concerto Koln


----------



## Wood

More French music while I continue to purge myself of Wagner in readiness for the next session.
*
Faure *Pavane (orchestral) _New Phil O, Sir David Willcocks

_ Elegie _du Pre, aged 17 with the ubiquitous Gerald Moore

_









Cantique de Jean Racine _Winchester Cathedral Choir, Hill
_








Dolly Suite _French RNO, Beecham

_Ave verum corpus _Groupe Vocal de France

_Fantasy _Edmund-Davis, Alley_

Messe basse _Kings, Ledger_

Pleurs d'or & Tarantelle _Lott, Murray

_Pavane (Choral) _Halle, Handford

_*
Satie *Vexations

That did it! 3/4 hr of Vexations and I'm purged of Wagner, ready to start afresh.

Now, where's Kirsten?


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

150 Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
151 Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt
152 Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn
153 Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind

Gustav Leonhardt (150, 151) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (152, 153), cond.


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> Well, you're in the _Outer Limits_ alright, because I have a 'three-for-one' archetypal Flower Maiden.


You're Jung-er than I am.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Max Reger - Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano

Sonata in F-Sharp, Op. 49 No. 1
Sonata in A-Flat, Op. 49 No. 2*

Lars Wouters Van Den Oudenweijer (Clarinet), Hans Eijsackers (Piano) [Challenge Classics, 2009]










These are also rather good, and well played by Oudenweijer and Eijsackers


----------



## Weston

*Sibelius: Rakastava, Op. 14*
Adrian Leaper / Capella Istropolitana









When I was a kid a strange wildflower that looked like Queen Anne's Lace, but was probably a kind of Salsify, grew in the fields around our neighborhood. In late summer they developed these magnificent giant puffy seed heads, similar to but much, much larger than dandelions, something like this:









We would remove the seed stem leaving only the puffy parachute part and pretend they were miniature space ships long before Carl Sagan did the same thing in the original Cosmos. If you removed just one tiny feathery branch, allowing some air through that section, the parachute would tilt a bit and travel forward very slowly. Releasing them intact on a hot still day over a sidewalk and they would hover seemingly forever on a thermal. It was as if time stood still.

The "Guten Abend" section of this Sibelius work is the soundtrack to that childhood memory for me, whether he intended it or not. What an amazing seldom lauded work!


----------



## hpowders

Woodduck said:


> You're Jung-er than I am.


What? Are you attempting to in-psyche a riot?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Wood said:


> Of course, that is the one you told me about.
> 
> It probably stands as 'disc of the box' so far, though the competition is stiff.


The Karajan/Bayreuth is actually my favorite _reading _of _Tristan_-- perfervid to the max--- but my favorite _singers_ are in the Furtwangler.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> You're Jung-er than I am.


Why the *condensation*?--- One primary Flower Maiden, plus two equally-valid back-ups.

Three times one is still one; kind of like the Trinity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensation_(psychology)


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> The Karajan/Bayreuth is actually my favorite _reading _of _Tristan_-- perfervid to the max--- but my favorite _singers_ are in the Furtwangler.


I know this isn't my conversation, but I can't just stand idly by and let you agree with me.

There will never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, be a voice like Kirsten Flagstad's, ever again. Ever.

And that is that.


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> Why the *condensation*?--- One primary Flower Maiden, plus two equally-valid back-ups.
> 
> Three times one is still one; kind of like the Trinity.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensation_(psychology)


 ............?

Oh you! You are so _smart_!


----------



## Woodduck

hpowders said:


> What? Are you attempting to in-psyche a riot?


And what's the pun-nishment if I do?


----------



## KenOC

Britten, Symphony for Cello and Orchestra. An amazing work and a fine performance with Raphael Wallfisch.


----------



## Guest

I tell you, this Gardner fella is an amazing conductor! If you've ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I love my old Previn recording, but the sound is showing its age," then this might fill the ticket. It might lack that last gram of venom compared to Previn's, but it's pretty darn close and has wonderful sound. I haven't played the Concerto yet, but I'm sure it's excellent, too!


----------



## SimonNZ

Manxfeeder said:


> *Cesar Franck, Redemption*
> 
> Some post-Easter meditations. That, and I just like pieces sung in French.


This has been intriguing me all morning...this is a 70-minute work, as opposed to the usual 15-minute "symphonic poem", right? If so why does that OP disc appear to be the only recording? Or am I missing something?


----------



## hpowders

Woodduck said:


> And what's the pun-nishment if I do?


You will be condemned to spend the rest of perpetuity on the "Was Mahler Anti-Semitic?" thread, cheerfully parrying all pseudo-intellectual comers with a smile and a thank you, and henceforth, you will be known as "The Lying Deutch-Man".

You had to ask. :tiphat:


----------



## hpowders

Felix Mendelssohn, String Quartets (complete).
Emerson Quartet.

What was missing in their disappointing Beethoven set is happily here in abundance.

Committed, passionate accounts of these terrific quartets.

Anyone who likes Mendelssohn and hasn't heard these gems, needs to.

Some of Mendelssohn's greatest music happens to be right here.

I was completely swept away by this passionate music.

Highly recommended for the music and the playing.


----------



## Woodduck

hpowders said:


> You will be condemned to spend the rest of perpetuity on the "Was Mahler Anti-Semitic?" thread, cheerfully parrying all pseudo-intellectual comers with a smile and a thank you, and henceforth, you will be known as "The Lying Deutch-Man".


The amount of time I've spent on TC trying to counter the glib distortions of knee-jerk anti-Wagnerism has _already_ felt like perpetuity! But seriously, I'm not complaining. These discussions were meat and drink in my younger years, and I could swear there's less gray at my temples than there was a month ago. So bring on those comers!


----------



## KenOC

Geirr Tveitt, Variations on a Folksong from Hardanger for 2 Pianos and Orchestra. A composer worth getting to know.


----------



## bejart

Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838): Piano Sonata in A Flat, Op.176

Susan Kagan, piano


----------



## Orfeo

Kontrapunctus said:


> I tell you, this Gardner fella is an amazing conductor! If you've ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I love my old Previn recording, but the sound is showing its age," then this might fill the ticket. It might lack that last gram of venom compared to Previn's, but it's pretty darn close and has wonderful sound. I haven't played the Concerto yet, but I'm sure it's excellent, too!


I wonder how it stacks up against Thomson and the London Philharmonic in their hair-raising, white-heat rendition (also on Chandos).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> The amount of time I've spent on TC trying to counter the glib distortions of knee-jerk anti-Wagnerism has _already_ felt like perpetuity! But seriously, I'm not complaining. These discussions were meat and drink in my younger years, and I could swear there's less gray at my temples than there was a month ago. So bring on those comers!


Woodduck, spraying red crimson with the whistling edge of his claymore-- my kind of diplomatic finesse.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> ............?
> 
> Oh you! You are so _smart_!


-- or Freud's just a charlatan. 'Intellectuals,' _soi-disant_.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I had forgotten how wonderful this recording of the Franck and Debussy Violin and Piano Sonatas are until Greg Mitchell posted this a few pages back. The recording is a little hissy but the performances are superb and impeccable. Kyung Wha Chung is one of my favorites of all time. The passion in her playing reaches deep into the soul. Radu Lupu's playing on here is also very dynamic and moving. Engineering wise I'm sure you can find cleaner recordings of these pieces but I doubt you can find one as well performed.










Kevin


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Dame Janet Baker Box Set & Ole Schmidt Sibelius Five and En Saga*

These just in:









Durante: "_Danza fanciulla gentile_"

Handel: "_O numi eterni!" "Gia superbo del mio affanno," "Il suol che preme," "Ah! Che ancor nell'abisso," "Questi la disperata anima mia," "A voi, a voi, padre, consorte," "Gia nel seno comincia," _and_"Sento ch'il cor"_--- from_ Lucrezia_. And _"Frondi tenere e belle. . . Ombra mai fu"_ from _Serse_.

Strength, tenderness, control, timbre. . . and the most divine pianissimo. My God, what a delight. This box set is firing on all cylinders.









This is the most masculine and heroic sounding Sibelius Fifth I've heard. The climax with the brass in the first movement has this magnificent, cascading sheen to it; the likes of which, I've never heard before in any other reading; probably the Ashkenazy/Philharmonia comes closest to it-- but it's still understated compared to Schmidt's treatment of it.

The _En Saga_ is magnificently played as well; again, more aggressively than one would expect in light of so many other readings of this piece. Schmidt gives a fairytale aura of mystery, certainly; but of _majesty_ as well-- again, the climaxes are pure virility.

I must confess I'm somewhat conditioned to Karajan's more streamlined, feminine contours with these pieces. But the Schmidt is fantastic for what he's trying to accomplish.

A very _excellent _Sibelius cd for next to nothing in price. . . and I still have yet to hear his _Swan of Tuonela_!


----------



## Sid James

Recently its been these:










*Elgar*
_String Quartet in E minor
Piano Quintet in A minor_
- Peter Donohoe, piano with Maggini Quartet

Continuing my exploration of the Maggini Quartet, and this one - along with their Walton album I listened to previously - is a favourite.

*Elgar's late chamber works* reflect a darker mood, like many of the best works in the genre, they raise more questions than can be easily answered. Elgar had gone through World War I as a patriot, serving in the home front (a bit like Dad's Army, for those here who remember that classic British comedy series?). But by the end, he was disillusioned, in a good part because of the high casualty rate particularly on the Western Front. A whole generation of young men - or near to - where wiped out.

These works are in terms of their mood and tone quite sombre, even angry. The* String Quartet *is in the composer's favourite key of E minor, its outer movements having that initial questioning idea unresolved, while the middle movement is (as the composer's wife put it) like a ray of sunshine amidst the gloom. The finale is as angry as Edward got, and no wonder audiences at the premiere kind of balked.

The *Piano Quintet* resides in a simialr realm, albeit the first movement has a somewhat whimsical quotation of the Dies Irae plainchant which is followed by the vibes of Spanish salon music, a la Sarasate. After a classic Elgarian slow movement, the finale is on the surface happy, but its kind of an artificial happiness. Forced and on steroids, not natural at all.

I've loved these from the word go, but they're not amongst his most popular works. Even on this listen I heard one new thing - an idea at the end of the finale of the quartet has more than vague echoes of the plainchant beginnings of the quintet. In this case, Elgar was like Beethoven and Brahms, he worked on these two pieces simultaneously. But they show little or none of that mellowing feel of old age (if you call it old age - Elgar was around sixty). This is a darker area, more akin to Liszt's late works in terms of mood.










*Album: English String Festival*
*Dowland* 
_Galliard a 5_
*Elgar*
_Elegy, Op. 58
Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47
Serenade for Strings, Op. 20_
*Bridge *
_Lament_
*Parry*
_An English Suite
Lady Radnor's Suite_
- Capella Istropolitana under Adrian Leaper

I thought I'd put on more *Elgar*, works from happier times in his life. I always liked Elgar's string writing for its warmth, the same reason I like Handel's. And what do you know? I recently read that he was influenced by Handel, studied his music to get these effects. I can hear some similarity now but I never would have guessed.

Works like *Introduction and Allegro* and _*Serenade*_ hark back to the Baroque and Classical eras. So too does *Parry's English *and *Lady Radnor's suites*. Parry, unlike Elgar, had solid academic training at Oxford and would himself become an important scholar and teacher.

*Parry *too though was influenced by Handel, and he was an expert on Bach. Its not obvious but in his younger years he was a Wagnerite, and even in his last decade he was up on the most recent trends in music. *An English Suite *was actually written during the war years, and completed in the year of his death, 1918. It is a sunny and outgoing piece, much like Grieg's _Holberg Suite_, and in the finale movement (Frolic) one gets snatches of a sea shanty. The composer was an able yachtsman in his younger years, he loved the sea.

The shorter works on the disc are good too, I found the* Bridge *piece qutie extraordinary in terms of British music for something of the 1910's. I suppose the *Dowland* is an arrangement, although no arranger is credited here.










*Album: Noel Coward - Songs from the musicals*
_Songs from Conversation Piece, Bitter Sweet, Operette, After the Ball, Pacific 1860_
- Various performers incl. Joan Sutherland, Noel Coward, with National PO under Richard Bonynge

Contrasting with the Elgar chamber disc, here we have music from 'the roaring Twenties' (and Thirties).

*Noel Coward's* music is memorable more for its witty lyrics (which he all wrote himself) than for its tunes. Speaking to the current debate here about Mahler's views on race, we have *Countess Mitzi*, my favourite track on the disc. Here, Dame Joan plays an aristocrat from Mitteleuropa, and the lines point to her anything but pure bloodline. "My father was Hungarian, my mother came from Spain, I have separate aunts from the south of france and a grandmamma in the Ukraine." To which the chorus replies a string of her names: Ludovica Anastasia Frederikia Isabelle Rosa Nikky-Nikolai. To which she replies, "If I'm not a polyglot, I'd like to know who is?" Funny how one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Europe was (is?) so obsessed with so called purity of race?

On less pointed political matters, we've got the song where Noel duets with Dame Joan, _*Dearest Love*_. "I saw your face, shadows of the morning cleared, I knew that suddenly the world had dropped away" is a most eloquent opening by Noel, in his usual rounded tones, they don't write lyrics like that anymore!

Another highlight again takes cliches from Mitteleuropa, the cimbalom virtuoso John Leach (aka Janos Lehar), features as accompanist in _*Zigeuner* _from _Bitter Sweet_.



science said:


> ...
> Is it possible that I've neglected these too? Is there any great and famous work of classical music that I haven't neglected?
> 
> No, there isn't. Shame on me eternally, but that's how it is.


Yes Shame on you! But you can earn redemption. Now you will listen to three operas of your choice (but they have to be Wagner) and another Sousa march for your penance. Report back here about it and you will earn extra brownie points.

You got your marching orders, so go on and just do it!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Marschallin Blair said:


> This is the most masculine and heroic sounding Sibelius Fifth I've heard. The climax with the brass in the first movement has this magnificent, cascading sheen to it; the likes of which, I've never heard before in any other reading; probably the Ashkenazy/Philharmonia comes closest to it-- but it's still understated compared to Schmidt's treatment of it.
> [/I]!


I have to agree with Marschallin Blair's comment about the brass. The mike placement and stereo effect of this recording really makes an excellent effect. The horns are very forward in the entire recording but not to the point of drowning out the strings. The tempo is faster in all three movements than I am used to but it gives the piece a general sense of excitement. I also especially liked the way the strings are recorded in the second movement. I have never thought of Tchaikovsky when I listened to this movement before but the tempo and the way the strings are played reminded me of him. The final movement has a sense of tragedy and yet hope. Very nice performance. I still prefer Osmo Vanska and the Lahti but this is certainly worth a listen to by any fan of Sibelius! Thanks for the recommendation Marschallin!

Kevin


----------



## opus55

Schumann: Kinderszenen; Kreisleriana
Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18 Nos. 4 and 5


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Mazurkas - Op. 41; Op. 6; Op. 7 (Garrick Ohlsson).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc three:

Roman Haubenstock-Ramati - Jeux 6
Andre Boucourechliev - Archipel 3

taken from:


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Argerich burst onto the scene with this stupendous recital back in 1961 and it sounds as amazing now as it did then. For this 1995 reissue, DG added her no less brilliant recording of the Liszt Sonata. A fabulous disc.


----------



## SimonNZ

Chris Theofanidis' On The Edge Of The Infinite - Movses Pogossian, violin, Emily Freeman Brown, cond.






edit: now Theofanidis' At The Still Point - Ciompi Quartet






^on another thread recently I'd speculated on why no composer had made a setting of T.S.Eliot's Four Quartets. I see this piano quartet performance incorporates readings from the work, and takes its title from a line in it:

"At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement."


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## JCarmel

Well, there's nothing like a 'data base error' message to get your day going with a bang?....or is it my computer? I hope not.
Though health-wise, I suffered the medical version of one yesterday & I'm not too wonderful today either. 
So I'm going to grab some good vibes from two tremendously gifted musicians & notable human beings...both female, both Cancerians, too

I note its Scarlatti Senior's birthday today...I hope he will forgive me celebrating his life by listening to the music produced by one of his best 'works'...the production of his son, Domenico!

Scarlatti Sonatas, Wanda Landowska









And then, listening to this recording of Annie Fischer playing the Schumann Concerto & Beethoven's Sonata No. 30 should help give me a much-needed mental boost for the morning.


----------



## Bas

Two days late for his birthday, which was the day before yesterday:

Michael Nyman - MGV
By the Michael Nyman Band and Orchestra on MN records









Birthday of A. Scarlatti, I have to celebrate that, but that is quite the jump from this work... I'll stitch a program together, from Nyman back to early baroque!


----------



## bejart

Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741): Serenada a 8

Nikolaus Harnoncourt leading Concentus musicus Wien


----------



## JCarmel

I'm going to try to persuade a couple more Cancerians to make some good music for me to enjoy. 
Certainly there is no doubt about the virtues of the first of those choices....
Kirsten Flagstad in Brunnhilde's Immolation Scene from Gotterdammerung, Furtwangler/Philharmonia but then everything is good on this two cd set!









And then, a little bit of celli from Celli' I think?...with Pierre Fournier, in Dvorak's Cello Concerto. 
The music commences about 2 mins in...


----------



## bejart

Frederick the Great (1712-1786): Flute Concerto No.4 in D Major

Orchestra Pro Arte of Munich -- Kurt Redel, flute


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Frederick the Great (1712-1786): Flute Concerto No.4 in D Major

Orchestra Pro Arte of Munich -- Kurt Redel, flute









There's Redel's_ Frederick the Great_, certainly; but then there's Carlyle's_ Frederick the Great _ as well--- not to be missed either. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

The wit, the literary stylizations, the personality-- no, not of Friedrick but rather of Carlyle-- come through magnificently. Reading his take on Frederick the Great is like having a really good demitasse of espresso with a first-rate personality; even if he's a fifth-rate political mind.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ky...onepage&q=frederick the great carlyle&f=false


----------



## Andolink

*Brian Ferneyhough*: _String Quartets Nos. 4 and 5_
Arditti Quartet


----------



## JCarmel

Annie Fischer playing Beethoven Sonatas....well, like Panda says in the film (Kung-Fu Panda)* "Big Fan!"*
And for that film too, I can similarly say...Big Fan!..._love_ that film.

Anyway, a spin though Spotify's listings for Fischer has yielded this recorded concert from Amsterdam, featuring Beethoven's Third Concerto...which I'm listening to now...& also will be listening to B's 'Creatures of Prometheus'... which one rarely hears performed ....though that said, I heard it in performance just last month)









Klemperer seems very tall and Fischer very small. I don't know....Klemperer, I've never been keen on the look of him, I'm afraid. Would_ you _buy a second-hand car from this man?


----------



## Couac Addict

Specifically....Semiramide. Or is it Il Barbiere MkII?
Is my CD player stuck on repeat or does every overture sound the same?
Nice work Rossini. Take the money and run.


----------



## tahnak

I am sure this is a good reading by Neeme Jarvi and the Bamberg Symphony. Yesterday, I heard a very good performance of Martinu's First Symphony by the BBC Symphony and Jiri Belohlavek. It was very impressive.


----------



## Blancrocher

Enescu's cello sonatas, with Laura Buruiana and Martin Tchiba; and a first listen to Dohnanyi's 1st Symphony, with Matthias Bamert and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Vasks

_Varese Variety Pack_


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled a new release, *Shostakovich*: Cello Concerti, w. Mork/Oslo PO/Petrenko. Save your ears and money. These paint-by-numbers performances aren't in the same ballpark as H. Schiff/BRSO/M. Shostakovich (rec.1984)...which I'm playing now.








View attachment 40998


----------



## Vaneyes

dholling said:


> I wonder how it stacks up against Thomson and the London Philharmonic in their hair-raising, white-heat rendition (also on Chandos).


Chandos & Gardner are cranking out recordingings at a Joyce Hatto/old Gergiev rate. I'm not convinced with most I've heard.

Haven't heard this Walton yet. I'll be surprised if it gets near the Previn and Rattle recs. :tiphat:


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

5.2.14_

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [1756-1791]
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major, KV 622
[Franklin Cohen, Christoph von Dohanyi, The Cleveland Orchestra]

Awwww. Sweet, sweet melody.

Dobrinka Tabakova [1980]
Concerto for Violoncello and Strings
[Kristina Blaumane, Maxim Rysanov, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra]

Hands down my favorite composition of the 21st century; stormy, passionate and engaging without being cliché or reactionary. Truly stands with the great cello concertos of all time.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kontrapunctus said:


> This is the latest and last in the series of Corelli's chamber works. It's hard to find enough superlatives to do justice to the playing and the sound.


Avison really does provide Corelli magnificent treatment. I may end up with their entire output. :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Berglund


----------



## JCarmel

Here's a 'Listen' for tahnak....

Martinu, The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca, BBC SO conducted by Jeri Belohlavek...a very good free cd!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Karajan/Vienna State Opera Die Frau ohne Schatten*

















The last twenty minutes or so.


----------



## JCarmel

Had I been around yesterday, I'd have posted this 'listen' to mark Aram Khachaturian's passing on May 1st. It is also one of my recent 1p-CD-ers...that, like all these Royal Philharmonic Collection CD issues from Tring...sound fine, as well as being in this case, as 'cheap as chips!'









And also post this bit of 'youtubery' for Nighthawk...who seems to have migrated and certainly flown-off my Friendship list?!


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Rawsthorne's *birthday (1905).


----------



## JCarmel

Yes...good one, Vaneyes...I'll go with that...& with another anniversary nod to Sir Malcolm!

Rawsthorne, Piano Concerto No 2, Clifford Curzon, Sir Malcolm Sargent, LSO


----------



## millionrainbows

An all-Arditti day:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Had I been around yesterday, I'd have posted this 'listen' to mark Aram Khachaturian's passing on May 1st. It is also one of my recent 1p-CD-ers...that, like all these Royal Philharmonic Collection CD issues from Tring...sound fine, as well as being in this case, as 'cheap as chips!'
> 
> View attachment 41005
> 
> 
> And also post this bit of 'youtubery' for Nighthawk...who seems to have migrated and certainly flown-off my Friendship list?!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 41010







Great performance.

I love the first two minutes of the opening cut "The Chase."


----------



## MagneticGhost

Haydn Op.33 No.3 'Bird'
Naxos - Kodaly
Just makes you


----------



## Orfeo

Kevin Pearson said:


> I have to agree with Marschallin Blair's comment about the brass. The mike placement and stereo effect of this recording really makes an excellent effect. The horns are very forward in the entire recording but not to the point of drowning out the strings. The tempo is faster in all three movements than I am used to but it gives the piece a general sense of excitement. I also especially liked the way the strings are recorded in the second movement. I have never thought of Tchaikovsky when I listened to this movement before but the tempo and the way the strings are played reminded me of him. The final movement has a sense of tragedy and yet hope. Very nice performance. I still prefer Osmo Vanska and the Lahti but this is certainly worth a listen to by any fan of Sibelius! Thanks for the recommendation Marschallin!
> 
> Kevin


What do you think of Bernstein's DG recording with the Vienna PO in regards to the brass? Do you find it as glorious (or majestic) in the phrasing, the brass rather Brucknerian in feel?


----------



## Orfeo

Vaneyes said:


> Chandos & Gardner are cranking out recordingings at a Joyce Hatto/old Gergiev rate. I'm not convinced with most I've heard.
> 
> Haven't heard this Walton yet. I'll be surprised if it gets near the Previn and Rattle recs. :tiphat:


I see. Having read a number of positive reviews on Gardner's recordings, I began to wonder about this one. But, then again, having the Thomson recording, plus the Previn and the Ashkenazy, I'm not sure I want to invest in another recording of this masterpiece. The Horenstein recording (available on Youtube) is pretty unique in the maestro's approach.

Thank you for telling me your thoughts of this new recording.


----------



## cjvinthechair

JCarmel said:


> Had I been around yesterday, I'd have posted this 'listen' to mark Aram Khachaturian's passing on May 1st. It is also one of my recent 1p-CD-ers...that, like all these Royal Philharmonic Collection CD issues from Tring...sound fine, as well as being in this case, as 'cheap as chips!'


These 1p-ers, Mr. JCarmel, is this a secret source, or something others might benefit from ?


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bruckner, Symphony No. 4.* *Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 41*

Klemperer is known for his slowness. Not in this one. The first movement moves at a good clip.

And speaking of Haydn, if anyone is in Nashville, McKay's has Jeno Jando's complete Haydn sonatas for around $15.


----------



## opus55

Gounod: Faust, Acts 4 & 5
Bach: Concerto for 2 Keyboards, BWV 1060, 1061, 1062


----------



## Vasks

I've got that one. Like a gazillion miniatures for the publisher Alfred Schlee (many pitches of "A" and "E-flat" LOL!!)


----------



## JCarmel

It's just trolling-around at Amazon, that reveals the 1P-ers, cjv....an innocent activity, open to us all...& particularly those of us that are strapped for cash!
If I had a bit more of that to throw-around, I wouldn't mind working my way through the Complete Recordings on RCA of Julian Bream, instead of doing so via Spotify. And talking about Spotify...I think I'd like to nominate it as my 'favourite thing'....I'm ditching 'a sense of compassion' for it?!! 
Julian heads-up my final clutch of Cancerian music-makers....playing Lute Suites Nos 1 and 2 by J.S. Bach.









To be followed by counter-tenor Bejun Mehta (whose father Zubin celebrated his birthday earlier this week...) singing arias by Christoph Willibald Gluck amongst others on this enjoyable disc ...the latter also being Cancerian...born July 2nd!









Nexr week... 'Virgo's!' NO, I'M ONLY JOKING!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Allegri, Misereri*

Willcocks sings this in English. I don't know why, but that bothers me, like they need to dumb it down.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Hungarian Dances 1-10 Julius Katchen/11-21 Julius Katchen and Jean-Pierre Marty

Brahms originally composed the Hungarian Dances for piano duet, then later arranged the first 10 for piano solo, hence the way they are presented in this set, these are performances of great energy and enthusiasm, received likewise by myself!









Schumann: Overture, Scherzo and Finale Dresden Staatskapelle/Wolfgang Sawallisch

More from this excellent set, a bargain on Amazon, I am really enjoying it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Richter, Argerich, & Horowitz*









Richter: Haydn Piano Sonata No. 22









Argerich: Ravel, _Gaspard de la nuit: "Ondine"_









Horowitz: Beethoven, _32 Variations on an Original Theme for Piano in C Minor, WoO 80 _


----------



## TurnaboutVox

A round-up of yesterday evening's listening:

Beethoven

Variations (12) for Cello and Piano in G major on a theme by Handel, WoO 45
Sonata for Cello and Piano no 5 in D major, Op. 102 no 2 
Sonata for Cello and Piano no 1 in F major, Op. 5 no 1
Alfred Brendel (Piano), Adrian Brendel (Cello) [Philips, 2003]

















Jean Sibelius

Runeberg Songs (6), Op. 90 
Wood nymph, Op. 15
Belshazzar's Feast, Op. 51: no 3, The Jewish Girl's Song
Alikeness
A Song
Serenade

Bengt Forsberg (Piano), Anne Sofie von Otter (Mezzo Soprano) [BIS, 1995]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Maria Callas Super Compilation: Part I*




















Love that Callas "_Del primo pianto_" from_ Turandot _starting at 0:26

Off with_ all _their heads.

She owns this.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - 
Ouverture - Suite in E minor for two Flutes, Strings & B.c.; 
Quartet in G Major for Flute, Oboe, Violin & B.c.
(Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).









Amazing pieces and a highly recommended recording for those interested in exploring Telemann.


----------



## JCarmel

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1, Gyorgy Cziffra's performance of the concerto in April, 1957...conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini.
I've never heard this performance before...a barnstorming one for sure but not necessarily one that I'd want to hear often!














For anyone interested in the UK, CD Review on R3 tomorrow at 9-30am is considering the current interpretations & picking a Library choice.

Cziffra's pianistic ability was startling.........here he's testing a piano!


----------



## hpowders

Felix Mendelssohn, Complete String Quartets.
Quatuor Ysaye.

Another great set of Mendelssohn quartet performances. This group joins the Emerson Quartet as the finest interpreters of this immortal, impassioned music.

Highly recommended!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

hpowders said:


> View attachment 41034
> 
> 
> Felix Mendelssohn, Complete String Quartets.
> Quatuor Ysaye.
> 
> Another great set of Mendelssohn quartet performances. This group joins the Emerson Quartet as the finest interpreters of this immortal, impassioned music.
> 
> Highly recommended!


You're luring me into this, hpowders. The Mendelssohn quartets are on my radar now .


----------



## Alypius

This afternoon, French piano (somewhat lesser known masterworks):

*Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 22 (1868)*










*Fauré, [13] Nocturnes (1875-1921)*










[I see that Stott's 4 CD-version of Faure's complete piano works is being reissued]

*Debussy, Fantasie for Piano and Orchestra (1890)*


----------



## LancsMan

*Faure: Requiem & Cantique de Jean Racine* The Cambridge Singers and members of the City of London Sinfonia conducted by John Rutter on Conifer







One of my favourite requiems (well one of nearly everyone's favourite requiems) - but here in the chamber orchestra version (according to the sleeve note the full orchestra version orchestration is not by Faure). Any way I rather like the chamber orchestra version.

*Chausson: Concert in D major and Quartet 'Inacheve' * Jean-Philippe Collard, Augustin Dumay and Quatuor Muir on EMI







Attractive French chamber music, very romantic and French. Quite busy at times and I have to admit although I enjoy the music it does not leave a lasting impression on me.

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 'The Four Tempraments' * San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt on Decca








Now this is what I call a proper symphony. Isn't Nielsen just great. Love it!


----------



## hpowders

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> You're luring me into this, hpowders. The Mendelssohn quartets are on my radar now .


Wonderful stuff! So passionate!


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Kevin Pearson

dholling said:


> What do you think of Bernstein's DG recording with the Vienna PO in regards to the brass? Do you find it as glorious (or majestic) in the phrasing, the brass rather Brucknerian in feel?


David - I just listened to both versions back to back and I have to say that the Bernstein is not as "bright" on the brass but it has more power on the low register with the percussion. The microphone effect of the climax to the first movement really is cool and I really like the bright sound of the RPO on this recording. I would say for sure that the Bernstein has a more Bruckner feel to it than the Schmidt. Both are wonderful recordings and each version gives a different feel to the piece. I would say though that the Bernstein is a pretty typical sound for a DG recording. I hope that answered your question. Maybe Marschallin Blair can offer an opinion as well.

Kevin


----------



## Alypius

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> You're luring me into this, hpowders. The Mendelssohn quartets are on my radar now .


Haydn, Be sure and check out the recent Quatuor Ebene performance of Mendelssohn. That's my go-to version at present (but it's only #2 and #6).


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

154 Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren
155 Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange?
156 Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe!
157 Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn!

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (154, 155, 156) and Gustav Leonhardt (157), cond.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Beatus vir RV 597*

This CD gives a nice sense of space in these double-choir pieces. Now that my right speaker is firing on all cylinders, I finally can hear this the way it's supposed to be heard.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mendelssohn: Octet Jascha Heifetz/Israel Baker/Arnold Belnick/Joseph Stepansky/William Primrose/Virginia Majewski/Gregor Piatigorsky/Gabor Rejto

Mozart: Quintet in G Minor, K.516 Jascha Heifetz/Israel Baker/William Primrose/Virginia Majewski/Gregor Piatigorsky

By a strange coincidence I've reached Mendelssohn's Octet in this marvellous set on an evening when Mendelssohn chamber music seems to be very much to the fore. This is a wonderfully impassioned performance, and I can heartily recommend this set of the Heifetz-Piatigorsky Concerts to anyone who loves chamber music, the performances are superb throughout, at any rate on the first 10 CDs, which is as far as I've got at the moment- the thought that I have another 11 to go fills me with radiant delight! You can now get it new on amazon for £25! A supreme bargain, not to be missed. With regard to the Mendelssohn quartets, I have the Cherubini Quartet on EMI, which I've found very enjoyable indeed.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Peter Warlock - songs*

*The Curlew
Lillygay
Peterisms, first set
Saudades
Peterisms, second set*
etc.

Adrian Thompson (tenor), Christopher Maltman (baritone); John Constable (piano), Philippa Davies, (flute), Christine Pendrill (cor anglais), The Duke Quartet [Collins Classics, 1997]










One of my charity shop finds last weekend. 'The Curlew' cycle is particularly fine.


----------



## Alfacharger

The six "Ovid Metamorphoses" symphonies by Dittersdorf.


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen: Momente (1965)*


----------



## Guest

Fantastic playing and sound.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1, Gyorgy Cziffra's performance of the concerto in April, 1957...conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini.
> I've never heard this performance before...a barnstorming one for sure but not necessarily one that I'd want to hear often!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 41033
> 
> 
> For anyone interested in the UK, CD Review on R3 tomorrow at 9-30am is considering the current interpretations & picking a Library choice.
> 
> Cziffra's pianistic ability was startling.........here he's testing a piano!


His tone is so_ heavy_, though. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . _Bam! Bam! Bam!!! Bam!!!!_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kevin Pearson said:


> David - I just listened to both versions back to back and I have to say that the Bernstein is not as "bright" on the brass but it has more power on the low register with the percussion. The microphone effect of the climax to the first movement really is cool and I really like the bright sound of the RPO on this recording. I would say for sure that the Bernstein has a more Bruckner feel to it than the Schmidt. Both are wonderful recordings and each version gives a different feel to the piece. I would say though that the Bernstein is a pretty typical sound for a DG recording. I hope that answered your question. Maybe Marschallin Blair can offer an opinion as well.
> 
> Kevin


---
I haven't heard that Bernstein DG Sibelius Five in ages, so unfortunately I can neither praise nor give gigantic howling curses. Ha. Ha. Ha. -- but I would probably be the wrong person to consult anyway, since I'm not a fan of Bernstein's DG Sibelius; his Sony readings with the NYPO are much more to my inclination.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

_Lancsman: Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 'The Four Tempraments' San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt on Decca








Now this is what I call a proper symphony. Isn't Nielsen just great. Love it! _
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nielsen is great. . . and Ole Schmidt makes him _magnificent_.


----------



## Woodduck

TurnaboutVox said:


> *Peter Warlock - songs*
> 
> *The Curlew
> Lillygay
> Peterisms, first set
> Saudades
> Peterisms, second set*
> etc.
> 
> Adrian Thompson (tenor), Christopher Maltman (baritone); John Constable (piano), Philippa Davies, (flute), Christine Pendrill (cor anglais), The Duke Quartet [Collins Classics, 1997]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of my charity shop finds last weekend. 'The Curlew' cycle is particularly fine.


What a fortunate find! The Collins label has been gone for decades; some of their CDs are now on other labels. I found that same CD about 10 years ago in the same kind of store.


----------



## bejart

A recent arrival ---
Johann Adolph Scheibe (1708-1776): Sinfonia in B Flat

Andrew Manze conducting the Concerto Copenhagen


----------



## Jeff W

Forgot to check in this morning...









This morning was a continuation of my Haydn Symphony listening project. No. 13 through 16. Number 13 was the one that stuck out most to me (another D major symphony, go figure). Antal Dorati led the Philharmonia Hungarica.









Finished listening to Hans Gal's symphonies. Number 4 is a sinfonia concertante. Paired with it is Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 2. Kenneth Woods led the Orchestra of the Swan. Not sure what to make of Hans Gal yet. I'll need to listen again.

On right now...









Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Valentina Lisitsa plays the piano while Michael Francis leads the London Symphony Orchestra. This one popped into and was stuck in my head and wouldn't leave! Will probably go back and listening to the Piano Concertos No. 2 & 4 on the same disc.


----------



## JCarmel

Rameau...Works for Harpsichord









Gilbert's recording was my first introduction to Rameau & even though I have other interpreters in my cd collection, I don't think I've liked any better than his. I've just checked on Wikipedia to see if he is still alive, as I never hear any mention of him...presumably he has long since retired from performing & recording, as it mentions that he studied with Landowska!


----------



## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> _Lancsman: Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 'The Four Tempraments' San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt on Decca
> View attachment 41041
> 
> 
> Now this is what I call a proper symphony. Isn't Nielsen just great. Love it! _
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Nielsen is great. . . and Ole Schmidt makes him _magnificent_.
> 
> View attachment 41042


My favorite, fwiw.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Woodduck said:


> What a fortunate find! The Collins label has been gone for decades; some of their CDs are now on other labels. I found that same CD about 10 years ago in the same kind of store.


Yes, it was a fortunate find. This has since been reissued on Naxos, though and is currently on sale at Presto for £5, which means the £3.99 I paid for it isn't that great a bargain after all! But there's always the thrill of just finding stuff unexpectedly at the Oxfam bookshop.

Currently listening to : silence


----------



## KenOC

Schubert, Piano Sonata In D, D.850, "Gasteiner." Alfred Brendel.


----------



## senza sordino

Borodin Symphony #2, In the Steppes of Central Asia, Polovetsian Dances (no choir)







Debussy Berceuse heroique, Image for orchestra, Jeux, Marche ecossaise, prelude, nocturnes, Rhapsody for clarinet, dances for harp and strings


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> What a fortunate find! The Collins label has been gone for decades; some of their CDs are now on other labels. I found that same CD about 10 years ago in the same kind of store.


Variation on a Theme of Collins Classics: The Barry Wordsworth/Philharmonia Vaughan-Williams _Job_ has the most beautiful strings I've ever heard in the first movement; and of course, the recorded sound is wonderful. If you can find it, get it. I finally found a copy of it this past June and was excited beyond belief once I heard it.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 15 in C, D. 840 (completed Tirimo) *
Martino Tirimo [EMI, 1995-6]












> "Originally released by EMI Eminence and now resurrected by Warner, Martino Tirimo's 1995/96 Schubert sonata cycle is the most comprehensive edition available on CD. It includes all of the finished sonatas plus those that Schubert left incomplete. Some of the latter exist only in fragmentary form, while others have movements where the composer breaks off at the end of development sections or at the beginning of recapitulations. Tirimo fills in the gaps with his own completions and also incorporates certain "stand-alone" movements to flesh out works that are otherwise multi-movement torsos.
> 
> A more conjectural solution is required to complete the C major D. 840 "Relique" sonata's Rondo, and Tirimo's stylistic sensitivity is such that you hardly notice where the original cuts off and the restoration begins. Fortunately, Tirimo's thoughtful and caring scholarship extends to the refinement, intelligence, and diverse characterizations that inform his best Schubert pianism...
> 
> ...Some listeners may find the engineering a bit cavernous and bottom-heavy, yet the ambient resonance also indicates how Tirimo's piano sonority and sense of projection register in a large concert hall. Although the top recommendation among Schubert cycles still goes to Michael Endres' Capriccio edition for its more consistent performances and warmer sonics, Schubert collectors will find Tirimo's best interpretations and all of his reconstructions well worth Warner's attractive budget price tag."
> 
> -- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com


In all fairness I'd have to say to anyone tempted to buy this set - the sound recording quality really is very poor: _a bit cavernous and bottom-heavy_ is an understatement.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> My favorite, fwiw.


Itullian, you contrarian devil, you. _;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> Borodin Symphony #2, In the Steppes of Central Asia, Polovetsian Dances (no choir)
> View attachment 41052
> 
> Debussy Berceuse heroique, Image for orchestra, Jeux, Marche ecossaise, prelude, nocturnes, Rhapsody for clarinet, dances for harp and strings
> View attachment 41053


Love the _joie de vivre_ of Haitink's Concertgebouw Debussy_ Fetes_.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Schubert arr. Liszt - Songs Without Words

Auf dem Wasser zu singen
In der Ferne
Ständchen
Erlkönig*

Murray Perahia (Piano) [Sony, 1999]










Sorry, Vaneyes, as you 'liked' my 'accidental double post' I have made a presumption that you won't mind me re-attributing your 'like' to my new post. (Perhaps you hate Liszt's arrangements of Schubert though... )


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): String Quintet in D Major, Op.18, No.2, G 284

La Magnifica Comunita: Enrico Casazza and Isabella Longo, violins -- Alberto Salomon, viola -- Luigi Puxeddu and Leonardo Sapere, cellos


----------



## KenDuctor

Samuel Barber : adagio for strings


----------



## Vaneyes

*Myaskovsky*: Piano Sonatas, w. McLachlan (rec.1988), Hegedus. (rec.1988).


----------



## Vaneyes

TurnaboutVox said:


> Yes, it was a fortunate find. This has since been reissued on Naxos, though and is currently on sale at Presto for £5, which means the £3.99 I paid for it isn't that great a bargain after all! But there's always the thrill of just finding stuff unexpectedly at the Oxfam bookshop.
> 
> Currently listening to : silence


I used to listen to a lot of silence, as a kid. Nice experience, sometimes too, talking to the smallest creatures that roam our planet. Well, that might be another story for another time. :tiphat:.


----------



## Vaneyes

Itullian said:


> My favorite, fwiw.


Thanks, Itullian, I haven't heard 'em...I'll give 'em a shot. :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Rameau...Works for Harpsichord
> 
> View attachment 41047
> 
> 
> Gilbert's recording was my first introduction to Rameau & even though I have other interpreters in my cd collection, I don't think I've liked any better than his. I've just checked on Wikipedia to see if he is still alive, as I never hear any mention of him...presumably he has long since retired from performing & recording, as it mentions that he studied with Landowska!


Are you feeling better, JC. And, what's up with that small exercise program?


----------



## Vaneyes

Lope, what's up with that avatar. You're not doing mesquite again, are yuh?


----------



## Vaneyes

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> You're luring me into this, hpowders. The Mendelssohn quartets are on my radar now .


Watch the vibrato.


----------



## Vaneyes

Manxfeeder said:


> *Vivaldi, Beatus vir RV 597*
> 
> This CD gives a nice sense of space in these double-choir pieces. Now that my right speaker is firing on all cylinders, I finally can hear this the way it's supposed to be heard.


Geez, that involuntary mono, again.


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1, Gyorgy Cziffra's performance of the concerto in April, 1957...conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini.
> I've never heard this performance before...a barnstorming one for sure but not necessarily one that I'd want to hear often!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 41033
> 
> 
> For anyone interested in the UK, CD Review on R3 tomorrow at 9-30am is considering the current interpretations & picking a Library choice.
> 
> Cziffra's pianistic ability was startling.........here he's testing a piano!


Good stuff!


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Yes...good one, Vaneyes...I'll go with that...& with another anniversary nod to Sir Malcolm!
> 
> Rawsthorne, Piano Concerto No 2, Clifford Curzon, Sir Malcolm Sargent, LSO
> 
> View attachment 41009


Impeccable dresser. And who cared about contacts then.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92

Wilhelm Furtwangler leading the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Morimur

Vaneyes said:


> Lope, what's up with that avatar. You're not doing mesquite again, are yuh?


Mesquite? Is that 'street' for cocaine?


----------



## Woodduck

Vaneyes said:


> I used to listen to a lot of silence, as a kid. Nice experience, sometimes too, talking to the smallest creatures that roam our planet. Well, that might be another story for another time. :tiphat:.


As I get old(er) I find myself listening more to silence - or wishing I could find more silence to listen to - and less to music (I suppose I should be careful what I wish for). But I do not as a rule talk to small creatures except when bitten by them.


----------



## hpowders

Vaneyes said:


> Watch the vibrato.


Acceptable in Mendelssohn.

Vibrato in Haydn-Hidden.


----------



## KenOC

Here's something different -- Giovanni Sgambati! His first symphony from 1880.










It's good all the way through, but at least catch the finale, from this YouTube at 35:10.


----------



## Weston

*Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op 34a*
Maurizio Pollini / Quartetto Italiano









This is piece is very -- long. The first movement is a majestic masterpiece though.


----------



## Sid James

Couac Addict said:


> Specifically....Semiramide. Or is it Il Barbiere MkII?
> Is my CD player stuck on repeat or does every overture sound the same?
> Nice work Rossini. Take the money and run.
> 
> ...


No, they're not the same! William Tell has the galop and storm, Il Signor Bruschino has the string players tapping on their music stands, and...and...they all got Neopolitan tunes and "Rossini crescendo" endings...so they kinda are the same...but for another reason.

But you know I love to be pedantic! If you're going to be critical, it has to be the RIGHT way :lol:



JCarmel said:


> ...
> Klemperer seems very tall and Fischer very small. I don't know....Klemperer, I've never been keen on the look of him, I'm afraid. Would_ you _buy a second-hand car from this man?
> 
> View attachment 40991


Or would you like to be in an orchestra conducted by this man? Seriously he was great anecdote fodder. One I remember is one of the members of the orchestra standing up, walking up to the maestro, and punching him square in the face. After the guy stormed out, Otto recovered to say something like "gentleman, last night I slept with that man's wife!" You got to hand it to Maestro Klemperer, as interesting off the podium as on, they sure don't make 'em like that anymore!



Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 41003
> 
> 
> View attachment 41004
> 
> 
> The last twenty minutes or so.


Great stuff, I gave you a "like" just for that headdress thingy, but I've also got the orchestral suite from _Die Frau Ohne Schatten _so its also a very serious "like" too. I'm getting more into Strauss more recently, especially his big tone poems. _Metamorphosen_ though has always been a favourite.


----------



## Itullian

Couac Addict said:


> Specifically....Semiramide. Or is it Il Barbiere MkII?
> *Is my CD player stuck on repeat or does every overture sound the same?
> Nice work Rossini. Take the money and run*.


Booooooo ..........


----------



## Weston

*Holst: Egdon Heath (Homage to Hardy), for orchestra, Op. 47, H. 172
Holst: Hammersmith, prelude & scherzo for military band (also version for orchestra), Op. 52, H. 178 
Holst: Invocation, for cello & orchestra, Op.19/2, H. 75 *
David Lloyd-Jones / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Tim Hugh, cello









Fine works, similar to The Planets in scope and orchestral color, especially Egdon Heath. This isn't the order these works appear on the album, but is instead alphabetical since I am listening to the mp3 files. That was a lucky accident. The Invocation sets a great mood for ending the evening, reminding of something a local TV station would choose to close down programming for the night -- back when stations did so, that is.

On a side note, I don't know much of Tim Hugh, but I can't fault his cello tone. It's far more lovely than many well known virtuosos in my collection.


----------



## Tristan

*Gounod* - St. Cecilia Mass









I love it; it can be so theatrical in parts...I think Gounod was an opera composer at heart. It's sort of like how Verdi's Requiem feels more like an opera than a mass.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Mahlerian

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
Fink, Cangemi, Kiehr, Freiburger Barockorchester, dir. Jacobs


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Lebrun- Oboe concerto No. 1.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc four:

Edgar Varese - Ionisation
Carlos Chavez - Tambuku
Carlos Chavez - Toccata
John Cage - First Construction (In Metal)
Edmund Campion - Ondoyant Et Divers

first four taken from:










the Campion recorded two years ago by the current lineup and appearing on cd for the first time

fascinating transcription of Ionisation there - down to six percussionists from the intended thirteen, completely stripping away the "film noir" baggage it has misleadingly aquired


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 34 in D minor (Adam Fischer; Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra).

On Youtube: 




That opening Adagio is one of Haydn's classics - up there with the first movement of the 'La Passione' symphony.

Symphony No. 93 in D Major (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).









Coming back to No. 93. Some of Haydn's best music - the symphony should definitely be played more often.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Debussy orch. Caplet: Children's Corner/La Boite a joujoux
Debussy orch. Busser: Petite suite
Debussy: Danse sacree et danse profane Orchestra National de l'ORTF/Jean Martinon

This is an absolutely gorgeous CD! I've never heard the orchestration of "Children's Corner" before, and I like it very much. All the pieces on this disc are exceptionally well played, this has to be one of the most sensuous versions of "Danse sacree et danse profane" that I've ever heard, Marie-Claire Jamet's harp playing is ravishing. What a smashing start to the day.


----------



## JCarmel

"Maestro Klemperer, as interesting off the podium as on, they sure don't make 'em like that anymore! "..
Thanks Sid for the interesting anecdote! But its not just the Klemperer's that they don't make anymore...I've been listening to the latest statistics about the erosion of Childhood for the generation growing-up now. They don't make you & me, anymore!

Thank you for your kind enquiry, Vaneyes....unfortunately my health isn't improving...gotta whole lotta stuff on't chest that I can't seem to shift. It's of Industrial Strength! But good things come along with the bad in that over very a long night a few days ago, I got listening to this extensive collection of recordings by Pepe Romero and acquainted myself of some charming guitar concertos by Carulli, Giulani etc. I'm listening to the former's Concerto in E Minor, Opus 14 at this very moment in time....Academy of St Martins in the Fields/Iona Brown.









Carulli was a prolific writer with 400 works and he wrote the 'Methode Complete Pour Guitar' which contains music still used by students today...or so Wikipedia informs.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Tchaikovsky's ever popular 1st Piano Concerto was the subject of BBC Radio 3's Building A Library this morning, and this, the third of Argerich's recordings was given the palm. I already have the second of her recordings conducted by Kondrashin (coupled to her brilliant recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd) but I'm listening now to this one on Spotify, and think I might have to have this too. Virtuosity and power linked to delicacy, poetry and imagination.


----------



## Oskaar

*Dieterich Buxtehude ca. 1637-1707: Fürwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit BuxWV 31
Georg Böhm 1661-1733: Mein Freund ist mein
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750: Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe BWV 22
Nicolaus Bruhns 1665-1697: Hemmt eure Tränenﬂut
Johann Sebastian Bach: Seht wir geh'n hinauf gen Jerusalem BWV 159*

*Collegium Vocale der Salzburger Bachgesellschaft:
Katharina Gutschi, Birgit Kuchlmaier, Mayumi Shibata, sopraan
Marcus Blöchl, Waltraud Grabherr-Hartinger, alt
Ernst Lachinger, Taro Takagi, tenor
Albert Hartinger, Christoph Schöffmann, bas

La Divina Armonia:
Stefano Barneschi, Mayumi Hirasaki, viool
Chiara Zanisi, altviool
Noelia Reverte, viola da gamba
Marco Tesori, cello
Vanni Moretto, violone
Benoît Laurent, hobo
Lorenzo Ghielmi, orgel*

Delightfull choral music!

*videolink*


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## Guest

Apparently the piano quintet is my new favorite form of music. This is my last two days of listening:








Antonín Dvořák, Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81
Piers Lane - Goldner String Quartet








Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
Edward Auer, Paul Rosenthal, Christiaan Bor, Marcus Thompson, Godried Hoogeveen








Franz Schubert, Piano Quintet in A, Op. 114 "Trout"
James Levine, Gerhart Hetzel, Wolfram Christ, Georg Faust, Alois Posch








Johannes Brahms, Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34a
Artemis Quartet & Leif Ove Andsnes


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi - Gloria*

*NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF ARMENIA
Art director V. Martirosyan

NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR OF ARMENIA
Art director R. Mlkeyan

soprano M. Galoyan
soprano H. Harutyunova
mezzo-soprano N. Ananikyan

conductor R. Mlkeyan*

Here is a firework of a performance! The work is a firework in itself, and here all artists submit to a fantastic experiance. Very good sound.

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Ligeti's Melodien - Robert de Leeuw, cond.


----------



## Wood

*Wagner* Valkyrie Excerpts _Flagstad, Vienna PO, Solti
_
Great stuff!

*Faure *Violin Sonatas 1 & 2
*Franck *Violin Sonata
_
Arthur Grumiaux

_


----------



## Jeff W

Does it really count as being listened to unless it is posted in this thread?









Started the night with day five of my personal Haydn project. Symphonies No. 17 through 21. Antal Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungarica. Still haven't heard a bad symphony yet although not all have immediately jumped out at me. No. 20 and 21 were the two that did.









Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 'Organ' for the Saturday Symphony thread came next for me. Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra and E. Power Biggs played the organ. Wonderful recording from the Philadelphia Orchestra on this one.









Went back to Rachmaninoff as the Paganini Rhapsody was still stuck in the back of my head. Listened to Piano Concertos No. 2 & 4 as well this time. I love these pieces to death but now they are starting to become a little too familiar. Time to put them away for a while, I guess. Valentina Lisitsa played the solo piano while Michael Francis led the London Symphony Orchestra.









Turning down the ensemble size just a little bit now. Currently on is Beethoven's String Quartets No. 4 (Op. 18 No. 4) & No. 13 (Op. 130) with the original Grosse Fuge ending. I usually skip the replacement ending that Beethoven wrote. The Alban Berg Quartett plays.


----------



## JCarmel

Philip and Mary...A Marriage of England and Spain, The Sixteen...on Spotify









The cd booklet for this and other recordings by 'The Sixteen,' are available as pdf downloads.

And then my first listen to this particular interpretation of Poulenc's Gloria...on the 1-pencer...conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos









And then another cheap=as=chips buy.....though it won't replace loved interpretations by Kovacevich/Davies or Perahia/Marriner


----------



## bejart

First listen to a brand new addition --
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780): Flute Sonata No.4 in E Minor

Andrew Bolotowsky, flute -- Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord


----------



## Tsaraslondon

JCarmel said:


> And then my first listen to this particular interpretation of Poulenc's Gloria...on the 1-pencer...conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos


How are you finding these 1 pencers? Are you using particular search criteria?


----------



## Orfeo

Kevin Pearson said:


> David - I just listened to both versions back to back and I have to say that the Bernstein is not as "bright" on the brass but it has more power on the low register with the percussion. The microphone effect of the climax to the first movement really is cool and I really like the bright sound of the RPO on this recording. I would say for sure that the Bernstein has a more Bruckner feel to it than the Schmidt. Both are wonderful recordings and each version gives a different feel to the piece. I would say though that the Bernstein is a pretty typical sound for a DG recording. I hope that answered your question. Maybe Marschallin Blair can offer an opinion as well.
> 
> Kevin


I got you. Thanks Kevin.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

A near complete suite of Beethoven's music from Egmont by Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker featuring the wonderful vocals of Cheryl Studer.

The whole of the album, Beethoven in Berlin is fantastic.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rott: Symphony In E Major / Gerhard Samuel, Cincinnati Po*

*Conductor: Gerhard Samuel 
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Philharmonia Orchestra*









I find this really a gem! Adventurous and romantic.

*arkivmusic*

*you tube link*

*Youtube link 2* The first one is uncomlete, I think. This is full, but no info on artists


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Originally Posted by Marschallin Blair
> Attachment 41003
> 
> Attachment 41004
> 
> The last twenty minutes or so.
> 
> _Sid James: Great stuff, I gave you a "like" just for that headdress thingy, but I've also got the orchestral suite from Die Frau Ohne Schatten so its also a very serious "like" too. I'm getting more into Strauss more recently, especially his big tone poems. Metamorphosen though has always been a favourite_.


Hey, if you're not part of the hyperbole, you're part of the boredom. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41080
> 
> 
> Tchaikovsky's ever popular 1st Piano Concerto was the subject of BBC Radio 3's Building A Library this morning, and this, the third of Argerich's recordings was given the palm. I already have the second of her recordings conducted by Kondrashin (coupled to her brilliant recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd) but I'm listening now to this one on Spotify, and think I might have to have this too. Virtuosity and power linked to delicacy, poetry and imagination.


Dead on.

I think that's the best encapsulation of Argerich at her best that I've heard.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Couac Addict said:


> Specifically....Semiramide. Or is it Il Barbiere MkII?
> Is my CD player stuck on repeat or does every overture sound the same?Nice work Rossini. Take the money and run.


Right composer, wrong conductor. The pieces only become vibrant and variegated with the Reiner touch.


----------



## SimonNZ

GregMitchell said:


> How are you finding these 1 pencers? Are you using particular search criteria?


I'm not Julie, but I can see that in AmazonUK if you search the keyword classical in the department classical you can then sort by price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_st_price-asc-rank?keywords=classical&qid=1399121401&rh=n%3A229816%2Cn%3A697386%2Ck%3Aclassical&sort=price-asc-rank

(a couple of nice looking Logrenzi and Locatellis on the Newton label on page four there, for 1p each)

or better yet do the same with "classical box":

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_st_price-asc-rank?keywords=classical+box&qid=1399122369&rh=n%3A229816%2Cn%3A697386%2Ck%3Aclassical+box&sort=price-asc-rank

(and check out that 1p 3cd set of Gigli on the Nimbus Prima Voce series on page one)

unfortunately very prohibitive freight charges would be added to any order going out my way


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Vivaldi, Dixiit Dominus*


----------



## Andolink

First encounters with these works--

*George Enescu*: _Sonata for Cello and Piano_ (1935)
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Per Rundberg, piano







This is really, really good!

*Brian Ferneyhough*: _Dum Transisset_ and _Exordium_
Arditti Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*BALAKIREV: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 / Piano Concerto in F-Sharp Minor / Tamara / In Bohemia*

* Sinaisky, Vassily, Conductor • BBC Philharmonic Orchestra • Shelley, Howard, piano*









I am only listening to the first symphony now, and I find it a very rewarding listening. Varied and colourfull. Fine and energic performance.

allmusic


----------



## Op.123

Fleisher - Brahms 2


----------



## jani

As time goes on each time i listen to this piece it makes a deeper impact to me.
I am not even a patriotic person but specially the hymn part ( Its sung on this performance) hits me.
I know that Sibelius didn't write the piece to represent the events of 1939-1945, but some how it always brings very deep and powerful feelings of respect& thankfulness to that generation who defended their values,freedom and this country with their lives.


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to symphony 1 from this box:

*Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931) 
The Six Symphonies and the Concertos 
Symphony No. 1 (1889-1894) FS16 [33.55] 
Symphony No. 2 The Four Temperaments (1901-1902) FS29 [34.11] 
Symphony No. 3 Sinfonia Espansiva (1910-1911) FS60 [37.30] 
Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable (1914-1916) FS76 [33.56] 
Symphony No. 5 (1920-1922) FS97 [33.05] 
Symphony No. 6 Sinfonia Semplice (1924-1925) FS116 [32.20] 
Violin Concerto (1911) [34.25] 
Flute Concerto (1926) [18.07] 
Clarinet Concerto (1928) [24.50] 
Pia Raanoja (sop) 
Knut Skram (bar) 
Dong-Suk Kang (violin) 
Patrick Gallois (flute) 
Olle Schill (clarinet) 
Gothenburg SO/Myung-Whun Chung (not 4 and 6) Neeme Järvi (4 and 6) 
rec Gothenburg Concert Hall, 4-4 Mar 1983 (2), 13-16 Dec 1985 (cl, 3), 15-18 May 1987 (Vn, 5), 14-16 June 1989 (Fl, 1), 8-9 Sept 1990 (4), 9 Mar 1992 (6) DDD

Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Nov02/Nielsen_Jarvi.htm#ixzz30eudP3kA*









Outstanding performance of the first symphony. Nielsen is one of the many composers I look forward to investigate more.

Read the thorough review of the whole set in link below

music web international


----------



## bejart

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Symphony in B Flat, Op.10, No.2

Michael Schneider conducting La Stagione Frankfurt


----------



## Blancrocher

Georg Friedrich Haas - Limited Approximations.


----------



## Oskaar

* Itzhak Perlman Live in Russia*

*1:25 / TARTINI "Devil's Trill Sonata" in G minor (12:25 Cadenza: KREISLER)
16:50 / KREISLER "Liebesleid"
20:20 / PROKOFIEV "March", from "The Love for Three Oranges" Op.33
22:18 / BLOCH "Nigun", No.2 from "Baal-Shem"*

A fine little concert with this master of the violin

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Dame Janet: Haydn & Mozart Arias*









Haydn: _Scena di Berenice: "Berenice, che fai?"_

Mozart: _Cosi fan tutte_: "Ah, scostati! . . . Smanie implacabili"

Morning Marschallin Blair, working on a Saturday, but absolutely relishing the early-morning, summery air with this unusual Southern California heat spell; waking up with Dame Janet Baker of the Outer Empyrean doing the most deft, technically brilliant, and gorgeous singing of these pieces I've ever heard. The command and control of her craft is amazing.

_E squisita. Deliziosa! Che finezza. Che calore. Che arte._

The recording is from 1973 on Philips with Raymond Leppard and the English Chamber Orchestra.

The engineered sound is outstanding. You can really hear the timbre in Baker's voice.

It's almost as if each cut on the cd is a mini, self-contained masterpiece--- given her treatment, of course.


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, 12 London Symphonies
Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande

Took three weeks to finally get this delivered from Japan. I imagine the delivery person went through at least three pairs of sneakers to walk it over.

Anyhow, these are fine period performances with one cavil: some of the minuets are taken a bit too fast. The only folks able to dance the minuets at these tempos would have to be Dancing With The Stars finalists.

This set is therefore recommended to sharp dancers and lovers of period performance Haydn.


----------



## bejart

Michael Haydn (1737-1806): String Quartet in C Major, P116

Sonare Quartet: Jacek Klimkiewicz and Laurentius Bonitz, violins -- Reiner Schmidt, viola -- Eric Plumettaz, cello


----------



## JCarmel

I'm certainly going to explore the music of Rott, oskarr?! Love that name?!

I seem to be having an Iona Brown day....I didn't get as far as The Gloria on the Poulenc cd, as I forgot that I hadn't listened to the Concert Champetre that preceded it on the cd, with Iona directing the Academy of St Martins with George Malcolm as soloist. And tis very good...so The Gloria can wait till another time. 
At the moment I'm sitting by the patio window, watching 'Mrs' the latest 'tame' blackbird with the biggest of her brood...the one with a markedly mottled chest, who I've called 'Spotify'

On the cd player is another of Iona's recordings ...her rather rollicking recording on the Hanssler label of Mozart's Symphonies 33 & 35 that I'm comparing with the 1.99 MP3 download copy that I bought this week of my old fave LP of Jochum conducting 33 & 36.

I was reminded of the sad fact that she died in 2004 of Cancer at the early age of 63...I have a few of her recordings and always enjoy them.


----------



## Vasks

_Zzzzzzzz_

*Ziehrer - Overture to "King Jerome" (Pollack/Marco Polo)
Zemlinsky - String Quartet #2 (La Salle/Brilliant)*


----------



## Oskaar

JCarmel said:


> I'm certainly going to explore the music of Rott, oskarr?! Love that name?!


Let us ROTT in heaven!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Wellesz, Symphony No. 4.*


----------



## Oskaar

Listening to and watching this great performance posted in another thread:

*Yefim Bronfman. Saint-Saens 2nd PC*

*link to post*


----------



## Oskaar

*Cellokoncert nr. 1, a-mol, op. 33 (1872)*Camille Saint Saëns (1835-1921)*DR SymfoniOrkestret*Paul McCreesh*Sol Gabetta *

*I Allegro non troppo 
II Allegretto con moto
III Tempo primo
© Danmarks Radio*

Fine and close video of this performance.

*videolink*


----------



## Mahlerian

Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 in C minor "with organ"
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Levine


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 in C minor "with organ"
> Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Levine


Love Levine's caressing treatment of the Third Movement; and that _Sorcer's Apprentice _is my all-time favorite.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*RVW: Flos Campi; Hickox, Northern Sinfonia*









Going into involuntary vocalizations over this. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Oskaar

*Evgeny Kissin - 2010*

*01. Chopin, Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (00:00 - 05:30)
02. Chopin, Nocturne in G major, Op. 37 No. 2 (05:30 - 11:12)
03. Chopin, Nocturne in in E major, Op. 62 No. 2 (11:12 - 17:43)
04. Chopin, Mazurka in E major, Op. 6 No. 3 (17:43 - 19:55)
05. Chopin, Mazurka in A minor, Op. 7 No. 2 (19:55 - 22:56)
06. Chopin, Mazurka in C major, Op. 68 No. 1 (22:56 - 24:19)
07. Chopin,﻿ Mazurka in F minor, Op. 7 No. 3 (24:19 - 26:58)
08. Chopin, Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op. 41 No. 1 (26:58 - 31:14)09. Chopin, Mazurka in A-flat major, Op. 50 No. 2 (31:14 - 34:15)
10. Chopin, Mazurka in B-flat major, Op. 17 No. 1 (34:15 - 36:44)
11. Schumann, Fantasia in C major for piano Op.17 - I (36:44 - 50:20)
12. op. cit. II (50:20 - 57:39)
13. op. cit. III (57:39 - 1:10:40)
14. Schumann, Toccata in C major, Op. 7 (1:10:45﻿ - 1:19:20)
15. Schumann, Widmung (Liebeslied), S. 566 (1:19:21 - 1:25:12)
16. Chopin, Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1 (1:25:12 - 1:33:41)*

Its not long time since I found Chopin quite boring. Not so now. His melodies and small lyrical moments is now a pleasure to listen to, and they really help me recognizing a good pianist! The pianists may have their own approach, the music of chopin is really good to undress the pianists that DONT use their personality and lyrical soul in their presentation. If you are to mecanic, to agressive,to un-secetive, To unpersonal.. it emidiatly shows.

Kissin may not be my favourite (but I have heard to little of him) But I think here, he unfolds colours and nuances of chopin and shumann that takes honisty and dedication, and a big musical heart. More than technical brilliantness.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Cello Concerto in C Major, Ben 101

Zsolt Szefcsik leading the Erdody Chamber Orchestra -- Peter Szabo, cello


----------



## Arsakes

*Richard Strauß*:

Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24
Don Juan, Op. 20
Macbeth, Op. 23 
Oboe Concerto in D major

^ One of the most beautiful oboe concertos. Its idea is Possibly inspired by an American Oboist who was in USA Army and met Strauss in WW2.


----------



## millionrainbows

John Cage, The Seasons (ECM)














Stockhausen, Klavierstucke I-VIII, vol. 1. Bernhard Wambach (Koch/Schwann)


----------



## opus55

Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos
Beethoven: String Quartet in A, Op. 18 No. 5


----------



## Morimur

millionrainbows said:


> John Cage, The Seasons (ECM)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stockhausen, Klavierstucke I-VIII, vol. 1. Bernhard Wambach (Koch/Schwann)


I was beginning to think I was the only one listening to Stockhausen.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos
> Beethoven: String Quartet in A, Op. 18 No. 5


Thank you. Thank you. _Thank you_, Opus55. I've got to see that Voight/Levine _Ariadne_. I love her in the Sinopoli one.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in E Minor, Op.59, No.2

Tokyo String Quartet: Peter Oundjian and Kikuei Ikeda, violins -- Kazuhide Isomura, viola -- Sadao Harada, cello


----------



## opus55

Weber: Der Freischutz
Schumann: Kinderszenen

















Listened to the Freischutz while riding bicycle. The choral parts are really great for pedalling uphill.


----------



## Oskaar

*J.S. Bach: Cantate 'Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten', BWV 202*

*Dorothee Mields, sopraan
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra o.l.v. Ton Koopman
Opgenomen in de Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam op 10 juni 2012

Het Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra bestaat uit:
- Catherine Manson, concertmeester
- Joseph Tan, Benedicte Pernet, Eunjung Anna Ryu en Maite Larburu, viool 1
- David Rabinovich, Marc Cooper, Ann Roux en Liesbeth Nijs, viool 2
- Deirdre Dowling en Yoshiko Morita, altviool
- Werner Matzke en Robert Smith, cello
- Michele Zeoli, contrabas
- Antoine Torunczyk en Matthieu Loux, hobo
- Rebecca Mertens, *****
- Dave Hendry, trompet*

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Weber: Der Freischutz
> Schumann: Kinderszenen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Listened to the Freischutz while riding bicycle. The choral parts are really great for pedalling uphill.


-- The Wolf's Glen choral episode also works well driving over a hundred on your way back from L.A. with your friends. Ha. Ha. Ha. Your post reminded me of a time when I had the Kleiber_ Freischutz _on and my best friend, who is a huge Bernard Herrmann fan and just loves French horns-- just re-wound that Wolf's Glen chroal-French-horn scene a couple of times because it was just awesome sounding; and even better going fast. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## hpowders

oskaar said:


> *J.S. Bach: Cantate 'Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten', BWV 202*
> 
> *Dorothee Mields, sopraan
> Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra o.l.v. Ton Koopman
> Opgenomen in de Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam op 10 juni 2012
> 
> Het Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra bestaat uit:
> - Catherine Manson, concertmeester
> - Joseph Tan, Benedicte Pernet, Eunjung Anna Ryu en Maite Larburu, viool 1
> - David Rabinovich, Marc Cooper, Ann Roux en Liesbeth Nijs, viool 2
> - Deirdre Dowling en Yoshiko Morita, altviool
> - Werner Matzke en Robert Smith, cello
> - Michele Zeoli, contrabas
> - Antoine Torunczyk en Matthieu Loux, hobo
> - Rebecca Mertens, *****
> - Dave Hendry, trompet*
> 
> *videolink*


One of my favorites of the Bach Cantatas. Totally charming!


----------



## Oskaar

*Piano Sonata in B flat Major D 960,
op. posth. by Franz Schubert*

*Zoltan Kocsis, piano
Teatro Sociale, Bellinzona 1998*

A bit aged and harch piano sound, but what a sonata! Fresh and melodious, but also deep and challenging.
Delightfull sensitive performance

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Violin Concerto in C Major

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Andrea Sestakova, violin


----------



## hpowders

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 41103
> 
> 
> Haydn: _Scena di Berenice: "Berenice, che fai?"_
> 
> Mozart: _Cosi fan tutte_: "Ah, scostati! . . . Smanie implacabili"
> 
> Morning Marschallin Blair, working on a Saturday, but absolutely relishing the early-morning, summery air with this unusual Southern California heat spell; waking up with Dame Janet Baker of the Outer Empyrean doing the most deft, technically brilliant, and gorgeous singing of these pieces I've ever heard. The command and control of her craft is amazing.
> 
> _E squisita. Deliziosa! Che finezza. Che calore. Che arte._
> 
> The recording is from 1973 on Philips with Raymond Leppard and the English Chamber Orchestra.
> 
> The engineered sound is outstanding. You can really hear the timbre in Baker's voice.
> 
> It's almost as if each cut on the cd is a mini, self-contained masterpiece--- given her treatment, of course.


Does this CD contain her wonderful "Parto...parto... from La Clemenza di Tito? One of my favorites!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

hpowders said:


> Does this CD contain her wonderful "Parto...parto... from La Clemenza di Tito? One of my favorites!


Unfortunately, this small five-cd Philips set does_ not_. . . I did however order the twenty-cd EMI box set of hers last week. When it comes in, I'll let you know if it has a "_Parto. . . parto_" or not.


----------



## maestro267

*Roussel*: Bacchus et Ariane (complete)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Denève

_Saturday Symphony_
*Saint-Saëns*: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, "Organ"
Dupré (organ)/Detroit SO/Paray


----------



## LancsMan

*Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 'Sinfonia espansiva' * San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt on Decca








After listening to Nielsen's second symphony yesterday I pick up today with his third. Another glorious symphony as far as I am concerned. Nelsen is right up there with Sibelius - I'm hard pressed to choose a favourite between them.

I admit that I only have the Blomstedt recordings of the Nielsen - which has always seemed quite good to me - but seems like other recordings seem to be more favoured on Talk Classical. Maybe I'll have to investigate!


----------



## Oskaar

*Richard Wagner
Rienzi, Overture*

*Staatskapelle Dresden
Christian Thielemann, conductor*

I have not had the guts to tuch to much Wagner yet, but mayby I should soon.
This overture is very nice

*videolink*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Concertos and Sinfonies*

These are pleasant and don't grab you by the scruff of the neck.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor, 'Pathétique' (Evgeny Mravinsky; Leningrader Philharmonie).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Te Deum and Missa Assumptia Est Maria*

It's been a long time since I've heard this composer. I need to get reacquainted.


----------



## Oskaar

*PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840--1893)

"Violin Concerto in D major op. 35"*

*Hilary Hahn - violin*

*
I. Allegro moderato (00:00)

II. Canzonetta. Andante (19:22)

III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo (25:45)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko

Recordings: Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall, November 2008*

I am not sure if I have presented this video before.. Anyway.. it is my current listening.

I love this floverish melodic romantic concerto. I read occationaly that many are surprisingly cold when it comes to Tschaikovskys works. Thay may of course be as freezing as they want, but I am surprised. I have a lot to discover, but what I have listned to so far impresses me.
This concerto is an example on his strong sence for melodies, it is varied, and to me, exiting.
I think Hahn does a very god figure here. She makes it look so simple. She is not one of the most communicating artists, (she looks like a stiff tinn soldier) but the interpretation comes out as sensitive and rich. Reccommended

*videolink*


----------



## Tsaraslondon

hpowders said:


> Does this CD contain her wonderful "Parto...parto... from La Clemenza di Tito? One of my favorites!


Dame Janet recorded _Parto, parto_ twice. The earlier, and better, version you will only find on this Pentatone disc









The later one is on this CD


----------



## LancsMan

*Mahler: Symphony No. 2 * City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO Chorus, Arleen Auger, Janet Baker conducted by Simon Rattle on EMI







Well after casting my eye on the Mahler being an anti-Semite thread (which just doesn't seem to want to do the decent thing and fizzle out) it's a relief to hear a Mahler symphony - and one that to my ears has some jewish elements.

The second is my favourite of the early Mahler symphonies (for some reason I can't quite get so enthusiastic about the third).

I see that Simon Rattle is a little out of favour with some of the Mahler fans on Talk Classical. I quite like his account of the second (and as a plus it's got Janet Baker). I only have one other recording in my collection, and that's Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic which I must admit I prefer.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Dame Janet recorded _Parto, parto_ twice. The earlier, and better, version you will only find on this Pentatone disc
> 
> View attachment 41130
> 
> 
> Oh my God!!!! Blonde moment number one for today!_ I have that Pentatone cd of hers_. It's the first cd's of hers I ever got; _and just some days ago_. . . Sorry hpowders; and thank you Greg, for not being blonde and asleep at the wheel. . . Unbelievable. Sorry.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> GregMitchell said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dame Janet recorded _Parto, parto_ twice. The earlier, and better, version you will only find on this Pentatone disc
> 
> View attachment 41130
> 
> 
> Oh my God!!!! Blonde moment number one for today!_ I have that Pentatone cd of hers_. It's the first cd's of hers I ever got; _and just some days ago_. . . Sorry hpowders; and thank you Greg, for not being blonde and asleep at the wheel. . . Unbelievable. Sorry.
> 
> 
> 
> I thought it was a bit odd, being as you were waxing lyrical about it only a couple of days ago
Click to expand...


----------



## Tsaraslondon

LancsMan said:


> *Mahler: Symphony No. 2 * City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO Chorus, Arleen Auger, Janet Baker conducted by Simon Rattle on EMI
> View attachment 41127
> 
> Well after casting my eye on the Mahler being an anti-Semite thread (which just doesn't seem to want to do the decent thing and fizzle out) it's a relief to hear a Mahler symphony - and one that to my ears has some jewish elements.
> 
> The second is my favourite of the early Mahler symphonies (for some reason I can't quite get so enthusiastic about the third).
> 
> I see that Simon Rattle is a little out of favour with some of the Mahler fans on Talk Classical. I quite like his account of the second (and as a plus it's got Janet Baker). I only have one other recording in my collection, and that's Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic which I must admit I prefer.


I have this and the Klemperer, and prefer Klemperer's more propulsive tempo in the first movement; yes, Klemperer is a good deal faster than Rattle. The Rattle does, as you say, have Dame Janet though.


----------



## senza sordino

A big morning of music.
Bach Orchestral Suites







Saint Saens Symphony #3 and Carnival of the Animals







Saint Saens Violin Wieniawski Violin Concerti







And Korngold, Barber and Walton Violin Concerti from my new purchase (my local orchestra)







I bought the Ehnes CD second hand a week ago. You can't buy it new anymore because CBC records are out of business. I will see James Ehnes perform the Elgar with the VSO next month.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Marschallin Blair said:
> 
> 
> 
> I thought it was a bit odd, being as you were waxing lyrical about it only a couple of days ago
> 
> 
> 
> Blonde-formational overload.
Click to expand...


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Pol Plancon - various arias recorded from 1902-1908









Its astonishing that these recordings are from over a century ago. Sure, the sound quality is pretty weak in many places, but the voice certainly isn't. There are a number of great bass voices on my shelves - Kipnis, Chaliapin are the ones I like best, but Plancon has that rare distinction of being 'delicate' as well as deep and powerful. How can a bass be gentle??? Mind you, he doesn't look very gentle ....!









Well worth a pound from a charity shop yesterday


----------



## Blancrocher

Tuomas Ollila, Christian Poltera and the Malmo SO in Honegger's Cello Concerto; Luiza Borac in piano sonatas by Enescu.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Wilhelm Furtwangler & the Berlin Philharmoniker*
Live Recordings Disc 6: Wagner Orchestral Recordings








I have heard and love many recordings of Wagner's works but nobody for my money surpasses Wilhelm Furtwangler, especially with _*his*_ Berliner Philharmoniker.

Truly beautiful live recordings, though "limited" with Mono sound, the passion of the interpretation shines through - as does the quality of the orchestra.

The only "modern" (to use the term very loosely) live recording which comes close to grabbing me in a _similar_ way would Klaus Tennstedt again with the Berliner Philharmoniker.


----------



## Schubussy

Mahler - Symphony no. 6
Thomas Sanderling, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## LancsMan

*Beecham Conducts Delius* with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on EMI







Tonight I am listening to the first disc of this 2 CD set. This includes: -
- Over the Hills and Far Away
- Sleigh Ride
- Brigg Fair
- Florida Suite
- Marche Caprice

It took me some time to adjust to Delius and his meandering ways. One almost has to switch off one's critical faculties and let the music take you over. Then there are ecstatic moments aplenty.

Of course it's not all ecstasy, and there are some early works here which are almost naïve in character, but not without charm.

It probably takes a conductor truly sympathetic to the music for it to work, and you can't get much more sympathetic than Beecham. These are classic discs.


----------



## Mahlerian

Purcell: Funeral Music for Queen Mary
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Rattle

My free month of the Berlin Phil's service expires tomorrow. I'm not planning on subscribing, because it's too much considering I don't care much for Rattle as a conductor. Maybe if they get a conductor who excites me more, I'll take out a full subscription...


----------



## GreenMamba

Gyorgy Ligeti: San Francisco Polyphony. Eotvos/WDR Sinfonieorchester Koln

Aulis Sallinen: Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Chamber Orchestra. Sundquist, Lintu/Finnish Radio Symphony.

Courtesy of Spotify


----------



## Novelette

Ries: Symphony #8 in E Flat, WoO 30 -- Howard Griffiths: Zurich Chamber Orchestra

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 -- David Oistrakh; George Szell: Cleveland Orchestra

*For Ingelou*: Lully: Atys, LWV 53 -- William Christie: Les Arts Florissants

Rebel & Francœur: Zélindor, Roi des Sylphes -- Bénédicte Tauran, Mathias Vidal; Frédérick Haas: Ausonia

Thalberg: Fantaisie sur des thèmes de l'opéra Moise de G. Rossini, Op. 33 -- Stefan Imer

Haydn: Feldparthie in F, H 2/44 -- Consortium Classicum


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

158 Der Friede sei mit dir
159 Sehet! wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem
161 Komm, du süße Todesstunde
162 Ach! ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe

Gustav Leonhardt (158, 159) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (161, 162), cond.

no 160 as its now attributed to Telemann


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Undemanding music and beautiful singing at bedtime. I don't even mind Schwarzkopf's peculiarly accented English in _Danny Boy_ and _Drink to me only_. I'm sure the Germans and Italians have had to put with a lot worse over the years.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Symphony No.2 Dresden Staatskapelle/Wolfgang Sawallisch

Rossini: Overtures- The Barber of Seville/William Tell/The Journey to Rheims/Semiramide Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

More scintillating Schumann from Sawallisch and co.! Then four Rossini overtures played with great style by the VPO under Sargent, very well remastered too, they belie their 54 years. A delight.


----------



## Guest

Nothing beats wallowing in angst for 70 minutes on a sunny Saturday afternoon!  Seriously, this is a monumental achievement for everyone involved. I haven't watched the 80-minute bonus DVD about Pettersson's life yet, but I imagine it is quite interesting.


----------



## JCarmel

It's a Midnight Shoot-Out of the Beethoven Sonata 30's.....

In one corner, sits our Annie









& on the piano stool opposite, eager Igor........Let Battle Commence!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

May's Bruckner Symphony from a slow survey of the Tintner Naxos box set, and my new disc of the week (well, and the Peter Warlock songs: two new discs of the week seeing as it's a bank holiday weekend).

*
Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 in E flat, WAB. 104*
Georg Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra [Naxos, rec. 1996] at the Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow, Scotland

A new cover image for you to enjoy:


----------



## Guest

Hoppstock is a fabulous player who isn't fazed by the enormous difficulty of most of these pieces. Excellent recording--although the mic placement seems to change a bit, and all pickup his finger squeaks and some breathing. Sounds like a real person playing instead of a disembodied instrument!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

JCarmel said:


> It's a Midnight Shoot-Out of the Beethoven Sonata 30's.....
> 
> In one corner, sits our Annie
> 
> & on the piano stool opposite, eager Igor........Let Battle Commence!


Annie for me every time, what a wonderful pianist she was, I only saw her once, at the Festival Hall in the 1990s, she was a dep for Brendel, who was indisposed! I only booked because it was her, Brendel coming regularly to Birmingham did not necessitate a trip to London, but Miss Fischer certainly did. A never to be forgotten evening.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Carnaval/Fantaisie in C Alexander Brailowsky

Szymanowski: String Quartets 1 and 2
Bacewicz: String Quartet No.4 Maggini Quartet

Schumann from Brailowsky, my copy is the HMV issue, but I couldn't find an image of this! Funnily enough the number, ALP 1168, comes up as a Mario Lanza LP! Perhaps they swiftly deleted poor old Brailowsky and re-used the number! The performance of "Carnaval" is a bit straightlaced, but I like the Fantaisie, it has a power and strength in the first two movements that I find very compelling, and the last movement is thoughtfully done, all most enjoyable. 
Then the Magginis, I bought this for the Bacewicz Quartet which I heard on the radio and made a note of nine years ago! I ordered this CD then, but it had been deleted, so I was delighted to pick it up cheaply online, ah, the power of the net! Anyway, the Szymanowski Quartets are an absolute delight, and the Bacewicz is superb, methinks I will have to investigate more of her music, this quartet is excellent.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Woodduck said:


> But I do not as a rule talk to small creatures except when bitten by them.


I'm afraid I do talk to the cat. And he talks back to me



Jerome said:


> Apparently the piano quintet is my new favorite form of music. This is my last two days of listening:
> Johannes Brahms, Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34a
> Artemis Quartet & Leif Ove Andsnes


Ah, those lighting tubes again. Anyone thought of an explanation yet?


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B Flat, KV 191

Douglas Boyd conducting the Manchester Camerata -- Laurence Perkins, bassoon


----------



## ArtMusic

Going through each of these by a great Classical symphonist.


----------



## ArtMusic

Next part.


----------



## ArtMusic

Final part.


----------



## Sid James

*Elgar*
_Enigma Variations_ & _Nursery Suite_
- Sydney SO under Myer Fredman
_Dream Children_ & _Serenade for Strings_
- Queensland SO under Bernard Heinze

A listen to this disc after some time.

The source of *Elgar's* theme from *Enigma Variations *is still an enigma, guesses have ranged from Beethoven to Wagner to Gilbert & Sullivan. Whatever it is, I sense a Bach-ish feel in it, but its what he does with it that's really interesting. Composing a piece that's variations at the same time as being portrait studies of your friends is a novel idea, and this appealed to listeners. At the age of forty, Elgar had his first big hit.

The other items here are on the lighter side, pieces which Elgar would often programme alongside his more substantial works when conducting a concert of his own music. *Dream Children *and *Nursery Suite *are essays in pure nostalgia, the latter being one of the few pieces he composed after 1920, it being to fulfill his duties as Master of the King's Musick.

The *Serenade for Strings *is one of those many fine works - from the likes of Grieg, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky - that came at the end of the 19th century, and here Elgar incorporated a Welsh tune as well as his studies of the string writing of Handel. It's a short and sweet piece employing cyclic form that Elgar so favoured, the earlier themes coming back at the end.










*Elgar*
_Piano Quintet in A minor_
- Peter Donohoe, piano with Maggini Quartet

Talking of cyclic form,* Elgar *employs this in fine fashion in his *Piano Quintet*. A couple of relistens to this after my last post here made it sound even angrier, even more bitter and sardonic. There is a sense of unease under the surface throughout, the middle movement could be a requiem for all the cannon fodder of World War I, a thing that made Elgar so disillusioned with the system.

The _Dies Irae_ theme goes through the piece, as do snatches of a Spanish flavoured tune and one that sounds like something from the music halls of the time. The deathly shadows cast by the former contrast strongly with the banal and cheap quality of the latter two. Perhaps it's a comment on the war being over, let's celebrate, and forget about those lads who didn't come home. Or try to - so many died, was that possible? As I said before, this work and the _String Quartet in E minor_, raise questions that are quite confronting. No wonder this didn't go down well on its premiere - one critic said it was ugly.










*R. Strauss*
_Don Juan_
- Royal PO under Sir Charles Mackerras

Finishing with *Strauss'* colourful tone poem about our favourite libertine,* Don Juan*. I am listening to this, thinking I'll do a blog post on innovations in sonority during the period. I want to include this, as well as music by Varese (who was early on influenced by Strauss, as was Elgar, like so many others) and perhaps Mahler and Villa-Lobos. I'm working through it, and just enjoying the sheer flamboyance and brilliance of Strauss in this work (that's right, Marschallin Blair!)

And ladies and gents, a correction:



Sid James said:


> …
> Or would you like to be in an orchestra conducted by this man? Seriously he was great anecdote fodder. One I remember is one of the members of the orchestra standing up, walking up to the maestro, and punching him square in the face. After the guy stormed out, Otto recovered to say something like "gentleman, last night I slept with that man's wife!" You got to hand it to Maestro Klemperer, as interesting off the podium as on, they sure don't make 'em like that anymore!


I checked the anecdote, my memory was so-so. It was at a concert not a rehearsal, the guy who threw a punch was a member of the audience, and Otto said that the guy's wife had just become his mistress (probably a more discrete way of saying what I'd incorrectly remembered!).


----------



## samurai

Camille Saint-Saens*--Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 {"Organ"}, *featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and organist Michael Murray under the baton of Eugene Ormandy. Marvelous, passionate and nuanced performance here. 
Aaron Copland--*Symphony No.3 and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra {First Symphony},* both performed by the Leonard Bernstein led New York Philharmonic. The latter work also features organist E. Power Biggs. Two very strong and effective traversals of these works by Maestro Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Mr.Biggs playing--especially in the closing moments of the *First--*literally sent shivers up and down my spine.


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1. Minnesota Orchestra, Kristjan Jarvi conducting, Alisa Weilerstein cello. A symphonycast, no recording of this. But it's good!


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Adagio in B Minor, KV 540

Mitsuko Uchida, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc five:

Milan Stibilj - Eprevier De Ta Faiblesse
Valentin Silvestrov - Mysteries
Edison Denisov - Nuages Noirs
Edison Denisov - Apparitions Et Disparitions
Edison Denisov - Rayons Des Etoiles Lointaines Dans L'Espace Courbe
Miroslav Kabelac - Huit Investions

from various albums, including:


----------



## senza sordino

The music of Fritz Kreisler


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Op. 33 No. 5 in G Major, 'How do you do?'; No. 2 in E-Flat Major, 'The Joke';
No.1 in B minor (Buchberger Quartet).









The Buchberger Quartet just blazes here. The Op. 33 fits their style perfectly, imo. What a great quartet set.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, 'Eroica' (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Medtner - Piano Concertos 2 and 3 - Nikolai Demidenko, BBC Scottish - Maksymiuk









Demidenko told me a couple of years ago that Medtner was a genius and that stimulated me to investigate his work (in fairness, he told the rest of the audience as well, but there is no knowing if anyone else paid attention or followed his advice). A trip to Carlisle last week resulted in another 15 inches of CDs, including this one (and three other Medtner Cds) and today is the first listen - have to say I like No 2 very much. Thank you, Nikolai ..... both Medtner and Demidenko :tiphat:


----------



## SimonNZ

Francisco Coll's Piedras - (performers unknown)






edit: now Coll's In Extremis - Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Lucky old you, Shropshire Moose?!....

Yes, of course the winner_ is_ Annie...but I am most impressed with Levit....& hope that like a fine bottle of wine, he will be even more impressive with maturity.

Enjoying a first listen to this....what do you think, Jerome?









And thanks for the reminder, Headphone Hermit...I've not listened to this disc for an age...


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Medtner - Songs - Ludmilla Andrew, Geoffrey Tozer









Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!

This is super! If you like art songs, have a listen to some of this. Track 2 is searingly poignant - Ya vas lyubyl (I loved you) - words by Pushkin and set very effectively by Medtner and sung with intense feeling and penetration by Andrew.

This set is a real gem (for example, the Penguin guide that I have doesn't even mention any of the songs). This is one of the reasons why second-hand record shops should be supported - I doubt that I would have paid £16 for a new CD of this (let alone the £23 that Amazon ask) but 8 pounds is worth a punt .... and now I'd pay the full price for some more, I think. A real treasure - it almost makes back ache on a drizzly and cool Sunday morning bearable. Almost!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

JCarmel said:


> And thanks for the reminder, Headphone Hermit...I've not listened to this disc for an age...
> 
> View attachment 41166


That's just gone onto my wish list - if I can ignore my "no more discs for a while" promise to Mrs Hermit :wave:


----------



## dgee

I'm not really an Elgar fan but I have a huge and abiding soft spot for the Enigma Variations which I know like the back of my hand. I also quite like these LSO live recordings, so...


----------



## SimonNZ

Aleksandr Shymko's Symphony No.2 "Genesis" - Peter Tovstukha, cond.


----------



## bejart

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Cello Sonata in C Major

Tatty Theo, cello -- Carolyn Gibley, harpsichord


----------



## cjvinthechair

Inspired by Mr. 'SimonNZ's' choices today:





 Felix Ibarrondo - Sino for choir, brass & percussion




 Vadim Salmanov - Symphony no. 2

+ one for luck; 



 Myriam Marbe - Requiem


----------



## JCarmel

Always heed the wisdom of Mrs Hermit, HH!

I've really enjoyed Shelley's Mozart (its on Spotify)...but then I've liked pretty-well everything I've heard of his, particularly his Rachmaninov. I have him as accompanist to the complete songs of that composer, too.

My first romance was with a Russian speaker...& I attempted to learn the language as a result. 
But those words of endearment ' Я люблю тебя ' are forever fixed into the memory...as it is with one's first love, methinks!


----------



## Oskaar

*W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" in C major, K. 551 (1788):*

*1. Allegro vivace, 4/4
2. Andante cantabile, 3/4 in F major
3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio, 3/4
4. Molto allegro, 2/2

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*

A fine performance of a wonderfull symphony.
Great sound.

*videolink*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Sibelius

Seven Songs, Op.13
Six Songs, Op.50
Six Songs, Op.90
The Wood Nymph (Skogsraet)
The Jewish Girl's Song (Den judiska flickans sang)
Alikeness (Likhet)
A Song (En visa)
Serenade (Serenad)
The Thought (Tanken)*

Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg (Piano) [BIS]


----------



## Jeff W

Alas sleep does not seem to want to come for me. Streaming this week's Symphonycast. Kristjan Jarvi leads the Minnesota Orchestra in Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements, Shostakovitch's Cello Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. Alisa Weilerstein plays the solo cello in the Shostakovitch.

http://symphonycast.publicradio.org/display/programs/2014/04/28/


----------



## Andolink

First encounter with this piece--

*George Enescu*: _Quintet for Piano, Two Violins, Viola and Cello in A minor, Op. 29_
Schubert Ensemble









Enescu's idiom here sounds something like mature Brahms mixed with late Fauré laced with Psilocybin. To quote the liner note:

"...the music unfolds in bewildering - but beautiful - profusion, in 
textures of extraordinarily plastic polyphony..."

The piece is a major discovery for me to be sure!


----------



## Aggelos

Listening to some Fabien Sevitzky powah!!!










http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/July13/Sevitzky_PASC375.htm
http://www.pristineclassical.com/LargeWorks/Orchestral/PASC375.php
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Arran/OT-Sevitzky.htm


----------



## bejart

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841): Basset Horn Concerto in F Major

Massimiliano Caldi directing the Orchestra da Camera Milano Classica -- Denis Zanchetta, basset horn


----------



## Oskaar

*Sibelius: 6. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Paavo Järvi*

*I. Allegro molto moderato
II. Allegretto moderato
III. Poco vivace
IV. Allegro molto - Allegro assai - Doppo più lento ∙

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 13. Dezember 2013 ∙*

This is a great symphony, and Sibelius is a composer I should dedicate more time to. The lyric and adventurous is mixed together with the powerfull to a very entertaining and rich blend. And Sibelius go deap, and will probably give a totally new listening experience next time.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, KV 5515

Ensemble 415: Chiara Banchini and Enrico Gatti, violins -- Emilio Moreno and Irmgard Schaller, violas -- Kathi Gold, cello


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen', BWV 56_
Peter Kooj, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## Oskaar

*Robert Schumann: Symphony no.3, op.97, 'Rheinische'. *

*Radio Kamer Filharmonie o.l.v. Philippe Herreweghe*

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Carl Nielsen - Symfoni nr 4 (Det Uudslukkelige) - *

*Det kongelige kapel - Simon Rattle
© Danmarks Radio*

*videolink*


----------



## Jeff W

From the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's radio series...

John Ireland's Cavatina and Bagatelle for Violin and Piano. Ida Kavafian plays the violin and Charles Wadsworth the piano.

Brahms' String Sextet No. 2 (Opus 36). Todd Phillips and Daniel Phillips play the violins. Steven Tenenbom and Paul Neubauer play the violas. Timothy Eddy and Fred Sherry play the cellos.

http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5110999


----------



## Weston

*William Bergsma: Quintet for Flute and Strings* (1979)
Doriot Anthony Dwyer, flute / Manhattan String Quartet









I don't know much about Bergsma. This is an old download from a digital music service I had several years ago. I find the inner movements quite nice with interesting motifs that get a fair workout, but the first and last movements are a little grating. I'd like to hear the work with a less screechy violin tone and a less shrill flute. Even thrash metal shredders need a good guitar tone. A work can be harsh and prickly if that is the intent yet still have a warm tone. Perhaps it's too early in the morning still.


----------



## Weston

oskaar said:


> *W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" in C major, K. 551 (1788):*
> 
> *1. Allegro vivace, 4/4
> 2. Andante cantabile, 3/4 in F major
> 3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio, 3/4
> 4. Molto allegro, 2/2
> 
> The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
> Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
> Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*
> 
> A fine performance of a wonderfull symphony.
> Great sound.
> 
> *videolink*


Harnoncourt makes Mozart work for me - finally! I'll think he'll be my go to Mozart conductor with maybe Uchida as my favorite Mozart pianist.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Debussy

Images books I & 2
Children's Corner*

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano) [DG (LP) 1971]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 85 in B-Flat Major, 'La Reine'; 
Symphony No. 86 in D Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).


----------



## Weston

*Saint-Saëns: Septet for piano, trumpet, string quartet & bass in E flat major, Op. 65*
Banff Camerata









Now this is more like it! Every movement is a delight through and through and is a great way to get me motivated to do housework this morning (except my still intermittent internet is now connected and I don't want to lose the opportunity).

What a strange combination of instruments for a chamber work, but I quickly lost myself in its rustic splendor, possibly the most enjoyable Saint-Saëns I've heard yet.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Fauré - Requiem (1887)*

Victoria de los Angeles, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Elisabeth Brasseur Choir, Henriette Puig-Roget, Organ
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, cond. André Cluytens. [EMI Classics for Pleasure (LP), rec. 1963]










This is an old LP ('this STEREO record can also be played with a suitable mono pickup'). I don't know when I bought it: when did LP's cost £2.25? Some time after decimalisation is all I can say for sure.

It is still a good recording and a very good performance.


----------



## Vasks

_Audio book_

*Wolf - Italienisches Liederbuch*


----------



## adrem

Mahler 6, Barbirolli, NPO
That's quite a something...!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Debussy - String Quartet in G minor, op. 10

Ravel- String Quartet in F*

Melos Quartett [DG (LP), 1979]









My favourite out of the three Debussy / Ravel quartet couplings I own (the others being the Quartetto Italiano and the Belcea Quartet).

I am reduced to LPs only in the 'garden office' as I work today. Not only is my desktop PC away for repairs, but the network bridge adaptor in the garage died and the last time the netbook I'm using travelled abroad it emerged with the twin USB socket dented and unusable - so I can't use the USB CD drive either. I'm typing in between LPs with the back door of the house and the door of the garden office open so that the wi-fi can (just) be used.

Ah, we all have to suffer for our art!


----------



## JCarmel

A couple of symphonies for a Sunday evening...over a few games of cards

Brahms Symphony No 1, Adrian Boult LPO









Rachmaninov Symphony No 2, Edward Downes, BBC SO


----------



## Vaneyes

*D. Scarlatti*: Keyboard Sonatas, w. Schiff (rec.1987);* CPE Bach*: Sonatas & Rondos, w. Pletnev (rec.1998).








View attachment 41192


----------



## Vaneyes

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 41154
> 
> 
> Szymanowski: String Quartets 1 and 2
> Bacewicz: String Quartet No.4 Maggini Quartet
> 
> ....Then the Magginis, I bought this for the Bacewicz Quartet which I heard on the radio and made a note of nine years ago! I ordered this CD then, but it had been deleted, so I was delighted to pick it up cheaply online, ah, the power of the net! Anyway, the Szymanowski Quartets are an absolute delight, and the Bacewicz is superb, methinks I will have to investigate more of her music, this quartet is excellent.


Yes, yes. Also give thought to this one, if you haven't. :tiphat:

View attachment 41193


----------



## JCarmel

After my symphonic session...I might just have a sniff at a bit of Schiff, Vaneyes!


----------



## Vaneyes

LancsMan said:


> *Mahler: Symphony No. 2 * City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO Chorus, Arleen Auger, Janet Baker conducted by Simon Rattle on EMI
> View attachment 41127
> 
> Well after casting my eye on the Mahler being an anti-Semite thread (which just doesn't seem to want to do the decent thing and fizzle out) it's a relief to hear a Mahler symphony - and one that to my ears has some jewish elements.
> 
> The second is my favourite of the early Mahler symphonies (for some reason I can't quite get so enthusiastic about the third).
> 
> I see that Simon Rattle is a little out of favour with some of the Mahler fans on Talk Classical. I quite like his account of the second (and as a plus it's got Janet Baker). I only have one other recording in my collection, and that's Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic which I must admit I prefer.


The important think is you're enjoying Mahler. Secondary is whether it's conducted by Rattle or One-tooth Haifu.

I will, however, suggest supplemental M2 listening with Suitner, Scherchen, and Klemperer (studio or live EMI). :tiphat:


----------



## Mahlerian

Harbison: Viola Concerto
Jaime Laredo, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, cond. Hugh Wolff









It's a little hard to tell with such a lackluster performance, but I think perhaps this is one of the weakest Harbison works I've heard. Harbison lets his Schoenberg-inspired expressionism shine through, but replacing Schoenberg's terse development with frequently repeated gestures and (so far as I can tell from this recording) Schoenberg's crisp orchestration with something flabbier and less interesting.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Enescu's *death day (1955).

View attachment 41197


----------



## Vaneyes

Catching up on "Saturday Symphony" required listening. *Saint-Saens*: Symphony 3, w. Bastille O./Chung (rec.1991).


----------



## Blancrocher

Vaneyes said:


> For *Enescu's *death day (1955).


Enescu's death day? It so happens I'm in the midst of this album at the moment:









Enjoying hearing the Piano Quintet & Piano Quartet #2, which are new to me.

*p.s.* JCarmel, I missed the end of the Fischer/Levit grudge-match. What happened?


----------



## Alypius

When I am looking for orchestral Bartok, I usually turn to the classic Reiner / Chicago (miraculous) performances of _The Concert for Orchestra_ and _Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta_ or to the great piano and violin concertos. This afternoon, those other (wrongly overlooked) sides of Bartok's genius:

*Bartók, Four Orchestral Pieces, op. 12 (Sz 51) (1912 / 1921)*










*Bartók, Divertimento for String Orchestra (1939)*










*Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, op. 19 (Sz 73) (1918-1919)*


----------



## bejart

Pieter van Maldere (1729-1768): Sinfonia in D Major, Op.5, No.1

Filip Bral conducting the Academy of Ancient Music


----------



## Oskaar

*Suwanai Akiko Plays Debussy : Sonata for Violin and Piano*

Suwanai Akiko　Apr.10,2008　Suntory Hall

Airy and adventurous sonata, played with intensity, passion and tenderness

*videolink*


----------



## LancsMan

*Beecham conducts Delius* Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on EMI







I'm completing my listening of this 2 CD set with the second CD. This includes:
- Dance Rhapsody No. 2
- Summer Evening
- On hearing the first Cuckoo in Spring
- A Song before Sunrise
- Fennimore and Gerda - Intermezzo
- Irmelin Prelude
- Songs of Sunset

The second CD of this wonderful set has rather more substance than the first (although this seems an inappropriate term when considering this quite ephemeral music). Delius is in some ways very much of his time and yet treading a unique path.

Quite magical for those willing to surrender themselves to it.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Vaneyes said:


> Yes, yes. Also give thought to this one, if you haven't. :tiphat:


Sorted, and ordered via Amazon, thanks for the tip-off as well as the tip-hat!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rossini: "The Silken Ladder" Overture
Berlioz: Roman Carnival
Mendelssohn: The Hebrides, Op.26
Wagner: "The Mastersingers" Overture Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Schumann: Symphony No.3 "Rhenish" Dresden Staatskapelle/Wolfgang Sawallisch

Debussy: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (Aldo Ciccolini-piano)/La Plus Que Lente/1st Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra (Guy Dangain-clarinet)
Debussy orch. Jean Roger-Ducasse: Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra (Jean-Marie Londeix-saxophone)
Debussy orch. Charles Koechlin: Khamma (Fabienne Boury-piano)
Debussy orch. Ravel: Danse-Tarentelle Styrienne Orchestre National de l'ORTF/Jean Martinon

Four overtures in superb performances form Sargent and the RPO, the LP these are from was one I grew up with, nice to have them well re-mastered on this set, I've never heard a better performance of "The Mastersingers", NEVER! I don't believe one exists! Then the final Schumann symphony from Sawallisch's set, superb, I will be returning to this frequently.
A lot of lesser known Debussy, and all a joy. Aldo Ciccolini is a great pianist, I heard him about eight years ago in Birmingham, he played one of the finest performances of the Chopin B Minor Sonata that I've ever heard, this is proving to be a most enjoyable set.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Beethoven, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4*

Since I got the '70s cycle, I never listen to this one. I guess it's time to dust it off.


----------



## millionrainbows

opus55 said:


> Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos
> Beethoven: String Quartet in A, Op. 18 No. 5


Yes, those are the earlier analog Guarneris. They are noisier, but basically good, warm analog tape recordings.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven Violin Sonata No.5 Mv.1, Argerich & Kremer*

Half vintage, and therefore bad sound. Still it may be interresting for some of you.

*videolink*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 in E flat
RSNO, Tintner on Naxos










A second run-through of this fine symphony for me this evening. When I bought the Tintner set I knew Symphonies 1,5,7 and 9 well already. I have worked my way through symphonies 00, 0 and 1-3 now, but this is the first work I didn't previously know that has really grabbed my attention. I can see it becoming a firm favourite. I have nothing with which to compare this recording, but it will do just fine.


----------



## millionrainbows

Kontrapunctus said:


> Hoppstock is a fabulous player who isn't fazed by the enormous difficulty of most of these pieces. Excellent recording--although the mic placement seems to change a bit, and all pickup his finger squeaks and some breathing. Sounds like a real person playing instead of a disembodied instrument!


I thought I was the only one who knew about *Tilman Hoppstock! *I have this one, and there are some good YouTube videos.





 











He uses a legato style (notes without picking), and his Paganini is jaw-droppingly good. The way he plays long phrases with left-hand hammer-ons only, no picking, is amazing. He must have extremely large and high frets, as well as strong fingers. The resulting smoothness of the phrases might irritate purists, but for me, it's the only way to make the guitar sound credible on these Paganini things. I remember *laughing *at Elliot Fisk's Paganini; not these!


----------



## LancsMan

*Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4* London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis on RCA







A disc coupling the entry level Sibelius symphony with possibly his most challenging.

The first is undoubtedly Sibelius - but there are Tchaikovsky influences to the fore, and I fancied I heard some Wagner in the mix as well.

The fourth is perhaps harmonically the most 'advanced' of his symphonies. It's a fairly sombre piece with no really big moments for the uninitiated to latch onto. Instead there is a feeling of introspection - and it is easy to imagine this music reflecting some sort of personal crisis. The symphony ends quite abruptly and in a very downbeat manner.

I think the fourth may be my favourite Sibelius symphony, and I rank it very highly in symphonies of the 20th century. Strangely I also love the polar opposite symphony - the sixth.

Colin Davis is a sure footed Sibelian.


----------



## Rhythm

Thanks, Arya. By way of this quote,


Arya said:


> Hello everybody! ...
> Only if you want, just listen to it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CHOPIN, Valse KK 4 B n° 11


here's Micault who played live




^ Partita No.1 | Bach, composer
Jean Micault, pianist​


----------



## opus55

millionrainbows said:


> Yes, those are the earlier analog Guarneris. They are noisier, but basically good, warm analog tape recordings.


They certainly sound old..

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Smetana: Má Vlast

















I happened to be listening to recordings with less-than-stellar sound quality.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Mendelssohn, Quartets Nos. 1 and 2*


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

163 Nur jedem das Seine!
164 Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet
165 O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad
166 Wo gehest du hin?

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (163) and Gustav Leonhardt (164, 165, 166), cond.

166 remindes me of "Ich habe genug" in its mood and structure and spare use of forces (and in quality). I was expecting to find that despite being unknown to me it had been picked up on by a few more conductors than usual, but no, it has pretty much just the minimum number of recordings.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Sibelius: Romance Op.78 No.2/Danse Champetre Op.106 No.2 Emil Telmanyi/Gerald Moore
Sibelius: Danse Champetre Op.106 No.1 Emil Telmanyi/G. v Vasarhelyi
Sibelius: Auf der Heide Op.115 No.1/Mazurka Op.81 No.1 Anja Ignatius/Timo Makkila
Sibelius: Malinconia Op.20 Louis Jensen/Galina Werschenskaya
Sibelius: Romance in D-flat Op.24 No.9 Eileen Joyce

The second side of this LP has some lovely performances of shorter works by Sibelius, these all date from the 1930s, but have been well re-mastered, and the playing is an absolute delight. What a pleasing addition to my collection this has been.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Frank Bridge - Violin Sonata (1932)*
John McLaughlin Williams, Violin, Diane Huling, Piano [live performance in the studio of WGBH Boston, on YouTube]

I really do like this work which I've somehow managed to miss, until I saw that someone, and I'm sorry that I can't remember who, listened to it and posted on this thread recently (thank you, whoever it was).

"The Violin Sonata is in one movement with four discernible sections that correspond to the separate movements of a standard sonata, though Bridge employs a favored formal device known as Arch Form, wherein the latter part of a given work is in essence a mirror image of the first part. Themes appear, and later appear in reversed order. Bridge's motives are easily recognized and tightly worked into the musical argument, so that the overall effect of the music is of an extraordinary organizational skill wedded to challenging, yet attractive melodic material. Note the first movement's second subject, and then its supporting harmony; heard by itself this motive would sound as a conventional romantic tune. However, Bridge hears it as a refraction, and underpinning it he employs some very unusual harmony, with the result that it is as if seeing familiar shapes through a prism. It is familiar, yet transformed. This is but one small example of the magic of Bridge's later music." (Pseudonymous poster, on YouTube)

*Delius - Cello Sonata*
Julian Lloyd Webber ('cello) and Eric Fenby (piano)
[also on YouTube]


----------



## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> I thought I was the only one who knew about *Tilman Hoppstock! *I have this one, and there are some good YouTube videos.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He uses a legato style (notes without picking), and his Paganini is jaw-droppingly good. The way he plays long phrases with left-hand hammer-ons only, no picking, is amazing. He must have extremely large and high frets, as well as strong fingers. The resulting smoothness of the phrases might irritate purists, but for me, it's the only way to make the guitar sound credible on these Paganini things. I remember *laughing *at Elliot Fisk's Paganini; not these!


I assume you read the uploader's notes about the Paganini 5th Caprice: Hoppstock freely admits that he can't actually play the piece that fast live and it was recorded a few measures at a time. Still, he to play bits of it that fast!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Trio No.1 in E-flat, Op.1 No.1 Jacob Lateiner/Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky
Haydn: Divertimento for Cello and Orchestra Gregor Piatigorsky/Chamber Orchestra
Rozsa: Tema con Variazioni For Violin, Cello and Orchestra Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky/Chamber Orchestra

More wonderful chamber music form Heifetz, Piatigorsky and friends. This set yields more and more delights, not the least because of how committed all the performances are. These are not just star soloists indulging in an ego trip, but honest,passionate musicians, performing solely for the love of the music, and I'd wager in the case of Heifetz and Piatigorsky, their affection for each other. As a good introduction to and overall view of chamber music and its delights, this set would be very hard to beat.


----------



## Blancrocher

Sylvia McNair & co in Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915"


----------



## cwarchc

Just discovered this composer, through the BBC Young Musician of the Year 




Barry Cockroft


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op.25, No.4 (1922)*
Kim Kashkashian, viola, Robert Levin, piano [ECM, 2008; on YouTube]










Ja, sehr gut! Actually this is so good I'll probably buy it in my June round of purchases. I have an ECM recording of these musicians playing Kurtag and Schumann which is phenomenal, too.

*Schoenberg, Phantasy For Violin & Piano Accompaniment, Op.47*
From The Album "The Glenn Gould Collection"
Piano, Glenn Gould; Violin, Yehudi Menuhin
[Sony, 1990; Recorded 1965, Mono]










Also very good, though quite uncompromisingly modernist. I thought - fancy Yehudi Menuhin playing this!


----------



## brotagonist

While I like Ravel and Debussy, I confess that I am not really committed to their French music. Sure, I have tiptoed through it as a curious and respectful visitor, but I have never truly felt at home in it. Hence, I have long underestimated Saint-Saëns. That was a big mistake, which yesterday's Saturday Symphony choice helped me to hear. His music is meatier, with more underlying muscle and less 'ear-catching' skin, if I can crudely construct some form of metaphor to express what I am trying to convey. What I mean is that in Saint-Saëns I hear a music closer to the German and Russian styles: strong, grounded and confident and not flighty, ethereal or theatrical.

I got to exploring and found this masterpiece:

Violin Concerto #3, Op 61
Milstein/Philharmonia Orchestra under Fistoulari
live, June 1963

I'm definitely going to give this composer some more of my attention.


----------



## Delilah

Hi everyone, I am new here, hope that I am welcome!

Love these types of posts because you always end up listening to and discovering new music! 
I am currently (and have been for the fast few days) hitting replay non-stop on Vivaldi's Double Cello Concerto in G Minor; Movement 1, played by Yo-Yo Ma and Jonathan Manson. Always makes working and lunch time feel much more dramatic and interesting!!

Can't wait to go through this site!


----------



## Alypius

Delilah said:


> Hi everyone, I am new here, hope that I am welcome!
> 
> Love these types of posts because you always end up listening to and discovering new music!
> I am currently (and have been for the fast few days) hitting replay non-stop on Vivaldi's Double Cello Concerto in G Minor; Movement 1, played by Yo-Yo Ma and Jonathan Manson. Always makes working and lunch time feel much more dramatic and interesting!!
> 
> Can't wait to go through this site!


Delilah, Welcome. Lots of fine things to explore and lots of fine expertise. My current listening is Vivaldi, exploring Naive's excellent Vivaldi Edition series (now over 50 volumes -- I've only got a few). These are based on the discovery of Vivaldi's original manuscripts and Naive has been commissioning a number of new groups to perform these. Most bring an extraordinary zest. Here's the two I'm listening to:

*Dmitry Sinkovsky & Il Pomo d'Oro, Vivaldi: Concerti per violini V ("Per Pisendel") (Naive, 2013)

& Dmitry Sinkovsky & Riccardo Manasi & Il Pomo d'Oro, Concerti per due violini I (Naive, 2013)*


----------



## senza sordino

oskaar said:


> *Suwanai Akiko Plays Debussy : Sonata for Violin and Piano*
> 
> Suwanai Akiko　Apr.10,2008　Suntory Hall
> 
> Airy and adventurous sonata, played with intensity, passion and tenderness
> 
> *videolink*


One of my all time favorite sonatas for violin and piano. Lovely music. Debussy was ill and Paris was being shelled, and he still writes gorgeous music. Perhaps then it's not inspite of this but because of this.

I'm listening to Haydn violin, cello and harpsichord concerti


----------



## TurnaboutVox

> Originally posted by Delilah
> Hi everyone, I am new here, hope that I am welcome!


Yes indeed, very welcome, Delilah. I hope you enjoy TC.

*Sibelius - Songs Vol. 1 [BIS]

Arioso, Op. 3
Seven Songs of Runeberg, Op. 17
Souda, souda, sinisorsa (1899)
Six Songs, Op. 36 
Five Songs, Op. 37
Les Trois Soeurs aveugles
Six Songs, Op.88
Narciss (1918)
*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-soprano, Bengt Forsberg (Piano)









There's not been much support for Sibelius in the Art Song project thread, Luonnotar excepted, but these are very high class indeed - I love them and can't hear them often enough.


----------



## Schubussy

Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra, Tod und Verklärung
Giuseppe Sinopoli, New York Philharmonic


----------



## Morimur

*Oliver Messiaen Complete Edition*

Money well spent...


----------



## Delilah

Alypius ~ Thank you so much! Yes, I think I may have got myself into a lot of trouble by registering here, I am like a kid in a candy store and can already see myself spending HOURS in here. Love Vivaldi, and his complete cello concertos have grown very tired of me.

TurnaboutVox ~ Thank you very much for the warm welcome 

It's actually my first time joining ANY kind of forum. So learning how to quote and everything else that goes with responding might be a slight learning curve for me  Apologies in advance.


----------



## brotagonist

Continuing with Saint-Saëns: why have I not heard this sooner?

PC #2
Rubinstein/LSO under Previn
1975


----------



## Selby

Arnold Bax

To The Name Above Every Name
for soprano, chorus, and orchestra


----------



## tdc

brotagonist said:


> While I like Ravel and Debussy, I confess that I am not really committed to their French music. Sure, I have tiptoed through it as a curious and respectful visitor, but I have never truly felt at home in it. Hence, I have long underestimated Saint-Saëns. That was a big mistake, which yesterday's Saturday Symphony choice helped me to hear. *His music is meatier, with more underlying muscle and less 'ear-catching' skin, if I can crudely construct some form of metaphor to express what I am trying to convey. What I mean is that in Saint-Saëns I hear a music closer to the German and Russian styles: strong, grounded and confident and not flighty, ethereal or theatrical.
> *
> I got to exploring and found this masterpiece:
> 
> Violin Concerto #3, Op 61
> Milstein/Philharmonia Orchestra under Fistoulari
> live, June 1963
> 
> I'm definitely going to give this composer some more of my attention.


On the other hand one could point out his music is more straight-forward, obvious, conventional and down right boring compared to Debussy and Ravel. But to each their own!


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata 166 "Wo gehest du hin?" - Ton Koopman, cond.


----------



## brotagonist

tdc said:


> ...his music is more straight-forward, obvious, conventional and down right boring...


:scold: What? "straight-forward", "obvious", "conventional" ? I guess I don't have your experience  I used to speak similarly of him, back when I was obsessed with Stockhausen, Nono, Kagel, Webern and the rest. Today, I find the concertos quite moving  They seem to fit very nicely into the late 19th Century/early 20th Century Romantic, sort of where I put Rachmaninoff (who I also used to brush off).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*The Victoria & Lucia Show*









Humorous yet sophisticated. Satirical yet charming--- and _so_ cute and light and gorgeously sung. Victoria de los Angeles is certainly her own woman, but I can't help but to think of her as a kind of Spanish Elizabeth Schwarzkopf in her recordings of Xavier Montsalvatge's _Cinco canciones negras_.









The leaps, the runs, the legato, the fioriture, the trills, the inflections. . . the 'tone'; the personality she infuses into her singing-- its all there in glorious spades. This Lucia Popp Mozart cd is just pure angelic delight. . . and with great recorded sound.

I just got them last night and I absolutely love them.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc six:

Kazimierz Serocki - Continuum
Georges Aperghis - Kryptogramma
Iannis Xenakis - Persephassa

from various albums, including:


----------



## ptr

Trio from last night:

*Igor Markeitch* conducts Bartok, Satie, Ravel, Busoni, Liadov, Chabrier & Liszt (Testament)









Philharmonia Orchestra u. Igor Markevitch

*Fazıl Say* - "Istanbul Symphony", "Hezarfen" Concerto for Ney and Orchestra (Naïve)









Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra u. Gürer Aykal / Burcu Karadag, ney; The Orchestra of Nationaltheater Mannheim u. Dan Ettinger

*Avet Terteryan* - Symphonies 3 and 5 (Beaux)









Tiblisi Symphony Orchestra u. Djansug Kakhidze

All three discs are wonderful soundscapes to mentally swim into lying stretched alone in Your favourite divan!

And starting this morning with:

*Francis Dhomont* - Frankenstein Symphony (Asphodel)









Francis Dhomont EAM Composition

/ptr


----------



## JCarmel

Franz Liszt A Faust Symphony Christian Thielemann, conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle

This recommendable dvd performance also features Wagner's Faust Overture.


----------



## JCarmel

Yes, great singers MB...I'd have liked to have met both!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/f761d77f#p009mkr2

Lucia Popp's Desert Island Discs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/49282ab6

...and Victoria's 'Desert Island Disc' choices


----------



## ShropshireMoose

brotagonist said:


> Continuing with Saint-Saëns: why have I not heard this sooner?
> 
> PC #2
> Rubinstein/LSO under Previn
> 1975


Do try to hear Alfred Cortot in the 4th Piano Concerto (with Orchestra under Charles Munch), one of the finest recordings of a Saint-Saens piano concerto ever made.


----------



## AH music

Over the weekend. RUBBRA, Edmund - Symphony no 2. First listen (via spotify). No real comment at this stage, except that after the first movement it did not especially hold my attention on first listening. Probably my being easily distracted at the time.....









BARGIEL, Woldemar. Piano works - 3 character pieces Op 8 and Suite Op 31, via spotify. Love everything I have heard by this composer so far. The character pieces have a real creative momentum. The suite is less original but still find it attractive and interesting. (The three piano trios, violin sonata and cello adagio are, to me, quite special)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Budashkin: Fantasy on Two Folk Songs
Kulikov: The Linden Tree
Trad.: At Sunrise/Evening Bells/My Dear Old Friend, Please Visit Me
Osopov: Kamarinskaya
Mikhailov-Shalayev: Fantasy on Volga Melodies
Andreyev: In The Moonlight/Under the Apple Tree/Waltz of the Faun
Soloviev-Sedoy: Midnight in Moscow
Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Comedians
Shishakov: The Living Room
Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble-Bee Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra/Vitaly Gnutov

Brahms: Waltzes, Op.39/Piano Pieces, Op.76/Rhapsodies, Op.79 Julius Katchen

A mixture this morning! I cannot convey how much I've enjoyed the CD by the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra, it was an absolute joy, one of those happy moments you sometimes get when you've got a box set with some stuff in it that would normally be off the radar so to speak. This is from the Mercury Living Presence Vol.1, and it's one of the most enjoyable, make you smile and feel happy, recordings I've heard for a long time! Worth buying a copy on its own (I see it is available seperately), verily 'tis wonderful!
Then the supreme Julius Katchen in some of Brahms most beautiful creations for the piano, this is another set that in a different way is bringing much joy, how fortunate we all are to have this wonderful appreciation of music in our lives.


----------



## JCarmel

It's a nonsense to nominate who was 'the greatest singer of the (last) century' but if I were to cogitate upon the matter, I certainly would have to consider Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. If not the greatest in sheer vocal quality, then as one of the most influential artists that has ever lived, his recorded legacy is vast & with performances of great intelligence and subtlety.
When I was growing-up, I could go along to the Goldsmith Record Library in Leicester & pick any of Dietrich's recordings to borrow, confident that I would be listening to a deeply-considered and tremendously well-sung interpretation...whether it be in Opera, Lieder or Oratorio.
In my late teens & at Teacher Training College, I spent a sizeable chunk of my Grant money and placed myself in penury for a Term...to obtain the latest LP volume of his DG recording of Schubert's songs with Gerald Moore....but it was worth it...& I had kind friends with funds to spare, to keep me in my favourite choc ice at the time from the College 'tuck shop'....Walls 'Midnight Mint!'









Schubert could not have had a greater advocate for his art. To quote from Dietrich's essay on Schubert's Lieder in the booklet accompanying the discs...
'It is evident from his songs that Schubert was well aware that his music was expressing something that no one before him had been able to convey. He always manages to surprise us. Within a relatively narrow technical compass lie inexhaustible riches.
His material reveals itself to him through the love he brings to it. Art is no different from other spheres of life, without love, the secrets remain hidden for ever."

I think we can say the same about Dietrich's performances....the material is revealed to us, through the love he brought to it.


----------



## SimonNZ

^When the Graham Johnson's monster three-volume book on Schubert's lieder finally gets published at the end of this month I intend to make a project of systematically going through all 37 Hyperion discs again

but playing now:










Monteverdi's Selva Morale E Spirituale - Michel Corboz, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Victoria Tenebrae Responsories Nigel Short

First hearing for this well-praised release from last year









I couldn't agree with you more Moose...I've got so much enjoyment both from recordings of Balalaika ensembles but also those of the Red Army choir, conducted by Alexandrov. In fact, the latter are 'banned' in my house...because I carry-on singing the songs on & on after the discs are finished! Pity, as I've got a good few Lp's & Cassettes that don't now see the light of day!


----------



## Schubussy

William Alwyn - Lyra Angelica
David Lloyd Jones, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## JCarmel

Comparing performances of one of Mozart's greatest piano sonatas in A Minor, K310 ...thought to have been written at the time of his mother's death. Certainly, the music is full of feeling, not only in the opening Allegro Maestoso but in the Andante Cantabile that follows.

Mitsuko Uchida,








Emil Gilels,








And Walter Klien, On "Spotify"


----------



## bejart

Evaristo Dall'Abaco (1675-1742): Concerto a Quarttro da Chiesa, Op.2, No.7

Concerto Koln


----------



## maestro267

*Vaughan Williams*: Symphony No. 8 in D minor
Philharmonia Orchestra/Slatkin


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Ich bin vergnugt mit meinen Glucke', BWV 84_
Dorothy Mields, soprano
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe









*Alfred Schnittke*: _String Trio_ (1985)
Kolja Blacher, violin
Walther Küssner, viola
Johannes Moser, violoncello









*Frank Bridge*: _Cello Sonata_ (1913-17)
Paul Watkins, cello
Ian Brown, piano


----------



## Antiquarian

Schubert's 5th (The London Classical Players, Roger Norrington Cond. 1990 EMI)


----------



## JCarmel

May 5th, 1891 .... The Music Hall (later Carnegie Hall) had its grand opening with its first public performance. The first performer was Pyotr Llych Tchaikovsky!

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1, Byron Janis, Hubert Menges conducting the LSO...recorded at Wembley Town Hall in 1960.


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak Symphonic Variations-Jarvi and Scottish National Orch.

finally made decision about Berglund and Bournemouth S.O. Sibelius box set recently re-released by Warners-stayed with friends at the weekend and they had coincidentally made the purchase so I checked out the 5th and 6th-big thumbs up-and anyway can you ever really have too many Sibelius box sets?


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - Production I
Trio in E-Flat Major for two Violins & B.c. (Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## samurai

jim prideaux said:


> Dvorak Symphonic Variations-Jarvi and Scottish National Orch.
> 
> finally made decision about Berglund and Bournemouth S.O. Sibelius box set recently re-released by Warners-stayed with friends at the weekend and they had coincidentally made the purchase so I checked out the 5th and 6th-big thumbs up-and anyway can you ever really have too many Sibelius box sets?


Jim, it's a decision you won't regret. This Berglund Sibelius box set has sparkling, scintillating performances of his symphonies, with the clarity of a pure mountain stream. May you drink long and deep, and enjoy.


----------



## Andolink

*George Enescu*: _Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 30_
Schubert Ensemble


----------



## Jeff W

Relaxing with Joseph Haydn. Antal Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungarica. Symphonies No. 22 through 25.


----------



## Morimur

brotagonist said:


> I was obsessed with Stockhausen, Nono, Kagel, Webern and the rest.


So what happened to that wonderful obsession?


----------



## Andolink

*Frank Bridge*: _Piano Sonata_ (1921-24)
Mark Beggington, piano


----------



## JCarmel

Another performance conducted by Herbert Menges...








Mozart, Piano Concerto No 24.....with cadenza here by Saint-Saens!....Solomon Cutner, Menges, Philharmonia.


----------



## Oskaar

*Giora Schmidt, violin; Rohan De Silva, piano*

I. Allegro molto, II. Andante - 9:56, III. Allegro vivo - 17:41
IV. Allegro quasi presto - 21:42

Very fine sonata, beautifully performed.

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

_Czech-ing it out_

*Smetana - Overture to "Doctor Faust" (Kuchar/Brilliant)
Smetana - Piano Trio (Joachim Tr/Naxos)
Fibich - Symphony #2 (Jarvi/Chandos)*


----------



## Oskaar

*Schubert Sonata in A Minor D385 - *

*Patricia Kopatchinskaja & Fazıl Say*

Lovely!

*videolink*


----------



## brotagonist

Lope de Aguirre said:


> So what happened to that wonderful obsession?


It grew and grew to include not just the Modern, but the Romantic, Classical and Baroque periods, and provided some impetus to exploring Renaissance and Early music, as well as the classical music of Turkey, Arabia, Persia, India, Bali, Japan, China and Korea (and a few others in passing). While I still cherish the musics of these composers, my lupe is no longer focussed on just the few recent decades of the centuries long history of classical music.


----------



## adrem

Schumann Symphony no. 1, Szell and Cleveland Orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Henze*









Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the now <a sudden, deep involuntary inhalation of air>_ cloudy _climes of Southern California. . . <sniff, sniff>. . . and sublimating the summer-loss with a little Henze-"Hunt-of-the-Maenads" treatment. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## JCarmel

During this week in May a few years ago, I took a very late-booked holiday in Upper Teesdale & 'pushed for time', I was just able to grab just three cd recordings, to take with me to the self-catering cottage high-up on the moors. 
At the time, it was virtually impossible to receive a decent television picture so far up-dale, so I'd sit of an evening listening to my 3 picks, by a large picture window that looked-out onto the open fields, strewn with a profusion of wild-flowers. But those 3 choices seemed to provide music to suit my mood, whatever it was....
I thought I'd listen to music from those recordings this evening...either side of the important football match on the tele!

Mozart Symphonies 35-41, Bohm, Berlin Philharmonic









Puccini, Madama Butterfly, Callas, Gedda, Karajan, La Scala Milan...the 1987 re-mastering.









Victoria: Ave Maris Stella; O Quam Gloriosum /Westminster Cathedral Choir/Hill


----------



## millionrainbows

STOCKHAUSEN


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled two new releases.

*Elgar*: Symphony 2, w. Staats. Berlin/Barenboim. Energy, Elgar sound, go missing. A fail. Stick with Handley, Boult, Barbirolli, A. Davis (Philharmonia).

*Brahms*: German Requiem, w. LSO/Gergiev et al. The pieces are present, but a limp interp. spoils the day. Soggy toast avoidance--HvK for the full monty, and Herreweghe for intimate.


----------



## jim prideaux

Dvorak-3rd symphony,Jarvi conducting the SNO......I have often seen the early symphonies of Dvorak described as naïve or juvenile etc....does not prevent them from being charming and enjoyable works!


----------



## cjvinthechair

So much enjoyed looking at the lovely music being listened to by members over this holiday weekend (here in Britain !). Decided to join them with some British music:





 Malcolm Williamson (apologies to Aussies - we still claim him !) - Symphony no. 6 'Liturgy of Homage'




 Richard Rodney Bennett - Harpsichord Concerto




 William Mathias - Helios (yes, it's been a sunny holiday for once !)




 Granville Bantock - Celtic Symphony


----------



## Alypius

After yesterday with Bartok's various "orchestral pieces", seems natural to turn to:

*Schoenberg, 5 Pieces for Orchestra, op. 16*










*Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra, op. 31*










*Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht, op. 4*


----------



## Vaneyes

Someone mentioned *Vivaldi*: Double Concerti. Thusly inspired. 

Mullova/Carmignola/Venice Baroque O. (rec.2007).


----------



## Oskaar

*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor op.23*



(HD video)
Pianist: Tatjana Nikolajewa 
Gewandhausorchester-Leipzig
Conductor: Kurt Masur

A welcomed break from all the young ladies (They are clever) that dominate my you tube reccomendations, and Mrs Nikolajewa playes with bravour and "guts" in this firework of a concerto

*videolink*

*I just found out that the second movement is muted due to copiright... the thre others not*


----------



## rrudolph

Gubaidulina: In Tempus Praesens/Glorious Percussion








Chung: Concerto for Percussion and Chinese Orchestra/Abe: Prism Rhapsody/Zivkovic: Born to Beat Wild Op. 30/Mayuzumi: Xylophone Concertino/Chung: Emporer Qin Crushing the Battle Formations


----------



## samurai

jim prideaux said:


> Dvorak-3rd symphony,Jarvi conducting the SNO......I have often seen the early symphonies of Dvorak described as naïve or juvenile etc....does not prevent them from being charming and enjoyable works!


Same with Tchaikovsky's first three as well. I find them to be quite enjoyable and eminently listenable as well.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Continuing my marathon plod through this box set, Disc 7 this afternoon after a pleasant walk in a warm-ish (well, mild really) but overcast central Lancashire:
*
Ludwig van Beethoven*

*String Quartet No. 13 in B flat, op. 130
Große Fuge, op. 133*

Endellion String Quartet, Warner Classics










This is quite an angular op. 130, and an especially 'spiky' op. 133, but it's musical all the way through. The Endellion Quartet don't sound quite so secure in some passages as the Talich and Italian quartets, which maybe just goes to show how good those ensembles were, but intonation's not a problem, unlike the Lindsays on ASV - I can't bear that.

All in all well worth having, though my experience so far is that the Endellion Quartet are at their best in Op. 18 - 74 and the (early period) quintets.


----------



## Blancrocher

Continuing to enjoy my fitful exploration of the dark and labyrinthine compositions of Enescu, this time with the Ad Libitum SQ.

*p.s.* I see you're in similar terrain these days, Andolink--is this an initial perusal of Enescu's oevre for you as well?


----------



## Orfeo

*Sir Arnold Bax*
Symphony no. I in E-flat.
-The Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones.

*Sir William Walton*
Symphony no. I.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson.

*Edgar Bainton*
Symphony no. III in C minor.
-The BBC Concert Orchestra/Vernon Handley (CBE).

*Sir Eugene Goossens*
Symphonies nos. I & II(*).
-The West Australian Symphony Orchestra/Vernon Handley.
-The Sydney Symphony Orchestra/Vernon Handley(*).

*Samuel Coleridge Taylor*
Symphonic Variations on an African Air.
-The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Grant Llewellyn.

*George Butterworth*
English Idylls I & II and A Shropshire Lad.
-The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Grant Llewellyn.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade - op.35*

Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra on Great Christmas Concert 2010 in Cankarjev dom (Gallus Hall). Amazing concert was sold out in a couple of hours. Solo violin: Matjaž Bogataj. Conductor: maestro Nejc Bečan. Concert direction: Primož Zevnik. The audience was thrilled by virtuoso playing and special stage charm and energy. Legendary.

1. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship (Largo e maestoso - Lento - Allegro non troppo - Tranquillo)
2.The Kalendar Prince (Lento - Andantino - Allegro molto - Vivace scherzando - Moderato assai - Allegro molto ed animato)
3.The Young Prince and The Young Princess (Andantino quasi allegretto - Pochissimo più mosso - Come prima - Pochissimo più animato)
4.Festival At Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman. (Allegro molto - Lento - Vivo - Allegro non troppo e maestoso - Tempo come I)

Wow! This work is amazing! Very colourfull and exiting.
The presentation is very good, and also the sound. Very fine performance!

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov, pianowerken voor 2, 4 en 10 handen*

*Hanna Shybayeva:
Etudes-Tableaux op.33 no. 8 Moderato - in g (1911)
Etudes-Tableaux op.33 no. 7 Allegro con fuoco - in Es (1916-1917)

Mariana Izman:
Oriental sketch - in Bes (1917)
Morceau de fantaisie "Delmo" in g (1899)
Transcriptie van Rimsky-Korsakov's 'The flight of the bumblebee' - in a (1929?)

Nino Gvetadze:
Préludes op.23 nr.6 Andante - in Es
Préludes op.23 nr.7 Allegro - in c

Thomas Beijer:
Moments musicaux op.16 Andante cantabile - in b (1896)

Pieter-Jelle de Boer:
Transcriptie van Pieter-Jelle de Boer voor orgel (2012)
Uit Symfonische Dansen op.45: Non Allegro (1940)

Hanna Shybayeva & Thomas Beijer:
Six Morceaux, op.11: nr. 3 Theme Russe en nr. 6 Slava!

Pieter-Jelle de Boer:
Morceaux de salon op.10 Barcarolle -- in g (1893-1894)

Mariana Izman & Nino Gvetadze:
Suite nr.2, op.17: derde deel (Romance) en vierde deel (Tarantella)

Hanna Shybayeva, Mariana Izman, Nino Gvetadze, Pieter-Jelle de Boer en Thomas Beijer:
Suite nr.1, op.5: derde deel "Tranen" in G klein in een bewerking door Thomas Beijer voor 2 piano's 10 handen
Polka Italienne in een bewerking door Thomas Beijer voor 2 piano's 10 handen*

Several very clever pianists perform Rachmaninov .

Very entertaining! (And I hope you can get the essential from the dutch intro abow)

*videolink*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Scriabin - complete Preludes - Piers Lane









Two things I don't understand (well, two at the moment!). First, Scriabin's piano music has the reputation of being 'difficult' to listen to - I don't understand why. Second, my posting of Mednter's piano concerto got eleven 'likes' but the posting of Mednter's songs only got six 'likes' - do twice as many people know the concertos or do people vote 'like' for some other reason?


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concertos*

*Freiburg Baroque Orchestra*

The sound could have been bether, but I stiil reccomend this video. The artists stand and sit sporadously around in a grand hall, and the cameras follow them around, making a fine dramaturgi.

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rvw*









"Epithalamion"









"O Thee Transcendent"

"The Explorers"









"Three Kings March"


----------



## Cosmos

Since I'm done with finals,


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

167 Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe
168 Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort
169 Gott soll allein mein Herze haben

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)

shaping up to be a disc of perfect, enthusiastic demonstration/introduction-quality performances from Harnoncourt.

I seem to be saying this more regularly, so can't help jumping to the conclusion that fifteen or sixteen years into the project he's got little left to prove and is enjoying the music-making for its own sake


----------



## Novelette

Monsigny: Le Déserteur -- Pierre-Yrves Pruvot; Guy van Waas: Les Agréments

Giroust: Benedic anima mea -- Olivier Latry; Olivier Schneebeli: Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles

Haydn: Baryton Trio #47 in G, H 11/47 -- Esterházy Ensemble

Mendelssohn: Fantasie in F Sharp Minor, Op. 28, "Sonate Ecossaise" -- Marie-Catherine Girod

Rameau: Cantate Pour Le Jour De Saint Louis -- Gary Cooper: New Chamber Opera


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, Lord Nelson Mass, Symphony #102.
Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman
Wilson, Fischer Jameson, Deas.

Every once in a while that rare recording comes along that proves to be vital to my very existence and this is one.

Arguably two of Haydn's three greatest works together here for the first time in magnificent performances.

This performance of symphony #102 is the finest I've ever heard and I've heard plenty-tempos, balances; just right. This from a period band, no less.

Haydn lovers should at the very least listen to this performance of the great Haydn #102!

Gloria in excelsis Deo, Indeed!


----------



## Alfacharger

Strange bedfellows today. First, a great interpretation of Tchaikovsky's 6th.










Then the score someone said was the worst part of the film. I disagree. North's score to Dragonslayer.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Mahler - Lieder from 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' *

Der Schildwache Nachtlied
Verlorne Muh'
Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?
Wo die schonen Trompeten blasen
Revelge
Ablosung im Sommer, orch. Luciano Berio

City of Birmingham SO, Simon Rattle, Simon Keelyside, Baritone

and:

Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?
Das irdische Leben
Revelge
Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt
Rheinlegendchen
Lied des Verfolgten im Turm
Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen
Lob des hohen Verstands
Der Tambourg'sell

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, Jesseye Norman (Soprano), John Shirley-Quick (Bass)


----------



## PewPewDan

Rachmaninoff's Elegie Op. 3, No. 1.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bax, Symphony No. 6.*


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Headphone Hermit said:


> Scriabin - complete Preludes - Piers Lane
> 
> View attachment 41267
> 
> 
> Two things I don't understand (well, two at the moment!). First, Scriabin's piano music has the reputation of being 'difficult' to listen to - I don't understand why. Second, my posting of Mednter's piano concerto got eleven 'likes' but the posting of Mednter's songs only got six 'likes' - do twice as many people know the concertos or do people vote 'like' for some other reason?


I don't know about others but I voted "like" because I like and am quite familiar with the piano concerto. I have not heard Medtner's songs and honestly I am not much of a song person anyway. Consequently I won't vote like for the Medtner songs not having ever heard them. Rarely do I ever vote for something I am not familiar with. I might if the composer is new to me and the post helped me discover something new to explore.

Kevin


----------



## Blancrocher

Backhaus playing Beethoven piano sonatas; Oistrakh and Oborin playing Beethoven violin sonatas.

*p.s.* Don't forget to mention the artists in this thread, PewPewDan.


----------



## bejart

JC Bach (1735-1782): Symphony in E Flat, Op.18, No.1

David Zinman leading the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra


----------



## shangoyal

Shostakovich: *String Quartet No. 5 in B flat major
*
Emerson Quartet

There is something about works in B flat that just resonates with me.


----------



## Andolink

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 41265
> 
> 
> Continuing to enjoy my fitful exploration of the dark and labyrinthine compositions of Enescu, this time with the Ad Libitum SQ.
> 
> *p.s.* I see you're in similar terrain these days, Andolink--is this an initial perusal of Enescu's oevre for you as well?


It's an initial exploration of the late chamber and instrumental works of this composer. I've had a recording of his opera Oedipe for years.


----------



## Guest

This arrived today. Another hell-for-leather performance from Matuev and Gergiev! The sound is wonderful--a bit more transparent and better balanced than their recent Tchaikovsky recording. I haven't played the 5th Symphony yet.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Christus, der ist mein Leben', BWV 95_
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Matthew White, countertenor
Hans Jörg Mammel, tenor 
Thomas E. Bauer, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Sid James

*Bernstein* _Fancy Free - Ballet_
- Nashville Symphony under Andrew Mongrelia (opening song 'Big Stuff' sung by Abby Burke with Stephen Kummer, piano; Roger Spencer, bass; Samuel D. Bacco, drums)

*Lenny's Fancy Free* is a heady mix of classical, jazz, blues, Latin. Its been a favourite of mine since I had the composer's own recording of the suite. This one is equally good and has the complete score, including the introductory song that originally started the ballet with Billie Holiday's recording of it coming from a jukebox.

Its such a vibrant score, and reminds me of what Gershwin said of his own music, it having a good deal of chutzpah. I think the same of Bernstein, he was only in his twenties when he gained acclaim for_ Fancy Free_, as well as the earlier _Symphony #1 "Jeremiah."_ Fancy Free became a success after its premiere at the Met in New York, and it was performed around two dozen times that season. The _Three Dance Variations _(_Galop, Waltz, Danzon_) also gained a life of their own in pops concerts, Arthur Fiedler instantly recorded them with his Boston Pops Orchestra.

They're a highlight for me here, so too hearing how the opening song tune recurs here and there throughout the piece, as well as the brilliant fugue that rounds it all off.










*Bruce Cale *
_Cello Concerto, Op. 65_
- David Pereira, cello; Helen Donaldson, soprano; Queensland SO under Max McBride
_Violin Concerto, Op. Op. 43_ (First Movement at youtube)
- Leonard Dommett, violin; Queensland SO under Patrick Thomas

Speaking to jazz and classical, Australian composer *Bruce Cale *spent some thirty years as a bass player in the jazz world before moving into classical composition. He has been prolific in the concerto genre, and these two works come from the 1980's.

Cale's _*Cello Concerto *_is unusual for the inclusion of soprano, singing lines of a poem about the music found in nature. The work as a whole has strong visual qualities, as well as the cellist taking up the speech patterns of the singer, and overall it is lyrical but some more vigorous parts are reminiscent of a jazz jam session.

The_ *Violin Concerto*_ has similar emphasis on lyrical aspects, the violin being allowed to soar to great heights in the second of two movements (the first titled _Mood - andante_, the second _Felicity - moderato_). The orchestral writing is subtle and delicately layered. There is a chamber-like quality here, as well as a spontaneous feel, and a neat inclusion of piano as 'pivot' around the mid-point of the piece. The work ends tranquilly, floating to nothingness.

This is an interesting disc that I aim to review in full on the Australian composers thread, soon.










*Bliss* _Clarinet Quintet_
- David Campbell, clarinet with Maggini Quartet

Finishing with more of the Magginis.

The *Clarinet Quintet *by *Arthur Bliss *comes from the 1930's. The opening clarinet solo is a thing of beauty, and it forms a reference point for the whole piece. The writing here contrasts the lyrical with the animated and even edgy. There is a contrast throughout between expressiveness as well as rhythmic flexibility a la Stravinsky (especially in the finale - sounds quite tricky to play!).

The work, like Elgar's_ Piano Quintet_, has connections to World War I. Bliss fought in the war alongside his brother who was killed. The clarinet was his brother's favourite instrument, and this piece can be interpreted as having qualities of a homage and memorial to him.


----------



## opus55

Puccini: La Boheme


----------



## Mahlerian

Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major
London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tennstedt


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Cosmos said:


> Since I'm done with finals,


Well done. Cheers.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

opus55 said:


> Puccini: La Boheme


I got this last week!!!!! I can't wait to hear the full synergetic effect of Jussi and Victoria!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Kevin Pearson said:


> I don't know about others but I voted "like" because I like and am quite familiar with the piano concerto. I have not heard Medtner's songs and honestly I am not much of a song person anyway. Consequently I won't vote like for the Medtner songs not having ever heard them. Rarely do I ever vote for something I am not familiar with. I might if the composer is new to me and the post helped me discover something new to explore.
> 
> Kevin


--
I love that candid admission; that 'qualified acceptance' of what it is in the post you actually like.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> Strange bedfellows today. First, a great interpretation of Tchaikovsky's 6th.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then the score someone said was the worst part of the film. I disagree. North's score to Dragonslayer.


-- 
I never knew of the existence of that _Pathetique_. How does Ozawa do the third movement? Is it more dashing and heroic than others? I love that _orchestra_; Ozawa?-- well. . . Ha. Ha. Ha. . .

I think _Dragonslayer_ is North's best score; the movie certainly has the coolest-looking dragon I've seen.


----------



## Blake

A Sei Voci sings Josquin. So lovely.


----------



## JCarmel

Vivaldi, Piccolo Concerto in C Major, Julius Baker, Solisti di Zagreb (from The Bach Guild's 'Big Vivaldi Box')

Orphee et Eurydice, Act II: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (arr. for flute and organ)









Haydn Symphony in D, 'Le Matin' Trevor Pinnock directing The English Concert









Mozart 'Kegelstatt Trio' K498 The Melos Ensemble.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

White hot passion and blistering intensity from the old magician.


----------



## tahnak

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 40995
> View attachment 40996
> 
> 
> Enescu's cello sonatas, with Laura Buruiana and Martin Tchiba; and a first listen to Dohnanyi's 1st Symphony, with Matthias Bamert and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.


I have just heard the first cello sonata of Enescu and I was impressed by it. Substantial opening statement.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde - Carlos Kleiber, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Regis Campo's Piano Concerto - Jay Gottlieb, piano, Pascal Rophé, cond.


----------



## bejart

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): Concerto Grosso in B Flat, Op.1, No.3

Concerto Koln


----------



## Oskaar

*Ravel's Piano Trio in A Minor*

*As part of SummerFest's "Prelude" series, the acclaimed Newbury Trio performs Maurice Ravel's "Piano Trio in A Minor", composed in 1914 and widely regarded as a virtuosic masterpiece for piano, violin and cello. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [12/2012]*

Beautiful, sensitive and well played trio from these young artists.
The ravel trio has a kind of mystical bubbeling calm, that makes it very enjoyable to listen to

Again it is beautiful girls... I really dont know how to avoid them.. They are dominant in every genre in my collection based on you tube recomendations..

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*King's Singers by Night - Full concert HD*

*Een zeer afwisselend concert met een vleugje Britse humor op de late avond op de Hofvijver.

Uit hun omvangrijke repertoire, dat meerdere eeuwen beslaat, hebben The King's Singers toepasselijke muziek gekozen. De heren lijden het ene moment schipbreuk op de Hofvijver, dan weer zijn ze dronken matrozen die hun liefje bezingen. Maar ook Johannes Brahms komt voorbij, en Blackbird van The Beatles en in de afsluitende close harmony hoort u de perfecte samenklank en smetteloze timing van The King's Singers.*

Great male song from these gentlemen.

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41292
> 
> 
> White hot passion and blistering intensity from the old magician.


In-can-_DES_-cence, alright; and with a better cover. My copy just has a close-up, side-profile of Stokowski conducting.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov - Symfonische Dansen op.45*

*Radio Filharmonisch Orkest o.l.v. Edward Gardner

18 december 2011, 11:00 uur, Grote Zaal van het Concertgebouw*

Really nice and entertaining orchestral work. The potent and ergic potensial in the work is good submitted by orchestra and conductor. There are also some very nice dreamy and calm lyrical sections that make you want to lay back and just take in the beauty.

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

*Romberg - Overture to "Die Grossmut des Scipio" (Andreae/Thorofon)
Beethoven - Piano Trio #3 (Trio Parnassus/MDG)
Turina - La Procesion del Rocio (Lopez-Cobos/Telarc)
Carpenter - Sea Drift (Hegyi/New World)*


----------



## Orfeo

*Richard Wagner*
Opera in three acts "Tristan und Isode."
-Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchoir, Kalter, Jannsen, List, Sale.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera/Fritz Reiner.

*Anton Bruckner*
Symphony no. V in B-flat.
-The London Philharmonic Orchestra/Franz Welser-Most.

*Vitezslav Novak*
In the Tatra Mountains, Eternal Longing, & Slovak Suite.
-The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Libor Pesek.

*Alexander Glazunov*
Symphonies nos. IV & VII.
-The Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Jose Serebrier.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mozart*: Symphonies 24 - 34, w. ASMF/Marriner (rec. 1987 - '90).


----------



## Vaneyes

Kevin Pearson said:


> I don't know about others but I voted "like" because I like and am quite familiar with the piano concerto. I have not heard Medtner's songs and honestly I am not much of a song person anyway. Consequently I won't vote like for the Medtner songs not having ever heard them. Rarely do I ever vote for something I am not familiar with. I might if the composer is new to me and the post helped me discover something new to explore.
> 
> Kevin


Yep, you've always been tough for likes, Kevin. Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball" comes to mind.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Pure Greatness*
























Morning Marchallin Blair, 'luxuriating' in the sunny weather, and 'basking' in Divine glory; or is it the other way around? Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## millionrainbows

All mono, early CBC performances. Includes Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. I got this 6-disc set for under 10 dollars.

Yesterday, I listened to this DVD audio disc for some thunderous percussion.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Wonderful playing and a varied programme from the ever brilliant Anne-Sophie Mutter, who proves herself as much at home in Debussy's veiled impressionism as she is in the extrovert arrangements of Brahms's Hungarian Dances.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41311
> 
> 
> Wonderful playing and a varied programme from the ever brilliant Anne-Sophie Mutter, who proves herself as much at home in Debussy's veiled impressionism as she is in the extrovert arrangements of Brahms's Hungarian Dances.


Even if Mutter's_ oeuvre _was strictly confined to cd portraits of herself, she'd be a smashing success.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _ 'Komm, du süße Todesstunde', BWV 161_
Matthew White, countertenor
Hans Jörg Mammel, tenor
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bax, Symphony No. 6.*

Big, dramatic, colorful.


----------



## PetrB

*Poulenc ~ Concerto Pour Orgue, Cordes Et Timbales*

Poulenc ~ (1970) - Concerto Pour Orgue, Cordes et Timbales (with score)


----------



## Mahlerian

Adams: Saxophone Concerto
Timothy McAllister, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, cond. Robertson









This may be one of Adams' better works in a little while. Just a first listen via streaming.


----------



## Oskaar

*Moncayo: Huapango ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester*

*hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Carlos Miguel Prieto, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 18. Januar 2013 ∙*

A litle quite funny orchestral piace

*videolink*


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> Adams: Saxophone Concerto
> Timothy McAllister, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, cond. Robertson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This may be one of Adams' better works in a little while. Just a first listen via streaming.


Where did you stream it from? I don't believe the CD is out yet...


----------



## Mahlerian

KenOC said:


> Where did you stream it from? I don't believe the CD is out yet...


Spotify. The CD was released today. I've listened to City Noir before, so I went straight for the concerto instead.


----------



## ptr

Overdosing on Sugary Gipsy Sweets!

*Bizet-Sarasate* - Carmen Fantasy / *Sarasate* - Zegeunerweisen / *Saint-Saëns* - Havanaïse and Introduction & Rondo Cappricioso (Decca)









Ruggiero Ricci, violin; London Symphony orchestra u. Piorino Gamba

/ptr


----------



## KenOC

Mahlerian said:


> Spotify. The CD was released today. I've listened to City Noir before, so I went straight for the concerto instead.


Oh, it's May 6 already? Who knew! I heard the concerto on its netcast of the American premiere but didn't get much of an impression of it. Life's full of second chances, fortunately. Many thanks!


----------



## Oskaar

*Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher *

*Konzert nach alten Volksweisen für Bratsche und kleines Orchester ∙

I. »Zwischen Berg und tiefem Tal«. Langsam - Mäßig bewegt, mit Kraft ∙
II. »Nun laube, Lindlein, laube!«. Sehr ruhig - »Der Gutzgauch auf dem Zaune saß«. Fugato -- Wie am Anfang ∙
III. Variationen »Seid ihr nicht der Schwanendreher«. Mäßig schnell - Ruhig bewegt - Zeitmaß wie früher - Lebhafter ∙

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Antoine Tamestit, Viola ∙
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 14. Dezember 2012 ∙*

Fine mystic, but quite optimistic tone in this work. Both dark and light. I really enjoy it.

And it is great to hear so brilliant sound on living videos

*videolink*


----------



## Morimur

*Dalbavie | Sørensen | Kurtág | Lutoslawski - Shadows of Silence (Welser-Möst)*









_Review by James Leonard_

Shadows of Silence by Leif Ove Andsnes is a sensually beautiful recording of contemporary piano music mixing solo and concerted works. Andsnes' superb program illuminates what might be called the post-Impressionist strain of post-Modernist music. The two big works here, Witold Lutoslawski and Marc-André Dalbavie's virtuosic and visionary piano concertos, alternate with three luminously poetic solo pieces: Bent Sørensen's Lullabies and Shadows of Silence at either end of the disc with selections from György Kurtág's Games in the center. As he has for composers from Grieg to Janácek, Andsnes consistently delivers brilliantly conceived, powerfully executed performances, deploying his nuanced tone, and formidable technique to make the case for every work here both separately and together, that is, with each piece satisfying in itself while at the same time creating a larger aesthetic whole out of the dramatic sequence. Franz Welser-Möst elicits eloquent accompaniments from the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and EMI provides crisp, deep, and uncannily immediate sound. Though not for listeners who believe music history ended in 1911, anyone interested in contemporary music should by all means try this disc.


----------



## Alypius

KenOC said:


> Where did you stream it from? I don't believe the CD is out yet...


I've just finished listening to _City Noir_ via Spotify. I'm currently listening to Adams' new _Saxophone Concerto_. According to Amazon, today is the release date. I'll check local record stores later today to see if they have it. I'm impressed with _City Noir_.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tomasso Traetta: Stabat mater dolorosa*

*• Maria Espada: soprano
• Monica Piccinini: soprano
• Ann Hallenberg: alto
• Milena Storti: alto
• Emiliano Gonzalez Toro: tenor 
• Magnus Staveland: tenor 
• Frédéric Caton: bass
• Jussi Lehtipuu: bass

Les Talens Lyriques 
Conducted by Christophe Rousset*

I may have posted this one earlier, but it is worth a double posting..
Utterly beautiful and relaxing. Comfort for body and soul!

*videolink*


----------



## maestro267

*Saint-Saëns*: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major
Rogé (piano)/Philharmonia Orchestra/Dutoit

*Bruckner*: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Tintner


----------



## Blancrocher

Richter playing Schumann's Bunte Blatter (rec. 1968); Julius Katchen playing Brahms' Schumann Variations, op. 9.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Frédéric Chopin, Nocturnes - Op. 37 (Arthur Rubinstein).


----------



## senza sordino

Corelli Concerto Grossi







Vieuxtemps Violin Concerti 4&5, Saint Saëns Havanaise, Ravel Tzigane


----------



## PetrB

*Georgs Pelecis ~ Endorphin Music*

Georgs Pelecis ~ Endorphin Music


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Rolling Thunder*









Bruckner 8, last movement









_Te Deum_









Overture to Act I


----------



## PetrB

*Arthur Berger ~ Quartet for winds.*

Arthur Berger ~ Quartet for winds.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Barber - Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto









Hmm. I suspect that I will upset some folk by saying so, but I don't like this much on a first listen. I know the legend is that the violin concerto was rejected by the violinist who commissioned it ... and it hasn't done much for me before (or now). The piano concerto just doesn't 'hit the spot' for me either - sorry, fellow TC-ers!


----------



## senza sordino

Headphone Hermit said:


> Barber - Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto
> 
> View attachment 41336
> 
> 
> Hmm. I suspect that I will upset some folk by saying so, but I don't like this much on a first listen. I know the legend is that the violin concerto was rejected by the violinist who commissioned it ... and it hasn't done much for me before (or now). The piano concerto just doesn't 'hit the spot' for me either - sorry, fellow TC-ers!


One of my favourite violin concerti, I absolutely adore this piece. I first heard it live about 20 years ago before I started to learn the violin. I was mesmerized, and it's one reason I took up the violin as an adult. I can't play this piece, not sure I ever will. It's too bad it hasn't done much for you, but we all have our likes and dislikes. I can respect that.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

senza sordino said:


> One of my favourite violin concerti, I absolutely adore this piece. I first heard it live about 20 years ago before I started to learn the violin. I was mesmerized, and it's one reason I took up the violin as an adult. I can't play this piece, not sure I ever will. It's too bad it hasn't done much for you, but we all have our likes and dislikes. I can respect that.


Please, Senza, give me a few clues as to what you really like about it. I'm sure that I'm missing the point and that it is me that is at fault rather than the work (I like the sharing of enthusiasm that _sometimes occurs on TC!) _


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Barber - Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto
> 
> View attachment 41336
> 
> 
> Hmm. I suspect that I will upset some folk by saying so, but I don't like this much on a first listen. I know the legend is that the violin concerto was rejected by the violinist who commissioned it ... and it hasn't done much for me before (or now). The piano concerto just doesn't 'hit the spot' for me either - sorry, fellow TC-ers!


---
Apologies neither required nor desired. You made the good-faith effort. That's all that matters._ ;D_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Parsifal vs. Parsifal*















Act III ending - "_Höchsten Heiles Wunder!"; "Erlösung dem Erlöser_!"

-- It's Karajan all the way. No question.


----------



## PetrB

Headphone Hermit said:


> Please, Senza, give me a few clues as to what you really like about it. I'm sure that I'm missing the point and that it is me that is at fault rather than the work (I like the sharing of enthusiasm that _sometimes occurs on TC!) _


It is impossible by enlarging the image you posted to tell exactly which performances you have on that disc. If they are not the below, try these:

Violin Concerto: Isaac Stern; New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein





Piano Concerto: the premiere recording with the pianist for whom the piece was written:
John Browning; Cleveland Symphony, George Szell


----------



## Headphone Hermit

PetrB said:


> It is impossible to tell by enlarging exactly which performances you have on that disc. If they are not the below, try these:
> 
> Violin Concerto: Isaac Stern; New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Piano Concerto: the premiere recording with the pianist for whom the piece was written:
> John Browning; Cleveland Symphony, George Szell


Yup. These are the ones on disc.

I'll wait for a few hints and then have a few more listens this week


----------



## Headphone Hermit

The Lute in Dance and Dream - various composers from C16th-C18th - Lutz Kirchhof









We don't get many examples of lute playing on 'current listening'. I suspect that I need something intimate, direct and .... oh, I don't know ..... _'light' today after a pretty heavy time at work. Perhaps the Barber would be better for me on a different day_


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Piano Concertos 1 and 2 Byron Janis/Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra & Kyril Kondrashin (1)/Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra & Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (2)

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.6/Valse Oubliee No.1/Sonetto del Petrarca 104
Schumann: Novellette in F
Falla: The Miller's Dance
Guion: The Harmonica Player Byron Janis

Another superb CD from the Mercury box, Byron Janis on leonine form. The two Liszt concertos are great, but No.2 is especially good, Janis seems to capture the atmosphere of it perfectly, one of the finest performances I've ever heard. The encores are jolly good too, most enjoyable.


----------



## Joris

Just listened for the first time: Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No.8 in C minor // performed by Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Love at first listen! very enthralling


----------



## Vaneyes

*JS Bach*: English Suites 5 & 6, Overture in the French Style, w. GG (rec.1974 - '76).


----------



## Weston

*Beethoven: Overture "Nameday", Op.115 
Beethoven: Grosse Fuge in B flat, Op.133 - Orchestral Version!*
Herbert von Karajan / Berliner Philharmoniker









What is this "Nameday" Overture? Never heard of it, but it sounds great. Also the Grosse Fuge sounds much more musical in an orchestral timbre. It's incredible! I'm considering the entire $38.00 / 14 hour download, just for these two tracks alone. Also a few WoO pieces I don't have. Anyone else have this set?

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Herbert-von-Karajan/dp/B006B3A7P8/ref=sr_1_21?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1399415753&sr=1-21&keywords=herbert+von+karajan

I may need to check to see if I already have some of these performances. A quick look at my catalog shows I already have a von Karajan triple concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, Yo-Yo Ma, cello, Mark Zeltser on a CD "Face to Face with Beethoven". How would I know if this is the same?

I am overly excited about this find.

[Edit: It appears Mutter, Ma and Zeltser are listed in the credits on Allmusic. So it's a matter of weighing individual track cost vs. entire album cost I suppose.]

[Edit II: Oh, fish feathers! Oh, %*#@!. It includes Wellington's Victory. Well that's the deal breaker.]


----------



## Vaneyes

Headphone Hermit said:


> Barber - Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto
> 
> View attachment 41336
> 
> 
> Hmm. I suspect that I will upset some folk by saying so, but I don't like this much on a first listen. I know the legend is that the *violin concerto was rejected* by the violinist who commissioned it ... and it hasn't done much for me before (or now). The *piano concerto just doesn't 'hit the spot' for me either* - sorry, fellow TC-ers!


If you care to, try and try again with these ASV recs.--Joselson/LSO/Schenck (PC), and Shapira/Russian PO/T. Sanderling (VC). And lemme know how you make out. :tiphat:


----------



## Trev Edwards

Bernstein conducting Elgar with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. From my DG Bernstein box.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

170 Vergnügte Ruh', beliebte Seelenlust
171 Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm
172 Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!
173 Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut

Gustav Leonhardt (170, 172) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (171, 173), cond.


----------



## Morimur

*Mohammad Reza Shajarian - (2001) It's Winter*










2001 concert in California.
Improvisation in Daad & Bidaad mode

Vocalist: Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
Tar: Hossein Alizadeh
Kamancheh: Kayhan Kalhor
Tonbak: Homayoun Shajarian


----------



## senza sordino

Headphone Hermit said:


> Please, Senza, give me a few clues as to what you really like about it. I'm sure that I'm missing the point and that it is me that is at fault rather than the work (I like the sharing of enthusiasm that _sometimes occurs on TC!) _


It's like trying to describe a nice sunny day. I love the warmth, the textures, the breath of fresh air.

I have two versions, Gil Shaham with Previn and the LSO, and a recent acquisition of James Ehnes and the Vancouver Symphony. I couldn't hear the piano part with the VSO, but I'll listen again soon as it's a new version for me. I can't remember who I saw perform the piece 20 years ago.


----------



## Weston

AH music said:


> Over the weekend. RUBBRA, Edmund - Symphony no 2. First listen (via spotify). No real comment at this stage, except that after the first movement it did not especially hold my attention on first listening. Probably my being easily distracted at the time.....
> 
> View attachment 41226


Rubbra has this same effect on me. I think we are supposed to be listening to his way of expanding on a theme or motif, almost like the _fortspinnung_ method of the baroque composers, but I've never really caught on to it. (Yawn . . .) Maybe someday it will gel.


----------



## senza sordino

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41311
> 
> 
> Wonderful playing and a varied programme from the ever brilliant Anne-Sophie Mutter, who proves herself as much at home in Debussy's veiled impressionism as she is in the extrovert arrangements of Brahms's Hungarian Dances.


Snap, I played this CD this afternoon also. Terrific. 







Debussy Sonata, Mozart Sonata in Em, Frank Sonata in Am, Brahms Hungarian Dances. My CD skipped and repeated at the end. I took it out and notice a huge finger print and smudge. I cleaned it and it worked just fine.

and Kabelvsky Violin and Cello Concerti


----------



## Katie

A fortunate day with some remarkable listening at work. First Dorati's renditions of Tschaikovsky's Suites Nos. 3 & 4 while leading the New Philharmonia Orchestra (London, with primary residency in the Royal Festival Hall (visited on a class trip!)) with remarkable support from Hugh Bean on violin...really glorious pieces in which I often discern contemplative, pastoral passages that communicate great trips across sweeping landscapes, which contrast with tumultuous interludes of brazen conflict that bring to mind the nation's long history of a violently secured, strong centralized rule. Though recorded in 1966, the layered sound is crisp and the instrumental components distinct...highly recommended! Here is the remastered original release (67), which also includes the first and second suites:









Thematically rustic European romantic music - this time with Slavic cultural influences - stood on deck in the form of Bartok's Hungarian Peasant Songs and Romanian Folk Dances; while I've heard some dubious excerpts from generic collections, Ivan Fischer is right at home before the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and there's a perfect pacing and articulation of these unique pieces that clearly illuminates the systemic failures of the lesser versions I'd heard.









The next selection constituted my introduction to Faure's Requiem and the added Pavane, the former intensely dark and dramatic (as one would naturally expect from such a piece) accentuated by the hauntingly, gothic organ play of Daniel Chorzempa, which is paired impeccably with the measured, rhythmic, processional cadence of the latter piece.









Finally, I doubt the composition, the conductor, or this very performance require an introduction to most of you - though I had the privilege of a pristine first listen today! Verdi's Requiem conducted by Gardiner leading the very orchestra he founded - the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique - in the (apparently) well regarded December '92 performance that I hunted down after reading multiple glowing reviews. Additionally, while I am vastly unfamiliar with many of the great operatic voices (outside of conventional names like Callas, Tucker, Bergonzi, Bumbry), I required no introduction to Anne Sofie von Otter, who once again demanded of me that I put pen and paper down (or keyboard and screen, as it were) to give her my undivided attention. Remarkable. Truly the best for last...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

View attachment 41352


Arensky: Piano Trio in D Minor, Op.32 Leonard Pennario/Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky
Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin, Cello, Strings and Continuo in B-flat, RV 547 Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky/Malcolm Hamilton/Chamber Orchestra
Martinu: Duo for Violin and Cello No.1 Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky

I love, Love, LOVE the Arensky piano trio, this is a really ardent performance, so delicious that I feel I could reach out and eat it! It grips you right from the start, and you feel that you are entering a land that you don't want ever to leave. The playing of all three artists is beyond criticism, a wonderful musical experience. The Vivaldi and Martinu items are given equally engaging and enjoyable performances, Heifetz and Piatigorsky placed us all forever in their debt for arranging these chamber concerts, and recording much from them.


----------



## spradlig

I just discovered Poulenc's cello sonata and Khachaturian's cello concerto, thanks to Pandora (on my IPhone, while driving). I didn't know either existed. They seem like fine pieces, but I need to listen to them a few more times to appreciate them. They seem less well known, then, say, Poulenc's flute sonata and Khachaturian's violin concerto.


----------



## Guest

This set arrived today-Wow! It doesn't seem to get much notice in the press, but it is superb. The Quartet plays with white-hot intensity or great beauty as the music requires, and with staggering precision. All that and superb sound...plus all six Quartets fit on two discs!


----------



## SimonNZ

"O Tuneful Voice: Songs And Duets From Late 18th Century London" 
- Emma Kirkby, soprano, Rufus Muller, tenor, Timothy Roberts, fortepiano


----------



## Jeff W

Couldn't post this morning. Probably some trouble with my ISP or something...









Jeff's ongoing Haydn Symphonies Listening Project. Disc 7. Symphonies No. 26 through 29. Antal Dorati, Philharmonia Hungarica. No. 26 & 29 stuck out for me. Always interesting when Haydn goes into a minor key like in No. 26.









Listened to Carl Nielsen for the first time. Symphonies No. 1 & 2. Herbert Blomstedt with the San Francisco Symphony. Really liked what I heard and will probably play this disc again tonight!









Finished with more of Beethoven's String Quartets. Nos. 8 (Op. 59 No. 2) & No. 12 (Op. 127). The Alban Berg Quartett played.


----------



## Frei aber froh

Shostakovich viola sonata, Nobuko Imai and Roland Pöntinen
Sibelius violin concerto, Itzhak Perlman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Erich Leinsdorf
Clarke viola sonata, Tabea Zimmerman and Kirill Gerstein


----------



## Dustin

I've finally decided to give Schoenberg a shot, at least the pre-atonal Schoenberg. Up to this point, even the thought of Schoenberg has conjured up ideas of terrible, awful sounding music. I wish I weren't that way but Schoenberg doesn't have the greatest reputation among most classical listeners. I've just started listening to Pelleas Und Melisande and I'm pretty excited about getting to know this piece better. Pretty intriguing stuff so far.

Schoenberg: Pelleas Und Melisande


----------



## Morimur

*Rozaneh - (2001) Rozaneh*









The album starts in Dastgah Isfahan (a mode in the Iranian musical repertoire) and as the work develops, it takes us back to ancient Isfahan. The words of two great mystics, Molavi (known in Europe as Rumi) and Fakhredin Aragui, the thirteenth-century Sufi poet, speak of mystical experiences ranging from the nostalgia of separation to the joy and ecstasy of reunion.


----------



## Mahlerian

Dustin said:


> I've finally decided to give Schoenberg a shot, at least the pre-atonal Schoenberg. Up to this point, even the thought of Schoenberg has conjured up ideas of terrible, awful sounding music. I wish I weren't that way but Schoenberg doesn't have the greatest reputation among most classical listeners. I've just started listening to Pelleas Und Melisande and I'm pretty excited about getting to know this piece better. Pretty intriguing stuff so far.
> 
> Schoenberg: Pelleas Und Melisande
> 
> View attachment 41366


Schoenberg was one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. One of the most daring and yet one of the most lyrical, one of the most intelligent and rigorous and yet one of the truest believers in the power of inspiration. It is a shame that his name is so consistently invoked with derisive intent, because, as you discovered, it frightens people away from actually hearing the music itself.

It's no secret on these boards that I don't believe that such a thing as "atonality" actually exists. It's true that Schoenberg's later music (post op. 10 or so) uses fewer triads, and tonal centers exist more by implication than statement, but when people say that Schoenberg wrote noise, that he wrote random notes or dry, intellectual constructs, I can only listen to what I hear as an impassioned fusion of melody and harmony and wonder why others can't hear the same thing.

Debussy: La mer
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, cond. Morlot


----------



## jimsumner

Jeff W said:


> Couldn't post this morning. Probably some trouble with my ISP or something...
> 
> View attachment 41364
> 
> 
> Listened to Carl Nielsen for the first time. Symphonies No. 1 & 2. Herbert Blomstedt with the San Francisco Symphony. Really liked what I heard and will probably play this disc again tonight!
> 
> View attachment 41365
> 
> 
> If you like 1 & 2, you'll really like 4 & 5, Nielsen's symphonic masterpieces, IMO. And Blomstedt conducts a superb Nielsen cycle.


----------



## Blancrocher

Sibelius' 6th, with Karajan & co.; Sabine Liebner playing Feldman's "For Bunita Marcus"


----------



## Weston

*Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C, Op. 26* 
Claudio Abbado / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Evgeny Kissin, piano









I love the mysterious chromatic writing in the second movement. Otherwise this piece seems a little unfocused for such a popular composer. Or maybe I am unfocused. It does set a mischievous or playfully macabre mood which is kind of odd for the key of C -- if that's what it really is.

[Edit: Okay, the finale is pretty interesting, especially rhythmically.]


----------



## Sid James

*Bruce Cale *_Valleys and Mountains Suite, Op. 64_ 
- Tasmanian SO under Dobbs Franks

Starting with *Bruce Cale's *picture in music of various places in the Blue Mountains, a natural wonder west of Sydney. There's quite a bit of contrast in this piece in terms of rhythm, and use of drone sounds bringing to mind Aboriginal music. Perhaps it refects the contrast between the sun towards the canopy of the trees and the darkness in the depths of those valleys? Some enjoyable listening here in a work that was originally composed for the 1988 bicentennary of the founding of the penal colony at Sydney. A good deal of new Australian music was commissioned that year.










*Bliss* _String Quartet #2_
- Played by Maggini Quartet

Finishing this *Bliss* disc, played by the Maggini Quartet.

Initially the *String Quartet #2* didn't register with me, perhaps because it comes almost 20 years after the coupling, the _Clarinet Quintet_. This quartet was composed in 1950, and its style is quite different, less obviously expressive. But over time I have warmed to it, the whole work carries through two contrasting ideas presented early on, one edgy and another song-like. Bliss thought this to be his most substantial chamber piece until the time he composed it.










*Mahler* _Symphony #6 in A minor_
- Melbourne SO under Mark Wigglesworth (recorded live in concert)

Its been about a year since I'd last heard this epic work, and this listen was very rewarding.

*Mahler's Symphony #6* is said to be amongt his most thematically tight ones. The contrast in the first movement between the militaristic drum rhythms and song-like, flowing kind of hopeful little tune, forms the core of thematic content for the piece. It was very interesting hearing these ideas weave their way through the whole 80 minute stretch, and the masterful way they are transformed, often from seemingly mundane to profound at the blink of an eye! Well, that's the essence of Mahler, isn't it?

Also the textures, there are things there that recur such as the bassoons, double basses, xylophone and celesta. All these present varying moods, from tragic and gloomy to ecstatic. What I'm hoping to do is a blog post taking in this and other works by R. Strauss and Varese that speak to these explorations of sonority during the early 20th century.

But this listen was just great in itself, the piece stimulates both the emotions and intellect.


----------



## Weston

*Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 (Op. 99)*
Stuttgart Piano Trio









Marvelous musical acrobatics a la Beethoven with even crazier modulations. The second movement is _sweet_. Though a lively piece, I guess I'd better make this one a nightcap.


----------



## senza sordino

A lot of music today because I didn't go to work, I took a sick day. Back to work tomorrow, back to reality. 
Sibelius Symphonies 2 & 3







and Barber and Walton Violin Concerti


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc eight:

Tona Scherchen - Shen
Makoto Shinohara - Alternances
Maurice Ohana - Quatre Etudes Choregraphiques
Alain Louvier - Candrakala
Alain Louvier - Shima
Yoshihisa Taira - Heirophonie V

from various albums, including:


----------



## jim prideaux

start the day with Balakirev 1st symphony-Svetlanov and USSR orch.....becoming rather 'fond' of this work, lovely evocative 3rd movement..........

yesterday listened to Jarvi conducting the SNO in performances of Dvorak 3rd,6th,Carnival Overture and Symphonic variations-the often ridiculously cheap prices on Amazon marketplace for second hand mean it is becoming easier to listen to alternate interpretations-Dvorak 3rd in this instance was 5p!


----------



## SimonNZ

Kumiko Omura's Ancient Flowers


----------



## JCarmel

Kumiko Omura's Ancient Flowers...I hope you've got them in some water, Simon?!

Mozart Litaniae Laurentanae K195

after listening to the new recording by Edward Higginbottom and the Choir of New college, Oxford









I'm reminding myself of an old favourite recording ....with Ileana Cotrubas , Helen Watts, Robert Tear conducted by Colin Davies









Then some marvellous Mendelssohn....these Overtures are so well conducted by Claus Peter Flor/Bamberg SO


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Lovely performances, particularly the Andante of no 21, one of my favourite movements in all Mozart.


----------



## SimonNZ

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde - Wilhelm Furtwangler, cond.

edit: acts 1 and 2 today - act 3 tomorrow


----------



## JCarmel

My Morning's Listening is mapped-out already.....Happy Birthday, Pyotr Ilyich!

Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich's 6th Symphonies are paired on a cd that was well-praised on last Saturdays CD Review...& available on Spotify! ....The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons.









Tchaikovsky Songs...Dmitri Hvorotovsky









Eugene Onegin, Soloists/Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden conducted by Georg Solti


----------



## Trev Edwards

senza sordino said:


> Snap, I played this CD this afternoon also. Terrific.
> View attachment 41360
> 
> Debussy Sonata, Mozart Sonata in Em, Frank Sonata in Am, Brahms Hungarian Dances. My CD skipped and repeated at the end. I took it out and notice a huge finger print and smudge. I cleaned it and it worked just fine.


I got this super-cheap on ebay and have yet to play it. I'm going to take it to work today and give it a go.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

Takuya Imahori's Piano Concerto "Illusione dell'Acqua Lucente"
-Ayako Takahashi, piano, Pierre Bleuse, cond., Takuya Imahori, live-electronics


----------



## ShropshireMoose

J.S. Bach: Partita No.1 in B-flat/Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue/Fantasia in C Minor/English Suite No.2/Preludes and Fugues in C/C Minor/B-flat (Book 1)/G (book 2) Harold Samuel

Marvellous Bach playing from the now virtually forgotten Harold Samuel, a superb pianist and Bach player par excellence. These recordings were made 1923-27, and still stand as superbly organised and compelling readings of these wonderful pieces. The Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue is especially good, a very lithe, classical performance made in 1923, which yet transcends the limits of accoustic recording. These are from a Pearl LP, would that Samuel had recorded a great deal more. Wanda Landowska once went backstage to him after a recital in New York, and lectured him on the necessity of playing Bach on the harpsichord, the instrument for which it was written, he listened dutifully, then said, "But Madame Landowska, I don't like the harpsichord." A great pianist, whom it has been a pleasure to spend time with this morning.


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms: Piano Concerto I (d) (Hélène Grimaud, SWR Sinfo gielen*

yotube comments

_Priceless interpretation , clean with full force....Ms Grimaud " lives" the music with her whole heart and body .Brava !﻿

MAGNIFICENT in every regard. What wonderful sound this graceful young woman draws from the piano. I love the way she shapes each phrase so sensitively yet plays with all the power the puce demands. I had never heard a woman perform this concerto before, and frankly Grimaud astonishes. One of the most masculine pieces in the repertoire and yet she holds her own with any man, and plays better than most of them. GREAT!﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## DrKilroy

I have seen her playing this with Warsaw PO two weeks ago.  A very successful performance.


Best regards, Dr


----------



## SimonNZ

Shostakovich's String Quartet No.8 - Kronos Quartet


----------



## Oskaar

*Trio Gaspard | M. Ravel: Klaviertrio a-Moll*

*The 6th International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition: First Prize Winners Trio Gaspard play Ravel´s Piano Trio in A-Minor during their performance for the final round of the competition. Recorded 2012/10/11 at the Liszt School of Music, Weimar.*

Very fine performance of these young artists. Beautiful, dreamy trio

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

J S Bach, Partita No 2, Harold Samuel ....on Spotify









and Wanda Landowska, ....on CD









Saint-Saens, Piano Concerto No 5 Thibaudet/Dutoit...... on Spotify









And maintaining a French theme...with some vocal vivacity, no doubt... & a first hearing of this cd of songs by Cecile Cheminade,
from the super Anne Sofie von Otter.


----------



## SimonNZ

Leopold Godowsky's Java Suite - Esther Budiardjo, piano


----------



## Jeff W

Got started with my daily dose of Joseph Haydn. Symphonies No. 30 through 33. Antal Dorati led the Philharmonia Hungarica.









Turned next to Carl Nielsen's Symphony No. 3 and the Aladdin Suite with the Maskarade Overture thrown in the middle. I loved the way the wordless voices were woven into the second movement of the 3rd Symphony.









Turned next to some Beethoven after a sidetrack of listening to some newly acquired audio dramas (the Star Wars radio dramas, if anyone is curious). String Quartets No. 9 (Op. 59 No. 3) and No. 14 (Op. 131). The Alban Berg Quartett plays.


----------



## Oskaar

*Valentina Lisitsa plays Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.*

*Recorded live on May 22th, 2010 in Leiden, Holland*

Fantastic!
And the piano-sound id very good.

The orchestral version was my favourite for many years, when I did not listen to much classic. But now I think I like the purety of the piano version as much.

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi Flute Concerto No 4 in G major RV 435*

* James Galway Claudio Scimone & I Solisti Veneti*

So nice!

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Katie said:


> A fortunate day with some remarkable listening at work. First Dorati's renditions of Tschaikovsky's Suites Nos. 3 & 4 while leading the New Philharmonia Orchestra (London, with primary residency in the Royal Festival Hall (visited on a class trip!)) with remarkable support from Hugh Bean on violin...really glorious pieces in which I often discern contemplative, pastoral passages that communicate great trips across sweeping landscapes, which contrast with tumultuous interludes of brazen conflict that bring to mind the nation's long history of a violently secured, strong centralized rule. Though recorded in 1966, the layered sound is crisp and the instrumental components distinct...highly recommended! Here is the remastered original release (67), which also includes the first and second suites:
> 
> View attachment 41357
> 
> 
> Thematically rustic European romantic music - this time with Slavic cultural influences - stood on deck in the form of Bartok's Hungarian Peasant Songs and Romanian Folk Dances; while I've heard some dubious excerpts from generic collections, Ivan Fischer is right at home before the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and there's a perfect pacing and articulation of these unique pieces that clearly illuminates the systemic failures of the lesser versions I'd heard.
> 
> View attachment 41358
> 
> 
> The next selection constituted my introduction to Faure's Requiem and the added Pavane, the former intensely dark and dramatic (as one would naturally expect from such a piece) accentuated by the hauntingly, gothic organ play of Daniel Chorzempa, which is paired impeccably with the measured, rhythmic, processional cadence of the latter piece.
> 
> View attachment 41359
> 
> 
> Finally, I doubt the composition, the conductor, or this very performance require an introduction to most of you - though I had the privilege of a pristine first listen today! Verdi's Requiem conducted by Gardiner leading the very orchestra he founded - the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique - in the (apparently) well regarded December '92 performance that I hunted down after reading multiple glowing reviews. Additionally, while I am vastly unfamiliar with many of the great operatic voices (outside of conventional names like Callas, Tucker, Bergonzi, Bumbry), I required no introduction to Anne Sofie von Otter, who once again demanded of me that I put pen and paper down (or keyboard and screen, as it were) to give her my undivided attention. Remarkable. Truly the best for last...
> 
> View attachment 41361


--
Yeah, that Fischer _Miraculous Mandarin_ on Philips sounds great-- fantastic engineered sound; you can really hear the textures and timbres.

The Eliot Gardiner Verdi_ Requiem _is my favorite reading. . . next to the Solti/Vienna Philharmonic that is. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 41369
> View attachment 41370
> 
> 
> Sibelius' 6th, with Karajan & co.; Sabine Liebner playing Feldman's "For Bunita Marcus"


---
God does that Karajan DG Sibelius Sixth take my breath away; and his early-eighties EMI endeavor-- absolute _per-fect-ion_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Weston said:


> *Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C, Op. 26*
> Claudio Abbado / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Evgeny Kissin, piano
> 
> View attachment 41371
> 
> 
> I love the mysterious chromatic writing in the second movement. Otherwise this piece seems a little unfocused for such a popular composer. Or maybe I am unfocused. It does set a mischievous or playfully macabre mood which is kind of odd for the key of C -- if that's what it really is.
> 
> [Edit: Okay, the finale is pretty interesting, especially rhythmically.]


That first movement of the Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto is just pure, sustained _joie de vivre_--- especially with Kissin or Argerich doing it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> A lot of music today because I didn't go to work, I took a sick day. Back to work tomorrow, back to reality.
> Sibelius Symphonies 2 & 3
> View attachment 41379
> 
> and Barber and Walton Violin Concerti
> View attachment 41380


---
Missing work? Irresponsibly and romantically free? A ravaging addiciton to the Ehnes Barber and Korngold Violin Concertos?-- and the Berglund/Bournemouth Sibelius?--- _we're_ doing lunch. It's settled. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . Thumbs up.


----------



## JCarmel

I'm picking-up on the Claudio Scimone link, oskaar because that is the conductor of the main piece of my afternoon's listening.
I had the cd set right by my side ready to input the info, when I read your post! 
Anyway, I thought I'd dig-out a bit of Donizetti because round at my place, he doesn't get dug-out very often! I'd rather listen to Bellini & of course, Verdi etc.etc.... & there just aren't enough listening hours in the day, to listen to all that is collecting dust on the shelves?!









And then, to Ravels 'Concerto for the Left Hand.' Before writing the concerto, Ravel studied the left-hand études of Camille Saint-Saëns....I am reliably informed!
I have three interpretations on cd (dustily shelved)...but I want to see how Louis Lortie fares with it on this recording, accessed via Spotify.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Both the 1951 and the 1959 Markevitch recordings of Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_ side by side, in excellent transfers by Testament.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

At present, I am listening to *Kathleen Ferrier and Gerald Moore *perform _I Will Lay Me Down in Peace _which will be followed by _O Praise the Lord_. Wonderful performances from a superb pair of performers.








Next up will be *Mozart's Mass in C Minor K.427* performed by the *Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra *under the baton of *Ferenc Fricsay* featuring Maria Stader, Ernst Hafliger et al.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41407
> 
> 
> Both the 1951 and the 1959 Markevitch recordings of Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_ side by side, in excellent transfers by Testament.


---
I'm in love with the savage ferocity of the '59; I like the beginning of Part II on the '51, but the rest of it?-- not so much.

Tremendous cd in every way. The '59 Markevitch is my benchmark_ Sacre_.


----------



## Vasks

_Ralph on records_

*Vaughn Williams - Overture to "The Poisoned Kiss" (Hickox/EMI)
Vaughn Williams - Serenade to Music (Boult/Angel)
Vaughn Williams - Tuba Concerto (Fletcher/RCA)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Vasks said:


> _Ralph on records_
> 
> *Vaughn Williams - Overture to "The Poisoned Kiss" (Hickox/EMI)
> Vaughn Williams - Serenade to Music (Boult/Angel)
> 
> Vaughn Williams - Tuba Concerto (Fletcher/RCA)*


Pure gorgeosity.


----------



## Blancrocher

Enjoying the latest from John Adams.


----------



## Bas

Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in Dm
By Leonidas Kavakos [violin], Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä [dir.], on BIS


----------



## Tsaraslondon

There are at least 4 extant recordings of Janet Baker in *Das Lied von der Erde*, this one, a studio one with Haitink, and two other live versions under Leppard and Kempe respectively. All of them have their virtues, but this one is probably the best, benefiting as it does from the experienced hand of Kubelik. Waldemar Kmentt sings the tenor songs here, not without sense of strain in places (who but Wunderlich doesn't?), but his is still one of the more satisfying versions of the tenor songs. As for Dame Janet, she is matchless, singing with a radiance and beauty that surpasses not only her work on the other sets, but also that of anyone else I have heard in the work.


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

5.6.14_

Arnold Bax
Violin Concerto
[Lydia Mordkovitch, Brydon Thomas, LPO]









*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

5.7.14_

Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 6
[Vernon Handley, BBC PO]









Viola Sonata
[Doris Lederer, Jane Coop]


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Brahms* (1833) and *Tchaikovsky* (1840) birthdays.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41415
> 
> 
> There are at least 4 extant recordings of *Das Lied von der Erde*, this one, a studio one with Haitink, and two other live versions under Leppard and Kempe respectively. All of them have their virtues, but this one is probably the best, benefiting as it does from the experienced hand of Kubelik. Waldemar Kmentt sings the tenor songs here, not without sense of strain in places (who but Wunderlich doesn't?), but his is still one of the more satisfying versions of the tenor songs. As for Dame Janet, she is matchless, singing with a radiance and beauty that surpasses not only her work on the other sets, but also that of anyone else I have heard in the work.


---
I know you think I'm making this up, but I'm not: I got it last week; I have yet to hear it; I'm backlogged with operatic treasures; I'm a loser with a scarlet-and-pink 'L' on my tiara. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

_I can't wait to hear it._


----------



## Vaneyes

Weston said:


> Rubbra has this same effect on me. I think we are supposed to be listening to his way of expanding on a theme or motif, almost like the _fortspinnung_ method of the baroque composers, but I've never really caught on to it. (Yawn . . .) Maybe someday it will gel.


No Rubbra-effect for me. :tiphat:


----------



## Oskaar

* Beethoven's 4th Piano Concert in G opus 58 (1805-6) Published 1808 - *

Royal Albert Hall 2001 (The Proms) - Orchestre de Paris - Conductor Christoph Eschenbach - Piano Soloist Hélène Grimaud. 
1st mvt. Allegro moderato..........00:00 
2nd mvt. Andante con moto (E minor).Starts at 19:00 
3rd mvt. Rondo (Vivace).....................Starts at 26:14

Lovely presentation and a very good performance, but sound is not the best..

*videolink*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Sibelius, Symphony No. 7.*

I can never remember; is it the Berglund Helsinki or Bournemouth cycle that everyone recommends?


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131*

* performed by Afiara Quartet (Live). Filmed live in The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space in New York for WQXR's Beethoven String Quartet Marathon on November 18, 2012.*

This quartet is very tender and athmospharic, and these young musicians brings it all out quite well.

*videolink*


----------



## samurai

I am only familiar with the one you have in your picture, which I can highly recommend.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

This was a freebie with BBC Music Magazine. The actual concert got a 5 star review in The Guardian and it sounds like a pretty good performance to me, though I confess I don't know the 7th that well. I thought the strings sounded a little undernourished to start with but things are warming up a bit now.


----------



## SixFootScowl




----------



## millionrainbows

I hear in this work of Harbison's the influence of Roger Sessions; a more detached, American 'coolness' than Schoenberg's expressionism; less angst, yet still thematic and having great lyricism. The performance is rather perfunctory-sounding, however, but it seems like an academic reading, rather than any deficiency on Laredo's part. The melodic themes, once one has tuned into them, make musical sense, although I think for many traditional listeners this might be difficult territory to travel. This is music which 'gets down to business' without an excess of emotion. Life goes on after WWII, and this is what a composer does in 1990.










This version is equally interesting, and although I detect perhaps less facility, there is a more earthy quality to Randoph Kelly's playing. I'm keeping both of them.


----------



## DavidA

Brahms Piano concerto 1 - Serkin / Szell 

Titanic performance! One of the greatest ever.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

part 1

Preludium in C - BWV 545
Cantate Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott - BWV 101
Orgelkoraal Vater unser im Himmelreich - BWV 682
Motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf - BWV 226
Orgelkoraal Vater unser im Himmelreich - BWV 737
Fuga in C - BWV 545*

Uitvoerenden: 
Musica Amphion &
Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam

Wolfgang Zerer, orgel
Pieter-Jan Belder en Harry van der Kamp, muzikale leiding

Datum: vrijdag 13 september 2013, 19:30
Plaats: Zöblitz, Duitsland
Locatie: Stadtkirche

Beautiful sacral concerto. Beautiful settings, and fine performance. But I like Bach even better when you have kind of less stiff seriousity..

*videolink*


----------



## Blancrocher

For the birthday anniversaries of Tchaikovsky and Brahms: Argerich, Kremer, and Maisky in the Trio for Piano and Strings in A minor, Op. 50; Sokolov playing the op. 10 Ballades and 3rd piano sonata.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Manxfeeder said:


> *Sibelius, Symphony No. 7.*
> 
> I can never remember; is it the Berglund Helsinki or Bournemouth cycle that everyone recommends?


---
I can't speak for others, but for me, and as far as a_ set _of Sibelius symphonies goes (I'm an individual, performance-by-performance symphony person myself), the Berglund/_Bournemouth_ set has the _overall_ best and most magnificent sound, fantastic brassy climaxes, and lusher-than-usual strings.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

part 2

Preludium in d - BWV 539
Cantate Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben - BWV 102
Fuga in d - BWV 539*

Uitvoerenden: 
Musica Amphion &
Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam

Wolfgang Zerer, orgel
Pieter-Jan Belder en Harry van der Kamp, muzikale leiding

Datum: vrijdag 13 september 2013, 19:30
Plaats: Zöblitz, Duitsland
Locatie: Stadtkirche

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Happy Birthday Pytor!*









Svetlanov's treatment of those strings and horns at the end of the first movement!!

Oh.

My.

God.

_Soooo awesome._

Byron himself could never evoke such sublime sentiment.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Marschallin Blair said:


> Pure gorgeosity.


"gorgeosity" - I love that word


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> "gorgeosity" - I love that word


Every clique needs an Alex if not a Blair.


----------



## DrKilroy

For Brahms' birthday - his Symphony No. 2 with Bernard Haitink and RCO.


Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 33 No. 1 in B minor (Buchberger Quartet).









What an excellent recording of Op. 33 .

Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major (Heinrich Schiff; Sir Neville Marriner; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).









Excellent recording, imo - lively, lyrical, with edgy, snappy rhythms.


----------



## Cosmos

Since it is Brahms', Tchaikovsky's, and my own birthday today, I'm planning on listening to the following favorites of mine:

Brahms: Symphony 3
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite 1
Beethoven Piano Concerto 5
Chopin Four Ballades
Bach Goldberg Variations
and Mahler 5th

It is a long program but I think I can get through it :lol:
Realistically, I'll just listen to whatever I get the chance to listen to


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Mahler: Symphony No. 9*
Bruno Walter & the Vienna Philharmonic 








I still cannot believe this recording is from 1938, this is one of my favourite recordings of Mahler's Ninth.


----------



## Oskaar

*Jordi Savall. Lachrimae Caravaggio*

*Hesperion XXI.
Jordi Savall
Ferran Savall
Festival de Maguelone, 2012.*

I am not sure if it is medieval or rennaissance music, but is absoluteli stunning! I have read that Jordi Savall has done a marvelous job in this field for many years. I look forward to dig deeper into this field. 
And it is much bether for relaxation,afterthaughts ans meditation than all the new age meditation cds that you can find, that must be a big industry.
The beaty lays in the music, the tones from each instrument, and the voices. Very good sound, and slow respectfull filming.
A GEM!

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Cosmos said:


> Since it is Brahms', Tchaikovsky's, and my own birthday today, I'm planning on listening to the following favorites of mine:
> 
> Brahms: Symphony 3
> Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite 1
> Beethoven Piano Concerto 5
> Chopin Four Ballades
> Bach Goldberg Variations
> and Mahler 5th
> 
> It is a long program but I think I can get through it :lol:


Happy Birthday, Cosmos! Enjoy the excellent music .


----------



## Cosmos

*Brahms* Symphony no. 3, Bernard Haitink with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## Cosmos

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Happy Birthday, Cosmos! Enjoy the excellent music .


Thanks  As Rachmaninov put it, music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music. In other words, I'll probably only listen to three things on my list today


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Op. 64, w. Auryn Qt. (rec.2009); Piano Sonatas, w. MAH (Vol. I, rec. 2005).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Cosmos said:


> Since it is Brahms', Tchaikovsky's, and my own birthday today, I'm planning on listening to the following favorites of mine:
> 
> Brahms: Symphony 3
> Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite 1
> Beethoven Piano Concerto 5
> Chopin Four Ballades
> Bach Goldberg Variations
> and Mahler 5th
> 
> It is a long program but I think I can get through it :lol:
> Realistically, I'll just listen to whatever I get the chance to listen to


---
Happy Birthday, Cosmos. Make it truly enchanting. Blast the Dutoit or Svetlanov _Swan Lake_.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*С Днем Рождения Чайковский!*

























Tchaikovsky was never afraid to hold back emotionally, so honoring his example, nor will I. I want to share an e-mail I sent to a friend today on how I came to discover Tchaikovsky; and what he means to me--- yes, as saccharine and sophomoric as it sounds. Okay! Go!:

_I've always loved the Nutcracker since I was a very young child; as my mother would play it quite often at Christmas time; and of course never miss a performance of California Ballet doing it at the Civic Center. The first piece of his that I self-consciously put on the turn table was the Pathetique in eighth grade-- she had a Time/Life record of it; I can't remember the conductor or orchestra-- and, though I didn't even know what a 'movement' was, just fell in love with the third movement-- especially the outer parts of it: the build-up to the first climax and the last couple minutes of the ending.

-- But then, that was it. . . until I was about nineteen or so; and my best friend-- though he wasn't at the time; in fact at the time, he was a mere acquaintanceship at a bookstore we both worked at-- asked me what 'else' I wanted to hear at his house one night when I was expressing a fervid interest in the Debussy Nocturnes-- so I told him about the Tchaikovsky; and he put it on. . . And all of those happy, elated, 'heart-on-your-sleeve' emotions (as you and H.L. Mencken so-disparagingly and dismissively put it. Ha. Ha. Ha.) came back. It resonated in the most wonderful way; and with a more mature mind set.

So, the first things I bought that week were the Karajan/BPO Nutcracker highlights and the '77 Solti Pathetique. . . the '77 Karajan/BPO followed in the course of a few months. . . and then I can't even tell you where it ended. I got the Ashkenazy/Philharmonia 4,5, and 6; the Karajan DG box set; the Karajan/VPO Nutcracker highlights; the Dorati/Concertgebouw Philips recording (which has my favorite "Waltz of the Snowflakes")--- just too many performances to recall all at once-- this was of course over the course of probably three or four years.

Later, I heard the Levine/Staatskapalle Eugene Onegin at a now-defunct place called the Digitial Ear in-- I forget the 'G'-'D' city . . . oh, no I didn't: 'Tustin'; a city in the southern part of Orange County. I heard it on some awesomely-set-up B&W Nautaluses-- I was in heaven. The waltz scene and chorus just did me in: so much fun. So utterly delightful in every way. So charming. . . It just resonated with me; and still does.

No, Tchaikovsky doesn't have the emotional, de-profundis profundity (with perhaps parts of the ballets and the last movement of the Pathetique being the most notable exceptions) of, say, the chamber music and piano sonatas of Schubert or Beethoven-- but then, I don't really care, either. I love the beauty. The charm and enchantment envelops me in a way neither Schubert and Beethoven could never do.

But 'yes,' I'd agree that Tchaikovsky is really a child at heart. A lot of surface sheen and adolescent emotional extravagance; but Schubert's and Beethoven's greatest moments?-- totally ineffable.

In literature, I'd say the equivalent comparison in my experience would be the difference between Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel and Conrad's Nostromo. . .

You don't like kids?

I love hyping-up my friends' and relatives' kids. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

It must be the Tchaikovksy in me._

Who else wants to share _their _Tchaikovsky story?


----------



## Morimur

*The National Dance Company of Cambodia - (1991) Homrong*










_Review by Adam Greenberg_

A number of traditional songs as performed by the National Dance Company of Cambodia, some ten years after the reformation of the Ministry of Culture (after Pol Pot's regime had been put down). The compositions are largely traditional works here, with the various genres ranging from full classical to semi-classical to wedding and folk songs. The basic form of the works involves the dance orchestra playing while the lead singer narrates stories from epics and legends, sometimes also including love poetry. The album starts out with a lullaby, followed by a poem of love and a bit of worship to the Guru, as well as a short excerpt from epic. The rest of the album generally follows the path of the first four songs, moving from one topic to another within the set framework. The music can become rather monotonous at times, but the performers do a good job nonetheless. Pick it up as a nice look at the basic forms of song present in Cambodia, but look for a video release first, as dance is really an integral part of this semi-ritualized art form.


----------



## julianoq

Again a little away from the boards, again doing a lot of inner work and listening a lot of Sibelius. Current listening Shosty's Piano Quintet for a change!


----------



## Oskaar

*Stabat Mater - Gioachino Rossini*

Anna Netrebko, Marianna Pizzolato, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, Matthew Polenzani. Coro and Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Antonio Pappano at the Salzburg Festival 2011.

Last post for tonight, but it is a good one, I think. I am enjoying it a lot, but it is more opratic than other stabat maters, naturally with Rossini. Fantastic performance, and a joy to hear-watch

*videolink*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Hindemith - Piano Sonatas

No. 1 in A; No. 2 in G; No. 3 in B flat*
Markus Becker, [Hyperion, 2012]

*Peter Warlock - Songs*

The Curlew
Lillygay
Peter Warlock's Fancy
Peterisms, 1st and 2nd sets
My ghostly fader
Bright is the ring of words
Saudades
The bachelor
Away to Twiver
Captain Stratton's Fancy

Adrian Thompson (ten)
Christopher Maltman (bar)
John Constable (piano)
The Duke Quartet
Philippa Davies (flute)
Christine Pendrill (cor anglais)
rec. 3-4, 11 Feb 1997, All Saints Church, East Finchley, London [Collins Classics, now reissued on Naxos]

















The Hindemith piano sonatas are my current favourite, and this disc is getting a loy of play. Becker has an impressive grasp of this music and is a persuasive advocate for it. As James H. North at ArkivMusic puts it "I urge all music lovers, no matter what you think of Hindemith, to hear this magnificent disc".

I am getting to know this selection of songs by Peter Warlock better after a few listens. I agree with the reviewer who much prefers Warlock (a.k.a Philip Heseltine) in his serious art-song mode, e.g. in 'The Curlew' (he is also prone to 'English pastoral whimsy' with a fair sprinkling of hey-nonny-noes).


----------



## Cosmos

*Chopin* The Four Ballades, Krystian Zimerman


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker, Op. 71 - Overture; 
The Decoration of the Christmas Tree; March;
The Battle (John Lanchbery; Philharmonia Orchestra).









Happy Birthday to the great composer!


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## ShropshireMoose

Brahms: Violin Sonatas 1-3 Josef Suk/Julius Katchen
Brahms: Fantasies, Op.116 Julius Katchen

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker- Complete Ballet London Philharmonic Orchestra/Arthur Rodzinski

For the joint birthdays of Brahms and Tchaikovsky! It has always amused me that two composers who really didn't like each other, and were both quite rude about each other, share the same birthday! Anyway, these performances of the violin sonatas by Suk and Katchen are a delight, this whole set in fact is a delight, a bargain from my local 2nd hand record shop! Then Rodzinski conducting the Nutcracker, I'm enjoying it, but it doesn't displace the Dorati/LSO recording on Mercury in my affections.


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## JCarmel

Happy Birthday, Brahms hey?!...

Brahms Symphony No 4 ... Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony









A little interval with Intermezzo Opus 119 No 3 played by Clifford Curzon, which takes me back to my youth.






Piano Sonata No 3 in F Minor Opus 5 Annie Fischer....On Spotify









Then a selection of Brahms' Songs ...performed so well by Jessye Norman accompanied by Daniel Barenboim

That should take me into ' the wee small hours?!'


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's listening to French and Spanish art songs, inspired by the Art Song project thread:

*Manuel de Falla - Psyché, for mezzo-soprano, flute, harp & string trio, G67*
Czvik Ildikó - cselló
Kolarics Kinga - hárfa
Pege Kornélia - hegedű
Tóth Balázs - brácsa
Tóth Zsuzsanna - fuvola
[on YouTube] I'll leave you to work out the translations from the Hungarian here!

*Gabriel Fauré - Cinq Mélodies "de Venise" (Op. 58)*
Joyce DiDonato -mezzosoprano; Julius Drake -piano
From: "The art of French song: Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, Satie..." [YouTube]

*Claude Debussy - 5 Poèmes de Baudelaire (L. 64)*
Nathalie Stutzmann -contralto; Catherine Collard -piano
From: "The art of French song: Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, Satie..." [YouTube]

*Alfonso X el Sabio - Santa Maria Strela do Dia*
La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Hesperion XX (Jordi Savall), 2009 [YouTube]

Alfonso X is way outside my familiarity zone but I enjoyed this a great deal.


----------



## jim prideaux

so there you go!....for anyone with even a passing interest in football I have just returned from an evening at the Stadium of Light having witnessed the culmination of the 'Greatest Escape' and am now listening to the three Borodin symphonies performed by Gunzenhauser conducting the CSR S.O........needed something calming, reflective etc


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

174 Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte
175 Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen
176 Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (174) and Gustav Leonhardt (175, 176), cond.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Before bed:

*Gabriel Faure*

*Nine Préludes for piano, Op. 103

Impromptus for piano:
No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 25
No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31
No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 34
No. 4 in D flat major, Op. 91
No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 102*

Paul Crossley (Piano) [CRD, rec. 1987]










Paul Crossley's beautiful, limpid (pellucid?) Faure (complete solo piano works) recordings on CRD remain a great favourite.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 Vladimir Horowitz/New York Philharmonic Orchestra/George Szell

Tchaikovsky: Doumka, Op.59 The Shropshire Moose himself!

This is Horowitz's silver jubilee concert from Carnegie Hall, 12th January, 1953. It is a stunning performance, and I think the most exciting performance that I know of this concerto, it's certainly got better sound than any of Horowitz's other performances. This is from the Horowitz-Carnegie Hall box set on Sony. Then to conclude with, a performance of "Doumka" from a recital I gave on 21st October, 2010, in the library at Kidderminster! They had a beautiful Steinway grand in a recital room on the top floor. Sadly a few months after this, the council, in their infinite wisdom divided the recital room into office space and sent the Steinway packing. Idiotic dolts. I learned this piece inspired by VH's recording of it, and, if I may say so, I don't make a bad job of it! Great heavens but I love music.


----------



## Guest

Sono Luminus releases their new recordings in a dual format: Blu-Ray "pure audio" and standard CD (or two, in this case). I listened to the B-R at its highest resolution (24 bit/192 kHz), and I must say it sounds very realistic. Perhaps a larger hall or a church would add a bit more ambience to the sound, but SL's studio sounds good. The two violinists play wonderfully, but there isn't enough variety in the music for me to listen to more than three or so at a time.


----------



## Weston

*Joseph Jongen: Concerto for wind quintet & orchestra (minus the orchestra), Op. 124*
The Sylvan Winds









Really interesting quirky concerto for winds and orchestra seeing as how there is no orchestra. That's okay. It feels fairly complete as is. Maybe Allmusic made an elaborate typo. Or maybe this is a version for just wind quintet. The work is lively and the middle section features an interesting few moments of profound bassoon ruminations. At least I think it's a bassoon. It almost sounds like a weird renaissance regal.


----------



## Weston

Marschallin Blair said:


> That first movement of the Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto is just pure, sustained _joie de vivre_--- especially with Kissin or Argerich doing it.


I do sometimes sound like an old grump when it comes to music, or at other times desultory, but I really enjoy it. It takes a while for a piece to grow on me, and I am often posting as it is playing. I'll probably pick up on the _jois de vivre_ next time.


----------



## JCarmel

RIP...

Antony Hopkins...I remember listening to his music appreciation lectures on Radio 3.







on Spotify














Sir George Christie...the Master and the driving force behind Glyndebourne.


----------



## Weston

SimonNZ said:


> Shostakovich's String Quartet No.8 - Kronos Quartet


I cannot listen to this album at night. I live alone and it's terrifying.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Ravel, Bolero, Overture de feerie*


----------



## PetrB

Takashi Yoshimatsu - piano concerto _Memo Flora_ posted before in an anthology link, but now in a link of its own


----------



## PetrB

Weston said:


> I do sometimes sound like an old grump when it comes to music, or at other times desultory, but I really enjoy it. It takes a while for a piece to grow on me, and I am often posting as it is playing. I'll probably pick up on the _jois de vivre_ next time.


Try this recording ~ Gary Graffman; George Szell, Cleveland orchestra. It has Prokofiev's 1st and 3rd piano concerti, in one of those 'everything mighty fine' performances.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/prokofiev-piano-concertos-nos-1-3-mw0001845004


----------



## Blancrocher

Sudbin playing Scriabin's piano music; Muti & co. in one or two symphonies.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: String Quartet No.165 in D Minor, KV 421

Alban Berg Quartet: Gunter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz, violins -- Thopmas Kakuska, viola -- Valentin Erben, cello


----------



## Weston

*Debussy: Images for orchestra, L. 122*
Simon Ratlle / City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra









It's always nice to return to more familiar pieces after exploring far afield.


----------



## bejart

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824): Violin Sonata in E Major, Op.4, No.1

Felix Ayo, violin -- Corrado De Bernart, piano


----------



## Trev Edwards

Taking a dip into my first Mercury Living Presence Set: Howard Hanson "The Composer and his Orchestra"



Merry Mount Suite: 1. Overture

Mosaics

For The First Time

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Op. 36:

Pretty good so far. The recordings are pretty good and don't reveal their age much (recorded in the 50's). One early crescendo overloaded the system but otherwise they are crystal clear.


----------



## science




----------



## Weston

*Asger Hamerik: Choral-Symphony No. 7, for mezzo-soprano, choir & orchestra, Op. 40*
Thomas Dausgaard / Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Choir / Randi Stene, mezzo-soprano









Don't let the dubstep glitchtronica inspired album cover lead you astray. This is pure late romanticism with a mighty orchestral noise. Wikipedia says, "His Seventh Symphony has been compared with Mahler's works from the same period, involving hundreds of musicians in its first performance . . ." but therein lies the only similarity to my ears. Hundreds of musicians does not a Mahler symphony make, and it's only 35 minutes long! Actually I doubt the orchestra is all that big in this recording, but it's a good listen nonetheless.

That'll have to be an early nightcap for me. I'm off to read for the rest of the evening.


----------



## Blancrocher

Mompou playing his own piano works; Victoria de los Angeles and others singing his songs, including the lovely "Combat del somni."


----------



## opus55

Ross Harris: Cello Concerto


----------



## Aniol Czelusniak

Everything that is Bach <333 aha in account I am learning all of his inventions right now  Love the Baroque.


----------



## Morimur

*Eskimo Women's Music of Povungnituk - (1980) Inuit Throat & Harp Songs*










This recording presents Katajjait (throat songs) from Povungnituk, a village on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay. This is beautiful, classical-folk Inuit music dating back a millennia. Highly recommended.


----------



## Morimur

Weston said:


> That'll have to be an early nightcap for me. I'm off to read for the rest of the evening.


You're off to READ!? Weston and his fancy book-learnin'. ut:


----------



## samurai

Carl Nielsen--*Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5,* *Op.50,* both traversed by the Michael Schonwandt led Danish National Symphony Orchestra. 
Jean Sibelius--*Symphony No.**1 in* *E Minor, Op.39 and Symphony No.4 in A Minor, Op.63,* both featuring Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Bohuslav Martinu--*Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2, *both rendered by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Jarvi.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Okay, time to get serious.

"_Der Einsame im Herbst_" with Dame Janet Baker. Oh my is this getting good. . .

-- _now in edit-mode and adding to my own post--
_
. . .and now some minutes later I'm at "_Der Abschied_"-- I just had to stop ironing and wipe my eyes and concentrate on the text. This is absolutely sublime. I admit, I had only a passing, scanted familiarity with _Das Lied von der Erde_, until now.

This is emotionally crushing. I don't even have the words to describe how beautiful it is; and my vision is getting blurry trying to type these words.


----------



## Mahlerian

Marschallin Blair said:


> . . .and now some minutes later I'm at "_Der Abschied_"-- I just had to stop ironing and wipe my eyes and concentrate on the text. This is absolutely sublime. I admit, I had only a passing, scanted familiarity with _Das Lied von der Erde_, until now.
> 
> This is emotionally crushing. I don't even have the words to describe how beautiful it is; and my vision is getting blurry trying to type these words.


It's an amazing work. I love it, and can no longer imagine why, the first time I heard it, I didn't understand how beautiful it was. Such is art.

Anyway, a little quiet something before I head off to sleep.

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 in D minor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Leinsdorf









...it seems what I describe and what I reach for are different things...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Quote Originally Posted by Marschallin Blair View Post
> . . .and now some minutes later I'm at "Der Abschied"-- I just had to stop ironing and wipe my eyes and concentrate on the text. This is absolutely sublime. I admit, I had only a passing, scanted familiarity with Das Lied von der Erde, until now.
> 
> This is emotionally crushing. I don't even have the words to describe how beautiful it is; and my vision is getting blurry trying to type these words.
> 
> 
> Mahlerian: It's an amazing work. I love it, and can no longer imagine why, the first time I heard it, I didn't understand how beautiful it was. Such is art.


It couldn't have been said better-- my experience exactly. How could I be so _blind_? . . . _and_ _deaf_. . . _and __dumb_?

I'm absolutely thunderstruck, out-of-focus, blurry-eyed.


----------



## Alypius

Not sure why, but Bartok has been my go-to composer for the last week. Tonight:

*1. Bartók, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (Sz 106) (1936)*










*2. Bartók, Piano Concerto #2 (Sz. 95) (1930-1931)*










*3. Bartók, Out of Doors (BB 89) (1926)*










*4. Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra (Sz 116) (1943)*


----------



## KenOC

Christopher O'Riley (!) playing Beethoven's Op. 10 #3 sonata. From this one-buck Amazon download:










I mean, check this out. The complete Beethoven symphonies from Rene Leibowitz? For a buck? My gast is thoroughly flabbered.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Genius-Beethoven-Classical-Masterpieces/dp/B00JWNY1QA/ref=cm_rdp_product


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg:50th Anniversary", disc nine:

Hugues Dufourt - Erewhon
Hughes Dufourt - Sombre Journee

taken from:


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor, 'Pathétique' (Evgeny Mravinsky; Leningrader Philharmonie).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Tchaikovsky's birthday may have passed here in the UK, but secure in the knowledge that it is still his birthday somewhere in the world, I am listening this morning to the Symphony that has always been my favourite, no. 6, here in Mravinsky's peerless recording with the Leningrad Philharmonic.

Nowadays it is so popular that it is easy to forget how revolutionary it was, the first symphony to begin and end with a slow movement, dying away in a low moan rather than ending in a blaze of triumph. Where would Mahler have been without it?

We also forget how revolutionary his ballet scores were, conceived on a much more symphonic scale than anything that had come before.

It pleases me that the 'musical establishment' is less sniffy about Tchaikovsky than it used to be, and there no longer seems to be a need to defend a love of his music, and I for one am happy to admit to enjoy wallowing in his brand of overt emotionalism.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor, 'Pathétique' (Evgeny Mravinsky; Leningrader Philharmonie).
> 
> View attachment 41468


Now that's spooky. See my post directly below yours.


----------



## SimonNZ

Schumann's Kinderszenen and Kreisleriana - Martha Argerich, piano

Just found this 11-cd set selling for the equivalent of a single mid-price disc.

I've got all this repertoire on other discs from other pianists, and even have four discs of Argerich in the Philips Great Pianists series as well as two or three others of hers, but just couldn't resist. Pure, delicious gluttony.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Sticking with Tchaikovsky and Vasily Petrenko making an excellent case for *Manfred*.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Scriabin: Feuillet d'album, Op.58
Medtner: Fairy Tale in A, Op.51 No.3
Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat Minor, Op.36/Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op.32 no.12/Moment Musical, Op.16 No.3/Etudes-Tableau, Op.33 Nos.2 & 5, Op.39 No.9 Vladimir Horowitz

Horowitz showing himself here to be both master of large and small forms. The Rachmaninoff sonata is overwhelming, a performance that grabs you by the throat instantly and runs your emotions dry, absolutely superb. At the other end of the scale, the little Scriabin piece is exquisitely played, as is the Medtner. The Medtner is an absolute gem. Apparently Horowitz played a great deal of Medtner in private, would that he had recorded it. I am ecstatic with all this, marvellous.


----------



## JCarmel

Two Favourites.....to commence my listening day


----------



## SimonNZ

Nielsen's Violin Sonatas 1 and 2 - Georgios Demertzis, violin, Maria Asteriadou, piano


----------



## maestro267

*Weinberg*: Symphony No. 8, "Polish Flowers"
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Wit


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major Mitsuko Uchida piano*

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mariss Jansons conductor
Proms festival 2013, London
Royal Albert Hall

Eminent playing. And I really like this concerto.

*videolink*


----------



## shangoyal

First listen.

Shostakovich: *Symphony No. 4 in C minor*

London Symphony Orchestra / M. Rostropovich


----------



## SimonNZ

"A Lammas Ladymass: 13th and 14th Century English Chant and Polyphony" - Anonymous 4


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in A Minor, D113

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Giovanni Guglielmo, violin


----------



## Oskaar

*Bedřch Smetana Má Vlast (My Home Country)*

Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Vyšehrad 0:00
Vltava (The Moldau) 17:32 
Šárka 33:04 
Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemia's woods and fields) 44:38 
Tábor 58:50 
Blaník 1:12:59

These is one of the works I knew a little before my interrest for classical music took off, and what a mountain of a work. National romantic, but not over the hill. The music just describes Smetanas memories and impressions of some landmarks in the czech republik. I love the work, and think this performance submit all aspects very well. 
Harnoncourt sometimes does magic, and he is close here.

The film producer is awake and follow the music and the little things that happens.

Really reccomended!

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Antonin Vranicky (1761-1820): String Quartet No.4 in D Major

Martinu Quartet: Lubomir Havlak and Petr Macecek, violins -- Jan Jisa, viola -- Jitka Vlasankova, cello


----------



## Trev Edwards

Unexpected day off work, so I'm playing World of Tanks and listening to the DG Beethoven Symphony cycle by Bernstein with the Vienna Phil from the Bernstein box set.


----------



## Jeff W

Jeff reporting in with his morning Haydn report. Disc no. 9 has been traversed and symphonies No. 34 through 37 have been listened to. General Antal Dorati led the troops of the Philharmonia Hungarica for this expedition. Have to say, No. 34 & 36 were the two that stuck out to me. Can't put any finger on it other than those were the ones that stuck out!









My exploration of the land of Nielsen continued with his 4th and 5th symphonies. Herbert Blomstedt leads the San Francisco Symphony. Must say, I am quite impressed with what I am hearing any only regret not getting a Nielsen set earlier!


----------



## SimonNZ

Copland's Connotations For Orchestra - Leonard Bernstein, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

o.k......still excited admittedly after last nights match and the 'survival' of my home town team but newly arrived this morning and now about to embark upon my first listen to....Tubin 3rd and 8th symphonies....trust that this will be the equal of the other discoveries I have had the good fortune to make over the last few months!


----------



## Oskaar

*J. S. Bach - Kantate "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 140 (Ton Koopman)*

The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
Conductor - Ton Koopman
Soprano - Lisa Larsson
Tenor - Lothar Odinius
Bass - Klaus Mertens

The cantata is scored for horn, 2 oboes, taille (an instrument similar to the oboe da caccia, today often replaced by an English horn), violino piccolo, violin, viola, basso continuo, and choir with soprano, tenor, and bass soloists.
I. Chorus: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake up, the voice calls to us)
II. Recitative: Er kommt (He comes)
III. Aria (duet): Wann kommst du, mein Heil? (When will you come, my salvation?)
IV. Chorale: Zion hört die Wächter singen (Zion hears the watchmen singing)
V. Recitative: So geh herein zu mir (So come in with me)
VI. Aria (duet): Mein Freund ist mein! (My friend is mine!)
VII. Chorale: Gloria sei dir gesungen (May Gloria be sung to you)

Beautiful!

*videolink*


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ', BWV 91_
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino, brass ensemble
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki









*George Onslow*: _Sonata for Violoncello & Piano, op. 16 no. 2_
Emmanuel Jacques, violoncello
Maude Gratton, fortepiano


----------



## JCarmel

Yet another to the youtube 'Watch Later' listings, oskaar!

I wasn't feeling too fandabidozee this morning...and then there was that beloved thump of penny cd's on the mat. So I'll be working my way through listening to them mixed-in with others discs...to eek-out the pleasures (or otherwise!..) of first hearings.

First up...another Scheherazade! Its the Kondrashin recording but nicely disguised under the Classics fm label...offering several 'fillers' including the Russian Easter Festival Overture.. other than Borodin's 2nd symphony that is coupled with the current Decca/Philips issue. Although it didn't get to the first place in my recent comparison, I was very impressed with the recording and in particular the solo violin of Hermann Krebbers & his 'personification' of Scheherazade's voice.









I was loathe to leave Bach's Concerto for Two Violins out of my Desert Island 8 yesterday...so I'm listening to it this afternoon and its featuring the playing of Krebbers, partnered with Arthur Grumiaux...a bit of a dream team!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41467
> 
> 
> Tchaikovsky's birthday may have passed here in the UK, but secure in the knowledge that it is still his birthday somewhere in the world, I am listening this morning to the Symphony that has always been my favourite, no. 6, here in Mravinsky's peerless recording with the Leningrad Philharmonic.
> 
> Nowadays it is so popular that it is easy to forget how revolutionary it was, the first symphony to begin and end with a slow movement, dying away in a low moan rather than ending in a blaze of triumph. Where would Mahler have been without it?
> 
> We also forget how revolutionary his ballet scores were, conceived on a much more symphonic scale than anything that had come before.
> 
> It pleases me that the 'musical establishment' is less sniffy about Tchaikovsky than it used to be, and there no longer seems to be a need to defend a love of his music, and I for one am happy to admit to enjoy wallowing in his brand of overt emotionalism.


---
_I absolutely love this post. _

My vote, but with the same sentiments in tact, is for the '72 EMI Karajan and the '77 DG Karajan. . .

And what's wrong with 'emotionalism' with some people? Are these people even_ alive_?


----------



## Oskaar

*Leoncavallo - Mattinata (Last Night of the Proms 2012)*

Reminds me of a norwegian actor,imitator and humorist (the song) but that is to intern...

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Nejedly - Dramatic Overture (Pesek/Panton)
Lutoslawski - Cello Concerto (Rostropovich/Angel)
Dutilleux - Symphony #2 (Munch/Erato)*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 41474
> 
> 
> Jeff reporting in with his morning Haydn report. Disc no. 9 has been traversed and symphonies No. 34 through 37 have been listened to. General Antal Dorati led the troops of the Philharmonia Hungarica for this expedition. Have to say, No. 34 & 36 were the two that stuck out to me. Can't put any finger on it other than those were the ones that stuck out!
> 
> View attachment 41475
> 
> 
> My exploration of the land of Nielsen continued with his 4th and 5th symphonies. Herbert Blomstedt leads the San Francisco Symphony. Must say, I am quite impressed with what I am hearing any only regret not getting a Nielsen set earlier!


No. 34 in D minor: it must've been that opening Adagio .


----------



## Vaneyes

*Vogner* w. Reiner (rec.1959) and GG (rec.1973 - '82).








View attachment 41484


----------



## Selby

*
The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

5.8.14_

In preparation for the concert this Saturday:
http://tickets.orsymphony.org/single/EventDetail.aspx?p=2260

Gustav Mahler
Das Lied von der Erde
[Thomas Hamptom, Stuart Skelton, Michael Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony]


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 37 in D Major; 
No. 18 in B-Flat Major; No. 23 in F Major (Walter Olbertz).


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Beethoven V: Last Movement, Reiner/CSO*









I need to recharge my batteries after that full-frontal attack on my senses with the Kubelik/Baker _Das Lied von der Erde_ from last night.

So Im taking on the world with the last movement of the Reiner Beethoven V. Nothing less will do._ ;D_. . . except perhaps for Toscannini doing the ending of the Beethoven II. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Andolink

What a jaw dropping masterpiece this is!

*Frank Bridge*: _String Quartet No. 4_ (1937)
Goldner String Quartet


----------



## Vasks

_"What a jaw dropping masterpiece this is!"

*Frank Bridge*: String Quartet No. 4 (1937) _

Whole-heartily agree!!!!!!!


----------



## Oskaar

*J.S. Bach: Motet BWV 227 'Jesu, meine Freude'
Vocalconsort Berlin o.l.v. Daniel Reuss*

youtube comment

_I've listened to countless superb performances of this and similar music but I can't find words to describe how astonishingly good this is. Angelic voices, astonishing interpretation and conducting which is sheer genius. _

Amen! This really is great. The sound is also very good

*videolink*


----------



## Orfeo

*Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet*
Opera in 4 acts "Esclarmonde." 
-Joan Sutherland, Giacomo Aragall, Huguette Tourangeau, Grant, Quilico, Davies, Lloyd, Caley, & Clark.
-The National Philharmonic Orchestra & John Alldis Choir/Richard Alan Bonynge.
-->_Although for years I love Heriodiade and Werther, I swear up and down Esclarmonde is becoming my favorite of Massenet's operas._

*Francis Poulenc*
Piano Concerto, Concert champetre, & Organ Concerto.
-Jean-Bernard Pommier, piano.
-Maggie Cole, harpsichord.
-Gillian Weir, organ.
-The City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hickox.

*Hector Berlioz*
Overtures: Benvenuto Cellini, Les Francs-juges, Waverly, etc.
-The Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal/Charles Dutoit.

*John Ireland*
Piano works (The Almond Tree, Piano Sonata, Decorations, Preludes, etc.).
-Eric Parkin, piano.


----------



## Orfeo

TurnaboutVox said:


> Before bed:
> 
> *Gabriel Faure*
> 
> *Nine Préludes for piano, Op. 103
> 
> Impromptus for piano:
> No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 25
> No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31
> No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 34
> No. 4 in D flat major, Op. 91
> No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 102*
> 
> Paul Crossley (Piano) [CRD, rec. 1987]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Paul Crossley's beautiful, limpid (pellucid?) Faure (complete solo piano works) recordings on CRD remain a great favourite.


My favorite also. Crossley's playing never fails to lose my attention to even Faure's most subtlest of passages. I think his set measures up to the more talked about Stott's one under Hyperion (or exceeds it in some ways). Crossley's set was well received by Gramophone but it seems that not many people know it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johannes Bramhs (1833 - 1897)
Pianokonzer Nr. 2
Piano concerto N° 2*

München Philharmoniker
Dirigent: Sergiu Celibidache
Piano: Daniel Barenboim

1st mov 00:30
2nd mov 20:00
3rd mov 29:55
4th﻿ mov 42:26

This must bee some years old, so the sound is surprisingly good.
Blizzering performance from two of the biggest

*videolink*


----------



## Orfeo

jim prideaux said:


> o.k......still excited admittedly after last nights match and the 'survival' of my home town team but newly arrived this morning and now about to embark upon my first listen to....Tubin 3rd and 8th symphonies....trust that this will be the equal of the other discoveries I have had the good fortune to make over the last few months!


Or perhaps more, at least in some respects. Tubin's Eighth Symphony is a hell of a masterpiece, probably the best of his symphonies, even though all of them are mighty impressive.


----------



## JCarmel

Not all penny purchases are 'keepers' ..









I could have kept that pence & the 1.26 P&P that accompanied it, as really all that Alfredo Perl's Liszt has done is make me want to play my recordings of Berman, Brendel, Kentner & Curzon...not to mention Richter, Bolet & Zimerman.

Annees de Pelerinage, Lazar Berman









Liszt, Piano Concerto No 2, Krystian Zimerman, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra









.


----------



## Weston

KenOC said:


> Christopher O'Riley (!) playing Beethoven's Op. 10 #3 sonata. From this one-buck Amazon download:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I mean, check this out. The complete Beethoven symphonies from Rene Leibowitz? For a buck? My gast is thoroughly flabbered.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/The-Genius-Beethoven-Classical-Masterpieces/dp/B00JWNY1QA/ref=cm_rdp_product


I'm always mortified to post this K-Tel 5000 Super Classical Smash Hits (as seen on tv!) sort of thing. I think I need whatever you are having.


----------



## Oskaar

*Elgar Cello Concerto E-Minor Benedict Kloeckner*

youtube comment

_Breath taking performance! This music takes me to another place and makes me feel alive! Incredible beautiful.﻿_

I am not so found of Elgar yet, but this concerto is very, very good. Very emotional.

This young guy has an intens, passionate approach...it is wonderfull!

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

JCarmel said:


> Not all penny purchases are 'keepers' ..
> 
> View attachment 41498
> 
> 
> I could have kept that pence & the 1.26 P&P that accompanied it, as really all that Alfredo Perl's Liszt has done is make me want to play my recordings of Berman, Brendel, Kentner & Curzon...not to mention Richter, Bolet & Zimerman.
> 
> Annees de Pelerinage, Lazar Berman
> 
> View attachment 41499
> 
> 
> Liszt, Piano Concerto No 2, Krystian Zimerman, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra
> 
> View attachment 41500
> 
> 
> .


That Zimmerman _Totentanz_ is heat-coming-off-of-the-clutch-plates smokin'!


----------



## Oskaar

*Truls Mørk in Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191:*

* 1 Allegro
2 Adagio, ma non troppo
3 Finale: Allegro moderato -- Andante -- Allegro vivo
Oslo Konserthus, 26.01.11.
Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester. 
Concertmaster: Elise Båtnes. 
Conductor: Eivind Gullberg Jensen.*

I may have posted this before, but am relistening.
This is in my oppinion a masterfull and colourfull performance of this masterpiece. Truly great art!

*videolink*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Bolero/Mother Goose Ballet/Une Barque sur l'ocean/Alborada del gracioso/Rapsodie Espagnole Paris ORTF Orchestra/Jean Martinon

Brahms: Intermezzi, Op.117/Piano Pieces, Op.118/119 Julius Katchen

Ravishing Ravel from the ever-musicianally Martinon! All very enjoyable. Then the inimitable Julius Katchen in some of Brahms' most intimate writing for the piano. Impeccably played, and creating the atmosphere perfectly. He really was such a wonderful musician, this box, which I picked up for a song, has been an absolute delight from start to finish, and Decca's pressings are remarkable, the most silent surfaces I've ever come across, even on the run-ins, I shall return to these recordings again and again.


----------



## Bas

As a way of thanking me for volunteer work I did for the website of the church were a good friend of me is the vicar (we actually met in the cd store) I got some cd's, including:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Concerto for Horn no. 4 in E-flat k495, Concerto for Oboe in C k314, Concerto for Bassoon in B-flat k191, Concerto for Horn in D k368b
By Katharina Jansen [oboe], Dona Agrell [bassoon], Teunis van der Zwart [horn], Freiburger Barock Orchester, Petra Müllejans [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









(This is my very first encounter with Mozart's wind concertos. I am not disappointed thus far.)


----------



## Oskaar

*Boccherini - Cello concert Bb-dur, Xavier Phillips*

youtube comment

_I didn't know this one ! But it is great music ! I will listen more to Boccherini cello music !!!! Nice discovery !!!﻿_

Not the best sound, not bad, but a little gymnastic-hall, but work and performance is really satysfying

*videolink*


----------



## Sudonim

Believe it or not: my first-ever listen to the New Testament, even the more famous parts. (I've heard a few of the most famous bits, like the opening of the "Moonlight," but never the entire piece.) Sounds like a fine performance to me, but of course I have no experience with which to compare it. (I also have sets by Brendel and Fischer, but those won't make it to the top of the listening pile - I should say mountain - until later.)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 2 and 5 - Yvgeny Kissin, Philharmonia Orchestra, James Levine









from the Classic FM Hall of Fame .... in at number 4, its Ludie's number 5 .... piano concerto, that is and don't you just admire (blah, blah, blah - I've got fed up of writing a spoof far quicker than you might have got fed up of reading it :devil. I might just start at number 1 and go through the top 300 until I get to the stuff I don't have, such as:

Journey - Austin Wintory (pos. 289)
Kingdom Hearts - Yoko Shimomura/Hikaru Utada (pos. 177)
Kingdoms of Amalur - Grant Kirkhope (pos. 75)
Viva Pinata - Grant Kirkhope (pos. 54)
World of Warcraft - Russell Brower (pos. 50)
Banjo Kazooie - Grant Kirkhope (pos. 50)
The Elder Scrolls - Jeremy Soule (pos.17)
Final Fantasy - Nobuo Uematsu (pos. 7)


----------



## Vaneyes

*Schubert*: Piano Sonatas, D. 894/960, w. Sokolov (rec.1992).


----------



## Blancrocher

Lisa della Casa singing famous lieder; Luiza Borac in Enescu.


----------



## DrKilroy

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 (Thibaudet/Ashkenazy).


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*Dmitrij Šostakovič - Concerto n. 1 in Mi b maggiore op. 107 per violoncello e orchestra*

Auditorium Rai Arturo Toscanini di Torino / 05.05.2011
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai
Juraj Valčuha - direttore
Sol Gabetta - violoncello

Last listening, and then too bed.
A funny thing here is the videopresentation with multi-screens. Like it or not, it is original.
The concerto is very colourfull and varied. I like it best when it is a little melancolic and deep. There is also there Gabetta and the orchestra is best. Overall a nice presentation, and a good performance

*videolink*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Shostakovich - String Quartets 12-14 - Shostakovich Quartet









after 10 minutes of Eurovision, I need some music!!!!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Andolink said:


> What a jaw dropping masterpiece this is!
> 
> *Frank Bridge*: _String Quartet No. 4_ (1937)
> Goldner String Quartet
> 
> View attachment 41495


You can say that again...



Vasks said:


> _"What a jaw dropping masterpiece this is!"
> 
> *Frank Bridge*: String Quartet No. 4 (1937) _
> 
> Whole-heartily agree!!!!!!!


OK then!

Current listening:

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 3 in D minor, WAB 103*
Tintner, RSNO, [Naxos, 2000]










This symphony is slowly revealing itself to me through repeated listenings (it's that kind of work, difficult to take in all at once).

Here's David Hurwitz, on ClassicsToday.com:

"Tintner's belief in this symphony reveals it to be not some sort of unfortunate hybrid, but the product of a fully mature (he was 49 when he wrote it!), even radical composer. This in turn makes its initial failure in performance all the more understandable: there was certainly nothing even remotely like it in 1873. The conventional wisdom that the "real" Bruckner begins with the revised Fourth Symphony simply will not stand. It's this work that is his symphonic manifesto, and no one hearing this performance will doubt it for a second."


----------



## Jos

An old favourite, have it since my teenage years.
Ashkenazy plays Prokofiev 5th. Previn conducting the London Symphony.

Autumnal and classical symphony on the flipside.

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Bas

Another disc I received today:

Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn & Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel - String quartet no. 2. opus 13 in Am, String Quartet in E-flat (Fanny), String Quartet no. 6 opus 80 in Fm
By Quatuor Ebene, on Virgin Classics









(Listening to the first Am quartet now, an unfamiliar work, first listen ever. It is definitely on par with Beethoven's late quartets, what a nice present! It really touches me. Virtuosity combined with emotional profoundness. )


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

177 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
178 Wo Gott derr Herr nicht bei uns hält
179 Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (all three)


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Bas said:


> Another disc I received today:
> 
> Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn & Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel - String quartet no. 2. opus 13 in Am, String Quartet in E-flat (Fanny), String Quartet no. 6 opus 80 in Fm
> By Quatuor Ebene, on Virgin Classics
> 
> (Listening to the first Am quartet now, an unfamiliar work, first listen ever. *It is definitely on par with Beethoven's late quartets*, what a nice present! It really touches me. Virtuosity combined with emotional profoundness. )


Ooh, Bas, much as I like Mendelssohn's string Quartets I just can't put a 'like' to "It (FMB's Op. 13) is definitely on par with Beethoven's late quartets." Late Beethoven is my _religion_!


----------



## SimonNZ

Sudonim said:


> View attachment 41513
> 
> 
> Believe it or not: my first-ever listen to the New Testament, even the more famous parts. (I've heard a few of the most famous bits, like the opening of the "Moonlight," but never the entire piece.) Sounds like a fine performance to me, but of course I have no experience with which to compare it. (I also have sets by Brendel and Fischer, but those won't make it to the top of the listening pile - I should say mountain - until later.)


Very fine performances indeed! This was the first set I heard back when I was 18 and it served me well - and continues to serve me well, though I've now added sets but Schnabel and Kovacevich and miscellaneous single discs into the mix. I didn't realise it at the time but I'm now glad I started with an artist as self-efacing as Kempff to introduce me to the repertoire.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in E-Flat Major, Hob. 16/29;
Piano Trio in E-Flat Major, Hob. 16/30
(Van Swieten Trio).









Coming back to the late trios .


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Schumann: Variations on a theme by Clara Wieck (3rd Movement of Piano Sonata No.3)
Mozart: Piano Sonata No.13 in B-flat, K.333
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No.7 in B-flat, Op.83
Chopin: Mazurka in B-flat Minor, Op.24 No.4/Polonaises, Op.26 No.1, Op.40 No.1/Etudes, Op.10 Nos.4 & 6/Waltz in A Minor, Op.34 No.2
Liszt: Valse Oubliee No.1/Hungarian Rhapsody No.6
Scarlatti: Sonata in A, K.322
Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words No.25 in G, Op.62 No.1
Scriabin: Etude in C-sharp Minor, Op.2 No.1
Moszkowski: Etincelles, Op.36 No.6 Vladimir Horowitz

Another complete recital from the Horowitz Carnegie Hall box. This was the first time RCA had recorded him there, and the sound is not brilliant, it has a tendency to blast in louder passages, rather overloaded, it mentions this in the book, pointing out that by the time of the following recital they recorded a month later, they'd learned from their mistakes and got it right. Notwithstanding this, the playing is spectacular and overrides the sonic limitations, and in quieter passages it's sonically fine anyway. How glad I am to have this set, and how eternally grateful that I heard Horowitz twice at the Festival Hall in London.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

JCB - Now my life is over sung by The Monteverdi Choir conducted by Gardiner

Very peaceful and moving.


----------



## Selby

Alan Hovhaness

Symphony No. 11, Op. 186, "All Men are Brothers"
Hovhaness conducting the RPO


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Flute Concerto in E Minor

Milan Munclinger conducting the Prague Chamber Orchestra -- Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute


----------



## dgee

A very well-played disc of some lovely music for an autumnal stroll


----------



## Blancrocher

Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham SO in Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra, op. 31; Sokolov in Schubert's sonatas in G major and B-flat major.


----------



## Mahlerian

Boulez: Eclat/Multiples
Ensemble InterContemporain, cond. Boulez


----------



## Cosmos

Sudden interest in Clementi today (after looking through the scores I had in my piano bench and finding his op.36 Sonatinas)

*Clementi* Sonatina op.36 no. 6 in D major, Diane Hidy
and Sonata in B minor, Op. 40 no. 2, Lazar Berman
^Interestingly enough, about the B minor sonata, I had first heard it a few years ago while looking up Clementi sonatas to learn on the piano. I just realized now that one of the melodies of this one had stuck with my to the point that I thought it was something I wrote. Funny how music tricks you like that :lol:


----------



## Morimur

*Karlheinz Stockhausen - Klavierstücke I-XI • Mikrophonie I & II (Kontarsky)*









Stockhausen is like Bach; an ocean.


----------



## Sid James

A tribute to the birthday boys of late.










*Tchaikovsky* _Piano Concerto #1_
- Andrei Gavrilov, soloist with Philharmonia Orch. under Riccardo Muti

Someone here, I think Marschallin Blair, asked where our own journeys began with *Tchaikovsky.* For me it was with his *Piano Concerto #1*. Its been a while since I've listened to this, and it came across as pretty fresh.

Many here know the famous story of how when the composer played it to Nicholas Rubinstein, he got a very negative reaction. Rubinstein said it was technically a mess and rehash of other composers' music. Tchaikovsky left the meeting saying he wouldn't change a note of it, and other than some minor technical playability details, he stuck to his word.

Later, Tchaikovsky dedicated it to the conductor Hans von Bulow, rather than Rubinstein who he originally intended. Bulow by contrast said it was a score displaying nobility and originality of thought. Tchaikovsky hadn't met Bulow, but he had performed a number of his works on the continent.

In hindsight, Bulow as right and Rubinstein was wrong. Upon its European premiere, the work bought the house down and was a success with both the critics and the public. In the USA, it was even more of a success. I can understand the reason why Rubinstein initially was so hostile. This is a work that goes against convention, the first movement alone is so full of theme and counter theme, there is material there enough for several concertos, let alone just one. But to his credit, Rubinstein ended up endorsing and playing the work, becoming one of its big advocates.










*Brahms* _Symphony #3_
- Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana under Hermann Scherchen (live recording, Lugano, 1962)

By contrast my first exposure to *Brahms* was through his symphonies. His *third symphony* is the most thematically tight of the lot, and it has this heroic quality that Hanslick compared to Beethoven's own third symphony with that name. Brahms holds off any overt sense of struggle until the final movement, the slow movement having this icy detachment - it may as well be a picture of another planet? - and the whole piece ends with a quiet coda. The piece took getting used to, audiences accepted this slower than his other symphonies, and its taken me a long time to understand this piece on a more than cursory level as well.

This performance by Scherchen isn't the most polished (and the sound is mono) but nobody can doubt the dedication of the maestro and his musicians. Its also got the buzz of a live recording which is always a plus for me.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Violin Sonata in B Flat, KV 378

Salvatore Accardo, violin -- Bruno Canino, piano


----------



## Guest

I got around to the Violin Concerto today. It's good, but not as gripping or memorable as the Symphony.


----------



## SimonNZ

Sid James said:


>


Does anyone know what the cool-looking spherical multi-speaker-looking thing is in that cover photo?


----------



## Morimur

*Mauricio Kagel - Acustica (Kölner Ensemble für Neue Musik)*










This recording comprises the four parts of Mauricio Kagel's Acustica, for experimental 
sound-producers and loudspeakers. This piece features some of the most astonishing timbres I have 
ever heard. As far as I can glean from reading the record notes, the first two parts are live 
performances by five musicians (recorded at Studio Rhenus in Godorf, Köln on January 28-31, 1971) 
and the second two parts are electroacoustic compositions produced in 1969. The live performances 
use a crazy collection of homemade instruments (see the included notes for details), some purely 
acoustic and others incorporating loud-speakers, tone generators, or cassette recorders.

The two electroacoustic sides are well worth listening to, but I particularly recommend the 
tremendously complex sounds on the first two sides. They have a texture somewhat like electronic 
music, but with more timbral detail owing to the acoustic sound sources. Personally, I find these 
sides awe-inspiring. If you are instead horrified by what strikes you as unspeakable cacophony, 
we will have to agree to disagree. _- Anon_


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Baker & Schwarzkopf*










"_Tauben von Gurre!_" Schoenberg, _Gurrelieder_

_La Sensitiva_, Respighi

"_Ruhe, meine Seele_" Strauss

Brace yourself for the most delicate and vulnerable expressivity at the beginning of the Strauss. Especially where she inflects the word _Sonnenschein:_

_Nicht ein Lüftchen
Regt sich leise,
Sanft entschlummert
Ruht der Hain;
Durch der Blätter
Dunkle Hülle
Stiehlt sich lichter
Sonnenschein._

Not a breeze 
is stirring lightly,
the wood lies 
slumbering gently;
through the dark 
cover of leaves
steals bright 
sunshine.









Harmonizing with Anny Felbermayer in "Ich danke, Fraulein" and "Mein Elemer!" from Act I of _Arabella. _

I have a ton of _new_ cd's I should be exploring, but I'm just addicted to the performances of these pieces.


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.15 in E Major

Jeno Jando, piano


----------



## opus55

Bach: Lute music
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 6


----------



## Alypius

A new arrival:

*Rachel Podger / Holland Baroque Society, Vivaldi: La Cetra (12 Violin Concertos) (Channel Classics, 2012)*










There is a wonderful renaissance in Vivaldi these days. A new energy--fire even--in the performance of Vivaldi. One who has led the charge has been Giuliano Carmignola. I was astounded when I first heard his performance of the _Four Seasons_ about 10 years ago and have been following his various releases ever since. Last year, his _Vivaldi con moto_ was a terrific record -- despite the bad visual pun on the title with the cover. Rachel Podger's earlier recording of Vivaldi, namely, his _La Stravaganza_ was simply superb. I had been hesitant to explore her performances because I worried about the tendency of the British classical press to overhype local talent. But after hearing _La Stravaganza_ last year, I realized it wasn't hype. I'm certainly enjoying this new purchase -- though I don't think the backing band (the Holland Baroque Society) is quite as exciting as the group that accompanied her on _La Stravaganza_, namely, Arte dei Suonatori. By the way, _Gramophone Magazine_ chose this recent recording as a finalist for best Baroque instrumental for 2013.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major;
Overture - 'Egmont' (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## SimonNZ

"Diaspora Sefardi" - Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall


----------



## jim prideaux

Tubin 3rd symphony performed by Neeme Jarvi conducting the Swedish Radio Symphony Orch.

quite simply a great way to start the day!-have noticed certain dismissive comments on various sites but so what!- composed in 1940-42,this symphony has a great deal of energy and momentum and to my ears Tubin really knew what to do with an orchestra-does remind me of Myaskovsky, Vaughan Williams and even Barber.....open to criticisms of 'conservatism'?-perhaps but I increasingly find a lot of enjoyment in the music of the mid 20th century.....


----------



## science

I'm hitting them today.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> "Diaspora Sefardi" - Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall


I really appreciate Savall's exploration of Jewish music. It's a whole other world there that we'd been almost ignoring.


----------



## science

dgee said:


> A very well-played disc of some lovely music for an autumnal stroll
> 
> View attachment 41540


How do you feel - quartets vs. quintets?

I have the idea that most people out there prefer Fauré's quartets or at least respect them more than his quintets; but for me the quintets came immediately and the quartets have had to grow on me.


----------



## science

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 41515
> Luiza Borac in Enescu.


Wow! I would've guessed I was the only one likely to hear that very often. How do you feel about it?


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Magical Ravel (I've always loved _Ma mere l-oye_) coupled to some of Ravel's arrangements of Debussy and Schumann.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc ten:

Marc Monnet - Bibilolo


----------



## treeza

Rach 3.... It is addictive.
Tchaikovsky 1
Lots of Lizst and Ravel


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Liebestraume No.3/Gnomenreigen/Un Sospiro/Funerailles/La Campanella/Waldesrauchen/Grand Galop Chromatique/Rhapsodie Espagnole Jorge Bolet

Waking up this morning with a fragment of music running through my head that I soon identified as the Rhapsodie Espagnole, led me to search this disc out, which I haven't played for a few years. What an unmitigated delight it is! A sheer pleasure from start to finish, absolutely wonderful. One of my great pleasures 1985-89 was a trip down to London on the train to hear Bolet's annual recitals at the Royal Festival Hall, he was such a wonderful pianist, and often a good deal more exciting heard live than on record. This is a stunning disc and should be in the collection of anyone who loves the music of Liszt.


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> "Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary"


Is that a collection of the original albums or is it a grab-bag mishmash sort of thing with a bit from this and a bit from that?


----------



## SimonNZ

science said:


> Is that a collection of the original albums or is it a grab-bag mishmash sort of thing with a bit from this and a bit from that?


Closer to the first than the second, but its not one of those album-as-cd-in replica-card-sleve sort of boxes (pity: I like those best of all). All of the albums appear in their entirety at some point or other (or thats been my impression) but the ones that were a collection of shorter pieces are kind of shuffled around various cds in some places - for reasons I can't quite make out.


----------



## Oskaar

*Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto for 4 pianos (harpsichords) and strings in A minor (after Antonio Vivaldi's concerto for 4 violins in B minor, L'estro Armonico Op. 3/10, RV 580). *

Soloists:
Marta Argerich 
Evgeny Kissin, 
James Levine, 
Mikhail Pletnev

Verbier July 22 2002

Very entertaining!

*videolink*


----------



## science

SimonNZ said:


> Closer to the first than the second, but its not one of those album-as-cd-in replica-card-sleve sort of boxes (pity: I like those best of all). All of the albums appear in their entirety at some point or other (or thats been my impression) but the ones that were a collection of shorter pieces are kind of shuffled around various cds in some places - for reasons I can't quite make out.


Sounds good enough for me. Into the cart!

I love those cd-as-original-album things too. It's so obvious to me that that's the ONLY way box sets should be constructed.


----------



## Oskaar

*W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor (Harnoncourt)*

1. Molto allegro
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegretto -- Trio
4. Finale. Allegro assai

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien

Harnoncourt has a god hand on Mozart I think! Very good!

*videolink*


----------



## dgee

science said:


> How do you feel - quartets vs. quintets?
> 
> I have the idea that most people out there prefer Fauré's quartets or at least respect them more than his quintets; but for me the quintets came immediately and the quartets have had to grow on me.


I hardly know the quintets at all - good listening project for the weekend!


----------



## science

dgee said:


> I hardly know the quintets at all - good listening project for the weekend!


I might do it too and check back in myself.


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi - Gloria*

NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF ARMENIA
Art director V. Martirosyan

NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR OF ARMENIA
Art director R. Mlkeyan

soprano M. Galoyan
soprano H. Harutyunova
mezzo-soprano N. Ananikyan

conductor R. Mlkeyan

Good, but not very good sound, but a fine performance ad presentation of this nice work

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704): The Annunciation from 'The Joyful Mysteries'

Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Emilia Benjamin, viola -- Elizabeth Kenny, archlute -- Frances Kelly, harp -- Matthew Halls, chamber organ


----------



## SimonNZ

Sampo Haapamaki's String Quartet "Connection" - Quatuor Diotima


----------



## science

bejart said:


> Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704): The Annunciation from 'The Joyful Mysteries'
> 
> Sonnerie: Monica Huggett, violin -- Emilia Benjamin, viola -- Elizabeth Kenny, archlute -- Frances Kelly, harp -- Matthew Halls, chamber organ
> 
> View attachment 41557


Wow, I was unaware of that recording of Biber's Mystery/Rosary Sonatas.

This work just exploded onto the scene in the past decade. It's interesting to think how much more Baroque music we have now than people had 40 years ago (not to mention Renaissance music, which barely existed 40 years ago).


----------



## cjvinthechair

SimonNZ said:


> Sampo Haapamaki's String Quartet "Connection" - Quatuor Diotima


Wow, Mr. Simon, afraid that fails to make any 'connection' with me...like much of the music on that Channel, sadly. Will keep trying, though !


----------



## SimonNZ

Don't forget the wonderful Eduard Melkus recording from 1967!:










Searching for that image I came across this Korea-only 20cd Eduard Melkus set:










http://www.amazon.com/CLASSIC-CD-Eduard-Melkus-Recordings/dp/B00G8QWBD4

I've wondered many times, but this is the first time I've asked: whats the deal with all this great stuff that the biggie labels are doing only in Korea?

-

edit: playing now:










Lefteris Papadimitriou's Electric Serpent - Ning Yu


----------



## Oskaar

*Szymanowski: Mythes, op.30*

Janine Jansen, viool
Itamar Golan, piano

Opgenomen tijdens het Internationaal Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht 2011 van Janine Jansen

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Sol Gabetta feat. Andreas Kern - 'Prayer' (Ernest Bloch)*

Enjoy a moment with the delightful musician Sol Gabetta performing 'From Jewish Life: Prayer', accompanied by the pianist Andreas Kern.
Prayer was originally composed by Ernest Bloch.

Very beautiful little piece

*videolink*


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 21 Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 42 Am Abend desselbigen Sabbats
By Daniel Taylor [countertenor], Peter Kooy [bass], Carolyn Sampson [soprano], Mark Padmore [tenor], La Chappele Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Philipppe Herreweghe [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Johann Sebastian Bach - Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1052 in Dm, BWV 1052 in E, Trio Concerto BWV 1044
By Richard Egarr [harpsichord], Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze [violin, director], on Harmonia Mundi









George Frederic Handel - Concerti Grossi opus 3
By The Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze [violin] Richard Egarr [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50*

Livan, piano
Zenas Hsu, violin
Yina Tong, cello
[Trio Concorde]

Recorded February 14th, 2013

Not the best sound, but a fresh and entusiastic performance of this lovely trio

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

science said:


> Wow, I was unaware of that recording of Biber's Mystery/Rosary Sonatas.
> 
> This work just exploded onto the scene in the past decade......


It was recorded in 2004, so it is fairly recent.
Now ---
CPE Bach (1714-1788): Quintet No.3 in G Major, Wq 95

Laure Colladant, piano -- Philippe Allain-Dupre, flute -- Jean-Philippe Vasseur, viola -- Antoine Ladrette, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*Andrea Griminelli (Flute) Plays Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano*

Such a beautiful sonata!

*videolink*


----------



## Orfeo

*Aram Illyich Khachaturian*
Ballet in 4 acts "Spartacus."
-The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Choir/Algis Zhuraitis.

*Karen Khachaturian*
Ballet in 3 acts "Cipollino."
-The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra/Alexander Kopylov.

*Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev*
Cantata for the Twentieth Anniversary of the October Revolution.
-Gennady Rozhdestvensky, speaker.
-The Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus/Neemi Jarvi.

*Nikolay Yakovlevich Myaskovsky*
Symphonies nos. XXIII & XXVII.
Slav Rhapsody.
-The Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> *Aram Illyich Khachaturian*
> Ballet in 4 acts "Spartacus."
> -The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Choir/Algis Zhuraitis.
> 
> *Karen Khachaturian*
> Ballet in 3 acts "Cipollino."
> -The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra/Alexander Kopylov.
> 
> *Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev*
> Cantata for the Twentieth Anniversary of the October Revolution.
> -Gennady Rozhdestvensky, speaker.
> -The Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus/Neemi Jarvi.
> 
> *Nikolay Yakovlevich Myaskovsky*
> Symphonies nos. XXIII & XXVII.
> Slav Rhapsody.
> -The Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov.


The dramatic part in the "Revolution" cut on the Prokofiev is wild. I love it. Gergiev does a good one on You Tube as well.

The text to "The Philosophers" is pure commedy. I remember when my friend got this when it first came out, we were literally bursting out laughing at the Stalinist agit-prop-2.0 lyrics.


----------



## Oskaar

*Yulianna Avdeeva plays Prokofiev Sonata No. 7 Op. 83 on the Bösendorfer concert grand*

Yulianna Avdeeva - Pianist
Winner of Chopin Piano Competition 2010
at Klangraum Waidhofen Austria

Very fine performance, and the sonata is really a gem! Moods and lyrical moments are brilliantly submitted.

I think it must be a difficult sonata to play with all content coming out, but Yulianna does it manyfolds, and put her personal stamp on it

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mackerras, Symphony No. 34, first movement








_

"Welche wonne, welche Lust"_

Morning Marschallin Blair reporting from the currently-gorgeous sunny-morning-climes of Southern California. Loving the weather, loving Mozart, loving Battle's voice. Life is grand. Happy Friday everyone.


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: The Rape of Lucretia
Pears, Harper, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Britten


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> The dramatic part in the "Revolution" cut on the Prokofiev is wild. I love it. Gergiev does a good one on You Tube as well.
> 
> The text to "The Philosophers" is pure commedy. I remember when my friend got this when it first came out, we were literally bursting out laughing at the Stalinist agit-prop-2.0 lyrics.




I saw it on Youtube also and was impressed. The text is quite a story in and of itself (what conformity does to creative minds, like in Shebalin's Lenin Symphony or some of the works of Kabalevsky). That said, Soviet music continues to fascinate me for a number of reasons.


----------



## Oskaar

*Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers, from "The Nutcracker", Op. 71, Arr.: Percy Grainger*

Piano: Vladimir Ovchinnikov
Venue: Piano Festival 2008

Nice to har these well known tones in a fresh piano arrangement. Good and playfull performance

*videolink*


----------



## Trev Edwards

BBC Radio 3 right now... All American Fayre

Samuel Barber's Adagio - an arrangement for string orchestra taken from his String Quartet No.2 - followed by Barber's Violin Concerto, with Sarah Chang soloist, and Copland's Symphony No.3, all from a concert in Aberdeen with David Allan Miller conducting. Then, the BBC SSO under the baton of Martyn Brabbins and Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F major, with Freddy Kempf as soloist. And to end, Charles Ives's Symphony No.2

And available on iPlayer for a week. I'll record it all to keep forever using "Total Recorder"


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> I saw it on Youtube also and was impressed. The text is quite a story in and of itself (what conformity does to creative minds, like in Shebalin's Lenin Symphony or some of the works of Kabalevsky). That said, Soviet music continues to fascinate me for a number of reasons.


As with so many pieces of otherwise noteworthy twentieth century music, I take the music_ in _and keep the propaganda _out_.

-- I completely understand where you're coming from.


----------



## Blancrocher

Stravinsky conducting his Symphony in E flat; Bernstein conducting Hindemith's Symphony in E flat

*edit* And now Shosty's Symphony 9 in E flat.


----------



## Oskaar

*P. I. Tchaikovsky - Concert Fantasy for piano & orch. in G, Op. 56 (Pletnev, Fedoseyev)*

Recorded live at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, 1991

youtube comments

*FABULOUS Piece! FABULOUS Pianist!
Genius Composer's Music SO WELL PLAYED by Dazzlingly Brilliant Pianist and Fantastic Orchestra!
I never knew of this piece, and have played all 3 of My Hero's concerti.....﻿

Dazzling performance! I thought it a little rushed at times but the pianist clearly has seven fingers on each hand. What a treat - thanks so much for uploading!

I love this piece. Just plain love it! Pletnev, as usual, is spectacular, superhuman, perfect.*

And I can just say I agree. Very good sound to be recorded almost 25 years ago

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

C. Franck Cello Sonata in A Major Steven Isserlis, Stephen Hough...it's nice on the cello too!









Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata, Queyras/Tharaud









G.Puccini, Suor Angelica, Renata Tebaldi, Lamberto Gardelli conducting Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale, Florence


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> As with so many pieces of otherwise noteworthy twentieth century music, I take the music_ in _and keep the propaganda _out_.
> 
> -- I completely understand where you're coming from.


I've tried to do that. But the propaganda so often colors the music and its communication that I can't really separate them. In many instances, it makes the music even more interesting (like Shaporin cantata "The Story of the Battle for the Russian Land" or Shostakovich's "Leningrad" or even Kabalevsky's First and Third Symphonies). The conflict between true artistic expression and yielding to Soviet nomenklatura is quite amazing, and it's interesting how these artists juggle between them every day, even during the height of Stalin's terror. This is why Myaskovsky, for instance, has been so highly thought of, because musical creations out of circumstances at the expense of considerations of musical substance was not his thing.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 41569
> View attachment 41570
> 
> 
> Stravinsky conducting his Symphony in E flat; Bernstein conducting Hindemith's Symphony in E flat


I love Bernstein's comparatively-vigorous treatment of the first and third movements of the Hindemith Symphony-- vis-a-vis the Tortelier on Chandos; which has better sound, but lacks the dramatic thrust.


----------



## Selby

*The Classical Commute:*
_Documenting my daily drive to work

5.9.14_

Arnold Bax
Symphony No. 7
[David Lloyd-Jones, Royal Scottish National Orchestra]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

oskaar said:


> *P. I. Tchaikovsky - Concert Fantasy for piano & orch. in G, Op. 56 (Pletnev, Fedoseyev)*
> 
> Recorded live at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, 1991
> 
> youtube comments
> 
> *FABULOUS Piece! FABULOUS Pianist!
> Genius Composer's Music SO WELL PLAYED by Dazzlingly Brilliant Pianist and Fantastic Orchestra!
> I never knew of this piece, and have played all 3 of My Hero's concerti.....﻿
> 
> Dazzling performance! I thought it a little rushed at times but the pianist clearly has seven fingers on each hand. What a treat - thanks so much for uploading!
> 
> I love this piece. Just plain love it! Pletnev, as usual, is spectacular, superhuman, perfect.*
> 
> And I can just say I agree. Very good sound to be recorded almost 25 years ago
> 
> *videolink*


---
_Just lovely_. Pletnev's tremendous. Thanks.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

dholling said:


> I've tried to do that. But the propaganda so often colors the music and its communication that I can't really separate them. In many instances, it makes the music even more interesting (like Shaporin cantata "The Story of the Battle for the Russian Land" or Shostakovich's "Leningrad" or even Kabalevsky's First and Third Symphonies). The conflict between true artistic expression and yielding to Soviet nomenklatura is quite amazing, and it's interesting how these artists juggle between them every day, even during the height of Stalin's terror. This is why Myaskovsky, for instance, has been so highly thought of, because musical creations out of circumstances at the expense of considerations of musical substance was not his thing.


Have you read this? Great book. Ninteenth century Russia had Puskin for its truth-to-power chronicler. The twentieth had Shostakovich:

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...48641&sr=1-1&keywords=shostakovich+mussorgsky


----------



## millionrainbows

Philip Glass, Dance No. 4, rec. 1986, Philip Glass, organ.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Nimmt von uns Herr, du treuer Gott', BWV 101_; _'Christum wir sollen loben schon', BWV 121_; 
_'Ich freue mich in dir', BWV 133_
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino, brass ensemble
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki









*Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas-- _No. 45 in A major_ and _No. 46 in E major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano









*Brian Ferneyhough*: _String Quartet No. 4_
Claron McFaddon, soprano 
Arditti Quartet









*Max Reger*: _Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 116_
Alban Gerhardt, cello
Markus Becker, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Maurice Ravel - "Le tombeau de Couperin" by Angela Hewitt*

*Angela Hewitt performs a live concert for the Royal Conservatory of Music at Toronto's Koerner Hall.*

youtube comments

_ For some unaccountable reason the first movement always makes me think of elegant brownstones in Paris or New York, on a warm, rainy evening.﻿

This piano sounds so beautiful in the lower register, and the performance is simply astonishing <3﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## maestro267

*Weinberg*: Symphony No. 18, "War - there is no word more cruel"
SATBar. soloists, St Petersburg Chamber Choir
St. Petersburg State SO/Lande


----------



## Orfeo

Marschallin Blair said:


> Have you read this? Great book. Ninteenth century Russia had Puskin for its truth-to-power chronicler. The twentieth had Shostakovich:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...48641&sr=1-1&keywords=shostakovich+mussorgsky


Truth to tell, I haven't read it. I'll track it down, though. Thanks for mentioning it. There is a fascinating book that covers the turbulent history of Soviet music: Boris Schwarz's "Music and Musical Life in Soviet Russia, Enlarged Edition:1917-1981." I read it twice and still find it an amazing read.
http://www.amazon.com/Music-Musical...&qid=1399650923&sr=1-6&keywords=boris+schwarz

And I want to hunt down a new biography of Myaskovsky just released courtesy of Rowman and Littlefield: Tassie's "Nikolay Myaskovsky: The Conscience of Russian Music."
http://www.amazon.com/Nikolay-Myask...TF8&qid=1399651206&sr=1-1&keywords=myaskovsky


----------



## Oskaar

*Marc-Andre Hamelin - Liszt Hugarian Rhapsody No. 2*

Pianist: Marc-Andre Hamelin playing Liszt's 2nd Hugarian Rhapsody in C-sharp minor, S. 244. a.k.a "the bugs bunny/tom & jerry song," with original Cadenza. Incredible interpretation.

youtube comments

_Astounding. The cadenza is simply unbelivable. It appears that in his hands nothing is imposible. ﻿

His hands are like two spiders in agony,,,,nice interpretation

His technique is just formidable, I am absolutely stunned by his playing. Great, great performance._

breathtaking...

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

I remember listening to an interview by Angela Hewitt in which she answered a question about how celebrity had affected her...& she mentioned about when she was in a taxi...I think it was in New York, actually...& she wound the window down to let in some air & the man in the car alongside in the traffic queue, was listening loudly to a recording of hers!

J S Bach, Concerto for Keyboard/Clavier & Strings No 1 & Italian Concerto, Glenn Gould, Academic SO of Leningrad/Slovak









I'm giving another listen to this recital by Jennifer Vyvyan on Spotify....I enjoyed it a lot last time.









And then...before I get stuck-in to watching 'Homeland...the Complete Second Season'....I'm going to remind myself of my other recording of Suor Angelica. Maybe she won't have to die in that one? And that nasty old Aunt, the Principessa was lying all-along about Angelica's son dying of a 'cruel disease'...& that one of the other Nuns will dash-in at the last moment with an antidote to the lethal herb that Angelica swallowed?....
Fat Chance!









Suor Angelica


----------



## millionrainbows

*Terry Riley (b. 1935), Keyboard Study No. 2 (1964).

*


----------



## Bas

Johann Sebastian Bach - Orchestral Ouvertüren BWV 1066 - 1069
By the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, on Harmonia Mundi









Henry Purcell - Dido & Aeneas
By Janet Baker [mezzo], Raimund Herincx [bariton], e.a., The st. Anthony Singers, English Chamber Orchestra, Anthony Lewis [dir.], on Decca


----------



## Oskaar

*Nikolai Lugansky plays Rachmaninov Sonate No. 2 on the Bösendorfer Imperial concert grand*

youtube comment

Thank you for sharing this beautiful video. .Rachmaninov Sonata N. 2 Brilliantly played by Nickolai Lugansky on a Bosendorfer what more could you ask for. Pure Heaven. IMHO Lugansky is the finest interpreter of Rachmaninov alive today,﻿

Very clear and good sound. The sonata is adventurous and very lyric, and the interpretation is fabulous

*videolink*


----------



## Blancrocher

David Kopp and Rodney Lister playing Harold Shapero's Piano Sonata for 4 hands; the University of Georgia Woodwind Quartet playing Arthur Berger's Woodwind Quartet.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Purchased for one penny, and worth, well, every penny!

Seems rather better than the Werner Haas/Eliahu Inbal I used to own on LP/


----------



## Oskaar

*Prom 76: Last Night of the Proms 2012
Massenet - Werther -- 'Pourquoi me réveiller?*

Joseph Calleja tenor
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Jiří Bělohlávek conductor

Royal Albert Hall, 8 September 2012

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov: Symfonie no.2 op. 27*

Radio Filharmonisch Orkest olv. Eivind Gullberg Jensen
3 oktober Concertgebouw Amsterdam

youtube comments

_I've been listening to this Symphony for something like 60 years and always love it. Every orchestra brings something different to it. Thanks for uploading.﻿

there's nothing better than this...please prove me wrong I'm searching for a symphony that great﻿

Rachnaninoff was a gift from the DIVINE to translate the music of the spheres for mortal ears.
Thank you for this upload.﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Hoffmansthal Strauss & DeGaetani French Songs*


----------



## opus55

Beethoven: Fidelio


----------



## science

I forgot about the Fauré project. I really will try to do that tomorrow!


----------



## Oskaar

*Lutoslawski: Variations on a Theme of Paganini - BBC Proms 2013 (Stephen Hough : Piano )*

Celebrating his 100th birthday...........
Sakari Oramo: conductor (The BBC Symphony Orchestra's Chief Conductor )
Presenter: Katie Derham at the Royal Albert Hall - London 2013

youtube comments
_ 
Lutoslawski's Paganini Variations are a wonderful late 20th century tribute to Paganini and yet another dazzling tribute to that last, brilliant, legendary Capriccio....﻿

WOW!!﻿

Stephen Hough is a Genius. It's nice to see a conductor having fun, except when the conductor doesn't listen to the soloist._﻿

Sparkling listening fun!

*videolink*


----------



## LancsMan

*Debussy: La Mer & Jeux* Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink on Philips








I know that Debussy didn't approve of the term 'impressionism' when applied to his music, but to me it does seem apt when listening to La Mer. This is a very concrete impressionism - there's no doubt about what the music is describing. One of the great orchestral works of the early twentieth century, apparently composed (partly composed?) in Eastbourne Sussex - that's the English side of the channel. I'm possibly off to Sussex in a few days for a spot of camping!

The other piece I'm listening to is Jeux, a particular favourite of mine. Now I don't think the term impressionism fits this music at all well. It's a ballet, a game of tennis seems to be the scenario - but I don't know the details, and frankly I'm not that concerned. The piece seems to inhabit it's own world, and I find the music stands up perfectly well on it's own merits. I love it's somewhat elusive quality. It was rather overshadowed by Stravinsky's Rite of Spring which came out around the same period.

I suppose it's not too surprising that the front cover doesn't even mention Jeux - it doesn't seem to attract attention as much as La Mer. Never mind - I love it.

Excellent performances here.


----------



## omega

Sibelius : Symphony n°7








Ernest Bloch : Shelomo







I definitely *adore* it.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Strauss: Die ägyptische Helena*









Okay Gwyneth, you're up.


----------



## Mahlerian

Chin: Xi, for ensemble and electronics
Ensemble InterContemporain









Boosey and Hawkes has put the score for this fascinating work up on their website. The piece uses so many extended techniques and in such density that it was difficult at times to tell what was electronic and what came from traditional instruments. Chin's been writing a number of concertos recently (her Clarinet Concerto was a recent premiere), but she has an imagination that can easily overstep the bounds of what traditional instruments are normally capable of.
http://www.boosey.com/cr/perusals/score.asp?id=27378


----------



## LancsMan

*Dvorak: Rusalka* Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Fleming, Heppner, Zajick, Hawlata, Urbanova, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras on Decca








This is the only Dvorak opera in my collection. It's a late work, and has orchestral colours reminiscent of a number of other late works of his, and this is a big plus point for me, along with his talent for fresh sounding melody. Of course it's got some Wagner influence, the start being somewhat reminiscent of the Rhine Maidens - well for a few seconds.

The work is attractive and charming - but for me this is not an 'essential' opera, and I'm not convinced opera is central to Dvorak's oeuvre - much as he would have liked it to have been. Of course a rather more significant figure in the world of Czech opera (Janacek) is about to make this late Dvorak opera seem old fashioned.

But this is an enjoyable listen, particularly when it's as sympathetically played as here.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Puccini - Turandot - Callas, Scharwzkopf - Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Serafin









I'm heading off to Germany for a week on Sunday, so thought ..... just kidding!!! No link between my trip and what I'm listening to tonight (unless it is one of the more obscure clues in the Geography Quiz thread  )


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Callas Opera Arias : Traviata, Norma, Butterfly, & Lucia*






This is so perfect for a Friday!


----------



## spradlig

Please check out Schoenberg's masterpiece _Verklarte Nacht_ (I don't know how to write the required umlaut (?)), originally for string sextet and then arranged for string orchestra. I'm pretty sure Scheonberg himself did the arranging, and the arrangement seems more popular than the original version, but I prefer the original string sextet version. I feel the same way about Tchaikovsky's _Souvenir de Florence_.



Dustin said:


> I've finally decided to give Schoenberg a shot, at least the pre-atonal Schoenberg. Up to this point, even the thought of Schoenberg has conjured up ideas of terrible, awful sounding music. I wish I weren't that way but Schoenberg doesn't have the greatest reputation among most classical listeners. I've just started listening to Pelleas Und Melisande and I'm pretty excited about getting to know this piece better. Pretty intriguing stuff so far.
> 
> Schoenberg: Pelleas Und Melisande
> 
> View attachment 41366


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

180 Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele
181 Leichtgessinte Flattergeister
182 Himmelskönig, sei willkommen

Gustav Leonhardt (180, 181) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (182), cond.


----------



## DrKilroy

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Jeff W

Too sleepy to post this morning... Stupid overnight shifts...









I reversed the usual order from this week and started with Nielsen instead of Haydn. Listened to Symphony No. 6, the Little Suite for Strings and the Hymnus amoris. Herbert Blomstedt led the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.









Haydn came next. Antal Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungarica. Symphonies No. 38 through 41. 38 & 40 were the two that really stuck out to me although I've yet to hear a bad symphony.









Turned to the Korngold Violin Concerto next. Philippe Quint played the solo violin while the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria was led by Carlos Miguel Prieto. I love this piece. It never fails to put me into a good mad afterwards.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Tonight's listening:

*Eric Satie - various piano works*
Aldo Ciccolini [EMI (LP) rec. 1967]










*
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Sonata op. 77 'Hommage to Boccherini'*
Sante Tursi, Guitar [YouTube, 2012]

*Ildebrando Pizzetti, Sonata for Violin and Piano*
Betul Soykan - Violin; Alex Benford - Piano
[2013, YouTube]

"...Pizzetti (1880-1968) was regarded in the 1920s and 30s as his country's greatest composer, though his support for fascism during the second world war tarnished his subsequent reputation." (Tim Ashley in The Guardian, today). His review of a new recording of Pizzetti (and Castelnuovo-Tedesco) violin sonatas by Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez sent me to YouTube to see what the fuss was about. I see that he taught the (Jewish) Castenuovo-Tedesco and his violin sonata was 'championed' by Menuhin, however, and Wikipedia seem less convinced of his fascist sympathies, as opposed to his general positive reception by the Mussolini government..


----------



## Wood

*Arensky* Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 3 & Tchaikovsky Variations

*Giuliani *Guitar concerto etc

*John Adams* Short ride in a fast machine, The Wound Dresser

*Gubaidulina *Night in Memphis

*Boulez *Derive 2

*Dvorak *Symphonies 3 & 6

*Schmitt *Psalm 47

*Armas Jarnefelt *Berceuse etc

etc etc


----------



## Alfacharger

Plopped this cd into my player. I think the final movement of the symphony is one of the best expressions of joy in music.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968) - Sonata per pianoforte (1942/1943)*
I. Assai mosso e arioso, ma non troppo vivace
II. Adagio
III. Turbinoso
Giancarlo Simonacci, piano [YouTube, 2012]

I'm intrigued now - Pizzetti is an interesting composer; late romantic but with more than a touch of modernist chromaticism. Possibly Liszt was an influence, by the sound of this sonata.

*Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968) - Tre Canti, per violoncello e pianoforte (1924)*.
1. Affettuoso
2. Quasi grave e commosso
3. Appassionato
Enrico Bronzi, violoncello; Alberto Miodini, pianoforte [YouYube, 2011]

The 1924 'Tre Canti' is less modernist (rather Rachmaninovian to my ears), but it is attractive music.


----------



## Varick

Just bought and am listening to for the first time. Just started the third movement of "The Pines" with the piano. What a wonderful piece of music.

After this I will listen to:









I love to listen to different versions right after each other.

V


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Music for String Quartet.* *Franck, Symphony in d minor and Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 5.*

To my ears, the Emerson Quartet is awesome on this CD: nuanced, lyrical, intense, with terraced dynamics so important voices are heard as they should be.









Maazel does a great job on the Reformation Symphony. I'm listening to see if I need to supplement it with Zinman's version.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.2/Piano Sonata in E-flat, Op.31 No.3 Arthur Rubinstein/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim 

Getting towards the end of the big Rubinstein box, the concerto was recorded in 1975, the sonata in 1976, at Rubinstein's final recording session. These are very enjoyable performances, full of the characteristic Rubinstein sparkle and brio. They would be good given by any musician, but given by a man born in 1887! Well, do the maths yourself! A great pianist indeed.


----------



## bejart

Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Symphony in C Major, Op.12, No.3, G505

Adrian Shepherd conducting Cantilena


----------



## Sid James

SimonNZ said:


> Does anyone know what the cool-looking spherical multi-speaker-looking thing is in that cover photo?


I am guessing its a shot taken in Scherchen's electroacoustic studio that was situated in Switzerland. It was funded by UNESCO, set up post-WWII. The maestro was a keen supporter of new music right until his death in his mid seventies. In the 1950's, he premiered one of the pioneering works of the developing genre, Varese's _Deserts_. But this is a guess, I think its a speaker to play electronic music/sounds?



LancsMan said:


> ...
> The other piece I'm listening to is *Jeux, *a particular favourite of mine. Now I don't think the term impressionism fits this music at all well. It's a ballet, a game of tennis seems to be the scenario - but I don't know the details, and frankly I'm not that concerned. The piece seems to inhabit it's own world, and I find the music stands up perfectly well on it's own merits. I love it's somewhat elusive quality. It was rather overshadowed by Stravinsky's Rite of Spring which came out around the same period.
> 
> I suppose it's not too surprising that the front cover doesn't even mention Jeux - it doesn't seem to attract attention as much as La Mer. Never mind - I love it...


I love_ Jeux_ as well, and yes it did get overshadowed by _The Rite of Spring _as well as Ravel's _Daphnis et Chloe_. But its equally good to those & yes, it didn't work as a ballet, the whole scenario was kind of silly. Debussy was actually of that opinion, in any case it can very confidently stand on its own two feet as pure music. I think Boulez, and many others, have called this a landmark work of the early 20th century, equal to the likes of _The Rite of Spring_. Certainly is one of the great pieces of the 1910's, and surprisingly Debussy went into chamber music after, right at the end of his life and career._ Jeux _is a synthesis of his orchestral works to that time. I got plenty of time for it as well, perhaps its my fav work by him.


----------



## opus55

J.S. Bach: Works for Oboe and Organ


----------



## Blancrocher

The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet playing Ligeti's "10 Pieces for Wind Quintet."


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 in D Minor, Op.31, No.2

Murray Perahia, piano


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. 15/27; Piano Trio in E Major, Hob. 15/28 
(Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## Morimur

*Dieter Schnebel - Schubert; Phantasie für Orchester • Diapason • In Motu Proprio*









Although the majority of Schnebel's works are considered 12-tone vocal experiments, his pieces do encompass an incredible range of styles and approaches. He has made many arrangements of Bach, Beethoven, Webern and Wagner, often using their traditional concepts coupled with innovative techniques and alternative ways of listening. Schnebel belongs to the great European avant-garde wave of the 60's/70's/80's and this recording is proof that he does indeed deserve to be in such illustrious company.


----------



## SimonNZ

Paul O'Dette, lute - "Portrait"

looking through his discography at the back of the booklet for this sampler, and goodness what a lot of albums he's made - most now deleted, alas


----------



## SimonNZ

"Les Percussions De Strasbourg: 50th Anniversary", disc twelve:

Gerard Grisey - Le Noir De L'Etoile


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Sheherezade, Ouverture de feerie/La Valse/Le Tombeau de Couperin/Menuet Antique/Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte/Valses Nobles et Sentimentales Orchestra de Paris/Jean Martinon

I'd never heard Ravel's "Sheherezade" Overture before, but I feel certain it will become a great favourite. The main reason for getting this box was that it added lots of orchestral bits and bobs by these two composers that I did not have, and I have to say the performances are exemplary, and more than hold there own, even in the instances of works where I already have several recordings. A bargain this set.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Piano Trio in C minor (Oistrakh Trio).

On Youtube: 




An excellent work, Korsakov's trios should definitely be more well-known.

J. Haydn, Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. 15/21 (Van Swieten Trio).


----------



## JCarmel

Yes Manxfeeder, I love to do the comparing bit too....'Ascendant In Virgo' I'm afraid in my case!

Another pence cd is coming under scrutiny...Rodrigo, Concerto De Aranjuez, Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Marriner

















Like Rubinstein, Pepe Romero had a long and very distinguished career...though I doubt that he was as successful with the ladies as Rubinstein reputably was. Right into old age, the latter had that mischievous twinkle in the eye, was a great story-teller with lots of personal charm.
According to the cd booklet, after hearing Pepe Romero's recording, Rodrigo wrote "his technique is perfect, as is his complete understanding of the work. Such a successful partnership of soloist and orchestra is truly a delight to the ear"
Well, it will be interesting to see how it compares to the recording that I've had for donkey's years by John Williams conducted by Eugene Ormandy/Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.


----------



## SimonNZ

Szymanowski's Love Songs Of Hafiz - Katarina Karneus, mezzo, Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## dgee

Could Harvey be the most consistently excellent at mixing electroacoustic and live instruments? Each piece is very strong, Tombeau de Messiaen is one of the classics of the late C20, but special mention to the fascinating Ricercare una Melodia  for oboe and electronics


----------



## maestro267

*Beethoven*: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major
Perahia (piano)/Concertgebouw Orchestra/Haitink


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart, Piano Concerto No 23, Arthur Rubinstein, Alfred Wallenstein/ RCA Symphony

After I left my hometown to move 'up North' I used to receive regular postings of music on a cassette that my Dad wanted me to hear... that he was at the time particularly enjoying listening-to. One of those cassettes had this recording of Rubinstein's on...he thought it was his favourite of that A Major concerto.














I particularly enjoy the recordings he made with Heifetz and Piatigorsky....here playing Mendelssohn's D Minor Piano Trio














"All my women, the adorable women with whom I have dreamed, have interested me. The naughty attraction that Nature has set between the two sexes, to perpetuate species, is excessively strong in me. But the idea of marriage horrifies me. If you hear someday that I have married, you'll know that I have gone mad. For an artist, marriage is a misfortune. I want to get up everyday in a different state of mind, ready for new sensations; to marry would be to give up everything else in life. I have been around enough to have observed all the married artists in the world; well then, ninety eight out of a hundred are wretched and the other two cease to be an artist…"


----------



## opus55

Schubert: Symphony No. 9


----------



## SimonNZ

Charpentier's Missa Assumpta Est Maria - Ivor Bolton, cond.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Piano works by Hindemith (GF Schenck on Koch-Schwann). The disc is only 40 minutes long but contains the two principal (and both early) works for solo piano outside of the three sonatas and the Ludus Tonalis, to whit the 1922 Suite op. 26 and Dance Pieces op. 19. Particularly toothsome is the 1922 suite, which especially evokes the spirit of the times with the Shimmy, Boston and Ragtime movements.


----------



## bejart

Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.7, No.2

Ensemble Stradivaria with Daniel Cuiller on violin


----------



## DrKilroy

Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 (Marriner). I always listened to this concerto at the end, after all the others, and I was always too tired to realise the beauty and excellence it possesses. Now it should be one of my favourites! Perhaps from on now I shall listen to the Brandenburgs in reverse order. 


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Andolink

*George Onslow*: _String Quartet in D minor Op. 10, no. 2_ and _String Quartet in F minor Op. 9, no. 3_
Quatuor Ruggieri









*J. S. Bach*: _ 'Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt', BWV 68_; _'Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen'_, BWV 175
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino, brass ensemble
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki


----------



## JCarmel

I too am listening to a recording of The Brandenburg's, Dr! It arrived with today's one-pencer's...a performance conducted by Ton Koopman with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, featuring many familiar soloists...Monica Hugget, Jan Schlapp, Jaap Ter Linden etc.


----------



## bejart

Vaclav Jan Tomasek (1774-1850): Symphony in D Major

Vladimir Valek conducting the Dvorak Chamber Orchestra


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Varick said:


> View attachment 41623
> 
> 
> Just bought and am listening to for the first time. Just started the third movement of "The Pines" with the piano. What a wonderful piece of music.
> 
> After this I will listen to:
> 
> View attachment 41622
> 
> 
> I love to listen to different versions right after each other.
> 
> V


Thumbs up. . . for the 'Karajan.' Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Jeff W

Jeff here with the morning Haydn report. Antal Dorati led the Philharmonia Hungarica in Symphonies No. 42, 43 & 44. Liked all three with No. 44 probably being my favorite of the three.









Put on some Sibelius after the Haydn. Symphonies No. 1 & 4. Paavo Berglund led the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 41666
> 
> 
> Jeff here with the morning Haydn report. Antal Dorati led the Philharmonia Hungarica in Symphonies No. 42, 43 & 44. Liked all three with No. 44 probably being my favorite of the three.
> 
> View attachment 41669
> 
> 
> Put on some Sibelius after the Haydn. Symphonies No. 1 & 4. Paavo Berglund led the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


Wonderful choice in Sibelius sets, Jeff.


----------



## jim prideaux

Schubert 5th/6th symphonies-BPO conducted by Herbie........acclaimed recording but I personally might have a greater 'fondness' for the arguably more sprightly Abaddo and COE recordings.....I must admit to being intrigued by Harnoncourt cycle!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*July 27, 1953 Salzburg Furtwangler Don Giovanni*















Love Furtwangler's contours.

Love Schwarzkopf.


----------



## LancsMan

*Schubert: Impromptus* Radu Lupu on Decca








Just arrived in the post this morning. This was recently chosen on Radio 3's Building a library as first choice in the available recordings of the Schubert impromptus (well ahead of the only other recording of these pieces I have played by Maria Joao Pires).

Marvellous music played with great sensitivity. Much of this music is charming and dreamy but with hints of melancholy. The last impromptu is more robust and vigorous at times, contrasting with more delicate sections - possibly my favourite of the impromptus.

If someone tells me they don't like this music then I feel that their musical tastes and mine will be completely incompatible!


----------



## Vasks

_Brahms on LP - big and bold_


----------



## Alypius

Saturday morning piano, relatively recent acquisitions, still absorbing their uniqueness. Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) is a composer who is becoming a favorite.


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Carl Nielsen*
Symphony No 2, Op 16
"The Four Temperaments"
Little Suite for String Orchestra, Op 1
The Tivoli Concert Symphony Orchestra
Carl Garaguly, Conducting

Hi everyone, my first post. Been enjoying this board for a couple of days now.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Marschallin Blair said:


> View attachment 41671
> View attachment 41672
> 
> 
> Love Furtwangler's contours.
> 
> Love Schwarzkopf.


Definitely the best of the three *Don*s featuring Schwarzkopf and Furtwangler from Salzburg.


----------



## Blancrocher

Ernest Bloch's violin sonatas, with Miriam Kramer and Simon Over.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

The sound is a bit dated now, and does overload occasionally at climaxes, but this is a great performance of Verdi's wonderful *Requiem*. The soloists are a particularly homogeneous bunch, though there isn't a single Italian amongst them, their first entry into the _Kirie_ absolutely thrilling. Schwarzkopf may not be everyone's ideal of a Verdi soprano, but my word she brings such meaning to the text. I often find it hard to listen to more entitled sopranos without hearing Schwarzkopf's individual accents.


----------



## jim prideaux

increasingly impressed by Zinman and the Tonhalle Zurich recording of Schumann 3rd the 'Rhenish'........not a composer I have really taken any real interest in....may well have been my loss and will have to do something about!


----------



## omega

Stepping into Gorecki's world for the first time with his 3rd Symphony.








It seemed to me quite redundant a first, but I must admit I was positively intrigued. Will have to go on with it...


----------



## Guest

MozartsGhost said:


> View attachment 41678
> 
> 
> *Carl Nielsen*
> Symphony No 2, Op 16
> "The Four Temperaments"
> Little Suite for String Orchestra, Op 1
> The Tivoli Concert Symphony Orchestra
> Carl Garaguly, Conducting
> 
> Hi everyone, my first post. Been enjoying this board for a couple of days now.


Welcome! As you can see, this is a lively thread.


----------



## Oskaar

*Composer : W.A. Mozart
Title : Symphony in C major n° 34 KV. 338*

Date of the performance : 10 July 2008
Event : Festival « Saoû chante Mozart » 
Location : Eglise de Nyons
Orchestra : Sinfonia Varsovia
Conductor: Philippe Bernold
Producer : Jean-Marc Birraux for Mezzo

Not the best sound, but a very good performance.
Yhe symphony may not be so melodic catchy as his most famous, but I really like it

*videolink*


----------



## cjvinthechair

MozartsGhost said:


> View attachment 41678
> 
> 
> *Carl Nielsen*
> Symphony No 2, Op 16
> "The Four Temperaments"
> Little Suite for String Orchestra, Op 1
> The Tivoli Concert Symphony Orchestra
> Carl Garaguly, Conducting
> 
> Hi everyone, my first post. Been enjoying this board for a couple of days now.


Welcome !
You inspired me to branch out from there, but stick with Denmark & 2nd symphonies (except at the end, where those beginning to know me here will not be surprised to find a choral piece!):

Ludolf Nielsen - Symphony no. 2 



Hakon Borresen - Symphony no. 2 



Louis Glass - Symphony no. 2 



Carl Nielsen - Hymnus Amoris


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Presently, I am listing to the soundtrack to *A Clockwork Orange.*









Next up will be *Verdi's Requiem* performed by Ferenc Fricsay and the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin et al.


----------



## maestro267

_Saturday Symphony_
*Messiaen*: Turangalila-Symphonie
Thibaudet (piano)/Harada (ondes martenot)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Chailly


----------



## Oskaar

*W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 (1788):*

*1. Adagio, cut time -- Allegro
2. Andante con moto
3. Menuetto: Trio
4. Allegro

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*

Great!

*videolink*


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Cherubini - Medea - Callas, Scotti - Orchestra del Teatro alla Scalla di Milano - Serafin









Eurovision starts in a couple of hours (groan) and as Mrs Hermit is out for an hour or so, I'm getting a good dose of proper music inside me in preparation for the rigours of later on. There are a number of other versions of this available, including (I think) an electric performance from Dallas, but ... this is the one available at the moment. Passion, power, drama, real singing, characterisation, quality .... and then there will be the 'entertainment' from Copenhagen (sigh!)


----------



## MozartsGhost

Thanks Kontra, lively indeed! Thanks CJ for the links. I'll bookmark those and get back to them. I just got a box of vinyl from a good friend who recently passed. He left a note requested I be given these . . . Happy and sad at the same time. Anyway, I'm spending the weekend spinning the bottle and just playing what looks interesting at this point. 









*Prokofiev*
Symphony No 5 
B flat major, Op 100
The London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Headphone Hermit said:


> Cherubini - Medea - Callas, Scotti - Orchestra del Teatro alla Scalla di Milano - Serafin
> 
> View attachment 41686
> 
> 
> Eurovision starts in a couple of hours (groan) and as Mrs Hermit is out for an hour or so, I'm getting a good dose of proper music inside me in preparation for the rigours of later on. There are a number of other versions of this available, including (I think) an electric performance from Dallas, but ... this is the one available at the moment. Passion, power, drama, real singing, characterisation, quality .... and then there will be the 'entertainment' from Copenhagen (sigh!)


If there were no other performances of Callas as Medea, this would certainly fill the void. However there are at least three preferable both as all round performances and for Callas her self. Florence 1953 (under Gui), La Scala 1953 (under Bernstein) and Dallas 1958 (under Rescigno), though of course you don't get studio sound, not that this one is particularly brilliant for all that it's stereo. It was not recorded by EMI or produced by Walter Legge, as he would have nothing to do with the project. Callas exercised a clause in her contract that allowed her to make a recording for another label. It was actually recorded by Ricordi, though EMI later licenced and released it.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783): Quintet No.1 in G Major

Camerata Koln: Karl Kaiser, flute -- Sabine Bauer, fortepiano -- Sabine Lier, violin -- Ingeborg Scheerer, viola -- Rainer Zipperling, cello


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> Definitely the best of the three *Don*s featuring Schwarzkopf and Furtwangler from Salzburg.


Sorry, Greg. I'm trying. Strauss and I are botched that way.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41680
> 
> 
> The sound is a bit dated now, and does overload occasionally at climaxes, but this is a great performance of Verdi's wonderful *Requiem*. The soloists are a particularly homogeneous bunch, though there isn't a single Italian amongst them, their first entry into the _Kirie_ absolutely thrilling. Schwarzkopf may not be everyone's ideal of a Verdi soprano, but my word she brings such meaning to the text. I often find it hard to listen to more entitled sopranos without hearing Schwarzkopf's individual accents.


I'm getting that for the singers alone and to the utter exclusion of everything else.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

AClockworkOrange said:


> Presently, I am listing to the soundtrack to *A Clockwork Orange.*
> 
> View attachment 41683
> 
> 
> Next up will be *Verdi's Requiem* performed by Ferenc Fricsay and the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin et al.
> 
> View attachment 41684


---
I think Kubrick had superb taste in what_ pieces _he chose to track to his films; but that it fell a notch or two with the_ performances _he so chose. . . Karajan Decca_ Zarathustra _excepted. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Cherubini - Medea - Callas, Scotti - Orchestra del Teatro alla Scalla di Milano - Serafin
> 
> View attachment 41686
> 
> 
> Eurovision starts in a couple of hours (groan) and as Mrs Hermit is out for an hour or so, I'm getting a good dose of proper music inside me in preparation for the rigours of later on. There are a number of other versions of this available, including (I think) an electric performance from Dallas, but ... this is the one available at the moment. Passion, power, drama, real singing, characterisation, quality .... and then there will be the 'entertainment' from Copenhagen (sigh!)


Total thumbs-up.






(Your wife can thank me later. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

Marschallin Blair said:


> Total thumbs-up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (You're wife can thank me later. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.)


Thanks Greg and Marschallin - yes, I also have the Firenze from May 1953. I agree it is mighty powerful stuff - and it might get a play all the way through if I get fed up of Europop (so that's a certainty then!!!)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> If there were no other performances of Callas as Medea, this would certainly fill the void. However there are at least three preferable both as all round performances and for Callas her self. Florence 1953 (under Gui), La Scala 1953 (under Bernstein) and Dallas 1958 (under Rescigno), though of course you don't get studio sound, not that this one is particularly brilliant for all that it's stereo. It was not recorded by EMI or produced by Walter Legge, as he would have nothing to do with the project. Callas exercised a clause in her contract that allowed her to make a recording for another label. It was actually recorded by Ricordi, though EMI later licenced and released it.


Greg, in your humble and well-bred opinion, which _Medea _is your pearl-beyond-praise?-- because in my unhumble-and-officious, unsolicited-for opinion, it's clearly the incandescent, untamed vitriol of the '53 Gui Florence.

Yes: _'in-can-DES-cent_.'


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Thanks Greg and Marschallin - yes, I also have the Firenze from May 1953. I agree it is mighty powerful stuff - and it might get a play all the way through if I get fed up of Europop (so that's a certainty then!!!)


Headphone Hermit, I of course play the '53_ Medea _first and foremost for its intrinsic merits-- the ending of it is the ultimate drama queen cut for the ages; but I have to confess, I get no small pleasure in blasting it at work sometimes and just_ seeing _the unguarded countenances of people passing by. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

If teenagers want to play _epater le bourgeoisie _with their parents, they should concentrate less on Emo and gangster rap; and more on full-throated Callas. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Alban Berg -

Chamber Concerto*
Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

*Sonata for Piano, Op. 1*
Daniel Barenboim (piano)
*
Four Pieces for clarinet and piano, Op. 5*
Sabine Meyer, Oleg Maisenberg
*
Wein, Weib und Gesang, waltz for orchestra, Op. 333*
Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Joseph Silverstein, Max Hobart, Burton Fine, Jules Eskin, Gilbert Kalish, Jerome Rosen

[Deutsche Grammophon, 2004]


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: Piano Sonatas (Vols. II & III), w. MAH (rec.2008 - '11).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

To Marchallin Blair

Greg, in your humble and well-bred opinion, which Medea is your pearl-beyond-praise?-- because in my unhumble-and-officious, unsolicited-for opinion, it's clearly the incandescent, untamed vitriol of the '53 Gui Florence.

Yes: 'in-can-DES-cent.'

It's a difficult choice because they _all_ have their attractions. I do think, though, that by Dallas in 1958, Callas has found a greater range of colours. The Florence Medea is magnificent, the singing freewheeling and powerful, but it lacks some of the femininity (and experience of the role) she provides in Dallas. In Florence we get more of the sorceress, in Dallas more of the woman. We never forget _why_ Medea comes to Corinth; not to wreak revenge, but to win Jason back. She is also more cleverly insinuating in her duet with Creon, and it is easy to hear why he would be taken in - vocal acting on the highest level. In Florence she tends to play her cards to early. As a vocal tour de force it is unparalled, but on balance I think I prefer the subtler. more multi-faceted character she presents in Dallas. Florence was after all the first time she had sung the role ever. That she could do so with such assurance on first acquaintance with the role, one for which she could have no other reference point, is a miracle in itself.

But honestly I think both, sorry no all three, are essential listening.


----------



## bejart

Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de St.George (ca. 1739-1799): String Quartet in G Major, G.069

Quatour Antares: Ruggero Capranico and Dania Draga, violins -- David Vainscot, viola -- Cecile Nicolas, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart: Sinfonie C-Dur KV 551 (»Jupiter«) ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Paavo Järvi*

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 17. Februar 2011 ∙

youtube comment

*Einfach genial ... das Orchester und der Dirigent! .*

Amazing! And Jarvi always look like he is thinking of a good joke

*videolink*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Alban Berg - Lyric Suite for String Quartet
LaSalle Quartet [DG, rec. 1968]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> To Marchallin Blair
> 
> Greg, in your humble and well-bred opinion, which Medea is your pearl-beyond-praise?-- because in my unhumble-and-officious, unsolicited-for opinion, it's clearly the incandescent, untamed vitriol of the '53 Gui Florence.
> 
> Yes: 'in-can-DES-cent.'
> 
> It's a difficult choice because they _all_ have their attractions. I do think, though, that by Dallas in 1958, Callas has found a greater range of colours. The Florence Medea is magnificent, the singing freewheeling and powerful, but it lacks some of the femininity (and experience of the role) she provides in Dallas. In Florence we get more of the sorceress, in Dallas more of the woman. We never forget _why_ Medea comes to Corinth; not to wreak revenge, but to win Jason back. She is also more cleverly insinuating in her duet with Creon, and it is easy to hear why he would be taken in - vocal acting on the highest level. In Florence she tends to play her cards to early. As a vocal tour de force it is unparalled, but on balance I think I prefer the subtler. more multi-faceted character she presents in Dallas. Florence was after all the first time she had sung the role ever. That she could do so with such assurance on first acquaintance with the role, one for which she could have no other reference point, is a miracle in itself.
> 
> But honestly I think both, sorry no all three, are essential listening.


--
You articulate perfectly what I think but could not so eloquently express-- and with such specificity.

That said though, and with all dramatic nuances considered, weighed, and assayed-- I still prefer the Sorceress.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Scriabin*: Piano Sonatas, w. Ashkenazy (rec.1974 - '84); Mazurkas, w. Le Van (rec.2002).


----------



## Cosmos

*Bach-Busoni* Prelude and Fugue in D major, Nikolai Demidenko


----------



## LancsMan

*Delius: Sea Drift; Songs of Farewell; Songs of Sunset* Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sally Burgess & Bryn Terfel conducted by Richard Hickox on Chandos








Well I'm surrendering myself to these works of Delius. OK if I want to be critical much of Delius's work inhabits the same world of ecstatic reverie. But no one else quite matches Delius in this mood do they? I'm expecting answers!

Excellent performances.


----------



## Oskaar

*Mozart Symphony No 38 K 504 D major Prague, Czech Philarmonic Manfred Honek*

Brilliant presentation and performance. Perhaps my favorite Mozart symphony, rich and adventurous as it is. Fine sound, and the orcestra really play as one here

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.47 in C Major

Trevor Pinnock conducting the English Concert


----------



## Morimur

*Hanns Eisler - Historische Aufnachmen*

The king of German Lieder...


----------



## TurnaboutVox

LancsMan said:


> *OK if I want to be critical much of Delius's work inhabits the same world of ecstatic reverie. But no one else quite matches Delius in this mood do they? I'm expecting answers!*


*

No! Delius' idiom in these and other orchestral works has a rather unique 'signature'. He has other, more angst-ridden, modes, as can be heard in his violin and piano sonatas, for instance.*


----------



## LancsMan

TurnaboutVox said:


> No! Delius' idiom in these and other orchestral works has a rather unique 'signature'. He has other, more angst-ridden, modes, as can be heard in his violin and piano sonatas, for instance.


OK. I should have said much of the Delius I am familiar with inhabits this world of ecstatic reverie. Obviously my Delius exposure is significantly incomplete!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Transfigured Night and Chamber Symphony No. 1. Then Mozart, Missa in C, "Dominicus."*


----------



## Vaneyes

Re "Saturday Symphony" listening, *Messiaen* Turangalila-Symphonie, w. Goodyear/Millar/Frankfurt RSO/Paavo Jarvi (January 13, 2013). :tiphat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=eCO7le_6LzU


----------



## Oskaar

*Royal Concertgebouw, Mariss Jansons - Rapsodia română nr.1 în La major, George Enescu GEF 2013*

*Sala Mare a Palatului, George Enescu Festival, 22 sept 2013*

_Excellent! I'm still dancing without moving my feet. What a great feeling! Thank you for making the video available.﻿_

The sound is not so good, but the work and performance is very amuzing

*videolink*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

LancsMan said:


> OK. I should have said much of the Delius I am familiar with inhabits this world of ecstatic reverie. Obviously my Delius exposure is significantly incomplete!


Sorry, I wasn't disagreeing with your observation. I should have made it clearer that my "No!" meant, no, I agree, no-one else matches Delius in that mood.


----------



## jim prideaux

Vaughan Williams-4th Symphony performed by BBC S.O. conducted by Andrew Davis


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for* Avison's* death day (1770).


----------



## adrem

Mendelssohn, Symhphony no. 3, Klemperer and Philharmonia Orchestra. One of the best for me.


----------



## Blancrocher

Santiago Rodriguez playing Rach's op. 23 Preludes and Variations on a theme of Corelli; the Takacs Quartet in Beethoven's Razumovsky quartets.


----------



## senza sordino

Bach Violin Concerti. I should learn to play the E major concerti, it's terrific. Although nothing compares to the slow movement of the double, sublime. 







Mozart Symphonies, 40 and 41, one of the first CDs I bought with money from my first full time permanent job. 25 years ago. 







Schumann, Lalo and Saint Saëns Cello concerti. 







Tchaikovsky and Glazunov Violin Concerti. Vengerov is incandescent on the Glazunov


----------



## opus55

Weber: Clarinet Concertos


----------



## LancsMan

*Koechlin: The Jungle Book* Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by David Zinman on RCA Victor Red Seal







This world premiere recording is my only exposure to the music of Charles Koechlin, a somewhat overlooked figure in the French musical world in the first part of the twentieth century, but very prolific as a composer of neglected works from what I can tell. This double CD brings us a collection of symphonic poems spanning from the end of the nineteenth century into the 1930's, all inspired by Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories, with which he appeared to be somewhat obsessed. Of course we are far away from the Walt Disney version of the Jungle Book stories - as apparently are the original Kipling stories which I have not read.

These pieces have a lot going for them. Koechlin is a master of the orchestra from what I can hear. The music covers a range of styles, including frequent passages with a sense of ecstatic reverie - perhaps of a somewhat other worldly character compared to the ecstatic reveries of Delius I was listening to earlier in the evening.

The first half of the twentieth century has so many striking musical personalities that it may be no surprise to find Koechlin being neglected. But on the strength of these works this neglect seems a pity.

Excellent discs.


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Schubert*
The Complete Symphonies
Rosamund-Overture and Ballet Music
Berlin Philharmonic
Von Karajan - Conductor


----------



## Headphone Hermit

GregMitchell said:


> To Marchallin Blair
> 
> Greg, in your humble and well-bred opinion, which Medea is your pearl-beyond-praise?-- because in my unhumble-and-officious, unsolicited-for opinion, it's clearly the incandescent, untamed vitriol of the '53 Gui Florence.
> 
> Yes: 'in-can-DES-cent.'
> 
> It's a difficult choice because they _all_ have their attractions. I do think, though, that by Dallas in 1958, Callas has found a greater range of colours. The Florence Medea is magnificent, the singing freewheeling and powerful, but it lacks some of the femininity (and experience of the role) she provides in Dallas. In Florence we get more of the sorceress, in Dallas more of the woman. We never forget _why_ Medea comes to Corinth; not to wreak revenge, but to win Jason back. She is also more cleverly insinuating in her duet with Creon, and it is easy to hear why he would be taken in - vocal acting on the highest level. In Florence she tends to play her cards to early. As a vocal tour de force it is unparalled, but on balance I think I prefer the subtler. more multi-faceted character she presents in Dallas. Florence was after all the first time she had sung the role ever. That she could do so with such assurance on first acquaintance with the role, one for which she could have no other reference point, is a miracle in itself.
> 
> But honestly I think both, sorry no all three, are essential listening.


Sometimes, hitting the 'like' button is just not enough. Another great post, Greg :tiphat:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 41705
> View attachment 41710
> 
> 
> Santiago Rodriguez playing Rach's op. 23 Preludes and Variations on a theme of Corelli; the Takacs Quartet in Beethoven's Razumovsky quartets.


That Santiago Rodriguez Rachmaninov kicks_ such _***!-- and the recording quality is stellar.

Have you heard his Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No. 1 on the same label?

-- Oh are you in for a treat.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Headphone Hermit said:


> Sometimes, hitting the 'like' button is just not enough. Another great post, Greg :tiphat:


Greg rules; especially in all things Callas.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending. Soloist, Janine Jansen @ Royal Abert Hall*

Soloist Janine Jansen plays her 1727 Stradivari "Barrere" violin, in this popular Vaughan Williams masterpiece. From the BBC Proms 2003.

Amazing piece!

*videolink*


----------



## Morimur

*Hanns Eisler - Vokalsinfonik (Knothe, Herbig, Guhl)*










One of the most original and prolific composers of the twentieth century, Eisler proved that expressing humanistic and political concerns does not necessarily lead to musical banalities, but can achieve his stated aesthetic ideal of "freshness, intelligence, strength and elegance" (as opposed to "bombast, sentimentality and mysticism"). _- Anon_

Hanns Eisler's "Lenin Requiem" has never been performed in the United States--and may never be. Eisler was nothing if not a contextual composer, and here the context is Eisler's identification with Lenin and the Russian Revolution. But this is no example of quasi-religious bombast in the style of "socialist realism"--Eisler uses advanced compositional techniques, including atonality, and for this reason the Lenin Requiem was never performed in the Soviet Union! It did reach the concert stage in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), where Eisler settled after his deportation from the United States as a suspected Communist subversive in the Hollywood film industry. This is one of the rare performances--a collector's item of enduring musical worth. The Lenin Requiem is perhaps one of Eisler's most satisfying works: both the music and the text by Bertolt Brecht are free of hero worship (another reason the work was disliked by the Soviet cultural apparatus), but nevertheless communicate a sense of concentrated emotive power. It is also one of Eisler's more engaging attempts to write compositions that used the most progressive techniques of his day--including the 12-tone method of his teacher Arnold Schoenberg--but in a particularly simplified form so that the untrained ear would still hear the music as music. Also on the album is one of Eisler's least successful works--the "Party Cantata" written for the Fifth Congress of the ruling Communist Party of East Germany. Eisler's fans have described this as his "Wellington"--a reference to Beethoven's forgettable tribute to the British general. Even the Communist minister of culture, Johannes Becher, was embarrassed. Still, the cantata has the gusto of a lively collegiate fight song. Fortunately, Eisler was not really the favored court composer for the Communist regime his critics have made him out to be; not long after the Fifth Party Congress, he was exiled from East Germany because his musical theories did not fit in with the ruling doctrine of socialist realism in music, literature and art. He returned when Stalin's death signalled a cultural thaw throughout the Soviet empire. Shortly before his death, he wrote the "Ernste Gesaenge" ("Serious Songs"), also which are striking for their tenderness and emotional complexity, and buttress the argument that Eisler was perhaps one of the greatest composers of German lieder in the 20th century. They are presented here, along with the extraordinary miniatures Eisler wrote to Brecht's captions for a picture book describing war. _- Anon_


----------



## Oskaar

*Mahler Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen Hampson, Jansons, 2007*

"Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht"
"Ging heut' Morgens übers Feld"
"Ich hab' ein glühend Messer"
"Die zwei blauen Augen"

Marvelous!

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Francois Devienne (1759-1803): Bassoon Concerto No.4 in C Major

Bohdan Warchal conducting the Slovak Chamber Orchestra -- Eckart Hubner, bassoon


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

183 Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
184 Erwünschtes Freudenlicht
185 Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (183, 185) and Gustav Leonhardt (184), cond.


----------



## Guest

I listened to the last disc in this set, an all-Liszt recital recorded in Japan in 1972. Whoa, there are some seriously jaw-dropping moments!










Here's the original LP cover:


----------



## Oskaar

*© Claude Debussy 1862-1918 - La Mer - Danmarks Radio SymfoniOrkestret - Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos*

_Eine absolut wunderschöne Vorführung!

I was trying to rewind, and pushed "dislike" on ipad. Noooo, I LOVE this performance! It is perfect. Love the oboist!_

wonderfull!

*videolink*


----------



## Guest

Everyone plays with great gusto and captured in superb sound.


----------



## Morimur

*Hanns Eisler - Tank Battles; Songs of Hanns Eisler (Dagmar Krause)*










_Review by John Dougan_

A worthy follow up-to Supply and Demand, this release focuses on Krause's interpretation of the music of Hans Eisler, a great German songwriter and contemporary of Brecht and Weill (though less well known). As usual, the singing is stunning, and the instrumental accompaniment, which features significant contributions by Lindsay Cooper and Danny Thompson, is impeccable. Krause recorded English and German versions of Tank Battles (hence the title Panzer Schlacht) and both are highly recommended.


----------



## SimonNZ

Britten's Les Illuminations - Susan Gritton, soprano, Edward Gardiner, cond.

now I'm sans vinyl I notice that this is the only recording I have of one of my favorite works, and its simply no good and won't do at all (purchased for the Finzi, as it was the only one I could find quickly)

Pears / Goosens will be the first priority, then, which is now done by Australian Eloquence, and also in a very tasty looking 10cd budget Britten set from Documents


----------



## Morimur

*Kurt Weill | Hanns Eisler - (1986) Supply & Demand (Dagmar Krause)*










_Review by John Dougan_

Although seeking out Krause's work with Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and the Art Bears is worthwhile, ultimately the democracy of a band means less Dagmar to listen to. Therefore, go straight to this amazing solo recording of Krause singing the music of Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Hans Eisler. It's approachable, accessible ("Mack the Knife" is here under its original title, "Moritat"), beautifully sung (her version of "Surabaya Johnny" is definitive) and very, very moving. The CD release adds a few tracks, but regardless of what configuration you may purchase, the stunning vocal ability of Dagmar Krause will transport you.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl

Haydn -Sonata for violin and viola n. 6.


----------



## SimonNZ

Charpentier's Missa Assumpta Est Maria - Hervé Niquet, cond.

sigh...a customer here at work just asked me why I was playing "traumatic music"

I don't think they meant thje subject or the tone...they were clearly refering to their own trauma


----------



## Cosmos

*Spohr* Nonet in F major, Bell'Arte Ensemble

Never heard of a "nonet" before. Turns out this was the first one ever written bearing that title


----------



## opus55

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 77 and 103


----------



## Alypius

Tonight: Late Brahms piano:

*Brahms: Fantasien, op. 116 (1892)*










*Brahms: Three Intermezzi, op. 117 (1892)*










*Brahms, Six Piano Pieces (Klavierstücke), op. 118 (1892)
& Four Piano Pieces (Klavierstücke), op. 119 (1892)*










I'm not sure why, but I was slow to discover this important side of Brahms' oeuvre. Brahms found a wonderful voice for himself in his late years. These seem so effortless, so natural -- and yet radiant, an autumnal voice.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - 'Komm, holder Lenz'; 'Schon eilet froh der Ackermann'; 'O wie lieblich ist der Anblick'; 'Ewiger, mächtiger, gütiger Gott' (Sir John Eliot Gardiner; Bonney; Johnson; Schmidt; The Monteverdi Choir; 
The English Baroque Soloists).









Such an amazing work.


----------



## jim prideaux

at the start of a day which will involve much celebration at the Stadium of Light listening to Vaughan Williams 5th-Davis and the BBC S.O.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Russian Orthodox Vespers: Vigil For The Feast Of St.Joseph Of Volokolamsk" - Anatoly Grindenko, cond.


----------



## JCarmel

Some early morning Keyboard with my crunchy cereal...

I really enjoy listening to Sudbin playing Scarlatti though at any time of day.









And this, on Spotify is next-up in my musical petit dejeuner...Alexandre Tharaud playing Bach


----------



## Taggart

jim prideaux said:


> at the start of a day which will involve much celebration at the Stadium of Light listening to Vaughan Williams 5th-Davis and the BBC S.O.


Nice to see the stadium being used for a music concert.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Magisterial Beethoven from Claudio Arrau and Sir Colin Davis.


----------



## jim prideaux

Taggart said:


> Nice to see the stadium being used for a music concert.


the excitement is overwhelming-hence mistake with punctuation-although hopefully an under appreciated Uraguayan maestro will be conducting another magnificent opus!

whilst in the mood to admit to possible 'mistakes'-reconsidering the Schubert 5th as performed by Herb and the BPO-may have misjudged,it really is rather good!


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 1 in C Major (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker).


----------



## maestro267

*Bernstein*: Symphony No. 2, "The Age of Anxiety"
Steuerman (piano)/Florida PO/Judd

*Duruflé*: Requiem (ver. for large orchestra & organ)
von Otter (mez.)/Hampson (bar.)
Orfeon Sonostiarra/Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse/Plasson


----------



## SimonNZ

Christopher Trapani's Anyplace Else - Ensemble Dal Niente


----------



## cjvinthechair

SimonNZ said:


> now I'm sans vinyl


No joy with this, Mr. Simon ?


----------



## Oskaar

*Dvořák - Overture Carnival (Last Night of the Proms 2012)*

BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Jiří Bělohlávek conductor

Royal Albert Hall, 8 September 2012

youtube comment

_Women should not be allowed to try and play the trombone. They don't have the physical strength for it. They should stick to the tambourine, or triangle._

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

cjvinthechair said:


> No joy with this, Mr. Simon ?


Nope, nor do I expect to really. I've already gone in my head to the place where they're gone for good, and what gaps I now have in the repertoire. Just so long as they're not coming back for the cds...

playing now:










Arianna Savall - "Peiwoh"

considerably less "classical" than I was expecting. closer to, say, Lorena McKennitt than to Hesperion XXI


----------



## JCarmel

Listening to some great Mozart...on Spotify (what _would_ I do without it?!...) K516 Quintet/William Primrose/Griller Quartet

originally on this LP, I think








but now available as MP3 on 'BD Classique: Mozart'


----------



## Oskaar

*Strawinsky: Scherzo fantastique ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Paavo Järvi*

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 14. Dezember 2012 ∙

*videolink*


----------



## Jos

This one was out of the crates for another thread so I might as well play it. 
@ hpowders: I don't know if TSQ did another recording of this quartet (this one is from the early 70s I think) but in this one vibrato doesn't seem excessive to me. Nice and smooth I'd say. Perhaps I just like vibrato.  I'd like to compare to a more modern rendition. Any recommendations?

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Chamber music to start my Sunday:

*Schumann

Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47
Piano Quartet in C minor WoO 32 (1829)*

Trio Parnassus with Hariolf Schlichtig (viola) [MD&G]









*
Boulez - Complete Works CD2
Livre pour quatuor (1962 version)*

Quatuor Parisii [DG, rec. 2000]


----------



## Oskaar

*Ruzicka: CLOUDS ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Paavo Järvi*

Khatia Buniatishvili, Klavier ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙ 
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

*Uraufführung (World Premiere) *∙

Nice mix of strange tones. There is a fine nerve going throug silent and powerfull sequences

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Tsjaikovski: De Notenkraker (integraal) - Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (suite) (complete)*

Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest olv. Yannick Nezet-Seguin
Jongenskoor Rijnmond, Jongenskoor Rivierenland en Jongenskoor Waterland olv. Arie Hoek

Tsjaikovsky: De Notenkraker

23 December 2010, De Doelen, Rotterdam

youtube comment

_Almost as much enjoyment out of watching how the musicians make the story come to life with their instruments as it is to watch the ballerinas prance around to it.﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

About a year ago, I was enjoying a holiday on Cyprus, so I thought I'd listen to music that has associations with the island.
First up is Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini' played by Cyprus-born Martino Tirimo with Noel Levi conducting The Philharmnia Orchestra. I hold this work in particular high regard (Rachmaninov's own playing of it is perhaps my favourite interpretation) I have a miniature score and despite having followed it to the music on many occasions, I still manage to lose my place sooner or later!









In the UK, there is a popular belief that the German holidaymaker is rather adept at securing and holding-onto the best places around the swimming pool! Well, I don't know about that but certainly one group of Germans that I encountered whilst on a visit to the Roman remains at Kourion, near RAF Akrotiri, managed to hog the whole place!









Beautifully sited overlooking the sea...we came in to the top of the impressive ampitheatre there & took a seat to survey the scene, prior to exploring. No sooner had we become seated, than a woman left the group of about 20 seated right in front of us...and commenced to sing the famous aria from Gluck's Orfeo & Euridice "Che farò senza Euridice?" in the middle of the 'stage' area at the bottom of the tiered arena. I love a bit of live music but this contralto sang & sang and sang. Unfortunately, the acoustics were most impressive... her voice just boomed around the space but the singing was decidedly less-so....not only that but it was preventing us from walking-round to explore. She just hogged the very best place ...& 'the moment'... for about 15 minutes...it felt interminable at the time. Thankfully, it hasn't put me off the music....conducted by Raymond Leppard with Dame Janet Baker.


----------



## Guest

Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Piano Septet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 74
Capricorn

This is one of Hummel's masterpieces. Usually, IMO, his music lacks balance, but this Septet sounds as perfect as Mozart. The other Septet on this disc, Op. 114, does not measure up.


----------



## Bas

Today is Jubilate sunday, the third sunday after Easter, thus the cantata for this week is BWV 12 "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen."

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 12 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
By Yumiko Kurisu [soprano], Yoshikazu Mera [counter-tenor], Makoto Sakurada [tenor], Peter Kooij [bass], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









George Frederic Handel - Concerti Grossi opus 6. no 5, 1, 2, 3, 10, 11 & Organ Concertos opus 4
By The Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze [violin] Richard Egarr [organ & dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Joseph Haydn - Salve Regina, Die Schopfüng
By Lucia Popp [soprano], Werner Hollweg [tenor], Kurt Moll [bass], Helena Döse [soprano], Benjamin Luxon [Bariton], Bright Festival Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati [continuo, dir.], on Decca


----------



## SimonNZ

Hooked On Classics

just as good as it was back in '81. hasn't aged a day


----------



## Weston

*Handel: Suite for keyboard (Suite de piece), Vol.1, No.7 in G minor, HWV 432*
Sviatoslav Richter, piano









I love baroque in the morning. Of course, this recording is so un-hip. Richter plays these little pieces as if Chopin wrote them. Baroque gone wild! The beauty of baroque is that it works almost regardless of how it's played.

The Sarabande in this is exquisitely slow. Time is suspended.


----------



## Guest

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sextet for Winds in E flat, Op.71
Mozzafiato - Charles Neidich


----------



## Jos

SimonNZ said:


> Hooked On Classics
> 
> just as good as it was back in '81. hasn't aged a day


K-tel, I had no idea they had done classical. Must look out for one of those 
I have a soulcompilation and I believe my parents have " traumklang der panflote " , all gems !!

Cheers,
Jos


----------



## Guest

Continuing my morning of chamber music with wind instruments:








Antonín Dvořák
Serenade for Winds in D minor Op. 44
Christopher Warren-Green, Philharmonia Orchestra


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Robert Schumann

Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 118, No. 1
Albumblatter, Op. 124: No. 6. Wiegenliedchen
Piano Sonata in D major, Op. 118, No. 2
Albumblatter, Op. 124: No. 16. Schlummerlied
Birthday Album for Marie
Album fur die Jugend (Album for the Young), Op. 68: Supplement
Piano Sonata in C major, Op. 118, No. 3*

Florian Uhlig [Haenssler, 2013]










A selection of attractive lesser known Schumann miniatures. I am not sure why the op. 118 sonatinas are not more widely recorded.


----------



## SimonNZ

Jos said:


> K-tel, I had no idea they had done classical. Must look out for one of those
> I have a soulcompilation and I believe my parents have " traumklang der panflote " , all gems !!
> 
> Cheers,
> Jos


Hard to believe you managed to avoid it (though well done). The first track was actually No.1 on the Pop charts out here.

Ahh...I can still remember one of my primary school music teachers throwing a piano stool across the room when one of my more progressive fellow students tried to make the case that this was the future of classical.

I can't believe I just listened to all 48 minutes of it:





 Name! That! Tune!

playing now:










Piano works by Salonen, Stucky and Lutoslawski - Gloria Cheng, piano


----------



## Guest

SimonNZ said:


> Hard to believe you managed to avoid it (though well done). The first track was actually No.1 on the Pop charts out here.
> 
> Ahh...I can still remember one of my primary school music teachers throwing a piano stool across the room when one of my more progressive fellow students tried to make the case that this was the future of classical.
> 
> I can't believe I just listened to all 48 minutes of it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Name! That! Tune!


48 minutes! You must have great self control. I had to turn it off two seconds after the drums began.


----------



## bejart

JS Bach: French Suite No.1 in D Minor, BWV 812

Andrei Gavrilov, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*Shoji Sayaka Plays Sibelius Violin Concerto*

Just magic!
This little lady trixes out the most mature and secure playing, but also with freshness and charm.

The Sibelius violin concerto is fast rising to be a favourite of mine. Powerfull, dramatic and deeply emotional.

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

*Telemann - Cantata: Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten (Stotzel/Hanssler)
Zelenka - Concerto a 8 concertanti in G (Sonnentheil/cpo)
Schmelzer - On the Day of the Fart (Berliner Barock Compagney/Capriccio)*


----------



## Oskaar

*Franz Schubert - Messe G-Dur*

NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR OF ARMENIA
Art director R. Mlkeyan

NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF ARMENIA
Art director V. Martirosyan

soprano M. Galoyan
tenor G. Poghosyan
bass A. Ohanyan

organ A. Bakunts

you tube comments

_bella interpretazione! bravo~!﻿

its wonderful.Bravo!! Amazing! God bless

Greatly performed. We will perform it on Christmas in our SchoolChurch, and I´ve been locking very strangely and long for such a good interpretation like this one. And it is the first recording with such a slow "Credo": SO NICE. I hate it, when this Credo is faster performed. I got the most strange feelings at the Gloria, WOW WOW WOW. <3._

conductor R. Mlkeyan

Pure delight. You dont have to be a personal believer to enjoy this, and feel the spiritual force in it.

*videolink*


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende'_, BWV28; _'Sie werden euch in den Bann tun', BWV183_;
_'Ich bin ein guter Hirt', BWV85_ 
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Concerto Palatino, brass ensemble
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki









*Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas-- _No. 39 in D major_, _No. 40 in E-flat major_, _No. 41 in A major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano









*Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major, Op.134_
Isabelle Faust, violin
Alexander Melnikov, piano


----------



## bejart

Andre Ernest Modeste Gretry (1741-1813): String Quartet No.1 in G Major

Haydn Quartet: Alexander Tal and Kati Sebestyn, violins -- Erwin Schiffer, viola -- Gyorgy Schiffer, cello


----------



## JCarmel

My friend who owns an apartment on Cyprus plays Cornet with a band of veterans at RAF Akrotiri when we visit. Tonight, she's playing French Horn in a performance of Brahms Symphony 1. In preparation, she's been listening to Boult on cd & Bruno Walter and latterly, Bernstein conducting the VPO on youtube.






I associate Verdi's 'Othello' with Cyprus...opening as it does at the harbour on the island. 
I'm listening to Beniamino Gigli singing a couple of arias from the opera on youtube...






prior to playing the first cd of a one-pence 3-cd Nimbus set (thanks to Simon) that arrived at Maison Carmel, yesterday!









My great Aunt Mary had a 78rpm record of Gigli but I cannot remember what he was singing on it...but I listened to that and many other old records when I went down to her terraced Edwardian house in Beckenham Rd in Leicester. I loved all her records but the one I liked listening to the most featured this song! 'All the king's horses, the king's men'


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Vasks said:


> *Telemann - Cantata: Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten (Stotzel/Hanssler)
> Zelenka - Concerto a 8 concertanti in G (Sonnentheil/cpo)
> Schmelzer - On the Day of the Fart (Berliner Barock Compagney/Capriccio)*


Hehe, nice progression dude .


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Andolink said:


> *J. S. Bach*: _'Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende'_, BWV28; _'Sie werden euch in den Bann tun', BWV183_;
> _'Ich bin ein guter Hirt', BWV85_
> Carolyn Sampson, soprano
> Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
> Gerd Türk, tenor
> Peter Kooij, bass
> Concerto Palatino, brass ensemble
> Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki
> 
> View attachment 41748
> 
> 
> *Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas-- _No. 39 in D minor_, _No. 40 in E-flat major_, _No. 41 in A major_
> Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
> 
> View attachment 41749
> 
> 
> *Dmitry Shostakovich*: _Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major, Op.134_
> Isabelle Faust, violin
> Alexander Melnikov, piano
> 
> View attachment 41750


Dude, you sure about that Haydn Sonata in D minor? I think that one's in E minor - is it the one with the minor mode Adagio movement right at the beginning?


----------



## Weston

*Telemann: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in D minor, TWV 42:d9
and Sonata for flute, viola da gamba & continuo in G minor, TWV 42:g15*
Publick Musick









Still going for baroque.


----------



## Andolink

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Dude, you sure about that Haydn Sonata in D minor? I think that one's in E minor - is it the one with the minor mode Adagio movement right at the beginning?


I looked it up and it's actually in D major. Thanks for alerting me that something was wrong there.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven Missa solemnis NDR Sinfonieorchester John Eliot Gardiner*

*Ludwig van Beethoven Missa solemnis in D-Dur op. 123
NDR Sinfonieorchester conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
1.Kyrie 0:00
2.Gloria 9:40
3.Credo 26:15
4.Sanctus 44:15
5.Agnus Dei 59:30*

Not the best sound, but a mindblowing work and performance.

*videolink*


----------



## AH music

Missed reporting on a few - some Mozart Piano concertos (nos 18-20 and 22) and a Czerny sonata (no 7) which were all good.

BRAHMS - Symphony no 1, Chailly. As a youngster I almost wore out an LP (Halle, Loughran) - probably the first "big" symphony I really grew to love and appreciate. Now listen to it far less often, but the Chailly to me is excellent all the way through, most especially in the finale with the unusual introductory passages done brilliantly, leading to the glorious horn calls and the great main theme.


----------



## Weston

*Franz Joseph Haydn: Keyboard Concerto in D major, H. 18/11*
Thomas Fey / Schlierbacher Kammerorchester / Gerrit Zitterbart, piano / Ernst Kochsiek, piano tuner / Johann Timotheus von Muckenschnabl, page turner









Wonderful work. I didn't want the second movement _Un poco adagio_ to end, though the rest of the concerto is a sprightly joy.


----------



## JCarmel

" Today is Jubilate sunday, the third sunday after Easter, thus the cantata for this week is BWV 12 "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen "

I want to 'Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen-it, too, Bas...with Daniel Chorzempa ...as this LP doesn't get to see the light of day very often!


----------



## Wood

*Begum Parveen Sultana* Padoon tode main paiyan






Possibly the most remarkable vocal performance to come out of India, I've been enjoying this for 20 years, and can now share it with y'all.

Enjoy.


----------



## Weston

Blancrocher said:


> View attachment 41641
> 
> 
> The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet playing Ligeti's "10 Pieces for Wind Quintet."


1948-2001 a ligeti odyssey? Groan.
[Edit: I should point out I am not dismissing Blancrocher's taste or Ligeti, just the marketing used here. I'm not sure Ligeti wanted always to be associated with that movie, however great it was.]



oskaar said:


> *W. A. Mozart - Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 (1788):*
> 
> *1. Adagio, cut time -- Allegro
> 2. Andante con moto
> 3. Menuetto: Trio
> 4. Allegro
> 
> The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
> Conductor - Nicolaus Harnoncourt
> Grosser Musikvereinsaal Wien*
> 
> Great!
> 
> *videolink*


Yay! Harnoncourt takes the 3rd movment Menuetto at the fast speed I enjoy. I've never been satisified with others' interpretations.



LancsMan said:


> *Koechlin: The Jungle Book* Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by David Zinman on RCA Victor Red Seal
> View attachment 41704
> 
> This world premiere recording is my only exposure to the music of Charles Koechlin, a somewhat overlooked figure in the French musical world in the first part of the twentieth century, but very prolific as a composer of neglected works from what I can tell. This double CD brings us a collection of symphonic poems spanning from the end of the nineteenth century into the 1930's, all inspired by Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories, with which he appeared to be somewhat obsessed. Of course we are far away from the Walt Disney version of the Jungle Book stories - as apparently are the original Kipling stories which I have not read.
> 
> These pieces have a lot going for them. Koechlin is a master of the orchestra from what I can hear. The music covers a range of styles, including frequent passages with a sense of ecstatic reverie - perhaps of a somewhat other worldly character compared to the ecstatic reveries of Delius I was listening to earlier in the evening.
> 
> The first half of the twentieth century has so many striking musical personalities that it may be no surprise to find Koechlin being neglected. But on the strength of these works this neglect seems a pity.
> 
> Excellent discs.


Some of these pieces might be on a Marco Polo disc I have. I'm not sure if it's part of the same work, but with names like _La loi de la jungle_ and _La meditation de Purun Baghat_, they could very well be. A very superb and overlooked composer indeed!


----------



## Jeff W

Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9. Mariss Jonsons conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

http://symphonycast.publicradio.org/display/programs/2014/05/05/


----------



## Cosmos

*Mahler-Schoenberg* Das Lied von der Erde, Chamber reduction









It was pretty good. There were times where it worked and times where it didn't. Overall, I loved how much clearer each line of music was. "The Lonely One in Autumn" is my least favorite song of the set, but in this version the sparse orchestration works with the smaller forces. "Of Beauty" took it slower than my taste. Finally, "The Farewell" began great, with nice instrumental sonorities throughout, but the finale here couldn't carry the same weight of beauty and transcending power I usually feel with the original version. Overall, 7/10 would recommend


----------



## MozartsGhost

* Ralph Vaughan Willaims*
London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
New Philharmonia Orchestra

Sir Adrian Boult - Conducting

_
From the liner notes:_

He once wrote that a "symphonic movement is not merely a set of melodies neatly fitted in a pattern; it is a living growth, not a mechanical arrangement. One thought grows out of another, one idea develops out of a previous hint, so that , as a tree, the topmost leaf and the deepest root are parts of one complete whole."


----------



## Oskaar

*Berlioz - Roméo et Juliette - volledig live concert in HD*

1. Introduction: Combats -- Tumulte -- Intervention du
prince -- Prologue -- Strophes -- Scherzetto
2. Roméo seul: Tristesse -- Bruits lointains de concert
et de bal -- Grande fête chez Capulet -- Fête
PAUZE
3. Nuit serène -- Le jardin de Capulet silencieux et
déserte -- Scène d'amour
4. Scherzo: La reine Mab, ou la Fée des songes
5. Convoi funèbre de Juliette: 'Jetez des fl eurs pour la
vierge expirée'
6. Roméo au tombeau des Capulets -- Invocation:
Réveil de Juliette -- Joie délirante, désespoir --
Dernières angoisses et mort des deux amants
7. Finale: La foule accourt au cimetière -- Des Capulets
et des Montagus -- Récitatif et Air du Père Laurence
'Pauvres enfants que je pleure' -- Serment de
réconciliation 'Jurez donc par l'auguste symbole'

youtube comment

_Thanks for this upload - it's always good to hear a fresh performance of a great masterpiece by Berlioz. Being familiar with studio recordings of this work it's good to find this stands up very well in most departments. Soloists may not be of the very first rank but they're good overall. I've not heard anything conducted by James Gaffigan before but I do hope he develops into a great Berlioz interpreter to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Munch, Davis , Ozawa and Dutoit._

Outstanding performance! First time I listen to this work, and I must say it is very rich in dramatic, powerfull, emotional and adventurous, and also fragile, lyrical moments. Bravo! 
Great sound and the annoying dutch subtitles is just to switch off (I thought, but it is not)

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Seasons - Overture, Recitative: 'Seht wie der strenge Winter flieht'; 'Komm, holder Lenz' (Wolfgang Sawallisch; Ziesak; Gambill; Muff; Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks).


----------



## Vaneyes

Happy Mothers Day to Martha with these *Chopin* listens.















View attachment 41766


----------



## Vaneyes

SimonNZ said:


> Arianna Savall - "Peiwoh" ....


Busking in the boondocks.


----------



## Orfeo

*Nikolay Myaskovsky*
Violin Sonata in F op. 70 
-Nona Liddell, violin.
-Daphne Ibbott, piano.
-->http://www.mediafire.com/?3z1y5ms1iq9k9


----------



## bejart

Franz Xaver Brixi (1732-1771): Viola Concerto in C Major

Andreas Sebastian Weber conducting the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra -- Jan Peruska, viola


----------



## JCarmel

A new work for me but maybe one familiar for bejart, I wonder?!...from a recent arrival cd of flute concertos a charming concerto in C Major....Andre'-Ernest-Modeste Gretry Flute Concerto in C Major Claude Monteux/ASMIF/Marriner









And for Tristan....this is a really good performance of the Russian Easter Festival Overture! It came as a filler to my latest Scheherazade....Igor Markevich conducting the LSO.


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Frederick Delius*
Halle' Orchestra
Sir John Barbirolli, conducting

"In a Summer Garden"

In a Summer Garden, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, La Calinda from "Koanga". Intermezzo & Serenade from "Hassan" (with Robert Tear, tenor), Late Swallows, A Song before Sunrise


----------



## maestro267

A pairing of symphonies I've thought of putting together for a little while now. Finally getting the chance to do it.

*Bax*: Symphony No. 6
RSNO/Lloyd-Jones

*Shostakovich*: Symphony No. 4 in C minor
RLPO/Petrenko


----------



## JCarmel

Really enjoy La Calinda, Mozart's Ghost...I like this performance by Beecham & for once I know exactly where to find it in the rows of LP's!









Have you noticed how many photos of old LP's on eBay listings are taken against_ the _most unsuitable of backgrounds?!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

My new disc of the week this week is:

*Alexander von Zemlinsky - Songs

Seven Songs (1889-90; posthumous)
Six songs to poems of Maeterlinck, Op. 13
Waltz-songs on Tuscan folk lyrics, Op. 6
Five songs (posthumous; 1895-6)
Two cabaret songs (1901)*

Hermine Haselboeck, mezzo; Florian Henschel, piano [Bridge, 2008]

A fine collection of mostly early songs, very fresh and attractive. The Maeterlinck songs are more substantial works and are considered one of Zemlinsky's key compositions - they are very good. These are excellent performances and this is a fine recording.


----------



## bejart

J.Carmel says ---
"A new work for me but maybe one familiar for bejart, I wonder?!...from a recent arrival cd of flute concertos a charming concerto in C Major....Andre'-Ernest-Modeste Gretry Flute Concerto in C Major"

I have a few CDs of Gretry, listened to his 6 string quartets earlier today and posted it here, but don't know his Flute Concerto in C. Thanks for the head's up. I'll take a look for it.

Now ---
Beethoven: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.36

Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem Van Dam Battle Karajan Wiener Philharmoniker*

Johannes Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem
Herbert von Karajan conducts Wiener Philharmoniker
„Selig sind, die da Leid tragen" (Moderatamente lento con espressione) 0:00
„Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras" (Allegro non troppo) 11:20
„Herr, lehre doch mich" (Andante moderato) 26:38
„Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen" (Moderatamente mosso) 38:25
„Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit" 44:10
„Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt" (Andante, vivace, allegro) 52:25
„Selig sind die Toten" (Solenne) 1:06:05

First time listening to this requiem, and must say I am impressed. It must be a while since it is recorded, but still the sound isnt bad. But the work is so beatiful that I have to find a perfect sounding video later. (still hooked on videos)

*videolink*


----------



## Morimur

*Gong Kebyar - The Earth Greets the Sun: Gamelan Music from Bali*










Exquisite Classical / Gamelan music from Bali. Recommended.


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: Spring Symphony
Robert Tear, Sheila Armstrong, Janet Baker, London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, cond. Previn









The same recording as this disc:


----------



## DrKilroy

For Sunday Symphony listening:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## LancsMan

*Debussy: Suite bergamasque; Pour le piano; Estamps; Images (oubliees)* Zoltan Kocsis on Philips








Ah! Debussy piano music. Surely one of the key composers for the instrument. Debussy seems to be possessed of an unerring instinct for the possibilities of the piano's sound world, which he did so much to extend. Every note seems so right and inevitable - but I have no real idea as to why this is. Must be magic!

Wonderful disc.


----------



## bejart

Inspired by J.Carmel ---
Andre Modeste Gretry (1741-1813): Flute Concerto in C Major

Dimitri Demetriades leading the European Union Chamber Orchestra -- Marc Grauwels, flute


----------



## DaveS

More R. Strauss: Don Quixote, Op.35 and the Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Frances Couperin. Rudolf Kempe, Staatskapelle Dresden. Paul Tortelier,cello, in the DQ; Max Rostal, viola, in the Dance Suite. Like the latter piece, especially.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Der Schneemann, Marchenbilder, et al.*
Matthias Bamert & the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra 








Disc and listen number one of my Korngold exploration beyond Nicola Benedetti's wonderful recording of the Violin Concerto from her album 'The Silver Violin'.

So far, I am as happy as a Bee in pollen. The compositions, recordings and performances are equally wonderful and very rewarding. The samples I heard before purchase truly fail to do justice to the full works.

I anticipate a very interesting and satisfying experience exploring his works further.


----------



## AH music

HAYDN - A symphonies sandwich. Nos 12 and 13, then - see below, then nos 14 and 15. No 14 is my favourite symphony so far, and the first movement of no 15 my favourite individual movement. He started really well, but just gets better and better!









STENHAMMAR, Wilhelm - one of several re-listens to the third of Three Fantasies for piano, Op 11, my recent introduction to this composer. It is a very lovely piece. Now listened to Piano Concerto no 1 in B flat (Op 1). Really enjoyed it!! How have I managed to avoid this composer for so long? Thoroughly romantic, approachable, but had a quality that lifted it well above the ordinary to me - just my sort of thing. I can see Stenhammar quickly becoming a real favourite.


----------



## bejart

Manuel Canales (1741-1786): String Quartet in B Flat, Op.3, No.4

Cambini Quartet of Munich: Miguel Simarro and Eva Marie Roll, violins -- Lothar Haass, viola -- Ulrike Mix, cello


----------



## LancsMan

*Faure: Piano Quintets* Domus with Anthony Marwood on hyperion








Now this music is somewhat elusive - I'd say more so than the Piano Quartets which date from earlier in Faure's life. Faure does not shout, and this is rather introspective music.

The first piano quintet's gestation took place over a considerable number of years - perhaps from the late 1880's up till completion in 1906. There seems to be a melancholy - almost troubled - caste over some of this music. Perhaps the long gestation reflects some troubles with the work's progress.

The second piano quintet dates from the last year's of Faure's life, when he was having to confront deafness. In comparison to the first piano quintet it seems more alive - almost radiant - or perhaps I should say glowing. The slow movement is particularly beautiful.

This recording is well deserving of the praise it has received.


----------



## cwarchc

The journey continues


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Reger's* death day (1916).

View attachment 41784


----------



## Vaneyes

LancsMan said:


> *Faure: Piano Quintets* Domus with Anthony Marwood on hyperion
> View attachment 41778
> 
> 
> Now this music is somewhat elusive - I'd say more so than the Piano Quartets which date from earlier in Faure's life. Faure does not shout, and this is rather introspective music.
> 
> The first piano quintet's gestation took place over a considerable number of years - perhaps from the late 1880's up till completion in 1906. There seems to be a melancholy - almost troubled - caste over some of this music. Perhaps the long gestation reflects some troubles with the work's progress.
> 
> The second piano quintet dates from the last year's of Faure's life, when he was having to confront deafness. In comparison to the first piano quintet it seems more alive - almost radiant - or perhaps I should say glowing. The slow movement is particularly beautiful.
> 
> This recording is well deserving of the praise it has received.


This is a "desert island" rec. for me. For the Piano Quartets, I prefer Nash Ensemble. :tiphat:


----------



## LancsMan

Weston said:


> Some of these pieces might be on a Marco Polo disc I have. I'm not sure if it's part of the same work, but with names like _La loi de la jungle_ and _La meditation de Purun Baghat_, they could very well be. A very superb and overlooked composer indeed!


Yes indeed these are on my recording. It's not one work but a number of symphonic poems all inspired by The Jungle Book and written over a long period - the Opus numbers range from Opus 18 to Opus 176! In all about 90 minutes worth of music.


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in B Flat, Bryan Bb3

Andrew Watkinson conducting the City of London Sinfonia


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

186 Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht
187 Es wartet alles auf dich

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (186) and Gustav Leonhardt (187), cond.


----------



## Alypius

A Brahms chamber day:

*Brahms, Piano Trio #1 in B major, op. 8 (1854 / 1889)*










*Brahms, String Quartet #2 in A minor, op. 51/2 (1865-1883)*










*Brahms, String Quintet #2 in G major, op. 111 (1890)*


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius Marjorie Thomas/Richard Lewis/John Cameron/Huddersfield Choral Society/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

Yesterday was the centenary of the birth of Richard Lewis, a wonderful singer, whose star never shone more brightly than on this wonderful recording of "Gerontius" with Sargent, who was perhaps the supreme interpreter of this work in the last century, certainly this is one of the finest recordings of it ever made, and, I would venture to suggest that Sargent's 1945 recording with Heddle Nash as Gerontius *is* the finest in existence, helped in no small measure by the wonderful Dennis Noble as the priest (and he has *never* been bettered- and I'll brook no argument on that point), but this is very good, and I do love Richard Lewis' voice.


----------



## LancsMan

*Mahler: Symphony No. 8* London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir conducted by Klaus Tennstedt on EMI







Now I'm never quite sure about this symphony. Of course it's great - but it's not one of my favourite Mahler symphonies. But why? 
It might be me being narrow minded - I tend to be somewhat reluctant in admitting this as a symphony because of the emphasis on choral and vocal writing - but this is probably silly.
It's probably more to do with the comparative lack of darkness, or irony, an essential Mahlerian quality for me. The ending of the symphony is reminiscent of the ending of the second, but there the journey from the darkness of the first movement makes the upbeat ending so satisfying, and that symphony has significant passages of irony.

But oh well I must say the opening movement of the eighth is truly invigorating, and the final movement has incredible passages of delicate orchestration as well as an ending of glorious power.

Great performance.


----------



## JCarmel

Have you noticed how Zemlinsky on the previous page looks rather like the late Charles Hawtrey of the' Carry On' films fame?
And Messaien rather like Shostakovich?

It's a bit late in the evening, so I'll have to muffle the Muffat....









Roy Goodman & the Parley of Instruments

I agree with you about the Gerontius, Shropshire Moose...there's some interesting information on the musicweb site about the various recordings.... http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Dec07/Gerontius_Quinn.htm


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen Sir George Thalben-Ball (at the organ of St. George's Church, Stockport)

Since this is the piece of the day, I've dug out this live performance by the doyen of organists from 12th May,1981 (when he was a mere 85 years of age!) it was broadcast by the BBC and mercifully I recorded it on a cassette, which I've now transferred to CD. This brings back so many happy memories of listening enthralled to this wonderful musician week after week in Birmingham Town Hall to the the organ recitals he gave every Wednesday lunchtime- and they were free!- when I first started work in 1980. 45 minutes of radiant bliss every week, he was a supreme musician, and the finest organist I've ever heard, no question.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Symphony No.22 in C Major, KV 162

Gunter Kehr leading the Mainz Chamber Orchestra


----------



## MozartsGhost

Thanks JC for the recommend. I don't shop for vinyl on ebay because I live in a town that has a tradition in classical music for many, many years. I live in Spokane, WA, an Irish Catholic town that is filled to the rafters with classical vinyl! We have a city symphony and Gonzaga University does classical concerts throughout the school year. I'm not Catholic, but I sure appreciate the tradition and love of great music! I go to the thrift store and they practically pay me to take any classical titles. 









*Jean-Baptiste Lully*
Te Deum

"A Coeur Joie" Vocal Ensemble of Valence
Georges de Kermel, Chorus Master
Jean Francois Paillard Orchestra
Jean Francois Paillard, Director

Jennifer Smith Soprano
Francine Bessac, Second Soprano
Zeger Vandersteene, Countertenor
Louis Devos, Tenor
Philippe Huttenlocher

Lully composed, Lully conducted, Lully organized; Lully liked work done well. On January 6, 1687, while conducting this same Te Deum with more violence than usual, he struck his right foot with the heavy stick which served to mark the beat, and he died two and a half months later, on March 22, 1687. His death was surrounded by circumstances which were unexpected in a character of his stamp: Lecerf de la Vieville wrote that Lully, coming strangely to himself, "was overcome like a penitent of his country. He had himself laid in ashes, with a rope around his neck, and made a general confession . . ."


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Webern, Slow Movement for String Quartet*

This is a special piece, for me, at least, because this is the first piece I heard by Webern. His whole world opened up to me after that. Though it was the Artis Quartet's recording that did it (through encouragement from an email exchange with their cellist), the Emersons do amazing job with the piece.


----------



## bejart

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): String Quartet No.13 in A Major

The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Graham Cracknell and Adrian Butterfield, violins -- Judith Tarling, viola -- Angela East, cello


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Alexander Goedicke's Concertstuck Op 11 on Hyperion


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1780-1837): Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.85

Bryden Thomson conducting the English Chamber Orchestra -- Stephan Hough, piano


----------



## dgee

Rummaging through the ipod turns up this:









The fifth of course! Incredibly shiny playing and a nice bit of fun - now if only someone could give the second movement a sympathetic edit

Then Aimard in the Ligeti etudes lined up ;-)


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 Geza Anda/Philharmonia Orchestra/Alceo Galliera
Delibes-Dohnanyi: Coppelia Valse

Last week the BBC's "building a library" focused on the Tchaikovsky 1st Piano Concerto, and the chap who was doing it played a little of this recording, and I thought, "blimey, I like that!", this before who he'd said it was, so this week on ebay, I found a copy cheaply, and it really is wonderful. The splendid Dohnanyi paraphrase is no less enjoyable, and I'm pleased to add this fine example of a pianist who is not that well represented in my collection of recordings.


----------



## Selby

Alan Hovhaness

Janabar: Five Hymns of Serenity, Op. 81,

for trumpet, violin, piano and string orchestra

[Bowman, Hersey, Fong, Rastìslav Štúr cond. Slovenská Filharmónia]

Because. 
Because. 
Just. 
Everything about it.

Some people simply wrote the sounds you want to hear.

For me it is Alan Hovhaness and Charles Koechlin.


----------



## Guest

In honor of Max Reger's death day. This set boasts masterful performances and excellent sound.


----------



## Alfacharger

The dramatic first symphony of Walter Piston.


----------



## bejart

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812): Piano Sonata No.24 in F Sharp Minor, Op.61

Luca Palazzolo, piano


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos, Nos 11, 12, 14, 2
Weber: Clarinet Concertos


----------



## senza sordino

Song of the Earth Das Lied Von der Erde by Mahler








P.S. When I graduated from university many years ago, one of the honorary degree recipients was Maureen Forrester. She spoke and she sang during the convocation ceremonies, I listened wearing my gown. I don't remember what she sang.


----------



## jim prideaux

Bax-5th Symphony performed by David Lloyd Jones conducting the Royal Scottish Nat. Orch.

I thought it might be an idea to listen again to something that has generally just 'passed me by' in the past.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, 'Appassionata' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Symphonies 4 & 5. Excellent performances by the LSO and Ole Schmidt.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No.2
Kreisler-Rachmaninoff: Liebeslied/Liebesfreud Yevgeny Sudbin

Schubert-Liszt: Soiree de Vienne No.6
Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2/Nocturne, Op.15 No.2/Waltzes, Op.18, Op.42, Op.64 No.1, Op.70 No.1
Raff: La Fileuse
Moszkowski: Serenata, Op.15 No.1/Etude, Op.18 No.3/Valse, Op.34 No.1 Arthur De Greef

Two wonderful pianists several generations apart (born respectively in 1862 and 1980), Yevgeny Sudbin is probably my favourite pianist of his generation. This performance of the Rachmaninoff 2nd Sonata is based on Horowitz's conflation of the two versions of the sonata that Rachmaninoff made, Sudbin gets much colour from the piano, and his playing is a delight. He has the charm of the Kreisler pieces well in hand too, as JCarmel commented in an earlier post, his Scarlatti is a constant delight, I've played that album over and over again, I do hope that in time he will give us a further selection of these ever inventive and delightful works.
De Greef was a pupil of Liszt, and I am enjoying working my way steadily through this 4-CD set. I have some of his recordings on 78s, but the Chopin 2nd Sonata is new to me, it is a very good performance, and uniquely, in my experience, for a pianist of his generation, De Greef observes the repeat of the first movement exposition. Actually even now a good many choose not to do it, and I can see why, but it was a pleasant surprise to be taken through it again by this most enjoyable musician. The transfers are excellent and all praise to Mark Obert-Thorn for extracting good sound from records which are quite often rather poor pressings.


----------



## Andolink

*Carl Maria von Weber*: _Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano in B-flat major, Op. 8_
Isabelle Faust, violin
Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano 
Boris Faust, viola
Wolfgang-Emanuel Schmidt, cello


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

I'm going to listen to Part's Litany on ECO in the car on my way to work so "for current" read "in the next 5 mins" if that's allowable 

I must say that the Naxos Alwyn at 1 is brilliant and cheap. 

Listenning to something relaxing in the car at least stops me attacking some motorists :angel:


----------



## JCarmel

Listening to a dotty piece of Poulenc 'La Bal Masque' on Spotify but I haven't the least idea what it's about...but it's fun!









Thomas Allen is giving a very lively performance of whatever it is that he's singing about....with the Nash Ensemble.
That reminds me...I'll dig out my complete Poulenc Chamber Music by the Nash...I haven't listened to it for some time & the performances are fine.


----------



## Oskaar

*Quatuor Ebène : Robert Schumann String quartet Nr. 3 a-major Op. 41/3*

*Andante expressivo - Allegro molto moderato
Assai agitato
Adagio molto
Finale : Allegro molto vivace

Quatuor Ebène :
Pierre Colombet, violin I
Gabriel Le Magadure, violin II
Mathieu Herzog, viola
Raphaël Merlin, cello

Festival wissembourg - August 27th 2013*

youtube comments

_Very beautifully played; especially the 3rd Movement, Adagio molto. A performance to be rewatched again and again. Thank you.﻿

WOW!
Special thanks to the camera (wo)man who did not fool around. This is the way chamber music should always be filmed, put the camera at a good spot and keep it there!﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Messiaen's La Nativite Du Seigneur - Jennifer Bate, organ


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev - String Quartet No.2 - ZAGREB QUARTET*

*Croatian music institute, Zagreb, 13/11/2012
00:06 - Allegro sostenuto
06:24 - Adagio
14:02 - Allegro*

youtube comments

_I wonder why this is so little known in Prokofiev's output. Such a prolific genius﻿

Wonderful, wonderful muscular playing. Just the way it should be._

*videolink*


----------



## JCarmel

Having a first listen to Olga....









http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/08/olga-peretyatko-arabesque-review


----------



## Jeff W

Program No. 31 from this season's Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Radio Series.

Mozart's Serenade in C minor for Winds, K. 388. The players are: James Austin Smith, Stephen Taylor, oboe; Romie de Guise-Langlois, David Shifrin, Clarinet; Peter Kolkay, Bram van Sambeek, bassoon; Jennifer Montone, Julie Landsman, horn.

Dvorak's Serenade in D minor for Winds, Cello, and Double Bass, Op. 44. The players are: Stephen Taylor, James Austin Smith, oboe; David Shifrin, Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Bram van Sambeek, Peter Kolkay, bassoon; Harry Searing, contrabassoon; Jennifer Montone, Julie Landsman, Julia Pilant, Michelle Baker, horn; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Kurt Muroki, double bass.

http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5111192


----------



## bejart

Matthew Locke (ca.1622-1677): Suite No.2 from 'Consort of Fower Parts'

Fretwork with Paul Nicolson on chamber organ and Nigel North on archlute


----------



## SimonNZ

"Steep Steps: Bass Clarinet Works" - Andrew Uren, bass clarinet, with various ensembles

from the local Atoll label, who I've been noticing more and more have been doing some fine work and releases in the last few years


----------



## BRHiler

Listening to Mahler 5 by Zinman and the Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra in the car
Listening to Richard Blackford's _Not In Our Time_ at work


----------



## JCarmel

The Bach is brisk & bonny & I'm now listening to the Vasks Concerto 'Tālā Gaisma' (Distant Light)...unfamiliar territory but it sounds a fine performance to me.









Renaud Capuçon and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

I'm listening to an LP record of Carmina Burana conducted by Andre Previn on EMI from 1975 and it's the tops.


----------



## Andolink

*Carl Maria von Weber*: _Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B flat major, J 182/Op. 34_
Eric Hoeprich, clarinet
Ensemble Les Adieux









*Joseph Haydn*: _Keyboard Sonata No. 35 in A-flat major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano









*Carl Maria von Weber*: _Trio in G minor for flute, cello & piano, Op. 63, J259_ 
Magdalena Pilch, flute
Bartosz Kokosza, cello
Marek Pilch, square piano


----------



## cjvinthechair

JCarmel said:


> The Bach is brisk & bonny & I'm now listening to the Vasks Concerto 'Tālā Gaisma' (Distant Light)...unfamiliar territory but it sounds a fine performance to me.


Ah - branching out; good on you...there's a world of Baltic music to explore. Inspired me to bring out my favourite Ivanovs symphony, No. 4 'Atlantida'.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, 'The Tempest' (Alfred Brendel).


----------



## Vasks

*S. Wagner - Overture to "Der Schmied von Marienberg" (Albert/cpo)
Schoeck - Cello Concerto (Poltera/BIS)*


----------



## Selby

Fauré, Gabriel [1845-1924]

Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120 [The Florestan Trio]


----------



## Orfeo

*Gustav Mahler*
Symphony no. IX in D major.
-The Philadelphia Orchestra/James Levine.

*Ludwig van Beethoven*
Ballet "The Creatures of Prometheus."
-The Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras.

*Ernst von Dohnanyi*
Symphony no. I in D Minor.
American Rhapsody.
-The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Matthias Bamert.

*Franz Berwald*
Symphony no. II "Sinfonie capricieuse."
Symphony no. III "Sinfonie singuiliere."
Overture "Estrella de Soria."
-The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Roy Goodman.

*Kurt Magnus Atterberg*
Symphony no. II in F Major.
-The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt/Ari Rasalainen.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampled a new release. *Dvorak*: The Cello Works, w. Muller-Schott/Kulek/NDRSO/M. Sanderling.

This is music-making at its finest. Daniel Muller-Schott's rich tone touches the soul. Robert Kulek and Michael Sanderling accompaniment is top-notch. Smart sequencing of works. Highest recommendation.










Related:

http://www.daniel-mueller-schott.com/en/


----------



## Vaneyes

JCarmel said:


> Having a first listen to Olga....
> 
> View attachment 41809
> 
> 
> http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/08/olga-peretyatko-arabesque-review


Olga's got the "no nonsense" look. And for that, a Like.


----------



## Selby

Hovhaness, Alan [1911-2000]

Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op. 211


----------



## Vaneyes

For* Faure's* birthday (1845).

View attachment 41818


----------



## millionrainbows

Roger Doyle: Passades - Volume 2 (BVHAAST).

Based on digital noise, like a stuck CD, using a software which permits the repetition of a small 'slice' of digital audio. The result is slow-moving washes of digital sound, like waves, or listening to white noise in various permutations. Much more interesting than my attempt at describing it. The net result is a curious calming effect, of drones, of time stopped in its tracks.

BVHAAST is a CD label well-worth checking out. They have some interesting European avante gard stuff like Maderna from the 1960's, and a nice collection of electronic music.


----------



## AH music

STENHAMMAR - Second listen to Piano Concerto no 1. Gorgeous.









VANHAL - Clarinet sonata in E flat. First listen, enjoyed.









WEBER - Piano sonatas no 1 (becoming a firm favourite) and no 3 (first time, the scherzo movement stood out in this one).









SAINT-SAENS - Piano concerto no 5 (first listen). Excellent. All courtesy of spotify.


----------



## Guest

It's a rare day off for me and I'm home alone, so the house will ring from gable to gable with my favorite recording of some of the greatest symphonies ever written all afternoon.








Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat "Eroica", Op. 55
Paavo Jarvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen








Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op.95, "From the New World"
Neeme Jarvi, Royal Scottish National Orchestra








Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No.6 in B minor, op. 74 'Pathetique'
Valery Gergiev, Wiener Philharmoniker








Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43
Paavo Berglund, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Oskaar

*Orion String Quartet: Beethoven - String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3*

*Live from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, August 7, 2008*

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Mivos Quartet: Alex Mincek - String Quartet No. 3*

Alex Mincek - String Quartet No. 3
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC 
February 8th, 2013

Very modern in style, but I find it interresting.
Fine sound and performance. The players are very well coordinated.

*videolink*


----------



## AH music

FAURE - Barcarolles nos 1-4, Collard. Excellent playing, lovely music.









VIOTTI - First listen, so managed to find Violin Concerto no 1 from a complete set.... Pleasant listening.









RUBINSTEIN, Anton - Etudes Op 23 nos 1-3. Superb! Have hardly listened to any music by this composer, another one ripe for exploration. Sound slightly woolly at times, but enjoyed the performances and the virtuosic yet attractive pieces.


----------



## Oskaar

Partly listening to/watching

*La boheme - Puccini*

Opera completa
Rodolfo - L. Pavarotti
Mimi - M. Freni

Great production.. A litle dark, but fine sound and picture. Unfrtunatly no more info about production.

*videolink*


----------



## opus55

Weber

Overtures
Piano Sonata No. 1


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

I'm listening to an LP record of Mahler's 1st conducted by Lorin Maazel on CBS from 1980.

It's a really involving rendition.


----------



## Oskaar

partly watching/listening to

*Jean Philippe Rameau 1735 Les Indes Galantes W Christie Les Arts Florissants*

Brilliant and colourfull performance! English subtitles. Not the best picture sollution, but the sound is very good.

This should be an entertaining evening for those who want to watch it in full

You tube comments;

_How wonderful! Every thing and everybody so perfect, so beautiful.

Glorious I remember seeing it in Paris and I think we the very same cast, baroque splendour at its very best.

This is the dogs ******** - top notch singing and dancing - bloody love baroque opera - as Alan says above - get drunk and join in (in the privacy of your own room of course otherwise the van may come for you)_

*videolink*


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## JCarmel

For Faure's birthday...a listen to the classic interpretation that caught my imagination so many years ago.









And a listen to Daniel playing Mendelssohn after Vaneyes warm recommendation....


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

I think this album is funny looking because some versions have his face in the blank spot there, but this one wouldn't?










It's that time of the semester again, when I listen to flute CDs and write reports as a part of my Studio requirements. It's cool though, because now I'm listening to albums of teachers that I want to meet, possibly study with for grad school.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Faure: Nocturnes Germaine Thyssens-Valentin

For Faure's birthday, a perfect performance of some of his most beautiful pieces for piano by the superb Germaine Thyssens-Valentin. She was totally at one with this repertoire, and the three discs of her recordings of Faure, on Testament, should be mandatory for anyone who loves Faure's music. Recommended.


----------



## JCarmel

I'll see if Spotify has that Faure recording, Mr Moose...I'd really like to listen to it.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying my favourite Mozart Sonata K310 ...very well played indeed by Richard Goode.


----------



## JCarmel

Yes, both Germaine's Faure Noctunes & Barcarolles on Spotify!


----------



## Vaneyes

*Mahler*: Lieder (Berio arr.), w. Hampson/Lutz/Philharmonia O./Berio (rec.1992); DKW, w. Herreweghe et al (rec.2005).


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Arnold, Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6.* Then* Bach, Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, and 7.*

I think Murray Perahia's great, but his cover pictures are always horrible. It looks like he's peering into the piano thinking, "Of all the places to lose a contact lens."


----------



## SimonNZ

Huilunsoittaja said:


>


At first glance I thought the flautist's name must have been Powell Signature. Poor Ransom being only one quarter as important as his instrument (and poorer Timothy being only one eighth).

-

playing now:










Bach Cantatas

188 Ich habe meine Zuversicht
192 Nun danket alle Gott

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond. (both)

strange numbering because there's a few problematic incomplete works at the end of the catalogue, though I notice that most of the other complete sets include them all

189 seems to be now attributed to Georg Melchior Hoffmann


----------



## Alypius

Thanks for the heads up on Faure's birthday. Good reason to celebrate:

*Fauré: Piano Quartet no. 1 in C minor, op. 15 (1876-1879)*










*Fauré: Barcarolles nos. 1 - 13 (1880-1921)*










*Fauré: Cello Sonata no. 2 in G minor, op. 117 (1921)*


----------



## Selby

Cage, John [1912-1992]

In a Landscape, for harp

[Yolanda Kondonassis]


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Schoenberg, Five Pieces for Orchestra.*

I think I've felt all these emotions today.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Little time for listening tonight, because I discovered to my horror on Friday morning that last October I'd promised to lead a teaching session at xxxxxxxxxx University tomorrow morning...there was a reminder email in my inbox. So I've been feverishly preparing tonight (I was busy all weekend with family business).

Still there was time to squeeze in:
*
Schumann - Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44*
Lief Ove Andsnes, Artemis Quartet

Which is a very fine performance, though a slightly unfocused recording
You know the cover, it's the one with the fluorescent light tubes:


----------



## Vaneyes

*Faure*: Requiem, Pel & Mel, Pavane, w. Dutoit et al (rec.1987).

View attachment 41853


----------



## Selby

Fauré, Gabriel [1845-1924]

String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121 [Quatuor Ebène]


----------



## Selby

Koechlin, Charles [1867-1950]

Quintet No. 2, Op. 223, "Primavera II"

[Montreal Chamber Players]


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Proving that I listen to CDs also I am now listening to After Hours by Michael Nyman which is a Live recording of his Greatest Hits for want of a better phrase. 

It's quite catchy in places and a bit discordant in others but an easy listen for a tired soul.

This shows that I do listen to some juicy bits even though I'm not a Classic FM fan.


----------



## Mahlerian

Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie
Beroff, Loriod, London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn









Catching up on the Saturday symphony...


----------



## Guest

Just the Sonata today. I love the way Mazzamuto plays it--lots of fire and passion--a throwback to the "Golden Age" of piano playing. I do wish he had recorded the First Sonata instead of one of the other pieces, but I'm pleased that he recorded the original version of Sonata No.2. ARTS certainly knows how to record a piano--this has a perfect blend of detail/impact and hall resonance.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Songs My Father Taught Me" - Thomas Allen, baritone, Malcolm Martineau, piano

through the dvd player, because the amp on my stereo has just died

heh, I think someone is trying to tell me that I should be reading more books


----------



## Alfacharger

The Mahler/Cooke III version of the 10th.










Followed by some selections from Joel Goldsmith's score to Stargate Continuuum/










Just a taste from this score.


----------



## KenOC

Kronos Quartet, A Thousand Thoughts. A wide-ranging survey of music from various traditions worldwide, lots of guest artists accompanying. A truly enjoyable recording.


----------



## Sid James

Last few days its been these:










*Mahler* Symphony #9
- Vienna PO under Claudio Abbado

Revisiting this epic work for the first time since hearing it live back in the anniversary year, 2011. Funnily enough I find it more intense now than then, but its always so emotional, and I remember in that performance the conductor congratulated his musicians in a short speech after they played the piece. Its the only time I've seen that, and he was right, they deserved it. Mahler challenges all, the listener and the musicians alike. I liked Abbado's take on it, his signature warmth is present throughout despite all the darkness.










*Persichetti *"Wind Band Classics" album on Naxos
_Divertimento (Prologue, Song, Dance, Burlesque, Soliloquy, March)
Psalm
Pageant
Chorale Prelude: O God Unseen
Masquerade
O Cool is the Valley
Parable (Poem) for Band_
- Winds of London SO under David Amos

On to this, and its a disc with a lot of variety. *Persichetti *is considered a major composer in the USA of wind band music. Here we have some pieces that are aimed more at students (a bit like Hindemith's 'music for use') and also ones that are more for seasoned pros. I really like the _*Divertimento*_ with its contrasting tempos and moods, also the _*Chorale Prelude: O God Unseen *_that mines the darker colours of the band, and the *Masquerade* which has some great bits for drummers and percussionists. The concluding work, *Parable (Poem)*, is the longest here at 18 minutes. Its as if its straight out of a film noir soundtrack, a series of variations that has suspense galore, ending with a massive sonic boom. 










*Beethoven*
_Piano Concerto #3
Choral Fantasy_*
- Daniel Barenboim, piano; Vienna State Opera Orch.; *Vienna Academy Chamber Choir; Laszlo Somogyi, cond. (Millenium Classics, which is a reissue of the Westminster disc above, same baby faced Barenboim on the cover!)

Getting back to this, and again the last time I heard these works are probably years ago, and it was a joy to revisit them with this classic account from Barenboim's youthful years.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.27 in B Flat, KV 595

Sir Colin Davis leading the English Chamber Orchestra -- Alicia de Larrocha, piano


----------



## SimonNZ

"El Misteri D'Elx: Mystery Play For The Feast Of The Assumption" - Rnsemble Gilles Binchois


----------



## Dustin

Bruckner String Quintet. What an amazing slow movement. This is only my 2nd or 3rd time hearing the piece.


----------



## Alypius

Selby said:


> Koechlin, Charles [1867-1950]
> 
> Quintet No. 2, Op. 223, "Primavera II"
> 
> [Montreal Chamber Players]
> 
> View attachment 41855


Selby, Great record! That is one of the best records that I have bought in the last year, and I would now count it as one of my "desert island" disks. I bought it because I had heard such great things about the performances of Debussy's late _Sonate pour flute, alto et harpe_ and Ravel's _Introduction et allegro_. I hadn't heard the Koechlin, nor the two other masterworks on the record: Albert Roussel's _Serenade_, op. 30 (esp. movements 2 and 3); and Joseph-Guy Ropartz's _Prelude, Marine et Chansons_. All three works by those less-known French composers are simply masterful -- and the Montreal Chamber Players bring an uncanny energy and intensity to their performances. The recording engineers of ATMA Classique did a remarkable job in capturing the sound.

Koechlin's piano works are up next:


----------



## bejart

Joseph Bengraf (1745-1791): String Quartet No.3 in G Major

Festetics Quartet: Istvan Kertesz and Erika Petofi, violins -- Peter Ligeti, viola -- Rezso Pertorini, cello


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Saint-Saens Piano Concertos*

No 2 in G Minor, No 4 in C Minor
Philippe Entremont
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy, Conductor

Liner Notes,

on Saint-Saens . . .

The noted critic Philip Hale has left us this striking verbal portrait of him: "He was of less than average height, thin, nervous sick-faced, with a great and exposed forehead, hair habitually short, beard frosted. His eyes were almost level with his face." His eagle-beak would have excited the admiration of Sir Charles Napier, who once exclaimed: "Give me a man with plenty of nose." Irritable , whimsical, ironical, paradoxical, indulging in sudden changes of opinion, he was faithful to friends, appreciative of certain rivals, kindly disposed toward young composers, zealous in practical assistance as well as in verbal encouragement.


----------



## bejart

Schubert: Piano Sonata in F Minor, D 625

Michael Endres, piano


----------



## JCarmel

I've been working my way through 'Eric le Sage & friends' Complete Schumann Chamber Music for the Piano since logging-off.









And yesterday, I also listened to Quator Ebene & Eric playing Faure Quintets, before knowing it was the latter's anniversary!









I've just been listening to depressing news from Nasa about the break-up of the great 'Western Atlantic Ice Sheet'...it's irreversible is the news & presents a gloomy prognosis for Mother Earth, I think.


----------



## PetrB

*Nikolai Korndorf ~ Mozart Variations / Lullaby for two pianos:*

*Nikolai Korndorf:*:
_Mozart Variations_





_Lullaby for two pianos_


----------



## dgee

Wolfgang Mitterer - Inwendig Losgeloest for period orchestra and electronics - a cheeky one, infectiously witty


----------



## JCarmel

I don't think I'm up to 'infectiously witty'...so I'm going to settle for the less-demanding strains of 'Pavane'


----------



## KenOC

On the radio: Beethoven's "Emperor," Cifford Curzon and Rafael Kubelik with the Bavarian radio people. A good one.


----------



## JCarmel

How lovely...I've just found an old friend....this LP on the Fontana label...my Dad bought it in the 1960's & I used to play it lots.
I came across it's cover just now on a page of Google images & it was like meeting-up with a long lost buddy! 
Listening to the recording now on Spotify...Leon Fleisher, Grieg Piano Concerto/Cleveland Orchestra/Szell


----------



## JCarmel

My Apologies, Simon...if my delight at seeing an old LP cover that I haven't seen for half a lifetime, served to trigger sadness at your recent loss?....
I listened-on to hear Fleisher's Schumann...what a lovely concerto that is, the final movement is so joyful!
I've just found this interesting article about Fleisher from The Independent archives (2010)

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...leon-fleisher-my-life-fell-apart-1984408.html

Working my way through a few recordings of Pizzetti's Requiem...this one is first-up!


----------



## AH music

RUBINSTEIN, Anton - Cello Sonata no 1 in D, Op 18. Splendid!!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Liszt: Rhapsodie Espagnole Simon Barere

Brahms: Symphony No.2 CBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham

Waking again with the Liszt running through my head, I've assuaged it with this classic recording by Simon Barere, a king amongst pianists who never got the attention he deserved, and then tragically died at the piano whilst giving a performance of the Grieg Concerto, aged only 55. Followed this with a very spirited performance of the Brahms 2nd Symphony that Sir Thomas Beecham directed on tour in Canada, on the 7th April, 1960. All most enjoyable and life enhancing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Lutoslawski's Venetian Games - cond. composer


----------



## Bas

Yesterday:

Joseph Haydn - String Quartets opus 76, no. 1, no. 4, no. 6
By Quatuor Mosaïques, on Naïve









Right now:

Pierre Rode - 24 Caprices 
By Elisabeth Wallfisch [violin], on CPO


----------



## AH music

SCARLATTI, Domenico. Sonatas K1 - K6, comparing and contrasting Belder (harpsichord) and Grante (Bosendorfer piano). Interesting, some of the pieces sound totally different, others much more similar. Great inventive music. I could listen to the piano versions for longer, first impression they seem more consistent. However the stand outs for me so far are the two major key pieces on the Belder harpsichord version (K2 and K6). Will try to continue with this from time to time.


----------



## SimonNZ

Berio's Sinfonia - Pierre Boulez, cond.


----------



## ptr

*Cazazza Dan* - Motbourne Rag (DG Productions)









Cazazza Dan, conception

Third time listen to day, this chap is headed for stardom!

/ptr


----------



## bejart

Karl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787): Flute Sonata No.1 in E Minor

Accademia Farnese: Claudio Ferrarini, flute -- Francesco Tasini, harpsichord -- Diego Cantulupi, tiorba -- Mariangela Martini, cello


----------



## shangoyal

Like a lot of Chopin's music, these are very delicate pieces - the composer seems to be at a precipice meditating upon some deep feeling inside his person...

Chopin: *Ballades*

Vladimir Ashkenazy


----------



## SimonNZ

Bernd-Alois Zimmermann's Requiem For A Young Poet - Gary Bertini, cond.


----------



## ptr

*Allan Pettersson* - Symphony No 9 (Bis)









Symfoniorkestern Norrköping u. Christian Liundberg

/ptr


----------



## Oskaar

Partly listening to/watching

*Verdi: La Traviata (Fleming, Villazón, Bruson)(2007)*

*Conductor - James Conlon

Violetta - Renée Fleming
Flora Bervoix - Suzanna Guzman
Annina - Anna Alkhimova
Alfredo Germont - Rolando Villazón
Georgio Germont - Renato Bruson
Gastone de Letorier - Daniel Montenegro
Baron Douphol - Philip Craus
Marchese d'Obigny - Lee Poulis
Doctor Grenvil - James Cresswell
Giuseppe - Sal Malaki*

Good quality on this presentation. Opera is best with living picture!

you tube comments

_the BEAUTY made me weep!. The drana left me exhausted. I REALLY BELIEVED 'they' were in LOVE!﻿

Just beatiful! I loved this production. My best (I don´t say the best, I say MY best) Alfredo is Plácido Domingo, and my best Violetta is Renée Fleming...﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## Wood

*Stravinsky *The Fairy's Kiss _Scottish NO, Jarvi _(1985)










Strangely uninvolving recording. I put it down to the period of the LP, a Chandos Digital from 1985, rather than the piece itself or the performance.

*Haydn* String Quartets Op. 1 & 2 _Buchberger Quartet _(c.2006)

Recorded at Evangelische Burgkirche, Nieder-Rosbach










Enjoying a survey of these fresh early works. More engaging ones to come.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Wood said:


> *Stravinsky *The Fairy's Kiss _Scottish NO, Jarvi _(1985)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Strangely uninvolving recording. I put it down to the period of the LP, a Chandos Digital from 1985, rather than the piece itself or the performance.
> 
> *Haydn* String Quartets Op. 1 & 2 _Buchberger Quartet _(c.2006)
> 
> Recorded at Evangelische Burgkirche, Nieder-Rosbach
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Enjoying a survey of these fresh early works. More engaging ones to come.


Do you have the full Buchberger set? Their Op. 33 is excellent . They have quite an original sound.

Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D960 (Elisabeth Leonskaja).


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: String Quartet in A Major, Op.18, No.5

Prazak Quartet: Vlastimil Holek and Vaclav Remes, violins -- Josef Kluson, viola -- Michal Kanka, cello


----------



## Wood

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Do you have the full Buchberger set? Their Op. 33 is excellent . They have quite an original sound.
> 
> Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D960 (Elisabeth Leonskaja).
> 
> View attachment 41885


It's large but incomplete unfortunately, part of the Haydn Brilliant edition. However, I do have all of Op. 33 and should get to them in a week or two.

Op. 2 No. 4 spinning just now.

Haydn never disappoints!


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 2.*

Sid James mentioned the second movement in another thread. I just realized, for some reason, I haven't paid much attention this piece. I'm fixing that now.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Chausson a la Baker, Previn a la Carte*









Morning Marschallin Blair here, reporting from the currently gorgeous, heat-wave climes of Southern California, with something I have to share with a candid world:

-- the "_Poeme de l'amour et de la mer_," with Dame Janet Baker, Andre Previn, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

This piece is so unbelievably heart-felt,_ gorgeous_. Dame Janet's singing is _sans pareil_. Previn's late-seventies conducting is spot-on: he conducts the climaxes like its Respighi. The sound quality is great.


----------



## Oskaar

Partly listen to/watching

*Massenet - Thaïs*

Direction musicale : Marcello Viotti
Orchestre et chœurs de la Fenice de Venise
Mise en scène (2004) : Pier Luigi Pizzi
Réalisation (2004) : Tiziano Mancin

*Thaïs, courtisane : Eva Mei (soprano)
Athanaël, moine cénobite : Michele Pertusi (baryton-basse)
Nicias, noble : William Joyner (ténor)
Palémon, supérieur des cénobites : Christophe Fel (basse)
Crobyle, servante de Nicias : Christine Buffle (soprano)
Myrtale, servante de Nicias : Elodie Méchain (soprano)
Albine, abbesse : Tiziana Carraro (mezzo-soprano)
La Charmeuse : Anna Smiech (soprano)
Un serviteur : Enrico Masiero (ténor)

Moines cénobites, nonnes, citoyens d'Alexandrie, amis de Nicias : Chœurs de la Fenice (dir. : Guillaume Tourniaire)*

Fantastic!

you tube comments

_Wonderful production of one of my favorite Massenet operas. The Athanael sings beautifully, acts very well and looks the part. I am going to see "Thais" in 2014 at the LA Opera, where Athanael will unfortunately be sung by the musical director, Placido Domingo, in a case of vanity casting. He is far too old for the role. Thank you for sharing this with us.﻿

The DEFINITIVE production of Thais. Visually striking sets, excellent voice performances, and the director has captured the concept of opera as both a visual and auditory art. The "dream" sequences tightened the libretto and made the overall performance overpowering.﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## BRHiler

Today I am listening to :

Mahler 6: Zinman w/ Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra









Loving Erickson's music!

My impression on Zinman's Mahler cycle: Super clean recording, but does not have the passion that so many other great conductors have. He really doesn't let the orchestra cut loose on the spots where they can and should really lay it all out.


----------



## Vasks

_Fully Franz_

*F J Haydn - Overture to "il Ritorno di Tobia" (Huss/Koch)
F J Haydn - Piano Sonata in E, Hob. XVI:22 (McCabe/London)
F J Haydn - Piano Trio in c, Hob. XV:13 (Beaux Arts/Philips)
F J Haydn - Symphony #103 (Davis/Philips)*


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi, Concerto for two cellos in G minor, RV 531, CPYO 2012-06-10*

*Bonnie Hampton with her student, Kyeong Hwa Kim performs the Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto accompanied by the California Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, in their season's finale at the Califronia Theater.*

It is badly filmed, but really fun watching student and mentor together. Good performance and quite fine sound, and the concerto is varied and nice to listen to. It is not professional, but charming presentation

you tube comments

*Ignore the negative comments. Excellent work. Thank you for being sensitive to the emotional needs of this piece.

I love this concert, great interpretation of the essense of Vivaldi*

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 mandolins in G major RV532 - Evangelos & Liza guitar duo*

Superb presentation of this nice concerto.

you tube comments

_So classy and so easy to listen to and enjoy﻿

this music reach my soul, fantastic. The guitars seems to sing.

that was really cool_

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi Flute Concerto No 6 G major RV 437 James Galway Claudio Scimone & I Solisti Veneti*

Fine and rich sound on this brilliant presentation.Lovely concert.

*videolink*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Violin Concerto No. 1.*


----------



## Orfeo

*Albéric Magnard*
Lyric Tragedy in 3 acts & 5 tableaux "Guercoeur."
-Hildegard Behrens, Salvan, Lagrange, Stutzmann, Jossoud, Manent, Viala, Van Dam, Lakes, Denize.
-Orchestra su Capitole de Toulouse & Orfeon Donostriarra/Michel Plasson.

*Gabriel Urbain Fauré*
Nocturnes & Pieces Breves.
-Paul Crossley, piano.

*Sir Arnold Bax*
Piano Sonatas I & II.
-Eric Parkin, piano.

*Alexander von Zemlinsky*
Symphonic Poem "The Mermaid."
-The Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne (Gürzenich Orchester Köln)/Jame Conlon.


----------



## rrudolph

Knowing virtually nothing of Gottschalk's music (piano or otherwise), I gambled $1.66 on this at a local thrift shop (used CDs there are 3 for $5). It's pretty much what I expected, except I like it much better than I thought I would!


----------



## Oskaar

*Vivaldi Concerto RV 850 B minor Il Giardino Armonico*

Dlightfull Vivaldi! And a great and entertaining video

youtube comment

*Quel rythme ! Merci.﻿*

*videolink*


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Britten's 4 French Songs which backs Young Apollo on Side 1 of this 1982 EMI LP. 

Rattle and the CBSO at their best.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Duke Bluebeard's Castle.*


----------



## Mahlerian

rrudolph said:


> Knowing virtually nothing of Gottschalk's music (piano or otherwise), I gambled $1.66 on this at a local thrift shop (used CDs there are 3 for $5). It's pretty much what I expected, except I like it much better than I thought I would!
> 
> View attachment 41894


Far better to be pleasantly surprised by something you didn't expect much from than disappointed when you expected a good deal.

Britten: A Boy was Born, op. 3
London Sinfonietta Chorus, dir. Edwards


----------



## Oskaar

*Daniel Barenboim plays Beethoven Sonata No. 8 Op. 13 (Pathetique)*

*Master of all things Beethoven Daniel Barenboim breathes fresh life into the Pathetique Sonata. With a rare combination of artistic prowess and erudite knowledge, Barenboim demonstrates a deep understanding of this music that can be simultaneously appreciated on both a cerebral and sensual level.

I. Grave -- Allegro di molto e con brio 0:19
II. Adagio cantabile 9:46
III. Rondo: Allegro 15:11﻿* - uploaders presentation

I really enjoy the way Barenboim plays the sonatas of Beethoven. I am not expert enough too say best or worst interpretation or something like that, but I relly enjoy it.
Tha sonata is awsome!

some yotube comments

*Profound performance, very mature. This has to be my favorite. I feel that Barenboim really has an utmost understanding of Beethoven particularly.﻿

Barenboim makes this piece to be a utmost impressing experience. What he lacks in virtouosity he makes more than up with his feeling for Beethoven's musical intention﻿*

*videolink*


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Verdi*
*Il Trovatore*

Antonietta Stella 
Fiorenza Cossotto 
Carlo Bergonzi 
Ettore Bastianini

Chor und Orchester
der Mailander Scala
Dirigent: Tuillio Serafin


----------



## Oskaar

*Bach - Mass in B minor (Proms 2012)*

presentation:
*Prom 26: Bach -- Mass in B minor
Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B minor

Joélle Harvey soprano
Carolyn Sampson soprano
Iestyn Davies counter-tenor
Ed Lyon tenor
Matthew Rose bass

Choir of the English Concert
The English Concert
Harry Bicket conductor

Royal Albert Hall
2 August 2012

0:00:07 - Kyrie eleison
0:10:33 - Christe eleison
0:15:20 - Kyrie eleison
0:19:06 - Gloria in excelsis Deo
0:25:35 - Laudamus te
0:29:40 - Gratias agimus tibi*

This is gigantic! Superb singing,playing and filming of this magnificent work.

youtube comments

_*So near to God! So near!﻿

Beautiful, no one writes music like this anymore.﻿* (The smiley is mine)

*Can you just imagine sitting down and thinking this up one day? Bach was a damn genius ﻿*

*videolink*_


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Lily Allen's Sheezus (Special Edition) on CD and it isn't special at all.

It's not mine but was brought to taunt me I think.

I have children for dinner.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

There can be little doubt that Karajan is one of the greatest of all Strauss conductors, and I really like his 1970s orchestral recordings for DG. At one penny from Amazon.co.uk, this is an amazing bargain!


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41898
> 
> 
> There can be little doubt that Karajan is one of the greatest of all Strauss conductors, and I really like his 1970s orchestral recordings for DG. At one penny from Amazon.co.uk, this is an amazing bargain!


Unbelievable and worth 1000 times more than the Lily Allen I'm being tortured with that probably cost 1000 times as much.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41898
> 
> 
> There can be little doubt that Karajan is one of the greatest of all Strauss conductors, and I really like his 1970s orchestral recordings for DG. At one penny from Amazon.co.uk, this is an amazing bargain!


That '74_ Zarathustra _opening comes directly from Valhalla; both lightning_ and _quicksilver. The brass! The blending of those Berlin strings! Karajan's caressingly poised treatment of the whole thing. . . that, and how the strings take off in the racy part of "_Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften_" ("On the Joys and Passions"). This cd really sank its hook into me when I heard it for the first time in my early twenties. There may be nothing higher than retail to lift mortal spirits. . . _except for this_. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## Wicked_one

Rubinstein's Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor


----------



## Oskaar

*Trio Gaspard | J. Haydn: Klaviertrio C-Dur / Piano Trio in C major (Hob. XV:27)*

*The 6th International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition: First Prize Winners Trio Gaspard play Haydn´s Piano Trio in C major (Hob. XV:27) during their performance for the final round of the competition. Recorded 2012/10/11 at the Liszt School of Music, Weimar.

piano: Hyo-Sun Lim
violin: Jonian Ilia Kadesha
cello: Vashti Mimosa Hunter*

One of the reasons that I cant quit my video-travelling is coming over gems like this...Absolutely great!

some you tube comments

_Wonderful performance! The music's beauty sparkles in your playing. Excellent recording quality, too. Thank you.﻿

I'm so happy!!! I get to play this piece with tie other fantastic musicians....I'm the cellist

Wonderful! I like Haydn - and I like Gaspard Trio. Bravo! ;-)_

*videolink*


----------



## maestro267

My evening concert:

*Penderecki*: Polymorphia
Warsaw Nat. PO/Wit

*Elgar*: Violin Concerto in B minor
Znaider (violin)/Staatskapelle Dresden/Sir Colin Davis

*Brahms*: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Blomstedt


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Originally Posted by GregMitchell

There can be little doubt that Karajan is one of the greatest of all Strauss conductors, and I really like his 1970s orchestral recordings for DG.

At one penny from Amazon.co.uk, this is an amazing bargain!
Unbelievable and worth 1000 times more than the Lily Allen I'm being tortured with that probably cost 1000 times as much.

I'm _dying_. . . Yes, we know about Lily Allen here across the pond in the States.


----------



## Oskaar

*Nielsen: 4. Sinfonie (»Das Unauslöschliche«) ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Paavo Järvi*

upload info
*I. Allegro ∙
II. Poco allegretto ∙
III. Poco adagio quasi andante ∙
IV. Allegro ∙

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

Alte Oper Frankfurt, 19. April 2013 ∙*

This is really a great symphony! I really must explore more of Nielsen. 
Brilliant performance and production, and as always fun to watch Paavo Järvi.

some user comments

_Excellent performance. Thank you for making it available. Nielsen deserves to be heard in renditions such as this one.﻿

Absolutely fantastic - a true fusion of conductor and orchestra.

Warum hat man von Nielsen so wenig gehört? Vielen Dank an das hr-Sinfonieorchester und Paavo Järvi für diese Beihilfe zu einer großartigen Entdeckung!_

*videolink*


----------



## Gangwolf

Apart from the big 3 Tchaikovsky's this was my first experience with ballet music, and I keep coming back to it.


----------



## Oskaar

*Truls Mørk: Vocalise (Rachmaninov) 06.01.12*

*Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk at a gala concert in Kilden, Kristiansand 06.01.12
All rights to NRK.*

This is not because I am norwegian, But I have yet to find that heavenly crying sound from any other cellist.
This piece bring that cry to the front brilliantly. It is so beautiful!

you tube comments

_*;_) amazing, as always...

I agree with Mireya, it's really amazing, as always!

divine!

СПАСИБО!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is the best for me... such an inspiration, technically perfect, such a moving sound...*_

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Truls Mørk: Dvorák Waldesruhe -- 26.01.11*

*Truls Mørk, Dvorák: Waldesruhe (Stille skoger). Encore.
Oslo Konserthus, 26.01.11.
Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester. Conductor: Eivind Gullberg Jensen.*

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*TRULS MØRK spielt Chopin und Dvořák*

*Film von Holger Preusse und Claus Wischmann TRULS MØRK (Cello), KATHRYN STOTT (Klavier), Bamberger Symphoniker, Leitung: JONATHAN NOTT*

Fantastic film! Some docu, but mostly wonderfull playing

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*J. S. Bach - Suite Pour Violoncelle Bwv 1009*

_*Uaaaauuuuuuu!!!!!!! I shared in my Facebook - "Tudo de cello" - Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!

I wonder who would win out of him and Pieter Wispelwey for a clean tone? Dude! Amazing*_

*videolink*


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chausson*: Chamber Music (rec.1996 - '97).


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

194 Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest
195 Dem Gerechten muß das Licht immer wieder aufgehen

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (194) and Gustav Leonhardt (195), cond.


----------



## Jeff W

Forgot to post this morning...









Got started with my Haydn listening project. Disc 12 of the Antal Dorati/Philharmonia Hungarica set. Symphonies No. 45 'Farewell', 46 & 47. The 'Farewell' symphony loses a little something when you can't see the musicians depart...









Before work last night, I was listening to the radio and the host mentioned the disastrous premiere of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1 and that made me want to listen to it. Vladimir Ashkenazy led the Concertgebouw Orchestra. If only poor Sergei had gotten to hear it played this well... The symphony was followed by his Symphonic Dances.


----------



## bejart

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793): Oboe Concerto in G Major, Badley G1

Bela Drahos conducting the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia -- Stefan Schilli, oboe


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ravel: Piano Concertos/Tzigane Aldo Ciccolini/Itzhak Perlman/Orchestre de Paris/Jean Martinon

More wonderful Ravel, Ciccolini gives most enjoyable performances of the concertos, and Perlman ain't so bad in Tzigane (though I prefer Ricci with Ansermet myself).









Moss: The Floral Dance
Norton: The Cobbler's Song
Cowan: Waltzing Matilda
German: The Yeoman of England
Longstaffe: When The Sergeant-Major's on Parade
Cooper: The Man Who Brings the Sunshine
Tate: Somewhere a Voice is Calling Peter Dawson with orchestra

I couldn't make up my mind whether to put this one under the non-classical thread, but I think perhaps it best fits here, at any rate Dawson was a magnificent singer by any standard, and I find this a good deal more enjoyable than many other singers, who could well learn from his marvellous delivery and clarity of diction.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Palestrina, Magnificat*

Nicely sung, I guess, but Palestrina with full-throated vibrato is just wrong.


----------



## Guest

Several wrong notes and the obvious use of patch-up sessions (the sound changes quite a bit throughout) diminishes my enjoyment of this disc. Actually, I'm not that fond of the music, either! I much prefer his late Sonatas.


----------



## KenOC

Just for grins: The big fugue "Cum Spirito Sanctu" that closes the Glora from Schubert's Mass No. 5 in A flat major, D678. Yes, Schubert -- though it may be hard to credit!

On YouTube:


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Dame Janet Baker, Berlioz: Les Nuits d'Eté*










Dame Janet, _de profundis_, I thank thee. . . for ripping my heart out with your beautiful _voice_.

Berlioz, _Les Nuits d'Eté_:
_
"Sur les lagunes"

Ma belle amie est morte,
Je pleurerai toujours;
Sous la tombe elle emporte
Mon âme et mes amours.
Dans le ciel, sans m'attendre,
Elle se retourna;
L'ange qui l'emmena
Ne voulut pas me prendre.
Que mon sort est amer!
Ah! Sans amour s'en aller sur la mer!

La blanche creature
Est couchée au cercuil;
Comme dans la nature
Tout me parait en deuil!
La colombe oubliée
Pleure et songe a l'absent.
Mon âme pleure et sent
Qu'elle est déparaillée!
Que mon sort est amer!
Ah! Sans amour s'en aller sur la mer!

Sur moi la nuit immense
S'étend comme un linceul.
Je chante ma romance
Que le ciel entend seul:
Ah! Comme elle était belle
Et comme je l'aimais!
Je n'aimerai jamais
Une femme autant qu'elle…
Que mon sort est amer!
Ah! Sans amour s'en aller sur la mer!

"On the lagoons"

My beautiful friend is dead;
I will weep forever.
Into the tomb she has carried
my soul and my heart.
To heaven, without waiting for me,
she has returned;
the angel who led her
did not want to take me.
How bitter is my fate!
Ah! To go to sea without love!

The fair creature
is lying in her coffin;
how everything in nature
seems to me to be in mourning!
The forsaken dove
weeps and dreams of the absent one.
My soul weeps and feels
that it has lost its partner!
How bitter is my fate!
Ah! To go to sea without love!

Over me the immense night
spreads itself like a shroud.
I sing my romance
which only heaven hears:
Ah! How beautiful she was
and how I loved her!
I will never love
another woman as much as I loved her…
How bitter is my fate!
Ah! To go to sea without love!

"L'Absence"

Reviens, reviens, ma belle aimée!
Comme une fleur lon du soleil,
La fleur de ma vie est fermée
Loin de ton sourire vermeil!

Entre nos cœurs quelle distance!
Tant d'espace entre nos baisers!
O sort amer! ô dure absence!
O grands désirs inapaisés!

Reviens, reviens. . .

"Absence"

Return, return, my beloved!
Like a flower far from the sun,
the flower of my life is closed
far from your brilliant smile!

Between our hearts what distance!
What space between our kisses!
O bitter fate! O hard absence!
O great, unappeasable desires!

Return, return. . .

D'ici làbas que de campagnes,
Que de villes et de hameaux,
Que de vallons et de montagnes,
A lasser le pied des chevaux!

Reviens, reviens. . ._

Nothing _gemutlich_ or sprightly here. Only the most fervid tenderness and bittersweet melancholy.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Jeff W said:


> Forgot to post this morning...
> 
> View attachment 41917
> 
> 
> Got started with my Haydn listening project. Disc 12 of the Antal Dorati/Philharmonia Hungarica set. Symphonies No. 45 'Farewell', 46 & 47. The 'Farewell' symphony loses a little something when you can't see the musicians depart...
> 
> View attachment 41919
> 
> 
> Before work last night, I was listening to the radio and the host mentioned the disastrous premiere of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1 and that made me want to listen to it. Vladimir Ashkenazy led the Concertgebouw Orchestra. If only poor Sergei had gotten to hear it played this well... The symphony was followed by his Symphonic Dances.


---
Steal of the century with that Rachmaninov box set. I had to pay full price for all of those pieces separately back when I was a starving student.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Gangwolf said:


> View attachment 41909
> 
> 
> Apart from the big 3 Tchaikovsky's this was my first experience with ballet music, and I keep coming back to it.


I've got to hear that. Thanks. I love _Giselle_.


----------



## senza sordino

A day of Prokofiev 
Violin Concerto 1 and 2














Lt Kije, Scythian Suite, Alexander Nevsky








In my classroom after school I had the volume up to 11 for the Alexander Nevsky, my colleague next door came over to find out what was going on.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

"_Soir de fete_"-- just before my night time walk on this glorious, summery, Southern-California night.










Ravel: "Introduction and Allegro"-- just before the Chausson.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> A day of Prokofiev
> Violin Concerto 1 and 2
> View attachment 41924
> 
> View attachment 41925
> 
> Lt Kije, Scythian Suite, Alexander Nevsky
> View attachment 41927
> 
> 
> In my classroom after school I had the volume up to 11 for the Alexander Nevsky, my colleague next door came over to find out what was going on.


--
You rule. If I were a student I'd worship you like a god. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . _Awesome_. Totally something I'd do.


----------



## bejart

Mozart: Don Giovanni arranged for String Quartet, ca.1798

Quatour Franz Joseph: Olivier Brault and Jacques Andre Houle, violins -- Helene Plouffe, viola -- Marcel Saint Cyr, cello


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Mass No. 9 in C Major, 'Paukenmesse' (J. Owen Burdick; Hoyt; Sollek; Neer; Lippold; Trinity Choir; Rebel Baroque Orchestra).


----------



## PetrB

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich ~ Concerto for violin and orchestra


----------



## opus55

Smetana: String Quartets Nos 1 and 2
Handel: Water Music


----------



## MozartsGhost

*
Rachmaninoff*
The Bells Op 35
Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
Kiril Kondrashin, Conducting

From the liner notes . . .

The Bells was received with a tremendous ovation on the occassion of its first performance in Moscow in 1914. However in 1931 a performance of this work in a Moscow auditiorium, a performance apparently well attendended and well received, drew such a blast from Pravda that a virtual boycott was subsequently imposed on Rachmaninoff's works in his native land. Rachmaninoff has more than once called "The Bells" his own favorite among his works.


----------



## bejart

Franz Benda (1709-1786): Violin Sonata in A Minor

Czech Baroque Trio: Antonin Rous, violin -- Martin Jakubicek, harpsichord -- Jan Skrdlik, cello


----------



## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> Dame Janet, _de profundis_, I thank thee. . . for ripping my heart out with your beautiful _voice_.
> 
> Berlioz, _Les Nuits d'Eté_:
> 
> Nothing _gemutlich_ or sprightly here. Only the most fervid tenderness and bittersweet melancholy.


The very thought of Janet Baker in this music sends a sweet painful ecstatic shudder through my body.


----------



## Sid James

*Kagel *_Szenario for string orchestra and tape_
- Saarbrucken Radio SO under the composer

Replete with taped sounds of dogs barking, howling, growling and the orchestra replicating their sounds, *Kagel's Szenario *was appropriately enough arranged as a score to accompany the classic silent film by Bunuel/Dali, Le chien andalou. This is music of 110 per cent novelty value, and at 12 minutes it manages to stay interesting throughout and doesn't outstay its welcome.










*Bartók* _Violin Concertos 1 and 2_
- Gyorgy Pauk, violin; Polish Radio National Orch. (Katowice) under Antoni Wit

I wanted to get back to *Bartok's Violin Concerto #2*, but I listened to the other one too. One of the favourite bits of Yehudi Menuhin's autobiography_ Unfinished Journey_ is about his dealings with Bartok, and here I copied a quote about the second concerto, the only piece in which he used serial technique:

_Knowing that I had just performed his great concerto, Bartok probed to see how well I had grasped it, asking particularly my opinion of a passage in the first movement. "It's rather chromatic," I offered. "Yes, it's chromatic," he said, but then, nudging me toward the point he was making: "You see that it comes very often?" - which it does, some thirty-two times, never exactly the same. "Well, I wanted to show Schoenberg that one can use all twelve tones and still remain tonal." Here was one of Bartok's barbs: any one of these repeated sequences would supply a dodecaphonist with material for a whole opera, but Bartok pours them out with a lavishness of invention which the twelve-toner, working away with his slide rule, will never know. His was that kind of prolifigate exuberance which throws away something, never to be used again._










*Ravel* _Schéhérazade_
- Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano with Orchestre Symphonique de l'Opéra National under Sir John Pritchard

Finishing with the lush orientalisms of *Ravel,* and in the big climax in the first song I heard a bit of Wagnerian element in this! Great to hear it, its been ages.



MozartsGhost said:


> ...
> *
> Rachmaninoff*
> The Bells Op 35
> Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
> Kiril Kondrashin, Conducting
> 
> From the liner notes . . .
> 
> The Bells was received with a tremendous ovation on the occassion of its first performance in Moscow in 1914. However in 1931 a performance of this work in a Moscow auditiorium, a performance apparently well attendended and well received, drew such a blast from Pravda that a virtual boycott was subsequently imposed on Rachmaninoff's works in his native land. Rachmaninoff has more than once called "The Bells" his own favorite among his works.


Rachmaninov had signed a petition that was against something the Soviet government was doing before that temporary ban was put on his music. This was at the height of Stalin's purges, mid 1930's. So it was kind of payback by the regime. But of course one of the things that bells represent is freedom from tyranny, at the end of WWII they rang out all over the continent, and that ban of The Bells can also be interpreted in light of this. Incidentally I got it on cd, but its been ages since I've heard it, its gone from my memory. I got an old Soviet recording, coupled with Isle of the Dead. The Bells is said to be influenced by Mahler. I aim to get to it now you mention it, I have been on a Mahler tangent again lately.


----------



## MozartsGhost

Sid James said:


> Rachmaninov had signed a petition that was against something the Soviet government was doing before that temporary ban was put on his music. This was at the height of Stalin's purges, mid 1930's. So it was kind of payback by the regime. But of course one of the things that bells represent is freedom from tyranny, at the end of WWII they rang out all over the continent, and that ban of The Bells can also be interpreted in light of this. Incidentally I got it on cd, but its been ages since I've heard it, its gone from my memory. I got an old Soviet recording, coupled with Isle of the Dead. The Bells is said to be influenced by Mahler. I aim to get to it now you mention it, I have been on a Mahler tangent again lately.


Hey Sid, kinda funny, I queued up this one right before I sat down to read your post . . . 









*Gustav Mahler*
Symphony No. 6
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Jascha Horenstein, Conductor

From the liner notes . . .

Mahler himself became over-stimulated to the point of distraction when preparing the premiere of this nearly 90-minute work, which he sometimes called his "Tragic Symphony." "None of his works," his widow Alma writes in her memoirs, "moved him so deeply at its first hearing as this. We came to the last rehearsals, to the dress-rehearsal - to the last movement with its three great blows of fate. When it was over, Mahler walked up and down in the artists' room, sobbing, wringing his hands, unable to control himself . . . . On the day of the concert, Mahler was so afraid that his agitation might get the better of him that out of shame and anxiety he did not conduct the symphony well. He hesitated to bring out the omen behind this terrible last movement . . . In (this) movement he described himself and his downfall or, as he later said, that of his hero: 'It is the hero on whose head fall three blows of fate, the last of which fells him as a tree is felled.' Those were his words."


----------



## JasonBrenkert

Bach's Concerto for Two Violins - Hilary Hahn


----------



## senza sordino

Corigliano Chaconne from the Red Violin
Enescu Romanian Rhapsody 
Waxman Tristan and Isolde Fantasia
John Adams Violin Concerto








I love this CD. The Tristan and Isolde is the violin concerto Wagner never wrote. 
The John Adams violin concerto is terrific.


----------



## SimonNZ

Henry Cowell's Quartet Romantic - Musician Accord


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Messiah - Symphony; Comfort ye my people; Ev'ry valley shall be exalted (Karl Richter; Donath; Reynolds; Burrows; McIntyre; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra).


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture BBC Wireless Symphony Orchestra/Percy Pitt

Elgar: Symphony No.1 London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Edward Elgar

Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No.2 Arthur De Greef/New Symphony Orchestra/Sir Landon Ronald

Three vintage recordings. Percy Pitt did a good deal of work at Covent Garden in the first couple of decades of the 20th century, this performance of "Ruy Blas" is the most exciting that I know- and heaven knows I've tried umpteen more recent recordings, but not one of 'em comes near to this. He was the BBC's first director of music, and this orchestra was the precursor to the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Then the finest performance of Elgar No.1. Finally another delight from the de Greef box. All pleasing to the ear, yay!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Gorgeous Spanish baroque choral music.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

I'm taking Opus55's Water Music in the car with me today to work so half now and half later. It's a while since I heard that recording but it's a goldie imo.


----------



## SimonNZ

Harry Partch's Barstow: Eight Hitchhikers' Inscriptions


----------



## Bas

Studying for finals with some Mozart as background:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Concerto for Horn no. 4 in E-flat k495, Concerto for Oboe in C k314, Concerto for Bassoon in B-flat k191, Concerto for Horn in D k368b
By Katharina Jansen [oboe], Dona Agrell [bassoon], Teunis van der Zwart [horn], Freiburger Barock Orchester, Petra Müllejans [dir.], on Harmonia Mundi









Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintets 
By the Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes [viola], on Hyperion


----------



## SimonNZ

Ted Hearne's Katrina Ballads


----------



## Oskaar

*Tschaikowsky: 6. Sinfonie (»Pathétique«) ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Lionel Bringuier*

I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo ∙ 
II. Allegro con grazia ∙
III. Allegro molto vivace ∙
IV. Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Andante ∙

hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Lionel Bringuier, Dirigent ∙

Not long time since I postet another version of this symphony, but it so good that I dont think it will come to a forum crisis if I post this version.

Brilliant clear sound and picture, and the performance is good to in my ears.

some you tube comments

_Love the way the conductor was literally frozen by the spirit of that piece at the end.

excellent !! even though the best performance is, in my opinion, by the SEOUL PHIL. conducted by MYUNG WHUN CHUNG....see & hear & enjoy on youtube...
immediately!

Mir gefällt diese ernsthafte Leistung mit relativ langsamen Tempi und ohne überflüssige Leidenschaft. Die Holzbläser sind echt ausgezeichnet. Danke sehr!﻿_

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Philip Glass' Two Pages (for Steve Reich)


----------



## Oskaar

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 / Bernstein · New York Philharmonic Orchestra*

*upload info
Great presentation of american conductor Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic, playing the Symphony No. 5 of Dmitri Shostakovich at a 1979 live perfomance on Bunka Kainan, Tokyo, Japan.*

Quite nice sound to be 1979.
Great symphony, and a fine performance

you tube comments
_One of the things that constantly amazes me about Shostakovich, and part of why I love his symphonies so much, are how he managed to eke out such beauty while working under such intensely oppressive constraints.

Has to be one of my absolute favorites. Played this with the QYO when I was 18 or 19. Awesome ! 
﻿
Ending of 1st movement is like little child lost in a big supermarket full of cold egoistic men where no one pays attention to child who is searching for it's mum.( I like youtube comments..much brain creativity, but also some stupidity wich I try to avoid... This one was very creative :lol_

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768): Overture No.2 in F Major

Reinhard Goebel leading Musica Antiqua Koln


----------



## Mister Man

Beethoven - Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello & Piano in C major.

http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Concerto-Beethoven/dp/B006LL02JG


----------



## Jeff W

Got the night's listening started with Joseph Haydn. Antal Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungrica. Symphonies No. 48, 49 & 50. All good stuff. Probably liked No. 48 the best followed by No. 49. Number 50, while still good, felt like a throwback to me.









Went next with some Sibelius. Symphonies No. 5 & 6. Paavo Berglund led the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Both are great symphonies.









Decided to go in the opposite direction and went with some J.S. Bach. Listened to the two violin concertos and the double violin concerto. Trevor Pinnock led the English Concert from the harpsichord while the soloists were Simon Standage and Elizabeth Wilcock joined him for the double concerto.









Beethoven's Piano Sonatas No. 1, 2 & 3 (Opus 2) were the last on my listening for the night. Alfred Brendel played the piano.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

SimonNZ said:


> Harry Partch's Barstow: Eight Hitchhikers' Inscriptions


---
Is "Barstow" the piece with the musical instruments called "cloud-chamber bowls"? I was a classical-music buyer for Tower Records back in my college days and a professor emeritus of surrealistic literature (not a professor of mine) came into the classical room and was telling me about what a kick he got out of this; and so the next week he brought the cd into the store, and I have to say, it was most entertaining. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.


----------



## AH music

EBERL, Anton - Just listened to the Piano Concerto in C Op 32, and need to enthuse about it right away. The slow movement is wonderful, and the sparkling finale should bring a few smiles to anybody.









MAGNARD, Alberic - Symphony no 1. Heard for the first time a while ago, enjoyed listening again, especially the second and forth movements.









HAYDN - Continued Fischer Symphony survey on the full set on condensed mp3 CDs - 37 hours on 8 discs..... Nos 16 and 17 in three movements marked out by notable slow movements. No 18 begins with a slow movement, again just three in total, perhaps not one of the most memorable of the symphonies though.

SCARLATTI, Domenico - Sonatas K6 to K9 Belder (harpsichord) and Grante (Bosendorfer piano). Loved K6 and K7 in both versions. K8, a slower work, seemed better to me on the piano, whilst K9 sparkled more on the harpsichord performance. Great music, what a feast ahead (555 sonatas in all....)


----------



## Marschallin Blair

MozartsGhost said:


> Hey Sid, kinda funny, I queued up this one right before I sat down to read your post . . .
> 
> View attachment 41934
> 
> 
> *Gustav Mahler*
> Symphony No. 6
> Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
> Jascha Horenstein, Conductor
> 
> From the liner notes . . .
> 
> Mahler himself became over-stimulated to the point of distraction when preparing the premiere of this nearly 90-minute work, which he sometimes called his "Tragic Symphony." "None of his works," his widow Alma writes in her memoirs, "moved him so deeply at its first hearing as this. We came to the last rehearsals, to the dress-rehearsal - to the last movement with its three great blows of fate. When it was over, Mahler walked up and down in the artists' room, sobbing, wringing his hands, unable to control himself . . . . On the day of the concert, Mahler was so afraid that his agitation might get the better of him that out of shame and anxiety he did not conduct the symphony well. He hesitated to bring out the omen behind this terrible last movement . . . In (this) movement he described himself and his downfall or, as he later said, that of his hero: 'It is the hero on whose head fall three blows of fate, the last of which fells him as a tree is felled.' Those were his words."


Mahler never ceases to fill me with awe: the heroic, rear-guard action, destined to fail-- but you move on; always charging, never bending-- win, lose, or draw. Such courage. Such monumental bravery; especially in the last movement of the Sixth, and of course in _Das Lied von der Erde_-- which is the most starkly-brave piece of music I've ever heard.

_And Toscannini called Mahler a "cry baby"? _He didn't have one-tenth the courage Mahler had; red-blooded and Italianate as he may have been.


----------



## julianoq

Was wondering what to listen in this morning and the last post from Marschallin Blair inspired me to some Mahler. Listening the 6th, performed by Sanderling.


----------



## DeanClassicalTchaikovsky

I'm listening to this right now. Such a beautiful piece by Zdenek Fibich.


----------



## Oskaar

*S. Rachmaninov. Symphony 1*

*Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, MusicAeterna Orchestra, conductor - Valeriy Platonov.

1. Grave - allegro non troppo
2. Allegro animato
3. Larghetto
4. Allegro con fuoco*

Beautiful performance and presentation.

youtube comments

_*Great symphony and inspired performance - moments of haunting beauty, energy and exuberance. Tchaikovsky admired Rachmaninov's early work but died suddenly and so was unable to fulfill his promise to conduct his compositions.

Superb. What a gem, that was so maligned and misunderstood.

Splendid !! A performance full of life, thanks for sharing  Musicalement*_

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

_traversing transcriptions_


----------



## Orfeo

*Alexander Glazunov*
Piano Sonata no. I in B-flat minor.
Suite "Sascha." 
->Stephen Coombs, pianist.

*Sergey Lyapunov*
Sonata in F minor.
Variations on a Georgian Theme.
Nocturne in D-flat major.
->Anthony Goldstone, pianist.

*Vladimir Rebikov*
Esclavage et liberte, Trois idylles, Scenes bucoliques, Tableaux pour enfants, etc.
->Anthony Goldstone, pianist.

*Ignacy Jan Paderewski*
Piano Sonata in E-flat minor.
->Jonathan Plowright, pianist.

*Georgy Catoire*
Piano Trio in F minor, Elegy in D minor, Piano Quartet in A minor.
->Room-Music (ensemble).

*Nikolay Myaskovsky*
String Quartets nos. II & X.
->The Taneyev Quartet.

*Dmitry Kabalevsky*
Piano Concerto no. I in A minor.
->Kathryn Stott, pianist.
->The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Neemi Jarvi.

_Wonderful music for a Wednesday. I thoroughly love and enjoy every one of these works. Now if I can only think of what I want to hear tomorrow. I'll let the mood dictate that for me._


----------



## shadowdancer

Just enjoying it lately...


----------



## Fratello

*Some Viola for now...*


----------



## Alypius

New arrival, first time through the box set. Starting with a few favorites:

*Heitor Villa-Lobos: Choros #12 for orchestra (1929)*










*Heitor Villa-Lobos: Choros #5 ('Alma Brasileira') for piano (1925)*










*Heitor Villa-Lobos: Choros #8 for large orchestra & 2 pianos (1925)*


----------



## AH music

VIOTTI - Violin concerto no 2. Not long, just a delight from start to finish.


----------



## cjvinthechair

Emil Tabakov - Requiem....found on a lovely small Channel which also has his cello, double-bass, flute and 'violin,vibraphone, marimba, bells & mixed choir' (!) concerti .


----------



## MissLemko

Complete Scriabin's sonatas played by Ponti. I like Ponti's Scriabin very much.


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Lourie's* birthday (1892).

The Blackamoor of Peter the Great; Funeral Games in Honor of Chronos, w. Kremer/Philharmonia O./Eschenbach (rec.1996).

Syntheses; Formes en l'air, 3 pieces for piano, w. Lombardi (rec.1995).








View attachment 41970


----------



## DeanClassicalTchaikovsky

Such a nice video... and my favorite piece too.


----------



## Vaneyes

Kontrapunctus said:


> Several wrong notes and the obvious use of patch-up sessions (the sound changes quite a bit throughout) diminishes my enjoyment of this disc. Actually, I'm not that fond of the music, either! I much prefer his late Sonatas.


I'm not wild about LvB DV, either. Anderszewski was my choice, when I had it in my collection.

Sidenote: GG's good in other LvB Variations and Bagatelles. :tiphat:


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Schoenberg: Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2 and Verklarte Nacht*
Heinz Holliger & Chamber Orchestra of Europe


----------



## Oskaar

*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major (Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Proms 2013)*

*Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony has a brightness and energy beyond the requirements of Soviet war-time propaganda.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
London, PROMS 2013
Royal Albert Hall ...*

some youtube comments

*If you look at 23:37 there are a pair of spooky feet that appear in the top right corner﻿

Percussion Section at 47:53 ROCKS!!!﻿

Best arrangement I have ever heard of this symphony. Well done and thank you for the upload..﻿*

*videolink*


----------



## DeanClassicalTchaikovsky

Awesome video. Awesome piece.


----------



## Vaneyes

A gentle reminder for those listeners who prefer posting videos. Please do so in the following thread...

"Current Listening with YouTube Videos".

http://www.talkclassical.com/21575-current-listening-youtube-videos.html

Thank you.


----------



## Mahlerian

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Schoenberg: Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2 and Verklarte Nacht*
> Heinz Holliger & Chamber Orchestra of Europe


No. 2 is an interesting work. It was begun right after the first, but Schoenberg abandoned it for several decades and only went back to finish it after moving to the US (so after Moses und Aron was already written). I prefer No. 1, personally (and consider it a masterpiece), but that's not to say that 2 is bad by any stretch of the imagination.

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 2 in E-flat minor, op. 38
Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Boulez


----------



## Vaneyes

*Elgar, Bridge, Walton*: String Quartets, w. Coull Qt. (rec.1993).

View attachment 41973


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Stabat Mater - Stabat mater dolorosa (Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Bonney; Von Magnus; Lippert; Miles; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Concentus musicus Wien).









This work is definitely underrated. Some great music here by Haydn, very recommended for fans of the composer.


----------



## Selby

Field, John [1782-1837]

Nocturnes [Bart van Oort]


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

I'm about to listen to Purcell's Fairy Queen on DG's Archiv Prod label from 1982. 

Don't you just love Gardinering on a sunny evening.


----------



## Mahlerian

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, No. 13 in C
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


----------



## shadowdancer

Mahlerian said:


> Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, No. 13 in C
> Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Tate


Oh... I do enjoy her a lot.
Unfortunately I couldn't make it yesterday. She was here in São Paulo with Mariss Jansons and the Bayern people.
Beethoven Piano Concert and Brahms 2nd. Sad...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Bruch: Kol Nidrei
Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations Janos Starker/London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati

Three superb pieces for cello and orchestra played by Janos Starker with the incomparable Antal Dorati. I like the Bruch and Tchaikovsky best I think. The Dvorak is good, but doesn't supersede my performances by Casals, Tortelier, and my all time favourite Fournier (with Philharmonia/Kubelik). The recordings are superb, the Mercury engineers certainly knew their stuff.


----------



## DavidA

Beethoven 'Kreutzer' sonata - Repin / Argerich

Super performance!


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Callas Live/ Callas Studio*









Studio is lovely.









Live is e-_lec_-tri-fy-ing.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

196 Der Herr denkt an uns
197 Gott ist unsre Zuversicht

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (196) and Gustav Leonhardt (198), cond.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 Jascha Heifetz/Chamber Orchestra
Turina: Piano Trio No.1 Leonard Pennario/Jascha Heifetz/Gregor Piatigorsky

More from the Heifetz-Piatigorsky box. A wonderful traversal of the Mozart 5th concerto by Heifetz and co., then the beautiful, sultry and passionate Turina trio. Turina is a composer I love and adore, and this is an ideal performance of this extremely lovable piece.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Zemlinsky, 6 Songs by Maeterlinck; Mahler, Ruckert Lieder*


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Co-incidentally, Manxfeeder, I've been listening to my new disc again:

*
Alexander von Zemlinsky - Songs

Seven Songs (1889-90; posthumous)
Six songs to poems of Maeterlinck, Op. 13
Waltz-songs on Tuscan folk lyrics, Op. 6
Five songs (posthumous; 1895-6)
Two cabaret songs (1901)*

Hermine Haselboeck, mezzo; Florian Henschel, piano [Bridge, 2008]


----------



## Guest

This version's performances are just as good as the old Henze/Christoph Eschenbach on DG, but it has far better sound.


----------



## Delilah

Rondo Veneziano - Arabesque

This Italian chamber Orchestra's music always makes me happy!! :tiphat:


----------



## dgee

A bit of Rudi Stephan - killed in World War I and a real "what might have been":


----------



## SimonNZ

Corelli's Concerti Grossi Op.6 - Fabio Biondi, cond.


----------



## bejart

Pieter Van Maldere (1729-1768): Symphony in G Minor, Op.4, No.1

Jorg Faerber conducting the European Community Chamber Orchestra


----------



## bejart

Franz Krommer (1759-1831): Oboe Quartet No.1 in C Major

Jiri Mihale on oboe with members of the Suk String Quartet: Ivan Straus, violin -- Karel Rehak, viola -- Jan Stros, cello


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Die Walkure
Verdi: La Traviata


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.30 in E Major, Op.109

Wilhelm Kempff, piano


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Shostakovitch*
Piano Concerto No 2

*Ravel*
Piano Concerto in G Major

Leonard Bernstein at the piano and conducting the New York Philharmonic and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra

From the liner notes . . .

Maxim Shostakovitch began to give evidence of a musical bent of his own through his talent for singing the themes of his father's works and a desire to wave his arms at rehearsals. "On one occasion," notes Philharmonic program editor Irving Kolodin, "Maxim started 'conducting' with such ferocity that he was taken home."

The elder Shostakovitch has entered into the musical life of his son with great enthusiasm, composing for him the two-piano Concertino, Op 94, and now the Concerto No 2, Op 101, which was also dedicated to him while he was an advanced piano student at the Conservatory in Moscow and a promising young virtuoso. It was Maxim, under the direction of N Asnosov, who performed the Concerto No. 2 for the first time, in Moscow, May 10, 1957.


----------



## JasonBrenkert

Bruckner! Celibidache.


----------



## Alypius

With the discussion on jazz piano over on the "Jazz Hole" thread, these seemed a good way to end the evening:

*Marc-Andre Hamelin, Kapustin: Piano Music (Hyperion, 2004)*
*8 Jazz Concert Etudes
*Suite in the Old Style
*Sonata #6
& *Steven Osborne, Kapustin: Piano Music (Hyperion, 2000)*
*Sonata #1
*24 Preludes in Jazz Style
*Sonata #2

















I should add that this is one of the many fine discoveries I've made thanks to discussions around here. I appreciate the recommendations and good knowledge. Nikolai Kapustin (b. 1938) was new to me -- the style of Joplin, Gershwin, Oscar Peterson, even Jarrett, yet all his own -- and composed with the systematic detail of good classical architecture.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Berlioz - Les Troyens: Atto Primo - "Que la déesse nous protège"*










This choral episode from Act I of Berlioz's _Les Troyens _ is the most exciting and glorious thing I ever heard by him. If you incline to this, as I do, check out the Colin Davis/Covent Garden on Philips. The sound on the cd is amazing. The later Davis/LSO incarnation of the piece has good singing, but not like the Philips; though in all aesthetic honesty I have to say that I ever-so-slightly incline to the Davis/LSO reading of this piece-- but the differences in interpretation are slight and nuanced.

The You Tube clip below is unfortunately from an inferior reading which is neither of the Davis'; but it was the only one I could find:






(The chorus starts at 0:50.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Mendelssohn's Octet Op.20 and Quintet Op.87 - Academy Chamber Ensemble


----------



## Fratello

It is 9 AM here and im listening to Mozart - _Allegro in B flat, KV App. 91 / KV 516c for a clarinet quintet._


----------



## SimonNZ

Handel's Concerti Grossi Op.3 - Roy Goodman, cond.


----------



## SimonNZ

Beethoven's Symphony No.1 - Christopher Hogwood, cond.










Alwyn's Contes Barbares (Homage to Paul Gauguin) - Ashley Wass, piano


----------



## Tsaraslondon

OMG! Courtesy of a TC friend, this is a glorious set. Beautiful music, stunningly played. How have I never heard it before. With Yuri Bashmet on the viola, this _Sinfonia Concertante_ must be one of the best ever recorded. Sometimes I can feel Mozart is enough. This is one of those occasions.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Handel-Dupre: Organ Concerto No.16 in F
Thalben-Ball: Variations on a theme by Paganini for pedals/Elegy
W.T. Best: Concert Fantasia on a Welsh March (Men of Harlech)
Ireland: Villanella
Bizet-Lemare: Carmen Suite
Lemare: Andantino in D-flat/Rondo Capriccio/Concertstuck
Wagner-Lemare: Rienzi Overture Thomas Trotter (at the organ of Birmingham Town Hall)

A superb CD from Thomas Trotter on the organ of Birmingham Town Hall. This takes me back to when I first started work in 1980 and used to leg it up the hill from Bristol Street (where I was apprenticed in a piano workshop) to the Town Hall every Wednesday lunchtime for the free (yes, they were free then!) organ recitals by George Thalben-Ball. Thomas Trotter succeeded him as city organist in 1983, and has done sterling work there ever since. This is a nicely varied programme, Ireland's "Villanella" is a beautiful work, as is Thalben-Ball's elegy (which I always enjoy playing in the piano arrangement- Thalben-Ball was a great pianist too, giving the first performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto in this country!), Best's fantasia on "Men of Harlech" is hugely enjoyable, as are all the Lemare pieces. Lemare was the premier recitalist of his day, a supreme virtuoso, and it's nice to hear some of his original pieces as well as some of his legendary transcriptions. The transcription of Handel's 16th concerto by Marcel Dupre is a joy, and makes a very good opener. All in all this is a thoroughly recommendable recital on one of the finest concert organs in this country (and played by one of our finest organists- if not the finest), long may it continue to delight.


----------



## SimonNZ

Reger's Three Suites For Solo Viola - George Robertson, viola










Reger's Improvisationen Op.18 - David Levine, piano


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## SimonNZ

Respighi's Three Botticelli Pictures - Hugh Wolff, cond.


----------



## Wood

*Haydn *String Quartets Op. 17 (Buchbergers)

*Purcell *Dido & Aeneas (Von Otter, Pinnock) recorded at the Henry Wood Hall, London 1988.


----------



## Oskaar

*Zoltan Kocsis "Sonata D 960" Schubert*

*Piano Sonata in B flat Major D 960,
op. posth. by Franz Schubert
Zoltan Kocsis, piano
Teatro Sociale, Bellinzona 1998*

Very fine, unpolished, kind of wondering sonata. First time listening to it, and I really like it.
Zoltan plays it wit warmth, creativity, skill and fine interpretation.

some youtube comments

*What a great piece! I'm not a good judge of performance, but it sounded good to me.

A great Virtuoso! Thank you!

man, this is good!*

*videolink*

(I see that I have postet it before, an therfore I must have listned to it... My musical memory is non-existing. The positive: The joy of discover new music wathever what I listen too!)


----------



## SimonNZ

Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony - Kenneth Schermerhorn, cond.


----------



## Oskaar

*Beethoven Sonata N° 31 Daniel Barenboim*

Beautiful!

youtube comments

*The last 3 sonatas of Beethoven go deeper than ever before compared to previous piano sonatas. They delve into the mind and inner thoughts of the composer more than before. Barenboim is the perfect pianist for the depth of expression required for these last sonatas including this one. This is one of my favourites of all Beethoven sonatas because of its profundity.﻿

It doesn't get much better than this. My other favorite recording of this is by John Browning.﻿

Sublime!! I feel the hope in each musical note, each one of the three movements is majestic. Similar to the calm after the storm﻿
What I most appreciate here is the absence of sentimentality. This interpretation makes me think of the concept of "emotional geometry." A certain poised, soft virility I haven't heard in many pianists.*

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

William Schuman's Symphony No.8 - Leonard Bernstein, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 3 in D Major (Frans Brüggen; Orchestra of the 18th Century).


----------



## bejart

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770): Violin Concerto in F Major, Op.1, No.5, D58

L'Arte Dell'Arco -- Federico Guglielmo, violin


----------



## SimonNZ

Gian Francesco Malipiero's Symphony No.6 - Antonio de Almeida, cond.


----------



## jim prideaux

despite already having Davis, Rattle, Vanska and the Berglund COE Sibelius symphonies I found it very difficult to ignore the recent re release of the Berglund Bournemouth set-so as it arrived in the post this morning I am now listening initially to the 2nd and 3rd-and what a treat it is proving to be!


----------



## SimonNZ

Miaskovsky's Cello Concerto - Marina Tarasova, cello, Yevgeny Samoilov, cond.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ArtMusic said:


>


Does anyone know who did the painting on the cover? I'd like to see what the non-pan-and-scanned version of it looks like. I might have to get a print of it.


----------



## Wood

Marschallin Blair said:


> Does anyone know who did the painting on the cover? I'd like to see what the non-pan-and-scanned version of it looks like. I might have to get a print of it.


Karl Brullow (1799-1852) :tiphat:


----------



## Muse Wanderer

Maurizio Pollini - Schoenberg The Piano Works









I have been listening to this record for the past 4 months on and off. Kickstarted the listening sessions this week. Hearing the record in my car with good bass yesterday gave it a better perception. The left hand bass can be quite gruesome in an exhilirating way. Leaving it as background music at times allows it to diffuse into my subconscious with no effort. I found that repeated listening to separate works is better than the whole album taken at once.

The Three Piano Pieces Op 11 is absolutely great. 
It is my favourite at the moment as these three pieces were the first ones I memorised from the get go. Yesterday I realised how the ending of the third movement is the exact theme played for few seconds at a time (starting at 46sec) in the first movement and is an important theme within the whole work somewhat. It is harsher and darker in the 1st movement but more subdued and at peace in the final one. 
The second movement is hypnotic and pondering in nature with two notes being repeated on and on until we reach a climax in the 4th minute that feels like the author is crying out loud at the top of his voice. This is followed by a rerun of the same two notes, as if these are driling into one's brain persistent and forceful in nature.
The third movement starts out with such a strong message, it feels like the piano is going to break under the pressure. The ending theme feels like a partial resolution but there is a need for more. It has not resolved fully. There is an acceptance of all the pain and turbulence but the pain is still there.

Schoenberg was passing through a difficult time in his life at this time. His work was increasingly criticised in professional circles and his wife left him for another man. Could this be his way of writing all his anxieties down with a completely new muscial language? 
I am not a technical expert by all means but I am glad I persevered with this piece.

I am still working on the rest of the piano pieces as well as the piano concerto and Webern's variations. It is impressive how every single second is important with serial works. It feels like a 3 minute piece is a condensed version of an hour long tonal symphony at times. I 'understood' a long winded Bruckner symphony last week after five listens. This 15 minute piece took me 4 months and I am still working on it.

The Six little piano pieces op 19 - strangely enough these short pieces elude my attention span more than the longer ones.

The Five piano pieces op 23 sounds great but I feel I haven't understood it completely yet.

The Suite for piano op 26 feels like what Bach would have written in the 20th century. Bach played so much with dissonance adding so much colour to his works that he would feel at ease had he been composing in the 20th century. 
This suite is absolutely filled with wonderful dissonance.
I still need to work on this piece as well as on the piano concerto (brilliant on first few listens) and Webern's variations.

It is exciting to be challenged with such 'atonal' music. It is definitely a new amazing world to discover and it is a welcome change from the old music of the previous centuries.


----------



## Oskaar

*Rachmaninov - Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor, op. 36 - Dmitri Levkovich*

*Dmitri Levkovich performs Rachmaninov - Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor op. 36 at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition (May, 2011, Tel Aviv).*

Really a fresh and sensitive performance of this quite colourfull sonata

youtube comments

*Original and fascinating interpretation, Levkovich even makes some "rubato" alla Chopin in certain romantic sections of the sonata. Very good playing

wonderfull video*

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

* Hamelin plays Scriabin - Piano Sonata No.5 [HIGH QUALITY]*

*Pf: Marc-André Hamelin
Casals Hall, Tokyo.
11th December 1997.*

Beutiful dreamy and adventurous sonata, very well played

youtube comments

*Amazing, Hamelin is a master of Scriabin and Medtner!

this music is like a chase..... between predator & prey, or between good & evil....﻿

Hamelin nailed it...*

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 4 in C minor, 'Tragic'; No. 8 in B minor, 'Unfinished' (Frans Brüggen; Orchestra of the 18th Century).


----------



## opus55

Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle, SZ 48


----------



## Orfeo

*Mieczysław Weinberg*
Trio for violin, viola, and cello, op. 48 (1950).
Sonatina for violin & piano, op. 46 (1949).
Concertino for violin & string orchestra, op. 42 (1948)
Symphony no. X (1968).
-Gidon Kremer, violin.
-Daniil Grishin, viola.
-Giedre Dirvanauskaite, cello.
-Daniil Trifonov, piano.
-Kremerata Baltica.
Symphony no. VI in A Minor (1963).
-The Moscow Philharmonic & Moscow Choir School Boys Choir/Kyrill Kondrashin.

*Dmitri Shostakovich*
Symphony no. XIII "Babi Yar" (1961-1962).
-Vitaly Gromadsky, bass.
-The Moscow Philharmonic, State Academic Choir, Yurlov Russian Choir/Kyrill Kondrashin.

*Gavrill Popov*
Symphony no. I op. 37 (1934).
-The London Symphony Orchestra/Leon Botstein.

*Edison Denisov*
Symphony (1987).
-The USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra/Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

*Boris Tchaikovsky*
Trio in B minor (1953).
-Boris Tchaikovsky, piano.
-Viktor Pikaizen, violin.
-Yevgeny Altman, cello.
Sextet for winds and harp in F major (1990).
-Lebedev (flute), Tomilova (oboe), Permyakov (clarinet), Podkopaev (bassoon), Galkin (french horn).
-Emilia Moskvitina (harp).

*Samuil Feinberg*
Piano Sonatas nos. VII through XII.
-Nikolaos Samaltanos, pianist (sonatas 9-11).
-Christophe Sirodeau, pianist (sonatas 7, 8, & 12).


----------



## Vasks

*Goldmark - Prometheus Overture (Korodi/Hungaroton)
Saint-Saens - Violin Sonata #2 (Graffin/Hyperion)
Tchaikovsky - The Voyevoda (Petrenko/Naxos)*


----------



## Woodduck

ArtMusic said:


>


Just bought this and several other Ries works. A composer who's been hidden in the shadow of Beethoven and deserves the light of day.


----------



## Vaneyes

Sampling for *Monteverdi's* birthday (1567).


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

This has tempted me to my next selection which is Gardiner's version on DG's Archiv Prod label from 1610.


----------



## millionrainbows

John Browning performs Scarlatti; 30 Keyboard Sonatas (MuHer).










I've always looked to John Browning for his musical sense more than sheer virtuosity, although I find no faults in his facility. Rather, I think that he is guided more by his musicality, since he is not a Horowitz or Rubinstein. Thus, his playing is always moderated by musicality, and never veers off into virtuoso territory. This is good for the composer, and good for the listener who wishes to get the real idea, instead of being blown away by technique. His Rachmaninoff is good as well.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Wood said:


> Karl Brullow (1799-1852) :tiphat:


Thanks Wood. Get'chya a case of beer for that one; or a Bordeaux claret, as the case may be.


----------



## Oskaar

*Listening to*

*Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67*

*Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä*

* - Release date:
3rd Feb 2005*

View attachment 42000


*I am not very found of this symphony or Beethovens symphonies in general, but that might change. This recording is good. Not overwhelmingly dramatic, but fine balanced.*

* - prestoclassical

 - amazon

 - arkivemusic

 - sacd net*


----------



## Wood

A tankard of pale ale would be quite fine.










Cheers!


----------



## Oskaar

*Listening to*

*Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67*

*Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta*

* - 28th Feb 2011*

View attachment 42001


*Very nice! Fine balance between lyrical laidback and powerfull*

* - prestoclassical*


----------



## Andolink

*Johannes Brahms*: _Fantasien Op. 116_ and _Klavierstücke, Op. 119_
Nicholas Angelich, piano









*J. S. Bach*: _'O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort', BWV 20_
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Mark Padmore, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe


----------



## Antiquarian

Listening to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major op.53 "Waldstein" performed by Tibor Szasz on the Boesendorfer Konzerfluegel for the defunct Bainbridge label (BCD 6275). It's one of those early digital quadrophonic recordings (1987), where the industry was really excited about the potential of digital media. This listening is a response to another thread on favorite Beethoven Piano Sonata interpretations.


----------



## Mahlerian

Muse Wanderer said:


> I have been listening to this record for the past 4 months on and off. Kickstarted the listening sessions this week. Hearing the record in my car with good bass yesterday gave it a better perception. The left hand bass can be quite gruesome in an exhilirating way. Leaving it as background music at times allows it to diffuse into my subconscious with no effort. I found that repeated listening to separate works is better than the whole album taken at once.


I agree. I came to know the pieces one at a time, and the op. 23 ones were the last to open up to me.

My favorites are the Piano Concerto, the op.11, op.19, and of course, the Suite, which is notable as much for its humor as for its being the first completely 12-tone work.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Foote, Chamber Music.*


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 41992
> 
> 
> OMG! Courtesy of a TC friend, this is a glorious set. Beautiful music, stunningly played. How have I never heard it before. With Yuri Bashmet on the viola, this _Sinfonia Concertante_ must be one of the best ever recorded. Sometimes I can feel Mozart is enough. This is one of those occasions.


One of Mozart's ultimate works, I think. I'm one of those odd souls who hardly ever feels like listening to Mozart, who in fact doesn't care for his style even while acknowledging his greatness. This piece always reminds me of what I'm missing.


----------



## Oskaar

*listened to*

*Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67*

*San Francisco Symphony
Michael Tilson Thomas*

* - Recorded live at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, December 9-12, 2009.*

View attachment 42009


*I really like this colourfull recording*


----------



## opus55

Boulez: Pelléas et Mélisande
Smetana: Má Vlast


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, Symphony No. 43 in E-Flat Major (Bruno Weil; Tafelmusik).









That melodic first movement is excellent .


----------



## Vaneyes

*Chopin*: Piano Works, w. Demidenko (rec.1990 - '93).

View attachment 42017


----------



## Oskaar

*Listening to*

*Mozart - Symphony No. 44 in D major, K81*

*Prague Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras*

* - Release date:
1991*

View attachment 42014


*I really like this light an dekadent symphony, not so dekadent that mozart can be. There is a clearness and purity over it, more like Haydn than later Mozart, and a joy to listen to. Prague Chamber Orchestra and Charles Mackerras make it all come forward in brilliant manner. Spotify have 6 of the 10 albums from the box set with all Mozart symphonies*

* - amazon*


----------



## Bas

Breakfast music:

Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 137 "Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren", BWV 168 "Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort"
BWV 79 "Gott die Herr ist Sonn und Schild", BWV 164 "Ihr die ihre euch von Christo nennet"
By Yukari Nonoshita [soprano], Makoto Sakurada [tenor] Peter Kooij [bass], Robin Blaze [counter tenor], Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki [dir.], on BIS









Currently:

Henry Purcell - Fantazias for violin
By the Ricerar Consort, Philippe Pierlot [dir.] on Mirare


----------



## Oskaar

*listned to*

*Mozart - Symphony No. 44 in D major, K81*

*Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Adam Fischer*

* - Physical Release: 08/2011*

View attachment 42019


*Very clear and good sound on this exellent recording also a part of a full critically acclaimd cycle of Mozarts symphonies*


----------



## MissLemko

One of the very few required listening school assignments that I enjoyed was the 2nd Book of Madrigals of C. Gesualdo da Venosa. And then I found this...


----------



## DrKilroy

My favourite Beethoven sonata so far - No. 21 - played by Claudio Arrau.


Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*listening to*

*Mozart - Symphony No. 44 in D major, K81*

*Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra , Hans Graf*

* - Physical Release: 1990*

View attachment 42022


*A bit more laid back, but elegant and sensitive approuch*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Why the Ring of Fire?*









_Incandescence_-- in case you wanted to know why Southern California is having wildfires right now.









For Dernesch.









For the '42 Furtwangler/BPO _Liebestod_.


----------



## Oskaar

*listening to*

*Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85*

*City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Truls Mørk / Simon Rattle*

*Release Date 1999*

View attachment 42028


*I cant get enough of Mørks clear cello tone, and exellent interpretation. Bravo!*

* - youtube first movement*

* - classical music.com*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Saint-Saens, Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5.*


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Peter Maxwell Davies, Quartet No. 4. Vivaldi, Beatus Vir*

On first hearing, I'm not feeling the love for the Davies quartet. Vivaldi, that's another story.


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach Cantatas

198 Laß, Fürstin, laß einen Strahl
199 Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut

Gustav Leonhardt (198) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (199), cond.

Which brings to an end this survey of the sacred cantatas. My overall assessment of this set has been raised considerable since the days when I played it on vinyl and owned only the more problematic early boxes.

Twenty years in the making (1970-89, inclusive), and as these were pretty much the exact years that most of the important work was being done with HIP it now occurs to me that next time I go through this set (yes, next time) I should ask or consider to what extent L and H were observing the work of others, who had in turn been observing their work, and to what extent changes in their style throughout this set are contemporaneous with and/or clearly influenced by other landmark recordings.

This has gone down so well at work, and its such a nice way to start the day, I'm considering going straight into the Rilling set. Unfortunately again this won't allow for "deep listening" or a number of follow-up things I can do at home, nevertheless even the slightly distracted listening of the last two months has revealed plenty of unexpected or unconsidered details, particularly those atypical of the standard patterns.


----------



## Dustin

Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915

Seeing as how I am not familiar with any Barber, I've been giving this one a few spins lately. LOVE Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and his famous Adagio is great as well.


----------



## Mahlerian

Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (Act 1)
Ian Bostridge, Bryn Terfel, Deborah York, London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Gardiner









I still don't get the cover...


----------



## ShropshireMoose

View attachment 42037


Beethoven: Symphony No.2/Leonora Overture No.2 L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet

A good driving and vigorous performance of the symphony from Ansermet and his orchestra, likewise the overture, I've thoroughly enjoyed this.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Peter Warlock - songs (The Curlew etc.)*
Adrian Thompson, tenor
Christopher Maltman, baritone
John Constable, piano
Philippa Davies, flute
Christine Pendrill, cor anglais
The Duke Quartet [Naxos]

*Frederick Delius
Violin Sonata in B major, op. posth. (1892)
Violin Sonata No.1 (1905-14)*
Tasmin Little (violin), Piers Lane (piano) [Sony, 2009]

*Frank Bridge
Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F# minor
Quartet for Strings no 4, H 188*
Maggini Quartet, Martin Roscoe (Piano) [Naxos, 2005]


----------



## Guest

Another superb recording from BIS et al. I prefer most of Pettersson's other symphonies, but it's good to have his music so well performed and recorded.


----------



## KenOC

Fikret Amirov, Azerbaijan Capriccio. A vigorous and attractive work with a fine oriental flavor. Can be heard on YouTube at 



.


----------



## senza sordino

Fritz Kreisler violin pieces. I've listened to this a few times since I bought this CD recently.














Bach Cello Suite #1







Bach Partita #2 in Dm for solo violin








All of this I shared with students in the afternoon. I like to be able to share great music with the uninitiated


----------



## Sonata

Lots of good stuff lately:

Verdi: Aida, La Forza Del Destino, La Traviata. I've known Traviata for a couple years now and enjoy it, but never felt compelled to dig deeper into Verdi's catalogue. Well I finally did so and I'm so glad! Aida and Forza are both great, and I look forward to exploring more.

Strauss: Finished up his chamber works boxed set, which I really enjoyed with exception to the "melodramas" disc (beautiful piano piece ruined by some random guy talking. Not singing, just talking) I tossed that and am pleased with the rest. I've moved on to the orchestral works box first with the concertos disc. Great stuff! And Also sprach Zarathustra on the way to work.

I also listened to Turandot the other day, really been on an opera kick. Moreso than any previous point in my life, I'm listening to more opera than anything else.


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Oboe Quartet K.370, Clarinet Quartet K.317d and String Quartet K.575
- Marc Schachman, oboe, Eric Hoeprich, clarinet, Artaria Quartet


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro


----------



## Mahlerian

Matsumura: Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 2*, To the Night of Gethsemane
RTE National Symphony Orchestra, cond. Yuasa
*Ikuyo Kamiya, piano









The First Symphony, the liners say, was written from an intentionally Japanese perspective. This usually translates to something that sticks very closely to repetitions and variations on a single idea, but Matsumura's music is perhaps a bit wilder than Ifukube's. There's something interesting about it, even though it seems so rough-hewn (lots of percussion, including perhaps a flexatone?). The final Allegro, for example, grows out of an ostinato-like line that churns around in the low winds.

The Second Symphony was written much later, and revised several times before the composer's death in 2007, and the liners claim that it represents a broadening of the composer's perspective, though it sounds more disparate and less focused to me on a cursory listen. The piano octaves in the middle slow movement seem like a poor cousin to Bartok's Concertos.

To the Night of Gethsemane was the last orchestral work the composer wrote, and I enjoyed it more than the Second Symphony. It has a clear dramatic arc towards a crescendo, followed by a quieter close sounding almost like a tonal half cadence.


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Tchaikovsky *
Concerto No 1, In B-Flat Minor, Op 28
Van Cliburn, Pianist
Kiril Kondrashin, Conductor
Carnegie Hall

From the liner notes . . .

With his thrilling victory in the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in April of 1958, Van Cliburn, 23-year old pianist from Kilgore, Texas, captured the imagination of the international music world . . . .

. . . . From his first appearance in the Tchaikovsky Competition preliminaries, Cliburn caused a senstaion, and the word spread through all Moscow that the six-foot-four-inch, 160 pound Texan with the shock of sandy hair was kharasho (good) indeed. After the semi-finals, Muscovites were referring to him affectionately as "Vanya," and the popular verdict was itchin (very) kharasho. And in the finals, when on April 11th he played Tchaikovsky's First Concerto and Rachmaninoff's Third with the Moscow Radio Symphony under conductor Kiril P. Kondrashin, the crowd went wild, chanting in unison, "First Prize! First Prize!" for their adored favorite, who by now had become universally known as "Vanyusha" or "Vanyitchka."


----------



## SimonNZ

Alessandro Stradella's San Giovanni Battista - Allesandro De Marchi, cond.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 8 in B minor, 'Unfinished' (Frans Brüggen; Orchestra of the 18th Century).









J. Haydn, Symphony No. 96 in D Major, 'Miracle' (Günther Herbig; Dresdner Philharmonie).


----------



## SimonNZ

John Adams - Shaker Loops
Philip Glass - Facades
Steve Reich - Eight Lines
Philip Glass - Company
Dave Heath - The Frontier

Christopher Warren-Green, cond.

edit: does anyone who has read The Rest Is Noise remember the _very_ specific directions Ross gives the reader to find John Adams house? I wonder if Adams has since had words with him about that.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Ippoilitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches, Op.10
Gliere: The Red Poppy- Ballet Suite, Op.70 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Anatole Fistoulari

Two colourful Russian scores to start the day. No one conducts this sort of repertoire better than Fistoulari, and the sound, from 1956/7 is remarkable, those Decca engineers certainly knew their stuff!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Can't get enough of the Sinfonia Cocertante at the moment.


----------



## SimonNZ

Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien - Jun Markl, cond.


----------



## Couac Addict

Saint-Saëns' 3rd violin concerto.
Ghastly album cover but the violinist is on fire.


----------



## SimonNZ

Saint-Saens organ works - Andrew-John Smith, organ


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Couac Addict said:


> Saint-Saëns' 3rd violin concerto.
> Ghastly album cover but the violinist is on fire.
> 
> View attachment 42053


Psychedelic cover. Sure the music's good though .


----------



## Oskaar

*listned to*

*Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85*

*Alisa Weilerstein (cello)

Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim*

*Release date:
4th Feb 2013*

View attachment 42055


*Alisa plays like a god! Virtuoso, powerfull, sensitive and colourfull. *

 - amazon
 - gramophone (reportage)
 - allmusic
 - www.classicalsource.com
 - new yorker
 - independent


----------



## Jeff W

Forgot to bring my iPod to work the night before last and got stuck listening to the dreck that the store plays over the Muzak. ICK! Luckily, I remembered to bring it with me last night so as to avoid a repeat.









Started with the usual Haydn. Symphonies No. 51, 52 & 53. Antal Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungarica. Number 51 kind of faded into the background. Didn't feel different enough from the 'usual' Haydn symphony for me. However, 52 & 53 did stand out and I enjoyed both quite a bit.









While scrolling back through this thread, I saw where someone (can't remember who right now) had listened to Ferdinand Ries' sonatas. I don't as yet have that particular disc, but it did inspire me to go back and relisten to his symphonies. Listened to No. 1 & 2. Howard Griffiths led the Zürcher Kammerorchester. Great stuff!









Turned from Beethoven's pupil to Beethoven himself for my next selection. Piano Trios No. 1 & 2 (Opus 1 No. 1 & 2). Pinchas Zukerman played violin, Daniel Barenboim the piano and Jacqueline Du Pre played the cello.


----------



## AdmiralSilver

Rameau's Naïs Suite


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Trio Sonatas - Marie-Claire Alain, organ

Does anyone know of a database for recordings of organ works where you can search by organ to tell what recordings were made using it?

as lovely as this one is I was thinking more of the Saint-Saens above, using the organ of La Madeleine in Paris


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

J. Haydn, The Creation (Roland Bader; Teresa Seidl; Christian Elsner; Michael Volle; Chor und Orchester der Staatsphilharmonie Krakau).









Found this interpretation at the city library. It doesn't seem to be well-known but is definitely worthy. It's on modern instruments and tends towards the romantic. There's a bit of a hall effect, but the soloists are very expressive and sound original.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

ShropshireMoose said:


> View attachment 42051
> 
> 
> Ippoilitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches, Op.10
> Gliere: The Red Poppy- Ballet Suite, Op.70 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Anatole Fistoulari
> 
> Two colourful Russian scores to start the day. No one conducts this sort of repertoire better than Fistoulari, and the sound, from 1956/7 is remarkable, those Decca engineers certainly knew their stuff!


--
I don't have that cd, but I bet you anything that if you check the sleeve, the Decca sound engineer for the assignment was K.E. Wilkinson. That guy's amazing. In fact, I got Holst's_ Savitri _with Dame Janet Baker from 1966 on Decca last week-- thanks to an honorable mention in the Current Listening Section from a person with exquisite taste--- and the sound quality blew me away.


----------



## Guest

Antonín Dvořák
Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81
Schubert Ensemble

This has been a favorite chamber piece of mine lately. I seem to listen to it on a weekly basis. It is my second favorite work for Piano and String Quartet - "Trout" being number one.








Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto #3 In D Minor, Op. 30
Valentina Lisitsa, London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Francis

Excellent recording!








Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 35
Vilde Frang, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Gulberg Jensen








Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky
Romeo and Juliet
Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel


----------



## Skilmarilion

The utterly magical ...

*Vaughan Williams* - Tallis Fantasia / Andrew Davis, BBC Symphony


----------



## Orfeo

*Anton Rubinstein*
Opera in three acts "The Demon."
-Sergei Krassovsky, Tatiana Talachadze, Kozlovsky, Gavryushov, Kuznetsova, Gribova, Ivanov, Hosson.
-The Moscow Chorus and Orchestra of The Bolshoi Theatre/Alexander Melik-Pashayev.

*Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky*
Symphony no. V in E minor.
-The New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein.

*Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov*
Symphony no. II "Antar" (1897 version).
-The USSR Symphony Orchestra/Yevgeny Svetlanov.

*Alexander Glazunov*
Symphony no. II in F-sharp minor.
-The USSR Radio & Television Large Symphony/Vladimir Fedoseyev.

*Alexei Nikolayev*
Symphony no. V (1972).
-The USSR Symphony Orchestra/Mark Ermler.
Symphony no. I (1960).
-The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Kyrill Kondrashin.

*Konstantin Ivanov*
Space Symphony (in memory of Yuri Gagarin).
-The USSR Radio & Television Large Symphony/Konstantin Ivanov.


----------



## JCarmel

Just thought I'd mention one of my one-pence cd's that I'm listening to now...that is really a bit of a bargain.
Yes, it's released by the Classic FM label, I know...but the performances of Mozart's Clarinet, Oboe and Flute Concertos are most enjoyable. In fact, I prefer Joy Farrall's interpretation with Nicholas Cleobury wielding the baton, to long-time favourite Jack Brymer conducted by Neville Marriner.









There are still some in-stock, I believe ...for a pence over at Amazon (plus p&p)...if anybody wants the flash-the-cash?!


----------



## Alypius

This morning, works by Joaquin Turina (1882-1949).

*Sebastien Llinares, Turina: Oeuvre pour guitare (Paraty, 2011)*










*Nash Ensemble, Turina: Chamber Works (Hyperion, 2012)*


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Mutter Modern, Mutter Mozart, Mutter Magnificent*









A time to be poised.









A time to be fierce.









A time to be delightful.

Happy Friday everyone.


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Die Elenden sollen essen', BWV 75_
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Mark Padmore, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe









*Johannes Brahms*: _Intermezzi Op. 117_ and _Klavierstücke Op. 118_
Nicholas Angelich, piano


----------



## Oskaar

*listened to*

*Rimsky Korsakov: 
Scheherazade, Op. 35*

*Jermolaj Albiker (violin)
Alejo Perez
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg*

* - Release date:
12th Nov 2012*

View attachment 42077


*Very exiting and colourfull work, and this version present the exitement, the nerve and the adventure in a brilliant way*


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Haydn Bears tempted me to a bit of shop fung and so it's Karajan and the BPO on DG CD from 1969 proving again that I'm not a complete Luddite vinylholic nutter. 

It's ADD too.

That means you won't hear from me for about 109 mins as Wood has sorted out any need for toilet breaks forever yesterday.


----------



## Vasks

_LPs_

*Paer - Overture to "Sargino (Bonynge/London)
Weber - Clarinet Concertino (Glazer/Turnabout)
Wagner - Good Friday Spell (Ormandy/RCA)
Weill - Symphony #1 (Bertini/Angel)*


----------



## Vasks

I have my eye on getting that one


----------



## cjvinthechair

Varied day's listening in the sunshine - all from the same You Tube Channel (!) :

Szymanowski - Harnasie 



Henze - Requiem 



 (Part 1 of 9)
Zimmermann - Die Soldaten vocal symphony 



Khachaturian - Gayaneh ballet 




Long-ish programme; just as well there was plenty of sun !


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm listening to a library copy of this, and I'm very impressed.


----------



## Oskaar

*listening to*

*Rimsky Korsakov: 
Scheherazade, Op. 35*

*Sergei Levitin (violin)
Kirov Orchestra, Valery Gergiev*

* - Release date:
19th Oct 2002*

View attachment 42078


*Eccelent! Orchestra is rich and fully engaged, and Levitin on the violin plays with rare warmth and passion*

 - prestoclassical
 - arkivmusic
 - classics today
 - guardian
 - allmusic


----------



## DrKilroy

cjvinthechair said:


> Varied day's listening in the sunshine - all from the same You Tube Channel (!) :
> 
> Szymanowski - Harnasie
> 
> 
> 
> Henze - Requiem
> 
> 
> 
> (Part 1 of 9)
> Zimmermann - Die Soldaten vocal symphony
> 
> 
> 
> Khachaturian - Gayaneh ballet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Long-ish programme; just as well there was plenty of sun !


How did you like Harnasie? One of my favourite pieces by Szymanowski, a very good example of stylization of Polish folklore.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## Oskaar

*listned to*

*Rimsky Korsakov: 
Scheherazade, Op. 35*

*Hans Maile (violin), Georg Donderer (cello)
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hanns-Martin Schneidt*

* - Release date:
1st Aug 2010*

View attachment 42081


*A fine and sensitive and highly atmosphaeric reccording, still intensly powerfull*


----------



## Oskaar

*listned to*

*Rimsky Korsakov: 
Scheherazade, Op. 35*

*Concertgebouw Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin*

* - recorded 1980*

View attachment 42089


*Very good recording. Fine ballance, and an incredible vibrating and tense nerve throughout*

 - amazon


----------



## Oskaar

*earlier listned to*

*Rimsky Korsakov: 
Scheherazade, Op. 35*

*Stokowksi - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*

* - recorded 1977*

View attachment 42091


*Fabulous! Maybe the best*

 - amazon


----------



## DrKilroy

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Biret/Wit)
Brahms - Symphony No. 1 (Haitink)

Best regards, Dr

PS Pardon my fancy editing.


----------



## Oliver

Beethoven String Quartet op 18, no 4.

Love it.


----------



## Blancrocher

Benjamin Lees: Miriam Conti playing the piano music, and the Cypress SQ in the string quartets.


----------



## Oskaar

partly listening to-watching

*Tchaikovsky The Sleeping Beauty Kirov Ballet*

This is beautiful stuff! Very classical with the pretty ballerinas, good sound, eminent pictures, and people caughing..

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

RudyKens said:


> Haydn Bears tempted me to a bit of shop fung and so it's Karajan and the BPO on DG CD from 1969 proving again that I'm not a complete Luddite vinylholic nutter.
> 
> It's ADD too.
> 
> That means you won't hear from me for about 109 mins as Wood has sorted out any need for toilet breaks forever yesterday.


I tempted you to something?  I wonder how, hehe.

J. Haydn, Seven Last Words - I. Introduzione - Maestoso ed adagio 
(Aeolian Quartet).

On Youtube: 




An excellent recording of the quartet version.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

I am giving Solti's Ring another rerun, starting with Das Rheingold tonight.


----------



## Oskaar

*Ballet "La Dame aux Camelias" music of Frederic Chopin 2008*

This is exellent! 1978 written ballet to the music of Chopin.
Scroll down in comments to usefull info
Brilliant sound and picture, and the whole production

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Went to start on the Rilling Bach cantata set, but it turns out to have one of those very wide stereo seperations that won't work with the idiotic speaker placement here at work: at my end I'm getting all the winds, at the other end they're getting all the strings. Pity, I was looking forward to that, even though I'd learnt that the Rilling set is notorious for some re-dos of individual movements as much as a decade later, with different soloists and quite clearly in different rooms.

So instead I might try a more patchwork approach of following the numbering through different conductors:










Bach's Cantata BWV1 "How beautifully gleams the morning star"

For the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary - Leipzig, 1725

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, bass, Edith Mathis, soprano, Karl Richter, cond. (1968)


----------



## opus55

Offenbach: La Périchole


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Lutoslawski, Symphony No. 2.*

I guess I need to find the score for this one. I guess it's great music, but just to listen to it as-is, it's hard not to think it's just random doodling.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Auber: Le Domino Noir*









Light, charming fun for a Friday afternoon at work.


----------



## ArtMusic




----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Delius - The Four Violin Sonatas
Violin Sonata No.2 (1923)
Violin Sonata No.3 (1930) *
Tasmin Little (violin), Piers Lane (piano)[Sony Classical, rec. 2009]

Two late Delius chamber works. I am beginning to prefer these readings even to the Fenby / Holmes coupling I've had on LP for decades.

*Beethoven
String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 18 No. 6*
Takács Quartet [Decca rec. 2004]

*Schubert - Late String Quartets
String Quartet No.12 in C minor, D.703 - 'Quartettsatz'*
Quartetto Italiano [Philips, 1968]
























Oh, wow, 1000 posts! (I do have too much spare time on my hands.) What further inane babble can I inflict on you all? Onwards!


----------



## brotagonist

*Victoria Day surprise*

Unexpected surprise: one of my May orders arrived today, so I have something new to listen to this Victoria Day long weekend!









I'm starting with the first part and will move on to the second and third parts over the next couple of days.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

A series of hits and misses, not the repertoire, which is great, but the interpretation. I'd rather hear De Los Angeles, Vallin or Baker in the Faure songs, but the Debussy go well, particularly the more sensuous songs. The Marx songs were a welcome discovery and Fleming was surely born to sing Strauss. She might well have been born to sing Rachmaninov too, but here I confess I prefer Soderstrom with Ashkenazy, who is more thoroughly inside the idiom. That said, these are big songs, and Fleming certainly has the measure of them.

An enjoyable disc.


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Late night favourites

*Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22*
Prague Quartet [Supraphon, rec. 1963]










This, ladies and gentlemen, is the real deal. Passionate playing from the Prague City Quartet on Supraphon, recorded 50 years ago but sounding fresh and clear.

*
Kurtág: Hommage à R. Sch., op.15d*
Kim Kashkashian (viola), Robert Levin (piano), Eduard Brunner (clarinet) [ECM, rec. 1994]










*Bartók
String Quartet No. 3, SZ 85*
Tokyo String Quartet - [DG, rec. 1981]

A high quality performance from the Tokyo Quartet on DG from their 1981 Bartok cycle. The analogue recording is excellent too.


----------



## Alypius

Manxfeeder said:


> *Lutoslawski, Symphony No. 2.*
> 
> I guess I need to find the score for this one. I guess it's great music, but just to listen to it as-is, it's hard not to think it's just random doodling.


Manxfeeder, Concerning Lutoslawski's Symphony #2: I personally enjoy it, though I prefer his third and fourth more. There's a solid discussion and analysis of it in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._2_(Lutosławski)
That essay does a competent job of setting it in its historical and musical context. I believe that since it is his first symphony to use his "limited aleatoricism", it may do less successfully than later efforts. I can't tell from the album cover you posted who conducted what you listened to. Since it is aleatoric to some degree, the performers matter a lot. And even with the best, a given performance may or may not be fully successful. The two performances I've heard that I enjoy are these:

















I admire Lutoslawski's works a great deal. Hope other performances and other works prove more enjoyable.


----------



## Guest

Simply wonderful on all accounts.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Dvorak*: "New World", w. VPO/Kertesz (rec.1961).


----------



## brotagonist

These last couple of days, I've also been listening to:










I think I'll give it one more spin tonight, then I have this one lined up:










I'm not especially interested in choral music, but senza sordino mentioned finding them for $5 apiece at London Drugs, so I headed over there to see what else they had. It turned out they had about a dozen in this series, but I had pretty much all of the pieces in the display, so I chose the same two 

The Fauré is really very nice. In addition to the Requiem, there is also the Cantique de Jean Racine, Pelléas et Mélisande, Fantaise and Pavane. It is a fine Fauré introductory album for me.

The Mozart disc contains the Requiem and the very short Ave Verum Corpus. I have heard it only once so far (I thought it was the Fauré disc while it was playing). I'll give it more attention tonight and this weekend.


----------



## Guest

This SACD was derived from an analog master recorded using a stereo tube mic (in a Blumlein pattern, so there is some ambient signal in the rear channels--it's mighty sweet sounding!


----------



## PetrB

Charles Ives ~ Central Park in the Dark


----------



## Sid James

Recently, these:










*Rachmaninov* _The Bells, Op. 35 _(Text: Poe/trans. Balmont)
- Alexei Maslennikov, tenor ; Galina Pisarenko, soprano ; Sergei Yakovenko, baritone ; The Yurlov Choir ; USSR SO under Evgeni Svetlanov (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab)

A journey from life until death, *Rachmaninov's The Bells* takes the listener from Christmas bells, wedding bells, to bells ringing out when the town is threatened (a fire), to a funeral. This was the composer's favourite of his own works.

Amongst Rachmaninov's influences here was Mahler, and the lyrical theme of the second movement (_Lento_) has similarities to the second movement of _Das Lied von der Erde _(the piece also ends on a slow movement). I'm not sure if this was deliberate, but _The Bells _came out a year after the premiere of Das Lied, so I wouldn't be surprised. Rachmaninov had also worked with Mahler in premiering his _Piano Concerto #3_ in New York, and remembered it as one of his greatest collaborations with any musician in his career.

In any case, Rachmaninov's orchestration has something Mahlerish about it, particularly his subtle chamber like blendings and layerings, and also his use of percussion.










*Bartók* _Violin Concerto #2_
- Gyorgy Pauk, violin; National Polish Radio SO under Antoni Wit (Naxos)

Another listen to this piece, where* Bartók *employs the serial technique in a tonal manner as aid to his spinning of so many variations on a theme. Initially the violinist Zoltán Szekely wanted a concerto, whereas Bartok was keen on doing a theme and variations type piece. Székely stuck to his demands however, but in the end the composer got his cake and ate it too. Bartók ingeniously combines both into one, the first movement's initial romantic sounding theme and the 12-tone more fragmented one forming the basis of the whole piece.

Its an amazing tour de force, my favourite bits include the harp and celesta accompanying the violin as in a gypsy band.

It was amongst Bartók's first works to enter the repertoire, although not as quickly as his _Concerto for Orchestra_. By the 1950's its place was secure, and Bartók's music has grown in stature and acceptance since.










*Brahms *_Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53 (_Goethe) *
*Mahler *_Das Lied von der Erde _(trans Bethge) **
- Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, with:
* London PO and Choir under Clemens Krauss
** Julius Patzak, tenor ; Vienna PO under Bruno Walter (Regis)

Speaking of *Mahler's* influence on Rachmaninov, I took in this classic account of _*Das Lied*_. I have just read the chapter on Mahler in_ Ten Composers _by Neville Cardus (1945). I quite liked how he sees this work as straddling the divide between Romanticism and Modernism:

_All the best of Mahler is in this work, the naïve poet, the cunning artist, the child and the man, and the gatherer of harvests and the sower of new seeds, the composer who brought the romantic movement in music to an end and also pointed the way to the immediate future. It was Mahler who directed Schoenberg to new paths; after Mahler the Schoenberg of "Verklarte Nacht" could no longer feed on the "romantic" modulated harmony. The naïve Mahler, with all his banality, was both the epigone and the prophet; he glanced back and he looked forward._


----------



## Sid James

Marschallin Blair said:


> Mahler never ceases to fill me with awe: the heroic, rear-guard action, destined to fail-- but you move on; always charging, never bending-- win, lose, or draw. Such courage. Such monumental bravery; especially in the last movement of the Sixth, and of course in _Das Lied von der Erde_-- which is the most starkly-brave piece of music I've ever heard.
> 
> _And Toscannini called Mahler a "cry baby"? _He didn't have one-tenth the courage Mahler had; red-blooded and Italianate as he may have been.


I agree about that sense of bravery and daring, I see Mahler (particularly late in the piece) as being something out of the ordinary. But there is raw emotion there, and in contrsat to Toscanini, you've got an anecdote from the notes to that cd of Das Lied about Bruno Walter (written by James Murray). I thought its an interesting counterpoint to your one:

_During performance Ferrier often found it difficult to mask her feelings and on more than one occasion found herself unable to sing through to the close of the final song Der Abscheid (Farewell) without tears. When this first occurred in Edinburgh, far from scolding her, Walter envied her capacity to involve herself emotionally in the music. By the time of this recording the music world was aware that Ferrier had cancer and so the final song with its references to taking a last farewell both to humankind and to the beauty of nature have a terrible poignancy._



MozartsGhost said:


> Hey Sid, kinda funny, I queued up this one right before I sat down to read your post . . .
> 
> View attachment 41934
> 
> 
> *Gustav Mahler*
> Symphony No. 6
> Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
> Jascha Horenstein, Conductor
> ....


WEll what do you know, I just listened to Mahler 6 last weekend. Amazing piece in terms of pushing orchestral colour alone, but also the way he maintains thematic integrity over such a long stretch of time. I covered it on my blog here on TC (link below), such an epic work.



SimonNZ said:


> Alessandro Stradella's San Giovanni Battista - Allesandro De Marchi, cond.


Now that's a cover to remember for one thing! Since this is a family forum I will not use any colourful words, i'll just say its balkworthy! :lol:


----------



## Vaneyes

Dustin said:


> Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915
> 
> Seeing as how I am not familiar with any Barber, I've been giving this one a few spins lately. LOVE Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and his famous Adagio is great as well.
> 
> View attachment 42034


Dustin, gladta hear you're enjoying Barber.

Re your avatar of The Great One. The only time I saw him in person was at Super Bowl III in Miami. He was seated about ten rows behind us. Dark suit with red carnation...and a babe on each side. Classic Gleason. :tiphat:


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Haydn: Symphonies*
Symphony No 6 in D Major "Le Matin"
Symphony No 7 in G Major "Le Midi"
Symphony No 8 in G Major "Le Soir"

Kammerorchester de Viener Festpiele
Wilfried Boettcher, Conductor

From the liner notes:

Yet in life as in proverb it is sometimes true that things are darkest just before dawn. And while Haydn had served the Count barely two years, he had been given the opportunity of composing and performing his earliest symphonies, and through attention of a noble musical-connoisseur of far greater stature - and wealth - than the Count.


----------



## senza sordino

Elgar, Carter Cello Concerti and Bruch Kol Nidrei


----------



## senza sordino

brotagonist said:


> These last couple of days, I've also been listening to:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'll give it one more spin tonight, then I have this one lined up:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not especially interested in choral music, but senza sordino mentioned finding them for $5 apiece at London Drugs, so I headed over there to see what else they had. It turned out they had about a dozen in this series, but I had pretty much all of the pieces in the display, so I chose the same two
> 
> The Fauré is really very nice. In addition to the Requiem, there is also the Cantique de Jean Racine, Pelléas et Mélisande, Fantaise and Pavane. It is a fine Fauré introductory album for me.
> 
> The Mozart disc contains the Requiem and the very short Ave Verum Corpus. I have heard it only once so far (I thought it was the Fauré disc while it was playing). I'll give it more attention tonight and this weekend.


Thanks. London Drugs is not my first choice of record shops. I went in today for razors, and I saw they had a new and quite large collection of LPs. I only bought the razors. I like the Faure, it's heavenly.


----------



## PetrB

Stravinsky ~ Orpheus.
A revisit after some time of not being on my mind. Yet another somewhat neglected -- or too often overlooked -- totally gorgeous Stravinsky score.
(Link is to playlist, complete ballet in three links.


----------



## Mister Man

Chevalier de Saint-Georges - Violin Concerto in D major, No 2.

http://www.amazon.com/George-Joseph-Boulogne-Chevalier-Saint-Georges/dp/B0002JEG68


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata BWV1 - Ton Koopman, cond.(2000)


----------



## opus55

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos 13, 15, 16










The melodies drop like spring rain.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

MozartsGhost said:


> View attachment 42106
> 
> 
> *Haydn: Symphonies*
> Symphony No 6 in D Major "Le Matin"
> Symphony No 7 in G Major "Le Midi"
> Symphony No 8 in G Major "Le Soir"
> 
> Kammerorchester de Viener Festpiele
> Wilfried Boettcher, Conductor
> 
> From the liner notes:
> 
> Yet in life as in proverb it is sometimes true that things are darkest just before dawn. And while Haydn had served the Count barely two years, he had been given the opportunity of composing and performing his earliest symphonies, and through attention of a noble musical-connoisseur of far greater stature - and wealth - than the Count.


So to whom does the quote refer to? As far as I know, Haydn wrote symphonies 6-8 for Count Esterházy - so who is the other Count?


----------



## Maritta

I am listening Amsterdam Guitar Trio playing Bach's Brandenburg Concertos Nos 2, 3, 5, and 6. Bach seems to be suitable for any instruments! My son plays classic guitar as well, so I was keen to listen a piece of music by that instrument, which is more known from the popular music.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 3 in D Major (Frans Brüggen; Orchestra of the 18th Century).


----------



## Maritta

My son brouht me a CD of Mozart' s Concerto No 21 in C Major, Concerto No 12 in A Major and Concerto No 14 in E flat Major for The Mother's Day present and I enjoyed the music enormously. I consider that Mozart is never a disappoinment.


----------



## Maritta

I fell in love with oboe, clarinet and flute while listening to this music!


----------



## AClockworkOrange

AClockworkOrange said:


> *Schoenberg: Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2 and Verklarte Nacht*
> Heinz Holliger & Chamber Orchestra of Europe
> View attachment 41972


I'm listening to this fine collection.

This music just seems to, for want of a better term, to 'click' for me.


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Following Schoenberg will be the Saturday Symphony performed by Sir Mark Elder and the Halle.


----------



## Valuesoftheory

Currently celebrating the Norwegian national day by listening to Bach's Magnificat in D! I'm in a Bach period right now, so we will se each other in seven weeks or so, and I will have something new to report on the listening front! And yeah, listened to Prokofiev's third piano concerto yesterday as well, my favourite.


----------



## DrKilroy

Saturday Symphony listening:










Best regards, Dr


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Israel in Egypt (Sir Charles Mackerras; Harper; Clark; Esswood; Young; Rippon; Keyte; Leeds Festival Chorus; English Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## SimonNZ

Johann Christian Bach's Piano Sonatas Op.17 - Harald Hoeren, fortepiano


----------



## cjvinthechair

DrKilroy said:


> How did you like Harnasie? One of my favourite pieces by Szymanowski, a very good example of stylization of Polish folklore.
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Szymanowski can do little wrong, in my book, & this is my favourite type of work, based on 'traditional' themes. In yesterday's listening the more 'accessible' works were definitely used to bracket the more challenging ones !


----------



## SimonNZ

Hildegard Of Bingen: A Feather On The Breath Of God - Gothic Voices, feat. Emma Kirkby


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, so celebrating by listening to Karajan's recording of Tchaikovsky's first symphony. The Russians are trying to re-write history by saying their greatest composer was not in fact gay. So much easier than not being able to teach Tchaikovsky's music in schools, I suppose.


----------



## SimonNZ

Villa-Lobos piano works - Sonia Rubinsky, piano


----------



## Marschallin Blair

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 42114
> 
> 
> Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, so celebrating by listening to Karajan's recording of Tchaikovsky's first symphony. The Russians are trying to re-write history by saying their greatest composer was not in fact gay. So much easier than not being able to teach Tchaikovsky's music in schools, I suppose.


---
Russia's ambassador to the world needs to be Pytor and not Putin. Thumbs up. Great post.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

> Originally Posted by Marschallin Blair
> Mahler never ceases to fill me with awe: the heroic, rear-guard action, destined to fail-- but you move on; always charging, never bending-- win, lose, or draw. Such courage. Such monumental bravery; especially in the last movement of the Sixth, and of course in Das Lied von der Erde-- which is the most starkly-brave piece of music I've ever heard.
> 
> Sid James: And Toscannini called Mahler a "cry baby"? He didn't have one-tenth the courage Mahler had; red-blooded and Italianate as he may have been.
> I agree about that sense of bravery and daring, I see Mahler (particularly late in the piece) as being something out of the ordinary. But there is raw emotion there, and in contrsat to Toscanini, you've got an anecdote from the notes to that cd of Das Lied about Bruno Walter (written by James Murray). I thought its an interesting counterpoint to your one:
> 
> During performance Ferrier often found it difficult to mask her feelings and on more than one occasion found herself unable to sing through to the close of the final song Der Abscheid (Farewell) without tears. When this first occurred in Edinburgh, far from scolding her, Walter envied her capacity to involve herself emotionally in the music. By the time of this recording the music world was aware that Ferrier had cancer and so the final song with its references to taking a last farewell both to humankind and to the beauty of nature have a terrible poignancy.


My eyes are just welling-up reading this. Thanks. What an incredible story. I just don't even have the words. . . I have to focus just to _try _to stay composed when _listening_ to this; and Ferrier? In her _condition_? At the end of the line?_ Singing _it?--- What an act of supererogatory greatness in performing this.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Following GregMitchell's lead in_ celebrating _rationality and individualism; and in fundamentally judging a person by the content of their character, I dedicate the third movement of the _Pathetique_ to all of the participants in the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Cups raised, elbows bent. Cheers.

(Start: 0:25:00)


----------



## jim prideaux

just listened to Harnoncourt conducting Brahms 1st symphony with the BPO-have always 'struggled' with this work-particularly disconcerting as there are many pieces by the man that I would consider to be among my favourite-is it possible to admire a work with out necessarily really enjoying it?-on the disc it is preceded by the Haydn variations, a work I feel exudes a real warmth by contrast.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Bartok, Music For Strings, Divertimento for String Orchestra*


----------



## Wicked_one

*Atterberg's 9th Symphony.*

Even though I know the others almost by heart, I'm really trying with this one  Should be the 3rd time now. Hope I'll find his chamber music as well.


----------



## Blancrocher

With a recent blog post by Mahlerian as a guide, I'm going to listen to Tennstedt & co. in Mahler's 8th today.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Henry Cowell, Six Casual Developments, Set of Five*

Henry Cowell is always interesting.


----------



## Vasks

_Vinyl_

*Pettersson - Symphony No. 7 (Dorati/London)*


----------



## millionrainbows

Rutland Boughton (1878-1960): String Quartets, Oboe Quartet, Three Songs for Oboe Quartet. This is more modern and interesting than I expected, yet very melodic and lyrical. By George, I think he's on to something here...I wouldn't mind having the other Helios title of his, with the Third Symphony and his Oboe concerto.


----------



## millionrainbows

AClockworkOrange said:


> I'm listening to this fine collection.
> 
> This music just seems to, for want of a better term, to 'click' for me.


I agree; Holliger is an excellent conductor, and I really like what he does with the Chamber symphony. A painting by Richard Gerstl on the cover, too.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*William Alywn: Odd Man Out Suite*









"Police Chase" cut. . . thrilling.









"Lyra Angelica". . . no mere preciosity, affectation, and surface sheen here; essentially goregous.









The Lyrita engineer job paired with Boult's majestic reading make this my favorite incarnation of this glorious piece: a blustery summer day; a castle on a cliff overlooking the wide Super Cinemascope view of the Atlantic?-- heady, stuff.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Corigliano, A Dylan Thomas Trilogy*

I don't know why; I've always been attracted to Dylan Thomas' poetry. I think Mr. Corigliano does a fine job setting these poems.


----------



## Mahlerian

Today's symphony of the week.

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony
London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn









It had been a few years since I've heard this. I enjoy Vaughan Williams's symphonies, but I don't feel any need to listen to them very often at all.


----------



## Mahlerian

Blancrocher said:


> With a recent blog post by Mahlerian as a guide, I'm going to listen to Tennstedt & co. in Mahler's 8th today.


Ah, I wish I could give you a like, but because of an odd bug, I'll have to give you my verbal thanks instead. And some beer. Here's a beer. :cheers:


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut'_, BWV 199
Barbara Schlick, soprano
Concerto Vocale de Leipzig
Ensemble Baroque de Limoges/Christophe Coin









*Joseph Haydn*: Keyboard Sonatas-- _No. 42 in G major_ and _No. 43 in E-flat major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano









*George Onslow*: _Cello Sonatas Op. 16 no. 1_ and _Op. 16 no. 3_
Emmanuel Jacques, cello
Maude Gratton, fortepiano


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Barber, Violin Concerto.*


----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## MozartsGhost

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> So to whom does the quote refer to? As far as I know, Haydn wrote symphonies 6-8 for Count Esterházy - so who is the other Count?


Hey Bears, to follow up on your question, here's the preamble to the paragraph I quoted:

The year 1761 was a momentous one for Haydn. It began disastrously with crises in both his personal and professional lives, for not only had it already become obvious that his marriage (to Maria Anna Keller, on 26 November 1760) had been a tragic mistake, but the young composer-conductor had suddenly lost his first really good job-as musical director for Count Ferdinand Maximilian Morzin. And it could be small consolation that this loss was no fault of Haydn's own but of his patron's running into crippling financial difficulties.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Ah, I see - I was thinking of Morzin but wasn't fully sure. I guess they're referring to Esterházy when speaking of the count with the much more refined tastes. Not sure why they would say so, though. Morzin could evidently also appreciate Haydn's genius if he employed him.

J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 1 in B-Flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).









It's unfortunate that the Nomos Quartet didn't record more Haydn. Their Op. 50 is great, imo.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Mahlerian said:


> Today's symphony of the week.
> 
> Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony
> London Symphony Orchestra, cond. Previn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It had been a few years since I've heard this. I enjoy Vaughan Williams's symphonies, but I don't feel any need to listen to them very often at all.


I know, you adore Schoenberg and will go on adoring Schoenberg, until he writes a beautiful melody. Ha. Ha. Ha.

J/k.

_;D_


----------



## Orfeo

Wicked_one said:


> *Atterberg's 9th Symphony.*
> 
> Even though I know the others almost by heart, I'm really trying with this one  Should be the 3rd time now. Hope I'll find his chamber music as well.


It's a very striking work, very much on the league of its own as far as his writing is concern, yet it's Atterberg's all-around. I think you'll like it.


----------



## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> This SACD was derived from an analog master recorded using a stereo tube mic (in a Blumlein pattern, so there is some ambient signal in the rear channels--it's mighty sweet sounding!


Here is the rear cover with the track listing:


----------



## MozartsGhost

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Ah, I see - I was thinking of Morzin but wasn't fully sure. I guess they're referring to Esterházy when speaking of the count with the much more refined tastes. Not sure why they would say so, though. Morzin could evidently also appreciate Haydn's genius if he employed him.
> 
> J. Haydn, String Quartet Op. 50 No. 1 in B-Flat Major (Nomos-Quartett).
> 
> It's unfortunate that the Nomos Quartet didn't record more Haydn. Their Op. 50 is great, imo.


Thanks for the tip on that quartet, I'll tap into that and give it a listen.

I like the human interest side of these composers lives. For instance, in the original paragraph I quoted from the record, I was intrigued with the phrase "a noble musical-connoisseur". It struck me that that was really a different time. For contrast, we're a click away from any music we want to hear . . .

I'll add this paragraph from the liner notes because I think you'd appreciate the information:

Whether or not Prince Paul Anton of the mighty Esterhazy family had actually heard Haydn's Symphony No 1 in D in its 1759 premiere at the Morzin summer estate in Lukavec (as legend has it), he certainly lost little time, once he had discovered that was even better than its title of Vice-Kapellmeister would indicate since the elaborate contract Haydn singed, on 1 May 1761, not only provided for his eventual succession to the aged Gregorious Werner but even in the meantime gave him complete charge of the already celebrated Esterhazy orchestra."

_______________________________________

The liner notes further go on to discuss, how in the honeymoon period of making the orchestra his, he persuaded Anton to hire 2 outstanding talents under 20, a violinist and cellist.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Bit of a cheat I know but this was my ICE to and from work today.

Copland's Piano Sonata, Songs, Four Piano Blues and some other bits on New Era from 1992 with Eric Parkin on the ivories.


----------



## Mahlerian

Marschallin Blair said:


> I know, you adore Schoenberg and will go on adoring Schoenberg, until he writes a beautiful melody. Ha. Ha. Ha.
> 
> J/k.
> 
> _;D_


Oh, I know, I hate anything that I love!


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have not been feeling so well lately and have not listened to much music. It's been so busy at work that when I come home I can't take anymore stimulation. Got a good nights rest though and feeling better today and have the next couple of days off. So, after having a good breakfast and getting the cat litter chores done I am listening to a very fine album of piano works by Woldemar Bargiel. His 3 Character Pieces, Op. 8, Suite, Op. 31 & Fantasies, Opp. 5 And 12. All of these pieces deserve a wider audience I think. They are very creative and expressive. Bargiel, for those who don't know, was the half-brother of Clara Schumann. I really would love to acquire a copy of his complete Piano Trios and if his String Quartets have ever been recorded I'd love to hear them.










Kevin


----------



## Woodduck

jim prideaux said:


> just listened to Harnoncourt conducting Brahms 1st symphony with the BPO-have always 'struggled' with this work-particularly disconcerting as there are many pieces by the man that I would consider to be among my favourite-is it possible to admire a work with out necessarily really enjoying it?-on the disc it is preceded by the Haydn variations, a work I feel exudes a real warmth by contrast.


I've had an inkling of a perhaps similar feeling. Brahms, feeling the heavy tread of Beethoven behind him, needed to come out with a big, heroic statement in his first symphony. A violinist friend of mine feels the work is too "theatrical." I'm not sure I agree, but I understand the sentiment. The conductor who makes this piece work best for me is Furtwangler, who does not shrink from its drama (when did he ever?) but carries it to the brink.


----------



## Oskaar

*The Nutcracker (El Cascanueces) COMPLETE - Tchaikovsky - Classical Ballet (Ballet Clásico) HD*

*The Nutcracker (ballet in two acts with an epilogue) by Tchaiskovsky - Mariinsky Theatre Ballet Company & Symphony Orchestra directed by Valery Gergiev.*

Great colourfull presentation of this famous ballet.

youtube comments

_*Absolument Merveilleux!!!﻿

Music, dancers, costumes, staging ... everything beautiful, but this version is not so complete as the tittle says, in this vid i miss Mother Ginger and the polichinelles.

Maravilloso! ﻿*_

*videolink*


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> View attachment 42114
> 
> 
> Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, so celebrating by listening to Karajan's recording of Tchaikovsky's first symphony. The Russians are trying to re-write history by saying their greatest composer was not in fact gay. So much easier than not being able to teach Tchaikovsky's music in schools, I suppose.


Russia has a history of rewriting history - and any other inconvenient truth. Remember "Soviet science"? Remember Stalinist aesthetics? Now it's Putinesque sexuality. How long till the purges begin?


----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> Russia has a history of rewriting history - and any other inconvenient truth. Remember "Soviet science"? Remember Stalinist aesthetics? Now it's Putinesque sexuality. How long till the purges begin?


Putin first.

Talk about making a tolerablely-well _Homo Sovieticus_.

Lysenkoism anyone?


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> Putin first.
> 
> Talk about making an tolerablely-well _Homo Sovieticus_.
> 
> Lysenkoism anyone?


It's looking like Lysenko was at least partly right about the inheritability of acquired characteristics. See epigenetics.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> It's looking like Lysenko was at least partly right about the inheritance of acquired characteristics. See epigenetics.


You're mixing categories.

Lysenko was a Behaviorist and a Lamarckian. He thought that you could breed a new Marxian man through manipulating his _social_ surroundings alone.

Epigenetic modifications have to do with_ chemically-altering someone's DNA strand_, which will obviously modify the subsequent phenotypic expression of a person's progeny.

Huxley's science-fiction dystopia in _Brave New Wo_rld was way nearer the truth than Lysenko ever was.


----------



## shadowdancer

I am not sure if this is the best performance but for sure is one of the best recording...


----------



## KenOC

Marschallin Blair said:


> You're mixing categories.
> 
> Lysenko was a Behaviorist and a Lamarckian. He thought that you could breed a new Marxian man through manipulating his _social_ surroundings alone.
> 
> Epigenetic modifications have to do with_ chemically-altering someone's DNA strand_, which will obviously modify the subsequent phenotypic expression of a person's progeny.


Lysenko: "Central to Lysenko's tenets was the concept of the inheritability of acquired characteristics."

Epigenetics: "Thus epigenetic can be used to describe anything other than DNA sequence that influences the development of an organism." A famous example is childhood starvation resulting in smaller children later in life, whose own progeny are also small.

(Both from Wiki)


----------



## opus55

Sullivan overtures










Found this in bargain bin for 50 cents so I decided to try Sullivan. The music so far exceeds my expectations.


----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## Marschallin Blair

KenOC said:


> Lysenko: "Central to Lysenko's tenets was the concept of the inheritability of acquired characteristics."
> 
> Epigenetics: "Thus epigenetic can be used to describe anything other than DNA sequence that influences the development of an organism." A famous example is childhood starvation resulting in smaller children later in life, whose own progeny are also small.
> 
> (Both from Wiki)


So what are you trying to say?-- that your point is _my_ point?

Trofim Lysenko was a_ Lamarckian _who used_ Behaviorist_ methods in trying to breed a New Soviet Man.

http://www.amazon.com/Main-Currents...3628&sr=1-1&keywords=main+currents+in+marxism

Epigenetics has to do with chemically _altering_ the DNA (or how it can express itself)-- as I mentioned verbatim in my e-mail above-- not in changing the DNA _sequence_; as you falsely impute to me.

http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/23/7/781.full#aff-1


----------



## DavidA

Busoni Fantasia Contrapuntistica / John Ogdon.

What an amazing (if erratic) pianist he was. A tragedy mental illness claimed him.

Any one read the new biography of him?


----------



## Marschallin Blair

*Spanish Songs: Victoria De Los Angeles*









These Nimbus transfers are great.


----------



## Vaneyes

*LvB*: Piano Sonatas 8, 21, 23, w. Gilels (rec.1971 - '80);* Schubert*: String Quintet in C; *Mendelssohn*: String Quartet, Op. 80, w. Haimovitz/Miro Qt. (rec.2003).


----------



## Guest

Wow! Lazhar is quite a virtuoso. He has monstrous chops but also plays with a lot of flair and intensity. I'm not too fond of the tone of his Marty Simon guitar--has an odd midrange like most Australian guitars. Anyway, this is an otherwise excellent release.


----------



## Guest

DavidA said:


> Busoni Fantasia Contrapuntistica / John Ogdon.
> 
> What an amazing (if erratic) pianist he was. A tragedy mental illness claimed him.
> 
> Any one read the new biography of him?


I'm reading it now--it's both fascinating and heartbreaking once his illness takes over.


----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## AClockworkOrange

Following on from Ralph Vaughan William's London Symphony, I have turned to this glorious disc of Chamber pieces from the London Soloists Ensemble. A wonderful disc from start to finish. RVW's Chamber work is simply superb and the recording and performance quality on display here lives up to it whole heartedly.


----------



## PetrB

*Stravinsky ~ Mass*

Stravinsky's wonderful _Mass,_ one of the few composed masses I know of meant for use in an actual (non-spectacular) church service vs. all the other 'sins' of classical music's overblown theatrical "concert masses" 
Scored for a unique dectet of wind instruments: two oboes, English horn, two bassoons, two trumpets, three trombones.
The score specifies child trebles for soprano and alto, and is written taking their ranges in mind (as are also the treble choral parts for the _Symphony of Psalms_.)


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata BWV2 "Ah God, look down from Heaven"

For the second Sunday after Trinity - Liepzig, 1724

Ingeborg Danz, alto, Jan Kobow, tenor, Peter Kooy, bass, Philippe Herreweghe, cond.


----------



## Le Beau Serge

​


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Beethoven - Sonatas for 'cello and piano

No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5/2
No. 4 in C, Op. 102/1
No. 5 in D, Op. 102/2*

Paul Tortelier, 'cello; Eric Heidsieck, piano [EMI (LP), rec. 1968]










*Berg - Songs for piano and voice [DG, rec. 2004]

Seven Early Songs*
Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg

*Schliebe mir die Augen beide (1907)
An Leukon
Schliebe mir die Augen beide (1925)*
Margaret Marshall, Geoffrey Parsons

*Four songs for voice and piano, Op. 2*
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Aribert Reimann










One old favourite (The Tortelier / Heidsieck Beethoven 'cello sonatas on less than pristine vinyl) and one new, and very firm, favourite (The piano and voice lieder from the Alban Berg Collection CDs). Both are wonderful.


----------



## KenOC

C.P.E. Bach, three cello concertos. Truls Mork. This is the best recording of these I've heard.


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Dyer: Florida Night Song
Debussy: Golliwog's Cakewalk (arr. Heifetz)/Clair de Lune (arr.Roslens)
Do Vale: Ao pe da Fogueira
Aguirre-Heifetz: Huella, Op.49
Shostakovich-Tziganov: Preludes, Op.34 Nos.10 & 15
Grasse-Heifetz: Waves at Play
Prokofiev-Heifetz: March (from "The Love of Three Oranges")/Masks ("Romeo and Juliet", Op.75 No.5)
Bennett: Hexapoda (five studies in jitteroptera)
Weill-Frenkel: Mack the Knife
Tchaikovsky: Melodie, Op.42 No.3
Chopin-Heifetz: Nocturne, Op.55 No.2
Gluck-Kreisler: Melodie
Schumann-Heifetz: Vogel als Prophet
Rimsky-Korsakov-Kreisler: Hymn to the Sun
Krein-Heifetz: Dance No.4
Brahms-Joachim: Hungarian Dance No.7
Saint-Saens-Heifetz: The Swan
Burleigh: Hills/Moto Perpetuo Jascha Heifetz/Emanuel Bay

Godard: Berceuse
Lohr: Where My Caravan Has Rested Bing Crosby/Jascha Heifetz/Victor Young and His Orchestra

Heifetz: When You Make Love to Me (Don't Make Believe) Jascha Heifetz (piano)

The second disc of this two disc set. It contains some fascinating performances of much varied material, in incredibly good sound, with the exception of the last item, which is still in quite good sound, and is interesting for being the sole recording of Heifetz playing the piano, he plays a song of his own composition in a pleasant style, and with a nice touch. Though nearly all of these pieces are encores, the programme is well contrasted and a thoroughly enjoyable listen from start to finish, and this two disc set can be heartily recommended to all lovers of the violin. It's currently available for £6.17 on amazon, another remarkable bargain.


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Overtures
Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice


----------



## Vaneyes

KenOC said:


> C.P.E. Bach, three cello concertos. Truls Mork. This is the best recording of these I've heard.


Then you haven't heard Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan (BIS, rec.1996). Just kidding. Enjoy your inferior versions. Just kidding again, sorry.


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Satie, piano works.*


----------



## Cosmos

This little gem played on the radio this morning, so I went back to find out what it was and listen to the whole thing.
Saint-Saens, Piano Quartet in B-flat


----------



## SimonNZ

Mozart's Piano Concerto No.23 - Keith Jarrett, piano, Dennis Russel Davies, cond.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Haydn*: String Quartets, Opp. 50 & 71, w. Lindsay Qt. (rec. 2002/3).















View attachment 42153


----------



## KenOC

Wolfl's Piano Concerto No. 1 in G, Op. 20. Yorck Kronenberg, piano and the SWR-Rundfunkorch Kaiserslautern, Johannes Moesus conducting. Wolfl's piano concertos are really very good, quite enjoyable listening. Recommended.










This seems to be the only recording available.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I have not actually bought any CDs in quite a while but my wife and I went to the used bookstore today and I found a few titles at prices I could not resist. I think because of image limitations I'll have to make two posts.










This was a cool find because after listing his piano works in the Current Listening thread I almost purchased this at Amazon for three times as much! What a find!! Probably will still have to buy Vol. 2 there though.










I love Joachim Raff and am always happy when I find a recording I don't have!!










Part two next.


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Unbelievably I did not yet own a CD copy of Berwald's symphonies. I enjoy my LP version but I think it's time for an upgrade!










Not ever heard these two Litolff piano concerto recordings but at $5.00 a pop it is worth a listen!



















Looks like I have to make one final post.

Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

Ferdinand Ries is one of my favorites. His music is way overlooked and shouldn't be at all. His Piano Quintet and is Sextets are worth an investment in my opinion. I didn't buy this at the used bookstore but new from Amazon last week.










Kevin


----------



## Kevin Pearson

I just realized I posted in the wrong thread but what the heck I've been working my way through all these this evening anyway. So it still is current listening! 

Kevin


----------



## Sid James

*Kagel *_Duodramen_ (1998)
- Margaret Chalker, soprano ; Roland Hermann, baritone ; Saarbrucken Radio SO under the composer

Continuing the *Kagel* disc, with this piece that has shades of Berg (although the notes say Mahler, Strauss, Wagner). Well, there is a fair amount of operatic bellowing and wailing, but more interesting to me is what the orchestra is doing. Some interesting textures here, including what sounds like a gunshot at the end (but this is purely acoustic, no electronics involved). Each of the six songs is about some imaginary encounter between historical figures represented by the two singers, eg. Indira Gandhi and Casanova, Cosima Wagner and Henry Ford, Alma Mahler-Werfel and Genghis Khan.

Weird, quirky, PoMo stuff.










*Kalman*_ Die Czardasfurstin _& _Grafin Mariza _- highlights from the operettas
¬- Orchestra, choir and soloists of Wiener Volksoper under Franz Bauer-Theussl
(from "Operette highlights" double cd, Double Gold label, image above is the LP version)

Over to some industrial grade schmaltz, this set having highlights from *Emmerich Kalman *as well as Franz Lehar and Paul Abraham. Since its an all Hungarian affair, apt how they sing about eating goulash and dancing czardas in one of the songs. Of all three composers, Kalman was amongst the last to have hits in the classic Viennese operetta style before it petered out, giving way to Abraham's jazz operettas that in turn gave rise to the Broadway musical.

History aside, this is pure ear candy, some great tunes and smooth-as-silk orchestration to boot.










*Rachmaninov *_Isle of the Dead_
- USSR SO under Evgeni Svetlanov

Finishing with a favourite, this searing account of *Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead*. It seems too logical and calculated, almost too obvious, to combine those oar-lapping ostinatos with Dies Irae. But it proves to be an ingenious idea, and the two combining at the end always gives this visceral effect, full of drama and release of tension. The soaring lyrical theme towards the middle is pure Rach too.



Marschallin Blair said:


> My eyes are just welling-up reading this. Thanks. What an incredible story. I just don't even have the words. . . I have to focus just to _try _to stay composed when _listening_ to this; and Ferrier? In her _condition_? At the end of the line?_ Singing _it?--- What an act of supererogatory greatness in performing this.


Yes, it is quite emotional, and sometimes draining, Maria Callas (although of course of a different voice type) is the only equivalent in my experience of vocal classical music. A voice that cries from the depths of the heart and no doubt singing this song of death and letting go from life would bring it on even more.


----------



## Tristan

*Mussorgsky* - Pictures at an Exhibition









Dissatisfied with my only recording of PaaE, I sampled a ton of others before finally deciding on this recording with Jarvi and the CSO. I think it's excellent personally. There wasn't a single movement that I was dissatisfied with.


----------



## KenOC

A "symphonycast" on the radio: Brahms Symphony No. 4. Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, conductor. This is a fine, lively performance, lots of energy.


----------



## Jeff W

From the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Radio Series:

Debussy's Quartet for Strings in G minor, Op. 10 - Kyu-Young Kim, Min-Young Kim, violin; Jessica Thompson, viola; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello.

Ravel's Trio in A minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello - Susie Park, violin; Gary Hoffman, cello; Gilles Vonsattel, piano

http://www.instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5111321


----------



## Oskaar

*Giselle. The Tokyo Ballet .2004*

Another exelent production

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms - Violin Sonata No 2 in A major, Op 100*

2 versions

*Dobrochna Banaszkiewicz, violin. Héctor J. Sánchez, piano.
El Jardín de Belagua*

and

*Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Lambert Orkis, piano*

I absulutely prefer Banaszkiewicz

*videolink*


----------



## senza sordino

Rachmaninov Vespers


----------



## bejart

I'm with you, Oskaar ---
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in D Minor, RV 406

Hugh Wolf conducting the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra -- Mstislav Rostropovich, cello


----------



## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Gott ist unsre Zuversicht' BWV 197_
Hana Blažíková, soprano
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki









*George Enescu*: _Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major, Op. 26 no. 2_
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Per Rundberg, piano









*Joseph Haydn*: _Keyboard Sonata No. 44 in F major_
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano


----------



## Blancrocher

Trying out some unfamiliar music from the new compilation of recommended art songs:

http://www.talkclassical.com/17996-compilation-tc-top-recommended-2.html#post659427

Janacek's "Diary of One who Disappeared" (with Abbado, Balleys, Langridge and co); and songs by Gosta Nystroem (Charlotte Hellekant and Anders Kilstrom).


----------



## hpowders

FJ Haydn, 12 London Symphonies.
Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande

After spending a week in Italy as a pedestrian fighting reckless scooter drivers and consuming food that didn't live up to the hype, the first thing I did when I got home was reach for this set to ease my way back to sanity. Mission accomplished!


----------



## Oskaar

I missed this one at first, browsing youtube

*Suwanai Akiko Plays Brahms 1/2 : Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano*

Love the interpretation! Very passionate and sensitive.
Also clarely over Mutter for me.

*videolink*


----------



## bejart

Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): String Trio in B Flat, Op.9, No.1

Members of the Helios Ensemble: Dirk Vandaele, violin -- Marc Claes, viola -- Jan Bontinck, cello


----------



## bejart

Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): String Trio in B Flat, Op.9, No.1

Members of the Helios Ensemble: Dirk Vandaele, violin -- Marc Claes, viola -- Jan Bontinck, cello


----------



## Oskaar

*Brahms - Violin Sonata No 2 in A major, Op 100*

3 versions

*Dobrochna Banaszkiewicz, violin. Héctor J. Sánchez, piano.
El Jardín de Belagua*

and

*Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Lambert Orkis, piano*

and *Suwanai Akiko Plays Brahms 1/2 : Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano*

I absulutely prefer Banaszkiewicz and Akiko over Mutter

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

*Poot - Cheerful Overture (Rahbari/Marco Polo)
Jongen - Impressions d'Ardennes (Kofman/Cypres)
Jolivet - Symphony for Strings (Foster/Timpani)*


----------



## cjvinthechair

Belated realisation of the chance to celebrate Norway Day yesterday !

Johan Svendsen - Festival Polonaise 



Ole Bull - Violin Concerto 



Magnar Am - Gratia for harp & strings 



Ole Olsen - Symphony in G 



Knut Nystedt - Missa Brevis 



 (Kyrie).

Glad we're back in operation !


----------



## MozartsGhost

*
Dvorak*
Te Deum
Psalm 149, Op 79, Hymnus, Op 30

Gabriela Benackova, Soprano
Jaroslav Soucek, Baritone

Czech Philharmonic
Chorus & Orchestra,
Vaclav Neumann

From the liner notes:

. . . It was around this time (1872) that Dvorak followed suit with the work that first established him as a composer, the Hymnus, Op 30.

Dvorak was then in his early thirties, and had just suffered the fiasco of his second opera, King and Collier. Up to this time his music exhibited little of the Slavic spirit it would later have. Still dominant were the influences of Wagner and Liszt. It was the return of Smetana to Bohemia, from his self-imposed exile for five years to Sweden, that stimulated a new self-pride in Dvorak and other Czech musicians. They began to lose their embarrassment at being natives of a small, rustic country, and to learn anew and with admiration of their rich musical tradition . . .


----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## Vaneyes

*CPE Bach*: Cello Concerti, w. Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan (rec.1996); Symphonies, Sinfonias, w. CPE Bach CO/Haenchen (rec.1985/6).

View attachment 42178


----------



## bejart

Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781): Flute Concerto in D Major

Ondrej Kukal leading the Prague Chamber Orchsestra -- Vaclav Kunt, flute


----------



## bejart

Haydn: Symphony No.95 in C Minor

Sir Colin Davis directing the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra


----------



## Gondur

Vivaldi - Lauda Jerusalem. The ending is especially magnificent.


----------



## omega

Messiaen, _Poèmes pour Mi_ (P. Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra & F. Poller)








Bernstein, Symphony n°1 _Jeremiah_ and n°2 _The Age of Anxiety_ (L. Bernstein, Israel Philharmonic)


----------



## Manxfeeder

*Chopin, Preludes*

If you'd ask me if I like Chopin, I'd say no. But truth be told, I guess I do.


----------



## bejart

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Trumpet Concerto in E Flat

Jean-Pierre Wallez conducting the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris -- Maurice Andre, trumpet


----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## StlukesguildOhio




----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## DaveS

A short festival from this recording: Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherezade; Stravinsky: Firebird Suite: Thomas: Mignon Overture; Sibelius: Finlandia; Sousa: Stars & Stripes Forever. Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## KenOC

Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 5, London Phil with Haitink. Like a lot of V-W, maybe a little relaxed and diffuse for my taste...but nice. And no cows.


----------



## bejart

Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Franck: Grande Piece Symphonique, Op.17/Fantaisie in A, Op.16/Pastorale, Op.19 No.4 Marcel Dupre (at the organ of Saint-Sulpice, Paris)

Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op.129
Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op.33 Janos Starker/London Symphony Orchestra/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (Schumann/Lalo)/Antal Dorati (Saint-Saens)

The Franck LP I listened to this morning, it is a real treasure and I'm astounded that up until now it does not appear to have come out on CD. Dupre was one of the supreme organists of his generation, and these are wonderful performances, and superbly recorded, as you would expect, by Mercury. The three cello concerti are likewise Mercury recordings, but these are on CD, and the passionate playing of Janos Starker is a joy. I'm especially fond of the Lalo, what a fine composer he was.


----------



## MozartsGhost

*Robert Schumann*
4 Symphonien
Berliner Philharmoniker
Karajan
Symphony Nos 1, 2, 3, & 4


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky - Piano & Orchestra - The Seasons*

*Orchestrated by Georgii Cherkin

Classic FM MTel Orchestra
Conductor: Grigor Palikarov
Soloist: Georgii Cherkin - piano

29-th of Nov. 2010
"Bulgaria Hall" Live*

I dont know the original work was it solo piano? I find the pieces simple but quite enjoyable to listen to

*1. January - "By the Fireplace" from "The Seasons" op. 37a

2. February - "Carnival"

3. March - "Song of the Lark"

4. April - "Snowdrop" *

I will post the rest tomorrow, I think

*videolink*


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

I shall do my due to offset the recent wave of Telemann slagging:

G. P. Telemann - Tafelmusik - Production II
Quartet in D minor for Recorder, two Flutes, & B.c. (Pieter-Jan Belder; Musica Amphion).


----------



## AClockworkOrange

*Mozart: Requiem*
Butt & the Dunedin Consort et al. 








I have noted in the past that this is the recording that changed my view of HIP and I must say that I adore this recording. It is an incredible reading, beautifully performed and recorded magnificently. This version has seized my attention to such an extent that Harnoncourt's disc is still in it's original shrink-wrapping. I will remedy this in due course but the Dunedin Consort truly set the bar high for my tastes.


----------



## Antiquarian

Listening to Bax' The Tale The Pine-Trees Knew (Ulster Orchestra, Conductor Bryden Thompson - Chandos 8367, from 1985)


----------



## SimonNZ

Bach's Cantata BWV3 "Ah God, what deep affliction"

For The second Sunday after Epiphany - Leipzig, 1725

Soprano: Joanne Lunn; Counter-tenor: Richard Wyn Roberts; Tenor: Julian Podger; Bass: Gerald Finley

John Eliot Gardiner, cond.


----------



## senza sordino

Vivaldi Gloria, Dixit Dominus, Magnificat







Dvorak Violin Concerto, Romance for violin and orchestra, humoresque







RVW Symphony #2, Concerto Grosso


----------



## Guest

After reading about Gerard Schurmann's Piano Concerto in the new John Ogdon biography, I realized that I hadn't listened to his Violin Concerto in ages (the Piano Concerto remains unrecorded, although one is apparently in the works from Chandos). Nice piece. He skillfully manages to avoid making the violin fight to be heard over the orchestra.


----------



## bejart

Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831): Clarinet Concerto No.1 in B Flat

Sebastian Tewinkel leading the Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim -- Dieter Klocker, clarinet


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Bacewicz: Piano Quintets 1 and 2/Piano Sonata No.2 Krystian Zimerman/Kaja Danczowska/Agata Szymczeska/Ryszard Groblewski/Rafal Kwiatkowski

This is a superb CD, recommended to me by Vaneyes a wee while back, I love it- though the 2nd Piano Quintet will take a little time to appreciate properly, I love the first immediately, and the 2nd Piano Sonata is a really strong, dramatic work, I already have the performance by Wladyslaw Szpilman, and it is nice to have a second version of such a fine work that is so unjustly neglected. A good buy methinks.


----------



## SimonNZ

"Mediterraneo" - L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar, dir.


----------



## Morimur

*Tan Dun: Water Passion after St. Matthew*










_Tan Dun
Water Passion after St. Matthew
Elizabeth Keusch, soprano
Stephen Bryant, bass
Mark O'Connor, violin
Maya Beiser, cello
David Cossin, Martin Homann & Adam Weisman, percussion
RIAS-Kammerchor, Berlin/Tan Dun_


----------



## JCarmel

Mozart, Violin Concerto No 1, Emma Verhey, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Marturet









Well, I splashed-the-cash & forked-out 19 whole 'p' for this 3 cd set of Mozart's Complete Works for Violin & Orchestra..& I'm embarking on my journey through the concertos as played by Emma Verhey. And as far as Concerto No 1 is going, she's doing a pretty fair job. A little_ too _slow in the Adagio at the moment, for me...but it is 'lovingly' played. I'm familiar with the celebrated Grumiaux/Davies recording so it'll be interesting to compare the two. But so far...Good on Yer, Emma?!


----------



## dgee

Fedele Violin Concerto on this album - particularly notable for the last section where the live electronics kick in and the violin goes a bit rock guitar









And this very enjoyable album - Territoires de l'oubli for piano solo probably the highlight (big, powerful and hypnotic)


----------



## PetrB

*Morton Feldman ~ for Philip Guston*

Morton Feldman ~ for Philip Guston [duration: 4:48:32]


----------



## TurnaboutVox

*Alfred Schnittke - The Complete String Quartets

String Quartet No. 1 (1966)
Canon in Memory of I. Stravinsky (1971)
String Quartet No. 2 (1980)
String Quartet No. 3 (1983)
String Quartet No. 4 (1989)*

Kronos Quartet [Nonesuch, 1998]










New works for me, and a moderately challenging first listen - I've gone through almost the whole of the 2 discs non-stop whilst doing something else, allowing the music just to wash over me and catch my attention as it will. I do like the 4th Quartet most on first audition.


----------



## Cosmos

Just discovered this composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Listening to his magnificent op. 15 Piano Quintet


----------



## Guest

What an amazing lineup of musicians! They certainly turn in impassioned performances of wonderful music--the Piano Quintet and Piano Trio. Typical multi-mic'd DG studio sound.


----------



## violadude

Cosmos said:


> Just discovered this composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Listening to his magnificent op. 15 Piano Quintet


Be sure to check out his 3 string quartets, string sextet, violin concerto and symphony in F sharp Major


----------



## Morimur

*Tan Dun: Ghost Opera (Kronos Quartet, Wu Man)*










Written by Chinese composer Tan Dun, Ghost Opera is a dramatic five-movement composition for string quartet and pipa-with vocalizations and percussive effects from water, metal, stone, and paper, performed by Kronos and Wu Man. The composition explores human spirituality, employing elements from Chinese, Tibetan, English, and American cultures, as well as a multitude of theatrical traditions. "Remarkable," said the Los Angeles Times of the piece. "In this broad-minded, culture-bending opus, shards of Bach, Shakespeare, a bright pentatonic palette of Chinese origin and such sonic exotica as the water gong find peaceful and poignant coexistence." _-Nonesuch_


----------



## bejart

Jan Vanhal (1739-1813): Symphony in A Flat, Bryan Ab1

Kevin Mallon leading the Toronto Camerata


----------



## Vaneyes

For *Albeniz *(1909) and *Mahler* (1911) death days.








View attachment 42212


----------



## Rhythm

*Barber & Price | Historic Performances 1938 & 1953*









^ Leontyne Price sang Saint Ita's Vision from Barber's Hermit Songs op.29
First paragraph AllMusic | This Bridge release, Leontyne Price & Samuel Barber: Historic Performances 1938 & 1953, is the 19th volume in Bridge's Great Performances from the Library of Congress series. Unlike a prior RCA Victor package including part of this concert, the Bridge disc contains the entire original recital as given by Price and Samuel Barber at the Library of Congress on October 30, 1953. Some striking additional material comes in the form of 12 previously inconceivable vocal performances by the 23-year-old Barber himself, taken from a radio broadcast from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1938.

Resume.​


----------



## opus55

Wagner: Die Walküre


----------



## Mahlerian

Britten: War Requiem
Robert Tear, Thomas Allen, Elisabeth Soderstrom, CBSO Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, cond. Rattle


----------



## Rhythm

*Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen | Mahler*
^ Sarah Connolly, mezzo 
with BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson at Royal Albert Hall, 12 September 2009.

Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
^ 




Ging heut Morgen übers Feld
^ 




Ich hab'ein glühend Messer
^ 




Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz
^ 




*Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen*
^ Fischer-Dieskau, lyric baritone
Filmed at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, 24 October 1960, with NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Kletzki.
Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
Ging heut Morgen übers Feld
Ich hab'ein glühend Messer
Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz​


----------



## Alypius

Dvořák, Symphony #7 in D minor, op. 70, B.141 (1885)

Dvořák, Symphony #8 in G, op. 88, B.163 (1889)

Dvořák, Symphony #1 in C minor ("Bells of Zionice"), B.9 (1869)










This box is a new arrival, my first chance to listen to Kertesz's acclaimed interpretations. I have to say that they are living up to their reputation. Really extraordinary performances.


----------



## senza sordino

I've been in most of the day, listening to music or playing music. 
Grieg Violin Sonatas re-orchestrated as violin concerti. This CD is wonderful, love the sound, it sounds so Norwegian 







Martha Argerich performs Bach Partita no 2, Ginastera Dansa Argentinas, Prokofiev Sonata no 7
Martha Argerich Prokofiev Piano Concerti no 1&3, Bartok Piano Concerto #3







DSCH Symphony #14


----------



## Le Beau Serge




----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

G. F. Händel - Israel in Egypt - 'Introitus - Moses and the children of Israel'; 'The Lord is my strength and my song' (Sir Charles Mackerras; Harper; Clark; Esswood; Young; Rippon; Keyte; Leeds Festival Chorus; English Chamber Orchestra).


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Ancient recording. Timeless performances, all the more treasurable from a brilliant violinist, who was tragically killed in a plane crash shortly after her 30th birthday.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Today's morning and evening drivetime music.

I love this Gibbons Tudor Church Music CD on ASV from 1990. Ledger and Kings College Choir are perfect and the music is so relaxing. When I get home I think I'll listen to it all over again as I've used it a few times in the car and it's deserving of a proper listen again.


----------



## JCarmel

It's another lovely morning out there?! And as I made my first trip outside the house yesterday for about the last four weeks...albeit to a car with an open door, parked at the bottom of the path to my house....at least contact with the Outside Air was made?!
So, sunshine...heartening moments of movement...it's got to be Mozart?! I'm dipping into my Annie Fischer 'Icon' box set for a performance of Piano Concerto no 27, conducted by Efram Kurtz.









Efram Kurtz was a tall gentleman it seems...so much so that he frequently did away with the need for a podium!
He first made his name conducting music for Anna Pavlova & she invited him to open her Covent Garden season in 1928. Thereafter he went on an annual world tour with her, including Australia and South America, until her premature death in 1931. Kurtz always carried a Russian gold coin which she gave him as a talisman shortly before she died.









Warned of danger from the Gestapo in Germany, Kurtz fled to Paris, this time penniless. He briefly sold tea until one of the companies which succeeded Diaghilev's former Ballet Russe offered him a fresh opportunity as an extra conductor; he became their principal when two other conductors failed to get visas for a forthcoming British tour.

As music director for what was to become the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Kurtz was a regular visitor to London from 1934. He also conducted premieres of celebrated ballets by Fokine, Massine and Balanchine in Europe and in America, where he settled during the Second World War. He took American citizenship in 1944


----------



## ShropshireMoose

Handel: Concerto Grosso, Op.6 No.10
Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel, Op.28/Don Juan, Op.20
J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.3
Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham

What a great way to start the day! Five live performances from Beecham and the RPO from two concerts given at the Royal Festival Hall in January, 1955. These were to have been given by Furtwangler, but he died the previous November and so Beecham took over the programmes as a memorial, and what superb performances he gives. The Handel and Bach are lively, and full of wonderful touches, and proof that not all older conductors performed them in a stodgy, dull manner, as I have heard suggested by some. Beecham was a born Straussian, and the Ravel is extremely atmospheric and full of rhythmic vitality. Wonderful stuff!


----------



## JCarmel

It was good to see Michala Petrie on the jury in last night's Final of 'Young Musician of the Year'...& what a wonderful night's entertainment the competition gave us...three impressive musicians, all giving winning performances?!

Frederick the Great, Sonata in B Flat, Michala Petri/Hanne Petri, Harpsichord/David Petri, Cello









And to charm the ears before I go & enjoy a sit in the sunshine, long-time favourite.... Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor as played by Alfredo Campoli.


----------



## SimonNZ

I hope it hasn't been illness that's kept you inside for the last four weeks, Julie.










John Adams' Harmonielehe - Simon Rattle, cond.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Sass is a curious singer. This is a conflation of the three recitals she made for Decca in the late 1970s, and in 1981 (the Liszt/Bartok songs). I heard Sass live a few times. She was a mannered actress, usually with one raised arm and the other cupped to her ear. Her Norma at Covent Garden was painfully inadequate, made the more so when compared to Agnes Baltsa's wonderful Adalgisa. Her Elisabetta in *Don Carlo* wasn't much better, though the role taxed her less. The one time she made something of an impression was in a concert performance of *Turandot*, which used the complete Alfano editing. Here too though, the vocal honours went to Barbara Hendricks as Liu.

However she made quite a few good discs, but I wonder how much knob twiddling went on to mask the huge gap between her loud, occasionally strident tones and the almost inaudible soft ones. Live, the gear changes were most distracting. The first of the recitals. featuring arias by Puccini and Verdi is probably the best. On the first recital, the Puccini arias are probably the best, all well charcterised and, for the most part affectingly sung, though again noting the occasional stridency on loud high notes. that said, she cleverly differentiates between Turandot, Tosca, Manon and Butterfly. The Verdi arias are pretty good too, best of all Griselda's scene from *I Lombardi*.

By the time of the second recital, the tendency to lurch from loud to soft, with not much inbetween, has become more pronounced, but there is the bonus, as on the first disc, of a personality at work here. Nothing she does is bland, that's for sure. And much that she does is vocally exquisite, like the beautifully poised _pianissimo_ Db _in alt_ in Verdi's written ending to Leonora's _D'amor sull'ali rosee_.

The final recital with Andras Schiff at the piano has Sass singing in her own language, which she does with relish. Her extrovert singing suits the Liszt well and the Bartok make a welcome addition.

I really enjoyed these discs when I first bought them on LP many years ago, but, having been so disappointed in her stage performances, I stopped listening to them. Listened to again, without prejudice, they again provide (slightly limited) pleasure.


----------



## dgee

Finally following up on the Faure Piano Quintets - Domus again









More open and breezy than the Piano Quartets, I really enjoyed them (probably no.1 more but some very chewy harmony in the slow movement of no.2 was especially memorable!)


----------



## cjvinthechair

From Swedish Radio's lovely 'Music to Midnight' programme:

Allan Pettersson - Symphony no. 1
David Wikander - Mass

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/345718?programid=4428


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky - Piano & Orchestra - The Seasons*

The nekst four of these beautiful pieces

*5. May - "Starlit Nights" from "The Seasons" op. 37a

6. June - "Barcarolle"

7. July - "Song of the Reaper"

8. August - "The Harvest" *

*videolink*


----------



## SimonNZ

Michael Dougherty's Niagara Falls - Eugene Migilaro Corporon, cond.










Michael Dougherty's Raise The Roof - Neeme Jarvi, cond.










Michael Dougherty's Deus Ex Machina - Giancarlo Guerrero, cond.


----------



## bejart

GF Handel (1685-1759): Flute Sonata in E Minor, HWV 375

Lisa Beznosiuk, flute -- Richard Tunnicliffe, cello -- Paul Nicholson, harpsichord


----------



## JCarmel

Been sitting in the sun listening to an album of Brahms songs sung by Janet Baker transferred from Maison Carmel's digital vaults to my Moto G, whilst perusing a well-illustrated book on Pompeii & Herculaneum.









One can become concerned that one relies ever more keenly on technology....even whilst relaxing in the garden?! But I was cheered to see that even in ancient Pompeii, they were using their smartphones & handy stylus?!









I also noticed this strange sign from outside a Baker's Shop in the town...I'm interpreting it to mean that you can buy at least 2 buns and a baguette, within.....









When I was a teenager, I was mad-keen on Brahms songs, sung by Fischer-Dieskau c/o LP's that I borrowed from the Record Library in Leicester.
Having to pick a favourite piece by Brahms on another thread, I forgot to consider how much I enjoy his lieder, oft neglected nowadays I feel.







....available on Spotify.


----------



## shadowdancer

Pathetique... Impressive performance..
Now, let the monday come...


----------



## Jeff W

I know it is late for the Saturday Symphonies thread and that I am risking angering the Gods, but...









Ralph Vaughn Williams' Symphony No. 2 'A London Symphony'. Bernard Haitink leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra.


----------



## Oskaar

*Tchaikovsky - Piano & Orchestra - The Seasons*

Last four

*9. September - "The Hunt"

10. October - "Autumn Song"

11. November - "Troika"

12. December - "Christmas"*

*videolink*


----------



## Vasks

*Marschner - Overture to "Der Babu" (Walter/Marco Polo)
Beethoven - String Quartet #13 (Talich/Calliope)
Kodaly - Symphony (Tortelier/Chandos)*


----------



## JCarmel

Walton Violin Concerto, Jascha Heifetz, William Walton conducting The Philharmonia









Commissioned by Heifetz from the composer in 1936, the violinist plays the concerto in this recording...like he owns it?!


----------



## Oskaar

*Wood - Fantasia on British Sea-Songs / Rule Britannia (Last Night of the Proms 2012)*

*Prom 76: Last Night of the Proms 2012
Henry Wood - Fantasia on British Sea-Songs
- The Saucy Arethusa
- Tom Bowling (1:32)
- Jack's The Lad (Hornpipe) (4:27)
- Home, Sweet Home (8:35)
- See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes (10:30)
- Rule, Britannia! (11:53)

Joseph Calleja tenor
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Jiří Bělohlávek conductor

Royal Albert Hall, 8 September 2012*

Brilliant and entertaining fantasia, eccelent and humouristicly performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra and chorus. 
And I hope it can give the brits national pride without islamofobi and hostility against others. National pride can easily go over the top

The proms is a goldmine of gems, not only in this "last of the proms" style, but in serious quality productions.

yotube comments

*Wonderful rendition of Rule Brtitannia﻿

That's a wonderful performance! I'm excited for the Britons. Britons shall never never be slaves! Just think of the days when the sun never set on the Union Jack! Hello from an American Chinese!﻿

This is stompingly good music when you are in the auditorium on the Last Night. I can attest to that.﻿

I shouldn't watch this while I'm so far from home in Canada - I'm feeling very nostalgic for Britain! Thank you for the upload *

*videolink*


----------



## Oskaar

*Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Proms 2012)*

*Jonathan Lemalu baritone, bass-baritone
London Brass
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Tadaaki Otaka conductor

Royal Albert Hall, 31 July 2012*

Lovely, adventurous piece.

youtube links

*Such a stunningly beautiful piece of music. I could listen to this until the day I die and live a happy life.

may god rot those damned coughers! what is wrong with these idiots??????﻿

Written in the 16 hundreds. Hundreds of years before its time. Amazing﻿

My all time favourite piece of classical music﻿*

*videolink*


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## Oskaar

*Vivaldi Beatus Vir RV 795 Les Agremens, L G Alarcon*

Beautiful Vivaldi. Beautiful choral snd vocal music. I am starting to appreciate baroque music very high. There is something owerwhelming, beautiful and yes-attitude over it. And loads of charm.
All the beautiful people in orchestra and chorus comes as a bonus. They also really bloom along with the beautiful music.

*videolink*


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## Le Beau Serge




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## Tsaraslondon

The Waldstein is my favourite Beethoven sonata, and Gilels gives a truly great performance of the work, making light of its difficulties. That moment when the big tune creeps in at the beginning of the Rondo is like the moon breaking through clouds after a storm and reflecting its beam on rippling water.

The other sonatas here, _Les Adieux_ and the _Appassionata_ are just as stupendous. This is one tremendous disc.


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## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


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## WienerKonzerthaus

Our #MorningListening series on Instagram/Twitter
New releases mostly... but not always.


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## Oskaar

*Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf. Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.*

*The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's music director Bramwell Tovey does double duty as conductor and narrator in this delightfully entertaining performance. *

I feel like a litle child again presented to this fairitale eccelent presented by narrator and orchestra. I have heard this narrated by David Bowey and Dame Edna... Both quite surrealistic, and not very children-friendly experiences.

you tube comments

*
Th, they put the wolf in the zoo??? STUPID - children know their is good and evil , shoot the damn wolf !﻿

Cant you hear the animals through the music ? Use your mind ! Imagine it. ﻿

that crying baby is really annoying -.-﻿

I remember going to this symphony when I was 12 years old in 1972 in Vancouver.
Same dialogue, music stimulates your imagination. Smelly french horns and crying kids. Better than rap and whatever the younger generation call it. Close your eyes and open your imagination Hayley.﻿*

*videolink*


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## WienerKonzerthaus

Cosmos said:


> Just discovered this composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Listening to his magnificent op. 15 Piano Quintet


Then you may also be interested in this: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2011/07/korngold-sr-jr-cliche-critic-and.html

Fascinating composer... and with a chapter about him in the upcoming book "Surprised by Beauty: A Listener's Guide to the Recovery of 20th (and 21st) Century Music"


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## millionrainbows

Stockhausen: Kontra-punkte. Beautiful music, a sheer sensuous delight for the ears, mystery unsolved for the mind.


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## millionrainbows

Vaneyes said:


> *Haydn*: String Quartets, Opp. 50 & 71, w. Lindsay Qt. (rec. 2002/3).
> 
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> View attachment 42153


I'm glad to see that ASV has finally improved their cover art. It never fails to amaze me how some people seem to think that a good graphic artist is somehow superfluous. It must be because of some computer program that they think they can do it themselves.


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## senza sordino

oskaar said:


> *Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf. Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.*
> 
> *The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's music director Bramwell Tovey does double duty as conductor and narrator in this delightfully entertaining performance. *
> 
> I feel like a litle child again presented to this fairitale eccelent presented by narrator and orchestra. I have heard this narrated by David Bowey and Dame Edna... Both quite surrealistic, and not very children-friendly experiences.
> 
> you tube comments
> 
> *
> Th, they put the wolf in the zoo??? STUPID - children know their is good and evil , shoot the damn wolf !﻿
> 
> Cant you hear the animals through the music ? Use your mind ! Imagine it. ﻿
> 
> that crying baby is really annoying -.-﻿
> 
> I remember going to this symphony when I was 12 years old in 1972 in Vancouver.
> Same dialogue, music stimulates your imagination. Smelly french horns and crying kids. Better than rap and whatever the younger generation call it. Close your eyes and open your imagination Hayley.﻿*
> 
> *videolink*


I've seen Bramwell Tovey conduct and speak many times, he's a good terrific leader of the orchestra. He has quite a presence here in the community too. He visits local schools, including mine. He was on the radio being interviewed last week. The VSO's previous conductor Sergiu Commisiona was quite a sour puss in comparison. Bramwell Tovey frequently speaks to the audience.

I have three concerts left this season to attend, Mahler 9, Respighi and Britten, and Last Night at the Proms, all conducted by Tovey. But he will only be here in Vancouver for a couple more seasons. In total that will be about 15 years here in Vancouver.

Bramwell Tovey also conducts at least one of the kids concerts each year. It's called "Inspector Tovey investigates harmony".

Thanks for the link.


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## JCarmel

Listening to the third cd in my recently-purchased 1 pence x 3 cd Nimbus set of Beniamino Gigli singing operatic arias... and in the case of this third disc, Italian songs. And I think that I'm liking this cd the best of the three. Gigli had a wonderful voice but 'emotes' a little too much for my taste but in these Neapolitan and Italian songs, his honest, passionately-sung, open-hearted style matches his material perfectly.









And then, to mark her birthday today...I'm listening to a collection of some of the best recordings of Dame Nellie Melba. I haven't heard her for a while but I do remember when I last did, I thought I could definetly distinguish an Australian accent mixed in with the operatic text?! 'The London Recordings of 1904'...on Spotify.









Then it's back outside, to water the bedding plants after such a warm day...& to sit and enjoy a Peach Melba, perhaps?!


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## Andolink

*J. S. Bach*: _'Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben', BWV 8 _ 
Yukari Nonoshita, soprano
Robin Blaze, alto
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki









*Florent Schmitt*: _Sonate libre en deux parties enchaînées, Op. 68_
Ilona Then-Bergh, violin
Michael Schäfer, piano









*Florent Schmitt*: _Symphonie Concertante, for orchestra & piano, Op.82_ 
Huseyin Sermet, piano
Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo/David Robertson


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## millionrainbows

Cosmos said:


> Just discovered this composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Listening to his magnificent op. 15 Piano Quintet


I'm giving it a try. It seems a little too sweet for me on first impression. I can tell it's nicely crafted, though. I have to be in a receptive mood for some things...


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## Mahlerian

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht, string sextet op.4 (in D minor)
Hollywood String Quartet (plus two)









A few might think that I got into Schoenberg through this piece and only then encountered the later works, but actually the opposite is true. I certainly did fall in love with his sextet the first time I heard it, but this was after I had come to know (and enjoy to some extent) some of Schoenberg's later works.

Schoenberg always did write very well for strings. Stravinsky, in comparing and contrasting himself with the older composer, noted that he focused on winds far more, because strings have the tradition of romantic era gestures and expressiveness, while winds tend towards the more "objective".


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## violadude

millionrainbows said:


> I'm giving it a try. It seems a little too sweet for me on first impression. I can tell it's nicely crafted, though. I have to be in a receptive mood for some things...


I gave his piano quartet posted by Cosmos a try and it's pretty different from what I'm used to hearing from Korngold, more Romantic. The string quartets I suggested, for example, are written more in a German Expressionist vein (but not atonal from what I understand).

Try this one: 




Also, keep in mind he was a big movie music composer so some of that aesthetic may have slipped into his serious works. But I don't think it's too bad in that regard.


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## Krummhorn

This thread is now closed as it was becoming a burden on our memory and servers use.

We have created a new thread (same subject) titled: Current Listening Vol II so that our members can continue to contribute information.


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